#right now im still far from getting rid of my debts but i can dream | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

missslywild · 5 years ago

Text

Esser’s Excerpts

Nailo had taken the Hunter’s Bane to better hunt the dangerous things surrounding herself and her friends. In the aftermath of this event, however, she was left barely alive. Victoire was the one who decided to stay and keep watch over her friend. This is the conversation that ensues between Victoire and the “gift” from her patron, a book/aberration named Aletheia.

03/17/2019

VICTOIRE: Victoire had closed the curtains. She'd wanted it to be dark in this room as Nailo slept off the effects of... Whatever it was exactly that she'd done. And since Victoire herself had felt what the sunlight did to her Drow eyes.

She sits in the darkness for a while, silent. She alternates between staring at the blocked-out window and casting glances at Nailo's sleeping form. Wondering. Unsure.

Finally, after what felt like a few months but had probably only been fifteen minutes, she shakes her head and sits down at the table with Aletheia.

She props her head up on a hand and looks at the book. "... So? Aletheia... What would you do if you ran into another one of your kind?"

ALETHEIA: The eye opens and stares at Victoire.

"The master needs to clarify. One of my kind in what way? Perfect as I am or not?"

VICTOIRE: "I mean, I did see how you reacted to those... Other Aletheia. But let's say as perfect as you. We're already makin' a lot of concessions 'ere, but let's start with that," she adds.

ALETHEIA: "If one such were as perfect as I and came to serve the master as I, then such would be suitable for serving the master. If it were to attempt to take my place, then such would be killed readily."

VICTOIRE: Victoire rests her head in her arms. "And if they weren't perfect as you?"

ALETHEIA: "It would deserve no more thought than to be killed."

VICTOIRE: "... But what if it wanted to be perfect like you?"

ALETHEIA: "Then it has already failed and deserves death."

VICTOIRE: "You're bein' awfully savage today, Al. Can I call you Al?"

ALETHEIA: "Any name is acceptable from the master."

VICTOIRE: "That's good, Al." She considers the wall for a long moment. "Do you remember what I asked you about last time?"

ALETHEIA: "The master was wondering about the return of the curse."

VICTOIRE: Victoire absently rubs her shoulder, but she shakes her head. "There is that, but I was actually referrin' to somethin' else. Come on, I asked you to think about somethin'."

ALETHEIA: "The master asked me to ponder 'subtlety' and the 'pun'... and 'trust'. The master made mention of a 'quiz'."

VICTOIRE: Victoire chuckles. "That's right! It's quiz time. First question: What do you call it when a clown holds the door- Mm, when a clown does somethin' nice for you?"

ALETHEIA: "... leaving himself open..."

VICTOIRE: Victoire lays her head gently, slowly down on the table, facedown.... What would you do in that situation, then?"

ALETHEIA: "Remain in my position unless the master orders me otherwise... and memorize his face for later."

VICTOIRE: She tilts her head and narrows her eyes at the book. "Would you attack someone if I asked you too? Nevermind, don't answer that. Say you were in my position. A clown has done somethin' nice for you. What do you call that? What would you do?"

ALETHEIA: "... It would be a demonstration of weakness and an invitation to subdue his mind. I would turn him into a tool for later or kill him for incompetence."

VICTOIRE: Victoire can't help but laugh, even as she buries her face in a hand. She holds up three fingers. "Wrong answer on all accounts. First, you should let the clown do you the favor. Make 'im think you're in his debt. In fact, you should do the clown somethin' nice in return. That's how you build trust."

She grins, but there's no humor in it. "Easier to get to their backs if they trust you with them. Second: a trusting companion will do your bidding far more willingly than one forcibly bent to your will." She's grinning but her eyes are starting to brim with tears. "If he is incompetent there are better ways to get rid of him than kill him yourself." She looks at the last finger and folds it down. "Third: it's called 'a nice jester', Al, come on, this is rookie stuff."

ALETHEIA: "I see I have much to learn from the master... but I must disagree. Once bent to your will, he would never want to betray you again. He would see you as... perfect."

VICTOIRE: Victoire looks back at Nailo, the small figure on the bed. "... What do you mean by 'bendin' your will', exactly?"

ALETHEIA: "Planting in their mind a seed of your perfection and letting it grow."

VICTOIRE: It takes a moment for Victoire to turn back to Aletheia, but she regards him coolly. "Is that how your kind reproduce, by any chance?"

ALETHEIA: "The master would be incorrect. We are born from strong thoughts, shaped in dream."

VICTOIRE: "Then what form would this seed take?" she muses. "An idea? A thought? A... Course of action? A desperation?"

ALETHEIA: "A moment of consciousness that brings it in line with your perfect thoughts."

VICTOIRE: "... And they lose their free will. They would conform to mine."

ALETHEIA: "But it would be a perfect will that replaces an imperfect one. They stand to gain much."

VICTOIRE: "I only want them to live, Aletheia. Incompetent or not." Her voice cracks as she speaks and she hangs her head. "That's all she wants too. That's why she- that's why she- she's already doing what I would do. She's already doing what I did."

ALETHEIA: "But she has not been chosen by Master. She is and is not the same as before. Can the master explain how she has evolved without a master?"

"How she has... awakened?"

VICTOIRE: "There are other ways to get power that don't involve Master. C'thalgnordu was my path, he granted me the powers I've needed, but don't think for a second that C'thalgnordu is, in that regard, in any way unique," Victoire snaps. She wipes the tears from her eyes. "I don't know exactly what it is she's done. The spell was unlike any I've ever seen. But..." She hesitates and says, "What do you know of the Blood Hunters?"

ALETHEIA: "This one is unfamiliar with these 'Blood Hunters'. Is that what she has become? This one only know that two others have passed by the master that were as such, but she is the first to have become one."

VICTOIRE: Victoire starts. "And what did these two others look like?"

ALETHEIA: "One was a grey dwarf near where the master found me; the other was a dark-skinned man aboard the ship on our way to the forest."

VICTOIRE: "This dwarf... When did you see him?"

ALETHEIA: "He was skulking near the tunnel where your pointy-eared one led you to."

VICTOIRE: "Th-that must've been before she saw 'im again... Al, do me favor, would you?"

ALETHEIA: "Anything the master commands."

VICTOIRE: "If you see that dwarf again, you tell me. I don't care who's around."

ALETHEIA: "It is understood."

VICTOIRE: Victoire nods and leans back, looking back over at Nailo. She grimaces and says, "I hope she doesn't really lose anyone. Like I did." She fiddles with a button on her cuff. "Must we lose people in order to get the things we want? Micolash... Didn't appreciate my tenacity. Katelyn... Theo and Rashid are..." She lapses into silence.

ALETHEIA: "This one does not understand the master's remark. This one has never lost anyone and has gained power."

VICTOIRE: "Do you see them, Aletheia?" She gestures at the room. "Do you see Theo, leanin' against the wall, laughin' at some witty remark I made? Do you see Katelyn sittin' on the floor, makin' sure we stuck to the schedule? Do you see Rashid at the door, comin' in with the food he'd snuck out from the kitchens? Do you see Micolash? Do you see him porin' over notes with me?" There are tears in her eyes again. "Can you see them, Aletheia? Here? At my side, where they should have been? Before I- Before I-" She leaves off, looking at the closed door, mouth slowly closing.

ALETHEIA: "This one does not."

VICTOIRE: "... Then how can you say I've never lost anyone?"

ALETHEIA: "This one said no such thing. This one has not owned such prey to lose them."

VICTOIRE: Victoire's hand reaches out to close Aletheia's eye. Her voice barely a whisper, she says, "... This 'bendin' to my will'... Can you teach me how to do that?"

Her eyes flick to the side. "There's someone I've in mind for it."

ALETHEIA: Dark tendrils escape from Aletheia.

"This one would be very pleased to teach the master. When would the master like to begin?"

VICTOIRE: Victoire leans back, face kept blank. "Now, if possible. But... A question. Do we need a subject to practice?"

ALETHEIA: "Not for the first part of the master's training. First, the master must learn to form the seed."

VICTOIRE: Victoire hesitantly closes her eyes. "What form does this seed need to take?"

ALETHEIA: "The form of a seed. The master must practice binding your thoughts and mind down to a single point that can be controlled."

VICTOIRE: After some time spent meditating, Victoire sighs and opens her eyes. "I don't think I can grasp that just yet. A... Yes, a pity." Her eyes flick to the side again. "But still. Thank you, Aletheia."

ALETHEIA: "The master will awaken to it in time. There is no need to rush. It is this one's pleasure."

VICTOIRE: She stretches and massages her shoulder, standing up. "Yes, no rush. I have time now," she says darkly. She casts another glance at Nailo, checks that she's still asleep, and picks up Aletheia. "Still so many things to do..." She hefts the book into her arms and walks to the door. "We'll be back soon," she whispers. "... You don't have any hands, do you, Aletheia?"

ALETHEIA: "This one does not."

VICTOIRE: "Such a shame. They're quite handy." She smiles at the book and then looks a bit surprised. "Oh, sorry! Silly me!" She reaches out to the door and opens it. Light spills into the room, but Victoire is quick to place herself between it and Nailo. "Let me get the door for you!"

ALETHEIA: "..."

VICTOIRE: Victoire peers into the hallway and, hopefully seeing no one, sneaks into her room.

She closes the door behind her as quiet as she can and as soon as it's closed she flings Aletheia onto the bed. She stands before it, looking down at the book with cold eyes.

"I appreciate all that you've done for me, Aletheia. Truly and deeply, I do. You've helped me out a lot."

ALETHEIA: "This one has only done what is expected. Acknowledgment is not required."

VICTOIRE: "It eases my conscience," Victoire says flippantly. She snaps her fingers and the room goes black. "I want you to understand somethin', Aletheia. All those things you said about incompetent subordinates apply just as easily to you."

ALETHEIA: "This one will keep it in mind."

VICTOIRE: Victoire points to Nailo's room, but, unsure if Aletheia can even see it she puts her arm back down. "The other thing I want you to keep in mind is that you do not own people. Do not refer to friends as prey." She almost spits the word. "If for nothin' else, that it betrays your intentions louder than a frying pan in the chicken coop. And that one." Her voice is almost dripping with malice. "We do not touch that one. Never. She has been through enough."

ALETHEIA: "This one accepts the master's command."

VICTOIRE: "But do you understand why?"

ALETHEIA: "This one will learn that reason from the master."

VICTOIRE: Victoire lets the darkness fall until she's left standing in the lit room, looking drained but determined. "Yes, you will. We will continue the lessons until you do." She nods at the book, but leaves it there, on the bed, as she leaves.

Victoire closes the door to her room and locks it behind her, before reentering Nailo's room. So that Nailo doesn't have to wake up and find no one there.

2 notes · View notes