Mistborn: The Final Empire Reread Part 2
Entry posted by leinton
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Hello all! Sorry for the late post. I know I haven't set myself up a perfect schedule yet, but I should be posting weekly on Thursdays from now on. My problem this week? I had a failed romance over the weekend. Those suck, and they are somehow more distracting than a successful romance. Oh well, it's here. If late.
Once again, spoilers like crazy from this point on. If you have not read everything in between the first page of The Final Empire and the last page of Hero of Ages, then turn back before your eyes are destroyed by the massive amounts of spoilersssss.
There isn't really any spoilers from other cosmere books in this one, but I will be hiding one part, just in case it is.
Without further adieu, this is the the next four (yes, four, part one ended and I decided not to do two different parts in the same blog) of Mistborn: The Final Empire!
Chapter 5
Epigraph: “I don't even understand what I'm supposed to do. The Terris philosophers claim that I'll know my duty when the time comes, but that's a small comfort.
The Deepness must be destroyed, and apparently I'm the only one that can do so. It ravages the world even now. If I don't stop it soon, there will be nothing left of this land but bones and dust.”
What happens: Kelsier finds some wine hidden in Camon's hideout and shares it with Dox and Vin after the meeting, telling them “There's always another secret.” They talk about how well the meeting went, and how they'd need a new Smoker. Kelsier says that his “other friends” will be here in a few days, and that he needs more atium. He used most of it buying OreSeur's contract, and the rest of it at Tresting's. Kelsier says that he doesn't have to be delicate to get the atium this time, so it should be easier. Dox notices that Vin isn't drinking, who says that she doesn't like to drink something she didn't prepare herself. Kelsier and Dox joke about someone named Vent, who was apparently much more paranoid than Vin.
Before Kelsier could tell them how he was going to get more atium, Clubs comes back in, along with a younger boy. Clubs asks if Breeze is still there, and when he's told he isn't, he tells them that he's in. Not for the money, but because he wants to go out IN A BLAZE OF GLORY. He then leaves with the boy to prepare the shop. Vin realizes that Kelsier knew Clubs would come back, and Kelsier says that he at least hoped he would. He tells Vin to let her “friends” back in, and then they go to the roof.
Kelsier looks over the city at night, covered in mist. He turns to the side, expecting to see Mare, but of course she isn't. Dox notes that Kelsier shouldn't risk his life by standing on the edge of a roof, and Kelsier smiles inwardly, thinking about how Dox doesn't see him as a Mistborn yet. He reminisces about how the two of them used to be the best of the best, even though they weren't allomancers. And now he was an allomancer. He eventually asks Dox who he should try. After a few suggestions, Dox mentions that Venture was the strongest house right now. Kelsier says that's who he's going to hit. He pulls out his Mistcloak, and Dox explains to Vin what it is. Dox then tells Keslier where he'd probably find the atium, and things to be careful of. Kelsier then goes off into the mists.
Kelsier moves through the mist, and we get a bit of description of what the different metals do, mostly iron and steel. He finds his way to Venture keep, and begins his stealth mission of getting in. Eventually, however, he makes a racket, noting that he wants people to see him for a reason. He kills the normal guards with ease, and finds the safe where the atium likely is very quickly. He uses iron to find it (typo here, Branon said he used steel to Pull, which is obviously not right), and eventually succeeds in pulling it out of the wall. Then a bunch of hazekillers come in. He fights them for a while, eventually killing all but one, who runs away, with an impromptu weapon (an ingot). He got hit several times though, and was in no condition to fight when a bunch of allomancers came out, so he found his way out, eventually getting the safe. He goes through it, pocketing the money and jewels, and eventually finding a small bag of atium. He then runs back to Clubs' shop, fueled by pewter to keep him from falling over unconscious.
Commentary: Yay fight scene! A nice thing about fight scenes is that I don't feel like I need to tell you exactly what happens in them, because usually, it's not really story related.
“There's always another secret.” God dammit, he laid this line on us so innocently. And it comes up throughout the entire story. You sneaky, sneaky bastard. No, I don't know if I'm talking about Brandon or Kelsier.
So apparently, the northern mystics that are talked about in this chapter (Gennel, Kelsier's mentor, talks about them when it comes to weight) are Keepers. I always thought that it was just a superstition or something. It's cool that the Keepers are mentioned this early.
The fight scene is cool, if lobsided. Hazekillers work by overwhelming an allomancer before they get killed, and Kelsier is too tricksy for that to work. His use of an impromptu weapon is proof of that. Kelsier uses what's available, and adapts himself to the situation.
I told you that I'd go into Kelsier's dark side once we saw his reaction to nobles. Here it is. Kelsier hates nobles. When it comes down to it, it's racist of him. He will later stereotype Elend with the rest of them, when that's obviously not the case. He isn't alone in this, by the way. Sazed agrees with him, though at a lesser level, and Dox is even worse than Kelsier. If Dox had been the Mistborn (which would be impossible, due to his being pure skaa), then he wouldn't hold back as much as Kelsier does, I think. Dox does have good reason, though. It's a general problem with stereotyping; enough of the noblemen fit the stereotype that people like Dox feel justified in thinking that all noblemen do. Elend is certainly not the only good nobleman. I could name another, except I don't have Well of Ascension right next to me at the moment, but that guy who replaces Elend as king is a pretty good dude. Oh, and Breeze. I always forget he's actually a nobleman, not a half blood.
