Chương 107: Chapter 066 A Mask Torn Away (Part 2)

Jack was in a high-quality carriage, sitting across from the old inquisitor, travelling towards Viscount Tides' compound. He racked his brain for a solution to his problems, but came up blank. He could see multiple ways to escape—he still had his [Chronos Sphere] spell scrolls—but they all left his family in the hands of the Inquisition. The carriage stopped, and Jack and the inquisitor departed.

They were at the ornate iron gates of Viscount Tides' compound, the one he'd visited in his past life, where he witnessed the orc warrior being harvested for powers.

"I'm here to see Viscount Tides," the old inquisitor said to the two Anubian guards stationed at the gates.

"Yes, sir." The elder guard bowed. The pair pulled open the great iron gates. Aether-steam hissed as the locking mechanism depressurised, and the gates swung open. The old inquisitor, Jack, and two beastkin guards entered the compound. Behind them, the heavy gates slammed shut with an echoing clang and a hiss of aether-steam as the lock engaged and repressurised.

In a modest sitting room within the manor house of Viscount Tides, the inquisitor, Jack, and the two beastkin guards waited in silence for almost half an hour. The heavy curtains were closed, and the room smelled of lavender and polish. Tall bookshelves lined the walls, their spines gilded and neat. Despite the situation, Jack felt the temptation to browse through the Viscounts' book collection.

The air carried a faint haze from the aether lamps mounted in bronze sconces, their soft blue glow giving the room an unreal sheen. Jack stared at a portrait of one of the Viscount's ancestors who stared down on him with stern eyes. Creepy bastard. An elaborate brass clockwork device on a side table ticked and whirred with the precision of a heartbeat; the clock chimed to indicate the hour. Already nine o'clock. Are m y family safe?

He couldn't help but worry; he wiped his clammy hands on his tatty leather armour and gripped his dagger for comfort. The inquisitor chuckled.

"Don't get any ideas with that dagger, boy. The Viscount would have your head before you drew it." Jack released the grip on his dagger. A butler dressed mostly in black entered the room.

"The Viscount will see you now, sir." The butler gestured for them to follow. Jack followed the butler and the inquisitor like a leashed dog, knowing his fate was again veering off course and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it. The butler knocked on a pair of ornate wooden doors before pushing them open. The brass fittings hissed as hidden gears aided the weight of the polished oak, swinging wide to reveal a chamber that was both study and throne room.

Viscount Tides sat behind an immense desk of dark mahogany, its surface inlaid with copper filigree that traced arcane symbols. Behind him, a massive stained-glass window glowed with aether-light, depicting a stylised hourglass entwined by serpents. Around the chamber, eleven high-backed leather chairs formed a semicircle. In them sat Baron Greaves and the other ten noble blood mages; most were drinking wine or snacking on pastries. Jack gulped. Fuck. They're all here. The inquisitor and Jack entered the room.

The butler and the two guards remained outside as the double doors shut with a dull, mechanical thunk, the sound of gears locking into place. All eyes were on Jack; the twelve blood mages showed a mix of interest and confusion. [Assassin's Intuition] triggered, and like during the hunt, he felt like a pack of predators was stalking his mind. They're doing it again. He felt like the prize stag being prepared for the final dagger to its heart.

"Thank you for seeing us at such short notice, my lords and ladies." The old inquisitor bowed.

"This is the young man who claimed to be a blood mage before killing two of the Inquisition's guards. After a short hunt, it has been ascertained that he is indeed an unaffiliated, Novice Blood Mage. Level 1, my lords and ladies." He again bowed. This revelation gained the full attention of the dozen nobles in the room. Baron Greaves was the first to speak.

"Are you certain? I know of this boy; he's the son of one of my scribes at the Royal Library. He would soon be joining his father as our latest Novice Scribe." The old man nodded.

"I'm certain, my lord. I scanned him myself. There is no doubt that he is a level 1 Novice Blood Mage." He looked at Jack and smiled.

"What's unusual is, he is also a level 1 Novice Archer, level 0 Novice Assassin, level 0 Novice Time Mage, and most surprisingly of all, a level 50 Apprentice Scribe." There were multiple gasps around the room, and Jack felt the probing of his mind ramp up a notch as [Assassin's Intuition] flared. Viscount Tides stood and approached Jack, his polished boots clicking against the patterned marble floor.

"How?" He directed the question at Jack, but then looked to the old inquisitor. Jack didn't react or respond. I'm totally fucked. Sweat trickled down his spine. The old man shook his head.

"I do not know, my lord. I stopped questioning him as soon as I realised this was circle business." He bowed.

"I would never overstep into your domain, my lord." Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"You made the right decision, Simmons." Tides returned to his desk, pulled open a drawer, and removed a large sack. He returned to the inquisitor and pressed the weight of coins into his hand.

"You did exceptionally well. You may go." Simmons smiled.

"Thank you, my lord." He bowed again before leaving Jack to his fate. Jack was tempted to call after the inquisitor to remind him he was to keep his family safe, but held his tongue. As the double doors shut with a dull thunk and the sound of gears locking into place, Viscount Tides placed a hand on Jack's shoulder.

"Hmm… He's fate touched and has the highest affinities I've ever seen in one so young." [Assassin's Intuition] flared. Jack tried not to react as the Viscount removed the dagger from his side to examine. He placed the dagger back in the sheath before pulling an arrow from Jack's quiver. After noting the serrated arrow tip with a smile, he replaced it, apparently unconcerned about the potential threat.

"Who are you?" Finally, Jack sighed with relief as he felt his pseudo [Rogue's Tongue] skill return now that the inquisitor was gone. He could still feel the nobles probing his mind for weaknesses as [Assassin's Intuition] pinged over and over again.

