It all happened in the flash of an eye. Captain Caulk stood near the helmsman, chatting about the stragglers they rescued. Things about them didn’t make much sense, but the proud Hawkfolk was no stranger to survival. The small holes in their story mattered little when it was clear they fought and struggled to live. They were refugees from a neighboring country with direct experience with what happened on that horrible day. Even a part of him wondered if they could shed light on that mysterious announcement— one that sent shivers of fear into the hearts of him and his soldiers since it seemed like a great god was speaking to the soul of every man, woman, and child.
Unfortunately for the morale of his crew, he was stuck with more mouths to feed. A vocal minority had problems because their supplies were already stretched thin. Plymoise usually acquired food from Ria’s dock since they were so close to each other. That path was sealed off weeks ago when their Holy Lord shut down the dungeon. They turned to the other city-states to fill the slack, but the terms weren't favorable. And then they were hastily mobilized to investigate Ria with a supply hold not even 1/10th enough for the number of warriors stationed on his vessel.
There's no better way to destroy a town than to cut away its life support. I’ll never understand what that foolish lord was thinking. Her fatuousness begets trouble for those who rely on Ria. She’ll have problems getting others to trust her in the future.
But with an order from his hawk-like mouth, his men had no choice but to make the necessary sacrifices and cut back even further on their food. Even the captain did the same, choosing two days with an empty stomach for the sake of his soldiers. Towing the vessel delayed the return. It held supplies he would have used had its crew been dead or empty. However, if things worsened, he would have no choice but to use the food it held to make up the difference.
But it looked like that wouldn’t happen. By Captain Caulk's estimate, they were expected to reach Plymoise’s dock before noon.
Twelve hours... Half-a-day... Let us hope the chaos from that mysterious voice has been contained.
“Captain, the fog’s been thick for the past two days.”
“I can see that. We aren’t in the rainy reason.”
“Do you think it’s a bad omen, sir? With everything that’s happened in the past week, it’s hard to think of it as anything but that. Almost like the world is about to tumble around us.”
“I suppose you’re not wrong to think like that. I can’t blame you. Perhaps we all need a week’s worth of rest? I’ll discuss it with the ruling lady when we arrive. The other ships should be ready to be christened. The Mengoire has done its duties faithfully. It needs to be examined extensively.”
“Understood, captain. I could go for a cup of mead. Or even a ham hock. Marinated and roasted over honey? Doesn’t that make you hungry?”
Before Captain Caulk could respond, disaster struck.
“CAPTAIN!!!!!! LOOK TO THE PORT AND STARBOARD!!!! There’s mana coalescing!!!!”
From high on the crow’s nest came a frantic report. Captain Caulk instantly looked to the left and right, and not a moment later, the hazy, thick fog that was so prevalent the previous days slowly thinned, revealing two Concordian-class battleships. They were smaller and nimbler, with just two masts instead of three, compared to the Mengoire.
Time slowed to a crawl when the captain looked at the flag the ships flew.
It matched the one displayed on Captain Caulk’s vessel. But the second rectangle was filled with orange, indicating that these ships were from Atrix—another city-state of Parthina-- and one embattled in a cold war with Plymoise.
It seemed that the war had turned hot.
As rehearsed a thousand times before, the captain immediately barked orders, telling everyone to assume battle positions. Those in the canteen enjoying their late-night dinner dropped everything to put their training into action. The cannons on both sides were loaded in minutes. Those of the mage battalion were weaving their protective spells to protect against incoming damage. The archers were gathering arrows and dumping the tips in oil.
Captain Caulk took his elite squad and flew to the crow’s nest, keeping a sharp eye until he heard the ready signal.
And once he did, he lifted his hand and waited, not wanting to be the one who attacked first. If possible, he’d like to end this in peace. Using a spell to enhance his voice, he called out to the approaching ships and demanded they return to whence they came. They were violating Plymoise territory by being here.
“Captain, there’s no response. I see sailors on the Vladoif preparing their chainshots. I recommend—” Dyltol, Caulk’s right-hand man, was interrupted by enemy cannon fire.
And then the fight was on. The mage battalion created a barrier barely in time to block the initial barrage. It bounced like rubber hitting a wall, but the ship was still pushed away. The light blue protective shield went down momentarily to allow the Mengoire’s crew a chance to return fire. Being a Craine-ship battleship designed with military specifications, it had twelve cannons on each side of the deck and twelve more on the mid-level.
A total of 48-- 24 per side.
The Mengoire fired a salvo once it was in position. The dense balls of lead mostly missed their targets, but a few made solid contact. The archers all fired a load of arrows, their flaming tips igniting the night sky, but a wave of wind magic from the Vladoif sent them scattering while the Mengoire’s crew reloaded.
An incoming wave of [Homing Bolt] launched from the Findlay zigzagged around the sky, destroying Mengoire’s chance to let loose a second volley. The shields had to come up, but they were too late. The colorless spells exploded on the ship’s deck. Four men were blasted overboard, but there was no time to extend a lifejacket or rope because the shields were needed.
Captain Caulk cursed this turn of events as the incoming cannons from the Findlay and the Validoif fired a collective attack of twenty-four cannonballs and sixteen explosive balls. That was enough to break through the mage battalion’s defenses, causing the fourteen members to fall to their hands and knees. Blood leaked from their pores, but another wave of [Homing Bolt] was coming in fast!
Those bastards had time to prepare a staggered attack. Even if they were smaller, the two ships were full of supplies. As it stood, the Mengoire only had enough armaments to launch another handful of cannons.
