Elise walked the halls of the Dageth branch school in Deepmere. She'd been attending classes for the past half a year. The knowledge she'd received had been immense. Over five new spells had been added to her repertoire. First, she mastered Iron Body. A massive improvement over her Iron Skin spell. She had already begun working on the next layer of the spell to improve it to Steel Body, but that was a ways off. She upgraded her Minor Haste spell to Haste, the most difficult of her new spells to master. Beyond improving those two spells, she also gained Forcebolt, Chain Lightning, and Minor Barrier. All good long-range spells. If she could master more layers of the spells, they'd become even stronger.

She just finished for the day and was enjoying some tea at home when the knock came. Bellos, who was dusting a nearby shelf, sat down his feather duster before walking out into the hall.

"Good Afternoon. How may I assist you?" Bellos said. Elise couldn't hear the reply but did hear Bellos's response.

"I shall deliver the message." The door closed. The tromping of Bellos's hooves told her of the kin's approach.

"Young Madam, the family has received an urgent letter."

"What does it pertain to?" Elise asked, sipping her tea. It was delicious. Sweet, but not overly so.

"That was less clear. The messenger said it was regarding the master's daughter." He handed her the letter.

Elise frowned as she flipped the letter over. A generic wax seal was in place. Why would someone be sending an urgent letter regarding her? That made no sense. They could just contact her directly. She broke the seal. She began reading while taking another sip. She immediately sprayed out the contents in a wide arc.

"Madam?" Bellos asked.

She ignored him. "FATHER!!!" Elise bellowed.

***

"This has to be some type of joke," Loric said, shaken as he looked at the letter. Elise, at his side, was equally disturbed.

Father,

Although we have never met, I am aware of our blood relation and your station. I would like you to convey the contents of this letter to the decision-making body of Deepmere. I have received news that the council intends to send a kin army to their deaths to battle the mists. I find this unacceptable. I have consulted with mages on the matter. The mists are problematic for mana-wielders, hence the need for kin soldiers. I have a counter-proposal. I will go in their stead with full cooperation from the mages of Deepmere. If I succeed in the task that would have been set forth for the kin forces, then they are to be freed. If I fail or cannot complete the task, then nothing will change, and you can send forth the kin. I am willing to meet with the council at your estate to discuss terms. I swear to uphold the peace as long as your side does likewise.

A lack of response or sending the kin forth will directly escalate my activities with far less regard for the lives of the mages involved. It is in everyone's best interest that we set aside past grievances to reach a mutually beneficial arrangement. If the council agrees to meet at your estate, place a yellow flag in front of your door. I will have people watching.

Azure Magebane

Loric set the letter down. He read it over twice now.

"What do we do?" Elise asked.

Loric laughed. "I think we can only do one thing." He stood up. The council was in session at the moment, discussing the issue of an impending attack on the mists.

"We deliver the letter," Loric finished.

"Grandfather might not be pleased. He would want to know first," Elise cautioned.

"To the mists what he thinks!" Loric seemed surprised at his own words and then laughed. "Yes. To the mists with that man desires. This is what I want to do!" With that, he stormed out of his study. Elise watched him go, then smiled. It was about damn time.

***

The doors flew open to the Deepmere council. Very few were allowed inside, and it was only interrupted for important news. When Lord Tarwin looked up to see his son, his first response was to snap at him. He was truly a disappointment. He hesitated as his granddaughter trailed behind him. Unlike his son, she had potential. He began to stand when his son spoke.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"You may all stay seated. This won't take long," Loric said, his voice firm.

"I've been tasked to deliver a missive to the council. Thus, I'm here fulfilling that duty as a father."

Father? Tarwin wondered, looking confusedly at Elise.

"This message is directly from the Azure Magebane." With that, Loric began to read aloud as Tarwin gritted his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to snap up and seize the letter. Yet, he could do nothing as the council reacted in various ways as Loric finished. Some were intrigued. Others were furious.

"We can in no way work with that murdering kin!" Kelfina shouted.

Calvore of Dageth leaned back in his seat. "I disagree. This would be a perfect opportunity to get to know our opponent."

"You're only saying that because you haven't lost anyone in a year!" Kelfina snarled.

Calvore shrugged, acknowledging the point. "True. Considering what we all knew about Ulvandia's… habits, I'm not concerned."

"The chance to learn about this new power is worth putting behind our current dispute," Archmage Denayd said eagerly. "I urge my fellow councilors to accept."

"I don't care about this Magebane," Lord Arthos said. "I'd rather have her out of the way. As long as the mists are repelled, then I don't care. If the Magebane can do it, a positive working relationship would be beneficial."

