Bjorn wasn’t even trying to look relaxed at this point. As both parties sat themselves on separate sides of the terrace of a house Senator Florentius had given the other group to stay in, tension never left the room. Members from either side were always keeping an eye on someone from the other.

Each party appeared to have a Nikan member, and someone each watched them especially closely.

Well, all except Taya. Predictably, she was confident in her ability to handle whatever the other party threw at her.

Cecile and the well-dressed Qahtanad woman from the other side came out onto the terrace with separate pots of tea, one for each group.

“So…” Taya took the first cup of tea poured by Cecile. “Seang, was it? Why don’t we go around and...break the ice a little.”

Many of the members of the other party frowned in confusion.

“Say our names, where we’re from, why we’re here. And trying to conceal anything will not help diffuse this situation.” Taya said.

“Fine by me.” the Jambudvipi nun nodded.

“My name’s Taya Sergeyev.” Taya went first, “I’m from Sklava. I’m here to save the world.”

The Easterners shared a few indiscernible glances between themselves, but nothing more.

“I am Seang Kanleakhana. As I said before, I’m Jambudvipi. I’m here on a promise. I have a power and a responsibility to use it for the good of the world.”

Taya looked at Bjorn. He looked at all the scrutinizing eyes on him as he cleared his throat. “My name is Bjorn Stormtamer, Son of Olaf. I’m Ascomanni. Or you may simply know us as the Ash men. I’m here to help liberate my homeland from frost giants.” Saying the words felt hollow. Was he really still here just to help the people who had shunned him? Did he seriously lack that much respect?

“My name is Shahla al-Samara, Bedouin Princess of Qahtan. I am also here to liberate my nation.” The Qahtanad woman said.

Bjorn thought it was odd that they made a princess serve them tea.

“Ruhak of Hikuptah. I’m here...I’m here to help Taya save the world.”

Bjorn knew his words of motivation were even emptier than his own. Ruhak didn’t actually have a reason for being here, aside from just letting them drag him along. Taya was right about him having no direction in life.

“Najeem Al-Iqbal.” the Qahtanad man wrapped in black said, “Asasiyun and bound by duty to Princess Shahla.”

“I’m Cecile Millet of Sarfait. I’m here to make sure these idiots don’t kill themselves and to study Shedim mastery as a science.”

“My name is Shakti and I’m from Jambudvipa. I’m here because the Nikan threatens everything I wish to do with my life.”

So far, so good. They seemed like good people. But, of course, they could always be lying.

“I’m Wang Peng.” Peng said, “I’m a Nikan engineer, but I’ve defected. Now I want to fight the Empire that kept me suppressed in fear.”

Bjorn frowned. How is this the first time he’s ever heard Peng’s family name?

“Vai. Just Vai.” The well-fed Aotearoan man had a charismatic grin. “Sailor of the world’s seas and hailing from the island of Tai’akkolu. I’m here because I’m the only one with a boat.”

“Gustave Delacroix, former captain of the Duskbreakers. I am Sarfan and am here to help Taya in her quest.” the cataphract announced. Bjorn was convinced Gustave never actually realized how loud he was, though it would be a rather brilliant joke to do it on purpose just to mess with people.

“Kameko Iseri.” The other Nikan, a woman this time, pounded her lamellar chest plate. “Captain of the White Tiger Rebellion. I’m here to liberate Nikan from the Gongsun dynasty.”

“Sila Ucar.” Sila said, “Orhan can tell you all he wants about me. I’m here to avenge our clan, which my brother claims I abandoned, yet here he is sitting with me in Koinelia.”

Sila’s brother shot daggers at her with his eyes, born from something more than simple frustration with a sibling. Orhan felt...rage.

“Lokapele. I’m from the same place as Vai and I’m here because the world needs more warriors than song writers.” The Aotearoan woman dressed rather flamboyantly and dare Bjorn say, erotically, but muttered her introduction with an apathy that seemed contradictory to every outward cue she gave.

“Ricco. Um, I joined up with Taya...today. Literally this morning. I’m from this lovely place and I’m here because I think I’m not going to be a seadog for the rest of my life.”