“BRACE FOR IMPACT!!!!” Captain Caulk shouted, holding onto the mast. Forty-two spells slammed into the ship where it met the water. The engineers in the hold immediately focused on patching and de-flooding, but the fight didn’t look favorable for the captain. He formed a fist tight enough to break through his armored gloves, then figured a close combat battle would be the safer belt. Only he and his squad could fly, so they landed on the deck and grabbed the first officer. They were commanding the medics to fetch all their mana potions.
But before he could cough away the firesalts’ lingering scents and bark out what would likely be his final orders...
That High Elf he rescued… The one who killed the pirates…
She was standing on the deck-- amid the fire, flames, and chaotic discourse.
There are two attacking ships, my lord.
Tris’s voice echoed around my head as I rushed through the ship to get to the deck. She remained with Mom and the others and telepathically communicated with me.
“Hey—Hey!!! You can’t-- Aaahhhh!!!!!” Some deckhand tried to stop me, but an impact threw us to the ground. Standing, I dashed away and equipped my guns as I leapt over a fallen beam. The stairs to the deck were right there. The smell of firesalts lingered in the thick, sooty air. I was immune to fire, but not the ashy, burnt smell. Captain Caulk’s soldiers rushed to reload the cannons while helping a group of passed-out mages.
But I stood there for a moment, taking in the hectic atmosphere.
This was war.
It had to have been.
Atrix and Plymoise? Tris told me the attacking country’s name, but my Fragment of Wisdom didn’t know their history. But this couldn’t have been anything else but an ambush.
How foolish...
“Surtr. Your lord needs you.”
“I was biding my time awaiting your command,” Surtr growled, emerging beside me.
“Show me what you can do. I desire to see your power,” I said, leaping to its back.
Instead of replying, Surtr roared and started running. The great beast leapt into the water, but we did not sink because ice formed under its paws. But then we ascended as flaming platforms appeared under Surtr’s paws. Once we were high enough, my lion roared and gathered mana in its mouth. The air trembled, vibrating against the great power. Surtr launched a beam of pure fire across the Vladoif’s deck, slamming into the protective barrier. The group of barrier mages contorting their faces in agony passed out. Blood flowed from their lips and eyes as it looked like invisible glass shattered. The stationary flames fell to the deck, causing chaos.
I pulled my rifle and took aim while Surtr dodged the incoming arrows and spells. This variant of the Winchester Model 1873 didn't have a scope, but [Eyes of the Huntress] and [Deadeye] kicked in. It was like I unlocked another function of the former, which gave my eyes a 2x zoom. My experience from Reina, the skill obtained from [Firearm], and [Deadeye], made me enough of a marksman to pick off heads at 200 feet with the naked eye while constantly moving on a dodging, jumping lion.
The gun works like a dream... It’s so perfect... It feels just right. I wonder if Reina is responsible for that?
Panicked soldiers rushed out onto the deck with buckets full of water, but they became intimate with death a moment later. Through the smoke and chaos, a cannon on the Findlay turned my way. Tris relayed commands to Surtr, who performed evasive maneuvers. Meanwhile, I gathered [Fireball] around my hand and threw it into the cannon, exploding the firesalts and causing the weapon to fall through the deck.
Tris’s commands are coming in late…and my map is stuttering… I wonder if that’s because she’s on cooldown? At least her skills are still functional… There must be a way to increase her processing powers to prevent this. Will it happen if she evolves again?
Surtr went left, then right. The lion dashed straight to the water and ran along the surface, doing and outrunning homing magic with the evasiveness the king of the jungle was meant to have. Leaping thrice to reach 320 feet in the air, I gripped its body with my legs, quickly reloaded, and sent four more foolish bastards on the Vladoif to hell.
The chaos a High Elf and her lion caused meant all the attention was on us. Tris informed me Captain Caulk was using this breath of fresh air to regroup and issue orders, which I saw in a separate map window she had made.
It was already chaotic, so why not do more? Stashing the gun on my back, I played Susize’s flute while leaping from Surtr’s back. The melody I played was hauntingly eerie, foreshadowing a parade of death, fire, and brimstone. When it ended four seconds later, great, grand, royal black wings with red energy-like pulsing veins appeared.
My lord, there is a third ship approaching from the north. The Durely is flying Atrix’s flag. What are your orders? Tris’s voice echoed in my head. I looked towards the prismatic pillar of light she used to mark it.
It flickered in and out and couldn’t remain stable.
“I see soldiers on borrowed time. Surtr, take them out. Leave no survivors."
Surtr roared and took off running. My rifle transformed into Kronto. I activated {Lightning Dive}. Yellow sparks danced around me, forming a barrier as I suddenly launched towards the Vladoif like lightning. The hull stood no chance as I carved a hole to the ocean. With {Lightning Jump}, I pierced upward through the deck, becoming surrounded by a few soldiers still worth their salt. The spear vanished, a revolver taking its place. Six shots rang out when I fanned the hammer, striking the closest Snakefolk in center mass. His armor was durable, but I flew out of range of his spear’s retaliation while reloading.
Morale was low. It was as clear as anything. From a two-ship advantage under the cover of an ambush, Atrix's hard work to take out the Mengoire was pathetic. As I was now, these small fries were like ants.
The strength from assimilating Oswell’s bounty-hunting group showed its form. But it was also my new mindset. I couldn’t sustain from acquiring power. Fighting? I had to embrace it.
