Published at 6th of June 2026 6:06 am

Chapter 155: Settling Back down

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So what are we going to do about that pack of beastkin Tallow recruited? I ask as we look about the building.

Whatever you command, Hierarch, she says emotionlessly, causing me to sigh.

I mean, what are the details of Tallows' arrangement with them? What do you advise we do?

She shrugs. They dont know we serve Anar. They know were criminals of some sort, but so is half the section. I doubt theyll go to the guard, but it may be safer to kill them all. Then again, they do have kith and kin all over the section who might notice them going missing. So maybe its just better to just pay them and send them home. Say the job is done.

Dont they know where we are? We cant exactly move until we get a hold of another sacrifice good enough for a concealment rune.

She shrugs again. It shouldnt be a problem. As long as we pay them what theyre owed. Their position in the section is already precarious without betraying their employers.

And what did Tallow promise them anyways?

A large gold, she says with such indifference that it causes me to cough in surprise.

Did he have that much coin?

She nods. We killed a few nobles while we were back in Caethlon looking for you. Collaborators that everyone would just assume were killed by the resistance. Got a lot of coin from them.

Right, well, they know you, so its best if youre the one to talk to them. Pay them, and make sure they know not to come back here.

She nods and leads me to Tallows room, where she takes the required coin from a cavity in the wall behind a loose stone that she already knows where to find. I suppose Ill have to go over the place with the rod to see if I can find any more stashes. I count the coin thats left and find a few large gold worth. I take the gold but leave the copper and silver for their expenses. I can use the coin in the short term, and if they need more, I can just put some back.

Tallow also had a few minor magic items, including rune etched gear. The rune enchanted stuff would be too suspicious to take, and the normal gear is of too low quality to bother with, so I just leave everything to Similce.

Finally, there are his books, of which I take his copy of the Biblio with me as I move to inspect the rest of the cult, spending the next half hour familiarizing myself with the remaining members. Theyre all cowed, but manage to remain sensate. Admittedly, they make a weak impression, and I struggle to recall their names, though I think Ill manage when presented with their faces again.

There are four left besides Similce three women and one man. The man is in his early thirties, while the women are the one whos a bit younger than me, one in her late twenties and one who might be a grandparent.

The last one shrugs when I ask her the reason for joining an Anar cult, just saying that it was fitting. An odd response, especially since Anar cultists have all been much younger in my experience. Thirty being the oldest since its unlikely to succeed in becoming a mage after that, even with Anars boons.

The rest of them all have much more expected answers. They want power. To become mages (or a knight, in the case of the woman in her twenties). Unfortunately, I doubt the man will succeed. His heart isnt in it, and apparently he still wants to go home. Still, even the undedicated can have uses, and he could be lucky.

The younger two women seem much more likely to succeed. Unfortunately, I cant help the knight aspirant though there was a page who initially helped her before she left the cult. Still, I dont know how far shell be able to progress, and she may end up more empowered by Anar than by herself.

Conversely, the youngest girl seems on the verge of becoming a mage when I climb to the roof an hour before sunset with Tallows copy of the Biblio in hand. Its hard to say, of course, but theres a certain frenzy in her movements that suggests nearing the final unravelling.

Rather than say anything, I just go through the Biblio, looking for new text. I find the section talking about technically willing sacrifices easily enough, and there are a few new spells, but not much there of worth besides the paralysis spell he used, which is dishearteningly advanced perhaps the most complex spell Ive ever contemplated learning.

Finally, theres the divination method that allows tracking of active Anar boons. Really, its almost a spell that you add onto other divination techniques. Which is fortunate, since it means I can use it with my already learned methods.

Suddenly, as I turn to a blank page between sections, theres a flash of light that forces me to jump back then forward again as flames erupt on the page. I fail to smother them with my hands, so move to cast gather water, but stop when I see the flames are more precise than I first estimated revealing it to be a message, rather than a self-destruct rune.

Suddenly, the flames snuff out, leaving words burned elegantly into the page. As neat and precise as if written by an expert clerk with the finest pen.

A present, Malz, to mark your ascension. I have such high hopes for you, and believe you may one day stand by my side while still living. Then, you will be fully ascended, a demi-god and my right hand. But know this the lance and the mind shackles are not mere tools I gifted for convenience, but expressions of my essence. You will need to learn to withstand them to fully rise to your destined heights. So, I give you new spells that I have given to no other, though I fear you may need them sooner rather than later.

Though I love you, please dont rush back to my embrace too soon, Malz.

Anar.

I freeze, knowing how much a display of power this is. To affect the mundane world with such precision from his domain Well, I suppose there are aspects that make it easier for him. Since I am his favoured, and he was effectively just writing in his own book a foothold for his presence if there ever was one for a god. But that doesnt comfort me much, since who knows what he can do to me if he can do that so casually. Besides, he conspicuously left absent my conversation with Allan. No doubt I was meant to be thinking of it as I read his oh so sweet praises.

Whatever. Threat or boon, I might as well use it. At least take a look at what hes given.

Below the message, the fire inscribed the details of several new spells, and starts burning again when I turn the page for more. Or rather than new spells, theyre variations on old ones. The first one is an alteration to the basic shield spell, granting immunity to both the liquifying beam and the paralysis spell. Which is astounding, because not only will that potentially be vital in surviving my cult, especially if Similce betrays me, but it also means that no one else can similarly block them. Since it seems to be saying that the only way to arrive at such protection is through Anar affinity Well, a god could probably protect from it, but no mortal should be able to.

The other two are variations of the liquifying beam. One is much faster to cast perhaps as little as a second but comes at the cost of reducing its range to only two feet. Still, a vast improvement to its usability in a fight.

