Boughs surrounded Kaius on all sides, filled with the jagged leaves of trees he had no name. Close to an oak, but sharper, with a redden blush that went beyond what could be explained by the creeping advance of autumn.

The Guild grounds were dense and large enough that it was almost possible to forget they were in a city. That is, if not for the paving stones beneath his feet, and the constant drone of pounding feet and cacophony of far off murmurs and chuckles that were utterly impossible to escape from now he was Silver. He’d felt ambivalent towards urban living his whole life, but now that he had risen to a rare strength that opinion was sliding into something akin to a tenuous tolerance.

At least their entrance had been uneventful this time. They’d taken the back route in, and the guards there had taken one look at him and his team before waving them on. Word of their confrontation in the square must have spread — to the delvers too. He hadn’t seen so much as one delver heckling the men on duty.

Time would tell if Guilewind had managed to impress patience or merely subtlety on his fellow guild members who rankled under the Duke’s orders.

The simple thought of that headache left him suppressing a sigh. Barely in Baanswell for a week and they had what felt like a dozen things pulling at their attention.

Kanmost. The attention of the Marquess and his team, and their unexpected strength. Their stalled research. The ongoing research of the Collective and the local Spire. The roadblocks towards spreading Legacy Skills.

Each seemed to be tied together in a messy web of ambitions, conflicting goals, and unpredictable third parties.

What he would give to just set it aside for the day and ask Lyren out to lunch. Unfortunately, a missing man was far more important than a good conversation with a pretty date.

“What’s on your mind, oh stalwart warrior?” Kenva asked, taking a long step to pull up next to him. “Keep frowning like that and you’ll get wrinkles.”

Kaius snorted. “Politics.”

Everything about Kanmost’s disappearance stunk to the high heavens, to say nothing of Curator Lisn’s warning of foul play. Even the secrecy of his project painted a grim picture. An expert in ancient history, backed by considerable noble gold? If the man had discovered some ancient artefact or place of power, Kanmost would have rapidly become dangerously valuable.

“I'm worried Kanmost found something and was silenced for it. Even if Greenseed is ‘civilised’ there is no doubt in my mind that every Legacy within the wyrdwall has a foundation of bones and blood.” Kaius continued.

Ianmus sighed, before he stooped slightly to dip under a low hanging branch. “I fear the same, though we can’t assume that his employers are behind it. Even with the blockade on his dwelling, that is to be expected for a sensitive matter. The Duke would order it no matter who the culprit is."

“How can you be sure it's the Duke?”

“Well, not necessarily the Duke, but someone within his political camp. Aanthrast Library is only quasi-independent, and no rival or enemy would be so foolish as to openly fund such a venture under the Duke's very nose.”

Then what of his son? The Marquess? He and his party represented some of the premier powers of Baanswell’s sphere of influence — was the timing of their dinner invitation simple coincidence, or a direct reaction to their inquiries after Kanmost? He would be shocked if the Duke didn’t have a dozen ears in the library, especially after Curator Lisn’s reaction.

Kaius started frowning again, unable to enjoy the comfortable warmth of the evening sun. He much preferred problems he could physically cut.

“Let’s just hope that the Grandmaster can give us some advice,” Kaius replied.

The man was seasoned in the political sphere. He had to be, considering he’d had the pull to organise the Guild’s spread of Legacy Skills. Even if they didn’t know the man well, it was clear that the grandmaster had given them his backing. The man likely had his own agenda, but they were aligned — a mutual understanding that the widespread hoarding of knowledge and power was a flawed and failing path.

It made him think of the ‘anomalies’ that Guilewind had mentioned. How many of them had died because they had discovered a single Honour chain, and tried to reach for the next before they were ready? How many of them had made their discovery when they were already Steel, and missed out on the wealth that could be acquired before then?

So much of the climb towards the pinnacle seemed predicated on having the patience, ability, and wisdom to build a firm foundation. When the very methods that allowed that were hoarded, that became impossible, and the weak became simple pawns — just like what had likely happened to Kanmost.

