THREE HUNDRED TWELVE: What Grows Unseen II
Next Chapter: September 5th (approximate)
******
Did I really just do that?
Alden had slammed more dirt into the hazard mimic to make sure it stayed down. He’d preserved a third load in case he encountered new trouble. But nothing else had come after him, he’d received no injuries, and now the ground was sloping up again.
He could slow down soon. He’d have to. Reaching the other side of the valley and leaving the last of the demons he could see behind meant he needed to take stock.
I did that. By myself. Not in a dream or a nightmare.
[Comm damage. Left. Simulating.]
The notification from his lenses was a reminder not to get excited about what wasn’t over yet. He was still running through the reddest area he’d had to deal with since landing. And hopes he’d had that the other side of Demon Goat Valley would be clearer weren’t panning out.
The land ahead of him was all stained the same shade as far as he could make out.
I’m in trouble if the Contract decides all of this chaos would damage my lenses. Without night vision, I’ll be so much slower and more vulnerable.
That thought made him want to keep going, looking just a little farther ahead to see if he could find a less corrupted spot to catch his breath in. He pushed farther up the slope than he’d intended to before a flicker on the ground just a leap ahead of him made him halt.
Trait plus wordchain plus urgency had lured him into taking a steeper path up than he would have chosen if he’d been having a calmer night. A hummock of dirt and grass collapsed under his weight. He managed to side step into a better stance against the slope instead of falling, keeping his eyes on where he’d seen the flicker.
Some little creature was trying to hide itself from him in the grass. If this were Earth, he’d have guessed it was something like a mouse based on size. He saw the grass above the spot where it had tucked itself away wriggle and then stop.
Is the battle out here so realistic that they add demons who are scared of us, too? Or is it a regular animal having a crazy week with all these knights and Avowed running around?
He tried to sense it. Now that he’d stopped, he could feel his legs burning. Sweat made his clothes stick. The physical discomfort was distracting. Usually, closing his eyes helped with sensing, but he wouldn’t be doing that in the middle of this red zone.
Open myself up to what’s beyond my original five senses, he told himself. What’s going on around me really?
Bithe’s that way. I’m here.
Life is everywhere. And ground. I’m not sure if I’m sensing that properly or if I just know it. So the little animal over there should feel like a different life…there’s something.
It’s…not alive. Magic.
Alden stared at the spot.
The mouse wasn’t a real animal. Some kind of enchantment or spell was making it move. It didn’t feel much like the hazard mimics did. If he’d had a spare entruster around, he might have been able to use his skill to figure out more.
It’s not threatening me. But I don’t think they’d put something irrelevant to the battle out here.
Maybe it goes after people who accidentally hurt it with wide area attacks. Or it could be a clue for this field.
He recorded an image of the thing’s hiding place and marked its location with his lenses. There was a chance the knowledge would help somebody else.
Now, onward to my entruster.
He eyed a spot, up and away from the fake mouse, and jumped to it, keeping his eyes on as much of the area around him as he could.
No movement.
He kept going. The route up became even steeper before he made it to the top. He stopped checking behind him since he had gotten so much distance from the demons down below and focused on the climb, letting his feel for Bithe’s location take over part of his concentration.
The kelsithe plus dirt was too bulky at this point, so he dumped it. He could reload when he needed to.
My trait’s coming through for me a lot out here.
Everything being ground was great. And he hadn’t gotten any practice using his trait on hills like this before today. The way he’d sprinted up this one before he realized he ought to keep an eye out for things like the mouse was teasing his imagination even as he tried to keep himself in a Bearer mindset.
He was good at jumping, and he could launch himself off of really unstable footing. If he went as fast as possible…
Later. I’ll think about it later.
He reached the high point of his climb and stopped.
That’s a lot of chaos. It’s what I should expect as I get closer to them though, so let’s call it a good thing.
He decided he wasn’t going to find a genuinely safe place for a pause out here. And their quest was obviously going to take longer than any of them had planned. He took his backpack off and dug through it while he searched ahead of him for any sign of the others. His hand found his messenger bag at the bottom of the pack easily. Inside that, he had his inhaler.
He didn’t need it for heat tolerance here at night, but the stuff did also help with physical recovery. And it was milder and more familiar than the other options he carried. He breathed it in for a couple of minutes. The faint watermelon fragrance wasn’t enough to make a place like this feel anything like the sauna at North of North.
Is that smoke up at the top of that next ridge or what?
He needed to go that way to get to Bithe. He didn’t see anything like a fire. But there weren’t any other clouds this low, so it had to be smoke or steam.
Or a demon. Some kind of wrecked vehicle or spell could be smoking. If I meet other people—
The smoke flashed white. Alden briefly had a much clearer view of its billowing mass.
Wind’s blowing in that direction, but it’s not blowing the smoke away.
A few seconds later, he heard a rumble.
That sounded like thunder.
“Night vision off,” he said, wanting to see it normally in case that provided more info.
It didn’t at all. Without the lenses, he mostly saw a spot where the stars were covered. The smoke seemed to be growing.
“Night vision on.”
Another flash of light came right as he made the adjustment. It was followed by a rumble just like that first had been.
That really sounds like thunder. Is the wind picking up?
While he drew in another breath of recovery potion, an alternative to smoke occurred to him.
What if by thinking about Divin-zadja as Mega Vandy he had missed the mark? What if, instead of Mega Vandy, the knight was Mini Gloom?
That was looking more and more like a tiny storm. And Divin was The Recaller of Storms.
My guys! Those are my guys! Alden hurried to get his backpack back on. Finally.
He told himself not to rush. He didn’t see anything as obvious as the goats between his position and theirs, but…that was probably bad. It meant he didn’t know where or what the hazards were.
There must be something around here. They wouldn’t be making storms just for the thrill of it.
What does a storm help with anyway? Did she need lightning to zap with?
There have to be so many easier ways of zapping things.
More lightning came as he was jogging and jumping down the hill at what he thought was a cautiously swift pace. A series of flashes lit up the night ahead of him. The storm had definitely grown. It was definitely a storm. Only a baby one, but Divin’s skill was badass.
He looked toward it, desperate to catch a glimpse of someone or something he recognized up there on the ridge. Instead, he saw a phenomenon he didn’t understand. The top left of the cloud formation was separated from the rest, like something had just blown a path through it.
That’s not how clouds work as far as I know. Even if it’s not a natural cloud in the first place, that looks suspicious.
And accompanying the thunder, he now heard a sound like geese honking. It wasn’t a frightening noise on its own, but as he listened to it over the next minutes, he didn’t like the way it seemed to be close to him sometimes and then far away the next second. How it disappeared completely only to return at max volume mid-honk.
Demonic calls. Like the scream of the bokabv in his nightmares, continuing on after the beast had died.
His kelsithe was currently preserved in an umbrella shape, and he was holding it above him like one. The storm cloud looking like it was under attack had made him concerned about flying attackers coming after him as well.
If I can’t tell where the sound is coming from, does that mean I should run faster or slow down and try to get a visual on what’s causing it?
Being totally out of energy when he reached his entruster was wrong, and not reaching his entruster in time was also wrong.
He kept going at the same pace as he approached the base of the ridge. It was eerie being down here with the honks, the thunder, and the many unknowns.
There were some rough looking trees around. They were too scrawny and spaced out to be called woodland, but they kept him from being completely sure he’d see things coming at him over land.
And it felt like the hills were watching him.
“Call any member of the squad,” he said. His right comm wasn’t damaged. He kept trying every minute or so because he thought being nearer to them might make a connection possible.
So far he’d gotten nothing.
Yeah, this spot sucks. But I’m getting there. Just keep at it.
He was close to the edge of a stream. The trickle of water was so narrow he could step over it, but he paused before he reached it. If he were a much more talented wizard, or a Contract, in charge of designing a training experience for knights, then he’d put something bad in such an innocuous-looking stream.
I’m not getting my legs chewed off by invisible piranhas.
He didn’t sense anything, but his senses weren’t perfect. Fortunately, there were helpful rocks down here. He picked one up and chucked it at the water, ready to dash away if anything at all happened.
The piranhas failed to appear.
He threw a couple more rocks, then he scooped a heap of gravel toward the water with the edge of his umbrella for good measure. He got nothing but a splash.
Fine. It’s not a trap. I’m just paranoid because the sounds are getting to me.
He still made an effort to clear it with as much height as he could when he leaped over it.
He’d jogged a bit farther when started getting damage notices.
[Broken plate.]
[Skin lesion. Moderate pain.]
[Broken plate.]
He wasn’t in pain, and the protective plates on his clothes weren’t actually breaking. But the notices on his interface meant they would have if the experience were real. Assuming he’d just stepped into some kind of chaos mess, he leaped sideways as far as he could, hoping that would get him out of it before he took worse damage.
[Broken plate.]
He kept stepping sideways and backwards while he searched a miniature image of his own body that showed him which specific plates were breaking. They mostly seemed to be on his lower half. He ripped off the big one over his shin that had been declared broken first and looked at it in case there were demon bugs crawling up his legs.
Nothing’s wrong with it. Just a little damp from where it got splashed when I threw the rocks.
He glared back at the stream.
Damn. The liquid itself being acid or poisonous in some way didn’t occur to me.
He pulled off all the plates that had been identified as quickly as he could. He needed to replace them with the new ones in his pack and choose which of the first aid supplies that he’d brought along would keep the wound he was supposed to have from worsening.
If he picked the wrong medicine or didn’t “treat” it at all, there was a chance of it turning into a worse injury. The Contract could assign penalties, like asking him to put on a band that would make it hard to move that limb.
While he worked, he watched his surroundings. He thought about what he could do to help against something that was giving a whole squad trouble.
A creature on the other side of the stream, bulky and ponderous, moved when the lightning flashed again. It was far away. Alden had thought it was a boulder beside one of the trees, and it still didn’t look much different from one except for the addition of short, thick legs. He watched it, holding his breath despite the distance, as it lumbered away from him upstream.
Around it, the world turned redder.
******
******
Tilliver and Seth clung to each other while the ground turned to mud.
“This sculpture’s dug in deep,” he said. “We’ll be all right.”
