Not waiting for the Treasury’s door to close, Julia headed across the market square. Without putting up with Naz’rilca’s distracted state, it was a lot easier to get past the stalls. However, some things were more appealing than they had any right to smell. The calmness of the Ki and the memory of the blizzard gasp killed any desire to have Demonic food.

Guess it makes sense even if Demons don’t sleep. Why be there every bell of a cycle?

{{Should have turned Mantis boy into fried goodies. Hmm, sweet ice.}}

Julia set off to head towards the alchemist's shop with a headshake to rid herself of returning nostalgia for sweets. Fortunately, the queue at the store was short. When the alchemist beckoned Julia forward, placing the pouch onto the counter got her a raised reptilian eye ridge.

“Mage catalyst gems,” Julia said, taking a few out of the storage pouch and setting them on the counter.

“Any empowered?”

“Three that I’m willing to sell,” Julia said, “one to amplify fire forms, and two for utility.”

“What are you after?”

“Just coin unless you have some wizard grimoires about.”

“It depends on what you need. I might know someone.”

“Let’s sort out a price for these first,” said Julia, needing to know what cost she could handle.

((Careful with your deals. ))

Everything around this place can have more than one cost.

A half-cycle later and all the catalyst stones spent found Julia back at the Treasury. However, it was time well used from her perspective with acquiring a grimoire of attack and protection spells. Analysis had let her check through the ones on offer and skip those with corrupt or dangerous spell forms. Some grimoires felt a test, or trap rather than anything else, with strands around one having both Mana and Danger Sense yelling don’t touch. The wizard’s offer to take her as an apprentice after she’d kept hands away was a concern, not flattering.

That whole emphasis on the take wasn’t so much innuendo as fuck you right now o.

At least I’ll be able to learn more spell forms, and they handle various affinities.

The way they’d both played word games had levelled sense motive and haggling.

As the door shut behind, Julia was sure the Hag was the same as twelve bells ago. A quick check on Analysis confirmed the name.

“Come right through. She’ll see you right away,” Uelian’ghi said. The hag moved towards the gate, ignoring a book that spilled to the floor.

“How do you know it's me she’s expecting?” Julia asked, not being able to resist yanking the hag’s leg. “I thought so many people asked to see her.”

“You were travelling with Lêdhins,” said Uelian’ghi.

“Who?” Julia asked, eyes wide with mock confusion.

“Get inside the gate so that I can secure it again. The wards recognised your arrival,”

“Were you supposed to let me know that?” asked Julia.

“Now!”

Come into my parlour said the spider to the fly.

Julia tried to keep a straight face while venturing through the gate. Though at least Uelian’ghi didn’t push her through the stone in the archway and opened it instead. When they tried continually to walk behind Julia, it made the skin between her wings itch.

{{Someone’s annoyed grandma. Oh, yes, they have! }}

((Careful. Being in a pincer with two Hag would be bad. ))

How do you tell if you’re in trouble with a Hag? Why ever would you think you’re not?

No point in giving the eyes away since they just look like lumps

Julia stopped, stepping to one side of the corridor as she did.

“I’ll walk beside you, but you’re not walking at my back,” Julia said, facing the hag.

“She’s waiting for you. Keep moving.”

“You’re the one holding things up. Walk beside me, and we’ll move on, or let me out the gate.” Julia said, turning as if ready to leave.

“Fine,” said Uelian’ghi, biting off the words even as they shuffled forward.

She’s in the doghouse. I’d better watch myself with her.

“I told you to send her through, not slow arse walk her here. Now get back to the store,” Usd’ghi called. The words came booming up the corridor unnaturally loud before they’d gotten much further.

{{So there! }}

Julia’s escort snarled something under her breath before turning to go. Not wanting to annoy either, Julia hastened forward, ignoring the urge to take a verbal poke.

“Come in, J, come in,” Usd’ghi said, from inside the same office as before when Julia got close.

Already in its web, I doubt I can get out through the wards they have here.

Mentally shrugging, Julia walked through the office doors to find Usd’ghi seated in the same chair as last time.

“Sit down, youngling. A fresh face you’ve got there. Surprised to see you back so soon, did things not go well?”

It feels like my early arrival wasn’t part of the plan. Or at least not this soon?

Julia moved to an ordinary chair and let her wings vanish before sitting.

“I just returned via a passageway, not a planar portal. Subtle differences and all that,”

Usd’ghi just smiled before asking, “So where did you get separated from Lêdhins?”

