Rainhorn: Chapters 1-3 (The Weirkey Chronicles) (Patreon)

That's right, everybody, it's starting! I scheduled forward for the next several months and if I don't start posting now, it'll take too long between the early book releases. I'm still not sure what will happen to the Patreon, but I'll definitely post this book's chapters through the end.

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Chapter 1

As a living god passed overhead, Theo kept his tree branch over his head and felt like an idiot.

The soulcrafter floating above the path wasn't really a god, of course, but he might as well have been, given Theo's present state. The man he'd been in his past life could have fought such opponents easily, but now he was just a first tier soulcrafter. Even if he built his first floor perfectly and ascended, he didn't stand a chance against an Authority-tier soulcrafter.

Fortunately, the Landguard was only patrolling, not tracking him specifically. The branches he'd propped over his cloak got itchier and itchier, but he resisted the urge to adjust them. He didn't even dare look up, just kept himself hidden until the massive pressure passed on.

Only once the Landguard soulcrafter had entirely vanished did Theo make his way back to the path and continue on his way. Like practically every path in the world of Tatian, it was a pleasant little road with fruit-laden branches leaning over the sides, lined by verdant fields or warm little communities. He couldn't wait to be out of the insufferable place.

The Tatian Landguard was a powerful organization defending the entire world, which made it particularly inconvenient that they were hunting him down. Technically they were searching for outsiders to the Nine Worlds, but he was fairly sure that meant him. All of their agents were overwhelmingly powerful compared to him, plus they'd all be at least competent, unlike local Farmguards.

However, they weren't dealing with just anyone. Theo crept from out of the trees, slipping his shielding tree branches into his pack and instead pulling a silvery cloak over his shoulders. He'd stolen it from some Deuxan travelers in a previous village, thanks to their relaxation in the environment. It was one of several different disguises he'd put together during his months of travel, leaving him wishing that he was strong enough to store all his supplies in his soulhome.

His skin was too light to be a native Tatian, so he needed to pretend to be a traveler from another of the Nine Worlds. Deuxan was easiest, especially now that he had the clothes, but he also had a Fithan cloak. Though he lacked the skin or horns to look truly Fithan, Tatians really didn't know much about Fithe, so he could get away with it. That actually stopped him from using an Ichili disguise, which otherwise would have been a good bet: the locals knew so little about Ichil that he would draw attention as an outsider anyway.

Slipping between guises and paths, he'd been making his way to the city of Nlukoko for just over three months. Though he'd expected the isolated travel to be enjoyable, he found himself looking forward to meeting Fiyu and Nauda again at their destination. Since they had all left Myufuru at the same time, the possibility that the Landguards were looking for an odd trio was just too high to travel together.

Though he was finally getting close, that meant that his concerns about what would happen there came back to the forefront. Since he wanted to avoid the forests for now, Theo instead made his way to one of the larger paths, to blend in with the crowd. Since he was relatively close to the city, even the local rubes might have information for him.

A group of Tatians ambled along, infuriatingly slow, but Theo matched pace with him. They noticed and immediately became all smiles. One of them was carrying a child, which pointed at him and began squeaking "Foreigner! Foreigner!" cheerfully, but its mother quieted it down with pats on the head. One of the others approached and clasped his forearm in a friendly way.

"Hello there! Don't mind the child, this is just her first time out of the village."

"I don't mind at all." Though it might have been wasted on local villagers, Theo carefully modulated his tone for an aristocratic Deuxan accent. "I've seen how well you treat foreigners here."

"Are you from the city?" one of the men asked, almost as curious as the child. "You're Deuxan, right?"

"Actually, I'm traveling to Nlukoko for the first time."

"Oh. I thought you might be from there because we see a lot of cloaks like yours coming from that direction, though I'm not sure why."

