Accessing the gold-rank prisoner cells had posed surprisingly little challenge. The false identity Rafael had provided held more than enough social weight to stroll up to the guardhouse, make demands, and have them met with utmost haste, even if the officials there weren’t quite sure who Vivi was. Still, they weren’t going to risk annoying a demonic foreigner of the First Blood—not when a quick [Blink] demonstrated she was, at a minimum, orichalcum-rank as she claimed.

Vivi had yet to speak with Rafael on the topic of William’s imprisonment. She’d headed straight for the man in case he was being mistreated. A cell would hardly be a pleasant fate in the best of circumstances, but if she had found a starving, beaten man chained to a wall, she would have broken her promise to Rafael to treat the law with due respect. Or rather, the due respect would have been none.

William didn’t look like he was enjoying life, but he was alive, fed, and healthy. He smelled awful and his hair and beard were overgrown, but his cell was clean, he had a sleeping cot with a blanket, and he was apparently even allowed visitors.

She hadn’t walked into a nightmare scenario, so she had no justification to break him out. She would, however, formulate a plan with Rafael to force an expedited end to his sentence; she wouldn’t leave him to his fate.

“Start from the beginning,” William repeated slowly. He glanced at his sister. The dark-haired girl bearing a striking resemblance to him shrugged helplessly, then gestured urgently in a way that obviously said, ‘hurry up and answer her, already!’

As useful as Nysari’s identity was, her presence clearly put people on edge. More importantly, Vivi knew reports of this visit would spread rapidly. To Duke Caldimore and the Guard Captain, to name the most obvious. She wouldn’t be surprised if Rafael had a report on his desk before evening.

Her reassurances hadn’t put William at ease either. He watched her like he might a poised viper.

“I’m…not sure how much there is to explain. I figure you have the gist of it. I said some things about the Caldimores that I shouldn’t have, and the pri—” He bit his tongue. “And Duke Caldimore took offense.”

“I gathered that much. But what did you say, and why? What prompted it? What do you know about the situation at the Institute, and Saffra and Isabella?”

William hesitated. He glanced at the guardsman. “I don’t think I should repeat what I said about Duke Caldimore,” he said dubiously.

“You really shouldn’t,” the guard said, shifting uncomfortably, seeming like he would rather be anywhere else.

Vivi frowned. “I said speak freely. You’re under my protection.” But she doubted the exact insults mattered, and she shouldn’t encourage the slandering of dukes, Rafael’s distressed voice urged in her head. “More important is why. And what happened with Saffra?”

William stared at her for a long moment, then grimaced and looked away. “You probably know more about that than I do. When I found out she’d been expelled, and the whole thing started because of Duke Caldimore’s girl, I—didn’t react well.”

William’s sister snorted at that understatement, then froze when Vivi’s attention drifted her way. Vivi didn’t even have her red tear-trails to blame. Even Nysari was powerful enough to terrify people, and didn’t have the benefit of the Sorceress’s positive reputation.

“You have a history with the Caldimores?” Vivi asked, since that seemed to be the implication. Why else would he be so upset that it was a Caldimore’s accusations that had led to Saffra’s expulsion?

William’s lip pulled up in distaste. “You could say that.”

“How so?”

He seemed reluctant to answer. “I spent six years in the Wardens.”

It took her a second to place the name. “Duke Caldimore’s guild?”

He looked at her oddly. She supposed it was one of the most prominent guilds in the Human Kingdoms. Even demons should be aware of it. Certainly a visiting noble.

“Yes,” he said dubiously. “Duke Caldimore’s guild.”

“Why’d you leave?”

He looked like he was about to say something scathing, glanced at the guardsman, and took a breath to calm himself.

“Disagreements in how the guild was run,” he said sardonically.

“Oh?”

When he didn’t respond right away, Vivi said, “It’s best if I understand the situation before I put myself between you and the Caldimores. The politics are going to be—complicated.”

William stirred in surprise, and so did his sister, which Vivi found somewhat nonsensical since she’d made it clear from the start that she’d come to help.

“You’re really going to pick a fight with the Caldimores? For me?” He hesitated. “For Saffra. You…took her as an apprentice. How is she? She’s a tough one, so I never really worried, but still…”

By the expression on his face, he definitely had worried. “She’s fine.” She chose not to add ‘if a little more traumatized than when she left’. “She attracts as much trouble as always,” she sighed, irritated at the reminder that Fate liked picking on the girl. “She led me to Tilly, who explained your situation. I’m not here for Saffra’s sake alone though. I would have tried to help regardless. A six-month imprisonment for insults, however inappropriate, is excessive. Whether or not they were given from a commoner to a duke.”

