“Mister Silverknut is not free to see you at this time,” the gnomish receptionist told me. The Merchants’ Guild appeared much emptier than my last visit. Only individuals wearing guild crests or Seeker’s emblem populated the floor.

“Well, he offered me a job a few nights ago,” I replied. “The Artificers’ Guild told me to come here. Perhaps you could send up a messenger with my name? I’m—”

“We know who you are, Mr Peregrin Kanooks,” the guard behind her said. He stepped up and placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “We were asked to look out for you after…”

“After your goons peppered me with bolts while I was heading to my inn?” I asked, waving the hand in the sling. To better sell the charade, I feigned a wince, too.

“The city guard found no evidence connecting them to either guild or the Seekers.” The man almost stuttered on the last word as he rushed through the response. “However, witnesses claimed to see you and them together not long before they went missing, leaving nothing but blood splatters behind.”

I smiled, nodding at Doctor Whoo. “Have you ever seen a shrike, up close and personal, friend?”

The man’s brows furrowed as he glanced at the miniaturised magical beast. “That little thing?”

I dispelled Satchel Monsters and Doctor Whoo exploded to her full size. I smiled as the displaced air rushed away from her, fluttering my mostly blue gleeman cape. The receptionist screamed, falling backwards off her chair. The guard’s hands jumped to the sword hanging from his waist. Humans and gnomes in lesser versions of his armour surrounded us in seconds. They wielded weapons with aether cores or just aetherite veins.

“When someone threatens a shrike’s friend, their survival is unlikely,” I said, casually stroking Doctor Whoo’s head. My eyes didn’t leave the guard’s. “I think it best not to interrupt her when she starts eating, and Doctor Whoo doesn’t believe in waste. So, the criminals that tried to assassinate me aren’t missing. They’re dead.”

“You’re a Beast Master?” The guard’s eyes narrowed. As he edged closer, sword inching out of its sheath, Doctor Whoo growled.

“No,” I answered. “I’m just a humble Merchant Bard that needed to find creative methods of protecting myself from big bad threats.”

“So you’re walking around Eldar’s Port, an untameable magical beast. Are you insane?”

I chuckled, as Doctor Whoo’s growl grew deeper and throaty as the guard’s weapon left its sheath. “Do you see the saddle on her back? Is she attacking you or your colleagues despite all the weapons pointed at her?” I stroked Doctor Whoo’s fur some more before she shrunk to her miniature form. The saddle reduced in size with her. My heart thumped in my chest looking at all blades and blunt weapons rearing to bash and mince us. “She’s only a threat to anyone out to hurt her or me. Now that’s settled, reckon I can meet Mr Silverknut?”

The guard kept his weapon drawn as he helped the receptionist back on to her feet. She trembled, glaring at me and the tiny shrike. “Give him the address for the induction venue,” he said.

“Are you sure, Captain Greycog?” She asked, stuttering.

“Just do it!”

The gnomish woman nodded. She drew an envelope bearing the Seeker’s mark out of her robes and hesitantly slid it across the desk. It had my name scrawled across the front in awfully geometric cursive. I wondered whether the System translated it, too. I needed to find out whether another champion could use the function to entrap me.

“So, Mr Silverknut left a message for me and you didn’t intend to pass it on?” I asked. Neither the guard nor the receptionist answered my question. “One would think you have something against an innocent halfling who's done no wrong.”

“You killed—”

“Silence, Roque!” The head guard barked, silencing the young woman behind me.

“Tell you what.” I put on my cheeriest tone. “Since you’ve been so hospitable, I’ll keep this little misdemeanour between us and not tell Mr Silverknut. Does that sound good to you?”

The guards didn’t react, but I got a little nod out of the receptionist. I bid them goodbye and left the Merchants’ Guild with my heart still racing. Much to my surprise, a notification appeared as the heavy, gold-studded doors closed behind me.

You continue to grab attention and impress people with your gorgeous cape!

Fashion Mastery has progressed to Novice Rank 6!

“Does Fashion gain experience from me making a spectacle of myself?” I asked.

