Deadgold: Chapters 14-15

Year in review next week, then chapters resume in 2026.

-

Chapter 14

It took another week for the leaders of Norron to make arrangements, and since Theo had all his brute soulcrafting done, he was actually kind of impatient. He spent a while working on one of the materials Krikree had left with him, trying to use skyvenom to elevate a Ruler-tier stone she wanted. Aside from that, there was only so much soulcrafting he could do without seeking out more sublime materials, and he was tired of hammering gravity rocks for House Blacksilver. In fact, he hoped that after this there would be no more need for any of that.

Once everything had been arranged, it all went suddenly, and somehow the others weren't available. Even Dhan was off defending one of House Blacksilver's branch houses, so Theo was going alone with only a few Blacksilver representatives for company.

To meet the leaders of the continent.

The others were already meeting first, for more important reasons than his arrival, in a portion of unclaimed land that fell between the Ruling Cities and Wavefront, while still being somewhat near the Asplundat Movement. As Theo flew toward the massive spire, he was surprised that there were so few soldiers, though he shouldn't have been, since the leaders themselves represented a major portion of their nation's military strength.

As he got close he could feel them: three Dominions, the most powerful people on the continent. In one sense they stood below his final goals, but in another it was strange that they were willing to meet with someone like him at all. A few years ago he had been a no one and House Blacksilver had been a small House only represented in a single city.

Yet as he approached, Theo wasn't challenged at all, and in fact he saw some of the powerful soulcrafters nodding to him. He realized that, sometimes despite himself, all of his work had finally brought him to the point where these powers took him seriously.

Personal strength mattered, of course: at Stronghold he was only one tier beneath them, a step away from joining these continental powers at Dominion. They had all heard about him confronting Plutalgion and helping decide the battle in the Asplundat Movement. But more important than those things were the facts that he represented a Fithan House, that he negotiated on behalf of Norron, that he had truly invested in their world.

This was power in a less shallow sense than mere violence.

"Welcome," one of the aides said as Theo landed on the spire. "You're just in time."

"Thank you." Theo reduced his gravitational fields to lower the chariot carrying the Blacksilver representatives, and they moved out to converse with administrators from the other factions. It occurred to him that they seemed to know one another, and in fact these non-soulcrafters represented a different sort of power that was necessary to keep the continent running.

For today, however, he was concerned with the sort of raw force that their enemy held, and for that, he needed to look to the Dominions.

"Crintak." Theo bowed to the grizzled Fithan man first, as was proper since he was technically a member of the Ruling Cities. "Thank you for waiting for this announcement."

"Waited long enough," Crintak said sourly. "You really find some deadgold?"

"Some, yes. Enough that it concerns everyone here."

They spoke comfortably as if they knew one another, but that was basically just theater. All Theo knew about Crintak was based on political rumors and what Guchiro had said about him. The top soulcrafter in the Ruling Cities was said to be a grim warrior at heart, and based on the sapphire he'd placed in his eye socket, he looked like he was a veteran of some ugly battles.

Theo, however, found himself wondering if Navim could use that sapphire.

He pushed such irreverent thoughts out of his mind and pivoted quickly to give an identical bow to the next major leader. "Citizen Dominion. Good to see you again."

"We remain grateful for House Blacksilver's assistance when Tymetron first attacked us," Citizen Dominion said, which was a dig at how little the other factions had helped.

The man himself had an unassuming presence, a painfully average Asplundat tunic except for the stone collar that represented his position. After seeing him fight, Theo wasn't particularly impressed with his personal soulcrafting... but that was irrelevant for this meeting. What mattered was that Citizen Dominion represented the Movement and he was a true believer.

That left one leader, so Theo continued pivoting to her and bowed once more. "I haven't made your acquaintance," he said, "and I fear I have not had the pleasure of spending much time at the Wavefront."

Though the woman didn't introduce herself, he knew her name was Melitta. She was tall and lean, with hair that was an odd shade of blue tied back in a ponytail. Her hands were covered by oddly articulated gauntlets that felt like powerful armaments, though he couldn't figure out their exact nature at a glance. What mattered more was that she was staring at him skeptically.

"I don't like these little get-togethers at the best of times," she said flatly, "much less in war, much less to hear some House representative. I'll hold my tongue out of respect for these two, but as far as I'm concerned, you need to prove you aren't wasting everyone's time."

