Verdan worked with Dirk for an hour or two before sending his apprentice home to rest.

Dirk had a tendency to push himself a bit too hard. It was more than a little hypocritical for Verdan to tell anyone off for that, but if he could help Dirk learn from his mistakes, it would be reassuring.

Once he was satisfied that Dirk was out of the estate and on his way home, Verdan settled in for some work on his own spiral.

In the months since the Weeping Death attack, Verdan had managed to build himself back up to fourteen complete spirals and was a third of the way through the next.

Verdan was still a long way from his original thirty-four, but he at least felt more confident in what he could achieve now. Working with so few spirals had been incredibly stressful.

Each spiral after the sixth gave a little less than the one before and took a little longer to complete. Even so, the rate at which Verdan replenished Aether was much better than before.

It was a heady feeling to know that all of his standard spells were within reach, and he was at the cusp of being able to perform larger-scale spells with only a few days of preparation.

The sweet taste of progression was something that all Wizards came to crave, but considering how that had ended, Verdan was trying to stop the same thing from happening to Dirk.

Kai had a similar issue with the Sorcerers he was helping to train and had helped Verdan put together a training plan to help focus Dirk on the right path.

Time alone would tell if they were successful.

-**-

The following morning followed the steady routine that Verdan had established. The first step was always a hearty breakfast from Henry, the chef who worked to keep them all fed.

Once he’d eaten and had his coffee, Verdan made his way to the adventurer’s guild and spent an hour placing temporary enchantments on weapons, items and armour.

A good portion of the wealth he made went straight into requests for alchemical ingredients of all kinds, as well as monster parts for creating new Dryd.

Alchemy practice with Natalia would then take up a few hours, depending on what ingredients they had. They took frequent trips outside the city together as well. There were a number of herbs that could be collected in the surrounding area, and it was a nice way to spend some time together.

After alchemy came any meetings Verdan needed to attend or host, whether small ones with his companions or larger ones with the City Council.

Little by little, Verdan was removing himself from the political scene, ensuring that the Council knew they had his support and that he wasn’t leaving the city.

Thankfully, Disciple Ferd, who was the leader of the Steel Custodians in the city, was an old friend of Kai’s.

Verdan had no illusions that Ferd’s appointment to the position was to ensure a better relationship between them, but he didn’t hold that against them.

Ferd was a reasonable man in his late thirties and the same powerful build that all the Sorcerers of the Steel Custodians tended toward. Despite his imposing presence, Ferd was a kind-eyed man with grey at his temples and a close-cut beard.

From what Verdan understood, Ferd was well-respected within the Sect, and all that kept him from being named an Elder was his inability to use all of the disciplines.

Verdan had begun trying to assist Kai in unlocking his other disciplines, as this would be a significant power boost, but it wasn’t as easy for a Sorcerer.

Seeing a talented Sorcerer like Ferd be restricted to just one discipline made Verdan all the more determined to figure out how to help them.

Once the meetings were done, Verdan spent time with Dirk to help guide his apprentice and answer any questions he had.

From the first day of teaching Dirk, Verdan had felt like a poor imitation of his own mentor, and not much had changed since then.

That wasn’t to say that Verdan wasn’t doing the best he could. It was more that Dirk was clearly talented and would no doubt shine under the tutelage of someone more experienced.

Dirk’s training would last for several hours before Verdan sent him home to relax and recover from the mental strain.

The evenings were Verdan’s free time to work on his personal projects or anything else that caught his eye.

Verdan was tempted to continue working on his current project but instead made his way down to the Steel Custodian outpost.

What had once been a mostly abandoned residential area was now a walled compound within the city. At first, the City Council had been reluctant to let the Sect move forward with such an obviously fortified design, but they’d come to a compromise in the end.

Verdan wasn’t sure exactly what that compromise was, but relations between the militaristic Sect and the city were flourishing, so he wasn’t going to interfere.

Two armoured Sorcerers stood guard at the gates to the compound, their gleaming armour a distinct contrast to the robes of the Defiant Flame or Weeping Death.

