THREE HUNDRED SIX: Jump Aboard
Next Chapter: July 27 (approximate)
******
An unusual tableau greeted Lind-otta that afternoon when she entered the room. Stu-art’h, with his mouth clamped shut and a tattoo kit still in hand, was purple as a frightened lacefin. Alden stood between him and Esh as if he sought to wall them off from each other with nothing but his body and some fast talking.
And Esh was amused and intrigued, thrilled and overeager. A little too likely to break down the wall and smack the lacefin with an oar.
Getting to the parts of the story the boys were trying to be stingy with wouldn’t be worth the loss of their trust afterward, Lind knew.
Slower, Esh. Gentler.
It was what she thought. And it was how she walked over to sit beside him. And it was her who was him, leading their dance for a single step so that when the young human said, “Stu figured out some of the contract’s contents on his own, then he put Ro-den in a place where lying wasn’t an option. Everything just went well from there,” Esh didn’t insist on knowing more for what would have been the third or fourth time.
“Fine,” Esh said, falling back into a lounging position on the sofa. “If you two want to be secretive about what you did to persuade him, I’ll assume the obvious. Stu-art’h must have beaten proper behavior into him with a tree branch while Alden threw the imported fruit.”
He made an effort for them. Lind felt an urge to pry into them herself when both Stu-art’h and Alden tensed at the remark about the branch and fruit. What exactly had they done?
“I’m relieved to know you’re free of obligations to him,” Esh said. “Was there anything under that contract you had with him that needs to be re-contracted with a more trustworthy person?”
Alden slowly relaxed. “Oh… ” He looked toward his friend.
“We can take care of something like that together if we need to,” Stu-art’h said after a moment.
“I think we’re fine,” Alden agreed. “Thank you, Esh-erdi.”
“You can call me Esh,” he said. “We have matching tattoos now, after all.”
The human brightened. “Esh!”
“Let me see your arm, Alden,” said Lind. “I’m curious.”
He came over to show her the mark. She looked with more than her eyes. The tattoo was well done. Alden’s self was wholly quiescent in response to her brief observation. Not unexpected for an Avowed, merely a noticeable contrast to his eagerness to use Esh’s name and explain to her how the waves on the tattoo would remind him of her.
She imagined he’d give her a charming greeting if he knew how to.
******
“They left in a rush,” Esh grumbled as they stood at the door, watching the boys stride down to the dock.
“They’ve been here since just after sunrise,” Lind said.
“Sleeping for most of that time! And then waking up to tease me with hints about what they did to Worli Ro-den. What about the contract do you think Stu-art’h figured out on his own? And how does one put a wizard like that in a place where lying isn’t an option? Aren’t you curious?”
“Terribly. But you’d be sad instead of satisfied if you’d made them tell you more than they wanted to.”
A flyer was landing to pick up Stu-art’h and Alden.
“They look out for each other,” said Esh.
“That chat you had with Stu-art’h before Alden woke eased your mind.”
“Some. He has a long way to go down his own path.” Esh placed his hand on the crack in the wall by the door. “I doubt there’s anything to ease his father’s mind these days. My sympathy to the demons waiting beyond the seal. Jeneth might not leave any of them for the rest of us.”
******
******
“I can’t believe they let us get away.” Alden had melted onto the flyer bench. The vehicle was on its way to the summonarium where he and Esh-erdi had arrived yesterday. From there, Stuart would go back to Artona III and school. “You told him you threatened Ro-den.”
“I told him Ro-den was unharmed,” Stuart protested.
“You have to know that implies harm could’ve happened. It sounded so suspicious. And then you turned the purplest while I was trying to reassure him that everything was taken care of and should stay our private business. How did you trick Ro-den at all with a face like that?”
“Nothing that happened with Ro-den was embarrassing,” Stuart said. “Not for me. He was the one whose shameful behavior and deceptions made my efforts against him necessary. Watching you struggle to hide secrets from Esh-erdi, knowing those secrets were only at risk because I spoke a few words too many, was much worse.”
He still wasn’t back to his usual color.
“That’s great of you in a way,” Alden said after a moment. “Ro-den’s expression would be something to see if we told him that a few awkward words in front of Esh were much more trouble for you than the blood-spilling, house-building, ancient ritual trap you came up with for him.”
“I didn’t blush at all when Esh-erdi asked me about your skill earlier. I wish you had heard me then. I kept your secrets well.”
Alden’s hands gripped the cushioned edge of the seat. “When did that happen?”
“Before you woke,” said Stuart. “He gave me an opportunity to ask him questions, as a declared to a knight. Afterward, he wanted to know some things about your skill. What my opinion of it was, and whether or not it was satisfactory to you for now. He also asked if my family and I intended to advise you about your options for future bindings.”
“What did you say?”
“That you and I have spoken much about your skill and that you have my help. He wanted to be sure I would use his name on your behalf if it would make anything simpler for you. He considers the possibility of you wanting uncommon talents or work placements in coming years, and he said if he and Lind-otta were away, their votaries and others close to them would know you had their support.”
“I’m lucky those two wanted to take a look around Earth for their esvulgivnas.”
Stuart nodded.
“I hope they don’t regret any of this when they find out what I actually need their support for, though. It’s going to be a little bit more than just helping the Ryeh-b’t get a decent skill and a good job.”
******
When they landed at the summonarium, they saw a group of knights who Alden thought were around Stuart’s age teleporting away together. They were all in uniform, and he caught a glimpse of supplies; but they were gone too quickly for him to notice more than that.
“Do you think those were some of the new knights who’ve been camping out around here?” he asked.
“No. I recognized a few. They’ve been knights for a couple of years, so they don’t need camping practice. They’re probably here for the training fields.”
Several seconds later, the summonarium around them sounded with a series of chimes, and half the pavilion’s floor was suddenly outlined with double bands of orange light. Alden’s interface warned him not to cross them.
“Something large is about to pass through,” Stuart said, stopping to watch the outlined space.
Even though the large object arrived five meters away from them, and it wasn’t covered by anything that looked like packaging, Alden wasn’t sure what he was seeing.
It was big, most of it was reflective, and it was folded or stacked in layers. Like a shiny lasagna larger than Esh-erdi’s house.
“A world keeper.” Stuart sounded mildly interested.
Alden’s own interest was more than mild once he’d heard the lasagna’s impressive name.
“Do you see world keepers every other day? And how do they keep worlds? I feel like that thing might deserve more respect than you’re giving it if that’s its function.”
A light, bubbling laugh burst out of Stuart, and he smiled up at the top of the world keeper. “How much respect?”
“A world’s worth I guess.”
“Then how much should I give you?” The world keeper teleported on to wherever its next destination was, and rust-colored eyes turned to Alden. “What that object does, your skill can do. And it doesn’t have a measure-worthy fraction of your potential.”