That suggested there was a gate to Deuxan in Nlukoko, which was useful information that made his cover story more plausible. Theo invented a story about having fallen into Tatian through a temporary door and attempting to make his way back to his home world. The villagers were immediately sympathetic and thrust offers of food and lodging on him, which he skillfully deflected in the Tatian manner. A real Deuxan would probably have been offended, but he figured they wouldn't know the difference.

More importantly, he gleaned significant information about his destination from their babbling. Most cities on Tatian were basically the same, but Nlukoko seemed to be the exception, likely due to the fact that it had at least one gate to another world. Though Tatian welcomed other worlds at arms' length, and was well-defended by the Landguard, it had to have absorbed some culture from the other side. They likely had more diverse sublime materials as well, which he made a note to take advantage of.

The other side, however, was that Nlukoko seemed to have a poor reputation. Tatians didn't gossip - at least not in the spiteful ways he expected - but they suggested that the community there "wasn't very friendly", which might as well have been calling them homicidal cannibals. Though he doubted it could be as hostile as many places in the Nine, increased caution seemed appropriate.

Beyond that, the real question was why Nauda had suggested that they meet there. She had told them that her home lay in the north, but was cagey about exactly where it was. It was possible that growing up in an unusual city was the source of her unusual attitude, but also possible that she had another...

Theo's train of thought derailed as he realized that the Landguard walked on the path ahead. Toward him.

He immediately lowered his gaze and pulled his soulcrafter senses inward, but the moment had been enough. They'd completely changed their appearance somehow and shielded their power, it just wasn't good enough to fool him. The border of their soulhome must be reinforced by a shielding wall, which would defend their soul and also allow them to hide their strength. It was likely two stories high, letting them feel like a mere Archcrafter, but it lacked the gate that would allow them to modulate their cantae. Those who had passed beyond the Ruler tier had cantae that felt more liquid than gaseous, though the difference wasn't obvious except to those who knew it.

His knowledge from his past life just made him aware of the danger, not able to do anything about it. There were plenty of people on the road and the Landguard wasn't aiming specifically for him, so it must be mere suspicions. The problem was, all his options for escape would make him stand out from the crowd. Getting off the road into the fields around, which were craggier than in the south, might be enough for him to hide, the problem was getting there.

While he thought, their groups drew ever closer. Fortunately, the Landguard paused to greet others along the path, but that just stretched out the tension...

"Tell me," Theo entered the Tatians' conversation at the first opportunity, "do you know if there's a Landguard base in Nlukoko?"

"Oh, I don't think so," the Tatian man said, blinking in surprise. "Maybe a few of them. But the Landguards are here to defend us. There aren't any problems from Deuxan, are there?"

"I don't think so, but I was wondering if they might help me get back." With every step they got closer and closer, but talking about Landguards would be the last thing an outsider would do. Theo made sure to smile at approaching groups like normal while focusing on his companions. "Is there anywhere nearby where I could take a look at the area, find my way to Nlukoko?"

"Certainly, certainly! Here, let us show you!"

As he'd hoped, the family took time out of their schedule to take him onto another path toward one of the hills. They left the path not long before they would have passed the Landguard and he had no idea how close of a scrape it had been. Maybe the Landguard had a chamber in his soulhome dedicated to analysis, maybe not, but he couldn't risk looking backward either way.

They climbed the hill, still chattering in a friendly fashion, but it got steeper faster than he'd expected. He'd thought that all of Tatian was fairly flat, or at worst rolling plains, but this hill was high and jagged enough that there could be dangerous falls.

"There, you see?" The mother shifted her child to one arm so that she could point. "You can't see Nlukoko, but the river there passes right through it! So if you head that way, you'll be sure to see it. Just watch your step on these paths!"

"Thank you, I will." Theo paused, wondering if he should feed them misinformation in case they were questioned by Landguards later. He decided that any stratagem might end up suspicious, while a simple friendly encounter might be forgotten. "I'm appreciative for all your help. You've been very kind to a foreigner far from Deuxan."

"I hope you find your way back home! And if you see any Landguards, just ask them. The Landguard is here to help us."

