Chapter Eight
Daniel finished telling us the story, nervously glancing around before looking across the round tavern table at Lantos. Second day here, he bumps into a Knight because, of course, he did. I really shouldn’t be surprised at this point. He always had a strange amount of luck.
“Why was she carrying a body? Surely the city is not in that bad of a state that she couldn’t get a guard.” Lantos said.
I’m more surprised that a Vinna was made a Knight. I would’ve thought the Outriders would have higher standards than that. Though given their recent performance, perhaps I shouldn’t have.
“I don’t know, miss Tellock didn’t say, but we did tell the guard about the stabbing, so hopefully, they can find the culprit.”
“Already on a first-name basis with the knight Daniel?” I tease.
“Well, you know how it can be. Some people can’t help but be impressed by a selfless deed.” He said slowly, gaining back his familiar confidence as he spoke. Puffing out his chest in an exaggerated manner and grinning slightly. “ And you know me and my preference for strong women.”
“Are you going to introduce us? I need to see if she’s good enough for my brother’s infatuation.”
“Don’t know about me being infatuated, but I can ask. She did invite me to the Tempest’s chapter house, though I can’t imagine the conversation. You're both kinda quiet.”
“I’m not quiet!” Feigning outrage.
Daniel laughs a little as he speaks, “Yes, you are. Miss Gertrude didn’t even recognize your voice that one time at the harvest festival. You remember that.”
How can anyone forget Gertrude the gossip? Gertrude the lying gossip more like. She’s not the type of person you forget. She knew everyone, and I knew enough to avoid her as much as possible. I had enough rumors circling me without her turning every conversation into some slight against her as soon as you turn your back. How Daniel managed to stay on good terms with her is beyond me.
“Whatever, that doesn’t count, and you know that. Now a soft-spoken Vinna is new. What’s up with that?”
“Don’t know. Some people are quiet talkers. It’s not that weir-”
“How soon can you set up a meeting,” Lantos demands abruptly.
“M-Maybe tomorrow afternoon, perhaps the day after, I don’t know, I would need to go there first.”
“Then that is the first thing you’re doing come morning. Anna, after your lessons, meet me at the Margravine’s manor and bring a nice set of clothes with you.”
I was a little confused at that, “Why not travel there together?”
“Prior commitments, I’m the only Elementalist to pass through here in months. A lot of people want my attention.”
That does bring up a question. "What does an Elementalist actually do?"
He spins his wand, "Depends."
Daniel and I share a look, silently debating who should say the obvious. Daniel loss, "Depends on what exactly?"
He gives Daniel a dirty look."I tolerate Anna's disrespect because of who she is. You, however, better watch your tone with me." He continues, straightening his posture, "We function as neutral arbiters for disputes that are worth our time and are given the great privilege to enact the Emperor’s justice almost unilaterally.”
"For adepts like myself, we usually specialize. Beast slaying, negotiating, recruiting, etcetera. As I said, it depends on personal preference. Masters get even more power, rivaling the Barons and Margraves in political authority. " He mutters something under his breath before abruptly standing up from the chair. "I got business elsewhere to finish. You both should head to your room. Tomorrow is going to need your complete focus.
---
‘Lessons’ today were as difficult as the last. Sit in a boiling hot room for what felt like hours until nearly passing out. Being dragged out of the building to catch my breath and drink, drenched in sweat and reeking like I somehow compressed a week’s worth of farm work in one instance.
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At least I learned my lesson form two days ago and stripped down to my underclothes and wraps before the lesson this time. Not that it helped the unpleasantness of being gawked at by every passing person on the street. I can’t imagine what they thought, but I doubt it was favorable, especially since the city seems to have a more strict sense of what is decent in terms of women's dress.
Not that's totally bad. I like the fashion here. Lots of practical one-piece unisex outfits that people can wear over the undergarments in a wide variety of styles. From resembling untucked tunics or dresses to wearing it as a shawl or cloak over more expensive clothes. They remind me of Vinnan earasaids except for the bright colors and spiral patterns. The Vinna wear theirs in more dark natural colors and patterns. Wonder if they’re related. I kind of want to make one when I get the time.
