Path to Transcendence

When Julius finally left the chamber, he was welcomed by a servant just outside of the chamber. The servant in question was asleep and had a book opened up in his lap. The guy had probably been waiting outside of the chamber for who knows how long, waiting for Julius to either come out or to ask for something.

He still didn't know how long it had been. He resolved to get some sort of device that tracked time in the near future.

Julius gave the guy a gentle nudge with his hand.

The guy jolted awake instantly and looked at Julius with wide eyes.

"I am so sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep! I've been waiting for you to exit for a while," the man quickly explained in a hurry.

"How long was I in there?" Julius asked the question he was most curious about.

The man frowned in thought as he tried to estimate the time. "About three-ish weeks," he said in an uncertain tone.

"Three weeks?" Julius couldn't believe what he had just heard.

Three weeks was a very long time.

"Do you know what happened to my friend? When did she leave her chamber?"

"I don't know when she was finished with her advancement but I do know she has been hanging around the estate for the past couple weeks or so. Her advancement took some time but it wasn't as long as yours."

That's good, I bet she has been going around and trying food in the meantime, he assumed.

"Can you take me to her?" He asked the man.

"Of course. She should be getting up pretty soon but I believe Lord Easten wanted to see you when you were done," the servant said politely.

At least I know it's the morning.

"He wants to see me?"
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"Correct, I actually have orders to take you and see him as soon as possible."

Julius couldn't help but wonder what the man wanted to see him so soon for.

"Do you know why?"

The man merely shrugged.

Julius thought for a quick moment before gesturing toward the man that he was going to follow him. He didn't see a reason why he wouldn't go and speak to Marquis. It would also give him a good chance to ask more about the Challenge Rift. He was still very excited about the prospect of delving into that rift.

***

Julius entered the room that the man escorted him to. Before he had left, the man promised to let Reinera know that he was out and was talking to the Marquis.

The room itself was closer to a study than anything else. There were numerous large bookshelves that were packed to the brim with books. A nice area by a fireplace that he imagined would make a wonderful place to sit down and enjoy a book. And at the center of the room, in front of a large window, sat a man scribbling away at his desk.

"Ah, good. I see Jeremy has brought you," the Marquis stated with his eyes still concentrated on the paper.

"Yeah, he said you wanted to talk with me?"

"Yes, I wanted to discuss the terms of the Challenge Rift you and Grace wanted to enter."

"Did the elders decide to allow it?" Julius asked curiously.

The man shook his head. "No, they were still not willing," he told Julius gently.

"Oh."

"But don't worry. Luckily for me, I can still give you access without their permission. It's one of the perks of being the Patriarch."

"Oh!" Julius said, but this time with much more enthusiasm.

"There is one thing though," Marquis Easten added.

"Oh?" His enthusiasm dampened slightly.

"Although they weren't happy with my decisions, the elders insisted that there must be some sort of exchange."

Julius's forehead creased as he frowned at the man. "You mean more than saving your grandson?"

The Marquis gave Julius a guilty look. "Yes, unlike me, they don't seem to appreciate what you have done as greatly as I or his parents do."

Julius sighed. "What do they want?"

"In return for allowing you access to the rift. They want you and your friend to help out with a little issue we have been having lately."

"Issue?"

"Yes, the organization that kidnapped Cory has also been targeting our merchants and supplies while traveling on their routes," the man explained.

"This Conclave group? The one that might or might not have the backing of a Ducal House?" Julius asked.

"Yes, the very same one."

"Why do you want us? I feel like you could simply have one of your more powerful members go and escort some of these routes," he said, a little bit confused at the request.

The man understood Julius's confusion and simply nodded at him. "We have done that before. We sent a group of Tier 4s and even a Tier 5 along with a group not too long ago, trying to lure them out. However, they ran into no trouble along the way. On the other hand, the group after them who were very quiet about their movements, but who had only a single Tier 4 protecting them came under attack. We believe that this group specifically knew which caravan to target and when."

"You're saying you think they have someone feeding them information from your side and know which escorts have the powerful fighters and which do not?"

"Correct. I think that I have a traitor within my House. Someone who has details of our logistics and operations. With that said, there are a lot of people who have access to such information, so it is very difficult to find who it is?"

"And the elders want me and Grace to what? Fight off this group and protect the caravan?" Julius asked skeptically.

The man laughed. "No, some wanted you to sign contracts and then have you two work for House Easten for various missions. I was the one who recommended this particular job instead."

"You're the one who recommended this 'dangerous' sounding job?" Julius asked in a completely deadpan tone.

