The Alchemist at Hell's Gates

30

^^ City of Adepts ^^

Fresh from a well-deserved nap, a cup of coffee in hand, and still riding the afterglow of my inventions, I was far more chipper than usual as I greeted the rest of my Party at the Spawn Point. "Hello, Adventurers!!!" I cheered, waving happily at the confused people, ignoring the disturbed crowd around me who only had the context of a Green-Skinned Fey yelling at people; they probably thought I was an NPC but the Coffee Mug would throw them off from that conclusion.

"You seem... excited?" Jack commented carefully, a deeply concerned frown on his face as he approached.

"I am!!! My Dungeon is Level 25, now, and I'm going to buy a Store today, and I built a bunch of cool gadgets last night!!! I am Pumped for today!!!" I laughed giddily, squeezing him in a hug and then each of the others, all without spilling my coffee.

"Uhh... okay... that's, uhm, good?" He answered hesitantly.

"I'm not having a psychotic break, dear, I'm just happy; you don't have to be so confused." I assured him, kissing his cheek and leading them all out of the Spawn Point square. "Now!!! Let's GOOO!!!" I cheered, hugging Hellen for good measure.

"Alright, alright, stop clinging to me... geez, hug your boyfriend, yeah?" She grumbled, turning me back to Jack and opening a portal after I'd released her.

Stepping through, we were hit by the sight of the Adept City, the Level 25-50 portion of this Realm; four Titans made of moss-covered stone held up an island nation, a thousand feet above the ground, with their footholds and the islands around them the only Land for a hundred miles in any direction that I could see. Built into their bodies were extensions of the city, like their bodies and the island they held aloft above their heads were all one structure.

Around the center islands, the water was a crystalline turquoise, so clear as to be nearly invisible, and in it we could see large sea creatures, both natural, legendary, and monstrous, such as Blue Whales, Megaladons, and Baby Krakens, swimming side by side and occasionally tussling, leading to a feeding frenzy that turned the waters bloody red with vicious speed.

"Gorgeous..." I breathed softly, finding even more details the longer I looked; monsters were visible wandering through the structures in the Titans and fighting with adventurers in a few different places, leading me to think it wasn't the City inside, but rather their version of the various Fields of the Town of Beginnings, with each one having a different difficulty.

"It's certainly something, every time I see it..." Hellen nodded, and waited as we looked around the small island we'd arrived on; separated from the main island by about 2000 feet, it was about the size of a 90ft square, and packed with people. Several dozen low-level Seraphim hung around offering to open portals to the city or specific Titans for a few gold a person, while Grey-Faction players offered to escort and Guide people around the city, promising the best deals and selections of goods in the shops of the City, whether NPC or Player-Owned. "Now let's get going before someone recognizes us." She muttered swiftly, after letting us take it all in for a few moments, opening another portal and ushering us through into a slightly-less crowded thoroughfare in what seemed to be a beautifully crafted Castle Town, with tall walls surrounding it and casting shadows onto us from the early hour coupled with the elevation.

"You're worried about that? What for?" Uric asked carelessly, leading the group forward out of the entrance of the city, where we'd been standing, towards a massive building that had to be the Adventurer's Guild; built like an Elizabethan cathedral and four stories tall even without the steeple, it towered over most of this portion of the city, right at the end of the Main Road.