Surfacing Ch. 39

Wow!!

Probably one of my top five favorite chapters!

Damn damn damn too much
Overloaded my damn mind
Read it in 5hours I think I need something strong to quieten my mind
Damn awesome estaski
It was well worth every second of waiting we had to do
No complaints whatsoever

We've missed you!

A pleasant respite comes to a close as heat, hunger and intrigue explodes in Yong-wen.

Thank you Etaski! Well done!

Thoughts after

So we have confirmation that Indrath is not behind Noldor elves like i secretly thought him to be. Still no anwser who or what will threat Sirana making her hide in Gavins tower. ATM betting either Noldor ( Indrath price makes that confrontation soonish rather since he giving Mourn that name already gave him all he wanted .. longer wait time for Indrath would make that deal unbalanced) or maab. Archmage alone is no longer able to direcly harm our team, plus Auslans deal makes him future asset.

I m enchanted. Still amazed and waiting for more parts to play itself out.

aching

You leave us hanging once again with no hope for relief till another month. You are so cruel, I love it!

Wonderful Read Until the Very End

What have we done to turn you against us? What terrible thing has made you so vicious? It's not enough that we have to wait patiently for endless weeks between updates to this amazing saga. Oh no, you have to put cliff-hangers at the end of the chapter! I was so wrapped up by the story, that at the last page I jumped out of my chair and kicked it over in shock. I guess I better go back and read the earlier chapters again, that usually has a calming effect.

Absolutely adore how you are building up the character of Natia. Tedi-Bear is a great little device. Who would have thought such a thing would come from those gruff old dwarves. She is a nice little anchor to pull us back from your more metaphysical segments. Great scene with GranDa Talov holding her on his lap with Tedi-Bear while she tells her story of being eaten by the snow.

As always, no disappointment with anything in this installment. 5 stars.

Ahhh dang, you've done it now...

Dammit, Jael! You just couldn't wait a little bit longer, huh?! Morix is going to be sooo pissed at her when he catches up lol. And I have a feeling it's going to be at his other hoarding spot.

And Auslan. Can't forget his assistance in it all. Wonder what everyone is going to say about that? Personally, I'd give him a good whack like Kevit got at breakfast for being a dummy, healers instincts or not. Ignorance is not bliss in this case.

@Etaski

Bravo on another beautifully done chapter. I look forward to what you're working on next. I have to say that I enjoyed the short story with Graul a lot more than your previous shorts, although Rohenvi and Vian tie for second.
Another thing I noticed is that you might want to ask your editor to double/triple check for little mistakes. There were instances where if you don't pay attention you'll skip right over the incorrect word, b/c your brain filled in the correct one for you. I'll have to go back through to find some examples if you want any.

So you all are making it through! ^_^

28 Lit pages...I had to wait until it posted to check because the submission portal has changed. Glad you see you all are making it through and still enjoying the ride! Many thanks, Anons, ms904191, CowboyMark

@Smutol: Indrath is definitely not the guy behind the Noldor religion, though make no mistake, he'd love to be. ;) His first step would be to loosen them up a little (you saw a hint of Tamuril's true power when she learned she liked sex; Indrath would adore her for that transformation alone). Although also consider than Indrath is very old and very patient, and his price has contingencies. He'll enjoy having the bargain as long as it takes to be fulfilled. More coming on other things.

@kupah01: Thanks for the feedback, and I'm certainly glad to hear Natia's coming along nicely and has an anchoring effect. :) That works. Sorry about the ending; not in the original plan, but everything else took longer than expected to do right that I realized trying to squeeze it in here means rushing it. Not rushing what's coming next, dammit... ;)

@missindependence: I am enjoying the way your mind's working for the characters, not to mention a good laugh! ^_^ Yeah, Auslan better have those sweet eyes on his side when that bit comes out. Glad you're enjoying the side stories as well! Although, alas, I actually don't have an editor at all. On nobody but me am I willing to put this much pressure for volume/speed, since everyone I know really well have their own full lives and/or *hate* the work. :P

I do have a wonderful gentleman in France doing some leisurely line-editing for me after the fact for later correction, since he enjoys it and is extraordinarily good, and his notes I file away for future revisions. What everyone has always been getting here is the "pretty good second draft" and it's been working alright. :)

Complexity!

