Chapter 139

Wandering Eye

Margaux

Fury was a weapon.

It needed to be harnessed. Planted like a seed. Watered over time until it became a fathomless source of energy and purpose. And where would the world be without fury? It would lack greatness. My greatness. And where would I be without fury? Still bronze ranked.

There was a reason very few were able to reach diamond rank. But me—I defied expectations. I rose to diamond on my own. With my own blood and sweat. But my ambitions did not stop at diamond rank. I yearned for the fable rank. I yearned to achieve influence! To outrank Potere himself!

So when a simpleton brat swiped a quest out from under my nose, I sharpened my fury like a blade. And not just any quest. A quest given in person from Potere himself.

I looked at Potere. Ignored his rambling.

How dare they, I thought.

“How dare you,” I spat.

Potere looked askance at me.

“Watch how you speak to me, Margaux,” he said.

“You're an idiot,” I said. “What are you going to do? Smite me? How good will that look? Potere smites his only diamond ranked adventurer. Yea. Sure. Sounds like everyone will be excited to assign you to their quest paths.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game with me.”

“How dare you,” I drawled. You give a lowly gold ranked brat a quest. In person! It can’t have been any quest. No god gives quests in person. They use the system.”

“That quest is between Abigail and I,” Potere said sternly.

“I need air,” I said.

I crossed the crystal room. Walked through the billowing blue curtains onto the balcony that overlooked Lavenfauvish. The sun was low, and my crystal mansion glowed in the light. Thousands of blue reflections danced across the city.

Potere followed me only a moment later.

Without turning to him, I said, “What is it?”

“Speak your mind, Margaux,” Potere said.

“What is the quest?”

“That’s between Abigail and I.”

“Would Hiccup know? I bet Abigail confided in him. He’s a bastard you know.”

“You’re getting bolder with age,” Potere said.

I wanted to smack him. I think he wanted me to smack him. To give him a reason to smite me. I held my hand. He continued.

“What you did to Ashlee…”

“You’re as guilty as I am,” I said.

“We both know that’s not true,” he said. “You know what you did. Used me.”

Potere moved away from me. Put both hands upon the crystal railing. Looked out at Lavenfuavish. Through the city.

“You’re my biggest regret,” he said at last.

“I don’t care what you regret,” I said. “All I want is for you to give me that quest. Why on earth would Abigail be deserving of it over me?”

“For one, you make a mess of things. This isn’t a quest of action. It’s to settle a curiosity.”

“What will she get in return?”

“That’s to be determined.”

“Some god you are.”

Potere doubled in size. Crossed the balcony and bent down to stare into my eyes. I held my chin up and glared defiantly back at him.

“Do your worst,” I said. “I’m not intimidated by you.”

I held his stare for sometime. Until he shrank down to my size. Even as he did, we held eye contact.

“I do have a quest for you,” he said.

I cocked my head.

“Your quest is to leave Abigail alone.”

I had to halt my hand from striking his face. Potere saw that.

“Do it,” he said. “Hit me like you hit Abigail. Show me who your mother was.”

I held onto my fury. It bucked like a wild horse, but I held onto it with all my strength.

“Give me what’s mine, Potere.”

“I have nothing that belongs to you. Nor does Abigail. Nor does Hiccup.”

The rest of our conversation was just as vicious. When Potere eventually fizzled away, I still hadn’t received what was owed to me. I gazed out onto the manicured gardens that lined every road of Lavenfauvish. Spotted Hiccup’s Brewery in the distance.

Fools. All of you. Bereft of ambition. Of greatness.

“You are all shadows to me!” I screamed from my crystal balcony.

It’s time to do some digging.

With a snap of my fingers, I brewed a single 250ml bottle of a Wandering Eye attribute ale. I took a sip for the ultimate stealth, then a sip of a Brewer’s Portal beer.

After a single blink, I found myself in Hiccup’s brewery. My entire being was invisible. I left no footprint. Made no sound. I walked through the brewery, through the walls of his brick and mortar mansion. I searched until I found him in his library, reading an old book about mead.

When I entered, he briefly looked up. Frowned.

I sat on a free chaise, crossed my legs, and waited.

I didn’t care how long I would have to wait. As long as it took to find out what Abigail was up to. Where she was. What that quest was. If I needed to twist Hiccup’s arm, then so be it.

Maybe it was time for him to know what happened to Ashlee.

Maybe it’s time to stir the pot. Get what I want for once.

I was endlessly patient. Couple my patience with fury; I knew it was only time before I got what I wanted.

By late evening, a butler came in.

“Master Hiccup,” the butler said. “I’m to remind you of the time.”

“Thank you,” Hiccup said. “I’d better stop for the night. Will you have these bookmarked for me?” He gestured to a dozen other large volumes upon a vast table.

“Of course, sir,” the butler said. Then snapped his fingers.

Two more butlers came in and began organizing the open books.

“Will you be entering the brewing competition next year?” Hiccup’s butler said.

“Of course.”

“Do you think you’ll be diamond rank by then?”

“I doubt it,” Hiccup said. “Maybe in a few more years—maybe. I’ll have to stick with competing against other gold ranked brewers in the meantime.”

“If you worked hard, master Hiccup, you could reach diamond rank. I believe in you. Then you could have a chance at breaking Miss Margaux’s championship record.”

“I’m not interested in competing with her.”

Since they could not hear me, I laughed long and loud.

“Besides, I’m curious about this Hawkin fellow.”

I listened intently.

“Ah yes,” his butler said. “Have you heard of any developments?”

“None. He’s a bronze ranked brewer, so there’s no chance I’ll hear anything about him unless Abigail shares those developments with me.”

“Do you think she will?”

“She’s only visited once in fifteen years. It’s possible I won’t see her for another fifteen.”

“She’s fond of you, master. I suspect she’ll return through Lavenfauvish and pay you a visit on her way home. That sounds like her, doesn’t it?”

“It does. I look forward to her company.”