Limitless Path

The room she had rented was still only a handful of silver per night, but it was far nicer than the room she had been renting at home. There was a small entryway where someone could hang their gear, leading into a living room that was even larger than the one they were used to. The bathroom was just as luxuriant and even more massive, while the bedroom was very similar, though Beth was certain the bed was even larger and more comfortable. The kitchen wasn't a small kitchenette anymore either, but a full kitchen that even had an island in the center with stools where a group could sit and eat.

"This is nice," Blood growled as the door shut behind them, making her equipment vanish as she sniffed around the suite. "We should rent better places."

"Well, that's what we're doing now," Beth replied with a small eyeroll.

"Let's clean up," Blood said, heading into the bathroom and making her clothes disappear.

The two of them showered and Blood jumped in the bath while Beth returned to the living room. She noted that their communicators were connected to the CRA network here just like in their home hall, and she could pull up any books or documents that she wanted. The Black Hall presented far more simple training materials to a basic search, though with a broader Outernet connection, all the same things were available with a quick search.

She eventually yelled at Blood to get her lazy ass out of the tub as she wanted to make food for both of them and didn't want to wait any longer for the indulgent wolf. Once Blood started complying, with much grumbling, Beth made use of the full kitchen to cook a large meal mainly consisting of pasta and meat in a thick sauce. It would have been too much food for most others, but it was barely enough to restrain Beth and Blood's hunger.

After catching a good night's sleep, made even better by the more comfortable bed and accommodations, they were up rather early the next morning. Their first stop was the large and rather busy cafeteria of the Hall, taking advantage of their deep pockets to avoid cooking for themselves. Not like they had to worry about their weight or overeating, either, as they burned calories at a prodigious rate, usually being more worried about getting enough food.

The cafeteria was bustling even that early, and Beth noted it as one of those smaller differences between the White and Black Hall, as well as between a more developed world and Earth. The Black Hall went a little more for quantity over quality, not that the membership fee was any cheaper, but mindset does have a powerful effect on execution, and the more regimented, military mindset the Black Hall stuck to saw their numbers swell. It wasn't right or wrong, nor was it unpleasant to be in a much fuller Hall, especially since no one went out of their way to strike up a conversation, leaving the girls to just people watch while they ate.

After they were done and had returned their dishes, they headed out of the Hall, Beth having checked their destinations the night before. The first of those was the Silver Hammers' main hall, where they did most of their guild business, including much of their actual systems production, which was located just outside the very center of the city. They had a rather large plot of land that took up most of a city block, their building taking up almost the entire footprint and stretching up six stories. The building itself was made of a very high-end stone, something like marble that seemed to glow in the early morning light.

"Bright," Blood grumbled, pretending to shield her eyes from the light reflected off the building's bright façade.

"Don't be a baby," Beth replied, elbowing her companion lightly as they strode up to the front of the building.

"I'm only a couple years old," Blood muttered back.

"And with all the time we've spent in compressed time, which counts just the same as normal days, you're more like eight or nine. Another couple objective years and you'll be in your twenties, regardless," Beth commented with a small shake of her head. "You certainly don't act like you're two."

"Whatever," Blood replied with a shrug, dismissing the conversation.

They entered the front doors at that point, finding two guards just inside, enjoying the climate control while still guarding the door. The man and woman gave Beth and Blood a single glance as they walked in before returning to scanning the lobby and the street out front. Beth saw that there was a single counter in the front of the room, behind which five different people stood ready to assist guests. Which turned out to be more than necessary, as there were lines behind each of the five people stretching halfway across the lobby and it looked like nobody was particularly happy about that. Nor about the guild’s recent dealings, if the one man vociferously yelling at one of the five attendants was anything to go by.

Beth and Blood got into one of the five lines, not seeing any indication that any line was for any particular topic. They waited patiently for nearly half an hour until it was their turn at the counter, finding themselves across from a beautiful, and rather harried-looking, young woman with a bright, if strained, smile and clear, warm blue eyes. She did her best to straighten up and lighten her smile before addressing them, clearly trying to recover from the impact of so many haggling complaints long before it even hit lunchtime.

"Welcome to the Silver Hammers trade union, I'm Stephanie, an entry-level member and receptionist. How may I assist you today?" the girl introduced herself before asking for their business.

"Ah, you're probably not gonna like this, but we need to speak with the union leader. Alexander Coleman, I think it was?" Beth said, watching the girls shoulders droop and face take on a bit of a nervous wince.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but the union leader isn't seeing anyone right now," she started to explain, but Beth interrupted her.

"Look, I get that, but I'm not sure he can really say no here, politically speaking. I'm here representing not just myself, but as a member of the CRA that is working for the Lord of Traversal. You can check my credentials," Beth explained, pulling out both her CRA emblem and her token from Mortaine and handing them to the girl, who took hold of them with a look of confused wonder on her face and merely stared at them in her hand for a while.

After half a minute, Beth understood she had broken the poor girl's already overloaded brain, reaching out to give her a poke on the shoulder while clearing her throat. Stephanie gave a little jump before looking up at Beth with widening eyes and deeply reddening cheeks, clearly rather off-kilter. Before she could say anything, Beth stepped in again and said, "If you're not sure on this, it never hurts to ask. I'm sure a more senior member would be happy to assist or even take over talking with us."

"Right, sorry," the young woman said, taking a deep breath and getting herself back together. "I apologize, it's just been a lot these last few weeks. Please, give me a moment and I'll get somebody in a higher position of authority."

"No problem," Beth replied with a warm smile. "Take your time."

