Archcrafter: Chapters 25-27 (The Weirkey Chronicles) (Patreon)

Hey, everybody, we have a promo here. Though I haven't had the opportunity to read Quantum Cultivation, JC Kang has been a very friendly and helpful guy. His newest book is trying something new for him, so check out the content in the description and see if it interests you!

Second, I finally put up the Goodreads page for A Hollow Mountain. If you're one of the people with an ARC, feel free to put up your review there. And message me if you haven't, or you may get an unnecessary reminder. We're moving toward an early June release.

Business out of the way, it's time for three more chapters. I hope everyone enjoys this glimpse of Ichil. ^-^

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Chapter 25

Passing through the gate didn't immediately plunge them into darkness, because the gate itself shone with the light of Fithe. When Theo glanced over his shoulder, the arch looked garishly red in the dark landscape. Large walls had been built around it to contain the light, as otherwise it would have made itself a target, for sublime beasts or other forces.

Given the force of soulcrafters they had on the other side, however, he doubted it would be attacked by anyone intelligent. The walls around the gate were only the first part of a small fortress, though it seemed like most lived on the Fithan side. They had a Fithan Ruler to provide raw power, while Ichili soulcrafters used their skills to control the local environment.

As for the Greater Dark itself, it wasn't a region of Ichil he'd visited before, but it was broadly similar. Whatever else you might say about Ichili location names, you had to admit: they were descriptive. Outside the small circle of light leaking from the fortress, he saw nothing but darkness in all directions.

Within that light, he could make out a few other details. The sky was unrelieved dark gray, textureless like a day without clouds, no sun or stars to shed light. Below, the ground was actually varying pale shades, more white than black, but they all looked the same further out in the darkness. If he'd had Ichili senses, he would have been able to determine something about about the space beneath the ground, though the region didn't seem like it had rivers or caverns.

"We now begin a long journey." Fiyu had told them plenty of things during their preparations, but it was tradition to speak about the journey before it began. "This is the Greater Dark, which is a dangerous region of my world. It will require many days to cross even a small fraction of it. First we must locate a cavesteader community that trades sublime materials with Fithe, then perhaps a day beyond that, an outpost that contains a Biolumin Relay."

Theo had been double-checking the straps that tied down their supplies, both for security and to make Fiyu more comfortable, but looked up at that. "You don't know the exact travel times?"

"I do not, because the journey has never been taken in a vehicle like ours. It is said to take over two months by wagons, but our sleigh will pass over certain obstacles. We may also need to stop at times due to weather." She smiled and bobbed her head at him. "But do not worry, Theo. I have been given highly precise bearings for each stage of the journey, so only our travel time is uncertain."

He'd have to hope they beat that estimate by a lot, otherwise they'd miss out on other opportunities in Norro Yorthin. If things went horribly wrong and they thought he was trying to avoid his duel, that would be bad for House Blacksilver and soon worse for him. But his primary concern was simply the amount of time it took: the journey was worth a massive 375 merits, but the true value of it would decrease with every week they couldn't work in the city. He hoped the other opportunities would be worth it.

"It is absolutely essential that we remain silent and do not generate indiscriminate light. I will apply my stealth technique while I am awake, which should absorb quiet conversation between us, but it cannot effectively hide lights. House Blacksilver has loaned us obscuring tents and unidirectional lanterns for when lights may be absolutely necessary."

"How do we navigate if we get off track?" Nauda was staring skyward, eyes unfocused in the emptiness. "I don't see any landmarks away from the gate..."

"Do not worry, Nauda. My senses will be sufficient to keep us on the proper path, and likely to avoid all potential danger. I hope that this journey will be a quiet one, during which we can all soulcraft in a peaceful environment."

Having completed her speech, Fiyu checked over the sleigh as was customary, then climbed into the front seat to begin the journey. All the supplies were fine, so Theo hopped behind them, while Nauda remained in the middle. She leaned on the side of the vehicle, peering out into the darkness, increasingly squinting as they pulled away from the gate.

Relaxing in his seat, Theo just closed his eyes. On his previous visits to Ichil, he'd found that keeping his eyes open caused strain as they searched for light, but with them closed, his body seemed to expect more darkness. He did his best to feel all the cantae in the area, though it was a cheap imitation of a proper extended sense. It would be enough for some warning if they were attacked and not much more.

Under normal circumstances, he would have begun soulcrafting a chamber to grant him an extrasensory capacity immediately, especially because it would be beneficial even in other worlds. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be useful in a duel, so it had to wait.

He reflected that it wouldn't be the first time he handicapped himself in the present in return for future strength, but it would definitely be the most obvious. But there were speed chambers to soulcraft, so there was no time to waste. Theo settled back into his seat and closed his eyes as they glided into the darkness.

~ ~ ~

When they'd begun the journey, Nauda was certain that she could endure the new environment. In fact, she'd been most concerned that the endless darkness would be boring, since there was nothing to see. But as day after day wore on, the shadows clawed down her throat and began to consume her.