Nobles are worse with the stereotyping, though, I would guess. There are a lot of skaa, and that large number tend to be broken down and defeated. Most of the crime element is still broken down and defeated, they just deal with it better. The Mistings are a little better, but that's probably because they have have power within themselves.
Woo, sidetracked. Anyway, back to Kelsier. He feels justified killing any nobleman, and anyone who works for them that isn't a Terrisman. He probably feels sympathetic toward them, due to their being eunuchs. Kelsier is not a knight in shining armor. He's a powerful, dangerous man who doesn't hesitate to use his powers on people he doesn't like. When it comes down to it, Kelsier is scary.
We get a little bit of insight into allomancy in this fight, but I'll discuss that at length when Kelsier teaches Vin. It is nice, though, that by this point I knew “okay, this magic system is nothing like channeling.” I was worried up until that point that this would be a Wheel of Time rip off. After all, all that I knew about Brandon at the time was that he was inspired by the Wheel of Time. To say that I was pleased with a new, unique magic system would be a huge understatement.
I don't have much of anything to say about the epigraph. The Deepness is introduced, but it's better to go into the Deepness and what it is in Well of Ascension or Hero of Ages. However, I imagined it as like... a dark force that was mindless. I actually based one of the books I'm currently writing off of that misconception. A mindless dark force that simply killed as it pleased, for no reason other than that was all it could do. Having it be almost a natural enemy that really wasn't an enemy was much cooler, though.
Chapter 6
Epigraph: “I never wanted this, true. But somebody has to stop the Deepness. And, apparently, Terris is the only place this can be done.
On this fact, however, I don't have to take the word of the philosophers. I can feel our goal now, can sense it, though the others cannot. It... pulses, in my mind, far off in the mountains.”
What happens: Vin wakes up in a room that isn't crowded, which confuses her. She realizes that the room itself is small, but without people in it, it feels large to her. She reminisces about how she got to Club's shop, and how when everyone was asleep, she snuck out and checked out the hideout. She was impressed by it. And just so you all know, my OpenOffice Writer didn't think that “snuck” was a word.
We also find out that the front for Club's shop is that he's a carpenter. He has lots of apprentices that help him out with all of his work. Vin wonders why a craftsman would join the skaa underground. She then remembers that he's a Misting, a Smoker, and thinks to herself that she'll probably have to figure out what that means for herself.
She then hears footsteps, and peeks out of her doorway. Dockson notices her and tells her to get ready and to take a bath. Vin realizes that these people are very careful.
“Vin smelled funny.” Vin gets out of her bath and can't stand the perfumed scent that is coming off of her. She thinks to herself that if she has to take regular baths, then they need to not put purfumes in them. She also thinks about how clean she is, and how clean the base is. She's not used to cleanliness. It makes her feel like she stands out. She also thinks about her hair. Her brother had always taught her to make sure people thought of her as a thief first, and a woman second.
She sees Ham come in and ask where his room is. An apprentice runs off to find out, and he talks with Vin while they wait. He mentions that she doesn't need to hide from him, and she asks him if he's going to live there, too. He says it pays to live near a Smoker. He asks where Kelsier is, and she responds that he's sleeping and came back late the previous night. She also says that Dox is in his room on the third floor. Ham looks at her and laughs that she's a funny kid for always keeping an eye on where everyone is. He goes into the kitchen and gets some food for himself. Vin tries to do the same, to see if she can, and is surprised when not only no one objects, but that a few of the kitchen women nod to her in respect. She wonders if it's because she's a Mistborn or if it's just because she's a guest. She eats some of it, and saves the food that would last if she needed some extra later.
A boy knocks at Vin's door and says strange things that make no sense. She figures out eventually that he wants her to follow him. She does so, and finds herself in the meeting room, where everyone at the previous meeting is present, with one chair for her, and one other empty chair. In the room, there is a charcoal writing board on an easle. Kelsier welcomes her, and they get the meeting started, Kelsier winking when asked who the final chair was for. Kelsier outlines the plan again, saying they need to come up with ways to get it done.
Ham says that the first problem is the Luthadel Garrison. The Garrison wouldn't let them throw the city into chaos. Kelsier writes that on the board. Breeze says to put the chaos up there. Dox says that they need to deal with the Great Houses. Clubs mentions the Ministry. Ham mentions the atium. Ham says they need to gather troops, and Dox says they need to train the troop for battle and to govern. Kelsier puts the Lord Ruler up there as well. They finish it off by putting “Yeden's bad attitude” on the board.
