Delve

“Owwwww….”

The slow throbbing pain in his head told Rain that he was awake. At the moment, he felt that being unconscious would have been preferable.

“Hey,” a female voice said. “How’s your head?”

Rain groaned and opened his eyes, squinting against the bright light as he took stock of his surroundings. He was seated in Halgrave’s office, but the guild leader was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a blue-robed woman was staring at him, seated behind Halgrave’s desk. He recognized her.

“Mahria?” Rain said, raising a hand to his head. Counter to his expectations, it didn’t have a huge dent in it.

“Hi,” she said, laughing. “My mom did a number on you, didn’t she?”

Rain scrunched up his face, closing his eyes against the pain. “How long…?”

“You’ve been sleeping there for about twenty minutes. My dad forced Wallace to heal you, but it looks like he did a shitty job. Hells, you probably can’t even understand me. Are you getting any of this?”

Rain groaned and sat back in his chair. The room felt like it was spinning. Definitely a concussion.

“Like talking to a wall. Come on, cleaning boy. The least you could do is learn the language.”

Rain sighed. “I speak the language. I just don’t feel like talking right now. It’s like someone stomped on my head a few times after I passed out.”

“Wow, damn, I guess you do. Your accent’s gone too. How’d you manage that?”

Rain shook his head, immediately regretting it as his stomach lurched. He kept his eyes closed, trying to keep his lunch down.

“Wow, you don’t look good. Here.” There was a sudden flash of blueish light and a blast of cold air. Rain looked up to see that Mahria was holding out a brick of crystal-clear ice toward him. He reached out to take it, then pressed it against his forehead.

“Thanks,” he said, slumping back in his chair.

“I think I’ve got a scrap of cloth in here. Ah, there it is. Here, wrap that up before it drips everywhere.” Rain accepted the cloth and covered the brick of ice before pressing it back against his head. The cold was soothing. Belatedly, he realized that Winter wasn’t on. He activated it, making sure Mahria wasn’t going to get any more than a 100% boost. He might have been out of it, but he had enough of his wits about him to know that anything Mahria learned about his abilities could make it back to Halgrave or Lavarro.

He checked his HUD, noting that his health was at max despite the fact that he felt like he’d been hit by a truck. Wallace’s healing really did suck; he’d fixed his health, but not his physical condition. I wonder if he’s going to come around to charge me later. It would be just my luck. I just got those Tel, damn it. No way I’m paying him.

He grimaced as he held the ice to his forehead. Fuck, Lavarro is terrifying. And Halgrave is supposed to be even stronger. What happened after I blacked out?

“So, what happened?” Mahria said, echoing Rain’s thoughts. “All my dad told me was that you pissed off my mom. I felt the building shake, but that was it, apart from the yelling.”

Damn, I was hoping she knew. I need to be careful here. I’m not sure whose side she’s on. Rain cleared his throat. “Things got…a little out of hand.”

“Did she blast you through the wall? Is that how you got hurt?”

“No, that was Carten. Do you know if he’s okay?”

Mahria shrugged. “No idea. I was told to sit and wait, so I’m sitting and waiting. What did he do? I know my mom can be a little…rough, but she wouldn’t do something like that unprovoked.”

“Rough? That’s rough? Anyone but Carten would be dead twelve times over. She said he’d live, but—”

“Then he’ll live,” Mahria said with a shrug. “She knows her own strength. Now, come on, what did he do? Try to lie to her?”

“He…called her a bitch.”

“Hahaha!” Mahria cracked up, rocking back in Halgrave’s chair. She’s got a pretty laugh…No, Rain. Danger! He took the ice away from his head. The ice and Winter were helping, but there was clearly something wrong with his brain if he was thinking about Lavarro’s daughter that way. Mahria sat back up, placing her elbows on the table. “I knew he was a moron, but he really said that? I mean, seriously?”

Rain smiled. “Yes. I think the fact that he’s not the brightest star in the sky has been categorically proven.”

“Ha, not the brightest star in the sky. I like that. You’re really different, you know? Come on, tell me how you learned the language so fast.”

“Practice,” Rain said evasively. He didn’t want to go into the specifics of overmana right now. What fixes concussions? Is it overmana, or overhealth? Maybe either one will do it? I am starting to feel…well, not ‘good’, but better.