"This is my best argument," Theo said, and dropped all four plates of deadgold into the space between them.

They didn't resound the way they had in the Gold Wastes palace, but they certainly had an impact. Many of those watching gasped or cried out in recognition, and even the three Dominions immediately became more alert. As far as Theo had been able to determine from his evaluations with Navim, four refined units of deadgold were a significant sum even for leaders like these.

"These are a gift from the top soulcrafter in the Gold Wastes," Theo explained, "as a method of helping us fight Tymetron. Of course they belong to everyone on Norron, even though they were given to House Blacksilver. But on behalf of that House, I have one stipulation: announce a single plate of deadgold as the top prize for the united tournament and keep the others secret."

"I have no objection to that," Citizen Dominion said mildly, "but why?"

"We want Tymetron to think that we have only a single piece of deadgold, which will be in plain sight as a tournament prize. Now, that piece really can go to the victor who can use it best. But while that sets their expectations, these three will be split between factions to prepare for their invasion."

Melitta seemed to be trying not to look impressed, but the curl of her lip wasn't feigned. "These are valuable, but not for us. It's a defensive measure for those who aren't powerful enough to take on Tymetron's legions themselves."

"Speak for yourself." Crintak bent down beside the plates, examining the deadgold carefully. "With such fine soulcrafting, I could see putting one of these in my own soulhome."

"Bah, and limit your future growth? Deadgold is only useful against Tymetron."

"There may not be any growth beyond Tymetron," Citizen Dominion pointed out.

"You can use them as you wish." Theo tried to cut off the three Dominions, expecting more resistance, and was surprised that they let him speak and even turned to him. "As I said, one to each side, to reinforce your armies however you think best. What matters is that when Tymetron thinks they can crush us, they'll have misjudged our strength."

"This is from the Gold Wastes, eh?" Crintak looked up, examining Theo in a new light. "Is any more coming, you think? Can you convince their leader to fight with us?"

So Theo explained about his meeting with Giatrice, as well as the balance of power with Tymetron's other neighbors and the undersea nations as he saw it. They actually listened to him, taking his evaluation more seriously than he expected. Unlike the heads of House Blacksilver, who were struggling with the rapid growth of their House, these leaders were used to thinking on a global scale.

The Blacksilver representatives had Theo's back, however, distributing figures and maps to the other aides in the background. He couldn't claim to be friends with the group, and would only have a guess at some of their names, but they'd coordinated on this. They were all here to try to convince the leaders of the three factions that they needed to shift their path in order to survive the war as it escalated.

"We need to speak about the tournament," Theo said eventually. He knew he was getting ahead of himself here, but he had to try. "Tymetron has long sought to weaken us so that they can take the continent without making themselves vulnerable. If we explicitly gather weaker soulcrafters with potential, the risk of a direct strike-"

"Has already been considered," Crintak interrupted sharply. "We aren't fools. We already had plans to retaliate against such a strike, and with all this deadgold, we've just increased our leverage. This is the best time to prepare, while the war is still mostly among the highest tiers."

"And does a tournament risk changing that?" Theo asked. "A long event focused on Authorities and below... if they get into a battle with Dominions or worse, the results could be devastating."

"I actually shared your concerns," Citizen Dominion put in, "but it is too late. Tournament attendees are already gathering, the facilities are being constructed, and some preliminary games have even begun."

That had moved faster than Theo had expected, and while he fixed his face in a smile, he inwardly cursed himself for having missed a step. He still didn't want to be involved, but Nauda was correct that they should have allies in the event. It would be essential to collect anyone he wanted to benefit before the main tournament started.

"I'll trust you all to handle your security," Theo said. "This deadgold is the most substantial gift that I can offer in support of our war. But I don't think that will be enough, not if Tymetron is ever in a position to mobilize more soldiers."

"What else can we do?" Crintak asked. "It's a continental empire."

"There are other allies we can reach out to, especially depths Fithans. They have some stake in this as well, and they're already working together with the Gold Wastes. At best we could recruit other powerful soulcrafters, and if Tymetron sends more troops than they can move via weirkey, naval strikes will be critical to reduce their numbers."

"Easier said than done, especially for an outsider." Melitta folded her arms crossly. "You don't understand how long these wars have gone on between dust and depths."

"But there have been wars across Norron for centuries, and the three of you are able to work together against a greater threat."