I didn’t even need to reload six rounds. Three were enough, and I put them into the cowering soldier hiding underneath a corpse near the helm. His cries shocked the Snakefolk. During that moment, I switched my rifle, transfigured Kronto as a bayonet, and ran the slithering bastard through, bypassing his weakened armor. His blood dripped to my hands, and I threw his corpse off my spear.
Suddenly, my mana dropped by sixty percent as five flaming pentagons appeared around the Durely. From this great distance, their screams and fruitless panic reached my ears. Surtr roared once more, and the pentagons turned into flaming pillars. They twisted like a tornado, conjoining into one destructive force that tore the ship apart while scorching the ocean’s surface. It rampaged wildly out of control, consuming those who thought they could escape by throwing themselves overboard.
Tris’s voice appeared, telling me the Mengoire was about to launch a countervolley against the Findlay. Numerous loud explosions a breath later confirmed her words. She opened a small window in my vision of the captain and his Hawkfolk elite squad flying to the vessel. They all had their great swords out and skewered the soldiers trying to repair damage to their vessel. I had wings. It seemed simple and effective, so I altered my strategy. Flapping my wings, I moved away from the ship and charged at the fools dumb enough to put up a fight. It was like shish kebab. Head? Heart? Torso? Stomach? It didn’t matter where I impaled them because I was too agile for them to hit.
Once their blood stained my hands, and I had left a graveyard’s worth of corpses behind, I descended into the hold after commanding Tris to mark this ship’s captain. The passage was damp from the water flooding at the bottom, and everything was broken or shattered from my piercing dive. The captain was huddling in his office, using his axe to break through so he could escape with his life.
But he stopped—no, they all stopped when I let my oppressive mana loose. It was like a thick haze of visible despair drenched the ship, overpowering their senses and reminding them of their darkest nightmares.
The terror on their faces...
I doubted they ever thought the fight would turn out like this.
No one put up a struggle, and it was as easy as dodging from person to person and thrusting my spear through their hearts, piercing their pathetic armor, or slicing and using the tip to slit their necks—almost skin to stabbing fish in a barrel. All those standing before me or cowering were killed like the gutless trash they were as drops of slime quickly devoured the bodies. The captain wetted himself after I kicked down the door once assimilation had been hastily completed.
I couldn’t do it above deck, but below?
That was fine.
GGGRRROOOOAAANNNNNNNNN!!!!
The ship cried. With the damage I inflicted, Surtr’s flame attack, and the chaos, this ship wouldn't survive much longer. Another loud set of booms hinted at the Mengoire firing a second salvo towards the Findlay.
Before I knew it, I was slightly smirking. My wings spread open, flapping fast and hard to launch me like a rocket through the ship's stern. I skewered the Duckfolk captain of the Vladoif on my spear like a chunk of fresh meat. His screams were endless. I let him watch destruction incarnate. Grabbing him by the neck, I used [Chimeric Armatization] with [Fire Rain] to cause a drenching downpour of pure fire. In almost no time at all, the ship was almost completely engulfed. The flames must’ve hit a stockpile of firesalts because it exploded a second later, marking the end of this vessel.
Tris opened a map window of Captain Caulk. He and his warriors were in combat with a one-eyed Silver Orc—the captain of the Findlay— and his bodyguards. Morale and excitement were not on his side.
And neither were the rest of his soldiers. One coward snuck up from behind and stabbed the Silver Orc through the neck, allowing Caulk to cleave off the orc’s arm with [Jump Slash]. The rest of Atrix’s soldiers revolted against their other commanding officers, bringing a rapid end as the Mengoire prepared its final salvo. The Findlay had fourteen holes right where the water met the hull, but she was still sea-worthy at the moment.
Surtr returned to me a few seconds later, and I showered the beast in affection and praise. We rode back to the Mengoire together, where I was met with fear and skepticism. To answer their burning question, I played my flute. The wings reverted, and I explained [Song Magic] and [Flight]—my two lies that allowed me to grow wings and fly without tipping people off about my chimerism.
“So, no. I am not a chimera. I am a High Elf known as Lyudmila Springfield. Nothing more, and nothing else.”
Then, and only then, was I met with a proper round of applause and cheering. Surtr soaked it up, roaring like a king.
Captain Caulk returned a few minutes later with a gaggle of prisoners and a barely floating vessel. I told him the same thing I told his men, and I could see that his guard and anxious expression were put to rest.
“What do you think we should do, Lord Springfield? At times like this, I value the aged wisdom from a High Elf such as yourself.” Captain Caulk and I were watching his Hawkfolk soldiers escort over the prisoners. The Findlay had about forty more minutes before it sank to a watery abyss, but a few engineers were working hard to keep it floating.
“Kill them. That’s my choice. Anyone who attacks my family will die. If that ship’s crew didn’t want this fight, they should have mutinied earlier.”
“Agreed. But I cannot do that. Atrix committed a grave error tonight. As such... I must take them into custody and alert the ruling lady. More than ever, I will need your testimony to the truth. Allow me to thank you and apologize. Without your excellent aim and powerful spirit, I regret to say that they would have gotten the better of us. But you are our guest. You shed blood in our defense.”
“My family’s aboard this ship. Those onis? That girl in the hat? The cyclops and Catfolk? They’re the only ones I have in this world. If you had tried to stop me from joining the fight, we would be standing on different sides.”
“Spoken like a true warrior, Lord Springfield. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Surtr.”