He didn’t know if they would. His sculpture was in the shape of a foot from the latest demon that had flown out of Forduan’s field to torment them. A predatory set of four talons, many times larger than the actual appendage that had inspired it, gripped the slope like it meant to pick up the whole ridge and carry it away. He and Seth straddled one of the toes. Emban was supposed to be sitting on another with Bithe, but they hadn’t made it yet.
Where are they? They need to be here. The Definer of Grooves should have gotten them here by now.
He couldn’t see much other than Seth because his own creation was wrapped around them to shield them from the storm.
Divin was wreaking havoc on purpose. Havoc was their last hope of beating back everything that was trying to kill them. She stood alone, recalling a wind that had blown here, one strong enough to tear the demon from the air above them. And also a time when the ground had been saturated by days of rain; they needed that to smother the ones that hid beneath the surface.
Though Tilliver’s sculpture was made mostly of dirt, his skill would hold it together and protect it from Divin’s power. And what he’d taken from the demon was the strength of those crushing claws. But he was worried he hadn’t made it big enough, hadn’t sent it deep enough into the soil, and hadn’t struck the right balance between wounding the demon and building the strongest sculpture he could.
The ground beneath them wasn’t as solid as it should have been. Divin’s mud was probably an improvement on what they’d started with. Riddled with tunnels and hibernating demons, the whole ridge had been a disaster.
Bithe was excellent at getting rid of hordes of weak demons, but even the weaker ones here weren’t weak enough. Emban had been glorious with her bow and she’d tried to speed them along as much as she could, but she was getting tired. Seth’s skill had been useful every step of the way, but it wasn’t good to use in the storm that was raging now. And this claw was the last thing Tilliver would sculpt for a while.
I shouldn’t have wasted myself on those smaller sculptures earlier. I can’t believe I used a blast generator so many times it broke, and it still wasn’t enough. If Ryada were here…
A bitterness as harsh and stark as the lightning.
If she were here, we’d push her into doing things that hurt her without even realizing. I’d push her. We were all teaching her slowly to hate herself while we took pleasure in her results and her company.
“Seth, I felt more annoyed with Emban than I ever felt sorry for Ryada,” he said. “Back then.”
“Save your confessions for when we’re really about to die together,” Seth replied. “Or for when we’re old.”
“I’m sorry about Alden, too. He’s younger than us and too much of a volunteer for his station. I just had to make a point about how our squad can’t stay static, and there he was offering himself up. But what if he gets scared out here and falls prey to fear memories of getting abandoned on Thegund?”
“He’s fine. The Contract wouldn’t let that happen.” She sounded less than sure, but she smacked her palm into his chest. “Don’t worry about him. He’s somewhere safe. Emban and Bithe are the ones you need to think of. Where are they?”
“I don’t know. They should have made it. Can you hold on by yourself? I’ll try to see.”
“You think I can’t sit still by myself? I’m not actually light as a drifting seed. As long as the toe doesn’t move, I’ll be fine.”
“The toe won’t move.”
He let go of her and dug his hand into part of the foot above him for stability before leaning out into the wind. He looked downhill. Bithe had slid down as Tilliver was sculpting the foot. He’d whistled that he was fine.
Now Tilliver could see him and Emban through the rain. They were closer than he’d feared they would be.
“I see them,” he said. “They’re not too far. With Emban swapping a groove with him, they should be able to climb to us before—”
His left eye followed a new movement as his right tracked his squadmates. Coming in from above them, a dark shadow with sharply pointed wings was cutting through the rain like the wind didn’t exist, and then whirling through it as if it had lost control, only to cut through again toward Bithe and Emban.
“That demon’s after them again even with Divin doing this much!”
Light flared, and the mock demon honked as Bithe’s skill burned it. But it swooped away, not looking very injured.
There was a chance in chaos of things going impossibly right instead of impossibly wrong, but that clearly wasn’t their squad’s lot tonight.
Moments later, Tilliver realized that the demon attacking his friends was actually a second flying one. The first—the one he’d used for this sculpture—was much higher in the air.
He ducked back under the sheltering foot to tell Seth what he’d just seen.
“At least the mimics don’t seem to know you and I are hiding here. But what’s Forduan doing?” she said. “If that one came from his field too…I know he’s not letting demons out of his pools in this direction on purpose to torture us. I hope something hasn’t happened to him.”
“I’m not sure Bithe and Emban can handle that thing and get up here,” said Tilliver. “What should we do to help them?”
They both looked to each other hopefully.
They both answered each other with silence.
******
******
I won’t watch Emban die.
The wind was swearing in Bithe’s ears. The rain was scouring his eyes. And the hazard mimic sounded mad that he’d burned it.
But it wasn’t as mad as Bithe was that he hadn’t burned it enough.
“Don’t pass me your groove,” he said to Emban, trying to find the shape of the mimic against the clouds. It wasn’t a very large demon, but it was so chaotic that its impact area was at least ten times the size of its body. He couldn’t mesmerize it as easily as he wished to because it twisted his magic. “Keep your groove and run.”
“What are you saying?! I’m about to swap with you.”
“I won’t use it if you do, so you’d better just run.”
If it was only her, running on her own, she’d get there. She’d pull her feet clear of this mud that was up to their knees. Every stride would take her farther and faster. She’d make it to Tilliver and Seth. Divin would join them when the storm ended.
Bithe wouldn’t see anything bad happen to any of them.
Sometimes, the mission went wrong. Sometimes, sacrifices had to be made. This mission had been rotting since the moment their flyer was hit. He was amazed they’d made it as far as they had, but everyone was nearing the limits of their skills.
But if he used everything he had left on one mesmerizing call to the demon and the subsequent torching of it while Emban ran, she would definitely get away without leading it to the others.
Bithe might not survive.
His uniform was still in excellent condition. It offered a lot of protection, so he might endure. But he might not. For as long as he held out, though, he could keep the demon’s attention away from his friends.
It was convenient that the sensible sacrifice in this situation was also the one he preferred. Death here in the training fields was really just an easy teleport away from harm. He’d still rather endure a binding again right here and now, with the rain in his eyes and a fake demon honking hideously at him, than see a single one of the others disappear.
“I’m not leaving you!”
“Why? You know it’s the right decision.”
Emban’s expression let him know that she found the idea of someone disappearing in front of her almost as distressing as he did. “Ryada’s watching. Let’s show her all of us working together and getting through this together. That’s what she needs to—”
“We’re knights no matter where Ryada is and no matter who’s watching,” said Bithe. “That comes first.”
Water was pouring from the end of Emban’s braid. She opened her mouth.
“You think you’re propping her up,” said Bithe. “But it’s just a different way of leaning on her. I was doing it too. We have to stop that, Emban. And I’m sorry. I’m the knight who gets to keep fighting now while you go hide under a foot.”
“Let’s discuss—”
Bithe threw himself backward, curling into a ball so that he’d roll.
And bounce. And roll.
This is more rolling than I wanted. Triplets in a tree! I’d be dead already without the uniform.
He had his eyes clenched shut. There was mud in his mouth. One of his dust blockers had come off, so there was dirt in his nose, too.
Awful. Good. Emban would have to be stupid to chase him this far, and she was often quite smart.
Now. Do it now so that she can get away.
Since he hadn’t been able to precisely locate the demon, he just cast his mesmerization up, imagining it flying around up there.
Come to me. A lantern in your darkness. Warmth and direction. Aren’t I what you’ve been looking for?
The honking changed. It sounded excited.
He felt the demon focus on him.
Good.
Then he felt the other one, father away, focus on him.
Ah. All right. That’s good too. Less survivable, but good for my friends. I’ll try to burn both creatures to death.
He finally stopped rolling. He was face up. It actually wasn’t raining this far down the slope, though he could still hear the miniature storm. The wind was still blowing.
Emban must be up there. Running away from him.
That’s right, thought Bithe. Thank you. I don’t even feel lonely. I’ve still got Alden.
…Alden? A strange thought to have right now.
Or maybe it wasn’t. There was something Bithe found nice about the way Alden Thorn targeted people with his skill. On the flyer, right before the accident, he’d noticed the feeling. It was subtle, so he hadn’t had a chance since then to seek it out and appreciate it. Now, with demons coming at him, he either felt it or remembered the feeling of it.
Whichever it was, it was comforting.
I’m glad I gave him a present. I hope he’s having a better night than the rest of us are.
******
******
“Bithe! No!” Alden shouted into the storm. “Why are you falling!?”
A minute or so ago, he’d finally crested the ridge and seen his goal. One windswept, lightning-illuminated entruster, climbing the hill in the pouring rain with Emban.
There was a demon bird harrying the two of them. A large bird foot statue seemed to be growing out of the ground itself. And there was mud like it had been raining up here for weeks instead of just for a little while in a magically isolated patch. Plus Alden had almost tripped over two different broken hazard mimics on his way to the top of the ridge.
So there was a lot going on out here, but all the madness had been overshadowed by Alden’s vast sense of accomplishment.
Bithe had been found. Entruster and Bearer. Only steps away from each other.
Alden had done it. As he crossed into the rainy area, headed for Bithe, he’d been shouting hello and waving down at them with his arms and a kelsithe umbrella. But the Artonans hadn’t heard him or looked his way.
Then, Bithe threw himself down a hill high enough that Alden wouldn’t have argued if someone else wanted to call it a mountain.
“I just got here! Come back! Bithe! BITHE!”
Alden forgot his carefully negotiated safe-fast pace and raced after the Artonan as if he had a serious chance of catching up and stopping the brutal tumble.
Don’t die. Don’t die. You’re bouncing like a beachball. That’s not healthy. Stay alive. I’m coming.
Alden saw mud flowing down the hill. Streams of it. A river of it. He ran over it, heedless of almost everything but his entruster, who’d finally stopped rolling. Who was just lying there halfway down the slope, looking up at some murder eagle in the sky like he was inviting it to take him away.
Alden was pretty sure he passed close to Emban-art’h as he ran.
He was pretty sure she shouted something at him.
The bird plunged toward Bithe and was swallowed by a huge fireball.
“Good!” Alden roared.
But the fireball was still flapping, and there was another bird diving.
My skill’s not enough for that. I’m not going to make it in time. I need to use the thing.
