Crimsoncrest: Chapter 1

Hey, everyone. We just did the book launch last week and I am tapped, both in terms of energy and emotion. But I don't see any particular reason to delay, so let's start with at least one chapter of Crimsoncrest. We will eventually return to the standard weekly schedule.

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Chapter 1

Once more, Theo tested the heavens and stepped back.

He should have been hungry for the strength that was within his grasp, since ascending to Stronghold would immediately make him a great power on the Norron continent. And yet, after hearing about all the terrible forces in the world, he knew that wouldn't be enough.

It had been about three months since their victory in the convocation, and in that time he had completed the pyramid atop his soulhome, including a cauldron for his ascension. He held off, in part because there was no urgency and in part because he was still working on his basement. It might not be reinforced by an ascension in the same way as normal floors, but it could definitely benefit, and based on his most recent conversation with Sartozi he had more work to do.

If he ascended now he would be a reasonably powerful Stronghold, someone capable of ruling his own House in Norro Yorthin or destroying a city. Probably stronger than many at the same tier... but he needed to be extraordinary. Reattaining the power he'd gained before would be inadequate compared to Vistgil and the threats he would ultimately face.

Maybe even the threats he would face in the near future. As Theo left the Blacksilver soulcrafting courtyard and flew over Norro Yorthin, he could feel the new tension in the air. There was less squabbling between Houses these days, everyone looking away from the walls fearfully. The Ruling Cities were at odds with the Asplundat Movement again, and worse than that, everyone knew that foreign adversaries from other continents were beginning to scout Norron.

Those in the air like him were especially nervous, since Authorities would be key soldiers if war really broke out. The people below were less impacted, but they felt the pressure as food grew more expensive and work became increasingly martial.

On his way back to the Blacksilver complex, Theo actually found himself wishing the others were there. They'd scattered to the winds, all needing to finish their own preparations. Nauda was fighting in the Dustwind Plateaus, keeping their borders stable, while Fiyu was engaging in her own training through the Ichili gate. They had all implicitly agreed to soulcraft until they were ready for Stronghold, because on a war of this scale, Authorities wouldn't be enough.

As he arced around a Fithan chariot, Theo caught sight of a red banner flapping below. The ragged standards still marked the edges of a House Crimson complex, but they appeared to be unoccupied. Last he'd fought on Fithe, the leader of the House - Wiltur - had been disgraced, but shouldn't it still be active? Shouldn't Tythes have taken over in his absence?

It was a matter that should be investigated, joining a very long list... except abruptly Theo realized that it would be foolish to go skulking around on his own. As much as being integrated with local organizations irritated him sometimes, it did have advantages, especially when it came to keeping track of everything across nine worlds.

When he returned to House Blacksilver he landed directly on the second floor balcony. The House had a dozen Authorities now, but one of them arriving was hardly trivial. Especially one of their three foreign Authorities, who everyone knew were more than ordinary members of the House.

Antha was currently speaking to some younger soulcrafters, showing them the book of materials. She glanced at Theo and he realized that he could have pushed his way to the front. Part of him still wanted to, since his business was unquestionably higher priority, but there was no urgency. He waved her off and sat down in a corner to get back to soulcrafting.

As soon as he closed his eyes, he was back in his soulhome, descending into the pleasantly cool basement. His walls were precisely carved and plated now, but the real fun lay inside. He was tempted to return to his central chamber and had to restrain himself: that sort of soulcrafting was best left to the courtyards, because it could have side effects. Better to focus on the work he could do while sitting in an office.

Theo walked to his westernmost room and returned to carving the basin he was preparing for the skyvenom. It was the most mysterious material in his soulhome, currently. Over time he'd extracted every bit of it from the sky and his soulhome via the coalrag, wringing the spiritual poison out into the basin. There it didn't impede him at all, just quietly radiated power.

He'd placed it in the western room because it was beneath his heavywater chamber. Both were liquids, which was a decent synergy for now, and so the skyvenom boosted his stamina a little. All evidence he'd gotten from Dave suggested that its real potential lay in manipulating ascensions, or perhaps enhancing other materials along the same lines. If he could really transform his basement into a workshop, the skyvenom could be an exceptional tool.

So far, he had yet to crack that problem. Hence the venom-enhancing basin, which would be portable in the future. Theo didn't get ahead of himself and just focused on his carvings, maximizing the effect of the skyvenom until he figured out how to use it fully.

It was so engaging that he was almost irritated when he was interrupted - the other soulcrafters had finished and Antha was free again. Forcibly switching his brain from soulcrafting tactics to political strategy, Theo stood up and went to speak to the administrator.

