Nothing amused Sharanel more than seeing the normally placid Honsmordin unnerved. She was giggling uncontrollably as Fantasma led them into the city of Kelogong. Honsmordin hated being in Kelogong because the large town was filled with thousands of anti-mentants. A group of anti-mentants that large could cancel out mentus, quickening, and vision in the mentant realm for miles around. This meant that Honsmordin, as a mind mage, was practically powerless. It also meant that almost nobody could find the city nestled between two mountains on the northern continent of Lumaria. It was one of the three most concealed places in the world. This was critical to Fantasma's plan, so despite Honsmordin's grumbling, they had set out early that morning for Kelogong. Sharanel quickened them as close to the city as mentantly possible and they hiked the rest of the way.
When they finally made it to Kelogong, Fantasma headed straight for the Burbane Inn, where Sharanel and Honsmordin had stayed only a few days earlier. It was fairly large, and had a stable attached to it. A bell rang when they opened the door.
The owner, a bald, gruff looking man, in his mid-200s appeared and recognized Fantasma immediately. "Sir, you have graced my humble inn yet again."
Fantasma could tell that the innkeeper had not fully recovered from his last surprise visit. After all, it was not often that the leader of the entire planet walked into your place of business, and this was twice in one week.
"Sir, I need to know how many rooms you have available at your inn," Fantasma said, getting to the point quickly. He pulled out his orcrus, a small spherical device that Mendalians used to store money. Though it was pocket-sized, the device had an infinite amount of space inside and could store any amount of currency without changing size or weight. Fantasma read the meter on the side which told him how much money he currently had.
"I have a little over eighty rooms; they could hold about three-hundred people comfortably. Of course many of them are being used by your staff."
Fantasma frowned. "That's not nearly enough. How many other inns and hotels are there in Kelogong?"
"I'm afraid this is the only one."
Fantasma gave him a look of disbelief. "Hagan, I don't have time for games. This is a serious matter."
Hagan quailed a little. "Sir, as you know, Kelogong is completely hidden. Even though it's a large town, visitors are few and far between. There's never been a real need for any form of lodging. The members of your staff have been the most guests I've had at one time in a dozen years or more. Mostly the inn is used by local businesses for conferences or retreats."
Fantasma nodded at this. "Of course, you're right." He sighed. "As I'm sure you're aware, Davron and his creatures have taken over my mountain."
"Yes I know," the innkeeper said. "Your staff has told us what's been happening these past few days."
"I need a place to bring my army so we can organize and plan. Kelogong is completely hidden from Davron. It would be perfect if I could use this town as a base of operations. The anti-mentant barrier surrounding the area would be more than enough to hide my people. Still, I need a place for them to stay."
"Well sir," the innkeeper lowered his voice, "there are the barracks."
"The what?"
"Well, generations ago, one of the former owners of this inn was afraid that Kelogong would be invaded. This was just after the Great War. So he and hundreds of other townsfolk built barracks under the inn with tunnels for escape routes. I'm sure we could fit at least 2000 people down there. There's also a quartz plate in the ground that covers the barracks for extra protection."
"That sounds perfect. Would you be able to provide for that many people though?" Fantasma asked.
"I'm sure I can get more help. Everyone's heard about the war, but you know, most of the anti-mentants in Kelogong are nons like me, so we wouldn't be much help fighting in a war against monsters. But helping serve your army would give us a chance to do our part. Don't worry, I'll start gathering up volunteers this afternoon."
"That's excellent. We should only be here a week at most. Now, my two assistants and I will need a very large room to hold meetings in, the largest you can provide. We'll also need sleeping quarters. We won't be in Kelogong the entire time but I want you to hold them for us until our business is finished. How many guests do you currently have?"
"Just the members of your staff."
"Good," Fantasma said hurriedly. "Their entire tab, plus all of the expenses that my group incurs should be billed directly to me. I promise you; I'll have sufficient funds to pay in the end." He held up his orcrus to show the innkeeper the meter. "Charge whatever your normal rates are. You and your staff and those helping you deserve adequate compensation. I trust that you would not try to cheat the Fantasma," he added with a grin.
"Oh, no sir," the innkeeper said earnestly. "I'll make sure that everything is taken care of. My name is Hagan, by the way."
Fantasma shook Hagan's hand. "You've already met my personal aids, Sharanel and Honsmordin. Anything that they ask should be treated with as much respect as anything I ask."
"Of course sir," Hagan assured. "I'll start making the necessary preparations."
"Thank you," Fantasma said as the innkeeper hurried off. He turned to his companions. "Honsmordin, I want to get started as soon as possible. You stay and determine what members of our staff are already here. Sharanel and I will head to Zohare. As soon as you're done, contact Sharanel and she'll quicken you to us."
Honsmordin nodded. "The sooner I'm out of Kelogong, the better."
