Second Employee

Now that the midyear exams were over, the end of the fall semester was quickly approaching. Students prepared for their end-of-term exams. Last year, Will tested out of first-year classes. Now, he had to study his classes at the Knight and Mage Academies.

For Battle Tactics, Retired General Ying prepared an essay exam. Cadets had to write detailed explanations, how they would counter or attack based on the question.

In Troop Leadership, Marshall Cheng prepared a two-hundred multiple-choice exam over his semester-long lectures. Every multiple-choice had 10 answers, and cadets had to choose all the right answers. Even if you correctly chose 4 out of the 5 correct answers, if you one question wrong the question was marked as failing.

Professor Arguelles also prepared an essay exam on the principle of conjuring and spellcasting. The exam was scheduled to last six hours. Even worse, according to the third-year mages, six hours was not enough time.

For Transfiguration, Magister Wright gave students two hours to turn a frog into a box, then a cup, and then back into a frog. Failure to finish in two hours resulted in a failing grade.

However, the final exam that made cadets and mages nervous was the winter ball. Since it was announced, cadets and mages began to pair off. It was not necessary to have an escort, but some students took the opportunity to ask their crush to the ball.

Anxiety and nervousness were palpable. Males students asking a woman to the ball only to be accepted or reject was big news. Men and women huddled into tight groups to embolden each other. Blushing from men and women was an everyday occurrence.

When Anne heard the news that Will asked Elizabeth to the ball, she was devasted. She secretly hoped he would ask her. She had no idea he was back into a wall when he asked Elizabeth. The entire kingdom knew at this point Will was forced into accepting six dates. A few days after returning to Guidon, Will has his fourth date. How Anne wished it could be seven.

Anne felt a swell in her heart, she was a knight. Knights were not weak-hearted. She may a vow to herself, to confess to Will at the ball. She would tell Will how much she loved him. How she yearned to be with him. How no other woman, would ever love him, as much as she secretly loved him.

Feeling confident, Anne decided to buy the prettiest dress, make-up, and perfume. She had saved up a lot of money working for Will these past seven months. She also hoped Vanessa would give her a discount at the Silver Phoenix General Store.

As Anne was worried about confessing to Will, Will was worried about his Formation end of term exam. Grandmaster Takahashi asked his classes to simply cast the formation they had worked on all semester.

The earth mana gathering formation required Will to connect five rotating pentagons surround within a circle. Which Will after painstaking hours of headaches had accomplished. However, Will struggled with the last part of the formation, inscribing the runes within the circle.

Runes were ancient hieroglyphics, similar to computer coding on Earth, which empowered a formation, once mana was input. Inscribing runes on a formation was similar to writing in cursive. All the runes had to connect. And gaps that interrupted the flow of mana, would be marked as a failure. The entire formation had to be cast seamlessly, everything had to be connected.

In Formations, Will sat next to a Rupert. Unlike Will, Rupert easily grasped runes. Moreover, while Will struggled to learn his first formation, Rupert was learning his fourth.

'Truly, some people are born above others,' Will thought, watching Ruppert cast.

By now, the two young men had grown closer.

"Rupert, how are you so good with formations and runes?" Will asked curiously.

"I'm studying to be a runemaster. I like runes, they're like a puzzle. I love figuring out the correct combination and watching them work. It provides me with a sense of accomplishment," Rupert said embarrassed. He was ready for Will to make fun of him, like others.

At the Mage Academy, Rupert was often picked on. As far as his talent with magic and mana pool, neither was impressive. But where Rupert had deficiencies, he made up for it by studying and hard work.

"What's a runemaster," Will asked, remembering Bradley vont Alms told him he to find one.

"You don't know," Rupert perked up in surprise.

"No, explain to me," Will asked curiously.

"Well, the short version is Runemasters are arcane spellcaster that empower artifacts with magical energies by inscribing by runes," Rupert said.

"Besides the ones taught us by Grandmaster Takahashi, how many more are there?" Will asked.

