TWO HUNDRED NINETY-THREE: When Wishing Was Having IV
Edited (minor, epub updated): June 20, 2026
“…and I will travel a future road with a patience that hastens the journey of another. So we walk together for a short way and meet without meeting.”
Alden stood in the empty locker room as the Artonan words echoed away, paying attention to how his body felt as the wordchain settled on him. This was a small enhancement to his speed, and it was easy to think of it as instantly gaining a few foundation points in the stat of the same name. But System-affixed points felt more natural and intuitive. The chain’s effect made him temporarily unsure of his movements. He jogged forward and backward, trying to settle into it.
My Body Becomes My Assistant is so good for making this more manageable, he thought as he jumped over a bench.
He’d used that one first. When he didn’t, adjusting took twice as long.
I wonder if adding Peace of Mind to the mix would give me an edge for things like obstacle courses. Right now, he wasn’t curious enough to try it, and he didn’t want to pay for it anyway.
Since nobody was in the locker room to see him, he spun one one foot, tried some rapid side steps, and even waved his arms around in front of himself to make sure he was in control of everything before he decided he was good to go.
His interface was active, displaying the run order of all the teams that currently had permission to race. The two teams competing immediately before his own had just started their run, so it would most likely be a few more minutes of waiting. Their team would be running against Vandy’s. The girls hadn’t selected their five runners yet. When they did, the names would automatically appear since Kon had already finalized their five.
He’d left himself and Jeffy to sit out.
Alden wished all of them could run together. They all deserved the opportunity, and there was discomfort in being one of the runners when it seemed like an embarrassing performance in front of Ash might ruin Kon and Jeffy’s chances of ever getting to do anything in this class.
They’ll get to go next time, he told himself. We just have to avoid the crime of being uninspiring.
He hurried back into the gym, taking some pleasure in the fact that his hurry was a faster one than usual.
He’d left his teammates with permission to go through his duffel bag while he went to take care of the wordchains. And they’d definitely gone through it. Kon was arranging a bunch of miscellaneous supplies in rows one the floor beside the bag, so tidily that it looked like he planned to impress someone with the display. The others had put on the junk clothing items Alden had brought if they weren’t already wearing something of their own.
Now they look nice and portable.
If someone broke both legs, he could just carry them around using whatever they had on.
Mehdi was holding up a football jersey as Alden approached him from behind. “Do you think he used to go to this team’s games a lot? The internet says they’re in Kansas. I wonder what Kansas is like. I wonder if he played for his school. Do you think he was popular?”
“You’ll have better luck asking me those things than Kon,” said Alden. It was funny to hear someone speculating about such random aspects of his life instead of the more major features.
Mehdi turned to face him, still holding the jersey up in front of the middle school science fair T-shirt he’d brought to wear over his own suit.
“I’ve never been to Kansas or seen that team,” Alden told him. “I wasn’t a football player at my old school. I wasn’t popular. I almost always spent my time with a couple of close friends.”
“Then why do you have this? Didn’t you ever want to see Kansas?”
Alden shrugged. “I landed on Anesidora without the usual packing opportunities. One of the first things I did when I made it to intake was order a mix of clothes. I just let the errand runner pick them, and he sent that with everything else. Most of what he got me was good, but I think that jersey can die gloriously in a superhuman fight without being missed.”
Mehdi opened his mouth.
“You’re going to say something about the important run we’re about to have, aren’t you?” Lexi said. “Instead of being too interested in the history of Alden’s unwanted clothing.”
Mehdi looked offended. “I was going to ask him if his wordchains are working. I think it looks like they’re working, but that’s critical information for the team to have.”
“They’re working,” Alden said. “Throw me the jersey if none of the rest of you are going to wear it.”
Mehdi tossed it to him, and Alden put it on.
“Shouldn’t you wear something with long sleeves? And maybe a hood to protect your skull… ” The faint note of hesitancy in Kon’s voice caught Alden’s attention more than the question itself did.
“I was going to have a couple of layers,” he answered, looking down at Kon and his rows of supplies. “I might as well in case one rips, right? I’ll do this, and then over it, I’ll wear that black rain jacket that folds up into its own pouch.”
He bent and grabbed the jacket from inside his bag. “It’s got a hood. We’ll take the backpack I used in Combat I and put whatever you guys want in it, too. Since Ash has assigned us to go against the girls, we don’t have to worry about them complaining about dumb things like how many clothes we’re allowed to put on or if a backpack is too powerful. They’re not petty like that.”
“That’s right!” Kon said. “They aren’t. And since they aren’t, we were thinking…it might be fine for us to take all of this. Just in case you need any of it.”
He was pointing at the stuff they’d laid out. It was so much that there was no way Alden could use it all during a single run. Fifteen hundred feet of paracord, three rolls of duct tape, five temper spheres, two slings he’d made, a knife, a box cutter, two bottles of water, three disposable ponchos, zip ties, an umbrella, plastic wrap, gloves, the box he kept small pre-made shield objects in just in case he wanted to try out something on the spur of the moment…
Realistically, I’m going to end up using just two or three things. If he had the clothes and a shield with wide coverage in his hand to start, there was a good chance they wouldn’t have time or opportunity for the rest of it. But if they want to go the over-prepared route, I don’t mind.
“Sure. We can take it all. Load it into the backpack. Or if anyone thinks it’s particularly likely I’ll need a certain thing when I’m backing you up, put it somewhere easier to grab ”
“Really?” Kon looked relieved. “We thought you’d say it was excessive.”
They did? Alden shook out the rain jacket and put it on. It was very oversized and hung almost down to his knees. “I told you all I’d be willing to use whatever worked for this class, right? Anything the other teams won’t object to. It’s not like Combat class.”
“Thank you for your team spirit! I’ll try to think of good ideas while you’re all busy out there, and these supplies will expand our options.” Kon started tucking most of the assortment into Alden’s backpack and distributing bits of it to the others. During coursing competitions, team members who weren’t running could only observe, but in this class they were allowed to communicate with runners and make suggestions. Kon was planning to do some directing from the sidelines.
Alden didn’t like that they’d thought he wouldn’t agree to all the supplies they’d chosen. Yeah, it’s a lot, but none of it’s heavy and only the temper spheres are really expensive. If they worried I’d complain about them wanting me to take rolls of tape, I must not have gotten my intentions for this class across well.
He’d definitely said more than a couple of times that he would be willing to try preserving anything they wanted him to, and he’d described himself as the team’s support person.
I knew I went a little subtle with it, though. It just never felt like the right moment to have a more in-depth talk about it, and I didn’t want to be misunderstood.
Did I hope they’d naturally start acting like they have a role to play as my entrusters without me ever having to tell them I’d like for them to think that way?
He had.
Even Haoyu, who was his most frequent entruster in class, wasn’t accustomed to thinking of Alden’s skill as something he had any say in the use of. He was just doing Alden an easy favor by giving him the permission he needed to satisfy the funny rule his skill came with.
I want them to use me more selfishly so that I can practice serving my entruster’s goals for real instead of treating the relationship like a technicality.
But I didn’t want to say it like that.
