I'm back with the beginning of Part Five! Snow and Ash is the title, which Seems pretty fitting to me.

Part Five

Chapter 49

Its the beginning of a new day, and hopefully the dawn of a new saga in Elend and Vin's relationship. They're just about ready to be on their way, but Elend and Tindwyl are having a bit of a disagreement. She's really ripping on him for abandoning the city in its most dire time of need. She says that Vin's reasons for wanting to go north are insane―and they would be, were this not a fantasy book series. Elend knows that what they're doing seems a bit crazy, but he'll go along with it because he wants to support Vin's choice. He's well and truly besotted, the poor fool.

Since Elend refuses to see reason, Tindwyl gets a bit testy. Again. Prompting Elend to rudely command her to leave, prompting her to storm off in rage. That seemed a little uncalled for. Besides, he's no longer king, and she's no longer in his house, so he doesn't really have any right to speak to her this way any more.

Vin is grateful to Elend for defending her honour, and, as if to give truth to Tindwyl's claims, she confesses to him that she continues to see the mist spirit. She also tells him about the thumping, which she apparently doesn't even need bronze to hear any more. Elend finds it difficult to believe her, but he's trying to. Good for him.

While they wait for Lestibournes to arrive, they check Sazed's false map, choose a false route, and grab the books that Tindwyl left with them before she stormed off.

When Spooks arrives, bearing with him a large sack of pewter, Allrianne also shows up with her pack horses. Did she not come to the city with absolutely nothing? Where did she get enough belongings to burden two horses with?

Anyway, Vin tries to blow her off, telling her that they don't need, want, or even like her. Elend calls that being blunt; I simply call that being rude. Or is that what blunt" means these days? What did Allrianne do to deserve such treatment, anyway? I know she's annoying, but that doesn't warrant such cruel words. Can't Vin be diplomatic for a change?

Anyway, If that was an attempt to get her to back off, it was a failure. Vin's words side off Allrianne like water off a ducks back. Vin, of all people, should know that Allrianne is more than she lets on. Besides, Vin's probably the only one who can get out of this city without being caught by Straff or Jastes. How else, besides going with her, is Allriane supposed to escape the oncoming massacre? Oh, that's right. Vin doesn't yet know that the inhabitants of Luthadel are about to experience Death by Koloss on a scale never before witnessed in this world.

They really have no way of stopping Allriane from tagging along, so Elend, ever the voice of reason, permits her to come with them. They get going, and Elend takes note of how skilled a rider Allrianne is. Now, why would a spoiled, prissy little princess like her need to be such a proficient rider?

The doomed citizens of Luthadel watch their group as they make their way to the gate, and Elend feels a deep mortification for abandoning them. When they reach the city gate, though, Vin turns to addresses the people. She tells them that they aren't being abandoned. That she and Elend will return with help. If only she knew.

Shortly after leaving the city, the group is intercepted by a platoon of Straff's men. Using the pewter in Lestibourne's sack, Vin creates a dust storm and confronts the soldiers, giving the rest of the group an opportunity to get away. She's getting even more skilled with her use of duralumin, and it takes her no time at all to dispatch with her outmatched assailants and catch up with Elend and the rest.

As soon as they're out of harms way, Allrianne thanks the coterie for their assistance and rides off without another word, no doubt causing Vin a great deal of relief. Going off like that all on her own, though? Seems a bit risky, even for an allomancer. Unless she's Mistborn, of course, but considering what Cett said, that's pretty unlikely.

Breeze stands with the rest if the group, watching their only Mistborn―their only hope―leave the premises, sealing their fates even more tightly. It's okay, though, because even though every single one of them is going to die, at least Vin and Elend got away safely.

Sazed and Clubs end up getting into an argument about Demoux's Survivorism, and Sazed's seeming lack of any true belief system. Sazed is confronted with how ridiculous his religious beliefs appear to normal people.

They then notice a large smoke cloud billowing up from koloss camp. No one knows what it is, but is too big to be coming from the tents. Breeze thinks it doesn't matter now, bit it may just spell their salvation! The smoke must somehow be a message from Marsh! "On the dawn of the third day, look to the East." The Inquisitors will come to save them, falling upon the koloss in a blaze of fire and death! The bloody destruction! It will be glorious! Almost as glorious as it is implausible...

Straff is sick, and I don't just mean that he's a sick, despicable human being. No, he's actually really sick. Deathly ill, in fact. He can hardly even stand.