“He told me to meet with him in Roûercev. A path through the Necropolis was a shortcut there,” Julia said. Though watching Usd’ghi for reactions, Julia doubted she’d read much from her.

“Yet you’re here instead of heading to Roûercev. Now, why is that?” asked Usd’ghi.

Was that an amused twitch?

“I picked up a few things, and we have an agreement about damned Souls I harvest,” said Julia, not mentioning yet someone cursed them.

Usd’ghi's toothless smile was broad and far from pretty, the red stars in hollowed eyes gleaming brighter as she did.

“Oh, a hundred-odd or so to process I take it,”

“I’ve far more than a hundred,” Julia said, keeping the calmness of the Ki washing through her voice.

So yes, my attempts at evasion didn’t work at all.

“What did you have to put down to gather that many? He best not have pointed you through the Fields of Persecution,” said Usd’ghi.

“What are those?” Julia asked, trying to keep her immediate suspicions to herself.

“You’d know it if you saw it. It’s filled with undead from mortals snuffing out their kind. Mass graves, skull mounds, delicious spirits of suffering,” Usd’ghi explained.

Oh yeah, he so did. Fucking hell.

{{Can he go on the kill list? Though fuck him first, so large would be filling. }}

((How far gone is he now? ))

“Sounds like you’ve been there. Did you find them tough to deal with?” asked Julia.

“All those Souls bound by the hatred of others are quite the handful,” Usd’ghi said.

“Well, I don't know the name of the path I went through. I’d like to discuss some equipment, once these Souls get processed,”

“So J, what sort of gear are you after?” asked Usd’ghi.

“Perhaps use Viper, since the Order knows me as J,” said Julia.

“You’re going to use that name Lêdhins poked you with?” asked Usd’ghi, an eye ridge raised above the hollow

“For now, its safer,” Julia said, shrugging.

“Right, show me what you’ve got,”

When Julia drew the Ki from the Souls, they didn’t scream; they sang. The sound filled with a lament of loss and agony suffered, so different from the Slavers' screams. Usd’ghi's lips twitched into a frown as the sound cut off her amusement.

“I’ve never heard the like before. Wait here, I’ll be right back,” said Usd’ghi. The hag moved with far more energy than the shuffling gait of her younger kin. Indeed, it didn’t take her long to come back with the transparent container similar to the first Julia had seen. The glass cube with the bubble on its side even looked like the same one.

“Just release one or two into this,” Usd’ghi said, holding the green bubble close to Julia, “We’ll have to see if the processing will even work.”

With the Ki already withdrawn, Julia drew back Heat from her fingers after placing a hand inside. However, unlike the other Souls, who had fled, these didn’t want to leave. Mentally Julia had to tease one out. The Soul hovered within, not showing the colours apparent with the slavers.

A blank coin leeched the colour out of Soul, the metal quickly showing a shade she’d not seen before now. A dark purple coin, which, when lifted, showed a skull embossed across the front of it.

“This is new,” Usd’ghi said, touching the coin to her tongue, “Tastes of sorrow and agony, not a currency I’ve seen in circulation. The processing normally extracts corrupted mortal emotions, nothing so sweet.”

“So how much would they be worth?”

“Personally, each is worth far more than the pure nights you gained last time; more collector items than currency or for large exchanges. Those were the cleanest obsidian coins I’d seen in scores of mortal years,”

“Only temporarily gained, considering the cost of the amulet,” said Julia.

“You got a bargain,” Usd’ghi said, setting the container down on her desk. “Now, how many Souls do you have within your lush body?”

{{Oh, she thinks this form lush. }}

Waiting till Usd’ghi was looking in her direction before speaking.

“I’ve got fifteen hundred and ninety-nine,” Julia said. The flicker of surprise and greed on her features was clear even to Julia’s perception.

[Perception [J] (9->10)

Sense Motive [Ap] (5->6)]

“Well,” said Usd’ghi before returning to her seat. “Still them while we talk.”

Julia let the Ki enfold the Souls, and they seemed to welcome its return.

“I agreed to sell you the Souls, but we still need to discuss prices,”

“Do we?” asked Usd’ghi, lips twitching upwards in apparent amusement.

“Yes, considering what these will fetch when taken to the grey fields,” said Julia, the words gaining a raised eyebrow.

“Lêdhins, it seems, has been sharing things with you he shouldn’t,”

“You’ll have to discuss that with him. I helped get the shipment back. Then he took me along for the ride since his item doesn’t bring him back precisely,”

“That was an additional job I sent him a message about; your help wasn’t part of the fee for it,”

“I did a lot more than just assist. I snuck in and stole the shipment before we started purging them,” Julia said.

