*Date: 33,480 Second Quarter - Chalice Theocracy*
"Dismissed. Go to your duels," Rathvoss's barking woke Aris from his thoughts. He ca to his senses, scattered thoughts about how to bring back Lyra dissolving. Students were leaving the class, their conversations a dull roar.
Aris, because of the injury, had missed his last five matches. All that grinding wasted. He was now ranked 44. The number burned in his mind.
"Aris, stay. I wanted to talk to you," Rathvoss said.
Aris looked at Fox waiting to enter the class. He waved him off to wait. He approached his foul-tempered teacher, boots scuffing on stone.
"How is your arm?" Rathvoss asked.
"It healed properly. These nanites... I an, Keyra's magical healing is superb," Aris said in a laughing way, trying to lighten the mood.
Rathvoss frowned for a second and continued. "It's good you're cheerful. But with latest misses, you're what, forty-fifth?"
"Forty-fourth."
"Doesn't matter. Top thirty seems hard. Start the search."
Aris gulped, thinking about the search for Lyra's mories. "What search?"
"Team, you idiot. So already ford their party. If you didn't burn bridges with everyone, I maybe could've convinced Kaelan to take you into his party."
Aris was surprised. His hardass, crazy Templar teacher actually caring enough for Aris to form a strong party to survive. The concern was genuine.
"Thanks for your concern, sir, but I'm still aiming for top thirty. And if not, I think Orric would take into his party."
"That's... less than ideal, but it's good you have a backup plan. Also plan a team if you make it into top thirty. You'll probably have to pick last, but it is what it is."
"I didn't understand. What do you an, last?"
"First pick will be rank one. If you make it to top thirty, probably by the ti you pick, top fifty will be taken. When your pick cos back around again, you'll have to pick from rank above eighty-five. Whoever's left."
"Then entering top thirty isn't the best?" Aris asked, confusion clear.
"Your choice. But those who pull through with their low-ranked teams are regarded highly. More than those who calculate and strategically stay out of top thirty."
"I don't want to strategize. I want to show my power. Test my limits."
"Your choice. Just make sure to arrange backup plans."
"Understood. Thanks, sir."
When Aris turned to leave, Rathvoss spoke again.
"Hey, Aris. You're a bookworm. Were you close to the librarian? The one interrogated?"
Aris gulped. Here cos another probing for information. His heart hamred.
"Other than book recomndations, not so much. Why?"
Rathvoss's expression shifted, sothing almost human breaking through. "It's just that I witnessed so of Kurgodan's... you know... works. And he is a bit extre. Don't get wrong, I'm not questioning your loyalty to Chalice. But she might be shaken. Help her, alright? Even if she is fae." He said the shocking things and forced a smile.
"Once again, thanks, sir."
Aris left the class. Fox joined him in the corridor, padding silently beside him.
"What did he say?" Fox asked.
"Just... form a good party and... help Lyra."
"What?"
"Yeah, it surprised too. Anyway, let's head to duels."
That day, Aris had three duels. He won two, solid victories using his combination techniques. And lost to a fae boy with a frozen spear that moved like liquid ice. The cold burned where it touched.
After duels, Aris used his healing spells to patch up his wounds. Healing light flowed from his palms, knitting bruises and cuts. "I could have won that last match, but drinking too many potions wore off by the last ga."
"You should use them strategically," Fox advised.
Orric approached when his matches finished, tail wagging slightly. "I'm stuck at eight."
"At least you're eight. I'm stuck in the forties now."
"I'm sure you can make it up in remaining matches. Want to spar after dinner?"
"I... I have work to do. Maybe tomorrow."
Aris and Fox left the duel area and headed to the alchemy room.
"Aris, we should be seeking the relic. Why are we here?" Fox asked.
"I tried so sneaking potions yesterday. Let start new batches. I think we'll need more in upcoming days."
"Where do we search? Library?"
Aris started concocting new sneaking potions, hands moving with practiced precision. "Library, secret section, her chambers. Everywhere she's been."
