Touch of Fate

Brenden motioned for his friend to sit down. "You know, I'm not surprised you made it all the way here without anyone noticing, but you do realize this means I now need to add security reforms to my to-do list? In addition to everything else?"

Mike winced. "Sorry. That wasn't my intention."

Brenden sighed. "Nah, don't worry about it. I suppose I'd rather have you pointing out the flaws in my defenses than some assassin. I'll just throw it in with the rest of the stuff I need to work on. It should only take me the next century or so to get it all done. Anyway, to what do I owe this visit? I'm assuming this isn't just a social call."

Mike rubbed the back of his head, as he was prone to do when he was feeling uncertain. "Well…the truth of the matter is, we are planning on leaving first thing tomorrow. So, I want to stop by and see you before we're gone."

"Oh…oh…yeah, I suppose it is about that time."

The pair fell into an awkward silence for a few moments.

"So, I take you're settling into your new role here. Any issues?"

Brenden shrugged, "I can give you the list, but it would take a while. Truth is, they've been operating independently for so long, they barely know how to work together anymore. Hells, I have my hands full just trying to get them to explain how they make their money. Half of the gang leaders seem to believe that gold just rolls into their coffers as if by magic."

Mike chuckled, "I'm guessing they've had it a bit too easy up until this point. Decades of peaceful co-existence has made them a tad stagnant, or something along those lines."

"Not everyone's like that, mind you. The smaller gangs are just as scrappy and competent as the ones I saw in Wyrport, but the larger ones have been around for so long they've become mired in tradition. The Fishmongers especially."

"Fishmongers?"

"Don't ask."

Mike nodded and then reached into a pocket and pulled out one of his emergency necklaces. "Anyway, I know we haven't exactly been on the best terms lately, so I don't want offend you by giving you this, but I hope you will accept it."

He set it down on the table, within Brenden's reach, hesitating a moment before pulling his hand back. "I think you're familiar with these, so I don't I need to explain. However, I want you to know that this doesn't mean I don't believe in your abilities- "

His friend raised on hand to cut him off, before picking the necklace up and putting it on. "Thanks. I'll make sure to call you if I end up needing anything. Not sure how much good it will do, since you'll be a continent away, but hey, maybe by that point you'll have figured out Space Magic, and could just pop over."

Mike felt a relieved smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Considering how difficult it is to teleport people over long distances, that might take me a while, but I could probably make it back here in less than a day by flying, if I really put forth the effort."

"Hmph, show-off." Brenden shot back amicably.

For the first time in a long while, Mike didn't sense the tension that had been part of their interactions. Although tired, and perhaps a bit overwhelmed with his new responsibilities, the beastman seemed happy. Almost as if his friend had finally found some measure of peace with his lot in life.

A slight smile on his face, he added. "Just so you know, I've included an additional feature in this necklace. It will still work the same as always, but if you say a brief message right before breaking the charm, it will get passed on to me. I'm hoping this will prevent the confusion that came with the last few times these things go used."

"Huh, that's pretty useful. Is that something you could add to a more permanent magic item? You know, one that didn't break after a single use." The beastman asked speculatively.

"Actually, I'm already working on something like that. Unfortunately, the enchantments are fairly complicated and require a good amount of mana to activate. With disposable items, I don't need to worry about durability, but finding the right combination of materials to make it more permanent has been an ongoing struggle. If I ever get something put together, I'll be sure to send you one."

Brenden frowned in thought while fingering the glass charm on his necklace. "If you can make them cheaply enough, I'd love to have as many as you can spare."

"You want it for your organization?"

He nodded. "If I ever want to expand operations, I'll need an effective means of coordinating over long distances. You get me a communication device that's cheap enough for me to pass out to my subordinates, and I could be running all the illegal activities in this country by the end of the year."

Mike grinned. "That's a bold claim."

"Not a claim, an eventuality." Brenden added with a confident grin of his own. "Besides, I was aiming for that from the start. Communication devices will just speed it up."

"Alright, alright. I'll see what I can do. Anyway, I need to be getting back. There's still a bunch of prep work before we leave tomorrow." Mike said while standing.

Brenden's smile faded a bit, but he stood up as well. "I got it. Best to keep goodbyes short. Speaking of which, send Tal and Sera my regards."

"I will." He replied, before activating his stealth skill and slipping out once more. As he was leaving, he heard Brenden call his guards back in to discuss changes to how they handled security from here on out.

With his last real task in this city complete, he headed back to the dorms to finish up the packing process. With any luck, they should have an uneventful departure.

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The next morning found Mike on one of the University's training grounds, where he'd been working on his Space Magic. He'd finally succeeded in increasing the skill rank after brute forcing it with as much mana as he could. As a result, his command over the tricky element had improved to the point he could even teleport himself over short distances.

