Tristan

In the end, it turned out to be far more than one day that Tristan and Sophie would spend pouring over the tomes of not-so-forgotten lore in The Embrace's Divine Collection. With Billy's help and patience, they returned every day for a full week.

Tristan never felt it was wasted time, though he did lose count of the number of times he pulled up the quest to make sure that the arrow was still pointing to the same place. As each day passed, he grew increasingly nervous that she'd just vanish. But she remained in Surdenholm. Each time he checked, he wondered how much longer could he reasonably hope she'd stay there. He didn't want to have spent all this time preparing for nothing.

No, even if she moves on, it won't have been for nothing, he told himself. I'll find her eventually, and then all this prep work will pay off.

It helped that, each time he checked, the arrow remained steady, and the quest didn't update. In the meantime, Tristan tried to push his focus into the realm of things he could control, mostly research and design. He'd branched out to more than just studying time mages, which was quickly becoming an area of expertise for Sophie.

The second day, true to her word, the astralist had taken Tristan up to see the Swordsman section, and it was amazing. Here, he was completely surrounded by books that all offered genuine insight into his own Class. He'd decided to start browsing with the shelves containing books about the most famous Swordsmen of the Realm, and of course he'd stumbled upon several biographies of Jamal among them. But there were also a few of Olson, who had been Jamal's teacher. One in particular really called out to him, called Rival Blades: Olson vs. Blade Chaser!

Tristan had never really thought about Olson having a rival. In fact, for his whole childhood, he'd only ever heard of Olson as 'the greatest mortal swordsman in the Realm,' the title which had only been passed down to Jamal upon his teacher's ultimately shocking death.

But prior to that, Olson had been a paragon. His stories were practically legends! So to learn that someone had not only challenged Olson but been his rival fascinated Tristan.

He picked up the book and began reading immediately.

It started slowly, with a detailed study of Olson, his childhood, and some of the greatest successes of his early Path. Then there was a section break, and the second part of the book went into similar detail about someone called "Blade Chaser," who Tristan, surprisingly, hadn't ever heard of before.

It was pretty rare, though not unheard of, for someone who was only Tier 3 to have already taken an alias for themself. In Blade Chaser's case, it had attracted criticism of his being too ambitious or naive. But not for long.

This second swordsman was a rock-based elementus, which was already odd as they tended to favor slower-moving Classes if they went the melee route. Yet this one had chosen swordsman as his Primary Class and had risen to Tier 3 at practically the same pace as Olson, even entering the same Tier 3 Tournament in Camille.

And apparently he'd defeated Olson there.

Tristan's jaw hung open. There was a full chapter about their match in the semifinals, which the author said might as well have been the true final of that Tournament, given how big a letdown the official one was after their spectacular duel.

The book described how Blade Chaser, despite the difficulties that being a rock elementus created, had already far surpassed the standard levels of speed and was already showing some of the aerial agility that would become his trademark. But nothing was as remarkable as when he first used the skill that would become his calling card: [Blinkstrike]. As the author wrote, "Still to this day, no one quite knows how he was able to perform even an early version of the skill at Tier 3."

Based on all the other obstacles the book had detailed, though, Tristan thought he knew. It was through sheer grit and determination. He absolutely refused to let circumstances break his spirit or slow his training. And somehow, despite all those challenges, he found a way to persevere and emerge stronger than ever.

By all accounts, Blade Chaser was a prodigy in every way except by title. The more Tristan read of the elementus's story, the deeper his respect grew... and the more he felt a connection between them. Maybe someday he'd ask Jamal about his teacher's rival. He even started to wonder if he'd have a rival someday. Maybe he'd find one in the Tournament.

After speedily devouring that book, Tristan was then overwhelmingly disappointed when it seemed like Blade Chaser's Path was simply cut short with no real explanation. His legacy was clearly all but forgotten now. It all felt... suspicious. Tristan instantly connected it back to the conspiracy he'd read about the day before. It was the only conclusion that seemed to make any sense. Otherwise, why would the rival of Olson have just been forgotten like that?

