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

Three chapters leading up to the epilogue! This book doesn't end with the same sort of climactic fight sequence as the others, since I don't want to be too formulaic, but I tried to give this one a different sort of impact. There are some big reveals here, including one that I have been eagerly waiting to get people's reactions on for about three books. ^-^

Epilogue next week, as well as other fun stuff, but this week we'll focus on the chapters.

-

Chapter 25

Though their group reached the waterfalls easily enough, as they looked over the first cascade, Theo realized that of course it couldn't be that easy. Getting across the battlefield to the lower region might have been difficult for most, but it wasn't impossible. A cluster of Asplundat soulcrafters moved about on a central island between two layers of waterfalls, collecting sublime materials.

No, not just materials, but debris and broken armaments from a battle. This group must have slipped around the others in order to reach the waterfall region first. Exactly how, he wasn't sure, but now they were methodically searching for the fallen Scepter of Separation.

"Him again." Nauda pointed toward one of the sides, where Homez coordinated several others. Theo resisted the urge to say anything about it being better to have killed him earlier.

By his count, there were four Rulers and seven Archcrafters scattered over the central island. Though it was slightly odd that there were no Authorities, the Asplundat Movement might have used the same strategy of sneaking in lower tier soulcrafters during the battle. Unfortunately, the three of them couldn't fight numbers like that, at least not under normal circumstances.

"Do we need to fight at all?" Fiyu asked. When they glanced at her, she gestured over the waterfalls. "The destructive water has prevented them from setting up elaborate wards, and they are unlikely to be able to pierce my technique. Perhaps we could simply move ahead of them and find the scepter first?"

"It's worth trying." Theo looked over the group, noting how they searched aggressively and mostly threw objects they found into metal boxes. "I think if they had found it, they would have immediately called their allies, but we can't be sure. Investigate what they've found, then the regions they haven't arrived at yet."

Fiyu tilted her head to the side. "Not all of us?"

"I think we should stay back to assist you in case they have backup, or notice you somehow. Besides, you can slip in better alone."

"Senka too." The imp left his leg and hid under Fiyu's cloak, though she didn't attach herself in the same way. Since she appeared calm at the moment, Theo just waved the issue away. Maybe she could smell out the scepter, or more realistically valuable sublime materials the Asplundat soulcrafters had already located.

After Theo and Nauda positioned themselves behind cover, Fiyu and Senka slipped away, vanishing from his sight as he left the sphere. Even exerting his full gravitational senses, he had only a faint awareness of their position as they moved further away, then he completely lost track of them.

It was worth an attempt, but Theo didn't believe they could find the scepter first. More likely, Fiyu would be scouting the location in preparation for the inevitable fight. Theo sat down and entered his soulhome, considering the only option that he thought could give them an edge against such numbers.

This deep into the Chasm of Lamentations, his gravitational fields were too weak to dominate a battlefield. They would be slightly better as a Ruler, but even more so in the immediate rush of energy that followed an ascension. He'd already made many preparations while Tythes had imprisoned them on the island, so he was essentially ready. A Ruler ascension would probably be lost in the chaos of the battle, so it wouldn't attract attention, then they could sweep through, grab the scepter, and escape.

The real question was whether or not an ordinary ascension would be sufficient... Theo had only climbed up to his roof when he felt a touch in real life and Nauda's spirit emerged in his soulhome.

"You're ascending?" she asked as she floated after him.

"I think it's the safest way." While traveling through the Chasm, Theo had gathered many different kinds of sublime stone, and though many weren't appropriate for his soulhome, they were more than durable enough to help ascend.

"Safest assuming that we need to fight, but a fight here is dangerous. With flight so suppressed and the river everywhere... it'd be easy for anyone to fall in."

"Which is why I want to strike them all at once, before they have time to retaliate."

"I'm not telling you to stop, just..." Nauda's spirit folded her arms and frowned in his direction. "I think you need to take two possibilities seriously. First, we might be able to negotiate with them. Second, they might have more soulcrafters lying in wait."

"So you're proposing...?" He kept positioning the rough bricks regardless.

"Let me go out and talk to them. If it works, we get through without unnecessary risk. But if they do refuse to negotiate, it will draw out others and group them together."

Theo turned from his construction long enough to grin at her. "I can agree with that logic. Getting the timing exactly right might be difficult, but I think I can manage it." He returned to his work, now building small walls around the foundation. "Are you just doing this because Homez is there? I'm not convinced he's as reasonable as he acts."

"I'd like to at least avoid more acts of war against an empire as large as all the Ruling Cities combined. Would you be able to send them out of the Chasm instead of into the water? That would get rid of them just as effectively, for our purposes."

"I'll try, but that's assuming that both you and Fiyu fail."

Since that was the most likely outcome, Nauda sighed and left his soul. In her absence, Theo continued to rapidly build the structure atop his soulhome. He was willing to consider all options, but he fully intended to have the power to back them up.

Though it resembled a new room, his construction had no ceiling and pushed into the limits of his soul far too intensely to function as a chamber. If he'd been planning on an ordinary ascension, a normal pyramid would have been more durable. But he didn't anticipate that breaking through the pressure would be beyond his abilities, so he planned something more difficult, an advanced technique that he previously hadn't used until Authority.

Instead of a path upward, he was building a crucible. In the moments when he attempted to pierce the sky, sublime materials that his soulhome could normally never support could be temporarily incorporated. It would make the ascension immensely more difficult, but if successful, he would forge a bond that would last as a Ruler. And fortunately, he'd just spent a great deal of time in the Chasm assembling such materials.

The most valuable was clearly the dense stone from the center of the island, previously too difficult for him to even draw into his soul. He might be able to manage it during the ascension process, but it would set another time limit and nasty consequences for failure. Before he made the attempt, Theo started to add other materials he'd assembled into the crucible, though the walls shook with the cantae of the materials, threatening to explode his work.

