Lukas woke earlier than usual the next morning, his eyes bleary and a foul taste in his mouth. A quick check when he envisioned his Anima showed his core to be full save for the amount taken up by his Facet, of course. He immediately shoved his hand underneath his pillow, releasing a sigh of relief when he found the glass vial undisturbed.
The pre-dawn light barely gave him any light to see but when he raised the vial to his eyes, the colour shifting motes twinkled bright enough to dazzle. He was honestly torn on what to do.
On the one hand, the vial in his hand represented several season's worth of rent, Kiruna's Atavism Ritual costs, or food enough to last them a year. On the other hand, it represented a chance to grow stronger, to shore up his weakness.
Drinking it would mean that he was tied to whatever it was that Aengus and his cousin were up to. Selling the Zoi meant that he would be in danger. There was no way someone like him could have one of these precious elixirs, not without committing a crime.
Although, had he already committed a crime? Oh, rotting fodder, he had. Whatever it was that Aengus did in the Quay while he was busy with auditing was probably shifty. Accepting this was a crime, and he wondered if the Zoi had been stolen. He couldn't believe it was that easy to do so though. The Ministry of Life was well ensconced in the Church of the Everlasting Order. It couldn't be easy to break into the Cathedral in the Upper Ring. People like them wouldn't even make it through the city gates.
No evidence, no crime, wasn't it? The vial wasn't distinct on its own.
'But,' Lukas chewed his lip, 'the Imperial Inquisitors can decide guilt even without evidence.' He'd heard that those people can read guilt just by glancing at a person's Anima.
But…he'd already been paid. He'd already profited from a crime. Curse his weakness! He shouldn't have accepted the vial in the first place!
He sighed to himself. He wouldn't have been able to resist in the first place. He might as well drink this thing down.
He reached up to pull out the stopper.
"Tougher than it looks," he muttered when his first attempt didn't even make it budge.
He twisted the cork stopper, pulled, then twisted again. Eventually, he managed to loosen it enough that it came off with a small pop.
"Drink it down, gather Animus and use it to scoop out the sparkly bits to bring to my core," he continued, reminding himself of the instructions he was given. He took a deep breath, held it and gulped down the fluid.
"Urk!"
He almost gagged at the foul taste. It was cloyingly bad, just like the time he ate spoilt meat. The liquid clung to his tongue, and it burned all the way down his throat. His head spun and he fell over, banging his nose on the table. His hands clamped his mouth shut. He can't waste a single drop!
Once he had it all down, his belly felt as though it was on fire. He could feel the heat moving from his stomach down to his guts and then it radiated outwards. He hurriedly called on his Animus, pulling it out of his core. He envisioned his Anima and quickly spotted the motes drifting around his body. Even as he watched, one of the sparkles drifted out of the border and dissipated into nothingness.
With frantic effort, he sent his strands at the spots. The Animus slipped off the mote as though it was slick with oil. He gritted his teeth and spun the strand around the mote, enveloped it and slowly dragged it towards his core. He had to restart a couple of times when it slipped out of his net but eventually, he brought it to his core and shoved it inside.
It sucked the mote in and it joined the vortex of light, revolving around the dark core as if it had been born there. It wasn't enough though, Lukas knew. It wasn't even a single lumen. He needed to get more of the motes. He started fishing for those still wandering in his Anima. A couple of motes drifted into his core on its own but a good fraction drifted out and were lost instead. For all his efforts, he managed to snag a dozen or so before they all disappeared. He didn't manage to keep count of how many went to his core on its own.
The vortex of lights that was the representation of his Animus core felt a bit more crowded. He felt he increased his cap by a single lumen. He hoped so anyway. Even if it didn't, then it was a good fraction on the way there. When he opened his eyes it was just about dawn.
He took the bread from the pantry, sliced it, added some of the leftover ham he received from the Emporium, and made a couple of sandwiches. Kiruna was snuggling her pillow while drooling on it. He left her sandwich on a wooden plate, ate his, then got ready for the day.
For the next few days, he and Aengus continued on their routine. They met at the warehouse, headed to the cargo quay, and audited either Mazer's or some other Emporium's packages. It took about four or five days out of a week to complete the checks then the Arkship left. The next one should arrive in two to three weeks. In the meantime, he helped around in the warehouse with menial work.
