The Old Scholar

On the continent of Scattonia, the opulent desert jewel of a continent. There lies the Sultanate of Ghabir, the largest empire on the continent which spanned at least half of the gigantic thing. Many travelers from far and wide come to the Sultanate as it is the home to the largest temple to Ragneus the Creator God called the "Gardens Of Creation" which was a massive complex that had gardens, farms, and a massive temple dedicated to the Creator God. The temple is located in the capital city of Akhru, the sprawling jewel of the desert with beautiful architecture and designs that show it as an oasis in the sea of sand, the city is also the largest port of the Sultanate and is home to the largest library on the continent, the Tower of Santomin. The tower stretches far into the sky and has a large complex at its base, the tower itself is twice the height of the temple in the Gardens of Creation, with many scholars from across the continent and beyond with the goal to ascend its steps and gain enlightenment. The tower was built by the First Scholar of Scattonia, a man by the name of Ehmir who was blessed by Dashran and who was described as a genius but looked plain and uninteresting, something he covered up with cloth and silk, only showing his eyes. It is said in writings that the greatest secret of the world lies at the top floor of the tower, guarded by his descendants who are the masters of the tower. 

The tower itself houses books upon books of knowledge written by the Scholar himself and the only way to gain more knowledge was to ascend and fight the numerous guardians in place that protected the books. But none have been able to proceed even past Floor 30 of the 260-floor tower. Thanks to this, many adventurers treat the Tower as a sort of dungeon, with them escorting numerous scholars who wish to ascend but lack the strength to do it on their own. This has turned into a good way for the Sultanate and the Tower to make money as they charge adventurers and their parties to ascend, with whatever floor they stop at being marked and they are given individual rewards for making it there. This was the reason the Tower Scholars were created, a group of permanent caretakers made up of adventurers and scholars who help the descendants of Ehmir keep the tower safe and manage the affairs of the place. 

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It had been approximately 3 days since the events at Imperia and Sultan Aman IV had finally returned home after spending a few more days with his children in University Town and catching up with some old friends. Things have been hectic ever since he was away and the moment he arrived home, advisors rushed him with the reports of several kingdoms on the continent now appeared in crisis as their monarchs died in mysterious circumstances, something that Aman guessed was the work of his professor but at this point, he was too scared to ask as the details of their deaths were shocking, to say the least. 

Inside the carriage riding back into the city, Aman let out a sigh as he laid his eyes upon the beautiful jewel of the Sultanate. A smile formed on his face as he pictured his many wives waiting for him, although he asked all of them to accompany him, they were all adamant about staying put as they wanted to give him a break from attending to them so much that it often times made him look pale as he posed on a chair looking happy but exhausted. 

"Khabal, take us to the tower first. I need to speak with someone, and faster if you please" Aman ordered as he turned to his carriage driver 

"Of course Sultan" The driver nodded as the carriage began picking up speed and began racing towards the tower 

Passing through the wide streets of the city, his carriage and guards galloped through open lanes that were hastily made clear by the city guards upon seeing the signals flashed from the driver and the first pair of guards in front of the convoy. The citizens of the city watched with curiosity as their Sultan passed them by at great speeds for the tower, feeling that something must have happened to elicit such actions. 

When they were nearing the tower, the convoy diverged from the main gate and made their way to a special VIP side entrance for them to go through, saving them time from passing through the crowds of adventuring parties and scholars eagerly waiting for their turn to ascend the tower. 

Arriving through the special gate, Aman and his guards arrived at another end of the complex and were greeted by the sight of a group of men and women dressed in beige-colored robes who were all looking at him, with several of the group having their hands on holstered weapons on their sides or on their back. Leading them was a bald man dressed in a grey robe who looked older than the rest and bowed his head towards Aman when he stepped forward. 

