Chapter 205: Gag Me Now
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
Chapter 205: Gag Me Now
Tala had only been looking out at the cityscape for a few minutes, or so it seemed, when Alat grabbed her attention.
-Ive still got a lot of work to do, but we need to get back.- Alat had indicated that only the most basic of Talas memories were back in place, and that seemed odd, but Tala literally didnt know what she was missing. That left her with an odd combination of anxiety and ambivalence.
Tala took in a deep breath and groaned. Theres no way we could get out of here, is there.
-Not right now, no.-
Go, kill everyone in the hold? Tala wasnt serious, but she felt tension building within her at the thought of going back.
-First of all, you know very well that most of the people in there are effectively enslaved, just as you were.-
Are. Tala emphasized. We still are enslaved. What else would you call this? She indicated the collar.
-Youre right. This is slavery, but not helpless slavery.- Alat grunted a chuckle. -I mean, imprisoned is hardly accurate, but either Be-thric or a higher city official could trigger the collar with ease.-
Hostage asset, operating under extreme duress?
-Oh, I like that.- Alat hesitated. -Well, no, I dont like being in this situation, but it is a pretty well worded description of what we are. I like that phrasing.- After another moment, she re-broached the earlier topic. -We need to head back. Being late would be bad.-
Tala sighed, pushing herself away from the stone half-wall that edged the overlook. Sure.
She didnt look towards the red circle. Shed been able to ignore the scent up until that point, but as she walked back past, the coppery scent of blood filled her nostrils. Lovely.
While it would have been a bit more than a half-hour walk back to the hold, she decided to jog. Ideally, shed be able to sneak in a bath before the feast.
As she jogged back, she drew brief glances from those she passed, but they always turned their attention elsewhere when they saw the sigil on her chest.
There is a lot of benefit to even my current station.
-Yeah, imagine how much well be able to do within our cage if we win.-
When we win, tomorrow. Well be seen as the manifest will of a Pillar of the House of Blood. No one will cross us lightly. She hesitated. Well, those who cross us will be stronger. That was actually a bit exciting, if Tala was being honest.
-But if Be-thric ever discovers were compromised, hell kill us.-
Hold that thought. One of the beast folk ahead of her had narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on his swords hilt. He had a glorious black mane, offsetting he reddish brown fur. He was clearly a fighter, though he was lean. So, hell be quick, rather than powerful.
A mostly healed cut bridged across his left eye, though the eye itself seemed to have escaped damage.
The mans tan tunic bore the sigil that Talis memories said was from the House of the Rising Sun. It was one of the purely beast folk noble houses in the city.
The emblem was simple, a horizontal line, with a half circle above it, straight rays coming from the pictograph of the sun.
The House of Blood and that of the Rising Sun had some conflicting interests in the city. Nothing like open warfare, that was quashed quickly when houses were so foolish, but they did clash on occasion.
I dont have time for this. Still, Talis memories offered up what would likely be the lion mans opening salvo. Great. Insults.
Blood bag!
And there it is. Still, to play her part, Tala had to reply. So, she called back, even as she continued to approach. Move aside, Kitty. Ive places to be.
He drew his sword, magic flicking both around the blade, and across the mans fur.
-Those actually look like fairly reasonable defenses.-
Yeah, but I dont have time to fight. She considered, then shrugged internally. I suppose I dont have to pay for my inscriptions, and I outweigh him.
The leonine man was no stronger than the zeme that swirled around them, but his display of power meant he was, at most, of a Mid race.
Tala was less than a dozen feet from him when she gave a feral grin.
She targeted him, being sure to consider him as something near her, likely to do her harm. Then, she pushed her working around his defenses.
Down, kitty. Crush.
The creatures eyes widened as he dropped like a rock. He clearly fought against the downward force. The result, humorously enough, was that he fell into a sort of bow.
He immediately began withdrawing his combat magics, and seemed to be trying to move power through his body to stand back up.
It didnt work, at least not quick enough, and Tala was past him.
She sighed, even as she continued on her way. And were done.
The memories from Tali really wanted Tala to either kill the man or at least to give a parting verbal shot, but Tala restrained the urge.
