by Sarah Lin
Unfortunately, that was the last major accomplishment he could manage with brute time and willpower. He could do a significant amount of work carving designs, but that was an enhancement, not a substitute for cantae-generating materials. Fortunately, since Nauda and Fiyu had reported that the Armeau family was behaving, simply training Esaire in the House of Burning Leaves, he could now begin hunting for them.
Theo opened his eyes in the real world and looked around for the others, but the soulcrafting courtyard remained empty. Not yet time for them to depart. As a small token of support, House Blacksilver had let him use one of their special training courtyards. It wasn't anything grand, but it offered a quiet and well-defended place to soulcraft.
Soon enough, they'd come get him to leave on a serious assignment, but he must have a little more time. Normally he would have taken the opportunity to recover, but Theo judged that he could push a little harder. There were many steps he could take toward developing his new technique, even if he couldn't realize it yet.
Returning to his soulhome, Theo entered the central chamber and then climbed up his ladder in the center to reach the second floor. In time he was going to have to come up with a better solution, because moving between floors started to become more difficult at the Ruler tier. However, that was a long term goal, and he hoped that he could come up with a solution that would avoid the need to waste space on staircases, permanent ladders, or anything else that didn't strengthen him.
Though the majority of his floor was solid, the solarstone and eclipsebasalt perfectly merged, he'd left the central chamber completely empty. The meeting point between the floors could use detail work, now that he looked at it. That was the reason he only had eight rooms on the second floor: he didn't intend to create a single heart chamber, he planned to create a heart column.
According to his blueprint, the central chambers would become a pillar of strength for his entire soulhome, but he needed to run tests to be sure exactly how to balance it. What mattered now was that the central chamber on the second floor would serve as a perfect focusing point.
While balanced on the ladder, Theo got out his spirit chisel and began to tunnel shafts that angled down to the four corner chambers on the first floor. Such work would never be possible in the real world, but his soulhome responded to his willpower and gradually reshaped itself. Soon he opened the first shaft and could feel cantae flowing from his chamber for gravitational fields.
Merging the strengths of different rooms was a technique he hadn't understood until late in his first soulhome. It was common knowledge to healers, who frequently mixed specific sources of cantae to produce different types of healing, but he'd had no time for healing back then, it had been just something that was done for him. Now, he intended to use exactly the same concept for rather more destructive purposes.
His gravitational field and torsion chambers each had a practical effect, while chambers that created mass or anti-mass were currently too weak to be useful in combat. Now, however, they would prove their worth as he gathered all four concepts into one. The singularity in the center of his first floor pulsed beneath him.
Soon it would allow him to generate a real black hole.
As an Archcrafter, he knew that the technique wouldn't be overwhelming, a far cry from the devastating technique he hoped to generate one day. But he was certain that it would be viable, based on how his mass and anti-mass chambers had strengthened when he ascended. The event horizon might not be large, but within that range, it would consume all cantae, even a Ruler's. His strategy for the coming duel required him to soulcraft the capacity and then somehow manage to pull it off in a real fight.
It took him less time than he'd expected to create the four shafts, and no one had come for him yet, so Theo decided to take on another task. Stepping back down the ladder, he reached out to grasp the singularity with his hands. Here in his soulhome, it was the heart of his power, so he could move it like he moved every part of himself.
Still, it resisted him when he tried to pull it upwards. He'd created it in the blasted black space of the central chamber and the singularity was in a spiritual sense bonded to it, part of the cantae orbiting around the central chambers. If he brought it to the second floor, it could absorb the cantae from below and eventually manifest.
When he started to pull it between the eclipsebasalt walls, however, Theo felt the pressure intensify. He'd been worried that his singularity might be too weak to function well on his second floor and now realized he might have the opposite problem: he'd been feeding it so much spiritual mass that it was dangerous when not within an environment designed to contain it.
A crack sounded above him and his instincts immediately urged him to pull the singularity back down to the first level. There it returned to its peaceful rotation, humming along in its proper place. Frowning, he climbed back up the ladder to examine the damage.
Fortunately, it had only been some fragments of eclipsebasalt breaking off and falling below. He'd soulcrafted his walls well, so they wouldn't be seriously damaged so easily. However, he now knew that they wouldn't be durable enough to contain the singularity. His hope had been that the dark side of the eclipsebasalt would be equal to the obsidian gloss that had been produced by the catastrophic failure of his first blueprint.
Theo chuckled as he realized the truth: he needed to reproduce that failure intentionally. If he found another sublime material that could implode in the same way, he could reproduce the same reinforced interior. Presumably he'd do the same every floor, which would strengthen the concept of the central column.
That meant he needed to find something equivalent to a noonstone core, which might be a bit tricky, but that was effectively just one more objective. He needed to find four powerful new materials to place in the corner rooms of his second floor anyway.
Clearly, all of that was delicate work he couldn't do while this tired. Theo passed out of his soulhome and rubbed the grit from his eyes in the real world. Still no one, so perhaps he should investigate. He shook off a bit of lethargy and headed into the Blacksilver complex.