Did you have to make it so complex? There are more twists than "Lord of the Rings". I keep getting lost with the gods. Of course that is also what makes it so interesting.

Back to Augran!!

That was unexpected. But " A drow in Augran " was my favorite chapter of surfacing, so thanks for that. I must say though, Mourn's deal seems unbalanced and even a little out of character for him to endanger Tamuril or "unnamed drow" and to start the sequence of another quest without due consideration.

Anons

@Complexity: Is LOTR that complex overall? Guess I'd have to think about it. And, well...have you noticed how complex our own world is? ;) A lot of simple stories out there are popular, from your responses, you all wanted something different. ^_^

@Augran: Always nice to revisit some earlier locations. :) As for Mourn's deal, heh, "without due consideration"? Did you notice the multiple distractions taking place? Sometimes you don't get the time to consider as much as you'd like. (And it's in-character for him to risk Tamuril to get at Marikoth, because it protects Krithannia--Indrath's original target. May not be perfect morality, but Mourn's not perfect and never claimed to be.)

Still, he got a good deal out of Indrath despite how it went down, and he knows it. You'll see more in coming chapters why. Indrath didn't get to ask for what he really wanted due to a conflict with Nyx, Mourn has considered something like this for Marikoth before in the past, and Indrath is old-school at this "let's make a deal" game. Bringing in Tamuril as a contingency (who has made her own deal which was "forgiven" by Indrath, except no, it wasn't entirely) is a good way to motivate Mourn to do all possible the make sure the first set of terms get fulfilled and Indrath doesn't get cheated on his "second best" option for the high price he paid to a Dragonchild.

Since when would any deal with a devil not be even slightly unbalanced? ;)

Speechless

Need I say more. Epic on every level.

Mal

Er...

Jael, Jael, Jael...*smh* *sigh* What part of, "DON'T RUN!!" did you not comprehend? Young people....(*snicker*)

Awesome chapter, as always!

SC8

complex? read it again!

lol message to anon: I have read this series from beginning about 5 times now. it truly helps in keeping the twists and turns and little straighter 👍👍👍

That was long...

.. and took some time. I already forgot most things that looked like important hints. But I still remember some (correctly I hope).

1) Indrath said his witness needs to share 'their blood'. Normally Graul would be there sharing the dagons blood, what is Indra sharing and why was it important? Just the elfblood because her father is somewhat still half elf?

2) The birth a Indrath still confuses me. He was an elfblood taught by the Tilabil and in that moment Glain witnessed he fused with the dark heart and/or the demon that came to protect it? The dagger was sent by presumably Nyx but Glain saw the demon grab it first... how come then that Indrath 'won', got changed into a devil and the demon got bound to the dagger. This scene went somehow over my head.

3) Sometimes I feel like there is a force or a voice that is making Auslan act in the oddest situations. Like his godess is sometimes leading his hand and he just forgot to mention it until now.

On another note there are quite some small mistakes one notices when not a native speaker. But they don't aggrevate much and so I don't mind them. I prefer having some small mistakes than waiting a week longer ^^

~M

You said things were winding down...

Just when I think we are about to see some resolution, we have an installment, where very little ground is covered in the physical world, but there are so many fresh plot twists in the dreamscape and between the characters, it feels like there's another book waiting on the other side of Sirana's delivery of Ionne. There's a dangerously crazed, if perhaps diminished, Deathless sorcerer; there's Indrath; there's the Noldor to unmask and manage; there's the Sisters to reveal; and there's a world of trouble that has hardly been exposed, aside from the Ma'ab, who may have gone home to lick their wounds, but who are no less interested or (in the longer term) capable of causing trouble. I'm not sure how much of this you intend to cover in three chapters, while answering the unanswered questions within the group of main characters, but as long as you keep writing, I'll keep reading. Thank you for another rich chapter.

a biggie!

after 4 days, i finally finished this book of a chapter. quite an adventure. quite amusing when gaelan saves the day ... why is she carrying around something which is usually used by sirana? haha. surely dshea could've gifted her with her own feldeu for all her efforts.
so much of the story what under the aura of the valsharess and lolth, then the elder mind, and now the dagger relic.
you're opening up a lot more of the surface now. hmm i wonder why, all part of the conclusions and perhaps a setup for future adventures :)
great!

