Bondsfungi: Chapters 5-6 (The Weirkey Chronicles) (Patreon)

Release periods are not healthy for me mentally. Chasmfall is selling better than Archcrafter, lots of new people are enjoying Soulhome, and the Patreon is over 600 people for the first time. All of that is good, but my productivity is shot.

Fortunately, many chapters of TWC5 are prepared. Thanks to everyone who has enjoyed the series. ^-^

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Chapter 5

Under six months until the Ruling City Wargames. Every morning when Theo awoke he mentally counted the days remaining before he dove into his work.

Though it was another deadline, he firmly told himself that he wouldn't let this one dominate his schedule. For too long, he had been focused on the duel with Esaire and then reaching the Chasm of Lamentations. Now his life wasn't under threat and he had plenty of sublime materials, so he needed to spend some time on the matters he had been letting slide. In the long term, investigating the truths of the Nine Worlds could be more important to his survival than power.

But of all the thousand things he needed to do, that day he had one easy place to start: House Blacksilver was supposed to deliver all the sublime materials he'd ordered. In addition to supply problems from the fighting, this set was far more challenging to acquire, going beyond the materials available in the House stores.

When he arrived at the usual storehouse, he was surprised to find that none of his requests was there. Instead he was sent deeper into the Blacksilver complex, to the central buildings where only the leaders worked. He needed to wait for someone, but that didn't bother him since he just got back to soulcrafting densecrest into bricks. Having that kind of brute force work available made Theo almost entirely immune to boredom.

When one of Blacksilver's Authorities walked into the room, Theo abandoned such thoughts and his soulcrafting.

"This way." Dhan was wearing his mask, even inside the complex. It was actually a new armament, Theo noted, still of Ichili design but this one built from Authority-tier materials. He wasn't the only one preparing. "A shipment like this was too valuable to risk."

They entered a heavily secured room which contained only a single dark box on the floor. Dhan cut the lock in half with a burst of his cantae, allowing Theo to pull off the top. The interior was divided into seven compartments, each containing a carefully wrapped sublime material. They collectively emanated enough cantae to blow his hair back.

"Confirm that you have everything you requested," Dhan said, "then I'll leave you to it. This room will seal when you exit so don't leave anything behind. Given the value of the materials, I'd get them into your soulhome before you go."

"Understood." Theo knelt down beside the box to check its contents against his mental list.

Not all the sublime materials he needed could be purchased, but this was his best effort to put the wealth he had possessed to use. The total had cost him more than four thousand merits as well as numerous Fithan Discs to smooth the process. But as his eyes wandered over the valuable materials, Theo reflected that they made his relationship with House Blacksilver entirely worthwhile.

Seven different materials, only the densecrest familiar to him. Theo confirmed that the quantities were what he was expecting and expected Dhan to march off, but the Authority paused by the door.

"The three of us are stretched to a breaking point preparing for war," he said softly. "House Blacksilver desperately needs a fourth Authority to keep up with its rivals, but don't let them rush you to ascend."

Before Theo could think of how to respond, Dhan swept off as expected. Theo considered his words for a moment and decided that the consideration was ultimately in his favor... especially if he could take advantage of these materials.

As he crushed the densecrest into his soulhome, Theo examined each individual item more closely. He was most interested in the sunlessrose, a sublime plant imported from the darkest depths of the Fithan seas. It was said to grow along with a soulcrafter remarkably well, so it was just the sort of thing he wanted in his soulhome, yet as he examined it, Theo began to doubt.

It was powerful, yes, and the deepest darkness he'd ever seen. But its nature had more in common with with depth and pressure than the void of his singularity. Worse, now that he got his hands on it, he didn't think the rose would grow effectively in his soulhome. It would serve well as the centerpiece of a chamber, but he had wanted a material that would strengthen the structural integrity of his soulhome.

Theo carefully set it aside to examine his other materials. The triple-layered sack of deathdust was exactly what he had hoped: the raw intensity of it would add significant lethality to his cantae, if he could just figure out how to store it. That one was definitely becoming the centerpiece of an enhancement chamber.

Similarly, the voidflint was exactly what he had been hoping: it was related to the blackflint he already possessed, just more intense and dangerous. He wasn't sure exactly what he would use it for, but the opportunity to acquire some had been too valuable to pass up.

A glass box contained the slitherscales, and Theo wasn't entirely sure what to make of them. They moved against one another even when he didn't touch the box, and they had a decent amount of cantae, but his research had given him the wrong impression. They were supposed to increase agility, which he wanted to combine with the raw speed of his tornadogems to give him full mobility. Unfortunately it didn't seem like they would mesh well, so he'd have to think hard about fitting them into his blueprint.

