My lords and ladies of the parliament, my fellow Councilmembers and Avatars: hope is poison. Hope is a poison that we cannot avoid. If we did not hope, then we would not be, we would not do; we would remain savages within caves or beasts beneath the soil. Hope forges us. Faith gives us something to aspire to. But it also creates a leash—a leash that we decide to hand to one another. You might think it's cynical for me to put things in these terms, but you've all felt the sting of stolen hope. Indeed, when you look up, who do you see standing upon the podium, hovering atop the platform, glaring down at you like she is an imperious queen? Yes. I, Veronica Chandler, Councilman, consecutively nominated and long-enduring Avatar of the Songbringer. Do not think I am unaware of the words and whispers you exchange between yourselves. Despite your words, I am not offended. I understand your fears. I understand that no one wants a queen enduring, that this is supposed to be a Republic of elections and proper representation.

  So, what does my position have to do with hope? Everything. You yearn for stability, you yearn for safety, you yearn for comfort and prosperity. And as you look to the North, to the South, to the West, and to the East, none of those things are there. Humans are but warriors meant to fight and breed, or cattle slaves, and less. Nothing more than resources to be spent. Goblins are butchered en masse or thrown on the front line—diggers for trenches, bomb-carriers to be turned to dust. Elves are harvested for ingredients to empower magics, while automata are forced to develop in ways that serve their captors.

  I stand here today to remind you that I am the proper choice. That I am the enduring choice. For the past century, the Republic has not faced a grand crisis of existential scale. And this is because of me. I say this without hubris. Because I am the only one with the vision to see, to plan, to adapt.

  Councilman Hendricks was a friend to many of you, but not to me. I do not lie to you about this. I simply make it plain, but that does not mean I relish in his death and yearn to see him replaced by someone lesser. No, it is quite simply the fact that Councilman Hendricks wanted hope, but he hoped for something selfish. His hopes pulled him astray. He handed his leash to foreign gods with foreign desires that appealed to his personal dreams.

  Ladies and lords, govern your hopes. Understand what you want and consider where it might clash with the Republic's greater ambitions. The only reason we are here, the only reason we have suffered this indignity today, is that too many of you could not overcome those desires. Those desperate needs.

  You must understand that there are costs to living in safety. To enduring security. You wish for the world to be yours? Well, there is no power that will allow it. So, for power alone, you have to entreat me, or you will have to deal with a foreign god. You will have to obey the Ascendancy and be faithful in all things, or you will have to give yourself to those capricious and slavering hungers.

  And so, I must remind you that though my pill is bitter sometimes, though my potion is disgusting and vile, you will survive it. You have survived it, and you have grown strong because of it.

  You want absolute control? You want that freedom you imagined yourselves possessing?

  Well, how many of you are High Masters here? And how many of you are Heroes?

  Understand that it will not be you who tastes freedom. Atop the ladder, there is a man or a woman who glares down upon you, but instead of speaking upon a podium, wielding her voice toward the betterment of her society, they will hold a whip. They will hold a blade. And they will open your flesh until your mind follows.

  Be very careful what you hope for.

  -Veronica Chandler

  261 (I)

  Bargain

  "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you! Did you hear me, you fucking midget bitch? You godsdamn fucking whore. You dick-fucking motherfucking cunt. You stupid fuck. You size-lacking shit-for-brains cunt-fucking-fuck-motherfucker!"

  Shiv, Hymn, Adam, Uva, and practically everyone else within the mental landscape looked on in disbelief and awe as Rose continued her furious tirade. Ten minutes. Ten minutes of unending cursing. Of unceasing anger. Of slurs Shiv had never heard of. Of vile descriptions that made his skin twist, trying to flee from its flesh to escape Rose’s pure vitriol. Ten full minutes of ranting, raving, and frustration venting. Ten minutes of Rose screaming at one of her oldest friends.

