They arrived in Lindorn after several hours of travel. The landcraft Yuriko boarded only had room for three or four passengers, and Edison was on the front seat. Gwendith joined her, of course, while the rest of the convoy followed behind their lead.

For most of the trip, Edison droned on and on about the country’s government structure as well as what’s expected of them. Yuriko sighed at the tedium, but tried to understand what he said. The country was ruled by a council of nobles as well as a council of elected common folk. The Premier was the first amongst equals, and during war time, such as now, was considered the highest ruler of the Commonwealth. Being an Outsider, the Premier and his cabinet of officials wish to speak with them.

“They probably want to know what’s beyond the Outer Ocean,” Edison said.

“But we didn’t come through the ocean,” Yuriko protested, “We came through a damaged portal.”

“Yes, I’ve said that in my report, but well, they’d like to hear what you have to say.”

Yuriko frowned. So she was going to waste time entertaining a dozen old men with stories about Rumiga and the Empire? No thanks.

“Sheamus or Horace would be better for that role,” Yuriko said. “I’d like to speak with your Sorcerers and find out if they have knowledge of portals and whatnot.”

“Wouldn’t they want to talk to you?” Gwendith asked. “You’re our leader after all.”

“Well, yes. But if what we experienced in the Wheelwright is anything to go by, they’d probably want to speak with our older members.”

“I think that’s true,” Edison laughed. “You’re awfully young to lead.”

Yuriko shot the man with a lidded stare, and he flinched. “Sorry,” he muttered, “but would you like to attend that meeting then?”

She sighed and turned to Gwendith. “What do you think?”

“Unless you want to affect everyone with your Mien?” Gwendith said teasingly in Verdanian. She didn’t disclose that particular aspect of hers.

“No, I guess not. Make sure that Sheamus knows what’s fine to agree with,” Yuriko returned in Karcellian.

“The agreement shouldn’t be that different,” Edison said reassuringly. “It's just that the war has entered a desperate pace. The Confederacy managed to capture hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and the Premier’s evacuation only saved a couple of hundred thousand. We’re on the back foot and every advantage is needed to fight the Tyrant.”

“It’s your war,” Yuriko said dismissively. “If not for the portal's location, and the fact that they attacked us without warning, I…we wouldn’t be here.”

“And I’m thankful for your grace,” Edison said.

The man’s demeanor had changed greatly once they set foot on these islands. He wasn’t as easy going, and there was a visible tension across his shoulders. What’s gotten into him? She asked earlier but he hadn’t said anything.

“More than anything else, I think our military would be quite interested in your guns.”

“The Plasma Casters?” Yuriko asked incredulously. “Even you would be hard pressed to use it!”

“I know, but I think our big brains could reverse engineer it to work with other energy sources!”

“Hmmm, well, whatever works for you. I guess I could agree to that.”

Gwendith grabbed Yuriko’s forearm.

“Ah, for a suitable recompense, of course.”

If these people could simplify the Plasma Caster to work with less Animus, then she and the others could benefit too. Then again, Animus would be spent no matter what, otherwise the plasma bolt wouldn’t be able to penetrate Protective Fields.

She spent the rest of the trip in a meditative trance. Maybe she should train during the night and sleep while travelling so as to avoid the enforced stillness during landcraft travel…or she could just run? Hmmm, maybe not. She was sure Edison would complain if she tried that.

Gwendith nudged her out of her trance once they neared Lindorn. The city was huge! Maybe even as big as the Imperial Capital. She could see a wide river snaking across the flatland, of which the city was built around it. The river split in two near the eastern coast, and there was a sliver of land that seemed to be the core of the city, judging by the amount of buildings, towers, and palaces constructed on it. Actually, sliver was a rather deceptive description, Yuriko decided. The island was probably several longstrides wide.

Six bridges connected the island to the rest of the city, three on the north side, and three on the southern side. The bridges rose high above the river water, which was an odd grey shade close to the city proper.

Once they entered the city’s outskirts, the cars’ speed slowed to match the heavier traffic flow. There were hundreds of pedestrians in the main roads, and the center was shared by other cars, horses, and horse-drawn carriages. The men mounted on horses wore brightly coloured uniforms of blue and white, along with long feathers attached to their wide-brimmed hats.

“Constables,” Edison said when she asked.

The road eventually led to them towards the bridge. The central one, from the looks of it. The bridges rose high enough that ships and boats could pass easily underneath it. She expected some kind of guard or gate to restrict access to the island, but apparently, it was open to the populace as she could see other landcraft and even pedestrians crossing.

The city within the island was vastly different from the outer city, which had consisted of tightly packed tenements and apartment houses. The island had wide streets, parks, and large buildings surrounded with gardens secured by metal grills. They went towards the center square, and into a driveway that led towards a conspicuous palace’s main gate.

“Well, we’re at Parliament.” Edison said ruefully. A footman opened the car’s door for them, and they were led into a handsomely appointed antechamber, while he was ushered into a conference room.

A bunch of guards hung around, especially since the marines refused to surrender their Plasma Casters. Yuriko gave her Lancet to Seran, as well as her Arclight Sword. Sheamus divested his overt weapons to one of the other marines, too.

They were served tea, biscuits, and other assorted pastries, but it didn’t change the fact that they had to wait for nearly an hour before Edison came back for them. Yuriko, Sheamus, Horace, and Gwendith were brought into a large council chamber.

