Liam stared up at Lady Arachne while lying on his back, panting, and gulping in as much air as he could. He could feel sharp pains with each breath he tried taking in along both sides of his rib cage. His arms felt heavy, and his legs were like jelly.
As he stared at her smile, he felt like there was something more to it. He could tell she was holding back the smile from growing just from the way it would shift on her face. That’s when he noticed that it didn’t look like one who was excited for someone who did a great job.
To Liam it felt it was one who was excited to have found something remarkably interesting. Like a mystery you recently found and really wanted to solve it. However, at the same time you didn’t want to show that you were becoming slightly obsessed trying to solve. He didn’t know how to feel about this.
Before Liam could say anything a few chimes echoed in his mind. He willed the notifications to not appear as he asked between breaths, “So…how did…I do?”
“Interesting,” Noxi responded as he walked over and looked down at Liam. With an outstretched hand, Noxi held a small vial that had a greenish orange tint to it with blue bubbles floating within.
Liam stared at the vial with some confusion and assessed it.
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“Tri Restore Potion. Item Rarity – Rare. Item Quality – Enhanced. Description – Restores 750 Health, 750 Mana, and 750 Stamina. Gives a soothing feeling that relaxes sore muscles, heals broken bones, and closes any open wounds.”
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Liam’s eyes widened after he read the description and looked back at Noxi. He was about to say something, but was cut off as Noxi stated, “Take it. After that nasty kick you took to the chest I bet you broke at least a bone or two somewhere. It will also make you feel good as new.”
“But the rarity and quality of this potion is so good…,” Liam again tried to protest.
“Once when you get your Potion Making as high as mine then these potions become more of a common thing to you,” Noxi stated nonchalantly. He then shrugged as he added, “In fact these are my lowest leveled potions so it’s nothing to me.”
Liam didn’t know what to say to that. If a potion like this was regarded as common to him then he didn’t want to know how he viewed the ones he was currently making. With a sore and shaky hand, Liam received the potion while trying to push himself up to a sitting position.
He pressed the vial to his lips and took down the contents. After the liquid had finished hitting his stomach, he let out a loud and wet cough. It tasted disgusting. It wasn’t the same kind of disgusting flavor as the weak potions he had when he first entered the Tutorial Area though. He wasn’t sure, but it felt like the grossness of the unflavored potion had intensified. However, even though the potion tasted disgusting and had rattled his body after making him cough so hard, he could feel his body slowly heal. A shiver ran throughout his body as the mixture of the horrid flavor and a cooling feeling swam through him.
With a puzzled expression, he looked at Noxi. Noxi returned the look on his face with a chuckle as he said, “Yeah the flavor of the potion is the worse, but the effects does wonders for the body.”
“Have you tried adding some flavor extracts?” Liam questioned, not arguing about the effects. He slowly stood up as he felt his Jello legs stabilize.
“I would love to add flavors, but the patent crafters hold on to ingredients restrict me to use them and sell them,” Noxi stated.
Liam tilted his head as he grew confused. “Why would something like that stop you?”
Everyone looked at Liam.
“What do you mean?” Noxi asked. This time he was confused.
“I mean…why would something like that stop you, who is a member of the Fiddler’s Spider Web, a, from what I thought, is an association that wouldn’t care to follow such a stupid rule?”
The four stared at him for a long moment before letting out a long loud laugh.
Liam became both annoyed and embarrassed. He really thought that an association like this one wouldn’t care to follow the rules the greedy nobles made. He thought since they did things that was technically illegal then they would do as they please.
Noxi’s laughter slowly started to come under control as he replied, “I guess it’s because I have the pride of a crafter.” When he noticed the look on Liam’s face hadn’t changed he explained, “While we do things that would be considered illegal, there are some things we don’t do. As a fellow crafter I follow the crafter spirit by not taking away what belongs to others, even if I make it for just myself. I guess you can think of it like a code of conduct.”
Liam shook his head. He could understand the explanation. Even though he made money by killing, he still had some morals. Liam wanted to change that rule when it came to using other’s recipes. That reminded him of the recipes he had Elatrix process as him as the originator. That should be done by now.
“If that is the way you are then have you heard about the most recent recipe discoveries?” Liam asked.