"You know, you've co a long way. Start of the sester, you were gonna pee your pants standing in the hall waiting for Lyra."
Aris nodded, a faint smile crossing his face. And made so more potions. He'd given a rest to blood potions now that he had twelve of each at tier two. For tier three, trying and experints would have to wait. He had to find ways to bring Lyra back first.
At midnight, Aris downed a sneak potion. The liquid tasted like shadows and smoke. He gave a vial to Fox and headed out to the library. When they arrived at the empty corridor, candles flickered, casting dancing shadows.
Aris walked up to the door. It was locked, the handle unyielding.
"Dammit, I don't know how to lockpick."
"Step aside. I can open locks," Fox said.
"What?"
"You're not the only one with skills. I think they created as a sneak and open locks pet. And here we... are." Click. The door opened with Fox's claws manipulating the chanism.
"You didn't think I was just a wise companion, right? I have skills," Fox said, whispering smugly.
Aris and Fox started looking through every corner of the library. Shelves upon shelves of books. Desks ticulously organized. But there was nothing out of place. Fox opened the locked desk drawers. There were just orders and lists, mundane administrative work.
Finally, they headed to the forbidden section. Forbidden section contained mostly tier three spells and blood-related enhancents. "Books are for later," Aris thought. After looking for two hours, they couldn't find any hidden thing or section. No loose floorboards. No false walls.
On the way out, Aris sighed. "There is nothing. Even if there was anything, Kurgodan and his n should have taken it already."
"Tomorrow we should look at her chambers. But we can only enter when she's out. Maybe I can look alone at noon?"
"Maybe. I'm gonna look at the high sections before we go." When he went to the railed ladder for climbing, he noticed one ladder step was jiggling. Loose. He stopped.
"Wait. Didn't Lyra make this? This is jiggling." He started unscrewing the step. It revealed a stuffed paper inside the hollow rung. "I found sothing."
He took the paper, carefully screwed the ladder step back into place. Fox hissed, "Co on, drop the step. Who cares?"
"Kurgodan cares," Aris whispered back.
They left the library silently, sneaking through shadows. Once back in their room, Aris unfolded the paper with trembling hands.
The handwriting was unmistakably Lyra's. Sharp, precise, sarcastic even in written form.
*"Hey twin idiots. If you reached this, maybe you're not that idiotic. Anyway, Kurgodan is highly suspicious. If that Lex De Souza didn't attack at the Covenant summit, there would be no reason to go after . But I probably was the only suspect going in and out of the palace. Anyway, I am transferring my mories of us, the infiltration, being an Engineer to a mory stone. But unfortunately, my relic you call it is actually called a 'Key,' and without 'the Lock,' I can't use that alone to rember. Sooo... leave here. Don't try to hit my head to rember. I'm sure Kurgodan will do that many tis. In fact, run from here and live your lives. I will use the Key to extract my mories at the building in the Academy Cetery. When I wake, I will only rember my job, so I'll probably leave them there. Go pick those up, but be careful. Don't get caught. Also, I am pointing out one more ti: leave here and run. I love you guys."*
*P.S. "The Lock is like an ashtray that the Key sits on top of. Just so if you find it."*
Below she'd sketched "the Lock." A square device with intricate grooves, in the middle where sphere can sit.
Aris stared at the paper for a long mont. His hands trembled. "She knew. She knew everything that would happen."
Fox's voice was quiet. "And she still chose to protect us."
"The Academy Cetery," Aris whispered. "That's where her mories are."
"That's also where they bury the dangerous dead. The ones they don't want walking again."
"Then we go tomorrow night."
"Aris..."
"I'm not leaving her like this, Fox. She didn't leave us."
Fox sighed, but nodded. "Fine. But we do this smart. No rushing in."
Aris folded the paper carefully and tucked it into his tunic. Tomorrow night. They would find the Lock. They would restore Lyra.
Or die trying.
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