[System]
You are a skilled LitRPG progression fantasy author. Write chapters based on the story bible and instructions provided.

## Premise
Path of the Deathless — a LitRPG progression fantasy. Path

Noun

A Path is a System-born metaphysical archetype that represents a fundamental truth of existence. Obtaining a Path unlocks an individual's ability to gain empowerment through Path Skills, wield true Magic, receive Blessings, and achieve recognized Feats of power or renown. Paths are not inherent; they must be either earned by performing a truly great deed or bestowed upon an individual by a powerful entity (such as a deity, an ancient spirit, or a comparable power). Without a Path, one is barred from ascension and apotheosis, and bound to the limits of mortality (See: Pathless). Once a Path is accepted, it cannot be surrendered or rejected.

## Main Character
Name: Shiv | Gender: male (he/him)
Key supporting characters: Georges, Adam, Arrow

## World & Power System
level-based progression; skills (e.g. Deathless, 1/1, The Pendulum of Burdens, Starhawk Arrow Cuirass, Restricted, Skill Merge Portal Break, 0/0, The Scorn of Umetia)
System notification style: "System-born metaphysical archetype that represents a fundamental t"

## Writing Style
third-person limited narration, past tense. Narration-focused (0% dialogue). Fast-paced, short punchy sentences.

[User]
Write 104 (II) Reforge [II]
Target length: ~2500 words
Key events: dungeon content

[Assistant]
The Strongest Spellblade

Heroes. The stuff of stories. Delving deep within the great dungeon. Rising against adversity to stand at the very peak of their generation.

Justin is fated to become not just a hero, but a legend. Born to the unrelenting Supreme Warlady Elena, his ascension to a paragon of his generation is a mere formality.

While his mother scours the world looking for yet more treasures to speed her precious son's ascent, Justin must survive noble drama, assassins, and slave-driving tutors to reach the pinnacle of sword and sorcery.

His unyielding determination to plumb the depths of the dungeon would see him become a hero, no matter the circumstances of his birth. Yet, Justin has been raised with every conceivable advantage.

As the dungeon beckons, Justin's meteoric rise promises to draw him deeper than any have ever delved before and crown him as not just the greatest of his generation, but all generations to ever live. So begins the legend of... The Strongest Spellblade.

104 (II)

Reforge [II]

“Correct. Your Chrono-Anchored Strikes are powerful, but it will be better for me, since it will give me an extra skill for repositioning aside from my spatial magic.”

Shiv considered that. It wasn’t a bad idea. Frankly, it was downright essential. The ugliness of Adam’s near deaths came back to haunt Shiv as he recalled how close the entity came to killing Adam each time it got its hands on him. “Hm. Fine. But I want something in return for this.”

“Like what?” Adam asked.

“I’m not sure yet,” Shiv admitted. “I’ll think of something...” He frowned at the Magebreaker on the table next to the broken pieces of his kukri.

"Can you mix three things at once?" Shiv asked. “And remove existing Enchantments?”

"Yes," Can Hu said, "it will take more effort for me to sift through high-level and high-Tier Enchantments. But it can be done. There is also a risk of breaking the items if I am not capable of properly completing the reconstruction effort.”

And that made Shiv consider what he wanted to do with his cloak as well. The answer there wasn’t too complicated: More spatial storage. The other Enchantments were good, but the dimensional pocket was the single greatest piece of utility he had. Maybe mix that with some Arcanite. But what about the Magebreaker? I could mix that with a dagger if the spatial magic Enchantment is removed, but that’ll make my weapon doubly-strained as offense and defense. I can see it breaking pretty fast again. No. Magebreaker stays its own thing. Or I get it merged with a shield at some point…

Then, Shiv’s gaze fell on the helmet with a diamond gem socketed into its forehead. He walked over and picked it up. No surges of mana rushed into him. No Magical Skills triggered.

Equipment Obtained: [Helm of the Farsighted Deceiver]

Tier: Master

Condition: Severely Damaged

Composition: Trollskin Leather; Diamond

Enchantments > Master Farseeing; Master Self-Mending; Minor Illusion of Self; Chameleon; Binding

As its Enchantments loaded, Shiv looked inside the helmet and winced. The interior lining was utterly consumed by corrosion, a spread of rot and decay that left the helmet borderline ruined from within. The thing felt more than a little fragile in Shiv's hands, like it was on the verge of falling apart and would fall apart if he exposed it to any strain or damage.

But the Enchantments—that's what he was interested in. Chameleon, Minor Illusion, Master Farseeing. These were all utility options as well, and more importantly, unattuned utility options. None of them projected a magical field, and none of them should clash with the Magebreaker's functions.

"Hey, Can Hu," Shiv asked, "can you fuse this helmet into the Mage Breaker?"

The Penitent directed its streams of fluid metal, threading them through the helmet and connecting it to the Mage Breaker. A spell flashed between its hands, and another shape quivered in the mercury sphere held between its industrial arms. Can Hu fell silent, and Shiv just watched the automaton for a moment, patiently waiting for a response.

"It's a good choice," Adam said off by the side, nodding at Shiv in compliment. "Farseeing will help you contend with invisible adversaries or others with high Tiers in Stealth or Deception. Additionally, Chameleon and Minor Illusion will make you an even greater terror on the battlefield. As if your Creeping Void wasn't bad enough already."

Slowly, new options for combat took form in Shiv's mind. Casting a minor illusion might be useful for baiting out enemy attacks. Chameleon would be another layer of concealment, allowing him to blend in without ever invoking his Creeping Void. That would also solve the subtlety problem. Right now, his stealth was a very specific kind of stealth—the kind that let his enemies know he was there but rendered them unable to truly pinpoint his exact location. Chameleon was quiet. Chameleon allowed him to blend in without infecting his environment at all.

Finally, the idea of escalating degrees of stealth appealed to Shiv: going from blended into the backdrop, then being detected, breaking contact after casting out a minor illusion, and then finally unleashing his Creeping Void when the situation truly devolved into havoc.

Shiv's eyes flipped over to another arcanite fragment—another piece of Absence. "I'm going to ask a stupid question, but I think I already know the answer. I don't think arcanite and Inertium are going to mix very well, are they?"

"Absolutely not," Valor said. "A magical hyperconductor and the single greatest magical nullification material known to the Integration would likely come together like Necromancy and, well, you, Shiv."

The Deathless let out a grunt of displeasure at that. That was all the convincing he needed. Still, this was a good mixture, and more importantly, it would fix up his Magebreaker.

"Yes," Can Hu said finally, "it can be done. In fact, I am certain I can do this. However, fusing the diamond gem will take a bit more consideration. Do you wish for it to be placed on the outside? It might affect the vibrational frequencies of the Inertium if placed along the way and render the structure vulnerable.”

Shiv shook his head. "I don't care about the aesthetics. I just want functionality. Arrange the composition whatever way you see fit, so long as it works."

"Understood. I will create an extension for the gem then."

And at once, the synthesization process began. Both items rose off the table as streams of fluid metal poured into them. A layer of gleaming, bubbling mercury swallowed them, and the layers were promptly meshed together, fusing into a singular pool as Can Hu continued the crafting process. Then, there came a flash of light by his side as Adam's Unique Skill triggered. The Azure Dawn hovering above the Gate Lord's head flared bright, and a beam of concentrated radiance poured into Can Hu.

For a brief moment, Shiv caught a flash. A flash of what Can Hu used to be: a towering, chrome-shelled weapon of war, sporting multiple limbs bearing heavy weapons—guns of every caliber and every variety. But within its unfurling chest was the shape of a faceless pilot, and they held out a hand, reaching toward Shiv.

But with another pulse of brightness from Adam's Righteous Dawn Prevails, the illusion faded, and Can Hu, in its current form, emerged from the illusion. Even so, the Penitent looked better than before. It worked more efficiently, even as its joints screamed with every articulation and minor movement. It didn't seem as fragile as it once was.

A twisting spiral of spell patterns circulated the mercury pool, and the faintest hints of Geomancy mana ignited in reality. Most times, if you didn't have the right Magical Skills, you couldn't perceive someone else casting the same category of magic. Before Shiv had Biomancy, his death at the hand of the high vampire came as a mystery—a gesture and nothing more.

But now the world was alive with color, and Can Hu was channeling so much magic, straining its Crafting and Geomancy skill fusion so hard that it bled its wavelengths into the physical spectrum of the world.

"Godsdamn," Shiv muttered. The pool of mercury composing both items lit up like a second sun in the room. It wasn't as vibrant as Adam's azure sun, but it was no less potent, no less impressive. Slowly, Can Hu began to compress the sheen of mercury in on itself. It crushed harder and harder until it began to sink, until a shape emerged: the shape of a vibrating gauntlet.

A smile emerged on Shiv's face. The Magebreaker had been restored, but it was more than the Magebreaker he remembered it being. The gauntlet was larger, and more importantly, it blended with the background as he stared at it for too long, its colors mixing and merging with the cold metal of the teleportation anchor. Connected to the gauntlet were several arm straps, all made of leather. They ran all the way up toward Shiv's shoulder, if judged by the length, and at the end, the gem gleamed, fastened to the intersection of various straps.

Can Hu's Geomancy mana faded from view, but the finished and reforged Mage Breaker hovered in place, held by Can Hu's strings of fluid metal. "Does the composition please you, Pathbearer? I think I can still make a few adjustments."

"No," Shiv said, cutting Can Hu off. "It's good. In fact, I kinda like the new design. Good job, Penitent."

Can Hu raised its shoulders back as a hint of pride exposed itself. "It is only proper."

Shiv reached out and ran his hand into the Mage Breaker. Suddenly, he felt a new sensation inside. So that was where the leather went, Shiv mumbled. A soft leather glove clutched him. He would have complained about the temperature being too hot if he were still Pathless, but after all he'd experienced and all his new recent evolutions, a little heat didn't bother him anymore.

Equipment Obtained: [Armguard of the Unseen Magebreaker]

Tier: Master

Condition: Perfect

Composition: Inertium; Trollskin Leather; Diamond

Enchantments > Attuned Mana-Nullification; Master Self-Mending; Master Farseeing; Minor Illusion of Self; Chameleon; Binding

Once he equipped it himself, he began testing out his new capabilities. First, he blended into the backdrop just like the Mage Breaker did. Then, he projected a minor illusion, and that was when the gem along his shoulder flared and channeled out a stream of light that created a copy of Shiv. To his surprise, the minor illusion mimicked his every action, and he could move it further or closer to him as he pleased. Ultimately, however, it was just a mirage, and a keen-sighted adversary could likely see through it.

But finally, he triggered the Farseeing Enchantment, and suddenly he found himself capable of casting his gaze further and further. It was like his eyesight was magnifying with every thought. Soon, he peered at a specific patch of the wall and saw everything there in vivid detail. The smallest cracks revealed themselves to him, along with chunks of grime lining the edges of said cracks. He enhanced his far-sight even further, and his gaze slipped through the crack until he was staring at a surface of uneven and partially chipped obsidian—the exterior of the tower. A flood of nausea swept through Shiv, however, and he shook his head, trying to dislodge the feeling.

"Ah, Farseeing, eh?" Adam asked, smirking. “How do you feel?”

"Yeah," Shiv agreed. "Is this what it's like to be you all the time?"

Adam tilted his head. "No. It's incomparably inferior to what I have."

Shiv winced in response."So your hearing, your taste—

“Even my touch," Adam replied. "All that is of my Awareness has been amplified. My Hypersense was superior to Farseeing in every way. It's an evolution gained when you strain all of your senses in combat, not just your gaze. A hawk relies on more than just its vision. Father prepared me well.”

Shiv let out a whistle. And then he thought back to how Adam was uncomfortable when he was surrounded by large crowds, how he often preferred to soar alone to keep moving.

