Elfyr shrugs. "So the next step would be to smuggle the princesses out, join up with the Heavies, and head on back to Altheim. I'd like to wait a day or two before moving, let everything die down a bit."

You refill you bowl and Elfyr's mug with more cherrybean tea. "How important is keeping this whole affair quiet? because the story is going to leak. The warehouse fire was quite noticeable. At least three or four guildsmen, plus Mork, already know, so the rumor mill is probably already working overtime."

Elfyr takes his mug and scrunches up his face. "Not important enough to wipe out Chedal over. The diplomatic fallout..."

Talae fills a mug of her own. "So let's add our own music to the dance. Start rumors of our own and lace them with bits of the truth..."

Elfyr sips, grimaces, and reaches for the honey, "already on it. Open visit from the Heavies to reclaim the princesses, and we slip out while all others are looking the other way. Go back to Altheim, bed you all down with whatever training you need, and arrange the Appearance Before the Throne to occur later, once you can openly arrive."

Talae frowns, then shrugs. "Heavies walk, we get to teleport?"

Elfyr nods. "Agents of the Throne never travel openly when a covert route is available. Plus that'll give you all four months or so to train and become 'known faces' before the Heavies return."

You sip at your bowl. "And give the princesses four months to heal out of the public eye."

All three of you contemplate this for a moment. Finally, Elfyr speaks up. "Let's talk training arrangements and covers."

Talae winces. You frown. "I don't think any of us can maintain any sort of covert cover. We'd be kind of hard to hide..."

Elfyr grins. "Exactly. So we'll use a 'peacock' approach. All four of you will be very ostentatiously placed in plain sight as exactly what you already are as reward for meritorious service to the crown. It's only a 'cover' in that it hides your true strength and what you did to receive such a reward. Everyone in the know will peg you as Agents or Guildsmen on hire anyway, but that's a game for Lord Wavethunder anyway."

You shrug. "Or we just play it openly from the start, and look smarter and more capable than we are. Teleport in, have an Appearance, get awarded our positions as the Agents and Guildsmen who pulled off the rescue. The positions will be seen as rewards for our service, and no one will place us as anything besides Agents who have become too well-known for field work."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Talae looks more relieved at your proposed plan. Elfyr ponders it over then shrugs. "I'll get a message to Lord Wavethunder, give him a heads up as to the storm headed his way. All four of you will probably end up attached to his department anyway. As for positions..." Elfyr sighs. "You four caught me out, something no agent likes to admit. What can you do, and what training do you think you will need?"

You ponder this for a moment. "I don't think I can speak for the others. I was only an ur-hander, so..."

Elfyr nods. "Officer School it is then. Polish up on sword skills, learn a few more, and clean up your social skills for elven courts."

Talae ponders for a moment, sipping at her tea. "On the combat side of things, I'll probably need to talk to whomever knows the land up here in the Light best. For etiquette, I'd better stick with Little Bird. And she needs formal Cleric training."

Elfyr cocks an eyebrow. "For the first half, the Altheim druids should be able to help. For the second, which god and why?"

Talae shrugs. "Kuko. I was an acolyte, down in the Dark, and she only got the direct-from-on-high tutorial, so..."

Elfyr winces, "I can see the need for the formal version. And Lady Cencin?"

You shrug, "let's ask her. And why do you keep calling her that?"

Elfyr nods to Talae, and the two of you drift over to the table where Aflia is sitting. "Its her title. Well, it will be unless her parents produce another heir to inherit their title. And after they produced her, They haven't even tried."

Aflia almost snorts her water. "Talking about my folks? I went and did some research, and the jokes going to be on them. The family trees are sufficiently mangled the further back one goes to the point where it could be either of them with a demon in their heritage. Probably both, given some of the gaps I've found. So any child they produce is probably going to be a tiefling. Whoops, no more 'pure-blooded Dragonbloods' holding that title. As for training, a stint at your equivalent of Camp Kaboom with an instructor."

You take a seat and grin at the schadenfreude of nobles being caught in their own obsession of bloodlines.

Elfyr also sits down but plays with his mug. "Camp Kaboom?"

Aflia grins, "well, they couldn't teach aspiring sorcerers and wizards fire magic in the middle of a city. So we went out onto an abandoned set of hilltops where we could turn rock into char without burning anything else down. The instructors had a fancy name for the place, but there were lots of ka-booms, so we all just called it Camp Kaboom until the name stuck."

Elfyr finished his mug and nods. "I think I have a feel of what all needs written out for Lord Wavethunder. I'll get that sent out. We should be ready to move out in three days, once the Heavies get here. Until then, good fortune."

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Status Report:

Money: 5 Gold coins

Food and water: 10 days of hardtack rations

Equipment: in good condition

The Ring: obsidian band with one carbuncle gem and two empty settings

Total Deaths: 1