Fallen Ambitions

by Vann, Eric J.

  Aziel thought about this. “When I was up there, time didn’t appear to move for yourself and Vhal. That female voice called it Time Dilatation. I really don’t know much more, other than when I returned, neither of you had noticed I was gone.”

  “Well, that’s terrifying. How can you fight something that can stop time?”

  Aziel shook his head. “I don’t know…”

  “This is all too surprising… Dear Abyss, the World Seed is an actual physical thing? A thing that floats around in the sky? Could we visit it if I learnt to weave some flying spell?”

  Aziel laughed. “No, it’s much further away than that. You’d have a hard time flying to it, I imagine. It was multiple massive fortress-like structures made of metal that orbited the planet. Thanks to Grendel, I’m now certain it was made of refined aranite.”

  “Orbit? Like the moon?” Celia asked.

  Aziel released her hand and stood, then began to pace around the room. “Yes, like the moon in one way. But it was much closer to the planet than that.”

  Celia looked away. Fighting the Seed seemed like suicide. Based on her Master’s story, it could suck people up into a white room and incinerate them, had access to powerful weapons, and was positioned in such a way which made it impossible to strike back at it. Then there was the point Celia couldn’t get over: it could control time! Whether that ability had limitations to its scope or length didn’t matter. It alone was an insurmountable ability to fight against.

  “Will you do it?” she asked, suddenly. “Become Sovereign? It seems like the only way to fight back. Plus,” she added, “calling you my Sovereign has a nice ring to it…”

  Her Master immediately stopped pacing.

  “I despise the very concept. It is as if I’ve been trapped again,” he said, but there was no anger in his words. Instead, they struck her as words of surrender. “And,” he continued, “becoming Sovereign is not yet a role I can simply fill or even understand, quite frankly. So, for now, I will do what I set out to from the beginning. I will create a place for those who wish to be safe to come and live here, to make the Fallen a faction with the strength and influence to be respected.”

  Celia stood, moving to embrace her Master from behind. “I will support you, whatever decision you make,” she whispered, and her Master’s hand rose to stroke hers.

  “Thank you, Celia.”

  She smiled before pushing up to stand on her toes and whisper in his ear. “You know, I still remember when you used to turn all blushing and shy when I pressed against you like this. You were so cute.”

  Aziel chuckled, pulling her around so that he could face her. “I may not be shy now, but I’m sure with some mana infusions in a few,” and here his hand moved to cup her breast, “…strategic…” and it slid down to the flat of her stomach, “places… could turn you into a mewling puddle on the floor.”

  “Is that a threat?” she purred, one hand stroking the back of his head and pulling him closer to her while her tail got to work undoing his belt. As soon as it clicked open, Celia gasped as he lifted her up easily, her legs wrapping around him instinctively before he dropped backward onto the bed, leaving Celia straddling him.

  “Mmm,” she said as she helped him remove his coat and shirt, her nails tracing the curvature of his muscles. Her Master grunted as her tail wrapped around him playfully before she began to stroke him. “Do you like it?” she asked as she brushed her lips across his. “Do you want me?”

  “I’ve always wanted you, and will always want you,” he replied, his voice labored and full of arousal.

  “Then take me,” she said, and giggled as her Master flipped her over. He kissed her hungrily as he positioned himself above her.

  “Lord Aziel,” a muffled voice said from behind them, before the door creaked open. “I finalized the deal with the bank, but there is something else—” Celia twisted her head and caught a glimpse of Melody’s horrified expression as the Beastkin stood in the doorway holding a sheaf of documents, before she let out a scream and ran from their room, slamming the door behind her.

  “What,” her Master asked, pushing himself off her, “was that?”

  “Melody,” Celia said as she pulled him back on top of her. “She will be fine, we can check on her later. You and I aren’t done here…”

  Chapter 28

  Aziel let out a small moan as he stretched out his back and arms. Donning the last few pieces of his clothes, he glanced back at his Champion, who was sprawled out asleep on their bed. Moving to her, he brushed the strands of her platinum hair away from her face before leaning in to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I am lucky to have you by my side, Celia,” he whispered.

