The meeting went for longer than I would’ve liked and I succeeded in my attempts at not spacing out for the most of it. Elvin gave us a history lesson on the Seekers and talked about how the common folk’s dislike for them was unreasonable. After all, the Seeker’s dogma stated Oth’s presence would benefit all.

After we’d had a formal dinner, Elvin took us into a library with its own alcohol and smoking bar. He left everyone to socialise and talk among themselves, while taking individuals aside for private talks.

Since he opted to conduct them in order of arrival, I tried to exchange polite conversation, but everybody appeared determined to keep a distance from me. Without conversation and or the opportunity to exercise my Charisma, winning their favour was impossible. I could, of course, play a quiet tune in the corner and let my music do its work. However, glancing around the room, I knew I didn’t want to befriend any of my ‘peers’. They appeared stuck up and bigoted. In fact, I sensed that I didn’t need their favour or friendship.

Elvin Silverknut and the Seekers feared me. They didn’t understand what I could do or what I was. As a result, they had first tried to snuff me out. Now they intended to use me to further their agenda. I only hoped that Elvin would trust me quick enough to let me deeper into their operation. The better I understood the Seekers and their plans, the sooner I’d bring down my target and hit Tracy where it hurt.

While waiting, I leafed through the tomes in Elvin’s library, looking for anything that would help me on my mission. It housed books on Oth and the Seekers’ history that I hadn’t seen in the Mages’ Guild library. I guessed they lay in restricted sections that Hruk didn’t yet have the clearance to access.

In the past, the System sent me notifications about the egg only after I used Identify or put my thoughts down on paper. This time, a screen appeared with neither.

That’s how they were doing it.

Void energies are outside System detection parameters.

Aether detectors and monitor spirits have been made aware of the data.

Information insufficient to include Void energies and presences within System monitoring.

Studying the data and ambient energies has confirmed that each egg has energies linking it to dimensions beyond known space and time. However, the power is shared among them. According to the System’s calculations, once one egg rips open in rift out of Diskverse, the power shall be used up and erased.

Loreseeker has progressed to Journeyman Rank 0!

Arcana + 1

Intellect + 2

Trait reward for achieving milestone rank deferred until further notice.

I struggled to contain my sigh. The system didn’t need me to hatch the egg just to figure out the Seeker’s plan but foil it, too.

“Can’t I just have the trait now?” I mumbled, but got no response.

The traits granted more life-changing power than any mastery or spell. A new one that related to magic or information gathering would make my life several times easier. I guessed the delay would last until I, or someone else, hatched an egg, ruining whatever the Seekers intended. Possibilities of what would come after unlocking the Void Egg’s secrets worried me.

Shrike, goat, puppy, or even a cliched baby dragon. I had the balls to handle them all, or so I’d like to think. However, a Cthulhu-Galactus-hybrid baby was an entirely different story, and I couldn’t fathom how to deal with one of them. With puppies and most beasts, nurture can, occasionally, overcome nurture, but I doubted it would be the same for Oth’s avatar. The books in the Mages’ Guild and Elvin’s library all stated the forgotten god intended to consume Yggdrasil and all of her children to transcend into a new dimension of existence.

“How the hell do you train that out of something?” I whispered, studying the artwork in the giant tome. It showed Oth floating in the sky while odd humanoid entities walked the ground underneath. It looked as if I made them of large blobs or tentacles while the leading the march appeared extremely geometric, with sharp angles. Elvin was clearing spewing bullshit and I couldn’t figure out why so many people were falling for it hook, line and sinker. “Is a merchant’s greed truly that powerful?”

Like most humans on Earth, I liked money. I didn’t want to hoard it or have obnoxious amounts, though. Having a decent bank balance just made life easier and stress free. I couldn’t fathom people selling out all the life on their disk for a big bank balance. If it were a distant problem for future generations, I’d understand their complacent attitude. Earth had plenty of it. However, the Seeker’s threat felt more immediate.

