Cleverly making sure to keep his expression natural - a mix of eagerness with a splash of healthy trepidation. Archibald watched with bated breath as Headmaster Throll opened the large ornate office door.
With nothing but a creak, Headmaster Throll pulled the door inward and stepped backward a few paces.
As soon as the door fully swung open, a pitch black hooded figure wasted no time at all stepping into the office. Hastily, Throll backed away further from the door and slightly bowed with one hand placed flat on the left side of his chest as he stood in his place and the hooded figure walked into the center of the office.
Clearing his throat loudly, Throll, still bowing as he faced the ground, greeted the Envoy with a respectful and solemn tone. “Welcome esteemed Envoy to my humble orphanage,” even his usual whimsicality and high tone naturally tapered themselves in the presence of the Envoy. “I have followed protocol and have contacted you about an Awakening among the orphans.”
Clearing his throat once again, Throll stopped bowing as he moved just a few steps behind the Envoy before once again continuing with his gaze on the ground, “As you surely have already seen, this young man here has just Awakened, he is ready for the Initiation…” Towards the end of his sentence, Throll’s voice grew weaker and weaker as if he expected the Envoy to naturally point out what to do next.
“...”
Getting no response from the Envoy as they stood unmoving in the center of the room gazing at seemingly nothing, Throll gave a dry cough as he gathered himself and continued with an even more reverential tone.
“Ah hum… Archibald Riege here is sixteen years of age. His parents tragically… passed away in an incident some years past...” Throll cleared his throat again as if there was something perpetually stuck in his throat as his voice tightened, “He’s a good kid despite what he’s been through and…”
“Enough.” Abruptly the Envoy interrupted the stuttering Headmaster, their voice was quiet yet powerful and seemed to spread evenly through the whole room from under their hood. It was impossible to discern their gender from their tone, it seemed perfectly neutral and lacking emotion giving no hints to the personage within the robes.
Intensely observing everything that was happening, Archibald rapidly came to some conclusions, “Alright from their voice I can’t conclude their gender, I’ll just have to go with some other observations.” Archibald paused to subtly look the figure up and down.
“They are not too tall, it seems, being around my height. Also, as soon as they entered the room it has felt like static electricity has been racing across my skin. Strange. Plus every time I try to look under their hood it feels like my eyes are being prickled.”
Rapidly the Envoy’s previously unmoving hood turned to Archibald amidst his observations. Heart skipping a beat Archibald’s breath hitched in his throat in trepidation. He once again failed to peer into the hood of the Envoy. Light itself seemed to be dimmed around the Envoy, an impenetrable veil of darkness shrouded the Envoy’s visage within the hood and made their presence daunting and grim.
Not being able to see the Envoy’s face wasn’t what startled Archibald the most, however, instead it was the weight of the gaze that he felt fell upon him as soon as the Envoy faced him. It was unlike anything he had ever felt. It was as if the air itself was pressing down on him, making him want to bend his back in an effort to bear the pressure.
Like this the Envoy stood staring at Archibald, their gaze pressuring Archibald in some intangible way. Moments seemed to stretch on and just as Archibald felt his spine start to bend under the pressure, the Envoy turned their gaze away from him at the last moment.
“Archibald Riege, Initiate, follow me.” With those brief words, the Envoy turned around and started to walk out of the Headmaster’s office. Archibald watched as the Envoy passed by the Headmaster without so much as a glance.
Hesitant, Archibald turned to Headmaster Throll for confirmation. He would be damned if this didn’t feel culty as all hell. “Fuck… I really have no idea what I’m walking into, I’m being dragged along by this person-if they are even a person in the first place- in black robes with no explanation.” With his frustration and fear rising, Archibald felt a dire need for answers and control. He absolutely hated being led around like this. Once again, some paranoia was rising within him, but he tried to fight it off for the moment. At most, he would wait for Throll’s permission.
Noticing his questioning gaze, Throll nodded with a wry smile at Archibald as he motioned with a sweep of his hands for Archibald to hastily follow after the Envoy. It seemed like the Headmaster had no issue with the indifference of the Envoy.
Gritting his teeth, Archibald gave his best smile back at the Headmaster. He would trust the Gnoll this time. It was not like he really had much of a choice in the matter anyway. He just hoped he was not making some grave mistake this early into his new life. Archibald couldn’t remember the last time he had to heed someone outside of his immediate family this way and it clashed with some defiant part of himself he didn't really know existed.