It wasn't truly endless darkness, since she could use a lantern within their tent when they were forced to stop. A strangely heavy rain passed through on occasion, which Fiyu said would be harmful to the sleigh, so they stopped and put a tarp over it while the rest of them occupied tents. Since the thick material blocked all light, she was free to bring out one of the cantae lamps and fill the tent with light.

Somehow, that was even worse. It let her read, and her eyes relaxed from the aching dark, but the tent walls in every direction just reminded her that she occupied an insignificant mote of light. All around, the dark closed in, and she could only huddle in a claustrophobic little space.

She thought that soulcrafting would be her refuge, and she could do so if wrapped in obscuring cloth. Yet even her soul seemed to be dimmed by the environment, lacking a vibrancy she'd always taken for granted. The false light within her only made returning to the darkness outside even worse. Though she made herself continue working, the pale light inside her soul grew increasingly oppressive.

As they again slid forward into the absolute black, Nauda felt almost as if they weren't moving at all. If not for the wind in her hair, she could have been suspending in nothingness, trapped in a void where movement had no meaning. She raised her hands in front of her face even though she knew that she'd see nothing. Nauda closed her eyes and rubbed the lids, because the flashes of light were better than nothing.

Had she ever been in this much darkness for so long? The upper part of Tatian was constantly lit by warm light, but even the Tatian below was lit by undying fires. She'd spent some time in dungeons where there were only tiny vents that let in light, but those felt like bright paradises compared to this.

No matter how many times she told herself it was just a long night, the utter void sank into her and putrefied. Her thoughts began to twist as if they were no longer under her control, leaving her shuddering with strange nightmares. And yet she couldn't say anything, because...

"Oh! It is a herd of dullspines!" The front of the sleigh creaked as if Fiyu had moved, and after she slowed them to a halt, her hands clapped together. "They are so beautiful... but you cannot see them, can you? Dullspines are great round beasts, with intricate spines they use defensively. We should stop until they pass, or we may encounter predators."

Even unable to see her, Nauda could feel the happiness vibrating through Fiyu's being. Though not exactly outgoing, she had been so much more vibrant and less withdrawn than in the city. And she took such care to try to help Nauda, bringing her everything she needed, that it felt crass to complain. This was Fiyu's world, after all, and she dearly loved her home.

"I must go scout and see how large the herd is. Please wait for me." Something shifted by the front of the sleigh, possibly Fiyu leaving, but Nauda couldn't translate the sounds. The only reason she knew Fiyu had moved away was that she felt the sphere of the other woman's cantae pass through her.

After a little more time had passed, Nauda climbed back over her seat, moving purely by feel. That nearly made her collide with Theo, but he seemed to have a slightly better sense for the darkness than she did and shifted away. Which wasn't what she'd wanted, though just as well that they spoke about it.

"Theo, I'm... not sure I'm okay." Her whisper sounded painfully hoarse in her ears, and she wanted a drink of water, but her flask was lost somewhere in the darkness ahead. "There's not enough light, and I haven't touched anyone in so long... you won't misunderstand if I say I need something, right?"

"I think I understand." Theo patted her arm and she quickly sat beside him, putting her back against his chest. Just feeling his body heat made her realize that she was cold, too, colder than just the environment should suggest.

"Sorry, I just... I've never felt like this. It's like it's getting into my head..."

"You don't need to apologize." He shifted his arm so she could sit more comfortably and just stayed there for her for a while before he spoke. "In my world, there are some who suffer mentally in periods without light. You might be suffering something worse, given the difference between Tatian and Ichil."

"Could we soulcraft a way through it?"

"I've never felt the same way, so I don't have an immediate solution. In theory we could figure out something, but we'd need to know more about what's happening, and I don't have a lot of different sublime materials on hand."

She'd been afraid of that, so she just dropped her head back against him. Somehow the darkness didn't seem to be bothering him - he couldn't see any better than she could, but he just adapted. Almost like he wasn't human... which, in a sense, he wasn't. He was an alien being from another realm she'd only heard about in his stories, apparently so alien that passing over had destroyed his soul.

For now, she would accept the warm alien. Being able to touch another person helped, but she was now certain that it wasn't enough. As her eyes strained in the shadows, her mind finally wandered from herself. "Do you... do you think this is how Fiyu felt on Tatian?"

"It's possible." Theo was silent for a time, giving her shoulder a friendly squeeze, before eventually speaking. "It wouldn't surprise me if Fiyu has been suffering from light overexposure of some kind. The window I helped her soulcraft would reduce the shock, but it probably doesn't help any mental effects."

"I thought that I'd enjoy visiting Fiyu's world, but this..."

"This is only your first visit. Before the next time, you can soulcraft something to help you through it."

When Theo said it so confidently, and she felt warm and part of a community, she could believe it. But Nauda knew that the dark would wait forever until it could close in around her.

