Crimsoncrest: Chapters 26-27

I was worried I'd foreshadowed the direction of this book too strongly, but I've seen a lot of discussion expecting very different directions. As I've said in past books, one of my goals with the series is to make the progression feel like more than the same thing with higher numbers/ranks. As the characters reach their current level, their relationship with the organizations of the world will continue shifting.

-

Chapter 26

For once, Theo was tired of soulcrafting bricks. He had enough for about one chamber on his Stronghold floor, which he hadn't begun putting together. If he wanted to make a real difference, he needed to take a different approach, and for once that meant something other than soulcrafting.

He'd already made overtures to the House of Coin again, and now that he was a celebrity Stronghold, he was getting responses. Currently all he was waiting on was borrowing another Fithan weirkey from House Blacksilver - they really needed to get another one now that they had so many Authorities. While he waited for one of the Blacksilver representatives, of course he continued soulcrafting, but his heart wasn't in it anymore and so he stuck to bricks.

Now that he had so many perfect bricks prepared, he needed to commit to the major decision of where to start his next floor. And even though that should have been the easy part, he found himself with decision paralysis. Figuring out an optimal blueprint was easy... taking steps toward that blueprint while facing real threats was rather more difficult.

If he put together a chamber for the mountainheart, he could instantly be physically tougher, but would that matter when he already had a decent edge against other Strongholds? He could try to balance by building out an Ethereal Room, but what material could he use? And would any of this be an effective advantage when fighting someone like Jazin?

By the time the Blacksilver representatives arrived, Theo had a pile of bricks and no answers.

Theo accepted the weirkey and left the representatives to hold down the camp while he leapt across the Asplundat Movement's territory. He knew exactly where he was going and no one was likely to interfere with him, so he reached the House of Coin headquarters almost immediately. This time when he descended toward the roof, the guards didn't try to get in his way.

He remembered the route to Kathina's office, but she actually met him midway. When they locked eyes they stared at one another, now both Strongholds. For just a moment Theo almost expected her to summon her swords, then she threw up her hands and sighed.

"Last time you said it was unfair," she told him with a wry smirk, "and now it's my turn. I thought I was good, as far as Strongholds go, and then you do all this right after you ascend."

"On the other hand, you control a major part of the House of Coin." Theo gestured at the building around them and shrugged. "I still have to ask House Blacksilver to please loan me another weirkey."

"If you have strength like that, it starts not to matter in the end. You realize that you could go almost anywhere in Norron and found your own House? All you'd have to do is make the announcement and you'd have supporters, administrators, probably marriage proposals."

"Unfortunately, I'm not trying to found a House, I'm trying to fight an empire."

Kathina's smirk turned into a wince and she gestured for him to join her in the office. This time she didn't sit behind the big desk, she just dropped into one of the chairs set to the side. Theo took another one and found that, as expected, they were far more comfortable than they looked.

"Last time I wasn't as forthright with you as I could have been," Kathina admitted. "I hope that you're not going to retaliate for that now."

"Please, Kathina, I'm not so petty. I understand you're a woman of business and you have to act based on what you think people are worth." Theo folded his hands in his lap and stared at her. "I do expect that you've recalculated, however."

"To put it mildly. I'm willing to do a full exchange of information, if it helps us get to the bottom of this mess."

"That depends on what you already know, because I know more than you might think. How is the House of Coin approaching the Tymetron problem?"

"It's an apocalyptic scenario, of course." Kathina leaned back and rubbed her eyes. "We're a power in the Ruling Cities, but empires like Tymetron could just seize everything we have. Bad for anyone, I know, but especially painful for us. We've been selling materials to the Movement at cost to try to prepare them if the invasion does happen."

"You think that's likely soon?" Theo asked. He had considered playing his cards close to the chest, but Kathina looked so tired, he decided that a more personable approach might be better. "I think there are factors limiting their ability to send their full army here, and I can share the details if it helps."

"We know about the Gold Wastes, if that's what you mean. Also, your Ichili friend might have scared them off a bit... their confidence was based on being able to send a single Dominion and be virtually unchallenged. They need a stronger incentive to invest in another attack."

"But you think they will?"

"Against all logic, yes." Kathina picked up several sheets of paper from her desk and began evening them against her leg. "We've done some spying and Tymetron is formidable, but it doesn't make sense for them to attack us. They burn too much economically on a war, and because Norron has weaker sublime resources, there doesn't seem to be a way for them to get a meaningful return."

