***
I need money, and I think I need a lot.
It's morning and I've woken up early.
Using the tablet to filter mana yesterday. was dumb and stupid and a massive waste of mana, but it did work. With it I could cast spells. I would be massively over paying every time I did but it does work.
The problem is, the tablet isn't designed to have that much mana, running through it at all times. I only managed to create three light orbs before I burnt the thing out. Literally burnt a hole right through the middle. I tried making a bracelet with the same rune instructions. Just out of paper and string, it caught fire before I even got five percent through the first light orb cast.
Interestingly enough I tried both using it as an ankle bracelet and covering it up. In both cases, nothing happened. It needed to be on my wrist and visible. Why? Because magic is bullshit.
Been digging through my Artifact text books. Yes I have text books, Maria got them for me - they have just been rotting in my trunk.
I can hear you now, 'Tangerine, if magic is all made up bullshit then why do you need text books?' And my rebuttal would be 'that English is all made up bullshit yet you still have an English Lit degree.'
'And you work at Costa.'
[We have never worked at Costa.]
'But you still have an English Lit degree.'
[Not in English. Plus getting a degree is a value in itself.]
'How many of your brains are annoyed right now?'
[Forty three.]
'Get debt nerds.'
[You are currently racking up loans in an Ivy League institution.]
'Yeah but I'm basically guaranteed a baller job after.'
'...'
'Right?'
Gestalt just leaves me hanging, but I get the feeling that they are fucking with me. So I don't panic.
Too much.
Not like I can do anything about it anyway, I was forcibly conscripted. Wait, am I a debt slave now?
Best not to think about that.
So yeah, text book. Artifacts. Putting rules on the ungovernable. A bracelet doesn't have the narrative weight for this type of mana draw. What I need are bracers, the more fancy materials the better, and for that I need money.
I don't feel like I'm in a position to beg Maria for that type of spending cash. I feel close to her, don't get me wrong. Maybe even family close. But not mother close, I wouldn't feel comfortable having a full tantrum in front of her. I think her current position would be something like; cool rich auntie - that you have only met for like three Christmases in your life - but now you are suddenly living with her. It doesn't feel right to ask her.
Gestalt lives in a dark basement so I'm pretty sure they are broke.
[Money has not been necessary for us.]
I can't really get a job unless it's in the Academy. I doubt that Maria would let me out into the city alone. I could sneak out, but people are trying to kill me.
I should really be more bothered by that than I am.
If I think about my mom I'm immediately near tears, but assassins in the night I'm like 'Eh whatever.' That's gotta be weird.
'Gestalt is that weird.'
[Yes.]
'Good to know.'
'You know how to make some money round here?'
[Not really. The Academy pays us in raw materials and gives us a place to live. We don't really ever deal with money.]
'Damn.'
I wake up my sleepyhead and we get ready for the school day.
***
Enchantments was boring. We are learning how to put filters on our barriers, which I think might be my fault. I would be interested but I'm still struggling to create a barrier smaller than a building - which doesn't shatter immediately.
We break for lunch and then head for asset handling class.
Ria has been really struggling to get around. Lillian, Shiv, Sophia and I have been taking it in turns to help her. Well not so much Shiv, she can't see over the handlebars. Ria has been very grateful for our help, because last week she had to skip breakfast and lunch just to make it to class on time. The Academy is not wheelchair friendly.
Well that's a half lie. I'm correct in that it's not friendly, far too many stairs around, and the elevators are nonsensical. But the thing about the academy is - that it's the most Rift dense place in all the realms. There is always a way to get to where you need to go. But the scenic route can be long.
We are sat at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Debating if we try to lift Ria and her chair up, or go the long way around. I can hear my mum yelling at me about manual handling from the back of my mind. But she did her back in when she was a student nurse, so it's not like she was any better.
"Can I help?" Said a voice, like hollow metal. It's the Construct. I think it's the first time I have heard it speak since the introduction class. For such a massive lumbering heap of metal - it's surprisingly easy to forget that it's there.
"Err…" is all I said before deferring to Ria.
"Could you carry me?" She asked.
"Yes." It lowered itself down and raised its arms, motioning if it was acceptable to pick her up. "May I?"
