Chương 80: In your care

"You- you did what?" Peony asked Kite from across the table, mouth agape.

"I asked for the Stoics to leave you be, now and forever unless you actively seek them out. He even sent me the proper document proclaiming their support for your business' independence." Kite said, nodding at the scroll which Sun was currently reading. Peony's husband had bulked out somewhat since he had begun training along with them. Coupled with the small excursions the pair did on their own to complete some nearby iron-ranked contract, he got a lot more exercise into his daily routine than before.

"Love, this… this is genuine." Sun said, voice low in disbelief.

"Kite, but- why-""Aren't you tired of asking that by now, Sun?" Kite asked, unable to hold back an amused smile.

"Have I not already told you; I like you two, and I could. It felt good to finally lift that yoke. Besides, if you must have some ulterior motive to blame, remember that it still remains in my more mundane interests."

"Well, love, by now we are all but honor bound to name our first born after him." Peony said with a smirk, breaking into a laugh at her husband's aghast expression.

"But… thank you, Kite. Again. You sure live up to your name, bringing fortune and all." she finished, expression more serious.

"I have it on good authority that fortune does the most good when spread around." Kite said with a smile before changing the subject.

"But tell me, how goes business?"

"It has picked up a bit more as the rumors of my wife's skills are starting to wear down the smear campaign of the Stoics. Now that you have all but removed the source of that inconvenience, I dare say that the future is looking even brighter." Sun exclaimed, raising his teacup which then proceeded to crack between his fingers.

"Curses! That's the second one this week." he complained, conjured tail grabbing a handkerchief in an attempt to wipe up the spilled brew while he gathered the shards of cracked porcelain.

"I take it that you chose to use the awakening stone in the end?" Kite asked as he observed the accident.

"We did." Peony confirmed.

"In the end, we couldn't find more reasons to outweigh the ones Phiona posed to us."

"I'm still a bit concerned about what will come of it… But when I see my arrows punching a good distance into tree trunks, I must admit that it does alleviate some of the worry." Sun admitted. After a bit of more small talk, Kite updating the pair on recent events, he made to leave.

"I look forward to your next piece, Peony. Hopefully I can see it once we return from our next outing."

"Another one with the young master?" Peony asked, Kite nodding in response.

"Indeed. But I aim to meet up with Brook before leaving too, so I must be off. Please take care. May the heavens bless both your paths."

"Anyone against said proposition?" the chairwoman asked. Only silence reigned for a few seconds as she nodded.

"Then we can move on to the next point of order; project Mar. Would you be so kind?" The leonid man being addressed nodded, speaking up a moment later.

"The initial stage of the project is assumed to be a failure. While we knew that this was a risk, it is still regrettable not to have had direct observers to use in evaluation. As far as our sources have been able to tell us, neither our person of interest, his familiar or entourage suffered any lingering consequences.

What little we do know have been taken into account for the next step of the plan, where we also have means of observation and reporting-" he said, pausing as another aura in the room flared in order to request permission to speak.

"More objections?" the chairwoman asked the elven woman, a tone of amusement clear in her voice.

"I still want to vouch for more direct action to be taken. The initial results should be a clear indication to the merit, or lack thereof, in the approach of project Mar."

"What action would you suggest?" the chairwoman asked.

"To not rely solely on allies with their own agendas in the next step, but send our own measures as well to guarantee success. I will personally volunteer to-""Objection denied." the chairwoman interrupted her.

"We have not yet come far enough into the project to take such measures, as the risks of exposure would be too great. One must be extra careful in the final steps of a project, and rushing would only risk peril." The objecting woman looked as if she was about to say something more, but sat down even as har posture projected her displeasure.

"As I was saying-" the leonid said, picking up where he left off, "- due to our allies, we will have a bit more in the way of reports. They have been forewarned of what we believe should be the person of interest's expected route, their representative seeming pleased with the options laid out for them in terms of possible points of ambush."

"Excellent." said the chairwoman.

"Make sure to send a gesture of appreciation to our contacts with the Red Table."

"So it's over? There won't be more trouble?" Brook asked again, already having visibly relaxed in her chair at the Magic Society library.

"Indeed. I believe that the Stoics have every intention of not getting on the Gellers' bad side. And through that, I made sure to negotiate for something good as compensation to you." Kite replied.

