I think I scared the absolute shit out of Bleddyn’s agent when I popped up out of nowhere in the meeting place he had designated. The man had been sitting on a dilapidated old wooden crate in the alley we had first been…introduced, idly flipping a knife over and over. I was lucky that he was actually here this early in the morning, considering we were supposed to meet after dark. But, I suppose he might not have much more to do than sit around and wait for my reply.

  When I dropped out of my invisibility to his right, appearing as if from nowhere, he yelped and fumbled his flipping, causing his dagger to clatter to the cobblestones below. He flushed when I bent down, picked it up, and handed it to him with an amused smile. Still, he accepted it with some muttered thanks.

  Was it a bit immature of me to use my Starefire Veiling enhanced Thorn Cloak and its invisibility to deliberately startle the man?

  Yes.

  Was I at all ashamed of doing so?

  No.

  “Hart,” The man said, clearing his throat and jumping off the crate. “I…didn’t see you there.”

  “I know,” I said simply, smiling mysteriously for the sheer hell of it. At his baffled look, I chuckled and shook my head. “You know, I realized something. I don’t actually know your name?”

  Bleddyn’s agent blinked at me for a moment before a slight flush stole over his ruddy features. “Ah…sorry about that. Name’s Rudfeld. Robert Rudfeld.”

  “Right, right,” I said, nodding easily. I think ol’ Bob was a bit startled when I abruptly clapped my hands, considering how he jumped. “Well! I’ve got good news for you and Bleddyn! I’m going to help after all. I just needed a couple days to get a few…things in order.”

  I had moved fast, after all. It was barely a few days after Rudfeld here had ambushed me. It was the weekend now, though, so I was glad I’d gotten everything finalized so quickly.

  Robert was relieved enough at my words that I thought I saw a few tears come to his eyes. However, he was visibly confused when I held up one hand to stop him while I dug around in my pocket with the other. I think he was even more baffled when I held out a very official-looking notecard, sealed with blue wax. He stared dumbly at it for a moment before looking back up and blinking at me.

  I just smiled encouragingly at the man. “Go on, take it. It’s an invitation to witness something…very directly related to how we’re going to solve this entire mess. I want you to be there during the meeting I’m calling. Inside you’ll find directions to my home, where it’s being held.”

  “I…” Robert stuttered before apparently giving up. He reached out and took the crisp, fresh parchment from me, clutching it with one limp hand. “Okay? I…suppose I can be there.”

  I smiled widely, something that almost seemed to intimidate the man. “Excellent! Oh, and here’s a few gold for a bath beforehand, eh?” I said, almost appearing to materialize a small, clinking pouch in one hand. He gingerly took that as well, looking more and more lost by the second. “After all, you wouldn’t want to show up to a party looking less than your best, eh? Ha!”

  “Yeah…” Robert said uneasily, looking very much overwhelmed. “Ha ha…”

  I settled down, shaking my head. “Well, anyway. Better get a move on. The meeting is in about three hours, which should be plenty of time. I’ll see you then, yeah?” Before he could even get a word in edgewise, I triggered my enhanced Thorn Cloak once again.

  And disappeared before his eyes.

  Robert outright jumped in place at my vanishing act, looking around wildly for any trace of me. He wouldn’t find any, of course, but I applauded the act.

  It was still funny to me. I could just tell this was going to be a thing with me.

  Bleddyn’s agent released a shuddering breath, looking down at his invitation. “Ma was right,” He muttered. “These Classers, they just get crazier and crazier over time…”

  I stifled a laugh and decided to leave the man be.

  I still had a few preparations to do, back home.

  …………………………………..

  Tarus was high in the sky by the time all of the people I’d invited to this little soiree had arrived. I was sure the nosy old Spirit was keeping a watchful eye on everything happening in my little stretch of Blutstein, considering his proclivities. When pressed, an amused Azarus and an exasperated Sena outright confirmed that we had his direct attention.

  Good. I wanted him to see this.

  It was going to be important, I could just tell.

  As for me…

  I was inside the house when I felt the stuttery, nervous feeling of Robert’s heartbeat approach the bounds of my property. I flicked my eyes up the full length mirror I was standing in front of, to look out the window of my bathroom, and confirm that with my eyes. I smiled slightly when I saw the freshly cleaned, fellow former slave walking up the path. It even looked like the man had gotten his clothes cleaned, which I appreciated.

  However, I don’t think he was expecting just what he found, when he was welcomed by an enthusiastic Maria.

  I spared one last look at my reflection to make sure I had everything right. I’d had a somewhat special coat commissioned by a very skilled tailor some time ago, meant as both a combat accessory as well as being stylish enough to make me stand out on more formal occasions. The result was something similar to a long suit coat from back on Terra, closely tailored to my form out of azure blue silk for the exterior, while the interior was crimson red. It was long enough to reach down just past my knees, and heavily, heavily enchanted. Something a bit sneaky I had thought of was turning each and every button along the front of the coat into an individual Enchantment Disc. The result had worked surprisingly well, and not only lent the garment a surprisingly broad range of protections, but a tangible Aetherial presence. I had actually been a bit inspired by the cut of Shacklock’s own coat, even if I had chosen a different, less visually assaulting color combination. Partly, I think, because the association would help lend me legitimacy.

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  And partly because I think it looked cool.

  Under that I wore a simple, if not high-quality vest, long-sleeved tunic, trousers, and military cut boots, all in black and white. I’d shaved for the first time in what felt like months, while my hair had finally grown back out long enough that it had needed styling. I’d stopped by an actual upscale stylist in town for that, at the time I was dropping off Robert’s invitation.