Vin looks at the board, looks back at Kelsier, and curses by the Lord Ruler that he really does mean to do this. Kelsier tells her never to use the Lord Rulers name like that. The others are daunted for a bit, until Kelsier prompts them by saying they should start with the chaos. Ham offers a general rebellion, but Yeden says that that won't work. The skaa have been beaten down continuously for a thousand years. There's no way they can rouse a rebellion in a short time. Vin nods, thinking that she's felt the same thing for her whole life. Kelsier also agrees that it won't work. Ham asks about causing a disaster, but Kelsier says it wouldn't have enough of an effect, and the effect would be on the skaa, not the nobility. Kelsier then says that they could start a house war, which Breeze immediately likes the sound of. Kelsier connects house war to general chaos at this point.
The group then turns to tackle the problem with the Garrison. Ham says the best way to deal with an army is to have a bigger army. He wonders if Yeden's army could do the job, but Breeze says that wouldn't work. They would need an army at least as big as the Garrison's, and they would be at a disadvantage due to their lack of training. The Garrison is a very well trained army. Kelsier decides to save that bit for later and to focus on their own army. Where can they hide it? Breeze says that can't hide the army in the cities, and Dox mentions the caves to the north, where the rebellion hides. Kelsier says they could hold ten thousand men, and Yeden says that's a bigger army than he had hoped for. Breeze says that that still wouldn't frighten the Garrison. Kelsier asks Vin her opinion. Vin says you don't want to fight the army, because even if you win, you wouldn't be able to hold the city. Vin says if she had to deal with someone bigger and stronger than her, she'd distract them. Why not force the army out of the village with a distraction. Ham says that would be difficult to do, but Kelsier says that's too good of an option to simply overlook. Breeze says it would take a significant crisis to force the army out of the city. Ham suggests a rebellion in a nearby village, but they remind him that the skaa don't want to rebel. He then suggests a feint of some sort on another city, but Breeze once again says no, the Lord Ruler wouldn't send his own army away for that. Kelsier asks Vin again, and she asks where the Pits of Hathsin are. Everyone loves the sound of that idea. The Lord Ruler couldn't use his nobles to deal with that, because they don't know what the Pits are there for, and it wouldn't take a large army to threaten the Pits. Ham says that with ten thousand skaa, he could easily hold the city walls against the Garrison. And Kelsier says if the Lord Ruler sends for the koloss, they'd already have the atium and have bought out the nobles, who would be too weak and frail to fight them anyway.
Dox says that they need to start stockpiling supplies, and that he would deal with that aspect of the job. Yeden asks how they can get the troops to the caves, and Kelsier says he already has a friend who can help them there. He asks Breeze if he can help them rally the troops, who says that it would be quite the challenge, which for him is as good as a yes. Ham says they'll need weapons and training. Kelsier says they already have a plan for getting the weapons, and Ham says he can get some people for training. Kelsier says that they will be using a sympathetic nobleman to buy the weapons for them. Everyone is doubtful that they could find one, but Kelsier says he already found one. Lord Renoux was going to buy loads of weapons, on the front that he was going to try and become a Great House. Ham asks if the weapons would be coming to them, and Kelsier says yes, that's how it's going to work. Everyone is confused, until Breeze realizes that Kelsier must have killed Renoux and had someone replace him. Everyone is much more relaxed at this point. Kelsier says that the Renoux front will help them assess the situation with the Great Houses and their soon to be house war. Kelsier says he and Breeze will plan how to go about getting the house war started. Kelsier mentions that he already started the process, which causes Ham to give Breeze some money. Apparently, the two of them had a bet to see if Kelsier was the one who attacked House Venture the previous night.
Kelsier then says they need a spy in the nobility, and Renoux can't do it. They can't let him get near an Inquisitor. Kelsier says Dox will play Renoux's heir, but Dox says he can't do it. The Lord Ruler himself saw Dox pretending to be a nobleman. Breeze say he has too many aliases with the nobility, and Ham's a bad actor. Clubs is too prominent of a skaa craftsman, so that wouldn't work either. Clubs asks if his nephew could do it, pointing to the boy that speaks nonsense, or “Eastern street slang.” Kelsier and Dox agree that wouldn't work, which leaves... Vin. That leaves Yeden to prepare the rebellion and Kelsier to try and figure out a way to deal with the Lord Ruler. But wait! There's more! In this one time deal, we can get Kelsier's brother to deal with the Ministry!
Oh, wait. Marsh comes in and is like “Nope. Not gonna happen.” Vin sees the obvious similarities between the two of them. Marsh asks to speak privately with Kelsier, who agrees, and sends everyone away.
Commentary: This is definitely my favorite chapter in the book, and possibly my favorite in the series. They're just bouncing ideas off of each other and verbally abusing Yeden. What fun!
From the epigraph: what Alendi is feeling in his mind is the Well of Ascension. Duh. He feels it because he's a Misting, a Seeker. There were no Mistborn in his day, as no one in the previous thousand years had ingested any Lerasium. I'm guessing that there has to be a reason you have to have super power Seeker skills in this day and age to sense the Well, but we'll get to that later.
