Crimsoncrest: Chapters 38-39

Won't talk your ear off here, as we continue on with the climax.

-

Chapter 38

Nauda wavered atop the marble slab, struggling to remain on her feet. She wasn't contributing much of her own cantae, but the power flooded out of the shadowlamp with such intensity that she could barely wrestle its flow.

By now the Asplundat Movement soulcrafters only stared at her in horror. She had managed to argue some of them into standing down, and those who had attacked her she had pushed aside or neutralized as best she could. What finally stopped them was that they saw it was too late.

The crest beneath her was turning pitch black with a silvery finish. Back in the camp, Nauda had gone to all the House Blacksilver soulcrafters, accepting their contributions of cantae, filling the lamp with more power than any one individual could possibly hold. Now she poured it all back out, infusing the marble slate with the essence of House Blacksilver.

It had changed color, yet Nauda felt that the infusion wasn't done. There was still more cantae pouring out of the lamp, and more than that, she could feel that the stone could absorb more. Unless she infused it all, the crest wouldn't reach its full potential.

She felt a bright point of life moving up the mountain path and hoped that it was Homez, having won his duel with the traitorous Authority. He could make all the others calm down, assure them better than she could that this was the backup plan. Yet when she finally spotted a flash of color moving toward her, it wasn't white or gold... it was red.

Roker of House Crimson walked toward them, fire in his hands and murder in his eyes. She didn't know if he'd been under the barrier from the beginning or not, but he was definitely not here to join the defense. It looked like he'd been fighting... no wonder the other Asplundat Authorities hadn't been supporting them.

"Too late." He grimaced as he raised his House's ruby staff. "Well, we're getting it in the end no matter what. Just get out of the way."

While he was talking, Nauda pulled her hand away from the shadowlamp to create a line of wards between them. It was fortunate she did so, because Roker didn't wait for surrenders: he unleashed a beam of fire that shook her wards and left her heated on the other side.

To their credit, the Asplundat soulcrafters leapt into action to try to defend the crest. It wasn't enough, not even with Nauda adding as many wards as she could. Roker seemed to have a soulhome built for brute force and the rod he carried was an immensely powerful armament. When he blew the only Asplundat Authority off the side of the mountain, there weren't many left who could defend.

In the meantime Nauda had generated several layers of wards, but the first blast shattered one immediately. The others wouldn't last long.

"You think you can steal our chance?" Roker bellowed. "This will raise House Crimson to legend!"

Could she abandon the shadowlamp and fight him directly? Even if she tried, Nauda wasn't sure how well she could do, since the experience had been so draining. And the infusion still wasn't done, not yet. At this stage, it felt like all she could do was hold on and hope that Homez would catch up.

"This is the greatest armament of House Crimson! You don't stand a chance against it!"

"Good point," Tythes said. "I'll take it."

Nauda stared in shock as she realized that Tythes was standing behind Roker, grabbing the staff from his hands. She had no idea how he'd gotten there so adroitly, but he had taken the armament and was already backing away by the time Roker reacted.

That wasn't fast enough. Roker bulled after him, slamming a shoulder into his chest and scrabbling for the staff. Tythes managed to keep it away from him, but he took several bruising blows in the process. By the time he staggered away, his face was bleeding and bruised. And still smiling. Nauda could tell that he wasn't hiding any greater strength, yet he was smiling.

"I don't need the staff," Roker shouted at him. "Can you even use it, with your wrecked soulhome? I'll beat you to death with my bare hands and then take it back."

"By all means, be my guest." Tythes placed the ruby staff in his soulhome and raised his arms as if for an embrace. "I've always considered you a brother, ever since my father chose you as his heir. Let's go to our deaths together."

His blithe acceptance seemed to puzzle Roker almost as much as Nauda. Was Tythes buying time? The last of the Blacksilver cantae was infusing the slab, but she felt weaker than before and she wasn't sure how much support she could offer. Yet there was also something shifting in his soulhome, as if he was preparing some sort of technique.

Either way, they needed time, and it didn't seem like they'd get it. Roker balled his hands into fists and gathered up his power.

"Just shut up, Tythes. I've always wanted to punch in those teeth of yours."

"Is that any way to talk to your dear brother?" His smile and his arms widened. "I've idolized you for so long. You're the ideal heir to House Crimson: idiotic, power-hungry, pliable-"

"Enough!" Roker charged him, fists flying.