  This…was really all a form of theater. Stage dressing, really. Those who knew me would understand that.

  But there were far more than just my personal friends and companions in attendance today. And I wanted to look the part of someone who understood the enormity of what I was attempting.

  I took a deep breath and nodded firmly at my reflection.

  You got this, Nate.

  You had to.

  For once, my Core Ring didn’t mock our little personal pep talk. It understood what was at stake here.

  I turned sharply on one heel and exited my personal washroom, stepping foot into my bedroom. There, I pulled Terractus from its place on my wall and attached the sheathed short sword to my belt. Once that was done, I picked up the staff given to me by Tlazo and gripped it firmly in one hand. Even after all these months, the blackened wood of the stave combined with its amber crystal still felt vaguely ominous to me.

  Associations. It was all about the associations and how others saw you. Grey was known to carry a powerful staff, and I would be too.

  So prepared, I exited my room and started tromping down the stairs to the ground floor. Once I reached the front door, I paused for a moment. Through the wooden surface, I could hear the faint murmur of the occasion I had called. Strangely, I wasn’t daunted by the low roar.

  Instead, it filled me with anticipation.

  Time to get this performance underway.

  I opened the door…

  And stepped out into the garden party I had organized, here on my little lighthouse terrace. The low roar transformed into the chatter of entertained guests, the laughter of their children, and the playing of the small, local band I had hired for the occasion. Spread out on my lawn were two long wooden tables with attached benches I’d purchased for this, both of them covered with blue and red checkered tablecloths. Atop them, the tables were laden with platter after platter of snacks, finger foods, and even some quick meals, each of them courtesy of the catering company I had also hired for the party. They were working out of the decently sized and stocked kitchen on the ground floor of the lighthouse proper, and they seemed to be doing their job well, constantly flitting to and from the repurposed tower.

  But…none of them were as important as my guests.

  The people whom I hoped would become the foundation of my own Martial Order. Right away, I noticed that they had almost self-segregated among the tables and party spaces. Not maliciously, or even uncomfortably, I believe. Just…naturally.

  Firstly, I noticed the group that had formed around Liora and Isolde. Of both of our groups of former comrades, we had managed to locate the two other surviving retirees from the Nocturne Division, and two of the Agents still with the Eclipsed Dawn had surprised us by seeking us out, once word started to get around we were seeking the others. All four of Isolde’s former surviving SED compatriots had shown up as well, and I was relieved to see that there didn’t appear to be any tension between all of the former spies and assassins. Instead, a quiet, easy camaraderie born of shared experiences seemed to be blooming in quiet conversation among them.

  Next was Maria’s little coterie. It had turned out that she had a surprising reach among the various business owners of the city who were sympathetic to the cause. They were by far the most numerous among the gathered guests, individually numbering nearly a dozen. However, I had let it be known that this was meant to be a safe gathering, and they could bring their families along. They actually had. The results were that dozen had more than doubled, with their myriad wives, husbands, and children tagging along.

  Said children appeared to have instantly banded together, and to my delight, had roped Aveline into their impromptu games on the terrace. They ran to and fro, screaming in joy, accompanied by the appropriately sized forms of Fade and Sena, each of them appearing to enjoy the attention of the children in their own way. With Fade, I could feel his happiness across our bond, while with Sena, I could tell the cat was fighting a smile.

  And Aveline…I’m not sure I’d ever seen my charge so carefree as she raced along with the other children. It warmed my heart to see the ribbons woven in her hair by Rachel, streaming behind her as she laughed and made new friends.

  The next group were Alex’s group, the second largest among us. There were maybe two dozen of them altogether, and I could tell they had done their best to clean up for the occasion, despite their unfortunate circumstances. I think Alex had chosen the most disciplined of former soldiers he could find in the Catch to attend this meeting, and I appreciated that. They were still visibly the poorest, most patchwork group here, but I was gratified to see they weren’t being harassed by anyone else. Mostly, they were enjoying the food, of which I had already promised they could have the leftovers when it was all over.

  After that was the smallest group, and the most important to me specifically.

  My friends.

  All of them were sitting together at one of the smaller side tables I had set up. Grey, Sylvia, Honoka, and Venix were all invited as either representatives from the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn or the Academy. While Grey couldn’t join what I was planning, he could certainly be here to witness its hopeful formation. Venix and Honoka were definitely not joining, while Sylvia was equally as unlikely, considering how devoted she was to Grey’s Order. But I had hopes for Azarus and Renauld. My Dwarven best friend had known everything already, considering we lived together, so I held little doubt he’d help me. Hell, he had helped set everything up here at our home. But Renauld…

  Honestly, I didn’t know. Sometimes, the Gnollish Healer could be unpredictable. I think he might have an inkling about what was happening, though, from the contemplative look he had on his furry face.

  Altogether…there had to be nearly fifty different people gathered here. Fifty people that I would have to convince to place their faith in me and my vision. I’d delayed presenting myself before them until now, just long enough for them to get comfortable and chat among themselves. I wanted them…relaxed and pliable before I made my pitch.

  I let out a breath and firmed my grip on my staff.

  It was time.

  I stepped out of the open doorway I had been lingering in and into the light. Maybe it was just my imagination…

  But I thought I felt a sunbeam fall on me, as I did so. I wouldn’t put it past Tarus, honestly.

  The interfering old busybody of a Great Spirit had a flair for the dramatic.