Canvas Town, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Sixthmonth, 1634 PTS

  “They’re pressuring us?” I asked, leaning back on the seat in my office. “In what way?”

  I had been taking a break from my practice, to rest my mind and try and recall old memories, when Rachel had appeared before me. She was in her ‘true form’ for once, the dark-haired and blue-eyed appearance she referred to as that of a ‘human.’

  “It’s subtle,” she explained. “Visiting our establishments and being rowdy, hanging out at the edges of our territory. I get the sense that they wish to draw us out, and station our forces across our territory.”

  That would, I knew, be a dangerous decision. We had stolen most of our territory from the various gangs we had conquered, and did not have the troops to protect it all in such a manner. Not without making ourselves vulnerable.

  “I can’t imagine this would have happened naturally,” she continued. “It’s clear that there’s a ringleader.”

  She spoke as if she had a culprit in mind, though I could easily make the same guess.

  “The Hadal Clan?” I asked.

  “Almost certainly, though I’m uncertain what their goal might be. We never did find out what their Matriarch wanted from us,” she mused.

  “In the wake of the war, it might not matter anymore,” I replied, before pausing to consider one possibility. “Perhaps she wished for us to assist Karie, as we have been. If that’s the case, perhaps this move is from one of her internal enemies, such as their Supreme Elder.” My mind flashed back to when the man had tried to kill me, and I could not help but feel thankful for my luck. Without such fortune, even my abilities would not have been sufficient to preserve my life.

  The Terran frowned as she considered the idea.

  “It’s certainly possible,” she admitted. “Still, I want to know exactly what they’re thinking. I’ll look into it. Information is vital for winning any conflict.”

  “I can’t imagine she would have kept records of those plans,” I said.

  Rachel gave me a blank look, as if what I had said was utterly foolish.

  “When I said I’ll look into it, I meant I’ll just have Eli handle it,” she said. “This is his job, after all.”

  I blinked, surprised by that fact. I had grown far too used to her easily acquiring information by stealing internet records, and almost seemed to have forgotten that a great deal of the information she acquired originated from Eli’s efforts.

  “I suppose,” was all I said.

  “One thing I found interesting,” she said, changing the subject, “is that the only force bordering us who has not joined in was the Feng Gang.”

  I raised an eyebrow, considering the matter, and accepting the shift in topic. That was Lao Feng’s force, and he was a Celan agent. Was it an indication that they did not wish to antagonize us into involving ourselves with the affairs of their people, anymore?

  “Have they said anything about it?” I asked.

  “Not a word. Though the truth seems to be somewhat more interesting than you’re likely guessing. A few days ago, I spotted the magister entering Feng’s territory. As far as I know, he has yet to leave.”

  “Isn’t the government looking for him?” I asked.

  “Nobody who has caught my attention can escape my eye,” she bragged. “I figured he’s more useful free than in the Justice Office’s hands. And given what he seems to be up to, it seems I was right.”

  She still wanted his dagger, I realized. It scared her, or at least threatened her. She wanted it under her own control once more. It was interesting to see such cracks in her composure. Generally, she maintained self-control,

  “But why would he have…” I muttered, attempting to piece together the plan of the remnant Celan forces.

  “Personally,” suggested Rachel, “I would imagine that Astna tried to sell him out, and this is his attempt to fight back.”

  “To have a schism at such a time… I can’t imagine they’ll last much longer.”

  “Don’t forget that Astna fooled us before,” Rachel warned. “She’s quite competent.”

  Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

  I didn’t bother to comment on the fact that Rachel had been the one who had been fooled.

  “I still don’t believe it's in our best interest to take action in Little Celah,” I said. “We’ll need to focus our attentions on the pressure in our own district.”

  “For the moment, I agree,” she admitted, then frowned. “In fact, I’ll call Eli in. He’s just returned from meetings with some of his contacts.”

  I didn’t mind the idea, and we discussed my efforts in training for the next few minutes before the meridian establisher arrived. I had wanted to see if Rachel had any information about the waterstriders, but unfortunately it seemed that as the Terrans had never ventured to my homeland, there was nothing that she could share. It was unfortunate, yet unsurprising.

  Eli finally arrived, carefully adjusting his immaculately groomed hair as he stepped through the hatch and into my office. Unlike the habit I had noticed from Karie Hadal during our interactions, however, Eli’s habit seemed to be for the purpose of maintaining his hair’s status rather than shifting its form. In the instant that the hatch slid up, Rachel’s form had shifted to the sei appearance that he would recognize. Eli’s eyes roved over both myself and Rachel, and he bowed in a servile manner.

