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Dawn (so to speak) found Acier well-rested and in no way ready for the day ahead. He left his room to discover Dhalroc and Rech were already waiting. Nodding a brief good morning to the elderly innkeeper, he set out into Hollowpeak, his companions in tow: he and Dhalroc carried their two tables, one of which was still broken.
'Hey, Dhalroc,' Acier said. 'Your boyfriend is an Elf-- are the authorities in the Territories really as corrupt as they are here?'
Dhalroc shrugged. 'Apparently. Although truth be told, Tarren never really spoke much about how corrupt they actually were-- at least by their standards. I mean, money-based crimes are all actually legal over there, so what counts as corruption is anyone's guess.'
'Still,' Rech said, 'we need to find a way out of this. No way can we afford that much.'
'Right,' Acier said. 'And I've figured out exactly how to get us out of this whole mess.'
'You have?' Dhalroc asked, surprised.
He turned to his companions, smiling. 'Voix.'
'Ooh,' Rech realised. 'Good thinking. We have a word with her; see if she can't convince the guards to quietly drop the issue.'
'That's how things work back home, at least,' Acier said. 'Remember how Voix tried to nudge us away from the idea of Brechdan being responsible for the spree of Golem-related thefts, because it'd be better for tourism?'
'Huh,' Dhalroc said. 'She steered us away from her then... and now here they both are now.'
'You think they're in league?' Rech asked, surprised.
'Maybe,' Acier said. 'I mean, Voix would be able to get you arrested, and if anyone can afford to bribe an official like her it's Brechdan.'

'So wait,' Rech said. 'If she's in league with our enemy, why are we asking her for help?'
'Ah,' Acier said. 'Yeah, I hadn't really thought that part through. 'Uhh... Dhalroc, any ideas?'
'We force her hand,' Dhalroc said. 'We ask her for help, and she either has to work against Brechdan to benefit us, or admit to being under Brechdan's pay.'
'Yes, exactly,' Acier said.
'Okay,' Rech said, nodding slowly, 'that just leaves me with one question.'
'Shoot,' Acier said. Immediately thinking better of his word choice, he added, 'ideally not literally.'

'Where are we?'

Acier glanced at the featureless buildings all around them, and murmured a quiet but pointed curse at whoever designed this neighbourhood. 'Let's just look for a park with a statue we can ask for directions.' He realised as he said it how strange a sentence it would have been, had he spoken it aloud anywhere but Hollowpeak.
'Good call,' Dhalroc said. 'Rech, can you maybe scale one of these buildings, point us in the right direction?'
'This alley is far too wide for that,' they said.
'So we're looking for a big open space or a small, confined one?' Acier asked. 'Well, at least we have options.'
'No more riding around on tables,' Dhalroc said. 'We only have one good one left. Why are you even carrying the other one?'
'Just in case,' Acier said. 'I mean, if we need to get some Gold in a hurry--'
'Then it'll take us a few minutes to run through that story anyway,' Dhalroc said. 'Highest, if we hadn't been making less and less Gold each time we told it, we'd probably be able to pay off the guards by now. I wouldn't be surprised to hear that everyone in Hollowpeak has heard us tell it by now-- even a gimmick like ours gets tired after you've seen it one or two times.'
Acier nodded in agreement. 'And we should probably try and save what little Gold we have left for food.'

Before long, they happened across a park, and were pointed in the right direction by one of the statue Golems. Still, knowing the direction the Marquis' estate was in and the actual location of the estate itself were two very different things, and matters were only further confused by the haphazard layout of Hollowpeak's alleyways. The estate didn't seem to be located on any of the main roads, and as best Acier could tell whoever designed the network of alleyways had been allergic to right angles. Twice more they found themselves hopelessly lost, and twice more they stopped and asked statues for directions, a process Acier never quite managed to get used to.

Each time, Acier and his companions found themselves directed further and further across Hollowpeak, and eventually came close to the outer wall once more. He couldn't help but note that the scaffolding looked even more impressive up close, although he couldn't help but notice Dhalroc still seemed to be trying not to look at it. Easier said than done, he smiled, given that it dominated the view no matter where one stood. The only places it wasn't visible were indoors, assuming they were in a building with no windows above the first floor, and outside the mountain.

As the wall continued to loom closer and closer, Acier realised they weren't heading for a building near it, but to a great doorway set into it.

A doorway that was very much shut.

