"In 453 AD, Darrow Landeskog was born with a Shattered Soul. Very few know this. He could not use spells, though the increased speed and efficiency of his Essence usage from the trait led him to become a Swordmaster in his second year at the Dim."
"But great people always strive for more. He wanted to master the magical arts. Yet with his trait, that could never be. How much do you know about the Crystallized Essence Pool?"
Leara looks at me discerningly. Am I merely asking because I myself don't know? Am I the most fearless conman in history? Despite being suspicious, she humors me.
"It's what the Landeskogs use to remove undesirable Favored traits. It's the only thing in the known universe that can do so."
"Close. It can not only remove those traits of the Soul, but it can also alter them. Improve upon them. It can transfer traits between Favored, forcibly if needed. It even alters actual genetics. Bathing in it purifies any physical irregularities. The Landeskogs were not born perfect."
She still looks at me skeptically. How could I know more than she does? Am I lying? The obvious answer is that my words hold merit, but that doesn't make it any less unbelievable.
"So, where is it?" Leara forces the questions down for the moment.
"Longreach." The northernmost city in the Free Empire.
"Where in Longreach?"
"Outside of Longreach."
"Where outside of Longreach?"
I laugh. "Well, this is the part where you hand me the Excursion Pass and I tell you where outside of Longreach it is."
"I still find it far more probable that you're an elite conman than… what? Some Landeskog whistleblower?" she chuffs an angry, disbelieving laugh. "Just who in the Hells are you?"
"You can think of me as a whistleblower, a recipient of divine knowledge, a reincarnation of the Hero, or even just a random Dim nobody who stumbled upon Darrow of Landeskog's diary. The result is the same; I have information. That's all you need to know."
She knows the 'conman' schtick is ridiculous; I would have to be insanely retarded to even think that I could not only scam her but also get away with it. She's smart, and this logical deduction only aids my plight.
Leara not only bites, but she gives no further prying or protest.
She extends her arm, obsidian tablet in hand.
I go to grab it, but when I do, she doesn't release.
"What will happen, I wonder, when, not if, I find out who you are?" Malice suddenly leaks from her face, her voice, and her gaze.
Another empty threat. A weak gambit to see if I'll crack. Endangered doesn't even buy it.
She doesn't faze me; I already know that I have her hook, line, and sinker.
In reality, it won't be a day before she figures out who I am; I never intended for this shabby anonymity to last. All the mask needed to do was temporarily stifle further questions and prying. To make her work for the information. Maybe it even helped lure her here. Curiosity kills.
She'll grasp at straws with information brokers trying to connect my file to the Landeskogs. How will she react when nothing comes up? Confront me herself? That's exactly what I want.
"Then we can upgrade our partnership to something more intimate." In essence: I'm not afraid of you, whiny bitch.
Leara's demeanor melts into wry amusement, and she lets go of the Excursion Pass.
"Now, the location." She commands.
"North of Longreach. Three days' hike until you reach the Everstorm. Your party must then hike another three days inside the storm without deviating from true north. The storm will abruptly stop. Nestled in some mountains is a small depression that leads to a cavern. You'll find the Pool there."
The bird chirps have died. Rushing water creates a constant background annoyance that overloads the brain. She's struggling to comprehend the incomprehensible. It's normal, but not for a so-called genius. Not for Leara Mateiko. So she lashes out.
"Is that a joke?" Leara stands up from the bench, shaking her head in angered disbelief. "Waltzing into an Everstorm. Ha. Ha."
"If it were easy, everyone would've found it." I shrug. "Since we're partners, I'll give you some advice: high-rankers with tracking Skills and cold-resistant gear are a must. And the Landeskogs are bound to have people guarding it."
"Who said we were partners?" she snaps. "If I find out that—"
"I'll contact you if I need favors for information, after you confirm the Pool's existence, of course."
You won't do anything to me. You're going to follow my every trail like a puppy. Dance to my tune and be rewarded. Or perhaps her pride will override those potential gains. It's a fine line I'll have to traverse. Can't have my piggy bank go cracking on me, can I?
The sun has fully set, and I retreat to the forest's darkness. The deal is done.
Leara Mateiko stands under a lamplight, empty-handed, conflicted, and beyond irritated.
Not the best of introductions for someone perceived as a genius. To be fair, the cards were stacked against her. I negotiated from strength, as I was willing to leave at any point. The information ended up as a far stronger lure than I anticipated.
My intuition was right. My plan was right.
I am the fucking genius. Where's the press? Tell them there's a new #2 at the Dim.
I'm such a genius that I hadn't even anticipated how much time I've just bought myself; Leara won't make a move against me until she's confirmed the Pool, and that might take an indefinite amount of time.
She'll have to create a group of A and B-ranks all by herself. The Mateiko family won't sanction it; even if she tells her father the Pool's whereabouts, any move made on the Pool will be akin to starting a war. He won't let that stand.
Leara is going to drag the Mateikos to war over this. It's what she has always wanted.
Then she'll find out who I am.
Then I'll be right in the middle of the war—just as my mission demands.