Skyvenom: Chapters 6-7 (Patreon)

Here are your chapters for this week.

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Chapter 6

As Fiyu investigated the city, she remained constantly on alert. It seemed unlikely that there would be any great threat from Anguedan itself: there were no Authorities, few Rulers, and little organization. But with the invocation of the Demon Court and other great powers, it was possible that a Stronghold or Dominion could show up at any time to threaten catastrophic retaliation.

But if that happened, Fiyu and her friends could weirkey away to safety. She had checked very thoroughly for anti-weirkey defenses.

And so defensive caution was prudent, but Fiyu did not feel great anxiety. Unlike in Nlukoko, they were not trying to defend one of their own communities; the Deuxans would not intentionally destroy their own people and thus would need to make more strategic concessions. Technically they had Arceon ai Armeau imprisoned as well, though it hadn't seemed to stop his own relatives from launching their attack.

Currently, the plan was for everyone to gather information via their own strengths while remaining close enough for a retreat if another attack took place. Fiyu investigated while completely hidden in a bubble of stealth, occasionally dispatching Friend Nauda to interact with the local Deuxans. It had been some time since Friend Nauda had entered one of the large silver buildings, actually, and Fiyu was beginning to worry.

Just then Friend Nauda emerged, carrying some sort of strange wrapped objects in her arms. They appeared to be hard outer shells with soft interiors, almost certainly harmless. Friend Nauda flew up into the sky where Fiyu had been, looking around for her, and Fiyu took a moment to admire her before she flew closer and drew her future lifemate into her bubble of stealth.

"There you are." Friend Nauda smiled warmly and handed her one of the bundles. "Here, I brought food."

"Are you sure this is the time to eat?" Fiyu asked. "The Armeau family could return at any time."

"Fiyu, it's been most of a day." Friend Nauda shook her head and continued extending the bundle. "I'm sure you could keep going, but you should eat. To keep up your strength if nothing else."

"Oh... yes, this is true. Thank you, Nauda."

Fiyu gratefully accepted the bundle and shifted back to sit in the air. They were being held up by their cantae regardless, so there was no reason they couldn't hover in any position, but it felt stiff to simply stand all the time. Once she was relaxed in a seated position, Fiyu opened the outer layer and discovered that the soft material was a mix of spiced vegetables.

"It looks like the Anguedan Court really wasn't involved in the attack at all," Friend Nauda said in between bites of her own food. "Even if they were lying, they don't seem to have any major traps or defenses they didn't have last time, and they aren't mobilized for a fight."

"What about the rest of the Armeau family?" Fiyu asked.

"There isn't much of one. For a while their star seemed to be rising, since they had Esaire and Amaeli both here, but when everything in Nlukoko fell through, all their schemes collapsed. As far as I can tell, the local Court would disavow them in an instant, if we put pressure on them."

"I see. Are there any that could be a threat to us regardless?"

"I doubt it." Friend Nauda began unwrapping a second bundle, but paused thoughtfully before she ate any of it. "It's almost sad to see how much the family has declined. As far as I can tell, the strongest soulcrafter they have left is a Ruler who's an old grandmother at the end of her life. Maybe more importantly, they lost a bunch of their Archcrafters in the battle, and their crafters and allies have been slipping away as their influence wanes."

It was admirable that Friend Nauda could feel so much compassion, even for their enemies. Fiyu felt less warm toward the family that had caused so much trouble for so long, but if they had been defanged, there was likely no need for more extreme measures.

They ate the meal while discussing everything, from the initial battle to future plans to Associate Janne. Friend Nauda thought that the Blacksilver Authority should speak to some of the Deuxans, both to establish their position and potentially to work together. Fiyu thought this was a wise idea, but she had more than her fill of inter-world negotiations helping Blacksilver in Ichil. The idea of trying to do that in prickly and unfamiliar Deuxan was very troubling.

Eventually they finished eating and, since no emergencies had arisen, they split up to continue observing. It seemed as though Friend Nauda would have enjoyed Fiyu coming along, but she recognized that was more than Fiyu wanted to do and didn't press. Ever since they had come to terms in Slest, such things had passed more easily between them.

Still, once she was alone, Fiyu had to admit that there wasn't much else for her to investigate. Perhaps she could adjust to the environment of Deuxan so that when Friend Nauda returned, she would be comfortable enough for them to spend time together publicly. Fiyu landed on the street and allowed herself to be seen, and given the circumstances, everyone treated an unknown foreigner with great respect.

