Crimsoncrest: Chapters 18-19

Writing an intentionally expansive setting is a tricky balancing act. Focus too much and entire worlds will go unexplored, but move across too many and each one will feel shallow. I've tried to do some of each, and these chapters you'll see the story become a notch more inter-world as it progresses.

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Chapter 18

Even though the Asplundat Movement was much more welcoming than the Deuxan courts had been, Fiyu found herself strangely wistful for them. There they had been threatened from all sides, but at least they had been able to travel and fight together. Here they were always taken in separate directions, battling not against stated opponents but against hidden forces that never acted directly.

For a brief moment she had a traveling band again: Friend Nauda, Relative Guchiro, and Ally Homez. Even Prisoner Tythes, who could not be trusted but still made things more lively. The problem was that as soon as they completed their journey, the band would separate again.

Only one step remained, and Ally Homez would be the one to transport them. He already had his weirkeys in hand, but he paused to look at them.

"Azureton is not like other cities in the Asplundat Movement," he told the group somberly. "It is equal before the law, of course, but our guests from another world naturally change its character. I ask that you take no actions to disrupt this balance."

"We only intend to help," Fiyu said. "Do we really require additional warnings?"

"Likely not, but there have been troubles in the past, so I wanted to warn you. Now, hang on..."

They were all snatched from Fithe, briefly twisting through space her senses could not fully grasp, then they returned in a new location. Ally Homez was a talented weirkey user and he was extremely familiar with the Asplundat Movement, so they arrived smoothly in the air a short distance from this city of Azureton.

Anyone could see the differences, even without proper senses: this was the first Asplundat city she had seen that sometimes broke from the conventional architecture. Some of the buildings in local stone had smoother edges, some even had numerous windows. More striking was that there were strange objects floating in the air: they appeared to be plucked flowers from a distance, but they felt surprisingly solid to Fiyu's senses. They ranged in size from buildings to city blocks and many had buildings atop them, their weight apparently causing no trouble.

This was unusual, but not particularly troubling, so Fiyu searched for what might have caused difficulties for Ally Homez. She noted that the grid layout still followed the general rules of Asplundat cities, unremarkable but highly efficient. The people moving about from place to place appeared to be roughly 75% Fithan, 25% Siatan.

That meant an unusually high number of the fey Siatans, floating about from store to store. They still seemed unusual to Fiyu's senses, more like energy than matter. In a gesture that seemed almost comical to her, however, many of them wore Asplundat tunics. As if the Asplundat Movement didn't care what size or shape people were, only that they wore sack-like clothes.

Was that a humorous observation? Would Friend Nauda find it so? Fiyu puzzled over that as they descended toward the streets. Flying would have been faster, but it was considered polite for Authorities to walk within cities.

"You're all taking this well," Ally Homez said after a time.

"Taking what well?" Friend Nauda asked. "It's strange seeing buildings on top of flowers, but they seem pretty sturdy, so it's not like I'm worried about them falling."

"Uh, I was actually talking about the Siatans. A lot of people have only seen other Fithans, so they can be a bit of a shock. Once someone even thought they were demons, and that almost damaged our relationship. Not that anyone was harmed, but the Siatans take even threats seriously."

Friend Nauda snorted and rolled her eyes, which Fiyu understood but still feared might be considered rude, so she spoke up herself.

"Others may have traveled further," Fiyu told him, "but we are not inexperienced. We have spent much time in other worlds."

"You honestly expected us to be shocked?" Relative Guchiro asked. Based on the tension in his jaw, he seemed to be irritated in the same fashion as Friend Nauda.

"I guess I should have given you more credit," Ally Homez said apologetically. "I just didn't want-"

"What are those things?" Prisoner Tythes shrieked. He fell to his knees, alternately clutching his head and pointing at all the Siatans with both shackled arms. "Alien imps! Stop them before they eat my eyeballs! Aah, my precious eyeballs, don't let... these monsters..." He paused and looked back at them. "Isn't someone going to stop me? I'm trying to cause an international incident here."