"One that has pledged to eradicate us all. No undersea city is equally threatened."

As it turned out, the leaders had already heard that argument, and Theo quickly realized that he wasn't going to be able to convince them to change their strategy. They wanted a united Norron through this tournament and were skeptical about all outside allies. On the other hand, he didn't sense any raw xenophobia from them, and it seemed like they would be willing to work with other allies if they had the chance.

Which meant that it might come down to him. Unfortunately, Theo was short on aeon-class soulcrafters, but he could make some desperate efforts. It was all about finding enough time, which seemed like it was always the problem now that the war had begun.

Eventually his time in the meeting concluded; the leaders had many other matters to discuss, obviously. As he departed, Theo saw that all three Dominions gave him respectful nods. That was nice in a cheap sort of way, but his ego had died a long time ago and he was mainly annoyed he didn't have enough social power to make them listen to him on every issue.

Okay, maybe his ego was just undead.

Still, as he returned to the Blacksilver chariot, he thought that he had made a significant difference, and through more than simply delivering the deadgold. The three Dominions had actually shifted their thinking in response to his arguments, if only a little, and the continent would be more prepared for the escalation of the war.

"Well done." One of the Blacksilver representatives surprised him by approaching and clapping him on the shoulder. "I'd have been tongue-tied, facing three powers like that."

"House Blacksilver has barely even met with Crintak before," another said. "For that matter, we've barely been to Dris Kolonb before last year. We're moving up in the world."

"Right, and we know it's thanks to you."

Theo nodded politely and was about to lift the chariot in the air when he realized that carrying it might be unnecessarily unfriendly. Generally speaking, the aides expected Authorities to fly everywhere, so he probably hadn't caused any offense. Still...

Instead of flying on his own, Theo stepped into the chariot to join the Blacksilver representatives. After a little surprise, they welcomed him as they all lifted into the air. A few who had been intimidated before began to unwind, now that the critical meeting was over, and Theo smiled as he joined in with their conversations.

But his mind remained on the spire behind them, where three Dominions decided the fate of the continent. Except the decision wasn't really theirs.

-

Chapter 15

After so long soulcrafting in Fithe, it felt strange for Nauda to actually use her weirkeys to travel between worlds again. When she headed to Tatian, for a moment she felt space distort and the entire world was spread out beneath her, including so many terrible situations in the lower half.

Instead of continuing to her destination, Nauda hesitated for a moment, drifting through the void between worlds. As a Stronghold, she could go down to one of the conquered cities right now and overthrow the leaders, freeing all their servants. There was still a part of her that felt guilty that she wasn't doing exactly that. Yet she knew that just beating a few tyrannical soulcrafters wouldn't actually change any part of the system, and unless she was willing to stay and enforce a new order, it might actually make things worse.

What ultimately decided her was the fact that taking on those new battles would mean abandoning everything she'd begun on Fithe. She might not be a native there, but Norro Yorthin was a second home to her now, and House Blacksilver an extended family. If she couldn't help them through this existential crisis, she didn't deserve to change anything.

So Nauda only did as she'd planned and went straight to Nlukoko. She appeared in the sky and took a moment to enjoy the lotus flower homes floating over the great lake, rebuilt further than the last time she had been here. The terrible community-breaking wall that she remembered had been dismantled, so the edges of the city could grow more naturally.

Thankfully, she had made herself known to the Landguard while negotiating for a weirkey, so they wouldn't react to her arrival. In fact, no one seemed particularly concerned at all. Nauda descended to the large island that had once contained Ariano's palace, which had been remodeled into a school for training future community leaders.

She found Nanjuma in a courtyard of living stone, giving advice to a few younger soulcrafters. He looked so serene there that she almost took her weirkey and went back to Fithe, since it felt wrong to take him from this natural environment into a war. But that was his decision, so she simply settled into her own soulcrafting while watching him teach.

Once the students left, Nanjuma stood alone for a while before he looked up to her. "Is everything well, Nauda?" he asked quietly.

"That's my question." Nauda left her soulhome and jumped down beside him with a smile. "Nlukoko looks stable to me, but is there any trouble with the Landguard or anyone else?"

"The Landguard always performs well in times of peace, and it seems that peace has returned. We have been engaging more with the Deuxan gate, and there were a few issues at first, but even those have been resolved." Nanjuma shook his head. "I fear that it has become almost too peaceful. It is not a very communal attitude, but I have always been attracted to crises."

