Lurona city [southern shores of Fuminao Legacy Kingdom], local time [1793.12.16]

“Sepia Familia,” Aisha tested the name, a thoughtful look on her face.

They were left alone in the room. Zeph was pouring himself a light drink at the small bar, standing behind the counter. He had to admit that the idea of placing a bar in a meeting room, as per the custom of the people of Corora, was very convenient. It was even equipped with snacks.

Aisha was sitting opposite him, in the chair a client would take. She was drinking something stronger, taking small sips from her glass.

“I must say, it’s a quite memorable name for a Guild. I am proud of you,” she said, smiling crookedly. “Such a good naming sense. I wasn’t expecting that from you.”

“I can’t say I am proud… It sounds like a name of a mafia group,” he said, grimacing when he spoke the word in Laiu dialect. The word’s meaning was actually closer to ‘yakuza’, bearing a lot of negative connotations.

She laughed. “Hah! Isn’t that a good sign? It screams ‘independence!’. But the criminal groups in your world had to be working very openly to be able to name themselves in a similar manner. It sounds almost like declaring your own lineage name,” she chuckled to herself.

“Well… it’s complicated.” Explaining the loose association with Italian mafia names would be cumbersome. He wasn’t even sure if the whole ‘familia’ theme wasn’t just a media trope. Wasn’t the ‘familia’ a Spain word, anyway? He shook his head slightly. It wasn’t important right now, he returned to the main topic. “So, what did you need to talk about?”

“Hmm, not wanting to relish a little longer in our high-class liquor?” He gave her a deadpan glare. “Ehhh, so young. Always in rush,” she said, shaking her head sadly and sipping a little from her glass. “You should take more pleasure from the small blessings we have, you know? Especially because you want to hit the road as soon as possible.”

He sighed. “Do you have any idea how much there is to do? Even if I try to relax, there is no rest, only guilt,” he said half-jokingly. “Stop playing around and say it already. I need to speak with Ghrughah soon.”

“If you say so…” The mirth in her voice was palpable. “I won’t register you as an official member of the Guild,” she stated the ludicrous idea in a calm and detached tone.

His brow raised. “How am I to be a department head without even being in the organization?”

“It’s just a matter of convention. The Modules at the Exchange that you have access to are much more important.” She straightened lazily and put her head in her hand, elbow on the table.

She had his full attention now. But his recently sharpening paranoia forced him to make sure…

“Are you really sure we can speak about it here? I do trust Kwan but… We are in her building, you know?” he said, afraid the Hannyajin would make a typical human move and place a bug in the room. It would be so easy to do, too.

She sighed tiredly. “Really? Your world had to be a hellhole if you are still holding such a mindset… But whatever…” She waved her glass. “For your information, their race can’t lie without majorly disrupting, sometimes even damaging, their own Soul. It’s one of the downsides of having inherently stronger links between the body and the Soul… or rather, the physical PE. They are much stronger for it, sure, but it’s an uncontrollable, two-sided connection that can set their Souls against their Will. It’s the reason I trust them that much despite the short acquaintance, and also the reason they don’t blend well within our society. Instead, they are treading carefully in everything they do, while trying to keep a low profile as a group.”

Wow, that actually explains a lot… he thought in surprise. Those fight in the North Tarak… Kwan’s fighting style was so similar to Aisha’s but she should be quite younger… Ugh, it’s hard to tell people’s age here. Wait! If they are inherently stronger, isn’t our Priestess a real outlier here?!

Aisha’s voice brought him back from the unimportant thoughts.

“You forgot about the limitations of the access sharing for the Exchange’s Modules.” It wasn’t a question. “Seeing how the situation is developing… If things go badly, your official affiliation within the System will change. If THAT happens, you will most likely lose the access to all inherited and esoteric entries at the Exchange that you had mentioned, leaving you with only the things that you know how to build or recreate. The Modules granted to you for being a new species, for roughly estimating the technological level of your civilization, and everything granted as a bonus – it all will be gone, most probably,” she explained flatly, looking into her glass.

