The floor above the third and fourth slivers was a vast hall. The cutlery had been summoned to it via a psychic message calling her to the stairs. She now sat in a large grid of chairs with the other low slivers. Even the way firsts were present. At the front of the room the platinum sat on a small metal throne, the four golds flanked them and rattled off advice.
The tall room's arced ceilings echoed their voices. They closed their mouths as the Platinum raised their hands.
"The Temple has accelerated. It should arrive on day four of the schedule. Due to this everyone will be working sixteen hours that day." The platinum said calmly. He looked over the crowd until some murmuring died down.
"The heretics and other enemies of Zurkonia will be accelerating their schedules as well. Do not think us stretched thin. Thwart plans you see and continue the good work. The minor infractions up until the point are nothing compared to what will occur when the Temple arrives. Tomorrow's work is unchanged. Dismissed." The platinum said with a waved hand. They stood and turned for the door. The golds practically fell over each other to get more advice in their ear as they left.
The crowd of slivers burst into conversation. Thirds like Cutlery rallied the firsts into a group and herded them down the stairs. Cutlery stood quietly behind the writhing mass of youths as everyone slowly moved downward.
"This reminds me of end-of-school assemblies!" One first said cheerily to their friend. Cutlery hadn't ever gone to school. That first sliver who has spoken was likely older technically. Both of the conversing firsts were in the rebellion if Cutlery remembered them right. The first sliver quests were really just misplacing supplies and fight guards if it came down to it. That was a far cry from school assemblies.
Cutlery returned the firsts back into their little cell-like bedrooms. Back on her floor, she flopped into bed and fell asleep early. Her mind did not want to think at all.
The next morning Cutlery awoke to quiet. Soon she would have to walk the cold walk out into the city to resume her patrol. Feeling around her bedside table she felt the flimsy paper that marked she was allowed to leave the tower. Anyone below a gold needed a pass to exit. At least she had that to remind her she was basically a child prisoner.
She had dreamt she died of old age because of her sliver aging her. Was that how it would work? Did she just lose ten years or more of her life to the sliver skipping them to make her a better warrior? Questions for another time.
That morning Cutlery was happy to see the cook was up early. Sadly, the cook put wide noodles that watered her eyes with spice. Spice in the morning was quite invigorating. Perhaps, she thought, it was a good breakfast. By swiping a small box Cutlery took her food to her guard duty.
She ate in the cold dawn light looking down on the nearly empty street. A few snoring drunks were leaning on each other amid the merchants setting up for the day. Today Cutlery was involved in a rebel plan. Since the Temple accelerated the fourths and even the fifths were beginning to set up something big.
Cutlery didn't know the details but Jake let her know the minimum to do her job well. He had said,
"The fifths and fourths are placing the gold ritual parts about the city. If you see any get placed near you, replace them with these from Tool." Jake handed her four small stone statues of various animals like a penguin, a blowfish, a seahorse, and an ant.
Lutae rose over the mountains and shone down on her. The street below was still dim. The bay glittered in Lutae's blue light.
Silver sashes flew all over the city in force today. Many rich folks needed specific items for important events. Not many could afford a silver sash delivery. Cultery picked out one woman flying just above the rooftops. She wore a helmet and goggles. A rope tied to a large box stretched taut below her. Banners of cloth trailed from the box and flapped as the silver flew by.
Then she saw one of the fifth slivers in the distance. They were in disguise as a common worker but they kept using a floating magic hand to reach things above them. Plus they were in a group of four which screamed adventuring party. The nail in the coffin was everyone being ripped, beautiful, etc.
All four of them were hanging streamers made from swirls of three colors. Every now and then one of them would stuff something inside the streamers. Cutlery didn't know if they were in the rebellion or not. A distant boom echoed from the directions of the mountains and Cutlery jerked to look.
A yellow wave phased through the mountain to her left. It was fast enough to reach her building by the time she had turned her head. It rushed over the city and out to the horizon. A yellow beam, this one twice as close, shot over the peak of the mountain. Cutlery sat stunned and then realized something. The Temple was closing in on Zurkonia. Cutlery wondered if she would have time to replace all three statues.
With as much casual style as possible, Cutlery watched where they put each statue. If she didn't know where they put each statue then she would have to investigate the entire length of the rope. That would take forever, and it would also likely get her caught.
The fifths worked quickly. As the market started to spring to life they had already moved past her roof. Cutlery was pretty sure where three of their ritual statues were stored in the rope.
Cutlery got up and walked to the edge of the roof. They had placed three statues within the rope near her. She quickly shoved her hand into the rope and yanked the statue out. She replaced it with her own.
The street below was still low traffic. Cutlery began to move. She jumped three roofs downward and came up on the closest statues. Then she saw an empty food stand shake and bump. Cutlery stopped and looked carefully at the wooden structure. What had bumped it? No one stood from behind it. Curiosity took control and Cutlery clambered down to the street.
The food stand was empty. Investigation revealed footprints in the alleyway sludge behind the stand. Listening carefully she could still hear the schlorping suck of footprints deeper in.
Cutlery went down the alleyway to follow. Hopefully, someone forgot something on the stand and she missed them. Worst case, someone had seen her place the statue in the rope. Which would likely end with Haze beheading her with his giant invisible sword. That after a few days of torture and questioning.
The footsteps got louder. Cutlery slowed at a bend in the alley and peaked ahead. all she saw was an open alleyway. A splatter of mud shot up from the ground ahead of her. No apparent source had kicked it up.. Only the long trail of feet sliding across the ground.
Invisibility, Cutlery remembered. Instead of hurling daggers where they probably stood Cutlery narrowed her eyes and made her best-confused face. Her performance had her looking around the alleyway and up at the roofs. Slowly she moved towards where the invisible person stood. Once she was within ten feet she heard the short quiet breaths of someone who had just sprinted.
Metal rang across the alleyway as the figure suddenly moved. At the same time, Cutlery drew her rapier. As a result, Cutlery's jab collided with something hard. Sparks radiated outward to reveal a slowly opacifying figure.
It was one of the fifths, a skinny lizard. Green scales and all, just in a humanoid shape.
