Veronica laid in a posh bed, her blue eyes staring up at a fine wood ceiling with a lifeless gaze. Her blonde hair splayed haphazardly over a wide white pillow with only a few gold strands mixing with the morning sun playing over her red blanket. She spent a moment puffing out the cheeks on her heart-shaped face, trying to force herself to get up. After a few seconds of resisting the soft bed, the needed willpower finally welled up inside her.

Getting out of bed, her body was fresh from a night’s sleep that wasn’t spent avoiding rats or sweating into ripped blankets. Looking out the window to the right, the moving landscape below was a rolling floor of wood only occasionally interrupted by a patch of bushes or some large beast. A faint whistle could be heard as her transport cut through the morning sky.

Being so high up, her mind had to adjust as the ship moved over the legendary Sea Tree. Named so because during necrosis the ancient thing retreated underground, but instead of a single patch of bark in the dirt, one of the natural wonders of the central continent spread over the land like it was subsuming the very world itself. Looking over it now, she could only judge the tales from travelers who purported to have seen it as lacking.

Turning to the left, Veronica took a new set of clothes from the wardrobe on the left of the wooden room. Slinging a red vest, white undershirt, and grey pants in her arms as she left the room. Coming into a wide hallway, fine oak took up the ceiling, floor and walls. In the center of the floor was a white rug trimmed in gold stretching to both ends. Looking over the several doors, two of which held her friends, she turned left towards the end where the morning would properly begin.

At the end was a wide door, through which she entered the restroom and showers. Given the finery of the ship, she had half expected to stroll into a pristine abode of the finest marble and metal fixtures. While still of the highest quality, the rows of stalls with toilets on the left and showers on the right were all smooth wood bathed in the rays of sunlight coming out of the windows above. Getting a white towel from the stack on a stand on the right, she quickly saw to her morning wash.

When she was fully undressed and tried to turn the wooden handles for the exact temperature she wanted, she had a moment of confusion. Her mind was still in that awful tavern near the back end of some non-descript town down south. The awful pricks on her skin from bugs getting their nightly feast were now gone, as was the smell of the questionable water they had been using to wash. Steaming, clear water now scoured her skin out of a bucket-looking showerhead. It was such a drastic departure from her recent life, and so familiar to the one back home, that she was left feeling like a fish flung into the air only to land back in the water. Once she was washed and finally dressed in the clothes she brought, Veronica left her nightgown in a basket to the left of the towel stand.

Walking through the door, Eska approached from the hallway. Her long-time friend’s black hair was now a bit past her shoulders, though her sharp nose and glasses were the same as always. Both nodded to each other, the dull look in Eska’s brown eyes being perfectly reflected in Veronica’s blue ones. Moving down the hallway towards the opposite end, she turned right. Following the hallway for a bit with the occasional window providing light, she eventually turned left and into a big dining room. In the center was a large table while the staff still bustled about getting a plate or utensil in place while the surrounding landscape showed through the wide windows surrounding the room.

She moved past a maid who bowed with no small reverence. The water scion felt like it was a return to her days at the academy, and despite the circumstances that had brought her here, the stark contrast to her treatment during her time at sea or in dirty taverns would have comforted her if it could pierce the shell of numbing ache around her soul.

When she ordered a plain bowl of oatmeal with fruits and water, Eska came through the door to sit opposite of her. After a few more minutes, Mia arrived to complete the trio. The caramel-skinned redhead had let her hair grow to shoulder length and moved the unusually long hair out of the way to take in the growing spread of breads, jams, and eggs with her brown eyes. All three donned the same red vest, white shirt, and grey pants.

“Hey,” Veronica greeted, speaking the first word thought or said today. Mia rubbed her smooth cheekbones idly as she nodded back before sitting on the right of Eska. With their greeting finished, the three began eating in silence. As they all ate food their tongues didn’t taste, Chattox came in through the door opposite from the one the women used.

The bird familiars cruel red eyes would look out of place on what most would assume to be a seagull, but between the stripes of blue mana along its wings and tuft of sharp feathers on its head, it was a mistake that could only be made from afar. Flying around the room once, he landed on his scions’ shoulders. Despite his fierce appearance, a gentle beak rub along Veronica’s head showed his concern for the tangled web of self-loathing, sadness, and disgust that had been coming clear through their spirit connection these past few weeks.

Veronica thought back to when her mood had first soured. It had been at one such meal, in far less pristine accommodations, that they had heard the results of their cowardice. Most of it was troll shit, of course. The Orcs almost getting their hands on Eli would have been too explosive and disastrous for the government, so they made up some garbage about the gangs launching the attack. It was a good plan that rumors said had badly bled the Mist pirates and Phoenix empire in their pointless slog north.

But thinking about it still made the blonde grip her spoon in anger and crush an apple slice between her grinding teeth. After everything that had happened, they still couldn’t bring themselves to just tell the truth. All of the potential the quad mage could have brought to the world, squandered on pointless stupidity and thuggish government officials. That was even without considering his status as an ultimate…

At this point in the routine of self-flagellation, her mental track stopped at its usual spot. Whatever the government did, however badly those in power screwed things up, they didn’t commit the final sin. They didn’t leave an ultimate mage in the hands of the Orcs. There was no religion so generous as to forgive such an act, no love so pure that it wouldn’t sour at the confession of such weakness, and no historian so detached that they could document such an event without recoiling in disgust. Left to stare into the black abyss residing in her chest, she barely noticed as their captor entered the room.

