Book 3, chapter 5

Allison, Ilukna, and Zee sat in the living room on soft chairs around a knee-high wooden table. Dern, currently as tall as her pointer finger was long, standing on the table.

He stood over two pieces of gaudy jewelry. A golden ring with a large circular multifaceted green gem. The second small delicate silver chain bracelet, with two square topaz gems and one larger teardrop tiger's eye gem.

Streamers of silver, violet, and blue energy leaked from Dern, twisting and weaving, forming a complex framework of etchings in the air.

With each passing second, he created more small etchings, patterns of energy that sank into the golden ring beneath his gauntlets.

Yukna was leaning halfway over the table, watching Dern work with wide-eyed fascination. The same could be said for Allison, and Zee, all watching him work.

His energy control was incredible, speaking of hundreds of hours of practice. It was a reminder of just how valuable Dern was, even outside of combat.

Zee watched on, watching as he expertly weaved thin strands of energy into the ring. She had no idea what those intricate markings meant. She did know each had an important purpose.

Aboard the ship, Dern had tried to explain it to her. He tried to explain that etching is a way to impose one's will on the fabric of reality.

There were some restrictions, of course, laws of reality that could not be ignored. Though, people who reached high enough, such as the B grade, could supposedly circumvent some of those laws.

It was a troubling thought, though she supposed it didn't really matter.

If she met someone in the B grade who wanted her dead, she didn't stand a chance. Zee would be dead before she knew what happened.

She shook herself, pushing her mind back on track. Reality-warping power of monstrous B-grade cultivators aside, what Dern was doing was essentially creating a construct of energy.

He wasn't so much subverting the laws of reality, as he was using them to his advantage. To put it simply, etchings were what you might call the language of the universe.

Though Dern wasn't near powerful, or knowledgeable enough to use more than a heavily watered-down version of said language.

Zee didn't understand exactly how it worked, nor how to replicate it, but she didn't need to. That's what she had Dern for.

Dern backed away from the ring, waving a gauntlet up at her.

"It's your turn," Dern said, projecting his mental voice to her.

Zee bit her lip, reaching out and grasping the thick gold ring from off the smooth wooden table. It was gaudy and far too heavy to be a practical piece of everyday jewelry.

She glanced up at Yukna, who was studying the ring in her hand closely. "So, what do I do?" Zee asked, hesitant to start, and break the ring.

Yukna adjusted her glasses further up on her nose, scooting closer to her end of the couch.

"Okay, let's take this slow. First, Infuse your energy into the ring. Only this time, do not use your mental energy, to do it." Yukna said.

Zee rolled the ring between her fingers, uncertain how to do that. Until now, she hadn't even known that was a possibility. Zee closed her eyes, feeling inward for her energy.

As always, when she looked at her inner self, it looked like she was an island of pure energy amidst a chaotic river of swirling energy. Zee took in a deep breath, reaching inward for that energy.

The pure energy inside of her moved easily, obeying her command. Usually, she would direct it toward a skill, or project her aura, but not this time.

She pushed the energy towards her right hand and the ring inside of her palm.

But before she pushed the energy inside, she paused. Wasn't this exactly what Yukna asked her not to do?

She bit her lower lip, uncertain how to proceed. How did she move her energy without using her mind?

No, wait. She wasn't allowed to use her well of mental energy. Yukna said nothing about using her mind. She experimented for a bit and quickly discovered those were the same thing.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't budge her stores of purified energy without tapping into her well of mental energy.

Zee simply watched her inner self for a bit, waiting for some sort of inspiration. After a few minutes, an idea came to her. Her attention was quickly drawn to the ever-burning flame.

Wait, a minute. Whenever she was in combat, or a stressful situation, that little flame beat, pushing energy out through her body.

Maybe she could use that? The only problem was, how did she turn on the little flame.? She wasn't in combat or stressed out in that way at the moment, so it was dormant.

