Bondsfungi: Chapters 37-38 (The Weirkey Chronicles) (Patreon)

NOTE: I need more feedback from NGM audiobook listeners. If you have been getting me feedback but haven't covered all the chapters yet, I'm not talking about you (no rush). Those who aren't responding, I hope to hear from you. If this doesn't work, I may need to ask for new volunteers.

Anyway, we are getting into the climactic chapters of Bondsfungi. I generally intended these to be read all at once, and hope readers will be binging by this point, but you'll get the climax in pieces.

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Chapter 37

Fiyu's breath caught in her throat as she feared she would again see her closest relative throw himself into battle. Relative Guchiro appeared ready to fight, but had yet to take any aggressive actions. Meanwhile, Unknown Yeshir's posture shifted. She had previously moved with nearly no secondary movements, but now her antennae vibrated at high speed.

"This one is a member of your hive?" she asked.

"She is kin." Relative Guchiro floated in front of her as an unmovable wall and Fiyu had to resist the urge to reach for his back.

"I respect your rights, but I am currently engaged in an existential conflict."

"Easy, easy!" Unknown Tythes slid in between the two of them, grinning cheerfully. "I don't think this has to be a bad thing at all! With three Authorities combined, we would have a definite advantage in the war. Queen Yeshir can ensure the survival of her colony and our Ichili friend here can defend his relative from her enemies. Less risk for everyone."

Unknown Yeshir turned to him, antennae twitching in an entirely different way. "You speak reason. Tell me, outsider, would you be willing to assist us?"

"I will do so if you allow me time to confirm that my kin is unharmed," Relative Guchiro said.

"Very good. We will form new plans that depend upon three Authorities."

As they turned away, Fiyu could finally breathe again. Relative Guchiro's senses scrutinized the entire group, but his eyes remained fixed on her alone. She couldn't help but stare back as his senses examined her, checking for injuries. Fiyu reached out with one hand and he interlaced his fingers with hers.

"Fiyu. You are well?"

"I am, Guchiro. I am very relieved to see you."

"There are important matters we must discuss, but later." Relative Guchiro drew her closer and Fiyu eagerly embraced him. With his dark cloak wrapped around her, she felt safe and protected in a way she had not for years.

Normally every muscle in his body was entirely controlled, but she could feel the tension in his shoulders as he held her. For the first time she had observed, her relative's body contained traces of exhaustion and stress. All on her behalf. Fiyu nestled deeper into his cloak and listened carefully as his powerful heartbeat slowed to a normal pace. Some of the stress remained, but she hoped that she would resolve it as well.

"Now, we must speak of the company you keep." Relative Guchiro pulled her away, his face hardening again, and Fiyu hastened to stop him.

"Guchiro, please listen! I have found companions who I trust very much, you must not harm them. An associate from House Blacksilver was impertinent, but he only feared for my safety."

"You no longer need to reason with me, Fiyu. I had opportunity to observe your circumstances on this occasion." His hand rested gently on her back. "I believe I have been misled, but we will uncover the truth. As for your companion, I saw her commitment when she confronted an Authority for your sake."

Her relative's gaze had shifted to Friend Nauda, who watched them with an unusual expression. Perhaps this was all strange to her, but Fiyu was too delighted to worry. She pulled her relative's hand so that she could introduce them, hoping only that he would approve.

"Guchiro, this is Nauda, one of my companions. She has been a loyal ally since we were separated."

"I'm, uh, pleased to meet you." Friend Nauda looked a bit unsure what to do and settled for a slight bow.

"Thank you for assisting my ward," Relative Guchiro said. "We will need to speak further once the violence has passed."

"So you're her relative." Theo approached as well, standing at an appropriate Ichili distance. 

Fiyu hastily introduced him as well, continually checking her relative's body for signals of approval. He still appeared tense, however, and soon drew her away. Not so far as to be out of earshot of her companions, but creating distance from the rest of the group.

"If you wish it," he said quietly, "I can take you and your companions from this world immediately. My commitment to the Slescans holds no weight. What is most important is that you are unharmed and you are not being manipulated by anyone else."

