Crimsoncrest: Chapters 22-23

Back into the thick of things this chapter, further entangling the plot threads of this book.

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Chapter 22

Fiyu was immensely impressed with Relative Guchiro, during her limited opportunities to observe him. He fought well and even synergized with Friend Theo, which pleased her greatly. Between the two of them, they had turned the tide and prevented Tymetron from sweeping the field.

Unfortunately, they still had one great disadvantage: they needed to defend a position. The enemy could always attack the mountain or the defensive barrier, which would force them to intercept or risk losing the entire position. Even with her relative and companion's strategic ability, they could not overcome such a disadvantage forever.

That was where she might be able to help. Fiyu carried the shadowlamp from the Darkwheel Traders in both hands, pouring in more of her own cantae. She had needed to argue with the Asplundat Stronghold, even fight for a moment, as he had believed her a betrayer. Now, however, she might be able to unleash the shadowlamp's full potential.

Near the top of the mountain, Fiyu knelt down and placed the shadowlamp atop a cliff. It was the most powerful general defensive measure she had encountered, and even though it had been designed for Ichil, it was still worthwhile here. When she finally sank in enough cantae, the shadows within began to stir.

Darkness flooded from the lamp, thick and dark and comforting. Relative Guchiro's mere presence had dimmed the sunlight, so the addition of the shadowlamp darkened the environment further. More importantly, the darkness roiled outward, filling the space underneath the Asplundat barrier.

When a Stronghold technique next impacted, the shockwave rippled through the shield as always... but this time, there was darkness underneath, supporting and reinforcing. The Stronghold floating over the mountain looked down at her in surprise, then realized how much easier his job had become. Now that he didn't need to devote so much cantae to maintaining the barrier, he could throw more techniques into the fray, further evening the odds and threatening any opponents who came close.

For her part, Fiyu was troubled by how much of her cantae had been consumed. It was a Stronghold-tier armament, so in theory she should have been pleased that her soulhome was efficient enough to fill it at all. Yet that didn't help in this battle, forcing her to pour more cantae in to keep the shadowlamp lit.

The advantage should have turned more in their direction, yet it had not. Fiyu examined the battlefield and realized the weak link: Enemy Wiltur. He was not stabbing anyone in the back, and he fought with flashes of red fire, yet she could tell that he was not fully exerting himself. Was he simply unmotivated, or was there something else at play?

Her senses could not fully catalog such a chaotic battle, so now that Fiyu had a moment of peace, she extended them more carefully for anything she had missed. For the most part, it only made clear Ally Homez and the other Asplundat soulcrafters who were either supporting the defensive shield or running in terror.

And there was one Authority near the top of the mountain, moving toward the marble slate.

The shape was unfamiliar and partially obscured by some sort of weak stealth technique, so Fiyu could only determine that the person was a Fithan male. She imparted another rush of cantae to the shadowlamp, then flew toward the peak of the mountain to investigate.

There she identified him: Enemy Roker. Wearing Asplundat robes and older than when they had last encountered one another, but there was no doubt. He appeared to have grown more muscular, and though his head still appeared shaved she could feel the hair regrowing.

Enemy Roker would have been an adversary simply due to his connection to Enemy Wiltur, but he was a particularly aggravating one. In the terribly chaotic battle where she had first been reunited with Relative Guchiro, Enemy Roker had been a major obstacle, even threatening Friend Nauda. Without his interference, they might not have been thrown into Slest and separated for so long.

And now he was advancing on the Asplundatcrest.

Fiyu approached under cover of stealth, trying to figure out what he was doing. She nearly attacked when Enemy Roker reached out to touch the large stone slab, but he wasn't damaging it. In fact, he didn't seem to be doing anything to it, simply touching the powerful sublime material as if appreciative. Yet she could sense the tension in his body and see the betrayal in his eyes, so she couldn't allow him to continue to act unopposed.

She longed to begin with a mortal wound, but that could be a terrible mistake. Fiyu decided that her top priority was protecting the Asplundatcrest, which mattered so much to Ally Homez. So she approached and, instead of using her cantae blade, unleashed a concentrated storm of light into her opponent's chest.

It knocked him off the side of the mountain into the sky, but he was an Authority and not so easily killed. Flaming armor lit up around his chest, managing to absorb most of her storm, so Fiyu ceased before they drew more attention. Enemy Roker stopped himself in midair and fixed his eyes on her.

