Morning in Austrex
- Pronouns
- He/Him
And on the Winter Solstice, While Many made Merry, The Son of Man Endeavored to Bring the Commune to Heel, and the Shadow Chose to Bring Salvation to the World of Ash.
The steamboat Pyroferrous departed Luthadel on a bright and clear winter morning, exiting the Port before turning to steam downriver. Coal smoke rose from its singular smokestack, and paddle wheels pushed against the water. Ashfalls weren't as common during the winter, typically, from a mix of rains and cold weather meaning the ash wasn't buoyed as high. But the sky was still full of haze. It was always like that, even if he had false memories of clear blue skies.
A boxing twirled through the air, although it was not moving as if a Coinshot Pushed it or Lurcher Pulled it. It was hanging in place, spinning around an axis, the red sunlight gleaming off it. The peak of a Mistborn's skill in iron and steel, it was said by many. Similarly, an iron spun through the air, although it wobbled often, and sometimes fell. Kelsier smiled, for he was training Vin in the metal he was most skilled at.
Vin spoke up. "Why does the coin not move? The boat is moving, shouldn't the coin move with the ground, instead of the boat?"
Ah Vin, minutes of observations leading to a well thought out question. "This is debated by scholars, but it seems like it's the individual's frame of reference. Our ground is the deck of the boat, and as we are standing on it, it appears to us that we are moving. So, the coin's velocity moves with the boat, and our velocity." Kelsier said.
"That makes sense." Vin said. "How are you acclimating to the spike?"
"Good. I have trouble remembering when I've felt better." Kelsier smiled. He stopped spinning the boxing, Pulling it into the palm of his hand, and felt something that he thought impossible a few short months ago. A feruchemical charge. The boxing was a metalmind, and it was his metalmind. He had spent the day experimenting with it, seeing what could be done, and how exactly feruchemy and compounding worked.
He had the basic rules down. Typical Feruchemists could only store in and tap a metalmind. Most attributes worked the same- you stored a percentage of an attribute, and you couldn't store 100%. He had tried at first, when he didn't know what he was doing, and he had been knocked out. Luckily, his health returned to full the moment he lost consciousness, and he woke up a few seconds later. Dangerous, with the spike newly in him and the hangover. He stored about 50%, and felt like hell for a bit, then moved to storing 20%. And then he clipped the boxing, burning a bit of its metal. His hangover went away, and his spike stopped throbbing.
But he had no health left over. He clipped the coin again, and stored in the small clipped piece of it, until it filled up- he ate and burned it, and stored a large percentage of his health in the boxing, and another clipped piece, the extra health from burning the small completely full clipped piece making him feel like he wasn't storing health at all. He supposed he would keep clipping and burning the boxing until what was left was full. The boxing already was hard to manipulate via allomancy.
After he finished the boxing, he supposed he would store in his hemalurgic spike. Marsh said he did that, as it was the largest piece of gold on his body. Kelsier knew why his spike was empty of a charge, and that was because the Inquisitor had tried to heal from getting its back spike ripped out by Marsh, draining it and perishing anyways.
Kelsier presumed he would find a good balance eventually, but he needed to work at getting a full metalmind first. He sat back down, and resumed clipping the boxing, burning the clips, and storing the excess health in more clips, putting the excess in the boxing. Soon enough, he filled up the boxing to full, and began clipping it and storing in another boxing. When that was filled up, he cut what was left of the boxing up, and stored the health in his spike, and even had enough to fill up a second boxing halfway.
Kelsier wondered what the limits of healing were. He could be stabbed and shot, sure. But what about being cut in half, or being struck by a cannonball, or getting a body part cut off? He should ask Sazed. He avoided telling anyone about his spike, not wanting Marsh to fret, or abandon his recovery to track him down. He only told Vin this morning, after they had departed Luthadel.
"So how long should it take for us to get to Austrex?" she asked.
"More quickly than the typical human, ox, or horse-pulled canal boat, that's for sure. Not only does this go at about five kilometers per hour, but we'll be going downstream, so the estimate is about seven kilometers per hour. So, we should get to Austrex tomorrow morning."
"Transport is getting fast." Vin said, awed.
Kelsier chuckled. "We're catching up. Classical Scadrial had many wondrous inventions, forcibly removed from our world by the Lord Ruler. When you're my age, you should be able to travel to anywhere in the former Final Empire in a month."
"Sazed showed me the drawing of that train. It's amazing that it was present in the past. What else is there?"
"Oh, so many things. Our ancestors waged their wars with hundreds of cannons, and every man in their armies had a rifle. They knew the secrets of lightning, in addition to the world being habitable in its entirety."
"But they didn't have Allomancy." Vin remarked.
"No, they didn't. It is said the Lord Ruler turned nine kings who bowed before him into Mistborn, using an unknown metal. There's also the rumors that Allomancy came with the mists… but I don't believe that." Kelsier said.
Vin shrugged. "Could be true. The mists love Allomancy. You know how they swirl about you when you're burning something."
Kelsier waved it off. "There's not enough evidence to say either way."
Tenes quickly passed, being the one of the two cities on the Channerel between Luthadel and Austrex. Kelsier found himself chatting with the crew of the Pyroferrous. The mechanist tending to the engine was particularly proud of it, as this ship had only come into existence after many revisions. There were two sorts of steam engines- low pressure engines, and high-pressure engines. Low pressure engines were what was used in the retooling of the various mills and forges of the cities, and in certain mines and factories in the Final Empire. This steamboat was powered by a low pressure engine.
The high pressure engine was the other sort of steam engine. It was unwieldy, and the couple of models assembled had exploded. The people who had preserved it down the centuries didn't think of its fragility, but they could keep on experimenting with various metals. By this time next year they should be able to get one working. The machinist smiled, explaining that the small size of the high pressure steam engine when compared to its power would allow for trains, and would replace the low pressure steam engines.
While Kelsier wouldn't say he understood all of this, he could definitely understand that a smaller more powerful engine would be better than a larger low power engine. And the thought of trains hurtling across the world was a good one.
But he could do more than think of a future that was a long and brutal war away. And that was politics. It was somewhat impressive that he could involve himself in politics in a small self-contained boat, but that was just what he was good at.
The crew of the steamboat were all former canal skaa, and he strove to learn about what happened to the third group of skaa since the Revolution. While trade had declined, resources still flowed, and they found themselves the main source of labor for both piloting, maintaining, and transporting ships. Some had settled, of course, but others had joined their ranks, to see what there was in the world, or to secure a reliable source of income.
For in the face of the lack of the New Republic in aiding them, a gang, the Ashen Veins, had stepped up. The gang had moved to aiding communities of canal skaa, pointing them in the direction of work, which, once found, proved to be reliable for months on end. Trade even was on the upswing, after the agreement with Terris and the Oligarchy of the Southern Isles. It wasn't that hard to be a canal skaa in the New Republic- especially when compared to the Final Empire, even if there was negligence on behalf of the state.
At least one of the canal skaa had been in the Eastern Dominance in the months after the Revolution. He hadn't seen much, but all but essential work dried up, so he worked on transporting arsenic ore, and he had seen an Inquisitor impale one of his fellow workers, and he got spooked, fled to Chathram, and from there into the New Republic. It was strange, he considered, that the Steeled Empire let refugees go without issue. No refugee group reported being molested by Inquisitors or the border guards- but few refugees said they were from the City of Seran.
The sun reached its peak, and Vin and he joined the boat workers for some bread and bean stew. Traditional skaa dish- he supposed that while working on the canals paid, it didn't pay enough to afford meat for every meal. Vin asked him a question. "Could you use a Keeper's goldmind if they stored their Identity?"
"I don't see why I couldn't." Kelsier remarked.
"Then… could you burn a Keeper's unkeyed goldmind?" she asked.
A revelation blessed Kelsier, the same one Vin apparently had had. "I should be able to. And you… should be able to burn an unkeyed goldmind. We should be able to burn any unkeyed metalminds. Vin, you've done it!" Kelsier laughed and was just about jumping for joy.
"This is it! The Aluminum of allomancy! Feruchemy is within our grasp!" Vin's excitement diminished, and she suddenly looked sallow. "Sazed and I tried this, and he framed it as… Allomancers stealing strength from the Terris people. We'll face some pushback from the Keepers."
"Damn, yeah. We'll be relying on handouts. Probably limited gold… but we have a ton of Inquisitor spikes, and once I determine if Hemalurgy in small quantities is safe, we can just give our mistborn Feruchemical gold." Kelsier said.
"So why can't we give you Feruchemical aluminum, or the Keepers Allomantic gold?" Vin asked.
"Because the metals needed to take those traits are undiscovered." Kelsier said.
"You haven't tested the new metals Hemalurgically, right?" Vin asked.
"No, I haven't. But I don't know how to start." Kelsier said. He had thought about this many times- and mostly, he needed people who would be willing to experiment on condemned nobles, who were trustworthy. The Keepers weren't willing, and neither was Marsh- but he thought the Ministry of War might.
"If you plan on investigating this third metallic art, this is the perfect time. There will be many captives taken in this war, and many of them we will be executing anyways. If you wait, I do not see another time in which this sort of testing will be possible." Vin said.
Oh, Vin, beyond her years in many ways. "You're right. The remaining Hemalurgic metals have to be in the Spiritual categories, given the way the chart's balanced out. The pushing lower metals are those that steal Allomantic and Feruchemical traits, while the Internal temporal metals fill that role in the temporal category, so it should be aluminum and duralumin. No, that doesn't make sense, the Final Empire could've used aluminum hemalurgically…"
"You need to experiment. And we should use every tool we have. In my experience, those who don't, die." Vin said.
"So many will die…" Kelsier said darkly.
After that, Kelsier found himself thinking of war. There were three armies that would be facing combat. The Army of the North led by Yeden, Army of the East led by Clubs, and the Army of the South, technically under Bazen's command? She had probably selected a delegate for that though. The Army of the North would sweep west, across the northern plain. The Army of the East would march first, taking Rive-juxta-Lutha, attempting to reach Samenflow before the marshes thawed in the spring. The Army of the South would withstand the sheer numbers of the Aspirant Empire, having turned Longsfollow into a veritable fortress, one that must be assailed, for its spot along the Cassern River making it impossible to pass on by. And an engagement that could be set was one that needed to be invested in.
But the Army of the South could not win the war in one battle, no matter how fortified and well-stocked Longsfollow was. And so, he needed to check on the Army of the South, and see how well Baz'en was doing. The Austrex Commune was the most steadfast ally of the New Republic, and was the furthest along to integration. Austrex must not fall. And for that to occur, the Army of the South must be expanded, to include at least a hundred thousand men, to hold off the Aspirant Empire.
He had heard that the army sizes were a bit lower, but surely all he needed to do was meet with Baz'en and make her consider the inevitable war. The Austrex cache would be a great aid to the Commune. He wondered how long he would need to stay in Austrex. Well, he would find out soon enough.
The sun had risen above the Verdigris Plateau by the time the Pyroferrous entered the harbor of Austrex. The ruddy sky was painted the pink and blue of dawn, a faint echo of the ancient age when the skies were clear. Fog clung to the surface of the Grand Laguna, an echo of the nightly mist, while gulls whirled overhead.
Kelsier noticed that it was the winter solstice- the ending of the old year, and the beginning of the next. Ten twenty-three… the first full year where the Final Empire was dead. He hoped they'd keep it that way. The superstitions of the canal skaa were fully visible- they said this was a time of darkness, where the walls between worlds were thinnest- they warned him to watch out for Mistwraiths, or the Lord Ruler coming to take his revenge. They agreed that he was a powerful Lord of Hell, ruling a large swathe of the ashen pit.
The Austrex harbor was something special- one of the largest in the Final Empire, and Austrex sat on a small peninsula jutting into the Grand Laguna, the largest city upon one of the central lakes. So many lakes surrounding the New Republic, and so underused, even for transportation.
But transportation was not a thing he was here for. Baz'en was awaiting his arrival, with a thousand soldiers, and tens of thousands of skaa- likely having skipped breakfast for him. The soldiers were lined up, keeping the crowd back from the dock, and two people were waiting for him- Baz'en Wraithkiller in a mistcloak, and two other people- a man, and a Keeper. Kelsier stepped off the gangway, onto the dock, in front of the two. "Welcome, Premier Minister. I hope Austrex is as welcoming as your home." she said.
Kelsier smiled. "I wish I could be here for pleasure, First Minister, but the state of the world renders that not the case. It has been a couple months since our last meeting. Tell me, who are your companions?"
"Why, this is Assemblyman Eufraso Steelburner, my friend and close accomplice, as well as the current general of the Southern Army. And this is the Keeper Axindweth, who has been a great aid in the construction of the Austrex Commune." Baz'en introduced the man, who bowed, and the Keeper, who curtsied her robes. Kelsier shook their hands.
"And this must be Vin!" Baz'en turned to Vin, almost leaning over her. "It's good to see the next generation. And there's a second young Mistborn woman in Luthadel, I've heard?"
"Yes, but she's with the Haughts." Vin said.
Baz'en tutted. "Can't trust nobles in this day in age, can we?"
Kelsier spoke up. "I would love to chat, but we're here on government business. Our search will be long- it's best if General Eufraso here mobilizes his men. The Steel Ministry buildings- there is a vast sub-basement below one of them. Search for low points- wine cellars, basements, and you, Eufraso, should be able to see a blue line pointing straight through the wall- although I believe only a Mistborn can open it. Come to me when you find it- or just the likely areas in each of the Steel Ministry buildings." The General nodded, turning and rallying his soldiers, to scour Austrex for the cache.
"So I suppose we do have some time, for them to find this sub-basement." Baz'en said.
"We do. What do you have in mind?" Kelsier asked.
"Axindweth here has been working on something amazing. Perhaps you would like to see it?"
"It would be great to see what accomplishments you have made in Austrex, Lady Keeper." Kelsier said to the Feruchemist.
"Then we will go to what used to be known as Keep Lekal, Premier Minister." Axindweth proclaimed.
"How much math will this include?" Vin asked, eyes narrowed.
"Quite a lot. I can teach you the basics, I think." Axindweth offered, smiling.
"No thank you. Kel, can I train with Baz'en? I've never trained with another Mistborn." Vin asked.
Kelsier turned to Baz'en, asking her a silent question. "Of course!" Baz'en said, "And don't worry, I'll take good care of her." The two ran off, Baz'en complimenting Vin ruthlessly.
The soldiers were departing, the crew of the Pyroferrous was leaving to spend however long in Austrex, and the crowd was closing in, to perhaps speak to him. Kelsier had only one route left- learning about whatever Axindweth wanted to show or teach him.
The two walked through the streets of Austrex, conversing. Axindweth had chosen physics as her Keeper's portfolio- the sciences of gravitation, chemistry, mathematics, the metallic arts, and more. She had a lab in the former Keep Lekal, where she wrested the secrets of the world- not that of history or government or engineering, although Baz'en funded her efforts based on how many needed texts she would provide the First Minister.
But something was more interesting, for now. This was the first time Kelsier had found himself in Austrex following the Revolution, and it had changed. It was much like Luthadel, but there was something else, in the air, and in the faces and words of its people. It took a moment, but Kelsier put his finger on it. Tension, as a result of division.
Baz'en's words when she came to Luthadel were reflected in the population of the Austrex Commune. Various sigils flew from stores and tenements, opposed to one another. The Spear and Book against the Ship, the Spear and Book against the Lighthouse. Iconoclasm against Commercantism.
There was a problem here, that hopefully could be resolved, or made to dwindle, before the war came. He would have to speak with Baz'en about many things, assuredly. But Kelsier had time- perhaps the situation with the Southern Army was better than he'd heard. At the very least, the cache would provide enough weapons to give the military of the Commune an edge.
They arrived at Keep Lekal. It wasn't like the one in Luthadel, shaped like a pyramid, instead being the more traditional noble keeps- in the model of the greatest churches, before the Ascension. House Lekal had nearby bankrupted their house building the Luthadel keep They slipped through a side door, moving through a short hallway, before exiting into a former dining room.
A large stained glass window made up one wall, illuminating the contents of the quite large room. The floor was stone, and he noticed portions of it were bleached from acid stains. And what Kelsier saw was a collection of curiosities. Various scientific instruments sat on tables, many glass jars sat on shelves, there were chalkboards filled with mathematical equations complete with symbols Kelsier had never seen, and there were various metalminds sitting on a bench. Was that a fish in a tank?
Kelsier approached the fish. A ray. "Why do you have a fish?" he asked Axindweth, smiling in the absurdity of whatever value the Keeper found in the creature.
Axindweth smiled. "That's a numb-ray. It is a very unique specimen, for it can generate electricity."
"A fish can generate electricity?" Kelsier asked, dumbfounded.
"It can. It has special organs that generate electricity." the Keeper said.
In a flash of insight, Kelsier realized the Keeper had cracked the secret of lightning. "How far have you gotten?" Kelsier asked Axindweth, smiling.
Axindweth laughed. "Far! I've been working on testing what little knowledge we have- I've reconfirmed that lightning is electricity, found that humans and animals utilize electricity to control their muscles, and I'm working on linking magnetism and electricity, and I think chemistry and electricity are linked."
"Magnetism and electricity are linked?" Kelsier asked.
"And possibly more! Come, I have a test I'd like you to see." Axindweth hurried over to one of her machines- copper wiring wrapped around an iron bar twisted into the shape of a horseshoe. She put on thick leather gloves, and grabbed a… thing of metal, metal circles of zinc and copper stacked in a cylinder. "Do not touch anything, Kelsier, too much electricity can hurt or even kill you."
Before assembling it, Axindweth got a compass, and placed it to the north of the instrument. "Watch the compass." she said, hooking up the thing of circles of zinc and copper to the copper wire. And to Kelsier's surprise, the compass' needle turned south, to point at the device.
"What is this? It wasn't a magnet before?" Kelsier asked, furrowing his brow.
"An electromagnet- a magnet created via electricity. Just like an ordinary magnet, but artificially created. As for this," she gestured at the stack of zinc and copper circles, "it's a pile battery- it utilizes a chemical reaction to generate a continuous electric current, as opposed to the spark of the batteries you've seen used in the typical Final Empire-era electrical experiments, or the shock of the numb-ray."
Kelsier nodded. "Does electricity have any practical uses?"
Axindweth smiled. "I've found several, and have records of more. First, electricity can be used to plate metal, which increases its strength and corrosion resistance. Second, I have been able to create some new gases and chemicals, or obtain rare gases and chemicals more easily, by using electricity to cause reactions in or between various substances. Third, I have been able to make new magnets- removing our reliance on limited deposits of naturally occurring magnetized metals. I've found that it is possible to generate electricity using magnetism, it is possible to turn electrical energy into motion and vice versa, and it is possible to generate a light which can match the brightness of limelight using electricity. For the less likely options, Classical texts make mention of using electricity to communicate a vast distance over wiring, as well as the reanimation of dead tissue- but even using very fresh human cadavers, I've not managed to get more than twitching."
"You've done a lot. Do you think you could replicate the limelights?" Kelsier asked.
"No… I need more facilities, and more hands. This is the best electrical lab in the entire former Final Empire, and all because I swept up half the equipment in Communard territory. The only people dabbling with electricity before were eccentric nobles, and there's not many left of those in the New Republic. It'll take decades to rebuild the general scientific base needed for this, as long as Terris remains as it is. You'd best stick to limelights." Axindweth said.
"You could work for the University in Luthadel?" Kelsier asked.
"No, I'm needed in Austrex. Baz'en isn't the best at statecraft, and we need to focus on the war instead of the sciences, despite how much I wish it weren't so. That's why you're in Austrex, right?" Axindweth asked, hopefully.
"Right. Damnable shame about your lack of facilities. The copper wiring, though- that reminds me of an attempt the University made to do that, using an unkeyed copper metalmind." Kelsier mentioned, off-handedly.
"Oh, right! I wanted to test something with you." Axindweth adjusted the connection between the pile battery and the electromagnet, loosening it so if either parts were moved, it would come apart. "Attempt to push or pull on the iron bar here, just enough to tip it over." she pointed to the electromagnet.
Kelsier burned steel, and lightly pushed on the electromagnet- it fell over with a clatter, disconnecting itself, and the compass' needle spun back towards Luthadel.
"Damn it…" Axindweth rubbed her eyes. "I thought that would work. But, I suppose the lack of a resistance proves something else."
"Like if I tried to push or pull on a full metalmind. But what does the absence of resistance prove?" Kelsier asked the Keeper.
"That the Metallic Arts are disconnected from electricity, chemistry, or magnetism. Come, let's examine my metalminds." Kelsier and Axindweth moved to another part of the room- many metalminds, marked with small notes of paper numbering them, atop shelves, along with papers with many, many calculations. "This is agonizing as it seems." Axindweth deadpanned. "All attributes- except the mess that is memory, vary depending on the individual."
"For instance, my baseline level of strength I store is much less than Vedzan's, and it would be the same for a sickly individual or a healthy individual for gold. Thanks to aluminum's Feruchemical property being discovered, however, it should be possible to establish a universal baseline unit to measure Feruchemical Investiture- I've even established a preliminary baseline based on myself alone, but I need more Feruchemists, and I would need to study Compounding to truly find the baseline."
Kelsier was feeling overwhelmed, but he knew that Axindweth likely knew something integral he did not. "So what's notable about the lack of resistance? And what's Investiture?"
Axindweth stammered. "I'm sorry, I got carried away there. It was previously believed that the charge in metalminds was a form of static electricity- I've run tests with my own metalminds, there being no resistance to the flow of electricity, and even tried to move the charge in a full metalmind into a near-empty one using electricity. That test we just did was just the final nail in the coffin- if a 'Feruchemical charge' was electricity, or related to it, there would be resistance to the flow, and it would act as if you were manipulating a metalmind with iron and steel Allomancy. As that does not happen, and I doubt gravitation is responsible, I theorize there is a third force, which provides the power of Allomancy, and makes up both Feruchemical and Hemalurgic charge."
"Don't metals power Allomancy?" Kelsier asked.
"No." Axindweth shook her head. "It's hard to explain… but imagine you have a lock, key, and a door, or perhaps a container. This is the same structure for Feruchemy, as well- I don't know how Hemalurgy works enough to judge, although I would like to. The lock is the ability to use the metallic arts- something few people have. The key is the metals, likely the specific axial structure of individual metals. The door is the source of power, of Investiture- in Feruchemy, someone's inborn attributes when storing, or the Investiture in their metalminds when tapping. In Allomancy, the door is… a source of power. While energy cannot be created or destroyed, it's not the metals- I learned that from someone else."
Kelsier nodded. "Locks, keys, and doors…" he muttered, trying to map this system to hemalurgy. "Metal would be the key in all three, the charge in a spike would be the door… but what's the lock? The bindpoints?"
"I'd need to test more." Axindweth said. "Some ancient religions mention three realms- including that of the Terris mythology, with the Feruchemical categories of metals being based around this. This test proves that these three realms exist, or at least there is a non-Physical charge that can occupy the same space as a Physical charge. The Physical is our realm, of planets and stars, the Cognitive is the realm of the mind, and the Spiritual is the root of the Metallic Arts… and Gods."
"Do you propose to measure God?" Kelsier asked, smiling.
"No… I know next to nothing about this theory. Not even how to test it. But I have made progress on the Spiritual Metals you have discovered." Axindweth said, getting out a duraluminmind. "This was unusually difficult to figure out- like the rest of the Spiritual metals. But, Kelsier, it stores Connection. I'm tapping it right now." Axindweth tapped a bracelet around her wrist.
"And what does it do?" Kelsier asked, although he could already guess, now that he knew the term Connection. Axindweth was speaking with an Austrese accent. And… why did he trust her so, going with her experiments and not asking questions?
"Many things. I gain the local accent when tapping enough, and I might be able to speak other languages using it, in regions where people speak languages other than Demotic. Other people trust and remember me more when tapping it, and when storing it, people do not trust me, overlook me, or more often than not, forget me. I stored up a large quantity of it when I figured that out- I completed a lot of experiments in the free time it gave me, when Baz'en was not asking over every little thing predating the Ascension." Axindweth smiled. He didn't want to tell her to stop tapping it… damn it, it was altering his mind!
"Please stop tapping it. What properties of the other Spiritual metals have you found?" Kelsier requested. He then felt something change, and his suspicions of this Keeper increased- but she still seemed like someone happiest alone in a room doing equations than a spy.
"I just wanted to get your ear, but that was a mistake, I think." Axindweth said, having slipped back into her Terris accent.
"No, this is all really interesting- I assure you. Before this, I thought the Metallic Arts were one of the most unexplained and unexplored sciences- and it goes deeper than I thought. This all has grand implications- who knew you could measure the relation between a person, and the culture of their land? If you want, after things are more stable, you would make a great Deputy Minister of the Department of Allomancy, as one day, we'll need to know the peacetime uses of these abilities." Kelsier offered the Keeper, smiling.
"Thank you so much." Axwindeth smiled. "I think you wanted me to cover Chromium specifically- that is Fortune. It is not luck, despite what many would claim. Luck is skill, or random. A cardsharp, or a cheater, many would claim to be lucky, while it is truly skill. As for randomness, the roll of the dice is not truly random, depending on what face the dice was thrown on, with what velocity, and the wind- and it may be possible for the most experienced to judge that."
"That is Fortune, or a close enough analogy to it, I think. My experiments are crude, but I felt you coming, Kelsier. I see the most potential in this metal, at least until we discover the External Pushing Spiritual Metal. Think about what it could store, Kelsier… Fortune, Identity, Connection, what fundamental thing would it store?"
Kelsier had caught on, and there was only one other fundamental thing it could be. He smiled as he spoke. "Investiture. All-purpose metalminds… if we gave a Mistborn Feruchemical Investiture-storage, then they could compound Allomantic ability. I suppose that's the limit of the Metallic Arts- excepting the mystery of what atium is, if it's not on the chart."
Axindweth's smile bloomed into a grin. "I believe that the ability to use a Metallic Art is also a form of Investiture."
No, that wasn't possible. "No, how could that be… no, the ability to use a Metallic Art IS an attribute, one linked with Investiture…" Kelsier looked up, with a grin that matched Axindweth's. "The democratization of Feruchemy is at hand. We just need that fourteenth metal."
Kelsier glimpsed the future, a world in which all sixteen metals were known- where anyone could access Goldminds, filled to the brim with health, produced from compounding. Where soldiers could pick up an… unsealed metalmind, and gain the ability to accelerate coins or grow many times stronger than an ordinary man.
But what use was a future of ash? "What do you know of the Well of Ascension, Axindweth?" he asked the Keeper.
"Nothing more than the Obligators said, unfortunately, as well as the Journal of Alendi. Most things about Terris were removed from the records. Used by the Lord Ruler to make himself a Mistborn, and change the very world." Axindweth responded.
"I should ask Sazed if he has any idea where it is. We have the journal, it should be possible to find, if the Lord Ruler didn't bury it under a thousand tons of rock. This meeting has been fruitful, and I hope to see you working in Luthadel in several years." Kelsier said.
"Thank you for your faith in me, Premier Minister. I wish you well on your ventures in Austrex, and hope you find what you are looking for." and they parted, Kelsier taking to the rooftops to find Baz'en and Vin.
Now Kelsier has seen the city of Austrex, he must decide his primary goal while he is in the Second City of the Republic. The Austrex Commune has several large issues, and the war for the fate of the world will not wait for these to be solved. However, Kelsier's word and determination is unparalleled, and he can fix one of these issues, if he puts his mind to it, even if only spends a few brief days in the city- after all, if there is a Cache in Austrex, some of its resources could be used to fuel his efforts.
[ ] The Communard Army. From what Kelsier has heard, the Communard army is not adequate, and is slow in building up. This cannot continue. Austrex must be able to resist the Aspirant Army, even if it cannot defeat it. Kelsier will investigate why the army is limited, and do what he can to increase the amount of trained men in the army. There is no reason to have a state if it cannot defend itself.
[ ] The Political Divisions. There is an ever-present tension between the Iconoclasts and Commercantists in Austrex. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Kelsier will investigate the reason behind these political divisions, and see what can be done to end them, or at least diminish them. There is no reason to have an army without a functional state.
Nazh shoved open the stone door, which toppled to the dirt below. He panted heavily, but had to keep running. He whirled around, finding himself in a graveyard bathed in red sunlight and falling ash, and having come out of a mausoleum. No, not in a graveyard! Ash and shadows, the worst place to fight one of them. A manor house sat quietly in the distance, built in a Daysider style.
He found a treeline, and darted for it. He scrabbled over the iron fence at the edge of the graveyard, his hat falling off in the process. Damn, just when he needed a hat, amidst the falling ash. At least his coat didn't get stuck. Luckily, Nazh got into the treeline, quickly becoming covered by the forest, when the thing, of spikes and shadow, emerged from the underground. Or was it a forest? The trees were evenly spaced, all pines, and the ground was covered by nothing larger than a weed. A tree farm, for turpentine for camphine oil, to power the lamps of this world.
He heard rustling in the treetops. Helmore! The thing likely couldn't see him if he was standing behind a tree- he carried no metal, and trees were full of metal. Especially on Scadrial.
Nazh whispered a quick prayer as he slipped behind another tree, pulling his blunderbuss pistol out of his coat. Adonalsium, let his plan work… it was weak from the fight, it could be slain!
"Your God cannot save you, wretch. He is dead, and Ruin reigns." the gravelly voice taunted, an unknown distance away.
"My God is not either of those." Nazh boasted. "Every action your lord takes is following a plan laid down ten thousand years ago."
"You're one of the interlopers, aren't you? Kar will reward me handsomely for your capture…" the voice stopped suddenly.
Nazh closed his eyes, reaching out, sensing the life in the area. Amidst nothing but trees and the few small animals that hadn't been scared off, it stuck out like a glowing mushroom. He waited, feeling it move around- falling gently right behind him. Nazh whirled around, finding the Inquisitor standing there, with a too-wide grin on its face, its robe a cloak of shadow. He pulled the trigger, filling its chest and skull with shot of rock. Blood spattered onto his coat and cloth mask.
The thing stood there for a second, a confused look on its face, before falling over, dead. A pyrite flash pan worked, combined with a wooden barrel to not give its Allomancy any grip on the gun. Nazh kneeled down, pulled back its cloak of shadow, feeling at its ribs, finding the spike of gold, and removing it with a glass knife, along with the right steel spike in its eye, and one of the bronze spikes in its ribs. All he could carry.
He didn't remember how he found his way back to Vorzeth, but he was standing over the dying Keeper, in one of the many tunnels that ran below Chathram. Vorzeth was leaning against the rough rock wall of the tunnel, carved centuries ago by some noble. The only source of illumination was a small ventilation shaft in the roof.
"Oh thank God you prevailed against it. I thought… you were it coming back to haul me away." Vorzeth's lips were flecked with bloody spittle. He didn't have long, the coin wounds being too much for him.
"Is there any way to secure your salvation?" Nazh asked, kneeling before the living well of knowledge.
Vorzeth coughed blood. "It is too late for me. But my discoveries won't pass with me. Take what I found, tell of the Synod of my death, return to Luthadel." Vorzeth handed Nazh the bag containing the ancient dates, and pressed two coins into his hand- one was a silver coin of Chathram, and the other was a clip, that the Inquisitor had used to mortally wound Vorzeth. "The clip is an unkeyed metalmind. Any Keeper will be able to tap it." Nazh took his hand, holding it. But Vorzeth didn't die.
"Are you sure your time has passed?" Nazh asked the Keeper.
"As you know, my associates in Chathram up above were found out, and got hooks through their throats. There will be people sent once the Inquisitor doesn't come back, and you said you were here alone. To survive, I would need intensive medical care, or an unkeyed goldmind from a Keeper- impossible to get here. I'm dead, Nazh. You must save yourself." Vorzeth said.
"But they will locate you, extract everything they can, and that event cannot occur." Nazh implored.
"If you can bear the guilt, then kill me. I will die anyways, indeed, it is a better death than the one the Inquisitors will provide." Vorzeth reasoned.
Nazh pulled out the spike of gold from his satchel. A chill ran down his spine. "Are you willing to sacrifice yourself even further, for the aid of all free men? I assure you, despite what they say, your immortal soul is not at risk."
"Ah, Hemalurgy. Just… make it quick." Vorzeth said, and closed his eyes.
Nazh raised up the spike, and plunged it into Vorzeth's arm. The spike glided right through the flesh, and Vorzeth let out only a gasp before he died.
Nazh picked up the spike, saddened. The toll of war… no matter how much he sallied across the cosmere, no matter how much he saw and how old he got, there were things he'd never get used to. He'd better get out of here, though. But then, Nazh found his arm moving against his will. He was shocked to see it plunge the spike into his ribs, with a sharp pain.
Nazh looked down to see his arms wither away to a black husk, and then crumble into ash, being replaced with a white translucent image of what once was. A voice spoke, a harsh and grating tone, gloating. You thought you could escape my sight, Nazrilhof? Thought you could outwit a Shard? This is what I will do to you, Threnodite, and the Darksider you brought with you.
A feeling of visceral terror filled Nazh, as he felt two spikes of cold steel appear in his eye sockets. He found himself overlooking Luthadel. And the city was burning.
Nazh woke up. His body was immersed in tepid water, and all it took was fluttering his eyelids for him to remember where he was. He had fallen asleep in the wooden bathtub. After checking his ribs for that gold spike that was not there, finding only a small cut, Nazh sighed, laying back, enjoying the memory of heat, and pondering over this nightmare.
He thought they were dwindling- he hardly had any on the road from Luthadel to Chathram and back, and he had noticeably fewer in Chathram itself. But now they were back. That one on the ship, and then this one. It definitely wasn't Ruin speaking to him in a vision, it was too dream-like, and there were too many inaccuracies.
Everything was a mix between the entire Cosmere, with a Scadrian setting. But mostly Threnody and Scadrial. Shade-Inquisitors popped up in that last one- an impossibility. Was he haunted by killing Vorzeth? He did it at his behest, and fulfilled his last requests. That should be enough for his spirit to rest in peace- although a piece of his soul was now on that spike.
Was Ruin really responsible? He had started getting nightmares just after he decided to attempt to save Scadrial, with Khriss and him relocating to the Physical… right before Kelsier had destroyed half the Pits of Hathsin, and as such the easiest way on and off Scadrial. There was another conceivable route, but he would only use that in an emergency- and it was due to become unusable no matter what happened in a year or two.
Yes, the nightmares had started after he had learned he was stuck on this world. That was when he felt he had to see this through. And he had shouldered the burdens of saving Scadrial, solely upon himself. How had he gotten so attached to this planet where ash fell from the sky so much so he constantly had to wear a mask, and the mists obscured the stars every night? Dammit, if he didn't love this world!
But there had to be a better way. He needed to reduce the stress, he couldn't be single-handedly responsible for saving Scadrial, after all, he had basically no idea on how to go about that. Maybe Khriss would have some ideas. And if relieving the stress didn't relieve the nightmares… then Ruin knew he was present, and he had bigger issues.
Nazh got up, a course of action set in his mind. He should go to Khriss, and bring back what he found in Chathram.
Nazh walked up the steps. Tourneur was a small city, but that still meant it had well over a hundred thousand inhabitants. The cities were comparable to some of the largest in the Cosmere- The Final Empire attempted to make up for most of the world being a sun-scorched desert.
At least there wasn't looking to be a famine as a result of various dominances and food sources being cut off, thanks to a reduction in food waste, and a projected agricultural output increase thanks to the adoption of many farming tools and introduction of cattle and horses to aid skaa farmers. Although the crop planted last spring was the one feeding them now- it felt like it had been longer since the Final Empire dominated the world.
Nazh entered into Khriss's study, where she was, as usual, writing. She lived in this shop's upstairs, having paid in aluminum. Her study was also lined with aluminum foil- It was significantly out of the way- but that was how Khriss liked it. It was him sallying out into the Physical, bringing back whatever Khriss wanted, with Khriss staying in the Cognitive. But this time, Khriss had come onto the stage, joining him in playing his role.
"Khriss, now I'm feeling better, let's cover what occurred on my latest expedition. I obtained the map of Old Saran, before the Lord Ruler Ascended. And some spikes, taken from one of the Inquisitors in the Chathram." Nazh placed the crumbling manuscript, sealed in a folder, on her desk. Khriss had set up her mobile chemistry and investiture set in the back of the study.
"Welcome back, Nazh. How difficult was it?" Khriss placed her pen down, gesturing Nazh to take a seat, which he did. The room was very clean, with hardly any specks of ash- that ash room was effective in keeping the space clean.
"I slew it only after some difficulty. I became involved in the New Republic's efforts as typical, however- the Keeper Vorzeth was there, looking for artifacts predating the Ascension. He found some- ancient dates, seeds predating the Ascension. They still carried the seed of life, even after the passing of a millenia. He was found out, his contacts in Chathram slain, and a Steel Inquisitor was sent to pursue him. He and I fought it, but he was fatally wounded, but it weakened the Inquisitor enough for me to slay it." Nazh knew Khriss would not like that.
"You killed a Steel Inquisitor?" Khriss exclaimed. "The Seventeenth won't be happy."
"Bah, the Seventeenth is too scared to come to Scadrial. They're even scared of coming into the Cognitive, even though Hoid's very blatantly intervening. We have free reign over this planet- and I used nothing that I cannot obtain here. I acquired several Hemalurgic spikes from the Inquisitor, and also slew the Keeper Vorzeth- at his request- by using the Inquisitor's Feruchemical gold spike on him. You will be able to experiment with Hemalurgy, without anything weighing on your conscience." Nazh said.
"That's great, but… Nazh, you've been doing a lot. Every chance you get, you go somewhere on Scadrial, and do all you can to carve out an opening for the Republic. You're high strung, I can tell. You're also having nightmares- have you tried aluminum foil yet?" Khriss asked.
"Ruin cannot be influencing me- it would spell doom for our efforts before they even began. Can't sleep with aluminum foil on my head, anyways." Nazh brushed off her concern.
"Then what would cause you to be less stressed?" Khriss asked.
Nazh considered this, truly. "We need to stop pretending we're not intervening. Scadrial was set back for a thousand years, and it was criminal of us to just let the Final Empire continue its reign unopposed. But we can right those wrongs, and I know what we must do. I must join the Ministry of War in some fashion- bloody helmore, I can't sit at a desk when damnation is at hand! I will be able to carry out your requests, and the Republic's efforts, in a unified fashion. And as for you… Khriss, you need to join the University. Help them in catching up, exploring the limits of the Metallic Arts. Shadows, a path lies to salvation, Khriss. We just need to act."
Khriss sighed. "If you wish, you can join the Ministry of War. I'm not going to aid the University, though, Nazh- I believe that we shouldn't intervene- I don't have the capabilities to do so effectively, and I do not want this to become a regular thing in the future- the Seventeenth won't know, but they will know if we intervene in the future." Khriss said.
"How can you not? Scadrial will burn!" Nazh exclaimed.
"Many worlds suffer- it is a natural thing in the Cosmere. Do you suggest that we attempt to save Ashyn from its eternal conflagration, put down Odium once he breaks his chains again, overthrow empires across the worlds, or bring innumerable quantities of silver to Threnody to put down the shades?" Khriss asked.
And a fire lit in Nazh's mind, the words of dissuasion, of impossibilities made possible. He saw clearly the road he must take. "Yes… yes, I do. And there is only one power in the Cosmere that can do that." he said, smiling.
"Are you an Iconoclast, Nazh?" Khriss asked.
"I do not know what I am, but I do know that Scadrial's best chance at survival lies in the New Republic. They have lit a fire that cannot be put out. And if there lies a chance to save my home world, I will take it." Nazh said.
"Nazrilhof, Scadrial has incredible technological progression! They're already catching up to where they were a thousand years ago- smokestacks are becoming an ever-present sight in Luthadel. If they surmount this crisis, they will be unfettered- their Shards are chained. And if they gain access to the cosmere… it will be forever changed." Khriss said in one last attempt to convince him.
"We knew this would occur one day. If it did occur, why would it not be Scadrial? And better the Republic than The Final Empire or Imperial Khlennium." Nazh said. "I'm going to need the revolver, the special one."
Khriss sighed. "I can't dissuade you, it seems. But wouldn't you be fighting Allomancers?"
"Not that common in the sorts of wars the Republican Army will be fighting. While nobles will naturally be more present on the battlefield, only one out of a hundred know they have Allomantic abilities. Coinshots and Lurchers are one in four allomancers, just overrepresented, for their ability to act as a firearm in a land without them. But that is changing, Khriss." Nazh stood up.
"I wish you luck, even if I disagree." Khriss said.
"And you as well. Goodbye, I will return in two weeks, to see if you need anything you cannot get in this city or Luthadel." Nazh picked up the special revolver from the false-bottomed cupboard where it was hidden, as well as grabbing an aluminum-lined pouch, as well as a nightcap, lined with aluminum. Shadows, so many precautions! But if he could get a good night's sleep, maybe that would be for the best. He caught Khriss smiling out of the corner of his eye as he walked out that door. He hoped Khriss would come to his reasoning one day.
Frost clung to branches and the brown twigs of bushes, with an black slush on the edge of the trail, slippery underfoot, shining in the sun's rays that peered through the haze. Smoke from the fires of the camp rose high in the distance, and laughter paired with joyful screams rang out, for the soldiers had captured a mistwraith.
"It's just over the hill!" Captain Shum yelled, smiling, to General Yeden, who slogged through the slush, hands in the pockets of his thick coat.
"I know, I know! It's bloody cold, and you know full well I think we should be all back in Mantiz, Captain, training for the war, maybe inside one of those warm Keeps." Yeden complained.
"This is training- rumor has it that the Nobles, and as such the Aspirants, have access to mistwraith spies. And we have to let the men have some fun- the Premier stole smiles and laughter back for us. What good is our freedom if we can't enjoy it? At least, that's what I've learned from him." Captain Shum said.
"We've learned so many things from him, haven't we? It feels like so long ago that I scoffed at his proclamations, and took refuge in ignorance and apathy. I've learned that anything is possible, with enough determination, empires can fall and gods can die." General Yeden said.
"And demons can be tracked, found, and captured." Captain Shum grinned.
The Captain and the General crested the hill, and Yeden peered around, eyes settling on the stone-lined pit the men had used to capture the mistwraith. His eyes narrowed, as if he had trouble believing what he was seeing. "Dear God!" Yeden yelled, although it had a tinge of amazement to it.
"It's hideous, ain't it?" Captain Shum smiled, as the two men descended the slope to the pit. And it was hideous indeed. It had translucent skin, with the texture of muscle, wrapped around various bones. Rib cages were as far down as he could see, but a few limbs- one was a cluster of bird talons atop a cow's leg bone, another a human hand at the end of a tail, prodded the tied together mesh of logs at the top of the pit. It wasn't having much luck, however, thanks to some large stones that weighted the mesh down, and the beast couldn't manuever its dozen loathsome legs to put pressure against it.
The beast looked like it was looking at the crowd of people, mostly soldiers, their families, and some skaa from nearby villages and plantations, but Shum knew it couldn't see, given the cow, badger, and human skulls the demon had as heads didn't have eyes.
"How did you capture it?" General Yeden asked in awe, as the two men walked to the edge of the pit, to look down at the mistwraith.
"It's not as dangerous as the stories presume. I tracked it for several days, and the demon didn't kill anything larger than small animals. We found this pit during that, the local nobles having used to hunt in these woods, and I came up with the idea to lure it into this pit. We built that mesh, and another mesh of flimsy twigs, covered it with leaf litter, and put a dead goat on top of it. The beast wouldn't go in, though- so I and a few other men pushed it in with some pikes and sticks, learned that on the plantation with the cows I handled. Nothing worse than a few bruises and a broken arm, from where it kicked a man." Captain Shum explained, pointing to the soldier with an arm in his sling, laughing as he told a group of children the same story, albeit more exaggerated.
"So it's nothing like the rumors? No ambushes, no taking your faces and laughing as you slay the wrong imposter, no magic, Allomantic or otherwise?" General Yeden asked.
Captain Shum shook his head. "No, it's just a beast. Even followed us while we were tracking it, and hasn't learned to fear man. Tried to run when we forced it between the pikes and the pit, and only lashed out when it realized we weren't going to let it escape. I don't even think it hunts anything larger than maybe a badger- we strung up a plantation-lord here five months ago, and the skaa later reported that the body went missing, assuredly eaten by a mistwraith. Well, see that broken leg bone?" Shum pointed to a barely-visible bone, a fracture wrapped in muscle to prevent it from giving out. "I broke that bastard's leg himself, and there it is. It primarily eats whatever dead people or animals it can find. It might be able to eat a small child or baby, but other than that, it's harmless." he said.
"So I suppose that the rumors about the Aspirants having mistwraith spies is false." Yeden said, and remained silent for a minute, as he mulled something over. "Could you transport this beast back to Mantiz?" General Yeden asked.
"It'd be hard, but it could be done. There's a road not too far from here, could shepherd it to a livestock cart. What are you thinking?" Captain Shum asked.
"Oh, just that it'd be good for defeating all the misassumptions about mistwraiths we have, and maybe learning the roots of all these legends. It's downright frightening… but it's clearly an animal. Not a demon." General Yeden squatted, looking into the sockets of the cow's skull.
"And we could charge a clip per family, get some extra cash in our coffers!" Captain Shum proposed.
"It'll be the rage in Mantiz, won't it?" General Yeden said, staring intently at the mistwraith. "Kelsier, is that what you did with Renoux?" he muttered.
Captain Shum was about to ask what Yeden meant, when he heard his name being called. He saw his wife and daughter coming down the trail, and he hurried to embrace them, and laughed as his daughter squealed "Eww!" upon seeing the mistwraith. Today was a great winter solstice, and the best he'd ever had, Shum thought.
Eli kneeled in the cage. He had been in this jail for months, but he refused to languish in captivity like the other prisoners. He maintained his strength by doing stretches, and many intensive exercises. He was blessed with power, power he had only tasted sparingly, and so he needed to cultivate it, to make it more potent when he could finally wield it again.
It was strange- they were feeding him well, better than he had been when he was just a skaa on the streets of Seran. There was much time to think. Were they keeping him in storage, like a pig in a nobleman's keep, to devour his soul at a later date? Why that gladiatorial fight? Did a warrior's soul taste better than a common man's? But they also said he didn't have a soul.
What was the truth? He thought too much, sometimes, always got him in trouble. But he couldn't see why the Inquisitors kept him. Perhaps they were more like men than he thought. Taking pleasure in a fight, albeit one more brutal than Eli had ever seen. No, it just didn't add up. But Eli was certain in one thing.
He needed to escape. His best chance was with Allomancy, but he only had that power when he ate pewter. And there was none of it given to him, except at the gladiatorial matches. And they gave it to him with something else, that made him throw up when he calmed down after a fight. And they were there, attending the matches. One, two, never more than three. He couldn't run away from one, and he wasn't sure if he could kill one.
He wished the other prisoners were less wary of him. They weren't all thrown into the ring at once, so all the new ones quickly learned that he was the victor, and shied away from him. There was that pretty girl in the next cell, that spoke with him rarely, even if she was shy. If it was possible, he would escape with her.
And then, dozens of guards came in. They opened up his cell, and clamped him in manacles, along with seven others, dragging them off through dim corridors to the stadium. They force fed him a bar of pewter, washed down with water containing something else that would limit its permanence in his body, before taking off his manacles, and shoving him out a thick wooden door, and he heard a bar of wood being slid into place behind him, preventing escape.
Once again, he found himself in the arena, the crimson sun high above, in a smoky sky. The raven-masked Inquisitor sat in the seat of honor, silently observing the stadium. There were less watchers here today. He had no idea why they fluctuated so. And then he saw a horrifying sight. The girl was standing in one of the corners of the stadium, looking hopeless, at a short sword in her hands. Eli reached within himself, finding a source of power, and kindled it, his soul erupting with Allomantic fire.
This time, he had a metal mace laid in front of him. He picked it up, and slowly walked forwards. He found the rules the Inquisitors laid out bent easy for him, and he stood some distance from his original starting position, looking at the girl.
"Begin." the raven-masked Inquisitor said. Eli charged towards the girl, surprising someone who saw her as an easy target. The man fell in seconds, blood spilling upon the sand. The girl screamed when Eli approached her, and so he turned, standing some distance, to defend her. Minutes passed, where the girl quailed in her corner, not daring to move, while Eli struck down all that came near.
Soon, the only people that were left were Eli and the girl. The crowd stayed silent, the inscrutable Inquisitor observing the arena, as Eli stoked his anger, to keep from throwing up the pewter. Minutes passed, and the girl threw up her metal. The Inquisitor raised an arm, and pointed to the girl. "Kill her." he commanded.
"No." Eli said sternly. "You demon, if you want her dead, you will have to get through me first." he readied the mace. "I will send you back to the pit whence you came!"
The Inquisitor shifted. "So be it." it said in a monotone. It threw itself into the air, landing in front of him. The Inquisitor struck with a flurry of blows, but Eli could match it. He felt hopeful for one great moment, that these demons in the skin of men could be defeated, and then his hopes were dashed as an unknown force yanked the mace out of his hands.
Eli then felt nothing but crushing anguish and shame. He sank to the sand below, throwing up almost immediately, retching onto the ground, and falling flat. He tried to reach for the bar of pewter, but his hand sank into the vomit as he gave up.
He caught the Inquisitor scooping the girl up from the corner of his eyes, and then him, and he could not protest, the anguish he was feeling being too great. Why did he think he could save her? Better just cooperate. Now both of them would die. That was the way of the world.
Eli regained awareness when he found himself being thrown down onto a stone slab, hard, and the girl was thrown, screaming, on top of him. He heard a pounding sound, and only realized what was going on when a sharp pain in his ribs started. It grew and grew, the girl's blood spilling over his chest, until the girl's screams suddenly stopped, and Eli remembered nothing more but blood and pain.
Vote for who or where you want to see a slice of the life of the Former Final Empire, of people we haven't seen much. Vote for three. The top one or two votes will be chosen.
[ ] Tevedian Tekiel
[ ] Kelsier's Crew
[ ] Elend
[ ] The Republican Army
[ ] The Synod
[ ] The Oligarchy of the Southern Islands
[ ] The Pretender Empire
[ ] The Steeled Empire
[ ] The Aspirant Empire
[ ] The Kingdom of the Burning Crescent.
[ ] Write-in
Mistborn: Smoke and Ash
Revolution in the Final Empire
The steamboat Pyroferrous departed Luthadel on a bright and clear winter morning, exiting the Port before turning to steam downriver. Coal smoke rose from its singular smokestack, and paddle wheels pushed against the water. Ashfalls weren't as common during the winter, typically, from a mix of rains and cold weather meaning the ash wasn't buoyed as high. But the sky was still full of haze. It was always like that, even if he had false memories of clear blue skies.
A boxing twirled through the air, although it was not moving as if a Coinshot Pushed it or Lurcher Pulled it. It was hanging in place, spinning around an axis, the red sunlight gleaming off it. The peak of a Mistborn's skill in iron and steel, it was said by many. Similarly, an iron spun through the air, although it wobbled often, and sometimes fell. Kelsier smiled, for he was training Vin in the metal he was most skilled at.
Vin spoke up. "Why does the coin not move? The boat is moving, shouldn't the coin move with the ground, instead of the boat?"
Ah Vin, minutes of observations leading to a well thought out question. "This is debated by scholars, but it seems like it's the individual's frame of reference. Our ground is the deck of the boat, and as we are standing on it, it appears to us that we are moving. So, the coin's velocity moves with the boat, and our velocity." Kelsier said.
"That makes sense." Vin said. "How are you acclimating to the spike?"
"Good. I have trouble remembering when I've felt better." Kelsier smiled. He stopped spinning the boxing, Pulling it into the palm of his hand, and felt something that he thought impossible a few short months ago. A feruchemical charge. The boxing was a metalmind, and it was his metalmind. He had spent the day experimenting with it, seeing what could be done, and how exactly feruchemy and compounding worked.
He had the basic rules down. Typical Feruchemists could only store in and tap a metalmind. Most attributes worked the same- you stored a percentage of an attribute, and you couldn't store 100%. He had tried at first, when he didn't know what he was doing, and he had been knocked out. Luckily, his health returned to full the moment he lost consciousness, and he woke up a few seconds later. Dangerous, with the spike newly in him and the hangover. He stored about 50%, and felt like hell for a bit, then moved to storing 20%. And then he clipped the boxing, burning a bit of its metal. His hangover went away, and his spike stopped throbbing.
But he had no health left over. He clipped the coin again, and stored in the small clipped piece of it, until it filled up- he ate and burned it, and stored a large percentage of his health in the boxing, and another clipped piece, the extra health from burning the small completely full clipped piece making him feel like he wasn't storing health at all. He supposed he would keep clipping and burning the boxing until what was left was full. The boxing already was hard to manipulate via allomancy.
After he finished the boxing, he supposed he would store in his hemalurgic spike. Marsh said he did that, as it was the largest piece of gold on his body. Kelsier knew why his spike was empty of a charge, and that was because the Inquisitor had tried to heal from getting its back spike ripped out by Marsh, draining it and perishing anyways.
Kelsier presumed he would find a good balance eventually, but he needed to work at getting a full metalmind first. He sat back down, and resumed clipping the boxing, burning the clips, and storing the excess health in more clips, putting the excess in the boxing. Soon enough, he filled up the boxing to full, and began clipping it and storing in another boxing. When that was filled up, he cut what was left of the boxing up, and stored the health in his spike, and even had enough to fill up a second boxing halfway.
Kelsier wondered what the limits of healing were. He could be stabbed and shot, sure. But what about being cut in half, or being struck by a cannonball, or getting a body part cut off? He should ask Sazed. He avoided telling anyone about his spike, not wanting Marsh to fret, or abandon his recovery to track him down. He only told Vin this morning, after they had departed Luthadel.
"So how long should it take for us to get to Austrex?" she asked.
"More quickly than the typical human, ox, or horse-pulled canal boat, that's for sure. Not only does this go at about five kilometers per hour, but we'll be going downstream, so the estimate is about seven kilometers per hour. So, we should get to Austrex tomorrow morning."
"Transport is getting fast." Vin said, awed.
Kelsier chuckled. "We're catching up. Classical Scadrial had many wondrous inventions, forcibly removed from our world by the Lord Ruler. When you're my age, you should be able to travel to anywhere in the former Final Empire in a month."
"Sazed showed me the drawing of that train. It's amazing that it was present in the past. What else is there?"
"Oh, so many things. Our ancestors waged their wars with hundreds of cannons, and every man in their armies had a rifle. They knew the secrets of lightning, in addition to the world being habitable in its entirety."
"But they didn't have Allomancy." Vin remarked.
"No, they didn't. It is said the Lord Ruler turned nine kings who bowed before him into Mistborn, using an unknown metal. There's also the rumors that Allomancy came with the mists… but I don't believe that." Kelsier said.
Vin shrugged. "Could be true. The mists love Allomancy. You know how they swirl about you when you're burning something."
Kelsier waved it off. "There's not enough evidence to say either way."
Tenes quickly passed, being the one of the two cities on the Channerel between Luthadel and Austrex. Kelsier found himself chatting with the crew of the Pyroferrous. The mechanist tending to the engine was particularly proud of it, as this ship had only come into existence after many revisions. There were two sorts of steam engines- low pressure engines, and high-pressure engines. Low pressure engines were what was used in the retooling of the various mills and forges of the cities, and in certain mines and factories in the Final Empire. This steamboat was powered by a low pressure engine.
The high pressure engine was the other sort of steam engine. It was unwieldy, and the couple of models assembled had exploded. The people who had preserved it down the centuries didn't think of its fragility, but they could keep on experimenting with various metals. By this time next year they should be able to get one working. The machinist smiled, explaining that the small size of the high pressure steam engine when compared to its power would allow for trains, and would replace the low pressure steam engines.
While Kelsier wouldn't say he understood all of this, he could definitely understand that a smaller more powerful engine would be better than a larger low power engine. And the thought of trains hurtling across the world was a good one.
But he could do more than think of a future that was a long and brutal war away. And that was politics. It was somewhat impressive that he could involve himself in politics in a small self-contained boat, but that was just what he was good at.
The crew of the steamboat were all former canal skaa, and he strove to learn about what happened to the third group of skaa since the Revolution. While trade had declined, resources still flowed, and they found themselves the main source of labor for both piloting, maintaining, and transporting ships. Some had settled, of course, but others had joined their ranks, to see what there was in the world, or to secure a reliable source of income.
For in the face of the lack of the New Republic in aiding them, a gang, the Ashen Veins, had stepped up. The gang had moved to aiding communities of canal skaa, pointing them in the direction of work, which, once found, proved to be reliable for months on end. Trade even was on the upswing, after the agreement with Terris and the Oligarchy of the Southern Isles. It wasn't that hard to be a canal skaa in the New Republic- especially when compared to the Final Empire, even if there was negligence on behalf of the state.
At least one of the canal skaa had been in the Eastern Dominance in the months after the Revolution. He hadn't seen much, but all but essential work dried up, so he worked on transporting arsenic ore, and he had seen an Inquisitor impale one of his fellow workers, and he got spooked, fled to Chathram, and from there into the New Republic. It was strange, he considered, that the Steeled Empire let refugees go without issue. No refugee group reported being molested by Inquisitors or the border guards- but few refugees said they were from the City of Seran.
The sun reached its peak, and Vin and he joined the boat workers for some bread and bean stew. Traditional skaa dish- he supposed that while working on the canals paid, it didn't pay enough to afford meat for every meal. Vin asked him a question. "Could you use a Keeper's goldmind if they stored their Identity?"
"I don't see why I couldn't." Kelsier remarked.
"Then… could you burn a Keeper's unkeyed goldmind?" she asked.
A revelation blessed Kelsier, the same one Vin apparently had had. "I should be able to. And you… should be able to burn an unkeyed goldmind. We should be able to burn any unkeyed metalminds. Vin, you've done it!" Kelsier laughed and was just about jumping for joy.
"This is it! The Aluminum of allomancy! Feruchemy is within our grasp!" Vin's excitement diminished, and she suddenly looked sallow. "Sazed and I tried this, and he framed it as… Allomancers stealing strength from the Terris people. We'll face some pushback from the Keepers."
"Damn, yeah. We'll be relying on handouts. Probably limited gold… but we have a ton of Inquisitor spikes, and once I determine if Hemalurgy in small quantities is safe, we can just give our mistborn Feruchemical gold." Kelsier said.
"So why can't we give you Feruchemical aluminum, or the Keepers Allomantic gold?" Vin asked.
"Because the metals needed to take those traits are undiscovered." Kelsier said.
"You haven't tested the new metals Hemalurgically, right?" Vin asked.
"No, I haven't. But I don't know how to start." Kelsier said. He had thought about this many times- and mostly, he needed people who would be willing to experiment on condemned nobles, who were trustworthy. The Keepers weren't willing, and neither was Marsh- but he thought the Ministry of War might.
"If you plan on investigating this third metallic art, this is the perfect time. There will be many captives taken in this war, and many of them we will be executing anyways. If you wait, I do not see another time in which this sort of testing will be possible." Vin said.
Oh, Vin, beyond her years in many ways. "You're right. The remaining Hemalurgic metals have to be in the Spiritual categories, given the way the chart's balanced out. The pushing lower metals are those that steal Allomantic and Feruchemical traits, while the Internal temporal metals fill that role in the temporal category, so it should be aluminum and duralumin. No, that doesn't make sense, the Final Empire could've used aluminum hemalurgically…"
"You need to experiment. And we should use every tool we have. In my experience, those who don't, die." Vin said.
"So many will die…" Kelsier said darkly.
After that, Kelsier found himself thinking of war. There were three armies that would be facing combat. The Army of the North led by Yeden, Army of the East led by Clubs, and the Army of the South, technically under Bazen's command? She had probably selected a delegate for that though. The Army of the North would sweep west, across the northern plain. The Army of the East would march first, taking Rive-juxta-Lutha, attempting to reach Samenflow before the marshes thawed in the spring. The Army of the South would withstand the sheer numbers of the Aspirant Empire, having turned Longsfollow into a veritable fortress, one that must be assailed, for its spot along the Cassern River making it impossible to pass on by. And an engagement that could be set was one that needed to be invested in.
But the Army of the South could not win the war in one battle, no matter how fortified and well-stocked Longsfollow was. And so, he needed to check on the Army of the South, and see how well Baz'en was doing. The Austrex Commune was the most steadfast ally of the New Republic, and was the furthest along to integration. Austrex must not fall. And for that to occur, the Army of the South must be expanded, to include at least a hundred thousand men, to hold off the Aspirant Empire.
He had heard that the army sizes were a bit lower, but surely all he needed to do was meet with Baz'en and make her consider the inevitable war. The Austrex cache would be a great aid to the Commune. He wondered how long he would need to stay in Austrex. Well, he would find out soon enough.
The sun had risen above the Verdigris Plateau by the time the Pyroferrous entered the harbor of Austrex. The ruddy sky was painted the pink and blue of dawn, a faint echo of the ancient age when the skies were clear. Fog clung to the surface of the Grand Laguna, an echo of the nightly mist, while gulls whirled overhead.
Kelsier noticed that it was the winter solstice- the ending of the old year, and the beginning of the next. Ten twenty-three… the first full year where the Final Empire was dead. He hoped they'd keep it that way. The superstitions of the canal skaa were fully visible- they said this was a time of darkness, where the walls between worlds were thinnest- they warned him to watch out for Mistwraiths, or the Lord Ruler coming to take his revenge. They agreed that he was a powerful Lord of Hell, ruling a large swathe of the ashen pit.
The Austrex harbor was something special- one of the largest in the Final Empire, and Austrex sat on a small peninsula jutting into the Grand Laguna, the largest city upon one of the central lakes. So many lakes surrounding the New Republic, and so underused, even for transportation.
But transportation was not a thing he was here for. Baz'en was awaiting his arrival, with a thousand soldiers, and tens of thousands of skaa- likely having skipped breakfast for him. The soldiers were lined up, keeping the crowd back from the dock, and two people were waiting for him- Baz'en Wraithkiller in a mistcloak, and two other people- a man, and a Keeper. Kelsier stepped off the gangway, onto the dock, in front of the two. "Welcome, Premier Minister. I hope Austrex is as welcoming as your home." she said.
Kelsier smiled. "I wish I could be here for pleasure, First Minister, but the state of the world renders that not the case. It has been a couple months since our last meeting. Tell me, who are your companions?"
"Why, this is Assemblyman Eufraso Steelburner, my friend and close accomplice, as well as the current general of the Southern Army. And this is the Keeper Axindweth, who has been a great aid in the construction of the Austrex Commune." Baz'en introduced the man, who bowed, and the Keeper, who curtsied her robes. Kelsier shook their hands.
"And this must be Vin!" Baz'en turned to Vin, almost leaning over her. "It's good to see the next generation. And there's a second young Mistborn woman in Luthadel, I've heard?"
"Yes, but she's with the Haughts." Vin said.
Baz'en tutted. "Can't trust nobles in this day in age, can we?"
Kelsier spoke up. "I would love to chat, but we're here on government business. Our search will be long- it's best if General Eufraso here mobilizes his men. The Steel Ministry buildings- there is a vast sub-basement below one of them. Search for low points- wine cellars, basements, and you, Eufraso, should be able to see a blue line pointing straight through the wall- although I believe only a Mistborn can open it. Come to me when you find it- or just the likely areas in each of the Steel Ministry buildings." The General nodded, turning and rallying his soldiers, to scour Austrex for the cache.
"So I suppose we do have some time, for them to find this sub-basement." Baz'en said.
"We do. What do you have in mind?" Kelsier asked.
"Axindweth here has been working on something amazing. Perhaps you would like to see it?"
"It would be great to see what accomplishments you have made in Austrex, Lady Keeper." Kelsier said to the Feruchemist.
"Then we will go to what used to be known as Keep Lekal, Premier Minister." Axindweth proclaimed.
"How much math will this include?" Vin asked, eyes narrowed.
"Quite a lot. I can teach you the basics, I think." Axindweth offered, smiling.
"No thank you. Kel, can I train with Baz'en? I've never trained with another Mistborn." Vin asked.
Kelsier turned to Baz'en, asking her a silent question. "Of course!" Baz'en said, "And don't worry, I'll take good care of her." The two ran off, Baz'en complimenting Vin ruthlessly.
The soldiers were departing, the crew of the Pyroferrous was leaving to spend however long in Austrex, and the crowd was closing in, to perhaps speak to him. Kelsier had only one route left- learning about whatever Axindweth wanted to show or teach him.
The two walked through the streets of Austrex, conversing. Axindweth had chosen physics as her Keeper's portfolio- the sciences of gravitation, chemistry, mathematics, the metallic arts, and more. She had a lab in the former Keep Lekal, where she wrested the secrets of the world- not that of history or government or engineering, although Baz'en funded her efforts based on how many needed texts she would provide the First Minister.
But something was more interesting, for now. This was the first time Kelsier had found himself in Austrex following the Revolution, and it had changed. It was much like Luthadel, but there was something else, in the air, and in the faces and words of its people. It took a moment, but Kelsier put his finger on it. Tension, as a result of division.
Baz'en's words when she came to Luthadel were reflected in the population of the Austrex Commune. Various sigils flew from stores and tenements, opposed to one another. The Spear and Book against the Ship, the Spear and Book against the Lighthouse. Iconoclasm against Commercantism.
There was a problem here, that hopefully could be resolved, or made to dwindle, before the war came. He would have to speak with Baz'en about many things, assuredly. But Kelsier had time- perhaps the situation with the Southern Army was better than he'd heard. At the very least, the cache would provide enough weapons to give the military of the Commune an edge.
They arrived at Keep Lekal. It wasn't like the one in Luthadel, shaped like a pyramid, instead being the more traditional noble keeps- in the model of the greatest churches, before the Ascension. House Lekal had nearby bankrupted their house building the Luthadel keep They slipped through a side door, moving through a short hallway, before exiting into a former dining room.
A large stained glass window made up one wall, illuminating the contents of the quite large room. The floor was stone, and he noticed portions of it were bleached from acid stains. And what Kelsier saw was a collection of curiosities. Various scientific instruments sat on tables, many glass jars sat on shelves, there were chalkboards filled with mathematical equations complete with symbols Kelsier had never seen, and there were various metalminds sitting on a bench. Was that a fish in a tank?
Kelsier approached the fish. A ray. "Why do you have a fish?" he asked Axindweth, smiling in the absurdity of whatever value the Keeper found in the creature.
Axindweth smiled. "That's a numb-ray. It is a very unique specimen, for it can generate electricity."
"A fish can generate electricity?" Kelsier asked, dumbfounded.
"It can. It has special organs that generate electricity." the Keeper said.
In a flash of insight, Kelsier realized the Keeper had cracked the secret of lightning. "How far have you gotten?" Kelsier asked Axindweth, smiling.
Axindweth laughed. "Far! I've been working on testing what little knowledge we have- I've reconfirmed that lightning is electricity, found that humans and animals utilize electricity to control their muscles, and I'm working on linking magnetism and electricity, and I think chemistry and electricity are linked."
"Magnetism and electricity are linked?" Kelsier asked.
"And possibly more! Come, I have a test I'd like you to see." Axindweth hurried over to one of her machines- copper wiring wrapped around an iron bar twisted into the shape of a horseshoe. She put on thick leather gloves, and grabbed a… thing of metal, metal circles of zinc and copper stacked in a cylinder. "Do not touch anything, Kelsier, too much electricity can hurt or even kill you."
Before assembling it, Axindweth got a compass, and placed it to the north of the instrument. "Watch the compass." she said, hooking up the thing of circles of zinc and copper to the copper wire. And to Kelsier's surprise, the compass' needle turned south, to point at the device.
"What is this? It wasn't a magnet before?" Kelsier asked, furrowing his brow.
"An electromagnet- a magnet created via electricity. Just like an ordinary magnet, but artificially created. As for this," she gestured at the stack of zinc and copper circles, "it's a pile battery- it utilizes a chemical reaction to generate a continuous electric current, as opposed to the spark of the batteries you've seen used in the typical Final Empire-era electrical experiments, or the shock of the numb-ray."
Kelsier nodded. "Does electricity have any practical uses?"
Axindweth smiled. "I've found several, and have records of more. First, electricity can be used to plate metal, which increases its strength and corrosion resistance. Second, I have been able to create some new gases and chemicals, or obtain rare gases and chemicals more easily, by using electricity to cause reactions in or between various substances. Third, I have been able to make new magnets- removing our reliance on limited deposits of naturally occurring magnetized metals. I've found that it is possible to generate electricity using magnetism, it is possible to turn electrical energy into motion and vice versa, and it is possible to generate a light which can match the brightness of limelight using electricity. For the less likely options, Classical texts make mention of using electricity to communicate a vast distance over wiring, as well as the reanimation of dead tissue- but even using very fresh human cadavers, I've not managed to get more than twitching."
"You've done a lot. Do you think you could replicate the limelights?" Kelsier asked.
"No… I need more facilities, and more hands. This is the best electrical lab in the entire former Final Empire, and all because I swept up half the equipment in Communard territory. The only people dabbling with electricity before were eccentric nobles, and there's not many left of those in the New Republic. It'll take decades to rebuild the general scientific base needed for this, as long as Terris remains as it is. You'd best stick to limelights." Axindweth said.
"You could work for the University in Luthadel?" Kelsier asked.
"No, I'm needed in Austrex. Baz'en isn't the best at statecraft, and we need to focus on the war instead of the sciences, despite how much I wish it weren't so. That's why you're in Austrex, right?" Axindweth asked, hopefully.
"Right. Damnable shame about your lack of facilities. The copper wiring, though- that reminds me of an attempt the University made to do that, using an unkeyed copper metalmind." Kelsier mentioned, off-handedly.
"Oh, right! I wanted to test something with you." Axindweth adjusted the connection between the pile battery and the electromagnet, loosening it so if either parts were moved, it would come apart. "Attempt to push or pull on the iron bar here, just enough to tip it over." she pointed to the electromagnet.
Kelsier burned steel, and lightly pushed on the electromagnet- it fell over with a clatter, disconnecting itself, and the compass' needle spun back towards Luthadel.
"Damn it…" Axindweth rubbed her eyes. "I thought that would work. But, I suppose the lack of a resistance proves something else."
"Like if I tried to push or pull on a full metalmind. But what does the absence of resistance prove?" Kelsier asked the Keeper.
"That the Metallic Arts are disconnected from electricity, chemistry, or magnetism. Come, let's examine my metalminds." Kelsier and Axindweth moved to another part of the room- many metalminds, marked with small notes of paper numbering them, atop shelves, along with papers with many, many calculations. "This is agonizing as it seems." Axindweth deadpanned. "All attributes- except the mess that is memory, vary depending on the individual."
"For instance, my baseline level of strength I store is much less than Vedzan's, and it would be the same for a sickly individual or a healthy individual for gold. Thanks to aluminum's Feruchemical property being discovered, however, it should be possible to establish a universal baseline unit to measure Feruchemical Investiture- I've even established a preliminary baseline based on myself alone, but I need more Feruchemists, and I would need to study Compounding to truly find the baseline."
Kelsier was feeling overwhelmed, but he knew that Axindweth likely knew something integral he did not. "So what's notable about the lack of resistance? And what's Investiture?"
Axindweth stammered. "I'm sorry, I got carried away there. It was previously believed that the charge in metalminds was a form of static electricity- I've run tests with my own metalminds, there being no resistance to the flow of electricity, and even tried to move the charge in a full metalmind into a near-empty one using electricity. That test we just did was just the final nail in the coffin- if a 'Feruchemical charge' was electricity, or related to it, there would be resistance to the flow, and it would act as if you were manipulating a metalmind with iron and steel Allomancy. As that does not happen, and I doubt gravitation is responsible, I theorize there is a third force, which provides the power of Allomancy, and makes up both Feruchemical and Hemalurgic charge."
"Don't metals power Allomancy?" Kelsier asked.
"No." Axindweth shook her head. "It's hard to explain… but imagine you have a lock, key, and a door, or perhaps a container. This is the same structure for Feruchemy, as well- I don't know how Hemalurgy works enough to judge, although I would like to. The lock is the ability to use the metallic arts- something few people have. The key is the metals, likely the specific axial structure of individual metals. The door is the source of power, of Investiture- in Feruchemy, someone's inborn attributes when storing, or the Investiture in their metalminds when tapping. In Allomancy, the door is… a source of power. While energy cannot be created or destroyed, it's not the metals- I learned that from someone else."
Kelsier nodded. "Locks, keys, and doors…" he muttered, trying to map this system to hemalurgy. "Metal would be the key in all three, the charge in a spike would be the door… but what's the lock? The bindpoints?"
"I'd need to test more." Axindweth said. "Some ancient religions mention three realms- including that of the Terris mythology, with the Feruchemical categories of metals being based around this. This test proves that these three realms exist, or at least there is a non-Physical charge that can occupy the same space as a Physical charge. The Physical is our realm, of planets and stars, the Cognitive is the realm of the mind, and the Spiritual is the root of the Metallic Arts… and Gods."
"Do you propose to measure God?" Kelsier asked, smiling.
"No… I know next to nothing about this theory. Not even how to test it. But I have made progress on the Spiritual Metals you have discovered." Axindweth said, getting out a duraluminmind. "This was unusually difficult to figure out- like the rest of the Spiritual metals. But, Kelsier, it stores Connection. I'm tapping it right now." Axindweth tapped a bracelet around her wrist.
"And what does it do?" Kelsier asked, although he could already guess, now that he knew the term Connection. Axindweth was speaking with an Austrese accent. And… why did he trust her so, going with her experiments and not asking questions?
"Many things. I gain the local accent when tapping enough, and I might be able to speak other languages using it, in regions where people speak languages other than Demotic. Other people trust and remember me more when tapping it, and when storing it, people do not trust me, overlook me, or more often than not, forget me. I stored up a large quantity of it when I figured that out- I completed a lot of experiments in the free time it gave me, when Baz'en was not asking over every little thing predating the Ascension." Axindweth smiled. He didn't want to tell her to stop tapping it… damn it, it was altering his mind!
"Please stop tapping it. What properties of the other Spiritual metals have you found?" Kelsier requested. He then felt something change, and his suspicions of this Keeper increased- but she still seemed like someone happiest alone in a room doing equations than a spy.
"I just wanted to get your ear, but that was a mistake, I think." Axindweth said, having slipped back into her Terris accent.
"No, this is all really interesting- I assure you. Before this, I thought the Metallic Arts were one of the most unexplained and unexplored sciences- and it goes deeper than I thought. This all has grand implications- who knew you could measure the relation between a person, and the culture of their land? If you want, after things are more stable, you would make a great Deputy Minister of the Department of Allomancy, as one day, we'll need to know the peacetime uses of these abilities." Kelsier offered the Keeper, smiling.
"Thank you so much." Axwindeth smiled. "I think you wanted me to cover Chromium specifically- that is Fortune. It is not luck, despite what many would claim. Luck is skill, or random. A cardsharp, or a cheater, many would claim to be lucky, while it is truly skill. As for randomness, the roll of the dice is not truly random, depending on what face the dice was thrown on, with what velocity, and the wind- and it may be possible for the most experienced to judge that."
"That is Fortune, or a close enough analogy to it, I think. My experiments are crude, but I felt you coming, Kelsier. I see the most potential in this metal, at least until we discover the External Pushing Spiritual Metal. Think about what it could store, Kelsier… Fortune, Identity, Connection, what fundamental thing would it store?"
Kelsier had caught on, and there was only one other fundamental thing it could be. He smiled as he spoke. "Investiture. All-purpose metalminds… if we gave a Mistborn Feruchemical Investiture-storage, then they could compound Allomantic ability. I suppose that's the limit of the Metallic Arts- excepting the mystery of what atium is, if it's not on the chart."
Axindweth's smile bloomed into a grin. "I believe that the ability to use a Metallic Art is also a form of Investiture."
No, that wasn't possible. "No, how could that be… no, the ability to use a Metallic Art IS an attribute, one linked with Investiture…" Kelsier looked up, with a grin that matched Axindweth's. "The democratization of Feruchemy is at hand. We just need that fourteenth metal."
Kelsier glimpsed the future, a world in which all sixteen metals were known- where anyone could access Goldminds, filled to the brim with health, produced from compounding. Where soldiers could pick up an… unsealed metalmind, and gain the ability to accelerate coins or grow many times stronger than an ordinary man.
But what use was a future of ash? "What do you know of the Well of Ascension, Axindweth?" he asked the Keeper.
"Nothing more than the Obligators said, unfortunately, as well as the Journal of Alendi. Most things about Terris were removed from the records. Used by the Lord Ruler to make himself a Mistborn, and change the very world." Axindweth responded.
"I should ask Sazed if he has any idea where it is. We have the journal, it should be possible to find, if the Lord Ruler didn't bury it under a thousand tons of rock. This meeting has been fruitful, and I hope to see you working in Luthadel in several years." Kelsier said.
"Thank you for your faith in me, Premier Minister. I wish you well on your ventures in Austrex, and hope you find what you are looking for." and they parted, Kelsier taking to the rooftops to find Baz'en and Vin.
Now Kelsier has seen the city of Austrex, he must decide his primary goal while he is in the Second City of the Republic. The Austrex Commune has several large issues, and the war for the fate of the world will not wait for these to be solved. However, Kelsier's word and determination is unparalleled, and he can fix one of these issues, if he puts his mind to it, even if only spends a few brief days in the city- after all, if there is a Cache in Austrex, some of its resources could be used to fuel his efforts.
[ ] The Communard Army. From what Kelsier has heard, the Communard army is not adequate, and is slow in building up. This cannot continue. Austrex must be able to resist the Aspirant Army, even if it cannot defeat it. Kelsier will investigate why the army is limited, and do what he can to increase the amount of trained men in the army. There is no reason to have a state if it cannot defend itself.
[ ] The Political Divisions. There is an ever-present tension between the Iconoclasts and Commercantists in Austrex. A house divided against itself cannot stand. Kelsier will investigate the reason behind these political divisions, and see what can be done to end them, or at least diminish them. There is no reason to have an army without a functional state.
Nazh shoved open the stone door, which toppled to the dirt below. He panted heavily, but had to keep running. He whirled around, finding himself in a graveyard bathed in red sunlight and falling ash, and having come out of a mausoleum. No, not in a graveyard! Ash and shadows, the worst place to fight one of them. A manor house sat quietly in the distance, built in a Daysider style.
He found a treeline, and darted for it. He scrabbled over the iron fence at the edge of the graveyard, his hat falling off in the process. Damn, just when he needed a hat, amidst the falling ash. At least his coat didn't get stuck. Luckily, Nazh got into the treeline, quickly becoming covered by the forest, when the thing, of spikes and shadow, emerged from the underground. Or was it a forest? The trees were evenly spaced, all pines, and the ground was covered by nothing larger than a weed. A tree farm, for turpentine for camphine oil, to power the lamps of this world.
He heard rustling in the treetops. Helmore! The thing likely couldn't see him if he was standing behind a tree- he carried no metal, and trees were full of metal. Especially on Scadrial.
Nazh whispered a quick prayer as he slipped behind another tree, pulling his blunderbuss pistol out of his coat. Adonalsium, let his plan work… it was weak from the fight, it could be slain!
"Your God cannot save you, wretch. He is dead, and Ruin reigns." the gravelly voice taunted, an unknown distance away.
"My God is not either of those." Nazh boasted. "Every action your lord takes is following a plan laid down ten thousand years ago."
"You're one of the interlopers, aren't you? Kar will reward me handsomely for your capture…" the voice stopped suddenly.
Nazh closed his eyes, reaching out, sensing the life in the area. Amidst nothing but trees and the few small animals that hadn't been scared off, it stuck out like a glowing mushroom. He waited, feeling it move around- falling gently right behind him. Nazh whirled around, finding the Inquisitor standing there, with a too-wide grin on its face, its robe a cloak of shadow. He pulled the trigger, filling its chest and skull with shot of rock. Blood spattered onto his coat and cloth mask.
The thing stood there for a second, a confused look on its face, before falling over, dead. A pyrite flash pan worked, combined with a wooden barrel to not give its Allomancy any grip on the gun. Nazh kneeled down, pulled back its cloak of shadow, feeling at its ribs, finding the spike of gold, and removing it with a glass knife, along with the right steel spike in its eye, and one of the bronze spikes in its ribs. All he could carry.
He didn't remember how he found his way back to Vorzeth, but he was standing over the dying Keeper, in one of the many tunnels that ran below Chathram. Vorzeth was leaning against the rough rock wall of the tunnel, carved centuries ago by some noble. The only source of illumination was a small ventilation shaft in the roof.
"Oh thank God you prevailed against it. I thought… you were it coming back to haul me away." Vorzeth's lips were flecked with bloody spittle. He didn't have long, the coin wounds being too much for him.
"Is there any way to secure your salvation?" Nazh asked, kneeling before the living well of knowledge.
Vorzeth coughed blood. "It is too late for me. But my discoveries won't pass with me. Take what I found, tell of the Synod of my death, return to Luthadel." Vorzeth handed Nazh the bag containing the ancient dates, and pressed two coins into his hand- one was a silver coin of Chathram, and the other was a clip, that the Inquisitor had used to mortally wound Vorzeth. "The clip is an unkeyed metalmind. Any Keeper will be able to tap it." Nazh took his hand, holding it. But Vorzeth didn't die.
"Are you sure your time has passed?" Nazh asked the Keeper.
"As you know, my associates in Chathram up above were found out, and got hooks through their throats. There will be people sent once the Inquisitor doesn't come back, and you said you were here alone. To survive, I would need intensive medical care, or an unkeyed goldmind from a Keeper- impossible to get here. I'm dead, Nazh. You must save yourself." Vorzeth said.
"But they will locate you, extract everything they can, and that event cannot occur." Nazh implored.
"If you can bear the guilt, then kill me. I will die anyways, indeed, it is a better death than the one the Inquisitors will provide." Vorzeth reasoned.
Nazh pulled out the spike of gold from his satchel. A chill ran down his spine. "Are you willing to sacrifice yourself even further, for the aid of all free men? I assure you, despite what they say, your immortal soul is not at risk."
"Ah, Hemalurgy. Just… make it quick." Vorzeth said, and closed his eyes.
Nazh raised up the spike, and plunged it into Vorzeth's arm. The spike glided right through the flesh, and Vorzeth let out only a gasp before he died.
Nazh picked up the spike, saddened. The toll of war… no matter how much he sallied across the cosmere, no matter how much he saw and how old he got, there were things he'd never get used to. He'd better get out of here, though. But then, Nazh found his arm moving against his will. He was shocked to see it plunge the spike into his ribs, with a sharp pain.
Nazh looked down to see his arms wither away to a black husk, and then crumble into ash, being replaced with a white translucent image of what once was. A voice spoke, a harsh and grating tone, gloating. You thought you could escape my sight, Nazrilhof? Thought you could outwit a Shard? This is what I will do to you, Threnodite, and the Darksider you brought with you.
A feeling of visceral terror filled Nazh, as he felt two spikes of cold steel appear in his eye sockets. He found himself overlooking Luthadel. And the city was burning.
Nazh woke up. His body was immersed in tepid water, and all it took was fluttering his eyelids for him to remember where he was. He had fallen asleep in the wooden bathtub. After checking his ribs for that gold spike that was not there, finding only a small cut, Nazh sighed, laying back, enjoying the memory of heat, and pondering over this nightmare.
He thought they were dwindling- he hardly had any on the road from Luthadel to Chathram and back, and he had noticeably fewer in Chathram itself. But now they were back. That one on the ship, and then this one. It definitely wasn't Ruin speaking to him in a vision, it was too dream-like, and there were too many inaccuracies.
Everything was a mix between the entire Cosmere, with a Scadrian setting. But mostly Threnody and Scadrial. Shade-Inquisitors popped up in that last one- an impossibility. Was he haunted by killing Vorzeth? He did it at his behest, and fulfilled his last requests. That should be enough for his spirit to rest in peace- although a piece of his soul was now on that spike.
Was Ruin really responsible? He had started getting nightmares just after he decided to attempt to save Scadrial, with Khriss and him relocating to the Physical… right before Kelsier had destroyed half the Pits of Hathsin, and as such the easiest way on and off Scadrial. There was another conceivable route, but he would only use that in an emergency- and it was due to become unusable no matter what happened in a year or two.
Yes, the nightmares had started after he had learned he was stuck on this world. That was when he felt he had to see this through. And he had shouldered the burdens of saving Scadrial, solely upon himself. How had he gotten so attached to this planet where ash fell from the sky so much so he constantly had to wear a mask, and the mists obscured the stars every night? Dammit, if he didn't love this world!
But there had to be a better way. He needed to reduce the stress, he couldn't be single-handedly responsible for saving Scadrial, after all, he had basically no idea on how to go about that. Maybe Khriss would have some ideas. And if relieving the stress didn't relieve the nightmares… then Ruin knew he was present, and he had bigger issues.
Nazh got up, a course of action set in his mind. He should go to Khriss, and bring back what he found in Chathram.
Nazh walked up the steps. Tourneur was a small city, but that still meant it had well over a hundred thousand inhabitants. The cities were comparable to some of the largest in the Cosmere- The Final Empire attempted to make up for most of the world being a sun-scorched desert.
At least there wasn't looking to be a famine as a result of various dominances and food sources being cut off, thanks to a reduction in food waste, and a projected agricultural output increase thanks to the adoption of many farming tools and introduction of cattle and horses to aid skaa farmers. Although the crop planted last spring was the one feeding them now- it felt like it had been longer since the Final Empire dominated the world.
Nazh entered into Khriss's study, where she was, as usual, writing. She lived in this shop's upstairs, having paid in aluminum. Her study was also lined with aluminum foil- It was significantly out of the way- but that was how Khriss liked it. It was him sallying out into the Physical, bringing back whatever Khriss wanted, with Khriss staying in the Cognitive. But this time, Khriss had come onto the stage, joining him in playing his role.
"Khriss, now I'm feeling better, let's cover what occurred on my latest expedition. I obtained the map of Old Saran, before the Lord Ruler Ascended. And some spikes, taken from one of the Inquisitors in the Chathram." Nazh placed the crumbling manuscript, sealed in a folder, on her desk. Khriss had set up her mobile chemistry and investiture set in the back of the study.
"Welcome back, Nazh. How difficult was it?" Khriss placed her pen down, gesturing Nazh to take a seat, which he did. The room was very clean, with hardly any specks of ash- that ash room was effective in keeping the space clean.
"I slew it only after some difficulty. I became involved in the New Republic's efforts as typical, however- the Keeper Vorzeth was there, looking for artifacts predating the Ascension. He found some- ancient dates, seeds predating the Ascension. They still carried the seed of life, even after the passing of a millenia. He was found out, his contacts in Chathram slain, and a Steel Inquisitor was sent to pursue him. He and I fought it, but he was fatally wounded, but it weakened the Inquisitor enough for me to slay it." Nazh knew Khriss would not like that.
"You killed a Steel Inquisitor?" Khriss exclaimed. "The Seventeenth won't be happy."
"Bah, the Seventeenth is too scared to come to Scadrial. They're even scared of coming into the Cognitive, even though Hoid's very blatantly intervening. We have free reign over this planet- and I used nothing that I cannot obtain here. I acquired several Hemalurgic spikes from the Inquisitor, and also slew the Keeper Vorzeth- at his request- by using the Inquisitor's Feruchemical gold spike on him. You will be able to experiment with Hemalurgy, without anything weighing on your conscience." Nazh said.
"That's great, but… Nazh, you've been doing a lot. Every chance you get, you go somewhere on Scadrial, and do all you can to carve out an opening for the Republic. You're high strung, I can tell. You're also having nightmares- have you tried aluminum foil yet?" Khriss asked.
"Ruin cannot be influencing me- it would spell doom for our efforts before they even began. Can't sleep with aluminum foil on my head, anyways." Nazh brushed off her concern.
"Then what would cause you to be less stressed?" Khriss asked.
Nazh considered this, truly. "We need to stop pretending we're not intervening. Scadrial was set back for a thousand years, and it was criminal of us to just let the Final Empire continue its reign unopposed. But we can right those wrongs, and I know what we must do. I must join the Ministry of War in some fashion- bloody helmore, I can't sit at a desk when damnation is at hand! I will be able to carry out your requests, and the Republic's efforts, in a unified fashion. And as for you… Khriss, you need to join the University. Help them in catching up, exploring the limits of the Metallic Arts. Shadows, a path lies to salvation, Khriss. We just need to act."
Khriss sighed. "If you wish, you can join the Ministry of War. I'm not going to aid the University, though, Nazh- I believe that we shouldn't intervene- I don't have the capabilities to do so effectively, and I do not want this to become a regular thing in the future- the Seventeenth won't know, but they will know if we intervene in the future." Khriss said.
"How can you not? Scadrial will burn!" Nazh exclaimed.
"Many worlds suffer- it is a natural thing in the Cosmere. Do you suggest that we attempt to save Ashyn from its eternal conflagration, put down Odium once he breaks his chains again, overthrow empires across the worlds, or bring innumerable quantities of silver to Threnody to put down the shades?" Khriss asked.
And a fire lit in Nazh's mind, the words of dissuasion, of impossibilities made possible. He saw clearly the road he must take. "Yes… yes, I do. And there is only one power in the Cosmere that can do that." he said, smiling.
"Are you an Iconoclast, Nazh?" Khriss asked.
"I do not know what I am, but I do know that Scadrial's best chance at survival lies in the New Republic. They have lit a fire that cannot be put out. And if there lies a chance to save my home world, I will take it." Nazh said.
"Nazrilhof, Scadrial has incredible technological progression! They're already catching up to where they were a thousand years ago- smokestacks are becoming an ever-present sight in Luthadel. If they surmount this crisis, they will be unfettered- their Shards are chained. And if they gain access to the cosmere… it will be forever changed." Khriss said in one last attempt to convince him.
"We knew this would occur one day. If it did occur, why would it not be Scadrial? And better the Republic than The Final Empire or Imperial Khlennium." Nazh said. "I'm going to need the revolver, the special one."
Khriss sighed. "I can't dissuade you, it seems. But wouldn't you be fighting Allomancers?"
"Not that common in the sorts of wars the Republican Army will be fighting. While nobles will naturally be more present on the battlefield, only one out of a hundred know they have Allomantic abilities. Coinshots and Lurchers are one in four allomancers, just overrepresented, for their ability to act as a firearm in a land without them. But that is changing, Khriss." Nazh stood up.
"I wish you luck, even if I disagree." Khriss said.
"And you as well. Goodbye, I will return in two weeks, to see if you need anything you cannot get in this city or Luthadel." Nazh picked up the special revolver from the false-bottomed cupboard where it was hidden, as well as grabbing an aluminum-lined pouch, as well as a nightcap, lined with aluminum. Shadows, so many precautions! But if he could get a good night's sleep, maybe that would be for the best. He caught Khriss smiling out of the corner of his eye as he walked out that door. He hoped Khriss would come to his reasoning one day.
Frost clung to branches and the brown twigs of bushes, with an black slush on the edge of the trail, slippery underfoot, shining in the sun's rays that peered through the haze. Smoke from the fires of the camp rose high in the distance, and laughter paired with joyful screams rang out, for the soldiers had captured a mistwraith.
"It's just over the hill!" Captain Shum yelled, smiling, to General Yeden, who slogged through the slush, hands in the pockets of his thick coat.
"I know, I know! It's bloody cold, and you know full well I think we should be all back in Mantiz, Captain, training for the war, maybe inside one of those warm Keeps." Yeden complained.
"This is training- rumor has it that the Nobles, and as such the Aspirants, have access to mistwraith spies. And we have to let the men have some fun- the Premier stole smiles and laughter back for us. What good is our freedom if we can't enjoy it? At least, that's what I've learned from him." Captain Shum said.
"We've learned so many things from him, haven't we? It feels like so long ago that I scoffed at his proclamations, and took refuge in ignorance and apathy. I've learned that anything is possible, with enough determination, empires can fall and gods can die." General Yeden said.
"And demons can be tracked, found, and captured." Captain Shum grinned.
The Captain and the General crested the hill, and Yeden peered around, eyes settling on the stone-lined pit the men had used to capture the mistwraith. His eyes narrowed, as if he had trouble believing what he was seeing. "Dear God!" Yeden yelled, although it had a tinge of amazement to it.
"It's hideous, ain't it?" Captain Shum smiled, as the two men descended the slope to the pit. And it was hideous indeed. It had translucent skin, with the texture of muscle, wrapped around various bones. Rib cages were as far down as he could see, but a few limbs- one was a cluster of bird talons atop a cow's leg bone, another a human hand at the end of a tail, prodded the tied together mesh of logs at the top of the pit. It wasn't having much luck, however, thanks to some large stones that weighted the mesh down, and the beast couldn't manuever its dozen loathsome legs to put pressure against it.
The beast looked like it was looking at the crowd of people, mostly soldiers, their families, and some skaa from nearby villages and plantations, but Shum knew it couldn't see, given the cow, badger, and human skulls the demon had as heads didn't have eyes.
"How did you capture it?" General Yeden asked in awe, as the two men walked to the edge of the pit, to look down at the mistwraith.
"It's not as dangerous as the stories presume. I tracked it for several days, and the demon didn't kill anything larger than small animals. We found this pit during that, the local nobles having used to hunt in these woods, and I came up with the idea to lure it into this pit. We built that mesh, and another mesh of flimsy twigs, covered it with leaf litter, and put a dead goat on top of it. The beast wouldn't go in, though- so I and a few other men pushed it in with some pikes and sticks, learned that on the plantation with the cows I handled. Nothing worse than a few bruises and a broken arm, from where it kicked a man." Captain Shum explained, pointing to the soldier with an arm in his sling, laughing as he told a group of children the same story, albeit more exaggerated.
"So it's nothing like the rumors? No ambushes, no taking your faces and laughing as you slay the wrong imposter, no magic, Allomantic or otherwise?" General Yeden asked.
Captain Shum shook his head. "No, it's just a beast. Even followed us while we were tracking it, and hasn't learned to fear man. Tried to run when we forced it between the pikes and the pit, and only lashed out when it realized we weren't going to let it escape. I don't even think it hunts anything larger than maybe a badger- we strung up a plantation-lord here five months ago, and the skaa later reported that the body went missing, assuredly eaten by a mistwraith. Well, see that broken leg bone?" Shum pointed to a barely-visible bone, a fracture wrapped in muscle to prevent it from giving out. "I broke that bastard's leg himself, and there it is. It primarily eats whatever dead people or animals it can find. It might be able to eat a small child or baby, but other than that, it's harmless." he said.
"So I suppose that the rumors about the Aspirants having mistwraith spies is false." Yeden said, and remained silent for a minute, as he mulled something over. "Could you transport this beast back to Mantiz?" General Yeden asked.
"It'd be hard, but it could be done. There's a road not too far from here, could shepherd it to a livestock cart. What are you thinking?" Captain Shum asked.
"Oh, just that it'd be good for defeating all the misassumptions about mistwraiths we have, and maybe learning the roots of all these legends. It's downright frightening… but it's clearly an animal. Not a demon." General Yeden squatted, looking into the sockets of the cow's skull.
"And we could charge a clip per family, get some extra cash in our coffers!" Captain Shum proposed.
"It'll be the rage in Mantiz, won't it?" General Yeden said, staring intently at the mistwraith. "Kelsier, is that what you did with Renoux?" he muttered.
Captain Shum was about to ask what Yeden meant, when he heard his name being called. He saw his wife and daughter coming down the trail, and he hurried to embrace them, and laughed as his daughter squealed "Eww!" upon seeing the mistwraith. Today was a great winter solstice, and the best he'd ever had, Shum thought.
Eli kneeled in the cage. He had been in this jail for months, but he refused to languish in captivity like the other prisoners. He maintained his strength by doing stretches, and many intensive exercises. He was blessed with power, power he had only tasted sparingly, and so he needed to cultivate it, to make it more potent when he could finally wield it again.
It was strange- they were feeding him well, better than he had been when he was just a skaa on the streets of Seran. There was much time to think. Were they keeping him in storage, like a pig in a nobleman's keep, to devour his soul at a later date? Why that gladiatorial fight? Did a warrior's soul taste better than a common man's? But they also said he didn't have a soul.
What was the truth? He thought too much, sometimes, always got him in trouble. But he couldn't see why the Inquisitors kept him. Perhaps they were more like men than he thought. Taking pleasure in a fight, albeit one more brutal than Eli had ever seen. No, it just didn't add up. But Eli was certain in one thing.
He needed to escape. His best chance was with Allomancy, but he only had that power when he ate pewter. And there was none of it given to him, except at the gladiatorial matches. And they gave it to him with something else, that made him throw up when he calmed down after a fight. And they were there, attending the matches. One, two, never more than three. He couldn't run away from one, and he wasn't sure if he could kill one.
He wished the other prisoners were less wary of him. They weren't all thrown into the ring at once, so all the new ones quickly learned that he was the victor, and shied away from him. There was that pretty girl in the next cell, that spoke with him rarely, even if she was shy. If it was possible, he would escape with her.
And then, dozens of guards came in. They opened up his cell, and clamped him in manacles, along with seven others, dragging them off through dim corridors to the stadium. They force fed him a bar of pewter, washed down with water containing something else that would limit its permanence in his body, before taking off his manacles, and shoving him out a thick wooden door, and he heard a bar of wood being slid into place behind him, preventing escape.
Once again, he found himself in the arena, the crimson sun high above, in a smoky sky. The raven-masked Inquisitor sat in the seat of honor, silently observing the stadium. There were less watchers here today. He had no idea why they fluctuated so. And then he saw a horrifying sight. The girl was standing in one of the corners of the stadium, looking hopeless, at a short sword in her hands. Eli reached within himself, finding a source of power, and kindled it, his soul erupting with Allomantic fire.
This time, he had a metal mace laid in front of him. He picked it up, and slowly walked forwards. He found the rules the Inquisitors laid out bent easy for him, and he stood some distance from his original starting position, looking at the girl.
"Begin." the raven-masked Inquisitor said. Eli charged towards the girl, surprising someone who saw her as an easy target. The man fell in seconds, blood spilling upon the sand. The girl screamed when Eli approached her, and so he turned, standing some distance, to defend her. Minutes passed, where the girl quailed in her corner, not daring to move, while Eli struck down all that came near.
Soon, the only people that were left were Eli and the girl. The crowd stayed silent, the inscrutable Inquisitor observing the arena, as Eli stoked his anger, to keep from throwing up the pewter. Minutes passed, and the girl threw up her metal. The Inquisitor raised an arm, and pointed to the girl. "Kill her." he commanded.
"No." Eli said sternly. "You demon, if you want her dead, you will have to get through me first." he readied the mace. "I will send you back to the pit whence you came!"
The Inquisitor shifted. "So be it." it said in a monotone. It threw itself into the air, landing in front of him. The Inquisitor struck with a flurry of blows, but Eli could match it. He felt hopeful for one great moment, that these demons in the skin of men could be defeated, and then his hopes were dashed as an unknown force yanked the mace out of his hands.
Eli then felt nothing but crushing anguish and shame. He sank to the sand below, throwing up almost immediately, retching onto the ground, and falling flat. He tried to reach for the bar of pewter, but his hand sank into the vomit as he gave up.
He caught the Inquisitor scooping the girl up from the corner of his eyes, and then him, and he could not protest, the anguish he was feeling being too great. Why did he think he could save her? Better just cooperate. Now both of them would die. That was the way of the world.
Eli regained awareness when he found himself being thrown down onto a stone slab, hard, and the girl was thrown, screaming, on top of him. He heard a pounding sound, and only realized what was going on when a sharp pain in his ribs started. It grew and grew, the girl's blood spilling over his chest, until the girl's screams suddenly stopped, and Eli remembered nothing more but blood and pain.
Vote for who or where you want to see a slice of the life of the Former Final Empire, of people we haven't seen much. Vote for three. The top one or two votes will be chosen.
[ ] Tevedian Tekiel
[ ] Kelsier's Crew
[ ] Elend
[ ] The Republican Army
[ ] The Synod
[ ] The Oligarchy of the Southern Islands
[ ] The Pretender Empire
[ ] The Steeled Empire
[ ] The Aspirant Empire
[ ] The Kingdom of the Burning Crescent.
[ ] Write-in