Chapter 23: Arla's Forge

Subject: Caim Location: Maliscade - Blightbane Guild Headquarters

“This is yours, Caim,” Mille called out.

She was still some distance away. Caim and Alice rushed over to her. Everyone else was already leaving through a tunnel on the far side of the sizable training area.

Alice grabbed the brown cloth pouch out of Mille’s hand before Caim could. She turned it over and stared at a green symbol that looked like a three-petalled flower made of mechanical gears.

“Oh, so that’s what the ‘curiosity’ one looks like,” she piped. “I would have thought it would be bigger than the others or something.”

Alice handed the empty pouch to Caim, and he finally got a chance to admire the pleasantly simple symbol up close.

“What a waste,” a random seeker within earshot called out, and Caim looked up. “Don’t let the Guild ignore your talent, mage.”

Caim didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded.

“The pouch is symbolic,” Mille replied to Alice, ignoring the seeker. “It’s for storing petty coin. You know that harvesters couldn’t actually use these for business, right?”

“Yeah… what was that about, though? Didn’t you see the magic take out those illusions?!” Alice demanded.

Illusions? They were illusions?

Caim had still been under the assumption that the Guild captured blightbeasts for use in training.

“It can’t be helped,” Mille dismissed. “His behavior early in the ritual revealed his inexperience in combat.”

“But he isn’t really going to be a harvester, right?” Alice wondered.

“No, he can’t go that route,” Mille explained. “He is unskilled, and there are other logistical barriers.”

Caim tried to follow along. They were arguing over his provisionary title, whatever that meant. Alice was unhappy about it, making Caim feel a little silly for feeling prideful.

Alice looked around and then spoke again in a lowered voice.

“He single-handedly popped four of them with his magic bug, but I overheard some of the seekers saying it was just ‘part of the show’, that he can’t really do what we all saw!”

“It’s better that way,” Caim said.

“I have to agree,” Mille added.

“That certainly was... something, though. I didn’t know those were illusions. This whole space, too. We’re inside...”

Mille just stared at Caim in silence. She wore a disconcerting frown.

“You got over that thing in the beginning and destroyed them!” Alice beamed.

She jostled Caim, but he saw it coming and rooted his stance. It didn’t matter. Alice was stronger than him, despite being slightly smaller, and he fell back a step.

“I learned some things about Scion,” Caim mumbled, mostly to himself.

Namely, that I can’t use it in quick succession. It’s more limited than I thought.

“Don’t worry about the third wave,” Alice consoled. “Initiates don’t usually pass that one. You are supposed to fail.”

Mille shot Alice a look, and the excited seeker shut her mouth.

Caim wasn’t really paying attention.

But I also learned how to get it to accept up to three targets. I know it couldn’t do that before. Maybe that amount will increase again eventually? I felt something when I ate that blightseed. I think eating more of those seeds will enhance it.

Caim remembered feeling the call of a second spell, waiting for him to answer with a command. However, the card in his pocket didn’t respond when he’d tried to use it. Something was different about this new spell, too. It didn’t feel like Scion, but Caim really couldn’t know anything for sure.

“Didn’t you agree to meet up with your party soon?” Mille reminded Alice.

Alice tapped a fist to her own forehead, having clearly forgotten the appointment.

At least she isn’t perfect. It would be harder to catch up if she was.

“I’ll take care of Caim for you, don’t worry. When you next see him, he’ll have completed his first contract.”

Alice did the seeker salute and rushed off.

That, or I’ll be dead.

Subject: Caim Location: Maliscade - Blightbane Guild Headquarters

“What is this place?” Caim asked Mille once they were completely alone.

“It doesn’t normally look like this, but the Guild calls it the Training Grounds. You will hear others calling where we are standing the ‘arena pit’ during events like Initiations.”

Caim looked around at the scattered obstacles. Those had been disguised as boulders, trees, and other natural markers. The raised section lining the outer ring of the room was a viewing platform. He could somewhat imagine what the room would have looked like normally. Knowing the name for the area also helped a great deal.

