Elydes

Chapter 184 - Surprises

Kai studied the contents of the box, two identical metallic cubes gleamed like platinum. A web of squared seams and five tiny buttons crossed their surface. It wasn’t the metalwork that left him in awe as much as the dense filaments of mana.

There were several intersecting layers of enchantments, each made up of hundreds of runes. He wouldn’t know where to start: replicating any individual part would have been a challenge by itself. Every layer was connected to the next by dozens of runes, interacting in inexplicable ways.

That’s probably the point, someone’s jealous of their work.

His fingers itched to take each piece apart. Like any valuable object, the design had been cloaked to avoid copycats, but Edgar had taught him how to break basic concealments. With Mana Echo, he might even get some usable schematics out of it.

Or maybe it will explode in my hands if it’s enchanted against tampering.

Kai suppressed the silly impulse. He recognized enough runes to guess their purpose. The paired cubes were infinitely more useful intact.

“I thought you’d like a way to keep in touch with your family while we’re away.” Flynn winked, confirming his suspicions. “They’re communication cubes. You can send and receive brief messages with them.”

“Huh, like telephones.” Kai nodded, he had read the theory. Some kind of very primitive phone that used a combination of spatial magic and sympathetic links to transmit vocal or written messages over long distances.

“A telewhat?” Flynn furrowed his brow.

“Nothing. Just a made-up word.”

“You’re weird.”

“I know,” Kai graciously accepted the compliment. “That’s why we’re friends.”

“It sure never gets boring with you, little one.” Flynn patted his head. “Did you like your present?”

“I—” he bit back the snappy response. “Yes, it’s very thoughtful. How did you even get your hands on these? I never saw any on sale even in the upper city.”

According to the books he had read, they were rare and expensive, though not unobtainable. Despite that, he had never seen any communication tool in Higharbor.

Flynn smiled smugly. “I can tell you it wasn’t easy. I met a guy, who knows a guy, who knows—well, you get it. Long story short, I found the merchant who supplies the cubes to the Republic. Then, I made friends with her son—a decent enough fellow, though he doesn’t hold alcohol very well. He got me a meeting with his mother where I convinced her to sell me a pair with my charming personality.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

For once in his life, Kai suspected Flynn was underselling the efforts it had taken to get his hands on the paired cubes. He had to admit he was a little impressed. “It must have cost you a fortune.”

Shit! How much did he pay for it?

Though he had never seen one in a shop window, they must sell for a gold mesar at least. He would feel the pitch himself, a painful one.

“I got a great deal.” Flynn dismissed him with a nonchalant wave and began to dig knives out of the bundle. “These communication cubes are one of the cheapest models. They have a defect that makes them work only once every two weeks instead of one, and have a limited range. I hope that’s fine. It was how I managed to buy them off the Republic.”

“Flynn, how much did you spend?”

“I told you it doesn’t matter.” He balanced a crystal blade on his finger, throwing it in the air and catching it again.

“How much? Let me at least repay half. I can’t accept this.”

The dagger flew and stuck in the wall opposite the bed with a low thud. “Why not?” Flynn stopped juggling blades and scowled at him. “You always give me expensive stuff. Can’t I buy you something nice for once? I’m not a child, I can decide how to spend my money!” Flynn huffed, eyes burning and daring him to disagree.

Damn you, it’s not the same thing!

The stuff Kai gave him were trivial purchases or potions and enchanted items he had crafted himself. They cost a fraction of his wealth, while the communications cubes must have cost nearly everything Flynn had.

Seeing his stubborn look, Kai swallowed his objections. If it was a matter of pride, words and reason wouldn’t help. “Tell me you didn’t… Did you get into debt?” He couldn’t stop himself from asking.

The question must have been less tactful than he thought. Flynn took a sharp breath and loomed over him, ready to punch his face. “I’m not an idiot! I spent no more than I had.”

As in all of it?

“Right, sorry. I just… you know how I am…” He struggled to find the right thing to say. “My family will be overjoyed when I tell them. It’s the best gift I could have dreamed of receiving.”

