Nero Walker, Book 3 Ch.48 (163) (Patreon)

Vera rushed through the halls of the keep, her mind racing to come up with plots and plans along with their expected counters. She refused to let her feelings about Nero being a potential unique distract her from preparing for what she would soon be facing. It had been a long time since she’d played a game with opponents from the capital, and it would require all her skills to not be outplayed in the coming confrontation.

The problem was, she just didn’t know enough. It wasn’t like she’d ever dealt with an ‘evaluation team’ from the academy. Were they really just here to confirm Nero’s talents? Could they be the first faction that would vie for control of the young man? Perhaps a combination of the two. While they were here to evaluate him, could they also be under orders to collect him? Once he is outside of Dorchester, how was she supposed to protect him?

Getting more frustrated by the second, she increased her speed through the keep. The elaborate artwork on the walls and the lush carpet faded into the background as she concentrated fully on what she might be walking into.

Turning a corner, her steps faltered as the surroundings lost their color and the hallway became tinted in gray. Immediately on guard, she looked around to find that there were no longer any servants around, or anyone else for that matter.

“Don’t be alarmed, you’re not in any danger,” a voice said from behind her.

Vera couldn’t remember the last time someone had successfully snuck-up on her. Spinning around quickly, as she hadn’t sensed the other person with her field at all.

The moment she saw who it was, she immediately dropped her hands and assumed as passive an expression as she could. Fighting was not an option she would even consider given the circumstances.

In front of her, she saw Arch-mage Jennings. He was just as she remembered him, his rune-inscribed robes gently glowing with power. Yet, she couldn’t help but note that the man was agitated and on edge. If she had to guess, it looked to her like he was at his wits end. Considering how powerful the man was, that was an incredibly uncomfortable realization for her to come to. She absolutely needed to keep the man calm, as her survival might depend on it. Therefore, she schooled her features as best she could, trying to look as meek as possible.

Arch-mage Jennings saw her calm down, not surprised to see her looking like she was resigned to her fate. ‘I understand why my power intimidates people, but am I really that scary?’ he thought to himself with a grimace. He hadn’t intended to frighten the young woman.

“Stop that, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said briskly, eager to get on with the conversation.

Bowing her head, she replied, “My apologies, arch-mage, but I’m unfamiliar with this spell. I can only assume this is some type of localized isolation ward, which doesn’t imply that I’m particularly safe at the moment. Rest assured, I am willing to do whatever it is that you command.”

He nodded quickly, pleased to see the woman’s intelligence on display. “Isolation ward? Yes, it’s something like that. I wanted to make sure we have a chance to talk before you go and support young Lord Walker in his latest brush with the kingdom’s politics. Don’t think of this as me abducting you or anything, I just needed ‘time’.”

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, she replied, “Chronomancy? Isn’t that impossible with the cities wards? Not to mention, incredibly illegal?”

The arch-mage huffed as though he were offended at the accusation, before replying, “I’m not abusing time! I’m merely overlaying a plane with reality that is running a little faster than the material plane at the moment. What kind of monster do you think I am?”

Not understanding the difference, Vera kept her mouth shut and merely looked at the man while attempting to keep a very calm look on her face. The last thing she wanted to do was give a man like the arch-mage a reason to make her disappear. He was, most likely, the only person in Dorchester capable of killing someone without anyone finding out about it. He might even be powerful enough to manipulate the thought-hub, and wasn’t that a terrifying prospect for her to consider.

Arch-mage Jennings, seeing that Vera was waiting for him to continue, said, “Look, I had to talk to you, and I didn’t want anyone knowing about it. It’s not like I had a lot of time to arrange a fancy clandestine meeting. So, give me a break, will you?”

Vera had no idea what the man was talking about, but she nevertheless replied, “Of course, arch-mage. What is it that I can do for you?”

