Chapter 28:

Chapter 28: Fools still love their families and they should be loved for it.



'This world is a dump in dire need of burning.' I thought to myself.

This I have decided after I tried to use the wrong entry into the city and was hit by an obscenity of despair and Eldar begging to be put to use because they had found no purpose.

I puked, I will admit without shame that it made me puke for it was the single most disgusting thing I had seen in my life.

I have walked-as-god-and-killed-as-it, I have seen the horrors of the New God that it loves inflicted on its people and seen innocents killed and I have done worse to them. I did not puke then, but The Valley of Silent Screams made me puke and I hadn't even entered the city then.

Eldar are prideful, Eldar are capable and if they cannot be tricked into doing something by their families and lords who are lords because they do so, then they will have to find something to do by themselves.

'Eldar are not meant to beg for something to do, how this trash heap managed to break these Sword fools so, I do not know.' I thought saddened.

Their culture was idiotic as all must resolve around the use of the blade or on things that make it easier for others to do, or to make it easier to learn to do so.

When somebody cannot do any of that they are forsaken by their family.

Caideam Caiir and his family didn't, despite every single shred of culture of their world demanding that he do so and shed the shame his own daughter brought on his family for not being able to learn a blade properly.

Instead he disinherited her, and offered her to continue living with him and his family as a servant and probably offered to trick a fool into marrying her and helping her find a home and then told to not return.

This is how disinheriting someone from the family works in all Eldar cultures, as you can either stay but not as family or you will be provided all the assistance a family would normally give to their children but you cannot return to the home of your parents or claim them as such anymore.

By any sane standards it was excessively cruel to either allow a woman to live in her former home but not be a proper part of the family or give her a new family and exile her from the home she previously lived in.

Still better than being forsaken and the greatest kindness a family can give to their children on this world in such a situation without being ostracized by society and the family of my new apprentice couldn't even do that right because the girl is still allowed to look after her younger siblings and it is obvious that they still love her even if they try and fail to show it.

The father strained his soul to make me the pen and wraithbone I used to write on in five heartbeats then proceeded to make her a weapon while it hurt, her mother took her back as if it was natural and rushed to pay off the favor I gave for doing so and has been hunting down the entire city for servants of Cegorach or where to find them and spending favors like water to have people go to other cities and do the same there while the daughter is filtering through the poor souls for the ones I demanded after her younger brother risked his apprenticeship with me by demanding a favor to help her.

You do not ask for favors from a prospective Master when you seek to become their apprentice, you're already doing it when you want to become their apprentice and asking for two different ones at the same time without shame is an insult.

I was not insulted, for he risked his future to help his sister and I will respect that and take him as apprentice and not as student. I can teach him to whisper without harming others in a week, more like two days and the rest of the days would be used making sure he can do so consistently.

It's a trick more than anything but I've decided to reward the most Eldar family I have seen on this world outside of the Sirens by taking him as my own apprentice and granting them the greatest honor I can grant individuals of such kindness.

I intend to have them look over the Orphanages I plan to open in the future seat of power of the Sirens, and my apprentice will do so for the one dedicated to Hoeth.

If I can't do that I'll just have one of them be prince or princess, even if it's not as important or honorable but I need some Eldar with the right mentality left to rule over this trash heap when I run as I'll take my wives and children both old and soon to be born with me and either involve them in my schemes or send them to meet my daughter and apprentice to look after them.

I can't return to that world now but I can still send them to the most fortified location I can make for them, I'm sure Gua Bis would adore looking after them.

But first I need to know how much the local culture has atrophied the minds of my hosts.

"I have come for my first lesson master." My new apprentice said as he came and knelt in front of my bed.

It was noon now and I instructed him to meet me now to let me to rest and destress.

I prefer sitting and thinking on my bed, it reminds me of my old life where I had the best ideas just before bed and needed to decide if I wished to write them down or go to sleep.

"Good apprentice, but your first lesson starts tomorrow and I insist your family be present for it as it will be short but important and from what I'm seeing your family needs it too. Today I try to see what I have to work with, as you are my apprentice and I need to leave you the right habits once I leave, not merely teach you a skill you can learn in a week." I told him kindly.

"Before then, please stop kneeling down on the floor and sit as I do on my bed, we'll be here for a bit as I ask you questions, and it is obvious you have some as well, you can sing them to me."