"Hmm, is that why you led the school in Myufuru, all those years ago?"

"It may have been what led me there, yes. There were only so many problems that I could solve as a Ruler."

"Well, it's good that you say that, because I have a proposal for you." Nauda explained about the united tournament, trying to make clear the risks and limitations as well as the potential benefits. Thankfully, Nanjuma was nodding along by the midpoint, and by the end she was fairly sure what his answer would be.

"Give me a day to make some arrangements," Nanjuma said, "and then I would be happy to join you."

"Are you sure? There's a real risk of the tournament being targeted, and this war is more dangerous than anything you've ever encountered before..."

"I have spent too much of my life as an old man at the top of communities. It would feel good to be treated like a mere novice again, to fight in a tournament instead of running one." Nanjuma rolled his shoulders and she was reminded of the corded muscles there. "This could be a good change of pace."

How strange to think that someone living in a new paradise would want to travel to a land of dust and war. And yet, even as Nauda looked over Nlukoko with satisfaction, she understood.

~

Technically there was no need for Fiyu to travel across Fithe with Associate Janne, since the other woman was fully capable of using a weirkey herself. She decided to do so anyway, for multiple reasons: as a gesture of encouragement, to see the tournament grounds, and, if she was honest with herself, because it was easier than facing all her feelings around Friend Nauda.

They arrived at the tournament grounds, which were being built on one of the many wastelands of Fithe. All Fiyu knew about the details was that this was a relatively unimportant area between the major powers, one that lacked enough sublime materials to fight over. A month ago it must have been a barren red landscape, but now there was a hive of activity as numerous buildings popped up like seeds, culminating in a great arena blossoming in the center.

"Which of the powers claims this area?" Fiyu asked as she looked down over the activity.

"This is Ankrashan ground," Associate Janne said. When Fiyu turned to look at her, perplexed, the Fithan woman gave a strange smile. "You really don't...? No, I suppose you wouldn't."

"I am sorry, but I am not intimately familiar with Fithan politics. I know about the Ruling Cities, the Asplundat Movement, and the Wavefront. That is all."

"Those are the three greatest powers on the continent, by far, but they don't cover the entire territory. There are smaller nations that rule one corner or another, divided by an unusual culture or control of a specific sublime material. Ankrasha is one of those that has always been a loose ally of the Ruling Cities, though they want to maintain independence and avoid getting absorbed as another city-state."

"I see." Fiyu nodded her head and tucked this information away, even though she was unlikely to fully master Fithan politics. She realized now that even thinking about "Fithan" politics instead of the Norron continent was a sign of how much of an outsider she remained. "If they are worried about that, why were they willing to host the tournament?"

"They're thinking beyond just the united tournament," Associate Janne explained. "Everything we build here won't be torn down after the tournament, after all, and we hope to use it as neutral ground where the three major nations can conduct diplomacy in the future."

"Oh... so the smaller nation hopes to establish itself distinct from all three."

"Their leaders do, anyway. That's the reason that Blacksilver supported this location, and we're already looking into branching out into their territory. I imagine a lot of the others just want all of the business that this tournament will bring."

They fell silent and both began to drift down toward the main arena. There was no need for Fiyu to guide her, and she wasn't sure how far this gesture of support should go. Given how busy she was, it seemed unlikely that she would be able to cheer Janne from the stands.

"I, um, I hope that you are victorious," Fiyu said abruptly.

"Are you sure?" Associate Janne gave her an odd smile. "I understand that you and your friends are bringing in a lot of other competitors."

"Yes, but you are the one that I have helped train. Oh! But it is not merely for my pride. I want you to perform well and be able to achieve your own goals."

For some reason, this perfectly reasonable statement made Associate Janne smile even more broadly. She moved forward, quite alarmingly, and embraced Fiyu. It took discipline, but she was able to avoid freezing up and instead rubbed the other woman's back.

"Thank you, Fiyu." Associate Janne sensed her discomfort and pulled back, though she still smiled. "I don't think our House could have come this far without you, so we owe you a great deal."

"Of course I would help." Fiyu nodded in agreement and smiled at Associate Janne until she went to sign up for the tournament, or perhaps even participate in some of the preliminary contests.

