The Heavens Shall Fall

After gathering the entirety of the Wardens, Siu didn't try to stretch things out, so he immediately went into showing them the mission they had found. Vael's expression changed the moment he read the location and the names, showing he indeed knew of it, while also listening to Siu's brief explanation of the task.

“You know the place?" Seloryn asked when Siu finished explaining, as she also noticed Vael's reaction.

"Mhm, I do," He nodded, recalling all he knew, “Nothing special. No, don't look at me like that! I'm speaking genuinely. Hilltop Reach is as simple as it gets. There is one small kingdom controlling most of the region, with a few towns and villages under its rule. Most of those are also farming settlements or sources of timber, if we're talking about the ones farther north. They do have some mines, but nothing big, only good enough to keep running a mortal kingdom.”

“So... No cultivators?” Nokoh asked.

“Very few.” Vael said after a brief pause, “They do have some local families and the occasional wandering cultivators coming through. By my knowledge, the strongest people there always were at best the Flesh Morphing stage and no Second Circle ones.”

"That would explain why they are in such big trouble," Selorny continued as she tapped the report. “But it also makes me think about... Why is this mission in our Hollow Song? This doesn't seem that important.”

“Probably because someone failed below.” Vael muttered, his voice becoming a bit hurt, "That region should be the Stormglass Pavilion's responsibility...”

"Which, after what you did, is not in the shape to keep the land regulated," Joren added, making Vael nod heavily.

“Most likely. The kingdom rules itself, and Stormglass does not really care who inherits which mortal estate or whether some village mayor steals grain as long as it didn't shake the ladder. We were collecting their tithe in exchange for making sure no cultivators ransacked the country. That tithe was usually simple materials, recruitment of suitable people with the right affinity, the same things your Hollow Song does, but on a smaller scale.”

“As long as the tithe is flowing, nobody is bothering with others,” Ruben muttered, understanding the notion. "They kick up to you, you do your thing and kick up to us, while we do the same, kicking up to the Obsidian Moon. It's how the world works." He chortled, shaking his head. "No wonder it reached us... The chain of tithe has been interrupted, and it needs to be reestablished."

“Exactly. My Pavilion has been dealing with its own problems, so it is precisely what happened." Vael agreed with a shrug. "I don't know how it stands right now, but if things degraded to this level... I'm afraid the situation is very bad. If Hilltop Reach sent requests upward while that was happening, going behind the Pavilion's back... The situation must be dire.”

"Don't blame yourself for the lack of skill of your elders," Siu said suddenly, making him smile back at him weakly.

“However," Seloryn asked the uncomfortable question, "Could they be involved?”

“Anything could be,” Vael answered honestly, spreading his arms. "I just hope that's not the case. I'll take our chaotic inner politics as the reason for this ineptitude, rather than us playing a role in the raids, like intentionally letting them happen. That would be tantamount to betraying the Hollow Song, meaning the Pavilion would be exterminated."

“Let's not go down the worst route already, okay?” Siu said as he smiled faintly. "Let's get back to what is evident: The raiders have someone leading them, and that someone knows how the local army would react. They played their cards well, so we have to step in before things escalate. That is pretty much what this mission is about."

“I still say that I prefer gathering frozen roots,” Joren spoke up again, but his brother just nudged him.

“You are afraid of adventure." Ruben said with a chuckle, "Siu is right; we need a mission like this more than we need to be errand boys. Every association has its history of completed, difficult missions. This would be ours, and the first at it, too! The perfect way to show we are an elite group!”

“You have been thinking about this all the way back here, weren't you?” Joren whispered, shaking his head.

“The reward seems reasonable.” Rinmei suddenly interjected, having remained silent until then, "It says the main task is to survey, and we have the option to call for help. We don't even need to solve the problem..."

“If we take this," Seloryn looked at Vael again, "What would we expect there?”

