The mage turned away from the boy, considering the job done. There was no reason for him to stay any longer in the town, which meant he could put it behind him as soon as he got his share of the loot. It was very possible he wouldn’t be back, too. Following his instructions slowly was just as bad as not following them at all in his book.
“You’re wrong, Master!” Tailyn called after him, and Forian stopped. There wasn’t a trace of pleading, begging, or anything similar in the boy’s voice. Instead, there was a confidence the mage hadn’t yet heard in him.
“And what exactly am I wrong about?” Forian retraced his steps and towered over the boy. The latter shrank back and hung his head, though he replied firmly.
“The only reason the god didn’t promote me up three levels was because I haven’t completed the initiation. But he gave me the enhancement attribute and changed the formula…for something…”
Finally, it hit Tailyn who he was speaking to in that kind of tone. Forian could easily have punished him just for breathing in the mage’s direction, and there he was arguing, trying to prove a point.
“Keran?” Forian said.
“Just a second. No, the boy isn’t lying. His parameters are on par with level four, though he’s still at level one…”
Forian looked back at Tailyn. The fact that the boy had level three enhancement changed quite a bit, to the point that it looked like he was going to have to keep his promise to the dean and take on a student.
“What did the god write to you? Tell me everything word for word.”
The boy didn’t dare do anything but exactly that, especially since there wasn’t anything secret in the messages.
“Well, well, well…” Keran said slowly, placing a hand on Forian’s shoulder and beginning a mental conversation. One benefit to being a healer was that you had to have a way to communicate with patients who’d lost the gift of speech. Do you understand what this means?
Of course. Either the dean isn’t telling us something, or he himself doesn’t know. I’d imagine it’s the latter. We need to test out that upgrade mechanism on someone else—Tailyn could just be a unique case.
Maybe. But where are we going to find someone who’s only half-initiated?
I know how you get them, and that’s enough. There are plenty of criminals in the world, plenty of ray weapons, too. I’ll make it happen.
What are we going to do with the boy right now?
Keep testing him. It actually turned out to be a good thing that he took his time with the job I gave him.
Keran pulled his hand away, and Forian looked back over at Tailyn.
“I’m forbidding you from going through the complete initiation right now. Just do it the normal way—when you turn twelve. And that’s an order, Tailyn Vlashich. Repeat it back to me!”
“I’m not allowed to complete my initiation until I turn twelve,” the boy said. He received another mission a second later.
New mission: Initiation at Twelve. Description: complete your initiation when you turn twelve. If you complete this mission, Forian Tarn will take you on as his student. Deadline: 1 year 7 months.
“You’re going to take me on as a student?!” Tailyn asked in shock. Keran was no less surprised, staring at his partner as if seeing him for the first time. Something had happened to Forian in that town—he was acting awfully unlike himself.
“We’ll talk about that in a year and a half. In the meantime, give me the cards back so I can recharge them. And remember, my potential student, if I see you taking your time with my instructions again, you’ll be harshly punished! Oh, and don’t tell anyone about your abilities. That’s an order, too! The only person you can trust is me. Forget about everyone else. You don’t need to repeat that back to me, too, do you?”
It took practically no time at all to recharge the level one cards. As soon as Tailyn got them back, he bowed low and dashed off up the stairs. The guard didn’t bother to ask him the reason for his visit that time, just opening the door to the temple.
“On the job,” Keran said. “He’s a good kid, quick on the uptake. But what’s Finiel going to say? You know she won’t be happy about some little rascal, don’t you?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Forian replied. “But for now, let’s go see what kind of loot we got. The Gray Lands are waiting for us.”
Chapter 5
TAILYN DASHED into the temple, the only thing on his mind taking care of Forian’s assignment as fast as he could. Rushing by, he just barely noticed the décor, not giving his subconscious enough time to so much as grasp at the general details. Everything was different from the usual homes in the town. The walls were bare steel, there were labels written in a foreign language, and the many sculptures were so detailed they looked like giants frozen in time. Actually, Tailyn did notice all of that, though he didn’t stop to look around. His attention was occupied by the shimmering window surrounded by iron snakes—the eye of the god. That was his objective.
“Welcome, Tailyn Vlashich, to my temple. What brings you here?”
The film vibrated slightly to give off the sound, and all Tailyn’s determination vanished in an instant. He’d only ever seen the god’s messages, never hearing it speak. And as the cold, lifeless voice enveloped his body, all he could do was drop to the ground in reverence before divinity. All his plans and desires disappeared in favor of servility in the face of the god.
“Are you here to complete your initiation?” the god asked, having not received an answer to its first question. Tailyn picked his head up with an effort and mumbled a response.
“N-no, Master… I… I brought… I want to donate to the temple… To the god…”
His thoughts jumbled, fear swept over the boy, though he was even more afraid of Forian being displeased with his weakness. If he let the god complete the initiation, he could kiss the academy goodbye.
“What do you want to donate, Tailyn Vlashich?”
“Arcane dust. All of it,” the boy replied. As he began to come to grips with his fear, firmness crept back into his voice.
“Your donation is accepted.” The god said nothing for a little while, finally addressing Tailyn mentally:
You received 8034 gold.
Tailyn’s eyes widened when he saw the amount hit his account. Forian had been exactly right. No longer afraid, the boy got to his feet—the god had accepted his offering, which meant his future instructor had been speaking the truth.
“Would you like to complete your initiation?” the god asked again. Tailyn was ready with an answer that time.