Zee poked and prodded at the flame for a bit with her mind. Nothing. Hmm. Maybe it would beat if she fed it some energy. It was worth a try.

Zee reached out and started pulling in some energy like she did when she was cultivating. Though this time she proceeded a little differently.

Instead of allowing the energy to pulse through her body, she grasped it. With a bit of mental effort, she pushed all of that energy toward the little flame burning inside her heart.

There was a moment when nothing happened. Then, much to her excitement, the flame flickered and pulsed. A wave of mental energy passed outward, making her body tingle.

A grin split her face as the tingle spread up her arm and to the tips of her fingers. It was as if the energy from the flame knew her intent, entering the ring.

After a few seconds, the green gem on the ring started losing color. The site made her excited. That meant the ring was being filled by her pure spatial energy.

Zee pushed in energy for what felt like an hour, watching the ring, both sensing, and seeing the moment it reached its capacity.

The gem atop the ring was no longer green but was now pitch black, her spatial affinity having devoured all color in the gem.

Staring into the gem was like looking into the vast emptiness of space. It was both beautiful and made her skin crawl to look into that endless void.

She stopped feeding the flame in her chest energy and stood. The others were actually eating and quickly noticed her.

Zee shook herself. She had been so focused she hadn't realized they moved from the couch. Infusing the ring must have taken much longer then she expected.

"Are you done?" Yukna asked, walking over.

Zee sank back into her chair, exhausted. "Ya, here, you test it," Zee said tiredly.

Yukna took the ring from her hand, eying it closely.

"That black gem is something else," Yukna said, showing it to Allison.

"It's beautiful," Allison said, letting out a soft whistle.

"Let's test it."Yukna said. The woman took an empty teacup from the living room table and moments later it vanished.

"Now, for the moment, we have all been waiting for," Yukna said. She held out her hand, and the cup reappeared.

It wasn't a crumbled mess, nor was it on fire, which Zee had sort of expected.

Yukna grinned at her. "You did it," Yukna said excitedly.

Zee smiled. " I just supplied the energy. Dern did most of the work." Zee said, gesturing to the small suit of armor sitting on the edge of the marble countertop.

"At least she is good for something," Dern said, projecting his mental voice. The other two women smirked, neither of them denying his statement.

She scowled at the three of them, receiving no looks of regret at all. So much for them being on her side.

"I guess we should move on to the last one," Zee grumbled.

Once she finished filling the bracelet with spatial energy, they decided to celebrate her success by throwing a bit of a party. Well, it was actually just a nice dinner, though there was pie involved.

It was turning out to be a very nice evening. Allison even raided the wine cellar opening one of her favorite bottles.

Everything was going well, pleasant even. Good food, excellent wine, and friends.

There was a sharp knock at the front door of the mansion. The princess, a glass of wine in hand sauntered over and opened the door.

Zee, sitting on the couch could see Allison's look of startlement as the door opened to reveal a human messenger in a green and white uniform.

The messenger ignored Yukna's guard standing just behind and to his left. With little fan fair, he cleared his throat, unfurling a scroll with gold and silver scrollwork.

"Their majesties, king Alex and queen Lacinia of Carmanah, have issued a decree. You, princess Allison, have been issued a reprimand for hiring a traitor of Ducal into your guard. This is a farce that can no longer be tolerated.

As of this moment, Zee Viotti is removed from the royal guard and our protection. Any further action as a member of our kingdom, or will be seen as a direct attack. For impersonating a member of the royal guard, Zee Viotti is now declared an outlaw of Carmanah, and as such will be executed if she enters our lands." The messenger said, rolling up his scroll.

With that, he spun on his heel and strode back down the stairs, not saying another word to them.

Allison simply stood there in the doorway, mouth agape, looking on the verge of chasing after the messenger.

Zee was even more dumbstruck.

With a face like she just ate something foul, Allison slammed the door, rattling the frame. The princess took in several deep breaths visibly calming herself before she spoke.