He was even more irritated about the chaosgem. It was the most powerful of the materials, right next to the sunlessrose, but it emanated disruption and confusion, not the fiery chaos of a star. The problem with ordering such rare materials was that it was impossible to test samples. Most likely it could play a major role in his soulhome, but it would be hard to do without compromising.

Worst of all was the staticstone, despite initial first impressions. It froze everything around it in place, even the flecks of dust in the air, and was difficult for him to pick up. He'd hoped that it could serve as an anchoring technique that could work with his other gravitational skills, but everything about its cantae just screamed pre-scientific concepts of the world to him, a far cry from his disciplined gravity. Potentially a good material for someone else, just not for him.

All in all, Theo was aggravated about his purchase. Two of the seven materials were entirely unsuitable, and three of them couldn't be easily incorporated into his design. He tried to tell himself that it hadn't been a waste, since he could probably give the sunlessrose to Fiyu. Still, waiting so long for the mediocre results rankled.

Since he'd finished crumbling the densecrest by that point, Theo entered his soulhome along with the deathdust. Inside, the densecrest rock became a boulder, while the deathdust remained inside the sublime bag designed to store it safely. 

Before he got to work, Theo put the densecrest with the other stone. He had crafted enough bricks for a fourth chamber, and estimated that he had enough raw material for two or three more. That meant he still needed to get at least one large stone of densecrest to finish his third floor. Of course, having the material didn't matter if he didn't make time to craft the rooms, which was easy to forget when there was so much more dynamic soulcrafting ahead of him.

Theo hefted the deathdust in one hand, deciding where it would be best placed. Maybe it didn't matter overly much, since his whole soulhome could draw off it, but he needed to pay attention to the little details of efficiency. In the end he decided to place it in between his anti-mass and torsion chambers on the first floor.

The only problem was that the chamber was currently filled with a variety of minor strengthening materials, starting with the medals he'd collected on Deuxan. Those had never been part of his plan, and they weren't that remarkable as materials, yet as Theo removed them from the walls, he found himself hesitating. 

They had gone with him through two ascensions, so their power had grown. Perhaps he could feed them into his singularity, but he decided against it and instead bundled them all into his storage room. He might find a better use for them, or there could be another emergency where he could bring them back out to strengthen an empty room.

With the room clear, Theo began experimenting with the deathdust. It did no good contained within its sack, but when he tested it in the few clay or glass containers he had lying around, the dust started to burn through them. Unfortunately, he didn't have excess powerful materials that struck him as a good match.

Abruptly inspiration struck and Theo ran to get one of the lesser gravitational materials he'd stuck away in his storage room. It had been called something like orbitstone, reasonably powerful but too bland: it just made things orbit around it. Given that his entire blueprint was designed to create such an orbit, another little material doing the same thing had been useless.

Now, however, he built a plinth for the orbitstone and placed it firmly atop the raised center. It added very little to his soulhome... until he carefully poured out the deathdust. Just as he hoped, it fell into orbit around the central stone. Theo cast his full will into it, fixing the entire room in his mind so that none of the deathdust would stray and damage his other work.

As soon as it was done, he felt the difference. The chamber walls had already been carved to support the materials within, but the deathdust was a far better match than the previous contents. With this, his torsion bolts would penetrate more easily, and he might even be able to integrate the destructive energy with other techniques. Definitely an improvement, one of many he needed.

Theo stood back in satisfaction, reminding himself that even though he was focused on his core technique rooms, he should be happy with strengthening aspect chambers as well. They might not matter as much as gravitational techniques, but if he wanted to be a top tier soulcrafter, he needed the full support of every chamber on every floor.

Having digested his irritation, Theo threw himself into his work. He did a variety of experiments with the slitherscales, and though none of them quite worked out, he began to feel as though they could have a major role on his second floor. Once he got tired of that, he went down the first floor to convert more blueshards from the Chasm into tiles for his bathing chamber, which was coming along nicely.

Many of the new chambers needed work, but Theo realized that he was finally coming closer to eliminating all placeholders from his blueprint. The first floor's core chambers were in place, just needing more work on the deathdust and bathing chambers. On the second floor, he had two empty rooms, one of which could hopefully house the slitherscales. Of course, his top floor was only a third built, but he had plans for most of it as well.

Perhaps the voidflint could play a central role in another chamber. Yet when Theo set to work knapping it, he almost immediately began cutting himself. He thought that he'd mostly gotten the hang of it, and even went back to knap more blackflint as an experiment, but the voidflint seemed actively malicious, as if it wanted to spill his blood.

