Twist the twigs, focus on the grass, let the stone flow, and… there we go.

  Sven let air fill his lungs as his core was granted respite, the world forming into place around them. While the astral realm's air was allegedly as good for keeping people alive as the real world, there was something missing from it.

  Smell. The smell of nature, the smell of the winds, the smell of the humidity that came from rain, the smell of himself, the smell that proved he lived. Astral formations were nice and everything, but it just couldn’t beat the real stuff.

  “Start the log,” Ester ordered, ignoring Sven’s enjoyment of the world. Sven didn’t mind that, knowing she couldn’t enjoy nature the same way as him. No numbers printed in standard ink, with minimum spacing and concise abbreviations, after all. “Have they already taken note of us?”

  Oh, right.

  Sending an internal apology to his core, he started cycling the mana through his body once more.

  Channeling of [Veilpiercer’s Gaze] has been activated! Current cost: 2MP/sec

  There was the usual moment of distortion before everything around Sven became a little clearer. Small details regular eyes would never’ve noticed came to him easily; what was hiding just out of view was revealed, and the gatherings of large amounts of magical energy became dots in his vision.

  Very healthy grass, roads are good quality, higher-than-average amount of ominous voices, massive eyes looking back—

  “Damn, I did not realize that was there,” Sven cursed, taking a step back as he finally processed the giant of a monster just two hundreds meters away. The notes Ester had forced him to read that morning had mentioned that a tarrasque was allegedly guarding the front entrance of the city, but to see that hulking monster in person was a whole other ordeal. “Not a fan of lizards.”

  “We’re entering the city in a moment,” was Ester’s version of making him relax. At least momentarily, as a frown appeared on her face. “You forgot my second instruction.”

  “Right, right, sorry,” Sven apologized half-heartedly, deciding to ignore the giant lizard cleaning its face with its tongue. “It should be up… now.”

  Channeling of [Ethereal Whisper] has been activated! Current cost: 1MP/sec

  He needed a second to get used to the dual-channeling. It wasn’t often that they needed it, after all. Other than transporting around the country, Veilpiercer’s Gaze was usually more than enough for Sven.

  ‘Give me your initial impressions of the city,’ Ester commanded. Her mouth didn’t move, yet Sven could still hear her whispering voice in his left ear.

  A creepy experience if he hadn’t been through it a few hundred times by now.

  ‘Energy levels are slightly above standard rates, likely as a result of either a recent Dungeon Break or one that’ll happen in the future,’ Sven started, chalking that up as to why everything seemed to have a hint of the same mana signature. He’d seen things like this back at the capital during his old school years, and the difficulty he’d had bridging the gap between the astral and physical realm also matched it. ‘Roughly… somewhere around a thousand mages of any notable power, fifty that look like threats, and three that are above everything else here.’

  ‘What are the affinities of the three?’ Ester asked, starting to walk towards the entrance. Sven followed two steps behind her.

  ‘The first one is Earth, likely Alin Oathbreaker. The second is… I want to say a deeper red, but I can’t look closer without the signature fading out,’ Sven reported, internally wondering if that was the result of an artifact or the magical affinity itself. ‘The third one is a swirling pink, with some hints of white streaks.’

  ‘She is still alive? Should’ve guessed,’ he heard Ester muttering as she looked over the tall walls of Kulvik. ‘Keep checking to see if you can get a proper read on the red signature. Intel doesn’t have anybody alive who fits your description.’

  ‘Will do.’

  It wasn’t like he could avoid doing that.

  Mirroring his boss’s actions, Sven moved away from gazing at nature and over to the city in front of them. Just as he had been warned, it was a giant showing of what stone could be used for, the tall walls keeping the inhabitants safe filled with countless depictions of people and old battles. Sven couldn’t recognize a single thing on them, but the sheer detail had him convinced it was depictions of battlegrounds that the architect had personally observed.

  And through the walls, the multi-floored houses within the city weren’t anything to scoff at either. Castilla might have beat Serenova in the grandest of grand structures, but Sven couldn’t deny that the… average person’s house was better off than he was used to. Not having everything built out of wood probably helped keep it in good condition.