Walking out of the door Chattox came through, a mid-40’s man entered. He was a pudgier fellow with a grey coat and vest over a white shirt. The grey pants were as well-ironed as the rest. A bald cap accentuated his age as did the grey flecks mixed in with his brown hair. Like Eska, he had a pair of glasses, though his green eyes had a far harder look.

“Morning, my dears. I hope it was a peaceful sleep.” He said with a rub of his wide nose as he sat down at the head of the table. Around him the rays from morning sun creeping up on the right bathed the wooden floors and bits of wall between the windows.

They all nodded politely, if a bit strained in their smiles. However well accommodated or fed, being surrounded by guards and forced into a carriage like criminals didn’t sit any better with them now than it did when it happened on the street of the southern city they had been holding up in. They had assumed they would be whisked back to the Coalition when they first arrived at the royal air base. When instead their ship turned northward, the obvious question fell on deaf ears. But this was the first time their self-appointed host had met with them, and the answer now seemed close.

“Most ships aren’t usually this well stocked, but her majesty Nestel has proclaimed you are to be afforded every possible luxury.”

The name made the women look between each other. She was the wife of the late Rodring and the last surviving member of his party, a woman of no little fame even in the Coalition. Drawing the eyes of such a person was at once thrilling and terrifying in equal measure. The host's green eyes looked between them like a hawk as he took in their reactions.

“Her heart has gone out to your situation, both now and during your time with the quad mage. However, it is not entirely unheard of here and her own daughter is in a similar circumstance. While events surrounding your arrival were not the best, know she understands your fears and you will find a more tolerating situation among her daughter’s company.”

Veronica bit her lip as the lance of her former infertility shoved itself into her heart. Since not being able to bear children was the only situation he could be referring to, it must have meant that the sordid tale about her tea either didn’t leak out this far or was so insignificant that it didn’t merit reporting. Pushing aside any possible thought for that woman who birthed her, the blonde brought herself back into the conversation.

“But as her right hand,” he continued. “I have been left with the final judgement. The hard work you three demonstrated and creativity in evading capture has shown you to be of some ability.”

A huff from Mia stopped him as all turned towards her.

“I didn’t feel very capable when your men showed us how we’d been tracked for weeks before you scooped us up.”

A wide smile stole over his face as he nodded with some sympathy.

“Inexperienced, that I will grant. Still, you showed enough forethought and wits to get out of the Coalition. Expecting you to go unnoticed when the entire world was watching your every move would be far too much to ask of anyone. Do not judge yourself too harshly because you couldn’t beat a swordsman with a twig.”

He did a small cough into his hands before continuing.

“And as unsharpened individuals, you will need to be put against the whetstone. We are coming up to the royal airbase where you three will then be taken to the Eschers. They reside in the sticky grasslands and provide a neutral ground for operations concerning the local Orc problems. Once we touch down, you will be accompanied by a guide to instruct you in the local culture and the dangers there.

It’s not nearly as dangerous as going out in the wilds, but it’s still a less gentle place than your homeland. From there, you’ll start on your journey towards joining princess Palta’s ranks. Unless you have somewhere else to be.” With the last word, he leaned back with the look of coming battle.

The three guests understood their position perfectly well. Palta’s squad primarily dealt with the Orcs, as well as any other areas of major concern for the Rodring kingdom and they were being pressganged into joining with golden chains. Generally speaking, government-employed mages were looked down upon in the gifted circles as being ‘bound’. Being free to focus on their true calling, gathering magical resources, was the only respectable form of labor in their level of society. That, combined with the fact that great jobs don’t require forced labor, made it clear how lowly a position they were taking. A reality far-flung from the dreams and wishes of what seemed to be a lifetime ago.

‘Sounds dangerous and thankless. What do you guy’s think?’ Mia asked the other two women in a spirit connection.

‘As opposed to what?’ Veronica responded bitterly, devoid of her usual cheer. ‘Running off and failing everyone again? Maybe this time we’ll do it properly and get the Orcs some scion babies.’

Looking around the table, they could see no fight or will left in each other. Content in the knowledge that whatever fate awaited them at this roads end was deserved a hundred times over, they all turned towards the man at the end of the table and Eska spoke up.

“Fine. When will we be shadowing the princess?”

Unprepared to have his victory in hand so easily, his eyes slightly widened, and he hid a hiccup with a cough into his sleeve. The man straightened his clothes for a moment before assuming an easygoing lean back into his chair.

“That is very… patriotic of you. However, being in her forces is not the same as being her guards. Scions and skilled mages work directly with her, but it will be a while yet before you have the skills and training needed to take such a position. We will arrive in an hour, and I would advise you to enjoy the luxury provided. Palta’s troop is many things, indulgent isn’t one of them.”

His work finished; he did a light bow to the ladies before getting up to let the women finish their meals. Fruits were picked at, fine glass cups were occasionally refilled, and silence was the main conversation around the table. As the minutes ticked by, the lands below turned from solid wood to patches of bark with tall bushes and a grass carpet between them all. The journey continued for a while longer. Veronica was still mildly interested in the ship, especially with how fast it must have been taking them, but it had been made abundantly clear that the rooms and dining area were their grand prison and travel elsewhere on the ship had been forbidden.

