Nick smiled at the sight of his wife sitting at the head of the table ignoring her food. She was, as usual, thoroughly engrossed in whatever she was doing on her link. Eyes closed, expression calm, she was the picture of serenity. If he didn’t know better, he might think she was sleeping.

  The room where she was sitting was the one they always used for these meals, whenever they were lucky enough to find the time to eat together that is. Its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the courtyard allowed the morning light to cascade across the tiles in beams, filling the room with a warm and comfortable glow.

  Walking past her to the other side of the room, he paused to lean down and kiss the top of her head while greeting her warmly, “Morning, my love.”

  While he began preparing himself a plate of food from the breakfast cart, he noted that the servants had once again been overzealous with the options. Reminding himself to have a word with them at some point, he heard Vera’s belated reply, “Morning, dear. While you’re over there, I could use a refresher.”

  Glancing over his shoulder, he saw her holding out her mug and jiggling it at him demandingly. She still hadn’t bothered to open her eyes or pay attention to anything other than what she was doing on her link.

  Shaking his head in amusement, he did as he was told and refilled her tea from the pot on the cart before collecting his breakfast. He could see that there was still about half a mug of cold tea in the bottom, which apparently she wasn’t worried about. She probably wouldn’t even notice.

  After collecting his food and taking his seat at the table to her right, he asked, “So. What’s the final result of yesterday’s games?”

  Although he knew she’d heard him, he didn’t expect her to reply any time soon. She’d likely take a minute or two to collate everything into a coherent briefing before saying anything. That was just how she was.

  Perfectly happy waiting, he took his time to enjoy his coffee while nibbling on a bagel while she prepared her answer. And, as expected, it took her nearly five minutes before she suddenly began replying as if he’d just asked his question.

  “After contacting some distant relations through my mother’s house, I can confirm that the capital is aware and talking about Nero. Where before he was a person of interest and something of a conversation topic, now he is being considered a resource,” she replied stonily.

  Even though she wasn’t looking at him, Nick still made sure to hide his smirk behind his bagel when he heard her referring to Nero by name rather than his title. Vera had begun addressing him as ‘Lord Walker’ ever since they’d formally aligned their house with his. He knew she wasn’t the type to ignore protocol and tradition when in public. But it was reassuring to hear that in the privacy of their home she still thought him as someone under their protection rather than the other way around.

  “Furthermore,” she continued, “just as the archmage predicted, the dwarves have dispatched an ambassadorial contingent from their mountain city. According to my contacts in the mage tower who’ve been watching them, they sent out barely an hour after the Battleborns had returned. I expect they’ll arrive in a few days, and we’ll just have to wait and see how they intend to play their game. If they head to the council first, I’ll have to have to arrange for someone to intercept them.”

  Seemingly coming out of a trance, she blinked her eyes a few times before taking a sip of her freshened tea. She looked down at her cup in confusion, and Nick could tell that she was wondering why it wasn’t as hot as she expected it to be. When she decided it didn’t matter, she looked over at him and added, “The Council of Leadership here in Dorchester is the source of the only real trouble that we need to look out for. I’ve already taken steps to steer them toward their best play, and I expect them to request my presence later today.”

  Nick frowned in confusion while lowering his half-eaten bagel back onto his plate. “What does the council have to do with this?”

  Vera smirked at him with that look he’d come to recognize as somewhere between condescending and loving. “House Walker successfully repelled an interplanar raid while taking on what the military formally referred to as a suicide mission. One could easily argue that they’ve more than met the minimum requirements for completing the quest they’d accepted. I doubt the city lord will let the opportunity pass. Therefore, Dorchester will have to pay up. Since the feat of closing an anchoring portal would need to be paid at the standard rate, it would cost them more than the annual income of Dorchester to close the quest. She’ll jump on the chance I’ve given her.”

  Nick nearly spilled his coffee while whipping his head around to stare at her in surprise. “Seriously? This happens often enough that there is a standard rate for it? And I thought the quest was to ‘provide military aid to Dorchester against the kobald infestation’. Shouldn’t that only be payable after the fight is over and done for good?” he asked.

  Even with how hard he’d studied the records in both the Tower of Magic and the Center, he knew he wasn’t nearly as world-wise as his dear wife. She’d grown up in one of the largest and most advanced cities in the kingdom. She’d even spent time in the capital. He knew she would know more about what kind of threats the kingdom as a whole faced than he did. But still, interplanar invasions were supposed to be rare events, as far as he knew.

