LoRG 2

Paranoia from lack of knowledge is the mental disorder that people evolved to have naturally Everyone carries that same passenger to this day the thin whisper that foretold doom beyond a stretch without information

But Randidly had faced more dangerous foes than his own instinctual fear and had soon painted the darkness with his own images He saw plants and fire and an ashen spear and a great tree that could support seven worlds and a crown that crushed the world into silence and gloom He saw ash and violence energy and meaning He saw himself wrapped in strange sigils that animated all that was him

Everything he had accomplished since the System had arrived was reflected in those runes Every mark he made on the world was first made on his own soul

From darkness came vision And the first thing Randidly saw was his selfÆ

Blindly he felt through his inner workings without the benefit of the overlay System to inform him what he was looking at He moved with a gentle touch unwilling to actually affect anything It would be profoundly annoying if he located his Path menus somehow and spent his PP on a weird Path

God image if he completed the Heretic Path at this point

That made Randidly grin because that overlay System was exactly the portion that would record and advance the Heretic Path or so he believed Under that assumption that was why he was gearing up so purposefully toward remaking himself Even if he couldn’tÆ accomplish it here laying the groundwork would be useful

But escaping came first One thing at a time

The profound and powerful view Randidly had of himself started around day three and lasted until now day eighteen At this point Randidly was beginning to feel antsy about whether the plants were growing It had been a few days and he only had a few days longer before he would need an answer one way or the other Possibly The exact timeline for RandidlyÆs stay here was unknown

Still the weird thing was that recently Randidly had begun to sense something else He could still feel himself in the darkness but very slowly Randidly sensed something else They meandered like fireflies over a pond around him in the darkness just as bright and fleeting

So after waking and knowing self the soul soon becomes aware of otherÆ That eternal passenger of paranoia thus finds its new target For definitely in the other there is danger

It was small things at first little aberrations in his images Randidly was attempting to refine his image for the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom and there was a soft light that changed every Like a whisper he felt it more than heard it But the crown was on a head above shoulders weighed heavily down by responsibility

It clicked at that moment

It was not that the king held his head high under the brutal weight of the crown It was that the crown was the spine of iron that kept the king from bending before the onslaught of the world The king and the crown couldnÆt exist apart They were one and the same They were a symbol

Then it shifted again There was another light in the dim darkness Suddenly the crown wearer was the grim reaper He reached for the world and grasped it and slowly all wilted and died That was reality Strangely this king suddenly had AltaÆs face

To have power is to consume Those that consume the most will control how this world ends

Randidly shivered bringing himself out of his image training After getting a feel for his Mana and Stamina Randidly opened his eyes and looked at the darkness once more With a great effort of will he kept it all quiet None of his self seeped out of his body and into the darkness to be reflected back at him

But perhaps that wasnÆt true was it

Slowly those strange fireflies came out of the darkness drifting around Randidly With half lidded eyes he waited for one to drift close The bits of light moved randomly and disappeared just as quickly so it was a long time coming The minutes ticked slowly past his Skill reminding him of every wasted second Yet Randidly did not leave the strange distraction

These were interlopers Where had they come from Why was Randidly seeing them Were they from the room Were they from the strange Aether of this world Or

Were they something else Something strange or sinister or beyond understanding

YouÆve been in here too long Randidly whispered to himself Your thoughts are going melodramatic

The words were enough to disperse those lights Anything was enough to drive those lights away So once more the inky liquid dark flowed back That was the trick wasnÆt it Like a gas people and images expand to fill the space they are given At first when he was alone here his own images spread and filled the space around him What he was thinking within spread to fill without

But then RandidlyÆs sensitivity toward images had grown more profound His Control finally grew accustomed to engaging with images Therefore he could control himself to pull those images back within himself

What then was left to expand to fill the air

After fifteen minutes of self control those strange lights came back Randidly thought of them as lights because they were aberrations that contained substance and color But they were images werenÆt they

Coincidentally one formed in front of RandidlyÆs left eye His emerald iris expanded as the pupil contracted He looked and he saw within

An old man stood by a large dog something so large and shaggy it could very well be a wolf It panted its tongue lolling outside of its mouth Grimacing the old man hefted the worn hatchet onto his shoulder

Move quickly Aims The rain is coming Æ

They increased their pace Very soon the old man made it to a grave of trees trees so large that it would take you a minute to walk around them These trees stretched up almost fifty meters into the sky

After spitting on his hands and rubbing them together the man approached the huge tree with the small hatchet Its blade was only as big as a fist It obviously couldnÆt

The manÆs eyes suddenly became sharp pinpricks of red light

Part for me oh tree

The man swung the hatchet The whole strange world Randidly was seeing began to tremble The ax blade didnÆt change but the entire world seemed to shrink as it cut forward Without any resistance it slashed through the trunk and the momentum of that blow continued forward

It was peerlessly sharp So sharp that everything began to unravel around Randidly At some point the world fell to pieces and then the plane of existence When there was nothing left but Randidly he was cut too

Fuck me Randidly cursed blowing all of the Stamina he had gained over the last he checked his Skill

He had been viewing that strange little image for almost an hour And really all he had been rewarded with was a terrible headache

Breathing out Randidly leaned back against the stone It wasnÆt a large or a long thing that Randidly had seen within that shard of time caught in that pinprick of life The man in it had seemed human but it was difficult to judge those things anymore Was Randidly truly human any longer

But what was strange was that when the old man had swung his small hatchet he hadnÆt thought that the hatchet was sharp or powerful No the old man had just had a stray thought that the bonds that hold everything together were weak

When he swung it was not overpowering It was a reminder of the frailty of relationships and accomplishments In just a single swing one thousand worlds could change as they remembered their own weakness

How strange Randidly reflect Where had that come from

It served as a strange honing of his own images somehow Randidly felt After seeing that strange old man take a swing at a tree one hundred times the size of himself it instilled in Randidly that the trick wasnÆt overpowering the world with an image Or at least that wasnÆt necessary

Rather all you needed to do was convince the world that you are being honest A genuine image could change the world

Still the headache seemed to linger even as Randidly slowly eased away from his focus and allowed time for his brain to rest If Randidly could find more images in those motes of light all the better

But right now

He did not have time to play around

With an effort of will Randidly brought his hand around to look at it

Chapter 734

There was one step of this plan of RandidlyÆs that was the most difficult It was not the construction of the array to free himself from this prison and it wasnÆt creating a garden to grown kindling so he could see what was going on

No of all the tasks the one that seemed the most difficult to Randidly was to create the spark that would light that fire

At first Randidly had completely overlooked this as an issue After all even if he was weakened he had several Skills that produced fire Although he wasnÆt able to display the full power of such Skills right now he could still produce fire

But then Randidly had attempted it And although he could achieve brief bursts of flame

Was that enough to ignite his kindling

Brief bursts of heat were good for inflicting damage and rapidly depleting something of hydration But most of that heat would dissipate or be absorbed as the water in something was burned away It was only after that water was driven away that something would truly ignite In order to achieve that heat needed to be constantly above a certain temperature for a lengthier amount of time

That wasnÆt possible with the rate at which he burned through Mana Therefore it needed to be supplemented somehow The less useful option would be to use his Grasp of the World Seed to seize some plant life and then use the slowly smoldering plant as part of his heat That plan had merit but the heat of the plant being consumed had never seemed overly powerful in the times Randidly had used it

As the first option seemed so unappealing Randidly had focused most of his effort on the second plan empowering fire with images

The issue with this was RandidlyÆs continued inability to hold a strong image of light or fire while he could clearly see the heavy darkness around him Therefore he had to wait until he had enough Mana to gather a spark and see how he could empower that small spark with a powerful image of fire

It was hard there was no doubt about that However Randidly was already seeing progress

Incendiary Bolt

Instead of shooting it Randidly simply condensed the superheated bar of metal in his hand At that moment RandidlyÆs emerald eyes shined in the darkness Again he remembered the vast power of a world burning to dust Although it rapidly depleted its strength that stretch of time saw fire rise to unbelievable heights of power FireÆs ability to consume and grow was beyond doubt

But that was not what Randidly was doing here was it No Randidly was crafting a fire not to consume but to nurture What it was nurturing was other fire but still

The two seconds passed and RandidlyÆs glowing hand once again went dark

Expression thoughtful Randidly turned and looked at the ceiling Fire was strong and focusing on that strength was one way of improving his image Another was to focus on how fire would look feel sound etc

But why did fire burn

As Randidly exerted his will even more forcefully against the world that was the question that the world seemed to ask back

So he closed his eyes and let himself expand From his past Randidly saw campfires and candles He saw forest fires and volcanoes He saw his coat catch on fire and used his fingers to put out a birthday candle

His eyes opened Fire burned because it was the release of energy A substance of condensed energy was broken down to create heat and light Randidly wasnÆt overly concerned with the chemical nature of the cascading chain reaction that propagated fire it was enough to understand that substance was broken down and energy was released

In the darkness Randidly slowly smiled Which meant it was part of a cycle Where the other half was energy being consumed to create substance Interesting

It wasnÆt a way to directly contest the Ashen Image and its influence but Randidly would keep the role that fire played balancing substance and energy in mind

But with this lead RandidlyÆs path forward was clear what he needed to do was construct the substance of what was burning if he wanted his image to have true weight After all all of the images that Randidly had of powerful fires stemmed from a fuel on another magnitude altogether

The Ashen Image after all came from an entire world building

So as RandidlyÆs Mana slowly came back he constructed what would burn What was a world to him What was the substance he carried in himself Burning his Class or Soulskill even as just an image seemed dangerous No perhaps it would be better to stay away from System related things It was difficult to predict how that would turn out

Perhaps a relationship One of the thick lines of karma he could see Or

In the core of Randidly he found a floating figure The powerful image he had spent much of today refining for detail but which also held a great deal of emotional weight and memories

His mother if only in likeness Randidly paused Then he did his best to stop thinking about the ramifications of that It felt right

The timing would be important but other than that all he would need to do is let his inner images see it through

The burning of his mother Some part of Randidly twitched just thinking about it Sure she had put him through so much shit in his lifetime but she was still his mother She had given birth to him There was really no harm in what Randidly was about to do but it didnÆt feel like that It felt like this strange mental act of rebellion was forbidden It was a sacrilegious act of violence

Randidly bared his teeth That was of course where the power of burning it would come from It was also while the Phantom he was slowly constructing for himself would be powerful Because it signified something real that was lost to the darkness

But to begin Randidly needed his mother Wide green eyes Wavy dark hair to her shoulders A smile that only the charming troublemakers were able to pull off Tall and slender for a woman but shorter than him

Then Randidly went in for the detail Her perfectly white teeth from dental habits bordering between meticulous and obsessive The bags under her eyes The reddening knuckles of her hands as she aged The perpetual frown she wore when she was trying to read

The echoing sound of her laughter as she was in another room with one of her many male friends at night

With his Mana back Randidly once more called for an Incinerating Bolt This time he held that fire underneath his mother and watched as she slowly burned away

Her skin rapidly dried and crackled Then it flaked and smoked Then slowly her flesh caught fire Her hair was rapidly consumed by the flames The fat and skin on her body seemed to evaporate and leave ghastly white bone Her clothes were lost in the hot conflagration around her

The heat grew more and more intense because even after her face had burned away to leave the skull underneath Randidly still could recognize it as his mother Gritting his teeth Randidly pressed with his will urging the fire ever higher The laughter continued to echo joined by the tickling of a clock

Those noises repeated until they lost meaning as the body was warped With blazing eyes Randidly witnessed every second of the changes

If what fire does was reduce a substance to energy take it all away Wipe away the mark of my motherÆs memory from my images Randidly thought passionately Burn it all away

The skeleton bubbled and popped The pure white of the bones began to fade into a dirty yellow The bony fingers curled upward The spine hunched forward Wreathed in flames the skeleton seemed to writhe like a piece of bacon on a hot skillet

Fifteen seconds RandidlyÆs Skill interrupted

The illusion was shattered His Mana long spent the fire he held in his hand went out His image collapsed with it the heat and light dispersing instantly

But Randidly began to laugh Fifteen seconds At most his Mana was able to support two or three seconds of flickering heat and light To increase that amount by five fold