“Don’t forget that we might be upgrading our Traits today! I wonder what it's like — or what an improved Dynastic Trait even is,” Porkchop said, shaking Kaius from his musing.

He blinked — their reward had almost entirely slipped from his mind with all that had happened in the last week. A swell of bubbling excitement quieted some of the tightly wound tension that had built in his chest.

While it was a shame that they hadn’t been able to secure the Natural Treasures at a lower level it would be a boon going forward, especially as free stat points would enable them to strengthen the gaps in their classes allocations.

Plus, who knew what other benefits it might bring.

Rounding another bend, the Guildhall came into view through the gaps in the treeline. Kaius sped up a little, a slight smile on his face.

….

“Through here,” their guide said, huffing slightly as they threw their weight against a greenish metal door. Half a handspan thick, with vault-like bars that sank deep into the enchanted stone of its frame, it looked like it could withstand an ogre’s rampage.

Stepping through, Kaius was greeted with a sparse, domeshaped room. Unadorned, except for three doors that mirrored the one they had entered through. They were deep beneath the main guildhall, in the very centre of a complex warren of locked doors and potent wards. Kaius doubted the average bank vault was as well defended — Old Yon’s certainly hadn’t been.

“You’re in room one,” the guild attendant said, stepping past their group to head to the reinforced door on their left. “Once you’re inside, you can lock it with the wheel — it’ll engage the wards as well. I can count on one hand the people who have the authorisation to unlock it once you have done so, and they’ll need to use their personal emblems too.”

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Hidden gears spun in a whir, until the locks clicked open.

“Thanks,” Kaius said, giving the man a nod as they entered the communication room.

“Three seems almost excessive,” Porkchop mentioned, settling down beside the halfmoon table in the centre of the room as Kaius locked the door behind them.

It was nigh-identical to the set up in Deadacre, if about half again as large. A large stone platform joined with the table to make a complete circle, covered in the runework needed to create, transmit, and project an image across Vaastivar. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Ianmus pulled up a chair. “Baanswell is large, and the Dukedoms are an economic powerhouse.”

“I suppose now we just wait?” Kenva added once they were all seated.

Kaius shrugged. They hadn’t been told how to signal that they were ready to talk, but their scheduled time was only a minute or so away. Perhaps Olmos was sitting there waiting much like them, half a world away. An odd thought.

It wasn’t long before half of the room flickered, and the table they sat at was made whole. Olmos sat at the table across from them, his greying hair combed neatly. The Grandmaster’s eyes were sharp, though Kaius didn’t miss the slight bruising beneath them. Despite his apparent fatigue, the focus in his stern features shone clearly.

Nor did Kaius miss the riveted metal box that sat on the table next to the man, engraved in a dense mesh of unfamiliar runework.

A moment after he popped into existence, the Grandmaster gave the four of them a slight smile.

“Ho, heroes of Deadacre. You seem determined to make my life interesting.”

Kaius scratched the back of his head. He had a pretty good idea of what the man was referring to.

“The droplets?”

The Grandmaster nodded. “The droplets. The entire council is in uproar over how we should manage them — things were already a mess, and this is just more fuel for the inferno. Things haven’t been this lively in decades. But enough about that, we are here to discuss your just rewards!”

Kaius’s eyes flicked to the box, but he didn’t manage more than a half-hearted grin. He was excited for the fruits of their labour, but they really needed to discuss recent events with the man. They were meeting with the Duke’s son tomorrow — Guilewind had already warned them that things were a bit of a powderkeg.

Olmos tilted his head at their lack of reaction.

“Or we are supposed to be. You seem a little more tense than I expected — difficulties settling into Baanswell?”

“There’s been…developments. We hoped to seek your experienced counsel on them,” Kaius said after a moment's hesitation.

Olmos paused at his words. “Developments. A dire word in our profession. What happened?”

Kaius opened his mouth to answer, before he realised that he didn’t quite know where to start. Thankfully, Ianmus seemed more than ready.

“We originally came to Baanswell to pursue a lead on a personal matter of our team. Given it related to ancient history, Aanthrast seemed like the clear choice — especially because I have a close contact with one of their archivists. We just found out my friend Kanmost is missing, and all signs point to some level of noble involvement.”

