Chương 102: 169 - Reception

Those three days flew past. In what felt like far too little time to prepare, the hour arrived for Vanguard to visit the Sky-Pillar Range. It's weird seeing the whole guild gathered in one place. Vivi sometimes forgot how large Vanguard had grown, given how most of the time their members were busy either adventuring or crafting. She often came back to find nobody in the common areas, which occasionally made the guild feel emptier than it was.

Not that anyone else would consider the organization substantial in its current form, or even medium-sized. Three teams and a standard suite of craftsmen put them firmly on the cozier side of adventuring outfits. Properly large ones boasted hundreds of parties under their banner. The Wardens had been one such guild before it had imploded at the hands of Duke Caldimore.

William, his sister Rose, and their third whom Vivi had only met briefly—a lanky gold-rank healer named Price—made up the first team that Vanguard had collected by happenstance. They were huddled together in the common room, chatting amongst themselves. Saffra had joined them. The three gold-rankers were dressed in what Vivi assumed was their Sunday best, and each looked as if they were about to march off to a life-and-death trial. To be fair, that ordeal would be mundane compared to 'meeting the Dragon King.'

Secretly, Vivi took some comfort in the fact that there would be people feeling even more out of place than her. She never did well in social scenarios, but at least she had met the Dragon King and his court before. If only to throw fireballs at most of them. Perhaps not the best first impression. Then again, for a dragon? Maybe it was. Funnily enough, Saffra looked far calmer than the adults around her, and she also seemed to be taking amusement in their nervousness.

The girl probably didn't get to feel like the one in control very often. Mae, Jasper, and Derrick's team—joined by Zael and Sarielle to complete their cluster—looked much more at ease than the lower-rank team a few paces away. As orichalcums and demonic nobility, they'd seen their fair share of surprising situations, and while a visit to a mythical realm that nearly no mortals ever ventured into was a little more than a typical misadventure, they knew how to stay steady when the ground was shifting beneath them.

In fact, Jasper looked almost aggravatingly relaxed, and Vivi wondered not for the first time if bringing him along was a good idea. He had a penchant for mischief. Surely even he wouldn't goad and pick a fight with a dragon, right? … then again, isn't that how we met? He had seemed to truly believe that she was a dragon back on the Convoy, yet had spent the trip trying to get a rise out of her. Mae and Derrick will be there to control him, she assured herself. If nothing else, I can trust them.

Eshara's team completed the adventuring additions to Vanguard and was five strong, the largest of the guild. Composed of three Titled, with two others soon to reach that pinnacle milestone, they were who Vivi had the least concern about setting loose among dragons. Eshara's squad contained probably the most responsible individuals in the room, and they would help police any debacles. Finally, eight craftsmen were scattered about, along with Elise and her younger brother.

Even Vanguard's hermitic jewelcrafter was seated in the corner. Ulden's attending any social event seemed incongruent with his personality, but there were opportunities so strange and obviously once-in-a-lifetime that even the biggest recluses would make an appearance.

"What are the odds this ends in disaster?" Vivi asked Rafael, the two of them standing against a wall.

"Define disaster."

"Do I really need to?"

"My time in Vanguard has forced me to reevaluate the meaning of many words, my lady. That one in particular." In another life, she would have rolled her eyes at his dramatics.

"What are the odds this doesn't end in fire, screaming, and a war between worlds?" He hummed thoughtfully.

"All three? Quite good, I think. But at least one? I dare not set my expectations that high. There is optimism, and there is naïveté." Though she heard a tinge of sarcasm, she didn't think Rafael was fully joking. By our standards, just some fire or just some screaming would be a sound success. Ember was giving the two of them odd looks.

"You two are jesting, yes? It is a welcoming revelry, not some parley poised to collapse."

"No offense intended to you or your people," Vivi told the woman, "but dragons can be a little prickly at times, and there's going to be a whole palace full of them. It's a lot to worry about."

"Prickly?" Ember's whole posture stiffened.

"We are not prickly." The irony of her outrage was apparently lost on her.

"Besides, after recent turmoil, my father is all but seeking out excuses to exercise his authority. Anyone who shows a member of Vanguard the slightest disrespect—thereby insulting his personal guests—will earn his ire. That is something nobody is wont to do, least of all his court who is aware of his current mood." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

"Be that as it may," Vivi said, "you might be underestimating how unlucky we tend to get." Mentally, she was more honest with herself. It's not being unlucky if it's directly my fault most of the time. And I'm not the only trouble magnet attending. In particular, she needed to keep her eyes on Saffra and Jasper. Ember considered that statement, then reluctantly nodded.

"Still, you have immense diplomatic immunity, and it's an evening of merriment, not a brewing disaster."

"We'll see," came Vivi's noncommittal reply, and Ember gave an exasperated huff. Rafael glanced at the timekeeper, then pushed off the wall.

"I'll make a few announcements before we go." After receiving a confirmation nod from Vivi, he strode to the center of the room and called out, "Your attention, if you please." The casual hubbub throughout the guildhall quieted, all gazes turning toward the steward. Vivi couldn't help but feel like it should've been the guildmaster giving a final speech before heading off into the unknown, but that simply wasn't who she was. Thankfully, everyone knew that, so she was hardly breaking expectations.