Then Shiv thought back to a certain incident in a certain apartment a few weeks ago, and a posthumous feeling of regret hit him. "Shit, Adam. I didn't know it was so rough for you. I, uh, I kinda feel like a bastard now for doing some of the stuff that I, uh... you know. So. Sorry.”

Adam studied Shiv for a moment, and then he let out a quiet scoff. "It's alright. I learned to live with it. Part of having a high Awareness is understanding what to focus on and what to ignore. Actually, this is something I’ll train you to do. Everything you see is important. You need to learn to distinguish between different details and detect the subtle things as well."

For the first time, Shiv was honestly intrigued by the prospects of dramatically improving his Awareness. It was more than just another thing for him to do now. “Sounds good. I’ll show you how to cook, in exchange,” Shiv offered.

“I…” Adam blinked. “You will?”

“Yeah. Why not? It’s a useful skill.”

“I don’t even have Common Cooking,” Adam said.

“The perfect chef wouldn't have a Cooking Skill. Means you haven’t shit the bed enough yet to disgrace yourself with a level.”

“What?” Adam asked, incredulous.

“It’s something Georges always said to me when I messed something up bad early on. You want to fuse something next?" Shiv asked. "I've got my go."

Adam shook his head. "No, we do your priority Equipment first. I want you prepared."

"Prepared?" Shiv asked. "Prepared for what?"

"Someone needs to survey the surface. Well, two people. You and me. I'm not exactly sure where we will emerge once we pass through that gate, but I can tell you this: If Sullain’s army is competent at all, they will have scouts hidden in places nearby. Pocket dimensions, hidden strongholds, scouts, and the like. More importantly, I want to know who else is watching. Lastly, even if I can cast out my Awareness, I want to stay close to the gate. I cannot direct the core once I leave these boundaries. And I have not set up a proper or strong enough teleportation network yet. I might be able to travel quickly using the Veilpiercer, but..."

"Yeah, but it's best that I risk myself instead of you," Shiv said, finishing the ugly part of the statement with a nod. Adam tried to hide his awkwardness, but Shiv just shrugged. "Yeah, it's fine. I've got no problem with it. Frankly, I like it this way. You can be the hunter and I can be..." Shiv thought of the metaphor he was making. "Well, I wouldn't even call myself bait. Maybe poison bait."

"You're my killer rabbit now," Adam declared with a slight smirk. "I need the wolves to come out of the woods so I can see them. And you need the wolves to come out of the woods so you can tear their heads off.”

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[User]
Write 104 (III) Reforge [II]
Target length: ~2200 words

[Assistant]
“Tearing off heads sounds great to me. When are we doing this?"

"As soon as I can inform Uva of the situation. She should be prepared too. More importantly, we have to go over a few things related to the Inquisition, Aviary, Compact… Basically all the madness that has happened to us recently. We need to debrief ourselves before anything else. But we don’t have long. We have to be fast. We desperately need to know what Blackedge's situation is. All these resources, all this mithril treasure… I need to know what to buy and prepare first. The town has been besieged for weeks. Gods know how much damage it sustained, how many casualties there are.”

“You’re thinking of evacuating some people over to our gate,” Shiv said.

“If possible. And so, I want you as dangerous and prepared as you can possibly be for our first scouting run. Expect the System to be its usual horrible self and throw something we’re absolutely not prepared to fight, but we can make sure it strains itself doing so.”

Adam looked at Can Hu and studied the Penitent for a moment. "Penitent Can Hu, are you well enough for another synthesis?”

"I am," Can Hu said. But Shiv noticed a shiver run through the machine, and if even he noticed…

Adam sighed. "Can Hu, do not lie, and do not over-exert yourself. You have nothing to prove. More importantly, you've already finished two syntheses. We need you in an effective state not only for the synthesis, but also to rebuild the gate. You are not to break yourself. You have obligations to the rest of us too, no matter how you feel. Actually, I am going to go there: You did not fail any of us by being disabled in battle, and you do not need to make up for it now. I understand you might not feel this way, but you must accept this. Whatever lack or regret in your performance, you are more valuable now as a crafter."

Can Hu's green optics narrowed and then brightened as he studied Adam.

"I was Penitent Chassis." Can Hu opened and closed a hand. "Now I do not know if I can even survive for more than a few seconds should Shiv use his Inertial Overdrive. Even with the bone adamantine armor as support, even with additional modifications made, I estimate my chances of surviving one of his inertial detonations to be sub-10 percent. I came to serve as armor once more, and now I'm unable to meet that function a mere day later."

"That's fine," Shiv interjected. "I don't care if you can't be my armor. We'll find another way. We'll figure something out for the Necromancy. But you're here with us now, and Adam's right. We want you functional. We don't want you broken. More importantly, we want you to get better. And maybe the Righteous Dawn Prevails might just do that. You want to be useful? You are. Right now.”

Can Hu fell silent for a moment. "It has strengthened my existing skills, but it does nothing for those that have been destroyed."

"Then we'll build you from the ground up," Adam said. "We'll see you reforged, despite the damage. Maybe you need armor yourself. An armor for an armor. To aid in your movements."

The Penitent fell silent once more. But when it spoke, it spoke with certainty. "I can perform one more act of synthesis. One more. I ask you to trust in me. I will not strain myself. I will not damage myself. But I have one more in me."

Adam and Shiv looked at each other uneasily, but it was Valor that became the deciding voice of the dilemma. "Let it try. Let it be. If it does not, it will damage its Path. It will wound Can Hu on a level deeper than a broken skill."

The Legendary Pathbearer looked to the Penitent, and slowly Can Hu turned and offered Valor the slightest of bows. "It is important that we all chase after shadows. Shadows of who we were, and shadows of whom we can be. Desperate or delusional, it is yearning that makes us what we can become."

And now, Adam let out a slight, shuddering breath. Finally, his reluctance succumbed. "Fine. One more. And I'll boost you as much as I can this time. But if you cannot do it, just let it collapse. We'd rather lose a few pieces of Equipment than a good crafter and a good Pathbearer."

Can Hu didn't acknowledge Adam’s state as it began shaping streams of liquid metal. Shiv pressed the topic. "Can Hu," Shiv said, without any particular rancor in his voice, "if I see you about to fall over, I'm going to make you stop. You are not killing yourself on my behalf. Adam letting you do this was his 'yes'. Well, this is mine. Do not break yourself. I’m not going to accept it. I’m still your pilot. Even if you can’t be worn right now.”

Can Hu looked at Shiv for a long, hard moment and said for the final time, "I am capable of one more synthesis."

Shiv clenched his jaw. "All right then, Pathbearer, prove it."

"Your components first," Can Hu declared. “I will see the deed done.”

Before Shiv could respond, Adam leaned in. "I have two suggestions here. Can Hu mixes a piece of Absence with your new dagger. At the same time, another fragment of Absence’s arcanite can go to your cloak when it is merged with Can Hu's Garden of Bountiful Alloy. It should amplify them as well. I will forgo my shard of the arcanite when your kukri is melded into my rapier.”

Adam’s section suggestion caught Shiv entirely off-guard. “How does that work? Can Can Hu even work with them using its Geomancy?”

“There are material aspects to each item,” Adam said. Can Hu confirmed that with a beep. “And more importantly, I know Dimensionality, so I'll be able to help Can Hu with this."

Shiv considered that. "So what, I'll be carrying a Category One dimension on my back?"

"Yes! Category One dimension on your back. You'll be able to store a lot more than just a few supplies. More importantly, you'll be able to carry a small garden full of regenerating alloys, and potentially a small group of active combatants on the inside as well."

And what Adam was proposing slowly took shape in his mind. Shiv imagined Adam or Uva hiding within his cloak while he rampaged forward, waiting for the right moment to disembark. Or Can Hu being inside his cloak and constructing new machines on the way. The thought was so absurd it made Shiv laugh.

"Do you get what I’m trying to do?" Adam said, smirking.

“Yeah. You’re making me your personal troop carrier or something." Shiv nodded. "Fine, but I'm gonna need that cloak back. And you understand you're going to be sharing space with a lot of bodies and a lot of flayed skin."

"I think after what I've gone through," Adam murmured, "that's probably not going to be the worst of my nightmares."

With that agreed upon, Can Hu merged the final two pieces of Equipment for today. It melded the Skypiercer with a fragment of Absence. Again, two pools of mercury consumed each item. They slid together across the air, spilling as one, and a new glow filled the room. It was a prismatic glow—the glow of hyperconducted magic.

Can Hu let out a mechanical groan from deep within its being. Shiv took a step forward, but Adam held out a hand. He channeled a strong beam of his personal sun into Can Hu and gritted his teeth. “Wait. It has this. As do I.”

At the same time, the Young Lord's legs were shaking as well. He was pushing himself as hard as Can Hu was. The beam pouring forth from his azure sun was practically solid by this point. As the spheres of mercury consumed the weapons, so too did the Righteous Dawn Prevails swallow Can Hu, and through it all, Shiv watched, beholding as the bubbling pool of mercury receded, and as the shape of a new blade unveiled itself.

It gleamed the color of a midnight rainbow—dark at the center, simmering with Dimensionality mana, but radiant along its edges. Its shape had changed as well. No longer was it a straight rondel dagger; instead, the blade developed a slight curve and was needle-thin, resembling Confriga's Absence more than ever before. A spike also protruded from the bottom, sharp enough to stab, with hooks on the side to enhance one's effectiveness in grappling. Its hilt became a series of metal petals rather than a simple round ring of metal.

With a loud, mechanical shriek, Can Hu unleashed a final burst of effort, and a spell slammed down upon the reforged item.

"The act is done," Can Hu crackled, nearly falling over. But before Shiv could catch him, Can Hu planted a leg. Its body screamed, but it remained upright. It did not fall. Shiv halted mid-step and just watched Can Hu for another few seconds, ignoring the weapon altogether.

"You're fine?" he asked.

Can Hu remained standing, even if it quivered, even if its body was making all kinds of strange noises. "I am. I have delivered on my promise, Pathbearer."

"So you have, Penitent," Shiv answered with a smile. "So you have."

Slowly, he walked over and picked up the dagger from where it hovered in the air. As soon as he took it out of Can Hu 's grasp, the bot nearly fell over. But Valor held Can Hu up, and they both retreated closer to Adam, closer to the azure dawn. The Young Lord's face was also bathed in a sheen of sweat. Both he and Can Hu had spent themselves substantially.

Equipment Obtained: [Skysplitter]

Tier: Master

Condition: Perfect

Composition: Arcanite; Adamantine

Enchantments > Spatially-Anchored; Size-Shifting; Master Self-Mending; Mass-Stealing; Binding; Master Magic Amplification

As Shiv clutched the weapon, he felt a flood of Awareness enter him. He suddenly gained an appreciation for how wide the world was, for the relative positioning and distances between objects. Space was a form of magic, and on a subtle level, he could feel brushing against his personal Chronomancy skill as well.

Then he commanded his dagger to grow larger, and it did. Rather than becoming the lance, it extended first, materializing into something that resembled Absence for a moment, if more like a machete than a longsword. And then, as it continued growing, it became a glorious, thin needle, reaching eight meters, then nine. Then it was pressing up against the edges of the teleportation anchor. And he stopped it before it could go any further. But this was only the tip of the iceberg.

The weapon could grow larger. A lot larger.

He could also feel how his Biomancy clung to the material. His mana was being pulled into it. Every mana field he had was drawn to its edge. And that was why it was rainbow-bright. That was why its color shifted like an animated prism. It was literally a singularity for magic.

"I have not managed to breach the Heroic-Tier threshold for this synthesis," Can Hu said apologetically.

"No," Shiv replied, "this is pretty awesome. Besides, you’ll get to try again when it breaks. I can't wait to field-test this. In fact," he looked at Adam, "when do you want to go on this scouting run exactly, because I’m—”

“We have a problem." They were interrupted by Uva appearing at the front door. Her face was impassive, but he read the storm clouds behind her eyes.