Tythes brought his hands together, slapping them against either side of Roker's head. The blow was a strong one, perfectly timed, but it wouldn't take down an Authority. Roker kept stumbling forward, ignoring soulhome damage to try to land a blow.

And then Tythes opened.

Nauda struggled to believe what she saw: Tythes and his soulhome seemed to be one and the same, both the tower and his body yawning open. It was as if his body was nothing but folded glass shards, splitting open along unnatural lines at the same moment his shielding wall separated. Beyond it Nauda saw a damaged but rebuilt tower, its side opening to reveal a mass of blades...

The vision only lasted for a moment, swallowing Roker body and soul. Suddenly he was gone and Tythes was standing alone, brimming with new power. Even as she watched, the injuries on his face melted away. Was it his imagination, or were his teeth a little too sharp when he smiled?

When Nauda tried to finish the infusion quickly, her mind rebelled. The power was still hot and unformed, incomplete. It was the most she could do to generate another arc of wards.

Tythes wasn't even paying attention to her, instead tilting his head as if listening to the battle outside. Abruptly he spun back to her with a grin, just like his old expression. Too much like it.

"You said you weren't a warrior," Nauda accused.

"And I most definitely am not." Tythes shook his head and suddenly he was advancing on her, snapping through her wards. "Sorry about this, but I'm afraid we're out of time."

~

When Guchiro had followed his ward into this conflict, he had known that this moment might come. He had weighed it against all the other factors and decided that it was worth the risk. Now that he faced the Emperor of Tymetron, he reconsidered his judgment.

Enemy Plutalgion was more than a seventh tier soulcrafter, he was a monster. The mangled gold armor seemed to be fused with both his body and soul by some process Guchiro couldn't discern, even with his full senses. Simply standing on the battlefield, Enemy Plutalgion unleashed a terrible pressure that exceeded anything Guchiro had ever felt before.

Citizen Dominion was more confident, or perhaps he saw less clearly. "Be gone!" he commanded. "If Tymetron persists in this invasion, we will consider it an act of war!"

There was no response. Enemy Plutalgion was still staring where the dark mass had been.

Without further warning, Citizen Dominion launched one of his signature attacks. A line of force tore its way through the earth, exploding with raw power... all of it came to an end against Plutalgion. His cantae had undergone a phase shift beyond Authority, making it so solid that lesser attacks broke against it like smoke.

All the technique seemed to do was draw Enemy Plutalgion's attention. His eyes within his armor appeared to be molten gold and they held no comprehension of mercy.

When he raised a hand, Citizen Dominion reacted by raising a shield of earth. Guchiro leapt first, and even his full speed was barely enough: he grabbed his ally and threw them both to the ground. They bounced and skidded away, barely recovering their footing.

Behind them, there was a clean hole through the earthen shield. Not blasted, simply cut through. Enemy Plutalgion appeared mildly annoyed now, actually focusing on them. If he was pushed to summon the sword of liquid gold again...

Guchiro drew them both into stealth and began moving randomly. This, at least, escaped his opponent: Enemy Plutalgion looked around the battlefield sharply but was unable to detect him. After a moment he waved a hand and gold seeped from his boots, forming a circle around him. Whatever it was, Guchiro did not intend to test it.

These were the sorts of monsters that Guchiro and his allies had prepared so long to fight. This was a demonstration of how right they had been, to seek something greater than conventional soulcrafting. But right now, in this moment, the battle was impossible.

-

Chapter 39

When the singularity was destroyed, power and control returned to Theo in an instant. He'd been strengthened by the experience... but he didn't feel it. His singularity could threaten all Dominions now, but it couldn't stand up to aeon-class cantae.

What could they actually do against someone like Plutalgion? At the moment it seemed he was fighting his apathy more than any given opponent. Citizen Dominion had tried to fight and the only reason he was still alive was that Guchiro had saved him. Technically this was the very contingency that Theo had been preparing for, but right now that seemed like thin comfort indeed.

"You have two options." When Plutalgion spoke at last, his voice was ancient and withered, softer than should have been created by such a large body. "You can give me the crest, or I will kill everyone here."

No one else appeared ready to answer. Theo looked over the battlefield and saw only Strongholds, most of them battered and drained. In the end, he found himself stepping up.

"Are you really willing to go to war?" Theo called. "Can you leave Tymetron undefended?"

"This is not war, only extermination." Plutalgion's golden eyes fixed on him again and he gave a strange snort. "That ability was remarkable. I will take you back as well, seal you, and add your strength to Tymetron. Cooperate and I will leave some of the others alive."

