Lord Softrain pushes open the door for me, and I’m momentarily transfixed by the glittering cavern beyond.

  “Goldman’s does have rather impressive decor,” Softrain ventures, his own eyes observing my reactions. I realise I’m staring and quickly try to wipe the expression from my face.

  “It’s stunning,” I admit, deciding not to pretend to be unimpressed.

  Part of the reason for its transfixing appearance, I realise, is that the room’s decor is so completely at odds with its outside appearance. White marble has been exchanged for black. Golden motifs, deliberate and delicate, have been exchanged for glints and veins of gold. Carven images and soaring columns have been replaced by blank walls and inset magical lights which are barely brighter than the golden flecks they’re set among. It gives the distinct impression of walking into a rich mine in which both gold and gems are discovered daily. I haven’t decided yet whether I would deem it appropriate for a bank, though – it’s worlds different from the modern TSB with which I used to have a current account. Still probably do, technically. But it definitely makes an impression, which is no doubt the intention.

  “Indeed. Heir Titanbend, it has been a pleasure to spend time in your company, but I do not wish to take up any more of your valuable time,” Softrain offers and I tear my eyes away from the room ahead to give him my undivided attention once more.

  “You don’t want to visit the bank manager yourself?”

  “I have no need today. I merely wished to be of some service to you.”

  “And to have a chance to feel me out a little,” I comment wryly. He gives me an expression which is just short of a grimace in return.

  “That too,” he agrees, slightly hesitantly.

  “Then, Lord Softrain, it has been a pleasure. Thank you for your aid and I hope we meet again soon.” If he’s as good at controlling the weather as he’s made himself sound, he’s definitely someone I’ll want to ally with on the journey – or would he be looking to join my expedition party itself? Softrain perks up a little, some of the lines on his face relaxing again.

  “You are too kind, my lord.” He bows deeply and I offer him the appropriate nod in response. It’s not long before he returns back along the corridor we have just travelled, the only trace of his presence the faint, lingering scent of his fragrance.

  Turning back to the glittering cavern, I step into the room, my companions following me quietly. Opposite the door is a high desk, behind which stands a woman dressed in what looks like a uniform, the emblem I saw outside embroidered on her tunic. I think that I can be forgiven for my eyes skipping over her at first – her colouring blends in awfully well with her surroundings. When she sees my attention is finally on her, she smiles and gives a deep, professional bow.

  “Greetings, my lord. This is your first time in this branch, I see.” I wonder if she can tell that by how I gawped when I entered the room, or whether there’s some sort of record of my entry.

  “It is,” I confirm.

  “Please could you approach and place your hand on the identification device. Sera Meritus has already been alerted as to your approach and will be with you as soon as possible.”

  “Sera Meritus is the bank manager?” I check.

  “Yes, my lord. Sera Yolana Meritus.”

  I nod and step forward, placing my hand on top of a device which carries the same sigil as was on the door outside, though the runes it's connected to aren’t nearly as numerous or intricate as on the door. Once more, a cool pulse goes through me, a weaker version of what I felt on the way in.

  A scroll appears out of nowhere and the receptionist takes and unrolls it. Her eyes go wide in shock and she bows again, even more deeply than before.

  “Heir Titanbend! I apologise for not recognising you!”

  “It’s fine,” I tell her quickly. “So, where shall we wait for Sera Meritus?”

  “You and your retinue are welcome to take a seat, my lord,” she answers, still partly bowing – I guess my House being one of the founders of the bank is a big deal for those who work here even if I, personally, had nothing to do with it. I look over to where she gestures towards and see some soft-looking couches, in what appears to be this world’s equivalent of leather. In black with gold cushions, of course. “I’m sure Sera Meritus will not be long.”

  “Thanks,” I say, giving her a smile, and head over to the indicated furniture. The sofas are just as comfortable as they look and I relax for perhaps the first time since we left the Titanbend wing. Bastet and Lathani both drape themselves over the sofas, rumbling in contentment. Fenrir doesn’t relax, sitting upright on guard with his head turned attentively towards the desk. Sirocco just sulks on my shoulder, ruffling her feathers irritably every couple of minutes.

  “You could have stayed outside,” I point out.

  It wasn’t exactly outside, she disagrees. When are we going to leave this massive cave?

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  I don’t know, I admit. Hopefully not too far in the future.

  She just silently returns to sulking.

  Sarran remains standing behind the sofa – I trust him to know what he should be doing right now.

  “I will not be allowed to enter,” he warns me quietly, leaning forward a little. “Sera Meritus is an excellent manager and very amenable to a lord’s wishes, but she is a strong believer that private matters should have the opportunity to stay private. I would suggest that you leave the majority of your Bonded outside too – she is trustworthy, I promise you, and doing so would be a good gesture from the Heir of Titanbend. We have maintained a cordial relationship with our bank through the generations due to active and mutual respect.” I turn my head slightly to see him giving me a significant look. I get the message.

  “Alright,” I tell him, just as quietly. I’ll take his word for it – he’s the one who’s clearly familiar with this whole thing. I look at my Bound thoughtfully, considering who I should bring. Not Lathani – she looks too comfortable and would probably end up distracting me by investigating everything in the office. And Fenrir is probably better staying with the others and guarding the door here – especially if Sera Meritus is as trustworthy as Sarran is indicating.

  Bastet, Sirocco, will you come with me?

  Of course, Bastet agrees immediately.

  If you insist, grumps Sirocco. I pull out a bit of meat from my Inventory and she snaps it up quickly, sending me a flicker of gratitude. I keep feeding her strips of meat until she sends me a sense that she’s done. Her mood feels significantly better – it seems that she was hangry.

  I only have enough time to clean my fingers with a brief pulse of Flesh-Shaping when a door to the right side of the reception desk opens outwards. I hadn’t even noticed it and when it shuts silently behind the figure who exits, I see why I hadn’t – the gaps between the door and the frame are almost nonexistent.

  As expected, Sera Meritus hasn’t dallied in coming to meet me. The lady in question is a rather androgynous figure wearing clothes which all match the bank’s interior colour scheme. Her overrobe is neat and embroidered with several symbols. Among them, I see the emblem for the bank repeated multiple times. Her own type of uniform, I guess.

  She pauses next to the receptionist to converse, perhaps thinking that I haven't yet noticed her. I focus on the two of them while looking away, trying something that I haven’t fully tested yet – enhancing my hearing beyond what my stats already provide. I don’t use Transformation to actually borrow Fenrir’s ears; instead, it’s a bit of Flesh-Shaping to boost my ears’ function without changing their form too obviously. It’s enough for me to be able to hear the quiet conversation.

  “It’s Heir Titanbend, ma’am!” the receptionist hisses excitedly.

  “I’m aware. There was another lord who entered – Lord Softrain. Where is he?” Sera Meritus’ voice is cool and authoritative.

  “Lord Softrain?” the receptionist sounds puzzled. “Oh! One of the men left before entering the office. That must have been him.”

  “Has he left the bank entirely?”

  “The door has registered his exit, ma’am.” It doesn’t surprise me that at least some of the runes that I saw on the door are to do with alerting people that an entry or exit has occurred. Though it’s interesting that the receptionist clearly doesn’t receive all the information that the bank manager does.

  “Very well.” Sera Meritus nods briskly, then heads towards us, the heels of her shoes tapping decisively on the marble below. I work quickly to return my hearing to normal – the downside of not using Transformation is that it’s not instantaneous.

  “Heir Titanbend?”

  “Yes?” I answer, standing up from the sofa. She bows deeply, though not quite as deeply as the receptionist did the second time.

  “I am bank manager Sera Yolana Meritus. It is an honour to meet you and to have you in my bank. I would be delighted to help you with any of your financial needs. Shall we adjourn to my office?”

  Even as I murmur a neutral acceptance of her words, I wonder if I’m reading too much into it that I feel like she’s setting boundaries despite the obsequiousness, warning me that it is her bank, even if my new House was the original founder, and that she will only help me with financial needs. Perhaps the conversation with Goldmine and then to a lesser extent with Softrain has made me wary of traps in every word. Then again, perhaps the manager of the palace branch of Goldman’s bank knows how to play the game as well as any noble.

  Entering the office with Sirocco on my shoulder and Bastet at my hip, I find my eyebrows creeping up my forehead. The office itself is as spacious as I would expect from a bank manager, but the large window on the wall directly opposite the door surprises me a little. It shows the street outside the main entrance – surely we’re too deep inside the building for that to be real?

  A glance with Inspect, purposefully directed to avoid assessing Sera Meritus so I don’t accidentally offend her, confirms that it’s thick with magic. This is the equivalent of a magical TV, I guess. Or maybe more like CCTV.

  As we enter the room itself, I realise that the wall to the right of the door and directly opposite the manager’s desk and chairs is a window on what looks to be the main floor of the bank itself. Magical as well, of course. Since we didn’t actually go through that entrance, I can’t help but eye it for a long moment. Honestly, it looks like a combination of an old-style bank and a reception, all in the same black and gold as the rooms I’ve been in.

  I walk towards the desk which could be from any average manager’s office on Earth, Bastet padding next to me. “Please sit, my lord,” she invites, indicating the chairs set before her desk. They look like they might belong in any board meeting, though one that values aesthetics over comfort.

  I choose one and sink into it – the chair is surprisingly yielding despite its formal appearance. Maybe there are enchantments on this too – there seem to be enchantments all over the room. I make a mental note to ask Nicholas if there’s a Skill or something that will help me identify what the enchantments are before I risk activating them – knowing something is enchanted is only half the story, after all.

  “Heir Titanbend, what can I help you with today? I do not believe you currently have an account with us?”

  “No,” I agree, “and that’s one of the things I’d like to open. But perhaps we should start with this?” I suggest, pulling the scroll that Nicholas gave me out of my Inventory once more.

  here!

  here!

  here!

  here