“Before your future is nailed to lies.”

I followed Darko deeper into the city, off the main street and up an inclined side alley. The scents of a well-used city hung in the air, ranging from wet wood to the nauseous smell of some chemical smoke. Vacant windows of multi-storied buildings overlooked us as Darko dragged me through a narrow garbage alley.

You’re the one who encouraged me to stay, I thought. You suggested I train with Remy. You warned me of the nobility’s bullshit. Why, then, are you warning me to reconsider!

The source of the chemical scent identified itself as we passed a group of men sitting by a stepped back door. One of them inhaled through a metal pipe, then blew a cloud of fog-like smoke. He grinned at me with dilated and wide eyes, clearly out of the world, enjoying life beyond. Darko passed them nonchalantly.

“The druggies aren’t dangerous. Not after they’ve smoked.” Darko frowned. “Mist twists their heads into nonexistence. It’s not uncommon to find people lying around without clothes, barely breathing.”

“I see…” I said.

“In general, Arkber’s alleys are mostly safe,” Darko said. “Nobility has made certain that the city is precisely at the level of poverty where your average serf can afford meals and alcohol, but not much else. So that’s what people do, work and drink. It’s a shame the cult has been distributing cheaper alternatives.”

We emerged into a wider street that bustled with more normal activities. People scurried to destinations. Others haggled with merchants. A sense of purpose could be felt within the people’s actions. Nobody lounged idly, waiting for life to pick them up.

Darko approached a larger wooden establishment by the side of the street. The pyramid-roofed building radiated authority through cleanliness amongst an otherwise sandy path. A strip of white canvas acted as a shop sign. I couldn’t read the letters.

“Take off your shoes,” Darko said. “We’ve arrived.”

“My shoes?” I asked.

Darko took off his boots and offered them to the portly bouncer. Darko spoke to the man with a familiar tone. “You’ve kept the place empty, I presume?”

“I have declined access to even the dirtiest of paying customers,” the bouncer said. “As we agreed.”

“Good,” Darko said. “Tell your staff and whatever pool guards to take a break. We will bathe alone.”

“Already done, as discussed,” the bouncer said. “Treat yourselves. And don’t attempt anything stupid.”

“I expect our shoes back wiped free of dirt and unbroken,” Darko said, then ushered me to follow.

I offered my shoes to the bouncer and followed Darko inside. “What is happening?” I asked.

“A quick bath,” Darko said. “Rowdy as we adventurers are, we are expected to enter any royal property in clean outfits. And to avoid wasting time bathing, I thought I’d rent the place for a private talk.”

“You rented a whole bathhouse just so we can talk?” I asked.

“What?” Darko asked with a grin. “It pays well to perform heroic deeds. I, for one, prefer to invest cash where it proves immediately useful. The owners were more than glad to accept my coin.”

Dumbfounded, I followed Darko past the vacant lounge and into the men’s dressing room—if the uncomfortably open chamber could be called a dressing room. No lockers lined the benches. Instead, clothes were left on simple hangers. Trust alone would keep our belongings safe.

Darko didn’t wait a second before undressing himself, starting from his sword harness. He left his gear casually on the bench. “Well, then,” he said. “The King’s audience. We don’t have much time, so I’ll make this quick. As your leader, I will do most of the talking. If any questions are directed at you, I will do my best to deflect them back to myself. With bad luck, however, the King might wish to hear words through your mouth. I need you to figure out the important answers by the time we are clean and bathed.”

Off came Darko’s shirt, and I gulped. I would have to undress too, wouldn’t I? I started untying my cloak.

“First, let me ask you this,” Darko said. “Who is your teacher?”

“Remy?”

Darko’s eyes opened wide with an exaggerated motion. “Remy? That is not a licensed teacher I have heard of. Could you mean, Remyer from House Ravilles?”

“Yes?” I said. “I think that was her name?”