This is an ingenious plan. It probably would have worked, too, as long as either Vin or Kelsier figured out how to kill the Lord Ruler. Turn the nobility against itself, draw the army out of the city, then take the city while no one is looking. If you hold a city with ten thousand people, an army of twenty thousand people really wouldn't stand a chance. It would work, but what happens is much cooler.
There's a few cool bits of foreshadowing here. First of all, Vin notes that she's felt the sadness and hopelessness herself. Vin is not a person who lacks hope. This is a foreshadowing of the Soothing stations. The Lord Ruler's perfect memory is likely due to being a feruchemist. Brandon doesn't confirm it in his annotations, but that's because his spoiler hider wasn't working. He pretty much as says it, though.
I love how Kelsier forces Vin to the front here. Her opinions are good, and forcing her to be a spy is also allowing her to have a part in the job. Vin would not be comfortable if she didn't have a part to play.
Are we ever given an answer as to why Inquisitors can tell Kandra apart from real people? Does it have something to do with them both being products or Hemalurgy? They are right not to tell Yeden about this, by the way. Yeden probably doesn't believe in mistwraiths, and this would be a confirmation that they exist. Mistwraiths scare the hell out of skaa.
Ah, Vin and her perfumes. I don't know what it is about perfumes, but Vin loves them. She just doesn't know it yet. She has spent her whole life being dirty, making sure she's dirty and that she isn't attractive. In the underworld, that's important. However, as Kelsier will soon tell her, there are times when looking like a lady would be to her advantage.
Poor Spook. He doesn't even have a name that's easy to pronounce yet. His only two lines are unintelligible. Though, it is great how he calls Kelsier “Master Jumps.” Makes me giggle every time.
I also love how Breeze calls Keliser “You blessed madman”. So freaking wonderful.
Marsh is an interesting guy. He pops in just as they start talking about him. For some reason, it reminds me of Pink Floyd, and how Syd Barret shows up to their recording studio while they're recording “Shine On You Crazy Diamond pts 1-5,” which is about him.
Chapter 7
Epigraph: “Rashek is a tall man-- of course, most of these Terrismen are tall. He is young to receive so much respect from the other packmen. He has charisma, and the women of the court would probably describe him as handsome, in a rugged sort of way.
Yet, it amazes me that anyone would give heed to a man who speaks such hatred. He has never seen Khlennium, yet he curses the city. He does not know me, yet I can already see the anger and hostility in his eyes.”
What happens: Kelsier looks at his brother, thinking that he hasn't changed much looks-wise, but Dox had told him that Marsh had changed a great deal in attitude. He had always been passionate about his work as leader of the skaa rebellion.
Marsh looks at the charcoal writing board, then throws a piece of paper on a chair near Kelsier. The paper has the names of the people that Kelsier had killed the previous night. Upon finding this out, Kelsier throws the paper into the fire, claiming that he cared nothing for noblemen or skaa who worked for noblemen. Marsh says that they had families, and Kelsier doesn't seem to care. Marsh gets pissed and asks how Kelsier can be so flippant. Kelsier replies that humor is all that he has left, and says that Marsh should be happy Kelsier finally listened to him about actually doing something with his talents. He says that if Marsh helps, the plan will work, but Marsh says he's not here to help. He was there to ask Kelsier how dare he try and steal Marsh's dream. He yells at Kelsier about how he's using Yeden to get money, and Kelsier says that's not what this is about. Kelsier tells him sharply that Marsh has given up on his dream, and Marsh replies he's faced reality. They continue arguing, and Kelsier once again offers Marsh the chance to infiltrate the Ministry for this. Marsh says that life isn't that easy anymore. Some people have changed, and others are gone. The two of them share a moment of peace, due to their shared love of Mare. Marsh says he wishes it was Mare who survived the Pits, and Kelsier agrees with him. Marsh says he's leaving, but he'll come to the next meeting. As Marsh turns to leave, Kelsier sees a flicker of movement by the door, and burns iron. He sees a blue line coming from Vin's belt buckle, and smiled to himself, thinking about how good Vin was. Marsh says he'll return tomorrow, and Kelsier says not to come to early, as he has stuff to do.
Vin is listening for the telltale footsteps of people leaving, and hears it, and is trying to tell if it's both of them or just one of them when she hears a knock inches from her head. She tries to make it look as though she was sleeping before answering. Kelsier asks her what she thinks of Marsh, and she says she didn't see much of him, and Kelsier chuckles at her refusal to admit he caught her. She almost smiles at him, but hears Reen's voice telling her not to trust anyone, especially people that want her to trust them. She notes that the voice has grown stronger since she met Kelsier. Kelsier tells her that they are going to begin her training. She straightens up her clothing, and follows Kelsier. As they pass the kitchen, Kelsier tells her to wait a minute. He goes in, and she stops before the entrance, watching the people inside talk and laugh with each other. She cannot bring herself to join them, though.
