by Philip Read
I wonder what that crafty woman will want as her reward for managing to last this long. Keeping Nubia occupied has allowed the region to have a very long relative peace though, and now Nubia and her neighbours are prosperous in their unity and alliances. So I have already done the empress a great service with my interference and she knows it.
* * *
The inner city of Orion in Celestia has the largest time chamber known to exist on Gaia; commissioned from the fae in exchange for celestial ore and constructed some 400 years ago. A construction project that took over 4 years to complete though sponsored by the Courts themselves. It took 600 fae and 40 Sidhe fae that specialise in time or dimensional space magic 4 years to complete the project commissioned by the old emperor, the godking of Celestia, the dragon Draconis Orion.
At that time in history celestial minerals were very rare and for a lot of the sidhe who stagnated in power at certain stages a vital part of their evolutionary paths. To remain in the sphere of the Stable Planets is to have a threshold of power you cannot break past if you remain what you are. And so many fae ascend through the Gates and again start gaining power becoming known as the Upper Sidhe.
But it is difficult for millennia old creatures to conceive of starting anew and so many choose to evolve where they were, there are many different paths in that choice as well. Some have been known to became Ancestral Beasts, others living moons or planets that are satellite to Gaia, or Ceil, or Terra or any other of the seven planets if they don’t want to circle their own Home planet in their entirely different solar system.
But a lot of sidhe choose the path of accumulating power in bound objects that can scale in power even when the fae themselves have reached the threshold of what they can hold within themselves. What the Gaians referred to as the coming ‘calamity’ the Sidhe Courts see as an opportunity.
When the paths between the Upper Planets, the Stable Planets and the Lower Planets are opened, the ether will trickle down. And the limits placed on those that choose to remain in the homes, empires, dynasties they have been building for millennia will be vindicated in their choice to stay. And so even as the seven planets scramble to prepare themselves for the events that will wash over them like a destructive wave.
The Courts wait in eager anticipation for the Upper ether to open new paths for them to evolve towards.
There are 9 sidhe that have become un-persons in the Courts though. Sidhe that have in the recent years associated themselves with the mortal races beyond the need to procreate and further the race. Sidhe that have lowered themselves to actually living amongst the short lived and revealing some of the teachings that have taken the sidhe scholars much time to perfect.
Little is it known though that the nine are exploring new paths of evolution opened to them by the example of the short lived. The mortals that shine so brightly and burn out so quickly in their struggle against their own mortality and the cold kiss of death.
The Nine are now about to embark on a path none before them have ever walked. After as thorough researched as can be done is so little an amount of time and study 3 are ready to take their next step. Carmella’re, Namid’re and Oasis’re are about to undergo a soul forging and attempt to have soul objects made.
The craftsmen used are the best the fae have to at hand. From Grandmaster Blacksmith Heracles, the fae Saint Heketa the Weaver, the dwarven Master Hammersmith that made Om’s Hammer, a Grandmaster Swordsmith from the Hito controlled Underlands that makes all the Watanabe soul-samurai weapons. Then there is Khan Watanabe himself with two of his Adept leveled colleagues.
In their research the Nine have realised that for the greatest of efficiency and the least risk to the soul of the one being forged, its best to let the soul take the shape it desires and not be forced into a single shape. And so they have used their influence and gathered a variety of specialist and as the Watanabe rend the soul, the craftsman will make it into whatever shape it wants to be.
They all sacrifice their horns to the furnace fires, parts of themselves necessary for any sidhe fae. And so they weaken themselves greatly in hopes that they will acquire greater power and affinity with their soul objects.
“Are you ready?” Khan Watanabe asks Oasis who goes first.
“Lets proceed.” The strange sidhe says.
With this step the world will never again be the same.
Chapter 105
Sachihiro
We eventually traveled South with all speed, a lot of the injured remaining in what is now dubbed Sorcerer House. What the property is to become is yet undetermined but the slaves that want to leave are set free, though watched.
There are now less of us heading South because all the injured still under the care of the fae healers and the dead we have burnt on pyres. But we have also been joined by a few surprising additions one of whom being the slave I have somehow acquired through Mira’s manipulations regardless of my protests. I am now the first Tribesman to own another human being and I really don’t know what to do with her, and many of my own people keep giving me strange looks. The other addition being the group of fae that came down from Paradisum for the sake of curiosity more than anything else.
We travel as quickly as we can with the young, the old and the injured slowing us down but still this is the slowest trip to Pangaea I have ever experienced. Om is withdrawn and has been spending a lot of time with his mates and son. I’m not sure what’s up with him but da mentioned the Alvalon woman and Patra spending an hour in seclusion with him. Whatever, he will talk when he is ready.
Gaia’s mate is ready to burst with pregnancy by the time we reach the gloomy forest of Erebus, while Ingwe’s pregnancy has strangely plateaued. There is no longer any growth of the baby nor any further strange cravings or illnesses, in fact Ingwe seems as fit as ever. But it’s been 10 month’s she’s been pregnant now which is 5 months longer than should be expected, but what do I know.