There was a brick-shaped weapon case on his belt. He shoved the index and middle finger of his right hand into it.
“Wegyta on.”
Something cold tightened around his fingers, and he pulled them out. Instead of looking at the heavy rings he now wore, his eyes were on the targeting assist his lenses showed as soon as they connected to the weapon. Like a green laser beam emerging from between those two fingers, jostling around because of his run.
He stopped. Skidded downhill quite a distance. Managed to catch himself by sitting on his ass and digging in his heels.
Which bird do I aim at? Burning bird? Second bird that just flared with light like Bithe tried to burn it too?
Don’t care. Protect him from whatever tries to get him next.
“Wegyta, mark,” he said, aiming the targeting beam at the ground a few steps from Bithe, then drawing a line from there upwards into the air above the knight.
That’s far enough.
“Mark.”
His lenses showed him a point of light well above Bithe.
Alden separated his fingers, and a globe of green appeared in the air there.
A little bigger. Not too big.
He expanded it to the size he liked and waited. His ears were full of honking. His lungs wanted air.
Something—probably the second, less charred demon bird—was coming. It was streaking down, about to pass through the globe of green that only Alden could see.
“Compress.”
The rings did what they were supposed to. Everything within the globe he’d designated was compressed toward the center. The hazard mimic crumpled so fast it couldn’t be seen properly. There was a phenomenal amount of noise, though. A BAM! And what sounded like a whole flock of geese raging in every direction.
Flames flared around Bithe as whatever motes were left of the mimic burned almost white.
Where’s the demon that he turned into the huge fireball first?
Alden found it easily. The flames were mostly out, but it was definitely smoldering. It was on the ground, maybe fifty meters downhill from Bithe. The knight had obviously hit it hard, but it was still flapping and hopping in his direction as if it planned to have more of a fight with him. While Alden watched, the ground sheered away beside its left wing like someone had carved out a chunk of hillside with a huge sword.
There was nothing around to make that happen but the bird.
That’s a bad demon. It’s moving slower now, though.
Bithe’s standing up!
Alden leaped up too.
“Wegyta, off.”
The weapon was supposed to be saved if it could be saved. What if there were worse things coming for them?
“Bithe!” he said, waving. Already running.
If Bithe got confused and threw himself down the damn hill again, Alden didn’t know what he’d do.
“I’m here! Are you hurt? How’s your skill? Do you need me to finish that demon for you? I can get that demon for you!”
******
Comments (293)
Aliens learning that humans are deathworlders :>
Alden is being Super Supportive right now!
Glad to see Alden really show out.
This reminded me of this idea I had that in Alden's superhero career he will have to become a symbol of hope kind of like All Might. Since the more his entrusters believe/have faith in him the more powerful his skill becomes. Also kind of like a Superman analogue but it's actually part of his skillset.
1) Why do the knights not have weapons like this? 2) Is a normal Avowed allowed to own weapons like this? I've got questions!
Knights do have badass weapons - Tilliver in particular had an apparently powerful weapon he completely exhausted against the demons here before - “I can’t believe I used a blast generator so many times it broke, and it still wasn’t enough.” But they aren’t unlimited; there’s a supply all the squads can tap into. Chaos means that weapons/enchanted items have relatively limited lifespans on the field before they stop working/get damaged beyond repair (even if they aren’t used actively) We haven’t really tapped into yet what Avowed have access via shopping on the Artonas, the wardrobe, or as rewards from summoners. Given Joe’s casual willingness to provide a bioweapon it’s certainly not off the table things could be provided by Very Naughty Wizards! But it does seem like much of their equipment needs maintenance (Alden’s earring is only good for a year) and must be crafted. Meister weapons too - we haven’t seen how chaos resistant those are (you’d think pretty resilient tho). It’d be neat if there are some knight-equivalents, but if so we’ve not seen ‘em yet.
My first Patreon chapter was 112 so this one makes 200 exactly and I'm still hovering over the keyboard and hoping...
200!! :)
The chapter is being uploaded AS WE SPEAK, do not worry, it is in the digital border queue at the airports, soon to reach your computer. Mine already arrived but it has a fast lane pass. Good luck.
Must be using those Interstellar pigeons, thats why its taking so long.
No news is good news
Fingers crossed it hits before I pass out lol.
Rereading from the start, and hit Stu saying "If you don’t let Kivb-ee use quite as much explosive gel as she wants to in that one. Why does a child her age know how to make explosive gel?” Kibby is going to be such a great and resourceful Knight when we get there in 2050
And oh, the contrast between Joe in chapter 28 “You take one grand senator’s wife as your lover," and Stu describing what actually happened in 212...
Next chapter predictions in haiku, or otherwise? Death swoops - BAM! - crumples The Improbable Ryeh-b't Runs in to rescue
Demon goose is cooked The great rabbit rescuer Time to get mouse treat
Happy approximate day!
I'm so excited!!!
also omg bithe is literally fairy AND flarey from chapter 15
"His inability to remove himself from combat puts too much pressure on him. He needs a skill or spell impression that lets him escape after he’s hypnotized the enemy. Without it, he’s not a proper superhero."
something about this chapter has been so deeply satisfying but in a way I couldn’t really put my finger on till now. This is exactly what Alden told Gorgon he wanted. To be a battlefield support that enhamced the hero he was supporting. And while he’s always been that, we haven’t really seen it in true full effect till now. And obviously, as his skill grows, it will align more into fulfilling all his dreams and I am excited to see how it plays in existential deepening with Stu’Arth. But this is like a real full glimpse into what his future might look like and it’s really exciting and satisfying. Like Gorgon did listen to exactly what Alden wanted, and chose the best possible skill for it that he could possibly give under the restrictions he was put under. I always knew that but it’s really cool to see in action
I think I just found our world's version of meatpetal! https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/as-it-happens-monday-edition-1.5169055/pitcher-plants-discovered-snacking-on-baby-salamanders-in-ontario-park-1.5169059
Comments like this make me wish for reaction emojis here. What I would have said: 😱 Also I'm just now learning Ontario has pitcher plants! I guess I've only seen them in conservatories, so I thought they were all tropical. Nature is lit.
Knights: We want to commend CNH for Alden’s training, his work in helping a group of young knights showed great promise. CNH Shortly: We would like to announce the new Rabbit club, with a dedicated instructor and gym time.
Colibrí will be so pleased.
I wonder if Alden and Ryada get along so well because they both have 'charming' authority. They've both been described that way in terms of authority, and they're both very open to people and charming in a social way, too. It would make sense that they would recognize a kindred soul in each other, even if they don't spell it out like that.
Kindred spirits in each having a growing yell in their throat also.
Alden Thorn coming in to protect his entruster and none of the demons brought a holy hand grenade with them.
You know, if Stu genuinely did finally get in trouble on his return to campus for skipping out before thanking the Master for teaching him that fan skill, Veln is the trusted adult I bet he would send in his place to go keep a discrete eye on Alden and ensure he came to no harm participating in Emban's evening training quest.
Maybe? I’d put money on Olorn Mom instead. Or Evul, as ironic as calling her responsible is. Because they’ve shown more sympathy to StuDen’s “side” in his mind, I think. Veln voted not to take advantage of their friendship to influence Stu, but only after saying that their friendship would only last a season. And remembering that conversation at all isn’t going to fill Stu with warm fuzzies for any of its participants.
If Alden pulls this off, and it becomes clear that even a modestly empowered Avowed can save your bacon, summoning A/B-rank superhero students for baby knights might become the latest trend. Weak enough not to overshadow the Knights. Strong enough to compensate for a specific team weakness, like Alden providing difficult-terrain capability to a team with limited movement options. Trained enough not to die in stupid ways with some oversight. And Tilliver obviously mishandled Alden in some ways; everyone watching will go "I would get even *better* results because I know what mistakes not to make". Alden would of course be pressured into being the staffing consultant...
I can see everyone fitting in somewhere. Raoul gets a squad where one member creates different-shaped objects, like Tilliver does, that make for good projectiles. Medhi gets to guard a team with too many glass cannons. Max gets a squad made entirely out of Jeffy.
We are on the 4th of September and chapter THREE HUNDRED THIRTEEN is closer than ever.
Technically speaking, THREE HUNDRED FOURTEEN is also closer than ever
”Triplets in a tree!” Is such a delightful artonan expression!
It sounds like a goofy curse replacement, doesn’t it? When I was little my mom used to “curse” by saying “rats in a basket”.
Giant boulder creature = ancient husenot?
A chapter or two ago, Ryada took note of “animated element types”. I wonder if it’s like a stone elemental type critter? Something that was never alive in the usual sense.
Was just thinking how smart of Alden to choose the Azure Rabbit trait and then I wondered how useful the other ones would be in this situation. I think citrine would have helped with the acid? Gold would be interesting as well but Alden has enough composure as is I think. Green would have been the worst and most useless here and anytime in Alden s future when he becomes a knight. Rose would have been interesting as well but Alden noticed the rat without additional attention boost. The traits for reference: Azure Rabbit — You are lighter on your feet when your skills are in use. Green Rabbit — You senses are significantly heightened for 21.3 hours after summoning. Citrine Rabbit — Your body’s ability to filter contaminants is increased. Rose Rabbit — Your attention to detail is increased when your skills are in use. Gold Rabbit — You are gifted with additional composure when your skills are in use. *Trait selection is final and may not be changed
Plaid Rabbit: Increased tendency towards kilt-wearing, caber tossing, and deep-fried Mars Bar consumption.
How would Alden's classmates be if they were in Alden's place? They would all struggle with the mud that Alden is in. Lexi would be good at whipping the chaos monsters, but Writher is more of a medium range weapon. Tuyet and Ignacio would be fast, but the wind that they're in could make their darts / knives less accurate. (This really depends on whether they've still got control over their weapon while they're in the air. If they do: good. If it's in the hands of Newton: not so good.) Haoyu would be okay at resisting if he were attacked by a demon bird, but he's more of a tank than a DPS guy. Finlay, Winston, Astrid: I don't think that they have any damage bonuses beyond their System-given strength. Olive would have to hope that the demons attacked based on visual cues. Then she could be like a matador. If they honed in on the Life element, she'd be facing a really bad day. So if an Avowed has a ranged attack (either innate or with weapons they have been provided) they might be okay. If they have to get up close and personal, things could get bad.