Kelsier comes back in a bit with a present of a mistcloak for her. She stares at it in surprise, telling Kelsier she thought she would have to earn it. He says that there's nothing for her to earn; she is Mistborn. She puts it on, and tells Kelsier that it feels good. He gives her two vials, telling her to drink one and to save the other one for later, and that he'd teach her how to mix vials when they had more time. He tells her that she's going to have to start wearing clothing without metal in the future, and teases her that soon they should get her into women's clothing, noting that it might be useful in the future to look more like a woman and less like a thief or skaa.
Kelsier opens the door into the night and into the mists, and tells Vin her first lesson was one about attitude. The mists were theirs. Everyone else feared it to some degree. “The mists are your friend, Vin. They hide you, and they protect you... and they give you power.” He talks about how Ministry doctrine says that the Lord Ruler gave them Allomancy, but other whispers said that it came from the mists themselves. They walk in silence for a while, and Vin eventually asks if they should be worried about soldiers. Kelsier says that even if they were silly enough to be seen, the guards would pretend not to see them.
Kelsier asks Vin if she can feel her metal reserves, and she says she can. He tells her to start burning them one at a time, skipping Soothing and Rioting. The first one she chooses makes her feel rejuvenated and stronger, more solid. Kelsier tells her that's pewter. He tells her it makes her stronger, that it helps deal with pain and fatigue, and that she'd react quicker with it. He also tells her that pewter runs out quickly. It would run out quicker if she “flared” the metals. She tries that, and feels an immense rush of power, but also notes that she used up a lot of the pewter. Kelsier then tells her about alloys, and how many people don't understand about the purity of alloys. If she wants to get the full power, she has to use pure pewter, and it's the same with the other alloys. If she burns a metal that's just a little bit off, there won't be as much power that she gains from it. If it's a lot off, then she'll get sick.
She extinguishes the metal at Kelsier's command, and he tells her about how metals are paired. She just used pewter to Push on her body. She says that's what Ham does, and Kelsier says that Mistings who burn pewter are called Thugs. Vin tries the other metal, and suddenly the mists were more transluscent. She could feel her clothing much better, she noticed that she was hungry, her skin felt wetter, and she could smell a lot better. Kelsier says that Tin enhances one's senses. It also is very slow burning, and that most Allomancers leave Tin on all the time. He tells her to leave it burning, so she can get used to the enhanced senses. He warns her not to flare it too often, as flaring metals too much, especially the internal physical metals, stretches the body. She looked up, and was able to see the stars. Kelsier says it must be an extremely clear night for them to be able to see them. Kelsier explains that everyone used to be able to see them, before the mists and ashmounts screwed stargazing over 
. Vin asks how he knows this, and Kelsier says that even thought the Lord Ruler has been silencing whispers of the past, some still remain.
Kelsier tells her to try another metal, and she sees blue lines appear when she does. She looks around in awe, and Kelsier tells her to leave that metal and its partner alone for now. She turned it off, then turned another metal on. She suddenly seemed to feel pulses that seemed to come from Kelsier. Kelsier says that's bronze. It lets you sense Allomancy nearby. Seekers are Mistings who burn bronze, but Kelsier says it generally isn't useful for Mistborn. It's more useful for Inquisitors, whom he says all are Seekers. As he tells her this, she notices she's suddenly unable to sense his Allomancy. He tells her he burned copper, bronze's pair. Copper allows you to hide your own Allomancy, and creates a “coppercloud” to hide other people's Allomancy that are around you. Vin tries it, but doesn't feel much different, as Kelsier told her would be the case. He tells her to always have copper on when burning metals, otherwise Inquisitors would notice her, but that it would be fine for tonight. He then tells her that copper keeps other people from tampering with your emotions, which makes Vin perk up. She realizes that this is what Smokers do. Vin asks why they need Clubs when both her and Kelsier could hide people, and Kelsier says that Clubs has many apprentices who are also Smokers, and that they are able to be more places than just two Mistborn could be.
While they walk in silence, Vin tries the blue lines metal. She tugs at one of the lines mentally, and almost kills herself with a nail, but Kelsier saves her. He chuckles at her, and she demands to know why the nail attacked her, and he said that she actually attacked herself with the nail. He says they'll get to the metals in a moment, but first he wants to explain something about Allomancy, a philosophy of sorts. Every action has a consequence, both in Allomancy and life. If you're burning pewter, for example, you get stronger. Then if you're carrying something heavy and run out, then you'll drop it, possibly hurting yourself. Or if you shrug off a wound using pewter, you could die when you run out. He then shouts loudly, and Vin complains that that hurt. Kelsier tells her that as long as she's burning tin, she's weak to bright louds and loud sounds. She asks what this has to do with the last metals. He says that iron and steel manipulate other metals. They stop walking next to the city wall, and Kelsier pulls out a cheap coin, and tells Vin to burn steel, the opposite metal to the one she burned earlier, and push it toward the wall. Vin does so, and the coin flies out of his hand until it reached the wall. Then, she flew backward into Kelsier's arms. When asked what happened, she tells him that she thinks that because the coin couldn't go anywhere, she had to be the one that moved. Kelsier says that's right. Her weight is used as an anchor, so if she's Pushing against something heavier than she is, she'll be the one to fly. Iron is the same way, except with Pulling instead of Pushing. He then tells her that she's going to jump over the wall. Vin freaks out, and Kelsier gives her a belt with metal weights, so he can catch her if she falls. Kelsier puts a metal ingot on the ground, tells her to remember to Push, not to Pull. Then he shot up into the air. Vin waits a few seconds before following him.
