ushernet Vacuo and caravan.
Vacuo and caravan.
Summary of the mess: I had to rewrite half of the (P)(A)(T) chapter and the entire next chapter of (P)(A)(T) for the simple reason that I wrote something that would be a HUGE SPOILER in the future without even realizing it.
I only noticed the mess I made just before posting the chapter. Damn Ainz...
Here’s the chapter. The Hunter chapter was supposed to come out today but will be released tomorrow (01). The chapter is ready but not edited. I haven’t slept in 38 hours and don’t want to see another letter, regardless of the font.
Good night to everyone and happy reading!
(P)(A)(T)/CalleumArtori
PS: I even had to change the order of a few things; the Devas wouldn’t create his Greaves in this chapter, but later on.
[...]---[...]
“Needless to say, I’m impressed,” Jinn commented, looking around the crater where we stood in the desert.
“You reached Vacuo in just over two hours, and that’s with several stops to gather plants and mine. You’re fast, very fast... Without the stops, it would’ve taken less than an hour.”
“Can you watch the stream from inside the lamp?” I asked. How did she know I had picked some plants along the way?
“Yes. But even without that, I can perceive everything around the relic if I concentrate enough.” She frowned a bit. “If I’m not asleep, of course. It’s tedious to do nothing in there.”
“I can imagine.” Even for her, who knew ‘everything,’ being confined in the relic for years and years with nothing to do must be hell.
“Don’t you have an agreement with the General and Weiss?”
“Huh?” I looked up at her for a second, my pickaxe pausing mid-swing. I needed to make a better pickaxe; these ones were really bad... “About the Dust, you mean?”
Jinn just nodded.
“I do. I guess you’re asking because, even with that agreement, I’m mining Dust myself,” I stated. Jinn gave another nod.
I went back to mining as I spoke. Mining in the desert, interestingly enough, was easier for me. The grains of sand were considered a single ‘entity’ for the VoidBag, so I could just pull everything into the inventory until reaching the Dust underground and mine in peace.
Or almost. I still had to break the hardened sand at the desert’s lower parts and the rocks, but it was easier than mining in a forest.
“I’m doing this for a few reasons. First: I want and need a lot of Dust.” I had many experiments I wanted to do, lots of bullets to create, potions, weapons, armor. Dust was the equivalent of Mana Crystals in Terraria, a bit weaker but just as useful.
“Second: The Dust I’ll get from James and buy from Weiss later is refined and processed; this Dust I’m mining isn’t.” Both types were useful, but I wanted to know exactly the difference between them.
I could refine everything myself later if the raw Dust turned out worse or useless in any way.
“Third and last: I was already here, so why not?” I shrugged. I didn’t deviate my route to mine; I just mined the Dust that was on my way to Vacuo and relatively close to the surface.
Did I create some holes and craters while doing so? Yes, but I made sure to cover them up with dirt after mining what I needed and left everything relatively normal again.
“Those are good reasons as any.” Jinn shrugged like me. “But why make the deal with James and Weiss then? You can mine tons of Dust by yourself in no time, so why make those deals?”
Her curiosity was almost palpable. It seemed not knowing what I would do, think, and how I acted really pleased her.
I took a few seconds to think while pulling another pickaxe from the VoidBag after the last one broke. It was a shame that the Deerclops’ horn didn’t have metallic properties, so I couldn’t melt them to create a pickaxe or sword with them...
Actually, I could carve a pickaxe from the horns, couldn’t I?... That wouldn’t be so good for creating a sword, maybe a hammer, but for a pickaxe, it would work...
The problem with all that was that I didn’t know how to carve... Well, just another thing on the list of things I had to learn.
“I had an agreement with Weiss and I try my best to fulfill my agreements.” I tossed the Fire Dust I was mining into the inventory before continuing to explain.
“As for my negotiation with James, well, the Dust was secondary; what I really wanted was the ship.” I didn’t hide that at any point.
Of course, I later negotiated some mechs with Winter and James when I found out about their existence, but frankly, they were too fragile for my taste...
Nothing that Runes and Mystical Symbols couldn’t fix, but still... I preferred fighting outside a mech than inside one, it was more efficient and practical.
Well, at least I had a platoon of them that I could use later if needed.
“Hmm...” Jinn lightly tapped her chin with her finger. “You’re curious, you know that? But I think I’m starting to understand how you think...”
I blinked. “Should I feel threatened?” That phrase was suspicious.
Jinn didn’t answer and just chuckled.