He grimaced.
I said nothing, and now we’re about to run. They’re not going to behave differently unless I speak up.
Working with entrustment, not trying to get around it, and appreciating that it’s part of the magic I can do.
I want it, but then I neglect it like this? I don’t even have the tattoo holding me back.
Stuart and I don’t have all the time in the world for me to figure this out.
“Hey, so…about my skill,” he said, trying to catch six different pairs of eyes at once. “It’s obvious that it’s meant to be helpful to a second person. There wouldn’t be an entruster involved if what the entruster wants and needs isn’t an important part of how I work as an Avowed, right? This doesn’t come up in our other classes because we’re usually working individually, and there’s more than enough for me to improve as it is. But a class that’s all about teamwork is a great chance for me to learn more about how different entrustment situations affect me.”
They’d all stopped talking among themselves to hear him out, but they didn’t look like they were getting much from what he’d just said.
Yeah, because I should’ve set expectations two weeks ago.
“I mean that when we’re out on the course, I’d like for my entruster to feel free to ask me for whatever they think would be good without worrying much about my plans. Or my ego. I’ll tell you if I think it’s a bad idea, and I’ll try to guess correctly about whether or not what you’re asking for is going to knock out my skill. But in this class, it’s actually fine with me if you impose on me way more than you ever would in our Combat course.”
Most of them nodded. Lexi looked like he’d been given a puzzle he didn’t particularly want.
I expected questions. But I guess they understand?
“We’re starting out with Kon as my entruster, and we have a plan we have to do if we don’t want to disappoint Ash,” said Alden. “But after we’ve tried the plan, if Kon suddenly wants to make me fight Jupiter in the traffic tunnel with a duct tape sword…he can ask me to do that, and I’ll actually take the request seriously instead of immediately telling him no like I would normally. That kind of thing.”
Kon snorted. “More duct tape then!”
“So everyone understands I’m willing to practice the entrustment part of my skill more like that? That I want to, actually.” Alden put the gloves in his jacket pocket. “Sorry I didn’t bring it up sooner.”
“You’re just saying you’ll be a team player and carry as much junk around the course for us as we want,” said Kon. “I don’t think any of us mind that.”
“I don’t think that’s quite what he meant, Kon.” Lexi was studying Alden.
“We all feel free to entrust you with things if it’s important,” Haoyu said. He was wearing a shirt and shorts with so many rips that they’d have been indecent without the unitard under them. “We know you don’t mind.”
“I thought he was saying we should boss him around in this class, like wizards who’ve summoned him to be our Rabbit. Because that might help him do his skill better.”
“Jeffy!” Haoyu exclaimed. “That’s not what he meant.”
“It’s not what I meant…” Alden said. “But I was trying to say it would be good if my entrusters think of me and my skill as a tool they’re supposed to call on. Maybe it’s best to imagine I’m your own personal battlefield support when you’re the entruster? None of you would expect me, your classmate, to blow all my magic protecting you from one of Tuyet’s darts so that you could accomplish something you had in mind. But you might be right to expect that from me if this was really a serious situation, and I’d agreed to follow your lead. Then you might say, ‘Alden, block that,’ and I’d do it because we had that kind of understanding.”
<<What?>> Ignacio was blinking.
“My skill requires a partner. So I need lots of practice being a good partner. Please worry less about asking me to use my magic for you in this class. It’s cool if you want to be more demanding.”
“I want to be his entruster,” Mehdi said much too quickly.
“Am I making sense now?” Alden asked.
“You’re making sense, but you should have explained what you were thinking days ago,” Lexi said, exasperated.
“Sorry. I was trying to hint at it.”
“When?”
“Why were you hinting instead of just telling us?” asked Haoyu.
“I was trying to say it without it sounding like what Jeffy just said. Or something. I don’t know. It doesn’t have to change much for this run.”
He felt like he still hadn’t conveyed it. I’m going to get death by Tuyet and no proper entrustment, aren’t I?
Vandy’s team list suddenly appeared on their interfaces. The names of both teams’ runners were revealed.
“Finally. That took them forever,” said Kon. “Were they trying to hide who was going until the last second, or could they really not decide?”
Alden read the names. Jupiter, Tuyet, Maricel, Everly, and Heloísa.
“We can beat them,” Kon said firmly. “You men have trained for this day.”
“But we never agreed to be called Konstantly Awesome,” Lexi muttered.
“I’ll change the team name for you when you win.”
“You all heard him say that,” Lexi said.
“I heard it,” said Ignacio.
“Me too,” said Alden.
“And I’ll change it to the best ever team name if you earn us a second run.”
“What’s the best ever?”
“Win and find out, Haoyu. Win and find out.”
“Nobody needs to worry about my entruster thing,” Alden said. “If it’s a pain. I didn’t mean to be confusing right before the race.”
Kon stood and passed him his stuffed backpack. “It’s not that confusing. Focus on conquering the island like we planned, of course. But when the girls start attacking, it’ll all turn into a mess anyway. Good luck, all of you.”
He texted them as they headed to the starting line.
[Kon: And remember. Our instructor is probably a six-year-old. So don’t be boring.]
The rules were scrolling in front of their eyes. They’d be starting on the side of the course they’d toured at the beginning of class, and Lexi would be out front, hopefully demolishing the pincushion alley with Writher. Alden would be guarding against anything he missed with a plastic tablecloth that could provide coverage for everyone if they stuck together.
“It’s good you think of how to practice for how it can really be.”
Alden looked to his left. Ignacio stood there flipping one of his Meister knives while they waited for the start signal. Vandy and Kon had immediately agreed to each other’s supply lists, so there was a massive rope of ivy waving over the top of the tunnel, like Jupiter was saying hello.
“Someday something will happen,” Ignacio continued. “I try to think like that, too.”
Alden recalled what Kon had said about Ignacio’s beliefs when they were flying on the nonagon together on Christmas. That Earth’s bill has never been paid and Avowed our age are going to see it come due. He’s such an ordinary guy, but that’s going on in his head.
He knew he was being loose with his definition of ordinary there. Ignacio was a third generation Avowed who spoke at least three languages, had his pick of Apex schools, and was training himself to kill with swarms of knives. But he was a regular guy, too. He was bummed Febri, who he’d been making friends with, was gone. He was a little hesitant about his English despite making good progress with it. He had a sister a couple of years younger than him he’d mentioned once or twice.
“I think about chaos more than most people must,” said Alden. “Because of what happened. But also…for someday.”
Ignacio sent the knife as high as he could without hitting the barrier above them that formed the ceiling of the course’s first level. He smiled at Alden and caught it without looking at it. “You and I won’t be surprised.”
Alden nodded.
“An entruster should trust you a lot,” Ignacio said. “Maybe?”
“I think that must be part of the ideal. I just haven’t found many chances to do it the right way in class.”
Ignacio looked at him thoughtfully, but he didn’t say anything more.
A minute later, they were running.
******
******
I think I can’t get that frog out of my head because I’ve left him stuck at the beginning. Just trying and trying. To be heard, to carry a burden, and to find a friend who cares about his struggle upwards and the wonderful ball.