"I... do not believe that we need to leave." Fiyu looked over the entire group, from Acquaintance Gethyrue lying peacefully to Unknown Tythes and Unknown Yeshir debating strategy. There were so many stories she ached to tell her relative, so many questions in need of answers, but she could still feel the Slescan armies were clashing. "This conflict relates to commitments I have made in Fithe. I believe that it would best to resolve it decisively."

"Very well." Some tension remained in her relative's facial musculature, perhaps a question of his own, but he appeared determined. "I will not permit them to take you for any reason, but I will assist. Most Slescan wars do not engender new obligations."

"Oh, but perhaps you can help an associate of mine, Gethyrue. That should be discussed with Tythes, because the matter is most important to him..."

It required more negotiation than Fiyu had expected, and Relative Guchiro stood beside her, impatience perceptible only in the muscles of his arms. In the end, it was agreed that Acquaintance Gethyrue and the two Crimson soulcrafters would be evacuated, but to Ichil instead of Fithe. Her relative lacked a weirkey to Fithe, and though it remained unstated, having them in Ichil would provide him with insurance. Surprisingly, Unknown Tythes agreed to this plan. Since it was improbable that he trusted them, it seemed more likely that he had a greater distrust of the members of his own House.

Her closest companions agreed to remain, though there was not time to discuss their full reasons, and Acquaintance Krikree appeared confused by the entire discussion. That left Associate Kathina, who spent some time staring toward the increasing battle, twisting her swords in her hands. Eventually she turned back to Relative Guchiro.

"There's no path straight back to Fithe?"

"I could return you to the Ichili gate to Norro Yorthin," he said, "but they have substantially increased security and I cannot guarantee your entrance."

"Well... I guess I've already missed the Wargames by a long shot." Associate Kathina finally gripped the hilts of her swords properly and nodded to herself. "I guess I might as well keep investing in Slest."

That meant it was time to depart soon. Fiyu wanted to speak to her friends a little more, but Relative Guchiro was clearly in a hurry. She followed, keeping hold of his cloak, but when it came time to use the weirkey he gripped her arm tightly. The concern for her radiated through his body and Fiyu could not help but smile.

When her relative carried them through the chaos between worlds, Fiyu floated along in comforting darkness. Far less chaotic than her other journeys, especially the weirkey explosion that had stranded them on Slest. She didn't even have time to fear that another accident would tear them apart before they emerged on a peacefully light-free Ichili plain.

"Do not be alarmed," Relative Guchiro told the Fithans. "Please follow me and you will be housed safely."

Her relative generated a light above his hand, shockingly bright for Ichil but likely very dim for the Fithans. This would be their first glimpse of the rocky landscape around them: not dangerous by Ichili standards, but filled with rocky crevices and cliffs that could be fatal to those without proper senses. Fiyu did not recognize the exact region and simply followed her relative as he walked toward one of the cliffs.

With deft manipulation of cantae underneath the surface, Relative Guchiro opened a door that emerged from the cliff face. This was more familiar to her: he had several times housed her in safe locations such as this. After examining several traces to confirm that nothing had been tampered with, Relative Guchiro led them inside.

The Crimson soulcrafters appeared uncomfortable until Fiyu led them to an eating chamber and allowed them to turn on several very bright lights. No doubt Ichil was troubling to them, and they might not like being locked in, but they appeared grateful to be alive. After ensuring that they knew where the food was and that it was edible to them, Fiyu went to check on her relative.

He knelt in one of the back chambers, gently lowering Acquaintance Gethyrue into the healing pit. Even from a distance Fiyu could feel the warmth of the liquid, which wrapped Acquaintance Gethyrue in its comforting embrace. Once, before she had become a soulcrafter, Fiyu had been injured by a demon and needed to spend time floating in a healing pit. She had found it very comforting and hoped that Acquaintance Gethyrue would feel the same way.

"Thank you." She touched Relative Guchiro's wrist, but he was too experienced a traveler to be alarmed. "Perhaps you should lock this door once you leave. I trust the others to some degree, but not enough to risk my life."

"Will you require food?" he asked.

"I soulcrafted an incomplete Immortality Conduit, so that shouldn't be necessary unless you will be gone for many days."

"No, this should be resolved in much less time. However, you may remain in the healing pit if it is necessary." Relative Guchiro nodded politely to her, then indicated for Fiyu to follow him into the corridor.

