Chương 278: Just the same

"Still nervous, brother of mine?" Scythe of Fall asked, even though the answer to the question was readily available to anyone with eyes due to how Grain was marching back and forth like a cornered forest prowler in the reception hall of the Convergence guildhall, his aura roiling with anxious nervousness.

"I mean, it's not like we have anything but good news for Senior Brother Kite."

"But what if it isn't good enough? That he expected more? Or faster progress? Or-" Grain of Summer began, with words that had been repeated often enough during the last few days since they had learned of Kite's return from the capital and his wish to see them. Scythe could only sigh at his normally so intrepid brother now in such a state.

Self-imposed expectations sure were a tougher burden than any contract they had so far undertaken, but at least they had a good way to temporarily give his brother something to distract him. Scythe glanced to the side where a freckled elven woman with dark blue hair had already looked up from the scroll describing varying magical flora that she had been reading up until a few moments ago.

Snowfall Fawn had apparently already had the same idea as Scythe, as he could see her popping a small leaf of mint into her mouth and start chewing while she left a small, smooth stone to keep the scroll unfurled as she rose from her seat. Fawn then walked up to Grain, reached up on her tippy toes and planted a soft kiss on the man's lips that instantly seemed to burst his anxieties like a soap bubble.

Getting those two to actually dare make a move on one another had required the hard work of Scythe, two fellow teams from the guild, a priest of Knowledge, a brief crash-course in basic formations and an 'accidental' cave in, but seeing his brother melt at the kiss and the soft embrace that followed made it all very much worth it.

And that was not to mention that it spared Scythe the experience of constantly sensing the low-key, silent pining from the two, something that had gone on for months and become even more acute to him as he was the only one of them who seemed to have the diligence to take his aura training beyond the basic routine.

"Grain, things will go fine," Fawn said softly after breaking the kiss while stroking the taller man's cheek with one hand.

"Gbluurrr…" was the first, incoherent response that came out of Grain's mouth before his eyes managed to find their focus. Scythe could only wish that the stunning power from his earth essence could be that effective.

"Do you really think that Senior Brother Kite would suddenly chastise you?"

"But it took some time-""Grain…"

"Two years is-""-is quite a decent time to reach bronze-rank, especially considering that we wanted you to take plenty of time to receive basic training before throwing yourselves at monsters," a new voice said as the doors to the guildhall swung open, revealing Kite and his wife Dragonfly, her student in tow not far behind.

"S-senior!" Grain called, giving a bow of respect along with his companions, albeit that the latter two were much calmer in doing so.

"My apologies for listening in on you this time, but your anxiety was enough of a bonfire to my spirit that I wanted to make sure that you weren't in danger," the silver-ranker noted. Scythe could get part of his brother's anxieties though, because while Kite had always been kind and respectful, he was still a silver-ranker.

There was a presence around people like him that had only seemed to have grown over the years, somehow only further increased by some kind of injury that had crystallized parts of his face, and Scythe found himself quietly envious of Dragonfly's student who seemed to have grown inured to the sensation after spending so much time around the higher-rankers.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Senior Brother. I'll work harder on my aura control, I promise!" Grain all but shouted while bowing deep enough that his head threatened to touch the floor.

"That was not…" Kite began, but then seemed to think better of this line of approach, and Scythe agreed. Words would probably have a hard time reaching his brother at that moment.

"You know what? Let us sit down and have some tea. That'll be a much nicer way to catch up. It may only have been a few weeks, but you having pushed the final way to bronze in my absence shows that you've probably had your share of adventures." It did not take long for the two groups to find themselves in one of the guild's lounges, steaming tea in each of their cups as the silence slowly faded from anxious to something more relaxed.

"So," Kite said after some time, setting down his cup.

"Once again; congratulations on reaching bronze-rank. Two years is a good pace, especially in these parts. I'm glad to hear that you haven't been too reckless during the time when an essence-user is the most vulnerable."

"Indeed. Because doing things such as throwing yourself into one of the Queen's gates at iron rank is such a model of responsibility," Dragonfly remarked at his words, with Kite accepting the jibe with grace.

"My dear wife speaks the truth," he agreed.

"In addition to that, I would recommend against a path that literally requires you to get hit in order for some powers to work."

"Hey, my path is awesome!" Dragonfly protested, her student nodding along gravely at her side as if it was the most obvious truth in the whole world. The whole display did a lot to make Scythe feel more relaxed, and from the feel of it, it had a similar effect on both Grain and Fawn, tangible in their auras.

