Wakespire: Chapters 8-9 (Patreon)

In addition to the new chapters, I made a continuity edit to the previous set. It's the mask issue, for those who reported it. Normally I focus on editing my manuscript and don't worry much about minor issues in Patreon chapters, but since it was reported multiple times and it seems like lots of new readers will be reading the Patreon chapters, I fixed this up. No need to reread, unless you really want to see that it was Fiyu instead of Nauda.

Anyway, new chapters! I'm trying to do something a little different with this contest. Usually competitions boil down to "win the game" or "beat up the antagonists" but with this book I'm aiming to involve some more complex strategy. Hopefully that makes the series feel fresh instead of repetitive.

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Chapter 8

If that morning anyone had asked Theo what he needed, he could have given them a lot of answers. More weirkeys, social capital, lighteggs, and dozens of other sublime materials. 

"An inquisition of Noveni princes" would not have been on his list.

Nine princes sat on nine thrones, all of them white-winged except for a couple with gold wings and a slumped old man with black. About half women, but Noven used the title "prince" for basically everyone. Based on his past experience, he presumed that these nine were local powers overseeing the competition. He had been called before an inquisition before and he very much doubted that this one would end so neatly.

"What was suspicious about our ascent?" Theo asked with all the dignity he could muster. That wasn't much, after getting knocked around in the final round, but it helped that his clothes were cleaning and repairing themselves even as he spoke.

"Nothing has yet been proven." The woman sitting in the middle seat shot a glance toward the bored-looking man, then regarded Theo and his allies imperiously. "This inquisition seeks first to reward you for your accomplishments, but also to safeguard the Wakespire against future impropriety."

"Ridiculous," the bored man said, still without leaving his position. "That girl clearly knew every single detail about the room of darkness. These foreigners come out of nowhere, giving the officials no time to investigate them, and then take the first place in the entire competition? It's absurd to pretend they aren't a mercenaries planted by some grasping lineage."

"But none of that has been proven," the woman in the center said.

After a pause, a lean man at the end of the row spoke quietly. "Perhaps everyone should remember that Prince Dortorus is hardly a neutral party. The teams from his own lineage performed much worse due to the new arrivals."

"Everyone here is an interested party, stone-fondler." Prince Dortorus managed to scowl at the new speaker without straightening. The other princes responded with neutrality except for one of the younger men, who rolled his eyes.

In theory they could speak for themselves, but in practice as foreigners below Authority, their words carried little weight. Theo gestured for Fiyu to calm herself, since the ongoing argument was clearly distressing her, and tried to understand the balance as quickly as possible. Circumstances had prevented him from going into the political mess with sufficient intelligence, so he'd need to play catch-up.

The woman in the center, whose name he never caught, was clearly playing arbiter and so she was probably the head of the largest lineage. The bored man and the other Dortorus weren't being subtle about pushing their own interests. So far Theo hadn't figured out the lean man who had interrupted, only gotten his name as Prince Jadadictus. None of the others stuck out to him except a grouchy-looking old man with black wings at the opposite end.

"Princes of Ugustial!" Theo spoke up just enough to get their attention, not enough to be rude, and gave his best local bow. "I believe I can explain our misstep. My comrade hails from a world that lacks the brilliance of Noven's suns. They have hindered her every step of the way, but in darkness, she was uniquely suited to guide us."

He gestured toward Fiyu, who didn't need any prompting to look nervous. Compared to all the white and gold, her dark outfit and murky mask certainly stuck out and granted credibility to his argument. Of course, it always came down to power in the end, and his logic would only hold so far.

"The suns didn't seem to slow her down in the other chambers," Prince Dortorus argued. "And this one had that strange hovering ability. They solved the puzzles instantly too. I ask the gathered princes, is it really believable that this team arrived with no knowledge of the test?"

"If you were watching," Theo said before any of the others could speak, "you must have seen us flounder. I still do not understand the intent of the mountaintop room. Might it have been designed for Noveni competitors, leaving us uniquely unsuited to the task?"