"You did? But… why? What is it?"

"You were the intended target after all, even if it was an attempt to get to me. And you were the one who suffered. What I did, while a bit messy and painful, is still what I knew I would be doing that day. And what I have been doing since I signed up with the Adventure Society. You, on the other hand, did not join me in order to be even close to a fight like that. And therefore, I made sure you got something out of it. It's something nice, but I can't tell you what yet." he finished with a wink.

She gave him a long look, then sighed.

"It's not fair to drop such a hint when you are going away on one of your contracts again. But still, thank you for telling me. It will be good to go home again. Although I am not sure how much to tell mother and father about this…" she murmured, the last part more to herself than Kite.

"Any last words of wisdom or encouragement then? To ensure that this vagabond returns promptly and unharmed?"

"From what this sage has observed, you seem to be able to handle yourself, even when the unexpected happens." she said, trying to convey the very image of wisdom before her voice softened.

"But still, be careful, and please return."

"I will ever strive not to disappoint you." Kite said with a smile, hesitating a bit in the silence that followed.

"May Fortune favor you until I return."

"May Warrior guide your hand. And Knowledge make sure that you don't do anything stupid." The rays of the sun had begun to carry a certain amount of warmth, even enough to ward off some of the chill in the constant breeze welling in from the ocean. Kite, Vista and the Geller cousins were once more making their way through the city streets, on their way to yet another outing where the young master was to push himself.

"Do you think we will enter the astral space as well?" Kite asked Phiona, who shrugged.

"It is quite possible. The contract did mention a bonus for making sure that it was cleared out as well."

"Still a bit weird that these lands have enough of them that one can just remain there as is." Rachel commented.

"Back home, all I have come across are already claimed."

"Astral spaces and the more temporary ones are more common closer to the heartlands. And believe me, all of those actually carrying potential have long since been claimed." Vista provided from where he walked in front of them.

"This one is not too big and having even lower levels of ambient mana than the outside means that there really isn't much to claim. The most valuable local aperture lies beneath the water in a bay south of the city, and it is apparently the inner domain of the Wavebreaker sect, their compound claiming the area even since before the settling of Bastion."

"But you have already been to an astral space, right Kite?" Rachel asked.

"Indeed. But I dare say that the experience was a bit out of the ordinary. From what I gather, the jade-sky gates only target the temporary proto-spaces, stabilizing and remolding them for its purpose. It would be novel to step into a natural and stable one." Kite said.

"Well, do not get your hopes up too much. I have been to this one before, and while it is a bit different from the surroundings, it is in practicality no different from any other stretch of nature around here." Vista said, and was about to say more when someone called out to him.

"Why, if it isn't young master Vista! And his entourage!" A young elven woman around Vista's age was walking up to them, looking as she was just arriving back from a trip. The group of weary-looking retainers following in her wake cemented that theory, along with the exquisitely crafted dark armor she was wearing.

"Young mistress Crescent." Vista greeted back as she walked up to him.

"I hope that the heavens have smiled on your endeavors."

"Oh, they have. Our little outing was most productive." Crescent answered, a toss of her head causing a few black ringlets of hair to bounce.

"You might even have to watch out so that I don't overtake you soon. Sharing the glory with an entourage does tend to slow one's pace after all." The words were ostensibly a bit of playful rivalry, but it did not take a master of observation to glean the meaning beneath. Around them, people had stopped to look at the encounter and whispered amongst themselves, bronze-rank hearing picking out some of the conversations.

"The young mistress of the Withers family."

"Such a familiar tone with young master Relentless. Bold."

"I've heard that her family has been making strides lately."

"I swear it on the heavens, no one could overtake our young master Relentless." While Vista and his group usually garnered a bit of attention when leaving or returning, this meeting and the young mistress' calling out promised that rumors of the meeting would travel fast.

"And I do not believe that I have been given the chance to introduce myself to the ladies Geller." Crescent continued, bowing to the two while ignoring Kite much the same way as Vista had done during their first outings.

"I am Crescent of Withering Day, honored to meet members of such an illustrious and renowned family."

"Greetings, young mistress. I am Phiona Geller, and this is my cousin Rachel." Phiona answered politely.