"What's our current intelligence on House Crimson?" Theo asked, belatedly realizing that this was probably the time for small talk, considering he hadn't seen Antha in some time.

"Our agents report contradictory and ambiguous information," she answered without skipping a beat. "Their reputation in Norro Yorthin was damaged by the incident, so some thought they'd fall apart. They split into several factions, but all of them are holding together. Even though Wiltur is missing, he has a loyal contingent spreading, providing mercenaries and other support across the Ruling Cities. We don't know where they're getting the resources from."

"So they're trying to become an inter-city organization, like the House of Coin?"

"You could say that. But it hasn't attracted too much attention, because House Blacksilver is effectively doing something similar. We're expanding almost faster than we can bear."

Theo had been thinking about Blacksilver mostly in military terms, but he realized that must come with a massively increased social presence as well. "What about Tythes?" he asked. "Surely he's been active."

"Active, yes. But..." Antha shrugged awkwardly. "He's just been hosting feasts, talking down Wiltur and the rest of the House. They say his drinking is getting worse. I don't know what their internal politics are like, but before he disappeared, Wiltur was still favoring an Authority named Roker."

Sometimes Theo forgot that not everyone know Tythes's true face. He nodded in acceptance, resolving to confer with Nauda later, and was about to deliver his cargo. There was a second purpose to coming here, after all... but it occurred to him that he shouldn't jump straight there.

"Thanks, Antha." Theo gave her a real smile. "Keep your ears open and let us know if they start to move."

"I will." She looked startled by his expression... which was probably deserved.

"Meanwhile, I have the newest shipment from Deuxan for you." Theo reached into his soulhome and pulled a silver-wrapped bundle from his storage chamber. "This is for Janne. I couldn't find her earlier, so I hope you can get it to her."

"Oh, we sent her to the Wavefront. But she asked about materials from Deuxan, so I'm sure she'll be happy to receive them."

"That isn't all, either."

Theo began unloading the lower quality materials he'd collected on Deuxan, feeling a bit like Santa Claus. Back on his first visit to the Nine Worlds he probably would have made a joke about that and annoyed everyone, but now he held his tongue. Truthfully, these weren't presents, they were a key component of both Blacksilver strategy and his own.

By agreeing to bring sublime materials from Deuxan, Theo had gained permanent access to one of House Blacksilver's Fithan weirkeys. No more having to be shuttled around or use the Nlukoko gate, which always wasted time. Even if weirkeys weren't falling into his lap like they did the first time, he was starting to regain inter-world mobility.

In this case, it meant a visit back to the Deuxan Courts. He'd conferred with Sartozi and the others about basements and spent a good bit of time with Victon - the young man had some insightful questions and was rapidly incorporating novel materials.

There was some kind of new court conflict there, several lesser convocations brought about in the aftermath of his own conflict. Theo was exceedingly glad to skate above them. Some of them were sub-Stronghold, so they wanted his commitment, but he'd had enough of Deuxan politics.

The materials he collected weren't anything remarkable for him or his allies, but they could be exceptional finds for weaker soulcrafters in House Blacksilver. Even if the organization was small compared to so many others, Theo thought he was right to keep supporting them. They needed contacts on Fithe, and not only because the war was impending.

Antha was grateful for his shipment but she didn't try to keep him, no doubt seeing the restlessness in his eyes. Theo stepped off the balcony and soared above the city, his mind shifting to higher conflicts. As he pierced through the vast whirlwinds above Norro Yorthin, his mind rose higher to cover the entire continent.

Peace held between the three major powers of the Norron continent: the Ruling Cities, the Asplundat Movement, and the Wavefront. He had yet to explore the last, since House Blacksilver had undertaken major negotiations with the Wavefront in his absence. The treaty with the Asplundat Movement was straining at the seams, as that was always the most unstable relationship.

Theo crested above the highest whirlwind and hovered there, examining the Fithan landscape around the city. Further out, beyond even his Authority-tier vision, there were immense threats. According to his best estimate, Plutalgion's empire could probably fight every power on the Norron continent at once and win.

Worse, Plutalgion himself was an aeon-class threat, beyond Dominion. The tier name "Ophaon" still stuck oddly in Theo's mind, unfamiliar in either life. That was the level of power Vistgil and his enemies played at, still beyond him.

For the first time, however, it was no longer unfathomably far overhead. He knew that Vistgil considered Plutalgion a real player, and he had some direct involvement in Norron in the form of Raythe Darkblade. That was still an unpleasant unknown in all Theo's plans, since Vistgil could be lurking around any corner, responsible for any action. A person could go mad seeing conspiracies in every coincidence, spiraling into endless spurious interpretations.

