Waterstrider

Canvas Town, Tseludia Station, Pantheonic Territory, Fourthmonth, 1634 PTS

Deep inside the headquarters of the Redwater Sect, what had once been a boardroom was now the meeting place for the Palace Leaders of the sect. According to the rules set up during the sect’s foundation, they were to meet up here once every week.

Ironically, the room was rather blank and empty compared to the furnishings throughout the sect, as they had decided such an exclusive and rarely used room would be one of the last priorities for the still-ongoing renovation. While it had been fully wallpapered and properly lit, the room was still using the long table composed of cheap Staiven composites, and uncomfortable chairs that were not designed for Seiyal use.

All the core members of the sect were present for this sudden meeting. It had been called by the Vice-Sect Leader, and the Sect Leader himself had also been present by the time Kein arrived. Kein glanced at the Riverfiend’s face, noticing that he looked as haggard and weary as he had been described. It was unclear to Kein exactly what had happened during the secret mission several days ago, but a part of him suspected there was some truth to the rumors. It seemed like the man was at the very end of his rope.

Quietly, Kein adjusted himself in his seat, exchanging pleasantries with Rachel until the others arrived. Her lack of presence still unnerved him slightly, but he had found her to be an excellent conversationalist, when she was in the mood. He quite enjoyed discussing literature with her, as she was quite well-read. In fact, he had yet to find a single novel that she had not already read. He was beginning to think that she might have been some sort of shut in for years prior to joining the sect.

It took another fifteen minutes for the rest of the Palace Leaders to enter, with Eli Dan straggling in last. Kein noted that he had an excited look in his eyes. This left only a single seat empty, for the position of the Steel Palace Leader. Kein wondered when that position would finally be filled.

Not that he didn’t understand the reason why it was empty. None of the former gangsters except perhaps the dead Hidoro had the skills to command and train all of the disciples, and it would take months to years before the new disciples had been trained enough for such a position.

As the Silk Palace Leader finally sat down, Rachel turned to address the group. She set her elbows on the table, leaning forward to rest her chin on her fists.

“Palace Leader Dan has acquired some important information that has helped us narrow down the location of a research facility operated by the Pantheonic Government. We’ve called you all here to discuss plans to raid it.”

Kein froze for a moment before sucking in a deep breath. He looked at the others to see their reactions. Ran’s eyes looked like they were bugging out, while Cinto rubbed her head as if she was suffering a migraine. Eli had not reacted, which wasn’t a surprise since he had clearly already known about this matter. Kein sympathized most with Cinto, as he could feel the beginnings of a headache himself. He would have easily accepted an attack on a corporation or an underworld organization, but the government was another beast entirely.

Even if they succeeded, they would not be able to survive the backlash.

“...Do we really have to attack the government?” asked Ran.

Rachel nodded.

“To be clear, the sect will not be able to survive unless we do this. There is something stored there that we desperately need.”

“I… see.”

“What sort of facility is it?” asked Kein, seeking to understand just why they were insisting on such a suicidal course of action.

“You could call it the Staiven retirement community,” laughed Eli.

Kein turned to inspect the other man, who had a very smug expression on his face. He seemed to be enjoying his information advantage over the rest of them.

“Why would we-” asked Ran, her words stopping in the middle of the sentence as her eyes locked onto the haggard face of the Sect Leader.

It did not take long for Kein and Cinto to figure it out as well. Everyone glanced at the Sect Leader, the purpose of this mission finally clear. They intended to steal eyes. The Riverfiend’s condition truly had deteriorated, and this was a last ditch effort for him to escape madness.

Kein found he had to agree with Rachel’s logic. Without this mission, the sect truly was doomed. If Riverfiend died or went mad, the sect would be taken over by either the nearby gangs or by the Hadal Clan. There was no telling what would happen to its disciples.

“Ideally,” spoke Kein, his words light and hesitant as his mind continued to churn at a rapid pace, “we would want to do this without the government being able to discern our identity. Since that’s doubtful to be possible when breaking in, that leaves us needing bribes to be paid.”

“I would agree, but that poses an issue,” replied Ran. “Due to the sect’s ongoing development and maintenance costs, we’ve been spending funds faster than we’ve been making them as is, even with the assistance from the Venin group. I’m not sure whether we can muster the funds we would need.”

It was clear to Kein that the two of them were on the same page. The moment they understood the purpose of the mission and that there was no alternative for them, they had decided to put all effort into ensuring its success. If they were caught, the sect would be annihilated, themselves with it.

“I could speak with Nahalken, and discuss some sort of loan,” said the Riverfiend, speaking for the first time since he had arrived in the room.

“I’m uncertain whether or not it’s wise to involve the Venin in this matter. There’s a chance they might sell us out to the government if they find out our intentions,” replied Rachel.

“I agree. Perhaps we could get a loan from the Exid? I understand they make a business of granting loans to underworld organizations,” suggested Kein.

“And deal with their extortionate interest?” asked Ran.

“Better a debtor tomorrow than a dead man today,” he replied.

Ran snorted at the made up proverb.

“I’d rather be a miner on the prison moon than be indebted to the Exid. Have you seen how hard they work their own people?”