Fiyu shook her head in disapproval. "My relative enclosed you in a stealth technique when you began to act out," she explained, "so you did not cause any offense."

"Subtle." Prisoner Tythes hopped to his feet, examining the edge of the bubble. "I'd say you're no fun, but this could actually be fun, put to the proper use."

"No more wasting time," Relative Guchiro said. "What is this opportunity you allegedly have for my ward?"

They walked more quickly toward the gate and Prisoner Tythes made no further attempts to cause trouble. Along the way Ally Homez reiterated what they already knew about a chance to work in Siata, including asking them to work as representatives of the Asplundat Movement. Fiyu had already discussed this with Friend Nauda and they had agreed that was acceptable.

Ally Homez naturally cared for his home, and he was particularly concerned with the gate cities like Azureton. If Tymetron invaded the Asplundat Movement, connected worlds would be incentivized to break their gates to protect themselves, which would weaken the Fithan side. If Friend Theo was right about everyone needing to band together against the greater enemy, this would help them all.

When they reached the gate, it had what appeared to be a reasonable number of Asplundat guards as well as a strange circle of flowers. Fiyu was unable to determine their true nature, but they were unquestionably sublime materials that must have defensive properties. In any case, it seemed that their identities would take them through without trouble.

"Mitaeo!" Ally Homez raised a hand cheerfully as they approached. "These are the people I spoke of."

He was speaking to a Siatan who floated from one of the nearby buildings. Like all Siatans, Stranger Mitaeo was somewhat troubling to Fiyu's senses, a sprite-like being of energy. He or she was roughly half Fiyu's height, with strangely slender limbs. The face was dominated by three large eyes and the head sloped back into three spike-shaped tentacles that descended down the back of the neck almost like hair.

"Welcome." Stranger Mitaeo spoke with a voice that emanated from no visible mouth. "It is good that you brought Authorities, as this is a host-class problem, but it may still be difficult. This task requires extraordinary physical strength."

"I'm actually going to be doing most of the work," Friend Nauda said. She stepped forward and gave a polite curtsy. "I may not look it, but I have multiple chambers dedicated to strength and resilience."

Stranger Mitaeo regarded her silently with absolutely no indication of emotions and Fiyu felt adrift without any muscles or other tissues to sense. The Siatan might have been indifferent, elated, or hateful. Even the eyes remained unnaturally large, without lids or corner muscles or anything else that might betray emotions.

"You will be able to do more than we can," Stranger Mitaeo said after a time. "This problem is a troublingly corporeal one. Come this way and I will show you."

That seemed to be all that was required for them to pass, so they stepped through the gate into Siata. Fiyu tensed for multiple reasons, partially concerned about the sudden change and partially fearing that Prisoner Tythes would attempt an escape. But Relative Guchiro was highly alert and Prisoner Tythes had his soulhome bound, so they entered one of the great columns of light that characterized Siata without trouble.

The other side was clearly one of the massive columns that her relative had told her about. There was no sun or moon in the sky, simply an endless blue that seemed to glow in the air itself. Though much more light than Fiyu would have preferred, it was less hostile than most suns, almost pleasant. More importantly, this one was not merely a natural environment like she had seen before, but a city.

"Welcome to the Great Azure," Stranger Mitaeo told them. "Please do not smash anything, no matter how much you may wish to. Fortunately we need only move a short distance to the relevant edge."

At first it seemed like there was no pathway, then Fiyu realized that the field of light blue flowers was actually a line guiding them into the city. The flowers did not seem unduly harmed by being stepped on, even though the Siatans could float over them, so Fiyu followed and observed.

Where Siata had strongly influenced the Fithan side, the reverse had limited impact: there were almost no stone buildings here, and certainly no grim blocks of architecture. Practically everything was built atop flying flowers, except that only some of these were cut: most extended from tower-like vines as wide as her body.

