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human before their Ascensions) in creating life. Because of this, the flora and fauna on Scadrial are very similar to what you’ll find on Yolen. (The non-fain parts, of course.) It is also very similar to Yolen in size and gravitation, both being exactly at 1.0 cosmere standard. Though the Shards created this planet to... |
the same time, I also knew that this story would potentially be read by people who hadn’t read the series. Having played many RPGs myself, I know that often one or two people in the group get really excited by a setting and do a campaign there—towing along the rest of the group, who aren’t as familiar with it. One of m... |
wagon nearby. An Inquisitor’s head had been nailed to the wood of the wagon’s bottom, held in place by its own spikes. Nothing changed, while everything changed. For to Kelsier’s eyes, two men now stood before him. One was the immortal emperor who had dominated for a thousand years: an imposing figure with jet-black ha... |
some kind of light. A tiny sun perhaps, as seen through dense grey clouds. Kelsier breathed in and out, then growled, heaving himself to his feet. “Well,” he proclaimed, “that was thoroughly awful.” It did seem there was an afterlife, which was a pleasant discovery. Did this mean … did this mean Mare was still out ther... |
over him, and found he could feel her. She was solid to his ethereal fingers. She didn’t seem able to feel his touch, but he caught a vision of her from the real world, cheeks stained with tears. His last words to her had been harsh, hadn’t they? Perhaps it was a good thing that he and Mare had never had children. A gl... |
fists. God stepped back and—amusingly—reached for the knife at his belt. Well, Kelsier wasn’t going to attack him, not again. But he had heard the challenge in those words. Would he run? Of course not. Where would he run to? Nearby, an unfortunate skaa woman lurched into the afterlife, then almost immediately faded. He... |
Lord,’” Fuzz said with a huff. “That’s a terrible nickname for a crewmember.” “Crewmember…” “I need a team,” Kelsier said, still striding through the shadowy version of Luthadel. “And as you can see, my options are limited. I’d rather have Dox, but he’s got to go deal with the man who is claiming to be you. Besides, th... |
his head. “What was I saying?” “About how the Lord Ruler expanded his soul.” “That was delightful,” God said. “It was spectacular to watch! And now he is Preserved. I am glad you didn’t find a way to destroy him. Everyone else passes, but not him. It’s wonderful.” “Wonderful?” Kelsier felt like spitting. “He’s a tyrant... |
God seemed to relax. With discomfort, Kelsier noticed God was still leaking. Mist slipped away from his body at a few pinprick points. This creature was like a wounded beast, placidly going about its daily life while ignoring the bite marks. Remaining motionless was hard. Harder than facing down the Lord Ruler had been... |
a room, past an Inquisitor. A building within a building, hidden within the depths of the palace. Kelsier opened his eyes. Fuzz spun toward him. “What—” Kelsier heaved himself to his feet and started running. There wasn’t much self to him left, just a fuzzy blurred image. The feet that he ran upon were distorted smudge... |
light. “I can feel it, thrumming through me.” “You are trapped with him,” Fuzz said. He seemed shallow, wan, compared to the powerful light that Kelsier stood amid. “I warned you. This is a prison.” Kelsier settled down, breathing in and out. “I’m alive.” “According to a very loose definition of the word.” Kelsier smil... |
find himself suffering a fate far worse. What would happen to his mind if he spent a few decades in here? A few centuries? He sat on the rim of the Well, and tried to distract himself by thinking about his friends. He’d trusted in his plans at the moment of his death, but now he saw so many holes in his plot to inspire... |
nodded, distracted. “Fuzz?” He shook, glancing toward Kelsier, and the sides of his head unraveled slowly—like a fraying rug, each thread seeping away and vanishing into nothing. “He’s killing me, you know. He wants me gone before the next cycle, though … perhaps I can hold out. You hear me, Ruin! I’m not dead yet. Sti... |
didn’t kill me, Survivor.” “I forged the blade that did.” Fuzz cleared his throat. “It is my duty to be with you as you transition. Don’t be worried, or—” “Be silent,” the Lord Ruler said, inspecting Kelsier’s prison. “Do you know what you’ve done, Survivor?” “I’ve won.” “You’ve brought Ruin upon the world. You are a p... |