Wasting no more time and wrestling down his defiance, Archibald quickly jogged to catch up to the Envoy who was already at the end of the hallway and starting to descend the stairs that led up to the Headmaster’s office.
Passing by the Headmaster on his way out of the office, Archibald called out with a sincere and thankful tone in a quiet voice. “Thank you, Headmaster.”
Not waiting for an answer, Archibald jogged past the Headmaster as he hastened to not test the Envoy’s patience. However, Archibald allowed himself a slight smile as he heard Throll call out behind him in an equally quiet voice, “Good luck young Riege! If you ever need help you know where to find me.”
“I suppose that meeting the old Gnoll wasn’t so bad after all. It even seems like I've possibly secured my first ally in this new world.” Stifling a snort, Archibald couldn’t help but think of a caveat to his conclusion as his thoughts turned to darker matters, “That is as long as this Institute place isn’t some horrible torture camp or something. Then the Gnoll better hope that he’s safely holed up in his tower. Right now I'm basically like a lamb to the slaughter If this envoy has bad intentions. ”
Darkly ruminating over this new connection, Archibald quickly caught up to the Envoy as they were already halfway down the stairs. Making sure to stay a few steps behind the Envoy at all times, Archibald quelled his thoughts as he focused on the trip ahead of him. The time for grim conjecture was over, it was now best to try to observe the happenings around him he concluded.
The Envoy walked surprisingly quietly for how fast they were moving, unlike Archibald they made no noise as they moved down the stone stairs of the tower. The only noise they produced was the sound of ruffled fabric as their robe fluttered in the air like a black phantom. In no time at all, they had reached the bottom of the stairs and they wasted not even a moment to look at Archibald before approaching the towering black metal doors that Archibald first passed through when entering the Central Tower.
Further observing the Envoy, Archibald noted that they moved in a ghost-like manner. They seemed to be gliding as they moved, there was none of the usual bobbing that normal walking entailed. Making sure to mentally note this phenomenon down, Archibald hastened into a half-jog half-walk as he tried to keep up with the Envoys' quick pace.
Walking through the dim torch-lit base of the tower, Archibald watched in slight awe as the grand black metal doors opened themselves up as the Envoy approached.
“Strange, I had to push those doors open myself when I first arrived. Maybe the Headmaster controls it? Or maybe it only opens in the presence of Physiquers? No, that can’t be true or it would have opened for me. Maybe the Envoy is doing something or carrying some key? Bah, there’s no point in thinking about this. I’ll just have to wait for my answers like usual.”
Dispelling his scattered thoughts, Archibald half-jogged past the threshold of the central towers as he stepped out into the cool and misty morning air. He flinched as he heard the doors slam loudly behind him. The dreary fog was still as thick and pervasive as ever, and Archibald felt himself shiver slightly as his already damp robes failed to ward off the chilly air.
Following the Envoy, Archibald looked around as they passed through the luscious Central Courtyard on the path that he originally took. In no time at all, they had passed the fork in the stone path and moved beyond the glade where he talked to Jill and Olivand. In only a handful of seconds with the quick pace that the Envoy traveled at, they arrived at the courtyard entrance to the lobby of the orphanage.
This time, the Envoy had to lift their arm and push the door open themselves. Archibald duly noted that the hand that reached out flowing pitch-black robe sleeve was pale and slim and that it pushed at the door with none of the struggle or strain that he had when he had pushed the door open on his way to the Central Tower.
Not even slowing a single pace, the Envoy pushed without waiting for Archibald. Archibald had to break out into a full jog for a second to get past the door before it closed on him. “How polite of you.” Archibald derisively mumbled in his heart. It was increasingly seeming like the Envoy wasn’t the sociable or polite type, though that conclusion wasn’t really a revelation to Archibald at this point.
Slowing his pace to a half-jog once again to avoid running into the back of the Envoy. Archibald once again found himself in the dark and decrepit foyer of the orphanage’s lobby. However, he had no time to savor the ever-dreadful environment as he hastened after the Envoy.
In mere moments, the Envoy pushed past the orphanage’s entrance with Archibald hot on their trail. Once again stepping outside, Archibald squinted as his eyes rapidly adjusted to the white, fog-filtered light.