  “Mm,” she groaned as she curled up adorably, pulling the blankets to her chest.

  Aziel held back a laugh, instead, taking a deep breath and padding out of their room, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake her.

  Even with the increased tenancy of Soul’s Rest, walking through the massive fortress was still a lonely endeavor. Other than the few Grauda guards, Aziel met no one on his way to his study, and the vessel he detected within it.

  Opening the door, he slipped in and found Melody seated on his chair, her whole body slumped over the desk. Her soft, regular breathing was the only sound in the room. Aziel slowly closed the distance between them, and quietly perused the neat stacks of books and scrolls set on the floor and desk. Most concerned economics, organized according to their focus. There were even a few he recognized from his own reading.

  Aziel smiled as he chose a book from atop the closest pile and glanced at its cover. “Timer’s Guide to Macroeconomics, Volume one,” he whispered to himself. It was certainly a thick book. Returning it to the stack, he glanced at the Beastkin. Her cheek lay flat against an open book, a trail of drool seeping from her mouth to mark the paper.

  “Melody,” he called softly. One of the Beastkin’s ears twitched, but she otherwise didn’t respond. Sighing, Aziel bent and shook her gently by the shoulder before calling her name once more.

  Melody groaned as she sat up lazily, her hair a mess, and pawed at her mouth to wipe away the drool. She looked to her left, then to her right, before finally noticing Aziel behind her. She stared at him, her eyes suddenly opening wide. “Lord Az—” she yelped, tipping over the chair she sat on. Aziel was just about to help her, but the Beastkin quickly leapt to her feet and stood to attention, then bowed awkwardly from the waist. “Lord Aziel, I know it’s a mess, I’ll clean it up!” she said quickly as she began pulling books from the desk, holding them against her chest.

  “Melody,” Aziel said, raising a hand to stop her. “Calm down, please. I did not mean to startle you.” He took the books she had gathered up and returned them to their piles. He then set her chair back upright and pulled out another seat for himself. “You’ve certainly been busy.”

  “Ah, yes. I mean…” Melody glanced at the open book she had been sleeping on. “The truth is, I was only ever a part of my father’s small trading company—I know a little about how economies work as a whole, but not nearly enough for a Minister,” she said, all in a rush.

  Aziel smiled. “I have no doubt you will do well in the role. But do keep time for yourself and for proper rest. Preferably in a bed, next time.”

  Melody’s ears flattened against her head as she looked away, a nervous laugh escaping her.

  “So, you entered my room to speak about something regarding the Bank?” Aziel asked.

  “Bank?” Melody replied, before her whole face turned a bright red. “Ah, yes… the Bank.” She moved forward and snatched up a piece of paper, handing it to him. “It’s a lease for a site so the Bank can build their branch here, it just needs your mark.”

  Aziel scanned the lease. It was for a piece of land within the walls of Soul’s Rest. He had planned to locate most of his governmental institutions there, so he had no difficulty with this. The other terms were confusing, however.

  “A hundred-year lease
for free?” he asked, surprised.

  “I know, it sounds ridiculous. But that is only for the main headquarters of the Fallen’s branch of the Bank of Tijar, where the money is to be minted and the protective enchantments attached to each coin,” she explained before digging through another stack of scrolls and pulling out a sketch of the planned city.

  “Where did you get this?” Aziel asked.

  “Astrel,” Melody replied as she shoved books and scrolls aside to make space to unroll the map. “They will also build a minimum of three minor branches in the city, so businesses and people may make use of their services.” She pointed at the circles she had drawn; they were evenly spaced, to cover the whole city. “It will give people a safe place to store their coin and also allow them to take out loans. I have negotiated for any loans to require my ministry’s approval, and the borrowed gold to come solely from the faction treasury and not from Tijar. That way, our people won’t owe debts to other factions, which could be exploited. I think the overall benefits outweigh any sort of gold we may receive from a lease. The Bank also offered to provide treasury services to the Fallen as a whole, but I declined.”

