11 KiB
[RT][HF] A Practical Guide to Evil Book 3: Chapter 61: Tempo
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Author: u/Zayits *
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URL: https://practicalguidetoevil.wordpress.com/2018/01/24/chapter-61-tempo/
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Score: 62
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Created: 2018-01-24T05:06:09
Post:
Comments:
u/Ardvarkeating101 [+26] Father of Learning (41 minutes later)
“Bonding time with Black,” I said. “I assume some form of murder will be involved, possibly also a chilling speech on the nature of power. As prelude to further murdering.”
Gods Above and Below what other story can you get that good banter?
u/Yes_This_Is_God [+20] (21 minutes later)
Oh goodie, father-daughter bonding time.
(Also, pretty sure Black is trying to set up a potential transition for Cat here by dying to save her or something.)
u/Nihilvin [+11] (36 minutes later)
Diabolist's third aspect is Claim. That doesn't bode well for Cat when Warlock already pointed out her weakness to anyone who can tinker with souls.
u/Yes_This_Is_God [+11] (37 minutes later)
Ooh, maybe diabloist claims control over Cat and has her kill Black to become the next Black Knight.
Seems appropriately tragic.
u/Nihilvin [+6] (40 minutes later)
Im thinking this is what the story is leading to as well
u/idannadi [+1] (an hour later)
I'm thinking that Thief is still in the city and she is going to break that pattern, but it is definitely going there.
u/Nihilvin [+3] (an hour later)
Probably going to steal Akua's phylactery. Which is how Malicia gets her key to the portal I think
u/TheEngineer923 [+13] (2 hours later)
Diabolist using claim to take control of Cat and having her kill Black (likely by stabbing him in the heart like he did to her in Book 1. She ends him how he began her. There's a certain poetic symmetry to it and if that act is not enough for a transition I don't know what the hell is.) would tie things up nicely.
Diabolist's statement of Cat kneeling at her feet is fulfilled, Black's succession plan is also fulfilled and Cat transitions. Likely gaining an aspect that allows her to break control and kill Diabolist.
Remember, all the Old School villains are invariably killed by their trusted lieutenant/caged monster because of mistreatment (and forcing said lieutenant to kill their father figure strikes me as one of the ur examples of mistreatment). That Story has Weight and it nicely closes all opened plot threads.
This is a likely explanation for why Black only told Cat to come and not bring Adjutant or Archer even though the added numbers would be a boost when assaulting Liesse.
Masego, Warlock and Juniper along with the other legions are handling the plebs. Black not taking Archer or Adjutant with seems like he's holding the idiot ball but the priors for that are way too low. I believe he's enacting his succession plan.
Now how will Cat subvert this, I wonder...
u/FeluriansCloak [+7] (10 hours later)
He definitely isn't holding the idiot ball, both he and cat addressed the implication directly. The only question will be how they (attempt to) subvert the narrative.:
“I will arrive momentarily,” he said. “Have your Named join with the Twelfth for the assault on the last bastion. You and I will proceed into the city.”
“I don’t like the shape of that,” I admitted.
“It has been taken into consideration,” he replied.
u/TheEngineer923 [+4] (10 hours later)
Indeed. That's the very section that raised the hypothesis "Black is enacting his succession plan" to my awareness.
u/FeluriansCloak [+2] (10 hours later)
I fear you're right, i just hope not :-/ I love the black chapters, and how methodical he is.
u/TheEngineer923 [+1] (11 hours later)
You and me both. Black strikes me as a more affable Quirrell(HPMOR version) and Quirrell is hands down my favorite character in all the fiction I have ever read with Black now being a close second.
u/werafdsaew [+2] (21 hours later)
Yes, but he still has work left to do, like purging the Wasteland. Until that is finished he's not going to go down intentionally.
u/Schuano [+1] (2 days later)
Yes, because somehow a Cat that was just forced to kill her father and has lost thousands of troops to wasteland nobility is going leave "purging the wasteland" undone.
u/idannadi [+7] (3 hours later)
I think she necromances him after his death. Her things keep their personality post undead (like we saw even in this chapter with the horse).
u/TheEngineer923 [+3] (11 hours later)
Would also set up the conflict between the Black Queen and the Dread Empress quite nicely.
Two powerful monarchs that are sharing a Knight. I don't think Malicia or the other Calamities would take too kindly to Cat having Sovereign control over Black but the alternative is him being permanently dead so yeah, not really a lot of choice in the matter. I mean he's already described as corpse-like, I'm sure he won't mind being an undead abomination. If he gains the Name Death Knight in the process, well that's just dandy.
u/BigLebowskiBot [-2] (11 hours later)
Uli doesn't care about anything. He's a Nihilist.
u/TheEngineer923 [+4] (11 hours later)
Who?
u/rumblestiltsken [+2] (2 days later)
I'm going to go a step further. I think she'll necromance Akua after she kills her. The promise of grovelling at feet thing has to go somewhere.