~ ~ ~

Returning to Ichil was glorious, the cool quiet atmosphere enfolding Fiyu like comforting blankets. Though the mask that Ally Navim had created for her was not uncomfortable, it felt miraculous to be able to remove it and not be assaulted on all sides. 

The clouds of the Greater Dark roiled overhead, so substantial she could almost taste their currents. Occasionally a vast but thin beast floated on those waves, bending against itself in a beautiful spiral when it wanted to drop. Encountering a completely unknown beast should have been alarming, but it seemed like a peaceful grazer and she enjoyed simply feeling them hang overhead. Around them, the stone formed twisting spires and vents of darkness curled into the sky intricately. In a sense, all that bright torture had been worth it, since it deepened her appreciation for her home a thousandfold.

And yet... her joy could not be complete, because she knew her companions were not equally happy. She had fully expected there to be some discomfort as they adjusted, yet she knew them to be resilient people and hoped that it would soon pass. Then their traveling group could continue together, with her leading them, and she could show them her home.

Companion Nauda had it worst, shivering miserably even when it wasn't cold and constantly shifting her head as if searching for light. In the beginning she had relaxed in the sleigh, but as the journey continued, her muscles grew increasingly tense. Her neck was held unnaturally stiff, and she sat so awkwardly it had caused a muscle spasm in her thigh. She wouldn't complain, at least not to Fiyu directly, but she was clearly unhappy.

By contrast, Companion Theo seemed largely unaffected by the environment. Perhaps it was because he had traveled in Ichil before, or perhaps because his world was not so bright. Most of the time, his muscles were relaxed and only his soul remained intense, seeking for threats. Yet occasionally, when he moved unnaturally slowly or fumbled for the objects in his pack, she remembered that he was completely blind.

Even though it was not strictly necessary, Fiyu decided to call a halt. She eagerly set up their tents, all three in a row, just like traveling companions should be. Though she picked a spot next to a particularly beautiful set of stone spines carved by the wind, she realized that her companions couldn't see them. Theo made his way alongside the sleigh to his, only stumbling a little on the ground, but Companion Nauda remained where she sat.

"Nauda, you can rest now." Fiyu stepped beside her, speaking quietly so as not to startle her. "I have put your lantern in your tent. You can use the light now."

"Thank you, Fiyu." Companion Nauda smiled at her instinctively, but only a few muscles in her face shifted. Even though it was too dark to be seen, Companion Nauda was still attempting to be encouraging.

For a moment, Fiyu felt an impulse to embrace the other woman, to do something to comfort her. She knew that on Tatian, such a thing would be completely normal, and Companion Nauda would no doubt appreciate it. Yet it felt wrong... instead, Fiyu reached out and brushed Companion Nauda's wrist before grabbing her sleeve.

"Follow me. Be careful with the bush just to your left." Fiyu led Companion Nauda toward her tent, as she had so often been led through the cities.

As soon as she was inside, even before the double flaps had closed, Companion Nauda flooded the lantern with cantae, producing so much light it nearly overwhelmed the tent. Fragments of it flashed into the Greater Dark, shocking in their intensity. Fiyu carefully scanned the environment for any movement, but she thought the light had flared too briefly to attract anything.

It was time for her to take action. Her plan might not be adequate, but she did have a plan. Fiyu walked to the sleigh and pulled up the pack she had placed below the front seat, opening one of the hidden compartments. Within, she had stored a number of things that she hoped might help.

She carefully returned to the tent, preparing the outer flap to shield the light. For a moment she almost forgot her mask, at the last moment withdrawing it from her robes to place on properly. Then she ducked under the outer flap and pushed into the burning dome.

"Nauda, I have something for you." Fiyu gave her brightest smile and set a small package down in front of her. "This is dried flamefruit. I hope that you will enjoy it."

"From Tatian?" Companion Nauda stared at her in surprise, then snatched it up and tore it open to get a bite. Immediately after she let out a sigh. "It is... how did you get this?"

"I purchased it the last time we were in Nlukoko. It was part of our supplies, but I saved it until now."

"Thank you, Fiyu." Though Companion Nauda smiled, and this movement did reach the muscles beside her eyes, she drew her arms closer to her body. As if the taste of home had also reminded her of the temperature.

"You are cold! I will get a blanket." Fiyu swept back out of the tent before Companion Nauda could object, scurrying back to the sleigh to pick up one of the reserve blankets. 

If she had known how cold they would be, she would have advised them to bring even more clothes, but she had taken precautions with extra blankets. Hopefully this one would help Companion Nauda. Fiyu again tapped on the outside of the tent, then ducked inside and placed the blanket in front of the other woman... no, on her folded legs. That would be more personal.

"Here you go, Nauda. This will help you be warm."

Companion Nauda did wrap it around her shoulders, though she also gave an odd smile. "Are you not cold?"

