Chapter 23 : Bait as it should

Nikolaï was at Maxwell Shop and was counting the coins that the merchant and handed to him.

“_ I’m starting to see you more and more regularly.” Said Aspirant Maxwell.

“_ It’s true. You could say that I had finally decided to open my workshop.” Answered Nikolaï. “Taking my first step as a Forgerune and hopefully take some jobs.”

“_ Nice for you.” Said the merchant with an interested smile. “Are you gonna do enhanced tools like the one you sold to me ?”

“_ It’s how every beginner starts but I have a few talismans that I worked on.”

“_ From your old shipping ?”

“_ Actually, most of those were the work of my mentor, I was only the delivery man but I had worked on my own version of the candles and more recently on the mirror.”

“_ Too bad the pouches are not part of the catalogue.”

“_ I hope they eventually will but for now it’s out of my reach.” Lied Nikolaï. “Will you be interested in acting as my fence ?”

“_ An exclusivity contract ?” Offered the merchant as it wasn’t a big deal.

“_ I said I was a beginner, not an idiot.” Answered Nikolaï. “But if you help me spread the words around and find some contract I will let you have your share.”

“_ What kind of share ?” Asked the merchant with genuine interest.

“_ We could see case by case. I will obviously need raw materials so if you can provide them you can take a share on that. But if you want to implicate yourself a bit more and act as an intermediary on some job we could decide on a more important share of the benefit.”

“_ I think we have an agreement.” Said Aspirant Maxwell while offering his hand.

Nikolaï shook it and took a box out of his bag. It was a new version of the mirror, one that activated directly when the lid opened. Nikolaï asked the merchant to show it around to see if he could find two or three people interested and left.

This time no paper needed to be signed. They had a verbal agreement rather than a written deal.

As Nikolaï was going back to his room he looked at the mission that he had signed early on. Two other people had put their names on it but all the positions weren’t filled yet. The mission was in three days so there was time but Nikolaï was still a bit surprised that more people weren’t interested. For a mission of this difficulty, this amount of tokens was pretty high.

It wasn’t due to the danger of the mission but its inconvenience. The point of it was to get some fish from a pond but they were a nocturnal species so to catch them the Aspirants needed to spend the night in the garden.

A night in the garden was fairly dangerous but a protected camp was next to the shore so they could do the mission safely. If the camp should be safe it was not the same for the surrounding so it was better to spend all night there even if they had finished the mission.

Nikolaï had chosen it because he needed tokens but also for his plan to defeat Expert Orsana's assistants.

After checking the board Nikolaï went to the Dining hall to eat early. For the past few days, he had taken notes of the Tower servants working in the kitchen. He was looking for a young one, one that still needed “to learn how the work was done”. Nikolaï had grown up in a castle and even if it wasn’t a luxury one he had been around few servants.

He had learned during this time that seniority was used as an unofficial ranking system between equal servants so the young one often had the least pleasant tasks to do. Knowing the general tone in the Tower, Nikolaï didn’t believe that its employees were above such pettiness and so he had searched for the ones targeted by their peers.

Nikolaï had few candidates but his favourite one was a young girl who worked at the laundry too. Accumulating jobs meant that she needed money so it was perfect for what Nikolaï had in mind. The girl was probably Nikolaï's age but she was one of those people who always looked younger. She was currently cleaning a table not far from Nikolaï but she had her back to him. He kept looking at her discreetly, especially her hair but waited for her to face him.

By learning her name Nikolaï had found her ironing station at the laundry and had deposited on it an anonymous envelope to her attention. The envelope had a silver coin inside, a letter with instructions and the promise of a gold one for a favour.

The girl finally turned around and Nikolaï took a cup of water to his mouth to hide his satisfied smile. Inside the envelope, he had put something else, a way for her to say that she was on board without needing Nikolaï to reveal his identity. He had joined with his letter a purple ribbon for her to wear and the girl had intertwined it in the front laces of her dress.

