Rachel

The snow fell generously upon Flame Falls despite its name, and winter had well and truly arrived. The cold wasn't as bad now that they were within the city's bounds, but there was still a nip to the air. The Fire mana wasn't enough to drive out all of nature, even though it tried. The only place free from the chill was a small area around the Flame. The Flame being underground and mostly contained didn't help.

Chris would love it if he wasn't miles north in what was no doubt more 'pleasant' weather. Anyone who would consider blizzards and ice storms pleasant was off their rocker, but Rachel still loved him. Even if he was a bit weird.

"Are you sure you won't stay? You don't have to leave right away, there's a slot open for the Flame if you need it." Vanessa tempted from beside her.

Both women had only just returned to the city not long ago, and while Vanessa was settling back in, Rachel still had one leg of the journey left. While time with the Flame was tempting, she would have to reschedule.

"Yes, I've been gone from Emberhold for too long, and I hear there are rumblings in the west. Marcus is being stubborn, but we still must be ready in case he needs it, not that I believe it will be too difficult." Rachel said, "Besides, I'm not ready to forge my second circle yet, and my Bloodline can wait a few months."

If Rachel had still needed to forge her first circle, she might have stayed to do so, but she had done that before the Assembly. Evolving her Bloodline wasn't worth the delay, even if it was a step up in power.

Vanessa tried to get her to stay nonetheless, "I could use someone of your caliber to face the Upgrade. I hear Zuri is pushing for Viscountess, and I aim to beat her to it."

"You have enough to face it without me." Rachel shook her head and waved at the city in front of them, "You will face the Upgrade with more people than we did."

Thankfully, the women let the matter drop without pushing any further. Rachel was missing home after being away for so long, and there wasn't much that Vanessa could do or say to keep her here. She was also missing her son.

There was just one last thing Rachel needed to gather before setting off, and it was the main reason behind their meeting in the first place.

"When do you think Zuri will push things? With the way things are in the west, we hope there will be some time before our aid is needed." Rachel said openly. There was no point in hiding it from her, as Vanessa knew they were in league with Marcus as well as her.

"I had wanted to push things after getting back, but it looks like I will have to put those plans on hold," Vanessa sighed.

"Why push things?" Rachel asked, confused.

Vanessa's face hardened, "A fight is inevitable and has been even before we were called away to the Assembly. She's pushed things too far. We agreed on a border that she then crossed. We agreed on non-interference, which she then broke. Her Faction creeps westward as we speak, and it won't be long until she's at our door. The preparations are already in the works, defensive lines are being prepared."

"You know that wasn't partially her fault," Rachel defended, "The village pylon wasn't supposed to be planted there and the interference wasn't by her command."

"It doesn't matter. It was done by people of her Faction, and if she can't even control them, then this was inevitable from the start." Vanessa said angrily. "Every step she's taken towards Flame Falls has drawn this conflict closer, and now it's too late for anything else."

Rachel sighed in understanding. It was similar to Lakeshore, in a different sort of way. Ever since they set their sights on the mine, war was inevitable. Chris was always going to react that way to an attack, and once they committed to doing it, the ending was already written.

Vanessa felt the same way about Zuri's continual encroachment.

"I understand," Rachel said, but there was one thing she didn't understand. "But why would you push things instead of letting it play out?"

A heat rose around Vanessa, "If a fight is inevitable, the only thing left to do is take the initiative. Zuri's absence has left her Faction worse off than my own, as it was less stable in the first place. That advantage is worth pressing, and she has yet to solve her food problem as well. Those two things make exacerbating the issue quite easy, and it doesn't even have to start with bloodshed."

Rachel was confused until it dawned on her, "You'd cut off trade with her?"

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Percentage-wise, nearly all of Vanessa's Faction's trade was through Zuri. Sure, Frostheim and the Great Lakes Alliance dealt some trade, but not anything near the scale of the Imperial Faction did.

Empire City had too many people for it not to. The markets there were insatiable, and a lot of their coin flowed into Vanessa's pocket as a result.

And the biggest thing Vanessa traded?

Food.

"I would." Vanessa said coldly, "It would teach her not to bite the hand that feeds her in a poetically literal way."

Rachel's rebuttal of 'People would starve!' died in her throat. How was that any different from fighting them directly? People were dead either way. It was times like this that Rachel remembered the subtle ruthlessness that Vanessa harbored. She'd seen it before in brief snippets, but it was easy to forget.

