Book 5, chapter 29

 Cornell waited just inside the doors while she walked along the thick rugs that led deepener into the throne room. The walls were covered in ornate paintings, bracketed with sculpted statues of extremely rare stone carved in exquisite detail. 

Banners hung from the ceiling, depicting the gray and white emblem of the imperial clan crest.

None of that mattered right now, as her attention was focused on the Ashary in the room. They were a lot smaller than expected, each with a distinct color pattern. The Ashary were like small gaseous clouds of turbulent energies. There were three of them, each about as wide as her torso, and about half as tall. They looked like miniature clouds.

Adopting a casual heir, she approached, causing the three Ashary to swivel in the air. A chill ran up Zee's spine as she felt the full attention of the three Ashary in front of her. Being existences that looked like clouds of gas, they didn't have eyes, but still, she could tell they were sizing her up. It was hard to miss as they rudely probed her with their auras.

Since they were rudely probing her with their auras, she didn't feel bad about staring. Clasping her hands behind her back, she paused at the base of the stairs that led up to the throne. 

The three Ashary were to her right, while Farsaic was sitting in his throne up a flight of seven stairs.

According to custom, she greeted the emperor first with a deep formal bow.

"You have summoned me, your eminence?" Zee asked, careful to hide her irritation.

Farsaic had a deep frown on his wizened face. "Yes.. Thank you for coming granddaughter. I called you here to get your opinion on a delicate matter," Farsaic said.

Zee raised both eyebrows. The emperor had never given a damn about her opinion, so why was he starting now? 

It had to include the three Ashary hovering nearby. 

"I am at your service, great grandfather," Zee replied.

Farsaic grunted in amusement at her slightly sarcastic tone. 

"Our three guests have demanded that I give them access to the planar space hidden beneath the palace. It is a very dangerous planar space, with thousands of beast kings, and even a beast emperor," Farsaic said.

Zee cocked her head, giving the three Ashary a second glance. If she wasn't mistaken, these three were all middle E grade. The energy radiating dense but still was middle E grade. Their auras were incredibly pure, the hallmark of an advanced cultivation technique. For their grade, they were doubtless powerful.

Even so, venturing into a planar space with hundreds of beast kings and a beast emperor would be suicidal.

Ashary or not, they would be slaughtered in such a dangerous environment. The question was, what exactly did the emperor want her to say? 

Deciding to be tactful, Zee spoke cautiously.

"The planar space beneath the palace is a good choice if you are looking for rare herbs and powerful monsters. Normally, I think it would be an excellent idea to venture inside. But just the other day, Julian, a peak Celestial spatial cultivator, was telling me about a disturbance in the spatial membrane. Apparently, some idiot accidentally opened an abyssal gate in Lorocos, creating an unstable environment in the planar space.

I can't remember his exact words, but he said something about space violently ripping anyone apart who tries to enter. Therefore, I would suggest you go elsewhere if you are looking for an adventure. Perhaps the jobs hall," Zee suggested.

Her pitch was complete lizard shit of course, a total lie. The emperor cracked a half smile, nodding in agreement. 

"Thank you, granddaughter. You heard her Fess Cal. What would you like to do?" Farsaic asked.

One of the Ashary, who looked like a miniature bruised purple storm cloud, spoke.

Their voice is like a whisper on the wind. 

"Are you trying to insult us Farsaic? This girl has drank from the poisoned well, and her aura reeks of taboo. I demand you hand her over at once, so we can purge the vile corruption," Fess Cal said angrily. 

The emperor laughed, a darkness in his eyes. 

"I will try not to be insulted by your tone… That is my heir you are talking about. I have been exceedingly generous with the Ashary, allowing you to explore my lands uncontested. Perhaps I have been too generous? Henceforth, any Ashary who wishes to use my transportation network will be required to pay double the rate," Farsaic said.

"That is an insult! We are not common rabble," Fess Cal retorted in an overconfident tone. 