All of a sudden however, the Envoy stopped dead in their tracks and with Archibald being briefly blinded by the light, he nearly ran right into the Envoy.
Stumbling a bit, Archibald stopped as quickly as he could. Looking dead-faced up at the Envoy as he ignored his near offense, he hated how he couldn’t see the expression on the Envoy’s face or discern their body language through their flowing robes. All he saw was a maw of black staring back at him and that left him with dreadfully little to base his facial expressions off of.
“Archibald Riege, you are now a prospective Initiate of the Institute of the Chained Arcane.”
Gulping slightly, Archibald found that the Envoy’s tone was still completely neutral. It was impossible to tell what they thought of him.
Noticing the lull in the conversation, Archibald realized it was his turn to speak. Putting his socializing skills to work, honed through years of networking and management, Archibald was able to compose himself.
With appropriate confidence in his voice, Archibald responded tersely. “It’s an honor, Envoy. Is there anything I should know?”
As if waiting for that question, the Envoy spoke with what seemed like a memorized line. “You and two others like you will be undergoing the Institute’s Initiation Ceremony. You will board the Carriage and make way to the Institute immediately.”
Archibald watched as the Envoy pointed a robed arm toward a previously unseen Carriage waiting on the stone street in front of the orphanage. Unlike before the Envoy continued in his speech, “As a prospective initiate you are expected to conduct yourself appropriately as soon as you enter Institute grounds. When you arrive you will be led to the Ceremonial Square and you shall say no words and express no emotions until your initiation commences.”
Making sure to remember each word of the Envoy carefully, Archibald finally turned his head away from the Envoy when they finished their speech. However, where he expected to see a simple carriage instead provided him with yet another astonishing sight that nearly caused him to shout aloud. Despite not shouting, however, he still could not control his eyes from widening and his lips from twitching. For what he saw were two behemoths standing side by side as they were attached to the reigns of the carriage.
They looked like gigantic toads only that they were a head or two taller than him as they stood crouched on the curved road leading up to the entrance of the orphanage. Archibald could only describe their swamp green and dim brown striped bodies as oval-like, with their incredibly wide backs having heaps of knotted dark green and brown warts.
As Riege’s memories rushed through his mind, Archibald comprehended the scene before him. They were beasts that Riege hadn't seen directly before and had only learned about from some of the senior members of the Beastyard. These were Bulk Toads.
Some of the richer members of Craggvale such as the High-Born families and the wealthy merchants were particularly fond of carriage travel via Bulk Toads.
“There’s no way these things are viable in the Lower Round at all, all the streets I saw between the houses were way too thin to support these…” Archibald paused for lack of better words as he ruminated, “Monsters! I suppose they’re meant for the Middle And Upper Round then, makes sense since there are fewer people yet their streets are so huge. If beasts like this exist in this world, who knows what else is out there? I only know what Riege knows, and even he has no idea of the world beyond the walls of Craggvale.”
For the millionth time, Archibald felt a stab of fear in the strange world he now found himself in. However, hidden in that fear and deep within his rapidly beating heart, Archibald also found himself strangely excited at the prospect as well. His thirst to know more about the world around him was only growing by the moment and he had to fight hard to calm himself and recall that he was still in a potentially perilous situation.
Despite his extensive thoughts, only a moment had gone by. Archibald kept his surprise brief as he glanced at Envoy, who was simply standing still and was still impossible to read.
Realizing in a split second that he should be doing something, Archibald once again looked at the carriage and an idea came to his mind. He was always proactive in whatever he did, and he saw no reason to wait for further instruction despite his circumstances. He even concluded that it was probably best to start fabricating an image of him being strong-minded and active as early as possible so that he would seem less easy to take advantage of.
Contemplating to himself, Archibald mentally stroked his chin as he mumbled in his heart. “I am here to go to the Institute after all, so it makes sense that I have to get on the carriage to get there.” Shooting a subtle glance at the Envoy Archibald took a tentative step toward the carriage,
“No reaction. Good. No point in showing hesitation.”
With this conclusion, Archibald wiped the slightly shy expression off his face and returned to his natural facial expression, one of natural aloofness. Straightening his spine, Archibald took confident steps towards the carriage that was parked only ten or so meters away.
