Vin laid restlessly in the pitch black room, eyes closed as sleep eluded her. You need to leave. Reen's voice battered against her, wearing her down. She took a quick shallow breath, Reen had been gone a long time, yet even now she could hear his voice so clearly. Leave before the inquisitors come. Vin shuddered as a flash image of carnage strewn through Club's shop appeared in her mind. Vin ignored the image and turned over, wrapping herself tightly in the blanket. A gentle knock sounded on the door.
Vin immediately burned tin. Sensations filled her mind, drowning out Reen, as the small dark room came dimly into view and the warmth of the bed radiated. She sensed a heavy figure breathing slowly and confidently in the hallway, Kelsier, Vin somehow recognising his presence. Vin scolded herself for not hearing his approach. He knocked again softly.
"Yes", Vin called out, extinguishing her tin.
"Are you up".
"Yes, just a second", Vin quickly sat up and threw off the covers.
Kelsier backed away from the door, "take your time".
Vin got up excitedly before Reen's thought hit her. He's here to take you. Vin continued to get dressed, before speaking up nervously. "What's up".
"I've got time for some more training, if you like".
Vin perked up, "Yes, I'll be right out".
Vin quickly got dressed, quickly pulling on warm layers and threw on her mistcloak. Looking in the mirror she noticed the ribbons shuffling delicately as she moved. She looked.. like she belonged in the mists.
Vin looked at her makeshift alarm, blocking the door. Vin had not trusted the door bolts. She carefully, and hopefully silently, removed a jar filled with cutlery. It was balanced carefully on a chair, designed to make a noise if the door is disturbed. She placed it on her dresser, removed the chair which was wedged under the door handle and unbolted the door.
Kelsier stood down the hallway replacing the stopper in an empty vial. He looked tired. If he checked his steel would he notice the knife under the mattress?
Kelsier smiled warmly, "Sorry it's late, but nights are the only time we can train".
Vin replied eagerly - "Don't worry, I can train anytime".
"Let's go". Kelsier beckoned to Vin as they walked down the stairs. Kelsier took out another glass vial and handed it to Vin. Vin automatically unplugged the stopper and began to down the liquid. Reen's training. There could be anything in that vial. Vin ignored the voice, shuddering, as the revolting taste of ethanol filled her mouth, quickly forcing herself to swallow. Vin's reserves swelled, in particular she noticed the mixture contained a vast reserve of Iron and Pewter. Vin immediately tapped copper at a slow steady burn.
Vin touched her Tin, the aftertaste of the alcohol suddenly felt revolting and her stomach felt uneasy. "Can I get a snack?".
"Yes, be quick".
Vin strode into the kitchen and gulped down a glass of water, washing out her mouth. She quickly cut a slice of bread then walked back to Kelsier. She could eat as they walked. The bread was cold and slightly stale. I'm getting too comfortable here.
Kelsier smiled, "What do you think of the crew?".
"Well they're much better than my last crew".
"That's not saying much Vin".
"No they're great, I just…" Vin couldn't explain her hesitation, yet her instincts told her not to lie. "I'm pretty messed up".
Kelsier nodded sympathetically, "I can understand that but I can promise you that you won't find better men, at least on our side of the law".
Vin wanted to believe him. "I know Kelsier, but it only takes one..". You were wrong before.
"I get that, if one person makes a mistake, gets captured or.. we're done".
Vin nodded.
"All I can say is that for me, without the people closest to me, life wouldn't be worth living. Kelsier continued solemnly, "So you can choose to have faith in people and maybe be happy, or trust no one and be miserable".
"That makes sense", Vin replied weakly.
"Don't worry, it takes time, anyway, I got you this". Kelsier passed Vin a small black sheath with a metal handle.
Vin took the sheave, removing a short dagger - "Thanks". She examined the steel blade under the lamplight, the short hilt fitting neatly in her palm.
Kelsier spoke softly, "You won't need it tonight, but it's there just in case".
Having the dagger made Vin feel safer, less dependent. "I love it, but I thought I shouldn't wear metal?".
