A Bright and Shiny Life

Riley agrees to the mutual surrender, but is rather particular about the details of the written element of my stake, though I suppose I'm the same way about his. I don't think either of us is trying to sneak one last one over on the other, but it's rather hard to write a public statement like this that doesn't make both of us seem like asses.

So, after the second redraft, we decide to just postpone it for when we both aren't in dire need of sleep (both from being up so late and the sudden drop in tension). We leave with him promising to talk with everyone he told about me by the end of the week, though he couldn't say when he would be able to find everyone who was at the party. Still, I trust that he'll give it an honest effort.

On my end, we agree it would be best to wait to recant to everyone until the next math class next week, and that we can both apologize verbally to each other at the same time.

He seems tired as he goes, and not just from all this. Like the weariness from today is just enough to reveal a deeper more persistent exhaustion from some hidden trouble. Same as me, I suppose. Well, I don't pay too much attention as I fully intend to succeed in never thinking about him again once our stakes are completed.

The walk with Ser Terry afterwards is nice. Needed even. We just walk along random waterways, talking about little things. Impression of our teachers and fellow students or things like that. Neither of us stray to topics near home, but I still feel like I understand him a little better. He has his own burdens, but he seems capable of fully setting them aside for moments. I think he needs others around him to do so, but those with him have their burdens set aside too.

Contrary to my claims though, the dorm head does know that I didn't do the duel and chastises me for not coming back sooner the next morning. She lets me off with a warning this time, but threatens to make me clean something if I miss curfew again. She doesn't even specify that it'd be something unpleasant such as emptying chamber pots. Presumably, just the act of cleaning anything is meant to be horrific for one raised as nobility as I pretend to be.

Medicine class is the review I expected, but I manage to stay awake until it's over. Anatomy is next, but not for a few hours, so I take a nap in a tree. Anatomy is also a review, but a much harder one, leaving me tired when it's over, so I eat and take another nap. Then it's finally time for Count Vithal's research group.

The group meets in a reserved spot in the academy's central library. (There are a few branch libraries throughout the campuses that are more specialized for what's taught near them.) All told, the academy holds the largest collection of books in the world, which some say is about half of their claim to being the best education in the world. Regardless, they clearly take pride in their collection if the building is any indication. Glossy smooth stone floors tiled in complex tessellations. Perhaps too smooth, as I spot a few people in mundane footwear nearly slip when they go too fast.

The ceiling is covered in art depicting… some sort of story. Trevali, a god of knowledge, seems to make an appearance a few times, though I'm mostly just guessing from the context of the building doubling as one of their temples (though Trevali's knowledge is of a more passive sort, so perhaps it's about one of their siblings). There's one scene that has the likely god interacting with a figure I would guess to be one of the emperors (from the crown) who also shows up a few times. The full story though is impossible to guess at though as any view of the ceiling is largely obstructed by the tall rows of bookshelves.

The shelves are delightful, twisting and turning in a complex maze. Each time I'm here I feel conscious of how exposed I always feel everywhere else in the city. Here I can hide, concealed by darkly stained planks. It reminds me of being home in the Caethlian forests, though made better by the thousands of books allowing me to repose contentedly in their study.

I force myself past them and to the far recesses of the library to a room where I'm told to find the group. I came a bit early on purpose, but am still surprised that only one person is here.

"Hey, is this Count Vithal's research group?" I ask as I walk through the open door.

"Hrm? Oh, yeah," the figure, a boy a few years older than me with floppy hair and a patch over his right eye, says. "Are you a new member?"

"Yeah, I was just invited by the count a few days ago."

"I see…" he says, looking me over. "Pity."

I give a questioning look.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean it like that. I'm um… I'm Daniel, formerly the youngest member. I was really proud of that, by the way. Not resentful, but I was hoping to keep that claim for a bit longer than a week."

"I see," I say. "Are the others coming?"

"Eh, some. The count and some of the more senior students are going to be field testing some stuff we came up with last week. Maybe one of the teachers will be coming, though I think they're mostly in the group to associate with the count. The rest just haven't shown up yet. I get the feeling most in the group don't want to think of this as a class, and so treat the start time as the arrival time. You get what I mean?"

"Uh… yeah, I think so?" Does he mean they're not as serious about this? I don't know how to feel about that since I want my first research group to go well, but obviously not too well.

"So, what's your story?" he asks, overly cheerful.

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"My story?"

"Yeah, why did the count pick you? I mean, surely you want to know how someone as young as me got in, right?"

"But I'm younger," I say, unsure why I should treat his age as unusual in comparison to myself.

"Yeah, which is why I want to know about you. What, you think anyone can get into this thing? Nah, I mean, you haven't even asked me about my eye yet."

"…What happened to your eye?" I ask, deciding it would only be polite since he brought it up.

"Nothing, it's right here." He flips up the patch to reveal an apparently perfectly functional right eye. "It's the other one that's not there." He pokes his finger through his left eye, seemingly penetrating the orb without resistance or damage.

"An illusory eye? Interesting. I assume it feeds you visual stimuli like a real one? Or not a real one, otherwise there'd be no need to cover the right. So, some altered perception, probably enhanced, or else you'd just get it regrown?"

"Yeah, that's about it," he smiles, clearly pleased to be talking about it. He gives me an expectant look.

