The Discovery of an Assassin

by Brian Keller

  After twenty minutes of sparring, Kolrem disengaged and he stepped back. He had a strange look on his face, worried, almost panicked. He gave Cooper a short wave and he turned and walked to Mister Skran. The teacher had noticed Kolrem disengage, since that movement was different from all the other movement taking place, it tended to stand out and draw the eye. Mister Skran was watching Kolrem approach with a look similar to anticipation. Kolrem spoke a few brief words and Mister Skran nodded and led Kolrem to a corner of the room, away from the practicing pairs. Mister Skran had Kolrem kneel down and he took a seat in front of him and slightly to the side. Cooper had started to follow but a look from his teacher warned him away. He started to walk over to the practice dummies, since he hadn’t been given any directions and figured he should be doing some kind of activity but he stopped before he’d reached them. Kolrem looked like he was trying to meditate but occasionally his body seemed to spasm a little. His face would twist into a grimace every ten seconds or so but it seemed to pass quickly. After a few minutes, the frequency of spasms and grimacing seemed to increase and the occurrences more severe. Shortly, there were no sounds of metal striking metal, all practicing had ceased. Birt came to stand beside him and in a voice lacking control spoke, “It’s happening. Kolrem’s Manifesting.”. It looks like it’s going to be a powerful event.”. Birt cleared his throat in an attempt to regain command of his vocal chords.” I expect that in a minute or less, Mister Skran will give him a little more space. I have heard that Manifestations can sometimes get… dicey.”. Cooper wondered, “Should someone go get Miss Camilla?”. Birt shook his head, “Nope. Nothing she could do anyway. This is just one of those things that has to take its course.”. Kolrem’s spasms had become pronounced enough that they almost resembled seizures. He could see the veins standing out in his neck and the sides of his head. The boys had gathered closer, forming a loose half circle around Kolrem and their teacher. The previous spasm had taken Kolrem from his knees and into the fetal position. As the latest spasm abated, Mister Skran stood and leaned over Kolrem saying, “I’m going to step away from you, but I won’t go far. Remember to breathe. This is like gravity. It’s going to happen and there is no resisting it. Do not fight it. I know it’s painful but accept it as best you can. Breathe.”. With that, Mister Skran stepped away from Kolrem. He directed the boys a little further away and Cooper heard him say something like, “So far it looks like it’s just Air, but I suspect there’s more to come.”. He wasn’t sure if he’d heard his instructor correctly, since Mister Skran seemed to be speaking, but not speaking to anyone. It soon became apparent that he was correct, however, as with the next spasm a sound erupted from Kolrem that sounded like a mix of a growl, groan and scream. He’d heard plenty of screams before and this sound was different. Screams had a quality all their own, and while this had to be called a scream there was a grating, rumbling aspect to it. Almost like someone was pushing aside a stone that was blocking the top of a deep well. Abruptly, Kolrem’s body lurched from its fetal position and became fully outstretched, his body forming an oddly shaped five pointed star, every muscle tightened. Mister Skran was nodding as he spoke out loud to himself, “There it is… Earth.”. He turned again to the boys, “Everyone back away a few more steps.”, his face held a faint smile, “No point in crowding him. He has enough to deal with at the moment.”. Each boy obediently took a few steps back. It dawned on Cooper that every boy had a look of concern on his face, and it wasn’t because they were witnessing something that may soon happen to them. They all felt concern for Kolrem. He was one of them. During the last several months, Kolrem had earned everyone’s respect, and more importantly, their friendship. He was thoughtful, yet undeniably strong. He need not fear anyone in the class. No one could best him save Cooper and Mister Skran himself, yet Kolrem had always been considerate. He never acted like he thought he was better than anyone else. He’d always found time to help anyone that needed it. This event, Kolrem’s Manifesting, marked a humbling event in Cooper’s own life. He’d always held himself apart. He’d always maintained a distance, partly as a defense mechanism, but also partly because he felt different than everyone else. The defenses he’d placed around himself had become a prison of his own making.

