Kaleb walked gingerly into the library. He’d decided this would be as good a place as any to begin his job hunt, considering the odd ability he’d gained on awakening. There was a quill librarian seated at a table near the entrance. Behind him, the book cases lined the walls. “Yes?” He stared at Kaleb incredulously, as if he’d never seen a human before.
The reception made Kaleb stumble over his words. “I–I have a book ability… I mean I was looking for work, and I’ve awakened.” He pulled back his sleeve. “My node has given me a book."
The librarian perked up, putting down a book that had been open in his hands. “What does it do?” he asked.
Kaleb found himself feeling bashful. “I don’t know.”
The librarian scoffed. “Does it come with a quill?”
Kaleb shook his head.
“Is anything written in it?”
Kaleb shook his head again.
The librarian took out a quill and dipped it in some ink, handing it to him. “Try using this on it.”
Kaleb took the quill and the book popped out in front of him as he thought of it. He tried to put the quill to the page but it passed through it until his fingers touched the page. He knew that if he pushed too hard, his hand too could go through the book like water. He shook his head apologetically at the quill, handing him the quill back.
“Have you tried having it inscribe your thoughts or memories?”
Kaleb nodded. He hadn’t wasted a moment he could use to test the book, but he’d come up with nothing since yesterday. “I couldn’t.”
“Why are you here then?”
“I thought you could–”
“I’m afraid not,” the librarian interrupted him. “There are many nascent nodes that take years to understand, and the city sees no use in spending our resources looking into yours, and certainly so if it eventually turns out to be something of no use to us.”
Kaleb cringed. “Alright, thanks.”
“Yes, yes.” The librarian waved him out.
The next few days mirrored each other. Part-time work at Master Shabti’s interspersed by failed job hunts. He tried another smaller library which was even less welcoming. He tried the merchants, who actually gave him the time of day to do some tests in case he could be of service to them, but there was no luck to be had. He even tried going to one of the rare enchanters in the city, who was apparently in service to the Lord, but the man didn’t even grant him an audience.
Next week, and after another series of failed tests on his book, Kaleb remembered something as he ended a visit to Mark’s brothers who’d done as well as could be expected since the news.
Diego had once told him that the guard welcomed the awakened and gave them quite the pay.
Kaleb decided that it was as good a day as any to get rejected. He walked the now familiar streets of Echelon, noticing a few oddities on the way. Guards were going around with priests from the Temple, and a herald was calling for a ‘Void Levy’.
“The archpriest bids you not hide from your duty men of Echelon,” the herald called at a crossroads. “Those chosen by the Risen must join their brothers and sisters on the Void Continent to stand against the tides of darkness. The great war is ever present. It will never end except by erasing the curse. Forget not, good people of the city, the Black Incursion, nor what happens when men neglect their oaths and duties.” The herald paused then proceeded to repeat his speech. “Men of….”
Kaleb noticed the twitch in the muscles of every male on the streets, and the looks they stole over their shoulders, and his own muscles tensed as he realized that he might be considered a ‘citizen’ of the city as well and be levied for a war he’d never heard of. He witnessed a male quill pointed out by the priests, and the guards immediately led him away. The man didn’t try to resist, but he looked miserable enough.
Halfway to the guardhouse, he saw a gruck man seized by multiple guards while resisting the levy. Kaleb watched him get beaten to a pulp before he was dragged away. He took a deep breath and exhaled. This wasn’t a good start to the day, not at all. Soon, Kaleb was stealing glances over his shoulder like everybody else.
When he reached the guardhouse, he had to wait his turn to talk to the sergeant standing at a counter. After a lot of patience, Kaleb finally got his turn.
“Your complaint?” the sergeant said, obviously bored.
“I’m here for work,” Kaleb said. “I’m awakened." He pulled up his sleeve, flashing the star.
The middle-aged quill looked bemused. “Blessed Body, I presume?”
“No, actually.” Kaleb scratched his face with the usual embarrassment. “It’s a book of sorts.”
“A book?”
“Yes,” Kaleb said. “Um, I’m not yet certain what it does.”
“Ah, I see,” the sergeant said. “Have you tested it?”
“Yes,” Kaleb said. “But it’s not clear yet. It could be magic.”
“It could also be nothing,” the sergeant said, giving him an unimpressed look.
“Don’t you have any mages?” Kaleb asked.
The sergeant guffawed loud enough that he got the attention of everyone in the hall. “You think a mage, even one hired by the city, will give up their secrets for free? I think not, human.”
“Then what can be done?” Kaleb said.
“Might I assume that you have no funds, or at least not enough to hire the services of a mage?”
Kaleb nodded.
“Then it would be prudent to simply keep testing this book of yours. Some wandering tradesmen and mages take an interest in ambiguous nodes like yours. Perhaps one of them could help you some day. The word is patience. Now go on, I have work to do.”
Kaleb walked out, dejected. Perhaps he had to simply find other part-time work, something at the docks maybe. He wasn’t as strong as Diego, but he was built well enough.
