To those who seek peace, it shall be granted from your own heart.

  To those who seek strife, it shall be granted from your own blood.

  - Edicts of the Empress, 15:2-4

  *****

  Simon woke up to the sound of birds singing morning songs filling the woods outside his tent. Fresh air filled his lungs as he crawled out of his tent, a welcome change from the dank odor of the cave. Getting out of the cave took much longer than going in. Carrying Kait had made it much more difficult.

  It had taken them over twelve hours to get through the cave, and Simon was so exhausted by the end that he hadn’t dared heal Kait. Between his fatigue and the lingering damage to his Spirit, healing her might have sent him into a coma of his own.

  Simon stretched. He felt far better after sleep. There was still a dull throb in his Spirit, but it was nearly fully replenished.

  Kait’s tent was unopened. Justus assured Simon a dozen times that she would recover within a few days, but Simon still worried. Aside from some bruising and her broken arm, she was fine physically, according to Justus. He’d used that awareness skill to check her internal organs, which Simon thought was really creepy despite its utility. It made Simon wonder what else Justus could sense about their bodies. Simon quickly decided not to think about that.

  Justus’s tent was absent around the burned-out embers of the campfire. He was gone, probably training nearby. Simon made sure he was alone, then crossed two fingers and hissed under his breath.

  “Shadow Clone Jutsu!”

  Spirit emerged from his skin and curled in the air. His Spirit strained, feeling like a sore muscle being stretched. Once the clone fully formed, however, the discomfort became a dull ache. Simon walked up to the clone and gave it a high five.

  “Nice job yesterday,” Simon told it. Simon got the feeling it’d be grinning if it could.

  “Mind keeping watch over her? I’m going to go see what Justus is up to.”

  The clone gave him a thumbs up.

  “Thanks. I also think you’ve earned a name after that fight. Think about it, and when we get back to town, you can use the notebook to write down whatever you come up with.”

  The clone nodded, and Simon went off to look for Justus.

  The woody mountains here were sparse with trees, but the canopies were spread out and thick with large leaves, soaking up the dim orange light of the planet’s giant unmoving sun.

  Simon still wasn’t a fan of the sun, but the planet was growing on him. The lower gravity felt nice. It wasn’t like the videos he’d seen of astronauts on the moon base or on Mars, but there was a noticeable difference; he could jump higher than he could on Earth. Simon could probably finally manage a McTwist if he had his skateboard, a trick he’d spent a month trying, and failing, to learn. The thought made him wonder if skateboards were invented here yet. If not, maybe he’d pitch the idea to Justus. It would gather attention, but it was a way to make a lot of money, something Justus seemed pretty obsessed with.

  While pondering his potential capital venture, Simon heard Justus’s voice in the distance and soon saw him. He was talking to someone. Moving quieter, Simon moved closer, sticking behind trees when he could. Once he got close enough to hear, he stayed hidden behind a thick tree.

  “—make any sense. How can you not be sure?”

  Simon peeked around the thick tree he was hiding behind. Justus was faced away from him, just close enough to overhear. If there was someone else with him, Simon couldn’t see them. Justus spoke again after a short pause.

  “How did you fix my stone? Why do it in the first place?” Justus asked.

  Someone had fixed his guidestone? Simon was under the impression that they were nearly impossible to break and very impossible to fix.

  And who the hell was he talking to? Did he have some kind of radio or telephone? Simon couldn’t remember if Justus had ever mentioned that kind of tech here. He said a while ago you could use guidestones to communicate if you were in a party, but he’d also said you had to be pretty close, and they were a two-day hike away from the nearest town.

  “Why?” Justus demanded.

  There was another pause.

  “I didn’t ask for your help!” Justus snapped.

  After a much longer pause, Simon saw Justus’s body language relax. He ran a hand through his hair, something he often did when he was stressed.

  “No. Thank you, I just… I want answers. I can’t—don’t like not knowing what’s going on. First I get sent to gods know where, and then I get stuck with two people who have no clue about the world and a quest that’s way beyond my ability. Now there’s you, and whatever happened on that ship screwed with my guidestone. It’s infected with some sort of Lost Age program that’ll get it confiscated.”

  There was another short pause, and Justus tensed again.

  “How?” He asked. After another pause, Justus nodded. A minute later he shook his head.

  “How do you know how to…”

  “Don’t—Gah!” Justus let out a frustrated sound and shook his hand. He ran a hand through his hair once more, then let out a loud sigh. He stood like that for a while, then a long object appeared in his hand from his inventory.

