The last weeks of autumn brought with them a cold biting wind. I bought myself a woollen cloak. Not being a beggar any more was pretty sweet.

Every day, I trained my magic for as long as my mind could endure. When I couldn’t any more, I ate, or napped, or meandered in the streets of Sturron. Then I reread the few books on my Classes that Inrak possessed. I thought about going to a different bookseller to see what they had in their stocks, but books in this world were far above my means. Especially those containing enough knowledge to help advance one’s Classes. I had to ramp up my business activity. I needed better runes, greater magic. If I could just crack how to make a permanent Aether enchantment, even if the resulting storage capacity was weaker than with the current process, I would start to build a capital. One that I would need to progress further.

And so I trained and I studied.

*You have reached the level 8 of the Class Enchanter.*

*You have reached the level 5 of the Class Student. You have gained the Skill Efficient Note Taking.*

Oh, Margaux… Surely our child was born already. It killed me that I was absent for it. How did it go? Were they both healthy? Were they both happy?

Forgive me, my love, for taking so long to come back to you.

*You have reached the level 8 of the Class Aether Mage.*

I heard the door downstairs slammed close by a gust of air. This would be Xyl, I thought. She came in with remarkable consistency. Every three days. She would pause to chat with Inrak, but quickly she would fly up and hand me both her backpack and the coins to refuel its magic.

We spoke often. She was a bit younger than me. A restless Pix, driven to grow, to become someone, like her uncle the Master Tailor. I empathized with her struggles.

As predicted, Xyl came upstairs. Footsteps accompanied her. She had asked me if she could bring friends here. She trusted them and they might be interested in my magic.

“Hey, Luc,” she said, flying to me and giving me a high five. She was convinced that this was some ancestral greeting of my people.

“Hey Xyl. Are these the friends you mentioned?”

Two people had followed her. The first one was a big male armadillo, or Bourok, as they were called. He only had pants on, held up by a belt with many pouches attached. The muscled skin on his torso was the colour of sand, with his plates a bit greyer. His tail was smaller than those of the Schalass. Hiding behind him was a young, blonde, white woman in nondescript clothes.

“This is Tork,” she said, pointing at the Bourok. He bowed. “And that’s Ana.” She waved at me.

“They’re both Messengers like me. And friends. I told them you had helped me, though I didn’t say how exactly. They wanted to meet you.”

“We have watched Xyl’s recent success with pride and some envy, and we were curious as to the person behind it,” said the Bourok. He had a surprisingly high voice. I had talked to some of his species before, though briefly. They were not as common in Sturron as Schalasses or Pterars. The way they rolled around was impossible to miss however. Sonic would have been proud.

“Well, I just stay here all day so I can’t take credit for all Xyl does, but I am happy to meet her friends. Please, have a seat. We don’t have much to drink. Is ipio okay?”

Only the woman declined. After they had settled down and I has served them their drinks, I turned to the Pix.

“So, what kind of success have you been having? You don’t talk much about your work.”

“It occupies all of my days,” she sighed. “I try to avoid it when I’m not at the Guild or with other Messengers. But anyway. Since we’re small and fast and we fly, Pixes are generally limited to letters, messages, invitations... Small things. One or two by trip maximum so customers don’t have to wait too long. It doesn’t pay as much, but it is reliable and there is always work. Few of us go too far outside the walls. Mail to and from the University, for example, is carried along with caravans of other goods. Less risk of losing it. I haven’t gone as far yet obviously, but I’ve started bringing small packages to towns close to Sturron. And for the last two weeks, I’ve been hired by the Guard for outpost work.”

“That’s our work!” exclaimed the woman, Ana. Then she looked down. “Sorry. But it usually is. Guard outposts need arrows, food sometimes. A Messenger is sent every three days or so. Xyl doesn’t carry as much, but she goes every day. Pixes aren’t supposed to do that.”

The Pix in question chuckled.

“To be honest, it’s still exhausting. Even with your help, Luc. But I’m hoping that they’ll start handing me better requests once they realize I can be trusted.”