What options did they really have? Theo didn't think he could truly fight an aeon-class soulcrafter, but he could probably delay via evasion. That would give the others time to evacuate, including taking the Asplundatcrest away. If enough of them left, he didn't think Plutalgion would roam around the Asplundat Movement killing random citizens.

Before Theo needed to make any choice, they were interrupted by a rush of red light. Theo looked back toward the mountain and, to his surprise, saw that the golden light had been replaced with crimson. In fact, it seemed like the barrier was faltering. Everyone else appeared shocked... except for Wiltur.

"At last! Patrons, I summon you to fulfill your side of the bargain!"

As the patriarch of House Crimson spoke, he broke some sort of sublime metal that sent a call across worlds. For several seconds, everyone on the battlefield was staring at Wiltur... then the call was answered. A group of figures emerged in midair, many wearing silver Deuxan robes.

The Salebrante. They weren't broadcasting their full power, but Theo could tell that they had aeon-class soulcrafters. For the first time, Plutalgion shifted his stance as if he intended to move.

"Well done," one of them said. "We will take the Crimsoncrest and grant you what was promised."

"The deal has gotten more complicated." Despite staring at a group that far outclassed him, Wiltur seemed entirely confident. He gestured in another direction just as a new force emerged.

This time it was the massive Eternal Spectrum ship, appearing in the sky and displacing so much air that a wave of it swept over everyone. From below Theo couldn't see who was seated atop the throne, but he heard a different voice from before speak up.

"This was not the deal," a man said sourly. "You promised us a crest, Wiltur."

"Let me be clear about the terms." Wiltur flew to stand above the peak of the mountain, projecting his voice to all sides of the battle. "House Crimson has infused the greatest sublime material any of you have seen in years, but it is incomplete. If I die, or if you act against us, my allies will destroy the crest. Is killing me worth that?"

All of the Salebrante members looked murderous, though they said nothing. By contrast, the voice from the Eternal Spectrum ship sounded only amused.

"Are you truly trying to negotiate with your superiors?" it asked.

"Why not?" Wiltur gestured down at the crimson glow beneath him. "For the first time in my life, I have something that those superiors truly want, so I intend to sell it to the highest bidder. Eternal Spectrum, Salebrante, even Plutalgion... give me the best offer and the Crimsoncrest is yours."

"You think we'll let you live after this?" one of the Salebrante asked.

"Really? Are you going to unite to put me down?" Wiltur waited several seconds, then chuckled. "No, I thought not. The truth is that all of you neutralize one another, so you need new organizations to work for you. Well, House Crimson stood in the face of the world with nothing but a few resources. How much more could we accomplish if we had your full support?"

Theo glanced between the factions involved, wondering if this gambit could possibly work. He couldn't see anyone on the Eternal Spectrum ship, but it seemed plausible that they would actually respect this. Plutalgion was as difficult to read as a statue. The Deuxans in the Salebrante looked angry, but they also looked like they respected the audacity.

And then, in front of everyone, the crimson glow began to fade.

Even the aeon-class organizations looked surprised at that. The light around the mountaintop flickered, then died away strangely, dissolving the barrier with it. Suddenly everyone could see the great marble slab... which had formed into a crest of black and silver.

Nauda stood beside it, apparently as shocked as everyone else. She gripped the side, trying to project confidence, but Theo could see that she was using the slab to help herself stand.

"This is the Blacksilvercrest," she announced. Quieter than all of the booming aeon-class soulcrafters, but they were all listening to her now.

"Impossible." Wiltur stared down at the mountain, at first in shock and then disbelief. His eyes kept flickering around it, as if searching for some answer, but there was no one there except a few injured or dead Asplundat soulcrafters. "This can't... I felt..."

Theo had no hypothesis about the false crimson light, but he spotted the drained shadowlamp beside Nauda, so their backup plan must have worked. Problem was, it could still get them all killed. This was too many twists for most of those watching, but some of the Asplundat Strongholds who had followed looked more than a little angry.

Fighting was suicide, but so was retreat. No choice but to lean in. Theo cleared his throat and flew closer to the mountain to address the gathered powers.

"House Blacksilver protected the crest," he said, "shielding it with our own cantae. Of course it remains in the ownership of our allies, the Asplundat Movement. If anyone feels otherwise, they will have to fight us all for it."

Then he simply floated there, under the gaze of multiple beings who could annihilate him. But none of them acted, because the political calculus had changed drastically. They didn't want the crest badly enough to fight the other major powers for it, so he expected they would retreat. If they didn't, he would have to hope that the Orphic Cabal was willing to take action in honor of their agreement.

