When Heroes Die

[Enthusiast#117]

And then the city you put the trap in was gone.
Nice job.

 

[derivativeoflife]

Man, Liesse just cannot catch a break, can it?

 

[Sharpedge]

Man, Liesse just cannot catch a break, can it?

Click to shrink...

I feel like if guide fanfics ever take off like worm ones do, destroying Liesse should become a tradition in them.

 

[beleester]

So long as he wasn't a ward specialist, I should stand a chance in a fight.

Click to shrink...

That there is what we call "dramatic irony." Poor Taylor.

The largest discrepancy was the presence of what at first glance appeared to be a magical imitation of the tabula rasa effect. It was as if someone had overlapped an extraordinarily close mimicry of creation on top of it, following similar but not entirely identical rules.

Click to shrink...

This would be when Taylor snuffed out the Absence demon, right? I guess she's imposing her own world's physics.

Also, it's really funny that Taylor is once again a hero being mistaken for a villain.

 

[Aetheron]

And then the city you put the trap in was gone.
Nice job.

Click to shrink...

Yeah… I really wanted one more segment where he reads the report from Warlock who either failed to realize Artist was there and so blamed everything on Taylor. Which combined with Taylor showing the flag for Brockton Bay there briefly? Ooof.

Or Warlock didn't miss the Artist and so Black ends up starting a manhunt for a man who's no longer alive.

 

[Thief of Words]

I feel like if guide fanfics ever take off like worm ones do, destroying Liesse should become a tradition in them.

Click to shrink...

The city was burning in goblinfire and it wasn't Catherine's fault.

 

[Sharpedge]

Yeah… I really wanted one more segment where he reads the report from Warlock who either failed to realize Artist was there and so blamed everything on Taylor. Which combined with Taylor showing the flag for Brockton Bay there briefly? Ooof.

Or Warlock didn't miss the Artist and so Black ends up starting a manhunt for a man who's no longer alive.

Click to shrink...

I considered it when writing the chapter, but decided I couldn't do it.

Black's smart. He's good at putting things together. He also currently has more information than the reader does. I couldn't find a way to do a post combat scene in the interlude that didn't run into the problem of Black putting together that other information without making Black look stupid later on.

That meant that if I wanted to withhold some pieces of information, I had to end the scene before and not after the fight.

 

[Sharpedge]

"When deciding to accompany a hero on their journey, think carefully about which Role you wish to take. Princesses have happy endings, mentors, and childhood friends do not."
– A Stranger's Guide to Names in Calernia, Author Unknown
​

---

The wind travels over a wall, past armies of maddened rats. Plains of tall grass sway from side to side. Lone trees jut out, breaking up the otherwise featureless horizon. A rustle, a crack, the sound of twigs underfoot. The wind continues over mountains and between valleys. Past desolate landscapes, long since abandoned by man. At long last, the breeze reaches its destination, whispering softly among the fallen remnants of a once great race. Ruins, jutting out from otherwise an empty hill. Tall spires that glinted like silver in the moonlight, encased in a bed of stone.

The carcass of a once great civilization. Hundreds of mirrors spun around the silver spires, wonders of magic still functioning long past the empire's fall. Grand enchantments traced out in the shape of a city, an arcane working on such a scale that the sheer brilliance could not be truly grasped.

I watched my body walk forward slowly.

The place was a maze of reflections. Panes of glass, spiralling in dizzying patterns, decorating every street and thoroughfare. Then, I entered one of the buildings. It must have been important, since it looked to be located near the heart of the ruins. The interior was sparse, just a circular room with a raised platform in the middle.

Broken fragments littered the floor.

My body came to a stop.

An urge came to me. A desire to find all the fragments. Find them and piece them back together. I wanted to see this monument restored. I didn't know why or how, but in doing so, I sensed I would discover something significant. Something that I needed to know.

It was a quest.

The vision repeated. I watched it over and over again, the path burned into my mind. Time seemed to blend. All that mattered was the journey.
​

---

And then I woke up.

I was lying on something warm and fluffy. It was the most comfortable I had felt since leaving Earth. Whatever I was on, I just seemed to float. Vaguely, I heard the echo of footfalls on a wooden floor somewhere close.

I slowly opened my eyes.

And then everything that had happened crashed back into me. Max's death. Fighting the Warlock. Fleeing the Warlock. Being transported to Arcadia and killing the Artist. I didn't know where I was or if Roland was still alive. I didn't know how long it had been.

Memories of having control over my body stripped from me like layers from an onion surfaced. I had to shove down the instinctive panic it evoked.

Don't think about that right now.

Reaching up slowly, I felt the side of my cheeks. They were slick with tear-drops. It took me a moment to realize it, but I had touched my face using my previously missing hand.

Right, I had that again.

No, you can think about all of this later Taylor, first you need to find out what's going on.

I scanned the room. Aside from a few minor pieces of decoration, it was austere. Stone brick walls, a wooden floor and green curtains on the left. The bed itself was a proper four-poster bed with a fluffy duvet that was likely stuffed with down. Wherever I was, it was somewhere important.

Opposite the bed, there was a red haired girl dressed in a servant's livery. She was busy dusting down a porcelain vase that had been carefully balanced atop a dressing table.

"Where am I?" I asked, clearing my throat.

"Eeeep!" The girl exclaimed, jumping almost a foot off the ground. She dropped the feather duster as she did so. The vase teetered, before she caught it and carefully set it back.

What?…

"I'm so, so sorry I didn't mean to wake you please hold it against me Chosen I promise I was just cleaning the room," she turned my way, blue eyes meeting my own as she blabbered on.

This was…bizarre.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I admitted.

She gulped, then breathed in deeply. The girl took a moment to calm down, then bowed low.

"I apologize Chosen for disturbing your sleep, how may I assist you?"

Being bowed to while lying in bed was just one part of many that was making this entire conversation feel surreal. I had known in abstract that heroes known as heroes were revered in some parts of the world. Keeping as low-key as Roland, Max and I had, that hadn't entirely sunk in.

From what she had already said, I could infer that I was somewhere aligned with good. Probably the Principate, judging from both her language and accent. Considering she didn't talk like a stage performer, I'd guess I was either in one of the northern or southern principalities.

It also appeared that wherever I had woken up, they had somehow determined that I was a hero.

"Can you tell me where I am?" I repeated.

"You're in Rhenia, currently resting in one of the guest rooms on offer by her grace, Cordelia Hasenbach."

"The Prince of Rhenia?"

"That is correct. You've been sleeping here for a long time."

Great. I had managed to walk all the way from Liesse to Rhenia.

That was half the length of the continent.​

I felt uneasy. I didn't know where Roland was, or if he was even still alive, or even how long I had been sleeping for. Right now, I needed time to properly collect myself.

Pull yourself together, Taylor. You're not fine, but you can cope.

"What year is it?"

"Right now, it is early Summer of the year eight hundred and four," the girl informed me. I could see the sweat trickling from her brow. I wasn't sure why she was so scared of me.

That meant two years had passed since my fight.

"Where is Roland?"

"I apologize, I do not know who that is."

"The Rogue sorcerer," I clarified. A sense of foreboding took me then.

Nervously, she repeated her denial.

"Have there been any letters left for me at all?"

A third negative. The girl was now visibly distressed.

For now, I would assume that Roland was still alive. There was nothing to substantiate that belief, but it felt…right. As if I would know if he were dead.

I had come to care for him deeply over the years.

Then the realization hit me. If he hadn't found me after two years, either he wasn't looking for me, he was in trouble in some way, or I was well hidden.

… I swear, if he's gone gallivanting off on adventures and just left me somewhere without even sparing the time to write me a note, I am going to be so angry at him when I find him.

I didn't know where he was, but I needed to find out. Unfortunately, with how much time had passed, he could be anywhere on the continent. Searching for him myself wouldn't be feasible, but there was nothing stopping me from asking people to help out.

"Why has Cordelia Hasenbach kept me here instead of sending me somewhere else?" I changed the topic.

She looked at me oddly for a moment, as if she expected me to know the answer myself.

"Your arrival was anticipated. Why wouldn't you be housed here?"

Expected how?

That was a…non explanation. And it set off alarm bells. I couldn't think of a good reason for why a Prince would expect me, or just decide to keep me around.

"Forgive me, but may I inform someone of a higher station that you are awake so that they may treat with you? They would be better served to answer your questions."

"Go on ahead," I saw no reason to deny her.

She made her exit swiftly, leaving the room.

Climbing out of bed, I looked over my clothing. I was dressed in lacy lavender nightclothes. The thought of someone undressing me without my permission unsettled me. I pushed the feeling aside. Considering I had been asleep for over a year, I acknowledged that it was a necessity for whoever took care of me.

Why they took care of me was an open question, but I expected to learn that soon.

I ran my hands through my hair. To my surprise, it was in much better condition than I expected. I wondered if it was due to my otherworldly nature, or something else.

I could feel the faint presence of seven ghosts hovering behind me. The price I had paid for burning through all of them was far higher than I wanted to pay again.

Time, that was the cost of using them.

As an imposition, it made sense. That didn't make it hurt any less. I didn't really fully understand what not ageing meant. I imagined that I would not until my first friend passed away because of old age, while I remained unchanged. Even if I lived forever, time with the people I cared about was the most valuable resource I had.

And I had just lost over a year of it.

Suffice to say, I wouldn't be consuming all seven ghosts again, except in the most severe of circumstances.

That didn't mean not using them at all, it just meant being more conservative with the number of ghosts I utilized.

Chilly air clung to my skin, and the cool of the wooden floor was uncomfortable underfoot as I searched for a change of clothes. To my annoyance, there wasn't one.

I don't want to meet people in pyjamas!

Unfortunately, there wasn't much in my room to transmute into something I could wear. I was tempted to go ahead with it regardless and damn the consequences, but decided against it. I could sit through a little indignity for now.

But there was nothing preventing me from pushing back the cold. A gentle aura of warmth exuded from my skin. It likely made the air cooler for everyone else, but unlike me, they had proper clothes.

With nothing else to do, I padded my way over to the curtains and pushed them aside. Unornamented windows were hidden behind them. I peered down at a fortress city. Steep walls and a tense atmosphere seemed to hang around the place. Even in what I guessed to be early pre-dawn, people were on high alert.

The dream came back to me and with it, a muted urge to mend the worlds' many faults. In my mind's eye, the shattered mosaic dangled. I turned away from it.

The dream came back to me. It was significant, I knew that. A story that was tied deeply to my Name. I didn't know why that was the case, but if I wanted to progress with my goals, then one day I would need to investigate.

I suspected the pull came from deep within the Chain of Hunger.

Despite having been given what seemed like a heroic quest, I did not consider it to be an urgent task. The challenge that I wanted to take on, wasn't one that I could do alone. I wasn't willing to rely entirely on a silver arrow to solve it.

I took a moment to look over Rhenia. The place was grim. Beset by Ratling raids during the Spring, it had fought a protracted defensive war for hundreds of years. It was hard to make out the figures below in the light, but even this early, the place was a hive of activity.

Right now, I had two immediate concerns. The first was figuring out my own circumstances. I needed to determine what Cordelia Hasenbach wanted. The second was starting to search for Roland.

Starting work on removing villains was a distant third.

In my mind, the first step for the third could include the second. If I wanted to change the world, I would need influence with the people who shaped it. Finding one person across an entire continent wasn't something I could expect to achieve alone, but it was something I could do with the backing of a Prince.

Convenient how it seemed that there was one of those nearby.

At least Cordelia didn't try to kiss me awake.

Calernia was the type of place where that story would actually work.

Now I just needed to work out how to earn her trust.

I heard the clip-clop of boots against hard stone coming from outside the door.

The door opened and admitted an armoured soldier, accompanied by a man in servant's livery.

"Good morning, Chosen," the servant greeted me, bowing subserviently. He looked utterly mortified at the tear tracks marring my face.

"Good morning," I replied.

"Her Highness, Cordelia Hasenbach wishes to know the correct manner of address when speaking with you."

… What?

"Just Chosen, or Taylor I guess. My Name is Aspirant, if she means that."

