Deathseed: Chapters 3-4 (Patreon)

Last time Patreon ate some of my spaces for unknown reasons. This time I tried something different when adding the chapters, did it still happen? You tell me.

I am working hard on the omnibus TWC book, and there's a lot in the air, but this week you still get chapters. I'm glad we're getting this book started. ^-^

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Chapter 3

Even though Theo had hoped that he'd put Esaire behind him for good, he'd remembered their battle on several occasions. Especially over the past few months when he thought about the fact that Nauda wanted to take them near the gate to Deuxan. So when he saw his old enemy, he simply noted that Esaire had apparently ascended to Authority as well.

He automatically ruled out strategies involving his disorientation skill or any other potentially quick end. In the past, Esaire hadn't shown signs of developing new abilities quickly, but he'd been shockingly fast at coming up with defenses, even against Theo's gravity. Best not to assume that his singularity could be deployed easily, either. That meant his primary objective was to fight cautiously and gather information.

"You should never have come back!" Esaire was almost on top of him, burning with new cantae. He unleashed it in a swarm of sapphire bolts that rained down over the island.

Partially to defend the civilians and partially as an experiment, Theo cast a point of anti-mass in front of him and watched the cantae bolts slide away. Esaire pumped more cantae into his attack, attempting to overwhelm the defense. Fiyu disappeared along with Nauda, while the locals and Deuxans fled in panic.

When Theo shifted his gaze back to Esaire, he realized that the Deuxan man wasn't mindlessly attacking, he was gathering more information: even if he didn't understand anti-mass as a concept, he could understand how Theo's defensive point worked. That theory was confirmed a moment later when Esaire stopped the swarm of small bolts and swept his hand in a chopping motion.

An arc of cantae exploded downward, aiming to hammer through his defense. Theo didn't bother: instead he just utilized all his speed enhancement chambers and flew around the arc. In the process he attacked for the first time with a torsion bolt.

Esaire drew his narrow sword and knocked the bolt aside, but he was still fighting as if Theo was slower than him. That left him unprepared for the second and third bolts, which first knocked him off balance and then sent the sword spinning out of his hands and into the roof of a nearby building.

"I never even wanted to see you the first time," Theo called into the silence. "All I've ever done is try to leave, but you keep chasing me down."

Esaire scowled at him. "You humiliated me, then even after you won, you sent assassins after my family! I may have picked a fight, but you turned this into a vendetta."

"Assassins? What are you talking about? I haven't thought about you since our duel."

"Liar!" Esaire burst into the air toward him, launching another pair of cantae arcs.

Theo evaded them easily enough, but Esaire hadn't been planning to hit him with any of those attacks. His aim seemed to be to drive Theo downward - unfortunately for him, Theo had a serious advantage in aerial mobility. Not only did he have more experience flying, he was neutralizing his mass with his inertialvoid, making it easy to flit from side to side.

Below, it looked like the fighting had spread. There were guards rushing in now, but they were mostly base soulcrafters with only a couple of Archcrafters, so Nauda was keeping them at bay without hurting anyone. Fiyu was nowhere to be seen, which was exactly the best strategy for now.

Since they had the advantage for the time being, Theo decided to press for more information. He let Esaire force him downward toward the rooftop, which didn't take much faking: the Deuxan man had repaired the damage Theo had done to his soulhome and then solidified his new design with an ascension. Theo wished that he'd finalized his fourth-tier blueprint, but he was no longer outclassed.

When Theo finally hit the rooftop, not so far from where the sword fell, he deflected the next cantae burst and then shouted upward.

"I never sent any assassins and I had no idea you were here!" Theo raised a hand to point at Esaire. "This entire fight is on you. If you let us go, we'll walk away and never bother you again."

Still not true, just a good tactic. When Theo saw the look in Esaire's eyes, he realized that it didn't matter. Despite the fact that he'd tried to avoid developing any petty rivalries, he'd ended up with a nemesis anyway. Looking back, Theo wasn't sure what he could have done to avoid it. Perhaps it had been childish of him to steal the sleigh, which he hoped was disguised enough not to serve as a taunt, but most of the provocation had stemmed from the other side. He'd escaped and hoped the battle was behind him, only for Esaire to chase him between worlds due to some obsession with Brigana's family.