It wasn't difficult to find them, as the group was assembling in the landing zone by the western gate. A large chariot of stone stood at one side, not having taken on its wind form. Silver lines of some sort of conductive sublime material linked it to a smaller chariot and his group's sleigh, but no one seemed to be working on them. Everything looked packed and he saw Nauda just waiting in a corner, so he figured there must be some other holdup.
Though Nauda was soulcrafting, her body flickered back to her full presence when he approached. "We're ready to leave," she explained, "but the Ruler who was meant to lead this assignment was injured in some sort of skirmish. I'm not clear on the details, and the way they're hiding them, it must have something to do with House politics. So now they're trying to find another Ruler willing to go talk to the mud Fithans."
"That's an insult, by the way," Theo said. "I'm surprised they didn't tell you that."
"Oh? They told me that they called themselves 'depths Fithans' but I heard the words as just a difference in dialect. Why don't they have proper ethnicity names, since the two groups are so different?"
"It has something to do with both sides considering themselves the true Fithans and the other group invaders. Pure propaganda, as far as I'm concerned, because I think both are native to this world."
"Presumably so, if they can have children together." Nauda's gaze went unfocused over the complex walls and he assumed that she was thinking of Tythes. Obvious as that fact was, it actually hadn't occurred to him. His mind didn't exactly gravitate to family affairs and Tythes was the first hybrid he'd seen.
"Actually, it's possible for some related species to have children, it's just that those children are sterile. So dust and depths Fithans might b-"
"You can take your transcendent scientific enlightenment somewhere else." Nauda faded into a golden blur as she returned to soulcrafting. "I'll remain here to keep track of
progress, so just stay inside the complex and somewhat prepared. We should still leave today."
Accepting her dismissal, Theo headed back to the central buildings. He couldn't do meaningful soulcrafting at the moment, but he might as well review the available sublime materials before their journey, now that he had a new requirement. This region in Fithe didn't seem to have any particularly explosive materials, but the House imported from many nations.
He entered the office, noting only that Antha wasn't on duty at the moment. Instead he found the books that listed everything currently available to House members. Though they were ostensibly "gifts" for loyal members, it was essentially a store that accepted only merits. They had lists for armaments and luxuries, but Theo ignored them in favor of the sublime materials book and pored over the familiar lists.
He'd spent over two hundred of his merits on eclipsebasalt, and that had been an exceptionally good deal. If he continued to engage in extra tasks, he'd earn about a hundred every month over his salary, which combined with what he had would reach only seven hundred extra merits before his duel with Esaire.
Looking over the prices, he clearly needed alternate strategies. Theo ignored everything mundane and made a new mental list of items that looked worthwhile.
Voidgum 49 merits
Twilitwood 81 merits
Soulshadow Stone 300 merits
Dark Lantern 420 merits
Bleakburden 790 merits
Chasm Invitation 1000 merits
Esoteric Chisel 2500 merits
The list proved that House Blacksilver had much to offer him, but the total was absurdly high compared to what he expected to earn. Simple sublime materials like the voidgum or twilitwood were relatively inexpensive, though since they'd serve as excellent adhesives and trim, he could easily spend a lot on them. By far the most valuable item was the "Esoteric Chisel", which if he understood it correctly, was of such high quality that it could serve him for the rest of his life.
He set aside those and focused on the major cantae-generating materials: the Bleakburden and the Soulshadow Stone. Each would be a worthy cornerstone of his soulhome, but even those two combined cost over a thousand merits. Just considering that calculation made him realize that he needed to give up on acquiring a Chasm Invitation via merits in the short term. Perhaps after the duel.
Unfortunately, nothing in the book stuck out to him as a promising source of an implosion. There were a few he might ask the House officials about, but he wasn't hopeful. Whatever he found, it would need to come from a source outside the House stores.
That was one of the reasons that he didn't regret that he was forced to spend merits every month for his salary. Yes, having more merits would make those numbers look better, but he needed money as well. A city like Norro Yorthin had numerous markets, many of which might contain the sublime materials he needed... possibly at better prices. He'd need to investigate that more once they returned.
Still, he had his objectives straight. First any opportunity to acquire key sublime materials, second acquiring money or merits, and third doing more work on his soulhome. He needed significant time to polish the new blocks, carve more rooms, and build a stronger roof. That time could come in bits and pieces when he didn't have more critical work to do. It was a good plan for the next six months.
No... five and a half months, now.
Just as Theo began to worry over that in his head, he spotted Fiyu peering in from the doorway, and she smiled when he looked toward her. "Peanen, Nauda says that you should come. We are ready for our journey."
So it was time for them to leave the city and go to meet the other major race of Fithans. It was a rare mission that would offer great rewards... all they had to do was cross a war zone.
Chapter 14
As the sleigh flew high above the Fithan landscape, Fiyu reflected that its greatest failing was a lack of a roof. The expensive vehicle was comfortable in many respects, and even offered enough room for all of them, but it was completely exposed to the sky above. Though the Fithan sun was not as overwhelmingly intense as the others she had seen, it was abominably large and the red glow seemed inescapable.