"What are you doing with the Asplundatcrest?" he demanded.

"Protecting it from you," Fiyu called back. "What were you trying to do?"

"You're working with Tymetron, aren't you?" Enemy Roker cried out the words unnecessarily loudly and raised a short ruby staff, unleashing flames toward her.

As she dodged, Fiyu realized that her opponent was not so foolish as to really believe that she was trying to sabotage the Asplundatcrest. This was all a ruse, either to defend himself or for the benefit of the Asplundat soulcrafters listening. The nearest Stronghold was in the sky overhead, mostly paying attention to the battle, but it was possible that he might have overheard.

But for now, they were the only ones at the top of the mountain on this side of the defenses. Fiyu stepped in one direction, slipped her stealth technique around herself, and then moved in the opposite direction. She could disable Enemy Roker and force the truth from him afterward.

Or so she thought. Enemy Roker responded by shouting wildly and twisting his scepter, which unleashed flames in all directions. Fiyu instinctively raised a shield of darkness to block, and though the flames did almost no harm, the disruption to the fires allowed Enemy Roker to pinpoint her location.

This would not be so easy after all. Fiyu let the rest of the battle fall away, trusting it to her comrades, and focused on defending the top of the mountain.

~ ~ ~

The revelation of Guchiro's true power had made Theo's job much easier, but they weren't out of the woods just yet. It was easy to assume that the battle would be dominated by the stronger soulcrafters and start making foolish errors, which could be fatal to an individual if not the entire battle.

As the battle continued Krikree had started to slow down, though he didn't think it was due to her injuries. No, she showed an alarming ability to ignore harm to her own body and he'd been able to shield her from the worst of it here. Maybe she was just more cautious and there was less need for her to exert herself now that the worst threat had passed.

What was his next real goal? Theo looked over the battlefield, which was still a chaotic mess of Strongholds fighting around the two Dominions. He wanted to fight Jazin again, but his opponent was getting better and better at countering his portals, so that might be a tactical error. It also made sense to try to take out an enemy Stronghold, but they were supporting one another just like his side did.

Maybe it was time for lateral thinking. Everyone was smart enough to prioritize the obvious threats and objectives, so he needed something they didn't expect. Orbital strikes were still being cut off before they could start, but there must be an alternative...

Before he came up with his answer, he saw Krikree fall from the skies. She had actually been trying to retreat, but the Tymetronese woman who used the ice wand had troublingly good range. Somehow she had frozen half of Krikree's limbs in a block of ice, sending her tumbling down, out of control and desperately trying to fend off more icy blasts.

Theo cast a portal in her path, but the ice blasts were following her so closely that they got through as well. Instead of trying another portal, he grabbed Krikree's arm as she passed and pulled himself in front of her, letting the ice shatter off his back.

It hurt more than he expected, because his defenses had been worn down by all the fighting. Theo grimaced as he rolled his shoulders, breaking up the layer of ice that had formed. He'd closed the portal, of course, but the enemy Stronghold fixated on them and began preparing other attacks.

Meanwhile, Krikree broke herself free with a sour expression. [Krikree help], she emitted. It was tricky to judge anything about emotion via pheromones, but it looked like her antennae were drooping.

[Wait,] Theo sent, realizing that he'd been given his opportunity. The Strongholds couldn't ignore Krikree, but they'd grown used to treating her as an annoyance, so... [Start a feint. I'll use a portal and be the real feint, you attack after.]

[Theo-sister plan?] Krikree's antennae perked up slightly, then she launched herself against the opponent with another screech.

When the enemy's eyes flicked to her for an instant, Theo launched another torsion punch through a portal. She had grown used to that technique and reacted quickly, unleashing a freezing beam against his blow. It managed to overwhelm his torsion cantae and froze his arm in an instant.

The same instant that Krikree popped out of a portal directly overhead, all weapons flailing.

Most of the Strongholds were able to keep her at a distance with ranged attacks, so they'd begun taking her lightly, but they couldn't shrug off attacks from a strong Authority. Now at close range, Krikree attacked wildly, hacking and stabbing the enemy's body from all angles, even breaking her ice staff as she instinctively raised it in defense.

Theo pulled back his iced arm and prepared another attack to finish her off, but at that moment the Stronghold vanished as she used a weirkey to escape. Krikree was left spinning in the air without an opponent to strike, disoriented.

