The next day, Kaedor waited at the entrance to the Frozen Vaults, his smile firmly in place despite the nervous clicking of his rings.

The vault entrance stood in the western section of the fortress, a massive structure that looked less like a building and more like a fortress within a fortress.

Black ice walls reinforced with that same strange steel Jack had noticed elsewhere, runes glowing along every surface with protective enchantments.

Kaedor stood before the main doors, his dark robes were immaculate, his hands adorned with rings that caught the crimson light.

His expression carried pride mixed with barely concealed wariness as Jack approached.

"Jakar," Kaedor greeted, his tone smooth despite the slight tremor in his hands. "I trust Loryn's demonstration was enlightening?"

"Informative," Jack replied, his flat voice giving nothing away.

"Good, good." Kaedor's rings clicked together as he gestured toward the vault entrance. "Then allow me to show you what real power looks like. Loryn creates soldiers. But I? I acquire everything that matters in this fortress."

He pressed his palm against the vault doors, and runes flared bright enough to cast shadows.

The massive barriers swung inward with a grinding sound that echoed across the western courtyard.

"After you," Kaedor said, though his body language suggested he wanted to keep Jack where he could see him.

They entered a grand hall that stretched perhaps a hundred feet, the walls lined with display cases containing various treasures.

Weapons, armor pieces, jewelry, artifacts that pulsed with magical energy.

But this was clearly just the entrance, a preview of what lay deeper.

"Everything in this fortress passes through my hands eventually," Kaedor explained as they walked, his pride overtaking his nervousness.

"Demons die in combat, their equipment comes here. Pho conquers territory, the spoils come here. Even the materials Loryn uses? I procure them, catalog them, distribute them according to Master Pho's wishes."

Jack's red eyes tracked across the displays, noting the quality and variety. This was wealth on a scale of what millionaires have in the US when they get bored.

"Impressive," Jack said simply.

Kaedor's smile widened, pleased by even that minimal acknowledgment. "The entrance hall is merely decoration. The real collection lies below."

They reached another set of doors at the hall's far end, these ones smaller but more heavily enchanted. Kaedor placed both palms against the surface, and his rings all flared simultaneously as magic scanned his rings.

The doors opened onto a stairwell that descended into darkness.

"Five levels," Kaedor explained as they started down, magical lights flickering to life as they passed.

"Each one is organized by category. Weapons on the first level, armor on the second, artifacts and magical items on the third, precious materials on the fourth, and the truly unique pieces on the fifth."

The stairwell opened into a massive chamber that made even Loryn's factory space seem small by comparison. The first level stretched in multiple directions, a maze of rooms and corridors all carved from black ice and reinforced steel.

"No guards down here," Kaedor said, noticing Jack's observation of the empty space.

"There's only one entrance, and it requires my personal authorization to open. Anyone who somehow bypassed that would trigger alarms that alert every demon in the fortress. It's more secure than an army of guards."

They walked through the weapon chambers first. Swords, spears, axes, bows, all organized by rank and quality.

Some of the weapons glowed with enchantments, others carried visible auras of power.

Jack examined them without touching, his assessment purely visual.

Good weapons, certainly, but nothing that called to him specifically.

"Looking for anything particular?" Kaedor asked, his instincts reading Jack's face like a book.

"Just observing."

They descended to the second level, where armor of every type lined the walls. Light, medium, heavy, each piece crafted for specific combat styles. Some sets were complete, others just individual pieces that had survived what their owners could not.

Kaedor showed off several pieces with obvious pride, explaining their properties and the demons who'd owned them before.

But Jack's attention remained casual, not showing particular interest in any single item.

The third level held artifacts and magical items. This was where Kaedor's pride truly showed, his hands gesturing animatedly as he explained the function and rarity of various pieces.

Rings that enhanced magical power. Amulets that provided protection against specific elements. Gloves that increased physical strength. Boots that enhanced speed.

A collection of magical utility that suggested Kaedor had been gathering for a very long time.

"Most of these require attunement," Kaedor explained. "Demonic energy synchronized with the item's enchantments. Some take days, others weeks. But once attuned, they integrate directly with the holder."

Jack noted several pieces that would be useful but said nothing, just continued his methodical observation.

The fourth level was different.

Instead of display cases and organized shelves, this level held massive containers and preservation vaults.

Materials for crafting, rare ores, preserved demon parts that hadn't gone to Loryn's factory, magical reagents stored in crystalline bottles.

"This is what keeps the fortress running," Kaedor said, his voice carrying satisfaction.

"Loryn needs materials for his demons. The smiths need ore for weapons. The enchanters need reagents for their work. All of it flows through here, tracked and distributed according to Master Pho's economy."

But it was the fifth level that Kaedor saved for last.

"The unique pieces," he said as they descended the final stairwell. "Items that don't fit standard categories. Things that are too dangerous or too strange for the upper levels."

The fifth level was smaller than the others, a single large chamber with individual alcoves carved into the walls.

Each alcove held something different, separated and contained as if keeping them apart was as important as keeping them secure.

One alcove held what looked like a frozen heart the size of a human head, still beating despite being encased in ice.

Another contained a mirror that reflected things that weren't there, showing landscapes that couldn't exist.

A third held a book chained shut, the chains glowing with so many enchantments they looked like solid light.

But Jack's attention was drawn to an alcove near the chamber's far end.

A spear rested there, mounted horizontally on brackets that kept it suspended without touching the walls. It was roughly six feet long, the shaft black as midnight, the tip white as fresh snow.

But what made it distinctive was the head: four blades arranged in a cross pattern, each one sharp enough to split light.

"Ah," Kaedor said, noticing Jack's focus. "You have good instincts. That's one of the most powerful weapons in my collection. And one of the most dangerous."

They approached the alcove, and Jack could feel something emanating from the spear. Not just power, but awareness. This weapon was alive in some way that went beyond simple enchantment.

"It's called Oscar," Kaedor explained, he sounded like he was concerned when he was talking.

"A cursed artifact from... Well, I'm not actually sure where it came from. It appeared in my inventory decades ago, part of a shipment from the eastern territories."

Jack studied the weapon, noting how the four-bladed cross design would create devastating wounds. A thrust would tear through flesh and bone.

"Why cursed?" Jack asked.

"It drains life force continuously from whoever wields it," Kaedor said. "Demons who've tried to use it report feeling their strength being sapped within seconds. Holding it too long would be fatal."

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