The doors of the safehouse closed firmly, leaving them alone. Her relative turned to her, smiling briefly before he put his hands on her shoulders.

"Fiyu, I must ask one more time. You truly wish to return to Fithe? No one has any power over you?"

"No, I am well." Fiyu frowned, wondering if her relative believed she was still a child. "I have found valued companions, and House Blacksilver has been a worthy ally. Of course I will defer to your judgment, but I believe I could still benefit from remaining in Fithe. Did you not receive my message?"

"Let me tell you what I received."

As her relative repeated a twisted version of her message, Fiyu squirmed in alarm. She had put so much thought into her biolumin message, she still remembered every word, so she repeated it for him. His face grew increasingly severe, and seeing her relative so troubled made her anxious as well.

"Who could have altered the message?" Fiyu asked. "I thought that... unless it was someone well beyond the power of ordinary soulcrafters?"

"The message was only slightly altered, which suggests their ability to manipulate it was limited. I have heard a single similar account, but I believed that it was due to message degradation or an error of memory." Her relative folded his arms over his chest and his senses swept out over the mountain before retracting. "The matter requires investigation, but there is no time. If you are committed to this conflict on Slest, I will assist you."

"Oh, but there was so much I wanted to tell you! I have journeyed on Tatian and Arbai and Deuxan and... I have many questions. I ascended because it was the only way to save my companions, but I do not know how to soulcraft a Corporeal Floor. My companion Theo has given me very alarming information. There are political conflicts on Fithe that I find bewildering. And... and is it normal for someone my age to experience a desire for a lifemate? It has been-"

"Fiyu, my dearest ward..." Relative Guchiro stared at her with pain in his eyes, then wrapped her up in his cloak and held her close. "I lost you for so long, and you have grown so much. I promise you, there will be time for us to discuss everything. But for now, time grows short and we must return to fight the Slescans' war."

Fiyu accepted that it was true, but treasured every remaining moment in the warm darkness.

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Chapter 38

The queens first clashed over the battlefield, cantae raining from their impacts without any care for the Slescans beneath them. Theo watched from the bluff as Ahyona and Yeshir fought, apparently evenly matched, until Ahyona's consort appeared. That had been the plan all along: Yeshir immediately dropped into a newly dug tunnel, thoroughly distracting the enemy leaders while they chased after her.

Despite the fact that the fight was a short distraction, it gave Theo ample opportunity to evaluate the Slescan queens. Both had mastery of flight and multiple skills that focused on overwhelming power, generated from soulhomes that had likely received the most valuable sublime materials from their entire colony. Their greatest weakness was likely lack of combat experience, though he judged Ahyona had spent more time in fights with equals. Overall, he judged them stronger than the average Fithan Authority, but less dangerous than an elite like Fiyu's relative.

Still, he was glad that the plan didn't involve him interfering in that fight. A conflict between five different Authorities would be too chaotic for even his experience to stay in control, and that could quickly lead to an accidental death. Fortunately, he had a different role to play.

"Battle." Krikree skittered up beside him, all her weapons clustered together in front of her like a shield. If her antennae were any indication, she had doubts about the fight, and he didn't really blame her.

"Krikree, will fighting the Blue-Red-Blue colony be a problem for you?"

"Not! Krikree fight with Ivo-sister. Krikree good soldier caste."

"And I'm glad for that, but do you think there's any real moral difference between them?" Theo watched her for a while, her antennae wobbling, before deciding that question might be too complex. "Are you glad to be fighting for Gray-Blue-Gold instead?"

"Gray-Blue-Gold bad!" Krikree struck all her weapons against the ground demonstratively. "Bad."

"But you're going to be helping them win the war."

"Not! Krikree fight for Ivo-sister and strange queens."

Deciding that was the best he'd get, Theo smiled and rubbed around the base of her antennae. Based on information he'd gotten from Yeshir and Tythes - two extremely biased sources - he thought that the Blue-Red-Blue colony was overall the more brutal. But that was by Slescan standards, and he wasn't sure how much difference the victory would really make for people like Krikree.

Below the bluff, Fiyu and Guchiro were still talking in low voices. They hadn't been given much time to catch up, since the plan had begun the instant they returned and the next phase was coming soon. It seemed they were making the most of it now.