Leaving him there feels bad.
People who are trying hard like that shouldn’t be left alone in the dark
Sometimes, that’s reality, but…
******
******
Ash had called them the weakest team.
They were all pissed off about it even though they’d tried to encourage the others to keep cool heads. They could laugh about the plan that had earned them this run and, at the same time, be angry about how much effort they’d put into doing this class right without being recognized.
Alden imagined they had matching fires in them. He thought that must be helping them flow through the course in a way he hadn’t known they could.
Watching other teams run it for an hour hadn’t hurt, but there was more to it than simply knowing what was coming. From the first step he took into the alley, Lexi was locked in on his task, and all but two of the spikes shooting out of the wall met a twisting, burning chain whip that lived up to its name. The two he missed hit Alden’s tablecloth and burst into harmless splashes of light.
“Discard that tablecloth,” Kon’s voice said in everyone’s ear as they reached the end. “Good job getting through the alley. Alden, I entrust you with your jacket. Tell me if you need something else. Mehdi, out front. You’ll slow down the next blue car.”
He sounded calm even though he was speaking quickly. Alden’s impression of the whole course was the same.
Quick. Calm.
It was partially Vandy’s fault, even though she wasn’t out here. Teams were allowed to have sound from the audience blocked by request, and she’d requested it. They’d heard a couple of shouts from the girls’ pincushion alley, but that was all.
They entered the traffic tunnel with no sign of the other team.
Air rushing around the magically formed “cars” was the loudest thing. The interior of the tunnel was the same green as the exterior. Light came from a glowing strip along the ceiling. Traffic moved at about sixty miles per hour, and the distance between the vehicles and the walls couldn’t possibly be legal in any reasonable society. A block shaped like a semi-trailer came through about once per minute, and Alden was sure none of the members of his team were skinny enough to survive its passage by flattening themselves between it and the wall.
But there was also a poky blue sedan that held up the other cars, and if someone ran in front of it correctly, the nonexistent driver had time to slow things down even more without causing any collisions. Mehdi pulled off the initial slow-down, and the rest of them dashed through as his efforts made all the traffic in that lane turn more manageable.
It wasn’t the only way, and slowing traffic meant the other team was more likely to risk fighting them here in the course’s only free attack area because it might not lead to a wreck. But they had already made it to the lift at the end of the tunnel by the time the girls arrived. Alden and Haoyu stepped onto it first and shot up toward the second level. They ran toward the jungle gym.
We’re way out in front. They can catch up, but we’re so far ahead.
Alden wasn’t even breathing hard yet. He pulled himself up onto a metal pole that had been dented by the passage of a rougher contestant and then squeezed between two pieces of bamboo.
“Ignacio, do you think you could safely kill my girlfriend before you leave the tunnel?” Kon’s voice said.
“Eighty percent yes.” Ignacio’s reply came so quickly that he must have already been thinking about the question.
Alden wanted to tell them not to risk it, but he wasn’t looking at the traffic like they were. Killing Everly without wrecking cars or dying themselves at this point in the run would basically win the game. She couldn’t get through pincushion alley by herself. One of the Shapers would have to go back and take the hits for her with dirt or life matter bags.
On the other hand, messing it up would be the end of the game for us.
“Let’s not,” Kon decided after a beat. “Get up to the second floor now. Alden and Haoyu, you know what to do to set up our amazing island plan.”
“We’ll do it,” said Haoyu.
It’s a strange feeling to be having such an easy time here.
The jungle gym would be worse if the other team was out in front, with the right to attack they could earn by putting someone over the finish line. This was a deceptively easy obstacle that forced people to slow down so that they could be picked off.
“You’re doing all right?” Haoyu asked him.
“I am. You?”
“I’m good.”
Alden could hear Lexi, Mehdi, and Ignacio on the frame behind him. Just hands and feet ringing on poles. He didn’t look back. He needed to be through this as fast as he could. There was no approach to the next obstacle without him.
He saw an opening to chuck the backpack ahead of him into the clear area out ahead of the jungle gym and did so. He followed it moments later, his feet hitting the barrier that formed the floor at the same time as Haoyu’s and a few seconds before Mehdi’s.
Haoyu wore both of Ignacio’s large knife rolls on his shoulders.
“I’ll pass our Strength Rabbit to you now, Haoyu,” Kon said.
Alden targeted Haoyu.
“Tuyet’s running ahead of her team,” Kon went on in a conversational tone. “She’ll be with you soon. There’s no point in worrying about it since we can’t do anything to stop her.”
“I want to be thrown by my shirt,” Haoyu said to Alden. “It felt the most stable the other day. So I entrust you with my shirt.”
He crossed his arms over his chest.
“This is so weird,” said Mehdi, looking around them. “We’re on the course, and there’s nothing to do.”
Alden ignored him and grabbed the back of Haoyu’s shirt. “It’s higher, so I’m going to throw you really hard. Okay?”
“Okay.”
“Don’t lose the knives,” said Mehdi.
Alden looked up at the island.
I hope this whole plan works.
“Maybe you should throw me,” Mehdi suggested. “I’d definitely grab on if you don’t miss.”
“Shhh,” said Haoyu. “He’s not going to miss.”
“On three,” said Alden.
They were still flowing. Even the counting felt smooth.
One, two, three.
And then Haoyu was in the air.
He didn’t yell with excitement like he had in the park. It was an effective throw, but not a perfect one. He did his part to turn it into a landing, both hands digging into the floating island near the bottom, his body swinging once before he pulled himself easily up.
Alden let out a breath, and bursts of noise suddenly came from multiple directions.
Mehdi shouted, “Yes!” in his ear. Ignacio was congratulating him as he landed on the floor, having finished his own traversal of the jungle gym. Jeffy, who’d been fairly quiet while he watched, was telling Haoyu he had sky moves through comms.
Haoyu was the only one not saying anything. He was working as fast as he could to plunge Ignacio’s knife collection, one or two at a time, into the dense barrier magic that the gym had made the island from. They thought it was supposed to represent something like hard-packed ground, since people could jam things into it but not with great ease.
Haoyu moved like a machine, driving some of the knives in deeper with Boxing Gloves.
“Awesome throw, Alden!” Kon was enthusing. “Way to land, Haoyu! First try!!”
I did it, thought Alden. No mistakes. We’re really doing this.
“Now,” said Kon, “the annoying thing is that with Haoyu up there we could win in more effective ways. But we have to win with Alden throwing one person and using no rope because that was the show we promised. Tuyet’s going to reach you any second.”
Alden looked behind him. Tuyet was slithering through the climbing frame like she’d been born to do it. Jupiter and Heloísa had just come up the lift from the traffic tunnel.
“I don’t know why she ran ahead. They might have just wanted a better look at what we’re doing, and she’s the obvious scout. That’s unfortunate,” Kon said. “If only the island wasn’t a shared obstacle…”
“Ready!” Haoyu yelled from up above. They all looked up to see him plunging the final knife into one of the island’s little hilltops.
That knife wasn’t like the others. It was one of Ignacio’s Meister weapons.
