LoRG 2

Chapter 711

RandidlyÆs eyes snapped open as the Skill kicked in Almost like a fresh flurry of snow tiny motes of ash exploded outward from his body in a three meter space around him The thick currents of blood howled in and carried the ash some distance away but very quickly the flows turned turbid Those tiny motes of ash each carried with them an insatiable hunger and very quickly devoured the energy and substance of the currents of blood

HelenÆs eyes narrowed as she approached but she didnÆt slow Like the flashing fin of a shark her spear lashed out toward Randidly With blazing emerald eyes Randidly simply chuckled More ashes were conjured into existence as he laughed All the while the temperature around him plummeted along with his Mana

It wasnÆt that HelenÆs spear slowed but discomfort became apparent on her face as she entered into the zone of the extinguishing storm Gritting her teeth she seemed to shove herself forward unwilling to give up Flows of blood from all over the arena twisted and redirected themselves to blast at the whirlpool of frigid ash in an attempt to drive it away

Under the concentrated fire of the blood flows Randidly felt his Skill faltering But even so he didnÆt move He simply watched Helen approach Her spear slashed sideways scoring a deep gash across Sulfur It only took her a moment to set her feet and strike three more times this time scoring two hits where she drew blood

This seemed to invigorate her and with this renewed energy she flourished her spear But Randidly flexed his left hand with a grim pleasure The few seconds that Helen had wasted attacking his body was enough for his arms to recover It might have been a dangerous gamble to allow Helen a strike but even with her new image Helen wasnÆt one to throw haymakers She would tear her prey to pieces She might even toy with her quarry

And now Randidly once more had access to both hands

While channeling Frigid Ash Extinguishing Storm Randidly allowed the force of HelenÆs attacks to blow him gently backward He raised his fingers and cracked them in deliberate challenge

HelenÆs mouth twitched The flows of blood spiraled downwards around Randidly but the waves of turned the current sluggish Rather than binding Randidly they seemed to get in each otherÆs way Instantly her expression turned sullen

How long can you keep this up Helen asked

Randidly grinned Then he rushed toward Helen Already his Mana had run dry and the ash around him was thinning Like All is Ash the cost was entirely too prohibitive for RandidlyÆs liking But even after the Skill itself was no longer useful Randidly realized that he could mimic the effect with the image In took concentration but it still could restrict her movements Ash continued to billow out from him deeply afflicted with the spirit of cold

Even if the effect was much reduced it would give him the space that he needed to act

Showing her teeth Helen thrust her spear out four times to Randidly With light steps he wove he was forward without being touched

To counter Helen twisted around and slammed the butt of her spear toward Randidly But he chuckled and raised his hand in a casual Talon Strike But as his hand was about to land on the spear shaft the weapon blurred The spear tip spun sideways toward RandidlyÆs temple

Randidly simply turned his head but his eyes were emerald lanterns

All of the image of force and mass that Randidly could muster concentrated in his forehead Then he bent it folding that weight over on itself Again and then Again On the fourth folding the sensation of weight that Randidly had founded the Skill on bowed under the stress of being mentally bent like that Imagining the vision as the Aether portal for the Judgement opened Randidly pressed harder with his will

The sense of weight snapped into a huge abyss of nothingness concentrated at his forehead When that encountered the spear the weapon shattered

HelenÆs eyes widened as Randidly took the blow directly and then hissed in deep indignation as his body was only left with a small cut while her spear was left a useless pole of wood But she was nothing if not adaptable If Randidly could fight without a spear so could she

But when she rushed forward Randidly blurred sideways and smashed her side with a Talon Strike In terms of unarmed combat he was superior Actually he was likely superior with a spear as well But her spear image made up that distance and then a small bit more Without that image aiding her

It was a shark with all of its teeth removed Even in water it was simply a big body

Coughing Helen crashed to the ground With red rimmed eyes she looked up at Randidly The swirling ash continued to radiate out from him containing that poisonous cold Their previous close proximity had covered her with a thin dusting of ash and Randidly could see it affecting her The places where the ash touched her skin were soon angry sores as his Volatile Ash Skill took effect even though this was only an image

Helen sprawled on the ground looking up at Randidly He regarded her calmly Her eyes were filled with unwillingness But Randidly knew he had won this He had two concrete breakthroughs The first was his new Kata of the Ashen Spear but the second was perhaps even more important He realized that it was entirely possible to simulate Skills entirely depending on your Willpower with images That was powerful

Do you think IÆll let it end like this between us Helen spat out Displaying a dogged determination that left Randidly impressed she heaved herself up to her feet Her legs were trembling and already a deep bruise in the shape of RandidlyÆs hand was on her side But she stood

ThingÆs arenÆt ending between us Randidly said softly Our bond isnÆt just a one way street I feel your images too But in terms of what that night meant

HelenÆs shoulders slumped Her chin fell to her chest Around the arena the blood flows slowly thinned Randidly could no longer see her face Do you mean that

Yes You hold one of my blessings The Crown over RandidlyÆs head grew increasingly clear A vassal In time I will call on you to repay what I have given you But we are no longer

He didnÆt finish the thought He didnÆt have to Helen nodded still keeping her long hair across her face After releasing a sigh Randidly turned to the referee

I concede Helen is the winner of this match

Congratulations Ophelia said to Shal as they sat in the high box above the arena They had kept it largely secret but they had returned to Hastam earlier that day just in time to witness the first match of the under 25 Tournament Although he conceded at the end he clearly was the superior fighter His capabilities are far beyond that normal run of geniuses But I suspect that because of the time of chaos this will be a cohort of unbelievably powerful individuals

Shal nodded looking down at his disciples back as he walked out of the arena Then his eyes went to the girl who remained standing on the stage while the audience gave half hearted cheers obviously confused by the outcome Did you notice Toward the end

Yes Your disciple has become qualified to be a Pontiff Ophelia said sparing Shal a glance Without calling on the System he relied on the power of the world to create a Skill I was wondering whether you noticed

Shal gave Ophelia a hard look

But she responded only with laughter IÆm not playing games It was a subtle thing I donÆt believe the girl he was facing realized otherwise she would have had a much easier time in the end

Shal only grunted He didnÆt agree with OpheliaÆs judgment at all and he only had the knowledge to dismiss her because his Perception Skill happened to be very sensitive to temperature It wasnÆt that Randidly wasnÆt good at creating a Skill through an image it was that his original Skill was unrefined and weak He had just learned it

But of course Ophelia had no dealings with Randidly She wouldnÆt understand what sort of monster he was

Shal turned away from the window of their booth and Ophelia arched an eyebrow at him What are you not going to speak with your disciple Comfort him on his loss

No Shal said shortly My guidance can wait a few days Give him time to digest this experience Instead letÆs meet with Aylwind I think itÆs time you told me what was going on in Tellus

OpheliaÆs smile was wicked

My condolences Azriel said curtseying in front of Randidly

The corner of his mouth quirked up You are aware of Helen and IÆs bet Why are you here comforting me She will likely need it

Azriel chuckled The only person you understand less than Helen is yourself Randidly Come Rest your head on my shoulder

Randidly frowned at her Azriel offered a wide smile I am much shorter than you yes You donÆt think you need this yes But please humor me

For several seconds Randidly just looked at Azriel But this wasnÆt one of her jokes were her mirth would bubble up in her expression After standing for a good ten seconds Randidly had to admit that she was serious So he grunted and leaned forward setting his forehead against her shoulder

His first thought was how bony Azriel was He could feel the bone of her shoulder and also the clean arc of her collarbone Azriel reached up and softly touched the back of his head

Strangely Randidly felt the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom hanging over him at that moment It felt like a weight pulling his forehead into AzrielÆs shoulder It pulsed Randidly felt cold His fingers were numb from using his new Skill

There is no excuse for waiting so long to clear up the misunderstanding about your feelings but there is no shame in having a hard time delivering the truth Azriel said softly They stood in the dim participant hallway outside of the arena The underground passage was completely deserted except for them

ItÆs hard isnÆt it Azriel continued To think you have found a peer a partner only to be forced to let them know you are moving on That you canÆt stay with them “

Still Randidly remained silent

Azriel sighed It isnÆt much but I hope you take these few moments to rest This isnÆt the end you know I donÆt know where the source of energy you have given access to me comes from but I know what it means You walk the narrow path toward supremacy Too few are those that can recognize that let alone follow you

RandidlyÆs hands clenched into fists She was right although he wouldnÆt say anything He couldnÆt move He simply let himself slump over against her The deep cold was sitting in his chest still It had receded a lot after he had been able to understood how it fit into his image of ash but it still remained It likely would never leave

ItÆs lonely isnÆt it Azriel said quietly

Again Randidly didnÆt reply The two simply stood in the hallway waiting for the weight of the moment to pass

Chapter 712

Cailm the Unbeaten first of his name Emperor of the Earth Golems was broken on his very doorstep Lucretia reported calmly His armies were scattered all five of his Hierarchs were captured and beheaded by the allied forces Many claim that such a daring and blazing offensive would be completely impossible without the Bounty Mechanical so called supermechsÆ

AltaÆs smile was lazy Although most of her body was covered in the sudsy bathwater Lucretia knew she tracing the scars on her hands where she had burned and mangled herself working with the essence of the World Tree over the past ten years Even once Alta knew what had to be done even with LucretiaÆs expertise even with a budget that wouldnÆt have been possible without LucretiaÆs clandestine nighttime activities it had taken eight long years to produce proof that AltaÆs idea was feasible

During that time Cailm the Unbeaten had grown stronger and stronger The wars in the lower lands became increasingly heated as the Weavers became increasingly involved in the Monster and Earth Golem conflict

Around the point that Alta had created her prototype the Monsters the Weavers and the remnants of the Soulless had realized that their individual forces were being systematically eliminated So they allied

And still they were losing The forces turned on each other in a bloody melee as the Spriggits and their allies pushed downward through the Lands

The rising voices in the Spriggit Ministry that clamored to allow the sale of mechs finally managed to eradicate the last of the resistance Free trade with their highest value arms was possible At LucretiaÆs suggestion Alta submitted a bid for a hyper cheap variation of her prototype that contained very basic strength speed and weapons attachments

But it included the Bounty Mechanical battery

It was an innocuous box that would change the war Very soon Cailm who managed to pacify his entire Land was faced with a new threat All the small factions he had beaten back were returning With mechs to make up in the difference in their armies

Bah ItÆs not like they will recognize my contribution Alta said but her continued squirming clearly indicated that she would be delighted if anyone were to do so

Lucretia smiled gently This was her favorite version of the woman she had served for the past 35 years

Cascading water off her body Alta stood Frowning she swiped at the suds that clung to her body and held a hand out to Lucretia Dutifully Lucretia handed Alta a towel

Did they find his body Alta asked casually Lucretia chuckled

No They did not Although my sources tell me that it was mostly because your heavy artillery turned the Earth Golem capital into an inferno

Grunting Alta continued to dry herself off Her jaw was constantly working as though she was slowly tearing off a particularly resilient bit of gristle in her meal If we canÆt find the body

Why would the Council of Fates try and save him Lucretia asked patiently

Alta flashed Lucretia a rueful smile Creta donÆt play games This isnÆt paranoia Ever since youÆve begun sticking your nose into their honey jar theyÆve been hiring more powerful guards He is what they need Even in a mech do you think you could beat him in a direct confrontation

There was a second of silence Then Alta burst out laughing I suppose I deserve that Well if it was anyone else I would tell them they are being a prideful fool But if you say it IÆll tell CailmÆs mother to order a closed casket

LucretiaÆs nose wrinkled Your sense of humor has certainly gotten darker since

Both women stopped talking immediately when the door opened LucretiaÆs long talons stretching from her shoulder blades twitched But although she entertained a brief fantasy of killing the intruder she ultimately restrained herself

Ladies The man said with a charming smile Am I interrupting something

Much to LucretiaÆs relief his face was soon impacted by the heavy weight of a wet towel

Shoo Ryal Alta said with a mock scowl We are talking business

IÆm delighted to report that I am an expert in business Alta

That is Madam Bounty to you Alta interrupted

With the sort of smirk of a man in the know of an inside joke Ryal Huln let the wet towel fall to the ground and walked up to Alta Whatever you say Boss But I have to ask as your fiance am I allowed a kiss

With me naked Alta asked arms akimbo Of course not I am a lady If I can’t be described as chaste all of my maiden aunts will cluck like hens Do you wish for me to be driven mad

With a low growl Ryal ignored her words and pounced toward Alta Alta shrieked and struggled against his grip using her slippery skin to slide away Both of them were giggling the whole time Lucretia stood stone still an aggrieved expression on her face

Finally Ryal captured Alta and moved in for a kiss but then he paused He looked up at Lucretia Creta you are dismissed

You cannot dismiss me Mr Huln Lucretia said for the one hundredth time I only follow AltaÆs orders

And those only when she wants to Alta added with a smile She stood on her tiptoes and pecked Ryal on the lips Then she placed both hands on his chest and pushed him away We are going to be married in a week why canÆt you wait until then

Have you looked at yourself in a mirror recently Ryal drawled

Lucretia repressed the urge to vomit Not that Ryal didnÆt have his positive traits but some of the lines that he delivered with a completely straight face

Ryal seriously I have work Alta said patting his cheek She pulled away but not before Ryal reached down and squeezed AltaÆs ass cheek for several seconds Then he sighed and slumped off acting dejected

IÆm never going to assassinate her you know You don’t have to be so protective Ryal called over his shoulder LucretiaÆs mouth tightened but she knew it was pointless to talk to him He was a lovely creature and spoiled for it Teaching him a lesson was not her work

After Ryal left Alta gave Lucretia an amused look You know I think you are growing on him He barely swore at you today

How delightful Lucretia said in a monotone voice Well I must be off to continue the training with your bridal party

To this Alta pouted What irked Lucretia was that she had learned that inane act from Ryal I really donÆt see why you couldnÆt be my maid of honor ThereÆs no one else in my life really

Yes well you doomed yourself by finding such a charming mate Lucretia coughed into her hand her very throat resisting the words she tried to deliver

Alta smiled then and it was a very different smile than what was there previously during Ryal’s flirting I know your thoughts But he is exactly what I need right now Trust me It will work out

Repressing a shiver Lucretia nodded It was suddenly extremely cold in the room This had happened often of late It seemed that from initially being afflicted by a heat wave the like of which the Seven Lands had never seen it was not experiencing commiserate cold gales For all that most of the Lands worried about the effect the war would have on the World Tree Lucretia was much more concerned with the unpredictable nature of the weather recently

Some thought this signaled the end of times Others believed that industry was altering the health of the world tree past the point it could recover Some have even pointed to the Bounty MechanicalsÆ actions as the reason

Few understood the world as well as Lucretia did And although she didnÆt know why she knew it was not a good sign The single ash grey flower of karma in AltaÆs chest had grown into a full bouquet Even though she didnÆt want to Lucretia couldnÆt help but see it as a sign of a certain sort of blessing at the oncoming wedding

Chapter 713

A few days later while Ryal and Alta went pear picking to make centerpieces for their wedding Lucretia sat in the workshop below the old Bounty Estate and considered the problem of the sap of the World Tree

It was extremely alarming to Lucretia that the power in the tree sap suddenly had such duality even if Alta took it in stride The burning heat that annihilated all else was one sort of eventuality that Lucretia could understand Randidly always had a fascination with fire But this desolate cold that was filling the world tree was more worrisome

Not just for the effect it might have on the ecosystems in the seven lands but also honestly Lucretia had some concern in her heart with Randidly After all she had been in here for almost 40 years Time was different in here than outside but not to a ridiculous degree Some time must have passed Why had he not checked in on his Soulskill

Or had he and she missed it

Either way this rather recent development wasnÆt widely known to the world because no others had developed the technology to harvest the sap of the World Tree as of yet The wider populace only experienced the cold spells But it was best that they found out what was going on before it became a problem

So Lucretia was going to spend the day in the lab running diagnostics

From across the silent laboratory Lucretia looked sharply up But seeing that the figure walking into the room was only Danz Lucretia relaxed Danz was one of the two assistants that had started out helping Alta build the mechs all those years ago

For differences in philosophy Lucretia had been forced to terminate CierceÆs employment but Danz remained It wasnÆt because he needed the money although the salary he received had grown increasingly lucrative over the years No the reason he had followed Lucretia and Alta was much simpler

He was in love with Alta

As Lucretia had expected Danz walked calmly toward her And when he arrived he bowed to her and spoke with his face toward the floor I Miss Creta I believe that I wonÆt be able to attend Miss BountyÆs wedding My sister is sick

Lucretia arced an eyebrow It wasnÆt necessary but Lucretia believed it was for the best that she push him a bit just to confirm his emotions You know She will be Miss Kuln Missus Kuln I suppose IsnÆt that strange

Danz flinched but stayed in his bowed posture I suppose thatÆs true I well I suppose thatÆs true

Lucretia continued to rub salt in the wound At least sheÆs happy yes

Finally Danz straightened Lucretia had to applaud him however His face was studiously blank and his eyes were clear Danz was not one to let himself be overwhelmed by emotion Yes that appears to be true You know I just always found it surprising that he was the type of man that Alta was attracted to

Lucretia couldnÆt help but smile Ryal Huln was the child of a well to do second son of a fashion mogul who had married a seamstress for love Although his family played at being just average folk Ryal had grown up in a household that received a heavy stipend from his grandfather It was an idyllic and artificial environment of the type that would only be chosen by dreamers and afforded only by the filthy rich

After achieving glowing results during his schooling Ryal had become a brand consultant Ultimately it was a job application to the exploding Bounty Mechanicals two years ago that allowed Ryal and Alta to meet Initially Alta had been extremely cold toward RyalÆs immediate and arduous advances But at some point it seemed like she had found a place in her life for the handsome young man

Perhaps Lucretia finally replied But who can know how love manifests itself ThatÆs the joy of life If we could predict everything life wouldnÆt be living

I suppose Danz said slowly Then he looked up at Lucretia I am honestly surprised Are you not worried about your own position It seems pretty obvious he doesnÆt ah believe your services are so vital in a lot of parts of AltaÆs life

Lucretia just smiled

Knowing he had crossed an invisible line Danz bowed without saying anything and left To the empty room Lucretia showed her empty teeth Alta was the first child she truly had Perhaps she wasnÆt her blood daughter but she was present for her entire life To Lucretia that bond meant everything

It was times like these that Lucretia wondered what she truly wanted anymore She came to AltaÆs side due to the karma the girl was developing with Randidly But even as that karma flourished and became increasingly horrifying Lucretia knew her priorities were changing She would take the chance to contact Randidly yes but

Lucretia closed her eyes Then she forced them open After all she had a lot of work to do

And the wedding was three days away

Alta hated dragging the long wedding train behind her but there certainly was something imposing about being so ostentatious that you wore a garment too cumbersome for you alone to control The thought made her giggle

Opposite her Ryal seemed to snap out of his delighted daze listing to the prattling of the priest to meet her gaze and smile warmly

