by A F Kay
Bliz was quiet for a bit. “When I was old enough to Ascend, the priest in my village presented me to Uru. There were no glowing statues or music or divine signs. When the priest asked me how I wanted to serve Uru, I told him I wanted to farm like my family.”
Bliz’s voice had grown quiet, and Ruwen could hear the sadness.
Bliz continued. “We were too small to have an Ascendancy tub in our temple, so I had to travel to Deepwell to Ascend. My village priest had given me two chits that day: a Worker and a Mage. The entire trip to Deepwell, a war waged between my desires and my duty.”
Ruwen already knew which chit Bliz had given the priest in Deepwell, but now Ruwen wondered why Bliz was here and not at his family’s farm.
“I’m telling you this because I want you to know you’re not alone. And I don’t just mean not being a Mage. There are hundreds of reasons that people aren’t the Class they want.”
Ruwen marveled at Bliz’s sense of duty. He had given up his dreams to help his family. Ruwen thought about his missing parents and knew he’d do the same to help them. In fact, part of his misery had been the fact that his Class would make it harder to find them.
“My younger brother and his family run the farm now, and I’m not even needed.”
“What? You gave up your dreams for nothing?” Ruwen asked and immediately wanted to slap himself for the outburst.
Bliz nodded. “I felt that way at first, but not for very long. Because I realized two things.”
Ruwen waited quietly. The Shooters had finished all the small items that could be thrown and had moved to the larger things that needed multiple people to handle.
“First, helping family and friends is rarely the wrong choice. Even if the cost is something you consider precious. Long term, the most valuable thing you’ll own are relationships.”
Ruwen nodded. Talking with Bliz, seeing Ahvy and her team’s joy, and his own experiences with the power and versatility of Workers had all deadened the bitterness and anger he felt about his Ascendancy. It gave him hope about his future.
“And second, I realized just how powerful my choice had made me,” Bliz whispered to keep the conversation private from the nearby Shooters.
“More powerful than a Mage?” Ruwen asked.
Bliz lifted his left wrist. “I can, alone, drain an entire sea. The more Energy I have, the bigger the portal, and the faster it will go. But, the fact is, the only other beings with such power are the gods. No simple Mage could accomplish a fraction of it.”
Bliz’s words soaked into Ruwen’s mind. Once again, Bliz had broadened Ruwen’s conception of what was possible.
“Wow,” Ruwen whispered.
“Hypothetically,” Bliz said with a laugh.
Two Shooters lifted a large crate and dumped it into Ruwen’s portal.
“Time!” Ahvy yelled.
“Two minutes and twenty-eight seconds,” a man shouted back.
Ahvy grinned and nodded at Bliz.
Bliz cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted. “I apologize. It turns out the only thing soft is your boss’s ability to judge time.”
Ahvy narrowed her eyes and raised her fist at Bliz, but she smiled, and everyone laughed.
Ahvy made a signal with her hand, and Ruwen’s Hey You ability translated it as “Complete.”
Ruwen glanced over his shoulder and saw Big D nod at Ahvy.
“To the gate!” Big D shouted.
The Shooters, Wip, and Qip gathered around Ruwen as he closed his Void Band. He opened his Inventory, curious how much he carried. His own items had consumed forty-seven slots before he’d started.
Inventory: 531/1,000
Over half his storage was consumed now. He focused on the value, and another popup appeared.
Weight: 0 (30,426 lbs. * 0 Void Band Reduction Factor)
The weight seemed impossible. If his Void Band suddenly stopped working, he would weigh over fifteen tons. He didn’t know if Void Bands ever glitched, but he decided right then not to sleep with his hand on his body. If the band’s weight reduction stopped for even a moment, the weight would crush him.
That thought made his brain itch again, just like at the warehouse. He thought back to what had triggered the sensation earlier, and it was when Bliz had mentioned falling into the Void Band and dying. He’d said the view wasn’t worth dying for. Ruwen’s head ached as he searched for the missing connection.
