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Chapter 310 Opinions and food
🕑 Added 2019-09-24 10:47:39 +0000 UTCNote Sept 26th: Changed up the dialogue. Around 800 words added, no major major new info or plot but I guess I suggest rereading this one. Tried giving the elder a distinct voice (let me know how I did) and tried to make it more focused about a single topic at a time. Emotional responses and stuff should be better explained as well. Curious about feedback. Oh and 309 has some changes too in the last third but not as much as here. Feel free to check it out :).
Author's note September 24th: Hey all, new chapters up and more hopefully coming Thursday (traveling so maybe Friday).
I was pretty unsure about these two. Let me know what you think of the dialogue, especially if you feel like Ilea is in character.
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a good week :). Pace is going to pick up again soon.
Chapter 310 Opinions and food
Figured as much. Im Ilea, joined a couple years ago. Any reason youre here in the North instead of you know doing your duty as an elder?
The man looked at her and laughed again, pulling on his pipe. My dear. The duties of an elder arent very well defined. Perhaps it is changed now well it is no concern of mine.
Of course it is , Ilea was confused, the man certainly not making the most competent impression. Maybe helping out when another elder destroys the whole city?
He nodded and sighed, Maybe. Yes. Im sorry. Being so far away, I didnt even know.
Maro touched her shoulder as she noticed the ash coming to live around her. She swatted his hand away, Im sorry? Hundreds of thousands of people died turned into demons and nearly wiping out all of humanity! She kept her voice leveled, more ash moving around her.
Now now. The man said in a calm voice, moving his hands as he nervously looked at the ash, I am sure you handled it well my dear. Im far removed ,
Would you have cared had you known? She asked, sitting back again as her ash vanished. The answer didnt matter of course, either way he hadnt known, couldnt have. Still, somehow she felt like blaming him. The other elders that werent there are at fault too. He knew immediately that it was Adam.
He murmured something to himself before he spoke, You did well. Im glad you were there. If I could give you my title, I would. Sadly it involved votes by current elders well. I suppose it doesnt matter anymore.
It matters that you didnt stop Adam. Ilea ground her teeth, thinking back on the carnage left behind by the demons, all the people that had been slaughtered. A statistic, hard to grasp. A numbing feeling she hadnt thought about much. Perhaps now that someone who could have prevented it stood in front of her, it became more real, not an unavoidable tragedy but the massacre it had been.
The elder stopped and sighed, We have arrived. He said and pointed at the ruined house missing a roof and half of its front.
Ilea blinked up, finding a nice table with a good view before seating herself. Maro appeared a moment later and sat down too after looking around. Certainly changed. Ilea didnt react to his comment, waiting for the old man slowly entering below.
Ah, no no it is quite alright. Bring whatever you have. How is the family? Another three hundred babies well I hope you can get some sleep. They heard the elder talk below. He laughed at the answer Ilea didnt understand, spoken in a language she had never heard, Dont worry about it. The plums should be ripe in two weeks. Beautiful, the taste is exquisite I tell you.
Is that code? She wondered but if he spoke the language why use code in standard? He walked up the stairs a moment later, groaning at the movement. Why dont you teleport? She asked in an annoyed tone, staring at the man while he avoided her eyes.
Aaaah, no no. These old bones need some movement too. It took too long to reach the two hundreds and now? He paused, I pay for it. He sat down with a loud sigh and rested his back, the staff vanishing from his hand.
Ilea leaned forward, resting her head on her hands, You knew about Adam then? Why not prevent it? She felt herself get agitated again at the sheer thought. It annoyed her but she couldnt ignore it, thousands had died because of that man.
I know Adam. He said and paused, If if what you say is true, then perhaps I hadnt known him as well as I thought. He puffed on his pipe and leaned back, Im aware of some things about him that others do not know. Yet I couldnt have fathomed him going as far as summoning demons into Ravenhall. Unthinkable. He shook his head.
How did you know it was him when I mentioned the demons? Ilea asked, impatient with his slow explanations.
Lucas looked at her then, Hmm. He removed the pipe and leaned forward, He is the only summoner I know that is capable of such a feat. The only one who could hide something like that. Seeing that Ilea wasnt satisfied with his answer he continued, You know the man has been looking for a way to get there. To bring back something that was taken.
