Chapter 213: Playing Both Sides

Sorry, I'm late again, but it shouldn't happen again soon: I've got the outline of the next chapters and I'm well into the next one already. Next chapter: tomorrow (Wednesday 10th).

Enjoy!

*

Gryphe stormed into the Council tent in a foul mood. Her eyes locked onto Eleha, and she growled, "These recall crystals are not toys; each activation consumes two Tier 3 cores. Next time, you'll walk back," she declared.

"It was Katara who—"

"Who forced you? So, the rumor is true, you're afraid of the Tier 0s?" Gryphe taunted, turning to Felix. One of the clan's three Tier 4s and Eleha's great-uncle frowned but didn't respond. The warrior was protective of his family but despised weakness. It was evident he was disappointed in Eleha's performance.

"Your squabbles tire me." In the center of the tent, a true giant with striking yellow eyes sighed. His presence commanded respect, and silence fell.

Gryphe hastened across the tent and sat cross-legged to the right of the Aelbes' leader. Feeling the gaze of the clan's three Tier 4s upon them, Eleha and Katara swallowed nervously. Gryphe gave her apprentice an encouraging smile.

Felix cleared his throat after a few seconds and spoke up. "Eleha and Katara were on a diplomatic mission to Oasis, the territory of a Champion named Priam Azura. Their goal was to investigate the Champion and negotiate access to the Auctions," he summarized. "They both returned using a recall crystal less than ten minutes ago. Eleha, could you give us a report—"

"I can't see your arms anymore," Gryphe remarked. "And you have significant burns. How did this happen?"

Felix frowned but nodded in Eleha's direction.

"I faced two Champions to assess their abilities. I intentionally absorbed their most powerful attacks to better understand these aliens."

"I'm impressed you could utter such a lie with such confidence," Gryphe chuckled. Eleha gritted her teeth but looked away. Both knew she would need the shaman's help to heal quickly.

"Let's start from the beginning," Felix cut in. "Which Champions did this to you?"

"Priam Azura and Kazuki," his great-niece replied.

"What did this fight have to do with a diplomatic mission?" Gryphe asked.

"I thought showing them the power difference between them and us would facilitate negotiations," Eleha replied.

"I'm sure they're very impressed," the shaman said sarcastically.

"Gryphe," a deep voice growled.

"Sorry Leo," apologized the shaman.

"What have you learned about them?" the clan leader asked, turning to Eleha.

"Kazuki is a spearmaster. He has Micro II, Domain and will reach Spear Mastery II within a few days at most. His skills are highly advanced, but his Wind Concept is rather weak."

Despite the warrior's feats and talent, Gryphe wasn't impressed. The warrior was powerful but predictable.

"Priam Azura is an Ace, a Mist Sage, and a Fire Champion." Gryphe raised an eyebrow; a Champion—a Sage who reached Unity—was destined for great things. "He evolved his Fire Concept into a more... tenacious flame. He has two bloodlines: a draconic one and a phoenix one. In addition to excellent mastery of aether, he has ridiculous resistances."

Felix whistled, impressed. "All this in less than two months? He didn't waste any time." 

"Are his resistances more developed than Rohan's?" Leo asked.

Seeing Eleha hesitate, Gryphe frowned. "I've been aiding Rohan since he was young. I've used the best rituals and elixirs available to strengthen and temper his body. With his bloodline, talent, discipline, and opportunities, Rohan is one of Elysium's most powerful Tier 0s!" the shaman exclaimed. The exceptional rank he received during his ninth Tribulation confirmed this. Gryphe was sure that the young lord of the Aelbes was in the top twenty thousand of Elysium's Tier 0s.

"My son and I thank you for your help, Gryphe, but I want to hear what Eleha has to say," said the Aelbes' leader. Predator, one of Eleha's Concepts, provided her with information about the strengths and weaknesses of her enemies.

"Priam... I only detected one Legendary skill, and he had to overlay Supremacies, Concepts, and sacrificial skills to rip off my arms. He's weaker than Rohan in terms of attributes and offensive or movement skills. However, he's harder to kill than a cockroach. He has about ten epic resistances, several of which are ideal."

Eleha's statement was met with silence. Epic ideal resistances ensured the user would gain legendary resistances, even if they didn't possess associated Concepts. These legendary skills, in turn, enhanced the affinity of the related Concept. The Snaherts had built part of their power on the ideal upgrade of [Poison Resistance], which allowed them to awaken the Poison Concept in all their members. From this common ground, creating a heritage that strengthened each generation a little more was easy. An ideal upgrade could be one of the cornerstones of a clan.