  “Oh?” Aziel said, looking up from the map. “Why?”

  Melody stood up a little straighter. “Well… we will have an account with them, since that makes it easier to trade with other factions and the larger companies in the Eastern Peninsula. We won’t need to actually give them gold, but simply let them deduct our dues from any branch of the Bank once we give them approval to do so. But our account should be just that—trades and foreign expenses. Putting all our finances in the Bank’s hands is risky.”

  “But wouldn’t it be easier to do so?” Aziel asked.

  Melody squinted thoughtfully before sitting back down in her chair. “Truthfully, I don’t know if they do this for any other faction, which either means no one took them up on it or they are very good at keeping such arrangements secret. And until recently, I would have recommended letting them deal with keeping the Fallen’s treasury safe.”

  “What changed your mind?” Aziel asked.

  “This,” Melody said as she produced another scroll. “Grendel didn’t have a chance to pitch it to you because of what happened with the princess. It’s a proposal for us to front their exports to an uprising in the Ejani Empire.” She gave a shake of her head. “I’ve always known Tijar wasn’t actually neutral in all matters. They have interests, just like any other faction. This move, however, seems to go further than they have ever done before. If they are willing to fund and equip an insurgency, then they are willing to hold a faction’s funds hostage.”

  “I see,” Aziel said. “But then it means we need a treasury of our own.”

  Melody grinned. “We already have one. The storerooms containing all those aranite bars are deep enough inside Soul’s Rest that they can act as a treasury. I’ve spoken to Niyela about including those stores as a key location the Guard needs to protect.”

  Although Aziel heard her, his attention was now fully on the scroll and the agreement detailed in it. The terms were simple, but the risk and rewards immense. Tijar wished to provide all kinds of supplies—including weapons, crystals, and even experimental Magitech devices they had been producing—to a region bordering the eastern Ejani sea by the name of Fermont. But they didn’t wish for their involvement to be too explicit; plausible deniability was their intention. All they required was for the Fallen to act as if they were the ones supplying the rebels in Fermont. In exchange, the Fallen could take up to fifteen percent of the value of all the supplies being transported. The Bank would also pay a fee of up to fifty gold per crate, depending on the risk factors.

  Aziel shook his head. This was madness; why would he even consider it? Creating an enemy of another faction just to support a revolt… The payment involved was not minor, but with the sale of arenite, gold was no longer going to be a pressing issue for his faction. The list of supplies they wished to transport was long and extensive, however.

  “The Magitech devices,” Melody said, pointing them out to Aziel. “They’re the real prize. I had no idea Tijar were able to build their own cannons and Wind Speak amplifiers. While I hate saying this, those alone make it worth the risk. Even if they are not as efficient or powerful as the original ancient devices they are based on, these could be mass produced, according to Grendel.”

  “I see,” Aziel said, not entirely convinced. “What do we know about this revolt?”

  “Oh,” Melody said as she again began searching through scrolls. “Ahhh… there.” She plucked out a letter and a sheaf of other documents, and passed them to Aziel. “This letter is a copy of the one the Tijarii received, with some parts redacted. Grendel wouldn’t explain why, but from the context, the sections removed appear to be names. The others are reports and firsthand accounts of some of the…” Melody grimaced. “Well, it’s all there.”

  Reading through the letter and then the report, Aziel was left speechless. The atrocities and sheer cruelty detailed within! At least four cities had been completely purged. The reports painted a picture of complete and absolute mayhem: mass deaths and abuses, all conducted by the Ejani—or more specifically, these Gold Serpents, whoever they were. He shook his head and read through the letter again, his gaze landing on the signature at the bottom. “Cyclops?” he asked.