  After about twenty minutes, it was uncertain whether the severity of the spasms had lessened or whether Kolrem simply was succeeding in managing them better, but either way Kolrem seemed to be regaining some control. After a few more minutes he’d managed to regain a kneeling position. This seemed to help him regulate his breathing which helped him become more calm and relaxed. After a few more minutes he sagged forward and Mister Skran broke the silence, “Rukle, you’re one of Kolrem’s roommates. Do you think you and Cooper can manage getting him to his bunk?”. Rukle shrugged, “That depends on how much help Kolrem needs..”. Cooper interrupted, “I think we’ll do fine.”, and he moved to help Kolrem to his feet. Rukle took the boy’s other side and they kept him balanced between them. Every dozen steps or so, Kolrem would need a little additional support, but he was mostly able to move on his own and just needed a little help to steady himself as he walked. Once the sleeping bay was in sight, Rukle started to chuckle a little. Kolrem mumbled, “What’s so funny?”. Rukle replied, “I’ve been trying to think of an excuse to miss Movement class, and here you go Manifesting and won’t be expected to attend Master Brais’ class again until tomorrow… slacker.”. Kolrem tried to laugh, but it just came out a grunt. They got him deposited into bed and quickly returned to the Training Room. On the way back, Rukle made the observation, “Well, it looks like you’ll need to find a new sparring partner. Maybe Mister Skran can provide you with a challenge…”. Cooper smiled, “You’re one of the best fighters in the class. You continue to improve as well.”. Rukle shook his head, “That may be true up until we put a blade in each hand. It feels so foreign to me. I can barely hold the blade in my left hand, let alone try to fight with it. I’m comfortable, even confident, with my right hand. One handed I might have a chance at challenging you, but when we put a blade in each hand I just lose my ability to focus.”. Cooper nodded, “That’s your problem then, trying too hard to focus. You can’t focus on everything, you can only focus on one thing at a time. If you insist on focusing, fighting with two hands becomes overwhelming. Too much is happening to keep up with.”. Rukle was nodding, “Exactly right. So… how do you do it?”. He shrugged, “Don’t focus. Center your vision on your opponents belly and let everything go out of focus a little bit. Take in as much as you can from your entire field of view. Even your peripheral vision will provide more information this way. Then you only have to focus your attention briefly at the moment of a strike or block, and then broaden your awareness again to register what has changed while you were focused. It’s strange at first, but it gets easier to manage.”. Rukle was listening intently while they walked. He was nodding his head, “That makes sense. I dunno if I can do it. But it makes sense when you describe it that way. I’ll try that. Thanks!”. Cooper shrugged and continued walking. As they reached the Training Room Cooper said, “I hope that works for you. Kolrem was hard enough to fight. Now that he’s Manifested both Air and Earth, I’m not so sure I want to spar with him anyway.”. Rukle’s mouth fell open, “Air… and Earth? How do you know? Can you tell somehow?!”. He shook his head, “Nothing like that. I overheard Mister Skran talking to himself as Kolrem was in the midst of his event. I figure that Mister Skran has seen it enough that he probably knows what he’s looking for. Depending on the strength of his Talent, Kolrem should be even more impressive. Air will probably give him speed, and Earth will likely give him strength, as if he weren’t already strong as an ox. If Earth gives him armor as well….”. Rukle was nodding, “I’ve still got a year, maybe two before I can expect to Manifest. After watching what Kolrem just went through, I’m not in as much of a hurry for that to come along as I thought I was.”. Cooper didn’t agree, pain or no, he wanted his Manifestation early. “I still have at least two years, mayb
e three, before I expect to Manifest. I’d accept it tomorrow gladly if it would come that soon.”. Rukle looked as if he didn’t believe him, but then he didn’t know everything that was going on in Cooper’s head either. The boys turned and entered the Training Room. Mister Skran spotted them immediately, “All right you two. Pair up and start practicing your sequences. And Rukle, Cooper is your opponent, not yourself. Keep your attention on him instead of on your hands.”. The boys crouched in a fighting stance as Rukle muttered, “I like your explanation better.”. Cooper’s lips curled into a tiny smile, “Let’s see how you do now with a new approach.”. After a few minutes Rukle decided that it was helping but he had to pay attention after each block or strike, or he’d get drawn in and start concentrating on details. Cooper could see how he was doing, and recognize when he was struggling a little and would offer quick words of encouragement to get his attention back how it needed to be. Rukle improved and he felt good about it. After a few days of practice, Rukle might not even allow himself to get distracted anymore. Time would tell.