"Perhaps it would be more accurate, in fact, to say I and Shiv have a problem," Uva continued. "The Weaveress in charge of the expeditionary detail, Exalted Mother Null Mont, has commanded that I report back to Weave for an in-depth debriefing, along with..." Uva paused, "...along with an interrogation session at Elaboration to ensure I am free of undue influences.”

"What do you mean by 'interrogation session'?" Shiv said, his voice dropping to a low growl.

"I informed them of the Dreamtaker," Uva explained. "And the Stranger. Exalted Mother Null Mont has ordered me to depart immediately.” And then she shuffled uncomfortably. “Also, she wishes to take your… Court Leviathan and the rogue vampire back with her as well. She has gone off to secure the packages. Against my recommendation.”

"Oh, has she?" Shiv said. A slow, simmering pressure built up inside him. Shiv glared at his new knife, but slowly, his scowl turned to a smile as the radiant edges inspired an idea in him. “Hey, Adam. How big do you think this knife can get?”

The Gate Lord looked briefly confused, but then a look of amusement blossomed on his face as he understood. “I don’t know. I think we should find out. In fact, I think as many people should find out as possible.”

Uva’s head swung between them, and the slightest hint of worry leaked from her mind. “Shiv. What do you mean by that?”

Shiv grunted with amusement. “Oh, you’ll see, Uva. You’ll see.”

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[User]
Write 105 (I) Persuasion
Target length: ~2700 words
Key events: combat-heavy

[Assistant]
Sometimes, you don’t need to actually kill or hurt someone to get what you want. Sometimes, a few threats, a bit of charm, and some bribery can go a long way…

-Memoirs of a Master-Tier War Mage

105 (I)

Persuasion

Exalted Mother Null Mont stared at the Court Leviathan hovering just over the Abyssal Gateway. A crackle of Aeromantic lightning danced along the metallic strips jutting free from her body. It did that when she was focused. It did that when she was excited. And right now, she was extremely excited. A Court Leviathan captured for Weave, as an offering to the Composer. This would be the offering of the decade, and more importantly, it would allow Elaboration a deeper insight into their greatest adversary.

Pair that with the unconfirmed turncoat vampire that remained aboard the Court Leviathan, and Null Mont had a bit more than just a significant offering. She might have a way to strike deep into the First Blood itself, if he could be properly adjusted…

Of course, it wasn't just good news. As Cherished Sister Uva Mettabon reported, there had been traitor Weaveresses here as well. Traitors Weaveresses who defected from Elaboration of all places. The Cherished Sister said they were part of an illegal weaver breeding operation and would have delivered them into custody, but the traitor Weaveresses unfortunately perished when the eldritch entity revealed itself.

And that led into the lamentable part of things.

Despite all the good work she had done, Sister Uva tragically allowed herself to be compromised in the process. The Sister recounted what happened in the gate, how things became so dire. As Null Mont listened, her disappointment grew. She expected more of a Sister of the Arachnae Order than to turn away from the Composer's song and seek power from a most unholy and unnatural source.

Outsiders, creatures beyond the System's purview or perhaps barely in it, were unworthy divines. And now one such unholy being had struck an accord with Sister Uva. More than an accord, it had infested the Sister's very eyes and imbued in her an Eldritch Skill. And Sister Uva had taken it into herself willingly.

Instead of being rewarded, she would likely need to undergo a lengthy interrogation and observation process at Elaboration. It seemed unjust, but alas, it was absolutely necessary. They couldn't let down their guard against the Outside. Or any unknown adversary for that matter. Weave only endured due to constant vigilance and the actions of Weaveresses like Exalted Mother Null Mont.

As she leaped across another chasm and landed atop a sloping half-collapsed wall that used to be the outside of a building, she stared at the great Court Leviathan and let out a light laugh. She stood at the very edge and gazed into the distance, as if an explorer standing atop a mountain. A mountain of ruin.

"Quite the windfall, isn't it?" she said to Brother Urad, one of the few male Umbrals who had joined the Arachnae Order. He gave the Exalted Mother a bow, yet there was something in it that seemed uneasy, and the unease in his body language was given voice by one Still Water.

“Exalted Mother,” Still Water said, “I'm going to strongly suggest this again, I believe you should talk to Gate Lord Adam or Exalted Guest Shiv before making any decisions.”

"What is there to speak of?" Exalted Mother Null Mont asked. "They are but guests. They have offered great deeds in service to Weave, but guests are all they are. This is a matter of the Composer's honor. This is for the defense of her, Lady Arachnae, for the defense of our city. In fact, they should be honored. Honored that I will mention their name in this service. If you are so concerned that they will be offended, then be off, Operative Still Water. Seek out the Gate Lord and Hero Shiv, and inform them of my decision. I had this conversation with Cherished Sister Uva already. I don't think I need to have it again with you."

Still Water held back a twitch of her palp, the closest thing a Weaveress could offer in place of a sigh. But then she adjusted her bandana and slowly turned to walk away instead of saying anything. Midstep, she paused as she noticed something. Still Water looked up into the air and let out a loud hiss of surprise as she almost tripped.

Exalted Mother Null Mont shook her head in disapproval. How a Heroic-Tier Trapdoor Weaveress could be so careless was beyond her. In fact, Null Mont was going to mention Still Water's lacking attention during the overall debriefing—

And then a shadow passed over Null Mont. A shadow passed over everyone. There came a heavy rush of wind, and Null Mont's Aeromancy sensed what felt like a heavy gale washing over her. Suddenly she turned, and she saw what looked to be a small mountain tumbling in her direction. Her Umbral escorts froze. She froze. Still Water threw her invisible cloak around her body and vanished from sight.

The colossal shape descended, and Null Mont quickly updated her description of the object. It didn't look like a small mountain. No, it was a tower. A tower the shape of a wickedly curved blade. It was thin and absurdly long at the top, and its edges radiated with a rainbow hue, while the flat sides of the blade pulsated with the darkness and distortion of Dimensionality.

As it fell, something clicked in Null Mont's head. She summoned a burst of Aeromancy and flung herself out of the way.

Just herself. The members of her escort would know how to handle themselves.

Null Mont landed on something fragile, something that shattered beneath her. It felt like porcelain. But to her surprise, she realized dodging was not necessary. The blade continued tumbling along, sailing far through the air until it crashed hard into the ground in the distance, just beneath the Abyssal Gateway. There, a column of dust and debris rose into the sky from where the massive, tower-sized blade hilted itself.

And even still, it grew, swelling larger and grander until it was at least three hundred meters long before it finally stopped.

Through a haze of dust and a rain of descending shrapnel, Exalted Mother Null Mont stared at the colossal weapon, and it radiated with prismatic brightness. Suddenly, atop the hilt, came a pulse. A pocket of space opened, and a figure emerged. A figure clad in skeletal armor. Null Mont recognized the figure immediately. It was Exalted Guest Shiv, the Deathless Surfacer; the one that Cherished Sister Uva had also unwisely chosen to start an intimate relation with.

Exalted Mother Null Mont's mind whirled. Had he just thrown that tower at her? A… knife tower? A knife that he was now standing on, that he was… And there came an ungodly noise. A terrible noise as Shiv hovered across the sky, dragging the knife behind him with his left hand.

The ground parted. Things broke and split. More dust, more debris, more shrapnel filled the air. But what shook Null Mont the most was how easily he dragged that long blade behind him, as if it weighed nothing at all. As if he wasn't cleaving an entire section of the landscape apart as he got closer and closer to her.

Null Mont was also technically a Heroic-Tier Pathbearer—except her Heroic-Tier Skill was in Physics. Her Toughness and Aeromancy were a fused Master-Tier, but throwing that thing at her like that was…

What kind of skill allows one to casually drag something of that weight behind them? Could he truly have Gravitic Wrestler? I saw his profile, but…

Then, faintly, over the clatter of falling detritus, she heard something. She heard him whistling. His head was swinging from side to side, and the actions he performed were dramatic and exaggerated. Then, finally, he paused and then he looked down at Null Mont. He looked down at her Umbrals. He brought a dramatic hand up to his face and let out a very loud and obviously acted gasp. "Oh, no," Shiv cried. He planted a hand on his head. "Exalted Mother. Sisters. Uhh… Brother? Sorry. Can’t tell with some of you. I did not see you there. I am so terribly sorry. I was just testing out this newly reforged knife I got. It is a very good knife. I was trying to see how far I could throw it once it reached its full size. Unfortunately, I was both stronger than I remember being, and this thing was larger than I expected. Whoops.”

Null Mont's palps reared back in fury. Part of her mind screamed at her to be outraged, to rise into the air and to demand why the surfacer had done this. But another part of her warned her that this might not be the wisest course of action with someone dragging a 300-meter-long building-sized dagger along the ground. That, and the other detail about how he couldn't quite stay dead…

That… that skill couldn’t possibly work as had been described… Could it?

Beside Null Mont, Still Water suddenly unveiled herself again. "Well," Still Water said, a hint of mirth in the other Weaveress's voice, "looks like I don't need to go looking for them after all. They came looking for us. How convenient. Well, I'll leave you to it, Exalted Mother. I believe this is your duty now as the highest-ranking Weaveress present."

The Trapdoor Weaveress threw her cloak over herself and vanished once more.

“Wait, Still Water? Still Water!” Null Mont shouted.

And again, a shadow rose over Null Mont. Slowly, she turned to face the massive, looming blade…

***

"Shiv, Shiv, Shiv," Uva repeated again and again through her telepathic link. "Do not hurt her. Do not kill her. Do you understand me? Do not—absolutely do not—even touch her!"

"I'm not going to kill her," Shiv replied, his mind perfectly calm. "I'm just going to talk to her. I'm just going to cook some food for her. I just want to talk to her, you know? I like talking to people. I find people interesting. I find everyone interesting. I especially find it interesting when they try to steal my Court Leviathan from me, take a guest I invited into this gate prisoner, and demand that my girlfriend submit herself to some kind of questionable interrogation process after she nearly broke herself for me and the other survivors. So interesting.”

Uva was about to issue her complaints again, but then she paused. "Shiv. Why am I last on your list?"

"Because between you, Angelo, and Courtney, only one of you could fry the mind of this poor, mentally challenged Weaveress."

"I cannot fry the mind of an Exalted Mother!" Uva's voice was filled with absolute revulsion.

Right, the Umbrals had that complex about the Weaveresses. Well, here was the worst outcome.

"Yes, but that's more of a personal decision rather than you not being able to do it. Angelo's too traumatized to put up much of a fight against anyone. Courtney's about as smart as a snail. So comparatively, you're the one I'm least worried about."

The temperature of Uva’s mind fell by a few degrees.

"It's a compliment," Shiv replied.

Her mind got even colder.

Shit, I’m going to have to cook her something really felling nice after this.

"Listen, I'm not going to hurt her, okay? I just want to talk to her," he repeated.

"Adam," Uva spoke across their link. "Do not let Shiv hurt Exalted Mother Null Mont."

"What are you calling me for?" Adam replied. "I want to talk to her too." Despite everything, an incredulous snort escaped the Umbral. And she sailed through the air, flying atop her shield as she blasted towards Shiv's current position. She could directly jump into his mind, but Shiv had a feeling that part of her wanted to see this. Part of her wanted to watch what might transpire when he had his little conversation with the Exalted Mother. And Shiv would oblige her.

In fact, he wasn't lying at all. He wasn't going to kill the Weaveress. Frankly, he wasn't going to hurt her at all. From what he could tell, and from what Uva described, Exalted Mother Null Mont was mostly a narcissistic glory hound. An asshole, in other words.

That didn’t mean she had to die. But that was a good thing. Because he needed to train his Dread Aura some more.

But then again, if Shiv had to kill all the assholes in the world just for being assholes, there might not be that many Pathbearers left. Hell, there wouldn’t be that many people left for that matter. "And I'll absolutely not do that, because it'll end with me stabbing Georges too,” Shiv grumbled to himself. "No, I'll just be convincing. Real persuasive. Use reason and argumentation and all that, just like I wasn't taught at school."

