Last Time on Her Broken Magic…
Episode Four: “Death by a Thousand Cuts” Recap
1. In Luvatha, Daivad and Kure’s fight was slowly making its way down the main road, to the East Gate, tearing up the street and smashing buildings as they went. Ben’s vines worked to keep the guards out of their way.
2. Ben was tucked in a dark alley, growing out his vines to keep the guards from catching up to Daivad, but he was so focused he didn’t notice the guards approaching him. When they attacked him, Ben quickly dispatched the two guards and ran toward the mouth of the alley, but it was already blocked off with more guards, and Ben got shot.
3. Daivad and Kure reached the barricade set up by the guards on the main road, but Daivad paid them little attention because he knew, somehow, that Ben needed help. He took an enormous risk in grabbing the magical harpoon Kure threw at him, and used the chain connecting the harpoon to Kure to sling him around and beat the shit out of him basically, then threw Kure so he smashed through the barricade. And while Kure recovered, Daivad went back for Ben.
4. Ben was doing everything he could to stay alive, his vines seemingly moving with minds of their own to protect their master, but with every guard he took down, two more showed up, and he was running out of steam. A guard was just about to deliver a killing blow, when their head got taken off by a cobblestone flying through the air. Daivad had arrived, and thanks to The Power of Friendship, Ben got his second wind, and together they tore through the guards and took off back toward the gate.
5. In the cellblock at the East Gate, Belle was comforting Pait, who had just been marked, and Jac was still reeling from her own powerlessness due to her contract with Cuppedia. Belle asked Pait if she would be able to run to the forum if they broke her out of the cell, and Pait agreed, with some hesitation. They overheard Johnson arguing with his lieutenant about opening the gate so Daivad would stop destroying their city, but eventually, due to Daivad destroying their city, Johnson got squished, so the lieutenant made the executive decision of opening the gate. Jac broke Pait out.
6. Now beyond the gates, Daivad’s and Ben’s battle with the now fully shifted Kure continued. Kure kept trying to force Daivad to shift again, but he refused, and when the Great Wolves arrived, the tides of the battle began to turn. So Kure called his own mount, an enormous, deep-sea water horse horror named Whiskey, to once again balance the fight. Daivad was thoroughly creeped out bc he Does Not Fuck With The Ocean, but when Kure suggested Maxea wouldn’t be able to take Whiskey, his indignation and pride in Max wiped out all fear, and the battle resumed.
7. In a last ditch effort to try to restrain Kure long enough for Daivad to land a killing blow, Ben attempted to use a technique combining Ben’s nature magic and Daivad’s Earthbreaking that they had never really mastered. Implicitly understanding, Daivad poured his magic from the earth into Ben’s plants, reinforcing them, but that left Daivad vulnerable to an overwhelming onslaught from Kure. Finally, thanks again to The Power of Friendship, Ben managed to restrain Kure with stone-like vines, right before he passed out.
When Ben came to, Daivad was caring for Ben’s wounds. They had a nice little brotherly moment where their mutual annoyance was set aside and they came to an understanding. Then Ben asked Daivad to help him up to go look at Kure, to make sure he was really dead.
8. Jac and Belle arrived to the fight right after it ended, and Jac was disappointed, furious even, to find Kure already defeated. Or so they thought. Belle, able to see Kure’s magic, announced that he was not dead, and before Kure could get a killing blow on Ben, Belle threw her knives and finally, truly, took the Selachian down.
(Remember the Colonel’s quote about how there are only two ways to get a Selachian off your trail: to kill him—twice? Y’all thought that was just a clever turn of phrase, but that’s what we in the biz call foreshadowing.)
Then Whiskey, sensing her dear friend’s death, arrived and *checks notes* ate Kure before having a brief conversation with Belle, congratulating her on killing him.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Jac was even more furious that Belle was the one to finally kill Kure. Her frustration at her own powerlessness led her to lash out. With her knuckles. In Daivad’s already busted face.