Outside, Fiyu had yet to return, so he took a step back and fashioned plating out of the blueshards they'd collected earlier. He'd never imagined they would be worth anything but money to him, but the durable crystal reinforced his crucible well enough. That established, he could put together all of the other materials, though he still needed a covering to prevent them from threatening the integrity of his soulhome while he waited.

For the actual ascension, he intended to use the solidembers, which would help the crucible at the same time. While he waited, Theo took a bit more time to reinforce the walls, build some simple stair steps, and increase the height a little more.

Just about the time his spirit required a break, Fiyu's stealth cantae passed over him. He reemerged to find Fiyu and Senka, carrying a few materials but frowning.

"They are guarding the unsearched area carefully," she said. "They seem to believe that the scepter will be found on the western end, but are afraid that one of their own might take it and behave selfishly."

"So there's no way to steal it?" Nauda asked. Fiyu shook her head slowly.

"We took some of their sublime materials, but even that risked attracting attention. Not many were valuable, but perhaps this..." Fiyu handed Nauda an armament in the form of the glove, which appeared reasonably powerful. Though Theo intended to examine it, he was soon distracted.

"Senka found this." She thrust both hands up, revealing a glowing white sphere. Theo glanced in annoyance at first, then looked again, taking it out of her hands.

White fire burned deep within the orb, roiling and surging in patterns that reminded him of the surface of the sun. It was unquestionably a Ruler-tier material, and quite suited to his soulhome. He glanced at Senka, wondering if she had retrieved it specially for him, but she plopped down and stuck her head between her legs. While he considered the new sublime material, Nauda stepped to the edge of the bubble to look over the enemy soulcrafters.

"It doesn't seem likely, but I think we should try to talk to them." Nauda turned back to make eye contact with everyone. "Theo, we'll have to plan the timing carefully. Fiyu, take an ambush position to support me. Senka, I suppose you should just stay out of sight."

They agreed on the basic details, then the others carefully made their way down the rocks beside the first waterfall. Theo barely kept track of them through his doorway and returned to his soulhome, beginning all the final steps.

The most essential question was exactly how close he should cut it. If he didn't attempt to use the crucible at all, he could easily ascend to Ruler. Piling in every possible material would test the limits of his spirit and result in a disastrous failure. It would be more sensible not to take a great risk, but this ascension would be the last easy one, and thus his last chance to use the crucible technique without deeper risks to himself.

In the end, he placed the miniature sun inside the crucible and then forced the island stone into his soul. It made his hands bleed before it managed to pull it inside, and the sky immediately began to rumble ominously. He had to drag it up to his roof a little at a time, the weight threatening to collapse his soulhome, but he managed to drop it into the crucible without damage. That done, there was nothing left to do but trust his own judgment and begin climbing the side.

Building up into the sky had already tested the limits of his soul, and as he climbed up a second time, he felt it push back against him. Pressure began flooding down over his soulhome, but he'd designed the roof well and it all rolled off. Only the hastily constructed crucible began to shake, and he was confident that it would hold.

When he reached the top, he threw his will upward, piercing as deep into the sky as he could. Immediately the air rushed down more intensely, and a vicious acid rain joined it, burning his skin. Before it could deal any damage, Theo kicked the lid off the crucible, grabbed two fistfuls of solidembers, and hurled them inside.

They finally exploded within his soul, blossoming into fire as thick as stone. The flames roared within the crucible and rushed upward along with the blasting cantae, burning his spirit horribly. But the intense heat evaporated much of the acidic rain and blazed a column into the sky.

Though the flames and the acid made his body into a single mass of pain, inside his soul Theo could push on with willpower alone. He let the column of flame carry him skyward, slamming against the limits of his soul. Instead of piercing through, he lingered in the flames, letting the pressure build further below. The crucible screamed and released white hot steam as the overwhelming cantae stretched him to a breaking point.

Was Nauda done with her negotiations? He had pushed himself a little too hard and could barely feel outside his soul. When his soulhome threatened to fall apart, he waited until the last possible moment and then pierced the sky.

As the new cantae flooded down, his scorched lungs took a new breath.

~ ~ ~

When Fiyu slipped away, rendering Nauda visible to everyone, there was no more time to waste. She planted her staff firmly and cleared her throat. "Excuse me."

The soulcrafters of the Asplundat Movement all reacted instantly, whirling on her position. Though they didn't attack, they did begin gathering, absurdly afraid of her despite the fact that she appeared to be a lone soulcrafter approaching their entire group. Only Homez looked suspicious, his eyes sweeping over the waterfalls around them.

"You've felt the battle change, haven't you?" She did her best to make eye contact with as many of them as possible. "This is about to get worse, much worse. I propose a truce: we forget about the Scepter of Separation and retreat to a safe location. There won't be time to find it, so you'd be risking your lives unnecessarily."

"What kind of city trick is this?" One of the Rulers raised a fist, a sledge of stone growing around it. "That scepter belongs to the Asplundat Movement, so the tyrants of the cities cannot use it to exploit anyone further."

"Then you agree that it shouldn't be used?" Nauda made sure to look at Homez then, since he was the most likely to be reasonable. "So do we. The chaos we've seen here would be nothing compared to what will happen if any of the leaders obtains such a powerful artifact. Let it remain lost. Take back your materials and your lives."

"What happened in the ruins?" Homez asked quietly. "It felt like a dimensional void."

"That's... complicated." While Nauda tried to consider what to tell them, something emerged from the stone behind her and attacked.

She realized that it was a stone-armored Ruler, cantae bolts and his fist flying toward her, but he'd attacked slightly too early. Nauda spun, letting the bolts scatter off her body, and the strength of her gemstone belt held. Deflecting his stony fist with one arm, she used the other to tap her staff against his body and flip him overhead, sending him skidding toward the others.

"I could have thrown him into the river." She wasn't actually sure about that, since his armor could partially resist her binding, but she tried to project confidence to the group. "I didn't, because we're sincere about forming an agreement. Forget the scepter. Better yet, let the water destroy it."

