Chương 310: Long in coming

"Greetings, Fantina. It has been too long," Kite greeted the priestess of Fertility as she exited Riz's portal and emerged into the gardens of his family compound. He was about to say something more when another figure emerged, one that he had not expected to see.

"Jarvan! Good to see you too!"

"Kite, you little upstart!" the blonde branch director called out with faux indignation.

"Misfortune's miserable mammaries, you have been a gold-ranker for - what? - a few months now? And not even a single visit to your old friend Jarvan? I am hurt. Hurt indeed."

"Then you have my most humble apologies, honored branch director," Kite replied somberly.

"It is the magical density, you see. My heart and sense of duty has yearned to ignore the signs and set off north, but unless you would find it in yourself to take responsibility for the expense in spirit coins of me visiting Gilded, I find that I simply cannot justify it. The cause, and all that."

"Well, at least I can respect some frugality. Literally having to eat gold coins to persist for any longer time is most unreasonable indeed," Jarvan suddenly agreed, backpedaling faster than one could blink at the prospect of footing such a bill.

"Especially now that you have so graciously agreed to pay for my wife's transfer. It is only through the kindness of Riz here that I was allowed to step through and say my farewells." Kite could see the almost physical pain that Jarvan felt upon the prospect of having to sit out yet another adventure, the sentiment being all the more clear in his aura. Fantina apparently sensed it as well, throwing her struggling husband a metaphorical rope to help him mollify the bitterness.

"My sweet husband here is the most devoted father, after all. Truly a paragon of paternity for the world to marvel at. We cannot risk both of us at once, after all. Not while we still have young ones," she said, stroking her husband's cheek while seeming to be equally sad for his sake.

"Let us all remember his sacrifice."

"It is as she says," Jarvan agreed, standing a little prouder as he leaned into the opportunity created by his wife.

"While I dearly wish that I could be at your side in the capital and punch a few of those Discord cultists, a man has responsibilities beyond that."

"We cannot be completely sure, but the signs do indeed point towards this being an opportunity for us to once more take the battle to them," Kite agreed.

"And we are incredibly grateful that you could join us, Fantina. Your skills as a healer will no doubt be the difference between life and death, should the expected conflict await us."

"I am part of the Elevenfold Unity," Fantina agreed.

"This Kingdom may not be from where I originate, but it has been my home for decades. I will stand with you and protect it once again. Will everyone else come as well? River too?"

"Most of the others are already here, waiting for us to make the trip together," Kite confirmed, gesturing towards the main building of his compound.

"With the exception of River, you are the last to arrive. From what Director Temren said, she will be joining us once we arrive at the capital. The starting ceremony for the tournament is held tomorrow, so we will only have one day to find our bearings."

"As long as Wander is present, I have no doubt of our success," Fantina smiled before turning to her husband and giving him a kiss that carried a twinge of intensity that almost made Kite blush. Almost. He was a gold-ranker now, after all. Resolute, and all that.

"And I will miss you and the children, Husband. Goddess be willing, we shall soon be reunited in a more peaceful land." Then she left, heading for the main building and the others gathered there while leaving Kite and Jarvan alone with Riz, the elf soon making her excuses as well as there was always something tasty to be found for the portal courier in Auntie Dove's kitchen.

"Gods, I really want to go with you. And gods am I a fortunate man," Jarvan sighed as he looked to where Fantina had disappeared.

"I know that - if things do go the way you suspect - you will probably be one of the most busy people of all, Kite. But please protect her when possible? My wife is capable, but you're probably heading into something dangerous if Discord has indeed chosen this time to enact their plans."

"Both her and everyone else," Kite agreed readily.

"It is my path, after all. And my wish."

"Thank you," Jarvan said, clapping a hand to Kite's shoulder.

"The young racing past the older is not uncommon in this world, but if there is anyone of the young adventurers up in Gilded I would have hoped would do so, it would be you, Kite." Kite was about to deliver his heartfelt thanks to Jarvan's sincere words, but that was when a much smaller figure suddenly emerged through the portal.

"Papa! Wow! What is this place? That was so fun! can I–" the blonde girl, one of the youngest LanCaires around eight years old exclaimed before her face suddenly turned green.

"Papa… I don't feel so good…"

"Lenore! Oh gods, if she made a break for it, the others aren't far behind!" Jarvan exclaimed, swiftly grabbing the soon to be portal-sick girl and making a sprint for the portal.

