Chapter 247 - No Power in Zeme (Patreon)

<Contains content which may be considered grimdark>
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Tala slid under a thrust of a bloody spear, grabbing onto it with her off hand even as she slashed at her opponent’s legs with Flow, in the form of a glaive.

Such a move would normally lack power, a polearm was designed for use with two hands after all, but her prodigious strength and long practice let the strike hit home with vicious efficiency.

She wasn’t basing her strength off of the ground, nor even off of her grip on her enemy’s spear, thus, when everything around her suddenly became slick, lacking virtually all friction, Flow still bit deeply into Reidh’s boot.

His scales, of course, weren’t even scratched.

Even so, the dragonling laughed, stepping back and bowing. “Well done, young Eskau Tali. Truly, you are a wonder to spar against.”

The properties of the ground had returned to normal, allowing Tala to stand with ease before she bowed in turn. “Thank you, Eskau Reidh, but I feel you are being too kind. I didn’t even scratch you.”

“Yes, but you ruined my favorite boots.” His eyes were twinkling with mirth.

“I’m…sorry?”

He waved her off. “Even that which is ruined can be restored.” He gave her a searching look. “But you truly do not understand, do you.”

“I suppose I don’t.”

He nodded, sinking into a seated position, his tail curling around his legs. “Where do I sit on the path of advancement?”

“Honored.”

“Yes, and yourself?”

Refining, so Yellow-Orange, that’s, “Mature Elder.”

He smiled. “Yes, precisely. You are more than a full step behind me in power.”

“Exactly, that is why I couldn’t even scratch your scales.”

He shook his head. “No, child. That is why even you laying a weapon upon me is impressive.”

She hesitated at that. Tala hadn’t thought of it in that light. “Well, you were holding back.”

He lifted one hand and waggled it back and forth. “In part, yes, but mostly no. I am not fighting below my level of skill, and I am treating your hits as if they would harm me. The only thing that I really could do, which I am not, is to force your aura back to your own body and affect everything with my power.”

“Which you could.”

“Probably. I also could simply ignore your attacks and overwhelm you, but neither of us would learn or grow from that.”

“So?”

“So, this is not a test of magical weight, Eskau. It was a test of martial skill, and you are the warrior who landed a hit.”

She felt a smile tug at her lips and responded from her heart. “And if it were a test of honor, convincing your opponent of their victory would be the deciding action.”

Reidh laughed, seeming genuinely pleased by her comment. “You have a bit of a flatterer in you, eh?”

“I try to speak the truth, if the truth is flattering that has more to do with you than me.”

He snorted in response. “If you keep at it, I may think you want something from me.”

“Another match?”

With a broad, tooth filled smile, he stood. “That, young Eskau, I can do.”

Meallain had begun leaving Tala to train with Reidh or De-arg, though the elf stayed nearby when Tala fought any of the others. This allowed Tala to train even more, as Meallain did have other duties to attend to as well.

Before her trip to Croi, Tala would have said that she’d mastered the Way of Flowing Blood, but she’d been greatly mistaken. Even the short time that she’d spent under the tutelage of the senior Eskau had caused her to improve by leaps and bounds, though she definitely wasn’t leaping or bounding.

At least all the old masters agree on that: going ballistic is rarely wise in a fight.

Reidh helped her learn how to move and leverage her strength without having to rely on a sure footing or a sure grip.

De-arg forced her to perfect her stances, weight distribution, balance, and movement. The small bear-like man was utterly ruthless in his exploitation of her every flaw.

She had yet to land anything close to a solid blow on the small Eskau.

He would be an utter nightmare to fight if anything important were on the line.

-Indeed.-

When the day of sparring was done, and the other Eskau had bid them goodbye, Meallain came to sit beside Tala as she stretched. “How are you?”

Tala shrugged. “I’ve been better, but I’m getting by.” She narrowed her eyes, examining the other woman. “Why?”

“Well, your time here in Croi is more than half through, and Be is almost done negotiating for two other protian weapons.”

Tala stiffened, then nodded. “I see.”

“If it helps, they are both based upon your ideas, whether or not he had those thoughts earlier.”

“Oh?” She was almost afraid to ask.

“Yes. There was a candidate Eskau of our House who was…not up to snuff combat wise, and his potential Pillar was similarly realizing that she didn’t really like the politics involved in ever becoming a Pillar. They’d passed up three potential raisings, which isn’t a good precedent.”

“I see.”

“So, clever Be bought them out of their rank, securing their protian weapon, and is nearly finished negotiating to trade it with another major House in the city for one of theirs. I don’t know how they have one to trade, but it does happen on occasion.”

“That’s one.”

