by Sarah Lin
The first of the books was a collection of Tatian fairy tales, nearly useless. It described Elghiera as a plucky traveler having adventures across the Nine Worlds, except the writer clearly had little experience with them. One part had Mundhin eating rocks, which might be a misunderstanding, but it had silly ideas about Noven being a world floating in the clouds, and the sections on Aathal were laughable.
Next, however, he began delving into historical resources. He felt a slight twinge in his soul as he needed to concentrate on the new language, a much older form of a Tatian tongue. The languages he'd learned on Earth mapped well enough for him to be able to read the texts, but there were occasional words he struggled with.
From the historical texts, he got a sense that Elghiera was a figure who was likely real, but there was severe disagreement about his home world. Some even suggested that he was from a world beyond the Nine, though the author suggested those sources were disreputable.
What everyone agreed upon was that Elghiera had been a soulcrafter of extraordinary power, capable of facing down nations and forging new paths through the worlds. Tales like that were what made Theo believe that he couldn't have seen the heights of power. The strongest people he'd known were Dominion-tier soulcrafters, and they had considerable power, but they couldn't reshape the worlds.
All of that was similar to any mythological figure, but Theo was struck by a note included off-hand in one of the oldest books: apparently Elghiera had attempted to train proteges. Legend said that he could grant them unusual growth, but the author of the text discounted such rumors. There seemed to be no way to find the truth, as most agreed that Elghiera had entered a war against an unknown power and every trace of his work had been destroyed or lost to time.
He knew for certain that Vistgil had given both him and Magnafor strange artifacts when they arrived, and Magnafor had called them Artifacts of Elghiera. The ring itself had helped him a number of times, and Theo thought it enhanced his soulcrafting, but he wasn't completely sure beyond that. But if Vistgil had stopped to take the ring back from him, it must matter.
It was easy to theorize that Vistgil had somehow acquired these ancient artifacts, but why give them to arrivals from Earth? Though Theo suspected that it had been used to track him, there would have been easier ways to accomplish that.
Theo sat in silence for a time, trying to peel back unnecessary assumptions. Two people from Earth had been given artifacts, but that didn't establish enough of a pattern to be sure. He'd need to scour all the Nine for more information, less about the historical Elghiera and more about how the artifacts had been used since then. If Vistgil really had control of something so ancient and powerful, then his use of the artifacts must be serving some greater purpose.
Though he didn't expect much, Theo continued reading every page of the stack of books he'd been given, just in case they hid any critical details. Deep within the sphere and engrossed in his reading, he almost didn't hear when the screams started.
Chapter 5
Navigating markets was second nature to Nauda, the habits drilled into her during her childhood. She had grown up in far more hostile environments, so the mildly unfriendly Nlukoko market was no trouble. With her staff ahead of her, she could part the crowds, and she made sure to broaden her movements to create a wake for Fiyu to follow her.
It was remarkable how Fiyu could be utterly lacking in self-consciousness in some ways, yet the opposite in others. She took excellent care of her hair, brushing it out every morning before returning it to the large braid down her back. Whenever she moved, she made sure to carefully organize the many overlapping pieces of cloth in her robes. Yet she seemed utterly unconcerned with her stance, and if she ever smudged her clothes or face with dust, she didn't even seem to notice.
At the moment it seemed that Fiyu was attempting to completely wipe her presence from the market, following as close as she could without touching. When they turned aside to one of the stalls, she immediately stepped between Nauda and one of the poles holding up the canopy, then shrank in on herself.
She looked so miserable that Nauda wanted to hold her close, yet she struggled to restrain her impulse because it would only upset Fiyu. After everything she had experienced, Nauda thought that she understood many different cultures, but the more she came to know people from other worlds, the more she saw the similarities.
In any case, her past was irrelevant. What mattered now was Nlukoko and the sublime materials it had to offer. She didn't share Theo's paranoia, but with Archcrafter finally within sight, she could agree with his priorities.
With limited money, she'd been choosy with her purchases. Even though they'd been through two markets, she'd only acquired a little mud from the lake that would serve as excellent mortar for any of them. This stall didn't have anything that stood out to her either, but when she started to turn away, the owner touched her arm.
"You're obviously a discerning woman, if nothing in my stall can catch your eye." His thumb squeezed in a friendly fashion, an imitation of village community so overt that it wasn't even deception. "But I have some hidden stock, and I know all the best merchants. What are you looking for?"
"A sublime wood that's light-weight, but durable enough to endure an ascension," Nauda said. Though normally she resisted communal honesty, wanting to ascend was such a banal goal that there was no harm in revealing it.
"Then I have just the thing! A dear cousin of mine runs a large store for soulcrafters, with many excellent materials."
"Please pardon me, I am but a poor villager. I doubt I can afford such fine goods."
"Oh, the store might be a bit rich for you, but sublime woods aren't so expensive! I can get you a discount... because I'll get a commission, heheh. Just wait a moment and this will benefit us both!" With that, the owner turned back, hollering for his wife to take over the stall.