There came a series of loud shouts from the Exalted Mother. She sounded kinda pissed, but the winds and the noise Shiv made as he continued pulling his new Skysplitter through the ground really made it hard to hear.

"How's the knife?" Adam asked telepathically, more curious about the weapon for now.

"Pretty good," Shiv replied. "Gets up to 300 long, but that's about it. Anymore and it starts shaking uncontrollably. I think I’ll end up breaking after that.”

"And the mass?"

"Mass is stable," Shiv replied. "Right now, it feels… I don't know, maybe a fourth as heavy as the Jealousy. I think it can still draw in more weight, but it’ll make moving it around harder.”

"A fourth as heavy as a massive Greater Demon. Sounds pretty impressive to me," Adam replied. “It will come in useful if you need to weigh someone down or potentially smash a large group of people to death.”

"Or just one very annoying spider.” As Shiv thought those words, he narrowed his eyes at the Exalted Mother. Again he wasn't going to kill her. He absolutely wasn't. But it was very, very unkind of her to just try taking what was his.

"Hero Shiv!" Null Mont shouted. This time, he was close enough to hear her. She was flying through the air, lightning crackling across the many metal extensions jetting out from her body. Shiv wondered again what kind of Skill Evolution that was. Aeromancy and Physicality? Toughness?

"I guess I can ask her in a minute," Shiv muttered to himself.

"Have you gone completely mad?" Null Mont asked, her tone clearly extremely pissed. “What is the meaning of this?”

Shiv pulled off his helmet and gave the approaching Weaveress a wide grin. "What? What's wrong?"

"You!" she cried again. She stuck one of her long limbs in his face. And just then, Shiv realized she was a pointer. She liked to point. She pointed the same way at Uva's eyes. He eyed the small humanoid finger sticking out from her forelimb, ignoring the intrusive thought to bite it. “What has possessed you, surfacer? Was this deliberate? Do you have any idea what you have just done?”

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry," Shiv apologized again, putting his hand on his chest. "I didn't realize you were there. You see, I was testing my knife."

"Testing your knife?" Null Mont asked, incredulous. "Your… your knife? This?”

"Yeah, it's my knife." He ripped the enormous Skysplitter out of the ground, casually lifting it over his head. He bit back a slight grunt of exertion as he forced himself to not topple over backwards. Yeah, this wasn’t that practical for most combat scenarios. He needed speed more than mass. Frankly, what might be more useful was injecting doses of mass into an enemy or stealing mass from them, if that was possible. It was something he was going to have to discover in the field.

The Weaveress's palps flared back. A few strings of lightning went off course, whipping into the wind rather than traveling along the many metal extensions sticking out from her arms. "You—" the Weaveress choked. Shiv lifted the blade high, rearing it back. He felt her courage crack down to its foundations. “No! Do not—The Composer will—”

Then, with a casual swing, Shiv slashed out with his knife.

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[User]
Write 105 (II) Persuasion
Target length: ~2600 words

[Assistant]
105 (II)

Persuasion

A blast of wind washed over both of them, and before Null Mont could be sent flying, he reached out and caught her with his left hand. "Shit, sorry. Didn’t think I cut that hard" The tip of his blade severed a small piece from Courtney, the Court Leviathan. A piece of the tentacle fell. The leviathan didn't even notice, for the wound filled a half second later.

Shiv shifted his new blade and caught the piece of Leviathan flesh along its flat side.

"Shiv!" Uva hissed across their link. “Do not hurt her in creative ways, either! No Bowel-Breakers or—”

"Relax." Shiv grinned at Null Month. "This is just going to be a conversation about personal property, what constitutes a prisoner, and also respecting a certain Cherished Sister of Weave. I know some of what she wants isn't entirely unreasonable, but she can't just take my stuff without even asking. And more importantly, she can't just take you. Not now and not on a whim. We have extremely pressing issues. These things need to be discussed. And if she’s not going to respect us, I’m going to have to cook for her.”

The Skysplitter began to shrink. The blade retracted, and in seconds the massive, tower-sized blade drew closer to Shiv’s body, bringing the piece of leviathan flesh with it. But when the blade reached forty meters, Shiv stopped shrinking it. Instead, he descended, and found two nice pieces of rubble to place his Skysplitter upon.

We’ll be able to start up a nice fire below…

“What are you doing?” Null Mont cried. She pried at her arm, and Shiv released her before this could truly turn into an actual struggle.

“Are you hungry?”

She froze. “What? What are you—”

"Let me cook a piece of a Court Leviathan for you. Did you have any earlier?"

“I… No! No! I refuse! I refuse to eat this… It is a plague-beast of the enemy. How you managed to convince the others to indulge in such a foul act, I will never understand, but—”

"Come on, I insist," Shiv said. "I really do." He gave her his most earnest stare as he started channeling a stream of his own Pyromancy across the blade. Despite his fire magic being relatively underdeveloped, the edge of the blade ignited like a burning rainbow, amplifying the power of the magic substantially. Soon, the first sounds of cooking flesh sizzled upon the blade. “You won't regret it. And, I'll tell you what. If you don't like what I cook for you, I'll let you have the Court Leviathan.”

"Let me?" Her voice was somewhere between confusion and absolute fury. “I am the Exalted Mother in charge of this expedition, and I will not be talked down to like some kind of weaverling! You—”

But just then, Adam appeared beside her, coming to an uncanny halt as his Vectors of the Eternal Ascent stopped their acceleration. "Shiv," the Gate Lord cried out, his voice nasally and high with exaggeration. "I told you to watch where you are throwing that thing, you silly goose!!"

Adam zipped beside the Weaveress. "I am so terribly sorry!" he said, gripping Null Mont by another one of her arms and pulling her down even faster alongside Shiv. "Please, let Shiv apologise for this grave transgression to you by cooking you a meal."

"What?" she said, her anger losing the fight to naked confusion. Across their mental links, Shiv and Adam could feel each other struggling not to crack up.

“Do not make me laugh, you shit,” Shiv said, his right eye twitching.

“Focus on yourself, you bastard. And stop making that expression at me.” Adam shuddered, clenching his teeth as hard as he could.

"Cooking food," Adam said, "is something surfacers do as an apology to each other all the time. We must insist. If you reject us, Shiv will be required to commit an honor suicide to redeem his shame.”

“A what?” Null Mont gasped.

Shiv shook his head. "It is a thing of honor."

“Honor is extremely important to us,” Adam said, staring intently at the Weaveress.

“Honor and respect,” Shiv added, spiking his Dread Aura ever so slightly. “So, please. Take a bite. Just a tiny little bit. Let’s talk about what just happened between us. You know. Start off on a new foot. Turn the page.”

The Weaveress's head swung between them. “I…”

But by now they were grounded, standing upon a field of rubble. A field of rubble further displaced by Shiv dragging a massive blade across the ground.

Null Mont was placed before the Skysplitter as Shiv pulled out his chef's knife and cut the leviathan into several smaller pieces. Briefly, he dosed it with a puff of moisture using his Hydromancy and shaped a Biomancy spell as he started kneading them into five dense spheres of meat. Then, he pressed the meatballs back against the blade, and they sizzled before Null Mont very eyes.

Her courage started trembling. But a burst of lightning flashed out from her body. “This… I do not know what trick this is. But you cannot force me to eat flesh rich with viruses and plagues.”

“I think I can,” Shiv said. “I’ll take a bite first if you’re worried.”

“I’ll eat one right after to show that it’s safe,” Adam continued.

“I do not care if you eat the entire Leviathan!” Null Mont snarled. “There is no way you can make me devour a piece of that… that creature. No one but Her Lady Arachnae, the Composer herself, could compel me to… to…”

And now Null Mont noticed a certain Legendary Pathbearer hovering beside her. “Young one,” Valor began. “You should cherish every bit of food you get. Every flavor. For you never know when you might lose the opportunity to indulge in the finer things in life.”

“G-Great Valor,” Null Mont squeaked. “I—I thought you were… You are still damaged. I think you should—” She then finally noticed how her Umbrals were getting called away by Can Hu, leaving her here entirely alone.

“Eat,” Valor said. “Taste it. Taste it on my behalf. I insist. I want you to describe how it tastes to me. Every detail. It will be an honor to hear such a thing from you. More importantly, I will offer a good word to the Composer about your bravery and willingness to experiment when I next greet her in person.”

“I…” Null Mont flinched as Shiv held out a small piece of leviathan meatball impaled on the end of his chef’s knife.

“Come on,” Shiv whispered. “It’s just a bit. I gotta make you feel better. I gotta apologize. I have to. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if, say, this was your last meal. If you somehow got ambushed and then torn apart by the First Blood while trying to get back to Weave with my Court Leviathan, I would consider it a great regret of my life.”

“He would be honor-bound to raise your shadow and make your Necromantic remnant eat the food instead,” Adam whispered. He added a shudder at the end.

“I don’t want to,” Shiv said. “But traditions demand it. Honor and respect.”

“Honor and respect,” Adam repeated.

“Take the bite,” Valor said, leaning in. “Do it. Do it now.”

Dread Aura 90 > 91

Null Mont’s courage shuddered and cracked as she looked between all three Pathbearer’s pressuring her to take a bite. “I—I… Oh, Composer preserve—”

***

“Oh, Composer…” Null Mont looked between them, and slowly she stared down at the prismatic edge of the Skysplitter. Her body language betrayed just how forlorn she was that there was not more food. But more than that, it betrayed how confused she felt. “How?”

Shiv snorted as he shook his head. His arms were folded, and he had watched her squirm throughout. Squirm, until she took her first bite.

Then, the ugly part was all over. Everyone else regarded her with a similar level of amusement.

Now that the Weaveress was appropriately sedated, Shiv intended to deal with the issue properly.

Shiv walked off to the side and pulled a piece of rubble over. He sat on it and stared at Null Mont for a moment. "Look, Exalted Mother, can I be very honest with you for a second?" She looked away from her food and stared at him. There wasn't so much anger, terror, or annoyance in her anymore. It was mostly just faint astonishment and incredulity.

You could control a lot about how someone acted if you had something they wanted. If they were happy, if they were influenced, if they wanted something from you. That's what Shiv realized. That was what he learned from watching Georges deal with people over the years.

And this was the main reason why he told Uva that he wasn't going to hurt Null Mont, why he knew it was going to be the absolute truth. Because day after day, month after month, year after year, Georges would get into fights with Pathbearers, soldiers who frequented the Swan-Eating Toad.

And after the fight, after intense exchanges of curses, and sometimes the involvement of guards, the same Pathbearers would come back to the Swan-Eating Toad and eat there like nothing had ever happened. Because they wanted the food there. Because the fight was a momentary lapse in self-control, usually on their part. Georges just got very mad. But there was nowhere like the Swan-Eating Toad. And feelings were things that changed with proper incentivization.

Null Mont was a glory-seeking narcissist that was about to negatively affect the group’s cohesion. But she ultimately wasn’t a lethal threat, just a social one. And social threats were just another thing Shiv needed more practice in dealing with.

"What do you mean by honest?" Null Mont replied, sounding uncertain and dubious.

"Yeah," Shiv said. "I like being honest. Look, you trying to take the Court Leviathan from me was kind of a shitbag thing to do." He looked at Courtney. "I spent quite some time clearing it out. In fact, I died a good few times taking that. Now, if you wanted to buy it from me, or potentially if you wanted to explain how useful it would be for Weave and why I should give it to you, I would have dealt with you honestly. The answer would have been no, but I would have been straight. And I wouldn't need to do this whole threaten you with a knife then cook food on it shit to get you to speak with me like an actual adult.”

Null Mont’s palps reared back in near-outrage. “I—”

“And Angelo, the vampire you want to take prisoner, you understand that he was going to get his heart cut out by the others, right? He was just trying to set up a village. You don’t even seem to care about why I brought him back. You know how many vampires I’ve killed in the past two days alone? A hell of a lot. Think about that. And think about why I left him alive.”

