After a quick shower at home, some packing and light cleaning, I was ready to head out to see Silver so I could get the full details of the job with her cousin.

Once again I locked the door behind me as I left the apartment. At least when Vector got back it'd be clean. She was not a clean freak on the level of Tamar but things not being in place still made her annoyed.

I headed up the street again towards the train station. Time was moving towards 1 in the afternoon so now the streets near the station were getting packed with students, mages heading to jobs around the city and other cities and towns, and people generally moving around. Epala never stops moving.

I took the train from the Southern Sector up towards the Northern Sector where Silver lived and ran her business, Stormshroud Electric and Assistance.

"Next stop, Angel's Song," said the conductor over the PA.

"That's my stop," I said, getting up from my seat. It was a little hard. I was carrying all of my mission equipment as well as a backpack of clothes as well as wearing my spell protected hooded leather duster. All in all, I was ready for a job...I was not ready to be moving around on a packed train. I fell on my face and had to scramble out of the car before the door closed on me.

"Some days are just better than others," I said, brushing myself off and picking up my things. I made sure that I had everything before setting off out of station and down the street.

I took the blocks from the station to Silver's office at a jog, which was in retrospect a kind of dumb idea. We had just left First Spring and while First Summer hadn't started yet Epala always was a little hotter or a little colder than the rest of the world, the natural result of being closer to the Sun and at a higher altitude than everywhere else.

I slowed to a walk as I was about two or three blocks from the building and coasted my way in. I also needed to put on my more focused face for this place. Half the time, the place was filled with mages that contracted themselves out to Silver for a time and they'd take a sick joy in bringing taking down Silver's 'favorite' servitor. See servitors were higher up on the food chain so we got more consistent jobs and a better pay than contractors so in their mind no servitors = more money for them.

I opened the door and got hit with the cooling air made from Silver herself with her magic. As the door opened, eyes of at least five guys and one woman came upon me. The guys looked at me the same, the same hard focused glint in their eyes, the flexed muscle itching to uncoil itself. But something was different. I mean I, and probably everyone that worked for Silver, got that look all of the time but today the air was more charged, more heavy.

The office was only two floors. The first being a waiting area with a receptionist with various storm cloud grey coffee tables and easy sitting chairs. Magazines, various novels, and picture books lay alongside pamphlet on the history of the company and its goals casually askew on the tables along with a few snacks such as apple slices, grapes, and a small tray of peanut butter and celery. Silver had been on a healthy streak lately...I miss the donuts she used to buy every morning and the cookies she baked. Better healthy and a little disappointed versus in the hospital and happy she always said.

Silver's business, originally owned by her father and passed down to her, was mainly in the business of producing and distributing electricity made by the turning windmills scattered around Epala. However she had gone beyond what her father had done and made the business more loose I guess. She provided certain services to people that asked for them at a fee. And while she was edging what could be considered legal, since she's supposed to be running an electric company, she managed to keep on the gray side of the law and make a bank at the same time.

"Hey Rez," the receptionist Maggie said to me waving and smiling. She had been here for about 12 months or about half a year. I have to admit other than Silver and some other people that I worked with that I called friends, Maggie was the only one that didn't walk around the office like she wanted to break someone's face in.

"Hey Maggie. How's the kitten?" I asked, walking up to her. She was a average sized woman for her age about my height with short messy blonde hair but dyed with shades of purple. She had bright green eyes and a smile that could set the sun ablaze.

"She's clawing up everything. I try and put the scratching post out right in front of her but she just loves my couch way more. Haha, what am I going to do with her," she laughed. Her soft laughter exposed a cute little dimple right on her cheek.

She leaned forward laughing and whispered quickly. "Things are on edge in here. Something's going to happen. I can feel it."

She continued her laugh almost without a pause and wiped a tear away from her eye.

"That was from a good place. You can go upstairs Rez," she said.

"Also tell Silver about that story. I think she'd like to hear it too."

And she winked at me. Now I'm not a master of deception. I can hide a secret or two but I'm not someone to learn from. That however was pretty obvious. Tell Silver what Maggie thought.