Prince Dortorus started to object again, but he was cut off by the black-winged man. "If you dismiss everyone who has soulcrafted themselves an advantage, the whole Wakespire will be pointless." The elderly Noveni, who must have been Ractifus Terefilia, sat back in his chair. "Enough chatter. Give them their rewards and be done with it."

"Not so fast!" Prince Dortorus finally lowered his hand and sat up straight. "They granted their blessing to the Jadadictus team, despite allegedly not knowing them and in return for nothing. What could explain this action?"

Theo started to speak up, but one of the other princes spoke louder. They began to argue with one another and Theo realized that his opportunity might have passed. He thought he had made an impact on a few, so he didn't think the princes would all vote against them, but they were clearly facing an uphill battle in which they had little standing.

At that moment, the cantae of an Authority echoed in the sky. Seconds later, Guchiro was streaking toward them.

Guards emerged from around the mountaintop, including a surprising number of Authorities, though they struck Theo as weak. They raised spears of light, some to defend the plateau and others to arrest Guchiro. Several beams of light emerged and pinned him in place, but judging from his expression, Guchiro was staying there more out of courtesy than anything.

"Oh, isn't that the patron of the team?" One of the younger princes spoke up first and conspicuously swung his head between Guchiro and Fiyu. "They certainly match. Tell me, what Authority class are you?"

"I have not been ranked in your world," Guchiro answered quietly, "but if your guards continue to stand between me and my ward, I will demonstrate my strength for you."

Even though the princes included Authorities and likely even Strongholds, they flinched at his words. The guards lowered their spears and allowed him to the descend to the mountaintop, where he was greeted much more civilly. Again, the power made all the difference - another reason Theo needed to get to Authority as fast as possible.

But that aside, he was intrigued by the hints he'd heard about "classes" of Authorities. As soon as he wasn't rushing between objectives, he wanted to learn more about it.

"My ward and her allies came to participate honestly in your contest." Guchiro folded his arms behind his back and panned his gaze across the thrones while he spoke. "They bring with them both advantages and disadvantages. You may not be aware that Noveni eyesight is far keener than the average in the Nine Worlds, but some of your tests were predicated on it. Decide the rules of your contest as you see fit, but decide them fairly."

None of the others dared respond to his speech, instead exchanging many glances. Prince Dortorus leaned and glowered, Ractifus Terefilia sighed, and the others seemed to agree. After making eye contact with everyone, the leader spoke.

"You will be given full points for the chamber, as already awarded, but in the future this contestant will no longer be able to participate in darkness chambers. No accommodations will be made for the ranged chamber, but all other abilities will be permitted without further objection. Is that agreeable?"

Since all the princes were nodding, Theo had no choice but to agree as well. Actually, he had to suppress a smile. They would regret that wording in the next round.

"If there are no other issues, then let us move on to the rewards." The lead prince gave them all a well-practiced smile even as she waved to the guards. "For taking the first place in today's competition, we have a number of sublime materials for you, in addition to monetary rewards and your choice from the sublime legacy."

The guards came forward two at a time, carrying wide golden chests between them. Some appeared to contain the main rewards or an over-sized book, but the first was set just in front of him and opened. The inside was lined with white silk and contained a number of sublime materials. Shining spheres of metal, chips of ivory, coils of gleaming copper... none of it generating very much cantae.

Since the princes appeared to be speaking to one another, Theo and the others had some time to examine their rewards. "What do we do with this?" Nauda asked.

"I believe these are materials for Immortality Conduits," Guchiro said. "Not worthy compared to the greater prizes, but worthwhile as an additional reward."

"Indeed!" One of the princes beamed down at them. "You've proved yourselves to have great potential, so you deserve long lives to fulfill that potential. But never fear, this is not the end of our generosity. Please accept this small token of money, then you are all permitted one request each from the day's rewards."

The second chest contained a large collection of golden coins - allegedly a thousand "Ustian Shining Crowns" - but he didn't care about that. Theo realized that this city, lacking easy connections to other worlds, likely used its own currency, not even craftgems. Previously he had mostly ignored money because he'd always had enough, but that was going to be harder for him as an older man.

None of that particularly mattered, especially now that the guards were bringing out an over-sized golden book listing the rewards. Theo didn't need to look at it. "For my reward, I want the lighteggs."

