To Carlos, the most striking detail about all the artifacts, was how it seemed only a minority of them were traditional weapons. Rather, odd creations and strangely formed items were the majority here. He spotted a dragon carved from ice slowly spinning in a circle above its pedestal, or a collection of rings looping in on one another.

    And those were just the few of many interesting things that caught his eye. Almost every item had its own aura, a sensation brushing against his skin. The feeling was in a limbo of not unpleasant, but not comfortable either.

    “What we’re getting from him is rather simple. Some lock breakers, warding totems, and a few stealth items. I know where those are, so you two, stay nearby me. And again, don’t touch anything, and don’t bother anyone.”

    They both nodded again, the ruleset clear. Hawthorne was once again pleased, and began heading down one of the aisles, Jade and Carlos following.

    As they walked, he noticed that Melissa was going down her own path, in a differing direction from theirs. He could only wonder what she was getting, unless she was splitting paths to speed up the gear obtaining process.

    As they walked, Hawthorne pointed out various artifacts, and give some quick facts or details about them.

    “See those five clay orbs over there, the connected ones? Those will seperate, and as long as you wield the main controlling unit, you can effortlessly control the other four that de-attach, sending them flying into your targets.”

    The clay orbs in question where a blob of five light brown clay spheres painted with green stripes.

    “Are they extra strong? Clay doesn’t seem very durable for smashing into things.” Jade asked.

    “They’re magically enhanced as far as I am aware, so I would say yes.”

    “Neat.”

    As they moved on, Hawthorne continued to point out artifacts.

    “That wooden jug there? It can store an enormous amount of liquid, of almost any kind. If I recall, about a small lake’s worth. Which, for spatial artifacts, is nigh unheard of. It’s a shame it is only for fluids.”

    Hawthorne made a sudden turn, and they swiftly moved to follow him along.

    “Ah, we’re approaching a lockbreaker. As the name implies, it breaks locks open. The one I have in mind if it isn’t already in use is one of the quieter ones.”

    Carlos was able to pick it out from the crowd of hovering artifacts as Hawthorne strolled towards the pedestal, floating above it a clockwork contraption in the rough shape of a dome.

    “Excellent, no one took it, meaning we can use it ourselves. Personally, I always find this to be fascinating to watch in action.”

    Hawthorne had a pleased tone, carefully cradling the contraption in their arms.

    “How does the borrowing system work, anyways? Do you just take anything you want?” Jade asked, wanting to know more about how the Vault functioned. Carlos had to admit that he, too, was curious.

    “Sorta. Things in the Vault are ranked, and you can tell by the number on their pedestal. For example,” Hawthorne pointed to the now empty pedestal the lockbreaker once hovered over, the containment beam now red. Near the base of the pedestal, was the number one, boldly engraved.

    “Level Ones, like this lockbreaker, are the most common, mainly take and register with the Vault Keeper that it’s in your possession and estimated time of return. Level Twos require explicit permission from either the Vault Keeper, or someone with equal or higher position in the Guild. They’re rarer than Level Ones, but you’d be able to spot one without too much looking.”

    Hawthorne paused in his lecture, making a sharp turn to the left. The sudden silence reminded him of the shifting shadows above. Despite the plentiful light source from the floor lights, Carlos felt that something was watching him from up above from the shadows on the ceiling.

    However, the short hooded Mage resumed.

    “Now, Level Three are the Big Fun Stuff. In other words, they’re the most powerful and/or dangerous of all the artifacts, and require permission from the Guild Master to use. I believe there are around three to five? The exact number isn’t known for security reasons, and they’re all kept elsewhere, in a separate Vault.”

    “That’s pretty cool. Have you ever been able to use one?” Carlos asked.

    Hawthorne had a short chuckle at his words.

    “How I wish. No, I have not, unfortunately. Primarily for lack of a reason to need one.”

    “Do you know about any of them? What they or what they do?” Jade inquired.

    Hawthorne thought about it as they walked down the aisles of pedestals.

    “Coincidently, the one I know of is an artifact that once belonged to your Grandpa. It was one of his Hole-puncher prototypes, that we were able to find before any Company got their grubby hands on it. If I recall, it appears like an oversized revolver made from some sort of blue metal and a dark wood.”

    “I think I know what you’re talking about. It’s supposed to be a family secret, but we, too have one of Grandpa’s Hole-puncher prototypes. Its descriptions match yours. It’s one of the few direct remnants we have of him.”

    Jade sounded saddened by her own statement. Carlos knew she always wanted to meet her Grandpa, who she admitted to him long ago, one of her greatest heroes in life.

    “Well, that’s fascinating. And don’t worry, your secrets safe with me. My word on it, or I’ll drop down dead. But if I remember well, and do excuse me, a lot of this is memory based, your Grandpa’s Hole-punchers fit the name well.”

    Jade laughed.

    “The family saying goes, ‘The hole encompasses the entire body.’”