"Metal and glass are both good in different situations, besides, it can slip right off you.". Kelsier grinned. "Hopefully now the cutlery will stop going missing".
Vin reddened as Kelsier smiled and walked calmly outside into the mist. "I..".
"Don't worry, anyone would be on edge if they spent years in Camon's crew".
Vin followed through the misty threshold and closed the door of club's shop; they walked quietly through the soot-stained streets as Vin finished her bread.
Kelsier quenched all his metals. "Do you mind soothing me quickly?".
"Ah sure, why?".
Kelsier yawned, "I'm pretty tired, a lot of late nights".
"Ok". Vin used her luck, or brass, brazenly soothing his exhaustion down to nothing and rioted his energy. Then, subtly, rioted trust, openness.
"Thanks, do you need soothing?". Kelsier tapped his copper again.
"No, I'm fine". The idea stirred up Reen. He wants to tranquilise you, keep you docile.. Vin ignored Reen, but she would not let anyone lull her with fake emotions. Yet she sometimes wished she could quiet those thoughts.
"No worries, If you ever need someone to sooth you or talk to.. Breeze is the best". Kelsier whispered the last part.
"Breeze?".
"Quiet",Kelsier looked around quickly. "There could be Tin-ears in the mists".
Vin nodded in agreement.
"He isn't like what you think, he..", Kelsier hesitated, "Besides, you can't self-soothe".
Vin didn't want to admit she had tried. "Where are we going tonight?".
Kelsier looked alert, refreshed, "That depends, what do you want to learn tonight?"
Why was he even asking? Vin smiled and replied."Well, you've gone over Steel, Iron and Pewter, pretty well, maybe Zinc?"
"We could do Rioting, but I haven't really taught Iron yet".
"What do you mean?".
"Let's go". Kelsier stepped into a slow jog, feet softly hitting the cobblestones of the mist. Vin tapped her Pewter and ran quickly alongside him.
"There are lots of other ways to use Iron..." Kelsier paused as he turned through the alley. Speeding up slightly, his strides grew in length, Vin taking two steps for each one of his. "In some ways, Iron's one of my weaker metals".
Vin started to breathe heavily, "What do you mean? I've seen you with iron, pulling yourself through the air or metal".
"That's all I really use it for, but my old mentor, Gemmel, was a master with Iron, he preferred Iron to steel".
"How did he use it?".
"He would stay lower, run on walls, swing in big arcs, that kind of thing", Kelsier went on. "I like Steel more, it is more... direct, using iron like that is too disorienting". Kelsier jogged on silently for a while, navigating through the maze of alleys and streets. Confusingly, he seemed to speed up and slow down arbitrarily without changing his stride in any way. Vin was also impressed by his agility, how he effortlessly turned around some corners without losing speed. There is something.. Inhuman about how he's moving.
Some time later, Kelsier stopped abruptly. Vin breathed heavily, the heat from jogging causing her to no longer notice the cool mists. Kelsier still looked fresh and alert.
"Are you tired, were you using much Pewter?", Kelsier smiled.
"Yes but only a trickle".
"That's good, you should know, running without Pewter is good training for a mistborn but do you know how I was jogging faster than you?".
"I thought you were burning Pewter too?".
"I was a little but what else?", Kelsier tested Vin.
So he wanted to show me iron. "You were pulling on metal".
"Correct", Kelsier instructed. "Iron and Steel are the most effective metals for moving quickly but you'll also need to use Pewter or your legs won't keep up".
"Ok, makes sense".
"Let's go". Kelsier took off at a sprint, bolting down the empty street with big long strides. Vin followed with a jolt, burning her pewter in pursuit. Running hard, she tapped into her iron, selecting a narrow strand leading to a door handle near the end of the street and she lurched forward accelerating behind Kelsier. Relaxing her pewter, Vin let her iron compensate, matching Kelsier's pace.