Without warning, Tythes appeared in mid-air nearby, his arm wrapped around a tired Yeshir. They hadn't flown in, they had popped out of nowhere, almost as if they had been under a stealth technique. It annoyed Theo that none of his senses had given any warning, but he still needed to talk to Fiyu about the finer points of that chamber.

"Step one is complete!" Tythes declared. "We only have a little while before the enemy relocates us, so we need to make the most of it. My dear Yeshir will recover, the Ichili should get ready for battle, and the rest of you need to come this way to discuss a few changes."

The planning area turned out to be the top of the bluff, so Theo didn't need to do anything more than stand up. He could still feel the enemy queen causing destruction through the tunnels and had to discipline himself to ignore her and focus on the meeting.

"Ahyona is fighting on two fronts," Tythes said once they had assembled. "The most obvious strategy would be to hold back her troops until she wins the upper tier fight, then dominate the rest. Instead, she's throwing out everything she has at the same time. That means even a stalemate in the air will begin to tip in her favor."

Yeshir nodded in agreement. "My colony can endure if we win the day, but they require support. Delaying without drawing attention would be ideal."

"Would projectiles from overhead work?" Theo asked. He immediately drew the skeptical attention of Yeshir, but Tythes snapped his fingers in his direction.

"Perfect. I might even be able to spin it as an Authority technique, get them distracted. Don't worry, my dear, this will work well." Tythes glanced behind them to the battle. "Get enough of them up in the air, then retreat. The plan is not to fight all those soldier castes you see coming, just let them waste time taking this area. By the time they're finished, we'll have won the battle."

That should have been enough, and time was short with an army visibly advancing on them, but Nauda stepped closer to the central group. "Wait. If the Blue-Red-Blue soldiers come here, what are they going to do to the beetles?"

Yeshir glanced at the mound as if it was the first time she had given it any thought. "That is an unclaimed mound, so it will be destroyed. For this reason I advise you to retreat with all valuable assets. You can take them from the mound if you want."

"You're going to let them die? Surely we can hold this front."

"It would be an unnecessary and distracting risk." Yeshir stepped off the side of the bluff and floated away, clearly not considering any further discussion. Theo stared out at the beetle mound, not having really considered it much before that moment. Slescans were dying every second, so one hive didn't seem like a priority, but Nauda clearly disagreed.

She stepped in and grabbed Tythes's sleeve before he could fly away. "Tythes... do this for me, please. You must want to work with us, or it would have been in your best interest to kill us, multiple times. I'm telling you now that this matters to me."

"I'm sorry, Nauda." Tythes pulled away, his eyes flat. "I'd prefer to work with you, but I can't afford to jeopardize this alliance over a few bugs. I have too much at stake."

He flew to join the queen, leaving Nauda fuming. She did cooperate by breaking chunks of rocks, which Theo lifted into the air with a gravitational field, then striking them with her staff. Buoyed by massively reversed gravity, they arced up into the clouds. Theo concentrated on extending his gravitational field as far as he could until eventually they escaped his range.

Some time later, he saw the first of the rocks streak out of the sky, impacting on the battlefield with explosive force. He and Nauda kept up the barrage until all of the Authorities departed. Fiyu went along with her relative, and though Theo momentarily worried for her, he hoped that she would be safer alongside Guchiro than anywhere else.

"That's enough." Nauda stopped breaking rocks and turned to him. "Theo, we can't just run off."

"Do you see how many there are?" Theo gestured toward the lines of soldier ants still moving toward them. He'd targeted a few with his projectiles, but they were obviously going to overrun the position. Even with a broad gravitational field, he'd only be able to hold some of them back.

"And let them kill the beetles? You heard them make music, same as the rest of us."

Theo sighed and rubbed his eyes. "When did you become friends with these beetles? I've listened to their pheromones and they only vaguely know you. What do you gain by risking your life for them?"

"Nothing!" Nauda grabbed the front of his coat and leaned in until their eyes were only inches apart. "There's no strategic objective, they don't have any sublime materials, I don't know a single one of their names. But they're innocent people and they don't deserve to die. Does that matter to you at all?"

It took him a long time to answer.

~ ~ ~

For the first several minutes, Fiyu sat comfortably in her relative's defensive sphere. She could easily see the battlefield around them, but not even the strongest of the royal guards could break through his cantae, and the Authorities above were thoroughly distracted.

