The Emissary Bard (World Of Chains Book 3)

by Lars M.

  His words were accompanied by two quest updates:

  Quest updated:

  A Pool Of Knowledge

  Gain access to one of the Chronicler Repositories in order to take advantage of the gathered lore and knowledge.

  Required: Chronicler skill level 10

  Updated: Chronicler Jorantyr will provide you with the test you need to pass to gain access

  Reward:

  +1 to Chronicler skill.

  New quest: "A Lake of Knowledge"

  Quest updated:

  Choose Your Poison

  You have been granted the possibility to attempt to obtain a Probationary Citizenship to High Hold.

  You will need to choose whether you attempt to become a Probationary Citizen by earning your keep as a warrior, scholar, or craftsman. Apply at the place you select.

  Updated: You will need to prove your worth to the Academy of High Hold if you are to be granted access to the school. Go to the indicated classroom and take their test.

  Reward:

  200 experience points.

  Carth walked in the direction he'd indicated. Lyle and I lagged behind and I voiced my thoughts out loud. "You know, thinking this through, I'm not sure this is going to go over well. What I know about Aeion... well, it's pretty limited."

  Lyle shot me a nervous smile. "You could say the same for me, Arcangelo. It's not like I've spent too much time outside the village, and our library is... well, it isn't."

  I shrugged. "Allright, if we fail, let's do it in style." I patted his shoulder.

  Carth stopped before us and indicated the dull, glowing rectangle on the wall. "Go right ahead. I'll be at my desk. You can bring me the completed test, once you've finished."

  I frowned. "But... we're both going in there. Don't you guys worry about cheaters?"

  His wide smile was infectious. "That's not an issue. Go ahead; you'll see why."

  We entered as bidden, finding ourselves within what could only possibly be called a classroom. A lectern and table at one end stared down on twenty-something chairs and matching tiny tables. Each table had a set of papers resting on it, along with a set of quill and ink. Huh - so, they hadn't quite made it to pencils yet; more's the pity. Confused, I looked at Lyle. "How does this prevent cheating?"

  He shrugged. Eloquent as always. "No use wasting time, I guess." Sitting down, he glanced at the page in front of him. Then he frowned. Read a bit more. "What the Pits?" Turning to the next page, he bowed back down and then laughed. "Oh. I get it." He waved towards a chair next to him. "Get to it. You'll see what I mean."

  I flopped down next to Lyle and picked up the first piece of paper. The first couple of sections were for filling in the blanks.

  Name:

  Profession:

  Crafter profession:

  Titles:

  The title bit was a bit weird, but I filled in everything. The next part was straightforward too.

  Skills at Apprentice level or above:

  Spells at Apprentice level or above.

  I listed everything, wondering when the actual test would start. The next paragraph made no sense, however.

  Describe a real situation which has greatly inspired you or taught you something important.

  What? I read the next sentences, then leafed through the next pieces of paper.

  You stumble upon a fellow student leafing through your belongings. How do you act?

  What is your greatest dream?

  What do you intend to gain from studying at the Academy?

  Oh. The penny dropped. "It's a personality test. Well, mixed with things they want to know about us."

  Lyle grinned. "I guess they aren't too picky about students out here in the middle of the forest. Heh. This is my kind of test. No wrong answers."

  I doubted he was right - odds were that they looked for certain character traits they liked and disliked. Also, there might be some sort of minimum level of knowledge required to enter. Even so... a grin spread on my face. "Well, this beats having to answer twenty questions about the history of Aeion with 'I don't know.'"

  Two hours later, I cracked my back and got up. Lyle, finger pressed to his cheek while he was fully focused on the page, waved at me with the other hand. "Be with you in a bit. Just gotta..." his voice drifted off.

  I grabbed my papers and went outside to the hallway, where I spent a while just relaxing and gawking. In the afternoon, the halls were busier, and I noted a few things that I hadn't seen earlier. Everybody had one of these Academy keys, for instance. The stones on the necklaces came in a lot of different colors and hues - but so did the necklaces themselves. I spotted bronze and silver necklaces around the place. Some kind of honors system, perhaps? Or maybe it was just aesthetic, and the only difference lay in the rooms you could access with your key gem.

