Gio reviewed the packet of information that the representative of the Scarborough collective had provided. The collective claimed to be a coalition of several minor families ranging from the Iron and Silver Rings. They had done well for themselves in recent years and were planning on expanding their varied enterprises throughout the entirety of the Ringed City, which is why Gio was somewhat pleased to see plans for a branch specializing in medicine in the Copper Ring.

How… cosmopolitan. She’s been nothing but professional, too.

The woman clad in a well-appointed blue suit patiently sat across from Gio and Amos, smiling and waiting to respond to any questions.

“Madam Delevigne, why not hire system mages if you don’t mind me asking? Surely any true mages would be harder to employ than hiring somebody who just uses the system, no?” Gio asked.

“The simplest answer to that question is that we already have a workforce of system users. Our other magic users are fewer in number, but we have found that true magic is the key to flexibility. Mages that attend this school have a very different mentality than those who simply conform to the magic given to them by the system. When the system closes a door, most types of magic users must either stop or go around. True mages, however, are free to try, and try again until they find a way through that door,” the woman replied.

Finally, somebody has an answer to that question that isn’t just about prestige or heritage.

Gio seriously regarded the emissary.

“Thank you for your time. Your organization has given me one of the most attractive that I have seen today,” Gio said.

“And thank you, Mister deGloria, for considering the Scarborough Collective. We eagerly await your response,” said the representative.

The woman curtsied, leaving Gio with yet another pamphlet as she exited the room.

Gio slumped in the chair, feeling drained after the consecutive interviews. The High Scibe turned to him.

“Just one more interview for the day, Giorgio. The Ring Guard representatives will be here shortly.” the tall man stated.

_____

A hulking man with gleaming plate armor entered the room, followed by a diminutive woman wearing glasses and holding a clipboard. The man radiated power. Every bit of his being seemed to thrum with a sense of austere purpose, clearly the effect of some sort of passive skill or enchantment. His golden armor gleamed in the light, tracing faint symbols across its form. He had black hair that was neatly trimmed into a militaristic buzz cut, coupled with a five-o-clock shadow.

“Greetings to you, Giorgio deGloria. I am Matthias Castallane. I am an officer in charge of recruiting for the Ring Guard. This is my secretary for the day…” The man said, motioning to the young woman.

“Amerli, sir.” The young woman chirped.

The secretary wore her auburn hair tightly pulled back into a ponytail. Her clothes were plain khaki, and she had a polite, if disinterested look on her face.

“Right. I understand that you’ve been through a lot of these meetings today, so I’ll make this brief. We’ve reviewed your files, and we’re interested. I am aware that you saved my nephew a few weeks back, and while I personally thank you from the bottom of my heart… The Ring Guard doesn’t do special treatment. I know that this probably sounds phony coming from the brother of the National Defense Coordinator, but trust me when I say that every Castallane works their way up from the bottom of the ranks, alongside the rest of the guard.” Matthias said.

The man slapped several beige envelopes down on the table, prompting a grimace from Amos that Gio barely caught. Inside the documents were infographics and sheets detailing the various benefits that a member of the Ring Guard was entitled to.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“A big selling point for many of us is that you get to choose where you want to live when you retire. Most people obviously choose Gold or Silver, but you could choose an esoteric ring if you really wanted to. We have a pretty big veteran community in the Steel Ring, among others. Aside from that, healthcare, insurance, and education benefits are standard. If you ever have kids, they will be eligible for a scholarship to CRA… but as you clearly know, there are more elements to the school than just getting in the door. To sum it up… we are the “gold standard” of the options available to an industrial ring student. My wife is an Iron-ringer, and we met during my time as an Obsidian Ring scout. We take equal opportunity pretty seriously.”

It was a dazzling, no-nonsense pitch. Gio was pleasantly surprised at how efficiently all of the relevant details were laid out for him.

“Sir, I appreciate this. Your offer is… pretty stellar.” Gio said.

The man raised an eyebrow, but remained silent.

“I want to be honest with you. I have no real desire to sign up for a commission with anybody. I want to be an Archmage, and in order to do that… I need to study past the usual eight years of education the normal student gets in this school. I… don’t know how I am going to do it, but I'm trying to get there without needing to rely on external help.” Gio admitted.

The burly man laughed a hearty laugh. The secretary regarded Gio with a strange look in her bright gold eyes.

Gold Irises? That’s not a particularly common trait.

“It’s a story I’ve heard before, my friend. Many of my finest recruits have a similar story about not expecting to need help getting through school. I’d like to say that I could tell you that some of them had some success, but I’m afraid all of those stories tend to end the same way. I can save us all the hassle- you’ve got a few weeks to decide. I am confident that if you do need to end up accepting a commission, we are your best option. Until then… I wish you luck.” Matthias said. He shook Gio’s hand, and excused himself, nearly forgetting about his secretary.

Did she take any notes for this at all?

______

Merlia Goldwatch

After accompanying Matthias back to his guardpost, and reporting back to her temporary supervisor about the report of the day, The young woman ducked through the back alleys of the Gilded City, away from prying eyes. After the long business day, the sun had retreated over the horizon, and a big pale full moon hung in its place. She shook off the illusion of Amerli, a hopeless secretary girl in service to the Ring Guard. In its place, was a nondescript beggar woman with grey hair and bloodshot eyes.

“[Streets Strange by Moonlight].” She whispered.

The moonlit night seemed to stretch and warp around her, as the buildings around her faded. Detail seemed to be leeched away from her surroundings, as the moonlight washed out her perception.

If only the royal strategists knew that their little logistics conundrum could be solved by taking [Courtesan] as an occupation for a few days and earning a skill by stumbling home drunk. Truly, this skill is the secret backbone of the rebellion.

As detail faded back into view, Merlia walked out of an alleyway in the downtown district of the Silver Ring. After a few minutes and some clever avoidance of prying eyes, she found herself entering a chic speakeasy, in the heights of Argentum, the nightlife capital of the Ringed City.

As she trudged through the velvet interior of the speakeasy, and through numerous perfumed back rooms bedecked with fabrics and lace, she thought about her current role.

To have spent all that time trying to corner the Pink Lady in the Gold Ring… I wonder when they’ll realize that she doesn’t live in the Gilded City…

Lifting one last curtain, Merlia traipsed into the room beyond, surveying her ally.

The Pink Lady was a large woman. Her curvaceous form elegantly fell across her lounging bed, as if draped across the surface like an art piece. A cloud of soft, pink hair ballooned out from her delicate features, complementing her makeup. The only detail about the Pink Lady that could be described as “off” in any way, were her glowing eyes, whose pupils were perpetually shaped like little red hearts.

“Well, my dearling dearest? How goes the hunt?” the woman asked, her dulcet voice soothing to the ears.

“My lady, We’ve got some interesting students in need of sponsoring this year. To start with, there’s a boy who uses mirror magic from the Copper Ring,” she said.

The Pink Lady perked up. She stood up from her perch and walked towards Merlia.

“How very queer. I smell discord on you today. Have you come into contact with an aspect?” the woman asked.

Merlia was taken aback.

“Chaos, madame? I don't know what you're talking about,” Merlia replied.

“How very interesting. Perhaps I should make some visits soon.”