[Book II Chapter 22] NEPHRITE: Hearth’s New Elite Squad

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A giant wasp fluttering between the overgrown purple vegetation, searching for prey. Nephrite Somber ran on the rock ceiling above. When the insect stopped to hover, she dropped down and cleaved it in two with her scimitar. That’s the last around here.

Having completed her mission, Nephrite headed back, navigating the maze-like subterranean passages until she reached a tornado of shadows snaking through the caverns. She followed the light funnel upwards, running on the walls. She smiled softly at the sight that greeted her once she hit daylight.

East of ground zero, at the very tip of the butterfly continent, Harakoune was unique among Twisted Lands. The earth had been shaped into gigantic hollow ‘bulbs’ which had then been piled on top of each other several layers thick. Inside each was lush greenery fed by light funnels, and inverse vegetation thrived in space between them. However, most breathtaking was that every surface was covered by gigantic flowers.

Reaching the top of a bulb, Nephrite hopped on a Dahlia and took a second to appreciate the view. There’s every variety imaginable, of every color.

In the sky above, airships coexisted peacefully with oversized bees. Spotting one close by, Nephrite caught up and jumped aboard. She watched quietly as the crew came on deck to figure out what had impacted the ship. You won’t be finding this stowaway.

Nephrite’s Glistening Cloak was a relic passed down through the Somber family for generation, and the stealth enchantments within had been reinforced to the point of invisibility. When active, only a slight glittering could be seen for a dozen seconds after she launched an attack.

Her ride soon joined up with other airships, following them down into Harakoune’s depths. They emerged inside a large bulb where vibrant city took up most of the space.

Hearth was originally a trading settlement of no importance. That all changed once the treasure below was discovered. The Winding was temporally accelerated dungeon with a sliding scale of difficulty going all the way up to immortal level. As a training ground, there was nothing better.

Harakoune’s Great Shinobi War waged on and off for almost twenty years as the four hidden villages wrestled for control. This was brought to an end through the founding of Hearth by its current lord. Since then, the city had served as a neutral ground and gateway to contact with the outside world. The four hidden village had maintained outposts here, eventually agreeing to form the Shinobi Council. That united front collapsed with the dark age.

Since the geology didn’t allow for the customary cliffside mooring, the docks were on a flat strip by the entrance. Nephrite leaped off before the airship could touch down and crossed the city. The streets were abuzz with activity. Evacuations will begin soon.

It had been clear from the beginning that Harakoune was far too isolated to weather a Dark Age, so long ago contingency plans had been ironed out. It’d been a simple affair. Shinobi villages had high power levels for their populations, and there’d been no shortage of patrons willing to offer shelter to secure their services. Hearth had chosen Aery as their benefactor.

Approaching the Lord’s manor, Nephrite deactivated her cloak. The palatial structure served as a command center and had powerful wards capable of breaking her stealth and alerting the guards. They don’t kid around when intercepting a partially visible intruder.

When she handed in her quest stone at the reception, the dispatcher pointed upwards, “The Hearth Lord is waiting for you. Please proceed immediately to his office.”

What’s this? Nephrite was certain she wasn’t in trouble. Since returning from adventuring, she’d performed all her missions flawlessly. This was her first summons. Maybe a special assignment?

She made her way to the top floor and entered a large room. At the center was a table with a projection of Enera’s surface. The Hearth Lord pouring over the map while discussing with an outsider in black. Their conversation was shielded, but Nephrite recognized the man as Garreth Black from the Adventurer’s Guild.

Two more were seated by the windows. Hearth’s blood and bones. They were elite ninjas like herself, prodigies she was often compared to. Haron Dhelgin was a warrior proficient in blood magic, and Arika Shiki was a necromancer specializing in bones. The pair had a famous rivalry, and it wasn’t unusual to see them together.

“Any idea what this is about?” She asked, installing herself besides them.

“A new team is being assembled. We’re all to be part of it.” Haron answered.

“We don’t know more than that.” Finished Arika.

Nephrite frowned. While she’d joined a party for adventuring, she’d always operated on her own when working as a ninja. The advantages of her ability to move undetected would be lost in a group.

“Say, Nephy.” Arika began. “When did you get back to Hearth? You were already here when I arrived.”

“Nearly a month ago.” She answered.

Haron whistled, “So before the recall order when out. How diligent.”

