Eighty-seven.
Eighty-eight.
Eighty-nine.
“What are you doing?” Aliah asked.
Rain paused, letting his arms fall to his sides. He looked at her, ignoring a aningless twitch from Linksight. I still need to figure out what that’s supposed to an. Just one more thing for the list. He shook his head. “You haven’t seen soone do burpees before?” he panted. He picked up where he’d left off, trying to keep himself in the proper form as he transitioned from a squat into a plank, then a pushup.
“Actually, no.”
“I’m not surprised,” Rain gasped, completing the exercise with a jump. Ninety. “They suck. I’ve just got…a few left… Don’t mind .”
Aliah watched him in silence.
Ninety-one.
Ninety-two.
Ninety-three.
“They don’t look that difficult,” she eventually said. “You aren’t even using weights, just the armor. Wait…” she peered closer, narrowing her eyes. “How many points do you have in Strength right now?”
“Twenty,” Rain answered, not stopping. “Though in terms of…effect…it’s more like six.”
Ninety-five.
“Ah,” Aliah said. “I keep forgetting how weak you are.”
Okay, ouch. Ninety-six.
Aliah gestured at the swarm of Coal Lurkers piling up against the barrier near where Rain had decided to do his workout. They were climbing all over themselves, too stupid to realize that they couldn’t get to him. “You know we’re going to have to fight our way back to the city, right? Or were you thinking I was going to deal with that on my own?”
One hundred, thank fuck. Rain had to stop himself from lting to the ground. Instead, he walked in a circle flapping his arms, then stopped to take a long drink of water from his canteen. “I’m training by the barrier…on purpose… so they gather,” he finally managed. He put his arms on his hips, struggling to catch his breath.
“You need a minute?” Aliah asked.
Rain shook his head, waving her away and taking a few deep breaths. He tried again. “I know we’re going to have to fight, but it’s fine. I think Razorspines stopped spawning. Anything else won’t be a problem. Watch.”
He gestured at the barrier.Immolate.
The innurable Coal Lurkers that had collected burst into flas, practically blinding him. There were a few startled shouts from behind them, but no flaming spider-bits made it into the Lee. A few secondary explosions indicated that there had been slis buried in the pile as well, a fact that Rain’s interface confird a mont later.
You have defeated [Coal Lurker]x126, Level 2
3150 Experience Earned
You have defeated [Coal Lurker Broodlings]x181, Level 2
4525 Experience Earned
You have defeated [Sli]x14, Level 1
350 Experience Earned
Huh. There were more of them than I thought.
“That’s hardly fair,” Aliah said, waving an arm through the barrier.
Rain grinned, still breathing heavily. “Isn’t it great? Hey, question. Do you ever stop getting experience for monsters and stuff?” He gestured, mostly to give himself so ti to get a lungful of air. “That was like eight thousand experience, even though there was practically no risk. What even is experience? Also, is there an official classification for monster types? Slis and Coal Lurkers are both worth the sa, even though Coal Lurkers are a higher level.”
Aliah laughed. “I missed you, Rain. You can barely breathe, and you’re using all of your air to ask questions. Yes, it will stop eventually. According to the Guild, Coal Lurkers are ‘fodder’ class, the weakest, and Slis are one step up at ‘lesser’. After that it goes ‘minor’, ‘normal’, ‘greater’, and ‘elite’.”
“What about ‘reaper’ class?”
“That’s an unofficial na, though most elite monsters are also classified as reapers, so it hardly matters. You’ll hear people call different kinds of monsters things like turtles, mages, strikers and so on. The unofficial terminology varies, but it’s pretty self-explanatory.”
“Ah,” Rain said. His breathing was slowly coming under control. He used a quick blast of Purify to clear away so of his sweat. “So, back to my question. Does experience from weak monsters fall off when I reach a certain level or sothing?” I’m level eighteen. I’d have thought I’d have stopped getting experience for Slis ages ago.
Aliah shook her head. “It’s based on total experience earned from a particular type, or maybe number of kills.”
“Type? So, like, slis in general, or Slis, slis.”
“Slis in general, I think.”
“Cool… But why, though? And what’s the limit?”
Aliah shrugged. “High. I’ve never hit it. It’s more of a goldplate problem.”
Rain snapped his head to the left, peering into the black smoke that the barrier was holding at bay. Detection had just fired following his preset pattern, returning an unexpected signal.