The whole room stared at her like she’d grown a second head. Vivi internally winced. Maybe she shouldn’t go decrying the political and social norms of the world. That idle comment had been exactly what Rafael had meant when he warned her that her actions would have consequences.

At least she was speaking as Nysari and not Vivisari. Though eventually those personas would merge; the subterfuge wouldn’t survive indefinitely. It was a temporary arrangement to hold her over until Vanguard announced the Sorceress’s reemergence in an official capacity.

“Never mind that. You were in the Wardens. What happened to make you leave?”

William was still giving her a strange look, which she couldn’t blame him for.

“It’s not a long story,” he finally said. “Something about that guild never sat right with me, but I chalked it up to…” He grimaced. “Idealism, I guess. Expecting something that didn’t exist. But even then, that place felt…heartless. From the start, always felt like a means to an end. A way to make coin, maybe. A pet project for the Duke, for the sake of his reputation. I don’t know. But not a community for up-and-coming heroes, like guilds ought to be.”

He snorted.

“And yes, I know how that sounds. I was fourteen when I joined. Anyway, it wasn’t until one of my teammates nearly died that the illusion really broke. A guild is supposed to take care of its own. Not just on principle, but what in the hells are the guild dues for, if not that? It’s in the damn contract.” He was working himself up, his words growing hot. “But they left him a cripple instead. Would’ve been too expensive. Not impossible, mind you. Plenty capable, probably had the damn potions on hand. It’s the Wardens we’re talking about. But no. Too expensive for some no-name low-silver.”

He took a breath to calm himself.

“Turned out to be a pretty big deal,” William said flatly. “Didn’t sit right with a lot of people, as it shouldn’t. Ended up in a meeting with the Duke. We didn’t have a productive discussion.”

He spat to the side, which made both the guardsman and his sister tense. Rose seemed like she might lurch forward and shut him up. He didn’t burst into a vitriolic rant though. Just sighed, the fire sagging out of him.

“So yeah. We had a bit of a history. Somehow kept my mouth shut back then, not that I had much choice, but when I found out his daughter had gotten her fangs into Saffra, had her expelled and run out of the city, I…didn’t react like I should. Wasn’t having a great day to begin with, but that’s no excuse.” Exhausted, he waved a hand. “That’s the story. The important parts. Like I said, I didn’t learn much about Saffra. Got myself into trouble too fast.”

Vivi’s frown had tugged down further and further throughout the story. “I was told Saffra and Isabella were close before their falling out. Friends, of a sort.”

William leaned back in shock. “That can’t be right.”

He definitely knew less about this situation than she did. That was unfortunate. “According to one of her classmates. At a minimum, they spent a lot of time around each other.”

“I had no idea,” William admitted, seeming frustrated.

His reaction was reasonable, but his imprisonment and his involvement with Saffra did nothing but complicate things for Vivi. She’d at least hoped he would have insight, but he didn’t—besides the picture he’d painted of the Duke and his guild, she supposed.

“That’s fine,” Vivi said dismissively. “I’ll deal with it. Is there anything else I should know?”

“I…no. Not that I know of?”

“Then I should go make arrangements. I’ll have this sorted out.”

“Thank you?” the baffled man said.

“Think nothing of it.”

As far as Vivi was concerned, this wouldn’t remotely pay him back for his rescue of Saffra, or all of the other good deeds he’d done. For all that this man was apparently—put frankly—nothing but another headache, from what Tilly had said, he seemed like a good person. So she would have tried to help regardless.

When she left the cell and the guard closed the door behind her, her enhanced hearing picked up a closing remark:

“For the record, idiot,” Rose said, “just because a miracle fell in your lap doesn’t mean you were in the right. You really should have apologized.”

***

Vivi first [Blinked] to Rafael’s office, but a [Detect Presence] located no plausible mana sources nearby. Her second stop was the guild. As she popped into existence inside the common room, the thoughts stewing in her head regarding the Caldimore situation vanished. Because while she’d been ready for potentially one mana source inside the guild—Rafael’s—there were three.

To facilitate others entering the historical landmark without sending the city into a frenzy, she had installed a selective-[Invisibility] enchantment that targeted any nearby friendlies holding an intent to enter. So visitors weren’t fully shocking…she’d purposefully planned for the possibility, and to allow Rafael easy access.

But if Rafael had brought others back, that meant the guild’s situation had developed. They were almost certainly other members of Vanguard. But who?

Her eyes locked on the nearest.