Nephrite sighed at the subtle mockery. They’re young and have long enjoyed special treatment for their gifts. Their words didn’t bother her. She was a Hearth ninja through and through. Diligence was her nature, and the source of her success. Rather, she felt pride at her reputation.

“Keep me abreast of any developments on your end,” A deep voiced boomed suddenly. “And I’ll let you know what my ninjas discover.”

Seishin Ozaki was originally from the hidden village of Ash. To end the great shinobi war, he’d traveled to Xarst and taken the oath. Only then did he obtain the trust to found Hearth as its first lord. It was understood that any successor would follow his example.

“Until we meet again.” Garreth Black made a bow and left.

The Hearth Lord turned to them, “Good, you’re all here. We can finally begin.”

Nephrite didn’t like the implications she’d been late. “May I ask when this meeting was scheduled? I didn’t hear anything before heading out.”

Seishin smiled, “It’s something I decided on the fly after consulting with Garreth Black. I keep track of the comings and goings from the manor, and was confident in your punctuality.”

The Hearth Lord sent out a fairy, “I’m forming a four man team to support Jayden Zuto. I trust you know the man.”

They did. There were five ninja ranks: lord, supreme, elite, legion, and rookie. Supremes were immortals, and elites were saints. Legion corresponded to adventurer rank A-C, and rookie was everyone else. Lord was the village’s leader.

Jayden was a supreme ninja, a dungeon junkie who had never stopped adventuring. Rumor was he’d returned to Hearth, but she had yet to glimpse the man. It’d be an honor to serve under such a renowned figure.

“Who’s our fourth member?” Haron asked.

“He’s here.” Seishin answered.

The door opened and a tall man in weathered ninja gear strolled in. He appraised them with sharp, observant eyes. Following behind Jayden was a boy of around sixteen. He wore a forehead protector, a headband with a metal plate, on which was etched the heart-shaped flame of a Hearth ninja.

Nephrite pursed her lips. She recognized Light Skyfell from the Blood Arena recording. While she’d nothing against him, she didn’t approve of his selection. He became a saint too fast. While his fighting ability might be impressive, shinobi missions entailed a wide range of skills, and raw talent couldn’t substitute years of experience. Noting Haron and Arika tense up, she could tell they felt the same.

“Jayden has been training Light deep in the Winding. Six months have passed for him since his time on the Isle. He should keep up with the three of you.”

This somewhat mollified her, but also elicited a pang of jealousy. He’d better be good after six months of Jayden’s instruction.

Seishin addressed the youth, “Sorry to cut your dungeon stay short. I wish I could’ve given you more time, but trouble came sooner than expected, and Jayden is too valuable not to use.”

Light bowed, “I’m eternally grateful for all the assistance and am eager to return the favor.”

Jayden chuckled, “That composure is a facade. Light’s been itching to put what he’s learned into practice.” Becoming serious again, he faced the rest of them, “I’ll be counting you three to make up for his lack of field experience.”

They nodded. It won’t be the first time I’ve teamed up with a fledgling shinobi. Nothing to do but make the best of it.

“Since your affinities are sand, blood, bone, and steel, your team name will be Gladiator.” Seishin declared. “Now it’s time to discuss your first mission.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard of tethered realms vanishing and the chaos it’s creating. Well, Garreth Black just came by to keep me abreast of a recent development. East of Nordric, new rifts have been opening, and several settlements have been wiped out by demonic beasts.”

“Now that’s not too strange for a dark age, but here’s where it gets interesting. In one case, the demonic beasts responsible were griffons native to a tethered realm in the Northern Empire which went missing two weeks ago. In another, demonic panthers normally found in Sanwue made an appearance.”

“Garreth Black postulates that disappeared realms are being retethered in the area South of Ground Zero. If he’s right, this is organized effort the likes of which has not been seen in thousands of years. We are looking at a major demonic beast invasion.”

Seishin sighed, leaning over the projected map. “Sixteen hundred miles of Twisted Lands separates Harakoune from Aery, and I need to map out a safe travel route for our people. It is imperative that I understand what the hell is going on with these demonic beasts. Who’s behind them? What are their goals?”

Seishin’s gaze met with Jayden, “I’m depending on you and Gladiator to investigate this on my behalf. Your first task is to visit a frontier village south of Talvi which has fallen out of contact. Report back what you find there.”

“Understood.” Jayden responded coolly.