The Weirkey Chronicles: Chapters 11-13 (Patreon)

Another three chapters this week! I'll probably have character images to show you next time. I hope people enjoy this set, which has a mix of many different elements.

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Chapter 11

An entire month passed more quickly than Theo had expected. After stumbling from place to place, always concerned that he would be eliminated by someone targeting him, it was good to focus and make substantial progress. Though being directly attacked seemed unlikely, he remembered what Magnafor had said and threw himself into his work.

His greatest success was finishing his vestibule, which was no small feat. It required redeveloping his skills enough to craft all the solarstone blocks perfectly, which took the majority of the time. Once he had them finished, Nauda was able to acquire a sublime clay to serve as spiritual mortar, so he put the structure together in only a few days. With his previous door affixed to the entrance and a little more trim of hearthtree wood, he had a chamber that would be useful for a long time.

Though primarily designed to transfer energy from his real chambers, it still did an adequate job of storing cantae: only the top students like Fiyu and Nauda had chambers that stored it more efficiently. Of course, it couldn't store as much as a fully sized chamber, but it allowed him to test letting cantae flow through his body again, making him stronger and more durable than a normal person.

It wasn't enough. If he faced highly concentrated cantae from an Archcrafter or advanced demon, they would tear through his defenses like wet tissue paper. Not to mention the even greater threats...

He was required to attend classes, but they were less frustrating than they could have been. Nauda did a good job only requiring their presence at those that might be helpful to them individually. Many had been repetitive in terms of the intellectual content, but they'd allowed him to practice his old soulcrafting skills. The hours of practice under supervision had been essential in finally finishing the solarstone bricks.

Their single non-Tatian instructor seemed to teach irregular classes on irregular subjects. Theo had yet to attend a single one of the lectures, but hoped to potentially learn something new. Tatian was a good environment for early growth, yet also a suffocating one, free from too many concerns.

By far the worst thing in his life was the people. Most of the Tatians were just insipid, while the aggressive guests were equally bland. His years on Earth had slowly turned him into more and more of a misanthrope, but he realized that he'd long held out hope that when he returned to the Nine, he would stop finding people annoying. Now he wasn't sure if he had missed all the annoying tendencies of people there or if he was the one who had changed.

Maybe his ex-wife had been right, and he really was the one making himself miserable. The most frustrating thing about her was how often she'd made good points, but that was one of many things he'd put behind him.

A few exceptions kept him putting up with the rest. Fiyu had adjusted to the school, treating the friendly hallways as the hostile environment between safe camps, just like Ichil. Fortunately, he was one of her safe camps and they often trained outside at night when she didn't find the light so oppressive. Though she could obviously blow him away, she could practice holding back and aiming precisely with her light bursts while he adjusted to using cantae to move his body quickly again.

Otherwise, Fiyu only spent time with Nauda and Navim, though he wasn't sure what she was doing with either one. Perhaps she was seeking another mask: she could still use a defensive chamber, just as soon as they had the proper materials, but a better mask would be more comfortable than the one he'd thrown together.

Though the Mundhin was busy, Theo had managed to get some time with Navim on occasion. It was a relief to get an intelligent conversation, though Navim seemed to lack cynicism. He treated every aspect of Tatian culture with either mild amusement or intellectual curiosity. So there was no outlet for Theo's venom, but it was still good to have a friend.

As for Nauda herself, their group leader had proved capable, if frustratingly bland. What annoyed him most was that she was so spineless in every interaction, always giving way when someone challenged her. He noted that she often didn't change what she was going to do despite agreeing, which was an insufferably Tatian way of handling conflict.

The only other person he spent any time with was Famaj, who greeted him as if the snub during the choosing meant nothing at all. Maybe it didn't, but Theo was surprised how long the resentment simmered within him, despite the fact that his group had worked out fine. He needed to remember that Tatian loyalty only went so far.

