Chương 281: Hectic times

"So this is what the two of you asked for," Kite stated as he entered the airship after Will and Laevyeth, Dragonfly close on his heels.

"Indeed we did, and honored Gleam was kind enough to acquiesce even though the material usage was greater than most other things combined. She was probably swayed by the vision we had," Will proudly proclaimed.

"Or perhaps it was more the challenge, my Lord," Laevyeth noted, even though she seemed equally pleased as she looked around the interior of the vessel. Much like its outside, the interior was stylish and functional, the metal framework contrasted by polished woods as Gleam had clearly taken inspiration from her creator's homeland, though there was enough variation in coloration inside to hint at the construct's own preferences leaking in as well.

The vessel had enough seating to comfortably house ten people, but also sported a small bedchamber for two along with some other amenities that would turn it into a worthy home away from home for essence users whose forms had transcended certain bodily functions.

"You are probably right, my Lady," Will agreed.

"Still, I find it a most pleasing payment for our services rendered."

"It sure is nice, Will. But… Why did you choose this of all things to ask for?" Dragonfly asked, sitting down in one of the plush seats.

"Not that I'm complaining, mind you."

"It simply felt the most fitting, seeing as the life we are leading will have us traveling all over the place," Will explained, joining the rest of them in the seats.

"I have merely seen part of the area around the Sea of Storms, and those might last an adventurer a lifetime to properly challenge and explore. And while honored Glint here has been most kind in ferrying us around, I foresee that there will come a time when our paths diverge more and more often once Discord and their foul schemes have been taken care of. With this vessel being able to ascend to gold rank as long as we can gather the requisite resources, my Lady and I can look to the future.

The world will be ours to explore as we strive for the heavens together!"

"Foresight is the surest sign of a wise mind," Kite agreed, although a bit surprised that it was Will of all people who had him remember that particular quote. Laevyeth's addition to his life had probably affected him in more ways than one.

"I'm also impressed, as I did not know that you could pilot vessels such as this." At his words, Will froze ever so briefly, but it did not go unnoticed by anyone present.

"Wait, you don't?" Dragonfly exclaimed, a bit incredulous.

"I… Having come far in mastering the art of the Heavenly Shaft, I simply thought that mastering such a skill would be a simple matter. How hard can it be?" Will stated with his usual confidence, which caused Laevyeth to sigh and gently nudge him.

"My Lord, while I do possess infinite trust in thy skill in battle, this matter does seem one where some humility might be more prudent."

"Also, while it should work well enough here in the regions closer to the heartlands, you might start encountering trouble if you venture too far up north where the magic is sparser. Because I know you well enough by now Will to certainly claim that Tools of the Magister isn't one of the powers of your path. Which you would need if you wanted to, say, take this back home to Gilded and show your family," Kite noted, his words causing another crack in the spearman's earlier confidence.

"Well, that… Is a good point," Will eventually confessed as he deflated a bit, and Kite couldn't help but want to throw his friend a metaphorical rope.

"Still, that should be something solvable. It was a long time since you used any of your merit with the guild, no? I am sure that we have some parts of an essence combination lying around that should result in a pilot, and the rest should be manageable for you to procure. You'd just have to find someone willing to take on such essences and enter your service? Perhaps taking on a similar role to Grim? In my experience, it usually isn't a hard sell."

"Oh…? Oh. Oh!" Will exclaimed, the fires of his enthusiasm back in full as he turned and clapped a hand to each of Kite's shoulders.

"My friend, you truly possess the pinnacle of wisdom far beyond my own! Of course! My Lady and I will need staff if we are to ever found a household of our own, even a mobile one such as this. Brilliant! What say you, my Lady?"

"It does sound like Kite once more hath provided thee with a path forward, my Lord. It is fortunate that thy friendship is both lasting and true, lest the karma between you might be turning foul by now," the outworlder noted, to which Will only nodded enthusiastically.

"Ah, how you know my heart, my Lady, as I was just thinking the same! Come, let us traverse back towards the north and put these plans into motion right away and-""-and first of all focus more on some of the contracts provided to us by the Branch Director," Kite interjected before his friend could get too carried away.

