PftA Book 4 - Chapter 38 - Justice and Arranged Marriages

“I was wondering about something,” I said to Kai as we prepared to teleport to Zavira’s location. “You mentioned at some point that the Sovereignty Sect’s leader was only Tier Eight. Do they not have stronger members? I’d expect at least a few, considering they have disciples challenging the dungeon.”

“Not active members, no,” Kai replied. “Sovereignty disciples who challenge the dungeon are encouraged to ascend as quickly as possible. They might occasionally have one or two who’ve challenged the dungeon and are taking a break, but they aren’t allowed to exceed the current Patriarch’s strength.”

“What about those who reach the pinnacle and leave the dungeon?”

“Most who reach the pinnacle in the dungeon simply ascend. Few exit the dungeon and remain in this realm for long, though I suppose it does sometimes happen. It’s far more likely for Pinnacles who haven’t challenged the dungeon, or who left after reaching Tier Eight, to linger in this realm. Dungeon challengers tend to develop a different mindset if they make it to that point.”

“So, there aren’t any Tier Nine or Tier Ten Sovereignty Sect members running around that might take offense at our actions?” I asked.

“As surprising as it may seem, no,” Kai replied. “There is a Tier Nine former sect member who was exiled when she refused to return to the dungeon when she was still Tier Eight. I know for a fact that she doesn’t care about her former sect at all.

“The others have all ascended or are in the process of doing so. While they seem mostly ambivalent, none will seek retribution for their former sect’s demise. You might encounter a former sect member on one of the last two floors of the dungeon, but I doubt they’ll cause you any issues. If they do, just handle them the same way you did the last one who challenged you.”

I stared at the blonde man for a moment. “I still can’t believe you traveled around the Alliance to talk to all of these people.”

Kai blinked several times as if he was struggling to process my comment.

“What else did I have to do with my time while I waited for you to escape?” he asked curiously. “Once I handed off my position, it wasn’t like the new Patriarch wanted me hanging around, second-guessing his decisions. Dealing with the Sovereignty Sect made excellent use of my time.”

“Um, okay. Thanks, I guess,” I said as I rubbed my neck before glancing around the empty apartment I’d been gifted in the sect compound on Aegeas. “Are you ready to go?”

My former Master nodded, and I teleported us to the guest arrival platform for the Hephaistos Sect. Zavira was standing impatiently by the exit.

“It’s about time you arrived!” my best friend said as she jumped on the platform. The guard watching the arrivals moved to stop her but hesitated. “Let’s go!”

Zavira would probably get chastised when she returned for not going through the proper arrival and departure procedures, but that was for her to deal with.

I sent the guard an apologetic look and quickly teleported my small group to the challenge rift I’d identified on the abandoned Tier Nine world where I’d scavenged most of my garden materials.

I touched the edge of the swirling portal and assessed the condition and requirements for the rift. It was only a High Tier Nine rift, but like basically every rift on the planet, it was overflowing with mana.

The challenge would be extremely hard for anyone without a Space affinity or specialized seeking spells. It was a puzzle challenge where the challenger had to locate and recover certain rare materials, including the remains of specific creatures.

I explained the parameters of the challenge to my companions, and Kai nodded as he considered the prisoners he had in stasis.

“We can’t put someone inside who has absolutely no chance or the system will view it as murder,” Kai reminded us as he withdrew the time-locked body of an older-looking elf.

“Hey, we’re drawing some attention,” Zavira warned us quietly as she backed in our direction.

“I’ll handle it,” I said, motioning for her to help Kai. “You two can deal with this first one while I set up an avoidance array. It should keep the rest from approaching.”

The cycle time for Tier Nine rifts usually measured in weeks, but since the rift had likely never been delved and was in a constant state of overflow, I was confident we’d be able to place several people into their own private instances before needing to move on.

Though Kai and Zavira struggled with it, I had no trouble removing the prisoners’ equipment using Phase. Several had implanted devices of one sort or another that required a bit more careful effort, but I managed to remove those, too, with a few creative applications of my magic.

Since I wasn’t totally heartless, I gave each of the former Sovereignty Sect members a storage ring with a modest amount of space. The ring held a variety of tools made by Novice and Intermediate Crafters, along with several sets of unenchanted robes.

If they truly were as well-rounded as Kai said they were, there should be plenty to get them started and keep them alive.

“We can come back to this one if we run out of Tier Nine challenge rifts,” I commented when the rift didn’t ripple, indicating it was no longer overflowing and had not already cycled.

“I doubt that will be necessary,” Kai stated. “There are only four more Tier Eight individuals.”

The news made me frown. It seemed like there should be far more high-tier Sovereignty Sect members than that, given the overall numbers I’d gotten.

“Why do people even join them if they restrict their members’ growth like that?” I asked.

Kai shook his head. “Who knows? The Sovereignty Sect is very selective about who they accept. I have no idea what criteria they use for such decisions.”

“They’re also not very old in the grand scheme of things,” Zavira chimed in. “Elves also tend to advance a lot slower than humans, so only accepting a few new members each year wouldn’t be all that abnormal.”

“Still,” I said with a frown. “It seems like more should have advanced if part of their core beliefs is that they are superior to other races. How can they justify that claim to themselves when it takes them so long to advance?”

