Crimsoncrest: Chapters 30-31

Politics time! One of my big things in progression fantasy (I even wrote an essay about it years ago) is that I think it's most satisfying when advancement doesn't mean fighting enemies with higher levels, but seeing the characters shift their fundamental position in the world. In these chapters, we see that the story has reached the point where our cast can begin negotiating with the true powers of the Nine Worlds.

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Chapter 30

They assembled the others, including Krikree to guard Tythes in a separate room, but as far as Nauda was concerned, they were just buying time. It wasn't likely they'd get so lucky that Theo would return in the next few hours, so they were going to need to make those decisions on their own. She felt capable of making them... but Theo would be unhappy about missing the meeting.

"Can we reschedule?" Fiyu asked, roughly the same question she had asked twice before.

"We only have a narrow window," Nauda had to explain. "Tythes doesn't actually know these groups, he just sends a message and hopes they respond with a location. Based on how much they seem to hate him, we're lucky they even agreed to meet."

"I heard that!" Tythes yelled from the other room.

"And is it inaccurate?"

"It's completely true, I just wanted you to know!"

After frowning briefly, Fiyu wrapped her bubble of stealth around both of them and moved closer. "I do not mean to be dismissive of us, Nauda," she said, "but I would be more comfortable if Theo were here as well. He is the one who wanted to meet with the Orphic Cabal so badly."

"I agree, but our objectives are the same either way." Nauda closed her eyes and thought back to what he'd said after first meeting the emperor named Dave. "The Orphic Cabal studies matters of the past, which puts them in conflict with Vistgil. In theory that means we should have common cause."

"But I do not believe it would be wise to start with statements like that."

"No, you're probably right." Now that Nauda thought about it, she wondered if Theo wouldn't have wanted to send them anyway due to his paranoia. When it came to these mysterious aeon-class organizations, maybe he wasn't actually paranoid at all. "Let's focus on the easy part: they probably want the Asplundatcrest."

"Are we sure of that?"

"No, we just heard that they were among the organizations watching. But I don't trust anything I've heard about the Eternal Spectrum, so the Cabal is our only option."

Before they could speak further, Guchiro stepped into their bubble, or rather a bubble of his own merged and the area increased. He only seemed to have heard the last words they said... but that was apparently enough. Guchiro folded his arms and looked between them darkly.

"You've decided that you're going to meet with them?"

"Do you know something we don't?" Nauda asked.

"I have not had any dealings directly with the Orphic Cabal," Guchiro said. "They do not seem... as corrupt as the other ancient organizations. But nothing that has existed for so long does so without cost, which is why I and my allies have avoided them."

Fiyu turned to him, eyes widening. "You won't join us?"

"I intend to observe from stealth, in case the meeting is compromised or you require assistance."

"As much as I like the idea of backup," Nauda said, "I think we need you to take point. These people are aeon-class, so Authorities are probably basically meaningless to them. A Dominion might at least get their respect."

"Better not to get involved with their games. As soon as I do so, I may begin a countdown." Guchiro began to turn away, but Fiyu moved to catch his sleeve.

"Please," she said, "everything could depend on this. There are already so many powerful enemies involved, we need allies as well."

The older Ichili stared at her for a long moment, eyes revealing nothing above his mask, then sighed loudly enough to be audible even through the metal. "For you, Fiyu. But I would like you to remain prepared with a weirkey, in case the event is compromised."

"Yes, of course!"

"Do not attempt to fight, not even to defend. Only the barriers between worlds will defend us if this truly becomes a conflict."

Nauda was betting that it wouldn't. Surely, out of all the selfish or malicious organizations across the Nine Worlds, there had to be at least one that was open to reason. She had reluctantly accepted that the Asplundat Movement needed to surrender its great project, so she needed to find them a buyer who wouldn't take advantage of them.

As they waited the final hours, Nauda prepared herself. She soulcrafted a little on her Authority floor, but that was more to reorder her mind than for any power it might grant her. Most likely only their words would matter in this meeting.

It occurred to her that, even if Tythes was weakened now, he could be a serious threat here. But he was their only connection, and he had been quietly cooperative since they'd left Siata, so she had no choice but to rely on him.

Eventually four of them departed: Nauda, Guchiro, and Tythes, with Fiyu trailing in stealth. They had discussed multiple configurations and potential strategies, but in the end only a simple approach made any sense. Getting Homez and the Asplundat Movement involved would only make this seem entangling, and they wanted to come off like an independent organization that could be trusted.