“What is it?” Aliah asked.
“There’s a Chem-Cryst in that ss. Only one, but it’s sothing.”
“Uh-huh,” Aliah said. “Rain, we should probably get back to the city.”
“Yeah, I know,” Rain said, glancing over to where the others were having breakfast. They were far enough away that he wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard, as long as he spoke softly. Staavo was trying to fish what looked like a spoon out of Dozer. The sli seed to enjoy being a nuisance. “Listen, Aliah. I want to talk to you about, well…” He hesitated, looking at her. “What are you going to do now that the barrier is open?”
“I was going to stick around to help with the evacuation,” Aliah said. “After that, I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll go to Bellost. Get away from the war. What about you?”
“I…” Rain hesitated. Damn it, just go for it. “I want to form a party. A real one, not just a one-ti thing. You, , Tallheart, Jamus, maybe Carten and Val if they’re interested.”
Aliah looked away, rubbing at her elbow. “I don’t do parties. Not official ones. And Tallheart’s not in the Guild.”
“Why the hell won’t they let him join, anyway?” Rain said.
“Policy,” Aliah replied. She didn’t sound any happier than Rain did. “The Guild is for humans only, according to the rules. It used to be different, I think.”
“Fucking racists,” Rain said. “Specists. Whatever.”
“Yeah,” Aliah said. “The Guild’s got so problems.”
“Fine, whatever. Not a party then. I want us all to stay together, and if the Guild won’t let form an official party, I’ll form an unofficial one. I’ve been thinking about it since last night. So sort of, I don’t know, rcenary company or sothing.”
“A what?”
“A company.” Rain shrugged. “rcenary is probably the wrong word. It implies that we’d be fighting other people. I just an sothing like what I had going on in the baths.”
“I’m not sure what you an.”
“I an…” Rain sighed, rubbing at his neck. “I an a big group of people traveling together. Living on the road and making their own fortune. Like bandits, without the banditry. Awakened and unawakened, both.”
“Okay…” Aliah said, still looking confused. “Why would you want to do sothing like that?”
Rain sighed. “I need to be stronger. That ans I have to go find lairs and stuff, but I’m a support, so I can’t do that on my own. I thought that’s what the Guild was ant to help with, but if they won’t let Tallheart join, well… I don’t want to abandon anyone.”
Aliah didn’t look convinced, but Rain just shook his head and plowed on. “I don’t want to leave without Tallheart, obviously, but there’re the workers, too. I feel responsible for them. You’ve t Vanna. If she joins, then a lot of the others would probably co with her. She’s a good leader. Damn it, I’m rambling, and you get the point. Look, Aliah, we’re friends, right?”
Aliah blinked at him. “Yeah?”
“And friends stick together, right? Will you help start a company?”
“Rain,” Aliah said gently. “You’re going to have problems if you try this. People aren’t going to just—” She paused, shaking her head. “I’m not going to just—” She stopped again, sighing. “I don’t like to get tied down, Rain.”
“Please, just consider it,” Rain said. “I can’t do it without you.”
Aliah closed her eyes, a pained expression crossing her face. She turned away, looking up at the sky.
“Aliah—” Rain cut himself off. Damn it, I’m being selfish. She isn’t going to want to babysit a whole bunch of unawakened. I ca at this the wrong way. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Aliah sighed, then turned to face him again. She held out her hand, and a tiny speck flew into it. It took Rain a mont to recognize that it was the Chem-Cryst he’d sensed earlier.
She showed it to him as she spoke. “Why do you think the workers are going to join your ‘company’? Are you going to pay them? How? Who’s going to volunteer to live on the road, risking starvation, death, and poverty, rather than just settle down in a new city?”
Rain shook his head. “I can figure all that stuff out, and that’s not the point. The point is getting stronger together. If unawakened join, we awaken them. If we find a high-level blue, we work together to take it down.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that,” Rain nodded. “I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, but with you and Tallheart, we’ve got a start. Eventually, it should beco self-sustaining. Nobody has to stay if they don’t want to.”
Aliah sighed, tossing him the Chem-Cryst. “You’re talking about founding your own guild.”
Rain scrambled to catch it, then nodded. “I suppose I am.”
“And you think the real Guild will just let you do that?”