That, more than Nauda's desires for Nlukoko, was the reason that Theo wasn't truly willing to let the matter go. If Esaire was going to get in his way, Theo would take on the entire Armeau family and force them to tell him everything they knew about Brigana. He'd been a young soulcrafter relying on Blacksilver before, but now he could pursue the truth.

So Theo swiveled his arm toward the fallen sword. Esaire had been telepathically lifting it into the air to ambush him, so Theo pinned it to the ground with a gravitational field. Immediately Esaire tried to strike with it, then his eyes widened in surprise as he couldn't overcome its new weight. Theo didn't so much as glance at the sword as he kept it bound in place. Fighting to maintain his field against Esaire's raw cantae down took some effort, but he was equal to the task. His singularity had only just begun to output its true volume, so he had more in the tank.

"I don't see how you can claim the moral high ground," Theo said. "Why'd you invade Tatian and enslave the villagers?"

"It has nothing to do with that, you..." Esaire cut off with a grimace and then leapt forward.

Years ago, Esaire had been fast. Theo had grown far faster since then, but he'd underestimated just how much faster Esaire had become. In the blink of an eye his opponent was on top of him, grabbing his coat and slamming him into the roof hard enough to shatter the shingles.

But his opponent had in turn underestimated how much Theo had changed: his coat easily absorbed the impact and he was no longer physically fragile. Instead of using a cantae bolt, Theo tested just punching his opponent in the jaw and was gratified to see Esaire's head snap back. While the other man was shocked, Theo grabbed him and reversed their positions, slamming him through part of the roof.

A spike of cantae shot upward, breaking through his clothing armament and drawing blood from his side. Despite the pain, Theo grinned down at the Deuxan man, refusing to show any weakness. Esaire wasn't an opponent he could ignore for even a moment, but so far he'd learned much more. If they kept fighting, small differences in strategy and information would easily tip the balance.

From that position, finally feeling confident against an opponent who had once outclassed him, Theo caught a glimpse of a dark-eyed figure below. Just a Tatian man standing on the docks, but he seized Theo's attention. Though he appeared to be an Archcrafter, his shielding wall was too perfectly crafted...

Theo retreated a second before green fire erupted from the new soulcrafter as he revealed himself to be an Authority and pulled the island into hell.

~ ~ ~

When Nauda had urged her friends to go back to Tatian, her greatest fear had been that they would get bored. Fiyu would only tolerate the bright warmth, of course, and Theo was still obsessed with optimizing his days even if he wasn't vocal about it. She had hoped it could be a quick and light trip for all of them to connect further before venturing into other worlds.

Everything had turned out so much worse than she'd imagined. And then, just when she thought Theo's problems were going to overwhelm them, an Authority from the lower side of Tatian showed up.

Even though he was hiding his strength, Nauda recognized the flicker in his eyes and knew things would turn bad. She used her staff to grab the Farmguards who had been trying to fight her and threw them into the water away from the island. After that, she had only a second to sweep her foot across the ground and throw up an arc of wards before the man erupted.

A sphere of green flame burst into existence around most of the island, instantly setting afire wood and vegetation. It wasn't a shockwave, the man simply brought his soul down on the world around him. Nauda's wards held it for all of one second before they shattered and sent her tumbling backward.

Somehow she managed to dig her feet into the ground and skidded back with water splashing around her ankles. Unfortunately, just being near the water wasn't enough: green flames danced above the lake around the man, lighting the island in lurid colors. Only those who had been thrown underneath the surface would be safe, and perhaps not for long.

Nauda had seen this blueprint before: the man was a Blazekindler.

As a young woman she'd scorned the name as redundant, until she'd actually seen one in action. The Blazekindler blueprint didn't come into its own until Authority, then it manifested flames that couldn't be put out by any substance except raw cantae. So long as that soulcrafter drew breath, the sphere of flames around him would burn down the world.

Unfortunately, she'd last encountered Blazekindlers as a lowly base soulcrafter, so she had no idea if they had any weaknesses. Through the flames wreathing him, even her telescope didn't have a chance of getting a glimpse at his soulhome.

The rising flames had thrown combatants in all directions. Theo and Esaire had retreated but looked fine, so Nauda had to hope that Fiyu was also unharmed. But as another building went up in a whoosh of green flame, more Farmguards were sent running or even flying in multiple directions. The chaos of the battle would soon consume Nlukoko and it was all she could do to keep up. If not for her shielding wall, she might have been driven to her knees like some of the weak Farmguard Rulers.

