System Change

Once everything with the half elves was settled, Jacks and Jake wanted some time to catch up. There were many things Jacks had to tell Jake, and he preferred to do it in private. Luckily, Rudy wasn’t using his office at the moment, so they were able to move there to have their conversation.

Once seated, Jacks spoke. “Jake… you don’t know how long I’ve wanted to see you.”

“You could have fooled me… not contacting me once since you moved off with the Toriths.” Jake said. “I know they’re not the greatest of nobles, but that didn’t matter to me. You didn’t have to shut me out. A letter here and there would have sufficed. Five years! It’s been five years and you haven’t so much as written!”

Jacks winced at his son’s accusation. “I know… and I’m sorry. Malcolm… Gerald… I wanted them to have nothing to do with you. I kept you from them as best I could before I was able to send you to the Academy. There’s a reason for that. They aren’t just ‘not the greatest of nobles,’ they are despicable, the lot of them.”

“What do you mean? You said in your letter that you had many things you wanted to tell me. Is it about them? The Toriths?”

Jacks nodded. “That’s right… Do you remember the day you were taken?”

“How could I forget?” Jake frowned. “You were off in a dungeon. Me and… me and mom were at home, waiting for you to get back. I had just gone to sleep when our front door was broken down. Mom di… she wasn’t even able to get an attack off before she died.” Jake clenched his fist and bit his bottom lip. “They put a bag over my head and took me.”

“And you remember how I found you?” Jacks asked.

“You said Gerald Torith used his resources to help find me in exchange for your cooperation.” Jake said.

“I’m afraid there’s much more to the story that we… I never pieced together.” Jacks said.

“More to the story?”

“Yes.” Jacks confirmed. “When I got back from the dungeon and found your mother on the floor, I was distraught and angry. Then, I realized I couldn’t find you. I looked and looked, used all my contacts and favors, but I couldn’t find any trace of you. Then I was contacted by one of Torith’s men.”

“And?” Jake asked.

“Well, I never thought about it, because he was able to find you. I counted my blessings that you were alive and well, and never questioned anything. Whatever the price, it was more than worth it to have you back.” Jacks said.

“But now, something doesn’t add up?” Jake asked.

“Exactly.” Jacks said. “I’ve watched that noble house do truly atrocious things, and I couldn’t interfere because of my oath and contract. All I could do was not help. There were times when I had to do terrible things because Malcolm got himself in trouble. I truly regret those moments.

“Now, why would such a terrible noble house come to me and offer to help find my son?” Jacks asked rhetorically. “I think it was because of who I was.”

“Who you were?”

“Yes. I was a commoner on my way to Onyx Rank. I held no ties to any noble house, and I was known to do the right thing. What happens when a new power rises in a place controlled by the few?” Jacks asked.

Jake closed his eyes. “They either take the power, or eliminate it. They won’t let it grow.”

“That’s right.” Jacks said. “And since I didn’t have any ties, I didn’t have any backing. Most adventurers like me end up working for the Adventurer’s Guild. Nobody wants to piss off that man. It’s what I should have done, but I wanted to be free.”

Jake nodded. “Or you go to the military and work for the Kingdom… like me.” Jake’s fist tightened around the arm of the chair he was sitting in. “So, since you had no backing, the noble houses went for you. Torith…”

“Exactly. And I’m not the only one. I’ve seen more than one promising person working under contract for Torith. I’m sure other houses are the same in this regard, I’m just not sure how far the other houses are willing to go. As for Torith…” Jacks did his best to control his rage. “It was all a set up. In one move, Gerald got rid of the new power, and his son obtained a moderately powerful bodyguard who was in their debt.”

“Torith killed mom?” Jake flat out asked.

“I believe they did.” Jacks answered.

Jake took in a deep breath and calmed down. “What made you think about this after all those years?”

“Derek.” Jacks answered. “He killed Malcolm and broke my oath and contract. Before he killed Malcolm, he made the man give up some information. Information that rendered Malcolm an Oathbreaker.”

“What information?”

