Chapter 353: The Archean Connection
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Chapter 353: The Archean Connection
The Archean Connection
While the masquerade had not exactly been a night of leisure and pleasure, nor had Martel's fears of fighting or fleeing come true. He felt pessimistic about the odds of actually solving this crime or finding the relic, but in the end, this was not his headache either. He had done what he could; in Martel's mind, he had fulfilled the terms of his agreement with the Friar. Let the old monk and his jester worry.
Focusing on his own matters, Martel went to his Pelday lessons in the Circle of Fire. Training his ability to sense heat had paid off; literally, as his fight in the Chamber of Earth had shown last Pelday. Training with the other acolytes now, he hit almost every spell with unerring accuracy. He almost revelled in the sensation, feeling like an expert marksman. There would be no hiding from his spells. If Martel had been powerful before, he had taken a big step towards truly becoming a battlemage.
His good mood lasted until a message found him.
Martel,
Please meet me in the tavern
across the square during sixth bell.
The Keeper must have found something. Martel was tempted to ignore the message, but he still felt a little obligated to see this through. Plus, if they did find the relic, Martel had been promised a chance to study it. Worth going to the tavern, at least, and seeing what the Keeper wanted.
***
As the young mage stepped inside the drinking hole, his eyes quickly glanced over the many patrons to find his acquaintance. He almost did not believe his own eyes as he recognised a young woman with red lips, sitting casually at a table with two mugs in front of her.
As she made no attempt to hide herself, Martel figured she wanted him to approach her. He realised why the note had not been signed. Crossing the room, he stopped in front of her. "What, did I forget my gloves in your chamber?"
The corner of her mouth tugged upwards. "Have a seat. We've got something to discuss."
Martel disliked doing what she wanted, but his curiosity proved stronger. He sat down and pulled the extra cup of ale towards him. "Which is?"
Martel was a little surprised she knew to distinguish between the schools of magic. "No. Archean."
She nodded a little. "That's rare. Finding a northern bard to scribble some scratches isn't hard if you got money. But Archean magic, you need more than coin. You need the right connections."
"To what?"
"Trading in such artefacts is costly, difficult, and carries an element of risk. Not many in Morcaster who do. Fortunately for you, as the righthand woman of a Ninth Lord, I know such a fellow."
"And you can introduce me?" Martel asked.
"More like, I'll bring you along when we ask the guy if anyone's traded Archean magic."
He spent a moment to consider her proposal. Despite his misgivings about the nature of her assistance, he knew he needed help if his investigation was to progress.
"If you're wondering about the Keeper, feel free to discuss this with him. But as a free reeve, without the backing of a Ninth Lord, don't expect him to have the sway needed to arrange such a meeting. You need me for that."
"According to you, that is." Despite his retort, her words made sense. If the Keeper knew about this trader in artefacts, he would have brought it up as an obvious lead to investigate. "When can we do this?"
"I'll ask for a meeting. Probably tomorrow or the day after." Ruby gave a sly smile. "This'll be fun."
Martel did not reply other than to finish his cup. Setting it down, he dug out some copper coins.
"No need to pay. We'll consider it my treat," she suggested, still with that smile.
"No thanks." Martel was not going to be indebted to her if he could avoid it. He got up and walked out, leaving three pennies on the table.
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Chapter 353: The Archean Connection
The Archean Connection
While the masquerade had not exactly been a night of leisure and pleasure, nor had Martel's fears of fighting or fleeing come true. He felt pessimistic about the odds of actually solving this crime or finding the relic, but in the end, this was not his headache either. He had done what he could; in Martel's mind, he had fulfilled the terms of his agreement with the Friar. Let the old monk and his jester worry.
Focusing on his own matters, Martel went to his Pelday lessons in the Circle of Fire. Training his ability to sense heat had paid off; literally, as his fight in the Chamber of Earth had shown last Pelday. Training with the other acolytes now, he hit almost every spell with unerring accuracy. He almost revelled in the sensation, feeling like an expert marksman. There would be no hiding from his spells. If Martel had been powerful before, he had taken a big step towards truly becoming a battlemage.
His good mood lasted until a message found him.
Martel,
Please meet me in the tavern
across the square during sixth bell.
The Keeper must have found something. Martel was tempted to ignore the message, but he still felt a little obligated to see this through. Plus, if they did find the relic, Martel had been promised a chance to study it. Worth going to the tavern, at least, and seeing what the Keeper wanted.
***
As the young mage stepped inside the drinking hole, his eyes quickly glanced over the many patrons to find his acquaintance. He almost did not believe his own eyes as he recognised a young woman with red lips, sitting casually at a table with two mugs in front of her.
As she made no attempt to hide herself, Martel figured she wanted him to approach her. He realised why the note had not been signed. Crossing the room, he stopped in front of her. "What, did I forget my gloves in your chamber?"