It certainly is a strange feeling To be loved that is Alta thought to herself Sure Creta had always been devoted to her but it wasnÆt the same Creta was bound by duty and deep loyalty This lovely man road the waves of passion to this strange shore

And I certainly know how to pick em Alta mused her eyes tracing the chiseled line of RyalÆs jaw She had engaged in sexual arrangements with many men over the years most of them of seedier origins than Ryal But of them all Alta couldnÆt deny that her fiance was the most handsome of them all Had she had girlfriends to gossip with they would have gushed over him Alta didnÆt doubt

But she didnÆt really have female friends She didnÆt really have male friends

That wasnÆt the life she picked She had Creta And she had a mission

to hold in the shadow of the Progenitor even as the World Tree withers The priest asked

RyalÆs smile was brilliant I do

And you Alta Bounty do you

The door to the chapel was blasted open in a spray of splintered wood and stone dust Several bulky figures that were obviously Earth Golems burst in waving machine crossbows A figure tall even by Earth Golem standards quite a bit over two meters in height strode in behind his subordinates

For the glory of Cailm we will have our vengeance He bellowed Immediately the machine crossbows began spewing their deadly ammunition among the watchers of the wedding Immediately everyone was moving back and forth struggling to figure out what was going on

Some of the influential figures from RyalÆs family had bodyguards who protected their clients and moved to meet the shooters in the back but the windows in the chapel burst in and more figures crawled in with raised weapons

These Alta couldnÆt help but notice were not Earth Golems Her lips pressed into a deep frown Opposite her Ryal was watching slack jawed as his distant family members were slaughtered by the tall Earth Golem

Done AltaÆs maid of honor hissed in her ear and Alta looked down to find that the bottom portion of her wedding dress had been hacked off turning the white and lacy garment into a skirt AltaÆs eyebrows rose The skirt stopped just about mid thigh

She turned and mouthed a lot of legÆ to her bridesmaid who rolled her eyes Then without missing a beat the bridesmaidÆs hand shot forward and pulled Alta back by the left shoulder A crossbow bolt zipped past and knocked the little Spriggit preacher off his feet

Alta Ryal said finally coming to himself AltaÆs bridesmaids took turns screaming and pulling Alta back away to the door in the back of the chapel

We have to run RyalÆs groomsman said with a pale face Alta couldnÆt help but notice his leg had been nipped by a bolt Her respect for him rose several notches

Masked warriors were cutting into the family and friends of the couple even as their hired guards struggled into action But they had been taken by surprise and quickly overwhelmed Very soon the machine crossbows were aimed at the fleeing wedding party as they ran deeper into the chapel

Inside the chapel the bridesmaids were already fleeing hysterically seeming to proceed without even looking where they are going The groomsmen bellowed for them to stop but ultimately they gritted their teeth and followed when the women were so overwhelmed by fear that they didnÆt hear

The chapel was built into the mountain so as they proceeded deeper the hallways turned smaller and darker

Two minutes of hard running had everyone out of breath and panting tucked into a small antechamber Deep in the tunneling series of rooms and connections their voices seemed to echo very far But no matter how Alta strained to hear she couldnÆt detect any signs of pursuit

Alta Ryal said raggedly standing up next to her He gripped her shoulder We didnÆt finish the vows No matter what happens I want to be married to you If we are together I would meet any sort of fate that awaits me with a smile

Ryal You always know just what to say Alta said raising her hand and touching his cheek And it was true Ryal was one of the few people who stirred AltaÆs heart What had once been burning with hatred and fury had shifted to something much calmer once he came into her life

Heh IÆm sorry but the celebration is over A deep voice rumbled From the shadow of a nearby doorway a huge hand reached forward and gripped Ryal by the neck Like an adult plucking up a pet the large Earth Golem man picked him up off the ground If you want your husband to live Alta Bounty you are going to surrender to me right now

Chapter 714

For several long seconds Alta just stared at how tiny RyalÆs body looked with the hand of the Earth Golem around his neck Then her eyes traveled up to the terrorist himself Like all Earth Golems his face was defined by a powerful and low hanging brow His cheeks were flat and his eyes were hollow

There was a certain sort of glee in his expression but Alta could also tell that he wouldnÆt be one to lose himself in the thrill of the job He was here for a reason There would be no chance of distracting him from this

Although it was a long shot Alta let go of the brief daydream where she was able to bring her way out of the scenario Alta took a few steps back her hand rising to her chest Her bridesmaids clustered around behind her while the groomsmen were scattered in a loose clump between Alta and Ryal Half of them seemed to want to rush to her defense while the other half were shaking as they stood before the monster that had come to claim their lives

YouÆll be killed Jailed for your whole life Your family Alta began but the Earth Golem interrupted

My family is dead My emperor has been captured or worse You are a woman of means Miss Bounty Your company sits on a high hill of bloody gold I do not believe you havenÆt been trained for situations such as this Walk over toward me or you all will die painfully It is a simple request is it not

Alta donÆt Ryal seemed to have finally found his voice Run away I can

Another Earth Golem pushed down a side door into the chamber which was all the signal that AltaÆs bridesmaids needed They launched themselves forward spreading their figures to display sharp daggers that had been tucked away in their dresses Even the leader of the Earth Golems seemed somewhat confused as the seven women in dresses exploded into a fury of motion Three went toward the leader while the other four swarmed toward the door

With a deft flick the large Earth Golem flung Ryal to the side He crashed into a bookshelf built into the wall and rebounded off the solid construction seeming dazed This bought AltaÆs bridesmaids a few seconds but it wasnÆt enough

A broad spear was retrieved from the large Earth GolemÆs back and he faced the oncoming women calmly My world has burned children All that is left for me is to charge forward heedless I have no other options

At his words AltaÆs eyes narrowed Through her long hours of training with Creta her teacher had covered in detail the Great SkillsÆ that governed the world When someone tapped into these Skills they would be able to display a strength far beyond what a person should be capable of

When pressed Creta had been unable to provide compelling explanations as to why those different actions were the Skills that were powerful but Alta wouldnÆt deny the results they achieved And from the Earth GolemÆs words he understood a very powerful one amongst these Skills

The Earth Golem took a single step forward The room shook Even Alta trembled Two of her bridesmaids were bisected by a casual thrust The thrust spun past the attack and slashed at the Tall Earth Golem The knife was sharp enough to leave a long gash through his thick skin but then the terrorist sneered He backhanded the woman and she twisted sharply with an audible snap

Boneless her body fell to the ground On the other side of the room the four other bridesmaids cut through the group of Earth Golems that had circled around with minimal injuries But the nearest one was very far away when compared to the large Earth Golem

Your name Alta asked lightly surprised to find her voice was trembling As the large Earth Golem took a long step toward her she felt the cold metal of the resonance implant that was located at her sternum The feeling of cold was reassuring

Halgr Miss Bounty He rumbled He took another step and suddenly he was within armÆs reach I do not hate you In fact you will no doubt be something of a hero for generations to come The woman who gave Spriggits the tools to rival an Earth Golem But you must not continue It has been ordained

Alta Ryal screamed His face was bloody but he flew in like a hero His kick hit Halgr at the waist and to AltaÆs surprise the Earth Golem grunted and took a step back Her eyebrows rose Her fiance seemed to have some feel for the Great Skill Roundhouse Kick That was worth noting

But Ryal was not HalgrÆs match After the step back HalgrÆs eyes flashed dangerously The spear was raised once again and rotated to point at Ryal

Fool I would have left you alive if you had taken the cowardÆs way out Halgr shook his head once Then he thrust his spear forward

Luckily for Ryal one of his groomsmen careened into him from the side The brave fool was ripped in half even as his best friend stumbled away unharmed

Jaime no RyalÆs voice was horrified as he turned to find one of his best friends ripped into pieces next to him Alta had an aha Æ moment as she finally was able to match the name that Ryal threw around all the time with the face

Through this all Alta hadnÆt moved so she was still only two steps from Halgr She stayed very still unwilling to attract his attention if she did not need to Three of her bridesmaids were occupied fighting the Earth Golems crowding into the room but one hurried back over to join the group facing Halgr In addition to her bridesmaids two of the groomsmen had overcome their fear and were standing with Ryal Honestly Alta was somewhat impressed

With a deadly sort of finality Halgr turned aiming his spear toward RyalÆs chest

Alta Ryal said in a low voice When he attacks there is a moment where he will be caught up in the fight I know itÆs going to be hard but I need you to use that moment to get away from him After that just run IÆll be fine here I know I donÆt look like it but IÆve received a lot of training from my grandfather I doubt there is someone as demanding as he is in all of the Land

And no matter what Ryal said never taking his eyes off the spear Know that I will always love you If you make it out I will find

Chrip

Ah excuse me Alta interrupted holding up a hand I am receiving a call

Everyone immediately paused RyalÆs eyes when wide and he turned to look at her somewhat confused by her rather mundane reaction Heedless Alta picked up the short range communicator and answered it

Yes This is Alta speaking

Finished up here Messier than I thought I donÆt think we will be able to avoid the press Creta said bluntly Alta almost chuckled The other woman always took such great pains to remain low key Not that Alta didnÆt understand the benefits but the lengths Creta went to

And Alta said her voice playful

Even through the tinny echo of CretaÆs voice Alta could hear her vicious smile You were right Immediately after the wedding started several accidents happened to your majority shareholders Often those shareholders had inheritors who had recently become involved in seedy agreements The Chairman of the Board Bonsil Car had a Soulless Behemoth inexplicably appear in his mansion Since I happened to be there I caught the operative who released it

So the game is over Alta asked Then she sighed with relief as Creta answered in the affirmative This was beginning to become tiresome As she used a thread of her will the resonator in her chest began to hum

Uh Alta Ryal said but that was the moment that Halgr moved His spear ripped through RyalÆs stomach and her fiance spat up blood Immediately his face went pale even as the other defenders launched their own attacks on Halgr

Alta didnÆt move but her heart did flicker a tiny bit She allowed herself a sad smile She needed a bait of the sort that the Council of Fates would go for A time where she would be seen as on top of the world so that band of fuckers would see it as poetic justice to strike then

She hadnÆt expected to like the man she chose for the role but it had some benefits associated with it notwithstanding the sex Now what she appreciated was the spark of fury she felt when Ryal died before her very eyes It was very rare that something moved her so sometimes she needed a little kick to activate the resonator

Creta had designed it with one very powerful Great Skill in mind Although Alta turned out to be rather hopeless at martial arts she did have a vicious sort of vindictiveness in her heart that manifested in a fiery way And that it turned out was exactly the key that one needed in this world to become an incarnate of Ash

Burn Alta whispered

The mountain around her exploded

Chapter 715

Randidly touched his heart lightly with a wince That Chillip burger he had bought from a C Corporation pop up appeared to be giving him heartburn Heedless he meandered around the streets of Hastam It had only been two hours or so since he had fought Helen but he still felt that strange heaviness on his heart

Part of it was the strange moment he had shared with Azriel in the participantÆs hallway But also

Randidly reached under his shirt and removed a small cloth packet that hung around his neck Within he could feel the thin parts of energy that he could always sense associated with plants The tiny seeds were an impulse purchase from a small stand not an hour ago The stand had advertised that the grains that would grow from these seeds were the finest in the world

Randidly had just wanted to know if he had perhaps finally found the answer to the Ashen Image that had altered so many things about himself

Looking down at his ash stained hands Randidly could only smile bitterly It was true that Randidly now could choose whether his plants would eventually be flooded with the deadly cold or the overwhelming heat after losing the touch of his Mana The cold Mana didnÆt result in the plants exploding in a rain of fire as the hot did but they simply withered and turned into slimy grey ash Ultimately not much different

Randidly also attempted to use his insights into using images like lite versions of Skills but that was also impossible in the short term Even as Randidly tried to recapture the feeling of using the image of Frigid Ash Extinguishing Storm Randidly was only able to reproduce a tiny speck of its power It was a balancing act and he was probably in the wrong space emotionally to get a true knack for it

Complicating it even further was the fact that his normal Skills didnÆt have a true image associated with them To put it more concretely Randidly could have an image of a general simple effect like the cold But to have an image for the specific action of flooding Mana into plants to control them

It was mental gymnastics of a sort he hadnÆt encountered before Although that didnÆt stop Randidly from becoming frustrated by his failures

Some part of Randidly knew that the best option was to find a way to take his mind off things Perhaps by meditating or throwing himself in training Some part of Randidly was looking for something that he knew he wouldnÆt find out alone in the city at night Yet his feet continued to carry him forward as though humming along with a completely different tune

Randidly chuckled his mood dark Strangely it reminded him of some of his memories from before the System Times spent in strange places where his very human need for something more than what he had driven him to walk into the unknown

Randidly remembered very clearly one night visiting his grandparents he was so profoundly lonely that he had walked to the beach The irony of the choice was not lost on him but he went anyway clambering over a fence to get there With only the sound of the surf for the company he walked slowly out into the ocean praying for a sign

And when he stepped on the cool sand by the water’s edge he found it When he stepped the ground lit up around his feet They were small these pinpricks of light but they quickly became everything

Later Randidly would find out it was a weird function of the local algae that they glowed in response to pressure But that night the truth wasnÆt so complicated Randidly had desperately needed an answer and the universe had been there for him

Randidly hoped this night would be half as fruitful

Mr Ghouthound How strange to encounter you here Perhaps a word if you have a moment

RandidlyÆs scalp prickled Very slowly he spun around to face the figure that had spoken They were alone a cobblestoned street Ah I believe your name is Aiden Darke You work for the Engraving Guilds do you not

AidenÆs smile was wide The sky was overcast so his teeth glowed a pale yellow in the dark Your memory is quite impressive Exactly the sort of memory that I would expect from one who engaged in the forbidden task of Mana Engraving

Randidly just looked at Aiden Darke for several seconds His earlier mood fell away like water through a thrown open sluice gate There was little chance that this meeting was a coincidence Had the man arranged to meet him That was not a good sign Although Randidly was unclear of the exact details during the Northern Regional Tournament Darke had promised a certain amount of comeuppance after Randidly had been eliminated from the tournament

Of course Randidly avoided that by fleeing from an incarnation of a Master right after the semi final fight But those memories made Randidly very aware that he had just conceded his way out of another tournament

Breathing out slowly Randidly forced himself to relax You came here to talk right You donÆt need to beat around the bush IÆm not someone who wants to play games

You are correct what you are is a fool Darke said while winking at Randidly I have what I believe is a firm grasp of capabilities You were the superior in the contest You have touched upon the realm of a Pontiff Yet you conceded I cannot help but think you have a foolish idea about being too good for the under 25 tournament And IÆm sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you are just so so

Randidly simply looked at the strange man in front of him He was one of the minorities of people on Tellus that had a third eye and as they were speaking Randidly saw it stir

Aiden Darke laughed You are truly so well you An unrepentant fool Either way you still have a debt to pay to the Engraving Guild and no longer are you protected by the Spearman School powers that be So please accompany me back to the Engraving Guild headquarters so we can have a little chat

Aiden Darke extended a hand Randidly did not take it Sulfur slowly slid around his body settling into place It was a small thing but Randidly could tell that Sulfur was already pleased from the earlier fight where he was hit multiple times The prospect of more violence pleased him

Meanwhile Acri slithered up from its hold around his waist toward his hand Randidly squeezed the warm plant and felt something inside himself simmering He hadnÆt found an answer but this was an opportunity to get rid of the nagging sense of helplessness he felt in his heart Some part of him whispered that challenging Aiden Darke to fight was a bad idea Randidly knew that this was an entity that was not bound by the Level 25 rule that most of his previous competitors nominally followed The fight would be beyond anything he had encountered previously

But he craved the struggle

You know what is the most aggravating Beside your incessant need to feel superior Darke said softly I have an associate you know One who specializes in interrogation and information gathering She would have been able to pull the information as to where you acquired the gifts to Engrave with ease But watching your fight I recognized the victor far before the end of the match And I sent her away thinking you would be protected for another few weeks by the slow behemoth that is this tournament

Aiden Darke clenched his hands into fists His eyes were red coals glowing brightly in the dimly lit streets But as always Mr Ghosthound you make me into a fool For that I must insist that we take some time to teach you manners tonight

Randidly smiled but his instincts seemed to have other plans His Crown condensed over his head and the fiery heat and desolate cold of ash filled him And yet all he knew was fear

DarkeÆs laughter was the crackle of thunder on a moonless night Perfect Then letÆs begin

Chapter 716

Randidly took a glance around at the surrounding street It was truly abandoned It appeared that Randidly had wandered into an older part of the city The wooden buildings were dirty and the alleys were stacked high with trash The upper story windows of the surrounding buildings were closed

And that glance was all the preparation that Randidly took

Breath of the Spear Phantom Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil

Even before Darke could move Randidly used his anti personnel moves on him Randidly wasnÆt sure how strong Darke would end up being so he sensed that he should take it seriously from the get go The familiar pain was almost nostalgic to feel and it surprised Randidly to find that his Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom hummed softly along with the Skill It was a high and halting melody but it was akin to singing in its way

Darke opened his mouth with a condescending smile but paused Randidly felt a light tugging on his Breath of the Spear Phantom There were several seconds while Darke attempted to figure out what was going on and in that time Randidly attacked

Inevitable Phantom Arrives

RandidlyÆs spear slid unstoppably forward but DarkeÆs eyes flashed There was a concussive burst and Darke seemed to teleport to the side The air was filled with the smell of ozone and Darke produced his spear with a flourish

RandidlyÆs expression was grim Looked like someone with lightning images And based on the faint numbness in his face the image was a powerful one It had been five hours since the fight so RandidlyÆs monstrous Mana regeneration had been able to bring him back up to full If he was the speedy time cold ash was likely the best bet Randidly opened his mouth and bared his teeth

Frigid Ash Extinguishing Storm

Light flecks of ash began to radiant out from Randidly Small wind currents carried them to and fro The deep coldness that had receded somewhat after Randidly had mastered the Skill came creeping back Soon it felt like Randidly was submerged in the Arctic Ocean Sensations were distant and small The only truth here was the cold

To add on to that effect Randidly gathered his Cruel Indignation and struck with a hammering mental attack Darke blinked and even if that was all the opportunity Randidly received he was taking it

Acri chimed with glee as Randidly launched the duo forward Darke seemed to snarl and Randidly felt a stronger pressure on his Breath of the Spear Phantom Skill But there wasnÆt enough time before RandidlyÆs spear was at DarkeÆs throat But once more he stomped his foot and vanished

Or rather he accelerated to an unbelievable speed and twisted out of the way In order to understand Darke Randidly closed his eyes and had locked onto him with his Aether senses That way he was able to see that DarkeÆs body was charged with an incredible energy for a few seconds granting him a burst of speed

Not true teleportation then That was a good sign

But then DarkeÆs spear blurred forward toward Randidly and the rumbling of thunder once more rang out Randidly grimaced That had happened at the beginning of the fight as well It seemed that Darke wasnÆt a pushover in terms of images either