They’d already left the Mage Academy and were headed toward the western gate. Ruwen walked like a seed in the middle of a giant shell.
Bliz had mentioned something similar when he’d first spoken to Ruwen about the Void Band. Bliz had been giving Ruwen a final warning, and he thought back to Bliz’s words: I’ll give you one more warning. If you ever get curious what is on the other side of that black hole, regardless of what the description says, don’t stick your head in to look. It kills you, and the view isn’t worth it. Whoever wrote that description is evil. Trading your life for five strange symbols is a poor trade.
Ruwen’s brain felt like it had been packed with ice. His experiences with the Black Pyramid had taught him many things, including the power of a group of five symbols.
Ruwen rubbed his temples as his headache increased.
“Are you okay?” Bliz asked.
Ruwen squinted up at Bliz, the pain making the sunlight too harsh. “Yeah, I’m okay. I was just wondering about something.”
“Ask away.”
“When we first talked about the Void Band, you mentioned seeing some symbols inside the bag.”
Shards of what felt like sharp granite bounced around Ruwen’s mind. He looked down at the ground and continued to rub his temples.
Bliz put a hand on Ruwen’s back. “Are you sure you’re okay? We can take a break. Maybe it’s all the juice from the rings?”
Ruwen waved his left hand. “No, no, I’m okay. I’m just really curious about those symbols. Do you remember anything about them?”
Bliz’s hand remained on Ruwen’s back, but the crew chief remained quiet. Ruwen felt too much pain to look and see Bliz’s expression.
Bliz whispered, and Ruwen could barely hear him.
“I was young, dumb, and probably a little drunk. But those symbols are etched in my memory like they’d been seared there with a hot iron. I can’t not remember.”
“Can you draw them for me?” Ruwen asked through gritted teeth.
Bliz’s hand left Ruwen’s back, and he wondered if he’d asked too much. This was important, though, the pain in his head told him that.
Ruwen turned his head enough to see what Bliz was doing. The crew chief closed his Void Band and handed Ruwen a sheet of paper.
Five runes were drawn down the middle of the paper, and while Ruwen didn’t recognize them, they looked familiar to many he’d just seen.
“I drew these decades ago and asked around a bit, trying to figure out what they were or if they were valuable. But even the librarian didn’t know what language these were.”
At the mention of his friend Tremine, the pain became almost unbearable. Ruwen wiped the tears from his eyes and took the paper. As the symbols burned themselves into his mind, he remembered the blank grey doors in the Blood Gate. Ky had told him they were used for gate runes too dangerous to have a permanent connection.
With that thought, the pressure in Ruwen’s mind popped, and relief flooded him. He focused on the runes, and a notification strobed at the bottom of his vision.
Do you wish to update the map with these Gate Runes?
Ruwen chose Yes, and then immediately opened his map. As far as he could tell, nothing had changed or appeared, though.
Another notification blinked for his attention, and he opened it.
Gong!
You have increased your Knowledge!
Level: 38
The intelligent know true power is held by knowledge. The wise know knowledge can be dangerous. Greatness is found between them.
Ruwen was shocked. He hadn’
t figured out the algorithm for how Knowledge increased, but up until now, it had only been when he’d made some sort of significant breakthrough. The first time had been after leveling twice in the Black Pyramid and learning about a whole world he didn’t know existed. The second time had been after he’d learned to Cultivate. He wondered what these gate runes led to that was significant enough to level his Knowledge.
Ruwen handed the paper back, but Bliz refused it.
“Keep it. Please let me know if you ever understand it. They came at a high price, and not knowing what they mean makes it a hundred times worse.”
Ting!
You have received the quest…
A View to Die For
Crew Chief Bliz wishes to understand the symbols he paid for with his life. He has asked for your help in understanding this mystery.
Reward: A view worth dying for
Reward: Free drinks at the Dizzy Judge forever
Accept or Decline
Ruwen chose Accept and put the paper in his Void Band. Even without the rewards, he would help Bliz, who Ruwen felt had become his friend.