Near the end of the month, Nauda began presenting their group with more valuable sublime materials that she said were rewards. For him, she had a set of grape-like fruits that glowed so brilliantly it was difficult to look at them. They would certainly work well for his light-based blueprint, so he planted them and began building a trellis. Ideally he could use sublime glass for windows, to further focus the light theme, but that would need to come later.

Still, it was starting to come together. There were two essential elements of his new blueprint: Brigana's brilliant insights about his foundation and his scientific knowledge of light. Tatian villagers trying to use light would probably create nothing except pleasant warmth, but he knew better.

Light was heat, the electromagnetic spectrum, and solar plasma all rolled into one. Because they were all unified in his mind, he was certain that within his soul he could use them as a single concept. From that, he could create countless applications without fragmenting his soulhome into too many different concepts. That had been a problem with his past life, building a new chamber for every skill that came along even if it didn't strengthen the overall structure.

First, he intended to use light as raw energy to defend himself and even regenerate wounds, if possible. His second priority was to tap the sun itself to release beams of pure plasma - he might not be able to do it properly as a first tier soulcrafter, but the skill would grow more deadly as he ascended. Finally, he hoped to be able to explore more varied effects via the electromagnetic spectrum.

All of that would come later: for now, he needed to create a glorious core chamber that would generate cantae and channel it as pure light, enough for all four chambers around it. He had light on his mind at practically all times, considering potential problems or variations, but always sticking to his core plan.

Still, light wasn't welcome when it was searing through his eyelids, waking him up in the middle of the night. Theo cursed under his breath as he sat up, shielding his eyes from the light coming through his window. He feared an attack for a moment before he saw that Fiyu was emitting the light from one hand, stopping once she saw him sit up.

"Fiyu? What's happening?"

"We must go, Jake. They have promised rewards for those who assist, but I do not trust the Tatians with locating appropriate sublime materials or with coordinating the battle. You must come with me."

"Right, okay." Theo shuffled to pull on his shoes and cloak, mind not yet fully engaged. "But where are we going? Why in the middle of the night?"

"You didn't hear? Demons are attacking."

~ ~ ~

Though Theo had seen a lot of things in his time among the Nine Worlds, he hadn't ever seen an acorn the size of a house. Much less one carved into seats, or one that could fly, or... not many weaponized acorns at all, really. Yet somehow now he was clinging to the side of one as they soared toward the sky, bright with the Tatian moons.

Even hurrying, he had barely joined Fiyu in time to grab onto the vessel before it lifted into the air. Nanjuma had been standing at the top near the stem, more serious than he had ever looked before. Apparently time was so of the essence that he really would have left behind anyone who didn't arrive in time, even Fiyu. Nauda and a few of the Farmguards didn't seem to approve of Theo's presence, but there was no time to argue.

Apparently there had been a serious demon attack on a town some distance from Myufuru. The local Farmguards had repelled the first attack, but failed to realize that the demons were sacrificing themselves. Once a second stage demon stepped onto the battlefield, everything turned and there had already been losses. Worse, reports suggested that more second stage demons were being summoned.

Going against a force like that, Theo had to admit that he felt a little outgunned. All he had was a small amount of cantae and the spear Navim had crafted for him. It wasn't his ideal weapon, but he wasn't nearly confident enough in his raw strength to fight without one. As a soulcrafter, now he could use the armament without harming himself, so it would work well enough against base demons.

But if he had to fight anything worse... the thought trailed away as Nanjuma suddenly stepped over to the edge of the acorn's top, beaming down at them. Now that they were moving, his tension seemed to have gone.

"Hello, students! This is not the sort of lesson you should be learning, but there is no choice. Consider this a special lesson in advanced battle tactics. We're already moving to the battle as quickly as we can, so take this as an opportunity to prepare yourselves. Tell me: why are we bringing you along?"

At first everyone was taken aback by the ambush of good cheer, then one of the Fithan students ventured a guess. "The demons are so overwhelming you need every soulcrafter you can find?"

"Heavens forbid! No, barring a terrible surprise, I should be able to defeat all the demons that stand before me. But you are not being brought along simply to watch. Why?"