Commentary: Wow, that was a long description. My hands kind of hurt, but I'll live. This is the fun part, anyway.
Marsh. Marsh Marsh Marsh Marsh. Both Kelsier and Marsh fell in love with Mare, and Mare picked Kelsier. Then she dies. When that happens, Kelsier goes all badass Mistborn on the world and decides to save the world. Marsh, on the other hand, goes into a depression and quits his job as leader of the skaa rebellion. Silly, silly Marsh. Of course, I probably would, too. I don't deal with sadness well. But hey, I can be all high and mighty when talking about a fictional character, right? Anyway, Marsh is very opposite of Kelsier. He's serious, he's focused, he cares about everyone. While Kelsier is willing to kill anyone who gets in his way, Marsh realizes that behind that face is a person, even if it is an enemy. But they look very similar to each other.
Kelsier not caring about the families always bothered me, even though it is very Kelsier to be that way. I think that I also would be annoyed as hell in Marsh's shoes. “Oh, hey bro! Listen, I'm stealing your job, and I need your help. I also just killed a bunch of people and don't give a damnation.” Freaking Hell, Kelsier. Way to be a jackass. If... and awesome jackass.
Silly Vin is silly. The first rule of the tautology club is the first rule of the tautology club, yes I know. But seriously. Spying, then getting caught, then lying about the spying to the one person who's treated you with kindness? Silly Vin. Also, the invisible wall between her and the rest of the group. Vin REALLY wants to join in on this, but she feels alienated. This is a feeling I'm very familiar with. I don't usually feel comfortable with any group of people, even my closest friends, unless it's just a very small number of us. That invisible wall is often times there for me, and to break it down, I have to wear a facade of happiness, lying to my friends that I'm truly enjoying myself. I'm trying to imagine what this must be like for Vin, who doesn't feel comfortable with anyone, and I can't imagine how horrible that must be. We get a scene later where Vin finally does join in with the group, so yay!
We finally learn about Allomancy! Yay! I actually feel like going into the individual metals a bit, because Allomancy is very fun in theory. (Also, I happen to love theory. Music theory especially.) First we get the internal physical metals. Internal means that the metal affects the Allomancer only. Physical means it affects the physical word directly. The first is pewter. Pewter Pushes on your body, making you more resilient. It also makes you stronger. It's partner, tin, Pulls on your body, allowing you to sense things further. This is the hardest metal pairing to look at as opposites, but they really are. Take away the enhanced senses and the enhanced strength, and you're left with resilience. When you Push on your body, you get more resilient. If you Pull on your body, then you're less resilient. I would imagine that you probably shouldn't fight with Tin on. If you can feel things more intensely, I imagine that also includes pain. One last thing about these metals is the idea of savants. We don't really see any savants other than a tin savant (Spook) at all, and him not until the end of the series. Basically, he stretched his body to the limit. You can do this with all the metals (I think that the Lord Ruler is a brass savant, actually), but it's extremely dangerous with internal physical metals. You don't want to screw with your body.
We then get the internal mental metals next. Kelsier is wrong to simply say that bronze is useless. It's certainly less useful than copper in most situations, but knowledge is power. More on this when Marshe teaches Vin, though. Anyway, these metals are probably the most boring of the metals. One is for hiding, the other is for seeking. It's cool that anyone burning copper is immune to emotional Allomancy, though.
Steel and iron, everyone's favorite of the original eight! At least for fight scenes. In his annotations, Brandon mentioned that he did this partially as a knock against telekinetic powers, like the Force. Sure, it's cool to have a power that allows you to do whatever you want. But it's not as easy to imagine in reality. This is a power based purely on Pushing and Pulling. If you're weight is significantly different than what you're Pushing on, then one of you goes flying. If it's similar, both of you go flying. It's really a cool magic system.
What Kelsier says about consequences is worded very well. It's an excellent philosophy of life, one that I myself have used for many years. It's pragmatic. You don't do something if the consequences are going to screw you over. Always weigh your consequences. For every Push, there is a Pull. It's very simple, but very powerful. And, of course, it's very important to this story. Not just with Allomancy and life, but with the cosmology as well. What else are Ruin and Preservation, if not to massive forces pushing and pulling on each other? More on that when Vin becomes Preservation.
I totally forgot to talk about the mists and the epigraph. I'll start with the epigraph. Rashek is not the greatest person ever, even if he did save the world. It looks like he's racist, for one thing. Part of his hatred for Alendi is probably because of that... one guy who writes the book two epigraphs telling him about how Alendi is going to accidently destroy the world.