Mahria opened her mouth to say something, but the door banged open before she could, slamming against the wall. Halgrave squeezed into the office, ducking under the doorframe. “You’re in my chair,” he said to Mahria.

“Hi Dad,” she said, making no sign that she intended to move.

“Get up,” Halgrave growled.

Mahria rolled her eyes dramatically but got out of the chair. “Fine,” she said, walking around the desk to sit next to Rain in the other chair. “Did you and Mom fight?”

“Yes,” Halgrave said, collapsing into his chair.

“Anyone die?” Mahria asked. Halgrave’s face darkened.

“Don’t joke. It wasn’t that kind of fight and you know it. It was the same fight we’ve been having for the last fifteen years. Nobody is ever going to win. Though I think this time…This time, she’s gone too far. I’m going to have to report this up.”

Mahria’s smile vanished. “No, you can’t!”

Halgrave shook his head. “I have to. The Guild is only allowed to operate here because we agreed to police ourselves. I can’t let her get away with this. The Watch won’t stand for their authority being flouted so brazenly.” Halgrave nodded at Rain. “I had to explain it to that one just yesterday.” Rain tried to hide within his armor, wishing for his helmet. He figured that it must still be in the conference room. He’d go back for it later.

Halgrave sighed. “It’s one thing when a bronzeplate does something idiotic. When someone like your mother acts up…That has a chance of causing a national incident. It’s not so much what she did, it’s how she did it, and who she is. The Watch might decide to kick the Guild out of the city completely. They could send someone from Vigilance. That would lead to escalation, as the main branch won’t want to back down. It could even mark the start of a war. The rules have to apply to all of us. Even your mother. Even me. Otherwise, they’re meaningless. I wish she would understand that.”

Mahria scoffed. “Dad, you’re being dramatic. This isn’t going to cause a war. All she did was toss a turtle through a wall for calling her a bitch.”

Halgrave rubbed his eyes. “Enough. I’ve already had this argument with your mother once today. I’m not having it again with you. Besides, the turtle was right.”

“Dad—”

“I said enough, Mahria. Stop acting like a child. You’re 25. You’re old enough to know that you can’t just do whatever you want.” Halgrave sighed. He sounded exhausted. I…actually feel kinda bad for him. This is one fucked-up family. Still, a lot of this was his fault too. If he’d stayed in the room instead of leaving us alone with Lavarro…

“Fine,” Mahria said. “I’m going to get something to eat. I’ll see you later, Dad.”

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Halgrave said. Mahria rolled her eyes and left the room, shutting the door behind her. Halgrave’s eyes flicked to Rain. “Now do you see?”

Rain gulped and nodded.

“Then would you care to explain to me why Gus just handed me a report concerning a plume of toxic smoke pouring out of all the toilets in the Watch Barracks in the hill district?”

…Shit. “Uhhhhh…”

Halgrave sighed again. “Just…go. Talk to Gus. The Watch submitted a request for the ‘purification mage’ to come and clean up. Apparently, several of their barracks have been unlivable since mid-afternoon yesterday. You will take care of whatever they ask you to, and you will do it for free. Don’t you dare fuck it up. If they say jump, you ask how high.”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“Get out.”

“You really said that?” Ameliah stared at Carten in disbelief. Carten downed yet another flagon of beer and motioned to the serving girl, belching loudly.

“Yup!” the huge man said happily.

“It’s true. He did,” said a bedraggled-looking Jamus. His orange robe was covered in dust. He rubbed at his neck. “You’re sure I’m not hurt? My throat feels a little…squished.”

“Fine, I’ll check. You asked for it.” She touched his hand, sending her mana into him with Tissue Scan. It came back clean, bringing with it a bunch of detail about the inside of Jamus’s body. More than she wanted, honestly. The things I’ve seen… She shook her head. “No, you’re fine.”

“Do me,” Carten said. “I think I’ve still got a kink in my neck.”

Ameliah sighed. “I already healed you. Whatever’s wrong with your head, it’s nothing that I can fix.”

Jamus snorted into his beer. Ameliah smiled as Carten blinked at her.