In fact, if she does end up transitioning to a necromancy/Death Knight Name, I'm calling it that her power is resurrecting loyal wights that keep their Names. That is suitably badass power spike for the end of this book, perhaps even extreme enough to set up the real big bad for the series. I'm hoping the gnomes, they sound amazing.
If all of the hints about necromancy and dead king level rituals and so on have been red herrings and erratic has something else equally awesome but completely unexpected planned, I'll be very impressed.
u/werafdsaew [+3] (12 hours later)
I don't think Claim is the right aspect; it seems to be an aspect for gathering raw power. Bind is though, since it has already shown to work on fae.
u/TheEngineer923 [+1] (a day later)
Bind vs Break. Now that will be something to see.
u/LordGoldenroot [+12] (19 hours later)
We just hit the three chapters a week goal on Patreon!
u/panchoadrenalina [+5] (36 minutes later)
I dont like cat losing her agency, is weird after she was raised into a power of her own to see her turning into a minion once again.
also I love Archer:
“You have the weirdest relationships with people,” Archer muttered.
The conversation with Black was hilarious. was almost like they were saying:
"this old school villains, so quaint,"
in a extremely posh british accent.
u/None [+3] (7 hours later)
My now you've mentioned it Rowan Atkinson in his blackadder persona would make for an excellent depiction of black. Just the right combination of sophistication and scathing
u/Mingablo [+1] (a day later)
I've never not been able to see him as skulduggery pleasant.
u/Iconochasm [+5] (8 hours later)
and the hordes of the dead were no match for two Named at the peak of their transient power.
Is this a hint that Adjutant is a transitional name too?
u/sparr [+8] (13 hours later)
I think "transient power" just refers to Named who get stronger for a limited amount of time during a heated battle, particularly using short-duration or limited-use combat aspects.
u/TheEngineer923 [+5] (11 hours later)
Implication is that Archer is as well. I don't think Adjutant or Archer is transitional Names. However, given how the theme of student surpassing mentor is apparently being played out, Adjutant might just transition to Captain and if Black's succession plan is to succeed that will undoubtedly draw the ire of the Lady of the Lake and the Sovereign of the Red Skies.
Who knows? Maybe EE is planning on telling a Narrative where The Woe has to choose Cat over their mentors/parental figures ending with each of them having to kill their mentors and possibly claim their Names.
It would fit the theme nicely of the New replacing the Old. Captain's death proves that the Calamities' time are done.
Fore what follows a Calamity? Woe.
u/None [+1] (11 hours later)
Oooh, I think you're right about Captain. Would cause more conflict with Black's old crew too.
Edit: Changed my mind below.
u/None [+1] (15 hours later)
I always thoughf Adjutant would transition into Chancellor as part of Cats rise, but that Name may not be martial enough.
u/rumblestiltsken [+2] (2 days later)
It would be hilarious and ironic of he transitions to Warlord.
u/None [+1] (16 hours later)
Now I think Hakram will be the Black Knight Cat will be the Black Queen.
u/haiku_fornification [+3] (3 hours later)
I'm glad we're getting right into the thick of things. Kinda hoping there's not too many hoops to jump through before Cat gets to meet Akua in person, everything else would feel like filler.
u/narfanator [+7] (12 hours later)
I'm glad we're getting right into the thick of things. Kinda hoping there's not too many hoops to jump through before Cat gets to
meetstab Akua in person, everything else would feel like filler.FTFY
u/sparr [+8] (13 hours later)
I'm glad we're getting right into the thick of things. Kinda hoping there's not too many hoops to jump through before Cat gets to
meetstabAkuaUbua in person, everything else would feel like filler.FTFY
FTFY
u/narfanator [+1] (18 hours later)
:D I was hoping that would happen.
u/None [+1] (2 days later)
I can't decide whether Cat and Black (particularly Black) are underestimating Ubua now and setting themselves up for Cat's transition to Black Knight/Black Queen or if Cat is going to subvert the shit out of Ubua's plan. From Ubua's mind we see that this is her big play, and other plays are secondary. For all Ubua claims she is a different sort of Villian, Cat and Black are right to point out that she hasn't broken the mold with anything she's done so far.
Additionally Cat has two so far unaccounted assets in the city WRT Robber and Thief. Maybe one of them were the ones who mapped the defensive wards forcing Ubua to trigger her Trump card early, but that still leaves one to throw a wrench in the works at the right time for Cat.
u/eaglejarl [+1] (6 days later)
Do you mean Akua, aka Diabolist?