"Greetings to the Sultan, what brings you here with such urgency" The man said after he brought his head back up to face Aman

"I am here for the Tower Master, I wish to speak with her regarding certain topics of great importance" Aman replied 

"Ahh, sorry Sultan, the Tower Master is busy as of the moment and she cannot be just called on a whim, even by the likes of you" The bald scholar stated 

"I know, but I would at least appreciate it if you would send her a notification of sort, at least notify her of my intentions" The Sultan replied 

"But Sultan, she does not answer to the likes of you, you will wait just like everyone else, your position does not make you special" The bald scholar replied 

"I get she does not listen to me, but I am sure as hell you do. So I order you, contact her...please" Aman emphasized his last word, hoping it was finally going to get him somewhere 

"Tsk, threatening us is not a good idea Sultan" The bald scholar replied with a disgusted look 

{!} 

After finishing his sentence, the bald scholar conjured blue fireballs in his hands while the scholars behind him drew their weapons and also had magic at the ready, in response, the guards placed themselves in front of their sultan, their scimitars raised and magic shields at the ready, even Aman drew his weapon, a scimitar made of pure mana and raised it for defense. With both groups staring each other down and waiting for the other to make their move first. 

{!} 

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared by the side of the scholars and when the light subsided, a 7ft tall woman with flowing crimson locks and piercing golden eyes stood before everyone, with all eyes on her. The scholars immediately dropped their weapons and magic and then bowed their heads before the guards and Aman did the same. 

"We greet the Tower Master" The scholars chanted in unison 

"The Sultan and his guards greet the Tower Master" Aman added

"Raise your heads please" The woman's soft voice ordered, with all of them doing so 

The Tower Master looked around and then stared down the bald scholar in the grey set of robes, her gaze giving off an angered aura in the air as she locked eyes with him

"Tell me Scholar Judas, what were you and your group planning to do with our patron the Sultan?" She asked, her soft voice hiding a low growl 

"I...i....The Sultan in his arrogance, ordered us to call upon you immediately for his supposed 'important' matters" Judas replied 

"And why did you not fulfill his request? The Tower answers to no one that is true, but the Sultan is one of the few who have been deemed important enough to override that rule, if the Sultan or Sultana request an audience, it is to be forwarded to me immediately, so tell me. Why didn't you fulfill his request?" The Tower Master repeated her earlier question, this time her anger apparent 

"Uhh...Because I wanted to protect the honor and prestige of the tower, Tower Master! We are enlightened and thus we do not need to listen to the requests of those below us! I know it is hard for you to understand bu-" 

Before Judas could even finish his statement, a right hook from the Tower Master sent him crashing to the floor, with his nose bleeding and a few of his teeth flying out thanks to the punch

"Tsk, tsk, tsk...to talk about the honor and prestige of the tower despite not being its master, I would have let it go...but I know that you have been trying to gather followers in order to overthrow me and place yourself at the top, that is something I cannot allow, and will punish you for it now rather than later" 

"Wha!-"

The Tower Master then grabbed Judas by the leg before slamming him back down into the ground several times and then threw him at the wall next to the gate, his body splattered and engrained into the concrete, keeping him in place. She then held up her hand and fired off a crimson bolt of lightning that struck Judas and turned him into dust, before turning her head towards the rest of his group who were now begging on their hands and knees for forgiveness. 

"You shall get no forgiveness. In fact, you will be joining the traitor in death, I think the guardians at Floor 138 need some refreshments, goodbye" 

{!} 

At the flick of her wrist, the group disappeared from sight, the only things left were their screams in the air as they went away in the blink of an eye. Then the sounds of other tower guards came to inspect all of the commotion but once they saw the Tower Master, they fell to their knees and bowed their heads. 

"I want all associates of Scholar Judas and his acolytes to be brought to the dungeons below for questioning. Keep them there till I arrive" She ordered the guards 

"It will be done Tower Master" The guards replied before they began sprinting away in the other direction 

Turning her head back to the Sultan, the Tower Master bowed her head once and then smiled as she placed her hands on her hips 

"Tell me Sultan, what do you wish to speak about?" She asked with a soft smile 

"It is regarding Imperia and her Dean" 

At the end of his words, the Tower Master let out a laugh as she chuckled heartily, leaving the guards and their Sultan confused at her reaction, with none of them finding why it was so funny. 

"Apologies, apologies. So tell me, what has become of my Grandmother?" 

A/N: Here is another chapter woooo! I hope you all enjoyed this one and if you got questions or reactions, let me know in the comments for me to read and as always, Stay Safe and Enjoy Your Day!