"I have a portal now!" The playful bickering of the pair was interrupted by Grain's sudden outburst, triggered by the man's anxiousness finally lowering enough to be overshadowed by his more typical excitement. The slight knowing smiles of the pair of silvers told Scythe that they seemed to both have been well aware of this as well, but he also found them genuine as Kite leaned forward eagerly.

"Show me!" Grain grinned in response, rising and gesturing to an empty part of the room." Translocation gateway!" Kite had already seen the opening in the world Grain's spell produced; a circular aperture surrounded by the runes of the augmentation spell from his other essence. The portal version was larger and felt more potent to Kite's magical senses, as demonstrated by the opening showing the backyard of the guildhall.

"The range is still limited, as you've already warned me, but Senior… This will mean the world to me. Literally. I'll get to see it! I really can't thank the guild enough. It has changed my life. In so many ways," Grain said, glancing at Fawn towards the end.

"Any idea what the augmentation runes will do for this spell?" Kite asked, seeming pleased when the group immediately had an answer.

"It seems to expand the capacity of the portal, letting more of the requisite ranks pass through. It won't allow a silver like the two of you, but even now I can send three bronzes where I should only be able to send one. I have no idea how it handles distance though."

"Oh, capacity would be quite enough," Kite said, obviously very pleased with the potential.

"Together with one of the other candidate essence sets that provided a portal power, the guild will soon enough have much help in sending our people out on contracts. While practical, recent events also have me worried, as having too many of our people out on the roads might become more perilous in the future." Kite's statement threw a bit of a grim pallor over the conversation, but not enough to completely subdue Grain.

"Oh trust me, Senior. I will work hard!"

"I don't mean to sound callous, Grain, but the guild will make sure of it," Kite replied with a laugh, even though he gestured placatingly at the bronze-ranker's sudden worry.

"Sorry. A bit of elaboration. I'll have Walker draft you a contract for some compensation in order for you to use your portal power as often as possible in the months to come, and he will personally escort you around the region to let you claim more landmarks to use as destinations. Portals are one of those powers where repetition is key to progress, as well as stretching the limits of your reach and complexity of the destinations.

We'll try to make sure it coincides with some other contracts, as we hope to see all three of you continue growing. Uncle Walker has spoken highly of you all, and having such a reliable team of both a defender, a portal specialist and a healer will be a boon to us all."

"And these troubles, Senior?" Scythe asked, as he - contrary to his brother - had less of a tendency to just brush aside such subjects.

"Anything you want us to do there?"

"Not at the moment, no. But you will be informed soon enough, as we're putting together information for the members of the guild. The matter is somewhat delicate, and could be dangerous, but that is only more reason for you to know now that it seems like it might start spilling outside the heartlands," Kite said, clapping a hand to Scythe's shoulders as he and his companions rose from their seats.

"You have the mind of a protector, Scythe. I will continue to teach you what I can whenever I am around. But for now, focus on doing what you already are. Just… more." The temple of Knowledge in Convergence wasn't the grandest Kite had witnessed for a city of that size, but the mercantile nature of the settlement meant that those kinds of deities remained more squarely in the hearts and minds of its people.

Still, as the building was a functional repository of information that was well kept and meticulously organized, even its otherwise stern and collected head priest seemed to be working hard to keep his composure when a whole slew of silvers with some lower-rankers in tow entered and asked to use their sanctum for a conference before not one but two gold-rankers arrived via portal just a short while later.

"Director. High Priest," Kite greeted the pair, bowing along with the rest of his now extended cadre of companions who were spread out around the meeting room in the temple's sanctum. Anasta Temren nodded briefly in return, while her companion - a leonid with mottled fur and a mane that would be considered impressive according to most standards - was more active in his approach.

"Ah, young Pathbreaker. So good to finally meet you. And your lovely wife Dragonfly too. Oh, and the most resplendent Glint! The draconian families of the capital still mourn your departure. Young Master Indomitable and Lady Laevyeth, your unity truly matches what my Goddess told me. Guild Master Walker! Hope you are well! And you too, Master Weaver. My Lady is looking forward to that new idea you are working on. She believes that it has great potential! Well met again, Wander.