The Grandmaster froze, his frown deepening as he folded his hands on the desk in front of him. “Tell me everything.”

Their explanation took almost no time at all, for they knew almost nothing. A nebulous research project, backed by noble gold, and a stonewalled investigation and a well timed dinner investigation.

When they were done, Olmos leaned back in his leatherbacked chair and stared upwards. “Troublesome,” he said plainly after a moment's pause.

Kaius suppressed the urge to grunt. He’d hoped for a little more than that.

A low creak of well oiled wood filled the room as Olmos leaned back towards them. “Normally, I would offer the support of the guild, but the situation is precarious. With the rising tensions due to recent Guild actions, we’d be snubbed just out of spite.”

“What about his sponsors? Surely there must be some way to identify them — they must be important to have pulled over the city guards,” Kaius insisted.

Ianmus had said that it was likely the Duke or someone affiliated with him — that had to narrow things down somewhat.

“Not necessarily," Olmos replied, shaking his head. “The Duke is desperate to project stability and strength. Every noble on the continent is scrambling for some way to protect their position now that access to Legacy Skills has been spread widely. A highly respected and valuable civil servant such as an Archivist disappearing in connection to a noble project presents exactly the wrong kind of image. Nor are the culprits likely to be his sponsors — the Dukedoms’ powerstructures are cut-throat, but they are not as despotic and openly brutal as elsewhere. Far more likely that these are the actions of a political rival, or an unrelated third party seeking to profit.”

Be that as it may, Kaius found the answer wholly unsatisfying. If Kanmost’s employer wasn’t behind his disappearance, then they had even less of a lead than he’d hoped. He crossed his arms.

The man was Ianmus’s friend — they couldn’t just do nothing.

Olmos gave them a long look, before he sighed.

“I’m under no illusions that the four of you will just drop this, nor would I expect you to — even if this archivist is not a close ally, he is still a familiar face, and few take kindly to those vanishing under suspicious circumstances. In my opinion, your best option is, unfortunately, the young Lord Flowers. From what you have said, you have something he wants, and if anyone knows something, it will be him.”

Kaius drummed his fingers against his handrest. That was not what he wanted to hear. They hadn’t exactly had the most favourable introduction to Lord Frostbloom, and that would no doubt colour his party leader’s perception of them. Worse, the man was a duke's son. Guilewind himself had said he was a viper.

“Is that wise?” he said. “What if he, or at least his faction, is involved? The timing of his invitation is suspicious.”

Kenva shrugged beside him. “Not necessarily — he did say that he would extend one when we ran into him at the parade. If Olmos is right, and Kanmost’s backers are unlikely to be behind this, then it stands to reason that the man wouldn’t be involved. Even if the house of Flowers wasn’t the direct funder, it would be one of their subordinates or political allies. I doubt they would let anyone else operate directly under there noses.”

“Just so,” Olmos said with a nod. “Also, if your Archivist has found something valuable — which is overwhelmingly likely if he has been spirited away for what he knows — then the Duke will want him back. You are a capable team, and have good reason to look for him that is divorced from economic benefits or the Archivist’s work. The opportunity is there to position yourselves as assets. It is a slim one, but present all the same.”

Slim was an understatement. Even in his short interactions with Lord Frostbloom and Lord Flowers, both had seemed political to their core. Nobles breathed ulterior motives, and there was no doubt that they would be treated with suspicion at best.

Still, it wasn’t like they had any other good options, and they did have their knowledge of Crucibles and Aspect embodiment to use as a bargaining chip.

“I suppose we’ll just have to hope that Lord Flowers is in a good mood tomorrow evening,” Kaius muttered.

Olmos gave them a wan smile. “Dire times when we have to rely on the congeniality of the blue-blooded. Again, I apologise — if not for our recent actions, there would be far more that the Guild could do to assist. On that note, did you have anything else for me, or should we move on to your fruit?”

“There was one more thing,” Kaius said, sharing a knowing glance with Porkchop.

They still needed to give the man the Legacy Skills that Yanmi had entrusted them with.