Chapter Ninety-nine: Bastard Silverkin (Part Seven)
As the five of them drew closer to Mayhaven, Alistar became increasingly anxious about the possibility of bumping into somebody that he knew while adhering to Antoine’s suggestion. By the time that they were passing through the western gates of Mayhaven, he’d decided that it would be best if they led the Silverkin brothers to places that he and the girls didn’t visit often so as to lessen the chance that they might run into any of their friends. If his cousins truly disdained commoners, then he didn’t like to imagine what sort of opinions they would hold of orphans such as Jaden, Corrie, and the others.
As Alistar wondered what his cousins might think if they learned that he had once been a slave, the eldest in their group looked up and down West Street with slight disbelief, fingering the hilt of his sword in a subconscious manner.
“I don’t remember there being so many people in this city.”
“Was this street cobbled last time around?” commented Calum, whose wide brow was furrowed in recollection. “I feel like some of these buildings weren’t here, either.”
“Papa’s been working really hard to improve the city,” smiled Anice, recovering a bit of enthusiasm as she exclaimed with pride. “A tenth of the buildings in Mayhaven weren’t here the last time you guys visited. It’s the same all over the county.”
“How’s that possible?” asked Edmun, whose black hair was jostled by a light breeze. “Father says that Uncle Caedmon’s territory brings in the least amount of revenue amongst all of the counties and duchies in the kingdom. The territory I’m set to inherit brings in twice as much, and I doubt we would be able to add so many buildings in just a few years.”
Anice didn’t know how to respond, while Lessa seemed to think better of it. Not wanting Edmun to feel as if he was being ignored, Alistar volunteered an answer.
“Of all of the revenue that’s left after taxes to the crown, Uncle spends most of it on developing the city. That’s where he invests most of his money.”
“Is that why he still lives in that little manor?” Edmun looked at the rings and bracelets that Alistar was wearing, raising an eyebrow. “If he’s so poor, how can you be wearing so much metal, then? Uncle’s not skimping on his taxes, is he?”
Calum clapped Alistar on the back in a boorish manner. “What bastard? You’re doing quite well for yourself, aren’t you?” Putting on a look of mock intrigue, he added, “Are you an apprentice mage, then? You must not have much inner energy if you need so many supplements.”
“Ah, yes. I’m a second-tier apprentice mage.”
While such an achievement might be impressive to ordinary people, among those in the magical community it wasn’t worth mentioning. Even though he was much more accomplished than what he was letting on, it wouldn’t benefit the situation to be honest about his attainments.
“Second?” said Calum. “How can you be the same rank as me?”
“Because you don’t practice,” reprimanded his brother. “All you do is chase the house servants around all day. That’s why I’m going to inherit this county, not you.”
Alistar and the girls did their best to ignore it as the brothers began to bicker, taking a detour around the market square and keeping to the lesser used roads where they were least likely to see any familiar faces. Before long, the group was stepping into the main plaza of East Street, where the major guilds were located along with all of the people that had business with them.
“Edmun,” Alistar chanced asking as they slowed down at the sight of a large crowd within the heart of the plaza. “Your trip was supposed to be a secret one, right?”
“Father said not to advertise that we’re here, but we can still look around the city.”
Nodding at some of the people nearby, who were trying their best not to get caught in the act of staring while muttering to others in the vicinity, he went on. “I think we stick out a bit too much. The locals are only used to seeing so many people with silver eyes, so it won’t be hard for them to guess your background.” Not to mention that both of the brothers were wearing expensive cloaks and finer clothes than most people in the area would have been accustomed to seeing, their scabbarded swords had clearly cost them a fortune.
The brothers exchanged panicked looks, mirroring one another as they fumbled through their pockets to produce rings that had been carved from mid-class magic crystals. As soon as they put these on, their irises became black as night.
“That’s so cool,” said Anice, smiling in excitement as she usually did whenever magic was being used. “It’s just like Alistar’s—”
Alistar forced a cough and stepped on her toe in a subtle manner as he resumed walking. “Yes, just like the treasures that I’ve always fancied. Are those rings imbued with alteration magic?”
“Heh, you have a good eye, cousin. These were made for us by Malkin himself.”
“Malkin?” asked Lessa, whose eyes lingered on Calum’s forehead as if amazed at its width. Catching herself, she added, “Who’s that?”
“Our grandfather’s court wizard, the only arch magus in the kingdom. With these rings, we can use advanced alteration magic to change the colour of our eyes. They’re extremely valuable.”
Edmun fiddled with the ring on his finger. “Yes, and the rings themselves fuel the magic. What would otherwise be a considerable burden is nothing but an afterthought so long as we’re wearing these.”
Is it really such a big deal?
Thinking of his limiters and how nearly all of his current pieces had small cuts of magic crystals embedded within them, Alistar suddenly understood why Caedmon had begun providing more expensive-looking rings in place of those that eventually fractured into pieces under the strain of his inner energies. Like this, it looked as if he were wearing supplementary objects designed to provide him with additional energies, which magic crystals were known for.