  The door clicked and Lyle emerged, massaging his hand. "Not really used to writing this much."

  "Hah - me neither. Let's get going."

  Carth accepted our tests gracefully. "You will have to wait until tomorrow for the results, I'm afraid. I do hope to see more of you going forward."

  I gave him a wide smile and decided to try and get on his good side. "Likewise. Oh. I'm playing tonight at Meline's Perch, if you enjoy the violin."

  "Hah. Bribing me by promising a good time? I like it. I may just come by."

  I stuttered. "No. Wait, that's-"

  His eyes sparkled. "Don't worry. You're not the first bard we've ever had. Also, I do enjoy the violin, but I already have plans for the evening. Now, shoo."

  As we left the place, Lyle and I looked at each other. "Sooo - what do you feel like doing?"

  Lyle shrugged. "I hadn't really expected to have any spare time, but... explore a bit?"

  "Great idea. Let's see if we can find something we just need to buy as well."

  We strolled off, with no real goal in sight and I considered what I might splurge on. Darya was definitely getting something – but what? She didn’t seem like the type to enjoy jewelry. Perhaps something for her camp? And I needed some kind of souvenir for Gillem’s tavern. Maybe something ridiculous for Naevys, too.

  An hour later, we sat on a derelict bench in the southern district, munching on a sandwich of something that definitely tasted like chicken. Through a mouthful of meat, Lyle spoke, "You know, I kinda like the place. It's dirty and ugly, but people are really nice. That's far from what I had expected. If you were to listen to those back home, they're killers, one and all. A lot of the harpies look to be stuck-up bastards, though. I don't get what that's all about."

  "Heh. Yeah. Strolling about like they own the place, just because... well, they own the place." I gave him a sly smile.

  "You are so silly, you know that, old man?"

  "So I've been told, once or twice. But yeah, it seems to be a thing. Like, they don't mind coming down here to shop or eat, but they just don't want to be seen associating with non-harpies. Unless it's inside the Academy, where everybody's equal. It's a bit schizophrenic, if you ask me." I shrugged.

  "Whatever. I just think they need to stop being jerks to us."

  I smiled. Lyle had a simplicity to him that I really enjoyed. "Agreed. There was a cluster of shops back there; you know, before your stomach started growling. Want to check them out?"

  "Sure. One of them had weapons."

  The clerk shouted as she slammed the door behind us. "And don't waste my time again."

  This cemented the first real disappointment of the day. The store had an extraordinary selection of weapons, and the clerk had been keen enough to show us around. Most of the weapons were completely out of my price range. Still, Lyle became rather enamored of a simple crossbow they carried. "It won't take a lot of agility to handle this, and the maintenance is minimal. It could make a bit of difference when close combat isn't a possibility."

  All was well and good - right until we were going to pay.

  "What in the Pits do you mean, you aren't Citizens? You saw the sign, didn't you? Girel
le help me, I hate wastrels like you. Trying to cheat hard-working, law-abiding Citizens like myself." I tried to interrupt, but she wasn't having any. "Get out. Get out, already!"

  'The sign' in question was a tiny wooden imprint hammered onto the front door, showing a sword set on a backdrop of a pair of wings and a golden circle. Another shopper helped dispense with the mystery. "Oh ya. That's for Citizens only. That's the way they get you. Want the good stuff? Become a Citizen. Want the Wisdom to pay for your equipment? Become a Citizen. Pfah. I'll work for myself, thank you very much." The chubby catfolk huffed on, shaking his head at the door in question.

  "Oh. Well, that was annoying."

  The rest of our trip was one disappointment after the other. Turns out that all the good shops were Citizens only - the remainder carried stock items at inflated prices. That wasn’t all, though. While the city itself might be pretty large - our entire walk lasted five hours, and we cut it short at the end - it was horrible for tourists. Not only was the planning and roadwork convoluted enough that we had to backtrack often, there really wasn't much of interest to look at.

