Chương 175: Patience is a virtue

"Thank you, Fortune. I believe that Dragonfly will be most pleased by this opportunity." Kite silently intoned as he watched his lover ignite the enchantments of the new armor which Peony had finished for her just before they set out on a few contracts.

"If that was only her second experiment with using the materials I brought with me from the gate, I can't wait to see what the future will bring." WWJS: [Item] First Flame of Budding Spring Armor Silver rank - Epic [Effect] Pay an ongoing mana cost to emit a fiery aura dealing fire damage per second to everyone within a small area, even the wearer. The cost begins at moderate mana per second, but lessens in proportion to the wearer's health lowering.

[Effect] Suffering fire damage will give the wearer an instance of [Warmth of Life] [Warmth of Life] (Boon, fire, heal over time, stacking] - Heal over time. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. [Effect] Pay an ongoing cost of health to activate a potent self-repair. [Effect] The effects of this armor counts as hostile to any powers of the wielder.

The armor had been based on one of the materials which Kite had brought back from his latest trip into the trial of the Queen of Jade and Sky; a vine with purple leaves and small, smoldering flowers much like those which seemed to grow out of the armor itself. He had claimed it from one of the rulers of the challenge; a smoldering treant which seemed to constantly sprout new life while its own flames consumed it.

Fortunately for Kite, he had been able to bring the silver-ranked ruler down by suppressing its innate healing with his upgraded Disrupting Strike, making the monster assist in its own demise. The thing had apparently been quite the challenge to work with during the crafting process, but Kite hadn't regretted a single chunk of quintessence that he and Dragonfly had procured by the bucketful to aid in shaping just the right kind of effect for his lover, with the theme of fire and life too fitting to pass on.

The result had been as beautiful as it was volatile, the armor bringing to life some of that cyclical theme of devouring fire and renewing life, but the most important thing was that Peony had even managed to add nature's vast and uncaring ruthlessness into it all, allowing the flames of the armor to help trigger Dragonfly's own ramping boons.

"Combined with all that she has grown during our time apart… To think that she would find such inspiration in Soul," he thought while a smile tugged at the corner of his lip. Kite didn't envy the elder at that moment, as Dragonfly shot toward him in one of the best impersonations of a burning comet he had yet to witness. While a missing arm wouldn't have the silver-ranker bleed out, it was still a limb unavailable to him which would always be a distinct disadvantage as a swordsman.

Thunderous Intent managed to back off once more, showing a respectable attempt at adaptability in face of this setback as he tried to muster whatever counterattacks he could through waves of resonating destruction, sudden bursts of speed and potent spikes of power channeled into his attacks.

But with his main weapon lost, parts of his path almost directly beneficial to Dragonfly rather than detrimental and the woman in question having greatly increased the pace with which her power, speed and recovery grew, Kite felt rather confident in his conclusion that there was little to worry about in this particular clash. His assumptions proved correct just two minutes of uphill struggling later when Dragonfly once more accepted a few attacks to allow her animated, secondary axe to strike.

But the move itself proved to be a feint as the elder reacting to the attempted sneak attack put him in a position for Dragonfly to use her own axe to sever his left foot at the ankle. The man did try to fight to the very end as he stumbled away, the air trembling and almost seeming to break as the elder must have thrown out all available attacks and spells he had in a resonating symphony of destruction creating a truly chaotic mess.

The end truly came when Dragonfly, now a bonfire of inner power, simply charged through the bursts of resonating damage, her Unbreakable Moment once more available to let her shrug off even the elder's final burst when timed right.

Her axed carried her in another spinning arc which severed Thunderous Intent's other foot which Dragonfly then reached out and snatched from the air before turning and shoving it straight into the mouth of the prone man in one swift and brutal motion followed by a downward slash of her axe that descended with a brutal finality.

Kite winced as the sound of parting flesh and breaking bones rang clearly enough over the arena for even a normal ranker to perceive, and the next moment the officiating priest of Warrior called the end of the clash.

"Dragonfly over Sun's Reflection is declared the winner through incapacitation!" Thunderous Intent lay still on the floor of the stone arena, missing both feet and one hand while the one remaining was feeble clawing at the axehead which had cleaved through his collarbone and left shoulder, angled so that it barely missed the man's throat and head when it had been driven down with enough force to bite into the stone below.

