When Lauren was called, she stood with dignity and poise. She handed her book to the maid and instructed her to put it back by her bed. She was obeyed without hesitation. She smiled at Cass's retreating back. It occurred to her in that moment that, for all of Lord Hightide's oddities, he did have something of a knack for finding good people.

  She could even concede that Cal, Rosie and George had proved more than simply useful. They could be considered her friends, and each had their own charms. George was darling, even if he was quiet. Cal was eager to please, though something of an annoying puppy. Even Rosie's boorish manner and lacking wit didn't grate on her as much as they used to.

  It was with these vague thoughts she entered the lounge and sat before the vulgar man who was to be their teacher. The room smelled slightly of harsh spirits, it reminded her of the half-drunk bottle of rum she still had, in some dark corner under her bed where it had rolled. Her stomach churned at the spinning, blurry memory of the night she had obtained it.

  Sir Needle stared at her intently, as most men did. Some women did also, but she didn't mind that nearly as much. She smoothed the cloth of her training robe, before smiling politely and tilting her head slightly, entreating the tutor to speak first.

  "Lauren, was it?" Sir Needle asked through that scraggly, short eyesore that could only just be called a beard.

  "Correct, though Ms. Nearshore would be more appropriate," Lauren replied.

  The man's frown deepened.

  "Very well, Ms. Nearshore," he said. "I'll cut to the chase if it pleases you."

  "It would," Lauren said kindly.

  "You're a fire mage," he stated.

  "Obviously. Is there something wrong with that?"

  "Nothing wrong with the Powers, only the place we find ourselves," Sir Needle espoused. "Though the same could be said on many an occasion."

  "I thought you were going to cut to the chase. You're circling the point."

  "We're in Rain City. The Spires here have no fire alignments," Sir Needle stated.

  "I'm aware," Lauren said.

  "Which means knowledge about your particular path is rare, or non-existent," Sir Needle said.

  "Are you saying you can't teach me anything?" Lauren bristled. She angrily wondered why she had to endure all the exhausting exercises he had set them to do if he wasn't able to offer anything.

  "No. I can teach you some basics," Sir Needle said. "But I'll need to talk to some of my Ceph contacts. See if there are any foreign fire mages who would be willing to part with some minor secrets for gold. I was just trying to warn you that it might take some time. Not many Climbers with fire-aligned abilities would want to Climb these Spires. They'd be better off in the western reaches of the Empire, rather than out here in the Antaru Ocean."

  "Oh," Lauren said, somewhat surprised at the statement.

  "Oh?" Sir Needle repeated. "Did you think I was going to leave you down a gutter while I taught the rest a host of hidden knowledge?"

  "Of course not," Lauren assuaged, even if the man had been right on the mark. "You're a consummate professional are you not?"

  "Hah. You're a bad liar, but I can see the world from where you're sitting Ms. Nearshore. Still, discovering what you need will require some tedious research, some gold and some time carousing in the taverns the Cephers tend to frequent."

  "Some gold?" Lauren asked raising an exactly even eyebrow. "Is your remuneration not going to be enough?"

  She had suspected the man was going to ask for more coin and already didn't like the sound of it.

  "Hardly. The drinks add up and Climbers can drink a lot," Sir Needle said. "I'll have to talk to all kinds and quench all sorts of thirsts."

  Lauren frowned, showing her displeasure clearly. The flame within her chest burned, slowly massaging her fury with fiery fingers. She breathed slowly so as not to stir up her anger, it was feat she was finally getting used to. She couldn't let it take a hold on her like it had in front of those rude noblemen in the Mer Spire. Though even now, the memory of their lustful gazes sliding all over her robes infuriated her.

  Sir Needle smiled, seemingly seeing something that pleased him. And thankfully, his eyes remained only on her face.

  "I think you should prove your worth first, before begging for more gold," Lauren stated.

  "Begging, who's begging? I'm merely warning you that your education in particular is going to be more expensive. Really, it's you're own fault that you chose you be the third recorded fire mage in Rain City's histories," Sir Needle declared.

  "Third?" Lauren asked. "How do you know that?"

  "I researched."

  "You have access to the King's Archive?"

  "No. Though I know people who do, a noble here or there that owes me," Sir Needle said smugly. "So you see, I'm not trying to cheat you. I've already spent a few small favours trying to find some appropriate Techniques and mental practises for fire-aligned Climbers."

