Guardian Nem,

Greetings.

My name is Custodian Rain. You are doubtless aware of the role I played in the events that occurred at Fel Sadanis and of my decision to return the city to the Watch under Guardian Dunwich. It is of great pain to me that the city then fell by the actions of the Empire of Adamant, and though I only knew Guardian Dunwich briefly, I mourn his passing and those of all who were lost in the conflict.

My organization, Ascension, was founded by those touched by that same conflict. In case you are not familiar with us, I have included some basic information about our goals and our structure along with this letter. Regardless, the overlap of our ideals and motivations is clear to me. Through my position as both Ascension’s leader and the Watch’s Custodian, I believe I may be of great assistance to the Watch in restoring stability and order after the recent turmoil. To that end, I am open to discussing any ideas or suggestions you may have for collaboration.

To discuss this and other matters, I hope that you will be willing to meet with me in the near future. You may contact me through our newly-opened facility in the City of Lights, either directly or by proxy, should affairs on Vigilance prevent your travel. I am confident that we will be able to arrange a time and place that is convenient for both of us to meet in person.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Custodian Rain

Rain looked up from the handwritten letter, finding the waiting eyes of Vanna, Samson, and Tarny. Tarny was there in his official capacity as Rain’s adjutant, while the other two in the warded council chamber were those whose say determined whether or not the ex-Warden’s plan was a go.

“That seems...fine,” Samson said, pursing his lips as he considered. “Nothing about you holding information from the Warden, however.”

“Let the unwritten speak,” Vanna said. “Not like he needs to remind them.”

“True,” Samson said, inclining his head to her.

“Aren’t the Watch unwelcome in the City of Lights?” Tarny asked. “Will that be an issue?”

“It’s neutral territory,” Rain said. “At worst, they’ll have to send a message by courier. In general, I’m worried about how long this will take to set up, but Reece seemed to think waiting would be better than me barging into a Watch outpost and demanding they take me to their leader. Apparently, Nem is big on rank and procedure.”

“What if there’s a hidden code?” Tarny asked, gently taking the letter from Rain to inspect it. “Do we think she would have put something like that in here?”

“It’s possible,” Rain said with a shrug. “I could write it out in Zeelada instead. Hard to see any encrypted message surviving that.”

“Unless she planned on you doing it,” Tarny said. “She’s been in all our heads. Maybe she predicted we’d have this conversation and set up the code to only appear after translation.”

“I know you’re joking, Tarny, but please don’t,” Vanna said tiredly. “I don’t like being reminded that someone knows me better than I know myself.”

Rain frowned. “I’m not sure she does. There are gaps. She’s been upfront about her mind being scrambled, but it’s more than that. Her knowledge is shallow outside of a few specific areas. The Warden—the real Warden—didn’t give her everything.”

“You’re sure you’re not being manipulated?” Tarny asked.

Rain shrugged. “I’d still be dying if not for her, and it’s still in her best interest to help us, not throw us under the wagon.”

“So...send it?” Vanna asked, taking the letter.

“Send it,” Samson said, nodding.

“Unanimous,” Rain said, raising a hand. “Send it how? Emmerton?”

“You,” Samson said. “If we want it to get to Nem quickly through however many layers of bureaucracy, we need someone guaranteed to cause a stir.”

“Fair,” Rain said. “I’ll stop by the nearest outpost when I visit Luna.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for Mlem to contact the Entente?” Tarny asked.

“I’d like to go as soon as Inconceivable is up and flying again, and if Mlem’s not ready by then, I’ll just make a separate trip. In the meantime, I’ll see how much more I can wring out of Reece. She implied she’d met Luna before, and politics is the area where her knowledge is anything but shallow. Even if she hasn’t met him, she should have some advice.”

“Agreed, then,” Vanna said, raising a hand. “Rain visits Luna as soon as possible and drops this letter off with the Watch on the way, provided that Mlem is ready.”