"Soul told me what you tried to do to her," Dragonfly said as she bent down to retrieve her axe with exaggerated slowness.

"Even mentioned your name in particular, Elder. There were even three of you trying to collar her in her sleep. Three against one. Such an honorable sect. And while Soul simply seems to shrug you off as beneath her, I-" she said, punctuating the word by suddenly yanking up her axe, the weapon trailing a fresh gout of blood,"- am usually described as a bit more passionate. Thank you Elder, for assisting in tempering my path. And for giving me the chance to deliver her message."

Then, Dragonfly slung her axe over one shoulder, leaving the mutilated elder behind. Silver-rankers could take a lot of punishment and would require more than the mere loss of limbs and broken bones to die, but Kite still suspected that Thunderous Intent would need some lengthy healing sessions to recover from this clash. As for his no doubt wounded pride… Only time would tell.

"A most excellent showing!" Kite called, bowing with respect as Dragonfly drew closer before turning to the final elder who had yet to fight her duel, in this case against him.

"As you can see, Elder, I did not lie when I claimed that my touch was more gentle than that of my companion. Now only our bout remains. Shall we get to it?"

"Little Kite! Dragonfly! And precious Glint! Rarely has an entrance been as spectacular or well-timed as yours was today," Uncle Walker called to the trio as soon as they entered the guildhall.

"It only felt appropriate, given the circumstances," Glint answered as she strode in with a surprising amount of dignified grace, now in her draconian form and clad in a truly fashionable set of white robes in the Hua-Xi style.

"Too true," Walker agreed, gesturing towards the stairs leading to a private conference room on the building's upper floor before falling in step beside Kite at the rear of their little procession.

"Is it only this old fool or has Glint changed quite a lot in the few months since her little transformation?" Walker asked with carefully modulated softness, his voice barely audible so that only Kite would hear him; a challenge when so close to other silvers.

"Last I met her, she felt more… playful, mostly hissing happily."

"Oh she has changed indeed," Kite agreed, matching his uncle's soft murmur.

"Ever since Auntie Crow introduced her little lessons in manners and proper etiquette, she embraced it fully along with a surprisingly good sense of fashion. They say that silvers learn quickly… I can only concur. But deep beneath, she's still the same. I believe that she's just exploring this new side of herself."

"That most astute observation sounds suspiciously close to something that the very same Crow would tell you," Walker jibed with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"For the life of me, I cannot fathom what you mean, uncle." Kite retorted with a wink. They soon reached the conference room, and as soon as they had activated the privacy enchantments, Dragonfly could no longer contain herself.

"Heavens, Walker! What has happened? We're gone for a few weeks and come back to this?

"That, Dragonfly, seems to be a bit of a story and a mystery packed together in a neat little package of troubles," Walker sighed as he sat back in his chair.

"Spring, would you mind expanding a bit on our latest troubles?"

"Of course, guild master," the younger bronze-ranker answered primly, retrieving documents in combination with a map of the region with several markings, where most were centered around different roads and other venues of travel.

"As of just over a month ago, our members started getting harassed during their travels in the regions. Threats, confiscation of certain goods and even outright robbery. All done either without motivation or for made-up causes such as cracking down on smuggling and other illicit activities.

The local branch director has, of course, been up in arms about the interference with our contracts, but as the local city lord is firmly under the thumb of the local sects, he lets them carry great jurisdiction in their own lands," Second Spring started, adding to her presentation by pointing out marked locations on the map pertaining to the incidents.

"We have adapted, of course, sending out groups and prioritizing less obvious routes and couriers with powers to let them navigate other terrain such as the rivers. It worked well in the beginning but we are once more seeing an increase in intercepted contracts as those dishonorable scum instead started tracking which deliveries or other contracts were taken and by who."

As she continued expanding upon the rising tensions and harassment growing more overt, it was obvious to anyone with eyes and even more to one with aura senses how furious and frustrated the situation made Spring.

"I started keeping an eye on as many of our deliveries as I could," Walker added.