“Aha,” Darko said. “You’ve just admitted to a criminal offense. Both you and your unlicensed teacher will be brought to court and punished.”

“No, wait,” I said. “What?”

“Let me ask again,” Darko said. “Who is your teacher? Have you been taught in your home country? Are you a learned mage, or are you susceptible the Corruption?”

I paused with my mouth open. “I am a student of, um, James Adamson from the town of America. I was taught, uh, spells and stuff, and was sent here for… adventuring stuff?”

Darko nodded. “Now that’s more like it. Hone down your fake backstory, and make sure you don’t stutter in the delivery. If you sound convincing enough, nobody will bat an eye.”

“But why?” I asked. “Do I really need a fake backstory?”

I watched as Darko took off the last of his outerwear, his clothes sprawled haphazardly across the bench. “Do you remember when I said your presence is useful in negotiations? What I really referred to was your status as a wielder of Hallowed chords. A beginner as you are though… Well, the King wouldn’t exactly be impressed, seeing us carry around an illegally taught mage.”

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“You want me to pretend I’m a proper mage?” I asked.

“Indeed,” Darko said. “Under no circumstances should you reveal that Remy is your teacher. If anyone asks, you are a competent mage with years of practice behind your back, taught by this Jams Admson.”

Biting my lip, I nodded. For a former businessman, this order should have been simple enough. I would gladly form a fake backstory if it meant I could stay away from any real conflict.

I had hoped Darko, now only in his breeches, would stop undressing, but to my fears, the bottom layer of his clothes came off as nonchalantly as the top. He wore no towels to protect his privates and didn’t seem to care for anyone looking. I put extra effort into maintaining my upward posture, never to glance down again.

Darko looked down at my shorts, which were still very much on. “You aren’t bathing with those on, are you?”

Frowning inside, I took off the rest of my clothes, revealing a rather unimpressive physique compared to Darko’s muscles. I left my remaining possessions on the bench, trusting nobody would steal, and emerged into the bathhouse.

The bath was by no means noble. Clear sand covered the floor, separated from the pool by a brick stepping. Columns held the tall wooden roof in place. What creeped me out was the stench of wet wood, as if we were in a rotting forest. Still, my sweaty body had long awaited anything resembling a shower. I stepped after Darko into the unheated pool in the middle of the room.

“I will remind you, what we just conspired is considered a crime,” Darko said. “A severe one. If your true teacher ever gets revealed, you and Remy are both in trouble with the Mages’ association. We’re blatantly breaking the first law of the mages’ Corruption, and on top of it we’re lying about it to the King’s face.”

“You mean, if I screw up with my lies, we’re all as good as dead?”

“You two wouldn’t get executed even if you are caught. Mages are far too valuable to simply throw away. You would both be punished through the Association’s measures and likely tied to some sort of slave contract. Shena and I would probably be arrested alongside for good measure.

“I toss these warnings to remind you that a life under nobility is still very much available. I know that you aren’t as accustomed to breaking the law as we are. My plan involves risks severe enough that I’m obliged to remind you of your options.”

I slouched down into the pool, my chin touching the water. Wasn’t this almost comical by now? The number of insane decisions I had to make on a daily basis.

“Do we have to perform this plan?” I asked. “Couldn’t we just do normal jobs like regular adventurers? Can’t we hunt cultists with other methods?”

“We could play normal,” Darko said. “And we would fail. I’ve known Azetoth for longer than anyone. He won’t be defeated on a whim. And if you’re asking me to drop the cultist hunt entirely… No. I will not drop the mission. Not this one. The longer the cult lives, the more fucked this country becomes. I, for one, do not believe Daphine’s meager attack force will have any chance to defeat the cult.”

I stared down at the water, unsure what to say.

