Miriko's eyes widened as he heard the words spoken by his Queen, and he had to readjust his monocle, which once again slid down his snout. He looked up to Lady Bisfourth, his voice more than just fairly distressed.

"That ... is alarming news if that could affect us. Has the east wind maybe caught some chattering that could deduce their goal?"

Lady Bisfourth sighed at that and took a seat on a wide bronze couch, crossing one leg over the other. The slender bronze lizard looked to the illustrious ceiling and recited the small message the west wind reported to her.

"I have caught wind of a lofty operation far up in the sky. The war docks of Scamall have gotten active two hours ago and the cloudian-piercing Behemoths of Etherium have awoken at last. I have not even witnessed a single breath of commands regarding where the journey goes. It was as if they wanted to cloud up this operation from you, your omnipotence." The Queen looked now at Miriko her face turned from royal to serious. "You understand, darling? As far as my intel reaches am I the only one besides the mechanical god Terminus who could even take notice of that? Why are they operating silently? Are we the target? Tell me, Miriko, should I make this intel public!?" 

The blue kobold looked now even more distressed. That was indeed a series of events that could target his Shinines in particular. But Etherium also had an ongoing bugging device issue and generally operated more silently than other armies. It could have meant something, but not necessarily. Miriko walked to the door and looked out and down the floor to make sure that his daughter and their guest had left already, letting out a deep sigh as he couldn't spot them. He was able to go a bit louder it seemed. Looking back to Lady Bisfourth the red eyes of the elder kobold butler were shimmering in despair.

"And risk a panic in these times? We were barely able to keep morale up to somehow solve this hopeless war with Scorzosa. We are losing ground and further distressing the minds of our citizens with the thread of our allies backstabbing us ... no! My Queen!" The kobold slams his chest with an oddly metallic-looking paw. "I will prepare a speech for you, hun. In case our wind allies send us the coordinates the behemoths are heading towards and we are indeed the target we should still have enough time to warn our people. But for now ... keep your frills attentive for any news and try to calm down."

His Queen only let out a long frustrated growl at that. Miriko knew what she was thinking about. Should she risk another panic, letting intel seep through to the people? No, she shouldn't. They drew the ire of Ivory Jack already, having caused his army to mobilize because the Queen interpreted something wrong. A difficult situation they were facing here. Eventually, she stood up and brushed down the entangled body jewellery decorating her mostly bare body. Looking at Miriko she exhaled the gathered-up air in her lungs and sighed.

"Yes ... yet another secret I have to keep for myself. Sometimes I curse the reach of my ability. Have you heard that the nobility of Scorzosa once again taunted you and your entire family ... and me as well in one of their not-so-secret meetings? They know I could hear them and insult everything I care about in one go. ... No ... of course, you haven't. These words are only meant to torment me." She sighed and looked at the door. "Let us catch up to our dear Rustfeet and Bianca. They have now arrived at the gates."

The two kobolds arrived a few minutes later at the bottom of yet another stairway facing after all the bronze exit door of the Palace of Unity. Bianca walked slower to take in the scenery inside of the massive door-lookalike depicted to her. The role of the first Bronze Queen in the unification war 500 years ago. The reliefs weren't depicting any army movements like as shown on the silver door. Most pigeonholes illustrated only up to three lizards, with all having included the first Bronze Queen doing something to guide their country's future in a promising direction.

<That must be the cause why the role of the Queen is the role she carries out.> Galen inspected the door through Bianca's eyes, helping her to understand what they saw a little bit faster. <Look! Here she is talking to the Silver King from the other door. In the next panel, she convinces another massive lizard to do something ... maybe the Ivory Jack? And in the third and centre pigeonhole we can see her holding the hands of them both, sandwiching theirs between hers.>

<She is the cement, that holds two opposing forces together. The guardian of the Triumvirate, the advisor of war and peace. A reflected decision maker. Fascinating, so much to learn about our country.>

Evamal stopped next to them and grinned at the olive kobold, seemingly aware that she was presently in an internal dialogue with her partner. Her tail wagged quickly, the thin whip-like tip slapping against her shin.

