Chapter 9: Trust and Lies

 

 

 

[Not everyone speaks in truths, and a lie may be masking pain more than violence.]

 

~Vincent~

~15^th day of Celest, Year 1403~

 

Four weeks had passed before Vincent knew it, and he felt the struggle that came with keeping to a consistent schedule after over three years of inconsistency.

Monsdays and Wedsdays were the easiest: there was basic schooling taught by one of Regnah’s students (a short Sichie woman by the name of Rayna), which consisted of Baael species around Saruja, strategic positioning and reasoning tests, and Essence study. This was followed by a lunch, then by political knowledge study (such as Saruja’s military hierarchies, regular members of allied peace convoys, and known leaders and military members of enemies), taught by another of Regnah’s students, a tall dark-skinned Hjina named Barran.

Tuesdays and Thursdays were the most taxing, as training with the Harpwings took place on these days – eleven hours of one-on-one training and regular drills, such as shooting practice and jogging. Since the first week of Celest, the knight commander had allowed a larger training group – a platoon led by Captain Tenmus now joined their exercises, consisting of no less than 40 soldiers, and the specialists within Tenmus’ unit assisted the Harpwings in leading the training. It was more effective, Vincent felt, but there was now a lack of familiarity between the trainers and the trainees. He had to admit, however, with more specialists leading the trainings and more people to participate, it was reminiscent of the days he spent training in the SSM, for better or for worse. Once Tenmus’ group had joined, the Crush Squad’s training added Saturdays to the schedule (though this was shorter than the weekdays, lasting only from noon to seven.

Sunsdays were relatively easy, if not stressful. The team split into two groups: Rinkyu and Hazkura took some time to study with Regnah’s assistants while Simon and Vincent talked about the schedule and any changes for the week, then moved to interviewing potential recruits with Regnah. Over the course of nearly five weeks, there were still no new viable candidates.

Lastly, Fridays were reserved for the trust building exercises being taught by Rinkyu. She’d start each session with a short history of whatever technique was to follow; sometimes using the training grounds for blind obstacle courses or two-on-two scavenger hunts, other times using the unit’s housing for small projects like parachute designs or trust falls. It was a little jarring for Vincent to watch and learn from someone so much younger than him, but she managed to teach with a clear voice and obvious knowledge of the subjects.

 

 

While Sunsdays were technically reserved for relaxation and planning, Vincent found it difficult to stay cooped up inside for more than an hour or so at a time. Thus, he spent these days looking into any powerful mages in Saruja, ranked military members with some sort of grudge against Saruja or its leaders, and suspicious individuals who may have had an in with someone in the military.

Over these four weeks, he had found many suspicious individuals in and around the marketplaces, mall buildings, and other places of business, though they were either small-time thieves or bandits that had made their way into the city. He couldn’t gather much information from anyone in the military, since they were a tight-knit and tight-lipped kind of people, and as hard as he searched, no one he asked seemed to know of any mages with a magical prowess coming close to Warbelle’s.

 

With four (almost five) total weeks of payment under his belt and little to purchase, Vincent happened upon a bar to finally sate his desire for alcohol at the beginning of Celest (though there was a suspicious lack of cigarette vendors in Saruja, so that specific vice would have to wait).

 

This bar was much fancier than the bar in Aheya – there were three bartenders at any given time lined across a three-meter bar counter, and the room was large, two-tiered, and bustling with a variety of patrons with different steins, glasses, and mugs. The bar wall was lined with no less than 30 different liquors, and there were six pumps behind the counter, each labeled with different beers. Whatever ale Vincent had been drinking at his previous bar was not present here, though he wasn’t terribly picky.

 

On this particular day, he chose to sit at the far end of the bartender’s station. Each bartender wore a white half-mask, and each had their own accessories on their ears, necks, or hands. The one attending Vincent’s section was a young Hjina man with neat medium-black hair, and his mask covered the right side of his face and his forehead. The nametag just below his chest pocket labelled him as “Lison Aeorgia”, a middle-rank bartender with three stars below his name.

Vincent had found through his patronage here that there was a ranking within this bar among its employees – one to two stars marked someone new, with minimal to no training, while three stars was a bartender with knowledge on how to make most mixed drinks. Although there was a four-star rank, it looked like only one bartender held it; he was commonly around during rush hour, and worked the graveyard shift here, cleaning up and dealing mainly with the denizens that arrived in the darkest hours of the night.

 

“Can I get another clear ale?” Vincent raised five gold coins to the bartender. Lison turned his head towards Vincent, and nodded, putting down the utensils he was cleaning to serve his guest. He pulled out a tall, curvy glass from behind the bar, and rolled two large ice cubes into it at an angle, which made a satisfying clink when they made contact with the bottom. He turned on the pump, and angled the hose with one hand, taking the coins with his other.

Vincent placed his arm on the counter and held his forehead. His first week was more progressive and eventful than the past four had tried to be, and coming up on a fifth week with nothing to show for it was incredibly stressful.

Lison slid the beverage in front of Vincent and said simply, “Enjoy.”

