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Chapter 79: The Irunian Menace

"So this is all your fault," Kai said.

"No, no! Let me finish. The Corinins could have recovered if they\'d made concessions or chosen a sacrificial lamb to accuse of corruption. But instead they doubled down and tried to negotiate hard. And now instead of me getting a potential advantage in international trade, I\'ve gotten a disaster."

Kai glanced back at Zae Zin Nim, who shrugged her absolute indifference. Okay, then he needed to make some snap decisions. "What exactly was being done and why is it leading to troop movement?"

"To oversimplify... southern Goralia purchases a lot of metalwork from Irun, the sort of thing too intricate for our smiths to make. They command high prices, and nobody would dare cheap out on them. But recently Dommag Corinin has been buying Irunian steel, mixing in inferior work where most won\'t notice, and selling it all for an extra profit. They found out..."

"And they weren\'t happy. Irunians take their reputation seriously."

"So we\'re learning. Anyway, they\'re sending a force to come to Rayakan and take back all their unsold merchandise." Razz threw up his hands. "Apparently the contracts say they can do that if we\'re in breach! But the Corinins won\'t take that lying down, and I don\'t know if the Irunians are sending a military group. Either way, this could turn bad."

"Then I think I get it." Kai braced himself to jump off the wagon, but Razz grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait, are you headed for the Irunians? If you\'re able to talk to them, can you do me a favor?"

Kai sighed and turned back to him.

"Hear me out, please! They\'re going to want to withdraw trade, which we can\'t afford. But if they make another deal, the Lantrian clan could handle everything they need. It\'s just a matter of getting them to trust us." Razz glanced nervously between the two of them. "I know I\'m asking a lot of you here, but I actually have a new opportunity. There\'s a monster the Hunters Guild isn\'t taking care of with a mounting reward."

"And?"

"And I think I can arrange a way to claim the reward even though you\'re not members. If you... no, I\'ll get started on it right away and trust you on this part. If the Irunians seriously attack Rayakan, we\'ll have much bigger problems than wandering monsters."

"Alright, fine. You can leave that for later, just figure out a way to negotiate a new deal." Kai clapped Razz on the shoulder, then leapt off the wagon.

Mana-powered vehicles were convenient, but they moved slowly compared to his new running speed. Considering that he could already smell steel ahead, it wouldn\'t be far. He wasn\'t sure how much good he\'d be able to do once he actually arrived, though. Honestly, he was more sympathetic to the Irunians than Razz and his scheme to gain advantage.

Zae Zin Nim kept pace with him effortlessly, practically floating over the ground. He was fast, but he was beginning to realize that cultivators could move with unreal speed. Not necessarily at close quarters, but definitely superior over long distances. Maybe one day he\'d have cultivated enough to glide over the landscape instead of thumping his way forward.

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He could see steel glinting in the distance... and there were several specks diverging from the main group to intercept them. Kai cursed under his breath and turned to make sure Zae Zin Nim understood the stakes.

"We want to try to negotiate with them," he said, "but they\'ll fight. The important thing is not to kill anyone. They respect strength, not brutality."

"If you insist." She rolled her eyes but didn\'t object.

Not long after, both sides skidded to a halt. There were several Irunians in their usual dour robes, all bearing glimmering weapons. He judged them at an average of 40 power, which was actually more than enough to overcome most hunters in Rayakan. But the one who bothered him was their leader, who wore a full suit of liquid metal armor. Even though it resisted spiritual sight, Kai estimated that the armor alone was worth at least 100 power.

"Stand aside," the leader said, voice muffled from within his helm. "We have no quarrel with you."

"We are not representatives of Rayakan," Kai answered, "but we do bear a message from them. Some of their members wish to apologize for the dishonor and make amends."

"That gauntlet... just where did you get it?"

Too late he realized that he was still wearing Tusquo\'s gauntlet. Kai hastily raised it so that they could all see. "This is part of a weapon sphere granted to me by one of your countrymen. It is an unrelated matter, so-"

"More likely another Goralian theft. If you are worthy of such a gift, prove it."

Just like he\'d feared. Kai held his ground as the first several Irunians drew their weapons and attacked.

A man wielding a shining partisan attacked first, penning him in with thrusts. Kai wasn\'t sure if his body could handle Irunian steel and didn\'t plan to find out. He used his gauntlet to grab the handle, grunted as it slid back against the head, then tore the weapon from the man\'s hands.

Too late, he realized there was a woman behind him with her sword almost at his neck. Not an honorable tactic, so apparently they really were pissed. Kai managed to duck and landed an elbow in her gut, sending her to the ground.

Meanwhile, Zae Zin Nim was spinning between the others gracefully. She hadn\'t worn her Cloudspire robes again after the party, but somehow she made even a plain tunic look elegant. In a matter of a few blows, her opponents had been knocked to the ground without serious injury.

Then the leader drew his sword and struck at her in a single blinding blow.

The man hadn\'t held back at all. Kai didn\'t think there was any way he could have dodged in her position: he would have needed to take the injury and try to fight back. Zae Zin Nim spun in midair, dodging the thrust and then placing a palm against the liquid metal armor.

Her qi dissipated harmlessly and Kai could see her eyes widen. But as the Irunian pulled back his sword, she didn\'t hesitate again. When her other palm rose, it struck her opponent with blue fire. A wave of it expanded from the impact, sending the Irunian tumbling backward over the ground.

Just as the man landed, Kai wrenched his sword from his hands. Even with the advantage of surprise, he struggled to pull it free. Before the Irunian leader could retaliate, Kai reversed the direction of the sword and handed it back to the man hilt-first, showing off his Irunian gauntlet.

"You are free to ignore our words," Kai said, "but please listen to us first. Southern Goralia can be a treacherous place."

Silence. Several painful seconds of it. Then the leader carefully accepted his sword and returned it to its sheath. "This is more respectable than we expected. But, even if you are unaffiliated with the local clans, you were sent by one of them, were you not?"

"I\'ll not claim otherwise. I believe the Lantrian clan would trade more honorably with you, but I cannot promise that." Kai abandoned his effort to speak with Irunian formality and just shrugged. "Frankly, I\'m a bit out of my depth here. I can only tell you what I\'ve seen so far."

"This is acceptable." The leader gestured to his warriors, who gathered themselves with no apparent hard feelings. "Escort our new guests to the main group with all the honor they\'re due."

So they headed toward the small Irunian army with no injuries and little energy spent. That was about as good a start as Kai could have hoped, the question was just how the negotiations would go. He would just have to hope the rest went smoothly until it was out of his hands.

Along the way, he couldn\'t help but glance at Zae Zin Nim. She\'d reacted to the failure of her palm strike so smoothly, relying on mana she\'d only just learned to use like it was second nature. Even weakened by her physical condition, she always had a grace that made him feel like a bumbling oaf.

"Kai Granfian?"

The voice interrupted his thoughts and made him turn back to the Irunian force. Someone broke from it and Kai only had a second to see Tusquo Agyama before the man pulled him into a tight embrace.