“Unanimous,” Samson said, raising his hand as well. “I will arrange your escort. A full team, I think, especially if you are taking the airship. You and Ameliah would be sufficient, but it seems you wish to make an entrance, so it will be best to do things properly.”

Tarny spoke without looking up, busy jotting something down in his notebook. “I’ll call a meeting tomorrow morning with Atyl and Smelt to refine our trade strategy based on what you learn overnight.” He looked up. “Perhaps Atyl should go with you as he did before?”

“Works for me,” Rain said. “I want Jamus, too. He just said he’d be willing to go on a mission over dinner.”

Tarny nodded, making another note, and there was a brief lull before Vanna spoke.

“What about Velika?”

“You can’t be serious,” Samson said. “She is far too volatile to accompany them, no matter her strength.”

“Sorry, I was changing subjects,” Vanna said. “I meant, what are we doing about Velika? Are we giving her the Warden’s list, or are we sticking with her plan? Rain practically agreed to it. I don’t know how she’ll respond to him going back on his word.”

“Reece did say we could hit Lord Jien once or twice before it got dangerous,” Rain said. “I know it’s not wise, and we wouldn’t get much, but I’m feeling petty for some reason.”

“I would vote against it,” Samson said.

“I as well,” said Vanna. “We have enough problems.”

“Would she be willing to take a group blue hunting?” Samson asked. “She has done it before.” He tapped his chest. “I would know.”

Rain nodded, recalling the expedition to the Fells. Samson and Kettel had earned their awakenings under Velika’s dubious protection. “We can ask if she’s willing, but she was arguing strongly for more golds rather than more bronzes. I’m not sure she’ll go for it.”

“A team of awakened, then,” Samson said. “Nominally, they are to help her with monster processing and resource collection, but should one appear...”

“That’s fine, but not the Thunder Chain,” Vanna cut in. “Rank forty is too much with her under-geared. We’d also risk offending the Novians. We’re on shaky ground with them already for stealing their princess.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“That’s West Nov,” Rain said. “East Nov would have sent us a fruit basket by now if they knew where to send it.”

“Joking,” Vanna said, waving a hand. “I know they hate each other, and my point stands. We have enough problems.”

“Sadiir seems like the best choice,” Rain said. “Staavo probably would have mentioned the place if he knew about it, but it’s still worth asking since he’s from there. For all we know, Reece is remembering something from a hundred years ago. Anyway, the paywall should make it less picked over if it pans out.”

“Why not investigate both?” Samson asked. “We can send a team to the one Velika decides against. Not to go in, but to gather information.”

“Good idea,” Rain said, nodding to him. “Tarny, work up some postings, will you?”

“Aye,” Tarny said, drawing a line at the end of his notes. “That’s all for the agenda.”

“Let’s get to it, then,” Vanna said. “Rain, let’s go get Velika and see Tallheart. She needs equipment.”

“I doubt he’ll be happy if we show up on his doorstep with her in tow,” Rain warned. “Basic gear is one thing, but what she wants is anything but basic. She tried to threaten him into making her a sword about ten seconds after they met. Granted, that was a long time ago, and a lot’s happened since then. All the same, I want to check with him first.”

Vanna shrugged. “Go see him, then. I’ll talk to Velika about the options. I’m not telling her about the Thunder Chain, though. Tarny, don’t post that one either.”

“Probably smart,” Rain said with a nod as he got to his feet. “Okay, we’re done here. Meeting adjourned.”

----------------------------------------

Tallheart felt Rain approaching before he heard him. “—ey, you two,” came the human’s cheery voice, partially stifled by the Muffle ward.

“Hey,” said Ameliah.

In the corner of his eye, Tallheart saw her slip down from his workbench, where she had been idly kicking her feet instead of reading the notes he had given her. He rumbled a greeting but did not look up until he finished solidifying the final rune he was working on. When he did, he was just in time to see the two humans exchange a kiss in greeting.