Dazed, I endured an extended series of courtesies from the nauseatingly obsequious man. I was given assurances that the person who woke me wouldn't be bothering me again. After informing him that she hadn't been a bother and that it was in fact a personal matter, he handed me a robe, then directed me to follow the manservant. I put it on and followed behind.

What were the chances I was housed in the highest room of the tallest tower as well?

Despite not really having the faintest idea where I was, I felt safe. I was in the Principate. Somehow they had discovered that I was a hero, and that was viewed positively here. There weren't any diabolists who would try to chain me down, and I doubted that other heroes or priests would try to kill me.

It didn't mean I was perfectly secure or that I could lower my guard entirely, but it was the safest I had been in a long time.

For once, I could let my hair down.

I was guided down a stairwell and into a dressing room a few corridors away. There, I was asked if I would need assistance in order to make myself presentable.

From his choice of words, I felt like I was being called some sort of country bumpkin. It wasn't said offensively, the man was servile to a fault, but that didn't stop it from feeling demeaning. Refusing the assistance, I pushed down the indignation that rose up at the implication and reminded myself that I wasn't an aristocrat.

Browsing what was on display, I found to my amusement that every item of clothing was marked with the emblem of a wolf. I had no intention of wearing the livery of the Lycaonese unless I was actually aligned with them. I did take a moment to clear my own face, before thinking over what I wanted to look like.

If my appearance mattered, then it followed that I was going to be meeting someone important. The trouble was, I didn't have the right context to interpret the meanings that would be implied from different choices of clothing. The only Proceran politics I knew was what I had learned through arguing with Roland and Max. Among the rest of Calernia, the place had a reputation for being a nest of snakes. I didn't want to start off on the wrong foot, or else the vipers would bite me.

If I wanted to play it safe, I needed to go with choices that were obvious.

What did I know about my host? They knew I was a hero, and they had been respectful of that. That meant that playing into heroism was a safe decision here. Heroes stereotypically wore whites and golds, right? I would go with that.

It was unlikely anything fit me properly, but I would just reshape whatever I settled on to fit regardless.

Looking through the available choices, I started to undress, then started to put on an elegant white princess dress. The flared hemline came down to my knees, and the dress itself was decorated with more than the bare minimum in the way of adornment. There was some golden lace ornamenting the sleeves and neckline.

… Fortunately, there weren't any crystal slippers here, I wasn't prepared to go that far. I'd just suffer with some matching gloves and boots that looked made from the pelt of some white rabbit instead. The fur tickled against my ankles as I put the boots on.

In combat, it would be completely impractical, but talking to a Prince would be an entirely different kind of fight.

Much like everything else, the dress featured the typical Lycaonese crest. Frowning, I considered the wolf. I hadn't actually thought up a symbol for myself. As far as I knew, heroes in Calernia didn't really have much in the way of awareness of their own image. In future, it was something I might need to decide on. For now, I simply had the symbol fade away. It may not be my dress, but if the person I was meeting wanted me to put on airs, then they would have to live with that.

Besides, I could always recreate the wolf later.

I examined myself in the mirror.

In spite of my scarring, the dress did look good on me. I had the appearance of the most stereotypical storybook heroine you could possibly imagine, but it was the angle I was trying to play.

Do I remove my imperfections?

I could do it. In fact, I knew it would be easy. My mind rebelled at the thought. I liked who I was, and my scars were proof of what I had been through.

I wasn't prepared to change myself that way just to impress a Prince.

It meant that I would probably be viewed as either a hard labourer or soldier. Someone who wasn't properly "refined," but that was fine. Being underestimated would not be a bad thing. Let them think that I was hopelessly out of my depth.

In some ways it was true, even if in others it was not.

So I would play into the naive heroine story. Hero's stories worked here, and the more you leaned into them, the more effectively they did work. If I was going to be acting up the heroine angle, I may as well lean into all the existing clichés.

I'm going to have to practice making sappy speeches about love and the power of teamwork, aren't I?

My heart sunk at the thought.

Once I was done changing, I was taken to a walled in garden. I didn't recognize most of the plants and flowers. Something told me that many of them were out of season and specifically cultivated here. The floral scent was overpowering.

In the middle of the room, a girl sat at a table. Short and slim, she wore a conservative blue dress and looked to be about seventeen to eighteen years of age. She was drinking tea out of a cup, and I noticed that hovering in the background were a series of bodyguards. At a guess, I assumed that she would be the Prince.

Who has tea outdoors at this hour?

"Her Most Serene Highness Cordelia Hasenbach, Prince of Rhenia," the functionary beside me whispered to me.

The moment I laid my eyes upon her, I could feel the tug from my Name. The urge to mend slowly began to well up within me. I wasn't entirely sure what I was supposed to fix here, but something about her was important, even if I didn't know what it was.

This meeting was almost certainly the start of another story.

Was it bad that my first thoughts upon seeing her was a pang of jealousy that her golden locks of hair were better taken care of than my hair was? She looked up my way, then raised an eyebrow at me. I didn't know the proper terms of address here, and there certainly would be correct ones. The people of Calernia cared deeply about their rulers.

But… did that actually matter?

I was a heroine, and evidently she knew that I was a heroine. If I was aware of how I was supposed to engage with her, I would have, purely because it would help make a good first impression. But I didn't, and I didn't want to offend her. I was more likely to offend by failing at an incorrect greeting than by just admitting ignorance entirely.

"Your most Serene Highness," I said, nodding my head slightly.

"A year and a day after all, just like the owls told her." Cordelia said under her breath.

… The what told who?

"Welcome to Rhenia, Chosen. I trust you have found our hospitality agreeable?"

There was too much I didn't know here. I had been brought here when I was more or less in the dark, and I didn't know any of the rules. How she found out I had a Name and what she wanted from me were both very important questions.

I didn't like admitting that I wanted help, but I had promised myself I would do so. If she wasn't willing to help me look for Roland, then I would go to the House of Light instead. I would be surprised if they wouldn't offer to assist a hero.

"It hasn't left anything to be desired so far, but I have been asleep for a long time. I also need help to look for someone, and I don't really know what you want with me." I finished bluntly.

"Do take a seat," she said in Chantant, inclining her head slightly towards the opposing chair.

To my amusement, the chair she pointed at had shorter legs. I sat. One of the servants poured me a cup of tea.

"It has been so long since I have had a good cup of tea." I couldn't help myself, I sighed in contentment.

"There has been some debate among the wise regarding your nature." Cordelia mused.

"My nature?" I couldn't help it, I tensed up as I spoke.

"When you first arrived, the local priests attempted to wake you but were met with little success. They were able to determine that you are under the auspices of Compassion, but little else."

"What happened next?" I asked woodenly.

I hadn't woken up caged in wards, so I wouldn't panic just yet. If Cordelia had hostile intentions for me, she wouldn't be sitting across from me at a table drinking tea. Obviously, she wasn't bothered by my origins for some reason.

"Rhenia's finest wizards were called upon next. The only additional inferences that were made, were to your otherworldly nature. Despite this, they were not able to determine what you actually are. Speculation ranged as far as claiming you are a member of a previously unknown Fae court, given the manner of your arrival." the Prince explained.

That meant they knew far more about me than I would have liked.

"What else did they discover?"

"There was some debate about whether you were more or less dangerous than a Fae Prince. They suggested containing you, but Agnes advised against it."

Whoever Agnes was, it sounded like I owed her. If I had woken up chained down by wards… I wasn't sure what I would have tried to do.

"Which brings us to the question of what manner of address is correct for one of your station," Cordelia finished.

Oh.

They thought I was an important figure in an otherworldly court of some kind. That… Probably explained the stark terror the poor servant had been struck by. It would be funny how much I had completely misread this entire situation, were it not for the fact that now I needed to decide what to make of it.

How do I answer this?

I could pretend to be somebody of significance, but then I'd actually have to act that way. I didn't believe for one moment I could pull that off for long. It was better for me to just remain sparse on details, but be truthful in what I do disclose.

"Where I come from, I'm nobody important."

I couldn't read her expression, but something told me she didn't believe me. It didn't really matter. Right now, I was more worried about Roland. If anyone knew something about him around here, it would be her.

"Have there been any letters for me from a man named Roland? He's also known as the Rogue Sorcerer."

"No attempts to communicate with you have made their way to Rhenia," she denied. "What is the last date that you can recall?"

That… wasn't good news. She could be lying to me, but I doubted it. If she had ill intentions for me, the year I had spent asleep was plenty of time to see them through.

I hoped Roland wasn't trapped somewhere.

Turning my attention back to her question, I considered what to say. I wasn't sure how much Cordelia knew. Being evasive would be playing it safe, but if I earned her enmity, I wasn't sure how much it would set back my long term goals. Best to give her the broad details of what happened, but not disclose too much about what I could actually do.

"It was sometime in the year thirteen-seventeen, and I was fighting with a villain called the Arcadian Artist in Liesse. Then the Warlock, the Princess of the High Noon and the Prince of Nightfall arrived. As I was making my escape, I was thrown into Arcadia. After killing the Artist, I walked for a long time. And now I have awoken here," I summarized.

"That confirms you are the fourth figure at the battle in Liesse," she mused.

"I was noticed?"

"Indeed. Your efforts to contain the conflict, direct the evacuation, and modulate the city's emotions made quite the impact. There is a substantial amount of goodwill for you in Callow, you know." Cordelia finished.

"Why?"

"Were it not for you, most of the people living in Liesse would be dead. Your warning was sufficient for many to evacuate. The city is in the process of being reconstructed as a result."

I knew I should feel happy about the people I saved, but all I could think of was the sheer scale of the tragedy that had occurred. How many people had died. How an entire city had basically been written off.

No, Taylor, focus on the positives here.

There weren't really any.

But… I would treat the people that escaped as a positive. I would focus on the fact that I was able to make a difference, because if I only looked at the negatives, I would drown myself in misery. It likely wasn't a healthy outlook, but in a world like Calernia, it was one I would need to maintain.

I turned my mind back to the conversation. I was about to ask why they would want to live in the aftermath of a disaster zone, when I realized what a stupid question it was. After Leviathan arrived, I hadn't left Brockton Bay. The residents of Liesse would have the same attachment to their homes.

"What's happened since then? I was in Arcadia, so I would have missed anything important."

It surprised me that she was doing as much as taking even a moment of time out of her day to talk to me. But I wouldn't pass up the opportunity.

"You have missed much, then. In the two years that have passed…"

She continued to talk, filling in the details that I had since missed. The Artist had visited Rhenia a few years past and left a portrait tainted with blood behind as a permanent exit. It was safely stored away in a long abandoned warehouse.

A hero called the Augur had informed Cordelia about my arrival, and people she trusted had been dispatched to collect me. The painting had since been burned and the entrance was gone.

My escape from Arcadia was frankly ridiculous. It was the kind of utterly implausible bullshit luck that only ever happens to heroes in stories. But just because it seemed silly to me, didn't mean I wasn't willing to rely on it as a last ditch plan.

The war in the Principate had continued. More and more people bled, and Aisne had almost fallen apart entirely. There had been two failed uprisings in Callow since the catastrophe in Liesse. All the Princes were calling for a crusade against Praes, but none of them were willing to put aside their own ambitions and allow someone else to lead.

One fact bothered me. I had been within Rhenia for a year. The Eyes of the Empire almost certainly knew I was here, and I'd be willing to bet the Warlock knew what I was. The fact that it hadn't been used in an attempt to slander me already only meant that they had deeper schemes afoot.

Calling me out as a demon was an easy way to see that I was killed.

"Not to be rude, but I would like to know what you want from me and if you can help me out," I asked bluntly.

"In the interest of being somewhat transparent, in a few days hence Rhenia will declare for the throne of First Prince. Having the support of a heroine would help tie the House of Light to my cause."

Her face was a mask and I couldn't read it at all, but it didn't really matter here.

I was certain there was more to it than what she had asked for. Surely there were better reasons to keep me around than the potential influence with the clergy? Her wizards had allegedly compared me to a Fae Prince, although I certainly didn't feel that strong. Maybe that was part of the motivation? Either way, I would find out what she wanted me for as the discussion dragged on.

"Have you asked other heroes before me for their support?"

There was no way that she wouldn't have.

"Others among the Chosen have all been approached. They have all abjured involving themselves in the squabbling of mortal affairs," she admitted.

"Why ask me then?"

