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Chapter 375: Voices
🕑 Added 2022-02-25 18:00:48 +0000 UTCELEANOR LEYWIN
I rocked side to side as Boo’s broad back swayed with each slow step. His breath was heavy and even, almost sleepy after gorging himself on glitterfish. We were taking our time, moving slowly as we returned from Boo’s favorite fishing spot and headed toward the square outside Town Hall.
I could already hear the low rumble of many voices combining. It sounded like dozens, maybe even a hundred or more…
It was weird. Growing up in Xyrus, a day at the market meant crossing paths with hundreds, even thousands of people. I never thought twice about the noise of a crowd back then. All those people just kind of blended into the background, there but…not important.
Now, the idea of so many people—each one having suffered such horrible loss, surviving the nightmare of these last several months—made me feel uncomfortable. Constricted. Even as this feeling took root in me, though, a golden light issued from my core, infusing me with confidence and bravery.
Smiling, I patted Boo’s neck. “Thanks. I can always count on you, can’t I, Boo?”
The crowds’ volume inched higher and higher as I approached the gathered refugees, almost all elves. Several sent wary looks in my direction as I rode by, and I was surprised by how uncomfortable and agitated the crowd seemed. I wasn’t completely sure what was happening, only that Albold had sent me a message to be here.
My mother was waiting for me in the mouth of an alley that led toward one of the community gardens, outside of the dense pack of elves filling the square.
Staying mounted atop Boo, I reached down and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “What’s going on?”
“I thought maybe you would tell me,” she said, her eyes darting nervously around the crowd.
Following her line of sight, I realized why. More of the elves were looking at me now. Some stared openly, while others shot me poorly hidden glances as they talked quietly to their friends and family. And while some seemed just curious or even—I hoped—friendly, others were much less so.
Then I realized why Albold had asked for me.
I wondered exactly what he and Feyrith had told these elves. Everything I had shared with them about Virion and Windsom’s conversation? That seemed foolhardy, but then, I wasn’t exactly sure what I expected them to do with the information. By the way people were looking at me, though, that must have been it.
I found myself wishing they would have at least not mentioned where they got their information…
Not that I felt frightened. Sitting on Boo’s back, with my mother’s hand wrapped comfortingly around my calf, I had the same warm feeling I did as a little kid when Art would fall asleep next to me while putting me to bed. Like I was protected.
But I couldn’t help but feel like all this unhappiness and frustration I saw around me was my fault.
It had been a couple weeks since I told Albold and Feyrith about Virion and Windsom’s lies. Rinia had warned me to stay out of it, but I still thought they deserved to know. I knew a bit too well what it felt like to be lied to, to have things hidden from me to “protect” me. Mom and Dad were always keeping things about Arthur from me. Even when the Lances took him away, they made all kinds of excuses so I didn't worry.
Like I was too stupid to understand that when Mom locked herself away and cried, something was wrong.
But I wanted to be told the truth so I could grow from it, react to the world as it was, not through the rosy lenses of what my parents wanted to show me.
Still…I knew that the elves might not feel the same. Maybe in scary times like these, some people would prefer to stay ignorant, unaware and clenching onto the hopeful, filtered words of our leaders.
And so I waited, expecting for something to happen since my conversation with Feyrith and Albold, almost hoping for it just to get it over with.
Because, if something bad happened, I knew it would be because of me.
“Thank you for coming, Ellie,” someone said from behind me. I spun around so I was sitting backwards on Boo. Feyrith and Albold had just come out of a narrow alley.
“What exactly is happening here?” Mom asked, moving so she was between Boo and the pair of elves.
They both bowed to her before Feyrith said, “Thanks to your daughter, we elves were finally told the truth of what happened to our homeland, something our leaders have lied about to protect an alliance with false friends.”
“We’re going to make Virion explain himself and his actions,” Albold said forcefully.
Feyrith gave me a tight-lipped smile. “We wanted you to be here, Ellie, to hear what Virion has to say and…offer some perspective, if necessary.” He quickly held up a hand when Mom started to object. “You have been guided by the seer Rinia herself. You were in Elenoir when the destruction occurred…the only survivor of that attack. You heard for yourself the lies shared between Virion and the asura. We need you here, Ellie.”
So I wasn’t brought here to be questioned, I thought in relief. But what’ll Virion say—or deny—when they ask him for an explanation? Either way, it was because of me and the information I chose to share that this gathering of elves happened in the first place.
Mom sighed, stepping back and looking up at me. Boo was twisted around so he could watch the elves, his heavy brows low over his small eyes, and his huge teeth bared.
“It’s fine,” I said to no one in particular. “We’re already here. I just…did you have to tell everyone it was me?”
A light flush appeared on Feyrith’s cheeks and he looked down at the ground. “People took convincing just to show up. We had to tell them exactly how we’d discovered the truth.”
“Oh,” I said. I wanted to be upset, but I couldn’t blame them. If I didn’t want to be involved, after all, I could have just kept my big mouth shut.
