The Sunlit Man
by Brandon Sanderson
Contents
53
Overview
During an aerial chase, Nomad defends the hovercycle, leaps onto the pursuing war barges, and disables one by ripping out its power core. He absorbs the core’s Investiture, boosting his reserves and ordering the remaining ship to retreat. Rejoining his allies, he heads into a dark, rainy region as Auxiliary begins Connecting his language.
Summary
Nomad, clinging to a multi-seat hovercycle piloted by his rescuer, shields the group while two faster war barges close in with ember soldiers and a sharpshooter. Seeing the enemy target a glowing power hatch on the cycle, Nomad blocks shots and identifies the core as a battery-like Investiture source.
Facing imminent boarding, Nomad exploits the ember soldiers’ overconfidence. He sprints along the cycle, launches onto the first barge, and uses Auxiliary as shifting tools—shield, wrench—to parry without lethal force. Spotting the second barge gaining on the hovercycle, he leaps across, causing chaos among eight uncoordinated attackers.
Nomad finds a deck hatch, pries it open with Aux-as-crowbar, and rips out the power core. The depowered vessel drops and crashes; the resilient ember soldiers survive but are removed from the fight. Nomad then lands on the remaining barge, blocks the pilot’s blast shield with Aux, intimidates the sharpshooter into discarding her rifle, and endures a roll maneuver using a magnetic boot.
Holding the core, Nomad “breathes in” and drains its Investiture, dimming it to inert glass and raising his reserves above ten percent. He orders the remaining pilot to break off pursuit, then jumps back to the hovercycle. The driver, realizing what happened, stares in shock as they speed into a region of darkness and rain.
As they fly, Nomad reflects on the world’s brutal cycle of darkness, growth, and burning daylight. Auxiliary begins establishing Connection to grant Nomad the local language, while the team—driver, gap-toothed man, and captive ember woman—presses on under the oppressive clouds.
Who Appears
- NomadProtagonist; shields allies, boards enemy barges, steals a power core, absorbs its Investiture, and forces the remaining pursuers to retreat.
- Auxiliary (Aux)Disembodied knightly voice; advises on power sources and initiates Connection to grant Nomad the local language.
- Hovercycle driverRescuer piloting the hovercycle; evades pursuit and reacts in shock as Nomad neutralizes the war barges.
- Gap-toothed manInjured captive Nomad saved; semi-conscious during the chase, strapped into the hovercycle seat.
- Sharpshooter in white coatEnemy gunner; targets vehicle power cores, later disarmed and intimidated by Nomad on the remaining barge.
- War barge pilotEnemy pilot who rolls the ship to throw Nomad, then flees after being threatened.
- Ember soldiersPursuers with melee weapons; strong but uncoordinated, survive a crash after Nomad removes their barge’s power core.