“Hmm…”
Seemingly surprised by this sudden shift, he heard the Envoy give a near silent grunt though it was truly hard to say if he simply misheard. Regardless, Archibald didn’t allow that to affect his pace and soon he walked away from the grand wooden doors of the orphanage and arrived next to the carriage. Being this close to the Bulk Toads, Archibald could see that their underbelly was a pale green and even hear light chitter-like warbles coming from the beasts.
Greatly intrigued by the beasts, Archibald wanted to right then and there to study them. However, the rational part of his brain had an ice-cold grip on his actions and disallowed any unnecessary risks. As such, he turned his gaze back to the lacquered wooden carriage that was simple yet refined in its design, having clear windows and steel gray trimmings.
About to take another step forward on the cobbled street, Archibald almost jumped in surprise as the carriage doors opened automatically. Inwardly thankful that he showed no outward reaction, Archibald looked inside the Carriage and saw that two people were already inside and quietly whispering as they gazed at him through the now open doors.
Wasting no time Archibald inwardly took a deep breath and steeled himself for this inevitable interaction. Taking one last glance behind him, Archibald saw that the Envoy was preparing to climb onto the perch where the reins of the two toads lay at rest.
Breathing out an inaudible sigh of relief, Archibald's thoughts ran over his next plan. “Thankfully the Envoy isn’t coming into the carriage, at least this way I can converse with the two onboard and get some information from the two of them.”
Wasting not another moment, Archibald pulled himself into the raised carriage and was greeted by two fine wooden benches that lay on opposite sides of the carriage. The interior was also simple like the exterior it seemed, with dark brown wood being the main source of color.
Looking to his left Archibald observed a pale teenage girl sitting in the far corner of the carriage. The girl had long black hair and sunken black eyes. She also held herself close to the edge of the bench and looked at Archibald with her head tipped down. Noting this, Archibald also noticed that her arms were held straight on the bench as they supported her body. Overall, Archibald got the initial impression that she was a bit withdrawn and shy.
Turning his head to the right, Archibald observed a teenage boy with short hair that was so blonde it was bordering on white and light brown eyes. The teenager gazed at Archibald with a type of arrogance in his eyes that was unmistakable although his expression was otherwise neutral. Beyond this, the boy sat in the middle of the bench and also leaned further back on the bench than the girl as he sat cross-armed with a nearly perfectly straight posture. He seemed confident in this dynamic Archibald concluded.
Clearing his throat, Archibald chose to sit on the end closest to him on the left bench. The doors to the carriage closed behind him and the carriage quickly dimmed slightly as the only light that entered came in from the windows on the side of the carriage.
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Bathed in this dim white light, the interior of the carriage was silent briefly as the two teenagers gazed at Archibald and sized him up.
“Hello, I’m Archibald Riege. I assume you two are also Initiates?” Archibald wasted no time in starting to gain information and gauge the personalities of his two temporary companions.
Snorting lightly, the boy was the first to talk in a distinct and strong, yet still adolescent voice, “What kind of question is that? Of course we’re also Initiates! You were brought here by the Envoy were you not? Though looking at the quality of your robes and how we just stopped at the orphanage, I can tell you don’t know much so I can forgive you for that stupid question.”
Not incensed despite the blatant insults, Archibald simply gave a polite smile as he lightly responded, “Of course, but one can never be too sure, and you’re right that I don’t know much so I will be asking for your guidance. I can tell by your robes that you’re evidently more clear on our situation.” Archibald didn’t stint on a few compliments as he elevated the position of the teenager over his own as it would satisfy the ego of him and make further questioning easier if he did not see Archibald as a potential threat.
As Archibald predicted, the teenage boy’s face smoothed out as a satisfied smile broke out on his arrogant face. “Ha Ha, you can read the situation! Good! It’s no problem at all actually! I haven’t introduced myself, my name is Dorian. Besides, we are both going to the same place and I can already tell that you at least have some wit,” Archibald watched as he jabbed a finger toward the girl that had been silent the whole time, “unlike this girl! She’s barely talked a whiff the whole trip!”
Face suddenly becoming serious, Dorian looked at Archibald as he abruptly switched topics, “Before we continue this conversation though I must ask...How old are you?”
“I’m..” About to respond, Archibald was cut off.
“Because I’m sixteen and I Awakened a few days ago, you wouldn’t be younger, would you? You seem a bit pale and weak though…” Towards the end, Dorian leaned forward and was inspecting Archibald with slight disdain evident in his eyes.
