Magical Tracking

A Tao-like training program to make himself a new person by rising to a higher state of being, which will break the bond? Of course, it won't be easy to obtain this "enlightenment". Would also offer a opportunity for having a mentor to the MC.

I did something like this for a short story years ago, except the "good" guy used it to track down the "bad" guy (but they were both bad guys). Since it was a short story, I had no reason to throw up a long sequence of disasters to prevent the final confrontation...

If it's blood magic, as it was in my story, then it could be as simple as the protagonist cutting himself and smearing his blood on all the coats at the entrance to a well-trafficked roadside inn. Now the antagonist has to waste time figuring out how to decide which is the correct trail to follow. This is a temporary solution, because the antagonist should be able to resolve it, given time.

If it's blood magic, could you do something to corrupt the blood? A transfusion - possibly using large amount of...O-negative blood (universal donor) might be enough to alter his blood according to the magic, or a blood-borne disease, or something of the kind?

I'm not sure what tech-level this story is set in, but in the modern world, he could have his heart replaced with a mechanical one (you could even do a magitech version for more medieval settings). Or perhaps put him in a drug-induced coma.

You could also have him make a deal with the Grim Reaper (or similar creature in your mythos) in which he takes on their job of bringing death, while being pseudo-dead himself, thus obscuring the bond.

SPMiller's idea seems both the simplest and the most clever, so far. I like how "duh, why didn't I think of that?" obvious it is. Also, I assume this bond works both ways. How can your MC turn that to his advantage? Use the connection/ bond to send him bad dreams or some sort of interference that leads the antagonist off-track?

It's not necessarily blood magic since the sharing of blood could just be symbolic. So what is linking the two?

If it's spirit, enlightenment to a new state of being (or depravity/insanity to a lower state of being) could break the bond as Alleycat suggested.

If it's mind, I like RainyDayNinja's suggestion of using drugs. He may not need to be in a coma, but simply high or drunk enough to be in an altered state of mind so he's not his "usual self."

If it's body, what part? Could he cut off his pinky finger and be considered an altered man from the one who made the vow?

If it's a blood bond, maybe your villain would be distracted by following the path of family members on the hunt for the MC. The MC has no way of slipping the bond, but he's at least got some extra time as the blood of his siblings could confuse his hunter. If he's a bastard, he could spread his blood around intentionally with blood bonds to other people and confuse the trail that way.

Is it just the MC's word? Perhaps he can break his word and break the bond, but there's some sort of physical sign/social stigma as an indicator that he's an oathbreaker.

No matter how you slice it, going back on his word makes the MC dishonest. Sure you can say the hero didn't realize what an enemy he was dealing with when he made the bond, but wasn't that pretty stupid of him? What's the point in swearing such a grave oath in the first place unless you're willing to own up to the consequences? Anyone can swear an oath to someone they trust implicitly; it's the element of risk and uncertainty that makes such an oath meaningful, IMO.

I'm reminded of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie where Elizabeth swears to marry the commodore as long as he saves her boyfriend. Then at the end of the movie, she just breaks her word like it's no big deal. Elizabeth continues to act morally superior to pirates and we're supposed to see her as righteous, but she out-and-out broke her word. Where's the honor in that? But then, I seem to be the only viewer who noticed or was bothered by that little chestnut, so maybe oathbreaking just isn't a big deal to modern readers/moviegoers...

Ardent Kat said:

I'm reminded of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie where Elizabeth swears to marry the commodore as long as he saves her boyfriend. Then at the end of the movie, she just breaks her word like it's no big deal. Elizabeth continues to act morally superior to pirates and we're supposed to see her as righteous, but she out-and-out broke her word. Where's the honor in that? But then, I seem to be the only viewer who noticed or was bothered by that little chestnut, so maybe oathbreaking just isn't a big deal to modern readers/moviegoers...

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I think it's because most of the people watching it were too busy drooling over Orlando Bloom to notice the morality of any of the characters involved. >_> That, and because the Commodore is stuffy and officious, of course he doesn't deserve love. -_-

*sigh* *goes and watches Coupling again*

Stormhawk said:

because the Commodore is stuffy and officious, of course he doesn't deserve love. -_-

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I know you're being sarcastic, but I really think that's what the screenplay writers wanted us to believe. "But the commodore is so booooring!" the audience cries in Elizabeth's defense.

I wanted to point out this example because for me, "But he's really a bad guy!" wouldn't be enough for me in SmilingTed's scenario. Sure, the hero might break his word to save his own hide (I probably would, too), but this should at least be written as a degrading/dishonorable act.

In fact, no matter what kind of loophole the MC tries to slip through to justify breaking the oath, its' still pretty sneaky and dishonest. A good chance to address, rather than avoid, the hero's moral failings.

Ha. It's probably because we both like Zelazny. Takes a certain kind of mind, apparently.