In the end, Plutalgion acted first. He let out a snort, stepped away, and vanished into a weirkey. Soon after, the Eternal Spectrum ship lifted into the clouds and vanished. That left the Salebrante... who were turning their gazes on Wiltur.

"Wait-" He tried to shout justifications, but they were on him in a silver flash. Wiltur only had time to let out a scream before he vanished along with the group.

Which meant that the battlefield suddenly only had one side remaining on it. Many were still too stunned to accept what had happened, but there wasn't a single Tymetronese soulcrafter left fighting. Even as they started to realize, there were few shouts of celebration, the citizens of the Asplundat Movement simply began to gather the wounded and investigate the damage.

For his part, Theo felt too wrung out to do much. He flew down to check on Nauda, who immediately leaned on his arm. She might not have been in the main battle, but the haunted look in her eyes suggested she had waged one of her own. Fiyu should still be alive as well, though she was likely waiting in the shadows with Guchiro.

As he waited, Theo spotted Homez seated on a rock lower on the mountain. He intended to greet the other man, but Homez looked shattered. Physically just a bit battered, but he sat and stared at nothing. His hands fumbled with rocky fragments.

The first person to approach was actually someone Theo hadn't expected: Citizen Dominion. Before this point, the top soulcrafter of the Asplundat Movement had never deigned to speak to him directly. Facing down the powers of the Nine Worlds had a way of changing things.

"I respect what you said," Citizen Dominion said, "but the fact remains, you essentially took the material from us."

"We tried not to," Nauda said wearily. "Ask the others if you don't believe me. It got desperate."

Theo gestured toward the slab, which still burned with power. "I meant what I said: it's yours, if you want it. But after seeing how many forces are willing to kill for it, do you think it's something you can just put into your soulhome?"

Citizen Dominion rubbed his face with both hands. "No, I suppose not."

"There are other organizations that would treat fairly with you, and I can introduce you to one. I strongly suggest that the Movement doesn't keep the crest here. Everyone is wary for now, but if we keep it, they'll start sending more subtle agents."

That only got another nod. Hopefully Citizen Dominion was just exhausted after the battle that had expanded so far beyond what anyone had expected. Theo felt like he was walking through deep water, the world slow and distorted. He heard himself speak clearly enough, but his mind was still reeling with plans and potentials.

Even though it seemed irreverent, Theo sat down on the stone slab that had caused all of this chaos. He was too tired, and maybe too old, to care.

This was the first time he had really stepped onto the stage of the Nine Worlds, gaining the attention of the aeon-class organizations. Was Vistgil watching, or did he only weave games from the shadows? Did he recognize Theo, or was he just another threat to eliminate? What would ultimately come of any of this?

Theo stared into the blank sky and found no answers.

x

We still have a couple weeks of chapters left, but now you know they're falling action, so I'm going to take this opportunity to discuss broader issues with planning and pacing a long series.

Theo develops his singularity in the third book, and it gets to end multiple fights, but when a character has a big finisher attack, it's no fun if it ends things all the time. So in the seventh book I have him take a detour in his soulcrafting before reviving the singularity here in the tenth book. I hope that if readers binge the series in the future, this will make it feel less repetitive, plus it lets Theo explore different sides of both himself and his abilities.

(This isn't a mere digression, either. Theo will continue to learn more of the deeper soulcrafting mechanics in the next book, building a second singularity and learning more about how they best operate.)

This sort of long term pacing is something that matters to me a great deal, but I don't know how much it matters to other readers. This is one of the subgenre-related things I'm still considering, which there's no need to get into today.

The same thoughts apply to the larger organizations, which have been fully introduced now. I could have made them show up in the second book and just told you they were the biggest and most important; there's even a good authorial reason to do it that way: a lot more time to get to know the major powers. I've seen some readers who feel the Nine Worlds have no broader organizations.

Well, this has always been the plan, and you're starting to get a clearer picture of that structure now. I hope that by spending some time with smaller organizations and settings, the Nine Worlds will have a greater sense of scale. As I've said before, one of my primary goals is for the characters to feel like they're progressing in a meaningful societal sense instead of just running in place while arbitrary ranks increase.

I could write a section about character development as well, but this is long enough. When this book finishes, TWC will be ten books long. Thank you all for coming with me on the journey so far, and I hope you feel the whole journey is worth it as everything comes together.