  Justus began practicing a series of movements with the weapon. It looked like a glaive. Justus clearly had a lot of training with the weapon, given the confidence and grace he moved with.

  Simon stepped out from behind the tree and approached. Justus was focused on his practice and didn’t notice Simon. Simon looked around as he got closer, and sure enough, there was no one else there.

  “Hey!” Simon called.

  Justus wheeled around, spinning to point his weapon at Simon. He lowered it when he saw who’d snuck up on him, but his expression quickly turned sour.

  “What are you doing here, Simon? You should have stayed at camp.”

  “I left a clone to keep watch. Who were you talking to just now?”

  Justus narrowed his eyes, and Simon could have sworn his hands twitched, as if they wanted to bring the weapon back up.

  “That’s none of your business.”

  Simon looked around, gesturing to the empty clearing.

  “If you’re talking to voices in your head, I think that’s kind of my business. I’d like to know if someone I’m traveling with is cracking up,” Simon said, mostly joking.

  Justus looked around, as if needing to check for himself that the clearing was empty. Simon felt a sense of regret at his choice. If Justus was starting to crack up, maybe confronting him alone in a forest wasn’t a good idea.

  “What did you see?” Justus asked.

  “Nothing. Just heard you talking.”

  “You didn’t hear anyone else?”

  Simon frowned. “No, just you.” He looked around again. “Should I have?” he asked carefully.

  “I don’t know.” Justus looked down at his hands, which were still gripping his glaive. Simon stared at the blade for a few seconds and felt his hands start to tremble. He looked away.

  “Right… You know you’re freaking me the fuck out right now, right? What the hell does that even mean? You don’t know if there was someone else here?”

  Justus let out an annoyed huff, then looked back up. “I’m not going crazy. It’s complicated. I’ll explain later, once Katherine’s awake.”

  “You can’t explain right now?”

  “No. Get back to camp. I still have to finish my forms.”

  “Okay… You gonna teach us that sometime?” Simon nodded to the glaive.

  “Go.”

  “Alright, alright, I’m going.”

  Simon turned and headed back to camp.

  “Wrong way.”

  Simon looked back and saw Justus pointing in a direction to Simon’s left. He checked his clone, feeling out the thin connection he had with it, and was annoyed to find Justus was exactly right.

  “Thanks,” Simon muttered, altering his course.

  Kate didn’t wake up while Justus was gone. She didn’t wake up when Justus came back and cooked stew for breakfast. As they ate, Simon asked Justus if they should try to feed her. She’d been out for nearly a full day now. Justus told him that was a stupid idea, which Simon felt was a little harsh, but Justus explained that she’d most likely choke and that her Spirit would keep her from starving.

  “We don’t have to eat?”

  “Of course you do. You’re Opal. Still, your body will naturally reach out and use Spirit if it starts to run out of energy. As you rank up, you’ll need to eat less and less. Already, you can manage without as much, since your body is breaking down food much more effectively. That’s why you don’t need to use the restroom as much. Once you become Jade, you won’t need to use the restroom at all unless you eat too much.”

  Now that Justus mentioned it, Simon realized he hadn’t needed to take a dump more than once every couple quarters. He’d thought it had something to do with all the exercise or change in diet. He also never saw Justus leave to use the restroom. Simon had assumed he went when they weren’t looking.

  “Huh. That’s weird, but kinda cool. I don’t know how to feel about it, honestly. Is there any other weird stuff that happens at higher ranks?”

  “A lot. Spirit is an energy source, and progressing through ranks lets your body use it more and more intuitively and effectively. Sapphires can hold their breath for hours using Spirit, and Emeralds don’t need to breathe at all. Senses sharpen too. Most Emeralds can hear for miles around and see clearly just as far. If they wanted, an Emerald could pick up a pebble and throw it to kill someone a mile away.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, that’s the right response. Always keep in mind that rank progression is exponential. You’re closer to a Sapphire than a Sapphire is to an Emerald. Never try to take on someone a rank above you. You might manage to take down an unskilled Jade, but you’d have to fight dirty and kill them quickly. Once you’re Jade, though, don’t even try. The only time I know of Jades winning a fight against a Sapphire was when a group of eight Jades hunted down a rogue one. Even then, only three of the Jades lived, and one of those quit adventuring because of his injuries. Fights between Spirit Artists are brutal. Unless you have the right skills to subdue, it usually only ends when someone is dead.”

  “Have you…?”

