Chapter 418: Chapter 418 - Private Accusations Are Sometimes Better Handled Than Public Ones
To the young strikeforce leader, it was clear enough that they weren’t dealing with a unified organization any more than she’d been dealing with a unified Yecine family all her life. And just like with her own relatives, the question of which faction could be worked with and which needed to be contained wasn’t really needed.
Qatrand turned without responding to the speaker and had barely rejoined and gathered the rest of her team waiting outside when a throat cleared from behind. Turning to find Salghis walking toward them, she appreciated the look on his face. Like someone who had made a decision that was a bit hard to swallow the pride trying to keep it from being made.
"Yecine, might I have a word? Privately."
Lacking diplomatic courtesy and dropping to something that was closer to a personal cultivator to cultivator way of speech, it made Qat study his spirit. She found something that looked like growing ’alarm’ directed toward those around him, except her. It made the teen wonder exactly what was said in the few moments she’d left the five there.
"Leysah, please continue informing and getting the others ready. I’ll be back shortly."
The Guild Leader of the Saltfire Storm Alliance led what he knew as the heir and soon-to-be-official hero away from both the expensive tent and the areas where his own people were working. When they reached a spot near the camp’s edge, he dropped a ’stone’ on the ground that the heavy blade wielder almost kicked away before it could land on the hidden ritual space.
"Warning would have been nice. I don’t appreciate cloak and dagger like some."
Her voice came out muffled and modulated in a way that was nothing like her El’s methods of preventing eavesdropping. Of course, if her wife did it without warning,she wouldn’t have cared. It was only because she felt confident in her spirit reading that what he was doing was not hostile that she did not act - though her hand was still on her hilt.
’Some instincts work before your mouth.’
"I’ll remember that. And that you didn’t try and strike me down immediately. I need to ask you something and I hope you’ll be honest with me."
"You’ll find I’m generally honest about most things, if ever questioned directly."
Her response struck right at one of her own core failings. A large part of what allowed her to live with her gender deception was that - with the masking tool - no one *ever* asked what she was. Compliant acceptance of any pronoun used in her direction was more like a lie of omission and easier to live with.
She was still planning to keep quiet about it publicly, considering everything else going on. Recognizing it as being out of some lingering respect for her family name... with a lack of desire to push them all directly into the mud for what some of them had done. Being a successful Descent hero that was planning to sever her ties was already a hard blow to them.
"What exactly do you think about our Guild. Beyond the evacuation request?"
The question all but confirmed what she’d suspected. He was either aware or piecing together that there were deeper problems in his organization. Raven hair turned to the side as she looked to see if anyone had followed, as she did not think this soundproofing ritual was as perfect as anything the heiress could have done.
"It’s reputation on the outside was not terrible. But I’m not sure that will remain the case. Some of your people have been taking initiatives that go beyond what seems to be your agenda."
Saying the words felt like she was criticizing a member of her own family. She really felt like it would be better not to keep making the comparisons in her head, though using what she knew and experienced to judge others was all that could be done. The expression on Salghis er Nalbet darkened as he consider the other cultivator’s meaning.
"The bloodlust test wasn’t the first unauthorized action involving you, was it."
Qatrand felt that it would be easy to seek to burn the entire forest to eliminate the diseased trees. That was not what she did with the Yecine, but she did enable those dry, sick and fallen logs within it to spark. To start to burn the forest floor and deny it the succor of her tears.
But unlike her family situation, not all the foundational parts seemed to be rotten. That didn’t mean they could be saved as a whole, but it did mean that her own heart - the one her mint-drop adored so much - made her want to step in and help where she can. Her hand raised and waited for a certain flying companion to land when called, using a function of the necklace that El had made to help it find her.
"Months ago, someone hired thieves to steal a set of Whispering Skydancers from the Wing & Talon Enclave during the multi-regional competition I attended. The lead perpetrator claimed... after a form of extensive questioning, that they were working for the Saltfire Storm Alliance."
While the one with her was the original that the old man from their city, the exiled elder, had given them... it still served as a visual aid while she made her case. It’s dusky colors and white eyes looked between them, somewhat knowing it was being talked about but not quite what it was expected to do.
"If that’s the case, then why have I not heard about it yet?"
"Because my wife is the only one who knew, other than me. And she had been a little busy with the Descent starting to go track down every thread your people left behind. At least outside of the connections on the grounds, which were dealt with on the spot."