It was all rather dull even with the previously unvisited heights. The three alternated between pacing around the circular room or sitting at the table. That was until Veronica on a strong clockwise walk around the room finally spotted their destination. Coming up on what looked like a flower blossom of shining steel, they flew over what she knew to be the Literrean's stronghold.

Her mother had taught her a lot about the ways of the Central Continent in the clear expectation that it would be where she would make her fortunes one day, the families and their feuds in the Rodring kingdom being a big part of that instruction. While other houses were renowned for being descendants of members of Rodring’s party, the Literreans’ were the undisputed pillar of the nation as they were the fruits of the man himself. The Kanton house had been more co-equal at some point, but Ballud the Fool had seen their hold on power wane into subservience. Between their unassailable pedigree, the distinction of having the only living wife of Rodring among their ranks, and their characteristic metal magic, the Literreans were more THE Rodring kingdom than they were a part of it. Especially with the house of water mages in the south being taken over by a clan of pirates turned onto the straight path.

Their magic was on full display as Veronica took in a solid wall of steel that looked like a cresting wave of liquid metal radiating out from the city. Buildings in the same weird style of the nation were common here instead of the singular piece that they were in other cities. Big rectangles of square glass and metal frames jutted into the sky with eight or nine stories to each building. Between each was a web of streets and a larger single highway running through the center of the city and around the inner side of the wall. Standing in the middle of the Literrean hold was one specimen larger and taller than all the others and, unlike its siblings, the main highway moved around it in a circle with a wide slab of stone on the ground. It pointed skyward like a finger accusing the heavens and the gold trims over the metal of its twenty or so floors made it stand out further among its kin.

Soaring past the impressive city, the ship came onto a walled-off base in the plains past the main settlement. Now joined by her companions, the three women and Chattox, perched contently on his scion’s golden head, stood still as statues while the stone ground below the ship came closer. A soft creak could be heard when the soft shifting that had been present for a few days stopped. The door from which their host entered opened again, only this time a maid came in with a light bow and an arm pointing through the door.

Following her directions, the group went through a wood hallway with three directions. Taking a left towards where they first came on the ship, they came onto a wide entrance area with an open door in the center and rows of hanging hooks for coats or spare clothing items along the right of the main exit. On the right wall was a line of three workers holding chests filled with clothes. Walking through the oval door, the morning sun played over the wooden platform that held up the ship as the wave of heated air stole over Veronica’s skin.

Moving to the right, the blonde took in the mansion of a ship that they had arrived in. It looked like a log with spherical ends. Dotted with smaller windows around the ship, the bulge in the middle where they ate dinner was the only interruption in its smooth surface. Around its sides were flicks of blue mana being sucked into what had to be air enchantments along the hull. While she wasn’t a wind mage, the gold circles, squares, and triangles painted on the hull showed where the air enchantments that moved the ship up and down were placed.

Coming out of the door, their host sauntered past them with a few messenger boys and paper-carrying secretaries in tow, looking to soothe his impatient manner.

“I bid you all fare well,” He called over his shoulder as he went down the wooden staircase on the left side of the platform. “If anyone hassles you, tell them to take it up with Hansell’s office.”

With that, he walked down the stairs while one lad wearing a red shirt and grey pants waited near the steps. The three women looked between each other before they moved like a herd of deer in wolves’ territory. When they were at the bottom of the ramp, their far vision was nothing but walls of shining steel blocking their site of the natural world beyond. Smooth stone floor smacked on their shoes, its unnatural smoothness only possible from magic. A task made far easier by the clouds of blue flecks that blew here and there.

Combined with the rows of buildings along the wall bearing glass fronts, it was all so weird yet vaguely suggestive of the more mundane lives they had previously lived. Words on pages describing the lives and places of the Central continent leaped into Veronica’s mind, but again she could only fuss at the limits of her imagination when confronted with the truth. A troupe of escorting maids and a few guards in red armor with grey stripes accompanied them towards the palisade gate. While it was clearly a military base, it still had the typical comings and goings associated with any large blight of civilization. Carts carrying food, messenger boys running underfoot, and the occasional troop of guards went in and out of the palisade gate they were approaching.

The guards posted above didn’t even stop them, clearly already told of their arrival. Coming out onto the plains proper, the young guide led them to the right. Tall stalks of green grass stood out where the dirt paths had not been worn into the soil. A bit off the beaten path towards the right rested a metal carriage, and more worryingly for the newcomers, there were dog-sized black beetles with long-bladed tusks scurrying about their way forward.

“There’s nothing to fear.” The lad said when he noticed his charges had slowed to a stop. “They mostly cut and eat the grass. They also help keep the monsters away and the weeds from growing over our walls and we provide them with water at various basins.”

Noticing that the large black bugs didn’t even deign them worthy of attention, they quickly moved forward towards the large, metal carriage. Taking a quick look at the local animals, Veronica saw bits of stone or pulsing water along the backs of the beetles. She spent so much time gazing at the wildlife, they were nearly at the carriage when she looked up and felt a sense of weirdness about it.