Though Theo knew the likely answer, he decided to stay quiet and avoid drawing any attention, just in case. The fact that the attack occurred so far away suggested it couldn't have anything to do with him, but it was always possible. That thought made him search for Magnafor, but the other human was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, several other obviously wrong answers were given. Finally Nauda ventured a better guess: "Has the battle spread out so far that you can't be everywhere at once?"

"Exactly!" Nanjuma leapt over the side, alarmingly in the air for a moment, before catching his feet in unused handholds and keeping himself horizontal. "When locked in battle with an opponent of a higher tier, the only logical strategy is to spread out and target weaknesses. I cannot duplicate myself or raise barriers over entire towns, so I can only do so much. Demons are generally unintelligent, but they will instinctively scatter. I cannot afford to waste time protecting the outskirts and chasing after every errant demon."

"Then what is our strategy?" Nauda asked.

"The local Farmguards said they evacuated the townspeople into a fortified region on a hill. I can see it from here... hmm. I will handle the western approach, while Farmguards will divide into groups to guard the north and eliminate flying demons. We'll first drop you students near the southern approach. There are not so many demons there, but repelling them is essential."

Though Theo couldn't see the town, judging from Nanjuma's fading cheer, the situation was serious. A weak area lacking soulcrafters combined with demons in higher concentrations than normal made for a deadly combination, though hopefully not for them.

As they drew closer, fires visible in the distance, everyone riding the acorn grew tenser. Eventually Theo decided to cut the tension by resolving an idle curiosity. He waved to catch Nanjuma's attention and then spoke up loudly enough for the others to hear. "How did you grow an acorn this big?"

"What makes you think I grew it?" Nanjuma spun to face him with a bit of his usual smile again. "No, I plucked it off the ground in my travels. If you have never visited the Heartgrowth, you will find it... grandiose."

Some laughed as if it was a joke, but Theo thought that the claim was probably serious. He'd never seen a tree large enough to have an acorn this big, not even in the forests of Aathal. The size likely defied physical laws of biology, so the enormous tree must either naturally use cantae or fundamentally break physics. Each possibility was a bit troubling; neither was impossible in the Nine.

All chuckling died as they floated nearer and realized the extent of the demon attacks. Theo saw several second stage demons striding over the others, head and shoulders taller than most men. That was bad enough, but if all the demons sacrificed themselves... it took a great many to summon a third stage demon, but a titan would be the death of them all.

"The acorn will take the students to their destination, and I trust the rest of you to find your way. I must go." With that, Nanjuma leapt off the side of the floating vessel and plummeted toward the heart of the demon horde.

He struck as a meteor, a shell of neon green cantae erupting in the center of the mass. All of the demons at the point of impact were instantly vaporized and fragments of the shell tore through the other forces. Nanjuma began striding toward the demons attacking the nearest Farmguards, limiting his power to avoid collateral damage, but that simply meant that he snuffed out lesser demons with his aura while he tracked down the second stage demons and killed them with overwhelming bursts of flame.

Definitely a Ruler, then, and a powerful one. Most of the others stared in awe, so Theo instead focused toward the dimly lit path below. A winding path around the side of the village had served as a road for wagons and now offered the demons another way to the fortified area. There weren't many demons there, but it wouldn't be easy to defend.

"There!" Theo had been focused on the ground, but Nauda was looking up, jabbing a finger out into the night sky. "It sees us, take it down!"

Theo didn't understand until a moment later, when he saw the demon flit across one of the moons, spiraling toward them.

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Chapter 12

Though it moved too quickly to observe easily, Theo knew what it was: an over-sized dragonfly with knives for feet. Once he'd considered the insectoid demons nothing but spies or nuisances, but he could remember them threatening first tier soulcrafters. Suddenly the exact details of their strength were incredibly relevant, yet he couldn't be certain.

An arc of bolts lit up the sky as Fiyu struck, but the dragonfly darted away from them, flickering through the air with considerable speed. If it hadn't been targeting them before, it definitely was now, swooping down across the acorn as it descended.