Haoyu looked down below to see them, then nodded and jumped to reach the monkey bars above the island. He started crossing.
“He’s going for the finish in case we need him there,” said Alden.
There was a three or four second pause during which Tuyet landed a few yards away from their group. Her gaze flicked from Haoyu to the island and then back down to their team. The dart in her hand looked ready to fly. She couldn’t use it on them here unless they did put Haoyu over the finish line and attack her. A brief retaliation period was allowed if she didn’t die.
It’s bad that she’s here because she’ll take advantage of our efforts, Alden thought. But there’s no helping it. It only gets worse as more of her teammates arrive.
“We have to go,” he said.
“Let’s move.” Lexi spoke before he’d even finished.
“What are you hesitating for?” asked Mehdi.
<<I’m not hesitating,>> said Ignacio, one hand extended above him. <<Look.>>
Tuyet gasped. It was a gratifyingly loud sound in all this quiet.
“Vandy!” she said, as she saw their handiwork. “The island!”
Alden hoped Vandy had a great view from where she sat on the bleachers, because what was happening up above wasn’t boring at all.
An orange light gleamed, but it was hard to see as it plunged deeper into the island.
Ignacio’s Leading Knife skill was active. And he’d called his weapon back to his hand.
“The island is falling!” Tuyet said.
No. This is better. It’s being dragged down by the lead knife and the flock that’s trying to follow it.
He’d let Tuyet and Vandy figure it out on their own. The island was coming faster. If nothing went wrong in the next seconds, there was a chance for them to win this.
He got ready to jump.
Comments (137)
Edit suggestions: typos, grammar, style, misc. Feel free to ignore. - he spun one one foot -> on one foot - The two teams competing immediately before his own had started their run about a minute ago, so it would most likely be a few more before they got to go. -> ["they" = vague pronoun; means Alden's team here, but from sentence structure could also refer to the previous two teams.] - The others had put on the junk clothing items Alden had brought if they weren’t already wearing something of their own. -> [As opposed to what, them not wearing any clothes?] - or if anyone thinks it’s particularly likely I’ll need a certain thing when I’m backing them up, put it somewhere easier to grab ” -> [This line of dialogue ends on an extra space and is missing closing punctuation.] - It was very oversized -> [Two spaces between "very" and "oversized"] - Yeah, it’s a lot, but none of it’s heavy -> [the second contraction reads off to me somehow, I would've expected "none of it is heavy"] - We’re starting out with Kon as my entruster, and we have a plan we have to do if we don’t want to disappoint Ash,” said Alden. -> plan we have to follow/implement/... - Good luck all of you. -> Good luck, all of you. - Ignacio was a third generation Avowed -> third-generation - He had a sister a couple of years younger than him he’d mentioned once or twice. -> than him that he'd mentioned - People who are trying hard like that shouldn’t be left alone in the dark -> [missing a period at the end of the sentence/paragraph] - They were all a little pissed off about it even though they’d tried to encourage the others to keep cool heads. -> tried to encourage each other - Mehdi pulled off the initial slow down, -> slowdown - his body swinging once before he pulled himself easily up. -> easily pulled himself up - There was a three or four second pause -> three- or four-second pause
That is awesome!! And also potentially prone to exploding, Alden did not lie.
They took the terrain-moving trick Ash must be considering that spell for and made it their own in another way - it's such a neat move!
not only is the comment section ordered by newest, but notifications jumping directly to comments works again. extremely rare patreon W
This is a once in a decade W. We just used up all our luck for the decade. Covid 2.0 is incoming!
Have we always had a banner or is it just a new banner? It looks pretty cool. I thought the thumbnail image was the banner image
I'm really excited for seeing more Alden/entruster interactions now that Alden is planning on actively leaning into that part of his skill. I keep imagining him vibing with an S-Rank who really trusts him so he can say "with you as my entruster, your rank is my rank today" hehe...
Yeah I agree. I also think it lends creedence to a theory I saw in the comment section awhile back about the Appeal stat potentially being the most important for Alden. Since there's sub stats within it that allows you to be better at understanding the emotions of others and connecting with them better. Not that Alden is bad at that but I think in one of the earliest chapters it was either stated or implied that stats have a percentage based bonus when applied to a Avowed. So someone who can run fast will get more out of every point in the speed stat and someone who is kind and empathetic will likely get more out of every point in Appeal.
I have once again made soup for soup day. I think more people should do this. Soup is so delicious...
I have also made soup for soup day! Chicken wild rice today 😄
Well hello, hello, May 7th 😏
I just got an email from Patreon - "Sleyca Author" saying I have been selected for a customised Tee and mystery box. Does anyone know what this is about?
I just checked the discord and a number of people are reporting getting similar - it appears to be a fraud of some kind.
I just l I keep everything. Great story, thank you
Whoo! Awesome! I'm so glad Ignacio is getting his time to shine after realizing Ash only cared about the magic.
holy fucking shit the app is finally back to having comments be in chronological order.
news almost as good as new chapter!
If Vandy‘s team get onboard and try something to get the leading knife out in order to steal the island, Ignatio could entrust it to Alden. Therewith something extremely valuable to a s-rank is entrusted to Alden which will boost his power. Could he actually be entrusted with the island and everything upon it because the knife is embedded in it?
Alden can be entrusted with the knife and through stacks theoretically with the island and the other knifes too. Alden can preserve Enchantments like those of the Nesicards but if that applies to the island that mimics an adjuster spell and if he does have enough power for that, only Sleyca knows.
The ramifications of Matedero and the S-rank accelerator at (the other school) have clearly made everyone a bit more elitist. I wonder if Vandy's team (and everyone watching) is going to see how Alden is useful to his whole team on the course, or if they are going to see what Ignacio did as being proof that rank is what matters most.
That and the fact Team KA sat two S-ranks (Jeffy and Kon) for A-Lexi and B-Alden who are the ones who made this so smooth (so far)
Y'know, I think of all of Aldens classmates, Ignacio might make the best Knight candidate. Everyone elses motivations are either too vague, too ephemeral or too narrowly focused, but his being "We will have to fight Chaos, and I intend to be ready for it" is pretty perfect. Edit: I figured out a more succinct way to put it: He can hear the Highest Calling.
I think he's up there, but Haoyu is stiff competition. His parents are both regularly on Chaos missions and his goal is to be there too.
I'm still hung up on what's up with Maricel… and I don't think anyone has acknowledged how awful Alden has been to her. In the waves arc, Maricel ends up with Mehdi's Infogear watch. Alden knows this, for sure. He's told that and he sees it with his own eyes. (Ch. 133) Despite that, his message to the watch a few minutes later is addressed to Mehdi, not her. (134) Whoever gets his message replies with “OK,” which I'm told is an insult among the youth. (135) I think Maricel sent “OK” because she was rightfully hurt that Alden didn't even mention her in a message to her, but even if not, she at least deserved a mention. Alden then completely ghosts her until after his whole convalescence, being on the news on the flying son, attending the school assembly, and a weekend with Stuart, however long that all was. The message he sends after all that? “Hope you’re all right.” (Ch. 168) Way to not acknowledge anything, Alden. Alden does care about her, in his way, and thinks about her, but he never shows it to her. (Or anyone else.) Maricel is pulling away. Other stuff is going on, for sure, but emotional disconnection is a big part of it. Whatever her reasons, from her perspective Alden pulled away first, and it would be understandable for her to feel hurt from that. As a fan, I'm upset with her, too. But, I have to acknowledge that she might only be setting boundaries to protect herself from someone who turned out to be a bad friend.