As he came out of the guardhouse, he saw a surprisingly familiar face, Yezdriel’s. The giant quill was armed and armored, with a badge Kaleb couldn’t recognize on his chest. Yez spotted him and waved, approaching.
“Yezdriel,” Kaleb greeted. “How goes it?”
“Greetings, Kaleb,” Yez said. “It has been a fortunate fortnight for me and mine. Thank you.” He glanced at the guardhouse and then at Kaleb. “Trouble, my friend?”
“What? No,” Kaleb said, chuckling. “I was just looking for work. The guard wouldn’t have me though.”
“Still haven’t found a use for your book?”
Kaleb nodded, wearing a wry smile. “It’s been hard. After everything I’ve been through for this damn star, it doesn’t seem to want to reward me.” He eyed the badge Yez was wearing, and the latter seemed to see the question in his gaze.
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He patted the badge and said, “Company of the Awakened. The drums of war are beating in the guild cities. There’s good mercenary work to be had; and well,” he leaned in conspiratorially. “It also protects me from the levy. Not that you have to worry about that, humans are still exempt.”
“I see,” Kaleb said, sighing in relief. “I wish you luck. And thank you again.”
“You are very welcome, my friend.” Yez scratched the short quills on his chin. “Speaking of the company, if you’re looking for work…”
Kaleb chuckled. “Thank you, Yez, but I only recklessly put my life on the line once per annum.”
“Hah!” Yez nodded. “One can understand, considering how badly your expedition went. Yet this is a different affair. You see, the company is made entirely of awakened. We’re few, but we’re valuable. The captain will accept anyone who’s awakened, even with an ambiguous node, as long as he can tell the rich guilders that he has a company of awakened and awakened only. It pays generously, and most of the company is quite capable as well. I can vouch for the captain and lieutenants. They won’t lead us to our deaths.”
“And wars always go as expected, do they?” The ridicule slipped out of Kaleb’s mouth before he could think. He pressed his lips, but Yez took it in a stride.
The quill laughed. “What a wise if foreboding thing to say. I won’t try to persuade you further, but I do have a better proposal for you.”
“Not equally lethal work, I hope,” Kaleb said with a bit of mirth.
“No, but you will have to come to the company’s camp,” Yez said. “You see, the company has two casters. One of them is an acquaintance who has some scholarly pursuits. He might take an interest in your node. Perhaps you’d want to visit him?”
“He would grant us an audience?” Kaleb said. “Mages and enchanters have proven quite pompous so far.”
“With how rare they are, one can expect no less,” Yez said. “But like I said, this one is an acquaintance. He will grant us an audience.”
Kaleb’s previous dejection turned into a kernel of hope. “Truly?” He continued before Yezdriel could answer him. “Sure I will go with you.”
Yezdriel led him out of the city towards a small camp on a nearby hill. He also informed Kaleb that The Awakened Company had been given a charter by the Archon, the City Lord’s liege, so they were allowed to camp and recruit in the Archony’s lands. As they entered the camp, Kaleb saw dozens of armed men busy with their equipment and preparing for travel. Yez was greeted by multiple of them including the few that stood watch.
“Is your whole party from before also part of the company?” Kaleb asked. He wasn’t keen on meeting their members again, especially a certain bowman.
Yez chuckled. “They weren’t my party. It was simply a joint venture that ended very recently. I almost succeeded in recruiting Lorin, however.”
Kaleb nodded in understanding.
They soon came upon a large, ornate tent with an armed man standing guard at its entrance.
“Yez?” the guard said.
“Tell him it’s me,” Yez said. “I know he’s not busy.”
The guard sighed and called inside. “Coming in, Master Beris.” Then he stepped inside.
Yez turned to Kaleb. “Master Beris is a full-fledged mage. He must be treated with respect, even by an old acquaintance like me. Make certain to show it to him by bowing when you enter.”
Kaleb nodded vigorously.
Soon the guard came back out and gestured for them to enter.
They stepped inside, and the outwardly ostentatious tent turned into a comfortable home. Cushions lined the ground above a cheap carpet, and some more were lined up against the sides of the tent. A clayton middle-aged man stood above a table lined with books. He wore heavy silk robes dyed dark blue with subtle patterns going through them, and he had a very archaic looking open scroll in his hands. He stopped scrutinizing it to meet them with his gaze.
“Yezdriel.”
“Master Beris,” Yez greeted, nudging Kaleb.
Kaleb had been staring at the apparel of the mage. A flash from a bracelet made of beads caught Kaleb’s eye, and he realized that it had glowing runes etched on each bead, which made it an enchanted item. The clayton was wearing a fortune on his body alone, and that was only what Kaleb could see. He fought back his curiosity as he remembered Yez’s words, and he bowed slightly. “A pleasure to meet you, Master Beris.”
“A human.” the mage chuckled. “How quaint. I’d heard this was an Arrival city. Though I did spot some of your kind in Locus.” He glanced at Yez. “So what brings you and your human here, Yezdriel?”
