Verdan made sure to give the three who’d remained outside a summary of what they’d discussed with Tobias, noting as he did how they seemed impressed that they were now dealing with such a wealthy man.

With the update done, Verdan looked at the sun’s steady movement through the sky. They had enough time for further exploration, but there was no need to bring everyone with him for that.

‘I’m going to explore the city a bit. Your time is your own until tomorrow morning. I want us all to visit Tobias as a group again. In the meantime, I don’t want you all to be without money. Take these,’ Verdan pulled out a silver coin for each of his followers. By local standards, he believed that would be enough to keep them going and offer a bit of security for them. He still had just short of five and a half gold, so he had money to spare for the moment and wanted to make sure the others could get anything they needed.

They each thanked him before heading back towards the outer city, except Kai, who waited for the others to get a distance away before turning to Verdan. ‘There’s somewhere else we should visit if you can spare some time?’

‘I should think so. Where do you have in mind?’ Verdan cocked his head in interest, wondering what Kai had in mind. He’d intended to wander and familiarise himself with the city, so there was no harm in giving Kai some time.

‘The Guild. They will be the only way to gain the reagents you need for creating potions that restore essential essence.’ Kai said, absently tapping one finger on his chest as he spoke.

‘That’s the term you use for your internal energy, correct?’ Verdan asked, consulting his mental list of Kai’s terms, which were different from his own.

‘Yes, it refers to the well of power that fuels our abilities. Though it refills over time, potions to quicken its restoration are both highly sought after and expensive.’ Kai said, starting back down the street as they spoke, Verdan pacing him with a thoughtful expression.

‘Are they quite rare, then?’ Verdan asked, considering the potential financial implications of his delve into alchemy.

‘Yes, though it varies by what type of potion. The main ingredient of a replenishment potion is a heart from a creature that has wielded energy. Those cyth we fought, for instance, their hearts would fetch a good price. The stronger the creature, the better the end result, as well.’ Kai led them towards the area where the nicer buildings transitioned into the outer city.

‘That sounds like it would include humans,’ Verdan said softly, thinking of some of the more reprehensible things he’d seen done in the name of power. He’d helped in a few raids on dark magic cults, and he still had the occasional nightmare about the things he’d seen.

‘Yes. Anyone caught doing it is hunted down and killed, but it makes the end result both powerful and more effective, so many still do it,’ Kai said, his expression cold but an underlying tone of rage filling his voice. Verdan had heard enough hostility in his life to recognise a personal hatred when he heard one and didn’t say any more on the matter.

They walked on in silence for a few minutes before Kai gestured to a large building that sat at a crossroads. It was three storeys tall and took up as much room as the entirety of Tobias’s compound, with an intermittent trickle of people coming in and out as they approached. The vast majority of them seemed to be armed and armoured, with the look of professional fighters and monster hunters.

It was odd to see how mismatched they were, with varied weaponry and armour even within the same party. In truth, Verdan was still getting used to the fact that most people weren’t part of the army in some form or another. In his previous life, monster-hunting groups were formed from all the military branches, but they were far more standardised than what he could see here.

‘This is the Guild, there’s one in every city, and it’s the hub from where mortals and sorcerers alike can take jobs relating to the trade,’ Kai explained, gesturing to where a battered-looking group approached a freight entrance with a cart in tow. Though he couldn’t see the interior, Verdan could guess that it was stacked with harvested materials from monsters and nature alike. Verdan didn’t look too closely, however, as he registered one of the words that Kai had used.

‘Mortals?’ Verdan stopped walking and turned to eye Kai with a raised eyebrow. The use of that term to refer to those without magic implied the very height of arrogance as far as Verdan was concerned, especially considering how limited their sorcery seemed to be. Powerful, absolutely, but so limited in scope.

‘Yes, though I hate that term as much as you do, it just slipped out,’ Kai said with a grimace and an expression of distaste. ‘It has become common parlance in the southern cities, where sorcerers are treated more like nobility than anything.’

‘I see. Please don’t use that term around me. I dislike such arrogant posturing. You’ve mentioned the southern cities a few times. We should sit down and go over the geography of the world at some point. I would like to know where we stand.’

In Verdan’s time, the Imperium had stretched close to two thousand miles from the northernmost tip down to the islands of the south. He’d come from the northern end himself, so he knew that there had been a dozen or more cities further north than Hobson’s Point.

Thinking about the old Imperium made him crave a map. He longed to see how everything looked now. The coastline alone must be hugely different to what he remembered. The fact it had advanced so close to his hidden chamber told him that much alone.

‘I’m sorry, it won’t happen again. When we have a chance, I will find something to show you. The main thing you need to know is that things are more fractured now than they’ve ever been. Alliances and pacts are now between clans of sorcerers, not between cities or nations. It’s part of why I came north, to get away from what they’re making us into.’

‘I see,’ Verdan said again, not liking Kai’s description of the south at all. It sounded like one of humanity’s biggest enemies was itself right now. ‘We’ll discuss that more later. Show me around the Guild first.’