Theo took a deep breath and cleared his mind. His best guess was similar to what Dave had said: Vistgil either couldn't or didn't want to act directly, and so he used agents. As near as Theo could tell, no major powers wanted to act directly in Norron for fear of being struck by their rivals.

For example, there was probably no soulcrafter on the continent who could fight Plutalgion himself, but if he ran off to attack, his enemies would either strike Tymetron or ambush him once he spent cantae. Most likely it would be Giatrice of the Gold Wastes - Theo had checked on the region and confirmed that the other aeon-class soulcrafter was still holding Plutalgion in check.

That meant a proxy war, with every power using agents to try to control the region without spending their real strength. In the past it had been the Order of the Deepest Blue, and others still feared that the Asplundat Movement was being controlled. Theo wondered if the other inter-world organizations were involved as well, since Norron wasn't a complete backwater. If they had their own fingers in the conflict, he couldn't see deeply enough to spot them.

It bothered him not knowing the true shape of the conflict, especially with dangerous lethal organizations like the Salebrante supposedly involved. Technically he had "Emperor Dave" and the Mercury Court backing him, but they wouldn't fight this war for him.

How long had he been drifting over Norro Yorthin? Theo shook himself and fixed his coat lapels that had been disrupted by the wind, though it hadn't actually been too long. These months had passed in a flash because they were just so full... taking so many weirkeys for himself meant that he needed to stay in touch and transport others in order to be a good ally.

Even though he wanted to check in with Fiyu, she was currently beyond his reach because she had taken the gate to Ichil. Since she hadn't left a message with House Blacksilver she must still be on her own journey, which meant his next stop was Senka.

Theo arced away from Fithe with one weirkey, then arced back onto another continent. This had been a risk, but the northern half of this region was completely uninhabited except by beasts and demons. Dangerous for travelers, just not likely to threaten a weirkey-using soulcrafter.

Aside from the sun jumping position in the sky, he could feel the difference in the air and earth. The sand was deeper here, red dunes across uneven rocks contrasting with the dusty planes around Norro Yorthin. Massive furrows marred the ground as well, some empty and others filling with sand. Apparently during some seasons they flooded according to some exaggerated tidal system, which meant this area could rapidly change between dust and water. Both Dust and Depths Fithans had apparently decided that it wasn't worth the effort and left it alone.

Ignoring the landscape, Theo rose into the air and searched for the lake. It wasn't a permanent lake, just water that had been left stranded when the rivers retreated. They'd used it as a landmark, since it was visible for miles around, and the question was just finding...

No, never mind. Senka flopped on her back on a tiny raft, drifting in the middle.

Instead of risking his weight on the raft, Theo hovered down beside her. "Senka?"

"Stupid fish," she muttered, then suddenly sat bolt upright. "Fumpet!"

Her wild movement tipped her raft over and she plunged into the water, immediately thrashing wildly.

"Help Senka, fumpet!"

"Are you that bad off, or are you messing with me?" Theo gestured to cast an inverted gravitational field and lifted her out of the water. She promptly shook herself like a dog to dislodge the water, aiming for him, but he floated out of the way.

"I'm actually pretty tired." Senka shifted to her real voice and her eyes were bloodshot when they met his. "I really thought I could find one of the rivers, but I came up empty. I was going to try to search Siata, but I don't have it in me... can you take me there?"

"Nauda has that weirkey. We need to spread them out so we can all-"

"Yeah, yeah. In that case, just take me back so I can go bother the Blacksilver staff."

Theo chuckled and floated her close enough to grasp with his weirkey. He was much better at weirkeying back to Norro Yorthin than anywhere else, so they popped back into reality over the city. Senka slumped in the air, snoring loudly - either she was actually asleep or she was being obnoxious, but either way he dumped her off in the House Blacksilver complex.

She technically had greater mobility than any of them, but her curse severely hampered her ability to move between worlds. They'd tested and it seemed basically impossible for her to transport anyone else, plus her accuracy was troublingly low. On top of that, each jump drained her reserves, so they'd set up a system for him to take up half her burden while she searched.

Eventually the two of them were going to have to hunt for some caches, but for now she was obsessed with finding other rivers. He supposed that this was the time for her personal quest, since the invasion hadn't started yet.

With Senka dropped off, Theo jumped to the Dustwind Plateaus to check in with Nauda. Unfortunately, there he discovered that she was currently patrolling and had just left a message that the neutral zone remained stable. He would have enjoyed talking with her and really didn't want to spend time with the Dustwind Authority, an irritating man who wouldn't stop yammering. As soon as he had dropped off sublime materials for Nauda, Theo headed back out.