Bring back something from the demon realms? Maro asked, the elder nodding in return. What exactly? Are you suggesting demons can steal things from our realm? Steal people?
The elder waved him off, Hmm, yes. Well no. I do not know. Summoning as well as the demonic realm are no interests of mine, Adam is the one I learned from about these things but well I forgot most of it.
Are you fucking kidding me? Ilea asked, You could have prevented this, prevented the summoning and saved all those lives. Her ash was back as he held up his hands in a placating gesture.
Hey now dear. I have summoned nothing. You have the wrong elder. He said in a shaky voice, smiling again as he put his pipe back into his mouth.
Hes right you know. I get that youre angry Ilea but trust me on this some peoples actions can hardly be predicted. Maro said, calming her down somewhat.
The elder relaxed, touching her arm despite the ash that twirled around her, I am truly sorry my dear. It is past let bygones be bygones.
So Adam is looking for something in the demon realm? Any idea how to get there? Ilea asked, her ash casually moving away his hand from her arm. He shook his head slowly. What is he looking for?
I ehm I forgot. He said. If you find him tell him I am disappointed.
Disappointed , Ilea couldnt help but laugh, sitting back as she calmed down. She looked at him with contempt. You did nothing. Hid here in the nor , She stopped the thought and looked down, her ash receding. Its different. She heard herself justify herself.
You were the human that fought the spirit last. Maro said suddenly, interrupting the awkward silence and changing the topic.
Lucas smiled, puffing on his pipe, Hmm, perhaps. Maybe I have sought to discourse with the undying lord. I am not keen on fighting anyone but I suppose that one has a way to make me show the worst of me. Im thankful you took that burden from this town. One of the few things remaining to retain the feeling of a dungeon.
Ilea sighed and sat back, her chair leaning on a wall of ash she had created. Why are you here? Just to help out the community?
I am sorry I disappointed you my dear. Lucas said, I tend to have that impact on people. He added with a quieter tone, I meant that before you know, you becoming an elder. Or doing something similarly impacting. Surviving here is enough to get you a high position in any human order, kingdom or empire. He pointed at her, I am frankly tired of it all. The constant wars battles. Dark Ones are much more relaxed.
I came here for the exact opposite reason. Ilea retorted, his talk about the wars and battles resonating with her. The only thing she disagreed on was that the Dark Ones were any different. Some perhaps but she knew plenty of humans who just sought to live their lives in peace.
The elder nodded, Im here to study the north, the events that changed this environment two to four thousand years ago. More so Im here to try and change it back. The trees and vegetation you see growing in this dungeon are the first step. With time Im sure at least a part of the magical imbalance can be restrained. Not perhaps to the extent it had been before but better at least.
That event. We believe Elos had three suns before. Maro interjected, the elder nodding and pointing his pipe at him.
A theory. Well many exist but one cant realistically replace a sun. Trees is the next best thing, water and a working ecosystem. Introducing animals and monsters back into the environment. The elder replied but Maro shook his head.
No, no. I was there. Before. I was trapped and unconscious for thousands of years. There were three suns before. These lands were normal, the beasts below level one hundred. At least outside of dungeons. Lisburg was the pride of Rhyvor, its wine unparalleled. He explained, the elder nodding as he looked at the king.
You must tell me about before how it looked, where the lakes and rivers were.
Later. Ilea interrupted, glaring at him, Why not fix the war down south? she asked with a smile.
The man pointed at her with his pipe, the pipe she was about to rip out of his hand and snap. She wasnt quite sure why he irritated her so much, Hmm, Baralia. They are incapable of winning such a war. At least not if anything major changed in the last decade. He laughed and shrugged.
Why dont you go and stop it? Maro asked Ilea instead, You seem to care a great deal. I have fought Rhyvors enemies whenever necessary.
Ilea was about to answer when the elder stood up, Ah yes, the food is here. He laughed as a tiny dark one with two leathery wings brought eight plates filled with food at the same time. More quickly followed.