"How many epic ideal resistances does he have?" Felix asked his great-niece.

"One of his resistances was obfuscating, but... At least three epic ideal resistances."

"If we can persuade him to exchange the prerequisites—" Gryphe began.

"Even knowing those prerequisites, you know very well that most of our youth are incapable of reaching them," Felix retorted.

Over the years, the clans had discovered several ideal upgrade prerequisites. Most required immense talent, opportunities, and resources that the Aelbes couldn't easily provide to their young.

"But Rohan might be able to with the help of the Sun Shop and the Auctions. It could save him during his next Tribulation."

"...We'll see about that later," Leo cut in after a few seconds. Before being a father, he was the clan leader. "Katara, how did the fight end?"

The shaman apprentice jumped when the Tier 4s' attention turned to her.

"La—Laepa and Vysharratjekto ended the fight. Kazuki was in critical condition, but the Gaeserts' shaman apprentice volunteered to heal him. Priam Azura finished the fight without serious injury," she explained, glancing nervously at Eleha. She didn't want to become the Tier 3's enemy, but lying in front of the clan council was out of the question. If her leader had asked her the question, it was because he was tired of Eleha's half-truths.

"I see. And then?"

"Priam Azura then banned Eleha from his territory, and we left," Katara replied, lowering her gaze.

The three Tier 4s remained silent for a few seconds before Gryphe turned to Felix. "This is what happens with nepotism. Eleha was the last person to choose for a diplomatic mission."

"I suppose your daughter was the best choice?"

"Yes! Do you want—"

"Silence!" When Leo's voice thundered, Gryphe jumped. She felt genuine anger in her chief's stifling aura. His charisma prevented her from breathing and reminded her of the power disparity that could exist between two Tier 4s. Leo had been stronger than her and Felix at Tier 3, and his Tier up had propelled him to new horizons of power.

After a few seconds, the aura receded, and Leo spoke again. His voice was as low as it was threatening, and Gryphe shivered as she listened. "You both tire me. Your sense of superiority towards the Gaeserts and the Snaherts blinds you. This Necro event can change everything, and if we're not careful, time will swallow our clan. We need these Auctions, and we need to be united."

Gryphe and Felix remained silent, accepting the reprimand.

"Does anyone have any suggestions?" Leo finally asked.

"I could go," Felix suggested. "Eleha has... been disappointing, I must admit. With a few apologies and appropriate compensation, Priam should agree to forget this deplorable affair. It would be the most favorable outcome."

"And if he refuses?" Gryphe asked.

Then I'll force him to accept."

"They..." Eleha trembled as she felt the Tier 4s' wrathful gaze. Even her great-uncle seemed disappointed in her performance. "They have nuclear weapons."

The news shocked the three Tier 4s, and Gryphe felt a headache coming on.

"... I suppose the diplomatic route must be favored," Felix grimaced after a few seconds.

"A Tier 4 might be perceived as an intimidation attempt, and I need you here to fight the waves of corrupted. I'll send Rohan to negotiate a trade agreement," Leo declared as he stood up.

The chief of the Aelbes headed for the tent's exit, ready to return to training. Passing by Eleha, he stopped briefly and placed his hand on her shoulder. "I charge you with finding appropriate compensation. If it's not enough to convince Oasis to forgive your lack of judgment, if I have to intervene to solve the problem, Felix will tear your heart out with his own hands."

Gryphe swallowed. If Leo intervened, Oasis would disappear. The chief of the Aelbes wouldn't take any risks with nuclear weapons.

With those words, the Tier 4 left the tent. Felix gave his frightened great-niece a stern look.

"Uncle Felix, I—"

"Don't embarrass me anymore," Felix cut her off before disappearing.

*

"We have a deal if you leave our territory in peace. That is, Oasis and the Rabhorn Valley to the north," said Priam.

Vysharratjekto shook his head. "I cannot promise you that. Our three tribes have not yet decided where to settle."

Upon hearing the response, Priam furrowed his brow. "I thought you were nomadic?"

"That was our way of life, but the Necro event makes it impossible. We'll have to establish ourselves on this island and fortify our bases."