  Justus paused, a spoonful of stew halting halfway between his bowl and lips. He lowered it back to the bowl, keeping his eyes on the stew.

  “A few. All rogues with bounties. The pay is good, but it's risky business. Sometimes you don’t have a choice, though. If you choose to go down the path of a true Spirit Artist adventurer, it’s only a matter of time before you’re forced to kill or be killed. If you’re not prepared to take a life, I’d stick to small and safe jobs.”

  Simon nodded. He didn’t like the idea of killing anyone, but he knew that sometimes people had to be put down. His hand moved to his pocket, feeling the slight round bulge of his coin.

  “I get that. My dad was a cop. They’re like those enforcers you talk about. Mom said he killed someone once. Guy pulled a gun on him, but Dad was faster. She said he was never really the same afterwards.”

  Justus was quiet for a few minutes, and Simon thought the conversation was over until Justus spoke.

  “What happened to him?”

  “Huh?”

  “Your dad. You’ve mentioned him a few times, but you talk about him like he’s gone. That time in your city, you went looking for your Mom, but never mentioned your Dad. What happened to him? Was he killed?”

  Simon’s fingers traced the coin, his hand sinking into his pocket without him even meaning to. He knew its grooves so well he could almost feel the stains on the eagle.

  “No. He died in an accident,” Simon said.

  The trek back up to Teshustoq was quiet, but Simon didn’t mind. A couple days of hiking was a pleasant break from hard training and robot killing. They reached the town after the second day of hiking up the mountainside.

  Kate had stirred a few hours before arriving, but she hadn’t woken. Simon’s worry about her was growing, but Justus didn’t seem concerned. Simon hoped it was because he was confident she would recover and not due to a lack of care.

  When they reached the inn, Simon was glad to see Belle, who greeted him with a lot of excited barking, spinning, and licking. Before they’d left, he’d asked one of the innkeepers to watch over her and take her out to use the restroom and for walks. He had to borrow money from Justus, who made sure Simon knew it was coming out of his share of the job payment. Simon hadn’t minded. As useful as Belle’s power might have been in the fight, it wasn’t worth risking her getting hurt.

  Simon thanked the innkeeper and gave her the three weird coins, shaped like a playing card diamond. The coins, which Justus called chips, were only an inch across from top to bottom and were made of a deep green metal.

  When they got in the room and set Kate on the bed, Simon fell onto the blanket on the floor that served as his bed.

  “What are you doing?” Justus asked, looking down at him.

  “Going to sleep.”

  “Not yet. We have to go see Goffner.”

  Simon groaned. “We can do it tomorrow. Some of us aren’t built like Terminators.”

  “Stop making references to things you know I don’t understand. And we’re doing it now.”

  Simon groaned again but pulled himself up.

  “Why?”

  “It’s common courtesy. Doesn’t matter how tired you are; if you’re able to, you tell the contractor when the job is done as soon as you can.”

  Simon muttered under his breath about what he thought of common courtesy, but he summoned his clone to stay behind while he followed Justus back outside.

  Goffner was outside on his porch when they arrived at his unusually tall and crooked house. He waved and called out to them.

  “Welcome back. How’s the girl doing? Still resting?”

  “She’s fine. Her Spirit is still healing. She should be fine by tomorrow,” Justus said, as if he expected Goffner to know about Kate’s condition.

  “Good, good,” Goffner said, standing and ushering them to the door. “Let’s go inside and discuss how the job went.”

  Simon followed the old man inside after Justus and shut the door behind him. The stuffy smell hit him just as suddenly as the first time. It smelled like a pile of old socks.

  “You mind if I ask a question?” Simon asked, remembering to speak loudly so the old man could hear.

  “Not at all. In fact, I’ll let you ask another,” Goffner said, chuckling to himself as he slowly sat on his armchair.

  “Justus said Emeralds have insane senses, so why is your hearing bad?”

  Goffner laughed as if Simon had told a hilarious joke. Even as he did, Justus gave Simon a severe look.

  “‘Cause I’m old, of course. Sure, I could pump some Spirit into these old ears and hear a rat fart across the city, but it’s more effort than it’s worth at this point. You’ll understand if you ever reach the higher ranks. Besides, it’s fun to get to tell people to speak up.”

  Simon laughed politely, even though Goffner hadn’t really given a good answer.

  “Now, I think I owe you three a reward. Go ahead and look around. Feel free to rummage about as long as you want. If it’s lying around, you can have it. Just don’t get greedy and try to take more than one thing for each of you. I’ll know.”