One of the Farmguards hurled a spear, but the demonic dragonfly flitted aside almost contemptuously. All Theo could do was grip his spear and ready himself to attack if it got close enough, though he was likely to be useless until they reached the ground. It looped around them rapidly and he heard a cry of pain from someone on the opposite side, then suddenly it was sweeping at one of the students from behind.

Before Theo could think of acting, Nauda sprinted up the side of the acorn, her staff sweeping forward. The forks at the end caught the demon from the side, doing no apparent damage... yet the monster's flickering wings instantly stilled, as if it had been frozen in place.

"I can hold it." Nauda grimaced and got a better grip on her staff. "I need someone to kill it."

After a pause, one of the Farmguards tried to stab into the demon's side, but the blow glanced off its carapace. The dragonfly briefly began twitching, knives slashing at anyone who drew close, before it again froze in place.

"Hold it out." Fiyu spoke so quietly that Theo could barely hear from beside her, but somehow Nauda heard. She stepped nearer to the edge and extended her staff as far as it would go. "Now let go."

Wincing, Nauda jerked her staff away. Immediately the demon buzzed to life, ready to dart away... but it was caught in a flood of bolts so concentrated they were nearly a solid beam. The first few scattered off its carapace, but soon others punched through. When Fiyu lowered her hands, nothing was left but a few scorched fragments that fluttered to the ground.

"Good." Nauda smiled grimly and then turned her attention to the others. "We're almost landing! Everyone staying here, prepare to hold the position!"

The giant acorn scraped against the trail soon after, jolting a few who didn't have a good grip and sending them tumbling off the sides. There weren't many demons nearby, but two scrambled toward the fallen students, hands grasping. Since most of the Farmguards were jumping away to defend the village, Theo saw no choice but to take a hand himself.

He leapt from the side, gathering cantae within himself and then driving it out through his spear. It impaled one of the two monsters and all four of its limbs splayed against the ground, but then they began grasping for him. Not letting himself get distracted, he lashed out with one foot, reinforced with enough cantae to crush one of the grasping claws.

That stunned the demon long enough for him to pull his spear back and stab it again, this time killing it. Once he could have annihilated them so easily... but there was no time to reminisce, not with the second demon suddenly deciding that he was the greater threat. Still faster than he was, it leapt over the students' bodies, claws grasping, jaws opening...

The forks of Nauda's weapon caught it in midair and brought it to the ground. Theo got ready to strike it down, but he was too slow: Nauda twisted her weapon sharply and the force it projected snapped the demon into a bloody mess.

It seemed that the others had the situation under control, so Theo could spare a moment to stare at Nauda. He'd known she was a strong soulcrafter, but he'd still underestimated her. A few more demons remained and he joined her to fight them, but he was mostly watching.

Her cantae filled her weapon, binding anything she touched in place. It seemed most powerful between the forks, but she also used it to sweep against the sides of the demons, sending them tumbling long enough for him to stab them. This time he activated the spear's armament inscription, the force tearing through the demon in an instant.

Nauda's weapon... it appeared to be a gentle binding tool, and he had no doubt it was used by some Tatians to nonviolently subdue disorderly revelers, but he'd also seen the lethal potential. He mentally revised his evaluation of her: Nauda might not be as flexible as Fiyu, but her soulhome was still well-polished.

At last it seemed they had control of the road upward. Theo kept his eyes peeled and scouted the edges, while some of the other students struck at the demon corpses to be sure they were dead. Several of their group had frozen, not striking a single blow, and some hadn't even made their cantae flow within them. Freezing in a first battle was common, so that was also useful experience.

Occasionally a demon approached from the main battle, but Fiyu generally annihilated them from her position atop the giant acorn. That gave him enough time to examine the battle, or at least what he could see of it. Nanjuma still swept around the battlefield in an overwhelming blur, now focusing more on rescuing specific people. The Farmguards seemed to be in control as well, or at least not falling back from their position.

Just when it seemed the battle was won, another flicker in the moonlight swept toward Fiyu.

