“Through those bushes. And to the right. See the grate down there? When I give the signal, go over, lift it up and climb down. Wait for it… Wait for it… You can go now~!”
The whispered instructions came from the tiny rat perched on Kite’s shoulder where he crept through the nicely kept gardens of a small estate on the Fourth Step. Having anything remotely called a garden in Bastion’s rather urbanized and tightly packed cityscape meant that the owners were on the more affluent side of the social spectrum, and Kite was currently breaking into said estate under Wander’s guidance.
On her command, he swiftly crossed the final stretch of ground under the cover of darkness to get close to the wall of one of the buildings and open the already prepared grating. His aura was retracted, which meant that his senses were dulled in that regard, but Wander’s many small bodies being spread out over the garden meant that she could easily help him evade notice from the few household guards. While Kite was not overly worried over the few iron rankers and half-step essence users, it was more a question of keeping the element of surprise as a more conventional strike team of adventurers were already surrounding the compound in order to lock it down. As he slid down through the opening and down through the open cellar window which the grate had been protecting, Kite realized that just over half a year ago, he had been the one to surround the area in support of the actual strike.
He entered a proper wine cellar, with barrels and urns of different beverages stored all around the room where magical formations assured proper temperature inside each container. The room was well kept, and surprisingly free of dust.
“Affluent indeed.” Kite thought to himself as he rounded a stack of huge barrels to find Braid waiting for him along with several more of Wander’s bodies. More were streaming into the cellar in Kite’s wake, leaving only a scant few behind and with the commanding adventurers of the strike team outside.
Braid didn’t even look in his direction from where he stood next to a pair of wooden double doors, a rich red carpet leading up to them. Several glowing threads had surrounded the door, their glow revealing the defensive formations upon it; a magical diagram of several interlocking runes and symbols which spread out across the door. They glowed faintly blue under the light of Braid’s threads, and Kite assumed that his companion had used some kind of revelation ritual to study the workings.
“Greetings, Braid. I assume that this is not merely another formation for keeping the wine cool?” Kite asked, voice kept low as he joined the other man in front of the door.
“Indeed it is not.” Braid said a bit forlornly as he was apparently pondering the magical symbols in front of him. “Both an alarm and a rather inconvenient trap.”
“Will you have trouble with it?” Kite asked due to the concerned tone of his companion.
“What? Oh heavens, no.” Braid replied, almost laughing. “I am more concerned with how someone would have paid for something like this. It is almost like half the materials went into making it look as imposing as possible. You should have seen it when we came in. It even glowed red. Red!” he said, sounding baffled. “I only went through the trouble of a revelation ritual since I assumed that no one should be this stupid about it and assumed that there was more hidden here. But alas, no.”
Kite chuckled at his explanation, shaking his head. “Well, that is a relief. So, what is the plan? Wander only filled me in what little she could on the way here. Blood cult activity?”
“Yes~,” Wander confirmed from his shoulder. “We have been assisting the local branch in looking for signs of covert activities from the forces behind the fallen sect. And mostly, it has been booooring.~” she complained with her squeaking voice.
“But we do have some leads, if vague ones. And this is one of them. I found that the family which owns this complex had some weird sources of revenue which coincided with certain regular gatherings. Wander has been observing this place since then, and confirmed it. Every other week, there is a gathering of some moderately affluent people here on these grounds, but they are nowhere to be seen in the main houses. And so, she followed them to this suspiciously well kept cellar with the ominous, magically protected door.”
“And besides, I can smell it. The scent of blood is distinct from beyond this door~.” Wander chimed in.
“So, what is our purpose here? Are we to flush them out?” Kite asked after taking in their explanation.
“Not necessarily. The adventure society wants as much proof as possible as we are messing with some influential people, or at least people beholden to influential people. When they signal that everyone outside is in place, we will see if we can’t get past this door and see what they are up to in there. When we deem it necessary, we can intervene.”
Kite nodded in affirmation. “I will follow your lead then, seniors.” Both of his companions seemed to flinch a bit at the honorific.
“Being called that always makes me feel so old~.” Wander grumbled, while Braid let it slide without further comment.
