Chapter 113: Blossoming Admiration

Subject: Mille Location: Maliscade - Gate District - Blightbane Guild "How is that mystery case of yours going, Mille?" Dekker didn't look up from his work, here alone in the dimly-lit storeroom where he preferred to camp up. But the question was a leading one. "A lot has happened lately. Hexknights running about, heretics breaching The Barrier, and word of our sibling Guilds losing ground again their respective festerfonts. Do you ever get the feeling you're alone in an endless, dark ocean, water steadily rising?" A shiver went down her spine. Though she didn't convey her feelings through her faron nodes, her stillness was enough for an old friend to pick up on her uneasiness. "That bad?" How did he know about that dream? At least he didn't mention the bright lights in the sky, like glittering jewels, watching her from afar. "No, I just… I was right to worry, but he won't intentionally bring harm to the Guild. We have many other worries at the moment, anyway." Dekker seemed intrigued. "How'd he end up learning that strange magic, anyway?" It was probably fine to share the details with a trusted confidant. "Only tell people you trust, alright?" "I'm far too unsociable to be a danger there," Dekker winked. "An artist at avoiding all those sticky relationships clinging to you." That was the privileged of the Intelligence Division. Administration was required to make relationships with everybody. "I suppose you are… Caim had a teacher, someone more powerful than you can imagine. You would grasp how she defies magical theory better than I, but she is... She's not here right now. Her name is Vera, and she is the reason the Maliscade Guild Branch survived the day. I'm very grateful to her." Dekker dropped a stack of papers and immediately began searching through another. The way he traced the pages, however, belied curiosity. "An enigma named Vera, more powerful than anyone the Covert Director can think of. That is serious." "Don't call me that," she insisted. It made her uncomfortable when people gave her fake titles on a whim. It was downright dangerous, considering many thought she already had more social clout than a faron should. Power was useful, but once that power reached the attention of others, especially those who thought they should have it, it became a liability. "I think I'm grateful to her too, then. Not just for the whole Guild thing, but if she made you stand up and take notice… she must be somethin' special." She was more than special. A strange excitement filled Mille's chest when she thought of the mysterious Vera. She'd never even met the person, but just the thought of them made her imagine what Vera was like. "She might even be a primal." A "primal" was an ancient who'd lived long enough to see civilizations rise and fall. It was more a myth than a fact, as they would theoretically outlive living memory, allowing them to reshape their identity. No one ever owned up to being a primal, so it was impossible to prove. "That old? If she can afford the treatments, or whatever those folks use... You think she's been around since before the walls went up? I'd like to speak to someone like her. She might be able to help me with my research. Been brain-blocked lately." "Who knows. I would too, but I don't want to cause trouble for her. She could probably destroy this city if she thought we were a threat to Caim. There was something off about the way she talked, like she didn't think like we do, but she cared about that boy." It was a possessive kind of protectiveness. That's what Mille got from the conversation, anyway. Subject: Caim Location: Maliscade - Gate District "I can't believe I bought all this," Gwen groaned. She was barely able to walk with all she was carrying. And Caim carried a heavier load than hers. Among the items were tools, books, and other miscellaneous materials. "You're only partly responsible. We both got a little too excited." Caim and her were both giddy, excited by the prospect of using the haul to advance their joint project. They wanted to understand Creation Catalyst and discover all that it could do. "Don't say it like that. It sounds bad, like it's something I don't deserve," she mumbled quietly. He bumped her playfully, almost causing her to drop her load. He'd been ready to catch it if she had. "You only get to talk like that after you somehow fail to astound me yet again. You're going to master Creation, and you'll be a great help. I tell you, this will be what does it for us." Gwen looked up at him, eyes wide. "What does what?" "The thing that gives us a chance at freedom. Freedom from restrictions and freedom from worry." She skipped on ahead, her light build heavily laden with the spoils of their shopping trip. Gwen stop, looked up at the serene sky, sighing peacefully. Caim looked up with her. He thought he could catch the glimpse of something up there, peeking out from beyond the swath of pastel clouds. It wasn't a bird or some kind of living creature. It looked more like a disconnected chunk of land. He blinked and it was gone. "I sure would like that." "You'll get it, I'm sure. That's what this whole thing is about. We use every tool available, and it keeps us alive. It'll do more than that." "I had no idea you thought like this, Caim. You're less of a seeker meathead than you sometimes seem. Sorry, I mean—" "Haha, no offense taken." At that moment, a passing Enforcer looked their way. He held up a gauntleted hand, forcing them to halt in the middle of the main street. "Stop right there, you two. What's in those bags?" They froze, handing over their new purchases to the Enforcer. He perused their contents silently, turning over each tool slowly, while they watched. Even through the helmet, the Enforcer plainly didn't understand what any of these devices were. And Caim didn't blame him. He didn't know what most of them were either. "And what's your business with these items?" "I'm a merchant, sir," Gwen answered, "and this seeker here is my friend. He is just helping me carry some things I just bought." Caim nodded along. He widened his eyes, plastered a dumb grin on his face, and tried to act the part of the empty-headed mercenary. The Enforcer wanted more information. He studied what Caim was wearing, which was most definitely not his armor. The Guild had "encouraged" him to take a short break from culling contracts while they studied the festerfont. That said, his badge was plainly visible on his lapel. "I don't know anything about this stuff, but I'm just an Initiate, and I don't guard Harvesters for a living." Regular Harvester Guards would, naturally, know more about blightsources and their processing. It was true that Caim was not a guard, and it was also true that he was largely ignorant. "I buy and sell in small amounts, but I also dabble in blightsource processing, and I was hoping to make things to sell back at the market," Gwen explained. The Enforcer leaned closer. "Things like?" "Lifeblight, crystals, and curatives." The Enforcer's face was covered, as was the case with every Enforcer, but his body language seemed to relax. His head bobbed. "I stopped you because there's been a rash of crime in our city lately. Maliscade doesn't attract very many skilled artisans… We're so far from the capital cities. You'd be providing a valuable service if you could contribute in this way, citizen." "H-happy to help, sir," Gwen replied with a nervous smile. "Be on your way." They left before he decided to change his mind. "Hey, Gwen?" Caim had a spontaneous thought. "Yes?" "This is a random question… but have you ever seen an Enforcer using a treatment station?" "Yeah. I mean… no, I haven't. But, they must, right? Unless they don't get hurt, but there have definitely been times when heretics have gotten hold of dangerous weapons." Heretics, huh? Is that just this nation's substitution for "terrorist"? "Let me ask an easier question. Have you seen any government official using one? There are those officials who go out in the public, yes?" "No, actually, but I think that isn't necessarily a… I don't understand the question." "Nevermind. It was just a random thought. I didn't mean anything by it, I'm just not used to such convenient things where I'm from." The truth was that there were comparable public services available on Caim's old school campus, and throughout the outlying city. They couldn't magically heal anyone, but they did dispense free diagnostics to citizens, directing them to discount, state-run treatment clinics around the city. Nothing free came without a price, however. Those diagnostic scans revealed a lot about a person, and that data was from then on the property of the city. Treatments were also not necessarily in the best interest of the citizen. Politics intermingled with medicine gave birth to a beast of an offspring.