  When she heard the lengths the man had already gone to, Lauren felt the fire around her Sanctum recede, and the heat of her anger cool.

  Lauren knew just how valuable the ear and word of an established noble could be, in the right circumstances they could be worth more than gold and could open many doors. She honestly thought that Sir Needle would just keep insulting her and insinuating she wasn't suited out for Climbing, rather than trade away potentially useful favours for the sake of her progression.

  She wouldn't thank him though, it was his duty as their tutor, even if he was going further than was generally expected. That, and it still could be a ploy or scheme. Maybe he had a desire for her and thought to take advantage of his position. That consideration caused her hackles to rise and that fire to start rising again. Again she breathed slowly to combat the spread.

  Sir Needle watched her like a stormhawk.

  "I'm glad to see you fixed your eyebrows, but I'm sorry to say they're too thin now," he said. "Makes you look like a plucked pigeon."

  Lauren felt her face twitch and in one furious moment was about to Activate her Fire Breath. She was quick to stop herself, if she spit that fire in here it would burn their entire house down and she had no way of ensuring it would even hurt the man, what with all his defensive Treasures. Instead, she let out a soft hissing exhalation.

  "They look fine," She stated. "Your vision must be fading, due to your decrepit age or relentless inebriation."

  Sir Needle laughed at her insult. "You got me there," he agreed, before his mirth ceased and he locked eyes with her.

  She almost shuffled uncomfortably in her chair but stifled the impulse.

  "Intensity and Essence of Fire, no Control. Correct?" He observed.

  "Yes," she said, somewhat taken aback by the abrupt change in subject, but glad of the more useful direction.

  "You have a lot of restraint, especially if you have skewed your Alignments towards your Magical Attributes like a mage should. I'm impressed," Sir Needle said.

  "I'm sorry. What?" Lauren asked, sure she had misheard.

  "From what I know of fire-aligned Climbers, they tend toward the passionate and volatile. Their magic influences them so," Sir Needle explained. "In Sherran'cara, that's around the Ember Spire, they don't build with wood. Not because there is none, but because their Climbers are constantly duelling in the streets over honour, insults, lovers or simply because they're angry. And with the fire-aligned Powers the Ember Spire usually offers, they would burn down the city if it wasn't made of its black stone and clear glass."

  The tutors face took on a nostalgic note, remembering his time elsewhere no doubt. Lauren herself was envious, she craved to travel to a new city, a new Spire. She listened to the tale of the far away place without interrupting, hoping he'd say more of those foreign shores.

  Adam sighed.

  "But I digress. What I'm saying is that the Abilities you have can be a struggle to possess and that you're handling them well. Especially without Control to aid you in suppressing the excitability that Essence of Fire brings forth."

  "Well, thank you," Lauren said. "Though to be honest, I have increased my Focus to help deal with the fervours that assail me."

  "A good instinct. But it's not all Focus, you have a strong will or a streak of stubbornness, " Sir Needle said. "I just hope you have the discipline to keep it up and the determination to work hard on your training."

  "I do," Lauren said. "I've always wanted to be a fire mage, and now that I am I want to be one of the best."

  "A good answer, no, a great one," Sir Needle said smiling. "Now we should really begin going through your Powers and find where I can advise you."

  Lauren nodded and began explaining her Abilities. When she was done the man sat back in his chair, a contemplative look across his face.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  He didn't speak for almost a minute.

  "Is there something wrong with my selections?" Lauren asked, hiding any of the nervousness she felt.

  "Wrong? No, nothing wrong," Sir Needle replied. "I think you've chosen well. I was just unaware you had a healing Ability. It opens a lot of doors for your progression."

  Lauren thought she knew where the man was heading with that line of thought, he wanted to make her a Healer. If that happened she would be relegated to only improving and using Soothe Burn. And in doing so, she would be made even more reliant on those around her to protect her.

  Lauren couldn't have that, she was a fighter, a mage, not the team's fretting nanny.

  "I don't want to be a Healer," she stated seriously. "I'm a Striker through and through."

  "Is that so?" The man asked meeting her eye. "Yes, I can see that. You have the temperament and the Powers. You might be a waste as a Healer. If there were such a thing."

  "I would be," Lauren agreed.

  "Well, that narrows down the paths at least," Sir Needle said. "Still, you should Evolve your healing Ability whenever it's offered. It's limited now, but even something as niche as Soothe Burn can become far more potent and versatile after an Ascension. That's the case with most healing Abilities. And it never goes amiss to have another heal at the ready, for emergencies you understand."