He hesitated at my words but did as I did and he crossed his legs as our conversation started.

"What do you mean by a week master?" My apprentice asked in song and whisper of Khaine as he finished crossing his legs and facing me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"This is a trick, I learned it in a week and took me a bit longer to do so safely. I can teach you the basics today, you would learn how to do it properly by tomorrow and in a week have the tools to sing as you wish." My master sang.

His song did not have the voice of Khaine in it. It sounded just like his voice.

"I still wish to learn it as soon as possible master, my family had my sister block the murderous intent of my song to allow me to do sing and not kill myself." I sang.

It felt good to sing and even better to no longer fear I would harm those I loved when I did so.

"Very well, I will teach you in the day after the lesson I will hold for you and your family, but first I wish for you to answer my questions to know what I need to teach you and what bad habits I need to break." My master said kindly.

"Thank you master." I said as I bowed.

"My first question for you is, do you know the difference between speaking with your soul and song?"

I had to take a bit to think about it. Master just described the same thing twice as if they were different things.

"No master I do not know the difference, I wasn't even aware there was one to begin with."

Master looked like he expected the answer but would not hide the disappointment in his song.

"There is, it's part of the trick I've learned and why I can make Wraithbone without special tools, but I can teach you that easily. Next question what is a blade, and why are Eldar such?"

Will I be able to do the same? I wish to be able to learn from my father how to do so but the blessing of Khaine prevents me from doing so.

"A blade is an implement of murder, and all Eldar are such because we are born of the gods and they of us." I responded and kept my question to myself

It was what I was taught and what my family believed. My master radiated disappointment still.

"A partial answer that creates the wrong mentality, but I will teach you otherwise tomorrow. You are to make a meal for everyone by yourself tomorrow in front of me and your family, and I'll explain how your thinking is flawed and how you did so poorly after we eat it because I can assure you, this mentality created by your answer is wrong but this is fine.

I will not punish you for it for those blessed by Khaine always need to unlearn bad habits before they do things right."

"Yes Master." I responded.

I didn't understand, but I was the apprentice and my master will teach me tomorrow.

"Good, final question. Why did you and your family not Forsake your sister? Was it so that she can serve you and block your song?"

I recoiled at the question. It was asked in the same disappointed tone as the others but this one actually insulted me and it insulted my family.

"No master, such a thing would be abhorrent and she was disinherited before I was born! No, father disinherited her after failing to find her anything to do for 100 years after she became an adult and kept her in our home still, because he loves all his children, even if it caused us to be distant from his cousins and siblings now." I sang vehemently.

Master stopped feeling disappointment when I finished singing.

"Good, I hoped this was the case and I'm glad to hear that my intuition was correct. This is all I need of you today. You can go check on your sister, I think she and your mother returned with the poor souls I need as I hear some new ones with her."

It was a test and it seems I have passed.

"Thank you master, I will do so." I said as I bowed and left.

I went through the courtyard to meet mother and my sister.

I saw them and four groups of people.

I rushed to hug sister, and she can't tell me she isn't my sister now. I managed to tackle her from behind which almost earned me a small mouthful of her long blonde hair but I didn't care for it for I could call her sister now.

"Big sister, you've returned, have you managed to find what you went to look for?" I said as I tackled her.

"Little brother, yes! I managed to find the poor souls your master asked for and a servant of Cegorach to teach me the full dance, albeit they said they'll leave me the instructions later as they are in a hurry."

She called me brother and returned the hug.

"Good, you are now my big sister, no more nonsense about young masters!" I said.

She was shorter than me now that I am an adult, and I wished master would have shown us both weapon and the dance he did, so she could have picked me up and call me such when she could. Now our size makes it too awkward

We'll have to make do and she has a lot of 'little brother' she needs to give me to pay me back for my 'Big sister' were not returned for too long.

"I am glad to see you and your family happy apprentice, also sister of my apprentice, the servants of Cegorach mean to kidnap you for that's how they recruit individuals who ask to learn how to dance. They then give them debts they have to repay and make it impossible to do so after they took them in until they join a troupe.

Just capture one of the fools and offer them their lives for the insult and they'll stop. Or you can just ask for leave for a few decades to spend with your family before joining when you capture them if you do wish to join them."