Tristan decided to shift gears away from such unknowable things and look at books that might be more immediately useful: the swordsman Class and skill guides. There were lots to choose from, though he quickly learned that most of them had a lot of the same information with the only variations really being in the tones and voices of the authors. He found the truly introductory books to be the most fun in a strange way. He began skimming through each book and comparing the lessons and tips they offered against what he'd learned from Jamal, and perhaps unsurprisingly, Jamal had simply taught him better. All the seemingly-insignificant details he'd demanded... Tristan now saw how they'd created a superior foundation.

Only when he got to the intermediate shelves, which went into stronger skills and preparing for Tier 3, did he find some new and interesting options. The [Whirlwind] skill specifically seemed interesting to Tristan. It wasn't something he'd ever considered before, but the guide author called it "The ultimate attack-style choice," and had dubbed the all-in technique progression as "Spin to Win," which Tristan had to admit was kind of catchy. He copied down all the notes he found relevant--and even some he didn't, just to be safe--and made a mental note to speak to Jamal about the skill the next time he saw the man.

By that point, however, the second day was more or less spent, and when Sophie came to find him, Tristan was exhausted. His brain was so full that he wasn't even sure when he fell asleep that night, only that he'd been toying with possibilities the whole time up until that point.

When he woke on the third day, Tristan decided it was time to more actively pursue his idea for a silencing rune. He was able to find the enchanting section of the Divine Collection easily enough, and he spent the first several hours looking at various designs for silencing effects. He'd taken almost as many notes that day as he had the other two combined. One rune had been almost exactly what he'd wanted, though it was still a tier 2 design. It would take some tinkering to make it into something he could use.

Sophie, sticking to their original focus, dove deeply into researching time mages, devouring everything she could find on all the Class's numerous variations, in addition to constantly hunting for more on Timetwister herself. Honestly, Tristan couldn't keep track of all the things Sophie was learning, but they'd made a habit of pooling knowledge at what she called a 'daily debriefing,' and she did her best to simplify it. Tristan did his best to keep all that she said in mind. He looked forward more to the planning sessions where they used that information and refined it into what was slowly beginning to resemble a real plan for dealing with Timetwister.

More and more, Tristan realized just how correct Sophie had been on that first day when she'd said, "Time mages can be really scary." The more they learned more about the Class's capabilities, the clearer it became that this was absolutely not an opponent they could afford to take lightly. Their preparations would most assuredly be key.

As a result, Sophie also sent Sneakers out on a series of missions to collect odds and ends for her, mostly at night, while Tristan experimented on rune designs.

On the sixth night, he succeeded in creating the rune that he hoped would be the final nail in Timetwister's coffin. It was his second original rune creation, and this time, because it was so complicated, he hadn't risked putting it on an actual weapon. He'd just thrown it on an item he didn't care about at all. At least he gave it a name even Sophie approved of.

[Minor Rune: Blanketing Silence] Upon activation, the rune emits a short-ranged zone of absolute silence, preventing spells from being cast and skills from being used. Duration: 25 seconds. Once the effect ends, the item is consumed.

Granted, he'd had to make several sacrifices to get the design to work at all. First, and perhaps most limiting, was that it was single-use to the extreme: if he used it, the whole item would be gone! But such was the power that the [Inscribe] skill offered. He couldn't even test this rune properly. He could only test it once. That would have to be enough.

Sophie had come behind and pointed out the many problems that could come from such uncertainty, but he'd already thought through all that. He also knew he was going to have to recreate the rune on whatever weapon he actually intended to use against Timetwister. Despite it feeling more than a little wasteful given how much essence it had taken to make the first time, it was necessary.

The next sacrifice in the rune's design, which was frustratingly compounded thanks to the first, was that he'd had to limit how large the area of the silence would be. The description said only 'a short-ranged zone,' and hopefully he'd be able to determine just how wide that would be with his one test, but that wasn't even certain. At least he did know how long the zone would last. Would 25 seconds be long enough to kill a tier 4, especially if he couldn't use any other skills while within the zone and the sword itself would be 'consumed' at the end? Again, he wasn't sure, but he had to hope so.

It was all a bit worrying, but it was also the best he could do currently. It was his second original rune, after all, and he was only tier 2. He was still really proud of what he'd created, especially since he truly believed it would serve its purpose and help him kill Timetwister.