"Some parts of Ichil are very cold, but this is not." Fiyu frowned and shook her head. "At least, not for me. Fortunately, we do not have to journey anywhere like the Deep Ice for this trip. If we do, I will advise you to bring many clothes and blankets."

"Well, thank you, Fiyu. This helps."

Uncertain if her presence would also help or only make Companion Nauda more uncomfortable, Fiyu lingered awkwardly and then eventually slipped out of the tent. Though the fabric absorbed nearly all the light, she could sense a nearly imperceptible brightness, so she walked some distance away until she could face true shadows.

They had made excellent progress, but their goal was still some distance away. Fiyu hoped that her companions could finish the journey alongside her.

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Chapter 26

Just when Fiyu began to hope that they could complete their journey through the Greater Dark without any serious incidents, she felt a presence at the edge of her ability to perceive. Someone else traveled this part of the expanse... alarming enough on its own, but it was a large number of individuals milling about. She hoped that they were merely setting up a camp, but their behavior continued to be unusual, which suggested that there could be a problem.

"There are people to the north," Fiyu said. She felt Companion Nauda immediately sit up and try to look on instinct, while Companion Theo began generating cantae. He was the first to respond.

"Attacking?"

"No, I think something is wrong. But it could easily be a trap of some sort, as they are strangers."

"Why do you say something might be wrong?" Companion Nauda asked.

"Because they continually move around an unmoving object of varying density. It may be a broken wagon." Fiyu didn't change their course, but her fingers twitched over the sleigh's controls as she strained to determine more about the far off group. "I cannot feel them in great detail, but it is possible that they are in distress."

"If this place is so dangerous, how would they call for help?"

"They wouldn't." Companion Theo cut off any potential response, climbing up into the second seat and extending his senses, though they were insufficient. "Unless they're Ruler-tier soulcrafters, your stealth should be sufficient. Move closer until you can get a better feel for them."

Companion Theo said what she had been thinking, but she hadn't been able to bring herself to take the action. She was ranging in the Greater Dark without an elder relative, after all, and such an action was highly unusual. The strangers were not her relatives at all, yet she felt as though it would be better to do something for them if possible.

After reinforcing the sphere around her, Fiyu extended her senses over the group. It was easiest to confirm that the large object was indeed a wagon, lying on its side. A slightly dense material formed a large pile beside it, presumably what the vehicle had been transporting. She thought it was foolish of them not to have used a sledge in such an environment, for this very reason.

She looked first for what had disrupted them in case it was a source of danger, her senses delving deep into a crevice. It was narrow and filled with dense spiked stones. Their patterns were beautiful, if common, but for the first time it occurred to her to wonder how they would look in the presence of light. Given their flat and polished surfaces, she suspected they would glitter, which her companions might enjoy. However, she did not know what creatures might live in the Greater Dark's crevices, so she merely watched for movement below as they approached the group.

As they moved alongside the group, she was able to make out the individuals. There were no less than five of them, some working at the bottom of the wagon and others still moving about. She sensed physical exertion on behalf of those by the wagon, and the others moved stiffly, likely as a result of tension. Unless they hid their strength, only two were first tier soulcrafters...

"It appears to be a group of five, transporting goods across the Greater Dark when their wagon was damaged," Fiyu reported. "They have limited soulcrafting ability and are only lightly armed. It seems that they are in distress, to be stranded in this location."

There was a pause, then Companion Nauda leaned forward expectantly. "Well? Aren't we going to help them?"

"They are still strangers. We must be cautious, in case they have deceived my senses." Still, Fiyu thought that she was correct, so she released her technique and let out a low whistle. It was designed to echo, not revealing her location precisely, but still opening potential interaction.

After several heartbeats, a warbling whistle came in response. Companion Theo's face contorted in displeasure before he spoke. "I don't think I know what that one means."

"It was improperly done, but I believe they meant a cry for help." Fiyu shook her head as she shifted the sleigh to move toward the fallen wagon. "They are likely to be cavesteaders, or another group that does not understand how to range in this region. I hope it will not be a burden to assist them."

When they approached the group, Fiyu was able to make them out in greater detail: two men, two women, and a child. Likely one of the relative units that she had once found strange, though such units seemed much less so after witnessing families in other worlds. Their physical condition suggested extreme emotional distress, which finally allowed her to set aside most concerns about it being a potential trap.

Stopping the sleigh at a safe distance, Fiyu whispered to her companions to join her and then stepped forward. The small group had realized their location now and gathered together, nearly touching one another in a defensive cluster. Anywhere else, Fiyu would have spoken to them at a reasonable distance, but the Greater Dark required quiet, so they needed to come absurdly close, only a pace away.

"We greet you," Fiyu said. "We are only visitors here, but we may be able to assist."

"Thank the Dark you came." One of the Stranger Women spoke and Fiyu's mind reeled as she heard two voices simultaneously. The one that spoke to her soul was perfectly understood as a result of her movement through the gate, while the one that spoke to her ears was composed of half-understood words. Clearly, they used a trade language she had only partially learned, but there was no time to focus on that, not with tense negotiations underway.

