Duke Lumir Heirosoth stood over a table in his office, a map of his duchy laid over it. His eyes looked with pride at the growing port town he’d managed to build on the northern shores that connected his realm to the rest of the world, the large mountain range that maintained so many profitable iron mines, and the swath of forest that produced capable wood for both ships and bows. All in spite of the obstacles he faced.

His territory was large, but it was overrun by Titanic forces in the last Titan War and their corruption remained even now, a century later. Their spawn crawled out of their holes and infected wildlife to bolster their numbers, threatening his villages and the traders travelling through his lands. The map before him was marked with dozens of wooden figures of beasts, flags to draw his attention to other ongoing issues, and too few figures representing the resources he had to deal with it all.

The room still smelled of sawdust despite the fact he ordered the carpenters away to focus their efforts on fortifying more vulnerable areas weeks ago. He was convinced that Viraz or Krebo kept sneaking them back into his keep to fix up more issues so he could live more like a Duke is expected to, something he’d have to speak to them about if he ever got a scrap of evidence.

“Have you managed to find our fifth count?” His older brother asked, accentuating his question by tapping on the final county within Lumir’s territory, an overgrown nightmare where the Titan spawn were most dense.

Viraz Heirosoth was Lumir’s polar opposite in many ways: short and wiry instead of tall and muscular, quiet instead of boisterous, calm instead of excitable and reserved instead of flamboyant. Like Krebo, both were pale Zothirians that stood out amongst Kelahk’s population, but their efforts at improving the lives of the people here were making up for their foreign origins, at least somewhat.

“No,” Lumir replied with a sigh. “Plenty express interest, but none have committed to it. I’m afraid its reputation is too grim.”

“Perhaps finding a new spouse would also bring a free count to the table?”

“Oh brother,” Lumir rolled his eyes, “Not this again. You know I’m not ready to re-marry yet. I have no idea what that would do to Tarron, or even Shaya and Rel.”

“They could use a harsher hand and more supervision...”

“Ha! You’re not wrong there, admittedly. They’re very much like their mother.”

“Indeed,” Viraz said, with less enthusiasm, “Now, let’s turn matters back to the issues at hand...”

The Duke’s shoulders slumped as he sighed.

Viraz studied his brother and smiled, “Are you thinking about how being ‘rewarded’ this title and land was a double-edged sword?”

Lumir chuckled, “You can always read my mind, brother. I can’t help but wonder if this was a mistake, and everyone who turns down my offer to take up my last county is smarter than I am.”

“Most likely,” Viraz’s smile widened, though he still showed no teeth. “I have more bad news from our troublesome county, I’m afraid.”

“More monsters?”

“Indeed,” slender fingers placed yet another beast token on the map. “These ones are threatening trade and travel along the Suudowa River, however. It’s too central to our inland trade to leave alone and we’ve already received...complaints.”

“Seven Protect, I haven’t even seen that report yet,” Lumir ran his hands through his dark hair, “Why can’t the monsters just eat the bandits? Why can’t we have an ample enough treasury to incentivize the bandits to become monster hunters?”

Viraz spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture but offered no other response.

“I’ll send a message to Captain Tyra,” Lumir sighed, “She’s more than a week away, but that’s still the fastest response I can-.”

“Good news!” Shaya said, walking towards them. Neither of them had heard her enter the room.

“Well, if it isn’t my favourite niece,” Viraz said, smiling and accepting a hug from her.

“Viraz, I’m your only niece.”

“It’s a good thing too,” Viraz looked down at the mud and blood on his fine black robes, “I don’t think you could possibly win if there was the slightest bit of competition.”

“Ouch, why would you wound me with such a perfectly reasonable, factual statement?”

“Shaya,” Lumir interrupted, “We’re in the middle of an important meeting. Is your news urgent?”

“Not really - but it is great news!” She gushed in response, snapping her wrist to unfurl the scroll in her hand. She thrust it towards her adoptive father, whose eyes widened as they took in the gold and teal seal at the bottom of the scroll. “Give me a few years, and this Imperial War Mage will make short work of all of our problems!”

“That’s...that’s wonderful news,” Lumir stammered, taken by surprise. His response was guarded, but Shaya didn’t notice in her excitement. He walked around the table to give her a hug, even his tall human frame dwarfed by her. “I’m glad the Academy saw your potential and accepted you.”

“I know! I can’t wait!” She replied. Lumir hadn’t seen her this happy since...well, possibly ever. As they parted from the embrace, her grin widened even further, somehow. “There’s so much I can learn there once I'm a sanctioned mage!”