“Lord Springfield?” My lion turned from the praise and looked deadly serious, awaiting any order I might have wanted to give. It was comforting to have something like it on my side. Even if it towered over me by a good two feet, I wasn't taking its strength and loyalty for granted.
“Remain on deck to keep watch over the prisoners. You have my permission to scare and keep them in line, but you are not to eat them unless they attack first.”
“Understood, Lord Springfield,” roared my lion.
I asked Captain Caulk if that was acceptable, and he nodded. “By the by, what are your plans with that one? Was he not the commander of—”
“Oh, I forgot about him,” I said, dropping the Duckfolk captain like a pile of bricks. Captain Caulk’s warriors forced the Duckfolk to his feet and slapped a pair of restraints around him. “Do what you want. I don’t care. You already know what I would’ve done. I want to return to my family, so please handle things here.”
Captain Caulk nodded, then thanked me and Surtr once more. But the overwhelming praise didn’t come from only him.
When I returned below deck and passed by the mess hall, word of my exploits had already spread. It looked like they wanted to pat me on the back, but no one dared to touch me.
If I were an elf, then maybe. But High Elf? Even a king or queen would think twice about touching one without any discernible good reason.
Maybe that’s enough reason to remain one… I wonder if it’ll do more harm than good to masquerade as a normal elf?
This victory wasn’t without fatalities, though. Seven crew members perished before Surtr and I made it to the deck, and eight more passed after being thrown overboard by attacks they couldn’t defend against. They panicked, swam too close to the ship, and were effectively run over. Their corpses were currently being recovered.
Was I sad?
No, I didn’t think I was. I only fought because my family was on board. After finally making my way through the happy crew, I opened the door to our room and found myself in Irisa’s arms.
“Are you injured?” Dad asked.
“I’m fine, but what about you? Tris kept me informed, but...”
It turned out they didn’t suffer any damage. The moment I left, their guardian lions emerged, smaller than they were previously, and guarded them. Tris didn’t have the spare processing power to show them a live view of my battle.
I was thankful for that... I had fought brutally and without mercy, although Tris telepathically told me she wouldn’t have displayed the battle even if her capabilities were restored because she knew I didn’t want that.
It turned out that fighting on lion back with a western rifle was not a common sight, especially for a High Elf—much less one with [Song Magic] and [Flight] to disguise her chimerism. Irisa was almost back to her happy, smiling self. The pain of taking life wouldn’t be eliminated from her heart completely.
And maybe that was for the better. Once you crossed that line, it could never be uncrossed. You couldn’t change the past, no matter what you did. I just hoped Irisa wouldn’t let the nightmares fester.
As for me? My time for nightmares was long gone. You could say my actions tonight were to reassure myself on this path I needed to travel.
And there was no chance in hell I was going to give up.
Whatever made me a chimera... It had to deal with the consequences.
I didn’t give a fuck about that barrier that was supposedly weakening. Why would I when the only desire on my mind was to turn Cridia into a hotbed of death and flames?
It didn't take long for exhaustion to reach my family. They soon drifted to sleep. The lions went to their bracelets, and Primrose returned to her core to lessen the stress on Niva.
Tris apologized for her 'lack of adequate service' due to her cooldown and continued to pray to me.
I told Tris she didn’t have to apologize. Her help was instrumental, which made her blush.
“Mistress? You’re silent. Are you okay?” Niva’s sweet voice jolted me from a hasty daydream a few minutes later.
“Ah, I’m fine. Just a little dream.” I fished for her hand and held it, then watched a laggy image of Surtr scaring the living shit out of those terrified prisoners. They were forced to sit on the deck with their hands and legs bound with chains. Only those seriously in danger of death received minimal healing. “I love you, Niva. I just wanted you to know that.”
I couldn’t say I felt sorry for them.
I wanted to assimilate more, so most of the dead were wasted potential power that was sinking to the ocean’s bottom.
That was fine, though, since this was the beginning of a new chapter of my life. Once we reached land, it would be a new country with a new culture. A fresh start for me, and I knew my immediate plans. I knew what I was going to do to get stronger.
Hopefully, Sekh would be there right beside me.
And Tilde, too. Days later, there was no sign she was even close to returning to my life.
“Hehe! I love you too, Mistress!” Niva’s precious smile was all I needed at the moment.
When dawn rolled around, I walked to the deck, bypassing soldiers drunk on last night’s victory. The prisoners were all restrained to one area, and they sat back-to-back, foot to foot, and they all had dark black bags over their heads with gags fastened in their mouths. Captain Caulk stood near the bow, a spyglass held to his eye. Hearing my footsteps, he turned and welcomed me good morning.
I wonder if there's an equivalent to the Geneva Conventions? Probably not.
He said we had a good wind last night, so we were expected to arrive at port in about two hours. The men he left behind to repair the Findlay were scheduled to show up six hours later with the captured boat. Nodding, I rubbed the grand king of the jungle under its chin. Surtr gave me a quick report of last night.
“Good work. If you’re tired, you can return your bracelet. If not, remain on deck.”
“Understood, Lord Springfield.” Surtr nodded its large head and yawned, enjoying the morning sun against its back. But its flaming, red eyes never let the prisoners out of sight.
As for me? I went back to our room and spent some time with my family. Dad was up, so I picked his brain. I tried to get his help to figure out more of the Latin language. It seemed we had to first identify the primary subject-- the element-- before we moved on to any modifiers, but learning a language was difficult. One from an entirely different world? Bordering on impossible, especially if you didn't have anything to decipher.