Author responses

@Ozkiwi: Well, compliments are like back rubs. You can always offer a *little* bit more and the receiver usually doesn't argue. ;) But regardless, thanks! :D

@Sualchocol8: Hahaha! ^__^ So much for Krithannia and Talov's warning... (writing that scene out now and can hardly wait to get home from work to continue, grrrrr...)

@crystalmummyx2: 5 times...? o.0 Not sure even I can claim that. Yet. It's coming, though. :P Beware the revisions.

@Methusalem: Yeah...it was. :P You know what the very first mental note was for this chapter some months ago? "Group travels up top, experiences winter, Mourn Sleeps, group waits, Mourn Wakes up at the end. Fill in some new stuff and call-back stuff. Tah-dah...!" Aaaaand I got this. *facepalm*

But as for your points:
1) Just the Elf blood. :) All three of them have it. Luckily that one's simple. Although it's more a firm rule and more an old Elf thing where Humans didn't count as good witnesses for long-term deals because they didn't live long enough. Since Kran is actually exempt from that, I can suggested Indrath probably just wanted to introduce his beloved daughter to a Dragonchild. I mean, why give up the chance, right?

2) Well...first, you didn't have all the information, so that's understandable, even intentional. (And Kran stopped Morix from going for another glimpse to clarify that, because he's a big fuzzy on parts, too.) Second, Nyx cock-blocked one direction of the deal and the Shae'goth invoked the Herald as a retributive tool, so chances are it'll come up in conversation later. Wait until our group gets to see Gavin Adason again. :)

3) Huh. Very good. Except he still hasn't really mentioned it to anyone. He has a lot in common with a very young Ishuna (i.e. the V'Gedra Sisters story.)

@1littlebird: More like winding up to wind back down, yeah. :P I'm very glad you're willing to keep going. I've said a few times in various places (I lose track), the Sister Quest and several important plot threads to it (the Noldor, the Ma'ab, and V'Gedra/Cris-ri-phon) cannot all be resolved in the same decade as the fall of Manalar and the toppling of the Drow Queen. This will take time, so even narrative "time-jumps" aren't going to help me resolve everything with any satisfaction to anyone. So, yes, for all the very good reasons you have listed, there is another book waiting on the other side, but I have to pause at some point and change how I'm producing this work.

So what I've decided to so between this chapter and ch 42 is to explore and give that familiar "full treatment" arch to the last major character who hasn't gotten one: Mourn. This was part 1 of 4 for him. There will be some small resolutions and further reveals/explanations, some call-backs and re-touching on previous characters and points, and a resolution for everyone who will be at the Ley Tower with Sirana preparing to give birth. Then....yes, you'll also be able to see what future stories there may be. :) The Patreon project has given me so many new, full resources to use, I absolutely have another epic in me, if I can do what I want to do and get the steps right. :)

@Anon: It was definitely a book, yes. 225 pages in Word. :P Glad you enjoyed Gaelan's solution to one particular problem. ;) And yes, Soul Drinker needs to be addressed...pain in the ass that it's been. :P

"you're opening up a lot more of the surface now. hmm i wonder why, all part of the conclusions and perhaps a setup for future adventures :)"

Yyyyep! ^__^

Some random stuff

Thanks for reintroducing your character of Indra. The previous two stories written about her were very enjoyable, and I'm glad she's back. I wish she had been used as more than a glorified fluffer, but I understand the logic and reasoning of how and why she is back, and hope she gets more of a chance to be around.

Boy, I was hoping Jael would actually stick with her initial decision regarding Mourn and just sit tight. There was a chance there for some growth and it seems she's going to wind up paying for her bad choice.

Loved the history of the dagger, I've been waiting for that for a long time. It's curious why Mourn took on the responsibility for it as opposed to letting Lethrix deal with it.

Ishuna's child's name got my brain humming as I'm sure it was supposed too. Will that be followed up with in the main story or is it more of a side story?

I'd also like to say the sections with Nadia and Uncle Rodg felt like some of the most real and simultaneously beautiful things you have written. Excellent job, so easy to picture and so true to life.