"I'll tell but I don't think she'll start laughing like you did," I told her.

"She will. Silver's got a good sense of humor."

And with that, Maggie started straightening her desk. I didn't notice it when I had walked in but she was constantly looking around and her body was a little tense as if ready to move in a moment's notice.

I felt a little fire in my stomach. I really hoped nothing would happen as I took the stairs up to Silver's office.

***

I walked up the stairs to Silver's office and as I opened the door, I got the same hit that I always got whenever I talked to Silver in her office. She's a part of the Wealthy Class.

The office I guess was going for a metallic and futuristic look with mostly chrome plated furniture and fixtures. The office was a large rectangle, shaded in light grey and whites. There was a couch with a coffee table with warm tea and snacks to the left near the window. The floors were carpeted with some type of expensive material. The majority of the space in front of the desk was taken up by 7 chairs, rigid but still a little comfortable. There was a bow and quiver set off to the right side near the bathroom and as well as a set of athletic clothes, probably for when SIlver went to practice her combat form.

Silver looked up from some paperwork, saw me and smiled. "Hey Rez. How are you?"

"A little concerned," I said, taking the chair directly in front of her.

"About what?" she asked curious.

I told her about Maggie's concerns and Silver's brow furrowed.

"It seems like what I heard about yesterday might be connected to this. I'll give Maggie a few days off to protect her," she said, biting her thumb in thought.

"What'd you hear about?" I asked.

Silver leaned back in the chair and sighed.

"I got some information that the Gearshifts are looking to try and usurp me. From what I've heard they're planning on talking to the Wind Governess and show them some new way of powering Epala and the surrounding area. They think they can do it better than me."

"That doesn't make sense. Nothing I know of can beat your weather manipulation magic with keeping the windmills turning and even then no one's got the same infrastructure you've set up. Even if they did take over, they'd spend the first few months just setting up the network again and hiring people," I countered.

"I know that and you know that and probably Tannia knows that but it doesn't change the fact that they're trying it. And I think the tension downstairs is connected. If Stormshroud Electric goes down, the contractors are going to jump ship so they're trying to curry favor with their new boss," Silver explained.

"What could they offer other than their skills?" I asked. Never knocking any of the guys downstairs, they were mostly decent guys with their own families, lives, and stuff. However they're not all of the smartest guys. Most of them barely finished their stint at the Magic Academy. Some even flunked out. I don't think most if not any of them are cerebral assassins...

Silver shrugged. "It's not the big stuff that does the most damage. It's always the little things. What kind of routine do people follow? How does so-so work in the building? It's always the little things that people take for granted that cause the biggest problems and are the most useful in a takeover."

"That's a point but how are you going to deal with this? I have to leave," I asked. The situation right now really sucked. Silver was like an older sister to me and always treated me with respect and friendship. Yet the chance to find information to help Tamar was even more important now. It made my stomach churn to leave Silver when she needed me.

Silver bit her thumb again, thinking.

"I guess I'll close the place down for a few days. No one is out on a job other than Origami and she'll be back soon and nothing has come in so far. I'll just tell them I'll take a vacation. It'll let the heat die down," Silver explained. "The city and surrounding area should be fine. I can keep the wind going from home if I want to although it's easier from here."

"That's a comfort I guess but that doesn't solve the problem. Are you going to take a look into the Gearshifts?" I asked. Usually Silver wasn't the type to slink away at home, waiting. If someone was coming at her, she was going to be true to her nature. She was going to find out what was happening and if necessary fill it with arrows, all lady like and prim just like a daughter of the Stormshrouds should.

"Yulae should be in the area. I'll ask her to check the streets for me. And I miss playing with her daughter," Silver thought out loud.

Yulae Melonia was another one of Silver's servitors like me although I had been on the payroll a little longer. She was a pretty good fire and light mage and set herself up as one of Silver's best. And she was able to do it all while taking care of her daughter alone. She was definitely one of my idols in terms of time management and responsibility.