“That seems like a good plan. And what do you two do?” I asked the others.

Tork answered first.

“I pull a two-wheeled closed cart, specially made for Bourok Messengers. It allows me to do large volume deliveries. Mostly food, metals, raw materials. I have a regular contract with the mines and some farms. The drawback is that I have to use the roads. My cart doesn’t handle forest ground well.”

“I’ve seen a few of those carts in the city,” I said. “They seem really well-crafted, though I imagine they require a lot of maintenance on these cobbled streets.”

He nodded with a smile at the compliment.

“Thank you. They are the pride of our crafters. Our weapons garner a lot of attention, but Bourok Artisans are judged by the quality of their carts. The best of them are true masterpieces, enchanted to withstand tremendous damage and weather any terrain. Mine is outside, if you’d like to take a look later.”

“Thank you, I would love to!” I exclaimed.

Out of all the species of this world, the Bouroks were the most fascinating to me. I knew little about them but that they were few and considered to be honest workers. Inrak had once alluded to a tragic history though I did not look into it. I resolved to correct that.

The last Messenger cleared her throat.

“I started recently. I do any work that I can find. Sometimes Guard deliveries like Xyl has been doing, sometimes joining caravans to Winory or other places. I’m trying to get some regular customers, but it’s hard. I’m not specialized or anything,” she said a bit dejectedly.

The Pix floated to her to give her a tap on the shoulder.

“You’ll get there, Ana. It took time for us too”

“Indeed,” added Tork. “My first year, I waited near the orchards west of here every day during the harvest so that I would not miss a contract. Sturron is on the brink of change. Opportunities are bound to arise.”

Ana shrugged, not looking particularly convinced. She turned to me.

“So what do you do anyway, Luc? Ever since working with you, Xyl has been thriving. I’m a bit envious, to be honest.”

I thought about whether I should tell them. I wanted to keep a low profile. The warnings the Trade Master had given me still rang in my head. I needed to significantly develop my magic and level-up my Classes before I would be ready to face whatever waited for me out there. Yet it would take ages without money and actual practice. These were Xyl’s friends. She had proved trustworthy so far. More than that, I liked talking with her when she came by. And her uncle had helped me greatly without asking for anything, just because I knew Sirmy. If I hid from those two Messengers now, I might as well find a deep cave and live in it. Nothing else would satisfy my paranoia.

“I’m a beginner Aether Mage,” I said. “Xyl’s backpack has a Magic Imprinting rune on it, and I fuel it every few days. The rune allows it to carry about half again as much stuff.”

“The extra space has been growing actually,” added Xyl. she seemed happy that I had chosen to tell her friends. “Slowly but steadily. Along with your improvements, I guess.”

“Yeah, I think so. The more I understand the Aether and get used to my Skills, the more I can pour into the rune. It lasts a little more than three days, less if the container gets dinged. That depends on the quality of the rune though. I’ve been training my Enchanter Class too, but my runes barely last a day.”

Tork looked thoughtful, pondering this new information. Ana had crossed her arms. She was frowning.

“So that’s how you’re able to make the Guard delivery every day,” she said, turning to Xyl.

The Pix grinned.

“Yep! I have just enough space for an outpost’s ration, plus a letter sometimes. It was a game-changer to me.”

Stolen novel; please report.

“That’s so unfair,” mumbled the woman.

“How much would this cost?” Tork asked.

“One silver and two bronze for Xyl, because she was my first client and her uncle Gygg is a friend. Sturronian coins obviously. But the amount of magic depends on the size of the container, so I can’t tell you exactly how much it would cost. I’m open to discussion. And whether you are interested or not, I would appreciate you not telling anybody about this. I’m not ready to go public yet. I have my reasons.”

“Of course, I understand,” he said. “I am interested. With that much additional capacity, I could change my route to be more efficient. I will think about it. May I come back in a few days?”

“Sure, no problem. I’m usually here or around. What about you?” I asked Ana.

