The flames dwindled into smoking embers that sputtered as the raindrops hit, and all of the monsters were gone.

"Thank you, heroes! You have done a magnificent thing today!" The king emerged from hiding in a nearby building. "Much more magnificent than these fools!" he spat as his embarrassed guards shuffled out behind him. "Please, I know you have already done so much, but I must ask you to investigate this whole affair with Sarkkus. He lives in the Wizard's Tower to the east. Please, if you do this, I will reward you all handsomely [rolled 2], but unfortunately the supply house was destroyed as the monsters ran here, so I cannot supply you with anything you might need on your investigation... I apologize." The king's head bowed sadly.

"I can only offer you one piece of assistance: the ancestral Wizard's Key." The king pulled an ivory [url=http://images.metmuseum.org/CRDImages/md/web-large/sf10-100-133s1.jpg]spiral key[/url] from a string around his neck and handed it to Alphonse, who was closer to the building where the king was standing. "This is one of only two keys that can unlock the Wizard's Tower. The other key, of course, belongs to the Royal Wizard... Please, go and investigate the tower and find out what Sarkkus has planned so we can stop him!"