time. A means of collecting his thoughts and creating a plan of escape. As the days passed, he tried scratching notes into the sides of the Well, which proved impossible. He tried unraveling threads from his clothing, then tying knots in them to represent words. Unfortunately, threads vanished soon after he pulled them... |
streets, whispering the words the pulses delivered. He saw a Mistborn man, noble, jumping between buildings. Something other than Kelsier rode with those pulses. Something directing an unseen work, something interested in the lore of the Terris. It took Kelsier an embarrassingly long time to realize he should try anoth... |
sensation of being tiny in the face of something so vast, deeply troubled Kelsier. For all his confidence and plotting, he was basically nothing. His entire life had been an exercise in unintentional bravado. Months passed. He didn’t return to study the thing Beyond; Kelsier instead waited for Fuzz to visit and check i... |
stared at them long enough. This, however, was not a figure made of mist. It was a man with stark white hair, his face defined by angular features and a sharp nose. He seemed vaguely familiar to Kelsier, but he couldn’t place why. The man sat on the floor, one leg up and his arm resting upon his knee. In his hand he he... |
back as if contemplating a method of attack. He wants something, Kelsier guessed. Something that I have, maybe? No, he seemed legitimately surprised that Kelsier was there. He had come here, intending to visit the Well. Perhaps he wanted to enter it, access the power? Or did he, perhaps, just want to have a look at the... |
“The answer is basically anyone who spends time with you, Kelsier, as they end up slitting their wrists, hitting themselves in the face, and then drowning themselves to forget the experience. Ha! Okay, your turn.” “I’m going to murder you,” Kelsier said softly. “I— Wait, what?” “If you step inside here,” Kelsier said, ... |
ducked and slammed his fist into Kelsier’s kidneys. It hurt. Kelsier lacked a body, but apparently his spirit could feel pain. He let out a grunt and brought up his arms to protect his face, stepping backward in the liquid light. The Drifter attacked, relentless, slamming his fists into Kelsier with no care for the dam... |
metal still glowed fiercely there to Kelsier’s eyes. Drifter selected one. It was small, as he could toss it into the air and catch it again. Kelsier could sense the triumph in that motion. Kelsier closed his eyes and concentrated. No pain. His leg wasn’t actually hurt. Concentrate. He managed to make some of the pain ... |
least Fuzz was sounding better today. Kelsier smiled toward the god, then froze as Fuzz turned his head. Fuzz was missing half his face. The entire left side was just gone. Not wounded, and there was no skeleton. The complete half smoked, trailing wisps of mist. Half his lips remained, and he smiled back at Kelsier, as... |
rode the pulses, Kelsier watched for—craved—signs of the people he knew and loved. Ruin was keenly interested in Vin, and many of his pulses centered around watching her or the man she loved, that Elend Venture. The mounting clues worried Kelsier. Armies around Luthadel. A city still in chaos. And—he hated to confront ... |
was initially happy to find the man alive, but then perhaps death would have been better than what had been done to him. It took Kelsier weeks to figure out the reason Ruin was so interested in Marsh. Ruin could talk to Marsh. Marsh and other Inquisitors, judging by the glimpses and the sensation he received of words b... |
you afraid?” Kelsier asked. “If Ruin gets free, are you afraid he will kill you?” “Ha,” Preservation said. “I’ve told you. He killed me long, long ago.” “I find that hard to believe.” “Why?” “Because I’m sitting here talking to you.” “And I’m talking to you. How alive are you?” A good point. “Death for one such as me i... |
he perceived it. Given the power up—but that would have freed Ruin. ‘Giving the power up’ is a stand-in for giving the power to him. The powers would interpret that as me releasing him. My power, accepting his touch back into the world, directly.” “Great,” Kelsier said. “We need a sacrifice then. Someone to take up the... |
him doing it. He tried to kill Elend.” “No,” Fuzz said, haunted. “He was imitating me. He looked as I do, to them, and tried to kill the boy. Not because he cares about one death, but because he wanted her to distrust me. To think I am her enemy. But can’t she tell the difference? Between his hate and destruction, and ... |
he’d saved this boy’s life once, so this would make them even. Besides, she would rescue him. She’d have to save Elend. She loved him. Kelsier stepped back, returning to his prison proper, leaving an aghast Preservation to stare at his own hand as he stumbled away from the fallen man. “Gut wound,” Kelsier whispered. “H... |