While the iron frame was easy to see from afar, the metal chains on the sides of the four horses and the metal belly covering the entire bottom were only now visible. The sides had winds and horses artistically etched into it with strips of gold outlining the animals and their riders galloping over grass plains. A far more elaborate thing than the ones back at the Diamond academy, yet it still seemed as sturdy. It took a moment before she realized what was odd about the carriage. Flickers of red flame played around the manes and hoofs of the brown and white horses. The heat coming off them made whisps of vapor play over the carriage’s chains around their harnesses while a metal shield covering their front emitted a sizzle wherever it touched the grass.

“Our finest breeds,” A feminine voice called from inside the carriage.

The side door swung open to reveal a man in a sturdy purple vest with white pants. He quickly moved to the side and inside they saw a darker skinned woman with a puff of black hair on her head. Her brown eyes took in the new arrivals as the guide moved forward and held the door open for them.

Walking forward while the maids loaded down the carriage with chests of clothes and other necessities, Mia took up a spot by the new woman while Veronica sat on the right with Chattox in her lap. Eska plopped down beside her onto the soft red cushions of the wooden bench. Their newest guide sat patiently in her vest of red with a gold trim that matched her looping earrings and necklaces. Her pants were the same white as the driver, who gave a soft smack with the reins as the carriage took off with a slow start that gradually came up to a decent sprint.

“Welcome to Escher. I am Pestona.” The dark-skinned woman said, rubbing her wide nose with a casual flick as she took in the girls. “I was told of your arrival just a few days ago. I’m sorry if the accommodations are lacking for a scion and two casters, but know we provided as well as we could with as little time as we had.”

“It’s fine,” Veronica stated. “We didn’t know we would be-“

A sudden wave of pops around the carriage stopped her. Leaning over to look outside, a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder. Turning around, Veronica saw the Escher woman had a grip on her with a bit lip.

“Great scion, I would not advise that. Unless you mean to make your hair a single, large piece.” The woman pulled back and then looked out her side window before her hand shot out like a whip. What she brought in looked like a bloated stem of grass, though the burned sides and bits of leaking sap on the sides were what demanded the most attention. Mixed in the leaking ooze were flecks of black that looked to be seeds, all of which slowly dripped onto the floor. Before a drop of the waxy substance could touch the wooden boards, she quickly threw it back out.

“Glue grass.” Eska pronounced. “The greatest asset of the Escher people.”

Pestona got a wide grin at that, a jangle of her gold earrings accentuating the obvious pride she had on the subject.

“Indeed,” She practically purred. “For someone so removed from these lands, your knowledge and name suggest some history with us.”

“Only a mother’s fanciful interest. She read extensively about your people and gave me a name reminiscent of the land through which the books brought her.” Eska offered indifferently. A raised eyebrow of black hair greeted the words.

“And what do the books in the soft lands of the Coalition say of us.”

Veronica’s friend pushed up her glasses, puckering her lips in concentration before speaking.

“Our land used to be quite destitute, a place that people with means and wealth had to go through to get to somewhere that mattered. Bodding stopped by in one of the poorer local villages for a time. The seeds he planted among the local women led to a swelling of earth mages, one of whom would eventually be called Harradin the conqueror. She used giant stone walls to create pens, in which she selectively bred the local wildlife. Eventually, she refined a type of grass whose sticky sap chocked out everything else, plant or animal.

Accompanying the new crop were horses who spewed intense heat out of their legs and backs. With those horses, she was the only one who could move wherever the grass held sway. Was it true she never had to actually fight any battles?”

“Not a one.” Pestona crowed with a puffed chest. “Before Bodding’s plan went into motion, the cities would use huge caravans to cut through the dangerous wildlife and deliver goods. While the lack of water and abundant heat meant the near desert drifts weren’t as dangerous as the south, it was still a hard thing. Made all the harder when some regions suddenly became impassable due to a dangerous new plant sprouting up everywhere.

Harradin had been using small children with sacks to spread the seeds as they ‘begged’ for food around the outside of the targeted city. By the time the overseers of their pathetic plots of land understood what was happening, Harradin had all the plains under her thumb. Working with discontent locals, each was overthrown from blockades in short order. While the grass doesn’t grow outside of our hot fields, we’ve not had an invasion from outsiders ever since. The petty squabbles of generations past since relegated to skulls thrown into the waves of sand, we have prospered as one people. All due to Bodding’s wisdom.”

Mia lightly coughed out the hot, dry air as the tall grass whipped by in the window beside her and the morning sun filtered through the middle of the carriage. Drawing all eyes to her, she spoke for the first time on the trip.

“Bodding’s plan? Are you suggesting this was all a part of some grand scheme of his?”

Pestona nodded.

“He planted his offspring in time for the people of the north to be too distracted with his conquests to deal with us. Is that a coincidence? Perhaps. But he didn’t move against us afterward when we staked out territory that would have been his by right of conquering our former lords to the north. Combined with the divine vision of ultimate mages, is it wrong to assume he saw the greatness our line could reach?”

Veronica nodded along with her friends while Pestona went over the decades of insults, bargaining, and spats between the Escher people and their neighbors. However, it was the divine part that had anchored her thoughts.

Where was the great vision heralded in the Ultimate mages these past few months when it was needed most?

She knew an ultimate mage built the great City further west, the details of his life lost outside the scattered scraps she could find in the books she read. Such endeavors took more planning than she dared imagine, but with the free flow of mana, what couldn’t be accomplished? So, why did destiny abandon its child now? The answer that came was as horrible as it was obvious.