Randidly was still affected by the momentum of Spear Advances but he had trained against Azriel to hone his reflexes for times like this Acri cut sideways and knocked DarkeÆs spear to the side But to RandidlyÆs surprise Darke stomped his foot again Narrowing his eyes Randidly used his own version of this

But even as Randidly zipped to the side Darke simply stomped his foot again and was before Randidly Growling Randidly summoned all the cold he could muster and slammed it into Darke Cruel Indignation seemed to howl causing the air to wrinkled and bend There was another tremor through Breath of the Spear Phantom but Randidly pressed it down

Even now Randidly was just beginning to feel the lack of oxygen as a distant concern Hopefully Darke was in an even worse boat

But Darke seemed oblivious to the mental attacks Instead his hand shot out toward RandidlyÆs chest Eyes flashing Randidly unleashed a Talon Strike to meet it Their hands smashed into each other

BzzT

Electricity discharged through the contact causing blue bolts of power to spark across RandidlyÆs body Instantly his muscles began to seize Just barely he was able to resist the powerful push of Willpower that Darke put against Breath of the Spear Phantom That caused Darke to frown and level his spear against Randidly

Grinning RandidlyÆs eyes went to the dozens of bits of ash that had landed on DarkeÆs body His flesh was already starting to sizzle as the strange toxins in the ash affected him At the same time Randidly switched images Behind Darke a dozen thigh thick roots whipped outwards smashing into his body

Darke just looked to the side and mouthed a word

StrikeÆ

It was silent but Randidly heard it as clear as day There was a moment of frozen time Then it seemed the heavens opened with a crash

The force of the lightning strike tossed Randidly backward like he was a child The air buzzed As quickly as he could Randidly blinked his eyes to get rid of the streak of bright color that was burned into his retinas Unfortunately as he struggled to his feet Darke was above him

Like a crackling executionerÆs blade of thunder the spear stabbed downward toward Randidly

All is Ash IÆll show you how to teleport

Lightning was strong that was true However Randidly suspected that if he could land a hit against Darke then he would gain an edge he could use to win

The world flattened All was oily and hollow The world was filled with strange caricatures empty things that were designed to imitate a great beforeÆ that was so distant from being a memory that it might very well have never existed In that world Randidly felt his body part and return to the great all as the thunderstrike blasted the surrounding area Flecks of his ash were knocked away but Randidly ignored it That didnÆt matter

Instead Randidly formed behind him remaining in the All is Ash form His Mana fled from him but he could sense the weakness in Darke before him It was a hollow being of ash that he raised his hand against The Patron of Ash had spoken about the power of attacking in this form but Randidly had never attempted it Now immersed in the power of images as he was after HelenÆs fight it just felt right

Randidly clenched his hand and he felt a huge spear of ash condense above Darke The annoying man instantly turned and looked up but Randidly didn’t give him a chance Even as he wondered what Darke saw the huge spear of ash crashed into Darke

Darke took a step backward and grimaced Randidly blinked

what That was all

Randidly returned from All is Ash Back with his regular vision Randidly could see that the flesh of Darke had been pushed to the side It lay sliced open and bloodless And within that flesh was

A strange exoskeleton of blue steel Just like a Wight would have

What the fuck Randidly whispered Then he cursed himself for releasing the Breath Skill But then again if Darke was just a puppet

You certainly surprised me Darke said And this body will need replacing But your struggle is pointless

At the other end of the desert street a building exploded as hundreds of spears of roots surged upward There was a worried chirp as the deep azure bug flew up out of the fiery explosion of plant life Instantly DarkeÆs face blanched DonÆt you dare

Randidly was already moving Once he realized that Darke was a puppet Randidly knew what to look for The tell tale energy frequencies were extremely subtle but they couldnÆt escape from RandidlyÆs examination of the surrounding area He was somewhat surprised that this Propagator had chosen to keep his true body away from the puppet but he wasnÆt going to complain

Acri cut upwards in a deadly arch toward the bug

Deadly Bolt

Chapter 717

Aiden Darke was filled with fear as Randidly moved with animal fluidity to strike at the body of his Propagator Instantly he dispensed with pleasantries and struck with his most accurate attack The sky split and the image of overpowering force crashed downward against RandidlyÆs back

The kid seemed to shiver but he continued to maintain the arc of his movement toward the Propagator This caused Darke to frown Truly did he already have a Lightning Resistance Skill Or was his Resistance at a ridiculous Level Darke had heard of fools in the Heart and Death Schools that had put Stat points into Resistance but never from the Spearman School

Did that perhaps mean that Randidly Ghosthound was one of their operatives from a different School Intriguing it would explain why he mysteriously had such a profound ability to Engrave

But those thoughts could wait for later Now Randidly needed to be put down And if his life was endangered in the process so be it The propagator could understand RandidlyÆs secrets from his dead body

SKY BREAKER Darke roared The world answered

CRAsshh

This series of lightning bolts were so bright that the color wasnÆt even visible The converged on Randidly right as he caught up to the body of the Propagator Darke winced If some of the discharge hit the Propagator

But DarkeÆs eyes immediately widened as Randidly twitched then slashed his spear with preternatural quickness Darke stamped his foot and activated Shock Step If the Propagator died he would not perish immediately but his strength would fall by a large margin And when Darke was called back to Icklid The interrogation would not be gentle

The Propagator attempted to dodge but RandidlyÆ spear was too quick In horror Darke watched one of the PropagatorÆs antenna be cut off Instantly the energy in DarkeÆs body waned Gritting his teeth he arrived behind Randidly and slammed both palms into his back discharging every bit of electricity he had gathered with Electric Momentum

It wasnÆt as much as Darke would like but Randidly was clearly still dealing with Sky Breaker This further electricity finally seemed to stun him But immediately the strange metal crown above RandidlyÆs head pulsed RandidlyÆs eyes cleared

Gritting his teeth Darke lashed out with a punch But Randidly bobbed his hand and ducked under it Darke could see the kidÆs emerald eyes cutting left to check the Propagator But there was no need

The shuffling its wings the Propagator landed on RandidlyÆs head

Even though Darke knew what was coming he flinched Then the Psychic Annihilation hit

When Darke next was conscious he woke the soft sounds of something burning Darke sat up The plants that Randidly had conjured were slowly burning themselves into ash Twisting around he finally found the Propagator skittering across RandidlyÆs chest

My liege I

STOP NO NEED INTERESTING SAMPLE I WILL RECOVER

Ah of course Great Propagator Darke said with a bow Were you able to determine the secrets behind the boy

NEGATIVE FICKLE IMAGES CLOUD MY VISION WE REQUIRE A PROPER INQUISITOR

This is my Darke began but a smothering flash of displeasure choked him off

TIRESOME TIME IS MEANINGLESS PLACE THE SPECIMEN IN THE SUPPRESSION CHAMBER WHEN THE INQUISITOR RETURNS WE WILL ACT

B by your will Darke said quietly Then with a sigh he picked up RandidlyÆs unconscious body and began to carry him Based on the individualÆs strength the Psychic Annihilation could be eventually overcome The image of emptiness was strong but most warriors with powerful images would be conscious in an hour or so

Somehow Darke suspected that Randidly would be safe even more quickly And as he didnÆt know how long he had been unconscious from the area of effect of the Skill

Darke hauled the body as quickly as possible toward the city limits

Lucretia looked up sharply when there was a knock at the door But from the faint smell of ash it was clear who it was With a sigh she opened the door You know it is a bad idea to activate the resonance device too often It has already become clear that there are side effects to your body Amplifying the image

A rare moment of indulgence Alta said with the wave of her hand Will you really begrudge me the small pleasures

Do you know how often I had to listen to you having sex with Ryal Lucretia asked sourly She also paid close attention to AltaÆs facial expressions To her relief she saw a brief twitch It might have taken inflicting a small wound to check but it was good that Alta still had a heart With how thick and full the grey flowers of karma in the girlÆs chest were it was difficult to know

Ha Well we all have our burdens Alta said lightly Lucretia let the matter drop

Instead she turned to figure in the chair Her head was covered by a rough hemp bag but the faint sounds of breathing could be heard IÆve already received the information we need Is this strictly necessary I do not like the thought of her seeing your face

Is there really any question of who is responsible Alta asked as she twisted her mouth People with any sort of influence would connect you will me And besides I have the sort of respect that the Council of Fate does not have I like to look my enemies in the eye

you are not our enemy The whisper floated up from the hood You are not worthy of being our enemy Our purpose is much higher than one petulant girl

Alta gave Lucretia an I told you soÆ sort of look See Creta They donÆt take me seriously at all

Lucretia sighed but walked to the Spriggit prisoner and removed the hood The woman’s coppery hair frizzed out from her head in a halo Her temple was wet with blood Her eyes were sharp as the flicked from Lucretia to Alta Mostly her gaze stayed on Lucretia

Madam Secretary I donÆt believe weÆve ever had the pleasure Alta said with a cheerful smile The Secretary of Carts and Trains glared upward at Alta Although it wasnÆt an overly influential position it was one that had a wide reach in the Spriggit lands And abroad now as many of the assets that had been held by the Bounty family just 30 years ago slowly were acquired by the government

You little cunt do you think the Queen of Talons is powerful enough to fight the entire Council of Fates The Secretary pat Hers is a narrow set of Skills Some of the monsters we have at our disposal

Yes yes a horde of Soulless A mindless automaton army You donÆt scare me any longer Alta said still smiling

This seemed to incense the Secretary Do you think that your tiny innovations having any meaning The Council of Fates will

Peace both of you Lucretia said She rapped sharply on the table The Secretary flinched For the past five hours Lucretia had made just such a sound right before she was about to engage in the more primitive method of persuasion The association was purposeful for just such a digression in the conversations We are not here to bicker Madam Secretary I believe you have already acknowledged that there is no harm in informing us of the mission of the Council of Fates If you please

It seemed like the Secretary bit her lip but then she nodded Yes there is no harm in saying it Although most people labor under the illusion that religion is a useless thing the Council of Fates has acquired information that the Progenitor is real The world we exist in is a constructed thing We are trapped in this small space above the Endless Seas

At one point the Progenitor fulfilled his role as a god but that time has passed He has left us in here to die The Council of Fates seeks to control the resource of the Seven Lands because we will not remain here idly as our world slowly collapses We will find the doors left by the Progenitor and we will escape this hell

Chapter 718

Randidly came awake slowly But then a strange sensation pulled him increasingly quickly back toward his body He was swinging slightly suspended in what felt to be a hammock His eyelids flickered

Just that short effort resulted in him feeling a strange sense of exhaustion fill his body Stubbornly Randidly forced his eyes open It was dark So dark that Randidly couldnÆt see anything at all Randidly made to scowl but his face simply twitched At that moment the exhaustion was so strong that he couldnÆt even finish an expression

Feeling within himself RandidlyÆs mood soured further He was unsure where he was or how he got here but his internal sense found that both his Stamina and Mana were very low The Mana was understandable in a way if it hadnÆt been long since since the fight against the Propagator

Randidly attempted to sit up but of course he barely twitched The sea of exhaustion hit RandidlyÆs consciousness with wave after wave of greedy hunger With a growing sense of annoyance Randidly leaned back in the swinging hammock In the dark it was extremely easy to lose oneself in the strange sensation of bobbing

Well it seemed that the fight against the Propagator didnÆt go well The last thing that Randidly remembered was fighting against Darke and there was this buzzing

The Propagator Randidly thought grimly Based on the Wight family of Skills maybe a variation on the Psychic Poison Skill

But even with some idea of what afflicted him Randidly felt a deep sense of frustration that he was incapacitated so easily Now he could slowly understand why Aemont had developed a Skill like the Breath of the Spear Phantom in order to deal with the Propagator If the things were so powerful that even RandidlyÆs 450 odd Resistance was made irrelevant it made sense to strike at them with a different method

Still the problem at hand was that Randidly could feel that his regeneration of both Mana and Stamina was extremely slow They were recovering at a fraction of what they should be More than that

I canÆt look at my Status Randidly thought with a frown And it wasnÆt a function of not being able to see due to the darkness There was just an absence when Randidly reached for his Menu He tried again with similar results Then Randidly opened his Aether Perception he became even more confused

Although Randidly hadnÆt often looked directly at the Menu he had used it enough to get a feel for the way that the energy was constituted Now when he reached for his status that feeling was still there although he was unable to truly know what the jumbled shapes of Aether meant Then a thought occurred to Randidly

If this room was capable of suppressing his regeneration was it possible that the room also could skim off the overlay System that governed the world

Well shit

RandidlyÆs time in the Raid Dungeon had given him a few insights into the way the two Systems interacted but Randidly had assumed that the insight into that area of knowledge had come from the Creature The fact that Randidly was in this room that was able to split the two interrelated Systems was disturbing because it implied two very different and similarly disturbing things

The first was that the Creature had a hand in this Although Randidly always knew she might be looming beyond his sphere of influence this was something of a surprise

But the second option was even more volatile someone on Tellus had such a deep understanding of the System that they were able to accomplish this on their own

All the while Randidly swayed back in forth suspended in the darkness He didnÆt appear to be bound but with his extremely lacking regeneration and the rapid expenditure of Stamina his own body was quite enough of a prison

So extremely slowly Randidly began to increase the frequency of the swings It was such an extremely strange feeling to swing in the darkness There was no real sense of grounding It was profoundly uncomfortable in a way that Randidly didn’t expect

Time stretched Every time he gained a small sliver of Stamina he shifted in the rough woven hammock The slow swinging gradually increased in speed The darkness remained implacable becoming increasingly inky and liquid to RandidlyÆs Perception

It sloshed around him almost disgruntled when he moved it to the side as he sloshed his way through it But even though the sensation there as an omnipresent liquid there was only silence around Randidly The darkness was thick and all encompassing

While swinging Randidly had little to do but think about his situation After a bit more reflection it truly seemed unlikely that the Creature was involved in this room for all that it seemed to possess mystical properties There was no sense of pressure in the room Randidly didnÆt feel in danger The room was clearly designed to keep Randidly here but little else It felt like this truly was a jail

The strange abilities of the room were only to keep Randidly in check not to truly threaten him Although he would be a pretty easy target if someone else could strike at him while he was in here

His thoughts wandered to the words of Darke before RandidlyÆs unconsciousness They wanted something from Randidly some information However Darke had mentioned that he had sent away his inquisitor associate for other business assuming Randidly would be busy for several more weeks with the tournament

Which meant if Randidly were to escape it would likely need to be during that time frame Of course at the moment he had no idea what he needed to think about in terms of escaping from this situation For now getting out of this damn hammock

There was a moment where the hammock ties went slack because it had sung so far upwards that gravity began to overcome centripetal force At that point Randidly twisted his body sideways It consumed the tiny chunk of Stamina that he had but the force of the twist put him outside of the gentle cupping of the hammock

With a dull grunt RandidlyÆs face met the solid rock of the ground Notwithstanding the pain he was mostly stunned by the strange sense of motion sickness he felt as the constant swaying was brought to an abrupt halt Several grains of tinier minerals rubbed against his face as Randidly shifted Immediately his Stamina was gone and all power left his limbs

But the real realization that came with hitting the ground was that Sulfur was gone And as Randidly checked his expression grew increasingly grim Not only Sulfur but Acri was also gone Perhaps most importantly his interspatial ring was gone To add insult to injury the small leather necklace that held the strange grain seeds had been left to him Perhaps it was deemed useless His only tools to escape were seeds he could barely grow without being destroyed by his image Still with his Grasp of the World Seed perhaps that would end up being enough

Randidly let those thoughts go as he gathered more Stamina to shift out of his face down position The cold of the stone underneath him did a lot to clear his mind of all the nagging worries For all that this room was a pain in the ass it was somewhat genius It didnÆt weigh down on the person it multiplied their expenditures

For Randidly the sort of weighted room would be a hassle but he could overcome it In fact that extra weight would be pressure to gain quite a few Skill Levels But based upon their ability to remove the overlay portion of the System Randidly suspected that this particular way of operating was purposeful Perhaps the underlying System didnÆt consider the change in expenditures to be a true challenge that he was facing and therefore it would do little to change his ability to gain Skill Levels

Randidly also sensed that Aether was restricted in the room but that was worthless against him Much more annoying was the drastic reduction in capability Relatively speaking Aether Deprivation and lack of outside resources to grow were the exact problems that Randidly had skipped over to get where he was today

After what seemed like an eternity Randidly moved his face marginally so his nose was no longer smashed against a rather large pebble He let out a light breath His Stamina was once more depleted but he could make contact with the ground in a more healthy manner Instantly Randidly could feel golden roots spiraling downward from himself into the depths of Tellus The strange repression around the room limited RandidlyÆs Aether Perception but with the roots he got a rough sense of the larger area

It seemed that he was in an underground complex Which was progress in a way but hardly helpful to realize Even if he strained his senses the feedback that came from the amorphous roots was slight In addition Randidly had no real way of controlling them He could only draw deeper from them slowly gathering his strength

It did however confirm that it was possible to use Skills within the room That was somewhat of a relief If the room could somehow completely get rid of all Skills well Randidly was confident in his physical fitness but not when he couldnÆt even stand

It took about a minute of stillness in the room to gather enough Stamina to move around So slowly Randidly began crawling at the speed of an ancient turtle to explore the strange prison in which he found himself The darkness around him seemed brooding silently circling him in slow ripples as Randidly dragged himself through it

Honestly pulling himself along the ground was an extremely inefficient method of moving But it would probably impossible to get up onto his feet at this rate and therefore there was no helping it

Time was extremely strange in the inky darkness so much so that Randidly was reminded of his brief stay in the Patron of Ashes world At that time the Patron had kept him waiting to test his patience and returned him to a mortal body It was a strange day that Randidly felt a pang of regret that he wasnÆt once more being tortured by the Patron of Ash

But that thought made Randidly smile bitterly After all wasnÆt the Ashen Image continuing to torture him

Chapter 719

Just as Randidly was thinking about the Ashen Image there was a deep searing pain in his chest Pressed as he was against the ground Randidly could basically only wince But the seconds stretched and the pain only grew worse At some point Randidly began to tremble

Hissing Randidly did his best to suppress the trembling After all trembling in this room basically just shedding all of his Stamina before he could use it productively Yet the pain continued to grow

Randidly was a fair hand at dealing with pain Even from the first arrival of the System Randidly had very quickly dealt with the unenviable feeling of having his skin melted off by acid Since then things had only gotten worse Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil was an offensive Skill that did little but cause himself a great deal of pain Well that was harsh It simply hurt quite a bit to use

But very quickly this pain in RandidlyÆs chest was moving past purely physical sensation to pure disruption of self It was difficult for Randidly to concentrate as waves of pain crashed against his psyche However RandidlyÆs emerald eyes remained clear Gritting his teeth he managed to turn the trembling into a small roll so he was looking up at the ceiling

Laying there Randidly endured the pain It seemed eternal in a way but Randidly knew it was likely somewhere between a half hour and an hour That was the time limit After that point the pain in his chest slowly began to fade

