“This,” Anna said, “is not a professional enviro.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jason asked.

  Anured at her wife who was just theering the a having ged into her new swimsuit. She also had grilled meat on a stid a drink with a little umbrel in it.

  “What?” Susan asked.

  “Your wife doesn’t think we should have this meeting at a water park,” Jason told her.

  “Well, I think it’s a great idea. But you ’t properly enjoy it right? With that avatar body?”

  “Sadly, no,” Jason said.

  “Because your real body is iher universe.”

  “That’s not teically my real body either, but for practical purposes, yes.”

  “What are you doing over there right now?” Susan asked. She moved to the cushioned benext to Anna, who was doing her best to treat a folding piic table and chair as office furniture.

  “I’m currently w with my new barteo try and reproduce Earth cocktails using Pallimustus alcohol. We just made some dirty Shirleys, and there’s a princess who ’t get enough of them.”

  ***

  Zara smmed her empty gss on the ter of the cloud ship’s rooftop bar.

  “Another one,” she demanded, wobbling slightly on her barstool.

  Jason arrived on the elevating ptform just in time to overhear. The look Jamar threw Jason from behind the bar was a clear plea for help.

  “Zara, we only have so much of each liquor in stock,” Jason told her. “We have a lot more drinks to try out, so maybe let Jamar try something else. We’ll restoce we know how much we want of which types of plonk.”

  Zara picked her gss up again and smmed it forcefully back down. The ter turned squishy so it didn’t break, and the gss became stuck. Zara gred at it for its rarayal before wheeling oool to gre at Jason, almost toppling off in the process.

  “Portal off a more!” she demanded.

  “Zara, have you, by any ce, been talking to the Storm King again?”

  “Stupid Emiliano,” she slurred. “Yes, I could have been more diplomatic with that stupid pring, but he wao buy me like I was cattle at market.”

  “Far be it from me to tell you to be more diplomatic,” Jason said. “Not with my history. And the guy did have it ing.”

  “Exactly,” Zara said as she jabbed a finger in Jason’s dire. “Father has been so good about it. He’s says I did great. He’s much more rexed, now that he’s not king anymore.”

  Sophie flew onto the roof from a lower deot b with the elevating ptform.

  “Sophie!” Zara excimed. “Tell Mr Evil Stabby to go buy more… whatever it is I was just drinking.”

  Sophie looked at her with an amused expression.

  “You drank out the bar?”

  “No. Yes. Maybe. Shut up.”

  Sophie slowly coaxed the drunk priowards the elevating ptform and aable nap. Jason sat down, giving Jamar a sympathetic look.

  “How much of the gold-rank stock did she gh?”

  “Enough that I could work for a year without being able to afford it. Before this job, anyway. Are you sure you’re happy payihat much for kit and bar services?”

  “It shouldn’t be a dangerous job, Jamar, but you might find yourself danger adjat, from time to time. More than that, you’re probably going to see some things. Like a drunk princess whose brother is stuck with a diplomatic disaster after she ied some outside magito a draian prince’s very inside pce. This o be a pce where my friends and I rex without being worried what we say or do. When I interviewed you for this job, I told you that the most important parts of this job are loyalty and discretion.”

  “Yes, sir, Mr Asano. No one will hear anything that goes on here from me.”

  “And that is what your reion reflects, Jamar. It’s not about slinging the best drinks or managing food service effitly, although you do o do that. It’s the fact that yoing to be around powerful people who do very important things. Not just my people, but anyone we host here. Betraying our trust could be very lucrative, should you pioment well. In appreciation of that, I want to make sure that you don’t feel like your discretion is being undervalued.”

  “I’m very grateful for the opportunity, sir.”

  “Good. I should warn you, though, that you won’t o go looking for someoo sell information too. Yoing to be approached more or less any time you’re away from the boat.”

  “I would never—”

  “I know. But not everyone will just e up and offer a bribe. You might find that an attractive young… dy?”

  Jamar nodded.