Two things about the mists. First of all, I love how Kelsier immediately tells Vin about how they think Allomancy began. Both theories are technically true. When the mists came, they started Snapping people. But because no one knew about Allomancy, very few actually rose to any power. They also were all Mistings. The Lord Ruler, however, gave a bunch of people Lerasium, a metal that we'll see at the end of Well of Ascension. It makes people Mistborn. So, Allomancy came with the mists. The time of the Lord Ruler, however, has had Mistborn due to the ingestion of Lerasium, which makes you a Mistborn, then gives you about a thousand years of time worth of many, many Mistings and Mistborn.
Second thing about the mists. I still can't freaking believe I didn't notice that tin allows one to see through the mists. I once asked my parents why you turn your lights on in fog (I was like 7 or 8), because the light didn't make it any easier to see through the fog. It's the same with tin. No matter how good your eyes are, you can't see through an obstruction. I can't believe I never noticed that. Oh well. On to the next chapter.
Chapter 8
Epigraph: “'He shall defend their ways, yet shall violate them. He will be their savior, yet they shall call him heretic. His name shall be Discord, yet they shall love him for it.'”
What happens: Vin shoots up into the air (like a boss) and eventually reaches the top of her Pushing capabilities. Kelsier calmly talks to her as she freaks out. He tells her not to worry, her natural sense of balance will keep her safe. He also tells her that it's bad if she's afraid of heights, which she says she isn't, she's just completely unused to it. Kelsier laughs and brings Vin closer to him, placing them both on the wall. He then gets the ingot really quickly, and tells her that they're going down. This freaks Vin out even more, as she's never been outside of the city at night. Kelsier calmly tells her to fall on the ingot, pushing slowly and gently every once and a while to keep her speed reasonably slow. He tells her either go down that way, or explain to the guards why a Mistborn needs to use the stairs. He jumps down, and Vin follows after him after a few moments of “oh god, this is insane”. She isn't right above the ingot, though, so she goes off in the wrong direction. She freaked out and flared her steel, shooting her off in the wrong direction really fast. She thinks she's dead when she suddenly feels a lurch, and ends up on the ground with Kelsier smiling at her, telling her that it was fun. She tells him she nearly died, and he says everyone does their first time. He asks then if she understands why Allomancers should carry as little metal on them as possible. Vin nods, saying she'd have to stop wearing her earring. Kelsier says that as long as the metal is inside your body, you're fine. She should keep it, should she need an impromptu weapon.
The two of them then go for a walk, Vin thinking about ash and boatmen. Eventually, she realizes something has been following them. Upon voicing this to Kelsier, he says it's a mistwraith, which freaks Vin out. Kelsier says that they should take a look, because they're interesting to look at, and are harmless scavengers. They find it, and Kelsier tells her to flare her tin. The mistwraith had translucent skin and a bunch of different limbs and bones from different creatures, including a human skull. Kelsier tells her that mistwraiths have malleable bodies. He also tells her that they aren't intelligent. They continue walking, until they reached the road. They waited there for a bit, and then saw a carriage. Kelsier greets a man named Sazed. They joke about Kelsier's lateness, and Vin asks if he is a Terrisman. He says that he is, and tells them that they are late and should get going. Kelsier agrees, and he and Vin climb into the carriage.
Kelsier looks at Vin trying to hide herself in the carriage, and feels pity for the girl. He also notes how brave she was; his teacher, Gemmel, had had to push him off of a city wall. Vin eventually speaks up, talking about Marsh. Vin asks if Marsh beat Kelsier often, and Kelsier, confused, says no, of course not. Vin asks if he fought back, and he stops her, saying that Marsh never tried to beat her. He can tell that Vin doesn't believe him, and feels another stab of pity for the girl. After a bit, she asks him why he taught her the metals. He frowns and says that he promised he would. She asks what's keeping her from running away, and he says nothing is, of course. Vin mentions that there are two more metals, and he says that those two metals are weird, and it would be easiest to practice without them, but he wouldn't mind teaching them to her if necessary. She looks suspicious, and Kelsier tells her that his crew runs with trust, and without betrayals. Vin says that someone betrayed him, and it got him sent to the Pits. He says that they don't know for sure if there was a traitor. He tells her if she wants out, they can go back to Luthadel, he'll teach her the last two metals, give her three thousand boxings, and she can be on her merry way. She says eventually that she'll stay, but not because she trusts him, but because she wants to see how things turn out.
They reach Fellise, and Vin notes how beautiful it is. She'd been there before, and had preferred it to Luthadel. Kelsier says the city should be more beautiful, though. The plants should be green, and there should be no ash falling. Vin decides Kelsier truly is strange. Kelsier then tells her some more about Allomancy. First, always burn away unused metals, otherwise they get digested, and many are poisonous. Second, if she tries to burn a metal that doesn't have Allomantic properties, she could die. They reach the manor, and take off their cloaks.
