by Brian Keller
He had completed his calculations for Master Darius’ class and had turned them in for evaluation yesterday. Today he submitted his entire packet of plans and calculations. Master Darius looked over them in a cursory manner and set them off to the side, “I’ll go through your figures thoroughly later today. You’re sure they’re ready? These will be part of your grade…?” Master Darius raised an eyebrow. Cooper nodded, “I incorporated the formulae that you told me, and reasoned through the rest; but I’ve shown all my work so you could see how I got the results. Assuming the figures I turned over to you yesterday are correct, I’m satisfied with the rest of it.” Master Darius nodded, “It sounds like things should be in order then. I’ll have your results ready for you in the morning.” Cooper spent the remainder of the class period refining some of the trap diagrams for Master Darius.
Etiquette class gave him another opportunity to work with his sellsword from Kalistos persona. Mister Ysel spoke with Cooper about further development, “Think about some specific features. Hair color? Facial hair? Scars? Making those decisions early gives you more time to get comfortable wearing the persona.” Cooper had given it some consideration earlier and wanted to discuss it. “Sir, I’d like to keep things simple and basic. I think this persona could become durable, rather than disposable. Maybe hair color. That would be semi-permanent and wouldn’t fall apart when I spar or fight for real.” Mister Ysel was nodding, “That makes sense. Perhaps cut in some distinctive hairstyle as well. You do realize that your eyes are almost unique, right? Anywhere you employ a persona risks increasing your exposure if you’re ever there out of costume.” Cooper agreed, “But there’s nothing to be done about that, sir. Depending on how things go, I intend to keep myself as anonymous as possible; but where I’ll need your help is with a name. Would you help? I don’t know anything about how people in Kalistos come up with names”. Mister Ysel smiled, “That’s easy enough. A strong common name is what you’re looking for, something like ‘Salder Varen”.” Cooper seized on it immediately, “Perfect.”. Fortunately, it’s always easy to work a sellsword into a scenario; Salder Varen could either have an actual role in the story, or he’d be a guard. This would give him plenty of opportunity to practice.
The pace of his day increased again once he passed the threshold into Miss Camilla’s classroom. There were many people in the room, certainly more than he’d ever seen before. They were circled around Miss Camilla, observing as she worked. There were two other worktables pushed up against hers and four other people were working right alongside her. As Cooper and his peers entered the room and went to their workstations, Miss Camilla glanced up. She looked around the room at all the people gathered and called out, “Excuse me everyone, this is a classroom. If you are not a student, or actively assisting me, I must insist that you leave.” She then stood and turned to the chalkboard behind her and wrote a list of instructions. As she wrote, the onlookers, who had to be Masters themselves, or Adepts at the least, found their way out the door. Perhaps the men and women realized that they would be nothing but a distraction in the classroom, or maybe they were merely respecting Miss Camilla’s instructions. In either case, the amount of deference afforded to Miss Camilla, as an Adept, still impressed Cooper.
The instructions on the board weren’t that different from the usual assignments. These were focused on very precise measurements intended to ensure results could be replicated with a high degree of reliability. Once she’d finished writing the set of instructions, Miss Camilla turned to face the class, “Today will be an exercise in precision and repetition. Please follow the instructions on the board.” Each student was to prepare a specific mixture, then add a precise amount of reagent. Once completed, students were to come to the front and receive their next ingredient and instructions. It took most of the students longer than half of the class period to satisfy the first portion of the assignment. As students approached the front, each of them was given an ingredient different from the others. Obviously they were all working on the mixtures that Miss Camilla needed for studying the poison. Cooper was glad that he was still involved. It helped soothe the fact that he hadn’t been the one to kill Egil. He took satisfaction in knowing the role he played, but he’d wanted to be the one.
As class ended Miss Camilla stood and walked towards the door to the hall. As she walked, she looked over at Cooper, “I’m walking with you to your next class. Apparently I owe Skran an explanation. In all honesty, a few minutes away and a brief visit to the dining hall will do me good.” Cooper saw she had something close to a grin on her face. He had assumed that she’d not left her table since Felis and he brought her the poison. Her manner seemed to confirm the suspicion.