Just that on hot days like this one, especially after the pseudo-workouts of a lesson, I would prefer to wear wraps and trousers instead of dirtying the very lovely clothes the Magirivne gave me or the gross feeling of how my old clothes cling to my frame. I don't care so much about the dirty looks. For whatever reason, the people here can't fit as much venom in their eyes, and it doesn't hurt as much when it's from strangers.
However, the panic that shows on their face when Lantos comes out the door and they realize who they've been sneering at is so very pleasing.
"Sixty."
What? Looking up from where I sat, I responded respectfully, "What?"
He rolls his eyes, "That's the longest you've gone in without a break."
Only sixty minutes? It felt like hours. "Is that good?" I lacked a good reference. Despite his self-importance, he doesn't talk all that much. I noticed—more matter of fact than I was expecting when I met him.
He looked at me like I'm stupid, I'm not, "Is sitting in a room with furnaces reaching over five hundred degrees for an hour good. Is that a real question?"
Five hundred degrees! That can't be true. Wait! "How long was I-"
"Fifteen minutes at one-hundred, fifty degrees. Again, I'm not trying to kill you. And to be fair, after that rather embarrassing showing, you improved quicker than expected."
Wow, almost a full complement. I might've been impressed if I wasn't busy sweating enough water out to fill a pond due to his 'lessons.'
Still, five hundred degrees. Touching the skin on my arm and rubbing slightly, it's not even sore. Though now that I'm looking, I can see scattered patches of barely perceivable red-tinged skin.
"You keep getting distracted, letting holes and weak spots form in the barrier. I don’t know why you have such a hard time with this. It should be more intuitive than how you’re acting."
"Maybe if you gave some actual advice instead of just insulting me, we could be done with this already."
He leans against the storefront, takes his wand out of its case, and gives me a sly smirk. "Careful with that tone, Anna. One might believe you're growing a backbone. And what am I to do? Describe a feeling you don't have yet? Tell you how I learned? I learned how to maintain my body temperature in a day using the same method as you. Not to mention that I already unlocked my primary element by then."
His hair blows in an unfelt wind as if to emphasize his point. "I'm sorry to say the most I can teach you at the juncture is just the foundation."
"There must be somethi-"
He sighs, "I don't have the time for this. Go to the Lady's manor and get cleaned up. You smell like molten glass. I'll meet you there in a couple of hours." And with that, he leaves, long coat swaying behind as he goes.
Zefra has cursed me with a long day, hasn’t she?
---
It turns out the Hallon family does have their own seamstresses, tailors, and design team. After finishing washing myself, I bumped into one of them, and we talked.
Apparently, they get the fabric to be so stretchy by treating it with some plant from the Heart. Have to get my hands on that.
They even showed me their workroom in the manor. I couldn't help the slight twinge of jealousy at the size of the room. This one room was nearly three times bigger than my entire house. But in all, the four hours spent waiting on Lantos was an informative and enjoyable time.
That couldn't be said after he collected me from the manor.
We walked for almost two hours to the city's lakeside, where we met up with Daniel in front of the fence of a long stone brick building.
It was mostly featureless, with only a sparse window for decoration. The only thing that separated it from other buildings in the area was the armored knights standing in front of the gate.
One of the knights stepped forward. Moving with purpose toward us, “Sir Adept, Lo’on smiles upon us. The chapter master has freshly arrived from the fields. Please, follow me. I’ll show you to him.
The inside of the building was much more richly decorated. Weapon displays filled the halls, painted suits of full-plate armor taking up the space between. The walls had woven tapestries of stylized knights standing atop a small hill of dead Beasts. And each door had carved onto its face the heraldry of the Order of the Tempest.
Soon we arrived in front of a door. The knight stepped to the side and gestured for us to enter.
Standing was a fearsome man. Still in his armor, he was facing away from the door, gauntleted hand picking up a book from a shelf. Scars crisscrossed across his exposed skin. Speaking in a low rumble, he turned, “We need your help, sir Adept.”