While he could now do that via free casting to some extent, the mana cost was so extreme it would be counterproductive to use for anything save the direst of emergencies. Even with a lengthy chant, it was exactly efficient, so he figured that he would need to improve his skill a few more times before he could really add it to his battle repertoire.

[I wonder what rank Emmanuel has. Considering some of the stuff he's capable of, I can only imagine it being pretty high up there. Then again, he might have a few titles that help as well.]

He decided to put an end to his practice when he heard the clock tower strike four bells. This meant that he still had a few hours before the ship was set to depart, but he wanted to grab breakfast first.

While he was walking back, he got another angry mental message from Selene, who was still in the middle of her ocean-spanning journey. He let her vent a bit, then reaffirmed the necessity of her suffering and promised that he'd figure out something else the next time this situation came up.

[Maybe I can put together some kind of enclosed saddle device that I can strap to transport summons. Something that will make the process a bit less terrifying. Of course, then she'd have to worry about hiding or disposing of it when she reached her destination. I guess I'll think on it.]

After breakfast, the group gathered up the rest of their belongings, a process made much easier by the extradimensional sack the University agreed to let him keep indefinitely, and headed down to the port. By the time they got to the docks, the gotten had already gotten their ship prepped and ready to go. All they were waiting for were the remaining passengers.

So, once they were aboard and settled into their cabins, the captain gave the order to leave, not wanting to miss the tide. In a matter of minutes, they were out in the bay and moving towards the open ocean.

Mike stood on the aft castle and watched as the city receded from view. It was kind of an odd feeling, leaving it behind after spending so much time there. Almirn had become the closest thing he had to a home since arriving in this world.

"Welp, we're on our way, now." Morris commented while taking up a position next to him and leaning against the railing.

Glancing back at the pilot, who was too busy steering the ship to really eavesdrop, Mike replied. "It definitely took longer than I'd anticipated, but we are. The others settled in yet?"

"More or less. There's not much unpacking to do, since we'll spending most nights in your convenient demi-realm, but Tal and Sera have been tied up with something and William's been trying to keep Lily under control. Apparently, she's already managed to set fire to ship, even though we've only been underway a short time."

Mike chuckled, but didn't say anything.

After pausing for a few seconds to look out at the bay, he continued. "I have to admit, you've got an odd bunch here. Between the anti-social, elven Spirit Mage, the explosion prone noblewoman with giant's strength, the disturbingly laid-back humanoid tree, and the living, breathing Oracle, you're only a few steps away from having a full-on traveling circus."

"Don't forget the miniature beast of legend that likes to hang out in my pocket," Mike replied, indicating the lump in question, "Anyway, what's that say about you?"

Morris laughed. "Me? I'm just the one that got caught up in all this after finding a naked boy in the woods."

"You're never going to let me forget that are you?"

"Not in this lifetime."

The pair lapsed into silence for a few minutes, casually watching the water. Perhaps sensing something of his friend's mood, the bard asked, "You alright?"

"Yeah, just got a feeling that I'm forgetting something. I can't think of what it might be. I made sure to take care of all of my business before I left." He thought for a moment, "Well, I kind of intentionally avoided Talgratha. Mainly because I didn't want to deal with the resulting fallout. I'm sure that will come back to bite me in the end."

"No doubt about it." Morris commented, before pausing for a beat. "So, wait, you didn't even tell her you were leaving?"

"I left her a message at the guild. They were supposed to pass it along, but I don't think its made it to her yet. After all, it's not like she was actually in the city." Mike shot back, a little defensively.

"Still, this kind of thing should have been handled in person."

Mike sighed. "I couldn't figure out a good way to say it that wouldn't deeply offend her or have her try to come with us. So, I went with the cowardly option. I'm not proud of it, but it was better than nothing. Hopefully, even if it makes her furious, her anger will have cooled by the next time we meet."

Frowning, Morris shook his head. "I don't know about that. Based on what I've seen of her personality, I'm thinking that we'll be getting an angry orc chieftain on our tail in the near future. She's not the type to let a little thing like an ocean get in the way of what she wants."

"Come on, she wouldn't go that far, would she?"

He shrugged. "We'll find out, I guess. Anyway, did you figure out what you forgot yet?"

Leaning heavily against the railing, Mike sighed again." Haaa…. no. Well, it will either come back to me eventually, or it wasn't that important in the first place."

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"Alright, we need to be on our best behavior." Julia admonished Cariel while the pair were heading to the meeting place. "I had to call in practically every favor I have left to get this audience, so don't blow it. Do you remember what you are supposed to do?"

"I know, I know. Keep my mouth shut and follow your lead." The angel replied cheerfully.

"AND don't wander away."

