Rene opened his mouth to respond.
“Unless they don’t know. Which means your kidnapping was based on your family. Your name is rather unique, Rene. Rene from Laetus. None of the noble families have a Rene that’s been announced. Rene. Rene. Rene. Rene of Laetus.”
Sweet, sweet, sweet the sound of our name upon her lips.
Perhaps we can have Alana do the same?
“Wait,” Odelia said suddenly, her head snapping around to look at him. “Anatolis? The son of Clement?”
Frowning, Rene barely stopped his hand from traveling to the back of his head.
“Yes. Rene Anatolis. Your family has more money than… well, even more than anyone in the city of Laetus. More than all the families of this city put together,” Odelia deduced, clapping her hands together.
“Oh, this is perfect. My hero and savior is wealthier than I,” Odelia said, then turned from him, muttering to herself. He missed most of what she said but caught something about fate and a donation.
“Yes. I’m Rene Anatolis. Son of Clement. Yes, I’m staying here because it’s safe. So far. I blend in pretty well, so I doubt I’ll be recognized. Do you know who kidnapped us?” Rene asked.
“No. My father is working on it, but no,” Odelia said, leaning back on the bench. She smiled at him again, though a touch sadly. “Not that we ha—never mind. It’s a moot point.
“I need to leave, I’m afraid, but I’ll be around to collect you tomorrow morning. I’ll wait right here for you. I rarely use my membership since father owns a copy of most books. That or he buys them as I ask about them.”
Nodding her head, she stood up and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Until tomorrow then, Rene.”
Patting him lightly, she turned and walked off.
Heads and eyes followed her as she went, both young and old men alike.
Rene turned back to the library and thought to himself. He had quite a few hours to kill before the library was closed and he still had some things he’d wanted to do.
Let’s figure out a test, leave for tomorrow the rest.
Agreeing, Rene set out to find an item. An item that would help him gauge the true extent of his abilities. It was one thing he knew he had absolutely no talent in.
Music.
After spending far too much of the coin he’d earned on today’s catch, Rene sat back down on the same bench he’d left earlier. He propped the guitar on one knee and leaned forward over the instrument.
It looked like every acoustic guitar he’d ever seen back in his home world, minus the decorations this one had and some very obvious “hand-made” qualities.
The shop owner had tuned it for him and sold him a tuning fork as well.
That and a single sheet of paper with six lines and dots to represent where to put his fingers for chords.
He had the distinct impression that a tuning fork hadn’t been as readily available during a similar period in his own home world. Some technology was clearly leapfrogging others, and vice versa.
Using his thumb, he brushed it lightly over the six strings. The bright sound surprised him. He’d never been around a guitar for longer than a few moments.
Music had never been part of his existence.
Your skill in Music has increased (1)
Your skill in Guitar has increased (1)
Oh. That was nice.
Rene couldn’t help but agree.
Cautiously, he began plucking the strings individually. Listening to each one until it faded completely.
He hesitantly tried strumming all the strings again. The vibrancy of the notes struck him on an almost physical level.
Your skill in Guitar has increased (2)
Invigorated, Rene began to pluck and strum. He and his Monster lost themselves in the guitar.
Sometime later, Rene managed to break himself free from what had almost felt like a trance.
Hanging in the air was the last chord he’d strummed. Slowly, it faded into the nothing it’d been born from.
Your skill in Guitar has increased (31)
You’ve gained a point of Agility (19)
Your skill in Music has increased (11)
Congratulations, you’ve achieved Journeyman status in Guitar.
Rene leaned back from the guitar and blinked a few times. He didn’t feel like he could understand music any better, but the guitar was different.
Suddenly, it felt more like it fit on his knee and against his chest. Like a firearm he’d practiced with for a while. Taken to the range and used until he had to replace the barrel.
Or a knife he’d used on several hits.
It didn’t feel awkward anymore, but correct.
With this one simple test, he was fairly confident his newfound skill was beyond powerful.
Looking around, he found it was almost time to meet Alana for the evening. No one was around him in the immediate area, so he bent low on the bench as if packing something away.
He pushed the guitar into the inventory window, and it vanished into thin air. He’d have to be careful going forward; it really wouldn’t do to reveal his abilities.
They might think him a warlock.
Or worse.
From deeper inside his head, he felt the Monster stir and then settle back down. Apparently, it was content to do nothing at all after their first music session.
Letting out a slow breath, he stood up and made his way over to the library. With any luck, he could be done with the night’s work quickly, read a bit of his book, and go to sleep.
***
The previous night’s work had been uneventful. Alana had barely said two words to him, though she had watched him the entire time.
He was sure she studied every move he made with those big eyes of hers.
She’d dropped off to sleep quickly after work, claiming she had to go interview for the university early in the morning. Rather than reading, as he had originally intended, Rene had turned in for a full night of sleep as well.
When he woke up completely refreshed and feeling good, he knew he’d made the right choice.