Just when she thought it couldn't get worse, Ariano of the Golden Wings floated out of his palace.

He no longer looked so unusual to her, since she'd seen countless other Noveni. But as he began launching wild arcs of cantae from his wings, with no concern for his own city, Nauda tasted her old contempt rising within her. This man had taken an innocent city and turned it into a corrupt playground... and there was nothing she could do to stop him, even now.

"Careless idiots." Suddenly Esaire landed on the island nearby, his feet punching through the stones. He was staring at Ariano and the Blazekindler with contempt and barely even glanced at her.

Nauda didn't need to think, she just acted: she pointed her staff at Esaire and did her best to bind him in place. She couldn't beat him, but every second she kept him occupied was a chance for Theo and Fiyu to take control of the primary battle.

Esaire's silver eyes flickered back to her and she didn't even see any recognition. He simply flexed his power and broke out of her hold, driving her further back into the water. Nauda hissed and pulled her staff up again for another try.

"Grandfather?" Esaire made a gesture, then floated away.

An old Deuxan man began firing bolts of cantae from a nearby island, forcing Nauda into a desperate defense. She could deflect his attacks with her staff and her wards could absorb multiple bolts, but the old man showed no signs of slowing down.

Finally she recognized him as Arceon ai Armeau, head of the entire Armeau family, who she hadn't seen since Theo's duel on Fithe. Even though he was an old soulcrafter stuck at Ruler, that meant he had spent decades optimizing his soulhome. His three floors would be filled with materials and pushed to their limits, likely giving him enough cantae to keep up his assault for longer than she could defend. He wasn't an opponent she could take lightly.

Meanwhile Esaire flew away, not even bothering to attack her while she was distracted.

When Arceon lifted a metal rod, Nauda was too distracted to dodge. It didn't produce an attack, instead she felt cantae probing at her shielding wall. She realized too late that he was trying to gather information about her and tried to strengthen her defenses, but they had been stretched thin by all the Authorities doing battle around her.

"Reaching Ruler is an impressive achievement, girl." Arceon spoke easily while still unleashing flurries of cantae bolts. "But what is this blueprint? Three different towers without connections? Terrible waste of space. And you have some sort of growth infecting you."

Nauda desperately thrust through one of the bolts, managing to bind the old man's arm. He glanced down briefly, but then kept up his assault with his remaining arm.

"You should just surrender now. My grandson has more potential in one arm than you do in your entire body. Don't throw your life away trying to fight soulcrafters with true potential."

With her staff extended, Nauda couldn't use it to deflect the next bolts. One of them pierced through her wards, hitting her stomach and burning through her dress. Even though her heavily reinforced body could endure it, the impact hurt, and she knew that Arceon could wear her down.

A small part of her mind urged her to strike back. She should use her nullification technique, even though she hadn't been wearing her armament glove. Or she could dive into the water to close the distance. There were multiple strategies she could use, yet instead she found herself locked into a pattern of defending and being pushed back further and further.

Years ago on Deuxan, she and Esaire had both been Archcrafters. Now he hadn't even considered her worth picking off. Was her only hope that Fiyu would rescue her like dead weight?

Nauda didn't find any solution. All that saved her was that everything got worse.

Theo and Esaire had been dueling overhead, spinning in between arcs from Ariano, when a vast silver sword manifested in the air. It swung in a broad arc, nearly cutting Theo and making the air ring. Nauda quickly found the source of the technique and spotted a Deuxan woman controlling the ghostly blade.

She looked very similar to Esaire, just with a more feminine face and longer hair. Instead of the conventional Deuxan robes, she wore dark slacks and a silver vest. More importantly, she was an Authority, and she felt like a strong one. Even if she had been as new as Esaire, the numbers were adding up.

Theo and Fiyu were now facing twice their number, plus multiple Rulers. And Nauda barely even counted.

~ ~ ~

During a chaotic battle with unknown opponents, one of the greatest risks was a surprise attack. Even an enemy with an inefficient soulhome could cause great harm if they struck from a blind spot. After being separated from Friend Nauda, Fiyu focused on understanding the battlefield so that she would know where best to strike.

