Chapter 78 – Deceived
What began as a simple morning spar had turned into something of a spectacle, because after the sun was fully up, even more Wardens had arrived, then some curious disciples began sticking around, and eventually even a few Ember Circle hunters had stopped by to watch. By the time Siu had realized he was getting really hungry, the time being already closer to lunch than breakfast, he had fought more matches than on any other training day put together.
Some of them were one-on-one, some two-on-one, but most of the time it was the same three against him. It had been exhausting, but he had to say, it was very useful. Still, with the crowd growing more and more, and Siu feeling he was reaching his limit, he raised his hand, signaling that he had had enough. Only Kira looked a bit disappointed, but of course, none of them argued and just wobbled off the grounds, going their own way.
"I will have to add this to the list that I'm not doing free anymore..." he muttered to himself, also leaving, groaning, rubbing his sides and arms, and checking the multiple bruises he'd picked up while fighting. "Bath first... food second."
When he was exiting the healing baths, ready to go and collect Arya and Marly from Neya, it was then that he heard a pair of familiar footsteps approaching and falling in line next to him.
"I guess they contacted you without warning?" Siu asked, making Varren sigh, sounding both nervous and guilty.
"Yes, Senior. Baun came to me in the middle of the night... they told him I would help out. He didn't fully share his task with me, though; he just told me I would have to keep making sure he had a chance to interact with you. He also knew where you were this morning."
“Well… that went about as expected,” Siu said as he glanced sideways, scanning the disciples they were passing by while walking with him.
"I think he will want to spar with you more." Varren muttered, biting his lips, "If I'm right, they for sure want to measure you through him, see how strong you are. He will want to know what techniques you use and how far along your cultivation really is.”
"I'm flattered," He chuckled, shaking his head, "And I guess, if he manages to beat me up during sparring, that's just an extra.”
“Yeah..." Varren nodded, getting concerned a little, "In the name of ‘training.’ But,” his head raised up a notch, smiling all of a sudden, "Experiencing today, I don't think he can do that."
"No, I don't think so either," Siu chuckled quietly, "Of course, it could be that he held back, so we will see the more we spar."
"You will still do it?" Varren asked, surprised, because he thought Siu would avoid Baun after this as if he had a plague or something.
"Naturally," He nodded, one eye looking at Varren, "If one thing is the basis of the Fox's Form, it is deception, and this is the best method to master it. In your opinion, how much does Baun know?”
“Not much.” Varren answered on the spot, "You saw him, he is thick, and that wasn't an act, I can guarantee that. I was told, through a letter he slipped to me, that he is a spy and that I should make it happen. My task is to oversee that he gets close to you, because Chalvert knows, even if I'm a coward, I am still better with people than Baun."
"Coward? You?" Siu stopped suddenly, tapping a finger at Varren's chest, "Never call yourself a coward."
"..." It was clear how surprised he was, but, in the end, he just smiled, feeling himself relax while nodding. “Sorry, Senior.”
“Heh," With a chortle, Siu began walking again while shaking his head, an idea already forming in his mind, "If they want to gauge me… We’ll let them. I assume Baun will report to you, and you will deliver it?”
"Yes, and Senior! I am pretty sure," Varren shrugged, "That the setup is a ruse, and they are also testing me. I would bet that my smoothed report will be accompanied by the raw version from Baun as well. Bren is not an idiot, even if he is a bastard, and I think this order is not from Chalvert either."
"I will make sure that yours overshines his." Siu’s smile grew slightly sharper when he spoke again, “They want to see my techniques? So be it, I’ll show them.”
"But, Senior," Varren almost stumbled when hearing him, "That's..."
“Relax, you will report and see only the parts I choose, same for Baun.”
“You mean…” Varren muttered, finally understanding.
"I can't appear weak," He continued, "Otherwise, they will know I saw through it. Everyone knows I use the Crane and now the Wild Cat. They may even realize the Fox is in it if they look up what I'm studying. What they won't know is how far I am with it. Can I switch between them without interrupting my flow? Or not yet? Or is it only for dabbling in them just enough to complement something else? I will tell you exactly what to share, dressed up as your 'feelings' when sparring with me. It should please them well enough and turn you even more important in their eyes."
“You know…" Varren said, stifling a laugh, "Baun actually thought he was doing pretty well today, telling me that he made you believe he was a weakling. I almost broke character and had to turn a snort to a choke," He explained, his eyes twinkling, "He also said proudly that he managed to force you to reveal some of your techniques.”
“That’s cute, encourage that belief in him. And, make him arrange more spars, because from now on I will ask for money to entertain him. A bit of CC off Stone Wards' back is always a nice extra.”
“You’re turning this into a training routine, with extra benefits. I admire your mind, Senior.”
"What did I tell you about calling me a Senior?" Siu shrugged in the end, smiling, shaking his head, but Varren was apparently not about to change the way he was addressing him.
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Later that night, when the lantern lights flickered all over the sect, illuminating the pathways leading towards the mines, Baun stepped through a door that led him into one of the Stone Ward-owned resting spots. Entering the small pub-like hole in the ground, Chalvert was already waiting there, sitting at a table, drinking something that looked like ale yet smelled sweet like honey at the same time.
“I'm here to report,” Baun spoke up, gulping loudly, and this time, there was no haughtiness in his voice, none at all as he just stood next to his table.