The System, of course, didn’t answer my question. I needed four ranks in the mastery as soon as possible. So, after checking the envelope for the time and place for my meeting, I went clothes shopping once more.

After a quick visit to the bank, I explored the city’s pricier garment merchants. The price tags made my eyes widen, but I wrote it off as a necessary purchase. Once Fashion hit the Apprentice milestone, I wouldn’t have to bother with it anytime soon.

Before hunting for something that would fit my new persona, I indulged in window shopping. On earth, it was one of my least favourite activities. However, in Eldar’s Port, it proved necessary for information gathering. I didn’t just need to learn what the city’s upper class wore, but also find anything that matched Elvin’s outfit.

After a couple of hours of hunting and greasing a couple of palms, I found the business that made his clothes, but their display mannequins displayed nothing of the sort. It took several minutes of flirting and casual questioning to learn that Silverknut got all of his outfits custom-made using his own designs. The young woman informed me that many of their clients had Fashion mastery, leaving me questioning whether Silverknut was truly my target. However, given his cult’s quest of bringing an entity called Oth the Consumer to the disk, I still considered him a probable candidate for Tracy the Devourer’s champion.

“Do you want something similar to what he wears?” The assistant seamstress asked. “I’d have to make some alterations to the trousers and sourcing boots in your size will be a challenge. However, I reckon the design will look better on you than on Mr Silverknut.”

“I don’t think it’s my style,” I replied. “Besides, my cloak makes the coat redundant, doesn’t it?”

“Cloaks and capes are a bit outdated, don’t you think?” She ran a finger along my forearm. “I could put together a coat that’s snug around your shoulders and highlights the gorgeous frame of yours.”

“I appreciate it,” I said. “I really do, Lara. However, this cloak has sentimental value and I need an outfit that’ll go with it.”

“It’s not from your wife, is it?” Lara asked, her perfectly plucked eyebrows furrowing.

I laughed, showing off my jewellery free hands. “I’m afraid everyone gets sick of me before we get to the rings. Perhaps we can start with a few dress shirts in light colours, and pair them with dark vests and trousers.”

“What light colours were you thinking? White, baby-blue, sunflower-yellow?”

“No yellow. I absolutely detest yellow. Let’s go with three dress shirts. White, salmon, and cream.”

The price tag proved worth it when Lara dug out pre-made garments and altered them to my specifications in a flash. They featured self-cleaning and repair runes, too. Ecstatic with the product, I invested in two vests and trousers instead of the one as I had planned. She picked out a navy-blue set, and I opted for one in rich mahogany. For an additional gold, she added adaptive weather-proofing rune scripts to them. During hot weather, they’d keep me cool. When the temperature dropped, the garments would trap heat to keep me comfortable.

After some thought, I ended up purchasing a formal dinner jacket that didn’t clash with the cloak or vests, and two sets of travelling clothes, too. The latter weren’t the most fashionable, but I splurged and got the same rune scripts on all of them. Lara ended up taking all the twenty gold I had withdrawn, making it my most expensive shopping spree yet. I had planned on investing most of it in Hruk so he could explore more designs and make me richer.

By the time I finished with Lara, it was almost time for the induction meeting. I dressed in my finest new threads: salmon shirt with a mahogany vest and trousers. After leaving the boutique—with a dinner date planned—the shadow mantle’s bonus abilities helped tie the outfit together. A mental prod turned every patch on Gram’s cloak bright red. After the transformation, it looked like a single length of fabric instead of a collage of several mismatching pieces.

The provided directions took me to a part of the city I had never visited before. Until now, I had no reason to visit the noble’s quarter. It stood on an elevated stretch of the riverbank beyond the Merchants’ and Mages’ Guild. An afternoon in the library had taught me that no royalty had lived in Eldar’s Plains in several centuries. It housed several city states and independent villages ruled by a collection of councils, and protected by militias. The nobles’ quarter mostly housed rich merchants, successful artisans, and retired adventurers or hunters.