“There’s no proof, but according to what Malcolm said, the reason he was shipped out to be City Lord in Torith, instead of it continuing to be run by an Overseer from the family, is because he stumbled onto a secret of Gerald’s.” Jacks explained.

“A secret worth sending his son far away for?”

Jacks nodded. “If it would have been anyone other than Malcolm who discovered it, they would have died.”

“And what was the secret?”

“House Torith deals in child trafficking, and probably more.” Jacks said.

Jake’s eyes widened. “Do you trust Derek? Do you believe him?”

Jacks nodded slowly. “I do… more so than most anyone else I’ve met. I haven’t known him long, but does anything he says he’s going to, and has been upfront with everything to me. He’s strong enough that he doesn’t need me, either.”

“What about the King and the Royal Family?” Jake asked.

“It would make sense that Prince Edgar doesn’t know anything about it. He seems to be the type that avoids politics wherever possible. He’s not the Crown Prince, and it doesn’t seem like he wants the position, anyway. Does that sound right?”

Jake nodded. “He only cares about his military troops and having fun. I’ve only seen him serious a handful of times, all when members of his unit are in trouble. He rarely talks about noble families, and when he does, it’s not always pleasant.”

“Derek thinks the problem is with the King.” Jacks said. “He hasn’t said so directly, but I can tell that he has no respect for King Edwin. And I can’t blame him, after knowing what I know now. Either he knows what Gerald Torith is doing and turns a blind eye, he actively avoids finding out, or he actually doesn’t know anything.”

“None of those options sound good.”

“No… they don’t.” Jacks agreed. “Though Gerald Torith may just be that good at keeping things hidden.”

“Anyway you look at it, they need to know.” Jake said. “I’ll tell Edgar.”

“But you don’t have proof, and House Torith has almost as much control over the Kingdom as the Royal Family does. I don’t believe they will investigate the matter without first having proof.”

Jake half shouted. “And how are they supposed to get proof without investigating?”

“They can’t.”

“Then what do we do?” Jake asked.

Jacks shrugged. “I’ve decided to become stronger and help Derek. Since Derek killed Malcolm, there is no way Gerald will let him off. I’ll be right behind him when he makes a decision.”

“I’ll be here, too.” Jake said.

“No.” Jacks shook his head. “You stay with Prince Edgar. Grow stronger. Keep your backing.”

“She was my MOTHER!” Jake slammed his fist down on the table.

“And she was my wife!” Jacks said back. “I will not have you throwing your life away when there’s nothing you can do. Your mother wouldn’t want you to. This is something I have to do. You only need to worry about yourself.”

Jake grit his teeth. “I’m still telling Edgar.”

“Do what you want with the information. Just know that there’s nothing the Royal Family can do right now. As for now, I think the best bet is on Derek. He’s strong.” Jacks said.

“He’s still only an Onyx Rank.” Jake said.

Jacks snorted. “That’s as high rank as the Adventurer’s Guild in Savannah is able to give out. I believe his strength is at the Diamond Rank.”

“You’re saying he’s already as strong as the King and the Siren from the Crown?” Jake asked.

“Don’t talk bad about Miss Swan, she and Derek seem to be good friends.” Jack’s cut him off.

Jake was taken aback. “Friends with the Si… with Alanah Swan?”

Jacks nodded. “He keeps both low and high company. He didn’t move to Savannah because of his own safety, he did it for those around him. He wants them to have a safe place to grow.”

Jake went quiet, thinking. After a few minutes, he spoke. “Fine… I’ll leave House Torith up to you and Derek for now. But if you fail, I’m going after them.”

“That’s good.” Jacks sighed in relief. He sat back in his chair. “Now, tell me about the last five years. I’ve only been able to get a few reports about you in secret. How was the Academy? Did you fit in?”

Jake’s face flushed. “Well, I didn’t fit in from the start. I… uh… I caused an accident the first week I was there…”

The father son duo continued their conversation late into the night. Jake recount all the fun and troublesome times he had in the Academy and his adventures with Edgar.

A very difficult day had blossomed into one of the best nights Jacks had in a decade. He listened with rapt attention and took in everything his son had to say. He could finally be a father again.