  In the end, I decided to detour outside the city and spend a bit of time with Atlas while trying to explain that he would have to fend for himself in the forest for a bit, while Lyle went back to the tavern. Atlas took it well, but I started a plan on making it up for him with some good eating.

  In the end, it was a grumpy newcomer who pushed open the door to Meline's Perch in the late afternoon.

  "I'll have whatever beer or ale you carry, something to eat, and somebody to complain at," I grumbled at Meline.

  "Oh, sorry love. We're fresh out of understanding." The buxom harpy boomed a laugh. "Let me guess? Did you try to visit Lirinee's restaurant? Or maybe you tried to buy something from a fancy shop. No, wait. You're new to the city - you've been introduced to Morvane!"

  Against my better judgement, my mouth quirked upwards. "Number two and three, actually. We met Morvane yesterday. Today, we decided to go shopping."

  "Sheesh. Yeah, that'll do it. I'd love to help, but there's not much I can do. If it's any consolation, everybody dislikes Morvane, dirt-side or no. As to the other part - well, that's just how the world is." She pointed at a table in the back. "Your friend's back there. He's started in already, but with how skinny you are, you may just catch up to him."

  I took my beer with a smile, joined Lyle, and proceeded to get plastered.

  When Arack returned, we were already in a much better mood and moving from tipsy to outright drunk.

  "Heeey, Arack. Come join us. This stuff is excellent. What was it again, Archie?"

  "Pale ale from Wurthen's Reach. No clue how they're getting them, but it's damn tasty. Pull up a chair and order something."

  Narrowing her eyes, Arack pulled up a chair sideways, allowing her tail to spill backwards. "What's with you guys? Isn't it a bit early?"

  I laughed out loud. "It's never too early for a good ale. Especially once you've discovered that the Wisdom are complete arseholes." We filled her in on the details, and she grimaced in commiseration.

  When I asked about her day, she rested her head on the table. "Urgh. I am so tired. They've made me create every recipe I know from scratch. I've distilled, removed impurities, ablated, calcinated, and other processes I don’t even know what to call. My apron was close to combusting with all the different materials I spilled on it."

  "Wow. That sounds harsh. You could still change to join us?"

  She raised her head, affronted. "Are you insane? I love it. I have access to a range of equipment and materials I couldn't even imagine back in Nerit, and half of it, I don't even know what it's capable of. I'm learning so much. Or. Well, I guess I will, as long as they accept me. I think they were testing my basic skills today."

  We reassured her that they were certain to accept her and finally convinced her to get a beer with us. For Lyle and myself, this became several beers. When Arack bid us goodnight, we were chatting with a couple of humans who wanted to know if we knew how to play Fingers. After that, the evening became a bit blurry.

  Chapter 22 – Highschool Flashbacks

  The morning after started with a hangover. An impressive one, too. I'd forgotten to close the drapes, and now the sun was shining daggers of pain straight into my eyes. A couple of false starts later, I managed to drag myself downstairs to find Lyle in a similar state, and Arack only too happy to inform us how stupid we were for overindulging.

  After ordering something to drink - non-alcoholic, this time - Lyle and I played a game of 'how much do you remember?' and managed to drag most of the evening into light.

  Arack looked at him in amazement. "So, you're telling me you, like, lost all your money?"

  Murmuring with his head in his hands, Lyle looked like he regretted most everything about yesterday. "No. That'd be totally irresponsible. Just... most of it. What? I didn't have that much to begin with."

  "Let's see how I fared." A glance at my inventory was uplifting. "Huh. I managed to almost break even. That's the best I've done so far in Fingers." I'd even gained a point to Gambling. Heh - at some point, this might actually become a lucrative hobby.

  "So, what are you two doing today? Didn't sound like you, like, got much done yesterday."