'Nice digs,' Rech said. 'Presumably. Anywhere with a door big enough for Dhalroc to fit through comfortably is bound to be impressive.'
Rolling his eyes at this comment, Dhalroc approached the door and knocked.
It opened a crack, and a round, withered Dwarven face peered out. Taking in Acier and his companions at a glance, they said, 'go away.' The door slammed shut once more.
Acier knocked this time, and it opened once more: the same face peered out.
'We're here to see Voix,' Acier said.
'Oh, I see,' they nodded. 'Go away.'

The door slammed shut once more: Acier was already knocking on it, however. The door creaked open once more, and the same face peered out.
'Please,' Rech said. 'We're here to speak to Voix Murmure-- she's here from Deeproot.'
The door stayed open for a few more moments this time. 'There's nobody of that name here visiting the Marquis,' the withered Dwarf said. Their pale face remained stoic.
'Oh,' Rech said, winking at them. 'We get you. So, can we see her?'
'No,' they said, frowning. 'She's not here.'
'Exactly,' Acier said. 'We know. So, can we speak with her? It's urgent.'
'I don't know anyone by that name,' the Dwarf said. 'To my knowledge-- and believe me, I would know-- such a person does not exist.'
'Of course,' Dhalroc said. 'I mean, that's part of her job, right? Working from the shadows, and all that.'
The Dwarf on the other side of the door let out a slow hiss. Acier got the impression it was meant to seem angry and threatening, but more so than anything else it made it seem as though they were deflating. 'There is no such person in here-- no nudge nudge wink wink, no saying-one-thing-and-meaning-another. I have not heard of Voix Murmure, and as assistant to the Marquis of Hollowpeak I very much would know, were they a real person.'

The door slammed shut once more.

'Guys?' Rech said. 'I don't think Voix Murmure is a real person.'
'I'm not so sure myself,' Acier said. 'I mean, why would someone from way up in Hollowpeak know about someone like Voix, whose job requires secrecy and who's from way down in Deeproot? Odds are she's just... staying here under an assumed name.'
'Actually, that's a good point,' Rech said. 'I guess either way we need another way in.'
'Right,' Dhalroc said. He stepped forward and hammered on the door again.

It opened a crack: the same face glared out at them. 'What is it this time?'
'We've a broken leg,' Dhalroc said. 'And we know there's a healer here-- can we see them?'
The Dwarf considered this for a moment: Acier and Rech shared a puzzled glance. Neither of them had broken legs, nor did Dhalroc. If it came to it, Rech could probably break one of their legs for authenticity; Acier just hoped it wouldn't be one of his.

Surprisingly, the door swung open. The Dwarf on the far side glared at Acier and his companions for a moment, but before long their eyes widened in alarm. 'None of you have any broken limbs.'
'Maybe not,' Dhalroc said, 'but if you'd take a closer look at this table, perhaps you'd see things differently!'
He hurled the broken table at the Dwarf and took off, sprinting past them and through the open door. Acier followed, not quite knowing what Dhalroc's plan was: he'd just made himself an easy target for any and all members of the guard, considering he was the only person in Hollowpeak over five feet tall, and as such was very easy to spot.

The gatekeeper stood up as Acier reached the door, but Rech barrelled past him, holding the other table like a shield and screaming at the top of their lungs. The gatekeeper flinched away, but Rech turned, sprinting through the door, their scream turning to riotous laughter. They slammed the door shut and braced the table against it as best they could.
'Dhalroc, if we through some miracle get out of this, remind me to shoot you. This is a really terrible plan.'
Dhalroc swore. 'It is, isn't it? I really need to stop being so impulsive.'
'Well,' Acier said, 'we're in here now, so we might as well make the most of it.'

He turned around, and spent a moment taking in the estate. It was like nothing he'd ever seen before: a broad, rectangular garden sloped down in a series of shallow steps towards a large, stately home, oddly reminiscent of the one inhabited by Deeproot's Marquis. The rest of the grounds were blocked from view by the passage Acier now found himself in, no doubt leading out through the rocky carapace that surrounded Hollowpeak.

Hurrying forwards, Dhalroc and Rech in tow, Acier found himself awestruck by the rest of the estate. It was as though he were standing in a vast greenhouse: the great glass panes were free of snow, despite the blizzard whirling outside, and offered a few of very little. Still, Acier was amazed: so much glass in such huge sheets, so high up, some curved some flat... it was as great a masterpiece as the rest of Hollowpeak.

Acier and his companions made their way down through the stepped gardens, heading towards the small mansion at the far end.
'So we're gonna break into the Marquis' home and try to find Voix?' Rech asked, disbelief across their olive-skinned face. 'Highest, we're gonna get thrown out, or killed. Maybe both.'

