Chasmfall: Epilogue (The Weirkey Chronicles) (Patreon)

Epilogue, let's go!

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Epilogue 

The bodies of the titans cooled slowly as the shadows stole their heat. It would be days until the remains became indistinguishable from the rest of the environment, particularly in such an unnecessarily lit landscape. All the demon flesh lay stretched across the path, skin glistening in the very light that had helped draw them.

Guchiro walked across the chest of one of the titans and extended his hand toward what had been its chest. When his fingers curled, great spears of darkness flowed from him, penetrating deep into the unnatural skin. A single twist cored the titan, allowing for smaller tendrils of darkness to extract the dark mass that served for a heart. He examined it carefully with all his senses, confirming what he had expected: it was not a useful sublime material for himself or his ward, but it would be worth trading.

Of course, fighting the titans had never been anything but a tertiary objective. As soon as he had retrieved the second heart, Guchiro slipped both into his soulhome and turned back toward the city. He considered berating those in charge for allowing titans to form, but they would not accept such words from a stranger.

The guards stood in the light of the torches clutching their spears, as if either could protect them. They were not, however, responsible for the policy that had allowed such a breach of demonic standards, so Guchiro floated to them without expression.

"Thank you for your assistance, traveler." One of the guards, an Archcrafter with a meager soulhome, bowed to him. "How can we repay you?"

"I will accept monetary compensation from the leaders of the city," Guchiro said.

"Yes, of course." The guards immediately relaxed, presumably having feared that he would claim it was altruism and thus obligate them to treat him familialy.

Instead of imposing on them further, Guchiro floated over the wall of the city. It was little more than a waypoint, since it was exceedingly improbable that his ward could be in the location. He had only ventured into the Shadowpale because it was said to contain a gate to another realm, and he could not allow his search to be limited to the worlds he could most easily search.

There was one other advantage in the city: a distant relative of relatives named Hanemo. Her home was marked with several heat sigils familiar to him, so he easily tracked them to their source. Though the inhabitants would be obligated to assist him, he had no intention of remaining for long.

When Distantkin Hanemo opened the door, she was revealed to be a middle-aged woman with pale eyes. "Authority Guchiro. Do you require the assistance of relatives?"

"Only indirectly. I require direction toward the gate rumored to be in this region."

"It exists, but I do not know it. I have a relative who could give you the precise location, but he is currently working outside the city." Distantkin Hanemo examined him closely with a conventional heat sense. "You have not yet found your ward?"

"This is the reason I seek the gate."

"If she was lost in unfamiliar territory, then surely her survival is unlikely. I know that we would all prefer to believe that our relatives are in good health, but given the circum-"

Guchiro frowned. "It has not even been three years. I will continue to search, with your relative's assistance."

"Of course." Yet Distantkin Hanemo regarded him without fear, which was unusual for a first tier soulcrafter who knew him. "I understand that you have never lost a ward. Given your age and the improbability of the loss, no one would condemn you for the tragedy. There are other children among our relatives who require a-"

"No. I will return at a later hour to converse with your relative."

As Guchiro rose into the city, he attempted to leave behind the words of Distantkin Hanemo, only partially successfully. He reminded himself that he was not being remotely stubborn, since a three year search was standard even under ordinary circumstances. It certainly had nothing to do with his "record" of raising children and everything to do with how deeply he valued his newest ward. Of all the young soulcrafters he had guided, she had formed the deepest connections.

All that despite the short years they had spent together. Far too few. He had only been half-way through his intended program of study that would have made her capable of traveling any environment on Ichil. That priority had seemed unimpeachably sound, and would have been if not for the unusual circumstances.

Theory meant nothing, however, and the fact was that he had never even guided her to a brighter world. As much as he believed in his ward's resourcefulness, the sudden light would have been crippling, even if she emerged in a less dangerous environment. His travels had left him almost completely certain that she had not been cast elsewhere in Ichil, so all conventional methods of contacting him would be ineffective. That was another argument in favor of further searching, since his ward would also need to travel to survive.

Except that all of that logic was predicated on the idea that she had not been lost between worlds. Given the extensiveness of the disruption, the outcome was not improbable.

Three years. Guchiro could never allow himself to stop until he had searched at least that long.

Floating over the city, he considered his alternative paths. He could consult with the city leaders regarding compensation for his work, trade for more corporeal materials, or analyze activity outside to find Distantkin Hanemo's relative. Only the last appealed, and after so long, he did not realistically believe that it would bring him closer to his ward.

Noticing the glow of a Biolumin Relay, Guchiro decided to visit it instead. Though his ward would be unable to leave a message, his encounter with distant kin reminded him that he did have obligations to other relatives. Some of them quite treasured, if not in his care like his ward. One of them could potentially have sent a request or even provided information.

When he landed beside the Relay station, he saw that there was a small line. Though he prepared to wait his turn, a Ruler-tier soulcrafter emerged from the second floor and gestured to him. Preferential treatment of that sort was unusual, but it was possible that they separated their services between locals and travelers. No one seemed disturbed, so Guchiro floated to the second floor.

It was austere except for the core pulsing relay and a small desk. The soulcrafter had the decency not to ask unnecessary questions. "Sending or receiving?"

"Receiving. Here is my biolumin signature." Guchiro handed over the identification plate and waited, fortunately not for long.

"One message. It will emerge."

A message sphere popped from the lumin current, intended to drop into a receptacle on the table, but Guchiro intercepted it. He relaxed his defenses enough to receive the message contained within, replacing his biolumin signature in his robes with his other hand... which froze as he recognized the voice.

"Relative Guchiro. I am well. I have been taken to the city of Norro Yorthin, on Fithe. It may be found by traveling to the gate near the source of this message. I am held by an organization called House Blacksilver, and controlled by outsider traveling companions. I will not be able to speak honestly in person."

Ward Fiyu. Her voice was distorted in places, as if the message had been damaged, but it was unmistakable. The construction of several of her sentences was not exactly characteristic, suggesting that her ability to send him a message was limited, perhaps by the false companions who were controlling her. If she had sent her voice indirectly, that would explain the distortions in the message.

Slipping the message sphere into his robes for safe-keeping, Guchiro paid the official as quickly as possible and stepped from the Biolumin Relay. He remained in the air for a short time, considering the message again. This city of Norro Yorthin was unfamiliar to him, but his ward's instructions had been clear. Technically he had obligations to distant relatives in the city, but Guchiro dismissed them as irrelevant.

Instead he drew his weirkey and went to find his ward.

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And that wraps up the fourth book! I hope that all of you have enjoyed it and look forward to the continuation of the series. ^-^ Because patrons voted to get this book as soon as possible, there will be a bit of a lull between books, if not now then after the fifth.

Meanwhile, I have a lot of fun things prepared! First up, there will be a number of polls about this Patreon, deciding policy on a number of issues and potentially adding some benefits. I also have the cover reveal for the fourth book ready along with some sneak preview information about the fifth. On top of that, we have blueprints and tutorials currently in progress. Please look forward to all of that!