At Randidly looked upward he realized that he had initially assumed that he was within something similar to a prison but he had no proof as to that statement He had been in a hammock and then crawled a short distance without finding anything except dozens of sharp rocks on which to scratch himself

And these were not the good kind of scratches

But the pain in his chest highlighted a problem that Randidly had not dealt with in a long time Randidly had no idea what was occurring inside of his Soulskill Hell he hadnÆt checked since Lucretia had left Considering that the time difference was extremely weird it was almost impossible to predict what had changed inside of himself

Sighing Randidly turned his attention inward He couldnÆt spend much time inside his Soulskill due to the looming threat of whatever Darke was planning for him but it would be enough to just get a lay of the land Perhaps he would even discover some inspiration for how to leave

Randidly frowned squandering a minuteÆs worth of Stamina This was unexpected

It wasnÆt that Randidly wasnÆt aware of his Soulskill He could feel it inside of his chest even now throbbing with a strange ache But if his inner world filled with Skills was something like a complicated building it was like someone turned off the light Randidly frowned Over and over he encountered the mental equivalent of walking into a wall in the dark and stubbing his toe

That combined with the constant feeling of exhaustion that suffused Randidly in this room was profoundly frustration

After a few minutes Randidly put aside the task of discovering the circuitous path through himself for the short term He wanted to concentrate his focus on recovering Stamina and exploring the surrounding area It wasnÆt a waste of resources as much as it was distracting

Besides Randidly got the distinct impression with his Aether Perception that the System was giving him notifications about his Soulskill but he couldnÆt interpret the vague feelings the had about the constructs of Aether that the System was providing for him Without the overlay System to translate he was completely illiterate

It was somewhat disconcerting in two ways First Randidly couldnÆt believe that the overlay System was privy to so many integral parts of his experience Second Randidly couldnÆt believe that even after studying the SystemÆs use of Aether he would be so out of his depth when he was given the chance to put his knowledge to the test It was somewhat discouraging

Randidly pressed his eyes closed Or just flexed his eyelids It was difficult to tell without any light whether his eyes were open or closed at any point But Randidly forced himself to let himself go of all of his emotions in that moment He was in trouble For now he should review his options and explore the area He couldnÆt let his emotions become clouded before he understood what was going on

So Randidly began to slowly crawl around while his mind wandered The first thing Randidly did was to test his Aether Perception against the edge of the room Based on what he could tell the area governed by the rooms of the room was a circular room 30 meters in diameter As Randidly pressed his Perception against this boundary he encountered a very dense layer of Aether that covered the whole of the room It didnÆt appear solid but RandidlyÆs Aether Perception was incapable of striking at the barrier to test it So for now Randidly was stuck in this area

That was relieving and disappointing all at once It made this seem like it wasnÆt just a jail cell with a hammock but that also made Randidly realize that this was probably something made with some very high level Engraving

That elicited a flash of annoyance from Randidly It was also somewhat confusing why the Wights were in control of the Engraving Guilds but perhaps it made a certain sort of sense It had struck Randidly once a long time ago how strange it was that the people of Tellus had spears and Mana Engraving Those were their two main industries

But the longer Randidly spent in Tellus the first time he realized that was just the area that he was exposed to There were other industries including things like farming and leatherworking

And some of DarkeÆs words were somewhat confusing From what he was saying it seemed that the Engraving Guild believed that Randidly had some information they wanted Or that Randidly was somehow related to the Wights in the past and that was why he was able to Engrave

Which did much to explain why he was left alive but it was difficult to figure out what such a thing meant for Tellus Were the Wights really free to do as they pleased so far into the past that they could monopolize the Engraving Guilds

There just wasnÆt enough information available in here So Randidly continued to crawl Somewhat it reminded Randidly of those times as a child where he was in a swimming pool and he had held his breath and dropped to the bottom Immediately he would push off the wall and swim wildly forward aiming blindly for the other side of the pool

Eyes clenched shut and ears covered by the thick barrier of liquid there was only the strange sensation of water on skin Isolated there would often be times that the fear that he wouldnÆt reach the other side of the pool would spiral out of control With no sort of feedback emotions could warp far beyond their usual size

Eventually however his head with a thunk into the far wall and Randidly would explode out of the water gasping for air That was how this snailÆs pace crawling felt

Except Randidly wasnÆt sure what to expect when he reached the far edge

As the minutes continued to drag by Randidly began mentally reviewing his Skills Most notable among them was Inspiration It empowered the next Mana Skill used and took all of the Mana Randidly had for a day But if the effect was similarly reduced based on Mana cost was it possible that Inspiration would result in just a regular powered spell

That thought was a disturbing one to have In addition Randidly also had the dilemma of either outcome of using Inspiration would probably still attract attention Could Randidly escape Darke or even the combination of Darke and a Propagator with basically depleted Stamina and an empty Mana pool Even if the spell broke the effect of the room they wouldnÆt just sit back and allow Randidly to recover before they struck

It was still very possible that Randidly could escape no matter what but that was a tougher sell The opponent was capable If his fight in the deserted district of Hastam had taught Randidly anything it was that failing to give your all in most situations was asking to be punished by fate

No Inspiration would be a last ditch resort That sort of volatility of result was not very attractive to Randidly

Other than that RandidlyÆs main lead would be to use one of the small seeds in the pouch at his throat with Grasp of the World Seed After he had explored the area as best as possible Randidly would attempt that

Other than that there was little that seemed feasible to Randidly All of his sort of summon Skills cost so much Mana underneath the influence of the room that none of them were possible Without using Skills that cost Stamina or Mana two backup options came to mind The first was using the caustic property of his blood to break out of here and the second was to create a Soulseed designed to break out while he was here

The former seemed like even if it was effective it would take too long for RandidlyÆs situation He truly didnÆt know why he was here and how long he would have before someone would check on him Hell they could be watching him now as he crawled what was like 10 meters over an hour and a half

The latter was unappealing because it was possible that the room would affect Soulseeds as well Even if he created a perfect plant assistant how useful would it be if it was just as restricted as he was in this place And again the time frame for making the Soulseed grow

Randidly paused in his crawling The ground in front of him fell away His hand was touching the sharp 90 degree corner that signaled a cliff Over five minutes Randidly shuffled closer and felt around with his hand

It was water

Randidly was on an island surrounded by water

Good thing I can float Randidly thought with a morose smile

Chapter 720

Probably four hours later Randidly had a pretty good idea about the location where he was stuck The small central island was probably only 15 meters across and was surrounded by water As of yet Randidly had no way of testing out how deep the water was but that didnÆt mean he hadnÆt tried

Randidly had twelves seeds in the pouch at his neck One of those seeds he had filled with 1000 Mana all of the Mana that had recovered over the time since his fight against Darke The result was a thin plant perhaps the thickness of a wrist that stretched 5 meters That arm hadnÆt been able to touch the bottom of the water which made Randidly sigh

Afterward he dragged the wooden arm back up and watched until it was consumed by the Ashen Image Randidly had intended to use that brief burst of light to get a better idea about his circumstances but the light from it had been so sudden and abrupt after the darkness that it had been somewhat blinding

Even with his stats the time between adjusting to the light levels was enough for most of the light to fade Randidly got the sense of a high ceiling above and two metal poles in the center of his island holding aloft the hammock and then his vision had once again returned to nothing The darkness oozed around him like swamp mud burying beneath its myriad layers

Everything was infuriatingly slow down here At first it drove RandidlyÆs emotions slowly upwards in a vicious spiral towards a wrathful explosion But at some point Randidly found the whole exercise exhausting and just let his emotions go Instead he continued doggedly to crawl around the room and explore

He found the poles and the hammock In some ways Randidly was wistful to have left the hammock Undoubtedly it was much more comfortable to be swinging around But he would also have lost out on a lot of information

For example there were some strange indentations in the ground on the far side of the island where there were probably large stones at one point Randidly didnÆt know what happened to the stones but it did make small impressions that served as a comfortable location for Randidly to lay and think as he considered his options

In addition Randidly discovered a series of small scratches that ran around the lip of the island right above the water They were densely packed but RandidlyÆs sensitive fingers were able to quickly count them Around 800 Randidly lost interest Partially because the thought of spending that much time here was horrifying but also because it was possible that this person had been able to tell when the days began and ended

And of course as soon as Randidly thought about that his Skill Absolute Timing seemed to activate Although it was still difficult to understand the information provided by the System in raw Aether this information was extremely basic After observing it for about a half hour Randidly had a pretty good idea how to read it

His Skill was telling him that it had been six hours and twenty eight minutes since Randidly had arrived in this strange purgatory

On the small island there were the poles the impressions and the markings Other than that it was agony inducing pebbles At first Randidly was just knocking them into the water but his frugal side quickly kicked in For whatever reason he spent an hour crawling around and gathering up the painful pebbles into one of the smaller divots just in case he ever needed them for something

The water around the island was cool but it was also an almost impassable barrier Even if movement was easier underwater Randidly was sure that expending Stamina would be just as vicious while floating Even if he threw himself into the water and floated coincidentally to the other side how would he get out Then he would just be stuck in the water

Worse yet what if there were enough leather and wet clothes on him to sink him Randidly would never gather enough Stamina to swim up Once he was no longer floating he would be fucked

It was probably possible to use his miniscule Mana to conjure fire and treat his body like some sort of hot air balloon but that seemed to be a worst case scenario thing It would cause him to float up to the top of the water but beyond that it didnÆt solve the problem Then he was just a glorified floatation device One that required Mana to function

But that did pull Randidly down a deep rabbit hole of imaging his body as a hot air balloon It wasnÆt possible right now but if Randidly created some Skills to allow his body to stretch to allow the air density inside of himself to decrease to a sufficient extent

Ultimately that was a waste of time because the rational part of Randidly quickly pointed out that the edge of the room was likely simply a wall The water was likely put there to deter escape attempts or punish those who braved the elements outside of the island Randidly highly doubted that the individuals who could Engrave a room to have such specific and sophisticated effects wouldnÆt rely on a fucking moat to keep their prisoners in place

Still the image of himself blown up like a puffer fish and tumbling slowly through the sky was highly amusing to Randidly And that small chuckle might have been a waste of Stamina but it did a lot to evaporate the thick layer of desperation that had begun to gather around Randidly

With a much clearer mind Randidly dragged himself to his favorite indent and looked up at the ceiling He had taken to doing this a lot waiting for his true experiments until he had full Stamina However the strange thoughts about Randidly Pufferhound did bring him a realization that might be the key images still worked down here

Of course RandidlyÆs images for active Skills were basically useless The same sort of mental gymnastics that had troubled him immediately after the fight with Helen hadnÆt gone away If anything the stress of this dark place made them even more difficult to grasp

So Randidly ignored the desperate part of himself and did something that was extremely difficult for himself

He lay in the impression in the ground of an old stone and just looked up into the blank eyes with eyes wide open Basically he did nothing

The first time Randidly did it Randidly stopped his strange half meditation half image training as soon as he was full on Stamina Then he pushed himself into a sitting position in one go

What Randidly didnÆt foresee was that sitting might not normally require Stamina if he had something to lean against in his haste to get himself upright he had misplaced his center of gravity So within a few minutes he had slowly slumped over and fell right back to his starting position

With a wry smile Randidly patiently wriggled until he was looking at the ceiling once more Then he checked his Absolute Timing Skill

Almost exactly 24 hours since he had awoken Well he had no concrete plans but it was a start

Manifesting the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom above himself Randidly calmly looked upwards It was stifling but the blackness also had the benefit of being a completely blank slate In the air above himself Randidly could practice his images endlessly When he began it was hard to notice but the longer he spent in an almost dreaming state with his images the more detailed they became

The sensation of the cool stone beneath him faded away All that mattered were those images above him When they were placed against the stark background of the heavy liquid darkness Randidly was suspended in it was easy to see the flaws that kept them from holding any substance under the light of day

Time began to slide past Randidly was careful to continue to make experiments with the capabilities with his Skills but it became increasingly clear that almost none of his Mana based Skills would have any tangible effect on the situation he was bound by Although he could make small conjuring when he wanted long enough to save up a thousand Mana how could that break him out of here

No most of RandidlyÆs hopes began to move toward refining his images into usable forms with one notable exception

Although it was extremely slow it was still possible to use Mana Engraving

When he discovered this Randidly experimented for hours It was possible to slowly fill in Mana Engraving Runes while using a miniscule amount of Mana It likely increased the time it would take Randidly to complete something but that was in an ideal scenario What quickly became clear was that even with the most relaxed Mana expenditure he could manage his pool would slowly decrease while Engraving He couldnÆt lower the expenditure to the level of the Regeneration he had in this place which would have been ideal

Therefore Randidly needed to wait increasingly long periods of time to allow Mana to build up

In terms of what to do with his Engravings Randidly wasnÆt sure but he had some ideas During his time working on energy transfer for the drones he had created Randidly had invented a lot of failed runes to function as energy sinks One of the earliest ones was the simple act of drawing a rune and then drawing the inverse of the rune which would them devour the initial runeÆs power It ended up being useless as an energy sink because it would basically just invalidate the other room but that was exactly his goal in this case

So RandidlyÆs time began to be split into three sections First he would relax and refine the reality of his images Then he would use his Aether Perception and sometimes Manipulation if he needed a better picture to forcefully view the runes that made up the boundary of the room Finally he would practice Mana Engraving under the Mana and Stamina restrictions he faced in this room Mostly this meant he had to memorize every facet of this island That way he would be able to take the optimal movements while Engraving

Three days blurred becoming stuck in the routine of work

But in the middle of one of RandidlyÆs Engraving his eyes snapped open

The overlay System functions as something of a whistleblower right Both for myself and for the underlying System ItÆs the portion that recognizes what IÆm doing with the base System and labels me a Heretic for the unusual outcomes Therefore since I’m already at Heretic 29 before I break out It’s time to reforge my Class without any prying eyes

In the darkness RandidlyÆs emerald eyes glowed A dull metal crown hung above his head catching the nearly invisible light of the energy burning at his core

Chapter 721

The thought to remake his Class came almost unbidden to Randidly at the moment but the more he considered it the more he had liked it Over the past month or so there were a few warning signs related to his Class that he had noticed but was unable to figure out what to do with the information

For example Randidly reached Level 35 but he didnÆt receive any new Skills Not that he really needed any new Class related Skills but it had been somewhat strange Based upon the prior pattern he should have gained Skills related to Protector of HumanityÆs Final Enclave and Progenitor of the Four Shaded Evolution Yet he hadnÆt received anything

Perhaps more concretely concerned to Randidly was the fact that since gaining Level 35 his experience percentage had completely disappeared replaced by question marks Not that he would have likely gained enough experience for another Level but the question marks seemed to imply that something larger was at play

However complicating the matter was the fact that he received no notifications from the System regarding this hiccup in his Leveling Perhaps it was the tournament and the Ashen Image but Randidly had felt like he was juggling so many things that it wasnÆt worth it to focus overmuch on this thing

Besides he already felt somewhat guilty that he was ten Levels above the limit for the tournament Perhaps some goody two shoes part of himself had enjoyed that he wasnÆt able to Level further

The final piece of course Randidly found in the darkness

Although his attention was mostly divided between image training Aether Perception and Mana Engraving he did take short breaks to attempt to reach his Soulskill It was a profoundly frustrating exercise but what it did do was give Randidly extra experience reading the flows and shapes of Aether that dotted his inner space as he attempted to meander through to himself

Aether was a language that seemed to function because it believed in itself The process of learning to use Aether to accomplish your goals was haphazard but as your surety increased you would develop an alphabet of meaning that would be the basis From there you just expanded outward

Of course this meant that learning another method of utilizing Aether was a nightmare

Still Randidly was gradually coming to realize that his Aether language was based implicitly on the Systems After all the System was his first exposure to Aether It made a certain amount of sense that they would be related As this connection became more clear RandidlyÆs progress in understanding the Aether that constituted himself was increasing rapidly

Which led him to finally finding his way inside of himself The first successful journey didnÆt lead to his Soulskill however What he found was his Class

Randidly was naturally familiar with the Aether that constituted his Class Even before he had lost access to the overlay System he had examined the shape of the Aether that created his Class After he had gone through the ordeal of creating it Randidly hoped by studying it he would be able to create Classes for other people

In the end he had simply nudged Nathan further onto that Path But he had gotten some inspiration by looking at his own and other Classes

Ultimately to create a Class was to build a base As you gather experience the constructs of Aether that constituted the Class would grow and layer themselves on top of each other But when Randidly looked at his own Class now there was a problem

His class was made up of six pillars His original Class pillar was at the center and the five other pillars were surrounding it in a pentagon These were the extra Classes added by others while he was indisposed However currently the trapezoidal pillars were different sizes

Specifically there was one that was perhaps 9/10s of the height of the other five All of the pillars were connected with crisscrossing supports of Aether but because the others had continued to grow without this one moving the weaker pillar was twisted The Aether constructs were being warped beyond what they were originally supposed to be just by reaching this point

There were noticeable differentiations to the Class by Level so Randidly could see that his Class was constructed to have passed into the 35th Level However the weak pillar was not yet to that Level And the other pillars seemed to be stalling out As they grew they put more strain on that weaker pillar

The real time sink involved in this investigation was finding out which of the pillars it was that was weak All six were surrounded by extremely complex ideas and images that were given form only through Aether Randidly had to very carefully peruse the energy of them all before he had a guess But once he had the guess it only took Randidly about ten minutes to confirm

Because it made sense

Progenitor of the Fourshaded Evolution

In the darkness Randidly looked calmly up from the impression in the stone Randidly activated Visualization and the inky darkness above him exploded into Aether shapes and images Even though he had a theory Randidly patiently went through all of the connectors of the pillar to find the flaw It was an illuminating experience just to touch the bedrock of what he was within the System Perhaps now was not the best time but Randidly was beginning to realize that there were a lot of problems that he had put off addressing in himself Now it seemed those issues were coming to a head all at once

The Crown over RandidlyÆs head was heavy but RandidlyÆs gaze did not waver It was time to meet his weaknesses

The flaw in his Class was due to the fact the addition was based off a previous Soulskill Perhaps because it was ultimately an evolution the Class could continue to advance for a little while But now the differences in the current weight of his Soulskill and the framework that it originally contributed to his Class was showing the signs of strain

Randidly considered a lot of methods to address this None of them were simple Mostly it involved repurposing the previously used Aether But ultimately every time Randidly thought through a theory he was reminded of his original failure the first attempt to create a Class had gone well enough but when he looked at the ultimate product he had realized it wasnÆt enough

Somewhat at a loss Randidly reached out to Neveah Her response came almost immediately but it made him blink

Because the message through their Soulskill was as Randidly should have anticipated just a string of Aether Chuckling cost Randidly several hundred Stamina but it was probably worth it On his next message Randidly changed his tack Instead of asking a question Randidly sent an emotion

Hesitation Pressure

Neveah took longer to answer this time Likely she was mulling over the strange form of the most recent messages But three minutes or so later the reply came

