The Heavens Shall Fall

After lunch, Siu learned one more thing about Seloryn: she was very much a headstrong woman. Deciding that they would take a look at missions, she simply began walking after they were done, looking at him questioningly when he almost headed back towards the Red Leaf. Sensing it was unwise to argue, Siu found himself following her, but Arya, naturally, had opinions.

“Master, the flute woman is being way too bossy, and you are being way too submissive.”

“You are just refusing to use her name, huh? And I am being submissive, as you put it, because she is right. Unlike you, I have considered what she said and find it makes sense. I could refuse her and her help, then what? Isolate myself? That would be stupid, and I trust her. I am willing to go along with it, as it is still better than anything I see you two put on the table as to what to do!”

That very long and honest monologue made Arya fall silent. She did open her mouth a few times, but then she said nothing, finding no way to try and argue. Marly, who had eaten enough dessert that she looked a little rounder than usual, lay across Siu’s shoulder like a defeated scarf, not being much of a help to her sister either.

“I think you are getting tamed,” Arya muttered in the end. “But I want you to stay the alpha, Master…”

“That’s not how that works.” He chortled, shaking his head, “And no, I’m not going to grovel before her, just so you know before you say anything. This is not like how it was with Toban; this time, I am onboard with Senior’s idea.”

“…” Seloryn glanced over her shoulder, smiling faintly when she heard his little snort, “Is it about me?”

“Yes.”

“Thanks for being honest about it.” She said, being unexpectedly serious about it.

“Naturally,” Siu answered with an embarrassed smile. “They just worry about me being used.”

“That means they like you very much.” Seloryn nodded. “I am starting to envy you, Siu. I am not that good with beasts, so I never tamed one for myself, but maybe I should have.”

“It’s never too late, Senior.”

“True!” She laughed, then wisely lowered her voice as they passed beneath a hanging bridge where several disciples were walking overhead. “Maybe you can give me some tips, hm? You are the expert in this case.”

“Expert? Hardly. The only thing I did was save them. I never thought about bonding with the two; it just happened.”

“So,” Seloryn hummed, “You just have to save the damsel in distress? Damn, you boys have it easy!”

“I helped others get their own beasts, and those weren’t females.”

“Others? Okay, that means there are outers with beasts besides you.” Seloryn stopped suddenly, turning fully towards him, making Siu almost collide with her, “Were they also mutual contracts?”

“One.” He nodded, “The other wasn’t because the stag my friend wanted wasn’t smart enough for it.”

“…” She just stared into his eyes, biting her lips, “Tsk!” In the end, she turned back around, continuing to head towards the Nine Hanging Bells.

Siu couldn't help but sigh, but he could tell that there was no real annoyance in Seloryn’s tone. Staying silent for the rest of the way, soon the bell tower came to dominate the view, and once again, Siu stared upward at the bells, feeling a slight chill that had nothing to do with the air. He couldn’t help it, but he was imagining how it would sound when they began ringing, even if that meant danger.

“Come, and stay close; it is easy to get separated inside,” Seloryn finally spoke up, breaking the silence, her tone once again nonchalant.

Just like before, the view was the same, and there were hundreds of people inside, creating a constant cacophony of voices while Seloryn led him toward the lower-tier section, where the boards for Tier One missions were near the left side of the hall. They looked simple compared to the higher-ranked panels, but even here the number of slips was intimidating, and there were plenty of disciples browsing them. Each mission token was made from a thin, smooth, pale, jade-like material, glowing faintly with text that shifted when someone focused on it, detailing everything from start to finish, including the rewards for completing it. A disciple could touch one and take it down to bring up more details, but only those approved for that tier could fully access the requirements. While he was scanning the board, Seloryn stopped beside him and folded her arms.

“Start by ignoring the reward; choose one that feels fitting instead of one that pays the most.”

“Because rewards are usually the bait.” Siu smiled to himself, “I’m not really an amateur, Senior.”

“My bad.” She chuckled, saying no more, letting him browse.

The first few missions were close to the sect, barely outside its controlled lands, mostly in the forest for the inner disciples. It reminded him of the one Elder Thane had sent him on, but instead of eggs, they were asking for gathering something called ‘frostvine’ from a cliffside. Then there were missions to escort servants to a mining storehouse, away from the sect, probably acting as manual labor, considering most servants were stronger than a regular disciple. Then, there were requests to inspect a minor bridge and its formation along a trade road, which apparently began malfunctioning, blocking the passage for mortals. Besides those, he saw some requests for assisting the Medicine Hall with inventory transport. They were simple enough, but many were either too close to the sect to teach him much, or too specialized to be useful for what he was interested in.

It was like that Siu moved on, over and over again, taking almost half an hour before starting to feel he was now being way too picky. He had an urge to smile, realizing he was already thinking about going on a Tier Two mission, because these just… weren’t it. Then, just as he was about to go back from the beginning for another sweep, one slip caught his attention. As he reached out to read a bit more, he took it down and tapped it, his essence quickly traveling to his fingers as he watched the token display a floating image with its complete description.

[Tier One Mission: Resource Retrieval]

[Sponsor: Companions]

[Location: Kavernacht Kingdom]

[Task: Travel to the town of Mirebell, present authorization token to registered supplier, collect sealed beast-nurturing resources and a set of preserved eggs (10), and return them intact.]

[Estimated duration: Seven to ten days]

[Required disciples: Two (minimum)]

[Recommended: One disciple with beast-handling experience. One disciple with prior travel experience within the Kavernacht region.]

[Risk: Low. Mortal road travel. Possible bandit activity. Possible interference from minor noble households. Do not engage in local disputes unless sect property is threatened.]

[Reward: Completion merit, mission contribution, 30 Sun Crystals.]

