>>6285192No one is keen to ask Reza any more questions. By now, everyone has already deduced that the Yasha intends to be as tightlipped as possible. There was no sense in trying to pry information out of him. You might as well walk forward and face whatever was in store.
“If that is all, then please, follow me.” Reza says.
All of the contenders follow the man through a door behind him. A narrow, windowless corridor awaits. You and the others walk through, two to three at a time, following behind Reza. The walk takes a considerable amount of time, made even longer by the fact that no one is speaking. With the official start of the Competition, tensions have once more risen. You move with full attention to your surroundings. The last thing you needed was someone trying to knife you, or worse, swipe your badge. Eventually, the hallway lets up, and you spot a pair of double doors. Reza pushes through them and your eyes meet the shining sun up above.
The desert is before you, and further ahead you can make out your destination. The Tower of Illusions stands tall in the distance, sleek and shiny, unlike anything you’d ever seen. Getting there would require only a straight walk forward. An hour seemed perhaps generous. You felt as though you could make it there quicker. However, as you study the horizon closer, it soon becomes apparent that you are not the only ones out here. Across the way to the Tower are a series of fortifications, and atop those sturdy looking buildings, you can make out figures frantically moving. Barricades dot the landscape from here to the Tower, put there to make your passage more difficult.
“What’s this now?” Leonora asks. She has noticed the same thing you have. Despite being a great distance away from those fortifications, it is plain to tell that the people manning them do not intend to simply let you walk on through. Something atop the nearest fortification begins turning towards your group, and it sends the others into a panic.
A ballista.
“Old man!” A contender shouts angrily. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“Who the hell are those guys?!”
“They aren’t going to fire on us, are they?!”
Reza watches the ballista turning on the group with both hands clenched behind his back. “They are.” He answers. “Allow me to elaborate. Before you are nearly 400 prisoners, cultists, and rogue mages freshly released from the dungeons of Morfis. They are being led by a former Adjunct who was released from his position following gross magical misconduct. In celebration of the commencement of the Competition, they have been temporarily released, under the supervision of we Yasha who captured them. They have been promised time off their sentences for every contender that they manage to stop from reaching the Tower. Rest assured, they will do everything in their power to block your way.”
A loud thwack sound echoes through the desert. The ballista has fired upon you.