I’m willing to acknowledge that both of them could’ve and should handle communications better. But Alden has tried multiple times to talk to her since and been actively avoided. So I’m not 100% on board with the rest of the analysis
Mmm. Island Soup
Thanks for the chapter!! I assume Alden used his wordchain stone so that his partner would know that he did some wordchains before the obstacle course run? Should we just assume that Alden uses it each time?
Yes
This is setting up an alt scene in my head where they all get on the ball (except hauyo, cause hes legging it right now) and vandys team decide to just attempt a big team KO with as much fire power as possible. Kon sees this and says something with a kind of fatalistic confidence that comes out like “Trust Alden”, everyone looks at him with various forms of “i trust you” being said and he feels the synergy pf multiple ranks of trusters trusting him with a single task and he just tanks everything while keeping ignacios(?) skill in tact and gliding to the finish line because thats what he was trusted to do. Will this be cannon? Dunno, but its in my head and im hoping XD
It’s in my head now too, and boy howdy am I smiling! They win, change their name to Konstantly Awesome, become allowed to run a second time, and change their name to Team MAHJIKL.
Also potential RIP Potentially Chiefs Jersey lol
The Soupverse team is called the Kansas City Hy’ntons, as it was seen as less culturally problematic than Chiefs. The lack of the Elder’s Croak story means no human knows it’s even MORE problematic. Well, no human except Alden, who is ironically also the only human for whom it would be appropriate to actually wear a KC Hy’ntons uniform. Esh would get a custom ‘erdi-‘otta jersey made if he found out.
Aw man, I'm a little hopeful now that in the spirit of being an impulsive entruster, Haoyu is gonna suddenly tell Alden to 'catch Tuyet's darts', and he'll just do it.
Either a skill limitation has been retconed, or Sleyca forgot, or something wasn't described in the moment. Alden was entrusted with the jacket he was already wearing/holding, which isnt how his skill has previously worked. in CH25 when the guys were initially testing the skill before he got yoinked they determined "If someone else has direct possession of it, another person can’t entrust it". Kon was not in possession of the jacket, Alden was, so he cannot have entrusted the jacket to him. in CH76 during the admissions testing rescue game, Kon was similarly his entruster for the umbrella, where Alden explicitly dropped/threw it ahead of himself so that the (lack of) possession requirement could be met for Kon telling him to pick it up. Alden already holding Zeridee before he preserved her on the nonagon doesn't count as she her ownership of herself to entrust herself to him. Did i miss a later chapter perception quirk that permitted this behavior of his skill?
Yeah I think it’s similar to other aspects of bearer that get a little murky in execution since it’s borderline overwrought. Could potentially be a writing thing, but I usually just chalk it up Bearer is heavily influenced by user inputs. So as long as the user thinks something should Work sufficiently hard. it usually does eventually (And to clarify I mean near overwrought in the sense that the Artonans who designed tried very hard to make it both limitless and have training wheels and other geas components)
See, this is the reason I gotta cope with funny Heloìsa feast. Because Sleyca will write Alden to make the saddest form of the Frog Prince where he’s all alone and can’t move forward and he’s destined to die. And that will be one chapter. So then a week passes, and Sleyca writes Alden to care about the Frog and want to give him friends so he’s not alone struggling in the dark. And it’s so sweet and hopeful and hoooolllyyy. It’s the thing Alden would come to after all he’s been through, but having to wait a week for my boy to remember he doesn’t have to be alone HURTS.
I remember people getting frustrated at the pacing during Waves like a year ago, and it’s not as bad as the emotional spiral à depressing Alden story will do to you.
Today I made red soup! It was almost as delicious as this chapter
“I want to be thrown by my shirt,” Haoyu said to Alden. “It felt the most stable the other day. So I entrust you with my shirt.” I feel like the direction Alden’s understanding of his entruster/burden is developing, Haoyu with practice could entrust a task rather than an object - “Alden, I entrust you to get me to the island, it felt most stable to be thrown by my shirt” and that’d be the best way to communicate intent and imply a specific direction without micromanaging the exact object(s). Bearing tasks would let a skilled entruster like Stu might be able to say “Alden, protect us” and that’d free Alden up to catch incoming bullets, throw up a tarp shield, preserve an injured team member, at his discretion - especially as long as it’s in line with entruster’s intent or conscious desires. Maybe a hint of that was in Big Snake’s throwing balls at Alden - he did want Alden to catch the balls but didn’t need to explicitly say “catch this one! Now this one!” Certainly with facets it seems possible. Even without, it seems a bit in line even with the skill’s OG description.
For context - [THE BEARER OF ALL BURDENS] [You may bear that which has been entrusted to you by the one you choose to serve. You will preserve that which you have mind, strength, and will to bear. You may not lay your burden down.] Bearing seems to be a bit different than preserving here, if you look at the different “that which” clauses. But it is not quite clear to me that differentiation implies; I could see it meaning that preservation is the tool you can use to carry out the task of shouldering the burden, and the burden/entrusting is a bit more broad than “Pick up that umbrella”
I love how much appreciation for Ignacio there is in the comments. He probably rose many ranks in the popularity-charts with this chapter. I hope we'll see more of him. 🥰
I wonder if alden preserves ignacio's knives, can he still control them?
Probably not. Alden's entruster can't even command him to stop preserving the burden. You'd need to be able to telekinetically control Alden's authority to exert control over a burden of his right now. Maybe preserving a burden while allowing his entruster to control it will be a facet he can pick up later, though - selective preservation against only certain outside forces.
I wonder if ignacio can entrust the island to Alden?
Oh, for sure he *can*. Whether or not Alden can bear it is another thing entirely
So they are pulling down the island, they climb on and then release the island to slingshot it to the finish line?
I thought they were gonna try and ride the ball as a team all the way to the finish line…
It’s also interesting to see Alden finally thinking about removing his limiters, at least for Coursing. Because while, yes, Alden is super creative about using his magic, it’s still going to be interesting and useful to see what ideas others can come up with.
Nice chapter, i love Ignacio and Alden's conversation. What i don't understand though is why Alden doesn't try to explain his skill's quirk properly and non in this weird roundabout way? surely saying "so i recently discovered after i stopped that one teacher's attack that my skill is at it's strongest when i'm genuinely protecting something and i'm in sync with the person who's entrusting me" is far easier for his team and friends to understand? Then again i constantly forget that for all of Alden's strengths, eloquence isn't exactly one of them. He just has a steady supply of truth nukes he can deploy that makes you think otherwise.