Ria just nodded and the construct easily scooped her up out of the wheelchair. Her tail unfolded from its painful sitting position and wrapped loosely around the Constructs waist. Then it trudged its way up the stairs.
"So are we just left to carry this hump of metal after them?" Shiv said, giving the chair a little kick for dramatic effect.
"No." Said Sophia. "Leave it." Which was not what I expected to hear from my lawful good angel.
"Why?" I ask.
"Two birds, one stone. Ria hates that chair, it is not comfortable for her, and the Construct needs to talk to people. If we don't bring the chair up then they are stuck together."
Huh. That is somehow both incredibly sweet and kinda devious at the same time. I love it! No really, I'm not simping. It's actually a good idea!
With a grin and a nod, I walk up the stairs to class.
***
"Fail." Said the hot teacher in the smart skirt and jacket combo - that screamed 'I am both richer and more efficient than you.' She even had the circle glasses that they only hand out to giga-librarians.
She is speaking to the twins. "You both spent the afternoon last week, lounging by the pool. Which is impressive, as this Academy doesn't have a pool."
The twins just twinkle their eyes at her. On purpose.
She turned to the Construct who was still holding Ria. Sophia was right, neither of them had complained. I don't think Ria's weight registered to the Construct at all. Ria certainly looked a lot more comfortable wrapped around the being, rather than being folded up in that chair.
"Both of you fail. You," she pointed at the Construct "just stood under a tree all afternoon, and you hid in your room."
Bronson next. "D, you went to your gentleman's club. While there are connections and contacts to me made there, it was the middle of the afternoon and mostly empty. There were better uses of your time."
Sophia. "Fail. If you are going to commune with a god, at least pick one that talks back."
My turn. "C, you made relationship progress with a powerful asset. The bare minimum."
Rupert. "D. Sucking up to your mother is not building your asset portfolio. It is mooching off her name."
Daisy. "A. See me after class." Daisy just gave her a small nod.
Vincent. "Fail. Writing poetry for your poetry slam club is not a worthy use of your time. Also you are the only member."
Lillian. "E, only a brute falls back on their own strength. But we all need to be brutish some time."
Shiv. "B. You fleeced a card game yet somehow got invited back next week. Good work."
I just smile. 'Fuck yeah, C grade. I will take it! Also I totally called that last week was sus.'
[Yes, you are very clever. Do you want us to call you a good girl as well?]
'Ewww no.'
[Are you certain? You seem to enjoy that combination of words.]
I'm getting roasted by my own brain slug.
The teacher walked up to the door of the classroom. Opened it, closed it. Knock on the wood a number of times in a circle motion and then opened it again. Where there was once a hallway, there was now a busy market street.
"I am going to have afternoon tea with a dear friend of mine. It will take three hours exactly. You will all go out into the market and bring me back an interesting piece of information. Talk to people. Make friends. You may work in groups but you each have to bring back your own little titbit."
"Wait." Said Rupert, ever the worrywart. "You're sending us out there, on our own with no guards? What if we get kidnapped?"
"Well try not to let that happen. I suggest you take those Rift walker pins off. Now all of you through the door, I don't want to be late for my reservation."
I slip my pin into my pocket and drag Sophia through the door into the busy market.
Finally. Freedom. I breathe in the soot filled air.
Our teacher's afternoon tea date looks like an old grizzled general with a wicked scar down his face. The unit of men with rifles around him really sold the image.
I don't believe for a second that I'm not under guard in some way. The way people talk about Rift walkers - I feel like I'm the asset equivalent of a tactical nuke.
Except for the Construct, who had no moving features. The rest of the class looked visibly freaked out - even Lillian, who is normally all swagger in these situations. Then it clicked on me. None of these people had ever been out on their own before. A Rift Walker is a valuable asset. One to be protected. Guarded.
I mean other than Shiv, who has already climbed a lantern pole and is eating a pigeon. She seems totally happy.
Wait, there are pigeons here? Like London style aggressive as fuck pigeons. The ones that fight street cats with knives.
Huh. That feels important somehow.
Well I'm not getting stuck baby sitting this bunch of nepo babies. So I grab my best girl by the hand, yell "Good luck everybody." And drag her off into the crowd.