Bjorn had never gotten a real solid opinion of Ricco. He seemed to flip-flop between being incredibly charismatic and incredibly awkward every so often. Though most of the time, his tongue was coated in silver.

“I...am Orhan Ucar.” Orhan growled, his clasped hands white-knuckling each other, “And I’m here because...Well, because our clan is dead.”

Sila dropped her cup of tea. The cup shattered on the ground. Her jaw hung open, her eyes widened with horror.

“No…” she whispered.

Orhan looked away from her.

“No, no, Orhan, tell me you’re lying!” Sila stood, but Taya quickly joined her to place a hand on her shoulder. “All of them? It couldn’t be all of them.”

“All except me.” Orhan muttered.

“Who?” Sila screamed, “Who did this! Who killed them?”

Orhan murmured something too low for anyone to hear.

“Who?”

“Me.” Orhan said somberly. “It was my fault. I didn’t accept help from the other clans. I led them straight into a trap.”

Sila glared at her brother, her nostrils flaring. She abruptly drew a dagger from her belt, the scrape of metal echoing throughout the room. It acted like an alarm bell for everyone to put themselves between Sila and her brother.

Taya held Sila back as she started screaming and protesting.

Ruhak and Cecile helped. Bjorn put his body in front of her. Orhan’s allies shielded him.

“Stop this.” his voice, while little more than a murmur, reached everyone’s ears, “If she wants to...she has every right.”

Sila broke from Taya’s grip and pushed past Bjorn.

On a whim, Bjorn drew his axe and hooked Sila’s wrist. He pulled her back and stuck the axe head into the wall, the curved blade trapping her wrist there.

“Bjorn, let me go, or I’ll stab you too!” Sila snapped.

“Who’s this helping?” Bjorn asked, louder than he usually was, “Huh?”

“It will put our ancestors at peace.”

“I thought he was obsessed with the past.” Bjorn said, “And your ancestors are gone. They’re dead. Who gives a damn what they think? At least your brother’s trying to be better. You’re still doing the same shit. All you want is vengeance, so you can feel vindicated. That’s not helping anyone or anything. Get over yourself!”

It wasn’t until then Bjorn noticed the tears in her eyes, because it was at that moment that Sila finally broke down into sobs.

“I think that’s enough, Bjorn.” Taya put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him away.

“Wait,” Bjorn said, “Sila, I-”

“Don’t apologize.” Taya said firmly, “You did the right thing.”

Bjorn gulped, but nodded.

Peng helped Sila, who had lost the will to even stand on her own, over to a cushioned bench.

Taya sighed, turning back to Seang, “Sorry about that.”

The nun shook her head. “Not your fault.”

“It seems we both want to stop the Nikan empire. We have that much in common at least.” Taya said, “But-and this may sound odd-but have you encountered any...supernatural creatures on your travels?”

The other party shook their heads.

Taya nodded. “Then none of you know why it is that we have these powers. I don’t have any proof, but perhaps your Shedim can confirm for you.”

“Whatever it is, I’m sure you can tell us later.” Seang said, “Right now, we both are enemies of the same immediate threat. We should join forces.”

Bjorn surveyed the eastern party. They all looked like they wanted to protest. Bjorn felt a similar aversion to just mashing the two groups together. But strategically speaking, sixteen Shedim Masters were better than eight Shedim Masters.

“We came to Senator Florentius in search of Koini aid. But with sixteen of us...perhaps we could accomplish some of our more ambitious goals.” Shahla said, “But say we join up. What will we do after that? I want to liberate Qahtan. Our group agreed to do that first. But they likely have plans of their own.”

“We won’t need to decide.” Taya said, “Our first and foremost goal should be to recruit more Shedim Masters.”

The easterners looked to Taya in confusion.

“I won’t tell you everything right now, but a long time back, there were others with our powers. They fought the same threats we fight now. They created the Companies of Mankind, eight orders of Shedemic warriors that centered on a single idea and the liberation of humankind.” Taya said, “If we refound the companies and focus our efforts on recruitment, we could have multiple bands twice the size of us all over the world. If nothing else, we should at least refound them.”