“Winter, on full blast, with poor roads.” He said at once, "However, if the situation is what it appears to be, this should be simple enough. You would have to travel to the local capital or whichever lord currently coordinates the response, collect the latest reports, maybe question survivors. Find where the raids are concentrated, maybe confront some of them if the situation allows. Maybe you can advise the local army how to deal with them, perhaps help break their leadership if needed.”

“Hmmm..." Quillan interrupted him at the end with a long sigh, shaking his head. "There are too many unknowns in this. You can earn money elsewhere.”

"True," Siu nodded, leaning back, playing with his fingers. "I just found it... I don't know. Interesting for some reason. Maybe because of Vael."

"The money is still good..." Seloryn muttered, pursing her lips, squinting at the mission details. "And we have enough Paragons to be an ample scouting force. We can go in, check things out, and report back to the sect. If the issue is bigger than the Elders think and requires immediate intervention, we can still get paid. I say we take it."

In the end, they spent the next hour discussing all the other options, and by the end, there was a vote on whether to take the mission, which passed with only one member going against it. Which, of course, was Joren. The next day, when Siu went to sign up for the mission, he committed all the Wardens to it at the registry without exception. This gave everyone the green light to be eligible for it if they decided to go. Naturally, Quillian would not be part of it, and Toban also stepped back, reminding everyone he was here to be a connection to Golden Scroll and, as he previously said, not an active member. Everyone else, though, was now getting ready for a wintery trip.

And then there was Vael. On the second day of preparations, Siu had walked into the Archives, where he was waiting for him.

“You said you would give us a map?” He asked, looking at Vael and Quillian standing around a table.

“I can give you better than that,” Vael said with a smile. Looking closely, Quillian looked happier than ever, examining a stretched-out drawing on the table between them. “I traveled through the Reach several times when I was younger, and when learning the basics, my Master sent me there more than once to train, fighting against vagabonds. If the old road network hasn't changed too much, which it shouldn't, I can get you to the regional capital faster than whatever route the public maps recommend.”

“That's true.” Quillian answered, "There are some paths that weren't present on my old maps, so... this is perfect! See? This is why I asked you the last time to bring back updated knowledge for me."

"I already said sorry..." Siu muttered, trying to look away.

“Well, this is Stormglass knowledge, so...” Vael muttered, knowing he was pretty much selling their secrets, but at least to their superiors. "I'm also listing the names I do remember from my days. Maybe they are still there, and if not, that influenced by the happenings over their heads, my name may still mean something."

"Thanks, Vael."

"Don't mention it." He chuckled. "It's the least I can do."

...

....

......

"We don't have any news yet?" A cold voice asked, filling the simple room within the Hollow Song's disciplinary headquarters. It belonged to Koh Khuuman, the High Elder who led the Disciplinary Wing and had previously decided Vael's fate.

"No, Master, but it isn't that weird." His disciple answered, adjusting his golden sash, holding a folder and going over the reports. "Elder Thane is known to be thorough when it comes to investigating traitors. If his verdict comes back and it says the Pavilian are traitors... The bells will ring."

"I know," Khuuman answered, sitting in a high chair, behind a massive desk. At the same time, his hands kept moving, stamping and switching out papers, his eyes constantly moving through their contents before making a final decision on them.

"How about the bait?"

"Nothing." The young man answered, flipping a page in his own docket. "I have ordered the others since you planned to use Vael Renwick as bait, to keep their eyes sharp. Naturally, nobody dared to do anything inside our own home, Master. Nobody is stupid enough to provoke us in our own holy land."

"You can never know what the enemy may or may not dare to try." He said warningly, looking up at him, making his disciple's smile disappear in a flash.

"Yes, Master."

"But at least, they are not stupid." Khuuman nodded, continuing to work.

"However, my Plan B has been activated."

"Oh?" The High Elder's hand stopped at that, looking up again. "I remember your suggestion, although I didn't think it would have yielded results. Go on. Explain."

