Of Ice, Death & Monsters

I stood in front of an ivory building in the middle of the city that reached all the way up into the clouds.

I was slightly shaking, fidgeting with the calling card in my right hand. This was where I was told to go, towards one of the main buildings of Epithet in this city.

Looking around, I saw so many other people; those in expensive suits and sometimes even in strange outfits with frills and colorful coats that looked as if they came from a thousand years ago.

It didn’t feel like I belonged here at all with my stained white polo shirt and hole-filled jeans.

There was that feeling again, like everyone was staring at and judging me. It would never leave, so maybe it was best if I were the one who would walk away.

I took a step back; maybe I should go next time when fewer people are here. It was like that for a few moments before the automatic doors opened up, revealing a woman in a military uniform who wore a solemn expression on her face. She didn't make eye contact with me, but her presence made me shiver.

Then, a lady with long chestnut brown hair by one of the desks near the door leaned her head over her counter with an almost exasperated look. “Can I help you, sir?”

Instinctively, I froze in fear for a bit before leaning forward to keep the doors open. “Uhm, I-I’m here for an appointment?”

“Well, you’re going to do nothing if you just stand around. Come in, sir.” She gestured to enter, and with a heavy heart, I followed in as quickly as I could.

“Woah…” I found myself in a rather large lobby with marble flooring and a tall roof. There were multiple tables and couches all over, with a small cafe to the side.

Looking ahead, there were several more receptionist areas where a long line awaited several others, mostly middle-class people who were trying to renew their licenses from Epithet.

I walked towards the lady who beckoned me inside, looking towards her nameplate as it spelled out: “Jane”

“May I have a Name for you and the one who made an appointment? As well as the reasoning and schedule?”

I scratched my head and looked away with a little laugh. “Peter Sai… and it’s with one Professor Godwin. I didn’t really get the details, he just said today.”

Jane narrowed her eyes and looked up at me with a frown, as if she instantly knew what that appointment would be about. “You know… You have a choice, right? You don’t have to do this… You have the luxury of refusing that others do not.”

I hung my head down for a bit, rubbing my arm as if I had been shot. “... It’s the only luxury I’ll ever have… I want to trade it in for something better.”

“It’s not going to be better.”

“...Well, that’s for me to find out-”

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to me, causing Jane and I to both turn our heads.

“Oh? Peter right? What are you doing here?”

It was Matthias in a black suit with a red blazer on top. He styled his hair in a single braid to the side.

“Uhm… well, I just…” I sighed before revealing the business card that John gave me.

“Oh? So you’re actually joining us? That’s wonderful, come inside, I’ll show you around.” Matthias’s ears perked up with excitement as his tail wagged around. “I’ll take over from here now; thank you, Jane.”

He gave a bow to the receptionist, who simply sighed and rolled her eyes. “Well... Guess I’ll be seeing you soon. Goodbye, Peter.”

Well, with that ominous language done, I walked away with Matthias.

”Over here… and if you don’t mind me asking, what made you change your mind?” Matthias began to lead me up to the elevator section of the lobby, moving past the small crowd there and into the gold-plated one in the back.

“… I’d rather not be poor and worthless anymore.” I looked down, almost dejectedly, as Matthias gave an honest smile.

“You’re certainly not worthless; nobody is; everyone has their own value.” He pressed a button to open the golden elevator, inside there was a humanoid construct: a golem, one made primarily to look like a bodyguard with its large frame and armor.

“Verification needed.” Its voice was smooth, nearly human-like, which made it uncanny.

“I Shall See All Things, None Shall Be Hidden.”

His voice blossomed with such force that his eyes started to glow. He then pointed a finger at the golem. “Ace of Hearts, Heads, the number 14, and the letter W.”

The golem nodded. “Your answers are correct. Please show identification.”

Matthias raised up an ID from his pocket that the golem scanned.

“You may now enter.”

The Magi smiled triumphantly and walked in, swaying his head back and forth as his tail wagged along.

I followed in with them as the elevator began to head upwards. “That was the Vocalization of Revelation, correct? I’ve never seen it used at all in person. What were you trying to reveal?”

“Oho~” Matthias grinned as he looked at me. “You really know your stuff even now, don’t you? I was looking at the insides of the golem. It’s a security feature to ensure that we have the proper Magick alongside our IDs.”

