🎵: Dash of the Daring, Rise of the Iron Will, Dreadful Dirge, Whispers of the Unseen

The morning sun filtered through narrow windows, casting long shadows across the garrison guest quarters. I felt nervous energy and fatigue, the weight of the day's challenges pressing down on me. I sat at the small desk, trying to smooth down my unruly hair.

A sharp knock made me jump. "Enter," I called, wincing at how my voice cracked.

Master Dalen stepped inside, already fully dressed and armed. "Morning. Ready to begin your extra duties?"

"I think so?" It came out more like a question.

She smiled. "Lady Moira wants you in the translation chamber. They've gathered coded documents from Black Scale Brigade members. Your abilities might provide insights."

My heart raced. "Do you really think I can help? I've never tried translating anything important before."

The garrison corridors buzzed with activity as we walked. Guards changed shifts, messengers darted past, and the smell of breakfast wafted up from the kitchens. I tried to focus on memorizing the route, but the weight of responsibility settled on my shoulders.

Master Dalen led me through a maze of hallways until we reached a heavy wooden door marked with official seals. A guard checked our credentials before allowing us to enter.

"Before we head in," Master Dalen said, reaching for a coin purse, "I have something for you. Payment for your work with the caravan guard detail and your share of the loot."

You receive: 50 GP

The translation chamber was a large room lined with bookshelves and scroll racks. One person was already inside, bent over a table covered in documents. She looked up as we entered.

As Master Dalen hands over the last of the documents, I feel a sense of finality wash over me.

Quest Complete: Dangerous Delivery!

Rewards Received:

* 250 Experience Points

* Guest Quarters Access

* Official Watch Clearance Papers

* 100 Gold Pieces

* Haven's Cross Garrison Access

Note: Though the immediate task is complete, the implications of what we've discovered suggest this is just the beginning of a larger investigation...

"Ah, our new translator arrives," the woman said, rising to greet us. Ink stains marked her fingers and reading glasses sat on her nose. "I'm Maya. I understand you may have a unique insight into these documents."

Name: Maya

Classification: Human

Profession: Scholar

Class: Translator

Level: 6

Weight (kg): 68

Allegiance: Haven's Cross

Description: A scholarly woman with ink-stained fingers and reading glasses, displaying the dedicated focus of someone who spends long hours poring over texts and documents. Her demeanour suggests both academic expertise and a keen intellectual curiosity. Known for saying things like "I can translate six dead languages but still can't decode why people think small talk is necessary" and "The only workout I need is carrying all these heavy books around."

I felt my face flush. "It's... not really a gift. Just a song I learned. I'm still figuring out how it works."

"Any help would be welcome," Maya said, gesturing to the scattered papers. "I've been stuck on these for days. The code is unlike anything I've seen. Multiple layers of encryption."

I moved closer to examine the documents, my hands shaking slightly. The symbols seemed to dance before my eyes. "Should I try..." I hesitated, glancing at Master Dalen.

She nodded. "That's why you're here. Show us what you can do."

You have replaced Dreadful Dirge with Babel's Harmony!

You sing Babel's Harmony!

From rustling leaves to runes arcane,

Every code I now can explain.

In market, forest, or sacred scroll,

This melody reveals the whole.

Status Update

Mana: 14/24

Effects: Babel's Harmony active (1 hour duration)

"This section," I said, pointing to a passage as the symbols shimmered with an ethereal glow. "It's using trade routes as a cipher. Each legitimate route masks a hidden movement pattern." My finger traced the lines as understanding bloomed. "See how the merchant manifests overlap with patrol schedules? They're identifying gaps in security."

Maya leaned closer, excitement lighting her features. "Of course! The trade records we thought were irrelevant are part of the code."

For the next hour, we worked together decoding sections of text. My confidence grew as each successful translation added to our understanding. The Black Scale Brigade had created an intricate web of legitimate trade to mask their true operations.