They walked in silence, Miss Camilla offering no conversation and Cooper not wanting to interrupt her thoughts. As they arrived at the Training Room, Mister Skran saw them immediately and approached. Miss Camilla cleared her throat and waited until he was near before she spoke, “There has been an increase in violent deaths in Batter’s Field and the Waterfront. The victims were mostly our people, and we didn’t kill them nor did we sanction the murders. A new poison, previously unknown to us, was involved; that’s when I was brought in. A few days ago, during his Stealth Training, Cooper stumbled upon the killer, or at least one killer. Last night Cooper went out with Felis to kill the murderer and recover some of the poison so I can study it further. Now that’s done and I have work to do; so if you’ll excuse me…?” Miss Camilla didn’t wait for any reply or questions. She simply turned and walked away. Mister Skran didn’t appear to have anything to add, he simply nodded. He then directed his attention to Cooper, “Well? What are you waiting for? Go stretch and warm up. Class begins in a few minutes.”
Another unexpected change was to discover that Birt had been paired with Kolrem and Rukle had been instructed to pair with Cooper. Cooper had no problem with Rukle as a sparring partner but he couldn’t understand the reasoning behind pairing Kolrem and Birt. He asked Rukle, who replied in a matter-of-fact tone, “Birt Manifested early last night. You didn’t know?” Cooper shook his head, perhaps he should’ve known but there had been a few other things going on. He brought his attention back to class, and sparring with Rukle.
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Camilla needed some time away from the lab to clear her head. She felt like she was getting too narrowly focused on the procedures and she needed to maintain her view of the overall picture. Determining how the poison was made and what had been done to make it so versatile. Now that she had such a large quantity available for study, a new set of challenges awaited. The flasks that Felis and Cooper provided contained a similar Talgrit Root compound, but this was a powder, crushed into a very fine dust. Made to be inhaled. A poison that anyone could use – no need for a trained assassin, just a skilled chemist to make the poison. The process itself had to be complex, with exacting conditions and procedures; to ensure the chemist himself wouldn’t be poisoned during production…. unless the recipe was simple, then anyone could be hired to mix it and bottle it, as long as the employer didn’t care whether the person doing the mixing died from the exposure...? Those were the questions she was asking now. Taking the samples, breaking them down into components to determine how it was originally put together. But beyond that, there were other questions that overshadowed the entire process, and if she had those answers, then the ones she was asking now would be moot… Who invented and developed it? And what are their goals?
After having cleared the air with Skran and a detour to the dining hall, she felt refreshed and ready to resume her work. On her return, one of her assistants seemed a little dazed. Whether from exposure to the poison or from lack of sleep, Camilla sent the young woman to the greenhouse to tend some of the plants. She gave further instructions, “Work in there for at least an hour, even if you feel clear-headed before an hour has passed. After that, return to your room for a nap. Don’t come back in here until after dinner.” Camilla suspected that it would be a long night.
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Dinner was excellent, as always. While he ate, Cooper took a moment to reflect. Now that he no longer needed to find and follow Egil at night, he began to wonder if he’d still enjoy conducting patrols with Evan and Rukle. Felis had mentioned he doubted that Egil was the only person assigned to carry out poisonings. Cooper hoped Felis was mistaken, but patrolling might give them a chance to identify any other poisoners.
Being jostled as Kolrem sat beside him brought him out of his reverie. Kolrem usually started right in on his meals without conversation but today he had something on his mind. Kolrem didn’t look up from his plate when he asked, “Hey, ah, Cooper, how did you answer question number ninety-eight? On the written test?” Cooper was pretty sure he knew the one Kolrem meant, but he still asked, “What was the question?” Kolrem had already taken a bite, so he took a moment to chew and swallow before replying, “It was the question about whether we believed that some people deserved to die.” Cooper had guessed right, “Well, I certainly believe that there are some people the world would be better off without, but if you’re asking me to actually recite my original answer, I’ll have to give it some thought.” Kolrem shook his head, “No need for that. That’s pretty much what I thought you’d say. I just wondered. I almost ran out of time trying to figure out how to answer that question.” Cooper wasn’t sure how to react to that, but he remembered what Master Loril had said about those final personal opinion questions, “Those opinions are more important than any actual answers. Your opinions describe how you see the world, and often defines your place in it.”