Guchiro led them this time, weirkeying the group to the location Tythes had been given. It seemed to be an ordinary Fithan wasteland, the exact location unclear-

Nauda stopped thinking about any of that as she realized there was an enormously powerful entity behind them. She caught only a glimpse of a white crystal before a voice spoke in her mind.

"More than agreed. No matter." A second later another weirkey reached for all of them, pulling the group to a new location. Only Guchiro even had a chance of reacting in time, but his gaze flickered to the others and he held back.

After they twisted between worlds, they found themselves standing atop what appeared to be a cube of solid white marble. Nauda had never seen anything like it, but the blazing sun overhead let her know they had gone to Arbai. The Orphic Cabal had supposedly started there, so hopefully that meant their meeting had been accepted. She had no way of knowing if Fiyu had come along with them and resisted the urge to look for her and break her cover.

Instead she took the moment to observe the world around them, apparently an endless desert filled with cubes, each one a hundred paces to a side. There wasn't time to examine the others, because her attention was immediately drawn to the group standing not far away, apparently waiting for them.

"Welcome," a deep voice said. "We did not expect this proposal, but we are always willing to negotiate."

"You represent the Orphic Cabal?" Guchiro asked flatly, staring across at them.

As little as she liked that approach, Nauda had to leave it to him. Meanwhile she made sure to look over the group of Arbaians carefully, analyzing them as best she could. Only the leader was a familiar Mundhin, with a body of red sandstone and numerous quill-like limbs. Beyond that she saw a serpentine being coiled around a crystalline staff, a floating boulder, and the ominous crystal being that had transported them.

She almost chuckled at herself as she realized that she now thought that Mundhin, who had been so strange to her once, were normal people. The Eubhan were vaguely familiar as well, similar to other Arbaians even if they looked like snakes. She wasn't familiar with the boulder-like species, but they had met one on Deuxan - he'd even had a former connection to the Orphic Cabal.

The last in the group, though... it appeared to have a body composed entirely of spiky crystals, not quite as tall as the average humanoid. Within the crystals shifted glowing lights that seemed to form eyes, yet they were inhuman vertical eyes that revealed absolutely nothing. Even Navim, who had gemstones instead of a face, revealed so much of his emotions via the movement of his body. But this crystal Arbaian didn't seem to have any moving parts, and though it might have emotions beneath the surface... those ghostly eyes stared at her as if they didn't understand the concept.

All their appearances aside, Nauda was absolutely certain this group was powerful. They felt like Strongholds or Dominions... except she was certain that they were using shielding walls. These were some of the most powerful soulcrafters in all the Nine Worlds, meeting with them under uncertain premises.

"We are indeed the Orphic Cabal," the lead Mundhin responded eventually. "We do not, however, generally meet with organizations like yours. Just how did one of you obtain this information?"

"Oh, that was me," Tythes said. "I may have stolen it."

Nauda winced and wanted to pummel him for not revealing that earlier. If the Arbaians took offense at that, they were going to have a problem.

"That is an unusual feat," the Eubhan said, as if this was a mildly interesting revelation. "It would not normally be possible, unless security was lax."

"Or I could just be that good," Tythes said.

"Don't push your luck." The Mundhin moved its quilled limbs, seeming almost... amused? Nauda wasn't sure what she knew of Mundhin body language would translate here and so she tried not to make any judgments. At least they weren't flying into a rage or canceling the meeting.

No, the Arbaians were just staring.

"We won't waste your time," Guchiro said. "You are interested in the sublime material that the Asplundat Movement is developing, correct?"

"While projections suggest it will be puissant," the hovering boulder said, "there are too many eyes on it at present. We prefer to conduct our own affairs free of these politics."

"What would it take to persuade you to become involved?"

"The sublime material is less relevant than those who seek it. It is not in our best interest to engage in open warfare with such entities."

Guchiro shifted his weight, clearly unwilling to give. Nauda had been silent up to this point, trusting in his strength to start the conversation, but she thought he was wrong here. She didn't want to generalize all Arbaians, but so far they seemed open to reason. Given her side's weaker position, they needed to give more if they wanted to get anything back.

"We know we can't fully repay you," she said as she stepped forward, "but I think I can still convince you that you should help us. The Salebrante is actively working to steal the material, and we received word that Plutalgion himself may come to take it for Tymetron. All of you are aeon-class soulcrafters, but can you afford to allow aeon-class opponents to gain the edge?"

