by Lars M.
Right then, Cam walked first into the room, wringing his hands. "I swear, I don't understand what happened. Sarina told me that I needed to come get you right away."
I instantly engaged Benjamin. "Oh, you're back. Excellent." I signed the agreement and blew on the paper before handing it to him. "I'm glad you listened to my suggestion, Benjamin. I hope you’ll be up to listening to any proposals I make in the future." Cam chanced the opportunity and slid out the door while I had him occupied.
He stared at the door before shaking his head. "Yeah, of course. We can always use clever, forward-thinking students like you here at the Academy." I thanked him for the words and got out. Putting some distance between myself and his office, I smiled at the notification. Man - if only he knew...
Congratulations. You have completed the quest:
Lessons In Morality
You have proved to the Assistant Director that the moral quandaries of using the Affect Emotions spell are outweighed by the positive results.
Reward:
You have received 300 experience points. Experience towards next level 945/6000
Your reputation with High Hold has increased by +500(+20%)=600. New reputation: 3716 (Honored)
I had barely made it outside the bard wing before I found a place to sit and check out the contents of my mental photograph. As before, I was amazed at the level of detail provided by the function. I could zoom in to see a tiny crumb on one of the documents where Benjamin had been eating while working. I wasted little time before delving into the contents, however. Walking past me right at that moment must have been an interesting experience. I could only imagine how I looked, sitting with my back to the building while my smile slowly evolved into a deep chuckle and then an honest-to-God evil laugh. Oh my. This was a smoking gun, if ever I'd seen one. The documents were official-looking reports and notes, all carrying Mrs. Gladestrider's signature. About half of them, however, had been subtly altered, and on one of them, he was right in the middle of the document, erasing key words to replace with his own choices. Perfect. Now I just needed to decide how to handle it.
In the end, I decided to go with a heavy-handed approach. They say to roll with what you know.
What followed was both disappointing and bewildering. The first act played out exactly like I had envisioned. Faced with the evidence, he admitted to falsifying reports and setting up Mrs. Gladestrider 'to remove her from office so she wouldn't be able to do more damage to the Academy.' But when I confronted him with stealing my map, he appeared genuinely confused. Trying to blackmail him into giving it back yielded nothing at all.
In the end, the tables turned and he actually tried to bribe me into keeping silent. I considered it for a moment, but finally decided to turn him in for the quest reward.
Lyle and I suffered through an appreciation speech from Mrs. Gladestrider. She still seemed cold and distant, but her relief at watching Benjamin be exposed felt genuine. The best part of the entire situation was the reward, though.
Congratulations. You have completed the quest:
Change In Charge
You have proved that the Assistant Director of the bard wing of the Academy of High Hold was falsifying paperwork, attempting to make Mrs. Gladestrider seem inept and take over her position.
Reward:
+2 Chronicler skill.
You have received 250 experience points. Experience towards next level 1245/6000
Your reputation with High Hold has increased by +500(+20%)=600. New reputation: 4316 (Honored)
A full 600 reputation left me almost halfway to Revered with High Hold and receiving my Probationary Citizenship. Regardless of Benjamin not being the culprit, at least that part had progressed nicely. Except, of course the quest didn't update to rule out Benjamin. That would be too easy, right Exogenics? I fully expected the next pop-up too – especially since I learned that Benjamin wouldn’t just be tossed from the Academy, but the city proper.
Improved standing with Serune:
You have inspired an impressive degree of enmity in somebody. If your paths cross again, repercussions are sure to follow.
Reward:
Inspiring a deep-founded grudge in Benjamin Earnest: 200 clergy points. Points to next rank 600/2000
To my surprise, however, another blinking notification was waiting for me, and I expanded it to discover that I had gained a new feat. My elation at this unexpected windfall soon turned into horror as I read the description:
You have earned an Achievement
Center Of Attention
You are a man of large gestures and much joy. You enjoy being the center of the party, the one everybody talks about - and you don't mind crossing a few lines when it comes to gaining that attention.
You will find that attracting and keeping the attention of bystanders comes easier to you. You stand out in a crowd. However, sneaky endeavors may be harder, given your natural tendencies to attract focus.
Oh crap, oh Hell, oh flying fudgesicles. That was not the kind of help I wanted from the system. As a bard, it would be amazing - but trying to escape attention from the criminals? Kind of painting a target on my own back. Sure, I'd been pretty straightforward and loud in my approaches, but I hadn't counted on Exogenics turning it into a feat.
I noticed the change the moment I tried to go about my day in the Academy. Heads turned and people looked my way wherever I went. Of course, the rumor mill would have something to do with that as well. It was probably not often that a student got an employee kicked from the city. I was forced to explain myself over and over, telling them exactly what had happened. I did leave out a handful of facts, like my lockpicking - nobody needed to focus on that.
After a while, I’d had enough and I sealed myself inside an empty classroom, focusing on my Chronicler task. Losing myself in my spells and the simplicity of a clearly outlined task was enjoyable, and I got some work done. My traitorous mind did try to sidetrack me constantly, however, bombarding me with what-ifs and imagining unpleasant scenarios where my new-found feat brought about my demise. After a handful of hours, I sat down and tried to wrap my thoughts around the remaining tasks in High Hold, to see what still needed to be done.
