This is my reaction blog for Wind and Truth. Beware of spoilers! Index post here. 

Title: Those Who Subtract
Szeth meets the raiders and their consequences, and likely has low self esteem.
Icons: Ishar and Shash
With the raider attack, this has got to be the blood and sinew essences. Not a good sign.

Yeah, finding the heathen stonewalkers sitting on a stone and by the rock that your family semi-blasphemously moved is not going to make you immediately discount the idea of retributive fate.

They’re eating Molli! Oh no!

Good continuity that Szeth primarily notices the metal they carry: armor studs, steel helmets and swords. But I’m just as surprised as he is that they are Shin rather than Easterners.

Oh, wait, he’s right? They’re actually the local guards and just behaving badly? I’m not sure I believe it yet, but it’s a valid possibility and arguably a more impactful experience to have for his growing worldview.

Okay, first, props to Szeth for being brave (foolhardy) enough to speak up and argue with these soldiers. That takes a lot for a kid.

Second, this whole “those who subtract” thing is way more broad in scope than I expected. Soldiers are responsible not only for fighting people but also for butchering animals and turning trees into lumber? That’s a wide range of skills and responsibilities, and a very liberal interpretation of what’s destructive when, as the soldier says, those very materials are immediately used to sustain life and construct buildings. It can’t possibly be an effect of Cultivation’s intent, since we know she has Ruinous aspects to her cycle of growth, so this is a uniquely Shin cultural idea. I’m waiting for some indication of how this actually allows society to function if they actively denigrate those tasks. How is harvesting crops different, I wonder?

Uh oh. Who is speaking to “Sunken Eyes”? Is this an Unmade? A lowlier spren? Another Odious influence? Something else entirely? Nothing at all and he’s just got intrusively violent thoughts? Sure sounds like an outside influence.

Hold up, Szeth almost bashed the guy’s head in with a rock? Specifically, a holy rock that he miraculously/unfortunately discovered? Eesh, that would have left a huge complex. “He would not do so today.” Trauma averted for… probably not very long, but good job resisting.

Oops, spoke too soon. He’s getting attacked now and the red eyes mean there’s definitely some bad mojo going on. 

Ouch. So he kills a guy in self defence using a stone, he immediately hears a voice in his mind. I’m starting to think there’s more to the stone-spren connection than I credited before. But more importantly, I’m starting to think that the oathstone Szeth has been carrying around for years might be the murder weapon from that night, which would be all kinds of messed up. 
He certainly comes by his issues honestly.