I leave Rahul's tower with two new keys in my inventory, five hundred less OXI, and one more person to put inside the Deep Asylum.
It would be a good moment to stop.
I don't stop.
I still have to talk to Garen.
The Azurea castle is far from the Oathring district, which gives me some walking time, and I use almost all of it reorganizing what I'm going to say.
One of the guards recognizes me before I say anything and signals the man beside him to clear the way. The difference from my first visits is almost uncomfortable. Now, apparently, my face does all the work of getting in.
I cross the main courtyard and enter the great hall.
Veric is there.
He's talking with two men from House Brine near a table covered in maps. Undertow is strapped to his arm, though the rest of his clothing is light, which means he isn't heading into a fight any time soon. When he sees me, he breaks off the conversation, hands something to one of the men, and comes over.
"Sands."
"Prince."
