Chương 17: Chapter 16: New Identity

Where did they come from? Torin wondered.

"Damn, it smells down here," a young man said.

"Just don't get too close, Patrius," another said, his voice the raspier of the two.

"Little Red doesn't like trespassers." The light flickered along the rim of the pillar where Torin and Casmia hid together. The two shifted with the incoming torches, his naked body still locked with hers. But there was no romance to be had, only the shared utility of not being seen.

"Ah!" Patrius called out.

"I can see it, Jondar!" The firelight withdrew a meter, and the pair moved with it.

"Calm down," Jondar snapped.

"You'll wake the monster up. Do you want to get eaten too?" Patrius gasped.

"You said the beast would never attack you."

"No, I said that Little Red is smart enough to recognize the hand that's feeding him. He's still territorial though. Always has been. You don't disturb him if you know what's good for you." The torch shifted again.

"He's not moving…" Casmia shifted against Torin's waist. She raised her knife, eyes flecked with readiness. He nodded, willing to do the same should these men figure out what happened. But Jondar dragged the torch away again.

"Leave the bastard in peace. We've got work to do." They dragged something around. Torin couldn't see, but his evolved hearing could pinpoint changes more than ever before, and it sounded like a sack filled with meat pushed against the stone floor. The smell confirmed it, though it had an undertone of rot. The two men hacked into the dead body they'd brought a moment later. Grunt after grunt, they tore into bone. And Casmia and Torin could only stand and stare into each other's eyes.

They were going to be here for a while. Torin used the reprieve to check his System alerts. Two had come in at the end of the fight, but he had gotten too distracted with the monster core to examine them. Congratulations! You have Leveled Up! Congratulations! You have Leveled Up! Two whole levels? Just how strong was that salamander? Even killing an entire group of Hawks hadn't come close. Excited, Torin allocated his new stats, splitting them between Strength and Dexterity.

Name: Torin Maximus Level: 20 Class: Locked Strength: 30 Dexterity: 24 Constitution: 15 Intelligence: 15 Wisdom: 15 Perception: 18 The familiar rush of physical power entered his limbs, but it wasn't nearly as exhilarating as what would come next. Torin had reached the highest level in Peak Bronze. The next would bring him into Early Silver. And with that, he would finally unlock his Class. Casmia raised an eyebrow. Torin frowned despite himself.

Their predicament had forced them into this spot, and she no doubt wondered what suddenly made him so giddy. Fortunately, being covered in ash and excrement tempered any false expectations. They continued to stand and stare, unable to do much else. Jondar paused.

"Our job is complete. Let's go."

"Are you sure you've removed everything?" Patrius asked.

"Owls often have focuses that can be [Tracked]."

"Yes, I know what I'm doing. State Intelligence won't come down here."

"They better not. If others start raising questions, the Cromwells will seize on the opportunity."

"I don't give a shit about your rivals, little Heron. Not when Owls get involved. Our plans won't be any easier from here." He exhaled.

"But we are safe for now. The body has been torn beyond recognition. Little Red will handle the rest. By this time tomorrow, what's left will have turned into charred salamander dung, just like the others."

"Then let's get out of here." Casmia and Torin still watched each other silently, but a wave of relief washed over their faces. When the torchlight dwindled, they breathed easier. Whatever those two men were up to, it had absolutely nothing to do with them. They stepped back into the open. Sure enough, a dead body had been hacked to pieces for the salamander to eat, its mangled form gradually dimming as the chamber fell back to darkness.

Torin almost considered grabbing the dead man's clothing, but this would cross a line he wasn't ready to do.

"We should follow them," Torin said.

"Why?" Casmia asked.

"They will know a way back to the surface." She studied the disappearing pair and nodded.

"Follow my lead."

"Wait." Torin quickly scooped up his prying bar. The salamander's attack had disintegrated everything else. Only his weapons and boots survived. But he could still carry both until a better option came along. The two wandered behind the departing pair, being sure to stay out of the torch's reach. Casmia also guided him, eyes watching the tunnel floor. Bones and detritus were scattered throughout the passages, so she led them around before they could accidentally step on anything that would reveal their position.

Still, their targets did not exercise such caution. They marched through the tunnels at a leisurely pace, not caring if they could be seen or heard. Torin suspected that they were deep inside the State District, where no guards would still be on underground patrol. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It wasn't long before they started ascending. The pair slipped through hidden passages and stairways, moving up to higher levels.

Torin and Casmia crept quietly behind as their guides began talking again. Patrius whispered, "How much longer until we can make our next shipment?" Jondar chuckled.

"Are you that eager already, little Heron?"

"The Cromwells won't be waiting. They're already recruiting again. I have people who need to be paid before the next session."

"Is that so?" Jondar asked, amused.

"So do I. If the buyers don't get their next delivery, the Cromwells will be the least of your worries."

"They're trying to remove my family from the Grand Council!" he snapped.

"For hundreds of years, the Scipios have been a staple on the Council, only for these miserable pests to come in like they own High Perch."

"The Cromwells have the money now, but the Scipios do not. Don't forget why you started this game." Patrius sighed.

"I know. I said I would do whatever it takes to save my family name. Dirtying my hands is but a small price to pay. Still, have you not found a new supplier yet?" Jondar grumbled.

"To get these crystals is no simple task. They need to match the elemental type for the failed potions that are being disposed of, or else the Hawks will find them the moment they pass through a checkpoint array. Without the Crane, it will be difficult to find someone with both access to elemental mana crystals and also understand which potions they can be safely smuggled inside."

"Potions are potions, and that man got too greedy. Just find anyone who can read a label."