"More and more regions are slipping into neglect as of late, and while we didn't encounter any on this outing, there is still the matter of trying to make contact with the sects that might be amenable to hear us out. But we do need to make a trip back and report. Just… Let us keep the bigger picture in mind too, please? And as for the return trip… I did get drilled in the basics of piloting vessels like these by the task group, but only just that.

So I expect that the trip home will be one that is slow and - hopefully - steady."

"You know what, Wimmy? Sometimes I envy those able to view promises and oaths as unimportant matters to ignore at their convenience," Relentless Storms Hiding Beautiful Vistas sighed, patting the flank of his familiar whose trio of heads merely huffed in return. The pair had long since entered the lands controlled by the Iron Howl Sect, and from the directions Vista had received from villagers and travelers along the way, they should be drawing close to the sect compound and its accompanying settlement.

The journey had been significantly shortened by them being able to pay for a portal to Heavenward - the capital having returned somewhat to normal after the Proving, even though the atmosphere still carried a distinct tension - and continued their journey south and east. Wimmy serving as a steed helped shorten the trip considerably, and the pair had found some good opportunities for tempering along the way as the monsters ran thicker here in the south.

Now only the final stretch remained, but as Vista drew close enough that the towering sect compound and nearby city started coming into view, it seemed that his arrival in these lands hadn't gone unnoticed as he spotted a golden flash in the distance that rapidly started making its way towards him at impressive speed.

"Brace yourself, Wimmy," Vista noted as he recognized that light, and that recognition was soon confirmed as Victory Carved in Storm and Stone made a great leap to cross the final distance between them, her landing plowing a deep furrow in the ground next to the road.

"Outcast! You finally came! I was wondering if you had forgotten your promise," the inner disciple called happily, tossing her head to clear some wild strands of hair that had escaped from her ponytail and got caught up in the pair of golden, glowing horns sprouting from her forehead. Vista did not know from which essence those conjurations sprung, but had to admit that the woman had shown that even something so primal could make for a potent addition to one's path during their time spent in the mirage arena.

"Your firm reminder last we spoke did stay with me," Vista replied, keeping his tone civil and polite.

"And let me congratulate you on your victory in the Proving. It was well earned."

"Bah, with you leaving without having properly finished, that victory felt hollow," Storm grumbled, and Vista was surprised to see that the woman really seemed to mean it.

"Still, once you see our glorious sect and join us for real, we'll have plenty of opportunities to measure ourselves against one another."

"I believe that our agreement was for one year," Vista reminded, but Storm just waved the matter away.

"Yes, yes, I haven't forgotten. But I have a feeling that you'll be pleasantly surprised, outcast. Just you wait, I'll show you the sect compound. And the stretches of land near the great Sea Wall? You will never have ventured into such rich hunting grounds. This year will be something unlike anything you've experienced!"

"- and given such transgressions against lower-ranked members of our organization, the continental council of the Adventure Society has decided to levy a penalty to the rewards for any contracts undertaken by their members who are also of the Thunderous Soul Sect. The reduction will be applicable regardless of rank in the hopes that the young might learn from the questionable actions of their elders, and further transgressions might lead to expulsion.

However, the Adventure Society will clearly maintain its stance in aiding its members regardless of rank, and should there be no further breaches of trust and questionable actions during the next year, these penalties shall be withdrawn. The Society looks forward to continued, civil cooperation," Anasta Temren finished, her words already having caused quite a stir as murmurs ran rampant among those gathered.

The crowd were silver-rankers at the most, with none of the golds of the city having openly shown up even though Anasta was sure that they would receive word, if not listening outright from great distance. Having made her statement, she then snipped her fingers in the air and vanished, reappearing in her office where Maximillan already awaited.

"Reactions as expected," her deputy noted.

"Even though we both know that this probably won't have the intended effect, no matter how sternly worded the letter from the council might have been."

"You know their ways, Maximilian. They probably have bigger fires raging in more important parts of the world, involvement of Discord or not," Anasta sighed.

"At least it was something that might be felt, giving some sense of justice to what was done to the guild during the Proving, however misguided."

"But do they themselves truly believe that it will make a difference?"

"Perhaps? I would never accuse the council of being willfully negligent, but the sheer distance from matters like these make for skewed perspectives," Anasta sighed.