I believe in you

In spite of himself Randidly smiled Fine then

But Randidly had learned from his prior attempt to create his own Class He didnÆt truly need to break this Class down and create another from scratch No matter how Randidly resented its influence on his life the bottom layer System that all of this ran on was a magical thing It took meaning and image and allowed it to change the world

So what Randidly needed was a strong image More than that Randidly needed a new shape for his Class to work Effectively Randidly would be attempted to simultaneously start a change reaction in all six pillars of his Class while providing a complementary shape to them so they would be able to combine once more after the process was done

It was an ambitious project Honestly before being trapped here Randidly wouldnÆt know where to begin

Now however Randidly was finding that this mind addressed these problems with much more aplomb This was curious in a way but Randidly supposed it made sense in another In a way this functioned as an isolation chamber By effectively removing RandidlyÆs body from the equation all he had to address was his mind When brought to the fore all the Mental Stats that Randidly put into himself were showing their value

Therefore Randidly quickly generated a few ideas on how to change his Class Still that would ultimately need to wait

Even now his chest burned with light pain RandidlyÆs eyes flashed He needed to get into his Soulskill and figure out what was going on with that before anything else Otherwise Randidly suspected that this shift would collapse in on itself before it could even take hold

Randidly checked the time since his arrival Five days and eight hours

Time enough

Chapter 722

After taking a steadying breath Helen knocked firmly on RandidlyÆs door The echo of her knuckles on wood hadnÆt even faded by the time Helen reached down and twisted the handle Her lips were pursed as she opened the door Her bond with Randidly allowed her to sense Randidly somewhat Or at least it had previously Although his current location was fuzzy to Helen she knew he wasnÆt here

May I help you

Helen froze There was a person in RandidlyÆs room but it was not Randidly It was a skinny and pale young man surrounded by several small mountains of scrolls As Helen woodenly looked around the room it was clear that there were dozens of scrolls haphazardly strewn across the table and the bed

It seemed that whoever this interloper was he had been here with a while

Finally Helen opened her mouth to answer the man Ah are you an associate of Randidly One of his squadmates has a match today so I was just here to check if he would be attending

There was no way in hell that Helen would admit to sneaking into RandidlyÆs room for more personal reasons During their fight Randidly had built a wall between them that Helen was helpless to tear down Instead it was better to embrace her role as a support for Randidly

However Helen reasoned that she should at least familiarize herself with the way Randidly liked his spaces to be arranged It felt like a weak excuse to be near him but Helen truly believed it was not She needed to find her role and she currently was still too gunshy after their fight to approach Randidly directly So she figured seeing his room would be helpful

Now Helen was annoyed with herself If she hadnÆt been so fucking distracted there was no way that she would have just walked into a room with this weirdo

Ah IÆm actually looking for Randidly myself The young man said He smiled wanly IÆm Trentyon Would you like to look for him together

Oh do you have a clue to his whereabouts Helen asked She eyed the area around Trentyon It really seemed like he hadnÆt moved for hours Had this guy really been looking for Randidly or had he just started reading the scrolls and lost track of time

Helen was aware of the value in scrolls but it certainly was appropriate that Randidly was the sort of guy to befriend one of the mouse ish people who spent their time buried in piles of scrolls Well if only for his relationship with Randidly Helen sternly told herself that she couldnÆt be rude to Trentyon no matter how sallow his skin was

Of course not Or I would be looking there But you seemed rather lost so I simply thought I should help a lady in distress Trentyon said with a dismissive wave Then he turned back to the scroll in his hands

Helen changed her mind about being nice to Trentyon A lady in distress Indeed Perhaps you can help me I require an escort to the arena

IÆm uninterested hun Trentyon said covering a wide yawn with his hand

Helen walked over and picked up Trentyon by the arm She shook him a bit dislodging a few scrolls that were caught on his clothes I simply must insist

While Trentyon spluttered Helen carried Trentyon all the way to the arena Halfway through the short walk through the city to the arena she grew profoundly uncomfortable as the crowd of people around them began taking long glances at the pair of them Trentyon continued to complain endlessly squirming in her grip

She flushed somewhat under the gaze of so many But Helen knew that Trentyon would probably just collapse on the ground like a pile of blubber if she let him go So it was likely easiest to continue carrying him

With her token as a competitor Helen was able to bypass most of the lines and bring Trentyon along with her It was only when they were in the box of seats reserved for the contestants and their families that Helen dropped Trentyon He fell to the ground with a thump that did a lot to restore HelenÆs mood

Why did you bring me here Trentyon asked sourly as he rubbed his arm I have no interest in these fights IÆll have you know that I am on a very important mission for Randidly He will not be pleased that you interrupted my research

As the match hadnÆt started yet Helen stretched lazily in her seat Oh And what sort of important research were you performing

IÆm supposed to keep it a secret Trentyon said confidently

HelenÆs mouth twitched but she said nothing The conversation stalled into silence Grumbling and casting glances her way Trentyon eventually produced four scrolls from his interspatial ring and began to read them

TrentyonÆs angsty glances reminded Helen of some of her younger male cousins and her gaze turned clouded as she thought about her family Even though her mother would be extremely disappointed as to her marital status even that woman couldnÆt deny that she had grown strong Although family connections were important those were ultimately just secondary conduits to power

What Helen was beginning to hold due to Randidly and her dedication and effort was true power There was no need to bother with those sort of marriage alliances when she had the power herself

Sighing Helen closed her eyes She knew that a large caravan was heading out of the Northern Domain and that her family had managed to escape with it From messages she had exchanged with some of the people coming the caravan was already deep into the Central Domain

However no one Helen talked to knew the area well enough to know when they would get to Hastam

A cheer from the crowd drew HelenÆs eyes back to the arena With a wide smile Skarch was striding into the arena Opposite her a cowled individual who appeared to be from the Death School was calmly gazing at Skarch

Helen didnÆt have much of an impression from this guy but if he made it to the final under 25 Tournament he wouldnÆt be a pushover However Helen had heard after one of her daily spars with Azriel that Randidly had done something to SkarchÆs spear that made the Spear School fighter extremely happen

And speaking of the devil

Who is this Azriel asked as she pointed at Trentyon

Trentyon glanced up and released a long suffering sigh as though he were forced to endure a horrible farce that was far beneath his dignity

Ah a squatter I found in RandidlyÆs room He claimed to have connections to him and to be doing important research at RandidlyÆs behest Helen said lightly

He seems weak IÆm surprised Randidly bothered with him Azriel said with a shake of her head That earned her a glare from Trentyon but the pale man didnÆt say anything Which if nothing else proved that he had good instincts

Although Helen was rough she was a far cry from the cruelty that an annoyed Azriel was capable of

It’s starting Azriel said after a few minutes Helen carefully watched the fighters As soon as the referee announced the start Skarch patted her spear

It began to glow

How long until you will be finished Aiden Darke whispered hoarsely He had just spent the last ten minutes in a state of shock before rushing back to the base On a whim he had gone to see todayÆs tournament match And Engraving on the spear of the one woman in that fight

A while Perhaps three weeks Selfia answered sounding helpless Unfortunately the AutarchÆs grand working requires a certain number of bodies to continue Although that work is important this is the lifeÆs work of the Autarch Until it finishes I will need to remain here

Darke gritted his teeth Is that the orders or your decision Selfia I assure you this Randidly Ghosthound

Both When I can I will return Then Selfia closed the line

By the eternal darkness Darke hissed Then he punched his desk cracking it There was a brief moment of satisfaction as the object broke but then he just felt foolish

The Propagator was currently healing itself and therefore couldnÆt be bothered with the interrogation But Darke simply hadnÆt been gifted the Skillset to extract the methods that Randidly could use to Engrave

Previously Darke was infuriated by RandidlyÆs ability to make him look like a fool but he ultimately only distributed weaker runic engravings DarkeÆs job was precisely tracking down small time blood traitors like this Sometimes these individuals didnÆt even understand that Wight blood was in their veins and the source of their ability to understand Engraving

Due to this Darke considered him something of a kindly father figure guiding lost sheep back to the flock so their bodies could be used to feed the will of the Autarch But after seeing the fight today and that engraved spear Darke realized he had grossly underestimated Randidly Ghosthound Whoever he had been he was related to a powerful Wight The sort of Engraving that the Skarch girl had

His hands clenched into fists Against that level of working Darke was powerless If the girl could control that spear she would rip through him in all of five minutes

Three weeks Darke reassured himself looking toward the isolation chamber Then we will rip your secrets out of you Just wait

Chapter 723

In the darkness Randidly saw fire

It wasnÆt dreaming but a sort of hyperfocus that Randidly had found himself falling into if he let his mind wander down the path of images Although he didnÆt know for sure Randidly had a deep feeling that he wasnÆt simply imagining a fire No he was peering at the memories of the Ashen Image

He was experiencing a fire that could consume a world

It is one thing to say the fire was loud but it would fail to capture the physical force that simply the sound was

This is how Randidly slowly developed his images One piece at a time he sliced them and modified them before putting them back together Although it was largely an unasked for boon Randidly believed that this would be of great use for when he attempted to do something similar with his Class

The sound was something like a lion roaring and something like a china shop collapsing on its It was something like the moans of the earth during a disaster tier earthquake It was the grinding friction of an avalanche and the raw ferocity of a dragonÆs bellow

And it continued It vibrated the listener’s bones It slowly shook you to pieces with its ever rising volume Because at its core what you were hearing was a crossroads of energy Fire was exploding with bright vibrancy and heat While below there was Ash

That was the key Ash was this terrible remnant of a horrible cataclysm It contained the warped remnants of an infinite number of memories and life It was the curled and shattered bits of life It was sulfur and carbon a fossil cast in the material of worlds

The heat was so concentrated that if you were immersed in it you might as well have your skin flayed off by sandpaper and your bones devoured by flaming jackals Your flesh would bake and blackened so quickly that you wouldnÆt even realize it You would probably attempt to move normally and find your body slowly reduced to ash even as your thoughts slipped down toward the final darkness

Fire was hungry And ash was that few minerals that the great devourer saw fit to leave to our world

Randidly closed his eyes and a millennia passed Then he opened and his gaze fell on an entirely different world

Here the ash had remained while the fickle flames had moved on What was left was a world covered in deep darkness and silence Just like the volume of the flames had been deafening the silence here was so oppressive that your voice caught in your mouth as you went to speak It was as heavy and thick as granite It covered the broken world like the burial shroud

But it was not exactly that the world was entirely silent There was a soft ringing that would fill your ears An impossibly small chiming that made the hairs on your back stand on end It was the tinkling sounds of the pieces of the old world settling in the darkness

And once they settled it became cold

This was not the cold of ice and frost This was the cold of stillness and eternity

Stretching toward antiquity were one thousand years of exactly the same as the previous thousand years had been They were not bound in place but the world had become static The numbness that seeped out of the stillness slowly infected the surroundings Nothing could approach while retaining its life At the core of this world was a skeletal hand which held tight to its memories with gnarled fingers

The hand was connected to a Phantom and that Phantom breathed death In its eyes were reflected all the small sins of this broken world It did not judge it simply witnessed Because the stillness had infected the Phantom until the Phantom was stillness

If by some miracle you arrived before the Phantom you would not leave Because in the frigid fields of ash around the deific figure your feet would never move Those who came before the Phantom had only one hope that the Phantom that had reduced them to endless ash would take pity upon them and allow them to move on

But that was not the prerogative of the Phantom For the Phantom was still because it was waiting

With a sigh Randidly opened his eyes He definitely felt that dwelling in the image was strengthening them at an astounding pace But that wasnÆt the point of this current exercise The point was to follow the logic of his images and see if he could find a way to resolve the destructive tendencies that the Ashen Image had added to his psyche

Perhaps it was possible to make some sort of lifeform out of ash It was definitely a possibility but that would require quite a lot of time and imagination Without any sort of inspiration for an ash creature it would be an extremely slow process Beyond just creating a Skill related to it he would then need to refine that Skill to create a transition image so he would once more have a cycle

It was not a solution in the short term

RandidlyÆs sense of timing informed him that six hours had passed so he stopped that train of thought and closed his eyes For several seconds he allowed himself to be completely immersed in the feeling of the cool rock against the skin of his neck

Then the five seconds had passed and RandidlyÆs eyes snapped open His face instantly twisted into a frown Unfortunately this portion of his day wasnÆt much more fruitful Now was generally the time that he practiced Mana Engraving to slowly deconstruct his prison but he encountered a problem

Randidly needed to be able to see what he was doing to check his work

Perhaps it was an overstatement to say that he needed to see what was going on But with both the restriction on his movement and the lack of any sight Randidly was swiftly running into a brick wall with the Engraving If he was to make a single rune on the ground it was fine His senses for Mana were much less finely tuned than Aether but he could still detect them with a decent amount of specificity

The problem was that Randidly was creating a complicated series of interlocking runes in order to destabilize the array surrounding this room and allow him to escape Without careful construction it simply wouldnÆt work

Randidly considered just using his hands to measure the distances exactly His fingers were extremely deft and with the amount of Stats he had it was very possible to do just that But doing that wasted RandidlyÆs valuable Stamina He was already barely scraping his way through the Engraving as it was If he added an extra 30% expenditure to check the distances

Ultimately the eyes were simply an incomparably convenient tool for something like this And it was a sense that Randidly never would have guessed he would need for the Engraving It gave Randidly a headache It seemed like he had come in this room with a firm goal in mind but every day he found more problems ended up cropping up At this rate even if he solved all of the problems would he have enough time remaining to finish his escape

Well that wasnÆt a thought that was fruitful to entertain So Randidly turned his attention to ways to create light Using Grasp of the World Seed on one of the small seeds he possessed was the easy answer It would create light that the could use to check his work The light would be relatively brief as the plant was consumed by fire but it was controllable The problem was that he only had so many more seeds

Another option was the ideal solution which was to create light by a powerful image of light That had met with precisely no progress

Randidly couldnÆt get around the fact that when he opened his eyes his brain told him it was dark All his belief in the image of light vanished Besides he didnÆt even know what the room looked like illuminated Still Randidly had attempted it for a few hours He had a sinking suspicion that the room was well illuminated while his eyes were closed and he could concentrate on the image but he had no way of proving it

The final method would be to create a sustainable fuel source Randidly had his wool shirt and leather pants for tinder but he would actually need something to burn He considered trying his blood but that seemed to be untenable

No the best answer was to use the seeds he possessed to grow actual plants With the System they would grow to a great size in a day or two Then Randidly would have a more consistent way of making fire But to cause something to grow in the area

Randidly was on top of a rock island Although water wasnÆt a problem soil

But as Randidly considered it further his expression turned thoughtful After all what was soil but tiny rocks moisture and plant matter If he broke all those pebbles he gathered he would likely have a fair amount Water could be brought in well maybe blood would have to suffice for that Without a cup transporting the water would be a bit

As for the plant matter

Randidly closed his eyes Exactly two hours later his eyes snapped open and a fruit fell out of his open hand

Something of a waste but I suppose these will have to do Randidly thought with a smile

His mind indicated four hours had passed Instantly Randidly let go of his thoughts for five seconds then came back to himself focused on a new task reaching his Soulskill So he began the frustrating process of exploring the Aether that constituted himself It was slow work but it was one more task that he needed

Randidly blinked Then he grinned

He had found it

Chapter 724

So we do nothing Alta said sourly

Lucretia could only nod although she knew how frustrated her mistress was What did you expect We captured a very high level operative of the Council of Fates and killed two of their powerful agents Is it strange that they would turtle up This might very well be the first setback they have faced since their inception Especially on this scale

ItÆs been a year Alta said with a sigh I get it I know they are cowards but jesus Grow some balls At least strike back at us

They probably donÆt know that it is us Lucretia said with a smile

Alta gave the other woman a withering look and popped a grape into her mouth The two were sitting in armchairs in a brightly lit drawing room of the Bounty Manor Ha who was it that told me that those that assume the enemy is a fool wonÆt have a chance to raise foolish children

Perhaps I but it was certainly poorly phrased Lucretia said in mock disgust As she wrinkled her nose she wrung a laugh out of Alta

Fine fine We focus on business and expanding But its so damn PEACEFUL out there Sales are way down and the R&D department is wondering why I keep pushing them so hard to understand the frigid state of the sap Even though they get the possibility they arenÆt hungry anymore They arenÆt worried They just want to talk about stock options and intellectual property and competitors

Lucretia allowed Alta to rant for a minute simply watching the other woman The grey flowers in AltaÆs soul had grown heavily around her frame It seemed that they twined about her very bones making it very difficult for Lucretia to see anything but a walking cadaver when she looked at Alta

Sometimes Alta said slowly I get why the Council wanted war People at peace they are too preoccupied to behave rationally

Lucretia hid her wince And this was exactly why that image of a cadaver was difficult to shake Ever since her wedding had been attacked Alta had some part of her heart doused in ice It resulted in a woman who was much more productive than the wrathful youth that Lucretia had guided away from pointless displays but it didnÆt mean the girl had learned to value anyone not necessary to her own goals

Well itÆs not like we donÆt have leads Lucretia said We know the Council of Fates used the wars to investigate the runes left by the Progenitor They have likely excavated the runes held by the Earth Golems extensively A lot of that knowledge made it back to the Spriggit Land There is a portal there but it is closed Then there is the rune in the land of the Soulless and also

Also one in the silent land yes Alta waved her hand DonÆt try and distract me Those ruins only matter if the Progenitor exists And of that I am not convinced Do you believe in him Creta the stern

Yes Lucretia replied easily It was a subject she didnÆt want Alta to dwell on but Lucretia also suspected that the other woman would see through her lie Because of course she believed in the Progenitor She had been his right hand for a year Hell in terms of Soulskill time she had been in touch with him for a thousand years

Oh Alta blinked and looked at Lucretia She seemed genuinely shocked

Lucretia smiled awkwardly As one descended from monsters it is difficult not to be indoctrinated as a child

Oh Oh ThatÆs right Monsters believe that the hero chosen by the Progenitor in the great war was a monster correct

LucretiaÆs mouth twitched he was a monster Definitely

Alta gave Lucretia a weird look I had no idea you were so religious Huh ItÆs strange I could learn something like that about you even though IÆve known you my whole life

Then Alta shook her head Well whatever Say a prayer for me Maybe the Progenitor will guide us to the Council of Fates IÆm off I have another damned meeting with the investors

After Alta left Lucretia let out a long sigh Her mistress needed to have patience The Council of Fates had demonstrated why moving without understanding the opponent would lead to losses but still Alta chomped at the bit But Lucretia wasnÆt willing to make the same mistake

It was like an electric shock to her system the brief mental contact

Gasping Lucretia scrambled to her feet Her heart was pounding

Then he was there standing and looking around at the drawing room in amusement Well youÆve certainly done well for yourself here havenÆt you Lucretia I thought you left What are you

Her body moved without thinking Lucretia had grown satisfied and content with her current life in RandidlyÆs Soulskill but that was because she understood Randidly He might not look in here for hundreds of years in this worldÆs time To see him now to know that he could let her escape

It was a release of tension that she had held for almost forty five years struggling in this world Lucretia rushed over and buried her head in his chest

