“Okay, everyone up. This isn’t a flophouse.”

  Thunderous Roar’s announcement was thankfully not at full volume, but still more than a dozen adventurers groaned in the morning light spilling through the guild’s open double doors.

  The [Guildmaster] was silhouetted against the rising sun and the individuals sprawled out across sofas and chairs blinked and rubbed the grit from their eyes as they pulled themselves up and shuffled towards the reception desk, forming the shoddiest line that had ever been seen as they leaned on each other and the counter, half-dozing half-groaning as Marie tripped out of her office to her position and, bleary-eyed, began to get through the remainder of the guild’s stock of hangover potions.

  It seemed to take hours, but it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes of adventurers fumbling in purses for the right coins and slowly stumbling away to down the miracle cure.

  Last in line was Dusty, and with a grateful nod she gave Marie the first sip of the last one before clutching it to her chest as though it were made of pure gold.

  Rudi entered, bags under his eyes and hair in a mess, but at least able to walk straight. Marie sighed in relief as he deposited a sack of fresh bread on the table.

  Dusty salivated over the rolls. “I could kiss you, Scruffy.”

  “You may be the greatest [Receptionist] that has ever lived, Rudi.” Marie’s voice croaked. “Let me know how much it cost and I will attempt to find the coin to repay you from the guild’s accounts.”

  The young man gave a strained smile as he used a Skill to pull a slab of butter from somewhere and set it down next to the pile.

  “It cost me nothing, Miss Marie. I believe Wilhelmina spoke to Mister Vance last night, and he handed me these as I was passing his bakery.”

  “I’ll kiss either one of you, just let me know who.” Dusty said, reaching out to grab a steaming roll and pulling out a dagger to carve a slice off the butter. Her eyes closed in appreciation as she bit into it. “Is there rosemary in this? Forget a kiss; I’ll leave Gordan and marry the man that made these.”

  With Rudi distributing breakfast to the handful of hungry guild members who could stomach it, Marie left Dusty to bend someone else’s ear and ducked back into her office to get ready for a day back at the library. There was no time to head to the baths but a quick wipe with a damp rag from the kitchens removed the more obvious traces of dirt, and after washing her hands she was almost presentable. It only took a moment more to tidy her hair and scoop a few notes into her bag to finish up, but as she was about to leave she spotted part of a skeleton sticking out from under a cloth.

  She normally kept Napoleon’s body hidden in case anyone came in and got startled, but she must have caught the edge of the sheet during the night. As she went to re-cover the protruding bones she jerked back in shock.

  Heart pounding, she bent back down and prodded the humerus. She flinched as the radius lying next to it moved with it.

  They weren’t attached.

  Not physically.

  With shaking hands, she lifted the radius and watched, speechless, as the humerus dangled beneath it, separate yet linked.

  Mon dieu, I did it!

  She stared at the paired bones in her hands.

  But how did I do it?

  She’d been drunk. Not blackout drunk, but pretty wasted. It had been all that free wine, and then Fila had used a Skill to sneak a bottle of something stronger from her father’s mansion.

  Trying to piece together fragments that were floating around in her memory, she vaguely recalled songs, wagers and raiding the kitchens with Greeleena some time after midnight.

  Was that why Wilhelmina had spoken to… [Improved Recall] Edric?

  No, the lovesick [Baker] had just turned up at some point. She distinctly remembered Wilhelmina dragging him outside.

  Then what had seemed like half the guild at the time, but had probably only been the Spellswords and Evermore’s and her and Fila…and Chiritta…had escorted Brunalda back to adventurers’ house.

  Had she tried to put Boney back together after that? She must have.

  What did I do though? What was different this time?

  No answers were forthcoming, but she didn't have time to spend contemplating, and with the hope that fragments of her memory would return as the day progressed, she hid the bones again and left her office for the library.

  —

  A much more alert Lady Kypria and Gil were already working when she arrived, along with half the library staff as they catalogued and re-measured and examined the coins and potions that had been deemed safe.

  Today though, Marie was ready to look at the final pieces - ones she suspected might be more valuable.

  It took almost no time at all for the investigation team to set up in their usual spot, and the only thing that slowed them down was having to wait for one of the Watch to show up. Odoona was off-duty and the man set to replace her had been delayed - called to the Entoll estate to investigate an issue with some missing liquor bottles.

  The moment he arrived with his colleague and set foot in the door of the side room, Intressa snapped the {Arcane Ward} into place and Marie opened the chest.