“Mr Kanooks,” a young woman wearing the seeker’s emblem said, snapping me back to reality. “I got you a fresh tea.” She kneeled, bringing the tray housing tea and biscuits down to my level. I flashed her my best smile, reaching for the cup, when she flinched, retreating a half step. “Don’t.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Did I scare you?”

The woman’s brows furrowed as she glanced around the library. Only a couple of staff members remained, brushing up crumbs and removing cutlery. All of Elvin’s guests had left.

“They drugged the tea,” she whispered. Then her eyes fell on Doctor Whoo’s sleeping miniature acting as my footrest and moved as far as she could from me without the tray being out of reach. “Mr Silverknut wants everyone suggestible before meeting. It makes them more agreeable.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” she replied after a moment of brief hesitation. “Everything was a haze until a moment ago. Then I approached you and everything changed.”

“Right.” I took the cup of the tray, making the woman’s eyes widen.

“Playing along.” I tipped half the beverage into my current cup. Then I reached past the teacakes on the tray, grabbed the container of whipped butter. First, I smeared it on my lips and then popped a bit into my mouth. After using my tongue to coat the insides, I felt ready. “Wouldn’t want you getting in trouble now, would we? Is he ready to see me now?”

The woman nodded, straightening herself up. She glanced at her colleagues, but they all appeared busy with tasks of their own. “Follow me, please Mr Kanooks.”

We walked across the library and through a pair of curtains in the back. It housed several alcoves that resembled booths in a high-end bar or restaurant. In one of them, I found a guest fast asleep. Another stumbled past me moments later. I couldn’t tell whether she was intoxicated or Elvin had gone too far with the drugging.

The host smiled at me as we approached; he waved the woman away. She hesitated for a moment, before spinning on her heel and rushing away.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr Kanooks,” Elvin said. “Actually, is it okay if I call you Perry? We’re kindred spirits, I think, and this formality is incredibly draining.”

“Oh, thank you.” I sighed, slumping down in the seat opposite me. “I don’t know how you do it, mate. These people you’re dealing with are so bloody stuffy.” Elvin Silverknut’s shoulders relaxed, and he removed his cravat. I followed suit and undid my top two buttons. “All of this feels like a bit much.”

“What do you mean?”

“These Void Eggs are rare and valuable, aren’t they? Are you sure you want to give them out to all of these miserable snobs?”

Elvin picked a box off the floor and placed it on the seat between us. Unlike the others, it featured golden filigree and purple stones, depicting Oth’s eye and tentacles. I recognised the container. It recently housed all the Void Eggs. All the initiates had claimed one, leaving the box empty. Much to my surprise, when Elvin lifted the lid, I found it half full.

“You took them back?”

Elvin nodded. “The contract stipulates you’ll keep the Void Egg concealed at all times and not use Identify outside of buildings not owned by the Seekers,” he said, kicking one of the other boxes. It popped open, revealing more within. “We can’t guarantee the Void’s masking powers will work outside of here. That’s not completely true, but it’ll ensure the members without potential don’t figure out we swapped out their egg with a fake.” He nodded at the container still on the floor.” Besides, using Identify will alert the System of any progress they make towards figuring out the Void Egg.”

“That’s brilliant!” I laughed. “You’re more devious than you seem.”

“It’s not easy becoming the head of a religion,” Elvin said. “Running one that doesn’t rely on donations is harder still. You need to take a few liberties to survive. Oth is a generous god, but he can be a real slave driver, too.”

“You communicate directly with him? How the hell does that work?”

“No. No. I only head this branch. My clearance isn’t high enough to know that.”

“Clearance level? I expected someone as efficient as you to be leading the organisation—I mean religion—to have access to all the details.”

“I, unfortunately, only know the Seeker working directly above me. She directs and guides three of us. Meanwhile, the three above her report directly to Oth’s druid. That’s what I’ve heard, anyway. A Druid of Oth has remained hidden all of these years. They used the last of the Void’s energy to remain concealed.” Elvin’s eyes narrowed, and he leaned closer. “I’ve not opened up to anyone like this in forever. It’s strange. There’s something about you that I just can’t place. That never happens with me.”

