Chapter 67 – Reports
The snow had started falling again, but it was just a lazy drift by the time Siu left the tower, two days after the establishment of the Spirit Wardens. He didn’t bring Arya or Marly along this time, and the girls, of course, complained about it, but he needed a quieter head for this meeting. Or just in general. A bit of silence was a welcome change while he walked, realizing why many wouldn't bother contracting too many beasts, or do so with the type of contract he had.
The meeting was taking place close to the meditation alcoves, or at least, that was where Lorean was waiting for him when he arrived. She stood near the edge of the lowest step of the stone stairs leading up the path, her boots planted carefully on the icy surface, holding a folded packet of parchment in one hand. When she heard his steps crunching the snow behind her, she quickly turned around, looking at him with a simple smile, nodding her head to follow her up the trail, leading him to a much more private spot, somewhere where nobody would be able to eavesdrop on them.
“You’re punctual,” she said as they walked slowly, avoiding slipping and falling down.
“I try to be, but you were early.”
“It is part of my job.” She chuckled, "I can't be late, because then the information is late, and how would that look on the Golden Scroll?"
"You really found your place, eh?" Siu shrugged as they stopped at a spot surrounded by bushes, now wholly white from the heavy snow, hiding the two from others' eyes, even if they came up after them on the same path.
"I did," She nodded, measuring him again, and then chortled, shaking her head. “You could say the same, which, I will be honest, I didn't expect at first.” For a moment, neither of them said anything else, so to break the sudden silence, she stepped closer and handed him the bundle of parchment. “We ran all eight of your final recruits through the Golden Scroll’s channels. Toban expected fewer people to sign up, so... you outdid yourself.”
"I expected more," He said with a slight shrug as he accepted the papers, unwrapping them to take a look.
"Considering how many checked it out, I can see that, but it is still a good start. I wouldn't worry, give it some time, a few achievements, and then you will have to start turning others away, instead of accepting everyone. Anyway! Seven come back clean,” she continued with a chuckle, “No outstanding disciplinary offenses, nothing that would count as 'criminal' behavior, I mean, they didn't swindle anyone or exploit others, nothing like what Nue did either, beating down newcomers. They also have no hidden debts within the Sect itself... What they have is between other disciples. The usual, really.”
"Yes, I see..." Siu nodded, running his eyes through them, and he had to say, he was expecting something less... detailed. They even got him their current, estimated strengths, the arts they are learning or had already learnt, along with how long they have been disciples, when they joined, and their expected futures. Did he also have such a file in Toban's hand? What did it say? But he gulped that question back, asking another, “And the eighth?”
Lorean didn’t answer immediately, waiting for him to look over all the papers and then glance at her.
“Let’s go in order, because I have things to say about the clean ones, too,” she began, crossing her arms. “Five of the eight were entirely truthful.” Then she began listing them by name, checking Siu's memory, but, of course, he remembered them all without ever having to look down at the parchments. “Two are small-scale hunters, as they wrote down, and by our checks, they always were, with no prior group affiliation at all. Their debt records are also clean, even to other disciples.”
"Then they will be placed first in my own little tier list," He muttered as he flipped their papers, now separating them from the rest. “Huh... I can see that you marked that one of them is a supposed... support specialist?"
"Herb gathering and according to Toban's research, the girl's family has alchemy records from the past. He suggests that you keep an eye on her, because if she ever gets better, maybe become an Inner Disciple, learning alchemy is her projected path.”
"Haaah... I don't know anything about alchemy..." Siu exhaled softly through his nose, realising some information on the papers meant nothing to him. Turns out, just cultivating and improving isn't enough, making him realize that all the stuff he has to deal with now is slowly widening the scope of what he has to consider, and, through it, it is affecting his overall knowledge.
“She’s a practical girl,” Lorean nodded. “Anyway, those two have known each other for a long time, but they are not in a relationship. Good candidates to raise them to be important figures of your Wardens." Then, she moved to the others. “The next one is physically strong but slow in... Um... In the head. He had a past argument with a Stone Ward recruiter, and did worse than you, because he beat the guy.”
"Not the worst." He chuckled. "I can handle that, not a big deal."
"I guess," She shrugged, "Just watch out for his temper. The fourth was also fine; the only thing he held back was that he has a brother in the Ember Circle."
"Only?" Siu looked at her, raising an eyebrow.
"They are estranged... So yeah." She chuckled, making Siu shrug and shake his head.
“And the fifth?”
“A quiet one,” Lorean hummed, “It took us the longest to trace his steps back within the sect, and after we did, I am honestly shocked he signed up. Before this, he barely even interacted with anyone else. Toban thought he might be a spy, but... No. He is just a loner.”
"That's fine..." He shrugged, checking the notes she had on the paper, showing that the boy was doing everything alone and by himself, right until now.
“Okay, those five are considered properly clean. As for the next two... They lied a little.” She continued, chuckling, watching Siu's eyes narrow, “They passed clean in their initial records,” she explained, “But they omitted something that could have an effect on you.”
“What is it?”
“Their previous association."
