Runeblade-Chapter 181B2 : Mistakes, pt. 3

Sitting across from the guildmaster of Deadacre, Kaius felt the weight of the man's gaze. It settled on his shoulders like lead—peeled him apart like a butchered rabbit.

Rieker’s curiosity was…palpable.

“What would you like to know?” Kaius said cautiously, taking the lead.

Rieker drummed his fingers on the top of his desk, each impact cracking loudly through the room.

“Not the how, before you get too worried. That would be improper for someone in my position, and I doubt that anything you did was repeatable.” the guildmaster started, meeting his eyes. “I also don’t care about the why. As Ro has already told you, scions seeking shelter within the guild is no new thing.”

Leaning forwards, Rieker put his elbows on the desk. “No, what I am most interested in is how far we can push you. How far can you go? How high is too high before you break?”

Impassioned as he was, a gleaming fire alighted in the guildmaster’s eyes, revealing a madness that let him climb to the upper reaches of power seen within the human kingdoms.

“I need—the guild needs—Steel and Silver, not Copper and Bronze, that has become only more apparent with this change of the system. You, in your uncautious idiocy, have revealed yourselves to be worthy of investment.” he finished.

Kaius paused, turning to meet his companion’s eyes. They looked back at him with trust. That he would lead them right, and that they would stand behind his decision.

“What, exactly, do you mean?” he asked.

“That is rather simple. Until you reach the end of the first tier, or preferably the second, you are too vulnerable to being picked off by your enemies. That, you know. What you may not have considered is that dynasties who would prefer to eliminate a rising threat when it is still in the cradle are a dime a dozen. You, Kaius, are in grave danger. Porkchop too, due to the simple value of his knowledge of legacy skills, and Ianmus is as well by simple association.” Rieker explained.

Kaius winced. He’d hoped that the general threat of the powerful would have been ameliorated by his membership to the Guild, but it seemed he had been naive.

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Ro sighed from her seat beside the guild master. “Your growth has proven to be extreme, Kaius. Many would risk the guild's ire to remove a simple Copper or Bronze with your potential. It would be easy to manufacture justification, or to hide involvement all together, with your current level of power.”

“What do we do, then?” Kaius asked. If their own lack of prudence had put them in danger, they needed a solution, and the guild’s assistance in their growth was too beneficial to deny.

“We’re going to need to artificially lower your rank and downplay your accomplishments, while feeding you appropriate contracts on the side—until you reach High Steel at the very least. Ro can run interference on any rumours that are already spreading.” Rieker said, commanding the room. “You’ll also have my personal assistance with selecting missions that are right on the cusp of what you can handle, as well as with skill training to make up for the time you will lose by levelling so quickly”

Kaius froze. He hadn’t expected that Rieker would be so willing to get personally involved. A test of their abilities, sure, but training from someone in the second tier? That was something money couldn’t buy. There had to be a catch.

“That…is a significant offer,” he replied slowly. “What would you need in return for it?”

Rieker grinned, revealing canines that came to overly lengthy points. It was an aggressive thing, full of glee.

“First, I will need to know what I am working with—the rough details of your build, your stat gain per level, that sort of thing.” he started, before holding up a hand as Kaius frowned. “Do not worry, I am in possession of a shard of one of the Bloodstones—a gift after a significant favour for a Hiwiann Clanmaster. I am willing to make a binding oath to take what I learn to the grave, to never make an attempt on your life—except in self defence— and never use what I learn against you. No one else will know.”

A Bloodstone? That was the first time he had heard of anyone outside of the trader-people having one. That…could actually work. With the potent natural magics that linked it back to the original spire, it would be a binding oath in truth—without any of the risks or flaws that came with using one of those vanishingly rare few that held an oath-making skill.

Still, it was the sort of decision he could not make alone. Even if he was willing to give up his own secrets, those of his party were not his to share.

“Is that agreeable to the two of you?” he asked his team.

“It is.” Porkchop readily agreed, though he was the most likely to find the term acceptable, given the culture of his people. Kaius turned to Ianmus, who nodded quickly - as if wary of speaking in Rieker’s presence.

“Then with my team's agreement, I can accept that term. However, you said it was the first?” Kaius asked, watching the guildmaster closely.

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Rieker nodded. “The other you will perhaps find more contentious, but it is perhaps the most important. First, let me give you some background.”

The guildmaster stood from his chair, his hands resting behind his back as he paced back and forth behind his desk. “Everyone is focused on these fucking beasts. The number, the quality, the rising levels. It is a mask to the true threat, people. These…aspects have been denied to me, to most everyone with any real power on this continent.”

