Chasmfall (The Weirkey Chronicles Book 4), page 1
Chasmfall
Book #4 of The Weirkey Chronicles
Version 1.0
© 2022 Sarah Lin
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The story so far...
Book One: Soulhome
Theo’s first journey in the Nine Worlds ended in tragedy. When he and his allies used a weirkey to travel to an unknown, desolate realm, he unexpectedly met Vistgil, the mentor who first taught him how to survive in the Nine and build his soulhome into a powerful Stronghold. When Theo refused Vistgil’s offer to return him to Earth, he was attacked by a terrifyingly powerful demon, and only escaped back to the Nine after his friends sacrificed themselves to hold it at bay. Most unexpectedly of all, Vistgil gave chase and completed the betrayal, killing Theo and banishing his soul back into his hospital bed on Earth.
Forty years later, Theo once again finds his way to the Nine Worlds, this time emerging in the peaceful agrarian world of Tatian. Reborn as a young man, he finds that he retains none of his former soulhome’s power and must start again from scratch. As travelers from other worlds emerge from the cracks in reality, he meets a shy Ichili woman named Fiyu and Navim, a Mundhin stoneshaper from the arid world of Arbai. Together, they join the local Farmguards to protect the refugees from demon attacks. One of those refugees, Magnafor, turns out to be a fellow visitor from Earth, but the hostile young man warns Theo to stay away from him.
Having proved themselves in combat, Theo and some of the other travelers are invited to the city of Myufuru to be trained as soulcrafters. Fiyu and Theo are chosen as students by a young Tatian woman named Nauda, a strong fighter with an unusual binding technique allowing her to freeze opponents in place.
During a training bout, one of Nauda’s other students uses a powerful Archcrafter-tier armament against Navim, but loses control and a blast from the staff shatters the Mundhin’s rocky body. None of the local healers can help, and Magnafor suggests that they rush to Navim’s homeworld, Arbai. As they arrive in Arbai, however, Magnafor betrays them and returns to Tatian, sealing the gate behind him.
Stranded in the Arbaian desert, Theo and his allies hurry to bring Navim to his school, where he can be healed. Theo strikes a deal with the school’s master, a fourth-tier Authority with the ability to use weirkeys, to return them to Myufuru so they can pursue Magnafor. They arrive to find the training village overrun by demons, and are delayed long enough to see Magnafor break into the giant tree housing the Landguards’ sublime material vault… just in time to watch the entire tree twist in on itself and snap out of existence entirely.
In the aftermath, Landguards begin to search for interlopers from outside the Nine Worlds. Nauda and Fiyu are just as keen as Theo to leave Myufuru, and they all agree to travel into the north of Tatian, back towards Nauda’s home.
Book Two: Rainhorn
Theo, Nauda, and Fiyu split up to avoid attracting attention, and meet outside the city of Nlukoko. As they explore the city, Nauda outlines a plan to venture into the wilderness to the north of Nlukoko, to find a gate to the world of Fithe. The large city on the other side is a hub with gates to several worlds, including Fiyu’s home, Ichil, so Theo and Fiyu quickly agree.
Nauda and Fiyu visit the market district while Theo visits the city’s expansive library to research Elghiera, a mythical soulcrafter who traveled widely across the Nine Worlds and left behind powerful artifacts, supposedly including a powerful ring that Vistgil gave to Theo in his first life. However, their plans are interrupted when the city comes under attack by demons.
Joining the battle, Theo rescues an unusual imp-like being who calls herself Senka. She promptly attaches herself to his leg and refuses to leave him alone, complaining that a “big mean fumpet” is looking for her. Soon enough, a Landguard arrives to meet with the Lord of Nlukoko, so Nauda suggests that they make a break for the city’s gate to the world of Deuxan and lay low until the Landguards move on. They succeed in slipping through the gate, but not in evading Senka, who follows them through and attaches herself to their group.