  And the dungeon probably helps as well.

  At the thought, another shiver ran through Sven’s body. Looking down, he could trace the thousands of tunnels and off-shoots running through the rock deep below. The surge in power was clear the further down he looked, to the point where he wondered if something was looking back.

  A preposterous thought, he knew, but it was hard for him to think anything else when he could see so much of a single breathing organism. Even if the dungeon had no mind, no cohesive brain that orchestrated the happenings within its domain, the sheer size sometimes made Sven wonder if there was some hidden logic to it all. Maybe it was all just—

  Oh, none of that now!

  Sven chuckled to himself as he forced his wandering line of thoughts to stay on track. He wasn’t a scholar, as he’d assured every professor that had tried to become his mentor by force. There was no reason for him to understand this mystery of the world, much less when he was meant to be on the job.

  Getting overtime pay meant that Sven had to focus.

  Not that his focusing mattered much, in the end.

  “Greetings.”

  Sven jumped a little at the voice from his left. A professional-looking woman, equipped with a black suit usually reserved for attendants in expensive establishments, was standing just out of arm’s reach, looking at them with a passive expression.

  “On behalf of Queen Vera Newell, I ask who you are and what your intentions in Kulvik might be,” the woman continued.

  That explained the outfit.

  What it didn’t explain, however, was the fact that Sven hadn’t noticed her before the second she started talking.

  ‘She’s a mage of some kind, or she has an artifact to hide her presence near-perfectly,’ Sven reported, honing in on the affinity that he knew the woman must possess. And, though it took a second more than he’d liked, that stray line of color beside the neck revealed the truth. ‘She’s an Illusionist. A good one.’

  ‘Would you know if she used her abilities nearby?’ Ester asked through the astral bond before talking out loud. “Greetings. I am Ester Sutton, the chosen diplomat from Castilla. Please forgive the lack of a warning. There was an unexpected opening in my schedule, and we decided to take the opportunity to come a few weeks earlier than planned.”

  Her words weren’t exactly true, seeing as this had been in Sven’s calendar for the past month, but he kept quiet about that.

  “Is that so?” the woman said, her eyes falling onto Sven. She didn’t question him out loud, though he noticed when she channeled mana through her eyes to better inspect his affinity. Sven didn’t try to hide anything. He wasn’t good at that kind of stuff. “Very well. I am under orders to escort you to her highness, if you would allow it.”

  “That would be most helpful,” Ester assured the woman, giving her the standard smile that Sven had seen Ester practice in mirrors countless times. “Please, lead the way.”

  The woman nodded before doing as much. They followed wordlessly, Sven a step behind Ester as they went through the city.

  Nobody stopped them on the way. Not a single glance was sent their way, yet there was also never a moment where people bumped into them. Subtle mental manipulations alongside the illusions that Sven could sense, perhaps? He noted the possibility before honing in on the presences within the castle.

  ‘All three notable signatures are inside,’ Sven reported, glancing through all the other pulses of mana that stuck out. There was a surprising amount of liquidy green around the place, with some higher concentrations in the upper gardens, but it wasn’t in the dangerous region yet. Sven wasn’t sure he cared about that anyway when his eyes reached the inside of the highest tower. ‘Lura is here!’

  ‘What?’ Ester responded instantly, nearly missing a step up the wide stairs. The illusionist spared them a glance but continued a moment later without comment. ‘Are you sure?’

  ‘Nobody else looks like her,’ he promised, failing to contain his grin. Sven had felt tired this last week, bored out of his mind, but now the world seemed to regain its lost color. ‘Why do you think she’s here?’

  ‘For the same reason we’re here, I assume,’ Ester said tiredly. It didn’t show on her face, but Sven noted the annoyance. ‘Getting the upper hand.’

  The harshness of the words flew over Sven’s head as he dreamed of meeting Lura again so quickly. He’d been worried that it would be months before he got to see her again, so only needing to wait a few weeks was a godsend.

