Limitless Path Chapter Six Hundred Seventy (Patreon)

It had been a long time since Beth had really felt like a tourist or a country rube, but this was a special case and deserved a special exception. Hell, even Val, the most widely traveled and seasoned of them, was still overawed by the place, though she was doing a good job of hiding that behind a slightly smug, slightly aloof face. The others weren’t really trying to hide their wonder, or enthusiasm, and made no bones about walking the streets in wide-eyed wonder as they took in the sights, which included more than just the buildings. Even the streets themselves, quite literally, were a thing of beauty and amazement, making one want to hover slightly over them and observe them rather than walk on them.

They were still aware and adept enough that they weren’t bumbling around, bumping into people or getting too distracted. They did have a destination in mind as well, not just randomly wandering about, though it wouldn’t hurt to take a bit of time and take in some of the sights as they went. Illiem had given them a recommendation to the Black Ships’ headquarters to speak about several matters, the most pressing of which was obviously them looking for a place to stay. On top of that, they could pick up some information about a couple different matters, including what was happening on Millennium’s Echo right now, which would be rather important to learn. Beth also wanted to make a quick, discrete little inquiry about a certain company, a certain company she had encountered during their work putting down the rebellion.

The headquarters of the Black Ships in the City was…impressive, to say the least. It was a large building, which was already rather something if one considered the price of real estate, in particular land in the center of the city. On top of that, the company was not bothering with trying to hide their wealth or power; the entire building was made from rare materials that would have cost a fortune just to acquire, let alone work in the manner in which they had been molded, sculpted, and carved. Some of the things Beth saw as they walked up couldn’t have come from a low level instance or a regular place in space, which was a flex of the companies might; having one’s headquarters building made from thousands of pounds of materials that it would need Ascended or even Exalted to extract was a special kind of flex of one’s power and influence.

Not only was the building massive, it was also spatially expanded inside, which is something Beth and the team didn’t encounter all that often. The CRA did it a bit with their Halls, but few others ever had reason to get that extra space, even apartment buildings and living areas. Space was, overall, cheap; there was more a concerned about keeping areas safe, but there were plenty of towns and cities spread around the galaxy as a whole that lacked people, not living area. It spoke a bit to just how precious space was on Millennium’s Echo, and to the power of the company, that they would expand their headquarters building internally, and that they could do so to such a volume and considering all the mana present in all the materials they used in the construction. Even things like the way they enchanted their buildings were a flex, but then again, they were one of the richest and most powerful groups around, extending their influence to multiple other galaxies.

When they entered the lobby, they found a massive room with dozens of people moving about on business. It wasn’t as busy as what Beth and the others would normally expect of a CRA Hall in a major city that was seeing an influx of people, but it was a lot more busy just in the lobby than many other trading firms and businesses they had been in. The only comparable thing would be when the Seven Lights was hosting an auction, which would be a little more populated, but the Black Ships weren’t hosting anything like that today. Beth went over to stand in a short line at one of the counters while the rest found a small seating area to the side they could occupy, Bjorn and Adam choosing to stand while the others sat or reclined.

It didn’t take Beth long to get to the front and she presented the attendant there with her Black Ships token and with the note from Illiem; it was a shame the man himself couldn’t join them, but he couldn’t leave the other headquarters building on Zephyr Prime for any length of time at all, let alone something that might take a few days. It wasn’t all that bad, however, as it would just give them a chance to make more contacts within the organization, or that was how Beth was viewing it, anyway. The attendant quickly scanned through the short letter, verified Illiem’s seal with a quick scan, and then asked Beth to wait for a more senior representative to join them.

She returned to her group, as it was going to be a few minutes and she didn’t want to clog up a spot at a counter while waiting. Her group, which normally would have gotten at least a certain level of attention other places, wasn’t barely even noticed by those coming in and out of the lobby and talking with the attendants. Not that that was all that surprising, considering that many of the people who entered even just to talk to someone at one of the counters were Ascended, and there were many powerful Ascended that moved further back in the building, some without even speaking to anyone. Either members or people who had appointments and didn’t need checked, but it was another thing speaking to the power here, both what the Black Ships wielded and in the City itself. People that were a dime a dozen in this lobby were the kind of people that most planets in the galaxy would have one of, at most, and they would be running the whole planet. Most places wouldn’t even have someone of that level, and it was only the more populated and active planets that would have several Ascended at that kind of rebirth and power.

Beth was interrupted from her thoughts, and the group from its idle discussion of the building and the wealth on display, by the arrival of a person with the same kind of seniority, if not more, as Illiem. Beth had sensed them, just barely, before they appeared, but the rest of the group was taken a bit by surprise, not an easy feat to accomplish. They all had rather keen senses and could detect others from quite a distance, so to have somebody just appear besides them, or make it seem like that was what had just happened, was rather startling. Beth hadn’t been surprised at all, and she noted that the woman, as it was very clearly a woman, had definitely picked up on that fact.

“Welcome. You are the group recommended by Illiem?” the lady spoke in a lilting, musical voice.

“That’s us, yes,” Beth confirmed.

“Please; this way,” the lady said, gesturing for them to follow.

The woman then led them deeper into the building, which was an experience in itself, as they were constantly passing very powerful people moving about with a sense of purpose. To see dozens of Ascended and a hundred Enlightened working feverishly as just cogs in a machine was quite an experience, and the more Beth saw of things like that and this place, the greater her understanding of the kind of power the Black Ships had. Even if every single person they passed on the way to the meeting room was a guest or visitor, it still spoke volumes about the company, that they were able to have so many people of such strength essentially waiting on the company, doing business with them, or even doing them favors and working for them.