Alden blinked. He didn’t see how the thing could bear burdens, and with a name like world keeper…
“It preserves something. An area?”
“You saw how the chaos spread on Thegund. A world keeper can be placed ahead of expanding corruption to preserve a small part of a region that’s on the verge of being overtaken. Then the area contained within the world keeper can be used as a starting place for restoring the surrounding environment. It’s easer that way. Many magics rely on some part of nature being as it should. World keepers can also be used as storehouses when there isn’t a patch of uncorrupted planet nearby. That which hasn’t yielded to the chaos yet can be gathered in the keeper until someone with the ability to make use of it is available.”
Alden looked at the spot where the world keeper had just been. “How big of an area does it preserve?”
“That one would probably expand to encompass four of these summonariums, but they’re only used to protect the maximum area if the chaos isn’t too bad. The worse it gets, the less they keep safe. And they’re not usually taken to places where they’re expected to break down rapidly. It would be a rare situation to use one to protect a very small spot for a single day.”
So that’s one way my skill might be used in the future. If I can learn to preserve a chunk of world somehow.
Alden filed that away for later consideration.
“Jozz’s skill,” he said. “It protects an area, too.”
“Whisperer of Refuge can be used in a similar way to a world keeper,” Stuart replied. “The refuge isn’t preserved as your skill preserves things, but he can keep the environment healthy. The refuge also hides him from demons. Others can use it as a base or as the kind of starting place for restoration I just mentioned. Jozz, Sina, and the sameface twins would have been a very effective team.”
I think it’s all right to mention this time. “You’ve never told me her skill.”
Stuart blinked. “Sina’s? I must have.”
“Not yet. I’ve wondered.”
“Returning Guardblade. She was more powerful against enemies and obstacles that stood between her and what she was going to protect. So Jozz would have used the illusions he’s been learning to slip through dangerous territory and establish his refuge, and Sina would have cut a path through to him. She told me I’d be one of the people she most wanted to guard, so I could be sure she’d always make it back home to me no matter how far she traveled…and she did come back home.”
A good skill. It sounds like they’d have been a great team. I can see how wanting to cut toward something runs in the family. Alden ran through a few possible comments, but they all sounded off in his head.
“Thanks for telling me.”
“Of course. What are you going to do for the rest of your weekend?”
“I’m going to go play with the Yatanger triangle as soon as you teleport to LeafSong.”
Stuart sighed.
“Leave your messages on during class,” said Alden, giving him an existential fist bump. “I’ll send you pictures with no explanations. I hope Eeaner-ket hasn’t done anything too bad to your room when you get back.”
“If he’s done anything at all to my room it’s too bad.”
“Be strong. Sounds like I’ll see you Friday. And don’t worry about me. I might just go to the pitcherhouse again so that they start to think of me as more than a one-time visitor. Then when most of the Rapport goes to sleep…I’m probably going to ask Esh to help me sort of not commit a crime on Earth.”
“Sort of not commit a crime. On Earth.” Stuart repeated the words slowly. “What does that mean?”
“My friends in Chicago don’t have school today either. And if an Avowed appears in the basement of an Artonan consulate, has he really trespassed on American soil? I don’t think so. I should talk to Boe about a few things, and our long distance communication hasn’t been easy lately. This will be good.”
******
As soon as Stuart was gone, Alden took a seat at the edge of the pavilion’s floor, facing the river. He was looking forward to an in-person visit with Boe and Jeremy, even if it was only for a few hours in a windowless room below a building.
He’d meet up with Boe first, since Boe needed to get shit off his chest. Alden would tell him what he’d learned from Esh-erdi about Uniques, and they’d both laugh about the Earth System’s attempts to make them form a contract about it. Alden could hear him out about whatever he wanted.
That outburst he had about being left behind and being someone whose best is wrong…
He won’t want to rehash that, but there are other things.
Him being an empath doesn’t suck during serious conversations. When it comes to some of what he’s pissed off or worried about, he can read me, and he’ll know I care. And he’ll see for himself that I’m a million times better than I was the last time we were in the same room. He’ll realize he can dump some of his problems on me now if he needs to.
He knows what I’m going for in life. I know how he ended up a U-type and why he couldn’t tell me all about it.
We can just stop being weird to each other.
And then they’d eat diner food. Or Mexican food. Or both.
Jeremy would love to bring both as long as he’s not busy with Kimberly.
“Call Boe,” he said, watching a barge pass right in front of him without paying much attention to it. “And send him a text message, too. ‘For one day only, coming to a consulate near you! Don’t miss out. Pick up your phone even though it’s not a phone call, frog lover.’”
He waited.
The call wasn’t answered quite as fast as he’d expected, and Boe didn’t turn on video when he did.
“Hey. When are you coming?” He was short of breath.
“Hey! I was thinking this afternoon. A few hours from now. But anytime today is fine. I’m currently on Artona I, and my host for the weekend can send me to Earth without even snapping his fingers. What if I stay out of sight in the consulate? Downstairs in that room I left from when I got summoned the first time? You and I could visit, and then let Jeremy know to swing by.”
“Does it have to be today?”
“No…but I was going to tell you I found out…no. It’s fine to do it another day if you’re busy. Are you busy?”
“I am. Kind of. Yes”
“Okay. I should’ve know you might be.”
Should I have known he might be busy, though? Jeremy might be busy. I thought of that. He does things on the weekends. Boe…would usually be at home watching anime right now.
“What are you doing?” He’s out of breath. “Why are you breathing hard? You don’t exercise. Are you on a mission? You’re doing a mission! You didn’t call me.”
“I’m not doing a mission. This is unrelated to our agreement and your savior antics.”
“Did you get a part-time job moving heavy boxes? Are you being chased by Sharon? Why don’t you have video on?”
The pause was long. Alden started to wonder if he really was being chased.
“Boe? You good?”
“I’m about to make you eat your words, asshole.” A video window opened. “What does this look like to you?”
Boe was somewhere flat and seemingly rural. He spun to give Alden a view of the area around him. A couple of inches of snow covered the ground. Boe’s footprints seemed to have come from a distant tree line. He was dressed for cold weather in a gray and black runner’s set so new it looked like it should still have the tags on it. His knitted hat and scarf weren’t present.
“Are you still in Illinois?” asked Alden.
“I am. But it’s a long way back to the consulate by car. And it’ll take me even longer to get back to where I left the car on foot. I came out here for a run, which you may understand is a form of…?”
“Exercise?” Alden said.
“That’s right. I, too, can exercise. I also wanted to test myself physically. If I punch a log in the middle of nowhere, I don’t have to worry about people screaming, ‘Look! A supervillain!’. And it’s relaxing. Someone’s been encouraging me to think about my future. That’s easier while I move my legs.”