  Had she missed him too?

  Though he doubted that it would happen, Sven hoped he’d get the chance to talk to her.

  ‘Give me an update,’ Ester ordered, as they travelled through the castle and up the many steps to reach the top of the tower.

  ‘We’re going to the same room as Lura,’ Sven said immediately. Knowing that wouldn’t be enough for his boss, however, he surveyed the rest of the room they were approaching. ‘Eight other people are inside with her. Four are mages. First is Alin Oathbreaker. Second is an unknown Biomancer with a similar signature to most of the plants in the castle. His overall strength is about average, but his foundational skills are probably above average.’

  High above average, even. For somebody with such a lacking presence, the fact that they’d had a hand in enough of the gardens that Sven could spot the residue of his work meant that true dedication had gone into vitalizing the plant life. It was an act worthy of respect.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  ‘Most likely their new Royal Healer,’ Ester supplied, interrupting his thoughts. ‘The betrayer is expected here, but I can’t see why a Healer would need to be included in a meeting with a foreign diplomat. Note it down, and give descriptions for the last two.’

  ‘Third is a Dreamweaver of average strength, who seems to have spotted us,’ Sven continued, while mentally noting down the signature for later study. ‘Fourth is… I believe it’s a Metamancer.’

  ‘Metamancer?’

  ‘An Affinity that allows a person to transmute materials,’ he explained. ‘One of my old professors, Ashmole, had—.’

  ‘Oh, right, Elias,’ Ester interrupted. ‘Consistent producer of gold and diamonds for use in low-tolerance projects. Very productive asset.’

  Those were not the words Sven would’ve used, but he didn’t comment. Rather, he slowed in his stride as they reached the door, the woman they’d followed opening the door and inviting them inside.

  Ester walked first, Sven fighting the urge to stand beside her so he could get a glimpse inside half a second quicker.

  The needs of the job kept him in check, and his patience was soon rewarded with the sight of Lura in the flesh.

  Her eyes momentarily widened when they met his.

  ‘Sven,’ came the scathing voice of Ester into his left ear. ‘Why did you fail to mention the presence of the dwarf?’

  What?

  Wait.

  Oh no.

  She was right. Sven had messed up.

  ‘I missed him,’ he confessed, searching for any excuse for how he’d managed it. There were none. ‘It’s my fault.’

  ‘This is not to happen again,’ Ester commanded with a bite to her words before switching over to using her real voice. Sven didn’t forget it, however, as he felt a momentary tensing of the runes on his throat. “Greetings, Queen Vera Newell. My name is Ester—”

  “Ester Sutton, recently promoted diplomat representing the affairs of Castilla,” Queen Vera cut in with the same smile that sat on Sven’s boss. From what he could gather by a side-glance, Ester was not a fan. “The others were kind enough to identify you.”

  “... How nice of them,” Ester remarked. She spoke slowly, pointedly directing her attention to the non-humans. “Lura Fadan and Hafrad Silverstone. I must confess that I did not expect to meet either of you today. Pray tell why you are here.”

  Sven could hear how the breathing in the room quieted. It was a typical reaction when his boss decided to be mean.

  “Please, Ms. Sutton, there's no need for—” Queen Vera began, but another voice cut her off.

  “I’m here on behalf of my king to discuss his proposal surrounding the construction of breweries in the western forests of Serenova,” Lura explained without pause. “We’ve been looking to expand our production for some time, and the areas we’ve surveyed are perfect.”

  They’d already had land appraisers sent out? Sven could’ve sworn that Lura and Ester had been discussing the logistics of that two months ago.

  Upper hand, indeed.

  “How foresighted of you,” Ester commented. “And what about you, Hafrad Silverstone, son of Hafred? From what I’ve been told, Serenova and Darim does not have any ongoing trade agreements.”

  A twitch.

  Sven’s eyes darted to the left, where a giant of a man was sitting. Sven hadn’t paid much attention to the man, since the old Biomancer next to them was much more intriguing, but… for just a second, Sven could’ve sworn he felt something exude from the man. A hint of green, not quite akin to the liquidy variation Biomancy displayed, but close enough that he had to wonder.

