Clearing the Ahrnzee Plains into the Sage Canyons was like stepping into another realm. The constant rustle and motion of looming hydra grass suddenly vanished, replaced with a vast open stillness of mesa and distant mountains. Scattered yuccca and sagebrush dotted the rocky landscape, and the warm dry wind scattered clouds of red dust. A well maintained road stretched before them, winding in and out of canyons on the final leg of their journey to the Free City of Shan.
Figbert stepped up beside Raith and gave him a hearty slap on the back, then inhaled deeply.
“Almost home, my valiant friend. Have you ever been to Shan?”
Raith shook his head while still gazing out to take in the beauty of the landscape before him.
“I have not. What is it like?”
The handsome actor got a wistful look in his eye.
“Truly the most wondrous city in the three kingdoms. A metropolis of magic and marvels, and a masterpiece to behold. It is the center of power for the Mage, Thieves and Mercenaries guilds, among others. We are free from the rule of kings, but not without our politics. I pray you will allow me the honor of showing you its delights.” He considered a moment. “And dangers, of course.”
“I’d like that very much. Thanks, Figbert.”
“It is I who should be thanking you and your brave adventuring team. Now, let us not dally. I wish to sleep in my own bed before the week is out.”
The actor’s wish proved a curse, as a terrible rain storm brought water rushing into the canyons, making the road impassable to the wagons for several days. But aside from the weather, the journey encountered few problems, especially compared to the perilous grasslands.
Raith continued the training schedule with his team, and Gerta joined them on a couple of occasions to offer suggestions that helped tighten up their performance considerably. She made one brief comment on Tolliver’s lack of participation, but did not press the issue when Raith simply replied that it was complicated.
When the Free City finally came into view, it was clear that Figbert had not exaggerated its wonder. It sat upon a stretch of mesa roughly fifteen mile across. Two sides were framed by massive canyons, three hundred feet across and at least as deep, carved over ages by the rivers that ran through them. The other two sides had rifts of equal size, but with unnaturally straight sides rent by ancient magics to protect the city from invaders. Stone bridges that could only be aloft through magic spanned each canyon, with steady flows of traffic from the north and south.
Numerous waterfalls created clouds of mist as they cascaded off of the mesa where the city sat, and the canyon wall was lush with terraced farming up and down its length. Even from here he could see the grand domes and minarets that dominated the vast cityscape.
Director Sukash got them quickly through the gate, evidently familiar with the guards. Raith hoped it was just his imagination, but one of them kept glancing his way in a suspicious manner. No one came to question him directly, however, so he chalked it up to typical guard appraisment of foreigners.
The Myth Seekers bade farewell to the Players of Shan and piled on the wagon with Cross until their [Quest] found its completion at the Mages Guild. A riot of noise and colors greeted them on each block, with merchants loudly hawking their wares and crowded streets bustling with activity.
Rising like a glimmering spires from the heart of the mesa, the Mages Guild Towers were one of the tallest and most striking structures in the city. Both an arcane beacon and a center of magical scholarship. Designed with tiered platforms, each slightly smaller than the one below, gave each of the three towers a spiraling effect. Floating stone walkways and suspended bridges extended connected the towers, and a walled courtyard encircled the entire complex.
Two giant stone golems flanked the front gates, pushing the doors wide as they approached to let the horses through. The moment the wooden doors slammed shut, Raith felt the rush of weft from a completed [Quest]. It was considerably more than he’d been expecting, adding several levels and room to stitch [Skills]. He was looking forward to that when after they’d settled in. It did make him wonder exactly what they’d been transporting this whole time to make the efforts so valuable.
Cross turned to them as the team gathered next to the wagon and gave a salute. Several servants hurried over and led the wagon away, but the Myth Seekers role was done. They stood in the shade of one of the many trees in the courtyard, a bit of a loss at the suddenness of the end to their journey.
He looked around at his teammates, and noticed that somehow between when they arrived at the Mages Guild and now, Zinny had disappeared. Before he could question it, Thea turned towards Raith and swept into a low bow, coming back up with a wicked grin.
“It is an honor to meet you, Lord Quirric.”
He couldn’t help but let out a laugh, returning the gesture.
“And you as well, Lady Gannon.” He turned to his brother, who shook his head and held up a hand.
“Don’t.”
“I would be remiss if I didn’t properly greet the other Lord Quirric.”
They all laughed at the absurdity of it, and it only then sank in the he was finally free of the Order of the Loom. Never again would he have to hide his [Divine Skill].
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“This doesn’t seem real.”
This time Nyhm nodded in earnest.
“On that we can agree. What does it even mean that we’re nobles now?”
Tolliver had been standing quietly off to the side, but took a hesitant step forward.
“The Archduke will have granted each of you a small holding, likely far outside the city. You may now purchase an estate within the noble’s district. Any crimes you commit will be tried in the noble court. Each of you will now have a vote on the council, and I caution you that this is where the currying of favors and rivalries begins. Most nobles choose to leverage votes to gain power and standing for their families.”
Thea let out a slow whistle. She even forgot she was mad at the [Mage] for a minute.
“Weaver’s tits, that’s a lot to take in.”
“Do we have to vote on anything?” Nyhm asked.
Tolliver shook his head.
“Not usually. There are occasions of import when the Archduke requires everyone’s presence, but that is rare. It is also expected that you will attend parties, if not host them yourselves.”
If Raith wasn’t so appalled himself, he would have laughed aloud at the look of horror on his brother’s face.