  Before those ten minutes began, Jessica only got one word out: "So—"

  And that was it. That was all Jessica had to say before Rose advanced upon her, howling that Jessica needed to gather her still-living children so that Rose could shove every single one of them back up Jessica's privates and kick them until they were retro-abortive slurry. Her reasoning for such an atrocity: Jessica was a bitch, a fuck, a terrible mother, a terrible person, and should suffer every indignity known to Integration and beyond.

  Adam had gagged at his mother's vulgarity then, and his gagging didn't stop. In fact, it only got worse.

  Though Rose was barely taller than Jessica, she loomed over the Legendary swordswoman, and the latter shrank. The latter shriveled. The latter's eyes glowed as she realized that this wasn't a delusion, a deception. That Rose Van Erren was truly back among the living.

  Not far away, Roland looked on with a pensive expression on his face. Instead of seeming intimidated, he seemed nostalgic, almost, as if watching Rose raging at someone was a commonplace event in his earlier years.

  "I wish I could choke you. You bitch! You fuckin' bitch! I wish I could ram my fuckin' thumbs into your eyes and squeeze until your skull splattered! What the fuck were you thinking? Fighting with Stormhalt? Stormhalt? How? That micro-penis fuck? That godsdamn motherfuckin' virus cancer fuck?"

  "Lady Van Erren," Rusty began, trying to defend its wielder.

  "You shut the fuck up, Rusty—you sword-shaped-shitbag. I'll get to you later. You godsdamn fucking stupid fucking thing. What do you mean you didn't tell her earlier, huh? Was I not real enough for you? What do I need to do? Do you need to stab me? Do you need to kill me again for you to be sure? Is that what this is? You fucking hunk of shit."

  A loud rasp of discomfort escaped Rusty as it was bludgeoned back to silence by Rose’s verbal abuse. Jessica tried to come to her sword's defense in turn, but a hand swiped through her face. A hand that made no contact, that couldn't even strike her in Hymn’s mindscape, though that didn't mean Rose stopped trying.

  "I'm gonna kill you when I get out of here, and you're gonna help me,” Rose seethed.

  “I'm gonna help you kill me?" Jessica said, blinking.

  Rose nodded animatedly. "Yeah, because you owe me that much, you fucking bitch. You godsdamn fucking cunt. I hate you, I hate everything you stand for, and I hate how you feel so godsdamn strong. You got an Intimidation ward or something?"

  "It's just what happens when you hit Legend," Jessica squeaked.

  "Fuck you, and also, congratulations! I always knew you could do it! Goddamn size-challenged half-goblin fucker!"

  Jessica winced. "I, uh, thank you?"

  "You're welcome. And go shove your sword up your cunt, you bitch. The fucking Inquisition! Why! Godsammit, I need a drink. You make me wish I'd stayed dead, you cunt."

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  And with that, Rose was finally done. She yawned and took a step back from Jessica as if nothing had happened.

  "You feel better now?" Jessica asked. She sounded shell-shocked, but also more than a little used to this.

  "Just a bit," Rose replied. "So, you're going to explain to me why you were attacking my home alongside Stormcunt and the Inquisition?"

  "I was going to do that," Jessica said, "but someone decided to try and tear my asshole a new one."

  "Rose, yell at her more," Shiv said, his own trauma flaring up. "She deserves it." Jessica shot him an annoyed stare. "You do, Giantsbane. I'm sorry, but you literally tore my asshole apart from the inside. I'm not gonna let that shit go. I’m taking whatever revenge I can, whenever I can take it.”

  But instead of seeming outraged on Shiv's behalf, Rose simply threw her head back and let out a loud chortle. She sounded like a goose when she laughed. "Oh, no! For real! The Upcreek Special, huh? You did that to the poor kid."

  Jessica pressed her lips together. "I was trying to put him down. It worked for like maybe ten seconds. Then I had to fight all that felling bullshit vampire he had with him, and your bastard."

  The laughter immediately stopped. Rose's eyes glowed a dim, hateful violet, and she stepped right up to Jessica again, practically smashing her face into hers. "Never talk about my boy that way," she hissed. And Jessica caught sight of the woman Rose Van Erren used to be. Rose Van Erren did most things 100%, and not one bit less. She was like a Vanguard trapped in a Mage's body. It didn’t matter that Jessica was stronger than her, because saying the wrong thing to Rose Van Erren came with consequences.