"Entirely fallacious," the Eubhan said, coiling lower around its staff. "One sublime material does not upend the balance of the Nine Worlds. Do not be solipsistic: this war is everything to you, but it is only one of a great many conflicts at the current time."

His response came rapidly and dismissively, yet Nauda didn't think she'd made a mistake. The others seemed to have listened to her, and the Mundhin might have even been impressed when she threw around the names of aeon-class organizations. Guchiro had gone still, so it was still her place to ruin or save them.

"I'm not saying this is a critical battle for you," Nauda told them, "I'm saying it's an opportunity. You must know that your rivals are all working through agents as well. Let us make a deal with the Asplundat Movement and you can acquire the sublime material without great cost to yourself. In return, all you need to pay are materials that will be used in battles against the subordinates of your opponents."

"Easy to propose, difficult to accomplish." The Mundhin spoke the words as if they were a quotation and the Eubhan nodded. "If you presented us this crest, we would give fair compensation, yes. We are particularly interested in the slow processes that led to its creation, and would compensate for those as well. But given the forces involved, it seems unlikely that you can deliver on what you promise."

"But could we set up a method to make it possible? Say, for example, that we fully infuse the material... is there a location we could transport it by weirkey?"

"We could provide such, yes."

The boulder spoke up before she could respond. "Such plans neglect the reality of brute force: Plutalgion's greed knows no bounds, and he may attempt to seize it himself. Even if they prevailed in the lesser battle, they are unlikely to transport the material successfully."

"You speak truly." Nauda bowed in his direction. "If you would be willing to provide some security for the sublime material while we deliver it, that would greatly increase the chances that you get what you want."

At that the Mundhin - and, unexpectedly, the boulder - both chuckled. As usual, the crystalline Arbaian gave absolutely no response, its eyes flickering around instead of focusing on her. But the Eubhan flicked its tongue and flared a stone hood.

"And so the true intent is revealed," the Eubhan said. "You pretend to purchase materials, but in fact purchase warriors for your battle. We will not be taken in by such facile tricks."

He seemed entirely hostile and Nauda hesitated, unsure of what approach to take. Guessing at Arbaian psychology had worked for her so far, but she was still talking to four people she didn't know, with motives she only guessed at. It would be so easy to misstep now...

"Do you mean to say," Guchiro said as he stepped up beside her, "that you expected low tier soulcrafters to take on aeon-class organizations, steal an exceptional sublime material, and deliver it to you? The probability of that seems slow, but if that is your expectation, I hope your suggested price is appropriate."

For the first time the Arbaians weren't unified, several speaking at once. They stopped at the same time, something unsaid seemed to pass between them, and then the Mundhin waved a limb before he spoke.

"We judged the matter was not worth the risk, but perhaps we can come to a compromise. We will not go to war against Plutalgion or the Salebrante, not for ten times as many sublime materials. It is not a matter of strength, simply principle: we are not mercenaries. However, if you can truly provide the opportunity, perhaps we can make a concession to assist."

"Is this sanctioned by the Asplundat Movement?" the boulder asked. "The material itself has less utility in the long term than the process that created it."

Nauda hastened to tell them that they could make those arrangements, not quite believing that this could be working. They settled into a negotiation and there was no more time to think about anything else.

~ ~ ~

The moment of the second transfer had been terrifying, but Fiyu had managed to restrain her instincts and remain still. Because weirkey travel took everyone in a specific area, in the center of the group she had been transported along with the others. Now she was much happier to be able to watch from stealth instead of having all these fearsome Arbaians staring at her.

As far as she could tell, the negotiations were proceeding well. Relative Guchiro and Friend Nauda balanced one another, which pleased Fiyu greatly. The Orphic Cabal might have the upper hand, but her side did have leverage due to the Asplundatcrest.

Most of the Arbaians had settled in for discussion, but the ghastly eyes within the crystal continued to flicker everywhere and Fiyu shifted uncomfortably when they passed over her.

Currently they were discussing the exact repayment under various circumstances, including different infusions for the crest. In a sense, this should have been relaxing, because it expanded the success state: even if House Crimson or someone else managed to infuse the crest, her side could still recover and deliver it to the Orphic Cabal. But that only made her fear that Friend Theo had been correct about the period of infusion being a brutal conflict.