"Intervened in a few attempted robberies too. Amazing what the mere presence of a silver-ranker appearing and politely introducing himself can accomplish. And this old man is a quick one these days. That little blockade you saw outside? Spring and I believe that it was as much an attempt at provocation to 'justify' retribution as much as a way to keep me here with the threat of silvers outside the guildhall. And - Dominion damn it - it worked."

The last words were all but spat out, with Walker's scowl having deepened all the while.

"Fortune be praised that we came along when we did, then. And Karma too, as I got to deliver her purview in the most satisfactory of ways," Dragonfly said, before leaning in over the map.

"So, where do you want us to go then?"

"What do you mean, senior sister?" Spring asked.

"Do you think that me and Kite will just nod and walk away after this? What kind of members would we be? Heavens, Kite is the closest thing our guild has to some kind of shadow patriarch with how much sponsorship he has added, and I have spent more than my fair share of hours drilling some combat sense into our members. Justice as my witness, the sects won't get away with this." As Dragonfly spoke, her aura had started flickering with her usual passion, steadily rising along with the ferocious gleam in her eyes.

"Besides, they will probably need to think twice about how they use their silvers from now on," Kite added, already nodding his agreement to Dragonfly's words.

"With our little show and the elders having sworn before an acolyte of Warrior to remain in their sects for six months upon their loss, they can't just keep using them to pressure us carelessly."

"Hah! That's my boy! Stroke of genius to involve the clergy. No sect member would want to bring Warrior's ire, and from what I gathered, he is very fond of our clashes," Walker exclaimed, clapping hand to Kite's shoulder.

"Even though I may appreciate the praise, I cannot take credit for the concept, uncle. In the capital, every clash is officiated by Warrior's clergy. But it was a tradition that I thought would benefit us if it started to spread further," Kite admitted before turning back to the map.

"As Dragonfly said, we'll be at your disposal. With little Beauty at our side, we can be swift. Still, we need to think of something long term too. The sects vastly outnumber us, and us three silvers cannot be everywhere."

"Then at least let me praise your wisdom, little Kite. And thank you. It warms this old man to hear your willingness to help us, as I know how busy you are with… other matters. We shall do our best to get to the bottom of this, but for now, our members can at least rest assured that the Autumn Wanderer's guild won't just cower away from this kind of thuggish behavior. And hopefully, that little piece of insight will soon be etched in the hearts of our enemies as well."

"Have I told you that you truly are impressive, my ardent Dragonfly," Kite noted as he looked at his lover where she sat at the bed in the room which they had chosen to share at the Convergence guildhall. The moonlight was currently spilling in over where she was currently seated, bathing her form in light and shade in a way that was most flattering. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"Well, I know that I am quite the looker, but hearing you say it never hurts," she retorted with a proud smile, finishing to wrangle her mass of hair into some kind of semblance of order before assuming a different pose to show herself off a bit more.

"While that was never in question, the thought was not a mere appreciation of your naked form, however alluring it might be," Kite noted.

"Overall, I'm just impressed with how you have grown. Both in the time that I was away most recently, but even more since we met all those years ago."

"Heh. We were so young. How many years ago was it now? Five?"

"Five indeed. And I believe that we are still considered quite young, Dragonfly. Don't let my aunties, Walker or - well - most anyone older than us hear such a sentiment," Kite said with a chuckle.

"But as of more recent developments, let me stress again that I am amazed at how much you learned during your time with Soul and how well you have meshed it into your path. That way you used your animated axe like some kind of ambush predator against the elder was terrifying to see."

"Well, I have to get a chance to show it off against someone, because you're no fun in that regard. Curse you and your all-round vision," Dragonfly retorted with a huff of faux annoyance as she laid down beside him.

"But I agree. Those months spent with Soul… Heavens, that woman sure does know how to fight people. She can be a bit… intense, but my path could keep up decently once she let me get going a bit. And she helped me figure out new ways to do just that; get going. Knowing how to use my floating axe is just part of it, deciding when to go all out and when to be all sneaky like today. Fighting people is so complicated too. Give me a monster, or better, a horde of them any day."

"And yet you made it look rather easy today."

"You of all people should know the advantage of being underestimated, Kite. Wasn't that basically you at iron rank back in Gilded."