I think he is just too used to playing dumb so as not to arouse suspicion. Call it a habitual overabundance of caution. It doesn't make much sense towards humans about his skill since he can just let them assume the wizards told him. But, the habit is probably the reason he hasn't outed himself, so who are we to judge?
Can they make the island explode before all the girls get to the next obstacle? Everyone at the island now gets on, Ignacio controls the leading knife to fly towards him (?), they move to the monkey bars, and then Ignacio somehow causes enough damage to the island that it disintegrates? I’m not sure how it’ll work, but I’m looking forward to it almost as much as Ash!
TWO HUNDRED NINETY-FOUR: When Wishing Was Having - V ... behind them, the island exploded. ****** ****** Ash looked on, stunned, as the flaming debris of the island – /simulated flame, simulated debris, thank heavens/ – fell to the floor of the gym. Team Reject – his private name for what he had been sure was the weakest team in the class – scrambled up the monkey bars that they had seized a moment before the catastrophe. A couple of the students on Team Reject had received injuries that, if this were real life, rather than the gym, would require prompt attention from a powerful healer – or a healing hospital full of powerful healers. /If I'm any judge, their teammates will be able to get them over the finish line before they succumb to their injuries,/ he thought. /Meaning a win for them./ The team that had been coursing against them – captained by that boring Shaper of Air – was utterly defeated. They had arrived at the island area a moment before the explosion. Four members of that team registered as being utterly dead. They were sitting up and looking as shocked as he felt. One of them had only a minute or two left to live – truly, the worst outcome, as their four teammates were free to return to the starting line, while they remained immobilized in their stiff suit. /Even if their team was made up entirely of speedsters, and could ignore all of the obstacles, they're done./ ---- ... TO BE CONTINUED?!?
Love seeing alden get a W once in a while! Our guy works so hard. Great chapter!
I love Ignacio in this one. I hope he gets more screentime/is a very reliable entruster in future exercises. The chapter hits it on the head: he's mentally the most 'in-sync' with Alden's own career plans at this point. I love the idea of Ignacio learning about Alden's chaos internship--"I'm off the pay that debt, just early. A little by little." Lol, overdramatic, but that's my jam.
Don't discount Haoyu's efforts! He wants to protect his family, and he needs to get a lot stronger to do that.
noooooo! A cliffhanger! Or, an islandhanger.... cliffaller? Islandtension? IDK. Happy we have most of the answer to 'how' now. Can't wait to read the finale. And maybe I'm hoping the island explodes.
I think this chapter (which was just great, so enjoyable) is foreshadowing a near-future digression with Alden joining Ignacio in the Superlatives club. It was originally set up as Alden providing target practice, but it's clear Ignacio has twigged Alden is systematically improving his use of BoaB, so him coming along could be so much more. It'd be interesting if Alden could channel more of his power because he's closer to Ignacio's understanding of Avowed than his other classmates.
I like how varied his class is in general. Ignacio cares about Avowed military future, Kon cares about getting to decide his future, Haoyu cares about his parents’ futures, Maricel cares about becoming the next generation of superhero or something, and most of the others are just focused on the cool things that are happening day-to-day like Heloísa.
I haven’t missed the gym chapters… at all … but pulling a floating Island down is nice 🤣 Having the emotional pay off with Ash is probably the real reason why I care more about it.
Has Sleyca discussed the possibility of BoaB being able to have 2 entrusters either in or out of story? If it’s happened, when? Would Stu and Alden becoming bonded maybe change that? Like through their bond Stu becomes a permanent second entruster and doesn’t need to be targeted.
I'm almost certain it's just one person: [You may bear that which has been entrusted to you by the one you choose to serve. You will preserve that which you have mind, strength, and will to bear. You may not lay your burden down.] –Ch. 60
>>> Did I hope they’d naturally start acting like they have a role to play as my entrusters without me ever having to tell them I’d like for them to think that way? >>> I said nothing, and now we’re about to run. They’re not going to behave differently unless I speak up. To me, this is the crux of how the two very separate topics of this arc come together. (The Frog with the Golden Ball and Coursing.) Alden TWO whole chapters ago: >>> It doesn’t seem to work like that for the real frog whose whole world was changed by the golden ball. >>> He just keeps swimming with it. Struggling upwards with the burden. Calling out. Wanting. >>> Waiting. Alden is being forced to confront that he can't 'call out' and want and wait successfully without using his actual words. He can't 'call out' with vibes. He has to make noise. Somewhere, somehow he will have to start deciding between 'quiet rabbit' and rabbit who lives openly(er). I think the weight of living 'quietly' is gradually becoming harder for Alden than the weight of whatever crap will come down the pike if he lets more people in on at least bits and pieces of his secret. Heck, even Stu dishing up the truth that people like Esh will try to help Alden in non-useful ways if doesn't give them the info to actually help in useful ways! It's a hard place to be in for Alden. Coming out with even part of his truth will bring both companions in his journey AND sharks who smell blood in the water. But ultimately, he can't get where he wants to go on his own.
I agree, and I think this is merely the first step in his gradual emergence from the secrecy he's been holding onto like a protective shield. He's reached the point where it's holding him back. The only way he can really move forward is to step into the light, probably starting with a few trusted friends. I think that's the point of the title of this arc.
I'd been thinking of wordchains in a very transactional way, but the camaraderie of travelers who help each other out on the road is such a realer feeling for the sacrifice half than just doing a chore to zero-out some cosmic bank balance. It reminds me of Alden and Boe's hero matching partnership, or maybe a good entruster relationship. Having trust in a teammate and helping each other out, no matter how far away or unseen.
My theory on how wordchains work is that the wordchains themselves are small, primitive contracts cast out into the depth of the universal fabric - contracts that move abundance around in a particular kind of way. They gain/maintain their authority when people carry them out properly, in the same way people need to affirm the earth contract and accept it as valid to maintain it, and expend it when they have to enforce themselves against dealbreakers to secure the needed type of abundance to meet another person's request/when they have to store too great a balance for too long. When their authority hits zero, they break and die. The healthier their authority, the more easily they can notice people agreeing to the contract - the less precisely the ritual greeting (the wordchain itself) needs to be carried out for the contract to notice your acceptance and the greater the chance of success, as well as the longer it can wait for you without needing to insist on enforcement. The stronger a person's authority and the more times they've correctly upheld a wordchain, the better they are at making themself noticed by the contract. When one is first created, it has very little authority, so only the biggest existences can make contact with it without ritual preparations. The fundamental job of these very simple but widely stretched contracts, I think, is to let people help each other over vast distances without the need to receive direct help from a wizard or the need to invoke new, untapped abundance. They're a power built for ordinary people through great rituals, by wizards who believed people ultimately needed magic not controlled by wizards to command their own fates, designed to be maintained by common class people first and foremost. Built on fairness and the spirit of giving what you can spare now so someone else can live to spare you what you need later. They're a very beautiful and communal form of magic, deeply wrapped up in old Artonan spirituality about contracts as inherently sacred (see: when Lute got his butt tattoo), which people have forgotten their old love and reverence for in an era of advanced wizardry and advanced technology. The palace works half out of the practical consideration that they still have great value, and half out of deep spiritual reverence for these ancient and caring gods now abused and ignored by their flocks.