Kelsier veered left, Vin pursued pulling on the door handle to help her turn. Vin released her pull as she passed it and flared her pewter to maintain her speed. Vin burned steel, finding a large source on a second story balcony behind her. The push sped her up, pushing her into the stone street, but also caused her to drift left constantly. Vin ran swiftly at an angle, pointing right to compensate, growing increasingly worried she would fall behind.
Kelsier ran harder, strides lengthening as he extended his lead. Vin reached for a thin line pointing to a roof up ahead. Accelerating forward, she pulled hard as she continued to push and her legs made powerful contact with the cobble stones. The pull lifted her into the air slightly between each stride as she relaxed the push and matched Kelsiers stride. Burning Pewter hard she pulled closer to Kelsier briefly, her feet barely moving quickly enough to keep her off the ground.
Kelsier expertly tossed a coin to the side, pushing it hard against the door frame as he pushed himself forward and left into a narrow alley. Vin copied his moves, burning Pewter faster, and pushing on the coin. The alley lacked good sources of metal, so they both slowed, relying on Pewter, before Vin picked another line and sped ahead of Kelsier.
Vin bolted out onto another deserted street as Kelsier veered sharply right towards the eastern gates. He can't keep this up for long. Vin tapped her iron but couldn't find metal in the right direction, she settled on two objects on either side of the street. Balancing both pulls to keep her in the center, yet still losing distance to Kelsier.
Vin learned to juggle the lines as she ran, trying to use Iron as much as possible, conserving her dwindling supply of Pewter. She also relied on her tin, both to keep sight of Kelsier and to focus on constantly toggling and pulling blue lines. Vin noticed she was fastest when she combined both pushing on an object directly behind her and pulling an object in front, although she usually had to settle for objects mostly in the right direction.
The experience taxed her mind to the limit, constantly finding angles to push and pull, switching between metal sources and struggling for stability. The angles were never perfect, so Vin would have to balance with a push or pull in a different direction. She learned to pull each with the right force or compensate with Pewter. Vin mostly kept up with Kelsier, at times relying on Tin to help follow him, yet Vin sensed Kelsier was holding back.
Over time, Vin started to tire, the cobblestones had become smaller and the streets narrower as they entered the residential section. Each alley she simply concentrated on reaching the next, never knowing when Kelsier would stop. Fatigued both physically and mentally, her mind felt heavy as she stumbled on an uneven stone yet managed to keep her footing with a flare of Pewter. She fell further behind Kelsier, fast approaching her physical limits and her Pewter almost exhausted.
Kelsier stopped running. Thank the lord ruler. Standing next to a two story shop, perhaps a tailor. Vin put out her metals and placed her hands on her knees, heaving for air, yet she felt a sense of victory. I can't believe I ran so fast, so far. Her legs felt heavy and her calves sore, she tapped her Pewter lightly before her muscles started cramping. Kelsier passed Vin another Vial as he downed his own.
Kelsier beamed, "You did really well".
"Thanks, but you were faster", Vin continued to breathe deeply.
"I've been practicing for years".
"So is this how Gemmel got around".
"Yeah but he was a bit faster than me, amazing for an old guy". Kelsier added, "Some people are much much faster, although not for long". The words seemed to slip out.
"What do you mean?", Vin demanded.
"With practice you will get faster..".
"How can someone be much faster than us?".
Kelsier spoke guiltily, "I shouldn't have said anything.. All I can say is that a few people can sprint faster than a mistborn, although not for long and they don't have most of our abilities".
"How?".
"I'm sorry, I can't say, it's not my place".
Vin questioned, "The lord ruler, inquisitors?".
"I think the lord ruler, not sure about inquisitors but there are others with superhuman speed too". Kelsier looked away into the mists, signaling the end of the topic. Reen would delight in the evidence of Kelsier keeping secrets but for now Vin was grateful the voice stayed dormant.
Vin looked at the shop, what else did Kelsier say his mentor could do. "How did Gemmel run on walls", Vin spoke softly, almost to herself, her mind opening to possibilities. He must have pushed or pulled himself into the wall. Vin continued, "can you show me?".