Well of Ascension. The light was gone, and with it his prison. He could leave. He didn’t seem to be stretching away and fading. Apparently being part of Preservation’s power for a time had expanded Kelsier’s soul, letting him linger. Though honestly, he wished he could vanish at this moment. Vin—glowing and radiant to ... |
not let it control him—but he couldn’t deny that he thirsted for something to drink, to numb the experience he’d just been through. That seemed terribly unfair. No body, but he could still be thirsty? He climbed from the caverns surrounding the Well of Ascension, passing through misty chambers and tunnels. As before, w... |
was saying, but the presentation seemed clear. Kelsier settled down on the steps beside Vin. He clasped his hands before himself. “So … that went well.” Vin, of course, didn’t reply. “I mean,” Kelsier continued, “yes, we ended up releasing a world-ending force of destruction and chaos, but at least the Lord Ruler is de... |
keep forgetting which of us is a god and which is just a poor dead shadow. Waiting to expire.” He waved a mostly unraveled arm, fingers made of spirals of unwound, misty strings. “Listen to them. Doesn’t it embarrass you how they talk? The Survivor? Ha! I Preserved them for millennia. What have you done for them?” Kels... |
beyond control. Death, destruction, a world on its last legs. And … to the south … what was that? People? Kelsier held Preservation, in awe at this creature’s divine agony. Then Kelsier pulled him close, into an embrace. “I’m so sorry,” Kelsier whispered. “Oh, Senna…” Preservation whispered. “I’m losing this place. Los... |
of stones with many different veins of rock in them to make them difficult to Forge. They would come from different quarries and would each have a unique history. Knowing as little as she did, Forging them would be nearly impossible. And even if she did transform the rock, there was probably some other failsafe to stop... |
the empire so long ago that few used the name. Strikers were a tall people with a lean musculature and pale skin. They had hair almost as dark as Shai’s, though theirs curled while hers lay straight and long. She tried with some success not to feel dwarfed by them. Her people, the MaiPon, were not known for their statu... |
gold. Shai had long pondered how to rob this woman, as—among her duties—Frava oversaw the Imperial Gallery and had offices adjacent to it. Frava had obviously been arguing with Gaotona, the elderly male Grand standing beside the desk. He stood up straight and clasped his hands behind his back in a thoughtful pose. Gaot... |
and our mercy can only be extended so far.” Shai glanced toward the other arbiters. The ones seated near the fireplace seemed to be paying no heed, but they did not speak to one another. They were listening. Something is wrong, Shai thought. They’re worried. Gaotona still stood just to the side. He inspected Shai with ... |
to see through her lie. “I was going to escape tonight,” Shai said, “but whatever it is you want me to do must be important, as you’re willing to involve a miscreant like myself. And so we come to my payment.” “I could still have you executed,” Frava said. “Right now. Here.” “But you won’t, will you?” Frava set her jaw... |
emperor and his wife. She was slain. The emperor received a crossbow bolt to the head.” “That considered,” Shai noted, “he’s looking remarkable.” “You are familiar with resealing?” Gaotona asked. “Vaguely,” Shai said. Her people called it Flesh Forgery. Using it, a surgeon of great skill could Forge a body to remove it... |
body, but they didn’t call any of these things “Forgery” in their own tongue. The Forgery of the soul, that was what they considered an abomination. Which meant Shai really was their only choice. No one in their own government would be capable of this. She probably wasn’t either. “Can you do it?” Gaotona asked. I have ... |
they could complain. “Not my Essence Marks, but everything else. I’m not going to work for three months in the same clothing I’ve been wearing while in prison. And, as I consider it, have someone draw me a bath immediately.” 2 KELSIER followed a thread of Preservation, like a glowing tendril of mist, through the city. ... |
they are likely to pass. Somewhat to do with that, at least.” “But what is it?” Kelsier said, stepping up onto the island. Preservation said nothing further, and so Kelsier continued toward the center of the island. Whatever had “congealed” here, it was strikingly stonelike. And things grew on it. Kelsier passed scrubb... |
