Chasmfall: Chapters 3-4 (The Weirkey Chronicles) (Patreon)

Can you believe it's been a week since the Rainhorn launch? I was hoping for a little better, but there have been solid levels of reviews, sales, and interest. Welcome to the new patrons, though I'd guess many are coming to get Archcrafter. ^-^

The plan is to launch Archcrafter on Amazon at the beginning of September, but that raises a question about RoyalRoad. It's provided less support to launches than I'd hoped, and there's a time/energy cost to posting there, so I'm contemplating discontinuing those chapters. I'd consider one more book, but catching up would require a blitz of two chapters per day. Maybe that would attract some positive attention, but it would also be an exhausting pace. I mention it here in case any patrons want to voice opinions or raise issues I may not have considered.

Regardless, Chasmfall chapters continue now! A couple longer ones today, because the next will mark another shift. Since this is meant to be a longer series of shorter books, I hope to weave secondary characters in and out, as you'll soon see.

-

Chapter 3

Theo left the shop in a good mood, both because of what he'd acquired and what it would allow him to do. Though the others didn't want to discuss soulcrafting immediately after such a long expedition, he knew that they wouldn't rest for long. Soon enough, they could begin their final preparations for the Chasm of Lamentations.

His profits from Aathal had purchased another step closer to his final goals. As soon as he reached the sunlight, he raised the large vial to his eye to get a better look at it.

The abyssfluid surged within the container of sublime glass, trying to cling to his fingers but also flickering toward any other large object. It was apparently drawn to sources of mass, which made it a rare material that was aligned with an abstract trait of gravity. As a tool it was moderately useful, but within his soulhome, it would be the perfect centerpiece for his new chamber dedicated to his sense of gravity. He'd been building up the instinct for some time, especially in Ichil, but finishing the chamber would make an immense difference.

When completed, the room wouldn't give him a sense equal to Fiyu's, but he'd be head and shoulders above most soulcrafters he faced. With the types of threats they'd face in the Chasm, awareness might be more useful than brute power.

Flashing a sublime material in public might have attracted a little attention, so Theo promptly drank the abyssfluid and drew it into his soulhome. Nothing to steal, at least for the type of thieves that might be nearby. If any of them had any skill, they'd recognize the strength it took to absorb such a material and keep clear of him.

Unfortunately, as he returned to House Blacksilver, Theo's mind turned to less pleasant matters. The unfortunate truth was that exploring the Chasm would not be a contained conflict like the duel against Esaire. Soulcrafting would matter, just not exclusively. That meant that using his time effectively along other lines was likely more important than any soulcrafting expertise.

So, on his way back, he purchased a sack of candied gems.

There was no way of knowing where Senka had gone, so Theo reserved one of the meditation rooms and set about trying to work. She appeared not long after, her head poking up over the wall. "Theo! Whatcha doing? Hey, hey. Whatcha doing?"

When she got close to him, Theo opened his eyes and sprung his trap: he opened the bag of candies and waved them in front of her. "I bought something for you, Senka."

"Yummies for Senka? Gimme! Gimme!"

"You can have one." He tossed a single gem to her, which she snapped out of the air like a dog. Once her squeals had confirmed that they would serve as a proper incentive, he closed the bag and pulled it away from her. "Senka, we need to talk."

"Senka doesn't like talking, Senka likes eating!"

"I'll give you another one if you listen - wait, no." She threw herself at him, flailing for the bag, but it wasn't difficult to grab her face and push her back. Disgusting, given the levels of slobber, but not difficult, so he forced himself to continue in a level voice. "You always want to come with us, but sometimes that can be dangerous. Like when you jumped off the log. That could have gotten you killed, and maybe other people."

"Senka didn't do that! You're making things up like a meanie!"

Theo took a deep breath and forced himself onward. "But you've been helpful too. I want to train together, Senka, just like I train with Fiyu and Nauda. If you can work with us, it would be easier for everyone."

"And then you'll give Senka yummies?"

"Well... yes. Can you try that for me?"

