Drewells976
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Chapter 214 - Misleading Truths
🕑 Added 2024-04-04 21:00:51 +0000 UTChttps://www.patreon.com/file?h=101723002&i=18391562
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“No,” Kai said, letting her hand hang before him.
Annyl halted mid-motion, one leg over the bench to sit. Her face scrunched in genuine puzzlement. “What do you mean?”
Trust me, I’m as confused as you.
Improvisation took hold of the interaction. He focused on a red fibrous vegetable in his stew, and shyly stirred with the spoon. “Uh… you asked if you could sit. I’m sorry, but I’d prefer to eat alone.”
A sprinkle of brutal honesty against social norms, he didn’t even need to lie.
Soft whispers brushed against his thoughts. He couldn’t make out what Hallowed Intuition was saying, but it started acting out when Annyl approached his table. He didn’t need any more reasons than that. The skill rarely activated out of combat unless he was about to receive a physical blow of some kind. The easiest solution was to avoid the set course of action.
Annyl looked at him, lips wordlessly parted. Clearly, she had intended the request as a rhetorical question, her tray of food was already set on the table before him.
That’s a bit presumptuous with someone you just met. Who are you?
Kai bit his cheek. “I wouldn’t make great company.” Still avoiding her eyes, he pointed to a table in a corner of the mess hall. “Why don’t you go with that girl over there? She’s alone too, and she’ll make better conversation.”
He was happy to eat alone. What kind of woman invited herself to the table of a kid? Either she was a saint, who used the excuse of her loneliness to approach without hurting his pride, or she was a weirdo. The whispers in his mind pointed to the second option.
Annyl… did I hear that name before?
It stuck out since it wasn’t a common name in the archipelago, but he might just have read it in a book. Her pretty face and large hazel eyes didn’t ring any bells. He was sure this was the first time they had met.
The memory skill doesn’t give me anything either, though it’s only an echo.
“There is no need to be shy.” The interloper took a seat, smiling like his words had been nothing but an amusing quip. “Don’t worry about me, I’m sure you’re a very interesting young man.”
Go away, I don't want you here.
Telling her to get lost again would clash with the timid persona. He should have been more direct in his rejection, but it might have made no difference if she was so determined to strike up a conversation.
As usual, Hallowed Intuition refused to provide clear instructions. The murmurs rose and settled, tickling his mind. They lacked the desperate frenzy displayed when his life was threatened. Was the danger not that big, or simply of a different nature?
Stupid obscure messages. How many more levels till I get a written note?
Annyl chewed the stringy stew in no hurry. “This is not very good, is it? The cook must be low-level, or not a professional at all.” She looked at him for solidarity.
“Mhmm.” He stuffed his mouth to avoid answering. If he finished his meal quickly, she would have no chance to chat.
The interloper wasn’t deferred by his silence. “You’re Kai, right? I heard a couple soldiers mention your name.” She rested her chin on her crossed hands and leaned forward with a warm smile. “I must admit I recognized you earlier. I was curious to meet you, it’s not every day you hear of such a promising young man who’s helping an important investigation.”
Her intervention was timed right as Kai was about to take another bite. “I can’t talk about it.”
“Oh, the silence clause… You really put me to shame.” Annyl winked at him. “It’s fine, everyone in Wildepoint knows about the beast attacks. They’ve been scouring the jungle for unusual sightings, and they’re the one who located the ruins.”
Kai couldn’t stop his curiosity. “They found the site?” He needed to learn more about the situation.
Annyl nodded. “The scouts have just returned. One of them at least. They ran into a dangerous yellow beast and had to separate.”
How did she get access to information?
“Are you a soldier joining the expedition?” That might explain her interest in him, and the potential danger down the line. As long as he was the one asking questions, it should be fine.
She had no calluses on her hands and a dainty physique, but looks could be deceiving. Her profession showed as early yellow.
“A soldier…? No, I take care of logistics. You know, supplies, equipment and making sure everyone does their job, that boring stuff.” She waved it all away, pulling a lock of auburn hair behind her ear. “I hope I didn’t scare you by telling you of the beast. There’ll be plenty of strong soldiers to defend the expedition. You are a scholar, right? How did you end up becoming so knowledgeable in the ruins?”