Though the results appeared to be a mad profusion of buildings at all heights and angles, when Fiyu extended her senses she realized that it was not so unreasonable. Despite the Siatans using floating plants as building material, they still followed common patterns: there were some places for solitude, some clusters for communal activities, and pathways for travel between them. Those pathways simply existed in three dimensions, as the inhabitants all appeared able to float regardless of soulcrafting tier.

As they progressed, Fiyu identified a small cluster of Asplundat buildings. They had been poorly concealed by flower petals and vines, almost as if they had been built and then plants had grown over them. There were a small number of Fithans about, most moving in market areas or working in specific sectors.

"Looks like you actually made an effort to blend in," Friend Nauda said. "I didn't know that was allowed."

"We have common standards, not laws." Ally Homez stiffened slightly in response, mildly offended. "Of course in other worlds we must follow other customs, so we adapt our designs in order to blend in."

Fiyu could hardly disagree more. Regardless of what material might cover them, the Asplundat buildings stood out in her senses like thorns. They were huge blocks of crude stone squatting within an environment of ethereal beauty. It occurred to her that "ethereal" was now a loaded word thanks to her advanced soulcrafting, but she couldn't shake the sense that this place was somehow more than ordinary matter.

In any case, they had regrettably little time to explore. Stranger Mitaeo led them away from the central area toward a wall of darkness. Fiyu had seen the edges of the columns before, but they still seemed unnatural: bright warmth on one side, void on the other. As they walked closer she sensed only cold mud outside, and those relying on sight would likely be able to observe nothing at all.

"And now you see the problem, yes?" Stranger Mitaeo spoke at almost the same time her senses picked up the stones.

Dark boulders, ranging in size up to Fiyu's height, marred one edge of the city. Despite being native to Siata, they seemed even more out of place than the Asplundat buildings. Each was a violation of the peaceful atmosphere of the city: ugly and heavy and hostile. They clearly belonged on the other side.

"It is rare for storms to breach the barrier," Stranger Mitaeo told them, "but there were demons kicking up sublime stones. These are not simply heavy, they bear a fell energy that destroys cantae and enervates those who touch them. We are, regrettably, ill-suited to remove them ourselves."

Friend Nauda stepped forward and picked up one of the medium-sized boulders, hefting it with both arms. She grunted as she did, but lifted it without trouble. "Do I need to do anything in particular with it?"

"Any method that places it on the other side will be acceptable."

"Alright." Friend Nauda took a step and put her weight into throwing the stone, which sailed through the barrier with a slight ripple. Fiyu traced its path on the other side, where it bounced harmlessly into the darkness and lay still.

"Hmm." Stranger Mitaeo turned to regard Friend Nauda and seemed to examine her. "You had less difficulty than the other workers who made an attempt. Such fleshly bodies must have certain advantages."

"Nauda is unusually strong," Fiyu spoke in her defense. "If she is suited to the task, does that mean we can make an agreement?"

"Yes, certainly. If you can actually repair this damage to the Great Azure, it will be worth some of our most potent sublime materials."

Ally Homez moved closer along with Friend Nauda to discuss the exact details of the contract. Allegedly Siatans did not create legal documents, but wouldn't break the spirit of their word, so the trick was making sure that both sides had communicated clearly. This agreement would allow them to gain access to spiritual materials, including those suited to Immortality Conduits, that they were unlikely to find on Fithe. This was the opportunity they had learned about from Unknown Tythes.

The thought made Fiyu turn to him, now Prisoner Tythes. He had not attempted to squirm away during the walk or conversation, but now that Fiyu and Relative Guchiro turned toward him, he pretended to do so. She could tell by the way he set his back legs that his movements were more theatrical than serious.

"You will be assisting her," Relative Guchiro ordered.

"That's a terrible idea," Prisoner Tythes said, "A tender soul like myself is horribly unsuited to-"

"Your soulhome may be broken, but you still have an Authority's strength. It will simply be a matter of putting in a hard day's work."