Noxi tilted his head as he stared at him. “I had heard something went down recently at the Crafter’s Association, but I didn’t look much into it. Why do you bring it up?”
“I was there when that went down. I heard the originator of the newly discovered recipes was going to release it as ones free for the public to use.”
“Really now?” Noxi questioned with a shocked expression under his mask. “Do you know what the materials were used to give flavors?”
“Mint from Moss Mint, Blueberry from Blueberry Clusters, and Orange from Orange Spheres,” Liam answered. “I have some on me if you’d like to use them.”
Silent Saboteur’s head swiveled to look at Liam with some excitement. “I had heard of some newly discovered materials but hadn’t been able to secure some. Tell me young man…are you willing to sell or trade some to me?”
Liam gave Silent Saboteur a smile as he answered, “Sure…I can trade you for some more materials I bought from you earlier so I can replenish my supply of completed Chemicalized Creations.”
Silent Saboteur placed a hand where his chin was and thought about it. After a second had passed he said, “It will depend on the amount you are willing to trade. Depending on that, I won’t be able to trade for the same amount, but I’m sure we can figure a number out.”
Liam nodded. “It’ll have to be another time though. I need to get them from where I am staying.”
Silent Saboteur waved a hand. “As much as I would like to have them now, I can wait.”
Liam smiled. His smile slowly disappeared as he turned to look at Lady Arachne. He noticed she was staring at him was an intense stare. He wasn’t sure if she was upset, annoyed, irritated, or something else, but the more she stared at him the more he felt uncomfortable.
“Everything alright Lady Arachne?” Liam asked.
The shorter woman didn’t respond. She just kept staring at him for a good while. Liam wasn’t sure if he did or said anything wrong but decided to wait. As he waited he noticed the shadow beneath her quiver for a quick moment. It happened so fast that he thought maybe he had imagined it. He was about to ask about it but was stopped as the woman finally said something.
“Sorry about that. I was just informed about something that happened in the shop outside,” Lady Arachne informed as she looked at everyone.
“Is everything alright?” Noxi question with a serious tone.
“Yes,” Lady Arachne replied shortly. “Midnight Claw will be down here soon. Before she gets here I would like to discuss what happens next.” She looked at the other three before setting her gaze on Liam.
Liam felt a shudder run down his spine as she stared at him. He could tell something had happened and it must have been important since her attention was on it instead of what was going on around her. He took a gulp as he waited.
After a few seconds of silence Lady Arachne’s serious look turned into a smile. She then said, “Throughout these three tests you have shown a lot of promise. There are plenty of things you will need to work on which we will go over after you complete your last test.”
Liam waited with baited breathe. He remembered that she had mentioned there would be a test in the form of a field mission. He wasn’t sure what kind of mission she would have him do, but he was getting a bit excited for it.
Lady Arachne looked at the other three and announced, “I know we didn’t have a field mission in mind, however, one just recently arrived at our doorstep.”
Noxi, Orchid, and Silent Saboteur straightened at those words.
“You are going to give him a fresh mission?” Noxi questioned.
“Do you think that is wise?” Orchid asked. She then added, “Do you even have any information on what the mission entails?”
Silent Saboteur stared at Lady Arachne who just answered with an even tone, “I have the gist of it…”
Before she could finish what she was saying, a figure appeared from the door that was still open on the other side of the room. It was a tall slender woman who wore leather armor and a bone half mask that covered her nose, mouth, and chin. It looked like the mask was shaped to be the jaws of a predator. She had a long braided raven black hair and emerald, green eyes. Liam also noticed the long silky smooth black thin tail and feline ears that blended with her hair.
Not a cat…Liam thought to himself as he looked the woman up and down, she looked to be close to his age. Maybe a panther or a black jaguar?
After she approached the group she gave each of the four Legs a bow and a nod to Liam. She then spoke with an almost hushed tone voice, “Here you go Lady Arachne.”
“Thank you Midnight Claw,” Lady Arachne said as she took the parchment the woman handed her. “You can go back to your post.”
Midnight Claw bowed once more before turning around and walking back out. After the woman had fully left the room, Lady Arachne turned to Liam and started, “To give more context to what you are about to do. Field Missions are what we give our members to do. They are paid tasks requested by clients. They can range from Information Gathering, Stealing, Assassinations, Defending, Sabotage, and more.”