“While I could just break down this formation the usual way, it's simple enough that we could try out an experiment of mine which I have been wanting to see in practice. Kite, would you mind delivering a dispelling strike right here on my mark?” Braid instructed, pointing to a specific point on the magical diagram.
Nodding, Kite took his position, two fingers poised to strike. Just a minute later, Wander gave the signal. “They are in position and waiting for our call~.”
“Then, Kite, on a count of three.” Braid started. “One. Two. Three.”
Kite struck, his fingers shimmering with the familiar energies. During their experimentation together out in the field, Braid had assessed that Kite’s attack had an effect on more fragile magical formations, and was able to disrupt parts of them at least temporarily. While it would rarely work against a fully fledged array, the Braid thought that it could serve as a nice brute force solution toward simpler constructs provided that Kite knew what he was doing.
At the impact, part of the formation flickered and dimmed for a heartbeat or two before the magical reservoirs started restoring it. But Braid simply reached out and opened the door during the short downtime, the door sliding open just a few centimeters. On its exterior, the formation was now back to full force, but nothing else happened.
“As I thought.” Braid whispered while Wander sent one of her bodies inside to take a look. “They didn’t even take the time to make the formation to constantly check its state. To it, it doesn’t matter if the door is open or closed, it only ‘cares’ if it is opened.”
Just a few seconds later, the small rat waved them onward as her other bodies started following. Taking care not to open the door more than necessary, Kite and Braid followed. They entered into a small foyer, floor covered in the same plush, red carpet. An archway ahead was covered by a pair of closed drapes, and muffled voices could be heard from beyond.
“It is time to get some eyes on this gathering.” Braid whispered, producing a small recording crystal which he handed to one of the rats. The tiny rodent took it gingerly between its teeth, giving them both a stoic nod before it vanished under the hem of the crimson drapery.
After another short delay, Kite waiting tensely with his aura retracted and his normal senses strained, Wander spoke up again.
“I’ve found a good spot. It should be safe to use the portable viewing crystal. Those drapes really muffle the sound. And I think I know why~.” she reported, something slightly teasing in her tone.
“Mind sharing then?” Braid asked, his tone indicating that he did in fact not expect a response.
“It will probably be better to just let you experience it for yourselves~.” she squeaked, Kite almost getting the feeling of a mischievous grin on her face.
“Well, at least that means that whatever is inside isn’t something we need to interrupt immediately.” Braid sighed, producing a flat crystal slightly bigger than his palm which soon started relaying the image from the smaller one carried by Wander. Kite marveled a bit at the probably quite expensive piece of magic, and suspected that it had quite limited range else it would probably have a lot more widespread use.
“Just imagine having a pocket-sized artifact to enable you to see something in another city. Or country even.” he thought while taking in what was shown on the crystal in Braid’s hand. With Wander keeping watch in the wine cellar, they could even have the device emit faint sounds.
While a bit awkward from the perspective of a rat hiding behind a vase on a small dressing table, they could still get a surprisingly decent view of the room.
Unlike the wine cellar, the room was richly decorated. Expensive wooden panels with beautiful glow stone lamps covered the wall while plush carpets were spread around the floor, with the only exception being in an area around a central stone altar. Otherwise, there were many small tables, divans and recliners around the room, turning it into a mix between a lounging area and some kind of ritual chamber. Still, Kite couldn’t help but think that there were more sofas and other more sizeable seating options than he would have expected.
The room was filled with just over a dozen people, all clad in footlong crimson cloaks and discreet masks which only covered the eyes and cheekbones. They were talking, relaxing or drinking wine in a way that would be more at home at a posh soirée, and had it not been for the still living goat which was bound to the altar, Kite would have thought it to be just play and pretend. The animal was surprisingly docile, and he assumed that it was drugged.
One of the cloaked people, a woman with lips painted the most vibrant red, called on people’s attention, her voice small and rather distant through the device.
“Thank you all for joining us at this most auspicious time. I know that many of you are quite busy these days as the cause calls for all hands to join in, but it fills me with joy and excitement that you return to partake of the sanguine power so that we may revel in its glory together this night. You all know each other and what to expect, and as such, I will use my gifts to bring forth the fountain of vigor, so that we may exult together.”
After finishing the small speech, earning many raised glasses and polite claps, she stepped up to the altar and started her preparations for what Kite assumed would be a blood sacrifice of the bound animal.