The beast-man would be released once she was a block or so away. So, there would be nothing to clean up, or deal with later. Instead, she put the encounter out of her mind.
She thought through what Tali knew on the subject of Eskau and Pillars. Yeah. If he ever finds out, were dead. The House has well established procedures for passing on the protian weapon to a new Eskau in the event that a Pillar becomes displeased with theirs.
The thought passed through Talas mind once again, and she almost tripped. Oh. Oh!
Alat let out a pleased sound within her head. -Yes. I like what youre thinking.-
He doesnt have a protian weapon. Im his only option. The procedures for the loss of an Eskaus weapon include the stripping of the Pillar of all current and former titles. In some cases, it results in outright banishment.
-So. When we win, tomorrow, his fate will become tied to ours.-
Tala nodded. Even Tali hadnt known all the details, but she had known that a prospective Pillar could withdraw from contention without loss of honor up until the contest began.
But when we win. Our death would mean a crippling of his position within the House. He would be worse off than if he never put himself forward for consideration.
-So, dont get detected until we win.-Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
Then, well be safe, from him at least.
Alat made an uncomfortable noise inside Talas head. -Well, why wouldnt he just seize us, and redo the memory wipe?-
Tala grimaced at that. The timing was such that her look of clear displeasure caused a blue, female hue-man to shrink to the side of the road.
Tala almost apologized to the clearly terrified woman but realized that Tali would never have done that. So, if Tala did, it would stand out too much.
I hate this. She thought back through Talis memories then, looking for an answer. Oh. Interesting.
-What?...oh!-
Talis earliest memories were of course, fabricated, and thus unreliable, but Tala had easily found what was likely the first real memory from her time as Tali. Such an extensive overhaul required weeks of slow recovery. We were able to train and improve magically, and in other ways, but we would not have been a functional Eskau during that time.
-Yes, I see now. During that time, we were recovering our memories with his help. In fact, he was building them within our mind. It took him incredible effort, and it took him literal months to get Talis personality fully established within our blank mind. So, he cant just erase us again. That would be the same as killing us.-
Essentially. Eskau are expected to perform their duties daily for their Pillar, and any other ranking member of the house. My convalescence would end him as quickly as my death.
And from their memories of the arcane, he would realize the repercussions instantly. Be-thric was nothing if not cunning. Well, arrogant, narcissistic, pronoidnothats not true. Hes pronoid about the universe and paranoid about everything in it.
Her recovery was an unmitigated disaster for him.
She conveyed the reaction of the bird-folk to the death of the raven, and her brief encounter with the lion man.
You continue to please me, Tali. I am continually justified in my choice to raise you up as my candidate. He grinned. Even your mistakes, or accidents, bring gain to our House.
You honor me, Master.
+Cant we try to kill him? Just a little?+
-Wed fail.-
+But the look on his face when we attacked him!+
-As we died?-
+Fine+
Now, go get cleaned up. The feast will begin in an hour. You dont need to seek me out beforehand, as we had planned. Just meet me at the eastern entrance to the great hall, then.
Yes, Master.
Oh, and Tali?
Yes, Master?
Im going to push for a competition without restrictions. His smile pulled up on one side. I want to see them quake before you.
Tali felt a wave of joy run through her from her toes to the top of her head. Oh, by the Master, is he really going to allow it? The iron paint? It was the one training method that he was hesitant about. She was only allowed to use it when she trained in seclusion for at least a week at a time. With the upcoming clash, shed expected to either be dead, or have daily duties as an Eskau. In either case, shed assumed shed never be allowed to use it again.
The iron paint.
Before she could respond to his confirmation, he held up a hand.
But not for the feast. You can apply it afterwards, and by tomorrows conflict, your magic will be echoing in reality itself.
This was huge. Master almost never allowed her to use her iron paint. He said that it looked too much like she was trying to pretend to be a hue-man, and that deception would be seen as weakness. But now, after she was introduced as his candidate before the others, the paint couldnt be seen as an attempted disguise.
It would be seen for the thing it truly was.
The mantle of death.
