Hector gave Haqq another metal disc for examination, and the man just pocketed it and returned to asking Lynn questions, this time concerning her family’s medical history. Her very apparent Intarian heritage had not escaped Haqq’s notice, and she had to explain that she was indeed born in Atreya.
Hector’s attention was divided when yet another reaper appeared, this time descending from the ceiling.
‘Haqq, it’s almost time for the assembly meeting. Asad wants you to join him.’
Haqq rolled his eyes. “He still thinks he can convince Abbas?”
‘He does. And so do I.’
“Well, of course you do.”
The reaper’s skeletal face twisted impossibly with annoyance. After a moment, he eyed Haqq’s guests. ‘Hello. I do not believe I have seen any of you here before.’
“Agh, don’t bother them, too,” said Haqq.
Garovel jumped at the chance for another introduction. ‘We’re from Atreya. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Garovel, and this is my servant, Hector Goffe, along with our comrade, Lynnette Edith.’
‘Atreya? Interesting. I am not exactly from around here, either. My name is Axiolis.’
Chapter Ninety: ‘The bridge between the Two...’
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‘Oh?’ said Garovel. ‘Where are you from, then?’
Axiolis seemed about to answer when he stopped himself, hollow eyes narrowing. ‘You said... your name is Garovel?’
‘I did, yes.’
The reaper’s odd reaction had even gained Haqq’s attention. ‘Then,’ said Axiolis, ‘are you Chergoa’s brother?’
Hector blinked and turned to stare at Garovel, who took his sweet time answering.
‘...Yes, I am. How do you know Chergoa?’
‘She is an old friend,’ said Axiolis. ‘I happened to cross paths with her a few times before really getting to know her. The first was some three hundred years ago in Ardora. She was trying to have her servant dig a new well for a village that was struggling through a drought. It made a favorable impression on me.’
‘Yeah, she has a good heart,’ said Garovel. ‘Usually.’
‘When she first told me that she had a living sibling, I thought she was joking.’
‘I don’t blame you,’ said Garovel. ‘Is Chergoa here in Kuros, then? I don’t sense her nearby.’
Axiolis’ expression somehow darkened. ‘Oh... you do not know, then. I thought that perhaps she got word to you herself.’
‘Please explain.’
‘My servant is a Rainlord,’ said Axiolis, sterner now. ‘His name is Zeff Elroy. He was captured by the Vanguard, which is why I am here seeking aid from the Sandlords. Chergoa’s current servant is Zeff’s daughter, Emiliana Elroy.’
A dark serial novel. Set in a modern fantasy world called Eleg. Mature language. Updates every night at midnight PST by ~400 words.
Here ends the Eight Oaths and begins the Ninth.
ReplyDeleteYou might be surprised to hear that, because there was was no fighting in the Eight Oath, and it ended rather abruptly. You might be wondering why I decided to do that.
Eheheh.
I think i might be in love with this story
ReplyDeleteyou and me both
ReplyDeleteOne thing that has been bugging me about all the body parts. If they don't need any of the organs to survive, why recreate organs in the first place? Why not fill all the spaces like the abdominal cavity and lungs with more durable substances or more muscle?
ReplyDeleteOr reapers are simply creatures of habit and just followed the standard template. Which ironically can describe a huge fraction of the world's population. :)
<3
ReplyDeleteHaha, don't get too antsy. It's still a few chapters away.
ReplyDeleteReapers can't simply change stuff like that. That's why Mutation users who mess up can't use surgery: the reaper has no choice but to regenerate the mutated body part.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Mutation users, however, those might decide to do that sort of interior redecorating. Although... don't servants actually use their organs when their reapers aren't actively supporting them? You would end up in a situation where the servant collapses dead if separated from their reaper long enough.
Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying. :)
ReplyDeleteHaha. At the risk of losing my author card, I have to admit that I actually don't like coffee.
ReplyDeleteAnd the plot-lines collide.
ReplyDeleteNo it's not like the servants ever use their own organs. Their bodies are designed to strictly work from their brains regardless of their bodies state. The problem is that they still feel pain. They can't suddenly remove their heart from their body without feeling pain from it, even if the heart serves no purpose at all for them.
ReplyDeleteI suppose technically they can take out their own organs and shove in metal or something, but again, that would be extremely painful and the brain is the thing they need to protect, not the heart. Only thing they're afraid of is getting limbs chopped off or getting brain damage. In that situation, it is probably much more favorable to wear armor rather than stuff themselves with metal.
Finally as Bobby states, the reapers don't have any control over how a servant's body is restored, the reapers can simply restore the bodies, but they can't change them. The reapers simply regenerate a body by touching it, and if the brain is destroyed, they can remake the body anywhere they like.
They do need their organs though, that's why hector sometimes almost blacks out from lack of blood flow, or his vision begins to blur when his chest is damaged, the heart just regenerates really fast is the thing.
ReplyDeleteIt will be amusing to see Hector easily talk to the servant of Chergoa as he will likely not find her intimidating. Hector lives a blessed life of always finding a way to find the most dangerous situation available to him, and then surviving it. Everybody will be so shocked by his ability not to panic in a dangerous(normal for him) situation.
ReplyDeleteHe should consider late 30's for age. Old enough to be taken seriously, but young enough to not be suspicious when walking around. If he does plan to receive an education on a regular basis than a more youthful appearance would work best so as not to draw suspicions as to why he is at a uni/college/school.
I would say thirty at the latest, preferably earlier. Though he could really do with some maturation in his brain.
ReplyDeleteWill there be a page today?
ReplyDeleteI think you are misinterpretting it. They don't need their organs. However their body still functions like it normally would. Their blood flows, their heart pumps but none of them are actually needed. What you are thinking about is when for instance Hector first ran at full "servant speed" and his body was drenched in sweat. That was a side effect of him running like he did, but he didn't actually need to slow down at all from it.
ReplyDeleteThink of it like this, his body still functions like normal, but most of his organs are just unnecessary extras for him. If he eats he will taste it, his body will process the food, but if he doesn't eat, his body will still function all the same. He might get hunger pains, but his body won't stop functioning from it.
While their bodies may be able to function without their organs, servants do still need them. Their connection to the reaper allows them to push their bodies past the breaking points, but this comes at a cost. When their bodies lose the reaper's boost they feel an immense pain. The reapers can suppress that pain temporarily, but it will eventually be felt. It will actually be worse since it was postoned. If put off long enough that pain can grow large enough to drive the servant insane (as Garovel explained in chapter 3). If a servant is missing its organs I assume the pain would just continue to build until it drove them insane. Mutation users might be able to get away with it (especially if they could give themselves congenital analgesia), but I doubt any other servant could.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think would happen if a servant donated an organ to someone and then died (reaper released their soul or was killed)?
Can you go to rehab for addiction to reading. I looked it up I have all the hallmarks of an addict.
ReplyDelete80% chance
ReplyDeleteTwas brilliant as always. If you ever get held hostage or kidnapped in a foreign country your army of readers will invade. Random I know.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm not seeing Frosty at his most productive these days, huh?
ReplyDeleteAre you the same Michael from Shiny new justice web novel.
ReplyDeleteAlso no your not seems like real life caught up with him, Thus disproving my theory he is a machine and is not human. Oh well.
I would personally recommend my physical prime, but Hector showed aversion to this. My recommendation is to always were a mask when interacting with people who know him as a servant and take it off when doing daily necessities so other reapers might underestimate you. Don't get the whole 50's freezing thing personally.
ReplyDeleteyee-up.
ReplyDeleteWell, "physical prime" is a little redundant when you have super-strength, instant regeneration, superpowers, and you know that you'll only get stronger as you age.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, they'll probably just stand there talking to imaginary creatures and making expressive hand gestures, occasionally wincing as if, for example, they just turned their digits into elemental seaborgium for some reason or another.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about that, some of us will probably run around screaming after accidentally being set on fire.
ReplyDelete*Whistles innocently*
<3
ReplyDeleteSorry but I think you got this wrong. The pain they feel isn't attached to their bodies state at all, it comes from the powers they receive from their reapers. They won't feel this pain from losing an organ, they will feel the pain of losing an organ, however once that organ is restored, they won't feel that pain anymore. However they might get some of that pain for regenerating that organ.
ReplyDeleteIn short the pain that you are talking about is associated with using reaper powers. This pain I think is more a type of "soul pain" however that's just speculation on my part. Pain from bodily damage is a completely separate thing.
Organ donation might actually be a plot hole in the story when I think about it. It was covered early on that any parts that a servant loses is regrown from scratch and the servant needs to dispose of the body parts themselves. In other words, ripping out their own organs and donating them might actually be plausible. I think this is an oversight from the author.
It's almost as bad as that time the carbon dude and the oxygen dude tried to make carbon dioxide to smother a fire with. Turns out liquid carbon is ridiculously hot, not that it matters, because they timed it wrong and hosed the burning guy with an entire torso from the neck down worth of liquid oxygen before the carbon guy was ready.
ReplyDeleteNo, l0gin4me has it right.
ReplyDeleteThe only time servants receive pain from their ability is when that ability damages their body, like with transfiguration users sacrificing body parts in exchange for their given element. And of course, the period of enhanced strength also causes physical exhaustion, but that's different from causing pain.
Organ donation is another matter.. It's true that it hasn't come up in the story, but that doesn't make it a plot hole or an oversight on my part. You might first try imagining what it would actually mean for the setting, rather assuming I made a mistake with it.
I see. I was thinking about how it's been stated that all physical damage regardless of how bad it is can be regenerated within minutes. If that's the case, the source of that pain you were talking about doesn't make a lot of sense to be a physical problem.
ReplyDeleteAll physical damage can be regenerated, yes, but the pain lingers, due the regeneration itself being a painful experience. Or perhaps that was what you were saying, and I just misunderstood you?
ReplyDeleteHaha, I'm not sure anymore. There have been so many new comments lately, and I'm having trouble keeping up with them all. Not that I mind. As far as problems go, it's a pretty cool one to have.
Well, Lynn will never age thanks to her bracelet thingy, so I think he should definitely wait until mid-twenties and stop. He can always age later, but you can't make yourself younger after (Unless you're a mutation user I guess).
ReplyDeletethe wait on the analysis is driving me insane. It's so close so so very close *weeps*.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the hard work. It's been really enjoyable. Enough so that I am slightly frustrated there isn't more. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteWait, Lynn won't age?
ReplyDeleteD: !!!!
ReplyDeleteAh, I put stopped reading around here and just re-read. I almost forgot how fantastic this story was!
ReplyDeleteAren't you forgetting the animated brows?
ReplyDelete