It remained to be seen whether that heat would be enough to light a fire but it was definitely a start More than that though Randidly had also gained very useful from the image With delicate care Randidly plucked that image of a twisted and haunted skeleton and pulled it out of the fire

Then he traveled deep into himself finding the endless fields of frigid ash There he wrapped the skeleton in hundreds of layers of the ash until it seemed to function as a core of a desolate world

IÆll be back for you later Randidly promised Then after a brief hesitation Randidly reached out through the inner pathways he had discovered and found the connection he had to Acri It had been a great relief to discover these because it meant that Acri and Sulfur hadnÆt been destroyed

But Randidly spread the vicious image of sharpness that Acri was eternally pursuing and spread it across the surface of the giant ball of ash

For good luck

Chapter 735

Perhaps it was the darkness perhaps it was isolation perhaps it was the lack of capability that he was so suddenly afflicted with but in the wake of burning his of creating his new image for a Phantom he felt strange To himself he felt suddenly alienated

It was the same feeling that one experienced when sleep would not come to your mind even while your body drifted off Very soon your perception seemed to narrow to a small point If you remained completely still that point of you ness would shrink even further and your body would seem to stretch around you like a cumbersome coat

You couldnÆt move without it but in those moments it seemed unnecessary It seemed like it was less a portion of yourself and merely a covering

That was how Randidly was feeling except with his personality In the dark space continually refining his images and only shuffling around in controlled bursts he was losing a sense of perspective on himself

Exacerbating the strangeness was RandidlyÆs continued struggles with the Ashen Image that still seemed to dominate all of himself His images were growing stronger but that did little to unseat the feeling of ash as the dominant force in his inner space Those burnt Skills remained an ominous memorial to his past self and reinforced the feeling of helplessness before the Ash

What he needed was a large and specific force that could combat the creation of ash Fire was easy and specific It burned substance and produced energy and ash

What then was the force that took energy and ash and created substance

Previously he had broad themes like growth as the counter to fire Yet growth was extremely difficult as an image for Randidly After all what was growth It was the huge culmination of hundreds of chemical processes that enable a plant to evolve Not at all simple Easy to picture but the picturing was only half the image The other half was the truth

So beset by the pressing feeling of strangeness and the question of how to counter the image of ash Randidly gently checked the topsoil of his little plot of land for good luck

Instantly his hand paused over the seed unwilling to touch and somehow break what was happening Was that a change It had been three days It wasnÆt so strange if things finally started to work

Randidly burned his Stamina to spread some water into the soil and then leaned back with a satisfied smile It might be worthless for image training but to escape the strangeness and buy time to think of a counter image his Soulskill was ideal

With a thought he slipped inside himself

Within this world his Perception was almost all encompassing He obviously couldnÆt pay attention to everything at once but Randidly could focus on distant parts of the Soulskill and see things with great clarity he was the ultimate voyeur

However watching wasnÆt the point What he needed was some sort of activity he could do that would take up his attention and free up his subconscious to reground itself Maybe once this feeling of self alienation fled he could find the image he needed

With those goals in mind Randidly considered the series of lands balanced on the world tree in front of him It had been four months in this worldÆs time since he had visited with Alta and Creta but he wasnÆt particularly interested and spending time with them Alta still made Randidly somewhat uncomfortable and Creta had made it clear that she intended to stay at AltaÆs side and see her journey to its conclusion

But from Creta Randidly had gathered some background information of the current state of his Soulskill The seven lands in order from top to bottom were currently laid out like this the Land of Ghosts The Land of the White Hunters the Land of Spriggits the Land of Weavers the Land of Monsters the Land of the Earth Golems and then the lowest Land inhabited by Soulless

A little over five years ago in the Soulskill a great leader had emerged amongst the Earth Golems and had rapidly changed their society Due to the increasingly warlike tendencies of those below them the Monster Race and soon the Weavers entered into a war with the Earth Golems This eventually resulted in a stalemate which was only broken when the Spriggits entered the war

About a year ago the Earth Golem leader was defeated Even now the Earth Golem Land was a broken and ruined place It was a slow thing picking up the pieces after you were ransacked by an army of foreigners

And for whatever reason that drew Randidly Because what he was looking for was the force that built things back up after they had been destroyed It was all very well to say something pleasant like hope or the human spirit but that wasnÆt the point The point was the image

So Randidly Progenitor of the entire world stepped and found himself in the Land of the Earth Golems He wondered if there was a place he could sign up as a migrant worker

Understand you would be mainly required to engage in exhausting physical activity Allica Urn said regarding the rather wiry man before her with some disbelief He wasnÆt even wearing boots for godÆs sake Did he think he was a White Hunter Our group mainly sifting through the wreckage of some of the old forts or hauling stone from the quarries If you canÆt keep up youÆll get cut No excuses

That should be fine The man said scratching at his black hair

Allica did her best not to stare too openly at his hair As an Earth Golem she didnÆt have any hair Monsters had hair and she believed that this man was of the Monster lineage but it was generally shaggy and unkempt on monsters Yet this monster had Spriggit hair Although it was shorn rather short it was still straight and silky nothing like the matted fur that most monsters sported

Also I can guess you are of the monster race Our peoples are healing after the war ThatÆs probably why you are here But just know even if you run with our crew people will give you a hard time for what you are There is a single rule in our group no violence So no matter how you are treated if you raise a single finger against anyone and I mean anyone youÆll be out Got it

Got it The man even had the gall to smile at her

Allica barely restrained herself from shaking her head For all that this guy seemed enthusiastic he also seemed like he didnÆt have enough meat on his bones to last out the week And Progenitor knows she needed bodies Desperately Sandstorm season was approaching and the interim government had ordered the huge population of refugees that had flooded the new capital back to their old villages

But how could those people survive when the Spriggit mechs had been so thorough in annihilating all habitable buildings between the Upper Lands and Hall the Broken City

As the leader of a small group dedicated to assisting the move Allica was doing all she could to prevent the catastrophe that she could predict all too well When she was young she had witnessed even a hardened warrior flayed to nothing by the vicious winds of the sandstorms that routinely crossed their land

It was a harsh land they lived in But Allica knew that was why her people were strong That is why they would recover from this

well if thereÆs nothing else you ready to start immediately Oh whatÆs your name friend

The man seemed surprised at first but then he nodded IÆm Randidly ItÆs nice to meet you

Allica just grunted and waved her hand If you are coming grab one of the ponchos by the door We will need to head out of the hills to reach the site

Nodding the man picked up one of the ponchos and draped it across his body Although he was of a height with Allica he probably was half as wide and only weighed one third as much Allica barely suppressed a snort as she looked up and down at the strange Monster Randidly that was completely buried underneath the heavy layer of canvas and leather of the poncho

She did notice however that he did not grab a pair of boots Inwardly Allica shrugged If he wanted to lose his feet that was his business Even though it made her heart hurt to imagine what could she do if he was going to be a dumbass about it

Besides AllicaÆs heart had hurt far too much over the past few years This small tingle barely registered at all

In spite of the heavyweight that Allica carried in her chest she forced her body to mechanically put on her personal poncho and boots After some small adjustments so every opening was properly covered she beckoned at Randidly and opened the door

Alright letÆs get going YouÆre probably the only person dumb enough to take the job so letÆs end todayÆs recruitment early ItÆs going to be a long walk

Chapter 736

Randidly was shocked by the power of the winds He had arrived in the refugee camp by simply willing himself there but since arriving in the Earth Golem Land he had fully intended to move everywhere the old fashioned way

Within ten minutes Randidly was reconsidering that decision

The refugee camp was built in the middle of some low hills so the winds outside of the buildings there were annoying but manageable But following after the grim faced Allica the two of them quickly headed out of the hills into what Randidly originally assumed to be a savannah type biome composed primarily of scrub grass and squat cactuses

It was so much worse than that

As soon as they were out of the leeward side of the hills the wind found them and brought its friend sand with it Normally this wouldnÆt have been anything worth fussing over but Randidly felt a strange stirring in himself as he witnessed the wind and sand combination

It was faintly imbued with his own image of Sharpness With wind moved in sharp slashes and cutting undercurrents doing everything it could to rip through the poncho and tear his skin After only a few minutes his feet stung terribly and a scowl settled onto his face

Luckily he had followed AllicaÆs lead and fastened the strangely binding poncho all the way He felt like a fool wearing this glorified bastard child of a straight jacket and a small tent but it certainly kept the wind off of his body

But RandidlyÆs stats ultimately made the danger meaningless It was simply a light sting So he followed after Allica inwardly wishing she would pick up the pace

After about two hours the pair arrived at a spot that looked completely ordinary to Randidly There were a few cactuses around them and a crack in the ground but otherwise it was just another windswept patch of land But Allica pulled up and announced We are here

At first Randidly was quite sure that he had misheard due to the keening of the wind He just stood and looked at Allica out of the hood of his poncho

Allica seemed to sense RandidlyÆs confusion There was only a small opening in for her face but Randidly could see her eyes soften as she looked at him with dawning recognition Ah you have never been to our land before have you

There were a few seconds without any noise aside from the wind then The two regarded each other Randidly was simply nonplussed but Allica seemed to be searching for something in his face Eventually she sighed

It is admirable then you have chosen to come help in our time of need For all of my people I thank you But then I am even more troubled by your ability to help Come I will show you Witness the true blow that the Coalition Army struck against our Land

Allica turned and approached the crack in the ground and began to lower herself into it Quickly Randidly followed There was a series of rock shelves that functioned like giant stairs that curved around on itself leading deeper into the crack The roof was pretty close to his head as Randidly lowered himself but at least it was an escape from the vicious wind

After about twelve of the shelves they arrived at a stone path that hugged the wall of this underground gorge Below them to the left the crack opened wider and continued downwards into darkness In front of them

It would have been easier to understand if we had walked around to witness the front of this waystation where trade would enter Allica said softly Suddenly out of the wind her voice seemed to echo off of the walls in an ominous manner But that entrance is completely collapsed so it would have been another half hour of walking just to see the sights When there is work to be done such waste is directly working against our interests Still you should understand from seeing it from this angle

The path sloped downward and broadened to form something akin to a road that led forward through this strange gorge Although small there were spots that opened to the wider world above so some light filtered down Whereas back and to the left the crack led to the depths that distance narrowed in front of them so there was a connection between the two sides of the gorge And it seemed that someone had carved a city into the walls here

And then set off several tons of C4

Most of the buildings were in pieces forming a substantial pile of rubble in the middle of the road blocking it off quite near to where it formed Adding insult to injury it looked like the walls above the carved buildings had been collapsed down on top of everything so there were simply huge boulders precariously perched on top of the building rubble complicating the matter of excavating the area

Below Randidly could spot about two dozen individuals carefully hauling away bits of rock around a particularly large boulder seemingly trying to create a lane for it to roll out into the portion of crack that would fall below

Because otherwise how would they get it out of this place

Before the war this way station housed almost one hundred thousand people As if that wasnÆt important enough this also gave a place for civilians to stop on long journeys across the plains between our great cities Without these way stations it is almost a three day journey from one city to another For the normal person that is torture during our calm season and during sandstorm season it is emphatically impossible

Randidly stayed silently slowly absorbing what Allica was saying He wondered if her gaze earlier meant something that he had missed Was she expecting something in particular from him

In AllicaÆs sigh Randidly heard a reflection of a wariness that he felt all the time The wariness of feeling solely responsible for the lives of others you will be assigned under Kurag IÆll introduce you but it will be up to you to earn your place with him DonÆt make me regret bringing you out here

As the light in the sky slowly faded Allica walked stiffly past the rather boisterous fires of the common laborers to the surveyorÆs tent It wasnÆt much more than treated alpaca leather across wooden poles but it reached three meters of height Compared to the meter high sleeping tents that were provided to the workers it certainly was a palace

She did notice that while Randidly was only eating quietly he was well within the circle of the men They roared in raucous laughter at some joke and Kejt even pounded on the monster manÆs back Randidly took it without even moving from the blow and a ghost of a smile danced across his face

With the uncanny knack of a perceptive individual RandidlyÆs eyes slid up and met AlicaÆs gaze Even from the fifteen meters in between them the vivid emerald of his eyes was clear

It wasnÆt just the silky hair possessed by SpriggitÆs that Allica was fascinated by She also was spellbound at the gem like gazes that some other races possessed And of all that she had encountered this RandidlyÆs was the most enchanting

