Canvas Town, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Fifthmonth, 1634 PTS
Canvas Town had a different feeling when the domelight was off. It was hard to say that it was calmer, as the ever-present crowd still surged all around her, but something was just more vibrant about the world during the night time. As she progressed through stack after stack, Karie took a moment to pause and enjoy the air of a night market. The passersby and the merchants seemed for the most part to be happy. The children ran excitedly in different directions, and were collecting in different parts of the market than where their parents roamed.
It was peaceful, she thought, feeling annoyed for some reason that was difficult to put into words. Perhaps it was the fact that not a single passerby recognized her.
The influence of a name, she realized, was less than she had anticipated. She was the Twinjade Demon, now, and yet nobody seemed aware. The mortals took a wide berth around her, but that was only because she was wearing the robes of one of the clan’s Elders. Beyond that, her identity held little meaning to these people. They did not even act as if they were aware of the war that was currently ongoing less than five stacks away.
People had always been good at acting as if nothing was wrong, though the price of various items at the market was almost twice what it was just a couple weeks ago. Trade between the two districts had greatly reduced, and several of the factories in Otan had been operating at reduced capacity for a time due to the unrest that had been going on there.
But these hints about the overall situation were all that Karie was able to see. The conflicts that meant everything to those in the underworld or living at the district borders could so easily be ignored by these mortals.
She had thought that by acquiring a title she would become a recognized individual. She had been expecting fearful reactions from those who recognized her, scared that the ‘demon’ might kill them. As it turned out, the only reactions she received were those granted by her clan robes. This was a reputation she was already used to, and one which did not belong to her.
If Karie were to die, all that would happen was a mildly interesting headline that would draw a certain amount of attention for being briskly forgotten by almost every soul on the station. A footnote in history.
Perhaps only by becoming the next generation Matriarch could she escape this fate.
Despite her annoyance, the peaceful aura of the area helped disperse the remaining notes of melancholy inside of her, allowing Karie to have total self control by the time she arrived in the Redwater Sect’s territory.
Karie was well aware that this plan of hers was a wager. There was some risk of being sold out, but it was low, given her understanding of them. The Redwater Sect’s leadership was opportunistic, fueled by their ambition, but they were not the sort of individuals who acted without thinking. They would see that they stood to gain more by accepting her offer than by selling her out, or so she thought. She had looked through the report that Wei had written about his thoughts on the Riverfiend’s psychology, and had decided to trust his judgement. Wei had always had an eye for that sort of thing.
Karie carefully walked through the area, paying careful attention to those around her. The evening crowd had slowly begun to peter out by this point, but this was still the territory of a party not subordinate to the clan. Occasionally, a passerby would be wearing the clan’s black and red robes, and many of them gave her antagonistic looks. This was no surprise. It had not even been a week since the Ceirran faction had killed a number of their members.
Fortunately, none of them confronted her. She was in no fear of losing in battle to any of them, but it would be much harder to deal with the Riverfiend if she had beaten one of his subordinates immediately prior. It did not take long before she stood in front of the sect’s entrance, and stretched her hand out to depress the ringer. Before she could, to her surprise the door slid open to reveal the form of Rachel, the sect’s Vice-Sect Leader, flanked by a small group of black-robed sect members.
“Karie Hadal, the Twinjade Demon,” she said, her eyes seeming to scrutinize every inch of Karie’s body. “Normally I would say it’s a pleasure to meet you, but I can’t help but be wary, considering the circumstances.”
Taken aback, Karie chuckled.
“It seems you know how to keep track of what occurs in your territory.”
The other woman shrugged.
“If you had not been wearing your robes, it might have been less trivial. I’ll admit I am surprised by your presence, though. Why are you here? Your clan is not particularly welcome at the moment.”
Karie could not help but notice that she could barely even sense the woman with her soul’s sense, despite the clear visual indication of her presence. It almost felt like a video call, despite the fact that it seemed perfectly real. She had heard that this woman was an extant practitioner. Was the body before her some sort of illusion?
“I apologize for my cousin’s actions, but the reason I’m here is unrelated to that matter. I’ve come to make you an offer.” Rachel raised an eyebrow, and Karie smiled. “May I come in?”
Rachel frowned for a moment, but then stood aside, inviting Karie into the wolf’s den.