“Ameliah!”

She looked up at the sudden voice from the entrance to the tavern. Rain waved to her and hurried over to join them, weaving unsteadily. He collapsed into a chair and flipped up the faceplate of his helmet. “Hey.”

“Rain,” she said, staring at him. He was also covered in dust, and there was a line of blood running down his face. Why hasn’t he cleaned that up?

“I thought you were leaving,” Rain said.

“I was, but then I saw Carten crash face-first into the side of a building, so I—” something’s wrong with him. “Are you okay?” She peered into his eyes. It looked like he was having trouble focusing on her. She reached out and touched his gauntleted hand. She focused, forcing her mana to behave as she shoved it through the metal. It was difficult. He’s getting pretty strong. I don’t usually have this much trouble overriding someone’s domain… The response that came back from Tissue Scan was distorted by the metal despite her best efforts. What it did tell her was alarming.

“Stay still,” she said. She reached inside Rain’s helmet and grabbed his face with both of her hands. She wanted no mistakes for this, and fighting against the metal would be a recipe for disaster. She sent another pulse of mana into Rain, guiding Healing Word with her thoughts. The spell would take care of the damage to his brain on its own, but she’d found that by directing it she could reduce the toll that it took on the body.

Rain’s skin was warm against her hands, almost feverish. She sent another pulse of mana into him once Healing Word had finished, using Tissue Scan this time. Without the interference from the metal, the skill gave her a full and undistorted image of his body. The swelling in his brain was already going down. She frowned as she detected some lingering mana from what felt like a previous healing attempt.

She took her hands away and looked at Rain. He’s blushing. She smiled. If he only knew what else I just saw… I can never tell him how that skill works.

“Thanks,” Rain said, looking away shyly. Stay focused, Ameliah. She shook her head. “Someone tried to heal you before, but they messed it up. If I hadn’t come along…”

“Huh?” Rain said. “I don’t know, I was feeling better. Winter was helping.”

Ameliah sighed. Head injuries were nothing to take lightly. “Was it that idiot Wallace?”

“Yeah,” Rain said. Ameliah grunted. The Guild in Fel Sadanis is a disgrace.

“Maybe you should start at the beginning,” she said.

Despite the rather stressful encounter with Lavarro, Rain was in something approaching a good mood as he made his way toward the hill district. Ameliah had taken care of his pounding headache, and she’d even said that she was going to delay her trip out of the city until the situation with Lavarro blew over. Jamus had also told him that Staavo would be available the next morning. He’d been looking forward to that conversation for ages.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the encounter completely, though. He now had another source of stress nestled with the others in the back of his head. If Lavarro wanted to kill him, there’d be nothing he could do to stop her. Her strength had been overwhelming. The only thing that had saved him was Halgrave. For all that he sucks at his job, he did save us there. I don’t know what she would have done if he hadn’t come back. Just how fucking strong are these people? They’d destroy the city if they fought? How?

Rain walked for a few more minutes, the cobbled road sloping upward as he made his way through the hill district. He slowed as he saw an archway bearing the shield symbol of the Watch at its peak. There were a pair of Watch bronzeplates guarding it. This must be it.

The pair of guards watched him warily as he approached but didn’t move to stop him. He was wearing his bronze Adventurers’ Guild plate around his neck and had the cowl of the cloak lowered. He stopped as he drew even with the guards. “Which way to the barracks?” he asked, keeping his visor down.

“The barracks is closed to the public,” the female guard said.

“I’ve got business there. The guild sent me to deal with the…maintenance problem.”

“Really?” The male guard raised an eyebrow. Rain inspected him. Both guards were wearing leather armor and had halberds. The man looked him up and down. “You’re the purification mage I’ve been hearing about?”

“Yup, that’s me,” Rain said.

“You’ll have to go to the administration building,” the man said with a shrug. “It’s the big one on the left of the square. Don’t go past the square, mind. It’s Watch only past that point. It will go badly for you if you try it.”

Rain nodded. He thanked the guards and made his way to the administration building, stopping in front of it to inspect the massive granite steps leading to the ornate metal doors. Damn. What’s with all these impressive buildings? The Guild needs to get its shit together. He walked up the steps, looking up at the polished silver shields inlaid into the iron of the double doors. The Watch certainly isn’t strapped for cash. Is that real silver?

