Act 3: The Triumvirate
It was early in the morning when the group stepped out of the headquarter. The darkness of late autumn was still reigning supreme over the reddish sun of the day, tinting the city in shadows and turning the capital into a nightmare realm. Binca, who was never before in the inner city of Leaston, let out a silent scream of fear seeing her limited imagination getting opposed by surreal scenery. The domiciles around them looked strange. No, strange was a way too weak impression: horrifying! Bianca grabbed the paw of her brother, and he noticed her racing heart. And she noticed his heart running as well. Bianca asked the automatons speaking up only as much as necessary to be audible for them, scared that these strange contraptions filling the streets could hear them:
"W-what the heck are these? This ... city? It doesn't make sense. Nothing here does. I am scared, Lan."
The automatons looked at each other with a concerned look on their metallic skulls, which quickly changed into regret for not telling the siblings anything beforehand. After all, Bianca was in the trailer the whole time, and Denton was too small to look out of the cab's windows when they drove through Leaston. Lanstein stepped forward and placed a hand of hers on each of the kobolds' heads:
"My apologies, we haven't considered that you never went to the inner ring of Leaston ... its architecture is a bit much to take in if you do not know about it ... especially when the sun hasn't come out yet. Let me explain it quickly before we go to the palace."
Lanstein walked past the kobolds and planted herself in between them and the nearest domicile, a building looking like a tree with a giant orb as its treetop:
"Let me take this house as an example. Leaston is called the 'impossible city' by outsiders due to our runework homes giving our inner ring a unique atmosphere that you won't find anywhere else. This runework house here, for example, got built for a Gravicer to live in. The orb in the sky has its very own gravity centre powered by the user's physical presence. Only the masters of gravity can even think about living in these domiciles, which makes it impossible to enter without the owner's permission activating the personalized company rune."
Thilarie accompanied her friend finishing her set-up story cutting it short to preserve the time needed to get to the palace:
"In short: Leaston has a laughable criminality rate in matters of house burglary. As nearly all citizens are mages in one way or another, many like to use their gift in everyday life and therefore build such domiciles. ... it depends, of course, on the power if it would be advisable to base your home on your powers. A cleric like you, m ... Bianca, for example, would probably prefer a normal domicile in the outskirts of the inner ring, putting safety into our guards' skilled hands. Means, my friends. There is nothing to be afraid of. Just enjoy the walk to the palace of unity."
The siblings were only able to look at each other, slowly shaking their heads in disbelief; even their arcane partners agreed that this concept was nuts. Four minds in unison were at a loss for words, fully unable to process anything happening in the inner ring. That sensation of feeling lost didn't go away even after walking for a few minutes across many such impossible structures. Some houses were made out of metal with the entrance far up on the second floor. Then there were domiciles protected by a fence of literal fire scorching the ground around the area black. One house, in particular, was making their minds go spinning: They came across a frilled lizard walking towards empty space in the rows with nothing on it but a giant bulb. The lizard walked towards it and placed her hands on two posts at the sides of the entrance channelling her arcane energy into the runed fence. The bulb suddenly broke open and grew into a two-story house, unfolding the bulb's content into a living space.
If I could possess one of these, what would be the trigger? Maybe a domicile protected by a layer of harmful corruption to be laid dormant for the time of my stay? I really don't get the idea behind them besides looking fancy. Maybe ... yeah, that must be it. They are looking fancy to turn Leaston into some kind of showplace for outsiders like us ... well, technically we aren't, but that is another story; still, the point stays. This city is nuts.
The group of walking meters needed roughly twenty minutes to walk across the western main street towards the dead centre of the city. Then the sun finally rose, and the palace in the distance was tinted in a blood-red rim light. The siblings were now able to take a closer look at the palace; the only building they could see from their home in the slums towering over the whole city into the sky, reflecting the light like a blinding beacon. The shadowy silhouette of the palace had such a powerful impression on the kobolds that they were at a loss for words. At the end of the road, they saw themselves opposed by three separated citadels enclosing the main square of Leaston with their impressive bodies. But the three citadels, each tinted in a different colour: ivory, bronze and silver, were not the most astounding part of the palace, far from it:
"What? ... how is this even possible? These castles ... they look as if they grow and twist, reaching over the place ...vanishing into a fine web only to get reformed into a massive golden tower reaching up into the sky. A tower without any foundation. Without even a connection besides that web to the buildings. Just how?"