"Goodluck Kite! Please kick the bastards so hard that their gods will feel it in their divine genita–" Then Jarvan passed through and was gone, and Kite had little doubt that he was already fighting a battle of an entirely different kind on the other side as he wrangled the curious horde that were his offspring still remaining at home. While Kite had passed the city of Cinnabar Rise on a few occasions during his travels around the kingdom, he had never actually visited.

Located on a rise close to one of the rivers at the northern edges of Hua-Xi's heartlands, its vantage combined with the vast fields of red flowers that surrounded it gave a clear indicator to its name. But what Kite might have found a wonderful and exciting experience in his youth he could now easily take in with the cursory sweep of his aura, the modest city seeming quite diminutive compared to some of the places he had visited in recent years.

While it was close enough to the heart of the kingdom for actual gold-ranked monsters to occasionally manifest in the hill-laden territory of the city, all such contracts were already claimed in advance by some intricate pre-agreed-upon system between the closest sects. Thus, had it not been for the sprawling estate belonging to the Tengu Clan a few hills away outside of the city, there would have been little reason for Kite to visit at all. Now though?

Now it had become a staging ground for what might - for better or worse - turn out to be a turning point in the history of the kingdom.

"Please, little beauty, bear with it for a little while longer. You know that subtlety is of the essence today," Kite remarked to the tiny carp hiding in one of the pouches at his side, not a gem or jewel in sight. Glint had not said anything, but her disgruntled brooding at not getting to show off her splendor had only grown stronger during the short trip from the discreet portal location Riz had brought them to, making several trips to ferry the whole group.

The colorful elf would be the one helping them with the final leg of the trip as well before heading off once more, as she had her own part to play in the days to come. Fortunately there were no travelers on the road to the reclusive estate of the clan, and any farmers plying their trade nearby apparently knew better than to give any guests of the assassins further scrutiny. Disguised as they were, Kite still fretted that it would not be enough before shoving the paranoia to the back of his mind.

They were here to act decisively and him needlessly worrying right now would do little for anyone. As they had Little Crow with them, gaining entry was no trouble, and the rest of the group - consisting of Kite, Glint, Will, Laevyeth, Dragonfly, Soul, Fantina, Braid and Wander - were led by their guide to the central building and a gathering hall that felt as ancient and venerable as the clan's Heavenward estate.

Plenty of the members of the family were present already, more streaming in every moment, and quite a few of them bowed in respect to Kite and Soul in particular, giving the gold-rankers the respectful distance they deserved.

"So, let me properly welcome you all to the heart of the oldest clan domain," Little Crow declared with a flamboyant gesture as they drew close to the slightly raised seats of honor at the end of the hall.

"This was where the Tengu himself laid the foundations for our ancestral home in the time before we could live so openly in the capital as we do today. Or, at least up until a few years ago. But from what I have heard, that might soon change again."

"Hopefully, it shall be so," Obsidian Crow agreed as he shifted in through the shadows.

"Welcome, all of you. While we would like to show you the hospitality that friends of the clan may usually enjoy, I am afraid that this will not be an extended stay. The Heart of Hua-Xi Tournament starts tomorrow, and we have much to do in the capital to get things ready. Mistress Riz, am I correct to assume that you will be the portal Courier helping us?"

"That you are! Riz's marvelous dimensional services at your disposal!" the elf declared cheerfully, a colorful contrast to the generally more austere looks of the assassin clan with the exception of Little Crow and a few other scattered islands of vibrancy among the black garments.

"Excellent. Although I will have to inform you that performing these services for us will give you some insight into certain details whose secrecy the clan put a lot of value in. This goes for all of you. Share what you see here at your peril." Having received a round of confirmatory nods, Obsidian Crow then brought forth a dark piece of onyx that looked like a miniature obelisk covered in carvings, placing it on a nearby table at the seats of honor.

"This here is a portal beacon that will bypass the ordinary defenses of the capital that would require us to end up in one of the sanctioned portal plazas, either public ones or among the sects. While I do not doubt that the Silent Horizon Sect would allow us passage, it will be more beneficial to make our own way as it will lead us to a hidden chamber beneath our compound on the Heavenly Stairway. One that I doubt our uninvited tenants will have been able to find unless they have a diamond-ranker on call.