He’s in nature. He’s giving himself some peace and quiet away from the emotional noise. He’s thinking about what I said.
This is…fantastic.
“Sounds like an awesome weekend!” Alden grinned at him. “We can meet up when it’s better for you. Take your time. Move legs. Think thoughts. Call me if you get lonely out there. Otherwise, I’ll leave you to it.”
“Yeah,” said Boe. “Sorry I’m out of town when you finally got a chance to be in town.”
“It’s fine. I’m on the Triplanets often enough that more opportunities to sneak into Gorgon’s basement will come my way.”
Learning about U-types had made him want to talk to Boe as soon as possible, but the knowledge wouldn’t go stale if it waited a little longer. Boe taking care of himself and pondering what came next instead of calling himself a scumbag and freaking out about Alden’s life was exactly what should be happening.
Boe ended the call.
Maybe when I see him in a week or two the weird will just be over. We’ll say a couple of things that have to be said and get straight to the part where we hang out.
What to do today, though?
He liked watching river traffic enough to stay where he was for a while, and being in a summonarium had its own appeal. None of the shipments that came through were as large as the world keeper, but trying to guess what everything was before it was gone again was a good way to pass time.
No other people appeared, though, and he did intend to do everything he could to carve his way into Rapport III a little more before he left. Sitting by the river wasn’t good enough. Maybe he’d go show off his skill somehow. The gardeners keeping his birth tree alive might have a use for him if he went there and offered to help with their chores.
I can at least check.
He stood up, preparing to call a flyer, but then a confusing sight coming down the river caught his eye. It seemed to be riding on the surface of the water, but it was made of a substance he’d never seen before. From this distance, it looked like a boat formed from small moving particles.
Alden waited so he could observe the new magic; he ended up seeing something he was already familiar with instead.
The moving particles he’d thought were a fascinating enchanted material turned out to be vathas. Thousands. Mostly brown and white and faded pink, they covered what would have been a very sleek-looking vessel without them. Alden caught glimpses of a glittery silver hull, a sharply pointed bow, and a back deck where even the furniture was hidden by the animals.
The ones that weren’t resting quietly on the boat were crawling all over it or fluttering around it in a cloud.
Moth ship. I don’t know if I like it, or if it’s disturbing. Why are they all on one boat? In the daytime?
An answer hit him as the boat was passing under the section of the summonarium’s roof that stretched over the water.
“Bithe!” he shouted. “Hello! Is that you?”
He wondered if that had been the right move. Before he could decide to regret it, an oval window near the top of the boat opened and a hand stuck out. It swiped at a vatha, and the whole flock of them suddenly fluttered away from the ship. But drunkenly, like they didn’t know how to use their wings.
An unfamiliar Artonan face popped out of the window. Pale pinkish brown hair was held on top of the person’s head by a metallic red net. “He’s here! Who’s calling him?”
“Alden Thorn,” said Alden, running along the edge of the summonarium to keep up. “I just saw the vathas, and I thought he might—”
“The human!” exclaimed the person he didn’t know. “Bithe, it’s the human you met!”
“Don’t kick us!” someone else who didn’t sound like Bithe shouted from inside the boat.
“Jump aboard now, if you can! I wanted to meet you!”
“Seth, we’re supposed to be planning.”
“You wanted to meet him, too! I’ll open the door for you, Alden Thorn! I’ll get rid of these so that you don’t step on them.”
The hand swiped at another passing vatha, and they all burst away from the boat again. The way they were flying wasn’t natural at all. The edge of the cloud had reached Alden this time, and the vathas seemed to be flapping and floating simultaneously. One bumped into his chest and then drifted off to his right.
The head disappeared from the window, and then the whole person attached to it was dashing onto the deck to beckon him eagerly with both arms. “Come on! Can you make it? Hurry!”
Alden had had so much jumping practice. He knew he could make it from the edge of the summonarium into the moving boat, but only if he leaped in the next few seconds. And only if he used his trait.
A few seconds wasn’t a lot of time to figure out what he was getting himself into. There were a thousand moths whirling around him and a very welcoming person telling him to hurry.
“Say you entrust me with my bag!” he called, targeting the Artonan.
“Why? Sure! I entrust you with your bag.”
Alden jumped. Just right. He soared over the water, through the swirling vathas, and landed exactly where he’d meant to in front of the person who’d invited him over.
“Hn’tyon Seth-wereft,” she said.
Alden bowed.
A knight. She was female. Almost the entire back of the burgundy robe she wore was open as she turned to the door of the cabin again, so it wasn’t hard to tell. Subtle stripes and wide hips.
“Come in and get away from Bithe’s followers,” she said. “Bithe, you were trying so hard to be attractive that you almost sank us under vathas! I’ve never seen so many in one place!”
Bithe was being attractive? Alden flicked his eyes over Seth-wereft’s back again. Her outfit wasn’t that different from what a few people had been wearing at the pitcherhouse last night, but the possibility that multiple aliens were in the boat trying to be attractive for each other made him stop shy of the door.
“What are you all doing out here on the river today, Hn’tyon Seth-wereft?” he asked.
“We ran into trouble on our training quest this morning, so we’ve taken a break to rest and come up with a new plan. Did any of you see Alden Thorn jump? It was quite good! If you’d jumped like that earlier, you wouldn’t have been injured, Tilliver.”
Seth was the name of one of Emban’s squadmates, wasn’t it?
Alden followed Seth-wereft in and looked around. Another young knight in uniform was sitting at a green oval table, studying a three-dimensional map of a rocky hillside.
“How many times do I have to apologize for that jump?” he asked.
“At least a few more once Emban gets back,” said Seth-wereft. “She told you to wait for her to help.”
A narrow door on the other side of the table folded aside like a fan to reveal a bedroom. Bithe was behind it, and a second person was following him, trying to sort out a brown braid that had come undone.
“What if we ask for equipment this time?” said the one working on their braid, heading toward a chair with a pink knight’s coat draped over the back. “Going unequipped might have been too risky for this one.”
“Hello, Alden,” Bithe said. “It’s such a happiness to have you here. How is Konstantin Roberts? I should think of you both more than I do. Have you brought Stu-art’h? Oh, is Emban with you?”
He looked hopefully toward the door with one eye and focused on Alden with the other as he pulled out a chair at the table.
Mystery solved, thought Alden as he let Bithe motion him into the chair. The knight who’d blown up at him beside the o’odee pasture patted him on both shoulders as he sat and spent thirty seconds encouraging everyone else to notice Alden’s new tattoo. Then he hurried over to the door to search for Emban, even though Alden and Seth-wereft both said she wasn’t there. He’s mellow.
Artonan guys got bondy and placid after sex. Way more so than humans. It could be a powerful social tool. And a risky one.
