Chapter 346: 346. Items and Secrets

Nice to have you back, the workbench at Eury’s workshop said. Was getting boring without you around.

Thanks, Dallion replied. He hadn’t imagined that he’d ever be having a conversation with the workbench of his potentially former girlfriend, but here he was. The only reason that other guardians in the room hadn’t joined it was because the workbench was so chatty that they couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

While waiting, Dallion examined the room through the kaleidervisto. The only echoes were those in armor pieces stacked up for the gorgon to repair.

“I hate it when you do that,” Eury said, adding the finishing touches to his boots. Being a gorgon, she could do that while still keeping a few eyes on him.

Sorry, Dallion thought, though didn’t voice it. Instead, he lowered the artifact.

“Lots of clients I see,” he said awkwardly.

“The usual suspects. All of these are orders from before the festival. I’ll get to them once the madness is over. Until then…” she cut the final piece of thread and lifted the holster boot. “There. Done.”

Dallion checked out the boot. It seemed the same as before, but even he could tell that it had been improved. That made him relieved. After his fight with Elvira, Eury had offered to loan him an entirely new pair and scrap the destroyed one for parts, but he had asked whether she could save it. Given the amount of damage that seemed like an impossible task, but somehow the gorgon had managed.

“I can’t keep fixing this after every battle, you know.”

“I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

“I know you’ll try. It’s not just about that. You—” she stopped abruptly. “Never mind. You’ll be you, I guess. Any closer to finding the copyette?”

“I’m following a few clues… The tournament is making things a bit more difficult.”

“Wasn’t it supposed to make it easier?”

Dallion looked at the gorgon. She was still wearing a blocker ring. For the sake of him, he couldn’t tell what she was feeling. She could just as well be furious at him, or forgive him altogether. A voice in the back of his mind urged Dallion to tell her about his new ability. Maybe when she learned that he had a hidden stat, things would return to what they were before? It was a huge risk, but maybe it would be worth it?

Don’t, Nil warned. It’s bad enough that you’re chatting to any item in the vicinity. When your attribute grows, half the city will hear you unless you keep it under control.

There was no way to respond to that. It wasn’t like there was anyone who could teach Dallion how to use the ability. According to the sparse information Gen had found in the ring library, it was said there were a few empaths in the world, although no details were specified. For all Dallion knew he could well be the only human with that ability.

“It was, but I’ve been seeing more chainlings than copyettes,” Dallion replied. “I think they might be targeting the countess.”

“Dal…”

“I know it sounds absurd, but I saw one working at the arena construction when I during my prelim final and—"

“They are targeting her.” Euryale interrupted. Her voice almost echoed in the room, followed by complete silence. “When you stumbled on that creature at Performer’s Plaza, it was pretty much confirmed. There’s a Star cult in the city. Why do you think I’ve been wearing a blocker? And don’t give me that crap that you had no idea.”

Shame and hope mixed in one. Dallion felt stupid all of a sudden. Of course, there would be a valid reason for her to wear a blocker ring, not just to get back at him. That was stupid and egoistical of her. And yet, as much as Dallion wanted to hope that nothing had changed between them, he also had a feeling that he’d be wrong. Both things could be true at once.

“The tainted artifacts, the increased number of awakened deaths, someone taking on the mirror pool, those are the markings of a cult,” Eury went on. “Before they only passed by the city to pick up some artifacts, then went on to cause problems elsewhere. This time, though, they stayed.”

Things became so much clearer now. Even without his music skills, Dallion felt he could believe her. That had to be the reason that Arthurows had come here.

Can Alien be a Star cultist? Dallion asked.

He can be many things, but that’s one thing he’s not, Nil replied. It’s an open secret that the Academy had tried to have dealings with the Star in a few points of their history. In all cases, the results had been devastating. Leave it to mages and domain rulers to be unparalleled in the art of self-preservation.

“Can you be telling me this?” Dallion asked.

“No.” The gorgon smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder. “But I felt I should.”

Way to twist the knife, Dallion thought. She risked a lot by telling him this—her relations with the city, her hunter’s reputation, and he couldn’t even share the truth about his grandfather, let alone anything else. Maybe that was the root of the problem? True, this was a world of openness and secrets—since so much was visible, everyone did their best to hide as much about themselves as possible. However, Eury and Dallion weren’t of this world. She had shown that now. There was nothing wrong with being open even when things were at stake.

Don’t do it, a deep voice told Dallion. I understand how you feel, but hold a bit longer. It was a noble thing that she did, but you must be smart about this. Neither she, the city guards, not even the mirror pool have managed to uncover the cell. You have the potential to do so, but not if you act rashly.

I can trust her, Dallion said.