For a time there was silence... but she saw Homez shaking his head sadly. He didn't intend to attack her, but in his gaze she saw that they would never agree. It had always been a low chance, but she had still hoped. Nauda sighed and set her feet for battle.

"Surrender and you will not be harmed," one of the other Rulers said as she began to circle. "The Asplundat Movement is generous with prisoners."

Before Nauda could respond, Fiyu flickered from out of her technique, her cantae blade slicing deep into the other woman's back. Even heavily armored, she let out a cry of pain and staggered forward. All of the other soulcrafters immediately abandoned restraint, power flooding from their soulhomes as they rushed on the two of them.

And then a new source of cantae exploded from atop the waterfall. Theo descended from the side, his coat fluttering wildly in his new rush of power. Flush with cantae from his ascension, he barely needed to extend a finger and one of his fields slammed down over the Asplundat soulcrafters.

Some Archcrafters crumpled, but many of the Rulers endured, and as they began to adjust, they sneered. Exactly the same reaction as so many others, and with the same result: when Theo reversed his field, the entire group fell into the air. As he landed, Theo cast a sideways field, and though it wasn't as powerful as before, it still sent the majority of the group sailing into the air, over the second waterfall.

Though it had become a battle, and Nauda wouldn't weep long for soulcrafters who had been about to attack her, she was glad to see that their trajectory took them beyond the final stretch of the river. Instead they collided with the misty boundary and slipped from the Chasm of Lamentations.

Though Theo's surprise assault had sent the majority of the group hurtling away, four of them remained, including Homez. One was an Archcrafter with a different armor blueprint that had apparently bound him to the ground, while the other three were Rulers. Not weak ones, either, so they were in for a tough fight.

Several boulders grew from raw cantae and flew in their direction, only to fall short due to Theo's field. When he withdrew it the next moment, Nauda launched herself at the group and saw Fiyu run with her. The other woman slipped behind the Archcrafter, cutting deep into the armor and distracting him, leaving three for her.

Nauda hit them with her staff forming a whirlwind around her, colliding with their armor in crunch after stone-shattering crunch. She couldn't easily penetrate the armor, but she'd noticed that when she damaged it, the soulcrafters usually flinched and took time to repair the damage. Thus, she could maintain the initiative with a full assault and batter them backward.

It couldn't last forever, and one of the Rulers managed to endure her staff strike and slam one fist down at her head. Nauda raised her left arm and absorbed the blow. Her belt burned around her waist, but she blocked the attack without breaking her arm.

The Ruler stared in shock, clearly having expected a dodge instead of a static block. Nauda didn't hesitate at all, thrusting the forks of her staff into a damaged portion of his armor. It didn't strike him hard, but she managed to bind him firmly. As soon as she had a grip on him, she hurled him sideways so he collided with one of the other Rulers, sending both of them over the edge of the waterfall. Hopefully out of the Chasm instead of to their deaths, but Nauda looked aside and locked eyes with Homez instead.

After meeting her gaze for several heartbeats, he shook his head and leapt to the side. At first Nauda feared that he was attacking Fiyu, but he only lifted the fallen Archcrafter into a carrying position over his shoulders. With one final glance, he leapt over the side, leaving only a ripple of blue mist where he passed through the boundary.

Suddenly lacking opponents, Nauda took a moment to catch her breath. She stared out through the veil to the red wasteland beyond, wondering if any of the dark flecks were actually the Asplundat soulcrafters. They weren't supposed to be able to pierce their way inside again, so in theory she'd gained complete control of the island between the waterfalls.

"Well done, Nauda." Fiyu passed her with a smile and Nauda smiled back, almost forgetting about what had happened between them before. "But we must hurry to try to find the scepter, or at least take their remaining materials."

Pushing aside emotions, Nauda walked to the pile of supplies that the Asplundat forces had collected. Fiyu and Theo were better suited to analyzing the battlefield that hadn't been searched, so Nauda focused on shoving as many of the sublime materials into her soul as possible. None of them were exceptionally valuable, or as interesting as the glove Fiyu had found for her. The resources piled up outside her soulhome, but that didn't matter since she'd finished what might have been their last fight in the Chasm. The only question now was whether or not they left with the scepter in hand.

It might still be better to just destroy it, though she doubted that she could convince Theo. Now that he was a Ruler-tier soulcrafter... no, better not to think that way. If they did find the scepter, she would need to reach out to him with reason alone.

When she looked up again, her companions had traveled close to the edge of the island. They appeared to be searching methodically, while Senka was nowhere to be seen. No doubt she'd wandered off and would reemerge with a sublime material in her mouth. What mattered was that the other two didn't seem pleased by their findings... at least not until that moment.

"Is that it?" Fiyu straightened oddly and she changed course. "There, lying against the rock by the fall..."

Nauda looked in the same direction, toward a rocky cliff beside one of the larger waterfalls. A few broken pieces of armaments lay nearby, but there was a thin white rod... could that be the Scepter of Separation? It didn't look like much, not enough to inspire a near war, but it was difficult to determine the value of armaments at a glance. She hurried to join the others, gathering her arguments...

And an Authority's cantae slammed down over them, sending the group stumbling back. Nauda forced her neck up and saw Mattan land on the island not far away. He wasn't strong enough to fly here, but he still burned with more cantae than they could possibly fight.

"Touch that and you die!" he roared as he rushed between them, toward the scepter. "It belongs to the House of Burning Leaves!"

Fiyu retreated, which was sensible, but Nauda was a Ruler and couldn't let herself give in so easily. Not when it would mean standing by while another Authority acquired the means to become a tyrant. She glanced toward Theo and she saw that they had the same thought: their only chance was to get the armament first.

When Mattan lunged to grasp the scepter, it suddenly slipped away from his hands, tumbling to the side just along the edge of the fall. He immediately whirled on them, growling with rage... and then an onslaught of gray cantae struck him from the side.