"That's the part I'm unsuited to! You're really forcing me to do this? It's inhumane, I tell you, a violation of common decency. I'll tell my father!"

Fiyu tilted her head to consider his deceitful words. "Doesn't your father hate you?" she asked. "It seems unlikely that he would intercede on your behalf."

"Of course he wouldn't, but my whining would really annoy him."

Once they confirmed that Prisoner Tythes had few opportunities to escape, they retreated along with the others. They had already checked him thoroughly for weirkeys, which he would have been likely to use earlier in any case, and he seemed unable to escape his shackles. This city had only a single gate, which was guarded on both sides and which Relative Guchiro would watch. Given their varying obligations, that would have to be sufficient.

It seemed that Friend Nauda had been given the full terms of her employment. She smiled at Fiyu, meaning to encourage, but Fiyu was more heartened by the joy evident in her body. This would not be merely an ordeal she endured for Fiyu's sake, the other woman was looking forward to spending some time in the Siatan city.

Truthfully, Fiyu wished that she could stay. It would have been so wonderful to explore this strange world together, to share everything she observed and to see it anew through Friend Nauda's eyes. But this could be only a detour, when there were so many threats on Fithe, so after a brief embrace they had to move in separate directions.

On the other side, Ally Homez needed to attend to his own business, thanking them and leaving. Suddenly Fiyu felt more isolated than she expected - she was comfortable traveling alone, but abruptly losing so many left a void. Worse, she would need to leave Relative Guchiro as well.

"I will keep an eye on the gate," Relative Guchiro said as soon as they stepped into a shared stealth bubble. "I don't know exactly what technique Tythes was using to disguise himself, but I'll be watching any travelers that emerge closely."

"Thank you for assisting us," Fiyu said with a familial bow.

"This one, I don't mind at all." He favored her with a smile beneath his mask. "Siata has excellent materials for Immortality Conduits and this is a substantial city. If you can really put together the necessary materials before you ascend, you'll be in a strong position to make a Conduit superior to mine."

It was astonishing to think of herself as surpassing her relative in any way, so Fiyu only bowed again. After they said their farewells, Relative Guchiro moved to hover over the arch of the gate and Fiyu ventured from Azureton to weirkey distance.

She still wanted to linger, but as the steward of their group's only Fithan weirkey, she could not waste time. No, she had been given an important task by another companion and it was past time that she made sure it was done.

Gripping her Slescan weirkey, Fiyu stepped between Fithe and Slest. She was growing more adept at the trip, coming out over the city of Acidmount. It had grown again, which was mildly concerning but also interesting, since she wanted to extend her senses through all of the new tunnels. As it happened, she didn't get a chance to explore or need to travel among the Slescans.

Because there was a local Authority rushing at her, brandishing four spears in all hands.

"Where Theo-sister?" Ally Krikree demanded. "Theo-sister okay?"

"Theo is fine," Fiyu told her. "He sent me to bring you to Fithe."

"...good." Ally Krikree put away all her spears in her soulhome, crouched in midair, and began cleaning off her antennae. "Going?"

"Do you... have anything you need to do here? Anything to pack?"

"Krikree carry weapons in soulhome. Can go now."

It seemed almost as if something was strange within Ally Krikree. Fiyu was not as adept with Slescan's chitinous bodies, but she had become more familiar with them. It seemed as if something was troubling Ally Krikree, though it could possibly be merely her worry over Friend Theo.

Because Fiyu was not skilled with such things, even with people she knew better, she decided that it was better not to pry into such matters. Instead she made sure that she caught hold of Ally Krikree, then she pulled them between worlds, this time back to House Blacksilver.

When they came out over the camp, Fiyu found herself smiling unexpectedly. Yes, she was leaving allies behind, and she would be alone again once she finished escorting Ally Krikree, but she was a part of something greater. Even spread across Fithe - spread across multiple worlds - they were all traveling the same journey toward the same destination.

She could only hope that it would be enough.

