The Heavens Shall Fall

The notification of where he was expected to show up soon had reached Varren through the third spy within the Wardens' ranks. It was whispered into his ear one morning as he walked past the so far inactive Stone Ward lackey. Varren was glad that he jumped a little, not expecting something like that to happen, selling the fact that he 'didn't know' the man was a spy. After the message was delivered, he made sure to be punctual and, by the designated time, stood just outside an already occupied meditation alcove, waiting.

He knew who was in there... conscious that they might be testing him, making him wait, he kept his shoulders slightly hunched at all times, his hands clasped in front of him, his eyes lowered, scanning the ground. He had to hold back a self-depricating smile because the posture came naturally to him, which he hoped to shed after all of this was over. He could already feel that he was on his way to return to his old self, to become a cultivator again, because he couldn't keep acting like this; that was one thing he swore to himself, it was a must, or he may be doomed to exist as just... nothing.

“Come in.” The voice from within called out after about an hour, signaling the end of his meditation, prompting Varren to push the door open.

The room was dim, lit only by a single beam of sunshine, coming in from above, through a pinpoint-sized hole, where Chalvert sat under it, clearly just finishing his contemplation.

“Sir.” Varren started, keeping his head lowered, knowing that Chalvert enjoyed watching him grovel like this, making him smile.

“You took your time.” He chortled, even though it was he who made Varren wait.

“I came as soon as I was called.”

“Did you?” He shot a nasty look at him, one of his eyelids twitching, being surprised that Varren dared to speak back, but the moment he failed to answer a second time, Chalvert's smile widened again, "Thought so."

"..." It took great effort for Varren to remain meek, yet deep inside, he was ready to argue again.

“Don't think I forgot your part in the brawl. You little bastard daring to swing at me...”

"It raised my position within the Wardens..." Varren muttered, still looking away, to hide the satisfaction in his eyes, because that was indeed a good day. He even gave Chalvert a black eye and broke a few bones in the other Stone Ward members' bodies, going as far as knocking one of them unconscious. He still had pleasant dreams about that day.

"The only reason you weren't punished is that it helped you out to become free of suspicion." Chavert scoffed and then reached beneath his robes and pulled out a small pouch, tossing it across the room, making him catch it in a hurry.

Varren’s eyes flickered for just a moment before he lowered his gaze again, feeling the bag, knowing it was full of CC, but he didn't dare to take a look into it. But... it was a lot. It had to be.

"Um..."

“Take it.”

"What..." He began asking, making Chalvert snort.

“It's your budget.” He began as he leaned forward slightly. “That bastard Siu is charging now for sparring lessons, isn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“How much? Is it still as in the last reports?”

“Eight Ember Crystals per spar, and per person.”

“Greedy little dog.” He laughed, shaking his head, "We will have to copy it later. Well, whatever!” Chalvert continued, waving his hand, “Let him have it. We’ll pay, well, you will pay it,” he pointed at the pouch. “Handle it carefully, got it? Do I need to explain more, or has your thick head caught on already?”

“I... I am not sure, Sir.” He stammered, playing it up, and it looked like Chalvert expected it because he snorted but kept smiling, feeling superior.

“You’ll arrange the matches, dumbass. You’ll make sure Baun gets his opportunities, and I want you to be there when it happens, too. You don't need to participate, just observe. Baun is not the brightest, but you two, put together, probably have a complete brain." He said, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Don't make it obvious, though... And you’ll make sure nothing… goes wrong.”

"Yes..." Varren swallowed audibly, “…of course.”

"Mhm." Chalvert leaned back again, examining his posture, watching him avoid looking into his eyes, once again feeling satisfied as he did so, “And Varren…”

“Yes?”

“If I find out you’re playing both sides…”

"Never!" He yelped out, looking panic-stricken, widening Chalvert's smile.

"Good boy... Now, go!"

“Yes, sir...”

Varren bowed slightly and turned, leaving the room without another word, and only when the door closed behind him did he finally exhale. The man gave him an actual fright at the end! Was he too obvious? Hopefully not... but that didn't matter now. With hurried steps, he was now heading off the mountain, going directly towards their tower, wanting to find Siu and report to him as soon as possible.

At first, he couldn't find Siu anywhere, not in the tower, not even after he asked around, speaking to other Wardens if they had seen him. But then, he remembered the time, looking at the setting sun while leaving their base. Slapping his forehead, he began heading to the training field, which he knew Siu had booked through Neya, so he could have peace while training and mask where he actually was. Naturally, Varren knew about it, exactly for the reason he was looking for him now.