“Wonderful news, indeed,” Viraz said, drawing her attention away from Lumir. “It’s mid-summer now and the journey is not a short one – shall you be departing shortly?”

Shaya glanced at the map and took a moment to think before responding. “I think I have a few weeks before I have to go,” she pointed at Velir, the capital of their duchy, then traced her finger along the Suudowa River until it left their borders, “this will take me into the neighbouring duchy of Watur, where I can get to a port town on the Jade Sea.”

“Ah,” Viraz said, lifting a finger, “but there is a problem with your plan, my dear niece. The Suudowa River is currently assailed by monsters, and unsafe to travel.”

Lumir blanched as Shaya’s eyes lit up.

“Monsters?” she turned back to Lumir, “Well m’lord, I’ve got extra good news for you – I’m sure my friends and I would be happy to deal with your monster problem on our way out. One last adventure together before I leave them in the dust sounds like fun.”

Lumir shook his head, “Just like your mother.”

“And I’ll handle it just as well as she could, if not better. Do we have a formal report?”

Lumir turned to Viraz, who shook his head in response. Then he turned back to Shaya and sighed. “This isn’t a game, these titan spawn are managing to attack a well-patrolled river. That suggests a dangerous level of cunning or a good-sized pack.”

“Lumir,” she said, “when have we ever let you down? We play it safe, get what experience we can, and take our well-earned rewards. We’re professionals, not dilettantes. And I’m going to need the gold, the Academy’s stipend isn’t even going to cover my appetite given the price of food at the Imperial City.”

“The way you treat these topics makes me suspect that statement. You’re not invincible, you know.”

“You of all people know I specialize in magic that makes me nigh invincible! Or that heals me when that leans more towards ‘nigh’ and less towards ‘invincible’. It's one of the reasons you adopted us in the first place.”

“I adopted you in the first place because you’re the children of my dear friend. I only regret not being able to track you down sooner.” Frustration tinged Lumir’s words, and Shaya knew she was pushing him too hard. Given everything else he was dealing with, he wasn’t his usual cheery, positive self. He rarely was when Uncle Viraz was briefing him on duchy matters. “I don’t deny your group is capable, but this isn’t a routine patrol or minor hunt.“

“Your father is right,” Viraz cut in, “Perhaps this is too difficult for you to handle.”

“No, it’s not.” Shaya insisted. “We’ve handled spawn before, my team has sharp senses and good wits about them. The average patrol can’t match our abilities – or our response time.” She turned back to Lumir, “We can do this on our way out. And if things seem too dangerous, we’ll back off and send a message back,” she glanced at the map, absorbing the markers in seconds, “THEN you can pull Captain Tyra off her current bandit hunt to deal with this.”

The Duke stared at the map and the hostile markers on it that outnumbered his resources. A minute passed in silence before he raised his eyes to meet Shaya’s. “Fine, but you’re taking Krebo with you.”

“I’m pretty sure the Arms Master would be better served helping others master their arms.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m the Duke here, and I get to decide that my daughter’s life outweighs the two weeks of training he’d otherwise provide our already capable troops here.”

“Alright, from one stubborn ass to another, I accept your conditions.”

“Gods,” he groaned, “you might actually be worse than your mother.”

“Enhh...” Viraz wiggled his hand.

Lumir rolled his eyes before continuing, “Have you told your brother yet?”

She sighed with nervous energy, “No, I haven’t told Rel yet.”

“Don’t put it off any longer. The conversation is going to be awkward enough as it is.”

“I know, he’s going to hate that I’m going back there.”

+++++

“Why would I care what you do with your life?” Rel said, not even turning away from his beakers and alembics. Her brother’s giant blood was only hinted at despite being in his mid-teens, his height hovering under six feet tall and his shoulders and musculature less defined than Shaya’s own. He took after their other mother, the one no one spoke of – all lean muscle and supple grace.

“You...you don’t want to lecture me about how it’s a stupid idea and that I shouldn’t do it?” Shaya asked, shocked.

This is it!? Useless anxiety!

“Oh, it’s a stupid idea. You know it’s a stupid idea. You know I think it’s a stupid idea. But we also know that you’re going no matter what I say. So, let’s skip to the part where I call you stupid and wish you all the best anyway, because you’re my sister.”

“Yeah,” Shaya nodded, “fair enough, Rel.”

“Step back for a second,” he ordered.