Due to the extreme limitations of the rune, though, he didn't want to add it to any of his previous weapons. He'd grown much too attached to them, and they were already sort of established in his head and arsenal. They each had their own role, and they performed those roles beautifully. Instead, he ended up creating a new weapon and adding the rune to it. Granted, it was a much weaker weapon than he'd made in a long time. It was still a 'sword' by definition, but it was a flimsy-feeling single-handed thing, no matter what its single property suggested.

[Silencing Shortsword (uncommon)]: [Durable], [Minor Rune: Blanketing Silence], Soulbound

A small but potent sword capable of cutting through even the abilities of those around it.

It was odd to hold a shortsword after so much training dedicated to the greatsword. Part of him wondered if he shouldn't have delayed their departure another couple days to create a proper greatsword to house the rune, but his nerves got the better of him.

To that end, Sophie's biggest success came that same evening. Sneakers found an alchemist that not only could make a [Potion of True Discernment] but was also able to enhance it so that someone under tier 3 could use it. Sophie had bolted out the door immediately upon receiving the news, and she'd spent a ridiculous amount of money before returning with one small vial in hand. When Tristan used [Identify] on it, he understood pretty quickly why.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

[Potion of True Discernment] For up to 5 minutes, your [Identify] is greatly enhanced, and you can view others' Items and Buffs as if they were in your party.

It was an item that Tristan had not only never heard of, but he was kind of surprised it existed at all. It was exactly the kind of item that would have been super useful to him back when he'd been trying to upgrade his own [Identify], as it would have at least given him something to study, but of course no one he'd spoken to had ever mentioned it.

Probably because of its absurd cost, he rationalized.

Besides, the result he'd achieved had been really good, and he'd worked through the bumps and overcome challenges by himself. He'd been able to empower his skill through his own hard work. He understood that not everyone would be able to do that, but he'd made his own choice for his Path, and he was glad he had. Let other people spend all the coin they want, he figured. I'll spend time and effort.

At least now he was aware that it was possible for any ridiculously rich stranger that got close enough to see some of what he'd prepared. It didn't exactly feel fair, but it was precisely what he and Sophie were about to do, too. He wondered if more powerful potions existed, and what they might be able to show. Classes, most likely, but what about skills? Or Cores? He genuinely hoped that potions wouldn't ever get so strong--or invasive--to be able to reveal other people's Cores.

"They're mostly used by scout Classes," Sophie tried to explain, seeing his aversion but clearly misunderstanding the root cause. "Though they're good for anyone that gathers information, I suppose. Their cost is prohibitive enough to keep their use more limited."

Her words didn't ease his burden. His mind was working on a deeper and darker concern.

Someone is almost always buying those secrets, he knew. And there will always be people out there willing and able to pay whatever it costs.

He was sure people like the Longblooms would do it regularly. People like Shadow, too, though Tristan could imagine that the half-elf was probably the seller more often than buyer. But now he and Sophie were involved, too.

He shuddered, putting himself and Sophie into a list with those others, and something Shadow had asked him bothered him again.

How different from him am I, really? What's the difference between an assassin and an avenger?

The answers that came to him quickly felt too easy and, in all honesty, too simple. What is my quest really asking me to do? Tristan sighed, not liking where his thoughts were leading him.

Thanks to Shadow, I know that I don't have to kill them all. So the better question, I guess, is: does Timetwister deserve to live or die?

Of course nothing they'd found in their week of study had really been an answer to that question. He wasn't even sure what an answer would look like. Sure, they'd found reports of her healing people and saving lives, but those had all been really outdated. What had she been doing since?

He'd just have to go see her and somehow make the call for himself. Maybe he'd witness something awful, or the potion would show him... What? A reason not to use the powerful new rune he'd created just to kill her?

Tristan didn't love thinking about that, either.

Instead, he focused on what would be his next major step in his quest: getting close enough to Timetwister to [Identify] her. Then, hopefully, he'd be able to answer a lot of his most troubling questions.

Of course he already had a way to do that with the [Avenger's Stealth] buff that his Path Quest gave him. If he was careful, then getting close to her shouldn't be that much of a problem. He basically had an improved invisibility against her, just as he had against every {Legendslayer}.