By the time his hands were covered in spiritual blood, Theo was feeling light-headed. He decided to set the voidflint aside for the time being, perhaps until his skill at flint knapping had much improved. Meanwhile he washed his hands off in the heavywater, which made him feel slightly better but didn't remove the weariness from all his work.

Too worn to soulcraft any further, Theo hopped up to deal with the many other issues he needed to pursue. The problem was knowing where to start. He didn't dare investigate Vistgil directly, but he needed to research the Artifacts of Elghiera much further, since he still hadn't taken advantage of all the city's libraries. For that matter, he realized that he'd never investigated the dark-haired Tatians in the city, who might be able to tell him more about the blackened half of the world, or Nauda's true origins.

On a more prosaic level, his coat and jacket were getting increasingly worn. He thought he knew what needed to be done to build an armament chamber, it was just a matter of finding time. For that matter, he'd flagged a number of House Blacksilver requests as potentially worth pursuing. Since he'd just spent so many of his resources, it would be worth building them up again.

Better to have too many options than too few, but Theo was honestly a bit annoyed.

Theo began with one of the easiest tasks: he might as well give the sunlessrose to Fiyu. He found her in one of the soulcrafting courtyards, hard at work as usual, and she was silent a moment before emerging from her soulcrafting.

"Hello, Theo." Fiyu remained seated with her legs crossed and patted the tiles in front of her. "Are you here to soulcraft as well?"

"Sorry, but I just finished."

"Oh, I see." She appeared briefly disappointed, her emotions as transparent as usual, but soon smiled again. "We should make time to do so at some point. I feel as though we are too busy to travel together in these recent days."

"We can definitely make time." Theo reached into his soulhome and withdrew the sunlessrose, hoping that it would make up for his negligence. "What do you think of this? I thought it would fit my blueprint, but I'm wondering if it might be a better match for yours."

"Oh!" Fiyu finally rose, carefully taking the sunlessrose from him and examining it with her lips slightly parted. "A growing sublime material, and quite a powerful one. I understand how it could be aligned with my darkness, but does it not also suit your singularity skill?"

Theo explained his thoughts and Fiyu quickly understood. Fortunately, he was right that it was a perfect match for her soulhome, though she seemed to intend to retain it for her Ruler floor. He decided that there was no point in joining the voices urging her to ascend and just hoped that she would survive long enough to reap the benefits of her carefulness. She agreed to transfer the value of the sunlessrose to his account without being asked, so all in all he was quite pleased with their meeting.

Leaving Fiyu to her work, Theo considered everything he needed to do and decided that he'd missed something important. Even though he'd had the opportunity to spend time with Navim since his return, he'd let himself be too distracted. As Fiyu had reminded him, loyal companions were valuable as well.

He hadn't visited Navim's house in the Arbaian quarter of the city often, but found it easily enough. Fortunately, the Mundhin was in, currently working on an elaborate sculpture of trees. Theo stared at it for a while, trying to figure out its soulcrafting purpose before realizing that it was just a statue.

"This is a commission for an Aathali client," Navim stated, without looking up from his work.

"Fithan stone crafted into Aathali shapes." Theo leaned closer to admire the fine detail. "A symbol of unification, I take it?"

"That may be the implicit intention, though I did not inquire. I have found that since stoneshaping is well known here, clients can be rather... discerning, shall we say." Navim finished an exquisitely detailed bud in the midst of opening and ceased his work, instead settling his lower limbs back and shifting his gemstone sphere to focus on Theo. "I am glad to see you, Theo. Do you require anything?"

"Actually, I was here to help you," Theo said. "I saw that you put in a request with Blacksilver for certain services that were gravitational in nature. Anything I can help with?"

"Indeed you could, and perhaps better than the majority of those who have made attempts to help. This way."

Navim lifted his bulk and walked to another sphere of the house, apparently an entirely different working area. Since the passageways were designed for bulky Mundhin bodies, Theo followed without difficulty, examining the walls. They were covered with papers and plaques, mostly written in Arbaian scripts. Fortunately, Theo's linguistic knowledge was broad enough for him to read all the local languages, so he skimmed them. It seemed that Navim had become rather entrenched with the local Arbaian intelligentsia, even if they were mostly other species.

"If I recall your abilities correctly," Navim said as he moved, "you do not have any capacities that would impart a permanent effect to sublime materials."

"That's a rather advanced crafting skill," Theo answered. "Wouldn't you need to process sublime materials for that?"

