With their time before the Chasm winding down, Theo set about restricting their activities to final preparations. There was no sense in skipping to other worlds, potentially getting embroiled in other conflicts, even if there hadn't been increasing threats from the Asplundat Movement. They had all the equipment and sublime materials that would be available, the question was refining them.

One of his objectives was completed, technically: they each had a Nine Worlds Feast within their soulhomes. Their sublime foods for the local worlds were all excellent, though Arbai was little represented due to the lack of edible materials. They didn't have quite the same intensity from Deuxan, but they had considerably more than anyone else in the city. House Blacksilver connections had provided better food from Siata than he'd expected, though not enough. Only their meals from Slest and Noven were barely nominal, limited by lack of weirkeys.

Still, they would be better than most of their opponents, certainly better than the monotonous sublime foods in the Asplundat Movement blueprints. They could improve them... and Theo found himself wondering just how much improvement was possible. Their Tatian meal might be excellent, but it had no representation of the blackened half of the world. Could the feast be taken beyond even the limits he'd known?

When Dhan had told them that the Authorities could no longer continue assisting, Theo had made one last request: blasting his allies' soulhomes with an Authority's cantae. At the moment they both winced on their knees, struggling against the overpowering force scouring their souls. Nauda fared a little better, but no Ruler could stand up to an Authority.

Simply watching his friends suffering felt wrong, so Theo turned to Dhan to question him while he couldn't wriggle away so easily. "How does House Blacksilver think it will fare in the competition?"

"Norro Yorthin is expected to be a major competitor." Dhan didn't look at him as he answered, still pouring out cantae. "But the majority of the rewards will be seized by the top competitors. House Crimson has proved especially aggressive. The House of the Lost is bringing in outside soulcrafters. Some are arguing with the House of Coin about whether or not they should participate at all, since it isn't a mercantile concern. Their Invitations could be distributed via other methods."

"That means we have competition near and far, but it doesn't actually answer my question."

Dhan's eyes finally flickered to him, then he grunted. "We don't know how well we can perform, but with increasing pressure, harvesting many materials will be essential. I worry that we Authorities will be neutralized by others, so your group may be more important than you know, if you live."

"You're not confident in your ability to win?" Theo asked, hoping the question wouldn't come off as too presumptuous.

"I've strengthened myself, but I can't equal the top soulcrafters from House Crimson or the Asplundat Movement. Karchibol is past his prime and Janne has never found the perfect sublime materials her blueprint requires. The results may come down to luck and alliances."

"If we're successful at the Chasm, could you ascend to Stronghold?"

That got a moment of amusement edging along contempt, and Theo realized he'd misjudged the conversation. "House Blacksilver does not intend to join the great houses of Norro Yorthin. But they grow increasingly hungry, so our hope is that we become too large to be eaten."

Again, Theo was reminded about the differences between his ambition and most others. It was true that Authority was a broad tier, spanning a great distance from those who barely survived ascension to those with four precisely crafted floors. But for the vast majority of soulcrafters, including Dhan, none of the next steps included ascension.

Instead of scorning him, Theo tried to remember that he couldn't afford to lose that angle. Soulcrafters who had remained at a tier and perfectly polished their blueprint could be quite formidable. Even when Theo reached Ruler, for all his designs he wouldn't be able to ignore someone like Nanjuma, who had progressed at Ruler for decades.

"Are we done yet?" Nauda grimaced and pulled one knee off the ground. "You're going to tear up all the grass in my foundation."

"I suppose that is enough." Dhan stopped expelling cantae oddly, as if he had forgotten it. "You both endured well."

"If this was just a test, I will be somewhat less than fully grateful."

"It wasn't a test," Theo said. "Enduring such a high volume of more intense cantae will better prepare you for the Chasm of Lamentations. I needed the same thing, I just got it prior to the duel with Esaire."

Nauda grimaced as she looked internally. "I'm not sure it was worth it. We're still not going to be able to stand up to an Authority's cantae."

"No, but we'll be considerably less likely to get pinned down by them. We need to be able to slip through and do our own work."

Fiyu bobbed her head in agreement, but before they could say anything else, Dhan waved his hand over the entire group. "I've helped you because of your efforts in acquiring the dewfossil, but I will be pushed to my limits when we enter the Chasm. I won't let your lives be taken if I can act, but you should not count on my help."