While he arranged his business, Fiyu leaned closer, her voice barely escaping the folds of her hood. "Nauda, are you sure we can trust him?"
Though Nauda smiled reassuringly on instinct, restraining a hand, she wondered at the depths of Fiyu's suspicion. Nauda had seen unrestrained violence and corrupt communities, but she wasn't as suspicious as Fiyu or even Theo. As she saw the world, most people were essentially following the course of the river, trustworthy in their own self-interest if nothing else. Fiyu treated every single stranger as if they were raving and flailing with a blood-covered spear.
"Recommending customers to relatives is very common," Nauda reassured in a similar whisper. "If there's nothing suitable for us, we can just leave."
"I see." Fiyu was nearly inaudible, but nodded her agreement.
When the stall owner squirmed his bulk around the side, he grasped Nauda's arm and pulled her into the crowd. It was an appropriately tight grip for the density, but Nauda patted his arm to suggest he loosen it. The man did so without thinking about it, instead telling them of the wonders they would find at his cousin's store.
It proved to be a larger building built atop a wooden platform fashioned in the shape of a lotus. One of many that Nauda had skipped, assuming that it contained primarily expensive materials for Archcrafters. Once inside, the stall owner patted her shoulder and went to find his cousin.
While she waited, Nauda cataloged the inhabitants of the store. Seventeen people, all soulcrafters, including eight foreigners not counting Fiyu. Six Deuxans, one Fithan, and one of uncertain origin. Fiyu continued to creep behind her, regarding them all with equal suspicion.
"So this is the young soulcrafter!" The cousin who owned the shop proved to be a tall Archcrafter with a booming voice, his robes so elaborate they flouted any notion of village humility. "I have just the thing for you... behold these branches, light and yet springy!"
He presented her with a stick that appeared to be the trunk of a narrow tree, a few branches shorn off. Nauda tested it carefully and found that it bent without breaking, actually living up to the claims. The bark felt strong as well, likely able to
survive the pressure in her soulhome, at least long enough for her to ascend. Yes, if she bound them together into a self-reinforcing tower...
"You see the quality, yes? Nothing less for a new friend!" The owner put an arm around her shoulders and tapped the branch, treating her like a village rube who had a child's understanding of community. "Take this one as a token of my esteem, but you need more, yes? I can sell a great many to you."
"Your generosity humbles me." Nauda handed the stick back as she did, calling his gift into question without making herself too obvious. "I do not know if my modest funds can afford it, but how many of these would create a tower of my own height?"
"Oh, only a few bundles, within your soulhome, but you'll need more than that!" The shop owner gestured to his cousin, who presented another bundle obsequiously. "One or two might break while you soulcraft your first tower, after all. Never fear, I can supply you with all you need!"
All at once, Nauda understood the advantage he intended to gain: he expected her to fail, then return to him to replace the broken wood. If that was the profit he sought, then she could trust him slightly more, because even an incompetent soulcrafter would notice if he sold them inferior sublime materials.
"I'll purchase two bundles for now, perhaps three." Nauda slipped an arm around his waist, like an uncertain villager looking for support. "My auntie gave me a good blueprint, but it gets so much more difficult above..."
They began negotiating, trading humilities and generosities as they both tried to acquire an edge. In the end, Nauda thought that she acquired a sufficient number of the branches at well below a fair price. The two merchants smiled cheerfully and didn't even emphasize how generous they were being, which was the real sign that they thought they had the advantage. No doubt they expected her to completely fail to ascend, then return to them to purchase more...
"Is there anything else we can do for you?" the stall owner asked. Nauda was about to answer in the negative when Fiyu spoke up from several counters away.
"What is this?"
"Oh, that's a rare curiosity!" The shop owner swept in, intending to give Fiyu a warm embrace, but Nauda imposed herself between them. He noted the rudeness, which would have been shocking in most contexts, but customers existed in a very strange form of community.
As for the sublime material that had caught Fiyu's attention, it appeared to be a dark stone floating within a glass case. It didn't hover very far off the ground, but several artfully folded pieces of paper spun and bobbed above it. Nauda didn't feel anything sublime about them, so she thought they were merely a demonstration of the stone's properties.
"This stone, you see, repels anything that comes near to it. Unfortunately, its effects are too limited to be of use in the real world, and within a soulhome, it tends to disrupt everything else. So while it's rare, we can give you a reasonable price on it, if it's somehow caught your fancy."
"Give us a moment to discuss it," Nauda said, pretending to take Fiyu's arm to indicate they wanted some space. The other woman stiffened but seemed to understand, so Nauda leaned closer. "I still have enough money for one or two materials. Would it be useful to you?"
"Not to me, but could Theo use it?" Fiyu extended a hand toward the stone, testing the weak repulsion. "His powers all involve pushing things away from other things."
"It might, and I can probably haggle them down on something so odd." Nauda leaned over so that she could catch a glimpse of Fiyu's face within her hood. "There would be some left over after that. Is there anything you want for yourself?"
Fiyu immediately shook her head, her braid twitching underneath her cloak. "I still have many sublime materials from my relative."