Tris joined in, devoting 80% of her resources while using the remaining to watch for danger via [Skyview]. It meant halting production, but that was fine since I had over a hundred revolver and rifle rounds. We had too little to use to start decoding it, but it wouldn’t hurt to try.
Mom and Irisa attempted to help, and Niva was lost. Primrose wasn’t linguistically gifted, and my [Scholar’s Tongue] wouldn’t work since Latin wasn’t from this world.
The only ones who could realistically help me were my former teacher and Quella, but that wasn't an option. Those sons of bitches were dead the next time I saw them. Growing annoyed, I cast their names out of my mind and spent the remaining time helping Niva practice [Mana Perception].
Well, that’s not true. I can plagiarize other mages if I level the skill enough. That’s an option. I must get enough SP to buy it… It’s so expensive.
About two hours later, the captain knocked at our door and said the dock to Plymoise’s ministry building was within view. We joined him on the deck, seeing the harbor reserved for government business. The building itself reminded me of a congressional structure—almost like the congress building the United States had, but it was also the ruling lady’s personal estate.
And green. It was...just so very green...
“You don’t need all of us there, do you? Will myself, Tris, and Surtr be enough?” I asked the captain. “My family has emergency business to take care of.”
“That will not be a problem. Dyltol!”
“Sir?”
“Fly ahead and request a carriage to be prepared at once.”
“Yes, sir!” Dyltol saluted, got a running start, lept off the ship's bow, and took flight, flapping his wings.
“When I’m finished here, I’ll catch up to you, okay?” I told my family.
Mom and Dad thanked Captain Caulk. Surtr inquired if it should return to my bracelet, and I nodded.
“Very well. Call upon me whenever you please, Lord Springfield. I look forward to spilling the blood of your enemies,” growled Surtr. It almost looked like its face had a smile.
Binged this novel over the weekend and am thoroughly enjoying it. I am a bit confused over why Mila goes back and forth with how she treats her classmates who wanted to save her. Of course, Meruria and everyone who voted yes for him to be voted out in the trial are dead men walking, even though they don't know it yet. But I am confused why Mila is being such a hard ass about Team Quella. Like, sure, she felt betrayed by everyone in that team based off what their 'hearts' said, and she certainly doesn't have to forgive them (even though what she holds against them is 100% false), but saying she'll just kill them if she sees them, that wasn't the impression I got earlier in the novel. There was at least some difference of feelings between Team Quella and those that just agreed with Meruria, and Will is 100% a traitor, but compared to Team Quella they don't stand up the same way. So I am just wondering if she actually still sees a difference or just doesn't f*cking care?
It feels like the way Mila is approaching everything related to them is seeing it in black and white, but its all Black and she is not considering that, "hey, maybe the trial was rigged as hell because A) Meruria gave 3 days for the trial and then expedited it to 12 hours, B) had Shuuta raped for everyone to see him, and C) everything he is basing it on is that the Bell is 100% true when there is substantial proof that it was Meruria who made it (which I find to be the most convincing point to illicit skepticism out of the 3)." Everyone who voted him verbally, totally dead. But by the Bell is a bit eh and even if Mila doesn't want to look on those memories or think about those "traitors" at all, I don't believe that there is no room for that to ever be investigated and considered.
I don't know what your plan is for when they encounter each other. Maybe Mila encounters some of the inconsequential people who voted her out first and kills them before any of the major named traitors or Team Quella, but obviously they will encounter each other eventually. I find it hard to believe Mila will adopt a murder now and figure out later response, murder them without telling them of her identity and how much she hates them, or completely refuse to engage with them at all. I find it more likely that some aspect or piece of information would encourage her to investigate the thing, maybe infiltrate Team Quella while they are out without revealing her identity at all in order to find out the truth, while simultaneously planning to kill them if the truth is that they did, in fact, betray her. Team Quella hates Meruria, that is no secret, and I highly doubt Mila would not be able to pick up on this fact through some simple observation or investigation over the period of a week.
Anyway, I'm just wanting clarity on if she actually equates Team Quella to Meruria and everyone else, even the pilot who had nothing to do with him in the first place, and why she doesn't see or is willing to see a difference? Trauma of course still exists for her, which can skew her judgement on that, but no way in hell now that she has a family and so many voices around her that NOBODY bothers to question it, especially Tris of all people. I mean, she was even able to hypothesize why Primrose was so defensive and harsh on the outside, but she can't fathom the possibility that the Bell wasn't rigged by Meruria?
Separate question: You said it was 2 months after being in the void and becoming a chimera that the intermissions happen. What timetable is everyone on? If we were to put Mila and Quella on the same timeline right now, am I correct in assuming that the Ria incident would be a total of 5 months since being summoned as Soul Warriors by Meruria? The intermissions at this point are happening maybe 4 months behind what we are seeing Mila going through right now?
Binged this novel over the weekend and am thoroughly enjoying it
Anyway, I'm just wanting clarity on if she actually equates Team Quella to Meruria and everyone else, even the pilot who had nothing to do with him in the first place, and why she doesn't see or is willing to see a difference?
Okay, so Mila knows that she's only here because her anger/wrath towards being betrayed is what alerted Sekh to Shuuta's soul when he was thrown in the void. It was fantastically bright and vibrant, and it was even enough to receive that Wrath divine skill.
Mila internally feels that she needs to keep those feelings to remain true to herself because she only met Sekh because of them.
Going against them or doubting them, to Mila, would mean doubting everything about her.
Mila goes more into this in a later chapter when she's cuddling with Irisa.