"A pair of adventurers with such pedigree arriving in our little part of the world. One does wonder what plans you have for us. I assure you that the Withers family welcomes any initiatives from the Geller family. In fact, we have a little soirée planned during the next week. I would be overjoyed if you would show us the honor of attending, as there is surely much we could gain from one another." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Kite noticed Vista's aura stiffen slightly at the brazen approach, but the young noble remained silent. Rachel, however, did not.

"Unfortunately, I believe that this little outing will take quite some time." she said, walking up to stand closer to the young master. A lot closer than either in the group had witnessed before. From the young master's slightly rigid posture, the act took him by surprise as well.

"And Vista has promised us a dinner of delectable treats afterwards. One I -we- wouldn't miss for the world."

"Ehr- Yes, yes indeed." Vista managed.

"As you hear, we must soon be off. But I wish the young mistress good hunting in the future." he continued more smoothly, a polite smile on his face.

"Between us defenders of the region, I must give the young mistress a friendly recommendation; traveling with an entourage is a lot better in many ways. For expediency's sake, of course. Rachel, Phiona, Kite, it is time to mount up." With that, he bowed politely before leaping onto Whimmy's back, the others quickly producing their familiars as well before mounting up, leaving the young mistress Withers standing there with a confused but also calculating look in her eyes.

"Rachel, I do believe that you might have started a bit of a scandal through your actions." Vista said once they had traveled a good distance from the city gates.

"Your actions alone will probably give birth to rumors which might never truly die out." Contrary to his words, he did not look entirely displeased.

"But I couldn't help note your own little contribution." Phiona noted from where she rode on Missus behind her cousin.

"Naming us with such familiarity in public… It will surely have her speculating, and the rest of the interested parties as well."

"And besides, so what if they make wrongful assumptions about us? The Relentless and Geller names spoken in the same sentences will surely not be a stain on your reputation." Rachel added cheerfully.

"I am more concerned that my father will take it seriously and start pressuring me to court you for real." Vista said, looking at her.

"As should he. I am quite a catch, after all." the red-haired Geller said with a dramatic toss of her hair.

"Master, Bloodstalker says that he can smell them on the wind. Four bronze-rankers, as promised" Crimson said from where she was looking down at the bottle carrying the blood link of the scout. The iron-ranker's pinched face was lit by the reddish glow from beneath as she looked to her mentor.

"Then our so-called allies in the city were true to their word. The blood of these ones should be potent, and a useful asset to us in addition to the prize we were promised for success." Bearer of Sanguine Promise said, looking to his disciple.

"Activate the concealment formations and bring forth the prepared components for the 'Scalding Cascade'. We must make sure that they have entered the aperture cave before revealing our presence."

"And their doom." Crimson said, nodding along.

"I will carry out your orders, master." she called, leaving the concealed tent. Promise looked after her, sighing slightly.

"She is eager at least." he muttered to his familiar, a shiny black beetle with serrated legs perched on his shoulder.

"But surely, my superiors fear my rise as they continue to provide me with this particular type of fervor in my students. If only not half of them would choose a name with Crimson in it. But it doesn't matter, because as soon as I ascend to silver rank, they will belatedly realize the mistake they made. As will this little group of adventurers."

Kite was walking behind Vista and Phiona as they were climbing the small rise leading up to the base of one of the cliff spires in the area, listening to the pair discussing different ways to engage the last contract which Vista had cleared out.

"-as I said, a more defensive approach might actually have led to a more swift conclusion. You know that the Gravel Knights tend to engage in smaller groups unless you go deep into their claimed territory." Phiona was saying, Vista shaking his head.

"The more of them there are, the quicker I will reach my peak. Besides, the early phase of the fight is where I find the most challenge if I dive in, as it forces me to focus on my swordplay and other powers rather than relying on advantages from the boons." the young master answered.

"Yet Whimmy still had to pull you out twice."

"That is what they're here for. And they're the best boys!" Vista said, adding the latter at a trio of snorts from his side where the familiar was loping along their master. Even though the words were argumentative, Kite smiled at seeing that the two actually seemed to enjoy themselves and their verbal sparring. At his side, Rachel shook her head.

"And here they say that I would be the one to cause a scandal. Just look at them, getting all friendly." she whispered conspiratorially to Kite. Kite took another, longer look at the pair walking in front.