The guards immediately moved to open one of the cases, and for a moment Theo thought that his goal was finally within reach. Then Prince Dortorus raised a hand and they all halted. The prince leaned forward, making no effort to hide the falseness of his smile, and boomed at them.

"Let me apologize for my accusations. I will use my prerogative as one of the judges to increase your reward even further: in place of the lighteggs, let us grant you three mighty heavenspears. These sublime materials will allow you to advance to Authority in an instant."

And they probably hindered further development. Theo didn't know what a "heavenspear" was, but he was sure that Prince Dortorus was sabotaging them. The worst part was that Theo didn't think he had any way to refuse. This was technically an improved gift, since ascension materials were far rarer than difficult-to-use substances like the lighteggs. Either the Dortorus teams wanted the eggs for themselves or they were blocking him out of sheer petty spite.

"A worthy gift!" one of the older princes said. "With such power, we look forward to your performance in the next round."

"Wait." Nauda finally stepped forward, and though she looked uncomfortable at first, she could certainly speak loudly when she wanted to. "Thank you for your unrivaled generosity. Truly, my heart sings that you have fulfilled my companion's request to overflowing. But the lighteggs were his request, not ours. Surely we are allowed to choose as well?"

The princes shifted in surprise and Theo had to suppress the urge to stare at Nauda. It was a bold strategy and he had to admit that he didn't know if it would work. The logic of the way he'd made his request roughly tracked, but it would come down to local culture and politics. He might know this city, but he didn't know it well enough to be sure.

"I fear that my ward will be unable to use your gifts of light," Guchiro said before the princes could speak. "She would be grateful to choose something better suited to her soulhome. We would be happy to return a heavenspear in the spirit of fairness."

Judging from the way Prince Dortorus scowled, that had been a blow well struck. After making so much of his generosity, he couldn't demand his gift back. Still, he leaned on one arm and dug in his heels.

"Keep the spears with my blessing!" Prince Dortorus boomed. "But this is most irregular. The sublime legacy will only extend so far, and we cannot give it to the unwort-"

He was cut off by a loud snort from Ractifus Terefilia. The old man cast them a sharp glance, as if making it clear that he knew what they were doing and didn't care, then turned to the other princes. "We've deliberated long enough on this nonsense. Let them choose and get on with it, before I die of old age."

The great book was again brought forward by the guards. Technically the gifts were for Nauda and Fiyu, but Theo moved closer with them to examine the potential rewards. Nauda had been too tired to explain them the previous night, and he had only cared about the lighteggs, so he wasn't sure what was available.

Most of the sublime materials that day seemed to be devoted to enhancement or preparation for an ascension. Despite the elaborate nature of the whole Wakespire, Theo realized that it had a definite logic. Each month granted materials that the contestants would be able to use to take the next logical step. By the end of the Wakespire, the city would have a new generation of Authorities and Ugustial as a whole would be greatly strengthened. No wonder the judges were interested in disqualifying meddling foreigners snapping up prizes. All the increased commerce probably made a fortune for the merchants of the city, but not enough to equal their best materials.

Picking a material proved more difficult than interpreting the contest. Fiyu discovered what she wanted quickly enough: there was a sublime gas called cloudshadow from the lower side of Noven that would fit her soulhome. Nauda appeared to be having more trouble, especially since there weren't many materials themed to life or death.

While considering options for her, Theo suddenly reread one of the other entries. Something called an "alacrispark" claimed to increase the fundamental speed of cantae flow, especially for using techniques. That might be exactly what he needed. The feel of it was all wrong, but the raw potential...

"What about this?" He tapped on the entry while whispering in Nauda's ear. "I know I'm taking your reward, but if I can-"

"I said I wanted to carry you for once, didn't I?" She didn't even glance at him, just marched forward and declared that she wanted the alacrispark.

With all their materials collected, they were finally allowed to leave the mountaintop. One more portal, generated by the lead prince, deposited them beside the spire's base, next to their sleigh. After all the chaos, Theo was glad to sink down into one of the middle seats. It didn't seem like so much could have happened in a single day, but their encounter with the Wakespire was just beginning.