  “It’s a one-eyed creature said to live in the Great Wilds,” Melody replied. “A rebel leader in Fermont is using the moniker, for some reason.”

  The more he learned, the more he was convinced the Fallen should support this revolt. True, the rewards were great, and whether the revolt was successful or not, any risk of the Ejani Empire coming all the way to confront them was low at best, especially with the other hardships they seemed to be battling at the moment.

  That wasn’t the only point, however. Helping these people fight their oppressors was something he believed in. It was one of the core values he wished his faction to represent: the strength of the downtrodden.

  That was, of course, if the Tijarii were being truthful in their claims.

  Then there was the biggest issue in this deal, which the documents only hinted at by stating that the only way they could effectively supply Fermont was by sea. As Grendel had mentioned, the Fallen was landlocked, which meant Aziel would have to trust Tijar to abide by the agreement—trust that the Fallen’s cut of the supplies were as agreed, and trust that no other nefarious actions were being carried out in their faction’s name. True, the Seed would likely hold them accountable, but Aziel still did not know what consequences it could bring down upon those who broke their word. Perhaps it would not be severe enough to deter Tijar from pushing against the lines.

  That level of blind trust with the use of his faction’s name was impossible for Aziel to contemplate. If this kind of arrangement had any hope of taking place, something had to change.

  “We will decide on this later,” Aziel said, shelving the deal for now so that he might think it through. He looked at the Beastkin, a smile forming on his lips. “You appear to have slipped into the role seamlessly. I’m impressed.”

  Melody’s ears and tail perked up. “Thank you,” she replied, pleased, before realizing something and quickly correcting herself. “I mean, thank you, my Lord.”

  Aziel laughed. “Please, Melody. When we speak in private, you can ignore the honorifics. It makes conversing easier.” He reached for the bank lease and a pen before signing his name. “Here.”

  Melody accepted the paper before glancing at a notebook set to one side.

  “Is there something else?” Aziel asked.

  Melody reached for the book and offered it to him. “As the Economic Minister, I have to keep track of the assets and finances of the faction, so I started a ledger.”

  Aziel flipped through the pages. The first thing he noticed was how terrible Melody’s handwriting was. Thankfully, the contents were just a list of items and quantities, along with estimated values, so he was able to decipher it. �
�This is quite detailed,” Aziel said, as he continued to page through it. Melody had listed practically every asset in Soul’s Rest: items of furniture, crystals, armor, weapons—and of course, the aranite ingots.

  “I had some help from the Grauda,” Melody said, leaning forward in her seat. “If I am understanding this right, once you and I sign it, they should be accounted for under the faction.”

  Aziel tilted his head, curious. “What do you mean?”

  “I was able to ask Master Grendel a few questions after we were done with the negotiations. He told me that in order for the faction’s wealth to be counted, it has to be put in writing—or any other sort of accounting standard—and marked by both the Faction Leader and the Economic Minister. He also said that this only has to be done once, as from then on any wealth the faction acquires or loses will be automatically tracked.”

  “I see,” Aziel said as he reviewed the list once more. The process sounded strange, but in line with how other aspects of a faction were recorded. The Seed had only accounted for the Crimson Groves presence in the Guard after Niyela had accepted them into it; it had then automatically accounted for their strength, even though their members were not yet present. The wealth of the faction appeared to operate in the same manner, which would also explain why there had been no increase when Aziel had appointed Melody.

  “What would happen if you lied about the assets?” Aziel asked as he turned back to the first page. “What stops me from saying I have ten times the aranite I have?”

  “Nothing,” Melody replied with a shrug. “As far as I can tell, it’s just a way of initiating the process. After that, the Seed will keep track and adjust.”

  Aziel nodded, then signed the page next to where Melody had. As soon as his pen left the paper, a string of notifications appeared before him. From the way Melody sat up in her seat and gripped her marked arm, she was seeing the same.

  Faction economic output and recognized assets categorized.

  Faction economy has increased. Current rating: 32.