Chapter 51 – Magistika
"He's not here currently," Benji said as he answered the door to SJ.
"I should have called ahead, but I was just out walking and ended up heading over here."
"Come in, I'll get you a drink. He shouldn't be too long," Benji ushered SJ inside.
SJ sat on one of the large sofas. "What would you like?" Benji asked.
"Do you have coffee?"
"I can make some," he said as he walked across the room and disappeared through one of the doors. In all of SJ's visits to Fas's, she had never been any farther into his home than the large, open living room where she now sat. The large windows let in the early morning light, and the scene looked out over the park's gardens. Birds flitted between the branches of the trees; their sounds filtered through the open window. It was a peaceful scene, contradictory to the turmoil in SJ's mind.
SJ opened her map and found Fas's dot showing his location in District 2. He was near the city's outer walls. Benji returned with a tray of fresh coffee and placed it on the table.
"Thanks," SJ said.
Benji poured himself a mug and turned to leave again, back through to what must be a kitchen area.
"How's the training going?" SJ asked.
Benji turned, looking a little surprised. "Training?" he asked.
"It was mentioned you were training to join the city watch. I wondered how you were getting along."
"Oh. I have the entrance exam next week. I'm not worried about the physical side, but the written part I'm not so confident with."
"I'm not aware of what it entails."
"If I can pass the physical side, I can be recruited to the watch, but if I want to consider the officer path, I also need to pass the written exam."
"What's involved in it?"
"History and city laws. Academia isn't my strong point."
Benji was still young, always appeared happy and looked well built for his age. He wasn't a bulging bodybuilder, but under his tunic, SJ could see the build of an athletic being. His dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail that reached the middle of his shoulders, and he always exuded calm. His jaw was square, and his brown eyes always seemed to carry a hidden intelligence, or so SJ had thought. He wore the typical dress of many in Asterfal, but there was nothing about him that made him stand out amongst a crowd. He was to SJ just another typical human, like the thousands who lived in the city.
"Has Fas helped you?"
"Yes, he has been instructing me. I'm just not confident; there are so many laws to remember."
I wonder, SJ thought, as she called up the Legionnarious before thinking her question.
Can you tell me the entrance exam questions for the watch guard in the city of Asterfal?
The ‘A’ blinked slowly before her display started to fill with text.
The exact exam is unknown, but typical exams focus on a city's direct responsibilities, whether they are racially or historically directed, or on general laws governing law and order. Each city has a range of specific laws that apply only to the area where the exam is being sat, which, for those wishing to become officers, must be passed. Numerous general city watch guards are illiterate and are employed solely for their physicality and fighting prowess. A successful city watch applicant will usually then undergo substantial training before being assigned.
SJ hadn't really expected there to be detailed information on the entrance exam for Asterfal, but it had been worth a shot at least.
"Which watch in particular were you considering?"
"I'd love to be able to join the tower guard, but only the top few ever get selected from the general entrance tests."
"If you are literate and confident on the physical side, I'm sure that will put you in a good place above others."
"Perhaps. I don't know."
They sat chatting casually; it was the first time SJ had spoken to Benji in depth, and he was eager and excited about his future. He had always lived in Asterfal; his mother had passed several years before, and he had ended up in one of the orphanages that Fas sponsored. He was eternally grateful to Fas for what he had done, as were the orphans in general, whom he spoke to. They knew that if it weren't for his patronage, they wouldn't live the comfortable lives they all did. For many, their new lives in the orphanages were better than those they had left behind.
SJ felt a flood of respect for Fas after listening to the young man talk about the orphanages and what he did for them.
"Benji," Fas called as he entered the apartment. "Oh, hello, SJ."
"Hi," SJ said, turning to see her guardian entering, carrying a large chest. Benji jumped off the sofa and hurried over, grabbing one side as they carried it to the floor.
"I didn't mean you to help carry it," Fas said. "There are two more in the cart. Smaller," he smiled.
Benji left immediately to carry out Fas's request.
"What brings you here?" Fas asked.
"What do you think? We have things to discuss."
"I thought we wouldn't be discussing my actions until this was all over," Fas smirked. His smile was disarming. The tension between them remained after SJ discovered that Fas had been watching her. She still wasn't happy with him, but couldn't deny why he had done it. It was just another part of her life these days.
"You know I don't mean that," SJ sighed. "I meant, how's the whispering going?"
"It's still too early to tell."
SJ could feel a bubble of frustration creeping inside her; with the conversation with Galvon and Natalie, alongside the issues surrounding the Chief and her removal, she just wanted it to conclude, never mind Navina. She knew, though, that attempting anything without a plan in place could be potentially deadly.