"You think that they're…?"

"Nah, not that way. But I do think that Nona has taken a liking to him as an adventurer, at least in part. She values competence a lot, and while our young master here has another take on it than she has been taught, he still shows the right intentions. And doesn't go all thorny when criticized. Aaaand she has really good hearing." she finished, winking at Phiona who had partially turned her head to level a withering glare at her cousin.

Arriving at the base of the cliff, the group found a sizable cave opening with obvious signs of stone shaping in the rather smooth tunnel leading inwards. About fifteen meters in was the aperture. Kite's only encounter with the opening to an astral space had been the one long since capped by the jade-sky gate. The vaguely circular hole in the world in front of him was quite different, being a disc of pale purple light casting a faint glow onto the tunnel walls.

"As expected, it looks unchanged since my last visit." Vista said, stopping with the rest just before the tunnel opening.

"You did say that you have been here before. What is in there?" Kite asked, looking at the aperture.

"It is a domain of some kind of desert, although not overly big. Purple cliffs are very prominent, but neither the stone or sand have any special properties beyond their odd coloration, at least not worth exploiting. In there, they seem to dampen aura senses, but the effect is lost upon extraction. And the ambient mana is not strong enough to regularly produce quintessence and the like to warrant proper settling or exploitation." Vista explained, as they began their descent downwards.

"And the monsters?" Phiona asked,"Mostly iron, with a few bronze here and there. Not overly different from the lands around, a little bit weaker even, but they do provide a nice variety to what normally manifests in these lands. It should-"" Void!" Vista's word were interrupted by Kite suddenly shouting the spell chant, black gate appearing in the tunnel behind them.

"Kite, what-" Rachel's words were interrupted by a roaring noise as something impacted the other side of the gate, only a red glow and an overwhelmingly cloying, coppery scent escaping past the barrier.

"The aperture! Go!" Was all Kite managed to shout, staggering backwards as mana was rushing out of him in an attempt to keep the protective void between them and the snaking, roiling torrent of red liquid his expanded field of view had shown him. The crimson mass had risen in an arc from somewhere further away from the tunnel, only to arc down and begin its descent straight towards their location.

Fortunately, his group was seasoned enough not to further question the situation, taking off at a run towards the glowing opening. Kite was the last, his concentration causing him to have trouble keeping pace until Glint emerged from her bottle. She swept him up with a cushion of conjured water before speeding off after the rest of the group.

But the carp had barely managed to get going before Kite had to release the spell, mana nearly empty but not daring to use his immortality just yet in case he would be forced to endure the torrent of what looked to be boiling blood which broke through the remnants of the void gate a moment later. Vista and Whimmy had already passed through the aperture, the two Gellers stopping just before it to see Glint racing against the incoming attack. And losing.

"Damn it all! Missus, please go!" Rachel called, the aegis cobra manifesting and slithering up the tunnel as her master's murmured "I'm sorry." was drowned out by the roar of too much scalding, magical fluid forcing itself into a too narrow tunnel. Missus only gave out a mighty hissing call, ducking beneath Glint and raising her hooded head in defiance. A glow seemed to emanate from between her scales and from luminous lines appearing on the serpent's flared hood.

Then the incoming torrent hit her, and seemingly stopped. For a split second it was as if the veritable sanguine waterfall remained frozen before the familiar, held in check by her body and the magical barrier she had conjured. But then, Missus' body shifted backwards slightly, cracks spreading over her scaled body. And but a heartbeat later, the flood washed over her, Kite losing sight of the grand serpent as the seconds gained was just enough for Glint to carry him through the aperture.

And suddenly, Kite and the group found themselves somewhere else entirely.

"A most masterful plot, great mentor!" Crimson cried with glee from where she stood beside Promise.

"The might of the Red Table will be on everyone's lips from now on. They will fear us. We-" The iron-ranker was interrupted by a pulse of aura from her master, who shook his head.

"Student, let this be a lesson. Always check for results before claiming victory. Always. Don't even entertain the thought before you have verified it. Adventurers have their ways, and if you assume too much, it will be their glory being praised for having killed you." Crimson fell into chastised silence as Bearer of Sanguine Promise started forwards, up towards the cave, gesturing to his followers and henchmen to move ahead according to their agreed upon plan.

