(Trisha)
Trisha smiled nervously at the crowd of bronze ranked church initiates. A lump rose in her throat and her heart raced.
Can I help you Apprentice Trisha, asked the teacher, the man's gold medallion glinting in the light of an orange rune lantern.
"Um, I just came to attend you class if that's okay?" asked Trisha.
" Very well, please take a seat."said the Teacher.
The Teacher eyed her cautiously and then nodded his head towards an empty seat in the front row of the classroom. Trisha, feeling a flush rising to her cheeks, took a seat in the front row amidst several dozen curious stares.
Trisha couldn't help but notice the eyes boring into her back. The lecture comprised the basics of politics and economics.
"What I have for you today is called the life boat fallacy. Consider this, you are traveling in the desert and you get lost in a terrible sandstorm. When the storm fades, all you have is three gold and a flask of water. After several days of walking, you are out of water but still have three gold coins.
Your lips are cracking, and your stomach is growling. After days, you are most likely thinking you would pay anything for a mug of water and a loaf of bread. You are thinking you would pay all of your gold coins for one drink of water.
And then you see a dust cloud on the horizon. It's a caravan. The caravan trudges up to you after seeing a lone figure in the middle of the sand. You rush over to the food wagon and see there is a merchant. Timmies famous pies are painted on the wagon in bright red pain. When you ask to buy meat pie and a flask of water, the caravan merchant says, two coppers for a pie and one gold for a skin of water, or three skins for two gold and eighty silver." said the teacher.
The students grumbled at that, clearly not liking this Timmie.
"Of course you grumble at that. But hours before, you were willing to spend all of your gold on a single mug of water and a loaf of bread. Outraged, you would yell at Timmie! Why is it so expensive for the water? Timmy, of course, shrugs his shoulders. He tells you if you don't like the price, don't buy the water. This, of course, makes you angry. You grumble and curse Timmie, but the man only gives you an uninterested glance.
In the end, you buy a sack of meat pies and three skins of water. As humans, when desperate like this person who is lost in the desert, we are willing to do anything to get food and water. But when we are offered said food and water, we become outraged at the fact that someone would scam us like that." said the Teacher rocking back on his heels.
Trishas mind whirled. She hadn't considered that before. Her mind spiraled along with the story. She had been angry at the price. Who wouldn't she?
" That will be it for today. Think about what I have said. Ask yourself why you got angry when Timmy charged one gold for a waterskin." said the teacher, smiling as he walked to the side of the room.
The classroom erupted into murmuring. Trisha glanced at the class. Almost immediately, she found Greg. The mans obsession with wearing a cloak was his biggest giveaway. Greg was leaning back in his chair and when he noticed her gaze, Greg gave her a cheeky grin. Trisha shook her head as the man balanced on two of the chair's legs.
" Soo, you are the bishop's apprentice?" asked a light voice. Trisha focused on the voice and many of the others nearby stopped what they were doing, clearly listening in.
" Yes." replied Trisha, smiling at the woman.
" Then why are you coming to these lectures? With that silver amulet you have a free ride." said the woman, seeming to only just contain a scowl.
"Because I wanted to." said Trisha, anger rising in her chest.
" Why now? You haven't bothered before. We have been working our asses off for weeks to first get our copper amulet and now we are working for our silver." said the woman, scowling at Trisha from over a pile of thick books.
" I have been too busy training and on missions for the bishop to come to classes until today." said Trisha calmly pushing down her anger. Several others around her nodded at the woman's words, clearly feeling the same sentiments.
" Oh, hey boss!" said Greg, strutting down the aisle. Greg leaned casually next to Trisha's seat and smiled at her.
" Hey Greg, where is Eliya?" asked Trisha, ignoring the angry woman next to her.
" She is in the back talking to some random girl." said Greg, gesturing with a thumb past the red-faced woman sitting next to Trisha. Trisha followed Greg's finger and, sure enough, there was Eliya, standing at the back of the room, talking to a tall young woman with spectacles.
Trisha, not wanting to continue her conversation with the clearly angry woman beside her, focused back on Greg's face, the man's dark brown stubble and square jaw finally in stark relief.
" Who is that? Eliya looks like she is having fun talking to her?" asked Trisha.
" I know right, I hate that woman too. She is so lanky, and probably can't even swing a sword." Mumbled Greg.
" Are you jealous?" Asked Trisha, a smile splitting her lips. Greg pulled his cloak around himself and glanced away.
" Not at all. She isn't rich enough for my taste."said Greg, his usual spunk, entering his voice. Trisha laughed and patted him on the back.
" Who isn't? Eliya or this other girl that Eliya is talking to? Besides, spectacles are expensive and Eliya's friend has an embroidered leather holster for them on her chest." said Trisha, sauntering down the aisle. Greg grumbled as he followed, his heavy boots gliding soundlessly across the wooden floor.
The young woman with spectacles gestured wildly as she explained something to Eliya. Trisha slowed as she approached, listening to the woman's words.
" I'm telling you, the balance of mana and the shape of the runes needed to form a stable power source for a self-propelled cart is possible."
" But how would you steer the cart? Whoever was driving the cart would need to fight the weight of the cart to turn it." Asked Eliya. Trisha grinned as Eliya gestured to the sides with her hands, miming turning a carriage.
" Yes, but what if we attach the stable power source to carts on tracks? Then we could simply turn on the power and the cart would move along the track, no steering necessary." Said the tall lanky young woman, adjusting her glasses.
" That's brilliant. Then we could set tracks from one city to another and have a crazy fast transportation system. But what about stopping?" Said Eliya, her eyes widening as her usual calm, collected expression fell away.
" This is great. And we have friction based lever to slow and stop the carts. Would you like to see my schematics? I have so many other ideas to bounce off you. I'm developing a researched plan to develop and lay out this plan before presenting it to the bishop." Said the young woman, brushing aside her long blond hair.
" Well, I think I can help you with that." Said Trisha, deciding now was as good of a time as any to butt in. The young woman practically jumped, letting out a yelp of surprise.
"Oh, don't do that! You scared me!" said the young woman. Trisha smiled at her, and the young woman's eyes widened.
" I'm Trisha. Nice to meet you!" Said Trisha, offering her arm for the other woman to shake. The young woman's cheeks flushed a deep crimson and her jaw opened and closed as she stare at Trisha. Trisha laughed internally as Eliya cleared her throat.
" This is my new friend, lady Anita. She is studying to be a rune engineer." Said Eliya, shifting nervously. Trisha cocked her head from Anita to Eliya. Eliya had a faint red flush creeping up her neck and was looking anywhere but at Anita. What was her long-time friend nervous about?
" I'm so sorry for my rudeness, it's nice to meet you, lady Trisha." Stammers Anita, nervously tucking a strand of her blond hair behind her left ear. Anita fidgeted with her silver etched glasses and smiled. The young woman's full lips parted into a toothy smile that light up the room.
" Don't worry about it, lady Anita, and please just call me Trisha." said Trisha.
" Of course, Trisha, and please call me Anita as well." Said Anita, straightening her embroidered robes. The woman's robes clung to Anita's frame, revealing the young woman's wiry athletic form.
" I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but overhear your brilliant idea." Said Trisha.
" It's not just my idea. In the two days I have known Eliya, she has really helped me refine my plans. With proper planning and a detailed sketch, I should be able to present my idea to the Bishop in another couple days." Said Anita.
" Don't sell yourself short, Anita. You did all the work. I was just there for you to bounce your ideas off." Said Eliya. Anita scratched the back of her head, sending her blond hair tumbling around her face. The hair hid only somewhat hid Anita's flushing cheeks. The young woman really was cute when she was flustered, Trisha thought. Trisha wished she could pull that kind of cuteness off.
" Anyway, Trisha, what are you doing here? The Bishop usually has you doing something." Said Eliya. Trisha winced, remembering why she had initially come here.
" I need to practice a game. It's called elementals recluse. The bishop is going to give me a punishment if I lose again in three days." Said Trisha, anxiety welling in her chest. Anita's eyebrows rose, and she bounced excitedly.
" Oh, I love that game! My dad is always challenging me." Said Anita excitedly.
" I don't suppose you would be willing to play with me?" Asked Trisha.
" That would be a lot of fun, if you would like you can accompany me to my father's estate? He will be so excited to meet the Bishop's apprentice." Said Anita, bouncing on her toes.
Trisha noticed Eliya standing off to the side, her shoulders slumped ever so slightly. Trisha stare into her friend's deep brown eyes.
"Eliya, would you like to come with us? When I lose, Anita might need a challenger." Said Trisha, grinning mischievously.
Anita turned from Trisha to Eliya, hesitating.
"It's fine if you don't want me to come, I can make other plans." Said Eliya, looking away, her shoulders slumping slightly.
" Oh no! I want you to come. I just am not sure if I can invite all three of you over without my dad's permission." Said Anita, gesturing to Greg, who was eying them from a distance.
"No offence, but your friend in the cloak seems creepy always monitoring you Eliya." Said Anita.
Trisha laughed. " Well, he does that for a reason. Greg is a hired bodyguard." Said Trisha.
" That makes so much more sense. I just thought he was those people that are overprotective of friends. Or some pervert." Said Anita, adjusting her spectacles on her upturned nose.
Over the several minutes they had been talking, the room had mostly emptied, leaving only Trisha, Eliya and Greg, along with the gold ranking church teacher.
"Don't mind Greg, it's the cloak he wears all the time that makes him look creepy and even a bit like one of those perverted men." Said Trisha.
" I am standing right here." Said Greg, leaning on a desk, his back to the inner wall so he could watch the entire room.
" Don't get too close to him, I don't think he has taken off that cloak in a month." Said Eliya in a to loud voice.
Trisha burst out laughing. Greg scrunched up his face, scowling at Eliya and Trisha in turn.
" So Anita, shall we go? If we stand here too long, the stench might drift to us." Said Trisha, winking at Greg playfully.
Eliya cracked a grin as she followed Anita towards the front door of the barracks. Trisha chuckled as Eliya passed Greg even going so far as to plug her nose in feigned disgust. Anita giggled at Eliya's childish teasing, her laugh soft and melodic.
Greg shook his head." I don't get paid enough for this kind of treatment." Mumble Greg as he followed them.
Once they left through the front gate to the cathedral. Anita led the way along a wide boulevard for half of an hour, not stopping until they reached a mansion with another smaller shop next to it. Simple paint and a wide street leading up to the building, speaking of its practicality.
" There is our shop, and this is the house. We are doing tests and research on rune powered carts and even the rune powered rail cars, but we still need more time and even some support by several political powers to get our plan moving." Said Anita, gesturing proudly to the two large doors on the shop. House was the understatement of the century, in Trishas opinion. Anita's home was a four-story mansion sprawling across the estate, with at least five rooms per floor.
" Do you have any working examples yet? I would love to see them." Asked Eliya cautiously.
Anita pushed open the metal gates and strode up the cobbled path, her shoulders relaxing as she led the way. She didn't head to the mansion, but the workshop instead. Clang! Clang! Clang! A muffled ringing came from the warehouse, only noticeable once they were within several feet of the thick walls.
" Give me a minute, I'll go and get dad." Said Anita as she pushed opened the large doors a crack and slipped inside.
Trisha winked playfully at Eliya. Her friend flushed and looked away, pretending like her eyes hadn't been intently watching Anita's retreating form.
" So Eliya, what do you think of Anita's idea for a rune powered rail cart?" Asked Trisha.
" I think it's a good idea, but I can't fathom how she is going to pull it off, stopping for something that weighs more than several carriages put together? I can't wait to see her plans, I bet the runes are incredible complex." Said Eliya, piping up excitedly.
The clanging from inside of the warehouse subsided and Anita returned her hair now in a pony tail showing off her sharp cheekbones. A man in his early forties followed behind Anita, wiping his head with a wet towel and padding metal shavings from his full body brown uniform. The uniform was made of thick, tightly woven cotton, overlay with a leather apron. Even with several layers of clothing, the outfit couldn't hide the man's thick shoulders and thin waist. His sharp jaw and blond close-cropped blond hair made it clear they were closely related.
" Good evening, it's nice to meet you." said the man smiling. The man's dark stubble and sharp jaw, along with his physique, made him seem like he was ten years younger than his forty years.
"This is my father, Lord Byron Wesser." said Anita, gesturing to the athletic older man.
" Wesser? I swear I have heard that name somewhere." said Trisha. She could swear she heard of him somewhere, but nothing popped up immediately.
" You must be thinking of great grandpa. He designed and built the city plumbing and the cobbled roads we enjoy in the kingdom. For this feat, he was able to become minor nobility for coming up with a reliable and quick way to pave the kingdom on nice cobbled roads for faster, more efficient transportation of goods." said Anita proudly..
" I did not know you could do that? Moving from a commoner to a noble." said Trisha.