“It has another name,” Mille added. “Seekers don’t like using it. They think it’s embarrassing.”

“What is it?”

Mille hesitated, looking around the wide space. Caim could see that she was thinking carefully about how to properly articulate something.

“The official name for this area is Arla’s Forge. Arla was one of the founders of the modern seeker movement. The Blightbane Guild has her to thank for many of the command structure decisions we make. It was Arla who pioneered the divided-yet-unified division system. However, she certainly had help turning it into a functioning formula for day-to-day operations.”

Caim was lost, but he tried to keep following along.

“In a nation far to the east, a hunter of the wilderness was born at just the right time,” Mille went on. “This hunter was charismatic enough to bring competing hunter factions together to create a lasting bond. This was all before the eastern nation had any contact with the seekers, who themselves had yet to span the known continents on this side of the world. It was before those seekers welcomed her and her followers into the fold.”

The known continents, Caim repeated in his head. There are more out there.

“What was she like?” Caim asked.

Mille looked pleasantly surprised by his interest in this historic figure.

“Arla was pained by the festerfonts swallowing her homeland, and she was so very passionate. Arla didn’t let tragedy stop her. Strength of body and character. According to historical accounts, she would also enjoy throwing feasts, setting up competitions, and other crazy things. All to boost the morale of her followers. All while facing an overwhelming festerfont epidemic.”

“She kind of sounds like Alice…” Caim chuckled.

“You have no idea,” Mille beamed. “Arla’s followers eventually got the attention of the seekers in a neighboring nation. Shroud wasn’t even established at that time, but that neighboring nation would have overlapped with our territory. Previously, the two countries had been at war, but the threat of the Blight became common ground.”

“Does this story have a happy ending? Or…”

“They survived. The seekers sent a force out to rescue the survivors and aid in the evacuation. When Arla encountered the seeker commander, she apparently challenged him to fight.”

Caim was stunned.

“Wait… what?”

“Not a fight to the death, but the commander was stunned nonetheless. He had expected immediate gratitude. Historians believe she was testing his character through hand-to-hand combat. Arla won, but the commander did well enough to impress her. Apparently, she thought the best honor she could give was a position as her second-in-command.”

“Did that cause friction?”

“Almost... but do you know what happened? He actually decided to appoint her as a temporary commander. He ordered all the seekers to follow her command, so long as she allowed him to be her second. This lasted until they evacuated the region.

Mille looked off to where two black rhombuses decorated the wall. The one on the left was placed slightly higher up.

The faron’s conduits lulled between green and purple. Those shapes were important, but Caim left Mille to her silent contemplations.

“When they finally returned to that neighboring nation together, Seeker Command appointed Arla as an official commander and made seekers of all of her followers. Civilians were granted amnesty within the nation, with the help of the seekers’ diplomatic ties. Arla and that commander remained great friends until the end.”

There was another word in the name of the room that had not been addressed.

“Where does ‘forge’ come in?” Caim asked.

“Arla didn’t merely join the seekers. She made waves in the ranks. Wild lifeblood pumped into the fledgling seeker organization. Steadfast supporters from her hunting days helped Arla establish boisterous training regiments,” Mille explained.

She pointed around the room to the artificial barriers and training equipment. Without the illusion coating its surfaces, Caim could see that the Guild was equipped for many activities. There were even markings on the ground to designate boundaries for what looked like athletic competitions.

“These changes have impacted the Blightbane Guild to this day. Arla unified her hunters with a story of a paradise called ‘forge’. The details are complicated, but I’ll tell you some other time if you’d like.”

Caim nodded and looked around with a new perspective.

“Wow… I really don’t know why anyone would be embarrassed to train in an arena named after a person like that.”

“Right?!” Mille sang in agreement. “We need to respect what others have sacrificed. They don’t-”

She stopped herself and just laughed it off.

The two of them stood in silence in the empty arena. Neither made a move to leave just yet.

