“Hey there, Storm.”
I scratch the horse's neck, receiving an affectionate neigh in return.
“Co on, now. It’s ti to go ho.”
Having already paid the exorbitant price - 5 silver - for his stay at this stable, clearly placed here as a trap for unassuming Central visitors, my only consolation was that Stormcloud was clean and fully equipped upon my arrival.
I threw another look at my secondary pouch, which had just beco lighter.
‘Whatever. At least I get 5 gold for free tomorrow.’
Well, it wasn’t exactly free, but I really didn’t want to think about it too deeply, with my head already overheating, trying to digest all the new knowledge shoved into my brain today.
‘To think I dropped out of uni only to end up like this.’
Between the myriad different nuances related to drawing sigil, maintaining the ‘canvas’, and how each modification to the lines’ width, length and relative position theoretically affect the spell, we didn’t even get to any cantrip today.
Also, rembering that more complex spells have multiple sigils, which, themselves, are also affected by their 3d positioning, the power injected, the pace at which it was injected, and the timing, too, I almost wanted to cry.
‘Well, this has nothing to do with cantrips, and even 1st tier spells. I’ll let future cross that bridge when he gets there.’
At the very least, unlike the university courses, bloated with useless math that would never see practical use in any foreseeable future, or physics courses clearly shoved in to pad the faculty’s budget, those studies had so real value.
And, in truth, despite my silent despair, I still looked forward to what lay beyond those daunting tasks.
‘A sha I couldn’t take the book with .’
Of course, I understood that practicing the more advanced cantrips was not sothing I could do in secret, lacking both supervision and the safety of a special training room, but I could at least read it…
That being said, I now also knew that lending such a book would be considered a pretty serious offense, even greater than what that Wizard’s master had done by giving him a crumpled page from ‘Introduction To Arcane Energy Applications And Manipulation’. I wouldn’t expect Anne to go to such length for .
That being said, I also didn’t expect her solution to be…
I threw a glance at one of the cases at my waist, where, beside my identification token, lay another, smaller cylinder, with a different crystal embedded in its center.
‘I really didn’t expect to receive an access token to Central.’
Before I left, the maid gave this token, leaving with no opportunity to refuse, or at least pretend to refuse.
She also said her mistress insisted I co and use the library and training room - because of course that manor had a magic training room - whenever I wanted, regardless of the ti, under the condition that I don’t attempt to practice anything beside the standard cantrips while she wasn’t near.
‘I feel a bit bad, like I’m abusing her goodwill..’
Still, it wasn’t exactly a choice – I had to grasp at every straw I had in order to survive.
Suddenly, I realized I’ve spent the whole evening without thinking of any of my troubles, be it the syndicate, my geas, or my main curse.
“Haaa…”
Maybe those magic lessons weren’t so bad, after all.
It didn’t take long to reach the Temple. Of course, it was way past dinner. Actually, this was slightly past the regular 10pm curfew, too, but thankfully, when I stepped into the hospital, nobody was there to scold . Even the nurse was busy with one of the patients, as evident by one of the doors being ajar, and the muffled noises from inside.
Without making a commotion, I entered my room, taking off my equipnt, and falling onto my bed, ready to leave this exhausting day behind .
Tomorrow, after my short shift, the High Priest would finally perform his ritual – and I would have so answers. I just hoped those answers wouldn’t lead to greater despair.
***
The moonlit grass swayed lazily in the chill autumn breeze, mimicking the endless pulse waves in a calm sea.
In the city, not many places would remain without illumination at night, barring the most lawless corners of Southern. And yet, the large yard, filled with different shrines, was one such place – or rather, each shrine was responsible for its own light, and so, such as the shrine of Olaria - goddess of peace, harmony, and natural balance - rejected the very notion of artificial illumination.
Tonight, on the eve of a large festival, few people would venture outside at the little hours of the night, saving their strength for the upcoming celebration. However, one figure - a young, slender woman with brown hair, wearing an olive-colored robe - was nonetheless awake, kneeling in front of the dimly lit statue.
The statue of the goddess, clad in a colorless robe of her own, just so happened to resemble the woman, only with shorter hair, slightly sharper features, sculpted from white, pristine marble, and a tiara made to reassemble olive branches adorning her head.