Not taking the words or gaze of Dorian seriously, Archibald calmly replied, “I’m sixteen as well actually, and I just Awakened yesterday. Seems like we’re pretty similar in that aspect.” Archibald tried to shorten the mental distance between him and Dorian.
In response to Archibald’s words, Dorian slumped back into his bench and gazed at the roof of the carriage in a slight daze. “Ha…that we are…Not really a good thing though. I'd hoped you were younger, but we can't always get what we want it seems. You and me, we’ve been screwed by the Old Ones at the first step.”
Not liking the sound of what he was hearing, Archibald leaned forward as he put on an earnest and curious yet worried expression, “Why? What do you mean that we have been screwed, I know no one else that has Awakened like us! Could it be that we’re in some type of danger?”
Turning his gaze to Archibald, Dorian looked slightly sad as he responded in a remorseful tone, “Danger? No, we’re not in any danger from what I know about the Institute, at least not the first few days.” Pausing like he realized something, Dorian’s tone turned inquisitive, “I take it you know nothing about our situation, right? I mean It makes sense if you’re an orphan without anyone around you being in an even half-decent Profession.” Dorian paused again as he hastily added, “No offense to you of course.” Though he didn’t sound too sympathetic.
“Well, why are we screwed then? I thought we were blessed!” Archibald put the conversation back on the rails as he responded in a way that made him seem slightly naive about his situation. He also noted to himself to look into Professions and ask about them later, it seemed like Riege's father was a Hunter by Profession if he remembered correctly.
But before he could get an answer, Archibald felt the carriage lurch forward as the sound of what seemed like heavy ‘footfalls’ could repeatedly be heard outside. He assumed that those ‘footfalls’ were the sound of the toads hitting the ground as they leaped forward. The carriage jerked a bit unevenly before smoothing out right as the sound of the toads leaping became one unceasing 'footfall'.
Regardless, Archibald turned his attention back to Dorian and the boy had already started to respond after the carriages initial lurching calmed down.
“Well I guess you could say we are blessed, I mean not even one out of one hundred or more people might Awaken in the poorer districts. But we’re also cursed by our late Awakening. You at least know that the earlier the Awakening the better right?”
“Of course, I know that simple fact. I also know that no one Awakens beyond eighteen right?” Archibald confirmed.
“That's right, and that sadly makes us both late awakeners which in turn means our natural gifts are less than those that Awakened earlier. And top it off, these gifts are broken up into stages based on the age of Awakening which makes our situation even worse!" Following Dorian’s gaze as he shifted his face toward the girl, Archibald noted that the girl had been silently observing their conversation for a few minutes now.
“Take Merille here, she Awakened a few days ago and she’s fifteen. Right?”
For the first time, the otherwise reticent girl drew herself out of the corner of the carriage and sat up a bit straighter as she spoke with a slight tinge of pride in her voice, “That’s right Dorian.” Archibald was surprised to hear that she spoke surprisingly clearly and loudly with an animated voice that contrasted her outward appearance and mannerisms.
In response, Dorian crossed his arms, “Yeah, yeah don’t be so smug about it though.”
“What? I wasn’t being smug, I was simply stating fa-”
Waving his hand dismissively Dorian then whisked his hand at Merille as he turned his gaze to Archibald, “Whatever you say, anyway as I was saying, your age of Awakening determines talent... and you and me,” Dorian wagged a finger at himself and Archibald, “We belong to the least talented, and we’re classified as people with Poor talents and aptitude while Merille here just barely made it into having a Base aptitude. That means that we're already behind most of the other Initiates before even reaching the Institute!”
Towards the end of his sentence, Dorian became visibly disappointed before seeming to regain his composure and his cocksure attitude back as he gesticulated while talking. “Ha, it’s not like talent is the only thing that matters in this great race though! Resources are also very important to a Physiquer, maybe even more so than talent!”
In response to this revelation, Archibald prodded for further information. "I get that resources would be important, but I never learned how they would be in the orphanage."
Pausing, it seemed like Dorian was having a brief internal struggle as he gazed at the floor of the carriage with a conflicted expression, before whatever internal battle he was waging ended and his face regained his usual slight arrogance.
Instead of addressing Archibald though, Dorian turned to Merille and asked a seemingly unrelated question, “What’s the highest level Profession in your family?”