Seeing one of their side disappear, the Tymetronese Dominion growled and began targeting him. But even as she unleashed a gout of flame, Guchiro struck, spikes of darkness spearing into her side. As he began to attack more fiercely than before, Theo realized that Guchiro had actually been prioritizing pressuring the other Strongholds. Now that he focused fully on the enemy Dominion, he drove her back, step after step.

One of the other Strongholds seemed to lose his nerve and fled, and that set off a cascade. The surviving Asplundat Strongholds were in bad shape, but they had enough cantae to begin focusing their attacks on the enemies who remained, which only increased pressure.

Theo joined in with torsion bolts, searching for Jazin while pushing back the enemy. They weren't completely finished, but was this the time to deploy the anti-weirkey stones to try to finish off or capture an opponent? He liked the idea of whittling down Tymetron, but unfortunately one Stronghold wouldn't make the difference in the upcoming war. It seemed unlikely that Plutalgion would hesitate even a second over a captive, so Theo judged it wasn't worth the risk.

Jazin was one of the last to leave, emerging from the clouds and smoke with his geodes still rotating around him. He bowed at the waist, cast Theo a strange look, and then vanished.

Once all of them had fled, there were several seconds of disbelief, rubble falling and attacks fizzling out in the aftermath. Even after those faded, there was little celebration, not when the Asplundat Movement had been so battered. Especially not if Tymetron actually followed this up with a larger attack, though Theo guessed they couldn't afford a full assault.

He floated down toward Krikree, who was perched in the air cleaning her antennae.

[Good work,] he sent, rubbing her antennae.

[Good.] Krikree didn't send any more than that. Theo was about to ask her more, but at that moment he realized that there was darkness roiling underneath the barrier and several people were still fighting, now throwing accusations at one another.

The battle had been a triumph, but this might be something worse.

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Chapter 23

When the barrier came down, for a moment Fiyu felt a surge of alarm, worrying that her allies had fallen. But, now that her senses could more easily expand throughout the battlefield, she realized that the enemy had departed. The Asplundat soulcrafters were lowering the barrier because they had won.

Everyone else had won: Fiyu still floated across from Enemy Roker, fighting just above the marble slab.

She thought that it was probably wise of her not to use lethal attacks, since that might have led to the barriers coming down and everyone believing that she had murdered someone who was supposed to be an ally. Still, holding back had meant that she hadn't been able to disable or bind Enemy Roker. He was not particularly powerful, but he was a competent Authority, his ruby armament was powerful, and she needed to be careful fighting around the slab.

Now that the battle was over, more people were coming toward them and Enemy Roker finally lowered his weapon. Fiyu first checked on Relative Guchiro and all her other companions and then, after confirming they were alive and well, allowed herself to relax.

Prematurely. Enemy Roker turned to the Asplundat soulcrafters and pointed at her. "House Blacksilver was trying to steal the Asplundatcrest!"

"What?" Fiyu had been viewing him as an enemy this entire time, but she had still not anticipated that Enemy Roker would attempt such a direct betrayal. "You were the one sneaking around inside the barrier!"

"Only because I came to stop you from taking it!"

This was an absurd lie, but would anyone in the Asplundat Movement believe her? She considered only Ally Homez reliable, all the others were merely associates of convenience. There were quite a lot of them, and though they had been battered during the battle, she had drained much of her cantae fueling the shadowlamp.

Implausible as it sounded, many in the Asplundat Movement went to stand near Enemy Roker as if in support. As if that wasn't enough, Enemy Wiltur descended from the sky beside him.

"I cannot say if she intended anything deceptive," Enemy Wiltur said, "but it is highly irregular to be manipulating the Asplundatcrest while ignoring the battle overhead."

For a moment Fiyu felt alone... then Relative Guchiro landed behind her and placed a hand on her back. The effect on the growing crowd was immediate, even before he spoke.

"Without our actions," Relative Guchiro said, "Tymetron would have destroyed this entire mountain. We are the last group that should be under suspicion."

"I was here to activate the shadowlamp!" Fiyu added. "You all saw it, yes?"

"And how do we know that thing is safe?" Enemy Roker demanded. "You blanketed this place in darkness... you're lucky it didn't contaminate the crest somehow."