The woman, lowering her head, held her hands slightly below it, in an apparent display of pious devotion.
If any living soul was to gaze at this sight from afar, they would naturally presu this was a prayer, dedicated to a minor goddess by one of her rare devout followers. However, if one could truly make out her whispering voice, they would hear no reverence – only ek acceptance. And perhaps, deep underneath, a hidden note of sorrow.
“Are the preparations complete, my child?”
The most bizarre thing, however, would be the second, even fainter voice, like dry leaves scraping over a gravestone, barely audible over the rustling grass.
“Yes, elder.”
“What is it, child? Is sothing the matter?”
It would seem the owner of the other voice noticed the peculiar undertone in the woman’s reply.
“No, elder. Everything went as planned.”
The faint traces of bitterness could no longer be found in her soft, yet steady tone.
For a few seconds, silence took hold of the shadowy shrine, with nothing but the subtle sounds of the night deigning to pierce it.
“I trust you, Olevia. We all do.”
You could be reading stolen content. Head to for the genuine story.
The voice paused for a mont.
“It took over a year to reach this very mont. A year of countless risks, and many sacrifices. All their hopes now rest on your shoulders.”
“...yes, elder.”
The woman’s voice grew even fainter.
“Now, go and rest. Save your strength for the morrow.”
The second voice, which, until now, still held a asure of compassion and benevolence, grew colder, like a raindrop suddenly descending into an icy whirlwind.
“For on the day of their depraved festivities… the defilers shall reap what they had sown”.
***
The morning started as any other – with using [The Self] to check my status. Well, actually, I forgot to do it yesterday, perhaps due to excitent, or perhaps due to lack of physical training the day before. Anyway, beyond minor skill progress, there was one new addition to my Traits:
—
[Arcane Throughput (Initial)]
Ability to output arcane energy to a very minor degree.
—
‘Oh! So it’s finally at the level of being counted as a Trait!’
This also further confird my thoughts regarding the differences between ‘upgradeable’ Traits and Skills.
‘I’m fairly certain now – it seems Skills are indeed closer to techniques, as in, their progress depends on the level of precision and control, which is achievable through training. On the other hand, while so Traits can be improved through training, they’re more like Attributes – the increase is related to the overall effort put in, and perhaps natural affinity, rather than technique and control.’
Of course, so Traits were clearly situational, and so seed to be one-ti unlocks, but that was a different story altogether.
“Hey, Sebastian – soone was looking for you yesterday.”
During breakfast, I was approached by one of the apprentice priestesses – lissa, whom I still rembered.
“Oh, really?.. What did you tell him?”
For a mont, I was slightly tense, but then, I realized it probably wasn’t related to the Crimson Shadows – they probably knew where I was staying, anyway.
anwhile, lissa shook her head.
“It wasn’t , but as I understood, they wouldn’t even admit to you staying here. After that attack, the paladins decided to keep any such information under wraps.”
I nodded. Again, it’s not like those involved didn’t know where I was, but giving out extra details wouldn’t be wise.
“Who was it, by the way?”
“So dwarf.”
“So- wait, black hair, long beard, chainmail? Carries a shield and a mace?”
“Umm.. yes, I think. But, erm, you know this describes about every fifth dwarven adventurer or rcenary?”
Actually, this was a good point.
“Did he leave his na?”
“I.. don’t think so.”
I shook my head. If this was Ornor, there was a chance he got upset at getting stonewalled, and stord off before thinking things through.
‘Still, might be a good idea to visit Bern’s inn again. I’ll probably have an hour or two after my shift, anyway.’
Thanking the young black-haired woman for sharing this information, I quickly finished my breakfast.
‘Well, if I leave now, I have a few hours of training.’
With those thoughts, I exited the temple complex, making my way through the Plaza Of Devotion.
The atmosphere was barely recognizable – amidst the vibrant leaves, dyed crimson and dark-yellow, so people had already begun setting up stalls, which, by their looks, involved festive activities such as gas (for example, dart throwing), or were getting ready to prepare various types of food and sweets.
Even this early in the morning, I could already see a few groups of laughing children running around, sowing the seeds of the chaotic atmosphere often associated with such celebrations, and even a few small groups of younger adults. I even saw one pair, a man and a woman, who, judging by their affectionate gestures, found the energy to go on a date at this early hour.
