Chương 171: Trouble coming his way

Dragonfly carefully stood up atop her flying axe, keeping one foot planted squarely on the flat of its blade to brace herself against the wind of their passing. Since reaching silver rank, she had the mana regeneration to use her animation power to turn the hefty weapon into a mode of transportation carrying her above the snow-clad trees on her southward trek from Bastion at a respectable pace.

While a familiar like Glint or a dedicated flying artifact would have been more efficient, she had no power to produce the former and the local mana was too sparse to properly power the latter. And it was definitely beating the option of just walking.

"There!" Dragonfly thought happily, spotting the faint outlines of Kite's family compound off in the distance. In an ideal world, she would now have channeled another burst of mana into her animated axe to shoot off toward her destination. But as said world wasn't, and that she was already moving at the maximum speed available to her power that was very much not meant for travel, Dragonfly could do little more than continuing at her current pace. Still, it would be good to be back.

Contracts took her further afield these days, but the times of rest with Kite's family always helped center her.

"But I should start insisting on paying for the guest cottage. Or maybe just buy it? I have basically made it mine by now," she thought with an inward wince as she leapt off her flying axe and landed in a small geyser of snow in front of the gates. While Dragonfly carried one of the tokens that would allow her to come and go as she pleased, Crow - and her defensive formations - still preferred that one came and went through the proper entrance.

Passing through the screening enchantments, Dragonfly's aura senses quickly picked up the normal-ranked stewards that the family had hired to take care of the grounds for them - a wholesome extended family of three generations who had been hard at work ever since their arrival. Unsurprisingly, Crow was in her workshop while Dove was in the main house with Raven, the latter having a nap from the dreaming state of her little spirit. But that wasn't what caught Dragonfly's attention.

Rather, it was the other silver-ranker present. Someone who shouldn't have been back yet, but somehow was. Heart racing with joy, Dragonfly set off at a dead sprint which then ended in a mighty leap which carried her well over the roof of the bath house and straight into the hot spring on the other side. While normally provided privacy by decorative walls, the airborne Dragonfly got a good look at Kite who was just sitting up as he too had sensed her aura approaching.

His eyes, widened in surprise, found hers just a moment before Dragonfly landed in the spring, creating her second geyser of the day.

"You're back!" she called happily from where she straddled Kite while wrapping him in a messy hug of cold - and now wet - armor.

"Yes, my ardent Dragonfly. I am very much so," Kite agreed with a laugh, returning the embrace.

"Oh, heavens. Your teammates sound like they were quite the set of characters," Dragonfly noted where she still lay tangled with Kite in the bed of the guest house which she had been occupying for the last six months. While it had been nice with a hot bath at her arrival - after getting out of her now soaked armor and clothes that is - a soft bed was a much better place to really cozy up as she coaxed each and every detail out of Kite about his time away.

It was also a much better place to properly taste and enjoy all the different treats he had brought her. Going above and beyond his promise, Kite had picked something up for her at every opportunity; from simple candies to proper fine-dining. The thought of his efforts, and not just the odd but exciting foreign wine, made Dragonfly warm and fuzzy inside.

"Oh I can assure you that they were," Kite agreed, reaching out and grabbing some kind of cheese-filled small fruit which he popped into his mouth.

"Each an acquired taste, but decent in their own way. Especially in that they always ceasedany squabbles or bickering when things turned serious. It was truly eye-opening, and probably one of the starkest contrasts from home."

"Uh-huh," Dragonfly agreed while nibbling on a piece of some kind of heavily spiced dried fish which felt like it set even her silver-ranked tongue on fire.

"Honestly, I almost found it hard to believe. Can you imagine some of the sect members from here doing the same?"

"Some, but you have caught my point," Kite confirmed.

"It made me a bit sad to realize that many of the preconceived notions of our culture were proven rather correct."

"Well, I'd at least like to think that some of us want to do better. And speaking of that; you should see the guild now, Kite. I had no idea it would grow so quickly."

"I look forward to it. At least after another day or two here at home."

"Good. Because you haven't even finished the story yet," Dragonfly said, laying a possessive hand on his chest as if to keep him from flying off.

