Deadgold: Chapters 6-7

Mostly Ichil stuff this week as the book keeps gearing up. As I mentioned before this book started, this one tries to really show that the story spans the Nine Worlds, even if the main conflict is focused on just one.

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Chapter 6

Theo thought he had a flexible mind, able to adapt to other worlds, but clearly he wasn't flexible enough to gladly throw himself into a freezing pitch-black ocean. He hadn't decided whether that was rigidity or just sanity.

He hovered by the shore as they prepared, stretching his gravitational senses as deep into the water as he could, as if that would convince his hindbrain that it was okay. The whole region was a relatively calm and peaceful one, by Ichili standards, and the water was just water. The points of mass reminded him that it was indeed occupied, though not by many large beasts near the surface. Still, something primordial within him didn't want to enter the dark waters where he could be attacked from any side.

When he generated enough light to see, it was far worse: the ocean was a floor of obsidian that stretched out forever, an inky blackness that made the rest of Ichil look welcoming.

"Throw yourself into the bottomless abyss already." Senka popped up behind him as if she was intentionally trying to scare him. "Come on, what could go wrong?"

"That is, loath as I am to say it, the plan." Theo turned in her direction even though he wasn't sure if it would do any good, determining her orientation more via sound than his gravitational senses. "How are you seeing, by the way?"

"Super-vision!" Senka's mass shifted and he guessed that she was puffing out her chest, and likely grinning. "My eyes project subtle cantae that mimics normal sight... though actually, it's a much less elegant method than Ichili senses. Back in my day, we tended to just brute force solutions."

"Is that really brute force? Seems like an interesting way to achieve vision in a lightless area."

"Nah, it's just demanding that everything work the same way instead of adapting to conditions. With overwhelming power, you can get away with it. If you have enough power, you can convince yourself that it's some sort of transcendence."

"Hmm. Would you say that was characteristic of the past era, or just your faction?"

"Ugh, you're taking this seriously." Senka floated closer and whacked his shoulder. "I was just urging you to throw yourself into danger so that you can get this over with and go back to helping me, the most important person. I haven't found a new river in forever."

"I'm sorry about that." Theo could hear the frustration behind her sarcasm and simply responded sincerely. "I've stretched myself too thin, trying to keep up with Guchiro and Blacksilver and everything else. That means I haven't done right by you, even though I promised t-"

"Ugh, I can't believe I wasted my 'ugh' earlier. Stop being so sincere and just tell me to go sporp myself."

"I would never do that, Senka." Theo reached out and managed to grip her shoulder. "You shouldn't devalue yourself, Senka. You are an important and valued person, Senk-"

She bit his hand, sharp little teeth needling into his skin. They couldn't break it thanks to his physical reinforcement, so Theo only laughed and tried to shake her off. Senka grabbed his wrist and locked in, muffled curses emerging between bites.

"Really, though," he said, "do you have any suggestions for us?"

"Not exactly." Senka pulled back as if she hadn't just been trying to deglove his hand. "This whole region of Ichil seems like it's more subtle than dangerous, the type of place where the weak just can't appreciate it, not one where they'll die instantly. But beneath the water? That's an entirely different ecosystem, and it changes depending on how deep you intend to go. Impossible to say."

Before Theo could think of a way to inquire further, they were interrupted by Guchiro and Fiyu arriving. There was still no light at all, but Theo felt that they were each wearing a secondary mass, plus Fiyu carried a third, so he extended his hand to accept it and found himself taking a strange combination of plates, tubes, and what felt like a fibrous bubble.

"This is our equipment for the dive," Guchiro explained tersely. "I trust you to figure out the details, and that your Corporeal chambers are enough to resist the pressure."

"So we're going to be completely wet," Theo said as he figured out the armament. One of the curving plates would cover his face and there was a rubbery section for his mouth, but there was no bladder for air, which had to be coming from one of the sublime materials in the central mass.

"The two of you will, but my stealth technique can also be used as an exclusion zone now."

"That will also be our method of conferring," Fiyu added. "We hope everything will go according to plan, but if it is necessary to reconvene, my relative can create a bubble for us to communicate."

"Light is inadvisable, and obviously verbal communication is impossible," Guchiro said. "Hand signals should still work, but our linguistic ability there is limited. Let me give you the basics..."