"The Augur assured me that your assistance will prove pivotal in the coming years."

So she was approaching me on the words of an oracle, not only because I was her last option. I had also thrown away my world on the words of a prophet, so it shouldn't surprise me that someone else would do the same.

I wasn't sure how capable this Augur was, or how much trust I should put in their words. It was better for me to find out more before I warned Cordelia off them, I didn't want to give offence.

The question I found myself asking was why should I support her over anyone else? Actually, what I needed to know is why I should consider involving myself in the civil war at all. Before making a decision, I would need answers, and there were very few people better positioned to give me them than she was. They would likely be presented in a way to appeal to me, but unless she was offering to help me find my friend, there was no pressing reason to accept immediately.

"There is more you aren't saying," I began.

"And you believe that, without knowing the finer details, you cannot accept my offer?"

"Yes," I agreed.

She eyed me for a moment, saying nothing as she did.

"How much do you know about the civil war?" she asked eventually.

I shrugged, "About as much as anyone else who lives as a traveller on the road."

"Procer has been at war for itself now for fourteen years," she began. "It is a war that has become increasingly bitter with time. If the conflict continues for much longer, the Principate will splinter entirely and become a series of unconnected provinces."

"Are you certain of this?"

"Every Summer, the warring Princes field armies against each other. They do not give battle at each other homes directly. It would be considered uncouth. Instead, they burn fields and slaughter peasants, making a mockery of the oaths they claim to uphold. With each year, the hatred grows more entrenched, and soon it will reach a breaking point."

I wasn't aware of the specifics involved in funding a war. It wasn't like I had ever had to pay for one. For a brief period of time, though, I had tried to organize disaster relief in a city ravaged by Leviathan. It was a nightmare of a task. Ensuring that the right goods reached the right people was both costly and time-consuming. That was in a world with much better logistics networks. Which left me with a question I wanted to know the answer to.

"How can the Princes keep fighting like this, surely they can't afford to?"

"They are funded by Malicia through the Pravus bank in Mercantis."

"And the Princes know this?" I took another sip of tea, waiting for her to respond.

"They are aware of it." Cordelia was caustic in her delivery, "Their enmity for each other simply trumps their willingness to stop fighting."

So the Princes of Procer were willing to take money from their alleged enemy. The enemy that they were claiming they wanted to start a crusade against. Truly, Calernia never failed to surprise me. From the sounds of things, none of them were deserving of a position of leadership at all.

Cordelia was right. If the situation was not alleviated, the Principate probably wouldn't survive.

I wasn't entirely sure whether its existence was necessary for my goals or not. No matter what she told me, it was unlikely I would be coming to a decision on this any time soon.

"Does it matter if they are independent provinces or a unified polity?" I challenged.

She didn't look particularly pleased at the question.

"If this happens," she stressed, "it means that Levant will likely gobble up Orense and Segovia, and Tenerife will become one of the Free Cities. Then the Dread Empire will take Bayeux and Orne before a decade has passed."

I didn't know where she was going with this. So I kept quiet and waited for her to continue.

"If the Principate splinters, it means that the next time the Dead King rouses his armies and crosses the lakes, Rhenia will have nobody to come to us in support. It means that when the Chain of Hunger gathers might for an invasion, there is nobody to bolster our strength and push them back." She finished.

"So you feel a unified Principate is necessary to drive off the larger evils." I summarized.

If the only common thread between the different principalities was a need to band together against enemies, I didn't see why they couldn't simply maintain a defensive pact instead. They acted like completely different countries. Trying to bind them together in the current system clearly wasn't working.

Ideally, people would work together, but just forcing them together in an arrangement nobody agreed with wasn't the way to do that.

"It is," she affirmed. "I know that the Chosen often consider matters of state like this to be worthy of contempt. But if there isn't a unified Procer, the next time Evil rises up, Evil will win."

It was a pretty speech, but I wasn't convinced.

"And what makes you better than any of the others?"

"I am the only one not taking loans."

"If you don't have the deepest pockets, then how do you think you can win?" I pressed.

"The Augur is my cousin, she is a heroine with oracular abilities. She can sift through patterns and make sense of the future."

Well then.

I had known that there was a prophet involved in this somehow, but not just how closely Cordelia and the oracle were entwined. It changed things, but I wasn't sure if it was for the better. I finally understood where the tugging came from. It was obvious, really. It should have occurred to me much sooner.

"– Calamity did strike;
With the theft of the Owl"

Haunting words came back to me. Words spoken right before I had found the Artist. Clarity. It was like being dunked in a frozen lake.

The Bard had spoken those words. How she learned them, I did not know. I had more than a few questions for her if she was still alive. I wouldn't judge yet, maybe knowing stories was just a part of what made her a Bard. There was a chance it was just coincidence. I had relied on providence to guide me. If she was a hero, perhaps she was doing the same? It would explain why she helped me later on. It all depended on how those questions were answered, and it was a moot point if she was dead.

But ultimately, the meaning behind the song were more important than whom sung it.

At the back of my mind, the tune continued to play.

"And in destruction's wake;
Declared the beast most feared
A contest held by man;
That no animal cheered."

"They banded together;
And then called for a truce
Driving terror away;
But faith had been cut loose"

"For lo, the Owl hooted;
Soon the end, it doth come
At the hands of the man;
But keep hope, don't be glum"

I turned my attention away from the song.

Step by step, Creation had been walking me through my own narrative. From the painted dragon all the way to the kraken. It had a different spin on it and didn't hit all the same notes. Almost as if it were telling a heroine's version of my tale. Regardless, the truth remained the same.

I already knew how my story ended, and that terrified me.

"Is something the matter?" Cordelia asked.

"Has the Augur predicted the end of the world soon?"

Everyone called the people from Procer snakes. If Cordelia was to one day lead them, that would make her the biggest snake of them all. She would be Creation's stand in for Coil. Was I destined to kill her one day? How much could I trust her?

It seemed like she already wanted me to help her secure territory. I suppressed the urge to laugh.

"Is that something to be concerned about?" Cordelia replied. She looked surprised at the question. It was the first time her mask had broken.

That also meant the Augur was Creation's stand-in for Dinah Alcott. Should I ask if I could meet with the Augur for later? No, no need. If the girl was Cordelia's cousin, it was unlikely she was being mistreated. In the event that Cordelia and I worked together, sooner or later I would meet with her and I could judge then.

Learn more before you act, Taylor.

Creation's retelling of my story had not matched exactly. If I operated under the impression that I should expect the same chain of events, I would start making dangerous mistakes.

"This…sequence of events. I have seen one like it play out before. It ended badly. Really, really badly."

I thought about my story for one moment. About whether I should follow it deliberately to try to force change that way, then I dismissed the thought. No, I wasn't willing to walk the same path once more. Furthermore, forcing events of that magnitude to occur just for the weight of the narrative wouldn't be ethical at all.

That was the road a villain would walk. A hero would look for a better one.

"To date, she has not. Inquiries will be made on the subject," she said perfunctorily, as if she didn't expect it to matter. That didn't really surprise me. If someone who wasn't an oracle told me the world was about to end, I wouldn't believe them, either.

Get a grip, Taylor.

Shaking myself mentally, I shoved my internal panic aside. I had followed the words of a prophet once and lived to regret it. I wouldn't be following them again. While I was certain Creation had world ending threats, I suspected it wouldn't pull one out unless it were required.

Which meant that I needed to do my best to change the nature of the story.

The easiest way would be to just break off any relations with Cordelia. But…were there other options?

No, think it through.

Coil had been exceptional at what he did. If this was supposed to be his heroic counterpart, she would almost certainly be talented as well. But… just because Cordelia Hasenbach was able to fill the role of Coil, did not make her Coil. I shouldn't treat her like Coil. That would be unfair to her.

I would give her a chance to prove herself one way or the other.

Could I manipulate this story? Twist it into the shape I wanted. If there was any story I could deliberately interfere with, this would be the one. This story belonged to me. Now that I had identified it, I wondered what I could do with the different elements.

The Nine would likely come next, or something just like them. Whatever the local version of them was, I wasn't opposed to seeing them gone.

"To clarify, you want me to help you secure the Principate?" I brought the conversation back on track.

"That is essentially correct."

I didn't like the idea of fighting for a ruler. The idea of killing people didn't bother me. I had long since come to terms with that. But there was a difference between killing someone in self-defence or to make the world a better place, and killing people to work out who sat in a fancy chair.

With time, I had come to regret almost everything I had done when working for Coil.

This wasn't a fight for survival. It wasn't even a fight to determine what's right. It was purely about power and power alone.

For me, that was the biggest hole in Cordelia's speech. She had built her argument around her impressions of a hero, she had not built it around me. In most cases, a hero's first concern was fighting against the Dead King or the next crusade against Praes. Those were important, I acknowledged as much, but to me, they were only stepping stones. They weren't the battle I was trying to fight.

As it stood right now, if the Dead King were to disappear, there would always be another one. I wanted to make sure that he stayed gone.

I needed to know if Cordelia Hasenbach was the right person for grander tasks. Was she capable of helping me build the landscape of the future? I needed to know if she could help me come up with the right kinds of policies to prevent the birth of new villains. All she had done is tell me why she believed she is the least wrong person to rule the Principate.

The easiest way to find out was to simply ask her, and I intended to do so, after I had more time to think over everything else. I wanted time to process my own emotions before I gave this more thought.

But having the option to progress my own goals through manipulating my own story was tempting. I would need someone like her for my plans to work. Regulating stories meant shaping cultures. That meant I needed to be involved with the governing of the continent at some level. If I were to spend my time running an empire, I wouldn't have time for anything else.

I didn't want to run an empire, either.

That meant I would need to come to know whoever I wanted for the role exceedingly well, and that person could possibly be Cordelia. So it was important for me to determine whether she was the kind of person I could trust.

Fate seemed to think she was. After all, Rhenia was the furthest Principality I possibly could have ended up in.

If I did decide to work with her, it would be markedly different from my relationship with Coil. I didn't know if she truly understood what I could do, but I did know that I had a lot more to offer her than I had to offer Coil. Unlike Coil, Cordelia didn't have much leverage.

If there was to be a long term alliance here, it would be one that was far more equal.

And the kind of relationship I would need with someone like Cordelia would have to be based on trust and a tight friendship. It couldn't be based on anything else. I was trusting someone to help me build my dream. That wasn't the kind of role you delegated to someone you didn't consider a close friend.

"I have my own problems. If I were to assist you with the civil war, would you be able to help with mine?"

It was best to find out if there was any room to negotiate with her first, before I started considering the finer details. Ultimately, this wasn't even a big concession for her. I required someone with many connections to help me find Roland, but that could be anyone. I was certain the House of Light would help me out, even if she wouldn't.

If she wasn't willing to do this much, then it was best I abandoned any idea of working with her entirely.

"That depends on the nature of what you seek assistance with," Cordelia stated.

"Would you be able to help me find someone?" I asked. "There was another hero with me at the time of my fight. The Rogue Sorcerer. I want to know where he went."

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"What makes you certain that he is not dead."

"Part of my Name."

"It can be investigated," she acquiesced.

She seemed dubious at my explanation, but didn't try to contest it.

That was a start.

"For personal reasons, I need to journey deep into the Chain of Hunger. To do so, I will need support along the way." I continued to lay down my cards.

I suspected that I could journey there alone, but I wasn't willing to risk it. The cost of being wrong wasn't worth it when there was nothing stopping me from simply finding people to help me.

Cordelia grimaced, "We are already risking too much with the people we will be pulling from the defence of Rhenia. I cannot afford to help you with this."

"I don't need you to help me right now, or even any time soon. I can find others who are willing to assist me. I am simply explaining my position." I stated.

There was no harm in laying the groundwork for the journey in advance, even if I had no short term plans for setting out on the quest.

"After the civil war is brought to an end, I could possibly spare soldiers for an expedition," she offered.

There it was. She was willing to at least budge a little. Enough that I would consider entertaining her offer.

"Do you mind if I think this over? I would like some time to consider the matter first."

If I did decide to help her, my assistance would come with many strings attached. I would need to take time to define exactly what those strings were.

"This is acceptable. The guards are already aware that you have permission to enter and leave the fortress at your own discretion."

