Eren awoke with the dawn. She rolled out of bed in one smooth motion. A motion that was perfected over years of necessity. Within moments, she was up and standing in the center of her small room in Reluke Hall.
With swift precise motions, she dressed, making sure to dress in more layers than she normally does.
I’m finally leaving, she thought with an internal smile. Dungeons, monsters, adventure! And most importantly, no Anduin.
She opened a cabinet. Inside, a set of armor was propped up on a rudimentary armor stand. Nothing more than wood formed in the shape of a T. The armor was light, chainmail over wool, but it was surprisingly effective. Especially against unspecialized weapons like beast claws. It would serve her well wherever they decided to go.
Where should we go. Eren mused, disentangling the armor and beginning the process of strapping it on. Elkshire is out. Ril definitely wouldn’t want to go there. Also the dread thicket is in the way. Not sure I want to go through that nightmare without a dedicated party. Ril did say that he travelled through it alone. Wonder how much of that is exaggerated.
She shook her head, and smiled slightly. Armor worn, and adjusted, she opened up a drawer. Inside, a sword lay on a layer of fabric. The sword was short, by no means falling under the definition of a longsword. Contrary to this, it had a hand and a half handle, meant to be wielded with a second hand when power was necessary.
The blade itself was made of blued steel. Forged into a leaf shape, making the entire weapon behave more like an axe than a proper sword. The edge of the weapon was different, coated in a sliver of silverlight, it boasted a wicked taper. Gleaming dangerously in the dim light the filtered through the small window of the room. The perfect weapon for chopping through tough powder beast hide.
It was the standard monster slaying sword given to all members of the royal guard. While the armor was hers, bought and paid for, the sword was not. It belonged to the royal family, and was only provided to the guards when they signed on. Evelyn had been kind enough to allow Eren to keep it for her journey. A royal gift, so to speak.
Eren strapped on the sword. With this maybe we could go through the Dread Thicket. Try to find Gemma. It might be interesting to live in a forest for some time.
Eren left Reluke hall, fully armored up, her helmet bouncing from a cord strapped to her belt. She made her way through the market district, spending her hard earned cash on travelling rations and supplies to last three people for at least a week. More than enough to get to wherever they planned to go.
Or two and a half, Eren thought idly. She smiled to herself and the indignation that Hauke would express at being considered half a person.
Shrugging she moved on through the market district collecting everything they would need for a weeks long journey through the wilderness.
Where to go though? Maybe head east, closer to the frontlines. Ril did say that he wanted to go in that direction. Or did he say that he wanted to join the army and help purge the powder beasts...Don't remember. Glis might be a good stopping point. It’s to the east. Desert though... Eren began humming to herself as she considered possibilities.
Or perhaps Selavie. It’ll get annoying not seeing the sun often, but it would be better than sand. She shuddered. Anything was better than sand. It got everywhere, and considering the water situation in Glis, if they went to Glis, she would be resigning herself to months of having sand in her hair.
Decided. Eren stopped at her home, to inform Hauke and her family that she was leaving, and she would be taking Hauke with her. Hauke was suitably excited, although her parents didn’t seem to totally understand what she meant.
“I’m not going to be sending any money back for a while.” She told them.
They didn’t seem worried, confident in their own nobility. She sighed and left, informing Hauke to get ready to leave later that day.
Then she returned to Reluke Hall. Dropping her three heavy bags with a thump to the floor. She rubbed her shoulder. It was stiff from lugging all of the supplies for a couple hours.
She chewed her lip, glancing apprehensively at the stairs that led to the second floor. Ril hadn’t taken the rejection well. Resembling that old warrior from the kings contingent. She had seen him a couple of years ago, before she had joined the royal guard. She had been patrolling one of the streets in the inner city, and had seen him.
Grug Earthbreaker. Vanguard of the Silver Swords. He was a mountain of a man. So much muscle that he didn’t look entirely human. Simply an immovable pillar composed entirely of layers upon layers of corded muscle. His dark grey skin looked to be hewn from rock rather than flesh. Hands so large that a single one of them could wrap around a normal person’s waist. And crush that waist without any effort should he choose to. The greatest Bruiser alive. Or he was.
When Eren had spotted him, he had been playing with colored blocks on the porch of a small home. A caretaker watching over him while he arranged the painted wood. He had looked up to her when she had passed. Glowing orange eyes vacant, absolutely no expression on his gnarled face.
