Chương 155: Arc 3 - Chapter 27

Over three days of intense training, Fritz barely had any time to himself and was starting to feel run ragged. Weariness assailed every waking moment, he ached all over and that pain had led him to discover new, neglected, muscles he didn't even know he had. Fortunately, the new, potent remedies they received from Ame and Naomi took the edge off the constant fatigue and perpetual soreness.

Still, he managed to find time to run some errands and catch some whispers on the wind, despite the exhaustion he was accumulating. He hadn't learned much of the nobles he had offended, but from what he heard, they had been enjoying their new Strains and hadn't made any moves to find him or his family, which was a keen relief. Although he had some lingering dread, and worried about what they might attempt, he hadn't nearly enough time to dedicate to following each of their actions.

There was also the agreement with the alchemists he had to get officiated. Fritz had to attend The Royal Hall of Scribes and wait for an official there to stamp the document and make a record of its contents. Then he had to pay a whole silver for the entire process. The pointless bureaucracy only took an hour all told, but it was an hour he could have spent any other way and it left an enduring enmity against the whole system of laws and procedures put upon him by the king.

As he left the scribe's office, he reminded himself that it wasn't so bad. His title had expedited the whole process by a great amount, taking a mere hour when other's could wait for weeks or months for their documents to be seen. Still, in his mind, the whole endeavour felt like a waste. He could see a similar frustration in those still waiting on their appointments. They sat on benches or chairs or were left simply standing.

Most politely smiled and bowed as he passed, but he could tell from their dark eyes and the aggravated halos, that his noble privilege was one they envied and resented. From there he made his way to the door, stepping aside for a young lady he quickly recognised.

"Jess," Fritz greeted.

"Francis!?" Jess asked surprised, her dark, pretty eyes widening. She was in a suitably proper dress in tones of blue, and she wore a bonnet of white over her auburn hair, tamed as it was in a neat bun.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"Why, I'm here to wish you good luck on your exam," Fritz lied.

"You are?" She gasped a little too loudly. Fritz chuckled and she narrowed her eyes. Jess realised she was earning some stares and spoke softer.

"Really, why are you here?"

"Coincidence, I'm afraid," he said, waving his, currently rolled-up, agreement before tucking in under his coat.

"Though I still hope that you'll do well on your assessment, when is it?" Just as she was about to answer a clerk called out of one: Jessica Redoubt, which caused her to jump.

"It's now. I have to go," Jess said. Fritz nodded and afforded her a bow to which she quickly curtsied. Then she turned and swiftly strode away, making her way to the clerk, before being led away into another room. Fritz left the hall and was about to make his way to his next appointment, when he hesitated. He didn't know why, but he had an intuition that he should linger for a while longer.

It might have been his Awareness, it tended to chime in more clearly and with greater frequency now that he held it in the back of his mind while he walked. Or perhaps it was a genuine concern for Jess. Either way he decided to heed the sensation, cloaking himself in dusk and sitting on a roofed bench beside the street. He waited for nine minutes and then another nine more as he watched the door of the Royal Hall of Scribes, watching as the well-dressed peoples filed in and out.

Eventually, Jess strode out of the building, hand's clasped tightly, head down and moving at a quick pace. Fritz didn't need Awareness to tell him the exam hadn't gone well for her, and the dark haze of shame and despair circling her only confirmed his suspicion. She walked right past where he sat, making her way to where he knew a small royal park lay. He followed at a distance, considering what he should say to her. Soon they were walking under the canopy of tall trees with long arching boughs.

The branches were laden with wide splayed leaves of dark green that caught the raindrops, providing some protection. Jess stepped swiftly down the cobblestone path, taking a turn and walking under the roof of a red, rectangular pavilion that happened to be empty. She found a bench and sat on it before staring aimlessly at the pond before her and the ducks swimming on its rippling surface. Fritz approached cautiously, then sat beside her without speaking. She didn't spare him a glance.

At first he supposed she was ordering her thoughts, but he soon realised she really hadn't noticed him at all. It wasn't just Jess's distraction, in his concern for the woman Fritz had forgotten his Cloak of Dusk. With a shrug he doffed it. In Jess's current state, it still took her a few moments to notice his presence beside her. When she did, she glanced at him and flinched, jumping upright in her seat.

"Francis!" She squeaked, staring at him with wide watery eyes. Then she began to weep openly.

"Don't do that!"

"My apologies," Fritz said, smiling gently. Jess turned away, wiping the tears from her lightly powdered face with her sleeve.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing," Fritz said. She continued not to look at him and didn't speak any further. They watched the ducks frolic and quack, living their simple lives. After nearly six minutes of rainy quiet, Fritz finally asked, "I assume that your exam went poorly?"

"You would be correct in that assumption," she begrudgingly replied. Fritz remained quiet, if Jess wanted to tell him what happened she would do it when she wanted to.