  Sage of the Enkindled Heart: Not only for others, but also for her as well. She likely started a great many fights she could not finish alone. Roland is probably the reason she is still alive. This aspect of her personality is both a virtue and a flaw. Keep track of it so we can use it against her at some point—or protect her against someone else using it against her, more likely.

  "Alright," Jessica muttered softly. She took a step away from Rose, and it seemed that the Tiers between the two were confused. Rose appeared to be the Legend, while the actual Pathbearer among the two acted like a meek Pathless. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

  For a beat, it looked like Rose still wanted to throttle Jessica. The former Diviner's lip twisted in a vicious snarl, and she swept out with both arms, trying to pull the Giantsbane in. Yet it wasn't to claim her throat, to strangle her until life left her eyes. No, instead she tried to gather the Giantsbane into her embrace, to take her close as one would a sister. But in this place of misted thought and shapeless memories, there was no true contact. All sensations were phantom and illusory. And so there was something missing, even as Rose drew the Giantsbane close and patted her back.

  "You know the thing I hate the most about doing this inside someone else's mind? There's no warmth. It's all missing."

  "It's hard to simulate that,” Jessica mumbled, seeming startled and unsure how to react to the sudden embrace. “Unless the Psychomancer also has a really good grasp of human biology." She swallowed the lump in her throat and kept her eyes pointed up and away from Rose. That was how Shiv realized the moment was finally hitting her—that she hadn’t truly believed up till now.

  "So, you're really back, huh?" Jessica asked. There was a hint of fragile trepidation in her voice, as if she was afraid Rose would fade from reality if she acknowledged her existence. "You're… actually alive."

  Rose shifted her posture to look at her own hand. It was as if she expected her flesh to turn transparent. Like she expected herself to fade from reality as well. When she didn't, she let out a snort. "Yeah. Not exactly sure how that happened myself. Some bullshit related to Udraal. Something related to… Well, I was gonna call it his newest fucked-up project, but… I don't think I have the heart for that."

  Her eyes briefly fell upon Shiv, and he felt a bit grateful. Things between him and Rose were strange, to say the least. He was the only reason she was back. He was the reason she died. Neither truly thanks to his own intended actions. And now he was the one who was reconnecting her with old friends, but also the vessel of her greatest enemy.

  As the two women broke apart, Rose held Jessica still by the shoulders and glared down at her. "Alright, you need to tell me what happened to you. Why are you feuding with the world? What the hell drove you to come after my town in the name of the Inquisition? You hated the godsdamn bastards, Jessica! Couldn't stand Chandler. And I most definitely recall you saying a few choice things about the Ascendants themselves after you had one too many hits of Atlantean Deepfire."

  "Well, my intended suicide run failed, for one." Jessica shrugged. "And as for me and Roland…" Whatever fondness the Giantsbane had toward Rose Van Erren did not carry over to her lover. Jessica glared at Roland with every bit of hate she possessed, and the Town Lord responded in kind. He was not so driven by anger, but he was resolute, and he faced her as one would face an enemy.

  "Not sure if it was a good idea to bring him into this as well," Shiv commented to Uva, who was standing right next to him and taking in the scene as well.

  She briefly shot him a tired look. "It wasn't up to me. He insisted, and Rose insisted harder."

  Shiv hummed. "How much did she curse at you?"

  "A little too much," Uva replied, slightly sour. "The Starhawk got the worst of it on my behalf, though. Poor bastard was foolish enough to tell her to calm down."

  A distant rumble of discomfort turned into a whisper that glided past Shiv’s mind. “I forgot the idiosyncrasies of Lady Van Erren’s personality…”

  Shiv didn’t get it. Partly because he had no clue what an idiosyncrasy was. “Look, I get we’re trying to be nice to her, but why didn't you guys just say no?”