“How would we do that?” Shahla asked.

“Well, I’ve already refounded one in legal terms. But our bonds with our Shedim remember the mantras men once chanted in defiance of that which would seek to kill them.” Taya said, “Your powers will grow quicker if the mantras are revealed to you.”

“We can do that at a different time.” Seang said, “Tomorrow perhaps? My people are tired and weary. We need rest.”

“As do mine.” Taya said.

“I’ll inform Senator Florentius about this arrangement, then.” Shahla said, “Perhaps he can offer us at least something if we no longer need the legions of Koinelia.”

Taya nodded, “Thank you. Do you mind if we stay here? This house is certainly...well, it’s big enough for a family of twenty, I’d say.”

Shahla shrugged, “Makes no difference to me.”

________________________________________________________________________

Ruhak collapsed face first on the first bed he’d been on in months. He would’ve let the soft mattress swallow him if he himself had swallowed nothing decent since two weeks ago.

Peng was finished stowing his meager belongings in the same room. All they really had were armor, weapons, an extra set of clothes, and camping gear.

Ruhak’s growling stomach got the Nikan man’s attention.

“You wanna find something to eat?” Peng asked.

Ruhak nodded, “Very much so.”

“This estate’s a little farther from the city…” Peng muttered, “And we have no...wait.”

Peng pressed his hand against some metal decorum on the room’s pillars, manipulating the shape of the silver, gold and bronze into the form of minted coins in his hand.

Ruhak stood and tried the same with the frame of a painting.

“You diabolical genius.” Ruhak cackled, “We can walk, can’t we? We have been for two months.”

“To hell with it. Let’s find a tavern.” Peng grinned.

“Not just a tavern, my friend.” Ruhak wrapped his arm around Peng’s shoulders. “A brothel. The legends they tell in Hikuptah of Koini brothels would blow your mind.”

“I...I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to get us into more trouble with the authorities than we already are.”

“Brothels are legal here, you dolt!” Ruhak hissed excitedly.

“Oh?”

“Only the best cooks in the empire get to work there, aside from the nobility’s chefs. And the girls are from every place Koinelia has ever dipped her toe in.” Ruhak said, imagining the scene for himself more wistfully than Peng probably was.

“So...do we sneak out?” Peng asked, “I don’t really feel like telling the women or the other group that we’re going to a brothel.”

Ruhak thought for a moment. “Actually, that might be best.”

Ruhak walked out onto the second floor terrace of their room and leapt off, lowering himself to the ground with his wires. Peng climbed his way down before Ruhak retracted the steel.

A silent horse burglary and half an hour later, the two of them rode into the city of Koinelia, which was still very alive, despite the late hour.

Light posts powered by Fire Shedim caused a little whine in Ruhak’s ear but were drowned out by the crowds of people gathering to drink, eat, play games and do whatever else mainland Koini people did.

They left their horses with a rented stable and went to wander the city. As they went, Ruhak and Peng combined their manipulation over metal to fill up their coin purse with counterfeit, but exactly replicated, minted coins.

Ruhak almost forgot to put on a glove he’d bought to cover the Plague Scars on his hands until one man did a double take when glancing at them. His skin was dark, but not dark enough to completely conceal the jet black color of a Plague Scar.

“I think my hunger has outdone my lust, Ruhak.” Peng muttered. He spoke with a slight accent that he didn’t have before. It was a Khongirat accent, likely meant to conceal his true ethnicity. “Why don’t we just find a tavern and eat? We can visit these legendary brothels another day.”

Ruhak wanted to protest, but his gut agreed, threatening to cramp up from hunger if he didn’t go along with it.

“Fine. That place looks pretty decent.” Ruhak pointed to a stone bar situated under an overhang between two buildings. The stove and bar were out in the open, the Koini climate being rather accommodating to outdoor establishments.

The bar was busy, but not too crowded to ruin their evening. Three women sat to the side, playing folk songs on their string instruments.