Clearly, Chalvert enjoyed his newfound fame, rising through the ranks and taking charge of organizing the spies in the Spirit Wardens. For a moment, he let himself bask in the feeling of fear emanating from Baun and didn’t look up, only raised his mug, letting the man stand there, fidgeting.
“Talk.” He spoke after about a minute, smacking his lips, throwing a look at Baun, "And for Heaven's sake, sit."
"T-thank you," Baun nodded as he put himself down across from him, immediately getting into the details, “He’s stronger than expected, so I came to give my report as you asked for it. I bet Varren will only come tomorrow, and––”
"You don't have to worry about that," Chalvert interrupted him, "You give your report to him to look it over, and also to me. I will do the rest of the thinking, okay?"
"You... don't trust Varren?"
"Do you?" Chalvert asked, looking at him while raising his mug.
"He is a coward..." Baun murmured, making Chalvert nod, but turn more serious.
"That's why we need to keep him in constant fear, so he stays obedient. Anyway, enough of him, your mission was to examine Siu's strength for us! With his rapid rise, we need to gauge it well. So... How much stronger are we talking about?”
"I wrote down everything I noticed," Baun slipped over a dreadfully short note before he leaned back slightly. It was clear he was not the best when it came to writing or organizing his thoughts. “But he fought three of us at once, and we couldn’t land a clean hit...”
“Three?” Chalvert frowned after hearing it, pocketing the scribblings.
"Yes... It was..." Baun looked away, feeling both angry and ashamed, "A clean victory..."
"Hmph, without understanding your teammates, one can exploit it," Chalvert snorted, trying to look experienced. “What techniques did he use to get you down?”
"I couldn't read it, but at least he was honest, showing that he suspects nothing!" Baun said with a smile and a snort as he explained, "But he may have been lying, because it was nothing unusual, just the sect’s basic forms.”
"What?" Chalvert blurted out, almost spilling his drink.
“The basic techniques.” Braun nodded, "Those foundational forms that almost everyone reads about before learning something proper."
“You expect me to believe that?” Chalvert laughed, shaking his head, "Those forms are role-specific..." He suddenly added, but then shook his head one more time, "True, they can give a good foundation for more advanced variants, but using them to beat you down? Multiple times? Please!"
“That’s what I saw.”
“No.” Chalvert leaned back in his chair, shaking his head, “That’s what you think you saw."
“What?”
"Idiot!" Chalvert grunted, slamming his mug against the table, making Baun jump a little, “Think! Those forms were created so we can better familiarize ourselves with more advanced techniques! Which means he was at least smart and cautious. Just as we expected! He showed only the foundational variants, because you are not close enough to get him to reveal what form he truly uses. You will have to get more buddy-buddy with him."
“When you say it like that…” Baun muttered, scratching his cheeks, thinking, "But he didn’t look like he was hiding anything.”
“Exactly.” Chalvert pointed at him, smirking, “You were fooled, no surprises there.”
"..." Baun’s jaw tightened slightly, but then he quickly released the tension from his face. “So... what do you want me to do?”
“I just said!" Chalvert snorted, emptying his mug, "Keep sparring with the bastard and push him harder, force him to reveal more.”
"I will try," Baun nodded slowly, but in all honesty, had no idea how he should do that.
"Try harder, or your debt will be doubled!" Chalvert said suddenly, sneering at him, right as Baun's face turned whiter than a ghost. "Keep notes on him, pass them down to Varren, then to me, and always have two copies. This is important... And Baun!"
"Y-yes..." he gulped, wiping his forehead.
"Good. Now go." Chalvert said, waving him away from the table with a proud smile, "Oh! One more thing!" he called to him as the man was standing up, "Don't even think about anything besides obeying us. You are not the only one we have inside... We are always watching. We aren't the Golden Scroll, but that doesn't mean we don't have our methods... Understood?"
"I... understand." He nodded, turning around, heading towards the door, yet the moment he touched its handle, Chalvert had one last thing to tell him.
“Oh, and if you get the chance… Break something in him. You know... Accidents happen during sparring.”
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"Ugh, Master... we should go back and sleep!" Arya grumbled, lying on Siu's head like she was a weirdly flattened hat with a round bump, being her full stomach.
"Sleeeeeeep!" Marly agreed, wrapped around Siu's neck, her mouth twice the size of the rest of her body, still full of food.
"Didn't you two complain to me that I left you with Neya again?" He asked with a loud snort, leaving the kitchens late at night, heading not to his home but to the library.
"We did not, we like her!" Arya argued, "I just want to sleep in a bed... Master's smell is suuuuper good to have goooood dreams!"
"And warm!"
"Sleep now then," Siu shrugged, shaking his head, but stopping quickly before the two start throwing up on him, emptying their stomach of all the dinner they pushed down into it.
"It isn't the same!" Arya groaned, "And it is late! You wake up late, you go to bed late, it is unhealthy."
"I'm not sleepy." He said simply, walking through the front, and by now, nobody working inside had tried to stop him because of Arya and Marly.
He knew exactly where he was going and what he was looking for, and soon, he was sitting down at one of the many empty tables, using the soft lamplight to start reading.
"Let's see..." He thought to himself, feeling that after everything, he could finally try and read up on another one of the advanced forms. From the remaining three, the Spider, Snake, and Wild Dog, it was clear that what he could tackle was the third. The rest, his body was not ready, not at his current state. "A technique specializing in overwhelming disciplined opponents... Hm. If I can pair it with the rest, I think doing three against one fights won't be as exhausting as it was today."