Chapter 276: The First Chapter Where I Truly Failed Myself (Patreon)

Author’s note: Hi guys.

The title of the chapter says it all. I disappointed myself with this one and actually couldn't finish it. Without realizing it, something went wrong from the beginning and when I was halfway through I realized I was just trying to salvage a terrible chapter - okay, it's not that bad, but the chapter is all over the place. The chapter simply doesn't have the feel I want it to have. That said, almost before finishing, I made a decision, which I made for the first time, to re-write the chapter from scratch.

.
Honestly, I should have made that decision a lot sooner. I'm 1000 words in and the chapter is much much better. For you, unfortunately, that means you will be missing out on a chapter. On the other hand, I could have this one [276] ready [in a better shape] for release as early as Friday.

.
However, if you're curious and don't mind reading more or less the same thing on Friday - not really, it's quite different, but certain points remain, you can read on.

.

!!! -= SPOILERS =- !!!

.

Chapter 276: The First Chapter Where I Truly Failed Myself - link: https://www.patreon.com/posts/87586725

.

___________________________________________________________________

Chapter 276: The First Chapter Where I Truly Failed Myself

.

!!! -= SPOILERS =- !!!

Once again, I'm rewriting what you're about to read, and if all goes well you'll see the final form on Friday. This is a rough chapter that didn't make it through my standard editing process, so some of the phrasing may be odd, words may be repeated, that sort of thing.

!!! -= SPOILERS =- !!!

You have been warned.

.

This was it. I got the truth off my chest, and it was - liberating, in a way. Stella and I were no longer the only ones in the world, not counting those under the Ancient Oath, who knew about Eleaden. The truth was out. At the same time, though, I held my breath in anticipation of the reaction to hearing it.

Frankly, I had hoped for at least one who would be willing to listen. To my relief, however, there was no silence, as there had been when the truth about the system had been revealed.

"What do you mean, Little Beast? How could they have fought Eleaden?"

I took another deep breath, this time looking to Sage for support. "That Eleaden is a living planet, and it had decided in the past to rid itself of the vermin in its fur."

"This is what humans, and not only humans, but all sentient races, fought against back then," Stella added, seeing the need for them to hear it from both of us. "They fought beasts controlled by the planet itself."

"Damn," Deckart breathed as he tried to process the information, the others were far worse off. "A living planet? Are you serious, girls?"

"Huh?" Idleaf popped up next to him, puzzled. "You didn't know?"

"Wait, Idleaf..." I stammered, now surprised myself. "You knew?"

Instead of answering, her eyes sparkled at my astonishment and her chest puffed out with pride. "Of course, why wouldn't I?"

"She's a World Tree," Mr. Scoresby spoke somewhat thoughtlessly, still lost in the shock of the truth about Eleaden. "Their roots are said to stretch around the world."

"Of course," Hazel Mooney breathed, her expression matching my realization, with added disbelief reflected on the faces of all. "If anyone should know, it's her. Still...a living planet? I - No such thing, not even the thought of it, is mentioned in any of the books."

"Actually, that's something that bothered me, too," I admitted with a nod to Stella, who was in the same boat as me. "I don't mean the books, of course. I only read the ones for the kids to learn the Standard. But nobody knows."

"Maybe because it's total bullsh..." Surprisingly, the City Lord stopped himself from finishing his sentence, his eyes fixed on Idleaf. Apparently, even his ignorance had its limits, and he realized that arguing against the World Tree was pointless. "I mean - it must be a mistake on the part of..."

"Don't be annoyed, Egerton. You're not the only one who finds it hard to believe." To my surprise, it was Captain Rayden who spoke, elbows on the table, hands clasped, chin resting in them, eyes fixed somewhere far away. I was glad people weren't frozen in shock and talking instead, only she was one of those I hoped would be able to understand and accept the truth. "Because if this is true, and Eleaden can control beasts all over the world, we're in for a much worse enemy than mind mages. And I don't think I need to tell you, Egerton, what that has cost us all."

"A war like that - well, frankly, the Empire won't be able to withstand it right now," Sah threw in his assessment. "Sahal needs at least another ten years to recover from the Mind Wars."

I was wrong and speechless. Not because of his assessment of the Empire's strength, but because of how they took the whole Eleaden thing. Instead of cowering from the truth and refusing to even hear such a thing, they tried to understand and even assess the danger that Eleaden and her beast posed.

"I'm more worried about the beasts in the realm than this potential war," Blaine spoke, then stopped to sort his thoughts. "From what you two have said, the people of that time were able to hold onto their territories. How, if Eleaden was able to get to the beasts?"