"My name is Jack, my lord." He bowed low.

"I'm the son of William, an Expert Scribe at the Royal Library, who works under the magnanimous stewardship of Baron Greaves." He bowed towards Greaves.

"It's an honour to finally meet you, my lord." He held back a feeling of nausea as the Baron smiled.

"I-I have dreamed of this day… It feels like this meeting was fated." The dozen nobles chuckled and laughed. Jack felt the pressure on his mind ease off for a moment before returning.

"Magnanimous," Baron Argil echoed.

"He doesn't know you at all, does he, man?" Greaves laughed.

"Well, I for one already like the boy." He raised his glass towards Jack and smiled. The others laughed and chuckled along while Jack acted confused as he again felt the pressure on his mind ease and the triggering of [Assassin's Intuition] lessen. Viscount Tides leaned forward.

"How did you become a blood mage?"

"While performing research towards becoming a scribe," Jack lied.

"I stumbled upon some notes from my grandfather on how to gain the class, my lord." He took a deep breath as he paused to see if they could detect his lies. No response. He had no knowledge of any class with lie detector skills other than what he'd experienced with the old inquisitor. Jack continued, reasonably confident they couldn't detect lies, "I, erm… followed the instructions and selected the class yesterday… My lord." Viscount Tides frowned.

"And the other classes?" Jack shook his head.

"I-I do not know, my lord." He took a moment.

"After choosing blood mage, they… they just appeared." He acted confused.

"My lord, I thought they were part of being a blood mage?"

"The notes," Baroness Quill added.

"You say you read some notes. What did they say?" Jack bowed towards the Baroness.

"They explained how amazing the blood mage class was and that there were thriving circles in Lundun… That blood mages could absorb other classes and skills." He waved his hands to match what he was saying.

"It-it was so exciting, my lady. I-I had to become one. The notes… Erm… described what was required to gain the class, my lady." He looked at his feet as the pressure on his mind faded. Are some of them giving up?

"And what were the requirements?" Baroness Idrisa smiled.

"My lady." Jack bowed.

"The notes explained that I needed to understand the magic behind a formation and to guarantee… I-I had to kill someone." He looked down again.

"My lady." He glanced out of the corner of his eye to see that some of the nobles were nodding in agreement, and more pressure eased from his mind as [Assassin's Intuition] almost stopped pinging. They're lapping up the lies. He thanked the Gods for the pseudo [Rogue's Tongue] skill and the pseudo politician [Convince] skill.

"So you killed someone?" Viscount Tides enquired. Jack hesitated as he kept his eyes to the floor.

"Y-yes, my lord. I'm sorry… I had no choice. I had to become a blood mage."

"Hmm." The Viscount tapped his chin.

"What was the class of the person you killed?" Jack glanced up at the Viscount and then looked away, feigning shame.

"Th-there was a young female archer… A young mage… Another young man…" He wiped his eyes like he was about to cry.

"I followed them as they left a temple after choosing a class." He took a deep breath and shuddered.

"A-and the last was an older man… I-I didn't know he was a scribe until after, my lord." He looked at Baron Greaves.

"I would've never knowingly killed a scribe, my lord." He looked down.

"I-I didn't know. I swear." He could hear the others discussing the situation. He listened as he felt the pseudo [Rogue's Tongue] skill absorbing the new information, and the pressure on his mind almost disappeared. One of the nobles speculated that the extra classes might be an anomaly that required investigation and testing to see if the class and level transfer could be repeated. Another thought he was lying and should be harvested to extract his skills. Baron Greaves sat quietly and listened.

"You killed two guards earlier today," Viscount Tides added.

"Did you gain a new class?" Jack shook his head.

"No, my lord, no classes. I gained a warrior skill, [Axe Cleave]."

"Hmm… But not the warrior class." Tides tapped his chin in thought.

"The skill was at level 0, I presume?"

"Yes, my lord." Jack nodded.

"What does it all mean, my lord?" The Viscount shook his head.

"When did you gain a level to blood mage?" Jack felt his skills guide him.

"I didn't, my lord. It started at level 1." He forced confusion to cross his face. The room gasped at the revelation.

"Starting at level 1." Tides appeared confused.

"How could that occur?" Jack didn't reply; he looked to his feet. None of this makes any sense. He couldn't believe they were believing him. Baron Greaves spoke, "Which scribe skills did you gain?"

"My lord." Jack bowed low.

"I gained all the standard primary novice and apprentice skills, and a selection of secondary skills." Greaves smiled.

"How did you kill the scribe and the others?" Jack bowed again.

"I stabbed the archer, assassin, and the mage in the back with a kitchen knife." He looked down at his feet again.

"Th-the scribe… I killed him with a letter opener, my lord." The dozen nobles burst into laughter, and the last of the pressure on his mind ebbed away.

"A letter opener! He's certainly one of yours." Baron Trefin raised his glass towards Greaves.

"To Jack, our latest bloody blood mage." The nobles chuckled while Jack kept his eyes to the ground. They believe me. He held back a smile.

"That remains to be seen," Tides said.

"So, you wanted to become a blood mage. Why seek out a forbidden class?" He didn't hesitate as he looked the noble in the eyes.

"Power, my lord. I want power." His instincts told him to clench his fists, so he did. Viscount Tides smiled and patted Jack on the shoulder.

"It looks like we gained our twenty-fourth circle member today. Any objections?" There were a few grumbles about a peasant becoming one of them, but none voiced open dissent.

"To Jack, to ultimate power, and to the circle," Viscount Tides toasted. The nobles raised their wine glasses and cheered while Jack breathed a temporary sigh of relief. I'm fucked. Totally fucked. He glanced up. Any chance of some help? There was a slight rumble of thunder outside which could have easily been mistaken for a chuckle.