The frustrating thing was that their bland smiles were essentially justified, here on Tatian. Theo forced himself to smile back and left with minimal embraces, heading up the path as quickly as he could. As he moved on, the path grew narrower, more shielded from the farms around by the elevation and the brightly-colored trees growing around him.

Footsteps behind him. Theo would never have been able to identify them before, but during his journey he'd soulcrafted a room that improved his senses slightly. Nothing extraordinary, just enough to be sure that someone was following him. 

People rarely walked alone on Tatian, so it had to be the Landguard. Theo began walking faster, but he knew that he couldn't possibly escape by speed alone.

Instead, he tugged off his Deuxan cloak and began rummaging in his pack. His tree branch blind was wrong for these trees, but he had a bright Tatian cloak that blended in. Theo wrapped it around himself, searched the forest below, then plunged over the edge.

On the way down, he grabbed a heavy tree branch. If his arm hadn't been reinforced by cantae, it likely would have been torn out of its socket, and stopping his fall sent a wrenching pain through his shoulder, but he managed to drop lightly to the ground. Without much sound, and most importantly without using any techniques that might get him noticed. When he looked up, he could see the steep side of the path overhead. He didn't notice any dislodged rocks or broken tree branches, not that there was any time to make adjustments.

Instead he plunged deeper into the forest, trying not to step on any sticks or brush against too many of the crimson leaves. Fortunately, Tatian forests were generally open and welcoming, even semi-wild ones such as this. He must be in one of the unfarmed areas he'd spotted from the top, though it wasn't far to another little community.

As soon as he found a denser cluster of trees, Theo dropped into a hollow and drew his cloak over himself, leaving just a narrow sliver to look out. That way, he might look like any Tatian taking a nap in the forest, not that the deception would hold if the Landguard came for him.

For a long time he simply waited, unable to see the path from his position by design and unable to hear anything amiss. He had to restrain his impulse to reach out with his senses several times. It was possible that the Landguard hadn't really been following him and this was all unnecessary, but considering that his enemy was some sort of shadowy organization, no precaution was too much.

Just when he started to think he was overly paranoid, trees rustled and a body rose from the hill. No longer shielding his power, the Landguard floated into the air on a river of cantae, eyes sweeping over the landscape. He'd risen from a point that Theo estimated was further along the path they'd been walking.

As an Authority-tier soulcrafter, the Landguard could have turned the entire farmscape into a wasteland.  But this was Tatian. Several villagers atop another hill began waving cheerfully, and the Landguard waved back before flying onward.

Only then did Theo allow himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He couldn't let it make him lax, but he had a major advantage: the Landguards were looking for some sort of demonic visitor aiming to destroy their world, not a simple traveler. Some of them really did seem to believe that outsiders were a threat, and he wasn't sure how they'd gotten that idea, but most seemed to be Tatian at heart, just wanting to defend their people.

It was incredibly inconvenient for him, but hopefully it would be over soon. This time he seemed to have shaken his pursuer for good, so while he needed to be cautious, he had a fairly straight shot to the river. Presuming the villagers had directed him rightly, it wouldn't be far to Nlukoko from there.

Once he arrived, he would be able to meet up with Nauda and Fiyu again... presuming that all went well. He didn't doubt that both of them would try their best, and he hadn't considered leaving them, even if there had been any opportunities along the way. But if they had been found... Nauda might be able to blend in effortlessly, but Fiyu stuck out in basically every way.

If the Landguard had either or both of them, he'd have to make a very hard decision. Not only did he have nowhere near the power to challenge such an organization, doing so would draw exactly the wrong attention to himself. Vistgil was more powerful than the Landguard and outright malicious, so drawing his eye at this stage would be suicide. Yet if he had to make a choice... he would have to hope that it didn't come up.

