Vincent led Jason into the administration building.
“The director is hoping that you can resume the pace of handling contracts you demonstrated when you first joined the society,” Vincent said as they walked. “Most of our best adventurers just left.”
“No worries,” Jason said. “Most of the people I know just left town, so I figured I’d throw myself into it. I was expecting there to be more trouble over killing those adventurers.”
“The recording makes it quite plain what they were there for,” Vincent said. “What really clinched it was that most of them hadn't taken a contract in months. Some hadn't taken one at all. The director hates that kind of adventurer with a passion. Something to do with her upbringing, I've been told. She was more than happy to just push it under the rug.”
“I’ve heard she isn’t from one of the big families,” Jason said. “That she made her way up out of Old City.”
“That’s about as much as anyone has heard. She doesn’t talk about her past, at least to me.”
“She respects privacy. Unlike someone I know. I'm having a barbie tonight, if you'd care to join.”
“A barbie?”
“A barbecue, mate. Nice and casual. A few mates still in town, they’re all bringing people. You can bring some Adventure Society people if you'd like. Clive's bringing some Magic Society people, plus their families. We've got enough meat to sink a ship, and Norwich Distillery is putting on the drinks. Fair warning, though; leave your social stratification at the door. Duke or dunny-cleaner, everyone's a mate at an Asano barbie.”
“I’ll think about it,” Vincent said. “Norwich Distillery, you say?”
“Yep,” Jason said. “Norwich’ll be there himself, along with some of his workers. They’re bringing a few barrels along.”
Vincent led them into what turned out to be a magical elevator. Jason knew they were in some of the Island’s taller buildings, but it was his first time using one. The ride was swift and smooth, depositing them on the top floor. Vincent led Jason to a door with a plaque proclaiming it to be the office of the branch director. Vincent led them in without knocking.
Jason and Vincent went in to find the director, Elspeth Arella, sitting behind a paperwork-covered desk. At another desk was the elderly elf who had assessed Jason for his promotion. They were both busily writing and Vincent gestured for patience.
Looking around, Jason noticed several paintings of desert landscapes hung on the walls. They were all by the same artist who painted a similar work Jason favoured at the concert hall.
“I like your taste in art,” he said to the director. “You have a lot of Moher’s work.”
“He's a friend of the family,” the director said absently. “I’ll be with you in a moment, Asano.”
Vincent gave Jason an admonishing frown, and they waited until the director and deputy director finished their work. Once the papers had been signed and filed, they turned to Vincent and Jason.
“G’day,” Jason said, offering his hand over the desk to the elderly elf. “We haven’t been properly introduced.”
“Genevieve Picot,” she said, curtly shaking his hand. “Deputy director.”
“We’re quite busy, Mr Asano,” Arella said, “so I’ll be brief. First, thank you for not making a fuss about being excluded from the expedition. I know you have enough connections now that you could have.”
“Plenty of people did,” Genevieve said unhappily.
“Second,” Arella said, “I was very impressed at your handling of the lumber mill contract. You could have been loud about it, but you weren’t. The thoroughness with which you investigated and collected evidence gave me some much-appreciated political capital.”
“I didn’t do it that way to give you another stick to whack the Duke with,” Jason said. “I did it because that’s where the contract took me.”
“Yet your response demonstrated an awareness of the political realities,” Arella said.
She opened a drawer on her desk and took out a small bamboo box, handing it over to him. He slid off the top to see a round crystal inside and tapped a finger to it.
Item: [Awakening Stone of Judgement] (unranked, rare)
An awakening stone containing the power of adjudication (consumable, awakening stone).
Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.
Effect: Awakens an essence ability.
You have 3 unawakened essence abilities.
You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of Judgement]
Absorb Y/N?
“Judgement,” Jason mused.
“It seemed appropriate, given that’s what you’ve demonstrated,” Arella said. “We’re rather understaffed right now, so if anything unexpected arises, we’ll need people to take on leadership roles. At iron rank, you will be one of those people. Hand over your badge, please.”
Jason frowned as he took out his badge and handed it over.
“You’re promoting me?” Jason asked. “Days after I killed a fistful of adventurers?”
“They weren’t adventurers,” Arella said darkly. “They were the filth clinging to the side of a boat in desperate need of righting.”
She took out a wedge-shaped stone and tapped it to Jason's iron badge. The metal shifted as the two stars embossed on it were joined by a third and she handed it back.
“No big, imposing room?” Jason asked. “No officious questioning?”
“The rules only require three officials present, including at least one of director or deputy-director level. We have a lot to do, Mr Asano, and such proceedings aren’t as valuable with some members as they are with others.”
“Fair enough,” Jason said. “You know, if you need to wind down after work, I am having a barbie tonight…”
The turnout for Jason's barbecue was larger than he expected. They had staked-out a section of the park district, bringing out picnic tables with colourful tablecloths. Norwich Norwich had set up a long bar. There was a whole array of grillers, covered in sizzling meat, fish wrapped in bamboo leaves, vegetables and fruit.
“Good thing I overdid it on food,” Jason said. “Thanks for wrangling the extra grills, Jessica.”
“It was my absolute pleasure,” Madam Landry said.
Other people in the park district had wandered over and were invited to join in. There was some kind of three-way ball game happening, the participants having marked-out a triangular field. The teams were Magic Society versus Adventure Society versus the people that were both. The mixed team had Clive as captain.
Jason spotted a pair of elves looking on at a remove, standing under a tree. Jason teleported through the tree’s shadow to join them.
“You made it after all,” he said to them.
“You’ve created quite a commotion in the park district,” Arella said. “You did get permission for this, right?”
“As you know,” he said, “Thalia Mercer owed me for not throwing her crappy son under the bus. Her brother-in-law is the Duke, so it wasn’t hard to get.”
“This is how you spend your political capital?” Genevieve asked.
“What’s the point of money and power if you don’t enjoy it? I don’t suppose either of you ladies can explain the rules of that ball game?”
“You don’t know tri-ball?” Arella asked. “You really are from another world.”
99
Someone Else’s Game
Dean Tuckell was part of a team of adventurers that had arrived in a village in the delta. The team was a makeshift one put together for a road contract, patrolling a fixed route through the delta and beyond under the supervision of a bronze-ranker. The others were unhappy to be on punishment duty instead of the big expedition, while Dean was just happy to get away from the city. He didn’t want the people still working for Thadwick Mercer to find him and take him out for a little chat.