"Still, it isn't all bad news. Some more affluent individuals have reached out with the intentions of sending help and funds, and we've received yet another surge of resources from our 'unknown' sponsors among the churches.

I'll put them to good use," she finished, both of them knowing well enough that their main sponsor remained the church of Unity, even though Anasta suspected that other churches might have started to contribute as well, in addition to certain other movements that her informants reported around the kingdom.

"Nothing new about the guild making contact with the sects? I've seen the reports of their tallied contracts, so at least they're keeping up the pace we're enabling for them."

"Not beyond the last report you've already mentioned. Do you really have any hopes of them managing to impact the stances of the sects, Anasta? While Kite and some of his companions can be most polite, civility isn't exactly the language spoken between many of the sects at the moment," Maximilian asked, his doubts clear.

"All of them? No. Most of them. Definitely not. But perhaps a few of the more far-flung ones, or at least an influential member or two? Just trying feels like it might accomplish something, and they did manage to generate some scattered goodwill with their interventions during the trial. Even got a few awkward, public thanks. Who knows. But you and I will also need to step up in that regard, Maximilian.

With the Tengu Clan temporarily ousted from the capital, we are a lot more blind than I'd like even though Bright Day has proven more useful than expected. Perhaps it's time for us to become more sociable too and work on things more from our end?" Maximilian was about to answer when the pair both felt an aide at the door who announced herself with a polite surge of her aura.

Anasta made a spiritual surge of her own to indicate for the younger woman to enter, leaving one of her secretaries bowing politely to both of them.

"Directors. I apologize for the interruption, but there came a request for a meeting that I deemed of high priority."

"Oh? Who?"

"Ardent Horizon Seeker, Director. The Sect Leader of-""I know quite well who he is, thank you," Anasta noted as she interrupted the aide.

"Did he say when he wished to meet?"

"Well, Director, he's here now, although he did say that he could return at a later date if that was more suitable." Anasta only needed to glance at Maximillian to know their answer.

"Right away will do, thank you. Send him in. It would seem like Fortune decided to give us a shove in our intended direction."

"As it does seem that you intend to be persistent in these matters, Sentinel, I find myself forced to reiterate; you have our thanks for coming to the aid of our students during their lapse of judgment in taking on something beyond their capabilities, as well as for dissuading the students of our rivals from taking advantage of them. But this does not mean that we will open discussion of our sect's policies with you and yours.

What is deemed the best course of action for the Golden Song will remain for the Golden Song to decide," Elder Sunflower reiterated, still polite but with a certain note of fraying patience in the growl of her leonid voice. And while Kite had thought that he had made some points that might even have gotten through to the woman, that was a far cry from complete success. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

As such, he chose to cut his loss to keep relations civil, bowing again to the elder.

"Then I shall not keep you any longer, Elder. Thank you for your patience." The leonid bowed in turn, rising from the chair in the meeting room of the sect compound where she had received Kite, and was making for the exit when Kite found one last straw to grasp.

"Elder?" He could see the woman stiffen slightly, but she still kept her composure as she turned to look over her shoulder at him.

"Perhaps you have already heard of this, but our guild has an arena adjacent to our Convergence guildhall where our contender in the Proving resides. Anyone who keeps the peace and is looking to exchange pointers and tempering is welcome, with none other than Impeccable Silver Edge himself currently residing there and helping Soul with demonstrations. If any of your students or elders were looking for such opportunities…" he trailed off, leaving things at an obvious hint so as to not pressure the woman.

Elder Sunflower regarded Kite for a while longer before she eventually nodded, albeit a bit tentatively.

"We have heard of the place where your champion holds court, but not that Young Master Silver himself had deemed it worth a visit. I will make sure that the students are informed."

"Thank you, Elder. May your path take you to the heavens and beyond." Leaving the sect compound, Kite met up with Dragonfly who had remained behind to wait along with Gleam and Sprite aboard the vessel that the familiar pulled.

While Will's and Laevyeth's vessel - now named The Vanguard - had a greater potential for expedient travel even when keeping to the speeds that wouldn't risk undue monster attention, the pair had chosen to stay behind on the last three contracts to let their newly contracted pilot practice as well as seeking some tempering on their own. As such, Kite found himself entering the very familiar cabin, giving his wife a quick embrace as he sat down next to her.