"It so unfair," she said.

"They barely gave me a chance. As soon as I said I hadn't any levels and Attributes they looked down on me. Scornfully. As if I were an illiterate gutter rat. No offence intended, of course, Francis. But the examiner was cold. Cruel even." Fritz nodded, listening as the woman continued to speak her mind. Apparently the Official Scribe's exam had a number of trials.

The first one being a simple literacy test, the next was some dreadfully dull questions on the laws of Rain City and which methods of sorting and arranging documents were most applicable in certain situations. She had succeeded all these previous tests, and easily if her words were to be believed. Which they were, she had never been one for falsehoods and her voice carried the tones of someone who considered themselves wronged.

It was the last trial when they showed her a long list of numbers and gave her merely a minute to memorise them. Then she was asked to recall them, not in order, but by line, then reversed, then at random, then added together or multiplied with each other.

"I got jumbled quickly. I couldn't keep them all straight in my head," she bemoaned.

"I'm stupid, stupid stupid."

"No, stop that," Fritz ordered.

"The exam is obviously meant for those with Memory and Focus, or some sort of counting Technique."

"I know that," she said morosely, tears still dripping down her cheeks.

"I just thought I could do it without... all that. It's completely unfair. And they took my exam fee, knowing that I couldn't possibly pass their tests. And soon I'll be too old to stay in the orphanage any longer, helper or no. The fee was nearly the whole of my saved silvers. What am I to do? Will I be made some common labourer? Will I have to marry? And if I refuse that, will I be left with nowhere to go? Forced out onto the streets? Be forced to live in the districts?"

The questions Jess was so distraught over seemed absurd to Fritz, and he frowned and she poured out her worries. She was an educated young woman with many virtues, her pretty features being the least among them. And all she needed to pass this exam was a single level, perhaps a Path.

"You could always Climb the Mer Spire, I'll pay the levy and guide you myself," Fritz offered magnanimously. She glared at him, terror and hatred circled each other in her eyes.

"Climb the Spire! That's your answer to everything! No! I won't! My parents died in there! How dare you!" Fritz was surprised at the vehemence and was still speechless when she smoothed her dress and got up to leave.

"Wait," he called out as she turned and began to stalk away.

"Wait!" he called, again, this time with the ring of Dusksong. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Jess spun on him, staring and crying, shame and stubborn pride pouring off her.

"What?" She choked out.

"I'm sorry," Fritz said.

"I didn't mean to anger you. Nor hurt you as I have. I merely thought it the simplest solution to your troubles."

"Well, it's not a path I will take," she said.

"If there's nothing else I have to get home. No matter my failure there's still work to be done."

"I'll walk you home, in apology," Fritz said, walking before her and offering her a slip of sirensilk he still used as a handkerchief.

"Fine," She said, taking it and suddenly marvelling at the smooth softness of the fabric.

"Go on, wipe your face, tears don't suit you," Fritz said. She looked as though she was going to roll her eyes at his, admittedly, saccharine words, but did quickly pat at the wetness. When her face was dry, Fritz escorted her back to the orphanage. The worry she carried on her shoulders grew slightly larger with each of her steps as did the unease that was plain in her demeanour. Soon they were at the gate and they there stood awkwardly. They hadn't said another word to each other the entire way.

"Did you want to come in and see Eli and Thea?" Jess asked.

"I don't have time, I have another appointment," Fritz said sadly. While his statement was true there was also the lingering bad blood between him and his brother and he didn't want to put his sister through witnessing their familial feud.

"A shame," she replied.

"Good day then."

"Before you go, take this," Fritz said, a gold triad pinched between his fingers.

"For what?" She asked sceptically.

"Another attempt at the exam," Fritz said. She sighed.

"It wouldn't be of much use. You can only attempt it once every three months, and I know I'll fail without more preparation. Even then, I won't take your charity. I'll work for my pay, thank you."

"Oh, I see," Fritz said, knowing he would have jumped at the chance of free gold in her shoes. He scrambled for a way to help her and came to a quick conclusion that could aid them both.

"If there's nothing else, I shall take my leave," she said, opening the small gate.

"One last thing," Fritz said, pocketing the triad and smiling ingratiatingly.

"Remember when you would help me read and write?"

"I do," she hedged.

"You never needed much help though."

"Nonsense, you're just a good teacher," Fritz flattered.

"What do you want?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, I need a scribe, because I have some teammates in need of teaching."

Fritz strode away, glad that Jess had reluctantly agreed to take on the task he offered. It would be nice to have her around again, even if he wasn't going to make much use of her skill. She said she would come three times a week, which was plenty considering their training regimens. And he knew her kind, meticulous nature would be of benefit when it came to teaching his team.