"Above!" Theo yelled the warning even as he hurled his spear with everything he had. Fiyu flinched down instinctively as the demonic dragonfly descended on her and his spear struck one of the wings.

It wasn't enough. One of the blurring wings shattered, but after wobbling, the demon continued to sweep closer. Fiyu raised her hands to retaliate, but she wasn't going to be fast enough...

Then it froze in place. Despite still standing on the ground, Nauda had aimed her staff at the demon and frozen it from a distance. Though it was in perfect position for Fiyu to blow it apart, Nauda instead pulled backward, a reeling motion that drew the demon down to the ground. Once it was there, she pinned it to the ground with the forks of her staff around its thorax.

"This is the second of the three major breeds of demons." She was a little breathless, but gestured to the others to come closer. "It's essential not to mistake them for any of the other types, because they're faster and smarter. Usually they're less aggressive, but..."

The others pushed closer to get a good look, though they kept a healthy distance from the bladed legs. Having seen plenty of them, Theo kept his distance and just looked around for any other attacks. It did seem to be close to over, but one lingering demon could cause a tragedy in a group like this.

Just when he started to look for his spear, one of the local Tatians came trotting up with it. The man handed it back and then embraced him warmly, which Theo suffered through. He did feel better being armed, but held back and let the others slowly kill the demonic dragonfly. His vestibule was nearly empty of cantae, even after so short a fight, serving as a grim reminder how much he needed to finish his primary chambers.

"You said there were three types of demons?" Kuber asked. Nauda shook her head slowly, leaning on her staff.

"They're slightly different in every world, so many more than three types. But across all worlds, they fall into three fundamental categories. The weakest are the normal demons you know, the insects are the most intelligent, and the beasts... well, I hope that we don't see any of those."

"Nonsense!" The booming voice came from atop the acorn, where Nanjuma stood, good humor apparently restored. He held a demon at arm's length, a creature that looked somewhat like a wolf until its jaws opened. Half the creature's body was one enormous mouth filled with teeth, a maw on legs. "This is an excellent chance to finish your lesson!"

Nanjuma hopped down to stand among them and tossed the demon down carelessly. It instantly flipped to its feet, snarling, and Nauda tried to bind it with her staff. But even with it pinned between the prongs, the beast continued to twist and growl. Sweat began to trickle down the side of Nauda's face as she struggled to keep it bound in place.

"You were doing so well," Nanjuma said, cheerfully rubbing her back, "do you want to finish the lesson?"

"The third type..." Nauda had to pause to gulp in air, but after gritting her teeth and pushing the demon down, she managed to continue. "Beastly demons may look similar to the basic type, but they're stronger and tougher. Learn... not to confuse them."

"So they're the same, just a little tougher." It was Trathis, folding his arms as if he'd done anything much to contribute to the battle. Nauda continued to struggle, now unable to answer as the demon began to get its claws underneath it. There was no danger with Nanjuma standing nearby, but Theo still edged back in case it got free.

"They might all seem the same now, but not at the second stage." Nanjuma gestured toward the devastated hillside, cheerful as if he hadn't caused most of the devastation himself. "You saw the larger demons, correct? If six of these beasts sacrifice themselves, what they summon remains on all fours, but it's far more durable. And those little insects... can anyone guess what they become?"

"A predator." Fiyu spoke quietly, having joined them silently. She stepped forward and released a flood of bolts into the demon at point blank range, not letting up until it was annihilated. That done, she looked up to meet Nanjuma's gaze. "I hope never to see one again. Demons should not be taken lightly."

Those words seemed to have exhausted her capacity to interact with people, so she immediately retreated to hide behind Theo and Nauda. Nanjuma regarded her, gaze somber, then he nodded slowly. When he spoke to the others, his voice remained subdued.

"We have won a victory today, but many families have lost loved ones. Always remember that this is why we strive: if our souls had been better crafted, we might have been able to prevent every sorrow today. I hope that all of you will take these experiences to heart when we return."