"Oh, how you wound me. Cleaved my poor heart and pride in twain with but a single lash of your wicked tongue." Dragonfly's retort to Kite's theatrics was, appropriately enough, sticking out her tongue at him.

"Still, I'll have to thank Soul again. I know she was hesitant at first, but I'm glad she stuck with me. I may even have managed to impress the importance of a monster-hunting contract on her every now and then. Who knows, one day someone might even get across to that perfection-seeking brain of hers. Make her leave her little semi-hermit lifestyle and actually be around people?"

"While it would be both gratifying and amusing, my ardent Dragonfly, few would be more surprised than I if that day ever comes."

"Dear, it would seem that we have guests," Crow noted as she strode into the kitchen.

"Is little Kite and Dragonfly back?" Dove asked hopefully, but her eagerness died down upon seeing her wife's serious expression.

"No, at least not according to what I can sense from the formations. But there are two silvers out there, not attempting to hide and not emitting any hostility. Still, we'd better be careful. I'll activate the defensive arrays of the house when I go greet them, so please keep Raven occupied." Dove looked as if she wanted to protest, but a strand of animated hair was already at her lips like a shushing finger.

One more look at Crow in both expression and aura told Dove that arguing would be pointless, so she instead chose to resign, lean in and embrace her wife.

"It's probably fine but… Be careful, dear. Please?"

"Of course, dear," Crow said, eventually breaking the embrace and leaving for the front gate of their compound. Spring was in full swing around them and the day was pleasant and sunny, but Crow barely noticed as she was instead bringing her hidden defensive arrays into readiness. Curious Crow flies Swift might not be the kingdom's strongest individual fighter, but an array-master within her domain was a foe to take lightly only at one's own peril.

As she carried the focal stone of the many defenses of the compound, Crow could also receive a bit of the input from the sensory formations as well as stretch her senses past the obscuring ones. And as she drew close to the outer gate, that let her catch a bit of conversation from the two people waiting at their gates.

"- and I still can't believe that people in the city have started calling this place 'the Aviary'. You have to give it to these northerners; they sure have a sense of humor." a pleasant male voice said, with Crow only having caught the end of the statement.

"Because they all have names relating to birds. Hence the Aviary. Get it? No?" From the surly reply that came next, his good spirits and sense of humor seemed to be wasted on his female companion.

"And I cannot believe that you won't stop talking. Warrior, preserve my strength."

"I do have to get back at you for beating me up every evening spar, now don't I? Oh, don't give me that look. See, that gate is opening too. Great success!" As Crow had indeed activated the formation to open the compound's gates, the talking pair came into view. One was a tall celestine with amethyst hair cropped in a short bob cut with straight bangs, with the rest of her form wrapped in a traveler's cloak.

Her companion, a male celestine, had quite the more conspicuous outfit, with robes of dark purple and midnight blue and a matching parasol over one shoulder. While the clothes were of fine make, Crow couldn't help but note that they were all scuffed, torn and otherwise showed quite a lot of wear and tear. And while they made for quite the pair, the man's eyes and hair was what had caught Crow's attention, as they were a mirror of her own.

"I greet the honored cousin of the clan," she intoned while bowing deeply with her hands cupped.

"My greetings to you as well, cousin and lost egg," the man intoned while giving a similar, albeit notably more shallow bow. Even through the formalities though, a smile was playing at the edge of his mouth and thin eyes.

"My name is Little Crow Plucks the Moon, but I would be pleased for you to call me Little Crow. Lost egg or not, the Tengu's blood unites us as family."

"My name is Curious Crow Flies Swift. I assume that would make Curious Crow the best name for you to use. It was half a lifetime ago since I last had to take the family naming conventions into consideration."

"If it pleases you, just Crow will do fine. I'm entering your nest, after all, and the local matriarch owns that title."

"You show me much honor, cousin. Would you please come in and tell me the reason for your visit?" Crow asked while allowing the gates to open wider in welcome.

"I'm looking for the Pathbreaker, and was told he would be here," the celestine woman asked, unmoving even in the face of Crow's invitation. In turn, Crow took a moment to inspect the woman's spirit. While it felt hard and sharp, like a blade sheathed but always ready for - or even craving - to be drawn, it was also impeccably controlled, giving off no sense of violence being the purpose of her visit.