His eyes reminded Allica of the many stories that her grandmother had told her of spring in their old world before the Progenitor had moved them to this land All fresh grass and cool dew

But Allica turned away and shook herself Even in the flickering light of the fire she saw how much rubble still remained Here for almost a week and they had only accomplished a third of what they had intended There simply werenÆt enough volunteers to help from the refugees Allica was forced to rely on spending some of her own money to fuel the expedition And that money

Her expression turned bitter as her thoughts turned to Tal Urn her brother But as she entered into the surveyorÆs tent she wiped the expression off of her face Her three surveyors were already within sipping fermented milk from small wooden cups They nodded as she entered

Allica wasted no time getting down to business Her sharp gaze shifted to Kricsk How goes clearing the road

Poorly He rumbled Of them all Kricsk was the tallest Had he been standing his head might have pushed up the cloth roof of the tent It is as you see all that is free has been moved Now if we take away the bottom the pile collapses And to climb and remove the stone dangerous

It was as she expected so Allica didnÆt bother to reply Instead her gaze turned to Norm

Norm shrugged Some of the buildings that have been revealed spread very deeply into the walls of the gorge There were some collapses but those have been cleared In total I expect almost a hundred souls can fit in there About double if we must But without more buildings to clear my men have started helping Kricsk and KuragÆs men

And you Kurag Allica asked The news that their week of work could only house two hundred people struck directly at her chest How goes the exploration of the Great Under

The great under was a network of tunnels and ruins that stretched across the whole of the Earth GolemÆs Land However it was not made by the Earth Golems Or at least not the current generation AllicaÆs grandmother used to hypothesize that the Great Under was an old remnant

A remnant of a tomb One erected for the Great Emperor who held such power that the Progenitor himself walked down from the sky to meet him

Kurag was old oldest of them all of AliccaÆs grandmotherÆs generation His skin was turned to leather by the wind and his voice was raspy and deep it goes well The new boy you assigned to me is very efficient He is sure footed and strong He has found trails in the Great Under that lead to other buildings we have not yet unearthed I suspect if we have NormÆs group clear them we may house almost one thousand people here

Alicca gaped Both at the news of RandidlyÆs capability and because of the windfall of finding room for one thousand people ThatÆs great

No Kurag interrupted His eyes were sharp It is not

Chapter 737

Allica frowned at Kurag What do you mean

I mean that his Strength is too high I did not see or hear him moving the rocks Yet when I came to inspect his path it was completely clear No rubble was left All was cleanly tossed into the chasm And he had cleared almost twenty no closer to thirty times as much ground as Kejt He has Strength enough to have been in the High KingÆs Court

Do not say that title Allica hissed Not even here just among us But I still fail to see your point He is capable what else is there to know

It is where his Strength comes from Norm said with a sigh Have you met his gaze That boyÆs hands are soaked in blood We we simply worry on what battlefield he has tempered himself The Monster Race is constantly fractured fighting itself in order to reveal young heroes every generation If he were to have grown to power in such a garden that is fine Admirable even But

AllicaÆs blood ran cold She had thought about this possibility but his body seemed so scrawny and frail With the way that he was so unused to the weather Alicca had been convinced that he had never been to this Land before

Or perhaps his previous trip had been entirely within a mech

If he fought in the last war Allica said urging her racing heart to calm Would that truly be a crime Even if it is through guilt if it motivates him to help us now

You would take their pity Kurag sneered

Now AllicaÆs heart settled That weight in her heart seemed to radiate out from herself filling the whole room I would save the lives of thousands at the cost of my own pride yes That is why we all yet live is it not Because we made that choice

To that no one in the room had an answer

Finally Kricsk scratched his neck and said Well perhaps switching him to my unit would be best If he is that strong he could help clear out the main road If we make progress there

Out of the question Kurag said But then the old man sighed Perhaps you are right Perhaps borrowing his Strength is all we can do for now But I must insist he remains under my supervision It is clear to me that none of you would be capable of even slowing him down should he turn out to be a spy

Allica could only shake her head This paranoia it was clearly pointless But in the face of KuragÆs stubbornness there was nothing she could say But before they parted for the night she did turn to Kurag and ask Even if we couldnÆt stop him do you really think you could Kurag

KuragÆs grin turned his face into a labyrinth of leather wrinkles Never underestimate an individual who has lived as long as I have Allica

RandidlyÆs second and third days proceeded much as the first two had gone During the day he wandered the strange meandering passages in the ground that connected this partially collapsed city With his Grasp of the World Seed he could feel the plant life within the surrounding area and feel the areas where the collapses were the worst He went to those and cleared away the rubble

Mostly he simply reached out and touched the stones Such was the instant heat he could produce that the stone was instantly vaporized Scraps of burnt carbon floated away carried away by the slight breeze that reached even down into this deep crevasse

At night Randidly ate with the other laborers and listened to them They talked and joked and boasted but it soon became clear to Randidly that they were struggling under the weight of too much stress and a deep sense of powerlessness Yet also duty weighed importantly on their hearts

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes watched waiting for some sort of sign of what he should do for his own issues

Answers didnÆt come easily but Randidly didn’tÆ really expect them to This was complicated by the fact that the group didnÆt really trust him Not that he could blame them for that Their people had recently lost a terrible war to what they assumed his people to be Even now their task was to excavate the corpse of their own fractured civilization

To that endeavor Randidly felt a deep sympathy So he utilized some of the benefits of his office to increase the speed at which they worked Besides his own paths that he cleared Randidly also had begun secretly helping out others Very soon they would reach paths that were miraculously without damage after the brutal attack that came on this waypoint

Randidly wanted them to value him but not so much that they would be suspicious

Honestly by day four it seemed like he had missed his mark

IÆll be accompanying you today The tall goliath named Kurag said Your work has been less than satisfactory We shall see if there are any ways that I can help you improve

Inwardly Randidly grimaced But he said nothing Instead he allowed a bit of worry to his face and nodded hurriedly

Contrary to expectations however Kurag stopped dead Oh Interesting You could sense the lie eh Well fine cards on the table I do not trust you Should you prove dangerous I want to be near you so I can shove you into the chasm

That brought Randidly up short Kurag grinned at him

Do you find it difficult to work when you feel a threat hanging over your head Well well Perhaps we have more in common than I had thought

Ultimately Randidly decided to ignore Kurag and continue with his work Most of the heavy annihilation of rubble had already been accomplished so it was largely just exploration and mapping It was somewhat a hassle to actually carry the stones back to the giant hole to throw them away but it was a small price to pay to remain relatively harmless seeming

At the very thought of him being harmless in this world Randidly chuckled

When the work of the day was done once more the laborers gathered to eat the perpetual stew they had boiling Without even saying goodbye Kurag wandered toward the central tent Snorting Randidly sat down at his usual spot

Kejt sat down right next to him Ehehe thanks for the help softskin

RandidlyÆs mouth quirked up at the nickname the other laborers had given him Oh What did I do

The boys had a pool as to whether you would suffer an accident while supervised by Kurag It happens more often than you would think with that one The pressure of being watched does something to a person Kejt said with a gleeful grin on his face

Does it now Well I suppose IÆm lucky Randidly stretched out a hand

Ha my lucky charm Kejt bellowed slapping RandidlyÆs hand and placing half of his winnings into his palm We will make a killing if you can convince him to follow you around for another day

My half of below is almost finished Most of it was pretty clear past the initial collapses Randidly said pocketing the money Not that he needed it but it was slightly amusing to him to swipe away these workers spare coin

Aye we found that as well Kejt said with a nod A lucky charm for the whole expedition Before you came men were thinking about running away in the night The labor seemed endless Who would have guessed that this place was just playing hard to get eh Without the main road the city will not be appealing to traders but it will work just fine as a place to live during the sandstorms

Are the sandstorms really that bad Randidly asked changing the subject

For you It means only death softskin Kejt announced pressing his fist against his chest Then he winked at Randidly For us also death None but the strongest warriors survive out there And even then it is only for short spans of time

Why donÆt you leave Randidly asked quietly his gaze turning serious This had been a question plaguing him as he wandered around the dark tunnels with the spooky sound of the wind as his only company These workers were throwing themselves at the work with an abandon that spoke of deep desperation in their life And yet that desperation was a desperation to fix the place where they were this broken series of waypoints and fallen cities

So why did they stay

That you ask that proves you have never known an Earth Golem Kejt said slapping his knee Why are you so stubborn Why do you stay in that barren Land Why do you always ride to war

For dramatic effect Kejt paused Then when he spoke it was with a different voice His timbre was deeper almost resonant It filled the small space between them and seemed to resonate with the stones on which they sat Abruptly Randidly felt that when Kejt spoke these words he would speak with a voice that came not from himself but from something much larger than a single life could be Because it is so Because it is all weÆve known Because we’re damn good at it

Chapter 738

Is it possible Dozer rumbled considering the boy in front of him

Nathan squirmed but not from the observation Well yes it is possible You have purposefully kept yourself at Level 49 so the switch can still be made but it will require energy More than I have IÆll have to call Neveah hey can you ask her to stop that

Amused Dozer said Delilah Come to daddy

Abuu Came his daughter’s cheerful reply The almost two year old stopped manifesting the mage lights that she had somehow picked up and tottered slowly over toward Dozer She could speak brief phrases but when she was young she very quickly got into the habit of emoting most of her actions Honestly Dozer believed it somewhat admirable His daughterÆs constant announcements of her mood were a breath of fresh air after her mother

He picked up the girl who was still small enough to fit inside a single hand Or perhaps DozerÆs Soulskill had pushed him to grow beyond the limits of the human body He now stood at almost three meters of height and weighed close to four hundred pounds Every inch of it was muscle

When Delilah raised her hands toward the sky Dozer picked her up without even a hint of exertion Casually he bounced his daughter into emitting delighted coos

Did you need to bring her Nathan asked a frown on his face He was now a teenager and the angular angst of that age was full in his face Dozer smiled wanly and nodded

Bah IsnÆt she one of the only babies in Donnyton Surely there is a woman somewhere that would love to watch her Nathan complained

ThatÆs why she learned Mage Lights Dozer said slowly We left her too long in the arms of another

In this Dozer and Annie were united in their fury It was disgusting to both of them that their daughterÆs first Skill be Mage Lights But of course Clarissa found the whole thing hilarious After they discovered this the two parents took raising their child much more seriously Because Nathan was right although a bit sexist everyone wanted to fawn over DonnytonÆs first baby

There had been a few babies since but Delilah would always be spoiled Dozer expected Which was not what he had in mind In order to combat that he had already brought her into the forest to pick up some stones for strength He was also in the midst of teaching her to throw a punch

Her first Skill might be Mage Lights but Dozer would be damned if her second wasnÆt Heavy Blow

I brought you something as payment Dozer said bringing NathanÆs eyes back away from Delilah to his own

Oh you didnÆt have to I would have done it for free Nathan said while his whole face brightened at the prospect of a gift Chuckling Dozer flexed his hand and produce a package He carefully handed it over to Nathan

The boy ripped it open immediately revealing a long black tunic that hissed slightly as it shifted around in his hands

Made of blackscale Some of the best new stuff out of Donnyton Dozer said shortly Even I canÆt cut through that stuff the metal rings are too tight Plus it was blessed to increase Perception and Reaction

Not that Dozer would need to cut through anything to do damage But it was a fitting gift Doubly so because the boy immediately took off his shirt and put it on Dozer had made some guesses on the size and it seemed he had aired on the side of too large That was good Nathan would still grow some this year Hopefully it would be wearable for more than a few months

How long will it take Dozer asked gently He was a man of few words but he knew that this meeting with Nathan wouldnÆt proceed if he didn’tÆ push forward

Nathan blinked and then seemed to consider it If all goes well maybe eight hours If itÆs more complicated than I expect as many as three days If we want to do it we should contact Nevaeh immediately

I will do so

For the next five minutes Dozer simply played with Delilah while Nathan disappeared into the back of his shack They were currently in Azaela the town erected in the remnants of an old dump by the people trapped in monster bodies It was the Sunset festival and Dozer hoped to get a little bit of vacation while he was out here

There was a light knock on the door and then it immediately swung open Annie strolled in eating a funnel cake and holding an extremely large handmade teddy bear