"They killed the beasts that were a danger to them, sir." Stella said, only to add, "All beasts and animals within their territories."

A little clarification was in order, so I set about explaining the connection the beasts had with the planet and most of its sentient creatures. "Of course, it was impossible to kill all the beasts and animals, every critter and bird. And they didn't. They just got rid of the ones that really posed a threat to them, and they weren't otherwise out of control. On the contrary, they worked with beasts like Rairok."

"Wait a minute, Grey. That Rairok you keep talking about was a beast?"

"Uh, didn't I mention that, ma'am?"

"No, I guess that information slipped your mind."

Her sigh was more than eloquent. But Deckard laughed. "Don't blame her, San. To her, beasts are no different than humans."

While he was amused, I decided whether to take it as an insult or a compliment.

"I talked to him too?" Stella brought up a fact I'd completely forgotten. "Rairok could speak Standard."

"Of course," Captain Rayden sighed. "Then I suppose Rairok wasn't just any beast."

"No, he was..."

"A witty deer." To my surprise, it was Hazel Mooney who took the words from my tongue. She was trembling, her eyes wide. "Rairok was a witty deer, wasn't he?"

"Yes? I mean, yes. So I did mention that?" I thought Rayden...

"I knew it. I knew the name sounded familiar."

"Miss Mooney?" The old librarian asked puzzled, this time not knowing where her knowledge had taken her.

"Rairok, the ruler of the Western Plains."

Western Plains? Ruler? Apart from the fact that I had no idea where that was, being the ruler didn't fit him at all. "I don't know, it doesn't sound like him."

"He's supposed to be thousands of years old, speak several languages, and be a beast, a witty deer."

Okay, I admit, there was a small chance that by some miracle he had survived to this day. Still...

"I'm familiar with the Western Planes, but I've never read about this ruler. Was it in a book unique to the Great Library?" the old man asked, curiosity slipping from his tongue.

"Indeed, Mr. Sandoval. Once, under the guidance of the Great Librarian Oliander, I caught a glimpse of the transcripts of the journal of the adventurers..."

"Are these plains far away?" I didn't mean to be rude, but I really wasn't interested in hearing about some adventurers when there was a chance that Rairok had survived to this day.

"In the far west of the continent. From our perspective, beyond the Kingdom of Arda, below the former Terran Federation, wedged between the two and the ocean," Sah explained, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Unlike the dangers of the north, we are aware of the powerful beasts in those parts. That is why Arda and the Terrans never occupied those plains. But that it could be an ancient beast is the first I've heard of it."

"Sounds to me like the Imperial agents underestimated the knowledge of the Librarians," Deckard remarked at Sah's expense, enjoying it all too obviously. Once he had found a way to get past his bottleneck, once he had gotten a feel for it, his relaxed attitude returned, and now not even the fact that Eleaden was a living planet seemed to bother him. Actually, I was more concerned about the measured reactions of the others. It just didn't seem right. Still, it was something I was trying to do by putting things in perspective. I guess I just didn't think it would make much of a difference.

"Indeed, it seems so," Agent Sah nodded, not at all offended by Deckard's remark. Instead, he looked at the two librarians and nodded.

"No, no, it's just something I was interested in," Hazel Mooney blurted out, gesturing frantically with her hands. "It's not..."

"Common knowledge, right? Exactly what is vital to the work I do. So..." He turned to me. "Exactly what kind of connection do you have with this beast, Grey?"

"None," I said truthfully, which took the wind out of Sah's sails.

"Wait, what? I thought Rairok was... ah, I see. That beast you met was just an echo of the one in the Western Plains, just like the whole place in Fallen's Cry."

"Unfortunately, Agent Sah," I said, not entirely successful in keeping the heartache out of my voice. "As much as I would like to meet the Rairok I know, even if the beast were him, he wouldn't remember me. The two of us have never met."

"Unfortunate, indeed."

"Ha, it's almost as if the fact that Little Beast is a Guardian of Idleaf and has ties to Esudein and Miros isn't enough for you?"

"Don't forget that she has drake's blood in her veins and who knows what else. Would a beast like that change much in her lineage, Deckard? In fact, it might be an opportunity to make some connections with this Rairok. Don't look at me like that, Grey. I know you don't like what I'm saying, but you know best whether humans need to forge such bonds or not."

He knew me well, but not that well. "I think it should be a given, whether we are in danger of extinction or not."

