TtOW! - Chapter 151 - Gather Your Courage (Patreon)

Ateia practiced the different visual settings on her robotic eye once again. She focused on the sensations she felt when the robotic eye zoomed into the distance. She winced slightly as she felt tingling in her head, it still felt strange and a bit invasive whenever the techno-organic interface connected her mind to the machine parts. But while it had been originally intended to take control of people and render them into mindless weapons, Ateia trusted NSLICE-00P, believing that she would not do the same. In fact, NSLICE-00P had stated she gave Ateia’s organic half full control of the cybernetic. So Ateia brushed off the feeling of wrongness, and tried to focus on what exactly was happening.

A moment later, she used the buttons NSLICE-00P had made for her to set the robotic eye back to default. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She opened them, and tried to zoom in once again. But this time, she did not rely on the button. She tried to replicate how she felt, only starting from her mind rather than from the cybernetic components.

Slowly, her robotic eye spun and its aperture narrowed. Her vision moved into the distance.

And as she focused, her organic eye began to glow slightly, golden and silver light forming into a lid and aperture mirroring the shape of her robotic eye. Her cybernetic half logged an increase in data uptake as the organic visual sensors began contributing beyond expectations.

A bit further away on the beach, Taog was practicing his Dark Slashes. But his swords and mana fell as he turned to watch Ateia, her face glowing with the light of her Holy Mana. He turned to look at his own blades and mana, and heaved a sigh. He turned back and tried to focus as well as he could…

Elsewhere, Colleöne blinked, her eyes widening ever so slightly as she watched Ateia.

“Something to focus her power on, huh? I suppose a rigidly defined artificial half would certainly qualify.”

She rubbed her chin, furrowing her brow for a moment before smiling.

“Well…if it were anyone else I might be concerned about the possibilities…but for my kin I feel only joy. I suppose I might have some family bias.”

[Some?]

One of Colleöne’s eyes twitched.

“Don’t you have something to be working on?”

[It’s not fair that I have to research centuries of records and deal with an entire material plane while you get to play around.]

Colleöne scoffed.

“If you had just done your job to perfection in the first place, none of this would have happened, you know?”

[I still don’t get why all the Aesdes think I can handle the entire Boundary of the Material Plane all by myself. That used to be a job for ALL of us!]

Colleöne smirked.

“Because you were the one who figured out an automatic way to deal with it in the first place, Mother of the Dungeons.”

[It was supposed to reduce my workload, not increase it! How was I supposed to know Anualë would come check on me during my naptime and get all impressed?!]

Colleöne just sighed.

“Because your naptime accounts for most of the year?”

[Ugh.]

***

Taog woke up late at night. Their campfire was low and flickering, there was little sound save for the waves upon the beach.

He sighed and got up. He glanced around. Everyone should be sleeping at this point in the night…

Except for Seero, who apparently did some sort of half-sleeping ‘standby-sentry mode’ thing?

And her monsters, most of which also had that ‘cybernetic’ armor. And many of which were nocturnal species, if he identified them correctly. And were dungeon monsters which have a questionable need for sleep as far as anyone knew.

In fact…Ateia was an Aesdes now with that same sort of armor too. She was still sleeping as far as he knew…but did she need to?

Taog shook his head. Ok, no one but him might be asleep at this point. But that didn’t matter.

The point was that something was bothering him, and he wanted to do something about it. He…didn’t want the others to see him, but if he wanted to change, he couldn’t use that as an excuse. So he got up, and made his way to the beach.

Colleöne stood at the edge of the waves, peering out over the sea. She turned to face him, the moonlight illuminating her with an ephemeral glow. She smiled softly at him.

“Hello Taog. You wish to speak with me?”

Taog nodded. He gulped. Colleöne was subduing her power at the moment, yet the light reflecting off the sea seemed to create a halo around her, and the waves just barely missed her feet, as if hesitant to contact her. His heart pounded as he realized again just who it was he was speaking with.

But…he pressed on. It would not do to flee from the Lady of Courage herself. He lowered himself on one knee and bowed his head.

“Mighty Victoria, how can I grow stronger?”

“Train hard and diligently, seek and overcome challenges, and gain experience and wisdom. But, I think that is not what you are truly asking?”

Taog frowned and nodded.

“Ateia is an Aesdes now. Seero could defeat entire incursions from the day I met her. Agedia took on that Herald alone and won. And I wouldn’t be alive if Estrith wasn’t much stronger than me. I was already weak, and the distance is only growing. How can I match their growth, their strength? How can I keep fighting with my friends?”

Colleöne frowned and crossed her arms.

“Must you?”

Taog looked up at her with wide eyes.

“Huh?”

Colleöne took a deep breath.

“Not everyone grows at the same pace, Taog Sutharlan. It may not be possible for you to keep up with the people around you. But is that so terrible? There is more to life than battle and fighting. Even in war, the actual battle represents only a small portion of the time and effort spent. There is much you can do to help your friends and participate in the fight besides the actual violence, and sometimes it takes more courage to step back than to step forward. Is it not enough to be by their side, and support them?”