"But it did sound like you could work with them, which is nice. Even that Amica though? I'm not sure I could have just moved past her acting like a creep like that."

"While disconcerting, her other actions did make up for it. And in a way, she also reminded me of others I have met, which I believe also helped a bit."

"Oh?"

"First of all, it feels like Amica is a bit what Serene might have become, had her church not recognized the need for proper help early. Because I think that we can both remember the Serene from way back then, seeking a bit of control in seeing through others with her outrageous aura perception. Even with all that help, you could still see hints of that drive which is apparently common after surviving such suffering.

Amica was probably just more of that, and I'm glad that she had enough sense to realize that her actions weren't what she really needed."

"Well, not that I can lay claim on you all to myself, but I'm at least glad that you didn't do anything you didn't want to," Dragonfly grumbled while wiggling just a bit closer to Kite.

"And yet I have honestly never felt the need to seek the company of anyone else," Kite said, smiling as he both felt and saw Dragonfly's slightly flustered blush.

"You said that Amica made you think of others. As in plural," she all but blurted, apparently trying to move past the moment of earnestness and her subsequent reaction.

"Well, the other one was River. The pain cultist," Kite explained.

"You know what they say about soul scars. From what she explained, Amica had plenty. And much like River could, she could also notice an aura mask of a hidden priest of… Well, you know who." Seeing Dragonfly sit straight up and look at Kite in alarm, he gestured for her to relax while quickly adding.

"I did say that the story would end up with something important, but I am definitely getting ahead of myself. We'll go into the astral space later along with my aunties so that I can tell you all everything we know so far and what little I was told by the branch director of Heavenward on my return."

"Well, you better get on with it then," she said, settling down close to him again.

"It may be a bit selfish, but I'd like to stake my claim on your time for quite a bit longer."

"You were not understating things, Dragonfly. Things seems to have grown more than I would ever have expected," Kite said as he stood beside her in front of the gates leading to the Bastion branch of the Autumn Wanderer's guild. What had begun as a merchant's former townhouse had been properly rebuilt and expanded, and it looked like the adjacent property had been bought up as well to further expand the guild's latest center of operations.

"And this is just the house, Kite. There's more. But I should let Noel explain the rest, as he's a lot better at handling all these little details than I am," Dragonfly said with a pleased smile as she led Kite through the surprisingly bustling place. Kite's aura senses did paint a picture though, with over a dozen iron-rankers and half as many bronzes currently present in the small but definitely growing compound.

And given that they were a guild taking far flung contracts, this would indicate that the majority would be out of the city at any given time. As they entered, Dragonfly received many respectful smiles and admiring glances as she greeted people left and right. Kite got his fair share of respectful bows as well, but with distinctly more formality. He had never met most of these people, after all, even if they did respect his rank.

The lack of recognition did end at the doors of Noel's office, as the bronze-ranker nearly flew up from his chair in his eagerness to give Kite proper bow of greeting.

"Honored senior brother, welcome back! I assure you that the branch you left in my hands has been handled with the utmost care and thought," Noel LanCaire said with obvious pride, his worries from back before Kite's departure seeming forgotten. The blonde man was wearing his usual swordsman's robes of blue silk, his fair hair styled into a classical Hua-Xi topknot.

Kite was also pleased to see his old sword, Carmine Sunrise, leaned against the side of the finely crafted desk, always kept within an arm's length of the young man.

"Hallmaster! The guild indeed seems to be in full bloom. I am most impressed, and will assume that Uncle Walker has been as well?"

"Oh he has. Things might have been a bit more hectic than he'd prefer though, if his 'complaints' at not getting to enjoy leisurely strolls in the woods as much are to be believed. While I imagined that he would very much want to be here to greet you, he's actually currently down in Convergence."

"I see. On a contract?" Kite asked as he, Noel and Dragonfly sat down in a small lounge area of the office, which Kite realized was a lot like the arrangement of Jarvan's. That little detail made it obvious that it wasn't the local culture of Hua-Xi alone that had made its mark on the younger man over the years.

"In his capacity as guild master, actually. Our establishment here and some fortuitous turns of events in the recent months has led to our expansion turning more rapid than expected. This has been both due to the most generous shipments of essences and stones you sent us from the capital, great benefactor, but also due to the fact that we have had a lot more already established essence-users looking to join our ranks.