  Lauren thought to argue but she could see the man's reasoning. He must have seen the disagreement on her face, because he continued to speak.

  "You don't have to neglect your other Powers, in fact, it will be hard to, considering your Fire Breath Trait is your main weapon. Just know that the Evolutions the Rain Spire will offer for Soothe Burn will likely be more powerful than they would be with your Fire-aligned ones."

  "More powerful? How? Spires don't change the amount of magic they give from Ability to Ability. They should be roughly equal."

  "Roughly, yes. But realistically, no. The Rain Spire is mostly water and air aligned. There will be clashes with the fire-alignment of your Powers. Evolving your heal or Fire Resistance will offer you more synergistic choices."

  "What do you mean?" Lauren asked. She had, of course, read similar statements in the books she'd had access to, but they never seemed to explain why.

  "I'll have to explain that later, there's some Spire and mana theory you would need to be aware of to understand why. For now, just take me at my word that fire and water clash. So you won't be offered truly useful evolutions like: Increase the heat of your flames, or your flames burn foes faster. You would instead get offerings like: your flames are harder to extinguish, or you may shape your flames into a rain of fire, or your flames create more steam when in contact with water."

  "Those do not appear to be bad," Lauren said. "In fact, I have an Award that already makes any heat I produce last longer. And my Clinging Flames Evolution stops my fires from being extinguished for at least a second."

  "That sounds fine, though not perfect. Most of the time you'd be better off with something that just increases the heat of your flames. Since that would also be harder to put out, as well as being more deadly," Sir Needle espoused.

  Lauren thought and soon came to the conclusion he was likely correct on this matter.

  "Fine, I see what you mean," she said. "I'll endeavour to use the Rain Spire's offerings where they're most efficient."

  "Good. Now for your advanced and Magical Attribute Variances. Unfortunately, I have very little experience with Essence of Fire so we'll skip that, so let's find out what variant of Intensity you have," he said. "Close your eyes and concentrate on your magic. You should also Activate your mana sight it will make it easier to discern."

  Lauren was sceptical, she hadn't heard of 'variants', whatever they were, but she obeyed. Her eyes tingled as she cast her Mana Sight. Looking inward she easily found her magic, the fires flickered and flared around her Sanctum. The energy was hot, but it didn't burn, in fact, it invigorated her.

  "What am I looking for?"

  "Something that serves as fuel, something akin to magical oil for your Essence of Fire."

  Lauren frowned and sifted through the flames with her will. She had found she could do this for some time, almost as soon as she gained the Attribute. Using the pressure of her thoughts and concentration she could move the fire, though not very far or fast and it would slip right out of her grip if she tried to hold it too tight.

  She searched the fire and watched from where it sprung. But she couldn't tell the flame from the fuel.

  "I can't see anything," she admitted.

  "Of course, you can't. You're a swine, an untalented one, more suited to rolling in mud than being a mage," Sir Needle said scathingly.

  Her fire roared in response, she opened her eyes, scowling.

  "How dare you!" She cried. Standing and stalking to the lounge's exit.

  "Did you see it?" He asked blandly just as she reached the door.

  "See what?" She spat.

  "Something empowering Essence of Fire," he said.

  She paused and recalled what she had just seen. Realising that there had been something different, she quickly closed he eyes and felt for the flames. Deep in its depths, she saw a clear power that fed the flame's heat. It was retreating, as her temper cooled it further dissipated.

  "Found it?" He asked again, more smug than before.

  She opened her eyes and glared at him.

  "I'll take that as a yes," he said, taking a swig from his hip flask.

  "Was that some sort of test?" She demanded.

  "Yes, you have Challenger's Intensity," Sir Needle explained. "It's an intuitive variant. Your Intensity will be more powerful when you are in conflict with another."

  "What do you mean by variant?" She asked.

  "Oh, you also haven't had a tutor?" Sir Needle asked with mild surprise.

  "Not for Climbing," she said.

  "Huh. And here I thought you were just an incompetent," he said.

  "Is that so," she said, restraining her anger.

  "Have I not made that clear enough? Perhaps I've been too subtle," he replied.

  "Subtle as a bull," she said under her breath.

  "Anyway, come sit down. We're almost done, we just need to talk about Techniques," Sir Needle entreated.