The Thieves’ Guild often targeted homes along its borders but rarely ventured deeper, since the bigger estates contracted combat-based guilds to protect their grounds. I marvelled at the homes and the high-end eateries punctuated the spaces between them. Even though the smells were tempting, I didn’t let myself get distracted and marched straight to my destination.

Like most young men that went through puberty in the early two-thousand, I grew up on a healthy diet of American teen and sex comedies. The Seekers’ temple oddly resembled the frat houses out of most such films. As a British lad that never left Europe, I had little exposure to the fraternity and sorority concepts, and walked in expecting frat boys playing beerpong and talking about their latest sexual conquests. Instead, I found individuals of both genders in deep red and purple robes. The air didn’t stink of beer, but hot, spiced, cider and incense with strong cannabis after tones.

All eyes moved to me as I entered the entrance hallway. I moved the cape out of the way with a flourish, and waved, flashing the dozen people a toothy grin. “G’day, gents and ladies,” I said. “I’m here about induction?”

Fashion Mastery has progressed to Novice Rank 8!

Though welcome, the notification filled me with more questions regarding how the mastery worked. People glanced at me as I walked halfway through the city. Most likely recognised me from the stall and I greeted them with waves or nods. However, the mastery didn’t budge then. Now that I had the attention of a small affluent group who likely understood fashion, it shot up by a couple of ranks in a heartbeat.

A guard stepped out to block my way past the entrance. We had the same dimensions but looking at the artificed hammer on his back and the accompanying armour; I was sure he had several times more Brawn than me.

“Let him through!” A familiar voice called from across the room. Elvin Silverknut pushed through a crowd of elves and humans and waved. “I was wondering what became of you, Mr Kanooks.”

I smiled at the guard as he hesitantly stepped out of my way, before marching through into the grand lounge past the entrance hallway. Marble pillars and statues decorated the stairs at the back, while tapestries and furniture of rich-chocolate-brown wood decorated the remaining walls.

“You have my apologies, Mr Silverknut,” I said, waving at my bandaged left shoulder with my right. “I wanted to chase you down straight after our meeting the other evening, but no-good thugs attacked me not long after I left the guard’s headquarters.”

“Do tell!” Elvin exclaimed, placing a welcoming hand on my back and guiding me to a collection of couches and armchairs spread around a crackling fireplace. The mana lamps in the area dimmed, and the firelight added a warmth orange glow to the otherwise cold and formal room. “I heard about the commotion, but the city guards found no bodies. We were worried the Nightdragons got you.”

“I don’t know who they were, Mr Silverknut.” I sighed. “However, their marksman almost turned me into a pincushion.” As I took a seat, Doctor Whoo bounced out of my cape’s shadow and jumped onto my lap. Elvin almost jumped out of his skin and hesitantly stepped back. I kept my face placid while petting the little shrike. “If not for my lovely magical companion here, I would’ve certainly perished. She took care of the lot that found me. Afterwards, we escaped into the undercity together. If not for a young Hunters’ Guild member, my injuries or starvation would’ve taken me.”

“I hope you rewarded the young hunter well,” Elvin replied, brows furrowed. “Losing someone as talented as you would’ve been a travesty.”

“You flatter me.” I laughed, and Elvin’s other guests gathered around us.

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Mr Peregrin Kanooks.” He turned to the others, waving them to the other seats. “I’m sure you’ve heard of his stall near the mercenary guild houses. I’ve never heard of sales tactics as ingenious as his.” Elvin glanced at me once again. “THe first was an enchanting performance from what I hear, and I was fortunate enough to encounter the latter myself.” He chuckled. “Giving away artificing tools with food cooked on it was a devilish work around of the guild’s rules, but Perry cleared more stock than most businesses do in a week.”

“All of this without a guild licence, apparently,” one of Elvin’s other guests said. “Do the Seekers support the breaking of guild law?”

“No,” Elvin replied, maintaining his friendly tone. However, the mirth left his eyes when he looked at the woman. “However, Perry’s ingenuity got guild attention. The Merchants’ Council and I sought him out. Perry didn’t need to beg or bribe his way into this room.” The elven woman’s dainty jaw clenched as she found a seat opposite me. “Would anyone like any refreshments before we start? What about you, Peregrin? Can I call you Peregrin?”