After finding their bearings, they head towards the nearby city of Anguedan. Theo visits a local house to gather information, and is shocked to discover that a century has elapsed since his last visit to the Nine. He returns to find that Fiyu has unwittingly insulted a young member of the local ruling family, who promptly challenges her to a duel. She misunderstands the rules and nearly kills her opponent before Theo intervenes. Unsatisfied, the group’s leader, Esaire Ai Armaeu, forces another duel which Nauda wins at the cost of a broken arm.
Nauda decides to skip paying for a healer by instead ascending to Archcrafter, reinforcing her body and unlocking space for another floor in her soulhome. However, they still lack the money to buy a sleigh to travel to Fithe, so they decide to remain in Anguedan until the upcoming annual Rainhorn Hunt. Theo visits the court library, hoping to learn about the family of his old ally Brigana ai Teraeves, but discovers nothing except that he is being followed by Esaire.
When the Rainhorn Hunt begins, the group discovers that they can hunt the beasts effectively by combining Nauda’s strength, Theo’s gravity powers, and Fiyu’s stealth. However, they are ambushed by Esaire’s allies, and Theo finds himself forced into a wager against the noble scion. On the final day, they are drawn into another fight and are forced to flee to Tatian by stealing one of the Armeau family’s sleighs.
The Armeaus chase the group into the north of Tatian, but both sleighs are ambushed by an enormous sublime beast called an eryo. Esaire is wounded and Theo and his allies barely escape; they take refuge in a cave, but some of Esaire’s allies manage to track them down. The Deuxans are defeated, but not before attracting the attention of the eryo. Theo realizes that their only chance is to use the beast’s size against it by combining his unusual gravity techniques with the cantae of an Archcrafter. Flush with power from his ascension, Theo manages to slay the eryo by bombarding it with sharp rocks lofted by his allies.
As they depart for Fithe, Nauda shows them something unexpected: an enormous cliff running around the entire planet, separating the lush verdant half of Tatian from a blackened wasteland on the other side. She doesn't know why Tatian is split in two, but implies she may be from the lower half.
Back in Anguedan, Esaire is chastised by his grandfather Arceon for allowing the vendetta to get out of hand, but upon hearing that Theo was searching for the ai Teraeves family, the elder Armeau abruptly decides that they need to arrange a trip to Fithe…
Book Three: Archcrafter
Theo, Fiyu, and Nauda arrive in the hub city of Norro Yorthin, accompanied (unwillingly in Theo’s case) by Senka. They find that the city is dominated by a number of great Houses who control the region’s businesses, militias, and natural resources. As independent soulcrafters, they are unable to gain well-paying work or passage through the city’s gates to Ichil or Arbai, so they set out to identify a House to ally with.
During his explorations, Theo discovers a notice about an upcoming expedition to the Chasm Of Lamentations, a dangerous yet resource-rich region that is only accessible once every decade or two. Having visited the Chasm in his first life in the Nine, he realizes that this is his opportunity to gain the strength he needs, so long as he can convince his allies to join him.
Their first attempt to join a House goes badly: House Crimson is influential and powerful, led by a Stronghold and multiple Authorities, but their recruitment event is disrupted by one of those Authorities: Tythes, the irreverent and unpredictable heir of the family. After counting out the House of the Lost (too risky) and the House of Coin (too mercenary), they eventually join House Blacksilver, an outsider-friendly organization with a good reputation for public works.
As they settle into their new position, Theo sets himself and his allies a target: to earn three Chasm Invitations so they can join the expedition. The invitations are rare and expensive, so they focus on the best opportunities to bolster both their strength and salaries. On one such occasion, while providing security during negotiations between Blacksilver officials and Tythes of House Crimson, Theo freezes as he notices a group of Deuxans at a nearby table. Unable to escape in time, he is quickly confronted by Arceon, the head of the Armeau family.