  “Because the Town Lord lacks the willpower to ignore her demands, and so it will become a Roland problem—and the pity I feel for his sheer suffering demands that I spare him,” Uva answered dryly.

  "Alright, enough of that shit, both of you." Rose positioned herself so that Jessica couldn't see Roland anymore. She faced her friend and held her by the dragon-like horns on her helmet.

  "I need you to do something if you want to earn my forgiveness," Rose continued. "You're going to need to help that young man over there," she gestured at Shiv and Adam, "and you're going to make sure that my boy stays fine and healthy and unharmed by whatever the fuck you inquisitorial shitheads are doing, and then you're going to help them get us out of this godsdamn mess. Whatever help they need, you provide. And whatever happens to them, every little scratch, I'm going to hold you personally accountable."

  "Seriously?" Jessica hissed. "I didn't agree to anything yet."

  "No? But you already did. You didn't say no, and when you don't say no, that means you folded. I still remember you, Jessica." Rose began to chuckle, and her voice bordered on the villainous. "I still remember."

  The Giantsbane stared back at the former Diviner. "Yeah, well, um, uh… Fuck you too."

  "But you're going to do it," Rose said. "You're going to do it because you haven't walked away and you haven't killed anyone yet. That's the problem with you, Jessica. If you're not jumping at the bit to do something, you're thinking about it. Your tells are too obvious. Remember, I didn’t even need Divination to take your money at the table.”

  The Giantsbane's expression went from incredulity to a deadpan frown. "Immediately, I find myself regretting the fact that you're actually not fucking dead."

  Shiv shouted, calling out to his fellow Legend, "You believe me now?"

  Jessica clenched her teeth but didn't reply. It seemed that she usually answered ‘yes’ only through silence or insults.

  Suddenly, Rose whispered something into Jessica's left ear. She blinked several times and then threw her head back before barking out a loud laugh. The way she then stomped over was more like a petulant teenager rather than a battle-hardened warrior who butchered Jotuns and nobles alike to slake her bloodthirst.

  She came to a stop before Shiv. The Deathless instinctively clenched his cheeks tight. She couldn't technically harm him here, but she had that look. She had that posture. And his trauma would likely stay for a good while longer.

  Jessica's eyes darted between Shiv, Uva, and Adam off by the side. Hades Hymn slowly leaned in. "Well, Legend Hawgrave. I must say that—"

  "Don't talk to me, Hades," Jessica said, holding up a hand and blocking him from her sight. "And keep your robes tight. I don't ever want to see that messed-up appendage you call a penis again in my life."

  "What?" Adam whispered, looking between the two Legends.

  Hymn wriggled his nose. “Very interesting phrasing considering you were the one who broke into my house and had a group of large, strong bots pin me down while you searched me thoroughly.”

  “Orders are orders,” Jessica shot back. Then she bared her teeth at Hymn. “And weird, fucked-up rituals are still weird, fucked-up rituals.”

  The Headmaster took in everyone's suspicious looks, and then he simply shook his head and sighed mournfully. "It was an unfortunate incident in the past where Jessica here raided my home at a most inopportune time on behalf of the Inquisition—suspecting me of hoarding harmful materials."

  "Because you felling were, asshole!" Jessica growled. "You were selling and distributing messed-up flesh tomes and materials that were twisting people's minds. They were hatching weird hand-monsters out of their skulls.”

  "Then why was I not charged? Why am I not imprisoned for such a vile deed?" The Headmaster placed a hand on his chest, and Jessica's face turned red. "I will tell you why," Hymn continued, holding up a finger, "it's because we share a benefactor, and the materials that I was distributing were actually sanctioned by the highest echelons of the Republic. And because Councilwoman Veronica Chandler is a noble and wise soul who is a far better judge of character than you."

  "You know, this is starting to be a running theme," Shiv said. "Just how many pots does Veronica have her fingers in?"

  "Yes," Hymn answered.

  Jessica just groaned. “I’m done talking—or even bothering to acknowledge his existence. You explain to me how you managed to bring her back. Every little detail.”

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