The first location in Liberty to get a Field Standard was a small shop at the farthest border. Unlike the other four, the fifth and final ring in the city had only a few dozen highlighted locations. It threw him off a little, but until he traveled there in person, he likely wouldn’t get the whole picture.

  Since first receiving his Calling, the map had always been somewhat frustrating. He could see the shops and places, but to learn what he was looking at, the map forced him to zoom in and search for the name. That’s why, since the beginning, he’d always had to study it. Learn from it. Get a feel for what to expect as he looked at each section.

  But with Field Standard, that was all about to get much easier.

  Moving the screen closer, Cass picked an odd-looking place and searched out the name. The design of the small location was interesting. It was shaped like two intersecting lines, almost like an X, with a small circular area at the center. From his skewed perspective, it could fit maybe twenty people at once.

  Even more interesting was that the back of the shop was three times the size of the rest. There was even a small wall rising up around it, cutting off the view for those on the outside.

  Cass searched for a moment, then spotted the signage and clicked on his ability to tag the spot with Field Standard. Setting it, he entered the data, extrapolated the shop's purpose, then confirmed his wording.

  Caligula’s End: A bar in the Fifth Ring

  A small screen appeared after that, offering him various customization options. It was a nice touch that he hadn’t known would appear, allowing him to really set up what the flag would look like.

  As it was a bar, Cass went with the tried-and-true blue color to set it apart as a civic location. Skipping past a few other options, he confirmed his choice, then clicked out of it and watched as the text within the flag expanded anytime his eyes landed on it.

  That’s when a notification appeared.

  Would you like to turn this Field Standard into an Anchor?

  Note: Only one Anchor may exist for a 50-foot radius.

  As it was the only lit-up shop in the area, Cass went ahead and confirmed it. What was a small flag suddenly grew in size, and an anchor motif attached itself to the bottom of the flag upside down. Spread across it were three boxes, so Cass clicked on the first.

  Template selected for: Caligula’s End: A bar in the Fifth Ring

  System note: This Annex is restricted to Delivery Quests only. For additional options, move to your personal Command Center.

  “Thank you, System. That’s just what I’ll do.”

  The ledger for his pre-built Templates appeared, but Cass had other plans. Standing up and closing the map, he cut off the connection to the Annex, then took three long steps away.

  Looking at the clear, white wall before him, Cass called forth his upgraded map, then sighed. Seeing Command Center again was more than a small bit of relief. He’d worked hard to get the experience that finally unlocked Tactician. Just the thought of losing the ability to review everything in such precise detail had worried him more than a little.

  Expanding the map to cover the entirety of the wall, he easily found the fifth ring again, and the text expanded in his view just as it had on the Annex. Clicking on the template box, the same message appeared, only this time, without the System note. As a test, Cass clicked on one of the first templates he’d ever created, then finalized his choice.

  1st template for Caligula’s End is now set.

  This template cannot be removed or changed for 24 hours.

  Remaining location Anchors available: 2/3

  Cass nodded, “It seems like upgrading Standard was an excellent choice. This is going to make things fly much faster after everything is all set up.” He looked at the flag and noticed the Anchor had rotated a healthy amount.

  Probably turns itself fully upright when all three templates are assigned. I’ll hold off on that for now.

  Going back to the Annex, he sat down and then pulled up the same location. The new template he’d assigned was for a message, something the restrictions didn’t allow him to see. As expected, the template was grayed out.

  “Okay, now I know you’re messing with me.” Cass sighed, “Whatever, I’ll just do it through Command Center.”

  Leaning back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling, he let his thoughts meander. What he planned to do would get him into some trouble. Yes, there was a good reason for it, and everything about it felt right deep down.

  But there would be trouble. He knew, from how she’d reacted to his first Quest, that the Senior QuestWright would be coming for him before the day was through. That meant he’d have to act in a certain, detestable way to keep suspicions from rising. But that was just part of his job in Liberty.

  Few people actively watched the town fool.