The women of their species could achieve a similar bondy state, but most of them had to do more to get to that point naturally. These days, they could take drugs to kick it off if they wanted it, or they could just enjoy the heightened energy that came before mellowing instead.
“Do you know about training quests, Alden Thorn?” asked Seth-wereft. “No? Probably not. I’ll fill you in, and then you can tell us all about what you and Emban’s cousin did after our squadmates left their Here-to-There, and then you can help us with our plan!”
“Why would this Ryeh-b’t who was going about his own day suddenly want to be involved in planning how we get up a hill infested with <<mock>> demons?” asked Tilliver, rotating the map by waving a finger. “You need to be careful not to pressure people while you’re hyper, Seth.”
Seth-wereft frowned. “That’s true.”
Alden sat up straighter as he sensed a threat to this chance that had fallen into his lap. Emban wasn’t here yet. These guys were nice. And they were knights actively training at this very moment for Goldbush.
“Emban says he’s interested in lab work,” said Tilliver. “He might have been on his way to—”
“I don’t care about labs,” Alden said, leaning toward the map. “I apologize for interrupting, Hn’tyon Tilliver. I’m just so excited about hearing what you’ve planned. I’m very interested in how knights fight chaos.” He touched his commendation. Look at it. See. Alis-art’h approves of me. “I have nothing else to do today, and I’d be fascinated to hear how you train. I won’t add much to your conversation, but I’ll be careful not to get in the way.”
“Of course you won’t get in the way,” Bithe said. “Alden saved us from such a horrible situation on the Here-to-There.”
“See, Tilliver?” said Seth.
Tilliver shrugged. “I don’t care if you stay. If the vathas carry us into the sky, grab onto Seth. She’ll save you.”
Comments (170)
I wonder if we can take this as Stu won't be ready to become a Knight for a long while... “That chat you had with Stu-art’h before Alden woke eased your mind.” “Some. He has a long way to go down his own path.”
Typo, though others probably already mentioned it: Then the area contained within the world keeper can be used as a starting place for restoring the surrounding environment. It’s eas[i]er that way.
I've really enjoyed this arc. It's nice to hear about Sina's skill. I wonder if she was dissatisfied with the early part of her skill considering how often Stuart worries about it.
no chapter?
approximately chapter
Isn't Esh in a beautiful position to help Alden and Stu when they are ready to be more open about their (mostly Alden's) situation? Trained as an external to become a kningt, already likes the both of them, knows the primary personally, did the impossible catching up to Lind-otta, has Lind to calm him from his more destructive impulses...
I hope they tell him before he leaves earth. he's going to be in some inaccessible chaos zone with the primary afterwards, so he wouldn't be able to help them at all from there
There's no delay message ....
Don’t jinx it!
What a great setup. There’s the anticipation of Alden helping with or participating in knight training with cool friendly knights, but it’s cut with the suspense of how Emban will react when she gets back. Will Emban be angry? embarrassed? apologetic? cold? Will Alden apologize for losing his temper?
Imagine that Alden gets involved in an amazing knight training event only to get teleported out on Esh’s request when school starts. Showing up in class suddenly all dressed up for Artona and wearing his commendation.🤭
Of all the young knights Alden has met so far, I feel like Bithe would be the most sympathetic to Alden's desire to make a new home in the Rapports. Remember what Bithe shared in 230? “They don’t let parents donate young children to this life anymore, though. So I had to keep sneaking into the Rapport to try to persuade people that I belonged among them. It shouldn’t have worked, but my father said such unkind things about me when a votary returned me to him after my fourth attempt that she changed her mind and decided there might be room in the Rapport for me after all.'"
I don't have a good handle on how much of a worrier Bithe typically is when he's not under the enormous strain of Ryada's secrecy, but I keep thinking Bithe might be the Lexi of his squad - trying hard to be mature and responsible and steady, always looking out for others, sometimes explosive under pressure, has an attractive smile, and has a well-buried wicked sense of humor in there somewhere.
Next chapter predictions in haiku, or otherwise? Embarassed Emban Overcorrects to protect Alden from insult
a combat ryeh-b't prepares to fight mock demons will he find home here
If Alden helps the team take the hill while Emban is away, will she think better of him or will she be jealous?
Yes. - Seriously though, I get the impression that Emban just stepped out - the equivalent of going for snacks while her pals decompress and strategize. She will return before anything goes down. We'll see soon enough.
Huh, Sina's skill sounds like the upgraded version of Opal's. 'Everything between there and I gets wrecked'. It's not a one-to-one comparison, obviously, but it's close enough to be intriguing to me. (Or more likely, Opal's skill is a watered down version of Sina's)
that's a spell impression for Opal actually. her skill allows her to sense objects she's controlling even if they're behind her or obscured
Part of the oath with Ro was for Alden's benefit. Preventing important information from being extracted from him. He should probably get that covered with someone asap.
What important information? The only thing that I recall being mentioned was just that the tatoo was proof that he was acting as part of a contract, and thus not liable if something he'd been asked to do was illegal.
Interesting to contrast Bithe and Seth here with Ro and Thenn in the chapter 284 flashback: "'You could have let yourself enjoy it,' said Thenn, frowning at her tea in lieu of him. 'It’s only the two of us for a change, and I’m a considerate mate. I wouldn’t leave you to become easy prey for the beasts or bring someone who usually annoys you back to join us when you’re in that state.' 'I’d prefer to stay sharp enough to kill the beasts and the annoying people, if you don’t mind.'"
Hopefully Alden had already switched categories from 'someone who usually annoys you' for Bithe! I suspect Emban is more likely to be the one who's potentially explosive around mentions of Ryada-adjacent sore spots, contrasting with Bithe being the one actively encouraging Alden's inclusion, in a reverse of their behavior during the Here-to-There.
Happy approximate day everyone!
A good time to contemplate worthy words for the wordchain of soup summoning!
“Fine,” Esh said, falling back into a lounging position on the sofa. “If you two want to be secretive about what you did to persuade him, I’ll assume the obvious. Stu-art’h must have beaten proper behavior into him with a tree branch while Alden threw the imported fruit.” He made an effort for them. Lind felt an urge to pry into them herself when both Stu-art’h and Alden tensed at the remark about the branch and fruit. What exactly had they done? --- Spot on and yet so far from the whole of the truth. There's no way to guess what actually happened from that. Lol.
