Chapter 15 : Potion and Purse
The next day Nikolaï was heading to the common laboratories and looked for Aspirant Soreco. After their meeting, he had told her he was going to give his answer the next day so she explained where she would be in the afternoon.
Vera Soreco was an Aspirant of the 2nd Circle and an Alchemist skilled enough to benefit from a personal laboratory but some compounds were better to be done away from where you live, especially smelly ones.
If Aspirant Soreco was surprised by Nikolaï's answer she didn’t show. She didn’t argue against Nikolaï's final offer of 65 gold pounds but with the promise of 30 in advance. The advance was to make sure his order was going to be done as soon as possible.
They discussed a bit about the timeline and Aspirant Soreco offered to inform Nikolaï in the next few days.
At the end of the meeting, Aspirant Soreco gave a message to deliver to the apothecaries from last time. The Bourquet were the ones to whom Nikolaï was going to give the money. They were more equipped to handle large sums without risk. Nikolaï understood the will to not walk in the Tower with a fortune in your pockets.
He didn’t recall any story about a direct mugging, but Aspirants weren’t benevolent enough to each other to affirm that it hadn’t or weren’t going to happen, ever.
There were hearsays about how some Aspirants killed during exploration had their room forced at the same time. Nikolaï knew the rumours but never heard about a genuine case, it took it as a cautionary tale that the creatures in the garden were maybe not the most devious ones.
When Nikolaï had first arrived in the Tower he would have qualified those rumours as ludicrous conspiracy but after what he had been through he didn’t doubt that people could act this way.
As Nikolaï walked to the market he wondered if Aspirant Soreco could be trusted. She had no interest in poisoning him or something like that but that was not what he feared. Nikolaï was still trying to stay low and hoped that Aspirant Soreco wasn’t going to advertise his order.
There was secrecy between a client and an Alchemist. They often talked about their work but never the identity of their customers. Nikolaï hoped that Aspirant Soreco had a sense of ethics and although started to believe that he should have paid her price and asked for her discretion.
“It had probably made it more suspicious than it is ?” Thought Nikolaï.
He continued to think about Aspirant Soreco's reputation. Her scar drew certain attention from the others so despise her discretion she was not an anonymous figure. People did speculate about the origin of her scar and the fact that she didn’t have it when she first arrived at the Tower.
Nikolaï didn’t pay much attention to those rumours but he couldn’t stop being a little curious. Aspirant Soreco was also not from a noble family. Semantically speaking she was a commoner but the wealth of her family was probably above one-third of the Aspirants in the Tower. From what Nikolaï knew she was from a family of merchants but he didn’t know in what sector.
Towers were technically only reserved to the nobility but buying your way in was not new. Nikolaï assumed that the Soreco family paid an influential family with whom they had a relationship to have some kind of recommendation. It could be why Aspirant Soreco entered a Tower so far in the south when she seemed from the north. Having a member of the bourgeoisie in Tower was a bit taboo so if a noble family helped to do so they were going to send the student beyond their sphere of influence. It sounded like nonsense but it was a way to avoid any kind of political fallback.
Nikolaï wasn’t an expert in the matter but he knew that many apply the logic of : “Out of sight, out of care” when politics was involved. To nobility, reputation could be everything so having a reminder that you sold it close to you was stupid if you could avoid it.
Anyway, Aspirant Soreco's origin had brought attention to her legitimacy as a student from the more traditional students and teachers. From what Nikolaï could see she had risen to the challenge and in a way, her reputation as an Alchemist benefited a lot from this attention. This fact brought a smile to Nikolaï, questioning her ability to discredit her had only made her more legitimate and the beauty of the irony was not lost on him.
Despite that, Aspirant Soreco seemed to keep to herself a lot. Nikolaï guessed that it was more of a calculated choice than a personality issue. If her skills were known by average Aspirants then the most influential one had noticed them too. Dealing with the higher sphere of the Tower could become very complicated. Even without being recruited by them, a family could boycott an Alchemist who had been treated by a rival family.
The higher you go on the social ladder the more weight rivals could carry. Many good Alchemists had been crushed between nobilities games and forced to join one. Aspirant Soreco seemed to have avoided that so far and Nikolaï imagined that she had refused many juicy contracts to stay away for retribution.
Nikolaï arrived at “Maxwell’s shop” and focused on the present matter. His reflection on Aspirant Soreco's situation was also a reflection on his. It was not for today or tomorrow but eventually, his skills as a Forgerune were going to grow to the point where he would be in a similar position.
“_ Oh ! Hi, Aspirant Orwood !” Interrupted Aspirant Maxwell with a bit of surprise.
“_ Hi Aspirant Maxwell, I thought I’d pass by to see how the sales went.” Said Nikolaï without much confidence.
“_ It’s only been four days. But don’t worry your product will be sold.” Answered the merchant.
Aspirant Maxwell had raised an eyebrow. His tone wasn’t suspicious but he clearly knew that Nikolaï didn’t stop by to check on the sales.
“_ What can I do for you ?”