Seemingly not surprised by the question, or at least not showing any outward indication that Archibald could read, she responded succinctly with, “My Grandpa is a 5th Order Artisan and my Grandma is a 5th Order Beekeeper and Insectkeeper.”
Stunned slightly, but quickly recovering, Archibald strained himself to keep up with the conversation as Dorian quickly replied with a tinge less arrogance in his voice, “I take it you live in the Middle Round then? Those are pretty respectable Orders, your Grandpa more than your Grandma, but still. Your family is all mortals then right?”
Coming further out of her shell at the repeated questioning, Archibald noted that Merille had moved to the middle of the bench and was now sitting upright, matching the height of Dorian. “I’m the first Physiquer in my family for at least two hundred years. I think there was another earlier but we lost our legacy records in a fire way before I was born from what I’ve heard from my Grandma.”
Pausing, Merille seemed to recall something as she turned to face Archibald and stared at him with her sunken black eyes, “Oh yeah, and I barely talked according to Dorian earlier because he seemed arrogant and I don’t care for that at all. You’re not going to be the same are you just because you Awakened are you?”
In turn, Archibald felt that he should give a response to close some of the distance between them, “How could I be arrogant given my situation? If anything you're the one that should be arrogant. Your grandparents sound so amazing!” Archibald said wryly with slight wonder in his voice before continuing with warm confidence in his voice, “Well it’s nice to meet you now, I think we should have a formal introduction. I’m Archibald Riege, you can call me Archibald though, and I'm sixteen.” Archibald turned his body to face Merille as he stuck out his right hand. He was willing to try something from Riege's memory in a bid to lighten the some of the unfamiliarity between them.
In turn, Merille stuck out her right hand and placed it flat against Archibalds as they both firmly clasped each other’s pinky with their thumb for a few seconds before withdrawing their hands.
Archibald wasn’t surprised by this style of greeting as he knew it from Riege’s memories and it seemed close enough to a handshake in theory. It was just that instead of shaking it was a simple second or two clasp. The clasp had nuance however, as a short one indicated a lack of respect while one that was too long was often seen as a power move and was disrespectful. In general however, a formal introduction was a sign of mutual respect.
“And I’m Merille Albertine, I’m fifteen as you already know thanks to Dorian and you can refer to me simply as Merille. It’s nice to meet you Archibald.”
About to ask about what her grandparents did in their Professions, Archibald was cut off as Dorian spoke to the both of them.
With his arms crossed in slight offense, Dorian exclaimed with a slightly disgruntled tone, “Well then, I see you’ve both formally introduced each other, but you’ve forgotten me. Do you both have no idea of the social code?!”
Taking the lead this time, Archibald responded patiently, “Of course not Dorian. Here, “Archibald held out his hand and he and Dorian greeted each other formally.
“It’s nice to formally make your acquaintance.” Archibald greeted him with a slight smile.
Merille followed right after and the atmosphere quickly became more comfortable as some unknown tension faded away as everyone engaged in some light banter about their encounter with the Envoy.
"I think my grandparents sent a letter to the Institute because the Envoy showed only showed up this morning."
"Hmph, my father simply contacted the Institute directly this morning at dawn and the Envoy showed up a few hours later."
Soon, however, the conversation was once again guided by Archibald as he asked a question that was burning in the front of his mind.
With an inquisitive tone, Archibald focused his gaze on Dorian as he spoke. “You mentioned talent levels right Dorian? You and I are both Poor and Merille is Base yeah? What does that mean for us? How are we behind when we've Awakened like everyone else”
Giving out a sigh, Dorian wrung his hands wryly as he glanced between Merille and Archibald, “We're behind everyone because we're Poor talents Riege! And yeah, talent -Or, I guess a better word would be aptitude- at least according to my father is huge for a Physiquer. The most common are of course the Base talents, while next in line would be the Poor talents followed by the Extraordinarily talented. You and I both Awakened at sixteen making us Poor talents and those that awaken later are the same. As I mentioned earlier this means our natural gifts are worse! You know natural gifts? It means that we can't manipulate Tether as well or something along those lines. I'm honestly not too sure, I just know that Poor talents are looked down upon greatly, okay?” With this, Dorian paused as he let out another sigh as his ever-present arrogant smile faded for a brief second before it returned.