Arriving, he saw how Arya was sprawled out on the slag, her tail barely even moving as she looked super tired. At the same time, Marly sat beside her, cheeks puffed out more than a little as she munched on something she had absolutely no way of swallowing in a whole... but apparently, Siu wasn't paying attention to them now, doing some stretches. Today, he wouldn't torture the two with another game of tag... Even he needed to rest, and this evening was one of those moments.

“Senior!” Varren spoke up ahead of time so they would hear him arrive. As he spoke up, Arya's ears finally moved, turning towards him, but she remained flat on the ground. Only Marly turned her head, and Varren could see that she had a whole apple in her grasp, trying to stuff it into her mouth, looking way too comical, because it was almost as big as Marly herself. Maybe she was a snake in a previous life, he thought for a moment...

“Yes?” Siu asked back, but he didn't stop, kept his leisurely training going, his breathing staying perfectly in rhythm.

“Chalvert gave me new orders, and it is all about you.”

"Oh?" Siu transitioned smoothly from one slow step into a quick slide, slowly coming out of it, and finally stopping, heading towards the edge where Varren stood. “How generous of him, I should feel honored. So... what is it now? Another fight?”

“Yes, multiple in fact," Varren nodded, "He provided ample funding for either continuous lessons or a proper beatdown.” And just as he finished, he held up the pouch for him to see.

“How much?”

“…more than enough,” Varren whispered, handing it over, watching Siu open it and take a look.

"Oh..." he smiled faintly, running his eyes across the crystals within, “They do take me seriously.”

“Yes… Chalvert wants Baun to continue sparring with you, and I am to oversee it. The sole reason for this all is to uncover all your techniques, Senior.”

“I know as much,” he nodded, and Siu also knew that Toban fed incomplete information to them through Lorean. The sly bastard was using the situation to recoup the money he invested in him by taking money from Stone Ward.

“He also…” Varren lowered his voice slightly, “…expects results.”

"And by results, you mean, I should get hit here and there, maybe even forced to spend some time in the expensive healing baths, yes?"

"Most likely... They for sure plan something else, after Baun and I reported enough of your styles, Senior. It will be only then that they make a decisive move."

"My only concern is that they will target others like Nue did, and not come solely for me."

"Um, Senior," Varren offered, nervously playing with his fingers, "It is no longer only you, there is not just... you. You are the head of the Spirit Wardens."

"I know..." He shrugged, shaking his head, “And saying that... Keep it.” He added, throwing the pouch back into his hand.

"Eh?" Varren blinked, almost dropping it, “What?”

“Keep it,” Siu repeated, as if it were obvious, “Act like you’re paying me, you’re the middleman, after all, so you need to look useful. But in reality, spend it as you wish, it's yours.”

“That’s… a lot of money.” Varren hesitated, but he couldn't lie; the idea was very tempting.

“All the better.” Siu shrugged, shaking his head, “Use it for whatever you want, but if I were you, I would use it to pay off your debt to them. Can you do it, behind Chalvert's back? Or it has to go through him?”

"I..." Varren stopped, thinking about it, his eyes moving rapidly, "I think I can. Chalvert only started to visit me this frequently because they found a use for me. Previously, I was dealing with my debt through their clerks. Well, they call them clerks; they are just their low-ranking members."

"Good," Siu smiled, wiping his forehead, "It's up to you how to proceed, though, it was just a tip."

“Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me,” Siu said lightly, waving a hand at him, “You are doing your part, and I am grateful for it. I will leave the preparations for you, but make sure to schedule our sparring lessons on the dates I give you. I don't want it to interrupt my actual rhythm, so I will set aside fixed points for it. I do need some revision..." He muttered, crossing his arms while thinking, "It may prove useful and help me further my proficiency with the Fox..."

"Are we bringing our connection to a new level?" Arya suddenly looked up, making Marly say something, but her mouth was so full it sounded like a gurgling zombie choking on brains. "I'm not against it, Master, but others will look at you weirdly."

"I will pretend that I didn't hear that." Siu shot back with the most deadpan voice he could muster, making sure that Varren could not see the flinch he forcefully suppressed.

...

....

......