They left the concealing formations of the camp and advanced in a loose formation, and Bloodstalker was already waiting at the mouth of the cave, the elf remaining immaculately dressed and groomed as usual.

"Results?" Promise asked his most trusted scout as they drew closed.

"I can only smell the blood of the Scalding Cascade. Nothing else mixed in."

"So, the hunt continues." Promise said, having half-expected the outcome. Few things in this life were so easy. They knew little of the young master that their allies in the city wanted gone, only that he was to die if it was possible to arrange it in such a way that there remained a body to be found and leads pointing towards a plausible scenario. Otherwise, they were to slay his whole entourage and leave him crippled but able to perform a 'miraculous escape'.

"Politics." Promise groaned slightly.

"Such schemes are a poor substitute to real power." He then turned to his gathered followers, raising his voice.

"We proceed with the plans. Bring the sacrifices, but take care with the lordling. I will stay with the ritualists to lock the aperture and set up the circles. Remember, do not under any circumstances try to summon hordes. Our information was very clear that numbers will only hurt us in the long run. For the cause and the Red Table!" Popping a mana-restoring pill into his mouth, Kite took in his surroundings.

"Vista did not lie when he said that the place had a distinct coloration." he thought to himself, surveying the landscape. The group had come to a stop behind a large, slightly shimmering dune of purple sand. Or at least something akin to sand. The tiny grains had given off a slight tingling rustle as the group slid down the dune, although the more or less constant wind had erased any sign of their passing as it made the top of the dune visibly shift like the whole dune was in motion.

A very slow motion, but motion nonetheless. Complementing the purple sands were chaotic cliff formations, growing almost like deformed, gnarly trees from the landscape. They were purple as well, although much darker in coloration as they formed a veritable stone forest. No sun was visible, the light seemingly coming in from everywhere at once.

"At least the temperature is surprisingly pleasant. Even though it is quite clear that this is not a normal part of the world." Kite thought as he turned to Rachel.

"I- I'm sorry about Missus. And thank you. She saved us from quite an unpleasant experience." Rachel only nodded, sniffing slightly.

"She's summoned, so she'll be back. But it still… It still feels so wrong just to send her off like that."

"And it was good that you conserved your spells, cousin, as we are sure to need them." Phiona said to them, sliding down the dune from where she had been looking out over the aperture.

"People are coming through. Too far away to make out specifics, but I saw them starting to set up ritual sites. We need to disappear amongst the terrain."

"Or we engage them now, when they are still setting up." Vista said, breaking into the conversation.

"Whoever they are, they will pay for this. What manner of dishonorable curs are we dealing with?"

"Ones that might have killed some of us had it not been for Kite." Phiona retorted.

"They quite obviously knew where we were, even having prepared a potent trap. Charging at them blindly would be tantamount to suicide."

"But this space is not big enough to hide forever." Vista interjected.

"Two dozen kilometers across at most. They will find us, and when they do, the rest will come anyway. I still think-""Phiona is right." Kite interjected, almost a bit surprised himself at his words. He usually left handling Vista to the more experienced Geller, only partaking in some simple sparring and conversations in camp.

"The terrain at least gives us a chance. My Uncle Walker made quite sure I took that to heart." Kite could almost remember the scout's words.

"Remember, little Kite, that when you are outnumbered, every tree, every boulder and every bush are your allies." He continued.

"Besides, are you not the one who is here to push yourself? Have you not realized by now that not every battle is a matter of momentum? Would it not help your path even more to be forced to fight in new ways? Consider new options? Then, unless you have been lying to us all and yourself all this time, this should be what you want." he finished. There had been no shouting or raised voices, but even Kite himself did not doubt that his resolve had shown itself through his words.

All three of his companions looked at him, Rachel raising both eyebrows while Phiona shot him an approving smile. Vista, the young master Relentless, wore an unreadable expression, but Kite could sense something taking shape in his aura. Then he too smiled, his gaze a mirror of Kite's own.

"Well, Kite, I will admit that this was not where I thought such words would come from. Dangerous words, questioning my honor like that. But also words of wisdom." He turned to Phiona.

"Lead the way, Phiona. I will remain in your care. In the care of all of you, in fact."