Ruhak took the coin pouch from Peng and walked up to the barkeep, a portly middle-aged man who was pouring drinks for a group of working men.

He set the purse down with a thunk that caused the coins to jingle, capturing the barkeep’s attention.

“I need as much food and drink as this sack of coins will allow.” Ruhak said over the bar’s chaotic ambience.

The barkeep nodded, “What’s your poison.”

“Right now? Meat. And the strongest liquor you’ve got.” Ruhak said.

“Beer for me.” Peng ordered, “Forget ‘meat’, just give us the biggest platter of food you can make.”

Ruhak and Peng found an empty table and sat themselves down.

Ruhak sighed, “You know, I was expecting our arrival in the center of the world to be a bit more...glorious.”

“We did storm into the senate and fight eight other Shedim Masters there.” Peng said.

“Yes, but...I don’t know, I was hoping for some time to just relax and sightsee before we got back to business again. Then again, the world is supposed to be ending.” Ruhak muttered.

“Look at them all…” Peng gestured to the surrounding people with his eyes, “None of them have a care in the world except their mundane troubles.”

“Are you telling me to be jealous of a bricklayer?” Ruhak scoffed.

“Of course not. But...we have such a...purpose in the grand scheme of things. Maybe it’s not glorious all the way, but at least we have something more to live up to than all this...rabble.” Peng said under hushed breath.

“Taya always says all purposes are equally important as long as they actually fulfill people.” Ruhak said.

“Oh, what does Taya know?”

Ruhak raised his eyebrows, giving Peng a look.

“Okay fine. She knows her shit when it comes to wisdom. But still...I can’t help but feel a little...above all these people. They have no idea what the hell’s even going on outside these walls.” Peng said.

“Maybe you’ll be able to fix that superiority complex of yours once you get yourself into one of the Companies.” Ruhak chuckled.

Peng scoffed, but grinned, “Yeah, I’m an asshole.”

But Peng had a point. Most Koini spent their days working, getting married, having families and cheering on their favorite chariot racing team while everything outside the line of Koini outposts was brewing in global warfare. They just let the winds of fate carry them through the world. Something heavily condemned by Taya.

Perhaps this Armageddon Event would punish the Koini for their complacency.

“This is what you buffoons went to all that effort for?”

Ruhak and Peng whirled around to look at Najeem al-Iqbal and Vai, just Vai.

“What the hell are you two doing here?” Ruhak asked.

“What the hell were you two doing sneaking out a window and stealing a horse?” Najeem asked.

Ruhak blinked, “Oh...Yeah, that probably looked pretty suspicious. Uh...We were originally planning to go to a brothel before and didn’t really feel like telling anyone else about it.”

Najeem made a noise of disgust. “A brothel?”

“Yeah, see, that’s why.” Ruhak’s mouth became a stressed, thin line as he spoke.

“Hey, didn’t we first meet in a brothel?” Vai asked.

“Don’t remind me.” Najeem shook his head. “We assumed you two were up to more...nefarious things.”

“As you can see, our true masters are our guts.” Ruhak said, “Why don’t you join us for a drink?”

“Sure!” Vai sat himself down at the third chair of the square table.

“Uh, I don’t drink.” Najeem muttered.

“I’m sure they have something nonalcoholic.” Ruhak beckoned him over. “We’re teaming up. We might as well get to know each other a bit.”

Najeem sighed, “Oh, whatever.”

Ruhak and the other two boys cheered as Najeem sat down.

“Stop cheering me on like I’m a boy who’s just taken his first hit of Hashish.” Najeem slapped Vai on the arm.

One of the young maids working the floor arrived at their table with two mugs and a platter of food as wide in diameter as Ruhak’s arm.

When she unburdened herself of the dishes, she noticed the two additional guests at their table. “Oh, can I get anything for you two?”

“Do you have any local wines?” Vai asked.

“I certainly do.” the maid smiled, “And we have some fruit juice imports for our Qahtanad patrons.”

“That’d be lovely.” Najeem nodded.