Fiyu shuffled around to the other side of her companions, checking that Prisoner Tythes was not attempting anything. He occasionally made faces at one of the Arbaians, which seemed horribly unprofessional, but otherwise he appeared to be behaving.

Truthfully, her presence was no longer truly necessary, there was simply no good way of appearing during such negotiations. So Fiyu continued to hover nearby, listening and trusting that her companions could settle on good terms. Unfortunately, it seemed like it would still be largely their obligation to handle matters and the Orphic Cabal would step in only to take the dangerous material off their hands.

That part did concern her at times... the Asplundat Movement had not agreed to such a thing, so in a sense her companions were negotiating in bad faith. In theory, the final crest would be so powerful that it would be clear to everyone that it could not be used by Dominions, so hopefully they would be happy to have allies who could support them. It was still uncomfortably close to deception for Fiyu's taste, and if anything went wrong...

The crystalline Arbaian continued to look around the cube's surface in an apparently random pattern, which unnerved Fiyu. It was difficult to tell which direction the eyes were looking, but she could feel its attention sweeping the area. At least she was secure within-

All at once, the host of eyes swarmed together, fixating on her.

Fiyu's breath caught in her throat and she froze, as if hoping that it was a mistake. Her stealth technique was highly refined, fused with her body and soul, and it had been sufficient to escape the notice of even far superior soulcrafters. And yet now she knew that this being was looking at her.

Lights swarmed briefly and then eyes appeared within her sphere of stealth, looming in an arc above her, staring down with attention so intense it rooted her to the spot.

"There is the mass unaccounted for." The words rang in her mind like a gong. "A spy."

"I am not here as a spy!" Fiyu protested. "I am only looking out for my companions."

"Not credible. If it came to battle, your contribution would be negligible."

"You think we want to attack you? We were afraid you would attack us! Retreating via an unexpected weirkey was the only option we thought had a chance."

The eyes continued burning down at her for a time, then floated closer together in a cluster. For a time the Arbaian said nothing and Fiyu wondered if it would just stare at her for the entire rest of the negotiation. That was better than an outright attack... but not much. Fiyu did her best to gather herself and stare back, even though there was nothing to focus on with such floating eyes.

At first the presence had been so overwhelming she hadn't sensed anything, but now Fiyu did her best to analyze properly. The eyes seemed to have no density at all, not even that of a gas. They must be a purely spiritual essence, then, though she didn't think it was cantae. There were still eyes within the crystal as well, yet they were linked... was the spirit the true Arbaian, and the crystal only a vessel?

"Your chance of success is extremely low," the eyes said abruptly. "Your opponents outclass you, and due to the disparity, recruiting other aeon-class forces to match them is improbable."

"That is true," Fiyu said. She considered saying more and instead closed her mouth again.

"It is comprehensible why local Fithans might fight, but that is not your home and you are cognizant of the odds. Perhaps not fully aware, but you have at least a semblance of an idea. Why then do you persist?"

Fiyu glanced toward the others, still talking, and shifted her weight. She would have preferred someone else handle this discussion, but there was only her. "These are my allies," she said eventually. "Why would I abandon them?"

"Self-preservation. The Authority tier is the first inflection point for freedom, and you are an above-average, if young, Authority. You could easily find safety, growth, or other requirements elsewhere in the Nine Worlds."

"There is only one House Blacksilver." Fiyu took a deep breath and faced down the eyes. "I don't know if you understand that, but these companions are uniquely important to me. It would be... irrational to leave them."

After burning at her for several painful seconds, the eyes suddenly vanished. Fiyu detected a subtle swarm of light within the crystal as the essence returned, then the Arbaian's presence was gone as if it had never been. She found herself shivering slightly even though the other soulcrafter hadn't once generated cantae or directly threatened her.

The conversation had felt simultaneously brief and much too long. When Fiyu attempted to reorient herself, she realized that the primary negotiation was already ending, so she scrambled to join the others, trying to pick up what had happened from context. She didn't gain a full understanding before the Mundhin took them back to Fithe via weirkey.

Clearly the Orphic Cabal did not struggle with limitations that required trading weirkeys among themselves.

"Many of us thought any involvement was guaranteed to end poorly," the Mundhin said on the other side. "Perhaps we were mistaken. If you can accomplish this, despite the odds, none of you will regret having reached out to us."