This time, it seemed that he'd really shaken his pursuer for good. Though he remained cautious, Theo didn't see any sign of his pursuer or any other Landguard. As he approached the river and the city, the people became less effusive with their friendliness, but that was probably just the effect of Nlukoko.

The city itself soon came into sight as he walked along the river, and he found himself staring at it more than he should. What he thought was the river swelling turned out to be a lake that stretched into the distance, the city itself growing on top of it. Some of the buildings appeared to be on islands, but others floated on boats or strange platforms of reeds. He spotted enormous lotus flowers in between the buildings before he saw people walking across them and realized that they were part of the city as well. Water flowed in the air above the city as if within invisible tubes, but he saw nothing supporting the spiraling currents.

Unlike most Tatian cities, it actually had a serious barrier in the form of the water, which meant that he needed to use one of the bridges. With his improved soulhome, he had a shot at jumping or swimming it, but he had to assume that even on Tatian they would have defenses to guard against that. It looked like there was actually security at the bridges, so Nlukoko took itself more seriously than most.

Though they weren't likely to be collaborating with the Landguards, Theo decided to gather information first. He spotted a group of Tatians gawking at everything and shadowed them until the line got close to the bridge guards, then fell back into the next group and listened closely.

"Why do we need papers to show who we are?" one of the newcomers asked, honestly befuddled. "We'd be happy to tell you."

"The community of Nlukoko welcomes everyone, we just need to make sure that the community stays welcoming." The guard clasped the newcomer's arms warmly, like they might in any village, but something in his warmth was just slightly wrong. "But you are welcome to join us in Nlukoko, for a day or for a year. You need only pay the proper fees."

"Fees? I don't understand... we aren't bringing any goods, we only wanted to visit. Why do you need money for that?"

"But you see, the guard requires money in order to continue working, so we ask everyone to make a small contribution to our community."

"But... if you just didn't have the guard, then the problem would be solved!"

The conversation continued, the guards patient as if they had explained this often throughout the day, and Theo backed away. He might be able to learn slightly more, but this was enough to know that something was wrong. Though he hadn't spent very much time on Tatian, he'd only heard of a few cities that required paperwork, and absolutely none that demanded fees for entry. Normally the local Farmguards were maintained by their own families purely out of generosity and goodwill.

Obviously things didn't work that way here, which meant that he was stuck outside the city. There was no way of knowing where Fiyu or Nauda were, or if the Landguards were still looking. After so long traveling, he'd hoped his journey was finally over.

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Chapter 2

No choice but to regroup and reconsider. Theo moved among the others milling around in line, no proper queue except Tatian politeness. That made it easy to shift back without making it obvious, then eventually depart and get away from the road approaching the bridge.

Since the other bridges would no doubt be similar, he decided to simply shift to their backup plan, at least to start. When they had last spoken before splitting up, Nauda had suggested a number of other places to meet up, in descending order. She would understand that none of the options within the city were viable, so the next one... some sort of landmark outside the city.

She had described a blackened tree that stood on a hill, so he went looking for it. Nearly everything on Tatian was always blooming, in different ways in different seasons, so a dead tree would stick out quite a bit. What had happened to it, he couldn't be sure, and he was surprised that the Tatians didn't get rid of it, but she said that he would know when he saw it.

Sure enough, there was no question as soon as his eyes fell on the dark tree. From a distance he mostly noted the bare, partially broken branches, but what struck him as he drew close was that the bark itself appeared dark and glossy, almost as if the whole tree had calcified.

After examining the area and confirming that no one was present - no surprise, since the grim tree wasn't very pleasant for Tatians - he went back to examine the tree further. Trying to chip off a piece, even using as much cantae as he dared, wasn't effective. The material itself required some examination: it was a subtle sublime material, not generating much cantae, but potentially useful for reinforcing walls within a soulhome.

In any case, he couldn't break it down enough to draw into his soul, and if it had been easy, soulcrafters within the city would no doubt have taken it already. Theo set the tree out of mind as a curiosity, since it didn't feel particularly valuable, and instead sat down to begin soulcrafting while he waited. Since he had no idea about the others, he might have some time.