Instead, Cooper spoke on a different topic, “How are you adjusting to having Manifested?” Kolrem chuckled, “Better than Birt, at the moment. But I have a couple more weeks practice than he does. I can access it whenever I want and can hold it until I get distracted. Unfortunately, it still often requires more concentration than I can manage. Mister Skran tells me, like everything else, it’ll improve with practice. The problem is that right now, it’s like grasping the wind. I can feel it on my hand, but I can’t hold it.” Cooper knew that Kolrem had an affinity for air, so his description seemed fitting. He had to consider how much he could say. He knew what Master Worthan had taught him, but how could he explain what he knew? He thought about it for a moment before he replied, “Your primary affinity is Air, right? But you’re talking about it as if you’re drawing from outside. Doesn’t Talent come from within? Instead of trying to “catch it”, shouldn’t you already have it? In order for you to use it, maybe you have to let it go through you rather than trying to hold it…?” Kolrem stopped chewing for a moment, then swallowed before replying, “Y’know, in a way, that’s close to what Mister Skran has been saying but how he explains it is different. I’ll keep that in mind. It might actually help.”
Evan came into the dining hall and approached them. He didn’t sit. Before speaking he glanced around the room, “I had thought about trying to find you earlier but with all the stories and rumors this was the only place I felt certain you’d be.” He turned to Kolrem, “You’re Kolrem. I don’t think we’ve been introduced. I’m Evan. Cooper can explain. Anyway, Master Brais wanted me to let you know that you’re all back on normal class schedule again. Tell Rukle if you see him, and I’ll do the same. I’d rather he hear it twice than not at all.” As Evan left the dining hall Kolrem turned his head to Cooper, “Ok, who’s Evan?” Cooper replied while balancing a bite of dinner on his fork, “One of my roommates, and Master Brais’ assistant.” Evidently that was enough, Kolrem nodded and returned his attention to his food.
Master Brais had prepared another surprise for them. When Cooper and Kolrem entered the classroom, two things were obvious, Evan had found Rukle and the obstacles had been rearranged again. The Trap remained in the center and a few other obstacles were permanent, but otherwise almost everything had changed. All of the High Course obstacles had been lowered. The Low Course was now so filled in, it was almost more substance than space. Once it was apparent that everyone was waiting for him to speak, Master Brais explained the purpose for the adjustments, “By now you’ve all worked on Movement and Stealth. Regrettable that Kolrem has not had the opportunity to venture out into the city, but his recent Manifestation required training in a more controlled environment. Tonight, and for the next couple of weeks, each of you will move to a location far separated from your classmates while I go and douse the lights. Once the room is dark, the hunt begins. There are no teams, it is winner take all. I am participating as well. The value of this exercise will become apparent in the first few minutes. To defeat someone simply grasp them somewhere, a hand on a shoulder, grabbing a handful of their clothing, etc. Once you’ve been grabbed, drop to the ground below the obstacles and make your way to the door. The only way to be disqualified is to fall off the course to the ground. The last person uncaught is the winner. If more than one person remains when class time has ended, then it is considered a draw.
Each of the boys, Evan included, went to different points in the room. Once they were positioned, Master Brais made a large circle, extinguishing lanterns and lamps as he went. Quite soon the entire room was nothing but darkness. Cooper understood immediately, ‘Silence, pure silence, was the purpose of the exercise; however there would be certain strategies involved. It was likely that when someone made a noise, others would flock to that area in order to narrow the hunting ground. It wouldn’t pay to be the first one there. Additionally, one could skirt around the edges of the room and simply wait until most of the competition had whittled themselves down; or go straight up the middle, get on the Trap, draw everyone in and sweep them up.
Over the next few weeks, Cooper tried all these tactics, and often combined them. He was rarely the first one caught, and more often than not he was amongst the last. There was an occasion or two when he’d nearly captured someone who then quickly fled to a different spot. Cooper suspected that person was Master Brais, but it could’ve been Evan. Cooper expected that Master Brais used his affinity for Nature to his advantage in evading capture. In the six weeks of The Hunt, as it had come to be called, no one had captured the instructor. Evan had even begun to ignore opportunities to capture his classmates in order to focus on locating and capturing Master Brais. As a result, Evan had been captured several times by his classmates. Master Brais provided the same advice on each of those occasions, “Devote more attention to your surroundings and less on trying to locate me, and much of your challenges will sort themselves out. Perhaps I should remove myself from the game and thereby remove the temptation? He paused as he considered but almost immediately decided against it, “No, that would not help you. You will always have an objective, in the dark.”
