Leveling up the World

“An echo message,” Dallion said to the messenger service. “To Linatol.”

This was pretty much the first time he had used the courier for this service. Physical letters were a lot more appreciated, but they lacked the one thing that echo messages provided: speed. The simplicity of it all was astounding. The courier service had members in all cities, each with echoes of everyone else. Sending messages was a simple matter of one echo conveying the contents to the person that had to make the final delivery. At worst, the target of the message would get it the following day. Since it wasn’t even noon, chances were that Dallion’s message would arrive in a couple of hours.

“You sure?” The woman looked at Dallion in surprise. “You usually go for letters.”

“This time it’s different.”

“Right. Being the Hero of Nerosal must keep you busy.” The woman smiled and put on her ring. “We’ve got three people free in Linatol right now. Where’s the message for?”

“Hunter’s den.” It was surprisingly painful saying the words, mostly because Dallion knew what would follow. “For Euryale.”

“Ah, it’s right. She moved there.” The messenger attempted to engage in small talk. Not an easy task, considering the number of messages that went through her on a daily basis. “What’s the message?”

“I’ll be going after him.” Dallion’s throat felt dry. “I’m sorry.”

“A bit cryptic, but sure. The request has been accepted. It’ll be delivered in less than an hour. That will be one gold and five silver.”

The price was a reminder of why so few could afford the service. It wasn’t just about the network, but also about the guarantees. Everyone in the courier service had made a Moon vow to keep anything said and heard secret. If the rumors were to be believed, all couriers had limiting echoes in their own realms, ensuring that they would forget everything work related in a matter of days or less. There was no way to confirm it, but Dallion had become cynical enough to believe it true.

“I also want to send a message to the Cathedral of the Order,” Dallion added. “To Cleric.”

“Which cleric?” the woman asked.

“His name is Cleric. He’s the bishop’s assistant.”

“Oh, when you said cleric, I thought…” she chuckled. “What’s the message?”

“Where’s the Star?”

The woman’s expression froze. Fear emanated through her, ringing so loud that Dallion could feel nothing else.

“A-are you sure?” the woman asked.

“It’s a request from the Order,” Dallion lied. “Send the message.”

“Request accepted. It’ll be delivered immediately. That would be two gold coins.”

Dallion gave her four gold coins. Compared to the amount he’d just received from the countess, this was insignificant. Without a word of thanks, he left the courier office, making his way to the arena. There was one last thing he had to take care of before returning to Hannah’s inn.

Do I need to tell you it’s a bad idea? Nil asked. Of all the time’s you’ve had dealings with that man, only one was in your favor.

This one will.

Even if he agrees, he’ll ask more than you have. He always does.

There was some truth to that, but this time Dallion had more than enough means to get what he wanted. And even if he’d end up owing another favor, he’d gladly do so. After everything that had happened, there was no way he’d leave the Star unscathed. One way or another, there was going to be a resolution to all this, this time forever.

Being able to cast spells will help a great deal, Aether whispered from the skill gem. He’s still recovering from the damage I’ve caused. Free me and you can have the same power.

Dallion ignored both.

A bubble of space slowly formed around him as he made his way through the city. People and animals tended to move away for no apparent reason. It wasn’t conscious. A few even greeted him in passing, though even they weren’t able to fight the feeling of dread emanating from him. The emotion wasn’t Dallion’s own. Taking Aether’s advice, he was continuing to combine his music skill with his empathy trait, causing item guardians not only to feel it, but resonate in turn, spreading it further. It was done quite subtly. There wasn’t even a need for Dallion to whistle. Instead, all he did was gently tap his harpsisword as he walked.

“Good morning,” a fury greeted Dallion the moment he entered the side entrance of the arena. “How can I—”

“Where’s the general?” Dallion interrupted.

“He’s occupied right now. If you’d like—”

Splitting into instances, Dallion rushed past the fury. Her skills were good, but even so she was only able to stop a dozen of his instances. The remaining eighty ran along the corridor, slashing air currents as they did, until reaching the door to the general’s chamber. Splitting once more, Dallion entered.

The room had been remodeled yet again. Glass chambers covered three of the walls, full of cloud creatures. Sizes ranged from the size of a coin to that of a full-grown human. In all cases, though, the creatures were made of thunderclouds.

“Dal.” The general leaned back in his large seat of solid sapphire. “Wonderful to see you. I had heard that you’d returned. Given my last conversation with the countess, I didn’t expect to see you anytime soon. Could it be that the hunt is over?”

“I want to buy something,” Dallion said. The two fury bodyguards standing next to the general moved closer to the desk. “I can take both of them,” Dallion said, brimming with confidence. “If you want.”

“That’s not necessary.” The general gave them a sign to step back. “I just redecorated the place. Cost me quite a lot, in fact.”

“So, we have a deal?”