Vincent took a swig of his ale – it was heavier than the ale he liked in Aheya, but the color and crispness matched, maybe even bested, that one. He took his time drinking, since Simon had called for a restriction to his vices after the breakdown incident – three drinks a week, and one pack of cigarettes per month, once he could find a vendor.

 

The bell of the entrance door rang, which wasn’t unusual at this time of day – what was odd was who entered. Simon stood at the entrance for a moment, searching the crowd for someone, until his eyes landed on Vincent. His face brightened a bit, and he started walking toward the bar.

“Sorry to bug you on your time off,” he said as he sat on the stool next to Vincent. “I wanted to talk to you about our current mission.”

As Vincent began to reply, there was a noticeable cough from the other side of the bar. Another bartender – this one was a two-star named Kli’ri Grouse, and he was a large Okami Retura with dark brown fur and eyes – stood over them with a sense of waiting. Simon blinked, then realization washed over him.

“Apologies,” he said as he fumbled four gold coins from his pocket. “I’ll have a bubbly, whichever you recommend.”

Kli’ri grunted and began pouring Simon’s beverage after taking the coin.

Simon turned back to Vincent. “I think we may be able to get a lead on who in the city could deactivate the barrier on their own!” His voice lowered as he talked, and as Kli’ri placed a heavily carbonated beverage in front of him. Simon muttered, “Thank you,” but got nothing short of a snort from the Okami. Simon turned back, and continued his explanation:

 

“Saruja is hosting a spellcaster event called Moonslight Prism as an extension of goodwill towards the other Alhose counties. Mages from Nozaritt, Mial, Recoda, and Erestona will be participating, as well as Sarujan mages. The event is scheduled next week, but the city’s had participants coming in since early last month!”

Simon looked at Vincent with an expectant stare, though Vincent was still trying to process the information.

“So… mages from all over Alhose are participating in some sort of event?” he questioned. “How does that help us narrow it down? We still need to find someone from within the military who could access the glyphs.”

 

Simon relaxed his look. “The event is to find mages that have the power and skill to be considered Grand Mages or Arc-mages. The fact that there are so many new mages in town for this event could lead to finding the one who dispelled the barrier, access or no. Besides that, if someone is performing under their best, it should be relatively easy to spot.”

“How so?”

“Stronger mages naturally spend less mana on higher-tier spells, so an Arc-mage-level caster who’s trying to hide their talent would cast weaker spells with less drain.”

Vincent cocked his head. “How would we know that, though? None of us can see mana spill that accurately.”

Simon smiled at Vincent, getting closer and lowering his voice again. “The same way we detect Prime Baael. I have access to two Essence-measuring devices that Lord Atrus entrusted to me after the assault last month.”

 

He glanced up, looking around to see if anyone was eavesdropping on their conversation. Both bartenders were busy with other customers, and the seats near the two Crush Squad members remained vacant for now. Vincent did so as well, though he wasn’t sure why this had to be so secret.

Simon continued. “My idea is as follows: you and Rinny will take one of the devices and watch four of the most obviously viable contestants, while Zari and I take the other and measure any underdogs or people who look or seem out-of-place. We’ll watch separately until the finals, and then we’ll corroborate our data going into the last tests.”

Vincent took a moment to consider Simon’s plan; it wasn’t the most concrete or foolproof, but it was more than Vincent could come up with. He was right, in any case – this event would be a chance for any mage worth a platinum to be seen and improve their status in any Alhosian city. The problem was, if the mage they were looking for was smart, they would have some sort of failsafe against something like the Essence-measuring device, or wouldn’t even compete in the first place.

 

He patted his chest with an inverted fist and said, “We’ll go with your plan, then, but use caution. We don’t want to attract any attention while the event is going on.”

Simon muttered, “I should be saying that to you,” before turning on the stool to face the bar. Fair, Vincent thought.

Simon took a sip of his drink and ineffectually tried not to reel from the alcohol burning his tongue. “Can I ask about the chest thing?” Vincent heard him ask.

“Chest thing?”

“Yeah, you’ve done it a couple times when agreeing to things, like when you agreed to lead the Crush Squad.” Simon mimicked the inverted fist-to-chest tap. “Is it symbolic or religious?”

Vincent paused – he had been doing it out of habit for so long, he almost forgot why he did it. “Vesic was my boss throughout my time in the SSM, and he’d tell us to do it when making a promise or confirming a mission. It meant something like ‘I’ll put my heart into it’, I think.”

 

Simon focused hard on Vincent for a moment, then chuckled. “As usual, your history holds strong into the present.” He attempted a second, larger swig of his drink, but ended up sighing out a stressed hissing as the burn lingered. His drink was much less alcoholic than Vincent’s, but it was entertaining to watch him try to drink.

“Actually, I had an idea for you to think on,” Vincent said after he took a few gulps. “I wanted to bring it up earlier, but I couldn’t find an opportunity.”

“What’s that?” Simon seemed a little more… relaxed than usual, probably because he couldn’t hold his liquor very well. Vincent had never seen him drink anything alcoholic the entire time he was in Saruja, and this was the first time he’d ever caught Vincent at a bar.