As he floated into the core of his soul, Theo reflected that he needed that time, because he had a great deal of work to do. The first floor of his soulhome looked impressive, solarstone shining brightly in the middle of his soul's field, but the interior was still a work in progress.

A soulhome was never truly finished, but he'd finished less than half of his plans for his first floor. Of the nine rooms, only the central chamber needed no more work, the dark singularity he'd never planned spinning within. His original blueprint would have made the four corner rooms pillars of strength, with the four connecting rooms providing supportive techniques. That plan had now been reversed, which wasn't all bad: corner rooms faced two different directions and thus could provide more flexibility.

The corner chamber that embodied his technique of producing gravitational fields was coming along nicely, filled with elaborate carvings that allowed him to create three simultaneous fields in the real world. He'd also begun work on the next corner, attempting to create a torsion effect: it was nowhere near working in practice, but he'd put in the groundwork.

He had ideas for the remaining two corners, but most of his time on the run had been spent on middle rooms. The chamber leading in from his entrance had been upgraded into a reinforced storage room, which increased his body's durability while also providing a space to safely keep sublime materials. His feast chamber, which enhanced his strength and senses, was coming along nicely. Rooms that weren't tied to specific techniques or armaments tended to be a bit more abstract, so he was holding off on the remaining two until he'd figured out who he truly wanted to be, in this second life.

So one finished chamber, two well-developed, three in progress, and three empty. It was a much better design than he'd had before, yet he wished that he was further along. As Theo began to walk inside, he reflected that he had more than just the rooms he'd counted.

For one, he had his vestibule, which allowed him to use cantae more efficiently than any normal first tier soulcrafter. His carefully crafted door let him stay alert in the real world while soulcrafting. And he'd essentially finished the roof, merging hearthtree trunks with the last of his solarstone to forge a solid ceiling. It did him little good now, but it would be essential when he finished all nine rooms and sought to ascend to Archcrafter.

There was no sense dreaming about that yet, so Theo instead walked into his feast chamber and got back to work. Because many sublime materials took the form of food, chambers built around it were one of the most common ways to improve oneself. His was simple at the moment, just a sturdy table piled with all the sublime food he'd eaten so far. He'd only eaten a few rare delicacies, so he'd filled most of it with reliable flamefruit and duskfruit.

Instead of worrying about any of that, Theo picked up his spirit chisel and set to work, carving patterns down another one of the table's legs. This part was more art than science, and not just because of the designs. The sublime foods in the chamber generated some cantae for him, but it was the construction of the overall chamber that determined how well his body made use of it.

An empty chamber could store cantae, which could briefly make him stronger or more durable. Adding the table made the current more efficient, making his body just a little more durable against opposing cantae. Carving the table was a minor improvement, the sort of thing many young soulcrafters would ignore, but he needed every advantage he could get, if he couldn't have the invincible body he'd once planned.

As he fell deeper into the work, he kept one eye on the world around him while he considered different plans for the future. Technique rooms were relatively simple, but he hadn't thought of a plan for his other four rooms that felt right. Even if he didn't really live in his soulhome, he needed to craft rooms that connected with him on some level, or they'd be little better than big boxes of cantae.

How long he worked, he couldn't be sure, but the sun had crept toward the horizon by the time he felt someone get close enough to distract him. Instantly he ceased his soulcrafting, his paranoia honed by months evading the Landguard... only to smile and set down his work as he realized who it was.

Theo emerged back into the real world as Nauda bounded up the side of the hill toward him. Glad as he was to see her, his mind automatically checked for deception and evaluated her condition. It didn't appear that she'd found a replacement for her forked armament, but she did have a long walking stick slung across her back. She'd changed her clothes and continued soulcrafting as well, though he couldn't determine any details from the outside.