  Amulet, dagger or book? Save the best until last.

  Others might have made a different choice, but in her mind the least interesting one was the amulet, shining under the {Ghost-Light}. Pretty wasn’t the same as having substance.

  She touched the silver filigree with careful fingers, hesitant in her attempts not to damage the delicate work, but as she teased it out from under the book, she found the metal harder than iron.

  It was formed into a pattern, but if it was meant to represent anything or if there was a meaning to it she couldn't discern it.

  As she removed it there was a flicker of static charge, but beyond a split-second jolt to her fingers nothing happened.

  The light that caught the thin strands of metal was entrancing, though a shiver of fear ran through her as she evaluated her thoughts and checked to see if the spark had engendered any sensations similar to those the ring had caused.

  A heartbeat later she breathed more easily. It was just the beauty of it, she was sure, not any magical influence… as far as she could tell.

  Still, as she stopped before the barrier, Lady Ununcia at her side, five eager faces on the other, she kept the amulet a little further away than usual.

  Just in case…

  With the half dozen times she’d been through the process, standing there and waiting whilst people vastly more qualified did the bulk of the work, Marie tuned out the deluge of information and picked out only the relevant parts from the [Chief Librarian]’s summary.

  Magical for sure. Unknown material. No hint of threat from it or its use. It all flowed past. Like most of the other items, they couldn’t determine its exact effect, but Intressa was certain it was some sort of item for a spellcaster, and that assertion was only reinforced after an hour or more of examination when Gil applied one of his Skills.

  “[Recognise Customer]. Yes, definitely could apply to you, Miss Intressa. No doubt about it, though I sense it would be a partial fit at best.”

  “I agree. If I was a higher level I might have gotten more from {Greater Appraisal} but as it is it’s above my abilities, or at least, not attuned to my specialties.”

  The information was filed away with the rest as Gil posited a few specialist [Appraisers] and [Merchants] he could reach out to.

  Hands trembling more from excitement now as she replaced the amulet, she withdrew the dagger.

  This one felt almost unsteady in her hands, though more for what a dagger normally represented.

  Both members of the Watch came close to witness this identification process, but the others, Lady Ununcia included, took half a step back.

  Almost entirely black, the weapon was curved, like a scimitar in miniature. The pommel stood out from the rest by being a pale yellow-white…and carved in the shape of a skull. It was cool to the touch, as if she had just taken it from a fridge, but the material of the hilt wasn’t slippery in the least. In fact, it felt as though it would stay firmly in her grip even if she held it loose.

  “I’m not getting a sense of danger from the weapon itself. No more than another blade would trigger.”

  “No sign of hostile magics about it.”

  “No sign of any curse.”

  The men and women crowding tentatively round made the pronouncements, but their eyes and voices betrayed their lack of confidence.

  The Watch representative cleared his throat.

  “There is no indication of any illicit elements that I can detect, though given the nature and estimated level of the amulet, my Skills may not be adequate to perceive them. I can find no reason to stop the investigation of this item here, and yet…”

  They all knew what he meant.

  It looked evil, if an inanimate object could be attributed as such.

  That feeling only intensified when she removed the sheath.

  “Blade material unknown. Appears to have an element of intangibility to it. Testing on wooden tabletop shows…go on Marie, I can replace it if needed…expected results. On parchment shows…expected results-”

  “They are not resisting the cut as much as I expected.” Marie interrupted. “They both parted easily - like butter.”

  “Interesting. Testing indicates there may be a powerful penetrating effect on the blade. Further trials on other materials needed. Marie, does it not catch on the hooks?”

  Turning the blade and bringing it to eye level, Marie inspected the jagged edge. The metal in the centre, if it even was metal, appeared to be dark and dense, but around the edge it took on a silvery hue. Almost flickering. But whenever she focused one part it always seemed to form a static, jagged hook. She brought up a candle that had been left on the table and ran the hardened wax across the blade.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “I feel no difference.”

  As Lady Kypria made excited notes, Linea squeaked out a suggestion.

  “What about stone?”

  Everyone followed her eyes to the floor and then looked at Lady Kypria for permission.

  The [Chief Librarian] shrugged and waited, [Autonote] at the ready.

  “For the investigation.”

  —

  Almost an hour later they'd run out of readily available materials to test the dagger on, and so far they'd not found a thing it couldn't cut, though denser materials like the stone did slow its progress.