I Lucretia struggled to speak but couldn’t find the words She wouldnÆt abandon Alta of course but she could leave now She could go find Shal and say all the things she had put off saying to him in the past She could return to Icklid and complete the ritual she had started with her earlier meeting with the Autarch She could

Lucretia began to cry

Awkwardly Randidly stared down at her His emerald eyes were wide and expressive as he examined her carefully Then his gaze softened Have you been stuck here

It was strange but him stating the truth only made it hurt more LucretiaÆs sobs bubbled up from somewhere deep inside herself Inwardly part of her was aghast at the display of emotion She had lived for almost 600 years now How could something like this affect her so

But on the other hand there was certainly a bond between herself and Randidly For all that they had started out opposed fate had aligned their interests and they spent quite an amount of time intimately connected More than anyone else Lucretia felt that Randidly was a close friend A peer that she had explored the mysteries of energy and karma with A research partner with access to the most state of the art facility that Lucretia could dream about

And for all that Lucretia was an old soul she had struggled alone in a world where the omnipotent System she had grown with wasnÆt a fixture More than she had expected she had been lost without it Those hidden stresses surged to the surface

Apparently both of their attentions were so distracted that neither foresaw that the door would open

Hey Creta before I go can you give me

Alta froze Both Randidly and Lucretia froze

You Alta said slowly her gaze flitting from RandidlyÆs face and then back to LucretiaÆs Creta you would tell me if you had a secret boyfriend right

Lucretia snorted in amusement in spite of herself but due to her teary face she recognized it probably looked like a sob to Alta Randidly coughed dryly looking from Lucretia to Alta He took a step back away from Lucretia raising his hands

Alta staggered backward in mock horror and clutched her breast Why arenÆt you answering Is it is it more serious than that And why are you crying IÆve never even seen you sad You Barefoot man What have you done to my Creta

MyÆ Creta Randidly asked as his lip curled upward into a smile He glanced at Lucretia She continued to chuckle the amusement keeping her from offering any sort of explanation

Bah donÆt think your dick entitles you to anything more than a brief rental of her body She is mine You canÆt have her Alta said glaring at Randidly

Finally Lucretia couldnÆt handle it anymore No Alta we arenÆt together Uh Randidly is just my

Oh My God Alta said her jaw once more dropping to the floor Did I just walk in on a BREAKUP And YOU You had the nerve to loiter around here afterward like you owned the place IÆll rip your face off and sent your puny male brain on fire IÆll

This time when Lucretia laughed it was loud and clear The tinkling happiness of her laughter cut through AltaÆs tirade Even Randidly smiled helplessly as he shook his head Alta looked between the two of them clearly sulky

Well if I was mistaken Alta muttered Someone at least could have told me so I didnÆt look like an idiot

Chapter 725

Later in the day Alta stood at one of the high windows of her dining room and looked down on Randidly He seemed to be meditating on the green lawn in front of the manor taking great care to breathe in and out

Frowning Alta leaned her head against the window pane So he was a close acquaintance of CretaÆs from back in her arena days eh It did certainly explain how Randidly had been able to cross into the interior of the estate without any of her guards noticing Although none of the security force was at the level of Creta Alta hoped they were good enough to stop a vagabond

Which on the exterior Randidly was His shirt was ripped and dirty and he didnÆt have any shoes What was even more befuddling was that when Alta politely offered to lend him a pair of shoes from one of her assistants he declined

And Creta laughed

Overall Alta had been too overwhelmed by this strange expressive Creta to say much about Randidly staying here for a while Privately Creta assured Alta that Randidly was as trustworthy as a person could be without being one of the two of them

Which rubbed Alta the wrong way Because for the first time in AltaÆs life someone came along that Creta actually seemed to like And Creta was hers She had always been hers

Not that Alta was so insane to think that Creta belonged to her The contract that her father had gotten into to hire Creta had long since run its course No what Alta feared at her core was that this was a sign of something to come That after so long after being dedicated to the cause for decades Lucretia was shifting She was starting to heal To move on

In her chest Alta felt helplessly hot and then so cold like she was more drying paper mache than person The concept of moving on was something she had buried a long time ago She would burn the Council of Fates to the ground Perhaps for good measure she would destroy a country as well to lash out at this fickle world that surrounded them For as long as she could remember Alta believed that Creta had felt the same way

Shivering Alta pulled away from the window But just as she did so something caught her eye

Below on the grass Randidly waved his hand Like it was always on the verge of death a large patch of grass in the direction he indicated turned to ash and floated away on the gentle afternoon breeze

AltaÆs jaw dropped Creta had demonstrated to a greater or lesser degree most of the Great Skills of the world but she wasnÆt able to use ash as Alta could That had meant that Alta had largely been muddling along on her own

Creta had been forced to run off to meet with an informant leaving Alta and Randidly largely alone at the estate Alta had thought this strange because Creta never left her unprotected But perhaps

perhaps he had been brought here on purpose to teach her

That tasted sour in AltaÆs mouth but she had lived a long life It was not difficult to obliterate that small annoyance and walk down toward the front door She took great care in putting on her finely made leather boots and sparring armor Only when she was properly prepared and looked her best did Alta walk out toward Randidly

When she arrived he was still standing and waving his hand The ash in the air seemed to swirl about him revolving around him like an asteroid belt around a moon Alta meant to approach but when she was only a few meters away a cutting cold ripped into her Instantly movement became impossible

It was such a familiar coldness It was the dread loneliness that Alta lived every day with recently It was the cold of a white knuckled grip on fading memories It was

The feeling passed and Randidly turned to face her He was frowning Ah sorry about that I was thinking

Letting the coldness fade away Alta flashed her most charming smile Oh Were you busy I didnÆt mean to interrupt I just wondered if Master Randidly would bother to spar against me I noticed you utilize ash As I too train in that Great Skill Well I think it would be illuminating

Of all emotions Alta didn’tÆ expect Randidly to be amused Great Skill Hah I suppose it makes some sense Yes letÆs spar IÆve wanted to test out some things

Alta produced her machine gauntlets and slipped them onto her hands Although she didnÆt often fight physically Alta guessed that since both of them used ash it would be necessary The machine gauntlets effectively turned her fingers into daggers and increased her grip strength With this sort of equipment anything short of an Earth Golem would be finished if she got her hands on them

That was another thing that was puzzling Alta about Randidly She couldnÆt quite figure out what race he was He was SpriggitÆs built on an elongated scale He had the proportions of a Spriggit sure but the size of a White Hunter He was too slim to be an Earth Golem and he obviously wasnÆt a Weaver

Of all the races he was clearly closest to a monster But unlike most Monsters there were no visible monstrous parts to Randidly He seemed only to have the normal Spriggit limbs just in a different shape But strangely Alta couldn’tÆ say that it was peculiar to look at No if anything he seemed to have a certain charm to the contours of his body Like he was the Platonic ideal of a body

Alta was attracted to him because of it but In the same way she was attracted to looking at waterfalls The power and fury were awe inspiring There was no sexual component to her admiration It was extremely strange

As Randidly stepped forward Alta frowned You arenÆt going to use a weapon

ArenÆt Great SkillsÆ weapons Randidly replied with a smile Alta snorted

Fine then he could have it the hard way

Alta charged forward with her gauntlets raised Still Randidly didnÆt even move His hands were at his sides Gritting her teeth Alta ignored him and raised a blast of ash that accompanied her charge

The projective of ash formed in her gauntleted hand and shot forward But it exploded in a cloud as it neared Randidly blocking her sight of him

Inwardly Alta cursed herself Of course he used ash as well If Creta was here she would kick Alta with providing her opponent with a weapon to use against her

But of all things Alta was confident in a contest of ash She felt the roaring fire in her veins and ash began to radiate out from herself Her hands becamefirebrandss bringers of ash Heedless of the danger she rushed forward into the exploded ash Although she didnÆt know where he was Alta was confident she could locate Randidly quickly and strike

When her body pierced through the cloud what Alta hadnÆt expected was heat A heat so dreadful she gasped in shock and immediately regretted it The hot air seemed to invade through her nose and mouth to sear her lungs Coughing Alta stumbled backward away from the ash cloud

Gritting her teeth Alta summoned her own terrible heat In her chest the amplifier began to vibrate just a small amount Of course she could overpower him with raw fire and ash if she was to call in her equipment But that would miss the point It was clear that RandidlyÆs use of ash was extremely powerful There was plenty for Alta to learn

But to pay him back for the pain he caused her she allowed herself to draw just slightly from the amplifier

Ash howled outward from her smashing into the ash cloud that obscured Randidly Under the assault of so many particles the obscuring wall of ash was smashed apart

In the open Randidly stood there looking at Alta From his appearance he hadnÆt even moved

Alta pointed A javelin of fire and ash formed in an instant and shot toward Randidly He waved his hand and it it was simply unmade The ash fell to pieces and the hatred and ferocity fell away

Feeling a sense of helplessness Alta allowed herself access to a bit more of the amplifier Ash exploded outward Within thirty meters of where they were fighting the grass was withering away under the onslaught of brimstone and fire

How about this Alta hissed Raising her hands above her head her gauntlets began to glow as she channeled energy through them For her strike she first imaged a giant hammer then wiped that away No what she needed was even bigger Alta pulled at the swirling ash around them and formed it all into a sword long enough to slash the sky in half It stretched upward reaching higher than the manor by a fair margin

With burning eyes she turned to regard Randidly

He simply smiled ItÆs not a matter of quantity the problem was quality

Randidly only waved his hand but Alta felt all the ash under her will be unmade

Chapter 726

Randidly found it academically interesting that the people in his Soulskill subsisted mostly on using secondhand images of his to fight but it swiftly became clear that this Alta was not someone who could be a fair benchmark of RandidlyÆs mastery of images Hell if what Randidly believed was correct no one could match him here

After all he was the source of everything The best they could hope for would be to pull him into a draw

So he waved his hand and hit the smoldering ash that Alta had summoned with an image of frigid ash Like a sandcastle AltaÆs image collapsed and the air was suddenly clear

Still the fact that she could do so much with her images was pretty impressive Especially since the images were essentially his That line of thought of course made Randidly wonder whether he and the woman in front of him were similar in some strange way But ultimately Randidly knew it was more than that Randidly felt it deeply the karma that he and this woman shared

But he couldnÆt for the life of him figure out why In the air around them was a magnetic attraction This moment was supposed to happen Yet it was thought Randidly was pushed into an acting role without being fed his lines He felt lost

What he had been able to figure out was why he was having such periodic chest pain It seemed like there were several places on his World Tree that people were drilling into it and extracting its energy for their own uses Normally this wouldnÆt have affected Randidly quite as much as it did but he could also sense that the Ashen and Frigid images that he was flooding his Soulskill with could not be easily handled by the tree

The combination of the damaging images and the siphoning of his energy were combining to destabilize the Seven Lands That much was for sure Now all that remained was to speak with Lucretia at length and figure out if there was anything he could do about it

Abruptly worried Randidly reached out and felt realty His Absolute Timing Skill informed him it had been a little less than 30 seconds That was reassuring Although it wasnÆt as great as laying in that dark suppression chamber being out in the air certainly let him practice his images much more freely

And more than anything light

It had only been a week but Randidly had been surprised to find how much he missed the warm light of the sun Well it wasnÆt really a sun It was a magical phenomenon that mimicked the behavior of the sun here Still it was satisfying to feel its light on his skin

More than the Mana Engraving Randidly had a newfound appreciation for what light could accomplish

You are very strong Alta said suddenly

Randidly looked over at her and couldnÆt keep a twisted smile off his face She looked up at him with an expectant expression but he had no answers for this thing of karma twisted to look like a person What is strength

After all although he was able to overwhelm her image was that really impressive She was a minor figure inside of his soul And in the real world Randidly was stuck in a room that he couldnÆt escape from Sure he was using the situation as a whetstone to improve his strength and he had some ideas as to what to do but

He was long way from being strong The brief and violent clash against the Propagator had proven that

RandidlyÆs expression turned grim That was the lowest level of opponent waiting on the world stage and already Randidly had fallen It was a temporary setback Randidly knew But the brief taste of fighting against real powerhouses made him wary As much as he could he needed to improve himself now

Some part of Randidly knew that after this his next opponent would not be so gentle with him

Abruptly Randidly looked guiltily up at Alta But it seemed that instead of feeling ignored she was oh she was thinking about his question That was fine in RandidlyÆs eyes

After a few minutes Alta had an answer strength is the prerogative to consume It is the ability to control how this world will end

RandidlyÆs eyes were sharp as he considered Alta and her strange answer That is not a what That is one possible way it can be used

Is it Alta said lightly It seemed that some of the deference she had gained after their fight was rapidly departing Instead she offered him a teasing smile What is strength but the ability to destroy You are a user of ash you should understand it as well All things are Ash From ash we have come from ash we will return That is life

RandidlyÆs gaze held AltaÆs for several long seconds Somewhere deep in his chest a tightly wound ball of sadness sighed

But now Alta was building up steam You ask what strength is but it is a false question Strength implies an absolute value whereas the only important thing is the relative positioning Compared to me you are strong But compared to Creta You are just as helpless Because strength is a label given to those that have the clout to dictate how the world will be consumed

Randidly pressed his lips together He didnÆt mind the strange reference to LucretiaÆs strength but what was worrying was AltaÆs philosophy Could his image really warp the mindset of people in the Soulskill

Finally Randidly said You seem to think this world is dying

IsnÆt it Living beings consume to live They build some things yes but they are not as efficient as the World Tree Every bit they take means a little more waste There is a finite amount of energy in the world To have strength is to claim for yourself a larger share of the worldÆs energy By holding strength you hasten the worldÆs end

RandidlyÆs expression turned contemplative So the world is not dying it is being inefficiently recycled Interesting And yet I do not hear any fear in your voice In fact it seems you are looking forward toward this end for the world Do you hold no fear toward death

Alta laughed and it was a hollow sound Perhaps To me death feels like kin It seems like every person I touch is eventually overcome by that same inevitable end To be surrounded by death that is my lot in life

As she spoke Randidly sensed the mood abruptly changed It seemed like the whole of the Soulskill around him shifted The light around him felt filmly and false Alta was staring at the ground but Randidly felt the karma between them shifting Something was changing in AltaÆs heart as they spoke

Everything Alta whispered Her eyes glazed over Even in the Soulskill Randidly could feel that his chest was beginning to burn To consume it all to let it all end that

Grimly Randidly said Your life has been touched by death I am sure that is true But before me do you really dare wallow in self pity

With Randidly as the epicenter a wave of the heat that formed the unwilling core of his Ashen Image blasted outward It struck Alta like a physical force and she cried out in pain as her skin began to blister and pop In order to control the force of it RandidlyÆs crown of Cataclysm and Gloom formed above his head He eased back on the strength but color swiftly drained out of AltaÆs face

Then he cut it off careful to keep the damage he inflicted to a minimum The simmering heat in his chest faded But even with that RandidlyÆs mood turned abruptly sour

Alta stumbled backward and fell on her ass She stared up at him something akin to wonder in her eyes You what are you

Someone trying to protect his home To have strength in the face of the impossible To walk toward darkness with my head held high Randidly said with a sigh

so a fool Alta said with a small grin Randidly rolled his eyes as Alta brushed herself off and stood back up It certainly showed that this was someone who spent a long time with Lucretia Similarly Randidly could do little to intimidate her

A dreamer some of said Randidly said dryly He thought about Helen and her desperate desire to keep him from fighting against beings like the Propagators And so far it seemed like she had a very good point

Have you and Creta ever fought Alta asked suddenly Randidly chuckled It seemed that Alta was going to let that brush with RandidlyÆs true image pass without comment Perhaps that was for the best At least in the short term Randidly was beginning to suspect that the trouble in his Soulskill was tied directly to the this Alta Was that why Lucretia was with her It certainly made sense

Not that Randidly believed that she was the cause but it seemed that somehow this girl had become the crux of the issue She seemed so twisted and confused but Randidly was too tired to figure out how to unwind this knot Besides he had his own troubles

not directly no Randidly said looking up at the sky There were low clouds moving back into their area They had been blown away when Randidly released that image of heat We were certainly at odds at one point But she didnÆt take me seriously I was was a part of a side game to her So when it came to blows I lost the first two battles but then I took the third and won the war

War You certainly make it seem dramatic A light voice cut in Randidly grinned up at Lucretia who looked from him to Alta with an exasperated expression on her face And I leave for an hour and you have already fought I suppose I should have expected as much You two have a lot in common

Do we Both Randidly and Alta said at the same time Then they stared at each other for several seconds

After a pause Alta snorted and twisted around IÆll be back I need to change

Inwardly Randidly felt pity for the figure of the girl walking back toward her manor Her clothes were burnt and falling away from her slender shoulders The gauntlets she had worn were probably melted into lumps of slag Alta was clearly accomplished and talented But compared to Randidly she was hopelessly out of her depth

Randidly shivered Truly he hoped that Lucretia was incorrect about how much they had in common

Chapter 727

Helen was in her element swimming in the tides of blood that covered the arena The swirling currents carried her forward with relentless momentum When her spear clashed against her opponent Helen was pleased to note that the other was driven backward by the force

Bang

Peace Azriel said raising her hands The womanÆs rib cage expanded and contracted as she struggled to catch her breath By the Spearman if I let you establish that Domain it is hard to break free

Helen flashed a bitter smile Except if you donÆt give me time to set it up IÆm fucking skewered before I can do anything My Soulskill is still so young It doesnÆt have the power to overwhelm you without any handicap

Azriel walked over toward the table beside the sparring arena and took a long swig of water Still attempting the battle both ways is the only way for both of us to benefit meaningfully from the experience This is a nice warm up before tomorrowÆs match

Shaking her head Helen joined Azriel at the table and took up a small towel to wipe away her sweat I feel pity for your opponent That fool will be right fucked if he doesnÆt bring his A game

Such an outlook is likely realistic but the last tournament I was a part of ended quite outside my expectations It was unpleasant Azriel said with a frown Helen couldnÆt help but chuckle humorlessly She empathized greatly with Azriel in this case After all the culprit had made a fool of her in the match over a week ago and as per his MO he immediately disappeared

Such was the style of Randidly Ghosthound

Therefore Azriel continued There is one more task which I wish to accomplish I will meet with my master tonight to see if it has any guidance

Helen looked at Azriel in surprised Almost as if reading her mind Azriel chuckled and said The Northern convoy is getting quite near to Hastam At that distance it is quite easy for my Master to arrive a bit early Would you like to come It always appreciates socialization I believe my Master is quite lonely

ItÆs not like I have much else to do Helen grumbled Whose idea was it to have a single match a day and allow a day break between the matches It will take until the end of the month to get through this damn tournament

When we are not at war it is a sufficient distraction for many Unfortunately we are at war Azriel said simply

Both were silent after that After spending time on the frontlines both were familiar with the stress that the Central Domain of the Spearman School was under Aylwind Sky taking action personally did a lot to alleviate that but he couldnÆt be everywhere at once Besides when he mobilized so did the powerful Propagators on the WightÆs side They no longer took his purgings lying down

