The seven of us stood at the bottom of the stone steps, in the area we had waited in previously. Kestin looked like he wanted to leave – or fight somebody – but did not seem to want to leave Toria behind. For her part, the dark-haired woman seemed like she wanted to stick around, or was at least content not to leave.

“Well, that was’n’ quite what I was hopin’ for. T’be in the room wi’all th’ Apexes o’th’world, and not get to actually meet em. Betten’n most, I s’pose.”

Cad’s voice did not sound like his normally cheery self, rather seeming a touch dejected.

“You got to speak to them, at least? I know it’s probably not what you had in mind, but it’s something. And like you said, there aren’t many who get to sit in on a meeting like that.”

I was doing my best to cheer the man up; he had been a little pestering on our journey, always eager to satisfy his curiosity about my nature, but he seemed like a decent person underneath all his hedonism and demanding nature.

“Aye, I be guessin’ yer right, Sparky. I don’t suppose ye want to get in one last spar before I have t’head back to the Sha Forest on me lonesome?”

“Sorry, I need to wait for Sonja and Gia – I have something I need to ask one and something to pass along to the other.”

“Typical. Well, it’s been a pleasure meetin’ ye all – though I don’ really know you two.” Cad gestured at Kestin and Toria who had fallen into a whispered conversation while the Specialist and I spoke. “Maybe we’ll be meetin’ again, now I’m th’ official representative o’ the Association.”

Cad bowed to myself, Reff, Darina and Riffa in turn, and the others said their goodbyes, and even Darina who clearly was not the man’s biggest fan was at least polite, which was pretty good for her.

“See you around, Cad. Good luck with Jayford.”

I held out my hand for him to shake; it was not a usual thing on my new home, and it usually resulted in people confusedly holding their own hand out, but Caddin seemed to grasp the point, and thus my hand, quickly.

“Bye, Sparky. Don’ be thinkin’ ye can avoid me f’revor.”

He offered me a cheeky grin and a wink before swaggering out the door, his usual humour restored, at least on the surface.

“With half-hearted regret, it is unfortunate he was not able to be officially introduced to his hero.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, Reff. It’s a pity he wasn’t with you when Walker came to get me, he’d have met him then. Wait, why wasn’t he with you, didn’t you come straight to my rescue?”

“With careful tact, Darina was very adamant about him being assigned a diplomatic suite on our arrival; the guard who let us into the Citadel took the request very seriously, as she was with Riffa and me. He was shown to his suite immediately, with utmost respect.”

I winced a little at how close he had come to meeting the Crystal Drake, and even Darina had the presence to look a little embarrassed.

“I did not do it on purpose, he was just grating after having to deal with him for so long.”

“It is good that he was not given the privilege of meeting an Apex; if the Alchemy Association are in league with our enemies, he does not deserve to bask in even their lesser lights.”

My friends and I turned to look at Kestin; the two of them had apparently finished their conversation and decided to join our admittedly public one. I still kind of wanted to slap him, but at least he had not started ‘you daring’ again. Yes. Darina was looking like she was ready for a rematch though, clearly not appreciating her master being called a “lesser light”. Reff and Riffa looked... like the risi ever did, their perfectly white faces and gem-on-black eyes expressionless.

“I don’t think Cad has much guile in him; I mean, he’s cunning, but it mostly seems in service of having a good time. I don’t think the Alchemy Association is involved, Ben Won Ro seemed very displeased they were messing about with a phoenix egg, even if the results were pretty promising.”

“Not to mention that the Apex of the Wild Bounty said she did not think they were guilty. Surely you cannot doubt the word of an Apex?”

As was typical of Darina, she considered the Apexes the highest possible authorities, and while I did not think they were incapable of being wrong, I did think it less likely than a normal person, given their capacity to sense truth. Kestin apparently was less inclined to such trust.

“An Apex is not a god. They can be wrong, or misled, if with difficulty. I have no reason to lend the words of the undevout any more weight than another, regardless of their position. Regardless of the outcome of this meeting, I have no doubt the Paladin will investigate the Alchemy Association, and deliver Justice, should it be needed.”

The white hard stick figure sneered at us as he mentioned the undevout, and for a moment I felt myself tense, expecting him to be smashed flat by Gia for the disrespect, but nothing came and I relaxed again by degrees. The Apexes – for the most part – had proved and were proving their vast restraint, or sense of duty in protecting the world from those who would abuse power. Thinking back to my first life, I tried to imagine some of the leaders who had held power in my life being given the power to be a human WMD, and shuddered. I could not think of a single one that would not have gone mad with it.

“You should show more respect for your betters, you bag of bones. If I have to beat you into the sand again, I will.”

Darina was wearing the expression she usually reserved for me, which is to say, like she was ready to punch Kestin, but it was somehow less friendly than when directed my way.

“I am Apprentice to the Right Hand of Judgement, peasant. I have only one better on this world.”

“With knowledgeable assurance, I have met many people in this world; farmers, beggars, emperors, heads of ancient sects, and heads of religions. You may rest assured, Kestin, that you have many betters, most of whom rank far below those I have mentioned.”

I looked at Riffa in astonishment; that had been a solid burn, and it was made all the more impressive that it had come from the risi’s normally stoic mouth. I had heard Reff make a joke or two, but it was something his sister usually berated him for. Looking back at Kestin, I had to admit that the man really had a talent for pissing people off.