Mama Delilah screeched even as Dozer gave Annie a disapproving look

Oh boohoo So what if they made the games so easy I could accomplish them in my sleep ThatÆs their own fault Annie said sticking her tongue out at Dozer IÆll have you know that aside from me not a single person has won that toss game I drummed up business by proving it could be done They would probably thank me if they could

As you say Dozer said with a barely suppressed smile Annie stood on her tiptoes and Dozer pressed his lips to her forehead Then she kneeled next to Delilah as the little girl excited crawled all over the teddy bear that was probably double her size

Want to take her around Annie asked not looking at Dozer

Dozer shook his head Annie’s mouth twitched

I can only stay for another few hours I need to get back to Donnyton Annie said in a low voice We can’t get a grasp what that fucking floating city Ifrenne is thinking but something big is going down in that Danger Zone of theirs Everyone with a danger sense can point toward it like a compass toward due North From what we can tell Drake should be there but Sydney wonÆt

No work talk Dozer rumbled drily A few more hours of vacation

Annie gave him a scathing look YouÆve certainly become domestic havenÆt you In the old days you would have charged toward a problem and slammed your head against it

Now I just need to pick you up and toss you at a problem Your head is harder than mine Dozer said with a shake of his head As if to demonstrate his point his left hand snaked around her waist and lifted her off the ground

Annie huffed and opened her mouth but before she could speak Nathan came back into the room and frowned at both of them Did you just come in and leave my door open Why Oh

A figure loomed in the doorway wrapped up in a trenchcoat There was not a speck of flesh visible What wasnÆt covered by the tan trenchcoat or the hat was wrapped in bandages For several seconds Nathan just goggled at the figure

Grinning Annie tipped her head backward Well if you are busy here and I have to leave how do you feel about leaving Lila with Uncle T

Dozer pressed his mouth into a line If Neveah hadnÆt informed him she would be over immediately he would have taken his daughter out himself As it was well the girl deserved to experience the city

But parental fear was hard to shake He took a deep breath fine You hear that On your best behavior And if anything threatens her donÆt worry about collateral damage Take no chances

The figure saluted then beckoned to Delilah The two of them had spent some time together already so DelilahÆs eyes immediately brightened and she fast stepped toward her uncle Just that reaction told Dozer all he needed to know about how much supervision Delilah had with the figure But what could he do

Dozer needed to get back to Donnyton soon as well and if the process of upgrading his Class might take three days He had already resolved himself to this possibility There could be no incidents with condensing his Fate He needed the assistance of the energy that Randidly had access to

Oh Uncle T If something does happen Annie stood up and sauntered over to the figure in the trenchcoat She winked at him be sure to leave the perpetrator alive That individual and I will have much to discuss

Delilah say bye to Mommy and Daddy Dozer said patiently

Bye byee Delilah said not even turning her head She was speed walking out the door and was making a beeline for the loud noises and bright colors of the Sunset Festival After nodding hurriedly to Annie Uncle T chased after the little girl

Could be that a walking Skill That girl spent way too much time with Raina And she hikes all the fuck over looking for new places to paint Annie said standing by DozerÆs side Her tone was playful but Dozer could see the sadness in her eyes

Lightly as he could manage he squeezed her shoulder If we didnÆt pass her off to other people when would we put the work in to make her a little brother

Annie elbowed him with a wicked smile

In the back of the room Nathan looked at them both miserably You know IÆm still right here

Chapter 739

Why do you seem so infuriated Lucretia asked somewhat amused by the raisin like form of her mistressÆ current face

Bah and how can you be so chipper about this Are you seriously suggesting that we agree Alta hissed as she stared at the letter in her shaking hands They donÆt fear me enough to hide ItÆs humiliating

Lucretia kept the smile on her face even as the flowers of karma in AltaÆs chest slowly shifted From their thick stalks blackthorns had begun to emerge from the fragile grey exteriors And these thorns were deadly sharp

The process had started the day that Randidly had descended and sparred briefly with Alta That had lit a fire in her heart that made her wild and ferocious in a way that reminded Lucretia of AltaÆs younger years All of the jovial appreciate of life had disappeared like the curling smoke from an extinguished candle Sometimes Lucretia wondered how Alta wasnÆt eviscerated by the vicious trap that lay coiled in her chest

How was it that the brief meeting with Randidly could set her off like this Lucretia wondered

The Council of Fates had continued to be relatively quiet in recent months even though LucretiaÆs information network had caught the scent of their slowly waking What she hadnÆt expected at all was that the Council would send a letter

A letter addressed to Alta directly offering induction into the Council The letter was very explicit that the Council at large was aware that they had captured and killed major agents of the Council and that the Council of Fates was willing to extend the hand of reconciliation if Alta and Lucretia agreed to assist the Council with a certain task

The excavation of the final door resting within the Land of Ghosts

So we ignore it and continue with the refinement of your resonator Lucretia said patiently This changes nothing

This changes everything Creta Alta said Her smile twitched as she stared at the letter as if she too was struggling to keep the amiable expression on her face Of course we will do This is the only chance IÆll get to find out what they care about And once I have that It will be time to burn this whole farce to the ground wonÆt it

Randidly returned back to the Soulskill with a pleased expression on his face He felt somewhat guilty that he wasnÆt truly training right now but he did feel a strange sense of peace suffuse him while he was participating in the simple work of clearing rocks from the tunnels

Besides in the outside world his plants were growing With gentle hands he traced the half meter height of his babies It was hard to concentrate on the excitement of overcoming the limits of his prison in such a material way so Randidly didnÆt mind giving himself a break inside the Soulskill Even though remaining here would stretch the amount of time he experienced before the growth was complete it was still satisfying in a separate way

As Randidly walked out of the darkness of a tunnel and into the light of the fire Kurag looked up sharply YouÆve been gone almost an hour Surely your bowels arenÆt so weak as to flinch from a few days of travel rations

Is there any need to play civil We do not like each other I wished to spend time alone Randidly said lightly Of course for him only a few minutes seemed to pass But he had flitted out and back into his Soulskill as quickly as possible But to Kurag likely it had been quite a bit more

KuragÆs frown deepened but perhaps it was just a trick of the shadow from the fire on his face Inform me going forward You may be capable but you report to me And since you so detest our interactions shall we start to work

Randidly nodded and the two of them expertly put out the fire and packed up camp For all that Randidly was annoyed at how clingy Kurag had become he couldnÆt deny that the man was extremely capable Obviously he had spent more than a little time in the military

From there the two descended into the dark and desolate tunnels of a completely unexplored waystation Randidly and Kurag were the only two individuals for a full dayÆs walk

Unexpectedly word had gotten out that AllicaÆs group had accomplished so much in the first waystation Taking this as permission thousands of refugees had set forth from the hills to the cleared space From what Randidly could understand the Sandstorm season should start in about two weeks and it had been known to arrive early And the structures built in the hills for the refugees were not designed to withstand the fury of the Sandstorm Season

So while Allica tore her hair out trying to settle six thousand refugees she had sent out two forward groups to check two of the nearby waystations One was lead by Kejt and the other by Kurag And Kurag had been so taken with RandidlyÆs capabilities that he announced that only he and Randidly would be necessary for their team

Although Randidly wasnÆt positive he had a sinking suspicion that KuragÆs reasons for bringing him out here alone were not innocuous But at the same time was there any real chance of Randidly getting harmed in his own Soulskill

We will meet back here in six hours Kurag announced after they clambered down the strange near 45 degree angle tunnel to reach the main part of this way station Unlike the previous one this was a series of connected caves so the piles of rubble were larger and more imposing It seemed that several of the caves collapsed due to another cave system beneath this place If you run into any trouble well may the Progenitor be with you

Snickering at his own joke Kurag walked away Randidly rolled his eyes and went in a different direction Immediately he reached forward and sensed the scope of the caves in from of him with Grasp of the World Seed Then he frowned

These caves were huge

With a light jump Randidly rushed forward Almost casually he reached to either side of him to casually touch large piles of rubble and reduce them to ash as he moved through the dark caves Although he couldnÆt see Randidly had grown used to relying on his other senses to keep his balance and sense of perspective

But still Randidly was somewhat irked at the return to blackness So he easily manifested a small tongue of flame above his own head illuminating the surrounding area Standing at the far wall of what had once been one of the main caves inside of this way station Randidly peered down into the space revealed by the collapsed wall

Randidly whistled softly the sound echoing downward He took a step forward and dropped down to land lightly almost thirty meters below As Randidly landed his face immediately twisted This air this feel it was familiar although Randidly couldnÆt put his finger on why Whatever it was however immediately set his teeth on edge There was something strange here Something that called to him while he recoiled from it simultaneously

This energy For almost five minutes Randidly stood completely still It was a scent that burned at his brain This energy why was it so difficult for him to place

His first instinct was that this was the energy of the Creature but although its poisonous touch was definitely a part of it that felt wrong Where else had Randidly taken strange energies from

A dull roar finally broke the spell the energy of this place had cast over Randidly But the sound was incredibly distant In caves like these a noise like that could

Fuck me Randidly growled whipping around He pinged outward with his Grasp of the World Seed Because he had been rather confident he wasnÆt able to be harmed he hadnÆt been too thorough in his scan The area in front of Randidly was completely clear so he hadnÆt thought more about it

He had never felt a need to scan behind him

Even as he used his sense to expertly navigate through the underground tunnels RandidlyÆs senses did the best they could to lock onto the fight that was occurring in a nearby cave system There were too many moving bodies for plants to have a detailed description through the feeling of tumultuous air vibrations but there was definitely a mob attacking one figure

And from the movements the solo figure was ripping his way through them

Still when Randidly burst into the cave he witnessed a giant claw smashing into Kurag from the side Even was he was slammed to the side the Earth Golem smashed the two smaller foes that were distracting them before careening into a stalagmite with such force it cracked in half

Roaring in rage the large monster ignored the broken bodies of its smaller kin and charged toward Kurag Randidly couldnÆt help but notice that the monster itself carried a wound on its throat that would likely be fatal and still moved with an impressive amount of speed If it was this strong when it was wounded it was even more impressive when the fight began

The fact that Kurag had managed to fight off so many of these was impressive And also under RandidlyÆs more exacting examination the enemy revealed itself to be Soulless the desperate remnants of the invasion force the Creature had used In this portion of the cave the CreatureÆs energy signature was much stronger It seemed that these poor fools lived here

There was a split second where Randidly considered staying his hand and leaving Kurag to his own devices After all Kurag had made it rather clear that he would do just so much if Randidly were to encounter trouble

The next moment the Soulless was dead as RandidlyÆs spear took it in the back of the head It fell without ever realizing it had died forever stuck at the moment that it leapt toward a defenseless Kurag His Crown seemed to burn in the air above his head although Randidly made sure to suppress its image

Randidly had no true spear here so the image he had conjured quickly faded to nothing and the SoullessÆ blood fell to the ground Casually he walked over to Kurag The Earth Golem was still but Randidly knew that it was just a ploy To what end Randidly wasnÆt sure And honestly he was growing tired of these tiny suspicions

Thank you

Randidly stopped in surprise Of all the reactions from Kurag this was one that he hadnÆt expected The old man sat up and gave him a lingering look

Shrugging Randidly said You are my boss What else could I do

Chapter 740

Kurag chuckled without humor at Randidly’s comment Is responsibility always such an accurate predictor of men By that logic the Progenitor himself would come down and solve all of our problems But of course that does not happen In this world the only thing that one can count on is their own strength The fact that I had to be saved just means that age

Kurag trailed off With great care he pulled himself up on the shatter stone stalagmite into a standing position

At KuragÆs mention of the Progenitor Randidly winced internally But it was not like he could do anything about all the mistakes he had made so far in regards to his Soulskill All he could do now was work on himself moving forward The ProgenitorÆs help would do more harm than good for many You are strong Kurag These opponents

DonÆt comfort me boy Kurag spat His glare was white hot on Randidly for several seconds but then all the fight drained out of him Instead he harrumphed and seemed to test his legs

The silence stretched between them as Randidly waited to see what Kurag would do When Kurag eventually spoke the words were so out of left field that Randidly was briefly floored

Are you single Randidly

Married Children Do you have them

Randidly blinked several times looking at KuragÆs wrinkled and rough face But there were no answers there no I am single I suppose Why do you ask