"We understand." Theo might have said more, but the Authority vanished a moment later, his weirkey taking him off to his own preparations. Just as well, as they had more to do themselves.

Less than a month remaining.

~ ~ ~

After an alliance between House Crimson and the House of Burning Leaves, the House of Coin agreed that they would surrender their Chasm Invitations for the good of the city. The claiming of them was sacrosanct, however, so the exact method of distribution was to be determined by the House itself. Rumors swirled that they intended to profit from their distribution as much as possible and many other organizations began gathering money to purchase the few remaining Invitations.

To the far west of the Norron continent, in a wasteland claimed by no one, soulcrafters first recorded increasing cantae flow that marked an incursion.

~ ~ ~

When Ally Navim had followed them to Norro Yorthin, Fiyu had presumed that he would join House Blacksilver and live alongside them. Instead, after some temporary lodging, he moved into the Arbaian quarter of the city. Though Fiyu did not like traveling through the crowds to the strange domes, she respected that they could provide better accommodations for him. Most relatives did not live in the same location, after all, and it would be unfair to require him to help shield her from other crowds.

For that reason, she had met with him less frequently than she had hoped, mostly either when he visited House Blacksilver or when they met at the State of Rest. This time, however, she walked fully into the Arbaian quarter to meet with him, because he had sent word that her mask was finished.

Fortunately, outside of high security areas, the Arbaians were quite respectful and did not accost her. Fiyu slipped through crowds of multiple species, though she recognized only Mundhin like Ally Navim. In theory it might be useful to learn more of them in time, but she was interested only in her ally.

"Navim?" She leaned into the room he rented with a smile, hoping to find her mask prepared. Instead, his rocky body sat at his table with several instruments set up. The density of his body was unchanging, so it was difficult to read his mood, but the air between his limbs did shift in pressure, currently quite dense.

"Fiyu. Please step inside and close the door behind you. There is work to do."

"Work?" As she closed the rolling stone door, she looked back for more information. "You told me that the mask was complete."

"More precisely, I told you that I had completed my work. There is a final step that requires your assistance."

Nodding her understanding, Fiyu went to sit in the stone chair he had formed specifically for her. She had been momentarily surprised that what he had told her was incorrect, but it made sense that Ally Navim had been scrupulous about his meanings. Indeed, he had stated the end of his work and she had presumed that meant the completion of the mask.

"The slate has been precisely constructed, but it will not retain such an elaborate formation alone." Ally Navim gestured to his work table, but unfortunately her mask was hidden underneath a large mass of crystal that her senses could not penetrate. "It requires a coating to preserve it, and regrettably most methods of coating would reduce the efficacy of the armament."

"And my presence can circumvent this difficulty?"

"I require you to apply both your cantae and your senses to this block of stone. I will melt it down in the process and produce a coating perfectly suited to you."

Ordinarily Fiyu would have preferred to discuss the process in much greater detail, but she knew that Ally Navim was exacting in his work and would have given her more information if she could potentially damage the result. He placed a cube of nearly transparent stone atop the crystal plate and gestured to her, so she complied with his instructions.

At first it seemed that nothing happened, then the crystal began to melt. Not merely using Ally Navim's ability as a stoneshaper, but as if her cantae poured into it. Fiyu gave a small gasp at first, then watched the process carefully. She couldn't see the result, but the stone dripped down through the crystal to her mask.

Merely watching would have been sufficient, but Ally Navim spoke up after several drops. "The process no longer requires my complete attention. I had hoped to ask you a question regarding your future intentions."

"Of course."

"While you follow Nauda and Theo, your skills increasingly turn toward combat. Your blueprint has other potential functions, but the same could be said of it. Is this what you believe to be your purpose in life? Is it what you and your relative intended?"

"That is... a difficult question." Fiyu's senses rolled over Ally Navim, wishing she could determine more about him. "I do not think of it that way. I am young and I have yet to choose a path in life. Before one can make such decisions, it is necessary to acquire the strength to support them."

"And so strength is synonymous with combat potential?"

"Well... perhaps not in a philosophical sense, but it is what I meant. If I travel, I will need to defend myself. If I join a community, I would need to support myself by hunting or exterminating demons. If I raise children, my own or others, I would need to protect them and teach them to live their own lives. I am building a foundation on which to make other decisions."