I'm sorry if I came across as threatening the last time we met in the capital, as I was simply a bit taken aback as it was a long time since anyone tried peeping at me in the bath. Master Crow! Far away from home, I see, but that is understandable when a foreign beauty like this beckons. I hope you take that as an earnest compliment, Miss Steiner. And Soul, blessed of Warrior! Now that's a blessing that he surely has not come to regret. He's apparently very proud of you."

In a flurry of words, the leonid had taken a round throughout the room where he had bowed, shaken hands or otherwise greeted everyone with name and referencing their lives in some way. While priests of Knowledge often enjoyed showing off the connection to their Goddess and the information she provided, this man seemed to have turned it into an art, although Kite suspected that one shouldn't expect any less of a high priest of this particular deity.

"I'm called Venerable Owl," the leonid continued after stopping in the middle of the room.

"Most of you haven't met me, but as you can see I have clearly heard of you. So when Director Temren here scheduled her meeting, I could not help but want to be part of things as it has become a matter in which my Goddess and church are growing increasingly concerned. So I do hope that you don't mind my addition." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

"With all respect, High Priest, it's not like we could throw you out even if we wanted to," Wander said in response while shrugging.

"Besides, it would be pretty rude as we're borrowing your house. Or at least it's kind of yours I, guess? But I am curious though; why are we here? I thought we were past not speaking of that bastard Discord and their followers outside the sanctums~."

"It might be superfluous, but given what we've learned I thought it best to take as few risks as possible," Anasta Temren replied, taking a seat at the long table dominating the room.

"It was also practical, as I won't be noted as absent by the spies in the capital who trail my movement for some time as I was last seen entering the personal study of Venerable Owl here. We have yet to see the infiltrator able to glean information from within Knowledge's own sanctum."

"So you have interrogated that agent then? What did he say?" Kite asked, eager yet also feeling a bit of trepidation, as Anasta's presence was proof enough that whatever they had learned was both important and dire.

"That agent is named Steps Marked in Fallen Fate - or Fallen, as he was most often referred to as - and he was a personal disciple of the gold-ranker that fell at the hands of Ardent Horizon Seeker as she tried to intervene in your clash," Anasta said after everyone had settled down around the table with her.

"As such, it seemed that he was privy to parts of their operations, although many of them were linked to this Mistress of his and therefore inactive or moot now that she is dead. But we did, after lengthy attempts, manage to extract something very important from him that we have so far been unable to glean from anyone else; the goals of their church here in Hua-Xi, or at least parts of them. And what we've learned is… disturbing.

Because it seems like Discord has been working towards turning the kingdom's heartlands into a divine domain." This statement caused silence to fall over the room as the implications started to sink in, although perhaps to a varying degree for some of those involved.

"Ehm… I get from context that Discord doing that would be bad. Like, extra spectacularly bad," Wander said, confusion and concern warring on her features.

"But… why is that so bad?"

"If I may, I believe that I might be best suited to explain," Venerable Own said, Anasta gesturing for the other gold-ranker to continue.

"You might not have thought about it that way, but you are actually standing inside such a domain right now. Every proper temple to the gods is one; an area where the god has claimed the space for themselves and are allowed to more freely impose their purview and will. But a domain isn't easy to make, even for such a resplendent being as my Lady Knowledge, and also might not necessarily be contained to just a temple. Take Undeath, for example.

There are few places where that vile one can be worshipped openly, and even fewer where his foul creations would be accepted. So his followers instead try to establish them in hidden places with enough materials to more easily create his deathless children but far away enough that they aren't discovered before it's too late.

Both of you, young Pathbreaker and Miss Steiner, have probably encountered this more than once during your time spent with a certain task group of the Adventure Society," the gold-ranker noted with a knowing gleam in his eyes that hinted that his use of 'probably' had only been out of social courtesy.

"We have," Kite confirmed grimly. Those contracts where Undeath had truly found a foothold had been grim, although he had always been at the outskirts of such a conflict and therefore only possessed cursory knowledge of the domain at their heart.

"But in our case… Doesn't this mean that Discord is trying to turn the heart of our kingdom into their temple? I have never heard of something like this from them before, as there is a reason why those like Undeath are the ones usually attempting this, no?"

"That does seem to be the case," Venerable Owl agreed, seeming pleased at Kite having reached the conclusion himself.

"And as far as I know, Discord's own domains are indeed not common. Why do you think that is?" The question seemed to be directed at everyone present, leading to a moment of silence before it was Will who first provided the attempt at an answer.

"Could it be the lack of followers? I would assume that Discord isn't one of the most influential of the shunned gods. And given their purview, would not these adherents also sow strife among one another?"