"Oh don't worry, Honsmordin, it sounds like we'll be spending a lot of time here," Sharanel teased.
Honsmordin grumbled as Fantasma and Sharanel left the inn.
Ashley examined the moss-covered structure in front of her. It was a small stone building with a single opening containing steps that led down into the ground. "This is the fortress?"
"It's all underground," Ace explained.
Daniel picked up a stone that appeared to be part of the original door to the structure. "Looks like the party started without us. Davron's troops must have broken the door down."
"Rest assured though, no one can get to the jewel. That's up to Ashley," Ace reminded them.
"What time is it?" Jandor asked.
"Just a little after noon," Ace answered. "We're making good time."
"How long do you think it will take us to get to the jewel?"
"Well it shouldn't take more than a few hours, Jandor. But if Davron's creatures are down there, we could be in for a long trip. Just try to stay together. It's a maze down there and if we make one wrong turn, we'll be lost for sure."
"I assume this is one of those instances where we're going to lose contact with Henry and the others?" Jandor peered down the stairway.
"Yes, but it won't matter anyway. He couldn't quicken us outta here."
"Well, let's get going guys." Jandor went first down the dark stairwell, followed by Ace and then the others.
"So you're saying all the banks are closed? What does that mean?" Becky stood in the corner of the practice room with Lawrence and Ben.
"Well for one thing, I can't pull any funds from my private account in Acumen," Ben said. "I was hoping that I'd be able to use that to help us out with our expenses, but it doesn't look like that'll be possible right now."
"Also," Lawrence added, "my funds are tight too. Salov and I have a fair amount on hand, but we've already spent a good deal on supplies."
"Why are the banks closed?" Becky asked.
"The Lostram, the global bank, is in Fantasmal Mountain," Ben explained. "So when it shut down, people panicked and started withdrawing all their money. Apparently a lot of banks had to close because there just wasn't enough money to fulfill the requests."
"Economics," Becky sighed, "yet another subject that makes no sense."
Alyson and Derrick approached. "This isn't working, Becky," Derrick griped.
"What isn't working?" Becky's head was still reeling from the last dilemma she was given.
"We can't keep practicing against each other." Alyson pointed to her teammates behind her. "It's not effective. We need to go to the local Warrior Guild."
"Warrior Guild; what's that?" She was growing tired of hearing unfamiliar terms.
"It's a place where people train to become fighters," Alyson answered. "There are dozens of people who go there. Think of it like a gym. only with weapons." She grinned. "It'll give us an opportunity to practice against different opponents in a safe environment."
"The guild is also in charge of the combat ranks," Ben added. "Which reminds me, didn't you say you wanted to get the fighter's rank?"
Becky nodded at this. "Yeah, so did a couple of other people. I guess it's not such a bad idea practicing at the guild, so long as you keep a low profile."
Lawrence snapped his fingers in sudden revelation. "You know this may sound like a brash idea, but the guild hosts tournaments and matches as well. If two members agree, they can fight each other to win money. It might be a good way to earn some extra centars."
Derrick brightened. "I'd like to take a crack at that."
"Me too," Alyson agreed eagerly.
Becky laughed at their enthusiasm. "Well, that might kill two birds with one stone right there."
"Kill what.?" Lawrence said confused.
Becky laughed again, "Finally, something I know that you don't. Alyson would go ahead and gather up anyone who wants to go practice at the guild or get the fighter's rank and somebody find Henry."
"I have something else I want to talk with you about," Lawrence said pulling Becky to the side. They started out of the practice room so they could talk with less distraction. "It's not going to be safe in Leviton much longer. There's a great deal of monster activity around the city already. I have an idea though; one of my cousins, Robert Stokenshire, has a fleet of ships and I'm sure he would be more than willing to personally bring a vessel to Leviton and take you wherever you need to go. He would of course keep your identities a secret."
Becky frowned slightly. "That's very generous Lawrence, but it seems like an awful lot to ask. Are you sure he'd do this for us?"
"Yes, the members of the Stokenshire family have all been on alert since Salov sent notice that the Daughter of the Sun had returned. There are several of us, in various trades around the world. For the most part, the Stokenshire family is a tight knit clan that has existed for generations. Growing up, my cousins and I were taught by our great grandfather about our bond with the lineage of Sarah Fantas. We are sworn to serve the Daughter of the Sun in any way. If it were not for the Daughters of the Sun, the Stokenshires would not be the world-renowned family that we are now. We would never be so cocky as to forget that. Robert will come. I will contact him immediately and he should be here by tomorrow afternoon."
"Well, it sounds like a good idea. I'll let Jandor know when he gets back." Becky paused and turned to her companion. "Thank you Lawrence; I don't know what we'd do without your amazing family."
Lawrence smiled. "Believe me, it is our privilege."