Eren shuddered. Dismissing the disturbing memory. High warp was really terrifying.
She ascended the staircase, and made her way to Ril’s door. She knocked twice. When no response presented itself, she edged into the room carefully.
Ril was still in bed, staring vacantly out the window.
“Good morning, Ril!” Eren said, forcing cheer into her voice. He said something in response, to low and too muffled for her to understand. She moved over to the curtains and threw them open, eliciting a pained wince from Ril, who retreated deeper into his covers.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“Not a good morning.” Ril mumbled.
“Awe, come on, Ril. This isn’t the end of the world. Think of this as an opportunity to go and explore the world. Didn’t you say you wanted to go east. There is a city there that I think would be fun to explore. Selavie. It’s built into a mountain. We could go there. Meet some new people. Form a party, explore some dungeons, slay some powder beasts. It’ll be fun.”
“No point.” Ril mumbled.
Eren sighed. “Move over some would you.” Ril reluctantly wriggled to the side, giving her space to sit on the bed. “Why isn’t there any point, Ril?”
“They’ll just abandon me again.”
“That’s not true.”
“It is. It happened in Elkshire. It happened here. Why wouldn’t it happen in this Selavie. I don't care anymore. It’s not worth the effort.”
“History isn’t destined to repeat itself. What happens is determined by the actions we take. Not by fate.”
“Well maybe I’m just a bad person. Cursed, as everyone always says.” Ril peaked his head out of the blanket, his glowing eyes shining angrily. “Somehow, no matter what I want, I always ‘chose’ the actions that lead to this.”
“You’re not a bad person Ril.” He snorted. “No Ril. You’re not. Remember that orphan beggar that you helped. You found him an apprenticeship. Now he has a job, and his life is better because of it. Because of you. You are a good person. You help people because you can.”
“Well if I am such a good person, then why does this keep happening to me?” Ril challenged.
Eren let out a laugh. “Come on, Ril. That’s like saying that just because the last two times I flipped a coin it landed on heads, the next time the coin gets flipped it is guaranteed to land on heads. It just means that you got unlucky. Not that you should give up.”
Ril blinked. Focusing inwards for a second, before he grudgingly nodded. “Fine, but that doesn’t dismiss the evidence. Both times, I came to a city. It was good at first. Then I do something wrong, and woopty doo, I get kicked out, forced to restart somewhere else.”
“What if it wasn’t your fault?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, how do you know that it was your action in specific that caused the events to force you out of the city?”
“Uhm.” Ril scrunched his face. “I don't, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t related. The events are pretty related.”
“But it does mean that you might not be the cause. What’s to say that in both situations something else happened that caused you to leave. Like a noble waking up on the wrong side of the bed, and taking their anger out on you?”
“You can’t prove that.”
“Just because I can’t prove that you are wrong, doesn’t mean what you are saying is true. Just says that I’m not smart enough to have found a solution yet.”
“That’s absurd.”
“Prove it.”
They glared at each other. Eren broke the staring contest first. She looked out the window, and sighed.
“Ril, I haven’t known you for long. Not even a month, but since we met, I’ve learned that you are not the type of person to just give up. You have a goal, and you fight for it with all your heart. Anything that stands in your way gets trampled. Sometimes the wall in front of you can’t be pushed through. When that happens you get up, and go around the wall. Try something else. Go somewhere else. And when you get stronger, or smarter, you return to the wall and break it down.”
“When I asked you to help that orphan, you stopped everything that you were doing and solved it. You saw the problem. Identified it, then solved it in the most concise manner possible, regardless of cost. No, listen, Ril. When you asked Evelyn if you can help her in some way, she said no. Did you just accept that? No, you asked again. You fought in the arena. And yes, you went against her wishes to spy on a noble house. Were you wrong to do that? Maybe.”
“But my point is, that you Ril, yes you, are stubborn. Nothing that happens can get you down. Nothing that will happen can make you collapse. Nothing can make you give up. Not because nothing will ever make you fall. No, simply because it is not in your nature to give up.”
“Now, us two are leaving today, we are going to join a caravan, head east to Selavie, and start anew. Now, I don’t know what you heard in that noble’s house, but if there is something that you want to do before we leave you need to get up.”