"Yes, that's probably part of it," Kite agreed, his mind latching on to Will's line of reasoning.

"But wouldn't Discord's very nature make it hard too? I believe many of their priests and priestesses have tried claiming that discord and strife is inevitable and present wherever there are people. And as I assume that parts of the god's purview as well as a concentration of their followers needs to be present to facilitate a domain - or at least one on a grander scale - perhaps that is also why? Discord is everywhere, but also dispersed and spread out, as well as shifting by its own nature. Unless…"

he said, falling silent as the grim implications dawned on him.

"Unless there is a place where it has been cultivated over decades, concentrating it. A place where conflict and strife are more encouraged than in many other parts of the world. Heavens, it's not just them trying to turn our kingdom into their temple… We've already been helping them lay the foundation ourselves."

"But surely the other gods would not just let this stand?" Will protested, turning to the high priest who in turn looked troubled.

"That, Young Master, is a matter that is quite complex; one where I am not at liberty to discuss most details," the leonid grumbled, glancing down at the pendant with Knowledge's symbol that hung prominently from around his neck.

"But I do suppose that you might already know that there is a delicate balance among the divine? Why else can I or my Lady not just freely tell you of everything concerning our enemies to better guide you? Why cannot Plague just spend their influence to create poxes and blights that ravage the lands everywhere? Why does not War incite grand conflicts for conflicts' sake?

When the interests of gods conflict, each action with their mandate leaves their counterparts free to spend the same amount of effort, but it would not necessarily be at that particular place. The whole world falls within their reach, after all, so mandate gained might be used to further their interests at another conflict, creating an interplay beyond mortal ken. That is another reason why the gods need their devout followers; mortal instruments to act.

But even we are partially limited for similar reasons, as sharing the knowledge provided me directly by my Lady is much the same as her whispering it in your minds. This does not hold true for all advice though, especially not that which we mortals ourselves have figured out."

"So now we have at least parts of it figured out… What then?" Dragonfly asked, seeming to share some of the high priest's frustrations.

"Is it up to us to fight against it? How do you even do that? Because it doesn't feel like something a good axe will solve, no matter how ferocious my swings." As the high priest remained silent as a response, indicating that he was perhaps not allowed to share everything in regard to this, Anasta once more spoke up.

"From my experience, one wants to first of all stop them from forming. Because I believe it's not just a concentration of the god's purview, but often something else too. A divine ritual perhaps?" she asked, glancing at Venerable Owl who gave no reaction to confirm nor deny.

"What would happen to the domains of the other gods within their temples if they managed one encompassing a bigger area?"

"They would remain, at least initially." Venerable Owl replied, apparently allowed to share that information.

"But now that we know that, won't the Adventure Society be able to send more direct help too?" Kite asked Anasta, who responded with a frown that did not bode well.

"Both Maximillian and I will do what we can, as will plenty of our subordinates. But given your time in Gauntlet, Kite, you should already know that the Adventure Society isn't a charity. We take contracts for payment and we act first and foremost on those.

While most adventurers of the world would gladly put followers of Discord and their kind to the sword, those among them willing to travel to a rather xenophobic and - according to them - backwards kingdom far away and risk their lives without compensation are few. Very few. And that's even assuming they know of it happening, as there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of similar crises of every magnitude occurring across the world even as we speak.

But I will use every resource at our disposal for this, and that includes you and your guild provided that you are still willing. My funds will keep the Crows on the task for some time yet too. But I come here to you to ask for this help, not to order it. That isn't within my power," the elven woman finished, managing to look tired even through her gold-ranked, stern perfection. She then turned to the high priest, regaining some of the steel in her tone.

"High Priest. Lady Knowledge. Consider this a formal plea for assistance from you too. I know of your limitations, but I would still ask you; can you give us something? Anything? Because this problem we've unearthed seemed to have been in the making for quite some time, and is therefore probably correspondingly hard to locate, assuming that is even possible."

Venerable Owl regarded her for a moment with a complex expression before the leonid got a vacant look in his eyes that Kite had seen before, and he waited with baited breath along with everyone else present for the potential response. Eventually, the clarity returned to the priest's eyes, after which he nodded gravely.

"My Lady has provided us a grand gift here, one that will not be without cost to your efforts. But it was one she felt was worth it," he said somberly.