Beside him, Braid shook his head. “Why they would stoop to such primitive rituals is beyond me. Sure there is power in blood, but these ones would have the coins to spare. But at least they are only using an animal, so we can see where this leads.``
“The one officiating is a bronze-ranker, and I sense two more in the crowd while the rest are iron. All of them reek of cores.” Wander reported, apparently having dared to quest out with her aura senses.
Meanwhile, the woman had stepped forward and reached out with a hand to each side. This caused the cloak to part, revealing that she was completely naked underneath. A conjured goblet appeared in one of her hands while a curved, ominous dagger appeared in the other.
“Is… Do rituals usually have clothing requirements? Or lack thereof?” Kite asked Braid, a bit incredulous at the scene.
“No… No they do not.” The other man answered, sounding a bit weary. Kite looked back where the woman had started chanting, and it didn’t take too long to work out in which direction this ritual would take.
“-and as the sanguine force is spilled, share its bounty and endless vigor to all. Let their senses be sharpened and their ceaseless advance never stop. Fountain of Crimson Vigor!”
Her final words a crescendo, the dagger plunged into the throat of the goat, which remained docile even as its lifeblood started leaving it in a thick stream. But instead of splattering uncontrollably, it rose in a controlled undulating stream to disappear into the goblet, way more red fluid entering than would have been possible had it been a normal object.
Red runes lit up on the goblet, bathing the room in a strange ambience. And with it came the effects of the ritual. From her chant, Kite supposed that it could probably have been used to grant boons of perception and endurance to one's allies in combat. But his suspicions of its purpose that night became confirmed as all of the gathered started shedding their own robes, proving to be as naked as their leader, as they closed in on one another.
Kite stared mutely for a while before he and Braid turned in unison to one of the rats nearby, both leveling withering glares. The rodents in question all seemed to fight with stymying fits of giggles.
“You- you should see your faces. I do. From several angles at once. It just gets better~.” she managed to say.
“Wander.” Braid began, his tone a bit ominous. “How long have you known?”
“I only started suspecting it when I entered.” she said in her defense, still giggling. “But I glimpsed more naked skin on my way in. And take it from one with some smell-related perception powers; it was quite obvious what they were expecting.”
Kite glanced back at the crystal where the orgy was in full swing. “So… Do we just call it off and leave?”
Braid sighed. “No, we can’t. That was not just a ritual, it was based on an essence power. And from the look of the equipment and fuel, it seems kind of likely that she has the sacrifice confluence. As she is not an adventurer, it is probably that she simply hasn’t been checked.”
Kite suddenly understood why they had to act. Sacrifice was one of the restricted confluences and one that never got approved as an exception as it incentivised using the weak as fuel for potent effects. Had it been a more powerful being, even a normal ranked person, under that knife, the effect would have been a lot more potent. The adventure society would always seek out those carrying it and make sure that they would never use it to harm others. Often permanently. Even should this woman ‘only’ use animals at the moment, she would remain a risk for the rest of her life.
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“Besides-,” Wander added, “- there were some hints in her words which caused my whiskers to tingle. It will probably be worth it to cause a bit of a mess here~.”
“The city lady may have approved our investigations, but she will probably not be happy if we make a mess.” Braid groaned.
“Let the branch director handle it. I don’t think that Dobrazza fears anything~.” Wander replied. “I’ll send word that they should close this place down as discreetly as they can. Be ready to move.”
What followed was a bit of an awkward wait where the only sounds were the rather enthusiastic noise from those in the other room. Kite had to give it to the ritual, they all seemed to be quite energized by it.
“The rest are in position. Shall we go announce ourselves and interrupt them?” Wander asked, sounding quite cheerful at the prospect.
“We might as well.” Kite said, rolling his shoulders to loosen them out of habit before realizing that his bronze-ranked body was far from going stiff during the wait.
“Indeed. I shall announce us.” Braid said, walking towards the drapes. “Wander, do your usual thing.”
“I am on it~.” she squeaked, moving around the feet of her companions while deftly avoiding the places where they stepped.
Braid stopped in front of the drape, threads materializing around him only for them to be gathered in a complex web between his fingers while his deft motions formed the magical diagram.