Thanks to the monetization of Magick, you would need a lot of identification and papers to even get one spell, no matter how minor. The more powerful the spell, the more paperwork and administrative endeavors one would need to undertake. Having powerful Magick essentially ensured that you were somebody with a good record, wealth, and trust.

“Huh… interesting, alright then.”

If I were able to survive, then I’d finally be one of those people. I could finally be seen and treated right.

Ding.

The elevator door opened as we stepped out of the elevator towards a wide, white, and sterile hallway with glass windows on both ends.

Inside were Magi working and researching tirelessly with Magick. Books splayed out on the table alongside scrolls, along with computers, crystals, and other tools of focus.

However, those were not the focus of this journey. Passing through the many rooms, we made it to the final one in the hallway with the nameplate: “Professor Godwin.”

“And here’s where the Professor stays. I think he’s here now.”

Matthias knocked on the door, but it swung right open, revealing a tall, brown-haired man with a lab coat around his waist standing on top of a table looking down at a map of the world with several red flags on it.

“Ah! Matthias! You’re here. And that must be Peter, correct?” The man jumped down from the desk, massaging his neck as he walked up to greet us with a handshake.

Matthias shook his hand with a happy little grin on his face. “Yes, it’s Peter, John’s friend. He said he’s here for the mission to Galfania.”

I gave a half-hearted nod while I shook the Professor’s hand. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“Excellent! We needed an extra body on the team; I’m glad we got ourselves one of the final members. You’ll be one of the helpers!”

“…Helpers?” I tilted my head and narrowed my eyes. I didn’t like the sound of that at all.

“Yes, you’ll help carry the equipment, sometimes talk to any locals - if there are any - and look around the site for anything promising we could have missed out. Of course, you’ll stay far away from any danger with the rest of them. How does that sound?”

It sounded horrifically boring, but at the same time, heavily relieving. If the danger was going to be included, then at least others would handle it. “Sure, that sounds about as much as I can do. Just… uhm, a few questions before we begin, is that okay with you, Professor?”

“Of course! Come with me, the both of you!” Godwin closed the door behind him and ushered us towards the chairs in front of the table, making us sit down. “Alright, ask away!” The Professor didn’t go to the desk; instead, he walked towards one of the small libraries by his room, scrolling through the books.

“Well, for starters, why is it in Galfania? There’s the whole world out there, we could go to Berfada, or Balthalem, but why Galfania? You chose the most dangerous possible place in the world.”

The Professor smiled as he pulled out a book. “And that’s why it was chosen. It’s the one place where nobody has yet to truly discover and explore. Thousands of years' worth of knowledge is left there. Nothing can even penetrate it. We don’t even have satellite imagery! Imagine that. We only have the written works of the dead men that came before us.”

I shivered for a bit. I definitely didn’t want to be part of the dead men. But I guess it was true that nobody had ever lived to tell the tale, so whatever they may find would be valuable, especially if it’s more Magick or Artifacts. “Do we at least have like… a small army with us?”

“Of course! Guards, soldiers, and a small armory, too. It’s quite a fortune being poured into this project. We’re doing what we can to launch an investigation ahead. But it’s highly specialized; only the best of the best are coming along.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. It sounded like I would be in safe hands at least, and the fact that I don’t even have to do much sounded great.

Maybe this would be a good idea after all. Maybe this was finally it, my big break. A small smile started to grow on my face. There was hope, so much hope with it.

“Can you at least explain what exactly we’re going to do specifically? In detail, please, like, what’s the plan, how long are we going to do it? Is there any limit?”

Godwin smiled and turned to Matthias. “I like this one. He’s really thorough, ain’t he?” The Professor ran to the map on the table, grabbing a few ship figurines and placing them on the shores of Galfania. “We have a good few hundred people already- maybe even near a thousand. Some on our payroll, some brave volunteers like yourself, but it’s mostly Magians such as myself, Matthias here, and our assistants, too.”

He then picked up a base figurine and placed it on Galfania. “We make our way through the land, document and note every detail from flora to fauna and, of course, arcana.”