"Buncha fumpets..." Senka sat up, mumbled a string of nonsense, and promptly rolled over to sleep again. Theo pushed the corner of a blanket over her and let her rest.

"So we made it out." Nauda sat in the front seat, but didn't begin driving yet. "I'll do my best to heal all our injuries, then what we need more than anything is a night of sleep. Or do you all have a bunch of soulcrafting that you absolutely need to do right now?"

"Hey, I could use a break too," Theo said. All he planned to do that night was craft a bunch of shell bricks, because he could do that while half-asleep.

"Then... we don't have to rush? We can actually get to know Noven?"

"It would be wise to do so," Guchiro said. Fiyu bobbed her head in enthusiastic agreement. "Many aspects of today were made more complicated by our lack of understanding. If you are truly invested in this competition, you need to be able to play their games."

"I was impressed to hear you speak so much!" Fiyu's smile broadened further than he'd ever seen it before. "I didn't know you could do that!"

"It is a necessary skill, but not a pleasant one."

Guchiro sat back and Theo realized that he'd probably had his fill of interaction. He might have mastery of himself, but he was still from a particularly reclusive Ichili culture in the end. Both he and Fiyu settled back, probably happy to say nothing else for the remainder of the day.

Which left Nauda glancing at him. "Can I count on you to join me for anything?" she asked. "Or do you need to soulcraft alone the entire time?"

"There's some soulcrafting I need to do in public." Theo gave her a wry grin and gestured toward the controls. "We don't have time to waste, but we do have an entire month. There should be enough time for everything."

"Great. Ugustial, here we come."

-

Chapter 9

Nauda woke up early, expecting the time to be irrelevant, and was pleasantly surprised to find herself exploring a new city. Though it was still bright, this "dawn" time was actually meaningfully different: there were only three suns in the sky and one of them was a dimmer violet sun that cast all the gold in pleasant shades. All the purple even reminded her a little of Slest. She much preferred this time of day to all the brilliance, but a fourth sun was already peeking over the horizon by the time she began her errands.

Walking around the city with less time pressure allowed her to see the beauty. It wasn't just all the golden palaces that had first distracted her: it was the shifting light. Plates and lenses constantly shifted above the city in patterns she didn't understand. The result were pools of shade where the surfaces took a rest from glimmering and beams of sunlight that offered comforting warmth.

She had been afraid that the Noveni would treat her suspiciously and instead found herself mostly ignored. A few adults looked back a second time, then turned away as if remembering they were supposed to be superior. One child with truly adorable little wing tufts pointed at her and hooted before parents shushed him.

So far, every region she had explored had appeared wealthy. She didn't believe that everyone could possibly be so well-off, but then again, many Fithans believed the same about Tatian. For now, she simply held a bit of skepticism in her mind and enjoyed what she could from the city.

The average soulcrafter was stronger than she expected, and there were more soulcrafters on the streets than she was used to, but there was something odd about the distribution. She thought it might be the lack of diversity compared to Norro Yorthin before deciding against that hypothesis. Her scratched telescope couldn't see every detail, but she saw a surprisingly large number of similar soulhomes. Not identical, like the Asplundat Movement's blueprints, but trivial ornamental differences as if everyone was building from the same concepts.

Because she had no idea of the actual value of the money they'd been awarded, Nauda spent some time roaming the markets and listening. It seemed that the reward had been a considerable sum, far more than they needed to fund themselves even without dipping into their reserves of craftgems or other valuables. That was one concern out of the way.

But the markets were disappointing in another way: they were surprisingly lacking in diversity. The vast majority of stalls sold mostly pellets of a bread-like material they called "manna". Perhaps Noveni could taste many differences between them, but they all tasted about the same to Nauda: slightly sweet and more than slightly generic. There were several types of fruit that seemed to be common, and that was it. No vegetables, no meat, not even manna in other forms. It was enough to make her wonder if she was missing something important.

Since the owners claimed that the manna was nutritious, Nauda bought enough for their group along with some of the fruit. On her way back, she looked for restaurants and realized that she couldn't find any. The city was opaque to outsiders: customers moved in and out of palaces that had no signs indicating what they actually were. So perhaps she was walking past all the restaurants after all.