'Or perhaps neither,' a voice called. Acier whirled around to see a surprisingly tall Dwarf approaching them, dressed in clothing that could only have been imported. 'It's high time someone put Emplois in his place-- you know it's been years since he last let anyone in to see me?'
'So you're the Marquis of Hollowpeak?' Dhalroc asked, surprised. 'We were expecting someone...'
'Angrier,' Rech filled in. 'I mean, we sort of locked your gatekeeper outside and broke into your home.'
'Yes! Yes! And it was wonderful!' They reached Acier and his companions and briefly applauded. 'Anyway, I am Richet Ennuyer-- Marquis of Hollowpeak. You are the outsiders I have heard murmurs of, no?'
'That's us,' Acier said. 'How have you heard of us, if you've not left here?'
'The servants, they talk,' Richet said. 'They talk of Tallerkin in Hollowpeak, speaking in hushed tones-- as though they do not wish for me to know what goes on in my own fortress! "the marquis," they say out there, "ze is ignorant to the voices of zir people"-- except I cannot leave my estate, and they cannot enter!' Ze ran zir hands through their mane of springy, greying hair in frustration. 'Anyway, what exactly brings you here? You are not simple tourists, I suspect?'
'We're looking for another outsider,' Acier said. 'A visitor from Hollowpeak. We think they're staying under an alias, but--'
'Come, come!' Richet exclaimed. 'There is something I must show you.'

Ze grabbed Acier and Rech by their wrists and took off towards the great glass wall. Halting before it, ze gestured to something off in the distance, half-hidden by snow.
'What are we looking at?' Rech asked, frowning.
'There!' ze exclaimed, pointing with a shaky hand at the vague shape. 'Oh, but you cannot see: allow me.'

Richet raised zir arms and closed zir eyes: within moments, a tunnel of air swept through the blizzard, clearing away everything in front of them and providing a clear look at the distant shape. It looked to be a great metal dome, protruding from the mountain--

No, Acier realised, it was built on a vast, almost unimaginably so, block of smooth, shining stone. He suddenly realised where exactly the materials taken from Hollowpeak's interior had gone: they were out here, supporting... whatever that dome was, and no doubt the Marquis' estate, too.
'The Hollowpeak observatory!' Richet exclaimed. 'Beautiful, no? My grandfather had it built-- note the carving of Dirwelig at the base.'
Acier's eyes widened as he realised he great stone block the observatory was built onto did indeed hold a carving of Dirwelig. It was simply so huge that his mind hadn't registered it, thinking it to be a mere geometric design, the kind used in Deeproot to decorate anything too oddly shaped to hold anything more complex and yet too prominent to be left blank.
'Finally, an actual good view,' Dhalroc said. 'I was getting sick of all the scaffolding back there-- no offense.'
'The main chamber is ugly as a troll's arse,' Richet shrugged. 'I am glad someone else has finally seen this.'
'You're one of those counterculturalists?' Acier asked, amazed.
'But of course!' Richet said. 'Anyway, you are missing the important thing here. Hollowpeak's observatory is top-of-the-range-- like nothing else on the mainland. Although it is not open to the public, it is a real point of--'
'Cut to the chase here,' Rech said. 'Are there any visitors from Deeproot staying here, aside from us?'
'But I keep telling you!' Richet exclaimed. 'None are allowed into here!'

'So Voix...?' Acier said.
'Not here! Not even slightly!'
'And there's nowhere else...?' Dhalroc asked, frowning.
'Not at all! The old guest house was demolished to make room for the observatory.'
'Could you... maybe look into tracking her down for us?' Acier asked. 'I mean, we've seen her up here-- why would she lie about that?'
'I can keep an eye out,' Richet said, 'although I doubt I will see her, given that, as I keep telling you, I do not leave my estate.'

After giving the Marquis the name of the inn they were staying at, Acier and his companions found themselves returning slowly to the main chamber: they reached the doorway to find a diminutive yet furious figure standing framed in it.
'You three!' they snapped, as Acier drew near.
'Is it too late to go back and ask Richet whether there's a back exit?' Acier asked.
'I could always... shot 'em,' Rech said.
'No!' Acier snapped.
'Wait,' Dhalroc said. 'Let's hear them out on this one.'
'We can't just... take the table and charge again?' Acier said.
'I'd rather not,' Rech decided. 'I mean, we've already broken one table-- and even if we never actually perform again, it's a nice table. I'm tempted to take it as part payment for what I'm doing here.'
Acier rolled his eyes. 'That's fine by--'

He staggered backwards as a fist slammed into his face: his teeth cracked together and he dimly felt himself bite off a sliver of his tongue. He spun around and realised the gatekeeper had taken advantage of their argument, approaching and starting to get some revenge.