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Chapter 19

Fighting Authorities at the quarry had been gratifying, but Theo was focused on far greater challenges. The trouble was that now, until he built out his new floor, he had limited options to meaningfully increase his strength.

Under normal circumstances that wouldn't have mattered and he could have happily focused on soulcrafting bricks. But this time luck had been against him and there just wasn't time to make progress. He'd gotten another week, but at his level that wasn't enough to make grand breakthroughs. Sometimes he considered putting up a tent or other temporary structure, except that now that he had four finished floors and a basement, a little more cantae wouldn't help much.

Instead he did his best to stay the course and keep moving toward his long term goals. Well, that and resist temptation from Senka.

"Oh look, another brick." Senka was flopping end over end around him as he kept soulcrafting. "That one is actually a legendary final tier brick that doubles your cantae! No, wait, it's sporping nothing. Come on, don't you want to go collect powerful sublime materials?"

"And where would I put them?" Theo asked from inside.

"I don't care, I'd enjoy it more. And what I want is the most important thing in all existence."

"That can't be true, because what I want is more important." Actually, their arguments on both sides were as irrelevant as their sarcasm, because it wasn't about that. Two things were true at once: he wouldn't immediately benefit from going to find Senka's cache, and he'd enjoy it anyway.

Aside from arguments about efficiency, he'd committed to staying here and supporting House Blacksilver's actions, even if his presence didn't seem relevant most of the time. As he'd learned in the convocation, the threat of a Stronghold could be more important than one's actual presence. Even if it never mattered, he was trying to do better about these things.

Then, barely a day after he had that thought, Homez smashed through the door.

"We have a problem. You all need to get to the Asplundatcrest, right now." Homez glanced around in real distress. "Where are the others?"

"Moving or in Siata," Theo said as he got to his feet. "What's wrong?"

"Some lunatic attacked the mountain, on his own! He was stopped, but everyone is showing up to try to keep the peace, and it could turn ugly any second now. Tymetron sent half their force, so they have more Strongholds than everyone else, and if they decide to attack..."

"Got it. Send a message to Blacksilver, then the two of us should go immediately."

While Homez used Fithan communications to contact the others, Theo glanced to Senka. She could be useful in a Stronghold-level conflict, but only if she was feeling up to it. When she wobbled her head somewhere between a shake and a nod, he realized just how exhausted she was. This probably wasn't the time to unleash a lethal ability anyway, so he nodded and gestured for her to stay.

Then Homez used his weirkeys to twist them across the Asplundat Movement, and Theo was barely distracted by the Arbaian key this time. They ended up in the sky over the mountain, but there was none of the peaceful atmosphere he remembered from earlier. The raw power flooding up at Theo made him forget all soulcrafting and focus on the conflict.

A single Asplundat Stronghold was hovering over the Asplundatcrest, having already formed a giant sphere of stone. It seemed to be tied into some sort of defensive barrier designed to protect the surface, but that obviously wouldn't be enough, not when there were three Strongholds from Tymetron arrayed in a row opposite the mountain.

Wiltur of House Crimson hovered beside the mountain, and that worried Theo more than the obvious enemy. He was pretending to be on their side, but he might turn at any moment or execute some other plan, so he was the nastiest variable. With Theo's arrival the sides were ostensibly even, but that was likely an illusion.

Right now both sides focused toward the hills between them, where a lone figure was struggling in a pool of liquid stone that kept raising tendrils to bind him. The origin seemed to be the Asplundat Stronghold, who was exerting a surprising amount of cantae in order to maintain the trap.

"That's the attacker," Homez told him in a low voice. "I don't know what kind of person would just run into a situation like this, but-"

At that point the figure began shouting and Theo let out a groan.

"Get your hands off the mighty Raythe Darkblade!" The young man from Earth was swinging a sword wildly, smashing through tendrils of stone but failing to get free. "That sublime material is what I need to ascend to Dominion!"