“Anyway, Base talents are those that awaken at the ages between ten and fifteen, while the Extraordinary talents awaken between the ages of four and nine. I’m pretty sure there’s also this thing called a Perfect Awakening, but I’m not sure.” Dorian shrugged his shoulders, “Not like it matters to us or anyone in Craggvale, I heard from my father that each generation has at most a couple of children that Awaken between four and nine, sometimes in particularly weak generations there might even be none!”
At this point, Archibald was too engrossed in digesting and memorizing this information that he simply motioned for Dorian to continue. "I've already realized from Riege's memories and from what I've seen first-hand that we're in a fantasy-like world but hearing him mention Tether energy and talents so...casually. It's really just a part of life here isn't it? It also seems like I'm not as well off as I thought I was. I'll just have to collect more information and adapt to the situation even if it seems like there will be more obstacles than I thought."
In the midst of his musings he also gave a brief glance to Merille and noticed that she was engrossed in thought as well.
Thinking to himself, Archibald came to a few conclusions, “Huh, seems like Merille doesn’t know this information. Or at least she doesn't know it that clearly despite having high Orders in her family. Does this mean that Dorian has a higher Order or even a Physiquer in his family?”
Archibald put his musings to rest as Dorian once again resumed his explanation to both of them, “Now, aptitude is important for a whole lot of reasons. Other than it being a representation of your natural gifts I’ve also heard it affects what types of Tether energy you can sense and how much you can store in your Spirit Pool. Beyond that, as I mentioned earlier I'm not sure what else it affects. This is all that I’ve heard from my father so far, he told me that we’ll learn more at the Institute so he’s always been elusive on the details, the bastard.”
Realizing that Dorian was done with his explanation Archibald and Merille both gave their sincere thanks. After a few more silent moments of digesting what Dorian just said, they once again started talking about daily life and their thoughts on what the Initiation Ceremony might be like. It seemed like even Dorian knew little to nothing of what occurred in the Initiation Ceremony, his father never even mentioning what the point of the ceremony was.
Minutes passed and with some subtle directing and scattered compliments, Archibald quickly made it so the distance between the three shrunk. In this short amount of time the foundations of a friendship were laid as he gained a mental scaffold of both Merille’s and Dorian’s personality.
"Finally putting some of my old skills to use...at least I'm not totally hopeless." Archibald was glad that if anything, his people skills still worked fine in this new world.
Finding a lull in the conversation, Archibald shifted the conversation to Professions. “Merille, you mentioned that your Grandma and Grandpa are both 5th Order professionals right?”
Not minding the question, but naturally free-willed, Merille returned a question of her own, “Yeah they are and I know you want to know more, but first I have a question of my own. Did you have any professionals in your family?”
Sitting up abruptly, Dorian focused on the conversation as he folded his hands, “I’m also interested in the answer to this question, it should be a good story, you are an orphan after all!”
Just as Archibald was about to answer, however, Merille looked at Dorian with surprising anger, “Stop that!” Before turning back to Archibald, “I don’t care about how you became an orphan I just want to know if anyone was a professional, I don’t need your backstory right now I’m sure you have your own story you want private. You can tell us in time okay? When you’re comfortable.”
“Huh?” Archibald was taken aback by the sudden outpour of support before realizing that he was supposed to be acting like the orphan Riege right now “Oh yeah! Thank you Merill. Truly, for understanding.” Archibald put on a sad yet accepting expression as he gazed at the floor of the carriage, “It was my father, he was a 3rd Order Hunter, and my mother was also a 3rd Order Hunter. They both worked on the same team.”
Looking back up Archibald saw that Merille looked truly sad which surprised him. After all, despite their good rapport, they had only been talking for half an hour or so. Regardless, this was a good thing Archibald concluded. The closer they got the more support he had in this new environment and it seemed like this connection would be good. It was also just nice to see some honest emotions even if they weren't truly directed towards him since those weren't his parents, but Riege's.
“I’m sorry for bringing up the past Archibald. I just wanted to know if I had to explain everything about Professions. Yeah, my grandparents are both 5th Orders which means that they deal with Physiquers sometimes, that’s why I knew a bit about talent levels. Being 5th orders means that we also live pretty well even without doing a combat role like your parents. If you ever need to talk I’m here.
“Thank you for the concern Merille, what-”
About to continue his questioning, Archibald was cut off by Dorian as he cleared his throat.