"I just want this over with," SJ said.
Fas walked over to his writing desk, opened the drawer and took out the small, battered black book. He held it tentatively in his hands. "I always knew this would have a purpose sometime, but never knew what for," he said as he joined her to sit.
He cradled the book in his lap as if it were a newborn.
SJ looked at the book, and Fas gently caressed its battered cover, his focus gone from his eyes as he was deep in thought.
"You already know that this book contains the names and associates of most of the beings involved back then. Many of those are now long dead, and others are too old to even be considered a threat or have left the city. There are still others that are, though, and I think they are the loose ends which we should focus on while the rumours spread."
"You want to do what exactly?" SJ asked, her stomach tensing as she considered where this was heading.
"If we really want to be rid of the Chief and her control, then we have to start with her supporters. If we can work on them, it will add to the uncertainty and confusion."
"Won't that just put the Chief on guard if beings she knows or had affiliations to start to 'disappear', never mind I have no quests to remove any others? I can't just go around murdering beings."
"It may, but if we take action with purpose, we can do it without drawing too much suspicion. Deaths in Asterfal aren't uncommon, after all. All it takes is a discontented individual to draw a contract against another. There are many ways to work around it without drawing suspicion."
"You've done this before, haven't you?" SJ asked.
Fas looked up, tilting his head slightly. "I've done many things in my position, some I'm not proud of in comparison to others, but yes. I have brought down organisations by removing their support network. Never of this scale, though, or of this level of complexity. I think we should identify the key beings who remain influential and focus on them."
"What about the Master? What would he do if the Chief were removed?" SJ said as the door opened again.
Benji staggered in, carrying one of the small chests, then grunted and set it on the floor next to the other. His brow glistened. "What's in these?" he asked.
"You'll find out," Fas smiled as he left to collect the other. Once Benji had left again, Fas continued.
"I'm not sure. I'm unclear about his expectations and why he allowed the Chief to continue. I'm sure if there were any beings in the city who could deal with the Chief easily, it would be himself if he wished to. He stays in the shadows. There is nothing we can do about the Master directly. I'm in no position to deal with him, and I'm unaware of any other who could. His clan is not large, but the vampires within it, small in number as they are, are all strong. You have seen Navina firsthand when she grabbed me. She is one of the stronger ones, but it doesn't mean that any vampire is easy to deal with."
"What would happen to Navina if the Master were killed?"
"Nothing, she would continue as she always has. Navina is associated with the Master's clan, but isn't of the Master's creation, unlike Claita, whom you met at the blood bank. Navina existed long before he arrived in Asterfal. Those under his direct creation would be affected by his death, not destroyed, but weakened. I can't explain how it all works, but if you remove a vampire's creator, those below are weaker as a result. They lose some of their abilities and powers."
"How many vampires are there in Asterfal?"
"I don't know specifically, but I would guess perhaps thirty, maybe less."
"Thirty," SJ spluttered. "That many?"
"There were many more back when this happened," Fas said, tapping the book. "These days, they stay out of sight. I'm pretty sure that most in Asterfal don't even realise that there are even any vampires here at all."
"I was thinking about your concerns over Cortisar." The name change made Fas's eyebrows raise slightly, not expecting the sudden change.
"What about them?"
"Even if you were to portray him to the Chief, over the two centuries, he would have changed. Even if he has immortality now, it doesn't mean that he looks the same as he did when he was here in Asterfal before. That should ease your ability to act as him."
"I agree in part, but I also know how close the Chief and he were. I observed them for a long time, but never as closely as the Chief would have. One of the easiest ways to spot a changeling is their inability to perform specific nuances that beings have. When I became Harmyster to trap Otherlisar, that was easier due to the emotional impact of the surroundings."
"Then we have to carefully decide where the meeting will eventually take place. Somewhere, that even the Chief wouldn't feel fully at ease in."
"That's easier said than done."
"What about one of the vampire residences?"
Fas's brow furrowed. "Why would you wish to add that level of danger to the situation? I'm not sure how the Master will react. Using a place associated with vampires could easily escalate."
"Yes, but it would also be the perfect solution as the Chief would be off guard herself. It may also allow us to deal with some vampires at the same time," SJ mused.
Fas was now looking perplexed as SJ got lost in her thoughts.
If we can find a location that would also draw out the vampires, and I can speak to Skuldor, perhaps we could deal with both problems at once. SJ thought.
"You do realise that Petunia is going to be furious if you drag her friend into this situation," Dave said as he chuckled at the prospect.
