"You are leaving," Tristan stated as he looked at Obadai. "You'll travel with Captain Bitters on the Destiny's Prize once we meet up with them in Yustat. I'm going to escort Shandra to the Citadel of Essence, hire on an essence-weaver, visit my brother, and then escort that essence-weaver back to the Tideskipper's Crest."

Obadai frowned, "I had hoped to be your mentor for a good while…but your words carry wisdom. Once more, you show thought beyond your years." He sighed, "I will have Captain Bitters make for the Empire of Dorcelli, making trading stops along the way." He chuckled, "Make sure you think about what I said. The empress would love to ally with the Fey Realm's ruler. We could do a lot of good for this world."

"That sounds good," Tristan replied, "But I don't want to make promises I cannot keep. Delivering you to your homeland is going to be one I sort-of-break, and for that I apologize. I cannot see you to your final destination."

"I understand," Obadai replied.

Shandra nudged Tristan slightly, "What will you do after?"

"After I give Bertram his birthright?" she nodded, and he continued, "I'll offer him passage to Bhant's coastline aboard the Tideskipper's Crest."

"What if he does not wish to return?" Obadai asked. "He made his bed with a Drakonid woman – that won't be looked upon well by the residents of that kingdom."

"If he does not want his birthright, then it makes me the Anorox heir," Tristan replied. "I am not going back to Bhant any time soon."

They reached the boat and clambered up. The rowboat was brought up and fixed in place, and Tristan went to the topmost deck to stand next to Admiral Yokain, "We ready to set off?"

"On the night tide," he replied. "You look alright," he said as he looked at Obadai.

"I felt like shit for a while," Obadai replied. "The sooner I get home to the empire, the better."

The Admiral looked at him appraisingly, "Change of plans?" Obadai nodded and Tristan interjected, filling the Admiral in on the plan. The Admiral nodded sagely and when Tristan concluded, Yokain had a slight frown on his face. "I understand the need for the change, but I will admit, Lord Tristan, the idea of having you be a locus for trouble puts me out of comfort as well."

There was a splashing noise over the side of the ship, and Tristan went over and looked down. One of the nymphs was down below and waved at him. "Oh, you are here. I was hoping you were back."

"What do you need?" Tristan asked.

"Two of us are assigned to this ship, two to your other ship. The others are roaming the world as we speak."

An idea went through Tristan's mind – a far better plan than his earlier one – and he replied, "How far and how fast can you travel with a person like you lot did to bring me to the ship?"

"Pretty quickly. We cannot do our water-teleportation with non-nymphs. Why?"

Tristan looked back to the Admiral, "An idea I had. We get to Yustat, get the essence-weavers recruited for both ships…and then you leave." He gestured down to the nymph below, "I can get across oceans with the help of the Nymphs. That way the crew is not in danger because of my presence. If I need to get Bertram and his lady friend back to Bhant, I'm sure we can hug the coastline to do that over a few days, and go across the shorter expanses."

Yokain nodded, "Kind of you to think of our safety."

"I don't want innocents to die on my behalf," Tristan replied, as he bitterly recalled Gertrude, the servant's, and the guard's deaths back in the townhouse in Bhant. "Once we have the essence-weavers, the ships will travel. When I'm ready to leave the Citadel of Essence, I'll head out with the help of nymphs." He leaned over the rail, "Can you get some of the others and use water elementalism to speed our travel?"

"Can do!" she disappeared beneath the dark waters.

Obadai put a hand on Tristan's shoulder, "You sure about this?"

"Positive," Tristan replied. He looked back to Yokain, "I trust you to expand the trade fleet, and the week of the sixteenth of Shine Season, we meet back in Jewel's Point to share the spoils."

"Of course, Lord Tristan," Yokain replied as he touched his forehead with two fingers and dipped his head slightly. "If you'll excuse me, I'll pilot us out." He began barking orders to the sailors as they made fast to sail.

Shandra smiled, "You could always stay at the citadel for a while if you want to learn more about essence-weaving."