Farsaic laughed, the sound echoing around the throne room..

"Maybe you should have considered the ramifications of coming into my throne room unannounced and making demands. The Lorocan empire is allies of the Ashary, not your underlings. If I didn't respect the Ashary high council, I would have killed you for your insulting demeanor. Take this as a warning, because next time I will not be so lenient. Now, get out before I change my mind," Farsaic snapped. His oppressive aura slammed on their shoulders, blanketing the throne room in an incredible pressure.

The pressure lingered for only a few seconds, before retreating back into his frail-looking frame. It left the three Ashary a bit shaken.

"The council will hear of this," Fess Cal said. After that statement, the three Ashary left in a huff, leaving Zee alone at the base of the stairs that led to the throne.

Zee wasn't sure what to think about that abrupt meeting. One thing was for sure, getting on the Emperor's bad side seemed less healthy by the day. Feeling his fully unleashed aura first hand was a humbling experience.

After the Ashary had angrily floated out of the throne room, Zee spoke. "I take it you wanted to make an example out of them and used my presence to get them angry?" 

Farsaics' angry expression faded, replaced by calm calculation.

"Astute observation granddaughter. I must say, I didn't expect you to play along," Farsaic said.

She scowled. "That's a lie and you know it. My question is, how did you know I could hide Dern's presence from their senses?" Zee asked.

"I didn't," Farsaic said with a thin lipped smile.

Her eyes narrowed at the scheming old man. 

"Why would you want to reveal Dern's presence to the Ashary? More importantly, why would you want them to know I have committed acts of taboo? It will make me their enemy," Zee said, glaring at the emperor. 

Farsaic tapped his arm rest thoughtfully with a bejeweled finger. 

"Your understanding of inter faction politics is lacking. We, the Lorocans, are a sovran empire. They can be as snobby as they want, but Ashary laws and customs do not apply here," Farsaic replied evenly.

"But, I thought it was against the law of our empire to practice soul arts?" Zee asked, uncertainly.

The emperor shook his head. 

"It's not illegal, just highly regulated. Most of the stigma behind it is public sentiment towards those who have taboo staining their auras. Our laws are actually quite lax on soul arts. This is due to stipulations in our law to accommodate the Terlashar, as soul arts are integral for them in raising new citizens," Farsaic said.

She frowned. "I see... Well, this meeting has been quite informative," Zee said. 

Farsaic nodded. "You did better than expected. Until next time, great granddaughter. Do not dally to long at your parents' estate, the expedition will be leaving in a week," Farsaic said.

With brows furrowed, she left the way she came, passing a group of curious courtiers just outside the throne room. They talked in hushed whispers, clearly curious as to what had been said.

 She didn't care about their idle gossip. She was more concerned about how the emperor knew she was heading to her parents' place in two days. Zee knew he was spying on her, but she had only told Bastion about going home in the privacy of their room that very morning. 

The heart of fire beat in her chest, stoking her anger. That perverted old man probably had arrays hidden in her room to spy on her.

More than one person in the palace grounds scrambled to get out of her way as she left with a scowl on her face. The thought of being spied on in her own bedroom left a foul taste in her mouth. 

She made a mental note to help Zul, and Dern search the entire mansion.

In a small act of petty defiance, Zee ignored the imperial carriage waiting to take her home. She left the palace on foot and walked into the city proper, flagging down a rickshaw.

"How, how can I help you, your highness?" the porter asked, clearly recognizing her.

"The imperial academy jobs hall please," Zee said, her tone irritated. 

The poor man looked about ready to feint as he bowed so low his head almost touched the cobbles. 

"Of course, right away, your highness," he replied. 

Zee could only sigh in defeat. Well, no point in getting upset at some random porter. Might as well just let him do his job and take her to the academy jobs hall. 

Once they arrived, she paid the porter, and dawned a plain brown cloak. The disguise wasn't ideal, but it should hopefully hide her distinctive red hair from a casual glance. After a few minutes of searching the bulletin boards, she found the contract she was looking for. 