  At dinner, all the students were discussing Kolrem’s Manifestation. Speculating on the strength of it, and which Talents they expected him to display. The main question Cooper had was how long would it take for Kolrem to recover. Trea came over and sat down next to him and asked, “What do you think? How is Kolrem?”. Cooper shrugged, “He seemed alright when we dropped him off at his bunk. Just really tired and weak.”. He thought about it and asked, “Should we go get him for dinner? Or will someone take him some food? He’s going to need to eat to get his strength back, and he never misses a meal. Whoever washes the dishes here must say a silent ‘thank you’ when they get to his plate. He nearly licks it clean.”. Rukle’s reply was muffled by the food he still had in his mouth, “You can’t worry about that. You said you had to go meet with Master Worthan and I have an assignment from Master Darius that I need to have completed before class in the morning. And we’ve still got Master Brais’ class in less than an hour.”. Cooper looked troubled and Trea put a hand on his shoulder, “This is really bothering you? I’ll see about it.”. Cooper looked Trea fully in the face, and she didn’t flinch away from his dark eyes. He asked, “Thanks. And don’t take this the wrong way, but why would it matter to you whether it bothers me or not?”. Trea looked down but replied, “I’ve asked around about you, Cooper. It’s a big place, but it doesn’t take long for everyone to know you. You’re a tough kid. Felis brought you in so I’m sure you’ve been through a lot; but then again, we all have. But you’re also caring and generous. That part of you hasn’t been stained. Working with you on creating your personas has probably been the most fun, rewarding experience I’ve had since I got here. Is that enough of an answer for you?”. Cooper was stunned. His short history at the Guild flashed through his mind and he settled on a particular occasion, “You’ve spoken to Loryn, haven’t you?”. Trea wrinkled her nose as she winked at him, “Among others.”. As she stood she reached out and mussed up his hair, “I’ll go see if anyone has thought to make sure Kolrem gets his nightly bag of oats.”. Cooper’s eyes followed her as she walked away. Rukle washed his food down with a swallow from his cup, “Dunno about you, but I’m pretty sure she likes you.”. Cooper thought about that. He liked her. It was probably a mistake, but he liked her. Rukle continued, “She’s really cute, too.”. Cooper turned back to his food, “Yeah. She is.”.

  He hurried from the dining hall to Master Worthan’s classroom. So much had happened today, but this meeting was never far from his thoughts. As he entered the room Master Worthan greeted him, “Ah, good evening, Mister Cooper. Could I be so fortunate that you might have brought some tea with you? No? Pity. I will surely be speaking at some length and I will likely want a cup or two of tea before we’ve finished.”.

  The old man took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, “Well, there’s no point in dwelling on that so let’s get started. You already know there are several fields and specialties. Those that are a part of the guild, but operate independently, such as the Houses, Gambling Halls, some taverns and the brothels. There are also those that act within the Guild but are predominantly for creating the illusion of legitimacy, such as Scribes and Couriers. We also have a shop next door where the wealthy can come and hire a servant. This allows some of our students that failed in their classes to still provide value to the Guild. They become our spies. This is yet another reason it is important that we offer our classes on Etiquette, wouldn’t you agree? All of these ventures: taverns, brothels, scribes, the slum Houses; all add to the guilds coffers. However, the information, whether complete truth or tainted gossip, that flows from these establishments is of at least as much value, and often far greater value, than the coin they generate. This is certainly true from our students that get hired out as servants. In the case of these students, it could be said that we glean more value from our failures than we do from our successes.” The old man stopped long enough for a brief chuckle, then continued. “Our thieves and enforcers bring in substantial amounts of coin. The fact that the Guild could not operate without coin is without question, but there are many ways to obtain the coin we need. Many times, the value of the information we receive is beyond measure.”.