Zeph shook his head. “That can’t be right. We had only spoken about the limitations of sharing. Revoking the access is another story. That doesn’t sound like the System at all, if they want for the society as a whole to develop, at least.”

“It does, in a way. If your affiliation with a country changes, how can you expect to keep the access to the country-inherent Modules? That would be a straight-up robbery of the country’s legacy. It’s the same at all levels and scales. Of course, the situation is somewhat unclear in your case. You know, because of your place of origin…” she didn’t finish. It seemed some things were better left unsaid, even in a relatively safe environment. “I don’t even know of any precedents to gauge the risk. Though, some surely already exist…” she drifted off. Seeing her glass was empty, she gestured for Zeph to hand her a certain dark-brown bottle.

He absentmindedly did so, his mind preoccupied. Earth isn’t under the System... The knowledge that I have brought – it theoretically shouldn’t be considered its legacy, right? But it would, if it had a negative impact on the System’s plans. But other Onjis could also get involved then… We don’t know what the rest of my people managed to keep nor on what terms. I am starting to understand why she is worried. My position within all of this is unclear, delicately speaking.

Aisha coughed, gaining his attention. “You also omitted an important detail – by being officially affiliated with us, you would, technically, be able to donate your Modules to the group. And we all have our own affiliations that can be used subsequently… But System Onji would never allow us access to a technology more advanced than the level that our society achieved. On the plus side, you wouldn’t be even able to pay, in the normal way at least, for the deep memory scan when donating – you never constructed those items nor do you know how to make them, after all, so your memories are worthless. It should give you room for negotiation – maybe System Onji would be kind enough to just block your ability to donate them. Although, for reasons unknown, they always refuse to do that, defaulting to revoking the access altogether.”

He tried to say something to deny this logic, but he couldn’t find any arguments, his mouth hanging open uselessly.

“You already crossed a few lines by teaching P’pfel and Ghrughah, as well as trading knowledge with Kwan’s group, so I was already concerned. Still, you were just leveraging your knowledge, which is a standard practice in our lands. The Onji shouldn’t hold it against you – at least that’s what I believed.” Her face scrunched slightly. “But then, you decided to form a long-lasting partnership with the Blacksmith… So, I am no longer sure that will be the case. If you become a registered member of the Guild right now, I’m afraid it would be impossible to consider you a separate entity anymore.”

Now, that is a real problem, he thought, looking down. He wanted to gain access to more entries at the Exchange, not to restrict himself. His plans almost backfired.

“Your will and desire to travel and explore were what kept you safe until now. From what I can tell, you never formed strong Bonds with people you met or places you visited. But now? We need to tread carefully. First things first, before you hammer the details with the Onji at their Shrine, we are keeping you at a hand’s distance,” she declared, pointing a finger at his chest. “I have an advice, though.” She leaned back, looking at him sternly.

He nodded. “I’m all ears.”

“In the worst-case scenario… That is if you won’t be able to negotiate any suitable terms with the Onji, transfer your full access to Gru. Because he is your Bond, it will be possible to share the access in the future, in one way or another. And don’t count on getting only the rights to donate revoked. I suspect that too many loopholes exist around such a solution for the Onji to even consider it.” Then, she sent him an intensive stare. “Finally, and it comes from my own, priceless expertise,” she emphasized heavily, “do not barter by only using the things already in your possession. A good deal is directed at the future, not the present. The best deal that you can make with an Onji would make your continued existence a necessity, an investment. If you can solve problems for an Onji, do it. If you can be useful beyond safety lines, risk it. Promises are bonding, and they will be restricting, so make sure they have an end.” She glared at him for a long moment in silence, making sure he took her seriously.

Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

Then, at once, she relaxed again, leaning backwards slightly. “The rest is up to you,” she finished and drank some more.

“I will make sure to remember this.” Zeph nodded appreciatively. “Thank you.”