Vanessa didn't get to where she was the same way Chris and his Faction did. He gathered people as they journeyed and built a city where there was none before.

Vanessa had come back from the tutorial and conquered her city, and ruled it ever since. Not in a bad way like Victor had done, but she certainly hadn't done it peacefully like they had.

Rachel also admitted that this new world added a certain amount of ruthlessness to everyone. Some would look at what happened to Lakeshore and say the same things Rachel was thinking now.

"That would surely kick things off immediately," Rachel said, holding back the other thoughts she had on the matter.

"It would," Vanessa agreed, "But it would also put them in a bad spot right out of the gate. On the back foot, reeling from low food, unstable from Zuri's absence, and unready for anything unexpected. Even still, without her calling on the Admiral, a straight fight would end poorly for us. She simply has too many people. While that may be a boon for her military might, it isn't so for her logistics, so that is what we'll have to target first."

The heat rose a notch as she finished, "Any advantage I can grab, I will."

By the look in her eyes, Rachel didn't doubt her.

"We will come if you call, but remember that we aren't that close. It will take us two months to get here." Rachel informed, steering the conversation away.

"I understand. Even if they throw bodies at us endlessly, we can hold out for two months. Our defenses are ready. The forts are already built and manned. The only thing left to do is wait." Vanessa said grimly.

"I would say I hope it isn't needed, but I fear we won't be so fortunate." Rachel said, "So I'll see you then."

"May your journey be swift," Vanessa bid her farewell.

Rachel did the same, "May fortune favor you."

Winds whispered in her ear of happenings its current caught note of. Most of the whisperings were innocuous, like most things in life. Of an incident here, or a movement there.

One whispered of a Mercenary Company arriving in a certain town. Such things happened regularly as they traveled to and fro, going about their dealings and contracts with Merchant Companies. It wasn't until it was noted that this was the fourth group to arrive in the same city that things became less innocuous. Even worse was when the three other cities of the same Faction had the same happen there as well.

But those weren't the only whisperings. Innocuous or otherwise.

Some were falsehoods, aimed to deceive and trick. Someone on the other side was moving pieces around to match her game. A player in the shadows to mirror her own little Order's involvement.

Intriguing.

Her evolution had caused her skills to rise above the local players, but this one was keeping pace. Every move had its counter, and this player was not as inexperienced as those she'd faced before. The little demon summoner had thought himself her peer, never realizing he was just a pawn in another man's game. It was too bad the little shadow didn't stick around to play, instead slinking back south to its master.

She had a feeling the woman would have been better than Victor had been. While her new Order was good, they didn't have that far a reach to follow her home. Tracking her, sure, but after that... It wasn't feasible after learning how far the place was.

Her lack of excitement didn't last long, as things were in motion once more. Pieces were being moved apace, at scales no one was expecting. Most of the people here were settling into the winter snows, preparing to bed down and wait out the dark winter months, not knowing what was being prepared against them.

While she had to admit that the glaive twirler's preparation was unexpectedly robust, it wouldn't be enough.

He would call on the North, and they would answer, of that much she was certain.

It was what happened after that she was less certain of.

The whisperings she was hearing weren't only in the west, but in the east as well. Two fronts were being prepared. While one was being driven by a treasure they coveted, another was being driven for a far different reason.

Opportunity.

Such an opportunity being presented to the little weasel of a man was too much for it to pass up. Even though he was still on his way back home, he was putting things in motion he shouldn't be.

There was the thought to end him now, cut his plans off at the ankle before they could get going. It was possible. Easy, even. All it would take would be a swift journey there and back, and the job would be done. It would be simple to catch him on the road back. Cut him down without anybody knowing, but she couldn't. Not because she didn't have the stomach, but because she did.

So far, she had explicitly made sure that all 'silencings' were just and necessary. Partly because she feared how he would react when he found out, and partially because she feared how far she would go if she allowed herself to start down that road.

No, this one, while it was just, it was not necessary. Not when it wasn't a direct threat to her family or their Faction. It would certainly prove detrimental for the two Factions they were allied with, but not directly for her own.

The ambitious 'Lord Clairmont' would get to finish his journey home without his carriage being ripped apart by the winds under her command, but something told her it wouldn't stay that way.

Eventually, at some point down the line, he would overstep. Either his ego or ambition would grow too large. He would point his blade at someone he shouldn't and he would check both boxes.

The day would come when it was just and necessary, if he didn't get cut short in other ways first.

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