    Hawthorne also had a chuckle at that. He shifted the clockwork lockbreaker is arms to a more comfortable hold.

    “A good saying, if the reports I have heard near the truth. But here we are, to our next item.”

    Hawthorne waved them closer, with the contraption nestled into their side, to inspect a flag-looking thing. Its long pole was constructed from an iron metal, but the actual flag part was hard to look at. Every time his eyes looked at it, it would shift and adjust in ways that made his eyes want to roll off it, and look at something thing.

    It was a highly curious effect, one that was starting to make his eyes hurt. Jade as well, was looking more toward the ground than up at the flag. Hawthorne had another laugh at their expense.

    “Potent, ain’t it. Plant this lovely thing into the ground, and it’ll produce an ignore me field that causes onlookers to look another way. Most wards detect and search for invisibility effects and enchantments, and this is a way to bypass that while maintaining a reliable method of stealth. Best part is you can hold it, albeit for a reduced area of effect.”

    “What’s to stop someone from just using that and walking out of here?” Carlos asked.

    Hawthorne turned to give him a funny look.

    “Well, for one, a sense of honor, and two, the wards here are tuned to the field the flag creates. In fact, using any of the artifacts here would set off various alarms, regardless of the actual effects. On the plus side, you’ll be too dead to care about the noise of all that, but it’s a real bother to everyone else in the Vault.”

    “Oh.”

    The final part of Hawthorne’s statement was made so matter-of-fact, that it was kinda funny. Hawthorne hummed for a moment, before moving over to place the lockbreaker into Carlos’s arms.

    “Here, hold this.”

    “Okay.”

    A quick exchange that left him carrying the mechanical thing like it was but a precious, delicate babe. The lockbreaker was light by no means and had a heft to it. Not unmanageable, but definitely noticeable. Jade gave him a look that plainly asked if he needed help, but he shook his head no.

    Meanwhile, Hawthorne had grabbed the flag, giving it a quick look over to make sure everything was in order. After his inspection was to his satisfaction, he ambled back to the duo. He carried the flag in a way a lumberman might carry his axe, resting against his shoulder.

    “Now, be careful with that. Drop that, or otherwise break it, and it’s all our heads on the line. I’m not sure about you, but I like remaining on the Guild’s good side.” The mage had a serious demeanor, but his grey eyes sparkled with amusement of some kind.

    “Well, come on now, we gotta meet back up with Melissa.”

    Hawthorne began his jaunty walk back in the direction where Carlos could see a glint of Melissa’s large shiny appearance. He moved how he held the lockbreaker, being very wary of the idea of dropping the clockwork artifact, but how he held it now, some sticking out gears were poking into his side. As he did so, he retreated to his thoughts as he followed Hawthorne, his steps on autopilot.

    The short hooded mage really was an enigmatic figure, Carlos mused, following the man. Despite them having been his instructor for the past couple of weeks, he knew almost nothing of the man, and had seen only glimpses of his primary magic style, the sigils. But every time he witnessed it, it was a sight to behold.

    But he has also built himself as a person that Carlos looked up to. The mage was confident, in the way that bespoke of expansive experience rather than arrogance. He also had his own sense of humor, which Carlos appreciated over the stuck-up-ness he’s witnessed other Mages have, case in point the man from earlier.

    Frankly, his control over his Ego was something that Carlos really wanted to mimic. He’s never once seen Hawthorne give in to it. Despite their many magical sparring lessons and practices, he remained the same man throughout.

    Melissa was also her own person, and a rather terrifying Cultivator, all things considered. Maybe cause he only had Jade as a baseline, but the brass giant was completely capable of wiping the floor with both of them, as their physical sparring lessons have shown.

    He knew it was due in part to the fact that they were both still teenagers going against a full-grown adult, but even Jade didn’t stand a chance in one on one sparring. Despite the armor plate that she wore, Melissa could be fast when she wanted to, and the resulting clang was the war drums going off, warning you of danger.

    Regardless, he was drawn from his inner ruminations as they approached the armored Cultivator in question who had turned to face them. Hawthorne warmly met her, brandishing the ignore-me flag he currently wielded. Carlos shifted the weight of the lockbreaker once more, to try to remain comfortable.

    In her own brass gauntlet, Melissa had a collection of black and grey discs, roughly the size of hockey pucks. He couldn’t glean too much detail off of them, as it was difficult to glean any inscription from the dark material.

    “Excellent, you got them.” Hawthorne was evidently pleased. Melissa remained impassive. However, the mage continued.

    “I take it that the climbing steps are already in use.”

    Melissa nodded.

    “It’s a shame, but we got what we primarily needed, so those not being here is not a big deal.”

    Melissa shrugged, her armor rustling as she did so.

    Jade decided to ask about those.

    “Climbing steps? What?”

    Hawthorne answered without looking back.