Kai nodded jerkily and led the way into the huge building. The exterior was practical, durable and without frills, giving a utilitarian look to the building. The interior was even more so at first, bare stone flooring giving the whole place a cold feel. The entrance led them to a large room with several exits and a central kiosk-like setup where two severe-looking men dealt with a short queue of people. Several guards were posted around the room, and though it was mostly empty, there was a general flow of traffic throughout the chamber as people moved from one area to another.

‘This is where jobs can be posted for sorcerers and adventurers and alike to complete. Once posted with the guild, the jobs are separated and displayed in one of three areas,’ Kai said, with a nod to the central structure before pointing out three of the exits from the large chamber. ‘Subjugation, harvesting and tasked.’

‘Two questions, what are adventurers and what would come under ‘tasked’?’ Verdan asked as they stepped to one side to stay out of the flow of people coming in and out of the building.

‘Adventurers are those without magic that still do jobs for the Guild. They usually form small groups that cover shortcomings and take on the smaller jobs. ‘Tasked’ is the area where all the more particular requests go. For example, killing one specific monster, rescuing someone, and anything with a sensitive time frame.’

‘Interesting, so what’s the going rate for harvesting monster hearts?’ Verdan had to admire the setup, it was the most organised part of the city he’d seen yet, and it seemed to be one of the few things keeping money moving through the area.

‘Right now, quite low as there aren’t any established alchemists in the city. Most of the jobs on display are for subjugation or gathering materials. With so much unclaimed land around Hobson’s Point, there are nests of foul things everywhere.’

'Interesting, let’s post a job then. I’d like to see how this works,’ Verdan said, rubbing his jaw thoughtfully as they approached the kiosk.

The short queue had been dealt with by the time they arrived. One of the men had left towards a nearby exit that had the most traffic. Sending a questioning look Kai’s way, Verdan wasn’t surprised when he was told it was the built-in tavern and eatery.

Running his eyes over the people present once more, Verdan realised that only a few were actively looking for work. A lot seemed to be relaxing and talking or lingering in corners.

‘Welcome to the Guild. How can I help?’ The man at the kiosk asked as they reached him, pulling Verdan back to the job at hand.

‘We’re looking to post a bounty on hearts,’ Kai replied, taking the lead initially.

‘Any specifics in type, strength or element?’ The man pulled a piece of paper from under the desk, along with an inkpot and quill. Arranging his equipment, the man dipped the trimmed feather into the ink before waiting for Verdan’s answer.

‘Fire element, type and strength irrelevant,’ Verdan said, not really caring about the specifics at all, but also certain that most requests would have at least one addendum if they asked upfront like that.

‘Very well, how many are you requiring?’ The scratch of the quill on the paper continued as the man wrote down their requirements.

‘A dozen,’ Verdan picked a number out of the air that would probably do. Twelve would be enough to give him material for experimenting with a few different methods, all being well.

‘Very good. Total bounty? We recommend a half-darn per heart.’

‘Seven silver,’ Verdan worked out the quoted rate to be six silver, so with a slight incentive there, they would hopefully get a swift fulfilment.

‘Excellent, please deposit the coins here. What name should I put on the request?’ The man pulled out a small box that he placed on the desk.

‘Verdan Blacke,’ he dropped the coins into the box and watched as the lid was shut and locked, the assistant putting a marker on the lid and tucking it away once more.

‘And where will you be staying?’

‘The Plucky Wanderer, for now,’ Verdan’s lips twitched in a small smile as he saw the look in the assistant’s eyes at the tavern’s name. Clearly, it wasn’t associated with people who put bounty requests out on a regular basis.

‘Okay, all complete. Please do let us know if you change residence, we will send a runner in the meantime when your job is complete.’

‘Thank you,’ Verdan nodded to the man and moved away towards one of the exits that Kai had pointed out earlier. There was a stylised, snarling face over an open entrance to a short corridor, which led to a room about half the size of the main chamber.

There was a similar kiosk to the previous area and numerous boards around the room, each with a few scattered pieces of paper showing. Under each paper was a code, and Verdan watched with interest as a group went to the kiosk and quoted a code before leaving.

The assistant operating the kiosk made a note of some form and then updated the job that was on display. Walking over to take a closer look, Verdan saw that there was now a red marker below the code.

‘Each group attempting a job gets a set amount of time to complete it. Red means that someone is currently attempting it. If the time lapses, a second green dot will be added, showing that it’s open once again but that someone has already tried it once. The original group could still turn it in, but they’ll have competition now.’

‘I see,’ Verdan said thoughtfully, listening as Kai went on to explain more about how the whole process worked. He wasn’t that interested in the details. He’d likely be posting requests more often than completing them for other people if he had his way. ‘I think I’ve seen enough. Unless there is something else while we are here?’

‘No, this covers the majority of it. The alchemists I’ve met all put jobs here for resources to be harvested. I didn’t know if you have something similar where you’re from.’

‘Yes and no,’ Verdan said with a shrug. They’d had request boards like this, but nothing as organised as what he could see here. ‘Thank you for showing me.’

Kai simply nodded in response and led the way back out of the Guild and towards the Plucky Wanderer.

