Chapter 26: The Cat, Katerina

Sean settled into the carriage, flipping through Lane's History for EXP. But the bumps of the slum roads and his rattled nerves made concentration impossible. Closing the book, he chatted idly with John as they rode.

…

At the Magic Guild, John insisted on waiting outside. Sean climbed the steps, pausing mid-stride. His EXP bar glowed Level10 65/100—5 EXP from chatting with John. Why equal to Bach's rate? he wondered. Does EXP scale with the speaker's level?

Henry gave no EXP.

Bronze rank Bach yielded 10 EXP/hour.

Golden rank Benjamin gave 22 EXP/hour.

Silver Rank Matthew somehow granted 28 EXP/hour. Is he hiding his true rank?

Shrugging off the mystery, Sean entered the guild. Focus on leveling.

…

Meanwhile, in a commoner district alley, Matthew whispered: "Katerina."

The black-and-white cat leaped down, enveloped in green mist. When it cleared, a 29-year-old woman in a black dress stood before him—Katerina, her green eyes cold as a statue's.

"Katerina, contact the Silverpine Spire. Who ordered Sean's assassination? Not Daniel, I suspect."

Katerina knelt, chanting. A green beam shot skyward, merging with an invisible magic web. Ten minutes later: "It was Count Brandon Hill of Vernis, loyal to Robert."

"Brandon? But he hates the Church… Ah! Sean's status as Divine Son explains it."

Katerina stared blankly at the ground. "Our mission is to ally with the Elves against the Orcs. This Lane intrigue is irrelevant."

"Loosen up," Matthew teased. "You're 29—you'll die a spinster at this rate."

"Mages don't marry."

"Fine. After Riverside, we head straight to the Elven Forest."

"As you command." Katerina transformed back into a cat.

Matthew vanished, muttering: "I'll get you raw fish on the road, you moody feline."