There was no need to observe her, but Fiyu still hung in the air, reflecting on what had happened. The embrace would once have been shocking to her, but she felt that she had gotten through it rather well. Strange as it was for an associate to touch her like that, Fiyu knew that the contact was benign and her body hadn't responded with visceral panic. It had even been a positive thing.

Yet that only made her think about Friend Nauda and how different it was when they touched. The difference, Fiyu understood all too clearly, was context. She had grown as a person and understood that other worlds treated such matters differently, so a friendly hug was not an ordeal for her. But with Friend Nauda, they intended to become lifemates, with all of the changes that meant. There was no way to guard herself again those strong emotions, because it meant something of great importance to both of them.

Or, at least, she hoped that it meant the same thing. It was so easy to spiral into those worries, and the butterflies in her stomach threatened to grow fangs and spikes.

Wanting to take longer to cool down before returning to the others, Fiyu slipped into her stealth technique and began to examine the tournament grounds. Her senses revealed great blocks of stone that had been placed underneath the arena foundations, filled with defensive cantae. It seemed that they were indeed prepared for an attack, though whether those preparations would be sufficient was another matter entirely.

Hidden within her technique, Fiyu felt comfortable examining all of the crowds, marveling at their differences. She might not be a native of Fithe, but she was familiar enough with them to distinguish some of the groups: the Asplundat Movement soulcrafters all wore regimented tunics, the Ruling Cities soulcrafters had more diverse equipment, while the Wavefront soulcrafters tended to wear articulated armor. When a group didn't fall into one of those categories, she pondered what small nation they might represent.

It was slightly more surprising to find depths Fithans as well, easily marked out by the density of their horns. She had heard Friend Theo say something about trying to get more undersea Fithans involved as well, and it seemed he had been moderately successful.

Observing one of those groups, Fiyu's senses suddenly stumbled across someone who wasn't Fithan. That wasn't unique, and shouldn't have been alarming, yet her instincts still warned her. Fiyu opened her eyes and rose to find the man she had identified visually, then when she spotted him she froze.

He wasn't simply foreign, he was an outsider just like Friend Theo. It was the enemy known as Raythe Darkblade, and he had become a Dominion.

~

The last thing Theo wanted to think about was the tournament, but they only had a limited time to gather anyone they wanted to participate, which meant splitting up. His most obvious journey was to Deuxan to recruit Victon, he was just waiting to get a response from Dave. After so much had changed, best to have a long time to talk and see just how much Dave and his Court could contribute to the war.

Until then, Theo was working in a Blacksilver courtyard, thinking about other people who might want the chance. The problem was that so many of the people he'd met were on Fithe and already knew about it. Someone from Slest, maybe? He'd want to consult with Krikree about that. Would there be any chance that the Gold Wastes would send a participant, or would they scorn what they viewed as a lesser tournament? If this risk was being taken, he thought it was best to maximize the soulcrafting strength there to hopefully prevent an attack in the first place.

Once this was done, he thought he was free from tournament logistics for a while, thanks to the deadgold. House Blacksilver was extremely happy with him, because on their behalf he had delivered one of the tournament's top prizes as well as more deadgold to the leaders of the continent. So as soon as he'd fulfilled his obligations to others, he would free up his schedule.

Unfortunately, that wouldn't be free time, and he would struggle even to get in enough soulcrafting. He felt bad about not doing more to help Senka, who was moping around the base, and might not even be able to help her because he desperately needed to go out and seek aeon-class allies. Hopefully he'd be able to get some guidance from Dave there.

Theo paced back across the courtyard and checked the silver plate that would signal a response from Dave. Nothing yet. He stalked back and sat down, forcibly returning to his soulcrafting even though he still needed new materials. All nine chambers were primed and ready, and he'd finalized his supportive work for materials like the mountainheart, so he really needed to find more materials he could begin carving around.

Just as he was about to risk taking a trip to another world, he felt someone flying in from overhead at great speed. Normally the great whirlwind above Norro Yorthin would knock them aside, but they passed through as if they had access. He still turned to look suspiciously, wondering if Tymetron could capture identity slates and try a direct assault while everyone was distracted with the tournament.

Instead, he felt Dhan's power coming directly toward him. Theo frowned as he realized that Dhan was leading others in a strange blue chariot, and stranger than that, the riders were depths Fithans. As if all of that wasn't enough, as the chariot landed, Krikree hopped up onto the side.

"Krikree scout water ants," she announced, rubbing at her antennae. "Not follow plan. Find big problem."