  When the giant looked at him directly, he averted his eyes, but Sven kept wondering. There were too many conflicting signals in this room. A quirk here and there could be excused, but this was the fourth anomaly in the past hour.

  Was it worth mentioning when Ester was already angry at him, though?

  Nope.

  “Darim has no obligation to inform Castilla of our other trade agreements,” Hafrad said with an even tone.

  “And yet I still must ask,” Ester countered.

  “They’re here to set up an agreement for the acquisition of gold,” Lura offered up before the dwarven diplomat could say anything more. “A larger percentage of Serenova’s harvest, I believe.”

  Huh.

  Sven could hear the muttered curses through the ethereal whisper spell. Ester wasn’t happy, and he couldn’t blame her for it, with how persistent she’d been to the executives about increasing the pricing for the dwarves. ‘Funding the new recruitment drive without having to decrease the budget in the other sectors,’ or something like it. He hadn’t been listening too much during those meetings.

  “Is that so?” Ester replied. “Well. As you said, our agreements don’t require exclusivity.”

  “We’re happy to hear it,” Queen Vera said, wearing the smile of a politician. “Now… While we are happy to have visitors, I must inquire why Castillan diplomats are arriving at my doorstep. We’ve had fifty years without any verbal exchanges between our countries, so I truly am curious.”

  “Most understandable,” his boss empathised. “The ongoing protocol for your area of influence has previously been to let it fend for itself, but we believe that the changing times have revealed new opportunities.”

  “Forgive the intrusion, but I must offer up a correction,” an old voice interjected. Alin Oathbreaker had broken his silence. “I’m rather confident that the opportunity you’re about to present isn’t a new one. In fact, it’s one Castilla made around 57 years ago, during the third siege on Kulvik.

  “Give up and roll over.”

  A moment of silence came as a consequence of the direct quote.

  Then, Ester chuckled.

  “Those are not the words I would have used, Alin Robinson,” Ester said. Sven noted the unhappy look on the Earth Mage’s face. “On behalf of my superiors, we are offering a peaceful resolution to the current diplomatic tensions. With the passing of Mason Newell, the symbol for your uprising is gone. Once you pair this with the… prowess that has been displayed in your nation’s forces, we feel that any kind of skirmish would only create more destruction and devaluation of the land.”

  “Are you calling the people of Serenova weak?” Queen Vera accused.

  “No, the strength of the average citizen is undoubtedly on par with that of a Castillan citizen,” his boss assured the others. “But I have been informed of recent bouts of infighting, which has led to a reduction in the number of stronger mages in your repertoire. Or… are those rumors wrong?”

  They weren’t. Sven had been there when Ester had ordered the undercover people to report their findings again and again. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen her happier.

  “The events that transpired were unfortunate, but don’t think that we are without the ability to defend ourselves,” the Queen repeated. “Every man and woman would take up a weapon to stop the tyranny forced upon them by Castilla’s hands.”

  They’d heard otherwise.

  Sven noted how the other diplomats were silently watching the exchange. Lura was looking passive, not revealing her thoughts, but Hafrad was more obvious about his distaste. According to his briefing about the dwarf, things like this were too deceitful to be done by the shorter folk.

  He could respect it.

  “And I don’t doubt that,” Ester replied. “But, again, I must remind you of the size difference. We outnumber you on all fronts.”

  “By how much?”

  “High enough that you would not win.”

  “So exactly like last time.”

  “Last time, Castilla made the mistake of not taking you seriously at first, letting off-shoots flee to your side,” Ester said, her voice rising by the smallest amount. It was played up, though. Sven knew how she sounded when she was angry. “If things come to blows, we will not hold back punches. We will retake the land belonging to Castilla, with your consent or not.”

  “So you would willingly kill every person who stood in your way?”

  “Our highest priority is the acquisition of the hostage dungeon, Queen Vera. The lives of rebels are not as consequential.”