My master interjected as we stood and hugged each other. I let go so that sister can thank him properly and bow.

Bowing is important, it shows respect to those skilled and the deeper it is the more you respect them or the more skilled they are.

"I will consider it when I see them, I do owe it to them and I will hear their offer, but I will stay at least fifty years home to make up for lost time." Sister said as she went down on her knees and bowed until both her face and part of the upper body touched the dirt.

"Good, now rise and introduce me to the poor souls you brought me." My master said as sister rose.

"Yes, they are from left to right the souls made of string, paper and or ink, next are shuriken pistol-swords and variations, next are those that do not fit well but thought might be useful and the fourth are souls similar enough to mine that I wish to see if the partial dance you have taught me can help them or if not recommend them to join the troupes of Cegorach." Mother interjected as my sister rose.

My master was pleased if the smile on his face was anything to go by.

There were twenty poor souls, eight in the first two groups and two in the others.

"Good I will look over them, apprentice please join me, as you will meet your lessers and my students today for you are my apprentice in singing as Khaine while they my students in my medicine peddling and it will be your duty to make sure they are not going to do foolish things or stop them from committing suicide as I teach them."

My master called and I joined his side as he went to look after the poor souls.

"Good prospective students I am Bessar Agail, son of the Silver Hand and filial disciple of the founder of my home the Laughing Blade and call myself a medicine peddler even if few seem to agree with how I defined it. I have requested that the family of my friend help me find some poor souls for I have need of them, please kneel and follow my instructions so that I may see what I can teach you."

They were already kneeling in rows of two by the time he finished speaking and separated into the group with a visible gap between each. They were looking up with joy one shouldn't feel when they were told they would need to be stopped from committing suicide.

"First group, your souls are that of crafters, you will make my medicine, for it is medicine I have created for stupidity, mental illness and boredom and the best cure for that is Murder. Second group you are less talented at making it but you can do both that and can administrate it for your souls are similar to mine.

The other two groups I will have to look over you properly to say for sure. But I will look over all your souls one at a time to make sure of it." Master said and I joined him to look over them.

They did so from left to right and master said that they can stay where they are. The first two group were just variations of what master asked.

"Good, the first two groups, I will have to find some place to teach you properly in, but go tell your former families that you have found a craft relating to implements of murder and take them back if you wish for it or don't. I am willing to have you join the people of my noble-wives if you have none to take you back or to take back, if you swear to treasure them and not treat them worse for lacking citizenship, as my wives are lovely and their people wise."

"We have forsaken our families teacher, we will join those who would have us and call you our lord." The sixteen said as one as their heads touched the ground.

Master sighed, he did not like that answer.

"My order still stands, go tell them of it if they will hear it, if they don't or you won't take them back that's fine, I accept your oath and name you my swords, now do as I ordered and return when finished."

Master ordered and they left.

We moved in front of the third group. They were twins, one woman and one a man and showed their souls at the same time for twins share all, including the shape of their souls.

Both had shuriken-blade souls, a soul made out of a shuriken that is made out of blades and were blessed by Khaine.

'How did these two not find a blade to learn?' I thought in wonder.

"Why are you poor souls? Your souls scream for murder and to spread despair, how did you get forsaken?" Master asked incredulous.

"We are twins master, no matter what weapon or moves we tried none worked, even trying to replicate the shape of our souls failed and our clan abandoned us as broken." The female one said.

"I sense divine nonsense, and there's no other way to explain it if I wish to remain sane, but as I am also in need of repaying some debts to the divine and their servants I'll excuse it for now."

My master's holofield dropped when he finished speaking and we saw he was wearing an obscene number of small tablets beneath it, enough to serve as armor but each had strange runes on them. We all gasped.

Master picked two from one of his many pockets.

"I do not wear armor, these are merely the favored tools of my trade, those which I am about to give you are the first I have made and created and the most loyal. These are Swords of Valor and they are the older brothers of my Murder Dream Charms that have earned me the many favors of the blessed of Lileath I am owed. They are my medicine for those foolish enough to think that young children make for meals. I will give you one, please tell me if it fits right, and if it feels that it flows but is broken let me know, I will give you another or more to test."

The two received the Sword of Valor reverently and a sword of song started to sing through the air. Each tablet was half as long and as wide as my palm and they were thinner than most blades at their widest but blunt.