“No, of course not, not if I fra it like that. Look, at first, we’ll be small enough that they’ll just ignore us. The Guild doesn’t try to stop nobles from awakening their children, do they? This is the sa damn thing. Eventually, if the company gets big enough that they start having a problem with us, well, we can figure sothing out. By that point, I an to have a secret base and an airshipat the very least.”
Aliah sighed. “What’s an airship? Wait, never mind. Not important. Fine. Let’s say you try this. All of your worker friends join. Then what? We just take the teleporter through to Jarro and start doing odd jobs?”
Rain shook his head. “No. I don’t want to go to Jarro. I was thinking Vestvall would be our first mission.”
“What?” Aliah said incredulously.
“Now hold on,” Rain said. “Look, you were there yesterday when Dunwich was explaining. Anyone who uses the teleportation platform to get to Jarro or Southguard is basically signing up to live in the DKE. The Watch can’t do anything about it. There’s no platform in Vestvall, but we can get there the normal way.”
“So you’re going to just lead a bunch of unawakened on foot through a ranked zone in winter? How many tis did you say you hit your head in the fight with the Razorspine?”
“Ha ha,” Rain said. “But look. Tallheart will co. He’s not going to want to go to so random city in the DKE. If you co too, I think we’d have a shot. And besides, there’s a good reason for going to Vestvall. There might be survivors there, depending on how badly they got hit by the Shift.”
Aliah paused, then glanced at Jamus, who had his back to them.
Rain nodded. “Jamus’s family. Exactly. I have to talk to Tallheart, first, before I talk to him. I don’t want to get his hopes up. Once we get to Vestvall, we check for survivors, then co back here, or even head east through the wilderness. It’s a long way to the coast, but there’s another free city over there.”
“Three Cliffs,” Aliah said. “And ‘city’ isn’t the word I’d use. It’s a smuggler’s port.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Rain said. “Lots of people who were living in Fel Sadanis were probably here for a reason. They aren’t going to want to go to the DKE any more than Tallheart is. What I’d really like to do is bring them south. Into the Badlands. That’s where the essence monsters are.”
Aliah laughed. “Oh, you are definitely insane if you think people are going to follow you into the Badlands.” She held up a hand before Rain could reply. “A rescue mission to Vestvall is a reasonable idea. You should have started with that. I’ll co with you, just not if you’re trying to escort half of Fel Sadanis there. After that, well, we’ll see.”
“Yes!” Rain said, resisting the urge to hug her. “You won’t regret it.”
Reason shivered as the wind cut straight through his coat. There was no protection from the wind atop the barricade that surrounded the Lee, and his black jacket had been designed for theatrics, not protection from the elents. The high collar only did so much. I should get a cloak made in the sa style. Lined with fur. Another gust of wind blew, and Reason pulled his jacket tighter. At least Ter’Karmark was warm.
“Okay, I’m here, what did you want to talk about?” Myth said, hauling himself up over the edge of the barricade. “Would it have killed them to have made stairs?”
“I want to talk about our plans,” Reason said in Vejik.
“Ah, yes. We should,” Myth said, switching to the sa language.
“Obviously, we’re not going to be able to stay here,” Reason said, gesturing at the frozen wasteland. “The Watch only tolerated our presence because this was a city first and a stronghold second. If they’re running it as a fortress, they won’t want outsiders hanging around.”
“Plus, our shop exploded, so there’s that,” said Myth.
Reason nodded. “Where, then?”
“A good question. Do you think we could try Ter’Karmark again?”
“What the heart desires, the body must provide,” Reason quoted, then shook his head. “You rember what being in the ten-thousand was like. If we could earn a place in the thousand, then maybe, but do you really think we’d fare any better this ti around? It isn’t like we’ve gotten any stronger.”
Myth sighed. “The DKE, then?”
Reason snorted. “Do you want to be a slave? Because that’s what would happen once one of the Citizens got wind of a pair of unaffiliated crafters.”
“It might not be so bad,” Myth said. “If we found the right Citizen, then—”
“No,” Reason said. “I am my own master. The DKE is off the table.”
“You say that, but I’m not hearing any alternatives.”
“We need to leave the continent, obviously. I was thinking Bellost.”
“What?” Myth said. He lost his footing on the unsteady barricade and had to windmill his arms to avoid falling, though he recovered quickly. “We can’t go to Xiugaaraa. You know how they treat people like us.”
Reason shook his head. “I didn’t say Xiugaaraa; I said Bellost. There are other cities on the continent, not just the City of Lights.”