Though many had been convinced by Relative Guchiro, a troubling number of soulcrafters from the Asplundat Movement appeared to be considering the words of House Crimson. Fiyu supposed that, from their perspective, House Crimson had been allies for longer and had just fought to protect the mountain. Surely their own efforts were at least equal?

"Tensions are high," Ally Homez said as he walked between sides. His tunic was torn and he was covered in significant blood, but his voice remained calm. "We all just survived a battle with the empire of Tymetron and for all we know they could be coming back. Let's not make accusations now, not when we have dead to bury and wounded to care for."

"You're just gonna ignore this?" Enemy Roker demanded.

"No, he speaks the truth," Enemy Wiltur said with a hand on his arm. "Your valor can be established later, after we secure the region. I move that we simply have everyone vacate the mountaintop until we can establish the truth."

"There's no need for accusations at all," Ally Homez said, now addressing the Asplundat Strongholds. "One fact remains incontrovertible: the Asplundatcrest cannot be shaped by anyone now, not while it remains unfinished. What we know is that Tymetron attempted to destroy it, and the defense was aided by our allies from the Ruling Cities. In the chaos, a few misunderstandings are inevitable."

Most seemed to accept that as the truth, or at least an answer that let them set the matter aside. Soon they were all separating, clearing away from the mountaintop so that Asplundat soulcrafters could inspect the crest slab for any damage. As they walked, Fiyu looked plaintively to Relative Guchiro, who just shook his head slightly.

Perhaps that was all that could be done. Fiyu reminded herself that she had not actually seen Enemy Roker do anything that would have damaged or harmed the crest, so it was possible that she had acted prematurely. Yet all his actions seemed so suspicious...

Watching the repair and recovery, she reflected that it was good that the Asplundat Movement had listened to Ally Homez. He was not the most powerful of them, but power did not mean wisdom. It spoke well of them that they would listen to a level-headed peacemaker even in a time like this.

That also made it more important that he know the truth. Fiyu went to Ally Homez and pulled him aside before speaking in a low voice. "Thank you, but you must know that House Crimson-"

"I don't trust them either," Ally Homez said, "but a fight now won't help anyone. Do you have definitive proof that Roker was trying something?"

"I... fear not. It is strange that he was moving within the barrier, is it not? He was using a stealth armament to do so."

"I agree, but we don't want to push on that now. Sometimes politics and making peace matter more than the actual truth." Ally Homez glanced back to the other group, which was retreating down the other side of the mountain. "I'll speak to my allies higher up and increase security for the Asplundatcrest. We certainly have good reason to keep it secure, after the attack."

"Perhaps that is all that can be done." Fiyu examined Ally Homez more closely, realizing the depth of his injuries. "Are you alright? That was a very dangerous battle for Authorities to take part in."

"Oh, I'll live. This will give me a dozen headaches, but I'll live. If you want to help out, can you make sure that no one hurts themselves on your... darkness lantern?"

Fiyu extended her senses and realized that many locals were crowding around it, some examining with their senses but a few even poking. That was alarming: the shadowlamp used many high-tier sublime materials, some that could be dangerous. Almost all of her cantae had been exhausted, but the lamp could still be active, especially if manipulated.

"Excuse me..." Fiyu moved to the group, fearing that she would have to argue to recover the shadowlamp, but to her surprise they moved apart for her with broad smiles. Their bodies appeared to relax as well in earnest enthusiasm.

"You're the lass who lit up this thing, aren't you?" one of the older women asked. "Is this some tool from Ichil?"

"It is a shadowlamp," Fiyu explained. "It is meant to protect caravans, but I hoped that it would help your barrier endure all the attacks."

"The shocking thing is that it's mobile." This came from a younger man who carried some spiritual tools, though thankfully he hadn't tried to dismantle anything. "Heavy defenses are usually built into a location, even hammered into bedrock. But this thing looks like it could be carried easily."

"And the tier..." A middle-aged man looked between Fiyu and the lamp. "Pardon me, miss, but isn't this a Stronghold-tier armament?"

"That is correct." Fiyu bobbed her head and moved in to take hold of the shadowlamp, just in case someone became irrational. Instead of afraid, they seemed too eager now. "It is very stressful for an Authority to use it, yes. Of course a Stronghold could use it more effectively, but here were not many in the battle and so I did what I could."