"Always to some degree, but the creation of armaments is more complex. But I do not require those skills, necessarily, provided that you can assist me to the necessary degree of precision."

Navim finally came to a halt carefully beside another table. The spherical room was a little cramped, with a desk covered in books and information spheres crammed in alongside the worktable. Atop it, Theo saw a complex sprawl that looked like clockwork to him. All metal, which was less common on Arbai, so either Navim had significantly developed his skills or this was a more complex commission.

"The most valuable of my research, by almost any standard, is this attempt to merge Fithan and Arbaian technology." Navim extended one of his delicate grasping limbs and lifted one of the smallest cogs. "Though there are many stoneshapers more skilled than I, their region lacks some of the techniques developed by the School of Emerald Indulgence. For that reason, I believe I may be able to make a breakthrough."

"But you need gravitational assistance?"

"Yes, this has been more difficult than I expected. There are countless soulcrafters who can provide services that produce hovering, but the underlying principle is entirely different. Those push against the force of gravity, which will disrupt the sensitive mechanisms."

"Something like this?" Theo lifted one of the less intricate pieces with a gravitational field. He still couldn't make it halt in place very easily, so it wobbled as he tweaked the strength of the field, but Navim immediately shifted his gemstone sphere to examine it.

"Can I touch it without disrupting your effect?"

"Of course."

Navim reached out and grasped the piece carefully, and Theo canceled its gravity completely. He expected it to wobble afterwards, but Navim managed to release it without applying more than the slightest force, so the metal piece hovered almost motionlessly.

"This will do," Navim said, a new warmth in his voice.

"Believe me, I know the difficulty," Theo said. Since Navim sounded pleased, he let himself smile. "I'm always looking for gravitational sublime materials, only to keep finding ones that are tied to flying or hovering or something else. Entirely unsuitable."

"Then I am hopeful that you may be able to understand another concept that some have struggled to grasp. They may hear the words through soul translation, but they lack the specificity of understanding. You are no doubt aware that objects have weight related to their density, which produces resistance to acceleration. But the word 'weight' is imprecise, especially as fundamental laws vary between worlds. I am seeking to manipulate the core concept of this resistance to acceleration, as well as-"

"You're talking about mass and inertia?"

For a moment Navim's body was entirely still, his gemstones managing to convey a sense of surprise, then he let out a low chuckle. "The way you say those words, I believe you understand. Here, let me show you what is required and then I wish to discuss these things with you."

Theo found a seat and followed instructions, creating a gravity-free region for Navim to work. Beyond that, Navim wanted ways to entirely eliminate inertia, which Theo couldn't manage as effectively. He did what he could with his anti-mass skill, but he'd never used it so precisely, or to truly remove the mass of an object. After a few false starts with sample parts, they reached a sufficient compromise.

Once Navim was able to do his work and they found a rhythm, the Mundhin began to ask about the sciences of Earth. Normally Theo was reluctant to discuss it, but Navim's questions were rather different than usual and he felt confident that none of the information could ever make it back to Vistgil. He enjoyed the work and conversation more than he expected and an hour flew by before Theo needed a break to refocus.

"Your world sounds remarkable to me," Navim said as he returned all the pieces and tools to their proper places. "You have explored far deeper into the truths of reality, which is no wonder when you have an entire world dedicated to the principles that drive Arbaian schools."

"I don't know about that," Theo said with a dry chuckle. "We have scientists, yes, but they've made it so easy that most people don't really understand the principles anymore."

"Is that not the case for everyone? No individual can understand all forms of knowledge, not since the days of the earliest philosophers. It is necessary for all to accept the work of other specialists so that they can drive wisdom forward in their own fields."

"That's a really generous interpretation. If you could see all the things people believe on my world, I don't think you'd be so enamored with them." Theo sat back and stretched before reconsidering. "Then again, most of what I've seen of Arbai is the schools of philosophy. Maybe you have your own superstitions I've never even heard."

"Indeed we do, though if Fithe is any indication, they may not be the same as yours. Do you have time to hear of them?"

In a sense there was no time at all, since Theo had a thousand tasks he needed to do. Yet he found himself smiling at Navim and saying, "All the time in the world."

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Chapter 6

Though the majority of House Blacksilver's operations took place within the central complex, they owned a variety of satellite buildings throughout the city. Some were simply businesses run by citizens aligned with the House; many were healing houses, food pantries, or similar services. Others included way stations, safe houses, and a luxury retreat.

Nauda should have been pleased that there was a building dedicated especially to rebuilding work, with facilities and staff for a wide variety of injuries. Yet, every time she made her way there to meet with Grekig, it reinforced that she was no longer part of the true community. Not a Blacksilver soulcrafter, just a failure.