“Hmm… my dad.” Kai slurped the last spoonful of his meal and downed a glass of water. “Sorry, I need to go prepare.” He scuttled away before she could drag him deeper into the conversation. Going to put back his tray and plate, he watched her in his peripheral vision.
Annyl continued to idly eat with no sign of annoyance at his rude behavior. Again, either she was one of the nicest people he had ever met, or something was off.
Goodbye, strange lady.
He might ask Valela if she were here. He hadn’t seen her since leaving Hawkfield, he hadn’t seen many blue uniforms around at all, probably another internal power play.
Hallowed Intuition stopped bugging him when he left the mess hall. The tension left his shoulders. He must have handled it well enough, or he had completely misinterpreted the warning. He considered checking whether Annyl really worked for the logistical department. Though that would give away he suspected something.
If she approached me off the books, either she doesn’t want me to know what her deal is, or she can’t act freely. Better to keep it that way.
*
“It’s nice to see you again. I told you I managed logistics.” Annyl sat behind a desk, cheerfully waving a notebook and pen. “I need to confirm a few details to ensure you get paid appropriately. You know how clerks are with their paperwork, they’ll take any excuse to complicate things.”
Persistent and annoying?
Kai took the only free seat inside the plain office room. A dying ardevia flower hung on the windowsill, fires and crystals illuminated the night outside. He had been ordered to turn in his will—standard procedure in case of death on the job—and ambushed by the interloper.
Well… I can exclude Annyl being a serial killer. She’s not acting independently.
She needed some pull with the upper ranks to bring him here, or more likely, she was working for a faction of the Republic. The issue was which one, was she with the military or the governor?
And why is she using stupid excuses to talk to me?
“Okay, first question!” Annyl announced with a brilliant smile. “You were born in a small village called… Whiteshore, correct?”
“Yes.” Kai sped through the list of mundane questions. Hallowed Intuition buzzed in the background, alerting him of the importance of his answers.
Is it a truth-sensing ability? Or is she digging for some particular information?
Gradually the questions turned less innocent. “I’ve never signed any contract other than the one with the merchant named Reishi and the Republic.”
Annyl noted down the answer without ever losing her jolly attitude. “Hmm… Not even with the mage who taught you magic?”
“No.”
She leafed through the pages. “You were very fortunate then. You were taught elemental magic by a mage who lived on the road to Sylspring?”
Kai raised his eyes to meet her gaze. Next time he would go with arrogance instead of shyness. “How’s that relevant to the expedition? I’ve not been hired for my magical abilities.”
“Oh, it’s standard procedure to confirm the abilities of external contractors who are paid at least a gold mesar.”
Did you just make up that rule, or is this why Seryne’s offered me that much?
Either way, it didn’t change his situation. “I had three teachers who taught me magic.”
“What circle did they belong to?”
Kai furrowed his brows. “What’s a circle?”
“It’s one of those ancient traditions that mages like to throw around to complicate things.” Annyl shrugged like she thought it ridiculous. “It means the grade of their highest profession.”
“Uh… I don’t know.”
“Did your teachers give you any valuable resources to help your training? Such as specific knowledge of skill or alchemical solutions?”
This is definitely not standard procedure.
“Lady Virya wanted to see how far I could go without external means. Though her time can probably be considered a valuable resource,” Kai curtly said. He was ready to storm off, but when his legs tensed to stand up so did the whispers. Just the slightest fluctuations, enough to tell him that wasn’t the solution either. “My teachers were private people, they didn’t like to discuss their lives.”
“Of course, I’m sorry. I let my curiosity get the best of me. It’s not every day you get to hear about such powerful figures…”
If she expected him to add more, Kai was happy to disappoint her. He watched her blankly till she let out a nervous chuckle.
“Let’s get back on topic, shall we? We’re almost done. Speaking of the expedition, you can translate the glyphs found in the Vastaire sites?”
“More or less. I’m the best at it, but any translation contains some amount of guesswork.”