  That being said, he still found Vera’s light but loving chuckle at his expense a bit annoying. “Not exactly, dear. The quest issued and agreed to by House Walker was to aid Dorchester in its time of need against the kobalds. The formal wording of the document states that House Walker would be paid in accordance with how much of a difference they made during the war. As there has never been a hero or a unique in Dorchester before, it was easier to just copy the document other cities have used in similar situations. There were multiple payout scenarios written into the document like enemy positions taken, kill counts, and feats of service. The section covering something like what happened with the portal would fall under ‘all other accomplishments of note will be rewarded at the standard rate. Which in this case, would fall under what the larger cities are paying for similar services.”

  Providing a visual aid to her explanation, she brought up a hologram from the table projector to show him the copy of the quest issuance. Nick could see several sections highlighted but didn’t have time to examine them before his attention returned to what she was saying.

  “Many cities in the kingdom are constantly facing interplanar invasions similar to this, Dorchester is just too isolated and essence starved to have to deal with them. However, this particular invasion was at an anchor point, and situations like what we faced are truly rare. Having closed it, House Walker is entitled to a great deal of valens,” she said with a rather evil smirk on her face.

  Lightening her tone, she added, “However, Dorchester won’t have to be paying them out of the city’s coffers. Since this would be categorized as a regional threat, along with the quest being formally issued by the city’s Council of Leadership, the kingdom can be asked to subsidize the reward. The only amount Dorchester will owe House Walker is what they’d earn for having successfully accomplished the suicide mission after accepting a task not even the military was willing to take. So, while the City Lord and council will likely be less than happy, they’ll not be bankrupted over the matter.”

  Nick replied, “Well, them being unhappy with Nero isn’t anything new. But does this mean House Walker will no longer be involved in the war? Will Nero have to ask for another quest? Would the council even agree to issue another one?”

  Vera shrugged while taking another sip of her tea and grimacing at the utterly cold food in front of her. Glancing over at Nick, she replied, “I have no idea. We’ll have to see what happens. It may be that Nero will be forced to travel to the capital and face the king. He’s already due several awards for both his finding and reporting an exploit, along with being raised to a kingdom unique. Both rewards remain technically pending. However, neither is in danger of being revoked. Yet, if the real powerhouses in the capital want him there, they’ll easily be able to take advantage of that fact to manufacture a situation where he’ll have no choice but to comply.”

  Frowning in worry, Nick asked quietly, “Are we ready to handle things on our own without him here to act as a front for our interests?”

  Vera replied with a gentle smile, “As long as the ban on noble conflicts remains for at least two years, we should be fine. We’ll be able to raise enough of a force to contend with any three of the most powerful houses in the city. Our new businesses and interests acquired through House Walker will allow us to field quite a bit of power. However, if the ban is before we can spend all those valens, we and our house may not be here when Nero returns. In it comes to it, we can always run. My mother would be happy to arrange for us to start over somewhere else.”

  —-

  Nero was enjoying the sight of Achmage Jennings stumbling over his apology. Either Nero was much better at hiding his emotions than he thought, or the old man was feeling incredibly guilty for having ‘deceived’ him.

  “I honestly wasn’t trying to influence your path. If anything, I was just trying to help you! That said, I understand your anger. You have every right to feel that I’ve overstepped in my attempts to provide you with… opportunities. However, how was I supposed to know that the local idiots would try and have you killed? They shouldn’t have! I believe it only happened due to the Tower of Fate interfering with events. Or maybe it was the king. I’m still not entirely sure who was responsible. Regardless, I’ve been sure to keep a close eye on you since then, and you can rest assured that you were being kept safe,” he said while rubbing his hands together as if he was trying to wash them clean of his perceived failures.

  Although Nero didn’t know what exactly the old man was talking about, he also didn’t care all that much about whatever had happened. He was still alive, and his enemies were either dead or happily waiting for a better opportunity to try again.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  People like Jennings believed down to their bone marrow that they could control the world around them, and schemes and plots were like breathing to them. Nero on the other hand believed that no one could predict the future, and believing they could was nothing but an exercise in vanity.

  Breaking into a grin, Nero said, “Don’t worry about it. Seriously, calm the hell down man. You’re going to give yourself an aneurysm if you keep stressing about this.”

  Sighing deeply, the archmage said, “Nero, my boy, I just need you to understand that I wasn’t actively interfering with your path. I was just subtly arranging matters to help you find your place on this plane. There was no overt manipulation involved. Of that, you can be sure.”

  Nero knew how anal the people here were about ‘paths’ and ‘fate’ and crap like that, so he couldn’t fault Jennings for being worried. For all he knew, Jennings might have broken a law or two with what he’d been up to.

  Waving his hand as if it didn’t matter, Nero replied, “Don’t sweat it. It’s all good. I’m sure you think you were responsible for a lot more than you actually were. You’ve helped more than you’ve hurt, and that’s all any of us can do when it comes down to it. Cut yourself a little slack. But, in the future, if you want to revive me, come to me rather than bringing me to you. That way you can also take care of whatever killed me before you rez me. Having an archmage show up out of nowhere to wreck their shit would serve them right for killing me. Also, give me a few minutes to try and come back on my own before you heal me… I’d appreciate the practice.”