Maricel would shine with all the mud to play with.
Alden still has a comm unit! “Avowed Alden thorn to knight forduan. Be advised a knight squad is in distress on your left flank; demons driven from your area have them pinned down. Please advise. Over. “
How do we know that Alden's comms are still working? Maybe it's his that isn't working and the Vatha Knights' are operational. Worth a try if things get worse though.
It could be that the "mouse" is actually resistant to Chaos, and there's a colony of them on the hilltop. Bithe would be great at gathering small animals though; I doubt they're that lucky.
It strikes me as *possible* that they Driftseed-ed over their planned landing site, and the strangely intact mouse-thing was the "treat" they came out here for. If not, then perhaps it's another treat that was previously undiscovered? The second blossom, one might say.
This was an exciting chapter!
When Alden used the pills to suppress his pain and run with Kibby, it felt clever because it was a seemingly random resource he was given and it was explained what they do and he used them at an opportune time. When Alden used the kelsithe to crush the demon, it felt clever because it was the culmination of many storylines and experiences. The wegyta feels more like deus ex machina because they were poorly explained when they were introduced and I didn't know what to expect and it just solved a problem out of the blue. I don't know how Alden would know when or how to use them or what to expect. I reread from chapter 309 when they were mentioned, but it's still confusing. When Alden is interacting with the kelsithe, he mentioned that he knew how to use it because Mother had shown him when he was putting together his supply list, but it doesn't sound like the wegyta is from his own supply list but from the squad supply list. Did Mother show him what to expect here as well? I don't recall even a test fire. I felt very nonplussed reading "The rings did what they were supposed to."
Not everything he brought with him is stuff he bought/brought on his own. Probably most of it is borrowed other than his clothes and lenses. The comm dots, break plates, medication, word chain debt spell, etc we know were provided by the knights because either the knights mentioned ordering them on the boat or he received them at the votary hq. Alden only knew to order *any* of the equipment he did because Mother told him to. We saw him activate the Wegyta rings briefly before boarding the flyer, so clearly the rings were part of the equipment and explanation package.
I just re-read chapter 72 for reasons, and I was reminded of something I thought at the time: The “murder ribbon” that the Informant's granddaughter invented would have been a great tool for Alden, similar to the Kelsithe. Small package, lightweight, disposable, extends out really far, does something useful preserved and unpreserved. Alden's ability to pull the burning enchantment off the ribbons might be interesting, too.
Tilliver is going to be getting so much praise for getting Alden to join the group. "Tilliver is the reason things turned around for them! What a great guy he is!" After all, we know that what an Avowed does reflects on their wizard, not on themselves. It will be just like the scene in Galaxy Quest where Alan Rickman does that heroic stuff, the all the Thermians praise Captain Taggert. "It's just not fair!"
I dunno about that. Alden volunteered. His specific "backstory" is that the Knight group found him and he chose to join them. I'd say he probably keeps any glory he earns here.
Now that we know what a forgetful traveler bag is we can understand more why Emilija fainted when she targeted it and for me its so funny that we had no idea how difficult the enchantment on the bag is and how heavy it must be for a c rank
Emilija's an F. If anyone gets to have a rank boosted in this story, it's her. Whoo, wouldn't that send some wizards screaming. And Lute can do it for her, temporarily.
My new wish for the story is that out of a toddlerlike desire to see cool magic, Ash allows the kelsithe in coursing class. Also that alden gets to review video of his performance in knight gym.
Maybe in Alden's best interest to not reveal it yet?
TL;DR: are communications breaking down an intentional running theme in the current arc? Tactically, it seems a bit surprising that the knights don’t have Sway relays or similar highly chaos-resistant communications set up for basically every multi-group battle/simulation. Comms are historically a huge force multiplier, and just in this exercise: - the ship misses communications that set off the whole minidisaster - Alden can’t communicate with his squad soon after landing - the squad can’t communicate with each other when close - Alden’s comm dots just started failing really quickly in a moderate amount of chaos even without taking any direct damage - Forduan isn’t aware he’s driving chaos geese (or maybe just normal geese, geeses suck) into a squad of newbie knights The battle group at Alden’s Motel and Slaughterhouse used Sways instead of enchanted gear/comm dots to work around the chaos/lack of Contract - so knights expect comms drama from chaos. Given that, well-placed Avowed Sways (or knights focusing on communications, or votaries with mind spells, or communication-focused Avowed of a kind we haven’t seen) would seem a near-necessity for missions like this. Since no one mentions anything in advance, it doesn’t seem like a planned facet of this exercise (“let’s get everyone used to operating in a place where the usual comms don’t work!”) It’s an odd lack for what seems to be a solvable but apparently common problem in this kind of battle situation. So maybe it’s not common - maybe the enchantech usually works, but (say) creatures like the mouse are interfering and must be “solved”. Maybe Avowed Sways who can handle chaos are expensive (though lots of Avowed spots are open). Or something else. Given my respect for Sleyca, on a meta level I suspect the lack of communication is an intentional theme in this Rapport arc as part of the concept of “Growing Unseen”: Ryada’s issues with her squad, Stu’s relationship with his parentpod/Joss, the squad not letting Avowed join the general comms feed, the revealing of secrets, new and/or broken secrecy tattoos, etc. all fit. And that’s related to why we are seeing so many communication failures in this exercise. Based on that hunch, I suspect for the battle issues there is a plot-relevant root cause, mouse-related or otherwise, rather than just “well, chaos happens”. Or I’m overthinking instead of, as a wise man said, overdoing. We’ll see!
I would suspect that the older knights leading the exercise know perfectly well what effective high-level tactics would look like; but actually executing on those would preclude individual trainee groups falling into (or trivialize those groups getting out of) many of the “teachable moments” the exercise exists to have them experience. In other words, it’s the same reason horror movies don’t let people have working cell phones: if they had them, there’d be no movie! And if you think “but this is supposed to be a realistic exercise representative of a real mission, not a contrived one”: in a real mission, wouldn’t each group of baby knights have one or two more-experienced knights around to keep them pointed in the right direction? Baby knights running into battle with no formal command structure is likely already contrived (likely to serve as a teachable moment on the *value* of formal command structure.)
Do you think the watching knights would realise that Alden had brought down the bird, or do you think they would attribute the kill to Bithe? No one but Alden could see the green light of the wegyta and the knights were not taking any notice of the human avowed prior to this. Sure, Alden would be hard to miss but how much would they be focusing on him.
Oh that's a great thought. I think I remember something about wizards and knights getting credit for what their avowed do anyway though.
I wonder if Alden could carry one of Emban's Grooves for her with BoAB. Might require a new facet. But it could be really powerful. He could carry the same archery groove for potentially months, with Emban growing it every day, and not needing to abandon it when she rests.
Has the groove ever been described? I still don’t understand how her skill works exactly. She said she can “define for objects she holds” but never understood how her skill works exactly
Now that Team Vatha is soon-to-be reunited, with Alden ready to ferry them about like a one-man moving van, it's time to reevaluate strategic priorities. Do they want to resume the original mission, or hole up somewhere to rest their Skills, or retreat to an extraction point and try again later? I guess the chaos-resistant hilltop might be a good place to rest, actually. But that's if they can get there.
Alden with his trait, the wordchains AND Emban's movement groove would be a great all-terrain rabbit. (Actually, how long have they been there? I wonder if My Body Is My Assistant is about to run out?) He can probably carry five Artonans with the kelsithe, but what's the best way to do so? Carrying them in front might block his view, and it'll be awkward to put them on his back. Also, he might need to squeeze between trees, which constrains the possibilities further...
“I just had to make a point about how our squad can’t stay static, and there he was offering himself up.” I think this sentence shouldn’t be ignored. We understand now that skills affect the reality around them like bithe with the vatha, and here we see Tilliver having a burden and there is Alden bearing it for him before even realizing what’s going on… or so I see it
On the flipside, the person saying it is "The Inspired Sculptor"....
As far as the question of whether footage of this training exercise might be reviewed by CNH faculty, Alden may well end up sharing the footage himself, for one simple reason: course credit. He's slowly transitioning out of his "Quiet Rabbit" stage, as he prepares for life as a hn'tyon, and this training exercise directly applies to his coursework for Advanced Independent Study of Other Worlds. From Ch. 287, It's All Heroes or Aliens: His mentor for the independent study had seemed really excited that he was so passionate about her subject last week. He hoped that enthusiasm would translate to approval for the study he had proposed in his email to her this morning—Considerations for Humans Traveling to Worlds Corrupted By Survivable Levels of Chaos. He was studying that anyway, and he thought it would be satisfying to formalize some of it and get credit for it. *** Submitting this footage to his faculty mentor seems like a natural progression of his recent efforts to expand his comfort zone and take actions to gradually help those around him acclimate to the idea of the path he's preparing to walk. So a scene of CNH faculty reacting to this footage, as many readers have been anticipating, may well be a reasonable thing to hope for. Looking forward to the possibility of any of Saleh, Klein, Waker, and/or Ash getting to review this footage and provide commentary. 😀
I could see Alden showing his personal footage. But the Artonans avoid footage of knights. So I doubt any of his footage with specific chaos facsimiles or the knights would be allowed. But the terrain movement and use of basic equipment would be a solid add on
So, how many re-readings of a chapter are still considered healthy and well adjusted?
I’ll let you know when I’ve hit the number. So far 3 and counting.😅
I hope the griveks hear Alden's 'Mr. Matadero Party' nickname...so it's hopefully translated through the system to them as Mr. Slaughterhouse Party.
I did not know I needed this but holy fuck you're a genius. Human Ryebht mowing down demons and being called by a nickname with that much aura? He's gonna turn into the embassador for human-griveck relationships, specially when Kraaaa goes "knew that kid was promising" or something similar
April 12, 2041. Alden is visiting Chicago at the behest of the Chicago Hero Squad. He's back in his old high school. He's the guest star at an assembly and gave a demonstration of his preservation power. One member of his audience says: "So the only way for you to use your power is to have someone entrust something for you? Doesn't this mean that if you're on your own, you have no power? Isn't that a gigantic drawback?" Alden decides to be slightly more open about what his skill can do. "That's both right and wrong. Not having an entruster does mean I have no power. However, if I do have an entruster, I get a power bonus based on both my mindset and the power of my entruster. For example, if I were working with someone truly powerful, I could preserve this entire school building and everything in it." Many thousands of kilometres away, Klein, who had been idly watching the live feed, shot forward in his chair. "What the hell?!? Alden! Why didn't you tell any one of your teachers about this?!?"