“I prefer Perry, actually. Only my aunt called me Peregrin and that was only when I broke her fine dinnerware at the inn.”

“I suppose humble beginnings encourage ingenuity and the entrepreneurial spirit.” Elvin laughed, clapping me on the shoulder. He hopped back, looking apologetic when I feigned a wince. “What would like to drink? Wine? Whisky? We have mead from Eldar’s Hills if you want a taste of home.”

“I’d prefer black tea with a squeeze of citrus and a spoon of honey, please,” I replied. “The chill hasn’t yet left my bones and throat after the nights in the undercity. Probably best if I avoid the drink while under the alchemists’ brew as well.”

“Of course!”

The beverage arrived almost instantly, appearing as if Elvin had predicted the request and had the drink ready before I requested it. Everyone with almost empty goblets and steins got fresh ones, too, and they appeared as surprised as me. I didn’t have to stand up to tell that their contents didn’t match whatever they were sipping before. Much to my surprise, a parchment sat on the tray next to the teapot and cup.

“What’s this?”

“Standard privacy contract saying you will keep everything learned about the Seekers and from the Seekers secret,” Elvin said. He and everyone else in the room watched me expectantly. “It also stipulates that certain objects you’ll receive while in the Seeker’s service will only be used for our benefit.”

“That’s a bit ambiguous, isn’t it?” I asked.

“The contract and following meeting will explain it all.”

I glossed over the contract and used Identify on it, too. Kitty had advised I do so to uncover the use of Forgery or any hidden elements. However, the low ranks wouldn’t likely help against Merchants who had Scribing and relevant masteries at Journeyman or better. I had hope, though, since if my Wit and Control scored higher than the responsible scribe’s, Identify could potentially expose any wrongdoing. I found nothing out of place besides the mention of ‘Void Objects’. The contract repeated several times that if my Void Object ever provided fruit, I had to report to the Seekers straight away and hand it off to them.

A couple other people received paperwork too, and Elvin watched us with his usual saccharine expression until everyone signed.

“Great!” He exclaimed, checking over everyone’s signature and adding his own. “Now that the formalities are out of the way we can get to the important bits.”

When Elvin clicked his fingers, a young human woman arrived, carrying a large chest. It appeared too bulky for her slender frame, but she didn’t struggle. I tried my best to copy everyone else’s surprise when Elvin opened the case revealing Void Eggs. Glowing purple veins covered them, resembling my egg when it absorbed the other. However, they were all considerably smaller than my specimen.

“We need the iron clad contracts to project these,” Elvin said. “A few decades ago, we were lucky enough to employ a manipulation mage with a spatial focus. It took years of research and experimentation, but we opened a temporary portal to the realm our god, Oth the Consumer inhabits. Don’t ask me how, that’s far beyond my understanding. I take care of the financial things in life, and somehow chanced upon what makes these eggs tick.”

“Anyway, we were ready to welcome him on to the disk, but unfortunately, the current living deities and Cosmics blocked his passage. Oth will bring power and order, ending the Cosmic’s sick game, after all. The System and the deities closed the portal and killed our dear mage friend.”

“Anyway, we were ready to welcome him on to the disk, but unfortunately, the current living deities and cosmics blocked his passage. Oth will bring power and order, ending the Cosmic’s sick game, after all. The System and the deities closed the portal and killed our dear mage friend.”

“Anyway, we were ready to welcome him on to the disk, but unfortunately, the current residing deities and cosmics blocked his passage. Oth will bring power and order, ending the Cosmic’s sick game, after all. The System and the deities closed the portal and killed our dear mage friend.”

“What the System and the deities don’t know, our god is smarter than he appears.” Elvin’s lips spread in a toothy grin as he picked a Void Egg out of the box. “Oth harnessed the Void’s power, passing these stones through the portal and cloaked it from all the Great Powers. Whoever unlocks the stone’s power will gain a fraction of it, becoming more powerful than a Champion. Then, we Seekers shall use the egg to welcome Oth’s avatar on to the disk.”