[Avenger's Stealth] You are undetectable to quest targets above your tier. Upon dealing damage, you will gradually be revealed.

That still wasn't the end of their preparations, though. Together they were able to find another vendor who sold them a five-pack of Tier 3 [Scroll of Dispel Magic] at what Sophie had assured him was 'a great price.' He didn't love the vendor's wavering enthusiasm when Tristan asked how many it would take to fully dispel a Tier 4 with several buffs up. The man's smile faltered just enough to be a concern. But still, they paid him. Boy did they pay him. Now Tristan could only hope that the handful of scrolls they'd bought would be enough.

Sophie had also picked up one other scroll, for an offensive spell, which she'd said had "really resonated" with her. Tristan wasn't entirely sure what she'd meant by that, but if it was like how he felt about some of his tools, and his swords, then that made sense. Regardless, her search had clearly stopped the moment she'd come across [Scroll of Astral Comet].

They also bought a map of The Embrace's domain pre-marked with a route to Surdenholm, including all the best stops along the way for supplies, food, and rest. When they showed it to Billy, to get his take on the places that had been marked, their driver actually seemed a bit insulted. Tristan tried to explain that the map wasn't bought for the driver's sake but his own, so that he could plan and think the whole process through, but that only seemed to soften the half-elf's mood slightly.

Lastly, they stocked up on what Tristan thought was an absurd amount of food and drink. When he asked Sophie why they needed so much, especially with both the map and Billy available to point out good places to eat along the way, she actually laughed.

"First of all, we have no idea what kind of experience the person who made that map has, let alone their taste in food. And can you say any better about Billy? Just because we paid for a map or hired a driver, that doesn't mean we should blindly trust their judgement on all things. Besides, it's always good to have our own stash, just in case things go sideways. This world can get crazy pretty quickly. You should know that as well as anyone. So I say it's better to be prepared, just in case."

She went on to further explain that anything kept in magical storage would remain fresh and unspoiled, no matter how long they might stay in. Admittedly, Tristan had heard that part before. It was one of the best-known perks of magical storage, and likely the one that had caused the big stir in Woodsedge a few years back when Pavel Klimenta had succeeded in making his first [Leather Satchel of Holding]. You'd have thought the world had gone wild with all the gossip that appeared seemingly overnight. The one that hurt the Klimenta business most was that there was a "storage taste" that affected things left within for too long. Tristan thought it was likely just the silliness of small-town competitors, but he'd also never tested it.

The swordsmith shook his head, trying to pull himself out of his past. He wasn't so different from all those "silly" people, or at least he hadn't been all that long ago. Now? Well, he had changed. For one thing, none of them that he knew of had ever flown on the Crafting Ark, or delved into the depths of a raid!

And none of them had a Tier 4 time mage to track down.

Better to put my mental energies toward that.

With all the preparations they'd done, Tristan felt pretty good as he stepped into Billy's carriage on the eighth morning and, as he and Sophie had discussed, rather than asking to be taken to the Divine Collection, he said, "Alright, Billy. It's time. Take us to Surdenholm, please."

"Yes sir," the driver responded, a bit flatly if Tristan was being honest. But still, off they went.

Tristan knew that they were as well equipped for the coming fight as they were going to get, at least without taking a much longer break. Not so surprisingly, he found himself smiling as he pulled up the quest, checking it against the arrow that had seemed stationary for weeks.

Still in Surdenholm. Good. Soon, we'll be that much closer.

- - - - -

As Billy stopped at the first place marked on the map, he turned around and asked, "You want to get out here? It is nearly dinner time, and though I hate to admit it, the map didn't seem to lead us astray. This time. I've been here before, and it's actually pretty good. Besides, I could also do with a bite to eat. Though if you'd like to push on farther, I've got a few rations I could nibble on for a while. I know another place, maybe thirty minutes down the road, that has always treated me fairly."

It was the first time Billy had spoken since they'd all climbed into the carriage that morning. Tristan wondered if his coldness was still thanks to the map he'd bought, especially since he brought it up. The strange, quiet formality was so different from how the driver had been when it was just the two of them.

Then again, Tristan thought, this is also a much longer trip, and it was clear Billy was pushing the pace, likely even using his skills to go as quickly as he could. Tristan could relate to that. He knew and appreciated the extra difficulties that came from working on projects quickly.

