Quick note here. First chapter for the weekend, and I'm working on several more at the moment. Stay tuned!

Also, the first chapter of Tycoon is done, but I probably won't release any chapters to you guys till I'm at least 10 in. Then, I'll hit you with a rush. I just want to make sure I don't have a ton of edits once it's set up.

Chapter 53: Yes, I Am

Though he had to force himself to continue, the letter opened with an easy tear. There’d been a little weight to it, beyond what could be expected of such a small package. As Cass removed the paper within, something slid to the bottom that he had to fish out.

It was heavy, with a very durable wrapping tied by a thin piece of rope. Setting aside the letter for the moment, he undid the tie, opening it to take a look inside.

It was a worn, silver coin. On one side, it showed the crowned head of a man with unfamiliar writing around him. On the other side, it showed a seated man with more writing. Cass couldn’t puzzle out the words, but he knew this had to be old. Very old.

Setting it and the wrapping aside, he picked up the letter and unfolded it with no expectations of what Hollis might’ve said, only dread and no little apprehension.

Dear Cassio, 

I have started this letter seven times, with balls of crushed-up paper on the ground beside me as irrefutable proof. Each version explained why I did what I did better than the last letter, but none of them felt honest.

I know you must hate the Sovereign and me. While I can’t speak as to the Sovereign’s reasoning for why they made the choices they did, I can briefly tell you I don’t regret my own. Liora is being rebuilt, but it’s being rebuilt by people who are still living and breathing due to your actions. If only for that reason, I made the right choice.

But I do regret what it potentially cost you.

You were the successor Liora deserved, but plots and circumstances have taken that out of both of our hands. I have petitioned the Sovereign on your behalf multiple times since Master Brannic cured me, but haven’t received a response. 

What has been done to you is not fair. 

The Sovereign views people as numbers, and to my shame, so do I. It is a burden that falls to any leader overseeing many people. I worry that one day you will start to do the same, so I’ll say this.

It happens slowly, one compromise at a time. One difficult decision, followed by another, and another. Soon enough, after some time has passed and your soul starts to shrivel, you stop seeing people and start seeing value added and value lost. Acceptable costs.

Somewhere along the way, I became that man. Let me be the warning for what you might become. History is full of leaders with grand ambitions taking the reins of power. Rarely, if ever, are they the ones who deserve it. 

If ever you feel like you’re losing yourself, hold up the coin as I have. The man on it is Marcus Aurelius, and to me, he is the greatest ruler of all time. He well understood, as you do, that a leader rules for the people. He understood that the people mattered more than the ruler. Most never learn that lesson.

That coin has been passed down in my family for generations, Cassio, and I felt it only right that you should have it.

Good luck.

Gerald Cassio Hollis

Liora Guildhall

Cass picked up the coin and rolled it across his fingers. He understood what Hollis was saying in the letter. By giving him the coin, it was a symbol and reminder of the kind of person Hollis hoped he would be. But even after reading it, with the old man apologizing in a way, he still had conflicting feelings that were difficult to sort out.

Cass’s further rumination on that was interrupted when he noticed the wrapping that had been around the coin. Flattening it out, he read it quickly, then smirked.

A Delivery Quest to Liora, wrapped around a coin to help me find my way. You really went all out at the end there, Gerald.

He continued to roll the coin across his fingers until the morning meeting arrived. Stepping out, he stood in his usual place as everyone filed in, giving him wide-eyed, unbelieving stares. Eventually, Senior QuestWright Mirelle showed up, and she didn’t hold back as she joined the crowd in staring at him.

“What has happened to you, QuestWright Vale?”

Cass already had a plan.

“I was sick again.”

It wasn’t a good plan.

“Come to my office when we’re done here,” Mirelle ordered, then started her business for the day. The meeting wrapped up with several admonishments for shoddy efficiency, and a few Dockings for those who laughed at their ill fortune. When she finished, Mirelle had Cass slowly follow her as she turned at the vault, the Privates outside moving aside automatically.

Within, there were several private offices, each with the door shut and a severe lack of decor on the walls. Mirelle led him with a patient stroll, opening the door to reveal a large space five times the size of the side room holding his Annex.

She closed the door after him, then took a seat behind the desk. Cass sat down as well, his butt hitting the small cushion just before she began speaking.

“Junior QuestWright Cassio Vale,” She tapped the desk a few times, “What kind of illness are you fighting that has such a drastic and immediate effect on your health?”

“That’s a surprisingly hard question,” Cass said, rolling his tongue along the back of his teeth. 

Mirelle’s expression didn’t change. “Most questions become easier when answered truthfully.”