It does really feel like a detail his instructors should have.😂
Another “how likely to happen” question: Alden getting strong enough to move the enchantment off of the post drop and put it on his forgetful traveler bag, so he always has an entruster !
Leo likes being a post drop. Yoinking him away from that without consent would be kidnapping. Keeping Leo there would be slavery.
Do we know what happens if Alden's entruster dies/"dies"? If Bithe had succeeded in his self-sacrifice, would that have killed Alden's skill use? Imagine if that had happened while Alden was running through the goat valley...
Yeah, without his entruster the Bearer of Burdens is not much use. The question is whether Bithe would have been teleported far away enough for the skill no longer "sense" him.
“I’m here! Are you hurt? How’s your skill? Do you need me to finish that demon for you? I can get that demon for you!” Alden's happy helpfulness here reminds me of both a puppy and Stu
Come to think of it, Puppy Alden is good to have around when you drop something: "I'm here! Are you full? How's your appetite? Do you need me to finish that floor-burger for you? I can eat that floor-burger for you!"
I dream of Alden considering the demons as the burden of his entruster and preserving/freezing them all in an AOE. « Here you go, Bithe, your burden has been lifted »
Truly awesome that Alden not only made it in time for a rescue, but also collected a good sample of data of nearby chaos and terrain. The “mouse” showing some potentially chaos resistant animals nearby. The “acid” stream. The chaos generator demon Boulder. Maybe all known quantities to other squads. But if even one of them isn’t it’s a nice little bonus
I'm interested to see what happens next. With the volume of mud mentioned I have to assume the underground threat is dealt with since it was made a point to mention previously that while demons were corrupted they still had to do things like breath. If the current area is secure and they've reunited with Alden will the team choose to move forward with the mission or perhaps 'sensibly' withdraw? Both option intrigue me and there's always the third route of someone from outside intervening once learning a squad has been unexpectedly down in a spot they were purposely venting demons to.
Minor correction: *Most* of the demons still need to breathe, eat, etc.
“I just got here! Come back! Bithe! BITHE!” this made me laugh - the sheer, incredulous "are you kidding me?" frustration of it. I imagine a huge emphasis on the just. He just got there. It wasn't easy. He had to kill demons but he did it. He made it. And he didn't even get a second to bask in the accomplishment. One more thing for the BOAB to bear.
*Loki voice from Thor 3* “I’ve been chasing after you for 30 minutes!”
"it felt like the hills were watching him". "Riddled with tunnels and hibernating demons, the whole ridge had been a disaster. " The hills (or rather, demons inside of the hills) might well be literally watching Alden here.
My spider senses definitely tingled on reading “the hills have eyes” line - thanks for mentioning that
A thought from a previous plot thread not taken: While I do realise this is training exercise so it doesn't truly apply, but Alden here is really living up to his commendation of bravery in the absence of obligation. When footage or comments about him get out on the tellingbush, what kind of reaction will Bash-nor (and faction) have to the realisation that Alis-art'h didn't just give it to him to spite them? Bash was already kicked out of the story by Servin-ith, but the fear of humans being given strong skills still exists; will the existential-threat faction enter the story to grief Alden?
This is actually where I'd expect footage of this event to pop up. Convincing the art'hs, then the Grand Senate (or maybe the other Rapports, first, IDK).
This is the first time Alden has used his skill in an elevated state on a conscious wizard or knight. He mentioned way back that him and zeridee felt less separate while in that state. I wonder if it almost a psuedo elvulignas(sp?) where the authority can merge or use each other more than anyone realized.
Inesvul is the bond, esvulgivnas is the period after. I doubt it's that extreme, at least at this stage, they have plenty of stages of bonding before getting to that point. But yea plenty of unexplored depth and possibility with the skill.
Got me wondering if Alden is using his skill well enough that an old knight eating sausage rolls might say, "Well now... that looks like a Bearer of All Burdens".
Jozz-art'h, who researched preservation skills recently-enough for Stu to have followed his footsteps trying to figure out Alden's skill, is present, and like Stu, has enough clues to put it together, maybe.
The grivecks are wearing off on Alden, asking permission before he steals Bithe's kill
This must be so funny from their perspective. They have been stressing that they've messed up and gotten this little kid who doesn't understand how anything works pretend killed and also factually retraumatised. Then he just suddenly shows up out of nowhere, expertly uses a weapon he had never touched before to take out a demon that had been giving a whole squad of Knights trouble, while it was moving, and gleefully offers to kill the other demon for them too.
Especially because he is so excited and happy to use his trait and his skill that he is like “ great exercise, guys, want to go and get the treat? I can preserve it for you. I also can carry you over the mud if you like. “. Do the knights actually see his fake stats? That must look wrong to them if anyone is checking. I also wonder when Stu and Esh will show up.
Just treating demons like flying radishes. Never stood a chance.
50/50 on if Emban tries to scold Alden for not staying put, out of the way. Politely devastating Alden, "if you don't want to be saved by a human, you should bring your teamwork closer to perfection."
Quick thought about Emban: being a knight is being your skill. "Repeated actions by the skill user leading to increasingly potent effects." © ch. 212 She is repeatedly failing to fix the Ryada situation. I just hope she stops in time.
Oh, good catch!
While Alden was racing towards Bithe, I had a vision of a scene like in Forrest Gump. „And on the way to my entruster, I saw Tilliver hiding there, without weapon and without skill. And I couldn’t just leave him there. So I picked him up and carried him out of the chaos zone, and then I went back, looking for my entruster. But again I found someone hiding…
After reading some of the comments, I think people have something of a skewed view of how much Alden has done and what Vatha Squad has had to deal with so far, and they really oughta cut the Knights some slack. Alden's journey so far has been altogether pretty serene, actually. Sure, he landed early and alone, but his path's been largely unimpeded by obstacles thanks to the Griveck friend he made along the way. He's mostly just been running along and keeping an eye on his surroundings, staying away from the big threats in order to save time and conserve resources and energy. His one 'fight' up to the point he reached Vatha Squad was against the big goat, and while that was a good, clean kill, it wasn't really much of a challenge for him. By contrast, Vatha Squad has very clearly has a much worse time of it, through no real fault of their own. Their comms seem to be down and their flyer wasn't receiving messages, so they're severely under-informed. Thus, they don't know Hn'tyon Forduan is corralling demons towards the crazy Ewtwees that knocked them out of the sky, nor did they know about the lazy Ewtwees that stuck around the ridge. They're seemingly heavily overwhelmed by the number of threats they have to face, with Tilliver needing to use his weapon so many times it straight up breaks! They're cut off from the Ryeh-b't child they brought along, so they're understandably panicked and concerned for his safety while trying to regroup, and to top it all off, they've got internal tensions causing considerable stress. Put plainly, Vatha Squad has been having a VERY bad day, all while Alden's been mostly free to run through the hills of Rapport III. It's important to remember that and have a bit of grace for them.
Yeah, that's fair. Alden is "timely reinforcements," not "THE BIG GUNS," though it is endearing and exciting how he showed up just when needed! I saw someone mention the Traveler's Bag being *probably* the reason he has his backpack and all of his equipment, where the rest of the squad might have lost theirs to... "unexpected" turbulence in their flight. Alden hasn't had to deal with the burrowers either, so yes, he's relatively fresh and well equipped. They're worn down, and it's not necessarily any fault of their own. What's interesting is that the squad is learning from their failures, not in packing or fighting, but in their relationship with Ryada. Hopefully, they'll be better equipped to spot the signs of trouble in future, and that might be the most valuable lesson learned here. You can practice skills in an artificial environment, but relationships are always the real deal.
I doubt this would work, especially since I haven’t read the exact text description of bearer in a minute. But I’m kinda curious if bearer could learn to have an entruster that was a closely bonded unit. Like a knight squad or the coursing team. Letting Alden freely swap around with preservations with the team instead of having to quick switch. And if he can nail down preservation at range then it would be a mobile defensive buff
Interesting variation on my hope that he could have more than one intruster after he leveled up. I like your idea because he could bear burdens for the group as a whole as long as at least one of them was alive. I also like multiple unrelated intrusters. In future years he'll need both.
The smoke flashed white. Alden briefly had a much clearer view of its billowing mass. Wind’s blowing in that direction, but it’s not blowing the smoke away. A few seconds later, he heard a rumble — Pointless thing I couldn’t help but think of - sound travels at ~1100 ft/second, so that’s maybe 2200 feet or a bit more. The old rule of thumb of “the storm is 1 mile away per second delay” is a bit off (or maybe takes into account the height of the storm cloud?)
Should be ~5 seconds to the mile, which is what I've always heard. Whoever said 1 second was confusing the number.
“I just got here! Come back!" I laughed at this imagining Alden as indignant. He came all this way and now his entruster has run away from him! How dare he!
In Bithe’s defense, he thought his goose was cooked. (And it soon was!)
I may be feeling very judgy here, but this feels like a potential breaking point for me with Emban. I’ve been resentful towards her from the start because of her snobbiness towards Alden. Then it got worse when we found out she’s been pushing Ryada, in a variety of selfish ways. Now we see her on the hill putting her desire to impress Ryada above the strategic choice for her team and the mission. Basically trying to manipulate how Ryada sees them, and her, instead of doing her job. Now, Bithe has called her out on it. So, Emban, you gonna finally get it, or am I going to lose hope that overcome your self-centered ways? I’m not saying she’s a bad person. She has shown quite a few positive qualities. It’s just that how she has treated Alden and Ryada is overshadowing those good traits and actions. For me. Still, right now she’s been given a great setup for turning my opinion of her around.
I've been feeling irritated with Emban too. I have it in my mind that Alden brings the squad, Emban included, around.