She smiled good-naturedly. “You’re welcome. Now, that we are done,” she leaned forward above the bar, her smile becoming more impish. “Why don’t we appreciate those fine brews a little more… intensely, eh?”

~~~

An hour later, Ghrughah and P’pfel returned. Seeing the duo at the bar animatedly arguing about which type of liquor was the classiest, they could only facepalm.

They were quickly drawn into the impromptu party, though.

The rest of the night was spent in a much more relaxed manner. Even the serious topics didn’t feel that hard anymore. Zeph even declared that it was a perfect opportunity to follow the ancient custom of discussing an important decision when drunk, as they already discussed it when sober, to make sure it was a good idea.

No one protested… overmuch.

===============================

The days flew by fast, the time greedily consumed by all the projects the group had planned out.

In just two days, Aisha managed to get the Guild registered. It could have been done even quicker, but she made sure to be as discreet as possible, allowing Kwan to lure their bothersome neighbors into a small trap. The two of them had planned one, decisive strike. Trying to set things peacefully or prolonging the issue could be detrimental for the Guild in the long run, and both of them were rather hot-blooded, so no one was surprised when the day has come.

And they succeeded spectacularly. The big, critical hit turned the tables altogether – when Kwan started to declare Duels from the podium during the ‘founding ball’, it was too late for her opponents to withdraw. Not without losing more than just their pride – big sums of money started to circulate around the future Roaming Onsen Village, oftentimes involving the more unsavory groups rooted all around the port for who knows how long.

The stakes changed, the affair becoming more of a struggle for economic dominance. One in which the Sepia Familia was favored – a fighting game was the optimal outcome, especially for the Hannyajin.

Aisha and Kwan were ready to weed out the stray forces from the Guild’s dominion by force, and all major nuisances caught the bait. Of course, it wouldn’t be possible without the information warfare that happened shortly before.

Thanks to Ciriyal, who took Aisha’s offer in the end, they were able to not only determine which groups were involved but also to spread false information about their own capabilities and plans. Aisha’s information network, based more on her direct acquaintances, played a major role in the latter part – there weren’t many people who would question information coming directly from the close aides of the Leilucia Temple. Curiously, Ciriyal never showed up in the Roaming Onsen Village, disappearing completely from the surface of the city the moment her debt was paid by their Priestess. How she was still able to access her information network, he couldn’t even guess.

On that note, Aisha’s small adventure with the Twergs—yes, despite literally meaning ‘all races short’, it wasn’t actually an offending, but an official term—is a story for another time. The Priestess took it upon herself to teach the ones who managed to trap Ciriyal in the endless loop of dept a harsh lesson. Even more so after they started to cause an endless number of headaches for her when she tried to pay back Ciriyal’s dept in one go.

The insolent bastards.

But the outcome of the political clash also had negative consequences. A fact, that he already felt, or rather – predicted, when speaking with the group on that memorable evening a few days ago.

Because the situation quickly became dangerous, for many reasons.

After the heart-to-heart with Gru, Zeph learned why the little guy was so negative when they have come to Kwan’s place back then. It seemed that his bond also started to develop a kind of auguring ability. Predicting the dangerous outcome four days earlier wasn’t an easy task.

As per custom, besides the chosen champions, all of the leaders had to take a part in the Dueling competition, Zeph and P’pfel included. They were the weakest in their group and didn’t even have their laboratories set up to increase their chances in a fight by preparing their gear. On the other hand, their opponents had deep pockets and established connections all around the city. No matter how squishy they were in the real combat, it was guaranteed they would bring the best equipment possible for the occasion.

Thankfully, they still had some time. It was decided the fights would take place on the 10th of the first month of the next year, so they had over twenty days to prepare. Additionally, because it was an official Duel event, the impartial city’s arbiters were present, and the pairings were set according to the level and specialization. The negotiations, from their side conducted by Aisha, were still ongoing, though.

Possibly the worst part was that the opposing side insisted on using an ‘unrestrained rule’ for the fights. Speaking shortly, this meant a fully-powered combat. Even with the protection granted by the Towers’ mages, who would be hired specifically for the event, the risk of death of the participants wouldn’t be small. Especially because magical healing didn’t really exist in this world.