Another Authority slammed to the ground nearby, covered in full Asplundat stone. Though they'd more fallen than landed, their attack knocked Mattan further from the scepter. The two Authorities turned on one another and then attacked, emptying their soulhomes as quickly as they could to try to end the battle quickly.

It grew into a maelstrom of stone and flame, a shockwave sweeping over all of them. Theo grimaced as he was pushed back, clearly trying to reach the scepter with his gravity but unable to penetrate. The storm forced Fiyu down to one knee, making her whimper and shrink inside her cloak.

Nauda took a step forward... and then something in her soul buckled. Too late, she realized that the raw cantae exploding from the Authorities had penetrated her defenses and rushed into her soulhome. If she hadn't already experienced it, she might have been overwhelmed, but she pushed through... only to realize that fragments of their attacks were entering her soulhome. This wasn't just pure cantae, it was filled with destructive intent.

She watched in dismay as a line of flame streaked across her soul, incinerating some of her vines. A gray boulder materialized in the sky and collided with her wall... and a large chunk of it fell. Each attack that entered only weakened her defenses further, and though Nauda let out a scream and tried to throw her willpower against the assault, it swept over her like an avalanche.

Her body remained mostly unharmed by the battle, yet Nauda was barely aware of it. She desperately rushed to one of her walls, trying to hold it up as her soulhome fell apart around her...

-

Chapter 26

Only a year ago, the onslaught of cantae from soulcrafters two tiers above her would have torn Fiyu apart. She desperately focused on her barrier wall, fearing that the gatehouse would betray her, but even the door held firm. Intense as the cantae was, it slipped away from the polished boundaries of her soul without harm, and she felt a flicker of pride as she realized that she could weather the storm.

That pride turned to ashes as she heard Friend Nauda give a low moan and collapse. Fiyu first looked for an injury, then realized in horror that it was her soulhome that had been struck. Even from a distance, she saw terrible damage within and her heart ached for her companion.

Yet she could do nothing to help her, and the battle could yet prove lethal to all of them. Fiyu desperately looked to Friend Theo, who had abandoned the idea of reaching the scepter first. He saw her look, then Friend Nauda's injury, and frowned.

She pointed toward the barrier, hoping that he could find some way to throw them out of the Chasm. Friend Theo glanced at it briefly, but with the intense cantae flooding all around, they had few opportunities to make any difference.

Friend Nauda's nullification technique would have been the perfect choice, if only she had been healthy.  She took a deep breath and attempted to draw up similar cantae, even though it would be a pale imitation... she could only hope that here in the Chasm they might be weakened enough for it to work. She waited until they collided, the cantae of their attacks dissolving against one another, and then unleashed her wave of nullification.

It did no harm to them at all, only briefly making Enemy Mattan stumble. In that moment, the Asplundat Ruler attempted to tackle him... and Friend Theo cast one of his gravitational fields.

The two Authorities arced upward, flying directly toward one of the waterfalls. Fiyu briefly hoped that they would collide with it and die, but their cantae was much too powerful. Both unleashed techniques downward, pushing themselves up so that they hurtled over the top. Yet this very recovery took them further away, and as they fought one another in midair, the distance only increased. Every time one attempted to move closer, he was warded away, until they could no longer be seen from the waterfall region.

Which meant the two of them had a chance. Fiyu quickly turned to where the scepter lay... only to see someone else emerging from the stone. Another Asplundat Ruler, either newly arrived or having hidden himself away. He was much closer to the scepter than either of them, reaching down to grasp it...

Friend Theo made the scepter fall up out of his hands, but the enemy Ruler reached up too quickly, snatching it with his other hand. Fiyu reached him the next moment, her blade slicing at his arm. She couldn't fully penetrate his armor, but he grunted and flinched. A moment later, Friend Theo struck the same arm with a torsion bolt. Stone flew in every direction and the scepter tumbled from his hands.

The three of them struggled by the edge of the cliff, the waterfall groaning beside them, the deadly pool churning below. Together with Friend Theo, Fiyu was sure that they could eventually gain the upper hand and acquire the scepter. Once they had it, they might even be able to stand against the enemy Authorities when they returned. It was only a question of-

Then the stone crumbled beneath them. Fiyu realized too late that the enemy soulcrafter had struck the ground, risking all of their lives. It seemed foolish to her, because he began to slide over the cliff's edge as well, then she realized that it was a suicidal attack. He intended for all three of them to die in the pool so that his allies in the Asplundat Movement could retrieve the scepter safely.

He had not counted on Friend Theo, who used his full strength to arrest his fall and hover above the collapsing cliff. Fiyu stared up at him, so close to the scepter, as the rocks broke away and she began to fall.

~ ~ ~

In the end, it wasn't even a decision, Theo's body moved on its own. Or so he told himself. He had enough strength to move himself to the scepter or to save Fiyu, and he ended up splitting his gravitational fields to prevent her from falling.

The two of them still tumbled down the collapsing side of the cliff, but he managed to grab hold of a solid outcropping. He reached to grasp Fiyu's outstretched hand, just missing her fingers... it took his full strength to reverse her momentum and pull her up. She grasped hold of his wrist immediately, leaving him exhausted and both of them dangling from a stone just beside the falls.

Once their momentum was arrested, he needed a second to recover enough to cast another gravitational field. In that pause, he examined the field carefully. The Asplundat Ruler had fallen as well, but not as far as they had, instead sinking his hands into the rock of the cliff near the top. He could have attacked them in that moment and possibly killed them, but instead began struggling back up, eyes fixed on the scepter.

It seemed hopeless, but Theo still did what he could. With an assist from a gravitational field, he managed to swing Fiyu up beside him. She got her own grip and clung to the side, recovering. Nauda might have saved them, except she lay boneless from her soulhome collapse. Theo struggled upward, the waterfall screaming in his ears, but he saw that their enemy was almost to the top of the cliff.