“Yes it is. The second comes from a minor house in this city that has been pursuing majority for nearly five centuries. They only just managed to forge a protian weapon.”

I wonder how many humans died needlessly to their failed attempts. But she kept her face carefully neutral. “Oh?”

“Yes. Unfortunately for them, they don’t really have many warriors who could wield it well, nor the structures or culture in place to make good use of it. They have devoted their resources towards magical research rather than combat, after all.”

“So, they’ll trade it away?”

“Oh, no. They’d never do that.”

Tala cocked her head to the side as she turned to regard the elf.

“No, Be offered to allow their minor house to join with the House of Blood in a place of honor, in exchange for the weapon. It’s apparently a good one, nearly entirely based upon kinetic manipulation.”

Great… “I see.”

Meallain smiled comfortingly. “You seem…less than pleased at the progress. Your ideas were sound, and you do your duty well.”

That is truly comforting in her eyes, isn’t it. “It means that I will be abandoned in Platoiri all the sooner.”

The elf’s hand fell on her shoulder. “I’d thought that was still weighing on you.”

Tala scoffed. “How could it not? He is to leave me behind and go into danger without me.”

Meallain sighed. “We need to distract you from that. Can I get you experts on holds and pocket dimensions? Books, treatises? Items of power to let you delve more deeply into that hobby?”

“That would be a boon, if you are willing, but I have another curiosity that weighs more heavily.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Well, the books are simple enough to get at the very least. What else pulls at your mind?”

Tala seized the opportunity. “What of polar synchronicity between the worlds?”

The elf stiffened slightly, then smiled, shaking her head. “You’ve been digging into the Doman-Imithe?”

“Nothing forbidden, but yes.”

She sighed. “The council would not be pleased if they knew.”

“At the moment, that doesn’t seem like a negative.”

Meallain raised an eyebrow, seeming taken aback, but then she shook her head. “That is fair, I suppose. I will admit that I don’t understand their decision any more than you do, but it isn’t ours to question. Even so, that is a hard lesson to learn, especially for the young.”

She hesitated.

“In this I do have some discretion, and what they don’t know won’t hurt them.” She bit the side of her lip in thought. “Be, though, if he knew he might…”

Tala thought quickly, then put on her most open, honest face. Ahh, yes, honesty worn as a mask. “It would be a wonderful surprise for him upon his return, if I were to be an aid to him in regards to the Doman-Imithe?”

“Yes… I can see that.” She shrugged. “He need not know all the specifics of your training, and this is something he’s previously expressed interest in having you learn. I see no issue with teaching you the basics, but only the basics, yes?”

“That would be wonderful. Thank you, Eskau Meallain.”

“Just Meallain. It seems that I have much to teach you, directly, and using honorifics in such intricate dialogues will become tedious quickly.”

“As you wish, Meallain.”

Thus, Tala’s time with Thron was expanded by Meallain’s presence, along with the books she procured for them.

Each book was only offered for a short time, with specific passages intended, but Tala was always able to find a moment to flip through so that Alat could copy it in full. Though, that sometimes required setting the book behind a barrier off to the side and looking through it with one of her mirrored perspectives.

Thus, while Meallain focused on giving her a solid foundation on the Doman-Imithe, Tala built the scaffold for learning so, so much more.

A week later, Be-thric finally secured his two deals, and a celebration rang out through the House of Blood. Their new Pillar had almost completed his regalia and would be departing for his home city soon.

The first negotiation had culminated in a minor house shedding its own identity and joining with the House of Blood, both gaining and growing in power.

This was an additional cause for celebration.

The second had allowed those who might have brought dishonor to the House of Blood to step from their path honorably, and join their fellows as assets, rather than failed, potential leaders.

It was a truly joyous occasion, and the celebrations spilled out into much of Croi, though most were not made aware of all of the exact reason for celebration.

Only two more protian weapons are needed, Alat.

-And preparations are already underway in Platoiri for a raid on a major House to get the second to last one.-

We need to act soon. Be-thric’s departure might be the best time to flee, but we still need a reason to be allowed out, a way to deal with the collar in one way or another.

-Yes, otherwise it will end us.-

They had poured over ideas of how to deal with the collar, but the truth was, she simply lacked the power to do anything effective against a half-Hallowed level construct. She had plans, though.

When she returned to Platoiri, she was to attend the City Lord, and there were potential paths she could investigate on that front.

-You seem more hopeful.-

I think less despairing is more accurate. I have nothing I can actually hope will work, but I refuse to believe that I won’t find something.

-That works for me.-

Their next idea involved talking with Be-thric at length, which Tala really, really didn’t want to do. Blessedly, Alat had fully prepped Tali, so the plan was to turn control over to her for the first time in quite a while and see if she could sway Be-thric in one way or another.