Dhalroc grabbed the table from Rech and jabbed with the legs, forcing the furious Dwarf back. Acier and Rech fell into line behind him, and the three of them struggled forwards along the narrow passage. Acier spat out one or two mouthfuls of blood, hoping Dhalroc would be able to heal his tongue-- do tongues even grow back?

They reached the doorway, but the Marquis' gatekeeper pushed forwards, grabbing the table legs and trying to wrench them from Dhalroc's powerful grip.

Acier stepped forwards and stamped down hard on their foot. They recoiled hopping, and Dhalroc pushed forwards, knocking them off-balance with a sudden jab of his table. He stepped around them: Acier followed, and Rech leapt over their furiously swearing body. Dhalroc and Rech pulled the door shut: Acier tried to help, but by the time he'd forced his hands open they were done. He realised he'd need to do something about them sooner rather than later.

'Everyone okay?' Dhalroc said. 'We haven't lost any more tables?'
'I think I lost part of my tongue back there,' Acier said. He spat out another few droplets of blood.
'Oh, let me take a look at that,' Dhalroc said, stepping forwards. He opened Acier's mouth and peered inside. 'Yeah,' he said. 'That looks pretty painful. It's not as bad as it looks, at least.'
Acier tried to say that he couldn't exactly see it, but it came out as 'ah haah ehahi heea'.
'Fair point,' Dhalroc said. 'Here, I'll just...'

He stuck his fingers into Acier's mouth, and drew them out a few moments later: Acier found his tongue had healed up nicely.
'So,' he said, 'where to next? I mean, Voix could be staying anywhere-- and she could be anyone, for that matter.'
'But she's working with Brechdan, right?' Rech said. 'And we know exactly where she is.'
Good point, Acier realised. 'Do you know how to get to the Academy of Alchemy from here?'

As it transpired none of them knew how to get anywhere from where they were, and it took them a little over an hour to find the Academy. They managed to approach the building from a completely different direction this time, to the point where Acier was taken completely by surprise when it did eventually come into view, almost right in front of him.
'Will they even let us in?' Dhalroc asked, breaking the silence that had lasted throughout their entire walk.
'For once, we didn't actually do anything,' Rech said. 'We were almost killed by a hired mercenary, but--'
'How do you know that?' Acier asked, surprised. 'And why didn't you mention it sooner?'
'Here,' Rech said. They tossed Acier the leather scabbard they'd taken from the body the previous day. 'Everyone used to mark kills like this,' they explained. 'Well, everyone who took wetwork, at least. There are a few notches on my crossbow's stock for the same reason.'
'So why did they attack us with Alchemy, if they had a knife?' Dhalroc asked. 'I mean, did they not get a chance to use it, or...?'
'They didn't have a knife at all,' Acier realised, handing Rech the scabbard back. 'Alchemy is learnable, right?'
'Right,' Rech smiled. 'And they wouldn't be the first mercenary I've known who learned it to broaden their skillset, and wound up dropping conventional weapons at some point during the process.'
'I guess that makes sense,' Dhalroc said. 'Although I can't say I've heard of it happening.'
'But you're part of a different guild entirely,' Rech said, smiling.

They reached the Academy's doors at this point, and Dhalroc stepped forward, but hesitated before knocking. 'You really think they won't blame us for the whole...?'
'Only one way to find out,' Rech shrugged. They tapped on the door with the stock of their crossbow: Acier noticed it did indeed have several notches carved into it.

The door opened, and Cault peered out, seeming somewhat nervous. 'Oh,' she said, realising who it was, 'it's you three again. Come on in, I guess.'
'Everything okay?' Acier asked.
'We lost a chunk of our research grant after the whole pendulum business,' she said. 'And what's left has largely gone towards fixing the dome, and the various other damages caused by... recent events, shall we say.'
Acier smiled in an attempt to hide his guilt. 'Can you still afford a pendulum?'
Cault stepped aside and nodded at something on the floor. It took Acier a moment to realise what he was looking at: as he watched, a pendulum no larger than his little finger, suspended from the ceiling by a nigh-invisible thread, knocked over a grain of rice.
'It's all we can afford,' Cault said.

