The weeks since the kids returned from their trip had been a whirlwind, and Annette was going over her notes in exacting detail. Madam Sabrina had arrived in Verilia the previous day, marking the last of a dozen or so independent magic users or group representatives currently visiting the city. After hearing of the Indell Coven’s intent to visit, Annette decided a large gathering was the best way to convince everyone, and show off what the sect had accomplished. She was penning invitations to a banquet at the sect hall, which Martin would deliver later. He could find them easily enough using the City Core and make the deliveries faster than anyone else. The last letter was set aside for the ink to dry for a few moments. Deeply saturated on cream-colored paper, with a touch of bronze dust infused throughout the ink. It had just the right amount of formality for honored guests, hoping for future friends. Annette took the time to appreciate the sect crest embossed on the top of the page. Real silver leaf added a shine with rich black ink sketching the phoenix constellation. The king himself would not find any cause to complain with an invitation like this. Martin walked in and gave a low whistle of appreciation.

  “Stunning calligraphy Annie. Still not sure why we needed the fancy paper but it looks nice.”

  She took a deep breath before responding. “We aren’t doing ‘Annie’. And trust me, there is a whole language hidden in the ink and paper we use to communicate. If you think Madam Sabrina isn’t taking note of what quality paper we send you’re in for a rude awakening. Now, take these and deliver them, please.”

  “Yes ma’am”. Martin tucked everything into the infuriatingly useful tattoo and was out the door again. Before she could get back to work, Helene walked in, followed by Gabrielle.

  “Welcome girls, I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.”

  “Right, well, you see, Annette, Quartermaster...” Helene stumbled along before Gabrielle cut her off.

  “We are sooo bored. Going out and meeting everyone was fun but now we don’t have anything to do. I mean, lessons are good and we’ll obviously do the chores, but that still leaves like half the day. Are we getting more assignments any time soon? The points from the last one aren’t enough for the treasures we want to aspect our mana.”

  “You’ve already decided on how you want to aspect?”

  Gabrielle responded confidently. “Water for Helene, fire for me. Martin said those are pretty common for adventuring cultivators and we have a lot of flexibility to evolve them later.”

  Annette leaned back in her chair to think before responding. In truth, she hadn’t put time into coming up with complex missions in weeks, being so focused on the impending summit they were hosting. She kept a pleasant smile while cursing herself internally; finding productive uses for the members was part of her job as a Quartermaster. This position was more responsibility than everything else she’d ever done combined and she had no intention of failing at it.

  “How about this: The papers have been publishing more stories about the rise in magical animals around the countryside. Laurel did something before she left to make sure the rats didn’t go crazy and attack, but the influence stops a few kilometers out of the City. Farms out that way have been harassed. I read an article yesterday implying one of the towns a few days' travel from here hadn’t had anyone enter or leave in weeks.” She took out another piece of paper to begin drafting a different kind of letter. “We need to keep the momentum of our reputation going, so take this and bring it to the fort. That far out, the army will be involved. Why don’t you two offer yourselves as consultants for the investigation.”

  Helen looked apprehensive but Gabrielle quickly plucked the letter from Annette’s hands and rolled it carefully, tying it with a length of black ribbon from Annette’s desk. At least someone respected the importance of presentation. “We’ll do it.”

  “After the summit.” Annette called at their already retreating backs.

  *******

  Martin leaned against the gate outside the Skycrest townhouse. He dropped his veil and flared his mana. A few minutes later a handsome woman with dark hair came outside.

  “Madam Sabrina of the Indell Coven?”

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “That’s correct. And I presume I am addressing Martin of the Eternal Archive?”

  “Quite right. I have this invitation to join discussions on the establishment of a new guild for magic users.” He produced the page with a flourish. A slight widening of the eyes was the only thing that betrayed any surprise from the other cultivator. Impressive. Without his veil, she could feel how strong he was and didn’t flinch. This Indell Coven might turn out to be a worthy ally, if they could be charmed into joining the guild.

  Sabrina took the invitation and read it over. Martin noticed her tracing the silver leaf in the emblem, a fact he would die before admitting to Annette. “Thank you. I accept.”

  “See you there, come hungry!” He left with a wink and a wave. That went well enough. Now he just had to hunt down another half dozen stray cultivators in a city of over a million souls. Without starting any fights.

  The next few went easily enough. A string of wary cultivators accepted the invitations to be at the sect the following Sixthday. Martin stopped outside of the most recent in a series of mid-tier inns. Nice enough ,but far inferior to the uptown house Madam Sabrina was a guest in. He probed along his connection to the City Core, then out into the populace to find nearby cultivators. The sect members were ignored easily, having mana signatures recorded already and easily filtered out. That left three other cultivators at or beyond the initiate level in the city. He frowned. Annette definitely only gave him seven invites. Well, someone was going to have to suffer a verbal declaration instead. He oriented towards the next closest and continued.