“You know, I’ve spent upwards of seven years travelling the world and never once have I acclimated my palette to Koini wines.” Vai muttered, “I’m seriously slacking.”

“Are you some kind of connoisseur?” Ruhak asked.

“I wouldn’t call myself that,” Vai said, “But I certainly enjoy them.”

“Really?” Najeem asked, “You never mentioned that.”

“Because no one ever asked, dipshit.” Vai chuckled, “We were all too busy defending Xinhou to discuss our hobbies.”

“You know, news of that is just now hitting Koinelia.” Ruhak cupped his chin. “I remember hearing something about it. What happened?”

“It was-” they started in unison.

“-crazy!” Vai exclaimed.

“-awful!” Najeem insisted.

“Oh, come on, admit it felt a little heroic.” Vai said.

“I think you’re forgetting the part where literally everyone except us died.” Najeem said, “No glory to be found in that.”

Vai sighed, “I guess you’re right.”

Ruhak and Peng listened intently to the summary of Xinhou’s valiant defense of the city while picking at their platter.

“That just might put all of our adventures to shame.” Ruhak said.

“All of them?” Peng asked, “We’ve fought a Nikan Prince like three times.”

“Hey, we fought our fair share of Gongsuns as well.” Vai said.

“Which ones?”

“I don’t really remember their names, since we got the hell outta there before we actually defeated any of them.” Vai admitted.

“Ah, see, we fought Gongsun Guanyu.” Peng said, “That includes his retinue of Bane Knights and his older sister, the Third Princess.”

“You fought one of the Twelve?” Najeem asked.

“Who are the twelve?” Vai asked.

“The first six princes and princesses of the Gongsun dynasty. Each of them has Banebending abilities based on one animal in Nikan zodiac.” Najeem explained.

“Well, we fought the fifth prince and princess.” Vai said.

“We skirmished, then ran away.” Najeem corrected, “It wasn’t much of a fight.”

“The twelve are the most exalted among the Emperor’s children.” Peng said, “Which is why it’s a pretty big deal we had her as a captive for almost a month. But then they ambushed us and took all of us prisoner except for Taya. Big mistake on their part.”

“There a particular reason they were after you?” Vai asked. “Some of the Nikan we encountered seemed pretty desperate to capture as many of us as they could in one swoop.”

“It’s because we threaten them.” Najeem said.

“They’ve been going all over the place and bringing us Shedim Masters back to the Emperor so they can either kill us or neutralize us.” Ruhak said.

“Alright, let’s change topics.” Vai said, “We can talk plenty about all that tomorrow.”

As Ruhak grew tipsy from his drink, he noticed Najeem pulled out a small pipe and started smoking whatever was in it.

“What’s that?” he asked.

“Hashish. I got some when we crossed through Ash-Sham. But to be clear-and I have to tell people this all the time-I am the only Asasiyun I know who smokes it. Everyone keeps calling it the order of Hashashins as though we’re all addicts.” Najeem scoffed, “But if you all are getting drunk, I’m not letting you leave me in the dust.”

Najeem blew out streams of smoke from his nostrils like he was a dragon.

Would there be dragons roaming around now that creatures of myth were suddenly becoming real?

The conversation between the four of them slowly descended into incoherent babbling as three of them got progressively more drunk and Najeem seemed to be in a completely altered state of mind.

However, those stints of drunkenness were mitigated by all the food they were eating. Though inevitably, they’d all get kicked out after a certain hour.

The streets that had been full of people and life the moment before were now empty, as though there were three different plagues going around.

The four of them stumble down the street.

“W...wheredya leave the horses?” Peng slurred, his face far more red than any of the others who had partaken in drinking.

“I...I...I dunno.” Ruhak muttered, “Eeeeast?”

“I know East!” Vai shouted, as his head tilted to the sky, then frowned, “The...Kapakoloa is...wrong?”

“How d’you guys follow us?” Ruhak asked. Of all of them, his slurring was the most understandable.

“We,” Najeem suddenly burst into a fit of chuckling, “We took the shadows!”

Ruhak and Peng frowned, “What?”

