THREE HUNDRED TEN: First Human!
Edited (minor, epub updated): October 9, 2026
******
Alden had wondered before what sky diving would be like. This experience didn’t match his imagination in the slightest.
“All right!” he shouted, only moments into his descent. “What do I need to do?”
He couldn’t see the others. He could hear their voices thanks to the comm dots on his ears, but they were firing demands and confirmations at one another using that in-group lingo that had given him trouble earlier. They were talking about releasing something, about whether or not there was an attacker, and about how much time they would have in the air. Alden couldn’t put it together into anything actionable.
I’ve fallen out of a plane. I’m falling. Okay. I just need to….what? What the hell do I do?
He was cocooned in his seat so snugly that he couldn’t move. He didn’t understand what had happened to the flyer or how he had gotten out of it. He didn’t think it had exploded. There was no fireball or falling debris. He’d just been in it, there had been shaking, and now this.
An ejection seat situation. I’m hurtling toward the ground.
But he couldn’t see the ground.
How high up were we? Is there supposed to be a parachute on this chair?
It was confusing. He didn’t feel like he was moving fast, but the wind around his chair indicated otherwise. He needed a reference point, and the sky was such a useless one.
Clouds, light, birds…where is everybody else?
There was nothing to hold onto.
Almost nothing.
Alden latched onto a familiar feeling. My entruster is that way. Bithe’s above me. To my right. There’s what’s important.
It had been a while since his sense of connection to an entruster had been such a comfort, but that comfort was short-lived.
Those tiny dots aren’t birds.
“Bithe, we’re getting farther away from each other fast!” Alden said.
The squad’s conversation shifted instantly.
“Why is he still in his chair?”
Tilliver.
“Alden! That’s too far! We said release!”
Bithe.
“What am I supposed to be releasing?” Alden asked.
“Seth, do you still have him?”
That was Emban.
“Yes! But not— ”
Seth.
“Alden, say ‘release’ right now! Say it!”
Bithe again.
“Release!” said Alden.
This minute of his life was just full of surprises. He thought he was about to get a parachute. Instead, the chair spat him out with a fwoof sound that was almost lost in the wind. Abruptly, he was falling through the sky without his cocoon of cushiony stuff.
This seems worse.
“This seems worse,” he said aloud. “The chair threw me out!”
“Good!” said Bithe. “Seth used her skill on us as we left the flyer.”
Driftseed?
His disorientation was bad enough that it took him more seconds to decide the slow spin he was doing, feet over head, wasn’t some normal way of moving in response to being released into the free air. Whipping his head around until he caught sight of the chair plummeting away from him toward the ground helped him with his perspective. The wind decreasing helped, too.
By the time Seth started rapidly explaining that she was using her skill in a way that was supposed to keep all of them drifting together in a loose cloud around her, Alden had sort of figured it out. Seth had hit him with her skill as they ejected from the flyer. Her skill couldn’t overcome the weight or magic of the chair, so not getting out of it as fast as everyone else had put him farther away from the group. He had complete control of his body in the sense that he could move his limbs however he wanted, but those movements had little to no impact on where he was in space.
Like I’m a dandelion seed flying around up here, affected by breezes and also by a loose attraction to Seth.
No matter how he turned his head around, he couldn’t see the squad right now.
“I’m not going to lose the drifting effect as we get too far away, am I?” he asked.
“It should last until you reach the ground,” said Seth. “But I don’t think you’re going to close the distance between us much. We’ll probably land in different locations.”
“That’s fine. At least I’ll land gently. I can find Bithe wherever he is.”
“This situation is not fine at all.” Tilliver sounded stressed. “You didn’t even know how to get out of your seat if the flyer went down. We’re going to look like irresponsible fools.”
Alden was too busy to respond to that immediately, and the others were talking without him anyway. He’d just discovered a wonder in the form of his backpack. It had been on the floor of the flyer, in front of his seat. Now, it was hooked around one of his legs, banging into his thigh as Seth’s skill and gravity batted him around.
I can’t believe I kept this! Did I have my ankle hooked through a strap as we ejected?
He collected the pack and put it on his back where it belonged, using absurd amounts of thought to perform the maneuver and buckle the sternum strap over his chest. It wasn’t even that hard; he just didn’t want to screw up and watch the pack shoot toward the ground below him like the chair had.
Having it, and all the supplies inside it, made him feel better. And by the time he’d secured it, he’d gotten more accustomed to drifting. Enough to listen again to what the others were saying and get some of the bigger picture.
They’d ejected in an effort to avoid a total wipeout. Since they were all still alive, and the flyer was now listed as destroyed, that had probably been a good decision. The knights had just received a call on their own comm device from another knight who’d seen their flyer disappear. They’d been advised to stay away from a particular area, where a hill that was almost a perfectly rounded cone was home to the demons that had presumably caused their accident. If Alden fell straight down from where he was now, he’d be miles away from it, so he wasn’t too worried about that. The ground was getting closer, but slowly, with his direction changing in response to air currents and whatever Seth was doing.
He had seen three members of the squad a minute ago before losing sight of them again. As long as they landed close enough together, in areas that were safe enough, the plan was to join back up and then make for their field.
“I have all of my equipment,” said Alden. “My kelsithe is still entrusted. I’ll be fine on my own until we regroup. Unless I end up somewhere terrible, I’ll move cautiously toward Bithe.”