Weaving his way through the crowds, Fritz moved onward to the Full Sail, a tavern frequented by foreign Climbers, notably most of them Cephers as the CEPH outpost was only a three minute walk away. He was to meet a Climber there and negotiate for the designs of the apparatus that would let him read his red gem properly. Then he would discover what kind of Technique it was truly hiding in its multifarious facets, though he already had his suspicions.

The Climber he was set to find, from Adams's explanation, wouldn't part with the diagrams without meeting the buyer face to face. While this was a little unusual it wasn't unheard of, many liked to know the quality of those they dealt with, and some had strict codes not to sell out secrets to the unworthy or those likely to spread them. Fritz considered himself trustworthy when it counted, so he didn't have too much fear of being turned away for that reason.

And he could always flatter or fool his way into the man's good graces if his good character went unobserved. He was told the Climber was named Tervin Owlbright, he was an older man and would be wearing grey robes. Unfortunately, there were a few folk in the tavern who fit that description, so Fritz had to ask the barkeep to point him out. That also failed him so he resigned himself to asking each one. Fritz approached the first such man, who was sitting at a small, stone table alone.

He was only mildly surprised when the robed individual affirmed that he had guessed true. Awareness had led him straight to his aim's end without the need for a pulse.

"Come, sit, lad," The elderly, clean shaven man bade with a genuine smile. He closed the thick tome he had been reading, and stared up at him keen and clear, with irises the colour of amethyst. To Fritz's eye's the man looked like the painted portrait of a wise sage or wizard brought to life, save the flowing beard, his eyes and smile kindly and intelligent in equal regard. Fritz sat at the man's behest.

"Just to clarify, you are Lord Francis Hightide are you not?" Tervin asked.

"I am," Fritz said.

"And what are you here for?" He asked solemnly.

"Mysteries and manifold mastery," Fritz said, repeating the code phrase Adam had told him. Again this was something of an uncommon practise, but Climbers tended to the strange and secretive. Even amongst themselves.

"Good, good," Tervin said, then he produced a set of glittering, crystal lenses set in frames of pristine platinum. He wiped them with the sleeve of his robe then perched them on the powerful bridge of his nose. He looked him up and down, his face becoming stern. Tervin stared hard at Fritz's Sanctum for a moment before smiling with something that looked like relief. Motes of joy dimly sparked above his head before they disappeared in an instant as if sucked down a drain.

Fritz frowned, it had been faint, but he had the suspicion the older man had swiftly suppressed those lights.

"What's wrong Lord Hightide?" Tervin asked genially.

"Nothing at all," Fritz replied, smoothing his features.

"Now I believe you wanted some designs?" Tervin asked as he began to pat his pockets, then dig into the folds of his robe.

"That's correct, Sir Owlbright," Fritz said.

"Call me Professor. We don't hold with noble titles where I come from," the man replied absently.

"Of course, professor," Fritz said.

"And from where exactly do you hail?"

"The grand city of Gnosisaes," the man replied.

"I'm sure you have heard of it, even in Rain City." Fritz had heard of it, it was the city that surrounded the Spire Arcane which was said to be aligned to knowledge and the most pure of magics. It was, he knew from his studies, the second of the only two known Grand Spires. And its one-hundred-and-twenty levels were a match for the Empire's Spire of order and light, and it produced the greatest of mages. Powerful wizards and ingenious enchanters apparently abounded within the city's rune-inscribed walls.

That great strength was likely why the Empire hadn't absorbed the Gnosisaes and the Spire, even though the city was fully encompassed in its borders. Ostensibly it was a neutral kingdom or triumvirate, or whatever they called their strange council ruled society. But in truth it was an isolated island within a sea of imperial ambition, or so the rumours argued.

"Ah, here we go!" Tervin exclaimed, producing a thin scroll, then lightly tossing it onto the table. Fritz was startled from his thoughts, but quickly reached out for the scroll, before hesitating.

"And how much will this cost me?" He asked, unwilling to touch the paper before a deal was struck.

"Hmm? Cost?"

"Gold, Treasures, secrets, favours?" Fritz asked.

"Nothing of the sort, lad, I mean, Lord," Tervin said, waving a hand as if he were attempting to sweep his worries away. Fritz smiled blandly, his disbelief plain, and the man continued to speak.

"I like to help men who are hungry for knowledge, and the designs themselves are common where I come from." Though Tervin's words came easily, benevolently even, Fritz felt that there was a lie hidden within and that something greater was at play. His paranoia prodded him and he considered abandoning the whole affair. But his greed, his desire for power, whispered into his ear and soon had the better of him. He reached for the scroll.

"Are you sure?" Fritz asked, one last time.

"I have gold."

"Nonsense, take it," Tervin entreated. Fritz did and as soon as he touched the paper a faint ringing tingle hummed in the air around them. The edges of Tervin's smile grew gentler and he sighed. Then the man was on his feet, picking up his gnarled staff that had been resting against the wall.