The most obvious choice would have been to attack Enemy Esaire. But his eyes flickered around the battlefield constantly, as if searching for her, and Friend Theo appeared to be holding his own. So instead Fiyu leveled the odds in a different way.

All of the Farmguards complicated the battle because they distracted her companions. Friend Nauda especially would consider them victims and try to remove them without causing harm, which would severely handicap her.

So Fiyu slipped invisibly through the battle, grabbing the hapless soulcrafters and throwing them toward nearby islands. Even though her Corporeal Floor was not primarily designed for strength, she was more than capable of overcoming the Farmguards.

One of them, however, was a Ruler. She had seen three so far, all with the same clumsy blueprint that left them filled with vulnerabilities. They were likely slaves as well, but they were too much of a threat to ignore. Fiyu used her cantae blade to cut across the old woman's back and right arm, a wound that would disable without killing.

Ultimately, however, the battle would be decided by the Authorities in the city, not Farmguards. Fiyu had been hoping to find and eliminate Ariano before he could join the battle, but unfortunately she first spotted him when he unleashed his massive attack. Combined with the Tatian spreading flames everywhere, the odds were tilting heavily against them.

Then another Deuxan woman appeared, very nearly cutting Friend Theo with an unreasonably large blade. That made the battle nearly unwinnable and Fiyu began considering alternate strategies.

She looked back to their sleigh, which had been pushed away from the island by shockwaves from the battle. Or perhaps it wasn't drifting... Betrayer Senka appeared to be sitting in the front seat. Despite the fact that she could not be trusted, her idea was correct: a controlled retreat was their best strategy.

Unfortunately, that would be difficult. Her companions were both locked in the midst of intense battles, and if they retreated they would have four Authorities targeting them. They had no chance of surviving a retreat if they simply attempted to run.

So Fiyu abandoned her efforts in the main battle and flew close to the water, weaving around the buildings of Nlukoko. She had taken action only from stealth, so only Esaire was looking for her, and even he didn't know that she was an Authority. Her strongest moment would be when she revealed herself, so it needed to be carefully chosen.

Enemy Esaire was too cautious, his likely relative was exceedingly experienced, and the Tatian Authority was constantly surrounded in flame. That made her ideal target Enemy Ariano. Fiyu flew up behind him, prepared for an attack, and marveled that he had no mechanisms to notice or defend against her. His soulhome might have considerable power, but it was severely lacking in secondary capabilities.

Which made it easy to slip in and slice off one of his wings.

The Noveni man screamed in pain as his wing was severed and he fell from the sky. Fiyu grabbed his severed wing and hurled it at the Deuxan woman, which combined with Ariano dropping startled her into hesitation.

At the same moment, Friend Theo unleashed his singularity. It manifested above one of the buildings, more aiming to distract than to cause damage. Even in that form, it had an impact. The gravity from the dark point began to draw away the green flames from the Tatian Authority, pulling them into a rotating aura. Rubble and cantae bolts from the battle fell into the same orbit as they were sucked into the growing darkness.

Friend Theo shot downward in the instant everyone was distracted, so Fiyu moved as well. She swept Friend Nauda into a bubble of stealth and pulled her out of her own battle with the elder Deuxan. Even though Friend Theo didn't know her location, he guessed what she intended and moved toward the sleigh.

When they all arrived, Fiyu drew them into her stealth and their entire group vanished from sight. Betrayer Senka began driving the instant Fiyu landed, so they skimmed above the lake away from the heart of Nlukoko.

Several of the Authorities attacked wildly, getting close more due to luck than knowledge of their position. Enemy Esaire's relatives both attempted to use techniques to locate them, but after her ascension Fiyu's stealth could no longer be so easily pierced. They flew away from Nlukoko and she finally allowed herself to relax.

"Those were bad odds," Betrayer Senka said over her shoulder. "I have a blast in me, but I assume you didn't want me to use it?"

"This isn't the time to reveal any trump cards," Friend Theo said. He turned in his seat to stare back toward the city grimly. "A fight like that is only winnable if it's on our terms, with enough intelligence to control the battlefield. How are they getting away with this?"

Normally Friend Nauda would have answered, but she sat numbly in her seat. Her emotional distress was obvious in her face and there was an uncharacteristic despair in her lax muscles. Fiyu desperately wanted to comfort her but wasn't even certain she understood her friend's distress.