Tilliver was getting weird, acting like he assumed the squad had to engage in a rescue mission to pick up Alden before they could do anything else. Alden wanted to prevent the regrouping from being framed that way as much as he could. They didn’t even know where they were landing yet. It seemed like Tilliver’s second thoughts from back at the staging area had returned with a vengeance now that they’d ended up in such an unexpected situation.
Like he thinks he brought a baby along just because I didn’t know I needed to get out of my ejection seat so that Seth’s skill could work.
Alden had said release as soon as Bithe had told him to say release. For the few seconds prior to that, they’d all been using the word release with each other without ever telling him what it meant. He couldn’t even see them. They could have been talking about doing absolutely anything as far as he’d known.
I think that was more their mistake than mine. If he feels the same, maybe that’s the bigger issue.
Alden waited for another gap in their discussion to say, “Running up the hill with a group of knights protecting me sounded too quick and easy anyway. I didn’t want to insult you all since you had that mishap this morning, but in my experience, it’s not an authentic corruption event unless something goes horribly wrong and I find myself alone, insufficiently equipped, and under-informed. Falling out of a flyer makes this closer to the right difficulty level, don’t you think?”
They all went silent.
“That was me being funny. Humans can be funny. You might not have known that.”
“We know humans can be funny,” said Emban.
“Just checking. The last time I met Noh-en, she thought she had to explain what exaggeration was.”
******
******
It was a long trip down with Driftseed affecting them—the ultimate chance to appreciate the sky. Alden would have to tell Esh-erdi about it later.
He reached the ground ahead of the others, spending the last five minutes of his trip trying his best to direct himself over the crest of a steep green hill so that he could land near a spot he’d picked on the other side. Waving his arms and legs didn’t do anything, but he could adjust how he drifted somewhat by turning the kelsithe into different shapes and wafting the air around him. His trip back to the planet’s surface ended with him using a large bowl shape to scoop air to give himself a little more time aloft. He’d originally thought he’d use the bowl like a parachute. Driftseed responded better to the scooping.
Briefly, he thought he might even get enough loft to cross another hill or two, but an air current he hadn’t created caught him and blew him into the grass. He bounced off of it, so lightly that he wasn’t even sure it counted as touching down. But that was the only neat magical bounce he got. Seth’s skill quit on him, and gravity got to have as much of a say in things as it usually did.
He withdrew the kelsithe, twisted his torso in the way that felt most natural as he fell, and landed in a stable squat.
My Body Becomes My Assistant is such a good tool.
He’d been confused to start with, but here he was, landing on his feet after falling from a plane. He’d gotten the hang of blowing the air around with the kelsithe more easily than he thought he should have, and he hadn’t even had to use the anti-nausea injector he’d brought with him.
Divin was barely speaking to anyone because she felt sick from all the unusual motion.
He took stock of where he was. He’d landed near the base of the hill he’d just crossed over. The grass was short. The land sloped down away from him toward a cluster of trees, then it rolled on, forming a few small hills before he would come to the next big ones. Way on the other side of those is our hill we’re trying to get to. He’d seen it from above. He had a general idea of where they needed to go. It was quite a hike, but he could use his trait and his wordchains.
Just need to join back up with the others and then head that way.
Demons?
He didn’t see anything that looked like one. Some demolished turf between him and the trees might have happened hours or days ago. There was a faint reddish tone overlaying everything out here, but it was more noticeable over there.
That’s the indication of heightened chaos.
This was one of the few things his interface would be doing for him. If they were in real chaos, he’d have a feel for it. He’d be able to tell when it was extra strong nearby. The varying red tint was a substitute for his ability to sense that.
Going through an area that looked redder would increase his likelihood of encountering something and lead to more simulated wear and tear on his equipment.
The squad was still up in the air. He could feel Bithe. They were going to end up a few miles apart.
“I’m down,” said Alden. “I’m safe for now.”
“Get to a spot where you have good visibility and wait for us,” Tilliver ordered. “We’ll be right there.”
Despite Alden’s attempts to calm the knight, he was still too tense.
“All right,” Alden said. “I’ll use good judgment.”
“Don’t rely on your own judgment. Just get to where you can see. If there are no demons there, wait for us to come get you.”
Alden frowned. He had amazing visibility from here. There were no demons.
I might be able to close the distance between us by a couple of miles before they land. Just sitting here doesn’t seem like the right call.
The Bearer of All Burdens serves the entruster. I don’t completely know what it means to serve yet. That’s so much to unpack.
But Bithe’s my entruster at the moment.
And Bithe’s that way.
He’d entrusted Alden with this kelsithe. He’d appreciated the decisions Alden had made on the Here-to-There. Alden thought Bithe would also trust him to navigate a few hills, but they couldn’t talk about it openly without it becoming an argument that nobody needed right now.
“There’s a spot near me where the ground’s damaged,” Alden reported.
“How badly?” Tilliver demanded. “What does it look like?”
“Not too bad, but something happened there. I’m going to get some distance from it before I stop moving.”
If the distance just happens to be two or three miles in the right direction, isn’t that convenient for all of us?
“I’ll be careful,” he said. “You all focus on landing safely.”
******
******
I get it, guys.
If you summon an Avowed who’s not ready and he dies, it’s like you killed him. If the summoning happened, in part, because you were trying to make a point about a completely unrelated matter going on with your squadmates, then it’s worse. And there are people you admire watching. Friends and brothers. Newlings. Declared. Votaries. Family. Doubters maybe. People who have stood up for you in the past. Ryada-bess.
It’s only training, but it’s not only training.
You’re showing all of those people who you are.
I get it now even more than I did an hour ago. I care about what I’m doing here, too.
