Back inside the kitchen, Olga was still chortling to herself, as she went about merrily putting together that morning’s breakfast out of whatever she could scrapped from the trashed cellar.

  “That woman,” mother Dana smiled, “has always been the strongest one among us…”

  “Erm…” from his stool, Nate fidgeted with his fingers, “I actually meant to ask you a favor…”

  The nun turned to stare at him.

  “You know, boy? My father never raised a hand to any of his children, but if he had to deal with half the headaches you cost me these days…”

  The kid tried to make himself smaller.

  “I’m sorry…”

  Dana threw a speculative glance at him, then sighed from what should have been the umpteen time that morning.

  “You are a Gold, aren’t you?” she stated more than she asked.

  “Wh-what?! How did you kn….? I mean, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “Fine. Be that way. But I am not giving you any more lessons until you tell me the truth.”

  “I… Damnit! Ok! I am Gold Tier! I have three skills, all of them bronze… Happy…!?But how did you know?”

  “You were hardly conspicuous about it. Though, I must admit I first believed you a Silver.”

  “Look, I was just being cautious! Like I told you many times; I know nothing about this world. I wanted more information before deciding what to do.”

  “Verry wise,” the nun nodded, “Gold tiers, especially children, are very much coveted. Someone like you, with no apparent tides to a noble family… Well, let’s just say your caution was warranted, and that’s not something normally found on boys your age…” she mused aloud that last part in a softer voice.

  “See! Like I told you! I am a grownup man!”

  “I am half tempted to believe you, Nathan.”

  “Really…!?”

  “But then, if you are an adult man, how should I understand your intruding in my room during the middle of the night? You are aware that can easily stain a lady’s honor.” She corked a delicate eye brow, almost suggestively.

  “I…!” Nate blushed, suddenly very aware of how beautiful the young nun was, “I wasn’t trying to do anything… I-I just wanted someone to talk to…”

  “Oh? And what exactly weren’t you trying to do to me?”

  “I-I… I wasn’t… I didn’t… I’d never…” he mumbled awkwardly.

  “I am just teasing you, child.” Dana chuckled, “Consider it a bit of a payback for waking me up so rudely.”

  “…”

  “Let’s see,” Dana continued, ignoring Nate’s bit-red face, “given your tier, I can find you a respectable family among Hapsburg’s patricians. Rest assured; I will personally interview them before making a decision, to guarantee they treat you well and share their Legacy with you.”

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  “Legacy?” curiosity bathe over Nate, washing away his embarrassment like dust in the river, “I think I came across that word while reading in a few odd contexts… Does it have another meaning? Something skill related perhaps?”

  “Very astute. Hmm… I suppose this topic would merit a lesson… Fine, since I am already awake, I’ll do you that favor and reward you for more or less completing your third task. Though instead of a one-hour lesson I’ll answered three questions. That should teach you not to repeat this stunt.”

  “Oh! I wasn’t going to…” Nate started to explain the favor he truly meant to ask, but then realized there was a bug to be exploited, because he was lucky to get this much after what he did. He continued stiffly, “I wasn’t going to ask for anything else.”

  Dana snorted, arching an eyebrow, but instead of commenting on his mistake, she said:

  “Do you still want to know about Legacies?”

  “N-no! First, tell me, are my suppositions, right? The ones I told you about in your room.”

  “Yes and no.”

  “…”

  “…”

  “And?!”

  “And what? I answered, didn’t I?” She smiled coyly.

  “You…! Ugh! Damnit! You are just going to answer the bare minimum! I fell for the oldest trick in the book!”

  “Two questions left.” she chirped in a sing song voice, “Better made them count!”

  He squinted at her.

  “Aren’t you enjoying this a tad too much?”

  “Yes, I am.” Dana grinned like a Cheshire cat, “And that left you with one question.”

  “FU…”

  “If you finish that word, I will assume you are asking what happens when my patience runs out.” a shadow passed through her eyes, “Trust me, you don’t want to know that.”

  “FUN!” he said through clenched teeth, “You are so much fun mother Dana!”

  “I am glad you think so. Then? What is your last question?”

  Nate sighed.

  “Fine. You win. Mother Dana, what can you tell me about skill related Legacies?”

  “What a smart question,” she smiled sweetly, “but let me clarify something first; what you describe to me when you so carelessly entered into my chambers without my permission;” Nate winced at every word, “those functions you noticed in your skills and so amusingly called superpowers, are actually called Aspects. The level of a skill is directly correlated to how many Aspects of it you have cultivated. Some are more evident like the ones you mention, others are more arcane. The collection of skillsets, the insights required to cultivate their Aspects, and the methods to train the young; all these things are what constitute the Legacy of a house.”

  “Wait! So, when I read in the history manual a king of the south betrayed his allies for their Legacy…?”

  “Ah! That must have been Masgorth the Ruthless. He turned on the Margrave de Ouleyer, his loyal servant and childhood friend, to steal his family’s Legacy. The story is quite tragic, because without the margrave to defend the borders of his kingdom, it quickly fell to outside enemies: An extreme case, but it goes to show the importance people give to Legacies, especially in the southern kingdoms.”

  “Huh… that explain somethings… For what I read, even at the same tier, some skills are simply better than others; being able to consistently produce better workers, craftsmen or warriors can made or break entire countries, given how much these people depend on skills instead of technology… Hold up! Something doesn’t add up here. You say cultivate this, cultivate that but what does that mean? How do you cultivate an Aspect exactly? You made it sound as if you are doing something to the skill, while in my experience it fell more like I was discovering a hidden feature that was already there…”

  “Aha, no; We had a deal. No more questions. You will have to hold that thought until you have completed your fourth task.”

  “A-and that is?”

  “To keep your tier a secret for a month.”

  “A MONTH! But I…”

  “Child,” she said, suddenly very serious, “You read the encyclopedia, but did it explain how rare Gold tiers are?”

  “N-no?” he said, taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor.

  “Of the ten thousand people or so that live in this town, only a fourth must be Silver tier. Knowing that, how many Golds do you think there are?”

  “A thousand? A hundred?”

  “Seven.” Dana’s eyes fixed him with growing intensity, “You can count them with your fingers, and only five of them came from Harpsburg’s patrician houses… Nathan, some of those people won’t hesitate to burn down this orphanage if you threaten their precious status-quo.”

  He gulped, and Dana nodded at the fear in his eyes.

  “You had the right idea. You are in a very vulnerable position right now. Secrecy is your best shield.” She stood up from the table, “well, I can only trust you’ll do your best to keep your tier under wraps. Now, if you excuse me, I must speak to the constables for any news on Zoly and Laura…”

  “Wait!” Nate shook off his paled face and grabbed her by the hem of her robe at the last moment, “I actually wanted to talk to you about that...”