The meeting room they were using was privacy-shielded to the best of their ability and empty of anyone other than the council members. City Lord Cosgrave had made sure of that.

  “It’s been confirmed, House Walker successfully closed the portal before the dwarven Battleborns arrived,” she said as she took her seat at the head of the table.

  “Thank the gods above and the devils below,” Lord Voltan muttered under his breath while he and the rest of the council arranged themselves around the table.

  Lord Newling asked, “So, there is no chance that we’ll be sanctioned for having outside help with the matter?”

  The entire table turned to look at Lord Bennings, who was seated to the city lord’s right.

  “That would be unlikely. While the dwarves did kill more than a few of the kobalds on their way to the former throne room, they did not arrive in time to deal with the portal. Somehow, Lord Walker himself was the one attributed with the portal’s closure. Considering the magnitude of the feat, I doubt if anyone who could be called in to investigate would dare to claim the dwarves' actions affected anything.” she stated loudly and clearly.

  The woman’s stony expression didn’t betray what she felt about the situation, but her words elicited an audible breath of relief from everyone else present.

  Lord York spoke up, “So, the threat is passed? All that’s left is conventional warfare with the kobalds in the lower city?”

  City Lord Cosgrave replied, “Not exactly. House Walker’s forces are still in need of retrieval from the battlefield. Commander Dahl is taking advantage of the opening the dwarves made to push through the tunnels as quickly as he can. Only after the upper city is cleared will the army be able to push into the lower levels. And remember, there are likely more portals waiting for us down below. However, they’re likely to be the more traditional ones we’re familiar with.”

  Grunting in acknowledgment, Lord Voltan said, “Those we can handle… probably.”

  Lord Peyton replied, “It won’t be easy. The army will have to clear the area to allow the mages from the Tower of Magic to work. But it’s within their capabilities.”

  Across the table, Lord Voltan replied, “Yes, I agree. And all we’ll really need to do is have the army push the kobalds out of the mountain. After they retreat into their deeper cities, you can be sure that the dwarves will handle them. Our goal needn’t be their eradication, we merely need to secure our borders so we can refocus and prepare for the tides which will be arriving due to the density shift.”

  Everyone seemed to agree with him, as they took a few minutes to debate over how best to handle ensuring the dwarves take decisive action without making it seem like that was what they wanted.

  Shattering the comfortable mood by changing the subject, Lord York asked, “How quickly can we confirm the rumors we’ve been hearing on the Thought Hub?”

  Everyone went silent, no one wanting to think about what Lord York was referring to. Even City Lord Cosgrave visibly grimaced, her typical stony expression faltering under the weight of the subject no one in the room wanted to talk about.

  “I made sure that Commander Dahl recognizes the importance of finding out exactly what occurred. As of this time, there is no definitive proof that any of those claims are true. The Populators left without filing any paperwork, stating that we’d receive their after-action report in due time, and the dwarves said nothing to anyone before they left the city to return to their mountain. I can confirm, however, that Lord Walker was teleported back into the city by Archmage Jennings, but other than that, I have nothing more to offer you.”

  Lord Voltan chuckled uncomfortably, his forced nonchalance not fooling anyone. “It’s theatre. House Walker is just playing into the legend they’ve been trying to build for their lord. You can’t seriously believe he came back from the dead on his own, can you? Obviously, either one of the Populators or the archmage resuscitated him, if he even died at all. What’s more concerning is that he was able to somehow close an active portal that had been successfully attached to a regional anchor point. That’s a feat that should require multiple teams of mages working together to accomplish. Knowing that he’s closed a portal before, we can assume at least that part of their story might be true.”

  City Lord Cosgrave replied, “I’m more worried about the quest. I looked into how much this is going to cost us to reward him if it’s confirmed, and I’m not sure the city will be able to afford it. Even if we take loans against each of our house’s personal fortunes, the amount is more than the total sum of valens in the entire city.”

  Every lord in the room gasped. Lord Newling was so shocked that he spilled his wine.