  Seeing that Nero was being so understanding, Jennings must have decided to push his luck because he added, “You know, exploring those ties you’re developing with the people around you will only help you in the long run. Testing has conclusively proven that interaction and emotional attachments with other people aid in growth more than any other activity. Even fighting and research do not provide anywhere near the amount of growth that enjoying time among your friends can yield.”

  Nero knew what Jennings was trying to do, and he wasn’t falling for it. However, he still felt somewhat interested in the subject. So, he asked, “I thought the whole point of transcendence or ascension was to cut off those ties?”

  Jennings replied, “Maybe, but that’s just conjecture. From what I’ve seen, I believe it’s a balancing act. To reach level one hundred and successfully ascend to a higher tier, one must thoroughly live their life to the best of their ability. All while still maintaining their objectivity and will. If I’m right, then the goal is to be completely one with the world until such time as you are finally ready to leave it behind.”

  Nero nodded along while refilling his coffee from the pot in the middle of the table. “Makes as much sense as anything else.”

  Changing the subject, Nero asked, “So, you really think the people in the capital are going to force me to leave Dorchester?”

  The archmage’s shoulders sagged almost imperceptively. “After a long night of trying to avoid it, I believe it's likely.”

  Jennings’ expression firmed, and Nero could tell he was trying his best to get his point across. “You’ll need to be careful. Don’t allow yourself to be led down a path you don’t wish to go. Harden your resolve, and focus on what truly matters to you. Ignore anything that is a distraction and embrace what makes you… you.”

  Nero couldn’t help but chuckle into his coffee cup. The old man was so worried about him being influenced by people that Nero wondered if Jennings really knew him at all. The very idea of Nero being ‘influenced’ by these pod people was ridiculous. He’d managed to keep his personality intact in the face of the true influencers back on Earth. They knew their business better than anyone in this delightfully naive city of empaths.

  Trying to sound equally serious, Nero replied, “Sure. You can count on me. Even if they try to get me to drink the Kool-Aid, I’ll somehow manage to stick to coffee. But, honestly, I don’t think it will come to that. I won’t be going to the capital.”

  Frowning at Nero’s declaration, Jennings inquired, “Oh? And how do you plan to avoid a royal summons?”

  Smiling from ear to ear, Nero dusted off the breadcrumbs from his hands over his plate, while replying, “I’m a unique, right? I can go wherever I want. Also, I still have Vera and Nick here to watch out for. Dorchester is still dealing with the density shift and the kobalds, so there is still that quest I’m on to wipe them out. I can’t be ordered to leave in the middle of a quest, can I? That’s got to be against the law or something I’m guessing.”

  Shaking his head at Nero’s ignorance, Jennings replied, “I don’t think you understand what you’ve accomplished by closing that anchored portal. The Council of Leadership in this charming little city will likely end your quest on account of you doing the impossible. They’ll have to, otherwise they’ll never be able to afford how much they’ll eventually owe you by the time the war ends. That’s if they can even afford to pay you what they owe you now for what you’ve already done for them.”

  Confused, but happy to hear that he’ll be getting a solid paycheck out of this mess, Nero pivoted his plans on the fly, “Alright, that’s not a problem. If they close out the quest, I still have the dwarves to fall back on. They want me to close portals for them, right? Once they realize the way I do it isn’t something they can copy, they’ll not bother trying to dissect me. Like you said, they’ll just lead me on a tour of their invasion points and let me do my thing. I’m sure they’ll also offer fair compensation along with hazard pay while they’re at it. So, to avoid heading to the capital and having to face all those high-level assholes who’ll want to study me, all I have to do is agree to visit the dwarves. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.”

  While Jennings likely understood exactly what Nero meant, he couldn’t stop himself from cringing at Nero’s odd turns of phrase.

  Losing his smile, Nero added, “The important thing is Nick and Vera. Their new house, Verena, or whatever they decided to call it. Will they be alright without me being here? I doubt they’ll be willing or able to come with me. What do I need to do to ensure that they aren’t fucked with by the nobles here while I’m gone? I know they have some sort of protection under my status as a unique while I’m still in the city, but will that still be around after I’ve left?”

  Archmage Jennings replied seriously, “Yes and no. Indeed, they’ll still represent House Walker’s interests here in Dorchester, but without you here they’ll be on their own. If and when the ban on inter-house conflict is raised, they’ll be in danger of the other houses coming after them. If you were to still be in the city when that happened, you’d legally be able to come to their aid. However, after you’ve gone, they’ll have to rely on whatever forces they’ve managed to assemble themselves. And I very much doubt they’ll be ready to face what’s coming for them anytime soon.”