"I assume this is your wagon of goods. What were you attempting to do?"

"We have heard tales of a fantastical path to other lands. Places outside the known world, we mean. But a trusted relative said that he knew a merchant who achieved great profits from selling goods there. A brief journey through the Greater Dark did not seem a terrible risk for a sight of fantastical lands, but now..."

It was quite an unnecessary speech, removing her doubt that he was a cavesteader. More surprisingly, they appeared to be innocents, not even aware of the existence of other worlds. Fiyu attempted to glance back to Companion Theo before realizing that her action was doubly strange: first, he could not see her, and second, she would never have done such a thing before.

Still, even without an exchanged glance, she could feel Companion Theo's expression tightening in something like pity, or perhaps derision. She considered that she should tell him that some Ichili would be able to sense his expression, because normally his face was tightly controlled. In any case, the negotiation was more important.

"The tales you heard are true," Fiyu said, "but the path you seek is many days away, over dangerous ground. We cannot pass that way without sacrificing our own journey, but we could help you reach a safe location."

"But without our goods, we are ruined." A Stranger Man took several steps toward the wagon to indicate the spilled items. "Your vehicle does not appear capable of transporting everything."

"This is true, but fortunately for you, we have other means. Companion Nauda?" Fiyu turned back to her companion, who stood with her staff planted firmly beside her, though the tension in her back showed that she was putting up a front.

Not caring what the others thought, Fiyu took hold of Companion Nauda's sleeve and guided her past the group to the wagon. Once Fiyu led her to the edge and whispered of the wagon's position, Companion Nauda easily lifted the wagon upright. Several of the Stranger Cavesteaders gasped softly, impressed by their strength, but they would be more impressed when Companion Theo joined them.

"You want to levitate the wagon behind us?" he said. Though his eyes were closed and he was oriented in the wrong direction, he'd clearly understood much.

"As well as these five people and all of their supplies. It is not too heavy?"

"Weight has nothing to do with it. The only hard part will be stopping the momentum." Companion Theo waved a hand and the wagon lifted off the ground, before another one of his strange fields reversed it. The wagon wobbled up and down before Companion Nauda grasped it again, stabilizing it.

Their actions had left the strangers awestruck, but unfortunately, what followed was a great deal more tedious. The strangers needed to pick up all of their spilled goods, as well as take down their partial camp. Beyond that, they would need to attach the wagon to the sleigh, and Fiyu was not willing to let strangers near her vehicle, so many steps would be required.

While they retrieved their goods, Fiyu examined the items carefully, in case the groups had more sinister motives for taking the risk. She identified many solid fabrics, their surfaces woven in patterns for aesthetics. Several spheres of artistry, though not particularly well-crafted. Some organic materials and pots that appeared to contain glazes. So far as her senses could penetrate, everything was perfectly ordinary.

Recognizing that the tasks might take some time, Fiyu went to Companion Nauda and helped her set up a tent so that she could sit within the light while they worked. Meanwhile, Companion Theo was required to stay next to their sleigh, modifying his fields as the Stranger Family took an unacceptably long time gathering everything, often moving the wagon while adding items. Though silent by the standards of most other worlds, she found them unacceptably loud for such a region.

While they worked, Fiyu learned more of their story. Not personal details, of course, but they revealed that one of their wagon wheels had fallen into a cleft in the ground. There were many such clefts, which was why a sledge would have been a better choice.

She learned the reason for their unusual openness soon: some of their goods had fallen into the cleft and they hoped to retrieve them. Normally she would have considered this unacceptable, but Companion Theo was able to to levitate them upwards to the ground.

There was a strange tension in Companion Theo's eyebrows that she recognized as a sign he was thinking deeply. When there was nothing else required of her, she stepped beside him and spoke softly. "Have you noticed something?"

"Nothing serious." Companion Theo frowned again, but when she did not depart, he continued with his thoughts. "I realized that I have some awareness of objects in my gravitational fields. At first I thought I shouldn't, but then I started thinking about how all objects do have gravity, if only a little. Right now the sense isn't fine enough to use, but perhaps..."

"You could develop a real sense." It was a fascinating idea, though certainly not advanced enough to make out fine details. That explained how his movements in the group were no longer completely blind. She looked forward to discussing the matter further with him.

While they spoke the strangers moved in various inefficient patterns, so Fiyu realized too late that the child had wandered away from the others. That alone was terrible lack of discipline, and she intended to inform the relatives and perhaps remind them about the dangers.

Too late, Fiyu realized that the child had wandered toward the tent where Companion Nauda sat. Before she could do anything, the child pulled open the flap and blinding light flared out into the darkness.

She attempted to move toward the tent, too slow to prevent what had already happened. The child let out a scream and fell back, sobbing and clutching its eyes. Companion Nauda thankfully understood the danger and grabbed the flap to pull it back into place, then attempted to close every gap that cast light into their surroundings. Fiyu swept in and grasped the child's mouth, silencing its cries as quickly as possible.