"And don't wander. It will be alright, Julia. I have a good feeling about this time."

"That makes me worried." The cat beastman replied. "Anyway, it looks like we're here."

The run-down tavern was one of dozens of similar establishments throughout the city. Everything, from its dilapidated sign bearing only a sun-bleached painting of a foaming mug, to the tiny windows so coated with grime they were practically opaque, indicated that it was little more than the commonplace watering hole in the slums. However, it was also the place where they were supposed to meet one of the most powerful people Almirn.

As soon as they stepped inside, they were surrounded by a group of heavily muscled thugs who bound their hands and threw hoods over their heads. Afterwards, they were led down into the tavern's basement and through a series of tunnels. Julia quickly lost track of the various twists and turns, but could tell they'd gone quite a distance by the time there were told they'd arrived.

The first thing they saw once the hoods were removed was a grizzled bear beastman, who promptly motioned at them to follow. "This way. You will have ten minutes to plead your case. Make them count."

He led them down another passage without saying anything else. They were apparently still underground, judging by the musty dampness of the air and the torch sconces which lit their way.

The tunnel soon opened up into a large chamber. Near the center of it was a newly constructed platform on which sat an ornate throne that was currently empty. A young rabbit beastman was standing nearby and veritably bounced over to them as soon as they walked in.

"Welcome petitioners, to the court of the King of Thieves! Please excuse the mess, his majesty has only recently decided to occupy this decrepit hole in the ground and we haven't really had time to decorate."

Julia looked around, but didn't see anything that could really be called a mess.

"Now, please keep in mind that the king is a busy man, with a lot on his plate." The girl continued in a condescending manner, "So don't waste his time. You'll have five minutes to talk once he comes in."

"Huh? He said we'd have ten!" Julia exclaimed while pointing at the bear beastman.

"Right, ten. What did I say?"

Before Julia had a chance to answer, another thug stepped into the room from a second passage and loudly announced. "Now presenting his most august majesty, King Brenden the First, the King of Thieves!"

"I told you to stop all this nonsense." A youthful voice cut in from further down the corridor.

The thug looked a bit confused. "Uhh, but your Voice told us it was important to 'establish your royal presence,' Your Majesty."

"You can definitely ignore anything that Elaine tells you." The King of Thieves grumbled as he rounded the corner and came into view. "Now where are these…"

He trailed off as he caught sight of the pair, and there were a few seconds of silence until Cariel spoke up. "Ah! I know you!" She paused for a second and leaned over towards Julia, "It's that fighty guy with the big sword."

Julia resisted the urge to facepalm. She'd heard that the leader of Almirn's underworld had a close connection to the Dragonknight, but she hadn't connected the dots until now. Had she known his true identity; she'd have tried this method a long time ago."

"Alright, give us the room." The King of Thieves commanded while motioning for his guards to leave.

Surprisingly, they did so without so much as word of protest.

"You too, Elaine." He said to the rabbit beastman, who was proudly standing next to him.

"Aww, but I never get to see you doing kingly stuff." She complained. "Can't I stay? Pleaseeeeeee?"

"No, and stop looking at me like that."

"Finnneee…." Came the reluctant reply and she slunk back into the hallway with exaggerated depression. At the entrance, she shot one last look over her shoulder, highlighting the tears forming at the corner of her eyes, before walking out.

"Is she going to be okay?" Julia asked, feeling a slight pang of guilt for reasons she didn't fully understand.

"Don't fall for her act. More than likely, she's already making trouble for me somewhere. Now, what brings you here?" The King asked wearily.

"Right, we were actually hoping that you might get us in to see your friend the Dragonknight. We have something really important to tell him."

He scratched his chin. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but you're a little late."

Julia frowned. "What do you mean? He didn't…die or something, did he?"

"Of course not." He gave her a disgusted look, like the idea was so nonsensical that it wasn't worth contemplating. "No, he got on a ship heading towards the Riverlands earlier today. He's probably already made it out of the bay by now."

It took a moment for his words to sink in. "…. Huh? Wait, he's coming back, right?! It's just a short trip, right?!"

The King grimaced. "I think he plans to be gone for a while."

Julia collapsed like her strings had been cut.

Cariel tilted her head, "I guess that means we need to catch another ship to follow them."

The puddle of misery on the floor sobbed.

"What did you need to see him about that's so important?" The King asked. He was idly playing with a small piece of glass he was wearing around his neck on a simple strip of leather.

"I can't tell you. It's a secret mission." The angel replied seriously.

"I see…" He dropped the glass bauble. "Well, I'm afraid I can't help you, so unless you have something else you need…"

Julia brought herself together long enough to stagger back to her feet. It took nearly every ounce of willpower she had to utter her next words. "Can you help us find a ship?"