9. The Wounded Soldier scene I promised.
While Belle tried to make sure Daivad didn’t die(vad), he was so overwhelmed by the fact that she was so close and smelled so good and she was touching him and healing him that he momentarily forgot to be prideful and defensive and angry, so he found himself admitting he was sorry about what happened to Clarix. And he was beyond relieved when she finally smiled at him.
10. You thought we were getting only one wounded soldier scene but actually we got TWO (technically 3 if you count the one earlier where Dai was patching Ben up, which I do).
Though Daivad had already taken care of Ben’s wounds as best he could for the moment, Ben let Jac try to do her part, but her obvious anger made her a bit rough.
11. Daivad, intoxicated by Belle’s attention, kept trying to find ways to make her laugh, which just further intoxicated him. The poor, horny boy—beaten within an inch of his life and it was the happiest he had been in maybe ever. Anyway. While Daivad was telling Belle how Pait had stolen the stone used for contacting Julius, Belle realized that her bag, which held the sleeping Kitten, was missing, and Pait must have stolen it. She began to panic—just as they heard the gates of Luvatha opening, meaning the guards would be on them soon.
12. Pait, who had been running all night, finally collapsed in an alley, all alone (or so she thought). Irreparably marred and with nowhere to go, she cried herself to sleep.
13. Ben and Daivad were making their escape when Daivad decided to turn back. He told Ben to go ahead without him, and decided to go back into Luvatha in search of Pait.
14. Belle and Jac had returned to Z’s house and gotten cleaned up, and immediately Belle went to try to search the city’s magic for Pait and/or Kitten. Noticing how angry Jac was, Belle tried to talk to her, but Jac just started yelling, saying Belle was going to get herself killed for a monster she’d just met. Belle said she would rather die than stop caring, stop feeling, and Jac, exasperated, had to accept this.
15. Daivad wandered around Luvatha for a while trying to catch Pait’s scent and avoid the Guard at the same time. Finally, after hours of searching, he was getting close when he heard a sound.
16. Around midday, Z finally returned home, furious. Z asked Belle why her scent was all mixed up with Daivad’s at the battleground, and Belle had been so worried about Kitten and Pait that she didn’t have an answer prepared. She scrambled to come up with a decent non-lie, and Z let her. Z was stressed, knowing the queen would blame them for the massive fuck up last night had been.
When Belle had finally talked Z down a little, she tried to ask for their help in searching for Kitten and Pait, but that was pushing things too far and Z snapped at her to get out.
17. Pait was dreaming about a screaming baby in Madam Agatha’s basement, only to wake and find the screaming was very real—only it was coming from a baby monster. Kitten had finally woken up and was very upset that Belle was nowhere to be found. Pait, panicked, tried to run away, but Kitten followed her. So Pait was just about to try to permanently shut Kitten up when Daivad arrived. Daivad told Pait she could come with him, and he told Kitten he would return him to Belle.
18. Belle was letting herself wallow and grieve at Z’s house when suddenly she sensed Julius’ magic. He delivered a short message in Daivad’s voice, telling her where to meet him. Belle rushed to convince a still-furious Z to let her borrow one of their carriages, and she and Jac headed off.
19. Belle and Jac found the inn, and went to room 15 where Daivad, Kitten, and Pait were hiding out. Belle was overcome with emotion when she saw Kitten (who had tired himself out destroying the bed in the room and was now back asleep), and thanked Daivad. Pait declared that they were all freaks.
20. Belle was taking a bath and mentally preparing herself to return to Broken Earth, and Richard. There’s a lot of bath scenes in this story during which Significant Emotional Moments happen, and idk why, but here we are.
Z came in and offered to braid Belle’s hair for her, but Belle said she needed to do it herself, to make sure she could find Lady Belle in her reflection.
21. Belle, Jac, and Z arrived back at Broken Earth’s inner circle, and Belle immediately got word that Richard wanted to see her in Purity House, the bath house (look, more bath scenes). Belle had expected a bit of a breather before she would have to see Richard, but she took this change in stride, and headed to Purity House. The episode ended with…
He pulled the doors open for her, and Lady Belle stepped through.