Then he was gone, precisely vanishing from amongst them. Fiyu let out a sigh of relief and collapsed her stealth technique. She must have looked very tired, because Friend Nauda immediately shifted beside her, partially reaching out to support her back and then hesitating.

"Are you alright, Fiyu?"

"It was merely very tiring." Fiyu shifted into the other woman's arm and let herself relax slightly. "Do we have a deal with the Orphic Cabal?"

"They think we'll fail," Relative Guchiro said. "However, I trust in their intent somewhat more than I did before, so perhaps it could work. I must discuss this with Citizen Dominion so that, if we do succeed, we will not have betrayed our allies."

He vanished as well, leaving them on their own again. Just Authorities, which once had meant the heights of power but now felt very small. Fiyu leaned against Friend Nauda and anticipated sleep.

-

Chapter 31

When Theo got back to Outpost #127, he was in the mood to sit down and do nothing but soulcraft. Even though the vault had contained multiple valuable materials, Senka had been moody and drained all the fun out of the trip back. He was intrigued by this softer side of her, but he wanted her to recover to her usual irreverent self because he didn't know how to support this Senka.

As soon as he returned, he was accosted from all sides. Fithe had been busy in his absence.

"Sorry, we kind of met with the Orphic Cabal," Nauda told him.

"Guchiro very much wants to speak to you," Fiyu added.

"Theo-sister make bricks?" Krikree asked eagerly.

Homez shrugged uncomfortably. "Sorry to hit you with everything at once, but..."

"I am also here!" Tythes declared.

Theo tried to listen to everyone and managed to catch up on everything, though the conversation was truly fractured because there were so many different priorities. He wasn't sure whether he was angry he missed the Orphic Cabal or glad he didn't have to deal with them yet. In any case, despite the chaos, it seemed clear enough to him what they needed to do.

"Sorry I was gone so long, but I have some good materials to make up for it." Theo gestured for them to sit down so they could discuss everything. "Sounds like you did good work."

"Thank you!" Tythes said.

"I think Fiyu has the most obvious path: keep soulcrafting. I actually found this for you: it's a sublime liquid called blackmercury, apparently it serves as a housing for eternal materials. With that, I think all you have to do is get your Immortality Conduit in order and you can become a Stronghold."

Fiyu bobbed her head and eagerly took the material. "I must return to my training, but I will try to do so."

"Krikree, I want to soulcraft bricks too, but we need to make a few arrangements first."

[Bricks,] Krikree emitted to herself, antennae waving impatiently.

The two of them moved away, clearly eager to begin work. That left him with Nauda, Tythes, and Homez. Tythes looked as unhelpful as usual while Homez was waiting patiently, but it was Nauda who caught his attention. Despite what she had just accomplished, she looked a bit deflated, as if she expected to be left behind.

"Nauda, I think you're going to be in an unexpectedly critical position," he said.

"How so?" She narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but her back straightened.

"It seems to me there are two stages of victory: infusing the crest and actually taking it. There's going to be a window where every force will be attempting an infusion, not so different from the previous battle. While some of us fight, we're going to need someone to defend the crest... and infuse it if necessary."

"There's already a system for that," Homez objected. "Pure cantae generated by Asplundat loyalists will be poured directly into the stone. This has been planned for generations."

"And if all goes according to plan, that's great. We should assume that things won't go according to plan." Theo gave Homez a second glance as he considered. "Do you know the process being used to infuse the crest?"

"Well, the basics. It's built into the mountain itself."

"I assume that can't be the only method."

Homez winced. "Presumably, given how many think they can steal it, but I don't know."

"I do!" Tythes leaned in again, trying to put his shackled hands on his hips. "As it so happens, while investigating House Crimson, I uncovered a potential method. It isn't so hard, if you have enough cantae. Really, it's a shocking security lapse."

"How can we prevent it, when the whole purpose of the crest is to be infused with power?"

Theo pointed at both of them to forestall any arguing. "Both of you figure out the details and train Nauda in the exact methods. We need to have a backup plan."

Tythes saluted so hard he smacked his forehead while Homez frowned. Maybe they would need to discuss that further, to make sure he was committed, but right now Theo was being torn between too many different priorities. He started to walk away but gestured subtly at Nauda, so she followed him as he left the room.

"Double check anything Tythes tells you," he suggested, and hastened when she rolled her eyes. "I know, that's obvious. But part of the problem is that the Asplundat Movement doesn't know what they have, so there may be other gaps in understanding. We need to make sure we can infuse the crest ourselves if necessary."