“You’ve come at a convenient time. Cyrus and I are already waiting for you in the meeting room.”
Karie noted that Rachel spoke as if she was not standing before her. She gave a polite nod, and then took a step forward, feeling a sense of dread wash over her. There were three spirit refiners inside this building. While Karie was confident in her abilities, she also felt that she understood their limitations quite well. If they wished, and were willing to pay the price, Karie would not be walking back out.
It did not take long to reach the elegantly paneled room that Rachel had described as a meeting room. Karie’s eyes roamed around, admiring the fine artwork and the elegant table inset with what looked like resins matching the six colors of miasma. This was the sort of room that would look at home even in the clan’s headquarters. While the Redwater Sect was a very new force lacking in foundation, it was still nothing for her to underestimate, Karie realized.
Sitting down at the nearest seat, Karie glanced across the table and smiled as she looked at the man she had once tried to kill. Resting before her on the table was a small teacup, steaming slightly. A faint but pleasant scent filled the room. It was a fine tea, and Karie lifted the cup to take a sip.
“The last time we met,” said the Riverfiend, suddenly, “you tried to kill me.”
Karie met his gaze with an awkward smile.
“Much has changed since then. I’ve heard your sect is not in the greatest of positions at the moment. By chance, I’ve found myself in a similar situation.”
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
“You might as well get around to the point, princess,” said Rachel. Karie felt herself needing to restrain the urge to glare at the woman. It seemed that Wei’s report on her was accurate, at least.
She sipped her tea calmly, doing her best not to let him notice that she was uncomfortable with the etiquette. As a clan scion, Karie had been properly trained, but there had never been many she needed to treat as an equal, so the formality slightly grated on her. Particularly for someone she had conflicts with in the past. However, Karie was not lacking in willpower, so she restrained her emotions as she lowered the cup.
“I’m curious,” she asked, “Is your sect still recruiting?”
Even before Wei’s death it had been clear to Karie that she needed support from an external force if she was to claim her birthright. Both her presence here and her offer were a calculated risk, just like the many she had done before.
The previous wagers had failed, but this time, Karie had a good feeling about it. There was an undeniable thrill to taking risks, but more importantly, Karie refused to sever her aspirations. She had the resolve to become the Matriarch, no matter what it took. She had always liked to think that anything was within her reach, if she wished it. All it took was time and effort, and everything would fall into place. Even a matter as challenging as this competition was the same.
Karie watched the Riverfiend’s eyebrows raise in shock as he understood what she was getting at.
“I find myself curious about why you would ask such a question.”
Karie shrugged, amused by his reaction.
“How much do you know about the selection of the clan’s heir?”
“Not much,” he admitted.
“The clan council, with the exception of any candidates, must decide unanimously upon the candidate who is chosen,” Rachel explained. “The candidates being those of the main branch who have reached the peak of the core formation realm prior to the age of thirty.”
Karie nodded.
“Despite being the Matriarch’s only daughter to qualify, it is meaningless unless I can also convince the others to vote for me. My mother cannot let her bias be too apparent, and Uncle Wei…” she paused, before carrying on as if nothing had happened. “I currently lack support inside of the clan, due to suppression from my enemies, Juen and Lorelei.”
“Wouldn’t this be because your clanmates believe you would make a poor leader?” Rachel asked. “People are not called demons without reason.”
“The most suited to lead is the one who becomes the leader,” insisted Karie, before taking a gulp of tea to calm herself. “With your assistance,” she said, making an effort to seem composed, ”I can inherit the position.”
Something glinted in the Riverfiend’s golden eyes.
“But why should we assist you?” he asked. “It seems like we would be shielding you by taking the attacks of the other factions.”
“Involving ourselves in the clan’s internal politics is a large risk,” Rachel added.
“You’re already enemies with the Ceirrans, and Juen’s whole faction as an extension. Lorelei and the merchant faction are neutral, but in general they do not support my mother’s plans for you.”
“And you do?” Rachel asked. She was resting her chin on her hands in a cutesy manner that annoyed Karie for some reason. It felt like she was being mocked.
“Even without this discussion, I’m the one you would wish to control the clan. Juen will be pressured to destroy you for your ideology, and Lorelei will attack because you threaten her control.”
“And you’re different?” asked Rachel. She seemed amused.
Karie shrugged.
