Jump to content

The Tragedy of Thaylen Field


Recommended Posts

The Tragedy of Thaylen Field

By Overlord Jebus

 

Authors Note: I'm sorry.

This fic will spoil the climax of Oathbringer. 

Warning, this fic will cover multiple major character deaths. This is not for the faint of heart. I love myself a bit of suffering and even I struggled to write it.

I am writing this a chapter at a time. When I have finished a chapter, I go back and read the previous chapter and do a second draft. I will then post the second draft. Feedback welcome.

Table of contents:

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, MistboreD said:

Wow. This is...something. Not gonna lie, during my Oathbringer read, I was curious how things could turn out if Dalinar gives his pain. And hey, you wrote it!

 

When can we expect a new chapter?

 

Glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully within the next few days. I've written about half of Chapter Three and once that's done, I'll go back and edit Chapter Two and post that!

4 hours ago, MistboreD said:

Ah and...whose voice is it?

 

I was going for the Stormfather but I could have made it a bit more obvious!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That was the best fan story I've ever read. Also something I've always wanted. A cosmere story where the villain just wins. Or at least causes a lot of chaos. The most of this I've seen is when the Koloss kill Dox and, uh, forgot the name of the coppercloud. Can't wait to see the rest!

Edited by Ark1002
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, MistboreD said:

Man...you're evil! Please, continue. 

How many chapters are you planning?

 

I don't have a set number in mind but I'm just going to keep going until everyone's dead. 

There's a thing I wanted to do that basically made me write this in the first place. The way things have been playing out, it looks like it will be near the end and also in about 3 or 4 chapters time so I guess somewhere between 7 or 8 chapters total but we'll see how things play out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Pagerunner changed the title to The Tragedy of Thaylen Field
On 8/14/2018 at 6:27 AM, Overlord Jebus said:

I don't have a set number in mind but I'm just going to keep going until everyone's dead.

I'm going to put this all in a google document once you are done, then give it to my mom to read, under heavy recommendation. She introduced me to Sanderson. Lets see how she likes this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In chapter one: before that too was swept aware in the torrent burning through him

should be 'away'.

Also, in chapter two: Navanis knuckles turned white

should be Navani's.

Edited by Dev
noticed another typo
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Chapter Three: Thank You

Spoiler

“No!” Syl cried, launching herself at the Fused.

Shallan had watched in horror as the Fused had driven its spear down into Kaladin. He had no Stormlight. She had no Stormlight. There was nothing she could do. She wanted to let go of Adolin and rush to Kaladin’s side, but there was nothing she could do. She could already see the pool of blood growing on the obsidian ground.

Shallan watched as Syl clawed and struck out against the Fused that had killed her Radiant. It barely seemed to care. It grabbed Syl by the wrist, lifting her up as it took to the air. A second Fused joined the first, taking Syl by the other wrist. Syl kicked and fought against them but neither seemed to take heed. They took off towards the Oathgate platform.

“Mmmm,” Pattern buzzed next to Shallan. “Shallan, I do not like this.”

Shallan didn’t reply. She pushed thoughts of Kaladin out of her mind and looked down at Adolin. She had held him when the wind had struck them, clutching onto him. She looked up at Patten who looked ready to sprint for the tree line. The deadeye stood nearby too. It looked to be staring at Adolin but she couldn’t quite tell.

The rest of the Fused were hovering about. They started moving towards her.

There must be something she could do. Something Veil or Radiant could do. But she had no Stormlight left. She couldn’t become them.

No, Shallan thought, I can become them without Stormlight.

Shallan gently lay Adolin’s head down on the cold obsidian. His breaths were becoming weaker and weaker. She stood to look at the group of approaching Fused. One flew ahead of the others, readying its weapon underarm, preparing to run her through.

Shallan looked right into its red eyes and threw her arms wide.

“Sja-anat!” Veil yelled at the Fused.

The leading Fused slowed and raised its spear high.

“I have information on Sja-anat,” Veil said to it as it got closer.