Lord Tarwin looked back and forth between the arguing councilors. He started to calculate what would benefit him the most. Perhaps a neutral response would be best. Then he looked at his son. His face was determined and focused. He hadn't seen that for years. Next, he looked at his granddaughter. She shared his expression. For once, his calculations fell to the side. He didn't bother to check to see how much he could gain the most. He just acted based on what his family wanted.

"I think we should accept," Lord Tarwin said. "My son can meet with the Magebane to ensure her intentions are true. After, we can have the rest of the council join us at our manse."

"I won't accept this!" Kelfina shouted.

"You don't have to," Grand Magus Arwin said. "We respect our elven allies. Your dispute is with the Magebane, not us. Don't act while she is in the city, and let the negotiations proceed peacefully. Beyond that, it's none of our concern."

Kelfina turned crimson before storming away.

"I think we're in agreement, Lord Tarwin. Can you contact us once everything has been prepared?" Archmage Denayd said brightly. "I would love to meet this Magebane as soon as you make contact."

"We'll be in touch shortly," Tarwin said as the council dispersed.

***

"The cowardly sacks of regurgitated rabbit shit!" Kelfina screamed as she stomped down the street. Her guards frantically walked in a protective escort.

"Ambassador Kelfina! Please wait!" Lord Arthos said, trotting up. The elven guards tensed but allowed him through.

"What!" Kelfina said. "You working with any more elf killers that I should be aware of?"

Lord Arthos looked around, ensuring no one was in earshot, before casting a muffle zone around them. He then leaned forward, whispering in her ear. At first, she was annoyed at being interrupted, but as she listened, her scowl was replaced with a wicked grin. Once Arthos was done, he pulled away, dismissing the spell.

"You could nearly be an elf," Kelfina said with a chuckle.

Arthos smiled.

"Come," Kelfina said. "Have tea with me. I would discuss this more in private."

***

"The yellow flag is up," Hamal told Azura just as she finished eating. Her stomach flipped upside down. It had nothing to do with the food, which was rather delicious. This was it then. She halfway hoped they would refuse. That would've been the easiest solution. Azura sighed.

"Does your mom know?"

"I told her first. She's getting things ready. Also, Gerald told me to come and get you. He's been working on something for you."

"Oh, a present!" Azura chirped and dashed off, leaving Hamal behind. She completely missed the way he rolled his eyes.

A minute later, Azura was in the smithy. The room was more reinforced than the rest of the underground chamber. It was surrounded by stone and brick, with a chimney extending outward from the forge. A massive anvil sat in the center, and various weapons surrounded it. Azura wasn't sure of the purpose of the weapons, but Gerald was confident that he could create marvelous creations once he gained his ki. He was planning on becoming a ki smith. She had no idea if that was possible, but it sounded interesting. Perhaps if he attuned his ki to fire or metal…

"Hey Gerald, Hamal said you had a present for me!" Azura said excitedly, bouncing up and down.

Gerald finished another swing of his hammer on what looked to be a shovel head. He doused it in water and then set it aside.

"Hi, Azura. It's been a side project I've been working on for a while now." Gerald bent down, lifting up a wrapped package, and handing it to her. Azura tore into the package with gusto like a child on her fifth birthday. She made a substantial mess. A glimmering set of scaled emerald clothes, or was it armor, now lay before her. Azura lifted the item up. It was lightweight and flexible. On closer examination, she recognized the scales. Dragon scales, but they were lighter in color than she recalled. The item was more like a tunic that covered her chest and arms, extending down to her elbows. There was a hole for her tail, and it ended at her knees.

"Ooh, I love it!" Azura squealed.

Gerald looked sadly at the mess she had made. "You're welcome…"

"Why is the color different? I thought it was a darker green."

"This was made from the softer underscales the dragon had," Gerald said.

"Huh?"

"Dragons have two sets of scales. A hard outer layer and a sturdy but flexible inner layer. The outer layer is too hard to work with, but I craft with the inner scales."

"Wait… how did you get my measurements?" Azura asked suspiciously.

"Your mom," Gerald said with a shrug. "Any news on the plan?"

"They accepted," Azura said.

"Hmm. I almost wish they hadn't," Gerald said, mirroring her thoughts. "I guess that means it's our turn soon."

"Yup. Be careful, Gerald. When I arrive, I want to see you alive and safe."

"You have the most dangerous job. Watch out and don't trust them."

Azura laughed at that. Their entire plan was around not trusting the mages. Oh, sure, they won't mind her attacking the mist for them. It was after that they were planning for.

"Naturally," Azura hugged him and went to get changed.

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