It was morning.
Catherine was in her study, sitting idly and wondering how to start her day.
There were always reports to read, but even that grew tiring after a while.
She narrowed her eyes and looked at the table before her.
Her messenger, the octopus, dropped a letter and disappeared into a ripple of spirituality.
The letter was only a single folded page without an envelope.
Her name was written on the outside; simply by the handwriting, she recognized it as a letter from Jace.
She still hadn't sent him the Mist Treant root he had asked for. Is he asking about it? she wondered as she unfolded the page.
"Catherine,
It is I, Jace Liebert.
Again, in my time of need, I ask for your help.
Acting here has become difficult, so I am preparing for one final act which will likely help me digest my potion completely.
I will perform this act in three days.
This act of mine, as I foresee, may lead me to fight two or three Beyonders—of low sequence, of course—but they are still too much for me to handle as I currently do not have any mystical artifacts with me.
Well, I do have one, but they are glasses that help in learning and recalling things; I can't very well throw glasses at a Beyonder who might be facing me with a gun, now can I?
Sorry, I got off topic. I require you to send me an artifact that can help me in this endeavor. Currently, I am short on funds, but... I will repay you with every part of my body!
— Jace"
Catherine's brows twitched.
If you want an artifact, just ask for it! Why do you have to be so dramatic? She crushed the page in her hand.
And what is with him always bringing up his body?
Catherine felt that Jace was getting quite comfortable with her—perhaps too comfortable.
But a dark smile appeared on her face. I'll make you regret writing such things.
---
Jace sat in his chair, leisurely reading a book held in his hands.
It was called 'The Ultimate Trickster'; a book written by a well-known magician.
It contained many small tricks and guides on how to perform them, among other tips.
It was a book for beginners and amateur magicians, and Jace had bought it the day before when he went to the gathering of the "Eye of Wisdom."
At that gathering, he had finally managed to collect the complete spinal fluid of a Dark Patterned Black Panther.
He had also bought the supplementary ingredients for the Magician potion.
Now, only two ingredients remained, which he expected Catherine to send any day now.
Over the past week, Jace hadn't had many opportunities to act.
He had only gone out four times, so he decided it would be better to just stick with his planned "final act."
However, there was a significant amount of danger involved.
In order to increase his chances, he needed an artifact.
He had tried to find one at the Beyonder gathering, but to his dismay, there were no artifacts that could be of use to him.
He wondered why; he remembered in the book that Klein bought artifacts of Sequence 5 level from the Eye of Wisdom's gathering.
But he had no such luck, so he could only ask for help from the one person he knew would likely have a collection:
Catherine.
He had just sent the letter, so all he could do was wait for her to send something back.
For now, he had mapped out everything he needed to.
The base was a two-story building located in an area where no civilians lived, surrounded only by abandoned, decaying houses.
From his surveillance, he noted that there were always at least four mundane guards and two Beyonders present.
But this was not fixed; there could always be more.
He wasn't entirely sure he could take them all down at his current sequence.
There was a chance he could, but he preferred to be prepared with a trump card or two.
Now, it all depended on what kind of artifact Catherine chose to send.
--
In the evening, Jace was still reading the same book, though a different volume: 'The Ultimate Trickster 2'.
Jace had to admit, the tricks and tips were quite interesting.
But at this point, the books wouldn't help him much to be a magician; he was reading mostly for amusement and a slight curiosity about the mechanics of the tricks.
"Hmm?"
He turned around and enabled his Spirit Vision, but all he saw was the tail end of the octopus disappearing.
On the floor lay a folded page and a square wooden box. He picked them both up. First, he read the note:
"This is an artifact equivalent to Sequence 7.
It grants the user multiple unorthodox skills, including combat expertise and extreme physical boosts: speed capable of creating afterimages, terrifying strength, agility, and self-healing/regeneration.
The side effects of this artifact are extreme.
After using it for more than 10 minutes, the user will start to lose rationality.
After 15 minutes, the user will enter a berserk state.
By the 20th minute, the user will likely lose control and mutate.
I recommend not using it for more than 10 minutes."
Reading the terrifying side effects, Jace pulled out the silver pendant on his wrist. He dangled it over the square box.
"This artifact is from the Prisoner pathway."
After muttering the statement seven times, the pendant started moving clockwise.
That confirmed it. He opened the box. Inside was an artifact in the form of a heavy iron knuckle, etched with jagged, unsettling runes.
Jace smiled. This was an artifact corresponding to the Sequence 7 Werewolf of the Prisoner pathway.
Ten minutes.
That's more than enough, he thought.