Yez smiled politely. “My friend here might have a penchant for magic, Master Beris.”
“And I’m not looking for apprentices,” Master Beris scoffed. “Anything else?”
“It’s about his node,” Yez said. “It could be connected to magic. It might interest you.”
The mage rubbed at his chin. “Tell me about this interesting node.”
Yez nodded at Kaleb, who found himself having to explain his ability once again. “It’s a book with only three pages, all of them empty. I’ve tried everything, but it doesn't seem to do much except become visible to me.”
“Huh,” Master Beris muttered, pausing for long enough to keep them in suspense. “It might indeed be worth testing. Tell me what you’ve tried so far.”
Kaleb proceeded to regale him with his attempts at making his book useful, whether on his own or with the help of those he’d visited looking for work in the past week.
Master Beris hummed to himself then gestured for Kaleb to approach. “Summon it.”
Kaleb did and nodded at the mage.
“Describe it to me in detail.”
Kaleb told him how the brown leather looked, how it was bound, and how the pages reacted to his mind.
“If the pages react to your thoughts, then it bodes well for magic,” Master Beris said. “Do you know how casters learn magic?”
Kaleb shook his head. “I’ve never even met a mage.” He paused. “Before now, of course.”
“Uhuh.” The mage nodded. “Let me tell you then. Senior mages take in apprentices, who have to toil for years for no pay.” He said the last part with the subtle bitterness of experience. “Then once the apprentice has proven his capability and loyalty through mundane service, the mage begins imparting the secrets of their trade on him, namely the runes.”
Kaleb glanced at the mage’s bracelet. “Runes like those?”
“These?” Master Beric looked at his bracelet and chuckled. “No, these are enchant runes. The cores buried in the wood carry the Ovurch side of the runes, the side which cannot be perceived, and the wood itself carries the physical runes. Casting runes, however, are different. They cannot be written nor seen, because they are not perceptible to our normal senses. Well, they can’t be written except on runestones, but I doubt you’ll ever see one of those up close.” He tapped the table with a knuckle. “You see this table? It has thickness, up, down, left, and right.”
“Yes, dimensions,” Kaleb said.
“Precisely!” Master Beric brightened. “Dimensions. Imagine if there was another direction, one that was not up nor down nor left nor right, a direction we simply cannot sense.”
“Our people studied something like that back home,” Kaleb said, nodding.
“Ah, interesting,” Master Beris said. “What name did they call it?”
“None too specific that I know of,” Kaleb said. “I just sometimes heard of a possible fourth dimension.”
The mage nodded. “Here, we call it the Ovurch.”
Kaleb quirked an eyebrow.
“Is that amusement or curiosity?”
Kaleb shook his head. “I’m just wondering about the origin of the name.”
“You’d have to ask the Pioneers. They were the ones that coined it, afterall.” Master Beric chuckled suddenly. “You certainly wouldn’t be the first to ask, nor the last to be ignored.”
The mage then picked up a book from his table and raised it up high. “The Foundations of Magic by Ra’am The Third.” he said. “To return to our subject once again, how do you think one can learn runes that extend in a direction that we cannot perceive with our senses?”
Kaleb shrugged. “You said that it was passed down from master to apprentice?”
“Yes, indeed,” Master Beris said. “You see, we might not have the senses to perceive the Ovurch, but our minds are much more capable than they appear, provided they’re conditioned properly of course. So a Master passes their understanding directly onto the mind of their apprentice, but of course it takes a long time to learn your first rune, sometimes years if you’re dull enough. After that, runes are easier to receive since the mind has already reached for the Ovurch once. Yet even then, it still takes hundreds of imprints from Master to an apprentice for each rune to be learned, for it to be understood and internalized.”
“So that’s why mages are so rare,” Kaleb said.
Master Beris nodded. “It takes a lot of time and effort for one to become a proper caster, and to be acknowledged as a full fledged mage, you must have a certain amount of runes and the versatility that comes with it, and we mages protect our secrets fiercely. They are all that makes us after all.”
Kaleb nodded. It seemed that for a mage to train another mage, not only did they have to put in years of effort, they had to pass on many of their runes which they considered a secret, for reasons that could range from monopoly to protecting their very own vulnerabilities through ambiguity. It stood to reason that only older mages who wanted to pass on their legacy would take on apprentices, while the younger ones would see it as a waste of time and energy. He wondered whether there were runes that were rarer than others. “Could my book relate to these runes?”
“That is precisely what I want to know,” Master Beris said, grinning for the first time since they’d arrived. “But to prove this, I would have to pass on a rune of mine, or rather, attempt to, and I will not do that for free.”
“I don’t believe I have enough coin–”
Master Beris broke into a laugh. “No, no. I’m certain you don’t have enough. What I want is for you to describe exactly how your node looks, what its appendages are, and precisely how the rune will interact with your book if it does at all. Do you accept?”
With a resource that could not be exploited, Kaleb saw no harm in sacrificing some of his privacy pertaining to it for the chance to finally get somewhere. So he said what he thought. “I accept.”