“N-Najeem, do the thing. Do the thing!” Vai urged.

“Shaddup, you drunk. I’m doing it.” Najeem muttered. Then he vanished.

“What the hell?” Ruhak yelled far louder than he should’ve.

“Boo!” Najeem had suddenly appeared behind them.

Peng screamed as he fell back.

“Hey! Quiet down, you damn drunkards!” an angry old man shouted from his home.

“Sorry!” Ruhak laughed, then in a halfway hushed voice, “Let’s do the shadows.”

“Okay. But...you-you guys have to-have to-stay in the mirrors in the shadows. If you step out of them, the shadow will spit you out.”

Ruhak and Peng nodded, “Okay.”

Then everything went dark.

Peng screamed again, “Everything’s black! We’re dead! He killed us! The Asasiyun killed us!”

“Shhhhh!” Ruhak hissed loudly.

“No one can hear us in here, you idiot!” Najeem laughed. “Come on, we have to get home before the sun comes up!”

Ruhak understood what Najeem had meant by mirrors. While the world around him was a dark recreation of the real world, but in place of every shadow was a window into the city.

They staggered about, somehow staying within the would-be shadows. Peng eventually fell to his hands and knees at one point, but instead of getting up, his eyes widened. “Ruhak! I know them!”

Ruhak frowned. His stupor was wearing off. He walked over to Peng and looked through the window into the real world. From their position, Ruhak could see the faces of three cloaked figures. They were one woman and two men. Each of their faces seemed familiar.

The Hikupti gasped, “Bane Knights!”

“Wha…?” Vai slurred.

“These three here. They’re Prince Guanyu’s Bane Knights.” Ruhak said.

Najeem drew his scimitar with far less grace than what befitted him.

“No! They’re here for a reason. We should follow them.” Ruhak said.

“Oh, yeah. That’s way better than what I had in mind.” Najeem chuckled deliriously as he tried three times to re-sheath his sword before just giving up.

Ruhak and the others followed the Bane Knights into a reconstruction of a building, finding shadows to stand in on the other side, created by lantern light.

It was a small cobbler’s shop.

The men followed the Knights into the shop’s basement, now able to roam more freely in the dark.

In the basement, sat about twenty to thirty men and women of all different ethnicities who each were being passed a sack of coin.

The Knights lowered their hoods as they arrived in the basement, prompting the men and women on the floor to shift themselves to prostrate before them.

“Check for the Masters.” the woman said.

The men drew devices from within their cloaks that whined with the cries of abused Shedim.

“No trace of the Sklaveni or her followers.” One man said as they turned off their devices.

They didn’t know about the Easterners or their powers.

The woman nodded, “Lift your heads so you can listen.”

The people prostrating themselves obeyed.

“Enemies of your master have infiltrated this city. With your next briefings, we have attached sketches of what each of them looks like. We have tried to apprehend them, but they are dangerous and formidable. I am here to tell you not to engage.” the woman continued, “Under no circumstances can you reveal yourselves. Do not take the risk of attacking them.”

“These dogs threaten the rightful claims of the Nikan Empire. The dynasty has created a plan that will force them to leave these lands before we enact Operation Golden Storm.” one man said, “It will happen soon. You will come to know each of them intimately and ensure that your underlings do the same. Avoid them. Make them brush your presence aside. Do whatever it takes to hide yourselves. You are no longer just informants. When Golden Storm happens, it is you who must be the soldiers of the Empire. We cannot afford to dwindle our numbers.”

“We cannot compromise our secrecy after all this time. It is of utmost importance that you keep your cover now more than ever.” the woman took over. “All I can comfortably say is ‘be ready’. We will have no more meetings like this until the start of Golden Storm and we must be brief. Huangdi de Rongyao!”

“Glory to the Emperor and may his eternal Mandate see us be freed!” the spies prostrated themselves again.

“Did you guys see that?” Ruhak hissed, only to find Vai unconscious and Najeem and Peng trying in vain to wake him.

Ruhak sighed.

“Let’s get back to the estate. We need to tell the others.”