Then she arrived and pulled him directly into a warm Tatian hug. "Theo! I worried when I saw how many Landguards were searching, but you made it here faster than I expected."

"Do you have a way into the city?" he asked as soon they pulled apart. She kept her hand on his arm, likely starved for human touch after so long.

"Yes, there are alternate ways. I had enough time to acquire papers for you and Fiyu, so we can all enter without attracting the guard. I assume you saw them and retreated here, because this was the first place I saw you."

"What exactly is going on with the Farmguards here? Or are they Farmguards at all?"

"In the sense of being soulcrafters, yes, but..." Nauda's gaze wandered to the city, her warmth finally fading to embers. "Nlukoko is not a normal Tatian city. I had a little time to check, and it still has the great library and most of what we'll need. But it's not a place to walk carelessly."

"I think I'd like to hear the whole story."

"I understand that. And I do want to tell you more, but perhaps we should wait until Fiyu arrives bef-"

"I am here." The new voice made both of them jump, and Theo turned just in time to see Fiyu emerge from nothing.

He'd given that corner of the hill a good look when he arrived and he'd been sure that there was no one there, but before his eyes, the shadows rippled and Fiyu's body congealed into being, sitting atop a rock. Theo was willing to bet that she'd been there for some time, which explained how she had remained hidden in Tatian. She hadn't changed her clothes, still clad in the thick layered robes of Ichil, but she'd clearly soulcrafted a new chamber for that stealth technique.

Though she drew back slightly when they stared at her, Fiyu soon rose to her feet and smiled at them. Even with her eyes hidden by the dark translucent mask, the emotion was clear, and that smile was the Ichili equivalent of throwing herself into an embrace. Nauda took a step toward her, clearly wanting to give her the same treatment, but she held herself back.

"Just how long have you been there?" Theo asked to break the tension. Fiyu turned to him and bobbed her head agreeably.

"I saw you arrive. I have enjoyed my time alone, but I have been preparing myself, and I am ready to travel together again."

"That's good." Nauda approached her and restrained herself to brushing one of Fiyu's trailing sleeves. "Can you extend that technique to us as well?"

"I may be able to, but it will require more testing. Would you like me to begin now?"

"Maybe not quite yet." Nauda turned from both of them and stared toward Nlukoko, the city practically burning in the sunset. "We have a lot to talk about. We should get started right away."

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Chapter 3

The papers that Nauda had acquired got them over the bridge without any trouble, though Theo spent some time looking over them afterward. They gave some basic information about his identity, and had an elaborate seal, but otherwise they seemed like a formality. Based on the false identities, they had been acquired illegally... at least, it would be illegal on any other world. Here on Tatian, he wasn't sure if that word really applied.

But for the most part, he set that thought out of mind and focused on the other two. On their way into the city they shared notes about Landguards, confirming that they'd apparently spread out from Myufuru indiscriminately, instead of tracking them specifically. The time apart seemed to have been hard on Nauda and good for Fiyu, as he'd predicted.

Nlukoko was the first Tatian city he'd ever seen where the people pressed together roughly, and he saw a harsher edge in some eyes. He spotted more than a few Deuxans, and they didn't look so out of place here, many selling materials from their home world in street-side markets. It was all clearly overwhelming for Fiyu, who insisted on remaining in between them. Since Nauda was the one who knew where they were going, he had no choice but to follow, watch the crowds closely, and try not to flatten Fiyu between them when they needed to stop quickly.

"You're obviously tired," Nauda said once they had finished catching up, "and we can't accomplish many of our objectives this late. I have a place for us to rest, but before then, I'd like to show you our destinations tomorrow."

"A personal connection?" Theo asked. "Or do they have inns here?"

"I hired out a room, but implied there would be five of us. Don't worry, the locals here won't be as cooperative with Landguards, so we just need to keep a low profile." Nauda jerked her head to the side, indicating that their awkward little line needed to shift. "This way and we can accomplish both goals in one stroke."