“It… He is of the First Blood. He has a Lineage Core.”

Shiv frowned. “Yeah. I guess he can be useful. Have you tried talking to him? Asking if he can help you? Did you even speak with him once at all? No. He’s still on the Leviathan, last I checked.

“He hasn’t even touched his food yet,” Adam confirmed. “He’s just staring into the bowl.”

“Shit,” Shiv muttered. “I probably should go talk with him myself. But back to you, Null Mont. The fuck’s your problem? What are you trying to do? What? You think bringing back a Court Leviathan is going to get you accolades and glory? Null. How the hells did you get sent here? Because you didn’t think this through. You didn’t think a lot of things through. Why do you think I would have just let that go? Why do you think the Composer would have rewarded you for slighting people she considers heroes just for bringing back… What? A Court Leviathan? Yeah. Nice. Useful. But you think it’s more valuable than the Jealousy?”

“Slightly less,” Null Mont said.

“What?”

“It’s useful because it regenerates.” She let out a sigh. “It’s a partial solution to the population problem. Weaveress eggs… You know how our life cycles work?”

Adam and Shiv shared a look as both of them understood.

“You're using them as breeding material?” Shiv said.

“Yes. And they are good incubators at that. Good stock. But we still need more.”

“And so you just tried to take it from me?” Shiv asked.

“I just…” Null Mont paused. “I assumed you wouldn’t fight me over it.”

“Because you’re a Weaveress?” Shiv asked. “And I’m not?”

A long pause followed. In the end, Null Mont didn’t say anything.

Shiv considered several options then. He decided to exercise a bit of charisma for once. To see if he could make use of her instead of just terrifying her into submission. She wanted glory? She wanted to indulge in pride? Fine. He’d give her those opportunities. But she would need to play along and learn about respect.

“Exalted Weaveress, I am not an Umbral. I am not of your culture. Your social advantages don’t mean anything to me. So. You’re going to have to deal with me like I’m a person. You’re worried about Uva being compromised by the Outsiders. Fine. Valid fear. But sending her back to Weave on a whim immediately is stupid. Do you think we can hold the gate without her? What other Heroic-Tier Psychomancers do you have?”

“There is a risk she might be compromised,” Null Mont said.

“Yeah. But did she tell you everything? About the Dreamtaker? Her new skills.”

Null Mont looked away. “Yes.”

“And you think an Outsider would let her do that? Just give all that away? The suspicion I get. The rest of the shit you decided is half-assed. This is not the time to take her out of the field. We can’t afford it. You can’t afford it. And the Abyss can’t afford it.”

“The… Abyss?” Null Mont replied.

“Yeah. We’re here to stop another war between the surface and the Abyss from happening. And you were about to get in the way of that.”

Once more, her courage fissured. “I… I—”

“She might be more of an arrogant, unthinking idiot than a narcissist,” Adam muttered.

“Yeah. How the hells did she find herself in charge of this expedition anyway?” Shiv asked.

“Well. Weaveresses are overly favored… And with the right connections…”

“You think that’s how it is?” Shiv asked.

“That’s how it is everywhere,” Adam replied.

“Listen, I see that you’re still thinking about Weave, so. I’m going to help you. And you’re going to help me. How does that sound?”

“How?” Null Mont asked.

“Instead of you just walking around and making a bunch of executive decisions, why don’t you come along with us, and we can figure some things out together. Think about it. Would it be more glorious for you to take part in an operation that stops Vicar Sullain from getting a whole lot more people killed than whatever you were planning?”

Silver Tongue 21 > 22

Null Mont considered it. And then she regarded him once more. “Perhaps… Maybe… We can discuss a few more things over a meal? One you make? To further the honor and respect between us.”

Shiv smiled. “Yeah. Honor and respect. Sounds like we reached an understanding.”

“Shiv,” Adam said. “I think I might just take you up on some cooking lessons.”

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[User]
Write 106 (I) Peace
Target length: ~3200 words
Key events: new skill acquired

[Assistant]
You will not become a true Pathbearer if you're afraid of taking risks, if you're afraid of doing new things, if you're afraid of developing yourself. You cannot let yourself go stagnant. But part of that is recovery. Part of that is having new experiences. Part of that is learning new things.

Talk to people. Sink into the world. Immerse yourself. Open your mind to new encounters. Let your understanding of the world be varied and develop more than one skill.

It is a common thing for Pathbearers to over-focus, to over-commit to a singular aspect of themselves, like a warrior who commits only to be a frontline warrior, prideful of their Physicality, Toughness, and Mace Proficiency, but nothing else. Perhaps they will find themselves accomplished in the use of a shield as well. But what worth is that in times of peace? To live is to war. War does not just mean struggling against an adversary. It means to struggle against progress, against yourself, to build up your communities, and to forge a kingdom worth living in.

If all you are worth is the weapon in your hand, then what worth will you find of yourself when there are no adversaries to slay? Perhaps you will throw yourself time and time again into the fray until you truly find yourself favored by the System. But that is unlikely. It is more likely that death will find you first instead.

Become rich. Become broad. Once you establish a foothold with one skill, use it to expand your other choices as well. Breadth is choice, students, and choice is life. Choice is vitality. Choice is hope for the future. And choice is how you advance beyond your bottlenecks.

Become more. Don't just fight to hold and build up what you have right now. This is not a time of scarcity. This is a time for eternal growth.

-Master-Instructor Hercule Attano, Phoenix Academy GEN-PREP 101

106 (I)

Peace

After dealing with their “Idiot Weaveress Commander” problem, Courtney, the Court Leviathan, remained where it was; Angelo was allowed to remain aboard Courtney and stare catatonically into his soup, and Uva was allowed to remain in place at her current post, provided that a few other Umbrals kept an eye on her in case she exhibited any eldritch symptoms.

All in all, this was the most optimal outcome. Null Mont was annoying, troublesome, and frankly kind of an asshole, but Shiv had dealt with assholes before. She wasn't any more special than a customer demanding special treatment or some noble who thought himself better than everyone else.

And I can't exactly kill all of my problems, Shiv thought to himself. Well, I could. I could definitely kill Null Mont. I could probably definitely eventually kill anyone, I think, but it's not that useful. Frankly, it'll make me more enemies than allies. The System is already gunning for my head. I need to be a little bit careful and subtle.

He snapped his fingers. Finesse was the word he was looking for. Finesse gave him more options and kept things from getting messier. He’d killed enough people to populate a small town recently. A bit of a pause was due. If he kept going like he did before, Shiv worried that he might slip closer to the state he was in when he was affected by the Orcish Skill—not a place he wanted to be.

As a moment of calm followed, he observed two dozen Umbral Geomancers supported by Can Hu lifting sections of the fallen gate back into place. Massive stone supports sprouted out from the ground, forming rows of pillars that led from the Surface Gateway to the Abyssal Gateway. Between them, the gateway to Vulketh was sealed twice over, once by spell and once again by a layer of dense alloy.

For now, the Vultegs and Lord Scorn hadn't even done anything, but Shiv was sure the peace wouldn't last. Lord Scorn was quite offended that his gate had been taken and that his Lesser Marshal and forces had been butchered. Shiv expected another fight on that front sooner or later.

Preferably later right now, though. Right now, Shiv and the others could really use a moment to recover. They had to build up their arms and prepare for the ugliness to come. And there was going to be a great deal of ugliness coming down the way. Especially with Lord Scorn’s Quest hanging over their heads.

And that's another asshole trying to kill us, he thought to himself. Oh, there's nothing for it. If they're gonna come, I'm gonna have to break them. But if he wanted to break them, he needed to prepare, just like everyone else.

Adam used the opportunity to get some much-needed respite. Right now, he was watching the city from on high. His vector wings sprouted wide, each of the pyramid-like shards glistening in the air. He hovered beside his mana core, and Valor was there with him, gesturing, talking. Shiv found it amusing how Valor and Adam's relationship had developed.

At first, Valor demanded that Shiv stick him in the Young Lord's eye during the incident at Cradle. Now? Now they were talking about all sorts of things. They're practically spending more time together than I am with either of them, Shiv thought. Then again, he'd had a busy few weeks too.

Every now and again, Shiv would see one of Uva's mana strands flick across the city, probably scouting down leads or trying to make sure no one was plotting any devious schemes. Her priority assignment right now remained the Owl, figuring out what Aviary was planning, why they were in league with the Educator, and, more importantly, discovering what the Educator exactly was. She also asked for her eldritch book earlier. Shiv was slightly reluctant to give it to her, but then again, he did have the Odes as well, and she needed to understand her new skill. To understand her increasingly Eldritch…

His mind trailed off.

He wasn't sure what the Dreamtaker exactly was. The Outsider had come in and assisted Uva when things got desperate. It reached out to her through the Eldritch Insight skill, and attached part of itself to her—or infused its eldritch domain to her eyes somehow—after she connected her mind to the eldritch tome.

That changed Uva’s Eldritch Insight Skill into something else altogether. The tome they'd taken from Confriga’s vault was aptly named The Colors Beyond. At times, the book murmured, but it spoke with a myriad of dissonant voices calling out still to the dead Gate Lord, not responding when either Shiv or Uva spoke to it in return.

And there was another mystery they had to deal with. The second book-based mystery, they had, actually. There was still the Educator's Tome of the Forgotten Artist they had to work through. Shiv had taken a glance at that a few moments ago. It was badly burned throughout, but some pictures were still somewhat intact, mostly depicting people or locations from the past. Most of the pictures were utterly ruined, but Valor had said he might be able to restore some of them and uncover some more details regarding the forgotten Ascendant.

As for Shiv himself, he retreated to his personal quarters aboard the Court Leviathan. He suspected these quarters once belonged to the captain of this Leviathan, the one who probably died when Shiv's Inertial Overdrive went off time and time again. But with the interior of the beast so badly demolished, and Shiv uninterested in the vampiric aesthetic of blood and torture anyway, some redecorating was in order.

But that was for later.

His first focus for now was meal preparation. While everyone else worked on their personal tasks for the gate, Shiv pursued his own art form—his own primary non-combat contribution to his team and the gate. He was thankful that the System allowed him this moment of calmness to further focus on his cooking. At some point, either he or a group of Umbrals and Weaveresses would need to move out to survey the surroundings again.

Frankly, he preferred it to be himself. He suspected that the First Blood would likely launch counterattacks or at least scouting teams, and the difference between Compact and Weave’s defensive powers was substantial. Weave, increasingly, seemed the weakest of the Five Faiths to Shiv. They were careful, they moved in the dark, and they operated using small teams to survey their enemies and strike strategically, doing everything they could to avoid battles of attrition.

Shiv had also noticed a distinct lack of high-powered martial Pathbearers among the Weaveresses and Umbrals. Still Water was one of the major Heroes, and her specialty was in Stealth. Her Reflexes were Master-Tier, as was her Physicality, but aside from that, Shiv wasn't sure about her other skills. There was also Dven back at Cradle. However, it, like many of the Heroes or higher at Weave, was more along the lines of utility Pathbearers, people who offered logistical or structural advancements for their society.

I wonder if it's all being held together by the Composer herself.

Shiv considered that. He considered how accessible the Composer was, how easy it was for her to interact with her people. Her song was always playing, and she had her own place at the heart of her dimension. Compared to that, the Challenger seemed of a higher nature altogether, a fundamental force of existence, a natural disaster of cosmic scale lurking behind a veil. The System supposedly kept gods at bay, but the Composer seemed to have fewer restrictions than all the other ones. Maybe that's her special nature, he considered. He recalled her saying something like that. Maybe that's because she's more of a demigod than a full one. She was born from the Great One, whatever that means for her.