Alden was running. A smooth, ground-eating pace with his trait active and the speed chain boosting him. It wasn’t so fast that he couldn’t keep an eye on his surroundings, and he was leaving himself plenty of energy if he needed to sprint.
He skirted around the bottoms of some hills instead of going in a straight line toward where he felt Bithe, but the inclines still made his heart pound.
He expected them to call and say they were on the ground very soon. It was past time.
I get it because I can feel those people watching me, too.
And I care that they’re watching. I care what they think about me as Sina Stu-art’h’s friend. I care what they think about me. As me.
In a way, I’m watching me, too. I decided recently on a path. I decided that I’d like to push against chaos.
I need to see me even more than I need you all to see me.
I should be stronger today than I was the last time I ran this far. If this was Kibby on my back instead of a pack, would we be okay?
He ran with the kelsithe unfurled and preserved. Just a round shield that he could get in front of himself fast.
I think we’d be okay.
He steered clear of the redder areas. He went over options in his head for what he’d do if something came suddenly from above him or behind him, from the left or from the right.
As he rounded the largest hill so far, he made out a dark shape on the next one, and he stopped, flattening himself onto his stomach, staring at it.
The light was getting dim. And he thought the distance might be too far for him to see the heightened warning tint if that was a demon. He made himself breathe shallowly. There wasn’t much grass in this spot where he’d gone down. Without the ten-ring set he wore, the stones might have been cutting into his hands.
The thing moving on the opposite hill wasn’t a hazard mimic unless the ones they used out here were way more sophisticated than the one Stuart had borrowed for him.
They probably are way more sophisticated. But still, that thing’s running up the slope so gracefully. It’s muscular. Quadrupedal. Like…
“Night vision,” he said as quietly as he could. “Magnify.”
His new lenses obeyed. The world became a little desaturated and significantly clearer.
Griveck.
Are they here as an Avowed helping with the battle like me, or are they acting the part of a demon?
At least it’s not a griveck going about business as usual in the wild. I might already be dead.
That person definitely knew he was here. Because they were a griveck. No helmet even. Their natural senses would be fully available. Not to mention whatever their magic was.
But if they’re assigned to be a demon, they must have been given rules to follow. Like, don’t kill everyone you become aware of. Pretend to be a less intelligent and frightening apex predator.
The griveck hadn’t responded to him being here or talking to his lenses. So speaking again at that volume should be safe.
“Communicate. Local range,” Alden whispered. “Hello to the griveck Avowed near me in the float-stone hills region.”
That was professional enough, wasn’t it?
He didn’t think everyone out here would have the ability to communicate with him using tech. The griveck wouldn’t have the same kind of comm dot earrings he did, and anything they did have might be broken. The other Avowed could have been out here for days killing things in the worst patches of chaos for all Alden knew.
But I think they can just hear me the regular way from here. If they don’t respond, they’re probably a demon.
The griveck spun around. A mouth gaped open, and Alden’s lenses gave him a high-definition view of a serrated tongue sticking up toward the sky. The griveck screamed.
<<HELLO!!!!>>
Even from this far away, it was like having glass shoved into his ears. Alden wasn’t sure why the dots didn’t think he needed some sound muffling for that greeting.
So that’s an Avowed. And any demons that were around here just died of fright.
“Hello,” Alden said in what he hoped was a normal voice as he got back onto his feet. “Good hunting to you or good talk for me?”
<<Good short talk!>> the griveck said. <<I’ll come to you!>>
I’m glad the translation on these works.
The griveck came to him so fast Alden had a hard time convincing his body that it wasn’t in danger.
She was as tall as him. Her name was another ear-stabber. She wove around him like a giant, deadly version of Victor, and she made it very clear that she was supposed to be busy by insisting twice more that she could only talk for a short while.
Despite that, she seemed eager to set aside whatever important job she was doing to examine him. He got the feeling she’d been resisting curiosity about him before he called her.
<<First human! I’ll touch you!>>
“I’m not a physically strong Avowed,” Alden said quickly.
<<Carefully.>> She brushed past his hand.
“I’m on my way to join the others I was with. A squad of knights. We had a flyer accident. They’re that way.” He pointed straight toward Bithe. “Could you tell me anything about that direction?”
<<Orrraaaan’s territory.>>
“Forduan?” Alden asked.
<<Yes. That one. Point?>>
Alden pointed again and held it. The griveck looked in that direction.
<<Edge of Orrraaaan’s territory and edge where I will start ewtwee hunting and edge of where Sssuuuu worked yesterday.>>
Alden couldn’t hazard a guess at what name had been turned into Sssuuuu, but the info was good enough. “The squad was going to try hard not to land in Forduan’s territory, so them being right at the edge of it makes sense. Is it safe for us to come into this territory, where you and I are right now, and go around Forduan’s area? We’re trying to get to a hill with a chaos-resistant top. It’s—”
<<I know that quest. I learned all the fields this morning.>>
“I’m not as prepared as you,” said Alden. “What can you tell me before you have to go?”
<<You have to go, too. Your knights are probably having so much fun without you!>> She laughed.
I have to go. Because they’re having fun. According to a griveck.
“Is there hunting that way?” Alden asked, hoping he’d misinterpreted.
<<Good for cubs your age,>> she said. <<Challenging!>>
“Thanks!” said Alden, launching into a faster run than before. “A pleasure to meet you! You’re right. I’d better go.”
She caught up in a bound.
<<I’ll kill some boring things in between so that they don’t slow you down on your way to more worthy ones.>>
“That’s so nice of you! Good hunting!”