Most of the amenities of the city did not appeal to her, however. She didn't like to gamble, still wasn't sure what went on in the "bloodhouses" she saw, and thought it would be best not to trespass on private mansions. So she found herself wandering on a subconscious path, simply absorbing the silvery streets and their sleek inhabitants.

Eventually she found herself standing in front of the bench. The one where so much had started.

It seemed that Friend Theo and Enemy Esaire had focused almost entirely on one another as the cause of their feud, but technically it could have been her to blame. She had not understood the social customs of the city, and her ineptness had led to escalation of the conflict. Might things have come about differently had she acted more cautiously? It was very difficult to tell and Fiyu did not recriminate herself over what could not have been.

Still, she spent a long time staring at the bench underneath the tree. Such a peaceful scene, to be the start of so much violence. She now felt far less anxious than she had been back then, and not solely because she had the strength to face greater opponents.

"I never thought I'd see you again."

The voice made Fiyu flinch in alarm - she had been tracking the people around her, but largely ignoring them because they just moved on their own business. But when she returned her attention to the street, she discovered that there was a woman standing not far away holding a silver staff. She wore Deuxan clothes, but she looked Tatian, which meant...

"Do you remember me?" The woman tapped her chest lightly. "My name is Hauloe aina Tatian. We fought, years ago."

Fiyu did remember. She remembered the details of the battle, the fear and disorientation in her mind, and how the duel had become something worse.

And now she realized that not all of the movements were completely natural. There were soulcrafters moving out of the crowds from behind her. Years had passed, and yet here she was again... Fiyu frowned as she felt bodies grow tense all around her.

~ ~ ~

Theo drifted outside Anguedan in the front seat of the sleigh they had once stolen from this very city. He sat there to project strength, pretending to observe their operations, but the truth was that he needed a break. Whatever the unknown poison was, it was taking a toll on him.

Since they'd confirmed they weren't going to be immediately attacked, he'd taken some time to soulcraft. The slime that had covered his grass proved to be no trouble, since the deadened grass seemed unharmed and just absorbed the poison. It had taken hours of scrubbing to remove the traces of the slime from his walls, but once it was gone, he felt stable enough to fight without any disruptions.

That left two problems: the physical pain and the sky. As near as he could tell, the physical pain was just a secondary consequence, inconvenient but temporarily ameliorated by Nauda's honey cakes or even a healing technique Bimanu had tried. Unfortunately, the green sky that roiled over his soulhome proved much more intractable.

"I've narrowed it down to one of three different poisons," Senka said from the real world. Theo opened his physical eyes to find her hovering in front of him somberly. "However, to determine the exact poison, I'm going to need you to eat these leaves and tell me if you feel any change in your soulhome."

"No you don't," Theo answered without hesitation. "Those are just normal leaves, aren't they?"

"They absolutely are not! This one, uh, causes a strong burning sensation." Senka shrugged shamelessly and then tossed the leaves over the side of the sleigh. "Look, I'm not going to be able to identify the poison effortlessly and provide any easy solutions. Especially since this is an artificial poison... you can create them in basically infinite ways."

"Then have you just been sitting there, planning your leaf trick? It took you that long?"

"Oh, you fumpet of little faith!" Senka raised her index finger imperiously. "I may not be able to identify the poison specifically, but I can still analyze the effects."

"And what do you conclude?"

"One last experiment, involving less leaves. Get onto the roof of your soulhome and poke at the sky, almost like you're going to ascend. Oh, don't look at me that way - I trust that you can do it subtly enough not to trigger any problems. But, uh... be especially cautious."

Theo strongly suspected they were thinking the same thing, so he returned to his soulhome for the experiment. He could still rise into the air, but unlike normal where his soulhome surrounded him like a second skin, he was buffeted by air currents. Just to be cautious, he placed his bricks into a more stable formation on his roof and planted his feet before pushing his will into the heavens.

Instantly he felt as though his mind was coated in filth as the heavens seemed to strike back. It wasn't just the normal pressure; he saw the clouds descend to hammer into his roof. A poorly-built soulhome might have been damaged, but he just lost a few loose bricks over the edge and would need to clean off the others. Theo shook off the slime and left his soulhome.

"That's what I was afraid of." Senka crossed both arms and legs in the air, forming a sour-looking knot. "The disruption to your soulhome and the physical pain are just secondary symptoms, incidental to the main effect. What this poison was designed to do is prevent your ascension."

