The Heavens Shall Fall

The meeting place was not Siu’s cave this time, but it wasn't Toban’s either. When he got news that Toban wanted to meet him, of course, it was Lorean who visited him, telling him where and when, just three days after their initial meeting.

"How much has he told you?" Siu asked as they walked, heading down the mountain range towards a spot where the trees had been mostly cut down and, apparently, where the mountain was being exploited for its resources, as they strolled past multiple old, abandoned mineshafts.

"Told me enough," Lorean answered with a smile, throwing him a glance. "I know that he is the actual leader, not just a member, if that's what you are asking."

"So he is grooming you. Congratulations?" Siu answered, but mostly because they were initially roommates and it was the minimum polite thing to do.

"Well, thank you." She nodded back at him, "Although grooming is a bit of a strong definition in this case, because he never invited me to his place, nor did he make a move on me. He is way too... business-oriented, which I can respect and adapt to easily... and prefer over others' methods, to be honest."

"It is always give and take with you..."

"That's how the world works." She replied firmly, making Siu realize that it was her firm belief and he wouldn't try or think about challenging it, not when so many others saw things the same way.

It was why the rest of their walk turned out to be pretty much silent before they arrived at an abandoned quarry terrace on the far western edge of the outer disciple's region, trodding through the heavy snow as nobody really came this way to clean it away. The separated, different stone platforms that they walked onto were the only ones where they could see signs of activity; the snow swept to one side, revealing their cracked surface under a layer of ice, making them slippery and prompting Arya to complain, sitting on his head.

"Watch out, Master, if this thing crumbles, there is a long way down to the bottom!"

"This... this is not a trap... yes?" Marly asked, a bit nervously, turning her head back and forth, sitting on his shoulder.

"I don't think so," Siu answered, but the thought also occurred to him, but he still had trust towards his fellow disciples, be it Toban or Lorean. Or more like, he had his trust in the Hollow Song's laws and their deterring force.

"Here we are." Lorean stopped, right before a mining shaft that had a surprisingly new-looking, reinforced gate installed, with no apparent locks on it, but also... with no keys or keyholes that he could see.

"Inside?" He asked, looking at Lorean, who just shrugged.

"No idea, and he is not here yet, it seems. I never went inside, and I came here only once, when he showed me where to bring you next." She explained, looking around, but she wasn't at all anxious, "I asked what this is, and he only said that this is one of his personal caches, whatever that means."

"You are awfully chatty today," Siu noted, watching her tuck a strand of her hair behind her ears, flashing a sly smile.

"He told me to answer your questions... He knew you would have them, and I am not going to go against my boss's wishes. He will be my ticket to the Inner Disciples later."

"Come on, Marly!" Arya suddenly jumped off his head, "We will secure the place!"

"Yes, Big Sis!" she flew off Siu's shoulder, gliding effortlessly as the two rushed out in different directions.

A moment later, Arya was already somewhere unseen beneath the snow, her white fur blending perfectly with the terrain as she dug little tunnels, scurrying around while Marly had vanished into the skeletal corpse of a tree overlooking the road they used to come down here.

"I sense him!" Arya sent back after about ten minutes of waiting, and indeed, Toban had arrived soon enough. "He is alone!"

“Thank you for coming and for escorting him here,” Toban said mildly as he stepped onto the cracked platform, nodding towards both of them, “And before you ask, this is an emptied CC mine, one of many within the sect.”

“And the reason you invited me here is that...?” Siu asked, wanting to get on with it while his companions kept watching, making sure Toban didn't have friends coming or hiding somewhere. Just to be sure...

"I told you that I would finance you, so I have sorted out my initial investment into your future group. I asked you here because I am giving it to you; it is that simple."

“Let’s begin then,” Siu said with an inaudible sigh, “Before I change my mind.”

"Sure," Toban nodded as he stepped towards the sealed entrance, putting his hand on it, and both of them could see his aura ripple as a shining light flashed through his hand, forcing a click in the gate that then slid open.

"Show off," Arya grunted from somewhere, making Toban glance at Siu with a smile, as if also hearing her.

"The moment your blood carries the world's essence, things get... much more flashy."

"I don't need you to explain it to me," Siu said, walking up to him, while Lorean stayed behind, right until Toban nodded at her to come along.

The inside of the 'cave' was... disappointing. There was nothing in there, well, nothing at first glance. But as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Siu could see the marks where crates had been set down before, cart tracks, and differently shaded walls where most likely shelves had stood tall for years but were now gone. This place had been emptied, leaving behind nothing but one lone sack on an old wooden table.

"Spent it all?" Siu asked after finishing his survey, prompting Toban to nod.

"I am preparing for moving out, so yes, what I can't or won't bring with me, I am spending it; otherwise, all my wealth would be a waste and nothing but a shiny hoard." While explaining, he let Siu open the sack and look into it, raising his brows.

"Really?" He asked, noticing how curious Lorean became, wanting to take a look, but held herself back, standing next to Toban.

"Establishing a collective is not cheap," He nodded, "That should cover your initial expenses and some. I based it on how I started my Golden Scroll, so if you are not stupid, you will be fine."

"..."