"Thousands, my master said there are hundreds of runes still undiscovered," Rupert said his eyes filled with wonder.

"Master?" Will asked.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I didn't tell you. This year, the Runemaster chose me as his disciple," Rupert said proudly.

At the Mage and Knight Academy, every year elective professors would choose one student from the second as their discipline. That meant one lucky student in home economics, horseback riding, jousting, archery, master of arms, enchanting with ancient runes, formations, herbology, alchemy, arcane blacksmithing, divination, music, and art were selected as a disciple for the next two years.

Will was Master Duncan's disciple in arcane blacksmithing, by default. For Will's end-of-term exam in arcane blacksmithing, he had to forge an iron hammer.

"Then who is the disciple in formations?" Will asked.

"Me," Rupert said embarrassed.

"You! Congratulations! You certainly are talented," Will said as Rupert began to help him with his earth mana gather formation.

"Thanks, Will! The only problem is that rune crafting is expensive. Artifacts tend to blow up sometimes. While I'll have access to runes here at the academy, once I graduate, it'll cost a lot of money buying books with runes. Rune books are the most expensive grimoires in the kingdom," Rupert said sadly.

"What would you say to an exchange? I'll help you with your purchases if you help me something else?" Will asked slyly.

"I won't help you cheat Will! I never took you for a bully," Rupert admonished him.

"Nothing like that, we'll walk over to the Merchant Guild after class," Will whispered, as Grandmaster Takahashi looked over at the two men with curious eyes.

After class Will, Bradley, and Rupert walked to the Merchant Guild.

"Welcome to the team!" Bradley said jovially.

"Thanks," Rupert said nervously.

"You're studying to become a runemaster, huh?" Bradley asked.

"Um-hm," Rupert mumbled nervously.

"Will, why do I need to make a vow of silence?" Rupert said building up his nerve.

"I want you to take a vow of silence because I want to make sure our discussions are kept between the three of us. Moreover, you'll be working on a major project, I cannot afford to have the details leaked," Will said.

"Let's head to the Merchant Guild. Mr. Murphy should have the contract and priest there waiting for us?" Will said.

"Contract?" Rupert said nervously. "Will, your not going to force me in a debtor's contract are you?" Rupert said horrified.

"No, I plan to pay you a monthly wage. You can spend that money however you like. If you can make the project a success, I'll give you a share in the company. It's the same deal Bradley agreed to," Will said.

As the cadets walked to the Merchant Guild, passerby stared at the three cadets. Two looked confident, the other a nervous wreck. Rupert was not used to the amount of attention he received, watching noble stare at him was frightening.

"Will, I'm a commoner and you and Bradley are nobles. I'm afraid I'll be a liability to you. I think you should choose someone else," Rupert said trying to blackout from his earlier agreement.

"As Will's employee you fall under his noble house. We nobles have a tacit agreement not to harm other noble's property," Bradley said.

"Property?" Rupert exclaimed.

"Here we are," Will said opening the Merchant Guild front doors.

"The trio walked in the door to see Vanessa and Mr. Murphy waiting for them in the Merchant Guild's lobby.

"Boss Will, we are just waiting on the priest. She is on her way," said Vanessa creating a deja vu moment.

"Thank you, Vanessa. How are the arrangements for the winter ball," Will said.

Vanessa's face reddened as she curtsied,

"We are waiting on one item. It was quite difficult to acquire, Boss Will," Vanessa said.

"Very good, let me know when it arrives?" Will said.

"Mr. Murphy, here are two blueprints I wish to patent," Will said.

"Boss Will, if you had let me know, I would have taken care of that for you!" Vanessa said embarrassed.

"Yes, I know. But, I am here no so what difference does it make," Will said handing the patents for backgammon, mancala, and risk, two new games.

"Of course," Mr. Murphy said leading them to the secluded conference room.

"Thank you Mr. Murphy for your assistance. You are assistance," Will said.