“The drones are more an extension of the queen’s will than truly her ‘people’, but that’s beside the point. I would also rather we not go into debt with them. Let’s focus on the tactics and circle back around to how we’re hiding our nature from the government.”

Bowing to authority, the pair nodded.

Rachel waved her hand, producing a scroll of parchment as if from thin air. Kein had long figured out that she was an extant practitioner, so by now the illusions were no surprise to him. She slid the scroll to the table, and it unraveled itself, revealing a photorealistic image. It depicted a large hatch set into the side of a wall. It could be a building located anywhere in the station, but the slight purple hue to the metal the wall was constructed from told him that it was on the lower levels, perhaps the second or even the ground floor of the stack. Suddenly, the image shifted, shapes sliding up above the table to create a three dimensional model of the area depicted.

Kein questioned the need for such showmanship. Had she practiced this before, or was she actually just that much of an expert at the technique?

“This is in the first district,” she said. “Behind it should be an elevator leading downwards beneath the stacks, which is where the elders are located. The plan is to send a force in, find an elder named Ester Perivar, and get out. Minimal damage to Pantheonic interests is the goal, so that the interest in finding us will be minimized as much as possible.”

“Minimize…” muttered Ran to herself. “As if that’s possible.”

Kein wisely decided not to respond to the remark.

“What do we know about the interior?” he asked.

The Sect Leader chuckled.

“Nothing.”

Kein was aghast.

“But how can we-”

“Because we have no choice,” interjected Rachel, eyes firmly locked with Kein’s.

He leaned back in his uncomfortable composite seat, the previously planted seeds of a migraine starting to bloom.

“I see,” he said. It was all he could think to say. The high odds of failure seemed to have become the only possible result. “So we intend to simply lead our strongest into this mysterious facility, tear a man’s eyes out, and return, without anyone discovering our identities?” he asked.

Cyrus and Rachel nodded at him.

“That’s the gist of the idea, yes,” she said.

“In the Goddess’ name…” he muttered.

Was there even a point to planning? With no advance information, the squad sent in would need to play everything by ear regardless.

“I have an idea,” spoke Cinto, and everyone turned to look at her. She had been silent for most of the meeting, and Kein had almost begun to forget that she was even present. After a moment of hesitation, she explained. “We have a user of extant arts here. What if we use her to manufacture an alibi elsewhere?”

All eyes now went to the Vice Sect Leader, who seemed to be conflicted about the idea.

“That could work, but I need to be…” Her voice faded off as if she was considering something that could not be spoken aloud. “I might be able to do something, but I’ll need to look into it.”

Cinto nodded, and the matter was quickly dropped.

“Either way, an alibi seems like a fine idea,” said Eli. “Perhaps we could have the images of the two of you going on a date to a theater performance, or something along those lines.”

Kein noticed that both Rachel and the Sect Leader gave Eli odd looks, though he himself couldn’t understand why. Most of the sect were aware that the two of them had a certain type of relationship, and he suspected that the gossip of it had long spread outside of the sect. After all, the two were always whispering to one another, and the two of them had been spotted on multiple occasions leaving his room together in the morning. Had they really not realized that others were aware?

Rachel seemed slightly flustered, so Kein decided to give her a hand and shift the topic.

“Who did you have in mind to send on this mission?” he asked.

Taking advantage of his question, Rachel recovered and answered, but her emotions were slightly betrayed by the way that she spoke slightly faster than usual.

“The initial plan was to send everyone in the core formation stage,” she said.

Kein was slightly taken aback to realize that he himself was intended to go, but on second thought it wasn’t much of a surprise. It seemed he had become too used to the role of a manager over the course of the past few weeks, and had forgotten the importance of his own martial strength.

“I see,” he said.

A quick glance around the table informed him that Cinto was unsurprised by the development, while Ran simply seemed to be annoyed. Eli was again smirking as he lounged in his chair. It was not the first time that Kein had felt the desire to punch the man. He was somehow managing to be smug about his own lacking progression.

“I believe all that leaves is to return to the discussion of funding,” said Ran.

Cinto leaned forward, her eyes on the Sect Leader.

“There are plenty of gangs around the area. I say we take it from them.”

Kein could see that this suggestion brought a smile to the man’s face.

Exid Corporations: [Upon introduction to Staiven society, the Exid who chose to live within the Pantheonic Territory shifted their culture to better interface with the civilization they existed within. In Tseludia Station, Exid Queendoms are legally listed as corporations, and are granted the relevant protections and rights of a corporate CEO. The various queendoms dominate the manufacturing market of the station, taking advantage of their skilled, easily replaced workers with a total lack of rights. In addition, due to their position as leaders of vast forces, the Exid Queens found themselves easily able to use their might to influence the workings of the underworld as well. Even the mystical and mechanical might of the Seiyal and Celans respectively find it difficult to deal with the endless swarms of insects in a fight. As fighting in this way hurts the bottom line of their corporations, as the lives of their worker drones are treated as resources, it is something usually avoided, however. As a way to leverage this power without using it, several of them have taken to becoming loan sharks, offering loans to almost anyone at varying rates of interest, loans that very few individuals would dare to default on. Due to infighting between the various Queendoms, however, their territory of Otan is seen by some as one of the weakest districts of Tseludia in terms of underworld control.]