Those thoughts were likely not the ones she was meant to be focusing on as she sat and meditated in the healing room, but Nauda was helpless to stop them. As she was helpless to do so much else.

"Tighten your core and relax everything else." Grekig's voice floated to her from the exterior of the room. "Let the physical sensations move into your soul. The heart of your soulhome, the routes of your cantae, hold those tight to you. All your other defenses are melting away, dissolving so that the bondsfungi will be vulnerable..."

When he wanted to, his voice could be very soothing, and Nauda found herself finally attaining her perfect focus. She set aside thoughts of the damage to her soulhome and dwelled in what it should be. "Now."

"Are you certain? There is no need to rush. The exercise will be available tomorrow the same as today."

"Of course I'm c-" Nauda cut off and took a deep breath, calming herself once more. "I am certain."

"Very well." Grekig stepped behind her and poured the molten lava over her head.

A wave of pain rolled through Nauda's soul, but she resisted the old urge to fight it. Instead she let the lava rush inside, watching calmly as it flowed away from the stakes protecting the majority of her soulhome. It passed over and through the rubble, not touching the stones but burning away all trace of the bondsfungi.

Or so she hoped. As the sublime lava ebbed in her soul, Nauda lost her serenity. She'd lasted long enough, now she wanted to see the results. Stumbling closer to the still-heated region, she inspected every nook and cranny for the bondsfungi. Though she didn't spot any mushrooms, she had thought it was taken care of the previous week too, only for them to return.

"That was very well done," Grekig said from the physical room. "You should focus on recovery so that we can apply a second dose tomorrow, just to be sure."

"Thank you." Nauda spoke half in her soul and half physically as she returned.

The room in the healing lodge was a surprisingly peaceful one, deep rich soil supporting grass and trees as were rarely seen on Fithe. Not everyone found such an environment peaceful, but for Nauda it was a relief. Grekig knelt opposite her, putting away his sublime materials, but he turned to smile at her when he saw her emerge.

"I've investigated the matter further," he said, stroking his mustache, "and I think I know why it has been difficult for you to rid yourself of the bondsfungi. It seems to feed on cantae, so the fact that yours is more intense has made it more resilient. I don't believe there's ever been a case of a Ruler with an infection, so you're dealing with an unprecedented problem."

Nauda sighed. "I'm overjoyed to hear that I'm still breaking new ground as a soulcrafter."

"It was an unfortunate combination of circumstances, but I believe you will be able to surpass it, if you can fully apply yourself."

That erased whatever shred of calm had been left. "Fully apply myself?"

"I didn't mean to criticize, just don't falter before it's entirely gone." Grekig tried to brush it off, but when he saw her continued stare, he set aside his containers and turned fully to her. "Perhaps this can be encouragement after all. You see, the bondsfungi isn't an intelligent invader: a Ruler's soul isn't substantial enough to support one of those. It's not so different from many other plants you might grow inside your soul, or a fragmentary weed, it's just more aggressive."

"I apologize, this humble servant cannot read between such complex words."

"Don't be... just remember that this is within your control. If you can fully grasp the bondsfungi with your mind, you could eradicate them yourself. Of course, we don't expect you to accomplish such a thing, so we have tools to assist you. But please apply your full willpower to driving the infection out."

That was what she had been expecting: everyone believed that it was her fault. Her fault for building insufficient defenses, for letting the fungus get inside, for not simply shrugging it off. And truth be told, she felt a bit of that guilt herself, which was why it stung so deeply from others.

To her surprise, Grekig shifted closer to her and shook his head gently. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Nauda. I know you have more than enough will to accomplish this task, you just need to find it again. Anyone with the strength to chip away at Authority-melted stone is more than capable."

"Even though you think I shouldn't be trying that?" Nauda asked.

"Well, it's likely that it has bonded to the foundation of your soul, so nothing will regrow even if you chip it all away. I still believe that you should incorporate the remnants into a memorial chamber." Grekig finished putting away his supplies and drew them into his soulhome as he stood. "But the work isn't useless. You could carve the remnants to fit a blueprint instead of being forced to make an unusually shaped chamber. Just keep making new bricks like I've told you."

Nauda made sure to smile and thank him, though her mind immediately went to the fact that Grekig had never been able to remove his own internal damage. She'd seen the design of his memorial chamber, a mass of stone surrounded by other remnants of his past. It was a decent blueprint, in a sense making the best of a bad situation, but she just couldn't accept it.