“I think that having me as the sole leader is a bad idea. I’m honored you think I’m-”

Simon cut off Vincent with a slap on the bar. “It’s not a bad idea! You are the one who has made the moves to make this squad viable to Lord Atrus, and I can’t just let you walk out on us now that we’re approved!”

Once again, he looked at Vincent with a hard stare. Even tipsy, Simon could make such a determined face when he felt upset. Vincent stared back at him for a moment, taken aback briefly by Simon’s resolve.

 

Vincent took a short breath in, and sighed. “That’s not what I was going to say. I have no intention of leaving the squad this far in. I was going to suggest that we be co-leaders, since you’re the one who put all the effort into the details and members.” Vincent finished his drink, and continued: “I’m honored that you think I’m the best choice and that you chose me to lead, but if I’m being honest, I’m not cut out to do it without someone calling out my mistakes.”

He glanced at Simon. “Between you and the other members, I figured it would make the most sense to have you as the other leader, since you started the group. Besides, you have the widest array of knowledge in our squad, so I figured we could make teams within the squad while we’re still building – you and Kozari, and me and Rinkyu, to stay with the ‘one smart and one strong’ rule.”

 

Simon stared awestruck at Vincent’s proposal. Was it too presumptuous to decide this without the other members present? Vincent had been as transparent as he could be on this idea, and had given it much thought since the attack back in Rhuvu. It wasn’t spur of the moment, and it wasn’t a rash decision (or, not as far as Vincent could decide) – co-leadership was something he had thought of with his best intentions, and he concluded that it was necessary for the continued usefulness of the Crush Squad.

“Incredible….” Simon whispered. “You always surprise me with how well-thought out your plans are, even while drinking.”

Vincent grinned. “I’m not just some musclebound warrior who doesn’t think, you know. I even helped Vesic design some of his attack strategies for the fight against the SSM.”

Simon paused in thought. “If you think this is the best decision, I will support you.” He shook his head, and corrected: “No, I also think this is the best decision.”

 

They sat in silence for a while, with the clinks of ice against Simon’s glass being the only interruption.

“Do you think about the SSM often?” Simon asked quietly. He looked straight ahead when he asked.

“Less since I started working with you guys,” Vincent said, his own stare focused on his glass. “But it’s not like I can just forget my time there. They trained me since I was seven or eight, so almost everything I do reminds me of then.”

“Have you talked to Vesic recently?”

Vincent glanced at Simon, who was now facing him. His eyes were flickering, but he maintained a careful gaze on Vincent.

“Not since I started working with you.” He gulped down the rest of his drink, and pushed the glass towards the other end of the bar. Lison had made his way back to this side, and took the glass silently. “Honestly, I don’t know how to contact him right now. He could be here in Saruja, back in Aheya, or even all the way in Edge, and I wouldn’t know.”

“Is that so?” Simon gave Vincent a somber look. “He must keep pretty busy if he hasn’t reached out to you in almost a month.”

Vincent nodded. “Out of the ten people in our assassination squad, he always took on the most work. He’s always trying to keep out of his own head.” He rested his arms across the bar, and added, “Something I can understand pretty well.”

Simon made a difficult face and hesitated for a few moments before asking, “What… what did happen to the other insurgents?  The military’s file on it just says that there were ten members, including you and Vesic, but you don’t seem to talk about the other members often… or rather, at all.”

 

Vincent began to respond, then they both reacted moments apart from a vibration in each of their pockets. Vincent took his phone out – there was a message from Regnah awaiting a reply when he unlocked it.

“If you aren’t too busy, would you help me with something important?”

They shared a look after reading the message – Regnah wouldn’t normally ask Vincent for a favor, due to the nature of his work and Vincent’s limited understanding of the core concepts related to it. Vincent surmised it was related to either their weapons or…

“Something to do with the tamper?” Simon finished Vincent’s internal thoughts out loud. “Bad timing, but he said it’s important, so we should go now.”

 

***

 

The bar was much closer to Regnah’s lab than the Crush Squad residence, but they were still several kilometers away from the edge of the city. Getting a cab wasn’t out of the question, but Simon suggested another method.

“There are plenty of airship ports around the city, and one is relatively close to Regnah’s lab. It’s definitely an interesting experience to view the city from above, so it might be worthwhile to try it at least once.” He smiled, and added, “It’s also faster than a cab.”

 

They made their way to the nearby airship port, where they were met with a bustling crowd of citizens and soldiers boarding and disembarking from upwards of ten airships, ranging from the size of a small house to that of a small battleship. Simon had explained that major airship ports like this one had check-in areas, where riders would pay a standard fee before boarding a ported airship of their choice, where they would pay a separate fee for the ship’s use directly (once again, the Crush Squad crest on their phone seemed to defer payment, at least at the check-in level).

Simon pulled out a coin bag, which he withdrew twenty gold coins from as they approached one of the smaller ships. “The smaller ships are faster,” he stated, “but they have less occupancy than the larger ships. The bigger ships are better if you’re moving a stall or if you’re going to somewhere outside Saruja, but you can ride them cheaper if you’re moving within the city.”

“So boarding the smaller ones would be preferred, then?” Vincent asked.

