Cass sat on the couch in the break room as the girls crowded around him.
Hilda patted him on the head. "Cheer up, Cass! She was just worried about you is all."
This wasn't the first time things got this heated between them, but afterwards, things usually cooled off and she'd relax. However, this time she seemed just as agitated after their clash, if not more.
Rachel sat in Cass's lap and hugged him. "We were worried we'd lose our favorite bouncer to the cops."
She sniffled right in his ear.
"Great…can I even get sick?"
Her words were kind, but made Cass a little uneasy. His memory of that night was hazy at best. He wasn't even 100% sure he'd seen Linas. Could it have been a hallucination from being on the brink of death? He had to have been too weak to even defend himself at that point…right?
"Did…I actually kill someone? Or did I force Tindra to…?"
"Quit moping around."
Cass snapped out of his thoughts as he looked up and saw Daniella, staring down her nose at him. He had missed her among the sea of girls eagerly listening in.
"Do you think Tindra would go out of her way for any bouncer? If the previous ones were taken by the cops, she'd have a 'help wanted' sign up before they were in Karsten's car."
Cass wasn't really comforted by her words.
"Whatever little antics you're up to, they affect those around you. You should try to remember that." She said with a look of contempt.
"Little antics?" Cass's rage boiled. "Another oblivious fool. Once I take that bastard's head, you'll be the first person I bring it to. I'll show you what my 'little antics' can accomplish."
It sounded good in his mind, but once he calmed down, the idea that sorcery would ensure his victory against Cadeyrn was laughable. Even if he had 2 lifetimes to master it, Cadeyrn was 2nd tier, a walking natural disaster…probably even worse. He'd never seen his brother go all out before, or any 2nd tier for that matter; it made sense, given how rare and destructive they were. But, judging from the glimpses of Barus he'd seen in his trial, a "mere" 3rd tier…it was a terrifying thought.
The higher up the tiers you climbed, the greater the gaps in strength became. It was conceivable for a 6th tier to defeat a 5th tier, depending on the Blessings and the advantages/disadvantages each had. But a 5th against 4th? Or 4th against a 3rd? The chances were slim to non-existent. Cass wasn't even 6th tier, what hope would he have against a 5th, let alone a 2nd? Nevermind that Cadeyrn might get even stronger thanks to Cass's supposed "death".
Rachel hugged his neck. "Don't bully Cass, Dani. He had a rough day."
Cass stood up with Rachel and set her down on the couch. "Thanks, Rachel. It's good motivation, though. I need to get to work."
She looked a bit confused for a moment then smiled. "That's the spirit!"
Back in his apartment Cass collapsed on the floor, covered in sweat.
"Damn it! It doesn't matter: 1 string, 2, 3…All I can get them to do is wiggle around slightly."
The old TV droned on in the background. As if to mock him, he heard clearly: "The wedding between Lady Islay and Lord Cadeyrn has an official date! It will be held next year on the day of Lunar Waning, in the city of Weismitte, after Lord Cadeyrn returns from an important assignment! Set your calendars, ladies and gentlemen!"
"Oh, a winter wedding, how lovely! It'd be a shame if "Lord" Cadeyrn went missing while on assignment."
Cass let his mind run wild. "Maybe he'll end up missing an arm…maybe a leg or two. If he had to hobble to the altar…Oh what a sight it'd be!" He snickered to himself.
Feeling something amiss in the room, he looked over his shoulder. Standing in the entryway was Daniella, staring directly at him, holding a bag of groceries. In contrast, Cass was sitting on the floor with half his clothes off—hair wild, covered in sweat, and giggling to himself. Without a word she walked to her room (Cass's room) and locked the door behind her. He stood up and stretched.
"Guess it's time."
Cass arrived at the old factory, his head throbbing. He had been weighing the risks of returning to this place after the whole chase debacle—not to mention the cops may be tailing him, and showing up here probably wouldn't help his reputation any. However, it was his best chance of making real progress with sorcery; and there was at least one person in there who didn't want to kill him…he was fairly confident in that.