Lady Moira arrived as we were piecing together a section about supply caches. She moved silently, her white robes glowing in the morning light.

"Progress?" she asked.

"Significant," Master Dalen replied. "Brendan's ability is proving useful. The Brigade has been more organized than you feared."

I swallowed hard as Lady Moira's gaze fell on me. "Show me."

Pushing down my nervousness, I pointed to the newly translated sections. "They're using multiple codes layered together. Trade manifests hide troop movements. Shipping schedules conceal attack timing. Even complaints about road conditions are coded messages about garrison defences."

"And you can read all this?"

"Yes, my Lady. When Babel's Harmony is active, the meanings become clear. Though... I can only maintain it for about an hour."

She nodded. "A reasonable limitation. Continue working with him, Maya. I want every scrap of intelligence."

"My lady," Maya spoke up. "There's something else. This section references a major operation. Soon."

Lady Moira's eyes narrowed. "Can you translate it now?"

I leaned forward, forcing my tired eyes to focus. "It's talking about a gathering. Multiple cells converging for something big. But the details are in another document we haven't found yet."

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"The timing matches scout reports," Maya noted. "Increased Brigade movement."

"We need to work faster," Lady Moira declared. "Brendan, how soon can you resume translations after your current spell ends?"

"The song needs a full day between uses," I admitted. "I should be able to try again tomorrow."

She frowned. "A significant limitation. We'll need to make every hour count. Organize the most critical documents for tomorrow's session."

New Quest Received: Novice Decoder

Do you accept? [YES/NO]

Quest Accepted!

Name: Novice Decoder

Difficulty: Moderate

Location: Haven's Cross Garrison

Objectives:

* Decipher 5 basic Brigade documents

* Maintain focus for full translation hour

* Submit completed translations to Maya

Rewards:

* 300 XP

As if on cue, I felt Babel's Harmony beginning to fade. The strange symbols lost their clarity, becoming mysterious marks again. My shoulders slumped with sudden exhaustion.

Babel's Harmony Expired

"Get some rest," Lady Moira said. "We'll need you fresh for tomorrow."

"Actually, my lady," I spoke up, trying not to sound too eager, "since I have to wait until tomorrow, anyway... Babel's Harmony allows me to learn ten languages. I've only learned one so far. Perhaps I could make use of this time to..."

Lady Moira's eyes widened with genuine surprise - a rare expression for the composed Light Weaver. She seemed to consider this for a moment, then nodded decisively. "Very well. After your evening meal, there will be nine people waiting to help you expand your linguistic repertoire. But first - rest. The Harmony takes concentration, and you've already spent significant mental energy today."

"Thank you, my lady!" I couldn't keep the excitement from my voice.

"Just remember," she added with a slight smile, "this doesn't change tomorrow's translation work. Now go, rest. We'll have everything arranged by dinner."

"But there's so much more to translate," I protested weakly.

"And it will still be here tomorrow," she replied firmly. "You've given us more progress in one hour than we've had in weeks. Rest. Recover. We'll have everything ready for another session." She paused. "Oh, and Brendan? Well done."

The praise made me flush with pride even as anxiety churned in my stomach. As Maya organized documents, I couldn't help but wonder what other secrets lay hidden in those pages and whether we'd decode them in time.

I nodded, too tired to argue. But as I reached for the door handle, Master Dalen caught my arm.

"Brendan." Her voice was gentle. "You did well today. Very well. But remember - you're not in this alone. Don't carry the weight of every translation by yourself."

"What if I miss something important? If people die because I didn't translate fast enough?"

"That's why you work as a team," she said firmly. "Maya is skilled. Your ability enhances her work - it doesn't replace it. Understand?"

"Yes, Master Dalen." The reassurance helped, though anxiety still churned.

She left me to rest, but sleep proved elusive. My mind raced through the translations, wondering what secrets lurked in those documents.

A knock at my door startled me. "Come in?"