“Of course. What’s important is that you didn’t hold back any information regarding the Vastaire.” Annyl gave him an apologetic smile. “The Republic has invested a lot in you, so I need to confirm your statement that you’ve been holding nothing back. It’s just a formality.”
Kai didn’t need a skill to know she was lying. “The bulk of the information is in my dad’s journals, but I shared my expertise to the best of my abilities whenever required.” A pity no one had asked his opinion about spatial anomalies and forgotten gods.
Is that good enough?
Annyl scribbled down the answer. “Did you break any clause of your contract with the Republic?”
“Not to my knowledge.”
“Did you sign any other contract that could interfere with your work for the military or receive bribes?”
“No.”
Well, Valela didn’t pay me for those, and it was just a verbal agreement.
“Perfect. This is the last question. It’s a bit personal, but I’ve been asked to confirm a fact during the last spatial anomaly on Kawei. Do you possess a yellow danger-sensing skill that allows you to avoid spatial tears?”
It must be Seryne after all…
A wave of relief washed over him. A known threat was always preferable. “Yes, I was able to dodge the spatial tears. Can I go now?” He marched out of the door before Annyl had finished nodding, not stopping till he Kai strode through the narrow streets of the outpost.
The whispers lingered in the back of his mind, fading with excruciating slowness. An ominous feeling loomed in his gut. He could understand how they wanted to confirm his abilities before the final expedition, but what were those questions about his teachers and his skills?
He had skirted around most questions without any outright lies, but something was off. Annyl let him get away with too much. It was always possible that she was simply incompetent. Or she couldn’t press him because half her questions were off the books.
I never thought I’d be eager to trek into the jungle and leave all this behind. Hmm… I probably better make myself scarce when this is over.
~ ~ ~
The captain had her eyes glued to the list of names on the report with poorly concealed dismay. All those born in the central regions always thought they were chosen by the Moons themselves. “Did all these traitors disclose classified information about the investigation to foreign forces?”
Annyl fought not to roll her eyes, reporting information to the local governor or officers on the mainland could hardly be considered disloyalty. No more than enlisting the help of a truthteller with a false authorization.
Social Acumen and Emotional Insight told her everything she needed to know about the captain. It required a ludicrous amount of desperation or arrogance to think she would get away with it. The training of a truthteller was far more extensive than their signature profession and skills. They were trained to detect lies in all their forms, including those on paper and flesh.
“As I wrote in my report, only one is suspected of contacting a foreign nation,” she calmly said. That had been a worthwhile use of her talents. To think spies had already infiltrated this forgotten corner of the Republic. “I can confirm the others at least believe they’re following lawful orders.”
“They’re breaking mine.” Her hand slammed on the desk.
Annyl maintained a placid smile. “Orders from high-ranking officers can supersede those of lower officials under conditions of suspected threat to national interest. Do you want me to contact the central command to confirm—”
“No!” A beautiful sliver of panic flashed in the captain’s eyes. “There is no need. Have you verified the kid’s claims?”
“I did.”
“He’s not hiding any information regarding the investigation?” The captain sat straighter in the chair.
Annyl bowed her head just enough to let her hang on to the illusion of control. “No. He was honest in his efforts.” That was debatable at best. Another misconception about truthtellers was that they couldn’t lie. She was under no obligation to report every detail of an unlawful order.
“And can he reliably predict the spatial tears?”
“Yes.” That one was at least true, though her skills had told her there was more to it.
The kid had been a pit of half-truths and misleading answers. Truth was much more malleable than people assumed, influenced by both personal beliefs and unknown realities. She itched to put him through an actual interrogation. Just an hour would be enough to dig out his secrets.
It was a pity he had given just enough to rob her of the excuse. Her suspicions weren’t enough without an order.
Seryne picked up the papers again. “Thank you, you’re dismissed.”
“With your permission, ma’am.” Annyl left with a slight bow.
No doubt, the governor would also demand a report on his wife’s behalf. It was easier to go along, though these provincial squabbles were becoming tedious.
Just because truthtellers were soul-bound to not meddle in politics or take personal initiative, some fools thought they were servants with no will. Her only loyalty was to the Merian Republic. Everything would be reported back to the headquarters. Perhaps the command would grant her leave to interrogate the kid after she sent in the report.