“And what makes you think we want information on the Taker?” Said the Fused. It hung a little in the air above her, head tilted, spear resting against its shoulder. Veil smiled and cocked her head. It wouldn’t be asking if it didn’t.

“Because of the nature of the information. She’s up to something and your master doesn’t know what. I do.” Veil said. She went to adjust her hat only to fumble as she remembered it wasn’t there.

The Fused looked at her flatly. As the rest of the Fused approached, it turned to the group and repeated what Veil had said. One spoke up, a Fused with a particularly elaborate red, white and black swirl covering its body.

“Lightweaver,” it spat, “Always with the secrets. Bring her with the spren. She is as harmless as a Cryptic without her Stormlight.” it said. The rest of the Fused laughed as if this were very funny.

Veil breathed a sigh of relief. Two Fused each lifted Veil and Pattern into the air. Another unceremoniously grabbed the deadeye too. As they left, Veil looked down. From this height, she couldn’t tell if Adolin was still breathing. 

----


Dalinar raged. He was no longer aware of the emotions flowing through him. No words or thoughts crossed his mind. His body moved. Every step he took simply followed the last. Every swing of his Blade was just another movement. The Thrill was his constant companion, driving him forward, keeping him company. Dalinar let it drive him onwards.

He found he had new abilities too. If people tried to run, he found he could move the ground beneath them to swallow up their feet. At one point, a group of soldiers had started slinging rocks at him from a nearby rooftop. Dalinar threw Voidlight out at them and the building simply exploded in a cloud of dust and and splinters beneath them. If someone managed to dodge the Blade, he could bat them away and found that whichever direction he struck them in, they just kept going. Dalinar cared not for what or who he killed, only that he killed.

Sometimes his body didn’t respond to certain movements. Dalinar didn’t care anymore, he simply kept trying to move until he could again. Taking a certain street, going left or right at a junction, Dalinar didn’t care where Odium was leading him, only that he got there.


---


Jasnah’s leap carried her just past the thunderclast’s right knee. She slashed out with Ivory, narrowly dodging a swipe of the huge creature’s arm. Ivory bit deep, but didn’t quite sever it.

Jasnah landed into a roll. Her Plate and Stormlight giving her greater agility than she’d had in years. She looked back to see Renarin waving his hands and yelling at the monster. The thunderclast turned and looked back at Jasnah who was already running around to its left, trying to get to its ankle. The thunderclast turned to follow Jasnah, bringing its left leg around and kicking Renarin out of the way. Renarin disappeared into a nearby building, shattering its stone walls. Jasnah stopped for a moment, the force of that kick was immense. She had to trust that Renarin’s healing could handle that.

Taking steps back, the thunderclast raised its arms defensively.

It is afraid of you, Ivory said into Jasnahs mind.

“Good,” she replied.

The thunderclast opened its mouth and let out a piercing cry, like two rocks smashing together in a highstorm. It spread its arms wide, reaching into the buildings on either side of the street and began flinging great handfuls of stone and wood at her. Jasnah peered into Shadesmar and instinctively reached out to the spren of each individual chunk of rubble.

Jasnah felt their horror as each part of the house cried out in terror as it was separated from the rest. Focusing on just the chunks that were going to hit her, she willed them to air, offering them a chance to be part of a greater whole again.

She ran to the left of the street and begin soulcast steps up the side of the building there. Individual axi of air lined up and packed next to each other, then Soulcast into stone. This took a bit more convincing than the rubble. Air was amorphous, even in concept. People thought of it as the sky, or a breath, or a gust of wind, or a storm, or just “the air.” It liked to be free, difficult to define.

Jasnah leapt from the top step, clearing the rubble still flying through the air and burst from the dust cloud, Ivory held out to strike the thunderclast in in its squat head.

The creatures palm hit her mid-air. Swatting her out of the air, it pushed her into the upper floors of the building she had just climbed, bringing the roof down on her. Jasnah’s plate stopped her from getting crushed but the force of the blow still shook her to the core.

Jasnah went to Soulcast the rubble away but her reserves were running low. At least, low if she did not count the amount she always kept in her for emergency junctions.