I sighed and jumped out of the crater I was in. I didn’t even need to use double jump or my hooks to do it. Who would’ve thought that jumping two hundred meters had become so easy...
“I’m done with what I had to do here. Are you going back to the lamp or can you keep up with me?” I asked. Millia was still in the Slime Staff; the little one hated sand.
Jinn didn’t hesitate to return to the lamp, her voice echoing as her body disappeared.
“I’ve spent too much time in a desert, I’ll stay here and watch you from afar, away from all this sand.” She waved her hand as she vanished. Moments later, a message popped up in the (CHAT) I had created exclusively for her.
The (CHAT-JINN), so to speak.
[JinnOfTheLamp]: The Maiden is to the north. I can’t tell exactly how far, but I’ll know better the closer you get to her. Try not to scare her caravan too much.
“Alright...,” I murmured. I didn’t intend to scare them, but the warning was good anyway.
Without even making the sand beneath my feet move, I started running across the desert again. My Aura, at that moment, must have really stood out from the entire environment, given that, of everything around, it was the only thing in purple...
[...]
POV: Jinn
Devas was interesting, and it wasn’t just because I couldn’t know everything about him. The way he acted was curious, and I had a feeling he himself didn’t realize some of the things he did.
The man was independent by nature, almost solitary, yet, against everything I had learned about him, Devas sought help from others.
No... It was wrong to say that. Devas didn’t seek help from others; rather, he allowed them to help him. Those two were different. Devas could do everything alone but chose not to; whether it was consciously or not, I didn’t know.
Perhaps he thought that if he could do everything alone, he wouldn’t need anyone? Or rather, there wouldn’t be a reason for anyone to stay near him?...
I could almost see my eyes shining, even without a mirror.
Devas was a walking paradox. The man had so many contradictions in his being that it was absurd, maybe even comical. Even his name was a contradiction in itself.
I didn’t know if the meaning of the words was the same in Remnant as on Earth, his home world, but if it was... I think I understood a bit more why he seemed to hate the man he occasionally called ‘father’ so much.
Devas never called this person by name, only ‘father’ and always with contempt, disdain, anger, and disgust. But that was expected...
Devas, or Deva, in ancient Vacuan, was a word that meant ‘celestial being,’ ‘divinity,’ or just ‘divine.’ How ironic, given what I had learned and seen about the man...
Asura or Ashura, interestingly, was the opposite of Devas. It meant in ancient Vacuan, ‘non-divine’ or, in a more literal sense, ‘demon.’
That word, more than ‘Devas,’ had a meaning tied to the man I was watching run through the desert... At least the first two meanings.
The man’s very name was a paradox, almost like good and evil, light and dark. Maybe that’s why he always, or almost always, introduced himself as Devas and didn’t use his full name?...
‘Devas’ was ‘good,’ the 'righteous.' Asura was the ‘evil,’ something ‘malevolent.’ He always made a point to introduce himself with only his first name and not the surname...
I frowned, knowing that no one could see me inside the relic. The more I thought about the meanings of his name, the more I was sure that Devas’ father hated him as much as Devas seemed to hate him.
Maybe even more, because if ‘Devas’ meant ‘Divine’ and ‘Asura’ meant ‘Demon,’ together, they literally meant ‘Demon God’ or maybe ‘God of Evil.’
It was even worse when I combined it with the information I had received from the (CHAT). According to what Rin had told me, on Earth, or at least in hers, there were various pantheons, gods, and religions, but one was the most followed, a religion with a single God as its leader.
There was a good chance that Devas’ father followed this religion, and that made everything even worse, because... What would lead a father to name his son as the enemy of God?...
Anti-God...
My line of thought was interrupted when I ‘saw’ Dahlia’s caravan in the distance. I passionately loved the fact that Devas’ presence blinded me, it was great not knowing what he was thinking and being able to discover new things, but I won’t lie, it was also inconvenient at times.
Not that I would complain, I was loving it!
[JinnOfTheLamp]: Three kilometers north, Devas. That’s where the caravan is! (Chibi-Jinn pointing forward emote).
I typed quickly on my phone. I knew it wasn’t necessary; the minimap must have already alerted Devas about the caravan, or his monstrous senses, but I still did my part as a guide.
“I noticed. They’ve spotted me too...” Devas responded as he slowed his movements, stopping about a kilometer from the caravan. “Not just the Maiden, but the man beside her noticed me too.”