It went unsaid that there were areas I couldn't visit, but I that was to be expected.

"How will they identify me."

She gestured to an attendant behind her and muttered a few words. Moments later, they brought forward a lapel badge showing a wolf chewing on a rat.

"Put this on, it marks you as a guest."

"Thank you."

Taking the badge, I pinned it to my dress.

We passed a few more courtesies before I left the table. Whatever decision I made here, wouldn't be one made in haste. I would talk to the people around the keep and learn what I could about its ruler.

What kind of woman was Cordelia Hasenbach. Could I trust her to help me build the world I wanted?

This decision was pivotal, and was not one that I wished to regret.
​

---

A/N: Details on the ghosts.

Spoiler: Ghosts

Taylor is aware of how they work, but I cannot find a way to convincingly tell it in the story without it reading as "Taylor is explaining this to the reader for some reason." So here is an explanation, for people who want to know. The penalty for using a ghost is paid back after the next time she sleeps. Its paid in the form of spending a variable length of time unable to affect the world upon waking up. The length of time is as follows:
1 hour for 1 ghost.
1 bell (4 hours) for 2 ghosts.
1 day for 3 ghosts.
1 week for 4 ghosts.
1 month for 5 ghosts.
3 months (A season) for 6 ghosts.
1 year for 7 ghosts.
And if she refuses the call of sleep for too long after using all 7, she spends the entire time asleep.

 

[famfrit]

Hmm concerning that vision off the top of my head possibilities native to the guide are from most to least likely. A vision granted by someone meddling ala the Choir of Contrition in canon when they were salty that when they owed Cat a resurrection from the story she'd set up and they tried to attach brainwashing her as a cost she just punched them out and took it so later they sent dreams to the next squire to try and set up her death; memories from the last holder of the name or the kind of dream quest Cat got which defined things like if she was a hero or villain.

She's also probably not going to get on with Hasenbach sure she's one of the least bad princes but that's like saying the custodian is probably the least bad inner member of Cauldron. Hasenbach is inevitably going to Procer things at some point and will cause issues with her Procer first and elitist views. Canon examples being that she excuses much from the nobles because they are nobles despite hating heroes doing the same with themselves and she set up the Crusade to invade Callow solely because the long civil war meant they needed a conflict to throw the mercenaries at or they'd turn to bandits and she couldn't stand Callow being ruled by an upjumped peasant so she wouldn't negotiate and took the chance to rope in other countries to boost their forces while also taking the chance to make her political enemies take the vanguard and weaken themselves.

However, that was a horrible thing not just morally but because a Crusade isn't political it's a battle between Good and Evil except neither side could be called Good or Evil which meant they didn't get their Heroes on a Crusade buffs and the need for a big bad drew the dead king out into invading.

 

[Sharpedge]

"I spend plenty of time reflecting already, Warlock. My helmet is polished to a sheen."
―Dread Empress Sulphurous, the Technically Correct
​

---

Leaving my meeting with Cordelia, I made my way back to the dressing room and changed into something more drab. A part of me wanted to keep wearing the outfit, but it would clash with my current goals.

Finalizing my fashion changes, I slowly made my way out of the fortress.

I had three objectives for the day.

The first goal was to take time for myself to grieve.

In the past, I had always compartmentalized, shoved my emotions aside to deal with them later. In the time I had spent reflecting on the road, I had come to realize that it wasn't healthy. It wasn't good for me, and doing so pushed me into making decisions that were more and more rash.

So I would make the time to mourn, even if it cost me time somewhere else.

The second was to learn more about Cordelia Hasenbach. I'd talk to the residents of Rhenia and see what they thought of her. It was imperative that I learned what kind of person she was, before I chose one way or the other.

That was why I took the time to change my outfit. I had no idea how people would interpret, "girl walking around dressed like royalty," but the responses I would evoke would certainly be different to looking like I fit in with the working class.

My third goal was to start making inroads with the House of Light. I didn't know how much authority I had with them, if any, but they were the faction that I felt I would have the best chance of influencing.

After becoming lost in the fortress more than once, I asked a servant to guide me out. The place was like a maze on the inside. I made my way through the building onto the cobbled roads outside.

I looked around, taking in the city outside. The sun had not yet risen, and yet the residents were active, carrying out their duties by the light of lit torches.

Rhenia felt grim. As if it was perpetually teetering on a knife's edge, expecting to unbalance and fall one way or the other. The people had an air of weary anticipation about them. They walked firm of purpose, with shoulders hunched and fists balled. It was as if they had been conditioned to expect a fight around every corner.

Considering the Chain of Hunger loomed near, that wasn't entirely inaccurate.

I made my way towards the southern outskirts of the city. There was a small grove of trees that clung to the edge of life. Searching, I found an otherwise unremarkable boulder sitting all alone in their shadow.

It was perfect for what I wanted.

Concentrating, I began to change its shape. It took me a few minutes before I was satisfied. Not because the changes I was making were hard, but because it took me a while to make up my mind.

The finished product was a rectangular slab with an empty flask resting on its side atop it. The flask was made out of quartz and was fused into the stone, so it wasn't like anyone would be walking off with it. It was a cenotaph for Max. I didn't know how old he was. He never told us, and it didn't really matter.

Maxime Redflame.
He gave us purpose.

I could have made something elaborate, but I felt this suited him better.

"Hey, Max," I began softly. "When I first met you, I did everything I could to avoid you. You were rough, crass, drunk and generally unpleasant to be around. But you were also the only person who saw me as me."

I felt tears begin to well at the edges of my eyes. I did nothing to suppress them. Compassion draped itself gently around me, but I wasn't paying it much notice.

"You saw an aimless, depressed, lonely girl and tried to put life back into her. And you did it. It took you a long, long time, but you did it. Despite all your faults ― and there were many ― you were a good person. Someone I came to care about far more than I ever expected."

Sniffing, I took a moment to compose myself.

"I feel bad, because I wasn't able to help you overcome your own loss," I said, my voice hoarse. "When I arrived, I had no faith and no hope. Now, I definitely have hope and for you… I think I can find faith. Faith that the world can become better, because I didn't think I could. So I guess what I want to say is thank you, and that I promise I won't let you down."

The chatter of insects had died as I talked. The world was still, almost as if it was holding its breath.

"I already disappointed one dad, I don't want to disappoint another."

I felt better for having said it aloud. One of my regrets was never patching things up with my dad. Max wasn't him, but at least I didn't have that regret.

I sat there silently for over an hour, pondering if I should say anything else. I decided against it.

Eventually, I stood up. A sparrow landed on the lip of the flask as I turned and left.

The sun had risen by the time I arrived back at the fortress city. I started to slowly wander down the streets. I found myself gravitating first towards a shabby looking tavern on my left. Despite the time, I could hear the loud bickering of voices coming from inside. People really did drink at all hours, didn't they? Not that I should really expect otherwise, considering my own adventures with alcohol.

I repressed a shudder.

Approaching the door, I entered the building.

I spent a moment just appreciating what it was like to be able to walk into a building without asking for an invitation. It was striking how something so mundane could feel novel after all this time.

"Is something the matter, lass?" A kindly looking elderly lady asked me, the wrinkles on her face creasing as she did so.

My reverie was broken.

"No, I'm fine. Just needed a moment to reflect," I explained.

"Well, you just call if you have a problem, see?"

"I'll do that," I smiled her way, thankfully.

I took a moment to survey the room. Up near the bartender was a small group of what I guessed were travelling merchants. They were seated together and talking amiably.

Perfect.

If there was going to be anyone I could obtain an outside opinion on Cordelia from, it would be people who weren't locals. The opinions of the locals arguably mattered more, but I wanted to cast my net as wide as possible and not just settle for the first fish I caught.

I made my way over and sat down beside them.

"― so, as I was saying, the route between Callow and Bayeux is especially profitable right now," a blonde haired weasel of a man in his early thirties called out.

"That's only because caravans passing near Constance's Scar keep disappearing. It's not worth the extra risk," the dark haired girl sitting next to him replied.

"Excuse me," I butted in, "My name's Taylor. The three of you look like travellers on the road. I'm interested in a bit of gossip from outside Rhenia. Care to trade stories?"

They turned to look at me.

"The name's Jacqueline," the girl replied, turning her steel grey gaze my way. "You don't sound like you're from Rhenia either. What's a foreign girl like you doing up here?"

"It's a long story," I evaded.

"I'm sure it is," she sounded amused. "Shouldn't you know about the goings-on from outside, not being local yourself?"

"I've been stuck here for over a year. Hadn't had much in the way of outside news."

"Tough," the third figure said in a deep, earthy voice.

I turned his way. He was broad shouldered and tall. I felt small seated beside him. His brown eyes roamed over me, examining me closely. Although it wasn't in a way that felt offensive, his focus seemed to linger more on scars than anything else.

"How about this, Taylor. You help settle our little argument here, and we'll answer your questions," Jacqueline took a sip from a tankard as she finished speaking.

"Sure. What are you arguing about?"

"Money," she grinned. "Ever since the Gnomes bombed Princess Constance, travel in the region between Aisne and Bayeux has been dangerous. Entire convoys disappear during the night, and people claim to see strange visions out of the corners of their eyes. Anyone daring to haul goods through the area makes a killing for it, provided they live. I reckon we should give it a skip, but the other two are feeling more adventurous."

Faintly, I could feel the tugging of a story as they spoke. Surprisingly, it didn't seem to be a story involving me. I wasn't new to stories involving others rather than myself. It had been common enough when travelling with Roland.

This was the first time I had seen an unfolding story where I had no idea who any of the players involved were. It wasn't even involving the people I was talking to. It shouldn't have surprised me that it was possible to find an ongoing story without having any ties to it at all, but somehow it did.

"I'd leave it. Money isn't going to buy you your life back."

"See guys, I knew she'd be sensible," Jaqueline teeth showed as she smiled broadly. "Us girls need to stick together, right?"

"Sure."

"With scars like those, I'm surprised you're not eager for blood," the third figure said, his hazel eyes meeting my own.

I shrugged.

"I didn't fight because I li-."

"If you're here, you're paying. Either buy something or get out," a pot-bellied man interjected, glaring my way.

I…hadn't thought to carry any money with. This would be significantly less awkward if my trousers had any pockets. As it stood, I had no way to hide the act of transmutation. It wouldn't be much of an issue to go out and resolve the problem, but it was still annoying.

"I'll be back shortly, I don't have any money on me," I said, starting to stand up.

"No, stay. Rupert will cover for you. Won't you, Rupe?" Jacqueline turned towards the broad shouldered man, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine. Owner's an ass, but we'ren't. What'll you have?"

"Just some milk. I swore off anything stronger."

"Sounds like there's a story there," the woman stated.

The owner muttered something under his breath, before bringing me the drink in a mug. Taking a sip, I suppressed a grimace. The milk was sour.

"There is, but it's not one I want to talk about right now. To bring the conversation back to where we started, I'm curious what people outside Rhenia say about Cordelia Hasenbach."

"Wantin' ta gossip on the Prince? Well, can't say I blame you, but there ain't much ta tell. Folk on the road'll let you know that she's good at keeping the wheels greased. She's been runnin' the place from her thirteenth summer. She's done a good job of it as well. Folks are happy. If you want ta know about her politics, well… None of us pay much attention ta that sort of news." Rupert finished.

It wasn't as much as I wanted to know, but it was a start. I didn't expect to find out enough from only a single conversation anyway.

We talked a little longer before I eventually made to leave. I spent some time wandering around, talking to everyone I could. While I was able to learn little about her as a person, one detail had been firmly lodged in my mind. Much as I expected, Cordelia Hasenbach was an excellent administrator. In addition to that, her people liked her, despite the fact that she wasn't a warrior Prince.

Considering she ruled Rhenia, that was an achievement. Their people placed value in strength of arms, simply because come spring each year they needed to contest with the Ratling hordes. Earning their respect, despite not fighting on the front herself, spoke volumes about how capable she was.

Making my way purposefully down the streets of Rhenia, I soon found myself outside a chapel representing the local House of Light. Despite knowing the Gods were real, I had only ever set foot in one shortly after I first arrived.

Back when I asked someone to show me the Light.

I smiled fondly at the memory as I stepped through the door. There were rows of empty pews inside. The place was peaceful.