"It depends on what Bertram wants," Tristan replied. "If he wants to go back to Bhant? I'll take him back so I fulfill my promise to my grandfather. If he doesn't want to? Then I may stay. This job assignment he has of visiting Elemental Realms…it sounds like the perfect opportunity to hunt some dragons. I'm not bound to a contract like he is. I could hunt in those Realms, eat dragons, get stronger." He glanced down at his empty sheath and grimaced. "I also need to get a new sword," he muttered. "But more importantly, I'm sure someone skilled in mind magic is at the Citadel and can heal Hurvun."

Felicity batted his ears playfully, "I'm sure you'll find a better one. Or get someone to make one. And, we'll find a mind essence-weaver to bring him back."

Shandra nodded, "If you'll excuse me, I'm heading below decks. I'm still a bit shaken from before." She headed down the stairs.

Obadai sighed, "Tristan…I know you don't want to do politics, but consider the empire; honestly give it a good think."

"I will think on it," Tristan replied as he stared out over the darkening horizon, watching the stars slowly come into view. "But my promises come first." He glanced at Obadai, "Do you count this plan as fulfilling my promise?"

"Yes," the Archon replied. "Once we get near Forsol, I can teleport myself back home. I do hope we meet again."

Tristan tapped the silver ear-cuff, "You can always contact me if we happen to be close enough. Or daisy-chain it through the communication network if the ships are spaced out enough."

Obadai smiled softly, "It was nice having a pupil for a while. But I feel that your learning would be best served through self-study, instead of direct instruction. Perhaps the hallowed halls of the Citadel would be a suitable place for you to study."

"I do pick things up rapidly on my own," Tristan replied. "I'll consider the idea."

Obadai went below decks, the nymphs came back – all but two of them – and the ship was propelled forth through the power of water elementalism much to the crew's shock and delight. They were expertly guided through the small channel enabling access to and from the cove, and the ship made a course directly South. The waters directly in front of the vessel were smooth, and the foam roiled behind it as the nymphs propelled it with their water elementalism.

Tristan scratched Felicity's head as she sat on the rail at the upper forecastle. Soon enough I'll have fulfilled all of my promises, he thought. Just get those essence-weavers on board the ships, send them on their way with Obadai on one, and deliver Bertram's birthright. He couldn't help but feel a mix of tension at the impending meeting with his half-brother, and the difficult conversation that lay ahead of him.

"It'll be okay," Felicity said softly as she looked up at him with a twinkle in her eye. "You're doing the right thing. Not the fun thing, but the right thing."

Tristan smiled, "Yeah. And hey, this way, it can just be you and me – a few pals adventuring across the world."

Felicity smiled, "Yes, the amazing fairy dragon and her dragonslayer pet." She let out a cackle of delight.

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Tristan couldn't help but laugh at her joke, and that washed some of the tension away. "Sure, princess Felicity commanding around a Winterbloom. I'm sure that The Matriarch will be perfectly fine with that."

He reaffixed his gaze on the horizon, to the South. Yustat awaited, and the Citadel of Essence – the premier essence-weaving school in the whole of the Mortal Realm – awaited his arrival.

They made remarkable time, and despite the chilly winds and occasional clumps of ice drifting along the ocean's surface, they arrived at Yustat on the thirtieth of Harvest Season – far faster than Admiral Yokain was ever expecting. "Those nymphs and their water elementalism are really something," he stated to Tristan as they approached the enormous, magically shaped stone docks that extended several thousand feet out into the water, forming small "bays" for ships to dock. One such dock was occupied by the Destiny's Prize.

Tristan barely heard the man as he was too consumed by the sight of the Citadel of Essence. The enormous dock structure led inland to a hill that slowly sloped upward. A grassy hill, with small clusters of trees scattered about. At the top of the hill was an enormous tower – easily three-hundred feet high, rivaling the Blackspire in size. And behind it was an even larger, flat, rectangular building with a handful of towers jutting up from that. It was the biggest building Tristan had ever seen.

A megastructure, the size of the entirety of Bhant's Holdfast and the towns surrounding the walls of Argont's Resolve. Yokain chuckled, "That's the expression I first had when I saw it. The structure only takes up the peninsula. Behind it are…well, the best way to put it is that there are enormous walls surrounding the whole of Yustat. That inner area…I have no clue what is contained within."

