From the Dregs (III)

Chapter 101

A group of six stood near a fairly sizable, wooden board that was full of tattered and washed out pamphlets. Just to their right, specks of white light flickered in concentric circles, like halos, around a singular, gray pillar entirely decorated in carvings of various rune-like character.

The wooden board was nudged to the edge of a wide plaza, fenced off by two-feet tall walls, and was paved in rough cobblestone. It looked to be in disrepair, as though it hadn't been touched in a while.

Just a few moments later, nearly everyone in the group of six groaned audibly, Senna loudest among them.

"Bullshit!! This is all crap!" she exclaimed. "W-what is this, huh? Look --" she grabbed one of the pamphlets. "'I need someone to let me test out my whips on them'? What in the fuck?!"

"T-there's gotta be at least a single decent one," Emma said, sighing. "They can't all be crap, right?"

"No, no, they're all crap," Jamal said. "All of them..."

"Here--here," Diya exclaimed. "This one says to catch the gang leader Zetter. That doesn't sound too bad!"

"Oh, nice!!" Senna quickly grabbed the pamphlet. "We'll do this one."

"Wait--no, Diya found it, it's ours!" Jamal complained.

"What are you bitching about? I'm sure there's another good mission on here. You just gotta look hard enough!"

"Emma!" Jamal called out.

"... I really, really don't wanna be digging through sewers, searching for a ring." Emma smiled helplessly.

"... y'all suck," Jamal grumbled. "Utterly suck. Go ahead. Go after the gang leader. I hope you fall out of the fucking city lookin' for him."

Silence fell between the three that remained behind -- Jamal, Diya, and Lukas. The latter quickly spun forward and faced the board, trying to find yet another at-least-not-awful mission. Jamal grumbled something under his breath and stepped forward as well, scrying.

"I... I'm sorry..." Diya mumbled, pinching her skirt and lowering her head.

"Hm? For what?" Jamal asked without turning around.

"If... if I didn't announce it... it could have been ours... or if I held onto it--"

"Don't worry about it," Jamal interrupted with a chuckle. "You've done nothing wrong, Diya. Right, Lukas?"

"A-ah? Yes, yes, you'd done nothing wrong..."

"See? Even the gentle giant agrees!" Jamal exclaimed, sighing after he noted that Diya's expression hardly grew lighter. "We'll find another, alright? And even if we don't... so what? It's just a mission, Diya. Hardly worth stressing over. Now, use that fancy eyes of yours and try to spot us something decent. Alright?"

"... a-alright..."

"Good! Here we go!"

Cain took a sip of the chilly yipper, letting the somewhat jelly-like substance trail down his throat, cooling him from inside out. Past the somewhat uncomfortable texture was quite a savory taste, light on the buds. His mind, however, didn't catch much of it, mulling over everything Yal'sha said.

Though most was in line with what Cain himself knew, there were also quite a few things that took him by surprise. For instance, there was currently an under-the-eyes 'battle' of sorts going on between the leading groups of the Initiate Strata -- eight in total. There was a rumor spreading that this was the year the 'Ascension Process' would be held and that thirty would be promoted up.

As such, everyone was on the lookout for anyone who stood out -- with Cain being the prime example. Luckily, though, the strength of those stuck here wasn't nearly as great as Cain expected, prompting him to breathe a sigh of relief and not worry too much about the other six. Could it be due to the timeline? he mused, stroking his chin. We've ascended to the second floor much quicker than the last go-around...

"Was I, perchance, helpful?" Yal'sha asked as he let go of the woman's bloody wrist, wiping his lips.

"Quite," Cain replied. "Don't tell me it comes with a price."

"There's no price between friends."

"Oh. Good."

"There is the hope you'd do me a favor."

"Ah, there it is. No free lunch." Cain sighed. "Alright. Ask away. If it's something I can do, I will."

"Help my group Ascend." Yal'sha asked.

"No." Cain replied without hesitation. Yal'sha, however, didn't seem surprised.

"Why?" the man asked simply.