  “Greetings to the Sect Leader and the Vice-Sect Leader,” he said.

  “You have news,” I stated.

  He nodded.

  “I did. Upon your request I’ve been keeping an eye on events in both districts. I assume you’ve heard about the gang movements?”

  I nodded, not admitting that I had only just learned about it. Eli was speaking as if it were old news, and I wondered whether I should ensure that I was kept more up to date.

  “It seems to be movements of the Hadal Clan’s Merchant Faction. I’m not entirely sure who specifically ordered it, but it should be someone influential.”

  He was speaking in that same servile tone he only seemed to use before me. I wasn’t sure whether I found it annoying or not.

  “Is that all?” I asked imperiously. A bead of sweat dripped down the man’s brow, and I felt slightly amused by his anxiety. Eli was quite odd for a martial artist, his mindset much more in line with that of a mortal. He had likely only taken to martial arts due to a hope of extending his life span. But his mindset had never strayed from mortal obsessions. It was not rare for even spirit refiners to still care about power and influence, but Eli’s fear of me arose not from fear of the physical violence I was capable of, but the possibility that I might remove him from the position of influence that he had been granted.

  “I also have updates from Little Celah, Sect Leader,” he continued uneasily. “The Drelistai and the Umrakians have already moved in, and are prepared to take action. They seem to be waiting, presumably for the Justice Office to finally step back out of the district.”

  I glanced at Rachel.

  “What are the estimates?” I asked. She shrugged.

  “Anywhere from a day to weeks more. At this point, they might stay for a few weeks to hunt Triezal and ensure that order is restored. They will want to ensure the racial tensions cannot escalate into violence again.” She snickered in a cruel manner. “Not that that’s likely. I would be surprised if they don’t need to quell another riot soon enough.”

  Wisely choosing not to comment on her blase attitude about civilian deaths, Eli hesitated, awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck. I waited, watching him as I sensed that he still had more to share.

  “...One more thing,” Eli said finally. “I received a message that claims to be from the station’s Third of Many.” I frowned, not recognizing the title. “An important member of the Cult of Umrak,” he elucidated. I peered over to Rachel, curious as to whether she had been aware of this or not. She simply smiled slyly, giving away no hints. Eli did not seem to notice, and he continued to speak. “They requested an audience with you.”

  I pondered the idea. I had never had any interaction with the cult, nor any reason to be. They were not an organization which existed on Canvas, after all. I did know that they believed in communal living, in a structure that loosely resembled that of a sect, though influence was given to those who bore a strong understanding of their religion, rather than according to one’s martial arts progression. It was a structure I could approve of, as it made sense for mortals, not that I would have any further interest in the faction.

  “The Umrakians,” I murmured. “Arrange a meeting. They will need to come here, of course.”

  Eli nodded, but my mind continued to work. There was one other matter that had been brought to mind by the mention of the Cult of Umrak. They were not the only cult that had come to us bearing an offer, and it was due time for us to make a decision on them as well. I turned to Rachel.

  “I feel that the time has come,” I said. “We will need to discuss matters with the Depthists.”

  Rachel scowled, expressing her distaste, but she did not refute my words.

  “I suppose. As much as I… dislike its goddess, the Depthists could be of great use to us. I’ll contact their… ‘leader.’

  I had yet to fully comprehend the exact situation of the cult, given the odd situation with the bloodspawn Poluus. But I felt that before we met again, it would be better if I understood what was happening. The same was true for the Umrakians.

  “Look into the situation of both cults,” I ordered.

  “Of course, Sect Leader. By the way, if you wanted me to increase our information gathering in the other districts…”

  “Take it up with Ran,” I replied, waving off the question. I knew little of the budget’s status except for the fact that it was still in poor condition due to our debts.

  “By your will,” he bowed, and then stepped out of the room. The hatch slid shut behind him, and as he did, Rachel’s appearance returned. It was odd to see her body shift palettes in that manner, somehow even more off-putting than when she appeared and disappeared.

  “I’m curious,” she said. I raised an eyebrow, and Rachel quickly explained. “Whether we’ll be offered something that tempts you to move or not.”

  I snorted.

  “We’ll see.”

  Public Order in the Pantheonic Territory: [Despite their general laissez faire attitude towards the status of their alien residents, the Pantheonic Government does still pay very close attention to its reputation among the people, as well as any unrest that might develop. Though their strong naval presence renders the odds of an uprising lacking external support almost null, doctrine of the Church of Verain insists that all revolutions be quelled at their inception. Despite this fact, the main force that drives Justice Office interference in riots and underworld affairs is economic in origin, for the purposes of protecting corporate interests, as well as the investments of the churches.]