She was leading them toward one of the floating rivers, or more specifically a small station where people stepped into boats that carried them into the current. Theo was momentarily troubled by the fact that the boats appeared to be made of leaves, but the waxy substance seemed to be durable enough to survive their journeys sliding overhead.

Again, money exchanged hands before they were allowed to step into the next leaf boat. Theo honestly wasn't sure if that was a necessary requirement to maintain the channels of floating water or simple profit, but he was sure that the boats would have been free in another city. Nauda didn't comment and Fiyu didn't seem to think anything of it, so they soon coursed down the watery channel and deeper into Nlukoko.

Quite soon, the water curved upward and he understood why Nauda had taken them on this path as the city spread out beneath them. Now that they weren't pressed on all sides, Fiyu sat eagerly by the edge, peering out over the city, though she soon frowned.

"Even the water is too bright."

Now that she mentioned it, he realized that the lake itself did seem to glow, possibly with more than just the reflection of the sunset and the lights of the city. In any case, Nauda didn't comment on it, just gestured for them to look forward as they rounded a bend.

"Do you see the sphere to the east there? That's the library where I saw the reference to these 'artifacts of Elghiera'."

Theo frowned at the glistening sphere, thinking back to the ring he'd possessed in his past life. "What about any information on the Landguards? I heard that they didn't have a base here, but that was a village rumor."

"They don't operate here... Nlukoko has a special agreement. There's a chance that you might be able to learn something in the archives, but it's a long shot." Nauda shrugged. 'That's the best I can do for you."

"It's more than I expected. Thank you."

Meanwhile, as they flowed over the sphere, Fiyu peered down at it. "Is that a bubble? Aren't they concerned that the books will get wet?"

"This does seem like a bad place for a library, huh?" Nauda leaned over the side to admire it as well. "I understand that the bubble is Fithan technology, but I don't know why it's here. Apparently it keeps everything extremely dry, so this is an archive for the entire region."

Fiyu nodded somberly, while Theo was forced to look at the library with a different set of eyes. Yes, it was one of his current objectives, but it was also a beautiful structure. It floated like an azure marble amid the city, linked to the rest by sapphire chains. Though the outside was translucent, he could see through enough to glimpse shelves of books within. If he had more experience in Fithe, he might have known some way to sneak inside, but for now, he'd have to play by the rules.

"What is that?" Fiyu breathed suddenly. Theo turned at the same time Nauda did, but his attention was only momentarily captured by the flowery palace.

Because that was what it was, in the end: just another pleasure palace in a slightly different form. A giant purple lotus flower floated separate from the city, not linked by any bridges. The flower itself flowed with cantae, which was all that allowed it to exist at such an enormous size, but it was essentially just decoration. Within its petals, several purple buildings unfolded in direct parallel to the flower. Pretty in a sense, he supposed, but it was just another display of wealth.

"The mansion of the Lord of Nlukoko." Nauda's eyes narrowed as she stared out toward it, and Theo sat up straighter.

"Lord? A 'lord' on Tatian?"

"He isn't native to Tatian, but he's ruled the city for... a few decades, at least. As far as I understand it, he has some sort of agreement with the Landguard to assist in the defense of Tatian, but in return he gets independence. Technically he's not supposed to exploit his position, but... you've seen what he's done to the city, slowly corrupting it."

"Where exactly is he from?" Theo asked. "If he's a local strongman, he must make appearances."

Nauda shrugged, gaze still distant. "I've seen him, but I'm not sure."

"That rules out Arbai or Aathal, then. There may be a lot of humanoids in the Nine, and some worlds have more diversity than you'd expect, but you can usually tell them apart. Any notable traits?"

"Theo..." Fiyu turned from the side to tug on his sleeve, barely perceptibly. "I do not think that Nauda wants to talk about where he is from."

Hesitating, Theo realized that it wasn't really relevant and he should have let it go. Before he could apologize or change the subject, Nauda cast him a smotheringly warm look. "I'm infinitely grateful to receive your wisdom, oh great experienced one, but we may need to dirty our minds with some more mundane concerns."