"It sounds like we'll have the opposite problem," Nauda said. "The crest is supposed to absorb cantae so easily that a battle risks polluting it and resulting in a muddled essence."

"Or so everyone predicts. That's why we need to be especially cautious..."

He explained all his thoughts to her and by the time he was done, Nauda seemed encouraged. Of course Theo hoped to stand in the way himself and see the crest infused, but he had a feeling that circumstances wouldn't allow it. During the last battle, House Crimson had sent Roker in under the barrier using their Ichili artifact, and if they repeated the trick, he'd feel better knowing Nauda was ready in position.

Now that everything was in motion again, Theo needed to arrange some meetings of his own. After sending a message to the House of Coin, he found a private place and removed a thin silver tablet from his soulhome. Dave hadn't given him very many of these, so he needed to use them cautiously, but Theo thought this was the time.

When he broke the tablet, a window popped up in the air. Unlike most soulcrafting techniques, which mimicked some element of nature, this looked artificial, as if it was a screen from a computer. Just how had Dave built an armament that could do such a thing?

The screen appeared to be looking up at a vaulted silver ceiling, but Theo heard an "Eh?" and then Dave peered over. A moment later he smiled and the screen wildly reoriented itself, as if he had picked it up.

"What's up?" Dave asked. "Problems already?"

"A bit more than that." Theo ran over the situation as he saw it, with special attention to the aeon-class organizations involved. As he'd expected, Dave was enthusiastic about contacting the Orphic Cabal, but in the end wouldn't offer any direct help.

"It's just a not a good idea for me to get involved," the emperor said. "Especially if the Cabal is watching - they might trust you less if they see me."

"You sure this isn't just because you don't want to fight?"

"Hey, I'm fighting in my own way! I can promise you this: we'll keep the Salebrante pinned down. They won't be able to send an aeon-class assassin, much less attack in force, not while we're putting so much pressure on them. They might show up to threaten, but if you can stop their Fithan agents, it will be basically a bluff. You can handle that, right?"

"Hopefully." Theo wished he could say more than that, but there were too many variables.

"If you actually pull this off, you'll have really improved things on Fithe." Dave grinned and fiddled with something on the side of the screen. "Yeah, this could be good. Listen, if you do start a long term war with Tymetron, I'll be able to do more for you. But until then, focus on that sublime crest thing."

Theo nodded and the call ended not long after. He realized that it was unpleasant to think of it as a "call", as if he was already slipping back into old Earth patterns. Still, he thought it had been necessary, so he shook it off and went to take care of the rest.

Technically he had touched base with everyone, so the next work was all on him. Still, as he looked over their chambers in Outpost #127, Theo found himself drifting back down instead of leaving. He passed the others until he found Senka, lying like a rag doll across an Asplundat chair.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Don't pity me," she muttered, face directly into the wood. "I'm not going to be wrecked over a cat."

"I thought maybe I could tell everyone else so they'd be sensitive to your-"

Instantly Senka popped up, grabbing the front of his shirt. "Don't you dare. I'll take care of myself, alright?"

"Alright, just don't scratch me." Theo raised his hands as if she was threatening him. "I need you to help Fiyu. She's just a small breakthrough away from Stronghold."

"Yeah, fine." Senka let go of his shirt and her arm fell, but she managed a smile almost like before. "Teacher Senka, at your service."

With that settled, Theo was eager to get back to his soulcrafting, since it seemed inevitable that they would have to fight before the end. He barely got half a day before Kathina responded, saying that not only did the House of Coin have a contact with the Eternal Spectrum, it would happen soon. So he had to leave all the others, yet again, and venture to the meeting point.

When he arrived at the House of Coin's Asplundat office, everything seemed to be normal except that the staff were all on alert and Kathina was seated on the roof. Theo floated down beside her and she pulled a chair out of her soulhome, then gestured to it.

"Glad you're here on time," she said. "They get angry if you're even a little late."

"I actually meant to get here earlier." Theo glanced skyward, anticipating an arrival from the heavens. "You expect them any time, then?"

"No, the reverse doesn't apply. Sometimes they're on time, but they're usually late, and obviously you shouldn't mention that. Sit down and get comfortable."

Theo took the chair beside her and leaned back for a while, but it didn't seem like the Eternal Spectrum was going to arrive any time soon. "If we're waiting," he said, "then did you find what I asked for?"