"I trust Yulae. If you send her out for some info, she'll be back with something good. She's like a hunting falcon that way," I teased.

Silver snickered.

"She might not like you comparing her to a bird but the description is apt. If she's the bird, then you must be the cat?"

"Nah I like to consider myself more of a hunting dog. Focused when on the job, but playful off the job. I also accept treats preferably yogurt."

We laughed for a good moment. Laughter during tense times can a lot of the time can look disrespectful of the severity of the moment. But the first thing my Master taught me to do is to be able to grab a laugh when I can. There's so much darkness and pain in the world; you need to find and take any laugh you can get.

After Silver's laughs wound down, her eyes became more sharp as she switched into business mode.

"Okay. Your job for today is both self explanatory and simple," she said, getting up. She walked over to a closet near the restroom and pulled out a box wrapped in bright blue wrapping paper with little weather symbols like clouds, rainbows, and rain clouds. The bow was a light shade of grey. "Just take this present to my cousin, Suzuka, so she can give it to her daughter for her 8th birthday."

"Sound as simple as buying groceries," I commented. Granted I had been on missions that sounded easy as a walk through the park but some forces always made things difficult. I swear the Goddess is always on my butt.

"It should be but your luck stats are horrible so you'll probably get attacked by some flesh eating ogre just wandering around," she teased with a flash of her shiny white teeth. She handed me a piece of paper with an address and a map on it along with the present. "That should be it. Any questions?"

"Not about the mission," I said, folding my arms. The mission wasn't hard but I had to say my curiosity peaked about Silver's cousin. She hadn't really mentioned her before and how convenient that Silver happened to have a cousin who had the answers to my problem gave me a little suspicion. Granted I had known Silver since I was seven when I had worked for her father before his death so I had known for years she was trustworthy but still...

"I want to know how this magical cousin of yours seems to have the answer for my problem and where did she come from? Why did you mention her?" I asked.

Silver sat there with her lips pursed for a moment then answered without any sort of preamble.

"I guess you would want to know why. I'm sorry that the situation looks so weird," she started. "She's my uncle's daughter. He died about 5 years back, leaving her the family business my uncle inherited from my grandpa. She got engaged to a guy 3 years ago so she moved to Lyre Town for something a bit closer to me so her daughter could be closer to family."

She continued onward.

"She'd be kind of mad at me if I told you her secrets so all I'll say about her information is that it's trustworthy. There's no better of a source than her for information in the world."

The first part of her explanation made sense to me at least on the surface but the second part wasn't cooking with the rest. Silver had always been similar to my friend, Daisuke. They both followed the idea of 'The Way of the Short Line', always choose the shortest and most efficient path between two points, regardless of what it entails. Anything that you're not willing to do is a deviation from the line and makes your journey back to efficiency harder. That's the reason why I was confused about Silver. It wasn't like Silver to not be straight forward. I suppose accepting she wasn't going budge was my issue not hers.

"I guess I'll have to accept that," I said. "Is there anything else I should know?"

Silver shrugged once more and said. "Nothing that I can think of. Just be careful out there."

And with those words, she reached into her desk and pulled out a piece of...I guess it could be rock but it was too polished and shiny for it to be that. It could be crystal but it was shaped and shined to the point where it was like a mirror.

"Take this. And use to contact me," she said, handing it to me.

"Umm...thanks."

"It's a crystal glass mirror. I made this one for communicating over long distances. Just focus on me, flow your mana into the mirror, and you'll be able to see and hear me," she explained. "Sorry sometimes I forget that you didn't go to the Magic Academy like Tamar and I did."

I took the mirror and put it in my duffel bag.

"It's okay. The Master had his own way of teaching me how to fight and stuff like Thaumaturgy wasn't really on the list."

Silver looked like she wanted to say something else but instead said. "I'll see you when you get back. Bye."

And that was my cue to leave.

I took the stairs back downstairs and went for the door but right as I started to open it, Maggie said. "Rez sorry. I forgot you have a letter from Suzuya here."