To answer your question Maro. Ilea said, finishing another plate. Im not even from there. I dont know the politics, background or anything else. Even if I know Baralia with its slavery sucks, what do you think happens if I run in there and kill a bunch of royals? A month after I left the whole country would be in flames. All the soldiers now leaderless might just scatter and burn down whatever settlements they can find.
Lucas re lit his pipe and nodded, Mhm, youre probably right. You should listen to her. He said to Maro.
Ilea burst out laughing, the elder smiling at her before she pointed at him with a bone she had cleaned off of meat, Youre not excused. Youre obviously knowledgeable and could do something with both your influence and power.
I am the king of Rhyvor. Maro said, To get disrespected like this refreshing. He wasnt wearing his helmet anymore either, a content expression on his face.
Ah, the king of Rhyvor. My respects. He bowed without really moving. A necromancer. Well most of the surviving records and murals only talk about the queen. Lucas said. As I said young one, Ilea. I have not been down in the south for a decade. My intervention would be problematic.
Maro smiled, Good to know that at least history will remember the true ruler.
He lifted his mug and spoke, stopping Ileas retort, To Rhyvor, Elana and to Gadrian.
Lucas just puffed on his pipe, Ilea raising another dinosaur leg, To the chef, bloody delicious. You get points for that at least, old man. He really hadnt offered much more. Still, Ilea had enough self awareness to know food was the way into her heart.
The elder laughed, Hmm, points are always good, are they not. Maro my friend, I wondered if you could share some knowledge on death magic with me. It has become increasingly hard to find a capable necromancer willing to come so far north. He puffed again and looked at Ilea, Let us stop this talk of war, I would rather just plant trees to be honest. He laughed and Ilea sighed before continuing to eat.
Yes, yes. I have cast aside all violence from my life, all war and slaughter. I have tried convincing people, talked to many leaders that would listen but did it change anything? No. He added sending smoke upwards.
Didnt you fight the spirit just recently? Maro asked, Or are you just an occasional pacifist? He laughed, the elder waiting for him to calm down.
He puffed again, refilling his pipe before he lit it again. He leaned back and sighed, My failures are many, some more recent than not. I try my best. He winked at Ilea, Maybe you should too, stop all the fighting and killing. Do something good for once, create something or help people out.
Ilea rolled her eyes, hearing him preach after admitting his inaction, They were pretty grateful hearing that the death spirit was dead. She said, finishing the plate and taking the next one, I dont disagree with you by the way. The world would certainly be a better place without war but sometimes to stop violence, you need even more of the same.
No, I disagree I think. Endless killing. Well I do not fault you either, you are young and I am sure you have suffered terrible losses to become so cynical and jaded. Just remember my words. He pointed at her, Time, my dear, will heal. Lucas said, Ilea looking away from his gaze.
Maro leaned forward, What do you think of monsters then? Even in my time, after other people, the highest cause of death were monsters. Wild animals acting on instinct.
Lucas raised his eyebrows before he spoke, Walls deterrents perhaps? There is little understanding. Of their nature, their thoughts. They are wild perhaps, yet exactly that may allow for us to find a way to deal with them. Without killing.
Ilea couldnt believe it, after what she had see the demons do. They werent even completely mindless. She could understand his logic, knowing the worst animals humans had to deal with on Earth were put into zoos to amuse visiting children. To suggest to a cave man any other way but violence was ridiculous. Peaceful ways were reserved for those with overwhelming power. The cold war didnt turn hot because of nukes, not because people understood and talked to each other. Its easier to ignore someone without weapons of mass destruction. Here she fought monsters capable of wiping out villages or even towns on a daily basis, humans werent at the top of the food chain, not by a long shot.
They want food and they eat. We can relocate them or whatever, at least the lower leveled ones. Animals arent the only monsters though. What do you call someone who starts a war where thousands die, someone who murders others just for their own gains, someone who summons demons into a city full of civilians for whatever reason? She asked.
Mhm, it is certainly a difficult question. I believe people act for a reason, do horrible things because they think them justified. With sufficient time and convincing arguments I think even someone like Adam could be redeemed. The elder suggested.