“You’ll have to discuss that with him. Tell me what you are after,” said Usd’ghi.

Oh, burn, Fine, use my words against me.

((As they always will. ))

“What and give away my end goals?” Julia asked.

“Youngling with what you desire done to that Order, it would surprise me if we don’t have common ground.”

“What do you mean?” asked Julia

What does she know and how?

“You offered information so freely. With your choice of words, I know you’d like to see the place razed to the ground. Naz’rilca can’t even say I didn’t warn her. My Seer rubbish gave her a warning long before she joined. The serene bitch has had her nose in other’s plans for far too long.”

“You might have sharp ears,”

“Sharp ears and sharper eyes,” said Usd’ghi, her amusement clear.

“What does the world look like to you, Usd’ghi? To me, your eyes look strange,”

“We see through the mists; some of us see better than others,”

“Why the interest in a youngling?”

“Youngling, you’re not even a yearling. You’re a mere chick who climbed from her nest instead of flew. Until you have a way to hide how your power grows, steer well clear of the Order’s lairs. I see the mists of power and time. For many, the veils of mist blur around meaningless choices, but with some, they burn. Those I can see what choice they might take, by the vapours their intentions push ahead of them. Few, so very few their arrival is a signal flare then the mists enclose them tight, and hide them from sight.” said Usd’ghi. As Julia went to speak again, Usd’ghi waved for silence.

How much does she know?

“You had a steel will when you left here with Lêdhins, and already it has become more. So I’ll speak clearly, well as clearly as is safe for us both. Since there is nearly a half-century of energy that wasn’t in your form even forty cycles ago, but I feel it burning. When I look at you, I see the signal flare of your arrival from rock instead of sky, burning the mists around. I see you born of the Abyss, not a damned Soul becoming greater. I want you to burn the feathers from a bird who has flown to places it doesn’t belong, raze its nests, and grind its bones into the dust of time. And if you fail, I’m sure there will be another in time, but I’ve waited for enough eons not to at least try with you.”

Born of the Abyss, so she doesn't know the most dangerous thing.

“That’s clear?” Julia asked, noting all the unanswered questions that left.

“As clear as you’ll ever get,”

“I need a few things,” said Julia, not sure where to start on the list that had been assembling in her mind.

“I’m sure more than a few things Viper.”

“A few for now,” Julia said.

“Let’s write up your wish list, then shall we. See how much you can afford this once done,”

“After you pay my share of the grey fields reward,”

“Is that right?”

“You said you wanted to try at least,”

“That’s personal. This is business,”

“I’m sure for you business and personal aren’t far apart, Matron Usd’ghi. For who else can provide you with these sorts of Souls?”

“Caravans cost me regardless. I need to cover their overhead,” countered Usd’ghi.

“I want a device to shift between planes. I could take them there for you, save you caravan costs, risks, and the rest,”

“You wouldn’t be hanging around to be at my beck and call, even if you had one. Five percent if you bring me at least four harvests like this every three hundred cycles,”

“I wouldn’t wait for all your caravans, just these shipments. Since I’m bringing them back, I’ll know when to hang around for their processing. Though how much time and mana is used, turning them into gems for transport?”

“A bit. Why?”

Let’s see if this works since I had to get them to leave instead of willingly fleeing from me.

Julia got up and put her hand back inside the container. The moment she withdrew the Heat from her fingers, the Soul returned into her form. Then she mentally asked another to leave for a time, and the container filled again.

“I can carry them as they are. I could save you that time,” said Julia. Picking some coin blanks from the desk, she set them into the processing space on the container.

“By all the unholy, you are unique little reaper. Yet the servants assess them as Souls gems,”

“I’m sure they’d be able to assess them as Souls as easily; they see much. The only issue might be the patrols, but I’m sure they’d hear their lament. I guess I could just find my way there. Since if I’m not ‘selling’ them to anyone for processing, I wouldn’t be breaking our agreement,”

This is going to be a long, haggling session.

“Strong arse will you have. You’re going to be a pain in my cunt for a youngling.”

“Some folks enjoy that. I’m bringing in a new product. Why should the old arrangement be a constraint? Yet I’m bringing it to you. This isn’t a harvest of damned Souls; they’re cursed. Plus, a business side to your personal matter. I’m sure the covens could use the resources spent dealing with one ‘competitor’ for many other things.”

When Usd’ghi started laughing, Julia wasn’t sure if it was a better idea to run or laugh along.

