The Well Of Ascension Chapter 54-55
Entry posted by Child Bahkbar
3189 views
The epic and not so dissatisfying conclusion to the fifth Part.
Part Five
Chapter 54
Vin battles with the blue beasts. Okay, "battle" isn't exactly the right word for it. The koloss are hardly a match for her allomantic sorceries. She basically just slaughters the cute'n cuddly red eyed killing machines, and feels great about it, too.
Vin has made a resolution. She will never kill for "shock or retribution" again. Good grief, and good riddance. Too bad there's no way shell hold to that resolution. I give her about two chapters to break it.
Anyway, Vin is indeed powerful, but the koloss are persistent, and persistence always pays off in the end. Vin is running low on just about everything. She's killed a great many koloss, but before long Vin has no choice but to retreat from their relentless fury.
Sazed has managed to gather together thousands of survivors, and they've made it all the way to keep Hasting safely. Unfortunately, Penrod is being big doodoo head. He refuses to heed Sazed's pleas for him to flee the city, open his gates, or even show his face at all.
Dockson's messenger has somehow managed to survive amidst all the chaos, and he brings news of Dockson death to those standing outside the Hasting walls. The koloss have apparently finished making corpses out of the soldiers, but the real fun is only just beginning. There are hundreds of thousands of civilians in Luthadel, and they're next on the koloss' dinner menu. It's high time that Sazed and his followers got out of this place once and for all.
After that timely announcement, Penrod finally shows. He refuses to go with Sazed, though, because it's to late. From the top of the keep, his Tin eye has been able to see what the koloss have done to all who tried to flee through the north gate, which just so happens to be where Sazed was headed. What's worse is that the beasts are on their way here, now.
With that little bit of knowledge, Sazed decides to forget escape, and turns around and begs Penrod to be let them inside the keep. Penrod, dejected, just replies that there's no room, and walks back into the safety of his keep. Great. Now what?
Vin runs, fights, and runs some more. She flies all the way to Kredik Shaw, which remains eerily untouched in a sea of fire, death, and koloss. It's here, at the Lord Rulers former capital, that her pewter finally runs out. Still she somehow manages kill a koloss and rescue a little girl, despite the fact that she's been pewter dragging for at least a day, and has been relying at least partially on pewter for the past several months. She shouldn't even be able to stand, much less run around a koloss infested city carrying a child.
Anyway in a fit of desperation Vin hits a group of koloss with a blast of duralumin enhanced brass. The koloss, who were just about to lay waste to several skaa, stop dead in their tracks. Ah, so they are the same as the Kandra. I don't know how I didn't see this from a mile away. It seems so obvious now.
Sazed stands, facing a large group of koloss that should be the death of him, but for some reason they do not attack. Vin walks out from the midst of the hideous creatures...
Wait a second. Vin had two, maybe three vials worth of brass her stomach, right? The duralumin she used on the smaller group should have used up one of those, and the koloss that she's controlling now are much more numerous than the group she halted earlier. Also, I'm gonna assume that maintaining control of the koloss continually drains from her reserves, so...Shouldn't she have run out by now?
Anyway, having two of her newfound koloss henchmen lift her up to the window. Vin addresses Penrod in his keep. She convinces him to have his men go back into the city to take care of the people. She, on the other hand, will take care of the rest of the koloss. The city's all but saved already.
After Penrod leaves to prepare, she enquires as to everyone's well being, and asks Ham for some pewter. She does not, however, ask for brass. does this mean that she still has enough to stop the rest of the koloss? How? Does she not have to use duralumin to reverse their enraged state?
Anyway, Vin and her koloss cronies return into the fray, and Sazed asks to be excused. Now that the situation seems to be under control, he goes to search for Tindwyl. It takes him all night, but he eventually finds her the next day. She didn't make it. As he weeps, holding her lifeless form, Sazed comes to a distressing realisation. His entire life is a sham.