    “Convenient platforms you can press against walls to make a stair case where ever you needed, specifically designed to not trigger wards. Helpful to have, certainly, but not a break or make artifact to have for this mission.”

    “I see. And the discs?” Jade continued her inquiries. Carlos was also highly curious, but she kept beating him to the punch.

    “Just some silencers, we slap those onto ourselves, and certain equipment and we won’t be making a peep. A group of silent, forgettable people can get in a lot of places, especially with the correct wear. Now, any more questions?”

    Jade thought about it for a swift moment, before a verbal negative.

    “Okay. Great! We have everything, and all this beyond the flag I have are Level Ones, so we’ll register with the Vault Keeper, and I have a signed pass from a higher up for the flag, as this was mission was prediscussed with us.”

    He once again shifted how he held the lockbreaker, which caused Jade to give him another look. While it would be easier to hand it to her, with the way Hawthorne handed it to him, Carlos realized he wanted to prove himself this way to the mage, another reason for his hesistance.

    Jade shrugged at his lack of response, and turned back to face Hawthorne and Melissa who were discussing something that Carlos missed while making delicate movements to re-adjust the lockbreaker.

    He was starting to think he had an understand of the contraption operated, but he was also sure that he was just fooling himself. Nevertheless, he did find a few small metallic levers and switches near the base of the mechanical thing.

    Hawthorne turned to face the duo once more, his movements measured as to not knocking anything over with the flag.

    “Onwards we go, to the Vault Keeper!” He exclaimed. His enthusiastic demeanor was met with another snort from Melissa. The man set a quick stride, making his way through the grid. As they walked through the artifacts, and Carlos made sure he had a confident grip on the lockbreaker, he glanced around.

    The first detail he noticed, when they first entered here, was that weapons were rare. That still maintained being true, as standard bladed weaponry was few and between. It did make him wonder why a good portion of those wandering out of the Vault from earlier had weapons. He supposed it could be they were the most noticeable, as he paid more attention to them than to anyone else who he thought was walking empty-handed.

    However, as they walked through the grid, Carlos noticed a familiar figure, the haughty mage from earlier. The man noticed him as well, and was staring at him with unkind eyes. Before he could avert his gaze, the mage made an obscene gesture, before turning abruptly to continue about his business.

    He tried to keep the encounter out of his mind, but it was somewhat difficult to. Still, he marched on behind Hawthorne, lockbreaker in gentle grasp as Jade walked in the middle, empty-handed.

    It wasn’t long before they reached the entrance of the Vault, the thick, imposing doors resolutely shut. As they approached, a runic circle sparked to life, Arcane symbols interconnecting across glowing blue lines.

    Hawthorne motioned for them to stand in it, and so Carlos stepped inside. While he acclimated to the general feeling of the Vault, with all the auras pressing against him, he was not prepared for the sensation of being inside the circle.

    It was like someone rifled through every pocket, fold, or crease on him, searching for something. The lockbreaker felt warm in his hands now, instead of the original metallic cool. It was now outlined in a green mesh, same as the flag Hawthorne carried, and the silencer discs held by Melissa. A ring on Jade’s finger was highlighted in a mesh yellow for a brief moment before it flashed away without any further action. He took it that was her spatial ring, and it passed the search.

    After the circle was done checking over them for any hidden away artifacts, it found the results presumably passable. A projection of the Vault Keeper appeared, the same golem from before, the one that let them in.

    Its featureless face attached to its elongated neck, turned to toward Hawthorne. Keeping the green outlined flag in the crook of his neck as he rummaged inside his robes for something, he swiftly pulled out a folded paper slip.

    Unfolding it, he showed it to the Vault Keeper, who checked it over before nodding in what Carlos hoped was approval. The runic circle flashed out of existence, just as fast as it originally arrived.

    With a ratcheting click, and then a clank, the Vault doors began to slide open. Taking that as their cue, the group of them made their way outside the doors, squeezing through the crack and now back in the main connecting hallway.

    The Vault Keeper was currently in discussion with another potential entree, and paid them no mind as they all shuffled past them, careful grips on their borrowed artifacts. As they walked, Carlos was thankful for the lack of stares and the such. He was worried about unwanted attention, like the encounter from before.

    Nothing came to pass as the left the main hallway, slowly leaving people behind back to the far more empty pathways of the other section of the Guild underchambers. He knew he asked Hawthorne this before, but he already forgot the answer.

    “Why is there nobody in these parts, again? Besides us, of course.” He inquired.

    Much to his surprise, it was Melissa who answered him this time. Her answer was short; gruff.

    “There are others. They just come out when lessons happen. By the time lessons are over, they are gone again.”

    Hawthorne nodded in agreement with her words, picking them up and finishing them.

    “Pretty much it. If you were to walk out in the middle of our lovely lessons, handcrafted just for you, you’d run into someone. Of course, why you would want to do is beyond me.”

    Hawthorne gave a small laugh to himself.

    “Let’s get on our way, I need to show how all this works, yes?”