The core problem was that the molten remnants of soulhome damage were a terrible source of cantae, adding almost nothing to her soulhome. In fact, their only notable trait was just how resistant they were, but her best efforts could only break it apart, not fashion the slag into usable materials. So far, all she had was a smaller mound and a pile of fragments.

Since Grekig needed to lock many of the rooms behind them, Nauda didn't linger and instead wandered back onto the streets of Norro Yorthin. He went his own way and Nauda realized how low the sun had dropped: she risked being late for her meeting with Antha.

The two of them met at a small restaurant that opened to the street to share spiced buns and wine. It was a Blacksilver establishment, but more importantly it was run by Antha's husband. Antha had withheld that information for the first two times they visited until eventually they couldn't hide their flirting. Her husband greeted them briefly, but otherwise left them alone in one corner to talk.

"How is your recovery going?" Antha asked, just before she popped one of the smaller buns into her mouth.

"Pretty well," Nauda lied as she searched for a way to redirect the conversation. "I didn't realize that our House had so many facilities."

"We do the best we can for our members."

Despite the fact that they were both engaged in soulcrafting almost every day, sometimes it felt like they couldn't talk about the subject together. Antha managed combat soulcrafters, she wasn't one herself. Nauda prevented the conversation from digging itself deeper by asking about her children, which led to a flurry of updates about their progress. Fithan schools seemed expensive and competitive compared to Tatian, but a parent's love for their children was clearly the same across worlds.

As much as Nauda wanted to ask Antha about business, she felt awkward bringing it up too much. Only after they'd mostly finished their food did Antha mention that increased activity from the wild tribes was making it more difficult to acquire supplies, which was the perfect invitation.

"I hadn't heard of them before recently," Nauda said. "Are they much more active lately?"

"Not more active, just closer." Antha toyed with her serving fork on her empty plate as she spoke. "It's all a gambit from House Crimson, of course."

"House Crimson? That's the first I've heard of it."

"You haven't, really? I suppose it's more administrative gossip. Normally, House Crimson contributes as little as possible to the city: they barely send anyone to clean up demons, they shortchange the city guard, that sort of thing. Fighting the barbarians can be costly, so of course they never do that either. But suddenly, starting... oh, a few months ago... they start aggressively fighting wild tribes in the city's territory."

Nauda frowned as she thought of Tythes and the other members of House Crimson. "And how does this gambit benefit them?"

"That's the question. They claimed that it's for the common good, but that has to be a lie. My personal theory is that they're intentionally pushing barbarians close to specific routes. That way resources don't come in on time and they can take advantage of that somehow, maybe because they have reserves to sell."

"Is there proof of that? In the sales, I mean."

"Not proof, exactly..." Antha trailed off as her husband stopped by to pick up their plates, stretching up to kiss his cheek. When he left, she turned back to Nauda with a lazy smile. "Alright, I'm beat. I don't suppose you have that sleigh of yours so we can ride back to the complex?"

"Afraid not." Nauda slid to her feet, offering the other woman a joking arm of support.

"That's alright, we can walk." Antha chuckled and leaned on her as they left the restaurant. "You want to know the real House Crimson gossip? They're trying for ascensions, of course, but something they attempted went horribly wrong. They tried to hide the details, but we know that three of their Rulers all died at the same time."

That tickled something in the back of Nauda's mind and she frowned over at Antha. "But it must not be just an accident, if it's gossip?"

"Well, it could be that they were trying something desperate, but rumor has it that there were internal conflicts. It's well known that the House has several factions competing for the ear of their patriarch. Could be that someone wanted to eliminate their competition for Authority."

Such conflicts certainly sounded far worse than the disagreements within House Blacksilver, but Nauda wasn't surprised by anything, since House Crimson included Tythes. She realized that it had been a long time since she'd seen him, which was a relief she should have relished more. It was too much to hope that he'd died in the Chasm - she was sure he'd made appearances since then - but at least he was staying quiet.

They continued chatting as they returned to the complex, and it should have been a lovely evening. Nauda was actually starting to relax when she heard the chanting. Norro Yorthin was a chaotic mix of people from many worlds and cultures, but the group in huge blue robes stood out to her. If the incomprehensible chant wasn't ominous enough, they carried rough signs that spoke of repentance and judgment.

"Who are they?" Nauda whispered to Antha as they slipped around the group. "Don't tell me they've been here all along too."

"Oh no, they're new. Call themselves the Order of the Deepest Blue, I believe. A whole bunch of water Fithans under an official truce, but if you ask me they're causing more trouble than they're worth."