“Are there three people working under you, too?” I asked, trying to imagine the organisation’s structure.

“You’re only just an initiate.” Elvin laughed. “There is an opening under me, but I don’t think you’re ready for that yet.”

“Why not? This organisation of yours is like a pyramid scheme, isn’t it? There’s this druid at the top with three people working for him. Then each of them have three subordinates each. It carries on like that, doesn’t it?” Elvin nodded. “And your only point of contact is the person above you and the three that take orders from you.”

“That’s mostly true. However, since I’m the one that leads this city and has controlling seats in its leading organisations, I have to be active and visible. People know who works for the Seekers, but members know better than to reveal their position on or off the pyramid.”

Elvin smiled, leaning back in his seat. Before he could continue, Doctor Whoo waddled in on her hind legs, sniffing at the air. She chirped when our eyes met and flumped by my feet. When I didn’t place them on her straight away, the shrike nipped at them until she had their pressure on her back. Her feet kicked at the panelling under the booth and the loose wood came away. When I rushed to fix it, Elvin laughed and waved me back into my seat. I complied but also spotted the crates of fake Void Eggs tucked away inside.

“You know what, Perry? I like you. It’s unorthodox to put someone like you this high in the pyramid, but I’ll put you two steps below me. Impress us. Do a good job and you could work for me directly.”

An odd dull pressure pressed down on the side of my skull, suddenly. I resisted a flinch and pretended to sip my tea. The butter kept the drugged beverage from sticking to my slightly parted lips or the insides. Elvin smiled, staring into my eyes. He appeared especially pleased with himself. As I thought about it, I realised that the dull headache had persisted for quite a while. It came and went, existing mostly in the background of my attention.

“It’s a deal,” I told him. “To be honest, it’s been draining to get ahead with no guild membership. The Bards’ Guild won’t let me in without the class mastery. So, I need my business to keep busy. Merchants’ Guild membership and working with the Seekers should make that possible. It’s mutually beneficial for both of us. I’ll hatch this egg of yours and let you and Oth do whatever you want. I just want to make something of myself without an elf looking down its nose at me for being a halfling, or a human pushing me around.”

“That’s why you’re not unconscious and my subordinates aren’t switching around your egg,” Elvin said. “We’ve both faced the same challenges in life. It’s not an easy disk to live on.”

“So I can go back to selling my wares?”

“Not straight away. I’ll ensure you get membership with the Merchants’ Guild, but I need you to use that Charisma and creativity of yours to do some things for the Seekers.” Elvin clicked his fingers, and the female attendant marched in with a map. She rolled it out on the table, revealing the market district perpendicular to the waterfront. Elvin fished a handful of fingernail-sized aether cores out of his pocket and spread them across the map, using the expensive mana sources as paper weights. “What do you see?”

I scanned the map while a risky, but high-reward, plan blossomed in my mind’s eye. My Charisma likely didn’t have any effect on Elvin, but after prolonged exposure, it was likely he had fallen victim to Facts Begin With Fiction. However, I needed to run a test first.

“All the marked businesses are either under the Seekers or Merchants’ Guild control,” I said while my right hand wandered to the open box of eggs between us. Elvin didn’t seem to notice as I rotated the eggs and moved them between empty and full slots. My left hand’s index finger ran along a street near my stall by the mercenary guild houses. All the buildings on one side carried one of the two emblems. However, of the businesses on the other side of the road, only one of six buildings showed any affiliation. “It feels like you’re lacking the majority on this road.” Then I highlighted the streets on either side. “You seem to control everything else, though. Is this bad for your image?”

“That’s a part of it,” Elvin replied, running his finger from docks. Through the market, the street in question, and then deeper into the city. “These hold out businesses are bad for our image when we’ve got everything nicely regulated under our direction. This street is crucial for delivery vehicles carrying goods to and from the docks. However, hold out businesses bring in vehicles that don’t work for us, causing extra congestion and costing space along the pavements. If all the carts and wagons moving through the city work for the Merchants’ Guild or Seekers, we can coordinate routes and timings to keep everything flowing smoothly, avoid delays and reduce cost. It’s not just about running a religion. We need to pay for the business side of things as well?”

