by R J Triveri
He shook his head. “No, I’ll be staying for now.”
The way her eyebrows jumped said it all as she relaxed onto the counter in a familiar slump. “It’s your life.” The smile on her face seemed to betray her happiness at a paying customer. Her eyes perked for a moment as if his presence reminded her of something. “By the way, someone stopped by looking for you.”
Of course, they did. Athos thought to himself before he answered. “And?”
“I told her you’d left town,” she said as she pulled out a weapon from behind the counter. The blade was long and thin like a needle, but the end was so fine that Athos couldn’t quite see where it really ended. “She said she’d be back though. Said it was important.”
“Any idea who it was?”
Sammi shook her head as she polished her rapier. “I usually know everyone around here, but she wasn’t a local. Didn’t leave her name either, but it had to be one of the guild messengers. After last night, the locals are trying to fight back. They even called in the arbiter. They’re having a big meeting and everything in an hour-ish.” She put the rapier away into her inventory and returned to her slumped position. “Either way, they’re expecting more of the same tonight, so I wouldn’t go out alone if I were you.”
Athos sighed. He never thought of himself as a hero, but… “I don’t think I’ll be alone.” He was about to head out the door, but stopped himself and went towards the stairs to his room. “Almost forgot, I’ll take my usual order, Sammi.”
A smile played on her bored face as she opened the store’s window for him. “Anything else?”
Athos could only give her a small smile in return. “Not unless you can buy me a few weeks to think of a plan.”
“Sorry, Athos. I’m fresh out of extra time,” she grinned. “I do have plenty alchemist starter kits though.”
***
Removed from everything known to Incipere, a god continued its efforts to avert the storm that was already crashing against the shores of its world.
Part Three: Ally
Being alone is horrible, but at least I’ve got a surly innkeeper to drink with if it gets to be too bad.
-Thoughts of Athos Aramis, Alchemist of Incipere
Many Meetings
Athos wasted no time getting together a slathering of brews old and new together for the trip: Pyrothium, Obscurus and Sol Arum, Leritate Omnes, and even a few of the poisonous-looking, green Venefirous he hadn’t bothered with before. Now that he had enough of the shadow oils to actually make it, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea to have a range of different ammo types ready. The fact that his potions could be queued in his machines made things go all the faster as he looked through his inventory and took out the gray book sealed in blue wax.
As he did with the first, he touched the seal and was rewarded with a small message window:
Conditions are not met: Identification
The seal didn’t crumble, the binding ribbon stuck in place, and the book’s name updated appropriately in the same window to, unimaginatively, unidentified book. Well, at least he was learning. Green books seemed to be essence, which he still had no idea about except that it effected his Splendor Solis, and blue books were, well, unidentified. According to Sally, there were also skill books, which probably had another color to them. With a contented shrug, he sent it back to his inventory and returned to his machines.
Sally Queen => Athos Aramis: Dad’s canceling the trip in.
Athos queued another vial of Pyrothium before he sat back and focused on the chat window.
Athos Aramis => Sally Queen: I thought he might. I don’t know what’s going to happen, Sally. The guilds are holding some kind of meeting soon to decide.
Sally Queen => Athos Aramis: Are you going?
Athos Aramis => Sally Queen: I need to. If it were just me, I wouldn’t care, but it’s not. I can’t just leave them. I have to fight.
Sally Queen => Athos Aramis: My mother says the same thing.
Athos Aramis => Sally Queen: Sally?
Sally Queen => Athos Aramis: Just be careful.
Athos Aramis => Sally Queen: I will. You can keep track of me, right?
Sally Queen => Athos Aramis: You’re my friend, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be watching your every move.
Athos Aramis => Sally Queen: Humor me.
Sally Queen => Athos Aramis: Oh, trust me, Athos. I am.
He smiled at that and let it go as the interface of his setup dinged. The half visible image of a potion bottle floated in the air above his station to inform him that the work was done. Opening the interface again, he took everything he could muster and packed his inventory with thirty of each draft and bottles to spare. For a second, he looked at everything before returning it to his nearly full inventory.
The room was empty now save for the bed, the low light throwing lamp, and the small table. It wasn’t the largest room, but without his equipment filling every nook and cranny of the free space, it didn’t quite feel like his home. It was appropriate, seeing as he didn’t intend on staying any longer when this was all said and done. If he had learned anything in the past weeks, it was that he needed help. He needed to go and find what purpose there was to be had with his life, and he couldn’t do that sticking around Oenus. With the Suits in control of the land, it felt better to leave anyway. A pang of regret hit his heart as he turned from the table. Well, it would be better to leave once he’d finished what he started with them anyways. Athos knew he owed Ioh that. If Ioh still existed in any form, she deserved revenge.
Closing the door behind him, he took out the key from his inventory, locked the door, walked back from the impossible hallway, down the stairs, and into the general store. The key left his hand in an underhanded pitch to Sammi. She looked at it curiously as the abandoned item connected and disappeared into her inventory. “Checking out?”
He nodded walking the rest of the way to the desk. “I think it’s about time.”