She could certainly try, but as Theo spent over an hour banging his head against the problem, he wasn't sure that he could succeed. Senka's desire for the candies was intense and undeniable, it simply didn't translate into effectiveness at any of the exercises. He'd tried hiding sublime materials under buckets to test her ability to track them down, but she refused and simply tried to steal candies. Trying to make her consistently obey commands to follow or move only resulted in tantrums. The only command that had any success was ordering her to stay in place, which could very well be because she was lazy.

He tried treating her as an equal, as a child, or as a domestic animal, all of which led to what he could only describe as "antics". The most frustrating part was that he couldn't pin down her actual level of intelligence, which seemed inconsistent. Perhaps the compact nature of her soulhome was some sort of mental damage that led to wild swings in behavior.

If so, then trying to train her might be entirely useless. Theo tried to cling to the memories of the times that she'd been helpful to all of them and shoved down his frustration. Still, he couldn't help but think, repeatedly, that this was not why he'd returned to the Nine Worlds.

At least she left him alone for a while, no doubt wanting another candy for sitting in place. Or perhaps she'd just fallen asleep. Theo glanced back to check on her, only to find Senka sitting on one of the buckets and examining him.

"Does Theo want a Senka pet?"

It might have been an earnest question, but he didn't care. "I don't want a pet, I want you not to get all of us killed."

"But Senka wants to get us all killed." She promptly smiled innocently at him, and he wondered again if she really understood words or just imitated language.

"If that's true, then we'll have to leave you behind."

"Oh, stop being a grouchy fumpet." Senka hopped closer to him, actually maintaining eye contact for once. "Senka will be good when it matters. Did Senka get you killed when the eryo attacked? Your sporping material is under the left bucket, by the way."

Even though he recognized it as the correct answer, he still looked over to it. She might have looked under the bucket while she was supposed to be doing something else, but she sounded so confident... at that moment, Senka grabbed the sack of candies from out of his robes and ran off, cackling and shoving them into her mouth.

He could have taken it from her and chose just to stare, wondering what he was doing with his life.

At that moment, a shadow fell over him, following by a heavy cantae presence. Theo immediately got to his feet to see Dhan approach. The Blacksilver Authority wore his mask for once, rendering his face an ominous oval. Though he tilted the mask up to the top of his head as he approached, his eyes remained just as hard and distant.

"We need to discuss House matters. Where are your allies?"

"Conducting their own affairs," Theo said. "We've barely gotten back from Aathal, has something changed since we left?"

"Yes and no. They are not matters to be spoken of idly. Find your allies, dispose of that creature, and meet me in the main hall. Do not be tardy."

Across the courtyard, Senka continued shoving her face with candies as if nothing had changed. She was the only one.

~ ~ ~

Fiyu was of course in her room, and Nauda had actually come looking for him, so it wasn't difficult to obey the instruction. Soon enough the three of them stood in one of the dark halls of House Blacksilver along with Dhan. His Authority-tier cantae closed around the room, and Theo was fairly sure that even Senka couldn't worm her way through that. After several seconds of silence, Dhan took a deep breath and spoke.

"Currently, you possess three of the six Chasm Invitations that House Blacksilver holds. This is a greater number than new members would have been expected to gain, and we thank you for it. However, given the rigors of the Chasm of Lamentations, we would like to request that you give the House your Invitations. In return for compensation, of course."

Theo's mind immediately slipped into a thousand suspicions, in particular wondering whether they had always intended to make the demand. While he was thinking, Nauda took a more practical approach. "Didn't you reserve three for the Authorities? That means everyone above Ruler already has them."

"That was our plan, yes. However, the heads of House Blacksilver feel that we should place particular emphasis on success this year, thus we should send three of our strongest Ruler-tier soulcrafters as well. We understand your disappointment, and would give you more merits than you paid to acquire them, especially at this late hour."

"That doesn't make economic sense," Fiyu said quietly. "You allow any Blacksilver member to purchase Invitations, then take them back for a greater sum. Unless it was always a lie, this must reflect a change in plans."