That evening, I shared my findings and confusion with Lyle and Arack. "So this means that it was Aron, right? I really didn't see that coming."
Lyle looked at me askance. "Are you serious? He looks like somebody who's ready to murder you and wear your skin."
"But... he's just so damn jolly." Like a tattoed, scarred Santa.
"Yeah, well, that just means he's going to do a jig and smile a lot while he eats you alive."
"...point. I feel kind of stuck, though. I mean, give us five days or so, and I might be able to finish the Chronicler task. That should give us a chance to see if Aron's been going off into the woods. But... does that give us anything at this point, really?" I looked at the others for assistance.
Arack tapped the table in an elaborate rhythm, lost in thought. Lyle was staring at the tavern door with a dreamy look on his face. "Lyle?"
He jumped in his chair and a blush colored his cheeks. "Sorry. I've been a bit... distracted lately."
"Lyle's in looove," Arack intoned in a sing-song voice.
"Really? Is that the level we're at? Besides, it's probably not love..." he looked lost for a moment again, before shaking his head. "Getting back to the subject - Prisha and I have checked over their histories, and it checks out. Everything on the map corresponds to the known history, kobold sightings, and the places from which the war eventually launched." His mouth turned down in a lopsided grimace. "The map was real, I can pretty much guarantee it."
I tore a roll in two. "Damn. Anything else?"
"Not really. We've pretty much exhausted their knowledge on the topic. The majority of writings on the kobolds seems to start around the same time as when the war started."
I drummed on the table. "In that case, how about this: Prisha is a full Chronicler, right? She has access. How about a
sking her if she'd be willing to help us get the names from the bridge guards? It would save us some time..."
Lyle tugged his ear. "I'm not sure I feel comfortable with that. That info's off-limits to the rest of us."
I pressed him. "Sure, but you know what we're going to use it for. It's all for the good of the city."
He crossed his arms. "I'll ask, but not any more than that."
Damn knights and their sense of justice. "I won't ask for any more. Hey, one other thing. I don't know if the two are connected, but we could really also do with some real numbers on this..." I proceeded to outline the issues with the lack of newcomers from the north. "Summing up, the warriors agree something fishy is going on, but there's got to be some solid numbers out there - maybe even available in the library."
Lyle nodded and we went back to our dinner, eating in silence for a bit.
Out of the blue, Arack blurted out, "I'll have to break in." Lyle and I stared at each other in confusion, but she continued unabashed. "I'm serious here. Sure, we can get some details on people entering the woods, but unless we find some proof, something linking Aron to any of the people, we won't be able to use it for anything." Lyle started protesting, but she spoke up. "Please stop, Lyle. I know you're not a fan, but this is a thing that needs to happen. Unless you know of some way we can do this the regular way? No?" Eyes blazing, she turned towards me, lifting a finger, "and I know you're going to say that you should, like, be the one to take the risk. Forget about it, mister. If any of you inept clodhoppers were to start rummaging around his room, you'd break half and tip over the rest."
I held up a hand. "Can I speak now?"
"...yes."
"I agree. On both counts. We need to break in, and Lyle and I are not the ones to do it." Especially not with my new feat. That'd be an interesting, if short-lived, attempt. "The real issue will be how to smuggle the only kobold in High Hold inside the dormitories without anybody noticing. Still, I don't think we should do it unless we all agree to it." I looked at Lyle, who was already frowning. "Lyle. Even if we get the lists, we need something else. Hoping that Aron's name pops up on those lists, and that he doesn't have a legit excuse to leave the city, isn't going to cut it. We need some sort of evidence. Otherwise, we might as well drop the whole thing."
Put in the spotlight, Lyle glared at both of us. "Sometimes I really don't like you guys. Seriously, what's wrong with just working within the system?"
Softly, I asked, "Does it look like the system is doing a lot to help us these days?"
"Damn you. That's a no, of course. Doesn't mean I have to like it." He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Fine. Count me in. We're not doing anything before I've had the chance to ask Prisha if she can help with the info, though. This is a last resort."
"Fair enough." I agreed. "Anything else? I'm about to go visit Atlas to keep an eye on Aron for the evening, but we'll see each other for breakfast?"
Arack piped up, "No, we won't. I'm starting early tomorrow. One of the teachers is allowing me to try out a new formula in my spare time, and it's going to be incredible. But, there is something. Check out… this!" With her final words, she slammed an item up on the table: a tiny, bottle-shaped vial with a cork for a stopper.
"Is that...?"
She held it up so we could better admire it. "Yup. The first of my own concoctions that I got to keep. First of many, I hope!"
I stared at the tiny vial. The transparent liquid looked just like water.
Elixir of Endurance
One of the most basic types of elixir. Upon consumption, it will grant you an additional +1 to Endurance.
Duration: 10 minutes
"Incredible! Good job, Arack!"