She nodded, pocketing the key with a soft show of light. “More like long past time. You’ve been here way too long, Athos.”
Before he could open his mouth, he stopped himself. Athos knew she was right. Instead, he opened his window, sent a friend request, and smiled. “Just got too comfortable here, I guess.”
Friend Request Accepted: Sammi Lase [GoIS] - Rank 10 Supplier
“Gois?” Athos asked reading the strange tag aloud to himself.
She seemed surprised for a moment then laughed. “Guild of Inciperian Suppliers. Almost forgot I had that.” Athos didn’t doubt the sincerity in her voice. She seemed like the type to forget about those sorts of things. “They’re the group that organizes and approves store locations that get restocks. Have to be a part of the guild or no regular restocks like your starter bag.”
Just like the real world, it was all who you knew. He shook the thought from his head and smiled as he turned. “Thanks for taking me in.”
Sammi laughed a little louder than she intended sending the curls of her hair bounding. “Athos, you’ve done more than enough to be taken in. Delivery boy or not, you always pay and never ask questions about your reward. I don’t even think you’ve upset anyone except for a baker. I couldn’t ask for a better client.”
He winced a bit remembering his first days as Oenus’s delivery boy. That door still hurt when he remembered the impact it made on his face. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it, just…”
“I know,” he interrupted. “Don’t die out there.”
She nodded. “Right.”
“Right. Take care, Sammi.”
“You too, Athos.”
He thought about saying more, but he turned and left before his eyes betrayed him. He tried to ration that he’d be back, but it was never easy for him to leave a friend behind. Even if she was just someone that kept him in potion supplies and equipment. Athos knew he had more to worry about than just himself as he checked his inventory screen again. Integrity was at seventy-five perc
ent, but still reasonable, he still had his forest perk and…. Trigger-Happy? A little more than surprising, but as he touched it for more information, his surprise was replaced with an almost smug satisfaction.
Trigger-Happy: A trigger-happy gunner has no trouble finding his target and making sure that those shots land. Reloads and skills trigger ten percent faster than normal, but shots deal five percent less damage.
It sounded like fun to him, maybe he was a little trigger-happy after last night. It was almost enough to make him laugh despite everything. As he walked towards the center of Oenus, he noticed one last change on his status screen. He had a blessing, and the name that glowed a steady white light made his heart writhe: Vedava’s Gift. His mind raced, trying to figure out when he had gotten it. Clicking on the status rewarded him with only a memory of words as they appeared onto the screen slowly one at a time:
I thank you for what you’ve done. Please, accept this and my blessing for your kindness. Now, I am free of my imprisonment.
There was no physical change like with the Child of the Forest perk, no status changes according to his other windows, and he didn’t feel any different. There was no description really for it either. Just simple, memory-laden words that faded back into nothingness. A moment passed in silence as he tried to figure out what it could possibly be, but ultimately it didn’t really matter. Athos knew the facts. He knew that there wasn’t anything else he could have done, but a small voice in the back of his mind rang a silent bell reminding him that in the end, it was his fault.
A wash of darkness spread over his heart for a moment before the sounds of the gathering crowd threw him a rope. His mind reawakened as the crowd grew more and more dense. All sizes, all shapes of people collected around him. Swords, axes, and guns were all hanging at the sides or backs of individuals he had never met or even seen around the city before. Best he could figure, most of them were extensions that had left the local area to explore further into the wild lands. Clusters had the same dress as the others around them, most were color coordinated, but all of them where there with a single purpose on the stone paved streets of Oenus.
Looking to a nearby man, Athos simply asked. “Has the meeting started yet?”
The man, no older than Athos in appearance, but whose white hair more than made him look old enough, shook his head. “No, the arbiter is still waiting on a few guild leaders to arrive.” The man eyed him over, took note of the black and blue and shrugged. “Midnights are towards the front if you’re looking for them.”
Athos shook his head, figuring it was a guild’s name. “I’m not a Midnight. Just waiting to hear what’s going on.”
The man nodded. “Besides the city going to Hell?”
“Besides that.”
Holding his hand out, the man smiled. “I’m Torrent, Rank twelve Elemental Blade.”
Taking it, Athos returned the friendly smile. “Athos, Rank Four Alchemical Arm.”
Torrent looked at him curiously: first, his face and then his coat. As many details as the man could take in, he stole before he answered again. “Alchemical, as in alchemist?” Athos nodded. “As in a potion slinger.”
“Sounds about right,” Athos agreed as he patted the holster on his side. “Not a great one, but still one all the same.”
“Anyone giving you grief for it?”
And here goes the same old story, Athos thought before he answered. “More like people asking if people are giving me grief more often than not. Most of the trouble I find, I find because I’m who I am.”
Torrent grinned a bit at that. “Sounds like you’re good to me…”
“Attention, guilds!” A voice boomed across the air before Torrent could finish his thought, bringing the attention of every group back to what lay before them. “Today, we are here to listen to the arguments of the guild known as the Suits as to the actions they took last night to the modifications of the hunting and protection regulations surrounding the Sea of Grass, Oenus, and the outlying area surrounding the Forest of the Dryad.” The echoing disapproval rang hard in Athos’s ears even this far back from the epicenter. “If it is needed, charges will be brought against their leader.”