“Won’t that cause death and destruction?” The woman from earlier asked. “I don’t particularly want to be consumed.”

“Oth isn’t out to consume us. Instead, he empowers all life and especially those who serve him willingly.”

“How do we unlock the Void Objects’ power, then?”

“That’s the issue.” Elvin sighed. “No one really knows. The spatial mage was also the Seekers’ chief scholar and my predecessor in this role. Our disk’s current deities are too power hungry and afraid of Oth. As a result, we’re rather blind on this front. However, I know that only one of these Void Objects can grant power and house Oth’s avatar. Once one of them activates, the rest will go inert and perhaps even self-destruct. Hence the need for the contracts.”

“We know that they feed on mana. You carry them, feed the stone using whatever you have or what you can absorb from the city and its residents. We’ve learnt that Charisma works off an individual’s life force and psychic energy. Individuals with high Charisma, attract the same energy from others. Which is why we’ve allied ourselves with merchants and are giving you as much power and attention.”

“Why us?” I asked. “There has to be better candidates. Perhaps people already in Merchants’ Guild?” Hateful pairs of eyes turned on me, but Elvin appeared unphased. “I mean, these stones sound valuable and rare. Contract or not, aren’t you taking an enormous risk by trusting us, of all people?”

“It’s refreshing to have someone as direct as you here,” Elvin said. “The promise of riches and power isn’t enough for you?”

“It isn’t when I don’t have a clear idea of the accompanying costs. Great power always has drawbacks, doesn’t it? What will I give up on gaining the Void Object’s powers or winning Oth’s favour?”

“I’m not used to dealing with pragmatists.” Elvin laughed. “Greed sways most minds. Unless you’re intertwined with a deity, you have nothing to lose. That’s precisely why we want you. You’re ambitious, and our investigators say you have nothing else in your life. You’re amoral and don’t let laws limit you. It’s the type of people we need to bring our religion and god to the forefront of it all. Besides, the contract is rather firm and enforced by the system. By joining the Seekers and completing the minor tasks we give you, you get guild memberships in all the organisations we work with.”

“I sense there is some urgency here that you’re not mentioning.” All eyes in the room were on me again. My Charisma wasn’t doing me much good, unfortunately. Perhaps my companions had enough Wit to match mine or trinkets to resist the attribute’s effects. “You’re offering a lot for very little in return, and I can’t help but feel suspicious about it. The System and deities want Oth off the disk, right? Would they turn against us for assisting you on this quest?”

Elvin Silverknut finally lost his saccharine smile. Concern replaced the amused expression. “If you have Identify, Inspect, or a variant of the ability, use it on the stone.”

Void Egg

It’s not quite an egg, but a conduit for powerful Void-born entities. The System, Cosmics, and lesser deities protect Arena Disk and the surrounding the space from their power and effects. However, the Void Egg has power to birth their avatar on the disk.

“A month ago, the spells wouldn’t have worked on these eggs,” Elvin said. “Then something changed. They all came to life simultaneously and now the System recognises it. It’s likely the Cosmics and deities know of these Void Objects and our plans too now. The Thieves Guild’ and other nefarious organisations have raided our transports and likely gotten their hands on eggs. They’re investigating them, too. If someone besides us activates the stone, they could lock Oth out for good, leaving us victim to the Cosmics’ whim forever.”

“So, you believe Oth the Consumer will save us from their tyranny?” I asked. “We’ll be free of this twisted game they play on Arena Disk?”

Elvin nodded.

“Fine, then.” I feigned a groan, climbing out of my seat. One of Elvin’s human guests rose to help me, but I waved him away before approaching the box and taking a Void Egg for me. “I’m in. The gods and Cosmics weren’t kind to me when they let a champion take my parents, then my master, leaving me with no one but my aunt on the disk. You’ve given me a reason besides ambition for joining the Seekers of Oth, and I’ll gladly help you bring the Cosmics down. Fuck them all.”