Her heart thundered in her chest as the landscape around them again became quiet and dark. The disruption had been significant, but also brief, so she hoped that they had been lucky.

In the darkness around them, she felt swift-moving shapes swarm from underground clefts and begin to converge on their location.

~ ~ ~

For a brief moment, Theo considered that they might have courted disaster, then he felt Fiyu's cantae rush from her soulhome. Whatever she felt, she clearly sensed danger, and that was a very bad sign.

Exerting the full extent of his willpower, Theo tried to sense cantae around them. Something slithered at the edges of his grasp, cantae of a predator far too subtle for its average victims. Even with the experience of a full lifetime, Theo could only get a sense of sublime beasts, converging on them from all sides. He wanted to ask Fiyu for information, but then it was too late.

Blue lights lit up all around them as the beasts opened their eyes. Not to hunt, but to shock their prey. The Ichili family let out a wail and cowered, and even Fiyu flinched.

Theo reacted without any more thought, slamming down gravitational fields all around him. He knew Fiyu and Nauda by their soulhomes and avoided them, but everything else he simply flattened. It was immediately rewarding to see the blue eyes drop to the ground and he tried to catch his breath. Before he could, the cries of pain began.

"No, you must not!" Fiyu grasped at the front of his shirt, her face actually visible in the reflected light. "You are hurting them."

At first, he didn't react, seized by survival instinct. His mind was fixated on the danger around him: sublime beasts like these were talented pack predators, with teeth that could no doubt tear into him. If he let them go, they would descend on him, and his life would end right there. He couldn't allow that, even if...

"Companion, please."

Her second statement got through to him and, against his better judgment, Theo released the gravitational fields. If he'd been lucky, the sublime beasts would have fled in shock, but instead they began stumbling to their feet, reorienting toward their prey.

Now that he wasn't reacting on instinct, Theo cast a more selective field, sending many of the beasts falling skyward. But there were so many of them, and he could only maintain a few fields... he realized that Fiyu had vanished, somewhere within her stealth technique.

Veering away from him, the predators raced toward the cringing family. Theo cast two fields that dropped many, but even more closed the distance.

Then Fiyu emerged from the shadows, a storm of light exploding from her palms. In the near darkness it was blinding, practically an explosion. Many of the beasts were torn apart instantly, and the others staggered away, despite their eyes being mostly vestigial threats.

Theo's eyes, adjusted to the darkness, were seared completely blind, which only increased his panic. Yet he heard a complex whistle from Fiyu: a military call to retreat. It didn't make sense, until he realized the hidden meaning: he needed to get the civilians away along with their vehicles, otherwise they'd rapidly be overwhelmed.

Because as he started to regain his vision, his first sight was more blue eyes lighting up in the distance, converging toward them.

A group of the beasts raced from the opposite direction, but at that moment Nauda burst from her tent, sending its light blazing in all directions. That left all the Ichili sobbing and blind except for Fiyu, who continued to destroy the nearest sublime beasts with bursts of light. Yet there were so many more, and they'd soon be swarmed unless they acted quickly.

"Get them into the wagon." Theo gestured at Nauda, who immediately understood. Now that she had light to fight by, she moved confidently. As she ran to the huddled family, she stabbed her staff out at one beast, then swung its frozen body into the nearest.

Meanwhile, Theo leapt into the sleigh, casting upwards gravitational fields around him as a precaution. He might be willing to risk himself for this, but he wasn't going to die to a predator coming out of the shadows and getting a lucky blow to his neck. Fortunately, they'd finished attaching the wagon, so they had an option for fleeing, but he needed something else.

They hadn't discussed this, since it was an unlikely contingency plan. Even though it violated her privacy, Theo tore into one of the packs of supplies Fiyu had prepared. Surely she would have... yes, he found a diamond-shaped rock that emanated the right sort of cantae. Not a good sublime material for soulcrafting, but it had a definite use in situations like this.

When he looked back, he saw Nauda handing the child up to its parents, while Fiyu fought behind her, fending back the growing mass of beasts with indiscriminate bursts of light. Yet they were no longer so intimidated, and they were clearly used to taking down powerful prey with numbers, so they had begun to spread out.

Theo whistled a warning for light, squeezed the rock, and then hurled it behind them. Even in the air, it began to glow, and when it hit the ground it emanated light in all directions.

Fiyu had understood his intent and retreated to the sleigh, so he started moving. Nauda was the only one still on the ground, but she raced after them, leaping into the wagon. As soon as she did so, Fiyu extended her sphere over their entire group, silence falling over them. Though the Ichili peasants still whimpered and shifted atop their wagon, the sound should be absorbed by her technique.