I find it interesting that Alden is still reluctant to make himself available to serve his entrusters. He himself was surprised to find this fact about himself and not pleased about it. I kind of understand him. Serving other people, especially when they are dumb teenagers like you, feels oddly humiliating. Offering your services in general, unconditionally, feels like surrendering your own free will and letting other override you. Alden is not a person who needs to get his way, but he's not a pushover either. He has many good ideas and is annoyed when people overlook or ignore them. Being a "servant" means though to execute the ideas of others - promptly and immediately, without negotiation or large improvements. So far, Alden is only really comfortable to serve his entruster if it's Stuart or older knights. There are few other people whom Alden trusts and whose will he wants to execute without hesitation. On a different note, I find it also interesting that Ignacio brought up, that the entruster also needs to make a leap of faith and trust that Alden will work in their interests and immediately execute what they want. It's not only Alden that needs to trust his entruster - it needs to go both ways.
Completely unrelated: I find it hilarious that Ignacio went: "You and me, Rabbit man, we are the true battle brother that can foresee the carnage that is coming. We shall meet in the fields of chaos, where we will fight for our survival." Everyone else is going: "Alden, you are aware that you are the social party animal class, right? Why the fuck do you want to fight chaos?" Whereas Ignacio goes, yeah, logical. Even Rabbits will be entangled into the conflict and be forced to fight, how nice that Alden is preparing himself for it.
TFTC!
I assume Tuyet is trying to take out Ignacio. If Alden becomes his entruster and Ignatio truly entrusts him with his life, then Alden should je able to deflect her darts with his shield because Ignatio is a S-rank and enhances Aldens power. That would give Ash and all teams something to think about!
Would Ignatios flok be able to integrate Tuyets darts if Alden was able to deflect them?
Heck yeah. Wasn’t how I imagined them doing it, but knife island is dope
Also Sleyca setting up Ignacio as a potentially perfect fit for testing and better using entrustment, almost a hundred chapter ago. Soooo good
Thanks for the chapter Sleyca and for this story in general. Ignacio is such a cool character. I hope Kon somehow figures out how to Read the team to become a super team captain. There’s gotta be Skill only usage for Reader of Records
Ignacio put his authority power. Like he was putting his back and whole body to punch something^^.
I like that, even though the 'rabbit' class is supposed to be based on 'a helpful animal', Alden is unintentionally somewhat building his powers in a 'Rabbit-Man' direction. Improved speed, agility, grace, not to mention the hopping. He really is becoming 'The Rabbit Superhero'.
Right? I hope he somehow paves the way for other rabbits
I'm trying to think how much Ash actually knows about how magic and spells work. And isn't it just the most ironic thing that the person he thinks is the least interesting/weakest, is the person who could teach him the most about how magic actually works
Vandy's team is going to crash out when they lose. Especially Maricel. In fact, Maricel's lack of team spirit might be the reason why they took so long on the first obstacle...
I don't think they'll be super happy about it, cause no one wants to lose, but I doubt they'll have a full-blown crash out. Maybe one of the other teams in the class would, but Vandy's team is pretty familiar with Team Cottontail and shouldn't take it too hard. Maricel herself, though, is probably going to take the loss to heart and obsess over all her failings in the run, real or imagined.
There's something marvelous about teamwork enabling Ignacio to take a piece of the seemingly inaccessible sky and drag it down to where his whole team can jump for it. Like Alden's skill, Ignacio's leading knife skill isn't meant to work in isolation. He needs other knives in the vicinity, other sharpnesses he can use as knives to use his skill effectively. I do wonder if all of those knives he's been so kind to loan out to Alden, Søren, and presumably others have been helping Ignacio practice leading with his skill in other ways - can he help them pull towards a shared goal with him? What more could he do with the kind of overt trust and support Alden is outright offering him for practicing battlefield partnership?
wow never thought about their similarity in skills like that. You are spot on
How strong is Ignacio? All of the sudden I have this mental image of them riding Flying swords like cultivators. Our maybe they could strap a blade to their back and have Alden preserve the shirt and strap so that the blade flies without feeling the weight of the passenger at all?
Ignacio is a Young Master.
Eyyy! Yes, this is awesome!
Tuyet's role on her team is so complicated. She's a ranged weapon Meister, meaning she's pretty much far and away her team's best attacker, so she ideally crosses the finish line last on her team. But of her teammates, she's also usually the fastest—unless there's some sort of rock climbing obstacle or the like, where the Brutes and flight-capable Shapers will probably outpace her—meaning she'll likely be able to reach the end of the course before any of the other girls. But she can't cross the finish line first AND be her team's primary attacker. Real Catch 22 when trying to maximize her usefulness to her team.
She's also not that "helpful": she can get *herself* around, but she doesn't have much ability to get her teammates across the line.
Like many, I really dig that exchange with Ignacio. The burgeoning light when two acquaintances actually see each other. Dragging the island down is awesome, but moments like that exchange are why I read the story.
I love the bit of insight we got into Ignacio. I can tell just from that bit that I want to see more of him. I also really liked the way their run was described as so smooth and synchronous. It was very evocotive. Great chapter!
Very fulfilling soup today 🥣
Now that's a plan!
I really want Ignacio to get the idea to entrust the entire island to Alden, and Alden to do something amazing with it, as a case study in what a good entruster-Alden partnership could achieve.
Gosh. It does feel a little bit like a set up for that doesn’t it, that even Alden hasn’t seen coming.
...he spun one one foot, tried... -> on one foot
Win-win is now referred in the past tense after being Rabbited twice, so the typo might be “he spun Won-won’s foot”
“ Leaving him there feels bad. People who are trying hard like that shouldn’t be left alone in the dark Sometimes, that’s reality, but…” Compare Alden's thoughts from this chapter with what he was thinking about just last night how his life with magic was both thrilling and solitary. How, in the privacy of his mind, he was merely wishing, longingly, for all these wondrous but slightly unlikely things. Then also compare that simple longing with how he’s taken steps to being seen more in this chapter. I think the shift we’ll be moving toward in the story is going to be about Alden proactively reducing the isolation of his situation. Sometimes it’s the reality that a frog trying hard is left in the dark… but it won’t be this frog’s reality - not if the frog has anything to say about it.
I'm definitely getting the 'quiet rabbit is wearing on Alden' vibes from this arc!
"I thought he was saying we should boss him around in this class, like wizards who’ve summoned him to be our Rabbit. Because that might help him do his skill better." "Jeffy!" Haoyu exclaimed. "That’s not what he meant." Jeffy gets it.
Jeffy gets it in a deeper way that I think his classmates understand. Jeffy is a farm boy, and he understands jobs where you need someone in charge to direct people so the job gets done - ie boss him around. Jeffy also gets it that the boss is just for the job, and they have the responsibility to live up to the trust people have in their directions.