The spike of envy this caused turned quickly to irritation, directed not at them but at his own stupid heart. He did not begrudge his friends for having what he had lost.

I will move on. When she appears again, I will speak with her, and I will move on.

“You seem extra taciturn today,” Rain said, smiling at him and clapping him on the shoulder. “Project not going well?”

“It is not,” Tallheart said, taking the out he’d been given. Selecting the model ingot, he placed it on the compression anchor’s flat surface, where it snapped into place. That was a good sign, but the clink of the second ingot as he attempted to overlay it with the first was all too expected. The mixed metals were still getting in each other’s way.

“That’s not iron,” Rain said, stating the obvious. He pointed. “I assumed you were making adamant for your armor, but that’s an alloy. Aluminum and titanium? What gives? I thought you said neither of those had a deepened form.”

“Separately, they do not,” Tallheart said. “Their intrinsic runes are not up to the strain of compression. Together, they seem to interlock, yet there is space between, making the alloy unexceptional. If I am correct, deepening should remove that space, making something new. Not an alloy. A pure substance.”

“This is huge!” Rain exclaimed, practically bouncing up and down. “You need to tell me these things, Tallheart! How long have you had this idea? Are you going to use it for your new armor?”

Tallheart rumbled in amusement. “I do not know. I must make it first, and then I must study its properties. And I would have told you, but I was not confident I was correct until this morning, and you were not here until now.”

“Okay, fair,” Rain said, visibly controlling himself. “So...not working?”

“The problem is that it’s an alloy now,” Ameliah said. She gestured to the compression anchor. “Tallheart’s deepening technique doesn’t like that.”

“Mmm,” Tallheart said. “Ameliah is helping me circumvent the problem.”

“Romer is helping you, you mean,” Ameliah said, gesturing across the workshop to where Romer and Ellis were excitedly working through their own revelations. “I’m just facilitating while I try to catch up. Crafting skills are weird, Rain. They’re like katas, except not.”

“You will learn quickly,” Tallheart rumbled. “Read the notes I gave you and practice.” He turned to Rain. “Did you come to ask about the airship?”

“Amongst other things,” Rain said. He gestured to the other workbenches. “Are these wards two-way? I’ve got news too.”

“They are,” Tallheart said.

“Vatreece is awake,” Rain blurted before he even finished. “She calls herself Reece now.”

“Does she?” Ameliah said, raising an eyebrow. “She’s coherent, then?”

“And answering questions,” Rain said, wearing a big goofy grin. “Well, some questions. Point is, my crazy plan worked! Here, let me fill you in.”

Tallheart listened in silence, leaving Ameliah to keep Rain on track as he blazed through the details. By the end of it, he had a lot to think about, though that was not unexpected. That was what always happened when Rain was involved.

Ameliah spoke first. “So she hasn’t actually told you that much, then.”

“Well—“

She interrupted him with a scoff. “Three good hunting locations, criticism of our plans, and a promise to help you break your cap if you do what she wants?”

“Okay, when you say it like that...”

“Don’t play nice if she’s not playing nice, is all I’m saying,” Ameliah said. “She has an agenda, and she’s going to try to manipulate you into achieving it. Don’t be her puppet.”

“Give me a little credit,” Rain said. “Our interests are aligned, and everything she’s suggested has made sense so far, but that doesn’t mean I’m not on guard. She’s not going to ‘would you kindly’ me into doing something I don’t want to do.”

“We will monitor you,” Tallheart rumbled. “Should you stop acting erratically, we will know you have been compromised.”

Rain stuck his tongue out at him.

“So...when are we leaving?” Ameliah asked, glancing at Tallheart. “You’re coming, right?”

“Mmm,” Tallheart rumbled. “No one else is qualified to pilot Inconceivable.”

“Now, hold on,” Rain said. “It’s not safe for you to go anywhere until you fix your armor situation. I’ll learn to fly it. I can make myself a simulator, just like you did. We can’t afford to lose you, Tallheart.”