"I see. A reasonable enough answer." Ally Navim was silent for a long time, one of his smaller limbs working underneath the crystal. She could just barely feel a mask-shaped object moving, carefully catching the drops of stone, but determine no more. Unable to bear the anticipation, she decided to return the question.

"Is it not the same for you? I thought scholars took many years to find their field of scholarship."

"That is true, but we are constantly reminded that every step we take brings us closer to some outcomes and further from others." Ally Navim sighed in her mind, though she did not think it held sorrow. "In our time apart, I did test myself with our guardians at times, but did not find combat to my taste. They claimed that I am simply reticent due to my grave injury."

Fiyu frowned at the implication. "And do you believe them?"

"I am unsure, because self-knowledge is highly prone to deceit. I find that my passions lie more in stoneshaping... and yet not entirely away from soulcrafting. There are stones that cannot be shaped without cantae, not to mention stone from other worlds. This time in Fithe has been fascinating."

"I think I understand, Navim. If it would help you, I promise that when I am able to use weirkeys, I will bring you to different types of stone."

His response was a chuckle that she didn't entirely understand, but it seemed to be benevolent. "I thank you for that, Fiyu. I think that I want to be able to travel on my own as well... as much as I respect many of the scholars at my school, there is a difference between those who focus solely on Arbai and those who temper their philosophies with the experience of many worlds."

All she could do was nod, since she had already made her offer. Though she enjoyed spending time with Ally Navim, Fiyu knew that they could not connect in every way. Before she could find anything to say or he could ask another question, Ally Navim abruptly placed a hand atop the crystal. Cantae surged, something glowed white hot underneath, and then the flow of cantae ended.

"Your armament is complete." Finally Ally Navim withdrew his smallest limb from underneath the table, presenting Fiyu with her finished mask.

She gasped as she accepted it with both hands. Her senses rolled off the finely crafted coating, which was nearly invisible to her eyes. When she pushed through, she felt the deeply beautiful crystalline structures woven from the darklattice. Metal formed the edges, smooth enough to lie comfortably against her face, and it was sealed to the crystal without flaw. Using her eyes, the mask appeared a river of lights, largely purple with many other hints within.

Fiyu gingerly removed her old mask, blinking in even the low light. The wind on her face was pleasantly cool, yet also made her feel naked. She lifted the new mask to her eyes and immediately sighed in relief. From within, the world was barely discolored at all, instead rendered with a precision far beyond her normal eyes. It should remain the same, no matter how many terrible lights were flashed at her.

"Thank you, Navim. This is a gift I cannot truly repay." She very nearly called him "Ally Navim" out loud, which would have been a breach of decorum. He had certainly proved worthy of the title she gave him.

"I am more than happy to do it, Fiyu. All I ask is that you return from these dangers so we can speak again."

Though she had thought her good mood was unassailable, Fiyu found herself frowning at the reminder. Their time on Fithe was growing short indeed.

~ ~ ~

When the House of Coin finally announced their plans regarding the Chasm Invitations, they began not an auction but several competitions, again supposedly so that Norro Yorthin would send only its best. Those who gave it no thought simply hoped to win the competitions, those who thought a little wondered why they would sacrifice the opportunity to sell off artifacts so valuable, and those who finished thinking realized that the sales of tickets and goods from such widely-attended events would dwarf the profits from simple sales.

In the western wastes, blue stone began to spread through the Fithan red. Before the barrier could be penetrated by soulcrafters, demons began to crawl through, only to be instantly slain. The extermination crew included representatives from the Ruling Cities and the Asplundat Movement in equal numbers.

~ ~ ~

"It's indirect warfare," Antha said. "The Asplundat Movement isn't doing any harm except stealing Chasm Invitations, and in fact they seemed to learn their lesson after fighting all of you."

"Is that good?" Nauda asked. "Or are they more effective if they're not coming in force?"

Given the amount of work she needed to do, she hadn't been able to meet with Antha very often, but they shared a glass of wine in the offices sometimes. Nauda had taken the time to learn about the Blacksilver official's husband and children, but that day, everything was all business. With the Chasm coming closer and closer, no longer even slightly a secret, it was impossible to avoid the topic.