The scepter glistened there, teetering on the edge... where a small hand picked it up.

"What this?" Senka peered at the scepter, bit it experimentally, then made a face.

"Put that down, child!" The Asplundat soulcrafter struggled to climb the rest of the way up, but he was clearly testing the limits of his strength.

"Senka, no!" Theo struggled up faster, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. Their survival was really coming down to the whims of an insane little imp. "We need that."

"Listen to me, child. If you hand the scepter to me, you'll be given as many sweets and candy as you want!"

"Senka, you need to throw it down to me! If you wait until he climbs up, he'll steal it from you."

She stared between them with wide eyes, as if there wasn't a single thought in her head. At first Senka took a step toward him, then she looked back toward the Asplundat Ruler. He threw one arm to the top of the cliff and levered himself up, now dangerously close as Senka still gazed at them in confusion.

"Senka, throw it to me!"

Instead, she extended the scepter toward the Ruler. The sky dimmed and the man screamed, collapsing to his knees. A line of light, brilliant beyond all color, formed between them, and though Senka merely glowed, the Ruler's soulhome came apart at the seams. Senka immediately lunged forward, her head colliding with his chest and knocking him over the edge, tumbling down into the water below.

"Well done, Senka!" Fiyu called encouragement, but from her position, she could only see Senka's side. Dangling just beneath her, Theo had a clear view of her face.

Senka smiled with a malice he'd never seen before.

"I would like for you to remember this moment, Theo." Senka walked to the edge of the cliff, her shoes very near his fingers, the scepter hanging casually from one hand. "If I wanted to kill you, I'd do it now. If I wanted to manipulate you, I'd never reveal myself like this."

"Right, like this is instilling a lot of trust." Theo heaved his body up as quickly as he could, imagining that scepter turning to aim at him before he even tried to think about what was happening. Yet Senka simply stood at the edge over him, making no move to attack. "What are you doing?"

"Let's just say that you'll be given some good reasons not to trust me. I wanted to preempt them." She met his gaze for one long moment, then eased down onto the broken part of the cliff and extended her hand.

Though she was no stronger than before, she helped tug him up to the clifftop in his exhausted state. Theo briefly considered trying to take the scepter from her, but her second move was to help Fiyu. Between the two of them, they managed to lift her up to solid ground, though the broken rocks no longer felt quite so safe. As soon as she had recovered, Fiyu went to help Nauda, who struggled to rise to her knees. She was physically uninjured, but there was no telling how much damage had been done internally.

When Theo turned back to Senka, she skipped to the top of a pile of rocks, her former scrambling taking on a much more sinister grace. It wasn't that her capacities had changed, she was still less than a soulcrafter, it was just that she was actually using her abilities.

"Unfortunately, the Authorities are coming back soon, so our time is limited." Senka gestured above the falls, though he could see nothing. "I can predict when they'll finish their fight, but my estimate may be wrong. My mind is getting fuzzier with every second, so I need to communicate everything quickly. Please don't sporp this up."

Hearing the nonsense word in her new voice made Theo frown, but Nauda stayed focused on what mattered more. "Who exactly are you and why have you been lying to us?"

"You're a bit of a mess, aren't you?" Instead of answering the question, Senka raised the scepter at Nauda and a line formed between them. Though Fiyu immediately stepped to retaliate, it wasn't an attack. Instead, the wreckage of Nauda's soulhome was being pulled apart in the glow. "This thing should be able to undo some of the damage, but it can't rebuild for you."

"Don't ignore... the question..." Nauda grimaced and clutched her heart, focused despite what was being done in her soul. When the line of brilliance faded, Senka turned back to them with a cool gaze.

"The answer wouldn't do you any good, even if I knew. I'm... a broken jumble of whoever I once was. That's not important." Her eyes swept across them. "In the beginning I was just going to use you to get where I needed to go, but... plans change. I've only now reached the point where we can be useful to each other."

"We would have helped you if you asked," Fiyu said quietly. "Why did you betray us?"

Senka groaned, for a moment a shadow of her old self. "Ichili and their betrayal... look, I had no idea whether or not you were being used by the enemy, or if you'd turn on me. You expect someone in my position to tr-"

"You let me believe you were a child. You deceived me."

Theo didn't have time to talk Fiyu down, and he still wasn't convinced Senka wouldn't turn on them, so he just spoke calmly. "If we're really running out of time, arguments are wasting it. Who's the enemy you're talking about? What's so important that you broke your silence?"

"Right, let's focus." Senka folded her arms and tapped the scepter against her side. "I remember Vistgil. Just fragmentary memories, from centuries ago, but when I saw him in the ruins I remembered. I can't... can't recall where or why. I was on the verge of finding out something when... something happened and it left me broken. But Vistgil and his allies are trying something sinister, a vast conspiracy toward ends that can't be accomplished by strength alone."

"That's all you can give us?"

"Senka Senka!" Abruptly her serious expression broke into a huge smile and Senka began spinning wildly, letting out a stream of gibberish. Just when Theo was about to take the scepter away from her, the nonsense cut off and Senka was left gasping and clutching her head. "It hurts... I'm already fading, but..."

"Are you alright?" Theo stepped closer, surprised to feel any concern for her. Senka didn't point the scepter at him, just gave a bitter smile.

"Not remotely, but I forced myself a little deeper. Vistgil and his allies want to do something to the Nine Worlds. Probably control them, because that's what you do. But the core of it is the other worlds, the ones outside the Nine. They need to use these fragmentary worlds as part of their plan, because there's still power there. It's the same power I'm using to restore myself: this river is only one of five that support the Nine Worlds. I need to find the others."

"So you promise answers in return for our help." Nauda limped up beside him, supported by Fiyu, and frowned down at Senka. "You think your stunt earlier is enough for us to trust you?"