  That was rude. Way ruder than normal. If Sven hadn’t heard her practice those words earlier this morning, he might’ve looked at her with some disgust.

  Instead, he stayed in line and did his job.

  ‘Earth Mage is powering up,’ Sven said, preparing himself to cancel the dual-channeling and get them both into the Astral Realm if needed. ‘Enough mana to make a Tier 9 golem.’

  ‘Good,’ Ester replied. She seemed cheerful, even with the serious exterior she showed the room. ‘Any updates on the red affinity from before?’

  ‘Nothing yet,’ he reported. ‘Why?’

  ‘Just had to make sure.’

  “Ester Sutton, I need you to carry a message to your superiors,” Alin requested, as he rose from his chair. Sven felt his back tense as waves of the brown mana flew through the room in increasing density. He could almost taste the earth on the tip of his tongue. “The old generation might be on their way out, but that does not mean our powers are diminished.”

  A cane materialized in the Earth Mage’s hand, raised slightly above the floor before being struck down.

  Everything began to shake.

  If not for Alin saying they needed to deliver a message, Sven would’ve pulled them out already. He knew that it would take more time to blink than it would for a chunk of the wall to fly through both their skulls.

  The sound of stone being torn apart could be heard below them, and Sven’s eyes widened when he felt like he was in motion. Pushing through what his mind told him was impossible, he spread his senses further out and saw the truth.

  ‘He ripped the room out of the castle,’ Sven reported. There was no need to deliver that piece of news a moment later, however, as the wall behind Alin and Vera melted away, revealing the open air.

  “Until our last breath, we are going to fight for the freedom of the people,” Alin continued. The curly-haired Metamancer was cursing up a storm, but Sven had trouble hearing the words. No matter what he did, he couldn’t look away from the oathbreaker. “And this time, it is not just human hands that will fight against your armies.”

  Another type of rumbling pushed through the air, and with it came another type of forced pressure.

  Sven couldn’t move.

  Not out of fear, though he was terrified, but he physically couldn’t move. He likewise couldn’t call upon his tether to the Astral Realm, couldn’t escape, couldn’t do anything but stand and stare as the giant, reptilian eyes looked into the room.

  “Before you think to take our lands, find an army willing to stand against a tarrasque,” Queen Vera ordered. Though it was mentally exhausting to do so, Sven noted the glowing symbols that had appeared on the Queen’s arm. “Is there anything else to add, Alin?”

  His body trembled when the tarrasque slowly opened its mouth. The rows of teeth and rotting flesh inside were not meant to be seen by living eyes.

  “No, I believe the most important points got through to them,” Alin said. “Go on and take this as an answer to your proposal. If you want Serenova, there will be war.”

  The sigils on the Queen’s arms glowed black, strings that forced Sven into place were cut, and he could breathe once more.

  We can’t stay.

  But that wasn’t enough, and a backlog of instincts calling for flight came through at the same moment. Without pause, he threw away his vision and ability to converse while unheard before pulling on the Astral tether and throwing both him and Ester away from the physical world.

  Channeling of [Astral Walk] has been activated! Current cost: 641MP/sec

  Everything blurred together, the in-between barely forming, but hectic movements and muttered words brought them to the right exit in mere seconds.

  Oh, sweet air.

  The smell of the port entered his nostrils as Sven fell to the planked floor of the shared hotel room. They were back in Castilla, back to being safe, but his body hadn’t realized that yet. The twitching of nerves didn’t stop, and he couldn’t get in a deep breath no matter how hard he tried.

  His ears still worked, however, and he could hear the wheezing from Ester. First, he thought it was wheezes of pain, but… no. She was laughing.

  “Oh, this is going to be good,” Ester spat out, using the dining table to get up on her feet. “I’m putting in an order to get rid of that short fool, and we need your friend to understand how to play this game of ours, but the plan doesn’t need any further changes. We’re ready to start.”

  Sven just kept his position on the floor, trying to get his body to stop freaking out while his boss laughed.

  Maybe the overtime pay wasn’t worth it.