Eren looked back at Ril, his once tired and vacant eyes replaced by a familiar fire that had gone missing since the night before. Almost. There was still a hint of uncertainty still present.
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“But my eyes...” Ril said, gesturing vaguely towards his glowing eyes.
“Ah, yes. I meant to give these to you. These are contacts, they hide the glow pretty well. It may still be visible in a pitch black room, but it is more than good enough for regular life.” Eren dug into her bag and handed Ril a small case. When Ril looked curiously at the case, then at her, she chuckled. “Believe it or not Ril, I also have more than ten percent warp.”
Eren reached into her eye and pinched. A translucent contact lens was visible on her finger, her eye glowing faintly in the background. She popped the contact back in place.
“But your hair? Is it metal too?” Ril asked.
“Yes, but not nearly to the same extent as yours is. I have a couple silver strands that I dye to hide the color. You and your completely silver hair is a special case. Your blood too. I haven’t seen anyone with completely silver blood.”
Ril glanced over Eren’s hair, then to the contact case in his hands. The hesitation, fear, and uncertainty faded gradually, until there was nothing left but determination.
“So?” She raised a brow at him, a small small lifting up the corner of her lips.
Ril grinned, rushing over to the bathroom to insert the contact into his eyes.
* * *
“Hmm, I haven’t heard of a smuggler’s tunnel that leads into the Academy.” Eren said, after Ril had described what he had heard during his infiltration. “Evelyn knows? Good. I mean, if the guard hasn’t found the tunnel by now, it’s unlikely that anything will come of it. But she will station more guards around here which should make it easier to catch the smugglers in action. Probably.”
They were standing right outside Reluke Hall, laden with all the heavy provisions that Eren had collected during the day.
“I can find the tunnel.” Ril said, confidently.
Both of Eren’s shot up. “Really?”
Ril hesitated, “Should I?” He looked to Eren a questioning look in his eyes.
Eren didn’t immediately answer. Seriously considering the question.
“If you do figure out where the tunnel is, you won’t be able to tell Evelyn. She has gone up to the castle for today, and somehow I doubt that the guard commander would take you seriously, if you tell him. You may land into more trouble than you are in now, if you do.”
“What if I just sneak into the tunnel with my clone. See if there are smugglers in there and if they are, I step out and make a loud noise to attract the guards. If they are already searching for smugglers it shouldn’t be hard to attract them and then disappear. My abilities should allow for it.”
Eren hummed in thought. “If the tunnel even exists.”
“If it exists, and I can find it, yes.”
“I say you do it.” Eren said, carefully. “But! But, you have to promise to use your head. If the smugglers turn out to be an armed party with an Eliminator, you run, and you don’t stop running. Evelyn will be in the castle today. If something like that happens, you will let the guard handle it.”
“Got it.” Ril said, a determined look appearing on his face. They stood like that for a moment. Eren shuffled her feet.
“So. What now?” she said after a while.
“Right, I need to talk to someone.” Ril said, focused. He set off. Setting a brisk pace through the streets. Not long after, he arrived at a familiar building. The distinctive sounds of hammering coming from the building.
They stepped inside. A tiny bell announcing their arrival.
For once, Dom was not sitting at the counter. A miserable looking, dogeared book lay abandoned on the countertop. The door to the backroom was propped open and through it the smell of hot steel and sweat wafted into the main room.
“Hello?” Ril called.
There was a racket of a bar of metal falling to the floor.
“Oi, ow. Hey Dom. I think someone in the main room.” said a young voice.
“Irrelevant.” Came a bass rumble. “Continue.”
“You sure? Yup ok. You’re sure. Got it.”
The roar of the forge intensified. A moment later, the hammering of steel continued.
“Oi! Dom!” Ril called out. “Don’t you ignore me! I brought you that kid.”
“Uh. I think it is that Ril fellow.” came the young voice. A deep grunt sounded out of the back room. “Oh. Bank the fire. Ok. Got it.”
Heavy footfalls sounded. A shadow fell upon the doorway. Ril craned his neck, and beheld the full form of Dom standing in the doorway.
So he was sitting on the floor last time.
“Hi Dom. I was wondering if I could talk to the kid?” Dom gave him a steady stare. “Please?”