"They… they flow master, but it feels broken, incomplete but not wrong." The woman said.

Master gave them ten more each. He had plenty of them.

Each used them in the air with grace as they made various shapes in the air and they sang as they did so.

"These are the brothers of a slave boy turned prince and serve with honor and valor to all who are friends of the pious and with fury against the foolish, and you may keep them as they fit you well. I will not order you to go to your families but I would like to give you the offer to serve as the guardians of my wives and learn to use these in their service. You will join me as my blades until then to learn how to use those tools and others of my craft and how to repair them."

As he finished doing so the holofield turned back on.

"We swear that your wives will not die before us Lord!" The two bowed as low as they could.

Master turned to my father who joined us as he finished with the second group.

"Good, my friend! I'm sorry to impose but can my new blades live with me?"

"Naturally friend, you don't even need to ask! Like I'll forbid the protectors of the wives of my friend to live under my roof. You are mad to even consider I would demand as such!" My father said with joy.

"Master why do you carry a large enough arsenal on you to supply armies?" I asked in song as we moved to the last group.

I was very glad I could do so without harming those I cared for.

"I call myself a medicine peddler my boy, I need medicine to peddle to those armies in case they are ill." Master stated in amusement as if his medicine didn't require him to carry so much Wraithbone on him it looked like it was armor.

I remembered what he said his mission was and I was suddenly very glad father decided to assist Master, for Master is a peddler of Medicine for illnesses whose cure is Murder and he's perfectly willing to administer it to armies and cities of princes.

"Good now, final group please show me your souls one at a time."

They did and they were almost like my sister's moments in time that changed depending on when and how you looked. Master looked shocked.

"I… I cannot help you, the dance I gave the sister of my apprentice is a partial one I had only seen once and is imperfect and incomplete. She would be better as a seer as well I believe, but I knew a weapon that would fit her so I gave her that. Find some followers of Cegorach or Lileath, for you have the blessing of one or the other and ask to be apprenticed as seers if they will take you, for your souls are perfect for it, but I am not a seer and know not their arts. My younger brothers do, but they do not wish for apprentices."

"We thank you for providing us a way forward! We thank you again, again and again filial disciple of the Laughing Blade and know that we are in your debt!" The two men shouted and sang.

"Good, I'm sorry I cannot help you as much, but take this. It's a Murder Dream Charm. It helps protect from nightmares but requires two individuals, a protected and protector and in order to use it the protector needs to place two drops of blood on the hexagon and the protected on the square. Do not let them fully break but repair them yourselves before, for if they break you cannot fix them without remaking them." Master said and pulled two other wraithbone tablets and gave one to each.

They too bowed until their head touched the ground then left.

"Good, my blades please rise for you will join me in my room where you can rest, tell me of yourselves and I'll prepare myself to see if you have any talent for fixing my craft or if I need to assign a medicine maker to you to keep you supplied and to make sure you can protect my lady-wives in perpetuity from the mental illnesses that leads others to think they can harm them." Master said and his blades immediately joined his side.

"Apprentice, go to your family and recover some lost time with your sister, your learning plan remains the same."

"Yes master, but I do have a question, how do you do what you do?"

I was curious and wished that my family and I would help our children and grandchildren so that none would feel as sister did.

"Oh, that's simple my apprentice, hardly even worth mentioning, the shape and material of your soul tells you what you're the best at and the blessing what the gods wish you would do with it and I'm very good and telling the two.

I am not good at finding what people are the best at, unless I myself know it or of it, but I can put them somewhere close and let them figure it out from there. This is why on other worlds only masters look upon the souls of their apprentices to know how to approach the apprenticeship and if they can be taught all they know or just a part of it, or if perhaps the apprentice will surpass the master."