Flynn watched him with an impassive gaze before breaking into a cheeky grin. “Does this mean I can have my pick of the blades you made?”

* * *

“Ehm… Can you hear me?” Ele’s hesitant voice echoed in the living room. It was slightly distorted, as through a bad mic, but recognizable.

Behind his unflappable persona, Moui tensed like a bowstring while Alana looked at the metallic cube with wide eyes. “Yes, I can hear you, sweetie. This is very… odd.” She articulated each word, speaking far louder than necessary.

Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh…

“I know, right?” Ele sounded clearer. “I didn’t think these things actually existed.”

They giggled at their voices, getting over the strangeness of speaking into the ‘magic box’. Soon, they chatted like usual, talking about the market and the next low tide. Alana slumped disappointed when the purple light began to blink. The signal that the artifact was about to shut off.

Ele walked down the stairs, carrying the paired cube back to him. “That was incredible.”

“Can we really use these to talk with you in Higharbor?” His mom asked, fighting a giddy smile.

“We can use them once every two weeks.” That was the reaction he had been hoping for. “They’re perfectly legal, though it’s best if you don’t talk about them to other people,” he casually added.

Somehow, instead of looking reassured, they all turned to look at him.

What?

“Is there a reason why I’ve never seen one?” Moui inquired, eyes digging into him.

“We won’t get into trouble, right sweetie?”

So much for trust… Oh well, it’s probably easier if they know everything.

He should really fix up those dampening enchantments. Not that this topic was that dangerous. After Flynn had provided the last pieces of information, it had been easy to figure out the situation.

Despite the growing trade, the archipelago was isolated, and foreign merchant ships only stopped in Higharbor, where the Republic could enforce their influence. “There are no laws against using or possessing any communication tool. But the governor buys and bribes the merchants to make sure none of them reach the open market.”

Confusion and questions swept the room. “Don’t they lose money doing that?” Ele asked.

“It’s a price they’re willing to pay to ensure people can’t communicate outside their control,” Moui answered, eyes darting at the people around the room. “Uh… at least that’s what I think.”

“You’re probably right,” Kai nodded. “The Republic wants to keep the monopoly of information around the archipelago. They can’t forbid the cubes since they’re widespread on the mainland, so they try to control who gets access to them.”

It was an endeavor destined for failure as the trade with the continent grew. That might still be a decade from now. After the debacle with the Voice, Kai couldn’t really blame them for trying.

I’ll bet the rebels will get their hands on them anyway. Maybe I can blame them. It’s always the common people who get fucked in the end.

“Are you certain we can use them?” Moui peered at the cube sitting on the table with suspicion.

“Yes, as I said, they’re perfectly legal. There are many people who have them but keep silent.” According to what Flynn told him. “Unless you go around shouting you have one and pull attention to the subject, the Republic won’t bother us.”

“I’ll keep it.” Alana picked the palm-sized cube, humming a cheerful tune. “It'll be nice to hear your voice while you’re away. Have you decided when to go back?”

“No, not yet. Ehm… Mom, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What is it, sweetie?”

Well, I won’t get a better chance than this.

“It’s about the baby.”

* * *

Spirits, that was hard.

Alana and Moui had grilled him for an hour over every detail. They had eventually agreed the benefits of enhancing elixirs were too high to dismiss the option. While it wasn’t yet a yes, the fact they hadn’t rejected the idea made him hopeful.

Fingers crossed Reishi will give me some good news.

“Keep running!” Kai shouted after Flynn. They were on the southern beach. A short five-minute walk had brought them into the middle of nowhere. In Higharbor it would have required an hour minimum.

“Is there a reason I’m doing this?” Flynn heaved between breaths.

‘Cause I think it’s amusing.

“Of course, do you doubt the wisdom of your teacher?”

From the look his friend gave him, Flynn was definitely a man of little faith.

“Fine. You can stop. Have you prepared a list of your skills? I need more information to know how to proceed.”

“Yes, here.” He produced a folded paper half drenched in sweat and grinned when Kai wrinkled his nose. “You asked me to run for miles. What did you expect?”

Karma is such a bitch.