“I’m saved!” Bel rushed out of the back room. He lifted a heavy stained leather apron over his head with obvious difficulty, before chucking it to the floor. “You’ve come to get me out right? Wonderful, I’ll go collect my things.”
Bel dashed to the side, but before he could escape, Dom grabbed him by the waist, and lifted him up. Bel’s legs windmilled comically for a moment before seemed to deflate.
“Enjoying the apprenticeship?” RIl asked, hiding a grin.
“Well, y--. Hey Dom could you turn me around?” Dom twisted Bel around so that he was facing Ril and Evelyn. “Better. It’s a nightmare, Ril. This...monster here, he works non-stop. I haven’t had a proper break for three days. My arms are going to fall off. Look!”
Bel demonstrated, flapping both of his arms limply.
“I’m glad you are enjoying it so much.” Ril chuckled. “I just came here to ask you a question.”
“No! You are not listening. I’m suffering! In pain! I need a breeaak!” Bel hollered, struggling uselessly in massive smith’s hands.
“Do you know of a reliable fence?” Ril said, his voice nearly eclipsed by Bel’s bawling.
Bel stopped his flailing. “A what?”
“A fence.” Ril repeated, as if it was the most reasonable request ever. “You know. A smuggler, a dealer. Your contact.
“Uhm,” Bel began, he glanced nervously towards Eren. “No?”
Ril turned to Eren. “Could you give us some privacy.”
Eren rolled her eyes. “I’ll be outside.”
“What about now? Preferably someone who deals in powderbeast parts.” Ril said, when the door slammed shut. Bel’s eyes flashed to the big smith who was still holding him a couple inches above the ground. “I don’t think Dom cares either way.”
“Uhm, ok. Why do. Uhm. Crow’s pretty good. You can find him across from the Boiled Shoe. Anyone in the slums can direct you.”
“Cool, thanks.” Ril left the smithy. Behind him he faintly heard Bel begin renegotiating the apprenticeship with the unflappable smith.
“Get what you were looking for?” Eren asked. She was leaning idly against the side of the building.
“Yup.”
“You think this fence will know about a tunnel to the Academy?”
“Unless it was dug by the nobles very recently, he should. Anyway. Maybe I should do this next part alone.” Ril implored.
Eren nodded. “I can go get Hauke. Where would you like to meet?”
Ril deliberated for a moment. “Let’s meet back here. It should be roughly in the center. If I find anything we can decide from there.”
* * *
The two separated. Ril heading east, towards the slums. On the way he collected a few glass vials from a vendor. He found a deserted alleyway, and sat down next to a pair of dilapidated looking barrels. The distinctly unpleasant smell of rotting vegetables filled the alleyway.
Ril sent the clone to guard the entranceway of the alley. It had been invisibly following him the entire day. It had remained invisible overnight, and the strain of maintaining Vanish on the clone throughout the night had left Ril’s mana sore. Definitely not something he would willingly maintain for long periods of time. Especially not if he was planning on casting any other spells.
Pulling out a small dagger, and made a small but deep incision into his palm.
If my hair is so valuable, how valuable would my blood be?
Twenty painful minutes later, Ril had three small vials of pure silver blood. He stoppered them and wiped away the blood that now covered his palm. He winced, carefully bandaging his throbbing hand.
There has got to be a better way to do that.
His method had mostly involved massaging the self inflicted wound and watching the blood slowly drip out. He had intentionally not made the wound too deep, but it had made the entire process take way longer than he would have wanted.
He stowed the vials in his bag, and left the alley. A couple minutes of walking later, Ril entered the slums for real. A furtive question, and a couple of copper coins later, Ril stood in front of the Boiled Shoe.
It was a rickety shack. Its roof was partially decayed and definitely lived up to its name. Despite all this, there was a sizable crowd sitting inside even this early in the day. Ril ignored them, and turned around to observe a similarly maintained building sitting across the street from the worn tavern.
With confident steps he approached the building. Without knocking, Ril tried the doorknob. It was unlocked. He entered into a dim hallway, the lack of light not nearly as big of a problem as it used to be. A big man was seated on a rickety looking stool. On Ril’s entrance, he straightened and crossed his scarred forearms.
“What you want?,” said the thug.
“I’m looking for Crow. Trade for information.” Ril replied. He looked unblinkingly at the thug’s forehead. An old trick he learned for maintaining eye contact without the discomfort of actually looking someone in the eye.