It was Lin, carrying a tray of food. "Thought you might be hungry after all that mental work," she said cheerfully. "And I wanted to hear how your first day as an official translator went."

My stomach growled at the sight of bread, cheese, and stew. "Thanks. I didn't realize how hungry I was."

She sat while I ate, listening as I described the morning's discoveries. Her usual smile faded as I explained the extent of the Brigade's infiltration.

"Using merchant complaints to map defences," she muttered. "Clever bastards. No wonder they always knew which caravans to hit."

"There's more," I said. "Something big is coming. Some kind of gathering or operation. But the details are split between documents..."

"Which you can't translate until tomorrow." She nodded. "Hence the orders to rest."

"I just feel useless right now," I admitted. "Sitting here while others work..."

Lin's laugh surprised me. "Useless? Brendan, you've given us more intelligence in one morning than we've gathered in months! Trust me - the other translator has plenty to work with until tomorrow."

She was right, of course. But sitting idle felt wrong. I must have been fidgeting because Lin's expression turned stern.

"Don't even think about it," she warned. "Master Dalen ordered rest, and I'm not letting you sneak back to the translation chamber."

I smiled a little. Lin was always stubborn about orders, and it was comforting to know she cared.

"I wasn't going to..." I protested weakly.

"Of course not," she agreed with disbelief. "Just like I'm not under orders to make sure you actually rest."

I blinked. "You're... what?"

She grinned. "Guard duty! Making sure our valuable translator doesn't exhaust himself. Captain's orders." Her expression softened. "Seriously, pace yourself. This isn't a sprint. The Brigade didn't build their network overnight, and we won't unravel it in a day."

Another yawn caught me by surprise. The mental fatigue was hitting harder now.

"Get some sleep," Lin said, standing to leave. "I'll be right outside if you need anything."

I wanted to protest, but exhaustion was winning. As I drifted off, my last thoughts were of encoded documents and hidden messages, wondering what secrets tomorrow's translations would reveal.

The sound of evening bells woke me. I blinked at the long shadows stretching across my room - I'd slept through most of the afternoon. But the rest had done its work. My mind felt clear again, and my mana had fully regenerated.

When I opened my door, I found Pak had replaced Lin on guard duty.

"Evening," he said with a slight smile. "Master Dalen asked me to escort you to the evening meal. The translator wants to discuss tomorrow's strategy."

The garrison's dining hall was busy but not crowded. Maya waved us over, her table scattered with notes.

"I've organized the priority documents for tomorrow," Maya said as I sat down. "Anything referencing the gathering takes precedence." She pushed a bowl of stew toward me. "Eat first, then we'll talk strategy."

The food was simple but filling. As we ate, Maya outlined their findings.

"I have identified patterns in how they layer their codes," Maya explained. "The trade manifests are the primary cipher, but they mix in personal letters, road reports, even weather observations. Multiple levels of meaning, each layer concealing another. And they change their methods regularly."

I listened, trying to absorb every detail. But something bothered me.

"The patterns..." I said slowly. "Are they completely different each time, or do they build on previous versions?"

Maya's eyes lit up. "You're thinking there might be a progression we can track?"

"Maybe? If they have to train their own people, making completely new patterns every time would be impractical..."

"Of course!" Maya exclaimed. "They'd need a consistent framework. Which could help us decode older documents even after patterns change. Brilliant."

I flushed at the praise. "It was just a thought..."

"A valuable one," Maya said firmly. "i will add older documents to tomorrow's stack. See if your ability can spot the underlying patterns."

As Maya finished speaking, a diverse group of people from around the keep began filtering into the dining hall - kitchen staff still in flour-dusted aprons, off-duty guards, merchants, stable hands, and various other workers. Lady Moira had clearly put out word through the garrison that anyone who knew a distinct language should come help.