  “Aren’t you goinna ask us if we finished the job?”

  Goffner chuckled again.

  “If you didn’t get the job done, then I doubt this one would have let you come back to town.” Goffner gestured to Justus. “You might be comfortable talking to people above your rank, but this one has better instincts. ‘Course I wouldn’t hurt you just ‘cause you failed a job, but it’s smart to be careful when dealing with high rankers. No one would stop me if I decided to kill you two for pissing me off. Kind of perks that come with Emerald. It’s nice to talk to someone who has the balls to speak freely around me, though. I’m almost tempted to let you take two things. Almost.”

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  “Ah. Um, thanks,” Simon said, wishing he hadn’t asked. He suddenly understood why Justus acted so on edge around this guy. “So we can just take anything we want?”

  “As long as it’s the one thing. Maybe if it's a set of plates or something, I’ll let you take the whole thing. But show me what you decide on, just so I don’t think I lost it around here.”

  Justus shared a glance with Simon. “Thank you, Sir. Simon, go check upstairs and see if you can find anything interesting. I’ll look down here.”

  Simon got the feeling Justus was trying to get rid of him. He nodded anyway.

  “Sure.”

  He left the room and made an effort to climb noisily up the stairs. Then he very quietly crept back down. He heard Goffner talk shortly after, his voice barely audible thanks to all the junk muffling the sound of his voice from the living room.

  “I take it you wanted to ask me something. Well, if you’re going to ask for a particular item, I’m afraid the answer is no. Searching is half the fun.”

  “Actually, it wasn’t an item I was going to ask for. More like a favor, Sir.” Justus’s voice was even quieter, and Simon had to strain as close as he dared to catch each word.

  “A favor? Hmm, interesting. You have a particular favor in mind, boy?”

  “I did. There’s a memory I have. A certain part of my life. You said you wiped memories before, didn’t you? Could you—”

  “Certainly I could. But I won’t. Go fetch an item with your friend.”

  There was a long pause after Goffner’s words. The old man’s tone was less jovial than before. Simon debated rushing back up, thinking Justus had to be done. Then he spoke.

  “Can I ask why?”

  “You wouldn’t be the first. Oh don’t look so surprised. Reckon you’re the first who’s asked me to wipe a memory you’d rather not have? You wouldn’t be the first this cycle. As for why, well… I used to. Did it a few times for friends. And you know what happens? It works. They forget all about it.

  “You might think that’s what you want, but is it really? Do you want to suddenly have habits you can’t remember why you ever formed? Have nightmares with holes in them? It won’t take away the hurt, only numb it. It’ll drive you mad. Memories are what make you you. Take them away, and you’re suddenly someone you don’t recognize—don’t understand. You need your memories, even the bad ones. Especially the bad ones. Learn from them; don’t hide from them. They’ll nip at you your whole life if you do, driving you mad in a different sort of way.”

  Simon hurried up the steps, trying not to make any noise. Goffner’s answer didn’t seem open for much argument, and he’d heard enough. He started looking through the mountains of junk for anything that could be useful.

  He’d gotten about halfway through the second floor by the time he found a tin box inside what seemed like a small study. It was hard to tell with all the junk piled up around the room. The box looked like it was made for cookies, like something an old British grandmother might have on her dinner table. However, what Simon found inside made him suck in a sharp breath.

  The stone was about two inches wide and immaculately cut. The light filtered through its clear blue crystal form, scattering into dazzling glints. He’d never seen one, but Simon knew at once it was a Sapphire guidestone. The stone trembled in his hand, against his very Spirit. Suddenly Simon felt he understood how the characters in Lord of the Rings might have felt when holding the One Ring. There was a pull to the power in the stone that beckoned him to claim it.

  Simon dropped the stone back in the tray and backed away, feeling out of breath. Just then, he heard someone coming up the stairs. The footsteps grew closer, and a figure appeared at the open door of the study.

  “Find anything yet?”

  Simon nodded. “Yeah, I’d say so. How much did you say these things are worth again?”

  Justus frowned, then Simon saw a rare look of genuine surprise on his face.

  “A lot. You might find someone willing to sell one of these for four hundred speers, if you’re lucky.”

  “How much is that?”

  “Well, for the middle class in Talon, the cyclical salary is around 20 to 30 speers.”

  “Shit…” Simon said. And Justus’s guidestone was worth even more? No wonder he was so attached to it. He was carrying around something that was probably worth as much as a private jet. Simon looked to Justus and noticed he was carrying two things, one in each hand. “What’s that?”