<<Kill to strengthen all,>> she replied. <<Strong claws. Many flavors between your teeth.>>
Comments (190)
Seriously top notch character writing.
Despite being normal length this chapter felt so short, I need more! 😭
I’m in morocco and it’s already almost 7pm , when can I consider it tomorrow (Sleyca time)?
Between 10-12 hours
Grivecks must be obligate carnivores. Which suggests that their population density on Sreeeakk is pretty low. I wonder if any of them have taken up ranching? Not as satisfying as hunting, but it would make for a steadier supply of food.
The state of Texas had enough trouble with Walker's wolves, just wait until the griveck ranchers move in.
Next chapter predictions in haiku, or otherwise? A small miracle Stu messaging Noh again Please watch for Alden
Turn both of your eyes See the human Ryeh-b't run Graceful black warden
“Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until soup is served.”
This one will be coming tomorrow, guys. It shouldn't be too late tomorrow.
Thanks for letting us know. I really appreciate it :)
How likely is it that Alden is going to end up doing something spectacular with Bearer in the course of this training quest? I keep thinking about Ro-den's line about his odds of staying undetected for quite a while: "Most people won’t have the foggiest idea what the skill is, and they won’t care as long as you don’t do something insane with it" (39).
Seems like the most insane things he could do with it would involve active use of his free authority (similar to his interaction with Ignacio’s power). I don’t see him using his authority in that way with so many wizards around. So maybe crazy, but not as crazy as it could be.
Hm... Chapter reads funny now? Was it edited? Is it mid edit? I personally thought it read good the first time.. but am I wrong? I would prefer less edits and more chapters personally. Oh well. More I would just like to read, no need for this or my pedantery, I suppose..
This is word-for-word the same as the one that was emailed out. Mental state can have effects on your experiences. Maybe a substance is involved?
Just killing time, starting another umpteenth re-read. Came across this and thought I'd comment on it this time around: "He finished the chain in a whisper and started again. A waste. If a tiny slice of luck lands on me today, I don’t have anything important to do with it. It was ten days until the funeral." The luck chain that was the first chain his mother taught him has disappeared from the story in the last year of his life, but this was the day that he got home and his aunt had left to California. He was mad about it, and decided to distract himself by going to the consulate with Victor, and feeding some of his blood to Gorgon. I don't know if the floor has been cast at this point, but perhaps he did receive luck, that positioned him to be involved in the gloss, that led to the rest of the year. Felt like foreshadowing that he was thinking luck would do him no good even if he received it.
Good catch! For the last year, having seen both sides of the Gloss I could understand Alden being a bit gun shy on doing even a baby luck chain
I can't wait for Esh to officially gift Alden the nonagon, and then have someone ask how much longer he gets to keep it so he has to say "oh... yeah, that was a gift actually!" And then he pulls out the kelsithe in gym like "hey guys, funny story--" He's getting so kitted out and I can't get enough of it. I'm calling it right now, poor Alden is going to go accidentally viral on a fashion blog one of these days. And then Medhi will die.
Looking forward to the next chapter! Just realized on my fifth re-read, look at Alden being a good Returning Guardblade! Or just a Returning Guard, in his case. Mother pointing at Alden and saying “notice him!” with the way she set this up
I bet the watching Jozz is going to have some feelings about that!
Happy approximate day everyone! Sorry to be a little late, I'm in the mountains with poor signal. But no ewtwees, so everything's fine.
Quiet Rabbit is an even bigger lie than Silent Jeffy. Good thing Kon's on it, gathering footage of Alden arriving to campus on a flying nonagon, coming to gym with ceremonial makeup on, and floating through the gym to his entruster. Hopefully he can get some footage of this to add to the class montage.
Alden's response to Lexi's concern, literally just two days ago: "[...] Ever since you said you wanted to volunteer for ‘baby level chaos zone’ work, I’ve kind of been hoping your friend knows what he’s doing…or worrying that he doesn’t. He’s not a real summoner yet. He gave you those rings. Those aren’t the only protection you get before an enthusiastic Artonan kid puts you on a list to go be a human shield for his second cousin, are they?” [...] “He’s not adding me to some list he’ll forget about…he’ll be on the list, too. Thanks for caring enough to check, though. And, yes, we do practice together when I’m over there.” -292 Alden today, telling Stu he accidentally volunteered himself to go protect Stu's cousin Emban and her squad: "[Hi,] he typed mentally. [I’m probably going with Emban’s squad on their training quest this evening. I’ll explain how it happened later. Don’t worry. I might damage everyone’s opinion of my capabilities beyond all hope of repair, but other than that, I’m not an idiot and I’ll be completely safe. Wish me luck.] " -308
I think Lexi's going to get rather more insight into the degree of serious practice Alden has been getting up to with Stu and now Stu's (second?) cousin quite soon. I keep imagining Ignacio parking himself in the huntski lodge to wait for Alden to get back from his TriPlanets trip and come do another round of Rabbit Recall practic with him like he'd promised, and Lexi awkwardly trying to reassure Ignacio this was definitely a *social* trip, Alden knows what he's doing, etc.
What if two bearers are entrusted the same item?
If you mean 1 entruster, 2 bearers, then i would think first to pick up wins, or maybe the bearers could pass it between eachother if they want to. If you meant 2 entrusters, 2 bearers, competing for the same item, if the item is still available for the 2nd bearer to attempt to take once the first has it preserved, i would think it would be the same as described back in CH28 after Alden lost the magic fight with a tree because "the tree’s dominion over the bowl was more profound than your own". whichever entruster bearer combo had more authority would win and that bearer would take the item.