[JinnOfTheLamp]: His name is Havi, he is Dahlia’s husband and the second leader of the caravan. He’s a hawk faunus; his vision is excellent, and his semblance enhances it even more, allowing him to see the age of living beings and Grimms and how much natural life they have left.
It wasn’t a bad semblance, especially in their situation where they needed to be wary of any Grimm. Generally, the older the Grimm, the stronger it was. Knowing their exact age was useful, especially since Havi could detect them from a great distance and alert the entire caravan.
I didn’t correct them; it was easier this way. Explaining that I was an alien would be a disaster, explaining the stream and my situation?... Better not.
“As for what I need your help with, it’s simple.” I returned to the original topic after a few seconds. “I need Dahlia’s help to open a vault; her powers are the key.”
I thought they would go back on alert, but no, they took the information calmly. Either that or they were numb after everything I had told them.
“Is it dangerous?” Havi didn’t hesitate to ask. He didn’t ask what was in the vault, but if it was dangerous and if it could hurt his wife.
“No, your wife just needs to touch the vault door and that’s it. No harm will come to her, I can promise that.” I responded easily.
Dahlia’s emotions fluctuated. Uncertainty.
“I can’t abandon the caravan; I’m responsible for their protection.” Dahlia looked back for a moment.
“I can guarantee their safety as well. I have contacts in Atlas and Vale; I can take your caravan to either of those places before you accept, or leave soldiers here to protect them until our return, which shouldn’t take long.”
I had already talked to Ozpin and James before coming here. At this moment, in fact, a fleet from Atlas should be on its way to us and would arrive in a few hours.
As for which kingdom they would go to, that wasn’t my problem. They would decide that with Dahlia and Havi later. The couple was partially relieved by my guarantees, still worried, but less so than before.
I added after a few moments:
“You don’t need to answer me right now, take your time to think, I just ask that you give me an answer within a few hours.” I looked at the sky; the sun was almost at its peak. I checked the stream clock to confirm the time.
[11:23]
It wasn’t even noon. I had left Vale early after Amber’s ‘surgery’ and arrived quickly in Vacuo.
James’s fleet should also arrive in six or seven hours since they left Vale shortly after me. If all goes well, by tonight or tomorrow morning, I’d have a new sword.
Minutes later, the two had gotten up and gone back to the caravan to explain things to the others, or at least to the important people there.
Well, this might take a while, I’ll read the (CHAT) in the meantime.
[...]
POV: Dahlia.
"So... what are you going to do?" Havi asked me after we sat down at the council table. It wasn't quite a table this time, just an improvised tent, as we were all caught off guard.
"It's risky, decline. You can't trust that being, no matter what it is!" My sister-in-law, Hija, spoke with a strong tone.
It was the same tone she always used when reprimanding her own son, even though this time the target of her reprimand was me and not the little boy. He and my daughter, along with the other children and youths, were being supervised by several others far from this tent.
It was better that the younger ones didn't witness this discussion; it wouldn't be good for them.
"And then what?" I spoke in the same tone. "What happens if I refuse? What if Mr. Devas gets angry?"
I could see everyone grimace at my question. Even the air seemed colder, despite the desert heat, and this time, it wasn't my doing.
"Do you, along with our warriors, lack confidence in winning if a fight breaks out, Dahlia?" One of the elders from our caravan asked, Elder Nuak. Besides being the oldest, he was the calmest in this situation.
My husband said he had four more years to live if he wasn't assassinated. The elder didn't even blink and just chuckled cheerfully.
"I'll live four more years? Who would've thought I'd last that long." The man was unshakable even after ninety years.
I thought for a few seconds before answering. I wished I could confidently say yes, but this time I knew I was outmatched...
"No. Even with everyone fighting together, I don't think we can win." I spoke almost the whole truth, withholding just one piece of information.
I still wasn't sure who, or rather what, Mr. Devas was. Human? Faunus?... A god? His name was divine. But at this point, it didn't matter because when I got close to him, I was certain.
If we were to fight Mr. Devas, I didn't think we could even lay a finger on him...
"Well, that's not good." Elder Nuak scratched his beard, ignoring the fear in the others' eyes in the room. By the gods, I was sure I had the same look -
I cut off my train of thought when I realized that maybe I shouldn't even be thinking of something divine with Mr. Devas at our doorstep; maybe that would annoy him...
"Kid, what did you see?" The elder asked my husband, who didn't even blink at being called 'kid'. Everyone was 'kids' in Nuak's eyes.
"Mr. Devas is twenty-one... I think, looking at him is confusing, but..." My husband answered. I was the first to notice his hesitation.