"From the feel of you, this time wasn't a complete defeat," Dragonfly noted, to which Kite shrugged helplessly.

"As with the others, they weren't very susceptible to the notion of trying to limit their more aggressive moves towards their neighbors, deeming decades of rivalry a much likelier justification than any manipulation from Discord's servants," he said, sighing.

"But much like the last two, the notion of sending their people to Soul and her arena did seem a lot more appealing. I sometimes can't help but worry for my kingdom, where acting to root out hidden manipulators is deemed much less interesting than sharpening one's individual prowess."

"In that way, we definitely are a frustratingly direct bunch. Had I not met you, I would probably be the same; striving towards seeking only that which my path could take on rather than anything lurking in the woodwork," Dragonfly replied before turning to her student.

"There is a lesson in that, Sprite. Think on that during your next meditation."

"Of course, Teacher," the elf teenager replied with her usual diligence, before finishing up her balancing exercise to go do just that while also giving the married couple some space.

"Don't look so discouraged, love. Even the Director seemed to think that we shouldn't expect too much of these attempts at contact," Dragonfly murmured, leaning against Kite's side to comfort her disappointed husband.

"I know, love. I do… Perhaps we should keep looking for alternatives instead of bashing our heads against the metaphorical wall here," Kite said, leaning into the embrace.

"We do seem to be onto something here with Soul. Let's discuss it with the others when we return." A mental request to Glint had the ship float up into the air and off above the treetops, heading set northward, and after a while spent in companionable silence, Kite found himself regarding the meditating Sprite which gave rise to a thought.

"Love?"

"Hmmm?" Dragonfly hummed, eyes half-lidded as Kite had been using a few fingers to massage the nape of her neck.

"Sprite turns fifteen soon, right?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Then perhaps it will soon be time for us to start up with the compatibility rituals to see if she's ready to accept essences."

"Huh, you're right," Dragonfly said, emerging from her bliss to regard her student.

"Has she settled on any of the alternatives yet?"

"No, still fretting. She'll get there, although I'm unsure if her being shown compatible would help or not."

"Well, it might still be rather early. I was seventeen, after all, and some go up to nineteen before they're ready," Kite said, comparing the mental image of the tense child that had originally returned home with his wife to the teenager of today.

"Still, we might as well ready ourselves for it. Gods, this is what they mean right? When they say that they grow up so fast?"

"Pebble! Hello! And you too, Ink and Yarn! Want to play later? I just need to show Big Brother around a bit first!" Kite couldn't help but smile as he walked along in Raven's wake through the gardens surrounding the Serenity's Nest orphanage, his younger sister calling out to the different children out and enjoying one of the few last pleasant autumn days before the weather would turn crisp and chilly.

Raven seemed to be in her element these days, having taken to her new neighbors with enthusiasm after some initial shyness. Kite, on the other hand, drew gazes that ranged from the fascinated to the frightened, especially from those children old enough to have an inkling about his power.

"We are so happy that Young Mistress Raven and some of the other children from the village nearby - which is nice and growing, Fertility be praised - often come over and play with our charges," said Mirror Sheen, the assigned headmistress of the orphanage and priestess of the very same deity she praised. The bronze-ranked human woman had slight hints of gray in her black hair, hinting at her being near the end of the lifespan for the grade.

Given the wellspring of life and kindness that was her aura, Kite suspected that it would still be at least two to three decades longer, but seeing the rarer, older essence user was both a reminder that time came for almost all of them, as well as the tendency to die young if one was in Kite's line of work.

"I agree, and am glad that you seem to have settled in," Kite agreed as he fought back an urge to correct the title that the Priestess had used for Raven. Because while he didn't feel like it, Kite had become aware that he and his family were now akin to landed gentry, with not one but two villages housed on their land along with the orphanage and the plot granted to Braid. A member of a prominent family might scoff at the title, but in the eyes of the locals, Raven was indeed their Young Mistress to be respected.

Still, when she eventually couldn't hold herself back anymore and set off to play with some of the more enthusiastic children, Kite felt an ounce of relief that there was still some normalcy to Raven's childhood. Proper titles were important, but this was not the setting or the age to place overly much emphasis on their social differences. Time would make sure to handle that eventually anyway.