I thought this was just going to be a nice dinner. Ilea whined, I get where youre coming from Lucas. I really do. But for what you suggest we need proper education, rehabilitation of criminals, proper laws and people to enforce them. You guys dont even have psychologists here. She ran her hands through her hair, You can talk it out with humans. Monsters sadly understand only two languages, mind magic and good old violence. I only have the latter at my disposal.
Lucas smiled brightly as he took another puff, Hmm, you are fascinating. Are you a realm traveler perhaps? Ilea didnt reply, Very rare those I think even rarer for them to reach such a level of power. To adapt so well to a new environment, yet the things you talk about your world must have been so different. Maybe you could build a school, become a teacher or one of those psychos you mentioned. I am very interested in the things you suggested we need.
It was similar and different at the same time. Im not a teacher, I just like to complain about everything. Ilea said, drinking a mug of ale, Neither am I here to teach you about my world.
Perhaps then, you might hunt monsters and help with the gold. The Hand should enable you that much at least. Maybe we could learn from the world you were born in. If you are not willing to tell me, I am sure others would listen. It is your choice of course, your life. He said, leaning back as he patted his belly.
Ilea nodded, Oh we werent born there. Im artificial, made of nano robots. The sarcasm wasnt lost on them but Ilea wasnt in the mood to talk about Earth anymore. Neither did she care what the elder could share about world travelers.
Thank you. Lucas suddenly said, It has been a while since I talked to humans. The dark ones think differently, they rarely are very opinionated on topics like morals or nonviolent communication. Whenever you feel like telling me about your world, I am here.
How many people have you talked to death to reach that power. Were all monsters here. Ilea thought and leaned back with a smile, Have I always been this edgy? I think so. She breathed in deeply and sighed, Guess its all that power going to my head. Fighting unthinkable beasts, losing my head and pretty much becoming a spirit of ash. Now I have to invest in the establishment of psychology as well as therapy before I can even get help.
She was thinking on the possibility of a healer existing that had a skill like that, just let magic solve it. I think what you talk about Lucas, its an interesting approach. Ill definitely think about it. Maro said when she focused on the conversation again.
Oh no, did I miss him using his skill to ensnare Maro. Think about what?
The king shrugged but Lucas answered for him, Try to live a life less focused on power and violence, prioritizing creation and harmony over all.
Yea, I think your charm stat was overwhelmed by his. She said to Maro, the man looking away a little embarrassed.
What thats it? Youre not going to make fun of me for considering it? He asked when Ilea continued eating, his voice almost disappointed.
Why? She asked with a full mouth, Youre free to do whatever the fuck you want Maro. As does he. Im gonna question it maybe but in the end we all reached insane levels of strength. You can become a gardener for all I care. Whos going to stop you?
A gardener no, none of my skills would work. Maybe thats exactly why I should try. He said. Ilea hadnt realized the king was so lost after waking up.
Guess it makes sense, he basically went through what I did when I was brought to Elos. Just that hes already a powerhouse to begin with. I dont think youd make a good gardener. Maybe you could become a counselor or trainer, or you could try yourself at brewing. I know a necromancer whos pretty good at that.
Hmm, yes. I agree with her. Lucas said, Death magic and gardens are not a favorable combination. The plants would die if you just looked at them. He laughed, Ah, I could put in a good word for you at the Hand, some will still know me I am sure.
I can do that too. No need to move yourself from the north. Ilea said.
Good, good. She is your woman then. He said. Ilea wasnt even mad. She was more irritated with herself, trying to fault him for his choices.
Arent you the one advocating for freedom of choice? She asked herself and smiled at him. If you fault him you have to fault yourself too. Stop that, you know our circumstances are complicated. So are his. Why are we pretending to be multiple people? Eat more. Ilea listened to the last thought and continued her meal, the waiter continuously exchanging empty plates with full ones. She thought about his suggestions and would certainly consider some of it. The philosophy wasnt unknown to her of course, Gandhi being a famous example from Earth. Yet there were plenty of historic examples where violence was the solution in the end, some people simply too ignorant, stubborn or convinced of their ways to even listen.