  “Within the Guild we have several specialties, many of which you know already. We have Enforcement, charged with extortion, debt collection and activities that don’t require much in the way of delicacy. Properly organized they would form a force that could easily overwhelm the city guard, but probably not the Prince’s army. Not all of our enforcers are the blunt instruments that you might expect. Those Adepts that fail to become full assassins join the ranks of the Enforcers. They are then simply called Killers. They are certainly suited for that task, but they are not Assassins. Guild Assassins are capable of so much more than merely taking lives. The council has considered more than once about re-naming the specialty of Assassin and calling them Guild Agents, but when it has been put to a vote it has always failed.”.

  “We have the Apothecaries. Of the dozen or so Apothecary Shops in Paleros, the Guild owns three of them outright and has controlling interest in four others. Since we also control most of the imports of the herbs and reagents, we could squeeze the remaining shops but the Guild Council feels that this could actually damage our standing in the long term so we leave the others to operate without our interference. However, a few of our Journeymen and even one of our Adepts has found employment in our competitor’s shops.”, at this revelation Master Worthan awarded Cooper with a wink of a twinkling eye. “Apothecary Adepts are charged with the creation of potions and poisons as well as with training new Apothecary students. Some Apothecary students specialize further and become either Healers or Poisoners, but many times this is actually a bit of a misnomer and can even become confusing for other guild members. For example, Miss Camilla is an extraordinary Poisoner, but she’s also one of the best healers we have in the Guild. She insists that it all comes down to understanding the human body and its functions. She says that the rest is simple, concocting a mixture to either augment, slow or stop those functions; depending on the effect desired. I suppose she is right, but acquiring all that knowledge and then making sense of it is no simple matter.”.

  “Of course we also have the Thieves. Many of them have specialties within that specialty. Some prefer something along the lines of sleight of hand to collect their treasures, these are our Pickpockets and Pilferers. They operate any time of day, often in plain sight, but are only used to acquire small items. There are those that almost exclusively use their minds, contriving scenarios, some of them quite elaborate, to convince the wealthy to part with their coin and valuables. This was, well is, Mister Ysel’s specialty. It is a shame that we had to pull him back to a teaching position, but he was becoming too well known and eventually one of his disguises, well-crafted as they are, would fail him.”. Cooper was stunned. He’d never even conceived the notion that someone could simply be convinced to hand over their valuables, but then a
gain that was almost how the scenario played out when Mister Ysel had adopted the role of the portrait painter in one of the first classes. Cooper had to bring his mind back to the present, Master Worthan was still speaking.

  “There are also Thieves that break into homes and businesses, these benefit most from Master Darius’ and Master Brais’ classes. The volume of their hauls are usually limited by what they can carry out but there have been occasions where valuables were removed by other means. One such occasion involved using horses stolen from the owner’s own stables. As I understand it, people are still talking about that one, though it happened almost twenty years ago.”. Master Worthan grew thoughtful and became silent. Cooper asked a question that had been on his mind since he first arrived at the Guild, “Sir, where do Assassins fit in?”. Master Worthan’s eyes came back into focus and he put on a faint smile, “They are a category all of their own. Assassins must learn all specialties to the level of Adept. Any student that is deemed to have the potential is taught the lessons needed to create an Assassin. The strength and direction of their Manifestation as well as their ability to learn the material required are the determining factors on whether or not a student becomes an Assassin, or something else.”.