“It is the surface,” Tallheart rumbled. “I will be with you and Ameliah, so I will be fine. And if the ship malfunctions, you will need me to repair it.”

“Okay, you convinced me,” Rain said.

Tallheart blinked.

Rain grinned at him. “What? Expected me to argue? It’ll be a trick to convince Vanna to let all three of us go, but it’s just for a day. Jamus is coming too, by the way. It’ll be like old times.”

“Ah crap,” Ameliah said. “Thought of something. If Velika leaves, and then we all go too, the strongest person left will be Bakal. That’s not great. I trust him not to cause trouble, but to deal with trouble if trouble comes to play? Not so much.”

“I was planning to recall Halgrave once Mlem’s set up and we’ve heard from the Entente.” Rain said. “Anyway, we’ll talk about it. I’ve been rushing for so long, it’s hard to remember I can take my ti— Ah!”

“What is it?” Tallheart asked, stiffening as Rain shot to his feet. Ameliah had mirrored him, going on to summon her armor in an instant.

“Nothing,” Rain said with a sigh, already relaxing again. He pressed a hand to his heart. “Nails Messaged me. I wasn’t expecting it, and it set off some alarms that... Never mind. It’s fine. No problem.”

“Ah,” Ameliah said with a laugh, her armor melting away as swiftly as it had come. “Been a while since anyone talked to you that way, huh?”

“It really has,” Rain said.

“What did he want?” Ameliah asked.

“Not him, Vanna,” Rain said. “Velika picked Sadiir, she says, and that she’s not thrilled about it. She’ll do it, though, provided...” He trailed off, looking at Tallheart.

“Hmm,” Tallheart rumbled with some amusement. It was clear what he wanted.

Turning away, he moved to his workbench, then knelt to rummage for the canvas bundle he had left there. The bare blades within clinked against each other as he negotiated them out from underneath, the longest of them making the task quite challenging. Once he had it free, he stood and presented them to Rain without ceremony. “They will need hilts and scabbards.”

“You already made them?“ Rain said, stunned.

“Days ago,” Tallheart said with satisfaction as Rain accepted the bundle. “To be given once I had discussed it with you. The blades are not fit for gold-level combat, but they should serve her better than those I made for the armory. I made them to endure great abuse, limited by the materials I had on hand.”

“The materials you had on hand?” Rain said, kneeling to flip open the canvas. “Tallheart, these are titanium, for crying out loud. I thought we were short on it?”

“We are also short on power,” Tallheart said. “Tell her that if she misuses them, I will kill her.”

“Well, that’s blunt,” Ameliah said darkly, lifting the longest blade, which was almost as tall as she was and broader than her arm. She held the blade’s gently curved edge up to her eye. “And so is this.”

“They are built to endure,” Tallheart repeated. “Her skills will recognize them well enough.”

“Not like it matters,” Rain said, grasping the third sword by its bare tang and giving it a careful swing. “With her swinging it, a blunt odachi is almost worse than a sharp one. Never mind that beast Ameliah’s holding. Anyone hit with that would be lucky to have bones left.”

“Do you have a name for this one too?” Ameliah asked Rain, still inspecting the oversized blade. “Calling it the ‘fourth sword’ all the time sounds pretentious, even if that is the proper Osaran term.”

“Zanbato, maybe?” Rain said. “Honestly, my translations aren’t better.”

He shook his head, carefully setting the sword blade back down. “Thanks for this, Tallheart. I know how reluctant you were to make anything for her. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she understands what will happen to her if she crosses the line.”

“Mmm,” Tallheart rumbled.

“They’re bind-on-blood, I take it?” Ameliah asked, placing the fourth sword back with the others.

“Yes,” Tallheart said simply.

“How are you even supposed to draw that thing?” Rain asked, shaking his head as he flipped the canvas over the blades. ”I mean, it makes some kind of sense, given how big monsters can get, but damn.”

Ameliah laughed, shaking her head. “Warriors.”