Acier and his companions gazed at the tiny apparatus for a moment in a silence not so much stunned as bemused.

The silence was broken as someone snorted with laughter.
'I'm sorry,' Marteau said, 'I couldn't keep a straight face any longer. Dirwelig, the looks on your faces! Do you have any idea how long it took me to set all that up? Oh, but it was so worth it to see the looks on your faces.'
'So you haven't lost all your money?' Rech asked. Acier couldn't tell whether they were about to laugh along with the professor or go for their crossbow.
'Funding doesn't even work that way up here,' Marteau explained. 'Oh, Dirwelig, your faces-- and Cault swore you'd never buy it!'
'You really had that set up here on the off-chance we'd come back?' Dhalroc asked.
'Oh, we figured you'd return sooner or later,' Cault said. 'And if not, we could probably use this setup to pull something on someone else-- you think this is bad, you haven't heard any of Marteau's puns. Regardless, though, we were pretty certain we hadn't seen the last of you. I mean, you came here to see Brechdan, and never really resolved your whole thing with her.'
'That's true,' Rech said. Acier noticed they were smiling, and fortunately no longer looked like they were about to go for their crossbow.
'Can we... perhaps speak to her?' Acier asked.
'That depends,' Marteau said. 'Will anyone try to assassinate you this time?'
'Give the past few days?' Dhalroc said. 'Honestly, your guess is as good as ours.'
'Well, it didn't work last time, so I guess it shouldn't work this time either,' Cault said.
'A fair point,' Marteau nodded. 'If you'll just follow me?'

Leaving Cault behind, he led them through the Academy's main chamber and into the passages beyond, up and down spiral staircases, through corridors upon corridors leading in every conceivable direction, some flat, some sloped. After perhaps twenty minutes of walking in complete silence, he came to a door, and beckoned for his guests to open it.

Acier found himself standing looking at the Academy of Alchemy from the outside, just across the street.
'Was there really any point to that?' Dhalroc asked, exasperated. He started across the broad street towards the Academy.
'I don't know where you think you're going,' Marteau shrugged. He turned sideways and walked quickly towards the adjacent building, halting before the door. 'The residential building is over here.'
'Highest,' Acier murmured. 'I never thought I'd find anyone worse than Rech on this mountain.'
Rech glanced at him, but said nothing: Acier felt distantly worried all the same as he followed Marteau into the residential building, which turned out to be designed along the same lines as an outer fortress inn from back home-- except minus all the drinks, with the bar itself being used as a sort of recreation area, with half a dozen students in purple robes sitting around talking. Acier half-expected them to be drinking, but none of them appeared to be.
'No drinks in the Academy,' Marteau explained. 'We learned that one the hard way before my time, or so I'm told. Anyway, Brechdan is through here.' He led Acier up a staircase, and through to a series of small rooms: throughout all this, Dhalroc had walked in an uncomfortable half-crouch; despite this, he'd managed to catch his head two or three times on the stairs. He was beginning to grow uneasy, and Acier realised that his claustrophobia was likely creeping back in. He'd been okay so far, but this was probably because it was entirely unlike the kind of narrow stone passage from Midslope that had reminded him of Tallowick Bay; still, the stone confinement was beginning to get to him, and Acier realised they needed to finish dealing with Brechdan and get back outside as soon as possible.

Before long, Marteau halted at a door no larger than any other: Acier gained some satisfaction from the realisation that Brechdan had likely hit her head a few times already, and would undoubtedly keep doing so as she stayed here.
The professor knocked and waited; no sound came from within.
'Hm,' he murmured. 'Perhaps she has overslept, or underslept, or-- I don't know her sleep schedule yet. She hasn't grown accustomed to life here.'
'Does anyone grow accustomed to it?' Rech asked. 'I mean, I'm kinda looking forward to getting out of here.'
'Most visitors do,' Marteau said. 'Although a few return where they came from quicker than most would expect. Anyway, seeing as I have a key... if she isn't in, then we can simply leave, no harm done.'

He fumbled at a large keyring at his belt for a moment: Acier couldn't help but notice how tiny all the keys were, compared to what he was used to. Marteau unlocked the door and stepped aside: Acier, Dhalroc and Rech crowded around it, and Acier pushed it open.
'Highest,' he murmured, hardly able to believe what he saw.
'And then some,' Dhalroc added. 'This is... I've never seen anything like it-- not even on the farm in New Santyllia, when I was a kid.' He shuddered.
Rech swore loudly. 'What happened here? What-- what could possibly have happened here?'