Everyone else was staring because they couldn't believe what they were seeing, but Theo stared for a different reason. He didn't want to believe it, but a quick check confirmed the truth: Raythe had not only caught up to Theo, he was on the verge of reaching Dominion. Theo gritted his teeth, reminding himself that this was cheap progress granted by Vistgil, but it still stung to have this idiot surpass him.

"What do we do?" Homez asked. "If Tymetron uses this as an excuse..."

"Go talk to him." Theo wasn't sure if he thought Homez was best for the job or if he was just paranoid about Vistgil watching. "He's a fool, but someone must have pushed him in this direction. Exactly why he's here could be the difference between a standoff, a battle, and a pre-planned trap."

Homez gave him a strange glance, but apparently trusted Theo enough to fly to the center of the field. Hopefully Theo hadn't just sent him into a trap. At least it looked like his arrival relieved the Asplundat soulcrafters and made the Tymetron forces hesitate.

"Excuse me," Homez called out loud enough for everyone to hear, "can I ask you what you're doing?"

"I'm getting that sublime material, nincompoop!" Raythe stamped his foot, which only got it further trapped in the liquid rock. "If this stupid trap didn't pop out of nowhere..."

"That slate of marble will become the Asplundatcrest, symbol of our entire nation. We have been pouring our cantae into it for centuries, all to prepare-"

"For me, obviously! I'll rename it... the Darkcrest. No, wait, the Raythecrest!"

Homez stiffened in irritation, coming to terms with what he was facing. "Do you realize that you've walked into the middle of a tense international standoff?"

"And all of you are just standing around instead of seizing it?" Raythe stared at him, shocked. "Lame! Lame and gay!"

"I'm... not sure what to say to that." Homez turned away, looking back first toward the Asplundat Stronghold and then toward Theo.

As stupid as the inciting incident was, Theo was convinced that it had been arranged by someone much smarter than "Raythe Darkblade". If Vistgil was playing his usual game, he would probably have had someone tell Raythe about the crest, then Raythe had blundered in on his own. But wasn't Vistgil working with both the Salebrante and Tymetron? Throwing three of his tools together like this didn't seem to gain him anything...

Before Theo could come to any conclusion, Raythe struck out with his sword again. Not at the stone trap, this time, but toward Homez's back. The Asplundat Authority sensed it but could barely react in time, and the stone armor that formed across his back was immediately shattered by the blow.

Raythe might not have a well-planned soulhome, but he still wielded a Stronghold's cantae. Theo was half-way down to them before he realized that he'd acted.

Yet Homez acted first. He'd taken a serious blow, but his armor had saved him. Now he turned, stone armor forming around his leg even as he landed a kick on Raythe's chest. The young man from Earth should have been able to punish the attack with his greater speed, but he took the blow on the chest and went down, becoming further encased in the liquid stone.

Snarling and cursing, Raythe grabbed a weirkey and vanished.

Leaving an extremely tense battlefield behind him.

"This is absurd," one of the Tymetronese Strongholds said. "Is Norron some sort of festival of fools? You can't even keep some insane outsider from threatening one of your most prized possessions?"

"We never anticipated someone would attack like this," Homez said with wounded dignity.

Yet the Stronghold barely glanced at him, as if he wasn't worth speaking to, and instead looked to the Asplundat Stronghold hovering over the mountain. There was something in his eyes... Theo looked at the three enemies more carefully and he didn't like what he saw.

Hovering a few paces back were male and female Strongholds, both wearing the militaristic uniforms of Tymetron. The man had short-cropped black hair while the woman was completely bald. Theo was more concerned about their soulhomes, which looked formidable at a glance but didn't reveal much: the man carried a massive sword while the woman held a blue scepter.

It was the third Stronghold who worried him most. He was a bit younger than the others, a rake-thin man whose uniform hung off him. Yet there was something about the way his eyes gleamed from within the shaggy thicket of black hair, the way he positioned himself on the battlefield. Unlike the others, his soulhome had a large shielding wall underneath the layer of thorns, revealing nothing.