The Truth…

Right at that moment, Cass's stomach growled with hunger. He’d already eaten several meals provided by the panic-stricken Ana, but apparently, there was still room for more. With a grimace, he replied, “I’ve had some stomach issues.”

Mirelle didn’t look like she believed him in the slightest. She then reached under and pulled out several folders. Slapping them down, she pulled out the first one and began to read from a page within.

“You’ve received five Dockings, now a sixth since your arrival. Four have been for the same reason, unauthorized absence from the Scriptorium. That does not bode well for you, as it requires your Docking to be elevated to a higher level. The newest addition will be tallied at 50 Crests, and an extra one-hundred Delivery Quests.” She made a note in the folder, then pushed it aside and lifted another.

“Your efficiency has seen an excellent increase, rising from the low seventies to the mid-eighties during your tenure. That’s a mark in your favor. You also have an interestingly low failure rate. How would you describe your high percentage of successful Quests?’

Cass thought it over, and Mirelle didn’t rush him. Eventually, he decided to reveal a small part of his abilities, “I can imbue Quests with an end location that is easy to find. It means Questors can get to their locations without getting lost.”

“That begs the question, then. With an ability that allows your Questors to see precisely where they should be taking their deliveries, why do you have any failures at all?”

He paused before answering, “Maybe they’re just having trouble getting from A to B? We’re all human after all.”

“I see.” She made a few marks, then looked up, “Do you believe the Quest failures you have earned might be related to corruption within Liberty?”

“I mean,’ Cass rubbed the back of his neck as he was put on the spot. “If each of my deliveries has an end goal that can be viewed no matter where you are in the city, I’d think something fishy is going on.”

“I’m inclined to agree. I will have someone look into it.”

She placed that folder aside and picked up the last one, “Your Clerk, Quirrel, has spoken very highly of you. And, before Colin left on the expedition, he did as well. I’m starting to think perhaps we should have you take over his old station.”

“How is he?”

“Colin?” At Cass’s nod, she frowned, “I’m afraid his expedition is currently unaccounted for. After losing contact with them, we sent several investigators who have yet to return. It is…worrying.”

Hopefully, he’s okay. Colin didn’t seem like a bad kind of person, and here, that’s saying something. He looked at Mirelle as she seemed to be thinking hard on something. When I’m honest with myself, she doesn’t seem the bad sort either. I showed up out of the blue, and they all probably thought I was a spy. Keeping me isolated and inside the tower made sense from her perspective. It wasn’t until Noah, Maggie, and Ren put pressure on the Guildtower that they released me. I bet, from her eyes, she’s just trying to protect her people.

Under the desk, Cass rolled the coin across his fingers. I’d probably have done the same.

Mirelle pulled out another folder and made a note, then refocused on him, “I also received a letter from your former Guildmaster, Gerald Hollis. He did not say the most flattering things about Liberty that I have ever read, but he was very particular about how you were to be treated.” 

She drummed the desk with the tips of her fingers as neither spoke, then she quickly said, “Are you the Friend of the Fifth?”

If Cass didn’t have alacrity, he’d probably have reacted there and given himself away. Instead, his quick mind held him still, but not too still as he calmly replied, “That’s the name of the person handing out Quests in the Fifth ring, right?”

“Yes.”

Realizing that he was nervously fidgeting with the coin, he put it into a pocket, “I’m assuming, if you’re asking me, then somebody believes that I just might be.”

“Your arrival has a somewhat similar timeframe to the Quests being handed out,” She said, pulling out a short dossier of Cass’s comings and goings with the Tower. “Several of the reported vellum-less Quests occurred on the same days you were gone. Many, within hours of your travel.” She pulled out another piece of paper, lining up the dates for him. It was rather damning evidence, Cass thought. “And most importantly, I have a path that helps me deal with difficult people. It came with a certain ability that I like to use in moments like these. Put your hands on the desk where I can see them.”

Cass didn’t feel like he had a choice, so he followed her orders. What the hell ability does she have?

“I’ll ask again.” She reached over and took both of Cass’s wrists with the tips of her fingers. “Are you the Friend of the Fifth?”

Cass’s heartbeat stumbled as he tried to think up some clever half-truth. Unfortunately, as he’d learned before, Alacrity did not make him smarter.

I was never a good liar anyway.

Mirelle patiently waited for his answer as they locked eyes. Most people liked to fill the silence in the room. They rushed to explain themselves, or justify their actions, or even stumble along in their speech as they tried to find a way out. But Cass came to realize he wasn’t embarrassed or nervous about being the Friend of the Fifth. He’d done some nice things that helped people.

What was so wrong with that?

With a smile, he nodded, “Yes, I am.”