The contract was to hunt a nasty variant of monstrous rats in the sewers. For the abysmal reward of one ether crystal, she would have to kill two hundred rats in a stinky, filthy hole in the ground. 

It was a contract usually taken by a group of F grade cultivators, but not even they would take this one given the abysmal reward. Too much effort for far too little pay.

 But that was the point. This contract was meant for Zee and her alone. After taking the contract, she entered the sewers twenty minutes later via a grate in a secluded alley. 

That bony bastard had probably chosen the sewers to get back at her for blackmailing him. 

After an hour of roaming the dark, stinky, rat infested tunnels, she felt his deathly presence. 

Seeming completely at home, Glendale strode into view.

Unlike at the council, his ghastly appearance was not covered by thick robes. Aside from being bipedal, Glendal didn't look human at all. His bone plated head brushed the top of the tunnel at seven feet tall. Thick spiked plates of gray and black bone covered his entire body, leaving only two small slits for his eyes. Turquoise miasma oozed between the cracks in the bone plating, creating swirling Edie's around the bony spikes that jutted at odd angles on his body. 

His long fingers tapered to wicked claws, and his eyes were pools of darkness.

In the dark tunnel, Glendale struck a terrifying silhouette. 

Just his appearance made her heartbeat quicken. For a brief moment, she wondered if she should go through with this? Her instincts screamed at her to turn and run as fast as she could. The dread faded quickly as she hardened her mental defenses. 

His aura of dread would send most D grade cultivators running for their lives, but she was not so easily cowed. Suffering his not so gentle guidance for a few years had given her enough animosity to wash away most of her fear.

"I must say, this shitty place suits you," Zee said, breaking the silence first. 

Glendale let out a raspy laugh that sent any rats nearby scurrying away in terror.

"You are the one who wanted a meeting. And given the supplies you demanded, I can't just approach you in public. These are not exactly legal here," Glendale said.

"I am aware… Did you get everything I asked for?" Zee asked.

"I did. Do you know how many people I had to threaten to acquire these items?" Glendale said unhappily. He offered her a spatial ring, and she took it, peering inside. 

A grin tugged at her lips as she saw everything was in order. Zee was well aware of the difficulty of getting most of these extremely volatile components. Which was why she made sure to bring something that might soothe the bone lord's hurt feelings. Zee pulled out a small stack of tightly wrapped and protected paper. 

"I brought you something for your trouble," Zee offered.

"What is it?" Glendale asked, warily eying the documents. 

"Don't worry, It's not more blackmail. You went above expectation in acquiring the things I asked for, therefore, I am offering this as a gift," Zee said, handing it over.

Glendale took it, carefully opening the seal protecting the documents. His body went rigid, and his bones shifted in excitement as his black pits for eyes skimmed the papers. 

"Where did you get this?" Glendale asked in an excited rasp.

She smiled.

"These are compliments of Dern and I. He helped me inscribe the ritual diagram, as well as the combined arrays. If you apply them properly, not only will you be able to gather souls from bodies but also store them for a few days, maybe even a few weeks," Zee said.

"You realize what I will use this for, right?" Glendale asked.

"I do. As long as you are using it on the enemy, I don't care what you do with it," Zee said.

He hummed thoughtfully, giving her a second glance. She could feel the death spirit hiding in her sword trembling in fear as Glendale glanced down.

"What are your intentions for the miasmic spirit in your sword?" Glendale asked, in an abrupt change of subject. 

She shrugged.

"I was hoping to evolve it, but that has been proving difficult. There are very few miasmic zones in the Lorocan empire. Worse, no one is willing to venture into those corrupted areas, and therefore there are no miasmic treasures on the market to buy," Zee admitted. 

Glendale nodded.

"That will not do. To let such a rare miasmic spirit starve would be a tragedy," Glendale said.

He snapped his clawed fingers, and a small root appeared on his bone-covered palm. Zee took a wary step back as the tunnel was flooded with miasma. 

