Touch of Fate

Chapter 118: On Another Note

Hubert, Scion of House Lothrain, sipped on his morning tea. He was seated comfortably on the veranda of his modest townhouse in the noble's district of the Old City. Victor Kalt, his longtime associate, had just given a comprehensive brief on current events and was waiting on the young lord to speak.

After taking another sip, Hubert spoke, "It would seem that Viscount Wendel has made a few enemies. Then again, what can you expect from the strongest supporter of the Anti-Royal faction?" He motioned vaguely towards a corner of the veranda. "Have a few more observers placed on the Viscount's current residence. We don't want to be caught by surprise whenever he makes his move."

There was a sound of rushing air, and a shadow disappeared from the region he was looking at.

Hubert looked back at his companion. "Now tell me about the upstart."

Victor pulled forth a small notebook with a leather cover. He maintained several other notebooks in separate locations, some of which included false information in the event they fell into the wrong hands. He flipped to a specific page and began to summarize.

"Michael Rasmussen, also known as Mike, was admitted to the Magic Department late last week after performing exceptionally on his entry exam. The instructors have kept the exact details quiet, but rumor has it that he managed to destroy part of the testing facilities with the spell he used."

A slight murmur on consternation issued from Hubert, as he digested these words. There were a number of implications to consider with that kind of information. "What about his background?"

"Because of his accent and physical features, we can assume he is from Almir. However, his exact place of birth is unknown, and there are no records of individuals with the name Rasmussen in any of the records we have access to. Unless it's a corruption of an older name, it is likely an alias or assumed identity. There were no records on him until very recently, when he joined the Adventurer's Guild in the town of Mayde."

Victor paused to flip the page. "He also undertook his probationary request there, but due to the Branch Manager failing to properly file a report, we don't have any specific details. However, by the time he arrived in Wyrport, he was already a rank 3 adventurer. Considering the timeline, it's clear that he was promoted directly after that first request."

"He must have made quite an impression then."

"We can assume as much. During his time at Wyrport, he took part in a dungeon delve, a single standard request, and an emergency request in response to the Night of Ruin. Once again, the reports were improperly filed, or incomplete, so we have little real information about his activities during this time. I have a few investigators looking into it at the moment. However, he evidently performed well during the emergency request, as he was highly rewarded by the guild and even given a private audience with Count Graveston himself. He emerged from this meeting with a letter of recommendation to attend the University."

Hubert choked a little on his tea. This was troubling news. After dabbing his mouth, he motioned for Victor to continue.

"He then proceeded to the Capital by boat, and entered the school. Despite his limited recorded history, we have been able to determine several known associates. He travels with a diverse group, consisting of an elf, a beastman, and a human woman. The elf and beastman are both adventurers, and their association likely stems from that background. While we haven't finished investigating them, their records appear unremarkable. The woman on the other hand is a bit of an enigma. She is apparently called Sera, and joined the group at some point during the Night of Ruin. However, we have no other information on her."

Hubert frowned in thought. "So we have two people with non-existent backgrounds, who just so happened to enter the University while the country is in the midst of an undeclared civil war? Sounds suspicious. It seems a little too forceful to be the work of the Serpent, though. It shouldn't have been that difficult to fake some kind of records on these two....If he wanted to keep them hidden, that is."

"I should mention, my lord, that there are two acquaintances of note that I believe should be aware of. While it has been largely buried by misinformation, there is some evidence to suggest that he has some kind of relationship with the Count's current heir, Morris Graveston. I have eye witness accounts from a caravan master that saw the two traveling together prior to their arrival at Wyrport."

The scion of Lothrain was beginning to rethink a few of his earlier assumptions. It seemed that this Mike had the patronage of two generations of House Graveston, something that demanded more careful action on his part.

"Who was the other?"

Victor flipped to another page. "During the short period of time between his arrival in the capital and his admittance into the University, he help prevent the kidnapping of Elaine Vamith, second in line for the Vamith ducal seat. It's unclear who perpetrated the plot, but we can assume it was an attempt by the Second Prince's faction to blackmail Duke Vamith. As a consequence of this rescue, he also formed a cordial relationship with Broderick, the duke's bastard, who is serving as Elaine's current guardian."

"He only arrived a few days ago, but has already managed to spoil an apparent power play by the Second Prince's faction and ingratiate himself with leading members of the First Prince's faction. Considering that 'accident' he inflicted on me in the library, it's clear he's involved in the dynastic struggle."

Hubert tried to picture how the strange adventurer fit into the bigger picture, but for the life of him, he couldn't. Count Graveston had gone to great lengths to make himself the leading figure of the moderates who didn't side with any particular faction. As such, he couldn't see why the Count would have such an obvious agent acting on his behalf in the conflict. Could it just be a coincidence?

"What was the result of the interference we initiated the other day?" He asked, concerned about potential fallout.

Victor closed his notebook. "Carson followed his script carefully, and nearly provoked a confrontation with Mike's followers. However, Master Liam intervened, having apparently taken an interest in the one named Sera."

"Hold off on any other attempts until we get a better grasp on his intentions. It's probable that he will be invited to House Vamith's bicentennial celebration next week, especially once they figure out his connection to Count Graveston. We'll use that opportunity to fish for information. In the meantime, keep him under observation."

"Understood, my lord." Victor stood, delivered a bow and left.

Hubert finished the rest of his tea, and sighed. The competition for the throne was starting to get messy, and this Mike character was adding to the complications.

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Mike sneezed suddenly, drawing the ire of nearby students in his Magic Theory class. He was having a hard time staying focused on the instructor's dry lecture on the composition of the elements, especially after he heard something similar the day before.

Rebecca and Aine hadn't attended this class either, and he wondered if the redhead was actually alright.

[They kept saying she would be fine, but maybe I should go visit, and offer to help. I don't know if her problem can be treated with Healing Magic, but it might be worth a shot.]

The instructor was wrapping up his lecture, before giving a few announcements. "Remember that the day after tomorrow we will be having the quarterly welcome party in the picnic area of central campus. While you are not required to attend, it will be an excellent opportunity to network with other students in and outside of the department. Additionally, I have been told that the Navy will be conducting a demonstration that afternoon as part of the festivities, which may or may not incorporate one of their prized airships."

An excited murmur passed through the students in response to the news.

[Huh, it might be worth going just to see an airship. I wonder if they will let us on board.]

As soon as the class dismissed, Mike started moving towards the door. He needed to get a quick meal in before heading to his next destination, and every minute counted when dealing with the crowds of desperate students that flooded the cafeteria during the short, thirty minute break.

[I really need to start packing lunch, or work on a method of conjuring food. This is getting ridiculous.] He thought as he elbowed his way through the press and ordered a sandwich from the counter. It was the only thing they had available at the moment.

Leaving with his spoils he made his way down to the pavilion for his Summoning Magic class. He was hoping that Madeline would have some answers for him regarding the pizza summoning incident. Rounding the corner, he saw that Red was still occupying the majority of the area, despite his best efforts to compress himself into a ball. It looked like a very uncomfortable position to be in.

The two other students were waiting outside. Carol was staring at the dragon with undisguised fear, while Killian was standing with his eyes closed. Unsurprisingly, Madeline hadn't shown up yet. He walked up to the pair, and after exchanging awkward greetings, waited in silence for the teacher to arrive. Or at least he would have, if it weren't for his overactive familiar exploding out of his pocket to glide over to her favorite playmate.

Mike could only shake his head as the other students looked at him curiously while she began to fiercely attack Red's tail. The larger dragon simply raised his head, glanced in Audra's direction before laying back down, completely unconcerned.

[These two are going to cause me some headaches.]

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