"You don't think it could be a matter of honor?" Theo asked. "That was the official justification, wasn't it?"

"That sounds like a pretext to me. The problem is that I don't know why they'd go to the trouble."

Theo stayed silent on that, in part because he wasn't sure of the truth and in part because it wouldn't do her any good. He strongly suspected that Vistgil had pushed Tymetron toward war, but he didn't have any proof and didn't want to act like the world revolved around him. It could also be related to whatever was being done with Raythe Darkblade... and none of it really illuminated their situation.

"If we assume they'd need a strong incentive," Theo said, "then the main reason they might attack would be to stop the Asplundatcrest from being created?"

"In one month, yes." Kathina tossed her papers back onto her desk, disordering them again. "We're trying to prepare the Asplundat Movement for that, but frankly our options are limited. Your fight did more to promote unity than we ever could."

"Can the House of Coin contribute any Strongholds to a fight?"

"If Tymetron actually invades, we'll fight. But given current circumstances? It's complicated."

That brought them to the issue she'd been circumspect about before, and this time he hoped to learn everything. Theo knew that the House of Coin was working together with an aeon-class organization, but he wasn't certain which one. If he wanted to have leverage in this negotiation, he needed to bluff.

"So we're back to the aeon-class organizations who want to take the Asplundatcrest." Theo ticked them off on his fingers rapidly, as if the names were trivial. "I know the Salebrante, the Orphic Cabal, the Mercury Court, and the Eternal Spectrum are interested. You could throw in Tymetron, if you count Plutalgion being aeon-class. Anyone I'm missing?"

Kathina's eyes widened just slightly before she hardened her expression. "You seem to have a good grasp of the situation. Which of them are you working for?"

"None of the above. I think I have a good idea who's trying to work through the House of Coin, but are you going to make me pay for every little secret?"

"No, we should share more information." Kathina hesitated for a moment, glancing out her window, then continued in a lower voice. "The House of Coin has been contacted by the Eternal Spectrum."

"I thought as much," Theo said, then softened his expression. "I won't pretend to know everything here, so let me tell you honestly that I don't know much about them."

"As far as I can tell, the Eternal Spectrum is like a far larger version of our House, stretching across worlds and centuries." Kathina leaned back against the wall and stared at the ceiling. "To them, an organization like mine is just a freelance contractor. But they pay extraordinarily well, including sublime materials that could strengthen the House of Coin's position. There's a strong internal push to work with them, and if I don't, someone else from our House will."

"And what do you think about their overall motives?"

"Do they matter? Seems like profit and power, the usual. What matters is that they aren't trying to invade, they want to purchase the Asplundatcrest. If I can get the senior council to listen to me, I'm going to advise the Asplundat Movement to sell it to them."

"You think they'd give up such a powerful sublime material?"

"If the Eternal Spectrum is right, it will be so powerful that even Dominions can't use it." Kathina shrugged and looked back to him. "Isn't that a good outcome for everyone? The Movement gets materials they can actually use, we only take a reasonable fee for arranging the deal, and Tymetron has even less reason to invade."

"I won't deny that all sounds reasonable," Theo said, "but remember that you aren't dealing with reasonable people. Tymetron has already tried to destroy the crest once, just so no one can have it. And I have reason to believe the Salebrante intends to steal it."

"I agree that the moment when the crest becomes complete and starts being infused will be critical, but what can we do about that?"

"Will your contacts in the Eternal Spectrum stand up to keep Tymetron from seizing what they want?"

For the first time Kathina hesitated, then eventually she lowered her voice again. "I don't think they will. I think... many of them are afraid of Plutalgion. They act like they're above everyone, but they fear anyone who could actually threaten them. That's why they want to work through us."

"And let us take the brunt of an empire's wrath. Not exemplary behavior."

"This is just one game among many to them, not a matter of life and death. I'll take them over the empires or assassins."

At times like this, Theo wished that Dave would actually throw his weight behind them, but the emperor of the Mercury Court used exactly the same logic. From their conversation, Theo had gotten the impression that the Eternal Spectrum was an amoral organization for the wealthy of the Nine Worlds: they weren't likely to invade, but they could still do horrible things in the name of profit.