She had agreed with the plan and Nikolaï was happy to see that she had found a way to put the ribbon on display as if it could pass as a small coquetry. It was noticeable but not enough to raise real questions. She had found a way to wear the ribbon the entire day (like asked in the letter) without it appearing strange.

Nikolaï had thought she would have worn it in her hair but the fact that she had a smarter way to do it made him sure he had chosen the right person for the job.

He finished his meal and left without crossing paths with the girl or looking back at her. She had her instructions, he did not need to contact her anymore and more importantly, he didn’t have to look for someone else.

***

The night of the mission had come and Nikolaï left his room with his equipment and a bag for the night. He was supposed to meet the rest of the team in front of the Tower but he was a bit late. Some of the afternoon preparations had been longer than he had expected. He hurried and found the other Aspirants.

With him, they were a total of five and after a short introduction, they went their way in the garden before the light started to fade away.

Nikolaï realised quickly that the other Aspirants knew each other. The two guys seemed to be long-time friends and were maybe a year or two younger than Nikolaï. Both of them were Aspirant of the 1st Circle so was one of the girls who apparently was dating one of the guys. The last girl hadn’t yet formed her first Rune, she seemed to have arrived less than 6 months ago so it wasn’t that strange.

Nikolaï pretended to ignore their chattings while they were on their way but he was actually trying to better understand the dynamic of the groups. At first, he had believed that the two girls were also long-time friends but they were apparently cousins.

When they finally arrived at the pond Nikolaï had a rough idea of how they all ended on this mission. The first guy needed tokens and knowing how to fish since he was a child he took the mission. His friend decided to join but for a different reason : the opportunity of a night under the stars with the girl he was dating. It was spring so he had thought that he would be warm enough to not be unbearable and cold enough that the two of them needed to “stick” together.

Apparently, the girl was in the same state of mind and she asked for her cousins to come along to not let the other guy be the third wheel.

Finally, this place had become Nikolaï’s. He was the fifth wheel but it was perfect for him. He had planned to act cold toward them from the beginning for a chance to be left alone. Weirdly it proved easier to play his part because he couldn't stop feeling a bit jealous of them.

Their carelessness made him want to roll his eyes but at the same time envious of their plans for tonight. They were barely younger than himself, living in the same place and yet Nikolaï felt as if they were from different species. In a way, they were, without being from major families Nikolaï recognised their names. They were all from family “respectable” enough to be treated with consideration in this snake nest of a Tower.

Nikolaï turned a little of his bitterness into words while they were settling their camp. Rather than antisocial he decided to act like a buzzkill. He reminded them of the danger of the gardens and warned them about the area. Their surroundings were actually rather safe if you weren’t a complete fool and the others knew it, which reinforced their antipathy for Nikolaï.

The camp area was surrounded by white gravel, the same used on the road separating each part of the garden. It was a repealing of some sort, created by Master Arcanist Drahan and it was enough to protect the area from the small creature around. This place had also a small dock, ideal for fishing.

Once they were settled Nikolaï went to do some personal recon before coming back and start making some bait with things he had brought. The other left him alone and he was glad that his act had worked. Their mission was to bring 10 fish and right at the beginning, Nikolaï had said that he would only fish 2 of the 10.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Suddenly the sound of a bell was heard. It was Dusk and the Tower was close enough that they could hear it. It had taken them less than an hour to arrive at this place so it made sense. Nikolaï looked in the direction of the Tower and could see its top. It was too far for being in the range of his Third Eye but he still wondered what he would look like if he was capable of seeing the elementiums be engulfed into the Tower mechanism.

He let his mind wander, picturing Aspirants emptying corridors to go meditate in their room, the Tower atrium being closed, the open market deserted for the night …

The night finally arrived and they started a small campfire. Nikolaï refused a sip of the liquor they had brought, telling them that it was a stupid idea to drink on a mission. With that, he cut the last string of sympathy the others could have for him. He was right but the Aspirants had no intention of hammering themselves, it was just to keep themselves warm and lighten the mood.