Much like the normal-ranked recruits, they are being thoroughly interviewed, but so far it seems that it is mostly the lure of camaraderie and our contribution system that has caused them to flock to us. This has in turn led to more contracts and us needing to expand the structure of the guild a bit, but also to take at least one more step of expansion.

Should we establish ourselves in Convergence, I believe that we can touch upon forming a true network of couriers and similar services who can cover all of northern Hua-Xi, to the benefit of both us and the people." As he spoke, Noel showed Kite several different ledgers, maps and scrolls to verify his tale. While he could only get an overview, it indeed looked as if the guild had taken off beyond expectations.

"Oh, and our esteemed head crafter is also probably a good reason for people to show interest," Noel added.

"It isn't many sects or the like that can pride themselves with their own silver-ranked crafter with such a width to her repertoire. Penny's services are some of the more sought after prizes in our contribution exchange."

"Peony has reached silver rank then? That is truly heaven-sent news," Kite exclaimed, Dragonfly nodding along in confirmation.

"Oh, yes. Two months ago now. We all pitched in as the guild got a good deal on a batch of silver-ranked cores. Sorry, I forgot to tell you."

"No worries. We were a bit distracted with other matters- stories. Other stories. I had a lot to tell you after all," Kite started before quickly backpedaling as the comment had slipped out in polite company. Noel either didn't notice or was an excellent actor, the former being more likely as both Kite and Dragonfly's higher ranks made him concealing things from them rather unlikely.

"Still, to expand again so soon? Unexpected development, but welcome if we can manage it," Kite said, turning his mind back to the topic at hand.

"I will trust the judgment of you all in this though, and you will as always have my support. And speaking of-" he continued reaching to a prepared dimensional satchel at his side.

"- Sage did create a thing or two for us during my time away. Less than normal since we sometimes moved with time constraints not allowing for the potential delay of a monster manifestation or in areas where gold monsters weren't entirely unlikely, but six months still allowed for a good haul." Along with the satchel came a list of its contents, and Noel could only smile and bow deeply to Kite again in response.

"As always, your generosity knows no bounds, senior brother."

"We all want to help make Hua-Xi a better place. And it sounds like you've truly made great strides in that regard in my absence. You all have my thanks and respect," Kite said, returning the bow.

"And speaking of other hauls, it sounds like I will have even more reason to visit Peony next. While I kept some equipment for the contribution store, she will have the rest as usual. If my guess is anything to go by, the lack of silver-ranked pieces to practice with has no doubt driven her up the walls with impatience. It may be best that I rectify that as soon as possible."

Kite had never met Wayward Peony before she became a bronze-ranker, and so had never seen the difference in appearance wrought by her early rank-ups. When he now looked at his friend, crafter and business partner, he had to admit that it was somehow the most proportional change he had yet to see. Somehow Peony looked very much like herself with her soft features and magenta-colored hair, but there was a certain quality to the number of small changes that had just emphasized those traits even further.

She was simply more Peony, as if there was a true self in there somewhere which gradually sculpted its outer shell more to its liking. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The subject of his ponderings was currently humming happily to herself as she was going through the huge pile of silver-ranked equipment. Kite's guess at her needing more materials to practice with had proven correct, as was one of his other assumptions.

"I will still want a look at that nice armor you're wearing later. You cheating scoundrel," she quipped, her tone light but with a slight edge carrying the depth of her disappointment. Kite knew the risk when he commissioned his new armor elsewhere, and had resigned himself to bear it for a time.

"I can promise you fascinating enchantments to inspect," Kite added placatingly, noting how Sun, Peony's husband, was nodding along in approval of Kite's most wise strategy.

"I'm a silver now, dear husband, which mean that I can feel your mental cheering for Kite even from here," Peony added, not taking her eyes off the mace she was currently inspecting.

"And I am once again reminded of the downsides of being a rank behind one's spouse," the man lamented, giving Kite an almost pleading look begging for support. Deciding to provide, Kite gave Sun an approving nod.

"From the feel of things, you aren't that far behind. You have been working hard, Sun."