He pulled the right-hand door open, noticing that it felt lighter than it should have, just like the door to the bank. The metal was thick, but it moved easily. The door opened onto a lobby with a desk at the back, past a waiting area. It reminded Rain of a police station, but that might have just been him associating the Watch with the police in his head. They seemed to fill a similar role in the city, but that was just his impression. He didn’t actually know that much about the organization. Other than the fact that everyone in the Guild seems to think that they are a bunch of assholes.

There were two Watch bronzeplates behind the desk, wearing plain clothing instead of armor. Ok, not quite like the police. They don’t seem to have a uniform, just the plates. A woman was standing in front of the desk, talking to the two. Rain moved over to the waiting area, unsure if he was supposed to stand in line or something. As he waited, a few more members of the Watch came and went, as well as some people wearing wooden tags bearing the Watch’s symbol. None of those were armed or armored, so he pegged them as some sort of aides or clerks.

Eventually, the woman left, escorted by a Watch member with a large axe strapped to his back. He wasn’t sure what that was about. Despite his enhanced hearing, they’d been speaking softly and he hadn’t been trying to listen in out of respect for their privacy.

He walked up to the desk slowly, pausing to avoid bumping into an aide that was carrying a tall stack of papers. When he reached the desk, the man on the left nodded to him. “What can I help you with?”

“Hi,” Rain said. “I’m here to deal with the problem in the Barracks. The Guild sent me. My name is Rain.”

“You’re the purification mage that caused that disturbance a little while back?” the second man said. “Why are you wearing armor?”

Rain shrugged. “Yeah, that’s me. The armor’s new. Don’t worry, it won’t stop me from using the spell.”

The first man nodded. “Okay, one minute. Take off the helmet, please. We’ll need to confirm your identity. Give me your Guild plate.”

Fuck, I don’t want to, but Halgrave said to do whatever they asked me to. Damn it. Something is going to hit me in the head again. I can tell. He reluctantly removed his helmet, taking a moment to loop a cord through the eye slit and hang it from his belt. He felt naked without it, but it couldn’t be helped. He removed his Guild plate and handed it to the man. Come on, Rain, the Watch might be a bunch of assholes, but they’re not going to try to kill you or anything. Damn, I need to increment my ‘almost died’ count after that thing with Lavarro. I’m up to five now. I’m going to pass Val soon. Wait, is it six? Does the confrontation with Velika count? I think I need to reassess my life choices.

“Hmm,” said the man. “We don’t have an official assessment for you in our records. You’ll need to have one before we let you any deeper into the stronghold.”

“Assessment? Stronghold?”

“Threat assessment,” the second man said. “We need to determine how dangerous you are before we let you in. And the stronghold isn’t actually a fortress or anything, it’s just what the Watch calls its compounds. Tradition, you know? I’m surprised, I thought everyone knew that. Where are you from?”

“Uh…” Rain said. “Far away.” I’m not sure I like where this is going.

“Right, well, we might as well get this over with,” said the first man. He pulled out a form and placed it against a slate. He took a feathered pen from his desk and dipped the tip in ink. “Official threat assessment for…Rain, bronzeplate, Adventurers’ Guild, identification number 14529.” He scribbled on the form as he spoke. “Officer Vaast presiding. Witness?”

“Officer Kellen, witnessing,” the second man said.

Officers? Shit, they are the police after all. Threat assessment? What the hell? I should have asked about the Watch a bit more before I came here…it’s too late now.

“The base threat assessment for an unknown bronzeplate adventurer is category one,” He looked up. “Confirm your name for me.”

“Rain,” Rain said, clearing his throat.

“And can you confirm that the badge number is correct?”

“Yes. That’s me.”

“Are you above level ten?” Vaast said. When Rain didn’t immediately respond, he looked up at him again.

“Uh, do I have to answer?” Rain asked.

“You do if you want to get in,” the second officer, Kellen, said.

Shit. This is like a background check or something. I don’t want them to have all this information about me, but Halgrave would be pissed if I didn’t clean up the mess I made. I don’t have a choice here. Fuck.

