Chương 36: You’ve Got to Make a Living Somehow

Arien trudged through the snow-covered streets of Ribenne, cursing both the weather and Terlis. Snow in the middle of spring. Who had ever heard of such a thing? He'd been so pleased with himself when, at the end of the Surge, he'd sold his winter boots, figuring he would have outgrown them by the time winter came around again. He swore that next time, he wouldn't cheap out. He'd buy a proper pair made of good leather and lined with soft fur, even if they only lasted him one season.

His soaked feet were begging for a hot bath, and thanks to that corrupt, lazy bureaucrat, he was in for a night buried in paperwork. Terlis being corrupt and lazy was actually useful because it gave Arien opportunities to earn extra coin. But why did the man also have to be forgetful? How had someone like that even made it onto the City Council? Remembering a budget report only the day before the Council session was impressive even by his standards.

The only silver lining was that Arien had prepared most of the paperwork himself this year, so he wouldn't have to fight his way through his predecessor's utterly nonsensical filing system. Nodding at a passing city guard, Arien once again wondered what would happen if one of them ever asked about the large canvas sack he carried, or why it contained City Council documents that should have remained in the Town Hall. But no guard had ever shown the slightest interest in his "contraband."

He crossed several more streets before finally reaching the building where he'd lived at the very top, squeezed with his sisters into two tiny rooms. At first glance, it wasn't exactly inviting. At second glance, it wasn't any better. The three-story wooden tenement had a staircase so narrow it practically discriminated against fat people. He shoved hard against the badly mounted front door. It groaned pitifully and opened just wide enough for him to squeeze through.

One advantage of working at Town Hall was knowing some of the kingdom's laws. Jaks, the landlord, was required to replace a damaged door within two days during the cold months. Otherwise, he owed his tenants two silver coins for every day of delay. Arien would have loved to see his face when he had to hand them money for once. Unfortunately, the door was badly mounted, not broken. He climbed the stairs, carefully avoiding the steps that had a tendency to collapse, and slipped quietly into the apartment.

He had barely stepped inside before he knew something was wrong. The apartment had the particular silence that usually followed an argument or came just before one. What a miserable day.

"Arien, is that you?" Alia called from inside. For half a second, Alia sounded exactly like Mari when she had some particularly unpleasant chore waiting for one of them. He stood there a moment longer before continuing down the hall.

"Yeah, it's me," he called back.

"Terlis forgot he had a mountain of work due tomorrow. Which means now I have a mountain of work due tonight."

"You need to talk to Sari," she said as she stepped out of the room. His sister, once so quiet and timid, had changed enormously over the last two and a half years. She was still frail and short for her age, but she no longer moved like someone trying not to be noticed. At times, she reminded Arien of some ethereal queen ruling over woodland subjects with an iron fist. Unfortunately, her only subjects were Arien, Sari, and whichever neighborhood children happened to cross her path.

At first, Arien had been glad to see her become more assertive. Lately, he sometimes missed the days when she had been the skittish one.

"What am I supposed to talk to her about this time?" he asked tiredly. He already knew protesting was pointless.

"The same thing you were supposed to talk to her about last time. She didn't come home again! She's going to bring the wrath of the gods down on all of us!" Ah. This again. Arien pulled off the second boot while Alia cleaned the muddy footprints he'd tracked inside. Over the past year, gods and religion had begun appearing in their apartment far too often. Arien still didn't know what to make of their existence, so he generally avoided the subject. Alia, meanwhile, talked about little else.

Part of him wondered whether that was his fault. He should have spent more time with her after they arrived in Ribenne.

"I talked to her. But what exactly am I supposed to do? I'm only eight years old. Sari's already a grown woman."

"We both know you're the only one she still listens to. Priestess Uwa teaches that those who stray must be guided back, no matter how long it takes, even if it takes a hundred years. The priestess—""Alright, alright, I'm going," he interrupted before she could truly get started. Once, he'd joked that he didn't need to attend the temple since Alia remembered every word the priestess said and loved repeating them so much.