“It is a matter of one’s goals. The others want power, while I only want the position. Hegemony would be ideal, but I’ll take what I can get.”
“How… practical of you,” said Rachel. “Wishing to become the Matriarch just for the notoriety the position provides. If you were to succeed, I suspect you might be a candidate for the worst leader in your clan’s history. Your desires are not in line at all with the clan’s interests.”
The words stung, but Karie did not let them get to her. Rachel was very clearly trying to get a rise from her, but it would not work on Karie. She sipped some more at her tea, which was getting very low.
“You’re not part of the clan, so what would that matter to you, anyhow?” she asked, unwillingly losing a bit of her cool. “In any case, after I become the Matriarch, I will still need your support to strengthen my position. You can rest assured that I will not betray you.”
Cyrus snorted, causing Karie’s eyes to flicker towards him once again.
“Why shouldn’t we just destroy the clan and take over their position ourselves?” he asked.
She shook her head, having anticipated this question.
“I’m sure you’re aware that if you destroyed the clan, Sunlit Hall would send forces to kill you. An unorthodox force can exist only if we allow it to.” Karie somewhat wished she had something she could do with her hands. Messing with her hair would not be suitable for her image at the moment, and the lessons ingrained in her prevented such action. It would make her seem nervous.
The conversation went on for a bit further, and began to feel more like an interrogation than a negotiation. It was clear to Karie that they were wary, and felt that they could not trust her. They were right to think in such a way, of course. Karie was very clear with herself that she would immediately betray them if it benefited her to do so, and the same was true for them as well. But for the moment, she believed that their interests lined up, and that only by strengthening their relationship could the position of Heir return to her sights.
“We will discuss the matter amongst ourselves,” Cyrus ultimately said. “Rachel will lead you to one of our training rooms, where you can await our response.”
He was speaking as if he was some sort of interviewer for a corporation, but Karie did not mind that. It was a simple method to apply pressure to her,Karie gave him a curious glance, and he smiled in response.
“If you wish to join, I will need to know the extent of your talents, and much has changed since we fought. After this, we can take the time to spar.”
Karie smiled politely at him.
“I’ll look forward to exchanging blows with you once again, Sect Leader Yu.”
----------------------------------------
As Karie walked out, I turned to Rachel, who had an odd look in her eyes.
“What are your thoughts?” I asked. She shrugged.
“The timing is certainly convenient. I would have thought this was part of the plot from the start if I didn’t know well how much she hates her cousin.”
“Do you think she’s being honest?”
One of Rachel’s slender fingers lightly tapped on her chin as she considered the question.
“I think she’s truly out of options. She probably hasn’t told us everything, but I’ve looked through the clan’s database, and have found that she’s essentially been temporarily exiled. Wei Hadal was her only real ally, and with his death, she was left isolated. Her behavior hasn’t helped matters, either, not when she recently attempted to kill her own cousin. I believe it is as she says, she came to us because there were no other choices remaining for her. Moreover,” she continued, “We would have a lot to gain from having her under our control. You already wished to retaliate against the Ceirrans, right?” I nodded. “To a certain extent we should be better able to resist the fallout of such actions if we work with her.”
It was a fair assessment. If she truly did join us, we would certainly benefit. If nothing else, Karie certainly had the skills needed to train disciples. We were still in great need of a skilled genesis practitioner.
“Of course,” Rachel went on, “she’s still probably equivalent to a spy. If we were to let her join, she would undoubtedly inform her mother of anything that she wished to know.”
I chuckled, having decided the risk was worth it.
“I’m sure there are other spies, anyway. We’ve been betrayed by our subordinates before. No matter what, they’ll find someone within our ranks with a price on their loyalty. Personally, I feel like it’s better if we know who they are. So long as the person is useful, that is.”
Rachel smiled, exposing a set of perfect teeth.
“My thoughts exactly.”
Monopolies Under Pantheonic Law: [At any time, the Council of Clerics may decide that a corporation’s monopoly on a product or service is not in line with the Pantheon’s will, and forcibly break it up, or simply remove the product’s patent qualification. Such preservation of the free market is widely celebrated by the territory’s citizens at large, but is never invoked for businesses directly operated by the churches, and rarely for large corporations with deep ties to them. Unless one of the churches actively wishes for it to be broken, however, monopolies are never contested, and generally seen as ‘good business’ in the corporate sphere.]