The celebration was the perfect setting as well, and after a full day of feasting, with a night and another day planned, it was the perfect time.

Alright. Let’s go find the Pillar.

-Let’s do this.-

*      *      *

Tali knocked on the door to her Master’s suite within the House of Blood’s hold.

Be-thric had retired for a few hours, to enjoy some peace before he was to rejoin the festivities below, and out in the city.

It felt like ages since she’d seen him, though she knew that they’d crossed paths quite a few times earlier that very day.

+I have been avoiding him, I suppose.+

-You think? It’s a blessing that we don’t really need her to be in command very much, if at all, or there would be so, SO many issues I’d have to iron out.-

+Right, right. I do apologize for that.+

-No, you don’t. You’re not sorry at all for the choices you’ve made.-

+…that’s true enough.+

A servant of the hold answered the door and stepped back to allow her entry. The dwarven woman’s somehow deeply thrumming, yet still relatively high-pitched, voice rang out. “Announcing, Eskau Tali.”

Be-thric’s voice floated through a pair of doors that were thrown wide leading out onto a balcony, “My Eskau has torn herself away from the celebration to visit me? Come, come! I am just enjoying a moment of quiet on this auspicious day.”

Tali walked through the lush, if not opulent, entry and sitting room and out those same doors.

She stopped in wonder as the view captivated her once again.

This suite of rooms was up, near the top of the large building at the heart of the hold that was a world-fragment, and her Master had been given a truly spectacular view.

Interestingly, it was a view in the opposite direction of the one she’d first beheld upon entering the hold.

Rather than forests and plains leading towards distant mountains, Tali now beheld hills and dunes of sand leading down to the shore of the sea in the middle-distance.

As if bought on by the sight, she could suddenly smell the salt in the air and hear the far-off call of seabirds with her enhanced senses.

From Meallain’s lessons with regard to the Doman-Imithe, Tali knew that those things weren’t actually there and simply manifested as echoes of the reality that once was.

The world-fragment ended well before the shore of the sea.

In the past, when she’d looked in this direction, her perspective had been too low to see past the near hills to the water beyond.

“Do you like it?” His voice pulled her attention from the vista.

She turned and bowed without thought, freezing halfway through the motion and straightening. “My apologies, Pillar Be-thric. I was distracted by the majesty of it all.”

A smile was playing across his lips. “It is wonderful, that is true. Sometimes, you are so like a child in how you view the world.”

She felt herself coloring, but he waved a hand placatingly.

“I do not mean that as an insult. To the contrary, it is refreshing. I, myself, spent a good deal of time in this hold in my youth, before the death of my parents. It is beautiful, but not truly special to me anymore, and it evokes memories of sadness.” He shook his head. “But you? Your enjoyment of it brings joy back to me. Thank you for that.”

+That’s interesting. He’s never spoken of his family before.+

-No, he hasn’t…let’s see what else he says.-

She looked down and nodded. “It is my pleasure to serve.”

“None of that, none of that, my Eskau. The House is celebrating, and much of that is on your account. Come! Eat and drink if you wish.” He motioned to the food arrayed on the table beside himself.

She stepped forward and poured herself a glass of water. “I…you never speak of them, you know.”

“Hmm?”

“Your family, your parents.”

His smile faded slightly. “Ahh, that is true enough. They were an odd set, my parents. My mother was a Pillar, my father her Eskau. She was the daughter of the founder of the House of Blood, the last of her siblings, as I am the last of mine.”

Tali didn’t interrupt, letting him take his time.

Be-thric took a long drink of what seemed to be wine. “Our House is not loved by most other major Houses. We accept all, regardless of race or lineage, and that has allowed us to grow strong quickly, on the scale of such things.”

He huffed a laugh, then, shaking his head.

“Our enemies sought to bring us down in the same way they would another House: They targeted the founding family.” His grin became vicious. “But my family was never our true strength. As my aunts and uncles fell to the machinations of our enemies, they were replaced, one by one, with stronger Pillars, and our power grew.”

Tali took another drink, hoping he would continue, and he did.

“Nepotism has always been a bane of the strong, and we were no exception. But our opponents, by the very acts they intended to destroy us, forged us into something stronger, tearing out that weakness before it could become rot. My family may be all but gone, but what they stood for, the core of what they are, will live on forever.”

She knew the right response, felt it resonating within herself. “For all have Blood, and that unites us. For all have Blood, and that is our strength.”

“Indeed.” He sighed.