Part of her lamented for not spending more time practicing with her Blade and Plate, another part was glad that now her Radianthood was exposed, she’d be able to devote more time to it than she had been before.

A huge fist crashed down onto her. It smashed her through the to the floor below and covered her with yet more rubble. Then another strike shook the building. And another.


--


Renarin stepped into the light of the street, coughing the dust from his lungs. He remembered running at the thunderclast with Jasnah moments ago, the next moment everything went dark. He had awoken in the study of this building. His Stormlight was running low but luckily, whoever had been using the study last had left some gems behind. Renarin sucked in the light and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t much, but he’d found his light tended to last a lot longer than Kaladin and Bridge Four had described.

Glys, where are you? Renarin thought. He could feel him there, but weakened. Glys had done this before, in times where the visions had come at their worst. When he’d seen his family burn, his friends slaughtered, everything precious to him lost, he’d awaken to find Glys just as shaken. He’d feel small, precious but he’d be there, helping Renarin put himself back together.

This time felt like that but worse. He didn’t respond at all when Renarin had tried to summon him. There was no muttering, just a fleeting sense of presence.

Renarin’s eyes adjusted just in time to watch the thunderclast swat Jasnah from the sky. It smashed her into the building opposite. Renarin gasped and stood, frozen.

The thunderclast turned it’s back to him and brought it’s arms down on the wrecked building where Jasnah had fallen. 

No! Renarin thought. He thrust his arm to side and tried to summon Glys again. He felt a shift in his spren but still no Shardblade. The thunderclast smashed a fist through the building.

Renarin yelled out in frustration. He’d failed Jasnah, she’d asked him to keep the monster distracted but he hadn’t been able. Now he was going to fail again. Again and again. Why couldn’t he ever get anything right? Renarin pounded a fist against the edge of the hole he stood in. The thunderclast smashed another fist down.

Dark smoke puffed out from where the thundercast was focusing it’s attention but the monster's attack was unrelenting. 

Jasnah is still in there, she’s still fighting! Renarin watched as the smoke billowed into the sky. The air around the smoke fractured and split, as if the sky were glass under too much stress. He could see his reflection. Dozens of Renarins looked down on him. The smoke deepened, darkened, expanded. One by one, the reflections of Renarin burst into black smoke as the images shattered. 

Renarin fell to his knees as the glistening shards of his vision fell around him. For a moment, everything went quiet.

The thunderclast brought another fist down on the building opposite.

That’s when Renarin heard a small voice, as if from far away.

Renarin... We need to help her

“Glys...” Renarin said. He found himself crying again. Only this time, a smile had forced itself across his face. “Where were you?”

He is coming Renarin. I had to hide. I had to hide from him.

“But not anymore?”

There was a pause.

We need to hurry, Renarin, hurry! We need to help her! Glys said, his voice louder now.

Feeling the Stormlight pulse inside him, Renarin picked himself up off the ground and ran at the thunderclast. Its back turned, its attention diverted, Renarin summoned Glys into his hand. Holding the long thin Blade out to the side, Renarin ran at the creature. 

Yes! Yes! Make it fall! Glys elated within Renarin.

Hitting it’s right leg first, Renarin swept Glys through the stone. Not breaking stride, he turned, running past the left leg and cutting it clean through. Renarin kept running, getting clear of the falling beast.

Down! Down! Yes!

The thunderclast’s landing shook the ground, causing Renarin to stumble. The crash of stone on stone was deafening. Recovering quickly, Renarin turned to watch the thunderclast grind it’s head around and lock its burning eyes on him. The thunderclast opened its mouth and bellowed at him. The air shook with the sound.

Smashing its arms into the ground, the thunderclast dug it’s fingers into the ground and... pushed itself away from Renarin.

“What’s it doing?” Renarin said, slowly walking towards the creature, trying to stop the distance between them from getting too great.

It fears you! Glys said from within Renarin Make it go! Make it go with Light!

As Renarin approached the fleeing monster, it tried to strike out towards him with one of it’s massive hand’s. Renarin was easily able to dodge the blow and sever the hand from it’s wrist.

Make! It! Go! Glys urged Renarin onward, back to his excitable self.