Taog furrowed his brow. He knelt in silence for a long moment before he slowly opened his mouth.

“It…is not.”

Colleöne raised an eyebrow.

“Why not, Taog Sutharlan? I will be honest. What you seek is beyond you, through no fault of your own. NSLICE-00P is a unique existence in all the world, one even the Aesdes never predicted could possibly arise. Ateia has joined our ranks, and is no longer constrained by mortal limits. Agedia and Estrith have many, many years and just as many battles over you, having built their strength over time. To match any of that in the time you wish to spend is not possible by any standard path. You would need to break your limits…you may even need to transform yourself at a fundamental level. That is a path of danger and pain, even I cannot guarantee you will return, and I guarantee you would not return the same if you did. And it is unnecessary. Your friends care for you, Taog, and that would not change even if you were the weakest being in all Aelea. They would grieve deeply if you fell. It would pain them even to see you hurt, and as you’ve seen with Ateia, even success may have consequences. For what reason would you risk all that?”

Taog looked up and made eye contact with her.

“Because I cannot be left behind this time. My parents left me behind as they marched to their deaths. Ateia’s father left us behind as he marched off to fight battles unknown. Ateia was taken from me and injured alone.”

He took a deep breath. Tears welled up in his eyes but his gaze didn’t waver.

“For all my life, I’ve been running from this pain. I’ve been sealing myself off, trying to avoid any more loss. I’ve told myself for years that it couldn’t be helped, that I was too weak to do anything more. I can’t do that anymore. If I back off now, if I refuse to even try, even in the name of wisdom, then I will never rise to the challenge. I will be frightened and helpless prey, for the rest of my life.”

He exhaled his breath and looked up into the night sky, staring at the moon.

“Maybe it’s impossible. Maybe I can’t stand by my friends in the way that I wish. Maybe it’s foolish to even try. Maybe everyone is so powerful that they don’t need me to do this at all.”

He looked back down at Colleöne.

“But I have to try. If it doesn’t work, then I will do as you say. I will content myself with helping them in any way I can. But either way, I need to change myself. And that won’t happen if I just wait around, not while everyone else is striving as hard as they can.”

Colleöne met his gaze for a minute longer, then slowly nodded.

“If you are resolved, then I will point the way. Your mother taught you of the Trial of Hunters?”

Taog nodded.

“Leave the clan on your own, and do not return until you have achieved a victory you feel is worth your strength.”

Colleöne nodded and pointed.

“Then you will follow the path of your ancestors. Head northeast, into the forest, away from the trails and the roads. Journey until you hear the ocean no more, then turn north when you reach the bog. There you will be tested, and you will have no one to rely on but yourself. The risk is grave, and I cannot promise that even success in this trial will bring you what you seek. Will you still embark upon it, knowing that death is the most likely outcome and the chance of success is little?”

Taog took a deep breath.

“I will.”

Colleöne sighed.

“Then go, Taog Sutharlan. May you find what you seek…and may it be that which you wish.”

Taog saluted her.

“Thank you, Mighty Victoria.”

And then he returned to his tent, preparing for his journey. As Colleöne watched, a message appeared before her eyes.

[As if you’re not going to watch him every step of the way. No way you’re just going to let him die like that.]

Colleöne shook her head.

“It is important for him to have the right mindset on this quest. And any battle is chaotic and unpredictable. Even we cannot guarantee we will intervene in time.”

[Riiiggghtttt. And you totally aren’t going beyond your mandate with this, huh?]

Colleöne crossed her arms and huffed.

“Obviously not. I am simply performing my duties as She Who Guides the Champions of the World. I am not offering him any assistance, all that he finds he will earn himself.”

[Let’s see. ‘Head northeast, into the forest, away from the trails and the roads. Journey until you hear the ocean no more, then turn north when you reach the bog.’ Oh look. There’s something right there. Something that a certain someone could use as an excuse to grant massive blessings to whoever finds it first. And the terrifying monsters that warded other people off have mysteriously grown weak due to a coincidental influx of Holy mana that started just a few days ago. How convenient.]

Colleöne flushed slightly and turned away.

“T-There’s nothing of the sort. Y-You are imagining things.”

[Admit it, you just want to buff your kid’s little friend.]

“I-I would never! T-That would be favoritism of a sort I would never engage in!”

[Should I ask Anualë about this situation?]

Colleöne’s eyes widened.

“Y-You can’t!”

[Heh.]

Colleöne growled and grit her teeth.

“…what do you want, you despicable wretch?”

[Design this Room for me. This one should have been your job, anyways, given it’s related to the whole ‘evolving Aesdes’ situation.]

Colleöne held in a scream, and then held her head and sighed.

“…fine.”

Author’s Note:

Because the Lady of Courage and Victory is completely fair, and would never show favoritism based on her personal opinion of a given person! And because Taog definitely hasn’t been left behind the author and is definitely not in desperate need of something to do!

That would imply the author just threw in a bunch of characters without making any plans for them! And we all know that’s not possible!

Anyways!

Can Taog find that which he seeks? Will Colleöne remain fair and impartial? Will Shialnor have her work completed somehow? Tune in next time, to find out!