"There are... new factors." Dhan didn't look particularly happy about having to say more, but after the emotion wormed its way across his lips, he pushed forward. "This year, House Crimson has been particularly aggressive acquiring Invitations. Norro Yorthin is also under economic stress, and some Houses are likely to fall over the next several years. So this event has changed from an opportunity for advancement to a critical challenge.

"So I will ask again. We won't force you, but we believe it would be for the best if you returned your Chasm Invitations."

"No." Theo didn't know about the changing details, but he'd been investigating the Chasm and it sounded like all his past knowledge was still relevant. This was his best chance to pave a way toward his revenge. "We've been soulcrafting and preparing for this for a long time."

Thankfully, Nauda and Fiyu nodded their agreement. Dhan sighed and readjusted his mask, which Theo thought was just a stalling tactic. "Fine, I suspected as much. The other Authorities didn't want to, but we have a second offer: helping you prepare."

"And in your great wisdom," Nauda said dryly, "you decided to begin that process a few months before the Chasm opens."

"We don't think you're particularly likely to accomplish much in the Chasm of Lamentations, but we'd prefer you to survive."

Though Nauda kept up a mask of irony, Fiyu smiled at him without hesitation, and she was right that this was a positive turn. Theo hadn't anticipated having an Authority to assist their preparations: that meant weirkeys, which meant a vastly increased reach. He reorganized his plans before speaking up.

"I've researched the Chasm of Lamentations and I believe there are steps we can take even as Archcrafters to reduce the dangers. For a start, if you can take us to a number of locations on Noven, we-"

Dhan cut him off with a raised hand. "We want to help, not serve as your personal transportation service. After all, all three Authorities will be House Blacksilver's vanguard in the Chasm, and we have preparations of our own that require our weirkeys."

"Fine." It had been too good to be true, so he'd thought of a backup plan. "In your travels, you should be able to pick up foods appropriate to Ruler-tier soulcrafters. If you can help us assemble a Nine Worlds Feast, that will go a long way to preparing us to face the dangers."

"You really don't lack for ambition, do you?" Dhan frowned at him, but he hadn't rejected the suggestion out of hand. "You realize that most Authorities in Norro Yorthin still haven't assembled a Nine Worlds feast? We don't have a complete set of weirkeys, so we can't simply travel everywhere to buy you things."

"We already have some," Nauda said, either knowing what they were talking about or presuming. "We have excellent foods from Tatian, and we've eaten sublime materials in Fithe, Deuxan, Aathal, and Ichil. That leaves only four other worlds, right?"

It wasn't quite that simple, since not all sublime foods were created equal. The feast that Nanjuma had given them in Myufuru was certainly sufficient, and Theo hoped that the rainhorn meat and other materials from Deuxan were up to the task. He doubted the sublime foods they'd eaten in their other travels, or even in Fithe, were strong enough, but Nauda's way of framing it was more persuasive.

"Oh, very well." Dhan waved the matter aside. "The House can easily find you excellent sublime foods in Norro Yorthin, and we'll see about picking up others in our travels. Anything else?"

"Two more immediate requests," Theo said quickly. "I absorbed a number of sublime materials in preparation for my duel last year, but they're better suited to my allies. I haven't yet been able to extract th-"

"Then let's just take care of it." With troubling speed Dhan stepped in front of him and began reaching into his soul, forcing Theo to rapidly lower his defenses or risk having them damaged.

In an instant, Dhan loomed over his soulhome, pressure striking his soul like a whirlwind. Theo hastened to locate the sublime materials that the others had given them, which he'd been struggling to extract without reducing their potency. Dhan simply extended his influence and plucked them out, returning them to the physical world and reminding Theo how much he needed to reach Authority.

The others accepted the materials and focused on absorbing them, Fiyu happily cupping her mistsphere before drawing it into her soul. He saw the skull of black bone, the glowing magma, everything else they'd sacrificed to help him. It seemed that they intended to begin soulcrafting immediately, while Dhan turned back to him impatiently.

"You said you had one more request?"

"One more for now." Theo glanced over at the other two, but decided that they would welcome this request even if they hadn't discussed it. "We need transportation to Arbai, to a location nowhere near the city's gate. We have a school of allies there who can provide us with resources, stoneshapers, and other assistance. No need for you to do further work, and far from the reach of any rivals on Fithe."

"Interesting." Dhan stared at him for a moment before pulling his mask down over his face. "I don't hold our weirkey for Arbai, but we can arrange something. For now, soulcraft dutifully so that House Blacksilver doesn't regret your decision."

An instant later he vanished, one of his other weirkeys taking him to his own preparations. That left the three of them alone in a hall where they were rarely permitted, but Theo barely looked at it, instead focusing on his friends. Fiyu had been soulcrafting her mistsphere into place, now emerging with a smile on her face, and Nauda spoke up first.

"Is this Nine Worlds Feast what it sounds like? I was guessing, but I thought he needed convincing."

"We already have feasting chambers," Theo explained, "but they mostly contain food from a few worlds. If you merge the cantae generated by sublime foods from all nine, the result is far more powerful than simply accumulating more cantae. It's like having a second heart chamber, but without devoting an entire room solely to cantae generation."

"My feast chamber is already making me a lot stronger, so I can imagine. And then we're headed to Arbai?"

"To see Navim again." Fiyu beamed at both of them. "It has been a short time since we met our ally, but since he was injured, I hope to see him recovered."

"A short time?" Nauda raised an eyebrow. "It's been over a year."

"Yes, I am beginning to miss him somewhat. Theo, you did mean traveling to his school, correct?"

"Exactly. Navim will work with us, and I think we can convince their Authority to bring us back, or even travel a little further." Theo smiled back at her, but his thoughts had already turned away from meeting old friends. Returning to the School of Emerald Indulgence would mean speaking to its leader and fulfilling his old promise to tell of Earth and the blasted white realm.

This time, he wouldn't be rushing to save a life. Perhaps he could finally get some answers, the question was only what he'd need to pay.

-

Chapter 4

Though the group couldn't be considered regulars at the State of Rest, generally too focused on their work, when Theo led them into the darkly lit restaurant the guard only nodded at them. This time, they weren't present to acquire information or even to relax: Theo showed one of the staff the permission plate that House Blacksilver had given them and they were escorted to one of the back rooms.

Theo craned his neck as they walked, glancing over the board of notices, though not to look for new opportunities. It felt like a long time ago that he'd first been here and learned about the Chasm of Lamentations. Now, if all went well, they would be using this place to take steps closer in several different ways.

When they were seated in the small room, the server didn't depart or provide a menu slate, as usual. Instead, the young man gave them all a polite bow from the doorway. "Your pass specified that you receive our Ruler's Banquet, which is one of our finest meals made from purely Fithan ingredients. However, I need to warn you that the intensity of the cantae could potentially be disruptive to your soulhome, and if you spend more than three years at Archcrafter tier, the potency may fade."

"Thank you for the notice," Nauda said blandly. Theo had to resist the urge to snort, since those warnings would hardly apply to them. With another bow, the server stepped away and they were left alone.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Theo turned back to the others. "We have just under four months before we enter the Chasm of Lamentations. There aren't many specific steps we need to take beforehand, so our goal should be an overall improvement in our soulcrafting. Partial constructions could be a liability, so does everyone know what they want to focus on finishing?"

"I will begin by completing the mistsphere chamber," Fiyu said. "Combined with my barrier wall, my stealth technique should be as effective as it can be, at this tier. I hope that will be helpful?"

"Likely extremely helpful, but I hope you have other plans?"

"Yes. The darkburn bonsai cannot take a permanent place on my second floor, but I can temporarily integrate it and improve cantae flow."

"I wanted to ask about that," Nauda said. "You intended to keep the entire second tier empty for a Corporeal Floor, right? I'd never even heard of someone building one of those as an Archcrafter until I met Esaire, and I'm not sure it was a good idea in his case. Imagine if he'd dedicated all those chambers to new techniques to use against Theo, instead of reinforcing his body."