Liam nodded as he continued to listen.
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“Your final test will be a field mission. One that we have chosen based on the skills you have shown. That is the normal procedure, however…” The shorter woman looked at the others before looking back at him. “I have taken liberty of deciding this will be the Field Mission you will take on for the final test. It is a mixture of Stealing and Information Gathering. You are tasked with stealing information from a certain location for a client.”
“Lady Arachne…,” Silent Saboteur chimed in. “This mission you are tasking him as a test. Does this have to do with the mission Echo Talon and Silent Paw recently completed?”
Lady Arachne didn’t say anything. Instead, she gave her answer in the form of a nod.
“Are you sure about this?” Noxi inquired. “Protocol states…”
“I know what the protocols are for something like this,” Lady Arachne interjected. “However, after taking into consideration of their skills and specialties and comparing them to what I have seen this applicant is capable of; I have determined that he is the better choice for it.”
This made the other three straighten. Liam was confused as to what was happening and what they were talking about. He decided to wait and see if someone would explain.
“Do you think he really will be capable of taking the task on?” Noxi inquired. His voice was a bit hard, but not hard enough to sound like he was against her decision. It sounded more like he was wanting conformation.
Lady Arachne nodded before looking at Liam and explaining, “I am sure you have no idea what is going on so I will explain. Normally when it comes to Field Missions they fall under three categories. They are: Single Time, Chain, and Continuation. Single Time Missions are missions that require only once to do. These types of quests are normally Assassination, Sabotage, and a couple others. Chain Missions are missions where a client continues another request right after the previous one has been completed. These types of missions vary on the requests of the client. And Continuation Missions are missions where the client keeps active until they no longer need what is asked. Crafting is the most popular in those quests.”
“Okay, so which does this mission fall under?” Liam asked. “I want to say Chain, but I might be wrong.”
Lady Arachne nodded her head. “No, you had it right. This does fall under the Chain category. The reason why the others are wary of me having you take this one is because normally those who have started the Chain Missions are the ones who continue until the end. However, there are times where we take the specialties and skills those who have started into consideration and assess if they can handle the next mission requested.…” Lady Arachne looked at the others to stop them from popping in. “While Echo Talon and Silent Paw have good track records handling what is required for this Mission. Their skill set is a bad match up for the location. I believe he is a better choice for the mission and is perfect to handle it.”
“Where is the location?” Orchid questioned.
“The Teleportation Tree,” Lady Arachne answered.
Noxi’s, Orchid’s, and Silent Saboteur’s body’s jerked at her answer.
“What?!” Noxi stated.
“You’re joking right?!” Orchid almost yelled.
“Lady Arachne…,” Silent started. “The difficulty of trying to get anything from that place for a level like his is…it doesn’t seem possible for him to succeed. The defenses…”
“Do not take into account for Shadow Magic Stealth abilities,” Lady Arachne stated. “He has shown he has a decent amount of skill in the ability when facing not only you, but also against Tranquil Noxitanous.”
The others paused at what she had said. They couldn’t argue that he did have some skill in sneaking. Not only that but his use of Shadow Doubles in the recent test also proved he could get out of sticky situations. However, they still believed this was too much for an applicant.
Noxi and Orchid began voicing their thoughts on it. Silent Saboteur, however, thought some things over. He could agree with why the shorter woman was making this decision. While Echo Talon and Silent Paw were good at sneaking in, finding locations of people around the area, and getting out before anything happened, the target location was a much harder place to sneak into, let alone steal anything. If you had someone who could hide themselves well enough that they looked like a shadow…and if they used that ability in a way that they could use the people walking around as a cover. That person would be the choice.
However, he agreed with Noxi and Orchid about this being too much for an applicant. He wanted to find a way that would be best for everyone while still having it as a test. He thought over the possibilities. Once he figured he had an excellent solution he chimed in.
“What if we had Silent Paw and Echo Talon work as Overseers for this?” Silent Saboteur suggested.
Everyone turned to look at him. Curious by what he meant they remained quiet.