"Well, the guild can keep one busy. Both me and Peony have constantly been involved in some project or contract recently. We truly don't mind, as business is booming, but with the added influx of people I still need to work hard so that we can buy the final essences for the rest of our family while they're still available."

"Mother still can't get over how easy it is to manage her beloved garden now that she has a plant essence," Peony added with a giggle from where she was seated across the room.

"Speaking of family, I trust that everything is going well with the next addition?" Kite asked, turning back to Sun.

"Oh, it is. A beautiful little boy," the man said proudly.

"If all goes to plan, we will break him out of the vat in around six weeks. That is sure to make us even busier. Living close to family has never been a bigger blessing."

"Well, dear husband, I'm glad to hear that our little addition has given you a bit of perspective as to my lovely parents," Peony interjected with a sweet smile, now having crossed the room to join the two already seated at a low table. The couple playfully bantered a bit back and forth on the subject, the argument apparently being an old one, before she eventually got back to business.

"So, my dear, cheating business partner. Before you left you did have some ideas," she said, her eyes promising that she would indeed not forget Kite's transgression anytime soon.

"Why don't we go over them again? I have made some revisions, and will need plenty of practice with silver-ranked materials first, but I believe that they should still be possible once I have settled a bit with my new powers."

"Sounds like an excellent idea, most marvelous and magnanimous Peony," Kite said, not holding anything back in regards to pleasantries. As was conventional wisdom; a flattered crafter was a happy crafter. And you really wanted those who made your equipment to have only the highest opinion of you, after all.

"I have had some rather exotic components laying around after my little trials inside the latest gate, and it would be a shame if they weren't eventually put to proper use, no?" Upon his return to the Bastion guildhall, Kite found Dragonfly in the practice yard between the pair of main buildings where she was currently supervising the end of what looked like lighter combat practice between iron-rankers.

"Mantis, remember that your feet need to move too. The same goes for you, Grass. And Singer, watch that mana expenditure. While it is easy to feel you have to go through it all now, finding the pace of your path is important." Kite had to admit that he was impressed with how his lover managed to keep track of them all without perception powers like his own, but supposed that practice and a silver-ranked spirit helped a lot. Still, it showed that Dragonfly had done this a lot during his absence.

The sight was surprisingly warming, as the woman's passion for fighting shone through here as well, albeit with a different kind of light and intensity. He kept his aura retracted, observing in silence as they finished up. As he didn't try to be that stealthy, Dragonfly had noticed him even if the irons remained oblivious.

When they had all finished up, bowing in respect to her as each of the younger guild members made their way towards whatever errands or contracts awaited them, Dragonfly stopped in front of Kite, hands on her hips as she looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What's that look for?" she asked with some amusement, her one eyebrow climbing even higher as she noticed his own smile widening.

"Just me admiring your work, my ardent Dragonfly. While it is different from your burning passion in combat, I can clearly see that this resonates with you. It is most fitting."

"Bah, it's just something to do in between contracts. I just copy a bit of what Master Force used to tell me, add some of my own and-" she said, gesturing with a motion indicating a 'poof' "-they seem to gain something from it."

"Don't sell yourself short in that regard though. It feels like you will excel wherever your passion takes you. I just thought that some honest appreciation was due."

"You and your earnest comments," she grumbled as she fell into step beside him.

"Are you sure you aren't just deflecting from all those appreciative looks that you kept throwing me?"

"My field of vision is very wide, Dragonfly. I believe that one doesn't necessarily need to exclude the other," Kite said, smiling inwardly at her puffing a bit at the appreciation.

"You having good taste aside," Dragonfly then said, changing the subject.

"Noel had something else he wanted to show you. You should have seen his face when he realized that he was carried away this morning. Can't blame him though; all that need to proudly show off his hard work was quite pent up." It turned out that Noel indeed had something to show off. Something that Kite, or perhaps most of all Glint, had been excitedly hoping for.

"I may have stressed the list of items you offered for compensation a bit whenever possible. And it would seem that our members really took it to heart," Noel said as he put a small lockbox on the table before them. Glint was out of her bottle the moment the younger man opened the lid, hovering restlessly beside Kite as the contents were revealed. Inside, thirty-four shimmering scales rested on pink satin padding, each of them a tiny manifested piece of some great dragon's ancestry.