"Perhaps, but the fact that he rebuilt his body allowed for him to make full use of all his speed chambers. I thought that it was a reasonable decision. What do you think, Theo?"

He hadn't expected the conversation to turn to him and only shrugged. "I usually expect it later just because it feels so costly to spend an entire tier on a Corporeal Floor when you only have two, but I imagine there can be good reasons. Why did your relative's blueprint place it there?"

Despite everything they'd been through together, Fiyu hesitated before answering. Soon after, she generated a stealth sphere around the three of them and spoke in a low voice. "The blueprint was meant to be a secret, but I can tell trusted companions. The overall goal is for the first three tiers of my soulhome to be a self-contained unit."

"Not so different from my blueprint, then." He'd thought of it as a sandwich technique, though he'd never said it aloud because he wasn't sure if it would really translate. "Why is the Corporeal Floor in the middle?"

"It will build on everything I developed on the first floor. For example, my stealth technique currently projects cantae around me, which is much easier to detect. One of the chambers planned for the second floor will make my body itself take on the same characteristics. The third floor will include chambers that would be dangerous for an ordinary body, but possible for a body that has been altered. Then all three will be strengthened as a unit when I ascend to Authority. I believe that is the true objective of my relative's blueprint."

It was a good idea, which didn't surprise him since Fiyu's blueprint had always been solid. Trying to soulcraft that way did leave her weaker until the full plan was complete, far more drastically than any of his trade-offs. Not a risk he could have stomached, but a very Ichili way of thinking. By the time she reached Authority, she would have a body perfectly forged for her specific techniques.

"Aren't Corporeal Floors unusually difficult?" Nauda asked. "I don't even fully understand them, but I was always told that you need to consider every system of the body, every organ, even details like fingernails and hair. That seems difficult for an Archcrafter to design."

Fiyu bobbed her head as she released her stealth technique. "Yes, that is why I must wait for my relative to assist me in the details. I was given the layout and a few techniques, but it requires greater expertise."

"You don't actually need to include every organ," Theo said. "It's just that if you miss something, you'd either need to waste a lot of time remodeling, or you'd need to create another Corporeal section, which is extremely wasteful. I trust that Fiyu has a good blueprint... I just hope that you have other work to do in the meantime."

"I believe that I do. I intend to continue building my barrier wall as high as I can, so that I can hide myself entirely. If I finish such a thing, I would be able to explore any environment with somewhat lessened risk."

"What about armaments? Unless you intend to grow something into your body, there's no room for them on your second floor, and I thought those bracers of yours were quite powerful."

"Unfortunately, I must wait until my third floor. As a Ruler, my body will have adapted to use armaments more effectively."

"Actually, I have a different idea." Theo wished that he had paper to draw on, but Fiyu was intelligent, so he just sketched a few quick circles on the table. "It might strain the edges of your soul, but you could add a sort of gatehouse to your barrier wall. Usually that wouldn't be a good place for an armament, but since it controls the way you expel cantae, that's actually a good position."

"A gatehouse?" Fiyu tilted her head at him and eventually smiled. "I believe that is a good idea, and then the bracers would not take up a later chamber. Please teach me more about it later, Theo."

"I will, since I need to be putting a lot of time into a barrier wall myself. Speaking of which..." He glanced over at Nauda, but she immediately rolled her eyes at him.

"Believe me, I already know what you're going to say. But if my plans work out, I don't intend to be hiding my soulcrafting at all, so it'd be wasted time for now. Unless you have another brilliant idea for a special barrier wall that would work with my blueprint."

"Well... not really. Fiyu's case is unusual in that it might be able to include a secondary purpose. Generally you want your barrier to take up as little soul space as possible. But they're still essential t-"

"Do we really want to have this conversation again now?" Nauda started to say something else, but at that moment the staff returned with their food.

That had been much faster than Theo had expected, and he quickly understood why: only some of their food was fully processed, the rest composed of sublime materials that would develop in front of them. Several pots bubbled with cooking ingredients, ready to be eaten at the perfect moment. Trays were loaded with side dishes, notably buns stuffed with numerous different ingredients and pastries composed of hundreds of delicate layers of sublime foods.