"Any chance you'd be willing to sell one to the Asplundat Movement?"

Abruptly Fiyu realized that the enthusiasm in their bodies wasn't precisely greed. They wanted the shadowlamp, yes, but they didn't intend to seize it as she had feared. Given everything they had just endured, that was an understandable reaction.

"This is the only one I have," Fiyu said, drawing it back into her soulhome. "However... I am not able to use it effectively on my own, and I do wish to assist in your defense. Perhaps we can discuss the exact terms later?"

"I'd be happy to discuss them now," one of the older men said. "I'm Minister of Defense for the region and we can provide some rare resources. Nothing like this, but more than a fair exchange."

"I... um, my relative and I have just fought a long battle and we are weary. Could we not have this discussion another time?"

Thankfully, her words finally seemed to get through to them and the group began to disperse... or perhaps they simply no longer had an anomaly to look at anymore. They gave her space, which was very reasonable of them. She thought that the Asplundat Movement was not so bad, even if their buildings and soulcrafting were rather monotonous.

After all of the chaos, Fiyu wanted to return to Outpost #127 and sleep. Or, perhaps, find Friend Nauda and speak about everything so that she could get all of the thoughts out of her head. But it seemed as though all her allies were still working to restore the mountain, so she could not rest yet.

When she ventured into the air, she discovered that one group had separated from the others near the cloud layer, including her relative. It seemed to be a high tier meeting, so she might not be welcome, but she found Ally Homez nearby and decided that she would not be denied. Based on the relative tension in the group, they were not reveling in victory.

"Tymetron can't be as powerful as the manic ones claim," someone was saying. "Surely we just sent their best army running with their horns broken."

"It can be," Relative Guchiro responded flatly. "They may not be able to mobilize all their soulcrafters now, but you should prepare assuming they will eventually."

"I suppose you would be the expert," a woman from the Asplundat Movement said. "Are there more Dominions on Ichili you could bring?"

"No, and I cannot fight your war for you."

This clearly made them uncomfortable, and not for the first time. One of the soulcrafters who had arrived after the battle spoke up. "You should meet with Citizen Dominion. Even if you do not stay forever, you must coordinate the defense of the Asplundat Movement."

Their conversation became less clear after that, involving arguments about organization. Fiyu had heard the term before, but she wasn't sure as to the meaning, so she moved up beside Ally Homez and poked his tunic to attract his attention.

"Citizen Dominion is the rank of the Movement's Dominion?" she asked.

"Not exactly rank," Ally Homez told her in a low voice, still watching the primary discussion. "Power is not meant to be dominance here, so the highest military rank is a position of service. Citizen Dominion agrees to give up their own specific causes and goals in order to dedicate their lives to protecting the Asplundat Movement."

"That is a lovely ideal, but is it actually possible?"

"In practice, no. But the name tries to remind everyone of it."

Before she could ask any more questions, the main group appeared to break, many soulcrafters moving in different directions. One of the Strongholds who had survived the battle remained behind, reaching into his soulhome and searching for something before he finally brought forth a red weirkey.

"You may not be loyal to us," the man said, "but you deserve this. As a reward for saving us today, at minimum. It is yours... I only beg that you use it to travel the Movement's territory and help us."

"Thank you." Relative Guchiro took the weirkey and gave the Stronghold a respectful nod before moving away.

This made Fiyu happier than she had expected: she had been separated from Relative Guchiro for a very long time due to his lack of a Fithan weirkey, and that problem had finally been resolved. They now had multiple worlds where they could meet one another, even if things went wrong. She might be far from the day where she could travel the Nine Worlds freely, but this was a positive step.

When Relative Guchiro floated toward her, however, his grim expression pushed back her happiness.

"Do you... believe that Tymetron will attack soon?" she asked.

"Unlikely." Relative Guchiro glanced northward as if he could see to the other continent. "I have confirmed what your outsider ally claimed: Tymetron is limited by several factors, notably rivals in the Gold Wastes."

"Then why are you so displeased? Given your leverage, they cannot demand too much of you."

"Because this isn't over, even if it doesn't end in war." Relative Guchiro put a hand on her shoulder as he passed. "You and your companions should be prepared."

Fiyu nodded and gripped her Fithan weirkey tightly as she considered her next plans. Despite the battle, despite the threats looming in her future, she was pleased by the path she saw ahead of her.