Chapter 1133 (Patreon)

 ToC: https://www.patreon.com/posts/23899958 

I'll do some more editing on the train today... 

Randidly lifted his chin at the tone in Ileot’s voice when he said ‘business’ but he didn’t comment. He was too busy struggling with the rising tide of excitement that had surged forward as Ileot so readily stated that he would tell the story of Vualla. To have Ileot put that on the table himself so quickly… it certainly made Randidly’s job easier.

Yet, perhaps because hearing this was exactly what Randidly wanted, all of that excitement quickly turned sluggish and then froze in his veins. Randidly scanned Ileot’s face. Ileot had said it himself; he wanted Randidly to think of him as an ally. With that statement, at the very least, Randidly believed that Ileot had been completely honest.

All of this was designed to turn Randidly’s opinion toward Ileot around. Yet again, Randidly was faced with the question of why. Despite the Grim Chimera’s innate suspicion toward this figure whom Randidly had watched put Vualla through absolute hell, it was Yggdrasil’s even patience that won out for control of Randidly’s emotions.

One thing at a time, Randidly chided himself. First… let’s hear the story of Vualla.

It was clear from Ileot’s rather superior looking expression and crinkled eyes that he was waiting for Randidly to prod him forward. Perhaps for that reason, Randidly hung back and just sifted his way through the information that Ileot had fed him thus far. After all, this was shaping up to be a glorified sales pitch and should be treated as such. Randidly should take everything with a grain of salt, if he should even believe it at all.

Upon reflection, Randidly could make some shrewd guesses as to why perhaps the information provided in Ileot's initial two statements was less valuable to him than Ileot would have Randidly believe.

First of all, there was no guarantee that the Xyrt Brigade would be upset at Ileot for using its name. For all that Ileot Swacc was relatively unknown to Randidly and everyone here on the battlefield, it was clear that the being was an old and influential individual. Trying to play the Xyrt Brigade card as a threat could be an elegantly laid trap. A trap designed to test his dedication to whatever deal Ileot wanted.

Perhaps even more dangerous was the possibility that Ileot was in fact a member of the Xyrt Brigade and any attempts by Randidly to report him would lead to him being marked as an enemy of the Brigade. Again, Randidly had no real trustworthy lines of information on who was a member of the Brigade, but everyone agreed that these individuals were the real deal in terms of power; Randidly wouldn’t offend them lightly.

Besides, for all that this information might very well be valuable, there was the actual logistics of such an avenue to consider. Although Randidly had been able to glimpse that there was a large amount of respect for the Xyrt Brigade, obviously none of their members were here. Even if Randidly wanted to make good on the threat, he had no idea how to go about it. The best he could do was to talk to Lady Iellaya, but even she seemed rather awed and mystified when Ileot had claimed to be a member.

Basically, there was no real way for Randidly to verify that information. Which left him with very little useful.

But there was also a story coming. THE story. Randidly's eyes sharpened as Ileot took a breath and looked contemplatively up toward the sky. Although Ileot seemed to be considering his words carefully, it still was so obviously forced that Randidly gritted his teeth.  "Vualla... she is not just any warrior. She is perhaps the most influential warrior in all of the history of the Nexus..."

Rolling his eyes inwardly, Randidly kept his face composed as he listened to Ileot begin by complimenting Vualla. Now that Randidly had started listening to his suspicion, it was tough to tell which of Ileot's words were true and which were designed solely to try and cajole Randidly to look at him in a more sympathetic light.

But then Ileot's next question gave Randidly pause.

"Do you know this history of this place? This location?"

Randidly shook his head as he looked around at the broken stone of the battlefield.

Leaning forward, Ileot continued with an almost fond reminiscence in his eyes. "This place... it was one of the first locations that we conquered of the Nether. Our Aether arrays were much less established and uniform in those days, so it was difficult to create any lasting footholds to raid Nether territory. But this was our first big victory. Finally, we had an avenue that would allow the Xyrt Brigade to conduct some deep raids into the Nether. And Vualla was one of the first footsoldiers sent here to hold the location."

Randidly slowly blinked. "This was... originally a place ruled by Nether?"

"Well, obviously not ruled. It was simply within the domain of Nether. It was likely just some backwater place filled with only a few wandering spirits." Perhaps just as surprising to Randidly as the news that this was originally controlled by Nether was the vague sense of annoyance in Ileot's tone as he waved his hand. "Perhaps you are too young to know, but Aether was the original instigator of the war. 