It was a few hours after dusk and it was completely dark now. Nikolaï looked at the sky, the Eye Moon was half-closed but was shining in its greenish hue. Nikolaï decided it was time. He stood up and started to walk away from the campfire after taking a bucket with him.

“_ Where are you going Orwood ?” Asked one of the guys.

“_ The moon is up, it’s time to go fishing.” Answered Nikolaï after he stopped.

“_ The dock is that way.” Pointed the Aspirant.

“_ I know but you are making too much noise and I found a better spot earlier.” Argued Nikolaï before moving again.

“_ It’s dange…” Started one of the girls.

“_ Let him go.” Cut the other guy. “He can do whatever he wants.”

Nikolaï dived into the night and walked along the shore. His eyes had yet to get used to the dark so he moved carefully. Seeing elementium was not really of any help but he still activated his Third Eye to look for some fish.

After 10 minutes he saw some of them and threw some baits not far. He waited for them to come closer and once they started biting the floating pieces of food he joined his hands. He cast Spectral Hand and slowly moved the semi-transparent hand above them. With speed and precision, he caught a fish and brought it to the bucket he had brought with him and filled it with water.

He did the same thing once again and successfully collected two fish. He would have been happy with himself if it wasn’t the easiest part of what he needed do to tonight. Nikolaï looked at the moon again, it was higher than before. Nikolaï eyes had gotten used to the obscurity and he gathered his courage.

While leaving his stuff behind Nikolaï started to take the Tower direction. Travelling at night in the garden was a bad idea but it was a calculated risk and a necessary one. He wasn’t that far from it and his Third Eye gave him a huge advantage. In the worst case, he had kept his sword with him.

Nikolaï moved in silence, his heart beating louder in his chest. Once he had found the white road he followed it on the side, keeping himself in the shadows. He had chosen dark clothes for that purpose.

Eventually, Nikolaï arrived at the open market area. He had made an unfortunate meeting on his way but successfully outrun it. He felt relieved to have found his way, the size of the Tower made it easy to follow but it was still a success. He was more worried about his return to the camp but right now he had to focus.

He approached the open market and moved from shadow to shadow between the building. Only the Tower warehouse had “guards” and Nikolaï had prepared a route to avoid them. He found his bearings and looked for the spot he had visited during the afternoon. It was weird to see this place entirely desert and silent. Finally, Nikolaï found the abandoned shop he was looking for. Behind was an old barrel and Nikolaï had previously hidden things behind.

It was a simple bundle of cloth and Nikolaï started to change after he had retrieved it. He hid his sword and his previous clothes behind the barrel and walked in the direction of the Tower.

His new clothes made him look like a Tower employee, the one with the brown hood, and he had added a dark piece of cloth to hide the bottom of his face. He was not going towards the main door but to one of the service entrances.

Nikolaï was out of breath, his stress was mainly responsible for it and he couldn’t stop himself. He arrived at a small door and tried to calm his heart before knocking softly. After a few seconds, the door opened slightly and the eye of a young servant appeared in the interlacing.

“_ It’s you ?” Asked the servant with an uneasy voice.

Nikolaï showed a gold coin for all answers and the girl opened the door. It wasn’t for a dramatic effect that Nikolaï had avoided talking but because the words were stuck in his throat. He had been so scared that the servant had sold him out and stood face to face with a guard, or worse an Arcanist, waiting for him.

Nikolaï entered and adjusted his hood to make sure that she couldn’t identify him.

“_ I thought you weren’t coming.” Said the girl, still with a shaking voice.

“_ I had to make sure that nobody was around. For both of us.” Half lied Nikolaï.

She seemed as panicked as he was, which in a way gave him some composure. Pretending to be in control of the situation and worrying about her safety could help to gain a bit of her trust.

It may be surprising but the Tower wasn’t as guarded as people may think. At least for the not sensitive area. The high floors or laboratories were a different story.

The Tower of Dzürkül being completely surrounded by gardens filled with monsters and whatnot had made it rather unnecessary to be protected from outsiders.