"Why are they always plotting, always scheming?" Allison snarled, kicking the inside of the door, angrily.

"What just happened?"Zee asked, confused.

Allison downed her full glass of wine in one go. "You are no longer a royal guard, and no longer have my protection. My 'parents' just threw you out to the wolves." Allison said, with a complicated expression.

"But why would they do that?" Zee asked.

Allison paced back and forth in front of the door, her face a mask of anger and frustration.

"This is my fault. I thought keeping information about you a secret was a good thing. Now they see you as a liability and are choosing to discard you. I should have known better." Allison said, chastising herself.

"Surely we can salvage the situation? It can't be all bad?" Zee asked, worry in her voice.

Allison exhaled, her expression turning thoughtful, her anger quickly fading to a dull simmer.

"You are right. Now that I think of it, maybe my parents miscalculated. They most likely think that you are only around because of me. Hmm. Yes, that could work. You are fairly close with crown prince Malden. In fact, he personally requisitioned you to make a spatial storage for King Bethel." Allison said, her expression turning devious

"What are you plotting?" Zee asked.

Allison's anger turned to a malicious smile. "This may actually be a good thing. Convince Maldy to invite you to the king's party, and present king bethel with the spatial storage ring.

Once you give the king that ring, and my parents realize you have the spatial affinity, they will be kicking themselves."Allison said with a devious smile.

"Allie.... Before you go plotting petty revenge on your parents, you need to properly consider the ramifications."Yukna said, sternly.

The short, wiry woman didn't look like much, but her words were enough to wipe the smile from Allison's face.

Allison grimaced. "But Yukie, this is such a good opportunity, to twist the knife. Think of how stupid they will look once her affinity and the secret of her cultivation technique are revealed." Allison said.

Yukna's expression soured. "What happens when they retaliate? It could be against me, you, or even Zee. You know they are spiteful. What if they come after me and my family again?" Yukna asked fearfully.

Allison walked over and took both of Yukna's hands, meeting the shorter woman's eyes. She kissed the woman softly on the lips.

"I am sorry I didn't warn you they might retaliate beforehand. Don't worry, your family is safe, under the protection of king Bethel. Besides, If they dare come after you I will set their castle on fire." Allison said her tone deadly serious.

Yukna groaned, pulling Allison in and leaning her head on the taller woman's shoulder. "Sometimes I wish I never fell in love with a princess. Everyone always says it's a good idea. They clearly haven't met your parents."Yukna muttered into her shoulder.

Allison laughed softly, gently squeezing the shorter woman.

Zee shifted on the couch, wondering if she should broach a topic that seemed relevant to her. Or if she should continue pretending to be a piece of furniture.

In the end, it sounded important. "Allie. I couldn't help but notice you purposefully made a move to get me kicked out of the royal guard?" Zee asked.

Allison hesitantly nodded. It was just as Zee expected. There was no way Allison withheld so much information from her birth parent's without knowing what they might do.

"Yes, I hoped they would kick you out. No small part was to spite them. However, my primary reason was to free you from under their authority before they realize how valuable you can be."Allison said.

"Is that a good thing? Now I have no one to protect me. You do realize we are in the capital or the Allevark territory right?" Zee asked, far more worried then she let on.

Yukna perked up. "This is definitely a good thing. Being under the authority of Carmanah is a poisoned, double-edged sword. Now you just need to find someone with a strong enough reputation to protect you." Yukna said.

Zee fell into thought, poking a question of what to do at Dern in her mind.

"Let's work for Yukna. I like her." Dern said. Well, she figured as much. Dern did show Allison's fiancé far too much preference

If Zee didn't know any better she might think he had a crush on her. Or he may want to eat Yukna's soul? Dern ignored her mental question, neither confirming, nor denying it.