+Oh, rust. Shes serious. She actually sees herself as death incarnate.+
-Shush. Im trying to watch.-
* * *
Tali walked up to her Master just under an hour later.
The hue-man was dressed in incredibly simple clothing. His tunic and pants were both simple linen, though dyed a deep, blood red, and a similarly red rope was all he had around his waist.
She had taken the opposite tact, per his request.
Her overtunic hung down to just above her ankles. It was slitted up the center and down the sides to allow for easy movement, while maintaining the illusion of formalwear.
She wore close fitting slacks and shirt under the overtunic. A wide belt complemented the outfit, carrying only her weapon and her dimensional storage.
The overtunic was a bone white; the belt was black; and the shirt and slacks were a blood red.
All were fashioned from her morphic clothing.
It was ironic that her clothing was more flexible in its form than her weapon. The clothes had been incredibly easy to delve deeply into, and could take almost any form her mind could conjure. The weapon could only be a knife, sword, or glaive, though in all three forms it cut better than any mundane weapon, and while shaped as either of the larger two, it burned that which it cut.
But this night was about her Master, not her weapons.
Tali didnt detect any vestiges on him, so he at least wished to have the appearance of being unarmed.
My candidate. Welcome.
She gave a slight nod, trying to honor his request, while still honoring him. My Master.
They were the only people waiting outside the eastern entrance to the great hall.
Two servants stood beside the double-doors, ready to pull them open when commanded to do so.
Are you ready?
Of course, Master.
He gave a half smile. You are a fascinating creature, you know that? He patted her on the top of her head. I am glad that I didnt kill you.
She frowned. Master?
He sighed. That was a foolish mistake. Alter.
+What?+
-He just shifted Talis memory. It looks like she now believes that he said, I am glad that I didnt let you die.-
+How? How can he do that so easily?+
-She trusts him utterly. She has no desire to resist his suggestions.-
+This is kind of gross.+
-Indeed. But informative.-
+How so?+
-Ive now felt his power directly, and seen how it works. It is exactly as you guessed, based on Talis memories of her recovery. There is no way he could wipe our mind and rebuild a useful personality in less than a few weeks.-
+Thats fantastic! But how can you be sure?+
-The feel of the power. How it was utilized. This isnt a question of strength but dexterity and complexity. A mind is a lace tablecloth, and I just saw how he handled redoing a couple of stitches. Trust me.-
Tali smiled. It is my deepest desire to prove your faith, justified.
+Yeah there is no way I could play her, convincingly+
-You arent lying.-
Her Master turned to the servants. Were ready. He glanced to Tali. Remember?
She nodded, taking her place one step behind and to his left. Together they walked forward even as the doors were pulled open.
A booming voice announced them as they stepped into the brilliant light of the feasting hall, Announcing prospective Pillar Be-thric and his Eskau candidate, Tali.
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
Chapter 205: Gag Me Now
Tala had only been looking out at the cityscape for a few minutes, or so it seemed, when Alat grabbed her attention.
-Ive still got a lot of work to do, but we need to get back.- Alat had indicated that only the most basic of Talas memories were back in place, and that seemed odd, but Tala literally didnt know what she was missing. That left her with an odd combination of anxiety and ambivalence.
Tala took in a deep breath and groaned. Theres no way we could get out of here, is there.
-Not right now, no.-
Go, kill everyone in the hold? Tala wasnt serious, but she felt tension building within her at the thought of going back.
-First of all, you know very well that most of the people in there are effectively enslaved, just as you were.-
Are. Tala emphasized. We still are enslaved. What else would you call this? She indicated the collar.
-Youre right. This is slavery, but not helpless slavery.- Alat grunted a chuckle. -I mean, imprisoned is hardly accurate, but either Be-thric or a higher city official could trigger the collar with ease.-
Hostage asset, operating under extreme duress?
-Oh, I like that.- Alat hesitated. -Well, no, I dont like being in this situation, but it is a pretty well worded description of what we are. I like that phrasing.- After another moment, she re-broached the earlier topic. -We need to head back. Being late would be bad.-
Tala sighed, pushing herself away from the stone half-wall that edged the overlook. Sure.