The more Nikolaï had thought about the more he realised that the Tower had nothing to guard itself against. At least not at a small scale like having patrol around it by some militia. The open market may look like a small village but nobody lived there, it was only made of shops and warehouses. There wasn’t even a curfew. At Dusk the main gate was closed but next to it was a door that could be opened by the employee posted there.

In fact, Nikolaï could have presented himself at it and entered without an issue. He didn’t do so because he would have to sign a ledger and for his plans to work, he needed people to believe that he was out of the Tower for the night.

“_ Is the kitchen empty ?” Asked Nikolaï while trying to make his voice sound deeper.

“_ Yes.” Answered the servant.

“_ Good. Wait for me here.”

“_ But I…”

Nikolaï cut her protestation by showing a second coin. Because he was trying to hide his face he couldn’t look at her directly but he interpreted her silence as an agreement. He repeated his instructions and crossed the room they were in, which was some kind of cellar, and left it by another door.

He was in the kitchen and Nikolaï kept his hood up but took off his “muffler”. He needed to blend as a simple employee and none of them was covering half of their face. He had “borrowed” the uniform he was wearing from the laundry so it would be enough. Before leaving the kitchen Nikolaï took a knife and hid it in his left sleeve.

In the case of the servant who had betrayed him, he didn’t want to be caught armed to the teeth. That’s why he had left his sword or any dagger behind but he needed a blade for what was coming next.

Nikolaï arrived in the dining hall and slowed his steps to look more natural. He needed to hurry up but he couldn’t run around if he wanted to stay discrete. The faster he would act the better but more importantly he was worried that the servant would fail him if he was too slow.

Nikolaï found his way into the Tower and made a few detours to avoid most of the servants using the empty corridor to clean them and such. He finally arrived at his destination, facing the door of some quarter.

Nikolaï joined his hand and cast a new spell that he had learned in the secrecy of the previous nights : Impalpable Key. It was a level 1 spell with a pretty self-explanatory name. It normally required the caster to focus on the shape of the key when he was materialising it, it wasn’t a skeleton key but Nikolaï was using Runic Alteration on it. This way he could change the key once it had been created and shaped it the right way.

Even like that, it could only work on a simple mechanical lock. Most arcanic protection would make what he was trying to do nearly impossible.

Nikolaï unlocked the door and entered quietly but quickly before closing it back. The bedroom was silent and Nikolaï took the knife from his sleeves. He put his mask on and approached the bed. Armed with his knife he raised his hand and stroked !

The bed was empty, the room was empty. There was nobody other than Nikolaï because it was his room. He started to tear apart the bedsheet and trashed the place. He spent the next twenty minutes tearing the place apart while being as silent as possible. If he alerted the neighbours it would ruin everything.

Once he had finished his work he left and locked the door behind him. Under his uniform, he was sweating and on his way back to the bottom floor he was glad he could take away his mask to breathe. While leaving he tried to clean his right index from the ink on it.

He had done it, he completed his twisted idea but he couldn’t relax yet. He needed to leave without being noticed. He arrived at the kitchen and put his mask back before entering. He put back the knife where he had found it and went for the cellar.

The servant was still here, fidgeting in place.

“_ I could lose my job !” Begged the girl when he arrived.

Nikolaï was pretty sure she hadn’t discovered this risk just now but assumed that she was venting the obsessional fear that had been monologuing in her head since he had left.

“_ Don’t worry nobody will ever know what you did.” Said Nikolaï while throwing her the extra coin.

He moved to the door and she opened it. Once he had passed she started to close it but Nikolaï stopped her by putting his foot on the way.

“_ If you are tempted to talk about what happened tonight remember that I know your name and your face. It is more than enough to put a curse on you.” Added Nikolaï before lifting his foot and moving outside.

The door closed behind him and Nikolaï wasn’t really proud of his last threat. The girl seemed already stressed enough but he didn’t want to have everything he had done ruined by something he could have avoided.

He consoled himself on the fact that the “curse thing” was complete bullshit, but she didn’t know that.