Should he go to check the Gold Wastes again? It worried him that Plutalgion and their other enemies were being limited mainly by a force he didn't know, but just visiting them didn't do much good.

As he thought, Theo realized he was running his fingers over the pale Noveni weirkey. He did have the option of returning to Ugustial and meeting with Isorales again, an option he often considered but hadn't yet taken. In the end, he put the Noveni weirkey away: better to return as a Stronghold, when he would have more leverage and could pick up the statues being soulcrafted by Isorales's uncle. He was needed in so many different locations, he couldn't run off to visit any place he felt like.

Instead, he pulled out the Slescan weirkey. He and Nauda shared it, but since it was his turn, it was time to visit the beetles.

He spun between worlds and emerged over Acidmount, which had grown since he'd last seen it. There were beetles moving along roads in every direction, including new raised pathways and what looked like an aqueduct. Soldier ants from the nearby colonies also moved about, but they seemed to be integrating with the population. That agreement was holding, at least.

The only question was how to find Krikree amid all the Slescans throughout the city. Then Theo heard a buzzing sound and remembered that wasn't a problem anymore.

"Theo-sister!" Krikree flew through the air at top speed, colliding with him and sending them both tumbling through the air. She eagerly grabbed his head with all four hands and flicked her antennae against him, ignoring the fact that they were spinning rapidly into the sky. "Theo-sister is back!"

"That's right." Theo managed to slow them down with a few gravitational fields and patted her back. "What have you been doing?"

"Krikree help beetles build fort! Come scout!" Krikree grabbed the front of his coat with two hands and tugged them through the air away from the city.

Even after months of practice she wasn't the most agile flier she'd seen, but she was fast. She seemed to hurl herself through the air, her cantae building up like a spring and then uncoiling in a violent burst. It only took two more jumps to take them away from the city to a dark blue pile of stones.

"Krikree scout rock types. Learn from Navim-thinkrock. Krikree help beetles gather rocks, Bluepetal-bigbeetle cut with acid, build fort..."

She continued to explain the details, but as Theo looked over the operation, it seemed clear enough. On one end of the field was a pile of truly enormous boulders that Krikree must have torn out of the earth somewhere. Local beetles were crawling over them, applying acid to cut them into cubes, each side taller than he was, which were then moved into a fortification and covered with a sort of plaster.

The plaster was the same type of mud the leafpuller beetles used everywhere, but the boulders were a defensive sublime material. Theo experimentally extended a gravitational field and was surprised by the mass of the stone. Krikree must have chosen them for their defensive properties, though he'd have to talk to her about why exactly she was building a fortress.

"This is all very impressive," Theo said as they floated over the construction.

"Fiyu-queen okay?" Krikree skittered onto his shoulder, peering from point black range. "Nauda-queen okay? Blacksilver beetles okay?"

"There are occasional attacks, and we think Plutalgion is hiring mercenaries, but no war yet."

"Then soulcraft! Krikree find sublime."

Insectoid hands pulled him down to the fortress, where they sat atop one of the uncoated cubes. Krikree crouched beside him, waiting for him to sit beside her, then began to pull sublime materials out of her home.

"Gravity materials for Theo-sister. Krikree scout many."

"These aren't bad." Theo looked over the materials, finding that most were gravity-related even if they weren't very strong. His basement still had some empty rooms, so he was hoping that he could fill them and begin working with sublime materials.

"And one more." Krikree skittered side to side, for the first time looking nervous. She reached into her soulhome and then thrust forward a strange green stone.

It was heavy and emanated Authority-tier cantae, but clearly wasn't gravitational. Since Theo trusted Krikree not to make scouting mistakes, he had to assume it was intentional... "Is this for you?"

"Armorstone," Krikree explained. "For queens, but Krikree find first. Problem: not strong enough. Krikree wants to be heavy."

"Heavy?" Theo tilted his head as he examined her, trying to reason through her logic. "You just assembled a lot of sublime materials that increase mass, so-"

"Not! Krikree is building nine new rooms, just like Theo-sister. Must choose materials very carefully."

"So you're saying this isn't quite what you want?"

"Theo-sister will fix." Krikree looked at him extremely seriously. "Theo-sister scouts basement, changing materials. Help Krikree?"

That was a tall order, since he was just beginning to develop his skills with fundamentally changing sublime materials. But if he couldn't imbue a material with mass, how could he think of refining them in any more complex ways? Plus, Krikree was looking at him with unquestioning confidence, and he really just wanted an excuse to get back to soulcrafting.

"Alright," Theo said as he pulled the stone into his basement. "Let's get started."