"Wait, Tangerine, where are we going?" Sophia looked freaked out. Yeah I guess she really isn't used to crowds, and this market is packed. Full squeeze, everyone bumping into each other. Merchants yelling about the tat that they were selling from two feet away.
"Gimme your pin." I said to Sophia quietly.
"Why?" She asked. But handed it over anyway.
"This place is gonna be rife with pick pockets." I said. Slipping the pins down my boot.
"Come on, this is the tourist trap. We need to go find the real part of the market." I pull her along.
I have three advantages here. Assets, if you will. First is Gestalt, I can understand everyone and every… thing, in this market. Second is, I have been studying, to be fair I have only been studying my runes and artifacts book, but that is exactly what I need here. Third, I have Sophia, my mana might be an uncontrollable fire hose. But hers isn't.
I have three hours, and I only care about getting a C passing grade. I'm going to hustle up some bracers.
First I need a mark. I drag Sophia around to the outskirts of the tourist section, the City of Doors has an awful lot of people come through it every day. There are the rich, the ones that are looking to pursue the market, they don't actually buy anything other than a bit of tat, most of their money goes into the tea houses. The second lot of people are the groups looking to make more serious purchases. I'm looking for the groups that don't speak Fracture and look a little out of their depth.
It doesn't take me long to find a group of insects looking people in long robes. Upright, but with six limbs, big bug eyes, antennas, the lot. They talk using clicks.
"Greetings." I click. "May this one assist the collective?" This language feels really weird in my brain. Like there are both concepts missing and concepts that I have never considered before. I already know that this species is a hive. Just by way the words for individuals are supplementary to words for the group.
'Gestalt, do I smile at the friendly bug people?'
[We are not your sec…]
'Hey, hey, non verbal communication is still communication, this is still your job.'
[...]
[Fair. We advise you not to show your teeth. Cover your eyes with your hands to show that you feel safe in their presence.]
Weird flex, but okay. I cover my eyes with my hands briefly. One of the insect people folds their antennas over their eyes in return. "This one accepts the offer of assistance. We have found communication to be difficult here. Our mandibles are not suited for speaking F rac tur e." they click, the last word comes out broken, like it was uncomfortable for them to make the noise.
"This one, would like to know the requirements to settle your expedition." I click.
"Our clutch is required to obtain a significant amount of Pori tree oil and a method to transport it back to the prime settlement." They click.
"This one acknowledges. This one assists." Hook line and sinker. I think I got a big fish too.
It takes us thirty minutes of chatting to various merchants until we find one that can source the oil. Gestalt being able to give me the non verbal tics and customs for every species and culture I run across - is an absolute cheer sheet.
The merchant - a fat cat like creature dripping in finery - tried to play hard ball at first. "Eighty fracs per barrel. Purr on it."
I don't know the price of oil but I know that's daylight robbery. Because my new insect friends have suckers written across their mandibles, in neon pick letters. It's why I picked them. But they are my suckers, and it turns out, I'm very possessive over what's mine.
"No purrs, maybe claws, you hiss lies." I flare a little mana on Gestalt's suggestion. Gotta say this cat language feels a little on the nose.
Sophia is looking at me like I'm insane, first I was clicking at insects now I am hissing at cats.
"No claws, groom, be civilized." said the fat cat.
"I bring fresh kill, good deal, possible sustainable meat. You try to cut the liver, suck the marrow." I whinge.
"Sustainable?" That got the fat cats interested.
I turn to the insects. "The one, requests knowledge, will oil stock need to be refreshed?" I click.
"This one confirms. The collective requires an ongoing source. Minimum twenty barrels a month." They click back.
I think I can work with that. Back to the cat. "Sustainable. Twenty barrels. Every month." I flex a little, because a cat doesn't trust a deal where they can't see the claws. Or at least that's what Gestalt told me. "I take neck meat for first deal. Price set to three percent under market value. For contract lock."
The fat cat considers this. Neck meat is an outrageous ask, it's twenty percent off the top. I could probably get a little better than three percent under, the insects look like they hate it here. I doubt they are going to want to renegotiate anytime soon.
The cat agrees, sources transportation as well. I like him, he's long term greedy.
Of course I double dip like a motherfucker, I get the twenty percent up front from the cat, and then turn around and get a translator commission from the insects.
The cat shows me all his teeth.