Not sure if anyone's mentioned this yet but in Chapter 220 (A Rare Pairing) we get a definition for an Artonan word that means charming, specifically as a quality of authority. "... people say she's impressively «charming - specifically in reference to a person's ability to interact with and influence another's existence without causing discomfort» for someone close to us in age." -Stu, about Ryada Bess. So in this case Lind-otta's use of charming might not be directly drawing a comparison to the greeting, but rather an acknowledgement of a well-defined property that the greeting and Alden's authority happen to share. It would be entirely coincidental from her perspective. It would also align with the fact that Stuart's sensitivity allowed him to detect unusual qualities in Alden's authority too. On another note, that quote was about Ryada Bess' potential for deepening towards Inesvul. This would imply Alden is well suited to deepening too. It also implies Alden's authority greetings are much less irksome to Stu's sensitivity than they might be if he weren't "charming" in this way which is a nice detail.
Actually, speculating on this a bit more, it seems possible Lind is something of an expert on "charm" as a quality of authority. Her deepening with Esh was apparently quite long and difficult due to a large gap in power, and she is sensitive in the way Stu is which means invasive authority interactions are likely unpleasant for her. Perhaps being "charming" is an important quality one or both of them possess that made it possible? The quote from 220 implies "charm" is somehow related to age, and Lind is purportedly old, so she is probably very "charming." Esh might have been notably charming for being younger, like Ryada and Alden, which could have been part of what drew them together in the first place.
Just had a thought. Isn’t meat petal native to III. The plant is supposed to be pretty big. Wonder if we will see one during Alden’s explorations. He could also bring some of that to Gorgon when he goes to Chicago.
It’s native to Artona III, not Rapport III, unfortunately. Alden is currently in Rapport III, which is on Artona I.
I wonder if Alden could trigger a Temper Sphere, then have Kon 'repair' it so that its magic was on it again. Bonus points if Alden tries removing the enchantment from a temper sphere with his skill & asks Kon if he can determine a difference between one removal and another. This would actually be within the bounds of his current fake profile - he's got a 'temporarily remove enchantments' (fake) skill.
He has a “temporarily *suppress* enchantments” ability on his profile, not *remove*. The average human can’t tell the difference, but I wouldn’t think the same was true of Kon.
I assume Seth's skill must involve some kind of telekinesis or mass flying / floating skill? She was able to make portions of the cloud of bathes float somewhat "drunkenly" off, and Tilliver's closing words here suggest that if the whole boat got dragged up into the sky, Seth could fly off under her own power.
You guys there’s a new tv show “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥)
However, Esh's remark to Lind after the boys left is not an overwhelming vote of confidence: “That chat you had with Stu-art’h before Alden woke eased your mind.” “Some. He has a long way to go down his own path.”
Just realized Alden hasn’t mentioned the piece of Stuart’s foot yet. I wonder how Stuart would feel about that
chekov's foot, meet chekov's triangle. we'll be seeing you both in a hundred chapters or so
So how many Artonans are on the boat? Is Tillyver the same as the pink one? Then it would be 3 … ?
> “Hn’tyon Seth-wereft,” she said. One. > Another young knight in uniform was sitting at a green oval table, studying a three-dimensional map of a rocky hillside. Two (Tilliver) > A narrow door on the other side of the table folded aside like a fan to reveal a bedroom. Bithe was behind it, and a second person was following him, trying to sort out a brown braid that had come undone. Three (Bithe) and Four (not yet named).
What if Alden tags along and helps the group and some kind of emergency happens and he outs himself while helping resolve the emergency?
Boe has been distant with Alden for a few weeks, even since Alden told Boe he'd revealed his wizard status to Stu-art'h, who happens to be the son of the Primary (!). We haven't yet heard what happened with Boe's previous mission that Alden's 'surprise! I told Stuart anyway' call interrupted - who was that man with the unquiet mind that Boe had been monitoring? What did Boe ended up doing to or about them? What exactly was Boe doing in those woods that he felt he needed to run out of them first before turning on video with Alden? Why did he delay answering Alden's call at all? Something about that little sequence of hastily arranged secrecy has similar energy to Alden stuffing his spellbook back into System storage and making sure his auriad was hidden before accepting a surprise call from Evul-enabled Stu before Alden's wizard reveal. Have you been doing secret hero/vigilante training to go with your new exercise habit, Boe?
Boe being a vigilante is the kind of "do as I say not as I do" mentality that's going to sabotage his attempts to get Alden to walk a safer and more predictable path in life.
Didn't catch this as deeply as I should have on the first read: “Before you woke,” said Stuart. “He gave me an opportunity to ask him questions, as a declared to a knight" Wow, such support. Possibly the first knight outside of his father to show that he believes Stu will be a knight, and in such a normal mentoring way. Exactly what Stu has been craving.
If your family doesn't support your future plans, you look to outside sources for support. I'm so glad that Stu is finding that support through Alden, in such a healthy direction.
The knights are doing an obstacle course, and they just pulled a helpful avowed who takes obstacle course class!
I read Lind's ambiguous musing about Alden's Authority as another hint that she does in fact know. I realize some are interpreting it as the opposite, but I see no reason for her to be thinking such things about his magic capabilities if they were entirely irrelevant to his relationship with her. And "he doesn't know how to use his authority" seems entirely different from "he cannot use his authority." So, I think she knows. Unfortunately this does not matter until something comes of it.
I mean, all Avowed magic is done through authority. So the difference is moot I think. I don’t think she knows and upon reread I feel more strongly that she may just always be observing Avowed and may be one of the people who disagree with making Avowed
This conversation with Boe (and the fact they postponed the meeting) sparked dread in me… Alden is totally relaxed about meeting him in one/two weeks. A lot can happen in that time, especially if one person is randomly runing in the snow. Something he never did before. But maybe I’m just jumping at shadows. I have been feeling anxious about Boe since their last talk. 😣
But if nothing is wrong with Boe, what reason is there for us to go check up on him? He's got problems and those problems will have to be what make him relevant to Alden's story. Besides just being moral support for a human knight.
Seth is a great name to possess. Found both biblically (the son of Adam and Eve who wasn't involved in the first murder) and in Egyptian mythology (the god of chaos and strife, regardless of morality), it has ancient roots. Pronunciation varies based on whether the th is voiced or not. Even in modern times, Jane Roberts' famous "The Coming of Seth" books lend the name itself a continued air of mystique. It has also been my experience that most Seths prefer to be the only Seth in a given social group.
It has been my experience that most Johns, Michaels, and Davids would prefer this as well... it's just a tad harder to pull off with those names. "Dave! Not you, Other Dave. I mean Proper Dave."
I hope this training quest, that Alden should definitely give the details of to his school, does show us many many more Knight skills. I'm always trying to think of what sorts of things Kibby would want to become. Returning Guardblade sounds really cool, and Kibby would absolutely love being able to smash and explode everything in her way while still having an option to protect others with her skill. But I feel that one of her biggest considerations is to only want to look at skills that compliment Alden's the most, so they can always fight as a team.
I daydream, assuming everyone survives, that Kivb-ee would join a marriage-of-purpose (sub-Rapport) with Stu and Alden (and, my fingers are crossed, Natalie).