"Havi, dear, please explain. What did you see?" I asked my husband. Havi always saw an hourglass when he saw remaining time with his Semblance. Sometimes the hourglass was different.
Bigger, but with less sand; smaller, but almost overflowing; sometimes the sand fell faster; sometimes, slower; sometimes, the wood that composed it was different; sometimes, the metal parts, but there was something that was always constant... The sand in the hourglass always fell...
"Mr. Devas' sand grains didn't fall..."
... But apparently not this time.
It took a few seconds for the information to be absorbed, and when it was, chaos ensued. The shouts and questions only ceased when I myself calmed down and slammed my hand on the table, bringing forth my 'blessing' and causing the wind to tousle everyone's hair.
Summer Maiden, that's what Mr. Devas called me; it still felt strange to think of it that way. Had my powers really come from an old wizard?...
"What do you mean 'not falling'?" My sister-in-law asked, pointing at Havi. "Is he like the Grimm?!"
I still remembered the shock I received when I learned from Havi that the Grimm were practically immortal. If nothing killed them, they would just keep wandering forever.
I already knew there were old Grimms, but knowing they really didn't die was bad at the time...
"Not exactly and yet..." My husband hesitated, looking not at the entrance of the tent, but in the direction where Mr. Devas was. I held his hand and squeezed it gently, which seemed to give him courage to continue and explain.
"The Grimm's hourglass doesn't move, doesn't live, it's rotten and stagnant like still water; Mr. Devas' is different, completely different..."
"Why did you agree earlier then, kid?" The elder asked. "Are you getting senile? Wasn't that my role here?"
I couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the comment, and the same happened with almost everyone in the tent. We could always count on Elder Nuak to keep things light.
Havi continued after a few seconds.
"Because Mr. Devas' hourglass is also stagnant, but... it's in a different way." My husband fell silent for a few seconds.
I could almost see his thoughts jumping back and forth quickly, him searching for the right words to explain what he meant.
Havi had always been very poetic when it came to his Semblance, always seeking to use the right words; this time wouldn't be different, perhaps he would be even more poetic.
"The hourglass that represented life... Mr. Devas' existence was blurred." My husband began to explain with a hoarse voice and distant eyes, as if he vividly remembered what he saw.
"It was ordinary, something with an ordinary appearance, ordinary wood, common metal... Everything was common... But nothing was..." Havi chuckled, the feathers of his mustache trembled before he restrained himself and continued.
I could feel his hand trembling as he squeezed mine tightly.
"It was like a phenomenon in constant change, yet at the same time it was stable and immovable. A living paradox... Always growing in its stagnation..."
Havi squeezed my hand even tighter. I felt my Aura pulse for a moment before squeezing his hand back.
"The hourglass, no. Mr. Devas was something apart from everything else, from the whole world... If I were to describe him in one phrase, it would be that..."
Havi really should learn to read the room more. I loved the man with all my heart, loved his poems, but at this moment he should have just stayed silent.
"Mr. Devas was anchored to reality only by the weight of his own existence..."
Minutes later, Havi and I had returned and accepted the agreement with Mr. Devas who, for some reason, introduced himself again, emphasizing that he was human.
[...]---[...]
Regarding the chapter, well: There were a lot of details about Devas in it, hence the delay. I was unsure whether to reveal them here or not, but I decided to unearth some things.
Just a reminder, when it's a POV other than third person, meaning the narrator, information can be inaccurate. The Unreliable Narrator exists, remember that.
About some things in the chapter: Jinn has an intense interest in Devas, not just because of the stream and other worlds, but in him as a person. Devas is an anomaly in her eyes, the reasons for which are in the chapter... or at least part of the reasons.
Devas has evolved significantly, becoming stronger, faster, and much more powerful... but he's still himself, willing to grab any meager resource along the way. Dust is very useful. (I have a new hobby in mind for Devas that I think is great; he should start it in RWBY.)
Regarding Dahlia, Havi, and the caravan: I want to start by saying that I based the caravan/parts of Vacuo on India, but not the entire kingdom, as I imagine Vacuo also resembles the Africa of Remnant. The geography of the world is absurdly confusing.
I enjoyed the character interactions, misunderstandings, and Havi's Semblance. I've wanted to introduce a Semblance like that for some time, and I finally had the opportunity.
I won't focus too much on these characters, of course. As a Maiden, Dahlia will appear more, but not excessively. I think that's about it; I've gone on for too long here.
As always, have a good night and happy reading!