"We will be departing shortly, so please ensure you are fully prepared. I mean that both mentally and physically. Also, as a reminder, while this evening is hosted courtesy of the Dragon King and he places no particular expectations on his guests, we should of course conduct ourselves with dignity befitting our guild." Maybe Vivi imagined it, but the demon's gaze settled briefly on Jasper. The ranger's lips curled up in amusement, and he mimed tipping a wine glass at him. Rafael didn't acknowledge the gesture.

"Additionally," he continued, "the spectacle of this event goes both ways. As interested as I am sure all present are to meet and mingle with a court filled with many of the most powerful beings in the world, those very beings are creatures of extraordinary age who have lived in isolation for millennia. Moreover, you associate yourselves with the Sorceress, who not much more than a week ago made quite the impression on them." Vivi glared from the sidelines. Had that sidebar been necessary?

"Thus, each and every one of you will be as intriguing to our hosts as they are to us. Merely keep that in mind. You will be approached, questioned, and potentially interrogated, down to the last." William and his two teammates paled at the prospect. Rafael spread his hands.

"I say this not to intimidate, but because all battles are lost before they begin. Preparation and staging are crucial. Know your cards, and know theirs."

"He really is making this sound like a march on enemy territory," Ember grumbled by Vivi's side.

"It's a banquet and festivities, for the heavens' sake." Vivi only half agreed.

"Should any problems arise—which they should not—please come to either Lady Vivisari or me. I truly do not imagine any of our hosts will be openly hostile, but if so, I expect a member of Vanguard to rise above such provocation." He surveyed the crowd for a moment to convey the weight of his statement, then nodded.

"One last thing, aimed at the craftsmen. This is an opportunity, as I'm sure all of you realize. You will be questioned on the mortal realm, your experiences, and your general knowledge, so feel free to probe—politely—in return. There is much to learn from ancient immortals, and while I doubt they have loose tongues, even dragons understand the concept of this for that." He chuckled.

"There will also be wine and spirits aplenty, so it may be easier than you assume as the night runs its course. I expect temperance in that regard too, though it goes without saying. I don't mean to condescend; it is simply a reminder." Ember huffed yet again, probably offended at the blunt descriptions of her 'regal' people, and the blatant suggestion for Vanguard's members to mine them for as many secrets as they could. But she didn't interject. He looked over at Vivi.

"Any comments of your own, my lady?" She shook her head.

"Excellent. The hour arrives. Please gather so we may be escorted to the Sky-Pillar Range." On Rafael's command, the guild gathered in the center of the common area. Vivi spared one last look for Ember. She almost insisted that the dragon join them, but they'd already had that argument. In Vivi's head, if the Dragon King was inviting Vanguard, that meant all of Vanguard. And yes, the princess had accepted, and so Ember had an equal claim to attend.

But even if she hadn't stalwartly refused, starting the evening on such an obviously combative note with Cinereus would be unwise. Suffice it to say, however, that Vivi remained displeased about Ember's banishment. Biting her tongue once more, she strode over to Rafael. The demon nodded at her then joined the mass of bodies, so that only Vivi was at the front. She looked at how everyone was clumped up, and cleared her throat.

"Uh, you don't need to stand so close together." She made a shooing gesture.

"Give yourselves space." They spread out a bit. She glanced at the timekeeper on the wall. Two minutes left. Probably best to be a little early.

"Ready?" she asked.

"At your leisure," Rafael answered on everyone's behalf. Vivi summoned her staff and began pulling together a [Greater Warp]. Transporting so many people at once wasn't actually a trivially easy task, though she'd grabbed a crowd more than two times larger—along with accompanying furniture—during her lesson at the Institute. Still, she needed to concentrate and form the spell carefully.

No matter how much faith she had in her casting abilities, the idea of accidentally losing her guild in the spatial abyss made her palms sweat. Magic was a sword without a hilt, however expertly modern mages had tamed it. The final glowing runes formed in the air.

"[Greater Warp]," she incanted. At Cinereus's request, Vivi had set up a more appropriate warp anchor location for Vanguard's arrival. Rather than appearing on Thronemont, or at the unapproved waypoint she'd snuck near the teleportation pad, the party of two dozen materialized inside a grand reception hall. She scanned the group and confirmed that nobody was missing—she was responsible for them, as both guildmaster and general protector.

Poor William's team had gone pale at experiencing high-tier spatial magic for the first time, or, Vivi realized, perhaps from the sights that suddenly surrounded them. They immediately began gawking, though they thankfully kept their mouths shut. Barring a throne room, a reception hall was one of the spaces most deliberately built to impress visitors. Even the more experienced orichalcums raised their eyebrows at the opulent, gargantuan room they had appeared in.

Yet more than the architecture, what truly seized every gaze was the dragon waiting ahead of them.

"Greetings, members of Vanguard," came Vulkarius de Caldaros's gravelly baritone when all present faced him. Ceremonial armor adorned his bulky frame, and as the martial expert of his family, he made for nearly as daunting a presence as Cinereus himself.

"My father, the King, bids you a warm welcome. We invite you to share in our hospitality this night. If you will, follow me." Well, then. Here we go, Vivi thought.