"You have a few options." Kathina glanced skyward briefly, then reached into her soulhome. "As always, it's difficult to find materials for you, so if you don't like any of this, we could also pay you three Fithan weirkeys. Soulcrafters as strong as you shouldn't be shuttled around like this."

The offer made Theo reconsider, because finally having a full set would be incredibly useful: they could meet back up in Norro Yorthin if separated, or instantly deploy anywhere on Fithe. But given their current challenges, he judged that power was more important, so he focused on the sublime materials instead.

As usual, there were a number that applied force or carried weight, which were only serviceable at best. Only one was truly powerful, a dark gray sphere that didn't have any particular gravity affinity. Theo assumed it was there for a reason, so he reached out to experiment with it, and in that moment his brain lurched strangely.

When his hand drew close to the sphere, it slowed down. There wasn't any force resisting him, and he would have sworn his arm was still moving at the same speed. It felt more like... was time moving at a different speed near the sphere? Not only that, it kept slowing down the closer he went, resulting in a feeling of pressure within his arm despite no resistance.

"What is this?" Theo asked breathlessly.

"The Arbaians called it a temporalstone," Kathina told him. "Powerful, but we've found it almost impossible to work with. Does it actually match your blueprint?"

"It might." Even as Theo tried to reach out to take it, he knew his decision was made. Very few sublime materials he'd ever seen had any connection to the time dilation aspect of gravity. Based on real physics, he didn't think he had enough "mass" to distort spacetime via general relativity, but creating the same effect via a sublime material fit perfectly.

Actually getting the temporalstone into his soulhome was going to be a problem, though, because the slowing effect grew more intense the closer he got. Theo considered just waiting it out, but there was an important meeting impending, so he needed to be more creative. Absorbing a sublime material required some sort of physical interaction, even if it was usually simple.

Cupping his hands around it only slowed them down, so he couldn't crush or squeeze the temporalstone into his soulhome. Instead... Theo bent down and closed his mouth around the sphere. He wasn't able to bring his teeth down on it, instead slowing, but maybe... taking the risk of choking, Theo threw his whole will into swallowing it.

Just as the sphere reached the back of his throat, it slipped into his soulhome. There it hovered, slowing the air around it, but now it was connected to his soul. Theo smiled and started to experiment with it, only to be interrupted almost immediately.

"Step forth at once!" A voice rang from the heavens, but the guards didn't flinch, so it must have been broadcast only to Theo and Kathina.

"There," Kathina said, nodding toward a beam of light that appeared ahead of them. They stepped together into the invitation from the heavens.

Instantly Theo found himself floating above the clouds with the air thin around him. His mind spun from the disorientation: not weirkey travel, some sort of teleportation effect. The clouds below him were Fithan, but he didn't look at them for long.

Instead he stared at the massive ship that dominated the skies ahead. It was built like a galleon, except the bottom spiraled into horns and the sails were made from rainbow light. The pressure emanating from it made it clear that these weren't second stage materials, but third: the physical equivalent of aeon-class. In theory Strongholds could hurl attacks at it for days and not make a dent.

He was curious what would happen with his singularity, but making trouble with the Eternal Spectrum would be suicide.

They made no question of that: there were several guards along the sides in identical red-lacquered armor and they were all Dominion-tier soulcrafters. Despite everything, Theo was a little intimidated. He wanted to get a better look at their soulhomes to reassure himself, but the same voice boomed out again.

"This way, don't waste my time."

The voice came from the back deck of the ship: instead of a quarterdeck, there was a massive staircase leading up to a throne. Powerful cantae reached out toward them, pulling them to the foot of the staircase, and Theo didn't resist. When he and Kathina landed, she bowed on one knee and he copied her.

"I am Eminu Sunborn, Last of Her Name," the woman on the throne said. "And you still do not have my sublime material."

Eminu appeared to be a Tatian woman with hair from the upper side. She was wearing a Slescan silk robe and sat on a throne of Noveni gold, a crown of Deuxan silver on her head and crystals floating around her that must be from Siata. It was clearly intended to impress, but Theo mostly wondered why she didn't get all Nine into her display. Maybe the slippers used Arbaian diamonds?

"The time draws close," Kathina said respectfully as she rose. "We hope to deliver the crest, but I fear there are odds standing in our way."

"There are always petty local troubles." Eminu waved the idea of them aside with one hand. "Why waste our time with them?"