He stopped behind his chair, turning to face him. “That is dangerous. A new, unassailable, advantage that I would bet my life is as important as legacy skills. New powers will rise, emboldened by the chaos, bringing with them terror and bloodshed. You need only look to the histories of the empire to know what will come.”

Kaius caught Ianmus nodding out of the corner of his eye.

“Worse…these ‘Tyrants’. I expect them to be a threat designed to challenge those with Aspects, not those without. This worries me. It worries my colleagues and my betters. The guild has not survived so long, become so ubiquitous across Vaastivar and beyond, by letting changes catch us on the back foot.” Rieker continued, his eyes boring into Kaius’s own.

“We are doing all we can to identify those with the most promise, nurture them, and share our findings. I would have all of you join this program—you will gain access to all of our findings, and you will share your own. You will also agree to take up arms in defence of the guild, given we are attacked without provocation. I will need an oath on this.” the guildmaster said with finality, before he turned to nod at Ro who also stood. “We will give you a few minutes to discuss—but know that this is the price of our assistance.”

The pair filed out of the room, leaving the team in stunned silence. They sat there for a few moments, simply digesting the sheer weight of Rieker’s presence. How the very air felt lighter with his absence.

“Well, I was right, he is like a Patriarch.” Porkchop said, breaking the silence.

Kaius snorted and shook his head. “Seriously though, that’s a big ask, what do you two think?”

“The defence oath is fine, it’s well known to be a requirement of higher tiers of membership. It’s only in the case of underhanded trickery and unprovoked assault that it will bind us, not true allegiance to a banner. All we would be doing is agreeing to it a few years early.” Ianmus explained.

That, at least, was something. Binding oaths were not something to take likely, but if it was only a defensive oath, and a common one at that, then it was far less risky. Still, the program to share findings about Aspects… That was something else.

“And the Aspect program? There could be Honours on the line—do we really want to risk losing that opportunity?” Kaius asked in a soft voice, quieting himself to avoid the potential of being overheard.

“Kaius, you are already on the precipice of your first, and both me and Ianmus have already felt a glimmer from one of our own pillars. With all of our advantages, do you really think that anyone else has a chance of catching up?” Porkchop asked, incredulous at the thought that they wouldn’t be the first.

Ianmus nodded along with his brother’s words. “I agree—besides, it sounds like this program is already happening. I think if we forgo access to what others have learned, we risk being left behind by the collective.”

That…made sense, actually. In the end, it all came down to faith. Did he have the faith in his own capabilities, and those of his team, that they would be more capable than the others the guild had found.

Kaius snorted to himself. Of course he did. Afterall, had any of those nameless rising stars ushered in a new era? Found themselves Observed? He doubted it.

“Then it's decided,” he said, getting nods of conviction in return. “Though I will want acceptance that we will be able to share our own discoveries with Aspects with whomever we please.”

Rising to his seat, he walked to the door that led out of the study and opened it, finding Rieker and Ro waiting patiently in the chairs that lined the foyer.

The guildmaster looked up at his appearance, giving him a once over. “Made up your mind, kid?”

“We’ll do it.” Kaius said, his tone resolute.

Rieker shot up to his feet, a wide grin on his face. “Fantastic!” he said with a clap of his hands. “This is going to be so much fun.”

The guildmaster swept into the office, gesturing at him to take his seat before he took his place behind the desk. Ro didn’t join them, saying that she would find them later, once she had found them a mission.

Reaching into a drawer, the guildmaster drew out an ornate box that was lacquered in a dark stain, with gems and gold embedded in its motifs. Unlatching it, he drew out a small shard of stone.

It was a brilliant red, the colour of arterial blood, and strangely textured. Almost like the pumice he sometimes saw floating down mountain streams - though far more dense.

A Bloodstone, the first he had seen.

Kaius cleared his throat, drawing the guildmaster’s attention.

“Before we begin, we want assurance that we will be able to share our findings about Aspects with others at our leisure. Porkchop has his Den to consider, and I have taken steps to start building my own allies. That, and all of us are likely to have our own future families to consider.” Kaius said, slow and careful. He didn’t want to offend someone as powerful as Reiker.

The guildmaster waved him off dismissively. “Yes, yes. That will be fine, as long as you are not solely sharing guild secrets—whatever you discover yourselves is your own secret to share as you please.”

“First, I will take my oath.” Rieker said, drawing a thin blade from his waist and setting it on the table. “Then you will take yours. After that, we battle in my private armory, and then we can discuss the specifics of your team's power.”

Kaius frowned, looking at the man confused. “You want to fight us before we tell you our builds and power growth?”

Rieker laughed, bending backwards over his chair as he held his belly. “Of course!”

“It’s far more fun that way.” he said, looking back at them with a distinctively familiar hunger in his eyes.