Est worked the heavy bag in the exercise room of his apartment, which was actually the living room.

His taped fists beat a rhythmic tune that echoed through the small space like gunshots. It was a good thing that he was the sole occupant of the squat building.

A Cruces learned how to fight from a young age.

Everyone in his extended family was expected to be capable of at least defending themselves. Even if they decided on a path in life that didn’t involve combat.

To that end, everyone had training and an annual assessment to make sure that their combat capabilities didn’t sink below the minimum acceptable level.

Est worked the bag nonstop for close to an hour before he started getting tired.

At that point he stopped, unwrapped his fists and started lifting weights.

Three times the strength of a normal human of a similar size meant that his floor had to be reinforced to handle the heavy plates.

A knock on his door.

“It’s open.” Est already knew that it was Runt with breakfast. He had sent his astral projection out as soon as he woke up without the headache. He was currently floating around his building at the same time he was working out.

Like his Grandfather had always told him, the mind needed to workout even harder than the body.

“I’ve brought sustenance!” Runt said brightly as he turned his broad body sideways to fit through the door. “Many burritos to fuel our day!”

“You go ahead. I’ve got maybe twenty minutes left,” Est said as he pushed a barbell off his chest.

“Ah… I’ve already started. This wrapping of meat, eggs and cheese in a thin and flat, but strong and flexible bread is most efficient for eating on the move.”

“Your people don’t have food you can eat on the move?” Est took a quick breather before his next set.

“Torruk meals are had seated around a blazing fire. In the event that wasn’t possible we ate dried strips of meat and tubers from our packs when on the march. There wasn’t much variety on the plains. You Earthians have the advantage on that account.”

“My clerk contact at The Archive came through. She sent over the information I wanted this morning. I’ve already downloaded it into our server. You can access it on your PID or through your terminal downstairs. I was thinking we can make a user guide of sorts to the familiar bond so that Darkwillow knows what to do with Rose.”

“I’m eager to help the young miss, but is that not overstepping our bounds? Is it not for her Sylvandrian grandfather or other kin to educate her.”

“Problem is they either don’t know or haven’t been forthcoming,” Est grunted as he got back to his set. “Too many possibilities why this Eternal Empress sent the skarling to a distant, quarter Sylvandrian descendant. Most of them don’t seem good for Darkwillow.”

“It is possible that the gift isn’t true. It may be more like a siren hive. Beautiful to the eyes and pleasing to the ears, until you get close enough and they come out buzzing and stinging and flaying,” Runt shuddered.

“We can give Darkwillow some leverage in whatever games her distant relations have dragged her into by giving her the information that they’re withholding. It’ll be good for her if she can get the familiar bond right on her own.”

“And you believe that the information in your grand library will contain said information?”

“Oh yeah, I know for a fact that my Grandfather was the first… Earthian,” Est grimaced, “to travel to Sylvandria. There are no secrets from him. Especially if the hidden knowledge is a potential threat. Anything he learned on Sylvandria that was vitally important to our continued safety would go into The Archive.”

“Then it makes sense that information on the familiar bond would be extensive, since the bonded are amongst the most powerful fighters on Sylvandrian,” Runt nodded gravely. “I shall begin the reading immediately.” He dumped the heavy bag of burritos on Est’s small table with an audible thud. He half turned for the door then changed his mind and grabbed a couple more before waving at Est and heading downstairs.

Est snorted. Human arm-sized burritos looked like tacos in Runt’s ham hands.

Still there looked to be five pounds of food left in the bag, which was just perfect for him, especially after a workout.

Superhuman strength meant superhuman gains with the accompanying appetite.

Est finished his workout, showered and ate before heading to his office to review what the clerk had provided.

After a few hours he decided that it had been Universal Points well spent.

It appeared that the clerk had given him everything The Archive contained on the Sylvandrian familiar bond system.

“Thanks Grandpa,” Est muttered.

“The progenitor of your line has returned?” Runt poked his head out of his much smaller office.