  Embarrassingly, it had taken half that time to realise another property of the dagger, and once more it had been one of the Watch that had spotted the anomaly, proving again the importance of having them present.

  It didn't make a sound.

  The hilt and the pommel did, if they caught something, but the blade itself passed into and through things with not even a whisper.

  Benedict had finally suggested that perhaps the scabbard was lined with something that would resist the cutting, but no one had wanted to risk testing it and being wrong. And they couldn't get a good look inside it anyway.

  The [Scholar] angled the illumination he'd been holding away and rubbed a shoulder that ached from lifting the rock that Intressa had put a simple {Light} spell on into a dozen different positions.

  Intressa clicked her teeth.

  “As tearless as learning a tier-less spell.”

  “Quite.” Lady Kypria agreed. “Let us shelve this for now; are we reasonably sure the weapon is not inherently dangerous?”

  A round of nods came from each of the individuals analysing it and she continued as Marie laid it on the table.

  “Good, then I'll give it to the senior members to examine further. Now, are we all agreed on skipping lunch to see what I hope is the real jewel in the crown? Yes? Good, then let’s get to it.”

  Marie approached the black treasure chest and reached in for the last time, brushing aside the broken glass fragments that lay on the silken lining of the base to gently scoop up the dark tome that had lain in the centre.

  There was a heft to it. Not so much that she needed both hands to lift it, but she adjusted her glasses and angled it towards her {Ghost-Light} to get a better look at the cover.

  It was thick and leathery. Not so dark as the chest or its interior, but a dull maroon that tended towards black. From holding the other objects she’d retrieved from the chest, a growingly-familiar sense of magic energy radiated from its pages, but she wasn’t anywhere near enough experienced with the sensation to draw any further conclusions.

  The others, however, were, and once Intressa and Linea and the Watch had determined it was safe to do so, Marie opened the book and let them peruse the first page.

  “A necromantic tome.” Benedict proclaimed, a moment before Intressa confirmed it. “I can’t read much of i-”

  A chorus of indignant squawks came as Marie spun the book but she ignored them as she stared at the writing on the page.

  To her immediate frustration, the squiggles were meaningless, but as she looked closer they almost seemed to resolve into something familiar. It was just ou-

  “Miss Marie, might we continue?”

  These are my treasures, are they not?

  She suppressed a flash of irritation, alongside the gurgling of her stomach, and spun the book back round so they could inspect it once more. They were the ones with the Skills after all.

  —

  Over the next hour, Marie turned pages and shifted the book into a dozen positions to better let the others see the text or the mana flows or the sheen that came off the material when illuminated by her {Ghost-Light}.

  By the end of it they were positive it was a powerful necromantic tome, and though none of them could read it - at least not well enough to decipher the spells and techniques it contained - Benedict and Intressa were of the opinion that it held a few lower level spells and at least one that they suspected might be fourth level or higher.

  That is Mithril rank at least. Consistent with the quality of some of the other items. No wonder this trea- this archaeological find was worth so many levels.

  She looked up to find the others looking at her.

  “I am sorry, what was the question?”

  Gil’s chins wobbled as he scratched them.

  “I was asking if you'd like to keep this one. There's certainly a buyer out there that would pay good money for it, but [Necromancers] aren't common. You'd probably have to travel to the Halls of Innes Dúe to find one with the levels and resources to make a serious offer, and Lady Kypria says you were looking for necromantic texts already. Perhaps it makes sense to study it yourself?”

  Marie didn't fail to notice the looks on the faces of the four librarians gathered round. The hunger for knowledge that the book might hold - text hidden in an exclusion zone for more than ten thousand years and they could be the first to decipher it.

  “I would like a chance to study it, yes. I am sure some here might be interested in assisting with the translation.”

  Before she could say anything else, the [Chief Librarian] was clapping her hands and chivvying the others along.

  “Let's not dawdle. You heard Miss Dubois, we've a time to translate and no tome to waste. Wait, reverse that. You know what I mean. There’s a lot to be done here, and that’s not even considering the shelfload of tests we’ve got to carry out on the other items, and I don’t want to waste a minute. [Watch Captain] Bilkson, I thank you and your colleague for your assistance but now the contents have been checked I'll need this space for my staff. Don't worry, we'll keep everything warded and appraise you of any further findings or changes.” The two men were swept out of the room as a small army of librarians were ushered in.