Nobody was in.

I supposed it wasn't the time for worship, but that was fine.

I felt a stronger connection to Compassion on the inside. It was almost as if they were right here with me, with just a paper thin wall between us as a divider. Something about them felt different after so long. It was hard to define, and at first I wasn't sure what it was exactly. I almost tripped and fell when I realized what it was.

It was an invitation.

I had known in abstract that simply swearing yourself to a Choir wouldn't be enough to become their chosen hero. If that was the case, then there would be far more heroes. Each Choir obviously had their own requirements for their favoured representatives. This was them implicitly stating that not only did I meet most of their requirements, they believed if I swore to follow all of them, I would be able to stick to the oath.

… And that even if I had not yet decided to follow them, they had chosen me. In a way, it was more meaningful, but also more scary. It was them placing their faith in me and not the other way around. It didn't change anything unless I actually went through with it, but it was an added complication. Now, I needed to worry about how what I did would reflect on the Choir, because people would assume that I represented them. They would also technically be correct.

I wouldn't be accepting the invitation, but it hadn't been revoked. It was still there, waiting for me in case I ever changed my mind. Unless I changed for the worse, or they found someone else, it would likely remain there for a long time.

Taking a seat on one of the benches to the right, I elected to wait. It was a wooden log that had been turned on its side and had barely been carved into the semblance of a seat at all. As far as chairs went, it wasn't the most comfortable. Subtly, I reshaped it. I wasn't sure if it counted as blasphemy to make the seating in the house of light less painful to sit on, but I doubted the Gods Above minded.

It felt like hours had passed before someone else showed up.

"Do you seek guidance with a matter of faith, my friend?" a woman's voice reverberated gently against the walls.

I almost responded by reflex that I wasn't religious, when I remembered to hold my tongue. It would be an easy way to start off on the wrong foot, and it was much easier to just avoid the topic entirely.

… Besides, it wasn't completely true. I didn't worship the Gods Above right now, but live long enough and one day I probably would. I wasn't opposed to the ideals presented by the Gods Above. It was their definition of guidance I found fault with.

I didn't disagree with the idea that people needed to be guided. In fact, I strongly agreed with it. Everyone needed assistance sometimes, me included. Without the help of Roland and Max, I probably wouldn't have come back to myself. I just didn't believe that guidance necessitated the removal of free will.

The type of world I was trying to make likely required the presence of Gods I was willing to worship, otherwise it would fall apart. It meant that I needed to convince them to change their minds. To persuade them to adopt a different definition of guidance, and to leave my vision of the world alone once I had put it in place. I knew it wasn't impossible to do that, even if it wouldn't be easy.

The definition of Good shifted on the subject of slavery, after all. It didn't really matter if it was a hero or a villain who did the shifting, because the truth remained the same. The definitions were allowed to drift.

I had no idea what it would take to convince them, it was more or less the final stage of achieving my dream. So long as I didn't find it morally reprehensible, I was willing to go through with it. Even if it was something absurd, like a thousand years of praying to the Gods Above in order to change their minds. Being the most persistent spam caller in Creation wouldn't be fun, but I'd suffer through it if that was the price.

Not aiming low at all, are you, Taylor?

"Not the type of problem you would usually be faced with," I replied wryly, turning her way.

She wore a simple robe and was about my height and age, with fair hair kept in a thick braid.

She sat beside me on the bench, folding her arms on her lap.

"Then I will strive to answer to the best of my abilities."

"I want to know who all the movers and shakers in the church are and what I'd need to do to contact them."

"Planning to involve yourself in politics?" The hint of a bemused smile graced her lips.

"Someday," I shrugged. "For now, I just want some idea of what the people at the top believe needs to happen for the world to change."

She looked over me carefully, her gaze hardening as she did so.

"I hope you are not trying to solve all the world's difficulties with swords. That way only leads to swords finding you in turn."

She sounded almost as if she was trying to fit a sermon into her speech. It was mildly amusing.

"No, I'm not. Some problems can be killed, but most of the ones that I am interested in solving can't be."

Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"What is it exactly that you are trying to do."

"I come from a land far off. We had different customs and beliefs. On the whole, people's lives were much better than they are here. The Principate would be considered dysfunctional, never mind Praes." I stopped.

The sister's eyes widened.

"You are the Chosen I was called to look at. The one that was asleep," she stated, her entire demeanour shifting. It was fascinating to watch, as if she had transformed from one person to another.

I should have realized she would have seen me before.

"I am."

"What is the biggest difference about Calernia and your home?" she asked, sounding intrigued.

"The stories we had were different. What I want is to know who I should talk to about trying to kill Calernia's villain stories."

It was the simplest way to explain what I wanted.

I knew that what I was trying to do was impossible. In a much closer to the literal, than the figurative sense of the word. What I wanted was a world where there are no villains because people are happy with the existing state of affairs. A world where villain stories just won't work. If I had just one lifetime to do it, I'd aim lower. But that was the catch, wasn't it? I wasn't ageing, and eternity is a long, long time. I had plenty of time to figure this out.

It didn't mean I could act slowly, or spend forever on minute details. If I didn't make a big enough impact, the narrative would just undo itself. But it meant that every time I failed, I still had time to try again. Most people didn't have that luxury.

I definitely wasn't sure about all the right steps to reach my destination, but knew some right and some wrong ones. I wouldn't be happy with just controlling everyone and taking away their choices. Either with magic, or through tyrannical government oversight. I knew that to bring the world to where I wanted it to be would take many gradual, small changes. Stories are cultural. If I wanted to change them, I'd need to slowly shift entire cultures.

"For one chosen by Compassion, it surprises me that you would resort to violence," she chided.

I was about to tell her I wasn't sworn to Compassion when I felt a gentle nudge.

Right.

I was still representing them, even if I wasn't sworn to them.

"Killing stories doesn't mean killing people. It's about… preventing the circumstances that cause them to happen."

I wasn't opposed to violence where it was the only answer. You can't negotiate with a hurricane, and the same is true with many of the villains in Creation, or tragedies like the Chain of Hunger. Creatures there were compelled to keep eating all the time, and would resort to cannibalism if there wasn't another available source of food.

"You would take on all the world's ills then," she mused.

"Not even that. I spent the last two years in Callow," my gaze hardened. "The Black Knight is not a stupid man. He is approaching the same issue, but from the opposite side of the table. He builds orphanages so he can keep watch over the orphans. I bet that he kills any children that have heroic tendencies. He isn't trying to just kill heroes, he's trying to stop them from happening at all."

"So you would take the same approach then as the monster who burned down the Blessed Isles. Careful that you stray down that path, for using Evil to war against Evil does not result in Good."

"Copying his methods wouldn't work, Good and Evil's stories aren't the same," I agreed. "That doesn't mean that Good couldn't use different methods to achieve the same ends. We aren't trying to replicate the method, we're trying to replicate the Good version of the same outcome."

"The children of Compassion are ever the saddest of us. They see the world as it should be and not as it is. I hope that you live to see the world that you dream of," she replied diplomatically.

What went unsaid is that she believed I wouldn't.

"Thanks."

"The clergy in Salia have the kind of influence you need. I can draft a letter of introduction for you, and pass on your thoughts. But until the Principate stops warring with itself, it is unlikely you will be able to enact the kind of change that you seek."

It was disappointing, but also expected. It also gave me more incentive to try to find an acceptable solution to the civil war.

"I would appreciate it if you did so," I replied.

"Is there anything else you need help with?"

"I'm looking for a friend, another hero. The two of us were separated at Liesse. I want to know what happened to them."

That line of inquiry proved to be more promising. After I provided her with details on Roland, the two of us spoke for a little longer. Before I left, she asked if I would join her in prayer. I did. I wasn't sure if it was blasphemous or not, given that I didn't have faith. But after some thought, I decided I may as well get a head start on my thousand years of complaining. It didn't take much time out of my day, and if it actually paid off, it was worth the cost.
​

---

I spent another three days alternating between resting, composing my thoughts and talking to people before I was finally ready to speak to Cordelia Hasenbach once more.

In that time, I had begun to form an opinion on her as a leader. She was a far better ruler than I would ever be. I wasn't sure how far I was willing to support her until I understood her as a person, but I was not opposed to her being positioned as First Prince on the grounds of merit alone.

More importantly, I understood the role she filled. Not only was she younger than Coil, she was also younger than me.

Her opinions on what was right wouldn't be set in stone yet, and despite living in an arguably worse world, she had almost certainly had an easier life. It was wrong to call her sheltered but… I felt I could influence her view of the world. If I felt she wasn't a good enough person, I could be her moral compass.

Something is wrong with the world if I feel like I can be someone's moral compass.

There was a part of me that felt I should take the time to assess all the leaders in the Principate before I chose to side with one of them. It was the safe choice, the smart choice. Then there was the part of me that was squinting at the story I was in. The tale that strongly hinted at Cordelia.

I had decided to try to shape this story.

That meant extending some trust to Cordelia.

What little I had seen of her had shown me that Cordelia was an industrious girl and was never not in the process of doing something. Finding time for a meeting with her was difficult as a result. I hunted her down during her early morning walks on the city ramparts and matched my pace to hers.

"Have you come to a decision on the matter of the civil war?" She asked.

There was a light rain falling down from above. Barely a drizzle, but it still made it just a little harder for me to see. I could have pushed it away, but I chose not to.

Keeping in contact with little inconveniences like this were a way of reminding myself that I wanted to still be human at the end of my journey.

"Before I make up my mind, I want to know more about you. What do you want?"

She paused in her walking, then turned to me, examining me closely.

"You wish to understand my motives?"

"That's right." I looked over the ramparts at the mountains in the distance. "The speech you gave was compelling, and if you gave it to any other hero, you would have won them over. But that isn't what I care about. I care about building the future. What do you see the Principate looking like once you are in control? What do you believe in, and what do you want?"

She looked amused at the question. There were more than a few heartbeats of silence before she decided to respond.

"It is my desire for the people of the Principate to be safe. For our walls to be secure against the Evils to the north and the east. I want idiots like Prince Dagobert of Lange and Aenor of Aequitan to stop drowning Procer in blood. I do not wish to rule the Principate for my own sake. There is not a single individual among the other Princes prepared to do their duty to their people, and so I will."

Cordelia's voice was venomous by the time she finished speaking, I could hear the anger in what she said. It might be a mask, a carefully crafted lie to buy my allegiance. I didn't think that was the case. In my mind, it was the first declaration she had made that wasn't carefully hidden behind at least five layers of doublespeak.

More tellingly, I felt the faintest strings of a story tie themselves around her at her declaration.

"And what will you do once you are in charge?"

"The Principate will need to undergo several financial reforms in order to recover from the damage that has accrued over the past fourteen years. The influence of the Pravus Bank must be excised at the roots. I intend to found an order of sorcerers, in an effort to dismantle Praes's magical supremacy. With sufficient leverage, I intend to repeal the Right of Iron, in an effort to prevent farces like this as well as other historical follies from occurring again."

"The Right of Iron?"

I wasn't familiar with the term.

"It's the prerogative by which the princes of Procer can wage war as they wish. Were it revoked, princes would require some manner of justification in order to declare war."

I had not yet spent enough time with Cordelia to form a solid opinion on her, but I was gaining the impression that she was a reformist of sorts. She wanted change. I did not understand the finer details of the changes she wanted, but I grasped enough to know we at least had some common ground.

"I'm willing to hear your offer," I stated, "but my acceptance depends on what you want me to do."

Provided she didn't want me to go against my own principles, there was enough room here for us to negotiate. As time passed, I could pick her brain on the problems I wanted to be solved and see how she would handle them.

Even if it turned out she wasn't the person I needed, she was certainly smart enough to help turn my ideas into concrete plans.

Cordelia started walking again, I followed slowly behind her.

"You would be better positioned to answer that. Aside from the confrontation with the Warlock, nobody is entirely sure what you can do."

"What do you think I can do?"

"Admittedly, we do not have much to go on aside from hearsay from Liesse and the words of wizards. Klaus Papenheim has suggested treating you as an exceptionally skilled sorcerer."

After all this time, the stereotype that I was a wizard had failed to leave me. It was almost nostalgic.