Seeing that she was fine, Theo just rolled his eyes. "Okay, fair enough. Is this Lord of Nlukoko relevant to our work?"

"He's the reason that we have a bit of freedom from the Landguards here, but otherwise, no. If he does make an appearance, or his guards get in our path, we need to avoid antagonizing him. I'm not sure how powerful he is, but he's stronger than a Ruler. There's... simply nothing we can do right now."

Fiyu tilted her head to the side. "But you wish that you could do something, am I right?"

Nauda didn't say anything, but her fingers tightening on the edge of their boat were answer enough. Theo kept silent, since he had been throwing out unnecessary information, even though he had a likely theory. He decided to keep it to himself for the time being, and Nauda soon returned to pointing out sights around the city.

As their vessel arced high over the buildings, Nauda pointed out several major markets that included sublime materials, as well as notable guard posts or more dangerous neighborhoods. It was not exactly a friendly tour, but an extremely useful one, so he wouldn't complain. Apparently the one thing she had failed to find was a place that would sell vehicles they could use to travel further north.

Just as they reached the edge of the lights glowing above the lake, their stream of water bent downward again. Theo gazed out beyond the lake, frowning at the darkness of the landscape beyond. Though he couldn't see to the other side of the city to compare, to the east and west the small hearthfires and other evidence of villages seemed to fade out toward the north.

"Once we're done in Nlukoko, we travel out there." Nauda stared out into the dark landscape, fixed on something he couldn't see. "It's too far away to link to Nlukoko, but there's a stable gate to a true hub city in Fithe, one that connects to several different worlds. I think that it includes a gate to Ichil, Fiyu."

"Oh!" Fiyu sat up straighter and peered out. "How long must we wait before making the trip?"

"We need a vehicle to help us make the trip, and I'm afraid those are usually expensive. There's work and competitions in the city, so perhaps we can earn enough to purchase one and arrive there."

"Why do we need the vehicle? The villages have always been so generous..."

Nauda gave her a strange look and Theo realized the misunderstanding: Fiyu looked out into the dark hills and didn't notice the lack of village fires, at least not consciously. "The farms stop in that direction," he explained, "though I can't tell why from here. That's actually pretty rare on Tatian... Nauda, is it a region too dangerous for non-soulcrafters?"

"No, the land just... grows emptier and less hospitable the further out you go." Though Nauda answered the question readily, he again got the sense that she wasn't telling the whole truth. "But it is potentially more dangerous than the farmsteads, and we'd need to take all our food with us, so we can't simply hike out there."

If true, that was the first part of Tatian that Theo had ever seen that wasn't overflowing with natural bounty. He knew of a few dangerous areas, such as vast forests that contained powerful sublime resources, but those were usually more bountiful than the average village. Though he wanted to stare out further, their path had finally arced back down into the city.

From the place where they left the leaf boat and the stream of water, it was somewhat of a walk to the inn, but Theo figured that Nauda had chosen that route to show them the city, instead of for pure efficiency. If they spent any time here, he'd need to figure out the network of dizzying water arcs, but hopefully it wouldn't be long. Cities ruled by lords from other worlds generally weren't safe places, even on Tatian.

Eventually they reached the inn, a small clay building at the edge of a broader pier. The people he saw there looked warmer than the rest of the city, more like Tatian villages, and he hoped that Nauda had chosen them for other reasons. They seemed circumspect as well as warm, letting them reach their room with no more than polite embraces.

The room had enough beds, so while the women departed to a communal bathroom, Theo sat down on one of them and finally eased off his pack. Soft bed, warm room, reasonably stable platform... this would do, at least for now. Theo lay back and put his arms behind his head.

After months, his time of traveling alone was finally over. Hopefully, that would mean it was time for more progress, but before he could consider his plans, he drifted to sleep.