dress, with a large leather girdle around the waist, and wore her hair woven into tiny braids. Two. He could handle two, couldn’t he? Even without Allomancy or weapons. Regardless, best to be careful. He hadn’t forgotten his humiliation at the hands of the Drifter. Kelsier made a careful decision, then stood up, straig... |
stool from beside the fire—two simple pieces of wood that folded together, a piece of cloth between them to sit on. He settled it across from Khriss and sat down. “I don’t like this, Khriss,” Nazh said. “He’s dangerous.” “Fortunately,” she replied, “so are we. The Shard Preservation, Survivor. How does he look?” “Is th... |
hidden somewhere in the cosmere. I’ve yet to find it, but I have found stories. “Anyway, there was a God. Adonalsium. I don’t know if it was a force or a being, though I suspect the latter. Sixteen people, together, killed Adonalsium, ripping it apart and dividing its essence between them, becoming the first who Ascend... |
to help gather their things. “We were leaving anyway. This planet is dying; as much as I wish to witness the death of a Shard, I don’t dare risk doing it from up close. We’ll observe from afar.” “Preservation thought you’d be able to help,” Kelsier said. “Surely there is something you can do. Something you can tell me.... |
it will be the Eyree. Look for them where the land becomes solid again.” “Solid again…” Kelsier said. “Lake Tyrian?” “Beyond. Far beyond, Survivor.” “The ocean? That’s miles and miles away. Past Farmost!” Nazh patted him on the shoulder, then turned back to hike after Khriss. “Is there hope?” Kelsier called. “What if I... |
spreading thinner. “We … grow attached easily, and it takes one who is particularly dedicated to leave.” “And Ruin?” Kelsier said, turning toward the west. “If he destroys everything, would he be able to escape?” “Yes,” Preservation said, very softly. “He could go then. But Kelsier, you can’t abandon me. We … we’re a t... |
longer to start glowing. They flashed, his form trembling, and for a moment Kelsier thought the god would dissipate entirely. Then the glow spurted to life, and in an instant Kelsier was consumed. This time he forced himself to look away from Preservation—though it was less a matter of looking, and more a matter of try... |
off, resist—and try to get through to Vin. If not her, then Sazed.” “He … is not well.” Kelsier cocked his head. “Hurt in the fighting?” “Worse. Ruin tries to break him.” Damn. But what could he do, except continue with his plan? “Do what you can,” Kelsier said. “I’ll seek these people to the west.” “They won’t help.” ... |
ground, it was very difficult to judge the passing of days. He’d been running … for a while. A long while? He suddenly felt exhausted, his mind numbing, as if suffering the effects of a pewter drag. He groaned and sat down by the side of the canal mound, which was covered in tiny plants. Those plants seemed to grow any... |
shocked to see that the room was occupied. A solitary soul—glowing, so it was a person in the real world, not this one—lay on the cot in the corner. He and Mare had left this place in a hurry, and had been forced to stash some of their possessions in a hole behind a stone in the hearth. Those were gone now; he’d pilfer... |
the stretching darkness take him? Everyone else I’ve seen passed willingly, Kelsier thought. Even the Lord Ruler. Why must I insist on remaining? Foolish questions. Useless. He couldn’t go when the world was in such danger. And he wouldn’t just let himself die, not even to be with her. He left the town, turned his path... |
were made of odd rectangular buildings that were low and squat, but each had a large courtyard. He strolled out of this one, entering a street that ran among a dozen similar hovels. All in all, skaa were better off out here than they were in the inner dominances. It was like saying that a man drowning in beer was bette... |
would have been a welcome break from the wasteland of mists. He tried to find madmen so he could at least have some interaction with other living beings, no matter how meaningless. At least I’ve gained something, Kelsier thought. A campfire in his pocket. When he got out of this, and he would get out of it, he’d certai... |
he’d fallen out of it. The brilliant Connections and eternity-spanning revelations had immediately faded like mist before the morning sun. He’d needed to reach this place. Beyond that … he had no idea. There were people out there, but how did he find them? And what did he do when he located them? I need what they have,... |