I shall go through first, signaling to you through this beacon when you can start sending over the rest. Assuming everything is as expected, the second wave will consist of our ritualists and array masters to start setting up some proper concealing measures for when we actually start bringing in Kite, Soul and Glint. Given the limits of our portal courier - no offense meant, honored mistress Riz - this process will take some time.

We shall make sure that you are all provided quarters to make your stay as pleasant as possible." Having all been briefed on the plan beforehand, none present had any questions, and thus it fell to Riz to step forward, placing her hand on the beacon and focusing for a dozen heartbeats before that dour stone archway that was her portal appeared from the floor. Obsidian Crow gave them each a nod before heading through, causing the arch to disappear as its capacity had been met.

"The rest of you can follow me, and we'll make sure that some refreshments are made available for you!" Little Crow declared.

"Anyone who wishes for some private quarters instead can approach any of the junior family members." Kite was about to follow along to said refreshments, but a small shift in the aura of his wife had him change his mind. One short conversation with one of said junior family members later, and the pair found themselves alone in a beautiful room that was clearly designed for honored guests.

The door had barely slid shut before Dragonfly crashed into Kite with enough force that he had to actively refrain from letting Unyielding activate and risk damaging the floorboards. Instead, Kite let the battering ram of an embrace carry him towards one of the plush seats, turning at the last moments to leave his wife straddling him.

"I was about to ask you how you knew, but then I realized that you were cheating with that aura of yours," she breathed with a smile before kissing him.

"And had you not, I might have cursed you until the end of your days for not taking what might be the last chance in a few days to spend some quality time with your most lovely and often neglected poor wife." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Oh, neglected is it?" Kite replied with a smile.

"Given how much I have been home the last few months and how hard you have worked me–""Does not make up for years of only being home a single month at a time," Dragonfly interrupted.

"And I do seem to recognize this 'last chance' speech from before we left yesterday–""Well, last is relative. Now we have another last one. So I thought I wanted to make the most of it," Dragonfly giggled, even if said giggle was distorted slightly Kite reached up and caressed the nape of her neck, just beneath the hairline.

"Then I suppose I shall have to bring out everything at my disposal," Kite replied with a knowing smile as his tattoos lit up. Years spent together made losing themselves in one another a simple matter, but it was during a bit of a lull in their rhythm that Kite managed to get a few words in.

"Even though we have different tasks ahead of us, I am glad to have you at my side for what is to come, my Ardent Dragonfly," he murmured into her hair, their auras intertwining as he took great care to not risk overwhelming his wife's spirit.

"Thank you. For everything. For a wonderful life together. We may have taken some time to figure ourselves out, but given what Fortune blessed us with today, I would not change a thing."

"Other things don't seem to change either, as you seem even more eager each year to come up with these sweet, earnest proclamations of yours to throw me off balance. Fortunately for me– " she said, pushing herself a bit closer in his lap "-- I am at least thoroughly anchored this time. But thank you too, love. It feels like it was too long ago since we could actually take things on together. For better or for worse, let's make sure to make an impact, preferably upon the skull of every Discord agent we find."

"Assuming we do find something."

"I'm sure we will. It would be pretty anticlimactic otherwise. But speaking of, at least right here and now we have more of a say in the matter, and that's not the ending I'm going for. So make it count, beloved, foolish and earnest husband of mine." As Kite emerged from the portal, he did so on steady feet. Years of utilizing portals frequently had made him quite used to the disorienting effects, with gold rank only helping him further. As for the room itself…

"This was certainly less… austere than I imagined," he noted to no one in particular as most people around the comfortably furnished and rather large underground room were busy throwing out and finalizing a series of arrays. But there was apparently one person present who always had an ear - or a dozen - to spare.

"I know, right~?" Wander piped, one of her bodies sitting atop a nearby low table while others did a pretty good job of being inconspicuous as they seemed to be attempting to plunder the place for treats.

"Apparently, this place was made as a bolt hole for most of the family members living here should the need arise. Hence the bunk beds and all that. But it apparently doubles as a low key staging ground for small scale invasions. Got to love the utility of it all. If I ever build myself a proper home, I'll make sure to have like five of these places beneath it~."

"Given that the plot of land next to Braid's I gave you remains empty, I take it that you are still working on your concept?" Kite asked with an amused smile as one of the rats leapt up to perch upon his shoulder as he strode into the room where Obsidian Crow sat in a meditative pose inside a magical circle that seemed to mesh and interact with his shadow threads.