Feeling pride for their possessions, the brothers continued to brag as the group began to meander through the crowd, which numbered in the hundreds. While most people in the square were gathered at the centre, it seemed as if the overall body of the crowd was slowly inching toward the frontiersmen guild on the city’s east side.
As they continued on through the plaza to see what had stolen the interest of everyone in the area, a trio of boys that looked to be about eight or nine years old suddenly ran by, one of them bumping into Alistar on his way toward the growing crowd.
“Ah, sorry!” said the boy without looking away from those up ahead. “Are we too late?” he asked anxiously, craning his little neck in an attempt to get a better view of the centre of everyone’s focus. “Do you know if they’re still here?”
“Who are you here to see?”
The boy finally looked over at him as he made to answer, though he froze in place as soon as he connected eyes with Alistar. It was then that he seemed to notice the girls, and just a few paces ahead of them, the Silverkin brothers. Realization dawning on him, the boy’s knees gave out and he fell to the ground, petrified.
“I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to bu—”
Alistar pulled the boy onto his feet while his cousins were still preoccupied with their curiosity over the developing situation, placing a finger to his lips in a shushing manner. “Let’s pretend it never happened. I’m curious, though. Who are you here to see?”
“T—Team Tempest is in town. They’re going to challenge the Iron Dungeon!”
“Okay, that’s all I wanted to know. Run along now, before your friends notice that you fell behind.”
“Okay, sir. Thank you, sir!”
The boy took a wide detour around the other Silverkins and then rushed off to rejoin his oblivious friends while looking as if he had just been pulled up from the edge of a cliff.
“Were you talking to that commoner?” asked Edmun, who noticed the boy in passing and then traced his path back to where Alistar was standing. “What if you catch some sort of sickness?”
Ignoring the second sentence, Alistar responded with a question of his own. “Do you know who Team Tempest is? Apparently they’re here to challenge the new dungeon that was found nearby.”
Both of the boys looked at one another with such shock that it seemed as if their eyes would pop out of their heads.
“Team Tempest is here?” Calum ran off without casting the others a second glance.
Looking as if he wanted nothing more than to follow after his brother, Edmun forced a cough and tried to appear unaffected by the sudden news. “They’re the most famous team of frontiersmen in the kingdom, the only one to earn black membership badges within the guild network.”
Chapter Ninety-nine: Bastard Silverkin (Part Seven)
As the five of them drew closer to Mayhaven, Alistar became increasingly anxious about the possibility of bumping into somebody that he knew while adhering to Antoine’s suggestion. By the time that they were passing through the western gates of Mayhaven, he’d decided that it would be best if they led the Silverkin brothers to places that he and the girls didn’t visit often so as to lessen the chance that they might run into any of their friends. If his cousins truly disdained commoners, then he didn’t like to imagine what sort of opinions they would hold of orphans such as Jaden, Corrie, and the others.
As Alistar wondered what his cousins might think if they learned that he had once been a slave, the eldest in their group looked up and down West Street with slight disbelief, fingering the hilt of his sword in a subconscious manner.
“I don’t remember there being so many people in this city.”
“Was this street cobbled last time around?” commented Calum, whose wide brow was furrowed in recollection. “I feel like some of these buildings weren’t here, either.”
“Papa’s been working really hard to improve the city,” smiled Anice, recovering a bit of enthusiasm as she exclaimed with pride. “A tenth of the buildings in Mayhaven weren’t here the last time you guys visited. It’s the same all over the county.”
“How’s that possible?” asked Edmun, whose black hair was jostled by a light breeze. “Father says that Uncle Caedmon’s territory brings in the least amount of revenue amongst all of the counties and duchies in the kingdom. The territory I’m set to inherit brings in twice as much, and I doubt we would be able to add so many buildings in just a few years.”
Anice didn’t know how to respond, while Lessa seemed to think better of it. Not wanting Edmun to feel as if he was being ignored, Alistar volunteered an answer.
“Of all of the revenue that’s left after taxes to the crown, Uncle spends most of it on developing the city. That’s where he invests most of his money.”
“Is that why he still lives in that little manor?” Edmun looked at the rings and bracelets that Alistar was wearing, raising an eyebrow. “If he’s so poor, how can you be wearing so much metal, then? Uncle’s not skimping on his taxes, is he?”
Calum clapped Alistar on the back in a boorish manner. “What bastard? You’re doing quite well for yourself, aren’t you?” Putting on a look of mock intrigue, he added, “Are you an apprentice mage, then? You must not have much inner energy if you need so many supplements.”
“Ah, yes. I’m a second-tier apprentice mage.”
While such an achievement might be impressive to ordinary people, among those in the magical community it wasn’t worth mentioning. Even though he was much more accomplished than what he was letting on, it wouldn’t benefit the situation to be honest about his attainments.