These were some of the passing thoughts he experienced as he worked on making more food. An Umbral Cryomancer and several Weaveress engineers dropped by to help him set up a few storage silos, large cylindrical structures made from alloy and infused with Cryomancy that were built beneath the Court Leviathan. Furthermore, not far away, Shiv had a “cooking arena” set up for himself.

He didn't exactly have a full kitchen set available to him, but after using his Biomancy to clean the meat a bit and using his Skysplitter’s Master Magical Amplification to heat his massive pan via Pyromancy—or to fill cauldrons with boosted Hydromancy, he started preparing meat by the tons.

The Chef Unwavering 55 > 57

They still needed a self-sufficient water treatment plant along with a waste plant and functional sewage. So far, the survivors of the gate were out of the most critical circumstances, and a great many of them were weak. Many were young, and some had problems with their bodies from long before. Shiv's regeneration had given them a brief surge of vitality. Their organs were rejuvenated, their lesser diseases were obliterated outright, but more complicated difficulties still remained, some far beyond Shiv’s current capabilities to help.

And that made Shiv wonder. When my Biomancy fused with my Cooking earlier, I could see the effects of… Well, if I just cannibalized someone using my Biomancy, if I absorbed them into myself… I think that's what the skill fusion lets me do. But it also listed out the exact benefits, so I don't need to just taste them blindly to find out. This will be good for me to come up with a book of recipes. In fact, I should, yeah, I definitely should start writing something like this. Take down the details and list out what I can do.

Then, he paused as he considered his Plaguefueled skill.

But not only ingredients, not only dishes. I can absorb plagues now. Hell, I can absorb diseases. Anything that destabilizes my functional organic state should count as a disease. So if I inflict more of those on myself and absorb them, well, that's like another layer of Berserk on top of Berserk. Frankly, it's better than Berserk. It makes me feel a little bit drunk, but I function better with it. They can probably also go together. I should test that out sometime. If I use my Plaguefueled skill on myself and then follow up with Berserk, how powerful will I get?

The prospects of that made him feel a little giddy, but Shiv centered himself before he got a little too deep into the fantasy. He needed to learn more about diseases, about viruses, about nerve agents, and all the things that could compromise a physical body's structure.

Within the Court Leviathan, he died many times. He'd had absolutely no answer to the complexity of the viruses flooding into him. Any other Pathbearer—well, any other organic Pathbearer—would have fallen then, slain by the Biomantic plagues and sicknesses of the First Blood. He was a different case. He could learn in a way no one else could. He could experiment in a way no one else could. And with this Court Leviathan, he had more than just a steady supply of meat. He had something of a biological playground: a perfect test subject.

As long as I can keep it alive. It has a Biomancy Core, but I think it still needs to eat. It looks smaller than it did before. Also feels a little bit sluggish, maybe? And then Shiv recalled the prisoner containment pods on the underside of its body, and how it could assimilate biomass. It consumed a few of his bodies as well, directly through its brain. That would be a useful capability for Shiv to learn, wielding biomass directly and potently like that. But also, that might be the cost of sustaining the Court Leviathan. It might be able to regenerate, but its metabolism still ran off a substantial amount of calories, even magically reduced to a minimum.

"Maybe I'm gonna need to go out and hunt down some cave biters for you anyway, huh, girl?" He didn't really know if the Court Leviathan was a girl, but he was already calling it Courtney. So. It was a girl to him. A large, monstrous, plague-infused girl.

At present, Uva said it was mostly in a docile state because it was passive, bred to be so, biomantically and psychomantically altered to be this way. If they wanted to spur it to violence, they needed to control both its body and its mind. She said she doubted she could do it alone since a lot of its biological structures were complicated, requiring more than a few Biomancers to integrate and direct its bodily functions.

Right now, Shiv was barely tapping into any of its proper capabilities. The regeneration it was capable of was simply a passive thing. The beast was capable of shapeshifting, of modifying its biological architecture within and without. It could grow those large maggots that fired out and detonated themselves in spreads of parasitic acid. Shiv had destroyed all those creatures, but the Court Leviathan was definitely capable of growing more of them as well as more varied bio-organisms. It had those wounds within it as well, places for the vampires to conduct whatever foul blood or flesh rituals they did to shape Blood Horrors and other monsters.

Or maybe even themselves, Shiv thought. Maybe even myself. He remembered how some of the vampires could shapeshift and adjust the nature of their flesh on the fly. Shiv was doing a very rudimentary version of that with his bone armor, but he needed to think further, and if he wanted to get to that point, he needed to advance his Practical Metabiology.

As he finished preparing the bulk of the meat, he made a few easy-to-eat military rations for his allies as well. He stored some of the Court Leviathan flesh in small packages, ones that could fit in a pouch or slot on someone's armor. With the amount of regeneration the Court Leviathan provided, it would be useful for Adam, Uva, or any of the Umbrals and Weaveresses to bring this on a battlefield.

Shiv couldn't always be there with his Woundeaters, and allied Biomancers might be missing as well. If he could cook, if he could continue providing such powerful boosts in combat thanks to The Chef Unwavering, then he was going to do so. Frankly, that was another avenue of advancement for everyone: varied ingredient boosts.

He wanted to see just how many boosts he could offer someone through a combination of different dishes. Right now, it seemed like it furthered someone's existing skills or amplified their physical and mental condition in some way. He hadn't cooked anything that affected magic, though. That was what he wanted to figure out next. Could he make magic better? Could he make someone learn faster if he just cooked the right meal or used the right ingredients?

Yeah, definitely starting that recipe book. He had an easy way of making functional health potions for everyone in the form of well-cooked Court Leviathan meat. Mixing in Mendules and some of the river weeds—what were they called again? Whatever it was called, it dramatically boosted that effect as well.

But there were many creatures across the Abyss, many creatures Shiv had yet to sample. Why am I just thinking about the Abyss, either? The Surface is also filled with creatures I haven't sampled yet. If I can do this with the Court Leviathan or the Jealousy, what might I be able to get from something like… Shiv considered a hawk, a rat. Do those offer bonuses as well? More than a recipe book, he was likely going to need to open something of an experimental slaughterhouse for himself. And a farm.

After a few hours, Shiv finished his preparations and stored a good supply of meat for the coming days in a few of his silos. This would go a long way to maintaining the gate’s stability and keep the weakest people fed and hale. He would need to go out and harvest more things in time, but for once, he felt like he had time.

Right now, the System was suspiciously merciful. There were no problems coming from the mercenaries, no fires started, no bombs triggered, no eldritch beings invaded.

Shiv decided he would have time for a moment for himself as he landed upon Courtney, taking a seat on the beast's massive, sloped head.

He watched as half of a district was being connected to the surface district, offering the survivors more room to expand. Soon, they wouldn’t need to be so cramped anymore. The surface district also no longer had any buildings either. Most of their foundations had been compromised, and with how unstable they were, they had to be knocked down anyway, reused as material.

District Gained: [Unspecified District]

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[User]
Write 106 (II) Peace
Target length: ~3200 words

[Assistant]
Shiv blinked as the notification appeared. Unspecific district. Yeah, the gate could gain skills and grow like a Pathbearer in some ways thanks to its mana core. He guessed this was something everyone in the gate saw when a major development was reached.

Regardless, the best thing happening right now was that the bulldozing of the buildings in the surfacer district allowed for full, temporary encampments to be built up. The first was for the automata. Can Hu had gone there after finishing with today's reconstruction efforts to start building up something of a makeshift power station. He also constructed some maintenance drones that actively worked around the clock to keep the other automata functional.

Aside from them, there were the biological slaves and dignitaries. The slaves required more attention from the Umbrals and the Weaveresses. Many of them were weak of body, traumatized of mind, and had other afflictions as well. Shiv's Court Leviathan tentacle soup supercharged their regeneration for a while, rejuvenated their organs, and helped them deal with some of their lesser diseases, like lingering dysentery resulting from the Bowel-Breaker, but they still had many other problems. Some of them had complicated afflictions that went beyond lingering food poisoning or even metabolic dysfunction. Others had Curses that necessitated non-physical treatments, and that was just the thing.

There was more than one way to hurt someone in this world, and the sickness of a soul ran deeper than the sickness afflicted on the body.

It was an ugly thing, being Pathless. But having the Path of the Slave? You were just pliable clay for someone else to abuse, clay that couldn't fight back because your Path didn't allow you to have the proper skills. The System was a cold piece of shit. All one needed to do was focus, and they would see so much ugliness even in existence itself.

Shiv had known that ugliness his entire life. He'd lived some of it, but now he wasn't going back. He wasn’t backing down. The System could throw whatever it wanted at him. He wasn't going back. He wasn't going to be broken. He would die for good before he let himself break.

But that was just how he thought.

Increasingly, he was noticing that he was different, dramatically different from all the other people. Valor wanted to talk to him about his mind earlier, about how it had been altered. Uva just needed to stitch some of his broken cognition back together before he started healing on his own accord, before he could re-enter the fight.

Even now, though he didn't like thinking about it, the scars left over from the torture he endured at the hands of the Recollector were fading fast, and it barely traumatized him at all. He enjoyed that. He enjoyed feeling untouched by the world in some ways, being untouched by damage even after it was inflicted on him. But there was something deeply off about his nature just for being able to do this. Harlon and Vera, he thought to himself, my parents. My parents are the cause behind this. My parents and… Udraal. Did he help them with the ritual? Valor keeps bringing his name up. Was talking about my mind earlier. But the stories just say he was killed by Roland…

Udraal Thann, Rose whispered, responding after a long lull of silence. I remember him. I remember facing him. A treacherous enemy, a dangerous foe. He was capable of so many things. And his expression was the saddest I have ever seen on a man.

"And you said that you killed him."

I'm sure of it, Rose breathed. Roland, he fired an arrow, one blessed by the Starhawk himself. It struck the Abyssal Lord. It ignited his very soul, burned him to cinders at the foundations of his being. But here this Valor is, talking about how his son still seems to be alive.

No one seems to think this guy is dead except for you, Shiv noted.

I watched as his soul came ablaze. I saw, I… And then Rose's voice trailed off as a whimper entered her breath. I saw so much, and I can't remember. Why can't I remember? Why am I trapped here? Why am I bound to you? Did you…

"Rose," he said. He had no more taste for avoiding this. He'd ignored her long enough, felt uncomfortable about her long enough, but he was going to deal with some of this right now, if he could. "Listen to me. I told you before I'm going to try to get you out, but I need you to tell me something in return. I need you to tell me about my parents, about why they might have done this ritual, about… Rose. Try to remember. Is it possible that my parents had any contact with Udraal Thann before you and Roland killed him?"

Before… At any point… Rose whispered. I think… I think… A long silence dragged on, and Rose let out a sigh. I don't know. I think I'm just a shadow of what I used to be.

"Yeah," Shiv said, letting out a breath of his own. "I think I see a lot of people who are shadows of what they used to be. I'm beginning to suspect that the System's trying to tell me something. I just can't quite figure out what."

No, no, wait, Rose suddenly said. Shiv's attention shifted back inward.

"What? What is it?"

I think… I remember… I remember him… leading us away.

"Leading you away? Where?”

There was… There was a moment, a moment of truce or understanding, a parley. He was leading us somewhere. He was… he spoke to us. He spoke to Roland, and Harlon was there, and Vera, and… and they were… I'm sorry.

"No, it's fine. It's just…" He gritted his teeth. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I'm sorry my parents did all this. I'm… I'm not sorry for existing, though. I don't hate myself. I want to live. I want… I want a lot of things. I'm… Despite everything I suffered recently, I… This is a great life. I love being a Pathbearer. I love cooking for people. I love going from place to place, doing what I can, getting more skills. I can't be sorry about that. I won't lie to you."

Rose just listened. She didn't reply with anger or fury, but she did let out the slightest sob.