A man lay on the sofa, on his back lengthwise, feet kicked up on the armrest. He held a book plucked from a nearby bookshelf above his face and was reading it idly. He sensed her appearance as quickly as she did his, and he jerked up, blue eyes turning her way.

“Oh,” Jasper said. “Vivisari. It’s just you.”

He plopped back down and returned to his book. Paper shuffled as he flipped a page. Beyond that sparse greeting, he ignored her.

She gawked at him. Or the Vivisari equivalent of a gawk, a blank-faced stare with slightly wider eyes than normal.

It made no sense. She tried to come up with an explanation but found none whatsoever. What was the orichalcum-rank she’d met on the Convoy doing in Vanguard’s guildhall? The only thread she could maybe

tug on was that high-level potion she’d given him, but that hardly explained anything. Even creatively, she couldn’t invent a theory for how that potion had led him to Vanguard. Not so quickly.

He glanced over at her. “Can I…help you?” he asked, shifting on the couch and giving her a weird look.

Damn him. He was clearly trying to get a rise out of her.

“Rafael,” Vivi called to the stairs leading down into the cellar, where she felt the two other mana sources. “Why is there an alcoholic on my couch?”

“Now that’s just rude,” Jasper protested.

A second passed, and Vivi heard thumping footsteps rushing up the stairs.

A golden-haired elf appeared at the doorway, silver eyes wide and elegant, youthful features painted with shock. Her mouth opened and closed wordlessly.

“Miraelle,” Vivi said, surprised. She recognized Vanguard’s alchemist easily, since, like Rafael, she had barely aged. But why was she the third person here? Did she know Jasper? “I see you found your own way back. That’s good. I was going to track you down myself.”

Miraelle did something Vivi really hadn’t expected: tears welled up in her eyes.

“Oh, no, what am I doing?” the elf said, scrubbing them away and laughing at herself. “That’s ridiculous, I’m not crying. I just—it’s really you, Lady Vivisari. Gods Above!”

Vivi had absolutely no idea what to say to that. Thankfully, Jasper saved them from an awkward silence, though not out of charity or social deftness, but because he was incapable of keeping his mouth shut.

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t get too excited. Those tears aren’t for you. She just finally gets to brew real potions again.” He groaned. “You would not believe how high this woman’s standards are. You have any idea how many times she’s sent me halfway across the continent for the perfect reagent? Ugh. You’re the root of half my problems, Vivisari.”

“You’re the root of your own problems, you ass,” Miraelle snapped. The burst of emotion, the tears, had already cleared away. She’d clearly just been overwhelmed. “I’m so sorry about him,” she said profusely, turning back to Vivi. “And…that.” She waved at her face, looking mortified. “This is just, not what I expected, this week. I can’t believe you ran into him in Prismarche! What are the odds?”

“You’re the Mae he mentioned,” Vivi surmised, remembering that offhand remark and putting two and two together. “His team’s alchemist?”

Miraelle grimaced. “Unfortunately, yes. And yeah, I’ve been going by Mae for a while now. You can call me whatever you want, of course.” She hesitantly closed the distance. Her hand drifted forward like she wanted to touch Vivi and prove her existence, but she pulled back and folded both hands in her lap to keep them still. “I really can’t believe it. Rafael caught me up, but…I thought I’d never see you again, my lady.”

Rafael had followed a few moments behind Mae, and he watched the interaction from the sideline. He nodded at Vivi when her attention flicked his way.

“I returned as soon as I could,” Vivi said. “If I had retired, I would at least have informed the guild.”

“That’s what everyone thought,” Mae said. “But anything could have happened. It wouldn’t even have been unreasonable if you’d just wanted to…disappear, after everything.”

‘Everything’. No doubt Mae meant how she had been the only survivor of the Cataclysm Campaigns. The elf shifted awkwardly, understanding that maybe she shouldn’t have alluded to the fate of the Party of Heroes.

But Vivi wasn’t bothered. Her friends were fine—just unreachable, in another reality. Vivisari’s friends had died. Vivienne didn’t grieve for them…though the whole idea was admittedly very disorienting to think about. Should she be sad that alternate versions of her friends had died? It was too strange to impact her in any visceral way.

“I didn’t leave,” Vivi eventually said. “Or, not intentionally. It’s complicated.”

“I expected as much,” Mae said.

A short pause, with neither of them seeming to know what else to say, where to take the conversation.

Rafael stepped forward as smoothly as ever. “While I am loath to rush any reunion, of course, completing the first stage of Vanguard’s restoration is as simple as inducting Miraelle. And I find myself more than curious what will happen when the quest requirements are met. So, if I might ask…shall we?”