What was inside was indeed a lot... Sifting through it, Siu could count twenty-five Sun Crystals, more than a hundred Flame Crystals, and thousands of Ember Crystals... which meant he had around… A lot of CC at his disposal, maybe even up to fifty thousand, but he would have to count how many Flame Crystals were rolling inside that simple sack. An incredible amount of wealth for one person, but... He couldn't tell how much it would cost to run a collective, so he trusted Toban when he said it should be enough to establish one.

“Alright..." He closed its mouth, tying it well, and turned back towards him. "I will oppose Stone Ward openly,” Siu continued, “but besides that, whatever else I'm deciding to do is not up to you.”

"Sure, we went over this already," Toban nodded, crossing his arms.

“And one more thing,” Siu added, while Toban waited for him to continue, “If I sense that this turns into political warfare beyond what I agreed to… I will dismantle the group myself.”

“That is acceptable. Now, onto the main thing itself!" He stepped closer, slapping the bag, making Lorean try to count how much money was in it, just by the sound the stones made as they rattled inside the rough cloth, "You need three things to succeed. The first is an initial CC reserve, which is now solved by my generous finances. The second is a predetermined structure that allows the third most important part, which is immediate functionality. You can't stand up and oppose the Stonebrains without first establishing yourself, so hold your horses and don't rush headfirst into their wall.”

“Naturally.” Siu nodded, because he wasn't going to just kick down their doors.

"Mhm. Do you have any kind of structures in mind?" Toban asked, sitting up on the table, looking at him, "I can give you advice about it if you are unsure."

"You want me to be the focal point," Siu answered, because indeed, in the past few days, he had thought about it a lot, "Which I agree, because that way we can direct their focus and make them predictable. So, my group will have me as its head, that's already fixed. But I will need people who can advise me, because I know I am not smart enough to notice or do everything by myself."

"Yeah, you will need recruits, and I can give you names." Toban nodded, but Siu continued, without asking for a list yet.

"I will establish my inner circle by myself, thank you. I want to trust them completely, as they will be my core trustees. As for regular members, they can be part of the group, with fewer responsibilities towards the whole. I don't want it to be complicated, and want to keep it loose."

"Then you will get ample disciples who will try to smooch off you." Lorean quipped at him, shaking her head.

"Not without putting in some first," Siu answered, glancing at her, "I will make it into a paid membership."

"Oh?" They both looked at him, curious.

"Loose members will have to pay a flat fee per month," He said, crossing his arms, "To be part of it, they will have to contribute first, but of course, it also gives them benefits."

"What type of benefits?" Lorean asked, intrigued by the idea.

"I will have to see what kind of core members I can recruit for that first." Siu answered, shrugging his shoulders, "But I will have to make it enticing enough to make sure they feel that what they spend on it monthly is worth it. If for nothing else, then for having a collective at your back when things get rough. Like... an insurance."

"What about those who will be part of your inner circle?" Toban asked, tilting his head as he thought about his idea, liking the concept that was taking its shape slowly but surely... Siu may have said he was not a businessman but... He no longer believed it.

"They won't pay any fees, but they contribute part of the missions they take. At least ten to twenty percent, which includes me, too. Of course, in turn, they do get priorities across the board, and will have a say in what we do and how we do it, but I will keep my right to finalize anything and everything. If we all pool our resources, we will be less influenced by Stone Ward's grip on CC circulation at the moment. Of course, I'm open to your suggestions; you know more about stuff like this than I do." He finished, glancing back at Toban, because Siu knew this was only a rough outline at the moment.

"No, no... this is good." Toban mused, pursing his lips, "I like the way your head works. What I will add, though..." He muttered, looking at Lorean for a moment, watching her think of the same things, nodding at her to speak up.

"It needs a minimum commitment clause," she began, glancing at Siu, "You have to make sure that your subscribers must stay at least a few months or pay fees if they leave early. Otherwise, people will find ways to exploit the system, because all systems can be exploited."

"I see..." He muttered, crossing his arms, considering her words.

"Then, make sure you have some kind of withdrawal clause built into it," she continued, counting on her fingers, "You have to protect your emergency funds, or place a cooldown on its access, so your members don't abuse it. You could make it so that those disciples who are part of the group longer and longer can request their benefits more than fresh ones, maybe stack it up..." she muttered, apparently getting into her element as her eyes were darting back and forth, looking at nobody in particular, simply thinking out loud.

"You need to make their contribution and what they took out public," Toban added, warning him, "Make sure that everyone can see that if they put in X, they get Y. Believe me, it will be a good incentive, and would show that you are open and honest about it, and that there are no deals done under the table. If you include a clear promotion threshold to that 'inner circle', it will be even better."

"Yes, but make sure it is not only about money," Lorean warned him, "They must exceed a certain level of contribution, but that also must not be about finances, make it into something that is besides just paying their way forward. Otherwise, you will get Stone Ward members joining, throwing their cash on the table, and taking over from within."

"Mhm." Siu nodded, holding his chin, considering their words, taking honest notes within his mind.

"The idea is good." Toban smiled, licking his lips, "Really good... because it makes sure that your group will not be dependent on those thick bastards, not to mention, if you can establish a proper circulation, separated from them, they will crumble even faster. Heh! I knew I chose well!" He stood up from the table, dusting his hands. "Do you have a name for it?"

"Yeah," Siu nodded, tilting his head while speaking, "Spirit Wardens."