Only when Antha mentioned it did Nauda look underneath the hoods enough to tell that they had blue skin instead of the usual red. She had the impression that the Fithans on the watery half of the planet were just as sophisticated as the others, despite land prejudices, but this group looked more than a little crazed.

"Are they representative of water Fithans?" Nauda asked. She knew what many would have answered, but trusted Antha to provide a more measured perspective.

"No one I know had ever heard of them before they arrived." Antha tried to pull her further away as Nauda continued examining the group. "Truth be told, they're usually not so different from us. They don't have Houses, exactly, but they have their own factions and wars. This group is just a cult, I think."

"And why are they coming to preach on the land?"

"Everyone in the water is sick of them, maybe? Let's not stare at them, I've heard stories..."

Leaving with Antha would have been wise, but a moment later Nauda lost her opportunity. The Order of the Deepest Blue had been shouting at anyone within range, spewing vaguely threatening platitudes. All that changed when one of them spotted her. It was just suspicion at first, then anger, then suddenly the man was shrieking at her.

"Outsider! One of them is here! Outsider!"

That would have been alarming enough, but the group rapidly surged toward her, shoving the crowds aside. Many in the crowds pushed back, but enough retreated that the cultists had already reached her. In better times Nauda might have managed a smarter response, but instead she only lifted her staff defensively.

Cantae slammed into her, and though her shielding wall held, her body was pinned in place. Antha instinctively pulled at her sleeve, only to be shoved aside as the cultists swarmed to her. Nauda struggled against the bindings, recognizing them as similar to her own technique. Unfortunately, the cultist binding her was a Ruler as well, so she'd need to exert herself seriously to escape.

"Look at her!" The cultist stabbed out a finger, which lifted her into the air for the crowd to see. "Not Fithan, not Arbaian, not Aathali! This filth from outside the Nine Worlds seeks to destroy us all!"

His claim, more than his technique, stunned Nauda into silence. She was used to people being slightly confused about what she was, but there were other Tatians in the city. Being accused of being an outsider was so absurd that she didn't manage to speak until he started again.

"They lurk among us, drawing the d-"

"Don't be absurd!" Nauda hurled her cantae against her opponent's, partially breaking herself free, at least enough to shout over him. "I'm Tatian, as much a citizen of the Nine Worlds as you are. What are you doing, coming into our city and accusing us?"

Her cry appealed to the gathering crowd, and to her surprise the cultist actually hesitated. Looking over her, not in anger but as if actually considering her words. Even as her opponent's eyes narrowed in anger, she realized the stupid truth: this wasn't a ploy against her, he honestly believed that she was an outsider because he was too provincial to know what Tatians looked like.

"Lies!" The cultist gripped her tighter, wrenching her into the air. "You have a gate to Tatian in this very city, do they look like this deceiver?"

Nauda wanted to ask why a deceiver would take a form that was obviously wrong, but even if she'd had the strength to speak, she doubted logic would get through to the cultists. What troubled her was that the crowds didn't seem as on her side as she'd hoped. Her skin might be the same as Tatians from the lower realm, but perhaps a difference in hair color was enough to make them suspicious.

Was no one going to help her? The cultist Ruler wasn't strong for his tier, and she would have easily been able to free herself if she was in better condition. Antha struggled at the edge of the crowd, helpless to save her. Nauda actually spotted a rare Tatian in the city, but the dark-haired woman only glanced at her briefly before turning away. 

At that moment she heard an enormously loud belch and the shattering of wood.

Tythes crashed through the balcony of a nearby building and plummeted into the street. He struck head-first at an angle that would have killed most people before his feet fell stiffly, like a plank of wood. Yet somehow he just kept on falling, flipping back up to his feet with his body still straight.

"How dare you accuse my dearest companion of being an outsider?" Tythes wiped a wine stain from his mouth and began walking toward her as if there were stairs in the air. "Nauda here is a valued member of House Blacksilver and a close, close personal friend. Isn't that right?"

He swaggered up beside her in the air, wrapping an arm around her cheerfully. Nauda gave him her most venomous smile. "Of course we are."

"You see? We're the best of chums! Bosom buddies since childhood! If you ask me, all of you are the outsiders here. Who wears shoes like that, anyway? Not the good people of Norro Yorthin, let me tell you! Down with the vile shoes, I say! More down than shoes ordinarily are!"

Nauda wanted to hit him, but his grip had utterly destroyed the cantae binding her in place. He could have forced her to cling to him or fall but instead created a layer of cantae that allowed her to stand beside him. Besides, his drunken rambling was effectively breaking the serious aura the cultists had created.

