Chapter 249 - Merits and Pathways

Char Char’s eyes widened as she lost sight of the person who ducked into an alley.

Without a doubt, it was the same person who had set off her spiritual intuition near the town gate!

A gleeful excitement bubbled up inside her. She wasn’t the least surprised that the person had followed her, and in fact she had already anticipated this moment. Furthermore, looking over at the person was part of her plan as well.

“What’s the matter?” Firuzeh asked, following her gaze over to the now empty alley entrance.

Char Char motioned for Firuzeh to lean in close, which she obliged with a curious smile.

“Somebody’s following us. I sensed them by the market, and they were also watching just now over there.” Char Char whispered into Firuzeh’s ear.

“Do you know who they are?” Firuzeh asked softly, her eyes now scanning the area, “What do they look like?”

“I’m not sure, I didn’t get a good look.” Char Char shook her head, whispering, “But now they know I know they’re watching.”

“Ah-?“

“I was thinking we could use that to lure them over and trap them.” Char Char said.

Firuzeh’s lips grew tense as she leaned away, not out of concern, but to hide her amusement. “Ah, is that why we’re whispering?”

Char Char nodded with utmost seriousness.

“And how do you propose we trap them?” Firuzeh asked.

“I- hadn’t thought that far, actually.” Char Char hesitated, “What do you normally do when you’re being tailed? I feel like this sort of thing must happen a lot.”

“Well, first.” Firuzeh said, “It’s not unusual for our clients to attract attention. It may not even be malicious - they could be salespeople or business owners, or even just curious busybodies.”

“What if they recognized me?” Char Char asked.

“That would be unfortunate, but highly unlikely.” Firuzeh said, not looking too concerned.

“But I’m just wearing a mask.” Char Char frowned, “And it’s not a secret that I worked with you guys before. Plus, aren’t there Exalted powers that can detect these things, or look past disguises and stuff? They could even be listening to us right now.”

“There are certainly pathways that have those abilities, but we have no reason to believe our enemies have those capabilities.” Firuzeh said, looking thoughtful, “Our principle concern on this trip is being discovered by Lord Noga’s forces, but his forces are all attuned to the Spacetime domain which don’t have those kind of information gathering abilities.”

“Couldn’t he just hire people from other domains?” Char Char frowned.

“Organizations rarely consist of multi-domain groups. Even those that do typically have a main domain and one minor domain. The reason isn’t complicated, it’s a matter of resources and incentives. ” Firuzeh said, “For Exalted, the most important thing is to have a path to improvement. Catalysts are expensive, especially past the Candidate level, and their recipes are also closely guarded. A lone Exalted without an organization backing them would have no way to grow stronger.”

“Of course, there’s always the chance that the Exalted is a hired hand, or even from a party that isn’t affiliated to Lord Noga at all.” Firuzeh said, “The other reason that I don’t believe our mission has been exposed yet is because as Chaos domain specialists we have specific defenses against such things. For example, we’ve been talking about Exalted out in the open all this time, but I’ve ensured that there is no way that anyone has overheard us.”

This was a statement Firuzeh could make with confidence as an apprentice on the Saboteur path. In fact, since the beginning of the conversation she had been subtly activating one of her Apprentice level abilities, Conspire. It had the effect of obscuring their conversation from observers outside the effect. To people around, the conversation wouldn’t sound strange at all, but if they actively tried to listen, they wouldn’t be able to understand the words.

This ability that affected the very meaning behind the words was effective toward higher level Exalted and even immortals. Furthermore, saboteurs were sensitive to eavesdroppers and spies; Firuzeh’s spiritual intuition would have gone off long ago had anyone been trying to listen in on their conversation.

Char Char was not privy to the detailed information of Firuzeh’s pathway, but had ultimate trust in Firuzeh and so accepted her statement at face value.

Their conversation was put on hold as Kai emerged from the inn. He waved to them, nodding to communicate that the check in process had gone smoothly.

The spiky haired young man was only a few years older than Char Char. He wore the black and red company uniform with a certain cavalier, his coat unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up. There were various chains hanging in loops about his uniform. Though some of the chains had ‘uses’ such as being used as a belt for his pants, or keeping his sleeves from completely unrolling, Char Char felt that it was mostly just a personal fashion statement as she couldn’t think of any other uses for them.

“Well that was boring.” Kai yawned, stretching as he approached, “How about next time we get Sophia to do the tedious stuff?”

“Sure, if you can get the boss to approve.” Firuzeh replied flippantly, “If you want we can also switch your pay, too.”

“Never mind, I love boring work. Standing around waiting for clients is the best!” Kai said with mock enthusiasm. He climbed up onto the carriage, grabbing the reins, “Time for my favourite part of the job, stabling the horses and sleeping in the straw!”