Rubbing his hands on his robes as if he were uncertain how to broach the subject, he said, “I need you to make sure that Lord Walker stays in Dorchester. He cannot be allowed to leave right now. You’re the only one he’ll listen to, so I need you to counter whatever proposal those academics put forward. It is imperative that you succeed, do you understand?” By the time he finished, his fists were clenched as if he were struggling to contain his anger.

Even though Vera was planning on doing that anyway, she still asked, “May I ask why you want him to remain here? I thought you wanted him in Hennings? Not to mention, from what I understand after a brief perusal of the accords governing the uniques, they are all primarily based out of the capital. Or, that is to say, they are until they choose their sponsored personal pursuits.”

Jennings nodded exaggeratedly, as if he had been expecting the question and was silently urging her to finish speaking. “That’s true. When uniques are found, they are brought to the capital, and then given the opportunity to choose their path. But it’s not that simple. A lot of back-room politics happens which affect which opportunities are presented to the uniques, and it will be even worse for someone like Lord Walker. For one, his ability isn’t applicable to only a few fields. That young man can do anything! Even worse, he’s unmarried, and doesn’t have any strong ties. For the sake of the heavens above, he’s only been on this plane of existence for a few months! Those bastards are going to eat him alive. I learned about all of this too late, and I wasn’t able to get anyone onto the evaluation team. I don’t know which great houses are already moving, and I can only assume there are academics that are here to influence the young man. Even if I were to take him straight to the Tower of Magic in Hennings, it’s too late to keep him hidden from everyone who has an interest in his future. You need to keep him away from all of that, and Dorchester is as good a place as any for the moment.”

Vera listened carefully, not surprised to hear that plots to use Nero were developing rapidly. Apparently, the arch-mage’s agitation is due to him having been outplayed. However, she couldn’t accept that conclusion, because it seemed too ridiculous to be true.

Furrowing her brow, she asked, “I don’t understand why you don’t personally intervene if it means that much to you. As the director of of the central Tower of Magic, I don’t see how any of the great houses can restrict you from acting.”

Rolling his eyes, Arch-mage Jennings replied, “It’s not that simple. First of all, we’re in Dorchester, which is currently under war protocols. That means that I’m not allowed to advise, interact with, or influence anyone who is under the employ of the local council. Lord Walker is currently an elite in the army. I absolutely do not want the Tower of Law causing me another headache over this. Second, the great houses and the tower of magic are currently working together on completely different matter, one which I can’t cause to be disrupted by sticking my nose into their business. That alone makes this a delicate situation. There is a lot I can’t get into at the moment, but trust me, I’m looking out for the young man. I don’t want him getting into any more trouble, and sending him off to Hennings will most likely result in a lot of dead nobles and a plethora of blood feuds.”

Vera, knowing what Nero was like, thought the arch-mage was making a lot of sense. Just imagining Nero interacting with some of the people she’d grown up with, she almost felt like cringing at the chaos which would inevitably erupt. The young man was like a walking political bomb, just waiting to be set off.

Seeing that she was being receptive to what he was saying, the arch-mage continued, “Furthermore, he still has a lot to do here. I cannot be specific, but I will say that his talents could be of great help to the city if they are utilized correctly by the council and the army. Think carefully on what his talent can do, and how it could be applied to the current circumstances. That’s all I will say on the matter, and even that’s pushing it.”

Vera had a thought, and asked, “Is that why you didn’t just contact me over the link? You didn’t want a record of this conversation to be logged, did you? Is the thought-hub even capable of monitoring this conversation while we’re in this ‘planar’ event you’ve created?”

Arch-mage Jennings winced, unhappy with the woman speaking so plainly about things which shouldn’t be said out loud. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was never here, and if I were, I didn’t say or do anything that violates any accords. I swear to all the gods above woman, if I have to sit through another scolding from Lord Bennings, I’m gonna take it out on you in ways you can’t even conceive of, you hear me?”