-**-

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed quickly, Verdan’s new companions providing easy conversation as they all tucked into roasted chicken and potatoes. Bob had continued to spend Verdan’s money well, and the few other patrons in the tavern looked surprised by the quality of the food they were able to buy.

‘Well, I think I’m going to turn in for the evening, Gwen. Could I have a word with you, please?’ Verdan said, rising from the table and motioning to the stairs up to their rooms.

‘Oh,’ Gwen said, her face falling for a moment before she took a deep breath. ‘I did agree, didn’t I.’ Gwen stood up, her expression resolute as she followed him to the stairs. Verdan turned to face her once they were out of earshot, but her eyes were on the floor, and the look on her face gave him pause. ‘Your room?’

‘Yes, I suppose that would be best,’ Verdan said, a little confused by her behaviour but happy to oblige. He wanted to see what she knew about alchemy. A little privacy would no doubt be best for the discussion.

Heading up to his room, Verdan opened the door and waved her inside. Following her in, Verdanclosed the door before leaning his staff on the wall. ‘Right, so as you may know, I’m going to be doing a lot of research into alchemy. You said you aren’t the best, but what do you know how to make if you have access to the right….. huh?’ Verdan started talking before he turned around, so he was more than a little surprised when he found that Gwen was in the process of removing her tunic. His eyes were immediately drawn to the generous pale cleavage on display, and his words trailed off into a confused sound.

‘Wait, what?’ Gwen said, clearly just as surprised as he was. Her tunic was in the process of falling down her shoulders, but she’d paused as his words registered.

‘Please, get dressed,’ Verdan turned away once more. He wasn’t sure what was going through her head, but she was clearly not interested in him that way, and he wasn’t going to take advantage of her.

‘Thank you,’ Gwen said softly a few moments later, fully dressed once more.

‘Do you want to explain what that was all about?’

‘I thought it was the price you demanded for saving me from the cyth,’ Gwen said, clearly embarrassed and confused by the whole situation.

‘What? How did you get that impression?’ Verdan sighed and rubbed his face. Her actions made a lot more sense now that she thought he was demanding sex.

‘When you said that I could earn my keep through “other means”, if not this, then what did you mean?’ Gwen folded her arms, her posture a little defensive as she got her composure back.

‘Well, ritual magic, of course, that and some much needed support in battle. Do you value your power so little that this was the first thing you thought of?’ Verdan threw his arms up in exasperation. He was getting increasingly frustrated with how hard-headed everyone seemed to be here. It was like he was speaking a different language sometimes.

‘What power? I’m just a weather witch with some minor alchemy knowledge, not some all-powerful sorcerer,’ Gwen snapped back, an unseen breeze ruffling her long dark hair as she squared up to him, blue eyes flashing angrily.

‘You ask me what power, and you’re a weather witch?’ Verdan asked incredulously, weather witches were the most directly dangerous of all the witches, even when caught unprepared.

‘Oh, like that means anything,’ Gwen rolled her eyes and faced off against him, hands on her hips now as the tempestuous nature of weather witches reared its head. ‘Witches are little better than regular folk when compared to sorcerers like you or Kai. At best, our magic is unreliable. At worst, it’s downright dangerous.’

‘Explain,’ Verdan said, cocking his head to one side with interest, his frustration fading away. He was starting to realise that he was letting his own experiences colour his perception of what she was saying. There were some clear misconceptions at play here.

‘Well, everyone knows that witches have wild, untamed magic. It reacts to emotions first of all, but only strong emotions and not always how you’d expect.’

‘I see, but what about your familiar?’ Verdan knew from the confused look in her eyes that he’d found the cause of the misunderstanding.

‘What’s a familiar?’ Gwen asked, in a far more relaxed posture now that they’d found the issue.

‘Witches channel the Aether, the natural energy, of the world directly, rather than draw it in and shape it like wiz..,’ Verdan caught himself with a cough before he finished the word. He’d almost got too carried away with his explanation there. ‘Like with sorcerers is what I mean. The Aether responds to you, but you can’t communicate with it properly without a familiar, a divine creature that will allow you to control your magic consciously.’ Verdan left out the part where their magic became a blend of arcane and divine through the use of a familiar, no need to confuse her.

‘How do you know this?’ Gwen whispered, eyes wide as she listened with rapt attention.

‘It’s common knowledge where I am from. Sadly I don’t know the specifics of how to obtain a familiar. That will be down to you. All I can say is that it’s possible and that it will give you control, though of course, I will help where I can,’ Verdan said, genuinely regretting not ever finding out how the process occurred.

‘My grandmother was meant to have had great control over her magic, far beyond the rest of the family. Maybe there will be something in her journals I can find,’ Gwen mused, all anger forgotten as she considered the new information.

‘We will study it together if you like, but for now, I need to complete my meditation if you don’t mind?’ Verdan nodded toward the door, and Gwen flushed before apologising and leaving. Not quite the conversation he’d been expecting, and he still didn’t know what she knew about alchemy, but rewarding nonetheless.

Seating himself on the floor, Verdan cleared his mind and settled into a relaxed state. It was time to continue building his gathering spiral. He needed more layers and the Aether that would bring, as soon as possible.