He cleared his throat again. “Yes, I’m above level ten.”

Vaast made a mark on the form. “Threat assessment is now two for a mid-rank bronzeplate adventurer.”

“Confirmed,” Kellen said. “Above level twenty?”

Rain shook his head. Vaast set aside the form and retrieved a different one, placing it on the slate. “Of your active skills, how many are AOE in nature?”

Rain swallowed nervously. “Uh…all of them. Wait, no, Mana Manipulation’s not. Um, let me see…” he started counting in his head, but Vaast had already moved on.

“Of those skills, are any of an offensive nature, meaning dangerous to people, property, or the environment?”

“…Yes,” Rain said.

“And of those offensive skills, are any capable of doing in excess of 1,000 points of standard damage?”

Rain paused. Well, I suppose. Immolate does 151 dmg/s max with no mods. Around 600 dmg/s if I use Amplify and Channel Mastery. 1,812 dmg/s if I do a Nova. I don’t have a death wish, though. He looked back at Vaast nervously. “Well, yes and no.”

“Which is it?” Vaast said, looking up from the form.

Rain sighed. “I can break a thousand damage if I use a bunch of modifiers and stuff, but I can’t deal with the mageburn.”

Kellen whistled. “Not bad.”

Vaast ignored him and made another mark on the form. “Radial, or directed?”

“Radial I guess. It’s a sphere around me.”

Vaast made yet another mark. “And how often can you use this skill?”

“Well, it’s channeled, so…hmm, hang on. I need to do the math.” The cost of the skill is fifty mp/s, times eighteen for the Nova without Extend. That’s nine hundred mp/s. In theory, I could keep it up for five or six seconds, if not for the fact that I’d be a turkey dinner by then.

While he’d been thinking, Vaast had motioned to an aide, waving the woman over. “Who’s the Sentinel on duty today?” he asked.

“Sentinel Lamida, sir,” the woman replied.

“Go and get her, will you? Possible category three assessment.”

The aide gave Rain a concerned look and zipped away, disappearing down a hallway. “Well?” Vaast said, looking at Rain. “How long can you hold the skill for?”

“Five seconds or so,” Rain said, deciding to low-ball the number.

“Shit, Vaast, that’s over five thousand damage, AOE. That’s nasty,” Kellen said.

“Enough, Kellen. Stay professional. The line for category three is 10,000 standard damage for an AOE skill less than 20 stride in radius.”

…Shit.

“Radius of the skill? Secondary effects?” Vaast asked.

Damn it, damn it, damn it. Is it too late to run? Rain looked up as a woman followed the aide back into the lobby. She was wearing a red robe and had a silver plate hanging from her neck. “Yes, Officer Vaast?”

Vaast nodded to her. “Sentinel Lamida, ma’am. Possible category three assessment. AOE skill surpassing 5,000 damage.” He turned back to Rain. “The range? The maximum range, mind.”

“Well…” Rain said. He looked at the door and swallowed before looking back at Vaast, then at the unknown silverplate. This was someone strong, perhaps as strong as Ameliah, or heaven-forbid, Lavarro. Someone who’d murder him in an instant if she thought he was a threat. Are they going to let me leave if I tell them?

“Answer the question,” the sentinel said, her voice cool.

“It’s…complicated. I can boost the range, but it takes three times the mana, so…”

“How far?” Lamida asked in a demanding tone. They definitely aren’t going to let me leave now…

“More than a hundred stride,” Rain said reluctantly. “I’m not sure on the unit conversion.”

Kellen swore loudly and jumped up, backing away from the desk. “No fucking way you’re a bronzeplate. What are you, an Animus or something? And you can do that wearing armor? Fuck me ragged.”

“Officer Kellen, control yourself,” the sentinel said. She turned to Rain. “You are telling us the truth?”

Rain nodded.

“Category three threat confirmed. Sentinel Lamida as a witness. Subject poses a significant risk on the scale of the destruction or depopulation of an entire village.”

Rain paled. “What? I would never! Besides, I told you, I can’t even do that without burning myself to a crisp as well!”