  That’s exactly what Nero was afraid of. While he didn’t exactly understand how everything worked here with the nobles, their wars, or their ladder, he knew enough to be worried that his allies would be targeted to get to him by proxy. There had to be something he could do.

  Rubbing his chin in thought, Nero asked, “Is there any way to ensure that won’t happen?”

  Jennings replied, “Not as such. While you can rest assured knowing that the nobles will adhere to the law, the chance of overcoming and absorbing House Verena would be too profitable for them to ignore. Although, the good news is that you won’t have to worry about that for a while. The ban on noble wars will remain until the threat of the kobalds is dealt with.”

  Nero tapped his finger on the arm of his chair while his mind rapidly sorted through his options. He needed a trump card, something to stack the deck in his favor. He couldn’t count on the war lasting as long as he needed it to.

  Side-eyeing Jennings, he asked, “Hey, can the dwarves participate in the noble wars?”

  The archmage paused to look at Nero in confusion, obviously not understanding the question.

  Nero explained, “I mean, they’re part of Dorchester now, right? Or at least kind of? They’re a sister city or something if I’m understanding things correctly.”

  Jennings nodded, “Yes, in a manner of speaking. From what I gathered from my brief study of the treaty they signed, they are part of the kingdom under the protection and laws of Oglivarch, just like Dorchester. But, they’re not in actuality part of Dorchester. Their city will be their own. If this little experiment works, then more dwarven cities might be added across the kingdom in the future, turning Oglivarch into something of an empire. The dwarven kings would manage their cities but still have to follow the laws of the land in which they reside. I’m not exactly sure if or how many of the noble accords would apply to them.”

  Nero asked, “Can you find out? I’m thinking if I’m going to agree to help the dwarves with their portals, then I can ask them to formally sign a defensive pact with my house along with my regional retainers, namely House Verena.”

  Jennings opened his eyes wide, obviously surprised to hear Nero’s idea.

  The archmage took a moment to collect his thoughts before saying, “My boy, you should know that wherever you go, I plan to go with you. Your path will remain your own, but I intend to follow along behind, to both observe and protect you. You are too important to allow you to kill yourself with your foolishness… not that I expect you to allow yourself to die. But if you truly intend to visit the dwarves, then both you and I will need to prepare. I’ll enquire as to what we can do for your friends, but I’m not sure if your idea is actionable.”

  Nero hardened his stare while he locked eyes with Jennings. “I’ll appreciate your company, I’m sure. We can talk about magic and I can finally learn a bit more about what it means to be a mage. But, until I can ensure that Vera and Nick will be alright, I’m not going anywhere. Not the capital, not with the dwarves… nowhere. If you feel the need to pass that along to whoever you know back in the capital, then feel free. Tell them all that I’ll release myself back into the planes as a bodiless soul before I allow myself to become some lab rat for whoever’s watching me.”

  Realizing that they were probably spying on him right now, Nero looked up at the ceiling and grinned. “Don’t test me. I may not be all that high-level or dangerous to you right now, but you likely can’t kill me before I’m able to run to where you can’t catch me. And if it takes me a hundred years or a thousand… I’ll be back, and I’ll be pissed.”

  The archmage across from him chuckled, “That’s a powerful sentiment, but your soul can still be shattered. I’d not expect you to understand the many ways you are still vulnerable, but I recommend you not allow your unique abilities to go to your head.”

  Turning away from the ceiling to glare at the old man, Nero angrily replied, “Dammit, man. Obviously, I know I’m not invincible. Every story ever written has made it clear that anyone and anything is killable by someone willing to try hard enough. But they didn’t know that I knew that! I’m trying to project a crazy unpredictable vibe here. You know, to make them question whether or not it's worth it to fuck with me. Keep your damnable logic out of this! It’s not helping.”

  Jennings stared at Nero in surprise, obviously not expecting such a harsh and well-reasoned rebuke.

  Offering one last glare at the ceiling, Nero put whoever was watching them out of his mind and turned back to Jennings. “Now, since you’re so good with scrying and whatnot, why don’t you take a minute to look in on my people and see how they’re doing. And while you’re doing that, I’m going to make a few calls… or pings or whatever. Then, after a quick popover to collect the bag you stole back from me, I’m gonna need you to teleport me back to the mountain.”

  Not noticing the confused and concerned expression on his face, Nero muttered under his breath to himself, “I’m also going to need to stop by the kitchens and have them rustle up some big ass cauldrons of hearty stew. Maybe a couple of pizza platters or something. And beer. Multiple kegs of beer. Whoever is still alive after that clusterfuck is going to be much less likely to string me up for nearly leading them to their death if I show up bearing gifts. Crap on a cracker, I’m gonna need a lot of beer.”