Vandrick arrived at the entrao Jason Asano’s cloud pace. There was a mob out front, and had been sihe System went dark. They were pretending to be a spontaneously formed group, protesting the heavy-handed influence of the outsider. Ah any real knowledge was aware they had been pced by certain noble houses of Cyrion, anticipatiive attentiarding potential as against Asano. The ‘spontaneous’ crowd was one of the ways they were w to shape the narrative.

  The pace was on a ke reserved for cloud structs and other temporary floating structures. Vandrick reised the pair Bahadir floating nearby, the man and his retinue having arrived the day before. Vandrick respected his loyalty, arriving to support a friend who had much of the world against him right now.

  Vandrick let out the fai whiff of diamond-rank aura as he approached the crowd. They were instantly falling over themselves to clear a path. They were gathered on the shore where a cloud bridge exteo the pace. The bridge itself beiy suggested it would disappear from uhe feet of unwele visitors. Vandrick walked slowly across, the cloud pace. Rather than one massive structure, it was a plex of buildings, linked by enclosed sky bridges and uer tunnels.

  The design of the buildings was iesse style, plete with pnts growing over and out of every part of the building. Moss covered much of the white cloud walls. Leafy vines dangled from balies and flowers bloomed on windowsills. Even the uer tunnels were coated in kelp and coral. Asano apparently favoured tropical pnts, with vibrant greens and rge, bright flowers.

  The rge double doors ope Vandrick’s approach, revealing an atrium more like a garden than a room. He stepped inside and immediately froze, havi something he hadn’t in a long time: threatened. A small smile pyed across his lips.

  “Iing,” he murmured as he looked around.

  The entrance was a multi-storey atrium, with even more pnts thaerior. Multiple waterfalls spilled from mezzanine levels into water features, running through the garden that filled the floor. Paths led through the gardens and over little bridges to doors and stairwells set into the walls. The air was humid, with the spshing of the waterfalls and the sounds of birds and is. High above, the atrium seemed open to the sky, but Vandrick could sense a barrier of invisible mist.

  His gaze settled on the oure whose purpose he wasn’t sure of. An alcove in the wall had a series of narrow poles that appeared to rise into the upper reaches of the building. There was a sign with a name on it behind each pole, matg each member of Asano’s team. He hat the one belled ‘Neil’ had a thicker pole thahers.

  Vandrick heard something from above, and a moment ter, someone slid down one of the poles. Both his aura and the sign behind his pole said that this was Jason Asano. He was wearing tan short pants, sandals and a colourful shirt with a tropical flower print.

  “G’day, bloke. What I do you for?”

  “The Queen of Estercost and several other ied parties have asked me to arbitrate over your withdrawal of the System.”

  “Meaning they asked you to e in here, hold me upside down and shake me until the System falls out.”

  “They phrased it differently, but that was the general se.”

  “But you’re not going to do that, are you?”

  “No. But it is time someo down with you and had a discussion.”

  “About?”

  “You stand with a foot on each side of a dangerous line, Mr Asano. I’m hoping to help you navigate it successfully.”

  “That sounds good. And call me Jason.”

  “Very well, Jason. My name is Vandrick Macarro, but you may call me Van.”

  “Okay, Van. I just made some ses I’ve got on a cooling rack upstairs, so we’ll have to chat there.”

  Vandriced over at the alcove with the poles.

  “We don’t have to use those, do we?”

  “No,” Jason said with a ugh. “They’re for ing down only.”

  “That doesn’t seem effit when gold rankers levitate quite effectively, even without your aura advantages.”

  “Oh, it’s definitely not effit. But what’s the point of living forever if you don’t take the time to have fun?”

  Jason started floating into the air and Vandrick followed. On the highest mezzahey nded and walked down a hallway where the floor was wooden sts over running water. Pnts lihe walls, and a fresh breeze blew through.

  “That music is unlike anything I’ve heard,” Vandrick said. “Is it from your world?”

  “Yeah, that’s Laura Branigan.”

  Jason led Vandrick to an expa that opened onto a covered baly. Fl vines draped from overhead, dangling over a piic table. Sitting at it were four people, including oh the characteristic broad shoulders and chiselled features of a Geller. That would be Humphrey, one of the family’s more famous members. The womao him robably his mother, based on their shared plexion and the iion of their auras. Sitting opposite them were Emir Bahadir, who Vandrick had met, and a woman who was likely his wife.