“Let me explain how this works. You still owe me. Just because the countess has temporarily delayed things doesn’t mean you’re off the hook.”

Dallion tossed a small leather pouch on the desk. The general looked at it for a few seconds, then slowly reached out for it as if it was made of dirt. The moment he unstrung it, a vibrant purple glow shined through.

“A phoenix feather.” The general took it out. Dallion could feel a momentary surge of interest, although it was a lot less than he had hoped for. “Judging by your behavior, there must be more than one.”

“There’s just one.”

“Pity.”

“Are you saying it’s not enough?”

“That all depends on what you want to buy with it. Feathers can’t be sold by anyone. Then again, you know perfectly well that I wouldn’t want to. Of course, it’s just a feather.” The general put it back down on the desk. “It can’t compare to the cloud heart you brought me. See my new collection? All of them were born out of your heart.”

Any other time, Dallion would have felt revulsion at the suggestion. Now he found himself too numb to react.

“I want the artifact you gave me in Linatol.” He pressed on.

“That thing?” Surprise streamed from the general, even if his expression didn’t budge. “What happened to the last one?”

“I fought the Star. Now I want to finish the job.”

The general’s immediate reaction was to laugh. Seeing that Dallion didn’t budge, the laugher soon stopped.

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Help me, like last time. Everyone wins if the Star is gone, including you.”

“What’s good for trade is good for the trader,” the general mused. “Assuming I can find what you’re looking for, what about my interests? There’ve been people planning to destroy the Star for centuries. Millennia, if the writings are confirmed. One of the Order’s main goals is to destroy him, and yet the Star is still here.”

“Find me another artifact and I’ll get it done.”

“So confident of you. But what happens if you fail? You still owe me. How will I collect if you’re not here?”

“That’s what the feather’s for.” Dallion tossed another pouch. This one was three times larger, made of fine velvet. “There are enough spellcraft cubes for you to be happy. They aren’t unique, but you can use them to get someone to find you something unique. As you said a while back, I’m not the only one who’s indebted to you.”

“Indeed, you’re not.” The general’s gaze shifted from Dallion to his desk. Between the two pouches, there was enough to buy a middle-sized town. “It’s a very generous offer. However, your request is a bit…” he made a circle in the air with his left index finger. “I don’t like throwing away useful things for no purpose. You’re good, but you’re not at the level to fight the Star. You have to be a Moon to be.”

“If I didn’t think I’d win, I wouldn’t be here.” Dallion was starting to lose patience. “Are you interested, or should I take this to the Mirror Pool?”

“Touche.” The general clapped. “True, I’m not the only one who could find it difficult to obtain items. If you trusted the Pool, you’d be with them now. I appreciate the effort, though.”

“It’s you or them. What will it be?”

You’re being a bit too aggressive, Nil warned. You’re tempting him to refuse out of spite.

“You make a compelling argument, Dal. Also, I see you’ve gained a few levels since Linatol. I still don’t think you stand a chance, but it’ll be amusing to see you try.”

The velvet pouch and the phoenix feather disappeared from the desk, each finding themselves in the hands of the fury bodyguards. The air currents they used were a lot more aggressive, serving as a warning.

“I’ll need a few days, but I believe the item can be found. It’s needless to say how rare it is…”

Dallion strongly suspected that the general already had one or more of it in his personal collection. There was a time when he swore that the item was unique in the world, as he had done when describing many other things. And yet, each time, he’d manage to miraculously find a “new” copy whenever the price was right.

“You know where to find me.” Dallion turned around. As he made a step towards the door, an air current wrapped itself around his left arm. The action wasn’t aggressive, but rather an indication that the general had something to say.

I’m getting tired of this. Dallion burst into instances, turning around with half. As he suspected, no attack followed.

“Just a piece of advice on the house,” the general said while looking at the cloud creatures on the far side of the room. Two of them were engaging in a fight, casting lightning at one another. “It always helps to be equipped, but it’s not the better equipped or the strongest that wins a battle. If the Order is to be believed, the Star has been tricking people to fight on his behalf since time began. If you really stand a chance, as you believe, he’ll be sure to throw everything at you. I trust you haven’t told too many people about your current plans?”

Dallion didn’t answer.

“I don’t need to tell you the tangled game you’ve joined. Given that you’ve been paid, the countess must be pleased with the results, or their lack of. That means she’ll pull her protection from you. It might happen right now, but it could be at first light tomorrow. Keep that in mind.”

“I know,” Dallion hissed.

“Well, in that case, don’t let me stop you.”

Dallion took a step towards the door.

“On, and just one more.”

Once again, Dallion paused, looking at the general over his shoulder.

“The phoenix. Did you really catch it?” There was a shiver of genuine emotion in his voice.

Possibly even he was fascinated by the prospect. It was understandable. Catching a creature that was supposed to be uncatchable always was a good icebreaker. It also gave Dallion the satisfaction of turning around and leaving without giving an answer.