Neither Aengus nor his cousin Ruwell talked anything about their group's business. In fact, Aengus didn't appear in the warehouse after the Arkship left. Lukas only felt relief that he wouldn't be asked to do anything shady, though after about a week or two of it, he began to grow antsy.
His Animus core had assimilated the Zoi Elixir completely and he knew he could take another one should he get the chance to. His capacity increased by one lumen which translated to an extra copper penny from the cartridge shop. He felt the coins burning a hole in his pocket and for once in his working life, he felt that he was actually getting somewhere.
Kiruna didn't manage to sell more lanyards at the inflated price though she did manage a few sales. Enough that they were constantly eating fresh bread instead of stale and they could afford a wedge of cheese for each meal. Once, he managed to buy a ration bar to share. He had never been so full in his life.
On one of the off days, when Lukas spent most of the day cleaning the warehouse or acting as the Emporium's errand boy, Mazer called him to his office.
"Good afternoon, sir," Lukas greeted after knocking on the door.
"Come in and close that behind you." Mr. Mazer looked a bit haggard, with bags under his grey eyes. His blonde hair was still impeccably styled though, swept back and oiled to a glistening shine. He had a pipe in hand, smoke curling up in fitful circles. Whatever he was smoking, it left a pleasant tang in the air.
"How may I help you, sir?"
Mazer waved his question away. "Nevermind that, how have you found the weeks working for me so far?"
"It's satisfying work, sir. Especially during the cargo audit. I rarely get to use my Facet the way it's supposed to be used."
"Good, good. You should've worked for me earlier boy, I certainly could have used you in the past."
Lukas just shrugged. He couldn't very well tell the man that he had been afraid to work for him before due to the rumours he'd heard. If not for the shortage of wheat and the increase in bread and other costs, he still wouldn't have.
"Well, it is what it is. I've got an errand for you to run."
"Of course, sir."
"It's a packet, actually." Mazer pulled out a small box wrapped in brown paper and tied up in twine. "You're to deliver this to The Wild Oak Dormitory in the Imperial Academy. To one Braden Foster. Or Orrin Foster, his twin brother. Either would do." He handed over a folded piece of paper.
"But, I don't think I can even enter the Upper Ring."
"Sure you can, here." Mazer tossed a badge at him. It was the width of his palm,probably made of bronze, and there was a complicated looking pattern on its face. "Ask Jeffrey for a clean coat, tell him the one I have my errand boys wear, and just head over there. Oh, and here." He tossed a couple of copper marks over. "Your fare for the Circuit Tram."
"Uhm, I'll head over there now, but why me, sir?"
"Who else? I hired you, didn't I? Besides, you're the least suspicious looking of the bunch here, Aengus is busy elsewhere and well, he's got sticky fingers and will likely cause trouble if he goes up there. Jeffrey's too old and lazy and I'm sure as Chaos ain't walking up there myself." Mazer snorted.
"Yes, sir. Thank you, I'll get right to it."
"Good boy."
Lukas bowed, spun on his heels and left. The packet clinked while he held it and curious, he checked it's weight after he left the room. It was 234.5 GiJin in weight. A bit heavy for its size. Shaking his head, he walked up to the antechamber and asked for the messenger's coat from the door guard.
Jeffrey simply pointed at a closet. Lukas opened it and found a single dark green overcoat. He put it on, finding it a little loose, but otherwise serviceable. He rolled up the sleeves and didn't button it up. It was too warm otherwise. He pinned the badge over his right chest, slipped the package into an inner pocket and headed off to the waiting shed.
He paid the driver as soon as he got on, deciding that he would walk on the way back to save the other copper mark. That was a loaf of bread after all, or nowadays, most of one.
This was the first time he would ride the Circuit Tram all the way to the Upper Ring and he felt his stomach doing flip flops. He fidgeted on his seat, though he tried to still himself when another passenger sat beside him. Most of them alighted once they arrived at the Northern Mid Ring, while a few more got in as the Tram headed up to the top.
The sight of the walls made him shake, with both fear and excitement. When they arrived at the tunnel, they were told to disembark and go through the checkpoint. He prepared himself to speak, wondering if the guards would actually let him through, but when he got to the head of the line, the bored man just took a glance at his badge and waved him through.