“What? No… nothing, just,” Est gestured at the holographic display projected over his desk, “this was exactly what we needed.”

“Yes, it does seem comprehensive… but is it accurate? According to the time notations, this information was gathered many decades ago.”

“No way it’s changed in that amount of time. All we need to do is type up a condensed version of what Darkwillow needs to know about how to safely do this whole thing… like a tutorial and we’ve fully earned our fee and then some.”

Runt winced. “Can we not simply forward all of this information to the young miss?” he waved his hands through the projection in exasperation. “Soooo many of your words give my head pain.”

“That’s a lie and you know it,” Est rolled his eyes. “You love reading.”

“Yes, but only your Earthian stories. The one’s with the colored drawings and such. Powerful heroes and villains in bright costumes battling over the fates of infinite realities!”

“Fine, I’ll do it, but you’re manning the front for the next three days,” Est sighed.

“It is a fair exchange,” Runt shrugged.

It took a few days of actual work to finish the information pack for their young, wealthy client.

Runt grumbled the entire time, but Est was a professional and he gave as much effort required to do the job right. No matter the difference in details.

Satisfaction for a job well done accompanied Est sending the information to Darkwillow.

“Going on a walk,” Est said as he pushed himself away from his desk.

“Your body? Or your spirit?” Runt grunted from where he lay on the floor of Est’s office as he pinched the bridge of his broad nose. “Oh, my poor head,” he moaned. “Days of boring reading… so boring…”

“You want me to pick up something for your headache? Medicine? Potion?”

“Your human medicine is insufficient to cure robust Torruk pains and I can’t excuse the weakness of relying on magic to cure such a simple, but aggravating ailment.”

“Don’t think you should be bragging about your superiority in this case,” Est snorted. “Let me guess… a nice roast pig will just be what you need to fix that headache?”

“Is imposition, yes? But with the good payment from Young Miss Darkwillow…” Runt cracked an eye open to glance at Est standing over him.

Est sighed. “Fine, you can order half a roasted pig, but,” he held up a finger, “you can only charge half the cost to the business account. You’re responsible for the other half.”

“Agreed!” Runt gave a tusky smile. “A celebratory meal for tonight!”

Est nodded. “We can have it on the roof.”

“Shall I invite our neighbors?”

Est detected the wariness, the hesitance in Runt’s voice. “No,” he said flatly.

Runt let out a sigh of relief.

“You’re a greedy man, Runt,” Est said. “Thought you were working on that?”

“In other things, but,” Runt patted his broad, but hard stomach, “not this.”

“Fair enough, just remember that when you’re trying to take more than your share later tonight,” Est laughed.

He stepped out into the street.

It was a mid morning.

Clouds were sparse in the sky, which meant that the sun shined brightly. Out in the middle of the ocean the heat would’ve been oppressive if not for the high tech shade and cooling system that covered the entirety of the artificial island. Still the streets were largely empty as shopkeepers and others stayed indoors where temperatures were more comfortable.

“Sir, did you hear the news?”

A young boy accosted Est, boldly stepping in front of him.

“What?”

The boy held out a hand and the scratched up metallic bracelet around his wrist. “5 Universal Points.”

“I can just look it up,” Est tapped the PID in the case around his arm.

The boy pouted.

“Okay,” Est’s fingers tapped and swiped on his PID. A beep signaled the completed transfer. He really was too soft.

The boy grinned and pulled out a battered PID from somewhere inside his too-large shorts. He cleared his throat. “Jade Realm Senate claims all historical holdings in perpetuity from the very beginning of the first dynasty!”

Est had to give it to the boy. Volume, intonation, really all of it was well done. He noticed that heads on the street, how little there were, turned to listen. He did a quick calculation and paid the boy fifty more points for the ten other people listening in.

“Interesting news, but not that new. The Celestial Congress has been agitating for the return of their so-called territories for decades. This is what like the 12th Congress. The very first one was bitching about these islands. The 4th actually threatened war when construction began on this artificial extension. They didn’t do anything back then and they won’t do anything now,” Est scoffed. “Bunch of assholes.” It was personal. His father’s family was prominent in the ruling system of the Jade Realm.