And given the description she had gotten from Kite and Dragonfly, it wasn't too hard to guess at who stood before their gates.

"Greetings to you as well, Soul, blessed of Warrior. I am afraid that both Kite and Dragonfly are off on a series of contracts at the moment, but we would be pleased to host you until they return," she said, bowing to the other woman as well.

"That is disappointing. Do you know where they were headed?" Soul replied, a bit of the flatness of her voice giving way to a hint of disappointment.

"I believe that they would stop by Convergence and plan further from there, but from their estimates, they should be back so-""Thank you," Soul said, interrupting Crow as she turned on the spot and started to walk back up the road. But she was stopped again as Little Crow became a blur of motion as he suddenly appeared before his companion.

"Please, dear travel companion, let's not be rude! A bit of rest and relaxation would be good for us after our long trek-" Apparently not knowing the meaning of either, Soul just swerved to move past him before the man flickered to block her again, his words unceasing.

"- and besides, she thought that Kite would soon return. We might miss him on the way, and wouldn't that make us look foolish? Staying for a day or two isn't any problem, right cousin?" Little Crow finished, his voice carrying a hint of desperation as he looked pleadingly at Crow.

"He speaks the truth. Our doors are always open to friends and family," Crow agreed, coming to her distant cousin's aid by adding a little tidbit which she, from what Dragonfly had told her, might be crucial.

"There is food and room aplenty, and the hot springs stand ready all year round if one looks to wash off the dust of the road or rest weary bodies." Crow carefully masked her satisfaction as the mention of hot springs did indeed cause the celestine woman to stop in her tracks, turning back to give Crow an assessing look. Little Crow looked ready to collapse in relief as Soul eventually muttered: "Fine. Thanks for your hospitality," before turning to stride past Crow and into the compound.

Little Crow appeared next to her in another flicker of motion, and a privacy screen flickered into life around them.

"I will be in your debt, cousin," he said with uncharacteristic gravity.

"She doesn't show it, but even that battle-crazed one needs some rest at times. Better that than to let her continuously take out her frustrations on me and my poor outfits. Just look at this one. The self-repair enchantments gave out a few days ago, yet I have not dared to change as that would just be to sacrifice more precious fashion to that… rube."

"From what Dragonfly and Kite told me, I am somehow not surprised, cousin," Crow noted, looking after the other celestine as Soul seemed to take in her surroundings as if the very buildings could suddenly turn on her.

"Still, you are friends and family. Come join us for some tea once you have gotten settled and cleaned up. I am most curious as to the reason for your visit as well." A chilling spring rain fell over Convergence with the kind of silent intensity that would leave one soaked to the bones in minutes of exposure. Still, people were moving through its bustling streets as usual as the beating heart of trade never stopped, protected from the downpour through means both magical and mundane.

River, however, spared herself no such comforts where she was currently crouching on a roof in the stormy gloom. A truly perceptive essence user might have noticed their own attention wanting to turn away from that particular spot on that particular roof, but the poorly masked sect warriors that River had been tailing for a while as they moved through the more lower-class neighborhoods of the trading city wouldn't have a chance of noting her even if they stumbled into her.

"Pathetic excuse for an elder," River thought with derision as the silver-ranker beneath didn't even so much as glance her way. She was aware that the aura of her ritually scarred soul was beyond the means of most to contend with, but still…

"At least a glance would have indicated a bare modicum of discipline." River itched to dive down and let her chains bring the touch of her god to all of them, but in this case, patience was ever the virtue it was proclaimed to be. Because the sudden and rather dramatic increase in the movements of the sect's students and warriors was a stark contrast to the last months of most hidden cells and cabals seeming to pull out of the city or vanish into thin air.

And while it had been frustrating, River had been dancing this little dance for years now, and where she encountered ebb, flow would soon follow as long as she was patient and attentive.

"So, little sect ants… Why are you gathering?" From their movements it was obvious that the group was one of many attempting, and failing, to pass unnoticed through the city, probably towards some target location.

