81: Acolyte (Patreon)

Vir heaved a sigh of relief, having just completed his latest mission for the Brotherhood—stealing a certain document from a well-to-do merchant’s home in the Upper Westside Commons district.

As he’d learned, the Brotherhood did nearly anything, and the law didn’t seem to pose much of a barrier to them. Which suited Vir just fine, given what he was about to ask.

“C’mon, boy!” Vir said, nuzzling Neel. “Let’s go get paid!” The bandy had been a big help on contracts that involved killing animals, so long as they weren’t in the sewers. Vir had been reluctant to bring Neel there due to the unsanitary conditions there.

Plus, he’d been wary of venturing back there, given recent events. He’d even declined one contract that called for him to venture especially deep into the sewers, but he’d been forced to accept the others. As he’d learned, city living was expensive, especially with an Ash’va to look after. Even with the extra silver payout he’d received for locating the Prana Rat King, his trove of funds had dwindled rapidly.

Walking back to the Brotherhood to claim his reward, he passed by many guards patrolling the streets. All looked on edge.

As they rightly should, he thought, giving them a small nod as he passed.

The past two weeks had been highly unusual for Daha. First, a dozen Altani skyships had descended upon the city like Acira, swarming on the castle grounds the day after Vir’s encounter with Janak and the Prana Swarm under the city. There wasn’t a single eye in the city that hadn’t stared at those incredible aircraft.

Hiranyan hot air balloons were a common sight, but what the Altani had was like comparing seric talwar to a wooden one.

Their skyships resembled sailboats—only large enough to fit twenty or thirty Altani mejai—but they lacked masts or sails of any kind. Instead, a dozen pipes protruded from the skyship at all angles.

Vir could hardly believe their speed. They crossed over the entire city in seconds, coming to a halt with puffs of air shot through its pipes. Vir overheard others saying the Altani used C and B grade wind orbs and a team of over a dozen mejai coordinating with each other to fire off wind spells to maneuver the ship.

He could scarcely imagine what a circus that must be. If the mejai didn’t perfectly time their spells with one another, the entire ship would go careening off and crash.

What was more, the Altani mejai didn’t even wait for the airship to land. From each ship, dozens of ropes were thrown overboard as the ships came to hover above the castle, and mejai climbed down them with superhuman grace. It looked like a choreographed dance, more than anything.

From this one display of power alone, Vir understood why the Altani were so feared and respected. Their discipline and their sheer magical technology were leagues beyond anything Vir had ever seen.

It was only hours later that he’d realized why they were here. The Prana Swarm.

Vir pretended like he had nothing to do with that and promptly ignored them. A task that was easier said than done, because security had been ramped up all around the city. The number of guards had quadrupled, and Altani airships patrolled the city at all hours.

It had caused quite a stir until royal pamphlets were posted, announcing joint military drills between Hiranya and the Altani. This had the effect of boosting Dahan morale, as it showed the strength of the Altani-Hiranyan alliance.

Vir knew better. He slept fitfully, always keeping Prana Vision boosted to its maximum, lest the Prana Swarm escape the sewers to terrorize the city.

Nothing of the sort had happened, yet…

Vir nodded at the receptionist as he strode into the Brotherhood Sanctum, proceeding directly through the hallway to the open-air arena where he’d been Balar ranked, and finally to the Executor booths.

He’d become a familiar face recently, so no one paid him any mind.

Today was an especially exciting day for him, for two reasons. With today’s payout, he finally had enough to afford some decent gear.

The second reason was…

“Enter,” said an Executor inside the Balindam booth. For whatever reason, Vir had been called to this booth more often than all the others. It was as if Fate was telling him he had some connection to the Pagan Order.

Vir ushered Neel inside the booth, closing the door behind him. Neel stared at the veiled Executor, his tongue lolling to the side, while Vir slid the furled piece of parchment over the desk to them.

“Successful completion of my most recent contract,” he said.

Wonder if it’ll be a man or a woman this time… All the Executors dressed in identical black robes and wore black gloves that hide all the details of their bodies. Vir had slowly grown accustomed to the creepiness.

The Executor unfurled the parchment, looking over its contents. “Well done, Initiate,” the man said, sliding a silver piece over the desk to Vir, who flipped it into the air before catching and pocketing it.

“Completion of this contract nets you an additional 150 points of Brotherhood karma, bringing your total to 760. Continue at this rate, and you will earn the 1000 points needed for Acolyte before long.”

Vir caught a hint of surprise in the Executor’s voice.

“Is that especially fast?” he asked.

“Quite. Few progress at such a rapid rate. You have done in just two weeks what most take a month or more to do. You’ve been diligent. The Brotherhood respects that.”

This was another bizarre part of the Brotherhood’s system that Vir had to get used to. Contracts awarded varying amounts of ‘Brotherhood karma points’, and the relationship to the quest difficulty wasn’t always obvious. Some contracts paid well, but barely awarded any karma. Others were the opposite, but most awarded one silver, like this latest one. 150 points was slightly above average, likely on account of its below-board nature.

“Speaking of… I understand that the Brotherhood has a vast intelligence network,” Vir said, broaching the topic he’d been wanting to discuss for weeks.