“I don’t know. I can spend days just looking for good work. And the tasks I do get are rarely dependent upon how much I can carry. Not to mention the cost of a good enchantment. I don’t think it would be profitable for me, at least at the moment.”

I thought about it. Another frequent customer would have been great. An idea came to me.

“What if I enchant your bag?” I asked. “Free of charge, though I warn you I’m still low level. But at least you would have a rune, and if you ever needed more space for a short delivery, you could come here and only pay at the time.”

Xyl smiled at that, but the other two just looked startled.

“You’d do that?” asked Ana.

“Well, yeah. A basic rune doesn’t cost me anything but time and you would become a potential customer. Besides, you’re a friend of Xyl.”

“It is generous of you”, said Tork.

“I’ve depended upon the generosity of other people ever since I came to Sturron. It is only natural that I do my part in turn.”

We talked a little more after that. I showed them how a recharge worked with Xyl’s backpack and they told me more about the life of a Messenger. I asked Tork to expound on the city being on the brink of change like he had mentioned earlier. That had been on my mind ever since seeing the Schalass Lord at Gygg’s shop. I had asked Inrak, but despite having more than a few nobles as customers, she did not pay much attention to the gossip surrounding them.

“It is about the rumours of the Duchess’ failing health, you see?” the Bourok said.

“I heard about that. She has no heirs?”

They all laughed like I had made a good joke. Xyl was the one to explain.

“A Schalass succession is always messy, and the Duchess has been ruling for a long time. She had three clutches. There are four first-born still alive, seven second-born and six third-born. Most of them have come back to the city. Alliances form and are broken almost daily.”

“Five third-born,” said Ana. “I heard a body turned up at the docks. She was a Merchant. Not one of the favourites.”

Tork was reassuring.

“It doesn’t involve common people such as ourselves unless they specifically go looking for trouble. Everyone just needs to roll up and wait for the storm to pass.”

“Wise talk from someone who has armour on his back,” retorted Ana.

“You know that my plates are made of bone. I told you this before. And I obviously didn’t mean it literally.”

They all stayed to watch me enchant Ana’s bag. Its size made it more difficult than the cups and clothes I was training on. To form a rune correctly, you had to envision the entirety of the item it would be enchanted upon. That was why the walls of the city were separated in smaller sections, each with their own runes. Nobody could enchant the whole perimeter in one shot. And besides, even if it were possible, such a rune would be greatly susceptible to sabotage, as damaging it would weaken the entire structure.

I put some magic into the rune, so that she would know how much more it could hold. Then I escorted them out, with Tork promising he would be back soon with an answer.

Inrak was beaming with a smile when I got back.

“New customers then?”

“Not yet. The Bourok at least, I think. I’m not sure about the woman. But I’m hopeful. If they become clients, I’ll be able to pay you back much more rapidly.”

“Hmm… what do you mean pay me back?” She shook her head like I had disappointed her. “Nonsense. I don’t want your money.”

“Inrak, you’ve been accommodating me and feeding me ever since I got here. I can’t even begin to repay you in kind yet, but with their business I will at least be able to participate more.”

“Well I refuse. You keep your money. You’ll need it.”

“I will make more, that’s not a problem. I’m confident that I can crack the permanent space enchantment. I just need more training. So I will pay you back when I can. And you can’t refuse. My only job here is to manage your money. I’ll just cook the books so that you’ll gain more. You won’t see a thing.”

All kinds of threats followed that declaration. I eluded them by proposing to go grab some food and not waiting for an answer. This was not something I was willing to compromise on. I would never be able to repay the kindness she had shown me. I would have probably died of hunger in a back alley, or become a thief to survive, without her help. Giving her some part of my earnings was the least I could do. It would not set me back much. And Margaux would have understood. I was sure of it.

Just as I thought that, her voice came to support me.

*You have reached the level 6 of the Class Student.*

I didn’t understand the leveling system at all. At moments it seemed logical, following a breakthrough in my studies. At others, like right now, it made no sense at all. How did my decision to reimburse Inrak granted me another level of the Student Class? The Gods had to be fucking with me, if they were even responsible for it. Perhaps it was time to pay Pamasteron another visit. Or maybe I would try to meet Illirya, the Goddess of Magic, this time. I had a lot of questions for her too.