But the bronze-rankers and lone silver down there were warriors, not actors, and there was still plenty enough pride and danger in their bearing to let all those who were in the know notice; pickpockets, racketeers, thugs, prostitutes and other of their ilk sensing the metaphorical ripple in the mood of the street and slip away. As it turned out, River's instincts were once more proven correct.

A quarter of an hour later, the group beneath joined up with another, and River could easily follow them throughout the drizzle until they finally turned towards a warehouse not too far from the riverbank. At the same time, she also saw another group of similarly disguised people arrive from the other side, fanning out to surround the building while the one she had been tailing went straight toward the entrance.

"The guilders should be in there to collect their shipment as we speak. Make sure that none slip through, or at least make it violent enough so that we have a reason to forcefully intervene," the silver said to the people walking next to him, River's senses picking out the words now that the hustle of the crowds had been left behind.

"These traitors to our way barely deserve a reason for us not to gut them outright, but the sect leader was clear in her instructions. Luminous Cloud will strike another blow against them today." The group was about twenty meters away from the warehouse when the huge doors were suddenly thrown open.

But where one might have expected a warehouse filled to the brim with goods and maybe even people, given the words of the sect silver-ranker, only one lone figure emerged, the now open doors revealing only emptiness inside. But to her surprise, River recognized the man.

"Annoying one," she whispered. While his armor and cloak was new and his ascension to silver-rank had brought the usual changes, she still recognized the telltale solidity of his aura; the same as that day when the Descending Star sect fell and her hunt began, but simply… more. He wore a wide-brimmed conical hat whose enchantments seemed to keep the rain at bay as he stepped out beneath the roiling clouds.

From the sudden chain of outrage, anger, fear and hesitation in the auras of the sect warriors, it was apparent that they recognized him as well.

"Pathbreaker," was whispered, muttered or even exclaimed by many, and the sect silver-ranker quickly pushed to the forefront of his group to square off against the lone outcast.

"Step aside, Pathbreaker! The Luminous Cloud sect has business here, and we will not let anyone stop us. Hinder us at your peril!"

"Elder. Quite interesting that you chose this very place, but I am afraid that you won't find much but an empty warehouse. Should it perhaps have been my fellow guild members you sought, they have long left on their contracts. Your underhanded ways have failed. Again."

"Why you-""But now that we have this supposed coincidental meeting, elder, why not take some time to test our paths a bit? There are only so many silvers in Convergence after all. I, the one called Pathbreaker, challenge you-" River had rarely seen a silver-ranked elder turn and run so fast, making a path through his own people with a lot more force than was proper.

And while she might have found the man's sudden need to be elsewhere both interesting and amusing, her full attention had already been stolen by something else as the other gathered sect warriors erupted in confused outrage, apparently not knowing if they had a fight on their hand or what else they were supposed to do with themselves. Because in all that turmoil of auras projecting left and right, River's own senses, honed beyond the razor's edge, noticed one of them that was… different.

It was subtle, ever so subtle, but against the background of emotion and turmoil, the slight flatness in one particular aura felt like a needle drawn down along her spine. An aura mask. Among the sect members. And a good one too. Just like…

"Oh…" was all her stunned mind could muster as realization bloomed, and with it came both the unbridled excitement of realization and plenty of self-recrimination.

"Of course," River said breathlessly, the hubbub below all forgotten.

"Why would the Descending Star sect be isolated? If they had all these cells and cabals, why wouldn't they have people in the other sects as well?" That was where the power was, after all. And where there was power and people, there was potential for strife and conflict. For discord. New plans started unwinding in River's mind as she turned back to the massed people beneath, where the crowds from the sect had turned into something of an awkward mass not knowing what to do with themselves.

One particularly bold bronze-ranker had even thrown an attack against the annoying one, but a flick of his hand had shattered the spell and his raised eyebrow had forestalled any more such attempts. And while River did file the annoying one's presence away in her mind, she was now on the hunt. Part of her once more demanded that she swoop down and grab what she assumed was a hidden priest. It was just a bronze-ranker, after all. But she once more stayed her hand.

They had started pulling out, and might do so from the sects too if she showed her hand too early.

"Patience is indeed a virtue," River thought as she once more found herself stalking across the roofs, the aura mask clear in her spiritual perception.

"The most painful, agonizing one there ever was." And in the back of her mind, her deity chuckled.