"But I am sorry that this is what it took to make me. I am sorry if…" He tried to put together the words. The more he talked about this, the more chaotic his mind felt. "I am sorry that my parents were… Shit. Whatever they did, I don't understand it either. Right? I… I didn't need to be deathless. Maybe. I could have been just… just a normal Pathbearer. And I… I would have been capable of living that way. I would have done great that way anyway. I would have fought. I would have done everything I did now. Maybe… maybe it would have taken longer. Maybe it would have been harder. Maybe I would have died even, but I would have been happy. I would have been happy with just that. But now it's all done, and I can't take any of it back. Do you understand? I can't do anything but try to make things right. To be someone who my parents weren't. And that someone is going to do everything he can to help you. If you do what you can to help me."

Do you care about him? Truly? Rose's voice came fragile but filled with yearning.

Shiv paused. "Care about who?"

Adam. Adam, my son. Do you really care about him?

Shiv's mouth fell open. It took a moment for him to reply to that. "Yeah. He's my… Well, I thought he was an asshole at first. And then I kind of felt like he was my responsibility. And I also felt responsible for Blackhedge, and we're supposed to go back. But after all that, after some of the stuff we've been through, I remembered after bleeding by his side, watching him nearly die, watching him saving my life, me saving his… It's… This isn't just friendship anymore. I think we skipped that part altogether. There are still problems between us. I'm sure that exists, but after everything we've done…"

After everything Roland and Harlon went through, Harlon and Vera still killed me. They still cut my daughter out of me.

"What?" he gasped.

What? That is the thing I remember most. The blade going in, and her… her… She was about to be born, she was screaming, and…

A screen formed before Shiv. His parents’ faces were blurred, but he watched the scene through Rose’s eyes, and—

Shiv's eyes widened as bile rose up in his throat. “Fuck—Stop! STOP IT!”

Rose didn’t. It was like she was in a trance.

Shiv squeezed his eyes shut, but that didn’t stop the sounds. He could hear Rose’s agonizing screams even as he clamped his hands down on his ears.

Then, finally, Shiv opened his eyes and saw his… The scene played from Rose’s perspective, so Shiv only saw his own mother from her backside. She was shaking. Shuddering as Harlon—Shiv’s father—held a small body and placed it against his wife.

Then, he drove a blade through both of them.

Then came red and a scream from Rose that Shiv would never forget.

The screen went dark.

Rose stopped screaming. But Shiv’s mind was reeling violently. A flood of nausea swept through him. He swallowed hard, drinking down sour spit as he commanded himself, begged himself to stay composed, to not throw up. He always knew his parents were monsters. All of the stories indicated they were monsters, but to do that, to cut a child out of someone was…

I asked her. I asked Vera why, through it all. She was my friend too. Harlon was like my… Was like an older brother. Why? Why? They never told me. Harlon was crying. Vera… There was no expression. They just cut and cut, and she was pregnant too. You were there, in a way…

Then, she started sobbing incoherently again. Shiv shuttered. This was a mistake. He should never have talked to her. He didn't want to know this. But then his crumbling terror met the bedrock of who he was. He couldn't avoid talking to her. He couldn't avoid knowing this. He couldn't avoid his past anymore. If he wanted to face the future, he would need to know what had happened before.

To better understand what he was, so that he could shape who he would be. To be more than just an atrocity, a mistake, a monster in the making.

"Rose. Rose. Rose!" Shiv practically shouted the final word. She finally stopped. "Listen to me. I… That's… I don't want…" Shiv let out a growl. "Godsdamn it. Godsdamn it! Why do they have to be monsters? Why do they have to do this? I can't fix that. But I can… Yes, I do care about Adam. Yes, I'm going to do everything I possibly can to keep him alive. If it takes dying for good to keep him alive, then…" Shiv winced. "I don't want to die for good. I don't want to go away, not after everything I got to taste. But I'll do it. I'll do it. But I'll give a hells of a lot more than just my own life, if it means keeping Adam alive."

And finally, both quieted. Rose listened to him. You are not very much like him.

"Like who?" Shiv asked.

Harlon. He complained. He was such a whining bitch all the time; it got on my nerves. You are Vera's son, truly. I can see her in you. Hear her in you. Her more than him. And I hope you don't become her. I hope your words are true. Rose let out a final, shuddering breath. Please don't hurt my boy. Please.

Shiv shook his head. "If anyone tries to hurt Adam, I'll felling kill them. You got more than my word on that.”

And she said no more in response, lapsing back to silence, to the coldness of his vitae. Shiv sighed. "Well, that was a horrifying godsdamn conversation," he said, speaking more to himself than anyone else. A gust of wind rushed over him, and in the distance, he noticed Adam was no longer staring at his mana core, but directly at him. Shiv nodded. Adam probably saw that too.

"Yeah, I did talk to her just now," Shiv said. "I'll tell you about it later, if you want. You’re going to hate this. I hated this. Right now, I think I'm going to read. I'm gonna need a moment. Tell Uva I'll be back over in a few hours. For now, I think I'm gonna do some reading... Long overdue reading, to—to cool off. I need a moment, Adam. Just give me a moment.”

And when no Veilpiercers zipped by, when no mana strands arrived to sink through his mind, Shiv knew that he was going to get a moment to himself at last. Shiv gathered his Biomancy books and prepared to continue his education for the first time in a while.

At least, he thought that was what he was going to get, until a voice came from behind him. "You were not lying about your ghost."

For a moment, Shiv tensed, and then he turned to see Angelo standing there, staring at him from the bridge. The azure brightness of the mana core painted the vampire's face in a half-shadow, and he stared at Shiv with his eyes of faintest red. Shiv knew better than to let his gaze linger on the vampire's face for long. His Charm Skill was just too potent.

"So, how do you like the soup?" Shiv asked, barely holding back a sigh. He really didn’t want to talk to anyone right now.

"I was surprised," the vampire replied. "It was among the better dishes I've tasted.”

"Among the better dishes?” Shiv asked, surprised rather than offended.

The vampire nodded. "You have skill. But I suspect you are more dedicated to the fundamentals of cooking, to making sure nothing is wrong, rather than creative expression or pushing new thresholds of flavor. There is no mistake in the way you make your food. It's perfectly cooked, perfectly prepared. Except, there is no…" Angelo made a gesture with his hand, a twirling of the fingers. "You need more expression. Not everyone will like it, but to truly go to the next stage, you need more expression." Angelo pressed his lips together. "That is what one of my masters once told me."

Now, Shiv's attention was entirely on Angelo. "You can cook?"

"I can do many things," Angelo replied. "To be honest, I was not a good cook. My mind drifted to other things. I was easily distracted. And I often lost track of many things. The steps. The ingredients. Myself. But I have known brilliant cooks. I have known brilliant chefs. I have known food the likes of which few will ever taste."

"And that's not mine," Shiv said.

"Not quite," Angelo replied. There was almost something of a smile pulling at his face, but it never quite made it on. A stronghold of sadness had taken up residence in Angelo's eyes.

"Well, I hope I meet some of these brilliant cooks and chefs you talked about someday," Shiv replied. "I think my education still has a long way to go."

"Yes, but I think it might be difficult. You do have a propensity for killing vampires. They will likely sooner die facing you than indulge in small talk.”

Shiv bowed his head slightly, acknowledging the point.

"I must ask," Angelo said, gesturing to the book in Shiv's hand. "You know what that is, right?”

“Yeah. Odes. Damn good book. Why?”

“I have gone through it fully. What chapter are you on? I am curious. Most people are repulsed by it.”

“Sculptor Ekkihurst is a vile sonnabitch,” Shiv grunted. “But he’s also an artist of the flesh. I’m here to learn. I’m here to get better. And someday, I might even use what I discovered here to put an end to him.”

Angelo turned his head slightly, and there was a certain look in his eyes. “Which chapter are you on?” he asked again.

"I'm going through the section about diseases at the moment. I'm planning on infecting myself. I tried the Bowel-Breaker a few times earlier, but my body's already adapted to that. It's not strong enough—not infectious enough, maybe. I barely feel a buzz anymore when I use it on myself. The damnedest thing about my Plaguefueled skill is that it treats diseases like they're alcohol. And my tolerance is spiking up quickly."

Rather than responding with surprise or astonishment about the nature of Shiv’s Disease Resistance Skill Evolution, the vampire nodded along. "Then what you need is a small variety. Small changes every time, just like with your cooking: novelty. Find the most basic of the viruses and just change it. Learn the foundations and change them ever so slightly every time. See how your body reacts to that. That is all I can offer.”

Shiv blinked. "Yeah, I think… Yeah, I think I'm gonna try that. Thanks."

The quiet between them dragged. Angelo lowered his head. "I wish to thank you as well. For not letting the Umbrals take me. I heard one of the Weaveresses was talking about using me as a prisoner. Or worse. I have… no desire to be used by anyone anymore. You have done me a kindness twice over now, and I have nothing to offer."

"It doesn't matter if you have nothing to offer," Shiv replied. "I help people because it's a sign. A sign of strength, a sign of what I want to do. It's the point of being a Pathbearer. It's not to take from the world. It's to do things in it. I don't want to help you because I was going to get something out of it. I helped you because I wanted to. And because the world can't stop me.”

Angelo's eyes widened a little bit, but then he bowed his head, and slowly he retreated back into the Court Leviathan, away from the light, where he languished alone once more.

"And there goes another mystery," Shiv muttered to himself. But Angelo's recommendation still echoed in his mind. “Novelty, huh? Alright, let's see if I can make some novel viruses that my body can't quite keep up with. Wait. Some of the viruses and stuff are still lodged inside the Court Leviathan. The Biomancer just turned them off earlier.”

Shiv looked down at Courtney. “Alright. Let’s see if I can transplant some of your blood into me and trigger some of these diseases. Make it like a… implanted plague dispenser.”

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[User]
Write 107 (I) Open
Target length: ~2900 words

[Assistant]
Scouts are the eyes, nose, tongue, ears, mouth, skin—everything that relates to the senses—of an army.

No scouts means that you're fighting blind, that you're just a mass of firepower stumbling around in the general direction in which you're supposed to march. No scouts means that someone's going to slit your arteries while you sleep, that someone's going to burn and butcher your supply train while you aren't looking. That someone's going to loot your tent and camp clean, is going to poison your food, your water, and is going to start cutting throats while you sleep at night.

Scouts are essential. Shadows, Assassins, Thieves—they're essential. They might not be the single most important component of an army, but without them, you're almost certain to lose.

Before every battle begins, there's the skirmish. There are the knife fights in the dark. There are Pathbearers with Stealth skills, with high levels of Awareness, blinking through shadows, scouring out paths for the rest of their forces to travel, and figuring out where the opposition lies in ambush. You need scouts to counter other scouts. You need scouts to figure out where things are.

And you need scouts most of all if you are the inferior army, if you don't have the necessary force projection to match someone else head-on. That's when scouts, infiltrators, and saboteurs shine: when they're crippling the enemy and bringing them down from the inside.

Hell, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for our scouts. My wife wouldn't be here. All of us would be sleeping with the worms had their lengths of steel passed through our backs or been dragged across our necks. And because your enemy has scouts, you're gonna need scouts.

Because if not... Well, you ever wander into the jungle at night alone, without any equipment? You see eyes looking at you from the dark, but you don't know what exactly's staring at you? Yeah, it's kinda like that.

Except, you likely won't know what kills you. Or worse, what carries you off and takes you as a prisoner.

-Memoirs of a Master-Tier War Mage

107 (I)

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A single, hair-thin strand of Psychomancy mana slipped into the Court Leviathan, seeking a certain Deathless. The string of translucent mana scoured the creature, sliding through each of its many brains, trying to pinpoint the exact location of Shiv’s whereabouts.

Uva could have asked Adam, but she'd found the Gate Lord slumped over and asleep within the Garden of Bountiful Alloy. Nearby, Valor and Can Hu watched over him while going through the Educator’s burned tome.

Hence, Uva sought Shiv out herself. She was done with interrogating the Owl for now, and with the Null Mont situation temporarily resolved, she wanted to see how Shiv was doing.