She may, but I also know that she doesn't control Skuldor. They have been friends for a long time, but Skuldor, as was said, is a gravonic cleric with a pure hatred of the undead. SJ needed to look into what gravonic clerics' abilities were, and was going to have to spend some time researching the Legionnarious.
"You want to try and draw the vampires out to deal with them?" Fas said in shock. "I'm sure I just explained how dangerous they are, and that I doubt I could face Navina, never mind the Master. I would even struggle against the likes of Claita, without a clear opportunity."
"There is someone I know who may be able to help."
"Who?"
"A friend of Petunia's, a gravonic cleric."
"There is a gravonic cleric in Asterfal?" Fas now looked at SJ in absolute amazement.
SJ smiled at her friend. "Something I know which you don't; oh, how the tables have turned."
Fas rolled his eyes. "Who is it?"
"Skuldor. Petunia's valkyrie friend."
"He's a gravonic? Now that is interesting. Gravonic clerics are a rarity. The path is exceedingly specialised. Most clerics understand basic or have skills in basic turning skills to turn undead, due to a generalised necromantic hatred, but no normal cleric could turn a vampire."
"I'm not even sure I know what turning actually means," SJ stated honestly.
"It depends on the power of the cleric. Turning can mean repelling, scaring, weakening, or, in some instances, destroying undead through divine power. I suppose, considering the racial background of valkyrie, it aligns that they would have divine support if they followed the gravonic path. Anyway, we are taking what is already a challenging situation that you have to deal with and adding a significant level of danger and complexity. I think we should focus on the Chief and her henchmen." Fas's words carried a weight of warning. There was definite concern, which wasn't a portrait Fas often revealed.
"Perhaps, but if we really wished to get to the bottom of the city's corruption and resolve it, dealing with both would ease things."
"You do realise that I have lived and been a part of the city's corruption my whole time here in Asterfal. It's what I am a part of after all, as are you?"
"Would you not wish it removed?"
Fas looked at the black book again, squeezing it in his hands. "I did say I always knew there was a purpose behind this book," he sighed, standing and returning it to the desk.
There was a bang on the door. "Grab it for me, please," Benji called.
SJ stood and opened the door. This chest was smaller than the last, but Benji was struggling to lift it. His arms were bearing the chest's weight, and he was unable to reach the door handle to turn it. He stumbled past SJ, only just managing to bend down before releasing it with a loud thump on the floor. He stood upright, leaning backwards, arching his back. "That was heavy," he groaned.
Fas walked over. "Thanks, Benji," he said as he patted him on the shoulder, before bending down, picking up the smaller of the chests with the ease given to a being with the hidden strength that he had. He moved to the table, set it down, then removed a chain from his neck containing several keys. He carefully inserted the key into the chest's lock; a loud click was heard as he turned it, and a hissing sound followed. He waited several moments before opening the lid.
"Had to let the traps disarm," Fas said casually after the delay.
SJ and Benji both looked at him in shock.
"What's that?" Benji said, close enough to see into the chest. SJ moved so she could see inside.
The chest contained a small rock, not larger than a baseball. It sat on a large cushion. To SJ, it reminded her of meteor fragments she had seen at the National Space Museum back on Earth.
"This is one of the rarest metals of Amathera. Rarer than mithril and much more valuable. It's also not found on this continent, so its value increases dramatically."
"Oh, my," Dave said in surprise. "He has magistika."
What's magistika? SJ thought.
"It's incredibly rare and can be applied to weapons as an anti-magic component. The thinnest addition to a forging process can provide the weapon with the ability to nullify magic, or it can be turned into a substance to treat weapons. A weapon that has been treated with it cuts through mage shields as though they were butter. There are two problems with it, though. Only a Master forger could even consider attempting to forge a weapon that contained it, and creating the substance to treat it is a delicate process that even fewer know how to do. It's an alchemical approach. The substance is like a fine coating, like adding poison to a blade, but it loses its potency rapidly. It deteriorates so quickly that its effectiveness would last at most an hour, and given the cost and skill required to create the substance, it's just not viable, even if they could find any in the first place. I think it's only ever been seen on the auction house a couple of times in my history," Dave said.
"Magistika," Fas said.
"What's it do?" Benji asked, staring at the crude and rather bland-looking rock.
"It helps against mages," Fas added, not expanding on further details.
"And the other chests?" SJ asked.
Fas grinned as he went to the other two. "These two contain all the components I need to be able to create a liquid version of it."
"You're an alchemist?" SJ asked, shocked.
Fas frowned. "Yes, I thought you knew?"
"No. I had no idea."
"Benji, would you be so kind as to go to the market and grab some steaks for this evening? I'm going to be busy for the next few hours."
"Of course," he said before turning to leave.