At the heart of the meal, however, was an elaborate contraption put together in front of them. A plate of levitation stone lifted a plate that glowed hot blue. Somehow it radiated all its heat directly up, and pieces of meat were placed atop it. They bobbed and hovered over the plate, turning on their own and rapidly cooking. That explained the trays of uncooked meat being added.

"Your meal is served." Only one staff member remained, the same Fithan man from before. "Ordinarily I would explain every sublime food in detail, but it seems that you have much to discuss. Perhaps I should leave you to your meal?"

"Can anything about how we eat it affect the food's potency?" Theo asked. The server immediately gestured to the tray of meat.

"Most of these can be cooked to taste, but this section of rocklion meat is most potent when burned extensively. Otherwise, please observe that each of you has been given a container of sunsalt. This ingredient is somewhat less palatable than the others, but it will draw out other flavors, and if you consume the entire container by the end, it will complement the meal."

That was as elaborate as any meal Theo had eaten before - apparently House Blacksilver wasn't skimping on them here. Nauda thanked the server and dismissed him before they all turned inward to focus on the food.

Everything was delicious, the flavors enhanced by their souls' hunger for the cantae. It took a little time to learn how to hook the pieces of meat and place them above the hovering plate, but it soon became second nature. Nauda was skeptical about the rocklion meat until they discovered that it actually tasted better when burned, most pleasant when reduced to a pungent crisp.

Though he enjoyed the meal, Theo thought more about the potential argument with Nauda. In the end, he decided that he couldn't make the decision for her, even if he believed he was right. Once they had sated their hunger, he paused between bites and restarted the conversation on a milder note.

"Nauda, you said that you wanted to ascend to Ruler?"

"I'm sure that I can, it's just a question of how much I can build on my third floor." She waved her meat hook idly over the central plate. "Is the Chasm of Lamentations a safe place to soulcraft?"

"I think so, but I don't know if we'd have time. Traditionally it opens for roughly three days, though there are certain events that can reduce or prolong the time. Even if it's extended for an unexpected amount of time, it will likely be an intense struggle for sublime materials." Given the statements everyone in their House had made, he could only hope that it wouldn't turn even worse.

"In any case, ascending will be my top priority. However, I need to use all the craftgems we acquired to bind my most powerful sublime materials to my soulhome. They're currently straining my limits, but if they're firmly in place when I ascend, the new cantae should solidify the whole structure."

That was true, and it would certainly enhance the raw strength of her techniques. He still wanted to offer advice and settled for finding the right questions. "I assume you'll use the new space to strengthen your current techniques. Do you have something in mind?"

"I need a better armament chamber for my staff... actually I wish I'd designed that a little different." Nauda bit her lip, but moved on before he could say anything. "Once I have appropriate sublime materials, I also need several chambers dedicated to my warding techniques. At Ruler tier, they could transform the basic concept into several more useful forms."

"You have the potential to unlock new capabilities, then. Not bad. That's the sort of thing we need for the Chasm."

Fiyu carefully finished chewing on one of the pastries before wiping her mouth to speak. "Theo, did you not say that you intended to develop a primary sense? Or... I mean a non-physical sense, more like an Ichili."

"That's the plan, and I've found a material for it. We'll still rely on you, but given the dangers, we could use redundant security."

"I was thinking the same thing. Might Nauda be able to develop a sense as well?"

He hadn't considered it for long, since he thought that two overlapping senses were probably sufficient. She did have a point, however, and Nauda seemed receptive. She smiled at Fiyu and pushed another pastry to her. "I have an empty chamber that could be used for that. Would you be able to help me soulcraft it?"

"Me? Oh..." Fiyu picked up the pastry in both hands and examined it. "I do not know if my knowledge would be helpful. It would be heavily dependent on what type of sense you wanted to develop and what manner of chamber it would require."

"That, I'm not so sure. When we were in Ichil, I thought about trying to see heat. I think this is where I do want your magnanimity in wisdom, Theo."