"Well, at minimum let's see how much territory they control." Friend Theo appeared troubled, or perhaps irritated, that the others were so silent, but he covered it better than he once might have. "We need to know what we're dealing with."

As they flew on, they saw a great many more fields worked by slaves, just as they had on the other side of Nlukoko. After a certain range the normal Tatian countryside resumed, but it had also changed. There were no troublesomely cheerful villagers celebrating loudly. Even in the villages with no sign of Deuxan presence, the locals appeared muted and cautious.

When Nlukoko was invisible on the horizon, Fiyu let her control relax slightly. Some time later, while Friend Theo and Betrayer Senka tried to discuss strategy, she allowed them to become visible again. If they were facing highly adept opponents, she needed to rest so she could be at her best facing them again.

Having outpaced their enemies by so far, Fiyu had presumed that they would be safe. But less than an hour after she lowered her defenses, she felt a new power in the sky. Something dense emerged from the oppressive warmth above, as if the sun itself was emitting something. She noticed the figures appear overhead too late to hide her companions again.

Three Authorities descended from the heavens, wearing the plain robes of the Landguard. They had their soulhomes prepared for combat, but none of them had attacked when they had the opportunity, so Fiyu didn't react immediately. Friend Theo gestured for the sleigh to halt and glared as they were surrounded.

"We are the Landguard of Tatian," the tallest man said. "Your disruptions will not be tolerated any longer, on pain of death."

-

Chapter 4

When Theo had first returned to the Nine Worlds, the Landguard had basically been gods compared to him. Even now that he'd reached their same level of soulcrafting, he couldn't take them lightly. The problem was less their individual strength than the fact that they represented a united organization... an organization that could well have been manipulated by Vistgil.

Yet the three Landguards surrounding them didn't look inclined to exterminate on sight and they didn't seem to recognize him from the hunt order years ago. He noticed them glancing toward Nlukoko, shifting in midair, and favoring old injuries. Despite their harsh words, he didn't think they wanted to deal with his group, much less a battle to the death.

"We decided not to attack you on sight for one reason and one reason only," the leader continued. "During your attack on Nlukoko, you killed no civilians and took pains not to exterminate weaker opponents. Thus, we thought you simply might not be familiar with the nature of our communities. This is not a place of viol-"

"Don't talk to us about community!" Nauda stood up and swung her glare across all three Landguards. "You let outsiders take over Nlukoko and turn it into a slave camp!"

The Landguard stared at her as if they hadn't noticed a Tatian with them. While the leader looked incensed, Theo noted that one of the younger Landguards lowered his gaze in shame. That might be worth picking at later, but right now Nauda's passion would drive the situation toward violence.

"We didn't come here to rock any boats," Theo cut in, "but we were surprised by what we found. If you arrived to threaten us instead of the Deuxans, that means you've given them permission?"

"It is a difficult compromise," the leader said, "but it is also none of your concern. Let me be clear: the Landguard does not tolerate invasion, but we want Tatian to be a welcoming world. We are happy to allow Authority guests passage, so long as they cause no trouble."

Nauda opened her mouth to condemn them again, only to stop as Fiyu tugged on her sleeve. Her objections were perfectly reasonable, but they clearly weren't dealing with an organization that would respond to reason. With Nauda quelled, Theo decided that an entirely different approach was warranted.

"I assume you've decided to work with foreign Authorities," Theo said with a smile. "We don't intend to stay on your world for long, but perhaps we can help while we're here. If you're stretched thin, surely you'd pay for a little help? We don't even want a city like the Armeau clan, just some sublime materials, then we can be on our way."

He spread his arms as if he thought the offer was more than fair. If they really didn't suspect him of being anything more than a visiting Authority, then he could likely get away with the ruse: most Authorities just wanted power, after all. Actually getting them to agree to the deal was less important than shifting their expectations and maybe gaining some more information.

While the leader shook his head, the other two Landguards floated near one another and spoke in whispers. Eventually the young woman floated forward and tapped the leader on the shoulder before speaking into his ear. Fiyu might have been able to hear the words, but they didn't matter. Theo could see the community-based decision making leading them toward a compromise.

"Finding new allies isn't up to me," the leader said with great reluctance. "However, your offer is generous. At minimum, please allow the Landguard to escort you to your destination so there is no more risk of running into conflicts. Is this acceptable to you both?"

