The streets leading to the city's core grew quieter. The boisterous energy of the outer markets faded, replaced by an air of quiet, serious wealth. The buildings were taller, the obsidian spires more ornate, their runic lights pulsing with a deeper, more stable rhythm.
"This is the Collector's Quarter," Sherry murmured, her eyes scanning the grand facades. "Only the most influential merchants and nobles have shops here."
Their destination soon came into view. It was not a shop, but a fortress.
"The Shadowed Gavel" was a monolithic structure of polished black marble, devoid of windows on its lower floors. Two massive, silent guards stood before its heavy iron doors. They were not human. They were hulking constructs of stone and dark magic, their featureless faces radiating an aura of cold, unyielding purpose.
Riku and Sherry approached the entrance. Before they could even speak, one of the stone constructs raised a massive hand.