“Yes, but will it be any better?” Myth asked. “I don’t know much about the smaller cities, but being so close to Xiugaaraa, they might hold similar opinions.”
“We will have to risk it. Unless you want to try Rellagia.”
“No,” Myth said. “We barely escaped as children. They’d kill us the mont they realize we’re awakened, which they would the mont we set foot on the continent.”
“I am not convinced that rumor is true, but regardless, I agree with you. Thus, Bellost, even if we must deal with so unpleasantness. Who knows, it might not be as bad as we’ve heard. You saw for yourself that not all Guilders are so close-minded. No one in Fel Sadanis has given us any trouble.”
“Yeah, but we haven’t exactly made an announcent about ourselves,” Myth said, pulling his own jacket tight. It was a white mirror-image of Reason’s, and thus, no warr. Neither of them had any other clothing, it all having gone up with their shop. “We’ve been discreet.”
“People can tell,” Reason said. He gestured toward Rain, who was busy speaking to the silverplate, Aliah. “Rain figured it out, and we’ve only spoken with him a few tis. He doesn’t seem to care, but he’s definitely noticed.”
“What makes you say that?”
Reason shrugged. “He made this face like he’d solved a puzzle. It was after he brought Cloud to us. I know he doesn’t care because he didn’t treat us any differently afterward.”
“That’s hardly proof,” Myth said.
Reason shook his head. “Not everyone is as oblivious as loni.”
Myth snorted. “loni knows. Be careful who you call oblivious, genius.”
“She does not know,” Reason said. “I am quite sure of it.”
“Seriously?” Myth said. “Stop ssing with . There’s no way you haven’t picked up on how she keeps smiling at us whenever we’re together. She even winked at once.”
“Whatever,” Reason said, exasperated. “We’re getting off topic. Would you be willing to try Bellost?”
Myth chewed on his lip, looking back at Fel Sadanis. “What about the southern isles?”
“Hmm. Perhaps.” Reason tilted his head. “I do not know much about them. I believe the rchant is an islander… He has an islander sword, at least. We can ask him. Still, we would have to go to Bellost anyway if we wanted to book passage on a ship.”
Myth sighed. “Fine. Bellost.”
“Good. Now we just need to figure out how to get there.” Reason shook his head slowly. We’re going to have to start over. Again.
Their life savings had been in the shop, just like everything else. They hadn’t gone back to search through the smoking crater. There wasn’t enough chemical resistance in the world to deal with that. Not even the toxic moss was growing there. Perhaps a Tel or two had survived, but realistically, there wasn’t much point to attempting a salvage operation, even if they could get Rain’s help.
We cannot afford international teleportation. It will have to be a ship. Reason laid a hand on Myth’s shoulder, squeezing lightly. He gestured back at the fires with a tilt of his head. “Let’s go back. I’m freezing my ass off.”
After Rain finished his conversation with Aliah, she had agreed to create a distraction so he could talk to Tallheart without Staavo and Jamus interrupting. Almost everyone else was gathered around the cookfire, still finishing breakfast. Myth and Reason had been on the barricade and were just now on their way back. Tallheart was doing sothing over by his slter, though he was supposedly on watch.
“Okay, everyone,” Aliah said, clapping her hands as she and Rain joined the group. “We’re leaving soon. Before we do, let’s have a little fun. As you saw Rain demonstrate, the barrier won’t block magic, so I propose a contest. Anyone who has a ranged spell, co over here. We’re going to work on our aim and thin out the monsters a bit. Big Coal Lurkers are one point, Slis are two. If you hit a Stumper, that’s three. Just hitting them is enough. Don’t waste mana trying to kill one, and it won’t count more than once.”
“Yay!” Ava yelled, rushing over to Aliah.
“Careful, Ava,” Aliah said. “It’s dangerous. I don’t want you getting hit by—oh.”
Rain smiled. Ava had launched a Firebolt, nailing one of the Slis that had arrived to investigate the burnt remains of the monsters he’d broiled.
“I’m winning!” Ava declared.
“Ava!” Mlem shouted, his voice stern. “She didn’t say you could start. What have I told you about playing fair?”
“Rule fifty-four: Avoid playing fair,” Ava recited, launching another Firebolt. This one missed. More monsters were rapidly approaching, including a dium-sized swarm of Coal Lurkers.
“Ava,” Mlem shouted, getting to his feet. ”That rule only applies to real enemies! This is a contest!”