Behind them, two white lights shone in the darkness: the light from Nauda's tent, and the distraction flare he'd thrown. Between the two, the beasts seemed to be thoroughly confused. A troubling number of eyes glowed around those lights as they closed in, but they still hunted in absolute silence.

Eventually, he started to see those lights go out as the beasts gave up their chase. It didn't make him feel any more relieved.

-

Chapter 27

Though the darkness still closed around Nauda, she could make herself endure it. After seeing what lurked in the blind void, she could endure a lot. The lack of light still left her despondent, but while her heart was pounding from the chaotic battle and the escape after it, she didn't mind the dark at all.

At first, she'd just lain in the wagon, on top of all the lumpy packages, catching her breath. The sublime beasts that had attacked them had actually been smaller than their ominous eyes appeared, but they were quite fast and she wasn't sure if her body could have resisted their teeth. Fighting them in the low light had been an intense experience, and she was afraid that a single injury could have easily led to being swarmed.

Eventually she began to return to the present world, even if she could only hear it. The child was still sniffling, which struck her as surprisingly calm given how it had been traumatized. A Tatian child would probably still have been wailing... though she reflected that if Ichili children couldn't keep silent, that could well prove fatal.

For a moment she felt shame that the entire accident had been caused by the light in her tent, then the emotion transmuted to anger as she considered the fact that this family had taken a child into such dangerous territory. She wasn't sure how to feel about that, but the one thing she was certain about was that she no longer thought Fiyu's precautions were excessive.

Something shifted behind her, and she braced herself on instinct before she heard one of the Ichili men speak. "We owe you a great debt. Our child would be dead if not for you."

"I was... glad to assist." Since Fiyu wasn't around to help her understand the proper norms, she fell back on Tatian habits. "Please protect your child more carefully in the future."

"We never imagined you would have such a terrible-" The man cut off with a grunt, and Nauda thought she might have heard someone strike him. Whatever the case, one of the women answered next.

"We are ashamed of our negligence, Archcrafter. We only wish that we had some way to repay you."

Nauda considered asking them to help her over the wagon to get back to the sleigh, then decided better of it, since she still wasn't sure if they understood her limitations. Perhaps to them, she was a fearsome Archcrafter who could fight even in the terrible light. Despite their praise, all she wanted was to get away from them and back to Fiyu and Theo.

She wasn't sure how long it was before they slowed to a halt, but she felt the change in their movement because it was the only thing she could feel. Nauda sat up slowly, then did her best to climb down the side of the wagon. It was difficult at first, bobbing unsteadily in the air, but Theo lowered it to the ground, which made her task easier.

"Nauda." Fiyu spoke from the darkness just beside her, making Nauda jump. "You have done well, Nauda. Everyone else has been able to relax, but you have not. Please come."

Since the other woman was already pulling on her sleeve, Nauda had no real choice but to go with her. They moved past the wagon, which she knew only because she heard Theo speaking to the Ichili villagers, something about plans for moving onward. When they drew near the sleigh, Fiyu guided her hand down, and Nauda was surprised to feel a tent.

"You may have mine, since yours was lost to the beasts." Fiyu actually touched her back lightly, urging her in. When Nauda carefully peeled back the flaps only one layer at a time, she realized that a cantae lantern was already lit within, though not as bright as she kept it.

Crawling in, Nauda got her staff properly situated in the short space and then breathed a sigh of relief. She was surprised to see Fiyu crawl in after her, a broad smile on her face. "I think that perhaps I have done a poor job of explaining why it is important to be quiet here."

"Heh, well, I understand enough now." Nauda rubbed her eyes, which felt better in the soft light but still tingled a little after the explosions of light during the battle. "I think right now, I just want to sleep."

"In the light, like this?"

"I've had enough darkness for a while." Too tired to talk, Nauda wriggled back to slide onto the sleeping roll that had been set up for her. She closed her eyes, enjoying how she could actually tell the difference, and felt sleep already start to claim her.

Before she fell asleep, she felt a whisper of a touch as Fiyu pulled another blanket up over her.

~ ~ ~

Nauda remained tense for the next several days, especially because they never stopped for another break. It was essentially the same void as before, just with the family of five in the wagon behind them. Early on in the first day, Theo told them that the next region required absolute silence from everyone, and she was fairly certain that was a lie because he just didn't want to talk to them.

Though she was curious to speak to normal Ichili villagers instead of travelers in other worlds, Nauda felt uncomfortable with this group for a host of reasons. Eventually she heard Fiyu make a soft sound, and then Theo climbing closer, so she leaned in to listen.

"We have almost arrived at our first primary destination," Fiyu said. "This is a large cavern-based community that trades with many groups, so we can safely leave the family with them. I... do not like cavesteader communities, but I hope that you will like it, Nauda."

"Are these underground caves?" Nauda asked. "I hope it's at least warmer there."

"Oh, you do not need to worry about that. Caverns beneath the surface are always warmer than the surrounding area. It is the sky that steals warmth."