If, Athos thought to himself before looking over to Torrent. “How often are guild leaders prosecuted for what they do?”
Torrent shrugged, and the sounds of disapproval welled as a familiar face took the stage. Even from here, Athos could see the smug grin, the bowler hat, and the well-pressed, white, button down shirt of Paul’s. His blood boiled as the man held his hands up to quell the crowd’s noise. “Citizens of Oenus, Greetings!” As if he wasn’t being accused of crimes, as if he were just at another meeting with his guild, Paul just acted as if everything were normal. If Athos could grind his teeth, he imagined that they would be little more than dust at this moment. “As you well know, I am Paul Skrzypak, leader of the local branch of the Suits guild which, by the way, is still seeking any of the medical profession to join its ranks! We have been accused of destruction of this fine city, but as I stand here, I see nothing more than the results of an unfortunate accident.”
Whoever the presenter was in his gleaming armor, the comment wasn’t lost. “Are you putting forth that you are not responsible for the damage to the market district or for the loss of life last night?”
“Not only that, I attest we have done nothing against the law worthy of being set before you, Arbiter. We have ownership of all the surrounding lands and simply set things to become more welcoming to those of us that enjoy hunting. If the market district was damaged, it simply was part of our claim and improperly registered under the city’s boundaries. Unfortunate, I assure you. The hearts of the Suit go out to those that could not find safety, but that is not our fault.”
“Not your fault?!” screamed a voice a few rows up from Athos.
Another screamed in kind. “You’re the idiots that stirred the hornet’s nest!”
The crowd grew more restless as things began to devolve into more shouting. A few weapons were drawn and raised to the air before the knight on stage raised his halberd into the air. “Silence!” With little more than that, the unrest was covered and set to boil once more. “Though they have not followed the proper channels, the citizens bring up a valid point. Do you deny modifying the settings to the surrounding areas and the dungeon’s performance parameters?”
His voice carried with the pride of a king as he replied. “Of course not! My guild took each area, purchased the rights, and modified it through all the proper channels.”
“But you do deny the damage done to the city is a direct result of your actions.”
“As I said before, Arbiter, it is not the fault of my guild that the city’s guards were not adequate for the fallout from what was done. Oenus is a fine city, but out here, they must be ready for anything that happens. I am simply trying to attract more settlers to a more adequate hunting ground. Is there a crime in this?”
The arbiter wasted no time in its reply. “No, modifying the spawn rates and aggression of Wild Ones is well within the parameters set by Unum.” Once the meaning of the words sunk into the crowd, the rage began to boil over, and the armored one made no effort to stop it as it spoke. “Are there any other crimes that wish to be brought up that do not stem from this event?” Athos stood watching the motionless armored individual calculate within the darkness of its mask before answering. “With the details as they are presented, the Council of Unum must rule in favor of the guild of The Suits.” The roar grew into a maelstrom of noise and anger as Athos took a step back. Paul must have felt it as well on the stage as he called up two more of the Suits from off stage to escort him from the city to cries calling for his death and the disbandment of the guild.
Torrent turned to Athos, but was interrupted shortly before his mouth could open by the words of the arbiter. “Unum has spoken! I suggest the guard be doubled and the bridges raised at nightfall.” The monotone voice seemed to soften as it addressed the closest part of the crowd. “
For those that have lost loved ones, know that Unum guides them back to the world. They shall always be a part of this world, as you shall always be a part of them.”
Athos watched as the suit of armor burst into blue flames and vanished taking the stage with it in a single, heat-less flame. Torrent seemed unimpressed as Athos broke the silence following the flames. “That was not quite what I expected.”
“Expect the unexpected,” Torrent replied with a smirk. For a moment, his eyes shifted to the lower left-hand corner of his vision. “Come on, the next meeting is about to start.”
“I thought the decision was already made.”
Torrent shook his head. “No, the higher powers won’t do anything to help, so it falls the locals. Well, the locals that want to get involved anyways.”
Athos shook his head. “Do they care if I’m not a guild member?”
“Nah,” and Torrent grinned as he raised his shoulders into a shrug and shook his head, “but consider it a trial run? Maybe? The Moon’s Aura is always keeping an eye out for people we can trust.”
Meeting of the Minds
Games had built the idea of a guild house up for Athos. It was some fancy place filled with weapons, armor, trophies of some unnamed hunts, and other rare items. They were places where the members could sit back, relax, and chat. Apparently, Incipere didn’t agree with Athos’s grand vision. His ideas were dashed as Torrent took him down a back alley and knocked on what could best be described as a seedy back door. Tarnished, slightly damaged, and bearing the words guild house, the entry was nothing to be impressed by.
He could feel his face recoil from the sight, and that must have been enough to tell Torrent everything he needed to know. “It’s not all that bad on the inside. It’s all we could afford.”
The alchemical arm felt a little embarrassed that his disappointment was that apparent. “Sorry, I just expected something different.”
“Most people do. We aren’t a rank ten guild, so… yeah. Not the best options for bases and openings.”