Subject: Caim Location: Maliscade - Blightbane Guild Headquarters

The story about Arla’s Forge helped Caim understand the motivations of the Blightbane Guild.

“I think I know what all that was for,” he began. “It wasn’t just a test. You wanted to make me feel like I needed to depend on the Guild. Those seekers coming to save me, I mean.”

Mille’s conduits shone a mournful blue.

“I felt what you wanted me to feel, I did, but I could also tell you wanted to break me before showing me that the Guild can make me feel safe.”

She didn’t reply.

It was obvious that the Guild invested heavily in appearances, but this was different from a simple display of wealth. Every aspect was functional, and art installations were tailored to further the image of the organization.

“Believe it or not, I respect that approach,” he continued, “as long as you don’t abuse those new seekers who buy into the act. Honesty isn’t always the best policy. Not outright, at least.”

As much as I want honesty… the matter is nuanced. But I don’t want to think about that right now.

“Oh? And what would you know about that?” Mille asked, projecting a curious purple.

“It didn’t take much to break me,” Caim added, ignoring the question.

“What was that about? I know you’re a mage, but the illusions shouldn’t have been able to hurt you. They can apply force, but they aren't composed of solid matter.”

He patted down his armored body, remembering the sensation.

“It was like… a jolt. My body went numb, and I couldn’t move. I was still conscious, but I was paralyzed. It happened again, and suddenly I was able to feel my limbs. I thought the creature was using magic on me. Can they do that?”

“The illusions cannot, and the mages did not. If you are talking about blightbeasts specifically, then yes. They can use the same natural magics as wilderness creatures. Like my conduits, they are not technically a spell, but they are conceptually adjacent. I wouldn’t worry about that happening again if I were you. I’ll look into it.”

Caim felt reassured to hear Mille, of all people, telling him not to worry.

“I already have an idea of what happened, but give me time. I’ll need to perform an examination later to be sure,” Mille said.

“Thank you.”

Caim followed Mille in the direction of the stone tunnel.

“The Blightbane Guild, in reality, is not a monolith,” she began. “Symbolically, this is the ideal and also the image we project. Living this life will teach you otherwise. We are many people with many roles, desires, and abilities. I spoke earlier about my early struggles trying to change the Guild. There is politics everywhere.”

Caim didn’t follow her. He tried to understand what provoked this conversation.

“It is not easy to know what to do anywhere. For anyone. I’ll be doing my best to see the Maliscade Blightbane branch thrive without exploiting the people that make us strong. It isn’t always like that elsewhere. Actually, I have rarely seen it work like that. We are trying to do something a little different here. It isn’t perfect, and it will impact the younger generations of seekers more than the ones who moved here after the city was built.”

That’s good enough for me.

“I doubted your commitment to that promise,” Mille admitted. “Then, you showed me what Alice saw. You could become a good seeker if you worked hard. You will need to work hard.”

“I will work hard. I didn’t want to use my magic,” Caim explained. Alice told me I would be safe, so I thought someone would be watching. I didn’t think there would be that many observers, though. I just… didn’t want to make a scene.”

Mille’s conduits pulsed deep purple.

“You did make a scene, but it should be fine.”

She turned and eyed him suspiciously.

“Your magic is... What branch did you say it was?”

“I didn’t say. This ‘Curiosity’ title I received… that has no importance as far as Guild activities go?” he asked.

“None whatsoever. You can’t harvest because you don't have the knowledge, equipment, or legal status. Like you said, the title makes people feel like they have accomplished something. It also guides them to a career path that they are more suited for. We don’t tell people what to do, but we make suggestions and offer resources.”

“I would have liked to try to learn to harvest these ‘blightsources’. It sounds interesting and less dangerous.”

“It is plenty dangerous. Harvesters have to rely on the protection of their combat escorts. You need to complete contracts now, or you’ll lose your housing placement. Don’t worry, your magic is more than capable of completing the safest requests. And it looks like you have some experience with combat, even if your body isn’t trained for it.”

Yes and no.