  Set on his course, Cass began at the beginning. Moving left from Caligula’s End, he began the long, laborious process of placing a Field Standard at every single location that was highlighted. Since the shops were few and far between, his eyes had an easy time traveling across the area before the flag would expand in size, covering the area.

  He made sure to apply the different colors necessary to make his job even easier, sticking with the color-coding he’d learned in Liora. Red for guard stations, blue for civic, green for crafting and trade. He also began to use yellow for anything he didn’t fully understand, like an odd location in the south, mostly filled with women and the few odd men.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  All told, Quirrel visited once more before he was done with the fifth ring, Cass’s leaning tower of folders growing to cover his vision as the Clerk worriedly looked at him before leaving. He felt a little guilty about what was going to happen, but there was nothing he could do about it.

  “He doesn’t seem like a bad sort, so I’ll make it up to him later. Maybe the same way that I’m helping out Ana.”

  Soon enough, the Fifth ring had every building highlighted, and Cass moved on to the fourth. This was the worst of the bunch, as numerous shops and locations were clustered together. As such, and unlike the Fifth that held Anchors in every location, he skipped that process. He’d come back to it once his plan was fully in action.

  Moving across the fourth ring took the better part of two hours. Soon enough, his expected problem came bursting through the door.

  “What are you doing in here!” The shark-like Senior QuestWright yelled at him, “Look at that heap of Re-Quests! How many have you completed so far? Seven, eight? You do realize you have over a hundred more to go. They don’t stop just because you’re not completing them.”

  Cass slipped into his acting role like putting on a moth-eaten suit. Hunching his shoulders and squinting his eyes, he put on his best anxiety-filled expression as he looked up at the older woman.

  “I’m sorry, it’s just so much at once!”

  Hollis had taught him, and Moore had confirmed, that the less that others knew about his abilities, the better. By pretending to be slow and overwhelmed, he’d likely get more sympathy than if he told them that he was setting himself up for great success in the future.

  The plan was as beautiful as it was ambitious. Set up Field Standards and Anchors all across the map of Liberty. Pre-build templates and Anchor them to every shop that sees continuous usage.

  But that’s where the problem arose. How would he know which shops see the most action? Simple. He’d wait until all of the Quests came in, feign that he was slow, build up all of the flags while the mountain of folders grew, then compare all of the Re-Quests at once.

  He figured that with 141 more Quests to come in, and with Profile soft-collecting information for him, he’d have a real chance of understanding which locations to Anchor. He wouldn’t be one-hundred percent accurate on the first day, but he’d have a good basis to start with. Something he could build upon as more days passed.

  By sacrificing his reputation with Liberty today, Cass estimated that his future work time would be cut in half. Add in that you gained both Dockings and Bonuses based on not just route efficiency, but time as well, and he knew that his Re-Quests would come in and fly out only moments later.

  As for how to set up templates that constantly shift the ending location, he’d already tested it once with Caligula’s End. The first template he’d placed within had not had a final destination, yet it had appeared in the outliner already mostly filled out. Once he understood the repeats, everything would fall into place, and he’d have a solid logistical structure for his work.

  But first, he had to take a beating, and what better way to seem slow and inept than to act as if he truly had the emotional wisdom of his age. Not that the Senior QuestWright’s face showed any of the expected sympathy the situation warranted.

  She tapped her foot on the ground twice, “This is unacceptable. Because of you and your issues, dozens of Quests are unfulfilled right now. Do I need to collect those folders myself and complete them for you? All 148 must be ready for pickup by the start of the morning.”

  She stepped closer, seeming to loom over him. “Do you have any idea how many Dockings that would add up to?”

  Yes, in fact. At 141 Quests, divided by five…oh no, math. Why is it always math with this job?

  Cass’s grimace wasn’t feigned as he slumped in his chair, “I’ll get them done, Senior QuestWright. I promise. Even if I have to stay here all night.”