As they discussed the exact details of their descent, Theo focused on the soulcrafting and found his concern melting away in the growing enthusiasm. The armaments were a truly clever bit of construction that fused together materials that generated oxygen with others that held tight against the skin, creating an impressive diving helmet.

Guchiro's technique was even more impressive, in its way, since he seemed to be forming some sort of aura around himself that would repel the water. It was the sort of thing that sounded simple in theory but was tricky in practice. Just as Senka had said, simply shrugging off the effects of the water was a brute force tactic compared to truly reacting. Theo couldn't help but speculate about the chambers that would be required to execute such a thing: it wasn't simply projecting force, yet just running off the body's natural shape wasn't an easy solution either.

God, he loved soulcrafting.

Eventually they had no choice but to leave behind Senka and Janne - judged too great a risk given the environment - and venture into the water. Theo felt another surge of instinctive panic as he went under the surface, but once he adjusted, it wasn't much worse than the darkness above the surface. Either way, he was relying on his gravitational senses, which were actually more reliable than his eyes when it came to being sure the ocean around them was clear.

It was cold, of course, and he would have been experiencing hypothermia if his acclimatization chamber hadn't been so reinforced on the way to Stronghold. As it was, he was able to forget about that, and even able to push aside the fact that he was descending into crushing darkness. All that mattered was focusing on doing his job.

Each of them had a specific role to play, using their unique senses to scan the environment for threats. Guchiro had apparently known about the potential value of this ocean for years, but even among his allies, he didn't have reliable backup until recently. Fiyu's senses, similar but not identical to his own, served to pick out subtle threats. Theo's job was to identify a sort of hard bony fish that moved at great speed, so his mass-based senses with their extreme range were what made the trip practical.

For the first part of the descent, there was nothing in particular that threatened them. Theo could sense a few masses that he estimated were fish or eel-shaped creatures, though his senses weren't fine-tuned at these sizes. Just animals, not so dangerous even on Ichil.

When they got deeper, he suddenly felt Guchiro's arm shift in a stop signal. Even though he sensed nothing, Theo froze in place... and his heart almost stopped as he realized there was a vast cloud ahead of them, almost like a diffuse jellyfish, so lacking in mass that he hadn't realized.

However Guchiro had noticed it, he extended lines of darkness and shredded it before signaling for them to move on. As they did, Theo forced himself to breathe steadily and redoubled his focus, determined not to miss something like that again. Even if a place like this was supposed to require multiple Ichili to navigate, he couldn't let himself make mistakes like that.

Just when he was starting to think that his presence was unnecessary, Theo felt it: a dense point of mass moving at great speed toward them. He instantly reacted, releasing a bolt of black cantae to intercept. His primary goal was to mark the target, but he'd hoped that he could eliminate the threat. It was disconcerting when the fish pushed through the cantae bolt and sped up, on them in an instant.

Fiyu had been warned by his signal, however, and her cantae blade cut the fish in half as it arrived. Even so, she was only barely ahead of its shocking speed, which Theo found a bit unnerving. Afterward she shifted in his direction and gave him the affirmative arm signal, then repeated it enthusiastically.

Sensing the vigor of her movements, Theo couldn't help but feel that she was giving him the Ichili equivalent of a thumbs-up with all of the cheesy implications. Well, it was good that she was happy.

With their combined abilities, the three of them descended deeper into the ocean. Along the way there were only two more of the lightning-fast fish, but each one of them struck with such great speed that Theo needed to be on high alert at all times. Fiyu and Guchiro drew the remnants of the sublime beasts they killed into bags, and he wasn't sure if it was because their bodies could be used as sublime materials or to avoid leaving remains that might attract more predators.

At last Guchiro gave a different signal: the indicator for a sublime material. He moved lower and his power expanded in a sphere, though Theo still wasn't certain why, since he hadn't sensed anything. When he touched the side of the sphere it felt more solid than the usual stealth technique, but permeable enough for him to enter, and he passed into a bubble of air.

Perversely, the sphere felt more claustrophobic than actually being surrounded by the oppressive water. He was suddenly aware that there was nothing but a dark abyss on all sides, which would slam in on them if Guchiro released his technique. It got worse when Fiyu entered and, in an effort to be encouraging, created a small cantae light: that only reinforced the fact that there were three of them in a tiny bubble of air within the ocean.