Even when her relative dissolved the sphere and they entered the battle, she felt entirely safe. Relative Guchiro had masked his strength down to Archcrafter, but his skill was obvious. They fought their way back to back, unleashing hailstorms of light in both directions. She marveled at how efficiently he produced the volleys before forcing herself to concentrate so she could keep up.

A Ruler-tier Slescan charged through the hail, its heavy shell deflecting the bolts. Fiyu desperately concentrated her fire, but it gathered its cantae in a shell as it closed the distance. Just before it reached her, Fiyu slid in low, swiping a blade of cantae through her opponent's legs. It stumbled, twisting to bite her even as it fell... and dark cantae burst through its chest.

Her relative dropped the body to the side, his identical blade fading from his hand. And Relative Guchiro nodded to her, he actually nodded!

Just then, Fiyu spotted a beetle diving toward him from behind. She wanted to cry out a warning, but instead raised her hands. Relative Guchiro dropped to the ground, giving her an angle to unleash a stream of bolts through the beetle and its occupants.

Others had closed around her, but her relative calmly placed his hand on the ground and a forest of dark spikes erupted, impaling every Slescan nearby. He stood up and they moved back to back again, but Fiyu knew that the most dangerous moment was coming.

When the fighting overhead broke, Enemy Queen Ahyona's consort finally turned his attention to them. Seeing how much damage they were doing to his army, he released a sphere of cantae large enough to destroy most Archcrafters.

Relative Guchiro charged directly through it, unveiling his full power and unleashing a hail of bolts directly into his opponent. Fiyu stared overhead, hoping that the battle had been decided in that moment... but the other Authority emerged some distance away, wings broken but still able to fight.

That left Fiyu alone on the ground with few allies. She wrapped herself in a sphere of stealth and ran toward Associate Kathina and Associate Krikree, who had been fighting on their own front closer to the Gray-Blue-Gold lines. They had all been sprayed with a "signalmist" by the queen, which meant that her side would not attack them. Once there, she would no longer be surrounded.

It wasn't so far, the distance had seemed very safe when they were planning... but then Fiyu felt a wave of cantae shredding through her stealth. She whirled and unleashed a storm of bolts blindly, only for the wave to continue pressing her. Too late, she realized that the Slescan attacking her was in the air, riding along with several others in a flying beetle.

Before Fiyu could think of a solution, a bright red streak shot past her. Associate Kathina buried both her swords into the beetle's head, then kicked off it, her backflip both pulling her swords free and sending the beetle crashing to the ground. The stunned occupants began to emerge, readying their weapons, but Associate Krikree leapt into their midst, striking in all directions.

In order to help her, the two had needed to leave the safety of their lines. The only way Fiyu could show her gratitude was by hurling a lightstorm in between them and the Slescan army. Gathering together, they retreated to the primary body of the Gray-Blue-Gold army.

As soon as she had a moment to breathe, Fiyu looked to the battle between Authorities. Now that they had the advantage in numbers, it was clear that her relative's side would be victorious. She watched Relative Guchiro closely, marveling that she could now follow the movements that had once been invisible to her. A small voice in the back of her mind had feared that, after having seen so many Authorities on so many different worlds, her old impressions of her relative would seem childish.

Instead, she was relieved to find that he was as exceptional as she remembered, even taking on both enemy Authorities at once when necessary. He was everything she had remembered... well, there had been his misunderstanding over the message. If their positions had been reversed, she would not have misunderstood Associate Karchibol's intentions.

Fiyu was briefly troubled by this thought before she accepted it. She was no longer a child, so it was not inappropriate to realize that her relatives were only human. Relative Guchiro was a worthy relative who was far more powerful than her, but she might be able to teach him something, for the first time in their lives.

Overhead, Unknown Tythes and the enemy consort spun wildly through the air. While the enemy queen was alone, Relative Guchiro wrapped numerous tendrils of darkness around her. Enemy Ahyona contemptuously burst through them, only for Associate Queen Yeshir to appear behind her, sword cleaving through her neck. Across the battlefield, her consort let out a cry of anger, but he was now outnumbered three to one.

Even though many were still dying, Fiyu smiled and waited for her relative. Finally, she would be able to repay him the smallest amount for his kindness.