To Theo’s surprise, Arceon interrogates him about his search for the ai Teraeves family before being interrupted by Tythes and their House of Coin hosts. Unable to capture Theo as he had intended, Arceon instead summons Esaire, who claims a blood vendetta and challenges Theo to a duel. Left with no option but to accept, Theo manages to negotiate a delay of six months to give himself time to prepare.
With a new deadline, Theo throws himself into soulcrafting and spends the rest of his time working to gain new sublime materials: trading with the sea-dwelling Depths Fithans, improving Blacksilver’s mining operations, and counting cards in the House of Coin’s gambling dens. Even Senka’s kleptomaniac tendencies turn out to be useful. However, an event at House Teal’s quarry turns sour when Esaire uses the cover of the training exercise to attack Theo… and reveals he now has a third-tier Ruler’s cantae. Though the fight is cut short, Theo grimly realizes that the duel will go badly if he can’t find a way to even the odds.
His preparations are interrupted when Fiyu negotiates a chance to travel through the gate to her ho
Theo finally fills all of his soulhome’s corner chambers, granting him access to a technique he has bent his entire soulhome towards: manifesting his singularity as a miniature black hole, consuming matter and cantae alike. Fiyu wins a tournament and uses her prize money to purchase a Chasm Invitation, and Theo manages to win another from House Teal but is immediately attacked by a group of mercenaries hired by Esaire. Theo and Nauda lose ground rapidly in the ensuing fight, and Fiyu rushes to ascend to Archcrafter mid-fight so she can defend her allies. Theo is still hard-pressed, however, and is forced to use his singularity technique to defeat the mercenaries, revealing the weapon he had hoped to keep secret.
On the day of the duel, Tythes wagers a Chasm Invitation that Theo will lose, and Nauda accepts the bet. When the duel begins, Theo is forced into near-constant defense, hounded around the arena by Esaire’s superior speed and cantae. Wounded and desperate, Theo tries to form one singularity after another, scattering them into the corners as he is forced to dodge… until using his wormhole technique to pull the partially-formed black holes together. Esaire’s soulhome cracks under the pressure, and Theo spares his life once the victory is clear.
In the aftermath, Theo asks Arceon why he was so incensed by his research about the ai Teraeves family. He learns that their entire court and several others were destroyed a decade after Theo's death, and even mentioning the family name has become forbidden on Deuxan. Meanwhile, Nauda collects her Chasm Invitation from Tythes, who rages at her publicly, but later confides to his aunt Gethyrue that the three young soulcrafters might just be the people he has been looking for...
Chapter 1
"Umm, Theo? How many of the trees are supposed to be walking?"
"Three or four?" Theo looked up from his work and promptly winced at the roiling wave of roots. "Nauda, move! Retreat to our position and form a new barrier!"
Thankfully, after so long working together, Nauda didn't hesitate and leapt backward. Seconds later, the trees rumbled closer, their roots tearing from the earth before plunging back down. The spiderous advance closed on them primarily from the east, where Nauda's wards flickered for a few seconds longer before beginning to buckle.
In that time, Nauda landed on the giant flower beside him, hand reaching out to accept the fresh petal he was already handing her. They both dropped low to the flower's center and spread the enormous petals above them, the pollen falling over their bodies and masking their scent. Though Theo held his soulhome ready to cast a reverse gravity field at a moment's notice, the trees ground to a halt at Nauda's former position, then began to thrust their roots back into the ground.
"That trader..." Nauda panted for breath and pulled her petal tighter around her shoulders. "He lied to us... about these trees..."
"Aathali often cut corners when it comes to other worlds." Theo got up slowly, watching the tree roots in case any of them decided to go tentacle again, but the pollen seemed to have done its job. "We still have a few fresh petals. Let's try to push in to the center."
"Fine." Nauda dropped off the side of the giant flower, grumbling under her breath.