The other variation goes the opposite direction, increasing the casting time to more than a minute, but increasing the range too. Unfortunately, the power does seem to be reduced too, and gets even weaker the farther out it hits. In fact, it seems to be saying that it requires sustained contact for even flesh after only a thousand feet (depending on my personal spell power, of course). But that means that within a thousand feet, I should still be able to kill almost instantly. The wound radius is also reduced to only an inch, but it should still be easy to cut people in half. As for beyond a thousand feet? Well, it does say the spll is less visible than the base version, so it might still have its uses.

All in all, a vast improvement and a worthy present from a god. Though that bit about standing by his side while still living does worry me somewhat, but Im certain such trepidations will fade in time.

Finally, theres a section not about a spell, but new features of the boons. The time each boon will last is now doubled, and the power will increase by about thirty percent, both active and residual. Even with that, Im not at where I was after sacrificing the Mynharan, but Im about as close as Ive ever been.

Theres also a feature that lets me deactivate a boon, saving it for later. I just need to say a word. Though the total time will decay after a day of suspension. I can also suppress my residual boons temporarily now, which solves several problems. Still, I should keep on learning from Viscount Monroe, since there is a limit to how much I can suppress.

All in all, I think a reasonable set of boons to heap on ones favoured, though perhaps I was hoping for the unreasonable. Still, the utility of these new rules will build on itself over time, and I should be able to catapult my growth with it. Since I can now save the boons for my crepuscular study sessions when theyll be the most useful.

The sun is nearly about to set when Im done with going over everything, so I begin chanting next to the cultist youth, and Simlce, who has joined us. A few minutes into it, the youth shouts for joy, having broken through into becoming a mage, which she promptly demonstrates by conjuring fire over her hand with the spell she was learning.

I smile and congratulate her, then turn back to my own chanting. I, of course, make rapid progress, finishing the glide spell before the session is a quarter over. Ellen will be happy I guess I still havent decided how Ill proceed with her. Not something to think about now.

After that, I make rapid progress with my illusion spells, but switch over to the new spells from Anar soon after. I make good progress on the shield alterations, but the beam variations are simply too complex to leap forward even under such a boon.

After Im done making sure everything is settled for the time being, I leave the city, going to Allans country estate. I need to be gone for a while, to make sure that there isnt any trace of me still being in the city when they do their follow up divinations. I, of course, go well into the night performing counter divinations while under concealment to cement the illusion of my sudden absence.

Its a subtle thing Im pulling off. I cant counter too strongly, or else it will be obvious that something is interfering. In fact, I doubt any but the highest experts could pull this off without my unusual advantages. The first of which is, of course, the concealment spell, but just as important is working with their own assumptions. All divinations require some baseline assumptions, and right now, one of theirs is that I am in the city. So, without me there, the only link theyll have should be the dead mage hopefully.

I think I pull it off.

I spend the next morning resting, using the new terms of the pact to suppress the boon and preserve it for later. Besides the utility of timing the boons use for when its most useful, it makes sleeping much easier without the constant pulsing energy.

In the afternoon, I go back to the city and manage my clients, stopping by the cult as I do. Though my instructions are just to wait to do anything until I get back next weekend.

I try to keep the details to a minimum with Jack and Klar, though I do end up telling them that the cultist problem is over. Which is something theyll be hearing about anyways, and I do make a point of claiming that I wasnt the one to deal with it, and that I just arrived on the scene after things had resolved themselves.

With the crisis averted, I give them orders to proceed with the plan to expand towards our allies as soon as the guards presence returns to normal. I visited Toby on the way in and told him to do the same with his gang. They both say that itll be chaotic since a lot of other gangs will be doing the same thing, but that might be beneficial since it should prevent rivals from injecting themselves into the conflicts. I also tell Jack to grab up some of the territory of the mage Similce killed before other people realize shes gone. Hes nervous, but I say Ill help if things get too dicey.

Then I visit Greg and get paid, and finally visit John to see how much hes progressed in deciphering the symbols on my dagger.

Im actually more baffled now than before you got me a copy of the symbols, he says, scratching his beard that has grown unkempt since the last Ive seen him. I mean, its clearly powerful, but some of the symbols just dont make any sense. They almost seem to be conflicting with each other, but I dont sense any loss of stability when I invert the eye at it. Other symbols seem completely isolated and are more abstract concepts than something functional. Id almost call them decorative, but I doubt that highly.

Im certain youll figure it out in time. As a side project, though, I was wondering if you could make me something. I go on describing a set of throwing knives using the two on my wrists as a basis, but incorporating three-dimensional symbols. Trying to keep them as light and small as possible, while also having useful properties such as poison retaining and material phasing, as well as the concealing sheaths.

Hm youre lucky that this is barely interesting enough that I might figure some other stuff out from it. That concealment function on those sheathes, for instance. I havent seen the like before, but I should be able to replicate them. Actually, maybe I could put that effect on a sash or bandolier. Putting it on cloth instead of wood would be difficult, but the challenge might lead somewhere. Let me take measurements of your other blades too, and Ill make sheaths for them with the effect for practice.

I eagerly do as he suggests, feeling slightly embarrassed that I havent thought to seek that out before. He pauses when he sees the chevalier dagger.

Why do you have one of these? He says more baffled than suspicious.

I shrug. Oh, I got it from someone I knew after they died. I say, stretching the truth, but technically not lying if you count fighting to the death as knowing someone.

Hm sorry for your loss, he says absentmindedly as he continues to measure.

Having finished all the little tasks for the weekend, and feeling exhausted, I head back to the dorm to rest. The next day, I go back to school.

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