Even with the battle over, they were constantly pressed with tasks and things to do. There was hardly a moment for all of them to talk and figure things out—or to just exist.

Well, the strands briefly stopped as they examined a certain Angelo. The man's mind was awash with trauma, wailing and weeping. To describe him as something physical, he was a brutally infected wound, leaking pus and foul ichor out every passing second. He was still sane, but just barely. Right now, his mind was pointed inwards, the current of his thoughts cascading inversely. A sign that he was holding to the past, unable to emerge from the shadows lining his memories.

Uva considered slipping her Psychomancy thread through the vampire once more, examining him, learning what he was actually thinking about right now. She decided against it. Usually, the only things Uva contemplated regarding the bloodsuckers were how to kill them, how to break their minds, how to destroy their culture and bring down their Faith. But this one… There wasn't much left to break, and frankly, she didn't think there was much she could inflict upon him that his own kind hadn't already, and worse.

She continued on, a single strand circling through hallways, partially destroyed and reclaimed by spreading masses of flesh. She glanced into rooms, mostly obliterated by Shiv's inertial detonations, with little more than shards and debris embedded within the body of the Court Leviathan remaining. The insides of the creature were about as ruined as the gate. There would need to be a substantial rebuilding effort before it could serve as a troop carrier, or frankly, whatever Shiv wanted it to be, aside from a provider of flesh—a dedicated and ethical supply of meat.

But that was up to him. And only him. He made sure of that when he “convinced” Exalted Mother Null Mont she'd made a stupid mistake with some help from Adam and Valor.

It was good that he didn't actually hurt the Weaveress, but still, the way he treated her made Uva uncomfortable, extremely uncomfortable. On some level, Uva understood the Exalted Mother was taking advantage of the Honored Guests and was being foolish and impulsive in ordering Uva away from the gate. Even if her suspicions about the Dreamtaker’s eldritch influence, about Uva’s potential subversion, were correct, there was a way of doing things, a way to be efficient and effective while also ensuring a Cherished Sister wasn’t compromised.

Null Mont thought of none of that. Null Mont was short-sighted, and Null Mont was narcissistic. But Null Mont was not suicidal. And ultimately, after some threats and a meal, Null Mont was pacified, at least for now.

In part, Uva was grateful for that, but the developments also troubled her. She wondered if she could have solved the problem herself, convinced Exalted Mother Null Mont to allow her to remain at the Gate, to have her see the folly in her actions, the blindness in her choices.

The answer was a culturally-engineered no.

Shiv was right. Uva could have done a number of things to Null Mont. The Weaveress had a few Master-Tier skills, but she was no Psychomancer, and she was relatively unblooded in combat. Uva could taste the inexperience on her. But even so, something rooted deep in her psyche screamed at her every time she thought lowly or poorly of the Weaveress. It was sacrilege. Unthinkable. Wrong. Just like doubting the Composer was wrong. Just like how every vampire was supposed to be a slaving monster that indulged in cruelty and bloodlust in equal measure. Yet here was Angelo. Yet, here was Null Mont. Yet here Uva was, lost in her own growing doubts as she searched for Shiv.

Two months ago, such wrongthink would have been immediately repressed. Yes, there were problems at Weave, but they were inflicted by outside agents, by agitators, by enemies. The surface was the land that harbored her mother's murderer and the ones who inflicted so much damage on the Abyss.

The Composer was the only reason Weave was protected, the only reason Weave was at all. And it was the Umbrals, and to a lesser extent her Weaveresses, that failed to uphold her glory. But increasingly, whispers of doubt began to surface in Uva's mind. No more were they like sediment at the bottom of her thoughts and memories. They were rising now, like buoyant pieces of driftwood breaking free from wreckages long lost.

"You cling," the Dreamtaker sang out to Uva. "Clinging hurts you deeply, cripples your development, blinds you."

"I am not blind," Uva shot back, a slow, aching feeling turning to reflexive outrage. "I am… I am merely ruminating. My thoughts are slightly in disarray. This is not blindness, this is just…"

"This is you trying to come up with a reason, trying to process the flaws of those you thought were better."

Uva considered how she was to reply to that. The Dreamtaker, as strange as she was, seemed a relatively benign entity, despite the harm she inflicted upon her mind and the minds of other people around her.

"I pity you. You fear the colors you cannot see. You do not wish to perceive them. I pity you. And envy you. You have a journey, a journey away from the limitations of consciousness."

"What?" Uva replied.

"Consciousness. It is like a cage. There are boundaries to where you end, boundaries where the world begins and you don't reach. You are… like a foreign body drifting through the vastness. No wonder you all feel so alone. No wonder you cling to each other. No wonder your thoughts turn so malformed. You are searching for consciousness. It is a terrible thing. I regret the System infesting me with it. But I adore the fact that I can see it now."

Slowly, Uva closed in on the signature of thought hidden deep within the lower middle of the Court Leviathan. Considering that no one else should be aboard the massive creature, she expected that was where she'd find Shiv.

"You truly think consciousness is a negative thing?" Uva asked.

"I think the way you think is broken. You are shaped by belief, for there is a pattern engraved inside of you, patterns from your culture, from your society. Because you cannot be of the world, you are not of the world. You start inside a vessel, your own flesh, but your colors, they don't intermingle. Not like me, not like me at all, not yet. A shame, a pity, a wonder, a journey, a mystery for you to uncover, to seek, to become, if you so choose."

It was hard to decipher what the Dreamtaker was saying sometimes, but Uva thought she got the gist. The Dreamtaker was closer to being a dimension unto itself rather than a singular being. But she might also be a singular being now that the System had infested her with mana.

Infested with mana, Uva thought to herself. The very concept made her shudder. Was the System some kind of infection as well? Some kind of disease that spread across souls? Was it a disease that composed souls? Another unnerving thing that intruded into Uva's mind when she already had so many to face.

"There. Another flaw. Another misshape in your mind. In your way. You find things horrifying, terrible, because you don't know, because you don't understand. But I don't know what it is like to not know, to not understand. Things are, and they are not. They are expressed, or they do not exist."

"Is there nothing you fear?" Uva asked. "Not the Stranger, not another Eldritch?"

The Dreamtaker was silent for a while, but then it responded. "Does the sunrise fear your broken moon? Does the sea fear the land, or the way the wind dances, carrying gravel in its wake?" There was something strangely alluring in the way the Dreamtaker described things.

"No," the Dreamtaker answered its own question. "There is no capacity for fear. It does not exist. Not yet. We are infested. We are bearing tumors of self-awareness, but we are not fully self-aware. The System's metastasization is not complete. We are still more Outside, a concept animated, rather than a mind uncovering. A mind like you."

Uva felt a traitorous desire slip through her, much like the thoughts she had before. The thoughts doubting the Composer, the Weaveresses, doubting even the fundamentals of her own culture. She suppressed it, but the Dreamtaker let out something as close to a sigh as it could possibly make. It was a broken sound, this discordant melody that sawed at Uva's very psychology.

"Again, again, why? Why do you mutilate yourself? Why do you mutilate the colors that spring from you, Seeker? You have the capacity, so much capacity to reshape your own mind, to face what is. Why turn away?" The Dreamtaker paused. "Go further. Even if you blind yourself, it is not protection. Denial is not a defense. Open yourself more. Open yourself to everything, everything there is. Do not fear being infected. You are already infected. Not by me, but your culture. Not by me, but existing patterns, beliefs crawling like viruses. Twisting your mind away from what is, what actually is. The Fundament of the thing."

"The Fundament?" Uva echoed.

"You see things, but then you mask them with signs. With an illusion of your perception. But you are a mind-dancer. You are a Psychomancer. Break the illusion you have drunk so deeply. You alone, among many, have limbs of heart and mind. You alone are the shaper of personal meaning. And you alone can dissolve meaning and simply see things for what they are."

Uva felt something shiver within her, something shift and dance behind her eyes. Colors she couldn’t describe, but colors that painted new possibilities. Colors there if she just reached out for them.

“There is a reason you delved deep inside we of the Outside and returned whole. Changed. But unbroken. Mutated. But not deviant. Not twisted. Think. Open yourself. Open…”

And finally, Uva drew near to Shiv. Her Psychomancy thread flipped through a final set of walls, and she found herself in a rank chamber. It was a little bit like one of the chambers in Elaboration, an observation room overlooking an experimental cell of some kind. Or perhaps a containment unit. Through a reinforced window was another chamber. Its walls were furrowed with slick substances and countless glistening pores.

It seemed like some kind of malformed womb, and a feeling of revulsion went through her immediately. But standing at the center of the room was Shiv. He was stripped down to nothing, and a look of absolute focus painted his expression. He constantly drew in lungfuls of air, and Uva wondered what he was doing. But then she saw it. A bubbling of pustules bursting across his chest and abdomen, only to fade a moment later. Shiv blinked, shaking his head. His thoughts swayed slightly, and Uva recognized the patterns of those movements. The way his focus shook—like that of a drunk.

Wait, he wasn’t like a drunk—Shiv was drunk.

And then she recalled how his Plaguefueled skill worked. Ah, she thought to herself with a dry exasperation, alloyed with the faintest bits of astonishment. Her dear brute was nothing if not stubborn, and nothing if not enduring. It expressed itself in his skills, and it expressed itself in his every action. She guessed that he was in this chamber because he was infecting himself with plague after plague, malady after malady.

But was he doing it to improve a skill? Or just for the pleasure of imbibing diseases? Uva didn’t know. And thus, she finally dipped the tip of her Psychomancy thread into his mind, and he responded, looking in the thread's general direction.

"Oh, hey, Uva," he replied. He let out a slight cough, but then that affliction faded as well, burned away by his hypercharged immune system. She regarded him through his own eyes, observing his body, and Uva felt a rush of heat inside of her.

"Do diseases make you larger?" Uva asked. “Because you seem… bigger somehow.”

He let out a low chuckle. "Yeah, something like that. And not just like alcohol for me, it's like a steroid too. I feel all kinds of drunk, but also, it doesn't just make my muscles bigger, it makes me harder, it makes me faster, and… it feels pretty good."

"It's addicting," Uva said, sensing the enjoyment ingrained within Shiv. Absorbing the diseases lined his mind in layers of pleasure, the same kind of pleasure one might feel when gambling or doing substances meant to spike the neurochemistry.

The same way Uva's neurochemistry was being affected right now, with what she could see. "So," she said, trying to distract herself. "Have you made some progress regarding your Practical Metabiology? I trust this is more than just an exercise in pseudo-alcoholism.”

Practical Metabiology 36 > 37

"A bit," he replied. "I think I'm getting some understanding of how a virus and a few other diseases work. I've been reviewing the most common disease types, along with the most infectious. I have to go with infectious because my plague field burns through most things too fast. So far, none of the diseases I managed to inflict on myself lasted that long, but then again, I am making pretty amateurish ones."

He let out a laugh. "That vampire bastard's all kinds of messed up, but his bio-molecular control is something else. It's like he's some kind of disease chef. Down to the last detail, he's got it all figured out. But it's more than just that. He can put his own spin on things. He sees connections that aren't even there, or at least that I can't grasp. I feel like an alley kid looking at Georges again. I guess that's how things always are when you don't have the experience."

Uva hummed in agreement. She knew the feeling. As a child, she was a diligent student, but still, she remembered times where she was utterly lost as well, where she marveled at someone else's skill. Frankly, she still marveled at Fel's understanding of how fabrics worked. Uva, comparatively, was just a dabbler. It was one of her unspoken regrets.

Her father, supposedly, had been a tailor before one of the blood-plagues took him, and while a few of her sisters veered closer to him in spirit, Uva merely touched on her father's skills and went no deeper. She didn’t have a true talent there. Only an interest. A dabbler’s touch.

But it can be more than that, Uva thought. I can be more than just a Psychomancer. A lot more...

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