“I call this Rupert’s calling card.” he said, sounding a bit smug as the small ritual finished. All the threads were suddenly pulled taut before thrumming. They emitted a deep reverberation which shook Kite’s insides, growing outward into a thunderous cacophony which shredded the drape and plush carpet in a small area beyond it.
The activities in the room beyond had mostly frozen to a standstill, some of the participants still untangling themselves from one another. Rising from behind the altar, the woman who had performed the ritual stumbled to her feet, her fear turning to outrage as she saw the pair of adventurers enter.
“How- How dare you intrude here. This is a private gathering. Your meddling here will end you. Who are you? The city lady will see you executed for this!” she shrieked at the two, apparently not appreciating being interrupted. From the rest of the participants came angry murmurs of assent and similar threats.
“Then let us introduce ourselves, mistress. We are from the adventure society under a contract sanctioned by both the local branch director and the very city lady who will apparently have our heads for this. All of you here will be detained and questioned for the participation in blood rituals, while you, mistress, are under direct suspicion of wielding a restricted confluence essence. This whole compound is surrounded, so I recommend that you come along calmly and willingly to assure us of your harmless intentions.” Braid said, delivering the speech with a direct and detached voice which gave the otherwise scholarly and almost eccentric man quite the authority.
As he spoke, a lot of those present had started looking uncomfortable, as had their hostess. Kite could see her eyes dart around, and he realized that his aura senses easily eclipsed her rather untrained control. Said aura senses also told him when she made the decision to do something drastic.
“Unleash the bloody torrent!”
Even as she spoke, Kite and his companions, all three having sensed her intent, sprung into action. The glowing goblet on the altar in front of her exploded, releasing an enormous wave of blood in their direction. At the same time, everyone present started to scatter, as two places on the walls were revealed to hide escape routes behind the wooden panels.
Kite’s focus remained on the ritual leader, as he had already stepped out in front of Braid and chanted a short spell.
“Void.”
The black gate filled their vision as it appeared, drawing in and swallowing most of the unleashed torrent even as Braid sent his threads snaking along the ground. As soon as the drops and small splashes ceased appearing at the sides of the gate, Kite let it drop to reveal the woman struggling to untangle from myriad glowing blue threads as she flailed in panic. None of them made any move to impede the fleeing participants, trusting that their people and Wander would take care of the issue.
Kite had crossed two thirds of the distance to her when she seemed to come to her senses, melting down into a pool of blood which escaped the tangling threads, only to splash upon the ring of a second layer of blue threads which had already formed a containment formation around her. For a short while it looked like crimson wine trying to escape an invisible crystal decanter, but Kite cut that short as he brought out his war fan with its blades retracted. He had chosen it as it was the least damaging tool in his arsenal, allowing the blunt force of the metal frame to be carried to her by his intent as his dispelling strike forced her back to her solid form.
She turned to him, dagger in hand, but it was clear from her stance and wild eyes that she was not overly trained for combat. One desperate lunge ended with one dispelled conjured dagger and Kite’s gauntleted hand on her throat as he bore her to the ground. Had he still been an iron ranker he would have had a hard time containing her pure strength born from rank, but as he was both the same rank and had spent quite a lot of time practicing for fights such as this, it was barely a struggle. As the suppression collar clicked shut on her throat, the rest of the fight left her.
“You- you will pay for this. Trust my words, those such as you do not lay hands on your betters without consequences.” she tried, but the words sounded a lot more hollow in their current situation.
“And who would save you? Your so called allies have all left, and the city lady will not intervene. So it would seem there isn’t much left to stop even an outcast like me from doing anything I want. Your power is hollow. Strength is what matters.” Kite said dispassionately, seeing if a freshly formed plan would bear fruit. And from the look of anger in her eyes, it just might have worked.
“You- you brat! You don’t know who you are messing with. There are others who will strike you down for this, others who-” she began, but quickly stopped herself as she realized that she had been baited. From there on out, she clamped her lips shut and resigned herself to only casting glares promising vicious retribution at them.
Just a few minutes later, more adventurers from those surrounding the compound came down through the escape tunnels, led by a man who Braid seemed to recognize.