"Don't let today's bravado of mine fool you," Cain said. "I'm quite of a pussy, actually."

"Oh? You are?"

"Yes -- very much so. I just wanna build my base in peace and not get immediately swallowed into the war. I can, however, support you from the shadows."

"How?"

"Items," Cain said. "Information. Things like that."

"... it's a shame," Yal'sha sighed. "Your Mana... is reinvigorating, Cain. And the Elements... they dance when they are near you. Like tiny fireflies, akindled by the flames. Even if you haven't Awoken... your entire countenance suggests you've gone beyond that. I know nary a few Elementalists who can match your Mana's vigor, and they're all old, experienced, sly ghosts who've long since ascended from this place."

"..." Cain remained indifferent to the praise, merely smiling.

"Why did you ask me for a drop of my Blood?" Yal'sha suddenly asked. "Was it to temper the Element?"

"... no." Cain shook his head. "I've heard that it can increase the Vitality of those who consume it."

"... that's a bit of a waste, isn't it?"

"It's not just me that's gonna be consuming it."

"Treasures ought to be hoarded, Cain," Yal'sha said, sipping himself a glass of yipper as well. "Dilute them enough, and they lose their sharp edge. You have a Gift. A genuine Gift, Cain. I've never met someone who's spent so little time in the Tower with Mana as robust as yours. Unless you hone it, and everything around it, it will go to waste."

"... you sound more and more like a cult leader trying to lure an innocent little boy into his claws," Cain said, looking dubiously at Yal'sha. "I'm alright, though. I'd much rather my claws be dulled and not be alone than they be sharper than a blade and with no one to share a drink with."

"Spoken like a true man, huh?"

"Well, I like to believe so."

"I'll let you bathe in the Fountain of my Clan if you help me."

"Deal." Cain replied by instinct, a wide grin showing up on his face. "Man, you cave in so easily."

"... that's what you were after since the start, huh?" Yal'sha smiled bitterly as he asked.

"No, no, of course--yeah, pretty much."

"You could have just asked."

"Didn't seem appropriate."

"It really isn't," Yal'sha said. "If you did, I'd have likely tried to kill you."

"We wouldn't want that, would we?"

"No, most certainly not. So... you'll help?"

"Yeah," Cain nodded, taking a sip of yipper. "But that's just me, Yal. It doesn't include anyone else."

"You is more than enough."

"I highly doubt that," Cain said. "There are only so many times a single man can make a difference, and this ain't one of them. Who's the biggest issue now?"

"Ma'hyers," Yal'sha replied. "They hold the entire northern block and they've been pressing east, toward my territory. Though they aren't individually strong, there's a lot of them. Their leader is Seri--Sera--Sebu---Se-something. Never met 'im, don't care to."

"What's your plan?" Cain asked.

"Push back," Yal'sha replied. "And bleed all of them dry until their entire camp is made of widows and orphaned children."

"... a bit dark, but alright," Cain shrugged, sitting up and stretching. "Give me three days to go and check on them. I'll come back here then and we can talk."

"Alright," Yal'sha said, standing up and smiling. "I hope you bring me the good news."

"Unless I get caught," Cain added with a grin. "In that case, I am turning on you. No hesitation."

"Turn ahead -- I'd much rather you save that pretty head of yours. Loyalty is dead in the face of beauty."

"... yeah. You just have to make it weird, don't you?"

"It was a pleasure, Cain."

"See ya'."

Cain walked out, stashing a couple of bottles of yipper into his inventory. Though it wasn't nearly as good as jyster, it had its own appeal -- and, more importantly, it was much cheaper and easier to get a hold of.

There was no shortage of gazes following him as he walked out of the Den, though he ignored them all, trapped inside his own thoughts. Tsk, why didn't I study more on the low-brow groups here in the City? He chided himself. What good is knowing which Elder is easy to grease when it's gonna take me fucking years to get to that point. Alright... Seribum... she's that succubus or something, right? His lips stretched into a wide smile as a face popped up in his mind. Don't blame me man... blame the fact that you fit her preferences perfectly...