  “I’m just going to sell my cows at Kansas City,” Emir said. “Give me six extra dolrs.”

  “You know you’ll lose points for that,” his wife told him.

  “And if I don’t get more money, I won’t get any more points than what I have.”

  I, two women were wearing aprons and stirring something in a rge bowl each.

  “No, Sophie, stop,” one of them said.

  “Oh, e ois. What’s wrong now?”

  “Yoing too fast. Even ign the spatter, we’re making whipped cream, not butter.”

  “I like butter,” Sophie said defensively.

  “This is for the ses.”

  “I like butter on ses.”

  Ketis noticed them enter, despite Vandrick’s aura being fully withdrawn. She was the only one who stared, the ng his way befoing back to what they were doing. It was a novel experience for Vandrick, the diamond ranker normally getting a very differeion.

  “Who’s your friend?” Sophie asked. “The Adventure Society finally send a diamond rao spank you?”

  “Something like that. Everyohis is Vandrick. Vandrick, this is everyone. Well, not everyone. Where are the others?”

  “Like you ’t sely where they are,” Sophie told him.

  “I like to give people their privacy,” Jason said.

  “Zara, Farrah and Lindy are still swimming,” Ketis said. Her tone was distracted as she tio stare at the diamond-rank visitor. “Humphrey’s dad kept trying to pinch the ses and Stash dragged him away. He knows a lot about baking for a dragon.”

  “The others should be back soon,” Humphrey said. “They went to the market to see how many types of jam they could find.”

  Emir and his wife rose from the table, approag to offer a respectful greeting. He introduced his wife, stahen they went back to their game. Danielle Geller didn’t move to introduce herself, but did nod a greeting when he spotted her looking him over.

  In their previous meeting, Bahadir had the fear Vandrick was used to from people wheing diamond rankers. The rest of the group seemed the same, aside from the one girl still staring at him. He was halfway tempted to leak some of his aura to see what happened, but squashed the immature urge.

  Jason led Vandrito an adjoining room, a door of mist f to seal them off. When it did, the sound from outside vanished, despite this room also being open to the outside. Again, Vendrick sensed a powerful but invisible mist barrier. The room was a meditation space, in a rustic tropical style with woven floor mats. It reminded Vandrick of Arhe least populous of the three isnds of Rimaros. At a gesture from Jason, two streams of cloud rose from the floor. They took the form of wicker chairs, fag one another. Jason cimed one while waving Vandrick towards the other.

  “So,” Jason said. “What brings you by, Van?”

  “You’re in a very odd position, Jason. Yold rank, but you’re also somewhere on the far side of diamond. We diamond rankers, and now the Adventure Society, have rgely decided to split the differend sider you a diamond ranker.”

  “I’ve been told as much. I’m guessing this is the versation where you give me the talk about how to behave like a good diamond ranker.”

  “ly. Diamond rankers, as a rule, don’t like being told what to do. They tend to react quite drastically.”

  “I should fit right in, then.”

  “Actually, yes, although your unusual circumstances present ensurately unusual challehe liween diamond rank and everything below it is more extreme than at any other rank. The liween gold and diamond is the threshold between mortality and immortality, with diamond rankers being ageless and near immortal. Accly, we move away from mortal s, all the more as time rolls on. We don’t have rules, as such, although we do step ihose amongst us get out of line. What we do have is etiquette.”

  “Meaning that if I’m a naughty boy, I won’t get the rest of you ing down on me. You’ll just all think that I’m an arsehole.”

  “Something like that, yes. I had a discussion with the Queen, along with other members of the Estercost elite and a number of ambassadors. I told them that the position of the diamond rank unity is that the System is yours to administer.”

  “Meaning you told them they aren’t allowed to go after me over it.”

  “Yes. But that also means that if anyone should go after you, they are disregarding us to do so.”

  Jason narrowed his eyes.

  “You wao be the one who smacks down anyone who decides to e after me over it.”

  “We do. Which brings us back to points of etiquette. Diamond rankers, on this world, at least, are the ultimate symbols and expressions of power. We expee ao respect that, and a such a way that the rest of the world does as well. There are several teo this, and one is that we take care of our own business. That is not to say that we don’t lean on our friends and es, but we are expected to hold our own. When a diamond ranker helps another diamond ranker, it is because they are friends or allies, not out of diamond ranker solidarity. If you ’t stand alohe rest of us will stand by as ys are cut out from under you.”