Does anybody remember if it’s been stated if Artonan has diphthongs?
The only hints I’ve found of actual Artonan pronunciation are in Ch 101, where Kibby adapts “monday” as “mundee” and “cat” as “kyat.” So Artonan probably doesn’t have an /ei/ diphthong and instead ‘ee’ represents a long vowel /eː/ (and not “ee” like English “bee”). I like to think that ‘e’ is then a schwa /ə/, which sounds more alien, but it could also just be a short /e/ or /ɛ/. This doesn’t rule out other diphthongs though. There are lots words with ‘ay,’ so maybe Artonan has /ai/. We’ve also seen other long vowels in names like Parethat-uur, so Artonan probably has at least a full set of /iː eː aː oː uː/ (if not more since it’s supposedly 3 languages in a trenchcoat). “Kyat” and all the words with consonant + y look like palatalization. Vethedya, Sdyelis, Ryada, etc. And lastly Ro-den uses the English name “Joe”, which indicates to me that the Artonan “r” is more fricated, like Mandarin “r” /ɻ~ʐ/, rather than a trill [r] (Spanish “rr”) or tap [ɾ] (Japanese) or approximant [ɹ] (English).
I hope Alden thought get a picture of the vatha boat. Stu knows Bithe and his skill well enough to probably guess what's happening. And massive swarm of large alien moths is probably sticking close enough to his bird theme to be able to be posted on Trime.
I’m going to play with the danger Triangle and commit crimes, then send you photos with no context. First photo: Alden training against mock demons with the squad.
Random silliness: Bithe can attract one type of insect. Alden has a spell to massacre another type of insect on a different planet. But what if Bithe’s skill coincidentally attracted that type of insect too? They could be an amazing extermination team…
Tftc!
Thanks for the chapter!
> And Esh was amused and intrigued, thrilled and overeager. Me, when reading a new chapter of soup.
All of them, including Alden, are on their second binding. The Artonans probably started with more authority, but that isn't guaranteed. Alden also is unusually stable, so grew his power by a larger percentage before second binding, and he went past the stable point. He is also half way through to third binding while they just went through second. So, his skill is probably at a similar level of power as some of theirs. This should be a good grouping.
He may be at a similar number of affixations, but they’re almost certainly more powerful than him. The As and Ss on Earth are still more powerful than him. We’re talking about people that probably were much more powerful than an Earth ‘S’ *before* they were bound.
Delicious setup and soup, thanks for the chapter!
What's up with Tilliver's name? Doesn't seem to follow Artonan naming conventions or sound very much like other Artonan names we've heard. No surname like Bithe? Alden is mishearing it, and it's Tiliv-er? Less common convention from some pre-unification Artonan language/tradition?
I like that last theory. His family is the tropical mirror to the -art'hs. The -art'hs go a-viking and return with those who are beloved by the vines? These guys go sailing, bearing tropical fruit gifts, along with mass group spells for constructing ships. They return with a flotilla of the young and adventurous from the many coastal lands they've visited. Or something. 😉
I always pictured Bithe as a super frumpy Eeyore-Artonan with bangs for some reason. Seeing post coital Bithe here is kinda uncomfortable but I’m glad he contains multitudes. Go get your game on, Bithe. Edit: I bet he didn’t wash his hands before shoulder handling Alden.
I think we met him at a dark time, and that wasn't supposed to be his normal. Just like how Esh was somewhat surprised at Alden's general well-being. 😁 There is also the question of how people cope with different stresses. It's possible he's more willing to be "bondy" and vulnerable now than he was before. Losing someone, even for a while, can do that. Be well, Bithe!
Is this the first time we've heard that the sameface twins used to be on a team with Jozz and Sina? Now I'm even more curious what their primary talents are.
Given Jozz helps guard a safe area and keeps it healthy, and Sina like Jeneth was skilled at fighting through demons to reach him, I'd guess the twins have talents suitable for restoring corrupted environments (perhaps not dissimilar to their mother Alis). Someday we'll learn what Jeneth and Alis' lost triplet-sibling's skill was, someday...
TFTC!
A wild Bithe has appeared! Alden uses past adventures. It's super effective.
I hope Alden gets kidnapped by SAL. Am I a bad person?
While there could be an interesting plot for that, in a world with an unblockable system and access to teleportation, the only way to kidnap someone and keep them, or stop people from finding or contacting them would be to keep them unconscious. this is expecially true for Alden where he can probably just request Earth to get him out of there hassle free
Alden better bring some yovkew as a gift for Gorgon.
I hadn't considered yet, that if you are the Primary, and you need to let off steam because your favourite son is choosing to do something that's honourable but might just kill him, you can just go decimate demons. Those demons are in for an extra bad time. Go Jeneth-art'h!
I suspect Jeneth knew he could not do to Stu what he had to do to Sina.
Bithe trying to be attractive... silver cloud of Vatha surrounding the boat... Bwahahahahaha! OMG, my sides hurt. Hahaha!!!
Esh is pretty close with his guess about Stu hitting things with a stick and Alden throwing fruit. It's funny how close he is in some ways and just how far off. I do think he would absolutely love how Stu did all of it and look forwards to him finding out. It would be **awesome** gossip to spread around at the pitcherhouse and would show Stu off very favourably. Of course it will/would get Stu into trouble with his family when they find out. I did not expect the Bithe recruitment of Alden, but then we were told about knights training here in previous chapters!
Thank you for the chapter! I wonder where Alden learned that tibit about Artonans' behavior after sex. Maybe during those mandatory sex ed classes during intake?
Yeah I would guess the sex ed classes
I’m usually smiling in the beginning of a chapter and crying by the end. Today was the opposite!
Esh has been portrayed as extremely curious for a while but I love that, as it turns out, Lind is also very curious. She just hides it better
She has had much longer to learn the delicate art of minding her own damn business. And how not to frighten the skittish youngsters.
I am *cackling* at the vatha-covered boat full of recent sexcapades. Every time I think Alden and Stu have gotten up to something ridiculous, the newling knight crew of his cousin's shows up to utterly top them on the drama quotient, it's so good. Glad Bithe is doing better these days! He really was under such a crushing strain trying to help conceal Ryada's secret; seeing him actually relaxed feels almost like whiplash. Thrilled we finally got another Lind POV! And an answer to whether she and Esh suspect Alden to be a secret wizard at present: no. Esh is so so delighted to get to Alden using his first name only basis even if Lind gently thwarted him him from prying fully into all of how Stu and Alden managed to pressure Ro-den into releasing Alden from the last of their contract. Did she actively slide into *taking temporary control of Esh's body* at the end there? Did we know that was possible through inesvul?