"How do the children fare?"

"Well, overall, Master Kite, but as you can probably feel yourself, theirs has not been an easy lot so far in life," Priestess Sheen said a bit sadly while purposefully not glancing towards some of the other children still keeping their distance or outright hiding from the visitors. Kite could indeed feel it in their auras; fear, grief, mistrust and other similar sentiments mixed into their emotions like a patina of oil at the surface of a clean barrel of water.

Especially the older ones reminded him much of Sprite, albeit without the luxury of being personally cared for and provided for by someone willing to take them in.

"However, my fellow clergy and I have seen this many times before while in the service of the Goddess. It tends to pass with time, especially if we can manage to find enough for them to focus on in some other pursuit. Every mind needs a purpose, Master Kite, and these will hopefully be able to find theirs in the days to come. Goddess knows that a place like this will give them a better chance than some street somewhere, especially since Mistress Brook and her husband come here to teach them every once in a while.

Knowing your letters and - in some cases - even the foundations for basic ritual magic will definitely be to their advantage. But listen to me prattle on," she eventually finished.

"Was there any particular reason for your arrival, Master Kite? We always appreciate your visits."

"This time it was actually a bit of business, Priestess," Kite said, pretending not to notice the curious yet apprehensive children that started peeking at him when they thought he wasn't looking, knowing that even without his armor he had to make for quite the sight with his metallic tattoos that were clearly visible on his face and the last small patches of crystallization that still clung to the left side of his face.

"I came to tell you that we are finishing up the last step in constructing the surge shelter, and wanted your final input on the needs of your charges before our array masters start applying the magical infrastructure. It would be awkward to realize that we made too few lavatories mid-surge."

"Ah, why of course, Master Kite. It is very diligent of you to start making the shelters so soon after having people move to your lands. Let me just tell my sisters, and I can join you shortly." Priestess Sheen had a few brief talks with the other two priestesses who - along with a cook and general caretaker - made up the staff of the orphanage, and she rejoined Kite not long after.

"It wasn't too far off, no? A few minutes' walk?" she asked Kite, who nodded before he got a thoughtful and somewhat distant look on his face before focusing once more on the priestess.

"That is true, Priestess, but I just got confirmation from my dear familiar that she would be amenable to making an appearance to take us there. Unless you think it is unsuitable for the children?"

"Oh? No, Master Kite. Seeing a magical being will probably be the talk of the week."

"Excellent, then Glint shall be with us shortly. A word of warning though… She really likes to make an entrance." This was confirmed a mere minute later as a new addition started forming in the slightly overcast autumn in the form of a pristine, shimmering white cloud that slowly descended downward toward the orphanage before an even more shimmering form unwound itself from the gathered vapors.

Glint held nothing back, her long serpentine form clad in trailing gemstones as she took her time making winding loops back towards the ground. This display had, of course, caused every single being who witnessed the spectacle to freeze in their tracks and stare as if hypnotized, the children only needing a glance at the Priestess and Kite to see that there was no danger.

Mouths were agape everywhere, with one of the other priestesses even crying tears of overwhelmed awe at the sight as Glint stopped before Kite and Priestess Sheen, giving them a dignified look with her draconian eyes before winding her long body to better let them climb onto her back through the series of of glowing barriers Kite conjured as an impromptu stair.

Then they were off, and the general feelings of awe that dispersed some of the fear in the auras of some children below brought a slight smile to Kite's face.

"Thank you, Glint," he projected through their bond.

"Some of those children seemed to need some wonder, and by the heavens, did you provide."

"Of course, my Bond. It is only right to set their standards of beauty to reasonable levels early in life." With Glint's help, the trip to the soon-to-be finished surge shelter was an even shorter one.

A team of hired construction crew containing one stone shaper had been hard at work hollowing out one of the nearby cliffs in between and somewhat to the side of the family compound and the orphanage, the end result being something that Kite felt was akin to the temporary bases constructed by the sects and Adventure Society back during the conflict with the fallen sect.