A supervillain decides to name himself "Natural Causes", for the intimation value. "Do you know how many people died because of Natural Causes last year?!" Immediately becomes public enemy number one all over the world...
Immediately becoming the nemesis of the villain who thought to cleverly name himself “Public Enemy #1” for the notoriety
I was getting in the rhythm of the approximately every five days chapters, but this arc has me back in greedy mode.
You may be greedy, but are you grab-greedy like a toddler?
HEeELoOOoOoo!!!!
it's a griveck, not a whale
Loved the griveck interaction, I hope we get to see more interactions between characters, Alden being constantly stuck in though is honestly getting too tiring.
What do you mean when you say Alden is constantly stuck in?
Looking forward to some campfire story telling of Alden. He even has his origami clam in his back-pack for illustration. I hope he delivers the true story this time.
Now he has the kelsithe to make visuals for his story! Not more noble than origami, but more versatile, and more exciting to see it change shapes on the spot.
How much leeway will the squad get with their lack of training Alden with basic safety features since they didn't summon him. he was "found after his previous summoners died", so can they blame that nonexistent summoner for some mishandling. While i get that the real reason he got to come along was inter-squad squabbling, if this was a real chaos mission they found a random avowed willing to continue the fight so they brought him along, how were they to know that he is ignorant.
Interesting point but I imagine there are rules in place for such circumstances and the squad will learn those rules post mission.
Huh while rereading, I just realized Ignacio would be OP here: - Use Recall Rabbit on Alden - Use Leading Knife - All nearby Rabbits follow Alden - He then swirls around a horde of surprised/annoyed S-rank Griveks on his enemies
Rabbit Recall works because Ignacio can accept Alden as part of the knife (like an extra large handle). It wouldn't apply to non-Alden rabbits. That said, I think the Artonans should definately develop a SSS Rank "Leading Grivek" Skill as I feel like the Griveks would 100% approve. "What type of Meister are you?" -> "I'm a Grivek Meister, Mr. Grivek."
The re read has me so excited for this next chapter and I really want to know more about this Grivek
I love grivek's they sound like just the perfect adorable murder kittens we have... but with the strength and intelligence to conquer an entire planet. I'm guessing they were one of the first to accept the contract.
I love this Grivek more than any other character in the story - besides Sophie, Kraaaa, and Kibby of course - and will immediately fall to Corruption if their day is ruined. Also, I think I realized why Griveks are the best: they’re straight-up feline Orkz from 40k! Just the only ones in their universe that are having a jolly good time participating in the Ongoing Events of the story. Adorably violent hooligans, the lot of ‘em.
Alternate Title: A Chance to Appreciate A Griveck
Random thoughts: - Alden probably learned his manners for talking to a griveck in large part from all that vault TV he watched with Kibby. - When new-friend figures out that Alden can sense his entruster from miles away, she'll probably be impressed by his skill's utility as a tracking ability. - This is turning out to be a *very* educational exercise for the Vatha Squad, who will doubtless approach their first *real* summoning with greater care because they were involved in this simulated clusterfuck. Maybe simulated summonings (under deliberately adverse conditions) would be a good thing to add to the general curriculum for knights?
Alden could recommend a few of his classmates as training summons for these exercises. I'm sure Mehdi would love a chance to appreciate another world. I wonder if the summoning cost is higher for people with greater authority. Would make it cheaper to summon an A-rank when that's all you need.
Alternate Title: A Chance to Appreciate A Griveck
*squints* You posted this almost word-for-word below. Are you truly so dissatisfied with the hundred likes that comment has gotten?
I can’t help but think Stuart would never forget to show Alden how to release the chair. I imagine he’d go with him through all the things artonans consider common knowledge
Stu would never forget about something that risked Alden's safety. But even if it wasn't Alden I think he would do better briefing an avowed, because he knows what it's like to not have the same knowledge as everyone else.
“He withdrew the kelsithe, twisted his torso in the way that felt most natural as he fell, and landed in a stable squat.” Alden’s first superhero landing! He’s a catchphrase away from being a full hero
"By Grabthar's Hammer! What a savings!"
Editor suggestion. >>> “Just checking. The last time I met Noh-en, she thought she had to explain what exaggeration was.” change to: >>> “Just checking. The FIRST time I met Noh-en, she thought she had to explain what exaggeration was.” The last time he met Noh-en was at the knight exercise staging area, not the Rapport school.
No, "the last time" means to most recent time in the past. "The last time I saw you, you were planning to take a vacation."
You know, the squad ought to carry wings with them that they can flap with their arms, so they can fly around when under the influence of Driftseed.
Until they get mesmerized, fly up to Bithe, and get bugzapped :(
Hm, is his Forgetful Traveller's Bag in his backpack, and that's why it just happened to catch onto his leg?
That's what I was wondering!
Thanks for the chapter!
I'm enjoying the implication that this one griveck Avowed is experienced and capable enough to apparently be the entirety of the summoned 'help' for the knights dealing with the competitive ewtwees pretending to be demons who sniped Alden's squad's flyer. No wonder Noh-en was thinking having one of the available grivecks on hand summoned could make a simple quest far too easy for even for a newling knight squad! Just one is a squad's worth of offensive capacity in an apex predator package.