She watched his reactions carefully. The ’disbelief’ was immediate and ’shock’ as he realized she was not joking spiked quickly, before shifting to ’anger’ and what felt like a feeling of ’betrayal’. The shift of emotions felt honest and he breathed out hotly while shaking his head.
"Those idiots. We suddenly had requisition requests for building bird cages meant to house ’poison gas detectors’. I assumed it was related to our various delving operations, but wasn’t sure why we needed them... *before* securing contracts for the occupants. Now I know."
"Your people upset my wife while I was participating in one of the competition phases. Because her work has enabled you, she wanted to handle whatever wrongs you are up to herself. But she’s not here right now."
"Your wife... the Goltbred heiress. The one who’s been providing our last set of keyshards."
"She is far more valuable than that. But, yes."
The Guild Leader ran his hands through his hair and looked away from the piercing pigeon blues. He was sure the warrior exploding in fame was right, but that didn’t mean it did not come off like a proud husband that was *not* going to take any belittling of their marriage partner.
’Well, the Yecine don’t like any sort of belittling of their number... but they aren’t usually so proactive about this unless someone has directly stated something.’
"I understand she is missing. I’m sorry that you’re going through that right now and I hope whatever happened is resolved in the best way it can be."
"Thank you. Now, how much of this evacuation is your members trying to manage a situation they created without your knowledge?"
"Too much."
His voice carried a bitter certainty to it, seeing no point in lying. He sighed and gave a Continental Army salute. It had been more years by now than Qat’s tenure, but he too had been sent for the extra training with them after his initial Guild experience.
So he greatly respected other cultivators that worked with the *mostly* well-oiled mortal organization. Certainly one working better than his own, lately.
"Commander, I’m going to be direct with you. I’ve been fighting to maintain unity in this Alliance over the last year. Dealing with what I thought were just disagreements that had been present since I took over."
Their group had expanded their operations quite rapidly thanks to the new ritual, reaching artifact troves they had been struggling with. Using them to pay off debts owed to some of the people who had given them the maps in the first place. But a few of those rich usurers were absolutely not good people - and not simply because they expected their goods or their money ASAP.
"With your assertion, I’m now inclined to believe that some of my people... have been pursuing objectives I never approved."
"What kind of objectives?"
"The kind that involve using our legitimate treasure seeking operations as cover for schemes that could get us all branded as enemies of the continental defense efforts. I won’t have that."
Qatrand nodded slowly. This was what she’d hoped to hear from him - a leader who was willing to acknowledge problems and work to fix them rather was refreshing. Compared to a group that would acknowledge it in private while defending them regardless, it was much more hopeful.
"I’m glad to hear that. Because after what I was told those thieves did to the creatures like this one... on someone in the Saltfire’s order? I was tempted to tell Elua that she could take whatever measures she felt were appropriate."
Salghis wasn’t sure why, considering what was said was not all too descriptive... but a cold chill of death felt like it breathed out directly where they stood. Sweeping unaimed out of the spirit of one steadfast ’fortress’, who knew somewhere between first and second-hand what the heiress was capable of if ever let loose.
Because after that assault on the thieves, the brunette had not kept ’quiet’ about what she *could* have done. Or what she feared Qat would let her do if she ever thought that El’s way, in those matters, was better than her own.
"A quick death is always better than... that."
"Well... I’m not sure, but I think I’d like to avoid... uhm, that. Or quick deaths for anyone unless fully necessary. Which is why I was hoping to get your help moving forward."
"What are you proposing?"
"I’d like your help identifying any of my people that are operating outside the Saltfire Storm Alliance charter. I cannot be everywhere at once, but I can provide full transparency about our actual operations. As well as assistance in stopping whatever unauthorized activities are happening."
"And in exchange?"
He hesitated, unsure what to even offer to a Yecine on track to being one of their elders... in his mind. Let alone a cultivator who it was easy to say could be the most decorated warrior on the continent in this cycle. Honestly, the raven haired heavy blade wielder wasn’t sure what she would accept either.
"If your help leads to me salvaging what good is left in my group, then I’ll step aside from my position once we elect a replacement. Then I’ll go and do whatever you ask of me throughout the next cycle."
She just knew the sort of things she would reject.
"No."
And this was one of them.