Heaving a sigh of relief, he climbed back on the Tram and off they went. Soon enough, he got off at the eastern part of the city, at the waiting shed with the Imperial Academy label at the post.
In the late afternoon, there was a crowd of impeccably dressed boys and girls, with beautiful red, brown, or black coats, with a small spattering of blue. Lukas hunched over when a few of them looked his way, but most of them just glanced past him. Knuckling his forehead, he slowly made his way into the campus. At the gate, he was stopped by a brown coated guard.
He couldn't help but stare at the man's waist, where a side-blade, a cudgel, and a short metallic contraption that Lukas didn't recognize, hung. "What's your business here?"
"Oh, I have a package for, er," Lukas pulled out the paper and unfolded it, "Braden and Orrin Foster in the Wild Oak Dormitory."
"Show the package please."
Lukas fished it out of his coat.
The man held out a hand, which started glowing green with his Animus. It covered the package for a few moments before it receded.
"Nothing threatening or dangerous. Very well, proceed."
"Thank you, sir. Er, if I may ask, which way to the Wild Oak?"
"Follow the main road, take a left when you get to the Central Reserve and follow it around. You'll see a sign on one of the roads that'll lead you to it."
"Thank you!"
It was a long walk. Lukas tried to keep himself from goggling at the sight of so many magnificent buildings, unlike the structures in the Lower Ring, or the blocky and plain warehouses. He saw many flowers on the hedges, with pretty butterflies fluttering about. He heard birds chirping from the trees, and most of all, the air smelled fresh and invigorating.
There were quite a bit of students walking the road with him. There were even some boys and girls walking together, holding hands. Lukas knew that one of the primary functions of the academies, aside from a place of learning of course, was to build connections. From the looks of it, quite a few were already planning for their future, or simply enjoying their youth.
Lukas should have been jealous, if not of the opportunities these people had, or the sheer wealth represented by being able to pay for the Academies' tuition fees, but he was not. They were so far above him that he knew he could never even reach their boot soles.
No, he couldn't think that! He thought furiously. He had some hope now, of progressing. He may not reach the quality of these golden children, but he will not be stuck as mud on the ground. He hurried his pace and soon enough he arrived at the fork on the road that had a sign that said to the Wild Oak.
He followed it for half a longstride more and came up the gorgeous mansion. He entered the lounge and walked up to the reception counter.
"I've a package for Braden or Orrin Foster," he said to the man behind the desk.
"Alright, have a seat while I send them a message."
"Thank you."
Lukas walked to the nearest armchair and sat down, sinking into the soft cushion. He glanced around the lounge, finding a bulletin board at one end, several tables with a crowd of boys around a board game. There were few girls here, often ones paired off with a boy each. Not unusual, Lukas decided, since this was the male dormitory after all.
A few minutes later he heard the receptionist say out loud, "He's over there."
Lukas glanced back and gave a start when he realized that he recognised the two boys by the counter. It was the blonde twins he ran across in Mazer's office, the ones who were accompanied by that impossibly alluring young woman.
"Good afternoon." Lukas stood up and bowed. "I've a package for Mr. Braden or Mr. Orrin Foster."
"That's us," one of them said pleasantly. "Let's have it then."
"Here you go. Please sign this paper." Lukas presented the package.
"Thank you." The twin with the paler complexion took the paper while the other received the packet. He signed the paper, Orrin F. and handed it back.
"You're welcome, and thank you." Lukas said when the other one slipped a copper mark on his palm.
"Sure." The two of them left. Lukas pocketed the coin with satisfaction and left the building. He decided that he should take the Tram back, since a walk would probably take him half the night. Thankfully the twins were quite generous so he came out ahead anyway.
When he arrived back at 28 Quartz an hour past dusk, he found Aengus waiting for him at the antechamber with a solemn look.
"Come with me," he said as soon as Lukas entered the room, barely giving him time to change out of the messenger coat. He gave the other boy a questioning look but Aengus just insisted.
He felt nervous sweat soaking his back. What did he have to do now? He wasn't sure if he was excited or afraid, and from the way his heart pounded, his body wasn't sure either.