Yes and noh-en was told rabbit which led her to assume griveck because only griveck rabbits are combat butlers and it's common knowledge that driven rabbits are there most powerful statted avowed. Hence if rabbit then absurdly powerful asset
one of the things i'm appreciating more as alden interacts more w different alien species is just how similar humans are to artonans. as readers we're primed to expect alternate species that are only diverge very slightly from human, from generations of classic tropes (vulcans, elves, etc). for all we know, artonan fiction might have similar tropes, but all the other resource worlds they've found must have eroded those expectations in similar aliens -- primitive demons, feral grivecks, pacifist icorlax and so on. i wonder what that unnamed wizard thought when they first discovered earth, the council as they confirmed the discovery. these new people, slightly taller, slightly paler, but so similar. food, clothing, governmental structure, toys, stories. (imagine the first artonan to see a child playing cat's cradle.) and as they build cultural understanding while they establish the Contract, how similar the hopes and fears. and as translation and language learning improves (the part that sparked this train of thought), how relatable their idioms, their humor. and all that they are, exist without magic. (for the artonan council, wouldn't earth look like a hypothetical of the ordinary class taking over?) what a terrifying, wonderful discovery.
It occurs to me that while humans look at a griveck and think "big cat", Artonans probably look at them and think "unclimbing beast". Followed shortly after, probably, by "Oh god it can climb."
And Griveks see both and think either prey or PREY!!!!
I am weirdly reminded of an old gomer pyle episode, he went out on two week survival training .... Let's just say gomer thrived. Leave it to Alden to roll up on an alpha predator and just be like "Sup, meal or chat". 😆
I’m looking forward to Alden rescuing Tilliver.
Griveks are delightful. All I can say is, the knight squad better appreciate it when Alden shows up to help.
A chance to appreciate an Alden
Want to see Mother's reaction after Alden immediately goes splat after falling out of a plane
So from the clues I assume the squad is fighting demons where they landed currently. And Alden will have to make a decision, will he obey the knights orders to stay safe, or will he, in Boes words, throw himself at the first slightly heroic situation he comes across? I vote for the latter...
The griveck doesn’t have a way to know if they’re currently fighting; she just knows that there’s demons over that way.
Noh-en worried the knights recruited a griveck and things would be too easy as a result. Then Alden goes and recruits a griveck by accident.
Only for a short while. She has her own duties to attend to.
Grivek continue to be just The Best.
The standard human reaction to large predators: "Is it going to kill me? No? Friendship is go!"
Protagonist Rabbit, meet Murder Rabbit!
Burderer, meet murderer?
More Grivecks is always best. Thank you, Sleyca
I so want to see a griveck visiting earth
Last (only?) time we heard of Forduan was from Tilliver a few chapters ago: “I know you all like the flockers, but I hope Forduan has let some larger ones slide through his pools into our field by now.” so it’s pretty clear that his skill is something like “Sing the Loud Song of Fatetempting”
Good for cubs your age, she said. Challenging! I am concerned that a Griveck's definition of "challenging for a cub your age" might greatly differ from a human's.
One thing I really like about this chapter is it engages with Alden's core strength as a character. Alden could've just identified that they were on the same team and moved on, scared or afraid to engage further with the violent war beast in front of him, but... There's so many stories where the main character separates themselves because they have more willpower than others. And/or they're more willing to endure pain for the sake of power. And/or they're lucky and fall face first into power at every turn. And/or they're just smarter or more clever than everyone else, and have learned to game the system and become overpowered. Alden is none of these things. But, what he does exhibit as a character in excess of his peers is something I don't see often as a core strength of a character. It's... Acceptance? Understanding? Openness? Willingness to engage? Whatever the opposite of xenophobia is? Hard to pin down a succinct word for it. But Alden's where he is because at every turn, he chose to engage with as equals and without prejudice those different than him. Gorgon gave him a blessing, Kibby gave him magic, Alis gave him a commendation for saving Kibby, Stuart is setting up their future together, Esh dotes on him for saving Zeridee, etc. It's just a really nice message that is laced through the whole story, and I appreciate it.
Overflowing grace and overabundance of virtue. Courage, kindness, patience and humility at the very least. He is both living a life of "highest onus" and aspiring to be "closer to perfection" every day.
Thank you for the chapter! I love all the griveck love happening in the comments! They spark such joy among so many
Oh man. To the grivek, Alden speeding up when he hears his knights are having 'good hunting' without him probably reads as him being eager for the hunt himself. No wonder she's being so kind and generous to clear out more boring prey for him when he's so obviously eager for some real fun.
“What a cute kid. He’s so little! And so eager for his first real hunt!”
I forgot how fun grivecks are. Alden definitely needs one on his team in the future. Also love the disparity between the knights minor panicking about losing their avowed vs Alden's 'just another Sunday, I guess' mentality. It's nice seeing confirmation that Alden made the proper choice for his life - he's so good in pressure situations. He stays calm and focused and intent on his objectives, but he also adapts well, adjusting to being separated from his team and then naturally befriending an apex predator in the field.
Oh, hell yeah, I'm so hyped. Alden's gonna come in clutch for the team, just by virtue of staying calm and keeping his head during a catastrophe, 😂. Can't wait to see the hynton's faces when Alden comes out of nowhere with just so much more competence than they were expecting.
And a Griveck friend as reinforcement he just picked along the way 🙂
Alden needs to pretend to scream in terror and snap a selfie as the griveck chases him. He can send it to Stu and Lexi
Can grivecks get the zoomies?
Better question: Can Grivecks be in a non-zoomy condition?
Yep, fun according to a griveck is definitely trouble! Don't worry young knights, Sir Hopsalot is on his way!