It was rectangular, with long tables in the middle, and raised benches on either side. The side benches were empty, but not the central tables. They were led to the left hand side and given seats. Yuriko sat in between Sheamus and Gwendith, while Horace sat beside Sheamus. Edison was given a seat near the end.

Across from them sat four men. Each one looked to be in the latter half of their middle age, though Yuriko wasn’t sure how long people lived in the Irvalla Region. Since few of them were awakened, then maybe a couple of hundred years?

Edison stood up, bowed to the four men, then nodded to Yuriko and the others. “May I present their lordships? Undersecretary of the Interior, Lord Castleton.”

The second man in the row nodded. He had dark grey hair, black eyes, and was a bit heavyset. His face had deep worry lines, and even though he was in this meeting, his eyes often darted to a pile of papers in front of him. Yuriko would have been able to read it, but she wasn’t that well versed in the Karcellian writing.

“Undersecretary of the Admiralty, Lord Milton.”

This was the first man from the left, seated across Horace. Unlike the first undersecretary, he was clad in what looked like a warrior’s uniform, a tan overcoat with white strips. He also had medals pinned across his left breast. Lord Milton’s hair had streaks of white, and his eyes were a piercing green. He was focused on Sheamus and Horace, and whatever he saw from them, he gave a satisfied nod.

“Undersecretary of the Army, Lord Jacobson.”

This was the man beside Lord Castleton. Like Lord Milton, he wore a uniform, though this one was red trimmed in black. His hair was powdered white, and his eyes were dark pools with unseen depths. Like the others, his face was lined, and he was scowling and tapping his feet impatiently.

“And lastly, Liaison of the Karcellian Mages’ Society, Third Archon Wendell.”

Only the last man actually gave Yuriko and Gwendith notice. He had a rather curious look, and ambient Chaos lingered around his coat pocket. Unlike the other three men, he wasn’t clad in a uniform or a coat and tie, but rather, with a voluminous black robe that looked absolutely impractical, unless it was meant to be used to keep warm in bed. His hair was a fiery red and his eyes were green emeralds. He didn’t look as old as the others, but had a certain gravitas anyway.

Edison introduced Yuriko and the others, not giving any titles since Yuriko had not graced them with any. He also didn’t give any indication who led the group, and she was amused to note that the three Undersecretaries chose between Sheamus and Horace. Sheamus, being on the Knight level, was given the lead by Horace.

“We welcome you to the Irvalla Region, Outsiders,” Lord Castleton said smoothly, “but you couldn’t have come at a worse time. It is unfortunate that your entry had been within the bowels of those barbaric Confederates, and we are pleased to give you succor and shelter in your time of need…”

Lord Castleton spoke at length in the same vein, and Yuriko had to fight a yawn. Third Archon Wendell gave her a slight grin, and rolled his eyes, though he kept his face turned away from the other three.

Towards the end of his speech, the Undersecretary of the Interior offered asylum and citizenship in the Karcellian Commonwealth for them, “... perhaps returning to your origin is your goal, but I’m afraid that in the five thousand years of the Irvalla Region’s history, there has been thousands of Outsiders who arrived here, but none of them have been able to leave. The Outer Ocean is too wide, and the Bore near the Astoria Republic is too dangerous. None who have left through there have returned. We offer you a new home…”

The Bore? It was not something that Edison had spoken about, and when she shot him a glance, he shrugged apologetically. From what Lord Castleton said, it might be a Chaos passage of some sort. If it led to the Chaos Sea, then that could be a way home for her and the others. Only, she would need to build a Chaos ship. Or leave those who weren’t Knights behind.

“Thank you for your offer,” Sheamus answered after Yuriko nudged him with her Animakinesis. “We would need to think about your offer of citizenship, simply because many of us are servicemen of our home Empire. We cannot forswear our oaths. But, we accept your offer of hospitality in exchange for knowledge.”

“Indeed, I am eager to learn what lands you’ve come from. We have records of other Outsiders’ travels, too, perhaps we can find common ground…”

“Ahem,” Lord Milton coughed. “All very well about this, but Lord Castleton, excuse me, but I would like to converse with these men. I hear that they have powerful methods and weapons. We need all the advantages we can get to win this loathsome war.”

“Of course, of course,” Lord Castleton waffled. “Well, we will ratify Mister Matthews’ offer with the following changes…” As far as Yuriko could tell, nothing much changed except that she and the others would be moved to the Lindorn University, Arcana Department, and they would contribute some of their plasma weaponry for research.

Horace protested vehemently about that, but Sheamus pointed out that there were spares after all. In the end, a Plasma Caster would be lent to the University, while a Plasma Lancet would be given. In exchange, they would be treated as diplomatic envoys, and would also be given access to the University’s extensive records and libraries.

As the meeting came to a close, the Third Archon finally spoke, “Miss Davar, I look forward to working with you.” Then he smirked and said loudly. “You have the strongest occult resonance I’ve ever seen or read. I wonder what secrets you hold.”

From the looks of surprise from the other three, apparently, they haven’t been told, and they have no occult resonance senses. As for the Archon, Yuriko frowned. He had seemed harmless earlier, but there was no disguising the naked greed and desire in his eyes.