I am in awe of how skillfully Sleyca has married action and character development in this chapter. Everyone trying to squeeze the maximum out of their skills, struggling against both Chaos and chaos, attacking, being attacked… all the action. Yet in the midst of the battlefield figuring out how their choices have been affecting Ryada and team dynamics. Character growth while clinging to a demon’s dirt talon sculpture on a muddy hillside is a thing of beauty. Sleyca writing action with emotional depth is such a gift.
If Emban gave her movement groove to Alden, it would make for one VERY quick all-terrain Rabbit. (I wonder if she already did, as he ran past, and that's why he could run on the mud river.)
I mean she could have, but that would have taken some VERY quick thinking, and his trait should be plenty to keep him above the mud.
2 random thought on aldens skill: 1) If Aldens entrustments dont have to be verbalized anymore and he could read & bear burdens directly based on the "heart" of his entruster, his skill might well synergize with his gorgon heritage/ "apprenticeship". 2) As can be seen in embans group, there is a lack of leadership/support skills, that help with knowing / lessening social inflicted burdens. Bearing (or just be aware of) desires, anxieties, memories, fears, secrets bearing down on an individual/group and finding (simple) solutions how they can be lessened (temporarely) or "better" redistributed, seems to be undervalued in the superhero/artonan society....
I think the time when Alden was catching and returning balls during gym class was a prior example of him being entrusted without a verbal command?
Reminds of that movie Turbo when everyone goes “Damn that snail is fast!!”
Hm, Tilliver could probably sculpt a really nice dense and sharp rock for Alden to hit demons with. Especially if he can imbue it with goose-demon sharpness, though that might make it too "heavy".
Hmm. Would the magic even matter if Alden lifts it with the kelsithe? Would it be easier for Alden to hold a magical sculpture if Tilliver were the Entruster?
I love Alden running past Embam as he comes to the rescue
I do wonder if Emban is chasing after Alden and Bithe. And a Alden taking out one murder goose does change the equation. So even if she agree with Bithe on a logical level, that has change now.
Emban gets her groove on, but Bithe would vatha be somewhere else.
While Alden just grins and bears it
Sort of off topic for this chapter, but not really for the arc as a whole. Alden gave consent to mother to share any part of his life to help a knight through their affixiation. I know it was specifically for Stu and kibby, but mother has been shown time and again that she is able and willing to move past stated intentions and flub things. So the next time Ryada needs to rebind her authority she might get a pick me up from her favorite rabbit. My pick would be the conversation Alden had with Stuart. About Thegunds death, and lack of ocean. It would give her some much needed perspective on what she could instead be doing for the good of the triplanets. Returning life to death, rather than snuffing the life out. To Restore rather than Retake.
There is even further significance in that call than just to be a guiding light towards her path of highest onus. In that call Alden had a yell in his throat That he shouted out to no one in particular. He shouted at a storm, with nothing around to hear him but Stuart and the system. What alden shouted changed nothing about the situation as a whole, but it helped him come to terms with the outcome. We have been shown time after time that Ryada has more yells stuck in her throat then just the inaccurate skill allocated affliction. She is overwhelmed with the excessive care of her squad mates and others who are aware of her issue, its suffocating to her, and yet she still dismisses her issue with it when she tells Stuart about it. She also has grievances with the others on their dismissal of alden but once more shoves her feelings down to avoid the confrontation. The call would show that even a little, extremely obvious yell such as aldens. Still deserves to be yelled, even if for nothing else but closure.
Alden finally has some bird related Battle Bunny footage to post to his Trime! Winston's reaction would be priceless.
Would he even be allowed to post this? Kind of feels like this would fall under secrecy of the house stuff and even if he doesn't have the contract he obviously is trying his best not to spread information he gathered in the Rapports. Also Alden probably wouldn't want to post that stuff anyway. He's already got enough attention as it is.
To get a better understanding of Knight skills and their aspects, simply play Spirit Island
I find I have a deep affinity to Bringer of Dreams and Nightmares, Fractured Days Split the Sky, and Shifting Memory of Ages (though I have played every spirit at least once).
Remember what Alis said about stress-relieving via pounding on/ compressing an area of chaos? This is only a thing glimpse of how satisfying it is with a wetyga
There is so much here that could raise questions for the knights watching, especially those who have been watching him. It will recontectualize everything the other Art's know about him. From "this is the weird human that Alis took pity on and who somehow ended up in our yard and being Stu's friend. He makes this complicated" to This is the boy who stopped Stu from stupidly sacraficing himself and got him healed. This is the boy who risked his life caring for a child for months before carrying her on his back through a chaos across the moon during a contract failure. The boy the quarternary acknowledged. This is the boy who carried a bleeding artorian through a chaos event, despite his trauma and the danger, and for her to safety at great risk to himself. (Actually surprised that didn't earn him another commendation now) This the boy who helped a young team succeed in there here to there despite it being more complicated than anything they expected.
Bithe: “My time has come…” Alden: “Nope !” Emban: “Huh!?” (The cat one) Every other knight. “What’s the rabbit!?” Radya who followed all the trek: “Alden… What’s the rabbit!?” Mother who watched everything. “Glad I learned how pop corn tastes from human minds.” You will never be our equal! She said. Yes! He answered. I’ll be something else, and’s that’s ok.
Bithe: The danger is too much. Go on without me, and I shall sacrifice myself to save you all! Alden: What the heck dude? Now, it’s even harder to save you.
completely not story related: Every time I see your username, I ask 'How far East on Mulholland'?
Bithe: This is my last stand, my great sacrifice so my teammates might survive Alden, in a customer service voice: Hi, how can I help you today!
Customer service is very Rabbit
It's nice to see some of Team Vatha reflecting on Ryada and showing some personal growth. Tilliver and Bithe both recognizing and acknowledging different ways they were leaning on her that contributed toward pushing her to her breaking point. We haven't seen any of that self-reflection or growth coming from Emban yet, and it seems like she's still hoping that Ryada will "get better" soon and rejoin them. She still wants her friend back on the team, and she wants her potential-bond-mate to become her actual bond partner. But she's not looking at what Ryada needs, and that's why I don't think either of those are going to happen. On a related note, we know that others are watching the knights, but can they also hear them? Will Ryada hear them discussing her? Would be interesting to see her reactions if so. Never mind seeing her (and everyone else's) reaction to Alden's rapid rabbit rescue.
Regarding Emban, there’s a difference between “not trying” and “not succeeding”. Some people aren’t socially astute, despite other talents. It doesn’t mean they don’t care.
Emban thinking about Ryada while running up that hill: And if I only could I'd make a deal with Mom And I'd get Her to swap our places Be runnin' up that path Be runnin' up that hill Be runnin' to that binding (yo) Say, if I only could, oh
Nicely done. And now that ear worm will be with me the rest of the day.
The rabbit is in’erestin’.
*claps hands* YES!
Lmao, they're in this super desperate situation and Alden is just coming in with golden retriever energy and casual competence.
Like a grivek!?!
This kid just keeps getting cooler. Is there simulated chaos? Because if there is, since Alden is especially chaos resistant, does it mean it's not affecting him but it is affecting the Knights? Imagine if confronted about it, he's just like "oh yeah, the primary did say I was so unusually resistant to it that he planned on hiring me when I'm older." Then hops off with Bithe on his back.
Last chapter, had a (simulated) demonstrike on the kelsithe, and this chapter having chaos-water on his clothes isn't even slowing him down.
The primary noted Alden chaos resistance once. If the system is assessing potential damage to Alden, notably the waters effect, the knights will most likely also find that out too. Alden really is shaping up to become John Supportive.
@colton, honestly, I think he noted the same thing Mother, Lind, Stu, and Kibby have: Alden's 'voice' (effect on the universe) has more than usual impact/effect/persuasion. A few chapters ago here on Patreon, there was some speculation that Lind's use of the word 'charming' may mean this attribute: how well the Universe would respond to Alden's voice. Ch 306 Lind: She imagined he’d give her a charming greeting if he knew how to.
Alden’s new translation for BoAB: “I can get that demon for you”
No, no, that's Dragon Rabbit's line: "Hello, Alden. I can get that for you."
Yes Alden. Bithe is just confused, that’s why he rolled down the mountain, not because he was trying to be all self sacrificing and heroic! 🤣 I love how chill he’s being in this situation~ “I can get that demon for you!” Like it’s the obvious thing that everyone should’ve expected him to do!
Now that Divin’s skill is confirmed AoE damage, the fact that she’s fulfilling the role that the squad pushed Ryada into which pushed Ryada away from the squad has to be extra aggravating to Emban. A reminder of her failure to notice Ryada’s hurt.
Talk about a badass entrance! We've seen Alden do a lot of amazing things, but this is the first time it's felt like a superhero just showed up when Alden entered the picture. All his training and preparation is on display over the last couple chapters. He's alternately moved with care and speed as the situation dictates. He's avoided conflict where possible, and handled it quickly and cleanly (even if it involved a lot of dirt) when needed. He's conserved his skill usage appropriately so that he's still fresh enough to assist when he met up with the team. He hadn't even dipped into the emergency tools until he found a teammate in mortal peril, but he did so efficiently and without hesitation. What's great is that it all feels earned. Alden has prepared for this well. He's used his MPE time to experiment with his skill so that he can adapt it to his needs. He's workshopped how he'd handle chaos threats that are bigger and more powerful than him, and he executed on his plans flawlessly. When given new equipment, he asked the questions - even when it got him snide comments - to ensure he'd be competent in its use. And when he was dropped in the shit, he didn't panic. He analyzed his circumstances, decided on his best strategy, and he executed it. It's still just a training scenario, but everything we're seeing from Alden is exactly what he's been studying and experimenting and training for. Couldn't be more proud of our favorite rabbit. Stu is absolutely going to lose his shit over this. Also can't wait for Ryada's reaction. And Esh. But before that we need Team Vatha's reaction to the arrival of their rescue rabbit. Really looking forward to the next few chapters!
Ikr… I NEED THE NEXT CHAPTER
“There was something Bithe found nice about the way Alden Thorn targeted people with his skill. On the flyer, right before the accident, he’d noticed the feeling. It was subtle, so he hadn’t had a chance since then to seek it out and appreciate it.” A chance to appreciate an Alden!