When she returned to their rooms she slowed, again taken aback by how palatial they were. Three bedrooms, a sitting room, and a bath just for their little group. The only shortcoming was the constant light, more modulated than blocked by the gauzy curtains at the windows. It had been too much for the Ichili, which was why Fiyu and Guchiro were sleeping in their tent.

Nauda's gaze lingered on that dark tent. Were they lying side by side, or was Fiyu actually curled up next to her relative? Instead of thinking about the jealousy surging within her, Nauda pushed them out of her mind and went to find Theo.

He was seated on their balcony, currently soulcrafting. Of course he was. The predictability of it made Nauda smile, so she went out to sit beside him and dropped her purchases on the table. "I bought us breakfast."

"Thank you," he said without stopping. "Just let me finish a few more bricks."

"You're putting a lot of work into getting to the next tier. No clever way to skip to the next level?"

"There are no shortcuts good enough for Authority. It's already enough of a stretch trying to use the lighteggs during the ascension."

While he finished, Nauda found a bowl and poured the manna pellets into it. She experimented with cutting the fruit and combining it with flakes of manna, but they didn't seem to go together, at least to her palate. When Theo finally emerged from his soulcrafting, she thrust a handful of manna toward him.

"Do they really eat nothing but this?"

"It's their primary diet." Theo popped one into this mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "These are pretty good. They do have other foods, but allegedly manna is a complete meal on its own. They have pretty strong opinions about it - Eratius was always complaining about how the local food was worse than the manna his servants made at home."

"Eratius... one of your old allies, right?"

Her question made Theo frown, but she thought it would have gotten a scowl from him not long ago. Instead he sat back and stared over the balcony and the city below. The clouds seemed higher than usual, covering the lower parts of the city in mist, but they were burning away as more suns rose.

"A great prince of Noven." When Theo spoke, his voice was much softer than usual. "One of the things I want to do is investigate his home. But considering what happened on Deuxan, I can't risk it yet. Especially not before I've reached Authority or while we're so involved with the Wakespire. We've gotten entangled anyway."

"I suppose you want to discuss all our strategy for the contest."

"We can once Fiyu wakes up."

They chatted casually until then, occasionally eating more manna. Nauda had to admit that the flakes melted in her mouth pleasantly and it was easy to take just one more. Even though Theo's mind was no doubt focused on all his plans, he was able to relax. She enjoyed their conversation more than she expected.

Eventually Fiyu emerged to join them. She seemed pleased by the manna's flavor, but of course they needed to talk strategy. Theo had his limits.

"We have one month." He flattened his hands on the table as he held their gazes. "Twenty nine days until we enter the spire again. I understand there are usually conflicts and politics in between, but we need to avoid those and focus on our objectives."

Nauda stared toward the mountains, only partially listening because she knew what he was going to say. Obviously their highest priority was for Theo to ascend so that they could equal the other teams with Authorities. Fiyu might not be close to ascension, but she was well on her way. The best Nauda could do was support them.

"Our first priority is to improve our capacities."

Surprised, Nauda turned back to him. "Capacities?"

"The spire is designed so that there's a limit to how much you can break through with power alone, plus the system of curses hinders the leading team." Theo sat back and folded his hands. "A specific ability well-matched to a challenge will be worth more than a little more power. Now, it would be a waste to develop any abilities just for the Wakespire, but if there's anything in your blueprint you've been neglecting that might be useful, now is the time."

"I could work on my healing," Nauda suggested. "Clearly it's not enough to keep up with the attrition right now, but I just got new materials from Slest, so I should be able to improve."

"That's a good first start. Fiyu, I think you have a clear plan?"

"Oh yes." Fiyu bobbed her head in agreement. "I have been soulcrafting on my third floor and I hope to develop the abilities there."

"I'll want to work with you to improve my gravity sense, but otherwise that's a good plan." Up to that point, Theo had been in his element and clearly enjoying it, but then his scowl returned. "The problem is about what we can actually hope to earn. Nauda, you said the only other lighteggs were in the rewards for the next round."

