Kaius kept a brisk pace that was slower than he was used to. Every second step, his weight caused his prosthetic to slip into the soft loam of the governor’s garden.

  “Are we close?” Kaius asked, keeping his left hand on Porkchop’s flank just in case he tripped.

  “Yeah. The greenhouse she went to must be just on the other side of the manor grounds — five more minutes, tops.”

  Kaius nodded, a stiff clench in his chest urging him on. There was no question about it now. The die had been cast — a tyrant was coming. The runner that had met them in the governor’s garden had confirmed it. The far scouts had seen it with their own eyes: beasts, by the thousands upon thousands, slowly making their way in the direction of Deadacre.

  Hanrick’s response had been swift. He was making an announcement to the city immediately. Already, Kaius could hear the droning peals of bells ringing from wall to wall inside of Deadacre.

  Their cadence was unmistakable — an official announcement. Those who cared to see what would happen, a solid portion of the city no doubt, would be flooding the massive open square at the front of the Governor’s Manor.

  They, thankfully, had been given a room and balcony in a building along one flank. Ianmus was already on his way there. At least that was what the runner had said. He and the governor had been together when the news had come, busy with contacting Mystral.

  The surroundings passed by in a blur — carved stone and the little greenery that existed in the city alike — as staff and guards swarmed like a kicked-over anthill.

  “Boys!” Kenva yelled as they turned a corner.

  They hurried over.

  “You ready to leave?” Kaius asked.

  The ranger nodded. “Porkchop gave me the news a couple of minutes before my runner arrived. I’ve already packed up the arrows I’ve managed to grow. Let’s move.”

  They set off, following the directions that their runner had carefully imparted. The man had been surprisingly detailed, and with how clear their memories had gotten with their levels, it was easy to follow them.

  “Are you producing as much as you hoped you would?” Porkchop asked as they all but jogged to their destination.

  “Almost. The drain on my resources is far less that when I was working with the trees from the Depths, but it’s still a bit more than I would have liked. Like I suspected, the quality of the tree impacts the cost as well as the quality. I should still be producing enough to supply the defenders — I only managed to empty my pool twice, but I’ve already got enough to fill a couple of barrels.”

  That was enough to bring a smile to Kaius’s face. A whole barrel. With that sort of pace, if Kenva dedicated herself, she could damn near store enough arrows for an entire regiment.

  “And their performance?” Kaius asked.

  “Around uncommon artefact, I think. Nothing fancy — but they’ll fly far and have good penetration.”

  Uncommon. That was a surprise. While a dedicated crafter could no doubt create much more effective specimens, Kenva had been churning them out with a hundred-percent success rate, with no consumption of materials. It was a fantastic result.

  Most archers made use of mundane materials. If she could make enough that every defender had at least a quiver full of her improved arrows, she would go a long way towards giving the guard a tool for critical threats.

  Descending away from the manor, they hit a slight decline and ducked into the surrounding streets. Affluent as this district of the city was, the streets were wide and open. Already they were growing packed — people exiting their houses with confused expressions, and groups slowly making their way to the governor’s square.

  Ignoring the looks they drew, Kaius hurried to their destination: a large building at the end of the street. The guards at the entrance let them in without a second glance, and a few minutes of rushing through its halls later, they arrived — a corner room at its highest level, its balcony perfectly positioned to give them a complete view of Hanrick’s podium and the square.

  It was shockingly fancy. The kind of place that put the dusty stables to shame. Chairs were scattered across the room, each one a thing of ebony and stuffed, stiff cushions that looked like they would have taken a master upholsterer months to make.

  Four staff members busied themselves at one end of the room, setting out a tablecloth on a wide table while others laid an assortment of snacks down atop it.

  Kaius barely paid it attention, seeing Ianmus’s towering frame silhouetted against the horizon as he leaned against the railing of the balcony.

  “Ianmus,” he called.

  “Thank the gods,” the mage replied, turning as they joined him.

  “Did you manage to send out the call to Mystral?” Kenva asked.

  “Just. Our meeting had finished for all of three minutes before the runner arrived.”

  Kaius frowned and nodded. Gods, it felt like watching the approach of a flash flood. The approaching beasts were glacially slow and terrifyingly fast all at once.

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  “Please tell me the meeting went well, at least,” he said.

  Ianmus let out a slow breath. “It did. We will have our cadre. Sunspire, Stone Spire, Oak Spire, and Stormspire are sending ten mages, headed by a handful of Silvers.”

  Kaius leaned heavily into Porkchop. “They are? That’s fantastic.” That many accomplished mages would be phenomenal, let alone a Silver assistant. Hells — a stone or earth mage alone would be pivotal. In a siege, their ability to fortify, repair, and create defences could be the very thing that secured their victory.

  “When are they coming?”

  “Soon,” Ianmus replied. “Selecting and organising the cadre will take some time, but with Stormspire it is likely the actual journey will not take them long. They gave us an oath that the Ophelia herself would ensure swift transport — she’s renowned for her flight capabilities.”

  “The Spire Masters, they won’t assist directly?”

  “No. They’re spooked — worried about their own holdings. Besides, they have their hands full. Apparently, Mystral’s strongest have been busy defending against beasts from the deep.”

  Sea monsters. Gods. Kaius almost preferred the idea of the siege that was coming for them. There was a reason people did not traverse the oceans lightly. The creatures that lived there were great and terrible, and dwarfed anything that could be found on land.

  “The cadre will be enough,” Kaius said. “From what we’ve heard, the worst of the beasts are low steel. The true threat is the Tyrant. Between us, Arc, Rieker, and Ro? We should have it handled, even if it is holding a handful of stronger creatures in reserve.”

  “I bloody hope you’re right,” Kenva said, leaning on the balcony’s railing to watch the crowd stream into the square.

  “There’s one more thing,” Ianmus added, looking directly into Kaius’s eyes. “We should expect questions. My headmaster noticed my strength immediately, and we will not be able to hide our unique methods of spellcasting in a full blown siege.”

  Kaius paused. “I can live with that. I never intended to keep glyphbinding secret forever. I’ll be happy to explain if they ask.”

  “I thought you would be. But I am more worried about our sudden strength. The guild has yet to spread word on Honours — that would help to explain our power.”

  Ianmus was right. “Rotten roots, I’ll need to get Rieker to do so, then.”

  Plus, as he thought about it, Kaius realised an invasion by a gods-damned tyrant was exactly the sort of situation that might lead to some of the defenders earning honours of their own.

  “Actually, we should make that a priority.” He glanced at Porkchop. “Is it close enough for you to speak with them directly?”

  Porkchop shook his head. “Too many people. Though if he joins Hanrick on his balcony, I imagine he would. I’ll be able to.”

  Kaius nodded. “Good. The second he does, let him know that he should make honours part of the announcement — or release them shortly after. The risk’s too high if somebody gains one during the siege.”

  As if the gods themselves were listening, across the square,on a high balcony of the manor, the governor appeared. Whether by spell or enchantment, when the man clapped it resonated loudly enough that it sounded as if he was standing directly in front of Kaius. Behind him, Kaius could see the captain of the guard, as well as Arc, Rieker, and Ro.

  “There he is. Do it now.”

  “Done.”

  A heartbeat later, Rieker bent down, whispering something in Ro’s ear. Her eyes snapped to Kaius’s. She gave him a nod.

  Not now. Soon. A guild announcement. Tomorrow. Ro mouthed the words quickly — only someone with a sharp ocular skill and high stats would have been able to see it.

  Kaius nodded.

  “You catch that?” he said to Kenva.

  “Yep,” she replied. “I wonder what’ll cause more of a hubbub. The war, or the hidden secrets.”

  Kaius snorted.

  Once again, Hanrick clapped, and the gathered crowd below finally fell silent.

  “My good people of Deadacre. I come to you with grave tidings—”

  Kaius let out a heavy breath. Hopefully the governor was a skilled enough politician to avoid frightening the crowd and sending them into a panic.

  …

  “That could have been worse,” Porkchop said, nibbling a piece of braised beef he’d lifted from the table of food that had been laid out for them.

  “Could have been worse?” Kaius responded incredulously. “Hanrick may as well have announced that the sun was going to explode. It was a damn near riot.”

  “He’s got a point,” Kenva replied. “The fact it wasn’t a riot is genuinely quite impressive.”

  Kaius sighed and sipped at a sweetened wine before taking a bite of the cracker he’d laden with cold cuts and diced pickle. The pair of them were right, but it was a damned low bar to clear.

  “Hanrick’s speech was about as good as it could have been,” Kaius admitted. There were only so many ways you could tell people that an army of rabid, hungry beasts up to a full hundred levels above their own were descending on their home.

  It was hard to forget the ripple of shock and panic that had rolled over the crowd. Gods, he understood it. Even with their strength, it was a bitter pill to swallow. War was the twin brother of death, and where it went, the other would follow. How many innocents would they lose due to the cruel realities of the integration?

  Downing the rest of his glass, Kaius heard a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” he called.

  It opened to reveal the governor’s chamberlain. Stepping inside, the man gave them a short bow.

  “I hope, regardless of the circumstances, you have been able to enjoy the amenities…?”

  They let out a collective wince.

  “That might be a bit of a tall ask, but the food is phenomenal,” Kaius replied.

  “I suppose that is the best I could hope for, with war on its way.” The chamberlain inclined his head. “Regardless, I am sorry to interrupt, but I would make a request of your presence, Kaius.”

  He sat up. “Oh?”

  “I have gathered the senior runewrights of the city to inspect the central formation for the city’s defences. They are ancient and long maintained, but it’s been an age since they were last used, and I would hate to see them fail. You seemed like a reasonable person to join such a party.”

  The chamberlain looked pointedly at the glyphs that spilled across Kaius’s temples and down his cheekbones.

  Kaius nodded — while he was not an expert in traditional runes, he was familiar with them, and the simple potency of his skills and the height of his stats would go far. He would, at least, make a good assistant for the other runewrights.

  “Will the three of you be alright without me for a few hours?” Kaius asked his brother silently.

  “Of course — we’ll meet you back at the stables,” Porkchop replied.

  Kaius gave the chamberlain a nod. “I would be happy to do what I can. Show me the way?”

  ALSO - end of the week im going away for two weeks. chapters should continue as normal, but there is a small chance I fuck up queuing my posts, in which case i'll just sort it out when i'm back

  B4 will be finished by the end of the week on Patreon!

  https://discord.gg/NjsqGKHHaY