"If you'll excuse my rudeness. Now that my task is done, I'll be going," he said, slapping on a grey pointed hat, embossed with silver stars and moons.

"A pleasure to meet you and I hope all your endeavours succeed."

"Likewise," Fritz said standing and offering hand for the man to shake. Tervin's hand was as warm as his manner, but their touch was brief and the man strode away, whistling a tune that sounded familiar. Fritz stood there, still surprised at the sudden departure. He had thought he was in for an hour of haggling and had almost brought Lauren along if it weren't for Adam's instance to meet the contact alone. But now, within minutes of meeting, he already had what he came for and for free.

A wave of unease washed over him, and he glanced around the tavern. He spotted what might have been the source of this impression. A tall, well built woman and a smaller, bald and dark skinned man were making their way towards him. He recognised them immediately, though they were out of their armour they still had weapons, the two swords, and small axe, belted to their waists. Sertine and Therima caught his eye and called out to him.

"Fritz!" The woman called, her voice booming over the din. Fritz cloaked himself in dusk and gracefully, nobly, fled. He slipped through the tavern's crowd like an eel, and was quickly out the door and into the street, tucking the designs he had just acquired into an inner pocket on his coat. When he looked back, he saw the two stride out the Full Sail's door. They turned this way and that, searching, but their eye's glided right over him as he increased the distance between them.

They cursed and groused, then trudged back into the tavern. With a sigh, then a smile, Fritz made his way home.

George was poring over his tiles at the dining table when Fritz found him. Absently he thought the man should find another hobby that wasn't all about swords. He soon discarded the thought, finding it a baseless bias. Fritz himself had no such hobbies, everything he did was for more power, or survival.

"George, my good man," Fritz greeted.

"Yes, Fritz?" George asked.

"I have come across some designs, and I was seeking some advice on their contents," Fritz said.

"Designs?"

"For an apparatus that would help me read the gem that we found in the drowned archive." George nodded and held out a strong, calloused hand. Fritz gave him the scroll. George unfurled it and looked over the diagrams, a slight frown appearing as he read seemingly unfamiliar words.

"Do you think you could make it?" Fritz asked.

"Or shall I task some other smith with it?"

"It's a bit odd and it requires some unusual metals, but I could make it," George said.

"Would you like to?" Fritz asked.

"You would be better off having someone else do it. Busy as we are these days," George said.

"I would prefer this remains as secret as possible," Fritz said. George breathed in deeply then exhaled.

"I'll do it then," he said, nodding. Fritz smiled wide and slapped the man on the back.

"Thank you, you truly are dependable," Fritz said. George's chest puffed out in pride.

"I'll have it done in a couple of weeks."

"That's perfect, there's no rush. We are awful busy" Fritz was waiting and watching. He sat in the branches of a tall tree that looked over the estate of Baron Coldwind. It was night, the rain was light and he was soon due to meet with Craig and Toby. In the near distance the Mer Spire towered over them and falling drops glittered with faint light. For some reason, tonight it felt ominous. The Coldwind estate was similar to the many of its kind up here in the Upper ring.

A high wall surrounded a three storied manor, with a neat garden out back.

It was quite quiet for a nobles dwelling, few people came or left and even the house guards were strict and mostly silent. He'd seen about four such protectors but didn't doubt there was another two he hadn't spied yet. That was the way of things. There had been no changes since the last time he was here, and his plan to sneak in remained largely the same. Climb the wall, slip into the garden, clamber up the manor's walls onto a balcony, then open and enter through the glass door.

It was simple enough, now all he needed was to be able to fool the wards. Which meant more study and practice. Which meant more time. Fortunately, Craig had given Fritz some leeway, another week to learn as he'd been able to collect a few of the debts. After the chore that was searching for his tutor, finding those debtors had been a simple task as was convincing them to pay their due. It turned out his Dusksong lent his demands some gossamer glamour and his veiled threats something of a sinister cadence.

It put fear and fawning into merchant, servant and thug alike. It also helped that his dagger had a bleak edge that few were able to forget about once he'd displayed it, delicately. As he was about to leave from his high perch, Fritz heard, or rather felt, a powerful hum in the air. His eyes were dragged to the Mer Spire. Something pulsed through the air. A great boom rustled the tree he stood in, caused a mana lamp to flicker and silenced the rain for a heartbeat. A terrible clamour broke the sudden silence.

It was a screaming song, a shrieking chime, a tumultuous Toll and it shook Fritz to his very bones. He almost lost his footing and nearly fell. He caught himself with uncanny Grace and slid down the tree's rough trunk. Fear filled his head and heart and a deep terror forced his limbs to tremble. He knew what this sound was, though he hadn't ever heard it so close. He cursed his luck as he turned to face the Spire Break.