I nodded along while looking at Matthias every once in a while as the cat boy seemed absorbed by the explanation that the Professor gave, his ears twitching every now and then.

There was something comforting and yet annoying to know that talented people would be leading this endeavor. It felt wrong to be miffed, but I couldn’t exactly wish the feeling away.

“To fulfill our quota, we would need at least a hundred newly discovered species, which can be any biological life. As long as they’re different from anything recorded.”

He then pulled an intricately carved wooden box from his desk and plopped it on the table. “Then, we’re gonna need ten Artifacts, anything enhanced by Magick, gods knows if anything is over there… but of course, most importantly, we’re gonna need at the very least three Names. After that, we’re set.”

Names were the very core of Magick. Whenever you cast a spell, you invoke a Name.

It wasn’t just a title; it was the very essence of a spell, the sum total of knowledge that allowed someone to even cast it.

That was what Epithet had a trademark on. They were able to find Names and place a patent on them; anyone caught using patented Names without paying for them would be arrested, and now they were trying to find new Names.

Barely anyone else even knew how to bestow a Name in Phorash except for them, and even then, it was kept a secret.

I just continued to nod along. I understood what was going on and what needed to be done. The organization wanted more power under their belt as well as even more recognition; it was just another ploy to continue their expansion and knowledge.

“Well, next question. Where do we sign up? And how do we receive our payment?”

Godwin quickly ran to the desk, opening a drawer before revealing a pristine contract and a quill pen, grabbing both, and placing them on the table. “This is a contract; you know what that means, right? You’re a smart kid.”

I looked down and nodded. Contracts were dangerous, one of the most binding forms of Magick in the world.

If you were to sign one made with full conscious thought and consent as well as knowledge of what was in the contract, then you would be completely and wholly bound by the agreement.

Essentially, if you signed that you would run a kilometer every day, then no matter what, your body would force itself to run that kilometer before that day ended.

If you were to sign that you would always make your words rhyme for a day, then you would find your speech would be changed to incorporate that tick in every way.

It could not force you to do things you were unable to do, such as forcing you to fly, but it would try to find a way to ensure that you can do something as close as possible to flying.

So, it was always important to read it completely and understand what you were getting yourself into.

I looked over it, ensuring I didn’t find any loopholes or language that could be misinterpreted.

However, all I found was that he would follow the managers of this investigation team, listen, and comply with their orders.

I would be unable to betray them in any way or give out any information about what transpired without the consent of the managers.

I found this all reasonable. After all, I was going to be paid up front, and they would pay me well when the job was done. And it was said I was going to be primarily someone equivalent to a pack mule or busboy.

While degrading, it was better than being a soldier or someone actually on the front lines. So, at least there was that.

This was it. If I signed it, I knew it was essentially giving up my rights to Epithet. Was it worth it?

I thought of Jane for a brief moment, thinking back on what she meant, that I had a choice.

She was right, I did, but this is what I wanted to choose. Even if it meant being bound in chains, I might as well find some way to move forward.

I signed it after a third and fourth look, and all of a sudden, a golden chain wrapped around mine and Godwin’s wrist, binding them together before disappearing.

“And that’s that. Congratulations, you’re now part of Epithet! Well, like on the lower rungs, but still, you must feel very proud, here you go.”

The Professor opened a desk drawer and dropped a rather large bag that jingled with coins onto the desk.

“Your upfront payment! Amazing, ain’t it… Do you know what I suggest? You use it to go buy yourself a Name, one especially useful for the mission. Don’t worry; you have around a week to decide and get ready.”

I gave The Professor a blank stare for a little bit. This was probably also how they got volunteers without spending as much as they should have.

Most people would simply buy a few Name subscriptions from Epithet with this kind of cash, essentially funneling the money back to them.

However, I really did want Magick, so he nodded along. “Well, thanks for that. I think I know what to do next.”

“That’s good. You should have Matthias guide you through it. Have fun.” He flashed Peter a grin and a wink towards Matthias.

“Will do. Come with me, please, Peter. Let’s leave the Professor to do his planning.” The catboy stood up while grabbing the bag of coins, walking out of the room, swaying his head back and forth.

I did the same, walking towards the door and closing it behind me.

And for once in my life, I smiled.

This was it, the big change; it could only be uphill from here.