These days, Lucian had elected to forget about using the classes for anything but a vector to learn useful skills and spells. All of his stat gains were coming from purified essence and blessings of the gods, it seemed. The prize that he was gunning for with the Jeweled Eye would be quite the game-changer, but he couldn’t count on getting it guaranteed. Lucian diversified his spell list a bit—he still didn’t have 30 MAG, and so he couldn’t use three-word chants, but he learned quite a few one-word and two-word spells of other disciplines besides holy.

  Elemental affinity was a huge bottleneck he had. Lucian’s holy affinity was 98%, yes, but most of the others barely neared 20%. Affinity was a strange mechanic in War of Four. Every affinity had an opposite—the basics ones were quite explicable, but lightning’s opposite was ice, and holy’s opposite was dark. Not ‘light,’ strangely enough. Lucian wasn’t going to question the devs. Well, he would, but more so about what twisted black magic they’d cast to send him in here.

  Until the sum of an affinity pair reached 100%, it was a non-zero-sum game. Past that, it was a zero-sum game. The player could have 50% water affinity and 50% fire affinity, but once that threshold was reached, raising either one would reduce the other. It couldn’t add up to more than 100%. Unfortunately, most of the good spells required an affinity over 50%. Right now, Lucian was still largely playing the non-zero-sum game, but affinity was very difficult to change naturally.

  That said, there were some opportunities coming later. The early game was rife with them. This mission in particular would let him reach 50% ice affinity—very useful.

  In the downtime leading up to his declaration of his defense and the second story mission, Lucian learned all the spells and skills that he could. And now…

  “Don’t be nervous. My dad can come on a bit strong, but he does it from a good place,” Helen assured him.

  Lucian took a deep breath and exhaled. They were waiting for her father in a public place in Verne itself—a courtyard, one of the few that had trees and greenery. They sat on a bench underneath an oak tree that provided ample shade.

  Helen stood up. “There he is.”

  Lucian looked at Count Palatine Theobald Brumaire. He looked a great deal like his daughter, but stood at a much more formidable stature and had much more masculine features. He was probably the tallest person Lucian had seen in this world, excepting legitimate monsters—perhaps 6’8? He had short blonde hair, piercing green eyes, and he was neither built nor frail. He wore white finery.

  For the longest time, Lucian embarrassingly thought Theobald’s first name was Palatine. As it turned out, ‘Count Palatine’ was a title. The game never explained it through dialogue, but a count palatine was essentially an extension of royal authority. They were empowered to administer justice and govern as the king’s direct surrogate within their domain. Even now, Lucian didn’t quite understand it, but simply put, Theobald was a big shot.

  Lucian walked up. He had been basking in the shade of that tree, but soon enough he came to bask in the shade of Theobald Brumaire.

  “Here he is,” Helen introduced him. “Lucian, this is Theobald. You can call him Teddy if you like him, or Bald if you don’t.”

  It was probably intended as a disarming joke, but Lucian found it difficult to find the humor in it when Theobald stared at him so fiercely.

  His voice was deep and powerful. “My daughter has never before asked me to intervene in this fashion for anyone, much less a man. If you dare—”

  Helen kicked his shin, and he kneeled and grabbed the spot exaggeratedly. She pointed at him. “No games.”

  Theobald pouted. His voice had none of the gravitas it did before as he complained, “C’mon…. let me have my fun.”

  “No,” Helen said defiantly, poking him in the face as he kneeled. She seemed younger by ten years in that moment.

  Theobald was intensely unpredictable. On the surface, he seemed a little bit like a prankster. That was far from who he really was. He could have moments of intense seriousness, but at the same time he’d play bizarre games that seemed to have no purpose at first. Inevitability, these games revealed deeply-hidden secrets. He was a good person, just… odd.

  One thing was for sure. He was damn good at his job. It was a shame he died. Maybe Lucian could prevent that.

  Theobald arose, grabbing Helen and lifting her up into the sky. She didn’t object to being carried, and laughed playfully. Lucian felt like a third wheel.

  “Ah, I imagine Lucian feels a bit like a third wheel,” Theobald said, making Lucian’s heart skip a beat. Damn mind reader. His presence in the story was brief, but impactful. “Helen… you should stay.” He set her back down. He pointed at Lucian. “You. Come with me,” he said, walking forth and grabbing Lucian to shepherd him along.

  “Daddy?” Helen called out.

  “We’ll be back in a moment!” Theobald called out, then turned his gaze to Lucian. “So… my daughter told me your story.”

  “Thank you for coming here, Mr. Brumaire,” Lucian answered formally as they walked.

  “Teddy,” Theobald insisted. “Frankly, I was moved when I read my daughter’s letter.”

  That’s a good start, Lucian hoped.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “The idea of someone using their own child for such malignant purposes… utterly inconceivable. As a father, it sounds ridiculous,” Theobald continued.

  Maybe not, Lucian despaired.

  “I know that my daughter is inclined to believe the best of people. I can’t simply believe the story that I like to hear. That isn’t to say I disbelieve you,” Theobald cautioned.

  Lucian swallowed. He gave up on guessing where was this leading.

  “I’ve actually been in this city for some time. I’ve been talking to people. Investigating, you might say.” Theobald led them onto a gondola. “Take us to the Fourth Canton,” he told the gondolier.

  The Fourth Canton… it seemed like they were going to register Theobald as his defense counselor.