Maybe there were some ways to change some things for the better without giving up her freedoms or catching herself stuck on a side of a war she couldnt stand behind completely. She smiled to herself, Time will heal? I wouldnt even have considered his words last year when I came to the north.
She frowned when she saw the old man smiling at her, Dont look at me like that. Your charisma has no influence on me.
Maro leaned over to him, She thinks its a hidden stat.
Oh no. Does she know our secret? The old man whispered.
Being insanely attractive, eloquent, powerful, mysterious and filthy rich? The king suggested.
Youre not rich Maro. That treasury is probably being raided by Terok right now. And with those rags I doubt the old man has anything but debt. Ilea said.
Hey hey. It was a common style in the south. The elder said with a chuckle.
Did you give him the key already? I intend for you to have most of it. I dont want to bring him into the moral dilemma of choosing between our friendship and gold. You know what he would choose. Maro replied.
Calm down, I have it. Speaking of Terok, we should meet up again soon. She said, summoning a piece of gold and putting it on the table, I like this place.
No, no. I said I would pay. Lucas said, pushing the gold towards her.
Do your finances really allow for that? I ate thirty four plates worth of food. She said, patting her belly. There was nothing there to show. Makes me sad, all food babies destroyed and digested before they even see the light of day. Damn my insanely powerful body.
She stood up and yawned, Come on old man. On your path of peace I doubt theres a ton of money to be made.
I think thats way too much money for the food we had still. Maro said but she waved him off.
Its a tip. She said.
You are being unreasonable with your money. The king said, Youre going to be poor by the end of the month if you continue this trend.
Just have to find a couple more thousand year old death spirits to kill then. One point for the path of violence. She replied.
Comments
Michael C
If you ever stop writing this story, I will be very.very disappointed. Think sending assasins level.of disappointment.
Lowe K. Lyesmith
This chappy was insanely good. Story really needed some of this. Lightness without rambling. Thank you!
Matthew Robinson
Love the rewrite. The conversation flows much better. Ilea didn't have to punch Lucas for the smoke in her face. The characters are identifiable. I think the conversation even helps showcase Ilea thinking about her choices and what they mean at her power level. Hopefully you are happier with this version as well as that is the most important since you're the author.
Rip Woodham
Well.... I had posted a long comment full of criticism and suggestions, but it was either removed or eaten. Was up for a while and then after a lot of edits.... poof. Oh well. Probably an indicator I shouldn't spend so much time on comments here. :-(
G. Harthane
Thanks for the feedback.
G. Harthane
Thought about it but it didn't really fit with who I wanted Lucas to be in the first place. He wouldn't really know/care about this stuff.
G. Harthane
I reused parts and I think that was where I connected two big chunks. Agree that it might be a little weird. Still hopefully more cohesive overall.
whatbm
Good job! The rewrite is much better.
Backfire
Love the rewrite, and love the attitude even more. Keep up the good work
Alan McBrayer
A big improvement. Even after multiple readings I had thought that Ilea was sarcastically saying "“Good to know that at least history will remember the true ruler” and the line about giving the key to Terok didn't make sense to me before but putting it right after her mocking his richness makes it work. I also really liked Ilea taking him to task about the demons and Maro being more active in the conversation about the suns.
Hasome
Revised version seems quite a bit better. The only thing I would've liked to see remain in the chapter was the bit about the elders allegiances (Wallace being allied to a foreign power iir)
Nodlehs
Flows much better now!
I like the new dialogue, it’s more clear who is talking and how the overall conversation flows. However, assuming I remembering it correctly, her response of “I came here for the opposite reason seemed” stronger without the “I am tired of it all...” line. The original version was a more coherent single thought so she could simply reject it as antithetical to her character. But, this more nuanced version makes it less clear what part(s) she is rejecting.
Jessiii
The rewrite definitely flowed better and was easier to follow. Thanks for taking the feedback positively.
Yaksher
I think it’s a bit late in the story now, but having Ilea develop schizophrenia or multiple personality disorder, even just as a gag rather than a story point would be kinda funny. As is, she seems more or less mentally healthy despite everything.
BritishBob
I think you've summed it up for my. Ilea isn't really in any rush at the moment, I think this should be a conversation should be split over 2-3 days. I mean they did just kill a fool and kinda just go Meh Whatever. Seems too impersonal?