We eventually reach the outer edge of Eberus without losing anyone thanks to the presence and vigilance of 20 fae men and women of undetermined age. Yes, they all decided to come down to Pangaea with us the mundane way and follow the ‘interesting’ lives of the short lived. My baby is born just outside the forest and it surprises no one that its a beautiful baby girl nor that she has 12 fingers instead of the usual 10.
No one stays so long in the womb without there being something weird going on. Ingwe is out of commission from the birth and has to be carried but thankfully Kuyoki who has been breastfeeding both Ikigai and Hannah still has enough milk within her to nurse Nikita. There is no time to celebrate though as no one who has ever made the trip wants to spend a winter in the undine water tunnels.
The negotiations for passage are brief and we pay for our passage. The presence of the fae makes the hybrid land and aquatic people nervous for some reason but the trip is the same as it usually is, beautiful but boring. All the children love it though and the novelty of watching fish swim in the ‘walls’ doesn’t get old as they keep making new games.
My entire family is here now, uncle Brian and his four children, aunt Helen and her two children, ma, da, baby Sigrùr. My mates, my girls, my friends except Teà and Dustin, Tosting and Ava who was too injured to travel. Okey so not everyone I love but enough that I don’t feel the lack of anyone until I actively think of that person.
Gaia’s first son is Erebus because he was born there and Cicilia seems smitten by him. The trip through the whole of Sandoria takes about 6 months with all the delays and dependents, the trip through the water tunnels to the Undine Isle is another 3 months and in that time little Cicilia blossoms into an attractive girl. I hate that Gaia has put thoughts of her in my mind but da has mentioned that I do not have a mate that is a naturally born tribeswoman.
I didn’t even realise that until I mentioned what Gaia had proposed hoping he would tell me the girl was too young and I should stop being perverted. Now that I know the man who’s opinion I value most sees nothing wrong with it I find myself wa
tching the girl more and more frequently.
From the islands we travel by ship through the part of this ocean known as Anter. A part of the ocean with choppy waves and larger interesting see creatures, but no mermern and no large sea monsters so relatively safe. Safe to the extent that at times the two ships anchor and we swim in the ocean with dolphins and undines in their water forms. Something they have never done on previous trips as far as I’m aware.
By the time we reach reach the coasts of Pangaea my children are in love with the ocean and I have discovered my enjoyment of ocean swimming. Something I’m ashamed to admit I had never tried before.
We make port in the sleepy town of Perth on a new longer pier built from the money we are pumping into the economy from passing our merchandize to Sandaria here. The quiet port town may soon turn into a city and all the residents seem to be improving their houses. I’ve never read up on economics so I don’t know how wealth trickles down but these people are certainly benefiting.
The town of Perth is under a warlord who with two other warlords is under the protection of an Ancient Beast. So long as there is peace between the four factions the Ancient Beast does not interfere directly, the fourth being a large city of samaan Demi-human Beastman deep within the Tiger Woods. Any territory under the supervision of an Ancient Beast directly or indirectly is relatively stable compared to any under fully human management.
It’s easy to maintain the peace between the samaan and the humans though because the samaan felines are very pleasing to look at. And the way the females move can be a distraction to any redblooded man. It helps that samaan are also more demi-human than they are beastman, with all the anatomy of a human with a little extra here and there.
Though the samaan cannot breed with any other humanoid species they are a prolific race when compared to the rest of the beastman species. Saya immediately notices the tails, the fur instead of normal hair, then the fur covered ears at the top of the head and she just sees new potential play mates.
We stay at a Conclave sponsored hostel outside the town of Perth built here specifically to cater to travelers going through the Anter. Not necessarily only Conclave members.
Wagner and I make sure everyone knows the general route in case we ever get separated during the trip. Most of the people on this trip have never been to Pangaea before and we let them enjoy the town of Perth as much as possible, spending their coin on trinkets and exotic weapons. We let people make new acquaintances and pay our respects to the city governor.
We stay a good three days there recuperating and listening to the horror stories of people attacked by underworld creatures in the woods and roads every night. Though Sandoria seems to not be suffering from such incursions, they seem to have only gotten worse in Pangaea.
“Should I kill her?” Soal asks me as we get ready to leave the hostel.
“Who are you asking about Soal?”
You can never be to sure with people that are followers how they react to commands. I don’t even try to joke with Soal much anymore because I have realised the man doesn’t follow me to make a friend. The man has his own agenda and I don’t think it’s to be a lackey, he is just too ambitious for that to be it. But he has turned into my extra ‘eyes and ears’ of sorts and has made himself useful to me, but I will never let him be indispensable.
“The slave girl that the women have been spending time with. I can tell her presence distresses you.”
“No Soal don’t kill the poor woman, she has been through enough I think. Besides, I prefer to do my own killing. But I’ll let you know if I’m too busy and need you to step in.” I say to the psychopath.
He just shrugs and stays close. Even my children are used to his presence now.
