Lucas,

If you're reading this, then Marlene gave you my journal and my emergency potions. Good. You'll need them.

I know I said I'd teach you alchemy when I returned, and I will. But in the meantime, that journal contains everything I know. Study it carefully.

Some of the formulas in the later sections are dangerous if prepared incorrectly, so don't try those until you've mastered the basics.

The potions are insurance. I've seen too many talented young people die because they didn't have the right tool at the right moment.

Don't waste them on minor scrapes, but don't be too proud to use them when you really need them either.

There's something else I need to tell you, something I couldn't put in the first letter where just anyone might find it.

The group that calls themselves, The Legion didn't attack my shop randomly. They came looking for something specific: a formula I developed years ago. Something I buried so deep in my research that even I had forgot about it.

I won't write what it is here, in case this letter falls into the wrong hands. But when I return, we need to talk. Because if the Legion knows I have it, they'll come back. And next time, they won't be gentle.

Stay safe, learn everything you can, and try not to die before I get back. I'd hate to waste these potions on someone who couldn't appreciate them.

Your boss,

Henrik

P.S. - Marlene knows more than she's letting on. If you need help and I'm not available, you can trust her. She's ex-military intelligence, and she owes me several large favors.

----------

Lucas looked up at Marlene, who was leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed.

"Ex-military intelligence?" he said.

"Guilty," she replied. "Ten years in the Royal Intelligence Corps before I retired. Henrik helped me with something complicated a few years back. I've been paying him back ever since."

"And the formula he mentioned?"

Marlene's face changed. "That's not something we should discuss here. Too many ears in the merchant district, even now. But Henrik's right to be worried. If the Legion thinks he has what they're looking for, they will come back."

"What could be so important that even during attempted regicide, they'd go out of their way to attack Henrik?" Lucas said.

"Can't say. Henrik swore me to secrecy until he could tell you himself." Marlene pushed off from the doorframe.

"Is it an invasion?"

"Maybe. Or something worse." Marlene walked back to the table and began carefully packing the journal and potions into a leather satchel. "Here. Keep these with you at all times. And Lucas? Be careful who you trust at that academy of yours."

"What do you mean?"

"Just what I said. The Legion had inside information about the festival security. Someone told them where the king would be, when the guards would rotate, everything they needed to almost succeed." She handed him the satchel. "That kind of information doesn't come cheap, and it doesn't come from the streets."

Lucas was shocked "You think there's a traitor at the academy?"

"I think there's a traitor somewhere high up in the kingdom's power structure. Whether it's the academy, the military, or the noble houses..." She shrugged. "That's above my pay grade now. I'm just a warehouse keeper."

"Who happens to have contacts in intelligence." Lucas said.

Marlene smiled. "I didn't say I completely cut ties. Old habits die hard." She led him back toward the exit.

"If you ever need information, resources, or help that normal channels can't provide..." She handed him a small card. "Come find me. I can't promise miracles, but I have connections that might be useful."

Lucas took the card. It was blank except for an address in a different district and a small symbol. It was a silver rose.

"The winter roses still bloom," Lucas said.

"Exactly. It's not just a passphrase. It's the name of our network." Marlene unlocked the front door. "Now get out of here. It's getting late, and you look like you're about to collapse."

"Thank you, Marlene."

He stepped out of the door and into the evening air, the satchel heavy against his side. The merchant district was nearly empty now, with only a few stragglers hurrying home before full darkness fell.

As he walked back toward the academy, Lucas began to think about everything he'd learned.

The Legion was searching for a formula Henrik had developed. There might be a traitor in the kingdom's upper ranks and Henrik had trusted him with years of alchemical research despite only knowing him for a short time.

This was one of the things that bothered Lucas the most. The amount of time he had spent with Henrik all added up couldn't even reach a day yet he had trusted him with this top secret information.

Lucas would have to wait until he saw the old man again to find out why.

[Ding!]

[New Quest Available!]

[Quest: A Way in!]

[Objective: There's a traitor within the kingdom's power structure. Find him and make him your subordinate/slave to gain access to critical information and resources to further your Villian plans.]

[Reward: 200 Villain Points]

[Accept Quest? Y/N]

Lucas stopped walking. The system had been quiet since forever but now it had actually offered him a quest again. He was shocked.

"System, is this quest mandatory?" he asked.

[No. This is an optional quest. Host may accept or decline without penalty. However, System notes that this conspiracy will affect Host's survival chances whether Host investigates or not.]

"In other words, I'm going to get caught up in it anyway, so I might as well get rewarded for it."

[System appreciates Host's understanding of narrative inevitability.]

Lucas sighed. "Of course. Because nothing can ever be simple."

[Life would be boring if it were simple. Does Host accept the quest?]

Lucas thought about it

Someone high up was betraying the kingdom, putting everyone at risk. And somehow, despite keeping out of the way, Lucas had stumbled into the middle of it.

Even though it's annoying, this quest doesn't really have any downsides for me. In fact, it's only positives by helping me establish the Shadow identity more.

The only problem is that I'd probably have to rest this quest on the back burner until I get back from Asmir's Keep.

"Yes," he said finally. "I accept."

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