Thaabit Rivertree
Regarding the dialogue, there needs to be more physical description of the visuals of the scene, like what their body language is. There is a long stretch where it's only quotes and no description of Ileas facial expressions, body language, reactions. It felt a bit disjointed and I think the mood the author was trying for didn't fit the actual dialogue. Not to just be critical but part of it is the editing standard for this chapter isn't up to your normal standards (I mean spelling and grammar errors). When we saw Ilea's internal thought's it seemed more natural. Why didn't Maro reveal he was alive at the time of the event when he first spoke about the three suns? Then he suddenly announces he's the king of Rhyvor and the elder doesn't even ask about the event he's researching. How do they understand the reference to Nano robots? The sarcasm doesn't seem to fit and I think it would be better to just describe their reactions than saying outright that the sarcasm wasn't lost on them. Overall I love the story and feel it's pretty amazing. Just some quirks this chapter.
G. Harthane
Aight, lemme head right out
Deinos
Loved the chappy
Atlas Dwarf
Going by him growing plants and trying to fix the environments, might be some sort of plant mage. Maybe even a life mage with the whole pacifism stance.
Atlas Dwarf
Thanks for the chapter. I think the problem with the conversation here was that there were to many topics brought up for how short the conversation was, which really just causes the characters to skim over important topics and not react as they should. Now granted all that might just be the king and elder going full political speak, but that should've piss Ilea off a lot more.
I agree that the current Ilea wouldnt tolerate being disrespected by him blowing smoke in her face. I feel like she would do something snarky like blow a cloud of ash in his face or something.
Matthew Robinson
1k Patron rewards: Discord. Ilea Interview. Artwork. More side chapters if you want. As for these two chapters. Something was a bit off about them. The conversation in this chapter was a bit hard to follow on who was speaking when so drop some names. The characters didn't really seem to care about what they were saying either they just lacked conviction in what they were saying or maybe it was that some many topics were discussed in such brief detail. Someone mentioned Ilea not punching the Elder for the smoke thing and I agree there she should at least smack him with Ash. I think it only needs some small tweaks but it's a little off. I'd say give it like two-three days and see if that makes what's wrong more apparent. Lastly, thanks for all the writing and the most recent chapters. Always enjoyable.
Knightfire
Was waiting for her to ask re resistance training. Maybe he is a gold mage and she needs that resistance
Thaabit Rivertree
I had a super long comment but after editing it, it somehow got lost. Had lots of corrections in it. Hope it got to you author
Jessiii
I definitely appreciate a slower chapter, but the dialogue felt really disjointed and it was hard to follow at points. Otherwise keep up the good work.
Also I really love your side character stories. Maybe every couple sundays you can release random continuations of those stories, and add more forgotten characters. Like the dagger and enchantress girl, her dad the blacksmith, Cless, the girl Ilea gave the azarinth class to, kyrian. And a lot of the other characters. Itd be cool if these side characters could somehow intertwine
Grond (James)
I definitely could not follow her emotional journey in this conversation
Definitely creating a discord!
Chopper
I think it was out of character for Ilea not to punch the old man for blowing smoke in her face. As far as the conversation goes, I know its something the author likes to do; have people ignore others and talk over each other, which is fine but you have to mention that or it gets confusing. The dialogue at dinner was quite chaotic and I more or less got the gist of what was happening but still found myself annoyed.
I noticed it too and did a double take at one point, but it's mainly 2-way conversation that doesn't express the speaker (or really need it) and when the third person comes in they're expressed. Of course more descriptive, expressive speech like - jabbed/retorted/suggested, etc are welcome to convey tone but each author to his/her own. The more rapid change of talker also speeds up the reading hinting at a fast paced, table conversation... on the side. God forbid jp authors; 'throws elementary grammar book at them'. Supposedly their native language includes unique sentence structure which indicates the speaker but doesn't translate over to english (or so I've been told... I feel like I've been lied to there, but whatever).