Renarin raised his fist and summoned Stormlight. It glowed like a beacon. The light behind the thunderclast’s eyes faded before the light. As they died, the stone bulk became still.

Renarin let out a sigh of relief, Light puffing from his lips. He lifted Glys in front of his face.

“Thank you, Glys.” Renarin said.

Thank you, Renarin, thank you


-


Jasnah lifted a section of rubble from atop her. There wasn’t a section of her Plate that wasn’t cracked and leaking. The strength it granted was almost entirely gone. Jasnah had feared for the worst in that moment but her Plate had held. She still had her emergency reserve if things had become too dangerous. She found the three story building she had been thrust into had been reduced to a pile of rubble not much taller than a single story house. 

Ivory appeared next to her. Twisting his whole upper body about, he surveyed the wreckage.

“We will avoid doing this again in future.” Ivory said.

“Yes, we will,” replied Jasnah, dismissing her Plate. She watched as its spren lethargically drifted away into Shadesmar.

That’s going to take some fixing, Jasnah thought.

Jasnah began making her way across the rubble. She could still hear the pounding and scraping of the thunderclast’s movements. She could no longer see it as it had made its way down the street far enough to be blocked by the neighbouring buildings. She did spot Renarin making his way toward the sound though. He held a long, thin Shardblade in his hand.

“That must be Glys,” Said Jasnah, “Other than the lack of ornamentation, it doesn’t look unusual.”

“The spren is corrupted, Jasnah. The Blade is not but the spren is.” Ivory said. Watching the hem of his stiff robe simply glide over the rubble had a disconcerting effect. 

Reaching the street, Jasnah finally saw the legless thunderclast retreating down the street. Renarin had severed it’s hand and was lifting a glowing fist before it.

“What is he doing?” She asked Ivory as a group of Fused flew over. She watched them cautiously as they passed before making her way over to Renarin.

The spren is here where it is dangerous. He is making it there where it is not dangerous. Until it is back here again. Ivory said from within Jasnah, having demanifested as they left the rubble. 

Jasnah took a quick survey of their surroundings, surmising they were somewhere near the middle of the Ancient Ward. Jasnah made her way towards Renarin and the now immobile thunderclast.

“Well done cousin,” Jasnah called out, “Now, we need to head to the Lower Ward wall and find your father, I believe he is the key to all of this, keep an eye out for stormlight, I’m running low.”

Renarin, still a few metres away, was holding Glys in front of his face, whispering, his eyes closed.

Something black and white dropped from the sky behind Renarin. 

A man. He wore swirling white robes and glowed with Stormlight. He held a smoking black Blade that looked nothing like any Blade Jasnah had seen before. But the man, that was someone Jasnah recognized.

The Assassin in White.

Jasnah cried out as she summoned Ivory. She went to summon her Plate but it responded slowly.

The Assassin held his Blade high and brought it down, sweeping it through Renarin.

Renarin stood for a moment, a smile across his lips. The glow of Stormlight drained from him and a moment later, he disappeared in a plume of black smoke.

Jasnah stopped in place.

Jasnah, Ivory spoke into her mind, We must leave, I do not know this foe.

Memories of her father jumped into the forefront of her mind. She hadn’t been there to help him and had spent the years since trying to stop it from happening again. In a moment, all that effort was made meaningless.

The night of the assassination, the helplessness, the anger. Panic began to creep into Jasnah’s mind. 

Jasnah stood. Focus. The Blade. The Blade. It sucked in the light around it. Had it soulcast Renarin? It had passed through him like a normal Blade but it didn’t appear to be a wound even a Radiant could heal from.

The Assassin fell towards her. Lashed himself. From the accounts of soldiers during her father’s assassination, she had surmised he was either a Windrunner or a Skybreaker, or held the Honorblade of those Orders Heralds. Both were combat oriented Orders, unlike her own. 

The Assassin was close. He’d killed her father. He had been a much better warrior than her. She couldn’t win this fight.

Using the rest of the Stormlight in her reserves, Jasnah opened a junction and fell into Shadesmar.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...