Vera smiled slightly, finally getting the measure of the man in front of her. He was a lot like her husband. Incredibly clever, while being completely clueless. His place was in the lab, or his tower, but circumstances had forced him out of his comfort zone and he was feeling completely unbalanced at the moment. Despite being nearly a thousand years old, when she looked at him, all she could see was an incredibly powerful man-child that was being forced to deal with things he had absolutely no interest in.

“I understand,” she said. “Do not worry, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure your personal project isn’t co-opted by another power bloc. But, for the record, you being so distant from the young man isn’t endearing yourself to him at all. If you aren’t careful, he’ll forget you even exist.”

Arch-mage Jennings squared his shoulders, trying to adopt the persona of a wise old man, and replied, “I’m merely allowing him to grow on his own, while supporting him from the shadows. Mark my words, one day soon, he’ll be my apprentice.”

Surprised, she replied, “Uniques can be apprentices?”

Arch-mage Jennings paused for moment, then dropped his shoulders a bit. His entire demeanor softened as he replied, “I’m not sure to be honest. I haven’t had a chance to check. This is all moving in directions I wasn’t really prepared for.” Throwing his hands into the air, he suddenly shouted, “How was I supposed to know he was a unique?!? I thought the young man was just talented with essence weaving, and maybe a little more clever than the average Oglivarchian. The fact that the most interesting about him isn’t his background is more than a little infuriating! It’s like he’s actively going out of his way to make things as complicated as he can. If I wasn’t absolutely sure he didn’t know beforehand about the unique accords, I would think the little bastard set this all up on purpose to screw with me.”

Vera smiled at the incredibly powerful mage’s outburst. ‘That’s what you get for trying to play a shadow game with Nero’s path,’ she thought to herself with some pride.

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Nero watched as Vera made her way across the room. While he had expected her to be pissed, he thought that she looked more pensive than anything. It wasn’t so much a look of concern, but more like she was deep in contemplation about something.

Looking over, he saw that the weird academic lady and the city lord were heading to intercept Vera before she’d make it to his table.

Addressing Nick and Cathleen, he stood up and said, “You two stay here, I’m going to go back up Vera. The last time I let her speak for me, I almost ended up being married to the city-lord. I better get over there before she ‘helps’ me in a similar fashion.”

Nick chuckled while waving him off. Cathleen just nodded without bothering to turn away from her meal.

Hurrying across the floor, he walked up just as the city-lord and the academic greeted Vera.

“Lady Salvatore-Verena, allow me to introduce High-Academic Yelena Nurling of the Hennings Royal Academy,” said the city-lord, before turning to the high-academic and saying, “This is Lord Walker’s proxy and confidant, Lady Salvatore-Verena.”

The city lord stood between the two women, watching as they sized each other up. She needed this to go well, as letting Nero handle anything was tantamount to inviting disaster.

Nero took the opportunity to interject while taking his place at Vera’s side. “Vera’s opinion means a great deal to me. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, she’s my interpreter for all this political stuff. So, if you could please tell her why you’re here, that would speed all of this up considerably,” he said with a wicked grin on his face, his demeanor completely at odds with the non-threatening nature of what he was saying.

High-Academic Nurling looked down at the young man she’d been instructed to evaluate, trying to figure out what he was thinking while failing to interpret his subtext.

Rather than let the woman misinterpret Nero’s words, Vera took over the conversation. “From what little I’ve read about uniques, I’m given to understand that you are probably the evaluation team sent by the Academy to verify Lord Walker’s unique ability?” she asked, keeping her tone light and helpful with a polite smile on her face.

Seeing that Vera seemed much more stable than the odd young man, High-Academic Nurling chose to reply to her while ignoring Nero completely. “Yes, I’m in charge of the evaluation team which will determine if Lord Walker’s petition to become a unique citizen is approved. I recommend you explain to him what is at stake, and the penalties he could face if he doesn’t change his attitude.”