“Irrelevant,” Lamida said, looking at him. “The Watch assesses threat on capability, not intention. As you are a registered member of the Adventurers’ Guild, the Watch will not attempt to detain you. However, I warn you that any use of such dangerous magic in an inhabited area is punishable by death should it result in the loss of life or significant property damage.”

Shit, shit, shit.

“Will that be all, officer?” Lamida asked, looking at Vaast.

Vaast turned back to Rain. Both he and Kellen looked slightly unsettled. Do I scare them that much? Actually, yeah, I think I scare myself that much. Destruction of an entire village? Fuck, Immolate could totally do that, couldn’t it? Holy shit.

Vaast cleared his throat. “Is there anything else to your knowledge that would positively impact the Watch’s assessment of your threat level?”

“No,” Rain said, looking at the Sentinel nervously.

“Do you intend harm to the Watch or the people of Fel Sadanis?” Vaast said.

Rain shook his head. “No, of course not.”

Vaast looked up. “Sentinel?”

“Good enough,” she said. “Look at his face. He’s not lying.”

Vaast nodded and set down his quill. “Right, uh…Rain. You’re cleared for entry.”

“Fuck me, category three,” Kellen said. Lamida glared at him, her brow darkening. “Officer Kellen, you will escort Rain wherever he needs to go. You are responsible for any incidents that occur.”

Kellen swore again as the Sentinel turned back to Rain. “If you even think of using that skill in the city, the Watch will come for you, no matter if your Guild tries to protect you or not.” She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving Rain staring after her. How do I keep getting myself into these situations?

Rain looked at the two officers. “What does it mean to be category three?”

“It means you’re a walking natural disaster,” said Kellen. “Come on, let’s go. The sooner I get you out of the stronghold, the happier I’ll be. Just…don’t do anything…”

“I told you, I won’t,” Rain said. “I’m not some maniac. I’m not a threat to you. Hang on, one sec.” He paused to put his helmet back on, sliding the faceplate down and settling his cloak to hang from his shoulders, leaving his arms free.

Kellen looked at him. “You sure look like a threat. What’s with the Dark Steel platemail and the black cloak? Are you trying to look like the lord of all darkness?”

Rain laughed nervously. “I’m not as evil as I look. Trust me, I’m not going to do anything.”

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” Kellen said as they left the administration building. “I’d survive that skill of yours. The stronghold might be okay, depending on how fast the suppression wards kick on, but…”

“Suppression wards?”

Kellen winced. “Shit. You aren’t supposed to know about those.”

Ha, oopsie.So they’ve got some way of shutting down magic, huh? Interesting. I’m not sure I like being in here. He looked at Kellen as they walked. “So, the Watch. What’s it like being a member?”

Kellen narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“Just making conversation,” Rain said, raising his hands. “I’m not plotting the downfall of your stronghold or anything.”

“No, I think I’m done answering questions,” Kellen said. “I’m in enough trouble with Sentinel Lamida already.”

“Oh, come on,” Rain said. Kellen shook his head and sped up, forcing Rain to hurry to follow him. He led him past various other buildings in the compound until they reached a series of long and low buildings that seemed to fit the name of ‘barracks’. There was a group of three people seated outside of one of them at a table. It looked like they’d dragged it out here from inside. They were deep in the midst of an argument.

“Look, this is going to blow up, I’m telling you,” a woman said. Probably another officer, given the bronze plate.

“Oh, come on. You know the Guild is a bunch of idiots. I can’t believe the sentinels are making such a fuss,” replied a leather-clad man. He didn’t have a plate, just the wooden badge. He was tipping back in his chair, one foot on the table. An aide? Maybe a trainee?

“It’s not so much what it was, as who did it,” said the first woman. “Vigilance is going to send someone, I’m telling you.”

They must be talking about Lavarro. Word spreads fast. Halgrave’s right, this might turn into a shitstorm.

“Fuck me if they do,” said a man with a scar running across his bald head. “That’ll mean a week of nothing but inspections and—”

Kellen cleared his throat as he and Rain closed on the table. “Heads up. We’ve got a visitor. Be careful what you say.”

The scarred man looked up. He was a bronzeplate as well. “Oh, hey Kel. They finally let you off the desk? Who’s the guy who looks like he’s planning to raise an army of the dead?”