“Ideally. The big ones won’t leave the port until 75% of their max occupancy has been reached. They typically head for one big station with rest stops on the way.” Simon scratched his head. “Even if we weren’t pressed for time, we’d still probably use a smaller one. Big ships are for big moves, to be blunt.”

 

Simon greeted one of the airship skippers, who seemed to own a smaller ship known as “Glavius” – it was a ship with two floors and four rooms on each, as well as a room dedicated to a navigation glyph (referred to in shorthand as a Nav-Glyph). Simon handed the gold coins to the captain.

“We need to get to Regnah’s lab as soon as possible,” he requested. “Will that be enough to cover passage for two?”

The skipper counted the coins and looked over the two carefully. Vincent wondered if this was his way of judging if he could squeeze more money out of the two of them. The skipper’s eyes were a little baggy, and his posture was less-than-respectable. His body wasn’t terribly large, but he had an obvious gut from either eating a lot regularly or drinking mildly.

“Six gold more, and ya got a deal,” he said after weighing his options. “I can drop ya right outside his lab in twenty minutes fer that much, or fer two less, I’ll getcha to the port in fifteen.”

Simon’s eye twitched a bit, but his face did not change. He put his hand to his chin, and considered the options.

“What do you think, Vince?” he asked.

“It should be fine,” Vincent reassured. “We already knew it was going to be a little pricier, so let’s just take the quick path.”

The skipper grinned and nodded as Simon reluctantly dug out six more gold coins. “Pleasure doin’ business with ya, Doctor. We’ll get there in about twenty-two minutes. Prepare fer departure.”

 

The ship was interesting to Vincent – the walkways were wide enough that two full-size people could walk by, and the wood was well-polished and clean (if not a bit worn). The walls were lightly decorated with signs and markers for any passengers new to the ship, and when they got to the flight deck, there were two more Hjina deckhands working on the airship; one was scrubbing the floor next to the railing, and another was hammering some nails into a loose board on one of the walls.

The skipper shouted something in Irian to the crew.  Vincent knew a good bit of Common Irian, but the whole conversation was incomprehensible to him. The one working on the cleaning began moving to the second floor, possibly where the Nav-Glyph was set up, while the other started putting away their tools. The skipper turned to face Simon and Vincent.

“I’d sit down or grab the rails,” he said grinning. “Liftoff is kinda rough fer Glavius.”

 

Simon and Vincent shared a look before quickly grabbing the guardrails as the skipper slapped the Power Glyph. The engine below deck roared to life, and the airship shuddered for a few moments.

“All hands, grip fer launch!”

The airship pushed off the ground – slowly at first, then suddenly jetting up a few hundred meters in less than a minute. Vincent felt the air leave his lungs as the ship ascended, but after a beat, he felt like he could breathe again. He and Simon coughed for a few moments as the skipper laughed heartily.

“Ha! I shoulda told y’all ta hold yer breath!”

“Over ten years of flying on these things,” Simon choked out, “and I still forget to hold my breath.”

Vincent looked around – there was now a gleam of Essence surrounding the exposed parts of the airship. Even though they were still moving fast, it now felt more like a gentle breeze than a vacuum.

Simon caught his confusion and explained, “It’s called an airwall. Airships use them to equalize the pressure between the ship’s deck and the moving air during travel so we can breathe and speak normally on the deck.” He shot a look at the skipper, who was moving to the Nav-Glyph without a care. “A normal airship captain would activate it before takeoff,” he snarled.

“Airwall,” Vincent repeated, clearing his throat and straightening up. “Got it.”

 

He looked out over the edge, and saw what Simon had meant by “an experience” – the concrete buildings and paved roads that sprawled across Saruja condensed into a picture of the whole district that they lifted out of.  Vincent was aware that Saruja, even each district, was expansive compared to other large cities, but the meaning was dwarfed by the sight of the city from above.  People were small specks on the ground, barely moving compared to carts and cabs moving like snails against the landscape.

He felt a shiver down his spine, and his legs felt weak as he looked over the edge.  He crouched behind the guardrail.  It had only just hit him – he was really high up.  Vincent had been in tall buildings before, even jumped out of windows to escape unexpected situations, but he was either tethered to something or could otherwise easily survive the fall.

Right now, he was really high up.

Simon came up beside him, seeing his trepidation, and laughing lightly.  “I didn’t expect you to be afraid of heights.  But did you see what I meant?”

He leaned on the rail and looked out to the horizon.  “Saruja is a beautiful city, especially from above.”

 

The airship landed, as the skipper had promised, around twenty minutes later. The offloading point was marked less obviously than a proper airship port (a circular patch of cobbled stone about eighty meters in diameter with a small wooden post), but it was still recognizable at a glance. Regnah’s solar panels were visible over a few houses, less than a half-kilometer away – farther than Vincent was expecting, but not egregiously so for the cost they paid.

“If y’all need a ride back, I’ll prolly hang around here fer an hour or so, or until I get another customer,” the skipper said with a toothy grin. “I’ll even mark it down ta nine gold per person fer the return trip!”