  “There wasn’t much information I could glean about you, actually. I spoke to a great many people. Neutral observers that know you, but don’t know you. Passive observers. People say that you always tip the gondolier. You have no hangouts, but you spend time with Miriam and Rowan Sumner—always studying, I’m told, and never social calls,” Theobald said, sitting opposite Lucian in the gondola. “Very admirable. Very dull. I did try briefly to follow you, but you’re quite paranoid and I’m quite conspicuous. Your lifestyle is dull, but you’re paranoid. A contradiction.”

  Lucian didn’t know what to say to that, but he was glad his paranoia was justified.

  “Anyway, it was probably unnecessary investigation. My daughter asked, so I can’t refuse. I had to do some due diligence, though. Just my nature,” Theobald explained. “I’ve always been curious about your father. I was Student Ambassador after he departed, and as such we’ve seldom had the chance to meet.”

  “What was your impression?” Lucian asked.

  “He wasn’t someone I wanted as an enemy,” Theobald said simply. “And I think the same was true of him for me. We were happy avoiding each other. Still, I won’t let that sway me.” He paused for a few moments, thinking. “Helen tells me that you’re going on a Student Ambassador mission soon, yes?” He asked.

  “That’s right,” Lucian confirmed with a nod.

  “Excellent. We’ll go to the Fourth Canton, get me registered as your defense counsel. While you’re away, give me your family crest. I’d like to poke around the Villamar holdings, see what I can turn up.”

  “You mean… break into the duke’s estate?” Lucian asked.

  “No, no. Nothing like that. Show up in purple, flash your crest, make up a story… get a guided tour.” Theobald smiled, laid back leisurely in the gondola, then reached his hands into the water. “Hardly breaking in if they invite you inside. I don’t think I can find anything too incriminating, but when you get back, I want to see if we can’t rattle Cyril’s cage with what I’ve learned.”

  “He's a difficult man to rattle,” Lucian said. “Emotionless. Callous.”

  “That’s why we rattle the cage, not the man himself,” Theobald responded with a smirk. He leaned in, his hands dripping wet after dipping them in the water. “You see, right now this trial is about you. The objective is to make it about him. If he’s orchestrating this, that’s the last thing he wants.” He snapped, and Lucian flinched as seawater struck his face. “Leverage can change the situation outside of the court. And nothing’s better than settling out of court.”

  Lucian got a sense that Theobald was very reliable just from this first conversation. He’d only seen him in other contexts, far outside a court room. He’d been more of a detective than a lawyer, but perhaps one bled into the other.

  “Our ambassador mission is taking us to Riverra,” Lucian said. “We might be able to confer. And I imagine that you’d like to hear my side of the story.”

  “Not yet,” Theobald said, shaking his head. “Helen told me what I need to know. Now… I’d like to do some independent detective work. Approach it with a neutral, unbiased perspective.” Theobald leaned back. “It’s part of my process. Don’t worry… my daughter requested this of me, and I never disappoint my little girl. Provided, of course, you’re not a scoundrel exploiting her,” he said, his voice darkening.

  “I didn’t ask her to do this,” Lucian said. “As for whether or not I’m a scoundrel… I try my best not to be, Mr. Brumaire.”

  Theobald stared at him silently. He’d seemed good-hearted and kind not seconds before, but now there was an insidiousness to him.

  “Teddy,” Theobald repeated, smiling so brightly Lucian wondered if he’d been imagining things moments ago. “Call me Teddy.”

  ***

  Lucian sat on a cart with all of the Student Ambassadors as it rolled down the road. Behind, in another cart, was the chancellors of each nation. On paper, this was a mediation between a labor union and the Empire of Riverra. In reality… it was the beginning of a revolt.

  Lucian looked back at the countryside. He was returning to this place so soon. He had laid some groundwork in Riverra—nothing major, of course, but enough. And unlike last time he’d gone on one of these…

  Lucian looked toward a new fixture—monastics of the Heavenwatch Monastery. Ostensibly, they were here to join in with the mediation. In reality, they were Lucian’s bodyguards and his mode of communication with his people on the outside. When he’d been to the confluence of the Lurund River and fought those bandits, he had to watch and listen as people were hit by a flood and killed. This time, he had people he could count on. He had people that could take care of the problems that he couldn’t.

  This time, the demons wouldn’t be the only hunters.

  “And you’re sure there’s going to be trouble?” Rowan whispered to Lucian, dragging him from his thoughts.

  Lucian glanced at him, nodding. He said quietly, “Positive. Something’s definitely wrong. Be ready for anything,” he requested.

  Miriam eyed him knowingly, but said nothing further. Rowan would protect the labor union and the Student Ambassadors—Lucian, all the same. His holy build was absolutely perfect here. There was another blessing to claim on top of that.

  But once Rowan’s battle was over, Lucian’s would begin. He’d be trying out a sequence break. Skip the days and days of enduring continued combat, and skip right to the boss. Nothing better.

  ***

  A white-haired man in a black cloth mask peered down at the carts as they cut across the road. He sat in a tree, hidden from sight from all but the keenest eyes. He eyed the monastics in particular, donned with their white fur robes.

  “The odd variable,” he muttered.

  He kept his eyes fixed on them. Every movement, every word exchanged, everything… he watched it all, as if trying to divine some secret. If anything was going to go wrong, it would stem from where it had all begun to go wrong to begin with. He was certain of it.