There was no great guiding hand for those who shaped the world. Bodding needed a release and found no small number of open legs to receive him. Did he know what greatness he would spawn, or did the earth scion overtake the richer parts of the area and simply disregard what had been an impoverished wasteland in favor of moving onto greater prizes? Veronica felt she knew the answer, but it would be too long, and potentially too deadly, to explain how she could know such things to her host. Leaving the depressing reality behind, she waited for a lull in the conversation to break in.

“While that is interesting,” The water scion said, drawing eyes to her. “It is recent events that have me more interested. Why were your people chosen to be the main base of operations against the Orcs?”

Pestona gave a sage nod as she leaned back against the bench, though she had the scowl that always came up when humanity’s enemy came up.

“We’re the closest of the three human nations. More than that, we have reason to loathe both parties, in much the same way they have good cause to see our cities burn.”

A heavy snort from Mia put smirks on all the attendants faces.

“You hate everyone equally? I guess we’re not forging new bonds of fellowship to meet the challenge.”

A smile stole over the Escher woman’s dark lips.

“If slaying the green menace isn’t enough to assure the peace, then trade is. The Bodding empire is deathly afraid of any disruption to the flow of holy water out of our hold in the west region. A vital resource in their fight against the demons on their coast bordering the Lost Lands. Even if they do see us as delinquents with a long overdue tax that needs to be collected. We are bereft of major ore veins and rely on the Rodring kingdom's forges for almost all of our metals while they enjoy the grains, we produce on our stone-raised farms out east. A major part of which they’ve been unable to steal. Not a heart-warming tale of heroics, but it keeps bellies full and houses well furnished.”

Nodding, the carriage fell silent. It was a hours long trip, interspersed with stops for leg stretching or bathroom breaks. They spent that day and the next on long stone roads filled with carriages going to or from some prospect of fortune. All the while, the popping of grass pregnant with sap and black seeds could be heard. The more well-traveled roads didn’t have as much of the Escher people's defense around their edges, but the grass grew quickly and could cover a road to all but the most discerning eye.

After a long night at a decent inn, it was on the third day of hard travel with the afternoon sun beating down on them that they finally arrived at their new residence. Coming down the main road along with long carriages pulling troops and goods, the training facility was half a low-cut stadium on the right and on the left was a wide structure like a half moon of sandy stone. Each floor had wide panels of glass facing towards the open side of the stadium and the occasional shrubbery from a garden around the edges.

The housing structure had a pyramid scheme with each level one block thinner than the one below. The gardens on each edge became almost full lawns around the back where a slope of stone on the back side showed the various levels of gardens where gazebos and small patios provided some lush greenery compared to the drier surroundings. It pointed towards the top three layers of blocks that served as the very tip of the pyramid. Aside from their position, the gold trim and lush gardens on both sides established their special place in the pecking order. Veronica quickly counted out the lowest floor and came up with twenty houses.

It didn’t seem that impressive until they came closer. When the realization that the blocks were somewhere between a large house and a mansion hit them, they sat in silence with wide eyes. They spent so long taking in the magnificence of the building that Pestona brought them out of their stupor with a chuckle.

“The glass sides are for viewing bouts. We had our expertise in keeping cool at the harshest times of day, the Bodding’s deft hand for stone and that Rodring eye for steel and glass all combine into the ‘roost’. Enjoy seeing it for the first time, because after today you’ll be too sore to appreciate it when you arrive.”

Their guide coughed, drawing everyone’s eyes to her.

“With our arrival, we’ll have to decide on where to put you three. Crafters are put on the first and second floors. As you can imagine, the higher your floor, the greater your achievements. At the highest levels, you’ll have the same luxuries you’d have in proper society. It will take some time for you to find your places in the stack but generally, scions start on the fifth floor and casters start on-“

Veronica shook her head as she sat across from the dark-skinned woman.

“We stick together.”

Pestona looked askance at her before turning to Eska on her left and then to Mia on Veronica’s right.

“Scion, you can be brought down to stay in a group or association if you wish. But those same bonds cannot be used to drag anyone up. Your kind typically get half the space to themselves, on the third from the top and up it’s a section to a person. Casters start out having to do with a single bedroom, washroom, and a communal dining area.”

The brown eyes of her friends looked at her, their gazes clearly telling her to take this opportunity. Veronica, however, shook her head to let them know she would broker no argument. The blonde had always been the unspoken leader of the group due to her ascended status, and it was that exaltation that added to her shame. Of the three, she should have been the one who charged first against the green menace on that snow-covered road. Yet, it was her hands who pulled them away. There would be no shirking of the penance that had now come, no matter how small or inconvenient.

“No. We stay together.” Veronica repeated with a stuck-out jaw.

That seemed to impress the Escher woman, who nodded with a bit lip.

“Loyalty. Rarer than gold and twice as valuable. Very well, I’ll show you to your rooms.”

With that, they came up to the ‘roost’. The stone road had a scattered number of carriages going along the sides of the building where food, clothes, and weapons were taken out back. The mages were dropped off at the front. Wearing the typical clothing of the Rodring kingdom, the three stood out among the flowing white robes of the maids who came out of a wide glass door to their left. With their goods being taken care of, Pestona guided them into their home for the foreseeable future.