It was a dedicated expression for a merchant but what he really did was invite Nikolaï to speak his mind.
“_ Alright, to be honest, I wonder if you could deliver me an advance on the sales ?” Asked bluntly Nikolaï.
“_ How much ?”
“_ 10 gold pounds.”
Aspirant Maxwell's eyebrow went back up but no other sign appeared on his face. However, he seemed to calculate something in his head.
Nikolaï could guess what it was. He knew that Aspirant Maxwell had the sum but the real question was : did his treasury could do without it before he sold Nikolaï’s product ?
“_ I usually don’t but they are always exceptions.” Finally said the merchant.
“_ What kind of exceptions ?”
“_ A quid pro quo. A benefit for me too.”
“_ Something like collateral ?” Offered Nikolaï.
“_ No.” Answered Aspirant Maxwell with a benevolent smile. “I’m confident that your products will sell so any kind of warranty will be lost on them.”
Nikolaï was a bit confused about where the conversation was going.
“_ In exchange for the money I would like to have your word that you use my shop to fetch the next products you have.”
“_ An exclusivity !” Said Nikolaï, surprised.
“_ I don’t think we can afford an exclusivity, let’s call it a priority.” Calmly responded the merchant. “I will be the first one you present your new product and if my offers are not to your liking you could refuse and sell it to a competitor.”
Nikolaï pretended to think about it like it was a lot to ask from him. Making fences compete with each other could be profitable for him but also bring unwanted attention.
“_ The promise won’t be permanent.” Added the merchant. “Why don’t we say a priority for your next ten items ? One for each gold pound advance.”
“_ I like it.” Concluded Nikolaï after a silence. “A win-win for both of us.”
They shook hands and the merchant started to write a small contract. This one wasn’t meant to be officialized, it was a way to verbalize more precisely the agreement. Aspirant Maxwell promised the money for the next day and Nikolaï was ready to leave.
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Halfway from the door he stopped and turned back.
“_ Now that we had some kind of partnership, what kind of talisman has the best chance to be sold ? According to you.” Asked Nikolaï.
“_ Hum…” Started the merchant while caressing his chin. “Offensive talismans are always easier to sell. Even one with only one used, like the defensive one you brought me. Gatherers are more concerned about expanding their arsenal rather than their retreat strategy.”
Nikolaï already knew that. Gatherer was the nickname used for Aspirants who lived from their expedition into the Tower's gardens.
“_ But from your current products I think the purse is the more valuable.” Added Aspirant Maxwell.
“_ The purse !?”
“_ You see a lot of Aspirants are using low-quality talismans. They are cheaper and easily replaceable but they also degrade quickly and could accidentally be triggered, especially in the gardens where elementium is more chaotic.”
This was the reason Nikolaï had created the purse for his runic coins, it provided tainting from an outside source. Not so long ago an Aspirant had almost lost his leg when the scream of an arcanic creature had triggered accidentally the talisman he had as his belt.
“_ Selling unsigned offensive talisman could not be as profitable as selling pocket where they’ll be safe. They won’t have the same profit margin but the purse will sell for sure.”
“_ Thank you.” Genuinely Said Nikolaï.
The point was more than valid and even if Aspirant Maxwell didn’t teach something Nikolaï ignored, he had brought a legitimate perspective. He had probably done it because he knew he would benefit from it, if the promise of the 10 next items hadn’t been made he would have just stuck to the obvious.
Nikolaï had already a valuable product that he had underestimated. Before going back to the Tower he went to the tannery and ordered pieces of leather for the next day.
Once done he went to the library and spent the rest of the day researching more advanced attached glyphs. He needed to enhance the effects and to do that, he needed to learn how to better attached the Dissipation Sigil.
***
The next day, after his morning meditation session Nikolaï went to the shop to take the 10 gold pounds. With the 20 he had saved from previous sales he went to the “Bourquet brothers” with the message from the Aspirant Soreco.
The apothecary quickly understood the situation and gave a receipt to Nikolaï in exchange for the money. Apparently, Aspirant Soreco often used them to provide most of her ingredients rather than dealing directly with Gatherers.
After that Nikolaï went to retrieve his order to the tannery and bought small tools to work leather.
Back to his room, his savings had shrunk a lot and he noticed, a bit sadly, that resisting the instinct of spending it on comfort had been the right call.
Nikolaï immersed himself in the making of his new talismans. He spent most of the time in his room, only leaving to feed himself or to check theoretical books from the library.
***
Three days after delivering the advance two letters were slid under Nikolaï’s door.
The first one was from Vera Soreco. It explained briefly that she had started preparation and that she needed information on him. She asked to meet the next day at the apothecary to perform a medical examination. With the letter was also some kind of questionnaire about Nikolaï's health, past and present, current treatment and reaction to certain products.
The second letter was more official and concerned Nikolaï’s exam. Even if he wasn’t surprised by the date he was feeling a bit tense by its arrival. A countdown had started and Nikolaï continued reading. Suddenly his eyes went wide and hairs spiked on his back.