The man in question was stood staring at Riffa in shock; clearly he was at least partially familiar with the risi and their general lack of affect or expression, and as such this departure had left him – thankfully – speechless.

“Damn, Riffa. Nice.”

Riffa looked embarrassed – or at least she looked away slightly – but when her brother spoke, I actually caught a tinge of red in her cheeks.

“With satisfied pride, you should not allow your emotions to show so openly, sister. You must keep yourself in check.”

My giant friend was sporting whatever passed for a massive grin in risi society, by which I mean a noticeable upwards curve to his lips.

Even Toria looked amused by the banter, but she hid it quickly as the decidedly unamused Kestin glanced at her, his face red. Turning back to us, the skinny man took a step forward, raising his arm threateningly, but was stopped as a huge stone hand burst from the stone beneath his feet to wrap in its crushing grip. It had happened very fast, leaving me to figure out whether I would have been able to dodge, with my Precognition giving warning.

As we all stood blinking at the giant hand, we became aware of a focused attention, a stirring in the world around us as the strange sensation of garnet-on-black eyes fell upon us, as well as a deep growl that could not really be heard. The message was clear – do not attack an Apex’s sister in their own home.

The moment ended and with one last fractional squeeze the hand vanished back into the floor leaving Kestin to stagger and gasp for air. It was only then that I noticed the guards – including Captain Tal – stood poised to do what seemed to be serious harm to the skeletal apprentice.

“The Paladin will burn you all for-”

Toria stopped the tirade before it had time to gather steam with another well-placed slap to the back of the head; it seemed like she was more than used to stopping him from saying stupid things.

“The Paladin is less than a hundred feet from us, Kestin. She is aware of the situation and chose not to interfere. Maybe you should not make threatening motions towards an Apex’s sister.”

“I am not afraid of an Apex, for I stand in His light.”

“Then you’re an idiot. Gods can’t interfere, but an Apex could slap you into paste.”

“You dare-”

“Again?! We covered this already. I dare. You know I dare, I just did it. Is there a school, or academy you all get sent to, to learn stupid arrogant language? Reff?”

While Kestin sputtered at being interrupted again, Reff answered me with perfect seriousness.

“With honest assessment, I do not believe there is a single institution that imparts this specific way of thinking, I have observed that those who possess such attitudes have long lineages. Perhaps this is behavior has been passed down since before Anan was imprisoned.”

“Ten-thousand years seems like a long time for something to be passed down like that....”

“Ten-thousand years isn’t that long, idi-Hunter.” Darina looked at Kestin like she was re-assessing her bar for who should be considered stupid, but continued. “A Pinnacle level cultivator does not age and could live for hundreds or thousands of years before Ascending. Even a Foundation level could live for thousands of years before either dying of old age or achieving the Pinnacle. It seems like a long time because for most people, there is only a gap before then.”

I had sort of come to terms with the longer lifespan people had when cultivating, but it was still difficult for me to accept that ten-thousand years, was not that long. But she was right; most people did not advance at the rate I was, they took their time. Even Rainmaker and Cloudbringer had to be around ten-thousand years old, and Cloudbringer had only just become an Elder.

“I guess that makes sense. Kestin, I don’t suppose you know how far your family goes back?”

“I feel no need to answer your questions, Nameless.”

“That’s fine, I’ll just assume you’ve just always been assholes. I wonder if you’re related to those other assholes from Everwood City...”

I could tell he was thinking about challenging me to a duel, I could see the calculation on his face. And I wanted him to, he was really rubbingme the wrong way and I thought I would enjoy pulping his face a little, but since I was apparently leaving the next day, I had other things I needed to do, which meant I had to catch Sonja and Gia before they left. Which meant staying put.

I did not apologise – I was pretty sure I was still behind in the being a dick department – but I chose not to push him any further. Since I would be traveling with his fellow apprentice, there would likely be a chance in the future for the two of us to fight, if some other random person did not teach him some manners before then. It had to be said though, that despite the ease with which Darina had defeated him, and that I likely would, he had to be pretty good to both be chosen by an Apex, and survive to the age he was while being so insufferable.

Toria pulled Kestin from the room by his elbow while he glared back at us, and I saw Darina roll her eyes. Before long, Reff left to make his own preparation, and Riffa went with him, her voice carrying in the silence as she tried to persuade him once-more to intervene with their older brother about whether she would be allowed on the trip. Reff loved his sister, but I knew he worried about her; she was strong, way above average for her age, but the world was a dangerous place, and I could see why he might prefer she stay safe.

I sat down on a stone bench with a sigh as Darina waved goodbye; she apparently wanted to buy some new clothes since she obviously can’t regenerate her garments. Given the number of injuries she suffered, she must go through more clothing than I did. It was at that point that I remembered that I should have tried handing over their spirit coins, but as it was, I was stuck waiting.

I hoped I would remember to do it before we left; it was not that big of a deal if I forgot for Darina and Reff, as they would be with me anyway, but I did not want to risk not handing it over to Riffa for what might be up to a year, if my quest was anything to go by.

With another sigh, I dismissed the worry and went back to cultivating, eager to make more headway in refilling my Core, and maybe some more of my Exemplar before we left.