“Alright, two thins.”
“One.”
The thug glared at him. Then nodded grudgingly. Ril tossed a single thin iron coin over to the thug. The thug relaxed back against the wall, his stool creaking mightily under his bulk.
Ril walked past him. The hallway continued until it stopped at a small office. Inside a thin man was crouching on a high backed chair in front of a desk. He was curled up into a ball with his feet under him. His knees stood prominently in front of him, completely hiding his chest.
So that’s why they call him crow.
“Hi. I am looking for information.” Ril said, entering the room.
Crow twitched his head up in a distinctly bird like motion. “My my my. You my dear boy are quite... new aren’t you. A new boy. Haven’t seen your face around these parts.” The man let out a soft laugh. “Well, perhaps now I have, haven’t I, new boy?”
Crow’s voice was warm and silky smooth, definitely not what Ril expected from the bird-like man in front of him.
“You’re looking for information? Well aren’t we all? Knowledge is power, you know. A curious thing don’t you think? If knowledge is power, then a fence like I must be very powerful indeed.”
“I am--” Ril began, when Crow raised his thin arm, interrupting him.
“Very powerful indeed, and yet I am not a king. Don’t you find that rather curious.”
Ril frowned. “Yes, but--”
“Curious indeed. Very curious. I am glad that you are curious too. However, it gets much more better, you know. Much more better, indeed. See, I acquired my knowledge with time. Now, as a freestanding citizen of this here country, I believe that most everyone has got near identical amounts of the stuff. Time that is. It’s practically pouring out of our ears with how much we waste it. Sometimes literally. So tell me, new boy. How is it that I have more knowledge than most everyone, and not a lick of power that should come with it? Hmm?”
“Knowledge is not power? Or you are using the knowledge that you have poorly. Now can I--”
“Well said new boy. Do tell. What information do you so desperately seek.”
The muscle under Ril’s left eye twitched. “I am looking for the location of a smuggler’s tunnel whose entrance lies in the Academy district.”
“Ahh, a smuggler’s tunnel. What a horrid, humid place to be searching for. Pray tell, why are you searching for such a damp and dismal place?”
“What will you give me for that information?” Ril replied.
Crow let out another quiet laugh. “Yes, yes. Yes. A marvelously stingy boy such as yourself has played this game before, have you not?”
“Do you know where the tunnel is?”
“Ahh, but you see, new boy, is there even a tunnel that so conveniently leads to the academy? Or is it just as imaginary as the payment you would give me to part with said information.”
Ril took a moment to parse that last sentence, then pulled out a single vial of his blood and set it on the table between them. “I am willing to trade a vial of pure beast blood for the location of the tunnel, as well as any pertinent information regarding access.”
“Bright...beast...blood...” Crow said leaning forward on his perch to better observe the vial of fresh blood. “Hmm... You know, there are some who say that money is power. Fools the lot of them.”
“But if you can trade this vial for money, and that money for knowledge. So at the end of the day, this vial is worth power regardless.”
“Power...power. Power is a curious thing. What about this,” Crow gestured to the vial. “Powder beasts, a power as well. Is this strength that we so casually steal from them not power in it’s own right?”
Ril rubbed his temple. “Interchangeable. They are simply different terms for the same thing.”
“And what is that thing clever boy?”
Ril shrugged. “The ability to change the world to your liking.”
Crow snatched up the vial, then held it up to the light. “A clever answer. And so shall you receive a clever response. The tunnel you seek is hidden underneath a trap door situated in the secondary grain storage house of the Academy.”
“Any relevant information about the entrance or exit?”
Crow smiled, wild and with too many teeth. “For that new boy you will need to offer up something...else.”
Ril pulled out another vial of his blood, but didn’t set it on the table yet. “Would this be enough?”
“Of course.” Crow nodded his entire body tilting around the pivot his legs made below him. Ril tossed the vial across the table, which Crow gracefully grabbed.
“No, no, no.” Crow sang out. “There is no pertinent, relevant, or otherwise suitable information you will need to access said tunnel. It is a tunnel. Not a safehouse.”
Ril shook his head, then turned around and left. Passing by the thug on his way. Behind him he heard the fence raise his voice in a sing-song manner.
“Tunnel, tunnel, tunnel. Do come again, new boy. That is, if you have the time.”