  "Well, depends on our results, I guess. If we both passed, we'll take a tour of the Academy or something, see what we have to work with. So far, we don't even know what it takes to earn points, or reputation, or whatever. You?"

  "Work!" The gleam in her eyes looked almost fanatic. "In fact, if I leave right now, I can be there a bit before they open. The front guard was a total sweetheart - I'm sure he will let me in early. That way, I'll have the entire day for... well, for whatever they need." Her face fell. "If they accept me, of course. I mean-"

  "Of course they will - now, scram." I nudged her out the door and rubbed my forehead. "Wow. My head hurts too much for that much enthusiasm. Still, she wasn't wrong. Want to get moving, see what the verdict is?"

  A bit later, we were standing before Carth, waiting for the results. I wasn't feeling a lot of trepidation, most likely due to how weary I felt. Still, when he turned towards us and said "Congratulations. You've both passed," a weight lifted from my shoulders. I was still in the game!

  Congratulations. You have completed the quest:

  Choose Your Poison

  You have passed the entry exam and been allowed entry as a student in the Academy of High Hold.

  Reward:

  You have received 200 experience points. Experience towards next level 2995/5000

  I punched Lyle in the arm. "Damn, we’re good! Erm… If you don't mind my asking, Carth, what does it take to fail? I mean, it doesn't look like you were really asking for a lot of qualifications."

  He beamed a smile at us. "If you're asking whether it's tough or not? No, not really. We're aware that the average applicant won't join us with a lifetime of studying in their satchel. What we're looking for is harder to define: traits that make you unwanted as a student. A difficult personality. A history of violence. Signs of being a habitual liar." He shrugged, his muscular shoulders straining his simple tunic at the seams. "We have several years’ worth of prior applications to compare with, so we know which signs we're looking for."

  "Ah. Good to know that I'm probably not a psychopath." I laughed. "So, what happens now?"

  "What happens is I get to brush up on the paperwork on my desk, while I foist you two off on those who are going to be charged with your actual initiation and setting you to work. You're free to stop by whenever you need to learn something general or need some official changes made - such as earning a new Academy key." With a smile, he reached below his desk and produced two necklaces. "For you, Lyle. Grants access to the classrooms and cantina here in the central building, as well as the general parts of the Repository. You are to check in with the honored Jake Tanner. He's a bit of a buffoon who goes on and on about his former time on an airship, but he's a great teacher."

&
nbsp; Lyle accepted the blue-tinged necklace with a solemn bow, returning his old one.

  My Academy key was multicolored. "Yours, Arcangelo, grants the same access as his. It also allows entry to the Apprentice Chronicler area on the second floor, as well as access to the bard wing - second building on your right when you leave. Talk to Mrs. Gladestrider." A grimace appeared on his face. "In case she is busy, which is always these days, talk to her assistant instead. I can never remember his name. The slick one."

  We thanked Carth and parted ways. Lyle was eager to start learning... and I had to admit I was keen to get to it myself. At long last, I was going to figure out how things worked - and get started on figuring out how to cheat the system. Well, or work my way to success, if all else failed.

  My official introduction to my esteemed bard colleagues of the Academy of High Hold was an informal one. It also involved a lot of shouting. Not mine, though. Staring at the closed door in front of me, I wondered whether I should knock or not. I was definitely not listening in. No siree.

  A shrill, nasal female voice pierced the silence again. "I do not care how you do it, Benjamin. You will find the time, juggle whatever schedules you need. The announcements are your responsibility. I made that clear when I accepted you as a temporary assistant, did I not?"

  The second voice was harder to hear, but the tone of voice came through clearly. Melodious and reasonable. Also, whoever it belonged to was clearly losing the argument. The decision was made for me as the door was flung open, leaving me to stare up at the flushed face of an incensed elf, as my presence interrupted her diatribe. "...again, it is no request. It... What do you want?"

  I blanched at her glare, but didn't back down. "I... the receptionist, Carth, told me to report to you. Mrs. Gladestrider, correct? I'm new to the Academy."