#considering during times of battle captains held absolute power this is very much an intended offense i believe

[sameteeth]

the flint coming out/silvers worst possible reaction convo is one of the few times we actually see flint like. uncomfortable? or nervous i guess? when silver says he doesn't think the pattern of flint's closest person/partner dying will apply to him because of recent events, flint's response ("it is .. natural for men new to power to assume that it has no limits. trust me - it does.") seems strange. he doesn't argue against seeking out his own tragedies as he did before, or deny the pattern, or tell silver to stop blaming him for the deaths of his partners. he tells silver he isn't as powerful as he might feel at that moment. he's defensive, thrown off-balance by the vulnerability of sharing his most guarded heart and secret, only for silver to throw it back in his face. this conversation is significant for a number of reasons, but one of which is that it highlights flint's devotion to silver (he tells silver he is Entitled to the truth) and silver's reticence to genuine connection with flint. he tells flint he's sorry, but then ruthlessly points out a pattern he sees as a potential danger to him. silver is STILL acting in his own self interest here, almost defensively, whereas flint has given himself entirely over to silver. what happens makes me think of this post - flint has such personal authenticity, he KNOWS what he stands for, he has cast his lot, his narrative is fixed, that he is able to give his truth to silver. whereas silver is still playing at both sides. his identity has coagulated into silver, but he's not Long John Silver yet. he doubts this war, he doubts flint and madi's motivations. why expose a weakness when there's no need? all he sees of flint's confession is a potential threat to him. and then there's flint's response in the face of silver coolly explaining why he will survive flint's self-inflicted tragedy, a weak attempt at silver's feelings of strength, a defensive response to what flint perceives to be an attack from silver.. which silver IMMEDIATELY overturns with his stunt with dobbs, using the men as pawns in his dance with flint, proving to flint that silver is strong, that silver will survive flint. that silver will hurt flint. and all flint has to offer is an uncertain but (to me) very genuine attempt at comfort in the face of silver's ironclad defense of his own strength. that even if they agree silver has such powerful influence over the men, flint can still stand with him, against him if they have to.

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

HASO, “The Patron.”

Sorry guys! I totally forgot I had this ready for you. I was playing with some some audio adjustment software and lost track of time. Might record one of these stories for fun at some point IDK, but I hope you like this story for today :)

The days passed by, and the sun rolled overhead on repeat, rising and falling with the pulse of Anin as day turned into night into day in an unstoppable cycle, that slow march of time that could not be slowed or stopped. If anything time here seemed to speed by and the rising and falling of the sun almost made her dizzy as she sat on the white moss of that mountain, eyes half closed in slow meditation.

The turquoise water before her was completely still with barely a ripple as the days turned into weeks.

Sunny hardly remembered eating, and she certainly didn’t remember sleeping as her entire existence seemed to be fevered waking dreams. And in through her thoughts and contemplations there weaved the voice and words of the Watcher, his face pulling into occasional focus, dark against the light of the moss behind him.

She didn’t know what he said, but he weaved words around her slowly, like a blanket, entrapping her in a cocoon of time and space from which she could not have escaped even if she had wished it so. At night stars spun above her. The southern star shining bright…. Polaris, a star they shared with earth.

He spoke to her slowly drawing her into a state of meditation so deeply profound it felt as if she no longer had a body. She listened to him, falling into the world, entering as close to the realm of spirits as any Drev ever would. Here, she felt almost… embraced by them, wrapped in arms that were familiar but somehow distant.

She knew she needed to be here.

She had to keep her connection with the spirits, and hopefully the more powerful ones would be able to speak with her. He had no long how she needed to stay in this meditative state before one of them approached. Some had died of starvation during the process, but she didn’t feel hungry, so that was not a concern for her, but she supposed that was the point.

She waited.

And waited.

And waited as the sun wheeled around her, as if she was the center of the solar system.

“I’ve been thinking about you.”

She gasped, jolting awake, or so she thought at first, but somehow, looking around her at the frozen moss, she knew she wasn’t awake. She turned towards the voice and froze as she saw him sitting cross legged on the moss facing her. His voice echoed in her head.

“Adam! How did you find me?”

Adam smiled, and when he did, it seemed…. strange , unlike him, that was until she realized that she was looking into two glittering green human eyes. His legs, cross-legged on the ground below him were bare…. And human. He was hole, his skin unblemished by scars, clear and smooth, glowing with an almost pearly sheen.

He wore white.

“What are you doing here.”

“I’m here to help you.”

“Is this real?”

He scooted closer, and the look in his eyes was so familiar that she couldn’t believe that it wasn’t him. It had to be, there was just no other explanation. He reached out a hand taking hers in his, “Do I feel real.”

She shivered, “Yes.”

He withdrew his hand resting it back on his lap, “Regardless of how real I am, the impression I make on you is real enough to matter. You called out to the universe and I came, your voice is loud and echoes in my head when you call for me, and I cannot ignore.” when he spoke, his voice echoed as if they were standing inside a concrete tunnel, melodic and powerful. She felt, if he raised his voice, and shouted he could shake the world to the very core of it’s foundation, turn the planet to rubble, and weave chains of stars with the simple persuasion of his words.

“I need help.”

“Tell me what you need.”

“The doctrine of the Drev, the martial doctrine of our people is broken, or out of date. I need to fix it, and I need your help.”

He nodded, listening intently to her, and when she looked into his eyes, she saw the universe reflected back at her. It was such a strange and usual sight, that she couldn’t look for too long for fear of falling in.

“The martial styles were originally created with different ideals in mind. At first they were created with the idea of spiritual elements, after that it was the attributions of plants and animals. Sometimes the martial doctrine changed dramatically, while other times it was added onto slowly. I plan to change it in a way that it has not been changed before, and in a way that…. Some may not like.”

He folded his hands in his lap, “And what spiritual or natural phenomena do you plan to craft your martial doctrine after.”

She took a long deep breath, and lowered her head humming softly to herself in pleasure.

Sunny didn’t know she had been thinking about it, but it occurred to her just then, that her days in meditation had not passed by without use, “The GA.”

Adam tilted his head, “The GA?”

“Or the species within the GA.”

Adam sat back in interest, “I see.” He looked down in contemplation before standing, and in his hand appeared a spear of pure sterling silver. She stood with him, and together they stepped out onto th moss, their weapons held lightly in either hand.

He moved into stance, “Show me.”

She closed her eyes and spun her spear slowly round and around, thoughtful before snapping her spear upwards in a sharp motion. He followed her movement, “I would describe this style as…. economical .” She hummed pleased with herself on the description, “It does not use any more or any less than what is absolutely needed. It requires precision, and striking just at the right time to maintain maximum results. You don’t have to move too much to do it, you just have to move at the right time.”

He fell into position just opposite of her, and together they slowly moved through a pantomime fight. It was sharp, and precise, almost brutal if it wasn’t so…. So sharp. He smiled at her from across the circle his teeth bared, “Tesraki, economical, striking just as the right time, like in business but with fighting.”

Sunny nodded, “You have the idea.”

He stepped back, “These will take a lot of work to perfect.”

“I am not afraid of a little wor.”

He smiled wolfishly, “Then let us continue.”

She nodded slowly and together with this strange spector of Adam she allowed it to flow through her: she wasn’t sure if it was simply some kind of reactive energy or if it was the spirits themselves bringing her guidance. Perhaps it was simply her own mind opened to things she had not thought of before.

But either way she could see, feel and hear everything around he, she knew what she was looking for, and the spear felt like an extension of her very being.

Tesraki, Economical and quick, Drev powerful and unrelenting, Rundi, teamwork and hierarchy in a way that no Drev fighting style had ever been performed. Where once pairs of two would have been the norm, the new styles allowed for more as well as shield walls and tight formations. The burg was fought with all four hands all at once in a fury of speed and confusion.

And then to her surprise came an idea from the back of her mind she had not once considered, and instead turned to sit on the ground to the mild amusement and even confusion of the Adam that watched her sat down too.

“I have one for the Vrul.”

The other Adam almost snorted in surprise, “Vrul?”

“Yes…. tactics. To control an entire battlefield is to control and entire battle.”

“Drev didn’t have tactics before?”

She shook her head slightly, “Only to a small degree, based more on platoon leaders and group captains than the entire battlefield. Granted we stage fights when there is ash or when we have the high ground versus the low, but it was never thought of to any kind of degree… “ She turned her head to look up at the sky, “I want to bring back the old tradition, reinstate how things were originally intended. If you can still hold a spear.... IT will be a hard thing for the Drev to accept when they have been steeped in their corrupt traditions for so long, but if there is anyone who can change it, it is me.”