  “You might enter an attractive woman who finds you more charming than you’re used to being found. Or someone who skips the money offer and goes straight to more physical means of pulsion. In preparation for such eventualities, we’ve takeions to secure your safety for when you aren’t on the ship. You won’t notice them, but you will be one of the most protected individuals in any pce you visit. I want you to feel secure, and not worry about people targeting you for your e to us.”

  “To be ho, sir, I wasn’t really worried. Until just now, when I find myself quite worried. What exactly do you mean by ‘physical means of pulsion?’”

  “Oh,” Jason said as he stood up. “Sorry. Still, I’m sure it’s going to be fine. Do you need me to portal off and pick up some more drinks?”

  “Uh, yes, sir.”

  “Make me a list.”

  ***

  “This has been a long time ing,” Jason said.

  The magic around Vitesse was more than strong enough to let the cloud ship fly, but Jaso it oer. Most of his friends were with him on the rooftop bar, having just enjoyed a lunder the hot equatorial sun, cooled by the fresh sea air. Nik and Jason stood at the front railing, Jason waiting for his first glimpse of the city.

  For many of his friends, it was home. It wasn’t the capital of Estercost, but many sidered it the adventuring capital of the ti. The high level of magic meant that monster maions were powerful and frequent, not just in the around the city but across the entire region. That was a critical threat wheercost was filled with towns, vilges and smaller cities, due to the idyllic climate and riatural resources.

  As with many high-magies, the local Adventure Society was much better at intercepting monster appearahan somewhere like Greenstone. Instead of leaving notes for wandering adventurers, they had something akin to the grid oh that detected magic across a wide area.

  The grid oh was based on the same principles as natural arrays, using the geography of the p for its structure. On Pallimustus, their dete works were less advanced, requiring towers that were subject to weather and monster interferehey needed regur maintenand rept, but they also had advantages over the Earth grid. Where the grid only gave the exaformation it was desiginally, the Pallimustus equivalent could be tuned and calibrated to a variety of purposes. That was how Jason’s cloud ship had beeed on its first approaaros, and how it was again on its approach to Vitesse.

  Nik pointed out the city’s famous fl towers, their tops just ing into view. Jason looked over at where he ointing, but his real attention was on the essence user he sensed approag. The same thing had happened on his approaaros, a local official heading out to greet — and check up on — approag powerful visitors. It was a normal process, affeg every boat, sky ship and caravan emanating enough power to be a potential threat. In Rimaros, that was how Jason had first met Vidal Ladiv. That man’s nephew was now one of Jason’s growie.

  “Shade, would you ask Miguel to e up? It’s time our new Adventure Society liaison made himself useful.”

  ***

  Jason’s first visit to Vitesse quickly proved to be everything he had hoped for. The City of Flowers lived up to the name, with skyscrapers draped in fl virees lined every street, heavy with blossoms. Social programs and bour ws meant that even the poorest ses of the city were safe aively prosperous. This was made possible by an ey thriving in multiple sectors, especially agriculture and the growth of alchemy supplies in the magic-rich soil.

  Adventuring was likewise lucrative, with a steady stream of silver and gold-rank moo harvest with effit looting protocols. Vitesse adventurers were also in high demand around the world, many pces paying generous fees to have experts deal with intra problems. The Magic Society likewise offered lucrative services, such as portal travel and airship stru.

  Jason’s favourite aspect of the city was that it was full of extremely powerful adventurers. This meant that if some crazy monster or lunatic cult showed up, he could rex and hear about it all ter, just like everyone else. The only sad uone was that most of his panions had friends and es iy to catch up with, even Nik. Eaew introdu, every fue, reminded him of all the time he had missed. The years of joy and trouble that he’d missed while supreme beings were using his soul as a battlefield.

  He forced himself not to dwell on a past he couldn’t ge, and instead focused on making new memories. He finally got to see the Remore Academy, finally proving that Rufus’ family did, in fact run a school. He met Keh, son of Brian, now one of the most celebrated adventurers in Vitesse. While Jason was more than happy to hear all about the famous duel where he defeated a young Rufus, Jason was more ied in having him speak with Nik.

  Keh’s morag skills were highly vaunted. Rather than have a permaeam of his own, the Adventure Society regurly attached him to teams in need of his specific skills. Nik’s ability to coordieams had put him in a simir situation, but Jasohat he had some insecurities around not having a team of his own. Nik had fessed as much as he watched Jason and his own tight-knit team during their travels.