Just where did that leave him? Plutalgion and the Salebrante were both vicious forces aligned with Vistgil, so the crest in their hands would be the worst result. The Asplundat Movement didn't know what they had, plus House Crimson was ready to stab them in the back. Compared to all of the rest, a force that was simply greedy didn't seem so bad.

"I'll be honest with you," Theo said, "I don't have a clear solution. It seems like no matter what happens, the aeon-class organizations are going to leave us to fight amongst ourselves, then profit on whatever is left over."

"Unless Plutalgion himself attacks."

"That doesn't seem likely, especially because so many others are watching. I think we just have to watch the crest and keep anyone from stealing it."

"There's... one more thing." Kathina looked down, refusing to meet his gaze. "The Eternal Spectrum will give us a generous sum for the Asplundatcrest, but they had other offers. For example, if we could give them the crest without any infusion, they'd pay ten times as much. They'll pay more like triple... if the House of Coin infuses it ourselves."

Theo immediately sat forward - he had expected some double dealing, but not that. "I hope you're not considering the offer. We already have enough people trying to sabotage the infusion."

"I won't lie, there are some who wanted to take that offer. We could have sold the Movement flawed defenses, for example, and then snatched the completed crest before they infuse it. I still believe we have to treat fairly with the Asplundat Movement, so I've been fighting those factions, but the offer is tempting."

"Don't think of it as charity, think about how unlikely that plan is to succeed. There are too many people involved, and if anything went wrong, the Movement would know. Is triple the profit worth completely burning that relationship?"

"I'm not the one you have to convince." Kathina raised both her hands defensively. "Just telling you the current situation, as the House of Coin sees it. Most would still be happy to defend the Movement, arrange the sale, and come out ahead. There's a lot of value in the Eternal Spectrum seeing us as a reliable partner. But the way things are going, I don't know if it can end that simply."

"Listen." Theo leaned closer and caught her gaze. "I can give you a lot more information about what we're facing, but I want something in exchange. Didn't that work out well for y-"

"Last time, right." Kathina rolled her eyes, but she smirked again. "I'm willing to listen, but just how much are you going to charge us this time? I don't think we can afford to keep raising Blacksilver Authorities up to Stronghold."

"This time I just want rarer materials, for myself and our allies. You'd be buying not just our information, but our cooperation. Together we can make sure this all ends without a war over sublime materials."

To his surprise Kathina didn't hesitate at all, simply thrust out a hand. "That's the best I could hope for. You have a deal."

So Theo accepted her hand and began explaining everything he knew about the powers looming over them.

-

Chapter 27

Even though Nauda spent the majority of her time working in Siata, she still managed to soulcraft on a daily basis. All the spiritual draining from the stones should have left her exhausted, and her limbs definitely felt leaden, yet she entered her soulhome and forced herself to soulcraft.

She had finished polishing up her staff tower and had two out of three rooms filled, lacking only core materials for the last. The bridges between her towers were working well, which left the two rooms above her life and death towers... huge voids that she couldn't fill given her present resources. Both themes were supposed to be united in her middle chamber, with the omphalos, but she decided that the side chambers would stick with the themes.

On the death side she had placed the ghostworm teeth from Fiyu all around the edges, channeling the cantae away from her walls inward to her core. That was a good start that just needed some more materials. Her life side, on the other hand, would be tricky to fill.

Nauda hopped out of her soulhome to investigate her gardens, which were proving fruitful while she focused on everything else. There were more sublime foods, of course, growing well but nothing particularly shocking. The crestflower that Theo had asked her to plant was growing strangely, curling inward compared to the ones she saw with Homez, so she had no idea what to think about that.

After some thought, Nauda brought out the seedling she had purchased in Great Azure and planted it in her central garden. It was a life-focused material, just unfortunately more Ruler-tier than Authority. Though it began to soak up cantae from her soil, she could tell that it wouldn't be enough for it to flower into anything critical.

Maybe it was time for an experiment of her own, opposite all Theo's hammering. Nauda returned to her storage room and pulled out the mulch of dragons, which they'd won back in the Wakespire competition. Now that she had a real garden in her soulhome, maybe she could make use of it.