*
From Perth we travel the well known well travelled road to familiarise everyone with the path and so we can easily see ambushes coming. We travel much slower as we have to deal with nightly attacks by packs of chthonic hounds for several days before achieving relative quiet in another densely human populated areas.
But those nights of quiet from underworld creatures become days of discrimination, mistrust, attempts at robbery and a straight out melee with a gang of bandits on one of the roads in broad daylight. We lose people, we avenge ourselves but it’s all chaf to my mouth as this trip planed by me seems to be cursed with death.
We are attached by a tribe of centaurs and the very strong creatures leave many injured before retreating back from our savage counter. They had come expecting to carry away slaves not deal with warriors of our caliber. We deafet them without deaths on our side because of their complacency but several are injured. If not for the fae this would have been a very different trip, much bloodier.
We again travel through areas abandoned by their humanoid inhabitants because of the prevalence of underworld attacks. We ourselves have to deal with mimic beings that come in all types of species from samaan to centaur to human to helf. It’s then that Wagner and I truly realise that the ‘well traveled’ roads have changed since our time in Pangaea.
*
Eventually we reach the outer edge of Gragdia after another year of hard travel through Pangaea. Almost everyone has some semblance of battle experience now and luckily none of our growing children have been lost throughout the trip. Most of our diet has been plant based this entire year and though not eating meat isn’t natural our bodies have never been more able.
They make us pay a told, which we do without much issue and they let us pass I think mainly because of the presence of the intimating orcs and the eery fae. We pass through Itri and several of us stop at the pit to decimate all the regular fighters and prized slave warriors in unarmed combat. The fighting does little to get rid of my worry and guilt of this trip, but at least we make money.
Slavers let us by without challenge as we travel through the dry rocky Dun and we stay at the Fountain without issue. It is in Gallia that we get into contact with agents of the Conclave and I breath my first sigh of relief in over a year, this trip has made me old somehow.
Somehow they send word ahead and get us writs of passage so we travel mostly unchallenged through the nation of Gallia and in the comfort of their cheap inns and hostels. The roads make traveling easier and our pace increases as we pass from Gallia into Nexus. It may sound like a quick trip but it takes us 2 ten-days to transverse across parts of Gallia.
A contingent of Proelium Warriors wait for us at the Nexus border and I hug the man that leads them. “Its been too long Ragnar.” I say in relief as we are escorted by 50 fresh warriors that are apparently all based in Eon Nexus.
Ragnar is different, he has a zanpakutō sticking out over his shoulder strapped on his back, and he looks younger and more vigorous with his Awakening. I didnt get a chance to see him before i left all those years back. We don’t get a chance to talk much about it but we acknowledge each other and so does anyone else that has a soul weapon. There is a respect and camaraderie between warriors that have gone through that shit.
We stay in luxury for 3 days just resting and lounging but Ingwe, my children and Galen, and Hale’s mates are uncomfortable here with all the misery of the slaves. We travel quickly through Nexus and into unclaimed lands and then our groups divergence as some go ahead while others go to Eldritch to visit the Alderman Foothills.
*
The Foothills are mostly the same except for a sort of trading HUD deep within the grasslands that is built and sponsored by the Conclave. The hub connects all the Alderman clans as a neutral place to meet, trade and discuss family alliances. It has a few very well built large beautiful buildings with thatched roofs very in line with how these people have been building for centuries and I respect that.
I respect how the Conclave didn’t come in a take over but is working with the desperate indigenous people of these lands. We check in at the Conclave building that’s been built here and also maintains a small force of Proelium warriors protecting the Conclave Sovereign workers.
The
girls Ingwe, Vuyo and the others are vous to be back home and Ingwe explains that its due to the submissive roles they are expected to play here. Mira promises to hurt anyone that even things of considering them possessions or less for being female.
I go out with the other men present that took mates from here and we travel to the village from which pur mates came. Now our mates travel behind us barefooted and barebreasted as is their way, Kuyoki and Mira and Kiera joining their sister wives in a show of solidarity. Tabita, aunt Helen and ma refrain though as a show of strength.
Our arrival is actually very well received to jubilations and almost immediate preparations for a feast. The men direct us to the big hut where the elders congregate and we are praised for bring back their daughters safe and having reared children. Of all the people they traded their daughters to we are apparently the first to ever return and as such we are held in high honour.
For having fulfilled our part of the bargain we are praised, and even two of the young men that Ava chose for herself enquire about it. The woman are taken are away by the mother, girl cousins and other women to their own talks.
They try to have us marry more of their daughters but I will have none of it this time. Da seems tempted though and I find it amusing whilst also petrified on his behalf. I begin talking about getting a plot of land here on which to build a home and it is Ingwe’s father and uncle that promise to seed me the best of their own land for freeing Solomzi from slavery.
I had nearly forgotten about the 5 slaves I had bought from Nexus that nearly buggered my purse completely. I don’t ever want to negotiate with the Merchants of the Nexus for something I can’t walk away without having. With that taken care of I just need to deliver the letters Hara gave me personally and the Conclave will build my home for me to my specifications.