"We've reached the necessary depth," Guchiro explained, "and now we need to seek appropriate materials. Detritus falls from above, and sometimes the pressure converts sublime materials into more potent forms."

"This is where you might find something for yourself, Theo," Fiyu told him. "There are so many materials based on darkness or pressure, surely you can find something appropriate."

Theo didn't want to remove his mask, not with so much water around them, so he only bobbed his head like an Ichili. It seemed like they were going to operate as a submarine from this point on, moving subtly at this depth and seeking out materials. At first Theo thought their search was coming up empty, since he didn't sense anything in particular, but then Guchiro pulled an odd mote of darkness into their sphere.

Whatever it was, it didn't have any mass, though at close range Theo could feel the intense cantae. It seemed to be fundamentally a type of darkness, so Fiyu and Guchiro discussed whether it was valuable enough in low voices. Apparently it wasn't what Guchiro was looking for, but Fiyu thought she might be able to use it.

Meanwhile, Theo stretched his senses further, letting his gravity encompass the entire area. He felt something massive shift in the darkness below and instinctively flinched back before forcing himself to examine it. The shape was more like a whale than anything, but that didn't mean it was harmless. Fortunately, it seemed to be swimming on its own journey through the dark ocean.

While he was on edge imagining more threats in the darkness, Theo suddenly felt it: the resonance of a deep pressure. At this point it had more to do with intuitive cantae senses than his gravitational sense, but when he gestured and they moved in that direction, he began to get a better feel for it.

Once they got close, Guchiro halted, and he was right to do so: if they tried to pull this sublime material into their bubble, it would likely be destroyed. Instead Theo steeled himself and pushed back out, feeling for the strange mass.

It seemed to be a sort of ice, fallen from the surface and compressed into a denser crystalline form by the intense pressure. What mattered more was that it was perfectly aspected to both darkness and pressure, which was more than suited to his soulhome. The only tricky part was that it seemed like it could only survive in this pressurized environment; he could bend the rules a little in his soulhome, but not stop it from exploding prematurely.

When Theo slipped into his soulhome, he had a moment of shocking disorientation to suddenly be surrounded by light and a blue sky. That could have been comforting, yet it only drove home that his real body was in the middle of a lightless ocean. He rapidly grabbed one of his chests for containing materials and added a few plates of sublime stone that exuded pressure, previously forged on his anti-mass anvil. As soon as he was done, he scooped up the ice and placed it directly into the chest, and even then he barely got it closed before the material exploded.

He slipped back inside the bubble, where Fiyu and Guchiro were examining another material, some sort of sublime starfish. They looked toward him, and didn't respond to his ambivalent signal, so he reluctantly pulled the breathing armament from his face.

"This is what I needed," Theo said. "Are you still looking for more?"

"I am content." Fiyu bobbed her head and looked between them. "How much more are we likely to find?"

"I haven't found my goal yet." Guchiro folded his arms across his chest and stared downward, as if he could see deeper into the abyss. "There is, in theory, an oceanic material that would be compatible with my darkness-generating technique. But so far I have not found a single instance of it, even at a weaker tier. I don't know how common they can be, even here, and the risk will increase."

"We can keep going as far as I'm concerned." Theo shrugged as if it didn't matter, even though it meant more to him than he wanted to admit. It was his priorities that had made Guchiro miss his opportunity with the divine ice, so he felt like he needed to pay the older Ichili back for all his support.

"I agree," Fiyu said cheerfully. "We have done well thus far and I believe we can keep exploring."

Guchiro unfolded his arms and rolled his neck before speaking. "We proceed, but maintain caution."

They descended further and the zone beneath them began to empty out, as if even Ichili life couldn't survive here. Theo remained alert for more fast-moving threats, but nothing emerged. At one point Guchiro paused, frowned, and then signaled for them to continue without the bubble, so they continued in the suffocating darkness again. That was almost easier, freeing Theo from his limited sight to focus on his senses that actually worked down here.

He was the one to sense it: a dense mass far below. Theo thought it might be an undersea mountain at first, until his senses gradually uncovered what seemed to be a floating mass. As if a boulder had been thrown into the ocean and simply hung there... no, he realized, it was a stone compressed by the pressure. Just the sort of thing that Guchiro had hinted he was interested in.