After breaking apart to wash Helen and Azriel met back up to head toward the city walls TO HelenÆs surprise AzrielÆs master remained beyond the limits of Hastam proper in one of the small suburbs that sprung up in the surrounding area

With their identity as competitors in the under 25 tournament nobody blinked at the prospect of them leaving the city But as time went on Helen became increasingly bothered by her thoughts

Although Azriel had alluded previously to her MasterÆs status as a special non Tellite individual Helen hadnÆt thought about it overmuch But now walking alone in the darkness along a dirt track to a small nearby village

IÆm going to be murdered arenÆt I Helen reflected with a certain amount of relish Then she mentally glared at herself Why was she getting excited by the mounting tension of the moment This wasnÆt a battle there was no reason to be excited

But Helen couldnÆt deny that her heart was pounding as she walked deeper into the darkness behind Azriel She was grinning widely as she imaged all the ridiculous and sinister plots that Azriel could perhaps have been engaged in to bring her to a place beyond help where she would be in deathly peril

It was of course all mostly a joke But the part of HelenÆs brain that took after her mother sighed and shook her head This queerness was exactly why she had so much difficulty bonding with people

Much to the delight of HelenÆs dark fantasies they eventually arrived at a crumbling stone monastery Religion wasnÆt popular on Tellus at least since the Spearman came to prominence but civilization had existed for thousands of years so some edifices to the old gods remained

Azriel looked over her shoulder to speak to Helen but when she caught the other womanÆs gaze she frowned Helen is something the matter Your face is a bit

Helen froze unsure of what to say For better or worse the choice was taken away from her as Azriel simply sighed and said You have spent far too much time with Randidly Right this way my Master is within And please do not ah

Feeling profoundly confused and oddly insulted by the comparison to Randidly Helen waved her hand airily Bah I get it your master is unusual Which of us is not DonÆt treat me like a child

Azriel seemed unconvinced but Helen walked past her Within holes in the roof allowed faint beams of light into the oddly must and destroyed space What was once undoubtedly an imposing shrine now was a broken room with rotten pews and a pile of black rubble at the center From the way the light was reflecting off the rubble whatever had served as the centerpiece of this place had been made of incredibly valuable material It looked shiny and crystalline like a more transparent version of obsidian

But the object was irrevocably broken Although the base was wide and strong whatever edifice had stood straight from it was broken and twisted It hung like a tired old fishing pole drooping over the once proud construction

Master itÆs good to see you Azriel said while bowing This is Helen a friend of mine I figured you would enjoy the company on your first trip to Hastam

There was a dull chuckle and then a gravelly voice that set off warning bells in HelenÆs mind As always you are far too thoughtful child But it is true that I am very excited for this arrival For far far too long I dreamed of arriving victorious at this place Now after so much has changed even I am surprised how intrigued I am at the prospect Well met Helen I am AzrielÆs Master

The pile of black crystal the ruined edifice shifted

Uh yea well fucking met Helen said her eyes widening as she took in the whole of the movement The thing the thing was as big as a cart And itÆs body

You didnÆt tell her The scorpion inquired with a hint of amusement in its voice

Not explicitly Azriel said with the smirk Everyone has always been so relaxed in response to my warnings about you I wished to be vindicated by seeing someone gobsmacked

Wherever did you develop this troublemaking streak Surely not from me The scorpion asked mock aghast

DonÆt play coy Most everything I am I learned from you Azriel said

Helen recognized the familiar and intimate conversation of two long apart individual intellectually But her body was coping with another truth

AzrielÆs master was a giant obsidian scorpion The old fishing rod was a stinger the size of her forearm The crystal insect could crush her body with a swipe of its claw Although Helen had expected weird this was a bit

It all makes sense why you get along with Randidly Helen mumbled Everything related to you both is so ridiculous

Ah I have heard much of this Randidly Is he not here as well I have looked forward to meeting him The giant crystal scorpion rumbled Its obsidian claws flashed as they were clicked shut with enough force to sever Helen’s spine

Chapter 728

Ophelia looked at Shal in shook You are not worried You donÆt wish to look We currently have no pressing matters There would be no harm in the diversion

Shal shrugged Even I know little of the specifics of my discipleÆs life He comes he goes I can sense he lives and is not in mortal danger As such it is fine to leave him to his own struggles

Ophelia considered Shal for several seconds He kept his expression as blank as possible It was a small thing but Shal had taken notice when Ophelia had set up an array in her personal room to contact the Oracle At the time Shal had simply thought it strange

But the next morning when he had discovered Randidly was missing And due to the arrangement of rooms if one were to draw a line from ShalÆs quarters where he had spent the night and the location of the attack OpheliaÆs ritual was directly in the middle

Still even if Shal suspected something was up he had no idea what OpheliaÆs game was Was she attempting to use Randidly as leverage for some kind She had been hinting it was time to let Shal in on the great secrets of the world but had told him the time was not yet right Although he was frustrated by the stonewalling after the fight and loss against Versault there was little Shal could do to force OpheliaÆs hand

But this recent disappearance it stunk like a setup

That didnÆt mean Shal didnÆt feel real concern over his discipleÆs predicament But what Shal did know was that his disciple was more of a monster than he was If they were simply keeping him captive Inwardly Shal smirked

Giving that boy time to adapt was a mistake they would regret

Well then Ophelia said lightly There is another matter we could look into The Wights are gathering their forces to launch an assault on the convoy heading to Hastam from the Northern Domain Breaking their armies would be a suitable distraction from the waiting

Waiting Ophelia informed him for a response from the Oracle Until that happened they were grounded in Hastam she had said

Immediately Paranoia rose in Shal Had Ophelia predicted his first rejection and this was the true trap She certainly recovered quickly Or had it all been a coincidence Either way these methods of thinking were not productive Best to move forward and prepare for the worst

To show his agreement Shal allowed a small smile to show on his face Good Exercise would be the perfect distraction

Ophelia didnÆt even respond Immediately she called in an aide and released a slew of orders Within fifteen minutes the two of them had left Hastam and were rushing quickly to the Northeast

The Wights might mostly rely on low level foot soldiers for their martial superiority but that didnÆt mean they didnÆt have powerful forces themselves The so called Witch Kings were exceedingly difficult to deal with even when Shal allowed himself to use his preferred Style Using only a Pontiffs level of strength defeating a Witch King was a headache Their bodies were simply too durable for the amount of damage they could inflict

They werenÆt particularly mobile but they were replaceable After all Shal himself had slain nine such Witch Kings yet rumors still abounded about the power of the five Witch Kings It was clear that the Witch Kings were a much more common foe than the Wights were letting on but Shal couldnÆt figure out what they were doing

Still a much more finite and deadly threat was the Propagators

Here Ophelia said ShalÆs mouth twitched So close They had barely gone 20 kilometers away from Hastam Were there truly

His eyes narrowed There were

At the same time as ShalÆs Perception locked onto them they noticed him There were two Propagators here and both buzzed to life as they felt him Their strange song spread out and Shal could feel the rumbles in the ground as the puppets they had hidden shuddered to life

Shal spared Ophelia a glance IÆll begin presently

Haha did you think you would fight alone Ophelia asked amused No on this day I will be joining you LetÆs truly annihilate them and rip out the root of the problem Perhaps I have been feeling frustrated from sitting still too long but I am looking forward to this

Without waiting for a response Ophelia moved And as she moved she struck out with her spear The air was filled with the crumbling roar of a collapsing mountain as her strike rolled forward

The Propagator base was located between two small farms In spite of himself ShalÆs eyes were drawn to the leftmost The fields were filled with lilacs Their lavender color gave him a moment of pause even in the thick of battle But then he gritted his teeth and followed after Ophelia

The Certain Eyes of the Wraith Adder calmed his visage and focused him With a numb detachment Shal watched the ground between the two farms explode outwards in a rain of debris A huge six armed puppet screamed its fury as it rose to meet Ophelia

The puppets might be enough against normal opponents but Ophelia was not a normal opponent Even Shal who believed himself to be nearing the pinnacle of strength felt a strange sort of fear when witnessing the raw force of OpheliaÆs images

And that was before she began using Skills again Now that she had lifted that restriction

The puppet did not break but it was smashed against the ground Shal could sense the fractures in its frame however It would not live through another strike

However the Propagators were moving The larger of the two was a rose colored crystal grasshopper It flew upwards baring its wings at Ophelia Three strange puppets rolled up out of the hole that the Propagator had sprung from They had no eyes or mouths but each of the man limbs sticking out from the central torso ended in a wickedly sharp blade

They bounced off the ground with preternatural quickness and dexterity rushing toward Ophelia She simply smiled

The image above the battlefield changed to an endless sea of mud Those agile puppets that were rushing toward Ophelia with deadly intent immediately slowed to crawl

Got it Shal replied He appeared between them and lashed out toward the puppets They reacted more quickly than he expected but it was nothing compared to the Wraith Viper Their fragile bodies shattered under his quick blows Ophelia rushed past heading toward the rose grasshopper which began to flee

The other is yours

Shal nodded and leapt to the left toward the farm of lilacs Seeing his approach the azure crystal bug that was hiding among the flowers exploded upwards Two screamer type puppets reared up out of the ground and screeched at Shal But Shal isolated himself with his PredatorÆs Immunity and cut them in twain as he passed between them

As his Viper Fang bisected the azure bug Shal frowned It was already missing one of its antennae Interesting Who would be capable of injuring a Propagator around here Perhaps it was Aylwind

Congratulations You have reached Level 90 +8 Stats distributed between Endurance Perception Strength Agility and Focus +8 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Physical Stat +3 Agility +12 Health +5 Mana +18 Stamina

Congratulations You have learned the Skill BattlelordÆs Presence Due to your Soulskill Essence of the Wraith Viper your Skill has evolved

Congratulations You have learned the Skill Isolating Fear

Waves of forces exploded from the clashes between Ophelia and the grasshopper it seemed like Ophelia hadnÆt been lying about feeling slightly pent up after all of the waiting they had had to go through recently Well that was fine

Although the explosions made it seem like a struggle Shal knew that Ophelia would be the victor of that fight in the sky As such he paused and looked around him at the lilac farm

His immediate reaction was a guilty wince The delicate flowers had not fared well in the brief spat Although Shal had simply ripped apart two puppets the strikes had razed entire swaths of the plant life The petals floated gently in the air around him

Shal closed his eyes He wondered what Lucretia was doing now

Ah

In his surprise Shal focused his killing intent on the speaker A girl likely no older than twenty fell backward as she was smashed with his concentrated intent to kill The basket and gardening tools she was carrying scattered on the porch

apologies miss As is plain Wights are here Please return indoors until they are finished

But to ShalÆs surprise the girl blinked stood up then walked out to survey the wreckage of her fields Ah this is horrible The fields jeez I just had one job and IÆve already made a mess of it

Feeling profoundly uncomfortable Shal considered the young woman She was certainly lovely in a strange vitality of expression that she possessed but she couldnÆt stay here More than anything else Shal hated dealing with civilians Miss please

You donÆt need to call me miss The woman said waving her hand My name is Rumera Rumera Rune But you can call me Rumi

Chapter 729

In the darkness of the room Randidly slowly toiled

After slowly gathering enough Stamina RandidlyÆs hand flexed crushing the pebble into powder His expression remained neutral even as his Stamina ran out before he could completely crush the stone All he could do is try again So he breathed in and then breathed out Stamina slowly filtered back into his body

After a few minutes his hand flexed again The stone was crushed to dust

So it had continued for several hours as Randidly moved slowly toward his plant to produce a sustainable source of light for himself in the suppression room Oddly the activity was soothing Although each effort seemed gargantuan and the effect was small Randidly was slowly creating something in the darkness That seemed to have a certain charm that brought a smile to his face despite the Stamina cost to even facial expressions

Which was good because RandidlyÆs time in his Soulskill left him with a sour taste in his mouth

The reason for the strange pains that Randidly felt was clear the terrible destructive mindset of the Ashen Image had infected his Soulskill That Alta Bounty character that Lucretia stuck beside was certainly the most egregious but Randidly had taken the time to travel to different lands and speak with people from all walks of life

War torn regions peaceful small villages reclusive mountain communities Randidly visited them all

Despite the differences between them one thing was the same They all seemed to acknowledge that their world was dying And because the people in his Soulskill believed it it was slowly coming to be so

Randidly had thought of several ways to reinvigorate the energy of the world to withstand the strain due to technological advancement but that missed the point It would simply push away the problem

Randidly had done that for far too long What he needed was to find a way to combat that mindset directly And in terms of mindset the way to get at that was to use an image

Simply put Randidly had none It was the same problem that he was struggling with in regards to his plant Skills He didnÆt understand how this terrible destructiveness fit into the cycle that he had relied on until now to advance So in the moments between crushing pebbles Randidly reflected on his life

Unwilling to let anything pass Randidly started with his oldest memories He thought about his relationship with Sydney and his parents Then his awkward time in high school The college application process where he chased Sydney Meeting Ace The bright days where their trio was perfect and balanced

The dark days as Sydney slowly weakened in her battle against cancer

All of those memories flashed past in the blink of an eye Then because he had little else to do Randidly considered them again going deeper

He thought about throwing a baseball against that old oak in his backyard He thought about the car ride with his father to see his mother in the hospital He thought about being ditched by his prom date He thought about staring at the back of SydneyÆs head in freshman psych class He thought about the long looks Ace gave him when Randidly was unable to reveal SydneyÆs secret and Ace was unwilling to ask

Another moment passed Randidly crushed another pebble

Overall Randidly quickly realized that heading into his Soulskill gave him to reflect but there was something missing there Even the practicing of images was ultimately hollow In the Soulskill his own images were empowered Upon coming back Randidly quickly realized that his practice there had helped fine tune what he had but ultimately time in the Soulskill couldnÆt strengthen his images They had to be forged in reality

So after staying for a few weeks and traveling Randidly had departed At the time he had offered to bring Lucretia with him

Unsurprisingly she declined him She believed that it was her fate to watch the conflagration that was Alta Bounty

But Randidly had established a mental contact with Lucretia That way he could receive her assistance with the array to destroy the suppression in this jail It was simply creating an inverse of most runes but they did need to be done in a specific order to ensure that the wrong portions of the suppression were knocked out first and his jailers wouldnÆt be immediately alerted

Stealth at that point was nearly impossible but Randidly wasnÆt overly concerned with remaining entirely under the radar He just didnÆt want to kick open the jail doors and find a Propagator waiting for him

His face expressionless Randidly crushed another pebble

The dirt in the impression was slowly accumulating although Randidly knew that the plants he grew here wouldnÆt be able to be too tall Optimistically Randidly could gather enough debris in the surrounding area to reach a depth of one foot of soil Any more than that would require him to break off more small rocks to shatter or gather ones from elsewhere

Neither was particularly possible at the moment

So plants at that size would have to do

With great care Randidly condensed almost a dozen fruits and squeezed them out above the soil Even though it got rid of another one of his seeds Randidly waited almost four days for his Mana to fill entirely up and then blue all of his Mana to expand one of the seeds as much as possible

Ultimately all of his Mana could only create a sapling about as thick as a thigh and about 10 meters tall But that was more than enough to create quite a lot of ash that Randidly then laboriously mixed with the rest of his soil

Although he couldnÆt be sure that it helped sometimes during his image training sessions Randidly focused on empowering the soil He remembered a couple of years ago how during the cycle of rot and ash there were small motes of emerald power that slowly emerged in his soil

With the growing power of an implacable will Randidly forced that energy into the soil From this ground the tallest and broadest tree would grow

Abruptly Randidly grinned in the darkness Of course this was impossible He had seeds for grain What would grow was a wheat variant or something Randidly wasnÆt too sure of the details

After great thought Randidly ultimately resolved himself to spending another two seeds to create ladles to bring water up onto the platform Most of it was splashed into the soil but Randidly managed to get some into a nearby impression Eventually it would evaporate but it would give him some more water he could push onto the soil in the meantime

Randidly considered his small field with a doting smile In the end he decided not to add his blood to the mixture There were a few reasons but the main one was because his blood had destructive properties The whole point of this exercise was to create something without his influence The impetus here would be on the seeds to grow in the natural ways

Right now Randidly was infected with an overwhelming image of destruction In a small way even if it had no real effect on the image Randidly had the strange feeling that it meant a lot that he was embarking on this path to grow something the old fashioned way

After his experiments Randidly had seven seeds remaining With great care Randidly buried five of them in the ground he had created Over the course of five hours he brought a handful of water from his little aquifer and poured it on each

Immediately afterward Randidly checked the time It had been sixteen days since he had entered into this prison His smile was sharp The nebulous deadline was drawing closer but he had no way of verifying when that would be On the other hand plants generally grew very quickly in this new world but it was hard to know whether the suppressions of the room also worked on plants

They seemed to target Mana and Stamina directly and as far as Randidly knew plants werenÆt governed by that but if they were

Either way for now he would do his best to grow the plants for the next 5 or 6 days Beyond that Randidly was worried about the timing of the jailers return and so would need to begin work on the anti suppression array regardless of what happened with the plants

So Randidly closed his eyes and imagined the sun With all his will he projected the warm energy of the sun out above him During this time Randidly would focus his attention entirely on his images Although there were other ways to spend his time none were as important as ensuring that he could get out of here

Although none of RandidlyÆs images particularly related to the sun his time in his Soulskill reminded Randidly how much interdependence and influence there was between his inner world As such Randidly drew powerfully on Sam and Alana to find bright and crisp images of the sun

However with RandidlyÆs high stats it was easy to divide his focus While Randidly projected that image outward inwardly he went through his own images

The consuming chill

The devouring heat

The relentless grasp of the Spear Phantom

In the darkness Randidly slowly painted with his imaginations And slowly but surely those strokes against the worldÆs canvas stayed longer and longer becoming clearer and clearer Without even consciously thinking about it Randidly felt him walking steadily towards a solid foundation as a Pontiff

Chapter 730

Naffur stumbled to a stop Very slowly he blinked His hands rose almost unbidden and felt at the wound in his shoulder Blood poured out of it staining his shirt Or it would have had the shirt not already been soaked in mud and blood

Gasping Naffur collapsed to the ground His breathing was uneven and he found it difficult to focus After a great struggle his forehead hit the ground His eyes flickered and then were closed

Congratulations You Skill Feign Injury is now Level 98

The six giant crows that had been chasing Naffur for the past hour cawed out their laughter gleefully circling his corpse They didnÆt even bother to land preferring instead to nip at each other playfully while singing their strange birdsong of victory

Naffur suppressed a sigh Some grass was into his partially opened mouth and it made his face twitch But there was nothing that Naffur could do These roaming birds were each Level 51 One was even Level 52 He was nowhere near the Stats to stand up to monsters at that level

Luckily these monsters werenÆt after Naffur to eat them Although not all monsters eat their prey there was a significant portion of them that did Naffur had learned this lesson painfully in the past month since he had left the Orchard Whereas the solo monsters seemed to have no need of NaffurÆs scrawny body the group of kobolds that Naffur had encountered had only been too happy to drag him back for a stew