When you spoke to me previously it reminded me of of something said to me by my daughter She was always proclaiming how strong I was even as I was bitter You two would likely be of an age with each other

Oh Randidly said unsure of how to respond His eyes narrowed as he looked at Kurag The bloodstains on his threadbare robes were certainly getting worse The old Earth Golem probably believed that he was permanently injured As Randidly reached for the energy of his Soulskill to craft a potion from nothing he asked a quick question to make conversation Where is she now

Dead She rode under the High KingÆs banner

Randidly winced But to his surprise Kurag kept speaking

You two would have gotten along

In spite of himself RandidlyÆs lips quirked upward With a small effort of will energy curled down into RandidlyÆs palms forming a beaker and a bright emerald liquid Kurag are you saying you would set your daughter up with me This is a pretty sudden change of heart

Bah There is no way she would have accepted you as a suitor You are far too thin Kurag said shooting Randidly a dismissive glance

which is not a no

Perhaps IÆm just feeling my age Kurag said with a sigh He gestured to his wounds To think I was so injured by this rabble and you I misjudged you Both your willingness to help and I never expected you to be a believer in the Progenitor

Well it was hard not to believe in yourself

To his the awkward expression on his face Randidly held the fully condensed potion out to Kurag Here drink this It will help with your wounds

Hmph is that why you are tiptoeing around with your words You believe me convinced of my own death Hardly When you grow as old as I am kid youÆll understand the need for an occasional change of pace That is all this discussion is Things have not changed between us But after seeing that spear attack well there are a few things that you can only know about someone by seeing them fight You did not hesitate

Randidly felt an unexpected throb of relief that the otherÆs wound wasnÆt deadly For all that Kurag was annoying there was something about the practical old man that you had to respect Grinning Randidly said Such lack of hesitation is undoubtedly reassuring in an ally

And horrifying in an enemy My people are too freshly butchered by yours for me to trust you Kurag said softly

Randidly had no answer to that so instead he asked And your daughter Was she like that Decisive

Kurag smiled slowly in the dark cave but even so the light of his pride was clearly visible She was more than that She was strong She would have crushed you in combat

Stronger than you then Randidly teased

Well no I am stronger Kurag said his face once more tightening up That is why I still live and her body lies cold and forgotten on some battlefield But in terms of bravery my daughter was far braver than I When the High King came calling she went forth to once more chase the dream of the Great Empire

Dream of an empire huh Randidly thought sardonically thinking of his growing power with his Crown and his responsibility toward Earth When it was phrased like that Randidly got a strange sense he understood He understood why the Earth Golems struggled so hard and seemed to so constantly be wracked by war and strife Because their path forward required strength more strength than could be imaged And that fighting for that strength was the only way they knew

For all that you are a religious man Kurag said turning to Randidly You are a man of the blade You are strong But not strong enough yes What you do not constantly struggle for you will lose Why did you come here boy What are you running from

And with that something side inside Randidly clicked I know where this is These caves are ruins

Kurag gave him a weird look You have been here before

Technically no but RandidlyÆs words skittered to a halt He couldnÆt very well say he knew this because he was the Progenitor but perhaps Well follow me I want to show you something

Randidly turned and hurried away purposefully moving quickly back toward the cave that he originally dropped into Kurag followed slowly and stiffly behind passing through the cleared and ashy path that Randidly left in his wake

When Kurag finally caught up Randidly had basically cleared the large cave he had initially hopped down into and set up several torches so some of it was revealed With the hint of light the room had strangely become more ominous Along the ground what had once seemed like small stones revealed themselves as crumbled bone The low hill at the center that began to sparkle as the crystal and metal that composed it was revealed

this was a battlefield Kurag said slowly His eyes scanned the small debris There were huge stones but also weapons old and rusted Bones Scars covering the ground preserved almost perfectly inside of this cave Preserved far beyond the time they should have kept for

Not just any battlefield Randidly said quietly It was the Touch from Beyond energy that set his teeth on edge That was why it was so inexorably mixed with the CreatureÆs energy here The oldest and greatest battlefield the world had known The place that the King of Monsters and the Spriggit Thief destroyed the invader and the old world was sundered And in that breaking the Seven Lands of the World Tree were born

you certainly believe some strange things That is a very unpopular retelling of the story DonÆt you think it peculiar that as a Monster you were taught to believe that the great champion in the Holy War was a Monster Kurag said scratching his chin Meanwhile there are multiple historical accounts of the great Earth Golem Emperor

No the Emperor part of it Randidly said cutting Kurag off That strange spell that he felt early was back even stronger But this isnÆt about religion It is about strength and debts The weight of a crown To help himself long ago the Progenitor beseeched the Great Earth Golem Emperor for his assistance He was the greatest warrior who ever lived in the world and he obliged only asking that his peopleÆs be guarded so they wouldnÆt be punished in the wake of his great war that unified the world

Wait why had he started talking about this Why had he brought Kurag here to see At first it was just the excitement of remembering this place this battlefield where the fight against the Creature had been pitched But now

Karma dragged him forward

Thousands of years later when the invader came the Progenitor asked once more and every race rose at his call Without the sacrifices they made the war would have been lost and this world the Progenitor himself

Now Kurag was giving Randidly an even stranger look What is it you are saying

Randidly pictured that grey flower growing in AltaÆs chest that terrible image of ash that had taken root in the attitudes of the world And strangely here with Kurag he caught the scent of a dream that ran counter to that The Dream of an Empire Was there an answer there

What IÆm saying Randidly said slowly feeling his mouth moving even as he resisted the heavyweight of karma that formed around his words That twice the Progenitor has asked and the world responded I do not consider myself religious but I promise you this someday soon the Seven Lands are going to ask of the Progenitor to pay his long owed debt to the world And I just wonder

Randidly walked slowly forward to the base of the hill where the Creature was struck down The tang of ozone was still strong here How long had it been

Why had he never thought of the karma between himself and his inner world

I just wonder what sort of world is dreamt of these days Randidly finished awkwardly

Randidly could feel KuragÆs eyes on his back but he didnÆt turn to meet his gaze He simply waited The problem of the Ashen Image was larger than he expected if he owed such an obvious debt to the world If it could convince them that only doom awaited

My daughter she believed in the Progenitor too KuragÆs voice was soft And she

Randidly felt the spark of hope forming in his chest but then Kurag trailed off He never finished that thought Instead Kurag eventually said

well we still have a job to do LetÆs try and do some more exploring before we eat dinner Kurag finally grunted Randidly nodded feeling slightly cold inside But as they made to return to the doldrums of their dark and lonely task A soft mewing wandering through the large cave

Randidly frowned What is that

Chapter 741

Rejt looked up sharply at the sound of footsteps then smiled at the approaching figures Ah softskin you have made me more money than I can spend in the wilds Truly you have become a vexing figure in my life

RandidlyÆs face twitched as he walked up toward Rejt Although he had been scowling for around six hours the Earth GolemÆs confident drawl helped lift his spirits

Kurag Rejt continued You have lost your edge In your younger years he hmm what is that creature

Randidly smash cut from a small smile to frown without any transition at all

Kurag chuckled cradling the trembling body in his arms A young soulless we believe Although it is rather feral it appears that it is still young enough to be raised as a pet Some might say its baser instincts will eventually cause it to slaughter its owners but I expect that the bugger will find Earth Golems difficult owners to kill Besides

Kurag raised his arms and the creature moved to reposition itself It was about as large as a medium sized dog but that body was long and sinewy like a marten Its beady red eyes blinked in confusion as it looked around It had sleek black fur and a large bushy tail that conveyed its expression more clearly than its face did Right now the tail stood straight up as if it were testing the air

Then its eyes landed on Randidly and it froze Randidly glowered at Kurag as the thing buried its head in KuragÆs chest

Randidly killed its parent right in front of it Truly he has instilled the fear of the Progenitor deeply inside of it Kurag said his craggy shining with amusement Randidly sourly reflected that it was just his luck that this obstinate old man would have a soft spot in his heart for cute things doubly so for ones that so thoroughly left Randidly vexed

But Randidly also found it likely that it was an old remnant of KuragÆs affection for his daughter so he couldnÆt find himself to be too mad

Ah it identified Randidly as a predator Such a creature has a great deal of cunning Rejt said immediately catching the joke He walked over and began to stroke the incredibly soft looking fur of the marten There there fella Do you like meat Here is some jerky

It took some work to get the marten to reveal its face and it immediately sniffed the proffered offering suspiciously Then its eyes brightened Within a second its short and sharp claws slashed out at RejtÆs hand

With an ease born of long practice Rejt dodged Ohoho So enthusiastic You have been crying in fear for hours have you not Undoubtedly you are famished little guy But you need to behave

As Rejt cajoled the martin Randidly shook his head in disgust and walked back toward the waystation The wind was sharp and cutting but he had grown used to it As he left the two amused Earth GolemÆs behind him his thoughts turned reflective

Truthfully Kurag didnÆt understand how accurate he was when he said Randidly had put the fear of the Progenitor in the martin From what Randidly could tell the thing could sense what he was More than that the martin could sense that it was an interloper in this world and the animosity that Randidly had with its creator

With that hidden violence between them and the vast difference in their capabilities Randidly didnÆt blame it for being instinctively petrified by his presence

Still he was disappointed for two separate reasons

One was that he would have relished the opportunity to study the life forms left in his Soulskill by the Creature He had always been suspicious of them and while he had no proof that the problem with the Ashen image and the fatalism of the world was their fault he wouldnÆt put it past the Creature to do something like that

Second well goddammit Randidly had a brief moment of excitement where he believed he had found an animal companion

After they heard the strange keening mew they had investigated the noise and discovered the martin Instantly RandidlyÆs mind was filled with daydreams about being able to walk around with the thing on his shoulder

But no sooner had he reached out than it noticed him pissed and shat itself and then passed out from the stress of seeing him

Kurag was in tears laughing after he had seen the expression on RandidlyÆs face So much so that he had insisted on bringing it along A few times on the journey Randidly had attempted to convince it that he wasnÆt a threat but

Hmm I believe I shall name you Tea Salim No you are a lady are you not How about Tessa

Randidly froze

The martin looked sharply up blinking its eyes Rejt laughed Tessa it is

Tessa Kurag said slowly while rubbing his chin A strange name indeed One I have not heard before And yet it somehow fits

A coincidence Randidly thought while listening to the two men following behind him But that seemed unlikely It was a strange name to bring up from RandidlyÆs past There was no easy answer for what it could mean for the small martin Ultimately he and Tessa had dated in the past and then the System arrived

But it did disturb him somewhat how deeply this world drew from him And at the weirdest times

If that is all Reynark Allica said slowly gesturing to the door I think itÆs time you go We are working as fast as we can There is no more

Already you have done so much I was merely inquiring if you were holding anything back Reynark said with a greasy smile Even for an Earth Golem Reynark was especially tall his head stretching to brush the top of the tent Besides there is no need to hurry I have personal business to discuss

Allica remained silent Her gaze was razor sharp in the dimly lit tent

Without batting an eye Reynark continued I am not simply the Interim Relief Administrator I also speak as a representative of my family And we believe that what we need now is a point for our people to rally around With clearing even a portion of the waystations the people approve of you

Allica closed her eyes and cut the man off No

You canÆt avoid the subject of marriage forever Reynark said his greasy smile finally vanishing You have a responsibility

My bloodline means nothing Allica muttered

Pah your brother married the High KingÆs sister I hardly think thatÆs nothing Reynark said with a harrumph

Allica gave the foppish Earth Golem a withering look It truly is nothing Their children would be related to His line but my connection is only by marriage DonÆt chase old dreams We have followed them to our deaths too many times

The people

But again Allica interrupted The people are sheep

To emphasize her point she slammed her fist on the table The heavy wood cracked

When she looked at Reynark afterward Allica was surprised to find that he was grinning A wide grin Exactly And then needed to be herded It isnÆt ideal but you can serve that purpose With my family at your back

I will not be a figurehead to lead a struggling people to another dark end Allica said tapping into the Great Skill that she understood if only a little Instantly an oppressive silence descended on the tent smothering the words before Reynark could speak them

After a few seconds Allica let off of the Skill and Reynark sighed

Allica you know the world we live in What are there but dark ends for our people At the very least I wish to follow the High King as he would have liked Fighting to find our destiny

