It turns out Tarin didn't bet that I'd win against Deathclaw Bloodseeker's massive construct.

He did bet that I'd land at least one solid hit, and while it's not at all obvious how I managed to hit him, the yelp from inside the construct still counts. So we've made a decent amount of chips, apparently. I can't be sure because Tarin's too busy cackling about it to actually tell me how much we made.

Also, I don't really have any context for the actual buying power of chips. I should probably check out Isthanok's markets sometime. There's just so much to do.

We make our way to the prize-collection booth in the corner of the Arena, which is a remarkably dingy looking tent, considering the splendor of Isthanok and the grandiose nature of the Arena. It looks like it's barely held together by flaps of old canvas, and I'm pretty sure there are actually a few holes torn into it.

"People don't come here for the prizes," someone says behind me.

To my credit, I just jump slightly. Tarin does it so hard he smacks the person behind us with his wing. Twice. The second time on the way down.

The person behind us is strangely dressed. It's disturbingly similar to a ringmaster outfit that I'd expect to see on Earth — so much so I can't help but wonder if this is somehow tied to the Integrators. If they've planted people on Hestia besides their Trialgoers to... what, facilitate the Trial?

He's also completely in shadow. There's some kind of Firmament imbuement on him that keeps him cloaked in more darkness than should be possible, given the time of the day and the brightness of the sun. Everything beneath his hat turns pitch-black, with only the vaguest possible impression of faintly glowing eyes. I have no idea what species he is.

He does a little finger-twist salute with his hands in greeting, completely ignoring Tarin smacking him in the face.

"What do they come here for, then?" I can't keep the skepticism out of my voice. Why participate in the Arena if not for the prizes?

"The prizes used to be important," the new person says, walking past me and into the tent and gesturing for me to follow. "No longer. The Arena's rewards have... hmm... lessened, for reasons that may or may not be associated with the whispers in the night."

I raise an eyebrow. The roundabout way he's saying that makes sense, with Whisper's ability to listen in on the city, but it's still pretty obvious what he's saying.

"What should I call you?"

He makes a noncommittal noise. "The Ringmaster," he says. "My name isn't important."

I guess the outfit makes sense.

The interior of the tent isn't really much better than the exterior. All there really is inside is a rotting wooden desk with a random assortment of objects on them, a register that I assume is used for calculating points and dispensing chips, and a too-small bed in the corner.

This whole thing is making me vaguely uncomfortable.

"Why people fight if prizes not good?" Tarin questions. He's taking in the tent just as I am, his eyes scanning the prize tent with the same amount of discomfort. He looks a little guilty for hitting the Ringmaster twice now.

The Ringmaster glances up. "The Arena's rewards have lessened," he says. There's something questioning in his tone. "But the points that are earned in the Arena can also be exchanged for rewards in Isthanok's military base. It's common knowledge."

So common no one saw fit to tell me, apparently, even though they told me about this little prize tent. Then again, I'm pretty sure those clerks were playing a joke on me, and the evening bracket didn't reward any points.

"Why is there a second place you can redeem Arena points?" I ask, my brows furrowing. "That seems... unnecessarily convoluted."

Even before the Ringmaster replies, I'm pretty sure I know the answer. "Whisper decided to offer rewards for Arena points," he says. "I can't really stop her."

"Why?" Why would Whisper care about the points being awarded in the Craven Arena?

The Ringmaster shrugs. He looks strangely reluctant to respond, and it takes me a minute to realize he's probably not willing to give me any real answer. Not when Whisper can hear anything that goes on in the city.

"I am sure she has her reasons," he says amicably. "Would you like to redeem your rewards from the Isthanok military instead? There are no obligations associated with the military if you do so."

"No," I say automatically, and then I hesitate. "Are the rewards there that much better?"

The Ringmaster nods. "The Isthanok military provides a number of Firmament-enhancing drugs and imbued artifacts," he says. "It outstrips most of what we can offer here, particularly since they're offered to Arena participants at a loss."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

At a loss? That doesn't make me any more comfortable with using them. If anything, I'm even more concerned. Ahkelios' rhythmic tapping on my head tells me he feels the same way, I'm assuming he'll have something to tell me once we're out of Whisper's earshot.

...Which might take a while.

"I think I'll just look at what you have here first," I decide. I should check out Whisper's rewards at some point, but not without taking some precautions, and not without a better understanding of how imbuements or these Firmament drugs work. Besides, I don't need those right now — I need imbuement stones, to see if I can build my own Firmament sink. "Can you show me your imbuement stones?"

The Ringmaster looks surprised, and then genuinely pleased, although it's a little hard to read his body langauge through the shadows that obscure his face. "Sure. Here you go."

And then, startling me deeply, an Interface screen pops up.