"Shut up and listen. Earth doesn't contain any of the rivers, but it's useful to them in some way. I'm not sure how, but Vistgil is bringing through more people like Theo. Controlling their paths, leading them to do... something." Senka winced and rubbed her forehead. "Sporp, I wish my mind was clearer. Look: most people from Earth are under his control. There are a few from other worlds who managed to survive his traps and are his enemies. The House of the Lost, or rather the entities behind it, are his newest foes. But you, Theo... I don't think he knows about you. You might be a wrench in the works."

"What about the other humans who survived Vistgil?" Theo asked.

"I don't have enough - Senka Senka skoobydoop! - I don't know enough. There's a group of four from Earth who are truly powerful, called the Siblings, but I suggest you stay away from them. The House of the Lost might be able to help, but... forget about that. Keep doing what you're doing, gain strength without attracting too much attention. Don't trust the inter-world organizations... Vistgil has had years to twist their beliefs against threats to him."

Just having someone else believing in the same conspiracy was a surprising relief. Though Theo was still skeptical of being manipulated, he believed that Senka was suffering to offer them information while she was clear-headed. "How do we gain enough strength to face someone like Vistgil? What tier were you, and do you have soulcrafting advice for us?"

Senka only waved away the question. "You wouldn't want my advice while my thought process is this blooky. You're basically on the right track."

"Why do you keep using those words?" Nauda asked. Senka scowled at her, then suddenly threw herself to the ground and flailed for a while. When she finally pulled herself upright, black liquid was oozing from her eyes and mouth.

"I want to give you all orders, but I suppose that wouldn't generate much trust, and I don't have any good answers while I'm like this." Senka pulled herself back onto the rock and wiped off her mouth. "It looks like we still have a few minutes. Do you really want to spend them asking that?"

"I've never heard anyone whose words were immune to soul translation. Is it related to your condition? Are you trying to give us valuable information and it's preventing you?"

"Whatever broke my soul... it was designed to torment me. Everything I eat tastes like ash. Beauty is painful. It reacts against almost every positive sensation. I can't believe they'd be so petty, but maybe they wanted to prevent me from cursing. So no, it's not important. If I say 'Go sporp yourself in the fumpet' can't you fill in the gaps?"

"It mostly sounds like static to me." Nauda frowned and looked to Fiyu, who was still glowering at Senka, but she shook her head in mutual incomprehension. Theo wasn't sure why it sounded different to him, but now that she'd framed it that way, he could guess what she meant. Not so innocent after all.

Since Nauda appeared uncertain and Fiyu was already deep into her vendetta, Theo decided to take control of the conversation. "You can't remember anything else about yourself? Your home world, or what organization you were a part of?"

"So much is so fragmented... I have memories, but without context..."

"Do you have a real name?"

Senka gave him a bitter smile. "I think it was actually Senka, and they've turned it into a mockery. That doesn't matter. Here's the thing... the organization I remember... I don't think it exists anymore. I have no proof, but I suspect Vistgil destroyed it. His main goal is outside the Nine Worlds, but he might want to weaken the Nine too. Before my curse, the average soulcrafter was more powerful."

"Just how powerful?" Nauda asked. "Can't you even tell us that? Is Dominion really the highest tier of soulcrafting?"

"The highest is the Senka tier! Because Senka is the biggest gurfoop of all the gurfoop loops!" She giggled and began prancing, though she kept a firm grip on the scepter. This fit lasted much longer than the others, and Nauda started to look concerned. Now that they knew there was an intelligent person being tortured inside the manic antics, her behavior carried a different tone.

But it didn't change the reality. Theo grabbed Senka by the shoulders and shook her violently. "Snap out of it! We need you to focus."

"Heheh." The low chuckle had nothing in common with her giggle, and Senka looked at him through eyes shot with dark blood. "I always liked how you wouldn't put up with my blook. Honestly, sometimes I've faked it just to sporp with you, because it's fun. Soulcrafting tiers... no, Dominion isn't the peak. It's all fractal, you're smart enough to figure it out for yourselves."

"Close enough." Theo had theories, but pushed on to another detail that could prove critical. "What about the Artifacts of Elighiera? Do you know anything about them?"

"They were... not common in my time, but not as rare as they are now. I think... Vistgil is controlling them as part of his plan. It might be good to take them back, but... I wouldn't wear them." Senka coughed up more dark blood and Theo lowered her to the ground. This wasn't the time for compassion, not when her conscious moments were running out.

"Is there anything we can do to help you?"

"We won't be together for much longer... I'll come back eventually, and I might be worse. You need to help me find the other four rivers...."

"What about a white realm with a black sun? Vistgil killed me there, do you know anything about it?"

Senka chuckled, but the sound dissolved to burbling as more dark blood escaped her lips. "Know it? That plain is nothing, we used it as a training ground. But beyond it... that's where things get... it all gets ugly... it's all more connected than you think..."

Before Theo could pull any more information from her, cantae flattened them all to the ground. Mattan floated down beside them, injured from his battle but still with more than enough cantae to overwhelm them. Nauda groaned in pain and Theo wondered if they were doomed, but Senka went scampering in Mattan's direction.

"Who's this big fumpet? Do you have yummies?"

"Foolish imp." In a flash, Mattan dangled Senka from one arm and took the scepter from her, before tossing her aside. He took a deep breath and then smiled as his fingers curled around the scepter. "Such power... with this, we can rule Norro Yorthin. I could kill all of you easily... but we might as well test the armament."

Mattan's grin widened as he lifted the scepter toward them. Theo desperately strained to gather enough cantae, but he doubted that they could have won even if they had been at full strength. Unless they had another ally, it looked hopeless...

"That's not yummy at all! You're blooky!" Senka hurled herself in their direction, apparently randomly, though Theo noticed that she imposed her body between them and the scepter. "You took Senka's yummy stick! That's mean! Give it to Senka!"