The deathly energy crashed around her, swallowing her in death. The incredibly pure deathly energy immediately invaded through her aura, burrowing into her skin.

It was an extremely uncomfortable sensation, though not overly alarming. The heart of fire burned in her chest, sending waves of cleansing flames to combat the invasive energy. Her bloodline talent was more than up to the task of dealing with this level of corruption, at least for a while.

"What is that?" Zee asked, eying the gnarled black root warily. 

"It is a seed taken from the world rot tree. If planted in a sufficient environment, and given proper care, this seed will feed on energy from the cosmic river, growing larger, and spreading miasma until it consumes an entire world," Glendale said.

Zee's brows shot up.

"That sounds dangerous. Where would I even plant it? I don't have a planet in my back pocket, and I doubt it would be allowed to grow here on Lorocos," Zee said. 

"That is probably true. It would be a waste to plant it here without proper arrays to contain it, as it would be destroyed. I suggest you plant it in your inner world. It will feed off your energy, and give you access to all the miasma you need," Glendale said.

Zee frowned at the suggestion.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Planting a world-rot seed in my inner world is the most idiotic thing I have ever heard. Are you trying to convert me into an undead or something?" Zee accused.

Glendale grunted in amusement.

"There will only be danger if you cannot control, and contain the seeds' growth. If you have the mental fortitude to keep it from consuming you, this seed will one day grant you immense power," Glendale said.

Zee hesitated. She could feel the spirit in her sword humming excitedly as it drank up the miasma in the air. The seed let off incredibly pure miasma, seeming to contain an endless potential for death inside. Evolving her sword was definitely on her list of things to do, but was it important enough to take this thing? 

Planting the tree in her inner world would be like drinking from a poisonous well. And judging from the fact it was called a world-rot seed, she doubted she could get rid of it if it started causing problems. It sounded incredibly insidious.

"Will I be able to remove the seed after it's planted?" Zee asked, narrowing her eyes at the bone lord. 

The spiked bone plating in his face shifted into his version of a smile.

"The world rot tree only produces one seed every five hundred years. If you do not want it, I will keep it for myself," Glendale deflected.

"I didn't say I don't want it." She replied "I am just worried about the ramifications if I let that thing grow in my inner world," 

"Your caution is warranted. Still, even if you do not intend to absorb it into your inner world, you lose nothing by taking it. All I ask is that you do not sell it," Glendale said.

Zee eyed the bone lord suspiciously. She had dealt with enough old schemers by now to recognize he was up to something. Otherwise, why else would Glendale give her such a valuable treasure? 

It sounded like the world rot seed was truly a unique natural treasure, only found in one place. Based on his words, it was an invaluable treasure, and yet, he was just giving it to her. 

The ritual diagram she gave him was valuable, but not this valuable. 

The bone lord was clearly up to something, but what? He had explained some of the risks, but what hadn't he told her?

Would the seed burrow into her body the moment she touched it? If she placed it in spatial storage, would it decay the space, exploding and forcibly turning her undead? Zee had so many questions, and she doubted his answers would soothe her concerns.

Like Tarnival had when giving her the living book, Glendale was probably leaving out the most crucial information. Taking it was risky, but the promise of future power was enticing. The question was, did she dare take it? The answer was yes. In the end, risks were meant to be taken. 

There was no way she was actually going to plant that thing in her inner world, but keeping it in her spatial storage should work for the time being. Perhaps she could even make one specifically to contain it? Maybe even get some energy-rich soil from her parents that could help it grow inside? Zee would have to think about it. Surely there was a way to grow this thing inside a spatial ring? 

If not, she might give it to her mother to turn it into a concoction. That was certainly a better course of action than allowing a deathly tree to grow inside her soul. In the meantime, she emptied out her necklace into her newly acquired spatial ring and tossed the seed inside. She hoped the miasma leaking from the world rot seed didn't make the subspace unstable.