“Yeah, they did it on purpose. Keeping us from the academies so that we have no plausible explanation for our powers and we are completely dependent on our old masters.
“I never had to learn how to cook or even buy groceries, let alone get myself a job. I can’t miss this opportunity. If I become Raagu’s heir, I’ll easily become an elder and I will never have to bother myself with money again.” Athung snarled.
Each mage could only have an heir because legacies had proved to be like kingdoms, they couldn’t be split without causing a war. The Council’s first attempt of increasing the numbers of Awakened to keep up the pace with fake magic’s development had brought disastrous results.
Madmen, degenerates, or even worse, foolish goody-two-shoes idealists that wanted to save Mogar from itself had infiltrated their ranks, forcing the Council to purge the rotten apples before they could plant their seeds and spread like a disease.
Having more than one heir had also proved to be nigh impossible. Every mage lived believing that they were the best, and sharing wasn’t their strong suit. Usually having more than one heir devolved in them plotting against each other or trying to persuade their master to get rid of the competition.
Since raising their numbers had turned out to be too difficult, the Council of humans had decided to increase the quality of the heir candidates. If people like Balkor could achieve that much just by themselves, there was no telling the heights they might reach with millennia of legacies backing their research.
“Aren’t you afraid that this Verhen guy could steal your spotlight? I mean, if he’s really a self-Awakened, he has our same background, but unlike us, he has already made quite a name for himself.” Zartan said.
“Unlikely.” Athung sneered at the idea. “Most of his so-called feats can be easily explained with the basics of true magic disguised as talent. The only notable thing he has is his Forgemastering skill and Raagu is no Forgemaster.
“That and his body count.” Zartan pointed at all the names listed as Lith’s confirmed kills.
“That’s why I’m so frustrated. Even if Raagu allowed me to employ it, brute force is not an option. I spent the first twelve years of my life as a normal human and the rest holed up in a safe environment, whereas this guy has grown up on the battlefield.
“How the heck do I get a paranoid psycho killer to follow me without asking questions?” She slammed her fists on the table in frustration, cracking it. The idea of having to spend money to replace the furniture turned her stress into fury.
“Honey trap?” Zartan suggested with a laugh while exposing his hairy calf. “I mean, if violence and diplomacy are off the table, you don’t have much of a choice.” His joke earned him a powerful punch in the face as an answer.
“That’s not funny at all! It’s my future that is at stake here, so either you get serious or you get out of here.” All Awakened received physical training and combat lessons, but very few of them actually had the opportunity to put them to use.
After two years of adventuring on her own, Athung considered herself to have gained quite some battle experience, but not enough to take an Awakened Ranger head on, at least not if she played it fairly.
She checked with her contacts again. The moment Lith took a Warp Gate, she would be informed of it. The hard part would be to find a way to not let their meeting end with one of them leaving the field in a body bag.
***
Living in the Ernas manor had many perks, like their personal Warp Gate. After a good shave, Lith only needed a few steps to reach any destination he wanted. The Skinwalker armor relieved him of the necessity of changing clothes and he hated cologne.
Due to his enhanced senses, most smells were too intense to be anything but a nuisance for him.
‘I can’t believe I had to Forgemaster myself a razor.’ Lith thought.
‘Well, it’s not like you had any other choice. Normal blades lose their edge after just one use. It was either that or you would have to start using regular fire.’ Solus said. ‘Being too impervious can become annoying. Even cutting your hair now requires a mage or an enchanted blade.’
Lith walked through the Gate, stepping directly inside the army’s headquarters of Derios. Unlike Rangers, Constables didn’t operate in a specific zone, they would go wherever their services were required.
While his identity was being checked, Lith regretted not having a single gift for Kamila. It was their first date in over a month and yet he was empty-handed. Between the rest and the breakthrough, the best he could have done was stealing flowers from the Ernas’s garden, but that was low even by his standards.
‘It’s better to give her nothing rather than random bullcrap. Kami knows what I’ve been through and I can always make up for this for our one-year anniversary.’ Lith thought.
‘Don’t forget about me. I don’t want to play third wheel.’ Solus said.
‘Don’t worry. The moment I know what she has planned for tonight, you’re free to go. There’s a mana geyser near Derios. I’ll Warp you there before leaving the city.’ Lith replied.
One of Kamila’s duties as Jirni’s Field Assistant was to check all the statements and alibis collected during their investigation. It was a job as important as it was boring. It required quite some time, during which Jirni would usually sort out her case folders.
There was only so much time before a trail became cold and they had to follow multiple cases at the same time, even in different cities throughout the Kingdom.
Kamila had been left alone because Jirni knew that when a fellow Royal Constable requires your presence while she interrogates your daughters you can’t turn down the invitation lightly.
Lith had no idea why he would always meet Constable Griffon, but he was certain it was no coincidence.
‘I think the Royals are onto me because of all the “odd disappearances” that happen around me ever since I took the purple crystal while I was still attending boot camp. I guess they were worried I might have taken some souvenir from Kulah, so they used my relationship with the Ernas to try and intimidate me.
‘According to Yondra, if I had ever asked someone about the sword or the booklet that we recovered in Kulah, the Kingdom would have confiscated them from us. I doubt that the Odi’s sword or the fungus’ ring would be any different.
‘Tyris confirmed to us that the Royals are airtight about runes, let alone on Adamant. If we manage to purify and reuse it, we’ll need a heck of a cover story.’ Lith thought.
‘Agreed, but why send her specifically?’ Solus asked. ‘Wouldn’t Jirni have been a better choice? She’s our friend and that way they could’ve tested the loyalty of both of you at the same time.’
‘Classic carrot and stick technique. The stick is a powerful mage, who is also a Constable and a member of the Royal family. It’s the best combination to put pressure on me and attempt to make me fall in line.
‘Also, she’s quite the carrot, but if they think that I’d fall for a pretty face, they are gravely mistaken.’
Actually, Lith couldn’t be further from the truth. Their first encounter was due to the silver pillar that had appeared when he had killed Treius. Since such events had unfolded inside Tyris’s turf she had been eager to check on the anomaly.