"That, and perhaps I might have spent most of my cash on other things," Wander noted innocently.

"But do not worry, once Gleam has finished my commission from her, the funds will start rolling in~!"

"Oh? If I may ask then, what was your request? I had intended to remain patient, but as I received mine at gold rank before yours, I realized that you had probably asked for something similar."

"Hmm, well it would be a shame for no one to know of it in case we - you know - die here or something," Wander mused.

"So I guess it doesn't hurt. I am getting a dimensional storage~!" The declaration took Kite aback for a moment, since dimensional satchels and the like should have been quite affordable for someone like Wander for a long time and that he knew that she - contrary to what many might assume after having interacted with the outworlder - wasn't as distractible as she might seem, so there had to be an angle to her request. With that in mind, it didn't take him too long to figure it out.

"Oh? Something available to all of your bodies at once?"

"Got it in one!" Wander exclaimed happily.

"Can you imagine? The treats I could find? The things I could nab? The things I could suddenly bring out and drop on nasty people? Being a swarm is pretty awesome, but even silver-ranked rats have limited carrying capacity unless working together. But Gleam said that to have any kind of range on such a complicated item, it would have to be at least gold rank. And as you know I'm pretty patient, so I thought: Why not? Given that we might be in for our most daring mission yet though, perhaps it was a bit stupid.

But it is as they say; when hindsight is a bitch, just slap her in the face and tell her to deal with it~!"

"... do they really say that?"

"Well, I have plenty of bodies who might technically be counted as 'they', so…~""If you do not mind, Wander, I am attempting a rather delicate infiltration using my web at the moment," Obsidian Crow murmured from where he sat.

"One where I am actively listening in many places at once, so…"

"Oh, got it~!" Wander exclaimed, falling quiet while nonetheless giving Kite a meaningful look that clearly told him that she did not find listening in on multiple locations at once to be that big of a deal. As there wasn't too much to do at the moment while waiting for the others to be portaled in, Kite sat down nearby and started meditating until Obsidian Crow eventually rose from his seat and shadow jumped closer.

"We are fortunate," the red-masked assassin declared.

"Those who have taken up residence above us are at most silver-rankers. Offshoot members of the Principle family from the looks of it. Probably an ally of some sort to the local sects who received it as some show of favor. Definitely not important enough for anyone of actual power to miss them if they don't hear from them in a few days. The clan should be able to cover for them decently in the meantime.

I shall probably need your help though, Kite, as I cannot guarantee that none of them possesses some means of teleportation or another. But with you present, reclaiming the upstairs compound should go smoothly enough and give us time to reconnect both with the branch director as well as Ardent. And speaking of, did you actually properly talk to him after the conversation we had during the surge?"

"I…" Kite began, not quite having expected the direction which the conversation had taken.

"I did. At least in a sense. We both acknowledged the need for a proper conversation, but that he wanted some time to reflect on things. As I was on a harsh schedule at the time, I found it to be an agreeable step forward."

"And this was how long ago exactly?"

"... Two years? Give or take?"

"..."

"It was the last time I met him."

"Which definitely means that you will be the one to make contact with him today," Obsidian Crow concluded with a definite tone of finality in his voice.

"After we clean out the trash and cobwebs currently residing upstairs, that is."

"Finally. What took you so long? Keep up this tardiness and I shall need to have a word with the head of staff about having you replaced," Principle of the Lock replied testily without taking his eyes off the many contracts and documents spread out over the table. He might have risen to discipline the new servant himself had he not been in the middle of the most important stroke of his brush as he was finishing up a flourish in his calligraphy.

Even though it was but a pastime, he still took pride in his work to the extent that he ignored his ire for now, but it turned out that the focus he was currently exerting led him to fail to notice that the person entering had no discernible aura. At least not to him. click"Wha–" The cold sensation of a metal collar snapping shut around his neck had Lock sit bolt upright, suddenly uncaring of the ink that was spilled across the page.

But even with his silver-ranked speed he failed to get more than halfway up from the chair before he was instead yanked upward by a web of shadowy threads that covered his mouth before he could make another sound.