"Tell me it's not Stone Ward...” He groaned, shaking his head.
“No, nothing like that.” She shook her head, giggling, “Both were formerly loosely tied to other small outer disciple circles. Nothing major like Ember Circle or Us.”
“Why hide that, then?”
“Because," She leaned in, pointing at the papers, "One had a falling-out over split earnings, and the other left after a failed hunt where someone got killed.”
“...” As he read Lorean's notes, there were no indications of the reasons why. Cowardice? Malice? Greed? Who knows... There was nothing about either of those.
“It may be nothing in the end,” she shrugged. “Maybe they are embarrassed, or they likely didn’t want their names associated with failure. Maybe one of them likes money a bit too much. The reason why they lied, though, is that their futures could be impacted by something like this. So make sure to keep an eye on them if you ever go on hunts, and these two are also there.”
"I will keep in mind, but we won't kick them out because of something like this. Especially if you can't tell me exactly what happened, because acting on rumors is not the way I want to operate."
“You’re more forgiving than I expected.”
“I survived a hunt where half of the group got killed,” he said, looking into her eyes, "If I don't trust them, why should they? I also hear the rumors being spread about me, I'm not deaf... I just don't care. Arguments and bad hunting trips will happen, no matter what or where. Yes, I will keep the warning in the back of my mind, but that doesn't mean I am going to turn them away just yet."
“I'm not going to tell you what to do,” she said quietly, raising her hand, “But maybe consider it with the first boy. I mean, the first that ever came to visit you.”
"So he is the problematic one..." He muttered, flipping to his document.
"He owes a heavy debt to Stone Ward directly," Lorean nodded while Siu’s eyes scanned the notations. "He is not a member,” she continued in the meanwhile, “But he owes them enough to become a proper asset, and we know that they made contact with him before he even went to you.”
“Meaning?” He asked, but he already knew her answer.
“Meaning that he is a mole the Stone Ward is sending to spy on you. It is pretty evident, just from the fact that someone from their ranks visited him, and I guess it wasn't about getting their money back. So...?” she asked, seeing him think.
“What would you do?” Siu suddenly asked, surprising her, because she hadn't expected him to ask for her opinion.
“I would not expel him,” she answered without hesitation, "Because that alone would tell multiple things that Bren for sure would pick up on. For one, he would know you are careful and check people coming to your group. He would then try something... else. It is best if you have something that you know is dangerous than get stabbed in the back by an invisible blade."
“Yes, I agree... If Stone Ward believes he is their ear inside my group,” he continued, “then I will feed that ear something that I want them to hear.” Siu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he thought about it.
“And if he leaks something that you don't mean others find out?” Lorean asked, but it was just a simple warning to keep that in mind and not try to tell him to reject the boy.
“He won't know anything like that." He shrugged, shaking his head, putting the documents away, "I assumed they would test us, and one of the ideas was that they would send someone to join. Honestly, I expected them to try to buy their way in openly.”
"That could still happen later," She nodded once, "But doing it like this, it also means they’re taking you seriously, so be extra vigilant.”
"Don't worry, I will handle it if it comes to that."
...
....
......
"You idiot!" A harsh voice yelled, making Varren shrug his neck into his torso. "I specifically told you not go first! Are you deaf?!"
"I didn't join immediately!" He moaned, standing at the back of his tiny room, still inside the dormitories, while the Stone Ward member stood before him, filling the room up, glaring at him like he was about to snap his neck. "I even waited... I didn't expect to be the first!"
"You idiot..." He repeated, holding back from attacking him because it would break the sect's rules, so instead he slammed his fist against the wall, making cracks run through the wooden planks. "You worthless bastard... Do you want to be crippled...?"
"...." Of course not, but Varren had not the courage to say anything.
He just wanted to cry and hide away under his bed, and nothing more. This was not the sect-life he wanted, not the life he ever wanted. When he joined, four years ago, he expected it to be different... and it was, at first. The first two years were just as fun as he hoped they would be. Improving, cultivating, learning martial arts, venturing into the forest to train, all of it was going as expected. He even made a few friends, finding a place to cultivate in peace, and saw a road that would one day lead him to become an Inner Disciple.
But then, in one of the hunts, he got himself impaled by a boar-like beast's tusk, almost killing him. All of it went downhill from there.
Although he recovered, that alone had cost him dearly. He fell behind, and the more he tried to catch back up, the more he spent... then came the loans, paying back those loans... Even having to move back to the dormitories. He should have never gone to the Stone Ward for help, but one of his friends was in there... The same friend who was now yelling at him.
"Listen here, idiot." He groaned, pinching the ridge of his nose, "Stay... put. And obedient. Don't act out, contribute to their cause, and just... get close to them. Got it? For now, your debt to us stops accruing any more late fees, but you have to work to make it go away. Understood?"
"Y-yes..."
"Good and stop screwing shit up, that's why you got yourself almost killed last time." He snorted and then left, banging the door in behind him.
"I should have..." Varren muttered, slumping onto his bed, trying not to tremble, "I should have left you get hit and bleed out then..."