Chapter 7: Journey's end

Leylin, Locke, and Roran made the journey from Redoran to Alto over three moons. As the towers of Fleddorf rose above the horizon and kissed the sky, they slowed to a canter. Alto was a fascinating location; it was more of a city-state formed around Felddorf than a kingdom. The priory of Fleddorf, a body of gentry and clergy that presided over the city, chose the king of Alto. The running gag in the taverns was that the king of Alto required sanction from the priory, prior to use of the privy.

Looking around the city, Leylin mused, 'He had to be careful here.' He pondered as he observed the tower piercing the sky. A Grand Knight served as the Fleddorf Mayor. They maintained their independence from the surrounding behemoths thanks to the mayor and support from the church. One cannot survive for long by ignoring the church. The inquisition had the similar no. of grand knights as the Redoran or Kislev, and then there was the priory. The fact that the priory maintained their independence against the mayor is evidence of their power.

The church's influence in Alto made it the continent's cultural hub, which is why Fleddorf was referred to as the"city of psalms."

"This was the big leagues," Leylin thought. The objective had been to keep an eye on the man who was boasting about being a mystic, so caution must always come first. Despite being a well-known musician, the man's status was lower than that of his lover. Which is probably why he told her the truth to seduce her. Generally, acolytes, especially the weaker ones, kept their identity secret. While the identity of an acolyte is beneficial and would most likely allow the acolyte to live well in the mortal world. It would be short-lived if they were targetted by stronger acolytes and magi and enslaved. They would only end up becoming an experiment, and sometimes dying is easy, but living is harder.

He required a disguise to approach the man without rankling any of the top brass. 'That would be very, very bad.' Leylin thought.

They were going to pretend that Locke was his knight and he was Locke's squire. While the name Locke 'the Talon' had some fame, unlike Mercer, he generally remained in the shadows. So his face wasn't recognizable. Leylin got them to take pseudonyms; he would be Aegon, 'egg', and Locke would be Sir Duncan, 'the tall'. Leylin told Roran to enter the city separately and meet with Delvin's contact on his behalf.

Leylin explained, "Locke I want you to pose as Sir Duncan "The Tall," who has come to compete in the Knights competition, and I'll play the role of your squire, Aegon. You need to approach Victor and ask him to train me in music. While you are at it I want you to look around the arena for any potential recruits. I don't want you to win or fail in the competition. Just be ordinary and believable. The rest will rely on the information I learn about Victor."

"Locke, none of your regular shenanigans I need you to be serious. This is a dangerous and foreign place, we don't know what lurks in the shadows." Leylin said seriously.

Locke's eyes stiffened hearing his master's admonishment. He knew it would be too risky to fool around here this isn't the Emerald Coast or Cuvelon where things could be managed. It could get dangerous real quick if shit goes south.

So, they rode into the city before nightfall with Leylin and Locke entering the city first and Roran a few hours later.

After checking into one of the town's premier inn, Leylin and Locke decided to call it a day. Even his knightly build couldn't contain the exhaustion after spending so much time on the road; a feathered bed felt divine.

Locke studied his master as he slept. Most of the time, Locke loses sight of his master's age due to his competence. His master seemed to be carrying the weight of the entire world at times. What could drive a child so far, he didn't know. He only knew it must be important. Perhaps his master was the world's prophesied saviour. Honestly, he didn't know and didn't care. A thought crossed his mind that his child would have been about the same age. He looked at the child and vowed to protect him from harm. He laughed at himself. His master was stronger than him at 10. How would he protect him with his meagre ability? He felt the tinder grow red once more it had been a long time since he felt this way. Once his revenge was complete, he felt empty. He served his young master to repay his debt, but he truly cared for little and wished for little until now. He wished he could protect his master, and one day he would be greeted by the woman who haunted his dreams, holding their dream in her arm.

The next day, as per plan, 'Sir Duncan' and 'Aegon the Squire' went to meet Victor 'the musician'.They reached an aesthetic villa neither large nor small, There was a crowd of people held back by a few guards. As They approached the villa they were stopped by the guard.

A gruff guard asked rudely, " Who are you? Musician Victor is not taking any visitors." The guard's yell caught the attention of other guards. One guard, who looked considerably more experienced, looked at our attire and decided to step in. The older guard softened his expression after looking at our clothing. He asked, "Apologies sire. May I enquire who you are?"

Locke released some of his knight aura, immediately putting everyone on edge. Everyone on this continent knew what a knight meant. Locke answered without breaking the beat, " I am Sir Duncan, and I would like to meet Victor." Locke's words made the guard break out in cold sweat. A knight could take a commoner's head first and ask questions later. The whole villa was roused by the knight's presence. Normally, if Locke wanted to meet Victor, he could have summoned him. The reason it was arranged was so that Leylin could have a chance to scan his house.

When they met, Victor Leylin could see the surprise on his face. Leylin immediately thought 'scan'.

[Beep! Name: Victor Frey Gender: Male

Strength: 0.9 Agility: 2.5, Vitality: 1.5 ]

[Beep! Detected unknown radiation from target unable to quantify]

'Damn, The fact that the A. I chip can scan him shows that he isn't a magus. Had he been a grand knight, he would have been confident in taking him, but as he is now if Victor is a rank 2 or rank 3 acolyte, that would be dangerous', Leylin thought. Leylin concluded that although he couldn't rule it out, it was unlikely that he was a rank 3 acolyte as he doubted whether Chornobyl islands even had a rank 3 acolyte and Victor was at most a rank 2 acolyte.

Victor promptly asked, "What can I do for you, my lord." He could sense the slight bitterness that seeped in Victor said 'my lord'. With that Leylin knew the man thought he was above the so-called knight. This was the final nail in the coffin. Leylin suppressed his excitement.

Locke spoke, "I want you to teach my squire music while I participate in the competition."

"My lord, please do not mock my profession music is a lifetime profession it is not something that can be taught in a day," Victor spoke in a scandalized tone.

Seeing this going nowhere. Leylin fell back on the tried and tested method. He made googly eyes at victor and said, "Please, teach me master I have always wanted to be a musician."

At the same time, Locke offered Victor a large sum of money. It was unknown whether it was his acting or the money. Victor agreed to teach Leylin Music. Locke left the villa immediately after promising Leylin, he would pick him up at night. If he was he would also be bitter. An honourable magus being reduced to a babysitter.