“Might be different this time. The news says that they’ve declared a Heavenly Mandate,” the boy shrugged.

“You know what that is?”

“The news explained it and I can read, so, yeah,” the boy looked up at Est challengingly.

“Good, keep at it. Always pay attention to what’s going on.” Est thanked the boy and moved on.

What was supposed to be an easy walk basking in the satisfaction of a job well done had been suddenly soured by news about the other half of his heritage. The one that he hated more.

Est’s PID beeped.

Things became worse.

It was Vin.

“Yes?” Est tapped his PID

“This needs to be a secure conversation,” Vin said.

“I’m out on the street.”

“Get back to your office as soon as possible and contact me.”

Est scowled as his cousin cut the call.

“Tell me what to do…” Est muttered.

Even then, it sounded important, so he hurried back.

“I was having a good day and it feels like you’re about to ruin it. So, you better make this quick,” Est said to the life-size projection of his cousin standing in the middle of his office.

“You were right. I’ve lost two of my people following the trail you set, but somehow you’ve stumbled upon a very dangerous plot that is days if not hours away from exploding.”

“Great… I’m assuming you’re going to take care of it.” Est felt a growing pit in his gut, but he tried to be an optimist. The Guardian Force protected the people and they were good at it. Dealing with events like this was their purpose.

“I’d love nothing more, but recent geopolitical events have suddenly stretched our resources thin. The Jade Realm’s new heavenly mandate crap has put everyone on high alert. Your mom, my dad and the other big guns are already headed to a summit with those assholes to try to get ahead of actual violence. Your case has been deemed of lesser importance.”

“Then why are you bugging me about it? It’s not my job to solve it or arrest those people. I’ve lost all those permissions, if you’ve forgotten.”

“Blissful Purpose,” Vin said simply.

The pit in Est’s stomach exploded.

Everyone learned about the heinous alchemical substance in school. A cautionary tale of the dangers of unchecked Classes and magic.

“Can’t exist. Grandfather made sure to wipe the secrets of its creation from everyone that had the slightest inkling. I know the original Alchemist put the knowledge up on the spires marketplace, but the spires garbled the information as it always does. No one has ever been able to get close to duplicating it properly in the hundred years since,” Est said.

“Right, but an incorrect or substandard concoction can still do a lot of damage. Which is what your two suspects have been working on judging by the traces we found at their hidden lab. Look, Est, the reason I’m bringing this to you is that our scrying efforts have ruled out the possibility of these terrorists releasing their substance on our main islands. This means—”

“Outlying frontier islands are their targets.” Est thought quickly. Things were connecting for him. “This island is target number one for the Jade Realm when it comes to their stupid reclamation mandates. A terrorist attack would be a typical starter for the violently unimaginative sort. Tell me, Vin. Where did you lose their trail? Actually, never mind. So, you want me to stop them?”

“Actually, no, I called to tell you to get out of there. The decision has been made to focus on rapid quarantine of affected areas. The unpredictability of the substance means that we won’t risk powered assets.” Vin’s face twisted in the projection. “Anyone immune or otherwise able to completely shield themselves from it are either off world or dealing with the Jade Realm’s provocation, which makes me think these two things are connected.”

“Thousands of people, dead or worse… as a distraction,” Est spat. He would have words with his father.

“That’s the read we’ve got. So, get out of there, now! I know you’ve got a flight harness hidden in your office.”

“It’s a one man harness.” Est shook his head. “You’re really just going to cut off the outer islands?”

Vin’s face looked pained, which was answer enough for Est.

“Grandfather and Grandmother will be very disappointed. I’d hate to see how our great-uncles and great-aunt react.”

“They gave up control a long time ago to extend our reach to other worlds,” Vin shrugged. “You won’t have any support.”

Est ground his teeth for a long moment.

“I’m not leaving,” he finally said.