“I’ll do my best,” Ruwen said.
Chapter 8
A stage had been erected overnight in the field outside the western gate. Six distinct clumps of teenagers stood spaced around the stage, many wearing their Class colors. Adults stood behind them along with twenty appahs, which had triple saddles strapped to their backs. Ruwen surmised no wagons were present because they would be leaving the road eventually.
On the stage, a blonde woman paced slowly as she spoke directly to the teenagers. Her pants and shirt were grey, and she wore a red vest. Even from here, Ruwen could see the resemblance to Hamma. He focused on the speaker until her details appeared.
Name: Councilor Blakrock
Class: Merchant
Sub Class: Trader
Specialization: Negotiator
Class Rank: Journeyman
Level: 38
Officer Kaleb’s reaction to Hamma this morning made sense now. Hamma’s mom sat on the City Council, which made her one of the seven most powerful people in the region.
Head Priest Fusil stood smiling behind Councilor Blakrock, and Ruwen gritted his teeth. To the right of the priest stood six other adults, and Ruwen saw they were all councilors like Hamma’s mother. As Ruwen’s group drew closer, he could hear Hamma’s mom.
“…only by spending time with each other can we hope to understand the strengths we all possess. You are lucky, although I know some of you don’t feel that way, to be part of the largest group we have ever sent on this grand experiment. My prayer to Uru is that you come back with a new perspective and respect for your fellow citizens. Only together can we face the challenges before us. Uru’s blessing on you all.”
Councilor Blakrock bowed to the students and then nodded at High Priest Fusil.
Fusil walked to the front of the stage, kissed his index and middle fingers, and held them up. “Her favor on your plans, her light across your path, her mercy in your heart.”
Ruwen and everyone in the audience kissed their own two fingers and touched their heart, mouth, and forehead. He didn’t go to church regularly, but recent events had made him more aware of how involved the deities could be in a person’s life. It didn’t hurt to show some respect.
A small commotion erupted to Ruwen’s right as a late-arriving student pushed his way through the crowd. It was Slib, moving angrily to the small group of Mages. Twenty feet behind Slib, a Fighter dressed in leather dyed the grey and blue of Slib’s house colors stood watching the teenager. He had a sword on each hip and a black crossbow on his back. The same crossbow Ruwen had seen that morning.
Hate and fear mixed in Ruwen’s chest. As if sensing his gaze, the Fighter turned and stared directly at Ruwen. The man’s face remained blank. Ruwen’s intense stare brought up the man’s public information. A moment later, the information disappeared as the Fighter made his settings private, just like they’d been when he’d tried to kill Ruwen earlier that morning. But Ruwen had seen it long enough to remember it.
Name: House Captain Juva
Class: Fighter
Sub Class: Dual Wield
Specialization: Sword Dancer
Class Rank: Journeyman
Level: 39
Ruwen wanted to scream at the man, accuse him here in front of everyone. Ruwen actually took a breath before his common sense caught up. He had no proof, and the house captain would surely provide a solid alibi. They were probably late because they’d assumed Ruwen had died and the trip had been canceled.
Fusil finished speaking, and Ruwen realized he’d missed the priest’s entire blessing. The adults surrounded the teenagers like a wave hitting a beach. Big D stepped up next to Ruwen and stared at the chaos in front of the stage.
“Nothing gets the heart racing like thirty minutes of political speeches,” Big D said.
Ruwen heard the sarcasm in her voice. “Yeah, I’m glad we missed it.”
Bliz looked past Ruwen at Big D. “Why don’t you run for the city council?”
“Because I want to solve issues, not profit from them,” Big D said.
“My dad always said you can’t grow crops on the porch,” Bliz said.
“Your childhood explains a lot,” Big D said.
“I’m just saying, the best place to farm is in the field,” Bliz said.
“Brace yourself,” Big D said as she looked past Bliz.