“Braid. I trust that all went well down here.” the man greeted. He was a rather short, lanky elf with a shaved head and a pair of scars trailing over his scalp. As his aura was in the upper end of bronze rank, him having those markings meant that this man had been through quite the ordeal.
“Indeed, it went quite well. Thanks to Kite here, we even got a few more hints for the interrogators to follow up.” Braid said, gesturing to the man. “Kite, meet Azure Devil. He is one of the most trusted locals and works closely with the branch director on matters which she deems important.”
“Not close enough apparently.” the elf, Azure, muttered. “She has yet to accept any of my courting offers.”
“And Azure, meet Kite Flown in on Winds of Fortune. Worked his way through iron rank up in Gilded and comes highly recommended from the branch director there.” Braid continued, ignoring the other man’s mutterings.
“Huh, quite a mouthful of a name. Your parents must be quite the poets.” Azure said, nodding to Kite. “Don’t get me wrong, I like it. But you haven’t earned another then, I assume?”
“No, I have not. And I would be loathe to forsake the one which my aunties, that is, my foster parents, gave me. It bears meaning to us all. But please, call me Kite.”
“Pleasure. I was not born Azure Devil, but I do think that my mother would have found it fitting enough.” Azure said with a smirk.
While they were talking, other adventurers had led the still silent ritual leader away from the room while others were starting to investigate the room.
“Well, we’d better get on with it.” Azure said, looking around the room with a sigh. “Let’s shake this place upside down and see what falls out. Drinks are on me afterwards.” he finished, turning around and striding off without even stopping to hear any answers.
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“Nona, don’t you think it’s time to get dressed?” Rachel asked her cousin while combing out the last of her red hair. It was a morning ritual of hers, and she had just about reached the stage where she could imagine the almost orange curls to be dancing flames.
Meanwhile, her cousin still lounged on one of the couches of their suite at the Stormbringer’s Perch, clad only in a loose robe and being just freshly risen from her bed.
“Rachel, a city lord is paying for his contract. All odds are that he isn’t even remotely awake yet.” Phiona commented from where she relaxed, half of her mind on the conversation and the other half on the book in her hands. Its title read ‘A practical guide to aura defense. Volume III.’
“But the note said that he would be back in the morning today.”
“You know those nobles and their hangers on. Morning to them is probably noon for the rest of us.”
“Says the woman who loves sleeping in.”
“Oh hush you.” Phiona chided at her cousin’s teasing. “But we better get up anyway. Might as well go through morning practice and-”
She was interrupted by a gentle knocking at the door to their suite. Phiona froze as Rachel, fully prepared to meet the day, went and answered. From the polite, soft voice Phiona assumed that it was one of the hotel staff, her bronze rank hearing picking out the conversation.
“Mistress, you have a visitor. He said that you would be expecting him.”
“Thank you. Tell him to wait down in the yard while my companion gets ready.”
“Very good, mistress.”
As Rachel turned around after closing the door, Phiona groaned. “Don’t-”
“I believe-”
“Don’t say it!”
“-that your student-”
“Gods dammit Rachel!”
“-is here.” Rachel finished, her teasing smile only widening at Phiona’s frustration.
What followed was a flurry of activity as the young mistress Geller threw on fresh clothes and made herself somewhat presentable. Rachel had to give it to Phiona; she sure could work fast when the situation called for it.
“At least he is not tardy.” Rachel cheered as the pair was walking down the stairs towards the ground floor, Phiona’s sour mood not lightening at the slightest.
“He’s probably just trying to ingratiate himself. I expect that he will stand there, all fancy and unwilling to soil the hem of his robes.”
“Nona, you do realize what you are inviting by saying such things aloud. Fortune can be ever the prankster.”
They passed through the spacious lobby and dining area, out toward the yard connected to the inn. As this was an establishment which catered to a lot of adventurers and other essence users, the owner had seen fit to make sure that there was a small sparring yard as well as other equipment for at least iron and bronze rankers to practice. Those of silver rank and above usually needed more space and specialized equipment than could be fitted into a city where space was at a premium.
As they slid open the doors leading out, they were greeted by a young man wearing armor. His dark hair was kept up in a loose topknot, several strands having escaped it earlier. As he was currently using a piece of cloth to wipe at a stain of blood on his armor, it was easy to imagine the reason for his slightly disheveled appearance. Assisting him was a pink little fish floating in front of him on a cushion of water while another similarly floating blob held up a small mirror in order to assist his cleaning himself up.