She ran up to me and gave it to me. It was written in Suzuya's same old spidery handwriting in her favorite black envelopes with the postal information written in white.

"Thanks."

And with that, I left out of Stormshroud Electric to head for the train.

***

I had to say that if I had to choose a time when to live, it'd definitely be after invention of trains. According to what my mom said before she died, when she was in her teens and twenties, she had to pretty much walk or use a hoverbike to get where she needed to go and those took days to get there. Now in the last ten years, travel between cities like Epala in the Central West and Luxeria in the North has gone from 4 days of hoverbiking to about a day on the train.

As for Epala to Lyre Town, it only took about 6 hours so it was one of the favorite place of people from Epala to take a day trip and catch one of the concerts or plays that the town was famous for.

I sat next the window near a wizened older lady reading a book. The train was one of newer models so it had leather booth style sets with comfortable padding along with relaxing headrests. Most of the floor and the walls were wooden which kind of made me a little iffy. Trains were fairly new to the world. Probably the last five or six years and according to what I had heard they ran on steam so there had to be fire around somewhere to make it. I didn't want anything to catch on fire with all of this wood around...

So despite my slight worry about trains, they were still the best way to travel around Effalia. It makes information go around the place faster and people more willing to pick up and move if they're choose to. Back before trains, it was a real struggle to move cities even from a relatively small distance like Lyre Town to Epala which is only about 2 km away from each other.

"Power of innovation," I muttered to myself.

I dug within my messenger bag, one of the many bags that usually carried with me on jobs. Usually my messenger bag carried a few magical trinkets, tools, and a few prepared spells but I had also stuffed the letter from Suzuya into the bag as well. I pulled it out and the black envelope was just as glossy and dark as it was when Maggie had given it to me a few hours earlier. I opened the letter with a knife from my bag and started reading.

Hey Master Rez,

It's your favorite apprentice Suzuya here. Or should I say former apprentice since you let me graduate. Whatever. I just wanted to write you since I haven't written for about 6 months since me and the kids got here to Nox. Luna and Quill are doing good. I managed to get them into a decent daycare here. The cost of living for Mage class people is so much better than Epala. You, Vector, and Tama should definitely come and live here.

Anyway I've been doing pretty good. The jobs have been a little tough without you or Yulae backing me up but I've been managing. Recently I've been helping out this younger guy with some magic training. It's been a little bit since I started teaching him but he's already calling me Master. Kinda quick don't you think? I guess I'm passing down what you taught me to him. I hope I do good with him.

Anyway I hope you're doing well. Just know that you can call on me at any time and I'll try and be there to help.

Love,

Your Beloved Apprentice

Suzuya Suzukaze

My mouth turned up into a little grin as I finished the letter. Suzuya was a good friend and always been there for me since I trained her for about 2 years. She had been a good companion and battle partner on jobs as well. Knowing that she and her children were doing well gave me a sense of happiness that wasn't really common in my life nowadays.

I folded the letter back into the envelope, putting in my messenger bag again. Then pulled out an old paperback novel from my duffel bag to pass the time as the train chugged on towards Lyre Town.

***

"We are now pulling into the Lyre Town station, Felis. If departing, please exit on the left at this station," a woman said over the magical PA.

I looked up from my novel and dog earred the page I was on. It was getting good and I usually keep some novels in my duffel mostly for trips like this. I really didn't like reading the same book twice.

"Oh my back," the old lady said to me, getting up from her chair. She tried to grab her stuff but I picked up before she could.

"Oh bless your heart, young man," she said. "Are you sure that's not too heavy for you?"

I lifted up my stuff as well and said. "No ma'am. I do a little bit of working out."

She nodded and her and I walked off the train. I got her one of those luggage carts that people use when they have a lot of things and she rolled off down the ramp into the crowd of people.

I smiled to myself a little bit.

"My little good deed for the day," I said to myself.

"Aw Rez," someone said behind me. "You're helping out little old ladies? Maybe you should join Survival Scouts?"

The cadence and the sound of the voice sounded familiar to me so I turned around and found an old friend. Or at very least I can call him a job friend.