AllicaÆs eyes narrowed into slits but she had no answer to that

Chapter 742

Ah there is one more thing Reynark said as he was about to leave He paused at the door of the tent then finally shrugged In the monster capital hostilities have broken out There was a coup But the Monster Prince is missing And without him the Royal Faction is being hunted down and killed And without them

Who knows whether the remnants of the monsters will follow the armistice Allica finished bitterly She rubbed her eyes Damnit she did not have time for this Another war now And in the remnants left by the Coalition Army the Earth GolemÆs wouldnÆt have enough centralized communication to mount a resistance They would be slaughtered

Although she hated him for forging the coalition army in the first place that Prince was the only reason

Allica paused

What does the monster prince look like

Reynark frowned and scratched his chin Well I have not seen him But I have heard you know how the monsterÆs look Like stretched out Spriggits in their royal line Pale skin Dark hair Ah and his eyes they burn like a flame

After nodding Reynark departed Immediately Allica heard him switch gears and speak warmly to some members of her crew that were nearby It almost made her spit on the ground to ward away his weaseliness

But she didnÆt There was too much work to do

Before she started however Allica lightly tapped the crack she had made in the table Eyes like flame huh Emerald flame perhaps

Tessa fetch Rejt called With a flick of his wrist he threw a metal disk high into the air along the walls of the gorge Instantly the martin dashed upwards With its sharp claws it climbed the walls as easy as other people fell through holes in the ground There was such a natural grace in her movements that it was difficult not to admire it

Somehow Randidly managed it He was the scrooge of pets he admitted to himself But he had every right to be

It had been three days since the scouting groups returned and delivered the bad news to Allica Both Waystations that she had sent men to had some manner of Soulless presence It was clear that there would be strength enough to eradicate the nests that sprung up but Allica believed that it would waste too much time Instead they had done the back breaking labor of clearing out the central boulevard here these last few days

Well when every person in the crew and soon some of the refugees werenÆt wasting time by deriving an altogether unnatural amount of amusement from how much the furry soulless pet was petrified by Randidly

When he had privately asked Allica why literally everyone made comments about it she had blithely replied You carry around your scowl like an executionerÆs ax Last night I too was stricken by a night terror where I was forced to endure your contorted soft skin visage

Then she giggled to herself a single time before coughing lightly and ordering to continue clearing rock When Allica was making jokes as well it became clear to Randidly that there was something broader going on Perhaps something cultural

Either way it was extremely annoying

With a leaping backflip Tessa spun away from the wall and caught the metal disc in her sharp teeth Her landing was immaculate and she immediately pranced back toward Rejt Many watchers clapped enthusiastically and TessaÆs movements became more arrogant and vain with every ounce of encouraging

Somehow one of the refugees had produced a brush and now TessaÆs already glossy fur was lustrous and washed Truly she looked like a designer pet from pre System Earth Although she was largely deemed too dangerous to be allowed near children most of the Earth Golems regarded the martin as harmless

And the fucking thing had very quickly learned that convincing begging would earn it addition bits of food After only three days it was beginning to look quite pudgy

Randidly suppressed an impulse to walk out and spook Tessa and instead watched as Allica appeared next to Rejt Alright no more messing around Gather up crew I have news

After the refugees shuffled away and only members of AllicaÆs group remained she announced Tonight we are going to move on from here Everything that we are capable of moving is basically moved Besides due to other issues we will be heading for Carthak There are already a lot of forces working there but due to the size of the city and the populations of other Races that have remained there

Her eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on Randidly She gave him a meaningful look Due to concerns at home the Monster Race is especially volatile right now While we are operating there letÆs all do our best to keep the peace

With a few more orders for details Allica and he crew packed up and left From the shock on the guard’s expressions Randidly could tell that Allica hadnÆt told the Administrator or whatever about her decision to move on They asked her to wait and scrambled back to report but Allica marched forward with determination

Randidly found her distaste for the political realities rather endearing Honestly it reminded him of how he had managed the early days of Donnyton But what he couldnÆt figure out was why Allica had given him that pointed look It seemed that she believed her point would be made clear Something about the situation of the monster race

I mean Allica believed that he was a member of the monster race But did she just assume that because he was he would have some sort of influence

A burst of laughter distracted Randidly He looked over to find that Tessa was whining as the sharp wind scratched at her exposed face while the Earth GolemÆs around her chuckled and gathered up to cover her with their extra fabric That might have revealed their feet for these sharp winds but the Earth Golems could withstand it much better than the young soulless

RandidlyÆs expression softened He wasnÆt sure what it was but something was changing There was a light in the eyes of AllicaÆs crew as they played with Tessa Rejt had always been bright and positive but now he was positively a force of nature constantly joking and cajoling driving the group forward

Some of the darkness of recently being broken by the combined strength of the other lands was fading A pebble in a vast stream of information and influences But now when Randidly felt episodes of the acidic heartburn the Ashen Image had given him this was enough to hold him through it

So he stayed back careful to not disturb the fun and also make himself the butt of the joke while the group journeyed

To his surprise they were not as close as they appeared to his Progenitor perspective He could obviously sense where they were heading What made him slightly embarrassed was how slow they were heading there Truly when one becomes a god of a world one will swiftly become irreparably spoiled

After two and a half days the group arrived at Carthak Before the war this was the second largest city of the Earth Golems built into the side of a mountain Kurag who still followed close near Randidly during their travels informed him that the front of the mountain used to be a work of air The facade was intricate and littered with carvings The rock had been shaped into the face of a roaring lion daring the world to come against it

Now it looked like the lion had a mountain dropped on its face

There was only crumbled rock and rubble remaining of the great facade The stones that remained were burned and broken Just like the people

As easily as it had come with TessaÆs antics Randidly couldnÆt help but notice that it left just as easily as the group looked on at the exterior of Carthak That small joy dimmed to nothing

No use standing around Allica gruffly said Get going ItÆs still an hourÆs walk away

What had once been a sad reminder of the scars of war quickly became an intimidating testament to the Spriggit MechÆs power as the group approached for another hour and the rubble towered increasingly high as the perspective shifted Randidly shielded his hand with his eyes and looked upward Before this place was destroyed it was probably as tall as a skyscraper And he didnÆt doubt it contained just as much engineering acumen

There were several small passages in the rubble that looked cleaned up and the group of thirty or so filed slowly in After a few minutes of anxiety inducing crawling and shuffling through the tight passages Randidly popped out into a large antechamber Although the lower level was lit by torches the upper levels stretched upward into darkness

It seemed that this was some sort of gathering place with levels of balconies about every ten meters in height Randidly counted eight layers of these balconies before his sight wasnÆt able to distinguish more Whistling softly he followed the group

Most of the tunnels of Carthak had collapsed so they were frequent elevation changes as the group walked on top of a collapsed roof to reach another strange cave but this area seemed pretty well maintained The other thing that Randidly quickly noticed was that there were people

A lot of them

Every tunnel was filled with people hurrying to and fro through the twisting passages Their eyes were wild and they avoided his gaze when Randidly looked at the people And a few times Randidly had peered down side tunnels to see lines of bunks and huddled figures His face tightened

It wasnÆt their thin and worried faces that soured RandidlyÆs mood No what really hit him hard was the certainty that hung over the whole of Carthak touching every individual in here

Their world had broken and now they were living in the shattered remnants The world was fading The dream of a better life had been forcefully cut from them and now all they had were the dark twisting tunnels in which to hide for the remainder of their lives

Chapter 743

The resemblance is uncanny Alta muttered to Lucretia Are you sure itÆs not him

Quite sure Lucretia said quietly eyeing the Randidly look alike He had the same short black hair and sinewy physique He even had the same sort of intense gaze that Randidly possessed Well he had a pale imitation of that gaze There was none of the edge that RandidlyÆs recent work with images had given him

In addition those eyes

As if sensing her gaze the man turned and his eyes locked with LucretiaÆs His irises were a crimson hue reminiscent of fresh blood

What was even more amusing was that he also clearly wasnÆt anything like the true Randidly Whereas the man Lucretia had worked with would have regarded her with a blithe curiosity on their first unknowing meeting this strange doppelganger blushed and looked at the floor Holy hell he was attracted to her

The whole notion caused LucretiaÆs face to stiffen as she stifled a seizure of giggles Perhaps sensing her amusement with an emotion perceptiveness that the true Randidly also lacked the doppelganger pulled his hood down low over his face

Alta and Lucretia had agreed to the Council of Fates offer to join the expedition to the ruin in the Land of Ghosts After meeting at the predetermined spot they had been joined by a masked Earth Golem this doppelganger and then a dragon esque monster that appeared to guard the faux Randidly

They didnÆt make conversation but regarded each other warily It was only ten minutes later that the representative of the Council showed up with its retinue It was a Weaver standing only as tall as LucretiaÆs waist but almost as large as bear on all fours Truly for one of the first times since Lucretia had been in this world she felt a cold sliver of wariness

This one was not something to mess with It was old

With it came a Spriggit and another Monster There was no need for introductions because everyone understood the point of the expedition Part of it was exploring that mysterious upper land but the other half was testing Alta Lucretia and the doppelgangerÆs party This was a job interview in a way

I think he has a crush on you Creta Alta whispered as the group wound its way up into the mountains that would lead to the highest Land The two of them had drifted back until they were at the end of the group

Enough about that Lucretia said softly This was an amusing diversion and she dearly wished she understood why this random individual had RandidlyÆs face but that was not her current purpose With her eyes on the grey roses with black thorns in AltaÆs chest she asked What are we doing on this trip Interference Or

Alta just smiled

My my liege I heard you were here but

Randidly looked up wondering what was going on He became only more confused when a Monster looking like an anthropomorphic rhino walked up to him With its broad hands raised in supplication

Randidly shot Rejt a glass The Earth Golem seemed just as confused as he was and slowly lowered the stone he was carrying to the ground

The two of them had been signed with the unappealing task of clearing rubble from the great chapel to the Progenitor that spanned the back of Carthak It had been built practically pressed up against the hollowed out inside of the mountain so when the place was bombarded a large series of cracks were opened in the back Thin sunbeams fell into the ruined chapel while the wind made a melancholic melody

It was altogether unlivable The keening noise of the wind was already giving Randidly a headache But he understood the need and the motivation The chapel was one of the largest remaining open spaces If they could clear rubble out of here it could be used for all manner of things that Carthak desperately needed Even just moving the market here would make the lives of the refugees pouring into this broken city a dozen times easier

I believe you have the wrong person Randidly said with a frown as he looked at the rhino man It truly seemed like this individual believed that Randidly was something to him But

Well it wasnÆt impossible for one of the people in his Soulskill to look like him right

My liege there is no mistake You likely donÆt remember me but I served under you in the defense of Dumoine I am Lazar Prince Ishmael

RandidlyÆs eye twitched Ishmael huh Ash Fitting

I donÆt mean to disappoint but IÆm just a common laborer Randidly said slowly He felt the bubbling power of the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom but playing pretty political games wasnÆt the reason that he had come down to his Soulskill He was here to understand the problems the Ashen Image was causing first had It was an issue he had ignored for too long

Now he was to gaze his foe full in the face while he waited for his plants to grow in the dark world above Still that was mostly in an observational role He didnÆt have enough of an understanding of what was going on to directly counter the Ashen Image That required an answer he hadnÆt yet found There were hints floating around but

There can be no mistake Lazar said and now there was a burning light of fanaticism in his slightly leathery gaze You you burn sire I feel the heat of you from here

Inwardly Randidly felt extremely annoyed Rejt had slowed to a stop and was now gazing at his hands pointedly trying to not attract attention It wasnÆt a big deal if Randidly had been confronted about this alone but since Rejt had heard he would tell Kurag and Allica

Wait

Randidly frowned If he truly looked so much like this Monster Prince Ah that explained AllicaÆs pointed look about the Monster population in Carthak She was already fooled into believing that he was a Prince then

Strangely this only made Randidly feel more aggrieved If she thought he was royalty then why the hell was Rejt making more in daily wages than he was

So denials would fall on deaf ears Fine then Perhaps it was time to reveal a fraction of the hand that Randidly was holding