The corner of her mouth tugged upwards. "Have a seat. We've got something to discuss."
Martel disliked doing what she wanted, but his curiosity proved stronger. He sat down and pulled the extra cup of ale towards him. "Which is?"
Martel was a little surprised she knew to distinguish between the schools of magic. "No. Archean."
She nodded a little. "That's rare. Finding a northern bard to scribble some scratches isn't hard if you got money. But Archean magic, you need more than coin. You need the right connections."
"To what?"
"Trading in such artefacts is costly, difficult, and carries an element of risk. Not many in Morcaster who do. Fortunately for you, as the righthand woman of a Ninth Lord, I know such a fellow."
"And you can introduce me?" Martel asked.
"More like, I'll bring you along when we ask the guy if anyone's traded Archean magic."
He spent a moment to consider her proposal. Despite his misgivings about the nature of her assistance, he knew he needed help if his investigation was to progress.
"If you're wondering about the Keeper, feel free to discuss this with him. But as a free reeve, without the backing of a Ninth Lord, don't expect him to have the sway needed to arrange such a meeting. You need me for that."
"According to you, that is." Despite his retort, her words made sense. If the Keeper knew about this trader in artefacts, he would have brought it up as an obvious lead to investigate. "When can we do this?"
"I'll ask for a meeting. Probably tomorrow or the day after." Ruby gave a sly smile. "This'll be fun."
Martel did not reply other than to finish his cup. Setting it down, he dug out some copper coins.
"No need to pay. We'll consider it my treat," she suggested, still with that smile.
"No thanks." Martel was not going to be indebted to her if he could avoid it. He got up and walked out, leaving three pennies on the table.
Chapter 353: The Archean ConnectionThe Archean ConnectionWhile the masquerade had not exactly been a night of leisure and pleasure, nor had Martel's fears of fighting or fleeing come true. He felt pessimistic about the odds of actually solving this crime or finding the relic, but in the end, this was not his headache either. He had done what he could; in Martel's mind, he had fulfilled the terms of his agreement with the Friar. Let the old monk and his jester worry.Focusing on his own matters, Martel went to his Pelday lessons in the Circle of Fire. Training his ability to sense heat had paid off; literally, as his fight in the Chamber of Earth had shown last Pelday. Training with the other acolytes now, he hit almost every spell with unerring accuracy. He almost revelled in the sensation, feeling like an expert marksman. There would be no hiding from his spells. If Martel had been powerful before, he had taken a big step towards truly becoming a battlemage.His good mood lasted until a message found him.Martel,Please meet me in the tavernacross the square during sixth bell.The Keeper must have found something. Martel was tempted to ignore the message, but he still felt a little obligated to see this through. Plus, if they did find the relic, Martel had been promised a chance to study it. Worth going to the tavern, at least, and seeing what the Keeper wanted.***As the young mage stepped inside the drinking hole, his eyes quickly glanced over the many patrons to find his acquaintance. He almost did not believe his own eyes as he recognised a young woman with red lips, sitting casually at a table with two mugs in front of her.As she made no attempt to hide herself, Martel figured she wanted him to approach her. He realised why the note had not been signed. Crossing the room, he stopped in front of her. "What, did I forget my gloves in your chamber?"The corner of her mouth tugged upwards. "Have a seat. We've got something to discuss."Martel disliked doing what she wanted, but his curiosity proved stronger. He sat down and pulled the extra cup of ale towards him. "Which is?"Martel was a little surprised she knew to distinguish between the schools of magic. "No. Archean."She nodded a little. "That's rare. Finding a northern bard to scribble some scratches isn't hard if you got money. But Archean magic, you need more than coin. You need the right connections.""To what?""Trading in such artefacts is costly, difficult, and carries an element of risk. Not many in Morcaster who do. Fortunately for you, as the righthand woman of a Ninth Lord, I know such a fellow.""And you can introduce me?" Martel asked."More like, I'll bring you along when we ask the guy if anyone's traded Archean magic."He spent a moment to consider her proposal. Despite his misgivings about the nature of her assistance, he knew he needed help if his investigation was to progress."If you're wondering about the Keeper, feel free to discuss this with him. But as a free reeve, without the backing of a Ninth Lord, don't expect him to have the sway needed to arrange such a meeting. You need me for that.""According to you, that is." Despite his retort, her words made sense. If the Keeper knew about this trader in artefacts, he would have brought it up as an obvious lead to investigate. "When can we do this?""I'll ask for a meeting. Probably tomorrow or the day after." Ruby gave a sly smile. "This'll be fun."Martel did not reply other than to finish his cup. Setting it down, he dug out some copper coins."No need to pay. We'll consider it my treat," she suggested, still with that smile."No thanks." Martel was not going to be indebted to her if he could avoid it. He got up and walked out, leaving three pennies on the table.