At that moment a priest walked down the hall towards the conference room. She was carrying a ceremonial dagger at her waist. The priest wore a light blue robe; the dagger was stuffed in her white belt. She wore thong saddles and had two long plaits in her hair.

"I am priestess Thea, shall we proceed?" She motioned the trio into the conference room.

Will, Bradley, and priestess Thea walked into the conference room. The priestess closed the door behind her and took out her dagger.

"It is good to see you again, Baronet William vont Ballard. Remember, you must first donate to the Church of Aether," she said sticking her hand out.

Once again, Will gave her 5 grand gold coins. Priestess Thea quickly shut her hands in satisfaction.

"Are you the one here to make a vow of silence?" she turned and confronted Rupert.

"Yessss," Rupert stuttered.

When Ruper saw the dagger, he felt faint.

"It is hot in here?" Rupert asked, his glasses were foggy and sweat beads fell down his face.

Ignoring the nervous boy, Priestess Thea began to recite the rites, "I beseech you Aether, father of the heavens and Lord of the skies who carries words on the wind to bring your wrath down on Rupert should he divulge anything he learns, hears, or sees in service to Baronet William vont Ballard," she paused.

Then she instructed Rubert to slice his finger with the dagger and drop three drops of blood on the dagger. Afterward, she instructed Will to do the same.

Then she continued the rite, "By their blood, they invoke the vow of silence. Should Rupert break his vow of silence let him suffer at fate works than death," she finished.

Rupert watched as the dagger glowed with golden light, before implanting itself in his chest next to his heart. Ruppert could feel the pinch of the dagger as it pricked his heart. Feeling this dagger against his heart, Rupert feinted.

"Thank you, Priestess Thea!" Will said bowing respectfully, while Rupert lay unconscious on the floor.

After Bradley pour a glass of water on his head, Rupert awoke.

"Rupert, I asked you to make this vow because I wanted you to help us build a flying machine," Will said.

"The ancient tome, I read said an air mage and runemaster were necessary components," Bradley said.

"Indeed, that makes sense. As an air mage, we understand air currents, the mechanics of lift, and drag on intuitive to us. Moreover, it's possible to use runes to make objects lighter, or create a rune to lift an object off the ground," Rupert said thinking out loud.

"Wait, you're an air mage too?" Will asked in shock.

"Well, not a good one. But, I am an air mage," Rupert said.

"Do you know what this means, we have the manpower to make the world's first flying device!" Bradley cheered.

"We're still waiting on the wyvern," Will said.

"A wyvern!" Rupert exclaimed.

"Yes, the tome said we needed the use runemaster to empower a wyvern core and bones," Bradley said.

"Oh my goddess, you expect to make this a reality," Rupert said in disbelief.

"That's what I'm paying you for. I'm the money, Bradley's the engineer, and you're the runemaster," Will said.

***

"Your majesty, this report just came in," said the civil master, walking into the king's study.

"He hired another person, and made them take a vow of silence?" the king said curiously.

"Yes, your majesty," the civil adviser replied humbly.

"Quick spymaster, find everything there is know on this Rupert fellow," the king decreed to a camouflaged man.

As the king thought about the troublesome baronet, a knock came on his study door.

"Enter," the king declared.

"Father, I was planning to check on the troops in Guidon. While I was there I thought about attending the Winter Ball in Guidon, this year. May I have your permission to attend" said the second prince.

'Has it started already, they couldn't even wait until I was dead,' thought the king.

"Yes, you have my permission, but answer me one question first, what is your purpose?" the king asked.

"To encourage the troops and see my dear little cousin of course. I missed her the last time she was in town. I already asked Uncle, and he said as long as you gave permission, I may travel with him to Guidon. I plan to stay as a guest in his residence.

"Very well, then. Give Elizabeth my love," the king replied.

"Thank you father," the prince bowed as he walked out the door.

'A troublesome baronet, indeed,' thought the king. He rubbed his temples because he could feel a migraine starting.