“If you decide to follow my plan,” Darko said, “remember that lies are only illegal if we get caught. The unwritten rule of the Krose states that if a crime causes no bad consequences, it is no longer a crime at all. We are not murdering anyone. We are not stealing from anyone. We’re simply refusing our member from succumbing to slavery. I do not plan on being caught, at least not before you’re fully learned. By that point, our lies will be forgotten. The Association’s job is to hunt rogue mages. They do not care about learned mages, no matter the path an escapee took to learn.”

“I would simply have to pretend to be a mage?” I asked. “Would I have to perform spells?”

“Not yet, of course,” Darko said. “We’ll show your Hallowed chords to the King. That’s proof enough of your abilities. As for the aftermath… don’t worry about it. You will simply focus on learning. I’ll deal with the rest.” He paused. “Oh, and I would be careful getting water in your mouth. There is no saying when the pool was last cleaned.”

I jumped back to a sitting posture, my neck well above water level.

“In any case, I’ve seen you in action,” Darko said. “You appear like a weirdo outsider. Nobody can guess your nationality. This gives you an advantage. You don’t play by our customs. Thus, nobody knows how to read your lies. I’m positive about our success. You will not get caught to see slave contracts.”

“If I decline, I am guessing you will send me to the slave contracts regardless,” I said.

“Correct,” Darko said. “The Houses are still your second option. Although, the nobility’s slave contracts are far less harsh than the Mages’ Association’s”

I took a deep breath. I had promised Rakash to try my best. Yet, was this the place my efforts deserved to be placed in?

“Do you really plan on involving me in missions?” I asked. “To fight the cult?”

“I already have, haven’t I?” Darko said. “And I will again. So far, you have done a good job adjusting.”

I sat in thought, while Darko scooped water with his hands to clean his hair.

“I don’t want to fight,” I said. “I don’t wish to confront a single cultist. But if it’s just learning magic… I can manage. If I have to trick a King, with your help, I can manage. I’m determined to learn.”

“You’re already fighting,” Darko said. “Everyone in this country, in this world, fights their own battles. I’m proud of your progress.”

“You promised I could leave after I have learned my magic. I… I’m considering that.”

“I did indeed,” Darko said. “And I won’t blame you if you leave. Though I do remind you that the Azetoth’s bunch is still after your head, and I doubt they will quit before someone takes them down.”

“I am practically dead weight, am I not?” I asked. “It would be easier for you if I left.”

“Wrong,” Darko said. “You are a liability only in your current state. In the future, after you have learned to wield your powers, you and your Hallowed chords will prove extremely useful, even if all you choose to learn are supportive spells. There is a reason why I sought you out on Huss’s promise. Sacred magic is to black magicians what fire is to a forest. You are an extremely talented mage, Cill. Don’t forget this.”

I bit my lip. Darko may have been right. I wished I didn’t need to agree with him. “I promised Rakash I would do my best,” I said. “I guess I’ll make the same promise again. I will try my best. I promise to become useful, one way or another. Maybe I’ll learn supportive magic, or whatever.” I hesitated. “I’ll regret this promise tomorrow, I know. When that happens, please push me back to my feet. Thank you in advance.”

Darko smiled. “This is why I’m fond of you foreigners. You’re all so uniquely weird.”

“What?” I asked.

“That is to say, of course, and no need to thank me,” Darko said. He stood up and stretched. “I think I’ve conveyed what I wanted you to know. Let’s go shopping for some clothes and get you ready for this damn appointment. There are a few more manners and customs I absolutely must teach you, along with more warnings regarding King Xastur.”

I took a breath and followed him out of the pool. The withdrawals of opening up were already hitting. Not in the form of an adrenaline rush or panic, but a general feeling of pressure in my body, as if I had just attempted a long-practiced trick that I had given up years ago due to countless failures.

I will regret this, I repeated, my brain as optimistic as ever.

Still, something weird was happening in my head. I was concerned as hell, sure, but I didn’t exactly feel depressed. For a moment, I thought as if I finally had a chance to accomplish something with my life.

That was until Darko and I made it back to the dressing room, where the clothes and belongings we left on the bench had miraculously disappeared.