He was fairly sure Mal, patron goddess of the local temple, wouldn't have approved of the beating Alia had tried to give him afterward. He crossed the hallway and knocked on Sari's door.

"Leave me alone already!" his older sister shouted. He turned and looked at Alia, who was still scrubbing an already spotless floor. She only shrugged.

"It's me," he called tiredly.

"Give me a minute," came Sari's voice through the door. Less than a minute later, the door opened.

"Fine. Come in. But not her." Arien slipped inside and closed the door behind him. Sari's room was smaller than the one he shared with Alia, but considerably cozier. Their room held little beyond two beds, a wardrobe, a small stove, and the statuette of Mel standing in the middle as its sole decoration. Sari had pale cabinets, green curtains, a small bookshelf proudly displaying two books, and, of course, a large bed covered in countless little pillows arranged according to some incomprehensible pattern.

It was very... feminine. As usual, clothes were scattered everywhere. His eyes drifted toward a white lace chemise hanging from the open wardrobe door. Sari caught his glance and immediately darted over, snatching it down and tossing it onto the enormous pile of clothes covering half the bed.

"Let me guess. She sent you to talk to me."

"Yes, Sari! You need to understand that you can't keep staying out all night! What if the neighbors notice? Your reputation as a respectable woman will be ruined. Worse, the goddess Mel might curse you! Promise me you'll reflect on your behavior."

"A bit too theatrical. And too loud," she said, winking at him.

"I'm tired, freezing, and I still have a night of paperwork ahead of me," he muttered more quietly as he sat beside her on the bed. She wrapped an arm around him, and they sat like that for a moment. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Hey, your legs really are freezing. Get under the blanket for a bit before you make yourself sick."

"I'll go insane before that," he grumbled.

"You said she'd grow out of this."

"I hoped she would. At her age, I had all sorts of fascinations too, but they passed quickly enough. That priestess really knows how to get inside people's heads. Ever since she arrived, half the women in the city won't stop talking about virtue and piety."

"So you never thought maybe you should… tone things down a little?" he asked, wrapping the blanket around his feet while rubbing them to warm them up.

"Arien, don't start too. I didn't run away from Three Meadows just so someone else could tell me how to live."

"I'm not trying to." Arien pulled the blanket tighter around his feet.

"I mentioned all this to Ythrel. He thinks people will get bored of it soon enough. He also said the priestess might do less damage if everyone stopped treating every little scandal like the end of the world." Sari snorted.

"Easy for him to say. Ythrel's an old fossil. Even if he somehow found a woman willing to sleep with him, he wouldn't know what to do with her."

"Isn't he, like, forty?"

"Something around that. Which is exactly why I said old fossil. Speaking of old fossils, you mentioned a night of paperwork. Need help?" Arien smiled at her.

"Thanks, but I'll manage. You already have enough on your plate with the tavern." Over the past year, Sari had practically taken over running Vylda's tavern as the older woman's health declined, so he knew she already had enough work of her own.

"Oh, right. Mistress Vylda asked if you might stop by one of these days. She says she always feels better for a few days after you change her compresses."

"She'll have to discuss that with Ythrel. I'm only his assistant. Just… carefully, so he doesn't get offended."

"Don't worry about that. Mistress Vylda knows exactly how to handle pompous masters. Ythrel will probably end up convinced it was his own idea."

"Did you contact her cousins? You know these could be her last years."

"I wanted to, but she forbade it. Says none of them ever cared about her, so as far as she's concerned, they're strangers." Arien nodded.

"Right. So what are we supposed to do about Alia? She spends more time at the temple than at home."

"I don't know, Arien. You're supposed to be the smart one in this family."

"I don't have any ideas," he said.

"I only know dragging her away by force would have the opposite effect. Besides, at least she finally has friends."