Sazed welcomes her inside, and Vin goes in, noting how clean it is. She sees Renoux, and notes that this imposter is even better than Camon was. Kelsier asks for dinner to be prepared, despite the lateness, and Renoux waves for some servants to do just that. While Vin looks around in wonder at the cleanliness, Renoux asks Kelsier for a word in private, which makes Vin feel annoyed, due to Kelsier's lack of trusting her, despite what he had told her. Servants eventually brought her fruits and bread and some red liquid. She didn't drink anything but she did eat. She ate carefully, trying to avoid getting anything on the super clean ground. Sazed stands behind her formally. She looks around, and notices that the servants are happy. Eventually, she gets fed up with Sazed and asks him not to stand directly behind her. He moves to stand right next to her, which annoys Vin, but then realizes that Sazed was having a personal joke. He sat in the chair next to her, and Vin says she didn't know Terrismen had a sense of humor. He then tells her about how he came to Kelsier, and about how religion drives him. He asks her what she believes. If she doesn't believe in the Final Empire, he can find her another religion. She looks at him, then continues to eat.
After a while, Kelsier and Renoux come out, and talk about Vin's part. Renoux says Vin can't be his heir, but she could be a young scion of the family that he wanted to introduce to the court. Kelsier also realizes that would explain why she didn't understand courtly ways. Kelsier likes it, and Renoux says that first they need to make Vin more presentable. Kelsier decides to have Sazed teach Vin how to be a noblewoman. Kelsier then says it's time for bed, and Vin tries to protest through a yawn. Kelsier pulls Vin aside and apologizes for the secrecy, saying that it was of a personal nature. She would be informed of everything going on with the plan. She believes him, and he walks off to his room, and Sazed shows Vin the way to her room. She asks him if Kelsier is a good man, and Sazed says he's one of the best men he's ever know. Vin says she doesn't think she's ever known a good man.
Commentary: Okay, this epigraph really interested me, but this time, I'm going to purposefully discuss it later. There may or may not be slight cosmere spoilers in it, and I prefer to put those at the tend.
This chapter is Vin freaking out over and over again. It's great. First she's hanging on nothing, then she's flying through the air, then she's come face to face with the skaa's greatest fear. Of course, there really is nothing to fear of a mistwraith, but no one really knows that except people who have seen one. From what it is described as, they must look disturbing. I think I would be even more scared than Vin in this case, despite what Kelsier said.
This idea of “risk your life now when you have a friend” is something I agree with. It's always better to do something dangerous when you have someone to catch you. For example, I did springboard diving for a couple of years. I did not learn how to do reverse dives (jumping off the board forward and doing a backflip) by simply trying on my own. I did so with several teachers, one a formal teacher, and a few others who were simply good at it. However, I also think it's best to start slow. Let Vin do some smaller jumps before going off a wall. I didn't do my first attempt at a reverse dive on the board. I did it off the side of a pool, with my coach there, ready to push me into the water if I did it wrong. Maybe not baby steps, but giant steps? Come on, Kelsier. That's just ridiculous.
Vin keeping her earring is important. We see in the last chapter she is noticing Reen's voice more often. It's kind of odd that she keeps an earring from her mom who tried to kill her, but maybe it's just because it's all she has left of her family now. It would indeed work well as an impromptu weapon. Don't underestimate small objects. In a tornado, hay can pierce a man's body. Small objects can fly faster. And faster is deadlier.
Vin trying to hide is natural for someone like her. The world to her is thieving, betrayal, and beatings. Kelsier has been rather lucky for a halfbreed. His mom was able to hide her skaa heritage from his father for a long time. He didn't deal with the underworld and the abuse. Vin thinks that everyone goes through that, though. Her decision to stay was a bit of a turning point for her. Despite what she thinks, she is already starting to open up to trusting people. I also love how Vin feels worried when finding out she may have nothing to do for the job, and is relieved when they find a way to adapt the plan. She needs to be doing something in the group, needs to be useful.
Sazed is so awesome in this chapter. As soon as he's not doing anything, he starts messing with Vin. We also see him starting to talk about religion, even if he hasn't preached any of them yet. It's so weird how he preaches many religions, but doesn't truly follow any one of them. I guess this is where the “heretic” part of the prophecy comes from, unless I'm not remembering it right. I can't wait to get into the religions he preaches. I particularly love them because other than the current religion, all of Scadrial's religions are ethnic religions, not universalizing. Which are, in my opinion, much more interesting.
I love how meticulous Vin is. She's spent her entire life being really dirty (don't you dare make a joke at this or I will destroy you), and yet once she's in a clean room, all she can think about is how to keep it clean. She may have spent her life being unclean, but she knows how to keep a room clean.
So, I was reading ahead in the annotations, and found out that it's apparently blood that interferes with Allomancy. If metal is obscured by blood, then you can't get to it with average strength. You pretty much have to be using Hemalurgy to do so, unless you're Vin and you have the mists.
Now, the epigraph. This really interested me, because they call the Hero of Ages “Discord”. One of the theories for the name of Skai's (Shardholder on Sel) Shard is Discord. I don't think that's the case after reading this, though. Discord seems similar to Ruin in some ways, so I wonder if it's just another way of naming Ruin (both Preservation and Ruin appear to have several names to the people on Scadrial). I could be totally off base here, but that just interested me.
END OF PART ONE
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