“Indeed. Is there some information you would like us to acquire?”

Vir paused, leaning down to scratch Neel’s back, then stared at the Executor. “This discussion is bound to Brotherhood secrecy, yes?” he asked. Merely mentioning what he was about to talk about would be reason enough to have him jailed. He was taking a risk here. A necessary one.

“Absolutely,” came the Executor’s immediate reply.

“I’d like a dossier on Princess Mina. What she’s truly like. What affairs she’s engaged in. People… she’s killed. And any crimes she’s committed.”

The Executor fell silent, and Vir regretted his words.

What was I thinking? Of course they wouldn’t be alright with this!

“Such a dossier could be prepared,” the Executor replied, shocking Vir. “However, not for someone of your rank. Make Acolyte, and then we can discuss this. Know that such a favor would not be free.”

“I can pay,” Vir said.

“Yes, there will be a monetary fee, of course, but the Brotherhood takes on substantial risk leaking such information to you. You would need to do something of equal value in return.”

Vir had an idea. “Alright, how about this? Give me a special contract. Whatever it is, I’ll do it. I’d like enough points to make Acolyte, and I’d like to fulfill this favor to you in one go. I’m… in somewhat of a hurry. I’ve already waited too long,” he said, thinking of Maiya.

His worry grew with each day they spent apart. Was she safe? Did she need his help? Maiya was more than capable of defending herself, but even still… Vir just wished he knew where she was. He planned to leverage the Brotherhood to find her after he’d decided on a course of action regarding Mina.

“You’re not going to ask me what I plan to do with it?” Vir asked.

“That is not the Brotherhood’s concern. As for your assignment, there is an available contract, but it would ordinarily be reserved for Shadows and Acolytes of high standing. I hesitate to even mention it to a mere Initiate.”

“I’m more than capable. My Balar Rank should show that.”

“Indeed, I mention it only because of your rank. That, and the diligence with which you have completed your tasks. Very well. However, you must accept this mission. Deny it, and you will forever tarnish your reputation within our organization.”

Vir gulped, nervously scratching Neel’s back. “I understand.”

After a moment of silence that stretched far too long for Vir’s liking, the Executor spoke. His words came slowly. “Your contract is to assassinate a man named Ravin.”

“Assassinate!?” Vir blanched. He’d thought he’d have to kill some monster, or perhaps steal some priceless treasure. But to kill someone?

“I…”

“The reward for this contract shall be two silvers.”

“That’s it?” Vir exclaimed. “That’s barely more than the contracts I’ve been doing!”

“As I said, this kind of contract would normally be off limits to anyone below Shadow. We have adjusted your compensation to befit your rank. You will, however, gain one thousand Brotherhood karma points with this, putting you at 1760 points. Your ascension to Acolyte will cost 1000 points, thus leaving 760 left for your karma. I believe 700 points should suffice to cover the dossier you want.”

Vir hadn’t realized favors would cost him points, but he supposed it made sense.

“Who is this man? Why do you want him killed?” Vir asked.

“Make no mistake, Vir, I am extending this contract to you as a favor. The Brotherhood does not judge its members, nor does it ask questions about why someone might want a dossier about Princess Mina. In return, we demand that you ask no such questions of us.”

Vir ground his teeth. What if Ravin was an innocent man? What if he was a good person with a family? Could Vir kill someone like that?

He could abandon his mission, but he’d be banned from the Brotherhood for life.

“Where can I find this man?” Vir asked, his voice hoarse.

“In the Warrens, northeast of the city. Ask around. He is not a hard man to spot.”

Seeing Vir’s anxiousness, the Executor sighed. “Know that the Brotherhood does not commission assassinations without ample cause. If it makes you feel better, learn what you can about this man. But do note that there is a time limit for this contract. You have three days, or the contract will be considered a failure. Understood, Initiate?”

“Understood,” Vir said, rising from his stool. “C’mon, Neel.”

With his faithful Bandy in tow, Vir left the Executor booth. A part of him couldn’t believe he’d just agreed to murder someone. Another part of him considered himself lucky to have finally found a path to learning more about Princess Mina.

Vir guided Neel up to his room in the Sanctum. He’d moved here shortly after joining up. While the room cost the same as the inn across the square—at least for Initiates. Acolytes gained access to discounts and larger rooms—the room itself was nicer.

Better appointed, with cleaner communal bathing facilities, but most importantly, the Brotherhood took far better care of Bumpy than the inn did. Plus, the entire building had Brotherhood guards posted around the clock, making it far more secure than any of the other inns.

Vir opened his lockbox—another perk that came with the room—and inspected his funds. With today’s payout, he owned seven silvers and a handful of coppers. Between two weeks of board, fees for stabling Bumpy, and food for himself and Neel, it shocked him just how much he had to earn to stay afloat.

Only his diligence at completing contracts had allowed him to slowly grow his pot.

Yet as much as it pained him, there was one expense he had to make. A purchase he’d been wanting to make for some time, but had deferred it: armor.

Vir swept everything he had into his coin bag and headed down with Neel.

Let’s see what the Brotherhood armorer’s got for sale.

It was time to go shopping.