A messenger comes to him bearing news of the riders who fled the city. Upon being informed of their escape, he collapses from extreme dizziness and rage. The messenger calls for the healer, but Straff believes that this is Zane's doing, so he demands that Amaranta be brought to him instead. She is quick to arrive and begin fixing his antidote, but Straff notices something wrong this time. She's brewing the wrong brew. He demands to know what she's doing. Yes, what is she doing?

A mad series of revelations follow this inquiry, starting with Zane and Amaranta being "pillow friends", and ending with Amaranta getting Straff hooked on some unknown drug. So addicted to it that he literally cannot live without it. Without her. All this time, what he thought was poison was simply his addiction rearing its needy head.

In a fit of mad delirium, Straff strangles the life out of his former mistress, effectively ending his own as well. With his only hope of survival dead at his feet, he has no choice but to try to find this mystery drug by himself. He desperately begins brewing on his own, throwing in herbs practically at random, hoping that one of them is the weed that he's addicted to. He downs the emergency compound and drifts into sweet unconsciousness. His fate remains unknown.

I feel like I should have foreseen something like this happening. Unlike with Oreseur, there were a few hints at this. Is Straff finally done for, or does he yet cling to the land of the living? While this would be a fittingly dramatic death for him, it feels a bit too soon.

End of Chapter 49

Kwaam says that he has no doubt that if Alendi gets to the Well, he will willingly give up it's power. What? Then why the hell...? Could it be that the Well itself, not Alendi, is the problem? Why have him killed, then? Was giving up the power the issue? Was it that so much power could not be allowed to be completely unchained? Or does it have something to do with the the misty death? Or Zod, maybe?

Chapter 50

This chapter begins with a brand new perspective: Allrianne. I'd say that it's a bit late for new PoV, but Elend's first chapter was pretty deep into book one.

During her travels, Allriane stumbled upon a group of "base men"―in other words, "Bandits." She, using promises of untold wealth and her formidable rioting talents, latched on to them and got them to escort her to her father's camp. My question is: If she wanted to go back home with Ashweather(Yes, I still remember his first name), then why in the blazes did she not she leave with him in the first place?

Allrianne enters the command tent, and Cett actually seems to have been genuinely worried about her. It doesn't even seem to be a result of her rioting, either. Yes, she uses emotional allomancy on her own father as well, because no one is off limits. Allrianne is a lot like a much prettier, much younger, "Breezy". It's almost as if the two of them were made for eachother. Albeit several decades apart...

Anyway there's apparently a rebellion back in the Cett's homeland. It's being led by a former obligator, from the sounds of things. Cett can't hold onto homeland. That's why he seemed so desperate to get the city. With no mistings and no allies, he has no where to go. Seriously? If I recall correctly, he had around seven mistings before he made the thoughtless decision to besiege Luthadel. He should've spent more time trying to train his one living mistborn, then, instead of squandering him in a failed attempt to get rid of Vin. What a dumbass.

Allrianne doesn't seem all that sympathetic. She told him before to seek an alliance, and she now advises that he stick around to assist one of the kings in the upcoming battle. From the beginning, their only chances were to return home with friends or money, and since the money thing didn't pan out, they must acquire friends. He won't be assisting Jastes, so the chances are he'll end up siding with Straff. Then again, no one with half a brain would trust Straff. It isn't much, but it's the most Allrianne can do... for Breezy.

It's Elend's third day away from Luthadel, and the last two nights have been two very good nights indeed for the former king. He looks down at Vin, and realizes as he kisses her forehead that he doesn't care if he doesn't know everything about her, he loves her anyway. Meanwhile, back in Luthadel, Breeze and Co. partake in their last meals as they, sick with fear, prepare to say goodbye to this cruel world.

Vin, aka the woman who finally has a damnation surname(Vin Venture? Try saying that three times fast), awakens, and they engage in light banter as she gets dressed. Woah! Deja vu...

They've been taking the trip slowly because, well, what's the rush? It's not like the fate of an entire city, not to mention the world, rests upon their shoulders.

I almost forgot that Lestibournes is with them. He's basically their packman/guide. Heh, he must be seething with envy right now. Woah... deja vu.