Nanjuma left to speak to the villagers, though with a command to organize and prepare to return. Farmguards began to join them soon, some of them sporting wounds but without any apparent losses. Most seemed content to sit and recover, but Theo made himself move through the woods and search for the remains of demons.

He quickly found what he was looking for: scraps of fur, fragments of carapace, and the ash of the lowest demons. Each time, he quietly absorbed the remnants into his soulhome and hid them inside his improvised room as an additional precaution. Pieces of demons could be used as sublime materials, though they had no place in his blueprint. What mattered was that he could eventually sell them. Demonic materials might not be favored in Tatian, but he would eventually leave and travel to darker places.

Eventually they finished their work, leaving some of the Farmguards to help with the recovery. The rest of them climbed back onto the acorn vehicle and Nanjuma's cantae lifted it into the air. It might have been whimsical to ride back like that after the fierce battle, yet looking out over the damaged village and roads, Theo couldn't find anything lighthearted about it. Though it had gone well, he was exhausted and his mind struggled to engage.

The ride back was quiet and cool. Fiyu curled up in one of the seats and pulled her cloak over her, more for the dark than the warmth. Nauda sat silently near the top, examining the metal studs on her staff. A few had been damaged or lost during the battle and she carefully noted each one. If she had been capable of it, she would no doubt be soulcrafting, but they were all too exhausted.

By the time they returned, some had begun to celebrate their victory and a few Tatians were even planning a feast. All Theo wanted was the sleep that had been taken from him, though he had to admit that he was hungry. Yet as they descended to the courtyard, he realized that something was bothering him. The vast tree at the top of the Landguard Village...

As soon as they touched down, he jumped off and went to look. That might have been suspicious under normal circumstances, but everyone was too distracted to care. Theo neared the barrier, which blazed as strongly as ever, and examined an area where the cantae rippled slightly wrongly.

One of the stakes that maintained the barrier had been replaced. It was a nearly perfect copy, but he recognized the silvery sheen: it was a technique from Deuxan that subtly manipulated a barrier. He considered mentioning it for a moment before realizing that would only cast doubt on the few Deuxan students, and he was fairly certain they were innocent.

But he was willing to bet that Magnafor had spent time on Deuxan. He might not have gotten inside the sealed area that night, but he'd gotten a step closer.

-

Chapter 13

Though only some of the students had been present for the nighttime battle, it caused a shift in the atmosphere of the school. For a while everyone was trading stories of the fighting, more than a few of which Theo suspected were embellished. He and Fiyu stayed in darkened rooms and continued soulcrafting, their plans only slightly changed by the acid testing.

The biggest change for him was the sense that there was another time limit actively working against him. Whatever resources he had, Magnafor couldn't get through the barrier too quickly, but he was obviously trying. Talking to him directly would only antagonize him and reporting it was likely to cause backlash, so Theo merely watched for clues as to what timeline he had in mind.

His role in the battle might not have been dramatic, but he was allowed to request a sublime material for his trouble. He asked for some noonstone, a more intense version of solarstone, and did his best to chip away at it. Fiyu spoke with him regarding local options and decided that none of the materials were correct for her defensive chamber, so she instead requested something for her own soulcrafting.

As a more subtle reward, Nauda gave him more freedom about which classes he attended. That day he had volunteered to join one about sublime materials, in small part because he hoped it might be useful and in greater part because the instructor was the Archcrafter who had healed him long ago. Apparently she had come all the way to Myufuru to teach several classes about healing, but also a few subjects better suited to an ascended soulcrafter.

"Sublime materials are generally classified according to the same tiers as soulcrafters," she said, showing several simple materials. "But it is important to remember that, unlike with soulcrafting, these distinctions are artificial fences placed in the field. There is no significant difference between the strongest simple materials and the weakest Archcrafter materials. In fact, one or the other might be easier for you to use, depending on your personal inclinations."

So far, the lesson had been entirely simple facts he already knew. He worked on his soulhome while he listened with one ear, hoping everyone would assume that he was soulcrafting based on what the lesson said. Not every student was capable of doing both at once, but it was common enough that it didn't raise any eyebrows.