When Nauda placed the mulch around the seedling, she was surprised at how immediately the two began to resonate. The little seedling, so neutral at the beginning, began to draw in life force. It would take time to grow, of course, but she felt that she had least begun to make some progress. After patting it a few more times, Nauda sat back to consider what she could do next.

Possibly not much. It felt strange to have acquired a critical material for Fiyu and helped Krikree overcome her mental block, only to be stuck herself. She had chosen this, but still...

Before she could wallow too much, she sensed new presences approaching. Fiyu, as expected, but also Theo. That meant things were likely to get much more serious, so Nauda set thoughts of soulcrafting aside and rose to her feet.

"Krikree, make sure Tythes doesn't escape," she said. It felt wrong to give orders like that, but Krikree seemed to respond well.

"Krikree guard!" She saluted with two hands and then began watching Tythes suspiciously.

Meanwhile, Fiyu and Theo had floated down to her. Fiyu smiled as usual and moved closer, brushing against her sleeve as she tended to do. Meanwhile Theo looked over the field, now mostly repaired.

"I don't want to rush you," he said, "but how long do you think it will take to finish?"

"A week, maybe?" Nauda shrugged. "It depends on whether I help out with the repair work. Technically we have what Fiyu needs, but..."

"I'm not suggesting you leave early, we just need to plan around it."

"Are things getting that bad? I thought Tymetron wasn't likely to attack, and we still have time before the crestflowers bloom."

"We must change our focus," Fiyu told her somberly. "So far, I believe we have done a good job of uniting the Ruling Cities and Asplundat Movement against their mutual enemy. But there are other forces observing, and Theo has discovered more about them."

"Yeah, they could ruin everything." Theo glanced back toward the gate as if he didn't even see the Siatan city. "I don't think the aeon-class organizations will show up to attack personally, because even the Salebrante is afraid of Dave and other enemies. But they will meddle. We need to plan for that, maybe even take it head on."

Nauda smiled at both of them and gestured toward the city. "I thought that might happen eventually, so come with me. I have something to show you and we can talk while we eat."

Because she worked all the time, Nauda had no opportunity to spend her Blacksilver salary. The Siatans actually gave her food for free, but she had been investigating for anything that might fit in their feast chambers. Some seemed to eat pure light, but she'd found a few options worth trying.

"I don't know if any of these restaurants have names," Nauda said as they approached the floating flower, "but this is the best one I've found. The sublime food here should be strong enough to join our Nine Worlds Feasts."

"Oh, that is very thoughtful, Nauda." Fiyu beamed and began examining the building with her senses. "I do not have any Siatan food..."

"Actually, it's hard to find food food, but this will have to do..."

When they arrived the Siatans seemed somewhat disturbed, looking about for chairs, until the group made clear that they could hover. They were given a table on the edge of the flower, which was just a crystalline disc that hovered between them. Soon the first course was delivered: flower cups filled to the brim with blue liquid.

"Is this... sublime water?" Fiyu asked.

"Not quite." Nauda took a sip of hers and shivered at the thick flavor. "They say this stuff is filled with all the nutrients you need to survive, and it seems true. Normally I can only drink a cup or so at a time, but try to absorb as much as you can."

Theo took an experimental drink, then nodded appreciatively. The foodwater was only the first course, to be followed by berries, bubbles of rejuvenating air, and confectioneries shaped like flowers. As much as Nauda intended to enjoy the meal with her friends, however, she knew that this meal was primarily for discussing strategy.

As soon as Theo set down his drink, it began.

~ ~ ~

"We can't treat this as a war we can fight on our own," Theo told them, "and there are no mechanisms to control the violence like the convocations on Deuxan. There are just too many factions involved with too many different motives. All we can do is try to push the variables involved to a position where we can have an impact."

He didn't expect the others to object to his framing, but Theo still paused a moment in case they had something to add. As he did so, he poured a second flowerful of the "foodwater" and slipped it into his soulhome for later. It seemed that Nauda and Fiyu were generally in agreement, just anxious about the facts arrayed against them.

"We have two big obvious threats," he continued. "Tymetron wants to destroy the crest - they tried once and they might try again. The Salebrante wants to steal it, and they're probably using House Crimson to do it. Given that they've managed to get the Asplundat Movement to trust them somehow, that's a problem."

"It's infuriating that we can't do anything about that," Nauda said. "I talked to Homez the last time he was here and he thinks Wiltur has gained favor with too many people. And given how they actively fought against Tymetron, it's hard to accuse them."