"Er… what happened to the original eye then?" I ask, guessing that was the direction he wanted me to go – a correct guess from his reaction.

"Nothing, it's right here." He smiles, delighted as he pulls out a glass vial with an eye floating in it.

I take a closer look at the glass and spot faint symbols of preservation. My guess is that, should he want to, he could at any time take the eye from the vial, plop it back in the socket, and it would work with only minimal further magic.

"Interesting," I say genuinely, having never seen anything exactly like it. "Is this for part of a spell, or are you using it for divination like some knights do?"

"Both," he brags, "it's very efficient. I took out the old eye to make room for the illusory one, but figured why not keep it. The fake eye's for spell stuff, but I use the old one as a divination prop."

"And what does the new eye see that makes it worth the effort?"

"Oh, you know, just the thing in itself." He smirks at the comical underplaying of his claim.

"That's um… a bold claim."

"Yeah," he admits, "and not exactly accurate, I admit. It's hard to describe, but I do get a more complete understanding of objects than with normal vision. That and it sees through all illusion."

"All illusion?" I ask, trying to hide my worry.

"Well, magical physical illusions at least, and any mundane ones we've come up with. The rest we're trying to figure out. You um, know the purpose of this little group, right?"

I nod. "To find better ways to track down the Anar cultist that eluded Count Vithal in the rebellion."

"Right. So, this cultist, we think they have some sort of mental illusion spell. Real weird thing, called the 'veil of… Mithlemar' or something. Apparently, it wouldn't block divinations like regular illusions, but would trick the diviner's mind into thinking their props weren't reacting when they actually were."

I'm a bit confused by the name until I remember that most Anar spells have fanciful names, but the cult would always use something more descriptive to refer to them. Though in some cases the official name is descriptive enough, such as the liquifying beam being called 'the lance of absolution'. Though in that case, I prefer the equally cumbersome former just because the latter sounds almost like a Tacyn spell.

"Sounds useful, especially if you could combine it with regular illusions." I hide my interest at the spell being described from the other side by openly displaying it.

"Right, right. Well, the count wanted to see if my eye would be affected by stuff like that, the only problem being nobody knows any spells like it."

"Nobody?" I ask, suddenly very glad I decided not to reveal it to get in.

"There are some references to something like it in some books which suggest we might have a copy somewhere in here, but the only one we've found so far is in the Biblio Anars they brought back from Caethlon. The problem being that nobody managed to learn the spell from them. It seems like that particular version of the spell is highly aspected, and so nearly impossible to learn unless you have a few sacrifices helping you."

"Ah… but, you've been trying? Does that mean this group has access to a Biblio to study?"

He shakes his head. "The teachers do, but none of the students. But don't get any funny ideas. They said all the good spells seem sacrifice restricted."

"I see… What about anthropomancy?" I say to change the subject after the disappointment. It would have been nice to have permission to study a Biblio as a cover, but it probably would have resulted in complications anyway.

"What about it?"

"Well, the count said we'd be finding ways to counter it. So are the teachers learning it from the biblio?"

He scoffs? "Why would they? It's not like we could use it for practice."

"Why not?"

He looks at me as if I'm insane. "Because it kills the medium."

"It does?" I ask, regretting asking about it, but forced to continue lest he think I was okay with mass murder for research.

"Um, yeah. I mean, what else do you think ripping someone's entrails does to a person?"

I resist baulking at his crude portrayal. I do not rip. I cut gingerly. The utility of intestines is greatly reduced when damaged after all. Of course, it's not like I can say this, so I take on a tone of confusion. "Can't you just put them back in with a healing spell? Or maybe even a knight with high enough regen could use their own organs?"

"…Um… I guess I just figured you needed to kill the medium for it to work; otherwise, why would it be illegal?" He says, rather embarrassed at the oversight.

"Yeah, that makes sense. You're probably right." I say perhaps a bit too readily in a vain attempt to convince him not to look further. I should not have made that insight for them, but I saw no way to stop once I started without looking either bloodthirsty or stupid.

"Well, we can ask the teachers about it. But anyways, you still haven't told me your story about why you're with us yet."

"Do I need a story?" I ask.

"Well, no, but it'd do wonders for my ego. Like, I only got in cause the cultist killed my brother in Caethlon, so I did the eye thing with some half-baked scheme of getting revenge. The count heard about it and figured I'd be dedicated, so she invited me."

"Oh, I'm sorry about your loss." Am I? No, not even from seeing how bitter the look in his eye got when he said it. "But I'm afraid I don't have a story, I'm just very good at applied divination."

"Ugh," he utters in mock disgust. "Of course, just someone more talented than me."

I shrug. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I think it also has to do with me annoying and amusing the head teacher in equal parts."

"Hah, that'd hardly explain it. You should have seen her when she called me in after finding out I developed a new spell for popping out my own eye!"

I join his laughter, imagining the scene. Our conversation is cut short though by a handful of other students finally arriving. The count, being with the field group, had instructed them to find new applications to test when it'll be our turn in the field next week. I mostly listen during the meeting, though I do make a few interesting contributions. It feels nice to do so, to push myself and advance my specialized field. After all, I do need to contribute something to stay in the group, but with each contribution I can't help but feel that I'm giving too much aid to the enemy.

Well, I suppose that's just the nature of the mission. I'm sure I'll get used to it in time.