“I suppose since we’re sharing family secrets and stories I should pitch in as well.” Gazing at the both of them, Dorian puffed out his chest a bit as he continued, “My father is the son of the head of the Lezark family!” At this exclamation, he held his head high as he looked down on Merille and Archibald in an arrogant fashion.
Puzzled, Archibald just stared at Dorian. It was apparent from his arrogant expression that he thought that statement to be a bombshell, but Archibald sorely lacked context to even feign being surprised or wowed.
Merille was the first one to talk, and it was apparent from Dorian’s disappointed expression that her words did little to stroke his ego.
“You mean the disgraced Lezark family that fell from the Upper Round to the Middle Round fifty years ago? The Lezark family that had all businesses stripped from them in their fall as well? That disgraced High Born Lezark family?”
Rapidly deflating, Dorian spat out between gritted teeth as his eyes still held their pride, “Yes! That Lezark family! My father is a Physiquer. He survived and stabilized us as he rebuilt some of our past splendor! However, I will be the one to bring us back to the Upper Round, I swear an oath on my family name as a proud Lezark!”
Clearly unamused, Merille whistled dismissively with crossed arms, “I totally believe you, Dorian, anyway why tell us now. From what I’ve heard from my grandparents, the High Born families tend to be fiercely competitive and antagonistic to rising families and especially those that have already fallen. I’m pretty sure it’s basically impossible to become a High Born family again.
Calming himself, Dorian gained back his arrogant smirk as he spoke, “I know it will be hard but I have complete confidence in myself!”
Letting out a chortle to herself Merille responded, “Yeah, like I said I believe you. Are you still confident even with your Poor aptitude You would need to be have Extraordinarily aptitude to even have a shot at elevating a family name by yourself. Everyone knows that all heads of the High Born families have Extraordinary talent.”
Not letting Merille’s words get to him, or at least not showing that he did from what Archibald could observe, Dorian wasted no time in rebutting.
“Of course, it will be difficult, as all worthy goals must be! I realize that my aptitude isn’t the best-”
Merille cut him off and interjected, “It’s the worst!”
Gritting his teeth once again, Dorian shot a scathing glance at Merille at the reminder, “Yes, I know! I realize have the worst aptitude possible! As I was saying,” Dorian’s expression shifted to one of slyness, “I know my aptitude is the worst. I know that I will need help, the more the better. That’s why I have a proposition for you two.”
“Oh?” Both Merille and Archibald were taken aback by this sudden claim.
Dorian continued, rapidly shifting his gaze between Archibald and Merille, “I need help, preferably unbiased help that hasn't been in contact with the High Born families. Plus, I have what you both need, a source of Physiquer resources and connections outside the Institute, and I’ve determined that you both are of at least respectable quality. As such, I propose an alliance between the three of us, both inside and outside the Institute. Of course, this is all by word. I just think that we should help each other equally. We can talk later about the terms of the Alliance, but for now something verbal is fine. What do you think?”
Digesting what Dorian said, Archibald’s mind raced at the possible drawbacks and benefits as he gazed off into the distance. “I see few drawbacks to this loose alliance and it gives me a great initial safety net. I can't forget that I'm essentially completely alone and I still need to gather my bearings. He also did mention that resources are of great importance and I also share his plight of being poorly talented. Plus, Dorian comes from a line of Physiquers, he must have more knowledge of the world either in his mind or at home."
Fingers tapping against the bench, Archibald concluded his thoughts, "I don’t even know why I’m still thinking about this, it’s really a no-brainer.”
Looking over at Merille, Archibald saw that she was staring at him as well and as both of their eyes met they nodded to each other before turning to look at the eagerly waiting Dorian.
“I accept your proposition.” Archibald responded.
“I would love to!” Merille responded.
“Great! We will rise together!” At Archibald’s and Merille’s quick acceptance, Dorian visibly let out a breath he was holding.
“I think we should discuss what we want to do when we get to the Institute, I heard from my father it’s broken up into divisions that we have to choose between. I’m thinking of becoming a more craft-orientated Physiquer, maybe something like-” Just as Dorian was becoming increasingly animated, he was cut off by the abrupt stop of their carriage.
“We have arrived.” Out of nowhere, they heard the Envoy's voice fill the carriage.
All at once, the atmosphere turned tense, as everyone glanced at each other.
“It seems like we’re finally here, time to navigate another new, hopefully friendly, environment.” Archibald once again glanced at Merille and Dorian, “At least I have some helpful company…”