When Theo signaled the direction, the others followed with caution. They seemed to relax when their senses picked up the stone as well, still suspended in the depths as if anchored by its own power. As they got closer, Theo could feel an intense source of cantae, definitely a Dominion-tier material, just muffled by the stone around it.

Guchiro floated next to the side, one hand against the boulder, then formed another bubble. This time Theo entered automatically at the same time as Fiyu.

"This is what I need," Guchiro said, "but I can't extract the entire mass."

"What is this outer stone?" Fiyu asked. "It seems to hold it in place, and also suppre-"

"Apologies, but this isn't the time for a lesson. We need to extract this quickly, but carefully. I'll close the bubble after this. Remain still, remain alert, do not use even darklight. With luck, nothing will notice us and we can weirkey out as soon as I have extracted the material."

Since he seemed so sense, they simply nodded in agreement. Then the bubble was gone and they were back in the ocean, clustered around the only point of stone in the endless water. Guchiro began to extend lines of darkness into the rock, trying to fracture it with the utmost delicacy.

Meanwhile Theo extended his senses, trying to figure out what had the older Ichili so tense. It wasn't long before he began to feel larger masses: there were things moving down there, larger and stronger than the sublime beasts they'd encountered so far. Just how sensitive to pressure and vibrations would such creatures be?

None of them seemed interested, however, and Theo couldn't remain tense forever. Instead he paid attention to the extraction process, which involved chipping away the outer stone. It was a construction material, utterly useless in a soulhome but likely good for crafting durable buildings in the real world. This one in particular seemed to suppress cantae, which had made the stone hard to sense except for its mass. Fiyu was gathering up the fragments, either for later use or to keep the area clear.

It all seemed to be going smoothly when a fragment of rock suddenly broke unexpectedly. A crack rang out through the water, deafening after so long in the aphotic silence. That break revealed the core sublime material within the stone... and it also resounded below, leading to shifting in the deeps.

Even with his large scale senses, Theo could sense the change in his allies: Fiyu froze up while Guchiro began to work more rapidly. There was something moving toward them, not from the deepest oceans but from the side, slicing through the water with speed that nearly rivaled the bony fish.

Theo instinctively cast a horizontally-oriented gravitational field, but though the sublime beast was thrown off, with water on all sides the field wasn't as effective as he'd hoped. The shark-like form flashed just past them, missing by only a few feet, and twisted in the water to face them again.

Fiyu acted second, moving beside the beast as it twisted and unleashing a spike of darkness directly into its side. She skewered it, yet that wasn't enough to kill the beast. Theo took a ragged breath on the armament in his mouth and wondered if a singularity would be disastrous underwater...

Fortunately, almost shockingly after so long fighting murderous demons, the shark-like creature twisted in pain and then began to swim away. It was just an animal, after all, and it wouldn't attack prey that didn't seem worth it. Theo would have sighed in relief, except he realized that there was now blood in the water, and he could sense larger things moving in the depths.

There was no time for complex discussions, Theo just acted: he cast a gravitational field surrounding all of them, dropping them upward. It would have been a risk before, but it was too late for stealth now. The outer stone might resist cantae, but it wasn't immune to gravity, even down here, so they began to rise.

Not nearly as fast as the vast uncoiling entities below did.

The first thing to reach them was a mass of tentacles that seemed to have no central body, undulating in such a way that gravitational fields could do nothing to stop its advance. When one tentacle lashed out at them, Fiyu severed it, but that didn't drive off the beast; indeed, Theo could feel the split sections of the tentacle still lashing out toward them.

They fought together, trying to drive the beast back with whatever they could. Even Guchiro needed to take a hand once, pulling his attention away from the extraction process to unleash a scythe of darkness that sliced many of the tentacles in half.

That almost let them get the upper hand, and Theo applied his disorientation skill at full power, trying to tear apart the spongy mass of the sublime beast. It thrashed in pain, something within it distorting... but one of the remaining tentacles lashed out at Fiyu.

Of course she severed it as it moved toward her, but the severed tentacle kept thrashing, wrapping around her shoulder. Fiyu's body shook in pain and Theo reacted on instinct, propelling himself toward her. He tore off the tentacle even as he unleashed a torsion bolt with his other hand, the spinning bolt tearing deep into the central mass of the tentacles, driving it back.