Tristan glanced over the edge and saw the nymphs – they had taken shifts resting on the ship and pushing the vessel along with water elementalism. "You lot good?" he asked.

They nodded and waved, vanishing beneath the waves as the ship was pulled close to the docks with ropes. Shandra and Obadai joined Tristan and Yokain on the top-most deck. "This is it," Shandra whispered. "My future."

Obadai smiled, "I envy the experience you are about to have. I would also encourage you to select specific courses – don't try to do everything. There is so much to learn…if you try to learn all of it, you will die here without actually doing anything with your life."

Shandra giggled a little bit, "I live a lot longer than people like you," she replied.

"This is true. Perhaps you will learn enough to become a teacher yourself." Obadai turned to Tristan, "I'm staying on the ship…This is goodbye." He pulled Tristan in for a hug, and Tristan returned the gesture. "Stay safe…and come visit me in the empire when you can."

Tristan pulled back, "If I find myself that way, I'll reach out." He headed to the gangplank that was set out by some of the sailors and walked down it onto the stone pathway leading to the citadel. Shandra joined him, and the duo headed down the pathway.

Felicity flew over and landed on Tristan's head, "So exciting! A school for essence-weavers?" she began making paw-claw biscuits, "I wonder how many Elves we'll meet?"

"Probably a good amount," Tristan replied. "The Matriarch did say that Elves were natural essence-weavers. It only makes sense that more of our kind are there."

The walk down the stone docks was quiet, and Tristan felt tension mounting as he took every step. Every movement forward brought him closer to a reckoning with his half-brother. A man who did not know that their father was slain – by Tristan's hand at that. Tristan ran through scenarios in his mind, playing over conversations and how they may go.

He could be infuriated and try to fight me, in which case I use enchantment spells to keep him from doing anything rash. If he is sad, I'll have to be brotherly and comfort him. Maybe he will be ambivalent and just want to keep doing his Pathfinder contract…so I'm then left to my own devices. It will be nice to see him after so long.

He barely noticed, so lost in his own thoughts, that he only looked up when Shandra nudged him. They were at a small, stone building outside of the huge tower at the top of the hill he had seen from the coast. A gate house.

There was a window, and from within a deep, orange glow of a crackling fire. A bored-looking Drakonid with yellow scales. "Can I help you?" he asked in the Standard Tongue.

Tristan gestured to Shandra, "She is here to join the citadel."

The Drakonid looked over at her, "New applicant? You'll head into the tower, go right, and take a seat. Someone will be with you to evaluate your potential."

Shandra looked at Tristan. There was a mixed look on her face – excitement and fear. She reached forward and hugged him. "Thank you for this. You've shown me kindness I didn't expect given how I acted."

Tristan returned the hug and then separated from her, "Take care and stay safe. If we see each other again, I hope you've learned something you can teach me."

She nodded and walked up the path to the tower.

"Ahem," the Drakonid cleared their throat, prompting Tristan to turn to them. "And is that all?"

"I am here for a few reasons," Tristan stated as he leaned forward on the windowsill. "I seek to hire two essence-weavers for my trade vessels docked over there," he pointed to his right, towards the ocean. "I also seek to purchase spell books if you have any."

"Hiring essence-weavers is permitted. Let me check the books-" He pushed himself up from his chair and walked back to a large, black chalkboard. Pulling out a glowing, green piece of chalk, he began writing. And a few seconds later the chalk vanished. "Now we wait," he stated.

They were not waiting for long as glowing, green text appeared on the board. "We have a few essence-weavers who have finished their education and seek employment. I can have the applicants here within an hour if you want to interview them."

Tristan shook his head, "Give me a moment." He spun his essence crucible and activated his ear cuff, "Admiral? Captain? Both of you need to come up to the gate house here to interview prospective essence-weaver candidates."

"Coming," Captain Bitters replied.

"Aye aye," Admiral Yokain answered.

Tristan looked back to the Drakonid, "The two ship captains are on their way to do those interviews."

"You have an item of artifice?" the Drakonid asked with genuine curiosity across their visage.