Comments
OIS
Wrong pdf file? Says 215 for me.
mehmed zepcan
Can you sayb surrounded by psychopaths constantly Jesus fing Christ u power hungry fs I'm sick of all these nosy ass f he's better off struggling to survive in the fn jungle
Immutably Empty
"Hmm… I probably better make myself scarce when this is over. " Sounds like Kai won't be sticking around the islands too much longer. Or at least plans to hide somewhere after.
Connor Hinrichs
They couldn't really hide themselves though. There were regular deliveries by boat to the estate. This fact is mentioned several times. Logistics are what kills any real chance of hiding properly
M_Lo
If you read the chapters after Virya left, you would have noticed how Kai smartly made a big show of being an unimportant abandoned nobody in order to protect himself. Also what makes you think that taking Kai hostage and blackmailing Virya was a viable option for her enemies? For all we know she could have a reputation of abandoning her lower graded associates.
M_Lo
Didn't you remember how Kai made a big show of being abondoned by his teachers and being all sad about it. Making it seem that he was only a toy or plaything for Virya and Co in front of Captain Zerith. This all went on his file and the Republic thinks the ties he has to Virya are very weak. Additionally Virya is very far away. I bet this Annyl person has annoyed or threatened much more important people than Kai. If an agent of the state or law enforcement would shy away from meddling in the affairs of dangerous people the apparatus becomes incompetent and corrupt.
M_Lo
Yeah I wonder if there is a right to silence in this world?
Game Devil
I daresay you overestimate the average intelligence off people, many just run on autopilot when doing a job they've been doing a long time. Common Sense is a superpower because not to many people have it, and then of those who do there's those who just don't use it :)
Game Devil
Great examples!
Pierre-jean Samaran
I like Annyl ! She's young, talented and focused as Kai is on subjects that interest him and i like the nerd part in it. For the part where everyone seems to annoys Kai about his past teachers, it seems rational because he is stuck as the apprentice who was left on his own. It shows that he should not know too much about them and that protects him but as he was left stranded people dont fear the retaliation of the teachers, so its both a blessing and a curse. Its seems normal to me that he's being "bullied" about it.
TheGrandScrubLord
There should be plenty of people with secrets with all that's went on there.
TheGrandScrubLord
Would be a shame...
Gabriel Medeiros
Truthteller is not thinking about it from a political lens. Her position makes her fairly insulated. But She sees a juicy mystery and wants to know the truth.
A B
one is suspicious -> one is suspected
Blake Noyes
It is kind of following the pattern of “and then” storytelling rather than “and therefore”. If you’re familiar with the difference it can become a bit tedious. Still entertaining but not the most compelling
James Faulkner
I loved the start haha, Tftc!
Nurgle
Right? Since this is somehow public knowledge for some reason, why aren’t Virya’s enemies for some reason coming to take Kai hostage? And even more ridiculously, what makes a bunch of incompetent goons who max out at high Yellow have the courage to stand up to somehow who’s most likely in the mid to later parts of Blue?
Nurgle
I’m hoping a space fluctuation bisects her in two. Or that Kai leads her into one.. 🥴
Johan
Yeah its crazy im suprised no one has kidnapped kai and tried extorting him for any knowledge he might have been taught or rare items given espiecially given how cruel the merian republic is its to the point where it feels like plotarmor for kai
ThoMiCroN
She’s a person in dire need to be killed.
Nurgle
It’s actually baffling how a large portion of Kai’s problem stem from his teachers. They were apparently all Green + and Virya is probably even Blue? Despite that, they couldn’t hide their existence from a bunch of piddling Yellows and Oranges who come from a backwater in the global scheme of things for some reason…. And left Kai with a large mess to clean up because of that.
Ananiash
Just like gentleman above me said, kindly and humbly shut up
Heraclitus
Now that he's getting involved more and more with the republic, I wonder if he has any paternal grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, and so on, that he doesn't know about.
flip apricot
Sir, kindly shut up.