Ruwen followed her gaze and saw Councilor Blakrock approaching them.
“I need to talk to Ahvy before her team leaves,” Bliz said and immediately strode away.
“Big chicken,” Big D mumbled at Bliz.
Councilor Blakrock stopped in front of them and held out her arm to Big D. “Yasmine, what a pleasure to see you.”
Big D grabbed Councilor Blakrock’s arm. “Well met, Elyse.”
Councilor Blakrock smiled. “It warms my heart to hear you’ll be traveling with our new Ascendants. They are in good hands.”
Big D returned the councilor’s smile. “You won’t be joining us then?”
“I tried everything I could to delay my obligations, but the city waits for no one. I just can’t get away,” Councilor Blackrock said.
“That’s too bad. The council might find a first-hand experience enlightening. My father always said crops don’t grow on the porch.”
Ruwen stared at Big D. She had just made fun of Bliz for the comment, and moments later used it herself.
“That is good advice. My mother always told me to know my weaknesses and trust in the strengths of others. Which is why I’m so happy you’ll be involved in these young people’s lives.”
“You are too kind, Elyse. I only hope the experience allows them to see the true value of the council,” Big D said.
“That is my wish, as well. We are here to serve,” Councilor Blakrock said.
Councilor Blakrock faced Ruwen. “Are you the young man we have to thank?”
Ruwen warmed at the councilor’s attention. He wondered how high her Charisma was to affect him like this.
“Yes,” Ruwen finally said. Although he didn’t think there were that many people happy about this. He was pretty sure almost everyone here would rather kill him than thank him.
Councilor Blakrock beamed at him. “For the first time, we are truly implementing the City Council’s vision. It’s very exciting.”
Ruwen smiled in spite of himself. Then he remembered the assassination attempt that morning.
“Well, exciting is one word,” Ruwen said.
The councilor gave a small bow. “Thank you for making this possible.” She turned to Big D. “Have a safe trip.”
Big D nodded, and Councilor Blakrock strode away.
“Don’t tell the chief I used his saying. He’ll be insufferable. More insufferable,” Big D said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ruwen said.
It struck him that neither woman had taken Bliz’s advice. Not only that, but both wo
men seemed friendly and reasonable even though they appeared to be in some sort of political war. Although that might be just their Charisma affecting his reasoning. Ruwen let the thoughts go. He had his own problems and didn’t want to be involved in city politics any more than he already was.
Councilor Blakrock had found Hamma and neither woman seemed very happy. What was life like for Hamma having a parent so involved in city government? Ruwen wondered what Hamma’s dad did, and made a mental note to ask her.
“Oh, did I miss the councilor?” Bliz said as he walked back up to them.
Big D sighed loudly, and Bliz winked at Ruwen.
Big D faced Ruwen. “Speaking of the council’s vision, I want to talk about the boxes Bliz gave you. They are precious, and you are being given a vast amount of trust. Only take them out for me.”
Ruwen nodded but before he could ask what they were, Big D had turned to Bliz.
“I plan to make Kan’s Crossing tonight,” Big D said.
“That would be good since Ruwen would only need to unload once,” Bliz said. “What about the Mages and other Classes with low Endurance? That is a long jog.”
Big D pointed at the saddled appahs. “They’ll take turns riding. Normally I’d want them to suffer with the rest of us. But the schedule is more important. They’ll be plenty of suffering later.”
Usually, Ruwen would have worried about a long run, but because of his Worker Class, his Strength and Stamina had automatically risen with every level. This had increased his Endurance and given him a 2.6 percent reduction in Energy cost for physical activities. Not that he needed it. With all the Energy gear he wore, he could sprint for hours and never make a dent in his pool.
“How many people are coming?” Ruwen asked.
“There are five Mages, nine Orders, thirteen Observers, twenty-one Fighters, thirty-seven Merchants, and eighty-nine Workers,” Big D recited.”One hundred seventy-four recent Ascendants.”
