Chương 160: (156) 3.21. Who Needs Milk?

As promised, Vin got Alka back to camp in time for dinner, if only just. He knew how much the Slayer enjoyed witnessing new methods of taking down monsters, and he did not want to be the reason she missed the demonstration of Alice's new trap.

"Have fun breaking that news to Spur," Alka snorted, lazily waving goodbye as she headed off in search of the Trapper. Sighing, Vin headed off to grab his own bite to eat from the mess area. Temporary seating for meals had been one of the first things constructed after the devastation from the recent battle, and he'd been happy to learn that none of their Chefs had been lost during the attack. While wondering what to do about Madam Trebella's request, an unexpected voice snapped him out of his inner musings.

"Join me for dinner?" Startled, Vin spun around, quickly spotting the speaker. Vin had been so lost in thought he hadn't even noticed Golrim walk up to him until he was face to face with the man. Golrim seemed just as surprised by Vin's reaction, raising an eyebrow.

"A lot on your mind I take it?" Golrim asked, switching over to his native language to deter eavesdroppers.

"You have no idea," Vin frowned, matching the man's choice of language when he realized an armed guard was standing only a few dozen feet back, carefully watching Golrim's every move.

"For starters, my friends and I were nearly killed by the Red Dawn when we headed into your fragment this morning. A group of kill happy marauders you failed to mention during our chat earlier."

"I didn't expect you to run blindly into my fragment," Golrim admitted, looking Vin up and down and seeming to reevaluate his opinion of him.

"All I asked for was your help in convincing Spur to allow the people of my town to live here where it was safe. Though I'll admit I'm curious how you managed to escape the Red Dawn in one piece. Curash isn't exactly known for his mercy."

"Why didn't you warn us about them?" Vin repeated, ignoring Golrim's attempt to shift the focus of their conversation.

"Even if I wasn't going to venture into your fragment, don't you think giving us a heads up about a roving band of high level murderers would have been a good idea? What if they swung by our fragment and attacked the camp?"

"Why don't we move this conversation somewhere slightly more private?" Golrim offered, glancing around the open area.

"Even if your people can't understand us, you probably want to avoid alarming anyone by having a shouting match in the middle of camp that nobody can understand." Only then did Vin realize there were a small handful of people going about their business giving him strange looks. Stranger looks than usual, which was saying something. Pinching the brim of his nose, Vin motioned for Golrim to lead the way. It wasn't long before he found himself led back to one of the few stone buildings still standing.

Golrim held the door open for Vin before following him inside, nodding to the guard that had been tailing him before closing the door.

"For whatever reason, Spur seems rather insistent I'm watched at all times," Golrim chuckled, taking a seat on the small bed. The tiny concrete box of a room was identical to Vin's own, which frankly, was less appealing than a few of the jail cells Vin had spent the night in back on Earth.

"I daresay I believe I even spotted your golem friend keeping tabs on me all morning."

"I asked her to do that," Vin said, crossing his arms and staring at the unconcerned man. Golrim seemed to have a near permanent small smile on his face, as though nothing ever truly surprised him.

"I wasn't sure we could trust you, and after you left out something as dangerous as the Red Dawn from your story about your people, I think I made the right call."

"If you had informed me of your plan to personally check out my fragment, I would have warned you," Golrim repeated, shaking his head.

"I told you, Vin, I despise the waste of life above all else. In this incredible new world filled with nothing but unknowns, a competent Explorer is worth more than just about any other class." Vin stared at the man for a few more seconds, wondering if he should reveal his new trump card just yet. All it took was another glance at that eternal smirk that never seemed to leave the man's face for Vin to come to his decision. Reaching into his pack, Vin pulled out a spherical white gemstone.

Golrim's eyes tracked it curiously as Vin held it up to the light, admiring it for a brief moment.

"This is a new magic charm I just picked up from a… let's say acquaintance," Vin corrected himself, not quite willing to call Madam Trebella a friend even in her absence.

"It's a gem enchanted with truth-detection magic, though it only works for yes and no questions. For whatever reason, I apparently need to tell you all that for it to work, but so long as I'm holding the gem, I'll know if you're lying. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Golrim said, nodding as the gem turned a gentle green.

"And for the record, the reason you have to explain it to me is because most truth-detecting magics are in fact soul magic. It's far simpler to read the fluctuations of a soul if the soul in question is aware it is being observed. I am quite familiar with such artifacts."

"Huh," Vin said, surprised and more than a little annoyed to find the man's small smile hadn't changed in the slightest.

"... you don't seem surprised." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"That's not a yes or no question, now is it?" Golrim chuckled, holding up a hand in apology at Vin's frown.

"You're a Magical Explorer, Vin. One that has traveled to quite a number of unique fragments over the past few weeks. The probability wasn't high, but I considered the fact that you might stumble upon magic such as this sooner or later. I would have been a fool not to."

"Do you have harmful intentions for our people or our camp?" Vin demanded, finally growing tired of the man's cavalier attitude.

"Answer the question or I'll have Spur toss you to the Red Dawn myself."

