Playing detective

According to the new guidelines layer out in the Travel through Sigil, the newly sanctioned copy of the dearly departed guide. The realm Silverstone is the ore mine realm that scythe blades are forged from and the souls are trained to be put into them. Before it was sent to the death god blacksmiths in the basement of death's domain to be sharpened and assigned a wielder. It is a rich vein realm that came about from the right amounts of energies from the worlds came together. The realm became a high standing when many corridors of sigil collapsed. Many fleed guild members that once man counters of safe heavens are now the wise being to the council that governs realm affairs. If it is a public land order is given to the residents to vote the law through and finalise by the council. If it matters outside the realm it's raised to higher than the wise men. Dealt with the monarch or high-powered royal. There is nothing further about this royal family; the sort of power they command, and what this had to bother her. There is no point in checking the cog tome, she would never rudely mess with names she doesn't know. Often cog rank souls are best left alone to their Duty or nature.

She puts the new guidelines book away from her collection of many versions of walker path laws. The attempt for a license was where she got this copy.

This new realm that intervenes with the afterlife and walks on corridors was what was the cause of changes in the death domain and undertaker realms. This Silverstone place is controlling things. Even the sigil crystal panel has been changing in keeping with the law of Silverstone. Along with many oath walkers of the shadow paths, all of them are labelled as rouges or outlaws. Despite being a high standing, the view of souls from darkness is seen as a bad reputation. Undertakers are being divided which is the first time in their creation. The good ones are being educated and reformed as scholars of Silverstone. The bad ones are being imprisoned and not having any further information. Nothing is being noted about what is happening to shadows of the damned that it caught up with this. But there is a suspicious smattering of dust these days overall pathways. The drinking taverns are either folding in with the law or dismantling to leave the realm. There are only the dark pubs, those of dark pathways that are a refugee from the law changes. Attempts to enter the dark paths and bring down such places. Capture or slay outlaws. It's already begun.

She is a target because she out-ranked the guide master for the school ground sigil guild in her previous life and her current one too. Without enforcing the highest rank to yield to the law, the Silverstone will not take over. But attempts and schemes are being made. They will find something to piss her off or starve her. She the last famous known standing for dark pathways, around this part of the sigil. She returned to known grounds. Already a scheme is at her feet.

Getting settled in with the school and setting up her class. She no longer takes in path walkers unless the headmaster gave her the OK. All are registered on her class roaster. Further changes were that she no longer trusted to let students go into the sigil. Small groups at a time for gathering ingredients. But everything about the guild was changed. Many counters are now in the demon realm that eclipses living lands. More refugees from Silverstone Empire attacks come among us as time goes on.

Getting used to the sort of spirits there is around here. She was currently seated at the spirited pub that is located at the Cross over point but the spirit side. She had already struck a fancy deal of restocking some hard-to-obtain liquids and general drinks from other places. She had even sold a few barrels of the worm blood, she sold it as emergency removal of mistakes on Tome pages. It had plenty of labels to this fact.

Left on a large table is scattered with old and new papers. Plenty of newspapers that she flicked through. The production of such things was stopped by Silverstone. Smaller copies of hidden realms are now the mainstream papers these days. She goes through them, combing brazen authors that still go against Silverstone and the change of what they are allowed to write as news. Like always, she is left alone by those that knew her. The place gets busier the longer she lingers here. It seemed she was the sore thumb once more, a single person at such a large group table.

She was focused on reading that she doesn't bother paying mind to the drinking crowds. The place turned so quiet baring a few shuffled movement. She turned a page of the last large print there is. Reclined in spying carefully. So many scared expressions. The newcomers are trouble. She folds the paper, tucked it under her arm and waved the stacks to storage. While she stood, the little four-person party took her table. She stands among the many at the bar. Blending in.

"Unlawful." Hammered someone among the four with punching the table. Quick hissed in disappointment.

"But we can't control all of the Sigil without dismantling the fundamental things that kept it. I am suggesting that we allow a lot of these dark-side rankers among us. Let them continue being the dirty work. We aren't interested in taking the nine main hells, right?"

"But they weren't the landscape they are now. Those places use to be neutral ground and not full of cursed and evil." They are old enough to recount such things. That's fascinating. They evaded mind wipe by the universe too. When alterations go unnoticed because 'it's always been that way'.

"You should leave, miss. They aren't here for good things. They will kill half the folks in here." The barkeeper whispered at her.

"I can handle this. There aren't many grim around here I trust to write the names correctly." Indeed the grim reapers that take Silverstone's side are improperly writing the names and sometimes just some insulting names of the soul. At least death gods write names and move on. They don't want to be hassled for improper work later. Central is going to have a field day for this or it will be her later if Central does nothing. She will accept taking a death curse if it was to give peace to the souls about to be written.

The barkeeper stands with a frown, no one dares make a sound or order anything. Rather the new folks were becoming uncomfortable like they were sitting within invisible flames. Lea can't help but direct her aura to make them more and more uncomfortable. She was rather enjoying the suffering they presented. The fools have no idea that the damned hunger such things. Turning the damned of unfinished business to ashes will make these folk pay a price later in their soul history. Everything has a system, a nature and or a cycle. Even negative to positive energy has a balancing act. It isn't created from anything, there was change and nothing was always something. Such fundamental principle.

"Something isn't right here." One of the four stood up and moved away from the table, "I have never encountered this particular aura before but this technique is that of someone cursed." They go to light a candle. The flame did nothing of hurting her, rather it just reveals her tendrils to be holding around the table. The candle placed there shows she wasn't harming them nor does she seem bothered by the candle effect at all. Rather, she seems to enjoy the candle just as much more with how much more scared everyone around is. Quiet the smile on her lips as the more afraid they are.