Promptly hastening my step, I made my way to the stables, dreading the overcrowded streets that were bound to bog down my journey.
In fact, while throwing the stable boy an extra silver coin to get Storm ready, I quickly consulted my map, finding a stables building midway between Ordolion’s Plaza (where the MIS HQ proudly stood) and the Adventurer’s Guild.
“What do you think, Storm? Mind staying in a new place for today?”
I wanted to believe that the neigh I received in return was that of acceptance.
The journey to the new stables, roughly 9 kiloters away, lasted an hour. In the anti, the streets got more and more crowded, the jolly atmosphere perating the air.
‘Seems like this celebration is really sothing big.’
I half-expected it, given the energetic preparations ahead of ti, but seeing the crowded streets with my own eyes, and hearing the sa few unfamiliar songs, sounding from different directions over the course of my short journey, certainly exceeded my expectations.
It was as if the city had always been a hub for celebration, filled with joyous laughter and song, delicious slls of freshly baked sweet pastries, and an endless stream of rustling branches and leaves.
If anything, the plaza around the Ministry HQ white and pristine, a stern island of stability and order amidst the disorderly festivities, was the one that felt out of place.
Just before reaching my destination, I noticed a familiar place.
‘This was called... Silver.. Lily?.. Lotus. Silver Lotus.’
While my taste buds still rembered the delicious food, my coin pouch definitely rembered the massive hit it took back then.
‘Co to think of it, for that noble looking guy, this price range was probably average.’
It's been less than a week since I saw that man, Ve… Vermilion, at this restaurant, yet to , it felt like half a year.
‘Well, they do say big city life moves at a different pace.’
Leaving Stormcloud at the new stables, I made my way through the slowly filling streets, all the way to the Guild.
Training went about as smoothly as yesterday. This ti, I didn’t notice any glances beside a few newbies, throughout the whole two-plus hours.
‘I guess this type of drama doesn’t last for long here, either.’
The city had sowhere between 200 and 300 thousand people living in it, from what I heard. Even if only 1 in a 1000 was an adventurer, that still ant 200 to 300 active adventurers were part of the guild.
The actual number was probably higher, though – unlike regular citizens, many adventurers wouldn’t just stay in the city, instead undertaking missions in the surrounding areas, and even farther away throughout the province. Those would likely not even be counted as in the population tally.
Of course, the majority of the adventurers weren’t at the guild at any given mont of ti, but even for those that were, most occupants of this deadly profession had more important things to worry about than so minor interpersonal conflicts.
‘I’m fairly certain those noble guys will bare their fangs again in the future, but, well, whatcha gonna do?’
I’d have to cross that bridge when I got there, if it all.
The ti was almost 11:00, and the distance to the MIS was around 6km. Hoping I could cover it in less than an hour with a light jog, I made a quick trip to the cafeteria.
At this hour, the lunch nu was still being prepared, and the food on the plates and pans was breakfast leftovers. Well, food was food, and, at least, this type of al only went for 5 silver.
Quickly stuffing myself with salads (tomatoes and lettuce, mainly), white and yellow cheese (the forr sowhat salty and fatty, the latter hard and almost moldy, but with a rich aftertaste), and whatever was left of the eggs and scraps of fish (so white freshwater fish I’ve never seen), I departed the Guild.
My destination wasn’t the MIS HQ itself, but rather, a structure nearby, presumably owned by the Ministry as well.
Hastily making my way through the street (the single long street starting around a kiloter from the Guild, and arcing all the way to the Enclave of Faith, passing through the Ministry’s plaza as well), I managed to reach the tall, narrow building just two minutes before the deadline.
The building itself blended perfectly with its neighbors – one wouldn’t suspect this wasn’t a regular residence, excluding, perhaps, the subtle signs of heavier-than-usual traffic on the short marble-paved trail leading from the low fence gate to its high wooden door.
knock, knock
Rather than soone opening the door, a small tal panel near the entrance slid downwards, revealing a concave glass surface.
Without the need for instructions, I pressed my token against the glass, waiting for the faintly visible white glimr to attain a teal hue.
I heard a click, and the door bulged at my weak push.
It was ti to start my shift.
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