BigBuckler
I think the only issue I had in this chapter is that it was easy to lose track of who was speaking, or who was supposed to be answering the question that just got asked
Rip Woodham
She likes to think herself removed, but her actions speak differently. Just like with the Sentinel class evolution. Everybody is a hypocrite. We tell ourselves and others things that do not paint exactly the same picture as who we are. The author does a good job with this.
Your dialogue was mostly good, although some parts got that Japanese light novel format of an entire group of people talking with absolutely no descriptions or indicators of who's talking to who so we're left having to infer who is saying what to who and we have no idea how they might feel about it. This works well in some dialogue, but it seems out of place in deeper conversation like we're seeing here. Also with the way it's currently written it seems to be randomly shifting from 3rd person to 2nd person view. For example Ilea seems to be trying to make a strong point about how she feels out of nowhere since there was no inner dialogue before or after to suggest she even cared. We don't have anything but the spoken words to go on for her feelings on the matter in some important parts of the conversation. Overall, a little to much show rather than I tell I suppose. At some parts at least. The chapter and conversation itself are both fine, it just seems to be written a bit disjointed in random ways.
Corwin Amber
thanks for the chapters
Jonathan Frerichs
no i think it´s right as it is they talk but don´t really talk about anthing is is after all the first conversation they have together an Maro isn´t really all there yet with all that is going through his head well same with illea and thinking about stuff
Yaksher
1000 Patrons... congrats. Love these chapters, though as some guy above said, the convo is a bit erratic and incomplete.
Alan McBrayer
I'm reading his line as a group of lvl 300 or so people that could suppress him.
Worldknower
Maybe a quick chapter to look back at some forgotten character? Like the dagger?
Gardor
Not to be a nag, but I think this dialogue needs work. Topics are brought up and ignored by people (Elder doesn't interact with the guy who was alive during the calamity he's trying to fix, Ilea doesn't ask who "Urn" is or what Strand wanted or talk about going to the demon realm), characters are weird (Maro is being dismissive and sulky, Ilea is telling the guy to do his job and whining and making ineffectual arguments for no reason, Elder is blowing smoke in peoples faces) and just in general the conversation seems erratic and stilted, they switch from topic to topic in the span of a sentence, without really resolving anything, and it's hard to tell who's talking cuz it's disjointed and everyone's tone is relatively similar. A girl who's been on the planet for 3 years, an ancient necromancer king and a Hand Elder shouldn't sound so similar. Plus she's got her new sentinel sphere which should be helping with social interaction, maybe passively. Like in the last chapter that moment when Maro and the Elder look at each other and laugh at Ilea brushing off the compliment is weird, it's clear what you were going for but it's a weird moment. Then they just start talking in little bursts of sentences of random, explicitly stated things.
DANTE
Idk, i think it's a bit out of ilea character to get so worked up about that kind of things, I had the impression she was ok with how most things work on Elos
Thaabit Rivertree
If the empire has people capable of suppressing him... That makes me think they have someone(s) at lvl 400 plus... The way he talks about her getting dragged in makes me think if she shows herself she might be forced by the 400+ leveler to do some tasks/take a side/get killed. Most people don't want someone capable of upsetting their power dynamic growing rapidly in their backyard
Morgan
Tbh these two chapters have been my favourite chapters in the past 2 months excluding the lvl 300 upgrades
Zachary Smith
I’m pretty excited for the reactions of everyone she knows in the south when she returns!
Zachary Smith
Every chapter can’t be impactful or dramatic. It was a nice filler/ change of pace
Davvy chappie
You do you boo I wouldn't be throwing money at you if I wanted you to work yourself yo death
Alan McBrayer
Kinda wanted Ilea to mention Weavy when Lucas was haranguing her about choosing a nonviolent path
Mr. Bigglesworth
100 chapters for 1k Patron mark go!
Mr Crowley
For an interesting idea, an in character AMA with Illea would be awesome, or maybe answering questions about other characters in the setting?
Matthias
Big get together for anyone able to come, some time in the future? I bet a lot of people would love that
G. Harthane
Also I can't do nothing for 1000 Patrons coming up. Never thought I'd reach such a ridiculous number. You are all unwise in managing your money! Any stupid ideas? Not sure if I can manage more chapters to be honest...
