Well! I just re-read the fic; time well spent, since I picked up quite a bit more I missed the first time, lacking context. Northstrider insisting on letting Shen attack the Silent King's prison was a red flag for betrayal, especially given everyone knew the vast majority of the cloudships placed in a circle around the hundreds of miles diameter prison couldn't make it in time.
"This one's like Eithan," grumbled Yerin. "Everytime you think you're getting close, you blink twice and she's half a mile ahead."
Ahahaha; I love how Taylor's seen as ranking up there with Eithan.
Note that as talented as the others are, both Eithan and Taylor are teachers to them, particularly for Taylor in life lessons (which often help the Sacred Arts).
"There is no trick," I replied. "The reason why you can't simulate me accurately isn't because you don't have enough data on how I fight, it's because I've made myself impossible to predict on a conceptual level. As a Monarch-level construct, you possess your own authority separate from Lindon's, but it isn't strong enough to overcome mine yet.
Note Taylor's actively teaching Dross here, too, which is nice to see.
"This time," I said, "I'll do better." If I ever again found myself on my knees with a gun aimed at my head, I wouldn't have any regrets. I would protect the things and the people I cared about, and I would do it without sacrificing our relationships on the altar of necessity. If the world tried to deny me, it would be the world that flinched first.
And so it is; Taylor has made her second chance what she wants of it.
Taylor's revelations, if I recall:
Underlord: "I practice the Sacred Arts because I wouldn't know what to do with myself, otherwise."
Overlord: "I get my hands
dirty so that others can keep theirs clean."
Archlord: "This time, I'll do better.' (Keep relationships good)
Mercy, if I recall, had revelations
Underlord: "I walk my Path so that my mother will be proud of me"
Overlord: I care
Archlord: "I won't always let other people fight my battles for me. I'll do my part."
Note that both Taylor and Mercy have revelations about other people, not just themselves.
Yerin
Overlord: But for now, all I want is a sword in my hand, an enemy in front of me, and someone I can trust next to me.
Yerin does, too.
Ziel did as well.
Well, even in their case, there was a point in their history where Khepri decided that she was absolute and unquestionable ruler of every last local copy of Earth in that multiverse, and then proceeded to murder the only remaining contender to that title with the power she held
I note that no Monarch on Cradle has unlimited power; their power ends at the power of another Monarch or set thereof.
No Monarch can beat the Abidan, either.
So... QA/Khepri get the Crown, and Taylor's working out the boundaries the Crown icon allows. It definitely allows ruling from the shadows or staging a soft coup... but Taylor really, really values her sisterly relationship with Mercy.
Harrying a trio of minor Chicago villains until they simply gave up and surrendered, having never even seen me.
Poor Top Hat and crew. Note the relevance to the Crown icon, too, in that when Top Hat went into a criminal-front restaurant for cover, Taylor simply made a phone call and he was kicked out.
That's power, too.
Around them, the universe teemed with secrets waiting to be discovered, a mouth-watering feast of knowledge.
Three scales on Hera manifesting Scholar as her second icon!
If she wanted to discover the secrets of the universe, then I wanted to discover them with her.
More of Taylor caring deeply about her personal relationships.
More importantly, that means Taylor's definitely going to Ascend eventually; she and Hera will eventually need to in order to keep discovering the secrets of the universe.
The vision in front of us was to both of our likings, so we would make it into reality.
Yeah; there's the unwavering determination that resonates with the Crown icon.
The understanding would come to me when I was ready. No, when we were ready. That much, I did remember. The slightly pained jumble I sensed from Hera told me that she was struggling as well, but behind that was something close to genuine affection, an emotion I'd never felt from her before.
An important point; QA/Hera is experiencing a new emotion: she cares for Taylor.
Taylor's so, so close to understanding Eithan, and it really does feel like she's more of a potential, eventual peer to him
They're both world-weary in some ways, they're both reaching out and teaching.
--
So, post-Malice's sacrifice, the Akura lost many outlying settlements and green land, a ton of money/treasure, and so on.
They gained a new Herald, three Overlord sages became Archlord sages, an Archlord, an Archlord Sage (Eithan), most of Dark Moon's archlord treasure, a major new Sage technique for city defense/mass battles, the start of Spider Judge understanding, much of the Sun King's surviving ancient loot... and a prototype Penance with blowback issues.
They don't have a Monarch... but they can kill one.
--
Someone really really needs to get the Dreadlord hand away from Shen.
--
Another three scales on Taylor's fourth icon being something like Big Sister or Teacher/Professor/Mentor. She's been teaching Mercy, Meira, Grace, Yerin, Lindon, Dross, even Eithan in ways.