The floor around the building was made up entirely of sandy stone, with the sap laden grass being further off the building proper. Going through the glass doors, they came onto what looked like a reception area. Wood staircases went up on the left and right sides of the walls to the various rooms within. In the center, opposite of the entrance was a large open walkway with rows of weapons on the walls and stands so numerous they seemed to take up the whole room. Between the weapons room and the entrance to the block were couches and small tables with women chatting about. Pestona didn’t give them time to really inspect any of it, though.

Leading the women like a mother duck through a double wide door of shining steel on the right, Veronica came into a singular room with a mana lamp above. With floors and walls of fine wood unobstructed by windows or doors, the three turned to Pestona with questioning looks before the Escher woman spun a dial on the left and pulled on the lever beside it. Veronica’s stomach lurched as her whole body jerked downward. Having adjusted to the odd sense of momentum, the slight clanging above filled their ears for a moment before Pestona’s chuckle rang out.

“I’m sorry.” She offered, sounding rather unrepentant “We’re supposed to warn you about that, but you only get to see a person’s first reaction once.”

Eska huffed while Mia giggled with the girl. Veronica took a moment to calm her heart and feel the weirdness of this sensation before she smiled at her host. After a minute, their skyward carriage finally stopped. When the doors opened again, they stepped out into a similar-looking room, though the field through the glass on the left told of a height far from the ground. Though, the wood was a bit finer and there were bits of gold around the edges of the furniture.

Taking a right and up the staircase, they were led into a long hallway with wooden doors and smooth marble flooring. Each entrance was marked with a golden number and it was at the ninth door that Pestona stopped.

“The eighth and tenth have also been reserved for you three if you wish to stay separate or you can bunk together if you wish.”

The expected nods came, prompting her to continue.

“I’m sure you’re tired from your long journeys. There’s a conversation we need to have, but long talks are never well conducted on empty stomachs. The maids will have your things put in the proper place when we come back.”

With the introduction out of the way, the group moved further down the hall until they came to an open canteen. It was well furnished with wood walls and tables sprinkled about the middle section. Seated or moving around with trays of food or drinks, women filled the room with an array of skin tones, facial features, and clothing that had been previously unimaginable to the three former members of the Diamond academy. For all the diversity of the female sex on display, it was the prominence of puffy hair, disregard for any clothing beyond light leather armor for those seated at the tables, and lack of male counterparts that stood out the most.

Sitting down in the middle of the room with Pestona on the right, Eska on the left, and Mia opposite Veronica, a server in a flowing white dress quickly came by with mugs of water and took their orders. Their chaperone suggested a loaf of flat bread and some spicy beans for each, a hearty meal and quickly made. Sipping their water, the four women sat in silence for a minute. Looking around, Veronica saw a lot of the women admiring each other’s clothes or sitting in friendly duos. It took only a few moments of further inspection before one of the more curious elements of this place prompted her to speak.

“What’s with the curly hair?” The blonde asked. Looking around it was obvious that some of the women went out of their way to make their hair that way, with bits of long strands left tucked behind shirts or some in the process of unfurling.

Pestona got a smug smile as she stroked her own cloud of black hair.

“It’s a sign of Bodding’s blood. While a few ignore the look entirely, having your hair curled like this is a sign of wealth and good lineage. I was fortunate enough to have been blessed from birth with it.”

She absorbed the askance looks from around the table but only shrugged in defense.

“When you’ve helped a friend who burned her hair off trying to get those coveted curls, it’s easier to see the prestige of it. But from what your reports told, you three hail from the Coalition, correct? You seem to have strayed a bit away from home and no knowledge of our ways means you didn’t have your hearts set on joining our eschewed ranks.”

The three looked between each other while Chattox looked around the room from his perch atop Veronica’s shoulder. Pestona didn’t press the question, only nodding when it became clear silence was the only answer they would be giving. As they ate and came to terms with using their fingers instead of any utensils, Veronica asked her second question.

“Where are the men?”

Pestona spat water into her cup, an accident that did little to hinder her chuckle. The joke was lost on the three newcomers, who idly sipped water and munched on bread. After a second, the girl calmed down.

“Despite the Coalitions failings with the quad mage, I assume they taught you about keeping the male mages away from the green doom?”

Her verbal gut punch went unnoticed by the dark-skinned woman as her three dining companions nodded with strained smiles or small frowns.

“That and the lack of anything for them to do here means this is a lady’s commune. Aside from a few chefs or backroom laborers. No matter how strong your magic, men’s backs always seem to be better for sacks of grain or slabs of salted meat. “

That seemed a bit odd. Bringing in the next generation of mages was one of the biggest obligations drilled into young girls’ heads, even in the earliest years. Veronica assumed the families were kept elsewhere or in the inner blocks, but if that wasn’t the case it only prompted more questions. One of which Mia immediately followed up on.

“There are plenty of women here, yet I’ve not seen a single pup or heard a babes cry. Are there really no mothers here?”

Her two friends leaned forward with equally questioning eyes. Children were common in the dorms that they lived, visited, or walked through, and so many of their associates in the academy were managing a brood or two, it felt…off not having any scampering munchkins underfoot with so many mages around. Even to those who had been wanting to wait a few years to do their duty. A look of dawning comprehension stole over Pestona’s face, though what revelation came to her was a mystery to the three. She took a moment to collect her words, tapping the mug before taking a long wig and setting it down as she leaned forward with a lowered voice.