+Well, rust…+

-This isn’t exactly news, Tala.-

+I know, but it still makes me want to like him, even while I still hate him irrevocably.+

-The House of Blood is likely the best means for humanity to connect with the arcane world, if it ever happens.-

+Yeah.+

-We could do a lot of good if we stayed and pushed for that connection.-

+Oh, I am aware.+

-…So?-

+We break free and try not to harm the House too badly. I’m going home.+

-That’s what I thought.-

Be-thric seemed to come back to himself. “Now, you must have come for a purpose, and I doubt it is to listen to me ramble. I hear that Eskau Meallain has taken you under her wing for martial training. Is that bearing fruit?”

“It is, yes. She is an excellent teacher and a… trying sparring partner.”

“As she should be. She was master of my grandfather’s guard before we became a major House. She’s almost as old as Pallaun is rumored to be.” He chuckled at that. “How Sanguis convinced that old beast to join our House, I may never know.”

So, even Be-thric sees Pallaun as a beast?

+That’s interesting. I guess I just assumed he’d know more or have a different view.+

-Well, we could have asked, but that would have required being around the man, more.-

+Yeah, not worth it.+

“But I am controlling the conversation again. What can I do for you, my Eskau?”

Tali glanced towards the servants who waited off to one side.

Be-thric noticed the glance and dismissed them. A moment later they were alone, Pillar and Eskau.

“Is this space private from listening ears?”

The Pillar nodded.

Alright, then. No excuses. She took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “I… I cannot stomach the idea of you going on the venture without me. The purpose of the trip is for my growth; it will be dangerous, and it will take quite a bit of time.”

He nodded, seeming unsurprised by the topic. “I understand how you feel, but the decision is made.”

“Is it final, though? The other Pillars are still here. Can’t you change their minds? Aren’t I your Eskau? Can’t you insist that I come with you? Can we trade favors, or otherwise influence them?”

“I tried, Tali, I truly did. There are…extenuating factors that you aren’t aware of. Those change how Pillars perceive…the venture and make those opposed staunchly against changing their minds.”

“Then tell me, and I will see those factors overcome.”

He sighed. “I wish I could. Truly, I do, but it isn’t possible.”

+What? He almost sounds genuine.+

-Yeah. That’s really odd. Does he want to tell her that she’s fake?-

+Probably not. Maybe, it’s something else?+

-Could be, I suppose.-

“What could there be that you can’t tell me?”

He smiled at that. “I obviously can’t tell you that.”

Tali grimaced.

“Do you trust me?”

-No.-

+Only to pursue your own interests.+

“Unequivocally.”

His smile wavered a hair at that, but he maintained it. “Then trust this: I have done everything I can to change the council’s decision.”

Tali closed her eyes, fighting back frustration. She took several long, deep breaths, letting them out slowly.

Be-thric, for his part, let her take the time that she needed.

Finally, Tali opened her eyes and nodded. “Very well, the decision stands.”

+And there goes that option… I knew we shouldn’t have bothered approaching Be-thric.+

-Hold on a moment. I don’t think she’s done.-

Tali did, indeed continue, “So, how can we go around the council’s decision with the least consequences?”

Be-thric blinked at her a few times, then burst out laughing. “That!” he laughed again. “That I did not expect. Oh, Tali, you are somehow full of surprises.”

Tali waited for him to finish chuckling, before she squared her shoulders. “So? What are our options? I assume that if we simply ignore the decision, we would face censure when returned.”

“Censure? At the very least. They might simply execute us both on the spot.”

She frowned. “Is that likely?”

“No. It really isn’t, actually. If we returned, which we should, it would be in triumph, and that would prevent execution from being a serious option.”

“So, it is possible, then? We could defy them?”

“Could we? Possibly. Pallaun would likely enforce their ruling, he might even stop the venture all together if he thought we intended such a thing. Meallain definitely would.”

Tali bit the side of her lip in thought. “Could we keep it from him?”

“In theory? Yes. In practice? Unlikely.”

“I would rather not advance, if it means you go into danger alone.”

Be-thric leaned forward. “Take that from your mind, my Eskau. You will not stagnate, while I can help it. I am going. That is not up for debate, and it seems like you will not be coming with me.”

Tali grit her teeth in frustration. “There is nothing that can be done?”

“Nothing.”

With a wave of irritation and frustration, Tali bowed. “Very well, then. Good day, Pillar.”

Without another word, she turned and departed.

Be-thric didn’t stop her, nor did he respond.

In her mirrored perspective, Tali saw him lean back, seeming troubled.

Good. Maybe, he’ll get this sorted.

+Well, hopefully that doesn’t come back to bite us.+

-It shouldn’t, but yeah.-

Tali barely kept from slamming the doors on her way out of the suite. The servants of the hold were waiting in the hallway, and she sent them back in.

I will come with you, my Master. There is no power on Zeme that can stop me.

+And on that note, back to me.+

-Agreed.-

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