Hastily swallowing his current bite, Theo pulled together his thoughts before answering. "You have options, since your soulhome has many different themes. I definitely wouldn't suggest adding a new one, such as copying Fiyu's. What about... a sense for life itself? So long as you took precautions for demons or constructs, it could be very powerful."

"I'm open to the idea, but what kind of sublime material would you need for that?"

"Good question. I've studied those chambers enough to tell you about the shape and cantae flow they require, but the material will need to be something appropriate to you. Might be hard to find life-based materials here in Norro Yorthin, so keep your eyes open when we travel elsewhere."

"It does not seem like Arbai would be a useful place either." Fiyu seemed disheartened on Nauda's behalf for a moment, then smiled again. "But perhaps Navim will be able to uncover aspects of Arbai that we did not see, or perhaps even imagine a new sense."

"Could be." The conversation lulled as Nauda finished off some of the last of their food, but when she finished, she stared at Theo with a more serious expression. "Setting all these soulcrafting issues aside, when are you going to tell us about the Chasm of Lamentations itself? We've been supposedly working toward it for a long time, but I don't know much about it other than the 'great danger and great reward' line that has never before been used to describe anything."

Theo stopped chewing a moment, surprised as he reflected how little information he'd given them. It wasn't that he'd been trying to withhold anything, he'd simply been so absorbed in his own plans that he hadn't fully considered how it would appear to them. Perhaps another legacy of his life on Earth, and another he'd have to think about... later.

"Sure, I can tell you more." He wiped his hands off on a napkin and began sketching a map in the grease on the hovering plate. "The Chasm is a small region, perhaps even a small world. It's a sort of jagged triangle, elongated like this. There's a plain on one side, but the rest is dominated by a... strange sort of river. It looks like pure white water, but as far as I can tell, anything that falls into it dies. Even Authorities might only have a short time to escape before it killed them."

"How can a river exist over only a small space?" Fiyu asked.

"I'm not sure. It seems like it mostly flows underground and only appears in the Chasm, but since water that lethal would have a huge impact, I assumed that it flows from somewhere outside the Nine Worlds. Anyway, the river is only one of the threats, but it's an example of how dangerous the Chasm can be if you don't understand it."

Nauda sat back, gripping her staff. "And you're confident that you know about these lesser threats?"

"I've asked around, and all the common knowledge shared from previous Chasm events matches mine. For example, there are flowers that can blind you if you look at them while they bloom, and rocks that produce a strange sound that causes bleeding."

"But you also have knowledge beyond what everyone knows? Because it sounds like we'll be competing with a bunch of Authorities, not just from Norro Yorthin but all over the continent."

"I'm fairly confident." Theo added several more details to the plate map. "Most say that navigating along the river is too dangerous, but I can take us along the cliffs all the way to the waterfalls, which will let us avoid other soulcrafters. Finally, at the far end of the river, there are ruins from some ancient civilization, which contain more dangerous traps but potentially even more valuable materials. Now, it's possible that others have gotten inside, but if not, I know specifically how to access some of those ruins."

"Huh." Nauda settled back, nodding slowly. "I guess you do have this thought through."

"Why is there a far end?" Fiyu asked. "Does that mean it is not possible to enter the Chasm from all sides?"

"We never did before," Theo said, "and I assume there must be a good reason for it. Given how the Chasm appeared on both Noven and now Fithe, it might be capable of moving, and we can only access it from a particular angle, regardless of how it might appear. Those rules don't seem to have changed at all, so we have a chance to sneak in ahead of everyone. The sublime materials there would be perfect for when we reach Authority, and there might even be ancient armaments or other valuables."

It seemed like he'd convinced both of them, but Theo increasingly wondered if he was able to convince himself. He believed that the risk was reasonable, especially given the reward, but so many other doubts lingered. Had he truly found the Chasm naturally, or had Vistgil been responsible for guiding him there? Was this still a part of his plan, moved to Fithe for reasons unknown?

More than the sublime materials, Theo hoped to find some answers.