“Kavernacht Kingdom,” Seloryn murmured, reading it with him, crossing her arms, thinking.

“You know it?”

“I’ve been there.” She nodded, reading the details once again. “Mirebell too, though only once. It’s a decent city by mortal standards, not too large, not too small. It has a population of about 400,000 people. As for the Kavernacht royal house, they are under Hollow Song authority, and our presence there is strong enough that most people with functioning brains behave themselves.”

“Nobles are under our authority? Are there cultivators of ours there?” Siu asked.

“Yes.” She explained, “There is always an Elder or two in mortal kingdoms, acting as our voice. They usually do not interfere with their business but act as ambassadors, serving as a link between their world and ours. As for the nobles, they are usually cultivators themselves, getting resources from us. Also, they are weaker than us, because the good ones are often taken away and inducted into the sect. Mortal kingdoms under any and all sect rule usually have noble lines with their own cultivation inheritances, but they remain the sect's subjects nonetheless. Think of it like layers. Mortals live under their kingdom’s laws. Noble cultivators rule and compete, creating their little laws. Above them stands the sect that governs the region, and above those sects usually stands an even higher power, a much greater sect.”

“And the Obsidian Moon stands above us.”

“You read your history books then.” Seloryn nodded. “Exactly. A small kingdom may feel independent to mortals. It may have its own king, regulations, taxes, armies, feuds, marriages, and petty wars if needed. But spiritually and politically, it belongs to the sect whose territory it rests in. The same is true of the sects, and ultimately, we are still vassals to one of the Great Fours who rule this side of the world.”

“So Kavernacht belongs to us.”

“Yes. Our territory includes their kingdom amongst many others. Who would have time to govern mortals? That’s why this system works. We even have regions under us where multiple, smaller sects operate and run the day-to-day businesses, and not mortal kingdoms. They provide us with yearly tithes and sometimes, their elite disciples make it into our ranks. Anyway, this location is nice… Good catch! This is a good first outside mission.” She tapped the token again, opening even more details. “You will see roads, mortal settlements, maybe even some silly noble customs, and our sect authority in practice. And the difference between being strong, being a disciple or a 'noble.' While we are out, we are essentially being a representative of the Hollow Song outside the mountain.”

“I will defer to your judgment, Senior.”

“Oh please.” She snorted, rolling her eyes but smiling, “A delivery mission for the Beast Hall is nice, and your beasts are not a disadvantage in this case. They may even be counted as relevant support.”

At that, Arya lifted her head proudly.

“At last! Proper recognition!”

Once again, Siu touched the token, this time letting his sash connect to it. The supplier was a registered mortal-cultivator family in the region that worked with the Companions, gathering and preparing materials that predominantly grew on their land. The preserved eggs it mentioned were from a domesticated breed of flightless birds, raised by the same family. Apparently the sect was raising them as pest-control creatures to protect their most important gardens.

That made Siu glance toward Arya and Marly at once.

"What?" They both asked.

"Foxes like stealing eggs."

"I have my own eggs, and they are waiting to be seeded." Arya shot back while Marly was wholly lost, looking between the two of them.

"What kind of seeds? Sunflower seeds are yummy..." She muttered, while Siu just glanced at Seloryn.

"The reward seems way too much; something's not right."

"It is high, yes," she agreed, "Because it expects about four to five disciples to take it. Evenly split between them is reasonable, so it explains the pricing."

"Are we going to bring others, then?" He asked, but Seloryn fell silent for a moment.

“Let’s register before we overthink it. After we took the mission, we will have to go to the Companions anyway, so we can strategize what to do then.”

In the end, they took the token from the board, and as soon as Siu removed it, the empty slot dimmed, and a servant appeared, quickly replacing it with another token. Seloryn guided him toward one of the Tier One counters, where a servant in gray robes looked up, eyes moving from Siu to Seloryn, then to their sashes, speaking in a monotone voice.

“Mission registration?”

“Yes,” Seloryn said simply. “Beast Hall Resource Retrieval to Kavernacht," she added, nudging Siu, who was handing the token over.

Taking it, slotting it into a hole on his desk, the little token disappeared, dissolved into light, spreading into lines that connected with his silver sash.

“Registered,” the servant said at once. “Departure is expected to happen in the next two days, or the mission will be canceled. The punishment for that will be posted by the Companions, so don't dally if you don't want to go into debt. Your task requires a return within 12 days at the maximum, unless the delay is documented with a supplier's seal or an emergency record of unforeseen obstructions. For anything more, you will have to contact the Companions.”

“We understand,” Seloryn said, smiling at him.

"So," Siu asked as they left the table, heading out of the Mission Hall, "We have two days to set out. I will have to inform Senior Quillian about it. When do we depart?"

"Tomorrow would do," She answered after a brief pause, "If you need, read up on the location; Quillian has to have some books on the place, or you can leave the introductions to me. Considering the rewards and what we discussed before, I suggest we bring two more people with us. It would be easier to handle the cargo that way."

"Mhm." Siu nodded without arguing. "Anyone in mind? Like Dui?"

"Pft!" Seloryn snorted, "No way! Dui is an okay guy, but I wouldn't trust him with this kind of responsibility... I am not going on a mission with him, sorry. But I do have two others in mind. I'll contact them; you just prepare for your first mission, leave the rest to me. I'll come meet you tonight, and we will go to the Companions for a bit more detail before setting up in the morning."

"Tonight?" He asked, raising a brow.

"Everything is open at all times," she chuckled, "so yeah. Well then! I'm going to visit my candidates, see if they are up to it, and if not, well, we will have more to spend between the two of us. Four of us." She quickly added, winking at Arya and Marly before they could complain.