She didnt look towards the red circle. Shed been able to ignore the scent up until that point, but as she walked back past, the coppery scent of blood filled her nostrils. Lovely.
While it would have been a bit more than a half-hour walk back to the hold, she decided to jog. Ideally, shed be able to sneak in a bath before the feast.
As she jogged back, she drew brief glances from those she passed, but they always turned their attention elsewhere when they saw the sigil on her chest.
There is a lot of benefit to even my current station.
-Yeah, imagine how much well be able to do within our cage if we win.-
When we win, tomorrow. Well be seen as the manifest will of a Pillar of the House of Blood. No one will cross us lightly. She hesitated. Well, those who cross us will be stronger. That was actually a bit exciting, if Tala was being honest.
-But if Be-thric ever discovers were compromised, hell kill us.-
Hold that thought. One of the beast folk ahead of her had narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on his swords hilt. He had a glorious black mane, offsetting he reddish brown fur. He was clearly a fighter, though he was lean. So, hell be quick, rather than powerful.
A mostly healed cut bridged across his left eye, though the eye itself seemed to have escaped damage.
The mans tan tunic bore the sigil that Talis memories said was from the House of the Rising Sun. It was one of the purely beast folk noble houses in the city.
The emblem was simple, a horizontal line, with a half circle above it, straight rays coming from the pictograph of the sun.
The House of Blood and that of the Rising Sun had some conflicting interests in the city. Nothing like open warfare, that was quashed quickly when houses were so foolish, but they did clash on occasion.
I dont have time for this. Still, Talis memories offered up what would likely be the lion mans opening salvo. Great. Insults.
Blood bag!
And there it is. Still, to play her part, Tala had to reply. So, she called back, even as she continued to approach. Move aside, Kitty. Ive places to be.
He drew his sword, magic flicking both around the blade, and across the mans fur.
-Those actually look like fairly reasonable defenses.-
Yeah, but I dont have time to fight. She considered, then shrugged internally. I suppose I dont have to pay for my inscriptions, and I outweigh him.
The leonine man was no stronger than the zeme that swirled around them, but his display of power meant he was, at most, of a Mid race.
Tala was less than a dozen feet from him when she gave a feral grin.
She targeted him, being sure to consider him as something near her, likely to do her harm. Then, she pushed her working around his defenses.
Down, kitty. Crush.
The creatures eyes widened as he dropped like a rock. He clearly fought against the downward force. The result, humorously enough, was that he fell into a sort of bow.
He immediately began withdrawing his combat magics, and seemed to be trying to move power through his body to stand back up.
It didnt work, at least not quick enough, and Tala was past him.
She sighed, even as she continued on her way. And were done.
The memories from Tali really wanted Tala to either kill the man or at least to give a parting verbal shot, but Tala restrained the urge.
The beast-man would be released once she was a block or so away. So, there would be nothing to clean up, or deal with later. Instead, she put the encounter out of her mind.
She thought through what Tali knew on the subject of Eskau and Pillars. Yeah. If he ever finds out, were dead. The House has well established procedures for passing on the protian weapon to a new Eskau in the event that a Pillar becomes displeased with theirs.
The thought passed through Talas mind once again, and she almost tripped. Oh. Oh!
Alat let out a pleased sound within her head. -Yes. I like what youre thinking.-
He doesnt have a protian weapon. Im his only option. The procedures for the loss of an Eskaus weapon include the stripping of the Pillar of all current and former titles. In some cases, it results in outright banishment.
-So. When we win, tomorrow, his fate will become tied to ours.-
Tala nodded. Even Tali hadnt known all the details, but she had known that a prospective Pillar could withdraw from contention without loss of honor up until the contest began.
But when we win. Our death would mean a crippling of his position within the House. He would be worse off than if he never put himself forward for consideration.
-So, dont get detected until we win.-Ñ00v€l--ß1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.
Then, well be safe, from him at least.
Alat made an uncomfortable noise inside Talas head. -Well, why wouldnt he just seize us, and redo the memory wipe?-
Tala grimaced at that. The timing was such that her look of clear displeasure caused a blue, female hue-man to shrink to the side of the road.
