“Aha!” Charles held up a piece of paper and stood up, knocking back his seat. “It seems we’ve reached a crucial part in our decryption if I do say so myself!”

  Tucker lifted his head off the wooden desk and stared at his trembling hand. “Are you sure? It’s been hours since we’ve started, and I feel like my arm has gone numb.”

  “Just be grateful that we discovered something,” Alex said, dropping his pencil and tiredly leaning back into his seat. “Alright Charles, what did you find?”

  “Now, gentlemen, would you like the full discovery or just the important bits?” Charles asked.

  “Just the important bits—”

  Before Tucker could finish his sentence, he felt a sharp pain ache from the side of his kidney. He held back the urge to cry out in pain and glared at Alex, who sent a quick jab to his sides.

  “Ignore him and just tell us what you think we should know, Charles,” Alex replied.

  “Will do! So starting off, your little greenhorn here was on the right track and, thankfully, from what you’ve told me in the past few hours, he’s the one that helped safely deliver these candles.” Charles spun the candle in his hand before placing it before him. “These are what those cloths are supposed to wrap around. It’s the first part of the puzzle, a starting point of sorts if you will.”

  “Right, that makes sense,” Alex said.

  “Now that leads us to the next piece of the puzzle. The messages that we wrote, how many possible variants were there for this set?”

  “Well, that’s an obvious answer. It’s seven,” Tucker replied.

  Charles chuckled, “not exactly. We only have seven because our old bat grabbed seven candles. But let’s say he didn’t take seven, or in fact any. Then how many variations would we have?”

  Tucker’s eyes widened as he stared at the candles. “We…we wouldn’t know.”

  “Exactly, right now the one fact that we know is true. Is that these pieces of fabric are supposed to wrap around those candles to reveal the encrypted message, but that doesn’t mean we would be able to find the contents of the message right away.” Charles triumphantly snapped his fingers with a smile as Alex was still grumbling from the previous comment and said, “In such cases, we need to devise of a method that’ll help determine the correct result.”

  “Since it’s possible, we would be missing the candle or because the circumference of the candles could differ depending on the message,” Tucker said.

  “You, sir, are spot on.” Charles stroked his long grey beard and grinned. “We may need to discover a method to create the first sequence of sentences, but that’s only one of our many worries. It’s what comes after that has me troubled.”

  “Is it the Empire’s encryption method during the first war?” Tucker asked.

  “Indeed.” Charles gave a quick nod, causing Alex to let out a deep and tired sigh.

  “But didn’t we already learn how to encrypt it?” Tucker asked. “Why are you guys reacting like that?”

  “Because it’s a very tedious process, and we kept it a secret within the Order. Few know of it besides those in this room and the Administrators,” Alex replied.

  “Right, but it can’t be that bad, right?”

  “Oh, it is greenhorn. It is…” Charles’s words faded just like his smile. He soon released a tired sigh before clapping his hands together. “But regardless, gentlemen, we’ve made progress. Good progress, in fact.”

  “Then what’s the problem? Solving it is the hard part. Now that we know how it works, everything else should be easy,” Tucker said.

  “You have much to learn, my dear greenhorn.” Charles gently nudged Alex, who tried to ignore him but soon caved in.

  The veteran dejectedly dropped his gaze before focusing on the blank pages in front of him. “Well, the next part of the encryption that we solved is one that takes the contents of the messages and shifts the letters in certain positions.” Alex shook his head and wrote four words with the pencil in his hand onto the piece of paper. He then pushed the page to the rookie. “I shifted these characters seven positions down in the alphabet. Solve it.”

  [ Aopz pz h jpwoly ]

  Tucker stared at the characters written on the page and scoffed. “Alright, easy enough.”

  This is a cipher.

  He read it out in his head and nodded. “Simple enough.”

  “At a glance, yes, but this leads us to our current dilemma,” Charles explained.

  “Huh? What do you mean?” Tucker asked.

  Charles bitterly laughed and rose from his seat. Making his way to a particular part of the chamber, he took out a crate that was filled to the brim with countless pieces of paper and then returned to the table. A loud thud echoed through the room as the box fell onto the table, sending dust flying in all directions.

  From the corner of Tucker’s eyes, he could see Alex sink down with an exhausted expression. His head slowly turned to the crate in horror as he realized what Charles meant. “No…”

  “Yes…” Charles replied.

  “You have to be kidding me. Are all of these what I think they are?!”

  “It’s what your partner and I worked on in the past,” Charles said.

  Tucker rose from his seat and slammed both of his hands on the table. “But there has to be hundreds of these!”

  “I wish it was only a few hundred. That’s one of six crates,” Alex corrected.

  Tucker stood there, baffled. “Wait, did you two solve all of them?”