“They started this Chain Mission so it is only fair they participate, but instead of them taking it on they will act like support,” Silent Saboteur. “The support they give is limited to helping him understand the layout, communication, and, if something goes wrong, act like decoys to help him escape. They will still be able to participate in the mission while also test his capabilities of handling the mission and how well he works in a team.”
Lady Arachne brought a hand to her chin while she thought it over. She slowly nodded her head a few times before saying. “Alright, I think that could work.”
Silent Saboteur smiled. Before he or the others could say anything Lady Arachne added, “But you must make sure their roles in this mission is limited to support. Which means they can only provide information about what he needs to look for, look out for, and if things go wrong they must get him out of there.”
Silent Saboteur nodded. “I will inform them that. When should they meet up?”
Lady Arachne looked at him and then at something else. After a few seconds she replied, “How about tomorrow at four pm? Does that work for you as well?”
Liam nodded.
“Good, then when you come here we will go over more about the field mission you will take on as well as getting to know your two seniors that you will be working with,” the shorter woman informed. “You can head out and rest up for the night. Once you have finished the mission test we will go over everything from all the tests and I will give you your Web Name.”
Liam felt excited. He wasn’t sure what kind of name he would get…He was sure that he was hoping it wasn’t the one she had been using to tease him with. With a name like Little Kitten, no one would take him seriously.
Liam bowed before saying, “Thank you.”
Lady Arachne smiled. She didn’t say anything, and the others didn’t as well. Liam took it as a sign that he could just leave so he did.
After Liam left, everyone in the room turned towards Lady Arachne. She thought about what she was going to say, but before she could finish Silent Saboteur stated, “The information that is needed to be found isn’t something an applicant should be trying to take. You know the stakes if what was said in the investigation were true.”
Lady Arachne let out a sigh. “I know.”
“If you know then why did you decide on this?” Noxi questioned with a stern tone. “He has a lot of potential in a few areas. The most that we have seen in new applicants this past year alone. So why? Why give him this as a test? If he is caught then he could be killed.”
Lady Arachne turned her gaze on all of them. It held no malice, no irritation, no annoyance. Instead, it held anticipation…excitement. “Do any of you know Directional Magic Growth Knowledge Theory?”
“That’s the theory about how magic is tied to a person and grows in a certain direction right?” Orchid asked.
“In a sense yes,” Lady Arachne started. “The Knowledge Theory is a deeper look into why magical abilities grows in different directions from person to person. They say that the lower levels is a crash course or the beginners way of trying to understand how the field of magic you have works. After reaching a certain point the abilities you gain start to take a certain direction that is dependent on the path a person is following. They themselves don’t fully know their path or the abilities they’ll gain at the lower levels.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with him and the mission?” Noxi questioned not sure where she was going with this.
Ignoring his question, Lady Arachne continued, “However, there are mentions of rare people already having a certain direction showing in their abilities.”
The other three looked at her with a confused look.
Fully understanding that they wouldn’t understand, she provided, “Field of the Shadow. How much do any of you know about it?”
“Not a lot,” Orchid stated. “Anything related to Shadow Magic is hard to come by besides it belonging to a certain race and the clans tied to the three species of that race.” Orchid glanced at Silent Saboteur as she added, “Its a lot like Lunar Magic.”
Silent Saboteur shook his head. “Lunar magic did belong to a specific race, but they are no longer here. While it is rare and it is kept as a secret, there are ways to gain Lunar Magic outside of racial benefits.”
Lady Arachne nodded. “It is the same with Shadow Magic. While majority of those who have it belong to one of the three species of a certain race there are still those who can obtain it.” She then waved a hand and added, “We’re digressing. I bring it up because during the lower levels of the Field, you can only get certain magical abilities. Those abilities belong to one of the three Focus Points in the Field and that field is, Shadow Control.”
“Okay…,” Orchid stated as she grew even more confused. “So, he showed abilities from that specific Focus Point. So what?”
Lady Arachne shook her head.
Noxi, Orchid, and Silent Saboteur stared at her. They didn’t understand why she was shaking her head. It took them a few seconds before they had a suspicion. Before anyone could voice the question they had formed, Lady Arachne informed, “He showed at least one magical ability from each Focus Point. That can only happen when…”
“A Field knows exactly what direction the user needs to go for their ideal path to grow…,” Silent Saboteur finished as understanding dawned on him.