Kelsier nodded as he burned iron and pulled on a thick line directed towards the shops' chimney. He leapt up into the wall, body sideways and walked up the wall to the top as he continued to pull hard and then stepped up onto the roof. He casually dropped a coin and quickly jumped back to the ground beside Vin.
"Ok your turn". Kelsier looked up. "Burn your iron and pull gently on the chimney".
Vin burned her iron, a thick blue line cut through the brick wall of the shop toward the metal chimney, she gently pulled and went up on the balls of her feet as her weight dropped.
"Put your feet on the wall".
Vin lifted one foot onto the wall, pulling slightly harder as she bounced up and down gently on her other leg.
"Pull a bit harder and lean back, flare your pewter for balance".
Vin tilted back, as she pulled herself up. Kelsier put his arm under her head just in case. It was like she hung from an invisible rope, standing sideways on the wall.
"Ok now pull harder".
Vin did so, walking up the wall to keep her balance.
Kelsier tossed a few coins spread out like a tripod beneath her. "Only use these if your falling" -
"Ok".
"Pull lighter and walk back down". Vin did so easily.
Kelsier continued to issue instructions, "Back up".
Vin concentrated as she pulled hard and walked quickly back up. She felt her feet naturally moving to keep her weight off the wall. Testing her skill, Vin kept pulling without moving her legs, her body swinging towards the wall, landing on her knees. Vin pushed herself back to her feet. Vin steadied herself and adjusted the rate of iron burning so that she balanced, feet stable on the wall. This is easy.
"Keep up the pull and try jumping off the wall".
Vin pushed hard against the wall, jumping outwards then swung quickly back to her starting point. Experimenting, she flared her pewter and exploded off the wall before lurching back hard.
"That's great, now come back down".
Vin slowed the iron burn, feeling a rush of excitement, she jumped away from the wall in several large leaps as she repelled down the wall, before tugging upwards at the last moment and lightly landing on her feet.
"You're a natural with Iron".
"Thanks", Vin smiled.
"Marsh was right", Kelsier whispered the name.
"What do you mean?".
"He was worried I would train you to be a mistborn too.. rigidly". Kelsier spoke carefully. "He said if I train you just like me you'd.. You'll probably not reach your potential". "The best mistborn use their gifts in their own way".
Vin nodded, still a little uncertain.
"You haven't seen other mistborn yet, but the ones I've seen move a bit differently, use their metals differently".
"Like what", Vin puzzled.
"Well some push themselves high, fly through the sky like me, others run.
"Makes sense".
"I remember seeing another mistborn, here in Luthadel, stalking from building to building in the shadows like a cat", Kelsier seemed to stare off at a distant spire.
"What was he doing?".
"She was approaching house Haught, probably just to spy".
"Mmm".
"Some wear metal, some don't", Kelsier went on. "Some throw knives or shoot arrows, others swords and daggers. I've even met one that didn't use physical allomancy at all".
"Really, what did they do?".
"There's a restaurant I've been to, Aubreys, I'm pretty sure the chef is mistborn", Kelsier spoke wistfully.
"How did you know he was mistborn".
"Instinct mostly, it was the most delicious food I have ever tasted. I noticed in the kitchen he would taste all the food and smell the ingredients carefully".
"Is that all".
"No", retorted Kelsier. "Well the kitchen was also very dim and quiet, like he was a tineye, but I didn't notice anything with my bronze".
"Maybe, he was just a good cook".
"Maybe", Kelsier conceded. "He seemed stern when he served the food, like I wasn't cultured enough to enjoy it, so I.. I tried to cheer him up, but it did nothing". Kelsier laughed.
Vin forced a laugh. "So he was burning copper.. why was he serving the food".
"I dunno, It was a small joint and he always served the main, they also had a server and another tineye cook and a soother".
"Why did they use soothing?".
"I think it's to get people in the right frame of mind to enjoy the food, it made the food even better", Kelsier mused.
"Mmm, I'd like to go there".
"Yeah, it's great. Vin, have you ever eaten food while burning tin?".