Zee shook her head, focusing back on the two women standing behind the couch. "Could you hire me Yukna? I come recommended by a princess." Zee said.

"Uhh-

"I didn't recommend you for anything." Allison cut in.

Yukna's lips quirked up into a devious smile. "Of course. You are hired."Yukna said.

"What? You can't do that. I needed a new maid." Allison said.

"Wait.. You were going to make me be your maid?" Zee asked, scowling at the woman.

"Well, force is such a strong word. I was going to pay you five dara a month for it." Allison said.

Zee scowled at the incredibly low pay and muttered "Maid, my ass." she glanced at Yukna who was trying not to laugh.

"What do you say, boss? Is this woman offending you? Shall I remove her from the mansion?"Zee asked in her best noon-on-sense tone.

"What's that? An uppity maid trying to kick me from my own house?" Allison asked.

"How dare you. I am no maid. I am a guardswoman of..."Zee glanced over at Yukna."What's the name of our company?" Zee asked.

"Tesh and Co." Yukna said with a laugh.

"Oh. Right. How dare you call a guards woman of Tesh and Co, a mere maid! This is an insult to our company's honor." Zee said, reaching for her sword hilt theatrically.

"Honor? What are even talking about?" Allison asked, trying not to laugh.

Zee released her dramatic pose and shrugged. "I don't know. I read it in a book once, and it sounded dramatic."Zee said.

"It might be dramatic if it wasn't coming from a maid," Allison said.

"How about we go into the backyard and spar? Then you can suffer the humiliation of having your butt kicked by a maid." Zee said.

They glared at each other for a few seconds. Zee was the first to break, her serious expression falling away as she started laughing. Allison's lips turned up into a smile, her grey eyes glimmering with amusement.

Yukna shook her head, rolling her eyes at their antics. She then gave Zee a more sober expression.

"If we want this to work, you will need an amulet to show everyone you are a part of my company. Not to mention you will need to accompany me and be seen in public."Yukna said.

"What did you have in mind?" Zee asked, uncertainly.

Yukna smiled at her. "Well. The king's birthday party will be in two days. That will be a perfect opportunity."Yukna said.

"If I am just a guard, will I even get to go? Sounds like an important event?" Zee asked.

Yukna smiled. "You won't be able to come as a guard. On the other hand, you can come as my guest. My dah hates these kinds of events anyways, he will be overjoyed to get out of going." Yukna said.

Zee glanced down at her well-worn uniform. It may not have originally been intended for a human, but she found it rather comfortable.

"I guess I will need to get something nice to wear. Can you get uniforms in a similar design to these ones?" Zee asked hopefully.

Yukna grimaced. "Sadly not in that style, though we can get some clothing made to fit you. Under my company name, you will be more like a civilian contractor. Or a mercenary. One second I will be right back.."Yukna said.

The spindly brown-haired woman disappeared into her room, returning shortly with a bronze-tinted necklace on a silver chain.

One side had a very intricate design of a trebuchet launching a barrel up into the sky towards a keep in the distance.

Stenciled around the edges in large silver lettering were the words, Tesh and Co.

"This is beautiful. The artist that made it is truly gifted to carve such fine detail on metal." Zee said.

Yukna flushed at her words. "Thank you, it's my own personal design. I used to make them for each new member who joined the company. Sadly I don't have the time to do that personally anymore, we are far too big for that." Yukna said.

"How many people are in the company?" Zee asked curiously.

"Not quite sure, around a few thousand last I checked. My dah usually manages the overall company. Management is not my thing. I like to get my hands dirty, by both making and designing new things."Yukna said.

"That sounds intriguing. It's hard to believe the Allevark let a human own a company so large, and in the capital no less." Zee said.

"I know right? My company makes the best weapons and explosives in the kingdom. You wouldn't believe how many Allevark nobles take my growing success as a personal insult." Yukna said.

"Why don't they just make better stuff if they have a problem with it?"Zee asked.