"Sorry, Tindra."
Using Festus's name, he was able to gain entry. Luckily, it seemed to be short staffed on thugs this time. Once he suited up, he made his way to the main room. All the different stations where the runes were applied to the fiber were operational. He went to each one, adding more to his original notes and making corrections where needed. Overall, it wasn't too far off his previous attempts, but every little bit of knowledge helped. After about half an hour, he went back to the changing room.
"At least it won't be a total waste if he isn't here."
Things were looking up for Cass. Tucked away in the hidden alcove, curled up sleeping, was Henry.
Cass took on a stern tone. "Hey!"
"I'm up! I'm up…"
Henry scanned the room while attempting to pull on his half off coveralls. "Oh…hey, kid. Um…Cass? Was it?"
"Can you teach me sorcery?"
"...Huh?"
After taking a minute to wake up, Cass and Henry were sitting on a bench by the lockers.
"Wanna be more than a rune jockey huh?" He lit a cigarette and grinned. "I should probably tell you that sorcery's dangerous. But something tells me you've already tried it, eh?"
"Yeah."
"How often?"
"Every chance I get. Usually a couple hours a night, at least."
"Not studying, I mean actually channeling mana."
"Yeah, that's what I meant."
The cigarette in Henry's mouth drooped. "Are ya nuts!? How much zyme ya go through in a day? A hit of that shit knocks me out for the rest of the night. Gotta pick my time wisely."
"Zyme?"
"The stuff ya take to channel mana, that's what it's called. You didn't even know that?"
Cass paused for a moment then smiled. "No, I didn't. So THAT'S what it's called."
"You can easily OD on that stuff, man; mana poisoning to the max. You gotta simmer down a little with it."
"Right. I'll keep that in mind. So can you teach me?"
He took a long drag off his cigarette and looked at Cass. "'Course I can…for a price. You're willing to pay, I'm willing to teach."
He gave Cass a smile that would rival Rudy's sleaziest of grins. "You didn't think I'd do it for free, didja?"
Cass smirked. "Well, if you weren't going to bring it up, I wasn't either. But I suspected not."
"So we have a deal?"
"Deal."
A sharp pain radiated through Cass's body. "...But we'll have to start some other time. I have to go soon. You got a place we can use?"
"Killer. Sure thing, man."
The next night was typically a busy one for the Doxy, which meant Cass wouldn't be able to get out of it. Instead, he headed to Henry's place in the late afternoon. It was only about a 10 minute walk; plenty of time for an hour of training. On his way out the apartment he ran into Rudy.
"Yo, Cass! Goin' somewhere?"
"Yeah, I was heading out for a bit. Need something?"
Rudy sucked air through his teeth. "Is Daniella home?"
"No, she went out earlier for something. Doesn't exactly keep me updated."
"Damn, I keep missing her." He laughed half-heartedly. "I was hoping we could see each other more, now that she's out of the Doxy, but it's just as tough. I wish she'd let me buy her a phone."
"Getting one that operates around all the fog in the slums would be pretty expensive."
"I'd save up. It'd be worth it to talk to her. I was hoping she'd be here when I came by last night…but no luck."
Cass paused for a moment and frowned. "Hm. You'll catch her next time. Don't worry."
He smiled slightly. "Yeah, you're right! I'll let you go, bud. See ya!"
"See ya."
He watched Rudy walk away with his shoulders slightly lower than before. "…What's with that woman?"
Cass was too hungry for knowledge to think about relationship troubles…he had some training to do. He arrived at a rundown apartment building—some of the windows were busted out or boarded up; he wasn't too sure if it was abandoned or not. Checking the address again, he reluctantly touched the filthy door knob and swung the door open. He eventually reached apartment 214 and knocked on the door. He could hear loud music on the other side, so he knocked a second time. Going for a third, the door finally opened. A wall of smoke engulfed Cass as he coughed, almost retching at the putrid cloud. There, standing in nothing but his underwear, was Henry with a huge smile.
"Cass…Let's get this party started!"