He actually chuckled. "You've really grown up, Grey. Good to see. And I agree with you completely. But that doesn't change the fact that the mere presence of Esudein in Sahal and the agreements with him were a thorn in the side of many lords and ladies. They see even such beasts beneath them, while the common folk fear them."

I was not blind to his words. Even Earth was no stranger to prejudice. Still... one could only hope that one day it would disappear, both here and there.

"I'm really not against it," I finally said after swallowing my pride.

"Eh, against what?"

"You, using me to make a connection with Rairok."

"Your boldness is worthy of an Imperial agent, but..."

"Witty Deer, also known as Valeyris in the ancient language, are the origin of one of my mutations."

"Why am I not surprised," Deckard laughed, while Sah seemed a bit stunned, considering the possibilities of what my connection brought to the table.

"The eyes, right?" Mr. Sandoval asked, his old eyes gleaming with excitement. "It must be the eyes, because Hazel and I are pretty sure of your ears."

"And your mane is not exactly the hallmark of witty deer," his assistant added, sharing his enthusiasm, if not more.

"Yes, they are eyes," I confirmed, struggling not to ask what they had found. This was not the time, nor was Rairok and my connection to him the subject we should be addressing right now. "Witty deer eyes are much more than they appear. Rairok may have been a five hundred level beast when Stella and I met him, but it was his wits behind those eyes that allowed him to resist the lure of Eleaden, a living planet."

The emphasis on my last words, however, didn't seem to budge the others at all. I was now sure that they were in some kind of denial. But I had no idea how to help them.

"Intelligence and strength were apparently the key factors in the beasts' ability to defy Eleaden's will, but we've faced level-eight-hundred beasts on the battlefields as well, ma'am," Stella said firmly, pressing Captain Rayden in particular. Understandable. She wanted her to understand. The former general was her idol, someone she looked up to and had known since she was a little girl. "There were more than a dozen of them on that part of the battlefield."

"But you survived, sweetheart," Mrs. Palemoon grabbed her hands, and Stella just smiled strangely, not really ready to tell her this truth.

"The stronger the beast, the more power Eleaden could channel through it," I continued. They had to hear it whether they liked it or not. "And believe me, it was so hard to resist while it was so easy to give in."

This, for whatever reason, finally got the attention of some.

"Did you hear the planet whisper to you, Little Beast?" Deckard asked. "Like really whisper to you?"

"Yes, through the beasts, first through those in the Cages, as I mentioned. But that was nothing compared to the power of the lure to join them on the battlefield."

"With so many powerful beasts - seriously, ma'am, I've never seen so many beasts together in my life - even I could feel the pressure in my head."

"You heard the whispers too?" Rayden broke her silence.

"No, not really. Just the pressure in my head, the urge to let it in."

"But you didn't, did you?"

"No," Stella shook her head, to the relief of her mother and the Captain.

"What would happen if you did, Palemoon?" Sah wondered. "I mean humans in general. Apart from those in captivity, you didn't mention that they fought alongside the beasts."

"I would die, apparently not very nicely."

"Brains oozing out of all your holes and stuff," I added for perspective. Even though we talked about Eleaden's control, I still couldn't shake the feeling that they didn't really get it. "And believe me, as terrible as that sounds, I think it's the better deal. Having Eleaden in my head was far worse than having a collar around my neck. And yes, I lost that battle once and ended up seeing this planet as my master, my savior, for whom I was willing to do anything, no matter the cost to myself. And those were the beasts we fought there."

"Sounds pretty damn close to what we faced in the Mind Wars," Deckard remarked, his earlier ease gone. "Minus the merciful death for humans and level 800 beasts. What was the strongest one those bastards could control? Level 521?"

"Level 546 Scorching Scorpion," Captain Rayden corrected him, only to close her eyes for a moment and sigh. "But these aren't Mind Wars, and if those things up north are planet-controlled beasts, it's no wonder the Federation lost."

Now I was a bit confused. "So you understand that what the humans were up against in the past was this planet, that Eleaden is alive and doesn't like what we're doing to it."

She smiled. "Looks like someone underestimated me. Sure, the system thing took me by surprise, but Eleaden - I've fought too many beasts to be thrown off by something like that."

"So it's just another beast to you, ma'am?"

"That's one way of looking at it," Deckard laughed as Rayden nodded.

___________________________________________________________________

Author’s note: If you've read this far, I'd love to hear your opinion. Was I too hasty? It was a difficult decision for me because I wanted to deliver this chapter to you and I've already devoted so much to it. But it would take me another couple of hours to finish it, while knowing that I wouldn't be happy with the result anyway.

___________________________________________________________________

Previous Chapter          Table of Contents          Next Chapter