  Justus showed off the items. One was a small vial of a glowing white liquid. The other was a staff of polished white metal, runes etched across its surface. There were curls of faint wisps of Spirit trailing around the metal, dim but noticeable in the dark room.

  “Healing potion and a Spirit weapon.”

  “Healing potion? For Kate?”

  Justus lowered the potion, looking at Simon like he’d just insulted his mother.

  “For me. I’m deciding which one I want.”

  “Aren’t you super tough? I think me or Kate would get more use out of a healing potion. But it seems a bit useless since I have a healing skill.”

  “It doesn’t heal your body. It heals and replenishes Spirit. This one is ranked for Emeralds. A single drop of this potion could fully rejuvenate a Jade Spirit. Even at Sapphire you’d only need two drops, I’d bet.”

  “What’s the other one? A spirit weapon? What is it, a magic staff?”

  “Not exactly.”

  Justus held up the staff and shut his eyes. After a few seconds, the staff rippled, the top extending into a spearhead. It became solid once more, and Justus tapped it on the ground.

  “You channel Spirit into the runes to shape it. It’s extremely durable, and since it can be saturated with Spirit, it’s one of the few kinds of weapons that can remain relevant at higher ranks. It’s a weapon for life. Almost every Ruby ranker has one, and most Emeralds do too.”

  “Sounds like that one’s better.”

  “In the long term it is, but the healing potion is a safety net that would last a decacycle if I use it sparingly. For now, I’m thinking I’ll take the weapon and give the potion to Katherine. She seems to enjoy throwing herself at danger.”

  “I think I’d get a lot of use out of that potion. My clones take a lot of Spirit if they get destroyed before I recall them. Having an extra few in a fight would make a huge difference.”

  Justus looked down at the Sapphire guidestone. “The potion is great, but we could get a few for Opal rank that you could use. It’s nowhere near as good a find as the guidestone.”

  “Which is why I’ll take the potion. Kate can have the stone.”

  Justus looked at Simon as if Simon had just slapped him.

  “Are you stupid? Simon, that’s an ascendant model stone. It’s worth more than anything here. It’ll give you an inventory, safety features, a combat overlay system, real-time self-scans, and more.”

  “Which Kate would help Kate as much as me. She saved my life. If it’s the best prize here, then she’s the one who earned it. Besides, if the potion rejuvinates spirit, that means it can refresh cooldowns, right? With my healing, that could be a life saver.”

  Simon took the open tin and offered it to Justus. Justus looked from the sapphire inside to Simon, then took it. He gave Simon the healing potion.

  “Thanks,” Simon said.

  “We still have the rest of the house to check.” Justus turned and left the room.

  Simon followed behind. They went room by room, checking every item and looking inside every box. Simon spent half his time sorting things and the other half asking Justus what they were. Most of it was just normal junk, but occasionally he’d find something pretty nice. None of it was better than the potion, though.

  After what felt like hours, Justus called their search to an end as they finished sorting through yet another large box.

  “I hate to call it before we’re done looking at everything, but nothing has come close to the potion or Spirit weapon. I think it's safe to say those are the best we'll find, other than the guidestone.”

  Simon felt a stab of disappointment. He wasn’t sure why. The healing potion was incredibly useful, but Simon had hoped to find something else.

  Justus was right though. Simon was finding himself nodding off as he rummaged through the last few boxes. It was time to go.

  Simon got up off the floor. He didn’t follow Justus immediately. He gave the room he was in one last look, as if something would pop out at him. Nothing did. With a sigh, Simon turned to leave.

  His foot snagged on the flap of a cardboard box and tugged it. The entire stack of things on top of the box tilted and began to fall. Simon cursed and reached out to catch the pile. He caught most, but the top container fell. Simon nudged the bottom box back into position and carefully let go of the pile, keeping his arms close for a few seconds in case it began tilting again.

  The container that fell was a small blue box. The lid had popped open, revealing the inside filled with straw. The straw had a round dent, as if something had been resting on it for a while. Simon looked back at the ground, searching the floor.

  He found it between two stacks. Simon fished for it, managing to roll it out. The item was a dull silvery metal, a lot like the weapon Justus had found. Simon turned it in his hand, wondering what it was. It was the size of a large walnut, and one side felt rough. He brought it closer to his eyes, and Simon swore he could make out incredibly fine runes etched into the back. It looked a bit like a circuit board.