“A contest I’m going to win!” Val said. He’d rushed over to Aliah almost as quickly as Ava had. He raised a hand, blasting a hole through a sli. “Two! We’re tied!”
Mlem puffed out his mustache. “Pfft. Fine!” he shouted, drawing his sword and charging for the barrier. “I’m playing too!”
“No going through the barrier!” Aliah shouted. Heeding her rule, Mlem stopped short of crossing the boundary and started slashing through it at the swarm of Coal Lurkers that had just arrived.
“What are the little ones worth?” Mlem asked, but before Aliah could reply, Val shouted, interrupting her.
“Yeah! Did you see that shot? I got it right in mid-air! That’s six for .”
“Nuh-uh,” Ava shouted. “That one was mine! You stole it!”
“Um, Jamus,” loni said. “Why can the little girl throw fire?”
“There’s no age limit on awakening,” Jamus said. “Though most nobles elect not to awaken their children until they’re a little older. Otherwise…” He shook his head, raising his voice. “Mlem, have you taught your daughter the proper safety—”
“Don’t think he’s listnin’, Jamus,” interrupted Carten, having finished strapping on his shields. “You comin’?”
“Carten—” Jamus began, but the big man was already stomping toward the barrier. He took a wide stance next to Mlem, then started smashing the edges of his shields together through the magical wall, taking huge bites out of anything that ca too close. It was surprisingly effective, like an angry bearded horizontal Pac-Man.
“He seems like he’s back to normal,” Rain said to Jamus, gesturing to Carten. “That’s good. I was worried.”
“Mmm,” Jamus said, glancing at loni.
loni laughed, holding a squirming Cloud. “Go on; I don’t mind.” She turned to Vanna. “Want to make a bet? Jamus or Val? Who do you think will get more?”
“Hmm,” Vanna said. “No bet. Val’s not really trying anymore. He’s started missing on purpose, look. Besides, I don’t know how anyone’s going to verify the count in that ss.”
“He’s planning to let the little girl win,” Staavo said, setting down his bowl. “Didn’t figure him for a softy. There, food’s done. Ti to show these youngsters what’s what.” He started walking toward the barrier. He didn’t draw his sword, clearly planning on using magic. “I’m not losing to a little girl, that’s for damn sure.”
Rain shook his head. Aliah used ‘challenge’. Critical hit. It’s super effective. He looked in Tallheart’s direction, seeing him watching the commotion. “I kinda feel bad for the monsters, honestly,” he said. “That barrier is really unfair.”
“That makes you a softy, too,” Vanna said. “They needed sothing like this. It’s payback. I just wish I could join them,” She tilted her head. “You know what, no, I am joining them.” She got to her feet, grabbing a burning branch from the fire.
“Rain,” loni said, catching his attention. She was also climbing to her feet, having released Cloud, though the overlarge puppy was still safely tied up. “Keep an eye on Cloud.”
“Um,” Rain said.
loni ignored him, following after Vanna. She stooped to pick up a rock. Cloud started whining and pulled at his rope, trying to follow after her.
Rain sighed, removing the rope from the stake where it was tied. The dog imdiately tried to pull it out of his hands. “Hey, cut that out,” he said, gently reeling Cloud in as he closed the distance. After a brief struggle, he managed to scoop him up into a fluffy bundle. At least Dozer’s not making trouble. The sli was busy cleaning the dishes, content to ignore the chaos.
Rain watched for a mont to make sure Aliah had everything under control. Myth and Reason had descended from the barricade and were standing next to her, clearly having decided to watch rather than join in. How would an alchemist fight, or a chemist for that matter? Bombs?
Aliah glanced at him, then smiled and made a shooing motion. He nodded and started picking his way over toward Tallheart through the scattered remains of breakfast.
“Rain,” Tallheart said, greeting him as he approached.
“Hey, Tallheart, got a minute?”
Tallheart rumbled assent, watching the chaos. Rain thought he detected a hint of amusent on his face, but it might have been just his imagination. He snorted, confirming Rain’s suspicion. “She should have known that this would happen.”
“She did,” Rain said, adjusting his grip on the still-squirming dog. Ugh, this guy is pretty heavy. Damn burpees. My arms are like noodles right now. “I’m not sure she expected it to work as well as it did, though. I asked her to create a distraction so I could talk to you privately. In retrospect, I probably should have just told everyone to give us a minute.”