“Second?” said Calum. “How can you be the same rank as me?”
“Because you don’t practice,” reprimanded his brother. “All you do is chase the house servants around all day. That’s why I’m going to inherit this county, not you.”
Alistar and the girls did their best to ignore it as the brothers began to bicker, taking a detour around the market square and keeping to the lesser used roads where they were least likely to see any familiar faces. Before long, the group was stepping into the main plaza of East Street, where the major guilds were located along with all of the people that had business with them.
“Edmun,” Alistar chanced asking as they slowed down at the sight of a large crowd within the heart of the plaza. “Your trip was supposed to be a secret one, right?”
“Father said not to advertise that we’re here, but we can still look around the city.”
Nodding at some of the people nearby, who were trying their best not to get caught in the act of staring while muttering to others in the vicinity, he went on. “I think we stick out a bit too much. The locals are only used to seeing so many people with silver eyes, so it won’t be hard for them to guess your background.” Not to mention that both of the brothers were wearing expensive cloaks and finer clothes than most people in the area would have been accustomed to seeing, their scabbarded swords had clearly cost them a fortune.
The brothers exchanged panicked looks, mirroring one another as they fumbled through their pockets to produce rings that had been carved from mid-class magic crystals. As soon as they put these on, their irises became black as night.
“That’s so cool,” said Anice, smiling in excitement as she usually did whenever magic was being used. “It’s just like Alistar’s—”
Alistar forced a cough and stepped on her toe in a subtle manner as he resumed walking. “Yes, just like the treasures that I’ve always fancied. Are those rings imbued with alteration magic?”
“Heh, you have a good eye, cousin. These were made for us by Malkin himself.”
“Malkin?” asked Lessa, whose eyes lingered on Calum’s forehead as if amazed at its width. Catching herself, she added, “Who’s that?”
“Our grandfather’s court wizard, the only arch magus in the kingdom. With these rings, we can use advanced alteration magic to change the colour of our eyes. They’re extremely valuable.”
Edmun fiddled with the ring on his finger. “Yes, and the rings themselves fuel the magic. What would otherwise be a considerable burden is nothing but an afterthought so long as we’re wearing these.”
Is it really such a big deal?
Thinking of his limiters and how nearly all of his current pieces had small cuts of magic crystals embedded within them, Alistar suddenly understood why Caedmon had begun providing more expensive-looking rings in place of those that eventually fractured into pieces under the strain of his inner energies. Like this, it looked as if he were wearing supplementary objects designed to provide him with additional energies, which magic crystals were known for.
Feeling pride for their possessions, the brothers continued to brag as the group began to meander through the crowd, which numbered in the hundreds. While most people in the square were gathered at the centre, it seemed as if the overall body of the crowd was slowly inching toward the frontiersmen guild on the city’s east side.
As they continued on through the plaza to see what had stolen the interest of everyone in the area, a trio of boys that looked to be about eight or nine years old suddenly ran by, one of them bumping into Alistar on his way toward the growing crowd.
“Ah, sorry!” said the boy without looking away from those up ahead. “Are we too late?” he asked anxiously, craning his little neck in an attempt to get a better view of the centre of everyone’s focus. “Do you know if they’re still here?”
“Who are you here to see?”
The boy finally looked over at him as he made to answer, though he froze in place as soon as he connected eyes with Alistar. It was then that he seemed to notice the girls, and just a few paces ahead of them, the Silverkin brothers. Realization dawning on him, the boy’s knees gave out and he fell to the ground, petrified.
“I’m sorry, sir! I didn’t mean to bu—”
Alistar pulled the boy onto his feet while his cousins were still preoccupied with their curiosity over the developing situation, placing a finger to his lips in a shushing manner. “Let’s pretend it never happened. I’m curious, though. Who are you here to see?”
“T—Team Tempest is in town. They’re going to challenge the Iron Dungeon!”
“Okay, that’s all I wanted to know. Run along now, before your friends notice that you fell behind.”
“Okay, sir. Thank you, sir!”
The boy took a wide detour around the other Silverkins and then rushed off to rejoin his oblivious friends while looking as if he had just been pulled up from the edge of a cliff.
“Were you talking to that commoner?” asked Edmun, who noticed the boy in passing and then traced his path back to where Alistar was standing. “What if you catch some sort of sickness?”
Ignoring the second sentence, Alistar responded with a question of his own. “Do you know who Team Tempest is? Apparently they’re here to challenge the new dungeon that was found nearby.”
Both of the boys looked at one another with such shock that it seemed as if their eyes would pop out of their heads.
“Team Tempest is here?” Calum ran off without casting the others a second glance.
Looking as if he wanted nothing more than to follow after his brother, Edmun forced a cough and tried to appear unaffected by the sudden news. “They’re the most famous team of frontiersmen in the kingdom, the only one to earn black membership badges within the guild network.”