I think you mean agent cottentail
So many times in this chapter I wanted to be a fly on the wall watching the observers watch Alden. Flailing in the air. Trying to lighten the mood. Superhero landing. Taking the grivecks in stride…
Ryada and the other people in the observation room may well be watching him as we speak.
More evidence of grivecks’ catlike nature - first thing she does is ask permission to rub up and scent mark him.
Looking back to the arrival briefing at LeafSong: "no scent marking" was explicitly meantioned.
Nothing beats a happy murder machine full of energy and glee.
Sleyca always writes the grivecks with so much joy.
Many flavours! That's so sweet of her. *shudder*
Don't get me wrong, I love the griveks. They're amazing in so many ways. Was just imagining the flavours too strongly.
" she said. <strong>" - ok, so Alden's heading towards that hill he's supposed to stay away from, isn't he?</strong>
He's avoiding the red chaos bits, isn't he?
so excited for Alden to see some action again! this story has been quiet for so long, I can't wait to see what sort of nonsense he can pull with the kelsithe. I wanna see him shape and preserve it to grab and throw big rocks around. I wanna see more Wintston Maneuvers. >:)
Today in story is Sunday afternoon, Jan 20. Last Wednesday was 23 chapters ago. 18 chapters ago it was Friday morning, and Konstantly Awesome was just taking the course against Team Vandy.
Alden is the bravest cub there is
With the least obligation
I think Alden must have levelled up and got a new spell or something because I swear his jokes could sober a paralytic drunk 😂
The level is coming when he gets home to planet Earth
Chapters are so tiny.
Us, actively shoveling food into our mouths: I have never been fed in my entire life, I am wasting away to nothing
I don't know whether to attribute Alden's easy attitude this chapter more to shock, or a peace of mind chain. TFTC!!
I thought he didn't cast peace of mind yet, and only would if the situation needed it. Hes not sure the debt detachment will work properly because of the gremlin, so just incase its best not to have the bad half pending.
"I have to go. Because they’re having fun. According to a griveck." I read this with really long pauses between the sentences
And increasing alarm
Aww I was hoping it's Sophie, but that would be so coincidental it would border on unrealistic
Sophie got to be his first griveck. He gets to be this griveck’s first human. It’s like paying it forward.
[Screeching glass noise] is a cinnamon bun and must be protected. Also, gods this sequence cannot publish fast enough. I love it so much.
I wonder if Alden will give her a human speech version of her name. It'll be easier to refer to her later.
The travalers bag in action! Great to see that its already working so well and got back to Alden without him even realising how.:)
I think it's a backpack and the travellers bag is stored safely
The rest of the squad: *panicking about everything going wrong* Alden (while nearly falling to his simulated death): “first time huh?”
Me, early in the chapter: Alden’s falling alone into chaos. Very on brand.
Has there been any art of grivecks? Right now my brain just says large blob with many many sharp edges. Tftc!
Grivecks look like giant hairless panthers with their joints bent the wrong way.[6]. Although quadrapedal, their heads are at approximately the same height as humans and Artonans. When on contract, grivecks typically wear helmets with reflective visors and vests made of thick, interwoven straps[7], although griveck Awoved can be enhanced so they no longer require a helmet. [8] https://supersupportive.miraheze.org/wiki/Griveck
Falling from a destroyed transport and disoriented, Alden first orients, then asks for situational information, gets a second source, then forms and acts on a plan to rejoin the squad. And makes a grivek friend along the way. After-action will show Alden's immediate steps after leaving the ejection seat in a favorable light.
Oh man, from the grivecks perspective Alden is probably cute. Like a kid in working cloths trying to act all serious. First he's pretty loud, then he sees her and tries to hide. Only it comes across like a kid trying to hide behind a lamppost in a game of hide and seek. Then the kid says hello and ask if you are safe to talk to. Then it's like he's saying he lost his mom and how to get back to her. When she tells him there is fun/hunting that way, he immediately runs (faster than before) to not miss it. All the while the kid is trying to act very polite with the stranger. It's super cute.
He also tells her he isn't enhanced which gives the who little kid "don't hug me to hard!" vibe.
"Traveling with grivecks was a riot," Alis gets it.
We've yet to meet an unlikable grivek, so far it's 3 for 3.
I like that Sleyca thought “How would a griveck say ‘Have a blessed day’? “ and came up with “Many flavors between your teeth”
This will be what I say when I go to a restaurant now
Also Alden's most likely more experienced in handling unexpected disasters than the squad. The casual "things not going horribly wrong is too easy" was so funny though.
My headcanon is that a progressively larger group of knights with a desire to kill Joe is forming
I love grivecks. The ultimate battle junkies 😂
Can this Grivek become a bestie and stay in the story forever? 🥺
I knooow. I love every Grivek who's appeared in the story so far but they seldom reappear.
This is the *third* griveck that has been very excited to meet Alden. She sure was working hard to find reasons to hang out with him. Y'know if this meeting was fairly typical, it explains so much about Joe's intro scene. He has just found out that in his very first class session, he'll be working with an excited griveck and a brand new baby rabbit. The griveck is probably about to die of pent-up cute aggression and overstimulation; the rabbit is probably about to faint. Joe immediately launches into his spiel, not letting either get a word in edgewise, trying to overwhelm the griveck with professionalism and the rabbit with a veneer of normalcy.
I got the impression that Sophie was pretty jaded. From memory, didn't she say that Joe clearly liked making contacts, and Alden shouldn't sell himself too cheaply? That being said, it was good that she chose to kill something in Alden's honour once he got in touch with her after he returned from Moon Thegund.
