Waterstrider

Little Celah, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Fifthmonth, 1634 PTS

Events were progressing perfectly according to plan, which inevitably meant that Deuvar had a lot of work on his plate as always. Still, he had long made preparations for managing their expansion into Otan, and most of the fine details could still be handled by Queen Sikreis. Triezal could be trusted in command of the troops helping Sikreis’ drones defend her factories, but it was Deuvar’s job to ensure that he had all he needed to keep the situation under control. If matters escalated to all-out war, their resources would be very strained. Luckily, their win condition was not to defeat the other Queendoms, but simply to last long enough that the Justice Office was forced to intervene and protect them.

Though difficult, it was a very achievable goal, and the payoff would be far greater than the expense they risked losing. A foothold in the industrial district of Otan would inevitably bring far deeper connections to the corporations, and thus influence in the government through them, far more than non-Staiven could usually acquire.

However, the main problem plaguing Deuvar was not within Otan itself. It was the fact that he had to be careful not to leave the border to Canvas Town unguarded. His sister had been keeping him up to date on the thick tensions and racially motivated violence occurring there, and he was very aware of the growing anti-Canvasian sentiment among the ranks of their own organization. War with the Hadal Clan was likely inevitable if such resentments continued to fester, but not yet. If possible, Deuvar would have wanted to eliminate such resentments altogether. Unlike the Exid, he knew for a fact that the clan had some secret at the immortal realm, either an expert practitioner or divine relic. Even if they used the titans, victory was not assured, and he dared not fight on two fronts.

Deuvar was startled from his thoughts as he heard the sound of a notification from his slate. He lifted it to view its surface, and was shocked by the symbols its display was showing. There was no caller ID, something that should not hold true for anyone who had access to his personal line of communication. It was possible that Astna would communicate through such a means, though only in highly unusual circumstances. Though, in recent days, she had never been a bearer of good news. He quickly drew a glyph to accept the call, and a holographic figure appeared. To his surprise, it was not the visage of his sister, nor even of a Celan at all, but the figure of a Seiyal. What’s more, he recognized the dark features, lengthy blonde hair, and crimson robes. Cyrus ‘Riverfiend’ Yu, a man who had never truly left the forefront of his mind in recent months.

The Riverfiend smiled as their gazes met, while Deuvar was still too shocked to speak.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Vice-Leader Deuvar. I find it odd how despite the many interactions of our forces, the two of us have yet to speak.”

Deuvar expertly steeled his expressions. There was no need to question how the man had contacted him, as it was clearly the work of that Shade. What he did question was the reason for the call. Was he planning on enticing Deuvar into a trap, or attempting to blackmail him in some way? It had been a number of weeks since the assassination attempt on him as well as their attempt to kidnap Deuvar’s sister, but he knew full well that resentments did not disappear easily. This was something he knew all too well. The Seiyal’s words were spoken in his own language, though luckily Deuvar had long trained himself to the point of fluency.

“I feel the same, Sect Leader Yu. Might I ask for your purpose in contacting me in this manner? If you wished, you could have arranged for a formal meeting.”

This martial artist seemed to be the pragmatic sort, as he proceeded to skip the rest of the pleasantries. Deuvar appreciated this mindset. He was not one for such things either.

“Do you need any assistance with your holdings in Otan?”

Deuvar raised an eyebrow, as that was a matter he was surprised to hear from the mouth of a man like the one before him.

“Are you making a threat, or offering a proposal?”

The Riverfiend shrugged nonchalantly.

“I’m not sure whether you’re aware, but my sect owes a sizable amount of money to the Heissix Queendom. Chaos in Otan serves my interests, so I would prefer if you could continue to shake things up there.”

Deuvar did actually know about the debt. A powerful martial force being indebted to one of the Exid was a potential issue. He suspected that the real reason that Cyrus would offer to help is because he wished to cause the situation to threaten Heissix’s interests, and then sell her use of the Redwater Sect’s troops to pay off his debt. Still, Deuvar was interested. While the Seiyal could make use of him, he could make use of them as well. Even if they did become enemies again later on, if they could help the Heirs to stabilize their foothold, then it would be worth the cost.

“How much assistance would you be willing to offer?” He asked, speaking frankly.