Simon replied gently, “I’ll take that into consideration.” The two departed from the Glavius and its crew with a wave.

 

A few minutes later, they arrived at Regnah’s lab. Some of the plants that had been here when Vincent first arrived were gone, uprooted and harvested for their leaves and berries, while others had grown to maturity with larger leaves and flowers. Where there had once been a flowering plant with many small purple and blue petals next to the door, there was now a plant in its earliest stages of development, barely cresting over the grow box it was contained in.

Kozari was standing outside the door, waving them over once she’d noticed them approaching.  She and Rinkyu were scheduled with Rayna today, so they were probably in the middle of class when Regnah texted.

“Hello, team!” she said boisterously, holding her arm up in expectance of a high-five. “We’re waiting on you!”

Her grammar had gotten a little better over the past month, but there was still some inconsistencies (or more correctly, awkwardness) in how she spoke.

 

“Was everyone called here?” Vincent asked. He clapped his hand with Kozari’s when he got to the door.

“Me and Rinny got a text from Dr. Regnah,” she informed him. “So, I guess yeah?”

“Were you told what it was about?” Simon followed suit with a high-five, though it seemed like Kozari put more strength into his, as the clap was much louder. Simon wiggled his hand afterward, trying to relieve some of the pain.

Kozari shook her head. “Just that we needed to come quick.”  She flashed her phone’s screen, which had the same message that Simon and Vincent had gotten.

Vincent and Simon shared a worried look. Regnah was a busy man, and rarely called for the Crush Squad members together outside their normal schedule. Vincent could only wonder if it was relating to the barrier incident, since that had been their focus for the last month.

“Where’s Rinkyu?” Vincent asked. “Shouldn’t you two have been together when the message came in?”

Kozari pointed past the plants and panels. Simon and Vincent followed her finger to see Rinkyu coming from the south – Vincent knew only that there was an old church in that direction, abandoned before the newest walls of Saruja were built around fifteen years ago. While Rinkyu was normally very low-energy, today she seemed especially depressed.

“Is everything all right, Rin… Rinny?” Vincent asked. He tried to express some form of kindness in his voice and gestures, but it didn’t seem to affect her at all.

Rinkyu nodded. “I had to take care of something, but it’s done now.”

Vincent noticed a prominent scent as she walked past him into Regnah’s home – it was that of sugarcane and… rain? It wasn’t a scent he’d caught on her before, but it seemed conspicuous around her today.

 

Regnah was in the main room of his house, just straight through the entryway, sitting in a chair with two large bags next to him. He waited patiently for all four members to enter the house.

“Are you… getting ready to go somewhere?” Simon guessed.

Regnah nodded. “A former student of mine invited me to a new technologies expo, and he wanted to share a project he has been working on for a few years.” He patted his bags. “I will be leaving today, and I will be gone for about half a month.”

“A former student?” Vincent asked. “What kind of project is he working on?”

Regnah rubbed his head. “I cannot tell you yet, but I will let you know of all the details when I return.” He pointed to the staircase down. “There is a special piece of equipment for each of you downstairs, as well as a capture net gun for medium-sized Baael or smaller. While you have some free time on your main mission, I would like to request a study subject for Barran and Rayna. They have progressed in their medicinal studies, so I think their next focus should be Baael and Essence studies.”

“Why did you call all of us here for that?” Vincent was a little annoyed having to rush here for a notice that could have been texted, though he tried to temper his attitude. Simon shot a look to Vincent as he whispered, “Phrasing!”

 

Regnah bowed his head. “It may not be terribly important, but the only ones who will have access to this lab while I’m gone are Reyna and the knight commander. If you need to get into my lab, contact one of them. Besides that…”

Vincent followed his eyes to the staircase, and finished his thought for him. “The equipment is too much for one or two people to carry?”

Regnah smiled and nodded. “I may be smart, but I am not infallible. I have my own bags to carry, and it would be best if everyone carried their own equipment back.” He stood up, and beckoned the group to follow him as he headed downstairs.

 

***

 

The group was presented the new equipment Regnah had designed for them. Vincent wondered how much time and resources went into making each piece, since his first set came just days after he arrived. Regnah didn’t seem to have a forge nearby, so maybe he outsourced the physical labor – even then, it seemed expedited.

“For all of you,” Regnah announced, “I have upgraded your earpieces to be longer range and less susceptible to sound-based damage. I’ve been working on these with helpful data from the last Baael attack.”

He handed each person a set of ear-sized radios, which were a little bigger than the first ones that Vincent had. They were definitely sturdier.

“Next, group equipment.” Regnah opened a wall compartment holding three different pairs of shoes with fanged cleats on the edges. “These boots will be useful for the members who have to keep moving during combat. From left to right, Kozari, Rinkyu, and Vincent.” The shoes looked reminiscent of the ones Rinkyu wore – they each had small jewels embedded in the tongue’s tip.

“I have also made resistant under armor for all of you, which are hanging in that cabinet,” he said as he pointed to a nearby cabinet. “It can be tailored by Ivan Tomarov in the North District, if it doesn’t fit.” He looked at Simon, and added, “I sent his information to your device.”