“Part of it is because elves, in general, are far more well-rounded than shorter-lived races,” Kai stated. “They spend much more time focusing on their professions – all of their professions, not just their primary one. Even their fighters tend to dedicate at least half of their levels to professional development. That may not be the case in the dungeon, but it certainly is for the rest of the Alliance.”

With how much harder it was to advance using professional experience, I could see how trying to remain truly balanced could significantly slow one’s progress. You’d practically have to be a Time Mage or one of the long-lived races to even attempt it.

I considered the new information as I searched for a new challenge rift. They had a special energy about them that regular rifts didn’t have, so it didn’t take long to find another one on the uninhabited world.

“This one is only Mid-Tier Eight,” I said with a frown when we appeared. I’d been focused on the tell-tale signs of a challenge rift and hadn’t been paying attention to the strength of the rift itself.

“That’s fine,” Kai said. “We have plenty of Tier Sevens to get through. Let’s start with the Low-Tier Sevens and work our way up. Maybe we’ll find a stronger Tier Eight challenge rift for the others. We wouldn’t want to make things too easy for them.”

We got to work preparing the time-locked entrants for their challenge, and it didn’t take long to fill the rift to capacity.

“Where to next?” Zavira asked eagerly. I could tell she was already getting a little bored.

“How long did you plan on sticking around for this?” I asked. “I know you’ve got a huge list of commissions waiting for you.”

Zavira shrugged. “I don’t mind supporting you. I know you don’t care much for this type of thing.”

“You know, I find myself surprisingly neutral about all of it,” I said casually. The strangest part was that I was actually being completely honest.

“I doubt I would have felt so blasé about something like this before our time on the seventh floor,” I continued, “but knowing that these guys have targeted Time Mages and murdered innocent people… I just don’t feel bad for them.”

“Just don’t get too callous,” my closest friend warned me with a friendly pat on the arm. “I’d hate for you to become one of those homeless murderers you talked about.”

“A what?” I asked, flabbergasted by her word choice.

“The homeless murder fiends. You know—” she waved her hands, “—like the people in the stories you read back when your world was mundane.”

It took me a minute to figure out what she was talking about, and when I did, I barked out a laugh.

“A murderhobo.”

“Yeah. That’s what I said, basically. Your wording is a bit weird, but it means the same things, right?”

“Close enough,” I told her with a chuckle. “I promise I won’t start killing people indiscriminately for the experience. So… do you want to head back or continue on with us?”

“I’m alright staying with the two of you, especially if you plan to move to a Tier Eight world soon. I wouldn’t mind getting a bit of hunting in while we’re out. I was able to kill a few Tier Eight beasts a little while ago while you were setting up the avoidance array, but knowing a Tier Nine beast might suddenly appear is a bit nerve-wracking. I didn’t realize how spoiled we’d become in the dungeon.”

“The floor limitations in the dungeon are nice,” Kai commented, causing me and Zavira to unconsciously nod in agreement.

“Maybe you should catch up and go back with me when it’s time,” I said playfully to Zavira. “It would be so much easier to pass the time with a companion.”

Zavira’s expression fell slightly, and I rushed to backtrack my comment before she felt compelled to decline. I really didn’t want to make her feel bad about staying, even if the thought of going back alone depressed me.

“Never mind, honestly,” I said with a sincere smile. “I know you want to have a family. I really shouldn’t keep bringing it up. I’m sorry about that, and I’ll try to do better.”

Zavira cleared her throat and looked around evasively. “About that…”

My eyes widened. “Really? You’re going to accept one of them?”

Zavira had mentioned the possibility of an arranged marriage several times in her messages over the years, but she’d never accepted any of the potential suitors. She’d always hoped that she’d find someone and fall in love like her parents had, but after a quarter of a century, it still hadn’t happened.

“I think I might,” my friend said with an embarrassed smile. “I want to get to know him a bit better before agreeing, but he seems nice enough.”

I glanced at Kai with wide eyes, wondering if he knew anything about the arrangement since he was buddies with Zavira’s ancestor.

“I think it will be an excellent match,” my mentor said agreeably. “The Marchioness’s third son has strong Metal and weak Force affinities, which will likely combine well with Zavira’s opposite Force/Metal affinities.”

“Well, I’m happy for you,” I said after taking a moment to process everything. “Hopefully, I can make it to the wedding.”

Zavira grinned. “I doubt that’ll be an issue. His goal is to reach Tier Six before officially making a decision, but he’s been grinding on Agirock for a while and should reach his goal in the next few years.”

“How were you able to meet if he’s grinding on Agirock?”

“You remember that ball I had to go to a couple of nights ago? His mom forced him to attend…”

I went ahead and prepared a meal for us while Zavira told me all about her potential match. I had deeply mixed feelings about the arrangement, but I kept my feelings to myself.

Strangely, I wasn’t as opposed to the thought of an arranged marriage as I was knowing that the arrangement would absolutely keep Zavira from joining me in the dungeon. I already knew it was extremely unlikely she’d join me, but losing the possibility entirely was something else.

Still, I wished her the best. As her friend, I could only support her decisions and hope that she was happy.