"I guess I can try testing out the method that a human with a mask told us. To see if this is a living being with a curse like them. Or if this is a dead spirit trapped." The interesting belief of 'trapped' but it isn't quite fitting to call a damned soul 'trapped'. Maybe trapped by its soul problems.

The four of them stood now and posed in prayer. Scattering many of the negative patrons to leave. But still, she is here. Her cloth may smoulder but she is used to it. Just the sort of play them about to distract them further. She used her tendrils to lift the candle and wave it about like it was such a precious thing. Equally, she was pickpocketing for their ID and other credentials. She was fleecing any more candles and powders. She was even nosey enough to see the sort of weapons they wielded. That there was a mistake on her part, unsheathing the Holy blade. The divine energy turned that cloth to ash, clattering to the floor - dispelling the distraction from working.

"Nobility is only strong enough to be this brazen but you aren't among the living." The owner reaches to retrieve the blade from the floor. A new cloth tendril pulls the blade away, whipped to her hand. She lays it on the counter like everything else she fleeced from them. The barman has backed off and plays surrender at her.

"I am both, half-wit." She stands holding the holy blade, the blade itself is uncomfortable in her hands. Like many objects of the soul, they all hear her thousands of sand grains and felt judged by the constant many lives each grain is. She brushed a few surfaces and the metal peeled like plastic in her hands. This was silver plated with a steel core. Worthless for combat, simple decoration or key to something else. A status symbol than a weapon. Not even a soul Harvesting thing. The soul in the object is just simply a holder of secrets that would only benefit the soul-suitable wielder. She twirls it about but she tossed it gently to be returned to their partner. She had done this test on everyone's weapon.

"I guess it's a clever way to have a phone. These souls are bound together like a network. Able to communicate long distances to inform other soul blades. Clever. Humans have such technology too. Not as good but does more stuff than just that." She wears her veil over her face but this was no longer the status symbol for anyone these to accept.

"There is no such thing as a soul being both." She tilts at such an arrogant thing to say.

"So in your term, does that make your swords alive?" She asked with a finger at her lip, "Does a realm full of both living and dead natives have no catalogue in your system? What if a god follower which is by definition a living human in contract to a higher power, comes to stay in the domain of their god? They are alive in a dead world." She is clearly smarter than three of them but she is sharp at how the fourth that stood first isn't an idiot. His hand blocked the others from making action.

"I call upon the ranking system."

"I will by default win." She shrugs, "I read your laws. I still outrank." She twirls in showing the bat counter, "I got what I wanted from you lot. I am just unimpressed with things. However by the same definition that I out rank you. I am also powerless. I can't stop you from what you must. It is always been up to you to carry sin and burden. I can't stop you." They made move towards the counter but even still the fourth cookie stopped them. Lifting a chain.

"Sorry ex-undertaker. But I shatter laws." She grapples this same chain. Turly it sprays all directions in black sand, salt and ash. They hold cumps of what remains of the chain they were about to capture her with, "Rather this universe doesn't love me as it did before. But I will continue my duty, like it or not." She walked through objects and them on purpose, "Didn't you feel that I am a living human? That I have a heart that pumps a pulse. That is by your definition a living thing." She tilts in how scared they are, "A little tip in future. Stop giving off such emotional fear. You are a rather rude bunch that brings no ease to the damned. Instead each you slay, those chains cling to you. They become your fault." She looks away, "I don't make the rules. This is the way things are. You can't change this. Pathetic in believing they are trapped. They are less so than you. Trapped by their own or someone else sorrow. You four are clueless dolts."

She eased in fading away, all her shadows hidden away now. The bar was clear of those that are not meant to die. She walks away as the blood, ash and salt sprays behind her. Willing to take the burden, she watched her hand melt of flesh as she held the death tome. Only her bone fingers eased at correctly identifying the souls. Even the Barman... among the victims. The location is no longer a safe drinking hole. She bandaged wrapped her hand and sent away the death tome. Returned to the living realm to evade justice according to the Silverstone Empire. She stood at the border edge in making none of the empire goons pass. As the living realm is at her back and she will protect it. None gladly approached, they seem to been order to evade the living world, for now.

The pickpocket rewarded her something very useful, a device they use. This isn't the weapons they use for phones. The sleek crystal was a sort of tablet computer. The language is their standard but she worked out how to translate it. She has already nosed about the laws it can tell her and the latest news that updated constantly. This is what the newspapers have become... of forced to be. She hasn't the intention of giving this back, not care for it if they are tracking her with it. She just uses what she can with it. She knows there be a limit eventually, someone will take it back.

There still nothing useful about what or who the royal family. Nothing about what happens to those cast to be judged by one. There no a single new article that details anything about the Silverstone realms features. It doesn't even state if it has any sort of cities or native lifeforms. The name is simply a reference of where reaper blade ore comes from. Frustrating that she not able to even able to answer the rank or soul status of this royal family. Unable to reach out to them if something significant was to happen to the known existence boundaries. The system is Chaotic order, no pattern to it.

She doesn't know how much time she has. Now that this lifetime was death cursed. Watching the necrotic skin at the stump of her bones of the wrist. The price paid at least.

Once the gateway closed, she went to her dorm room. She has more bandaging to do. Medicine to apply. Simply exhausted. Spent energy and weakness with infection of her hands. It seems not many living people take notice of her or that there aren't a lot of people around. She didn't notice what time it is. But it was best that she goes get sorted and worry about classes after.