During the next couple of months following the introduction of The Hunt news of killings and disappearances began to trickle through the Guild. If the rumors were to be believed several Adept Assassins had disappeared and were assumed dead. Adept Assassins in the Guild were displaced enough from the students as to be more the stuff of rumor and conjecture anyway so it was always questionable any time there was some new tidbit of information being circulated. With increasing regularity, Cooper would hear students say “Have you heard? We’ve lost another one.” Cooper had overheard a couple of instructors discussing the Guild’s solution, “Almost half of the Master Assassins are now investigating the recent losses. Master Vorni has been fully engaged in managing those efforts.” Cooper had never heard a mention of Master Vorni before. He filed that information away for future reference.
The situation became more personal for everyone with the news of Osrim’s death. He’d recently graduated to Journeyman rank and had been sent out to retrieve a collection of valuables. From what Cooper could glean from scraps of information he learned from his classmates, Osrim had planned well and had no reason to expect anything less than a routine theft. If everything Cooper heard was true, Osrim had made solid preparations in case things went badly. Obviously he hadn’t prepared for the worst, but he had certainly
planned for several contingencies.
It became even more apparent that something was amiss when Thad, the boy that Loryn had been responsible for when he’d first arrived, disappeared. He’d been out delivering a message in the Waterfront and never returned. A visit to the recipient of the message revealed that the message had been delivered and nothing had appeared abnormal.
The Guild Council never issued any kind of official warning, but Cooper heard that after Thad, couriers started being sent out in pairs or even in groups of three. Master Loril began recruiting more assistants from the Journeyman students, to assist with producing the blades that would soon be issued along with each copper tube. Cooper wasn’t yet a Journeyman but if he didn’t have classes starting after breakfast and often going late into the night he’d have volunteered as well.
Cooper was certain he was lacking details but from the pieces he could put together, all the killings and disappearances occurred in districts referred to as the “Coastal Districts”, which were the Waterfront, Batter’s Field, and the Trade Quarter. Though technically, Batter’s Field wasn’t coastal, it was difficult sometimes to tell where the Waterfront ended and Batter’s Field took over. The Dregs was also a “Coastal District”, and once Cooper had heard someone wonder why no incidences had occurred there. Cooper wasn’t really part of that conversation, so he let his answer remain unspoken, “Because no one goes there, unless they truly must.” Still, if Cooper was able to draw these conclusions, he felt confident that the Assassins had already figured that much out and were acting on it. He couldn’t help wondering if there was more that he could do.
Chapter 15
The question of how he might help stayed with Cooper for the next few days. When news of another killing, a Journeyman thief, reached the dining hall during lunch, Cooper knew what he wanted to do but he knew he couldn’t do it alone. Kolrem was seated further down the table. Cooper tried to catch his eye, which would be easier to do if Kolrem ever looked up from his plate. Cooper figured that Rukle would certainly want to participate. Aden likely wouldn’t want anything to do with it, but he could be trusted to keep his mouth closed about it. Birt might want to be included, but it would depend on whether he felt personally invested in Cooper’s idea or not. Cooper decided to wait until he knew whether Kolrem was onboard before he spoke to anyone else. Cooper finished his meal but waited until Kolrem got up from the table, and then waited a minute longer to make sure Kolrem was really finished and not simply going back for more food. Cooper caught up with Kolrem before he could leave the dining hall, “Heya Kolrem, I have something to ask you. If you think it’s a horrible idea, or too risky, just pretend I never asked.” Kolrem grunted, “That’s an interesting way to start a conversation. Now you’ve got to tell me.” Cooper started off by mentioning that he didn’t feel right about all the deaths and not doing anything to help. Once Kolrem acknowledged the thought, Cooper revealed his idea, “If we gathered a few of us together, we could do our own patrols in town after we finished with Master Brais’ class.”, he paused, “I understand if you feel a little uncertain about it. You haven’t had the chance to get out and patrol with Rukle and I. This might be a good chance to catch up.” Kolrem was obviously considering the idea, “I like it, but I wonder just how much trouble we’d get into; especially if someone got hurt or worse.” Cooper was nodding, “I know it. I’ve been thinking about this for a few days. I think with enough of us, we’ll be able to handle the danger. I’m not sure how much trouble we might expect if we’re found out but really, how bad could it be?” Kolrem chuckled, “Isn’t this the part when someone usually says something like, “Famous last words…”?” Cooper merely shrugged, “Well, if you need some time to think abo-” Kolrem interrupted, “Ha! What’s to think about? Osrim was a good guy. I’m in.” Cooper smiled, he might’ve laughed but at the mention of Osrim’s name, the urge disappeared.