I’m sure you can, but she’s not protected by a Moon. The Star can’t harm you directly. Chainling cultists are powerful entities, but they pale in comparison to the one that gave them their power. Why do you think she keeps her blocking ring on all the time? So that no one in the realms could see her. Is that enough, however?

“Thank you,” Dallion forced himself to say. As painful as it was, he felt that the voice was right. “Was that why you went on the expedition? To find out more about Arthurows?”

“The overseer thought so, but that turned out to be a bust. If there’s anything, it’s at the bottom of the ocean.”

Dallion swallowed. Eury had no idea how right she was.

“Is March involved?”

“A lot of people are. It takes strength to find and defeat a cultist cell. The biggest danger is of it growing. The festival is a particularly bad time. With so many people coming from across the province, some are bound to fall through the cracks. If it wasn’t for the surprise visit of the mage, we would have been stretched thin.”

Sadly, that only held true if the mage was on their side. While Alien’s loyalties remained unknown, it was pretty certain he had no intention of stopping whatever the Star was planning.

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Can I tell March? Dallion asked.

There was no answer.

Damn you, voice! Tell me!

Once again, the decision was left to him. The voice hadn’t argued against, but it hadn’t argued for either.

One more day, Dallion told himself. He’d take one more day searching for whatever the Star was trying to find, and after that he’d tell March and Eury everything… at least when it came to the sword.

“Do you think I can pass the next round?” Dallion changed the topic. Judging by the way the gorgon’s snakes stirred, he got the feeling she appreciated the change.

“As you are? Depends. Everyone knows your tricks now, so you’ll have to learn some new ones. They’ll put you against people you have a chance of beating, but I’m not going to lie, it’ll be tough. Are you planning on leveling up till then?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Better do it twice. Today and tomorrow before the tournament. Don’t stretch yourself thin, though. If you feel that you can’t handle it, just quit the trial.”

The advice, as usual, was very different from Nil’s. While the echo preferred a steady and methodical growth, Eury sounded more like a force of nature. Had she been like that in her world? Dallion hadn’t gotten to ask, and doing so now would be rather pushy.

Natural silence formed in the room. There was a lot both wanted to say but at the same time didn’t. Once again, Dallion found himself wondering whether to use combat splitting and have a go. Vend had warned him not to, but for every rule there were exceptions, and this could well be one of them.

She likes you a lot, the workbench said, breaking the silence; at least for Dallion. There was a lot of shouting with the last one, and the one before that… wow, it was epic.

The proper thing was to ignore the workbench. It was just a casual comment, made by a guardian that Dallion didn’t even know well. That’s probably the reason Dallion found that he couldn’t resist.

How epic?

Knives and sticks flying all over the place. Eury had to spend a whole week fixing everything. If you ask me, the guy was lucky. After the things he pulled, I thought she’d petrify him. Between you and me, she was really close. Well… I think she was really close.

That didn’t sound good.

How many boyfriends has she had?

Good question. The workbench laughed. It’s difficult to tell. Five or six since I was moved here, I think. Normally they only last a few months. If you keep things up, you might beat the last one’s record. Personally, I like you better. You have a better understanding of humor. The last guy was gold like an ice prince.

Why did she break up with him?

No idea. Things seemed to be going fine, then suddenly they didn’t.

“You’ll also need some proper armor,” Eury said, putting an end to Dallion’s hidden conversation. “Something that would work in the real world. I’d offer to help, but…”

“Right, right.” Dallion put on a fake smile. “Anyone you can recommend?”

“No one I can think of.”

“If it’s about the money, I—"

“Everyone’s just busy with the festival. Keep in mind that blacksmiths are people, too. This is the one time of the year they get to relax and enjoy a spectacle, same as everyone else. For once, it’s their customers that have to amuse them. You can’t take that from them.”

“Sure.” Dallion nodded. “Can I make one?”

Nearly all snakes on the gorgon’s head turned to look at him, like a class of students at the arrival of the one who always came late. It was difficult to determine whether she was impressed by the question or thought it ridiculous.

“Are you sure you can handle it?” Eury asked.

“I have to start at some point. Besides, if I mess things up, I can always not wear it.”

The gorgon cracked a smile.

“Alright. Go ahead. Just don’t set the place on fire.” She made her way to the door. “You still have your key?”

“Err, yeah.”

“Use it to lock up after you’re done. And don’t forget to eat.”

That ended the conversation. It wasn’t the most awkward resolution, but a clear indication that things weren’t as they were before. Left alone, Dallion went to the pile of damaged armor pieces and picked up a breastplate. Thanks to his forging skill, he could see the weak spots all over it, like veins throughout the metal. However, even making something like that was going to be difficult.

I really don’t know how you get yourself in so many messes, Nil sighed. Do you really think you can get anything usable done by tomorrow?

Maybe. Dallion replied. The truth was that there was another reason he wanted to spend the night at the workshop.

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