"The Combat Tower has five floors, each for young warriors at a different stage of their training... but with your strength, you can ignore all that. Those instructors are nothing but self-pitying failures, a bunch of rejects nobody wanted. They have nothing to teach you."
The Weapon Master walked ahead through Samoriel City's Academy District with casual ease, as though strolling through his own backyard.
Renato followed two steps behind him, surveying the surrounding buildings while silently memorizing the route.
The Academy District's layout was distinctly different from the rest of the city. Its streets were wider, its buildings orderly, and there were almost no unowned Half-Drow or slaves on the streets. It was exceptionally clean.
"Turn right, and you'll reach that area full of towers. It belongs to the Mage Academy." Aknath pointed down the street to their right, his voice thick with undisguised disgust. "A bunch of scheming, spineless Spider Mages gather there, hiding in their towers all day. Who knows what sort of nonsensical experiments they're fiddling with."
Renato followed his pointing finger. Indeed, he could make out the silhouettes of several towers in the darkness, their exteriors covered in multicolored magical light.
"They're all lunatics. Those blasphemous experiments are even more horrifying than the rites of Lolth..."
Aknath shook his head, his brow furrowing as though recalling some unpleasant memory.
"Anyway, keeping the mages under control is one of the few good things the Ruling Council has done. At least when they're kept in the Academy District, it's mostly other mages who suffer."
After learning that Renato had accepted Quelyn's order to challenge the Tower Guardian to a duel, Aknath had volunteered to take him into the Combat Tower.
After all, the Nightwind Matron had no sons. The family knew little about this warrior school for