They looked from Theo to Fiyu, because even though she hadn't said anything, she'd proved herself a powerful Authority. Fortunately, she no longer quailed under the social gaze and instead nodded. That decided, the group ascended and Theo lifted the sleigh to follow. 

Their path took them directly toward the sun, which wasn't as blinding as his own sun would have been but wasn't pleasant to stare at. Theo relied on his gravitational senses instead of his eyes and bent down to Senka, who been hiding out the entire conversation.

"You have any dealings with the Landguard?"

"Don't exactly remember," Senka said. "They might have had a different name back then. But Tatians are always making big sporping organizations and hugging one another and all that blook. Usually you just want them to ignore you, but I'm guessing you're after something?"

"We want to assist them out of the goodness of our hearts, of course." Theo cast her his brightest smile and Senka rolled her eyes.

"Of course you do. But really, they're not so generous when it comes to higher tier materials. Tatian has huge concentrations of materials for Archcrafters and Rulers, but they start to get thinner as you go up."

After a glance at their escort, Theo answered in a lower voice. "All I expect to get from them is information. About whatever's going on in Nlukoko, of course, but also why they were hunting outsiders. That was before you joined us."

"They'd have no idea what I am, but I stayed low just in case they made the wrong assumptions. I'll keep to the sleigh, on the off-chance we meet the one evil reverse Tatian who wants to sabotage it or something. You go hug people until you get the information you need."

Theo turned from Senka to the other two, who had been murmuring to one another. They stopped as soon as he looked back, and judging from Nauda's eyes, she definitely wanted to talk strategy.

"Alright, I admit I got emotional." If there was any doubt, Nauda stopped speaking to glare at the Landguard. "Obviously the Landguard has made some agreement with Esaire's family, just like they allowed Ariano to rule Nlukoko. I just didn't want to admit they would allow actual slavery."

"You have any idea why they'd make a deal like that?" Theo asked.

"Judging from their expressions, they're not happy about it, so they must have been forced into a compromise."

Fiyu glanced backward toward Nlukoko as she spoke. "Esaire's family is powerful. Perhaps the Landguard cannot easily cast them out?"

Nauda snorted. "Not likely."

"They are composed of all the Tatian Authorities, yes?"

"It's more than that. They all make a lot of noise about being brothers and sisters, but the 'Landguard' title refers to higher tiers as well. So there are Landguard Strongholds who could stomp Nlukoko on their own, and there's no reason to believe they don't have Dominions as well."

While Fiyu subsided into thought, Theo presented his own theory. "The most likely explanation is that the Landguard is too busy with some other fight to protect all of Tatian, so they've decided to rely on foreign Authorities in some places. Do you have any idea what could strain the entire Landguard?"

"No clue." Nauda sat forward and rubbed her face with both hands. "Last time I was here, Nanjuma implied there was more going on, but he didn't give me any details. I was hoping to talk to him... not sure if that's possible anymore."

"I bet we can find him if we get back to Myufuru. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about our exact strategy, just in case I'm stumbling over any Tatian customs..."

They discussed their goals and Nauda mostly confirmed his plans. It was difficult to know exactly how the Landguard would react, but Theo was willing to bet that they could get what they wanted by pretending to be cooperative Authorities with no greater sins than a little greed. Exactly what benefits they gained would depend on the truth about the Landguard.

Their escorts continued to fly ahead, presumably taking them to the Landguard headquarters. In theory, Theo should have been eager to see something that few people ever did. Instead, he found himself staring over the edge of the sleigh and considering the landscape below.

Every hour took them further away from Esaire and Nlukoko, but they wouldn't be running away from the problem. Not this time.

~ ~ ~

Throughout her life Nauda had encountered the Landguard many times, but she'd never actually been to one of their bases. When it finally came into view, she wasn't sure what to think.

What first appeared to be a brown lump in the sky quickly proved to be far more fascinating as they approached. The base appeared to be built from truly enormous logs, the size of the tree that had loomed over Myufuru at least. They were lashed together, not in even rows but at all angles, producing a star of wood floating in the sky. What might have been an unreasonable structure was transformed into a livable space by a wide variety of walkways and stairs around the side, though everyone she saw was flying.