"If you'll hold off on such empty threats for just a moment, I have a better suggestion for you," Golrim said, staring Vin dead in the eye.

"Ask me if my name is Golrim."

"…What? Why?"

"Consider it an apology for not properly warning you about Curash ahead of time," Golrim shrugged.

"Or better yet, ask me if I'm human. Or if I'm currently sitting." Realizing where the man was going with this, Vin grit his teeth.

"…are you currently sitting?"

"No," Golrim said, smiling as the artifact turned a gentle green despite the fact that he was clearly sitting on the bed.

"The problem with such basic truth-detecting magics is that there are countermeasures you can put into place ahead of time, provided you have the knowledge and resources required. I didn't just work as my king's advisor, Vin. I was the one responsible for dirtying my hands so the king wouldn't have to do so himself. Of course I made sure basic truth-detection magic wouldn't work on me, otherwise, how could I ever meet with any foreign diplomats just looking for an excuse to attack us?"

"I thought Spur searched you for artifacts," Vin said, silently casting Sense Magic and frowning at the lack of readings he received from the man.

"How are you beating the charm?"

"Before we delve into that, there's a better question you should be asking," Golrim said, wagging a finger at him.

"Not how am I doing it, but why would I tell you I can do it in the first place? I could have flawlessly passed your little magic test and let you believe whatever I wanted, so why reveal my hand and explain to you what I can do?" Vin didn't think it was possible, but Xaril was rapidly being replaced by Golrim as the top spot on his unofficial 'most annoying person' list. However, as aggravating as Golrim was, Vin couldn't deny that he had an excellent point.

Madam Trebella had assured him that her charm would work so long as he followed her instructions, which meant Golrim could have happily told him whatever lies he wanted, and he would have been none the wiser.

"Enough games," Vin sighed, putting the now worthless charm away and summing a stone pillar to sit on.

"I'm sure you're used to dancing your way around the royal courtroom and wowing everyone with your extreme intellect or whatever, but I don't find it impressive, just annoying. Why tell me all this?"

"Because I'm being entirely honest with you when I say I'm here to help you and your people," Golrim said, his smile finally vanishing as he turned completely serious for once.

"My goal is to help construct a new city here on Edregon, one that will make the old royal kingdom that cast me out look like a joke in comparison. Yes, I could have kept my abilities a secret, but I've gotten a pretty good read on your person after observing you these past few days. I've decided being open and honest with you is the best way to earn your respect and forge a strong working relationship together.

And you, Vin, you I predict with almost complete certainty will end up playing a critical role in the formation and leadership of this new city. That is of course, provided you don't get yourself killed ahead of time. Admittedly, there is a rather high chance of that happening as well."

"Is that what you do? Just look at everything as odds and percentages?" Vin asked, wondering what kind of a life Golrim must have lived to lead him to this point.

"I want to trust you, Golrim, I really do. You definitely come across as someone that would be useful if I could. But you're too big of an unknown."

"I have magic etched into my very bones," Golrim said bluntly, startling Vin at the sudden intensity of the man's admission.

"My right pinky finger allows me to turn invisible. My ribcage prevents my soul fluctuations from being read by basic truth-detecting spells. And my spine prevents my magic from being detected from the outside, just to name a few of the effects I have at my disposal."

"Wait, what?" Vin said dumbly, staring at the man in shock.

"Are you being serious?"

"You said I was an unknown. Now you know a little bit more about me," Golrim said, looking more somber than Vin had ever seen him.

"When you have an entire kingdom of healers at your disposal and access to the finest enchanters, there is next to no limit to what you can achieve. As you very well know, non-divine magical items survived the transition to Edregon just fine. Something I am truly grateful for, as if that hadn't been the case, I would have appeared on this new world as little more than a bloody sack of organs and flesh." He turned nearly his entire skeleton into a conglomeration of runic objects?!

Vin could only stare at the man in disbelief, his jaw literally hanging open as he struggled to think of what to say. How did one even follow a declaration such as that?

"Does Spur know?" Vin finally got out, deciding to go with the obvious.

"The only two people in this entire world that are aware are Kym, and now you," Golrim said softly.

"I'm trusting you with my greatest secret because I want there to be trust between us, Vin. I'm trusting you to do with this information what you think is best, and I can only hope you choose to trust me when I say I truly have no intention of harming you or your people. You are more than welcome to repeat all of this to Spur, if you think that is for the best. This is merely my attempt at laying down that first brick in a foundation of trust between us."

"I… I need some time to digest all this," Vin admitted, getting up and walking to the door with a hand on his head. Golrim had dropped bombshell after bombshell on him during their brief conversation, and he barely knew what was what anymore. If truth-detection magic didn't even work on him due to his enchanted ribcage, he wasn't sure what to do.

"We're definitely not done here, I can tell you that. But let's leave it there for now." Leaving Golrim in his room, Vin aimlessly headed back to his own quarters, his missed dinner all but forgotten. Golrim had surprised him at first at the mess hall, but when Vin agreed to chat with him, he'd intended to corner the man and have him spill his secrets with the help of Madam Trebella's charm. So how was it that Vin felt even more confused than before their conversation?