If nothing else, he hoped to get her opinion on the tree he was still attempting to grow. Despite his best efforts, and use of the sublime water he'd been given, it had only become a miserable little sapling. Whatever was wrong, it fell outside his knowledge and it was impeding his progress on the blueprint, so perhaps it was time to ask an expert opinion.

For a time he'd thought that his foundation was flawed in some way and put effort into it, watering the grass itself. Yet it had kept the yellowing aged look and only grown thicker and longer. He'd reluctantly asked Nauda and she'd said that his foundation seemed strong and uninjured, though too unfamiliar beyond that.

"Now, no doubt some of you are wondering why we're hoarding all the Archcrafter materials to ourselves instead of letting you use them. I thought that I might demonstrate the reasons why with a little challenge."

The words caught his attention and Theo rapidly left his soulhome, focusing fully on the class. At the head of the room, the old healer revealed a small box from her robes, undid the lock, and held it open. Within lay a single pearl, its luminescence overflowing the box. Definitely a powerful sublime material, and though it seemed attuned toward healing, he couldn't ignore it.

"This is a Pearl of the Falls, a somewhat rare Archcrafter material. Normally, it would be placed on a special altar within a healer's inner chambers, in order to focus their cantae. But as it happens, I already have one, so I thought I would let all of you... make an effort to take it."

A long time ago, Theo had gone through exactly the same lesson and proved himself incapable. This time, he had an idea. He threw himself back into his soulhome, pushed aside the noonstone, and rapidly began hammering at his newest boulder of solarstone. Soon enough he broke off an appropriately-sized chunk, but then he had to begin chiseling it out, which was no easy task.

Meanwhile, the healer continued speaking. "The challenge is this: if you are capable of using this pearl within your soulhome, it is yours. But if I teach you anything in this class, it is that this task is more difficult than you might think. I urge no one to take the challenge if their soulhome is unstable or if they are not confident in themselves."

Several students immediately rushed to make the effort, forced to stand in line. Most failed at the very first step, squeezing the pearl to try to draw it into their soul home and simply failing. One managed to pull it inside, but found it too heavy to carry. That led to a delay, as she had no way to remove sublime materials herself and the healer needed to carefully extract it.

Meanwhile, Theo worked furiously on the piece of stone, hollowing out the center. He could use another piece of stone as a lid, but he needed something to bind the pieces together, to make the spirit of the object clear. Perhaps one of the new minor materials that had been distributed...

"I did it!"

Theo recognized the voice and looked up to see Kuber raising a triumphant fist, but the old woman shook her head slowly. "You've drawn the pearl within yourself, but the challenge is to use it in your soulhome. You may be ready for that step, but all of us will observe your progress."

The instructor beckoned to Nauda, who stepped up and helped the class form a circle. Even among the instructors, her ability to look directly into soulhomes was rare, so more than a few made use of it. Theo set aside his work reluctantly to take part in the demonstration.

Since the last time he'd seen Kuber's soulhome, it had gained a section of thick stone wall... but also a wooden wall. It seemed he was working furiously to create his outer wall, with barely any chambers within. That seemed entirely irrational, since he could have built a more durable soulhome if he worked chamber by chamber. As far as Theo knew, several small chambers held as much cantae as a single large one, and they were sturdier.

Only Kuber had any concrete form, carrying the pearl with both hands onto his foundation. He started to pull it into one of the makeshift chambers, but the walls immediately began to vibrate. With a frown, he adjusted one of the boards and shored up the wall a little, but when he attempted to bring the pearl inside, once again the wood started to tremble.

"Do you see the difficulty?" The instructor's spirit floated closer, gesturing to the makeshift room. "As young soulcrafters, your souls lack the stability to endure more powerful materials. Trying to place the pearl into such a small room... the cantae it generates will overwhelm the walls and could even cause permanent damage."