  Leaving the middle-class portions of the city, Martin descended into the slums of the Flats, ending his walk at a dingy inn sat near the harbor. He could see a few gaps between the planks of the facade. The common room was dim, with a low-ceiling, half the windows already shuttered. A few men and women sat at tables, shoveling down some sort of stew without pausing long enough to register the taste. A quick scan with his spiritual senses told him his target was the young man in the back corner. In his mid to late twenties, by Martin’s guess, with blond hair hanging low enough to obscure his eyes, and a posture that spoke of being hunted.

  “Hi there friend. I’m Martin, master cultivator of the Eternal Archive.” He accompanied this with an outstretched hand.

  The young man jerked his head up with an expression of utter terror. Something went on behind his eyes as he glanced down at Martin’s now awkwardly extended hand and then back up at his face. After a bracing breath he tentatively reached out to shake.

  “George. No affiliation.”

  “Okay then. George. I don’t have an invitation for a ‘George’. Sorry about that. Whichever of the kids that talked to you must have forgotten to write it down. That’s fine. Show up at the sect on Sixthday. And if anyone asks, don't mention you didn’t get one, alright?”

  The younger man gave a thumbs up. Quiet, but he seemed decent enough otherwise.

  “Great. See you then. And hey, have a drink on me, if you trust the ale in this place.” Martin tossed a coin out before hustling back into the fresh air outside. Surprising that any cultivator would be willing to stay in a place like that when he could sign on as a guard for a few traders and live comfortably. But he wouldn’t judge. As long as no one asked him to stay in such a shithole it was fine. The next person he was after was in a better neighborhood anyway.

  *********

  George leaned forward and rested his forehead against the table. His hands were shaking. His heart was beating out of his chest. That man was undoubtedly the strongest mage he had ever seen. That he had ever been near. And how did he know George was in the city? He had been careful. No magic use at all once he got close, despite how easy it was here.

  Now he had a summons. There was no question, he would have to go. Anyone that strong could crush him without any effort. Running was no longer an option, and this was his goal anyway. He just hadn’t expected someone to show up and tell him exactly when his last hope would either come true or crumble to ashes.

  ********

  “Hey Annette, we had one extra we’ll need food and everything for.” Martin’s head peeked around the doorframe while the rest of his body stayed hidden behind the wall.

  “Stars above, how did that happen? We gave explicit instructions to write everything down. Ugh, fine. I’ll let Esther know.”

  ********

  The meeting hall they hadn’t yet had reason to use was fully decked out for their first time hosting guests, except Devon, whom Martin assured her didn’t count. Annette had already triple-checked every order, but she was spending the last few minutes before anyone arrived reviewing the details. The room was decorated perfectly. A few paintings and sculptures from fashionable artists adorned the walls. Not too many to look busy, but enough to communicate thoughtful taste. Windows uncovered to let in the morning light. The table was set with supplies for notetaking and discussion, while a sideboard held drinks and snacks. A group of comfortable couches and chairs surrounded a crackling fire on the other end of the room for breaks.

  Everything was in place. Not that she expected anything to be wrong. Esther was far too good at her job to have missed the little pieces. The woman had been Annette’s right hand in the organizing, and had a good eye for arranging things in a way that looked natural. This last minute fussing was just Annette letting some of the nervous energy out. This was more serious than the open house. She had practice working with nobles and seeing how they handled the press. There was something to model off of there. But there was no guide for how to handle suspicious cultivators or begin a new guild.

  Elisette’s advice had been invaluable. The older woman had taken a mentoring role after their first meeting. Unfortunately she had declined the invitation to attend the summit, and they would be on their own. Elisette believed it would hinder their position to have outsiders present. She was right, but Annette could use an experienced guide. Adam was knowledgeable of the formal process but not great at understanding how people work. Martin was charming but avoided the political part of the sect with astounding precision. And he was still sometimes taken off guard by modern customs. This would be Annette’s time to lead.

  One last loop of the room and it was time. A quick stop in her room ensured the formal outfit in sect colors was still pristine. She found Martin and Adam leaning over a memory tablet in the library. Once they resurfaced she herded them off to the meeting room. The four initiates that had gone out to recruit were tasked with escorting everyone and working as runners for the day. Helene and Gabrielle weren’t thrilled with having to delay future missions, so she had put a respectable contribution point compensation for acting as aides for their summit. There was nothing left to do but wait for everyone to arrive.