  Their defeated expressions were enough of an answer for Tucker. He reached into the crate and pulled the pages, examining its contents one by one. A date in the top right-hand corner, then a series of sentences that were scrambled. Each page had the same format, and after briefly checking the contents of the crate, it became clear that it was the same on all the following pages.

  “We did most of the work, but it wasn’t just us. The Administrators used their free time to knock out a page or two occasionally.” Alex pushed the crate over to Tucker. “Feel free to take a look. It’s been years since I’ve last checked these pages, but I can’t be fucked with to check them again.”

  “Have you tried using the dates as a point to find the shift?” Tucker asked.

  “I don’t think so… it’s been so long. I’m afraid my age has gotten the best of me.” Charles turned to Alex, who shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps we did try using it, but there was still an offset, and we couldn’t find the correct shift.”

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  “Yeah, it was an awful time.” Alex shook his head and pointed at the top left corner of the page in Tucker’s hand. “I wrote the offset of each page in the corner in case I ever had to see one of these damned things again.”

  “But there has to be some sort of pattern. Some way for the Empire to decipher their own messages quickly.” Tucker wrote the offset and the dates on a separate page. “We just need to figure it out so let’s write down whatever seems useful.”

  “Easier said than done, but fuck it. There’s not much room to complain, so we’ll try to provide the best support we can.” Alex leaned forward and started copying down the numbers. “Might as well write the names of the sender and who it’s to, as well.”

  The three men pushed in their chairs and picked up their pencils once more. Tucker and Alex looked at each other and let out a tired sigh before beginning their work. While Charles was happily humming at the new task. Bit by bit, the pages within the crate decreased. Forming three separate neat piles on the table. Tucker felt his hand grow numb, but seeing how the other two were diligently working, he forced himself to continue. Even though it was his idea, he hated it and found it boring.

  I can’t do this. Not for a living.

  It was quiet, and his body was sore from constantly sitting in one place for too long. To add to his discomfort, the chairs were made of solid wood and provided no sympathy. He rustled his hair and couldn’t understand how Charles could do this for a living. To be alone in a single area surrounded by only books with no one to talk to would make him crazy. Yet seeing the calm composure from Charles was unexpected. Among the three, he was the quickest, and his level of efficiency was beyond their comprehension. Before he knew it, they were done with the stack and had compiled a collection of records.

  Tucker stared at Charles, who looked up. “I’m just wondering, but don’t you get bored staying here by yourself?”

  “No, I don’t suppose I do. My family has served the Order as librarians for decades. It’s part of our lineage,” Charles replied.

  “Really? But don’t you miss going out into the field?” Tucker asked.

  “Frankly, I don’t miss it at all. I’ve already been through my fair share of missions.” Charles smirked and pointed at Alex. “Unlike a certain someone we know, I actually prefer being a librarian.”

  “It’s not my cup of tea.” Alex groaned while stretching his arms. “Sitting in place for too long makes my joints sore.”

  “Mhm, unlike your fearless senior over there. I’m the opposite.” Charles leaned back with his arms crossed. “I detest field work and prefer to be indoors without needing to socialize.”

  “But don’t you want fame and to be well known for what you’ve accomplished?” Tucker asked.

  Charles burst out into a joyful laughter before shaking his head. “Believe me when I say this child, those who need to know of my accomplishments already do. Besides, not everyone in the Order needs to know every detail of my career.”

  “But wouldn’t it mean more to you if others told your tale?”

  “Hmm…” Charles thought for a moment before stroking his beard. “Would others not knowing about it make it any less valuable?”

  “Well…no… but—”

  “Then you have your answer.” Charles gently tapped the stack of papers on the desk. “Like the work we’ve done to decipher the Empire’s secrets, few know of this except for those in this chamber and the Administrators themselves. But when the time comes, it’ll play a crucial role.”

  “I get that, but wouldn’t having more people see your accomplishments be better?”

  “Be better for who? Is it yourself or someone else?” Charles asked.

  Tucker froze at Charles’ question. He was at a loss for words as he avoided eye contact with the librarian. It was difficult for him to find the right words to say, but throughout his life he’s always felt an urge to prove himself. To show those around him that he wasn’t a failure and that he could accomplish more.

  “Regardless of who you’re trying to impress, young watchman. Let me give you a word of advice.” Charles’ tone shifted as the light in his eyes shined. “The most important work often happens in the quiet, unseen moments where dedication and persistence outshines the need for recognition.”

  “I get that, but I just don’t want others to look down on me.” Tucker kept his head down. “I want others to say my name in awe.”

  “Well, I don’t believe anyone who matters is looking down on you. Am I correct Salamander?” Charles asked.