  Did she have them waiting outside just for this moment?

  The library staff split into two groups, with Intressa taking charge of the smaller. She dispelled the {Arcane Ward} as a second table was dragged in and positioned opposite the first, which was still littered with coins and potions. The [Arcanavist] patted the new table where parchment and quills were being laid out.

  “If you put the book here Marie, I'll introduce you to the team. You don't know the arcane script but as the tome doesn't use the standard form we'll all be figuring it out together. I can teach you the regular version as we go of course - you'll definitely be picking up a [Mage]-type Class if you want to pursue this further so being able to read standard spell scrolls will be essential for your progress.”

  Marie's heart began to race at the thought of actual magic at her fingertips. Her Skills and her bound spell had been wondrous, but the idea of studying to learn more rather than throwing herself into danger was a heady thought.

  They'd barely got the book open though before Lady Kypria interrupted.

  “Marie dear, we've set out the pieces we're going to investigate deeper - would you like to store the rest back in the chest? You could take it back to your office if you like…”

  Marie could read the subtext - ‘we want the space’ - but as she glanced over she realised the chest lid had shut, and no one else could open it.

  Disguising the motions from the room full of people, just in case, she returned one of the healing potions, all but three of the coins, and the dagger, and, suppressing a sigh at the push of bodies crowding round her find, hauled the chest back to the guild.

  When she came into the main hall she found a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth as she spotted Dusty lounging across a sofa, chatting to a couple of Bronze-rankers and pestering Rudi for snacks.

  “Do you not need to be checking on your children? Did one of them not need stitches?”

  The tabaxi waved a languorous hand.

  “They'll be fine. They need to toughen up. Besides, Gordan needs to earn his keep.”

  Marie shook her head as she wandered over to her office and nudged the door open with her hip.

  “Let me get that Specs, you can tell me all about the gold-worthy loot you’ve found inside that thing.”

  The incorrigible tabaxi darted over and held the door open before following her in, only to promptly lounge on the one chair as Marie eyed the corner she'd kept the chest in before and found it occupied by Napoleon's bones.

  Well, there is no reason not to tidy up.

  She put the chest on the table and opened it, flickering her {Ghost-Light} into existence and gesturing for Dusty to take a peek as she bent down to wrap the canine skeleton in the cloth that had been covering it.

  “No touching.”

  A disgruntled bah came from behind her but the tabaxi left the contents alone.

  She was peering into its darkened depths when Marie deposited the makeshift sack of bones next to her, and she jumped as they clattered onto the tabletop.

  “Honestly Specs, a bit of warning would be nice.”

  Marie smiled.

  “Sorry. Here, I will show you what we have found so far, but you can only touch the ones I say. We do not know what all of them do yet.”

  “They can't be that bad if they let you keep them.”

  “Well, one of them was taken by the Watch and is going to be destroyed.”

  “...so that means the ones left are safe?”

  “As far as we can tell, but, well, it will be easier to explain if I show you.”

  ---

  It only took fifteen minutes to empty the chest of the treasures and explain what the investigations had discovered of their properties, at least on a basic level. Marie could remember a lot with [Improved Recall] but she was fairly certain Dusty didn't care about the gross weight of the silver coins or the thermal properties of the potion vials’ glass.

  Plus, she wanted to get back to the library to study the book.

  The tabaxi oohd and aahd at all the right places but grew bored when she saw little of obvious use, besides the dagger, which she was thankfully wary of.

  “I don't like those edges.”

  “You and I both. That is why I am keeping it locked in the chest. Now, hold out your hands, I need to remove some broken glass before I put this all back in.”

  Dusty obliged, hands cupped at the ready as Marie reached in with careful fingers, and by the pale {Ghost-Light}, began to remove the larger pieces.

  “Merde-”

  The jagged sliver caught on the lining and brought a piece up with it. She gave the glass to her friend and inspected the silken lining.

  “- I may need to borrow your sewing kit, Dusty.”

  As she searched the fabric though, she couldn't find a tear.

  “Come on Specs, I haven't got all day.”

  “I thought…”

  Her voice dried out as she pulled and the whole lining came out in one go, the few shards of glass tinkling down onto the floor.

  She turned the soft and cool material in her hands as her brain processed what it was.

  Dusty got there first.

  “Why didn't you mention there was a cloak, Specs?”

  “...because I did not realise there was one.”

  “Well, what does it do?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Try it on!”