The Riverfiend looked to the side, as if checking notes or the reactions of somebody in the room with him, before meeting Deuvar’s gaze once more.

“We’re currently lacking in funds, and none of our weapons would be of much use to your soldiers. However, I can lend you a strike force, to secretly assist your soldiers in skirmishes, or to plant explosives.”

This was what Deuvar had been hoping for: to use another’s soldiers instead of his own. Celan lives could not easily be replaced, while each Exid worker drone who died in the conflict would hurt the bottom line of the Heirs’ newly acquired factories. But the lives of Seiyal who worked for another faction… not only was it a better expense than using his own soldiers, it also weakened a potential enemy force for if they fought in the future.

“What level of forces would you be willing to lend us?” he asked.

“I cannot spare any of our spirit refiners, if that was what you were wishing to hear. A core formation practitioner and fifteen meridian refiners should be enough.”

It was less than Deuvar had hoped. A force that small would be of limited impact, and lacked the explosive power of a spirit refiner. For use against the Exid, it would probably amount to the value of only a single enforcer. Still, he was in no position to complain about a matter freely given such as in this case.

But he would be remiss in his duties if he did not attempt to strengthen this potential connection between their forces, and take full advantage of the situation. In little more than a decade’s time, the Epon would send a force to punish their rebellious vassals, and it was likely that one of the Shades would come as well. In such a scenario, the assistance of the Redwater Sect and its Shade would be invaluable. What’s more, perhaps when war inevitably did break out with the Hadal Clan, he could assist the Redwater Sect in taking over the Canvasian portion of the underworld. It would split the Canvasian populations, and make the war far less damaging.

“I have a counter-offer,” he said.

“Let us hear it,” replied the Riverfiend.

“Martial artists are the pinnacle of elite small forces, but they are few in number, while my people’s technology is far greater at area denial and masses of enemies. Now that we are discussing cooperation, perhaps both of us can expand our plans. You could use financial assistance, you said. What if we conquered another Queendom together, and split ownership? It should be feasible to take at least one out before the Justice Office intervenes.”

Deuvar had never been the greatest salesman. That was always Astna’s role, but he felt that he was not incapable.

The Riverfiend raised an eyebrow.

“You believe we can trust one another to such an extent, knowing our history? I’m assuming by your implication that you wish to use at least one of our spirit refiners.”

Left unsaid was the matter of using the Shade, but both were aware that matter went without saying.

“If it is in our shared best interest to do so, yes. You should be aware that we severed our ties with our former patron. As such, we no longer have any reason to be in conflict with you. I feel you are rational enough to see the value in cooperation. You were the one to contact me, after all.”

“I suppose. I can discuss the matter with my advisors. I trust your Leader will be amenable, if you’re making the offer?”

Deuvar responded gruffly.

“He trusts my judgment.”

“I see.”

The Riverfiend smiled.

“This is more than I expected to acquire from this meeting, though I have no qualms about that fact. I’m looking forward to working with you, Vice-Leader Deuvar.”

“You as well, Sect Leader.”

The connection cut, and Deuvar leaned back on his seat, exhausted. He obviously couldn’t trust the man, but if they could work together, it would be of great benefit. He reached forward to pick up his slate again. He would need to communicate with the Leader, and then with Triezal.

As always, more work had appeared. He felt that he would need to hire another assistant before long.

Corporate Ownership According to the Pantheonic Government: [As corporations are a vital part of Staiven society, they are protected by the government, both for the purposes of economic stability and because most influential figures in the government hold partial stake in one or more major corporations. In fact, corporate stock is considered part of the job benefits for many government careers. Ownership for corporations and businesses is split into portions, so that stock can be owned by many, however there is no proper stock market, unlike how many species manage their businesses. Instead, trades are solely done privately, and are rarely split up too much, due to worries about hostile takeovers. For this reason, as well as due to the prevalence of the underworld, hostile takeovers tend to be more literal, despite extensive protections codified into law to prevent them. After all, the law matters less than the opinion of the courts. However, some of the most powerful corporations are partially owned by the churches, and so none would dare infringe upon them. There are few of the greatest corporations who are not owned at least in part by the Church of Fulstovis. These laws and rules, except for certain protections, apply as well to businesses created and owned by members of other species.]