"... And you need the Auctions for that," Priam understood. That was why Tier 3s bothered to negotiate with him. "Isn't the Sun Shop enough?"

"As a Tier 3, I need to defeat a Tier 0 Earl, a Tier 1 Viscount, or a Tier 2 Baron to earn a single Sun Point," the warrior grumbled. "Can you imagine the difficulty in purchasing acceptable defenses? Not to mention feeding and healing thousands of people. This event is a nightmare..."

Priam almost sympathized. His build allowed him to slaughter hundreds of thousands of corrupted and accumulate numerous points, but Vysharratjekto struggled to gather a hundred points a day.

"Our Tier 0s and Tier 1s gather as many points as possible, but even that isn't enough," the Snahert continued. "The Auctions should allow us to trade and purchase what we lack."

"Why not access the Auctions from your own territory?" Priam asked. "Laepa more or less dodged the question, but I would like to know."

Vysharratjekto remained silent for a moment. "Why should I tell you?"

"You don't have to, I can ask Laepa..."

Priam was ready to play all angles to maximize benefit, and Vysharratjekto couldn't do anything about it.

"I assure you, the Snaherts will be better allies than the Gaeserts," the Tier 3 said. "There are two reasons preventing us from accessing the Auctions directly. The first is technical: we need an Auction channel. You used the Secret Channel, but we don't have that option."

"Your leader could spend one Merit point in his Nobility Tree to buy a channel," Priam pointed out.

"Our best warrior would have to sacrifice one of his rare Merit points. Even if he agreed, it would only take an enemy breaking our altar to cancel our Auction point and therefore our channel. Too risky."

"An enemy? You mean the other tribes," Priam understood.

"Our three tribes have coexisted for centuries, and some bad blood exists between us," Vysharratjekto admitted. "The Necro event forces us to team up, but it's temporary. This brings us to the second reason: this Nobility channel bans those of the same type within a radius that varies depending on the rank of the altar. To put it simply, if one tribe accesses the Auctions, the others will be deprived."

"I suppose the other two tribes will attack?"

"They won't watch one tribe gain power without doing anything," Vysharratjekto acknowledged.

Priam remained silent for a few moments before sighing. "I understand better now. But if you need me so much, why not agree to let me have the Rabhorn Valley?"

"Because the Snaherts don't have that power, it's the business of all the tribes. Oasis's territory will be respected," Vysharratjekto reassured. "Because it's a trading zone that we all need. The rest of Elysium doesn't belong to us any more than it does to you. If you want that valley, you'll have to earn it."

"How?"

*

Priam remained silent as Vysharratjekto and Viktol walked away toward the Forum. They had finally reached a satisfying agreement. Five percent commission for Oasis, assistance from the Snaherts in case of an attack by a Necro Envoy, and the ideal upgrade of [Poison Body] for Priam, Kazuki, and Jasmine. 

According to Vysharratjekto, the Gu trial was too dangerous to be attempted by Hyshana or any other hoplite. Priam was almost sure the reason was different: the Snaherts didn't want to arm potential enemies. Three ideal upgrades were already a concession.

Priam congratulated himself, satisfied with the negotiations. Maybe he could have gotten a better deal, but to have a predatory deal with powerful neighbors was a bad idea. Replacing Priam would be complicated for the tribes, but not impossible.

Once the two Snaherts were inside Ymir's pavilion, Priam's shadow trembled, and Jasmine emerged from it. She sat on a chair next to him, frowning. Despite the grimace, the assassin remained particularly beautiful. It was the first time Priam had seen her since her race change, and he had to use Micro to calm his hearts.

"Do you have an opinion?" Priam asked, averting his gaze. Thanks to their bond, he knew that Jasmine had stayed in the shadow of the apprentice shaman throughout the discussion.

"I didn't hear anything," Jasmine replied. "I delved deep into his shadow to avoid arousing the Tier 3's suspicions. The image was too blurry for me to lip-read, and I had no sound."

Priam nodded as his Domain hadn't noticed the assassin in his shadow. My sphere of authority isn't as absolute as I thought...

"We've got a good deal for Oasis," Priam smiled as he saw the hundreds of Sun points he was already starting to earn thanks to his commission. "But I couldn't get anything for Bastard Valley."

"What?! But if they settle there..."

"Sphinx will die. Fortunately, Vysharratjekto mentioned a way to acquire this land."

"Which one?"

