Chương 48: Ichoris City

Evel practiced his shuffling while he waited. Avid had told him he would find his future teacher here, but the place wasn't quite what he expected; the house resembled more that of a rich old couple than of a Weaver soldier from Tempor. He sat in what he assumed was the living room. It was bright, illuminated by the large windows showcasing the flower-filled front garden. A soft scent of herbal tea lingered around him. Collecting all the cards in one swift motion, he looked at the clock. 4: 00pm.

He'd been waiting on the couch ahead of the fireplace for over half an hour now. There were so many things he had to do, so many things he needed to learn. Every second he wasted, everybody else was getting ahead, and with his affinity, he needed to make the best use of his time. From the doorway, a soft humming approached. He swept the cards back into his deck, then back into his pocket. He took a deep breath, taking in the scent of potted marigolds around him. The door slid open, and the humming man entered.

The first thing that caught Evel's eye was the bright neon-yellow shirt, which was almost a little straining to look at. The man was cleanly shaved and wore plain black shorts and slippers. In his hands was a tray holding a kettle pot, and two teacups. A marigold pendant hung from his neck, and he looked to be about 40.

"Tea?" He gently placed the tray down on the wooden table.

"No, thank you." Evel had never had tea before and had always been curious about the taste. Unfortunately, he had to spend his wealth wisely. With a hum of acknowledgement, the man poured himself a cup, then sat on the couch diagonally from Evel, cross-legged.

"Avid already left, I presume?"

"Half an hour ago, something about setting other recruits up," Evel replied politely. The man shook his head with a snort.

"Always working, that one. He needs to learn how to relax." He paused, taking a sip of his tea.

"So, Pebble, what's your deal?"

"Evel." He didn't reply, only taking another sip.

"Agent hired me to set up a ci–""Yeah, yeah, I know all that, I'm talking about you. What's your deal?" Evel's head slightly tilted. What did that mean?

"Everyone has a deal." The man explained.

"Something that nourishes their roots. An addiction, obsession, dream, fear, anything, really." Evel remained silent as he considered his response. What was his deal? Until now, his goal had been mostly to survive and to no longer be on the run, but now all that was behind him.

"I joined the military for a chance at a better life, I… got into some bad business and was basically forced out of Yosten." The man nodded, "And what are you hoping to get out of the military, revenge?" For the past seasons, Evel's life had been a constant struggle to get stronger and survive; he hadn't thought much about what he would do after his situation improved. Did he want revenge? Not really. Sure, Redigo hunted him down, but despite how terrifying they were, they were just doing their jobs.

Evel couldn't bring himself to blame the specific individuals. Instead, he thought about the group that had forced him into that situation in the first place. His jaws subconsciously clenched. Those opportunistic bastards were the real culprits behind his suffering. Did he want revenge on them?

"I don't know," Evel sighed.

"But at least I don't want to live by someone else's whims." If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Mhm, Avid told me all about your little exploits. A total of over 1800 credits, for someone with an affinity of 60 and no background. Pretty impressive, historical even." Evel nodded. He was proud of what he had accomplished despite his poor circumstances. The man's next question came like a splash of cold water.

"So why not just quit?"

"What?" Evel immediately replied, almost a knee-jerk reaction to confirm if he had heard the other party correctly. Would an Agent soldier want him to quit? Was this a test to see if he was fit for the job?

"Quit the military. Your 2000 credits won't last you for life, but they can easily pay off whatever debts you have and set you up to live a decent life. At the very least, it should be able to fund a few years." Evel remained silent. After a few seconds, the man cleared his throat.

"No need to answer, just keep it in mind that it's always an option." He reached into his pocket and took out three almost identical glass badges. The only difference was the symbols engraved on top. Evel already knew what each one represented. Hammer, if his focus was on creation. Wheel, if his focus was on utility. Knife, if his focus was purely on fighting.

"Before we discuss your mission, you'll have to choose how you want to be represented. These badges are also used to validate your identity when you make purchases." Before the man got too far into explaining what each badge represented, Evel reached forward and grabbed the glass badge with the hammer.

