Advent of Eternity - Chapter 7 (Patreon)

“What?” Stix exclaimed. “But you said–”

“No,” Knell interrupted. “I did not. You assumed.”

Stix frowned, clearly running back over their conversation in her mind. After a moment, she threw her hands up in the air. “What was the point of this then? Do you think messing with me is funny?”

“You misunderstand. I am putting together a team,” Knell said, holding a hand up. “But it isn’t an adventuring team.”

Stix blinked. “You mean…”

“That’s right,” Knell said, a wry grin stretching across his lips. “I’m making a pirate crew.”

“But… why? You’ve got to have a relatively strong Path yourself if you were able to read those men like that. Surely being an adventurer would be more lucrative.”

“Adventurers have too many restrictions,” Knell said. “I’ve spent time on adventuring teams, and they aren’t what I’m looking for. The Guild restrictions and the requirements to defend the land are not responsibilities I am eager to take on.”

“So your solution is to go against the law?” Stix cocked an eyebrow.

“Hardly,” Knell replied. “Being a pirate isn’t against the law. In fact, pirates are often hired for jobs that adventurers can’t take on.”

“Being one might not be expressly illegal, but it’s certainly about as close to it as you can get,” Stix said, crossing her arms.

“Pirates gain just as much fame as adventurers do if they play their cards right,” Knell said. “And I thought you just wanted protection. Why does it matter who it comes from?”

Stix pursed her lips. Knell said nothing, letting her mull over his words for a few moments. He knew what her response would be a few seconds before she figured it out herself.

“Fine,” Stix said. “But this isn’t a full commitment. Let’s call it a trial period. You protect me until I can use my Path Upgrade Stone and, if you haven’t done anything I find reprehensible, I’ll join your crew so long as the pay is good.”

“Then we have a deal,” Knell said, extending a hand. “The first order of business will be getting out of this building without your friends trailing us. They’re sure to have someone watching the doors.”

Stix shook on it. Knell pushed himself back to his feet using his staff, then walked over to the window and peered out into the street below.

“Are you planning to jump out the window?” Stix asked.

“That would be an option, but it wouldn’t get the desired result,” Knell said. “If we ran, they’d never know what happened to you.”

“That… sounds like a good thing. Why would we want them to know we escaped?”

“It’s time for a knowledge test,” Knell replied. He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “We’ll start easy. What’s the main goal of a pirate crew?”

“Money,” Stix replied immediately.

“Those are bandits,” Knell corrected. “Pirates desire more than just wealth.”

“Fame, I guess?”

“Close,” Knell said. “Infamy. Power. They go hand in hand, and are staples for any pirate crew of worth.”

“So you want to be famous?” Stix asked. “Why? That seems like a lot of effort to be popular.”

A laugh burst out of Knell’s mouth. “Popular? No. My reasons are my own, since by your own words you’re still a trial member. Stick around and maybe I’ll bring you into the fold. For now, all you need to know that I am seeking what comes with infamy.”

“Fine with me,” Stix said. “Money is money, and that comes with fame.”

“Indeed. Second question – what kind of murder is legal in Chrisford?”

Stix blinked. “What? None. Chrisford has a Ruler, doesn’t it? I can’t imagine he’d let you go around killing people willy nilly.”

“Not entirely true,” Knell said. “Rulers are a thing of the past. They’ve been confined to the Shattered Sea for the past few hundred years. Most cities don’t even have them anymore, and I can count the number of Rulers that take their jobs seriously on one hand. Chrisford’s is not one of them. Self-defense is legal. You just need proof that the other party was attacking with intent to kill, not injure. If I’d killed your assailants tonight, Chrisford’s ruler really would have come after me – if he could even be bothered to get up, I suppose.”

“So we can just do what we want?”

“I didn’t say that.” Knell shook his head. “An incompetent Ruler is still a Ruler, and he’s stronger than we are by a wide margin, not to mention the guards. We have to play things smart.”

Stix pulled a dagger out and picked some dirt out from under one of her nails. “So you want to bait them into trying to killing us? That sounds like a horrible idea. There are two of us and who knows how many of them. I don’t know how far along your Path you are, but you can’t be that ahead of everyone else.”

“I’m not,” Knell said. “And it would be unlikely that they’d be dumb enough to attempt to kill anyone within the city.”

“So what was the point of all that?”

“Last question,” Knell continued, ignoring her interruption. “When is lying legal?”

“When you don’t get caught,” Stix said, a smirk pulling at her lips. “My dad used to say that.”

“He was right. So, as long as the Ruler is under the impression that your assailants attempted to kill us, we will have done nothing wrong.”

“Okay, I’m with you,” Stix said. “But how do we do that?”

Knell pushed away from the wall and pulled out a small waterskin. He opened the window and poured the last of the water out of it, then glanced back at Stix. “We start by getting me something to drink. I think I’m craving red wine.”