In the light of the coming events, Zeph’s schedule was full to the brim. He decided to multitask as much as possible to train himself before the fight. The first thing he did was… to stop sleeping, at all. He needed to profoundly test the limitations of the Willforce Morphon’s effects before going to the System Shrine, and it was a perfect opportunity.

Some of the experiments, as well as most of the equipment construction he wanted to do, had to be left for after the fights. Of course, he wasn’t going to use Gru or his pistols during the event – there was just too much risk of blowing out his cover.

P’phel wasn’t happy at all. He was still in the middle of setting up his surface laboratory, alongside Zeph’s enchanting corner, and yet had to start the preparations for the difficult fight with the yet-unknown opponent. Although, in Zeph’s opinion, P’pfel’s offensive capabilities weren’t ‘at the very bottom’, as the Germling liked to describe. With Ghrughah’s gear and his own explosives, he could easily kill his opponent before they knew what happened.

Speaking of which, Ghrughah was working tirelessly to the point that Zeph wasn’t sure if the giant even slept. Actually, that was a small inspiration for his own test with sleep deprivation. Between leading the construction of the underground Guild facilities, testing materials for Zeph’s armor, experimenting with watches, playing with Phleya, helping Zeph with the ‘true wing’ project, managing his own workshop, and taking multiple commissions from his new Guild’s members, there was no way he had time to sleep. The giant took it all like the mountain that he was.

Kwan and her gang were busy stalling their opponents, politically and physically, all around their lands. Regular sweeps through the port were necessary now, after she declared a war to all sides. The visits from City Council representatives were a daily occurrence – either to settle the evident cases of land breach or to engage the wealthy pricks in bureaucratic skirmishes.

It was hell, and Zeph was glad he had no part in it.

Instead, he was training madly with the only three offensive Spells in his possession, the ‘Lesser Force weave’, the ‘Lesser Mana bomb’, and the ‘Lesser Mana beam’. He hoped to learn how to construct them manually, but he knew deep down that it was a pipe dream. Taking into account how long it took him to master the Tier 0 Spells, even with his recent full-body Modification it should take him at least a few months, assuming the complexity of the construct had anything to do with the difficulty.

He had access to a few more that could pose as an offensive Spell, but they lacked the versatility and were overcomplicated in structure. Not to mention, his Mana regeneration and capacity still weren’t up to par.

He decided to take some commissions for killing the wildlife as soon as Makani showed up. He would be able to level some more and train his Spells under the eye of the expert at the same time. He actually planned to do that for the whole ten days of the new year, at the very least.

The pressure was real.

In between the Spell training, he visited P’pfel in preparation to enchant his new spear, Ghrughah for testing the new materials for his contaminations’ compatibility, Aisha for some more training with his new spear-fighting style, and his small workshop to prepare some gadgets and enchanted items for the event. Sometimes, he had to waste his time reading from his General Skills, especially from the ‘Memories of the Earth’, but he tried to minimize the time as much as possible.

He almost felt like he was back at the uni.

===============================

Zeph stood up from his bed groggily.

The few hours of sleep weren’t enough for his sleep-deprived body, but he ignored the feeling and forced his mind to stabilize. The trick was getting old – his body was desynchronized on too many levels to work properly, mind stabilization or not. Or rather, because of the imbalance of the hormones and other regulatory molecules in his blood, his brain had problems with functioning in the first place.

But that was unimportant.

Six days have passed since the memorable night. He had slept for the first time in five days, and no matter the quality or the length of his sleep, it had to be enough.

He and Ghrughah finally finished the toy-plane prototype yesterday – at the last moment. It was enough to showcase the theory of lifting force and the aerodynamics that were involved.

Aisha had arranged the meeting with the twin pilots for today. There was a wind tunnel they had to prepare for transport before riding to the meeting spot, thus the early hour.

Miraculously, he woke up by himself.

He sighed heavily. He felt tired. Moreover, no Alchemist answered his call, so he was behind his schedule in finding possible upgrades for Gru. All the worse for the soon-to-be Shrine visit. Also, he had planned to visit the Library Goddess Temple today, too…

It seemed he would be busy for the whole day, again.