It was akin to relaxing the grip he held on himself After all this world was an intimate part of Randidly Just by being here the elements and images that constituted the place sang to him With extreme focus he had thus far isolated himself from touching this world so he would stay in his role as observer There was an electric shock as that connection was restored Then there was a dull buzzing

Then the entire chapel went still as the fabric of the world realized it was in the presence of a god Randidly looked slowly up at Lazar his emerald gaze luminous

Although Lazar could clearly recognize something had changed he predictably misinterpreted Without missing a beat he fell to one knee Ah my prince Thank the Progenitor you are safe We had received word of the troubles in the capital it seems your cousin will not give up his false claim eh But if you are here all is well Indeed it seems that you have decided to agree to your ChancellorÆs plans With the High King slain and his kin destroyed it would not take much for this Land to fall under your sway

Randidly remained still even as Rejt looked sharply up at the two of them With a light touch he reached out for not his crown but for the tool to inspire the touch of awe that he needed The Deific Mien of Yggdrasil

The wind slowly shifted turning the sharp and high noise it had previously been producing to something lower and more urgent The world felt RandidlyÆs will moving and flowed around him to fulfill it

Lazar blinked furiously It truly seemed like he was trying to speak but the weight of RandidlyÆs existence was too much for him to continue

This is why these people feel hopeless Randidly thought sadly as his emerald gaze held Lazar frozen Greed and small minded people bleeding the land so they can have that sense of control When all you know is the threat of an attack you begin to believe that the only way that you can control your fate is to attack To control the world you simply are the best at attacking

AltaÆs face flashed in RandidlyÆs mind In spite of himself he smiled wryly That sentiment was slowly consuming this Soulskill but he still felt somewhat helpless to combat it directly He clearly knew that there was more to life but he needed the image to fuel change in his Soulskill at this point

With the smile the binding on Lazar was released and he fell backward coughing Ignoring him Randidly turned to Rejt How long

How long did we know you were a prince Hum Rejt seemed to think deeply about the question for several seconds Then he shook his head helplessly Let me cut to the chase Randidly You are terrible at disguises All Earth Golems know that Monsters are foul creatures that smell like ass Since you showed up just slightly grubby it was clear you were at least royalty

Impudent Lazar roared leaping to his feet Randidly cast him a casual glance backed with the power of the Deific Mien of Yggdrasil and he instantly deflated like a balloon with a hole in it

Clap Clap Clap

A figure walked out of the shadows to stare at Randidly To think you would dare rush here to stop me Prince Ishmael But IÆm afraid it is far too late

Chapter 744

From the shadows of the corner of the chapel a tall and gaunt figure walked calmly out to face Randidly His face was twisted in a slimy smile and his skin itself seemed to ooze a strange sticky substance

Randidly felt an entirely different sort of headache coming on He was really just in this Soulskill to observe the philosophies here Where did this two bit villain pop out of

Chancellor Kellock there is no need Lazar began but now the Chancellor gave him a condescending glance With a grunt he stumbled backward again with the force of the gaze It was blunt what this strange slimy Skeletor managed but Randidly couldnÆt help but be impressed by the strength of the image he had

You have played your part Lazar It is time for the Prince and I to finish this The chancellor said sweetly His voice gurgled when he spoke reminding Randidly of the vocal range of an emaciated frog

The Chancellor walked forward until he was only a few meters from Randidly But instead of addressing him he gave Rejt a dismissive glance Leave us if you value your life

I value my paycheck more Rejt drawled I have to clear rubble here So IÆm going to stay and do that Although it might be time for lunch

Rejt set down the stone he was carrying and sat on it Then he raised his feet and put them on a nearby pile of broken chairs With a flourish he produced a baked roll filled with meat and began to noisily munch on it Randidly rolled his eyes

The Chancellor sneered Truly your race has the brains of mice Fine if you wish to be a pest do not hold grudges if I exterminate you

Chancellor Randidly said softly The other manÆs beady eyes swiveled to regard him It truly seemed like there was no Path but either revealing himself a god or continuing to pretend to be a prince Truly the insulting nature of this confusion was ironic Few people but Randidly could claim to be slightly insulted that they believed him but a prince

Prince must you continue to protect these chattel The Chancellor said with great distaste My plans are already in motion Within Carthak we have almost eight thousand highly trained warriors By this time tomorrow this place will be naught but a grave Those that survive will be put to work Join me Ishmael This is your last chance You are not a child anymore Open your eyes to the way of the world

IÆm not even Ishmael anymore you jackass Randidly thought But he only said And what is the way of the world

Immediately the ChancellorÆs eyes brightened to a fanatical gleam Over on the side Randidly saw Lazar talking quietly to some other figures who hurried off Randidly settled in for what he assumed would be an extremely unhelpful bit of monologuing he was being subjected to He had half a mind to stop the Chancellor before he began but in a way this interaction was still a form of observation There would be the had of the Ashen Image here and Randidly was willing to waste a few minutes in his Soulskill to get a better handle on it

Boy I have watched you since the day you were born The Chancellor began You have lived a life free of wants You were safe and educated loved and pampered You cannot even begin to understand the blessings afforded to you I might even go far to say that a soul is more likely to be reincarnated again as a prince than they were to be born in such an idyllic utopia as you had the pleasure of inhabiting if only briefly And like all things it came crashing down due to the foolishness of your parents

They allowed travel between lands They allowed other Races to settle in our ancestral lands They allowed traveling Weavers and technology from Spriggits And with every acquiescence their power was whittled away They became figureheads And when the High King of the Earth Golems rose to prominence they were the first to be crushed beneath his heel Their weakness The Chancellor raised his hands to his chest It disgusts me

Then he smiled Randidly as if trying to charm him It was altogether so disturbing that Randidly came very close to stopping the man immediately But he refrained barely You asked me the way of the world and this is it Power I thought you would learn the lesson from your parent’s deaths but you did not You sued for peace You made allowances It was only when the countryside was in flames that you finally gathered up the nerve to fight and you did not stand up for yourself No you went crying to your economic allies

And after the war was won and you were heralded as a hero The Land of Monsters was slowly dying The seasons are changing in the lands The harvest season has been getting shorter for the last decade due to the tinkering of Spriggits with our World Tree The Soulless grow more powerful and numerous There are too many hungry mouths and not enough food for this world to continue A great reckoning is coming and I for one mean to ensure that the Monster Race survives it

Which you will do at the cost of other Races Randidly said It wasnÆt truly a question just a confirmation

A cheap price to pay The Chancellor said lightly It would sicken you to know the horrifying prices I have paid to reach this current position Life is cheap in the lean months Prince Ishmael Even you must admit it is so after the war we just experienced

Randidly looked at the man before him After all everything in here was him in some way Ultimately he was glad he listened if only briefly to this man Because this was a version of him that was twisted by the harsh realities of a world and left without hope This was a result of him allowing his Soulskill to operate without interference for so long

But this was just a small desperate rot given power by the arrival of the Ashen Image

And if I refuse If I give the order your army will be brought to heel Randidly said lightly

You overestimate yourself The Chancellor answered coldly He shot a sharp glance at Rejt but the man was still obviously eating his lunch With an extremely disgruntled expression on his face the Chancellor hissed to Randidly Your words might sway the masses but will those who know of your weakness follow you Your intelligence might be formidable but you are just one man A man who has never taken anotherÆs life With those lily white hands do you truly think you can wrest from me an entire army

Randidly didnÆt bother to respond Already he was reaching for the images in the surrounding area It seemed to him that a talk like this could only end in one way

And just as he predicted the Chancellor did not take the silence well His sneer grew even more pronounced and he made a sharp gesture with his hand Several figures stepped out of the shadows of the rubble and surrounded Randidly Out of respect for your bloodline I was allowing you to remain the figurehead you were raised to be But if you refuse even that you shall become something even more honorable You shall become a justification

The shadowy figures drew short iron blades The Chancellor continued to express his condolences that Prince Ishmael was ambushed by Earth Golem extremists during his humanitarian efforts but Randidly couldnÆt be bothered to listen any longer Instead his attention was elsewhere

To RandidlyÆs surprise Rejt leapt to his feet and stood in front of Randidly as the figures flourished their weapons and moved closer Looking over his shoulder Rejt asked Is it true That youÆve never killed another person

Randidly grinned at Rejt It certainly makes for a good story doesnÆt it

But RandidlyÆs smile slowly faded as Rejt gazed at him quite seriously All of the usual cheer was gone from his face Instead he just frankly studied RandidlyÆs face even as the assailants began to move close enough that a dash would have them engaged in battle

IÆve killed before Randidly said slowly then he shook his head That was hiding the truth And perhaps it was because Randidly was pretending to be someone else but he found the truth in his chest demanding that it be released more than killed IÆve bathed in blood Both enemies and allies The Path IÆve walked It is paved with bodies Some deserved to die but others I simply killed out of convenience My life cannot afford to end here

This isnÆt a confession Rejt deadpanned his half smile once more covering his face DonÆt be so serious

Before Randidly could reply Rejt turned around and drew two large knives with jagged edges and crossed himself Dear Progenitor please forgive me for spilling swine blood in your holiest of temples Truly I would have preferred to do anything else but Why pray Why now Why him

Even though Randidly couldnÆt see RejtÆs face he could picture the broad grin there Because there is no harm in respect Because Earth Golems need to stand by their principles Because he is my friend So come Mr Chancellor Let me show you the resolve of chattelÆ

Randidly was touched by RejtÆs display So much so that he didnÆt want to risk an accident happening due to inaction This world needed Rejt which was to say that Randidly needed Rejt in some strange way that he couldnÆt understand He wanted people like Rejt to continue to exist

So Randidly reached for the hunger image of Sharpness and the wind answer

Chapter 745

Being a god was something like being an artist Randidly thought idly But the overtly genius kind like Mozart No to be a god was to be Jackson Pollock You take simple actions and there will be some that deem it trash And yet there are others that see the simple moves you make as representative of broader themes and lose themselves in your majesty

This time when Randidly reached for the images they accepted his will so quickly that it left him somewhat stunned Before he had simply tapped a tuning fork and the world stilled Now he beckoned and it exploded

Even as the wild energies surged around the city of Carthak in a howling tumult Randidly scowled It appeared he had started the Sandstorm Season

That barely contained climate fury exploded Above the land the entirety of the land a giant maelstrom began to slowly churn Winds roared to life cutting their way across the countryside In other areas of the Earth Golem Land Randidly felt the people looking to the sky with worried expressions With their fears realized before their eyes their spirits were slowly submerged in hopelessness

But those images were lost as Randidly reached and grasped the vicious sharpness of the sandstorm winds With his eyes burning emerald the wind smashed into the side of the mountain of Carthak The wind greedily scoured the broken stone clean and then began to screech as it shoved itself into the cracks in the mountain

Through his feet Randidly could feel the stone underneath him shuddering as it barely withstood the assault of the wind Gritting his teeth Randidly gathered the scraps of wickedly sharp wind that passed through the cracks into a fist and prepared to bring it down upon the strange assailants that rushed toward Rejt The longer he gripped the wind the more it squirmed underneath his will Very quickly he felt his control slipping If he was going to act he needed to do it quickly

But then Randidly paused letting his gaze unfocus slightly It would be easy for him to crush the attackers However that wasnÆt the point was it What he needed was to set this world on a different path And for that he would need the people of his Soulskill to actually want the world to change For all that Randidly was unwilling to risk RejtÆs death just interceding might stifle his potential

To be a god was to be an artist A minimalist because you didnÆt want to spend your effort dominating the world Small strokes to influence a complex web of societies A delicate touch was needed

Randidly gathered the growing mass of winds and smashed then downwards on top of Rejt

Wincing Randidly admitted to himself that perhaps subtlety wasnÆt his strong suit But to be honest it was all Randidly could do to control the cutting wind to surround Rejt and not rip him to pieces The force of the concentrated air exploded outward Of the six assailants three were ripped apart by the explosion of cutting winds The other three were knocked backward into broken pillars further producing rubble

But then the wind did not stop gathering It continued to swirl around Carthak and then through the cracks to gather around Rejt Honestly Randidly couldnÆt figure it out It was like some sort of metaphysical groove had formed in the world that the images were suddenly following Perhaps that was why the image was growing difficult for him to hold

Around Rejt the wind around him gathered in a circle spinning with vicious intensity A tornado formed at the center of the room periodically producing deadly blades that ripped outward