  “Yes, you will.” Giving him another few seconds of her glare, Cass had to keep looking nervous until she stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

  “Alright, that’s done.” Cass shrugged off the act and sat up straight. He was back at his work within moments. “Now, Quirrel should be bringing me another two stacks of Delivery Quests before the intake is closed for the day. I need to get the fourth ring done before then.”

  So he dove back in, tagging and identifying every highlighted location. Few in the fourth ring were restaurants, and of those that were, each was designed more as a buffet or cafeteria than anything else. But as he’d noticed earlier in the morning, the fourth ring was designed as the main storage location for the city. Loading yards, storage buildings, and vast stables filled most of the sector.

  By the time he was just a few minutes away from finishing with it, a stressed Quirrel walked in. Judging by the folderous mountain’s growth, he’d already visited twice more and Cass hadn’t noticed.

  “QuestWright Vale, I’m afraid we’ve fallen very far behind in our first day together.”

  Cass leaned forward and put his elbows on the desk. Lacing his fingers together, he looked at the anxious young Clerk, “You’re right, Quirrel, and I’m sorry. I promise, this will be the only time that things are this bad. I’ve only been in the city for a moment, and yet, here I am. I’ll try to make it up to you on our Free Day.”

  “Wait, free days, I know that term from somewhere…” Quirrel said with a perplexed look.

  “It’s Sunday, right? Do they do a different day in Liberty?”

  There was a pause, then his expression brightened, “Ah, I remember hearing about that now. That’s not something we do in Liberty.”

  Cass sat there looking at him and waiting for a different response, but he could tell the man wasn’t acting. “There’s no Free Days in Liberty? No days off where you can relax or go and visit friends and family?”

  “Of course not. It’s a point of pride for Libertians that our work efficiency is so high. If you’re sick, go see a healer. If you’re tired, inform your supervisor and do your very best to work through it. Why would we willingly waste time?”

  He gave a beautiful smile, but it had the opposite intended effect as a chill fell down Cass’s back. The man gestured as he continued speaking, “But at least here, when we finish early, we have a shorter workday than those in the Rings. That is, except the first ringers.” The way he said it brought a slight scowl to his face before he wiped it away.

  That’s no fake-out; he really doesn’t like the people in the first ring. Cass thought as he reflected on what the Clerk had just told him. No Free days. This place really is hell. It’s all work work work, money money money, with a pinch of talking about efficiency. Bunch of bastards. Who designs a city, or even more so, a society like that? None of this is Quirrel’s fault; he’s just wrapped up in the demagoguery.

  Cass shook his head, “Forget I mentioned anything about it. How about this: give me a few days, and I’ll make sure you get something special. Something just for you. However, it has to stay between us. You can’t go around telling people what I gave you. Is that a deal?”

  Quirrel nodded, “That sounds great, Cass.”

  Cass breathed a sigh of relief. Didn’t call me QuestWright Vale that time. Quirrel’s not so bad, he’s just young and inexperienced. Then again, so am I. Former temporary Guildmaster or not.

  Smiling, Cass waved at him, “Go ahead and head home. I’ll take care of all this, and it’ll be waiting for you in the morning.’

  Quirrel shook his head, “I can’t leave until all of the Quests are complete for the day. If I’m seen heading home while you’re still working, I’ll be docked.”

  “Oof, okay. Well, go ahead and go back to your office for now, Quirrel. I’ll keep working at it and get things done as soon as I can. And, I apologize again. This won’t happen a second time.”

  The Clerk smiled at him wanly, as if not quite believing him. “It’s okay, Cass. I know you’re new. Don’t stress too much. I’ll go get some paperwork done that I’ve been putting off.”

  “Thank you, Quirrel.”

  Once the Clerk left, Cass went back at it. The fourth ring was only moments from completion, then the other three still needed doing. He was in for a long night, but with the changes to his sleep schedule, he didn’t think it would be so bad.

  Tidying up the fourth, he was only partly through the third when he took a brief break. Tapping into his innate feeling for her, Cass checked on Bella. She was closer, though he could tell there was still quite a distance to travel.

  “Get here soon, girl.”

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