Chapter 44: A Show of Trust

No way I'd be able to write an entire chapter in a span of a single day. I gradually write and rewrite it over the course of the month, though in practice most of it ends up being written during the last week.

Domagoj Kurmaic

Yay! Thanks Domagoj!

Eagerly awaiting the next chapter before bed! When do you make the time to write this awesome story, Nobody103? Do you do the whole chapter on the release date, a little every day throughout the month, or...!?

I am refreshing every half an hour.

BRUNO ASTUR

Don't worry, the next chapter is coming right on schedule. I just always publish it late in the day.

Domagoj Kurmaic

Has the cold struck again? Will we be seeing another chapter?

Nepene

Obviously I can't respond constructively to most of this speculation without giving out some massive spoilers. A few things though: >I think that Zorian could get the dirge larvae for the soul sight potion, put them in a room, get a chrysalis, and then get Silverlake to make him a potion. Boom, soul sight. That would require a time dilation zone that would compress an entire decade (more, really) into the span of a month. Giving something like that to the protagonist would pretty much destroy any tension in the story, don't you think? It would trivialize 99% of the challenges I could throw at him. >And if he can't, he might be able to get an aranean soul transformation potion from Lukav The smarter/saner option. Becoming a shifter of a sapient creature has all the problem associated with soul-bonding yourself to something sapient, except it's much harder to fix things if something goes wrong. Also, an male aranea shifter would definitely have a male aranea alternate form, which would be mightly weird and awkward to the aranea. Using a transformation potion/ritual would let Zorian pick the 'correct' gender as well. Though it would require an adjustment period before he could move and deal with his new body. >Let me know of your thoughts. There you go. I know it's not very substantive, but it's as much as I can give without being too spoiler-y.

Domagoj Kurmaic

This will be/was copied and pasted onto several sites, just in case you've seen it before. Anyways. Hey Nobody103, how much can you tell me? :D I have a couple of guesses on things that might happen. They have verious amounts of evidence, so hear me out. With the whole Silverlake thing happening, at some point Zorian will kill the Grey Hunter. Several things could happen: 1. Silverlake could just take the eggs as a quest item and help Zorian in some way. 2. Zorian just gets the eggs and uses them in some way. 3. Silverlake takes the eggs and uses them to help Zorian. Let's get into the consquences of each one. 1. She could teach Zorian more soul magic, give him soul sight, or just help him in some way. If this happens, it's mostly just speculation. Actually, there might be a way to give him soul sight that would work. More on that later. 2. The eggs could be an unknown way to get Soul Sight. After all, few people kill grey hunters, let alone get their eggs, so they could be really useful in something. They're magic, so maybe Soul Sight. The magic is weak evidence though, nothing was said about their soul, except for shifting. More on that later. 3. Pretty much the same as 2. So she could help him get soul sight and Zorian might become a shifter. Let's look at other evidence first. There has been a ton about the time warping rooms. Nobody103 has confirmed that something will happen, but Zorian won't abuse it for training. I think that Zorian could get the dirge larvae for the soul sight potion, put them in a room, get a chrysalis, and then get Silverlake to make him a potion. Boom, soul sight. It's doable, realistic, and there's enough foreshadowing for it. Why would Nobody103 talk about Soul Sight, the moths, the rooms, and Silverlake if not to have him do this? I think it has a good chance of happening. Maybe Kael told Taiven about the moths and soul sight, and Taiven realizes what Zorian could do with the time travel. But first, there's something more important, the packet. Zorian needs to learn how to open the packet and fast. You probably don't remember, but the Rose Labyrinth Dwellers offered to teach Zorian, saying, "You will live with us for the duration of your lessons. You will eat and sleep in our settlement, hunt with our hunters, patrol our territory with our scouts and otherwise act as a member of our web." Zorian rejected that, thinking about Aranean food, for one thing. But you know what would allow him to accept that offer? If he were an aranean. Or an aranean shifter, anyway. It's highly like for him to end up being a shifter, anyways. He's investigated it a lot and is befriending the daughter of a tribe chief. He could get access to the ritual. And if he can't, he might be able to get an aranean soul transformation potion from Lukav (it would happen if he failed to get the ritual). The weirdest part is whether he would be a male or female aranea. On one hand, he might not be able to bond with a female, because they're sentient, but he might not be allowed to do stuff if he were a male aranea. Weird. I also think the Silver Wolf is a shifter that lives in the mansion in the middle of nowhere. Maybe Zorian could get the ritual from him. That's it, I think. Let me know of your thoughts.

Green0Photon

I greatly enjoyed reading it. And every time I read a chapter, I want to read more. Romantic twist on the story is really interesting.

Yeah, it's just a cold. Though a particularly persistent and annoying one.

Domagoj Kurmaic

Thanks for getting it up on time regardless!

Tan, it was a fun read.

BRUNO ASTUR

Thank you for powering through the illness to bring us another chapter, and I hope you get better soon. Is it a temporary infection?

Nepene