I assume that is him picking up on his authority.
– There he is! – Where? – There! – What, behind the rabbit? – It is the rabbit!
You may call me... Tim.
1. It would make a ton of sense for the knights to send a record and video of his performance to his school after all this is over. That would be very in keeping with Artonan culture. And reviewing Alden's treck through the alien wilderness with the Coursing Class is something Ash would do. "What would you do if you were thrown from an alien aircraft?" "How would you kill these demon goats?". 2. Please please please can we see a pair of Griveck's excitedly reviewing baby human hunting techniques.
1. Agreed, but let it be Klein and Little/Big Snake instead of Ash please. 2. Yes, please, this would be incredible! I was thinking of all the other POV reactions we need of Alden's badassery, but I didn't even consider the Griveck. This is 100% what we need.
Absolutely LOVE seeing Tilliver and Bithe realize how bad they fucked up with Ryada.
Yes. I love Ryada she is top tier, a quality person. Emban and Jozz both need to give their heads a wobble
I’m curious if the mouse like thing is similar to the treat they were originally going for. Maybe they salvage this mission and still accomplish something good while they retreat?
I think it might be one of the camouflage threats the observing knights talked about last chapter. Also maybe the same kind of thing Divin is trying to drown in the mud with her skill.
I wonder how analogous Alden's Bearer skill feels to his entruster as the Iella-inwer's (Stu's Mom) Ensnarer of Minds when she sheltered other knights in Chaos. It's how she and the Primary bonded initially. Wonder if there will be any plotlines or complications that arise in Stu's and Alden's future because of it--- hopefully not but a potentially interesting world building moment. It is possible it could be more a philosophical point of "good" vs "bad" skills or more neutral skills where intent matters most. Perhaps some skills are riskier, such as the concept that most medicine can be poison and vice versa. Or something like Lord of the Rings where there is a true force of Good vs Evil, or something more like Dune where everything is more grey and complicated. Thank you for the chapter! P.S. sorry to take a potentially darker introspective take on such a delightful golden retriever chapter. Loved this chappie lots, made me feel all light and bubbly and victorious at the end :))))
I suspect that Bithe and Alden’s skills are really well paired for the entruster aspect - Bithe is projecting warmth and welcome just as Alden is seeking him. Recall Rabbit on steroids. Bithe in this mode has to be easier to find than cold minestrone, though we are all Seekers of Soup.
What's the Artonan word for gratitude colored by shock and embarrassment over the needless drama of rolling down a hill?
I think even their vocabulary must be expanded for this! The classic "< Shakka, when the walls fell >" is a bit too < triumphant in one's own strength >, I think. "< Bithe, his sacrificial death unnecessary >" seems in the neighborhood of the right coinage. 😆
I wonder if Bithe's appreciation of Alden's targeting-feeling doesn't lead to Alden being able to use some of Bithe's authority.. I'm sure it helps if the entruster thinks of the Bearer as a helpful, supportive person .
I’m wondering if it makes Alden the most compatible for esvulginas out of all the knights. His authority is meant to help others. Of course it feels nice. I think in a way it’s nice that he’s so set on Stu as a partner since it seems likely others would want to pair with him as well while Stu struggles so much to connect to others
The MVP here is Mother, who picked his inventory list. "Don't forget chaos sun screen or your water shoes. Oh, and remember your chaos skateboard. Did you pack your uniform? Did you want to play with your boomerang while you're there? I, looks like you're all set. Have a nice time." I like to think she had him over prepare so he could have a nice confidence booster and quietly pushed pieces around on the back end to make sure he had an easier time. Mother to the guy who owns a kelsithe: Mission -Give your Kelsithe to the knight team on loan Contract Reward -30 drachneras from Lagonas 7, approximate age 3509 years old. -Potential favor with an up and coming knight
It wasn't given on loan though? That's Aldens kelsithe now.
How is every character in this chapter both utterly adorable and completely badass at the same time? It feels like there should be some kind law preventing that but, well, just look at them! Also Travelers Bag made the trip! Since Ash gave us the context that Traveler is deeply associated with Wizards in Artonan, Alden bouncing around with one of these becomes much funnier. Mother just clowning for her own amusement at this point.
The traveler’s bag likely WAS a big part of him successfully keeping his backpack!
Emban going to have to eat her words from a few chapters regarding Alden being given the wegyta rings “Maybe not knowing how to turn on a weapon is a sign it shouldn’t be taken”. Perfect planning/aim and timing to burder a demon.
Truly, Alden "burderer" Thorn is the best counter to demon geese.
I think that one of the things that Team Vatha is going to learn in the after-action report is: sometimes it's okay to retreat, rather than pushing on to certain doom. Is the goal that you have set yourself worth your life, or the life of all of your teammates?
It's not clear that they have an avenue of retreat known to them. When paratroopers wind up places they aren't supposed to be, the situation often becomes untenable.
Thanks for the chapter! Go rabbit go!
The knights pov on these events is probably gonna be an epic read in a later chapter. Ryada meanwhile “told you all. Bunch of haters”
I bet Alden could use his kelsithe to carry Bithe up the mountain, using his trait to run on top of the mud.
I’ve been imagining him preserving Bithe, holding him over his head like a bird-shield, and running them up the hill.
Sir Hopsalot could use his trait and take them right to the top of the ridge again. How lucky for Bithe that they brought the bunny knight along.
Alden, the Burderer of Burdens, the BIRDerer of birds. You've honked your last honk, GOOSE!
Also, can’t wait for the ryada-pov of his demon gauntlet run. What is the _actual_ size of the demon he bounced off his shield? How convinced are they he is about to be flattened when he stops the angry goat and hard landscapes it to death like the world’s most aggressive gardener? Is the ‘mouse’ the treat they are supposed to be taking to the worldkeeper?? ENQUIRING MINDS NEED TO KNOW
The mouse is not the treat. The treat is two territories away past Forduan’s zone.
I think Emban shouting something at him that he can’t hear means we get an Emban POV next and I. Can’t. Wait.
So he murdered that bird demon with his rings? They're the burder-rings, for burdering bird things.
I admit i read that multiple times, simply because I enjoyed the sound it made. :)
Thank you Sleyca. What an amazing chapter. There is so much I want to say but need to formulate words, which I will do over the next few days. For now though, I need to say that I am impressed with the growth of the team. This pressure is helping them acknowledge truths that were previously unrecognised. Tilliver is finally thinking of Ryada, “if she were here, we’d push her into doing things that hurt hurt without even realizing. I’d push her. We were all teaching her slowly to hate herself while we took pleasure in her results and her company.” And Bithe telling Emban. “We’re knights, no matter where Ryada is and no matter who’s watching. That comes first … You think you’re propping her [Ryada] up, but it’s just a different way of leaning on her … I was doing it too. We have to stop that.”
I can't imagine how that room of observing knights must now be losing their shit! "Where the hell did he come from?!" "He just took out that major demon?!" "He's just a baby Avowed, how did he make it here on his own?!"
"Major" is very much a relative thing, remember the primary has killed a demon the size of a small moon.
TFTC!
Here he comes to save the day! 🎵
"He’d still rather endure a binding again right here and now, " Moments that make Knights have thoughts like this is probably very important to conquer the pain from affixing. Experiences that are viewed as worse or less bearable than the pain that can be solved by their affixed skill should help put things in a new perspective.
It’s a frightening yardstick. But makes perfect sense for them.
I feel like Ryada just put both of her eyes on Alden.
I feel like Emilja just sat upright from a deep sleep, sensing that somewhere a great Burder had occurred. And that Alden still wasn’t providing her roommates with leftovers
Much in the same way that waterproof watches list the depth that they’re safe to dive into, I wonder if gear has the degree of chaos that they’re safe to go into/for how long. It would make sense for something that goes into eyes to be built to be more resistant to chaos than more external equipment
Also Alden specifically bought the chaos resistant model from the same crafter/shop other knights bought them, rated for “a few trips through chaos”
I wonder what the older knights are thinking, here they are watching a group of their juniors throw themselves into a difficult situation they don't understand and then right when one of the juniors tries to self sacrifice, the avowed they've been separated from forever ago suddenly shows up and saves this young knight from their own decision.
I like to imagine if they were seeing just the squad's PoV so far, but as a fiction: "Lazy writing!" "Rescue ex machina!" "There's no way humans are so similar to griveks, this destroyed my suspension of disbelief." "...I'm not sure I like the moral of this story."
This Rabbit came straight out of Monty Python 😂
Hopefully the demons don't have a holy hand grenade
Do not fear! RESCUE RABBIT is here!
Divin has a skill like Kon's Reader of Records / Recall Record, but one focused on environmental conditions! That's *awesome*. I love this glimpse of Tilliver's skill in action, and the clue that what he's inspired by can have traits stolen to feed what he's making. That's a little scary in a Body-Drainer way, but if he stays focused on stealing from demons to make sculptures to oppose them, that has a very 'waste not, want not' tidiness to it. Bithe can burn with outright *fireballs*, golly. He really does need a strong shielding partner to work with if his whole skill is centered around mesmerizing opponents to come after *him* first. Clearly the demonic geese analogues here were too powerful for Seth to handle as Driftseed; thank goodness Alden just made it in the absolute nick of time.
I'd been trying to imagine how Alden's skill could synergize with Bithe's skill, and I think we just learned it in this chapter: Bithe's Vatha Lantern is designed to pull targeting, which means Bearer likely has a boosted entruster signal to work with. "Come to me. A lantern in your darkness. Warmth and direction. Aren’t I what you’ve been looking for?" No wonder Alden could find him from miles and miles away. No wonder Alden practically flew down that muddy landslide waiting to happen when Bithe really needed him most.
I love how all the knights have these fancy weapons and powers, struggling against demons, meanwhile Alden runs in with a telekinetic shovel and a ranged trash compactor and oneshots the demons
Trash compactor, lol!!! That's it exactly!
Hi! Are you staying in the rainy chaos zone for a reason? Are you..? I can’t hear you, let me just quiet this bird up for you, no worries! Let’s just hop to this quieter bit.. now. How can I help?
Did you get a boo-boo? I can carry your boo-boo away if you want.