  Something about the thing called to him. Simon set the healing potion in the blue container, then set it on a nearby box before he left to follow Justus.

  Justus was already downstairs talking to Goffner, who was examining the Spirit weapon.

  “Ah, haven’t seen this in a while. Used to use this all the time at Sapphire. I couldn’t really fit it in my style by the time I reached Emerald, but it’s a good weapon. Great, even. One of the first of its kind, in fact. Four different forms. Take good care of it.”

  Justus nodded. “I will. Thank you.”

  Goffner’s face lit up when he saw Simon.

  “There you are. Something caught your eye, did it?” he said with a chuckle.

  Justus gave Simon a puzzled look and frowned when his eyes flicked down to see the small metal ball Simon held. He didn’t say anything, but Simon could tell he wanted to.

  “I think so. I’m not really sure what this is.” Simon held out the metal ball, and Goffner took it in his hand.

  “Yes, not many would. Very new, this is. Bought it from a Bandwi merchant just a few phases ago. Cutting edge, cutting edge.” Goffner held up the metal ball between two thick, wrinkled fingers. “Very good find, boy.”

  “Uh, thanks. What is it?”

  Goffner shifted his focus from the ball to Simon.

  “This is a modified relic. A prototype.”

  Simon felt a sinking feeling in his gut.

  “I thought relics were, like, really bad. Aren’t they illegal to have?”

  “Usually, yes. Recently, though, the Monarch of Bandwi has granted researchers certain permissions in his kingdom. The runes once banned have been opened in the name of progress. Few know about this. It isn’t public information. I only know thanks to a close friend I have in Sky Seek. You’ll have to be careful with this. I have a writ of permission from the Delegate of Sky Seek to own and use it, which you’ll need if you don’t want to be arrested.”

  “Thanks, but what does it do? Is it a weapon?”

  “Of sorts. They call them Inkarans. I think the literal translation is ‘Body of Spirit.’ This is an Inkaran of an eye, and it’s meant to replace one of your own. I was told it would let whoever used it see Spirits with their own eyes. The potential advantage it offers is extraordinary. I was told it was tested thoroughly, but you can never be certain with these things.”

  “It’s an implant?” Simon asked, looking at the ball again. The object was indeed the size and shape of an eye.

  Goffner frowned. “Hmm, translator had some issues with that word. Have you heard of these before?”

  “Uh, no.” Simon said quickly, realizing his slip-up. “Well, sort of. There are stories where I grew up about people, um, combining with Spirits, sort of. I didn’t know they were real, of course. I mean, it’s not exactly the same, of course, but it’s kinda similar.”

  Goffner’s frown didn’t disappear, but he nodded slowly. “Interesting stories. Regardless, this is quite an incredible find, but there are drawbacks. People will notice something like this. You’ll want to hide it whenever you can, like how Justus is careful to hide his mentor’s stone.”

  Simon saw Justus stiffen at the old man’s words, but he kept quiet. He had been very quiet. Usually Justus was all about this kind of thing.

  “Did you want to swap me for the weapon? If you want the eye—”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Justus said, as if he’d been waiting to be asked his opinion. “It’s incredible and a very generous offer,” he said, glancing at Goffner before looking back at Simon, “but the attention it could put on you isn’t worth it.”

  Simon shrugged. “I’ve always wondered how I’d look with an eyepatch. No offense, but this is exactly the sort of thing I was hoping for. But how am I supposed to use it? Would I need surgery?”

  “Not the usual kind,” Goffner said. “It needs to be integrated into your Spirit, but I’m more than capable of doing the procedure. Is there an eye you’d prefer to replace?”

  Simon thought about it. “Before I ranked up, my left eye was always a little blurry, so I think I could get used to wearing an eyepatch over it.”

  “Fantastic. This won’t take long.”

  “Wait, right now? How—” Goffner lifted a hand and snapped his fingers.

  Simon stirred, feeling groggy. He sat up and winced, rubbing his temples. His head throbbed, similar to how he imagined a hangover might feel. He’d never had one, but he’d seen the effects plenty.

  His vision came into focus, and something felt off immediately. Part of his vision was sharp, the colors more vibrant, as if he was looking through a filter that made everything look more real somehow.

  He touched around his left eye, his fingers brushing against the socket, feeling the eye under his lids harder than before and very sore. He winced and pulled away.

  “I wouldn’t touch that for a few days.”

  Simon turned to look at the armchair, then screamed. He pushed himself back, falling off the couch and scrambling on the floor until his back was against a pile of junk. The thing in the room was impossible.