“Completely justified, of course. Rumors are that something incredible precious was taken from us by the Nether… Although we fight defensively now, that is just because we are fighting defensively to maintain control of the in-roads toward the core of the Nether domain. We are glorified civil servants paving the way for the Xyrt Brigade...

"But as I was saying," Ileot coughed into his hand. "Vualla is truly someone special. Obviously a child born of loss and hatred, but incredibly gifted in terms of energy utilization. Too gifted. Her time here, at the most blood battlefield in the history of the war, left her indelibly marked by violence. And as more and more of her comrades around her died... she began to warp underneath the strain of death. To the point that she became permanently tainted by death. She could not escape its flavor no matter how hard she tried..."

"What does that mean?" Randidly interrupted.

Perhaps some of the genuine concern that Randidly felt had leaked through to his voice because Ileot looked at him with pity. "Boy, you might think you understand war from being here, but that was an entirely different time in our history. A whole different type of war was fought. A primitive, bloody war. We... well, you will soon hear about its making, but we did not have the grand array to arm us with Nether Stars. There was only physical bodies and pounds of flesh available as the last bastion against the Great Rift. When images failed, the physical existences of our soldiers were also spent to buy the survivors even a single moment more time. That was the world where Vualla came into her own.

"And there..." Ileot's eyes flashed as he gave Randidly a meaningful look. "Vualla became a creature of hate. How could she not? As she was abandoned by her father and mother… perhaps it is fair to consider the war itself the only parent that cared for her. And the lessons that Vualla learned from war… well..."

No, Randidly rejected immediately. She might hate but she is no creature. It was because she cared so deeply that she was scarred. She felt weak and hated herself for feeling weak. She felt fear and hated herself for fearing. But perhaps, as more and more people died around her... what Vualla truly grew to hate was herself. For surviving when so many others could not. For feeling like she had failed somehow by not putting herself in more danger. For knowing that she had only made it this far by walking on corpses of her allies.

As Randidly followed the logic, he sighed. Once she was on that Path to survive... How could she step off of it? It would invalidate all the sacrifices that she had walked over to get to this point. The momentum of sacrifice propelled her forward. With just a few words of background from Ileot and what Randidly knew of Vualla, he could almost see the arc of her Path in his mind. Once more, the heat in his chest flared to life.

So then, as Vualla’s heart grew heavy and numb to death, as she grew stronger and more and more foes tried to kill her, to remain true to those sacrifices would become everything. And so-

"...it was shortly after a disastrous loss here, one which shook the Grand Commander's belief that this location could be held, that Vualla had her breakthrough... to become a Heretic. The first that the Nexus had ever seen."

"Too gifted in energy utilization," Randidly said softly. 

“All that death that had stained her became her fuel. She reaped lives like wheat to grow stronger.. Sometimes waiting until they would be killed by Nether, but sometimes simply taking the wounded or maimed who she deemed useless. All were fodder for her flame of hatred.” Ileot's smile was sharp. "As I have said, things were very different in those days. Although she was stealing the energy from her allies, most were willing to overlook it. After all, so many died anyway and so much of those deaths were used to buy the survivors time. What difference did it make that Vualla was taking the initiative to kill?”

Randidly’s heart twisted painfully. It was… difficult to imagine Vualla killing for power.

Heedless, Ileot continued to speak. “Some were impressed at her ingenuity. And even if they couldn't copy what she managed, it was proof of concept. In fact, the diabolical experiments that followed this discovery are perhaps Vualla's most enduring legacy-"

"Is it really necessary to say that?" Randidly said. And now he could clearly recognize how rough his voice sounded.

As though he won a small victory, Ileot shook his head with a smile on his face. "Of course. There is no need to dwell on the grimy details. But as I was saying... with her new status as a Heretic, Vualla rapidly grew in power. So that soon the situation on her battlefield stabilized; with her as the heavy blade to bleed the Nether for their attacks, Aether finally had the capability to establish themselves. And as Vualla's attention was freed up from existential concerns... she began to focus on her ability to manipulate energy. Specifically, how to learn from the existence of the Nether Beasts."

"As I'm sure you've guessed... the grand formations of the frontlines, from every frontline across the whole of the Nexus, were only possible because of Vualla. She was truly a genius... and the hatred at her core meant that she could never give up in her quest for power."