"As things were originally planned, you would have around eight or nine years until these plans could be realized, but there are apparently some factors beyond my ken that are currently complicating things, making seven years a better guess. And these complications might not be entirely to your - or rather our - detriment." His words landed upon Kite's shoulders like a weight, a sentiment that seemed to be shared among most present to some degree, Anasta Temren most of all.

Even so, the director soon squared her shoulders.

"Thank you, Lady Knowledge. From what is implied, this came with a cost."

"Indeed," Kite intoned, bowing towards the high priest and the deity whose presence was all around them there in her inner sanctum.

"It might not be something as exact as a location or definition, but a time frame is something we can work with. Something we can spend well, perhaps even use to completely snuff out this candle before it can burn the house down. Or at least some of us can," he said with a slight feeling of helplessness as he turned to Anasta.

"Given what happened at the capital during the Proving, I'm unsure how much help we can be there in the short term."

"While things are sure to go down around the capital, this isn't necessarily the only thing available to us," Anasta replied.

"I will be trying to work on that from my end, and we should keep up everything we've been doing, if not intensify our efforts. Because while we now know more, it still doesn't explain why what I assume is the church of Discord have been smuggling in followers of other shunned gods, restricted essences and the like into the country for these past years. I would have assumed that they wanted full dominion for a project such as this, not more rivals.

And we can always pray that some of you manage to advance into gold rank in this time too, although that might be asking too much. The process is… unpredictable… after all. But given how focus has been turned at least partially to your guild, there must be something with it that the people behind the scenes dislike, so I will make sure to have you bathe in contracts in the years to come to make sure that your members can make a difference. After all, I did get another… contribution…

to my coffers with that express purpose," she finished, a glance at the high priest betraying some connection there which Kite could only guess at. There was a brief silence after this, but Venerable Owl soon spoke up again.

"One does not need an aura power to know that this has been quite the revelation to you, and I assume that you have much to discuss. Knowledge in and of itself rarely makes a difference, after all. One needs to decide if one wants to act, then how, followed by actually putting things into motion. I'll leave for a spell and inspect the temple. Take your time." Then the leonid left them, not needing to ask or give a time frame of his own as he would surely know when the time came to return.

One gold-ranker leaving did alleviate some of the spiritual pressure in the room, and Kite sat a bit easier in his chair now that he 'only' had the presences of Anasta and the pervasive divine hint of Knowledge around them to manage. Even so, to say that what they had been told was weighing on him was an understatement.

"Heavens…" he breathed.

"We've been part of tracking this for so long now, unearthing a bit at a time. I should have expected something like this, and yet it feels so…"

"Overwhelming?" Anasta asked wryly, having also retaken her seat around the table.

"I wish I could say that it was easier as a gold-ranker, but the matters of the divine are complex even for me. But none of you should sell your efforts short. Along with the Crows, you and your guild have been instrumental in taking us this far. Your efforts even provoked a response we could take advantage of here." She paused, taking her time to pan her gaze around the room, looking at everyone present.

"But the question remains; do you still wish to be part of this endeavor? Because if the church of Discord and what I assume are their allies are nearing some kind of final stretch in making this domain a reality, then we can assume that what occurred during the Grand Proving was only a part of it. Things will probably get worse before we have a chance to make it better. Given those donations I spoke of earlier, I'll be able to keep funding this endeavor, but this is more a matter of you and your decisions.

Do you, each of you, want to be part of this? Because while pay is something adventurers are used to working for, this does go beyond the norm. There is plenty of adventuring work in other parts of the world, probably with better pay too. You would have no trouble-""Honestly, Branch Director, one could easily ask you the same question," Kite interrupted, posing a question of his own. And as Anasta did fall silent instead of giving him the aura-equivalent of a flick on the nose, he took it as leave to continue.

"Why do you also choose to remain here and basically fight for a kingdom where many treat you with such disrespect? I would suspect that few of your peers would fault you for bowing out long ago, and even more so given the current developments. Why do you keep choosing to be a part of this?"

His question was not posed out of skepticism, but earnest curiosity, and that must have been quite clear in expression and aura both as Anasta seemed somewhat taken aback by his words, falling silent for a moment as she pondered something.

"That question is one that might require a bit of a story to properly answer, assuming that you want something more in-depth than duty," she eventually said, leaning back in her chair.

"But I suppose that if you are to continue to follow me in this endeavor, you've earned as much. Settle in a bit, everyone, as we'll be going back in time to a place that was quite different from this kingdom, yet somehow also just the same."