Lady Arachne nodded with a wide smile. “He has shown the direction his magic is taking him down. His stealth and the way he uses those Doubles…He acted like a shaded ghost or phantom sneaking around. That Blanket of Darkness spell is the best way to blind targets so they can’t see him, and the Grasp of the Shadows is the perfect magical ability to tie someone down if you want to restrict a target or targets so you can kill them off before they can retaliate.” Ideas and images flashed before Lady Arachne’s eyes as the possibilities formed in her head. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he got more Affliction type spells sooner or later. From the way he used his spells so far he has to have more he isn’t showing.”
“Wait…,” Noxi interjected. “Are you saying you believe the direction his Shadow Magic is heading towards will lead him…”
“I’m not going to make assumptions…,” Lady Arachne bluntly stated. “I’m just saying from what I have seen so far I believe I have the best idea where that Field of his is trying to take him towards. And if my guess is correct then this mission will be perfect for him to test out what he’s got.”
The other three looked at each other. They clearly didn’t know exactly what was going on in her head or what she believed the young man was getting from hid Field of Shadows. What they did know though was she knew more about the Field of Shadows and the many secrets it held.
Lady Arachne looked at the door once more. This young man had a lot of potential. From what he had shown his abilities and skills still needed polishing, but he was adjusting while fighting. His crafting had proven its worth just through the Chemicalized Creations alone. If he were to get to the point where he could learn Artificery and combine his Poison Craft and Chemicalized Creations then his options while fighting would be amazing. Even making golems through the Golem Crafting section of Artificery would open so many areas for battle. Oh, Wild Card…did you know this? Did you anticipate he would end up at my branch? Did you plan on him coming here knowing full well I could help him reach the potential he has with shadow magic? The potential he has in becoming one of the best silent killers ever.
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Eri stood with her head facing the ceiling of her celled room. Her body twitched and squirmed as she felt the energy of her nature softly run along her skin. She didn’t expect her little champion to use Strife Inducement during his fight against the Hobgoblin General and his little minions. It was a well-played move to use the annoyance and irritation that the smaller creatures had hidden within their hearts to turn against their general. To be able to get three out of the five to successfully fall under the spell was a great sign that he was getting use to the Seed of Discord he had received.
She did have some concerns when he used the spell, but it looked like they were for naught. Even though Liam had whispered it as quietly as he could, the owl Beast-kin had been able to hear it. His kind did have the better hearing out of them all. However, she was glad that he wasn’t able to understand what exactly he was saying.
Since her magic or the magic tied to her Seed of Chaos had been absent from the world for so long, it looked like many weren’t able to understand it. When it came to certain magics that were considered higher than the basic, like hers, if someone had never heard the spell then they weren’t able to understand what was being chanted. This normally fell within the magics of Demi-God to God tier level.
Since she was able to confirm this then she could have him use it more without the fear of others knowing what he was using. However, she couldn’t have him be so open with it yet since there were some who would be able to decipher it. If he used the spell on someone who was high up on the faith of their Deity then all they had to do was have them listen in and see what he is saying for that Deity to know what he was chanting. It would be especially dangerous if Isis caught wind of this.
She needed Liam to steer clear of any of her followers for now. Since she knew all too well of her magic and the others who were currently in the same predicament as her, she would instantly who he had gotten it from and try to kill him right there on the spot. She couldn’t have that now.
Eri’s gaze shifted from her champion to six others. The tasks she had them working on was progressing smoothly. If this continued then the Performance Gauge would reach full capacity and level two gifts would be given to them. Not only will they receive rewards, but more of her nature would be able to spread. The higher the level of the Performance Gauge is the wider and more prominent it would become.
As it stood right now, her nature was able to spread, but it was akin to a quick breeze. It was noticeable then it was gone. Once it reached level ten then small amounts would start to linger and stay in the areas where it is spread. For now, she was content with what her blessed were doing. Eventually they would get to the point where it would have longer lasting effects, but for now it was fine.
She turned her attention back to Liam who was walking away from the Fiddler’s Spider Web. She knew of the mission they were going to use as a test for him. While she agreed it had some level of difficulty, she believed her champion would succeed. Not only that, but there was a high chance that he could create some chaos while taking this mission on and she was all for that to happen.