I bowed to my master and sang in thanks and acceptance to him. I had a lot of it to recover and my sister can't tell me no when I get to choose her dresses for her now, for it's time for her to know what it feels like!

~~~~~~~~

Eight hundred and twenty six years, that's how long we had been forsaken by our families for.

We are both 926 years old now, 826 of which have been spent in shame and without purpose. Now we serve a master and have an honorable purpose andone we will learn how to do well, for the man who has given us a purpose and the tools to fulfill them is just and he has asked of us to protect his wives that he shared with us now carry his children, and he wishes to grant them citizenship and for that he needs the favor of a prince.

"What is the purpose of this lesson master? We see that it is meant for us as well as the family of your apprentice, but how does cooking teach?" My younger half, Iameas said.

She and I are two parts of the same whole and yet we retain individuality, for I begged to have a family and I only had myself and so murdered myself and made two out of myself. And so one mind fractured into two with one mind for each body and yet the mind is still whole for these two minds exist in both our bodies. We just decided to claim that one body belongs to the other to pretend otherwise.

"The cooking teaches nothing Iameas, the boy is blessed with the whisper of Khaine and this world teaches the wrong lessons to them and to others, the meal merely helps me to teach the right one and I am hungry. I will explain after we eat." Our master sang.

We both thanked him for the explanation.

I am Leiam, older twin and one of the twin blades of our Lord Bessar Agail who are meant to protect his wives and we will learn all he has to teach us, for he has given us purpose and we must learn how to do it. Iameas is my other half, my sister who is my twin who is younger than myself.

'There are worse purposes to have than protecting the lady-wives of our lord.' I sang to the other part of myself

'Yes there are and we would have done them if anyone offered us to do so.' My younger half sang back.

She was right, we would have whether they were clan or cult as long as it was something we could learn to do well and made our soul sing. We've gone long past since caring which or what that is at this point.

The apprentice finished cooking the large steak and served it to all of us as we stood at the table and waited.

"Thank you my apprentice, put yourself some and eat with us and think on what this lesson might mean. Once we're all done, I will explain what you did wrong and how what you did here today does not fit the answer you gave me yesterday, and you also did not do as I asked. It was expected you would do as such, so you are not in any trouble because I expected and counted on it and everyone else is as confused as you are it seems."

We weren't the only ones that were confused if the sounds, expression and songs at the table were anything to go by, but we were promised an answer.

The meal was nothing special but it was edible and we've had worse.

'At least it is is cooked.' I sent to my half.

'Yes, not too good but still tasty.'

Once we were all done the master addressed the apprentice.

He stood at the opposite end of the table from his apprentice, with us by his sides while the boy stood at the other with his father to his right and sister to his left. The mother was to the right of the father and closest to me.

"I thank you for cooking us a meal, but I did not ask you to do so, I asked you to make us a meal and I will demonstrate how the two are different."

My master started to sing and a strange cube appeared on the table. He picked it up.

"This is a Nutrition-cube, it is slightly worse in taste than what you've cooked but even if you did know how to make them, it would still not fit in the definition of what you told me blades are. Do you remember it?

"Yes master, blades are implements of Murder and we are so because the gods are and so are we."

"Yes, and I told you that said definition is incomplete and leads you to wrong lessons. Have you figured out what I mean?"

We were as lost as the boy. Isn't that what blades are?

"No master."

"What did you murder as you have cooked this meal?"

What did he murder? Nothing, someone else did.

"Someone murdered the animal I cooked but I did not murder anything, just made use of the act." The apprentice asked as confused as we are.

"You are getting closer, do any others have anything else to add? I did invite you here for a reason."

Songs saying the same as the boy followed.

"A blade does not exist to murder and we cannot do what we were not meant to do. Blades exist to cut, we cut down whatever we need gone. Doing so to others is Murder yes, but we are not so limited, and you have cut through problems. You have cut through the issue of not having something to cook, you have cut through the issue of not having where to cook, you have cut through the issue of it not being cooked and you have cut through the issue that the food is not in front of us."

That… we thought about it and it made sense, what have we been trying to murder as we cried for home? We murdered nothing we just cut ourselves in two.

"You are a blade, all eldar are, and a blade is meant to cut and that's what you did when you cut your problems down until you were left with none in front of you and I hope you understand this now."

"I do master and sorry for being a fool!" The boy said as he bowed.

We felt we should be bowing too, but this was not our lesson and we should have probably known this by now.

"You are not a fool my apprentice, your culture just taught you the wrong lessons. I'll need to find which are these and see if I can't get you to learn the right ones."

We hoped he would teach us this too, because we desperately need it as our blonde heads were empty of the lessons we needed.


AN:

Iameas= lámh dheas→ right hand (F)

Leiam= lámh chlé→ left hand (M)