Theo took a deep breath and refocused before returning to his work, because the flower could draw even worse to their position. His memories of Aathal had served him well, even on an entirely different continent, but this time he was taking risks to harvest sublime materials without Khaluu to save him if he made a mistake.
Though the flower he stood on was the size of most trees, it was dwarfed by the titans of Aathal rising around them. Plants proportional to humans were just parasites in Aathal, ordinary patches of flowers growing around the sides of the larger stems like moss. They tended to flourish in clearings such as this, though few clearings were so dangerous.
Overhead, the guillotine tree hung ominously, not roused even by the new wall of trees that had rushed Nauda. He'd been surprised to hear they grew in the region, only to learn that "guillotine tree" was actually a broad category that included many different species. The blade seeds that hung overhead glistened darkly, but he'd tested them under less tense circumstances and they worked similarly enough that he judged the risk was worth it.
"Is everything alright, Theo?" Fiyu's stealth shielding flickered with a silver light, enough for him to catch a glimpse of her and hear the whisper. "We are mostly surrounded now."
"There's nothing here that can threaten us in the air, so we still have time." He smiled at her, then knelt down to his own work. "We spent enough getting here, we need to find sublime materials enough to make up for it."
She nodded and returned to her task, accustomed to working under such conditions. Though he could no longer see her, he saw some of the delicate blue flowers by the base of the guillotine tree disappear into her aura. Her stealth technique was only growing more powerful, making her the only one who could harvest the flowers without triggering the tree's defensive mechanisms.
Theo had his own role to play, so he got back to work. His tap had been knocked out of place in the rumbling, but he retrieved it and pushed the pointed vine back into the giant flower, deep enough to reach the stem below. When he felt the vine pierce through, he generated a very narrow gravitational field that made the sap within run upward, through the hollow vine and into one of his pots.
The giant flowers themselves were harmless, but if they sensed they were under attack, they released chemicals that triggered other plants they had symbiotic relationships with. Unlike hunting lone animals, harvesting sublime materials in Aathal was all about understanding the complex web of interactions. Though the flowers would react negatively to tampering, they hadn't evolved to deal with reversed gravity, letting him safely drain sap that would otherwise have required a Ruler or Authority to harvest. A Ruler could have used specialized skills to suppress the flower, while an Authority could simply have flattened any retaliation.
Aside from knowledge of Aathal, reversing gravity had been his primary role in their work. Fiyu's stealth had proved consistently valuable after she soulcrafted additions specific to plant-based senses. Nauda had been critical for digging out certain roots, but here mainly supported them by keeping back encroaching trees. Theo still wasn't entirely sure what drew them, though he suspected that their footsteps were brushing against some unknown defensive mechanism.
Nothing further went wrong until Theo had filled all the jugs he had available. He carefully strapped them into the floating mass of the other sublime materials, which had grown considerably during their journey. They were definitely going back to Norro Yorthin richer soulcrafters than they'd left, at least temporarily until they invested all their new wealth into their soulhomes.
"Are you about done?" Nauda asked. She swept the butt of her staff carefully along the barrier lines she'd drawn, but he saw how white her knuckles were. "More of them are moving around again..."
It still looked like ordinary numbers to Theo, but she was right to be worried that the trees might be shifting toward another surge. Since the vast majority of plants on Aathal were stationary, the walking trees tended to trigger cascades of responses against pests. In this case, them.
"I have harvested sufficient flowers." Fiyu again appeared from within her shell of stealth cantae, just long enough to speak and gesture to them. Theo made his way closer, and as soon as Fiyu's technique enveloped him, he passed into a sphere that cast the world outside in bluish light.
Nauda followed slower, still repeatedly checking on her wards, but smiled at them as she entered. "It looks like we have everything we need. Can we get out of here before the trees stampede again?"
"Perhaps that would be safer, but..." Fiyu frowned at the roots she had been harvesting. "I feel that there is a potent source of cantae below. Might it be useful to us?"