The question was, how much did I want to say. I felt a gentle but insistent tugging from my name.

Trust people.

It…made sense to trust her. It was good to be cautious, paranoid even, but I would bet my enemies knew more about what I could do than I did. If I wanted to beat them, then I would need properly informed allies.

"Almost anything you can think of," I told her honestly.

She said nothing for a moment, but I got the sense she didn't quite believe what I said.

"I can reshape everything I've encountered so far into objects I am familiar enough with. I can't generate materials out of nothing and I can't make myself smarter, but I can do anything else. If I wanted to, I could probably end any monopolies on goods within Procer on my own. It would take me a while, but I could do it." I explained.

Cordelia didn't look like she believed it, but she didn't question what I said.

"Then the question becomes more about what you are willing to do. The priest that inspected you claimed that you have the touch of Compassion upon you. Does that mean that you are unwilling to kill?"

"Yes and no. I'm not going to kill anyone you want without proper justification, and I'm not willing to massacre entire armies. But if I come face to face with someone who needs to die, I'm not going to hesitate."

"Killing every last soldier to a man would not be an acceptable outcome were you to do it. Doing so would see me denounced as a tyrant, and that is not an acceptable form of rule."

While it was good to know she didn't want to just use me as a siege weapon, it didn't tell me exactly what she did want.

The sounds of soldiers going through morning drills below distracted me for a moment, leading to a lull in our talks.

"What do you want me to do?" I asked.

"The specifics of this discussion should be tabled until later. I was scheduled to meet with my uncle after I had completed my rounds of the walls, and finished reading my letters. This discussion can be put off until then. Klaus Papenheim's advice on the matter will prove invaluable."

"Could you give me an example?"

"Would you be willing to assist the army in a supporting capacity?"

"So…logistics then?" I hazarded.

"Defensive workings such as the barriers you deployed over Liesse or even motivating allies and demotivating enemies would provide a significant military advantage. Until my position is solidified, it is my primary interest to see you involved with the army for now in some manner or another. Having you do so would help to court the attention of the House of Light in a similar capacity."

I felt like she still didn't quite grasp what I could do for her, but that was the smaller issue and I could correct it later. In all of this, I still didn't understand what she wanted out of that alliance.

"Why do you want their help?"

"Their assistance will be pivotal for restructuring the Principate in the years following the end of the war. It would also be of great benefit if you were prepared to negotiate with the clergy directly, once you have been properly schooled on the correct procedures."

That… was a non answer.

"What other duties do you want from me?"

"As mentioned before, it is my intention to found an order of wizards in the aftermath of the civil war. The assistance of someone such as yourself in establishing such a centre of learning would be invaluable."

Right… This misconception about my role as a wizard was actively unhelpful now.

"I'm not a sorcerer," I stated bluntly. "Think of me as being closer to one of the Fae, only aligned with Above. I have learned some magical theory, so I can teach it. But you would be better served by finding actual teachers for that."

I wondered how much I should trust her with. Being sealed in wards again scared me. But if I trusted Cordelia enough to allow that, and she proved worthy of the trust, we could perform controlled experiments.

Deliberately allow wizards that I trusted to seal me off, then see if I could find a way out.

The idea left me feeling uncomfortable.

But if I ever fought the Warlock again, I would need to prepare.

"It is expected that you are not a magical practitioner," her lips twitched upwards for a moment, before the mask went back down. "Every wizard who was permitted to examine you during your convalescence exhibited a great deal of interest in working alongside you. It is my wish to harness that interest."

That… was worded politely, but sounded to me like a veiled way of saying people wanted to examine me like some sort of exotic creature. I wasn't going to call her out about it, but the idea of being looked at under a microscope wasn't very appealing.

"I'll think about it."

"Then, for now, simply assistance with ending the civil war."

It made me uneasy how everything she planned involving me was intended to play out so far ahead. It meant that I couldn't put together a good picture of what she wanted with only the pieces I had. I had enough of an idea to know that we at least sat on the same side of the board, but that was about it. For now, my guess was that she wanted to pull together many factions and work on social reforms. I wasn't necessarily against anything she had proposed, so I was willing to consider her offer.

"I have three main goals at the moment. Short term, medium term, long term. In the short term, I want to find out what happened to my friend. In the medium term, I want help arranging a journey into the Chain of Hunger. The hardest goal is the long term one. I want to make the world a place with no villains. If you are willing to help with the first two, and at least make inroads on the third, then we can discuss terms. I don't expect the third problem to be solved immediately, but I want to at least see some progress made. I'm also not willing to go against my conscience. So long as you don't ask me to, we have room to negotiate."

"Then let us continue this discussion indoors later, with the added input of Klaus."

I followed behind her as she finished her walks, then waited while she perused her letters. Afterwards, we headed indoors. If I had known exactly what I was involving myself in when it came to scheming with Cordelia, I may have chosen to run away instead.​

 

[Zoolimar]

Taylor arrives in a new world. There are literal gods doing their own proxy wars. Taylor looks around and feels out the sides. "Okay, I'm gonna support you, but I have some conditions."

 

[discerning likes]

Immortal persevering Taylor, with a goal and no biological reason to stop. I love this.

I especially love how youve made her deeply introspective and bittersweet.

 

[Aetheron]

Immortal persevering Taylor, with a goal and no biological reason to stop. I love this.

Click to shrink...

QA: "They just grow up so fast..." <sighs the sigh of a parent watching their kid go off to college>

"Almost anything you can think of," I told her honestly.

Click to shrink...

...and plenty that it would never occur to her to think of.

 

[Sharpedge]

"Perspective is to view the world through tinted glass. Power is to call up a demon and make it that way."
– Dread Emperor Sorcerous
​

---

"So you're the girl that's throwing in her lot with us," a gruff voice said as someone entered the room.

I turned towards the polished wooden double door and took in the sight of our new arrival. It was an older man, with white hair and a hard face. His clothing was damp from the rain. Focusing, I cleaned and dried them. It wasn't much effort, and I imagined that Cordelia would not want her expensive chairs ruined by the man's damp rear.

"Undecided. It depends on what you want from me, Sir…" I raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Klaus Papenheim," he replied.

The clipping of his boots against the cold stone floor were the only sounds to reverberate throughout the room as he made his way to the third chair around the table we were seated at. They were arranged in a triangle, with Cordelia's back to the fireplace, mine to the windows and Klaus's to the door.

"I've explained what I want. I just don't know what you want in return."

"Repeat your requirements to us once more before we delve into the intricacies of your future contributions to the civil war," Cordelia asked.

A noise frown outside the window distracted me for a moment. Turning, I briefly saw a blonde haired figure through the misted window. She was wearing a blue dress, and wandering around the garden in the rain. I brought my attention back to the discussion.

"You want me to explain those again?" I confirmed.

"It is best that we confirm our purposes are aligned."

Fair enough.

"My first and second goals are to find the Rogue Sorcerer and travel into the Chain of Hunger."

"Investigation into the fate of the Rogue Sorcerer has already begun. The matter of the Chain of Hunger shall be tabled until after the civil war concludes."

As nice as the assurance was, I wouldn't just take it at face value. I had done that song and dance with Coil before and while it might be unfair to compare Cordelia with him, I would be a fool to make the same mistake twice.

"I want to be able to read the reports."

"They will be made available to you. You have yet to clarify the nature of your third request. You intend to prevent the formation of villains?"

"That's right."

"Explain the steps you would take to achieve this."

"I already told you what I wanted."

"What you have outlined is not a plan, it is a desired result."

"I'd need to spend time researching first. Build up a better idea of what I want."

"I wish for you to try regardless."

I frowned, "it's complicated. Do we need to cover it right now?"

"If you desire for my assistance, it is imperative that you provide me with a foundation to build upon."

I felt exasperated. She wanted me to provide some sort of plan for a goal that I had only just decided on. I was about to refuse again, when I felt innovate start to whisper to me, providing suggestions.

Start with the first step, Taylor.

The suggestions probably weren't good. The quality of suggestions offered was based on how much I already knew. It was still a starting point. Cordelia wanted some idea of what I wanted? Fine, I'd give voice to what innovate told me.

Biting my bottom lip, I took a moment to compose my thoughts. "Villains exist because people are unhappy. The same is true for heroes, but the reaction is different. For villains, what happens is they see the unfairness in the world, and they decide why not spread it out. For example, a poor man living next to the homes of the rich. He doesn't see any way to end his own suffering, so he asks himself, 'why should I suffer when they don't?'"

I paused for a moment.

"That doesn't explain weaselling fucks like High Viziers or Dukes."

"They are a minority."

A servant came in and placed a tray on the table before us. It contained a teapot and three cups, as well as biscuits on a plate. They poured, then set down the cups before each of us.

"This framework sheds no light on the process by which entire nations such as Praes come to champion Evil."

"I don't know enough to answer, but there must be motivation. There is something they need but don't have, so they try to take it by force. Over time, taking becomes a part of their culture. Eventually, it's idolized."

"Shed light on how you would proceed with resolving the underlying problems you perceive to exist."

"First, you need to take away motivation to do Evil. To start with, give people less reasons to be unhappy. Invest in social welfare projects, build schools and churches, ensure everyone is educated. Improve the justice system. I don't know the full scope of reforms required. If we can identify the problems and find the right people to deal with them, eventually we will succeed."

"Words won't turn back the tides of darkness, only hard steel can hold the north." Klaus stated.

"Killing villains won't fix anything," I bit back. "You've been doing that for thousands of years and look how well it's turned out."

"And what of those who stand proud with Below?"

Aside from priests, Calernia didn't really have an equivalent to psychologists. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure how to explain the concept briefly.

"Their teachers and parents can watch out for it and try to guide them."

"And should they fall in spite of guidance?"

"You create institutions. Something like a city guard, but with oversight on Named."

I picked up my cup and took a light sip. The tea was black, and the bitterness was refreshing. The vapour leaving the cup was pleasant against my skin. A stark contrast to the cold.

"It is your intent for those chosen by Above and Below to be subject to laws?"

"Everybody else is."

"What manner of laws do you believe they should follow?"

"The laws of the land they live in."

"What else would you change, while you're planning the impossible? You're the first of Compassion's kids I've had the fortune of meeting. You truly are an idealist." The words Klaus said were biting, but the tone was almost fond.

"… Terms of engagement."

"You mean like prisoner exchanges, or not attacking under truce? Soldiers already follow terms of engagement."

"Limits on what weapons are used. I've fought a demon before, they shouldn't be allowed. The same for devils. Any weapon that results in significant collateral damage or has long term consequences should be restricted."

It felt odd suggesting a ban that would remove me from conflict, but I knew what I could do. It was better that I not be allowed to fight, then other powers like me be unleashed on either side. They would be far less restrained.

Besides, there were plenty of ways I could contribute to a fight against Evil without killing people. The same wasn't true for other demons.

"Whilst the nations of Good would accede to those limitations, they have no power without the accordance of Evil polities." Cordelia stated.

I shrugged.

"Offer concessions elsewhere. Good probably has a weapon just as bad. If you ask me, being Good doesn't give you the right to commit atrocities. The ban can go both ways. If that doesn't work, offer favourable trade agreements."

"How would you ensure these terms are met? Without the consent of villains, the terms have no merit."

"I don't know. Maybe create a legal body that can serve as oversight and enforcement. Where I came from, we had one. Convince some heroes to join it. It would be difficult, but not impossible."

"Praes has no incentive to allow such a force to operate within their borders."

"I know."

"Exactly what would fall under this entity's purview? Would they encompass solely the Principate, or the entirety of Calernia?"

"Ideally, the whole continent. I'd start with a single nation, then expand outwards."

"Consider only the nations aligned with the Gods Above. The legal and the cultural expectations deviate substantially in Procer from Levant. Why would an organization with international authority would ever succeed in garnering approval?"

"Because it's in everyone's best interest?"

"Unless the enforcer has no teeth, the existence of such an entity threatens the sovereignty of every nation they are able to operate within."

"Liesse was not the worst disaster I have seen, just the most recent. Unless something changes, tragedies like it will keep happening. I don't know how to convince rulers to agree, but it is in everyone's best interest."

"It seems unlikely that these reforms will prevent new villains entirely. I suggest setting your sights on smaller, more manageable tasks rather than those which cannot be achieved," Cordelia added.

"These ideas won't remove villains. That isn't the point. It's a step in the right direction. We don't need to succeed in a single try. If we move what is considered acceptable further in one direction, then one day villains won't be tolerated anywhere at all."

Sure, the final step would likely involve divine intervention, but just because I felt it was needed at the end didn't mean we couldn't also help ourselves along the way.

"While your broader goal is laudable, if idealistic, those are ultimately international politics. Do you have similar lofty ideas for the Principate that you would care to expound upon?"

Grimacing, I leaned into innovate once more.

Right. Cordelia cares about the Principate.

"Does the Principate need to exist at all?"

"The Principate was founded on the flames of Dread Empress Triumphant's pyre. Should another like her arise, or should the Dead King cross our borders, it would take the combined might of the entirety of Procer to drive them off. Its existence is a cornerstone in the battle against Evil."

"Wouldn't a mutual defence pact achieve the same result?"

"The southernmost Principalities would have no strong motivation to sally forth to our defence, considering the distances involved. Furthermore, should the Principate splinter into a collection of individual polities, the rate of conflict would only escalate. So long as there is a chance for the princes to claim the position of First Prince, it is in their interest to participate in the defence of all Principalities."

"You really believe that the southern principalities would just abandon you to fight on your own?"

"The gulf between Rhenia and Aequitan is vast. Until the Dead King's armies are standing at their gates, they will view the conflicts against Evil as a remote concern."

"So you are saying that people in different Principalities don't really care about people in other Principalities, because they are unlikely to ever meet?" I clarified

"That is correct."

So the only reason the Principate functioned at all was greed. True, the countries on Earth had not been much better, but most of them didn't have the audacity to call themselves Good in the religious sense.

Establishing a functional democracy on Calernia would be hard, considering stories. I also wasn't sure if it would fix anything. Well, Cordelia wanted me to voice my ideas, why not suggest it?

"The system of governance in the Principate could change. Much like the First Prince, the other princes could also be elected by the citizens within their Principality. Four year terms only. The system could be designed to allow people from all walks of life to administer the principalities, not just those born into the life of a prince."

"The system of governance used in Callow has been met with failure ever since the events in Liesse. Since then, the Black Knight has taken a much more direct role in the administration of affairs."

I hadn't known or expected any of that. It came as an unpleasant surprise. But that wasn't what I was proposing.

"What I am suggesting only has superficial similarities."

"Why allow those not bred for statecraft to occupy the halls of power?"

What… did she want me to say here?

"The only difference between someone born into your family and someone born on the street is luck, not the will of the Gods." Klaus looked like he was about to interrupt me, I raised a hand and cut him off. "I've seen the Choir of Compassion and come a lot closer to seeing the Gods than most people ever will. They don't weigh in on decisions like that. That is decided by what you do, not who you were born as."

"Talent is distributed blind to titles and breeding," Cordelia agreed, "but your claim is also founded on falsehood. The circumstances of birth are not the only difference separating a peasant and a prince. Princes are well-educated, better connected, and have greater autonomy. This confluence of circumstances makes them better suited to rule. The life of a pauper may be tragic, but his poverty does not qualify him for the right to rule."

"The world doesn't need to be that way. In my homeland, anyone could lead. Most people were educated. What stops you from doing the same? Praes has an education system. Anyone can learn if they are willing to serve in the Legions. Why shouldn't the Principate do the same?"

"The system you propose remains founded on a lie. Those born into wealth are afforded greater opportunities, will breed better, will have access to advantages that those under them never will. Thus, they will remain the ones best suited to rule."

Is this really what she thinks?

I had walked into this discussion hoping this could possibly be a friendly relationship. If this was the way she thought, I doubted it would work. It was as if Cordelia didn't even realize how dismissive she was being to those under her when she spoke. Was this really my best choice for improving the lives of people in the Principate?

To my dismay, the subtle threads of the story strongly suggested it.

"Just because people will never be perfectly equal, doesn't mean we shouldn't try to bridge the gap. The system I am proposing is not perfect, but it is better."

"If both systems result in the same ruler being selected, then your efforts have born no fruit. Furthermore, the current system ensures a static selection of leaders within each Principality for extended periods of time. This allows for long term planning and stable governance. Introducing a democratic process to the governance of the individual Principalities would introduce the inefficiencies of those processes."

"You said you don't want to be a tyrant."

It's like she's deliberately trying to undercut everything I say.

"If you wish to alter the shape of Procer's politics, these are but a few of the questions you will need to answer."

"I know that," I replied, exasperated. "I also know that I'm not the person that should be answering them. It should be someone like you. It's why I am listening to your offer and not trying to do this on my own."

"You would trust someone else with shaping your dreams?"

"It's not about trusting others with my dreams. I'll still do my best to learn and find out what it takes. But even then, it's about… finding the right people. I don't think I am the right person to lead, but I can find them and point out the goal. If I can't find the right person to lead, then I will do it, but it isn't my first choice."

"You proposed that serfs should elect their own rulers. When a patient visits a healer, they have no say in how their injury is remedied, they trust the expertise of the priest. Explain why you believe that individuals who do not understand the highest offices of power should have any say in what occurs there."

"Why shouldn't they? Your decisions affect them. What gives you the right to decide how people live their lives without their say so?" I retorted.

There was a pause for a moment, before discussion resumed.

"For now, let us proceed under the assumption that your hypothetical model would work. How would you justify the cost of undergoing such large-scale societal reforms."

"You want to continue arguing about this?"

"If you wish for an agreement between us to be found, then it is imperative you outline what you wish to achieve."

I feel like I am being put through a school test that I didn't know I needed to prepare for.

"To start with, a civil war like the current one wouldn't happen."

"How did you reach that conclusion?"

"Their people wouldn't re-elect them if they did. Nobody is going to vote the person starting wars they don't want back into power."

I picked up one of the biscuits and took a bite. It was overly sweet, but now that I had started eating it, I was committed to finishing.

"The belief that reforming the system would prevent another civil war is false. It is predicated on the assumption that the elected ruler is incapable of convincing their subjects of the righteousness of war."

"That's true. But it's harder, there's extra steps."

"The certainty of power is an illusion. It is already necessary for the princes to have the approval of their subjects, for if they did not, then their rule would be overturned."

"That isn't true. The people in charge will kill them for speaking out, It's a large motivation to not step out of line. Give people a way to remove their leaders and they will use it"

"If the princes of each Principality are genuinely held in contempt by their subjects, their subjects would revolt. They are not, they are seen as cultural symbols of pride. Furthermore, it is not difficult to externalize any existing problems. It is easy for one to believe that individuals they have never met before are the cause of their woes, rather than those they are familiar with."

"The system worked where I came from. I don't believe you can just copy it across exactly as is, but that doesn't mean you can't take parts of it and make it work here."

"Even assuming that was true, how would you convince the other Princes to relinquish their hold on authority and accept these reforms?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I was hoping you could find an answer to that."

"Regardless, I have heard enough," Cordelia declared. "Now that we have established what you want, we can focus our attention on the civil war. Afterwards, we can finalize terms."

While she didn't say it, I suspected that my third requirement wasn't an imposition at all for her. She planned to rule the Principate. Even if what I wanted was unrealistic in her mind, she almost certainly planned reforms of her own. She could consider both at the same time, even if she had no intention of implementing my own.

This relationship would almost certainly have to be transactional. I didn't think I would like Cordelia as a person, but I didn't need to, provided that I controlled what she wanted. I would trade what she wanted for her finding and implementing solutions to social problems, if that was what it took. It was unlikely she would have an issue with that, especially if I funded them.

I wouldn't be seeing a functional democracy any time soon, but that was fine. Right now, I wasn't aiming for one. I planned to start at the bottom and work my way up.

"As one sworn to Compassion, how much do you know about waging war?" Klaus began.

"Admittedly not much. I know small unit tactics, for an irregular group of soldiers."

"Prince Dagobert has an iron grip on many of the neighbouring Principalities. Ever since Princess Constance died, the pressure applied to him from the east has waned."

"Prince Dagobert demands we raise our armies and support his claim, or suffer brutal taxes under his reign. The tone of ongoing communications has become more pointed as the war progresses," Cordelia added.

"While the Lycaonese are the most veteran soldiers in the Principate, we have little time to capitalize on that. Parts of our forces are always tied up on the walls, and any we deploy must be pulled back come spring."

"Which means you want what?…"

"I want you to consign enemy generals to the grave and force their surrender."

"I take it there's no way to resolve the conflict through diplomacy?"

I doubted there was, otherwise it would have been done before. But there was no harm in asking.

"The conflict has dragged on for long enough that hatreds have become entrenched. The war will not end until only a single claimant remains."

"So you're saying that this is going to continue until the people in charge die."

"That is the shape of it. Are you willing to excise the rot?"

… I think he got the wrong impression from what I had said.

"I'm not killing everyone," I leaned back in my chair. The comforting press of the green satin against the back of my head almost felt strange after having spent so long in rougher quarters. "At least, not so long as I don't have proof they're all awful people."

Especially not after Cordelia's earlier argument. It hadn't done much to convince me she was any better than the other princes she complained about. I suspected that if she hadn't been born in Rhenia, she would not have cared about its problems at all.

"The Principate needs order. Sometimes hard choices must be made."

"I think you and I will disagree on what it means to make hard choices."

"Compassion's get are the best of us, but your goodness blinds you. Sometimes, someone has to order the torches thrown."

"Choosing to kill people to make the issue go away is easy. Not on your conscience, but in terms of knowing the outcome. It's final. It brings new complications of its own, but you know that the solution to that one problem is set in stone. Other answers are more messy and the outcomes are uncertain. Making a decision where you don't know if the answer will work is much harder. If killing is the only answer to a problem, then that's fine, but I have a lot of choices."

"So said the voice of one who has never held a blade."

"I've killed more than enough. Some I regret, others I don't. You're thinking about this as if you don't have other options here. There is nothing stopping me from imprisoning the claimants somewhere they could never escape from. It would take time to find them all, but I could do it. I could also compel them to fight each other in single combat until only one remained. Violence isn't the only choice I have."

Klaus started choking with laughter. He had been drinking while I was talking, and some of it went down the wrong way. He held the cup like a savage, with his hand under the base.

Cordelia and I both looked in on the man, unamused.

"Only the House of Light would tolerate those proposed solutions. All claimants would find those ideas to be abhorrent. Furthermore, you would be in effect declaring that you have the right to decide who rules the Principate."

I didn't respond. It wasn't as if those proposals had been serious. They were more an example of what I could do.

"None of them are doing their duty to the Principate," Klaus's voice had hardened. "It's a hard truth, but sometimes blades need to be drawn."

I reached onto the table and picked up another biscuit from beside the teapot. Nibbling on it, I composed my thoughts before deciding on how to respond.

"I know I'm an outsider here. That I have no right to tell you how to resolve this, but you're missing something important. If you want to plan involving me, then my opinion matters. You can't just treat me like a weapon and point me at your problems. I'm not willing to just kill on command."

Klaus muttered something under his breath about the folly of Compassion's heroes. I ignored it.

"Are the soldiers conscripts, or are they hired mercenaries?"

It mattered to me because it changed how I viewed the fighting. If the soldiers were there voluntarily, then it was their own decision to fight. As stupid as I thought that decision was, I wouldn't take it away from them.

So long as they didn't hurt innocents in the process of killing each other, I was fine with them fighting it out.

"That varies from prince to prince. Most of them are making heavy use of peasant levies, others are hiring foreign soldiers." Klaus responded.

"Won't there be consequences for that? The war's continued for so long. Surely this is unsustainable."

"Many years will need to be spent after the culmination of the war, restoring the Principate's economy," Cordelia interjected.

"I am not saying I won't consider killing people at all, only that it isn't going to be my first choice."

"How many lives must be spent before you choose to act?"

I should have just told them I wouldn't kill people at all. While it wouldn't have been entirely true, simply mentioning that it was an option meant that they were going to keep pushing me for it.

"Think of me like a dragon, only there is no hero here who is going to come save the enemy. If I was fighting, the only person who would matter is me. I think that this war is stupid, but people chose to fight, and I won't take that away from them. The moment I act, the fight ends. It's me saying that nobody else's opinion matters. I would only be a few steps removed from declaring myself queen. I don't want to do that."