Tala almost apologized to the clearly terrified woman but realized that Tali would never have done that. So, if Tala did, it would stand out too much.
I hate this. She thought back through Talis memories then, looking for an answer. Oh. Interesting.
-What?...oh!-
Talis earliest memories were of course, fabricated, and thus unreliable, but Tala had easily found what was likely the first real memory from her time as Tali. Such an extensive overhaul required weeks of slow recovery. We were able to train and improve magically, and in other ways, but we would not have been a functional Eskau during that time.
-Yes, I see now. During that time, we were recovering our memories with his help. In fact, he was building them within our mind. It took him incredible effort, and it took him literal months to get Talis personality fully established within our blank mind. So, he cant just erase us again. That would be the same as killing us.-
Essentially. Eskau are expected to perform their duties daily for their Pillar, and any other ranking member of the house. My convalescence would end him as quickly as my death.
And from their memories of the arcane, he would realize the repercussions instantly. Be-thric was nothing if not cunning. Well, arrogant, narcissistic, pronoidnothats not true. Hes pronoid about the universe and paranoid about everything in it.
Her recovery was an unmitigated disaster for him.
She conveyed the reaction of the bird-folk to the death of the raven, and her brief encounter with the lion man.
You continue to please me, Tali. I am continually justified in my choice to raise you up as my candidate. He grinned. Even your mistakes, or accidents, bring gain to our House.
You honor me, Master.
+Cant we try to kill him? Just a little?+
-Wed fail.-
+But the look on his face when we attacked him!+
-As we died?-
+Fine+
Now, go get cleaned up. The feast will begin in an hour. You dont need to seek me out beforehand, as we had planned. Just meet me at the eastern entrance to the great hall, then.
Yes, Master.
Oh, and Tali?
Yes, Master?
Im going to push for a competition without restrictions. His smile pulled up on one side. I want to see them quake before you.
Tali felt a wave of joy run through her from her toes to the top of her head. Oh, by the Master, is he really going to allow it? The iron paint? It was the one training method that he was hesitant about. She was only allowed to use it when she trained in seclusion for at least a week at a time. With the upcoming clash, shed expected to either be dead, or have daily duties as an Eskau. In either case, shed assumed shed never be allowed to use it again.
The iron paint.
Before she could respond to his confirmation, he held up a hand.
But not for the feast. You can apply it afterwards, and by tomorrows conflict, your magic will be echoing in reality itself.
This was huge. Master almost never allowed her to use her iron paint. He said that it looked too much like she was trying to pretend to be a hue-man, and that deception would be seen as weakness. But now, after she was introduced as his candidate before the others, the paint couldnt be seen as an attempted disguise.
It would be seen for the thing it truly was.
The mantle of death.
+Oh, rust. Shes serious. She actually sees herself as death incarnate.+
-Shush. Im trying to watch.-
* * *
Tali walked up to her Master just under an hour later.
The hue-man was dressed in incredibly simple clothing. His tunic and pants were both simple linen, though dyed a deep, blood red, and a similarly red rope was all he had around his waist.
She had taken the opposite tact, per his request.
Her overtunic hung down to just above her ankles. It was slitted up the center and down the sides to allow for easy movement, while maintaining the illusion of formalwear.
She wore close fitting slacks and shirt under the overtunic. A wide belt complemented the outfit, carrying only her weapon and her dimensional storage.
The overtunic was a bone white; the belt was black; and the shirt and slacks were a blood red.
All were fashioned from her morphic clothing.
It was ironic that her clothing was more flexible in its form than her weapon. The clothes had been incredibly easy to delve deeply into, and could take almost any form her mind could conjure. The weapon could only be a knife, sword, or glaive, though in all three forms it cut better than any mundane weapon, and while shaped as either of the larger two, it burned that which it cut.
But this night was about her Master, not her weapons.
Tali didnt detect any vestiges on him, so he at least wished to have the appearance of being unarmed.
My candidate. Welcome.
