Chapter 96: What Does This Mean? What is the Meaning of This? (Patreon)

Rather than waste my time arguing with Giir, I just walked back to the crowd. I had won. Granted, it wasn’t in a… traditional manner, and hell, maybe Giir was right in saying that he wouldn’t have lost from that fall. Lose to Day, but beat Giir… world’s a strange place. 

I looked at Vast, trying to gauge his reaction. His arms were crossed, but his fingers weren’t twitching. He wasn’t especially angry by my estimation. I wonder, then, why they had tried to establish that Giir was a mute. It could be as purposeless as a prank. I didn’t know everything about Vast, and he might be the type to enjoy that sort of thing. I enjoyed pranks—provided they weren’t played on me. 

When I returned, Day was scowling at me. 

I paused and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“That lightning… loud! Immeasurably loud!” He scratched at his ears. “They’re still ringing. They’ll be ringing for days to come.”

I chuckled and patted Day on the shoulder. “The noise part of it is called ‘thunder,’ though I don’t think my meager display is at all comparable to real lightning. Being struck by lightning not feet away from the source? Likely would be fatal.”

It felt like I’d won a victory over Kuregar. Despite everything he’d said, I’d use lightning to great effect to defeat my enemy where it otherwise would not have been possible. 

That one strike had been 1231 Primordial Energy, though. A little under half of my current total. It certainly wasn’t something I could use with reckless abandon. But even still, if it’s to save my life —as it may well have, considering how enraged Giir was—then I welcome the heavy cost. But I’d take Kuregar’s advice at least somewhat, and not rely on it too heavily. 

I couldn’t avoid the nagging doubt that Kuregar was wrong. People had used their abilities to great effect in this little sparring match. I suppose it wouldn’t be any harm to maintain a high level of Primordial Energy shaping, but I’d definitely keep this in mind. If only Kuregar had provided a more substantial reason of why he viewed attack abilities as useless. 

I caught Zinuetet staring at me. “Something wrong?”

“I just can’t believe you beat him,” she mumbled, lowering her gaze and shaking her head. 

“Is it really so surprising? I’m wounded.” I held my hand to my chest in faux-lament. “Well, I doubt it’d work a second time. Then again, in battles of life and death, there isn’t a second time. According to Giir, he could have kept going… but I find that difficult to believe.” I looked towards the edge, but didn’t feel like walking towards it. “We’re pretty high up, after all.”

Day tilted his head like a curious dog. Maybe it was because I always liked animals more than people, but Day’s odd gestures were likable. “How did you know Giir wasn’t a mute?”

“I thought he was, honestly.” I shrugged. “But the way I figure it, it’s not like he’d be telling anyone what I told him if he was.”

Day scratched his snout in silence for a few moments, and then asked slowly, “Couldn’t he just write it down?”

I stared at Day. Why, I wonder, do I skip steps in my thought? It must be simply because my brain is so large that I can only see the big picture. Yes, absolutely. No need to focus on the small details when my brain is so very wrinkled and large. 

“You beat me, but I beat Giir,” I said, deciding prudently to change the topic. “That means that you technically beat Giir.”

“It works that way?”

“No, not really.” I scratched my nose. “Well, if you…” I trailed off as I caught sight of Vast approaching me. 

“Casimir. A word, if you would?”

I blinked a few times. Is he really bothered by my defeat of Giir, or is this something else entirely? “Sure.” I walked towards him, and he led me a fair distance away. 

He didn’t waste any time with pleasantries. “There’s something important that needs to be done.”

I laughed. “Oh. I thought you’d be mad I blew Giir’s cover.”

“Cover?” Vast shrugged. “He’s selectively mute. He talks to me, and no one else. He’s never stated the reasoning for it, but I imagine he’ll talk to you, now.”

“And why is that?”

“You beat him,” Vast stated plainly. “He spoke to me after I beat him, too.”

I narrowed my eyes and asked, “He seems to think he would have won had Ruel not ended the match.”

Vast clicked his mandibles together three times. “He’s wrong. At the very least, the fall would have crippled him. If that isn’t winning, little else is.”

I’d thought that they were rather close, but the way Vast speaks, it sounds as though Giir is more a subordinate than a friend… or maybe a pawn. Perhaps that’s not my business… but a pawn can be stolen. 

“Well then, what did you want to talk to me about?” I walked past Vast, completely ignoring the battle that was taking place behind us. 

Vast walked beside me. “We have a rather troublesome member in the group. Leedie…” Vast shook his head. “She’s rude to everyone, save you. Worse yet, she can be quite witty and provocative, striking people at what bothers them. I’m sure I needn’t say why this is an issue.”

“Of course. People with high tension make poor allies… but what do you expect me to do about it? Just because she’s nice to me doesn’t mean I can change her behavior. I’ve known her for as long as you have. She’s infatuated by my looks, but telling her to change her behavior might break the spell,” I said jokingly. 

Vast, dour as a mule, ignored my joke and carried on. “Not what you need to do about it—rather, what we need to do about it. I don’t believe her behavior is so easily changed. There are many ways we can do this, and the choice is yours.”

I didn’t believe for a second that Vast didn’t have ideas of his own, but I had no problem giving my suggestions. I hadn’t seen much of Leedie, but if Vast deemed it an issue, it likely was. Nonetheless, I’d probably do some examination of my own later.

I stopped walking and turned to face Vast. “As much as I’d like to suggest speaking to Ruel to have her transferred off, he’d likely both not care and not be able to do anything… you can still try that if you think it holds merit, but I won’t be. Hmm… we could…” I stopped, looking at Vast.

“What?”

I gestured with my hand to emphasize my speech. “Let’s say, hypothetically, you have a problem. This problem can be solved by violence.”

Vast’s eye looked around, seeing if any were in ear shot. I had deliberately led us very far away from Day, so it should’ve been fine. “If it’s easiest… I see no issue.”

“I see. Just testing the waters, seeing your limits. I don’t see any need for violence to be an answer, yet. More of a last resort. That last resort being tongue-cutting. Or maybe the medical division has mechanical tongues… throat-ripping might be best…” I ruminated aloud. 

Vast held out his hand to stop me. “I don’t need an answer to the problem immediately. Well-executed plans are thought out long in advance.”

“Fine. If I see an opportunity, I’ll take it, though. Join in if you can.” I walked back to the crowd to rejoin Zinuetet and Day.