As for the pilot? He wasn't there when Shuuta was thrown through the portal. Lori and Ann weren't there, either. They were elsewhere, and we learn what they would've done at the trial in a later intermission from Quella's PoV.
But Mila doesn't harbor any anger towards them, although that will change if they decide to defend Meruria, fight for her, or stand in her way.
But by the Bell is a bit eh and even if Mila doesn't want to look on those memories or think about those "traitors" at all, I don't believe that there is no room for that to ever be investigated and considered.
You are correct. While Mila won't ever look back on those memories/she doesn't want to/will avoid it, the same can't be applied to Tris. Tris is logical. Her greatest strengths lie in collecting and analyizing data far more efficiently than anyone else. (She's similar to super computer). She knows that there is a non-zero chance the bell was rigged. She knows that it's likely Meruria had done something or used some ability to sway the trial just because of how quickly it happened. She's internally acknowledging a thousand different things that Mila probably hasn't thought of.
But Tris doesn't bring those points up because she has decided it would only harm Mila in the long run (at this point in time). Tris's sole goal is for Mila to be successful in whatever she does. If, at some point in the future, Tris acquires more information, crunches the data, and learns that Mila should investigate it further becuase it will help her more, then Tris will bring that point up and use the trust she's fostered with Mila to convince her. At this point, Mila probably wouldn't want to do that, but she trusts Tris more than she trusts herself.
You could say Tris knows more about Mila than Mila does. Tris is capable of looking at things rationally without emotion. Everything she does is backed by important info, but it's important to note that even she can be wrong when an unexpected variable pops up that she didn't account for. She's still a 'Fragment' of Wisdom, which implies that her abilities have room to grow further to increase the accuracy of her deductions.
(But Tris will learn from these variables. Her whole point is constantly learning and growing to further assist Mila.)
The same goes for Tilde. Tilde's lived an incredibly long life, and you can be sure that she most likely realized the bell was fake from the beginning/Meruria was making it ring. That kind of knowledge/instinct comes with living a long life/experiencing thousands and thousands of years worth of history.
But she didn't bring that up because she knew it wasn't the right time. Tilde knew it would be a mistake to tell Mila that her anger was most likely being purposely misdirected towards Team Quella.
Telling Mila that her anger is misdirected towards her classmates would be the quickest way to destroy any trust the two had shared, so that's why Tilde decided to wait. Perhaps she waited too long? Who knows when and if Tilde will return, but I'm sure she told Tris/the AI about what to do in case it doesn't happen.
This comment's getting a little longer than I thought, lol.
But yes, should it become relevant and be more vital to Mila's growth, Tris tell Mila that it's possible Meruria forced Team Quella to act as they did. Now, Tris doesn't have any information suggesting that Meruria has tampered with all their memories, but you can be sure that she's given it a little bit of a thought since it's a possibility. An unlikely one in her eyes since it would need incredible power, but something potentially possible, at the very least.
And if Mila's goal is to destroy/kill Meruria more than it is to take revenge on Team Quella, Tris will take that into account and suggest that she work together with Team Quella. But at this point, there's no way for her to measure or gauge Team Quella's abilities or strengths.
(In an upcoming chapter, we get to see Surtr's wisdom, so Mila has someone else looking out for her.)
Separate question
The Ria incident happens 153 days after the class was summoned, so about 5 months. Mila has spent about 3 months with Irisa and her family.
This naval battle takes place on the night of Day 161 / the morning of Day 162.
These intermissions are all happening before Day 60, which is when Shuuta's soul was summoned by Sekh.
Team Quella returned to Cridia around Day 14.
I have an intermission from Elly (a bunch of diary entires) coming up with dates and stuff, which should help a little with the timeline disparity.
The timetables will match by the latter half of Arc 4, so what happens in one intermission, at that point, is directly happening with what's happening in a numbered chapter.
So, I hoped that answered your questions. I kinda just started typing, lol. If there's anything else I can clarify, please leave a comment!
@RuggyRuggy Most of what you said makes sense to me.
Thinking about your answers, I realized that Mira may not be different from Shuuta? Depends on the protag, but normally if one is given a new body, name, race, and in this case, awakened emotions, (and time-screwy wrath stasis in the void for a millennia) they are so different from who they were that they cast off their previous life. Not to say they don't care about it or influenced by it, but they normally are able to separate themselves from it because their life now is so inherently different. But it seems like Mira doesn't really separate much from her life as Shuuta?
Tilde and Tris playing the quiet game about it just so that there is a blanket hatred over everyone irritates me lol. But it also made me think of something that irks me. It feels like everybody around Mira is just so unnaturally sacrificial. By that, I mean that most of their character and personality is based in the sole purpose to build up and support Mira instead of having their own wants and desires. Sekh sacrifices her life to keep Mira alive. Same with Tilde. Tris of course is made to serve Mira. Mira's family (Irisa, Ichiha, Koka, Erin) is so trusting and caring but I have yet to see them want to do anything that doesn't involve Mira in some way. The lion spirits are of Sekh, so they also just do anything for Mira. Niva is maybe the only exception to this because she fought to keep Primrose alive, but even then, everything she wants is to repay Mila for saving her. And now Primrose is in the same boat from pretty much just hearing Mila's backstory (because lets be real Mila sparing Prim's life may have not been very comprehensible to Prim, but it wasn't for Prim's sake so to me that shouldn't have as much sway as it has) To me, everyone revolves more around Mila than actually being their own person.