“This is the purification mage that the Guild sent over,” Kellen said. “He’s here to deal with the problem. I’ll repeat, watch what you say. If anything goes wrong, it’ll be my head.”

“Doesn’t look like a mage,” said the man with the wooden badge. He was rocking in his chair casually, dangerously close to tipping over. “Looks like a warrior to me.”

Kellen shook his head. “Nope. Mage, or so he says. Category three.”

“Shit, really?” the woman said. There was a sudden cry and a thump as the chair-tipping man overbalanced, falling to the ground sprawled at Rain’s feet.

The scarred man let out a bark of laughter. “Nice work, idiot.”

Rain reached down to offer the man a hand up, but he scuttled away like a crab, alarm on his face. Do I need to reassess my fashion choices? Maybe Jamus has the right idea after all.

“Okay, let’s get on with it,” Kellen said. He seemed to have lightened up a bit, a smile now adorning his face. He turned to Rain. “What do you need?”

Rain shrugged. “I don’t need anything. Can I go in? You can come if you want, the skill isn’t dangerous. In fact, it’s got some pretty nice effects on people.”

The woman looked up from where she was helping the fallen man to his feet. “What kind of effects?”

“Well,” Rain said. “It cleans more than just the ground and stuff. It cleans people too. Inside and out.”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that,” said the scarred man. “What do you mean by ‘cleans’?”

Rain shrugged again. “Cures poison, removes filth, contamination, yaddayaddayadda.” He smiled to himself. “I haven’t pooped in, like, a month.”

The scarred man snorted. “That can’t be healthy. Where’s it go?”

“No idea, man,” Rain said, shaking his head. “You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to. I can specifically exclude you too if that’s what you want.”

“No, don’t exclude him,” the woman said, laughing. “Brakis here could use a good cleaning. When was the last time you took a bath, eh?” She jabbed the scarred man with her elbow.

“Yesterday, Mel,” Brakis said, giving her an unamused look.

“You’re really category three?” said the man with the wooden badge, staring at Rain. His alarm seemed to have faded slightly after the banter, but he was still watching Rain warily.

Rain shrugged. “I’m harmless. Well…mostly harmless.”

Kellen shook his head. “He’s got an AOE ability, apparently. 100 stride range or more. I’m not sure I believe it, but sentinel Lamida seemed convinced.”

“Wow,” said the woman, Mel. “I guess appearances are deceiving. I’ve never heard of someone being able to use spells while wearing plate.”

Rain shrugged. I guess my secret is out. At least these four don’t seem that bad. The Watch as a whole might be a bit dickish, but ultimately, it’s just a bunch of people doing their jobs. There’s good ones and bad ones, just like anywhere else.

“Well, I might as well get on with it,” Rain said. “This the one? Shall I?” He indicated the door to the barracks.

“Go ahead,” Kellen said. “That one got it the worst, but four and six got a bit of it too.”

Rain nodded. He opened the door to the building, noting the number two scrawled on the door. As he did so, his nose was immediately assailed by the scent of rotting garbage. He fought not to gag as he stepped into the room. It was dark inside, all the windows shuttered tightly. The only illumination was a heater plate, the red runes carved into the metal glowing on the back wall. They should have cracked a window or something.

The others followed him in, expressions of disgust clear on their faces. “Gah, I can taste it,” said Brakis. “Hurry up. It’s the worst over by the shitter, that little alcove in the back, behind the curtains.”

Rain didn’t need to be told twice. “Okay, here goes. There’s going to be a white light. Don’t worry, it’s harmless.” He activated Purify, the magical smoke cascading out from his armor and rolling over the bunks. The smell immediately vanished as the skill went to work, penetrating the bedding and scouring away the lingering stench. He walked through the barracks, making sure that the light covered every nook and cranny. The room wasn’t that large, only housing 20 bunks, but he wanted to make sure not to miss anything.

I’m such an idiot for using Immolate on that slime. We must be directly above where I fought it. That greasy smoke would have come pouring out of the toilet like…yeah. Talk about disgusting. I’ll just not mention that this is all my fault to begin with.

“Wow!” said the wooden-badged man, watching as the light rolled off of Rain.