“Let me guess. As a test of whether I’m worthy of working under you, you need me to bring these hold out businesses under Seeker control? If I pass, you’ll make it so that I answer directly to you?”

As Elvin nodded, focusing on the map, I set about switching the real eggs with the decoys on the floor. He pointed at the one shop on the target street carrying the Seeker’s emblem. “Wigs by Phineas is run by Phineas Copperbolt. He occupies one of the two occupied spots directly under me. For the time being, you’ll work for him.” The shop in question occupied a large spot directly in the middle of the street. “The businesses on the farside of the street are almost ours already. However, we’re struggling to recruit the shops with whom he shares his walls. They’re crucial for smooth operation.”

“This must be a multi-guild operation,” I said, brows furrowed. As Elvin poured over the map, detailing infrastructure and how my work would make things smoother, I slipped two eggs into my pockets. The fake eggs took their place in the chest.

Sleight of Hand has progressed to Apprentice Rank 4!

My heart pounded in my chest. Elvin hadn’t noticed the switch, but he caught me glancing at the chest of Void Eggs.

“Are you sure people won’t notice they have fake eggs?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t see through the facade. “You’ve got the glowing purple veins down, but couldn’t someone Mana Sense or a similar ability to see through it?”

“Our agents in the Artificers’ Guild helped with the replicas,” Elvin answered, fishing a stone out of the box on the floor. “See, you can’t tell the difference.”

Much to my relief, he didn’t use Identify and didn’t ask me to either. “You’re right. They’re rather convincing replicas.” I sighed. “I guess I’m just a bit anxious about how valuable and rare these things are.” Elvin didn’t protest when I took an egg out of each box and held them side by side. “And you’re sure it’s Charisma and psychic energy that will hatch these things?”

“That’s our best theory, to be honest.” Elvin appeared dejected as he spoke. He swept up the little aether cores on the table and rolled up the map. When the real egg in my hand disappeared into my pocket, he didn’t notice. The fake egg took its place, but the System didn’t award me with a notification. “When my predecessor passed, she left me with nothing but her notes and journals. Most of the latter was encoded and not even Expert-ranked cryptologists could decipher them. However, the eggs have made the most progress in the hands of high Charisma individuals, after they’ve dealt with lots of people or mana-dense situations. So, we’re working off several hypotheses made by lesser scholars.”

Ideally, I would’ve liked to take all the eggs. However, my pockets could only house five before it became too obvious. Fake ones took their place, and I dispersed them throughout the jewel-encrusted chest. Elvin would likely discover the switch eventually, but I hoped to solve the egg mystery before then and foil his plans. After I squeezed a sixth down my pants, a notification finally manifested before my eyes.

Sleight of Hand has progressed to Apprentice Rank 5!

Elvin finally closed the chest and waved at his attendant. She bowed, taking the map and container, and disappeared into the library, leaving us alone.

“I wasn’t sure about you initially, Perry,” Elvin said. “My organisation doesn’t think highly of hill folk. However, your people are among the best reputed on the disk. I wasn’t raised by gnomes, though, and hate their stereotypes. So, I’m taking a chance on you. Don’t let me down, alright?”

“Of course, Elvin!” I exclaimed. “Honestly, I wasn’t sure about you when we met at the prison. However, after the Thieves’ Guild chased me through the streets—”

“My people tell me it was the Nightdragons.”

“Very well. After the Nightdragons nearly killed me, I realised I can’t go at this alone. Allying myself to organisations like the Seekers is vital.” My headache had faded into a dull ache, but the pressure on my temples increased suddenly. “Then I looked into everything you’ve done to improve this city and organise it. That shows ability and proved that the Seekers of Oth isn’t a fanatical cult that steals from people like most other religions. So, I sided with the party that’ll benefit me and the city.”

“I’m glad you understand that, Perry,” Elvin said, and the discomfort faded once again. “I believe we can look forward to a brilliant future together.”