"Esaire seemed to swallow something that cured him," Theo said. "Could that have been an antidote? Maybe he plans to ascend to Stronghold while keeping me locked at Authority."

"It's possible, but I don't think he has it in him, especially the way he keeps remodeling. And this seems less like a poison with an easy antidote than one where you just blunt the symptoms. More likely he's afraid of you hitting Stronghold."

"That fits better with what he said about an even fight, but forget Esaire. What are we doing about this?"

"From a theoretical perspective, I see three likely solutions." Senka raised three fingers before curling in the first. "You could wait for the poison to dissipate, either naturally or via purging. Second, you could absorb the poison somehow. Third, a blooky shortcut."

"Well, obviously we want the blooky solution," Theo said, giving her a wry glance. "What do you even mean by that?"

"If you could ascend, the rush of cantae would blow away all the poison. But trying to do that normally, even if you had the willpower to ascend while enduring the poison, would likely fuse some extremely dire changes into your soulhome. I'd guess the poison is partially a trap, trying to prompt solutions that would permanently ruin your blueprint."

"Then we're back to the first solutions, but how do we deal with the poison? The grass does seem to absorb it... if there's a finite amount in the sky, I could keep draining it a bit at a time?"

"Not necessarily a safe assumption, if it breeds more of itself." Senka shook her head and suddenly uncoiled to flop over the seat beside him, clearly done with her analysis. "I don't know what sort of materials we need that can interact with the poison - maybe there's some sort of sublime charcoal that can absorb it. The poison feels Deuxan to me, so we'll have to keep asking here."

"Fair enough. I can live with the symptoms so long as they aren't doing permanent damage."

Senka peered at him from her new position. "That's it? You aren't going to throw a tantrum over your advancement being blocked?"

"Change comes slowly, but I like to think I've changed a little more than that." Theo grinned and shook his head. "But I'm not even that troubled, not yet. A linear soulcrafter might be impeded, but there are other paths I can take. Starting with... well, maybe this isn't the time. While you're coherent, let m-"

"Not the time for soulcrafting? Alright, Fleshmasker, what did you do with Theo?"

"Seriously, can you tell me anything about this Demon Court they've mentioned?"

Immediately Senka's expression became serious. "It didn't exist in my time and I haven't heard too much about them since, but I really don't like the sound of what I did hear. Groups that use demonic materials are dangerous, and I hope I don't need to remind you that the other group we know of like that was likely created by Vistgil."

"Yeah, that didn't escape my notice." He hadn't thought about the empire looming over Norro Yorthin and the rest of Fithe, but in theory that might be one of Vistgil's plans. Or perhaps not even a plan, just a blind mechanism that destroyed forces that could oppose him. "So it's likely a real power, one of the major ones on Deuxan."

"Definitely bigger than all the local courts. But we'll have to find out more later, maybe when they show up to fight."

That was the same threat that had been weighing on his mind. Theo wanted to discuss the problem further with Senka, because even if they were just turning over the subject it would have cleared his mind and set him working on a plan for the next stage. But Senka had tired herself out helping and no doubt needed to spend some time indulging her curse to store up energy for a potential fight.

Instead Theo entered his soulhome to clean up the newest poison. At least there was no sign of general rain from the green clouds, so his soulhome should stabilize now that he understood them. Everything would be manageable, assuming that things stayed the same.

Which seemed like a terrible assumption.

Chapter 7

With Enemy Hauloe ahead of her and numerous enemies behind, Fiyu's first instinct was to attack. It would only take a cantae blade to cut down most of them, and if she disregarded collateral damage, she might be able to eliminate almost all of them with a single lightstorm. The real threat was potential stronger soulcrafters lying in wait for her to expose weaknesses.

No... Fiyu realized as she contemplated the results that the real threat was, just like before, a cultural misunderstanding.

Preparing her incorporeality technique in case there was an attack she could not anticipate, Fiyu set her face in the neutral smile she had learned on Fithe. Instead of responding in the ways that seemed sensible to her, she remained stationary even as Enemy Hauloe moved closer.

"I never planned to be here this long," the Tatian woman said. "But then things got bad across the gate and it started feeling dangerous to go back."

Why would she approach so confidently? She appeared to be an Archcrafter... Fiyu searched in vain for a shielding wall, but the other woman's soulhome seemed to be naked. Could there be some esoteric variety of invisible shielding wall? If so, it was not impossible that it shielded not only a third floor, but a fourth...