While Glint was bonded to Kite and would always advance along him, she still needed to find and eat such scales to properly develop her powers. Advancement would always increase the scale and potency of what she had, such as her water manipulation, while the scales had in the past allowed her to enlarge her form and start using the conjured water to either restrain her foes or dampen attacks on herself.

"As you already left the reward items with us, I took the liberty of distributing them when I received the scales," Noel continued.

"The members have so far been most pleased, and stand ready to continue the search, should it be needed."

"Thank you, Noel. Both Glint and I are most pleased," Kite said while quickly reaching out and grabbing his little familiar by her caudal fin before she could dive in and devour her treats right away.

"Although I do believe that we would be wise to take any further consumption of scales outside. As Dragonfly probably remembers from back in the day, we'd best have some space available if she would happen to suddenly grow even larger. Wrecking our fine guildhall would be a shame." Wrangling a most displeased Glint back outside took more effort than Kite had expected, the carp's need to feast upon the scales seeming almost like a primal instinct overwriting most conscious thought.

It fell to Dragonfly and her Mighty Strength power to keep the familiar at bay long enough for them to reach the practice yard from before, picking up a trail of curious guild members on the way. Finally free from Dragonfly's firm restraint, Glint dove for the lockbox and started digging in. As always when she consumed a scale, some of her own would shift from pale pink to a more pearlescent shimmer, each accompanied by a faint surge of magic.

And this time, the surges didn't seem to stop when she had gobbled down the final treat. Through his spiritual sense, Kite could sense the pulse going through the aura of his bonded friend, followed by another, and another, giving off the sensation of something burgeoning within Glint's spirit.

"I would advise you all to step back a bit, just in case," Kite said, and when Glint froze in the air before her form started glowing, he repeated his warning with just a bit more alarm.

"I truly mean it, step ba- Wall!" His silver-ranked reflexes allowed Kite to note and react to the fact that his final words came too late, foregoing the warning to instead erect a barrier wall around the gathered iron-rankers and Noel. He and Dragonfly would be fine, and potential property damage could be repaired, but he would not forgive himself if a poor iron-ranker was accidentally squished if his predictions came to pass. The next moment, Glint's form started expanding.

But unlike Kite's predictions, it soon stopped at a shape way smaller than what she could currently assume. Instead, her shining outline grew more complex and extended, and within moments the glow itself burst outward, turning into a fine mist as Glint settled on the ground, probably way more stunned than Kite and Dragonfly as she looked at herself. At her hands. Turning her head to look at Kite with visible confusion that he felt even more acutely through their bond, only a confused whine escaped Glint.

His familiar had indeed transformed, but in a much more sophisticated way. She had become humanoid. A draconian, or at least something close to it, if Kite was to guess. Glint's whole body was covered with the same scales as before; mostly pink but with beautiful patterns of pearlescence. As the draconians Kite had seen before, she lacked hair but instead had thin, veil-like fins much like her other forms that fell from her serpentine head, with eyes the same amber-gold mix as before.

Overall, her form was slight and a bit shorter than Kite if you didn't count her tail, which also sported the same kind of fins as could be seen over her head. And while he hadn't seen any naked draconians before, the rather alien, featureless look fit what he had imagined.

"Little beauty, are you alright?" he asked, taking a tentative step forward. Dragonfly, on the other hand, was a lot less hesitant.

"Glint! Gods above you're so pretty!" she squealed as she stormed over to wrap the still stunned familiar in a hug. Next to Kite, Dragonfly had probably been the person which had given Glint the most amount of cuddles by far during their life together, and the sudden contact seemed to snap the carp-turned-draconian out of her stupor as she joined Dragonfly's happy, wordless squeal.

Not wanting to be shown up too badly, Kite soon joined the hug and the subsequent 'oohs' and 'aahs' as Glint started showing off her new form, completely unabashed in her preening. Being silver rank already apparently made acclimatizing to her new form rather easy, even if Kite suspected that it would still take some time for her to get settled in using that along her other ones.