Vin felt embarrassed that she hadn't thought to try. "No..".
"I don't recommend it unless you know where it comes from, otherwise you might get a shock". Kelsier Laughed.
Vin nodded. Makes sense.
"His food was.. It was art Vin. Every texture and flavor, down to the most subtle detail, it was like an exploration. I've never had anything like it. Most of his customers could never really appreciate his gifts, to them it was just delicious food but to us it is so much more".
"Wow". Vin had never heard Kelsier speak like that. "When did you go?".
"Mar.. I went once before I was mistborn and I went back once after.. To appreciate the food properly". Kelsier added hopefully, "When this is all over I'll take the crew".
Vin nodded, if we somehow survive.
"Anyway, I look forward to seeing how you will use your gifts", Kelsier grinned.
"Thanks".
"Ok, I've been too easy on you", Kelsier chuckled. "Back on the wall".
Vin pulled on the chimney and hung feet against the wall.
"Ok turn side on".
Vin turned 90 degrees, glancing down she felt faintly disorientated suspended strangely in the mists.
"Keep pulling and run forward, keep your pewter on for balance", instructed Kelsier.
Vin walked awkwardly along the wall. She moved in a short arc towards the window before the pull brought her backwards, Vin slipped and her back scraped against the wall as she tumbled back to the center.
"Ouch", Vin pushed herself back up.
"Try again, this time back and forth".
Vin ran along the wall, then ran backwards towards her starting point.
"Try turning before you run back".
Vin ran along the wall, turned 180 degrees then ran past her original position, turned around and ran back the other way, swinging back and forth like a pendulum. Vin picked up speed virtually sprinting along the wall. Without adjusting her pull, reaching higher and higher, her foot finally reaching out and gently touching the window sill on the second story.
"Okay slow up and come back down".
Vin did so, breathing steady, feeling eager to get back on the wall.
"That was really good, you're already better with Iron than I am", Kelser spoke as he walked away from the shop along the alley, expecting Vin to follow.
"Stay there", Kelsier moved a few paces back towards the shop.
"Ok, run to me, jump, land feet first on the wall and pull hard on the chimney at the same time. Then keep up the momentum and run all the way up to the top of the wall". Kelsier smirked, "Sound easy?".
"I'll try", Vin visualized her steps. If I just get my feet on the wall and pull I should be ok. "Let me try this first", she jogged carefully towards Kelsier, stepped up the wall a couple of steps and backflipped gracefully.
Kelsier looked surprised, "Ok now add the pull, don't worry, I'll catch you".
Complete focus, Vin burned pewter and sprinted back to the wall, jumping up and turning through the air. Already burning iron, Vin pulled hard on the chimney as she hit the wall running. Reaching much harder than before, she sprinted hard up the wall at an angle. The chimney slightly in front of her, pulling her forwards and upwards. Vin ran hard, passing the halfway point, the iron pull now slightly slowing her down, turning upwards and approaching the top. Heart pounding, Vin felt at one with her body, a final pull and she stepped over the edge, pulling herself back upright. Heart pounding, it felt like all Vin wanted to do was push and pull, away from Reen, away from everything.
Kelsier pushed himself up onto the roof landing beside her.
"That felt.. exhilarating", Vin beamed. I'm a mistborn. She hadn't felt like that before.
"If I tried that I'd end up in the cobblestones", Kelsier chuckled, looking at Vin with pride.
"I think i'll need a lot of practice, it's weird running sideways".
"You can practice another time", Kelsier turned back towards the City, "I have another move to show you".
Kelsier gestured Vin to follow before tossing a coin and jumping through the air, finally landing on a nearby building. Vin landed beside him.
Kelsier pointed to a tall spire on the corner of the alley and the street. "That one", it belonged to house Hastings, although not their primary residence.
"If you pull on the top of the spire where will you go?", Kelsier quizzed.
"I'll go towards it, probably land just below it".
"Good, now what about if you're moving quickly in that direction when you pull", Kelsier pointed straight ahead, 90 degrees from the spire.