"Thank you for your help," the Asplundat Stronghold's voice echoed from within the stone sphere, "but the situation is under control. Please return to your guest rooms."

"You're really going to shout from a distance?" the thin Stronghold asked. "Come down here and let's talk like civilized people."

The stone sphere didn't respond. Of course the surface gave away nothing, yet Theo sensed hesitation in the Asplundat Stronghold's movements. Whoever it was, they knew that they were outnumbered and they didn't think they could count on their allies. Even if this was too early for anyone to take control of the Asplundatcrest, anyone could destroy it if they got through the barrier.

"Let House Blacksilver step in as an ally." Theo projected his voice as he descended, using his full cantae instead of a gravitational field. Less efficient, but more impressive, and tier mattered very much on this battlefield.

"This is between us and the Asplundat Movement," the Tymetronese soulcrafter said with a thin smile. "Haven't you Houses done enough harm already?" He didn't dismiss Theo out of hand, however, and that was a victory in and of itself: the longer Theo stalled, the more backup would arrive.

"Why are we still talking about formalities?" Theo asked everyone in range. "This sacred mountain was attacked by a maniac, but thanks to everyone interceding, he was stopped. Seems like all we need to do now is retreat and reconsider our security measures."

"Exactly. The Asplundat Movement clearly has insufficient security, if it requires a Stronghold just to stop an attacker. Tymetron offers its support to protect this material."

Judging from the thin Stronghold's smile, he knew exactly what he was doing. The offer was a threat, but one that couldn't be denied. If Tymetron stationed its own soulcrafters at the mountain, they would effectively be gaining control of it. That was so obvious that it was no ploy, it was a provocation: daring the Asplundat Movement to deny the suggestion and put themselves up against an empire.

Yet in the time they had been talking, a few things had changed. Theo saw from the corner of his eye that Homez had retreated to a safer distance and generated stone over his injured back, so he was as safe as anyone could be on this battlefield. More importantly to the military balance, a second Asplundat Stronghold had weirkeyed in overhead.

"There's no need to argue about this," Theo said with a clearly false smile. "For a start, why don't we introduce ourselves? I've never met someone from Tymetron."

"My name is Jazin, First Rank Stronghold of Tymetron." The thin man swept him a bow that was so formal it had to be mocking. "And who are you, fine outsider?"

"My name is Framkis, representative of House Blacksilver." Theo felt completely exposed here, with so many eyes on him, but he forced himself to project confidence. If this was what made Vistgil finally notice him... well, at least he'd done it in the name of saving the whole continent. "And who are your friends?"

The swordsman started to open his mouth and thought better of it, while the woman just sneered. In the time that took, however, the new Asplundat Stronghold floated down to join them. It seemed that the first was staying in position to defend the mountain, which should also protect it from anything Wiltur might attempt.

"More of you arriving all the time," Jazin said. "Shame that you couldn't show up when the theft was taking place."

"Your help is not necessary," the new Stronghold snapped. "Leave this place."

"That's a very rude way to speak to a guest. If we don't help, what will happen to your poor mountain?"

"I told you, depart!"

"Or what?" Jazin's eyes opened wider, the corners of his lips twitching as if he wanted nothing more than to be attacked.

"Oh, enough already!" The male Stronghold standing back hefted his sword off his shoulder. "Are you going to insult us by-"

"Look out!"

The call came from behind Theo, from an angle he hadn't expected: Wiltur. The head of House Crimson unleashed a bright red light that swept out and flowed into a defensive wall between the two sides. Jazin dodged back immediately and the Stronghold wielding a sword started to move, along with his partner.

At that moment the wall exploded, fire cascading over the three Tymetronese Strongholds. Had it broken in an attack, or had Wiltur intentionally destroyed his own technique?

It didn't matter, because in that moment the fragile peace finally broke and both sides leapt into battle over the Asplundatcrest.