"This is Framkis." Kathina gestured to him and so Theo rose as well. "He is another agent we have employed to secure the sublime material."

"I wanted to know how much you would pay if the crest was infused with an outsider's cantae," Theo asked. They had arranged that beforehand as a pretext.

"Oh?" Eminu peered down as if noticing that he was an outsider was beneath her until that moment. "What we want most of all is a neutral crest, but this is only an amusement to us in the end. We would pay... perhaps four times the Asplundat value for such a curiosity."

So Theo's cantae was worth more than the House of Coin's... not that it really mattered, because Theo was already fairly certain he knew what decision he'd be making. Just like Dave had said, the Eternal Spectrum represented the decadent and powerful. Even if Vistgil didn't have control of them, working with them would never end up in Theo's favor.

"We have already fought off Tymetron once," Kathina said, "keeping your material secure. But they might attack again, and might even send a soulcrafter beyond Dominion. If you were to provide us with any additional security, we could ensure delivering of a higher quality material."

"Oh, please, if we wanted to expend our resources on this, we would just take it. Why get involved in such petty affairs?"

Theo lowered his head in false contrition. "To you it may be a trivial thing to fight Plutalgion, but we fear him. We could use the support."

While his head was lowered he watched Eminu's reaction... and he saw the shadow of a flinch in her eyes.

"If you can't handle this yourself," she said scornfully, "then why should we pay you anything for your work? You know there are millions who would pay great sums just for the opportunity to speak with the Eternal Spectrum."

Kathina tried to argue for an advance payment in sublime materials to strengthen their defenders, to no real success. Theo didn't add anything to the negotiation, because he was already sure of his conclusion: they were afraid of Plutalgion. Maybe they could fight him with their full power, but he was an aeon-class enemy who could actually harm them. For all that they acted like they were beyond the Nine Worlds, the Eternal Spectrum represented immortals who were afraid of losing everything they hoarded.

There would be no real support from them; the best he could do was manipulate or trade. If it came down to it, Theo was certain that the Eternal Spectrum would refuse to risk themselves facing Vistgil, and that made them ultimately useless. More powerful than him for now, yes, but useless.

"It is wearisome to be beset by such details." Eminu sniffed and turned away, dismissing the conversation. "Our other Fithan partners are not so... needy. If either of you are able to deliver the material as we requested, we will pay you handsomely. Otherwise, do not contact us."

When she waved her hand again, two pieces of gold spun down toward them. They moved with such speed that Kathina stumbled back two steps, while Theo managed to catch his and negate its mass. It seemed to be a coin, emblazoned with an arch pattern he assumed was the Eternal Spectrum's symbol. Useful, even if he didn't intend to employ it here.

Soon after that, light took hold again and deposited them back on Fithe. Near the city but not atop the House of Coin's headquarters - he didn't know if that was sloppiness or apathy. In any case, Kathina sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"It's always like that with them," she said as she tucked away her coin.

"So you assume they can't hear us now?" he asked.

"If they can, they'd never admit to listening to vermin like us. But you see the wealth, right? Even though they aren't treating us as an equal partner, if they pay us sublime materials, it could transform the House of Coin's chances."

"I wouldn't count on it."

"You think they'd cheat us?" Kathina's eyes narrowed and he saw a hint of her fangs. "I've heard they're too proud for trickery, so they always honor deals."

"That's assuming the House of Coin can actually deliver the crest." Theo turned toward Kathina and held her gaze. "I wouldn't assume that. You saw how she basically suggested I could sell it independently from you, and we won't be the only ones they approach. Despite their pretenses, they want this, and they're willing to stack the deck for it."

"And would you sell it yourself, if you gained control of the crest?"

He already had his answer, yet Theo still hesitated. The easiest thing to do, in some senses the smartest thing, would be to pretend to keep working with Kathina. It wouldn't be too hard to manipulate the House of Coin into providing support, then still make an arrangement with the Orphic Cabal. But if he did that...

"I don't know what will happen," Theo said, "but I wouldn't count on the House of Coin being able to make the sale."

Kathina started to ask a question, then her eyes narrowed. After a long moment, she nodded to him and said nothing else.

As they flew in separate directions, Theo put the meeting behind him almost immediately. Now that they understood the playing field, the path ahead was much clearer. Now there was nothing to do but make sure he could actually survive long enough to make the deal.