I knew I was being a hypocrite. But I was not deeply attached towards any of the sides, and I wasn't going to kill because someone who I had only just met was asking me to. If they wanted me to fund their campaign in exchange for meeting my needs, I would do that. The people they would be paying were fine with killing others for money, even if I refused to.

"Your principles are noble, but won't safeguard our borders."

I was about to refuse once more, when I felt a nudge from the Choir. What they wanted did not make my life any easier.

Am I really going to agree to their request?

… Yes, yes I was. Because it was the right thing to do, even if it was unlikely to succeed. I didn't believe it would work, but I would at least try. If I didn't try, I was choosing to fail.

"I'll accompany an army of your choice, and I'll follow the chain of command outside of battle, although I won't involve myself in the fights. I'll support them in almost any way you like. But before battle, I want permission to attempt resolving the conflict through negotiation."

"That is both irregular and creates openings for enemy action."

"It is irregular," I agreed. "But I'll negotiate for it. It's a request from my Choir to find a peaceful resolution."

"For there to be an agreement, you need to compromise. Right now, you demand much but offer little."

"Start proposing ideas that don't involve killing people, and we can come to an agreement."

"Are you able to scry? Long distance communication would prove advantageous." Klaus asked.

I reached onto the table and carefully lifted the fragile porcelain cup. Bringing it to my lips, I inhaled the tea's fragrance before taking a small sip and placing it back down.

"I could, but it's risky and unreliable. It has a limited range as well. I would rather not."

"How about defensive emplacements. Strategically placed barriers, like the ones you used at Liesse, or raising and lowering enemy morale."

I had the sense that he didn't really understand what I could do very well. If that wasn't corrected, the conversation would go on for hours.

"What do you see me as? Where do I fit in?"

"A highly talented Praesi sorcerer. That would make you equivalent to some better dwarven siege artillery."

"My only reference for a highly talented Praesi sorcerer is the Warlock, and I have no idea what dwarven siege artillery can do," I admitted.

"Then why don't you explain what you can do?"

I shrugged, then tapped the tablecloth. As I did so, I turned it into aluminium foil.

Both of them paused and stared. Cordelia recovered composure first.

"I would appreciate it if you returned my tablecloth to its former status," she said drily.

I did so.

"How much can you do?" Klaus asked.

"When I said I can do almost anything, I meant it. It does depend on the complexity. The less complicated the outcome is, the easier it is for me to do. I can do large scale workings anywhere within a mile of me, although eventually I do become exhausted. You've been trying to fit me into an existing framework when it's not helpful. I could just make money out of dirt. There is no amount of money Praes can raise that I can't eventually beat. There is nothing stopping you from just bribing the opposition."

"Attempting to bribe the other princes is an act of folly. They would reinvest the capital into hiring more mercenaries, then turn them against us." Cordelia replied.

"How about funding your own campaign?"

"The proposal has merit, provided the material you create is not Proceran coinage."

"Why the distinction?"

"You are not the First Prince, you do not have the right to mint coins. Even if you were, there are laws in place determining how much currency may be minted by the First Prince. It is a minor distinction, but every action I undertake will be scrutinized in the aftermath of the civil war."

"I thought you would have complained about me devaluing currency."

"Debasing the value of Proceran coinage would cost capital far in excess of the price of winning the war. Irrespective of this, the impact of the added coin will only be felt in the later stages of the war."

"Why?"

"We have until before next Spring to win the war. The Ratling activity in the north has picked up in recent years, and we cannot afford for the walls to be caught unguarded. Setting aside the finer details, we have little time to strike. Spending coin will still take time." Klaus explained.

"Would any other goods prove useful?"

"There are some which would be of benefit. Although for now, it is wiser to adopt a more conservative approach."

"Is there a reason for that?"

Cordelia finished up her tea, and placed the empty cup down beside the pot.

"Blatant mass transmutation will indicate to every merchant in the Principate that the only value their wares hold is the value that you permit. Fear and hatred are the expected consequence of this, and that would make an alliance between us untenable. Furthermore, the utility of what you are capable of is constrained by the needs of Rhenia. Our people are sufficiently armed and armoured, war has long been our trade."

"Why wouldn't an alliance between us work if that happened? It's not you that poses the threat."

"For a long term period of stability to exist after the conclusion of the civil war, the prevailing claimant needs to achieve victory in a manner that is deemed acceptable by all princes. Were you to threaten the livelihood of everyone at all levels of society, it would be found intolerable."

"So aside from gold, which won't pay off for a while, what would you like me to do right now then?" I asked.

"You said you can make almost anything. Is that right?" Klaus interjected.

"That's right. So long as I know what I'm trying to make."

"Can you make roads?"

What?

Out of all the requests I had expected, that hadn't been one. From blowing up enemy armies to interfering with the economy, it was all more or less something I had already considered. Undertaking civic projects was not on the list of ideas I had.

"I could," I admitted. "How fast would depend on exactly what you want. If you just want me to smooth out land, I could probably do it all day. If you want me to turn dirt into a heavily decorated cobbled brick road, I'd tire myself fast."

"I don't need something fancy, just flat and traversable by cataphracts. The Principality of Brus is covered in swampland. Roads are forced to follow the terrain. Should you cut a direct route to the city through the deepest parts of the bog, the campaign would be accelerated. Furthermore, we can launch assaults from less defended regions."

"Floating them across on an island would be faster."

"Can both be done at once?"

"No."

"Roads have more long term utility."

"Wouldn't that have the same problem as if I mass-produced goods?" I asked.

"It does not," Cordelia replied. "Civil engineering in regions which are not currently easily navigable is several steps removed from directly interfering with the economy. It is not interfering with the livelihood of anyone important. Furthermore, it will likely cause a long term economic uplift by increasing the rate of transit between cities."

"There are people living along existing roads. Aren't their jobs threatened by this?"

"Should that prove to be the case, there is nothing preventing them from moving somewhere else."

"You aren't concerned about losing the fight?"

"There are not many enemies I would not trust the swords of the Lycaonese to prevail over. The southern princes aren't one of them. Time is the hole in our gorget, not our strength of arms."

"I can build roads. Is there anything else?"

The suggestions proposed from that point onwards became more palatable. From putting enemy soldiers to sleep – unfortunately, I wasn't sure I could do that to crowds safely – to trapping them in prisons. There were additional requests for transmutation as well. Better steel for weapons and armour. Requests for crossbows, which I did not know how to make but could learn. However, most of Klaus's attention remained focused on logistics.

The conversation dragged on for a long, long time. It was exhausting. On the whole, the meeting had been disappointing in some ways and promising in others. By the time we were done, the sun had set, and I had agreed to fund Cordelia's war chest, as well as provide her with some specific goods. She kept trying to coerce me into finalizing agreements that would only take place after the war concluded. Those, I put off. They could wait until later, and be traded for actual reforms.

Right now, I was bartering for time spent refining my ideas and the continued use of her information network. Maybe I was paying a little too much, but I wanted it to be obvious just how much I could do for her. I would be Good's drug dealer if that was the way to change the world and right now, Cordelia's first hit was cheap.

I still didn't know why she felt my assistance was necessary. She was a master at deflection whenever pressed on the subject.

Once the campaign truly began, I would be assisting Mathilda Siegenburg's forces. They would be leading the charge against Brus. I doubted I would be able to resolve the conflict peacefully, but I would at least try.

I wasn't sure how I felt about participating in a war for a country that I had no real allegiance to, but I did know one thing. There was no way for me to reasonably start making changes without choosing to align myself with an existing side, or making a side of my own.​

---

A/N: The character's political views are not my own.

 

[Zoolimar]

Yeah, Gnomes keeping the tech and knowledge base so low really hampers their understanding of what exactly "unlimited transmutation" means when Taylor says it.

And Taylor will most likely need to diplomance the Gnomes into allowing magi-tech or some other way of going out of pseudo middle ages. Or her plan won't work in the long run - she just won't be able to support the whole infrastructure needed for that. Especially if her desired end result is something like Star Trek society.

 

[Roth963]

Yeah, Gnomes keeping the tech and knowledge base so low really hampers their understanding of what exactly "unlimited transmutation" means when Taylor says it.

And Taylor will most likely will need to diplomance the Gnomes into allowing magi-tech or some other way of going out of pseudo middle ages. Or her plan won't work in the long run - she just won't be able to support the whole infrastructure needed for that. Especially if her desired end result is something like Star Trek society.

Click to shrink...

Maybe she can bribe them with some extremely hard to make material (they probably have something their technology struggles to make), but I suspect that wouldn't really be good enough for them, they would probably prefer keeping their technological supremacy.

Finding a patron equal to them to protect the continent may be the easier choice, if one exists (and wouldn't be worst than them).

 

[Egleris]

The Gnomes are obviously evil, so they'd be against Taylor's ultimate goal of eliminating Villains no matter what, meaning there is no possibility of long-term cooperation with them - if they're ruled by Villains, which their propensity for genocide strongly suggests they are, they'd never agree to help her progress toward removing their leaders from power.

 

[Roth963]

The Gnomes are obviously evil, so they'd be against Taylor's ultimate goal of eliminating Villains no matter what, meaning there is no possibility of long-term cooperation with them - if they're ruled by Villains, which their propensity for genocide strongly suggests they are, they'd never agree to help her progress toward removing their leaders from power.

Click to shrink...

I can kind of see where they are coming from, with wanting to keep their massive advantage over everyone else, they are still abhorrent monsters, but I am not sure they have to be villains in the name or narrative sense.

They, after all, kill people for a reason at least, evil societies in the continent do much worse for less, I don't discount it completely, because there are villains who are better than them, but there are plenty who make what the genomes do seem like small potatoes on the evil scale.

 

[Impirius]

They, after all, kill people for a reason at least, evil societies in the continent do much worse for less, I don't discount it completely, because there are villains who are better than them, but there are plenty who make what the genomes do seem like small potatoes on the evil scale.

Click to shrink...

They are no more evil then the Dwarfs killing your cities if you dare dig to deep anywhere.

 

[MrCogmor]

My theory is that there are some powerful technology related Names like "Mad Scientist" or something.

 

[Egleris]

They are no more evil then the Dwarfs killing your cities if you dare dig to deep anywhere.

Click to shrink...

The dwarves are indeed known to have Villains among their leaders in canon of the PGTE, so that's just proving my point.

 

[Impirius]

The dwarves are indeed known to have Villains among their leaders in canon of the PGTE, so that's just proving my point.

Click to shrink...

They also have Heroes while doing this ,that is what i meant.

 

[Egleris]

The fact there are Villains in position of leadership is all that matters for my point, which was that, since Taylor's goal is to end all Villainy, and remember, it's canon that Villains can lose their Names just as Heroes can, any Villain among the Gnome's leadership will have a very personal reason to want to be an obstacle to her plans, which will necessarily preclude cooperation. It seems very cut and dry to me.

 

[Mr Pumblechook]

However, most of Klaus's attention remained focused on logistics.

Click to shrink...

He is an architype of professionalism.

I wonder if Taylor would consider the opposite, stuffing up the enemy's logistics/supplies in a non-lethal fashion (not polluting the enemy's grain supply with ergot for example)?

 

[deadlyham]

For a Taylor that's already admitted she is terrible at leading organizations (emphasis on terror), she is oddly fixated on democracy when her own experience with it would turn her away from it. She really didn't have a good opinion of the Brockton Bay's own democratic government either. The Brockton Bay government was a shit show from top to bottom (school, mayor, PRT, US government) and only worked in her favor when she forced them to. I know this story's Taylor does not want to be a tyrant, but I don't see how she thinks democracy is great. At least she acknowledges democracy wouldn't work in Creation and Stories, even if she doesn't understand politics or why it wouldn't work.

Also kudos to this Taylor actually listening to Cordelia instead of forcing her ideas, even if it clearly frustrates Taylor. Actually especially if it frustrates Taylor. Way to go.

An interregnum will always be full of conflict of the succession is not clearly settled. A viable alternative would be a right of succession to the eldest child of the current ruler. Avoiding a violent civil war after the current ruler dies is a big reason hereditary monarchy developed in Europe.