Oh— Char Char thought to herself suddenly, as Firuzeh and Kai made arrangements for the following day. That’s right, ‘Sophia’ is supposed to be me.

As the carriage took off, Firuzeh turned to Char Char, nodding, “Let’s take a quick walk around the block to survey the surrounding area. If you notice the person again, you should mention it without drawing attention to them.”

“Okay.” Char Char said.

The pair walked down the cobblestone road, casually observing their surroundings as if they were tourists. It was past dark, but the streets were brightly lit by gas lamps giving a warm feel to the neighborhood. A number of stores and restaurants were still open, and carriages and passersby gave this part of the city a lively feel despite the time of day. Char Char noticed that Firuzeh and her received quite a few wary looks. Char Char’s masked face and sheathed sword drew a lot of attention, and caused a good number of people to give them a wide berth as they passed.

Firuzeh didn’t seem to mind, so Char Char didn’t bring it up. As they turned the first corner they resumed their conversation from before.

“Speaking of advancement, the same applies to you.” Firuzeh said pointedly, “Red Lion Security Company specializes in the Chaos domain. If you want to advance to the next level, you will have to gain merits through helping the company. In return we will provide the Apprentice catalyst to you, so that you can continue improving your abilities.”

“Apprentice… What do I have to do to get that?” Char Char asked. She hadn’t actually considered the process before, though she did know that both Firuzeh and Kai were apprentices themselves. She thought about the original conditions which she agreed to, for receiving the Candidate catalyst that ended up saving her life. Her contract was to introduce the company to high society and land them bodyguard contracts with the upper class.

In fact, she had already succeeded with this task, though it was somewhat of a coincidence in how it happened. At her grandfather’s ball, Char Char had spent a good portion of the night advertising the services of the Red Lion Security Company to her grandfather’s many business partners.

This was the ball that had ended with the disruption by the egg monster and the blood priest. Following that disruption the company had received numerous calls for security services, and ended up with a lucrative contract by a few top ministry officials. From Char Char’s understanding they had been one of the parties which were on scene to secure the Tye Ann Cathedral itself, during the God of Life’s failed resurrection ritual.

This was a big breakthrough for the company, and Char Char had been informed that the Boss was very pleased with these developments, and thus considered their contract settled.

“Should I be looking for more clients?” Char Char wondered out loud, “Or do I have to participate in real security jobs myself?”

Firuzeh smiled while shaking her head, “If you were a regular employee of the company, those actions would simply be part of your regular duties. You might rise in status and responsibilities, but the merits gained from simple company duties are quite small. It would take you perhaps ten years to get enough points to qualify for an Apprentice catalyst, and even then it wouldn’t be automatic.

“No, in order to gain the merit points necessary to advance as an Exalted in the company, you would need to contribute on a deeper level. First would be to strengthen the company’s spiritual resources. Catalysts and rituals require special ingredients which are rare and difficult to obtain. Spiritual artifacts and weapons are rarer still, and equally valuable. Second, performing key roles in high-profile or dangerous missions, which prove your qualities and value to the company. Third, providing or participating in uncovering critical information on Exalted matters. Things like intel on pathways, enemy organizations and other secret information. The rarer the information, the more merit you could receive.”

“This especially applies to catalyst recipes, particularly Adept level and above.” Firuzeh said, “If you were to provide a full set of recipes for a pathway, even if it wasn’t in the Chaos domain, you could instantly get enough points to qualify for Apprentice.”

Char Char nodded, listening intently as she evaluated the various options she had to advance.

“Would I still be a ‘Rebel’ when I advance? Or do I have options?” Char Char asked.

“You can only advance as a Rebel.” Firuzeh said simply.

“What if I don’t like it?” Char Char frowned, “Or what if it doesn’t suit me?”

“There is a saying where I’m from,” Firuzeh said, “Two musicians may play the same notes, but their songs tell a different story.”

She paused, letting Char Char contemplate the words.

They walked in silence for half a block before Char Char shook her head, “Okay, but what if I want to play a different song?”

“Isn’t that exactly what you’d expect a ‘Rebel’ to say?” Firuzeh laughed, “But I wouldn’t worry too much about the name. Most pathways in the world have a deep history, passed down generation by generation, so their names have already long been established.”

“So it’s not that I’m specifically rebelling against something, it’s just convenient description for the powers?” Char Char frowned, still not feeling like the pathway name suited her.

“That’s something Exalted philosophers and poets have wondered and debated for millenia.” Firuzeh said, “In the end, whether the name is important or not, it’s up to you to decide what your pathway means to you, and how you want to use it.”