"I have a lot," Tristan replied as he spun his crucible, poured the essence into his armor, and the helm enclosed his head as the whole suit became more protective. The Drakonid gasped, and Tristan let the essence fade as his armor resumed its lighter, base form. "I'm an essence-weaver, and proficient in artifice up to Third Order."

"You…you wanted to purchase spell books…yes?" The Drakonid sounded very humbled and almost apologetic.

"Yes. Oh, and most importantly," he pulled his family's crest out. "I need to speak to Bertram Anorox. A Pathfinder on contract here."

The Drakonid let out a guffaw, "That guy? Oh, he's here alright. Same emblem, too. You family?"

"Half-brothers," Tristan replied as he stowed the symbol under his chest plate. "So, what say you?"

The Drakonid walked over to the window, "I'll have the candidates here in an hour to interview with your captains. As for selling spell books? Only to former or current students." He pointed into the tower, "Go in, take the first left, and you'll speak to my boss about visiting your half-brother."

Tristan nodded. He still had the communication spell active, and as he walked to the tower, he spoke to the two captains. "Once you hire your essence-weavers, take off…and safe sailing."

"We'll see you at the designated time and place," Captain Bitters replied. "Good luck with the reunion."

"Thanks," Tristan replied as he entered the enormous spire that towered overhead. A deep, grey colored stone that had barely visible seams between the giant chunks of rock. Entering the tower itself he was greeted with an open, metal door to his right – he could see Shandra sitting in a chair in front of a chalk board that had "Admissions – Testing to begin shortly" written across it in the same, glowing chalk. To the left was a closed, bronze door with the words "Visitors and Guest Quarters." Directly in front of him was an enormous door made of a silvery-white metal that had the worlds, "The Citadel Concourse" etched into it.

He went to the left side door and tried it. It opened and he was inside of a small waiting room with a desk and another door opposite him that said, "Guest Quarters." A glowing piece of chalk on a string hung down next to a miniature version of the chalk board, and instructions were written on parchment, hung from the wall, in all different languages.

Visitors and Guests – please write down your name, who you are here to see, or your business. We will have an attendant respond shortly. Do not take the chalk, as it will explode upon leaving the tower. If there is no more chalk, report it to the guardhouse.

Tristan grabbed the chalk. Should I use my family's last name or that of my lineage? Probably my family's. He wrote, "Tristan Anorox – here to visit Bertram Anorox," and then let the chalk dangle as he took a seat on one of the chairs.

Felicity sighed, "Now we have to wait for gods-know how long-" She was cut off as there was a clang of noise that caused Tristan to jump to his feet and his hand instinctively went to his belt knife.

The air in front of him shimmered and a woman appeared. A Human woman with seemingly no trace of other heritage. She was middle-aged, with salt-and-pepper hair pulled back into a ponytail. And she held a staff made of an intricate, carved, purple metal. "Here to see the dragonslayer?"

Tristan released his grip on his knife and pulled out his emblem, "Yes. I'm Tristan, and he's my half-brother."

"Winterbloom Elf? Thought you all were hunted down to extinction."

Tristan squinted at her, scrutinizing her face for any hint of malice – but all he saw was boredom. "All but me, from what Archon Grimtome told me," he replied.

"Obadai?" she asked with a slightly shocked expression.

"He's on one of my ships down at the docks," he replied.

She chuckled, "That rogue. We were first years together. How is he?"

"Heading home," Tristan replied.

"Shame about your heritage's unique bloodline. Last one, eh?" Tristan nodded, and she tutted, "Tsk. Well, I can take you to see your half-brother. He's resting up from our most recent field trip." She tapped her staff on the ground three times, it glowed the same purple that grew brighter and brighter, and then he was teleported. Felicity was still atop his head, thankfully, and came along for the ride.

Tristan and the woman were standing in a long hallway in front of a series of doors. She gestured, "Bertram's temporary abode. Well, him and his lady friend. I would recommend knocking. When they aren't escorting students in the Elemental Realms…they are up to…ahem…spirited pursuits."

Tristan nodded, "My thanks."

She stood to the side, "I'll be here when you are ready to depart."

Tristan faced the door and took a few, calming breaths before raising his fist to knock.

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