"Honestly, I could see it either way." Antha took a slow sip from her glass. "If they had continued fighting aggressively, they might have eliminated more Ruling Cities from the competition. But fighting subtly, they prevent alliances against them. I assume they intend to leave the Chasm with enough sublime materials for their Movement to expand even more."

"Do you think the other Ruling Cities will see that? Would any aggression mean war?"

"Hard to say. Inter-city politics can become absurdly complex, so I prefer to keep my head down and organize Blacksilver as well as I can." Antha finished off her glass and smiled at her. "Speaking of which, I need to get back to work. And my first act in my official capacity should be to tell you that your order is complete."

"Really?" Nauda stood up, forgetting her wine. "That's wonderful, Antha. Is it here, or should I pick it up?"

"Oh, those two like to deliver things themselves. Feel free to stop by when you can."

Despite the growing tension on the city streets, Nauda decided that she had time right then. Not many would challenge a Ruler-tier soulcrafter aligned with a House, even under the present circumstances. She rushed to take their sleigh from its place and venture into the city. Given how often they'd been traveling by weirkey, they hadn't used the old Deuxan sleigh very often, and a part of her missed it.

While she headed to her location, however, she paid more attention to her soulhome. Since ascending, she had struggled with the newly dense bricks and only been able to build two new rooms on her third floor. But one contained the second part of her staff chamber and the other was prepared for this armament, so that was enough.

When she reached the house of Hessika and Oland, they were clearly eager to show her their work, but Nauda was too excited to focus on the couple. She hadn't needed them for the primary work of the armament, but if she was going to be wearing these gemstones, they needed to be carefully crafted.

Eventually she stared at herself in the mirror, admiring the chain around her waist, winking with the Arbaian emeralds. The full rainbow burned within her soulhome, while the normally colored emeralds sat in metal casings around her waist.

She'd known it would be powerful, and her armament chamber was fully capable of supporting its strength. What surprised her more was that the cold metal and gemstone piece managed to be comfortable, sitting easily on her hips even when she moved. That was actually important, since it meant that she could easily wear the defensive armament at all times.

Though she should have given the tailor couple more thanks than mere money, Nauda still ended up rushing back to the Blacksilver complex. Along the way, she reveled in how the belt combined with the cantae she naturally used to reinforce her body.

"Fiyu!" Nauda caught the other woman on her way between rooms, and thankfully she didn't flinch. "They finished my belt!" She spun around to show it off.

Strangely, Fiyu only stared at her without expression, her eyes almost invisible behind her new mask. After only a moment, however, she smiled. "It feels... lovely, Nauda. And you've told us how you chose first for its strength."

"Oh, it should be plenty effective. I actually wanted to test that with you. Try one of your lightstorms on me."

"Here?" Fiyu craned her head around the courtyard, but eventually smiled. "Okay, please be ready..."

Her first hail of bolts was clearly holding back, and it rolled over Nauda's body. They would have torn through ordinary flesh easily, but she felt no more pressure than a light rain. Laughing, she gestured upward in Fiyu's direction. "More!"

The next time Fiyu unleashed a more intense stream of cantae bolts, and Nauda felt them slapping against her, but there was no real pain. She thought that Fiyu could push a little harder, and certainly wouldn't want to try her defenses against Fiyu's concentrated blade, but it was still a relief. Most Archcrafters who used cantae bolts were weaker than Fiyu, so she would be able to wade through the attacks of lesser opponents.

"You can do what the other Rulers do." Remarkably, Fiyu seemed not at all upset at her attack being shrugged off, instead smiling more broadly. "Congratulations, Nauda."

"There's so much more work to do, but I'm starting to feel ready. If we have to face Rulers, I should be able to fight them one on one."

"Though we may face worse."

And, just like that, Nauda's happiness faded. There was little time remaining now, and the Chasm of Lamentations loomed ever larger...

~ ~ ~

Nearly all of the Chasm Invitations had been claimed. Several murders were attempted to steal the others, most unsuccessful. The House of Coin announced one final competition for the last available Invitation on the continent, to a fever pitch of attention.

As the Chasm of Lamentations yawned wider, soulcrafters on all sides remained ready to prevent anyone else from making the first move.

~ ~ ~

Eventually they all met in one of the Blacksilver courtyards, partially because they no longer had the money to visit the State of Rest and partially because it seemed that all other options had been exhausted. Theo, at least, knew that he had no more merits, craftgems, or Fithan Discs left. When Nauda sat down heavily, she gave a wry smile that suggested she thought along similar lines.