Stephanie darted off, clearly needing to physically leave, or maybe just too wrung-out to think that staying with the customer and making a call would be the better option. Beth waited patiently, leaning against the counter and looking around the lobby, noting several annoyed people in line behind her; noted and ignored. Blood started sniffing around the lobby while they waited, the guards focusing their attention on her for a minute before deciding she wasn't a threat, which was honestly a mistake on their part, not that Blood was actually going to do anything, but the guards didn't really impress Beth. Not that she could see rebirths yet, but the sense of power and energy she got from them wasn't very high. Could always be good at disguising that, but she had some serious doubts.

The lobby itself was cool and seemed to absorb sound, some acoustic trick in its construction meant to keep the place quiet, she was sure. Much of what was present was a wood of moderate lightness, something like a pine perhaps, though Beth herself wasn't exactly familiar with types of wood, and certainly not when alien trees were involved. Her plan was just to stick to metal in the future, and she should probably spend a little more time working on that even now. Their timetable for the mission was fairly long, and Mortaine had told them to enjoy themselves a bit, so maybe she could restart that work.

She was examining the two massive crystal chandeliers hanging on either side of the lobby and still ignoring the disgruntled people behind her, several of whom had already moved to other lines, when Stephanie returned with a tall woman a step behind her. They entered the area behind the counter from a door slightly further down and walked over in front of Beth, clearing her throat to get Beth's attention. Beth turned around and immediately knew that the second woman was a real powerhouse without even having to Identify her, the subtle feeling of power enough to let Beth know she was the real deal. Well, that sense of power could be faked, but it was rare to do so, so Beth was going with her gut feeling on most people until she had some way to check rebirth levels.

"Sorry for the wait," Stephanie said a bit apologetically. "This is Senior Edria, and she'll be able to help you further."

"Come this way, please," the tall woman said in a tone that didn't brook any argument.

"Of course," Beth replied coolly, walking with Blood down the counter until the woman emerged through a folding door and turned, leading them through a door and down a long hallway. She stopped at a plain door some distance down and opened it with a quick, economical motion, revealing a relatively small room with a nice sitting area. She led the way into the reception room and took a seat at the head of the small table, indicating for Beth and Blood to join her, which they did, sitting to her right.

"Now, shall we discuss business?" Edria asked, giving the two a piercing look with a slight frown.

"Of course," Beth said again. She then asked, "Can I start with: Who are you and what's your position at the union?"

"I am Edria Blackwell, and I am a senior member in good standing here. I often provide assistance to the vice union leader and union leader when it comes to more…troublesome tasks," she replied, a piercing note still in her voice.

"Well, we're getting somewhere at least," Blood murmerred, Beth giving her a side-eye but not commenting on the comment.

"Anyway, we're here on behalf of Mortaine, otherwise known as the Lord of Traversal, to discuss the ongoing supply issues," Beth stated. "We were informed that the issue largely stems from access to mana crystal, and that this is due to a dispute that touches on political territory. We were hoping to speak to the union leader to both get a better understanding of the situation and be able to better assist in resolving the problem."

"I don't know that you could assist here," the woman replied a bit haughtily. "The issue is one that involves Ascended and Enlightened, so I fail to see how two still wet-behind-the-ears girls can step into those waters."

Beth didn't get angry, shrugging instead and saying, "People's rebirth numbers aren't that impressive, especially when they make dumb decisions, but that's beside the point. The issue, as I understand it, is not even one of power, but one of taxes and political games. I don't need to be strong enough to punch apart a planet to argue about taxes or to uphold the law."

"Except at times you do, considering the people you want to argue with can kill you with a flick," Edria dismissed her arguments with a slight wave. "I think you better go back to the CRA and come up with a new plan."

"And I think it's a bit better if you actually pay attention," Beth retorted, making Mortaine's emblem appear before the woman could respond. "Let me go through this again, as you seem focused on the wrong things. We are not here as direct representatives of the CRA, we are here as representatives of Lord Mortaine, who asked us to try to resolve this issue diplomatically. But if we cannot solve this issue peacefully, I'm quite sure he has a plethora of options to solve this issue, including less peaceful ones. I'm here, trying to negotiate in good faith, so I'd like a bit less attitude and a bit more help in solving this problem."

Edria considered her words, but only for a moment, frowning deeply as she stared Beth down across the small table. Finally, she said, "We will take your recommendations under advisement, but we will not be intimidated. By anyone. Now, do you have any other business with the Silver Hammers today?"

"No, I think we're done here," Beth replied sharply, standing alongside Blood and walking out, forcing Edria to run for a moment to get ahead of them. Beth hid a smirk as the woman resumed her place in front of them, trying to act like she was leading them out, and also like she was still in control of the situation. They returned to the lobby and Edria immediately left them, disappearing back into the depths of the building again. Beth gave Stephanie a nod as they passed through the lobby, Blood grinning at the harried young woman before they left the building.

"So, that went well," Blood chuffed sarcastically when they were on the street and walking towards their next stop.

"I didn't really expect any less, other than being dismissed so totally because they think we're too weak," Beth replied, leading the way towards Mortaine's building. "I'd like to say something in there surprised me, but it was pretty typically long-time business hardheadedness and refusal to budge. We've got our work cut out for us on this one, and we haven't even met the governor or her representative yet."

"Is that where we're heading now?" Blood asked.

"Nah, we said we'd go back and work with Rell and Itharion, so that's where we'll head next," Beth replied.

She led the way across the city, heading into the outer districts towards Mortaine's building. The traffic during mid-morning was much more than they had seen the day before, though all of it was on foot or occasionally mounted. Beth didn't know whether it was because they just didn't use vehicles, or because the city seemed to be designed based around foot traffic and the rare mount, but they didn't see a single personal vehicle as they made their way over to meet up with Mortaine's two workers.