 

Regnah then turned to a third cabinet. Inside of this one were what looked like four weapon cases, as well as two large bangles not unlike the ones Kozari was given when she joined.

“Lastly, weaponry. Vincent, I have designed you a pistol that functions similarly to Simon’s rifle – there is an Essence function that will allow up to six bullets to be engraved with an Essence signature. You can use this to gain the upper hand against attuned enemies, but use it wisely.” He reiterated as he handed Vincent the case: “Only six bullets at most. You will need to charge it between uses.”

Vincent inspected the gun; the barrel was thick, but was well-designed. It was relatively lightweight (just a little heavier than his normal pistol), and the magazine and cylinder were enclosed and hidden. There was something engraved along the barrel, but it wasn’t in a language that he understood, which seemed odd.

 

Regnah turned to Simon with the second case. “Simon, I’ve improved your bullet capacity, effective range, and the sturdiness of the plates and stock. You should be able to fire twenty-two shots before your Essence starts bleeding.”

Vincent wanted to say something about the difference in usage between their weapons, but he guessed it had something to do with how long he’d been working with Simon. Or, maybe it was related to the weapons they chose to wield. Regnah hadn’t said anything about Essence bleed with Vincent’s gun or sword, so maybe it was related to Simon’s problem accessing his Essence (which, to this day, had not been fully explained to Vincent). Regardless, he held his tongue for now.

 

“Kozari,” Regnah said as he held out the bangles, “these wristlets are improved versions of the ones you are currently wearing. They have been calibrated to around ninety percent of your maximum strength based on the data received from your training sessions.”

“What do I do with the old ones?” Kozari requested with a look of confusion.

“Slide the new ones open and place them over the old ones. They will absorb the old ones and concentrate the remains into dust. Please do it…”

As he spoke, Kozari followed his directions. Sure enough, the old bangles dissolved into the new ones, changing them from a gold color to more of rose gold. And just like Regnah said, the old bangles turned to dust, leaving a ring of dust on her wrists and a small pile on the floor.

“…outside.”

Simon quickly moved to grab a broom while Vincent held back a chuckle. Kozari apologized awkwardly, though Regnah as always seemed (mostly) unperturbed by the accident.

 

“Lastly,” he said, now facing Rinkyu, “I was told that you lack an actual weapon for combat, besides your Essence jewels. You have been practicing with Inel recently, and according to Captain Barolo, you have been doing well with practice knives, so I had Liane provide me with ideas for combat knives.”

He handed the third case to her, which she opened. Inside lay two obsidian-colored daggers with curved handles and small white-and-yellow braids tied into the butts. The blades shimmered between a charcoal grey and a deep emerald color and, like Vincent’s, had something engraved in a language that he couldn’t read. Rinkyu seemed to freeze when she saw the inscription – she took a moment, before breathing in sharply and nodding at Regnah, apparently understanding it.

The fourth case he handed to Simon. “This last case has the capture net gun. It has an instruction guide inside, and it should be able to capture a young goateater at the largest size. I trust all of you to use it, but it may be worth trying it out on the dummies on the training grounds before actual use.”

Regnah put his hands behind his back. “I truly hope you can understand the meaning behind your inscriptions, Crush Squad.” He bowed his head, then looked carefully at the group. “I have an inkling that Saruja will be busy while I am gone, so keep your heads held high.” He reached for the handles of his bags and turned towards the stairs. “Good luck, team.”

 

***

 

The team had been shooed out of the lab shortly after the gift-giving – Regnah flipped a switch in the entryway after the last member exited. He walked away as a beeping sound droned near the door, until he was about two meters away, which caused the noise to stop. Vincent watched in amazement as the house panels folded in on each other, descending and flattening to the ground alongside the solar panels and storage shed, like a giant origami art installment. The end result was a large flat space with the plants protruding from small square holes in the ground. It was incredibly unlikely that anyone besides those who knew how to work this lab would be able (or willing) to break in.

On the way back to the airship pad, Simon was muttering to himself about the range and sizes of the capture nets allocated with the gun – there were three nets, each big enough to cover any of the four members. From Simon’s whispering, Vincent guessed this was not the first iteration of a capture net gun that Regnah had created for research. He had said something about the reload time, and then mumbled about the net’s range.

 

The Glavius was still waiting when they returned, with the skipper waiting once again outside the ship.

“Yer back already?” He waved as the Crush Squad approached. “Y’all even brought some friends!”

Vincent noticed in his hand was a familiar vice – a cigarette with the same scent as Bold Breech.

“Our business here was more… consolidated than we were expecting,” Simon said, reaching to his pouch for payment. Vincent grabbed his arm, causing Simon to recoil slightly.

“I’ve got this,” Vincent declared, pulling out four bands of ten coins from his own pouch – the most he’d spent of his own money in one go since being paid. He approached the skipper, handing him the coins, but grabbing his wrist as he pulled away, and leaning into his face.

“I’ve got a few questions for you on the trip back.” He eyed the skipper with a sense of suspicious calm, which caused him to swallow hard. “There’s an extra bonus for answering me honestly,” Vincent added with a smirk.