He carefully opened the sheet with the tips of his fingers. While the words were a little smudged, his full status was listed in tiny, neat rows, and in surprisingly elegant calligraphy.

“The clerks of the Republic love good handwriting. I swear they don’t care about the reports as long as they are pretty to look at.”

“Uh,” Kai nodded distractedly. This was way more information than he expected.

Name: Flynn Soveili

Race: Human ★★ – 134,577 / 175,000 XP

Profession: Keen Spotter lv 4 – 850 / 8,000 XP

Body stats

Strength: 25

Dexterity: 28 (24+4)

Constitution: 23

Mind: 22

Spirit: 20

Perception: 21 (17+4)

Favor: 17

Profession Skills:

Keen Senses (lv78)

Adaptable (lv71)

General Skills:

Controlled Appearance (lv67)

Keen Hearing (lv59)

Keen Sight (lv56)

Daggers (lv47)

Charm (lv42)

Enhanced Dash (lv39)

Mana Sense (lv36)

Stealth (lv35)

Vigilance (lv35)

Acrobatics (lv31)

Close Combat (lv28)

Quick Memory (lv27)

Subterfuge (lv17)

Throwing (lv98)

“Just the skill names would have been enough.”

Flynn watched him with a smirk. “Why? Are you gonna stab me in the back?”

“No, but…” This was a lot, basically a summary of everything his friend had accomplished.

“Then what’s the problem?” His eyebrow rose in question. “I always thought it was stupid how people are obsessed over hiding their status. Don’t get me wrong. I see how if your status gets public, it can screw you over badly. But if you want to betray me, you already have a thousand worse ways.”

Mhmm… I guess he's right. Did he think a lot about betrayal?

Kai focused on the information. There was a single skill in Red, and three over the first milestone in Orange. That wasn’t half bad. His grade was also further along than he had imagined, though it must be due to siphoning the profession XP.

“How did you get Mana Sense so high?” Level 36 was more than a little side hustle. He owed him an explanation.

Flynn casually stretched his arms. “Is it? Keen Spotter is a profession based on gathering information. Keen Senses and Adaptable boost my perception skills in different ways, making them easier to level.”

Damn cheat. And why do you have a skill called Charm?

“Do you want to see my status?” Kai blurted out, surprising even himself. The only people who had ever seen the complete version were his teacher and Ele.

“You don’t have to. I didn’t show you mine for that.”

“Didn’t you just say it’s stupid to hide it?” Kai pointed out. Flynn already knew about his spatial ring and fate artifact. Like he said, plenty of ways to screw him over. “Do you want to see it or not?”

He chewed his lip conflicted until curiosity defeated his reluctance. “If you want to then show me, but I don’t want to know your skill levels. I don’t look pretty when I cry.”

Always so dramatic. You’re the only person I need to beg to see my status.

“Okay, I’ll try to protect your ego.” Kai picked up a stick from the nearby greenery to write in the sand. When he was finished, the waves had already erased the first half, though Flynn was already done reading. “You look a bit ill.”

“You think!” Flynn glared at him. “How can you have thirty-seven points in Favor? That’s basically cheating! Your Spirit and Mind is also ridiculously high even before counting your profession. And you even have a yellow skill I’ve never heard of!”

Damn, don’t make me blush.

It was great to finally tell someone. Kai vainly tried his hardest to stop the smile from blooming on his face. “Come on, you’re not doing so bad yourself.” He patted his shoulder, concealing his enjoyment.

“It took me years to amass my Favor. As for Spirits and Mind, it’s probably thanks to my mana and alchemy skills, and yes, I’m also a natural-born genius. Look, you have more Strength and Dexterity than me. You can also improve your stats.”

Minus the blessing of the spirits.

“Kai, patronizing me is not helping. Unless you want me to see my Strength in action.”

“Sorry, you’re right.” It had just been so long since he showed his status to someone, and the butler had treated praise like lethal venom. With an effort, he pushed the grin off his face. “I was being serious, there’re ways to increase your stats. Have you got the feat for defeating an awakened beast alone?”

“Yes, my mother made me hunt a red piton.”

“Well… I wasn't talking about red beasts.”