Triss had barely gotten past her last round and was recovering when the news hit the back areas of the tournant.
She was shocked. Lind Frey had to withdraw due to injuries from weaving. It was his strongest profession which spoke volus as the other 2 were so highly praised.
She still had him looming over her future if she continued to win but she felt less certain about it. She was in her private quarters assigned since she got past the elimination rounds when the crystal lit up by the door.
It ant soone wanted to see her but she expected no one. Still, she had to check it in case there were official announcent regarding the main elixir master brackets or more information on other opponents having to withdraw.
She made sure everything was stable inside her dantian before she carefully packed away any important items. She left out the dallion her master had given her when she set out.
It was her proudest possession now.
She put her palm on the weaving array and the click preceded the opening of the door. It slid aside so quietly it was damned impressive. She really wanted the chanism for her own guild.
The door pulled back but it only revealed a small box. It was made of dark tal and she felt disquiet just looking at it. Despite the door being open, a shimring field of Qi still stood there.
It was a final protection asure independent from the door. If she did not shut it down, no one could enter without a direct override.
The box would easily fit in her palms but she did not want to. She could not explain why, but she felt threatened by it!
She then saw the emblem of her guild on it. So relief washed over her. She was about to disengage the field when a voice stopped her.
"I would not do that if I were you, young lady." A demoness appeared but only her head! In fact, only her face was exposed.
The dark pools for her eyes caught Triss off guard but the fact 2 strange things were outside her door bothered her!
"Are you not the one who delivered it?" A ssenger hiding their presence, even to such extre extents, was not unheard of. Still it left things even more unlikely they were benign.
"No, I was assigned as a guard here by my Mistress. All the contestants have gained guards. That box arrived on its own and a formation interacted with the door crystal." Her words made no sense.
The weavings on the entire arena prevented any external delivery like she described. Even a tiny attempt to ss with one of the battles had resulted in instant arrests and expulsion of the fighter that tried to cheat.
There was no way what she was just told was the truth!
As if reading her mind, the face smiled at her.
"Feel free to access the recording crystal in your room. Even better, wait for my superiors ro arrive, but do not open your field to that box." She touched the jade stone interface and confird that in a flash of light the box appeared and energy had flown from it to the crystal pad outside her rooms.
Before she could even ask a question, she felt a massive aura appear in the hallway. It was Lind Frey!
He looked worn out for so reason but grim. He took one glance at the box and a tired sigh left him.
"How did this arrive, Julie?" The face frowned before the demoness fully appeared. She was wearing so strange robes that hugged her lithe body tightly. Still, it was like Triss' eyes kept sliding off her. It was annoying!
"I am not positive but it seed like it appeared from a pocket dinsion. It must have been anchored to sothing but our defenses kept it out of her quarters." Lind nodded before his erald Qi engulfed the box.
Nothing happened which surprised Triss but she then saw his vertically slit erald eyes look past her. He was looking at the dallion made of gold on her table.
A single thread of Qi flew from the box to the dallion before it too was engulfed in erald Qi! There were 2 more threads as well to other items her master had gifted her.
"That was overkill. Still, it is just like the others we suspected." His words put a chill down her spine. He then looked at her before he raised an isolation ward.
"I will not ask you to let
in but place those objects in the slot by the door for disposal. They will cause you no harm now. I cannot move them myself due to the protections on the room. If not for the connection to this–thing–I could not isolate them as I have." Questions blood but she was reluctant to give the dallion over.
He frowned at her before he looked at Julie and she left the ward.
"I swear to Heaven and Earth, all I am about to say is true." The tremor in the air confird his Oath. "Lir was murdered. His master as well as many others have been exposed as being connected to the Fiends, and they are all dead."
Her heart trembled but she did not feel the need to deny the accusation. It explained the mystery around her friend's death that even she could not accept. He had been so careful and aware of the dangers of weaving.
Only life and death would have pushed him past that caution, yet he had been in training! The furthest from life and death he could be.
Still, Fiends? How could Fiends infiltrate his guild so completely?
"What proof?" He looked at the field and sighed before a jade slip appeared. He then summoned a scroll and imprinted it in front of her. She would have accepted a slip from him but the precaution he was taking was clear.
Handing a jade slip to a cultivator ant the information could be taken from them at any ti, but a scroll was just paper. It could not be infiltrated and only read. While cultivators had perfect recall, soone searching her mind might miss it since it was not information imprinted on her mory from a slip.
She opened the slot and quickly read through the scroll. The nightmare it described left her feeling sick! Worse was the level of detail. The extent of how even innocent lives had been swallowed by the events.
The deactivated the field instantly as she nearly collapsed. Lind Frey paused before gently patting her head.
"I am sorry." His gentle words made a stark contrast to the cold comfort of her master's.
He quietly collected the 3 items, the dallion now made her sick. Included in the knowledge was about her master too. All the others that had many disciples that had just as many go on to beco powerful figures but always away from the sect or guild.
So things beca clearer. She knew she had seniors but she was never allowed to et them for so reason. Further, eting contemporaries was always from a select group.
Never outsiders and never without supervision of their masters.
Such limited circles were not unheard of but the strict rules made it co back to her when a promising disciple had been denied admittance to the guild when it was exposed she was the daughter of an elder in a sect they did no business with.
It did not seem to matter to Triss but her master had argued fiercely to keep her out. She never understood why he was against it but a blood relation would be a key way to learn secrets soone wanted kept tightly away from the light of day.
Tears ford as Lind Frey calmly waited. He seed to want to tell her more.
She got herself under control.
"You read what I know. Sohow, the Fiends mark people that are then able to be killed quickly. I do not know what is in these items but I suspect you are clean. The only reason to use a roundabout thod like this would indicate it. You are also likely not the only one." He summoned a communication jade stone and voices ca through.
[--body left damaged the sa as when Lady Shoti exposed the guild–]
[Found 4 items connected to a sphere left outside their door while they were out–]
[--the servants are also dead–]
Various reports ca in. So dead, so not. So were out and the items were confiscated.
The addition of servants told her so kingdoms had fallen as well. It was bad, very bad.
"What–what will you tell the world?" So many deaths could not be covered up. The fact they happened identically indicated a limit on the Fiends. She was already trying to consider the how and he noticed.
"The truth. It has to be the truth or things will fall apart. Further, we have more tangible evidence of our suspicions. I suspect orders were given or soone panicked and started a chain reaction the Fiends did not want. Even they cannot predict human nature." Lind was not happy about confirming his suspicions.
The price was too high. Further, it was too clear how it happened. The Fiends may cut off a branch but exposing their network was clearly a human failure, not theirs.
She sighed and looked up at him.
"What do you need
to do?" He smiled sadly at her and then held out his hand. She took it fully understanding she was betraying her master. Given the circumstances, it was best for not just her, but the world.
The war never stopped. The tournant was simply a fertile ground no one could give up. Now, the new front had been opened and exposed how vulnerable they had all beco. She was now joining the fight.
Reviews
All reviews (0)