  It was the size of an entire city, made of thousands of winding tendrils, which unfurled and coiled in the very space they occupied. The thing wasn’t solid but made of billions of tiny flecks of burning light, connected with glowing strings that pulsed and flashed, like a cgi brain Simon had seen on a documentary once. All of it was somehow inside of the old man, like he was a portal to another dimension.

  Simon shut his eyes, shaking his head, but when he opened them, the thing was still there. He put a hand over his left eye, blocking out the headache-inducing sight.

  “I’ll take that as a sign that it’s working.”

  Simon could only nod. He didn’t trust himself to talk.

  “I won’t bother asking you to describe it, even if I am curious. Probably better if I didn’t know. The eye will be sore as your body and Spirit fully integrate it. It might not take as long as expected, though. You should have mentioned that you possess the Spirit affinity. That eye might be more potent with you than I expected. The Spirit affinity is pure, and that makes it ideal for Spirit alchemy. You may want to look into that. Great way to earn some coin.”

  Simon nodded again. “I’ll, uh… look into it.”

  The sound of the front door opening drew Simon’s attention, and he was relieved to see Justus walking into the room. He held up a scarlet eyepatch and tossed it to Simon.

  Simon caught the eyepatch. It was a mix of red leather and soft cotton, with three straps. He put it on and adjusted it until it was snug.

  “Thanks.”

  “How is it?” Justus asked.

  “Comfortable. Does it fit me?”

  “I meant the eye. You owe me four chips for the patch, by the way.”

  “Whatever, man, take it from my share. The eye works. It’s a bit…overwhelming, but it works.”

  “Good. It better be worth it. Keep that eyepatch on unless I give you permission. I’m keeping the writ in case you get in trouble.”

  Goffner chuckled from his armchair. “You should have seen the boy. Thought he’d piss himself.”

  “It’s freaky,” Simon said in his defense, “like looking at something people weren’t meant to see.”

  “You’ll get used to it,” Goffner said. He looked to Justus. “You three are headed to Tide Blessed, is that right?”

  “We are.”

  Goffner stroked his wispy white beard, nodding. “Well, it so happens that I’ve been waiting to send a shipment of goods to sell. If you can deliver the goods, I have enough goodwill built up with the Delegate to secure all three of you a place on the next ship.”

  “Seriously?” Simon asked.

  “We wouldn’t want to impose. You’ve already—”

  “Stop being a kiss-ass.” Goffner said, waving away Justus’s objections. “Take the damn job. It’s not just generosity. The taxes for official merchants are ridiculous these days. This job will be confidential. I’m only giving you a spot as thanks for helping me with the job I posted. And you’re merely helping an old friend of a friend.”

  “Friend of a friend?”

  “Of course. You think I wouldn’t recognize Boris’s guidestone? I hope you’ve been taking good care of it.”

  Justus’s hand reached for the satchel on his hip, where he kept his guidestone. Simon could see the surprise he tried to keep off his face break through in a few twitches of the eyes. Simon hadn’t met a Boris before, but he could piece together that it must have been the name of Justus’s old mentor.

  “You knew Boris?”

  “Course I knew Boris.” Goffner tapped his head. “Perfect memory. Another perk of the rank. Not that I’d need it to remember Boris. I only met him once, but I read his file; one of the youngest Peak Emeralds in the world, and one hell of a set of affinities. It was a given he’d be the next Ruby, but alas. Piss-poor luck, running into a Dire Beast in the middle of nowhere, yet he killed it. Only a handful of Emeralds can claim to have done that. Even my dusty old heart felt the call of adventuring again when I read up on that report.”

  “It wasn’t bad luck that killed him. He could have gotten away.”

  Goffner raised a thick eyebrow. “He saved an entire town. And you.”

  “And he was worth more than all of them.”

  “He didn’t think so.”

  “Because he was an idiot!” Justus snapped. Simon looked cautiously at the old man, who had the power to kill them both effortlessly.

  “Uh Justus? I don’t—”

  Justus continued, cutting Simon’s warning off. “He got himself killed, and for what? A few hundred nobodies and an Opal apprentice? What has that town done for the world since? How many people have even heard of it?”

  “So it’s all about fame and status, is it? I can’t help but notice you never quit adventuring. Is that what you're after? Prestige? Or something else?” Goffner asked, his voice more measured than usual. Something in his tone made Simon take a step back. “Look at you. Two apprentices under your charge. Ambitious, for a Jade. Reckless, even.”