Denton was barely able to hold it together, unable to keep his voice manly without shifting into an amazed squeaking. He was vibrating from head to toe, excited and intimidated at the same time by the symbol that unifies the three leaders of the country in a golden glory; the palace of unity. Bianca felt just the same unable to form her thoughts into words standing there with an open maw looking upwards into the sky. The freezers gave the pair a few moments to enjoy the prospect of the most popular landmark of the whole of Nemthi. But not a second longer before each grabbed one of the kobolds and started dragging the lollygagging pair over the plaza to the silver citadel. They were not intending on letting the Silver King wait; the Spearheds didn't want him to lose interest in the lizards. A grave felony, one which would destroy their friends' future in the process. Minor attempts of protest out of the kobold side later, the quartet finally stood in front of a massive door fully padded in silver, reaching roughly ten meters into the sky. A door without handles nor a visible seam to divide the wings. Bianca was not even able to make out hinges at the sides. It seemed as if the door was a massive block of silver not meant for passing through. And yet have the freezers guided them towards this place.
Thilarie walked towards the monolith of a door and placed her hand against the finely decorated artwork telling the story of the first Silver King in countless panels, which were covering the whole door. The robot was caressing one specific figurine in the back row of a huge assortment of figurines depicting a massive army opposing the first King, all bowing their head to him. Then she pressed its head, which gave in to the touch and vanished into the mass, giving away a silent alarm. Mere moments later, the head sprung back, granting Thilarie's finger a confirming nudge. She stood up again and walked backwards back to the group waiting for something she seemed to have dealt with already many times.
A minute passed, then two and three, but nothing happened. Then suddenly a tune; Bianca was able to make out the sound of steps resonating through the door. And moments later, the surface of the door started rippling. As if the silver was made out of a liquid. A high-grown figurine appeared in front of them, seemingly having walked not through a door but the solid material itself without any issues. A lady made out of rock, laced with silver inclusions and decorated with emerald sensory gems appeared in front of the group wearing a form-fitted tux. Bianca only heard of them in stories but never had seen one of them in the slums before.
An Arcadian Carbunclo? What an odd way to welcome guests. Don't tell me this is no door at all, and the citadel has no entrance at all? Do we get into the palace with the aid of this lady's abilities? If that is the only way ... doesn't feel like the Triumvirate likes unannounced visitors.
The Carbunclo performed a deep bow and focussed the group with white glowing irises sparking out of the stony woman's pitch-black eyes:
"Welcome, lady Thilarie, speaker of the Spearheads. I got informed of the arrival of you and the two medical practitioners that will be in your company. My master, the Silver King, as well as the Ivory Jack and the Bronze Queen; they are all about to gather in the holy halls of the Triumvirate assembled especially for you."
The carbunclo eyed the kobolds with cold eyes; a hint of warmth was briefly emerging to the surface:
"Warm word of advice if you don't want to screw up with whatever you are planning. Don't ever try to reason with the Ivory Jack of all. I don't think master Au'piere will care much to listen to kobolds or splinters. But that is not a matter of now. Welcome to the palace of unity. More specifically, welcome to the silver wing!"
You frequently use "got" instead of "had", "was" or "has". For example "The palace in the distance got tinted.." "...the surface of the door started rippling. As if the silver got made out of a liquid". "I got informed of the arrival" It is an awkward use. In a character it might reflect a language difference.....or perhaps you have another language as your native one?
I mean I am a native german and I might put a bit too much trust into Grammarly as assistance ^^' My common sense tells me it is wrong but that correction tool tells me it is right that way...I should put more trust into my common sense