"Ah," I said, recognizing Lady Moira's improvised language tutors. "Please, wait!" I called out as they approached, raising my hands to silence the animated chatter. "Let's do this properly. I'll set up at that empty table there, and if you could come one at a time..."

First to sit was Morris, still smelling faintly of the stables. His Merchant's Cant, learned from decades of caravan work, flowed naturally as I sang Babel's Harmony. The ethereal notes shimmered in the air between us, creating a gossamer web of silvery light. As Morris spoke, each word he uttered caused ripples in the magical field, like stones dropped in a still pond. The magic responded, transforming those ripples into streams of luminescent knowledge that flowed from him to me.

I could feel each new word and phrase settling into my mind, not just as mere memorization, but as if I'd known them all my life. The magic didn't just teach me the words - it gave me the cultural context, the subtle inflections, even the muscle memory of how to form the sounds properly. Just as with my first language transferred back in Riverhaven, I knew the moment the magic took hold that I would be able to both read and write in Merchant's Cant as naturally as I could speak it. When the transfer was complete, the silvery web pulsed once before fading, leaving behind a complete understanding of the language as natural as breathing.

Next came a garrison cook who'd grown up in the Imperial capital, then a former sailor turned guard. One by one, the keep's residents shared their languages...

1. Merchant's Cant - from Morris, the stable master

2. Old Imperial - taught by Hilda, a garrison's cook

3. Coastal Tongue - shared by Roran, a former sailor now serving as a guard

4. Mountain Speech - from Kenna, a highland refugee working in the smithy

5. Forest Whispers - taught by Cho, who'd grown up among the woodland tribes

6. Desert Flow - shared by Hassan, a spice merchant currently at the garrison

7. River Talk - from Thea, who'd worked the river barges

8. Eastern Script - taught by Wei, an elderly scribe in the garrison's library

9. Goblin - surprisingly from Gruff, the cantankerous quartermaster who'd once been held captive by a surprisingly scholarly goblin tribe

When the last person left, Maya couldn't contain her curiosity. "Goblin Speech? Really? From Gruff of all people?"

I shrugged. "He said they kept him as their inventory manager for three months. Apparently, they were more interested in his bookkeeping skills than eating him. They were apparently quite the scholars, before... well, you know."

Captain Reed appeared at my table. "Lady Moira wants a word with you, Brendan. Now, if you're finished."

My stomach tightened with anxiety, but I nodded and stood. Maya gave me an encouraging smile as I followed Captain Reed.

Lady Moira's office was at the top of one of the garrison's towers, offering a commanding view of Haven's Cross as evening settled over the city. She stood at the window, her white robes catching the last rays of sunset.

"Your abilities are remarkable," she said finally. "But they also put you at risk. The Black Scale Brigade has shown interest in those with magical talents. Now that you've shown skill at breaking their codes..."

My mouth went dry. "They'll target me."

"Indeed." She sat behind her desk. "You are not to leave these walls without permission and escort. Understood?"

I nodded. "Yes, my lady." After a hesitant pause, I added, "If they're targeting me... could I have access to the smithy in my quarters?"

Lady Moira's eyebrows raised slightly, but she didn't question the request. "Someone will be there shortly to meet you."

"Good." Her severity softened. "This isn't a punishment, Brendan. Your safety is vital - both for your own sake and because your abilities may prove crucial."

"I understand." And I did, even as anxiety churned at the thought of being a target.

"Excellent." She handed me a sealed document - official certification as a garrison translator, complete with Haven's Cross seal. My hands shook slightly as I accepted it.

"Get some sleep," she advised. "Tomorrow will be another long day."

Captain Reed escorted me back to my quarters, where I found Lin had resumed guard duty. Shortly after, a smithy arrived to discuss my requests. As I prepared for bed, the weight of my responsibilities pressed on my mind.

But as I drifted off to sleep, I felt a mix of anxiety and determination. The Brigade might target me, but my abilities might help bring down their entire network. It was a terrifying thought - and an oddly empowering one.