"Then I need to use a bigger room." Kuber scowled down at his foundation, then moved to his pile of sublime materials and revealed a tarp. He began to string it across one of the outer edges, forming a new chamber of massive size. Their instructor frowned visibly, even in her spiritual form.

"I strongly advise against trying this, young man. Building a chamber around a sublime material is almost always unwise... there will be no time to change your mind if there is a poor reaction."

"Or the chamber will be able to contain the pearl's strength and I'll win your challenge."

The class shifted nervously, trading glances amongst themselves, but though the instructor took a step forward, she couldn't actually take action within his soulhome. It was theoretically possible, just not at the Archcrafter level. Theo found himself wincing, despite knowing that he couldn't be harmed since he wasn't truly present.

Soon enough, Kuber finished his new chamber. He closed off the last wall, then bent down to pick up the pearl. Even as he did so, the tarp began to flutter wildly, the air crackling with raw power. For an instant, his eyes widened in horror as he realized his mistake, but he only took one step toward the exit before the world exploded.

When Theo could see again, the tarp had been torn away, most of the wooden walls had collapsed, and even one of the stone walls had a large crack running through it. The pearl rolled innocently across the floor, harmless now that the pressure had been relieved.

Kuber sat on his knees, his spiritual body unharmed, but the damage that had been done to his soulhome was obvious in his slumped posture. Since the pearl was a healing material, it likely hadn't dealt any permanent injury to his foundation, but his attempt had destroyed many days of work. That wasn't even as bad as it could be: higher tier soulcrafters who failed to integrate a new material could see it crash down through lower levels, smashing all in its path.

"I'm sorry for this, my boy, I truly am." The healer floated beside him, trying to put a hand on his back and instead passing through. "Will you help me retrieve the pearl from your soulhome? You've given us a clear, if sorrowful, demonstration, so I'll do my best to make it up to you."

Soon enough she extracted the pearl and Nauda closed the link, returning them all to class. Only Kuber remained soulcrafting, no doubt still stunned and miserable. Theo noted with a final glance that his foundation was completely undamaged - the Tatian man might be overambitious, but he wasn't a fool. If he was desperate to reach Archcrafter, that could also explain why he was building such a simple room for his first floor.

"I hadn't wanted the demonstration to be so stark, but now you see it." Their instructor shook her head slowly. "This is why we ask that you trust your betters and not attempt to rush forward to sublime materials that you are not yet prepared for. Now, the nex-"

"I'd like to try." Theo spoke up for the first time that class and all eyes turned to him, most in surprise, and the old woman's eyes twinkling.

"Am I going to need to heal you again, young man? I thought you had a good head on your shoulders."

"I have something in mind." He stepped forward and, since she didn't stop him when he took the pearl, pulled it into his soulhome.

There, he ignored his simple buildings entirely and instead walked to the roughly hewn box, the shape and hinged lid making its purpose clear. Though it was no great masterpiece, it served a useful purpose: holding sublime materials without attempting to draw upon their power.

So Theo carried the pearl over to the box, dropped it inside, and closed the lid.

A few students winced, expecting it to explode, but the box held the pearl harmlessly. It granted him no strength, but the material was contained and technically part of his soulhome. Theo hefted the box inside his vestibule, set it down, and then gestured grandly.

Complete silence reigned until the old woman laughed loudly. "Well done, young man, well done. You've entirely missed the spirit of the exercise, but I suppose you've fulfilled the letter of the challenge. Are you really going to steal an old woman's pearl with a trick?"

"No, I won't." Theo carried the box back to her spirit, but his intent hadn't been to show off. When he drew closer, he spoke to her in a low voice. "But I've shown my ability to handle more powerful sublime materials safely, don't you think? This pearl would be better given to a healer, but could you help me find something more suited to me?"

"And I don't suppose you'll be interested in first tier materials, either." The old woman regarded him seriously, but as she took the box back and began the extraction process, she gave him a slight nod. "I will speak to Nanjuma and see what I can do."

That accomplished, Theo let her take the pearl and remained silent for the rest of class. That rough little box had been his most successful construction yet.