By far the majority of the walls were built from the giant trees, but she saw doors and furniture made from more ordinary wood. In fact, the puzzling part was how the entire community stayed aloft with no obvious floating materials. Nauda only figured it out once the sun finished setting and she spotted the rumpled-looking orange plants on the bottom of some of the logs, which glowed with natural cantae.

"This is your home?" Nauda perched on the edge of the sleigh to get closer to one of the Landguards. "What's your community's name?"

The woman shrugged. "We don't stand above other communities, we merely guard them. This is the Myufuru-Nlukoko-Domoda Landguard Base."

"But there are so many of you living here... you don't have a personal name for it?"

"Sometimes it's MND Base for short." Without saying another word, the Landguard floated further away. Even though they were no longer threatening to attack, there was still substantial mistrust and Nauda wasn't sure if their escorts were really their keepers.

Since conversation there was pointless, Nauda dropped back into her seat and just let her eyes run over the floating community. She hadn't looked for long, however, before Fiyu leaned in beside her with a slight smile on her face.

"This is a very interesting location. I didn't know such places existed on Tatian."

"I admit, I've never looked up and spotted one." Nauda glanced over the side to the ground, which was so far beneath them that the land was reduced to blurry splotches. "You couldn't sense them earlier?"

"They were near the limit of my range, and I believe that lichen is designed to obscure them." Fiyu pointed toward the glowing patches on the bottom. "You are familiar with lichen, yes?"

"Of course. It exists in most forests, and some of it is actually nutritious, so it's important for survival. Obviously, none of the normal stuff flies."

"I was actually curious about that, and I wanted your insight. Is the lichen still alive?"

Nauda wondered if it was another lesson in using her vitality sense, but she tried to stretch out to feel the orange plants. It still seemed deeply unnatural to her, like her mind was a wagon stuck in a rut and she was straining her muscles to push the wheels free. Yet when she focused, she could feel vital forces, and the lichen was indeed putting off a lot.

"It seems it's alive," Nauda said, "and it must make things hover naturally. I have to wonder how it exists in nature, because that doesn't make any sense. You couldn't see if it was alive yourself?"

"The plant substance is very thin." Fiyu turned slightly aside from the community as if ignoring it, but Nauda had noticed that she tended to move that way when focusing her senses. "Living and dead matter are not greatly different to my senses. However, I noticed something interesting: the wood appears to be petrified."

"Wait, do you mean all of it?" Nauda leaned forward to look more carefully. Of course a severed log wouldn't have any life remaining, so it felt the same to her, but she looked for hints. Now that she considered it, she saw that some of the staircases and flat edges did appear more like stone than wood. The majority was simply covered by a wood-like outer layer, likely for community aesthetics.

"I wonder if that is a defensive choice," Fiyu said. "I believe this is a higher tier material, so it would be durable against intense cantae. There is something unusual about the entire construction. The lichen is definitely not suited to being used in a soulhome."

"I think it's like the opposite of my bondsfungi: it probably grows much better in the physical world."

"Oh, that is true, but I was thinking about the source of the sublime materials. The wood is obviously from Tatian, but I believe the lichen may not be, and I wonder if there was a sublime petrification process."

They didn't have the expertise to really know, but it was fun to talk about. Nauda started to shift her arm onto the seat behind them, then hesitated. It would have been completely natural to put her arm around another Tatian, even just a friend, but she wasn't sure if that was appropriate with Fiyu. Her hesitation was made far worse by the fact that she knew Fiyu must be aware of the tension in her body.

When they'd first spoken honestly to one another Nauda had been overjoyed and confused. They'd agreed to reach Authority before fully discovering their feelings... that had seemed reasonable at the time and now it filled Nauda with doubt. Did that mean she shouldn't act in any way? What did an Ichili consider appropriate for a beginning relationship?

Fortunately, the awkwardness was interrupted by their arrival. Even though the petrified log community was lightly inhabited, they were now even more outnumbered. Large wards carved into the wood, like a far more powerful version of her own technique, lit up once they had landed. Those might keep them safe, but it also might be imprisoning them.

"Please follow us to your temporary quarters," the lead Landguard told them. "We will need to speak with our community about potential opportunities for you, so you can rest until then."

As they stepped onto the petrified wood, Nauda reflected that the pace of life didn't seem very Tatian. There were comfortable balconies and cozy little shops for drinks, all unoccupied. When she did see Landguards, they were usually rushing from place to place with a haste that would have gotten them tutted by grandmothers in any other community.