But in his haste, Theo had failed to mask his technique. The light from the cantae flickered through the depths, the light illuminating writhing masses and sightless eyes before being suffocated.

The darkness returned, and with it movement. There were creatures swimming toward them from all directions now, some swift and sharp, others wide and formless, and beneath them all, a far vaster mass, something Theo's senses could barely wrap around as it shuddered to life...

They couldn't fight so many sublime beasts, not even if they weren't in the middle of the ocean. Theo had automatically increased the cantae flow to his gravitational field, trying to force them up even faster, but it wouldn't be enough. Fiyu had recovered from the tentacle's sting, thankfully, but she gripped his arm, as nervous as he was.

If they unleashed their full techniques, would that make things worse? Could it get any worse? Theo didn't want to see what would be illuminated if Fiyu used her lightstorm underwater like this, but they might not have a choice.

The denizens of the deep swarmed after them... then a resounding crack exploded through the waters. Theo had an instant to realize that Guchiro had struck the stone violently. His hand plunged through the shell, there was a flash of light, then suddenly the world fell away.

He had never relished the disorientation of weirkey travel so much.

When they reemerged, they were floating in the air above the ocean. Still in darkness, but just feeling empty air around them instead of the ocean was an incredible relief, and Theo practically tore the breathing armament off his face to take a deep breath.

As his eyes adjusted, he realized that it wasn't actually completely dark as it should have been: there was a reddish light glowing from beside him. Guchiro was holding a fist-sized stone in his hand, which cast cantae in all directions. In other contexts it might have been looked ominous, but Theo was just glad to see his allies alive and well. Fiyu hung in the air, entire body loose, but when she removed her mask she was smiling.

"That was what you needed, yes?" she asked.

"It is fortunate that we never attempted this before now," Guchiro said as he examined the glowing stone, "but yes."

"Very good. Thank you for going with us, Theo... I imagine that you have had enough of Ichil for a long time, now?"

Theo found himself smiling too, despite the abyssal nightmare beneath them. "I've had enough of the deep ocean, but I'm not done with Ichil just yet."

-

Chapter 7

The child she had once been might have been traumatized, but Fiyu found herself as free as air, as warm as a dark home. She had always known that the world contained terrible dangers, so the only difference after their undersea experience was that she knew she could survive them.

After they had confirmed all of the sublime materials, they had picked up Associate Senka and Associate Janne in order to take them to their impromptu next destination. Fiyu thought it was wonderful that Friend Theo had been thinking of Ally Navim, so she urged Relative Guchiro to find a good location, but fortunately her relative already felt obligated after the two of them had helped him acquire such a dangerous material.

That brought them to Northlight City, which was another place that would once have been troublesome to Fiyu. The city sat in one of the northernmost regions before the great ice, placed atop a thermal vent. A great membrane rose over the entire city, trapping the warmth and as a byproduct producing a soft blue light that inundated everything.

Now, of course, Fiyu had endured far harsher light. She was more interested in the inhabitants, who had unusually large eyes, more circular than she had seen anywhere in the Nine Worlds, gaping out from their heads. No doubt they could see extremely well, even in the low light of smaller thermal vents, but she wondered how terrible the suns of other worlds would be to them.

Because Northlight City was a relatively safe environment, they were able to split up and to pursue their own errands. She had already done enough for herself, and had her gift for Friend Nauda, so Fiyu was happy to tag along with Friend Theo as he investigated various gemstone stores.

For some reason, her companion seemed distracted. As they left one store, walking along a raised pathway that glowed with internal heat, she moved closer to him.

"Is all well?" she asked over his shoulder. "Are these gemstones not sufficient for Navim?"

"There are plenty that might do, I'm just being perfectionist." Friend Theo glanced back at her with a distracted smile. "No, I'm actually thinking about the city. According to the last merchant, they actually have a Dominion here, to deal with the major threats this far north. I don't suppose there's any chance we could convince an Ichili to join us on Fithe?"

"No, they would all have their own obligations. My relative is the only Ichili Dominion you are likely to be able to convince."

"Not even from other nomadic groups?"

"Their numbers are smaller, so each of their powerful soulcrafters is even more important." Fiyu shook her head sadly. "No, I fear that it is easier to find materials here than allies. Are you so worried for the war?"