"I suppose we need to consider that our only evidence of their connection to the Salebrante is that Tythes said so, which shouldn't be taken at face value. It seems unlikely that they really changed sides, but could Tythes be trying to manipulate us with a lie?"

Nauda grimaced and took a long drink as if it could clear the taste of the idea. "I don't trust him either, but I don't see what good lying would do him here. And I don't believe that Wiltur actually turned over a new leaf for a second. This is his big gambit to establish House Crimson."

"What about the non-obvious threats?" Fiyu asked. "I agree about the clear concerns, but you implied that there were others."

"Right. There are also..." Theo was distracted when the Siatans brought them the next course, which appeared to be plates of berries.

He popped one into his mouth and was surprised: it had almost no flavor, but he felt a spark of joy in his mind. Testing others, it seemed that each berry contained a slightly different emotion, though they were all positive. Theo knew that he should probably revel in the experience, but he could enjoy the wonder and mystery later: the rush of finally addressing the real powers of reality after so long was stronger.

"There are also two other aeon-class organizations," Theo said once they were alone again. "I've just uncovered another link: the Eternal Spectrum is working through the House of Coin. They claim they want to purchase the crest, though we can't trust that they'll do it fairly or reasonably."

"We need to talk about that more later," Nauda said. "And the last one?"

"The Orphic Cabal. So far it seems like they aren't working through anyone, or at least we don't have any evidence of that. Dave described them as a more scholarly organization, generally above-board compared to the others. So they may be holding back from direct involvement."

"Would we prefer them to be involved?" Fiyu asked. "It seems to me that attention from the aeon-class organizations is forcing each to limit themselves, so more might be better."

"It's hard to say. Their attention might be limiting Tymetron, but it goes the other way too." Theo popped another berry into his mouth - elation - and chewed as he thought. "Plutalgion is powerful enough that they don't want to risk fighting him, so they won't step in to defend us if he attacks."

"Could we change that?" Nauda shrugged when they looked to her. "I just mean... could we get one of these larger organizations directly invested in defending the entire continent? I imagine they'd want to take the Asplundatcrest or demand some other significant price, but is the cost lower than a war with Tymetron?"

"That's a good idea, but if the House of Coin hasn't managed to get the Eternal Spectrum involved, I doubt the others are willing to fight either. They all seemed to be locked in a cold war with Vistgil and the other major powers."

They remained silent for a time, even the berries not enough to improve the mood given what faced them. Theo scooped up a portion of them and placed them into a sublime leaf while he thought. He had one solid idea for a step they should take, but before he could start, Fiyu spoke up.

"Is a battle inevitable?" she asked. "Other than Tymetron, the others want the Asplundatcrest to be finished, so that they can take its power for themselves. Could we ensure that this all ends in negotiation instead of violence?"

"I like the idea," Theo said, "and we should try to contact them to set up whatever we can. The problem is, the aeon-class organizations want the crest in neutral form. If a battle happens, it might be right after the crest is complete, before it's infused with cantae. I think the best case scenario is for the Asplundat Movement to use it to buy favor and support for the war."

Nauda immediately shook her head. "The Movement has been pouring cantae into this mountain for centuries and it's an important part of their culture. They won't want to just give it up. To my mind, the best case scenario is that they tell the aeon-class organizations to get lost. They keep the crest for themselves and wait for Citizen Dominion to ascend, then they can be a real power instead of getting knocked around by all these other organizations."

"That just extends the problem further," Theo objected. "Dominions have been the limit in Norron for ages, so they're not ascending any time soon. And until someone here can use the Asplundatcrest, it's a target that enemies across the Nine Worlds will be aiming to steal."

"Can we play the organizations against each other? Promise it to several, get them to watch one another, then buy time until someone native can soulcraft it?"

"I am sorry, Nauda," Fiyu said, "but I think Theo is correct. My relative has said that the ascension between Dominion and Ophaon will be very difficult, even for him. The crest has already caused such trouble in a short time, I do not believe it could be defended for an extended period."

"There's also an increasing possibility that Tymetron would attack just to target it," Theo agreed. "We're on the same page here: we want to support Norron and even the Asplundat Movement. But I think the best path available to them is to make a deal and get everything they can from the crest."