[Positive reaction, it likes your kill.]
I give him a little bow. "Hide claws in front of insects. Hide eyes also, sign of trust." I told him. I have a feeling that the cat is long term greedy enough to not fuck over my new insect buddies - too badly.
Whatever, I got things to do and not enough time to do them in. I drag a very confused Sophia after me.
***
It's been almost two hours. I am hunting for potential artifacts. I'm sitting on almost forty fracs, and I'm letting people know that I have them. Because I have a slightly insane idea how to double or nothing.
[It is an extremely insane idea.]
'All the best ideas are.'
I am dragging Sophia around any possible stall or shop that could sell artifacts or bracers. We run across a number of potential artifacts, but they are all junk tier items. I have Sophia thread a controlled amount of mana through them for partial activation, I'm mostly doing this to show off for the crowd.
I found the bracers I want, but they are currently out of my price range. Elven made, mithril silver, perfect for the amount of mana I need to shove through them.
We have attracted the attention I am looking for.
"Hey, Sophia."
"Yes?"
"You trust me right?"
"Yes." Damn; she didn't even hesitate.
"Awesome. When I ask you too, I want you to drop a barrier spell around the both of us okay?"
"Okay. But what are you planning to do?"
I flash her my most lovable grin. "Double or nothing!" Then drag her down a shady side street.
Once we are half way down, the exit is closed off by a number of thugs and villains. Perfect.
We turn around and the way we came in is also closed off.
"You ladies look lost." Said the lead thug. Honestly his suit looked rather nice - a little bit tatty, these aren't high class criminals - but at least he made an effort.
He pulls a knife, but he's being civilized about it. "Look ladies, we don't want any trouble. You look like rich girls. If either of you get hurt around here, then that just brings eyes and coppers we don't want. So how about my friends and I escort you back to the safety part of town. Only for the small fee of those Fracs that you have been flashing. Sounds good to you, ladies?"
"Sophia, barrier please." I said when the leader was close enough. A barrier spell goes up around the three of us. And I pull Chekhov out from my domain and push it up under the thugs' chin.
He just smirks at me. His knife taps against my stomach.
I shrug, all that dream bank robbing coming into play. "I can heal up a gut wound. Can you put your skull back together?" I ask him.
He considers, and then retracts the knife.
"I like you." I continued, "that was a very professional mugging. Out of respect for the game I will only take half of what you have on you. And an answer to a question."
"I'm listening." He said, the barrel of my gun making his chin itchy.
"Who do you pay a cut to? Who really runs this market?" I ask.
"Vito Greco." He said without any hesitation. "He runs the gambling. Everything else falls under that."
"Thank you. Now please empty your pocket and give me half, if you wouldn't mind."
He shuffles around a bit, but produces some cash.
And holy shit we hit the jackpot! Even with just half I could buy three of those bracers.
"Thank you for your time." I said politely. I step towards Sophia and she tightens the barrier around us. We calmly walk out of the alley, because there is nothing they can do.
I pick up the bracers and we head back to the tea shop. Sophia looks a little bit shell shocked about what we just did. I'm pretty sure reverse mugging isn't kosher with the lord of light. But that a future Tangerine problem.
We arrived back at the tea shop, our teacher was just finishing up. "What did you learn?" she asked.
I told her about the deal between the insects and the fat cat. I might have left out my involvement in the whole affair. Sophia told her about Vito Greco owning the markets and running the gambling houses.
"Good work. Both B's. Also Tangerine, your early grade has been amended from a C to a B. Negotiating with the use of the Gestalt was an excellent play. But in future please do not rob the local gangsters, it is unbecoming of a Rift officer." She said with a smile.
I knew that they were watching us.
***
Bath day. Sophia is stuck to me like glue, always between Daisy and myself. I am not complaining, but I am as red as a tomato. She keeps bumping my elbow with her orbs of mental destruction.
The Construct is in the bath with us. Well, not in the bath, it's too big and it might rust, but in the room. Nobody really minds, it's not really a boy so it's fine. Apparently Ria and it have been together all day. Which is nice. We really need to come up with a name for it.
I fell asleep in the arms of my angel.
It was a good day.
***
***
Weeee this one just kept going and going! I had fun though. Cat talk is the best.