Nero scoffed, not intimidated in the least. He’d spent the last few days killing kobalds and monsters. If she thought he’d be worried about some politician’s weak threats, she had another thing coming.

Vera nodded, her smile remaining firmly in place. “Of course, High-Academic. House Walker will of course comply with all legal procedures that it must. That being said, I don’t believe it was Lord Walker who applied for anything. As an academic, you should choose your words more carefully. My husband is a researcher himself, and I’ve learned the importance of clarity during negotiations,” she replied.

High-Academic Nurling’s face twisted into a grimace at the gentle rebuke. Having her position challenged by some nobody noble from this backwater was not something she’d allow. “This is not a negotiation. This is an evaluation. I’ll be monitoring Lord Walker for as long as I deem it neccessary, and I’ll also be testing his supposed talents in any way I see fit. I suggest you comply, or both House Walker and you can both suffer the consequences.”

Nero, with a big smile on his face, replied in a voice loud enough to draw the attention of the entire room, “Oh, really? That’s good to know! What consequences? Try and be specific?”

Looking down at the young man, she felt the surrounding nobles and her team paying attention to the budding conflict. With the anger clear on her face, she straightened up and raised her chin even higher. “If you don’t comply with my evaluation, then I will personally see to it that your application for unique citizenship does NOT go through. Furthermore, I will file charges with the Tower of Law in Hennings, condemning your house for falsifying their merits, misrepresenting their status, and filing a falsified claim under the unique accords. You and your house will be penalized severely, and as ‘new noble’, I very much doubt you’ll be able to even keep your pathetically weak title. Especially not after I get done with you,” she hissed, completely fed up with this infuriating young man.

She’d been sent here personally by Lord Cranston to see if the young man was worth recruiting, but after meeting him, she was NEVER going to let that happen. She’d raised 23 children, and she knew a trouble-maker and waste of resources when she saw one. This young man, from the moment she’d laid eyes on him, had been nothing but combative and annoying, and she wasn’t going to stand for it any longer.

Vera paled at the High-Academic’s threats, while the city-lord looked resigned to her failure to avert the disaster she’d feared since hearing about all this. Meanwhile, Nero was nodding along, completely at ease with the woman’s growing hostility. As far as he was concerned, all of this hinged one tiny misconception that completely invalidated the woman’s perceived power.

When she was done, Nero let the silence hang for a moment. Right before Vera, or anyone else managed to step in, he shouted, “Nope! You’re not going to do any of that, and I’ll tell you why. First, I didn’t apply for shit. So, you’ve got nothing on me. You wanna go after the person who filed for my advancement, go ahead. Good luck on that. Second, who ever said I even wanted to be a unique? Third, and most importantly, any evaluation team that has an agenda is inherently biased. And if there is one thing I’ve learned about this place since arriving here, is that things like that are all kinds of illegal. I bet that Tower of Law chick is just itching to file a complaint with your boss over what you’ve just said,” he shouted, while pointing across the room at Lord Bennings, who was calmly watching the drama unfold in front of her.

The entire room at this point was paying attention to their argument, as Nero had done all that he could to make a spectacle of himself. As usual, his plans relied on an audience, and a room full of entitled nobles and the woman’s underlings was perfect for putting her on the back foot. Between the professional jealousy he expected of her subordinates, and the nobles who were probably hoping to interfere with his ascension to an even higher position they doubted he was worthy of, he figured that everyone in the room would have a vested interest in siding with him at the moment.

‘Whether I end up a unique or not, I’m sure as hell not going to enter into this evaluation without at least a little insurance that the situation isn’t going to bite me in the ass. Last time I let these people run the show, I ended up having to do noble trials and dodge marriages while being sent off to fight truck sized monsters. Although, that last one turned out alright. But that’s not the point. The point is, I’m doing this on my terms or not at all,’ he thought to himself, while staring up at the woman with an evil glint in his eye.

‘Go on. Test me, bitch. See what happens,’ he thought with a grin.