I guess I won’t know if what I did was right or wrong until I see how it all turns out. Hopefully, most people are glad to learn the truth, but I bet a bunch of them think I’m lying, or blame me for causing problems.
I glanced around again. More eyes had turned my way now that I was speaking with Feyrith and Albold. An old elf with a cane—one of the council, I thought—was making her way toward us, but behind her, I caught sight of a genuinely friendly face.
Riding above the crowd on Jasmine Flamesworth’s shoulders, my friend Camellia beamed and waved at me. Her pale blonde hair was tied back in thin braids, and there was a sprig of holly tucked behind her ear. She tapped the top of Jasmine’s head and pointed in my direction, drawing a sour frown from her mount.
The rest of the Twin Horns were with them, and when they turned in our direction, the crowd parted to allow them through.
Helen gave me a warm smile and patted Boo’s side. “Ellie. I should have known they’d drag you into this.” She gave Feyrith and Albold a sharp look, her smile quickly dropping.
Durden, who stood out from the crowd due to being at least a head taller than everyone else, frowned in an exaggerated kind of way, highlighting the scars over half of his face. “Ellie, you do know you’re riding your bear backwards, right?”
Camellia rewarded his joke with an appreciative laugh, but it faltered quickly. She looked down, letting a loose braid of pale hair fall over her face. “Sorry, I suppose this isn’t the time for laughter.”
“There’s always time to remind ourselves we’re still here kicking,” Angela Rose responded as she wrapped her arms around my mother, pulling her into a tight hug.
The old elf woman finally made her way through the crowd. She hesitated, looking around at the Twin Horns and me. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but…” Her gaze shifted to Feyrith. “I was hoping for a word before we began.”
Feyrith nodded, looking gaunt and serious. But when he looked at me, there was a softness in his features that seemed to undo some of the damage his time spent as a captive of the Alacryans had done. “Thank you again for being here, Ellie.”
And then they were gone.
I turned around so I was sitting properly on Boo, and Camellia clambered off Jasmine’s shoulders and onto Boo’s back behind me. Her arms wrapped around my waste and she rested her head on my back, squeezing me slightly.
“Things are going to get pretty rough,” Angela Rose mumbled, one arm still wrapped around my mother.
“Let’s hope not,” Helen said. “But if it does, remember that our role here is to keep people from hurting each other.”
Durden pulsed with mana, and a stone arm coalesced in place of the one he’d lost fighting at the Wall. “We’re with you as always, Helen.”
Our strange little family fell into a tense silence as we waited.
It wasn’t long.
Albold and Feyrith eased through the crowd until they could climb the stairs that led into the Town Hall. The usual guards that would have stood there were absent, and the doors were closed.
Albold tried to shout something, but his voice was lost in the din. Feyrith fired a kind of water burst up into the air, where it exploded with a popping, hissing noise, silencing the crowd.
“Most of you already know why we’re here,” he said when the last of the chatter had died down. “Some of you had already seen through the lies of our commander and are here to support this effort, but I know many of you are still skeptical. And I don’t blame you for that.”
He paused, letting his words settle over the crowd. “My fellow elves, we have lost much.” His voice cracked, and he paused again. “No one can heal the hole that has been torn in our hearts and souls at the destruction of our home, the careless genocide of our people. But I, Feyrith Ivsaar III, am telling you now that you deserve to understand why this was done to us.”
Feyrith’s voice rose as he spoke, becoming a shout that filled the cavern. “We have been lied to. Treated like children. Asked to align ourselves with our destroyers. Betrayed by our own leaders!”
This was met with supporting cheers from several elves, but most remained quiet. A few were obviously hostile to Feyrith’s message, glaring fiercely up at him. Beside me, I could see Helen clocking everyone who seemed like a potential threat, regardless of which side of the argument they were on.
“Proof!” a gray-haired elven man yelled, cutting over the cheers. He had a brand burned into the side of his neck, still shiny and scabbed. “How dare you accuse Virion Eralith, a man who has fought for us all his life, of betraying us without proof!”
There were a few cries of support, but more boos as Feyrith’s supporters tried to shout the man down.
“Are we supposed to take the word of a human girl over our own commander!” another elf shouted, a woman this time, her bright green eyes so full of bitterness and disdain that I felt bile rise up in the back of my throat.
The crowd fell into bickering, shouting across each other so their words were lost. All I could see was the division that was being caused, the fracturing of our fragile resistance, and how my words had brought us here.
“I hope you’re not taking their words personally, El,” a worried voice said as Emily Watsken appeared out of the crowd. Curly hair framed Emily’s soot-stained face, and there was a crack around the edge of one of her lenses.
“Em!” Slipping off Boo, I gave her a big hug. “What happened to you?”
She rubbed her cheek, further smudging the soot clinging to her skin. “An explosion at the lab, one of Gideon’s new projects…but never mind that. What did I miss?”