"Still towards it?".
"Watch". Kelsier sprinted along the roof and jumped forward, before reaching sideways at the spire. Kelsier swung through the air gracefully, turning in a long circular arc, before he released and landed on a different house, lower on the opposite street. Kelsier dropped a coin and leaped back to Vin.
"I only pulled on the spire, if you pull hard when you're moving you don't go to the target, you swing around the target".
"Got it", Vin mumbled nervously.
"Your turn".
Vin sprinted along the roof, burning pewter, then leapt as Kelsier had done so, pulling as hard as she could on the spire to her side and above her. Like swinging on rope, she flared pewter and pulled even harder, the roof approaching quickly, Vin swung around the spire at a blinding pace and her vision dulled in a moment of confusion. Vin released the pull instinctively, pewter extinguished and flung rapidly on a tangent away from Kelsier, struggling to keep her head upright. She instinctively pushed on a window latch to slow herself down, then tossed a coin to land but her legs buckled and she rolled to a stop on the shop roof. Kelsier landed beside her.
Kelsier spoke full of concern, "Vin are you ok".
Vin surveyed her body, her hip was sore, but probably not broken. "I think so".
"You pulled way too hard", Kelsier said nervously.
Vin still felt dizzy as she replied, "What happened".
"I've never done that, I think Gemmel called that move the slingshot".
"Slingshot!".
"Yeah if you pull really really hard, you get extremely fast and close to the target", Kelsier. "He'd use it to launch himself".
"Ok".
"Yeah, I'd practice the basics a bit more before you try that again, old Gemmel could do it, but I don't think he went quite that quick or close, I think he told me you can pass out if you turn too quickly".
"Aha".
"It looks like a good move if you're being chased".
Vin didn't reply and just sat still staring forward vacantly.
"Let me know when you are ready to try again, then we'll finish up".
"Again?".
Kelsier held up his hands, "Don't worry, just the normal swing, save the slingshot for another day".
A short while later Vin stood up, they jumped off the roof and pushed towards the house across from the spire.
"Go again, just don't pull too hard".
Vin ran hard burning pewter, and leapt powerfully off the roof, pulling firmly on the spire. She swung, turning steadily through the air across the street, turning towards the other house. Vin released the pull and landed on her feet, somersaulting forward to break her fall. Kelsier followed with steel.
"That's great V.. Who taught you that?", Kelsier gestured to where Vin rolled.
Vin looked embarrassed, "Oh the roll, just a thug, he said if you're going to land hard you should roll to soften the fall, then he started blathering about eating plants".
"Soften the fall, why didn't he show me that".
Vin smiled wickedly, "I dunno maybe he thought you're too clumsy".
Kelsier cracked up.
Vin laughed as well, "Do you want me to show you?".
"I'm meant to be teaching you", Kelsier continued to laugh. "I'll stick to just steel, it's more stable.. Straightforward".
"Did you mean simpleminded", Vin quipped.
Kelsier roared and Vin found herself laughing again. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed like this. "It's well past midnight we should head back". Kelsier pointed to the Cathedral in the distance.
Vin burned tin to study the giant clock. "Wow it feels like we just started".
"I know what you mean, there's nothing like being out in the mists, most people will never know what it's like".
"Yeah". With Vin's tin enhanced ears she could hear her heart, still beating steadily. She felt… alive, tired, sore with a dull headache yet she noticed the voice in her head had been quiet. It dawned on Vin her abilities, truly appreciating them. It felt like no one could ever catch her. I'll never have to endure someone like Camen again.
"Ok, can you keep practicing Iron for the next few weeks", Kelsier carried on. "I'd recommend practicing what we did today but try to lace the techniques together and mix in steel pushing".
"I can do that.. Is it safe for me to go out alone?".
"Not really, but it's also not safe to not train, other mistborn will probably leave you alone..".
"Ok".
"Lets head back", Kelsier smiled, "oh and if anyone asks why you're so battered and bruised, tell them you were sparring the philosopher". They laughed together as they walked back to Club's shop.