He just had read the conditions required for him to pass. They were far superior to what he was waiting for. It was like his last exam hadn’t been delayed but passed and now Nikolaï had to show new progress.
To succeed Nikolaï had to present a fully formed Second Ether Rune or demonstrate a level 2 spell and a new level 1 spell. Impalpable Wall couldn’t be accepted any more and right now the only level 1 spell Nikolaï knew was Dissipation. The one spell he couldn’t present without raising a lot of suspicions.
Nikolaï read the letter a second time and turned it to look for any other information. Not only the requirements were higher than normal but the letter contained no offer to postpone the exam. The exam couldn’t be postponed eternally but a student could do it three times before being forced to pass the test. Each time was more expensive than the previous one but some people could afford it.
Nikolaï’s letter wasn’t making sense. On one hand, it was like he had done very well on his last exam and on the other, it was a warning for his last chance before expulsion. Nikolaï knew something was wrong with it, he didn’t believe a mistake had been made but thought that something more sinister was at stake. Someone was trying to get rid of him, to push him away from the Tower and he didn’t doubt who it was.
Expert Orsana had the influence to do so and even if he probably believed that dealing with Nikolaï was beneath him he was not going to let a reminder of his failure wander freely under everybody's nose.
Nikolaï was torn. Was it a personal vendetta or the act of someone protecting his reputation ?
Originally Nikolaï had scheduled enough time to learn a level 2 spell for his test but he needed to change his plans. It could be easier without the menace flying under his head and Nikolaï tried to calm down. He didn’t want to act paranoid, he had no proof of Orsana's involvement but had trouble believing he wasn’t.
After an hour of internal monologue, Nikolaï agreed with himself about Expert Orsana mingling. He didn’t discover evidence by sheer logic but accepted it as a compromise with his paranoia. Nikolaï wasn’t just a reminder of Orsana’s failure but also the “surviving proof” of a scandal that affected the Tower itself.
The other subject had been dealt quietly, the noise made by the dead wasn’t lasting long but a living proof like Nikolaï could raise questions by his only existence.
Knowing that Nikolaï preferred to believe that the letter was Orsana’s doing and not from someone higher. The idea of facing Master Arcanist Drahan, a man who rose to the 7th Circle and controlled the Tower was making Nikolaï hard to breathe.
He believed that if Master Drahan wanted to he could enter his room right now, blew him with a spell and barely had to justify his actions. He was that much precious to the Empire that nobody would care about the 5th child of a small family.
Nikolaï spent the evening in an anxious mood but still managed to work and think of a new plan.
***
The next day Nikolaï went to the apothecary. Aspirant Soreco was already waiting for him in the back room that the Bourquet had lent to her. Nikolaï had spent the night worrying about his exam that he had forgotten to be worried about the physical one.
Fortunately, Aspirant Soreco didn’t require an intimate inspection. It was mostly his height, weight and a test of his blood. Nikolaï had expected her to perform a bleed but she qualified the thing of obsolete. The modern way, as Nikolaï discovered, consisted of stabbing the inside of his elbow with the hollow sting from a giant wasp.
Nikolaï could have been impressed by the materials if maintaining his dignity hadn’t asked everything from him. The sting had a small bottle on the other side and Aspirant Soreco collected a very small quantity of blood.
After she put a piece of cotton on the puncture and made Nikolaï fold his arms to maintain it, he couldn’t argue that a bleed didn’t seem as practical as the medical way.
Nikolaï became curious about Aspirant Soreco's medical knowledge. As an Alchemist it was not surprising that she had notions about it but they seemed to go beyond drugs and pure biology. Apparently, she had an interest in medical methodology but Nikolaï didn’t think she was aiming at being a healer.
After the final exam, he wanted to ask a bit more but something chased away the idea from his mind. For the last exam, he had to weigh himself, using a scale owned by the brothers. To make sure the result was accurate Nikolaï had striped behind a curtain away from anyone's eyes.
He stepped on the scales and read the result out loud to Aspirant Soreco, waiting at the other side. He took him a moment before realising that he must be wrong and stepped back on the scales. He lost his words for a moment. Since his arrival at the Tower, he had lost 18 pounds (9 kilograms).
Nikolaï joined his hands and cast Moist Mirror. He quickly altered the shape to make it larger even if the spell was going to end sooner. He barely recognized the body wearing only underwear in the mirror. It seems so skinny and dry as if his skin had shrunk to squeeze any fat from him.
Because of Nikolaï's education, he had arrived at the Tower with a rather athletic body but for the first time, he was seeing how poorly he had taken care of it. As he looked at his reflection Nikolaï knew that it was not just the coma but the result of 3 years of neglect. He cancelled the mirror but the image remained in his mind. He didn’t know why this never occurred to him before, was the lightning in his bathroom so poor that he didn’t pay attention to the change in his body ?
Nikolaï knew he had lost weight when he pierced new holes in his belt but he hadn't imagined how bad he treated his health. Has hopelessness had affected him that way ? Was he going to continue ignoring it ?
Those questions occupied his mind during the rest of the interview and until Nikolaï went to sleep.