  “So, the first rule of being the most powerful is you have to be the most powerful.”

  “Precisely. The sed te of diamond-raiquette is to respect the boundary between mortal and immortal. When a diamond ranker is young, we are a lot more flexible about this. You have desdants to watch over, is from your mortal days you don’t want to see fall apart. Most of all, you still think like a mortal. But after half a millennium or so, you are expected to step back. If we do everything for them, and never let them find their own way, we stunt them. Left to their own devices, mortals will always surprise you. There is a drive that es with mortality that pushes them to innovate. To make things better. The passion of youth.”

  Vandrick pointed a casual fi Jason.

  “That’s where you are now. You have power, maybe more than you ever thought you would. You want to use it, to make things better.”

  “And hopefully not make them worse.”

  “That is always the danger,” Vandrick agreed. “We give more leeway to young diamond rankers, but the danger of them causing harm is why we expect them to limit themselves. Let us look at some of the young diamond rankers you know. Alyeth and Charist limit themselves geographically, for example, restrig themselves to Yaresh and the surrounding regions. The Mirror King is much the same in his owory. Rond Remore’s agenda is more expansive, but he rarely brings his direct power to bear. He limits himself to mostly w through agents and proxies.”

  “And you expect me to limit myself.”

  “No one is going to force you. What we hope is that you e to uand the virtues of limiting our influen the mortal world. I suspect, given your positions on power and authority, that this would be a natural fit for you.”

  “You’re n,” Jason ceded.

  “I will say this,” Vandrick said. “There is an expectation that very new diamond rankers will run a little wild. Settle old scores and instigate ges in mortal society they have always wao. So long as they don’t take anything too far, the rest of us let this go. What’s the point of achieving more power than almost anyone, ever, if you’re just going to be told not to do the things you always wao do?”

  “That seems reasonable.”

  “I think so. The rule of thumb is that everyos one. One great big world ging a that affects the mortals. After that, you’re expected to be more nuanced in your approach. You have forever, so there is an expectation that you will be patient.”

  “And mine is using the System to try a everyoo abolish svery.”

  “Yes. As suo one from the general diamond rank unity will challenge you on this. I ot speak for individuals, however. If you infringe on a diamond ranker’s personal is, you might find them getting in your way.”

  “Good to know, thank you.”

  “Now, we should address some of the issues that stem from your particur situation. Every diamond ranker has their own circumstances, but yours are more drastic than most.”

  “In that I’m not actually a diamond ranker.”

  “Yes. You straddle the liween mortal and immortal. It is not our pce to tell you not to intervene in mortal affairs while you are still a gold ranker. But we also won’t stand aside if you start intervening in mortal affairs using your far-from-mortal aspects.”

  “Meaning that you’ll let me extort everyoh the System this oime, but I o start using my big boy powers like a mature adult.”

  “In short, yes. Handle mortal affairs like a mortal and immortal affairs like an immortal. That way, when some monarch asks us to rein you in, we’ll tell them no. And we expect the same sideration from you. Diamond rankers haheir own business amongst themselves. When we drag mortals into our affairs, or let them drag us into theirs, people die. Wars happen. Whole nations are wiped off the map.”

  “Everything I’m scared of happening if I misuse my power.”

  “Yes. Most of the diamond rankers you’ve met are young. Five turies old at most. There are gold rankers older than most of them. Soramir Rimaros and Dawh exceptions, but both spend most of their time out in the os. If you feel the need fuidan how to handle immortal power in a mortal world, I want to be avaible for you.”

  “I’d like that.”

  “All this being said, I’m not going to intervene in your business with the Cyrion noble houses. You made that mess on a mortal scale, and you’re expected to it up in the same way. N into a giant bird and wiping out entire families.”

  “That wasn’t the pn, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

  Vandrick stood up.

  “I think this went well,” he said. “But that is ultimately up to you, and time will tell. If you need me, I’m fident you find me easily enough. If you e looking for advice, I will be happy to offer it. If you e looking for help, you will find me less willing.”

  Jason stood up and shook his hand.

  “Uood.”