I sighed, leaning back against Boo. “Nothing but a bunch of shouting and dirty looks so far.”
Everyone else said their hellos, although the Twin Horns were mostly focused on the still seething crowd. I crawled back up on Boo, leaning into Camellia, who rested her chin on my shoulder.
“No one really blames you for anything, you know,” she said in a whisper. “They’re just scared.”
“Aren’t we all?” I grumbled, then blew out an unnecessarily loud sigh. “I just…”
Mom squeezed my leg and gave me an apologetic smile. “Being caught in the middle of world-altering events is apparently the curse of my children.”
I took my mom’s hand and laughed a little. “We’re just lucky, I guess.”
In front of the Town Hall, Albold had turned away from the crowd and was now hammering on the doors. “Virion! Virion, your people need to hear your voice. Address these accusations, or be named a—”
The doors flung open, nearly knocking Albold over backwards.
The Lance, Bairon Wykes, now personal guard to Commander Virion and member of the council, stood framed in the doorway, his gleaming armor alive with crackling lightning. His eyes blazed as little lightning bolts jumped from him to the walls and floor, burning scorch marks into the stonework.
“Clear off,” he ordered, his voice thrumming with the kind of power I’d rarely witnessed up close. Even fifty feet away, I felt the static discharge tingling across my skin, and tiny arcs of electricity jumped between the fine hairs on my forearms. “The commander won’t be dragged from his home by an unruly mob. If you want to talk, make an appointment.”
Feyrith and Albold were quick to recover. “Our own commander, once king of Elenoir, sends his attack dog to run us off. What is your plan, Lance? Will you—”
“Enough, Bairon, enough,” a rugged voice sounded from inside the Town Hall. The crowd—nearly driven into a frenzy by the Lance’s threats—went still and silent as a field of standing stones. “I will speak to my people.”
The Lance glared fiercely around before stepping out into the open and moving to the side. Virion came up behind him.
Although the old elf stood tall, each step firm and confident, I felt immediately like something was off. He was dressed in forest-green batttlerobes embroidered with golden leaves and vines, his hair pulled back into a tail, making him look regal and powerful…but that alone wasn’t enough to hide the deep tiredness that hung about him like a black cloud.
He didn’t immediately speak, but let his sharp old eyes track across the gathered refugees. Wherever they fell, the elves looked down. A few even wept, their soft snuffling the only sound.
“My brothers and sisters,” he began, his voice both firm and soft, somehow. Still the practiced tone of command, but also the grandfatherly projection of understanding. “You have asked for me, so here I am.”
I didn’t know what to make of Virion’s expression when his eyes scanned the crowd. “It pains me to see us like this—the last dregs of our civilization, hidden underneath the earth instead of flourishing in the forests of our birth…but more so that we are being pulled apart, and at a time when we need to come together more than ever.”
“No one is questioning anything you’ve said,” Feyrith responded from the bottom of the steps, looking up at Virion. He gestured to the onlookers with one hand. “But it’s hard to reconcile your message of unity with the reality of our situation, at least for me. Our home is gone, Virion…and the asura of Epheotus took it from us. Not the Alacryans. Do you deny it?”
Virion nodded along with Feyrith’s words. Before he answered, he took a deep, shuddering breath. “No, I don’t deny it.”
The crowd burst as people cried out in dismay or disbelief, some demanding to know why, others shouting that it couldn’t be true, that Virion was being manipulated somehow.
“Then why lie?” Albold shouted above the din.
“It was a necessary lie, told to keep the ragged tatters of our civilization from collapsing into despair.” As Virion spoke, he held his head up, facing the accusing gazes without flinching. “I may regret its necessity, but, given the chance, I would make the same decision again.”
“You would protect the asura over your own people?” Feyrith asked in disbelief.
Virion stood straighter, and when he glared down at the younger elf, his eyes were full of fire. “Do you see an asura before you, or are these ears not proof of my heritage!”
His sudden outburst smothered all other noise.
“Do you really think I have lived so long and fought so hard for Elenoir that I do not mourn its destruction just as deeply as any of you? Did the asura destroy Elenoir? Yes! And in the act, they eliminated an enemy foothold in this continent and cut the heads from many of the highest-ranking families of Alacrya. They burned the enemy’s war camps and magical laboratories. They cut off many of the long-range teleportation devices that connected Dicathen to Alacrya.”
From where I stood in the crowd, I could see the very moment when the crack in Virion’s disciplined, royal demeanor formed—the empathy and the emotion winning out as Virion’s eyes grew wet with barely suppressed tears.
“But they did not take our home.” Virion pressed one hand against his chest, gesturing to the crowd with the other. “Wherever we go, whatever becomes of the elven people, we carry our homes with us. Trees can be replanted. Houses rebuilt. Magic reclaimed. No one can take that from us.”
“But the people they killed can’t be reborn!” someone shouted, their voice choked with emotion.
“This is war!” Virion’s gravel-filled voice cracked, the word “war” crashing like a fallen tree among the crowd. “Sacrifice is necessary, even when the price seems beyond paying.”