"I thought the alliance of the three tribes was fragile, but it's worse than that. The Aelbes have more Tier 4s but fear the alliance of the other two tribes. They're three, which maintains a certain status quo, but they're staring stonily at each other. Within a month, they'll have mapped the island, and it will be time to determine who owns what."

"And will we have a say?" Jasmine asked ironically.

Priam grimaced in response. "Not directly. Normally, it's the Tier 4s who decide that, but the Gaeserts and Snaherts opposed it—they prefer to bet on the low Tiers. Each tribe will choose a champion per Tier and have them fight. The first will win three points, the second two, and the third one. They'll add up the points of each Tier, and the tribe with the most points will choose the location of its camp first, plus a sovereignty zone around it. The second tribe will then make its choice, and then it will be the last one's turn."

"Our rivals won't be pleased," Jasmine commented, twirling a few strands of hair around her fingers.

"It will only cover a small part of the island; the majority will remain in the hands of the Necromoon. But the Rabhorn Valley is in the island's center and near Oasis—so near the Auctions. According to Vysharratjek, it's a defensible area with an underground full of interesting resources—Bastard didn't settle there by chance. This valley will certainly be sought after by a tribe, and we can't accept that."

"Are we going to participate in this tournament?" Jasmine asked.

"The tournaments will be internal to choose their Champion," Priam corrected. "Here, it will just be three duels per Tier, taking barely a few hours. Vysharratjekto agreed that Oasis would participate. If we also convince Laepa, we have our place. It suits them to have four participants rather than three."

Organizing two semifinals and a final with three parts wasn't practical.

Jasmine thought for a few seconds before grumbling, "If we only compete within the Tier 0s, we won't earn many points."

"Nothing stops us from participating in the high Tier duels," Priam winked.

"Except that we have no chance of winning?"

"You're too pessimistic. We have a month to prepare. I admit I don't yet understand the qualitative difference between Tiers very well, but I think I can face Tier 2s after partially tempering my body. If Kazuki dominates the Tier 1 competition, you dominate the Tier 0s, and I manage in the Tier 2s, we can hope for second place. After all, we'll only have two duels each."

With her brows furrowed, Priam found Jasmine adorable. She thought for a few seconds before grimacing. "You may be underestimating these tribes. We've only had the System for a few weeks, and they were born with it."

"I have confidence in us," Priam replied. "I have confidence in you."

Jasmine blushed slightly, turning her gaze away. "And I'm sure you'll surprise those Tier 2s. However, even if we win our six duels, we're not assured of being first if one tribe dominates the others in the Tier 3 category and ranks second in the other ones."

"None of us stand a chance against Tier 3s," Priam sighed. "Even with a month of intensive training, I won't be able to face an alert Eleha—and something tells me she's not the most powerful Tier 3 of the tribes."

"We might have a chance not to finish last among the Tier 3s if we choose a strong champion."

Priam narrowed his eyes. "Who are you thinking of?"

"Dishnu, Arnold, or the Judge. They're the only rivals potentially capable of facing a Tier 3 head-on."

Priam tensed at the mention of Arnold's name, but another name caught his attention.

"The Judge?"

"I met him once before—"

The young woman interrupted herself and turned to the west. Priam froze as his link with Log-a-rhythm warned him that something had just knocked against the barrier of Oasis. Something powerful and familiar.

Event: Necromoon

Second wave:
A horde masses near Log-a-rhythm, commanded by the body of a former friend.
Defend your territory.

Reward:
400 Sun points

A passage opened in the trunk of Log-a-rhythm, and Louis emerged. His hands were shaking.

"She’s here…"

*

Status: 

PHYSICAL:
Strength 582
Constitution 979
Agility 561
Vitality 860
Perception 719 

MENTAL:
Vivacity (D) 516
Dexterity 594
Memory 471
Willpower 1 036
Charisma 631 

META:
Meta-affinity 563
Meta-focus 372
Meta-endurance 391
Meta-perception 260
Meta-chance 230
Meta-authority 66

Potential: 9 790
Tier 0

Sun points: 155 036 (+16 248)

[He Who Eludes Death] charge: OFF. Reloaded in 3 hours 47 minutes 44 seconds.

[Tribulation]: Three Tribulations pending.
Future Tribulations delayed until:
Time: 162 days 4 hours 20 minutes 57 seconds.

Next thresholds: 6 attributes > 600 / 3 attributes > 900