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Fortunately, they still had electrum The Lord Ruler was to be thanked for that, actually Pooratiu the ht hirant the same invincibility as atiuhtly into the future--but it d1id make one i, "it wasn't duralu too quickly even for that"

Elend frowned He had seen the Inquisitor move only out of the corner of his eye, but surely it hadn't been that fast Vin had a tendency to be paranoid and assume the worst

Of course, she also had a habit of being right

She reached out and grabbed the front of the corpse's robe, ripping it free Elend turned away "Vin! Have respect for the dead!"

"I have no respect for these things," she said, "nor will I ever Did you see how that thing tried to use one of its spikes to kill you?"

"That was odd Perhaps he felt he couldn't get to the axes in tilanced back The Inquisitor had the standard spikes--three pounded between the ribs on each side of the chest Butthere was another one--one Elend hadn't seen in any other Inquisitor corpse--pounded directly through the front of this creature's chest

Lord Ruler! Elend thought That one would have gone right through its heart How did it survive? Of course, if two spikes through the brain didn't kill it, then one through the heart probably wouldn't either

Vin reached down and yanked the spike free Elend winced She held it up, frowning "Pewter," she said

"Really?" Elend asked

She nodded "That h the shoulders: all steel Six through the ribs: two steel, four bronze Now this, a pewter one--not to mention the one he tried to use on you, which appears to be steel"

Elend studied the spike in her hand In Allos--he could only guess that for Inquisitors, the type of metal used in the various spikes was important as well "Perhaps they don't use Allomancy at all, but so the spike, standing up "We'll need to cut open the stomach and see if it had atium"

"Maybe this one will finally have some" They always burned electrum as a precaution; so far, none of the Inquisitors they'd met had actually possessed any atiu out over the ash-covered battlefield "We're a any of the rules Andour opponent created the game in the first place"

Elend stepped around the corpse,over to her "Vin, we don't even known that it's out there The thinga year ago at the Wellperhaps it's gone Perhaps it left, now that it's free That could be all it wanted"

Vin looked at him He could read in her eyes that she didn't believe that Perhaps she saw that he didn't really believe it either

"It's out there, Elend," she whispered "It's directing the Inquisitors; it knoe're doing That's why the koloss always ainst the sae text that has been written, create miscommunications and confusion It knows our plans"

Elend put a hand on her shoulder "But today we beat it--and, it sent u1s this handy koloss ar to capture this force?"

Elend didn't need to speak the answer TooThethe life fro the crops of the rest The Outer Dominances astelands--only those closest to the capital, Luthadel, still got enough daylight to grow food And even that area of livability was shrinking

Hope, Elend thought forcefully She needs that frorip on her shoulder, then pulled her into an embrace "We'll beat it, Vin We'll find a way"

She didn't contradict him, but she obviously wasn't convinced Still, she let hiainst his chest They stood on the battlefield before their fallen foe, but even Elend had to admit that it didn't feel likearound the to the Church of the Survivor, now It has only one prime commandment

Survive

"Giveout of the ee creatures, letting Vin take control of it He still didn't quite understand how they controlled the creatures Once he had control of a koloss, he could control it indefinitely--whether sleeping or awake, burning s he didn't understand about Allomancy He'd had only a year to use his powers, and he had been distracted by ruling an e to feed his people, not to mention the wars He'd had little time for practice

Of course, Vin had less time than that to practice before she killed the Lord Ruler himself Vin, however, was a special case She used Allomancy as easily as other people breathed; it was less a skill to her than an extension of who she was Elend ht be more powerful--as she always insisted--but she was the true master

Vin's lone koloss wandered over and picked up the fallen Inquisitor and the spike Then, Elend and Vin walked down the hill--Vin's koloss servant following--toward the hue at Elend's command He suppressed a shiver even as he controlled them

Fatren, the dirty e unit--though Elend wasn't very confident in the abilities of a group of skaa surgeons

"Why'd they stop?" Fatren asked, standing in front of his round

"I promised you a second army, Lord Fatren," Elend said "Well, here it is"

"The koloss?" he asked