“Wizard Blacke,” one of the Sorcerers greeted him with a professionally neutral tone. “How can we help you?”

“I was looking to speak with Disciple Macannan if he’s available?”

“We will find out for you. Please wait here,” one of the guards said as he stepped inside and passed a message on to one of the initiates before retaking his post.

Given the arrogance Verdan had seen amongst the Sorcerers, it was refreshing to see a Sect that didn’t promote such thinking within its ranks.

The initiate returned a few minutes later and had a short conversation with the guards before leading Verdan into the compound.

While the exterior wall of the Steel Guardian compound was completely finished, the interior was still a work in progress. Several buildings were little more than expanded versions of the initial camp that had been set up, though they showed signs of being actively worked on.

The one that Verdan was led to was one of the more complete buildings, which seemed to be where the majority of the Sorcerers already in the city were staying.

Making their way inside, the initiate led Verdan through to a room that was a cross between a meditation chamber and an armoury. Metal sculptures, weapons, armour and more were placed throughout the room on small plinths for display.

Macannan was one of five Sorcerers in the room. Each of them was sitting before one of the display pieces and seemed to be meditating as Verdan stepped inside. Interestingly enough, each Sorcerer wore a plain outfit rather than their usual armour.

“Wizard Blacke, it’s good to see you,” Macannan said as he rose gracefully to his feet and walked over to shake Verdan’s hand. “Please, follow me.”

Macannan dismissed the initiate before leading Verdan to a smaller and unoccupied version of the meditation area.

“Thank you for taking the time to talk with me,” Verdan said as they both took a seat on the thick cushions that had been laid out.

“Not at all. I’ve been away for the last few months, so this is a good change of pace,” Macannan said with a slight smile. “Now, what did you want to discuss?”

“Well, I had some questions about the ruins you delve into, if that’s okay?”

“Of course, I’m happy to discuss what I know. What questions do you have?”

“Well, I was curious about what sort of artifacts you have recovered. The piece you brought me was interesting, but have you encountered any recorded histories or anything of that nature?”

“Personally, no, I’ve found a few artifacts similar to what I showed you, but nothing like records or documents. I can’t speak to what the rest of the Sect may have found. We tend to keep such knowledge from spreading too much.”

“Understandable,” Verdan said with a nod, hiding his disappointment at Macannan’s words. Macannan already having an Arcane Lexicon and not knowing what it was would be the best outcome. “Could you express my interest to your superiors about anything they might have previously recovered?”

“That won’t be a problem,” Macannan said with a touch of surprise. “I didn’t realise you were so interested in historical artifacts.”

“Not all of them, but written accounts or documents that might have been recovered would be more than welcome.”

“Very well, I’ll do as you ask,” Macannan said before hesitating for a moment. “You would be welcome to join us on our next expedition as well. My Sect would need the first choice of anything that is recovered, but written records are less important for us.”

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m not sure I can devote the time needed for such a venture right now,” Verdan said with a touch of regret. Working alongside Macannan did seem to be the best option he had at the moment, but the Sorcerer was also gone for long periods of time.

“If that changes, please let me know, and I will be happy to arrange something.”

“I will do,” Verdan said before changing tack. “Would you be able to direct me in the direction of any nearby ruins that you’ve previously found?”

“We do not share the locations of ruins outside of the Sect. I’m sorry,” Macannan slowly shook his head with an apologetic look.

“I understand. I think that’s everything I wanted to discuss. Thank you for your time,” Verdan said as he got to his feet and started to the door.

“A piece of advice before you go,” Macannan said, catching Verdan’s attention once more. “I can’t tell you where the ruins are, but I can tell you that we find more the further north we go. The few I have been to that are beyond the Grey Peaks are usually more intact as well, though getting there poses its own risks.”

“That’s very informative, thank you,” Verdan filed the information away before thanking Macannan again and heading back to the estate.

That had been less informative than he’d hoped for but more than he’d expected.