“Did you hear that, Lord Nyhm,” Thea said, giving him a light elbow. “You’ll be hosting fancy parties when we get back.”
The elfling glared at her. Tolliver cleared his throat.
“About that. Well, I don’t say this to be rude, but it might behoove you all to take some etiquette lessons.”
Raith’s eyebrows shot up, and the [Mage] quickly continued.
“I only say this so you avoid giving unintended offense. Some nobles can be quite petty and vindictive when insulted. They may even go so far as to take it out on your families. I do not say this as a threat, merely a description of the new reality in which you will find yourselves when you return to Beckhaven.”
It was almost enough for Raith to wish he could go back to hiding his [Divine Skill] or just running from the Order. Etiquette lessons? He’d never liked nobles in the first place, and now he would be expected to suck up to them. This was a nightmare. Thea provided the words he needed to hear.
"Don't worry you two. We're still adventurer's. No reason to sit around Beckhaven all day playing politics."
A gray robed young man nervously approached the group.
“Excuse me. Do you intend to lodge at the academy? Or perhaps I may direct you to some of our Guild services?”
Raith glanced around the courtyard and realized it was probably an odd place to just be hanging out. Figbert had told him where to find the players, as well as provided directions to the local Adventurers Guild.
“Sorry, we we’re just leaving.” He glanced to the gates, where another pair of golems flanked the doors on this side. “Uh, how do we get out?”
***
Finding the guildhall was a simple task. The city was well laid out, although very crowded. It was a vibrant place, full of so much sound and color it was almost overwhelming after the long weeks on the road.
He’d never seen such a variety of races and styles in one place, even during the Promise Day festival. Raith managed to spot and deter two pickpocketing attempts on Thea and Nyhm during their brief walk to the Adventurers Guild.
As soon as they arrived, Raith got everyone rooms, instinctively including Tolliver. A pang of sadness struck him as he realized a part of him still thought of the [Mage] as a member of their team. Now that they’d made it to a guildhall, they could make a clean separation and find another member. With any luck that last part wouldn’t take too long.
They were going to have to find another [Quest] to take them back through the Arhnzee Plains, although he supposed they could head south, then go along the coast and head home up the Pruxling. It would take a lot longer, but now that he knew what was waiting for him in his new life as a noble, getting home lost any sense of urgency. They’d have to see what sort of [Quests] were available and decide from there.
“Let’s relax for the afternoon and meet for dinner. This guildhall has private conference rooms in the back, so we’ll snag one of those.” He gave Tolliver a pointed look. “We have a few things to talk about.”
The noble nodded sadly in understanding, and everyone left to find a moment to themselves after the long journey. As was becoming his routine, Raith collapsed onto the soft bed and enjoyed the luxurious comfort of a mattress and pillow for a while. He wasn’t even tired, but it was a joy to simply relax by himself without having to retreat to his library.
After a while, he pulled up his pattern to see what he had to work with. Between the fighting, training and [Quest], he was already at fifth level in [Oneric Champion] and [Lithestrider Scout], and had made it to sixth in [Scholastic Wayfarer]. The extra studying time he had been putting in at the library was paying off, and was happy to see the [Scholar] class advancing so quickly.
That gave him four [Skills] to stitch, so went to his library to review patterns. He already knew he wanted [Graceful Dodge] for his [Rogue] spot, so he wasted no time in getting it stitched.
[Warriors] usually stacked up their [Skills] to synergize powerful combos, or stagger cooldowns for rapid fire attacks, but he didn’t have the training or slots for that.
Now that he was reviewing his pattern, he realized he had completely forgotten about [Rippling Dreamstrike] during their fights in the plains. According to the [Sage]’s notes, it created ‘dream echos’ of an attack, forcing the enemy to to defend against multiple phantom strikes. He’d have to work that into their training routine and figure out how to best use it in a fight.
In the meantime, he wanted to add another defensive [Skill] to the repertoire called [Gloaming Mirage]. It worked like Nyhm’s Blur Belt, confusing opponents by making it difficult to judge his exact location. Unlike the magical belt, this worked on all attacks, although only for a short time.
For [Scholar] he already knew he wanted [Evolving Cartography], that kept a mental reference map of everywhere he had been.
After stitching the [Skill] he couldn’t wait to try it out. Closing his eyes, accessing the visual information felt similar to entering his library. The areas he had physically visited appeared uncovered, complete with terrain features and labels. Everything outside of the places he had physically been were solid black. He found he could also add notes to the map, which he didn’t have a current use for but could easily imagine it being useful.
He hadn’t planned on advancing this quickly, and didn’t have an idea for the next [Scholar] slot. Maybe he could talk it over with Nyhm and Thea later and see what they thought.
The door flying open shocked him from his thoughts. He shot to his feet and began reaching for his weapon before realizing it was Thea. Her eyes were wide with panic and she held out the sympathetic scroll she used to communicate with her father.
“What is it?” Raith asked, reaching to take the scroll.
“Just read it.”
‘Dearest Thea. The High Emissary has discovered the Duke’s [Quest] allowing Raith to evade his grasp. In response, he has hired the Assassin’s Guild for the unsanctioned assassination of Raith Quirric. Venton has now disappeared, along with a large contingent of Templars. The Order is in chaos, and we are unable to send aid or call off the Guild. I beg you to put as much distance between yourself and Raith as possible. I know you will likely refuse this plea, and therefore make another: Gather your friends and run.’
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