"No, you don't understand. Not every failed potion gets transported out of the Roost. Most are dumped into the river. It's only very dangerous decorations that make this scheme possible, and those can degrade the crystals without proper supervision. If you want to get more crystals, we need another Crane, Late Gold or higher. It's that simple."

"Do whatever you must," Patrius ordered.

"Threaten their family, or perhaps leverage your contact in the Hawks. I won't rest until the Cromwells are expelled!"

"Your body is drowning, yet your eyes look only into the sky," Jondar mused.

"Today's Owl won't be the first, Patrius. They will send others before long. Best you not forget what it is we're doing."

"It's nothing that countless others haven't done before. The State won't care about a few missing crystals."

"Even after this, you still believe that…" Jondar shook his head. They reached another intersection. A fresh draft flowed through the sewer halls, and daylight leaked through cracks in the roof. They were back at the surface. Casmia sensed the change and slackened as well. Their targets continued onward before finally disappearing. Not that it mattered. This area contained numerous exits. Ladders led to the surface in some places, but doors opened into basements elsewhere. It was here that the two went next.

Casmia planted her ear against those doors and waited. If she heard movement inside the house, they moved for the next. It took some time before they found a proper escape. After minutes of listening in, Casmia nodded in approval.

"It's empty." Torin snapped the lock with his prying bar, and the two entered. Immediately, the sewer smell faded, replaced by the musty air and dirty linens. It took a moment to realize this basement was a bedroom, or rather, the entire home. A bed lay in one corner, dust trapped in daylight beams from the only street-facing window. A dining table sat elsewhere, a mere meter from the privy. Though thankfully, a curtain separated the privy from the rest of the apartment, a washbasin not far beside it.

Casmia went to the washbasin.

"We should clean ourselves quickly. We can't walk around the surface smelling like a sewer, but we don't know how long until this guy gets home."

"We have time," Torin said, studying a letter on the table.

"The Hen who lives here works in auditing. There's a summons request for Vindenberg, dated today. He won't be back for over a week."

"Oh, good catch." She smiled at him, but quickly averted her gaze again.

"Find some clothes already, please." Torin looked at the door they had entered, a thought brewing.

"What are we going to do once we get up there?" he wondered.

"I don't know. You're the one who came up with this idea."

"Yes, but now that we're here, I'm wondering how we can keep Hawks from asking questions. It'll be hard if we're stopped without a working Spirit Tag. Though maybe…" Torin thought it through.

"I have another idea, but I need to go back down to the salamander."

"Are you serious?"

"You don't have to come." Casmia shook her head.

"No, that's not going to work. Wherever you go, I go. I'm not getting left behind in some dingy basement."

"Fine. Let's make this quick then." * Retracing their steps proved easier than he thought. Torin suspected this happened because of the extra points he placed in Intelligence. His memory had never been this sharp before, and he could navigate the passages without missing a beat. They made it back to the dead salamander in a fraction of the time, the body of the dead Owl still there.

"Yes, that's what I thought," Torin said with a grin. He held up the dead man's Spirit Tag and tapped the fingerprint spot. The runestone flared to life, its magic not fully extinguished yet. Name: Lucius Numerus Level: 34 Class: [Rogue] Roost: Owl Occupation: Internal investigator Unlike direct System inquiries, Spirit Tags contained additional information put through by the State. This let them monitor anyone registered, which happened to be everyone inside Vrisgard's walls.

"Wait," Casmia said, confused.

"How'd you do that? Your fingers should be scorched trying to use someone else's Spirit Tag."

"I have my ways," Torin said, not interested in giving the full truth.

"Are they the same as to why the fire salamander couldn't burn you?" He considered the best way to answer.

"Yes." Casmia eyed the working Spirit Tag, but did not press further. His status provided the true story. Immunities: Cannot be [Tracked] or [Identified] by magical means. Resistances: Psychic (Peak), Fire (Peak) Affinities: Martial (Major), Fire (Major) Replacing [Aquatic] with [Hot-Blooded] had given Torin Peak Resistance against fire. Even if the Affinity was lower, he could use the mimicked Trait to greatly mitigate fire damage.

That let him activate someone else's Spirit Tag without suffering the consequences, as the Tag emitted a constant, scorching heat. So long as he didn't surrender this Trait, he could keep performing this trick. It wouldn't work against a proper [Identify], but his Immunity protected against that. As far as the guards could tell, he became whomever's Spirit Tag he stole. Torin gleamed. This was what he'd waited for his whole life. One power, one cheat.

Anything that let him interact with the System in ways the State couldn't prevent. For all their authority, they were still subservient to the very System that propped them up. Now Torin could finally use it against them.

"I think we can do better," he decided.

"Let's see if we can find more Tags." The two dug through the waste left behind by the giant salamander. Most of it was burnt and dessicated, but some dung remained fresh. As unpleasant a task, the two had gotten through far worse to get here. There were many more than Torin expected, at least a dozen by his count. All burnt and digested beyond recognition, their Spirit Tags the only momento left behind. How many men did Jondar feed to this beast? Or perhaps that wasn't the right question.

How many had tried and failed to bring this monster down? Casmia became the better of the two at finding workable Tags. Ironically, because she lacked the same Resistance, the moment her finger graced a working one, she flinched in pain. That let them narrow down options quickly. Most stopped functioning less than a month after their owner expired, but the magic lingered longer for others. In the end, they had four more options. Torin placed his thumb on the best of the group.

Name: Clemian Sabellun Level: 80 Class: [Alchemist] Roost: Crane Occupation: Alchemical Researcher Torin tapped the Spirit Tag on and off. What little pain he experienced would not deter him from enjoying this new turn of events. Today, as far as the State was concerned, Torin became an alchemist.