“Mmm.”
“Anyway, Tallheart. I know you probably don’t want to go to the DKE, so I was wondering if you’d want to co with Aliah and to—”
“Yes,” Tallheart said.
There was a knock at the door, and the guardian looked up from the report he was composing for the Warden. He hid the fatigue from his face, concentrating on the public persona of the unflappable commander that he maintained in public. “Enter.”
The door opened, revealing Officer Bartum. Dunwich set down his pen, raising an eyebrow. “What can I do for you, Officer Bartum?”
“Greetings, Guardian. I would like a mont of your ti to discuss a few things.”
“Of course.” He gestured to the chair in front of the desk. This office had belonged to one of the sentinels—he wasn’t sure which. From the look on Bartum’s face as he entered, he suspected that he’d known the forr occupant.
Bartum closed the door behind him before taking a seat. He took a deep breath. “About the Guilder Rain. Have you considered his request?”
“I have,” Dunwich said, keeping his tone level. Officer Bartum was protective of the bizarre Guilder. “Unfortunately, fixing his paling is not sothing that I would be able to do, nor could anyone, for that matter. He will have to repair the damage himself.”
Bartum frowned. “And you’re not going to tell him how?”
“Correct,” Dunwich said. “Soul manipulation is esoteric knowledge. The required technique is restricted, even among guardians.” He held up a hand, as it looked like Bartum was going to react poorly. “I passed your request on to the Warden. She has agreed to consider it if the Guilder consents to a full ntal scan. She is very interested to know how a bronzeplate managed to ta a Majistraal artifact.” As am I.
“She wants him brought to Vigilance, then?” Bartum asked, still looking like he had a bad taste in his mouth.
“No,” Dunwich said. “She extended an open invitation. She hopes that he will co, but it is not a command.” He reached into his pocket and removed a plate stamped with the Watch’s emblem. It appeared physically identical to an officer’s plate, except that it was made of steel—Grand Arcane Steel, technically—instead of bronze. “This is for him.”
“Oh,” Bartum said, relaxing. “I thought I was going to have to fight to get him one of those.”
“Of course not,” Dunwich said. “The Guilder saved countless unawakened and returned Fel Sadanis to our control, and he did so before even asking for a reward. We haven’t given anyone one of these for dozens of years, but if that level of contribution isn’t enough to earn one, I don’t know what is.”
“May I?” Bartum asked. Dunwich nodded, and Bartum picked up the plate. “I’ve never actually seen one of these up close, only the diagram of the signature that I used to train my students.” He turned the plate over to look at the back. “Marvelous.”
“Mmm,” said Dunwich. Even unbound, the signature laid into the tal was clear to his eyes thanks to Reading, as it would be to every mber of the Watch. It couldn’t be faked. That was the point—Once it was bound to the Guilder, the pattern would take on the flavor of his soul and serve as irrefutable proof of his identity. It would mark him as an ally, trusted to look after the interests of the powerless. It was the closest an outsider could co to joining the Watch.
“So, does that an we’re going to let him stay?” Bartum asked. “Rain’s skills would be particularly useful for charging the teleportation platform, not to ntion his cleaning spell.”
Dunwich shook his head. “No. We have both issues under control. The bottleneck on teleportation is in Jarro, anyway. The DKE is making a fuss. Regardless, Rain will have to leave, along with the rest. Once the evacuation is complete, all non-Watch nas will be removed from the access list. No exceptions.”
“And if he doesn’t want to go?”
Dunwich raised an eyebrow. “Is that likely?”
Bartum shrugged. “I don’t know. He doesn’t act like a normal Guilder.”
“That he does not,” Dunwich said. He’d only spoken with Rain briefly, but that much was clear. His description of the artifact’s interface had been completely incomprehensible. He shook his head, returning his attention to Bartum. “I will leave it to you to manage the situation if it arises.”
He reached into his pocket again, retrieving a second plate, this one made of silver. He offered it to Bartum. “I was going to do this formally later, but since you’re here now, this is for you. You are being elevated to Sentinel, effective imdiately, though the expedition will have to wait.”
Bartum looked stunned. Wordlessly he took the plate, his overwheld gratitude clear in his expression.