"Well, let me know if you see anything that might be useful to you." Accepting that she couldn't push, Nauda moved back to the owners and began haggling. They tried to offer many other materials that might attract an unfocused soulcrafter, but she played their games carefully and ended up with what she wanted.
They still left the store with very little money, which was always uncomfortable. Unfortunately, her attempts to acquire a suitable vehicle had proved that they were significantly beyond her means. She couldn't afford any of them by frugality and odd jobs, so it was better to invest in themselves, as that might allow them to find sufficient sources of funding.
"What about one of the carts?" Fiyu tugged on her sleeve so gently that Nauda almost didn't notice, directing her attention to a cart of seaweed moving past them down the street. "They cannot be expensive. We could build one ourselves."
"Unless you're a cartwright, I don't think it would survive the trip, and I think we need something much faster. It's a long way through the borderlands."
"I do not know how to build carts." Fiyu lowered her head as if this was a dire personal failing. "My relative taught me to build sledges or toboggans, but they would not work over such rough land."
The words she used twisted in Nauda's mind, foreign terms that attempted to translate between worlds. She had a sense for what the two meant, and they matched her view of Fiyu's world as very flat, but she wasn't sure if such vehicles would be appropriate. Distracted from the street by the exact oddity of the language, Nauda was one of the first to realize that demons were attacking.
Cries burst from the street as the twisted creatures clawed their way through cracks in the air and tumbled onto the street. Nauda noted that the people of Nlukoko looked surprised, but not terrified, as if this was uncommon but not feared. Several merchants actually began to gather up their merchandise instead of just fleeing, which put them at real risk of the demons.
Though civilians were moving away from the demons, only some soulcrafters moved toward them, entirely unlike what would have happened in a village. Seeing a demon crouch to leap at a merchant, Nauda moved in, swinging her staff over her head with all her strength.
It crunched into the skull of the creature as it leapt, their combined force caving in the bone. Nauda drove it to the ground and slammed her staff into its body, just to be safe. There were five more demons in the rapidly emptying street, two of them now beginning to turn toward her. The first she shoved aside with her staff, hoping to spin it back into position in time...
Fiyu's cantae flared up and for a moment Nauda worried that she would unleash that devastating hail of light. Though it might annihilate all the demons, it would also cause damage to the community and potentially identify them.
But instead, Fiyu glided beside her and speared the demon with a blade of dark cantae that emerged from her hand. It flickered out a moment later, but she could obviously continue fighting with that technique, so with only a glance they protected each other's backs and set about eliminating the rest.
Such demons were no longer the threat they had been to her even a few months ago, so Nauda set about striking them down with her staff. She could fight much more confidently thanks to the welcome chamber she'd been carefully soulcrafting, despite the fact that her new staff was far inferior to her old.
In a sense, she had Theo to thank for that. Most of the soulhomes she had examined in her childhood were brute fortresses assembling as many powerful sublime materials as possible, and those she had seen in Nlukoko or Myufuru attempted to gather a warmer sort of power. But she'd seen the immense care Theo put into every aspect of creation, and though she disliked his mechanical style, she'd adapted the approach. Now, instead of a simple chamber for cantae, the first room of her soulhome was a welcoming place with a soft rug and cushions, forming a pillar of strength inside her.
She and Fiyu could have defeated all the demons themselves, but there were other soulcrafters who cared for the community and joined in. Soon enough, they eliminated the demons on the street, and though she saw several other outbreaks, all but one were already under control.
There were still screams and cries from further in the city. Nauda started to move toward them on instinct, but an older man touched her shoulder and shook his head. "The Lord's guards will take care of it. W
e should get back to our business."
But if the demons were appearing across a wider area... Nauda turned to find Fiyu beside her. The other woman clearly understood, but still whispered "Theo" and began to move into the city.
This attack might be only the start of something worse, and Theo was alone deeper in the city. Nauda had a feeling that they wouldn't be eating platefish after all.
Chapter 6
When Theo exited the library, he had a moment to consider whether or not he should just sit out the conflict. It seemed that the demons were only attacking as they emerged from cracks in reality, not massing in a group, so a city like Nlukoko would be capable of dealing with such an assault. Since he couldn't use any of his gravitational skills without attracting attention, it might be more logical to let them deal with it.
In the end, he headed out into the street anyway. He needed to leave to find the others, plus fighting with the handicap might be a worthwhile challenge. Since he wasn't a newborn soulcrafter anymore, base demons weren't a huge threat, and he wouldn't stand out among the random Tatian soulcrafters moving to help with the problem.
One of the first demons snarled at him as it loped across the deck, but he pulled his spear from his pack and met it face on. The creature was too slow to avoid spearing itself and he quickly pinned it down with a surge of cantae that destroyed it. That was good, but inelegant, since he wanted-
Jaws tore beside his face and he only just pulled himself away in time.
Stumbling a step back, Theo still had no idea what had attacked him, other than that it was much smaller than most demons and had flown directly at his head. He looked where it had gone and saw no demons between him and one of the flowing strands of the river... only to realize that he'd missed something.