Interesting to have Alden mirroring Stu in figuring out part of what Boe was being pressured to keep secret under a contract, and hoping that they can resolve the previous weirdness by revealing he knows and having a more open conversation after. I hope there's no need for Alden to threaten Earth Contract with a big stick of art'h wood...
While im firmly in "doesn't know or suspect" for Lind about Alden's wizardry, i think the words Sleyca provided us with are notable. I think Alden's self was active and emotive while he was talking, but not in the way that says awareness. Just as happy person smiles and speaks in an upbeat manner, the self must show your emotion when you don't know how to hide it. Only with hindsight will she realise that his quiescence under that examination was intentional, and his emotive, charming nature is because he doesn't realise he was doing it. Some avowed species may have more constantly emotive selves despite no awareness or control
Oh that's a thoughtful point of view! I like it! And also think it may be correct
So much in a chapter! Thanks Sleyca
It would feel like a plot twist if it turned out that everything really is fine with Boe, but that's still what I want.
Unfortunately, I think he's gonna be pretty displeased with Alden. He gave Alden a clear assignment: learn to make contracts. Despite multiple opportunities, Alden has made no efforts in that direction. And contrary to what Alden thinks, Alden does *not* know everything Earth wants kept secret. Since he's apparently being a doofus about this, he has yet to realize that Boe affixed indecently young and whammied his parents, both of which are things Boe wants to discuss with him. If I was Boe, I'd feel borderline betrayed by Alden's lack of effort to make good on his word.
Alden's so focused on gaining control of his life it's going to be fascinating to see how he reacts when, inevitably, his secret gets away from him. I can't wait for Esh & Lind to find out, but as much as Alden showing trust by telling them would be fun, I have a strong feeling his wizardry will be announced with that yell in his throat 🥰
Someone else pointed out earlier that Stu will be battling his way through a party while Alden does his mock battle with the Knights. It would be hilarious if they both unintentionally spill the tea at roughly the same time in a similar way to both groups.
Prediction time: Hannah is still alive on an ongoing and dangerous mission that will eventually kill her. I suspect she is keeping safe an important place and that this is crucial for the safety of the universe. I already voiced this theory before, and it goes like this: Alden's skill is similar to Hannah's. Primary said to live fully and grow well before Alden is called to duty. Roden says the Primary will make Alden's life a misery until Alden dies before thirty, all due to his skill. Primary has likely called Hannah, just as he was going to call upon Alden, for something important and long-term deadly. Second, on Lind'otta: She says that Alden is remarkably still, which might be normal for Avowed. She says he'd have a charming greeting, if he had one. And that Esherdi runs into the danger of scaring away Alden and Stuart with his prying enthusiasm. She sounds like she is suspecting that Alden is authority sensitive, but not voicing this suspicion to anyone. Lind is only making sure that Alden can call them for help, in case she is right. Third: Boe is testing his power, and I suspect he is checking if fighting demons alongside Alden is feasible. The thing is: Boe is falling behind. In life, but also on saving people (and animals) to make right on the tit for tat deal with Alden. If Alden becomes a knight and fights chaos, it becomes more unsustainable, if Boe keeps living in downtown of Chicago. The next logical step is either breaking off the deal and watch the ineavitable decay of a friendship, as the distance between them grows more and more, as they are too different and lead too different lives. Or, go full hero track and join Alden to fight demons. Boe does not have much to live for - his cat space issue sounds like he is lowkey suicidal and his friendship with Alden is the one thing that keeps him going. I am 99% sure Boe will either join Alden's and Stuart's team or their Rapport hold, and support them either in combat or outside of it. Really juicy chapter! Thank you Sleyca
Comments like yours are why I always have to read the comments obsessively between updates! Thanks for sharing your predictions, I think you're onto something
Huh so Bithe and Seth just had sex ? I thought Bithe was pining for Emban ? Also looks like they did it after returning from the mission sooo in the ship while the other teammates were there preparing ? I'm just slightly confused about the social dynamics :v Thanks for the chapter
Probably not Seth. Probably the unnamed pink-coated, brown-haired knight that just came out of the bedroom beside Bithe. (Or, hell, maybe it was both of them.) I don't think there were any particular signs of Bithe pining for Emban, but even if there were, Artonans seem to trend more polyamorous than humans. Recall that three-way relationships are nearly the cultural default. It *does* sound like this is quite the break they're taking, but also Artonans are way more casual about sex in general than humans. And apparently it makes them super bondy so maybe not the *worst* thing to do nearby the squad they're training up with, since they've gotta go face deathly peril together later.
There are a lot of protection knights floating around. Alden’s skill is gonna be useful.
OMG Alden's about to a mock quest with other knightlings. I hope whatever cookie they receive mother gives him an under the table piece. When all secrets are out if would be a lovely add to his resume reveal.
Always good to see Boe. Hope he wasn't lying :/
I can't wait for Alden to send Stu pictures of this Knight training Quest with no context what so ever.
"I left him alone 5 minutes ago! how?!"
Hannah must have been taking the role of a World Keeper in her last moments
Thing is, I don't think she's dead. I think she's preserving something and is inside her own Bubble of Patient Waiting, and that Alden's training with a kyip seed will improve his sensitivity enough to find her. I just want to know where she is in the dimensions (for a while, I was thinking Earth, but today, not so much. I think it was the worldkeeper that's got all of us a twitter about Hannah again.)
Ain't nothing like a fresh serving of soup for my bus ride 🙏
Vathas on the bus go round and round...
"Purple Guy!"
We'll get to see Emban for the first time since the fight. That should be an interesting interaction, and will probably decide how she's seen going forward
You could almost say that every new appearance decides how a character will be seen going forward, could you not?
It's fun how Lind-otta has just a smidgen of suspicion because Alden's self is too still. Alden doesn't realize that the stillness isn't actually a natural response haha.
Not suspicion. She's noting that while he feels abnormal for an Artonan, he's completely normal for an Avowed.
Please let Alden help the knights do their training mission as a “summoned Avowed” lol. Alden doing fake battle with knights while Stu battles/survives his wizard party is too good. Thank you for the chapter. Always worth the wait. Really looking forward to the next, no matter how it plays out.
A part of me is still so worried Stu is gonna get high and spill the tea. But I also kinda feel like Stu might become Alden's votary instead of becoming a Knight, since it seemed like he was having more doubts that usual not too long ago (and that was his original plan, and the bits about him "casting beautifully") I highly doubt this is the direction the story will go, but I can imagine Stu being high and irritated with the partygoers and saying something like "My human friend will make a much better Knight than you ever would" to a boastful Artonan student and then pledging to serve as Alden's votary out of shaaaaaame afterwards.
I'm feeling a change in the air.. something is ramping up, I'm so looking forward to the next chapters
"Okay. I should’ve know you might be.” -> should've known
Is it weird that I'm more interested in seeing gorgon again? I think it's been probably 200 chapters since the guy was even mentioned.