  Maire’s eyes widened.

  “I cannot. It might be dangerous. It has not been tested like the others.”

  “Oh come on. You’re an adventurer; where’s your sense of adventure? It doesn’t look dangerous. It looks suave.”

  Trying to extend her [Dangersense] to get a feel for the item, there was no alarm in Marie’s mind, but as she considered it she remembered the ring.

  “I do not know if I can judge it well enough. Some of the other pieces were of a high level. The ring they took away had illusion and enchantment magic on it - enough to fool the Watch and Lady Kypria. Only Gil sensed it, and even then it was a close thing.”

  Dusty snorted.

  “Bunch of kittens. What’s the worst that could happen if you tried it on. You’re not a bad person; if it looks like it’s doing anything illegal just take it off.”

  The tabaxi had a point, Marie had to admit. She hadn’t been in any immediate danger from the ring, it had just begun to influence the people around her. It hadn’t been influencing her. Had it?

  It is not like the one in that fantasy tale at least. I did not call it my precious.

  And the cloak wasn’t giving off anything like the same vibes as the ring.

  Besides, she’d shared everything else with the librarians first. The idea of testing something all by herself was… exhilarating.

  “Go on.” Dusty urged. “I want to see what a high level magic item can do. We never get any in Wayfarrow.”

  “Okay.” Marie relented, staring the [Resonance Striker] down. “You need to watch carefully for any changes though. Anything weird happens - tear it off me.”

  Her friend agreed and took up a wrestling stance as Marie positioned herself in the centre of the room, the long, almost gossamer fabric held in both hands.

  With a nod, she steeled herself and whirled it around her shoulders. The faintest sensation of weight settled there for a moment, then…

  “Well, I’m not sure I’ll be able to tear it off you, Specs.”

  Marie craned her neck to see…nothing.

  “What happened to it? I felt it go on.”

  The tabaxi stalked round her.

  “It just disappeared. Try spinning.”

  Marie whirled in place, but nothing happened.

  “Where has it gone?” Her eyes scanned the room, heartbeat rising as worry began to set in. “I cannot get in trouble with the Watch again so soon.”

  “Relax Specs, nothing bad has happened yet. Just try to figure out where it’s gone, or what it did.”

  “It was right here…”

  Marie put her hand on her shoulder, and felt a bunching of fabric. She pulled, and suddenly the cloak was in her hands once again.

  “Woah, what did you do Specs?”

  “I just….”

  Marie threw the cloak on again and it disappeared the instant it settled on her shoulders.

  “Hey, maybe it’s an invisibility cloak!” Dusty breathed, eyes shining with excitement. “I’ve heard stories about them.”

  She reached out with a claw and swiped the air around Marie’s shoulders and back. It passed through with no resistance, and the tabaxi frowned.

  “It’s not there. And actually I guess it can’t be an invisibility cloak; you’re still visible. Just as well I guess. Those are definitely illegal.”

  Marie felt below her arms, round the back, where she imagined it would fall if it was invisible.

  Nothing.

  “What…”

  Dusty reached up to her shoulders and pinched, and pulled, and then she was holding the cloak.

  “That’s a weird one for sure Specs. What’s the point of a cloak that isn’t there? Wait, hold on, maybe it only works for attacks.”

  Before Marie could object, the tabaxi had thrown the cloak around her shoulders again. She felt the weight and caught the cloth disappear out of the corner of her eyes. The next thing she knew she was leaping back, stifling a cry of alarm as Dusty swung a dagger at her.

  “Hold still, Specs, I want to try something.”

  Does the cloak invite madness!

  Marie froze as the [Resonance Striker] darted in again. The blade flashed in the {Ghost-Light} but there was no anger in the tabaxi’s eyes, and it passed within a fraction of an inch of her armpit as Dusty drove the strike home into the air between her arm and side.

  “Did you feel anything, Specs?”

  The flush of adrenaline left as fast as it had come and Marie shook as she replied.

  “Only a strong impulse to hit you. Give me some warning next time!”

  “I said maybe it was only for attacks. What more do you want?”

  Gritting her teeth, Marie pushed the cat-woman to one side and began packing the chest with all the treasure she’d brought out, finishing by gently placing the cloth containing Napoleon’s bones inside, and closing the lid with a click.

  “An explanation beforehand, but seeing as how you failed to do that, I will settle for lunch, with a drink, before I return to the library. Come on, you are buying.”

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