“Princess Palta is a very duty-bound woman. Both from birth and her sense of righteousness. She has managed to get three children with a few men she found worthy, in spite of her inclinations. While we all may not have a taste for men, know she will not let you shirk your duties. Even if the lady of the house is not here, she expects you to make up for your lost obligation to society with labor and bloodshed.”

Brown and blue eyes darted around the room. Taking in the scene with fresh eyes, they saw the duo’s as the obvious couples they were, and the admiration of the clothes melted into what was now interest in the flesh beneath. None of the three could meet each other’s eyes after looking around. Veronica could only think back to the words of Hansel. Something about the queen having sympathy for their plight or situation. Like her daughters.

“Well, I must say you’ve been one of the better groups I’ve helped shepherd here.” Pestona pronounced with a small clap as she stood up. “I’m sure you would like some time alone. Enjoy your time together, because come morning you’ll be cursing the sun for daring to rise. You’ll know the morning siren when it comes, but tomorrow morning you’ll be given some leniency to get some weapons of your choosing. After that, head directly onto the field for training.”

Her task finished, she walked off leaving a cross-looking Eska to pucker her lips after the chocolate-skinned woman. An odd hiccup from Mia sitting opposite Veronica drew the group's eyes. The redhead was buried in her arm and her shoulders were shaking as barely contained sputtering came from her. Which was when Veronica felt a spirit connection from Eska on her left.

‘A lesbian sanctuary! I knew such inclinations existed but…’

The blonde picked up the conversation as she disinterestedly rubbed her mug of now lukewarm water.

‘Well, if you aren’t inclined to take a dicking, I’d imagine you have to make up for it by doing the jobs no other mage wants to do. One way or another, the powers above expect their investment to be paid back.’

Her friend’s black eyebrows furrowed as she turned on her scion friend.

‘Fine. But just because we don’t throw open our legs to every passing man who can work mana, that doesn’t mean… that we…’

Mia pulled herself up, still looking like she was on the verge of laughing as she good-naturedly patted her perturbed friend’s shoulder.

‘We had the chance to go down in history as heroes and goddesses by bearing the quad mage’s children. But we didn’t do that, and it was totally of our own free will. Veronica had a good excuse, as far as the rest of the world knew, but you and I have the needed parts. Anyone without any personal knowledge of the situation would assume that we passed up on such a legendary opportunity because we couldn’t stomach the thought of going through the act.’

Veronica felt her throat tighten at the thought of the quad mage. She didn’t care about the mistaken assumption. She hadn’t really cared about much of anything these days. Running her finger around the lip of her mug, the scion looked her two friends in the eyes.

‘Eli. His name was Eli. And if they knew a tenth of what we didn’t do, the only invitation we would have gotten was a straight ride to a noose overlooking a cliff.’

No argument came through the spirit connection. A ruffling on the left side of her head from Chattox drew her out of her foul mood. Her lack of consideration for him sent a stab of guilt through her heart. Indulging in dark thoughts wasn’t healthy, but it was doubly so for scions who had their emotions filter through to their familiars, no matter how far away.

‘I’m sorry’ She apologized tiredly as she rubbed the tuft of feathers on his head.

The group sat in silence for a second before they all looked down at their plates. Looking between each other, an unspoken agreement to leave was reached. Going out of the dining hall, they went back to their rooms, with Veronica taking the ninth room. Too tired from a long day’s ride, the blonde stumbled into her room with only a flash of the bed from the hallway lights showing her where to flop down before she shut the door.

A blaring noise with low whines cresting into high screeches assaulted her ears. Looking around the room, the mana lamp sent a soft gold glow on a stand to her left and the door further ahead. Realizing that it could only be the morning call for training, Veronica practically leaped out of the bed. Going into the washroom, she quickly made herself ready for the day. As she stripped off her clothes and replaced them with a provided white shirt and grey pants, her spine tingled with anticipation. Her mind felt clear for the first time in what felt like months.

Having finally found a focus for all her anguish and anger, she practically ran out of her room with Chattox digging his talons into her right shoulder to hold on. Moving down the hall, a few others were moving towards the main room of the block with varying degrees of lethargy. More than a few rooms opened to let two women out of what was supposed to be individual accommodations. Veronica ignored all of her fellow travelers, instead running headlong until she came up to the staircase leading to the main window.

The sky above the grassy plains was only just barely lit with strokes of gold suggesting the rise of the sun off to the right. Turning right, she immediately went into the armory. A wide kiosk was to the left with some secretaries in white robes with silver sashes on their hips that reflected the golden glow of the mana lamps dotting the wooden ceiling. Each attendant had a basket with dark bars of some edible that each of the women took. Veronica took one and had only a moment to savor the fruity taste before swallowing and moving on to her business.

The blonde scion immediately knew what type of weapon she wanted from the displays. Hanging around the spear section near the back, the water scion fussed over what kind of spear to take. She wanted one that had a good heft to it but was also light enough that Chattox could lift it in the air for a dive bomb into an unsuspecting eye socket. After a few minutes of lifting, swinging, and light jabbing one spear or polearm after another, one of the kiosk attendants came over.

“Miss, pets are not allowed in the armory,” She said with a slight bow of her head that accentuated her puffy black hair that contrasted with her lightly tanned skin.