"I see you two are admiring our history. It is really a beautiful depiction of how the first Bronze Queen united three sides at war with not a single soldier of hers having to draw their weapon. Inspiring, isn't it?"

"How...?" Bianca was caught off-guard by her, noticing her talk with Galen. "How did you know about us talking?"

Evamal grinned now even wider and pointed to her blue and red eyes, guiding their focus on the faint glow underneath the surface.

"A small trick we ascended mages have. Bound mages, like you, can see structures hidden by the Veil, but even your arcane vision is significantly limited. I on the other hand; can see the gorgeous aura surrounding you, a bright blue granting me a tiny bit of insight into who I am facing. And when you talk with Galen, well. The aura around your face gets brighter, flickering with each word spoken. But don't worry, I can't read your partner's quote-on-quote lips like that ... yet."

"That sounds quite useful. You are prone to develop into a force to be reckoned with. Knowing the School of your opponent's magic certainly is an asset worth having, am I right? Still ... it is a little bit off-putting that you know when Galen and I communicate. I am impressed."

Evamal's tail wagged now even faster, repeatedly slapping the cleric kobold in her excited state. But she stopped fairly quickly trying to get herself back into a more reserved state of mind. Looking at Bianca she nodded gently and tilted her head to a door at the right side of the gate, presumingly leading to the room of the carbunclo butler keeping this door operational. She murred and raised her voice, seemingly was she in the food chain of the citadel above that butler.

"Rubico? May you join us, please? I would like to introduce you to a new friend of mine."

Bianca kept the butler door in focus, witnessing how the carbunclo Rubico burrowed herself through it, visibly uncaring about the fact, that one should use a door like one. The gemmed woman looked quite a bit more masculine than the emerald butler Ganya, who protected the silver gate. She wore a black and white butler suit, one similar to the one Evamal was wearing. Although with multiple cut-out holes all over the suit, where sharp-looking rubies peeked out and past the tux allowing the stone woman to see. Hands and feet she kept bare and her green-tinted lifestream hair got combed to meet in a rocky hair clipper concentrating the lifestream into a singular ponytail. Friendly, yet reserved glowing dots observed the stranger, shining out of these pitch-black holes in her stone face. Rubico cracked a smile, unveiling teeth made of cut rubies and kneeled in front of Bianca to get on her height.

"Welcome to the bronze gate, dear visitor. Normally I welcome strangers from the other side, but this situation is a pleasant change of pace. You know my friend Rusty, which means you are a friend of mine as well. My name's Rubico. I am the guardian of the bronze wing."

"Bianca." The answer came out quickly and unprepared, with her speaking faster than she was able to think. "My brother and I are guests of the Triumvirate. We are practitioners of medicine."

"Physicians? How curious." Rubico offered her hand to shake Bianca's. "You must be the real deal if the whole Triumvirate gathers to hear out your pleas. And that at this early hour. Anyways. You two would like to pass the gate and leave the palace?"

"Not yet! We still have to wait for her Shininess and Dad." Evamal smiled at her friend, watching Bianca shaking Rubico's hand, "This awesome Cleric here needed a bit of relaxation of my brand to recharge before we catch up with her brother and the King at their new domicile."

Rubico straightened up at the mention of her being a cleric, noticing the ever so faintly shimmering halo of hers. Bianca saw, how she was about to question her for being one, well aware that a cleric being not at the frontlines was kind of illegal in Jack's call to arms. But she decided against it and only respectfully nodded her head at the olive kobold.

"The ways of our masters are curious, aren't they, Rusty? Do you want to come in, and wait for the announced company? Or wait outside?" 