"It did." The disciple said, letting a bit of pride come into his tone, "It all depended on timing, Master. As expected, the mission and location caught the interest of those who are close to Vael Renwick. I didn't even need to nudge them towards it; they'd already taken it."

"So this is why you told me that you have something to report." Khuuman finally smiled, glaring at his disciple. "I favor the direct approach, but I can't deny the more roundabout ways when they bring results before me. I'll allow you to proceed with it while we wait for Elder Thane's report and assessment. But it will be entirely your responsibility. This means both the good and bad! Take it as your next big test, if you want to stay my disciple."

"Thank you, Master." He bowed, clearly happy about the opportunity. "Who knows? Maybe the man's presence there will help Elder Thane to act. And I do expect to draw out the true mastermind behind these insurrections at our border region. If we succeed, we can behead the snake with one simple move."

"We will see," Khuuman answered, his gaze already back on the stack of documents, waving at his disciple to go.

After he was excused from Khuuman's office and exited the Disciplinary Wing's main building, the man only turned one corner when he literally ran into someone, bouncing off her, almost landing on his butt.

"You...! You?!" He started, but changed his tone very quickly, his sudden anger turning into a bit of dread.

"Hi there, Kiriath."

"Kyrae..." He hissed, straightening himself. "What do you want?"

"Nothing. I'm just here to warn you."

"Warn... me?" He asked, trying to sound sarcastic, but it wasn't really working, one of his eyes twitching.

"Yes," Kyrae said, facing him down, standing before him with hands in her pockets, smiling, yet not... And actually towering over the man. "I know you are friends with Darius, but be careful what suggestions you listen to..."

"I don't even know what you are talking about. Not to mention, this is a Disciplinary Wing operation, under my command, and it doesn't concern you."

"Keep yapping, Kiriath." She added, ignoring everything, "Just know that I'm watching you... I always hated disciples like you, who liked to manipulate events to their own benefit. Always flocking to the same bush, you and your... friends. Tsk."

"Like I would do something like that." He snapped, but Kyrae just kept smiling, looking at him without blinking her eyes. "I'm a Disciplinary Member, through and through. If you have an issue with the methods I'm using, feel free to speak with my Master, who, just so you know, authorized it."

"I'll trust his decision," Kyrae said, her tone never fluctuating from the friendly, yet dangerous tone she was using. "But if something goes wrong because of your decisions and plans... Plans that you may not be honest about... Not even he can bail you out. He would simply... lack the authority for it."

"Hmph. I have no time for this." Kiriath said, walking past Kyrae, intending to brush her off with a shoulder-check, but it only resulted in him stumbling, hurrying even more to disappear from view.

...

....

......

This time around, the preparations were going surprisingly smoothly for the Wardens. Siu even managed to book Cinna once again for their travel, borrowing a carriage large enough for the whole group, without any issues. He was walking out of the Companions, feeling relaxed, when a message appeared in his mind as an official, cold voice began speaking to him.

[DISCIPLINARY WING NOTICE]

[SUBJECT: VAEL RENWICK]

[CURRENT MOVEMENT RESTRICTION TEMPORARILY AMENDED.]

[VAEL RENWICK IS AUTHORIZED TO DEPART HOLLOW SONG GROUNDS UNDER THE ESCORT AND RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SPIRIT WARDENS FOR THE DURATION OF THE HILLTOP REACH REGIONAL ASSIGNMENT.]

[VAEL RENWICK IS TO REMAIN WITH THE REGISTERED MISSION PARTY EXCEPT WHERE IMMEDIATE SAFETY REQUIRES OTHERWISE.]

[ANY CONTACT WITH STORMGLASS PAVILION PERSONNEL IS TO BE REPORTED UPON RETURN.]

[AUTHORIZATION EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.]

It was not something he expected... And suddenly, there was a tiny voice in the back of his mind, one that didn't belong to Arya, but to a part of his soul, telling him that something was off. Maybe Joren was right, and they should have gone to collect frozen roots...