Great. Just great. Kill off the most smartest, prettiest, amazingest Terriswoman to ever live, and crush the spirit of the most influential Terrisman in generations. My world! My world has been shattered!
End of chapter 54
Kwaan intended for Rashek to attempt to mislead alendi or to foil his plans in any way possible, because, as he puts it, they had all been deceived. Interesting word, that. "Deceived." It implies that an actua being, capable of deceit, was misleading them all along.
Chapter 55
Straff's final day in this world starts off as a joyous one. He awakens to the sight of what seems to be a dead Luthadel, and it looks as if his dreams are finally going to come true. The happiness does not last long, though.
Straff sees that the Koloss have arrayed themselves outside of the city, prepared for battle. What's worse, though, is that the Luthadel soldiers are on their side.
As Straff turns his horse to move to a less precarious position for the oncoming battle, he sees something flying from the koloss army at perilous speeds. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No! It's Vin Venture, come to bequeath unto him a one way ticket straight to hell. She descends from the sky, striking with lethal accuracy. Death literally comes swirling down.
After severing Straff and his horse in half with her giant sword, Vin "smiles grimly". It's pretty messed up that she can smile at all after doing such gruesome deed, but I'll let that one slide, for now. Straff is dead! He's finally dead! Hallelujah!
With Straff out of the picture, Vin moves on to his officers. Utilising duralumin and downing countless vials of metals, she fulfils Elend's promise to his father, laying waste to his commanding officers and all who happen to be near them.
Cett watches the whole exchange from a safe distance. He apparently thinks that Straff still stands a chance, so when Allrianne comes, demanding that he assist Breezy, he tells her that he'll wait to see how it turns out, and then take Luthadel from the winning army. Heh, funny joke, that. He can't possibly be that stupid.
Anyway. Allrianne suffers some sort of mad lapse in judgement, and she charges her horse towards the battlefield. Cett thinks about it for a while, and he eventually realises just how moronic his plan is. If he couldn't even hold on to his own kingdom, what in the name of all that is good and expedient makes him think that he could possibly hold Luthadel?
Sazed rides, only half watching the battle. It seems that no amount of violence can take his mind from his recent loss. The thoughts of Tindwyl draw his mind to their studies together, and as he watches the battle unfold, and Cett join the Luthadel troops, all of the pieces begin to fall into place...
The battle is over after barely an hour. Straff's army was utterly crushed. Of all of his generals, only Janarle was left alive.
With the battle ended, Sazed approaches Vin, where he bears witness as she forces oaths of allegiance out of Penrod, Cett, and Janarle, on pain of death. Of course she has them swear to Elend, not herself, but still, what would Elend himself think of this? What Vin has done goes against everything he stands for, does it not?
When she sees Sazed, Vin requests that he take care of whatever needs taking care of in her place, and she orders the three kings to follow Sazed's commands as if they were her own. She then sails off back on her enormous koloss sword to get some much needed rest back in the city.
After the events that he's seen, Sazed seems to be fully convinced that Vin is the Hero, but what about the rubbing? Is he just going to ignore it? Does he not see the eery parallels between himself and Kwaan?
End of Chapter 55
I worry that Vin may be gaining almost too much power. With duralumin and the koloss on her side, no one can stand against her. She could take over the entire world, if she wants to. Of course, Elend would have to hop the twig first, but there are a good five more chapters in this book for him to do that.
What else...Ah! Yes. Vin's koloss sword. I forgot to address the sword. It sounds cool and all, but it just doesn't seem all that practical. It, more or less, negates her training in ordinary, pewterless combat; If she were too ever run out of pewter in a fight, she'd have to drop the sword and draw her daggers--an action that would, more than likely, get her killed. I'm curious to see if she continues to fight with the thing in the third book.
That's a ways away, though, because the final, most enticing, chapters of this book are still ahead. For all I know, Vin may be turned into some sort of demigoddess, negating her need for ordinary weaponry. Or she might find herself maimed, ultimately resulting in the same thing. Anything could happen.
End of Part Five
6 Comments
Recommended Comments