  Justus opened his mouth to respond, then glanced at Simon. His expression changed, as if he’d forgotten Simon was there. He closed his mouth and didn’t speak for a few moments. He looked back to the old Emerald adventurer.

  “If your offer still stands, I’ll come by tomorrow to discuss details. We’re tired from our journey. I apologize. Thank you again for your generosity.”

  Justus turned to leave. “Come on, Simon.”

  Simon watched Justus storm down the hall and out the door. He looked back at Goffner, who looked more interested than offended by Justus’s outburst.

  “Sorry. He can be a bit, um, crabby.”

  Goffner’s tension faded with a light chuckle. “‘Crabby,’ huh? Haven’t heard that expression before. It’s no worry. Adventure calls to those who have something to prove. Everyone has their sore spots, isn’t that right?” Goffner glanced down, and Simon looked down to find his hand in his pocket, fingers brushing his coin. He took it out.

  “Yeah. Thanks for everything. I’d better go before he gets pissed at me.”

  “A good idea. When he calms down, tell him the offer stands. By the way, would you like to keep this?”

  Goffner held up a small jar filled with a light blue liquid. Inside was an eyeball, the stem still attached. It wasn’t until he saw the green iris that Simon realized it was his eyeball. The urge to vomit churned in his gut, and he looked away, shaking his head.

  “No thanks. You can keep it.” Simon quickly left the stuffy house as Goffner cackled.

  He had to run to catch up to Justus, who was walking briskly. The cobblestone streets of the town were empty, as it was well past the time most would be asleep. He slowed down when Justus came into view. Simon kept some distance between them. Justus didn’t stop to see if Simon was behind.

  Checking to be sure that no one was around, Simon lifted his eyepatch. The dim light of the sun seemed much brighter in the left eye, and he could see the details of each cobblestone on the ground even a block away. His eye began watering, and he felt a dull ache begin to throb in the back of his head.

  He shifted his focus on Justus.

  Goffner’s Spirit had been terrifying because of its sheer power and scale, but Justus’s was terrifying for a different reason. Its movements weren’t graceful and flowing but quick and jerky; sometimes entire sections vanished and appeared on another part of its form. Other times parts of it crumbled away into dust, only for them to reform. Its shape was sharp and menacing, with edges and serrated blade-like limbs jutting out in a way that seemed chaotic but had some kind of complex pattern behind them.

  The way it moved was creepy, but that wasn’t the worst part. The Spirit was covered in eyes. The eyes were moving across the body, embedded in its ethereal flesh, and taking in every detail of the world around them. As they slithered across the Spirit's form, tens of thousands of eyes of all colors and shapes—some of which were impossible to describe—focused on Simon, staring at him. Some eyes were stoic and almost detached as they stared, while others were dripping with tears of sorrow or rage, and others still were narrow with suspicion or mirth.

  Simon moved to cover his eye with the patch but paused. Something else moved in the Spirit.

  It was subtle, a shimmer that moved inside the Spirit, but Simon knew immediately that it wasn’t part of Justus’s Spirit. The golden light flowed through the Spirit, drifting like ink in water, but never dissipating so much that he couldn’t make it out. As he focused on it, the light congregated together and pulled out of the larger Spirit. The small Spirit formed a tiny feminine head that poked out of the Spirit. The small Spirit turned to look at Simon, cocked its head curiously, then smiled. A tiny, golden hand poked out of the larger Spirit and waved at him.

  Simon cautiously waved back, and the tiny gold lady sank back inside of Justus’s Spirit.

  Simon pulled his eyepatch back down. He really needed to get some sleep.

  There are four coins used on Varkalus. All are made of anodized aluminum.

  Bits are small blue squares ? 16 mm wide, 1.2 mm thick

  Chips are green smoothed diamonds ? 24 mm widest point, 1.6 mm thick

  Set are red rectangles ? 18 mm x 28 mm, 2 mm thick

  Speers are round ?? 35 mm, 2.5 mm thick

  Checks are cashed at the Finance Guild, which most towns have.

  There are 40 bits to a chip

  20 chips to a set (800 bits)

  10 sets to a speer (10,000 bits, 200 chips)

  A middle-class worker in Varkalus earns around 20-35 speers in a Cycle, which is an average of about 3 set per orbit (four quarters/days). Usually most people have one quarter off per orbit, so it's about a set for a "days" work.

  Which form should Justus's weapon be able to transform into?