I love that every interaction Alden has had with grivecks has had their demeanor come across as "friend? FRIEND!!!" they might be catlike in their appearance, but they are doglike in their behavior.
Except when Kibby said Alden was the best avowed in the world & Alis had to prevent rabbicide. Or is that just jealous doggy?
Alden and that griveck were both so hyektch here. Me when I make a joke about my very normal life and everyone around me gets really worried for some reason
I love how this whole chapter is a 'hello, world!' and Alden gets a bone-chilling scream of delighted << HELLO!!!! >> back.
Seth's skill shows its worth! Like a mass Feather Fall, helping them all do a gentle tumbling down. Alden figuring out how to manage up his panicking fellow knights is great. All those nightly dreams rerunning Thegund, and this time he's got no real chaos, wordchains for grace and speed active, a griveck literally clearing his way, and it's a glorious day for a run right into trouble to rescue his latest entruster. It's absolutely going to be a challenge, but Alden is growing into his Ryeh-b't's claws.
Alden used Talk no Jutsu. It was super effective!
Will we get a scene from Noh-en's perspective of someone asking where and when she met Alden? What does a grivek look like again? I think I remember they have no fur. Are they more like a large sphinx cat or a large lizard? Or just a furless wolf?
Grivecks look like giant hairless panthers with their joints bent the wrong way. Although quadrapedal, their heads are at approximately the same height as humans and Artonans.
Nice! Looks like Alden's got this. Looking forward to seeing him rescue the squad from themselves. And from simulated chaos and demons, of course. But mostly from themselves.
Love that Alden's first thought on seeing a griveck is that it must be there on a job since he's not dead yet.
I like grivecks and especially this griveck. But the whole structure of their language makes them scary. :P
I have to wonder how grivecks pretend to hunt ewtwees - no doubt with a lot of enthusiasm!
On both sides!
Grivecks are the absolute best. Thank you for a chance to enjoy the soup
Alden should do a Miydoria and end the series teaching engaging with the unexpected.
He has to do the higher-level course, where things are *more* unexpected.
So much of Alden's success comes from his ability to be friendly to aliens in extreme circumstances.
I love him for it, it's always heartwarming to see and makes for some awesome moments.
Grivek are fun
“Running up the hill with a group of knights protecting me sounded too quick and easy anyway. I didn’t want to insult you all since you had that mishap this morning, but in my experience, it’s not an authentic corruption event unless something goes horribly wrong and I find myself alone, insufficiently equipped, and under-informed. Falling out of a flyer makes this closer to the right difficulty level, don’t you think?” Alden is becoming quite the badass lol
I wonder if itll give any of the proctors pause as well, lol. This being a serious training mission, I feel fairly confident that their group communications are being either actively listened to or at least recorded for later discussion. Im picturin em like "wait what this support rabbit child has been in chaos already wtf" and then tryna look him up
Wooo!! Fun fighting ahead! A chance to appreciate blood in your teeth 😅
The stunned silence after Alden jokes about his trauma is so relatable hahaha
So far we've met three Griveks and I really like all of them. This one seems so hyper, I guess she's having a great day.
It's the first griveck we've seen in a stimulating environment. Kraa was bored on Thegund and Sophie was stuck in a university. This one is actually in an interesting environment. Fun!
*Yummy slurping noises*
Yeeeeees! soup!
Great chapter!
I love when Alden tries to be funny and horrifies everyone around him. Excited griveck is adorable. I want Alden to interact with all the avowed while his knights are distracted.
That's my favorite Alden too
Hooray! Thank you so much. I love the Griveks.
So happy TYFC and Its early as well!!!
Grivecks are so mood-lighthing
I thought immediately as I started reading this that potentially he could transform his new shield into a triangle above his head and use it as a make shift glider to regroup quicker or more effectively with the others. Haven't finished reading yet so dont know if he does this. Also would be funny if he had unfurled his rope straight down (Alden always has rope on him 😂), preserved it and used it as a massive pole vaulting stick to launch himself closer as he fell. Actually on the same line of thought has Adlen ever preserved half or parts of the same object? Like preserving the majority of the rope but leaving tiny portions of it unpreserved to allow it to flex. Or half of the rope preserved so it can use the unpreserved half as a whip with the persevered part acting like a blungeoning ball?
I think if he tried pole vaulting like that with it the rope would immediately lose preservation, since it hit the ground. It *might* work if he thinks of it as protecting the rope from smashing into the ground though.
Ohhhh thanks here have some virtual tiger balm to rub into your aching mental muscles.
Grievek balm.
> “That was me being funny. Humans can be funny. You might not have known that.” The levels of sass are off the charts!
The thing about that entire discussion is that Alden complains Noh-En had to explain exaggeration to him but is obviously annoyed that no one explained aircraft safety features. Like, there's clearly a cultural mismatch between what it is assumed he might know and what he actually does.
Perfect timing! Thanks!!!
Literally as I'm rereading the story for the third time ^^ just got to Boe coming out of cat space in the current reread. Thanks for the soup!
Funny I was just reading about cat space, what with a giant deadly cat getting all up in Alden's space.
Yay Sleyca! We haven't been this accurately approximate in a bit. Hope things are good!
Wooo!!! Thanks for the Soup! Literally within 5 min of me finishing a reread of the last chapter 😁
HYYYYYYYPE! Alden killed it here, despite everything. Just like the Grivek, lol. So far, anyway.
Thank soup!
Thanks for the chapter
Alden: If I had a nickel everytime I got a griveck as a colleague, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happen twice.
Woo
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu