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Path of the Immeasurable Swarm [Worm/Cradle]

Reader mode
This is just what I needed. I got caught in the fallout when someone dropped a can of bear spray at work and it burst open. Reading a new chapter once I got off was a great consolation.
 
derivativeoflife said:
My injury was odd, if it could even be called that. As far as any of our healers could tell, I should be in perfect health; my injury wasn't physical or spiritual, but conceptual. To the best of my understanding, merging myself with Hera to such a degree had damaged the very concept of Taylor Hebert as an independent being.

According to Charity, this type of damage could sometimes be inflicted by particularly exotic attacks from Sages or Monarchs. She'd given me one of the clan's most valuable texts to read, a recovered Abidan treatise, which referenced something called the origin of one's existence. The good news was that even if the damage failed to fully heal on its own, advancing to Archlord would restore me completely. Advancing in the Lord realms didn't just make you stronger; it increased your conceptual weight in the eyes of reality. In that sense, it was lucky that this had happened while I was still an Overlord.
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Taylor's self was damaged and it makes sense that her reinforcing it by becoming an Archlord would repair it. Also the Abidan treatise is really valuable.

derivativeoflife said:
I sat behind my desk with a tiny sigh, inviting Grace to sit next to me. She already had a stack of reports nearly two feet tall prepared for me, and I knew these were only the ones she didn't feel like she could delegate or handle herself. No matter how dire the clan's situation was, we couldn't afford to ignore more mundane problems; in fact, there were unfortunately more of them than ever.
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Nice to see Grace even if it's only for a bit, she's settled into the role of Taylor's assistant really well.

derivativeoflife said:
The Akura heartlands, once a tapestry of jungles, forests, and grasslands rich in aura, had been reduced to a blasted desert. The sheer waste of it infuriated me. They hadn't even been destroyed during a battle like the Arelius lands; the Dragon King had ravaged a significant portion of the continent and likely murdered billions out of pure spite.

The loss of resources was going to be catastrophic in the long term, but the larger problem in the short term was food. Moongrave was a city of over eight hundred million, and although the city's stores were deep, they'd be depleted in less than a month. As a coastal city, some food was still coming in from fishing, but not nearly enough. Importing food via portal would be hideously expensive, and the clan's treasury was already in freefall. We needed alternatives.
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derivativeoflife said:
Millions had also had family beyond Moongrave, wiped out along with the rest of Akura territory. Many others had simply been visiting the city, and now had no homes to return to. More than anything, the city was simply in shock. Akura Malice had ruled this city for over four hundred years; for most people, her death was like the sun failing to rise. Rebuilding even the barest sense of security was not going to be an easy task. Grace was deeply shaken too, although she did a good job of hiding it. Seeing me starting to recover seemed to help, and I hoped her trust wasn't misplaced. I wished I could have let her take some time off, maybe invite her to a show along with Mercy, but none of us could spare the time for that sort of thing.
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The sheer amount of death, destruction and wrecking of the status quo is catastrophic.

derivativeoflife said:
The Blackflame Empire had also escaped mostly unscathed, thanks to the absurdity of both Yerin and Lindon manifesting Icons during the battle. Eithan was going to be absolutely unbearable when he found out, I was sure. Blackflame City had suffered significant damage, but casualties were as light as could be expected thanks to the shelters we'd funded over the past few months.

Under the leadership of the Sword Sage and the Void Sage, the Four Peaks Sect was in theory now our strongest vassal. In practice, of course, a sect led by two Sages would normally command hundreds of Lords and decades or centuries of stockpiled resources, and they had none of that. Still, the dragons didn't seem to be especially eager to try their luck again after losing another Archlord. I expected that they'd be safe enough for the next few months, and we were going to need to find a way to deal with the Dragon King by then anyway.
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Huh good to know that Lindon became a Sage.

derivativeoflife said:
Things were not so good in the Seishen Kingdom. They'd been attacked by an Archlord as well, and no Sages had conveniently appeared to protect them. King Dakata had died defending the capital, and only Meira's timely advancement to Overlord had stopped the entire country from being overrun. Her and Kiro had managed to hold onto the western third or so of their territory, near their border with the Frozen Blade School, but the dragons were still pressing them hard.
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Welp the dude died defending his country. Meira has done well and was well worth Taylor's investment.

derivativeoflife said:
Unfortunately, none of the ideas I had on how to do that were particularly good ones. Seshethkuunaz was the strongest of the Monarchs, older than any of them except for Emriss. Killing him would require either two Monarchs working together, or a single Monarch supported by several Sages and Heralds. That wasn't unachievable, but I wasn't naive enough to think that Shen wouldn't interfere if it looked like we had a chance of winning. I wasn't confident that even Miara, Emriss, and the Eight-Man Empire working together could take on Shen and the Dragon King simultaneously, and that was without even considering the Dreadgods. Northstrider was also a wildcard; his hatred of dragons was legendary, but he'd despised Shen nearly as much. Without knowing exactly what bargain he'd made, there was no way to know how he might act.
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The odds of killing him aren't looking good.

derivativeoflife said:
"No," agreed Charity, shaking her head. "During the battle… I am unsure of exactly what happened, except that you seem to have done something impossible. The Silent King was driven off so thoroughly that it still remains in hiding, and the Bleeding Phoenix was disabled for a significant amount of time. Not even a Monarch could have accomplished that. I never would have thought it was your doing at all, if you hadn't also done a second impossible thing. What did you do, that resulted in manifesting the Crown Icon?"

"What!?" exclaimed Mercy. "The Crown Icon? I thought only Monarchs could get that! Did you really do that, Taylor? That's amazing! But… Why didn't you say anything?"
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Yeah this talk needed to happen eventually.

derivativeoflife said:
I sighed. "That's a complicated question. I did manifest the Crown Icon, yes, but… I wasn't exactly myself when I did it."

"Your connection to it is more tenuous than your connection to the Shadow Icon, but I can still sense it in you," said Charity. "More than that… Your spirit has changed. Only slightly, but there's something there which wasn't before, something foreign. You know as well as I do that no one can manifest an Icon on demand. For as long as I've known you, you have never expressed any ambition for power over others, and you've only ever wielded power as a subordinate. You should have no connection at all to the Crown Icon. The only explanation I can think of is that you borrowed someone else's authority… or something else's."
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Really good analysis Charity. Also good to know that Taylor does keep the connection to the Crown Icon.

derivativeoflife said:
"It isn't," I agreed. "I never told you exactly how I ended up on Cradle. I want to thank you, for never pressing me on it. It still isn't something I enjoy remembering, but the distance helps. Besides, I'm confident now that what happened to me then won't ever happen again." I paused for a moment, trying to decide where to start. A mental nudge brought a small smile to my face. "Let me start by introducing you to… to my oldest friend. This is Hera."
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It's good that she's opening up about this.

derivativeoflife said:
[APOLOGY]

"...Thanks? I think?" said Mercy, still rubbing her head.

I sent a sense of chastisement back down our link. The apology would have been a lot more sincere if she hadn't tacked on something along the lines of, "I'll try to use small words that won't hurt your teeny tiny brain."
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The sass on Hera is funny.

derivativeoflife said:
"What a fascinating means of communication," murmured Charity, who'd seemingly been able to decipher Hera's language much more effectively, although it had taken her some time. "So much information, compacted so efficiently. Let me see…"

[INQUIRY]

Charity's first attempt at using Hera's language was better than mine had been, although only slightly. She sent it to me via dream aura, and I relayed it to Hera. As expected, a sizeable chunk of Hera's response was dedicated to smugly correcting her grammar.

[INFORMATION]

The message was large enough to make even Charity wince slightly. "I apologize. This may take a moment." She was silent for several seconds, closing her eyes and breathing deeply as she focused. Eventually she opened her eyes and smiled. "That was rather invigorating. It's been decades since I faced a mental task so challenging. A fascinating mode of thought. I'll need to explore it further, investigate how it might be applied to my own techniques…" She shook her head slightly, her smile fading. "But later. I believe I have a better grasp of the situation now, both the opportunities and the dangers."[/INFORMATION]
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Charity is interested in the speech and wants to add it to her stuff, it's an interesting challenge for her.

derivativeoflife said:
"She's interested, but wants to give it more thought," I said. "She thinks she might be able to learn more through an avatar, but she wants to find a form which resonates with her authority. It'll have to wait until I'm more recovered anyway. Also, I'll warn you right now, you probably won't be able to get her to speak with words. She has kind of a thing about that."

[SUPERIORITY]

"Yes, we all agree your language is objectively more efficient," I said rolling my eyes. "For now, though, I want to tell this story myself anyway. You deserve to hear it from me."
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Wonder how that would manifest as an Avatar that fits with her authority. Also he's proud of her

derivativeoflife said:
So I told them. The true nature of the entities, Cauldron, Scion's apocalyptic temper tantrum… and Khepri. Even keeping to only the pertinent details, it took the better part of an hour. Hera chimed in a few times to provide details on the entities which I hadn't known. I'd have to find time later to sit down and learn more about her species' history; she deserved to have her interest in me reciprocated.
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It was a really eventful time so of course it took a while to tell. Taylor learning more about the Entities will hopefully give her some inspiration.

derivativeoflife said:
When I was finished, Mercy got up, walked over, and hugged me tightly for the better part of a minute. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that," she said eventually.

"You don't need to be. I got a second chance. Billions of other people didn't, and most of them probably deserved it more than I did."

"You're wrong. You do deserve it. Even if you think you don't, I'll believe you do hard enough for both of us."

Even if I did deserve my second chance, I was sure I didn't deserve her. But that was alright. Of all the universes I'd visited, not a single one had ever been a fair place. If this one happened to be unfair in my favor, well… I thought I could live with that.
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Taylor had a really rough time but having Mercy in her life has made it a lot better. Taylor is cynical about the nature of the multiverse which is understandable.

derivativeoflife said:
"I understand, now, how you gained such mastery over your authority so quickly," said Charity after a moment. "Your will is unusually strong even for a Sage, but an exceptional will is a prerequisite for reaching Sage at all. An act of such incredible significance leaves a mark, makes it easier to bend reality to your will."

I nodded; it was the same reason why Hera had begun wielding her authority even before she'd understood it, and why it was so incredibly strong. Her will carried the weight of uncountable devoured worlds and eons of existence. Even if my own act had put an end to that cycle, it still couldn't compare.
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Taylor's insane willpower and her feat of killing Scion would give an impressive amount of authority. But yeah Hera's age and deeds gives her even more authority.

derivativeoflife said:
"Furthermore, the Monarchs are not even our greatest concern," continued Charity. "The very first time we spoke, I told you that the Abidan were unlikely to notice your presence. It appears I spoke in error. The heavens have yet to descend on us, so it seems they are not quite so watchful as they claim, but we cannot trust in luck to protect us forever. Sooner or later, wielding power from beyond this world will draw their attention."

"I know," I said. "And to be honest, I understand their position. Hera is… too big for Cradle. I'm not sure exactly what would happen if I ever managed to release her full power, but I don't think it would be anything good. Besides, even after I advance to Archlord, borrowing enough of her authority to defeat the Dragon King might still push me over the safe limit."
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Abidan would understandably have some issues with Taylor and Hera being on Cradle. They'd likely study and pressgang her, I imagine she'd qualify for the Hounds, Spiders and Foxes. Though I imagine Reapers will get her first if she ends up joining up with Eithan and co.

derivativeoflife said:
It wouldn't, but it wouldn't hurt, either. Even if we managed to get Emriss, Miara, and the Eight-Man Empire to all fight for us, even if I reached Archlord in time and had Hera as a trump card, our victory would be a matter of luck as much as anything else. If the Dreadgods interfered, if Northstrider interfered, if either enemy Monarch had another unexpected trick up their own sleeves, it would all be over. Unfortunately, I couldn't see any other way forward.
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Huh usually she's able to make a way forward.

derivativeoflife said:
The Gold on the other side bowed deeply. "Apologies for the interruption, honored Sages, but the Arelius Archlord has returned and is, ah, requesting to speak with you. He claims to have critical information."

I was struck with a wave of trepidation. I'd caught sight of Eithan a few times during the battle, always making himself useful, but I'd lost track of him while I was inside Shen's flagship and hadn't seen him again. The obvious conclusion was that he'd been killed, but I hadn't really believed that. I didn't know what portal he'd escaped through, but it hadn't been one of ours. It was entirely reasonable that he might take a few days to find a way back to Ashwind, but I didn't really believe that either. He'd been up to something, and the worst part was that whatever absurd scheme he had for us was probably still going to be better than our current options.
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She's aware Eithan is really hard to kill.

derivativeoflife said:
He gave me a piercing look for several seconds. I stared back levelly. Although my injury was easy enough to sense for someone at his level, I suspected he saw more than that, even though only a Sage should have been able to perceive the Crown Icon or Hera's slight presence. I wordlessly dared him to make a comment and reveal more of his own abilities.

Eventually, he grinned and said, "You seem to have had quite the interesting time. Perhaps you'd like to tell me about it?"
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He's picking up on Hera, the Crown Icon and Taylor's self injuries. Taylor has become even more of an interesting recruit to him, possibly as someone to shove the paperwork of the Reapers on.

derivativeoflife said:
"My thanks for the vote of confidence, and I promise I am not wasting your time," said Eithan. He lost his characteristic grin, taking on an unusually serious expression. "The truth is, I feel at least partially responsible for what's happened, having been the one to set this series of events in motion. And… If there's one thing I truly despise, it's innocents suffering because of the games of the powerful. So just this once, I will attempt to be entirely straightforward and truthful."
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Eithan for all that he's a smug plotting asshole sometimes does try to be a good person.

derivativeoflife said:
"For good reason," said Charity. "The labyrinth is incredibly dangerous and difficult to navigate. Even if we accept that you know exactly where to look, how do you propose to delve so deeply when Monarchs have tried and failed?"

"Ah," said Eithan. "Well, this is awkward. I had assumed Taylor already told you."

Three sets of gazes turned to me, and I stifled a grimace. It wasn't that I hadn't trusted Charity to keep another secret from Malice if I asked her. I just hadn't wanted to place another burden on her loyalty so soon. "Eithan found two of the Slumbering Wraith's hands, not one. He still has the second."
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Taylor didn't want to make Charity to have to deal with that.

derivativeoflife said:
"I feel like I'm missing something," said Mercy, frowning. "The hand of the Slumbering Wraith is part of Shen's plan to control the Dreadgods, right? If Eithan has one too, that's a good thing, right? Won't that make it easier to stop him?"

Charity and I looked at each other and exchanged slight nods. "It seems this is a night for the sharing of secrets," she said.

Ten minutes later, Mercy was crying into my shoulder while I gently stroked her hair. "S-she really knew? She k-knew she was making the Dreadgods more powerful, and she d-didn't do anything about it?"

"It isn't quite so simple," said Eithan quietly. "Your mother may very well have wanted to do something, but solving the problem would require convincing every other Monarch to ascend together. My own family's Monarch died attempting that very task."

I didn't think any of us really believed him, not even Mercy. Prisoner's dilemma or not, there was no question that Malice had wanted to rule. But it was still kind of him to offer her a branch to cling to. "Yeah. Okay," said Mercy, sniffling and wiping her eyes.
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Yeah finding out that about her mother was really rough on Mercy. Eithan respects the shit out of Mercy and wants to give her a bit of peace but there isn't really anything that can be done there.

derivativeoflife said:
"Not necessarily. A Sage or Herald should be sufficient, but only the right Sage or Herald. Like the completed weapon, the flawed attempts have the form of arrowheads. The symbolism matters. They will be most effective if used by an actual archer, and even more so if that archer had been the one to use the true Penance."

"You mean… You mean me?" asked Mercy. "But I'm not a Sage or a Herald!"

"I'm well aware, and if worst comes to worst, Larian of the Eight-Man Empire should be able to wield it with little difficulty. However, giving away a weapon of such power requires, ah, a certain degree of trust. Far be it from me to question the impeccable honor of the Empire, but… Best to avoid temptation if possible, yes? I have every confidence in your ability to reach Herald, if you're simply given enough time."
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You need an Archer and Eithan trusts Mercy's character.

derivativeoflife said:
The other two didn't know Eithan like I did; they didn't immediately pick up on the implication. "Northstrider is the only Monarch who's made any study of manipulating time. Are you proposing we ask him for help? Or do you have another ancient relic of House Arelius in your back pocket?"

"Neither," said Eithan, grinning brightly. "Northstrider learned what he did by studying the work left behind by Rune Queen Emala, a Monarch who died during the Dread War. He spent many years searching for her Grand Oath Array, the Divine Treasure she created to speed or slow time at will, and then many more years attempting to utilize it. After failing, he dismissed that avenue of research and tossed the Grand Oath Array in a sealed vault as nothing more than a historical curiosity. Some centuries later, that vault was broken open and looted by the Sage of the Dark Moon while Northstrider was presumed dead. To the best of my knowledge, the Grand Oath Array remains in the possession of the Dark Moon Sect."
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Hyperbolic Time chamber is an impressive trick.

derivativeoflife said:
We all stared at the closed door for a few seconds after he left. "There is something off about that man," said Charity once she'd veiled the room again. "He knows more than he should. He speaks with more confidence than he should. He never doubted for even a moment that we would agree to his plan. If I didn't know better, I would think he was already a Sage himself, and an old one at that."

"I trust him," said Mercy. "Maybe he likes keeping secrets, but so do you two, don't you? I don't think he would ever hurt anyone who didn't really deserve it."

"It isn't really a matter of trust," I said. "I have at least some idea of what he wants. I see no reason why he would betray us. But Charity is right. He acts like… Like everything is a game. A game he wants to win, maybe, but still ultimately something he's doing for his own amusement rather than a matter of life and death. Why not recover the Penance prototype himself the moment he had the ability? He could have taken revenge against Shen. Any other sacred artist in his position would have. Instead, he kept that card hidden until he felt like the game wasn't going his way. Nothing in his history should produce that kind of mindset."

"What are you saying?" asked Mercy.

"I'm not sure. I just don't like relying on things I don't understand. What happens if he ever decides the game is over?"
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The thing I really like about this is that their instincts are all on point, Charity can read the experienced old master, Mercy sees the well intentioned trickster who's trying to help and that Eithan is, Taylor is able to tell that his actions don't add up and his mindset of playing games which she is rightfully concerned about.

I have a feeling if Taylor knew about Eithan being who he is and trying desperatly to pull himself out of a rut and trying to improve the status quo would really respect what he's trying to do. I think that Mercy and Taylor ascending is a much more likely possibility since Miara has to ascend and Mercy would likely follow her and Taylor would follow Mercy. Taylor and Mercy are pretty much prime recruits for the Reapers from Ozriel's POV. Mercy actually gets him and has morals and charecter that he respects. Taylor is someone he can play the plotting game with and would cover the Reaper's weak spot of non punching things, given that she's an intrigue and tactics monster.
 
When I was trying to write a Travlers Gate (same multiverse as cradle) fic I had an idea that all shard clusters or even individual shards that went down paths of study or self growth that led to enough authority to ascend seemingly disappeared leaving something of a false understanding from shard and shard clusters remaining that study down that path was a dead end or dangerous to continued existence so they went down other paths and that's why Shards are so bad at being a person rather than a thing on a conceptual level.
 
Damn it Eithan, fucking advance already!!! Yes you're giving them a plan so insane it might work, but stop sandbagging already you shit! Jerk is going to manifest the question mark icon at this rate if he keeps leaving mysteries in his wake like this.

Honestly though if he does what he did in canon and denies the advancement mid fight Taylor might actually try to kill him for it.
 
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...I would love to see Eithan manifest the ? icon. Just the pure confusion. What does it mean? Does it mean he spreads mysteries? Is his lack of a clue so profound he manifested an Icon of it?
 
So I assume Taylor's plan is to take control of the Dragon King just long enough to force him to kill himself?
 
I think it's really nice that Taylor has 2 (...and a half, thanks Eithan) people she can honestly confide in like this, about all of her choices and mistakes. They're not even judging her! That's something she hasn't had since, uh...possibly since Emma decided to mess with her and she didn't tell her dad, pre-Worm canon. Lisa tried, definitely, and Rachel was very supportive, but there was a whole lotta judgment there.

derivativeoflife said:
Hera, have you ever tried making your own body? It's kind of weird talking to you when you're just in Taylor's head."

[CONSIDERATION]

"I think that was a maybe?" said Mercy, scratching her head.

"She's interested, but wants to give it more thought," I said. "She thinks she might be able to learn more through an avatar, but she wants to find a form which resonates with her authority.
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I'd really hope that this doesn't happen until they ascend, at soonest. There's something lesser about Taylor's capabilities if QA can act fully autonomously; Taylor herself becomes less vital, and her connection to her shard feels like it shouldn't be shared at all with other people, y'know? I'm thinking of some of my thoughts on the later stages of Trailblazer (the one gigantic Gundam crossover) as my only real point of comparison when I say that I think it needs to be closer to even footing for it to work without losing something, or at least they need to cement their partnership in a complete manner rather than Taylor acting as a teleporter to bring her stronger pal along. (I'm still holding out for some kind of soul timeshare arrangement that links them together on an existential level, even if QA/Hera is too much for a full merger to ever really work right. It feels like a fitting way to progress a symbiotic bond like theirs.)

derivativeoflife said:
"I do," said Eithan.
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I can't imagine why, buddy.
 
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Fencer said:
Damn it Eithan, fucking advance already!!! Yes you're giving them a plan so insane it might work, but stop sandbagging already you shit! Jerk is going to manifest the question mark icon at this rate if he keeps leaving mysteries in his wake like this.

Honestly though if he does what he did in canon and denies the advancement mid fight Taylor might actually try to kill him for it.
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Eithan is mostly sandbagging so Lindon, Yerin, Taylor and Mercy are forced to go above and beyond and grow.

Jen T said:
I think it's really nice that Taylor has 2 (...and a half, thanks Eithan) people she can honestly confide in like this, about all of her choices and mistakes. They're not even judging her! That's something she hasn't had since, uh...possibly since Emma decided to mess with her and she didn't tell her dad, pre-Worm canon. Lisa tried, definitely, and Rachel was very supportive, but there was a whole lotta judgment there.
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It's something that really matters to her.

Jen T said:
I'd really hope that this doesn't happen until they ascend, at soonest. There's something lesser about Taylor's capabilities if QA can act fully autonomously; Taylor herself becomes less vital, and her connection to her shard feels like it shouldn't be shared at all with other people, y'know? I'm thinking of some of my thoughts on the later stages of Trailblazer (the one gigantic Gundam crossover) as my only real point of comparison when I say that I think it needs to be closer to even footing for it to work without losing something, or at least they need to cement their partnership in a complete manner rather than Taylor acting as a teleporter to bring her stronger pal along. (I'm still holding out for some kind of soul timeshare arrangement that links them together on an existential level, even if QA/Hera is too much for a full merger to ever really work right. It feels like a fitting way to progress a symbiotic bond like theirs.)
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Taylor is able to work in concert with QA and that's when they're both at their best because QA can't really grock people or the deeper parts of identity as well and Taylor has a degree of creativity that QA lacks. Plus once Taylor gets Monarch level and beyond she'll start growing to QA's level and be equals. Though power isn't the sole defining thing in their relationship they're friends who help each other.

TypicalVelocity said:
I'm afraid my GOAT only accepts the most joyful of Icons.
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Whenever that gets brought up it always hits me in the feels.

Fencer said:
I don't care how happy he pretended to be for thirty plus years, or how much genuine fun he's had since taking apprentices. He spreads aggravation, Confusion, and frustration. Joy is not going to be his icon.
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He takes great joy in spreading aggravation, confusion and frustration. But yeah serious talk for all that he wants to be happy the man is his own worst enemy for that.
 
Fencer said:
He spreads aggravation, Confusion, and frustration. Joy is not going to be his icon.
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I was mainly joking but regardless of if he can or not, his mind is set on it as his goal. Like ArcanaVitae said, Eithan does what makes him joyful, which happens to make everyone around him less so.

To be fair, Eithan did have a connection to the joy Icon, as his mother named him after a flower which is the symbol of joy. Similar to how Lindon has compatibility with the void Icon in part due to his label as Unsouled.
 
The Sandman said:
So I assume Taylor's plan is to take control of the Dragon King just long enough to force him to kill himself?
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That's the backup plan, yeah. Seize control of him and force him into expending everything he has on an attack to wipe out the dragons, would be my assumption. We saw how she accidentally killed golds while trying to be gentle just from forcing them to expend too much will. She can do the same but on purpose with him.

Because there's little way to defend against having already burned your own life up.

Though I suppose given how absolute the control given by Hera is Taylor could forcefully make him ascend too, if she doesn't think she can hold long enough for him to die.
 
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As funny as Eithan lipreading is, presumably Charity and Taylor sealed the room. Archlord Aurelius sight can't break two Sage's working, especially when one of them is Shadow (ie. great at concealment).
 
Eithan was apparently waiting exactly right at the edge of Taylor's range before sprinting as fast as he can to get to the room when the affirmation was given. I assume he certainly could've lip-read things, but also he seems to be somewhat attempting to respect them, so I dunno.
 
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