" You did that, Trisha." pointed out Eliya.
" My title as the bishop's apprentice is different. It is more for appearance to command respect. From what I understand, I am considered a lady simply because no one would accept someone who was a commoner in my position. The position of the bishop or the bishop's apprentice requires a title because without it the nobility won't respect the position." said Trisha, scratching her chin in thought.
" That was an apt assessment. The Bishop is a symbol, she is the symbol of research, the army, the investigative unites and peacekeeping in the kingdom. Next to the queen, the Bishop holds one of the highest positions in the kingdom. For a commoner to be placed in that position, they would need to be raised to nobility. However, that won't fix the problem entirely. Many houses will be upset and unhappy that their sons and daughter were overlooked for the position. They will test you and see if you are up for the task. If you cannot gain their respect and loyalty, the nobility will attack like a pack of Darvan warriors on the hunt." said Byron Wesser, eying Trisha up and down. His gaze assessing as if searching for weakness.
Trisha nodded her head to the man, keeping her expression calm and assured, just like the bishop taught.
" And what are your thoughts on a commoner becoming the Bishop's apprentice, Lord Byron?" asked Trisha, placing her hands behind her back at rest. Byron's deep brown eyes bore into her and then he burst out laughing.
" I think it's hilarious. The fact that another commoner is rising to the status of nobility on their own warms my heart. You forget that my family were once commoners." said Byron, grinning.
" Well, that is good to hear. Anita was telling me about your plan to present a new mode of transportation to the Bishop?" asked Trisha. Byron glanced at his daughter nervously and then back at Trisha.
" That is my daughter's idea. I have been just helping her with many of the issues she is unaware of. She is truly a genius when it comes to engineering. She takes after her late great grandpa far more than I do." said Byron, smiling fondly at Anita.
Byron turned to Greg and Eliya.
" And who are these two?" asked Byron.
" This is Eliya and our body guard Greg." said Anita.
" Eliya, you say? Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. Anita couldn't stop talking about you yesterday. Please come to the mansion, it's getting dark out." said Byron Wesser, tilting his head up to the darkening sky.
Trisha smirked to herself as Anita blushed a dark red. Her father lead the way across the gravel and cobblestone to manicured lawn of the mansion.
" Where are all the workers, dad?" asked Anita.
" I sent them home. We had a lot of progress today and I wanted to give them a break." said Byron.
"And yet you were still working when I came home. I swear you are trying to work yourself to death." said Anita in a motherly tone.
" You are worse than your mother, always saying I need to take time off."grumbled Byron.
" I wonder what she will say when she gets back home?" said Anita as they crossed to a sitting room.
The scent of roasting chicken and baking bread drifted from a side room.
"Well now, there is no need to tell her that." chuckled byron, adjusting his collar nervously.
Byron pressed open the front door and entered the mansion. He led them to a sitting room with a table for refreshments in between.
Once they were each seated in a comfortable chair, Byron excused himself. He went up the stairs and returned several minutes later. Byron returned dressed in a plain but high quality black silk shirt and a pair of blue silk pants tied at the waist with an oiled brown belt.
Trisha only faintly noticed his arrival, as she was facing off against Anita in a game of elemental recluse. The cards were all masterful paintings, but even with their quality, they lacked the hint of mana and the brilliant detail that the Bishops' cards had. Trisha examined the detailed painting of a queen. The card was of a woman dressed for battle, staring at an enemy army in the distance. A sword rested on her shoulder, the gold crossguard fitting perfectly with her silver embroidered gambeson and silver and gold crown. For this round, she had drawn a queen as her key piece, not an elemental. There was a distinct advantage to this. The advantage was that the queen gave all of her cards a modifier to damage and to mental defence. Instead of being a power in its own right, the queen was simply meant to stay out of the fight and support from the rear.
" Strong opener, Anita." said Byron, settling down in one chair.
Trisha paused at that, analyzing Anita's five cards already placed on the board. Trisha placed her sixth card, and so did Anita. Once five cards were placed, both players could move the cards already placed for a turn or place a new card. The downside of placing a new card was that you needed to wait until your next turn to attack with that card. Trisha's latest card was a squad of spearman. Anita moved one of her mages forwards two spaces. Anita removed Trishas squad of spearman from the board, placing her mage in the square the spearman had been. Trisha moved her high priest from the back line to force the mage away. The gap she left in her five card defence was immediately punished. Anita moved her skirmishers in a straight line through the gap in a straight line.