As for talking though, it would apparently take a bit more time, proven as the ecstatic familiar mostly spoke in soft trills and other more simple noises. But as she already understood them well, that too would only be a matter of practice.

"Heavens, this was surely not the development I had expected," Kite thought with a smile as he found himself dragged along on a proper shopping trip a few hours later, with Glint and Dragonfly eagerly exploring what would fit the familiar's new form the best.

"But it truly seems to be something marvelous. Fortune, I dearly hope that blessings such as this will keep coming. Because if we are now going to start unraveling what might be Discord's machinations in earnest, I assume that there will be darker moments ahead where lights such as these will be needed to lift the spirit."

"Mistress, I have compiled a report of what we have found out about the silver-ranker you wanted to investigate. Would you like to partake of it now?" a bowing man said, proffering a sealed scroll the seated woman who sait in front of a mirror while she was finishing up the arrangement of her hair.

For a gold-ranker of her standing to do so herself might be considered far enough beneath her to be shameful, she had always preferred it that way as it gave her plenty of time to manage her other projects through her chosen servants rather than the ambitious and loose-lipped ones her rivals no doubt wanted placed at her side. Pausing in her work after fastening a hairpin in the elaborate arrangement, she reached out with a tendril of smoke to bring the scroll to hand.

It only took seconds for her to glean its contents, and what she learned truly set the planning parts of her mind abuzz.

"So, little Pathbreaker. You are quite ambitious for someone so humble," she murmured as she took in the known exploits of the now silver-ranker. His little dueling escapades in the capital not long ago was an easy thing to leverage, but that required him to actually be present in the capital. But she also needed to be careful. Delicate, even. The presence of a priestess of Justice that day proved that the other gods were watching them with great vigilance.

Which meant that she, even as a gold-ranker, had to move through other, lesser vessels. Fortunately though, there were plenty to be had. And one little fact that would make it even easier.

"And a guild, too? Truly a bold move. It stands to show just how rural the north is. Something like that would have been torn apart in its infancy if it had sprung up even just halfway closer to the heartlands. And such a good little point of pressure it will make," she mused, half turning to her servant as she handed the scroll back.

"Please prepare material for correspondence for me until I get back. I believe that there is a great number of concerned parties who would need a subtle reminder that something as foreign as a guild has sprung up in their dear homeland. That should settle things nicely, and keep the nourishment flowing to the gardens of Discord."

"Of course, mistress. And the council?"

"Will be informed when I have more results." Sensing the slight hesitancy in the other man's aura, she fixed him with a stare that contained just a hint of her divine authority, causing him to bow again, even deeper.

"Then see to it," the high priestess of Discord commanded, before returning to the arrangement of her hair.

"Meanwhile, I will strive to keep our foothold here in the capital firmly within our control. The king has called for one of his concubines this evening, and I will ever need to keep ahead to be sure that the one he calls for continues to be me." Little Crow Plucks the Moon had his meditations interrupted when a thin letter, barely more than a slip of paper, came gently floating down from above to land in his lap with a soft whisper of paper.

Opening his onyx eyes and giving a nod of thanks to senior brother who he knew was always watching, the gold-ranker being the only one within their compound who could slip into Little Crow's quarters unnoticed. Unfurling the letter, Little Crow nodded to himself as he lit the slit on fire on a nearby oil lamp, letting it turn to ashes in his hand as the normal flames were unable to singe his pale fingers.

"So, someone is investigating our adopted little brother. Someone whose actually good at being subtle. Interesting. Most interesting," he mused out loud, knowing that senior brother would hear him as well.

"Then I suppose that we will see what more we can find out. This should fall under the covert little contract we got from the branch director too. If senior brother could please take this to the others as well, I will see how we can best go about warning junior brother Kite that some real trouble might be coming his way, while still not ruining all the good finds and nice, juicy tidbits that this may lead to if we can position our pieces properly on the board."

Turning to leave, Little Crow grabbed his colorful parasol on the way, twirling it once before letting it rest on one shoulder.

"I just knew that you would bring some more excitement in the future, Kite. I just knew it." Then, with another twirl of his parasol, Little Crow had left his abode, off to join the fun and find some answers.