  “Correct. I may occasionally call you an idiot, Tucker, but you know me. I call everyone I know an idiot. No hard feelings attached.” Alex took out a slender blowpipe from his pouch and brought it to his lips. “If anything, the only one who is placing such heavy burdens on your shoulders is yourself.”

  The old man held out the palm of his hand and watched as flames gathered within the center. As the fire swirled in his hands and took shape. It soon dissipated in all directions, leaving only a small salamander in its place. Sally happily waved its tail and climbed onto Alex’s shoulder. With a delicate shake, its scales shimmered a bright orange hue before shooting a tiny ember from its mouth into the end of the blowpipe, lighting the dried leaves.

  “I try not to pry into the matter of others, but why are you so hard on yourself?” Alex asked, inhaling a puff from his blowpipe. "

  Tucker watched as Sally scurried into Alex’s chest pocket with a downcast gaze. “Well, it’s the same sob story you hear everywhere else…” He scratched the back of his head but stopped once he saw Alex and Charles’ dumbfound expression. “Family issues and failed expectations, I guess.”

  “I see… I can tell it’s not a pleasant situation, but you shouldn’t let others hold you back,” Charles said.

  “If only it was that easy,” Tucker quietly replied.

  The librarian kept quiet, finding it difficult to provide words of comfort. Sometimes, the heaviest burdens were ones that others placed on you, and constantly failing to meet such expectations must have placed a large mental strain on the young watchman. He looked over at Alex and watched as the old man released one last puff of smoke.

  “It’s not a pleasant story, but it won’t change how we see you.” Alex lowered the blowpipe and smirked. “I’ll still see you as the idiot who came charging back after your senior's valiant sacrifice.”

  “In my defense, it all worked out in the end, so I deserve some credit.” Tucker retorted, waving the smoke away with his hand with a forced smile. “Honestly, the fact it went so well should only support my capabilities.”

  Alex rolled his eyes. “Don’t you think calling out your capabilities is a bit of a stretch?”

  “I mean, when you graduate top of your class like me, I wouldn’t say it’s much of a stretch,” Tucker replied with a smirk. “It’s just one of my many talents.”

  “He graduated top of his class?” Charles asked with a hint of surprise.

  “Yeah, I know it’s hard to believe,” Alex replied.

  “No…that actually makes quite a bit of sense.” Charles scanned the papers and wrote the difference between the offsets and the dates. “Because Tucker was right. There is a pattern.”

  Both of them raised their brows at Charles’ words and leaned over. On the sheets of paper that were carefully laid out before Charles, there was a distinct but clear pattern. One that they wouldn’t have found when they initially began deciphering the contents years ago.

  “Look at these two dates. July 10th and August 10th.” Charles tapped the two lines on the table he created. “See if we can find any other dates between these two individuals. Salamander, see if you and Tucker can get me the other records.”

  “Which ones do you need?” Alex asked.

  “The ones labeled in red. It should be the left one from the empty spot on the shelf.” Charles gestured towards the area where the first crate was, causing Alex to nod.

  The old man stood up from his seat and walked towards the section that held the other crates. One by one, he pulled them out and placed them on the ground. “Oi Rookie. Take this and move it over to the table.”

  “On it.” Tucker dragged the crates across the wooden floor, scrapping it against the stone ground, and brought it beside Charles.

  Soon Charles pulled out several pages and copied their contents down into the table he created. As the papers rustled against each other, Charles frantically continued to copy the records onto the pages. Line by line, the table grew, and in a brief moment, Charles placed his pencil down and leaned back. Staring at the newly created rows with a dumbfounded expression.

  Tucker glanced over at one page and held it in his hands. “The offsets the same for General Windsor and Sir Liam on January 16th.”

  “It’s also the same for General Ironguard and Captain Novah on October 31st…” Alex looked at the other two, who reached the same conclusion as him.

  There was a pattern.

  Day 1: Preparing equipment For The Word Mines

  Apparently, I was supposed to bring some sort of bird to detect danger... what a silly idea. Obviously, I would see the danger before a bird would, so the suggestion was rejected.

  That being said, I couldn't get the spaces to properly align in the chapter for the cipher results, and in the end, I decided to use the table.

  Hopefully, the puzzle makes sense.

  I hope you enjoyed the chapter! The formula is pretty simple, so if you play around with the numbers in the table, you should find the pattern after some trial and error.

  P.S. This chapter is long, about 2,764 words after I trimmed it.... The next chapter is also long, with 3,044 words. I did think about wanting to break it up, but some people aren't into the encryption thing, so I figured that it'll be better to just have two big chapters.

  If you're enjoying the story so far, it would mean a lot to me if you could follow, favorite, or leave a review!