  Jason hoped that spending time with Keh and discussing their experiences would help Nik e to terms with his adventuring career. If not, he would make sure Nik found an excellent team, regardless of what the Adventure Society wanted. If nothing else, Rufus had been training up the Asano youth, and had several excellent silver-rank prospects.

  While Jasoime with all of his friends, most of it ent t around the city with Nik. Jason ehe anonymity, and Nik likewise luxuriated in not being the tre of attention. He did get looks because of his inescapable ess, but Vitesse was the most metropolitan and multicultural pce Jason had ever entered. There were all manner of people, from every essence-using species and some that weren’t.

  The brighthearts weren’t the only people with enough i magic to have their own unique powers, many of which were visibly apparent. Jason and Nik spotted a variety of them, from a group of nine-foot humanoids with green skin aattoos to elves with wings who would likely be mistaken for short messengers.

  All that was without even ting the adventurers with their exotic magic devices, wonderous familiars and fshy powers. During their days in Vitesse, Jason and Nik spotted all manner of strange and wonderous people. One woman had fire for hair and rode a bat made of crystal, with a visible skeleton inside. Another man was in a stant state of shape-shifting. His hair was always in flux, gih, colour and style. His skin ale one moment ahe before turning into iridest fish scales.

  tless different transport methods were also on dispy, from flying carpets to a giant hamster wheel making short teleport hops. The familiars were of such frequend variety that pces close to the Adventure Society campus felt like they were under monster invasion. Jason, with glowing eyes and an adorable panion didn’t warrant a sed gnce.

  Jason carefully avoided aas with the various societies and associations, but he did have a feois to keep. One was to join the same guild as most of his panions, the Burning Violet guild. Another was an invitation to afternoon tea from what was arguably the most famous and prestigious citizen of Vitesse, Rond Remore. The st was to pick up his new wardrobe from the shop of Gilbert Bertinelli, now operating out of Vitesse.

  Jason had taken a day all to himself to go and visit Bert. They had lunch together and discussed all they had been through siheir Greenstone days. In the end, Jaso behind an exorbitant amount of money, and took with him aensive wardrobe.

  The Burning Violet guild house was a rge but unassuming building, directly across from the Remore Academy. This was the location it had moved to following the takeover of the guild by Rond Remore long ago, and while the diamond-ranker no longer ma, his presened rge.

  The building was turies old, but the magical reinforced stone was barely weathered. Like most buildings in Vitesse, it was decorated with living pnts, although more sparingly than most. There were a few balies with pnters from which vines draped, and ivy climbiions of the walls. Most of the greenery was around the sides on the building, expanding into what looked like gardens around the back, only partially visible from the street.

  There were han four sets of double doors in the front, all of which were busy with messengers and funaries ing in and out. There were quite a few adventurers as well, the iving them a respectfully wide berth. This included Jason, who moduted his aura to a polite expression of his genuine rank. It was not an occasion to be deceptive and, while gold rankers always stood out, they did so less in Vitesse. Wearing one of his new suits, he ehe cavernous lobby.

  Several staff members were approag people as they entered and direg them variously to differeion desks, any of the several stairs or internal doorways, or occasionally sending them back out entirely. Jason, being gold rank, was atteo immediately. He roached by an immacutely dressed young bronze ranker before he had a ce to get anywhere near a queue.

  The man had no trace of cores in his aura, so Jason assumed he was an adventurer in training. Unlike Greenstohe more dangerous Vitesse enviro meant that no adventurers below silver operated unsupervised. Rufus, Gary and Farrah had roamed abroad in search of advehout minders watg over them.

  “What I do for you, sir?”

  “I was hoping to apply to yuild.”

  “An excellent choice, sir. Are you looking to transfer from aing guild?”

  “No, I’ve never been in a guild before.”

  “That should simplify the application process, then. I will warn you in advahat rank is no guarantee of acceptance, however.”

  “Uood.”

  “Then please gh that door over there and the receptionist inside will take your details.”

  “Thank you.”