She gave a slight nod, trying to honor his request, while still honoring him. My Master.
They were the only people waiting outside the eastern entrance to the great hall.
Two servants stood beside the double-doors, ready to pull them open when commanded to do so.
Are you ready?
Of course, Master.
He gave a half smile. You are a fascinating creature, you know that? He patted her on the top of her head. I am glad that I didnt kill you.
She frowned. Master?
He sighed. That was a foolish mistake. Alter.
+What?+
-He just shifted Talis memory. It looks like she now believes that he said, I am glad that I didnt let you die.-
+How? How can he do that so easily?+
-She trusts him utterly. She has no desire to resist his suggestions.-
+This is kind of gross.+
-Indeed. But informative.-
+How so?+
-Ive now felt his power directly, and seen how it works. It is exactly as you guessed, based on Talis memories of her recovery. There is no way he could wipe our mind and rebuild a useful personality in less than a few weeks.-
+Thats fantastic! But how can you be sure?+
-The feel of the power. How it was utilized. This isnt a question of strength but dexterity and complexity. A mind is a lace tablecloth, and I just saw how he handled redoing a couple of stitches. Trust me.-
Tali smiled. It is my deepest desire to prove your faith, justified.
+Yeah there is no way I could play her, convincingly+
-You arent lying.-
Her Master turned to the servants. Were ready. He glanced to Tali. Remember?
She nodded, taking her place one step behind and to his left. Together they walked forward even as the doors were pulled open.
A booming voice announced them as they stepped into the brilliant light of the feasting hall, Announcing prospective Pillar Be-thric and his Eskau candidate, Tali.
Chapter 205: Gag Me NowTala had only been looking out at the cityscape for a few minutes, or so it seemed, when Alat grabbed her attention.-Ive still got a lot of work to do, but we need to get back.- Alat had indicated that only the most basic of Talas memories were back in place, and that seemed odd, but Tala literally didnt know what she was missing. That left her with an odd combination of anxiety and ambivalence.Tala took in a deep breath and groaned. Theres no way we could get out of here, is there.-Not right now, no.-Go, kill everyone in the hold? Tala wasnt serious, but she felt tension building within her at the thought of going back.-First of all, you know very well that most of the people in there are effectively enslaved, just as you were.-Are. Tala emphasized. We still are enslaved. What else would you call this? She indicated the collar.-Youre right. This is slavery, but not helpless slavery.- Alat grunted a chuckle. -I mean, imprisoned is hardly accurate, but either Be-thric or a higher city official could trigger the collar with ease.-Hostage asset, operating under extreme duress?-Oh, I like that.- Alat hesitated. -Well, no, I dont like being in this situation, but it is a pretty well worded description of what we are. I like that phrasing.- After another moment, she re-broached the earlier topic. -We need to head back. Being late would be bad.-Tala sighed, pushing herself away from the stone half-wall that edged the overlook. Sure.She didnt look towards the red circle. Shed been able to ignore the scent up until that point, but as she walked back past, the coppery scent of blood filled her nostrils. Lovely.While it would have been a bit more than a half-hour walk back to the hold, she decided to jog. Ideally, shed be able to sneak in a bath before the feast.As she jogged back, she drew brief glances from those she passed, but they always turned their attention elsewhere when they saw the sigil on her chest.There is a lot of benefit to even my current station.-Yeah, imagine how much well be able to do within our cage if we win.-When we win, tomorrow. Well be seen as the manifest will of a Pillar of the House of Blood. No one will cross us lightly. She hesitated. Well, those who cross us will be stronger. That was actually a bit exciting, if Tala was being honest.-But if Be-thric ever discovers were compromised, hell kill us.-Hold that thought. One of the beast folk ahead of her had narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on his swords hilt. He had a glorious black mane, offsetting he reddish brown fur. He was clearly a fighter, though he was lean. So, hell be quick, rather than powerful.A mostly healed cut bridged across his left eye, though the eye itself seemed to have escaped damage.The mans tan tunic bore the sigil that Talis memories said was from the House of the Rising Sun. It was one of the purely beast folk noble houses in the city.The emblem was simple, a horizontal line, with a half circle above it, straight rays coming from the pictograph of the sun.The House of Blood and that of the Rising Sun had some conflicting interests in the city. Nothing like open warfare, that was quashed quickly when houses were so foolish, but they did clash on occasion.I dont have time for this. Still, Talis memories offered up what would likely be the lion mans opening salvo. Great. Insults.Blood bag!And there it is. Still, to play her part, Tala had to reply. So, she called back, even as she continued to approach. Move aside, Kitty. Ive places to be.He drew his sword, magic flicking both around the blade, and across the mans fur.