After a moment looking between them, Nauda sat back and sighed. "I don't like it, but maybe you're right. If that's our goal, what can we actually do?"

"We have one easy path open to us: work with the House of Coin and the Eternal Spectrum. But I think that's the least beneficial route, and you can actually help with an alternative. The Orphic Cabal has resources and information, we just need to contact them. After we're done, go back and squeeze Tythes until he gives up everything he knows about them."

That idea seemed to mollify Nauda slightly. Meanwhile, Fiyu's mind seemed to be moving in an entirely different direction.

"I agree that this is the best we can do in the short term," she said, "but in the long term surely we must improve ourselves until we can deal with such threats directly. Can we soulcraft enough to make a difference?"

"Glad you asked!" Theo turned to her with a smile. "For a start, I think we need to leverage our current advantages as much as possible. What can you tell me about that shadowlamp?"

~ ~ ~

Once Fiyu explained the capabilities of the shadowlamp, they discussed the mercantile possibilities for some time. As a Stronghold-tier armament that had played a large part in the battle, it attracted the most attention after the Asplundatcrest. Fiyu liked Friend Nauda's idea of giving it to House Blacksilver but also agreed with Friend Theo's argument that they should get more materials from the Asplundat Movement.

"In the short term," Friend Theo was saying, "our goal is to make Fiyu a major threat. Do you think that you could manage to open your basement and ascend before the deadline?"

She misliked having so much attention on her, but that was expected of her friends, so she nodded. "It may be possible. I have been getting closer on both fronts for some time." Though there was still the matter of Associate Senka's troubling emotional lessons, as Fiyu struggled to ignite her cantae properly.

"Sounds like we're going to split up again," Friend Nauda said. "I'll take care of things here, Fiyu has a lot of work to do... Theo?"

"Senka allegedly has another cache," Friend Theo said, "and I'm overdue on searching that. Hopefully that will have some valuable materials, but we can't base our plan on them."

"Seems like a good enough plan. We'll have to... oh, definitely try these, they're good."

Their conversation was interrupted by a new dish, composed of delightfully elaborate confectioneries. As they ate, the conversation also became sweeter, and Fiyu was glad. Discussing plans and tactics was all very well for companions, but she dearly loved these quiet moments together.

Thankfully they had some time to enjoy together before the meal was over. Fiyu was simultaneously eager to get to work and reluctant to leave the group. No matter where they were, even atop floating flowers in a strange column of light, when she was with her companions she felt that she was secure.

Eventually, however, they needed to part. They dragged things out a little longer while flying back together, to the work site where Friend Nauda would hopefully soon finish her task. Fiyu stepped up beside her and took her hand gently.

"I will not forget your kindness," Fiyu said. "As soon as I reach Stronghold, I will do everything I can to help you."

"Don't be too selfless," Friend Nauda told her. "We need to survive these coming months first, after all."

They shared a pleasant moment together before they finally had to part. When Fiyu turned away, she was surprised to find that Friend Theo was kneeling down beside Ally Krikree, displaying the food items that he had been taking during the meal. She had thought that he was stockpiling them, as was his wont.

"Food?" Ally Krikree asked, her antennae tapping cautiously.

"Siatan food," Friend Theo reassured her. "You should be able to absorb it into your soulhome."

"Siatans what?" Ally Krikree looked toward some of the nearest floating Siatans suspiciously, as if she still couldn't categorize them in her view of the world. Fiyu had to admit that they were strange in some ways, and regretted that she did not have more time to know them as people.

It seemed that Friend Theo sensed Fiyu's readiness, because he cut off the conversation and straightened to look at her. After the entire meal together, somehow they had consumed their words as well, leaving nothing left for them to discuss. She would take them back to Fithe, then hand over their weirkey so that he could go on his own journey.

They returned to Outpost #127, taking Ally Krikree with them. Even though they had been using it as a base of operations for some time, Fiyu felt no affection for the blocky buildings, and their chambers were only a hollow space. She left them to their work and floated skyward, to make her next connection.

Relative Guchiro hovered near the clouds, arms folded and back tense. He appeared impatient until she actually appeared, which made him relax slightly.

"Done with your planning?" he asked.

"Yes, the two of us now have much to do." Fiyu took his hand, and for a time she was secure again, but this was no time to relax. As she had just learned, this security needed to be defended.