"I'm just thinking about the balance of power." Theo lowered his voice as they left the walkway and entered another street, searching for appropriate stores. "Once Nauda ascends, I think we can win against any set of Strongholds, likely even take on a Dominion. But Tymetron has a major army, and if Plutalgion isn't the only aeon-class force they have..."

"I agree it is concerning, but... Navim first, yes?"

"Yes, of course. That's why we're here."

This agreement restored Fiyu's good cheer, and she enjoyed looking through a store filled with sublime gemstones. She actually discovered a number of dark stones that would have been wonderful for her soulhome, except now they were too weak. Though she might want to remake her mask again, and Ally Navim might even be the one she asked, she would need better sublime materials.

Searching for a material for him, however, was strangely nostalgic. Soulcrafting had been easier when she had been able to walk into a store and select from a great many materials that could be purchased with simple money. Now only extraordinary merchants could offer anything she could use, their wares were always more idiosyncratic, and their prices more dire than universal craftgems.

By the time they were done, Friend Theo had chosen three sapphires: all perfect as far as Fiyu could determine, but this would give Ally Navim a choice. The price for all three was basically trivial to them now, when they could travel across so many worlds so easily, but she had a warm feeling that Friend Theo would have ignored the expense even if it had taxed him.

"I wish we could stay longer," Fiyu said wistfully as they went to meet the others. "This place, bright as it is, holds many wonderful secrets. We could spend a year here."

"A lifetime," Friend Theo said with a shrug. "But we have to choose eventually, and we chose Norro Yorthin."

"Oh, I am aware. But if we can bring everyone through the war, I look forward to traveling together again."

Of course Friend Theo was too focused on logistics, but Fiyu floated after him, still content. No matter how great the threat ahead of them might be, they would be able to face it together. Even where she fell short, she could trust her companions to cover for her, just as companions should.

She almost hoped they might have a little more time as they waited for the others, but it seemed like all their other companions had finished their work first. They had gathered together in one of the softly pulsing squares, ready to weirkey back to Fithe, which was a disappointment. Fiyu sighed and readjusted her mask to prepare for the return to the blinding sunlight.

"I need to check in with some contacts," Relative Guchiro said tersely. "There are some factors that are progressing faster than I expected."

"Of course you can," Friend Theo responded, "but you know the war is heating up."

"I'll check in later. If Tymetron is really sending its top soulcrafters, I'll act. For now, I'm needed here."

It was a shame to leave Relative Guchiro, but even that couldn't bring Fiyu's mood down. She gave him a quick embrace, then they separated. Associate Janne shifted to stand beside her, while Associate Senka flopped across Friend Theo's shoulder, babbling in her child-like mode. Whatever she had done, she apparently needed to recover her energy now.

Friend Theo handed Fiyu the Ichili weirkey, which was kind but unnecessary, and she took them between worlds. After the brief disorientation of the twisting, they returned to Fithe... and Fiyu received a wonderful surprise: it was currently night. She could have endured the sunlight, of course, but it was so much more pleasant to be floating above Norro Yorthin in darkness. All the lights of the city, which would once have been intimidating, were now a welcoming sight.

"I'm going to go check in with Navim," Friend Theo said, "but we'll meet at the State of Rest, alright?"

"Yes, of course." Fiyu nodded gladly, not concerned about delaying the reunion of the three for a little longer. Besides, she thought that Associate Janne had something to say, so she floated down toward the city more slowly than she otherwise might have.

"Thank you for taking me to Ichil," Associate Janne said. "The materials I found there... I would have had to fight entire Houses for those on Fithe."

"Traveling between worlds makes soulcrafting much easier." Fiyu didn't think it would be appropriate to touch Associate Janne, since they didn't know one another well, but she felt comfortable enough with the other woman to give her a smile. "You must be close to ascending, yes? Soon House Blacksilver will have another Stronghold."

"I don't know about that. I have quite a few materials, but that ascension is a rough one. I know more people who tried and failed than actually made it through... actually, the only ones I really know are Dhan and your group."

"You can do it, Janne. I am sure that you can."

Still overflowing with goodwill, Fiyu traveled on alone, seeking out one particular person in the city. Thankfully, it didn't take her long to find Friend Nauda: she was soulcrafting in one of the usual courtyards, even at this late hour. Fiyu descended to meet her and was pleased when Friend Nauda instinctively left her soulhome, rising to greet her.