"This time we're all broke, aren't we? I've spent my last Discs on basic materials to keep my Ruler tier together."

"I also have nothing left," Fiyu agreed. She seemed to have just completed a long session of soulcrafting, sinking to the ground not far from them.

Though he dropped to sit opposite them, Theo took a more positive tone. "Think about it this way: if we're successful in the Chasm, then we won't be poor for long."

"And if we are not?"

"Then we'll likely be dead, and poverty won't be our problem either."

Nauda chuckled darkly. "We can always count on your sunny disposition and uplifting spirit, Theo."

She flopped back to lie on the ground, apparently eager for a rest, but Fiyu was frowning to herself. Theo wondered if his sarcasm had translated poorly, or been taken in the wrong sense, until she spoke quietly. "What else can we do to prepare ourselves? It is always dangerous to enter unfamiliar territory, and in this case we will be surrounded by enemies and unable to leave."

"There are a few options left." Theo hadn't wanted to pester them, but since it had been solicited... "Most importantly, make sure that your chambers designed to hold powerful sublime materials are ready. We're likely to find materials that would shatter our soulhomes if we tried to incorporate them now, so we all need containers, and well-crafted ones."

"I think mine will be fine," Nauda said. "I held Ruler-tier sublime materials in that as a first tier soulcrafter. But I suppose I should check it again, repair some of the damage, that sort of thing. I'll give it some time."

"That may be a deficiency of mine." Fiyu briefly faded as she peered into her soulhome. "I have focused on materials that match my soulhome, so I have less experience with this. I do know the theory, so I will attempt to construct something sound."

Theo needed to do some similar work himself, since he had largely been using the crude chest he'd soulcrafted in class all the way back in Myufuru. But he just nodded at their responses and moved on. "We should also practice with the defensive gear that I purchased for us. The earplugs and masks are obvious enough, but breathing through an animabladder is tricky."

"Ugh." Nauda shook her head from her position. "I recognize that it's important, but not now. Do you have any preparatory plans that involve sleeping a lot?"

"We should enter the Chasm rested, but we have a little more time yet."

It hadn't been a serious question, so they lapsed into silence. Sometimes soulcrafting, but more often just relaxing in one another's presence. They would likely have more than enough time for that in the Chasm, yet he still found himself welcoming it.

There were a few other concerns, though not ones he needed to share with them. He'd made another abortive attempt to train Senka, then simply focused on trying to convince her not to join them. She seemed to be even worse than usual, acting like a brat at all times and never stealing anything for them. This time, success or failure wouldn't be determined by a bit of money, but it still irked him.

He'd done his best to research their opposition, though the task was too broad to be effective. There were so many different cities sending groups, representing vastly different blueprints and sublime materials. For the Asplundat Movement, at least, he'd carefully researched the strengths and weaknesses of their default blueprints for the first three tiers. Though they presented a uniform face, they actually did have greater variety for specialists.

Even though it didn't help his chances of success in any way, he also ended up doing a little research on the origins of the Movement, just to find out what they actually wanted. As far as he could tell, they simply believed their methods of soulcrafting were the best and intended to share them with everyone, the word "share" doing a great deal of work. It was an empire, lacking any deeper motives that he might be able to exploit.

"You know, I heard about the House of Coin setting up a big contest for one of the last unclaimed Chasm Invitations." Nauda sat back up, apparently rejuvenated. "It just so happens to be a contest between teams of three, and since they're limited to Rulers, we might have a chance."

"Do we have a reason to enter?" Fiyu asked.

"I suppose we don't."

Despite everything, Theo found himself chuckling. "You know, if we had been one Invitation short, this contest at the last second would have been extremely convenient. But since we acquired all three of ours months ago... I think we should just ignore it."

"I brought it up, but no complaints from me." Nauda answered his chuckle with one of her own, almost as if she fully understood what he meant. Fiyu smiled between the two of them, though he was less sure in her case. She might merely be pleased that they had made a decision she agreed with.

This wasn't the time for desperate last attempts, and gimmicks wouldn't save them in the Chasm of Lamentations. They'd done everything they could, and they'd soon find out whether or not it was enough. Very soon.