Subject: Caim Location: Maliscade - Blightbane Guild Headquarters

White text scrolled across the infoboard displaying Initiate-ranked contracts. Caim was getting the hang of manipulating it after a little instruction from Mille, who was still with him.

Each contract had a name and an image signifying what kind of job it was. Caim only saw two kinds on this board.

“Cull” contracts were marked with the symbol of a blade. On the Initiate’s board, contracts only required seekers to kill one kind of blightbeast, and the Guild had names for each one..

Caim hadn’t expected that Initiates would be hunting this many different kinds of blightbeasts. Before getting his hands on the guidebook, he’d only known the name “varcer”.

“Collection” contracts were marked with the symbol of a bag. There were far fewer of these on the board.

Caim could tap and hold the quest name to reveal more detailed information. Still, the simplicity of beginner assignments often meant the same information could easily be conveyed in the contract’s title alone.

However, there were two more sets of images that could be discovered in this view mode. One was a blue square, the other, a red square. There were more blue squares than red ones.

“What are these images?” he asked.

“Blue indicates that another seeker has taken on this contract. The number beside the image indicates how many. You may still take a contract if it is already undertaken. So long as it is on the board, it is available.”

She had failed to answer part of the question, but he soon learned that she wasn’t finished speaking.

“Your badge will also notify us if it detects that you have died. It records the deaths of the poor seekers who take on more than they can handle, the unlucky, and those who are a combination of the two.”

Mille pointed over to a pair of infoboards away from the others, lined with a different pattern of engravings.

“There is a memorial board for those who gave their lives to protect the world from the Blight. It’s over next to the announcement board.”

Mille projected a bitter red light through her conduits, and Caim almost wished he hadn’t asked the question. But the bitterness wasn’t directed at him.

“If you hold your finger over the memorial marking, you’ll see the badge ID. These should serve as a reminder to always be more cautious than you think you need to because you might meet with misfortune that you can’t control.”

I could be one of those red squares by the end of the day.

Subject: Caim Location: Maliscade - Blightbane Guild Headquarters

Caim finally found a contract right for him. He’d flipped through the seeker guidebook and read the descriptions of each creature in the handy bestiary. This one seemed the easiest, from the description to the white sketch. He read it aloud.

“Carapasers are among the most docile blightbeasts a seeker can encounter. Their movements are slow. They don’t possess natural magic mechanisms, nor do they excrete any kind of poison. When threatened, they will retreat into their spawning cavities, where they will remain still and hope the threat passes. Only found in Clarion class Festerfonts, Carapasers are the ideal training target for Initiates.”

“Pulse!” Mille cursed.

She was staring at the infoboard beside Caim’s, the one for Seeker Ardent. Mille let her hand slide off the glossy black surface of the board and hang limply by her side.

“What is it?”

“I found an active listing with her identity code. Alice’s party is going too fast!”

Mille looked around, and Caim detected shame. She continued, but at a much lower volume.

“The healing stations don’t repair everything. Based on the shape Alice’s armor was in, fatigue will make her slower for another week yet. She joined that party to push herself. They have more experience and better equipment.”

Mille looked completely shaken, the opposite of how she usually was. Caim didn’t know what to say or do. He just stared at her, feeling a synchronous anxiety building within.

He wanted to make Mille feel less anxious.

After much hesitation and internal struggle, Caim did what he could. He said what he could.

Subject: Caim Location: Maliscade - Blightbane Guild Headquarters

What was that, that feeling? Caim wondered, staring back at the infoboard.

Mille had listened to what he said. She had listened more than he’d expected her to. Now, it was like she had never discovered the contract Alice’s party had registered.

The feeling and the abrupt change in Mille didn’t feel natural, but Caim’s questions could only go unanswered.

Following Mille’s instructions, he touched the surface of his badge with one hand and the description of the contract he’d selected with the other.

Cull 10 Carapasers in Riventread, was the name. Plain and informative.

“That’s all there is to it. Congratulations, you’ve registered your first contract!” Mille declared.

Caim grinned.

This was the start of his life as a Blight Seeker!