The lady led them into a small meeting room, though still with enough space for the group to gather around in a seating area. Beth was used to both meeting in conference rooms and less formal rooms at this point, so it was interesting to see which the lady, and the company, picked to make an impression on them. They even had a chair within that they were assured could handle Bjorn’s weight and power, not requiring him to use his own furniture to join in the meeting. There were refreshments present as well, and Beth sampled some of them as they settled, giving their new point of contact a closer look as she did so.

“I’m glad you’ve sought us out,” the lady said as they settled. She was tall, quite tall, though she was fairly thin, with very pale skin and dark black hair, perhaps even darker than Beth’s. She wore some kind of dress that left her arms exposed and went down to near her ankles but had slits on both sides that exposed her long, shapely, very pale legs. Beth had also immediately keyed to the fact the woman had her eyes closed, and she maintained that even now, having her eyes fully closed, not just squinted or partially shut. It wasn’t the strangest thing Beth had seen, by far, and she was assuming it was either the result of some skill, or countering its affect. It wouldn’t be crazy to think the woman had some kind of strange eye power that not just changed her eyes, but caused them to affect the surroundings if they were open. Such things weren’t common, but they did happen, and given the kind of level the woman was at, Beth had no doubt she could have her eye power upgraded far enough that even a more standard power now had strange and mystical effects.

“Forgive my abruptness, as well,” the lady continued. “I am Isoldorra, Lady of Altered Time.”

“Good to meet you, Isoldorra. I am Beth, which I think you probably know, and this is my team,” Beth said, letting everyone go through quick introductions. She continued, “I take it you were sent the contents of the letter?”

“That’s correct. I’ve known Illiem for many years now, so it was an obvious choice to pick me as a second point of contact for a relationship he has been fostering,” she explained. “I understand from his note that your team is looking to acquire a piece of land or building in the City. Is that accurate?”

“Yes,” Beth said with a nod. “We’ve got a lot of stuff we’re going to do here, including in the Eternal Depths. We were told, and our research does seem to confirm, that it would be easiest for a group like ours to operate on the planet if we had somewhere here to stay.”

“That’s correct,” Isoldorra said. “Not just for convenience and ease of access, or not just for your group, but there are certain…politics at play here. Others will have more respect for you, and you will integrate into the schema here better, if you have a place of your own. And, if you are wont to dismiss my words, do not be quite so hasty. There is long-standing precedent for people to have better relations and development with housing here than if they were the occasional guest, flitting in and out, though I think you’re group could be one of the few exceptions.”

“And why would we be exceptions?” Sera asked, seated beside Beth and leaning back into the couch they were on.

“Power and connections,” Isoldorra said with a shrug. She turned when addressing someone and looked right at them, so Beth had no doubt the woman had one or more methods of ‘seeing’ the people and things around her, she just never opened her eyes. Others might find it a bit disturbing, which Beth was also sure added a bit to the woman’s mystique (and possibly intimidation factor), but Beth found it to be a bit cute. Or maybe endearing in a bit of an attractive way; hard to tell, but she did know she wasn’t intimidated or put off by it.

“What does that mean?” Andrea had asked in the meantime, though it might have been a bit more rhetorical.

Isoldorra answered anyway, saying, “Your group has power. That much is clear just observing you, even if you’re hiding your strength, and if you are, then you are even greater than many would assume. Having personal power is a big factor here; people will respect you, though not cave in to your every whim, if you have a certain amount of individual strength, as well as strength as a group. Even the least of your group, from what our notes on your activities reveal, and from what I can observe, are already rather powerful. I would say most early Ascended would struggle even against the least of this team, which is saying a lot more than you may think. Even powerful teams aren’t usually at the level where their weakest member is punching up rebirths, let alone across major rebirth tiers.”

“And the connections?” Val asked with a perfectly quirked brow. Being the political one of the group, Beth was sure it was more probing to get Isoldorra’s opinion than any real desire for information, but Beth was interested in anything the woman could tell them.

“The City of Mended Dreams is a web of connections and privilege,” she replied with a sigh. “Who you know isn’t the end all and be all; how could it be, with how the Path works? But it is very important, especially as disputes and squabbles break out all the time. The CRA does its best to regulate everything, but they can’t be everywhere at once, and their membership isn’t as…voluminous, nor as powerful, as I’m sure they’d like it to be. Having connections with powerful companies, or extremely powerful individuals, can provide a certain level of protection. Your team is strong, but you’re certainly not the only strong team on the planet, and you would be in quite a bit of trouble if a mercenary company with thousands of members, dozens of them being powerful, experienced Ascended, decided to pick a fight with you. Connections can help head such things off early, or help de-escalate a situation before it blows up into something everyone will later regret.”

“Not much different than what I would normally expect,” Val said with a shrug, addressing both Isoldorra and the group. “I doubt it will operate too much differently here. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the kinds of power and wealth at issue, but that’s really the case everywhere. Everyone always thinks they’re the greatest thing since heating arrays were invented, and it’s always the same games.”

“I understand you have a bit of a…unique perspective,” Isoldorra replied, giving Val a small nod. “I would just caution that, well, caution is a better strategy to start.”

“Not going to run out and declare war,” Val scoffed. “At least, if we can keep our team leader in check.”

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Beth asked, giving the kresnik a mock-glare.

“You know what I mean,” Val said primly, settling back on the couch, though Blood leaning against her and kissing her cheek threw the whole image she was going for out the window.

“Well, we’ll see, but no promises,” Beth said, getting laughs from most of the others.

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