Anyway, Vin seems to be being bothered by something. As she easily hacks down a tree for firewood, Spook tells Elend that he feels useless when she's around; She does everything better than him. He's telling this to the wrong person. Elend doesn't even have an allomantic ability, imagine what it feels like for him. Elend says as much, to which Lestibournes replies that people at least respect Elend, but they always look down on him. Eh. The grass is always greener and all that jazz.

Elend tries to cheer Spook up, telling him that they brought him along for his talents. He then asks him if he's seen anything. Spook tells him that Straff's soldieres quit following them a while back, but he catches glimpses of someone else from time. Not someone, something. That's at least what Vin seems to think. She finished chopping that firewood in record time,(Who does she think she is? Abraham Lincoln?) and she shares her wacknut theories with them. Spook and Elend share a look. Lestibournes clearly thinks she's a total nutjob, but Elend just tells her that it should be okay as long as it stays out of there way.

Straff wakes up. Holy guacamole! He's alive! He...aches, though. One of the healers is with him. Says he's been out for three days, and that he should by rights be a dead man. One of the generals, a man named Janarle, is currently in charge of the army, but he hasn't dared to have Straff killed for fear of retribution from Zane. Straff laughs, and asks the guards what happened to Vin. They tell him that she fled with Elend, but Straff thinks that it was Zane who got rid of her. Which actually isn't all that far from the truth.

With all of his fears out of the way, Straff finally asks of the koloss. Upon hearing that they've become restless, he immediately orders his troops to pull back. I guess that's it, then.

I think this chapter has set a record for perspective shifts. The fourth PoV is Sazed. He sits at a table. For the past couple of days, he's been filling several small rings with physical and mental attributes. He's storing everything that can be stored, even health, and brain cells. Evidently, he's in pretty nasty shape right now.

Clubs pops in with the nasty news. Straff has finally left. Penrod sent messengers to him, but Straff either refused to heed them or simply had them executed. Penrod tried slipping a few nobles out of the city, but Straff killed them too. Penrod even tried sending a messenger to Jastes, but that man did not return.

After sharing the surety of their imminent demise, Clubs gets himself some soup, and Sazed, despite their earlier disagreement, takes this opportunity to suggest a religion for Clubs. Dadradah, the artist's religion. I had forgotten that Clubs was a carpenter. Sazed remmebered, though, and he hands him a wooden symbol of their faith. Clubs stares at the thing for While, then tells Sazed that "his woman" is looking for him, and Sazed promptly goes to meet with her.

Sazed finds Tindwyl with Dockson and a few others in the keep ballroom, gathered around Marsh's old map of Luthadel. When Sazed see the map, he finally remembers his old friend and wonders where he is now. He's in the city I'm sure. Still have no idea what he's doing, though.

Anyway, Tindwyl waves Sazed over, and he joins the group. Penrod has put noblemen in command of all twenty military regiments, and Dockson, unsurprisingly, is not happy with this arrangement. He wants someone competent near each gate, just in case things get nasty. He obviously doesn't think highly of nobles, but that's nothing new.

With Elend out of the way, Dox has full control of the crew, which, to be honest, should have been the case to begin with. Any messengers Sazed and the rest need to send must return to the Venture ball room, where Dockson himself will be stationed. Sazed he appoints to the Steel gate. The Terrisman is fine with the arrangement as long as Dockson has his men respect the chain of command.

With their last plans out of the way, Sazed requests that Tindwyl speak with him in private. When they go off alone, he tells her that there's nothing here for her, and asks why she chose to stay. She retorts that there isn't anything here for him either. She also disagrees with his decision to send away their leaders, as survival is not befit a leader. In other words, she believes that a captain should go down with his ship. I've never really understood that sentiment, to be honest. If the captain survives, he may be able go on to command larger, greater ships, but if he's dead, he's just mud. I guess that's besides the point, though.

Tindwyl goes on to say that the Luthadelians, even Dockson and the Crew, still cling to the hope that Vin might save them. She says that he sent away their hope, and they should not die feeling betrayed. Oh, I imagine betrayal will be the last thing on their minds as those koloss blades bite into their soft, vulnerable flesh...

Erm, anyway. Sazed asks her if that's the reason for her staying, then: stubbornness and hope? She replies that it is neither, and they embrace. As they hold eachother, the warning drums begin to beat. The final countdown has begun at last. Luthadel's final hour approaches.

End of Chapter 50

"I took a leap of Faith. Made one final gamble.", Kwaan wrote. The gamble, I'm sure, was sending Rashek out to do the nasty job of slaying the world's only hope.