The only way I can interpret why they are that way is for the sole purpose of helping Mila overcome trauma and find happiness, while encouraging her progress as a Chimera and the Transcendent Dark Lord and egging on her hatred of everyone and everything in Cridia.
I'm actually astounded Irisa's family exists in a world where, frankly, most people we have encountered have some scum-like character traits, all the way down to satanic. In comparison, Irisa's family are damn Saints.
I guess my blanket gripe from this is that everything seems so one-directional.
@Gemiae
But it seems like Mira doesn't really separate much from her life as Shuuta?
With the way I see it, Mila will be unable to separate this new life from her life as Shuuta as much as she has her wrath to keep her going. You could say that the Wrath is Shuuta. She'll only be her own person once her Wrath has left her, and thus 'Shuuta' has passed on to the afterlife.
Tilde and Tris playing the quiet game about it just so that there is a blanket hatred over everyone irritates me lol.
That's only because they think that raising those points will cause harm. Maybe it would've been interesting to have them raise those points at the beginning and watch Mila struggle with understanding that.
By that, I mean that most of their character and personality is based in the sole purpose to build up and support Mira instead of having their own wants and desires.
I won't lie. Sekh does have an unhealthy devotion towards Mila. Part of her growth is realizing that and learning to correct it-- to have her own joys and happiness that doesn't revolve around Mila. But that is easier said than done because of the curse and her past.
Tilde? Well's finally happy to have found the TDL and is so devoted. It's her finally fulfilling her purpose after tens of thousands of years of wandering the world doing whatever she wanted to do.
And Tris is mechanically obligated to desire Mila's wellness.
Irisa, Ichiha, Kokan, and Erin... I won't lie. I think I made a mistake with them. They do seem one directional, but that will change.
Irisa... Now, this aspect does come up in that conversation the two have about Mila's revenge. Mila realizes that Irisa is like... not so much obsessed with her, but Irisa is thinking 'what can I do to help Mila?' instead of 'what do I want to do?' Now, this conversation does happen slightly late (around chapter 84-85-ish. I can probably move it earlier, but I don't know how much things are going to change.)
Ichiha is just motherly. She sees Mila and sees a pained, afraid girl who's never known what it felt like to have a mother. Perhaps I went a little overboard... When you take the world into account, maybe I made the onis a little too eager/kind-hearted to help when it would've made a little more sense to add a little conflict/problems into them wanting to assist a chimera. That would've made the world feel a little more alive.
(That's something I really want to tackle whenever I do the Big Edit / Editing Overpass.)
For Kokan... He is a teacher. That's what he loves to do most of all. He returned to his family's lives because he saw how much fun Irisa was having with Mila. She was smiling again, so he figured this time would work. And it did, but only after a lot of time he spent talking to her.
Erin... Now, she does get some growth. It involves her lion, but Erin resigns herself to grow stronger. She ends up becoming an adventurer and levels up. And it's something she really likes.
Irisa, Ichiha, Kokan, and Erin will have their development when it's time to meet Ichiha's family. Her mother and father hate Kokan. Like they absolutely hate him. That kind of growth / development will be personal and not something that necessarily revolves around Mila, so I hope that's something similar to what you're looking for.
And the lions are Sekh's, so they'll do what Sekh would've done. In this case, it's to serve Mila. Well, in Surtr's case.
Niva? You're right again. She feels that she HAS to summon a draconic spirit for Mila in order to repay her for saving her life. But I'm sure we can argue that Mila is plenty strong enough. She has Surtr. And when Sekh comes back? On top of however strong Mila needs to get to get the necessary lifeforce to free her from her curse? I'm not sure what a draconic spirit would add to it. Now, I won't say Mila will tell Niva to go on and get, but I'm sure she'll tell Niva that she needs to live for herself and not for Mila-- to want to grow stronger for herself and not Mila.
(Mila initially saved Niva on the promise that she'll summon a draconic spirit. Would be nice growth for Mila to take that back and just want to be near Niva because she loves her as a close friend.)
Primrose just feels guilty. A needed conversation is in order for her to understand this. (She is a new-born, technically. She's not even 2 months old and has had her head filled with memories and forced to feel what Aetos wants. You could say that her emotions are barely her own, and she needs to grow into them/formulate them without any bias. ) Primrose might even need a few conversations at this point to correct her fixation on serving Mila.
To me, everyone revolves more around Mila than actually being their own person.
That will change. I can't alter what's already written, but I'll try my hardest to make it not seem that way in the future. But I don't know how much I can edit or alter in Arc 4 since most of it is written and edited and is already scheduled for uploading.
I guess my blanket gripe from this is that everything seems so one-directional.
Yeah, that's my fault. I'm sorry about that. I'll try my hardest to correct that going further to make the world seem more alive. The story has changed an absolute ton since I first envisoned it, but I stubbornly wanted to keep a few of the same concepts/ ideologies. I know for sure one of those will be removed from a later chapter of Arc 4 because, while it would've fit earlier, it wouldn't fit with how I want a certain character and their allies to progress.
It's mainly to make it less one-directional, I suppose. So, thank you a ton for this comment! I can see the story as a whole a little differently now, and I think it'll be for the best!
@RuggyRuggy
You could say that the Wrath is Shuuta. She'll only be her own person once her Wrath has left her, and thus 'Shuuta' has passed on to the afterlife.
This makes a lot of sense, thank you for clarifying that.
When you take the world into account, maybe I made the onis a little too eager/kind-hearted to help when it would've made a little more sense to add a little conflict/problems into them wanting to assist a chimera.