"Yes, for the second round," Nauda said, then immediately amended herself. "Second for us, third round in the whole Wakespire. The fourth and fifth rounds were mostly sublime materials for Authorities."

"I want that reward, but I'm afraid we'll just be sabotaged again. The whole Dortorus lineage clearly has it out for us, and their prince can interfere with rewards."

"Is it really that bad? I thought those heavenspears were supposed to be a valuable material."

"They're an insult." Theo drew the items from his soulhome and set them down on the table: three needle-like shafts of gold and ivory, throbbing with power. "I asked Senka about them while you were out and confirmed my suspicions: these pierce the sky to let someone ascend, but there's no reinforcement. Using this to reach Authority is practically guaranteeing you'll never be able to ascend again."

"I believe they gave false gifts," Fiyu said somberly. "The Immortality Conduit materials were also valuable, but they do not strengthen us for the coming challenge. Other teams received rewards that would contribute to their ongoing performance."

Nauda sighed as she recognized the familiar pattern. "So they flatter us now, but the other teams get the best rewards in the final three rounds. That's too bad, but what are we going to do about it?"

"There's not much we can do," Theo said. "We need to play the game smarter and better than anyone else just to overcome their bias. I think we can, but we'll need to optimize everything. Speaking of which... Nauda, can you take these?"

He had the decency to look a little guilty as he handed the heavenspears to her. Nauda knew exactly what he was thinking: he and Fiyu were refining their soulhomes and needed every bit of space, while Nauda could afford to carry around random supplies. Well, she'd been willing to be crushed by stone for their sake, so she was willing to serve as packbeast.

It only took Nauda a moment to deposit the heavenspears around the base of her heartoak, but when she emerged, Theo was already setting something down on the table. The blue mask baffled her until she remembered the Gatrium Authority who had allegedly been defeated in her absence.

"This armament allows a Ruler to fake being an Authority, rather convincingly." Theo poked it across the table irritably. "As far as I can tell, it's a crutch without benefits. Maybe the best we can do is sell it, or trade it back to the Gatrium lineage for favors, but we should understand it. Fiyu, can you ask your relative if he can analyze it?"

"Yes, I will do so." Fiyu examined the mask in her hands for a time, then slipped it into her soulhome. "Are those our objectives for now?"

"One more thing: long term strategy. I know I've been fixated on reaching Authority, but we need to think beyond that. We've all seen the rewards for the remaining rounds of the Wakespire... is there anything that we want to prioritize?"

"Aren't we going to try to win every round?" Nauda asked.

"That would be ideal, but the further we get ahead, the more we'll be sabotaged by others. The judges themselves might take away any trump cards we show, too." Theo didn't look angry for once, just grimly determined. "So our strategy should vary. Some rounds we focus on improving capacities, then when it really matters, we go in for the kill."

The strategy was sound, but Nauda wasn't sure what it meant for her. Fiyu only shook her head, which could have meant many things. Nauda was surprised that Theo didn't have a whole set of rewards he wanted - apparently he was focused on the lighteggs. That left her unexpectedly the one with the strongest desire to win.

"The fourth round is the one that matters to me," Nauda said. "The most powerful parts of the sublime legacy are in the final two rounds, but the fifth one is all light and sky materials. But there are some sublime plants and enhancement materials in the fourth."

"Then that's our goal for now." Theo slapped the edge of the table with both hands and pushed himself to his feet. "We need to stay alert to pivot, because this could all change, but that's a good first step. Capacities first, then ascensions. Let me know if any factions approach you."

He was clearly too in the grip of his strategies to linger, but Nauda found herself smiling as she watched him leave. This Theo, who might be detail-obsessed but valued all of them, was a good ally to have. Maybe they had a chance even with so many odds stacked against them.

"These are nice." Fiyu slipped another manna flake into her mouth and savored it. "Noven is too bright, but it is not so bad."

"I think I'll enjoy our time here." Nauda smiled at Fiyu, but her gaze soon wandered to the shimmering metal of the city. The clouds had been burned away and the suns increasingly beat down on their little balcony. Despite all the light, she felt certain there were shadows hiding both secrets and dangers.