Mantiqore
I hate that she seriously thinks „he has secrets I don’t know, I want an official order just so I can know“
wanderer117
@Derze If the power was a simple binary, they are lying or they are telling the truth then its use would be limited. Depending on how it worked there would still be use cases, eg if the power only said truth when the complete unvarnished truth was shared it would let specific statements be confirmed. Given that this is a valued power, that the user can discern unlawful orders from lawful ones, and that she recognized Kia's half truths, evasions, misleading truths etc her skill combination clearly has a broader power set. People debate about truth a lot. What it is, when you should lie, when you have a responsibility to tell the truth etc but the debate doesn't change reality. The world is complicated and truth is a human thing seen through a human lens but it's lack of resolution doesn't mean it doesn't exist.
Eric M
Now that is a good question!
Ottstop
An ominous [feeling] loomed in his gut. Annyl let him get away [with] too much.
Eric M
True, but technically he didn't lie as she asked if he signed a contract, and there was nothing to sign, so while her skill might have picked up something it probably didn't register it as an out and out lie. When lying by omission, phrasing is very important.
wanderer117
If she approached me off the books, either she doesn’t want me to know what’s her deal, or she can’t act freely. could be If she approached me off the books, either she doesn’t want me to know what her deal is, or she can’t act freely. An ominous loomed in his gut. should be An ominous feeling loomed in his gut. “As I wrote in my report, only one is suspicious of contacting a foreign nation.” should be “As I wrote in my report, only one is suspected of contacting a foreign nation.” or “As I wrote in my report, only one suspects they contacted a foreign nation.”
Johan
That makes to much sense and its easy to force the story forward this way the author loves shoving annoying things onto kai for no apparent reason instead of having kai move the story forward
Deathhead
Why do you say that, he basically followed a sixth sense, i don`t think he could have done something better.
Gorane
I think it is more likely that Kai was on edge that he didnt have time to focus on such a thing. Also I think he needs to copy a skill covertly, he could get noticef otherwise
Gorane
I dont think such a thing is ever mentioned. It is said that people do not have to answer truthtellers questions unless they are investigated (and from this chapter we know that it must be a legal investigation"
Stephen Pearson
I'm surprised that he didn't notice and copy her skill. I guess maybe it's not mana-based?
Johan
Does every person in the whole republic know about kais teachers i thought they were on the island in the first place to hide no? not the smartest bunch were they
Derze
not really. I'm just saying that most sentences would be construed as false due to how our language is. Which by itself makes for a very confusing and mostly useless piece of info. I'm questioning how effective she ,or any truthteller in fact, would be given that people lie even when not in threat or what the answer to said question entails to their wellbeing. Think of how a sentence is structured. How convuluted any given answer can be that you can almost not parse where exactly is truth, perceived truth, universally true or unintentially true given a circumstance. imagine Kai saying the following. "Moui is my father" Its not true, as he isnt his biological father. Its technically true given his mother is in a relationship with Moui. Its not universally true because we know Kai reincarnated.Hence he could consider having more than one father or not having a father at all. It could also be verified that he has indeed a father through documentation and hearsay but not through tests because his " real father" is dead. Could also be true if Kai considers Moui as a father figure?.... so on and so forth. Imagine now a complex subject and not an Asinine example. You could easily achieve a paradox and at that point the truth doesnt matter. It will be to whoever is listening to define what is "more true". pure nonesense
Mr. Bigglesworth
I'm lost in how antagonizing the Blood Witch's possible mini-apprentice ranks a good idea on anyone's scale, much less some random truthteller thrown into a backwater. Intelligent people would leave well enough alone on the off chance there are curses attached to bothering in her matters. Or soul links. Or any of a million horrible ends.
Wiggles1
Derze you seem to think her only method here is to check whether people tend to lie about random questions. She is asking specific questions and carefully reviewing what exactly they say, whether it is technically true, whether it is the full truth, whether they are trying to mislead her, and what emotional responses the questions get.
nicolas
Why ? Considering the situation i think he did pretty well
nicolas
The god ? That's kind of true
deus vault
that guard captain was one, and I feel he sort of died because of fate stat and him being potentially harmful to kai. for example, it might've ended up differently. he can't just travel the mainland and ignore the republic. I don't think.
Apep
I think his biggest problem is that he in fact is in a binding contract with a foreign power, a god.