Most . .

. . . . . wonderful , yet again.

Glad Mourn

is awake, finally! He was truly missed since he had no interaction with his group. Can't wait for them all to be together next chapter.

Damn!
Did I imagine this or Jael managed to awaken Mourn just as Indrath was about to reveal the name of the demon in the dagger? If so, what of the deal? And, no wonder Mourn was chasing his insubordinate Daratrix through daytime Augran, damn the consequences... ;)

Run, Jael, run!

I really liked this chapter but it seemed a little rushed, like getting off the freeway in your home town after a really long trip and knowing you're almost home.

It's an odd thing to think about in their snow-filled surface trek but it took me out of the story for a moment. I can't remember if Sirana or anyone in their group except Morn has ever seen or walked on ice. Sirana was thinking about how difficult it was to walk on a frozen lake and that would be an unlikely thought if she wasn't on the surface during the winter.

Anyway! Gaelan's daughter Natia is fun! She seems a little timid for a female Drow but I loved the confusion from her literal thinking along with the translations when she got the stuffed bear!

Krithannia almost seems to be a different character this time around. The only two members of the group that have *never* been to the Surface are Natia and Auslan. Krithannia seems to flip and get all secretive and weird about Guild members seeing them exercise even though they'd shared plans, battles, bunks and recreational experiences with the Guild, it's not as if no one knows about them.


I like the history of the Red Rune Knife and I understand that adding the demon turned it into Soul Drinker but why did Nyx make it in the first place?

Out of curiosity, why is the Godblood the one that's going to have to put Humpty Dumpty back together again? Sirana is a pregnant mommy and she's also a daddy but Musanlo used Sirana to make a collect long distance telephone call to the Overmind and the Broken one, then just hung up and walked out of the booth. Thanks, Musanlo!

Fun times!

@nasty_butler: Ahhh, my beloved Indra! ;) The actual skill is called Will Bending, and even Innathi couldn't force arousal in Mourn *and* manage to soothe him at the same time, even suggesting she might need his protection. That takes finesse, my man! ...*ahem* Something Jael needs to work on quite a bit. :P But we see opposite there, too: for me, bad choices allow more opportunity for growth than playing it safe. Not to say it still doesn't suck.

No worries, you *will* see why Morix took the dagger himself than hand it over to his Sire. Part of his own "making risky choices for growth." As for Ishuna's child, a little of both. :) Much obliged for the kudos for Natia and Uncle Rodge! ^_^

@ldv6: Those concerns will be clarified. ;) But, oh brother, has she left herself open...

@3Phayz: Rushed? Astonishing thought given the length, but alright. Sorry that one detail threw you out. I haven't walked on a frozen lake, either, but I've heard/read warnings on how to do it right and can extrapolate from spending time in snow. :) And Natia has some good reasons for being timid, not the least of which is she has her Mother and Grandmother's temperament (milder, more like the Wilder) and also suffered very recent child abuse from a family member. Give her time to heal and bloom in a better environment, it's already begun. :)

As for Krithannia, well, I don't see where a Drow having been on the Surface before means they should be seen or interact with the Guild at large (Gaelan and Shyntre never even saw a city before), and more members than those who went to Manalar use that area. Guild is huge. Plus Krithy said to Talov the goal was to keep as few as possible knowing about this Drow family until Mourn Woke up. She's not that different, she's doing her thing. Fewer potential leaks.

Good connection with the dagger becoming Soul Drinker, but please note: Nyx did NOT make it. There are many more Greylords besides her. For fun, check out my website RedSister.net under NecrosisBob's Greylands background information. There's a Greylord called Wylan the Soul Forger. He's a blacksmith. ;)

While the description of what happened between the Elder Mind and Sirana is very, very amusing, I'm afraid I'm not sure who Humpty Dumpty is in this case or why only the Godblood maybe responsible for...something. But! I can promise we'll get more on that stuff in general when we get to talk to Willven again. :)

Cheers!

Toys In The Attic

I love the story, Etaski! The 'rushed' feeling was the sheer length of the chapter vs the time to write it. You're phenomenal. Aside from a few typos and wondering about odd things it's a stupendous chapter!