Tork came back two days later. I was downstairs, working on the bookshop’s account, when he barged in.

“Luc! I’m ready!” Then, seeing the look Inrak was giving him. “Oh. My apologies, Miss Inrak. May I borrow Luc for a moment?”

I followed the Bourok outside, grinning at her grumbling. He pointed at his cart with glee.

“Look! I’ve had it enchanted. Hardening and Magic Imprinting.” He opened the trunk to show me. Just under it were the two runes. I whistled. Double runes required a good Enchanter, and Enchanters did not work for free. Well, I did, but I was not a very good one.

“This must’ve cost you a lot, no?”

“No!” he laughed. He seemed pretty proud of himself. “That’s the beauty of it. I talked to my kin about your offer, though I didn’t mention who you were of course. But they were extremely interested. If every Bourok Messenger can improve their cart’s capacity by more than half, it will benefit all of us greatly. So they convinced one of our Enchanters to work on my cart. I will be experimenting your magic for them. If they judge it worth their investment, you might be looking at a bunch of new customers. Isn’t it great?!”

I was stunned.

“Tork… that’s amazing...”

“I know!” he said, and clapped in his hand like an excited schoolboy. I couldn’t help but laugh and that set him off too.

After we settled down, we discussed the cost. Since I had an opportunity for further business with his family, I was willing to lower it some. However, the amount of magic it would take to charge his cart was considerably larger than for Xyl, so the price had to reflect that. In the end, we agreed upon a cost of six silver and five bronze local coins, to be potentially renegotiated if the magic acted differently with an object this size. I deemed it fair.

Then I realized there was a slight problem. The cart was much bigger than Xyl’s backpack. I didn’t know how long it would take me to charge it. And I couldn’t do it right there in the street. The bookshop’s door wasn’t large enough, and it would have made for a conspicuous sight anyway.

So we went to Sirmy’s stall. It wasn’t far and she had enough space inside to fit the cart. I was a bit embarrassed to ask, but she just laughed and directed us while Tork and I carried the thing inside. Tork did most of the work, to be honest.

“I wanna watch you do magic!” said Ripsile.

Her mother shushed her.

“Magic is difficult, honey,” she said. “You can’t disturb Luc.”

“It’s fine, Sirmy. Least I can do for using your stall like that. I’ll find another solution for next time, I’m sorry. I just didn’t think it through.”

“I don’t mind. It makes for an interesting animation.”

I turned to Ripsile. She was on her back and looking at the cart’s underside while Tork named the various parts she was pointing at.

“All right, Ripsile!” I yelled as she scrambled out from underneath. “You can watch, but you have to be silent the whole time, okay?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. Stand back a little.”

I sat down next to the cart and put my hands on it. Closing my eyes, I felt the cart in its entirety. The rune was well-made, at least as good as Gygg’s one. The Aether started pouring inside. The flow was more intense than with Xyl’s backpack, but it still took much longer. At the end of it, I felt drained, but without any headache. The rune had done most of the work, I just served as the link between it and the Aether. Still, I would probably have to wait an hour or two to do this again.

“It’s done,” I said.

Tork bowed to me. He had lost some of his excitement and now looked at me with something like a deeper consideration.

“Thank you, Luc. This will be of great help.”

“I hope so,” I said. “And be careful for this first time, I don’t know how long it will last with those runes.

“I will. Thank you again.”

We took the cart out of the stall again. I stayed afterwards to buy a few drinks and chat with the Schalass ladies.

I was satisfied. My progress was slow, but it was progress. I would need to figure out a few things soon. I could not keep occupying Inrak’s bookshop to work. I would need my own space. It was fine now with only Xyl coming in every three days, but I felt it would soon become too much.

But still. A good day’s work.

The system seemed to agree because I heard the pleasant voice of my wife on the way back.

*You have reached the level 9 of the Class Aether Mage.*