Wiggles1
Maybe "gave indicators of contacting". Or change the structure so it specifies it's Annyl's suspicions. "Is suspected" is kinda odd cause who's doing the suspecting? Just Annyl at this point, the captain hasn't had time to agree with her suspicions and there apparently aren't any higher authorities that heard yet.
Halfcrzy
Another Kai being stupid chapter.
PlasmaticPi
Yes those kinds of people exist but he has found literally none of them with any sort of real power. And he probably won't until he gets to the mainland.
Hammy
She also broke the law. Truth teller have to tell the person they are a truth teller. At least law as written according to a number of chapters ago
Malcolm Haynes
I imagine the truthteller skill works something like Hallowed Intuition and a lot of the training is probably how to recognize social lies vs intentional deception and everything in between.
nicolas
As any trueteller would :p
nicolas
that type of blessing would only a usefull in very rare occasion, it's much better to improve even more his spacial affinity or to get to know when someone else is lying (+ I don't see a god of true giving a blessing for lying xD)
Gorane
I am glad the author didnt forget about hallowed intuition working in non combat situations!
nicolas
Valela is his backing even if it's not a powerfull one, he at least trust her more than the rest of the republic
Andrew
Thank you!
Thomas
A quick googling shows that people lie, on average, between 1 and 4 times a day. I personally think it is much higher since those were based off self reporting and won't mention lies that are told when thought to be true. So yes it is mostly useless, except when interrogating someone, which is Annyl's main job.
Gorane
Tht would make socisinterctions incredibly boring
Game Devil
Skills like the Social Acumen and Emotional Insight that were mentioned in this chapter should help sift through a lot of the "normal" lies as people would show tells about why they are lying. And in my experience in normal conversations there's not that much need to lie, just the average lies for politeness and avoiding or instigating conflict.
Game Devil
I'd enjoy that, poor beast though, I bet she tastes nasty :)
David
Not a fan of truth tellers, hopefully Kai isn't forced into an interrogation with her or he's screwed. On the bright side, at least hallowed intuition can help! Curious if it will become more clear when he gets it to level 50
Derze
don't people naturally lie in most day to day conversations? how is that reliable source of info? I understand the need but then again...most arent even aware they are doing. Or intentially being misleading. You don't just casually announce stuff like that to a random passerby that got curious to ask. You know the classic. " HOW ARE YOU?" People will often nod any number of agreements just to save the embarrassment of saying anything remotely indicating they aren't PERFECT. Its also so automatic you can often start a conversation with : "Oh hello !" "Yes i'm fine and you?" And have both idiots staring at each other because of the neither asked nor care. HAHAHHAH
Aidan Geverdt
Maybe she’ll accidentally get eaten by a yellow beast.
Konner Morris
Actually did not hate her character, Kai is a bundle of paranoia. It makes sense he'd trigger a thousand skills that a Classed truth detector would have. He's literally the the person spooks would instantly spot.
mechanizedbush
Tftc! Oh man, that last paragraph is ominous. "is suspicious of contacting" -> "is suspected of contacting"?
xxmaniaxx2019
She sounds like a right pain in the butt.
Brenden Nichol
I just wanted to say that after you began to edit the story for publication, the quality of writing has improved drastically. Its seriously impressive the amount of material in these short chapters and how captivating the recent conversations have been. I've been more excited to see these two characters chat than any fight before. Seriously awesome work!
Gio
Calling it now: Kai is gonna get a blessing that will allow him to lie to truth tellers.
Game Devil
“No,” Kai said, letting her hand hang before him Oooh, good. It was what I wanted but didn't dare expect :)
Bosparan
Thanks for the chapter and the return of a most entertaining character :)
deus vault
just a thought, I feel that if he just gave up and played some politics - getting a backer - he won't have to lie as much. every interaction he has with the republic is hellishly dangerous. there should be some decent people out there. not everyone belonging to a large organization is evil. that's the thing about organizations of this size, they can contradict themselves. I wonder if by trying to avoid them entirely he's making the situation harder on himself.
Lester
Respectfully, what a bitch
Austin
Thanks for the chapter!