-Those actually look like fairly reasonable defenses.-Yeah, but I dont have time to fight. She considered, then shrugged internally. I suppose I dont have to pay for my inscriptions, and I outweigh him.The leonine man was no stronger than the zeme that swirled around them, but his display of power meant he was, at most, of a Mid race.Tala was less than a dozen feet from him when she gave a feral grin.She targeted him, being sure to consider him as something near her, likely to do her harm. Then, she pushed her working around his defenses.Down, kitty. Crush.The creatures eyes widened as he dropped like a rock. He clearly fought against the downward force. The result, humorously enough, was that he fell into a sort of bow.He immediately began withdrawing his combat magics, and seemed to be trying to move power through his body to stand back up.It didnt work, at least not quick enough, and Tala was past him.She sighed, even as she continued on her way. And were done.The memories from Tali really wanted Tala to either kill the man or at least to give a parting verbal shot, but Tala restrained the urge.The beast-man would be released once she was a block or so away. So, there would be nothing to clean up, or deal with later. Instead, she put the encounter out of her mind.She thought through what Tali knew on the subject of Eskau and Pillars. Yeah. If he ever finds out, were dead. The House has well established procedures for passing on the protian weapon to a new Eskau in the event that a Pillar becomes displeased with theirs.The thought passed through Talas mind once again, and she almost tripped. Oh. Oh!Alat let out a pleased sound within her head. -Yes. I like what youre thinking.-He doesnt have a protian weapon. Im his only option. The procedures for the loss of an Eskaus weapon include the stripping of the Pillar of all current and former titles. In some cases, it results in outright banishment.-So. When we win, tomorrow, his fate will become tied to ours.-Tala nodded. Even Tali hadnt known all the details, but she had known that a prospective Pillar could withdraw from contention without loss of honor up until the contest began.But when we win. Our death would mean a crippling of his position within the House. He would be worse off than if he never put himself forward for consideration.-So, dont get detected until we win.-N00vl--1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter.Then, well be safe, from him at least.Alat made an uncomfortable noise inside Talas head. -Well, why wouldnt he just seize us, and redo the memory wipe?-Tala grimaced at that. The timing was such that her look of clear displeasure caused a blue, female hue-man to shrink to the side of the road.Tala almost apologized to the clearly terrified woman but realized that Tali would never have done that. So, if Tala did, it would stand out too much.I hate this. She thought back through Talis memories then, looking for an answer. Oh. Interesting.-What?...oh!-Talis earliest memories were of course, fabricated, and thus unreliable, but Tala had easily found what was likely the first real memory from her time as Tali. Such an extensive overhaul required weeks of slow recovery. We were able to train and improve magically, and in other ways, but we would not have been a functional Eskau during that time.-Yes, I see now. During that time, we were recovering our memories with his help. In fact, he was building them within our mind. It took him incredible effort, and it took him literal months to get Talis personality fully established within our blank mind. So, he cant just erase us again. That would be the same as killing us.-Essentially. Eskau are expected to perform their duties daily for their Pillar, and any other ranking member of the house. My convalescence would end him as quickly as my death.And from their memories of the arcane, he would realize the repercussions instantly. Be-thric was nothing if not cunning. Well, arrogant, narcissistic, pronoidnothats not true. Hes pronoid about the universe and paranoid about everything in it.Her recovery was an unmitigated disaster for him.She conveyed the reaction of the bird-folk to the death of the raven, and her brief encounter with the lion man.You continue to please me, Tali. I am continually justified in my choice to raise you up as my candidate. He grinned. Even your mistakes, or accidents, bring gain to our House.You honor me, Master.