Rain smiled at him, then, remembering his helmet, raised the faceplate. “Pretty cool, huh? Hey, I didn’t get your name. I’m Rain.”

“Mest,” said the man, blinking at him.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” said Brakis. “I don’t even have to piss anymore.”

Rain dropped the skill, heading for the door “Time for the next one. Lead the way.”

Rain waved to Kellen as he left the Watch stronghold, then pulled his cloak tight around himself. It was getting colder rapidly as the sun started to set. He’d decided to go above and beyond his orders, cleaning all ten of the barracks, not just the three that had been affected by the putrid smoke. The pro bono quest didn’t bother him in the slightest. It was trivial for him and gave him a great opportunity to earn some goodwill with the rank and file of the Watch.

The one sentinel that he’d met had been intimidating, but the regular officers and initiates—that is what the recruits with the wooden badges were called—had been friendly enough. Once it was clear that he wasn’t as evil as he looked, he’d attracted quite a crowd as he walked through the Watch stronghold. He’d even asked for and received permission to clean the outside of the buildings, his aura stripping away the accumulated dirt and grime that had built up over years. He had to admit, watching the clean stone be revealed by his magic was extremely satisfying.

He’d walked all through the compound, at least, most of it. There were some sections that the officers hadn’t allowed him into, citing restrictions laid out by the sentinels. Rain thought it was fitting that the sentinel quarters were one of the restricted sections. There would be no cleaning for them. Other than sentinel Lamida, they were locked up in a closed-door meeting, probably discussing the Lavarro situation.

Rain had managed to glean a few things about the Watch after talking with the officers. Most of them had warmed up to him significantly after it was clear that he wasn’t going to explode in a massive fireball of death and destruction.

The Watch had a few more strongholds like this one throughout the city. The officers were the equivalent of guild bronzeplates, the entry-level awakened of the order. They were responsible for patrolling the city and keeping the peace. The sentinels were above them, starting at level 25 and serving as squad leaders or captains or something like that. The goldplate equivalent was called a ‘guardian’, and there weren’t any in the city. Fel Sadanis, for all that it was one of the few cities fully in the control of the Watch, wasn’t important enough to merit one being stationed there.

The Watch had at least a nominal presence on all four of the main continents, though they were headquartered on an island. Vigilance was the name, which made sense given that the proper name of the Watch itself was the Vigilant Order of Watch Keepers. He hadn’t been able to get much information about the island. Non-members were forbidden from entry. Rain had more questions of course, but he had to be careful. For example, he hadn’t even known that there were four continents to begin with. He couldn’t ask for any details about them without revealing his ignorance, something he was trying to avoid. Still, he learned plenty.

In a nutshell, the Watch was a group of awakened that had taken it upon themselves to protect the unawakened from the tyranny of high-leveled individuals. They were heavy-handed and arbitrary in their methods, but Rain could see where they were coming from. After his assessment, he’d been thinking quite a bit about what it meant to be as strong as he was. For all that he felt like he was weak, compared to an unawakened individual, he was a monster. It would take an army of regular people to stop him. It was a sobering thought.

And I’m only level 18. Lavarro must be close to 50 if she can stand up to Halgrave. She wasn’t kidding. They really would destroy the city if they fought.

It was too late to go looking for building supplies, so Rain contented himself with purchasing a metal pot and a sack of potatoes. He also got a jug of oil, intending to try his hand at making fries. He knew Tallheart liked potatoes, even raw, and introducing him to the fried version seemed like a grand idea. Everything was better when it was fried. The potatoes and the pot cost him 3 Tel. He hadn’t been in the mood to haggle or to walk back to the bank to get copper. Fel Sadanis wasn’t big, but it wasn’t small either. His stamina was dropping fast, and he couldn’t count on Ameliah’s restoration for a little while, even if she was here for a few more days.

He reached the gates and paused. Ameliah had said that she’d meet him in Tallheart’s clearing once he finished with his public service, but he was a little worried about exiting the city when Lavarro might be skulking around somewhere. He sighed. I can’t live my life in fear. If she wants to kill me, there’s not a damn thing I can do to stop her, short of moving-in with Halgrave. Somehow, I don’t think he’d go for that…

He sighed, pulled up his hood, and stepped through the gates.