The fire, momentarily so bright it seemed to glow out of him, died, leaving behind a very old, very tired elf. “Don’t let this tragedy push us into an even worse situation. We can’t properly mourn those we’ve lost until we save everyone who remains…”
The crowd was silent, watching Virion, Feyrith, and Albold with wide, wet eyes.
I didn’t agree with Virion. But…I understood him. His people were so fragile, had already been through so much. He was just trying to save them from whatever pain he could.
After a long pause, Virion motioned behind him for something. “It was the Alacryans who attacked our continent, invaded our homes, murdered our friends and family…executed our kings and queens…” A single tear fell from Virion’s eye, traveling in a zigzagging pattern down his craggy face. “This war ends when they are thrown from our shores.”
He turned to take something from the head guard, Lenna Aemaris, who then bowed and retreated back into the Town Hall. When he again faced us, he was holding a long, ornate box. It was made of a deep, richly black wood and bound with luminescent silver metal. With one hand, he opened the lid, revealing the contents to the crowd.
It was a rod, around two and a half feet long, with a gleaming red handle wrapped with golden rings every few inches. At the head of the rod, a crystal glowed with diffused lavender light. It was beautiful, but the sight of it sent a shiver down my spine.
“You all now know of the artifacts used to empower the Lances, which were long kept secret from the population, used to guarantee the safety of our kings and queens by both creating and binding the continent's most powerful mages in their service,” Virion said to the enraptured audience.
“Those artifacts no longer serve a purpose,” Virion continued, his voice soft, almost reverent. “And so, to keep them out of the enemy’s hands, our asuran allies have ensured they can’t be used again.”
Several onlookers shouted in dismay, but Bairon waved for silence, lightning crackling between his fingers.
“Instead, they have given us new artifacts,” Virion said, his voice rising, growing less tired and more powerful. He held up the box, making the rod’s lavender gem glint in the soft light of the underground cavern. “This is one of three artifacts capable of raising a mage to white core or even beyond, which could be our best chance to fight back against the Alacryans. Each artifact is specifically attuned to one of the three races of Dicathen, and can’t be used by anyone with Vritra blood, making them useless to the Alacryans.”
I couldn’t help but be surprised by the number of cheers that rose from the crowd. Glancing around, I realized that most of these people had been drawn here out of fear, not a search for truth, and Virion had just shown them what hope might look like. It suddenly mattered a lot less who had caused the disaster in Elenoir if we had had weapons like this to fight back against the Alacryans with.
“That’s…pretty good, isn’t it?” Camellia asked, still sitting behind me on Boo.
People were shouting out questions or words of praise, but one cut through the rest. “Who will be granted this gift, Commander Virion?”
Virion frowned, his brows coming together sharply as he closed the box and handed it back to Lenna. It grew quiet again as we all waited for an answer.
“Much remains to be decided,” he admitted, taking the first step down toward the people. “The old way—selecting just two warriors from each race—will no longer be sufficient. With these new relics, we could create an entire Lance Corps, and—”
“ —cause untold devastation while shackling our most powerful defenders to the Indrath Clan,” a croaky old voice cut in from somewhere in the audience.
I rapidly scanned the surprised faces until I found her. A hunched form, wrapped in both a cloak and a blanket, shuffled out from the doorway of one of the houses surrounding this square, pulling her hood back as she did so.
The crowd shuffled to give her room. A few of the elves bowed respectfully, but more gave her wary or even outright hostile looks.
She paid them no mind, moving shakily toward Virion. “These artifacts are designed to trap us in power. Ensure our subservience. I know what will happen if we make use of them.”
Virion’s frown etched deep wrinkles into his face. But instead of anger, I thought his expression showed more sadness and regret. “Rinia. Please, come inside and we can discuss this further.”
Ignoring Virion, Elder Rinia turned her head left and right, meeting the eyes of those closest to her. “If used, these relics will indeed help our mages grow strong, strong enough to fight the Alacryan Scythes. Together, in number, strong enough even to fight the asuras of the Vritra Clan.”
The audience was briefly filled with whispering, but it died out quickly. “Our enemy will respond by escalating his efforts on this continent—a distraction put in play by the Indrath Clan. The battles that follow will leave the continent in ruin. Xyrus will be ripped from the sky. Etistin, shattered and taken in by the ocean. The Wall, crumbled back into the earth. Dicathen, our home, will be in ruins, with titans still battling in the rubble.”
Virion was quiet when he asked, “And what will happen if we refuse Lord Indrath’s hand of friendship and break our alliance with the asura? With no allies, and no hope, I don’t need visions of the future to understand the fate of our continent then.”
Rinia scoffed derisively. “Your allies will use our people as fertilizer, from which they’ll grow a new nation after their war with the Vritra is settled.” Rinia’s demeanor softened somewhat as she looked at her old friend. “There are so few of us left, Virion. Don’t march the last of the elves to their own extinction.”
“Then what should we do?”
“The gods have turned against us—”
“—die fighting, at least!”
“—accept the asuras gift—”
“—destroy the artifacts—”
And so it went for a while. Helen and the Twin Horns stayed sharp and watchful, just in case things escalated, but no one took it beyond shouting or the occasional shove. Camellia stayed with me, her cheek resting against my back, her body tight as a bowstring. Mother wrapped her arm around my leg and leaned against Boo, her face unreadable.
“I wonder how they work?” I just barely heard Emily mutter under her breath. “I’ll have to ask Gideon…”
After a couple minutes of this, a heavy pressure, like before a coming thunderstorm, filled the chamber and made my ears pop.
Everyone went still as Lance Bairon took a step forward. “Silence,” he said firmly.
Virion gave Rinia a searching look. “We have a choice before us, then. But…”
Virion’s gaze tracked across the cavern, landing on Albold and Feyrith, and a few other leaders among the elves, before coming to rest meeting my own eyes. “If you all want to be heard—if you wish to shoulder the weight of not only your lives, but others’ as well—then that’s exactly what we’ll do.” Lance Bairon shot him a concerned frown, but wiped it away almost immediately. “Speak to your kin. Spread this information to everyone in this sanctuary, so that each and every one of us—displaced as we have been by the Alacryans—may express our desires. In three days, every human, dwarf, and elf in this sanctuary will be given the chance to vote on the matter, and determine the direction of our people. For better or worse.”
Mother pulled away, turning to leave, but I stayed, watching Virion as he took the steps down from the Town Hall slowly.
The crowd was breaking up, starting to disperse, some lingering to speak to Feyrith and Albold, others gathered around Rinia as if she were a candle in a dark room, but through the noise of it all I could just barely hear Virion’s words as he approached Elder Rinia.
“Rinia. Come inside. Let us speak, like we used to.”
The old seer pulled her blanket close around her shoulders. “Can’t,” she answered gruffly. “You don’t listen to me like you used to.”
She shuffled off, several elves trailing after her, and Virion caught me watching them. He inclined his head slightly in my direction, his emotions unreadable behind the fatigue and resignation clear in his every little movement.
Comments
Aaron
Also...the vitra blooded, their horns hold mana in addition to their cores. So it should be possible for others to make second concentrations of mana other than their core. For example, some animals have extra hearts, and blood vessels also work in a similar fashion. I think the horns work like that.
Please please please let arthur go back to his mom and sister next chapter turtle
Also once he just truly believes he can fly.. he should just be able to with Aether… i agree, his new fighting style might not be fancy, but instantly teleporting behind someone and cutting their head off with a sword that can cut anything is hella effective lol
I think that people get disgruntled with the Ellie POV chapter because they kind of just end up feeling like filler, since it's dedicating an entire chapter to a setting where everyone's stuck in one place and feeling hopeless - much like the previous Ellie POV's. The new information given is important and it sets up a few things, but was an entire chapter dedicated to this really necessary? Just wanna disclaim, I don't hate Ellie POV's.
I think Cecilia healing Nico's core sets it up that she might be the one to fix Arthur's core if anything. It just depends if they become friends again.
Aaron
To remake a mana core. It's not impossible since the power of aether is literally THE WORD in the biblical sense. Additionally...he has a small inner aether core then a 2nd much more potent outer aether core around it...so it wouldnt be a bad loss to turn that tiny core back into it's original mana core state... However, he very clearly has a fighting style and he wins when he sticks to it. He's been trained for absolute efficiency and purpose, that final killing stoke. He spent nearly all his time since reincarnating trying to adapt to endless possible uses for the elemental spells. If he had endless time he could find it useful. Yet every fight, he ended up using only efficiency to win, or random big mana moves then losing. For instance, creating a void of wind behind an attack to reduce the incoming power is great for someone who can only use wind. However, also practicing using earth spires to redirect force to the ground, on top of fire and water defense choices would be confusing. It's like if you know how to block with your hand, and your foot, and your elbow, and how to dodge, and parry. Which would you do? You'd need tons of practice to get good at each then tons of more experience to get good at automatically doing the correct one. If you look at the retainers and scythes, they each seem to have practiced until their decay type mana arts manifests near instant on both offence and defense in simple methods, not elaborate ones. In otherwords, they practiced their mana type into both a defense and offence because it's simple. So in short, aether has potential beyond the direct, but has an extreme efficiency in the direct. And arthers style IS THE DIRECT FENCER STYLE. So he might get a mana core back....but in THE SHORT TERM, it would be a detriment to him... where better efficiency and the ability to fly seems like all he needs to be able to potentially defeat every known character.
Wait. New theory that may or may not be completely absurd. The horn contains hyper condensed mana. Art needs to see mana and interact with it to unlock the key stone. Could he... use the horns to forge a new core? Okay hear me out: He can use aroa's requiem to restore things to their original state. His aether core was forged from his mana core. Hypothetically, he can partially restore his mana core from within his aether core and use the pure mana from the horn to feed his newly formed mana core. It's a bit out there but I have a sneaking suspicion that Art doesn't intend on relying on the presence of others to unlock the keystone...
With Ellie's POV we got important informations about Asura's plans for Dicathen people and about the artifacts they want give to them, so, i think that every single POV is important, because thanks to them we are able to follow the events from many view points and we are also able to identify with the characters to have a better understanding of the story's development....
You're in the minority for sure.
DGmG
am i the only ones that actually really likes ellie povs? there is so much negativity in these comments, lets give turtle some love <3
Did you notice the bonus chapter 374.5? We got 2 chapters this week, don't be mad
Aaron
When the alternate POVs are a necessary evil....
Mark
Many people myself included don’t mind POV’s if they are about Arthur / Grey. If they aren’t about the main character people just don’t care as much, after all it’s a story about Arthur not Dicathen.
OTSojourner
Why is every so mad at these Ellie chapters? I understand some of yall dont liken them cuz, as to quote Kyle Loomis, "... the plot in Dicathen is stagnant?" but we need these chapters to know what is going on, because, believe it or not, the world does not stand still while we are looking at another POV. things are always happening in the world and we will need this information for when we finally get back to that part of the world.
Kyle Loomis
Is the Ellie POV frustration because her character is annoying or is the frustration because the plot in Dicathen is stagnant? Is Turtle going to read complaints about Seth and Caera POV chapters after Arthur and Ellie reunite? Time will tell
Fast Lance
Furious with Turtle Senpai, I don't want Ellie's point of view take me back to Arthur, Seris, Ceara or the students.
Nik D
I wanna read but I’m so hungover 😭
Aaron
Art had alric procure some items and put them in a storage ring. Since art cant use mana to use the ring he'd have to be going someplace with friendly mages where he'll need the items. The rune gifting rod seems like a counter to the enthralling rod, so that would fit the criteria. So I think decathian is where this all ties in. He definitely can enter the relic tombs after setting them up with the rod and coming up with a plan. Remember, even if he was strong enough to challenge the asura right now the story would be over and boring. Imagine, as many of you have theorized, he finished the last keystone, rehatched sylvie and visited the remaining 2 djinn all in 3 days, he'd presumably be in his final form and strong enough for the climax so why would he go back? He'd just go on over to kezess and agrona and challenge or negotiate with them. Instead theres gonna be planning, unfolding of those plans, ups and downs, and chances in between for him to finish his quests. There will definitely be changes in the plans of both asura factions since they will both now know of art being a 3rd force to be reckoned with.
Breamson 𒉭
I would really like to know when this pov happens. I mean maybe I‘m over interpreting or it’s just a coincidence or it’s just because „3“ is such a popular number, but maybe this pov happens right before the Victoriad? The Victoriad goes on for 3 days and the vote is ending in 3 days. Also, maybe Arthur secured the horns of Cadell not only to absorb then somehow (he currently can’t even do that), but to give his people hope? Appearing in the middle of heated argument about the new artifacts and telling them he killed the strongest Scythe, showing off the horns as proof? Need another Ellie pov next week
Ossif
Give my boi Virion a break damn I hope he gets a happy ending. He deserves nothing less
Here is how I see it unfold, Art went to the missing djinn sites to learn about the other edicts, as we know time flows differently in the relic tombs, and even more so in the djinn zones, so within 3 days in dicathen, Art will be ready. He will show up right after the vote, either they vote No, and Winsdom will show up to threaten the lessers and Art will show up and shut his mouth, or they will vote Yes, and Art will show up and break their bond with the Indrath since the new relic appears to be aether made and Art has more understanding in aether than any of the Indrath.
Kyle Loomis
I’ll co-sign this theory ☝️
hellothere
I figured out what that last cube relic does: it will help Arthur train mana mages. This will replace the need to use Indrathian artifacts.
AJS
I also honestly think Arthur can’t just make a quicky “pit-stop” at Dicathen at all. I imagined everyone will ask him to stay to help them both morally and physically, especially Ellie. I believe Arthur will keep honing his skills and power until he’ll be able to fight all of the ashuras at least on equal term, hopefully he’ll become so powerful that he can defeat all of them too. 🤞🏻
I honestly have to agree with that. I never really liked Ellie's POVs much. And I feel like he waits until the most interesting parts of the story to throw in Ellie's POVs and it sucks. Like I hate criticizing him because I love his stories but I wouldn't mind Ellie's POV while he's teaching. Not at critical moments
Crysus
I am somewhat conflicted I absolutely love TBATE I read (probably too many) litRPGs and TurtleMe was a major part of sucking me I to the genre Since then I’ve expanded my horizon and been spoiled Though somewhat shorter chapters, series with five releases a week etc. keep me entertained Definitely NOT saying TBATE isn‘t worth it But in comparison, Turtle seems to struggle with alternative POVs, and except for the surprise this week have never really kept me engaged Here it just stops any momentum, whereas other not-to-be-named series keep their pace with occasional, relevant half-chapter POVs Sitting here, angry at myself for so much at criticising TBATE, but simultaneously have I never been so annoyed after waiting a week at the edge of my seat to receive an Ellie POV
Crysus
While I do appreciate a long chapter as much as anyone, I am fuming that it had to be damn *#%$ing Ellie POV chapter! 🤬
Kyle Loomis
Between the vague narrative clues from Arthur’s re-self-identification as Arthur and the potential crisis that is this mysterious new artifact from Indrath in three days, it indeed seems like we’re set up for a dramatic return to Dicathen very soon. There’s no reason for Arthur’s relictombs adventures to stop when he’s relocated to Dicathen. He has means and motive to continue exploring, and the relictombs are a better method for fellow Dicathen soldiers to level up.
Jesse Gibson
Hmm.. everyone keeps saying that because he says he needs to brace himself he can’t be talking about going back into the relictombs.. but he’s almost died a lot there-I’d brace myself too to prepare for it, especially if my goal was to get more powerful, it would mean putting myself through harsher conditions than I had already done in the past. From Ellie’s POV we know they have three days to vote.. that means Art has three days he could use (not that he knows) to go and get the remaining pieces from the djinn and make some breakthroughs. I honestly have been waiting for him to end up with a similar relic like the aether orb or skill deeper than the one he has now to manipulate time where he can train and time is different on the outside. But either way he’s got time to make pit stops and head back to Dicathen. Or… he could be heading somewhere we haven’t really thought about yet, so we shall see what TurtleMe has in store for us. Thanks for another awesome chapter Turtle! I can’t wait for next week!
Art is going to come back and also show Bairon who's stronger :)
I have a feeling that they will not use those artifacts. Arthur also might have ask alaric to put the device use in bestowal ceremony to give runes to the remaining dicathen mages.
We don't know for sure if this is all happening at the exact same time as the last chapter so my thought is that they'll gather to vote and right before they decide, Arthur will come through the portal and shock everyone with the revelation that he's still alive.
Obi Wan Kenobi
Always disliked her character….
Tawwab Rahimi
Arthur will still roam the relicombs and during that time the rest of the dicathens will move less aggressively against alacrya and be secretly monitored by the indraths favorite pet windsom
Jason
I wonder how Arthur is going to both gather the remaining runes, and make a hyped return to Dicathen? In daddy turtle we must trust.
Fluxxx
Can't wait for the "sideline" to get a visit from our favorite aether scientist...
I love read Ellie Pov and now I really don't know what wait for... I want Art go to relitcombs AND come back to Dicathen - but both seems difficult, because if he came back I think his training time will (almost) run out - which means he wouldn't get stronger so fast...
I think Turtleme has done an amazing job in telling the story so far and everyone should just appreciate the chapters he puts out. He's working hard, not to mention we got 4 POV's this week- not just Ellie's.
I really look forward to seeing how Art interacts with the Asurans who still believe him to be on their side. The politics are going to be glorious. Love the chapter as always turt, your pace is perfect and results in a beautiful story with well-defined highs and lows
Breamson 𒉭
I feel a little bit conflicted because of this chapter. I mean first, I like Ellie Povs and overall I like this chapter as well. Considering what happened in the last chapters, it’s fine and good to have a chapter which is a bit slower. We now also got the new artifacts and Rinia hinted that they won’t be the solution, but rather the cause of a bigger problem. Which is very interesting, because it shows that the Indrath clan really doesn’t care about the population of Dicathen. However, the reason I‘m conflicted is, because of how the last chapters have set this chapter up. With Agrona appearing and Arthur saying that this lift the weight off of his decision on how to move forward. With Arthur discarding the persona of Grey and even telling Alaric to call him Arthur. With basically leaving Caera for good (although of course they gonna meet again, but just from Arthur’s perspective it seemed like he didn’t think about seeing her again in the near future), which speaks in favor of him returning to Dicathen imo. Also, the portal doesn’t lead into the relictombs imo, because he said he would’ve to „brace“ himself for what’s coming next and I don’t think he would say that if he would just go back into the relictombs. Also, with how the chapter ended (we don’t know where the portal leads him, and a lot have theorized it will lead back to Dicathen), and then the Ellie pov, I was kinda expecting Arthur to return and it’s a little bit disappointing that he didn’t. Hopefully we will get another Ellie pov next week, where they will show that the 3 races have voted in favor of the artifacts, but Arthur returns last minute to stop them.
ethernyx
i think dicathen will learn of arthur survival soon, if the victoriad is so important then it should have been diffused even in dicathen for the alacryan troups stationned there. and in consequence some might have recognized arthur and seeing him killing two scythe. this or windsom or aldir tell virion that arthur is fighting agrona and his army alone in alacrya and will ask the lance corps to be created and send them to help
Love it. I wish people would stop being spoiled brats and just be grateful that daddyTurtle is giving us an amazing story. Other pov are important no matter what’s happening. It’s what gives the story depth. Be grateful! As always i leave wanting more!
Pls give me more chapters
I called it what I tell you
I was a little disappointed that Arthur didn't make his return, but I have faith that Turtleme will make his return great. Maybe he'll return during the vote
the number of comments and likes says it all T-T No hate towards Ellie but Ellie pov is kinda boring
Breamson 𒉭
I mean who says he doesn’t return in the next chapter? I mean there are some things speaking in favor and some things speaking against a return. Like we don’t know anything about the portal, but Arthur said he has to brace himself for what’s to come next. I don’t think he would say that about the relictombs. Also, he returned to the persona of Arthur, which imo also implies he’s returning. Also, Caera said that Arthur’s face implied that he would be leaving for good (also meaning leaving her). I don’t think it would’ve been said in a way like this, if he would only go back into the tombs
ForTheAfro
Just for balance sake I want to say I love Ellie chapters Turtle. Different perspectives are always good and seeing Ellie who we’ve been with since she was a little girl become more important in the grand story is kickass. Thanks for all the hard work!
Chad
Why would he remotely have to fight against his friends and family. I can’t think of any reasons why that would happen
Thought Rinia would’ve brought the hype just a little bit, but not even a hint towards Arts movements from her to the people or even a glimpse of hope from her, just the assurance that if they side with the asuras there continent and lives will be forfeit
Chad
Never until art tells them likely. No other way they could find out
Chad
If he can travel back to dicathen then he can likely also travel to any relicomb
Chad
Hoping they vote right in front of the portal so when he shows up everyone sees
Chad
No that would be revealing to much and would likely change the future so she can’t say that
If the things are gonna go like this in an hypotetic clash with the Asura Arthur might end up fighting against his own family and friends without taking in account the fact that he has to fight also against Nico and Cecilia. He will be alone against everybody...So i hope Arthur will show up to sort the things out and give hope to his people before it's too late to go back..
Chad
What? Lol. No one can get across the sea including art unless he uses his relic how would they have spies
Jon Chefitz
Damn great chapter, and im really happy to see what was happening back in dicathen. But damn did I want Art to show up, or like a portal to glow to life at the end. Oh well we will have to wait for the hero’s return another time. Can’t wait for the next chapter thanks turtle! How many more chapters does everyone thing before art comes back im thinking it will b last chapter of this book.
Okcrk
ah, the long-awaited Ellie POV :D Can't wait for Arthur to casually stroll in and kick Windsom out xD
Bernardo De Cabrio
When Emily said "I wonder how they work.." it sent shivers down my spine thinking what the Dicathian army would look like, if Gideon not only succeeds in creating more guns but also in replicating the artifacts. It would be so ironic since both Dicathen and Alacrya would be fighting science with science, with the asura on the sideline noticing that they should have never underestimated scientists (since Agrona is technically a scientist)
Wonderful chapter its nice to know how they doin but i wonder when word of a scythe’s death will reach them!!
Brasidas
Poor Art, always gotta be the primary solution(hope).
Scott Nagel
Arthur can’t show up to help until he’s finished with the relictombs. He doesn’t have the leverage against Kezess who’s keeping his family hostage.
AntiMatterDynamite
back to nice and slower storytelling... at this point though it's obvious arthur is coming back to dicathen - which is super exciting
Hoping Art shows up right before this vote
Also seeing as grey didn't make an appearance I figure he is in the relictombs which makes more sense now that I think about it. After all he has only gone to two out of four ruins and hasn't unlocked the secrets of the keystone in his possession
Daniel Canales
I thought Rinia would say smth like "We still have a hope, he's just taking his time" or smth along the lines. Also, I feel Ellie will choose to use the artifact, but art will break whatever binding it creates between her and indrath
Ellie pov nice. We needed to see the situation at dicathen. Although I am surprised that the news of scythe cadell's death hasn't spread yet. I thought the Asuras would have a spy or two in Alacrya
Kevin Catambay
Good chapter!!! Definitely feel for all humans, elves and dwarves of Dicathen - hurry and get more keystones Arthur!!
Not yet, perhaps in three days right before they vote?
I somewhat hoped Art/Grey would just appear at the end and then we would get the explanation how he got there next chap before than moving forward with what is going on
Trevor Poole
Great chapter
WaK3 Ca11
LETS GO ELLIE POV
Thanks for the chapter. meh, i will have to pay next month.
Evan
I knew it Elie POV
Evan
I knew it Elie POV
SouperRiskyyy
Nice
Edd R
yo
Chickita Banana
Thank you big daddy we love you!💋❤
Michi
Ayeee the Ellie pov is here all hail turtle me
spoopyjo
Omg an ellie POV im exited!!!!
Kamjam
Let's gooooo 👉😁👈 I'm commenting before even reading the chapter
Chris Chelette
First!