She scrambled forward, much faster than she should have been able to move, and began tugging on Mattan's leg. Just when Theo started to think she might have some hidden strength, the Authority easily stomped her into the ground. But an instant later she popped up, still screeching nonsense.

"Very well, your soulhome can be the first test of the scepter." Mattan aimed it down at her and sneered as Senka struggled back to her feet.

"You can't hurt Senka! Your nose is too stupid!"

"Enough of this. Perish." Mattan squeezed the scepter and the sky dimmed as a line of light linked the two of them. It burned so intensely that Theo momentarily feared that Senka would be torn apart, body and soul.

Instead he saw that malevolent grin again. "Imbecile."

The two began to float closer to one another, the light between them intensifying. Mattan grunted and tried to pull the scepter away, but he trembled in the grip of a power greater than himself. At first Theo thought that Senka had prepared some sort of trap, then he realized the truth:

The Scepter of Separation was doing exactly what it was designed to do. But Mattan was using it against a soulcrafter significantly more powerful than himself.

Though the light was ripping Senka's soulhome to shreds, it had been a compact sphere from the beginning. As her soul separated, Theo saw not garbage but the remnants of immense soulcrafting. This had been her plan all along, luring a powerful enough soulcrafter to use the scepter on her in order to undo some of what had been done to her soul.

When the scepter exploded violently, Mattan staggered backward, his own soulhome shuddering as the light tore through part of his barrier wall. Before he could recover, Senka tackled him over the edge of the cliff and they both plunged below, directly into the falls. Nauda gasped and stumbled to the edge, looking below, but no Authority burst from the water to attack them. Only ripples that were soon lost in the rushing waters.

"She's not coming up this time. Did she...?" Nauda left the question unfinished.

Theo shook his head. Just before they'd gone over the cliff, he was sure that Senka had looked back at him, her true self reemerging for a single instant.

What he wanted to do, more than anything, was just collapse and think about everything for a while. But if other soulcrafters were beginning to penetrate through to the waterfall region, then more would likely be coming. Some of the sublime materials the Asplundat Movement had collected remained... nothing important. What mattered was getting out alive before a Stronghold showed up.

"No..." Fiyu breathed the word quietly, yet it cut through his thoughts. Before he could realize what she meant, she grabbed him, pulled them closer to Nauda, and then covered them all in a small sphere of her cantae.

Nauda looked at her in surprise and started to open her mouth, but Fiyu put a finger to her lips, eyes still fixed overhead. Theo didn't sense anything, simply trusted her judgment and kept quiet. Her stealth technique had served them well, so anything that made her so nervous was...

All thought stilled as Vistgil floated over the highest waterfall.

He stood in the air above the entire region, slowly turning to examine it. Though Theo didn't sense any cantae, it seemed clear that a technique was being used: either to locate the scepter or to find them. The fragments of the scepter still lay where it had exploded, and it seemed to draw Vistgil's gaze.

Though he took several steps down through the air, he didn't investigate it directly. Instead his eyes roamed on, drawing closer to their location. Fiyu shivered slightly behind them, focusing her entire being on maintaining their stealth, yet it didn't seem like it could be enough...

"You pretended to leave." A distorted voice warbled from over the waterfall, and the tentacled figure from the House of the Lost appeared overhead. It floated ominously, burning with immense cantae, tentacles slithering from out of the shadows, but Vistgil reacted with only mild interest.

"So did you. I just wanted to check on something missing, why are you here? Planning to take revenge on me after all?"

"Our world wanted nothing to do with this hellscape. You brought us here."

"And you promptly destroyed everything yourselves. I actually liked your world, but you know how it goes. There's only one way this can all end."

"Your traps are failing. You are limited and we will exterminate your minions. No matter what you are doing, it will unravel." Otherworldly as the voice was, the deep rage was undeniable.

"It's true that you've done a good job hiding your kind away. But do you think I'm limited to these tools? Perhaps it's time for war to sweep across all of Fithe... continents will be cast into the sea and empires upended. I can set it all into motion so much easier than you understand, alien as you are. Soon you'll see just how little you've accomplished."

When the figure struck, it abandoned all semblance of a human form. The cloak burned away and an abomination of tentacles and teeth streaked out toward Vistgil. And, for the first time that Theo had seen, Vistgil actually dodged. He slipped through the air, evading the tentacles and striking back with a golden sword that formed from his hand. Though he managed to cut apart the tentacles, they collided with actual force. Much of his cloak was torn away, revealing an angular face with a wry grin.

If the fight had taken place closer to Theo, or continued in the air, he might have died as collateral damage. But the leader of the House of the Lost managed to grasp hold of Vistgil and hurl him upward, then streaked after. Even from so great a distance that they were invisible, the earth shook as they struck one another.

"We need to go." Though the weakest among them, Nauda was the only one not entranced, so she pulled them away. Theo knew she was right, but he still stared, burning the memory into his mind.

First he remembered the cantae that had flowed within the being fighting Vistgil. It had been unusual, but still comprehensible to him. The only way he could understand it... if a first tier soulcrafter's cantae moved like gas, and an Authority's flowed like water, this cantae had been utterly solid. That power might stand high above him, but he understood it. He'd seen someone actually fight Vistgil, so he knew the heights he needed to aim for.

Second, he had seen Vistgil's face clearly. Apparently ordinary, human but not exactly from any world, bright golden eyes. Theo repeated every detail until the face was seared into his memories.

Only once he was certain he remembered did he let the others pull him away. The battle still raged overhead, but he had a feeling that it would not end easily. Other soulcrafters were beginning to leave the Chasm of Lamentations, either competing with one another or simply fleeing. This was their only chance to reach safety ahead of the retreat.

Theo barely thought about any of that and simply stared skyward until they fell through the distorted mists.

-

Chapter 27

When they staggered out of the Chasm of Lamentations onto Fithan soil, Fiyu had been afraid that they would be unable to survive further attacks, or even a dust storm. But they didn't need to stumble far before House Blacksilver soulcrafters arrived on chariots to take them to safety.