"Yep. I thought that you and your friend in particular might be a great choice. Both of you are now Tier 3, which congratulations by the way. However, both of you two will be extraordinarily more powerful than your typical Tier 3 even at the beginning stages of the tier. This group seems to know the exact composition of our fighters. Therefore, anyone Tier 4 and above they are very careful about. Since you both are only Tier 3, they won't be expecting people like you. The fact that you two have Emblems will give you a massive advantage against other Tier 3s without one," the man dropped a huge surprise bomb on him at the end.

"Emblems?" Julius asked, a little shell-shocked.

"The two of you had Concepts prior to advancing, that makes it pretty easy to guess that you both have Emblems of your own," the man said.

Julius had so many questions that he didn't know where to start, so he started simple. "What is an Emblem?"

The man looked thoughtfully for a moment. "The best way to describe an Emblem is to compare it to a representation of your soul. Much like how your aura is one. However, unlike your aura an Emblem is a supportive element that gives more weight to your existence. It makes your Concepts more easily imposed onto others while making it harder for those with Concepts to impose them on you."

That was kind of the direction Julius was already thinking about how they worked, but it was nice to get some clarifying details about it.

"How do you know about then? Did you have a Concept when you advanced to Tier 3?"

The Marquis waved his hand. "No no. I wasn't that talented. I got mine after I learned my third Concept when I was already in Tier 3. That's the other way you can earn one without having one before Tier 3. It's the most common method to gain an Emblem."

"Is having an Emblem a requirement for reaching Tier 4?"

"Absolutely. Without an Emblem, you can't manifest your Authority. It is also the reason why having an Emblem so early in Tier 3 is a massive advantage, it gives you a head start on your peers. You two are very blessed," the Marquis said with an admiring smile.

Julius had always wondered why Dante and Alice had been so sure of him reaching Tier 4 without much trouble. He thought that they had simply believed in him, but it seemed like they understood that he was going to earn an Emblem the moment he advanced. He was curious how Marquis Easten knew that getting a Concept before Tier 3 would earn one an Emblem though. Which is why he asked the man.

"Both my eldest son Aden and Rebecca earned Emblems at their advancement," the man said with fatherly pride.

Before Julius could keep on going down this rabbit hole of asking about Emblems, first he wanted to ask about this so-called mission.

"Let's go back to the escort thing. You want the two of us to hide within the caravan and wait until someone attacks it, and then what?"

"You beat up whoever it is and try to get as much information from them as possible. Though, if that's not possible, then simply allow one to escape while tagging one of them with a tracking device I will give you later on," Marquis Easten explained.

"What if there's someone stronger than us there?" Julius asked.

"There is still going to be one Tier 4 going along with you, just so it doesn't seem out of place. But according to all reports, many of the attacks consist of mainly Tier 3s and at most a couple of Tier 4s," the man tried to assure him

"And you think we can handle it?"

Marquis Easten didn't answer with words, instead, he extended out his domain and pressed it against Julius. Unlike the last time, Julius felt something profoundly different. The weight of the man's domain wasn't as debilitating and did not require as much effort from him to hold off against. In fact, Julius barely realized it was there.

He didn't think the Marquis was really trying to hurt him with it, but merely making a point.

"I think I get it," he told the lord.

"Yes, that is simply one of the advantages of earning an Emblem so early. If you were able to fight against that Tier 4 like you said, then you should be able to fend off another Tier 4 at least until the Tier 4 I will send with you can deal with his side of things." The Marquis sounded strangely confident in his assumption.

One that Julius wasn't as comfortable to make.

"Have you discussed this with Grace?" He asked.

"I have. She seemed willing, but she said she wanted to talk to you before she made a decision."

That was good. Julius wasn't honestly that unwilling. However, a good part of it was because he was curious about this group. He wanted to know if they really had a relationship with House Greyson. And if so, he would be much more inclined to throw a wrench in their plans with or without House Easten involved.

"Okay, let me talk to her and we will let you know what we ultimately decide," he told the Marquis.

The man smiled at him. "That is fine. In the meantime, here." Julius was passed a small golden coin.

"That should allow you to pass through the property enchantments as if you were a retainer or family member. It's only keyed to your aura so nobody else can use it, but it should allow you pretty much-unfettered access around the estate."

Julius thanked the man. But before he left he made sure to ask a couple more questions regarding Emblems. He got some information, but nothing that he wouldn't have found out on his own eventually.

It was similar to willpower, he would have to slowly train it and strengthen it through experiences and hard work.

He also made sure to ask some questions about some recommendations of what was good to eat around Blumand before leaving the study and trying to find Reinera.