Amazing chapter. Very cinematic. Thank you, as always, Sleyca!!! <3
I am not sure why Alden is being so cagey about saying that his skill can be used to gain some of the abilities of his entruster. Couldn't he just say "My elderly aunt said that my power works like this. This is why I was able to move so fast when catching the tennis balls Waker was throwing at me. I was using Waker's own speed abilities. Scaled down to a B-rank, of course." His roommates and Kon know about Stu. It isn't exactly a secret he's talking to a wizard to anybody who cares to know. EDIT: Okay, I went back and read the relevant section: “Entrustment isn’t a restriction that exists solely for the sake of adding to your burden; it’s magic you can do, intentionally, to forge a connection between you and another person that will increase your authority to influence reality because you’re not alone. You’re representing someone else as well. If you do it in the right way, the authority of the other person becomes a relevant factor.” –Ch. 285. So I was misinterpreting his skill. Oops!
Did they say he gets his entruster's ability? I was under the impression they just share authority allowing for Alden to perform his own skill better.
That short convo with Ignacio was everything for me. I dont know if sleyca plans on incorporating him more in the story, but characters are shuffled around at such a good pace that besides aldens roommates, it makes me excited to see who he'll talk with more, who he'll interact with more, and how theyll affect each other. I love character focused writing so much. Even with roommates, im half expecting them to disappear after alden becomes a knight, leaving behind only the impressions they made on each other.
Midnight or approximately and I'm drunk
I was confused at first, because I thought they'd be using Kon to do much the same thing. But this makes sense too! They have a separate way to achieve the same thing later if they need it, I guess. I wonder if Alden is going to block one of Tuyet's darts for Ignacio after this? I can see Ignacio ordering him to do that, since he respects Alden's commitment to preparation for the REAL stuff, and his trust and the might of his authority would make the 'authority lever' part of his skill work properly.
I had a similar wondering. Of Ignacio centrists Alden with stopping Tuyet's darts, could Alden's enhanced authority override hers, allowing him to catch them like the tennis balls?
I now understand how it could explode Since it is hard pack earth simulation, the knives could push entirely THROUGH the island breaking it into pieces (the Meister Knife is already vanishing into the island) Which would lose them the run, BUT definitely entertain a six year old Ash and get them another run 🎬
100% this. Losing with massive style will probably serve them better than any kind of win here. Actually turning from the loser team to a winning team might actually cause them problems, Ash seems like an Anchoring-and-Adjustment heuristic kind of guy.
Oooohh so THAT'S the plan, clever. Looking forward to more stuff with Ignacio, hopefully.
Ok the actual plan is way smarter than what I imagined would happen. I thought Alden would break the enchantment on the island, everyone would climb on board then kon would fix it and send them rocketing back up. This is way safer I think.
There's no way Alden could break an MPE enchantment, so this wouldn't have worked regardless. IIRC he's explicitly not even strong enough to break the enchantments on weapons/equipment. He can only really handle small things currently, like the temper spheres, NESI card, and magical locks. Also doing so would completely contradict his fake character sheet (which only lists him as having "the ability to slightly interrupt weak enchantments." Completely breaking a giant enchantment in the gym is not within the capabilities of Flickerer (the *F-Rank* skill on his fake sheet). edit: Another way it would contradict his sheet is that he would need someone to entrust the island to him, revealing that removing the enchantment is part of his main Skill (while his sheet just lists it as a separate F-Rank Skill that involves no entrustment).
Fuck this cliffhanger, but thanks for the chapter
I suspect that Sleyca wants to move on from the run, and so telling the rest of it here would be a let down from the 'peak' moment of winning the island. If she comes back next chapter and tells the rest of the run in detail, she would have to throw something unexpected at them to keep the audience from yawning. And that something unexpected would likely have to have some kind of resonance with themes, which is a lot to ask from the rest of the run. (Though cool if she has a good idea for it!)
I enjoyed the little bit of trust building between Ignacio and Alden. It was a small moment but it feels significant. On the topic of trust, there's probably a compounding effect to Bearer in that the more famous and acknowledged Alden becomes, the more people will trust him. It might even turn into a passive obligation. Imagine in 30 years he's a powerful knight, young knights could've an expectation he'd protect them. Maybe a sort of passive entrustment?
Every time one of the higher ranked students looks at Alden and really sees him brings a tear to my eye. Brother is scraping and clawing for some stability and power and keeps getting walked on.
Yes!! The long awaited start of the Ignacio & Alden friendship! Such a good time for them to click too with Febri leaving and a nice person for Alden to share the burden of what their future holds. Will also give a good opportunity for this semester's theme of rank-ism to be showcased and cause issues between a B Rank Rabbit and one of the Strong S's getting along and hanging out!!
Oh! And another thing, I really thought it was so funny how Mehdi jumped on offering to be Alden's entruster. "Oh this guy is saying he's here to make us all look better? Sign Me Up!!" 🤭 Shows his childish side in an endearing way, even tho I don't think he quite got the gravity of what Alden was saying. He's not a bad guy, just has some maturing to do
Its a trampoline! Ignacio pulls down the island, they climb on and then he releases it and they get flung up to the monkey bars!
Sounds more like a slingshot to me. But either way, I like where your head's at
TLDR; Alden and Ignacio are prepared.
Someone on the discord commented maybe some day there will be a situation where Ignacio and Alden are ready and focussed while others are not and Ignacio on that situation is a great entruster for Alden and they are on the same wavelength. And now I keep imagining it like Soul Eater, where Ignacio is the weapon master (even fits good with his knifes) and Alden his weapon.
Kind of a power move would be to nail this run perfectly and then resign from this subject. Complain about Ash not being profesional and say it is a waste of everyones resources (mainly talent).
Thanks for the chapter Sleyca! Rest well! Chapter feels early lol. Also, Ignacio is looking very cool pulling on the island. Hope they keep up the great teamwork. So excited for the next chapter.
They turned Ignacio into a ground shaper
> I wonder if adding Peace of Mind to the mix would give me an edge for things like obstacle courses. No Alden, it would make you LOSE your edge, remember?
Okay but he could have said the opposite half first.
Omg that was so good! I was a little scared at the start of the chapter that it would just be the first half, so thank you so much for including at least some of the actual run! The tensioooooon of that cliff though! Can't wait for the next serving of Soup.
he spun one one foot - on one foot
TFTC! Kinda hilarious that they have to go with massive destruction to please the 6 years old.
Thanks!
chapter
Tftc
Why hasn’t Alden asked Stuart to look into what happened to Hannah? Stuart revealed he has that capability, and even did it to Alden.
I think he just kinda mostly came to terms with her being dead and gone years ago, and it'd be like picking at a scabbed over wound. That and the fact that when he met Stuart there was a *lot* going on, and then when he met him again he was kinda focused on the whole "my soul hurts" thing, and then after that it's all been high intensity and very interesting in a way that doesn't leave as much thought for old wounds. Plus Alden doesn't like imposing on anyone. Like, imo it's a bit of all of these reasons. Not 100% of any one of them, bits and pieces of all of them.
FINALLY, I was getting the shakes... soup withdrawal is no joke.
Why do people call it soup? I wanna know cause I was also having soup withdrawals 😭
yay soup
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu