confrontations and a challenge ( kelsier + rashek )
lord-ruler
I.
Am going to kill you.
mistbxrn
you’ve already tried. twice. planning to make a fool of yourself a third time?
lord-ruler
I succeeded, once. I’ll do it again.
mistbxrn
how exactly did you succeed when I’m still up and breathing?
and besides, I haven’t even done anything this time. or is my existence really that offensive to you? you should have told me sooner, rashek, I’m overjoyed
lord-ruler
I know what you did. Don’t play dumb with me you vermin.
mistbxrn
enlighten me
lord-ruler
My whole house smells like unwashed skaa. Who else could it be?
mistbxrn
idk, literally anyone else? news update, no one likes you
lord-ruler
I know it was you.
And you will pay for this.
mistbxrn
you say that a lot but your results are lacking
lord-ruler
Dueling is something they do here, isn’t it?
mistbxrn
I think so
lord-ruler
Do you see where I’m going with this or do I have to spell it out for your simple mind.
mistbxrn
do I want to duel alendi? yeah sure
lord-ruler
No you idiot. Duel me.
I’ll teach you not to touch my stuff.
mistbxrn
if we’re gonna duel like rosharans, we play by their rules, yeah?
lord-ruler
yes.
mistbxrn
no feruchemy, no compounding, no metal weapons
lord-ruler
No. I have heard of Rosharians using their abilities during duels.
mistbxrn
yeah, allomancy would be fine. not the other stuff.
lord-ruler
Why in the world would Allomancy be okay but not Feruchemy? What logic is there in that?
mistbxrn
I’m not a feruchemist?
lord-ruler
So?
mistbxrn
rosharan duels are supposed to be balanced
but hey if you really need to use your feruchemy we don’t need to have this duel
lord-ruler
Fine, no feruchemy, but I keep my gold bracers. Because I need those to live.
mistbxrn
no healing in the duel
lord-ruler
Very well.
mistbxrn
and I pick the judge
lord-ruler
I am going to hurt you legally or illegally. This will be less troublesome.
[following Kelsier learning that Vin and Elend are adopting]
mistbxrn
what. did you. do.
not-elend
I’ve done a lot of things that might merit your disapproval; to which are you referring?
mistbxrn
actually, no. I’m not as angry as I was, and if you both want to do this I won’t stand in your way. but I know it was your idea, and I’m not pleased.
not-elend
It may have been my idea, but Vin wants this just as much as I do. I didn’t “do” anything to make her agree.
I would have thought you’d be happy; although I honestly can’t say I’m surprised you’re not.
mistbxrn
excuse me? I /am/ happy. for her. if this is going to make her happy, then I’m excited for her. it just doesn’t sit right with me that this is /your/ idea. she’s barely 20, elend. you see my issue here?
mistbxrn
I’ve talked with her, and I’m going to try to help you both as much as possible when I can. and though I honestly believe you should both wait, it’s not my decision. I know that.
not-elend
I do see your issue; it is and always will be that I’m not skaa. You will never approve of anything so long as it’s my idea, simply because you’ve decided that anyone born to an upper class is an irredeemably terrible person.
I do appreciate your being willing to help, anyway. While I’m at it, I should thank you for not murdering me, as well.
mistbxrn
you think you’re witty, don’t you? I saved your life. I didn’t have to. and then they turned around and handed you an empire while I was almost dead. you, a nobleman who sat around theorising about government while hundreds died in the streets and calling yourself a good person for it. if vin didn’t love you, I doubt I would have tolerated that. so you’re welcome, for that, and for all future incidents where you piss me off to the point where, if you were anyone else, I would have murdered you.
it seems the one thing we agree on is not wanting to upset vin. so of course I’ll help her.
not-elend
I never claimed to be a good person, much less for that. I know that I did nothing when I could have done something. I’m not proud of it. But I was given another chance to change things, and I took it. All I want is to do what I can to make Scadrial a better place- for everyone. Forgive me for not being properly grateful for your refraining from my murder; I tend to view life as a basic right, not a privilege to be granted by those who disagree with you.
lower-than-you
hello, Kelsier. we have not talked and i am not from Scadrial but…
it’s… interesting to see another person who… appreciates being worshipped.