“But you’re right, forty percent I was too generous; five percent is fine for your share,” Julia said, and Usd’ghi just laughed harder still.

It was bells before they completed the haggling. Usd’ghi’s delight in the process was obvious to Julia. So clearly, it had been dragging it out for fun yet still slowly gave ground. The final split was more than Julia hoped, but she was sure far less than Usd’ghi would have considered acceptable. With Julia getting a twenty percent share of the payment for any shipments she transferred to Judgement and fifteen percent if they went via a regular caravan.

A gambit with the brothel in Zôhma hadn’t even drawn a ripple, though Julia had found out the Covens were already dealing with it. That had been a whole separate haggling session of its own. While she would get a percentage of earnings, it added future to-do activities on Julia’s plan, with Usd’ghi wanting her to set up more of them within Ternòx. The consideration of having more sources for information appealing to her greed.

“Lêdhins said my questions would be too apparent till I learn to hide my goals. Yet we share common goals.”

“I’m sure we can work out prices for information,”

“There you go, that even proves his point. Now about the equipment wish list, along with a device to shift between planes; I’ll need something to stop enemies teleporting, changing shape or shifting planes. Some items for personal protection and something to record where I’ve been. The stupid order frequently crawls over my skin when I walk past tunnels,”

“Anchoring magics can be tricky, but I know an enchanter that can make them, though cost depends on what needs holding. Recording passageways, I have something for that. I took it from a fiend that should have made sure not to get lost. We made sure it got home fast. Personal protection is a popular request; we’ll just have to see how many coins you have to splurge. As two of your four requests are costly items,”

“Don’t need them all at once. The device for shifting planes and recording pathways are my initial priorities,” said Julia.

“Let’s sort out processing these Souls then. That way, we can see what you have to work with,” Usd’ghi said, putting a flask she had been sipping from away.

“This is going to take a while, given you only have three large containers,” said Julia

“The sooner we start, the quicker its done, and we can get the payment,” Usd’ghi said and was quickly in motion.

Julia followed her to where the large containers waited. It had taken cycles by the time they processed all of them, and Usd’ghi was practically rubbing her hands in glee. The time taken had given Julia a chance to study the grimoire, though with no completed progress so far. It also left her richer by one disturbing planar conduit, the fiend’s recording device, along with stacks of pure night coins since the new were so valuable. Though unfortunately, both items had their drawbacks and oddities.

In appearance, the conduit was an organic rod that shone in even the dullest of light. A tacky fluid coated its lumpy exterior. It was so reflective that whenever it wiggled, and it did, even a faint light flickered about the place. Its fluid carried a sharp, salty odour as if it was fresh and alive from a dark sea. While it would open a passageway between planes, anything could follow her through till it closed. The further differing the planes, the longer the passageway would become, a literal hole burrowed through reality. If there were anything within the passageway, the magic wouldn’t allow for it to be closed.

The recording device was a featureless metallic cube; that would randomly crackle against the closest flesh and emitted the metallic scent of ozone as it did. It couldn’t work from any dimensional storage, so it would always be a risk while recording to alert anything nearby of its presence. Touching it allowed Julia to bring up and examine mental images of places she’d been while carrying it. A magical VR walkthrough included the entities and smells that had been present at the time of passage, as unfortunate as some of those could be.

When the device opened the passage, it seemed as organic as the object used to bring it forth. The conduit rod appeared to burrow into empty air, and after a few moments, a sphincter bulged open, revealing a passage beyond. Though the interior of it, fortunately, didn’t leak fluids. It had the same tacky look and irregular folds as the rod itself, just inverted. Julia was glad it was big enough to fly through, even with walls undulating and pulsing disturbingly close, as they weren’t something she wanted to touch.

Seriously, if this is someone's idea of a prank, I’m going to bitch slap them. Climbing up through its fucking arse. This is gross, even if I’ve seen worse.

A relieved Julia exited out onto the grey fields with the same white clouds. Gingerly touching the passageway's rim, using the command word again, returned it to the strange rod. With it placed back in the inventory, Julia looked around, peering through the mist. With no sign of any patrols nearby to ask questions, the Ki withdrew from the Souls. Their song differed from within the Abyss instead of a lament; it sounded light and joyous, as they sense their safety was close.

Their singing had barely started when the Titan’s servant was suddenly there in front of her. The mist pushed away by its presence cleared space appeared all around them.

“Welcome, Viper, you have returned sooner than expected,” the Servant said simply, without even a pause after its arrival.

“Julia,” said Julia in English, not wanting to use an Abyssal name in this place.