Yeah. At the beginning it was a bit okay, because we were still getting a grasp on the world, but now in retrospect with Bellerophon and the other chimeras we've seen, it makes it a bit more inconsistent to have this Mother and Daughter duo (and eventually father) running a shop see past the chimerism immediately, whether Mila was living with them already or not. Even if it was a dire situation when it was unveiled, in which their good nature would take over anyway, after that was done there would probably be a bit more inner conflict in themselves that they had just saved a chimera and made themselves enemies of the world by harboring and healing one.
That kind of growth / development will be personal and not something that necessarily revolves around Mila, so I hope that's something similar to what you're looking for.
I am looking forward to that then, as well as your overpass edit. I wasn't aware you were planning on doing that, so I am very interested in seeing how things are changed.
"To me, everyone revolves more around Mila than actually being their own person."
That will change. I can't alter what's already written, but I'll try my hardest to make it not seem that way in the future.
After some further reflection, I can pinpoint things a bit more, but I'm glad you've taken it into consideration. Yes, everyone is pretty attached to Mila at this point, that's irreversible. It has been the moment she was saved by them while knowing she was a chimera. They have only grown closer since then, and more people are continuing to be brought in in a similar manner (Tris, Erin, Prim). I think what made their connection to Mila feel overpowering of their own individuality was a culmination of things, namely their ready acceptance of her chimerism (which you seem to already want to address), Kokan's eagerness to teach and help her grow stronger, the adoption of Mila (which was quite surprising to me because of their willingness to become a father, mother, and sisterly figures for Mila in name than just feel after a couple months), and Prim's turn-around after learning of her past (which you've also addressed to me by clarifying that she was recently born but had the ideals, memories, and values of Aetos, which I struggled to pick up in the initial read through). What really set me off on this feeling, however, which is no fault of your own and is probably going to be disproven later anyway, was when each of the family members was assigned a lion. It felt like every family member was now another extension of Mila's power through the lions and their loyalty to her, while being vastly more powerful than their user (although nerfed). I didn't want every part of their value as a character to come from Mila, because then I would stop caring about them and wonder why they were still there.
So, thank you a ton for this comment! I can see the story as a whole a little differently now, and I think it'll be for the best!
I'm very happy that my comments help contribute to the story in some way and are taken into account. It truly makes me happy that I can be of some help in any way. I really am enjoying this story, so I'll try to point out where some things seem off (or, y'know, just leave an encouraging comment instead of a in-depth critique lol). I hope things don't feel negative. You definitely don't need to apologize :).
@Gemiae
The overpass edit won't happen until at least the end of Arc 5 / end of Part One. It's still a long while away, but I have been working on the updated outlines a little bit. But not too much because I don't want to get too focused on doing that while I still have a lot left to write for this.
the adoption of Mila (which was quite surprising to me because of their willingness to become a father, mother, and sisterly figures for Mila in name than just feel after a couple months)
Originally, that was going to happen much, much sooner. Like before Kokan entered the picture, but I delayed it. I do wish I had delayed it even more because there's another event coming up that would've made it fit much better.
Early on, I had this rigid idea I wanted to stick too and was too stuborn to think about altering it.
Prim's turn-around after learning of her past (which you've also addressed to me by clarifying that she was recently born but had the ideals, memories, and values of Aetos, which I struggled to pick up in the initial read through)
That'll definitely become clearer.
was when each of the family members was assigned a lion
Mila assigns them a lion because she wants to protect them. She doesn't intend to make them fight or anything for it. It was an expression of her love for them and won't completely replace them as characters.
(This is a pretty minor spoiler. I can't exactly remember if this fact has been revealed at this point, but it's about the lions. Honestly, my mind is still fresh from editing, so everything kinda runs together, lol.)
And it's a way for them to keep in contact. The lions are all telepathically connected to Surtr, and Surtr can telepathically communicate with Mila. So, if her family is in an area that Mila doesn't have indexed, she can still talk to them through Surtr.
I didn't want every part of their value as a character to come from Mila, because then I would stop caring about them and wonder why they were still there.
By this, do you mean that they're only going to be important going forward because they have a lion? I didn't intend for the lions to serve like that. I want them to help encourage and support their bracelet-wielders, and we get to see that in Erin in a few upcoming chapters. Collectively, the lions have as much experience and knowledge as Sekh as, although their mindset and thought process differs, causing them to look at things different and from an alternate angle as Sekh would've done.
There are still things only Irisa, Ichiha, and Kokan can do, with or without the lions. Although due to the organization of how the plot progresses, it may take a little while for that to become evident. For example, Ichiha is still an excellent merchant. Kokan is still a scholar and an instructor, and Irisa still has her crafting goals(she fell in love with blacksmithing from an early age, after all), and those were things they had before they met Mila.
I do understand your concern, and it may be alleviated once the focus returns to Ichiha finding her parents. (there is a potential war on the line. That may make travel difficult between the city-states, and the boat needs to be repaired.) There's still that whole can of worms that needs to be addressed regarding the heinous crime Kokan was accused of. In an earlier chapter, Kokan mentions that because Ichiha defended her husband, her mother and father basically cut her off, including Irisa.
We know that the whole thing was organized by Karen, Erin's mother, due to her obsessiveness with Kokan from when he was kind to her at that academy.
so I'll try to point out where some things seem off (or, y'know, just leave an encouraging comment instead of a in-depth critique lol
I'll definitely appreciate either of those.
I hope things don't feel negative.
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Don't worry. They don't.