"An ability related to creation?" The man mused. Evel returned a subtle smile, "Secret." Hammer had, perhaps, the least to do with his skillset, but he didn't care. If these symbols were purely cultural and symbolic, then why should he tell the truth? He had no doubt that many others did the same as well. The man put the three badges back, "I'll hold on to it since you'll be pretending to be a civilian regardless. From now on, you can make purchases through the VTR, and the items will get delivered to this house.

It's not a tool that people like you usually get to access, but for the type of job you have, it's basically essential." He glanced out into the garden through the window.

"Now, just in case we have a few traitors with access to some databases, you'll need to pick a new name as well. We wouldn't want them searching for an 'Evel' and finding all your exploits, now would we? As for your backstory on why you're in the city…" He scratched his nose, "I've been working really hard on it non-stop, but juuuust need one more day." Evel frowned, "I like my name."

"You're not gonna change your real name, just what you tell people..."

"Hmmm." Evel scratched his chin and went deep into thought.

"It can be anything you want; don't think too hard." A minute of silence passed. Eventually, Evel spoke uncertainly, "Eth?"

"... Was that the only name you came up with?"

"..."

"I don't think I've heard a worse name in my life." Evel recoiled.

"It might be helpful to start with a last name. Not everyone has one, but people assign themself one all the time."

"..."

"It doesn't have to be complex; a profession is a pretty common last name." This time, Evel spoke up confidently and with a self-satisfied nod, "Magician."

"... We'll come back to naming afterwards." The man tossed him a small pouch.

"Go explore the city, you'll learn far more yourself than if I explained it. We're on the western outskirts, and you can get to the city by following the river. Just don't go too far south. The money is for clothes and food for the day, and the address will be your residence for the coming future. Come back tomorrow morning."

"What's in the south?" The man smiled.

"Don't worry, you won't miss it." Looking into the pouch, Evel found 25 Riak and a key attached to a piece of paper with an address. 300 Fernwood, Ichoris. Ichoris… I've never heard of this city before.

"To be honest, I'd never even heard of a 'circus', so in order to not mess anything up, I didn't do any work beforehand, so keep your eyes peeled for viable locations."

"You've really never heard of circuses?" Evel had been a bit surprised that Arlo was so unfamiliar with his card magic tricks. In Yosten, they were fairly common, with a few different troupes all in an intense competition. Evel had always assumed circuses were common throughout the country, but maybe they were just a thing of Yosten?

"I've seen a few street magicians such as yourself around, but based on what Avid told me, a circus is a lot more than just that. Might be a bit difficult getting people interested in novel trends, " He fiddled with the marigold pendant on his chest, "But I'm sure you'll find a way." A few ideas of getting the excitement going immediately came to mind, but he pushed them away for now. He needed to understand the city a bit better before coming to any decisions. Evel stood up and lightly bowed.

"Thank you…"

"Albert." He chimed in.

"Thank you, Albert." With a light wave, he left through the same front door he had entered. As he opened the door, a clean stone path lay ahead of him, covered by a sprawling garden. Evel had never cared much for niceties like flowers, but in this moment, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by their beauty. Walking through, he began planning for the three things he needed to do. First, build up a circus from scratch. If it became successful, then it would be a good source of revenue and information.

It was here he'd hopefully get some information on Dissent that could sell well. Second, train both Eth and himself. He had many ideas on how to use Eth more effectively, but he simply wasn't skilled enough to make the utmost use of his ability. Third, he needed to learn. Learn how core abilities really worked, learn the best ways to improve his skills, and learn what advancing through the stages even meant.

He had unlocked his core, almost randomly, so it didn't help Evel in figuring out how to reach the further stages. Evel walked out onto the street, the rush of water a constant hum at his back, and the green and purple treeline ahead. Half the river remained hidden, tucked beneath a three-meter drop where the land cut into a sheer cliff. A steep, shaky wooden bridge swayed with the wind. For now, I'll just follow the river eastward as he suggested.

Evel turned himself to face the buildings far in the distant horizon. Let's see what this city has to offer.