  "Fine," Lauren made her way back to the armchair but couldn't bring herself to sit. Instead, she stood behind it, keeping it between themselves as if it could act as a shield against his taunts.

  "I have been led to believe you found a store of Techniques," Sir Needle said.

  "Who told you that?" Lauren said, narrowing her eyes.

  "Nevermind that," he replied. "Did you learn any of them?"

  "No, none of them were made for fire mages," She said.

  "Good to know," Sir Needle said. "We'll have to find you a mana manipulation Technique so you're more likely to be offered a Trait or Passive that unlocks Control. Then the choices of Techniques are up to you, but something to increase reaction speed or Stamina capacity would help."

  She nodded. "If that's all, I'll go get George."

  Sir Needle thought for a moment, "You have Heat Metal and Fire Resistance, it might be interesting to have you wield a steel quarterstaff. I know a fellow who has a Technique for that particular weapon. It's mostly a defensive style, but it could be very useful in saving your life if you run out of mana and a beast closes in on you. Would you be interested in learning that?"

  "Perhaps," Lauren said, considering the idea.

  She didn't relish having to go through all the work of practising with a weapon that was only meant to serve as a backup if her flames didn't burn away all her foes.

  "It's better than having a free Technique Channel and you can't always rely on your foes to do what you want," he said as if reading her mind.

  "I'll think about it," Lauren allowed.

  "You do that. Now go get the last of your team, then do nine laps," Sir Needle said.

  "Yes, sir," Lauren said as politely as she could manage.

  As she left the lounge she felt short-changed. Fritz had made the man out to be knowledgeable and skilled yet the advice he gave her wasn't truly useful at all. Or would turn her into some sort of Healer rather than a Striker. Abyss he even wanted her to learn how to fight with a staff like some sort of savage or a temple warrior. It was a preposterous notion.

  Not only that, but someone had told him of their hoard of Techniques. It was probably Cal, that man was always too eager to please people. Usually, it was one of his only redeeming qualities, but here it had revealed a secret, one that was not his to share without the team's permission.

  She sighed, breathing away the anger and the fire that was being stoked by all these annoyances. At least she had learnt something new about her Intensity and how it reacted. How she could make use of it, she didn't know yet, but this was just the beginning. The more she discovered the more powerful she could become.

  "George, Sir Needle is ready for you," Lauren said as she poked her head into the dining room, then left for the yard.

  ---

  George stood and made his way to the lounge, he wondered what the man had in store for him, he had told Fritz that he wouldn't teach him the sword the previous day, would it be the same for himself?

  "George, take a seat," Sir Needle said as soon as he entered the room.

  George did as he said and sat across from him, leaning back on the still-warm fabric while the man finished writing on a sheaf of paper.

  "Can you read and write well?" Sir Needle asked.

  George was surprised at the question, thinking that this talk would be about Climbing, but answered truthfully nonetheless.

  "No," he admitted. "I was an armoursmith's apprentice. So I can write a few words and numbers, but I'm not wholly literate."

  "Hmm, you'll be joining the other two learning from the scribe then," Sir Needle said non-judgmentally.

  "I don't need you to tell me much about your Abilities, I recognise most of them," Sir Needle said. "But it's still good to go through each of them, just in case I have one Power confused with a similar one. Sever can look an awful lot like Spilt, even though they are slightly different."

  "Very well," George agreed, then listed his Abilities. He took some pride in the man's nods and smiles and he went over his Powers.

  "My Traits are: Forgeheart and Mighty Thews. And lastly, my path Ability is Sever, which I Evolved with a sharper edge," George ended.

  "Very good choices and great for an aspiring swordmaster. Though you would do well to keep an eye out for an Evolution that increases the reach of Sever. If you improve its range enough it could Ascend into a Soaring Sever."

  "Could it?" George asked eagerly. Then he remembered he had been offered the choice to improve the range of the Ability and cursed his former self.

  Sir Needle gave him a gentle smile. "Don't worry about it too much, you'll likely get the offering again. And if not, a sharp Sever is still deadly."

  "The choice can reoccur?" George asked.

  "That's right, I'll teach you all about that later when I have the whole team together. It'll save me from having to repeat myself. For now, let's talk about Advanced Attributes and find out your Variances."

  "Alright," George said, though he still burned with questions. However, this talk of variances had also grabbed his interest. "How do we find out these 'variances'?"