Bianca's interest was piqued as the carbunclo attempted to invite them to her place of stay. She was curious about learning more regarding this arcadian species, having not interacted with any before entering the palace. They could maybe spare a small peek before her shininess would have caught up to them. She smiled warmly up to the dark eyes embedded between rocky brows, soughing out her glowing lifeline eyedots' attention. An honour she quickly received as the warm, nearly hot aura of Rubico focused now her a tiny bit more intensively, tilting her gemmed head. She rose one hand to cover her mouth with the backside of it repressing a reserved, yet amused chuckle.

"Miss Bianca. If you stare even more obviously at me will everyone notice just how many questions are bellowing up in that haloed head of yours. I would feel honoured to add a few exclamation marks to this face made of question marks. I don't think Rusty will mind sating some of your curiosity, am I right?"

"As long as we don't halt the pace of our Shininess am I ok with anything."

Having gotten consent from both her new friends, Bianca's heart calmed down a bit and she looked now quite a bit more relaxed at Rubico, observing the oddities of this woman made of cut rubies, granite and copper. She eventually nodded to the many gems sticking out of her outfit, those who had pierced her uniform and pointed at the big ones sticking out of her hips.

"I read in my anatomy books that these gems of yours are like your senses. But I always wondered just how well are you able to sense through them? And if keeping them submerged, as stated in my books, essentially numb the very same senses? A-apologies for these intrusive questions, but you are w-way more approachable than the emerald carbunclo of the other gate, Miss Rubico."

"Always the curious one, my dear physician."

The carbunclo chuckled gently and leaned forth to allow Bianca to touch one of her gems. It felt oddly warm, hot even, and far different from how the emeralds of Ganya felt like. Bianca held up her desirous urges to grab the gem and run and instead caressed the cut smooth ruby sticking out of the area of where her belly button would reside. These soft strokes caused a reaction in the carbunclo, showing the curious physician just how sensitive her processed senses were. She looked up and smiled, her curiosity satisfied. 

"I barely touched the gem, and you felt it. So the books were also correct about the sensitivity-increasing effect of cutting and polishing the raw gems, am I right?"

The carbunclo nodded at that assumption and opened her stoney jaw, most likely wanting to say something back. But she closed the very same in the same motion noticing two familiar faces at the end of the corridor approaching them. Rubico instead kneeled and bowed her head respectfully, the glowing lifeforce hair flickering calmly.  

"Your shininess. We have been expecting you. I will let you pass through the gate at your command. On the outside is the carrier already waiting, ready to take your new accomplice Bianca as requested to the estate. You will leave us as well, my Queen?" 

The bronze lizard shook her mighty head and ushered Evamal back to her side with the wave of her emerald paw.

"I am afraid there is a change of plan, my dear Rubico. I am required to stay behind to ... find Jack. I leave the rest in So'teyo's capable claws. Bianca? Please relay a message from me to your brother and the King. I will join you for dinner to seal this partnership. May the light of the Triumvirate guide you, my darling." She was about to leave but looked back one last time at the now sole kobold. "And stay on guard. There is a hint of dark clouds on the horizon I have to look into."

With that being said left Lady Bisfourth and her kobold butlers for the local portal bay leaving behind a heavy atmosphere. Rubico looked over to Bianca, slightly uncomfortable by the words of her queen, grabbing gently her shoulder.

"Now that was ... an unfortunate development. But rest assured Lady Bianca, the carrier will get you to your brother regardless. An audience with the King? You genuinely did something up there to render our leaders to be such invested in you. May the gods watch your steps and ensure safe travels."

Bianca nodded at that, feeling a big lump in her throat having to devour the sudden change of plans. So she did hear concerning news with her powers. But from where? Questions would bother her on the whole ride in the bronze carriage to the estate, where her friends waited for her. The carriage drove fast and without any animal pulling it. The chauffeur, a stoic lizard electromancer, fueled the engines of with his very own sizzling juice, speeding the carriage up to wild levels of speed, far above the velocity the trucks from the Spearheads were capable of. The carriage was speedy and yet took it a good 20 minutes till she finally arrived at her destination, feeling her brother's presence finally again.