mistbxrn
skai right? hey
it’s a long story
lower-than-you
you do seem to like it, though … or am i over-inferencing from one of your posts?
and yes, i am skai
mistbxrn
it. is a very, very long story
it was necessary at the time
lower-than-you
mm. my story… well i wouldn’t blame you if you hated me for it
i … had a shard. none of the shards are good no matter how benign they sound but. Dominion especially was not so. like all shards ultimately do, it took control of me… so i am most of what is wrong with my Sel
mistbxrn
I don’t fully understand shards, since saze and fuzz are the only two who are holding/have held a shard that I really know but dominion…doesn’t sound like a good thing. it took complete control, though? what you did wouldn’t be your fault, if you weren’t in control.
I’m not actually a god, though, I’m just worshiped like one. I held preservation for a bit, but it never…changed me. I don’t think so, anyway. you’d have to ask fuzz.
lower-than-you
from what i understand, it doesn’t seem like you were changed by it.
and yes, it was very much Dominion that made me… do things like inspire shu-dereth. you’ve met hrathen, right? he’s Dominion’s fault.
mistbxrn
I haven’t actually talked to him but I’ve heard bits of one of his sermons and. he sounds like a damn obligator sometimes
lower-than-you
yeah…
i really want to change shu-dereth myself. because i _am_ the god they think they’re following. i want to just tell them that i want them to stop killing and forcibly converting people!
but _apparently_ they - or hrathen, at least - doesn’t think i could _possibly_ be their god…
mistbxrn
so you con them
lower-than-you
…something like, except i would actually be telling them the truth
mistbxrn
well, you’d be conning them into believing the truth they won’t hear otherwise. not too hard a trick to pull, since it’s true
lower-than-you
mm, you’re right
i don’t know much about conning though
mistbxrn
well in that case it’s a good thing you’re talking to the greatest thieving crewleader in scadrial
lower-than-you
it is!!
so, what is the first step?
mistbxrn
well the first step is dox and I do our research on the country but before that you and I will need to make a deal
lower-than-you
okay. what are the terms of this deal?
mistbxrn
how you’re going to pay us, namely
lower-than-you
i am not sure i really have money
i was in a coma for a while.
mistbxrn
last time I did something of this scale it was half up front and half after but
if you don’t have the money you can pay us from whatever you get after they recognize you as their god
lower-than-you
that should work although _that_ part would probably have to be with the highest level of secrecy, i think most people from Fjordell would… object to money going offworld
mistbxrn
there’ll be costs to cover in the meantime, of course, but I can have dockson keep a tally of those. we can make this work, I should think
you’ll want to met everyone?
lower-than-you
yes, i will!
should i try to get some people from my Sel involved as well? it might be good if at least some of the people involved are from the world this is happening on
mistbxrn
mm. who’d you have in mind? I know raoden isn’t all that bad, but he /is/ a king.
we can have a crew dinner tomorrow night, anyhow
lower-than-you
yeah, Raoden would probably be busy… maybe if Shuden’s calmed down from the revelation that i created my Sel, i should invite him?
and my Aona would almost certainly want to be involved
mistbxrn
I’d want to meet them both, first - I’m known to be a bit choosy when it comes to who works on my crew, and they need to be good people. but if they’ll be working on your end, that’s a different thing. if I could meet them both before you meet the crew, that’d be fantastic
lower-than-you
alright! I can arrange that
mistbxrn
just let me know when and I’ll be there
wait is shuden the one arguing with eton
lower-than-you
yes
mistbxrn
he might be useful
I definitely want to meet him at least
…even if he /is/ a noble
do you know anyone who /isn’t/ a noble?
lower-than-you
not particularly… not many non-nobles from my Sel are in the area
mistbxrn
damn
we’ll need an informant in the nobility, but I’d prefer someone who isn’t noble
and we might need one in fjorden, too.
lower-than-you
i _definitely_ do not know anyone from fjorden
Shuden is a good person, though.
mistbxrn
maybe
could aona help with the fjorden angle?
lower-than-you
as much as i could. she knows it from the angle of having created it, but…
mistbxrn
I can always try to hire a kandra if we can’t get aona or someone to go undercover, but atium is in short supply these days
lower-than-you
she can probably go undercover
she just doesn’t have a lot of pre existing insider knowledge