 

The Glavius took off once more, and Vincent again was not prepared for the short vacuum that occurred between liftoff and the airwall activating, hacking and coughing as air reached his lungs. Rinkyu was ready for the airwall, as if she’d been on airships her entire life, but Kozari was caught off-guard like him and Simon. The skipper approached Vincent while they were cruising.

“So, whaddya wanta know?” He eyed Vincent’s coin pouch slyly.

“Where did you buy your cigarettes?” Vincent asked, looking around to make sure his teammates weren’t nearby. “I’ve been searching for a vendor for weeks now.”

The skipper chuckled. “Not used ta’a sober district, huh?” He put his arm around Vincent’s shoulder and pulled him towards the bow of the ship. “Ya can try ta buy them around town, but yer limited by yer district. Turga’s the easiest place ta find cigarette machines, since they’re at the end o’ every frickin’ street, but Nabid an’ Arga’re best fer live vendors.”

“Nabid… and Arga?” Vincent whispered. “Are those people, or…”

“Not from here, Mr. Crush Squad guy?” The skipper smiled thinly and widely. “Ye’ve been here ‘bout a month, but don’t know the district names o’ the city?” He waved his index finger towards Vincent’s coins. “A little more coin, an’ I can explain ‘fore we land.”

 

Vincent looked around – the other members were busying themselves in their own ways, so this semi-secret mission of his was unnoticed. “Fine,” he said after a moment. “Five more coins for information.”

“Fer five coins, Harstratt Longlund will gladly be yer guide to tell ya about Saruja!” The skipper grabbed the coins as they barely left the pouch in Vincent’s hand.

 

Skipper Longlund told Vincent about the separation of Saruja’s districts – being a city-state, the districts were somewhat reasonably sized and clearly-defined, as most larger cities did with their own districts. The Central District was nicknamed Wildwood, due to the spontaneous growth of willow trees over the past century. Nabid, as he explained, was the region on the east side of the Mistea River, and was essentially a boat and airship port town within Saruja’s walls. Directly across the river sat Arga, another small district that dealt with the export and import of metal and wood for making weapons and tools.

“Arga’s got some real notable smiths, and I think Sivverya outsources his weapon crafting requests there. ‘Sides that, there’s textile workshops an’ foodie spots up north, where we call Brudine. The Slums’re northwest and west-central of Saruja, and the far west area y’all live in is called Estric.”

“So, cigarettes aren’t available in Brudine or Estric, but everywhere else…”

“Yup,” the skipper said, counting and recounting his spoils from what amounted to thirty minutes of talking, and was worth half a day’s hard labor. “If yer really hankerin’ fer a daily puff, there’s supposed ta be some tobacco bar somewhere in Saradan – the south district – but I ain’t been there since I got here.” Finally, he put the coins away, and added, “Travellin’ daily might get expensive, though, so I’d go fer a vendor.”

 

The Glavius neared the airship port, and as they began landing, Warbelle could be seen with Liane and Markus at the steps.

“What’s she doing here?” Vincent said as he pointed the group out. It was odd to see the three of them together.

Simon glanced in their direction, and adjusted his glasses. “That’s a good question.”

 

Warbelle met them at the docking stairs after they landed, stave in hand and her normal mysterious smile across her face. “Hello, Crush Squad,” she greeted warmly. “Interesting seeing you around here.”

“Likewise to you, Lady Écartés.” Vincent returned her greeting, glancing at the two Harpwings. “Can I ask what you’re up to with the Harpwing Team?”

Warbelle looked back at Liane, who gave a friendly smile to the group. “The Knight Commander is feeling overly protective since so many outsiders are entering the city.” She tilted her head coyly. “I assume you’ve heard of the Moonslight Prism?”

Vincent nodded. “Recently, but yes.”

“Well, as the Arc-mage, I’m tasked with greeting visiting VIPs and their competing mages. It’s not uncommon for spellcasters to gain their position of power by killing the higher authorities. For mages, it’s almost law that strong mages prove themselves by overpowering the position they seek.”

She waved her stave at Liane and Markus. “Barolo was kind enough to offer me protection from his own team, since I’m pretty well-liked here. Both Barolo and Knite-Siege worry a little too much for their own good.”

“Lady Écartés is powerful enough on her own,” Liane noted, “and it’s probably nothing to worry about, since she’s competed in – and ranked – in the last five of the Prisms since being named Arc-mage.”

 

Vincent expressed a look of respect. “Do you really need to compete, then? That seems like a pretty clear sign that you’re not stepping down anytime soon.”

Warbelle’s face lost a little of its pride, though she still wore a smile. “Well, like I said, mages will kill for a title like Arc-mage. Ranking well in the Moonslight Prism seems to scare off would-be mage-killers.” She leaned against the Glavius. “You could say it’s proof that I still care about my position.”

 

Markus turned his head to Liane. “Didn’t you place in the Moonslight Prism before you became a Harpwing, First Lieutenant?”

Liane shot an annoyed look to him. “You know I don’t like talking about that, Markus.”

Simon spoke up: “You know magic, Ms. Liane?”