+Cant we try to kill him? Just a little?+-Wed fail.-+But the look on his face when we attacked him!+-As we died?-+Fine+Now, go get cleaned up. The feast will begin in an hour. You dont need to seek me out beforehand, as we had planned. Just meet me at the eastern entrance to the great hall, then.Yes, Master.Oh, and Tali?Yes, Master?Im going to push for a competition without restrictions. His smile pulled up on one side. I want to see them quake before you.Tali felt a wave of joy run through her from her toes to the top of her head. Oh, by the Master, is he really going to allow it? The iron paint? It was the one training method that he was hesitant about. She was only allowed to use it when she trained in seclusion for at least a week at a time. With the upcoming clash, shed expected to either be dead, or have daily duties as an Eskau. In either case, shed assumed shed never be allowed to use it again.The iron paint.Before she could respond to his confirmation, he held up a hand.But not for the feast. You can apply it afterwards, and by tomorrows conflict, your magic will be echoing in reality itself.This was huge. Master almost never allowed her to use her iron paint. He said that it looked too much like she was trying to pretend to be a hue-man, and that deception would be seen as weakness. But now, after she was introduced as his candidate before the others, the paint couldnt be seen as an attempted disguise.It would be seen for the thing it truly was.The mantle of death.+Oh, rust. Shes serious. She actually sees herself as death incarnate.+-Shush. Im trying to watch.-* * *Tali walked up to her Master just under an hour later.The hue-man was dressed in incredibly simple clothing. His tunic and pants were both simple linen, though dyed a deep, blood red, and a similarly red rope was all he had around his waist.She had taken the opposite tact, per his request.Her overtunic hung down to just above her ankles. It was slitted up the center and down the sides to allow for easy movement, while maintaining the illusion of formalwear.She wore close fitting slacks and shirt under the overtunic. A wide belt complemented the outfit, carrying only her weapon and her dimensional storage.The overtunic was a bone white; the belt was black; and the shirt and slacks were a blood red.All were fashioned from her morphic clothing.It was ironic that her clothing was more flexible in its form than her weapon. The clothes had been incredibly easy to delve deeply into, and could take almost any form her mind could conjure. The weapon could only be a knife, sword, or glaive, though in all three forms it cut better than any mundane weapon, and while shaped as either of the larger two, it burned that which it cut.But this night was about her Master, not her weapons.Tali didnt detect any vestiges on him, so he at least wished to have the appearance of being unarmed.My candidate. Welcome.She gave a slight nod, trying to honor his request, while still honoring him. My Master.They were the only people waiting outside the eastern entrance to the great hall.Two servants stood beside the double-doors, ready to pull them open when commanded to do so.Are you ready?Of course, Master.He gave a half smile. You are a fascinating creature, you know that? He patted her on the top of her head. I am glad that I didnt kill you.She frowned. Master?He sighed. That was a foolish mistake. Alter.+What?+-He just shifted Talis memory. It looks like she now believes that he said, I am glad that I didnt let you die.-+How? How can he do that so easily?+-She trusts him utterly. She has no desire to resist his suggestions.-+This is kind of gross.+-Indeed. But informative.-+How so?+-Ive now felt his power directly, and seen how it works. It is exactly as you guessed, based on Talis memories of her recovery. There is no way he could wipe our mind and rebuild a useful personality in less than a few weeks.-+Thats fantastic! But how can you be sure?+-The feel of the power. How it was utilized. This isnt a question of strength but dexterity and complexity. A mind is a lace tablecloth, and I just saw how he handled redoing a couple of stitches. Trust me.-Tali smiled. It is my deepest desire to prove your faith, justified.+Yeah there is no way I could play her, convincingly+-You arent lying.-Her Master turned to the servants. Were ready. He glanced to Tali. Remember?She nodded, taking her place one step behind and to his left. Together they walked forward even as the doors were pulled open.A booming voice announced them as they stepped into the brilliant light of the feasting hall, Announcing prospective Pillar Be-thric and his Eskau candidate, Tali.