Odelia had met him outside that morning, apologized, and then left. She claimed she had to take care of something, but would catch up with him later.
Which left him free of problems and able to carry on as if there had never been an issue.
For the first time since he’d gotten here, things were going his way and he wasn’t being hounded.
Walking along the lane towards the Moons’ workshop, he felt himself smiling.
Though we didn’t stop to play the guitar, we now have a much greater opportunity.
Let’s play with Lori.
Pulling out their silver from his inventory, he fingered them into his empty coin purse. He was getting lazy with the ease of the inventory screen. He really needed to better plan what he required on his person ahead of time.
Turning up at the rear entry, he slipped into the side alley and went in the back of the workshop.
“No! I don’t want to. I want to play with Rene, not you. You just pretend to play,” complained Lori a little too loudly.
“We don’t know when he’ll be—ah, speak of the man and he appears,” Bill said as Rene stepped into the open.
Inspecting the area, he immediately found Caleb dozing under an overhang near a side wall. Everything else was as it should be and nothing triggered his Monster or his paranoia.
“Yes. I’m here. Success. I have your pay.” By way of explanation, Rene emptied the coin pouch he’d just filled into his hands.
Caleb sat up at the sound of coins rattling.
“Ah! Partner, delighted to see you. I see we were paid. Delightful, delightful.” Caleb stood up and nearly skipped over to Rene to collect his share.
“Beauty. Most I’ve ever made without robbing someone,” Caleb laughed, jiggling his coins.
Bill took his own share without a word, but nodded at Rene.
The silver they received was probably more than they’d make in a we
ek, let alone in a day, without having to deliberately cross some lines. Lines that’d put them on the other side of the law, as Caleb had mentioned.
“Crossbow will be ready by tomorrow. The load wasn’t as strong as it could be. Fixing it,” Bill apologized.
Rene shrugged his shoulders at the man and turned to Caleb.
“Need a new target, Caleb. Anything that seems like a one-day job?”
“Hmmm? Well, there’s a couple, actually. One’s hiding in some rich bastard’s house. It’s well known, but no one is willing to go in there. Then there’s a guild member on the list.
“Worth a hefty chunk of coin, but he hasn’t left the walls of the guildhall in a month,” Caleb summed up, holding up one then two fingers as he spoke.
Rene grunted and thought about it. Sneaking into a rich person’s house was more his style than trying to break into a guarded guild house.
That and we could always peruse and plunder. Take some gold and a few jewels out from under.
“Who’s the one hiding in a mansion?” Rene asked, making his decision.
“Alistar Junk. Junkie? Junker. Something. Four gold for him. Apparently, he killed a prostitute who laughed at him for having, well, small junk. Little Junk was a little junky,” Caleb deadpanned.
Rene looked at Bill, who frowned.
“No more jokes like that around Lori,” Bill said, voicing their shared opinion as he turned back to Caleb.
“Fine. Ingrates. Wouldn’t know comedy if—anyway. He’s hiding in his uncle’s house. I figure you can slip in and out easily enough. No inside information, though. All of the employees are paid beyond well to keep their silence,” Caleb complained.
“It’s because the uncle has tastes that aren’t… accepted. The city isn’t kind to those who stand out, one way or another.
“Hello, Rene! Oh, you’re a cutie,” Odelia said cheerfully, stepping past Rene and straight to Lori.
She had dressed herself in a full cloak, her clothing all muted browns and greens. She blended in with the common folk, and had hidden her face under the hood.
“Hi, I’m Odelia,” she said, dropping the hood and then holding her hand out to Lori.
“I’m Lori. You’re really pretty. Are you Rene’s girlfriend?” Lori asked, staring at the dark-haired beauty as she shook her hand.
“He’s my hero. He rescued me from a dungeon. From the hands of nasty brutes who wanted to hurt me. He set me free and tried to escape without ever giving me his name. Now I’m following him around to learn more about him.” Odelia said it with a straight face, letting go of the little girl’s hand.
Lori squealed and clapped her hands together happily at that statement.
“I’m uh, I’m Caleb,” Caleb eloquently muttered.
“I heard. And you are…?” Odelia asked, her green eyes turning to Bill.
“William Moon, Miss Delacroix. Most call me Bill.” Rene noted the fact that Bill actually knew who she was. Maybe he should take some time to quiz him on it.
“Ah, no, no, none of that. Odelia. O-Deal-E-Uh. Now…” Odelia popped up from her squatting position and glided up to Rene.
“I made this so you can keep doing what you’re doing without being recognized. Can’t keep hunting without someone eventually realizing who you are,” Odelia murmured, leaning in close to him.
From somewhere he couldn’t identify, she pulled out a black hood. Slits for eyes had been removed and then the edges carefully sewn so they wouldn’t unravel.
“Your hair is a mess. If it’s not flat, the hood won’t fit right,” Odelia complained, stepping in front of him to the point that she was on his toes. Then she flattened his hair with her left hand.