He smiled at her, his sharp white teeth shining like the moss below his feet.

He stepped forward reaching out a hand and taking hers, “I believe you…. You will bring greatness back to the Drev. You will bring understanding and power.”

She stared at him for a long moment, “I have one more style in mind.”

He tilted his head in curiosity.

She stepped back and took her spear closing her eyes and conjuring up images of her foes. She began slowly moving with precision and rhythm until she slowly sped up, she was quick, and powerful and sharp and  worked as if there were others around her to help, She used everything she had, every part of her body as a weapon, every advantage she could find to defeat imaginary foes that fell upon her like flies swarm to a corpse.

When she stopped she was breathing hard, the air rolling in through her in great gasps, expanding her ribcage in and putin powerful gusting waves of air.

He watched her, “Was that a new style, or simply aloof them meshed together.”

“Both.” She planted her spear against the ground, “Humanity.”

His smile grew wider.

“With humanity as my template I have created the alst style, perhaps the most powerful among my creations for it combines elements from all the above. It is fast, and economical, and requires teamwork and tactics. It utilizes every advantage, ever limb, and every part of the body. It takes into account the environment and the allies by which you fight…. It is the ability to adapt and change to fit any situation, any terrain and any obstacle.” He beamed at her, the sparking universe in his eyes growing and expanding as his smile grew. She felt dizzy as vertigo overtook her, and she stepped back, falling into the moss and staring up at him as he walked over to kneel next to her.

When she looked into his face, she felt a sudden sensation of warmth that spread through her body, safe and comforting. That voice of his, echoing and powerful belied infinity and the kindness that she saw in his eyes. 

“You aren’t Adam are you?” Her voice was thin and quavering.

He knelt next to her, “I am Adam, but I am also more.”

She stared at him in confusion, not sure what that was supposed to mean and with no way to interpret it either.

“You talk about him like you aren't him.”

“That's a bit of a human condition isn’t it? The ability to talk about parts of yourself as if you're not you.”

“You don’t talk like him either.”

HE smiled, “I know more than he does, and I've been around for much longer than he has.”

She shook her head, “then how can you be him?”

He smiled, “Quite easily you might find…. But I am afraid my time here is almost over, and I must return to my place.” 

She stared at him, watching as the light around him began to intensify. She staggered back blinded hands raised to cover her face falling into the moss behind her. His form was almost obscured by white.

“Good luck, Sunny.”

And then the world began to spin and she was lying flat on her back in the moss the mountains and the sky blending into one eternal round. Smeared together like some sort of strange painting or another.

Her head continued to spin and curl as the light vanished, and finally.

She could feel.

She realized she was awake almost as soon as it had happened, inside the dream or trance, it had been hard to tell what was real, but as soon as she opened her eyes, she knew the difference, and gasped and sputtered for air as she sat up, looking around in confusion and bleary eyed unfocus.

And with her wakening a sudden word came unbidden to her  lips, and she sat up with a gasp.

“Deus.”

The word echoed in her head and it took a moment of confusion before she went quiet unsure of what to think.

Deus.

Naktan was waiting for her, crouched before her with a small stone bowl of water, “Drink, you are weak, and thirsty.”

She hadn’t noticed until he said it, but he was right, and she groaned softly as he held the bowl up for her to drink from. Most of it dribbled down her neck, but there was still more  than enough to wet her parched tongue. He held her up, crouched next to her and supported her by the back and shoulder.

“Deus?” he wondered, “Is that the name of the spirit that spoke with you?”

She frowned in confusion, “I…. I don’t know…. But it….. It took the form of a friend. I didn’t understand the things he…. It said.”

“These times are strange indeed. Did you find the answers you were looking for?”

“I… believe I did, but it will take more work for them to be realised.”

He reached down helping her to her feet and supporting hre weak and trembling body when it refused to work, “And I will guide you for as long as it takes. I have watched the fall of the Drev for many years now, and I believe you… you are what will lead them into this universe with heads high. Like the sun for which you are named, you will bring them out of darkness.”

Her head spun a little at his words.

She would bring them out of darkness.

Her.

And her patron.

Deus.