An outer perimeter of more martial defenses such as firing slits guarded a heart of civilian dormitories, cramped but functional, and if Kite wasn't mistaken then it should be able to hold at least thrice the admittedly small population of the nearby area, but getting the priestess' eyes on things couldn't hurt, as she was much more in tune with the needs of normal-rankers these days; a realization that made Kite feel a bit odd.

He had been an essence-user for around ten years now, which wasn't even half of his life, and yet many of the experiences and hardships of the majority of the world's population felt so distant. The thought was sobering, and Kite felt that there was something to reflect on there, letting the thought linger at the back of his mind while he sent Priestess Sheen to make her inspections with the construction crew.

Further pondering would have to wait a while longer though, as Kite then happened upon another familiar figure busy in the outer sections. It felt like every time Kite met Braid, some new details in the sewn patterns of his cloth attire would have been added or adjusted, and this had only increased with the additions of new and often quite exotic kinds of threads since the weaver had gotten hold of the loom which had been his gift from Gleam.

Even now, the artifact was currently hard at work as Braid was busy feeding it huge chunks of stone left from the construction of the shelter while grey threads interwoven with something more shimmering emerged from the other side to wrap itself up into a neat, floating spool.

"Braid! How goes the work?" Kite asked, stopping to more closely inspect the man's work.

"Oh, quite well, Kite," the man responded, seeming to finally notice Kite after being engrossed in his craft.

"With the materials you and your family have provided, this place should hold well during the surge unless we find ourselves besieged by a gold-ranked beast or three. It has also let me test out a new application of my treasured loom here, incorporating the natural materials into the threads themselves for a smoother mesh. Look!"

Braid gestured to where a few of his threads from other, similar floating spools seemed to be vanishing straight into the very walls, only proper focus letting Kite see the faint pattern of formations already shaped almost invisibly into the wall.

"It does look impressive, but… What exactly am I looking at?"

"Oh, sorry. I have been consulting Mistress Crow so much lately that I forgot myself. A more practical demonstration." With a few gestures, Braid then did just that as the threads started flowing into the wall as if it encountered no more resistance than mere cloth, guided by the weaver to form the complex patterns that only left a faint shimmer.

"I've found out that by working some of the materials of the walls into the threads themselves, it becomes a simple matter to guide them to once more fuse with their source, greatly hastening the work. I still require the same amount of other reagents, but it is quite a boon as well as being aesthetically pleasing if one wants a more subtle array. Also, I suspect that it might increase the mana conductivity of the array, but that requires further testing."

"Well, glad to hear that you are enjoying your boon from Mistress Gleam. She sure worked a marvel with that one," Kite agreed, his foundation of magical theory and Braid's craft decent enough to appreciate the discovery.

"It will surely help a lot in your own strides to reach gold rank, no?"

"Hopefully so," Braid agreed, though the thought seemed to sober him up somewhat as he paused his work and turned to Kite.

"Honestly though, Kite, I very much doubt that I'll reach gold within seven years, if at all. My path has ever been one of patience and experimentation; slow and steady, if you will. Inspiration just isn't something one can force." Even through his cloth mask, Kite got a distinct note of concern and apology from the man, and as such raised his hands placatingly as he replied.

"Honestly, Braid, this isn't something any one of us can guarantee. Every ounce of help in our projects in the future will make a world of difference, as long as you want to be part of things. If only golds could hope to make an impact in the years to come, then we would be in even deeper over our heads than we realized. Your path is yours, and you've already gone above and beyond what anyone can ask of a friend and ally."

"I am a little relieved. Seeing the pace of your progression, it's easy to feel a bit left in the dust," Braid admitted, glancing toward his loom.

"Still, the opportunities you bring… They've been well worth the effort. Trust me in that I'll work hard for both my path and the guild in the years to come."

"Thank you, my friend," Kite replied, clapping a hand to the weaver's shoulder.

"These upcoming years will be even more hectic than ever before, especially with the surge coming up. But, for all the tragedies it might bring, it also has a chance to be an opportunity to grasp what strength we can, assuming that the guild comes out of it in one piece."

"You know what they say about hectic times, Kite," Braid replied as he resumed his work with the outer defensive formations.

"They'll test us to the limit and bring out both the best and worst of us. And either way, they also make time fly quite fast."