Wegyta rings making the same spell that Alden learned in the kiddy wizard book to compress cans of soda, but stronger. Not sure what it implies. Did Mother pick the weapon for him because of that?
I assume she did. its probably not an easy tool to use too but alden already has the framework for the manual version of it.
Also, lmfao. The longer this goes the worse Stu's inevitable heart attack from catching up with it all gets.
The equivalent of waking up with 50 missed calls from friends and family.... Then when you get up to speed, it's even worse than what you imagined hahaha.
Ah, such a shame. Alden, Alden, Alden. I hate that your reward for this will be existential agony. There's simply no way you don't make it through this without teetering over the edge of too much unbound power. You're leveling up too fast, buddy.
He’s exercising his skill, not his free authority, so he’s actually pushing back the date of his affixation.
Ugh this was SO GOOD! The wegyta seems like a terrifying weapon. Finger guns that compresses a resizable target area? That’s bad ass. Also probably really disgusting to see the aftermath of an alien murder eagle being squeezed.
Pretty sure that’s a murder goose. Much scarier. Eagles hunt to eat. Geese are just mean. Just realized that Vatha Squad is playing Angry Birds.
Alden is about to winsterminate that wounded demon, right? I can just imagine what the squad and other knights watching are going to think. "He used his skill and the kelsithe *how*?!!!"
If you’re going to pick a creature to be a corrupted demon. Pick a goose! 🪿 💯
Hoooonk!
Did you call for a Burderer?
They called 1-800-Burden
Funny how they're all so dramatic about it and Alden is like "Full scale training simulation! Awesome!"
He's so thrilled that ground is everywhere and he can try out his skill on all sorts of terrains!
Love how they are getting the 'just because you give a stupid order doesn't mean it will be obeyed' lesson right to the face.
I wonder if the fact that he hasn't actually been summoned is helping here. Otherwise he might not have been able to ignore their order. Being a volunteer changes the dynamic.
I am so EXCITED AHHHHH
September 5th is what, 6 days away? If I put myself in a coma I will be able to bear it, easy peasy.
I’m begging to wonder if the support and preparation that declared are given actually works against them in some ways. When choosing their skills, they try to align their choice perfectly with their own personality and desires. Ryada wanted to purify and bring forth life, and when it didn’t work exactly as she had expected it to, she agonised over making the wrong decision. Alden picked his skill with minimal understanding and only the word of a somewhat dubious friend to go on, so when he discovered that the skill wasn’t completely perfect for him, he didn’t blame himself (that much), and it didn’t turn into self hatred, in the Artonan sense, and he has instead started change himself, and align himself with his skill, and the requirement for an entruster.
I think it's different for Ryada, her skill could be aligned with her personality but people around her are using this in the most narrow, destructive way possible and pushing her toward it. I don't think she would mind using her skill that way from time to time to help her teammates, but they only want to make use of her for destruction. They even cheer her on when she uses it. I think the way they make use of her skill is also a reflection of how they see her: not in totality. They want to be in a relationship with that fake smiling persona mask that she has on most of the time. It makes her suffer to be seen as a slice of her both in skill and personality.
Edit Suggestions: the ground sheered away beside its left wing ->the ground sheared away beside its left wing
He’d jogged a bit farther when started getting damage notices. -> when he started -> then started Then he felt the other one, father away, focus on him. -> farther away
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaohmygod that was *amazing* !
There are so many great moments in this chapter, and I'm excited to immediately reread them again to appreciate them more, but Bithe experiencing Alden's choice to serve with him as a profoundly unlonely feeling even on a desperate battlefield is making me tear up in a good way. That was the motivation calling Alden to swear to the Contract as an Avowed, calling him to commit to being Stu's partner as a wizard and a soon-sworn knight. I'm so happy this group of his peers will have this chance to see him properly as the person he's growing into.
I'm caught between joy at Alden finally regrouping with the gang AND entering with a "the cavelry's here!" type moment... and disappointment that he didn't enter saving them with a Winsterminator, and impatience to see their reactions to his appearance. And amusement at how openly eager and peppy he's being right after Bithe's sadboy sacrifice and "we've been being dicks to Ryada 😭" speech. > I hope he’s having a better night than the rest of us are. Oh, no need to worry about THAT, Bithe. This night is making Alden's week- probably making his MONTH!
He basically is getting a better version CN gym time. gonna sign up for all the knight exercises 🤣. “I volunteer as trib… avowed support”
Wow, everyone was just cool as shit this chapter. Divin, calling storms! A beacon in the night, a pillar on the horizon! The might of Zeus hers to command. Tilliver, stealing the breath of demons to animate his sculpture! The statue comes to life as the beast that inspired it crumbles to dust. Not to mention some timely comprehension and acknowledgement. Emban, striding above the mud as if it were paved for only her. Bithe with the self-sacrifice play, a siren calling. The very act of responding to the call puts them in his power, and he turns that into a fireball?!? And Alden, of course, arriving like Gandalf at Helm’s Deep just in time to turn the battle and save the day. He rides over the ridge bringing an untouched weapon and a mostly fresh skill and months of practice and a focus that burns through everything between him and his entruster. Peak. Every bit of it was peak.
And Alden finally gets his chance to use his skill on mud and outperform every expectation on it.
You do these intense crisis descriptions so well, Sleyca. When it matters most, it's never easy or tropey writing, it feels real and brings me right there. I'm glad of the influence Alden's mind healer seems to have had of his mental abilities in a scenario like this. I particularly connected with this description: "It wasn’t a frightening noise on its own, but as he listened to it over the next minutes, he didn’t like the way it seemed to be close to him sometimes and then far away the next second. How it disappeared completely only to return at max volume mid-honk. "Demonic calls. Like the scream of the bokabv in his nightmares, continuing on after the beast had died. "
(on re-read) I love this story so much. What a chapter.
Alden to the rescue. Yey!
Is mud still ground enough or is it too water adjacent. Alden can just pickup Bithe with a preserved kelsithe and run up the mud mountain back to the rest of the squad.
I’d argue mud is ground, all the water gets sucked into the clay particles and the clay becomes plastic in nature. But it’s still clay. Might be tricky ground, but it’s still ground.
"Are these demons a burden to you? Don't worry, I will take care of it." Alden Ryeh-b't - Burderer of all burdens
They're going to be worried about humans also corrupting rabbits into combatants.
A bunch of battle butlers and murder maids. They know what they’ve done
"Release the hounds..! I mean the rabbits, release a single extremely dangerous rabbit with a lot of pent up resentment against chaos." Alden is about to carry this shit. He will burder every bird and literally bury every demons under shitton of dirt. It's over for team chaos.
There is a special irony in being a rabbit that buries their enemies, I think 😂
Rabbit incoming - may I carry your luggage? or possibly sir would rather I got the demon???
– Alden Pennyworth Thorne.
“Let me take your demon” is an excellent translation for Alden’s skill, apparently.
Let Me Take Out Your Demon
"Here I come to save the day!" battle song of the Mighty Rabbit (stolen from Mighty Mouse cartoon)
Alden is moving fast on the human to Grieveck Ryeh-b't scale
Some poor wizard is going to be baffled when he tries to summon some Grieveks for a combat assignment and 2 murder panthers and a teenage boy turn up Edit:woops put that comment in the wrong spot
Thank you for the chapter! Ah, it's really fun seeing that Alden was able to help. I really hope everything works out and that Alden and Bithe manage to regroup with the rest of the squad.
Alden for the rescue!
These knightlings have just found out that their rabbit is surprisingly good in a crisis.
Alden 😂 “Do you need me to get the scary Demon?!?”
Yes, please!!!!!
The baby knights might be powerful, but Alden is definitely the most resourceful one, at least at this moment.
I've been wondering about this. Knights train with their skills, and have group exercises, but what's their equivalent of MPE? It's possible that Alden's training is just better than theirs.
AND THERE HE IS! Alden Thorn, the completely badass human Ryeh'bt everyone forgor about. Bet Ryada's losing her shit.
Tilliver is cute. Bithe is positively adorable.
Wegyta, what does the scouter say about his power level?
IT'S OVER NINE something something
Pretty sure Alden has been giving Bithe an authority hug this whole time. Long-distance burden bearing
You *would* think it was hugs. Say, can I interest you in a hug? I'm a good hugger. Lots of arms, adequately hydrated.
Bird got burdered
Alden is a serial burderer
*Incoherent screaming*
*inarticulate squealing*
Omg Alden is so damn precious. They're all expecting him to be afraid and holed up in a safe spot and he just rolls up all chipper to a Bithe resigned to "death" like 'No worries mah dude, I GOT you"
MAH DUDE, WAZZUP
Alden with the greatest support of all time holy
Arguably. He did just killsteal. So not a proper support. /s
Rabbit to the rescue!
Most helpful rabbit in the entire world! "If she were here, we’d push her into doing things that hurt her without even realizing. I’d push her. We were all teaching her slowly to hate herself while we took pleasure in her results and her company. " Awww, Tolsith gets it. "That’s right, thought Bithe. Thank you. I don’t even feel lonely. I’ve still got Alden. …Alden? A strange thought to have right now. Or maybe it wasn’t. There was something Bithe found nice about the way Alden Thorn targeted people with his skill." It's so funny how charming everyone finds Alden's authority calls and targetings. He's just extremely neat and nice to be around “I’m here! Are you hurt? How’s your skill? Do you need me to finish that demon for you? I can get that demon for you!” Supportive rabbit when you need one! It's really funny how he's like "oh, yeah, sure, I can destroy a demon. All good. Everything for my entruster.
Well, a demon is a kind of burden. Somebody has to bear it.
Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Exciting soup!
It feels like the main lesson from the exercise is going to be about having triple redundancies for your comm equipment. Team Vatha would not have these troubles if they got their news updates properly and everyone knew where they were on the map...
Problem is: because chaos attacks even equipment not in use, you may have a better chance with triple redundancies, but are still far from (nearly) guaranteed working equipment these redundancies normally mean.
MEATY chapter. Exactly as much Alden bieng bad ass as I wanted.
Ooh gosh Im just so excited
My wish came true, thanks for the chapter!
Alden: let me bear the burden of killing for you
Yesssss, soup! Tyftc!
just in time for lunch! Thanks for the soup
Thanks!