  “How is that possible?” Lord York demanded.

  City Lord Cosgrave replied stonily, “Active portals of this magnitude have been closed before. There is precedent involved.”

  The room fell into silence as the lords tried to digest what they’d just heard.

  Somewhat smugly, Lord Bennings spoke up, “You needn’t worry. One of the analysts I assigned to the issue came up with a rather clever way to offload the debt to the kingdom.”

  Narrowing her eyes as if she didn’t believe her, City Lord Cosgrave asked, “And how would we do that exactly?”

  Before Lord Bennings could reply, Lord Peyton shouted, “It was a regional threat! By gods in the planes above, that’s it, isn’t it?”

  Almost smirking, Lord Bennings replied with a nod. “Correct. While quests issued under the kingdom’s approval are paid out at a rate of 3 to 1 from the city’s coffers against the kingdom’s, when regional threats are involved that ratio no longer applies. Since the portal would have affected a good portion of the Strates had it been allowed to fester, we can request for House Strattings to cover the award. Likely, Lord Strattings will then request that the capital reimburse her house on the grounds that multiple cities outside her house’s control would have been affected. House Stratting is merely the regional overseer, as appointed by the kingdom’s Council of Leadership. The title of a regional lord hasn’t been awarded in nearly 1000 years. In the end, the capital will be the ones covering the cost.”

  Smiles all around the room were traded as they enjoyed their good fortune. Everything had worked out splendidly. The dwarves hadn’t been able to interfere, and the only person in the city who could have successfully closed the portal in a way where they wouldn’t have to cover the cost of their reward had achieved the impossible and done it alone. The situation couldn’t have resolved itself better if they’d planned it.

  Unfortunately, City Lord Cosgrave quickly ruined the mood by stating emphatically, “Now, we just need to ensure that House Walker can no longer involve themselves in the war from here on out. If half of what they’re saying on the Thought Hub is true, then who knows how much we’ll owe him by the time his quest is finished.”

  Lord Bennings replied smugly, “I wouldn’t worry about that. Having successfully won such a decisive battle, we can vote to consider his quest completed. And, going forward, we can reasonably claim that a unique of his stature is too powerful for our local trials.”

  Lord Voltan asked with some hesitation, “Even if his level is still so low?”

  Nodding, Lord Bennings replied, “Yes. Regardless of his level, he is still a unique. We can ask him to refrain from personally involving himself on the grounds that his presence would be interfering with our development. Our city’s trials are our own, and his status can no longer be considered commensurate with our tier. We won’t be able to stop him from requesting a new quest for his house’s forces, but he will be unable to participate. Without his unique magical abilities, the reward will be much more in line with what we’d expected.”

  Smiling widely enough to make the entire room uncomfortable, City Lord Cosgrave replied, “Have I mentioned recently how much I appreciate your presence on this council? Because I do.” Turning to glare at the rest of the table while continuing to smile, she added, “We all do. Don’t we?”

  Nods and effusive praise were doled out by every council member in attendance, leaving Lord Bennings looking as proud and self-satisfied as anyone had ever seen her.

  —--

  While Jennings sat there in stunned silence, Nero stood up and began heading toward the door. Over his shoulder, he said, “I’ll just pop down to the kitchens real quick, and then we can go.”

  Now, Nero shouldn’t have been surprised by Jennings’ reaction to hearing his intention to return to the mountain. The man likely thought Nero was being impulsive. Or maybe the archmage was simply unwilling to accept that Nero intended to duck out on all the experiments he and Nick were looking forward to performing on him. Either way, Nero discovered quite quickly that Jennings wasn’t happy.

  Raising his voice, Archmage Jennings shouted, “Hold on, Nero. We’re not done here! Sit back down on this couch and listen to me for a moment! You cannot just…”

  Flinching at the feeling of the ether suddenly being filled with Jennings’ presence, Nero was too awestruck to register what the man was saying. Possibly due to his recent revival, or maybe due to his increased level, Nero was able to observe the process of Jennings infusing his essence into the ether like a magnet altering a table full of iron fillings. He’d seen how essence fields interacted with the flows before, but he’d never been able to witness it so clearly as he could right now.

  Tapping his finger to his chin in thought, he pushed his full attention into the ether to observe the phenomenon in real-time. Jennings’ presence was everywhere. It spread through his entire sensory range and fully cut him off from being able to interact with anything. Had he not learned how to see the essence flows without touching them then he would have been thoroughly blinded by whatever Jennings was doing. The man had entirely taken control of the entire world around him.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Are you even listening to me!?!” Jennings shouted from right next to Nero’s ear.

  Nero blinked a few times while reprioritizing his attention back to the rest of his senses. Turning to look up at Jennings, he was surprised to find the man standing right next to him. “Sorry, what were you saying?” he asked innocently.

  Scowling down at Nero, Jennings’ expression suddenly became much less hostile and more inquisitive, bordering on fascination. “What exactly did that feel like to you?” he asked with interest.

  Nero cocked his head a bit expressing his confusion, “You mean the essence thing you just did?”

  Jennings replied, “Yes, Nero. The ‘essence thing’.”

  Taking a moment to think before he answered, Nero tried to put what he’d felt into words. “You took over all the essence in the room… maybe the whole building. It was really impressive. I could tell from your essence that you were angry. Is that what you talking about? Because, if it is, then I’m pretty sure your shouting would have gotten your point across just fine without you having to do whatever it was you just did. And it would have been much less distracting. That said, it was interesting to watch though.”

  “I wasn’t trying to…” Jennings replied sharply before he caught himself. Visibly restraining the frustration he must be feeling by pinching the bridge of his nose, he continued, “What I did was take control of the ether by overlaying my essence throughout the essence flows, claiming them as my own. I know we’ve discussed how doing that can be useful in magical combat, but it’s also a way for powerful people to put pressure on those who haven’t progressed as far along their path. What I did was several steps beyond what you’ve been exposed to. You should not have been able to stand it. You should have been quaking in your boots. I must say, seeing you finding it merely ‘interesting’ is somewhat disconcerting.”

  Shrugging, Nero replied, “I don’t know what to tell you. Being cut off from the ether felt weird, but it wasn’t all that intimidating. However, having your ‘Jennings essence’ trying to worm its way into my center was a little creepy.”

  Forcefully leading Nero back to the couches with a firm hand on his shoulder, Jennings said, “Your reaction to my center being intertwined with the essence flows is understandable. You likely are passively absorbing essence to fully incorporate your new body into the world. Attempting to incorporate my imbuement into your center would feel strange. But, that’s a matter to be discussed at a more appropriate time. For now, let’s return to what is immediately relevant to the situation you find yourself in. As you weren’t listening, I’d appreciate it if you attempted to pay attention this time.”

  Rolling his eyes, Nero plopped back down on the couch while gesturing the man to go ahead.

  Jennings looked like he was struggling to stay calm while he slowly began speaking. “I can understand why you don’t want to leave your house’s forces on their own. It’s admirable that you feel the need to be with them as they wait for rescue from the military. These are the emotional ties that you need to foster, while remembering to maintain your objectivity. But, you’re needed here. It is imperative that you allow yourself to be thoroughly examined for any complications you might be suffering from after your ordeal. Active self-manifestation has never been accomplished before, not in the manner in which you did it at least. And I assure you the procedures will be painless, and won’t take much time. Besides, if everything progresses as I suspect it will, you’ll likely be called in front of the council to receive your quest completion. There’s also the matter of the upcoming meeting with the dwarves you’ll need to deal with if you truly intend to use them as a shield against having to go to the capital. You must take advantage of this time before the people I warned you about in the capital make their move. This is a time for careful preparation, not your absence.”

  Nero waited patiently for Jennings to finish, and when he was sure the man was done, he replied, “Those are all good points. But they’re also irrelevant. You don’t ‘need’ me here. You ‘want’ me here. You already scanned me. I’m sure there is more to learn or whatever, but that will be just as true in a week as it is right now. I seriously doubt a few extra days of waiting will affect anything.”

  Seeing that Jennings was about to retort, Nero held up his hand to preemptively cut him off. “And the council along with the dwarves will still be here when I get back. Also, I was as serious as a heart attack when I said that I was not worried about the people in the capital. There is no way they’ll be able to control me. You should realize by now what kind of person I am. One of the first decisions I made when I arrived here was that I was going to be the only one in control of my life. I want to be the main character in my story, not a side character in someone else's. But that’s not why I have to head back to the mountain.”

  Sighing heavily, Nero looked Jennings in the eye and attempted to get real for a moment. “Listen, man. The Wackos got wrecked. And the only reason they were there was because I asked them to be. I wasn’t even around to help rez anyone after the battle. Who knows how many people could have been saved if I’d just figured out how to come back a little quicker? Closed the portal a little sooner? And, honestly, I’m just not ready to be back here in this lap of luxury just yet. It’s too jarring. Honestly… I need to finish what I started before I move on to my next adventure. Whether that’s with the dwarves in their mountain, the council here in Dorchester, or with someone someplace else… I’ll decide all that when I get back.”

  Seeing the resolve on Nero’s face, Jennings leaned back into the couch cushions in defeat. Holding up his hand as if he were begging Nero to help him understand, he asked, “My boy, what is this obsession you have with ‘adventure’? Is it a cultural directive that you grew up with wherever you are from? Some traditional mark of maturity that you feel the need to live up to?”

  Nero scoffed before replying, “Um… No. Nothing like that. Look, it’s not all that complicated. Adventuring to me is about me putting myself out there. This is a world of magic and monsters and I’m not going to be just some guy who wakes up in the morning and goes to his boring ass job while ignoring all the awesomeness that’s waiting for me outside those walls. I’m aiming to mix it up as best I can while grabbing on tight to everything that makes me feel alive. I’ve already lived the life of the everyman, and I hated it. This time, I’m going to chase adventure like the Grim Reaper is nipping at my heels, waiting for me to trip. And, so far, I think I’ve been doing pretty well. If things keep going the way they’re going, the bastard might not ever manage to get a hold of me. I’m like 80% sure that I’m mostly immortal. Plus, doing what I’ve been doing makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something… made my mark on this world.”

  Looking away in thought, Nero continued, “But, that’s me. I know what I signed up for. Truthfully, I’m still not comfortable with having people following me into whatever madness I get up to. I tried to warn them, even made it abundantly clear that following me would be crazy, but they still came along for the ride anyway. Now, some of them are dead, like soul dead or whatever. And I’m going to have to live with that. It sucks, but it is what it is. There’s nothing I can do about that.”

  Standing back up again, he looked down on Jennings from across the coffee table with as serious an expression as he’d ever had on his face. “What I can do is make sure that those lucky assholes who are still alive know that I appreciate them and that I’m sorry. So, pretty please with a cherry on top, can you give me back my bag and teleport me into that stupid mountain so I can rejoin my people? But, not now… later I mean. Like I said, I first have to collect a few things for them from the kitchens, and maybe stop by a liquor store.”

  The conversation ended pretty quickly after that, Nero having decided to get out of there as quickly as he could. Even when he wasn’t suffering from PTSD after having died and coming back only to be practically kidnapped, Nero wasn’t the type of guy who enjoyed talking about his feelings. Their conversation had gotten much too real for his liking, and he needed a break.

  Unfortunately, after leaving the room he found Ms. Davis waiting for him right outside the door in the hallway sitting comfortably on a bench. Almost from the moment he saw her he realized that she and likely much of the staff might have been listening to what he and Jennings had been talking about. He could tell by the proud, motherly look on the woman’s face as she stood up to address him.

  Before Nero managed to say anything, she began her report, “My lord, the kitchens have been alerted to your needs, and three cauldrons of stew are being prepared as we speak. I’m unsure as to how much personal space you have available, but Lady Verena’s briefing on your capabilities stated that have an unusually large personal dimension. That being said, the kitchens will also be bringing several casks of ale. Whatever you are unable to store will be returned to the cellar, so take what you’d like and leave the rest. Also, Mr. Cochran has gone to bring you your new armor. It was delivered to the estate while you were away.”

  Looking immensely proud of herself, she added, “I’m told Ms. Averrett requested it from House Verena’s head armorsmith personally. I assure you, it’s the best armor available in all of Dorchester.”

  Nero didn’t know what to say. While he should have known that she’d been listening in on their conversation on the off chance he or Jennings might have needed something, having his privacy invaded like this kind of pissed him off. But, what was he going to do? Order her to stop? It was literally her job to pay attention to him and anticipate his needs.

  ‘Freakin’ overly effective pod people being amazing at their jobs. It’s unnatural… that’s what it is,’ he complained to himself.

  After coughing into his hand to buy himself enough time to get his wits together, Nero straightened up and said, “Very good Ms. Davis. Let me know the minute everything is ready.”

  Reopening the door behind him, he backpedaled into the room where he’d been meeting with Jennings.

  Seeing that Nero had come back, Jennings looked over at him in confusion before smiling widely. “You’ve come to your senses? Wonderful. Now, let’s take a moment to go over the likely maneuvers we’ll see from all the relevant players. First, let’s start with the ones closer to home, the council. As I said, I believe that their primary motivation will be to end your quest before you drain their war chest dry.”

  Nero was barely listening. As he walked back over to the couch, his eyes were fixed over his shoulder staring at the door, just imagining Ms. Davis standing there waiting for him… watching him… lurking. The woman had totally freaked him out, and he wasn’t sure how he should be feeling about her paying such close attention to everything that he was doing. Meanwhile, Jennings continued on as if Nero’s attention was unneeded.

  “Since you’ve ascended to nobility here, you’ve accumulated a very strong financial position. One which has only been bolstered by Lady Verena’s audacious and brilliant business acumen. My sources say that the trading houses you’ve set up are thriving, and more are being opened every day across the city. By the way, I must say, transferring over everything into House Verena’s name was a brilliant strategy. Taking advantage of the sub-house binding contract to maintain control of all of your assets using House Verena as a proxy rather than selling them to the other nobles was not an approach I would have thought of.”

  Nero plopped down into his seat with a sigh. Attempting to interrupt Jennings’ babbling, Nero missed the fact that Jennings assumed he had somehow been integral to the decision-making process or had anything to do with it at all. “Yeah, she’s a real clever lady,” he offered lamely.

  The archmage either hadn’t heard him or he was actively choosing to ignore him because he continued speaking as if Nero hadn’t said anything. He went on for quite some time, going into great detail concerning the motivations of each and every house on the council. The man must have been watching them all for a while considering how much he knew about them. He even spent a few minutes discussing the city lord’s ongoing search for her new consorts.

  Apparently, the city lord had expressed some anger at Nero for having accepted Knight Angelton’s life oath, which had somehow invalidated the big man as a contender for the position of her boy toy. Jennings then mentioned several people Nero had never heard of, along with some relevant juicy details about who City Lord Cosgrave was leaning toward choosing. The entire subject was something Nero had absolutely no interest in. It wasn’t any of his business, and he couldn’t see how it could possibly matter.

  Having decided to no longer listen to him, Nero reached out to his link. Upon seeing so many messages waiting for him, he stifled a groan while sinking deeper into his chair. Too much had been happening, and too many things were vying for his attention. He didn’t have the energy to deal with any of this.

  Ignoring everything, he connected to the city’s Thought Hub through the estate’s connection and went looking for some of the more interesting people who’d posted stuff. Even knowing that he should probably be strategizing about the different problems he’d be having to deal with, he opted to shut down his brain for a bit.

  ‘Everything will work itself out eventually, it always does. In the meantime, I’m taking a mental health day,’ he thought to himself while mentally checking out of the conversation but nodding along as if he were listening.