It was Veronica’s turn to feel emotion thrust upon her. Chattox leaped off Veronica’s shoulder and landed on a spear shaft in a display near the right of the attendant’s head, all the while sending small blasts of mist from his wings that went over the object of his rage. It was at that moment that her grey eyes went wide as she realized what she had just insulted. His cruel red eyes burned into the poor woman while sweat started falling down her mocha skin, matching the anger Veronica felt infecting her mind. She pushed the fiery emotion aside with a chuckle as she strode forward.

“Chattox.” The water scion chided as she grabbed her white bird familiar like a sack of potatoes. “She didn’t mean it. Now help me find a spear you can lift.”

She carried him away even as his head moved like it was on a pivot, so intent was he to stare down the offending woman. A rage the offending attendant was deathly afraid of if the deep bow and sweat coming down her face was anything to go by.

“I… Scion, I have no words to fully express-“

Veronica put up her hand with a knowing nod.

“He’s a fickle thing even among his kind. Most other familiars he’s been around didn’t mind such mistakes. Still, he’s mine and I don’t know what I’d do without him. Would you know of any spears that he could fly into the air on his own with?”

“Javelin!” The woman exclaimed, her head raising up with an expression of hope. Clearly looking to make up for the previous insult, she waved her arms towards the center of the room with a reverent bow. Following behind her, Veronica arrived at a stand closer to the middle of the room. Along its shelves were what to her eyes looked to be small spears, each with a clean, sharp point on the end, and most were as long or a bit longer than her arm.

Taking a few seconds to try out various models, she eventually settled on one with a smooth oak shaft with a steel band and point. The outstanding feature being a long oval ring on the bottom, something that she felt would make it easier to whip around with a water spell or pull out of a body. As she slung a backpack around her backside, Veronica nodded to the relieved attendant. A relaxed nod from Chattox gave the poor woman the permission she needed to vacate the area.

Picking up a long spear near the size of her body, made with the same oak shaft and steel band near the top, the main difference was a diamond-shaped head. She noticed a few women who looked to be finished in their preparation walking towards the right side of the room and going through a wide entrance to a smooth stone wall. Moving forward, it wasn’t until she was through the entrance that she saw a wide staircase on the left. It led up while the one on the right led further down.

On both sets, women were walking down. Bearing leather armor and assortments of shields, blades, or arrows, the clanking of their weapons rang out in a hail of small tings and metal clacks. Hearing more off in the distance with an odd reverberation to them, Veronica moved towards the wooden rail along the walkway between the two sets of stairs. Looking down, she saw the spiral staircase of smooth stone go on for a while, with a small chorus of the metal clanging coming up from the depths below. Mentally bracing herself, the blonde scion started her slog down.

Most of the women were professional fighters and kept the business end of their weaponry out of their companions’ sides as they all marched down with nothing but the occasional changing of the mana lamp above to break the monotony. After what felt like an eternity but was probably only a few minutes, a ray of sunlight splashed across the floor as the wide entrance to the ground came into view. Walking onto the main slab of stone that served as the open area between the ‘roost’ and the arena.

Walking across the stone field, it took a minute before her two companions strode up to her on the right. Mia had a sword and shield, while Eska carried a bow and quiver of arrows on her back. Nodding to each other, they kept marching forward as they approached the open side of the arena.

As they neared the first grey pillar, a bigger woman with muscles ripping out of a leather vest and black pants came up to them from the shadows of the stadium. Her brown eyes looked on dispassionately, while her wide chin was rubbed in thought. Her wide hand was as deeply tanned as the rest of her exposed skin while her single braid of black hair swung with her stride.

“I have to say, I would have thought that the scion had already demanded to move higher up the chain. Neddie is my name and I’ll be your trainer. Typically, we take girls in batches but since you’ve arrived outside of our regular recruitment times, you’ll be getting some special attention. First item of business, do you lot have any objections to working with magicless men?”

The three furrowed their eyebrows at the odd question, but each shook their heads. Her smile accentuated a few wrinkles around her eyes.

“Good. That’s usually the biggest problem with the new recruits. Most have a hard time understanding how combat works in the bloody plains.” She explained as she ushered them forward. “While we may not have the physical strength of men, our greater aptitude for magic usually makes up for that weakness tenfold. But when you work in a mana dead zone, that card isn’t easily played. Combined with Garren making his spawn lack our delicate feminine charms,”

She sent her brood a small grin, something that made the women chuckle despite their best efforts.

“That means we need men to do a lot of the heavy fighting, with us occasionally dropping a big spell or two to move things along. Since you lot didn’t give me a surly look just now, I’ll skip the usual beating from a local laborer and get on with your personal training.”

Her lecture finished, they stopped near the middle of the field as people dueled or practiced various forms on the left and archers trained their aim on dummies with green paint on the right.

For the next hour, Neddie had them perform various stretches or slashes with their weapon of choice, or a dagger for Eska. With her spear outstretched, Veronica could only smile as beads of sweat started dripping down her forehead. The deep reservoir of pain and loathing that had seized her soul lessened with each stroke of her spear like she was siphoning all her darkest thoughts into the blade.

As the morning sun continued beating down on the field, the rising heat went almost unnoticed by the three friends as they poured themselves into their new craft.