If they had been able to add some sort of structure over the top, then she could have watched with a minimal amount of shade. Fiyu considered asking Companion Theo, but he was busy soulcrafting, and then the Ruler who led them, but he was too focused on driving. Companion Nauda would help if she knew how to do such things.
Their sleigh had been lashed to the large chariot, which sped forward in a whirlwind and pulled them at much greater speeds then they could have moved on their own. Another chariot on the opposite side balanced it out, and between them, they hung a net of a glistening sublime material. Fiyu had asked about it and received few answers, only being told that it served no purpose until they used it to carry back the materials they required.
Despite the terrible sun making everything much too red, Fiyu was happy to be in the sleigh again. Within it, especially so high in the sky, her world was easily controlled. No one would assault her door and yell out alarming requests to engage in social activities, as was so frequent in the Blacksilver complex. It was also pleasant to feel the wind and travel to a new part of the world again.
Furthermore, the world outside was much more interesting when it wasn't being experienced as a wall of dust and noise. Though the wastelands beneath them appeared flat at first, and Companion Nauda had complained about them being too monotonous in color, there was more to them than she'd first realized.
First, the dust formed surprisingly large patterns of density, swirls that matched no natural formations she knew. When Fiyu had gotten her fill of examining those, she'd realized that the ground beneath the wasteland was often filled with caverns, and though they contained none of the beautiful crystalline constructs from Ally Navim's world, they were fascinating in their variety. Different regions had very different natures, from those with massive underground chambers to others with pillars breaking free into the air for no reason she had been able to determine.
Allegedly, the landscape would change even more, but she had yet to see any sign of their destination. As Fiyu extended her senses further, she felt a very strange line of tense points. Not density or pressure, actual tension, as if something artificial had been placed in a strained position...
Too late, she realized that they were weapons hurling great stones toward the chariot.
Fiyu rose to her feet and saw the rocks tumbling toward them with deceptive speed, but wasn't sure if her cantae bolts could deflect something so large and heavy. Fortunately, Companion Theo reacted more quickly, leaving his soulcrafting and casting a gravitational field that sent the stones curving skyward overhead instead of colliding with them.
"We're heading straight through!" Associate Ruler gave a call behind and their chariot increased in speed... taking them over a landscape that Fiyu now realized was a battlefield.
More of the rock-throwing devices were employed, but Theo easily redirected those, as well as the volleys of arrows that came from the other side. Fiyu thought she felt two different armies placed on opposing sides, yet now both of them were attacking.
She had no time to think, because a swarm of lights rose from the ground, like golden insects except that they were composed of pure explosive cantae. Companion Theo's gravity had no effect on them, so Fiyu rose and sent bursts of light downward. When they collided with the artificial insects, they exploded quite dramatically, so Fiyu continued to defend them as they raced onward.
Just when she hoped they had passed beyond the battlefield, a vast sphere of flame rose toward them. Associate Ruler finally took a hand, shifting from his chariot to pierce the flame with a line of cantae. But while he was distracted, another boulder flew toward them, this one spinning and glowing with a strange light.
Companion Theo reacted at the same time as Fiyu, but their efforts had no effect: the boulder only spun faster, now terrifyingly close. Just when Fiyu was about to con
sider her options for evasion, Companion Nauda thrust out her staff, attempting to bind the boulder in place.
She succeeded and was almost immediately thrown back, nearly colliding with Fiyu. In the moment she had arrested the boulder's movement, their vehicles swept low, evading its path and rushing on. Fiyu checked to be sure that Companion Nauda was alright, then looked back, prepared for more projectiles of the strange insectoid cantae, but it seemed that the attack had ended.
For a time they flew in silence, then Companion Nauda straightened and called up to Associate Ruler. "We couldn't take a safe route around the battle?"
"This was the safe route!" Associate Ruler turned back entirely to give a shrug. "If I'd known we'd hit it so early, I would have warned you, but this is about as bad as it will get. Just bored soldiers, nothing too serious. Be prepared for more before we arrive."
Though this answered Fiyu's question about why House Blacksilver had sent soulcrafters instead of negotiators, it was very little reassurance otherwise.
A day later, occasional attacks had become routine, though Associate Ruler made more effort to fly around the war zones in the future. The tension was not so different from ranging in a dangerous area, and Fiyu would have been untroubled if it did not obviously take a toll on the others. Once a bolt of cantae had struck the chariot opposite them, though it hadn't destroyed it, so she attempted to expand her senses to defend all their vehicles.
Companion Nauda reacted strangely, becoming grim and deeply serious. It appeared to make her no less effective, but she seemed unhappy and Fiyu was uncertain why. Meanwhile, Companion Theo seemed to view the regular attacks as nothing but an opportunity to test his new gravity-based skills, constantly sliding back into his soulhome to tweak details. She was happy that it was useful to him, it simply made him uninterested in conversation.
Though unsure how to help Companion Nauda, Fiyu decided to speak to her during a quiet period. "Nauda? I have a question for you. It is not important."