Allison reached out and pulled Yukna against her. "That's because they can't. None of their crafters are even close to matching her skill." Allison said.

Yukna's bronze skin flushed red at the praise. "My skill is adequate at best. I still have a long way to go before I can make things like the crafters in the Kelvish dominion."Yukna said.

Allison hugged the woman against her side.

"One day you will be making things they can't even imagine," Allison said. Yukna smiled.

"One day, though we may need to rank up a few times before that can happen," Yukna said.

Allison nodded. "We will find a way to push past the bottleneck. The E grade is not beyond us. Surely the tournament will help push us forward." Allison said reassuringly.

"You are right. We will get there."Yukna said.

Zee cocked her head at their words, confused.

"Hold on, what do you mean you are stuck at the bottleneck? I thought you two simply hadn't advanced all of your skills to the peak yet?"Zee asked.

Allison gave her a confused look like she might be an idiot.

"Both of our skills are all maxed out at the peak F rank. We have both been stuck for several years. Without outside help from outsiders in the Kelvish dominion, we won't be able to advance." Allison said.

Zee cocked her head, confused. That was wrong. It made no sense. The base requirement for ranking up into the E grade was one spark of incite. Having only one might limit their future to the E grade, but still.

That shouldn't be a problem for the princess. Allison had two incites, a spark of ash, and a ranked-up incite, an ember of tinder.

That should be more than enough to meet the requirements and rank up. It was even enough for Allison to upgrade the rarity of her class. And yet Allison was stuck at the peak F grade. What could be the problem?

Then something dawned on her. It was a little tidbit she remembered. Allison once mentioned they couldn't rank up because of the impurities in their bodies.

Their old cultivation made it impossible to rank up the normal way. Now, though. Allison shouldn't have that problem. She might only need to compress her aura the rest of the way, and she would rank up.

The question was, did she want to risk telling the princess about that? She bit her lower lip thoughtfully, leaning backward on the couch.

It had been a few months since she cleansed her body of most of the impurities. That was most likely enough time to let her body get accustomed to pure energy.

"What are your thoughts, Dern?" Zee asked.

"I am not sure. It should be fine." Dern said, sending her a mental shrug.

Zee refocused on the two women, and then she spoke, hoping she wasn't making a mistake.

"I may have an idea," Zee said. She explained her thoughts and her reasoning.

"Are you saying we could both rank up right now if we wanted?" Allison asked.

Zee quickly shook her head.

"No. No. I am saying you could. Yukna still needs a few months at-least before she fully compresses her aura."Zee said.

"Are you sure this is safe for her?" Yukna asked, pensively.

Zee slowly nodded, again hoping she wasn't making a huge mistake.

Allison's eyes flashed with excitement and trepidation. With a glance down at Yukna she exhaled sharply, closing her eyes. Without any more preamble, Allison flexed her well of mental energy and with an iron will, fully compressed her aura.

It was surprisingly smooth, her body tingling from having all of her energy pushed back into her skin. Then there was an odd heat, one that radiated through her body.

It was quite uncomfortable, her entire body suddenly wracked with a stabbing ache.

That pain was the process of her cells, muscles, and bones being improved. The process only lasted for about twenty seconds, before dissipating.

Zee reached up and plugged her nose.

"Wow, what have you been eating? That smell is foul."Zee said, eying the post rank-up gunk clinging to Allison's skin and soaking through her clothing.

Yukna gagged, backing away, plugging her own nose.

Allison cracked a smile. " What? I don't smell that bad." Allison said, moving to give her fiance a hug.

Yukna deftly dodged the embrace, scrambling away.

"Oh no, you don't,"Yukna said backing away and putting the couch between them.

Allison turned to Zee, an evil look on her face

"Uh, I should get going. I have some clothes shopping to do." Zee said, backing toward the front door.

"I will come with you," Yukna said, quickly scrambling towards the door, ducking Allision's hug.