“The man who would not accept his own end, even though his soul longed for it, even though his wife longed for him to join her in the Beyond. No, Kelsier. I do not anticipate you will see the necessity of an ending. So continue to think me evil, if you must.” “Would it hurt so much,” Kelsier said, “to give us a little ... |
you’ve done on my behalf.” Kelsier stepped out onto the ocean continent, leaving Ruin behind on the shore. Kelsier could almost see the spindly threads of power that animated this puppet, providing a voice to the terrible force. Damn. Its words were lies. He knew that. They hurt anyway. 1 HE’D hoped to have the sun bac... |
He was beginning to worry he’d have to turn around when, at long last, he spotted something new. A light on the horizon. 2 SNEAKING was a great deal easier when you didn’t technically have a body. Kelsier moved in silence, having dismissed his cloak and staff. He’d left his pack behind, and though there were a few plan... |
resisted. Kelsier gritted his teeth and pushed harder. He managed to get his fingers to sink in about two inches, but couldn’t make them go any farther. It’s that light, he thought. It pushed back on him. Looks a little like the light of souls. Well, he couldn’t slip through the wall. What now? He retreated into the sh... |
from one of the dominances—except for their strange language. They spoke energetically, and as the words washed across him Kelsier thought … He thought he could make some of it out. Yes. They speak the language of open fields, of green plants. Of where these stones came from, and the source of this power … “… is pretty... |
he suspected it would not go well for him. He turned to bolt down the corridor, making for one of the windows. Behind him, the powerful golden light of the gemstone faded. Kelsier felt nothing. “Well,” the captain said from behind, voice echoing. “Nobody from Threnody within a day’s march of here. Looks like a false al... |
was dimmer in the room. The effect was particularly noticeable near where one of the creatures was sitting or standing. It was like … they themselves were drawing in the light. He was at least able to pick out the woman from before, with her wizened lips and long fingers. Her robe had a thicker band of silver. “We must... |
didn’t come up with much. A few bottles of wine, a handful of gemstones left casually in one of the drawers. Both were real, not souls pulled through to this Realm. The room had a door leading into the inner parts of the fortress, and so—after peeking through—he slipped in. This next room looked more promising. It was ... |
at long last an expedition sallied forth from the keep. The grand procession of twenty people rode on horseback, holding aloft lanterns. Horses, Kelsier thought, slipping through the darkness to keep pace with the procession. Hadn’t expected that. Well, they weren’t moving terribly quickly even with the mounts. He was ... |
guards. Each morning she checked to make sure the weapon was still there. Kelsier managed to get a glimpse of it one morning, and saw the glowing light inside, making him reasonably certain her satchel wasn’t a decoy. Well, that would come. His first step was to sow a little misdirection. He waited for an appropriate n... |
by the time the group reached the jungle of strange trees their patience had unraveled. They snapped at one another and spent less time each morning or night resting. Half the party was convinced they should turn back, though Alonoe insisted that the fact that “Ruin” only spoke to them was proof he couldn’t stop them. ... |
scrambled through the dark underbrush toward the rest of the group, his phantom heart pounding. This. He’d missed this. The con. The excitement of playing people like flutes, twisting them about themselves, tying their minds in knots. He hurried through the forest, listening to the shouts of fright, the calls of soldie... |
reveal him. Yes, there was power in that orb, great power. It was filled with glowing liquid that was far purer, and far brighter, than what the ancients had been drinking. Exhaustion evident in her every move, the woman went to climb back onto her horse. “Walk,” Kelsier commanded. She looked toward the darkness, searc... |
see the failing world, the death all around him. Compared to that the exhaustion of the run was preferable, and so he sought it, running himself ragged. He traveled for days upon days. Weeks upon weeks. Never stopping, never looking. Until … Kelsier. He jolted to a halt on a field of windswept ash. He had the distinct ... |