More strategically, she realized that she saw very little weirkey usage. Ordinarily, she would have expected Authorities to be traveling primarily via that method. Nauda was still a Ruler and technically she had two weirkeys, one to Noven and one to Slest. Perhaps that was another sign of how thinly they were spread.

She should have been thinking about the fact that they were being escorted to a polite prison cell, or at least at how the Landguard was being pushed, but Nauda found herself enjoying the environment. Smaller trees had been grafted onto the petrified wood, making the community pleasantly shady. At several points, the rough exterior of a wall had been scraped away to reveal a multicolored spread of the petrified wood. They were beautiful pieces of art, created almost entirely by the natural world.

For a time they were held in a featureless room while the Landguard spoke to one another. Nauda wondered if they had a leader and tried to listen, but eventually the tall man from before entered. As soon as Nauda saw his posture, she knew that the Landguard had decided to keep them at a distance.

"Please forgive our delay," the man said, "we're not accustomed to guests. As thanks for your cooperation, you'll be given a meal of sublime food and then escorted to special rooms. We do ask that you stay there until we can discuss business tomorrow morning, however."

The promise was kept immediately: they were served food by a chef who was also an Authority. Nauda hadn't seen a single person at a lower rank, which struck her as strangely inefficient. If they wanted to be part of the local communities, they should have had workers of many ranks and even non-soulcrafters.

Then again, an Authority-tier chef was extremely good at his job. It was a marvel to watch him juggle a dozen knives while he lit fires with his own cantae. In a culinary whirlwind he converted a large number of fruits and vegetables into minced and spiced bowls of salad.

"Will that suffice for you?" the chef asked. His gaze shifted between them uncomfortably and Nauda realized that he expected them to have otherworldly dietary requirements.

"We're grateful," Theo said, "but for our nutrition, we require sublime meat, starches, and juice."

"At once. We have many stores these days..." The Authority-tier chef literally flew out of the room and returned levitating more equipment to begin on another dish.

While he was out of earshot, Nauda elbowed Theo in the side. "You're no carnivore. Did you say that just to get more sublime food out of them?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Theo smiled unapologetically and dug in.

They sat down to eat the meal, which was excellent. Nauda felt less guilty when she saw that the chef was making far more than the three of them needed and distributing it to the other Landguards. Even though she should be furious with the Landguard at the moment, she still respected their role as protectors of Tatian.

Or at least parts of Tatian.

Conversation was muted as they ate, given that their exact status remained unclear. Nauda reflected that Theo might have pushed for more food for her sake more than his own. She had lost her entire Nine Worlds Feast when her soulhome collapsed, so she needed this meal to catch up to her friends. Perhaps she could rebuild her feast chamber by the time she was ready to ascend. The general boost to her capacities would do her more good than the others, and she needed the edge.

The warmth of the meal soon gave way to a small windowless bedroom. After having fed them, the Landguard would never break the rules of hospitality with an attack, but they could well eject them from Tatian. Nauda carefully placed wards around the edges of the room, for all the good they would do. Most likely their real best defense would be Fiyu's senses.

Speaking of Fiyu, Nauda realized that the room had only a single large bed. More than roomy enough for Tatians, so the Landguards probably didn't even think about it. Normally Nauda might not have either, since the realities of travel meant they usually rested together. But now that she was technically courting Fiyu, Nauda found herself nervously eyeing the bed and wondering how well it would fit them.

Those emotions weren't entirely bad, but they came with a side of guilt. The people of Nlukoko were suffering under Ariano's golden fist. This was no time for her own happiness or any silly drama. Yet, despite everything at stake, she was still trapped in those old thoughts.

"Nauda, we are a team, yes?" Fiyu hovered just beside her, eyes unreadable within her mask.

"Yes?" Nauda shifted back, wondering how much her posture had revealed.

"That is most important, I think. We should rest well and be prepared to fight together tomorrow."

Stiff as it was, Nauda understood what the other woman meant and found herself smiling. Over the course of her life she'd frequently been annoyed by Tatian courtesies, which had led to her private sarcasm. Whatever Fiyu expressed, however cold, was always so earnest that it got through to her.

So they only took off their shoes and found a comfortable way to share the bed. Fiyu was right: Tatian was under attack and they were already embroiled in politics. There would be time for everything else later.