100% agree. That was my immediate thought when he mentioned going to the consulate. He needs to talk to Gorgon, hopefully alone. Then again, Gorgon may not be able to say much of substance with his restrictions, but it would still be nice to see him again.
Oooooo. I thought at first the title of the chapter was about Alden and Stu finally telling Esh and Lind, but tbh this is just as tantalizing. Well done, I thought I might end up disappointed but twas not the case at all! Also good to finally have confirmation that Esh and Lind do not in fact know, or even really suspect atm, that the authority greeting they felt was Alden's.
From chapter 119: “'Let’s leave whoever they are alone. There was something charming about their greeting. It was why I was curious in the first place.'” And this chapter: "She imagined he’d give her a charming greeting if he knew how to." Yep, no suspicion whatsoever on Lind's part
Poor Esh. He’s never going to live down smacking that lacefin with his oar, is he. 😄
He can live down smacking the fish at some point, but he definitely won't live down his post-smack potionwork
I’m both happy that Alden and Stu protect each other when they make social mistakes and sad the tea didn’t spill with Esh and Lind at the same time. Also had a flash back to Alden’s first interaction with Stu. Stu’s a different man now imo.
Nice to see Stu and Alden sometimes just act like the teenagers they are.
Sorry ESL speaker here. What does Bondy mean? I did a google search and only got a French commune.
Like, they are more likely to bond with you when theyre in the afterglow of sex is what its supposed to mean I think.
Oh that is a *fascinating* ambiguity in Lind-otta's thoughts. He'd give her a greeting, *if he knew how*.
It really sounds like she is playing with the possibility of Alden being a wizard, but not voicing the suspicion because she doesn't want Esh to scare them away if she is right. Only being a safe adult to call upon, if needed.
Lind imagining Alden having a charming greeting made me squeal.
While in reality he has a kinda childlike greeting, which can be charming in a way.
Horray! Bithe in a happy mood!
Hmm. Seth was described as the one in Emban's squad who was always calm. Postor was also mentioned, the protective one. Tilliver isn't in their squad... or wasn't. He might be here as the replacement for Ryada.
Maybe that's why he's the only one mentioned that's still in uniform. Or it could just be how he is.
What an interesting window into Artonan young knight society and training. I'm glad Alden's managed to come along for the ride.
They think they have a lab Ryeh-b’t tagging along, in reality it's a knight with BOAB. This will be interesting for everyone involved, I'm sure. Alden will learn a lot about what he's signing up for and they'll learn that Alden is quite different from what they imagined lmao
Thanks!
Yay! It is the Knight's obstacle course team! Help them get to the top of the mountain Alden!
Can't wait until you read the next chapter!
"She imagined he’d give her a charming greeting if he knew how to." --- If only she knew!
Sounds like she'd be totally fine with it too!
I'm so not bitter and jealous of Esh and Lind's bond. Not at all. She can soul merge with my husband all she wants. Unrelated. She should probably help the primary beyond the seal while Esh stays back with Alden.
Saved by Lind-otta! That was close.
Cruel to dangle the conversation with Boe infront of us only to yank it away T_T
But at least we know he is doing better
When Alden heard Boe’s heavy breathing & saw his footprints in the snow, my first thought was, “Was he found out? Is he running from the authorities?” Ok, probably not, he’s probably just exercising. Still, part of me still wonders. It’s not like he’d admit it to Alden, since he wouldn’t want Alden to jump in the middle & get in trouble. Really happy to see Alden tossed into interacting with Artonan soon-peers. Should be very interesting.
More than anything, I think between the Pitcherhouse and this Coursing-with-Knights run, Alden's acceptance will spread. I think he'll have a fan club by the time his authority-sense is public knowledge.
Ooooph, Alden, my favorite rabbit guy-- Boe is gonna stress you out again in the (comparatively) near future, and you are blithely unaware!! But also holy wow, how excellent to have such a chill, informative set of chapters transition so seamlessly to so many adventures and exciting events on the horizon! Sleyca, you never cease to amaze me.
All these chapters that come slow... In my eyes they are a carefully written pivot in the story. Alden is growing, healing and choosing. It's like the whole story is repositioning, and while it's doing that we get Eddie's and swirls of story. Bits of Esh and Lind, social stuff, and it all seems grounded in how Stu and Alden's relationship is deepening. I've been enjoying it so much! It's like the forward narrative is filled with swirls and eddies, rather than a fast current right now.
Typo: “Okay. I should’ve know(N) you might be.”
More importantly, thanks for the chapter, Sleyca - developing a lot of little plotlines and getting us into some fresh spot of trouble with some newling knights!
Edit Suggestions: That outburst he had about being left behind and being someone whose best is wrong… ->That outburst he had about being left behind and being someone whose best is wrong… (Double Space)
Was looking forward to it but I guess we’ll have to wait a while more for the conversation with Boe and the reunion with Gorgon.
😞 I’m a really insecure person so I’m already thinking about the worst. I hope I’m wrong.
Well, that is a very awkward moment to run into an acquaintance, but I guess if the artonans don't care, why should Alden? Also, it's so great to see Boe doing well! He such a cinnamon roll to the people he loves, it's wonderful to see him giving some of that same care to himself.
Oh dear. My name has appeared in the text. I AM GOING TO DIE IN A HORRIBLE TRUAMA INDUCING WAY.
I'm so sorry, Tilliver. You will be missed
Bithe lured in our innocent rabbit once again! As fun as telling Esh would have been I feel like it will be easier to tell the full story once they're done keeping secrets. Also, Alden really shouldn't criticize anyone on their lack of a poker face.
Bithe was turning on his attraction so hard he got a bonus ryeh-b't!
Early morning soup, great, TFTC
Lind-otta to the rescue! How interesting to see a description of their bond in action: “it was her who was him, leading their dance for a single step”
That was exactly the part I wanted to quote too. I *loved* the phrasing to describe the dynamic that exists between them with their bond! It draws a very specific idea of how it possibly works.
Yay!! Thank you for this gift! I shall read before sleep and then have beautiful dreams!!!
salt predicted a haitus announcement seconds before this came out LMAO
Salt predicts many things.
Yay! I had felt confident that Lind and Esh didn't know, mostly from comments Esh had made in confusion when his questions got too close to some of Alden's secrets. Happy to have the last doubts stilled. Excited to see Aiden interacting with newish knights. Ones who seem to already have a good impression of him. I wonder if Emban will turn up, and turn up the drama.
Soooup
Yes!
Thank u, Sleyca
Thank you!
TFTS! Lind still doesn’t know. So it’s just Stu, Boe, Mother and Earth’s contract that knew of the wizard rabbit.
Wallahi, I posted a comment on the previous chapter right as this one came out I should post more