  Sir Needle walked him through the process, he had to concentrate on the various energies that permeated his body. One by one they went through his Advanced Attributes, starting with Might.

  That one was easy to find, it hummed in his body, reinforcing his muscle and bone. He'd noticed its effects in battle, it lent a great strength to his blows and a greater edge to his blade. When he explained the experience Sir Needle muttered under his breath and moved on to the next of his Advanced Attributes, Speed.

  It was harder to find, it hid under the deep ringing of Might, it felt like small bolts of excited lightning, arcing from his bones and bouncing up and down his limbs. Although he hadn't been conscious of this Power earlier, he knew now that it had been hastening his limbs when he ran and swung his sword.

  Then it was onto his Magical Attributes, which he hadn't aligned any additional attributes into, letting them sit at the six points they were unlocked with. Sir Needle said they wouldn't bother with Essence of Fire, but he had experience with Essence of Metal.

  Around his Sanctum a shell of metallic energy circled, like loose swirling plates of steel. He tried to move the magic as Sir Needle instructed, trying to bend the plates. He found they had a little give and were too heavy to shape with any finesse. He announced as much to the tutor.

  "You can open your eyes, we're done," Sir Needle said. "You have Steel Might, or perhaps Toller's Might, they're both on the intuitive side. Your Speed is intellectual, being the Lightning Limbed Speed. As for your Essence of Metal, it seems to be of the more malleable sort, maybe iron, silver or lead. So it's on the intuitive side as well."

  George nodded. Thinking over what the man had just said. Unfortunately, his education was lacking and he had no idea what to do with the knowledge.

  "Some interesting combinations," Sir Needle said. "We can talk about the implications another time, lastly we should get to your Techniques. I know you have at least one."

  "You do?"

  "I could see it in your stance, those wide, braced legs are not a set of footwork that one just stumbles upon," Sir Needle said. "I feel like I've seen similar in the south, on the borders of the Eternal Kingdom, but I don't want to leap to conclusions."

  George remained silent, considering how much he should tell the man.

  "Hurry up, the sooner we're done here the sooner we can start your sword training," Sir Needle said.

  "I have the Peak Splitter Technique," George said.

  Sir Needle grinned as if he had expected it.

  "A wonderful style, I'd practise it myself if it weren't completely counter to my other Techniques and strengths. It take it, it was one of the Techniques you found in the Drowned Archives?"

  George looked at the man with some suspicion and didn't speak. It wasn't his place to talk about their spoils, and they were meant to keep silent on the events of that place.

  Sir Needle nodded. "I'm glad one of you has some sense of secrecy. I understand we've just met, but you can trust me. I'll prove that in time. Anyway, go do twelve laps, I'll call for you all in about an hour. When I'm done with your regimens."

  "Right, yes Sir," George said, standing.

  "Wear your armour, and carry a training sword while you run," Sir Needle added.

  He needn't have, George intended to do just that even before he had said it.

  He nodded and left the lounge.

  ---

  When the bulky boy left the lounge Adam looked down at his many, many notes. This was always the most frustrating part of training, trying to find the optimum paths for his wards. He also had the distinct, disgruntling duty of finding some other experts for their opinions and advice for his group of oddities. Not one of Lord Hightides team had common variants or powers which would make his tutoring all the more difficult.

  He regretted reducing his fee to a third, all this additional research would cut into his coin and his large store of small favours. Still, this would be a challenge, something he hadn't known since being stranded here by the King's Sanction.

  Gods how he'd love to leave this miserable city, but he couldn't. Even if a ship would take him against the king's wishes, they too would suffer his fate if he were to leave. Their vessel and bodies torn to pieces. And after suffering already that wrath once, and only just surviving, he wasn't willing to doom those that would help him escape in spite of the law.

  He shook his head and took another gulp from his flask, felt the dull heat of the rum run down his throat.

  There was no escape. But he could help these six, if they became powerful enough they could leave. And maybe one day they could come back and free him. It was a fleeting hope, but he couldn't help but wonder the heights his charges could reach. Well, if they listened to him they would go far. They had the potential, all they needed was the knowledge and to do the hard work, not something he could say of all his previous students.

  Adam sighed, returning his eyes to the paper, readying his quill, he began the final adjustments to their regimens. Still, one promise rang in his chest, below the cold razors of his Essence of Metal.

  They will be great, I will make them so.