The Golden Rule (1)

The first thing I felt was pain echoing throughout my body. The second thing I felt was a numbing cold emanating from my arm. The next thing I noticed was the ringing in my ears.

I forced myself to open my eyes and started to get up. I had landed at the bottom of the stairs, feet first. The rest of my body sprawled across the steps.

I used my good arm to lift myself up. My bruised and battered body protested, but I forced it to move regardless. I shuffled forward until I bumped into the table. I reached out and felt for the lantern we left there.

After fumbling around for a bit, I managed to get it lit and shed some light on the makeshift bunker. It wasn’t very large, only big enough to accommodate room for two people and a table full of supplies, but it served its purpose as our private hiding hole.

I wondered how much time has passed since I passed out, so I took a quick peek out of the cellar door, and the sunlight that streamed in blinding me told me it was around noon.

My throat tightened as I realized that Briston wasn’t back. Best-case scenario, he is stuck somewhere hiding, but most likely he was caught or even killed.

With this thought, a rush of emotions began to flood my mind, but I forced myself to bite the inside of my cheek. The sharp pain and taste of iron forced my body to refocus, and the panic subsided. I couldn’t afford to waste any time now. If Briston was captured alive, he would probably be tortured or broken by some awakened ability.

If that happened, then this bunker would soon be unsafe. Also, there is a chance that my blood, left on the scene, could be used to track or divine his location.

Either way, I had to move and preferably get out of Jimsten altogether. Coming back down the stairs to the bottom of the cellar, I spotted my bag from last night. I reached down while wondering which bag I had.

Undoing the latch, I was relieved to see at the very least I had the bag containing the platinum coins. I also had another case of gold plates, the two velvet boxes, and a pouch worth of merky spilled throughout the bag. If I managed to get out of the city, I could do almost anything. Hell, this was enough money to buy a low-tier three core and hire a sculptor to awaken myself.

Setting the hard currency aside, I grabbed the two boxes left inside the bag. As I undid the metallic latch and opened the box, an amber glow poured out and saturated the room. Inside a small pillow was a round sphere the size of an apple. Inside faint lights and textures swirled and flowed inside of it, mesmerizing me for a bit.

It took a moment for my brain to process what was in front of me. The orb in front of me was a monster core, a tier four one on top of that. This core was worth almost twenty times the coins we grabbed. Suddenly it clicked in my head. This was a gift meant for the clan’s heir for his birthday.

My eyes snapped over to the other velvet box left in the bag. Whatever was in this one was probably pretty good as well. Trying not to get too ahead of myself, I reached over and swiftly opened it.

This box was much smaller than the other one and when it opened a small black ring was inside. The ring had silver etchings over its entire surface. I soon realized that this was an artifact. A magical item enchanted to serve some sort of purpose. I wouldn’t be able to even tell; only awakened can use them, but it had to be a valuable artifact, its peer was a tier four core.

I quickly closed the boxes and put them back into the bag. They would be worthless if I was dead. I set the bag down on the table and began to undress. The previously nice clothes were almost rags after last night. I had to peel my shirt away from the wound on my shoulder. The coagulated blood came off with it causing the wound to start bleeding again.

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I reached over and grabbed a bottle of vodka. I uncorked it and readied myself before pouring the alcohol onto the open wound. Clenching my teeth, I fought the urge to scream. Trying to keep moving quickly, I grabbed some of the stashed bandages from the bunker’s supplies. Using my good arm, I wrapped the wound and tightly packed it. This would have to do for now.

Grabbing a spare set of clothes, I got dressed and began to pack my bag. I grabbed half of the supplies. If Briston somehow was okay, he would need some as well. There was nothing else I could do for him besides this. If he did somehow manage to get out as well, then we would meet in the Saphron, City of Mercenaries.

I went ahead and left the bunker and began to make my way to the only place I knew I would be safe.

As I made my way through the streets, I weaved in and out of the crowd while keeping my eyes sharp and my ears opened. It seemed like the city was locked down after last night. It would be almost impossible to leave the city by himself.

Soon I made it to my destination. It was one of the shabbier commercial streets where a rundown general store called the Golden Rule was located. Its outside was quite ordinary, faded paint and wrapped wood showed the building's age.

I pushed open its front door and walked inside. Just like its outside, the inside of the store was quite mundane as well. Simple supplies and common equipment lined its shelves.

“What are you looking for?” The old man at the counter asked.

I walked over and replied. “I’m looking to prove my worth”.

“Very well, this way.” The old man said while standing up.

He led me to a door at the back and opened it. Inside was a table with two chairs on opposite sides of each other. He gestured for me to go in and closed the door behind himself.

“Please take a seat.” The man said while sitting in the chair closest to the door.

I set my bag next to the chair and sat down.

“Let’s cut to the chase, what are you worth?” The old man asked.

Instead of responding, I reached down into my bag and grabbed the case of platinum coins and set them down on the table.

“I see, stay here.” The old man said unfazed by the large amount of money I had pulled out. He stood up and left the room leaving me there alone.

Alright so far so good, they should send in an actual member of the Golden Rule next.

As I went to put the case of platinum coins back into the bag, my vision began to blur. My body felt as if a heavy weight was put on it and I slumped to the ground unconscious.

I woke up from a deep and dark sleep very suddenly. My eyes flashed open and saw that I was in an entirely different room, but its layout was the same. The only difference was the quality of the room and furniture. The old and musty room from the store was now a lavish room of much higher quality.

That wasn’t the only thing that had changed. I was now in a different, much nicer set of clothes and had two rings of metal bound to my wrists. My pack was on the table as well rather than the floor. As I gathered my wits, the door to the room opened and a brunette woman dressed in a worker’s uniform walked in and sat down opposite to me.

“Sorry for all this, we just need to vet our clients. We are a business that values its security” she said cheerfully. While pulling a cube with a clear sphere in its center.

“Normally, clients are introduced by an existing one or are chosen to become one. You instead walked right up.” She continued talking as she set the cube down.

“Now I am going to ask you a series of questions and you are going to answer them while touching this core here.” The cheerfulness was still evident in her voice, but her wording implied that I would have to do what she said.

At this point it didn’t seem like there was any other option than to comply with the process.

As such I reach my hand out and placed it on the box in front of me which I now realized was probably an artifact.

“Great let’s get started then.” she said while pulling out a clipboard and a pen.

“First off what’s your full name and age?”

I took a moment before answering honestly.

“Just Hayden, I have no family name. Age 22”

After answering the sphere under my hand lit up faintly and the woman marked down my response.

“Great let’s keep going then!” She said giving nothing away.

What followed that was a long series of questions. Some of them seemed pointless while others were quite direct. Asking if I had any affiliations or if I had any ill intention towards the Golden Rule.

I answered each question as honestly as I could.

“Alright last question, how did you find out about the Golden Rule?”

Once she had finished speaking her eyes suddenly hardened and an intense pressure flooded the room.

I answered this question honestly as well.

“Terance Wallace, one of our local fences. He told me the code to make contact and that your company can do anything for the right price.” I tried to keep my answer short and to the point so there wasn’t as much to pick apart or misconstrue. After a moment the sphere in the cube let out a familiar glow and I let out a sigh of relief.

“Is there anything else this Terance Wallace told you about the Golden Rule?” She pressed.

“Just that you guys weren’t cheap.” I replied.

“The best never are!” the woman said while collecting her items and leaving.