Ah, Red Rune wasn't Nyx's. I'm imagining something a Greylord would make; like a crab pot in "Deadliest Catch" you just drop it down, let it sit for a while and wait for the inevitable murder and mayhem, then pull it back with some souls in it: easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. After it became Soul Drinker it's a supercharged demonic Dustbuster with extra-dimensional storage and an appetite for destruction but no more Master and no OFF switch. Yikes! I hope Morix can fix it!

Krithannia just, I don't know, she felt off; a little hardheaded and secretive for a former Baenar shower buddy, I thought but that's totally subjective.

Humpty Dumpty is Sirana, of course. All the various "Powers!" and factions throughout the story haven't been kind to everyone’s favorite toy and there's a bit of dialogue about her seeing the Godblood to get her head straightened out again or at least try to put most of it back in the box. Sheesh! You'd think Musanlo could have done *something* while he had her on the line, or Lethrix before the group left the Underdark.

With all the dragon magic, Words, and sex going on, that Tova'h rule is going to kick in sooner or later and someone is going to be in trouble with the other dragons. And of course they *never* just walk away or there'd be no story! :D

Steve Miller lives in my head apparently.

On meeting Kran the line was "...call me Morix". From somewhere in my mind came the reply "Cause I speak on the pompitice of love." Is Morix pronounced MOE-reex?

:D

@3Phayz: Oh, is that what you meant? Cool. I think I get the freeway reference now, and I know that feeling quite well. ;)

lol! If Wylan cared more about his creations, that would be a good idea. ;) As it is, the bastard's sitting on one of the richest sources of true metal in the Greylands and remains almost completely chaotic neutral and nobody can touch him. The dagger comes by its nature honestly, but fortunately Morix wouldn't push a devil into a corner without a plan for extraction (apprentice sucking his cock notwithstanding).

Best representation of what this Greylord is like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXWAsayTFTo

Alas, I guess Krithannia is just feeling more pressure these days. ;)

And there I gotcha about Humpty, thanks for the direction. ;) *Still* very amusing. The thing is...I think most know that unless Sirana asks to be fixed, it's unhelpful to suggest she needs to be. And she hasn't asked. Even Talov let her talk and work shit out for herself. She's their catalyst, and proven able to handle a lot even with occasional stumbles.

And ohhhh yes about the Dragons. ;) Lethrix is still laughing how long it's taking the rest of them to notice. With a little luck, they still have more time.

@Anon-Steve Miller: MOE-reeks.....HAHAHA! XD Oh, bravo, "Joker." ;) *claps* Nicely done.

Wow, the surprise is there isn't one.

Not that the plot twists weren't surprising, just we shouldn't be surprised there are so many surprises. As per usual a great read. Not happy at all about this saga coming near its conclusion.

Love ya girl

As always your brilliant have read through twice can't wait for next chapter!!!!

Btw estaski when do you think you would be able to complete ch40 ?????
March end or April ????

@ms904191

I think an April release would mean something bad happened like in November. Ideally I'd like to have Ch 40 done in mid-March but it's too soon to say. I'm writing a bonus story right now (patrons voted for a sequel to the V'Gedra Sisters), and have Ch 40 begun, at least at 15 pages. So bonus story asap, Ch 40 following that. More updates as progress is made, as always. :)

Oh You diabolical, evil genius!

This is worse than waiting for the last Potter book to come out! I have been with you through this whole story line, and it has been a delight and a pleasure to watch the characters grow and live. I can't wait to see how this ends, but I also think these characters can have many, many more adventures together. I did not think I would find an Underdark character better than Drizzit, but you have created Morix and he is by far my favorite. Thank you so much for sharing and I will wait as patiently as my ADD self can for the next chapter.

So, a few things...

First of all, someone needs to make some appropriately adorable fanart of this moment:
"Gotcha." Rodge watched Natia as she peeked over the ears of the bear; it made him smile yet again. He seemed to find her endlessly amusing.

Second, this sentence strikes me as being very important:
If my womb hadn't already been occupied by Ta'suil's Son, that eve I would have caught Shyntre's Daughter.
Specifically, the capitalization.