"That was more straightforward than expected. I did not need to even bring forth Spirit Singularity," a male voice said, and by craning his neck from where he hung, Lock could see an unknown man clad in dark blue robes and with his face framed by the intricate patterns of metallic tattoos. Blue and gold eyes met Lock's, and his attempts at screaming defiance while demanding an answer were ignored by the intruder as another voice answered, seeming to creep out of every shadow of the room.

"A last easy victory then," it said.

"I shall bring him out to the others. Care to inform him of his circumstances while I make one last sweep?"

"Of course," the visible man replied, and Lock found himself carried out of his study in what had been his family's new home for the last few years. There were no signs of other activity around them in the compound, which was odd for this time of day, and it did not take long before Lock got a bit of an explanation.

"Your limited time occupying this compound is now over," the tattooed man informed Lock in a calm and polite tone.

"The Tengu's clan is reclaiming it and you will never set foot here again. We shall soon arrive at a portal to a place where you will be detained in comfort while a few matters are sorted out here in the capital." By now, they had arrived in the largest gathering hall of the compound where a portal was indeed waiting for them, the dour stone archway looming quite ominously in the otherwise empty room. Or rather, empty save for three vaguely humanoid shapes wrapped in writhing shadows.

"You will now have the choice to enter the portal and surrender yourself to the confinement the Tengu Clan graciously extends to you, or refuse. Such is always the case with portals, as I am sure you know," the man continued, shifting Lock around to look at him. Lock in turn tried to muster his best effort at a defiant glare in an attempt to preserve his dignity. He was a member of the Principle family, after all, and there would be hell to pay for these interlopers for doing this to them.

His sentiment apparently did come across, as the man sighed.

"We have little time, so I shall put it bluntly. Enter as described, or these shadows will end your life and let you join the others of your family on the floor there," he said, gesturing towards the three wrapped forms. Or bodies, as Lock realized as he once more had forgotten to check with his aura senses, a habit that had kept eluding him even under constant reminders of his elders, and the realization turned defiance to fear faster than Lock had ever experienced in his life.

Death was something for the masses or the brutish warriors, not the gentry. At least not this up close. Once more, the tattooed man seemed to be able to glean Lock's inner dialogue on his face, as he nodded.

"Good. It seems you have more sense than some of your peers. I recommend that you be polite to your new hosts, as they do not seem to have agreed with many of the renovations your family have undertaken on their property." Then, without further ado, Principle of the Lock was thrown towards the portal, and his 'home' disappeared from sight. Kite took a steadying breath as he stood before the black and white doors at the top of the silent Horizon Sect's highest tower.

He did not need to breathe anymore, yet it remained a calming habit anyway. Then came the aura pulse indicating for him to enter, and thus it was time. Kite had thought long and hard about his return to these chambers and what he hoped would come of this next visit. He still wasn't completely sure, except for one thing; He felt that he was past the time for hesitation or backpedaling.

Ardent Horizon Seeker had already risen from his meditation as Kite entered, standing before his desk in the middle of the room with the look of a man who was calm and controlled, hands clasped before him while hidden by his voluminous sleeves. However, Kite's now gold-ranked senses let him pick up on the slight tapping of two fingers beneath the cloth that betrayed the man's otherwise serene posture.

"I bade farewell to a silver-ranker, an impressive one to be sure, but I welcome back a true power of this kingdom," Ardent greeted.

"You have done exceedingly well in reaching gold rank at your age, but given the level of insight you showed me last time, I am not too surprised. Rather, impressed. And proud." Kite did feel proud of himself at the words, but ultimately that was not why he had come today, no matter how warming the praise. It was time.

"Without your guidance and insights, I am unsure if I would have been able to make it in time," he replied, coming to a stop a few steps away and regarding the other man to whom he had become even more similar since his ascension to gold rank. Dark hair, jawline, the blue remaining in his eyes; all of that was a testament to something that few with eyes would be able to deny if they saw the two standing facing one another like that.

"Thanks to that, I am able to make an impact in this kingdom. Be it for good or ill, my voice can be added to the chorus that tries to guide its direction. But this is not merely time for gratitude, but for a conversation that has been long in coming. Father. Unlike the last time, Kite did not immediately flinch away from the word. This was something they needed to face head on at last, no matter what dynamic would come of it in the future.

Beyond his eyes widening ever so slightly at the mention, Ardent did not react at first, that silence lasting several seconds before the older man eventually - and slowly - nodded.

"I believe that you are correct. It is indeed high time. Son."