"You mean those old hags who'd love to lock every young girl in a chastity belt?"

"Some people could probably use one," he said with a grin, quickly dodging the pillow she hurled at him.

"So anyway, how's Mike?"

"You're the worst… I can't believe I'm even discussing things like this with you. Don't you have ants to torture or whatever boys your age do?"

"Every day I watch Ythrel do it for me, just with people instead of ants, so I've got that covered."

"You know your stupid sense of humor is going to get you killed someday," she replied, though the effect was ruined by her quiet giggle.

"I broke up with Mike a week ago. He started talking about farms and children."

"Ooooh. Poor Mike. Maybe he thought every old maid dreams about that." Arien saw the kick coming the moment Sari's leg tensed. Unfortunately, he forgot he was tangled in the blanket. He sprang sideways, tripped, and crashed heavily onto the floor. Sari only laughed. And he'd spent hours teaching her and Alia how to read. That's this world for you. No gratitude whatsoever.

"I'll tell Alia there's no hope for you," he declared while climbing to his feet and rubbing his aching elbow.

"Is there?" she shot back, though some of the humor had left her voice.

"Besides, remember what you promised me once you become that great mage? Though actually, I don't want a castle anymore. I'd rather have a wooden manor. Castles feel so cold." Arien sighed inwardly. He knew exactly which promise she meant. On his eighth birthday, he had finally told Sari that he could see mana and had unlocked the System.

Ribenne occasionally hosted representatives from the Mage Guild and the Crown who tested children for mana aptitude, and as his formal guardian, Sari would need to explain his absence. He also wanted to prepare her for the fact that, within a few years, he would leave Ribenne to find his own path. He had been prepared for disbelief and demands for proof, but Sari had only smiled from ear to ear and declared that she'd always known he was destined to become a someone. He had almost told her the rest.

Mana was one secret he could risk sharing. His previous life was another matter. If organizations existed that hunted people like him, knowing the truth could put Sari in danger.

"I remember. It might take a while, though. For now, I should get back to our glorious City Secretary's work. I should head back."

"You sure you don't want help? I don't have to be at the tavern until after the second bell."

"Thanks, but everyone has to carry their own cross."

"You and your weird sayings. Have fun."

"You've got to make a living somehow," he sighed and trudged back to his room. At his desk, Arien pulled the first document toward him. It was going to be a long night. Before starting, he checked his Status out of habit. Name: Arien Race: Human Profession: Mage Traits: Emissary of ▉, Child, Avenger Level: 15 Experience: 60 / 1600 Stamina: 110 / 110 Mana: 555 / 555 Endurance: 11 (+1) Agility: 11 (+1) Strength: 11 (+1) Perception: 37. 5 (+2 +2. 5 +5 +5) Intellect: 55. 5 (+2 +7. 5 +5 +10) Wisdom: 15 (+1) Vitality: 39. 5 (+2 +2. 5 +5 +5) Unassigned Points: 0 Assigned Skills: 6/8 Mana Sense (Uncommon): Lvl 24 (+4) Mana Manipulation (Rare): Lvl 24 (+9) Lightning Aspect (Rare): Lvl 21 (+12) Fire Aspect (Uncommon): Lvl 20 (+13) Unshakable Mind (Rare): Lvl 15 (+3) Life Aspect (Rare): Lvl 24 (+23) Available for assignment: Foreign Language Learning (Common): Lvl 7 (+1) Water Aspect: (Uncommon): Lvl 1 Danger Sense (Uncommon): Lvl 6 (-1) Writing (Uncommon): Lvl 24 (+24) Reading (Common): Lvl 23 (+20) Acrobatics (Common): Lvl 3 (-4) Death Aspect (Rare): Lvl 1 Wind Aspect (Uncommon): Lvl 1 Healing (Uncommon): Lvl 14 Bartering (Common): Lvl 3 Law (Uncommon)): Lvl 4 Corruption (Common): Lvl 10