The skirmishers were relatively weak, but they cut off the priests' line of escape. Trishas heart raced she scowled. There was there was nothing she could do. She ended up losing her High priest because she had let some simple skirmishers cut her off. Anita removed Trishas priest and placed her own card there.
" And that is checkmate," said Anita. Trisha sat back in her chair with a scowl. A well dressed older man in a black vest with a white undershirt strode gracefully from the side room with a silver tray covered in various finger foods. The butler placed the platter on the counter and bowed.
" Will there be anything else, my lord? Perhaps some tea for the guests?"
" Rasberry tea please." asked Anita.
" That sounds delicious. Ill take some as well."said Eliya clasping her hands in front of her as though she were a lady.
" Anything else?"asked the butler.
" Rasberry tea sounds excellent."said Trisha.
" Thank you Perry. Please bring us some raspberry tea, that would be pleasant with these fine snacks." said Byron.
Trisha studied the board. She had made two large blunders. Only two moves in and she had given up the game. She needed to make sure to keep her queen or elemental safe. Throwing away her high priest like that for a weak piece made it nearly impossible to win.
"If you want to get better, you need to make sure to only trade weak cards with weak and strong with strong. Trading a high priest for skirmishers is a terrible waste. Perhaps if you watch me play against another skilled player, you might improve?" said Anita. She flushed a bright red after Trisha simply stared at her for a few seconds.
" Let me, I need a rematch after yesterday."said Byron. Trisha rose and moved. She ate cuts of meat and cheese while she watched them play, savouring the rich tangy flavour. The game dragged on both players needing to place ten cards and do about thirty moves to finish the game. After watching the game, she had a better grasp of what to do. It was like a duel, each move countering the enemy's move until a fetal blow could be dealt.
Trisha played again. She played against Lord Byron, which lasted a solid five minutes before she made a big mistake and lost her queen.
" I must say, I should invite you over more often. Winning a game for a change is definitely nice." said Lord Byron, chuckling. Trisha did her best to act unfazed, but she could feel her face turning red.
" Well, when I get more practice I will need to return and give you a better challenge."said Trisha.
"Anita dear, would you and the other's mind giving me and Lady Trisha a few minutes alone?" asked Lord Byron.
Anita nodded her head and left the room with Greg and Eliya. Eliya waved at Trisha as she left, giving Trisha a faint reassuring smile.
" You brought up important business earlier. I am going to be presenting Anita's idea for the rune carts in a few days, hoping to get a sponsor. If I can bypass all the lesser nobility and bribes to get straight to the Bishop with my idea, then that would save me a lot of time and effort." said Lord Byron.
" Won't the church handle the contract to make the rune carts, anyway? That sounds like a massive project." asked Trisha.
" Yes, but generally the contract would get divided up several times before it reaches the Bishop or the queen. Sometimes large-scale contracts will be split a dozen times with noble houses because each wants a share in the contract." Said Lord Byron.
"Why can't you just approach the Bishop with the contract?" asked Trisha.
" Generally, I need sponsors. Without the weight of several noble houses is hard to be heard by her majesty or the bishop. But this project will change the kingdom for the better. We could use it for travel, to deliver goods and to transfer soldiers to key cities at a rapid pace."said Lord Byron gesturing animatedly.
Trisha took a dainty bite of a pickle wrapped in ham and chewed as she pondered Lord Byron's request. She had never expected this, but the man's enthusiasm had her excited about it as well. Trisha couldn't quite imaging everything that he was planning, but the idea sounded good. This might be what the bishop wanted her to do? Making allies with a minor noble like Byron Wesser could be advantageous in the future.
" If you can get me a detailed plan of your project, I will present it to her ladyship the Bishop. If this project is as impactful to the kingdom as you say, the profits may be worth her time." said Trisha, trying not to make promises she couldn't keep. Trisha did not know what the Bishop might say to this plan, but it sounded workable.
" Thats good. Can I send you a message through my daughter?" asked lord Byron, sipping on a steaming cup of tea.
" Of course. When you are ready, I will come to your estate to get the papers." Said Trisha.
Lord Byron rose and held out his hand. Nobility commonly used this custom of shaking on deals in preference to the commoner style of bracing forearms. Trisha took Byron's outstretched hand, feeling thick calluses and a firm grip as Byron firmly shook her hand.