Noticing the arrival of the pair, he froze before quickly turning towards them, chagrin spelled clearly on his face.
“Greetings, honored mistresses. I am Kite flown in on Winds of Fortune. Please forgive me for not being as presentable as I would have liked. I was called to a contract during this night, and the investigations afterwards didn’t leave much time for cleaning up if I was to make it in time.” he said, while giving them a deep bow with hands cupped.
Rachel just burst out laughing.
----------------------------------------
Kite found himself a bit perplexed as he had trouble reading the mood of his current situation. He was currently demonstrating some of the staff katas which he had been taught by uncle Walker while mixing in a few adaptations of spear forms he had practiced with Will. His metal staff sang through the air, the two bronze rings at its top chiming pleasantly as he swung it through the familiar motions.
Observing him were the two women, Phiona and Rachel Geller. The former was of medium height, golden blonde hair kept in a pair of tight braids which were then curled into a pair of buns at the base of her head. Her expression had remained neutral, and her tone formal as she had introduced herself and asked him to demonstrate the katas he knew.
Her companion, and cousin from what he had gathered during the introduction, was a head taller and a lot more expressive. Kite still did not know why the red haired woman had burst out laughing upon seeing him, but he gathered from context that it was probably more directed at her cousin than at him. She seemed like a person easy to like, full of expression and cheer.
Both were quite pretty, probably even before bronze rank, but most of all he could feel that they were both very skilled. That assessment could be made from their auras alone, tightly controlled while still keeping nuance and finer manipulation available, but were only compounded along with their moves. Both women carried the assured grace of those in control of both themselves and their surroundings, despite Rachel’s more bubbly personality.
What worried him was that his mentor-to-be had yet to make a comment on anything he did, but he tried to just finish the series of motions in as relaxed a way that he could. When he came to a stop in a ready stance, he cast a questioning look at the blonde woman who had still to make a comment.
“At ease.” she said after regarding him for a while. “Kite, was it? Would you share your essences with us?”
“Certainly, teacher. I have the barrier, resolute and void essences, forming the negation confluence.”
“Huh, that was not what I expected.” Rachel said, apparently surprised by his statement.
Phiona remained unphased, however. “Have you used any awakening stones of the staff?”
“No teacher.”
“Do you use other weapons as well?”
“Yes, teacher.”
At this response, Kite felt that he saw something shift in her gaze, but had not the time to further process it before she responded.
“Then we shall have to see them as well, albeit that a spar would be the best way to get a holistic view. We will use the practice arena up at the society campus after lunch. There is no point in total singular focus if you are a dabbler.”
Her final word made it click for Kite. It appeared that his new teacher did not think favorably of spreading out too much in terms of weaponry.
“But for now-” Phiona continued, “- you will join us in our morning practice.” And with that, she set off towards the equipment set up in the yard, Rachel throwing Kite an apologetic smile as she beckoned for him to follow.
What followed was a rather humbling experience, as the two more experienced bronze-rankers thoroughly put Kite through his paces while not only completing their own exercises but taking the time to teach him new ways to properly utilize his body’s abilities and correcting some flaws in posture and bodily control.
Spending almost two hours practicing strained even his evolved body quite a bit, and he felt a bit grateful when the exercise was done.
“Good. While there are some things to correct, you have a decent physical foundation.” Phiona stated, tone still professional. “We will call this session to a close now, and meet up at the adventure society after lunch.” And with the statement, she gathered her things and left.
Rachel trailed after her, but stopped and called out to Kite before exiting the yard. “Nice to meet you, Kite! See you after lunch!”
Kite was left rather exhausted and a bit confused. He thought he had put up a decent performance, and had tried adjusting after the pointers. But as his teacher remained rather hard to read, it still left him fumbling a bit and feeling rather insecure. Trying to gently let go of those feelings, he decided that there was little else to do but press onward.
“I suppose that this might be one of the trials where patience and persistence is key.” he mused as he turned and left through a lone gate in the fence that surrounded the inn’s yard. He should at least have the time to clean up a bit properly this time. And actually get an hour or two of sleep.