"Axel Beck?" I asked with a smile on my face, turning around. And there he was. He was a taller guy, a little older me with a ruddy face and reddish brown hair with green eyes. He had the build of a bruiser used to getting into fights, packed with muscle. Yet he had the eyes of a thinker. He was dressed similar to me with a red t-shirt, black jeans, boots, and a duster coat with an assortment of bags on his back.

"Of course my man," he said and he pulled me into one of those big manly hugs. I'm not averse to be hugged. I like it actually but I don't like being squeezed. And Axel was a lot taller and more built than me. "How are you?

"Pretty good,"I lied. There's no need to trouble him with my problems. "How's the girlfriend and the daughter? Last time we met up you were thinking about popping the question on her."

At that moment, Axel broke into a big old smile and he said. "Yeah did it last month. Wedding's next year. Lynn's also making pretty big strides at the Academy. She's first in her class."

"Awesome man. Definitely living the life," I said with a laugh. "So what brings you to Lyre Town?"

"Just passing through actually. I'm waiting for my transfer so I can head to Epala. I've got an employer there that's got a job for me," he said. "It pays good so it will give us some breathing room with the rent and I'll even be able to send some my mom and dad's way."

I clapped him on the shoulder.

"That's good for you man. Got to put as much as you can away if you're aiming for a big wedding."

Axel smiled again although it was a little more hollow than the first one.

"Yeah, May dreams big so I have to at least try to get some of the stuff she wants for the wedding. I've been working nonstop since I asked her," he said.

Another train rolled in and Axel looked behind him.

"That's my ride. Listen Rez. I'll catch you later. We'll grab a beer in my neck of the woods. First round's on me," he said as he left.

I waved to him as he got on the train.

"Well I've got to do my job now," I said as the train pulled off. I pulled out the map that Silver had given me before I had left and looked at it as I walked down to the main streets of Lyre Town.

The town was more similar to more of the small towns that I had visited than the Elemental Cities. It was mostly small houses and apartments with soft and bouncy clay floors. Everything was mostly made like the streets, brownish red buildings that stood tall and bright against the blue skies.

I looked down at the map again, walking down an alley, and something smacked against my head. Things got hazy and dark.

***

"Ugh," I said. "What happened?"

I opened up my eyes, head still pounding. However it was still dark.

"What?"

I tried to move my arms but they were tied down and that's pretty hard to do with my level of strength. I tried to move my hands but they were tied behind my back. So I had to guess my arms were tied around my chest while my arms were tied behind my back with more rope.

Well if it was just rope, there's nothing a little fire magic can't fix. I focused my mind on the image of fire. My mind went to the roar of flame, the crackling of it, the warmth of it, and the destruction that it could call down. And...nothing happened.

"What the heck is happening?"

Footsteps approached me. From the way they sounded they were coming from behind me.

"Let's not struggle too much please," the voice said. It was a soft and young man's voice. Not too old. I'd say late teens or early twenties but other than I got nothing else from him "I've got some things to do and I kinda need you alive for them."

"What do you want?" I asked. The best thing to do is to keep him talking so I can find out what he wants or at least stall for time so I can formulate a plan of escape.

"Nothing major. Just want to confirm some things," he said.

Something creaked. A chair?

"After that you'll be free to go if I can confirm what I'm thinking is true."

"And if you're wrong?" I asked.

He didn't say anything. Instead I heard the sound of the hammer of a gun being pulled back. The sound echoed through the room and my heart pounded. Guns were the new kid on the block. Up until about ten years ago, mages killed each other with magic and swords but with guns a whole new world opened up. Magic can potentially be traced by to the user of the spell. And each sword makes a distinct mark when it cuts that a blacksmith can tell who made the sword. After that it's easy for the Peacekeepers to trace back who made the sword and who it was sold to. But with guns, they're so new and so few blacksmith dabble in gunsmithing, it's nearly impossible to know who killed someone with a gun.

"Well if I'm wrong, we're going to have a embarrassing little accident,"he said,chair creaking. He sounded almost bored.