“As you wish, we hear the Souls. The reward is being prepared,”

“That didn’t take long to assess them,”

“You brought many. When they sing out in such a way, they make the forge echo. It becomes a simple matter to assess them.”

“The Titan is a music fan?“ Julia asked, disbelief lacing her voice.

“He is a fan of many creative things,”

“And people that like to destroy others?” asked Julia, her voice level and calm under the Ki, as it kept the edges of the words sheathed.

“No, he isn’t a fan of pettiness or those that overstep. Such earns its own reward,”

“So did the one who cursed me did count as having overstepped?” asked Julia

“Greatly. He received judgement and reward for the ill deeds against Father’s blessing.”

“You’re chatty, given the way you shut me down last time,”

“There were many reasons,” the Servant simply replied, its tone as unchanging as any other statement.

“Why did the Titan owe him a debt in the first place?”

“They were a descendant of the Titan’s child. They had used their abilities to wander about in far places. When there instead of using a token of the Titan to return home or ask for aid. The child stayed with the one they loved. Their children inherited the means to request the Titan’s aid. It came to that one after many of your years. They misused it, and it will not suffer misuse again,”

“What did you mean by three within three?”

“Do you acknowledge debt with the Titan?”

“No, I don’t,”

I don’t see how I owe it for making me into this thing.

“Then, I can not answer. Your own choices will need to gain you that information. Your reward will be here shortly,”

“You answered about him,” said Julia, hoping to determine why.

“They've made all their choices. Judgement was complete and final. Others still have choices to make, as you do. That’s an ability he left you, the ability to still choose your path; you would find being here unpleasant without it.”

Yeah, okay, so Harem slut wishing I was dead, or just not caring at all.

“So there are more from his misdeeds,” Julia stated.

“I have said all I can say. There were three within three,”

So there was at least another.

“How can I earn credit with the Titan?” Julia asked, the Ki drifting through her, easily keeping frustration at bay.

It’s answering. Maybe I can learn more information each time, vague as some of it is.

“The Titan likes to make; he doesn't enjoy the work involved in rebuilding. No matter how the lost sadden him,”

No recycling merit badge for him then.

“Where is the one who sent me here?”

“His path has ended. They look up at where your path started, as they will till time’s end,” the Servant’s voice echoed out as it faded, and the crates appeared. Julia felt the Heat of her form brushed gently aside by a massive hand. As the first Soul streamed forth, Julia focused to draw more Heat aside to let them free sooner. With her attention focused on holding the Heat open, the foreign touch withdrew.

What was that? Yeah, let’s not go there.

Are they on those blood plains? Holy Fuck! Take the crates back first, and then a side trip before the Necropolis or Ternòx? Maybe.

Working through the stacks of crates, she placed them in the storage bag that Usd’ghi had provided. Since the total payment for the Souls would require tallying before they credited her share. Still, Julia prepared a running total while storing them away, tracking the information so much easier than when mortal. Since they marked each crate with its contents on the side, she didn’t even need to crack them open. Ingots, pouches of materials, spindles of special threads, and much more besides.

It wasn’t till they’d packed away the last of the crates that Usd’ghi said anything other than direction and counting.

“Plan to meet up with Lêdhins?” Usd’ghi asked.

“No plans to do so at all. You can let him know that.” Julia replied.

“I paid him for protecting and training you,” said Usd’ghi.

“Not sure that would work well. Our view on things clash,” said Julia.

“How so?”

“He feels Succubus are for fucking, and I lust for power. Not for letting him or anyone power away between my legs,” said Julia.

An accurate enough statement, I want power enough to choose my path, have control and break free from this state.

It’s the only thing I want from any of this.

{{Power, that we can agree on. }}

((Be careful you don’t get what you wish for, child. ))

“Very well, there are things he can do to make up for the payment he’s received. You only need to deliver two shipments per three hundred cycles though, to maintain your share.”

“Would you object to more than the minimum?” Julia asked, “We can always count it as me delivering on my obligations early, I’m sure.”

“We’ll keep proper accounting. So I’ll have your share of this stored for you,” Usd’ghi said, nodding in emphasis, not bothering to keep the smile from her face.

“I’ve got some serious personal expenses for which I’ll need to build up coins, now don’t I,” Julia said.

“Some enchantments cost more than coins,”

Someone takes them down, and all they hold secure for others would disappear. Wonder how much leverage that gives them.

Balnérith never transformed into a Succubus. She’s a fallen archangel who looks like whatever she wants. Nice of the Celestials not making that clear. I’m going to need heavy duty gear to pin her in place.