It turned out that Varren set up the spar more than perfectly, because when the first bout had come about, the training field was crowded. Somehow, word had spread that Siu was sparring again, and more than that, it was a one-on-one this time. For the Stone Ward members, this was perfect, an extra step, proving that Varren was more than capable of being a spy, because they could send more observers over, without looking suspicious. Well, as long as they stayed hidden, because the other Wardens present would chase them away, for sure.

"Can't believe you didn't tell me..." Kira grunted, stopping next to Varren, "We could have split the fee and joined in..."

"Baun wanted a solo fight," Varren answered simply, standing with her at the field's raised fence, leaning against it. "Sorry."

"Well, next time then... Haaah! He has superb reflexes and has a better mastery over the Wild Cat than I... You know, it is the basis of my form, so I need to see more of it to improve. Books just don't do it for me..."

"Try not to overshare. It's dangerous."

"Eh?" She snorted, glancing at his face, "We are in the same group, we are comrades! Or are you a spy or something?"

"Yeah." He nodded with a smirk, making Kira elbow him and laugh.

"Ye, ye, ye, big mouth! Anyway." She looked back towards the field where Siu and Baun were getting ready, "We should spar, too. I liked your way of fighting."

But Varren hadn't answered this time, because Baun was rolling his shoulders, stepping forward with a serious expression, signaling that he was ready. Unlike him, Siu stood relaxed, completely barefoot, and his hands loose at his sides, not even raising them into a proper stance.

“This time, Boss,” Baun said, trying to sound friendly, but his voice was pretty low, “I won’t lose that easily.”

“I do hope that, because it would be a waste of your CC.”

Baun struck at him right after he finished speaking, and there was no hesitation in his movement, just a direct, crushing punch that shot forward, aimed straight for Siu’s chest. Seeing it come, Siu didn't dodge; he simply shifted his torso, using the Crane, like against Nue, guiding the strike away, already striking out in a counter, forcing Baun’s eyes to widen slightly. It landed on his chest before he could react, making the taste of blood rise from his stomach to his mouth, but he forced it back down.

Baun was already stepping back when he saw Siu advance again, but his movements felt slower and heavier, making him realize it had to be a form switch. It felt learnt and predetermined, not yet fluent... Yet, he could do nothing about it, still in the middle of his own steps. He just watched as Siu's foot slammed into the ground, his body driving forward, this time his palm open, yet aiming to strike at the same point.

Raising his hands, Baun blocked, just barely, but the impact still forced him back a step more, causing him to lose a bit of balance. Then, as he looked at him, he saw another switch, making Siu move much more fluently as he vanished directly in front of him.

"...!" Baun reacted way too late.

By then, Siu was at his flank, and a sharp pain spread from Baun’s ribs before he could fully turn, reaching up to his neck and down to his waist as the sound of the impact rang out. This time, Baun had grunted, audibly forcing his copper-tasting saliva back down while also turning, swinging his arms wide, but Siu easily ducked, redirected, and struck him again... on the same spot.

"This looks like what he did with Nue Toah, but much more refined." Kira said, still standing next to Varren, leaning against the fence with a smile, "I watched that fight, you know. Did you?"

"No..."

"Too bad. It was great!" She exhaled, "I know a good fighter when I see one. I just wonder... Why does he hold back?"

"Hold back?" Varren asked, feeling a bit nervous, glancing away from the fight where Baun was being constantly struck, over and over, right at the same spot... finally making him spit blood.

"Yeah." Kira shrugged, "I think he isn't taking Baun seriously. This is pure humiliation, really. When we first fought, his moves were much more fluid; now they're choppy and wrong. Haaah... I will have to tell the blockhead to stop challenging him, because this is embarrassing! He will injure himself like this."

"No!" Varren suddenly yelped, making Kira look at him with a raised eyebrow and suspicion growing in her eyes. "Look..." Varren said, lowering his voice, "Don't... Interfere."

"What's going on?" She asked, turning much more serious, and her eyes began flashing, "You have a grudge against Baun...? Is that it? Sending him in to get beaten? Hmph, I didn't take you to be that kind of a snake..." She spat, suddenly getting cold with her tone, "Maybe I should talk with the Boss, then!"

"Yes." Varren nodded at once, feeling that Kira could easily ruin everything... damn, she had a good eye, which was now a problem, "That's a good idea." He repeated, now surprising the girl, forcing her to open her mouth but unable to speak, "After this is over, come with me, okay?"

"Sure," She said coolly after a brief pause, "But be warned, snake... If it's a trap, I am not afraid of clawing your eyes out."