Even though she had been the weakest of them, Fiyu had somehow emerged the most intact. Friend Nauda's soulhome had been dealt terrible damage, and Fiyu grieved with her without being able to express herself fully. Friend Theo had not been injured, yet the battle at the end had seemed to capture him in a way that scoured his mind clean. Perhaps his relatives had never guided him on how to protect himself near overpowering opponents, or perhaps he was simply consumed by thoughts of revenge.

She wished that she could have spoken with her companions about their experiences in the Chasm. So many events had occurred, she felt as though she struggled to contain them all in her mind, and speaking would have helped. Yet they remained mostly silent, only relating the events to their allies with quiet words.

The chariots took them to a secured location, and it was less than an hour before the Authorities emerged. Though Associate Dhan was carrying Associate Karchibol's unconscious body, all three appeared to have survived intact. As soon as they arrived, they traveled back to Norro Yorthin by weirkey, finally escaping all the terrible forces within the Chasm.

This time, returning to the city was even more of a relief than before. Fiyu wished that she could take her friends back to her room, turn out the lights, and simply rest. Unfortunately, they were brought into one of the main halls along with the Authorities to speak to the leadership of the House. All of it passed her by in a haze that she struggled to keep up with, but at least none of them tried to touch her.

As a whole, it seemed that House Blacksilver was pleased with how it had performed in the Chasm. Many other Houses had lost members there, and the Asplundat Movement was largely seen as chastened by the loss of a Stronghold. When Fiyu and her allies revealed just how many sublime materials they had collected, the others were even more enthusiastic. Fiyu felt as though her soul had already been scraped raw, but allowed the Authorities to extract all the unnecessary materials from within her.

While they counted up the value, Fiyu ignored the numbers. She would gladly have given up all of it for Friend Nauda to be uninjured. If only she had another chance, she could have spoken differently with them, suppressed her impulses fully, and then protected them from the chaos. They could have all emerged alive and happy.

"You must realize that the three of you are now among the most valuable young members of House Blacksilver." One of the non-soulcrafter leaders, practically a stranger to her, spoke loudly to get their attention. "Your monthly salaries will be increased, and we will expect great things from you. In addition to  your share of the profits, we want to offer each of you an additional boon from the House."

"Can anything be done about the damage?" Friend Nauda spoke up in a ragged voice. All her muscles were so slack, so lifeless... they seemed to strain just to raise her head and look around her. "Parts of my soulhome collapsed entirely... so much of the rest is shattered. Does House Blacksilver have anything that can repair it?"

"Well... you sustained your injury in service to the House, so of course we will do what we can. Perhaps your boon can be a restorative material, though the Authorities will need to research what. And if things don't work out, please rest assured that the House will care for you."

It was the worst thing he could have said, and even those who couldn't feel Friend Nauda's hands clench realized it was a mistake. Fiyu considered putting a hand on her back to try to comfort her, but wasn't sure if that would only make things worse. The official hurried onward, as if he could outrun his mistake.

"What about the two of you? Surely there's something you've had your eye on?"

"You have something called an Esoteric Chisel," Friend Theo answered. "I want it."

"My... the value of that is a bit high, but given what you've accomplished... yes, we'll give it to you, free of merits."

For a moment, Fiyu experienced a surge of anger. It felt wrong that he could simply ask for something he needed when Friend Nauda was in such dire straits. Yet she noticed the tension all throughout his body and knew that there was more to it than that. Friend Theo had fought alongside them at every turn, had even abandoned the scepter in order to save her. He understood that he was fighting a war against a terrible opponent, one that she had now seen with her own eyes.

Some time later, Fiyu realized that they were trying to get her attention. She blinked in confusion, knowing that they must be asking her about a boon but unable to pull her thoughts together. To her surprise, it was Associate Dhan who saved her.

"Perhaps her boon can be one of the sublime materials we won from the plain," he said, withdrawing what appeared to be a jagged piece of metal from his soul. "This is subliminalsteel, powerful enough to have a place in even my soulhome. But given her techniques, perhaps it would be even better utilized in hers."

Everyone except Fiyu agreed that this was a very good decision and she took the metal quietly. It did feel powerful, but she didn't want to think about it now, much less try to absorb anything into her creaking soulhome. Instead she held it on her lap to ward off anyone who tried to talk to her too much. Unfortunately, no one gave them permission to leave before the others started to discuss the future.

Most of it appeared to be local politics, conflicts between Houses. Fiyu only listened to the parts about the House of Burning Leaves, wondering if they would begin a vendetta, but the Fithans did not seem to think it was such a betrayal. She had almost forgotten the conversation entirely when Friend Theo spoke up.

"What did you say about Tymetron?"

They didn't answer his question immediately, shifting uncomfortably, but they couldn't ignore it after praising him so much. Eventually one of the officials spoke up. "Some of the other continents sent representatives, including Tymetron. One of their soulcrafters was apparently assassinated after leaving the Chasm, and they have vowed revenge. It's said that they have a truly terrible soulcrafter against whom no one can stand, who-"

"Myths and legends." Associate Karchibol sat limply and looked pale, but he was strong enough to let out a snort. "They tell stories about castles made of gold on other continents. Whatever House exists there, it will not cross entire continents and seas to deal with this matter."

"Maybe not," a different official said quietly. "But the House of the Lost and the Asplundat Movement are both roused and they might take action. House Crimson is actively expressing willingness to part with Norro Yorthin. If someone did push in from outside..."

"That is a matter for the far future." Associate Dhan brought a fist down onto the table. "It would take years for any outside pressure to work through local conflicts, and we have wars with the mud Fithans to deal with. Norro Yorthin must be concerned for itself first."

Some nodded in response, and Fiyu agreed with a much more restricted version of his statement. Whatever wars or foes the future brought them, all that mattered was her and her companions.