"You don't still hold a grudge, do you?" Enemy Hauloe said.

"Of course not," Fiyu responded with her new instincts. It was very much like a lie, but she hoped that it was the type of social nicety that was expected here. "I believe that we both made errors based on misunderstandings."

"That's a relief to hear." Enemy Hauloe looked over her and gave a low whistle. "I was so proud of myself for reaching Archcrafter, and here you are at Ruler already. I definitely won't be asking for a rematch, haha!"

The other woman's body was still tense, despite her claim of relief. And yet... Fiyu realized that the scenario might be less dangerous than she expected. Unknown Hauloe was truly as weak as she appeared to be, and perhaps not hiding anything. She wasn't pretending ineptness, she truly didn't grasp that Fiyu's shielding wall was restricting her apparent tier.

But if she was so nervous, why cause a confrontation? Why were there other Deuxans so close around her, so tense? None were armed, that she could detect, but many were soulcrafters, so it was entirely plausible that they held hidden weapons. Was it possible that they put forth Unknown Hauloe as an innocent distraction while they moved into a formation?

Everyone seemed to be focused on her, and they grew more tense as she did. Fiyu decided that relying on her own assumptions might be a mistake, so perhaps it was better to address the matter directly, with blunt honesty. She pivoted on her heel to face a large man who had been approaching from behind.

"Do you wish to speak with me?" Fiyu asked. "I am speaking to Hauloe aina Tatian. Please wait your turn."

The man flinched, not as if he was ready for combat, but as if he was afraid. Then again, the man was only a first tier soulcrafter and she saw nothing particularly dangerous in his undefended soul. Another decoy? Fiyu frowned slightly, uncertain, and he hurried to speak.

"Please excuse me. I'm... Clemeaunan ai Tramblan... well, I suppose that doesn't mean very much to you."

"It does not. Can I help you?" She did not wish to help him, but Fiyu had come to understand that this phrase could express polite hostility. It seemed effective, as the man backed away further and fumbled with a sack at his waist.

"The last time you were in Anguedan, I understand that my family caused you some trouble. We wanted to make clear that we don't bear any hard feelings." Finally the man managed to draw forward the sack, revealing some sort of gold and silver clasp, along with many local coins. "This is a small token of apology. We hope that you'll overlook any offense caused by my nephew Delarde, and forgive any..."

Fiyu suppressed any reaction that might betray her thoughts, but her mind jerked alert at the name and she barely heard the rest of the words. She did not think about the name frequently... yet she remembered him. Delarde had been one of Esaire's allies who had chased them aggressively, and Fiyu had seen no alternative to killing him.

This action had been necessary to protect her companions, and she felt little guilt over it, but now she wondered if the consequences had been waiting until this moment. She had just been thinking about how Friend Theo and Enemy Esaire disregarded her, and now she realized that she had done the same for her own actions. Given how Deuxans could hold a grudge, she had every reason to be concerned that they might seek revenge.

Yet what sort of revenge could this be? She would certainly not accept the apparent gift, which could be poisoned or cursed or something worse. The majority of the unknown figures appeared to be with Threat Clemeaunan, and their uniforms were similar, suggesting an entire delegation from the family. Might they have a secret weapon in reserve, or were their senses so inaccurate that they believed their numbers could overcome her?

"Let's all take a step back."

Friend Nauda spoke from the side of the street and Fiyu instinctively leaned toward her voice. The other woman appeared completely calm, though Fiyu could tell by the tension in her calves that it was feigned. Her apparently casual steps between the groups were very carefully taken, so Fiyu prepared herself in case violence was necessary.

Instead, Friend Nauda picked up the jewelry fearlessly and admired it, then touched the man on the shoulder. He tensed up at first, but somehow Friend Nauda managed to relax him. This made very little sense to Fiyu, but it was clear that Friend Nauda was somehow disarming their tension.

When Friend Nauda turned back to her, it was with a smile - a warm one, though not the private smile she used with close companions. "Won't you come take a look, Fiyu?"

"Very well." Fiyu stepped closer and inspected the clasp suspiciously. It seemed increasingly unlikely that it contained some trap, but...

"Rather beautiful, isn't it? And it's not like they could have had it made in the short time we've been here, so they must have brought out something for a gift. Are you sure you want to give us something so valuable? We wouldn't want to take a family heirloom."