Nauda realized that it must be true, for a world without a sun. She stayed in the vehicle, the endless darkness having finally broken her of the habit of trying to look ahead. They'd arrive when Fiyu told her that they'd arrived, and not sooner.

Her sleeping had been increasingly disrupted, but the battle seemed to have reset her body, because Nauda slept deeply for the next two nights. The second time she woke, she yawned and stretched, only to have Theo tap her on the shoulder a moment later.

"Morning. Fiyu felt the community markers an hour ago, so we should be arriving soon."

Though Nauda strained her eyes for a hint of a light in the endless black, since Fiyu had spoken about cavesteads being bright, she didn't honestly expect to see anything. When Fiyu began to slow the sleigh, she still hadn't noticed anything... no, there were new sources of cantae in the distance.

Fiyu and the unknown parties engaged in a brief whistling conversation, then they eased their sleigh and the wagon down nearly to the ground. There was a conversation in an Ichili language she didn't know with someone who felt like an Archcrafter, but they soon slid on. Behind her, the villagers began chattering happily, suggesting that they had arrived, but one darkness was the same as the next to Nauda.

The pressure changed as they descended and Nauda realized with some alarm that they might be going underground. When she heard stone grating behind them, she sat up and gripped her staff... and then the light finally returned.

All around her, vines began to glow with a pale blue light, illuminating a vast cavern. It was the largest bright space she'd seen since they'd entered, and Nauda took in a deep breath as she devoured all the details. Other vehicles in a nearby cavern, workers carrying boxes, a set of stools around a bubbling pot... anything other than emptiness.

A path upward to the surface was guarded by somber Ichili, though none wore masks and their skin looked almost green. At first Nauda wondered if it was simply the lighting, but when she turned back, she saw that Fiyu looked as pale as always. Perhaps this was a different race of Ichili. The villagers in the wagon had pale skin but unusually large eyes that glinted in the light.

"Welcome to the Sweetfruit Cavern." An Ichili woman stood beside their sleigh, heavy furred robes drawn around her. "We understand that you are two groups on two journeys. All may avail themselves of our community, but we need to speak to a representative of the Blacksilver Allies."

As soon as their sleigh was put into place, that seemed to be Fiyu's role. Meanwhile, Theo assisted the villagers with his gravitational fields, levitating their wagon off toward the market. Nauda followed him at first, but soon let them move on to just enjoy being able to see again.

Branching caverns aside from the entrance appeared to be a market area, with Ichili of many types milling about. Their trade seemed to be very somber, many not even speaking, merely making signs with their hands. She looked to the people instead, noting that the majority had dark hair, but there were a few with bleached white hair, and many with no hair at all. Some in the hairless group looked shrunken to her, with patches of skin where they should have had eyes.

Noting a pillar of stone that split up the path, Nauda walked closer, eager to examine the glowing vines that lit the cavern. Up close, they were sturdy ropes that were actually blue in color, leaving her wondering about the light within. They branched so many times, she assumed they must have been carefully cultivated to provide light for the community.

She didn't see anything in the market that she needed, and didn't feel like engaging in commerce anyway. However, she spotted an old man sitting by a table, on which he tended a pot of some sort of bubbling stew. Another person walked by, placed a coin on the table, and was given a bowl in return. Suddenly hungry, Nauda approached him, trying to keep her distance.

"Excuse me." When she spoke, the man swung toward her in alarm and stared, as if just seeing her. "May I have some of your food?"

He flinched and drew back, still eyeing her skeptically. Nauda sighed and turned away, accepting that things might not be so easy. Everything around her appeared to be mercantile, but the cavern must contain homes as well. Even if the people there weren't friendly by her standards, the local equivalent of villages had to be warmer than this.

Nauda soon found a wide and well-lit tunnel that led deeper into the earth. Just drawing near it let her feel a current of warmth ascending the stairs, but an Ichili guard extended the butt of his spear into her path.

"You are welcome in the uppermost level, stranger. No further down."

When Nauda turned away, she was surprised to find Theo standing behind her. He gave her shoulder a very Tatian pat and she noticed that the guard and several others stared at them before turning away. She let him lead her away from the downward tunnel before speaking.

"They don't think you're doing anything horrible to me, do they?"

"People here touch each other a lot, by Fiyu's standards." Theo gave her a wry smile that she found herself mirroring, just happy to be able to see another person's expressions. "But it's typically only done with close relatives, so they'll make assumptions. More so because we're obviously foreign."

"Well, I don't care." Nauda moved into his side, glad for his warmth. "Is there any way to get them to stop treating you as a stranger?"

"Not normally. Before, I was kept at arm's length until I literally saved the cavern from an outbreak of demons. That allowed me to visit the top three out of five levels."

"Oh my. These caverns are larger than I thought."

"Sweetfruit Cavern is actually an even larger community than that one. Which means they should have a wide variety of things... would you like to go pick out some sublime materials?"

Nauda chuckled. "Yes, yes I would."