That had been someone hairy to extricate himself from but Naffur had made it

That was all he could say about the past month he had made it

After about ten minutes the crows fled seeking more amusing targets for their attacks Another half hour later Naffur finally stirred That was another thing that he learned While he didnÆt think monsters expected him to be feigning his death some did wait around by his body for a while afterward

What they wanted was to lure other monsters with the scent of his blood

There was a strange balance among the ecosystems of the monster communities in Zone 1 which Naffur had slowly discovered as he wandered well he thought North

Hard to keep track

Sitting up Naffur spotted a small flower blooming next to the spot where he had smashed his face into the ground Mareen would probably

Naffur froze Very methodically he annihilated the thoughts he had in the past ten seconds by blasting the thought of WHITEÆ over and over again at himself

Only afterward could he calm down feeling strangely numb Naffur brushed himself off and stood No reason to stay here The monsters that used him as a lure were right others would hunt based on the scent of blood

So he fled further in the direction he had been walking and bedded down for the night in the hollowed out portion of a fallen tree It wasnÆt the most comfortable hiding spot but it was at least away from the sky

Naffur was still in a section where GhostÆs drones patrolled at night finding and killing monsters that were overly active But after a month of aimless wandering Naffur had grown to resent the drones much more than he feared the monsters

The monsters were predictable They did the same thing every day living a twisted life but a life

But the drones were different They emitted a terrible buzzing as they operated and the sounds of them ripping through the monsters was the stuff of nightmare It was all cracking bones and the flaying of wet flesh

Plus they were a reminder of before Naffur had come here

NaffurÆs heart hurt as he remembered his past life He was such a fool He was

WHITE WHITE WHITE

Naffur had a few berries from some time spent gathering this morning and ate those as a small meal His stats had risen a great deal since coming into the wild away from cities but even with heightened Endurance meals were satisfying It reminded Naffur that he was still just a human

Yawning Naffur made himself comfortable and tried to fall into a fitful slumber

He dreamed that night In his dream a horrifying monster that was all bone and teeth stood over Naffur watching him

You are sad I do not like the sadness The monster mumbled talking with NeveahÆs voice So a gift I think it is fine for me to give it yes

Naffur didnÆt answer because he was frozen in fear The monster reached down and pressed its hand to NaffurÆs chest At first there was nothing Then there seemed to be an explosion of violet color in his chest The sensation began as hot but as the feeling intensified Naffur realized it was freezing cold And he was someone drowning in this terrible feeling of

Gasping Naffur woke up

Instantly he quieted himself Even if he was indisposed that didnÆt mean those that would eat him would be Much safer to remain as quiet as possible for as long as possible and leave his hiding space slowly

Strangely as he scuttled out of the old log the feeling in his chest didnÆt go away It was cold and then it was hot and for the first time in a month Naffur felt something He reached up and gently felt the skin of his collarbone under which the feeling originated

So strange

But then Naffur heard the grumble of what could only be a giant boar and he dashed away like lightning

As he meandered North Naffur occasionally encountered monsters or other people He often would avoid both Right now Naffur wasnÆt in any sort of mood to talk to anyone He didnÆt need that He was changed He was changing himself Out here in the wilderness he could be

He could be strong

That thought haunted him until he was walking across a game trail and spotted a Level 22 Grey Wolf napping in the sun under a tree Its eyes were closed and it snorted fitfully as if bothered by dreams Strangely Naffur felt an instant connection to the wolf Dreams were a problem he had struggled with immensely A few days ago he had dreamed

Naffur crept closer to the dozing creature his breath coming hot and fast He had changed He was much stronger than he had been when he left the Orchard Now he didnÆt doubt at all that he would catch the eye of someone at the Lottery He was the only member of the Order Ducis He could kill a wolf of this caliber

His Stealth Skill had increased to Level 82 in the last month as Naffur relied on it constantly And it seemed like that would be enough for this wolf as well

Eyes blazing Naffur raised his hand and prepared to strike

Congratulations Your Skill Intrepid Hammer has increased to Level 63

Congratulations Your Skill Cheap Shot has increased to Level 79

But the small rush of air must have alerted the wolf because its eyes shot open and it lifted its head slightly It was a small movement and the wolf was still clearly groggy with sleep But it was enough to shift the target of NaffurÆs strike from the monsterÆs skull to the tip of its nose

Even though Naffur missed his fist smashed the thing’s snout And such was the force that Naffur felt its jaw crack audibly as it reeled backward

The wolf raised its head and managed to get off a howl before Naffur struck with another Intrepid Hammer and silenced it permanently For several seconds Naffur stood stock still His Perception hummed as he hoped

Silence

Naffur sighed with relief

Awoo

The return howl of the wolfÆs pack sounded out filling the afternoon And worst of all the noise came from several directions

Chapter 731

Although it was strange Naffur immediately produced a knife from his interspatial watch and slashed his own leg Blood began to pour out and down his legs Inwardly Naffur wondered what others would think of him if they saw how bloody he was If Mareen

Naffur hobbled away toward a bend in the game trail but he didnÆt bother to actually tire himself out with speed One thing that Naffur had learned from his Skills was the power of timing Not the least of which was through Cheap Shot but there were a lot more subtle ways to play with timing

For example due to NaffurÆs DevilÆs Luck with Entrances it was without a doubt that the wolves would arrive just in time to witness him leaving If he stood still of course they would arrive anyway but because of his Skill if he was making a decent effort they would always arrive exactly as he was leaving

Congratulations Your Skill Bloodletting has increased to Level 21

As expected when Naffur reached the edge of the line of sight to where the wolf body was still slowly spasming seven wolves leapt out of the brush and landed on the path The largest wolf was pale gold in color and looked sharply up the path to meet NaffurÆs eyes

Instantly Naffur could feel the concentrated hate there Such was the force of emotion that he shivered in spite of himself

Grow strong or die Naffur thought dully ThatÆs what this world is

Just as the golden wolf was about to raise its head to howl its ears flicked backward It had heard the shuffling of the dying grey wolf

It barked at three of the other wolves and they nodded and tore off down the path after Naffur For good measure he hobbled another few steps then sidestepped behind a tree Wincing at the pain he pressed a hand against his wound on his leg and allowed his hand to be thoroughly soaked

Then he flicked his hand forward covering the path with specks of blood

Congratulations Your Skill Beguiling Ruse has increased to Level 30

Some of NaffurÆs newly acquired Skills made him nervous that he was once again moving toward the Path of Cowardice It remained in his Status Screen even as Naffur finished other minor Paths to improve himself But this was different This was strength He was growing strong in this way

It might not be the same method that the Ghosthound used but

The three wolves burst around the corner They sniffed the air forward and continued to dash past the tree Naffur was hiding behind He noted with pleasure that their eyes were on the drops of blood he had thrown

Taking a fortifying breath Naffur stepped out and smashed the nearest wolf with an Intrepid Hammer He then followed it up with the only other offensive Skill that Naffur had learned since leaving the Orchard Audacious Knee

On contact Naffur felt the ribcage of the wolf he attacked collapse

The other two howled and stopped themselves The first twisted around and lashed at NaffurÆs arm with its claws scoring several long scratches Blood spurted out ceaselessly as though an artery was struck

Sensing weakness the other wolf attacked immediately Of course Naffur ignored the Skill Level increase notifications and stopped playing injured The attacking wolf had its skull shattered by an Audacious Knee Somewhat stunned the wolf that clawed Naffur watched its compatriot collapse

Naffur made short work of the lone survivor

IÆm not weak Naffur whispered to himself His eyes stun for some reason

After taking several breaths he was about to go back for the other wolves when two more barrelled into him Naffur swore inwardly and started throwing Intrepid Hammers as quickly as he could regenerate Stamina It was much less pretty than the prior fight but Naffur still managed to finish the two off

Afterward he checked his Health 67% That wasnÆt low but it also wasnÆt a lot Naffur knew that most Health was gained through Levels so his Health was a bit

Of course that was offset by his recent fixation on putting points into Endurance But that only accomplished so much

Still there were only two wolves left

IÆm not a coward Naffur said to himself His chest felt hot and clammy all at once But he walked back down the game trail toward the other two wolves

One seemed to be keeping watch and when it spotted Naffur it turned and fled

As for the other wolf the golden wolf it lay by the dead wolf its eyes narrowed in fury

Yet it remained sitting as Naffur approached It seemed to be a kettle about to explode its body humming with its anger But slowly Naffur realized that this wasnÆt the case Very soon Naffur had arrived before the golden wolf Perhaps he should have turned and run in case the fleeing wolf brought friends but if they were out of earshot of that howl Naffur knew he had time

And there was something strange here

It was only when the golden wolf struggled to its feet her feet that Naffur realized what was going on She was trembling And her swollen stomach hung low weighing her down He probably didnÆt realize because they had only shared a single glance earlier but this wolf was clearly pregnant

Instantly Naffur froze Could he truly kill this pregnant wolf Even though it so clearly wanted to kill him

Because when Naffur looked in that wolfÆs eyes all he could see was the certainty that this mother would raise these wolves to kill him and avenge their father There was a brutal certainty there a cold viciousness that Naffur was appalled by

IÆm not a coward Naffur insisted to the air tears in his eyes His time in the wild was short in the grand scheme of things but through it Naffur had strangely begun to feel a comradery with the monsters and beasts of the wild Everyone was struggling and clashing was to be expected There were no hard feelings

But this was a time that Naffur had upset the balance He had broken something irrevocably He didn’t belong here

The wolf snarled Naffur fled

He ran for about ten minutes then slowed to a jog He knew that the golden wolf would not follow him At least not yet The gestation pregnancy was accelerated by the System but it was not so accelerated that she would be able to do anything for a long while

Shivering Naffur continued to run

Why had he run If he killed that wolf there the problem would have been solved Anyway was it even a problem Could the wolf really track him down He read a lot out of the wolfÆs gaze but perhaps that was foolish Better to trust reality

Besides did he want to kill a pregnant mother Even if it was a monster

Did I run away or did I decide not to kill a vulnerable being

After asking the question of himself Naffur instantly felt worse After all he had no idea why he had done what he had done

Almost heedless of where he was going Naffur was perhaps going with much less secrecy than he normally did His steps were loud and stumbling as the forest turned slowly into something that looked like an abandoned town that he been overgrown with vegetation But when there was a figure that spun around as Naffur passed a large boulder his mind kicked right back into high gear

The first thing Naffur noticed about this figure was that they did not have a Level indicator above its head Which logically meant that what he was seeing was not in fact a monster

Yet every other sense of NaffurÆs indicated otherwise

The thing was only two meters or so tall and most of that was a plethora of branches and leaves that were stretching upward from its back It had gnarled grey arms and legs with something akin to hands that ended in knobby twigs Its legs were surprisingly stout ending in a thick base that couldnÆt truly be called a foot There were cracks in its skin and from those places burning red light escaped

It was as far as Naffur could tell some sort of teenage treant

Except all of its leaves were smoldering and it smelled slightly of smoke

Strangest of all its mouth curled into a smile as it spotted Naffur Its eyes were two black coals in its face smoking slightly With a surprising amount of spryness it crossed the few meters between them and arrived before Naffur with its arms wide

Scrambling backward Naffur struggled to rationalize this aggressive behavior Such was his haste to escape that his foot caught in a root and he went down in a tangle of limbs As he did so his eyes flashed dangerously

Naffur twisted his ankle slightly and it popped audibly Immediately Naffur began to moan and roll backward his eyes rolling up into his head in the sheer agony of his ankle breaking His hands instantly went down to cradle the limb leaving him completely defenseless

Several seconds passed Naffur fake sobbing into his arm Nothing happened

Still hiccuping in pain for effect Naffur looked up The treant was standing there arms akimbo Its eyes were extremely aggrieved And without any hint of malice As if this whole charade were extremely tiresome and it was vaguely insulted that Naffur had attempted to trick it

After coughing awkwardly Naffur said Ah well IÆm Naffur And you are

Chapter 732

You want me to pick these Naffur asked incredulous

The treant creature hadnÆt been able to answer Naffur as it couldnÆt speak but it could gesture to indicate that it wanted NaffurÆs help That was why it was so happy when he had shown up out of the blue With the hand/ branch signals plus the surprising amount of expressiveness in the treantÆs face NaffurÆs caution fell enough that he followed the curious thing

The treant nodded emphatically pointing toward a small patch of flowers in a ray of sunlight As it did so it began to sway back and forth and smile infectiously It was almost like it was dancing

Dubious Naffur looked from the treant to the flowers They were small and yellow with a side of the road sort of charm why donÆt you do it yourself Not that I wonÆt itÆs just is it dangerous

It just looked like a bunch of flowers that bloomed upward into a place where the canopy let some raw sunlight through But Naffur was still somewhat skittish by the strange situation he was so suddenly thrust into

For the first time since they had met the wide and glowing smile fell off of the treantÆs face It seemed to wilt slightly the many branches stretching upward from its back drooping Then it reached out an plucked a small yellow flower

For a strange wood creature its fingers were surprisingly delicate It expertly clipped a single flower and held it up for Naffur to view

There was a split second where nothing happened and Naffur was tempted to ask what was going on But then the flower began to smolder slightly Within another few seconds the flower had caught on fire and withered into nothing but ash

The treant shrugged helplessly Then it gestured again indicating that Naffur should be the one to harvest the flowers

Oh wow Are you you are YouÆre so warm Naffur said in shock holding his hands up to feel the heat radiating off of the treant It was extremely strange in NaffurÆs opinion that this thing clearly was a plant but also was producing so much heat Was it on fire inside of its body The leaves certainly sparked sometimes like embers

Although it was clearly morose by its inability to harvest the flowers as Naffur held his hands up to the treant the thing seemed to come to life As he complimented its warmth more it began to shake back in forth in its strange dance In spite of himself Naffur laughed The thing was adorable although it was strange The very air around it wasnÆt just warm there was a certain rosiness to everything

It felt like everything was going to be okay

Laughing softly Naffur began to harvest the flowers Some part of him didnÆt want to but he was laughing and he felt so warm and

And he was thinking about how much Mareen would have loved these flowers

Instinctively he began to blot out the thoughts as soon as they rose to the surface But some stubborn part of himself resisted He forced his mind to focus on what had happened On MareenÆs implicit rejection On the horror on MareenÆs face when Naffur had beaten that monster to a pulp in front of her

She hadnÆt known it was him but

But that was her rejecting him for being too violent Just like she rejected him well regular him by returning the flower crown

Hey uh Naffur said His voice trembled in spite of his best efforts but he kept pushing forward His shaking hands reached out and began to gather the flowers This might not make sense but there is this girl the first time I met her she was gathering flowers just like this for bracelets She was making bracelets and

Slowly in fits and starts Naffur told this strange treant about his year long knowing of Mareen He told it about the many chance times they ran into each other at NaffurÆs favorite restaurants He explained how she began to help him dress and through that he had acquired a part time job at a clothing store

He explained about being a part of the Order Ducis and how that happened in the Manhattan Building He explained the birthday party and the gift

During his meandering explanation the treant brought Naffur to several patches of flowers With NaffurÆs hands they gathered bluebells and tulips and daisies and even roses from a broken greenhouse

By the end NaffurÆs chest was heaving and tears were streaming down his cheeks The whole time the strange treant just looked at Naffur with a sad expression The strange wooden face was so comically devastated by NaffurÆs story that Naffur couldnÆt help but laugh

It only took a laugh and then the treant was beaming again Naffur had met people before that seemed to cheer up an entire room with just a smile Mareen was one of those people But this treant had something more than that It was like the ground underneath you was slowly rising and your mood couldnÆt help but go along with it

After getting Naffur to laugh once the treant produced three stones from its foliage and began to juggle Its eyes curved into crescents and its delight in life was wonderful As it began to dance while juggling Naffur found himself giggling and clapping

Clap Clap

When he clapped it seemed like the world clapped with him Some part of Naffur seemed to detect something strange was going on but he was savoring the release of this moment to such an extent that it didnÆt matter The world around him flickered until Naffur was standing in a dark room in front of a huge towering tree

Its bark was ash and its leaves were one million small torches and it was dancing Around Naffur hundreds of people were standing with him clapping and swaying to the strange music of this tree The air was hot and heady It was easy to lose oneself in the deep rhythm of this space

CLAP

This time when Naffur clapped the ground seemed to rumble with it Such was the volume that it woke Naffur from whatever strange vision he had just been experiencing Abruptly Naffur was back to himself and he belatedly realized that he had dropped all of the flowers as he had been enjoying the treantÆs strange dance

He was obviously suspicious of what just happened but for the first time in weeks Naffur felt at peace Whatever had changed had been good for him So he was willing to overlook a little strangeness

Bending over Naffur began to pick up the flowers while the treant awkwardly watched from the side As he was finishing up his task Naffur looked up at the treant with a serious expression You know itÆs not your fault right That you are on fire on the inside ItÆs itÆs like okay to just be you

Immediately after he said something Naffur flushed It wasnÆt like him to try and comfort people Besides he was talking to an intelligent tree There was just something childlike in his mannerisms that really reminded Naffur of some of the smaller kids he had given food to occasionally

But just like the kids the treant seemed to hunch over and to be strangely happy at the same time Mareen

Naffur winced but followed the thought

When Naffur had mentioned this strange phenomenon to Mareen once she had laughed at him and said Obviously Because part of the pleasure is about attention Everyone has someone that they want to pay attention to them Just like you do Just like I do

There did seem to be something lonely about the strange treant So Naffur continued to speak I get it IÆm IÆm not who I want to be either IÆm sorta uh scared sometimes But I know that I can change Obviously I wonÆt just change but if I act differently and try my best someday

Strangely the treantÆs face turned serious it nodded Then it bent down and gently plucked one of the pink roses they had found in the old greenhouse To NaffurÆs surprise the treant squished the flower between its hands crushing the stem and petals together in a pile Then with exaggerated slowness it opened its hands

There was smoke and a flash of light A fire was ignited It was brief and hot and then was gone

But Naffur had also put a lot of Stat points into Perception So when he watched the fire he noticed how strangely it burned It seemed to explode in a flash of light but then but then for a split second it looked like

The fire gracefully arched upward like a swanÆs neck More flames ran upwards along the path and slowly gathered at the top end pooling at the tip like raindrops on the edge of a wide brimmed hat When the gathered fire reached a certain point that fire exploded

No it bloomed Petals of fire opened and light was released that seemed to warm the soul

Then the light was snuffed out and there was only ash

The treant looked at Naffur Naffur looked at the Treant

Holy shit Naffur said That was so cool Can you do it again

The treant beamed at him

Chapter 733

For the first several days in the suppression chamber Randidly had felt enveloped by an inky darkness that flowed like liquid around him Part of the problem was moving was simply displacing the dense dark liquid that he lived suspended in It was heavy as lead and twice as toxic But those toxins werenÆt physical but mental For in the face of darkness a humanÆs natural instinct is to feel fear