Shaya did so. She was stubborn, but she wasn’t going to ignore an alchemist’s orders in the lab. Especially an apprentice in his master’s lab, unattended for gods knew what reason.

Relios gently tilted a glass beaker, allowing a single drop of violet liquid to fall into the small vial he held. There was a bloop and the emerald liquid within turned into a putrid black. Acrid smoke poured from the vial's mouth and into Rel’s face, which was protected by a leather mask and glass goggles. Two small pieces of jade aethercyte were affixed at the temples, cut into small gems, which glowed green as the smoke billowed over him. The energy flowed through the aethercyte and into the circuit of runes inscribed over the protective device.

“I see your alchemy and thaumaturgy lessons are going well,” she commented, “But...where’s Master Baruk-”

The vile stench of licorice hit Shaya as the smoke dissipated and Rel corked the vial. He set the vial down onto a stand and meticulously went over his equipment, turning off flames using little valves or capping vessels containing glowing liquids. He deigned to answer her question during the process by hooking a thumb over his shoulder. “It’s fine, Smiles is supervising.”

Shaya blanched as she noticed the cat-sized, stone gargoyle perched atop one of the lab’s cabinets – staring at her with unblinking stone eyes. Its face was frozen in a snarl, and she wasn’t sure if the homunculus was even capable of smiling. Runes were carved into the gargoyle’s stone skin from head to toe, claw to wing tip, representing the magic that bound a spirit into the mortal form. Shaya felt relieved when its head swiveled back to watch her brother work.

Once he was done with his equipment, Rel picked up the black vial, walked past Shaya, and then unrolled a leather pouch. Delicate fingers slid the vial into place, completing the set.

“There you go,” he pulled his protective mask off, gesturing in the pouch’s direction, “Healing potions, my gift to you for your acceptance into the Academy.”

Shaya’s eyes widened as she stared at the set of ten vials, all black as the first. “How did you know?”

“You’re a shit liar, so it was obvious when you sent off your application,” he replied, “acceptance letters are sent from the capital at the beginning of summer. Based on how distant we are and the likelihood they didn’t really care if the letter reached you in time, I suspected they’d sent it by Imperial post and reach you about...today.”

“But how did you know I’d even get in?”

“As stupid as the Imperials are, they wouldn’t turn down someone with your actual combat experience and an Esper that can channel three colours. That’s pretty rare, even by the nephilim’s standards, though likely skewed by their mono-dogmatic beliefs. Besides that, you’re the daughter of an imperial hero AND an imperial criminal, adopted by a faithful Astorian from Zothiria given the title of Duke in Kelahk, and a nephilim with Tarrak’s blood in you.

“Politically speaking, it would be insane not to accept you. If you turn out great, then they can say that Phaedra and Lumir’s Astorian influence allowed you to best your demonic heritage. If you go berserk and start punching people in the face – which is where I’m putting my money, by the way – they can highlight you as yet another cautionary tale of tolerating Tarrak’s bloodline and the pervasive, undermining roots of being raised by Devi, Arcadia’s greatest heretic and traitor.”

“Titan shit, you were just practicing your potion making.”

“Now now sister, you have no evid-”

She unrolled another leather pouch on his workbench, revealing a smaller batch of smoke black vials.

“Okay, but you have to admit my explanation sounds pretty damn good.”

Shaya thought about it for a moment, “Well, you’re not wrong.”

Rel gave a lopsided smile, “Best of luck, sis.”

He wheezed as she crushed him in a bear hug. “Thanks, Rel. I’ll be sure to send you a text on alchemy or something.”

“It’s barely tolerated by the current dynast, so I don’t think you’ll find anything interesting.”

“Fair enough, I guess I’ll send you some manacles or scourge to help you repent your heresy.”

“Not all of us are lucky enough to be chosen by an Esper, let alone a powerful one.”

“It is possible for anyone to acquire one, if they find an Esper aligned with them.”

“Possible is not the same as probable, sis.”

“Bind one to yourself?”

“That has driven people insane. No thanks.”

“Fair enough,” she rolled up her new leather pouch of potions and headed for the exit. “Thanks for these! I’m sure they won’t come up at all.”

“Sure, sure.” Rel replied, grinning, “Enjoy.”

“Wait a minute,” she turned and scowled at him, “Did you make ALL my healing potions taste like disgusting licorice?”

He shrugged, “I had to discourage you from taking stupid risks somehow.”

“Now that’s heresy!”

But not a terrible idea, damn it...