"Fiyu. Glad you're safe." Friend Nauda reached out to her and, though it was a bit forward, Fiyu reached out and touched her forearms as they came together. The sheer warmth of the other woman, especially when Nauda's strong fingers gripped back, was overwhelming.

"Everything went well, Nauda. I want to tell you about all of it."

"I missed you, Fiyu. I... know it wasn't long, but..."

"I have something for you." Unable to contain herself any longer, Fiyu brought her prepared material from her soulhome. "This is called an igneousroot, and it took me a full two months to acquire it, even with my relative's help. But it is an extraordinary material, with both light and heat aspects. It would fit in your life chamber, wouldn't it?"

For a moment Friend Nauda paused, and Fiyu's breath caught in her throat. The two of them had worked together for long enough, she was confident that she could make intuitive judgments about her companion's soulhome. But if she couldn't, if she had been presumptuous and chosen a poor material...

"This is amazing." Friend Nauda took the glowing root from her, and Fiyu's heart glowed nearly as brightly. "This might be the last thing I need."

"Wonderful! You're so close, I'm sure you must want to ascend. Let me know if you need anything else, Nauda."

"Right. Of course." Friend Nauda smiled at her, with that astonishing warmth she always managed, and then the two of them separated just a little.

After all the intimacy, the cool night air was just what Fiyu needed. She didn't want to suffocate her dear companion, or to interfere with her soulcrafting, so she only chatted for a while longer before leaving the other woman to her work. When Fiyu returned to her room, fully satisfied, she slept like the dead.

~

Alone in the courtyard, Nauda tightened her grip around the igneousroot.

It was a perfectly chosen material, of course. Immensely potent, with cantae more powerful than many Authorities could handle, which was a sign of Fiyu's trust in her. The hot life energy would blend well with the rest of her soulhome, and the intensity of it would balance the bones from Theo on the other side. With this, her Authority floor was full to bursting and she could contemplate her ascension, so this was excellent news from a soulcrafting perspective.

And that wasn't enough.

Nauda ground the igneousroot into her soulhome, leaving her hand free to hold her wrist where Fiyu had touched it. They had been separated for so long, and Fiyu had clearly been thinking about her the entire time, but that just made things worse. When they had met again Nauda had wanted to sweep the other woman into her arms, and they had barely brushed against one another.

Churning with contradictory emotions, Nauda forced herself to sit down and get back to work. In the weeks since Krikree had given her the wardstone, Nauda had perfected her staff tower, so she had moved on to working with Theo's gift. She'd built up plenty of supporting materials and done some additional polishing, but the exact nature of the igneousroot would require a little adjustment.

Once she actually arranged the two of them, however, she was even more confident that it would work. All she needed to do was build supporting materials for the igneousroot and both chambers would be complete and balanced. Beyond that... she would struggle to come up with excuses not to ascend, because there was only polishing left. Maybe she would need to find a way to develop sublime lacquer to coat some of the wooden elements of her life chamber.

None of it helped. Even as she soulcrafted, Nauda was constantly thinking about Fiyu.

She never doubted that she had made the right choice, and being with the other woman still filled her with joy, but how long could this go on? They had been courting for years now, long after a Tatian relationship would have moved forward.

Old instincts still told her that she was making a mistake, holding back and potentially losing the relationship due to inaction, even as she intellectually reminded herself that Fiyu was Ichili and operated differently. But Nauda wasn't. She didn't think that she could endure an entire decade of courtship not even kissing the other woman.

For now, she could stuff it all down. It was silly to be worried over relationships when there was a war on, especially since it seemed like the conflict could heat up at any moment. Besides, Nauda was still a tier behind and so close to Stronghold, she shouldn't distract any of them. It made perfect logical sense to ascend first.

But she remembered clearly that they had agreed to wait until they both reached Authority, and now that they were there, she was moving the goal line yet again.

Immediately her imagination brought to mind an image of the two of them as elderly women, with Guchiro telling them that they could marry if they just reached Seraphaon. Yet the image wasn't funny, not at all. She might be stereotyping the Ichili, but there was a hard core of frustration there. Hadn't she been patient enough?

Nauda took a deep breath, forced herself to think of nothing, and returned to soulcrafting.