Faced with an Authority, the Order of the Deepest Blue had no choice but to retreat. Some of the crowd seemed to believe that the entire thing had been a whim of Tythes and returned to their business. Antha started to move toward her, but was left behind as Tythes pulled Nauda into the air.

"Come, most devoted of companions! Let us drink to celebrate our tearful reunion!"

"Let go." Nauda tried to squirm out of his grip even if it meant falling, but didn't manage it until he had flown her up to the roof of a nearby building. Best to keep him in a public space, so... "We aren't going back to the place where you were drinking before?"

"Oh, I wasn't drinking there. I entered from the other side so that I could crash through their balcony."

"You did that intentionally?"

"Property damage is the grandest entrance!" Tythes folded his arms and nodded to himself as if pleased. "I'm disappointed that I had to save you, though. You're going to be my rival in a thousand years, remember? I thought you could have taken care of those idiots yourself."

"You didn't give me a chance," Nauda said, hoping to throw him off that trail.

Unfortunately, something in her tone must have tipped him off, because Tythes focused on her the next moment. For a single chilling heartbeat, there was no trace of drunkenness, just his eyes boring into her. Nauda desperately tried to reinforce her shielding wall even as she realized that it was probably too late.

"Ah." She wasn't sure what she saw in his eyes as he understood. It wasn't scorn or pity, to her surprise, but something she couldn't name. A moment later he smiled lazily again. "Better add another thousand years before our duel, then! Wait, no, I don't want to wait that long... I'll train you myself."

"I don't want to train with you."

"Then I'll kidnap you and force you to learn how to kill me! I see no flaws in this plan. Truly, my genius knows no bounds!"

Though Nauda didn't believe Tythes would actually harm her directly, at least not in public, she did believe there was a real threat in his words. He'd imprisoned all three of them on the island in the Chasm and been entirely willing to sacrifice them for his own ends.

That was when Nauda realized her way out.

"Thank you for the help," she said calmly as she turned away, "but I'm going to go back now."

"Oh, but I think we need to talk." Tythes slid around in front of her, his smile growing frostier. "There's a great deal at stake, and you've already been useful to me once. Perhaps we-"

"If you try to control me or any of my friends, I'll tell your father what you were doing in the Chasm."

"What foolishness is this?" Tythes covered up his reaction almost immediately, but she caught the flicker in his eyes. She was right, in essence if not in every detail. "You think I would keep anything from my dear father? I laugh at such a notion, laugh I say! Ha! Ha ha! Ha h-"

"I heard that three Rulers went missing from House Crimson." Nauda gave him her sweetest smile. "I don't know if you were the one who killed them, but I have the feeling that they helped you open a certain door. And if that's something you want the rest of House Crimson to know about... well, I'll be very surprised."

All the false laughter fell away and Tythes cast her a murderous glare, but Nauda pushed through that too.

"Don't give me that. If you wanted me silenced, you would have done it in the Chasm or afterward. I'm not really interested in threatening you, I just want to be left alone."

"Well, this is unexpected." Tythes ran a hand through his hair with an oddly wry expression. "I tend to assume that everyone's an idiot, so I'm always surprised when someone puts anything together. You're right, I really should have killed everyone who knew the details of the door. But I like you little scamps too much for that."

"You're lying again, but I don't care." Nauda folded her arms and forced her smile wider. "I don't want to get involved in House Crimson's affairs. Do whatever you want and leave us in peace."

"The thing is, my House's affairs will eventually be everyone's, whether they like it or not. If you've been listening to rumors, then you likely have some idea of what my father is doing. I think that I know you, Nauda, and I have some idea of what matters to you. I believe that you'd rather remain broken forever than allow him to wreak his intentions on the world."

Nauda's breath caught in her throat as she met his stare. She'd known that Tythes only played the fool, but hearing him speak sincerely chilled her. Even though she knew it might be another trick, she couldn't help but imagine that the leader of House Crimson truly did plan something terrible.

"Anyway, that's all I've got, so toodeloo!" Tythes promptly threw himself over the edge of the building and tumbled out of sight.

After standing and staring for a while, Nauda slowly moved to find the easiest way down. She would need to investigate further with Antha, who was no doubt afraid for her. Even if the entire encounter had been an attempt to manipulate her, the fact was that Tythes had unknown assets from the Chasm and potentially a very dangerous agenda. That deserved more attention.

Worse than that, there was a cult preaching against outsiders. Nauda would need to tell Theo, if he ever deigned to speak to her. But more than anything else, she wanted to get back on the ground and go to sleep.