sense anything, Fuzz said. Kelsier hesitated. He didn’t want to reveal the object to Ruin. Instead he picked up the thread, which had enough slack for him to slip it into the pack and press it against the orb. “How about that?” Ahh … Yes … “Can this help you somehow?” No, unfortunately. Kelsier felt his heart sink furt... |
slight build somehow seemed far more powerful than it had when he’d first met her. “Vin,” Kelsier said. “Vin! Listen, please. That man is trouble. Don’t approach him. Don’t—” Vin cocked her head, then leaped off the roof, away from the Drifter. “Hell,” Kelsier said. “Did she actually hear me?” Or was it a coincidence? ... |
like a child in Kelsier’s mind, then withdrew from him. The warming power faded from within Kelsier. Remarkably, as the power dampened, so did Ruin’s ability to hold Kelsier down. Ruin’s strength became less oppressive, and Kelsier was able to struggle to his feet and push through the veil of sharp mists, stumbling ont... |
of mist. The spikes were gone, as was Ruin. But of course the creature was never truly gone. It watched from that undulating sky, covering everything. Nothing can be destroyed, Kelsier, Ruin’s voice whispered, intruding directly into his mind. That’s something humans can’t understand. All things merely change, break do... |
and a mark on the top, which would harden it to a strength closer to quartz. The only way to get a better stamp was to carve one from crystal itself, which was incredibly difficult. For ink, they had provided bright red squid’s ink, mixed with a small percentage of wax. Any fresh organic ink would work, though inks fro... |
the door closed. He settled down in one of the two rickety wooden chairs. They—along with the splintery bed, the ancient table, and the trunk with her things—made up the room’s entire array of furniture. The single window had a warped frame that let in the breeze, and even the walls had cracks in them. “A puzzle?” Shai... |
curiosity, have you studied anthracite? That rock you said you’d turn the wall into? I seem to recall that it is very difficult to make burn.” This one is more clever than people give him credit for being. A candle’s flame would have trouble igniting anthracite—on paper, the rock burned at the correct temperature, but ... |
assembly-line Forgers, churning out vase after vase! She calmed herself with difficulty, then plastered on a smile. Her aunt Sol had once told Shai to smile at the worst insults and snap at the minor ones. That way, no man would know your heart. “So how am I to be kept in line?” she asked. “We have established that I a... |
be bone, Forgeries of human life crafted from the skeletons of the dead. The Bloodsealer looked to her. Shai backed away. “Surely you don’t expect—” Zu took her by the arms. Nights, but he was strong. She panicked. Her Essence Marks! She needed her Essence Marks! With those, she could fight, escape, run … Zu cut her al... |
close to the flame. It was infuriating, more so because of the way Ruin’s words dug at him. Everything Kelsier had accomplished had merely been part of this thing’s master plan to be freed. And the creature did have some kind of hold on Vin. It could appear to her, as reinforced by how it led her away from the camp one... |
counting on the obligator to understand more about the koloss. “How did this happen to you?” “I don’t know,” the man said. Kelsier felt his heart sink. “The beasts,” the man continued, “should have known better than to take an obligator! I was their keeper, and they did this to me? This world is ruined.” Should have kn... |
withered in the mists. Each one was a person either pierced by metal or influenced by people around them who were pierced by metal. He should have made the connection back at the Well of Ascension, when he’d seen in the pulses that Ruin could speak to Marsh and the other Inquisitors. Metal. It was the key to everything... |
Survivor.” The man snorted awake; he was supposed to have been on watch, and he stumbled to his feet as his replacement approached. Kelsier regarded the glowing beings, anxious. It had taken precious days—during which Ruin had kept him far from Vin—to search out someone in the army who was touched in the head, someone ... |
right now. Kelsier had to get to someone else. Sazed maybe? Or perhaps Marsh. If he could get through to his brother while Ruin was distracted … He had to hope that the wards on that orb would shade him from the dark god’s eyes, as they had when Kelsier had first arrived at Fadrex. He needed to leave this place, strike... |
ago.… Do what I cannot, Kelsier.… SURVIVE. The word vibrated through him, and Kelsier gasped. He knew that feeling, remembered that exact command. He’d heard that voice in the Pits. Waking him, driving him forward. Saving him. Kelsier bowed his head as he felt Preservation fade, finally, and stretch into the darkness. ... |
