All Comments on 'Mud and Magic Ch. 12'

Yeah. Complicated.

Its weird sometimes to be sat in the position we are in. Being aware of things the characters are not. Watching things unfold from many perspectives, and then wondering how it is that they cannot also see the threads as we have seen them.

The shifts in information this chapter has presented to us. Difficult. At first I didn't understand what Carver had done, and It wasn't until it was explained by Carver in his own words that I really understood that it wasn't a sequence break. But that just raises even more questions. I am as surprised as Rhys and Celeste that the creature displayed in past chapters was even capable of acting in such a manner. His manner and the pace he's set forth aren't exactly opposed to what he's shown, but this new information makes him more dangerous. Not just to Rhys and company, but also against the disciples of Desire herself. A cunning animal seeking exact wordings of divine contracts is intriguing. That coupled with the rift sparked by politics, that before even a full day had passed it seemed, was rendered unnecessary... changes things. There are things that once cast aside, cannot be so easily regained, and I would think that the trust and faith of an evil man to be one of those. Its strange to think how a couple of chapters can change things so drastically. Now I'm far more interested in what Faedal is up to, while Carver's machinations no longer quite hold my rapt attention.

I could reread these past chapters again, and I might just, if only to work at the question: What did Celeste bargain away to earn what powers she gained? And something quite new trailing after that thought: What too for Faedal? Perhaps that too has been discussed already, but I am unsure. Its scary how effective Desire is at brokering deals, when every instance and example we're taught says she screws over the applicant. But, I suppose that's the point isn't it? Since there are so many stories so prominently known, that she can fulfill one's wish is apparent. Giving her access to the foolish, the desperate, and the arrogant, an ample supply among many of the races I'd imagine. She may not gain the lip service of the masses, but through her contracts she rends "worship" from those in her grasp.

I seem to have written a rather long comment ^.^ I hope you see this as a compliment to your work, and an avenue that I might express my thanks to you for your work. Thank you.

I gotta say, i came across the story by random and have been hooked into it ever since. You have an amazing world created and I'd really like to see just how far you can take it. Even possible that it could become it's own book series as there are so many possibilities. Keep going with it, cant wait to see what lies in store for Celeste or if Carver is managed to be stopped.

Loving the tale so far. Great work! I just wish I hadn't found it before it was completed. I'll probably completely forget about this by the time it's finished a year or two from now.

My first impression was, "Thank the gods I finally found a Lit author that writes in the proper 3rd person rather than a 1st person perspective!" Way too many stories on Lit are written from a 1st person perspective. Hell, some are even written in present tense (*vomit*).

Honestly ask yourself: If you were in a tower with a couple of great healers, as well as having access to healing potions, and your knee was all kinds of fucked up, wouldn't you get that taken care of ASAP, regardless of having to break your leg again? The mistake Rhys made in this chapter was to not think of asking Astra'il for a bit of that potion she carries that changes pain to pleasure, then using that while getting his knee re-broken and fixed.

One thing that really bothered me was Celeste's "conversion". Here is a person who has been a Cleric for the last 10-12 years, and suddenly she's not only making a bargain with Desire, but also becomes a homicidal maniac with no remorse? The way the story is written, Desire makes a bargain with a human (this for that), which in no way includes making the person insane or homicidal. Unless the "something that won't be missed" is her conscience...