The morning after the strategy was set, Borin gathered the four members of the new investigative team in the Gearhouse's main workshop. The air, usually filled with the scent of oil and metal, was heavy with the gravity of their new mission. On a large workbench, the Captain laid out not weapons, but a small, heavy lockbox.
"A war is not won by will alone," Borin began, his voice a low rumble. "It is won with resources, information, and the right tools. Your enemy is an established cult with unknown reach. You are four souls against a phantom army. To survive, you will need more than just your wits and your Seals."
He opened the lockbox. Inside, nestled in velvet lining, were stacks of coins and several strange, faintly shimmering objects. "The city runs on Marks," he said, pushing a stack of heavy, iron coins towards them. Each was stamped with the gear-and-tower sigil of Terminus. "A Mark will buy you a meal, a train ticket, a new coat. It is the currency of the mundane world. It will keep you fed and sheltered. But it is useless for the tools you truly need."
His hand moved to the other objects. Most were small, crystalline fragments that seemed to absorb and refract the light in an unnatural way. "These are Relic Shards. Inert, stable fragments of the pre-Shattering world. They hold no usable power, but they possess a conceptual weight, an echo of the old reality. In our world—the world of Sealbearers, Deniers, and collectors—this is the true currency. You don't buy an enchanted compass with iron; you buy it with a piece of history."
He then pointed to a single object in the center of the box. It was a perfectly preserved silver locket, glowing with a soft, internal light. "And that," he said, his voice dropping, "is a Pure Relic. An object that survived The Shattering not just intact, but with its concept still resonating within. They are exceedingly rare. A single one can buy you a house, a new identity, or a weapon that can kill an echo. The Iron Compact has only a handful. They are not to be spent lightly."
With the lesson on economics over, Borin turned to the mission. "Your investigation requires three specialized assets. I have prepared a requisition list."
He slid a piece of parchment across the table. Ronan picked it up and read it aloud.
"First: A set of Focusing Lenses of True Sight. These were crafted by an old artisan from the Path of Perception. They are spectacles with lenses ground from purified quartz and treated with alchemy. To a normal person, they do nothing. But for a Sealbearer whose power is tied to sight or time, they help to filter out conceptual noise. For you, Liam, they will make your [Temporal Echoes] clearer and help protect your mind from the backlash of viewing traumatic events. They will cost a significant number of Relic Shards."
"Second: A supply of Hush Stones. Single-use items created by a Sealbearer of Silence. When crushed, they absorb all sound and supernatural energy in a ten-foot radius for precisely three seconds. They can deafen a guard, momentarily disable a magical ward, or give you the silence needed to escape. A tactical tool. We'll pay for these in Marks and a few Shards."
"And third…" Ronan paused, his eyes widening slightly. "A Veil of Obscured Fates. A high-tier artifact. A cloak woven from threads imbued with a paradox from the Path of Fate. It does not make the wearer invisible. Instead, it scrambles their destiny. Anyone trying to track you with powers like mine, or predict your movements, will see only a chaotic storm of contradictory futures. It is the perfect tool for moving unseen against an enemy that anticipates you." He looked up at Borin. "Captain, the price for something like this… it would require a Pure Relic."
Borin shook his head. "The owner will not part with it for a Relic. He values information and influence more than history." He handed Ronan a sealed envelope with a single, elegant address on it. "You will go to a place called The Gilded Cage. You will find a man known only as 'The Curator'. You will trade for the Veil. Liam will accompany you to procure the other items. Cain will provide overwatch from the rooftops. Greta will be your nearby extraction team if things go wrong."
He closed the lockbox and pushed it toward them. It was full of Marks and a heavy pouch of glowing Relic Shards, but no Pure Relic.
"What's our payment for the Veil, then?" Ronan asked.
"That," Borin said, his expression grim, "is for you to negotiate, Weaver. Prove your worth."