[Arena Points: 172

Shallow Fire Imbuement Stone (Rank F) — 20 AP

Shallow Water Imbuement Stone (Rank F) — 20 AP

Shallow Lightning Imbuement Stone (Rank F) — 30 AP

Submerged Water Imbuement Stone (Rank E) — 40 AP

Submerged Earth Imbuement Stone (Rank E) — 40 AP

Submerged Air Imbuement Stone (Rank E) — 60 AP

I stare at the screen. I don't know how to respond, at first — it's clear that whatever this reward system is, it's linked to the Interface in some way. That's a problem, considering I don't want to reveal that I'm a Trialgoer.

Almost as if he knows what I'm thinking, the Ringmaster nods at me. "Anything that happens in this tent stays in this tent," he says.

And that simple line tells me one thing. He already knows.

No point hiding it, then.

"What are the different types of stones?" I ask.

"We have elemental attunements based on the most common types of ambient Firmament, and each stone is ranked according to how deeply bound it is to its element. These three—" the Ringmaster grabs three stones and scatters them onto the table "— are shallow. The link sits only at the surface level of Firmament, and even then, the link is barely there. And these next three are submerged. It still binds only to the surface, but it binds to it completely."

He drops another three stones onto the table, and I examine all six of them carefully. There's a definite difference, along the lines of what the Ringmaster described. I can feel the way the Firmament anchors to the Shallow stones. It's loose and pointed, almost like it's pinned down only at certain points, similar to the knots the crows tie when they imbue things.

The Submerged stones have their first layer of Firmament bonded entirely with the crystal, but the bond disappears if I look any deeper.

For the first time, I think I'm starting to understand imbuement on a more fundamental level — and given the look in the Ringmaster's eyes, he knows exactly what he's telling me. He's hinting at something?

"Thank you," I say slowly. "I'll take the Shallow Lightning stone, please."

"Excellent choice," the Ringmaster says, his voice full of false cheer. "Enjoy your reward!"

I have many questions. So does Tarin, if I'm reading the look on his face. But neither of us ask them. There's something about the Ringmaster's body language... it looks like he's telling us to leave. Warning us.

So we take our leave.

As we walk back out of the Arena and towards Miktik's workshop, I ponder my newfound insight into the nature of imbuement stones. Some materials are clearly more suited to imbuement than others, and this seems to be why; they have a natural layer of Firmament that's already bonded to them, and any new Firmament I try to tie into it interacts with that Firmament.

That means there are two reasons an object might be hard to imbue. One is that its inherent Firmament is limited — or "Shallow," if I'm to use the local terminology. That means that anything I attempt can slip loose easily, making it harder to create something that lasts.

But the more deeply a material's inherent Firmament is anchored, the harder it is to push my own Firmament into it. There's more layers of complexity there. From the brief glimpse I was able to catch of the Submerged stones, I was able to see what looked like patterns of Firmament embedded into that first layer. An imbuement must therefore require that I work with that pattern, in some sense, at least in order to push my Firmament into it...

"What you thinking?" Tarin asks me. He narrows his eyes. "You thinking too hard! Talk."

I can't help but snort at this. "What does that even mean, Tarin?"

"You human think too much," he grumbles. "Should talk more! Then I know what you think. And can tell you if wrong. Or he can."

Tarin gestures to Ahkelios, who has been silent until now, perched on my head and staring up into the sky contemplatively. He seems startled when Tarin suddenly references him. "Oh! Uh, I guess I can? I don't know much about imbuement."

Amused, I shake my head, and explain my newfound thoughts about imbuement as we walk the streets. He's got a point — no reason not to share information, especially since he knows far more about imbuement than I do.

It's not long before he's frowning, though.

"Crow method for imbuement different," he says eventually. "We not sense Firmament like you. That why we use knots. But... maybe pattern method stronger? Should test."

"I should've gotten more stones, then," I say dryly. "Not like I can't afford them."

"Next time we get more!" Tarin says firmly. "You buy more. I remind you."

I laugh. "I don't think I need a reminder, Tarin."

"I remind you," he insists. I shake my head with a smile.

Miktik isn't in her workshop when we get there, but Tarin insists we can use it, so we make ourselves comfortable and I begin to examine the Lightning stone. The plan is to try to make an improved version of Miktik's Firmament sink by imbuing the stone with Hueshift and using it as a Firmament converter.

I'm not entirely sure if it'll work. I haven't had the chance to experiment much with Hueshift, let alone with imbuing it, and the addition of elemental Firmament to the imbuement stone is an unexpected layer of complexity on top of everything else.

In theory, Hueshift will at least be able to affect the Firmament in some way. Inspect tells me it has the ability to change the color of Firmament, which sounds a lot less impressive than it is. Firmament color, after all, isn't just its appearance. Considering what I've seen of Firestep, Color Drain and Tetrachromacy — not to mention the inherent effects of The Mirror Twice Shattered — it's clear that the color of Firmament is just an expression of some other property of Firmament.

"Tarin," I say, calling the old crow over. "I'm going to need your help. Can you tell me everything you know about Firmament types and their colors?"