use the power he held to destroy Ruin. If he could figure it out. Ruin turned his attention from Kelsier, and so Kelsier took to trying to acquaint himself with the power. Unfortunately, each thing he tried was met with resistance—both from Ruin’s energy and from the power of Preservation itself. He could see himself n... |
Ruin wasn’t so inhibited. Kelsier could see his power at work now, revealed in ways that had been too grand for him to recognize before Ascending. Ruin ripped open the tops of ashmounts, holding them pried apart, letting death spew forth. He touched koloss all across the empire, driving them to murderous frenzies. When... |
the power of Preservation away from him completely, and so he let himself go. Ruin shoved him out of the building, out of the city entirely. Their clash brought incredible pain to Kelsier, and he couldn’t help bearing the impression that—divine though he was—he was limping as he left the city. Ruin was too focused on t... |
for a confused boy to commit a murder. Spook stood onstage, prepared to kill in front of the crowd. Kelsier drew his attention in like a puff of mist, careful, quiet. He was the pulsing of the boards beneath Spook’s feet, he was the air being breathed, he was the flame and fire. Ruin was here, raging, demanding that Sp... |
was proof. This thing could be resisted. Spook had done it. And would do it again. Kelsier looked down at the child in his arms. No, not a child any longer. He opened himself to Spook, and spoke a single, all-powerful command. “Survive!” Spook screamed, burning his metal, startling himself to lucidity. Kelsier stood up... |
Kelsier said, weeping, “for what you must do. Survivor.” Spook pulled from the grip of the others. And as Ruin raged above, sputtering and screaming—finally bringing in his attention to begin forcing Kelsier back—this young man entered the flames. And saved the city. 6 KELSIER sat on a strange, verdant field. Green gra... |
buried within a person lets Ruin whisper to them. Remember it, Spook. Don’t trust anyone pierced by metal! Even the smallest bit can taint a man.” Spook began to fuzz, waking. “Remember,” Kelsier said. “Vin is hearing Ruin. She doesn’t know who to trust, and that’s why you absolutely must get that message sent, Spook. ... |
them, but my minion can.” Kelsier sank down as Marsh felt at the plate Spook had ordered carved, reading the words out loud for Ruin to hear. Kelsier formed a body for himself and knelt in the ash, slumping forward, beaten. Ruin formed beside him. “It’s all right, Kelsier. This is the way things were meant to be. The r... |
The powers met, and the friction—the opposition—caused them to grind. Pain coursed through Kelsier. The ground throughout the city trembled. “Kelsier, Kelsier,” Ruin said. Below, Marsh laughed. “Do you know,” Kelsier said, “why I always won at card tricks, Ruin?” “Please,” Ruin said. “Does this matter?” “It’s because,”... |
and held on. Clinging to it, refusing to go. Denying that force that called to him, promising peace and an ending. Eventually it stilled, and the stretching sensation faded away. He had held the power of deity. The final death could not take him unless he wanted it to. Or unless he was completely destroyed. He shuddere... |
then exploded with light. Lines of white scattered from him in all directions, lines that drilled through all things. Lines that Connected him to Kelsier, to the future, and to the past. He’s seeing it fully, Kelsier thought. That place between moments. Elend ended with a sword in Marsh’s neck, and looked directly at K... |
had thought that Vin would save them. Honestly, so had Kelsier. But it seemed there was yet another secret. “It’s him,” Kelsier whispered. “He’s the Hero.” Elend Venture placed a hand on Kelsier’s shoulder. “You need to pay better attention,” he noted. “Kid.” He pulled Kelsier away as Sazed reached for the powers, one ... |
Kelsier walked back to the others, passing a figure in Terris robes standing with hands clasped before him, draping sleeves covering them. “Hey,” Kelsier said, then looked at the sky and the glowing figure there. “Aren’t you…” “Part of me is,” Sazed replied. He looked to Vin and Elend and held out his hands, one toward... |
next, from one life to the next. He didn’t feel abandoned, but he did feel alone. Like he was the only man left in all the world, and the last witness of eras. Ash was consumed by a land of stones made liquid. Mountains crashed from the ground behind Kelsier, in rhythm to his footsteps. Rivers washed down from the heig... |
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