Into the tower

Following the billowing clouds of smoke up the tower, your men easily overcame any resistance. Many of the guards in the lower levels were knocked **** by the blast, and in the higher levels of the tower most are coughing uncontrollably. It takes less than four minutes to climb to the top of the tower, when you reach the top you are expecting one final deadly fight. The men on the top have clean air to breath and enough time to get over the shock of the blast. To your relief, these men are being hard pressed by the swooping attacks of the Riders who are diving through the heavy smoke and reaching the tower before the heavy crossbows can hit them. The Rider's darts have killed several of the defenders and their moral is on the edge of breaking.

"Get them, men!" You cry out as you push through the final door.

A few more defenders fall before the tower guards surrender to your men. The prisoners are tied securely and pulled to the side, maybe someone else will deal with the hassle of ransoming them, you don't want to be bothered.

From the top of the South Tower you see the network of drake-wires stretching up to the citadel in the center of the city and sideways to the other six towers that surround the great spire of rock rising above Athenapolis like a giant fist raised defiantly in the air. You can see why the Riders are stymied by the network of thin cables, if a drake were to fly into one of those web of thin cables it could easily break a wing or even decapitate its Rider.

Cutting the drake-wires turns out to be more difficult than taking the tower. It takes two or three minutes to saw through each of the main supporting cables. Each time one of the cables gives way it shoots from the tower like an arrow from a bow. You feel sorry for anyone caught in the path of the razor sharp wires. From the height of the tower you can see dark billowing clouds hanging over the River Tower as well. Looks like you are the second group to reach its goal. At last the final cable is cut; the southern part of the city is open to attack from the Riders above.

"Let's get back to base men. We have some celebrating to do!" As you turn from the tower you can see scores of drakes dropping from the sky onto the choicest jewels of the city. The sharp-taloned mounts are able to perch on the balconies and ledges of the tallest buildings and you see Rider after Rider climbing through open windows into the loot filled chambers inside. Out of the corner of your eye you see one Rider rising up through the ranks of the diving drakes, maybe one of the city Riders fleeing for his life.

The men are looking at you with respect after the successful completion of the mission with only a few flesh wounds as casualties. They are a good group, and bolstered by this most recent triumph, ready to follow your lead whatever you decide to do. You too are heady with the rush of victory, should you return to the base immediately or try your luck at one of the rich estates you passed on the way here?