Honestly I'm a little desapointed

First sorry for destroying your language english but I'll do my best not to mangle it too much.

First love your story your one of my favorite writer I follow on Lit.

So why I AM desapointed, simply for not stopping Surfacing and starting a new story.

In Sufferance there was some parts not resolve but that story was about escorting a priestesse and the direct consequances so you stop it and started Surfacing.

Surfacing is about 3 red sisters sentences to 3 impossible missions to the surface and dye so they never come back so the priestesses get happy about one of there own getting kill by them. That's done and completed.

You could have stop this story when they reach the entrance of the cavern on the surface or even better on Lit page 11 of CH 39 when Jael said "He's cooling down." Honestly at that moment I felt that part of Sirana task to go to the surface was completed. I even look at how long the test of the chapter was and ask myselt how could you write for an interview 17 lit pages on that story? You started a new story that's how.

Don't get me wrong I love the fact that you keep going but giving a break or a separation in the different part of your story so we can say OK this part is finish let's go back and reread it one time non stop. I have read twice the previous stories of Sirana but not Surfacing becose it's not completed.

I have been following you since Sufferance every time checking if you have poster a new chapter before trying to find an other story to read. And if I may, I also following Over_Red: Dream Drive (on pause), FinaldStand: Life as a New Hire(on pause), JazCullen: Fighting the Inevitable series and ElyssaCousand: There and back again. If some have suggestion for similar long stories Autors please let me know.

Again sorry for the bad english and also my corrector always try to change words for french on.

Sly

Hello, Sly. Thank you for your critique on the pacing. I'm planning for the chapters to be double-length for the final 4 chapters, and I see you noted that here. This was planned, for better or worse, which is why I posted the note at the beginning saying this chapter was #1 of 4 of a large arch concerning the Dragons. If I stopped where you suggested, that statement would not be true.

On the bright side, if you've been waiting for a good break point to reread the story, it sounds like you identified a good one, so feel free to do so whenever you like and pretend what I'm doing for the next three double-length chapters is a separate story. :) I don't care to rename it at this point because it is the same continuing story and I'm nearly finished. After that, I will be taking that break.

Curiously, you broach a topic I was just discussing yesterday with another about a book I just finished. I was disappointed with the ending for a similar reason, but it was the opposite of what bothered you about this chapter. This author ended her book in pretty much exactly as you suggested I finish things here, which is something I've seen often: "We're past the worst of it, it'll be downhill from here so let's just stop the story on a vague feeling of hope for a better future and new beginings."

I disagreed; I read the entire "journey" story urged like the characters to want to see the physical end of the journey in addition to the spiritual, and the author stopped before we reached the physical, having fulfilled the spiritual journey and simply telling the reader everything physical from then on would be fine (or "wait until the next book which may never come."). As I've seen this many times in books, I'd like to try something different here, part of the reason this chapter continued on as it did. But you are correct, it is also a new story arch, but I said so at the beginning of the chapter so as not to mislead anyone.

Thank you for reading this far, and thank you for your feedback.

Book, Chapter, and Verse

Etasky,

While I still remember (some days are better than others), I want to thank you for "saving" Ishuna! That was a very good and quite intense sequence that gave closure to her very long and unhappy story. I liked it.

I think I understand what Sly is writing about and last year I was wondering the same thing about your books before you gave a rough outline for what you were planning. One of the more extreme examples of book growth would be Roustwriter's saga on SOL about Arlene and Jeff where the first two books are reasonable but the third seems to have a brick on the accelerator, it's currently 425 chapters and still thumping along like the Energizer Bunny.

I kind of expected "Surfacing" to be about the Drow fumbling around trying to find their own backsides while they learn about the surface and other amazing things like the existence of sheep, mutton, and wool. I totally did not expect dragons! Woohoo!

Following your alliterative sentiment I thought you'd move to "Surfaced" and continue the story on the surface of Miurag where they discover amazing things like: the very concept of friends which you wrote and covered very well in Surfacing! Tasty surprises like lamb chops, useful things like wool, and how to find their own and others' backsides with both hands now that they're not in the dark and don't need a flashlight.

For a long-running book in the ongoing Drow-opera: "Surfactants!"
Cleaning Muriag and getting dye out of wool. :)