Liane’s eye twitched as the focus went to her. “It’s been a long time since I practiced magic, but yes.” She looked at Warbelle and met her eyes. “You probably don’t remember, Lady Écartés, but we actually competed for the Arc-mage title twenty years ago.”

Warbelle’s smile faded a bit. “Oh, I remember it well. You used to be quite the spellcaster.” Her eyes narrowed as she added, “If you’d kept practicing up until now, I’m sure you would be the Arc-mage instead of me, one way or another.”

 

There was an awkward silence that followed, no one truly knowing where to progress the conversation from there. Suddenly, Warbelle and Liane both burst into laughter.

“There’s always room in your busy schedule for a rivalry, I see,” Liane said kindly. “Maybe I should start practicing to take your place.”

She shook her head gently and added, “To be honest, my interest in titles like that are minimal at best.  I’m more interested in proving my actual capabilities day by day with the Harpwing squad.”

 

The two groups parted ways shortly after, with Warbelle leaving a message with Vincent before they left.

“It’s imperative that you keep an eye out for any strange creatures like the quasi-Baael you met in the attack.” Her eyes were serious when she spoke, defying the normal attitude she carried around. “You know we suspect someone in the city for the tamper, but maz-beasts are hard enough to create, and even harder to control. If you come across someone with that capability, they must be captured or killed.”

 

It wasn’t as if Vincent was shirking his duties – he had been hunting for clues to the tamper for almost a month. The people of Saruja just didn’t have any trust in him, and with limited options to prove himself, he was socially outcast compared to people like Simon and Rinkyu.

Something clicked as he reflected on the conversation between Warbelle and Liane while they walked to the cab stand – an inkling that had been bugging him since he met Regnah and Simon… or possibly, even before that.

 

“I think I finally found out what bothers me about Saruja,” he said aloud, to no one in particular. The team faced him, each with a look combining confusion and interest.

“What do you mean?” Simon asked, a pure Sarujan through and through. He found some mild offense in the random statement, and his face showed it.

“Everyone here is so…” Vincent paused as he looked at each of his squad members before finishing his sentence.

“…friendly.”

There was no real way to sugarcoat it; every confrontation he had in Saruja was relatively tame, besides the first guard he met and the knight commander. The caravans passing through, the bartenders, the soldiers…

“Everyone seems to be under the impression that kindness is expected, and it’s a little off-putting. From vendors to the King himself, everyone’s too friendly.”

Simon stared at Vincent for a moment before responding with, “Is that a bad thing? Friendly people in a city generally means that they’re happy and accepting.”

“It’s one thing to be accepting, but it’s another to be overly trusting,” Vincent said. He took a moment to remind himself that no one here outside the Crush Squad seemed to “trust” him. “Or more like, overly familiar.”

“Do you really think Saruja’s citizens are too friendly?” Simon asked with a hard, calculating stare. “Are you sure you’re not just misreading your interactions? Like I told you when you first joined the Crush Squad, the surface view of Saruja isn’t necessarily what the town is like. If you feel people are too friendly, take a moment to think about why they were being friendly.”

 

Vincent sensed a little anger in Simon’s voice. He hadn’t meant to offend Simon; his comment was more directed at people like Warbelle and the Harpwings. He attempted to retract what he had said, but Simon was stubbornly ignoring him now, vying to push ahead to the cab stand ahead of the rest of the group. Rinkyu and Kozari didn’t seem offended by the statement (at least, not as badly as Simon was).

“It’s something you have to get used to after being here for a while,” Rinkyu told him. “I was also put off by it during my first year here, but Regnah and Simon helped me put it out of my mind.” Her face scrunched, and she added, “To be honest, it’s still a little unnerving at times, but I’ve learned to take a second glance at the kindness Sarujans provide before brushing them off as hiding something.”

Kozari made a difficult face as she also attempted to rehash her conversations in Saruja. “The Guild members were very friendly when I first came here, but it wasn’t ‘overly familiar’, in my thoughts.” She scratched her cheek as she said this. “My father would call it ‘basic Alhosian hospital.’”

Vincent and Rinkyu both weighed the necessity of correcting her, but shared a look that said they knew it would be better to explain when they weren’t walking. Vincent noticed Simon swaying a little as he stormed forward – he was obviously still feeling the effects of the alcohol, even if his speech hadn’t suffered during and through the meeting with Regnah, but Vincent was intently aware of the delayed effects alcohol had on normal Hjina, primarily the difference between the immediate hit and the later dizziness and confusion that followed the body’s processing of the poison.

…Poison. Delayed effects. Vincent had a thought about the tamper, with these two things in mind. What if the attack on the barrier glyph wasn’t to disable the barrier temporarily, but to weaken it for a second, maybe even a third attack. Each compounded damage would weaken the place where the glyph was carved, eventually rendering it useless… like a poison.

“Simon!” He called forward. “We need to schedule a meeting with Knite-Siege or the King as soon as possible!”

Simon turned to face him, his face flushed with a tinge of pink and red. “What? What are you talking about?”

Vincent stared straight ahead, to everyone’s confusion. “I think I may have an idea of what the purpose of the tamper was.”