Her scales deepened in color. "Thanks. I know, the effect is really not impressive, but just you wait!"
Lyle cut in, his deep voice uncharacteristically soft. "You should be proud of yourself. Achievements like these are ones to celebrate." One side of his mouth quirked up. "I know I wore my first set of bracers far longer than I really should have - they were falling apart at the end."
Smiling, I left them to enjoy themselves for a bit while I tried my hand at breaking into a room with Atlas.
Chapter 29 – Nightly Excursions
Tonight, we moved around a bit, staking out Aron's apartment and searching for different approaches to the room. In the end, I excluded the front door as a feasible entrance. Even at night, the occasional straggler would walk the hallways, and spotting a kobold in the building would ensure that Arack would be blamed for anything. That left only the shutters. Fortunately, there was nothing that kept me from walking the halls myself, and the doors were blessedly adorned with names. That, combined with the fact that I knew Mordiel was out on the town to visit a certain harpy in the Peak, soon had me kneeling near the elf's window, trying to get a feel for what held them closed. Atlas was stationed right above me on the roof, keeping an eye out for anybody to appear. We had to break off our attempt twice as students wandering the grounds were inexplicably drawn toward me, and I had to come up with a believable lie for walking around the premises that late. Must be that damn feat at work. Finally, however, I had a moment of peace and got busy.
How did shutters work? This was not a rhetorical question. As I knelt in the dirt, sending experimental tendrils of Sonic Force upwards, it appeared to me that I had no clue. Were there, like, locks in place? Did they have a board behind the shutters or something, keeping them closed? Would I have to resort to force or finesse? The encompassing pitch darkness of the night didn't help, so I was essentially feeling my way around with no actual sense of feeling. To my relief, I hit the jackpot a moment later when I heard the scraping of something wooden moving from within. After a break for mana regen, I was back to it, and soon heard whatever it was moving upwards. A sudden clatter made me seize up, panicking as I listened intently for any reactions.
Two minutes later, I relaxed. Clearly, the neighbors were used to weird sounds from Mordiel, and silence reigned. I slid the shutters open to study what was on the other side and smiled in relief. Thank you for keeping things simple. I was staring down upon a simple wooden board, held in place by two hinges. The noise had been from the board dropping to the floor. To my relief, the windows were both open in order to let a small draft enter during the warm nights, surely. Engaging my concentration, I used Humming Touch to float it my way and try again. I spent a while practicing sliding the board up and down until I was able to lift it and open the shutters within seconds.
The following night, I found myself wandering the Academy grounds again, wearing my heart in my mouth as Arack rummaged around inside Aron's room. Lyle’s lover, Prisha, had not seen fit to help us obtain the info we needed on people leaving the city, so we went forward with our plan. The board keeping the shutters closed had been easy to lift, except for a moment where it had gotten stuck on something gooey and wouldn't budge. Still, I'd made it within half a minute and was now taking an innocent stroll around the place while Atlas kept an eye open. If Aron came home early from his tavern visit, I'd run interference. Of course, Aron wasn’t the one to return… but suddenly, alert shot through the bond from Atlas. I started walking away from the window, but couldn’t quite make it out of sight before a well-known face appeared in the darkness.
”Arcangelo!” The words of the blond, tall elf were slightly slurried as Mordiel stumbled along, arm slung over the shoulder of a catfolk female. ”Just the man I needed to see. Drinks in my room.”
The catfolk growled at him. ”Oh, no you don’t. You’ve already been tossed from one tavern tonight. It’s water and bed for you.” She unceremoniously dumped him on the ground, stretched, and glanced at me. ”Tough luck for you, being his friend. You just earned yourself a task – get this drunkard to bed.”
I studiously avoided looking at the window behind me and stammered, ”but… I’ve got somebody waiting-”
”Not my problem. Take it out on Mordiel tomorrow. He should be happy I dragged hi
m this far.” She shook her head.
Mordiel was no help at all. ”Oh, but I am happy. Any time spent in your lovely company, Draina, is-”
She snorted and started walking away.
The next quarter hour seemed to last forever, as I helped the surprisingly heavy elf return to his room, turned down his repeated invitations to a night cap, and finally returned outside.
My nerves were pretty shot at this point, but I had piggybacked along on Atlas' senses from time to time to check whether Aron had returned. At long last, I was able to return to his windows, close the shutters and let the plank fall into place with a dull 'thunk'.
Following Atlas’ guidance, I soon located Arack, sitting inside the derelict building where Atlas stayed these days. Half-running up to her, I smiled in relief - only to notice the clenched, shaken look on her face. "What? What's wrong? What did you find?"
Arack glared at me in horror, leaning her tiny body against the building while a series of spasms overtook her. "That was so disgusting! I can't believe you had me rummage through that!"
"I did warn you. And you've served me steager cabbage soup! How are you complaining? Was it really that bad?"
"The soup is just stink! At least we cleaned our plates beforehand. And you warned me that the place was a mess. Not that... I have mold under my claws right now! One of the rats scratched me!" Her voice rose an octave.