"Oh, but we insist." The Deuxan man smiled desperately and shoved another sack into Friend Nauda's hands. "We understand that our countrymen have caused unnecessary trouble in Tatian as well and hope you haven't taken offense. As you can see, we've been hosting Hauloe for some time."

"Of course." Friend Nauda put an arm around his shoulders and drew him closer to Unknown Hauloe. "I've always thought we should get along better, because we're just one gate away. Listen, we won't be here long, so I'm afraid there won't be time to get to know one another better, but if we're all friends here, maybe it will work out at some point in the future."

The others made various positive noises and expressed many words they didn't seem to truly mean. What was clear was that all the tension was melting, as if Friend Nauda was a hot coal tossed onto ice. By the time she escorted the others away, Fiyu felt almost intimidated. She had become much less incompetent at social scenarios, but she couldn't compare to Friend Nauda.

When the Deuxans had moved away, Friend Nauda turned back to her with a very strange smile. "You doing okay, Fiyu?"

"I am fine, I simply do not understand. What advantage could they gain by all this?"

"Oh, Fiyu..." Friend Nauda stepped closer and took her wrist gently, which helped to wash away her stress. Her words would likely help more, however. "Ever since we came back, they've been terrified of us. None of this was a threat, they were trying to make sure that you weren't hunting them down to get revenge for what happened the first time."

"I see." Fiyu blinked as she digested this information. It was certainly a better match for her observations, but... "Hauloe I could understand, since it was only a misunderstanding, but with the Tramblan family, I killed their relative. How could they ever forgive that?"

Friend Nauda's grip tightened involuntarily and her eyes twitched around them. "I wouldn't say that sort of thing here."

"My technique contains sounds, Nauda. I am not so careless."

"Huh. I'm so used to it, I guess I didn't even notice." Friend Nauda glanced briefly at the shimmering stealth field around them, then turned back to her warmly and caressed her hand. "Well, I was going to say that they don't actually know what happened. No one saw Delarde fight us, and even if Esaire guessed or lied about it, they'd treat it as hearsay. And facing someone like you, I think the family might be willing to overlook some violence if it meant their survival."

Fiyu nodded slowly as she relaxed and accepted this new interpretation. The Deuxans were very bloodthirsty, but it made sense that they would expect others to be equally bloodthirsty, and in this case, that actually benefited her. She would have had no idea how to best take advantage of the scenario, so she was very fortunate that Friend Nauda had been watching out for her.

"I do not think I can grow used to this place," Fiyu said. "Tatian is also very confusing, but everyone there is forgiving with mistakes."

"I know the feeling." As Friend Nauda spoke, her sense of sharp irony returned, but their touch was still very warm. "I feel like I'm walking on dry leaves in this place."

"If even you do not feel confident..."

"They take their own rules so seriously and expect everyone to know them, so I think even Theo could easily mess up here. What we really need is a strong Deuxan ally, but unfortunately that's the one thing we don't have. But I think for now, you don't need to be worried, Fiyu. We have a strong position here, so they won't force their rules on us."

"I hope not." Fiyu squeezed the other woman's hand. "Thank you, Nauda. These things can be difficult to navigate."

"Of course. I was thinking of asking you to monitor everyone's tension, the way you always do. Theo says we might be getting into some tense court negotiations soon, so your information might give us an edge. Who's honest, who's bluffing, that sort of thing."

"I will certainly try to help. But I must warn you, skilled negotiators and the worst deceivers will be able to suppress such reactions."

"No doubt, but we just need to use every tool available to equal them." Friend Nauda led her toward the bench, now abandoned, as if she intended for both of them to use it. "I actually had some thoughts about that..."

But whatever her thoughts would have been, she had no opportunity to share. A resounding crack echoed across the sky, not merely a surge of cantae as a weirkey was used, but a flare of power. The group that had just appeared over the city of Anguedan had every intention of announcing their arrival.

She immediately identified one of them as Enemy Esaire... and he was floating alongside a Deuxan Stronghold. The man made no attempt to hide his soulhome, despite three floors of shielding walls that left Fiyu unable to discern anything else about his soul. All the tension that had drained away after the confrontation returned and doubled itself as Fiyu prepared for what was to come.

Up to this point, they had been superior to the Deuxans in strength and numbers, so it was easy to smooth over conflict. Now that the equation turned the other way, she could only wonder fearfully at what they would expect and then demand.