Giving Billy the benefit of the doubt, Tristan tried not to read too much into the way he'd phrased his question. Looking at Sophie, the astralist just gave him a noncommittal shrug.

"Seems as good as any then," Tristan replied. "Might as well give our map-maker's tastes a little test."

"Alright," the driver replied.

As it turned out, the restaurant was a delightful and very popular place that was practically bursting out of its small shell. Even at their slightly early dinner time, the building was full, but in a way that suggested they were used to the crowds. Tristan wondered whether this was a regular thing until he overheard an especially vocal couple who had specifically stopped in on the way to Rockmoor. Apparently dinner was the only meal the restaurant served, and being there early was actually critical because, as one of the couple said, "if you aren't here within the first hour, the ribs will be long gone."

The place was co-owned and operated by a husband and wife who loved cooking and eating traditional elven food. As Sophie and Billy sat, studying the menu, Tristan asked their server about the ribs. He was a cleanshaven elf man, which meant he looked young-ish in a way that Tristan couldn't be sure of his age at all. He fit into that vague "older than me" category that could just as easily have been around the age of Tristan's parents... or twice to three times that. He was only certain that this elf wasn't as old as Inspiration Jack.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we're actually already out," the server apologized. He quickly tried to explain how booming business was, and that there were tons of other great options on the menu. "You must believe me that everything my wife makes is exceptional!" he assured them.

"Oh, this is your place then?" Sophie asked, looking as shocked as Tristan felt.

"Indeed," the elf said with a gentle smile. "If you'll allow me, might I recommend a few of the house specialties?"

After listening to his descriptions, Tristan's mouth was practically watering, and it wasn't surprising at all when each of them ordered one. Sophie went with the "Split-Spit Roast." Billy surprised them both and went with the vegetarian platter, consisting entirely of nuts, berries, and mushrooms. Tristan decided to try something new and ordered the "Lembas Casserole."

The husband nodded sagely, assured them that their selections would all be fantastic, and then disappeared into the kitchen.

It was amazing to Tristan how quickly he returned with their food, especially given how full the place was and how many other tables had to be served before them. From the moment the food first touched their tongues, though, it was clear why the restaurant was so crowded.

They all ate in very satisfied silence. Tristan did think the crust of his "lembas casserole" was a bit crumbly, but maybe it was supposed to be that way. And besides, it was such a minor gripe for something so flavorful and filling that he didn't dream of voicing it.

The co-owner didn't show any surprise when none of them wanted dessert after their main course. As it turned out, one of the specialties of the chef, who was clearly on a cook's Path, was to fully sate her patrons' appetites. In fact, Tristan didn't even feel the faintest hints of hunger for a full day. None of them did.

And maybe that explains why they're only open for one meal a day, and why there aren't any other locations marked on the map for a while, Tristan realized.

Without the need for other stops, Billy said he was able to shave nearly half a day off their travel time. He gave them periodic location updates, and Tristan always made sure to mark their current position on the map. It was almost like a checklist to him, or a sort of progress bar. He knew it wasn't the exact same, but he still really enjoyed watching their steady advancement.

He also felt like they were making great time. Not that he knew how long it should take. Truly, he wasn't even sure whether they were moving faster than they had with Gregory on the way back to Jamal's. But by tracking their progress on his own map, and having the distance number beneath the arrow going down so quickly, he certainly felt like it was going fast.

When he checked in with Billy, the driver said that it would probably only take another handful of days before they'd reach Surdenholm.

Tristan was thankful for what would end up being such a quick trip, but at the same time, he was growing more and more anxious about what he'd need to do when he finally reached Surdenholm. He'd have to find Timetwister, and then...?

And then all that prep and research will pay off, he kept telling himself.

He and Sophie had prepared as much as he felt they possibly could from afar. For the next step, they'd need to be in Surdenholm or wherever else Timetwister ended up being. At this point, it hardly mattered if she moved on. They would follow her.

He would keep getting closer and closer, learning as much as he could, until he eventually made the call. Whether she lived or died at the end of this, only Tristan would be able to say. And based on the rapidly decreasing distance number on his arrow, the time for a reckoning was quickly approaching.

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