"Everyone hates an accident. Let's not have one if we can manage it. The cleanup would probably be a hassle," I offered.

He grunted in approval.

"Let's hope so," he said. The chair creaked again as he rose. His feet thumped gently on the floor. So he wasn't a heavy guy I guess. His footsteps closes in on me and I felt him grab my hair at the end near my waist. Yes I have long silky black hair. I take very good care of it. And most importantly...I hate when people touch it without permission.

"Hey," I said. "What are you doing?"

He paused. "I need some hair."

"Then take some of your own. I don't like it when people touch my hair," I said fiercely.

He stopped for a moment and then said in a somewhat satisfied tone. "Oh I'm sorry. Mr. Vanity. Would you rather I take some blood instead?"

It clicked at that moment. He wanted something of me so to compare it against another sample. Silver had told me that thaumaturgy was the magic of connections and tracing those connections back to their origin. No one could lie about their identity in anyway if someone traced them with thaumaturgy.

"I'd rather have that."

The man let go of my hair and went for my tied hands behind my back. There was a quick dart of pain and it was over.

The man stepped back and for a moment it was silent. Then the air started humming with the energy of magic being worked. He murmured under his breath for a long moment before he sighed. He walked over to me and undid the ropes on my hands and arms before finally taking off the blindfold, letting me take a look at his face.

I spent a lot of time with a lot of guys and girls so I'm pretty comfortable with people and saying what I think. And I had to say that the guy was pretty handsome. He had short spiky black hair gathered together in a small mohawk that gleamed with the shine of midnight blue, bright purple eyes that shone like gemstones, a pale face that looked like he did most of his work inside and a reasonably fit figure more like my own. He wore a purple t-shirt and a long sleeve black and purple flannel shirt over it with a pair of black jeans. He also wore a gunbelt on his hips, holding his gun on his left, Konohana Sakuya, he just threatened me with along with his sword on his right, Sakuya.

"Daisuke?" I asked.

He smiled that crooked smile that most of our friends and a lot of ladies around Effalia loved.

"Hey Rez. I missed ya," he said.

One thing about Daisuke Tokisaki is that he always took things casually like for example threatening to kill a friend if he thought they were someone else.

He offered his hand to me to pull me up. I took it and smiled.

"Impetu!" I yelled. A small lance of unseen dark force lashed out from my hand into Daisuke's chest. I had been using dark force since the Master had started training me back when I was first working for Silver's father. I had a knack for more so than the other magics that I was attuned to. Usually I used that spell for anything from throwing large hoverbikes ranging into 1500 kg or pushing chess pieces on a board. The taste for today was a little harder than your average punch. Daisuke could take it.

Daisuke coughed and sputtered for a second before getting his wind back. He looked up at me and said. "Yeah I deserved that. But had to be sure."

I rubbed at my wrists to restore some lost circulation from the ropes.

"You've checked my identity before but usually it was something like what's your favorite food or what's your mother's name or something? Any reason for the whole kidnapping and threatening path of events?"

As he answered I took a look around the room we were in. It was a pretty little one bedroom apartment. It was done up in pink and white with posters of bands from Tsuchi as well as idol groups. It looked like some type of woman's room I guess.

"Things have been off lately. I visited Jason and Maggie a few days ago in Luxeria and I got duped. And I've been hearing news from Rosanna in Aqaous that people have been doing the Impersonation Spell at a high level. Like A+ level magic," he explained.

I whistled low.

"That good? It'd be nearly impossible to tell the difference between the fake and the real thing at that level. The only thing that be different is..."I trailed off.

Daisuke inclined his head to me, a motion of acceptance that I was right.

"Their blood or their hair. No matter how good your magic is you can't change what your blood or hair shows," I continued. "Still it's scary to know that people are out there using magic that strong to impersonate people."

"Nothing but truth there, my man," he agreed.

He bent down to the bed and pulled something out, a duffel bag similar to mine save its purple color.

"Come on," he said. "I'll take you where you need to go."

I picked up my things and followed him out of the room.