Dunwich’s mouth twitched, betraying the barest hint of his real emotions before he schooled it back to impassivity. He does deserve it. I would hate to have been stuck in this backwater for as long as he has. He cleared his throat, maintaining his level tone. “My responsibility is to protect the barrier stone and to oversee the construction of the citadel. The evacuation is yours. I found a way to grant access to everyone currently within the do, so there should be no further issues of that nature. We will discuss the permanent leadership structure of the Fel Sadanis Citadel at a later ti. For now, you are my second in command.”
“Thank you, Guardian,” Bartum said. “I am honored to accept.”
“Don’t thank ,” Dunwich said. “I just gave you a pile of responsibility and none of the power to back it up. You’re going to be in charge of the sentinels from Jarro until we get this all sorted out, and I expect that they won’t be pleased about the situation. However, I believe that the officers native to this city should have a commander that they know, and you have proven yourself capable.”
Bartum nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“Good. Here’s your first headache. I need you to get rid of those bloody Bankers without causing a diplomatic incident. The thing with the exGuilder was bad enough. To think that we had her in our grasp and didn’t even realize…” He shook his head, relying on his training to project the proper level of annoyance. It went without saying that he was controlling the emissions from his soul. Bartum would get nothing from him. “And because they will ask, no, there is no way I’m letting one of their recovery teams in here.”
Rain grunted, moving a shovelful of earth. He was helping Tallheart with the slter by digging a temporary channel for the outflow. They were getting set up just inside the south gate to prepare for their expedition. Jamus and loni were nearby, having a private conversation. Staavo, Myth, and Reason were slightly further away, having a slightly less private conversation as they argued about the design of a new generator. Their argunt was also confusing, as both Myth and Reason were speaking in mystical mumbo-jumbo.
Much to Rain’s surprise, everyone who’d co out to the Lee had agreed to join the expedition to Vestvall once he’d explained his plan, including the formation of the as-yet-unnad company. The others were off gathering supplies and, in Vanna’s case, recruiting volunteers. He hadn’t expected Myth and Reason to join, let alone Mlem, but there it was.
What am I going to do if other people want to bring their kids? Damn it, I’m getting a headache already. How many people can we take? Should I set a limit? How do I pick who gets to co?
“Hello, Rain,” Bartum said, interrupting Rain’s thoughts. “I need to talk to you.”
Rain looked up, wiping his forehead. Where did he co from? I need a more specific version of Detection, already. “Hi Bartum, uh, look, I’m sorry. I’m not going to say who did it, but it was an accident. We didn’t an to set the gatehouse on fire, and we put it out as soon as we—”
Bartum waved him away. “The fire didn’t spread, so don’t worry about it. The walls are hardly going to be important in a few days anyway. Dunwich is preparing the foundations for a citadel that we will construct around the barrier stone and the teleportation platform. Everything else is going to be leveled.”
“Oh,” Rain said. He paused, tilting his head. “That explains the tremors I’ve been feeling. Did you bring through so stronger Earth Mages from Jarro?”
“Yes,” Bartum said. “Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“The expedition? You’re not going to stop , are you?”
“I did hear a rumor about that on my way here, but no, I’m not. In fact, you have my provisional approval. I don’t like the idea of resettling people in the DKE either. I’d send so officers with you if I could, but it’s a long road to Three Cliffs.”
“Okay then, what—” Belatedly, Rain realized that Bartum had a silver plate around his neck, not bronze. “Bartum, you got promoted. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Rain,” Bartum said, looking bemused. He smiled, holding out a small black-lacquered wooden case bearing the Watch’s emblem. “So did you.”
Rain took it curiously, opening it to see a tal plate like the silver one around Bartum’s neck, though the tal was darker. His Linksight twinged at him, telling him that there was sothing unusual about it. Rain was distracted from further inspection by what Bartum said next.
”You are now a of the Watch. Congratulations.”
Rain tilted his head. “A ‘’? I don’t know that word.”
Bartum nodded. “I’m not surprised. It isn’t a common honor.” He cleared his throat. “In normal conversation, people call us Watchers, but it should be Keepers, properly. The full na of the Watch is the Vigilant order of Watch Keepers, if you were not aware. is another word for Keeper, but it is less...hmm. A Keeper takes ownership of the things that they watch over, while a rely maintains them and ensures that they are kept in good order. To be a is to be an ally of the Watch, but not a full mber.”
Rain blinked, gratitude mixing with confusion. A horrible realization ca over him as the correct word for what Bartum was describing popped into his mind.
Great, now I’m not just the Night Cleaner. I’m the Custodian.
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