Her eyebrows pressed together, and her right hand pulled on his collar. Frowning, he hunched forward and let her do as she wished.
Oddly enough, Rene felt his mouth start to dry up. His pulse picked up a little bit with how close she was.
Bite her. Taste her flesh.
Pursing her lips, she nodded to herself and then pulled the dark hood over his head.
She tapped the underside of his chin with her finger and then waited. As if trained to do so, Rene lifted his chin, unable to see anything yet due to the hood’s position.
Fingers delicately pulled on the fabric until the holes matched his eyes. A few more light tugs and Odelia was leaning in close again.
“Good, it fits well. Should also muffle your voice. Now, I believe I can get an audience with Master Junk. I’m not sure when today, since I’ll need to send messages over first. He owes my father a few books that were already purchased from him. I can play it off as a social call. Those happen often, regardless of relations.”
Odelia pursed her lips nearly in a pout as she considered him gravely.
“It’ll give you a chance to move about a bit more freely. The guards tend to gravitate to where their master is. Other than that, all I can do is draw you a map. I’m afraid I’ve no experience in this field, but it’s exciting,” Odelia finished. Grabbing his chin in thumb and forefinger, she turned his head one way and then the other.
You are now anonymous.
We have a new partner?
“You can keep my cut of whatever he’s worth. My payment is that I’m included in this going forward.” Odelia smiled at him in a way that made Rene’s eye twitch.
We have a new partner.
Chapter 9
Rene sighed and shifted his weight around. He was perched up on top of the Junk mansion. Or more specifically, wedged into an overhang of the roof that put him in shadow and hid him from view. His view was that of the front courtyard and entrance.
Odelia had said there wouldn’t be a time frame on it, so he’d decided to set up as soon as she left.
He’d already taken the time to do a search of the grounds and the outside of the house. There’d been a few guards, but nothing he couldn’t slip by.
He had no doubt the men hired to protect the mansion were trained, but they were nothing compared to what Rene was.
Or even what Rene had been used to in his previous life.
Two minutes into waiting and he was bored. In his eighteen years of a normal life, he’d gotten used to simply being with his family. Talking, socializing, and going on activities with them. Even sitting in his father’s library and discussing finances and literature with him.
Popping open his inventory window, he selected The Elemental Way and pulled it free.
When he flipped to the place he’d left off at, he found he’d progressed into a new section. The manual was thin, so he hadn’t expected the first part to last too long.
The writing style changed drastically in this piece. Almost as if it had been written by someone entirely different. Flipping forward a few pages, he noted there were five subsections.
Each had a single word at the start denoting the name of the section.
“Metal, water, air, fire, earth,” Rene murmured.
Shouldn’t metal be part of earth? Next we’ll start studying the four humors. We clearly have far too much black bile.
Oh, or maybe astronomy? Perhaps unite the stars of destiny and drive back the evil one when prophecy ordains.
Or alchemy! We should start converting lead into gold.
“Quiet. This isn’t uncommon in martial arts. You know that,” Rene grumbled.
Moving back to where he’d left off, Rene began to work through the complicated diagrams and notations. He lost himself in the words and trying to figure them out.
At the sound of a carriage, Rene looked up from the diagram he’d been working through, and spotted it heading his way.
Letting his eyes fall back to the manual, he realized his time was up.
Many of the movements and positions described felt similar to things he’d discovered or been taught during his career.
There were, of course, differences here and there, but nothing that would hinder him from being able to put what he’d learned into practice.
He’d
given each of the five sections a cursory read to get the gist of it and then returned to the start for a detailed inspection.
In his deep dive through one section, he felt like he’d definitely made progress.
Between the tiny scrawled notes next to the diagrams, and actually going through the exercises in his head and referencing them to his training, he’d managed to rack up a number of increases. Aligning his general experience with the example to figure out how it would work.
The knowledge he’d gained felt strange to him, however.
There were insights into the movements he hadn’t made directly and knowledge of certain body mechanics in the moves—how they should feel when he executed the instruction correctly.
He’d never done any of these, which meant this knowledge had been gleaned from whatever source had given him these gifts. That they were granted in a way which had nothing to do with him figuring it out himself.
It was very strange.
Realizing he was running out of time, he tried to conceptualize the current diagram and motion described in his head. If he could just finish the thought, he was almost certain he’d gain something. He’d felt like he was on to something.
Your skill in The Elemental Way has increased (19)
Ah, there.
Putting the manual back into his inventory, Rene eased himself into a more mobile position.
The carriage had stopped in front of the mansion. A coachman opened the door, and Odelia stepped out lightly. Gone were the browns and greens; instead she wore a full dress of cobalt blue.
Her black hair had been lightly pulled up behind her head, and she looked every inch a noble woman.
Gone was the bright, warm young woman who got too close and smelled of flowers.
Her sense of disguise is better than ours; think she could advise us in her powers?
Tilting his head, Rene watched the woman who seemed so very much unlike herself.
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