The frown on RandidlyÆs face deepened When he had smashed the gathered wind on Rejt he had meant it to be some sort of sign from god that would stop the hostilities But putting Rejt in the center of a tornado was a bit

The maelstrom above the land began to quicken with the tornado below Although Randidly couldn’t find the why the two seemed irrevocable connected Across time and space and mass that danger surrounding Rejt became the danger hovering above all of the Earth Golems Across the Land sandstorms began to rumble into existence picking up the scattered debris and turning them into deadly projections The already vicious winds gleefully gathered more projectiles with which to inflict damage

Inside the room the other people were finally reacting to what was going on RandidlyÆs summoning of the wind was too quick and even quicker was the neutralization of the six attackers By the time they had rushed forward they were already being smashed backward The Chancellor just stared at the growing tornado in horror completely unable to rationalize what he was seeing Lazar was a little more aware quickly fleeing the room

The ruined chapel was tall and dark but as the wind forced itself into the room it opened the cracks in the ceiling and wall even wider At the same time more light found its way into the room through the enlarged cracks It added to the illusion that the tornado itself was causing the illumination and as it grew taller the light grew brighter

Frowning Randidly prodded the sharp energies that had surrounded Rejt in a swirling dance of ethereal blades The tornado trembled but something akin to momentum was fueling it now Wind continued to pour in and feed it and Rejt

RandidlyÆs gaze sharpened There were thin trails of blood in the tornado flashes of crimson They were tiny cuts but it was clear that the obscured figure of Rejt was slowly becoming eviscerated

No Randidly thought powerfully pressing down on the rebellious wind To RandidlyÆs surprise the tornado trembled but continued to doggedly spin The flash of shock that Randidly felt was enough that he lightened the willpower he was pressing against the wind This seemed to stumble it more than him actually resisting it had been and the top part dispersed in a halo of cutting blades the scarred the nearby stone

But wind continued to howl downwards and

Enough

The bellow came from Rejt and with it came a wicked image of sharpness that cut upwards from the tornado The winds dispersed blown apart by this deep sense of severing that Rejt produced

And at that moment Randidly felt something Not a place where he should try to dominate the images but where he could lend his weight A moment of clarity where his senses could pick up the metaphysical groove that had caused this and now enabled him to end it As Progenitor he could put his finger on the scales of a motion made by one of the inhabitants of his Soulskill

Again Randidly felt that strange sense of connection Perhaps being a Progenitor was not as simple as he had assumed The images resonated with him of course but these images were not completely his They were of this world and they grew due to the people here

So he threw himself in support of Rejt’s denial

Suddenly empowered that image of severing shot straight upwards It passed through the roof of the chapel without even damaging the stone and ripped into the Maelstrom above the land above With RandidlyÆs assistance that cutting attack spread longer and longer until it was so long and skinny that it was invisible to the naked eye But it rose upwards and diced the Maelstrom above the Land in half

The furious sandstorms rumbled forward for another couple seconds but the force creating them as ceased Under the burden of their own weight the sandstorms collapsed even as they were building up their kinetic force With the same dull rumbling that had signaled their genesis the sandstorms expired

Everyone who was aware of what was going on shared a collective blink

The Sandstorm Season had lasted all of five minutes

As the wind dispersed Rejt was revealed His chest was heaving and blood ribbed down his arms and legs His body was canvased in small cuts But his gaze was ferocious and a small lit his face With his limbs trembling from the adrenaline he lifted his hands to the sky

Fools Rejt bellowed It is I The Progenitor Descended amongst you to judge the fallen Do you dare blaspheme by standing against me MEET YOUR FATE

Randidly froze for a second then barely restrained himself from snorting audibly With the wind dispersed the room had grown entirely silent The low sobs of some of the broken assailants were the only accompaniment to RejtÆs grand announcement

The Chancellor was basically the only person who wasnÆt a broken wreck the actual Progenitor or the bluffing Earth Golem in the room so it was to him the dubious honor of receiving the Progenitor fell

After several more seconds of trying to figure out the proper reaction the Chancellor defaulted to his usual bit he sneered at Rejt Hmph do you think such a pa ah a contrived display would sway me I have crawled up from

A low keening began to sound To his credit Rejt didnÆt react at all to the noise His smile only widened But Randidly looked up covering his mouth with a hand so the Chancellor couldnÆt see his mirthful disbelief

By some strange coincidence the wind ripping into the chapel had hollowed out a lot of the cracks and smoothed their edges Not only light but a gentle wind swirled down through the openings And because of the strange shape they had formed when the cuttingly sharp wind was softened by those meandering cracks a strange noise was created

Randidly first thought of it as keening but it was a wistful nostalgic keening It reminded Randidly of the deep song of whales in the wide seas seeking their kin Always seeking and reaching That was what the noise sounded like

As the noise grew in volume the Chancellor once more found himself unable to speak

Fine then Rejt said his voice loud and formal You may approach If you insist on judgment

With an exaggerated slowness due to his wounds Rejt raised his arm Thin trickles blood split and crossed each other sweeping across his skin His eyes did not blink however I have a responsibility to deliver it

The Chancellor whimpered then turned and fled But Randidly knew that letting him escape was just another headache that he wasn’t willing to deal with So he stepped and appeared next to the fleeing Monster smashing his fist into his face with enough force that he was sure that he would be out of commission for quite some time

Then his face even Randidly straightened and said “You know the most blasphemous thing is to impersonate the Progenitor “

“How do you know I am not the Progenitor Did not even Tessa bare her belly to me in fealty I bear the heavy weight of nobility Randidly Even you should be able to see it ” Rejt rumbled But Randidly could see the twinkle in his eye

“I know you are not the Progenitor because I am the Progenitor ” Randidly said slowly

The two men looked at each other for several seconds Then as one they both began to laugh

After each had managed to quite their fit of chuckles Rejt turned and surveyed the Chapel ” it is more destroyed than when we started We will be blamed for this “

Randidly waved a hand airily “I’m sure Allica will understand how uncontrollable assassins are Such things cannot be predicted only weathered “

Rejt snorted “Perhaps And it is certainly brighter in here And the noise “

Both paused and tilted their heads upward to catch the music of the room As the Maelstrom above faded so too did the volume of the noise Now it was low and musical like the thrum of a bubbling brook or the questioning groan of an owl It was a hard noise to describe But compared to the harsh noise from before

“Well it has become palatable ” Rejt announced Randidly shook his head wordlessly

Chapter 746

ItÆs not a big deal Rejt insisted They donÆt hate you they are simply pack creatures Since Tessa was afraid of you the rest of em

Randidly grinned in spite of his bleak mood They arenÆt pack creaturesÆ Rejt They are kids

Dangerous and swarming I agree Rejt said with a thoughtful tone

The group of children who had been watching Tessa had wandered over attracted by the noise of the wind descending Seeing Rejt so injured they had rushed out with wide eyes Even Tessa had overcome her deep fear of Randidly to approach and lick frantically at the small cuts that covered him

At first the mood was tense and worried But very quickly Tessa noticed Randidly and hissed at him

On its own this would mean nothing But when Randidly frowned at the strange Soulless creature it had shrieked and run to hide behind Rejt Suddenly everyone was privy to the game Randidly was a monster With extremely exaggerated screams they all now fled at the slightest sign of Randidly

In a way Randidly understood what was happening To these kids Rejt was a towering figure that represents strength and wisdom To see him injured was scary So they needed someone to blame They needed to take action to give themselves a sense of control

Such a misunderstood Progenitor Randidly thought bleakly

But before he could dwell on it too much something grabbed his attention Raising his gaze Randidly frowned through the thick stone walls of Carthak

Whatever was going on was still without the mountain What Randidly had sensed was another crease in the world forming the of the same sort that had formed around Rejt as the winds descended from the sky It was happening again So soon

It was possible that Randidly touching the images of the world or his images themselves were the cause His being here was exacerbating the conflicts in the world Still the longer he looked at that strange conflux of forces the more Randidly realized that this one was much different than what had occurred with Rejt

That had been something like he as Progenitor pouring water and being surprised that it was falling down a slope He simply hadnÆt understood the shape of this inner world and how it would reach when he intervened directly The longer he spent time here the more complex an ecosystem it seemed Him being a god was not quite accurate There was so much more at play here

And that was what Randidly was currently seeing Once the strange phenomenon around Rejt had given him warning of the other elements at play he could now feel their rough shape And this shape hopefully it would answer more questions than Rejt had

Following his instincts Randidly stood and began to walk toward the front of the chapel With the kidÆs assistance and Randidly hiding his powers a little less they had actually made good time clearing out the main area Now a football field sized space was mostly clear with East and West wings just as large in the process of being excavated

As Randidly passed the kids shrieked and fled With a trembling Tessa in his arms Rejt walked up to Randidly What is it Someone else coming for your head

Randidly had a strong feeling that one of the forces he could see clashing was the Ashen Image The hopeless grasping destruction But the other one

Maybe Randidly said softly He cast a glance at Rejt Even now there was a lingering sense of something that clung to him Being surrounded by that dense clump of energy had altered something in the core of Rejt Even now he seemed to stand taller to entirely occupy a larger portion of the world He was dense in a way he hadnÆt been before

Maybe Randidly said again turning back and looking at the collision of forces I have a feeling something important is happening over there

Well then Rejt said LetÆs ditch work Surely such a thing will have no consequences

Allica itÆs been hard on you IÆm so sorry But IÆm back now

At her desk Allica froze Ice cold spiders danced up and down across her shoulder blades That voice that voice belonged to a dead man

Slowly she turned to regard the side door to her room There a tall Earth Golem man stood His face was covered with a series of three crisscrossing lines of scar tissue a testament to the many years he had spent on the front lines of the wars Of the many years he had left her to manage the estate left to them by their deceased parents while he rode to war

Rode at the back of the High King as his left hand

Talim Allica whispered feeling adrift on a cold sea My brother How

Peace there are many things that I will tell you It is enough to know that you still remember me fondly Talim said with a small smile He stepped into the room looming over Allica Even though she was extremely large for an Earth Golem Talim was even longer It was from this huge size and the hammer that he wielded that he earned the nickname Hammer of the High King Æ

They embraced and as Tallica pressed her head into his shoulder he smelled like blood and fire But still it was Talim returned Talim when I received the anonymous money after the high king fell I assumed you were dead I knew that Alrik had made

DonÆt speak his name even now Talim said raising his hand to cover AllicaÆs mouth All is not as it seems We must be cautious now more than ever

A very thick thread of dissatisfaction rose as she had her mouth covered but Allica held her peace It was very like Talim to come waltzing back from the dead rumbling about great mysteries It was TalimÆs self important streak that Allica found extremely aggravating

And yet the relief of knowing that Talim lived was enough for now It made her generous enough to ignore how disrespectful he was being Even if it did knock off a lot of the glitter that seemed to fill the air when her heart had finally realized her brother was still alive She had questions about how he had managed to live through the battle but

But please my news can wait until later Talim said smoothly He gestured for her to sit Once more Allica sighed inwardly at her brother Honestly the High King had taught him abysmal habits But she complied walking back to the chair behind her desk How have you handled the wreckage left by the coalition army As far as I can tell these places are half cowards and half Earth Golems with half a mind to start a war to win back their honor You are a peacekeeping force yes It must be difficult

We are working in relief actually Allica interrupted This was his way Talim always liked to build suspense for his own news so he would feign interest in your activities Still Allica relished the challenge of impressing her brother with what she had accomplished in his absence Clearing out the destroyed cities The people need a place to call home even if it is partially broken With the Sandstorm Season looming this is where we can do the most good

Talim just looked blankly at Allica for several seconds Then he frowned I had heard you convinced Kurag Vicegrip to come out of retirement Surely he isnÆt

He is Allica said giving her brother a sour look HeÆs working as a manager For all that he was rumored to be hard to work with he truly cares ThatÆs why I agreed to have him join my team

How much money did you offer him Now Talim leaned forward his eyes bright and feral That money well I canÆt blame you if some of it is gone but

None of it werenÆt you listening to me Allica asked He joined of his own accord

TalimÆs face broke out into a smile So the money

Mostly gone Allica harrumphed Before the coalition forces started playing nice I spent most of it to hire Monster laborers to clear out the hill settlements It took some politicking but now we receive a stipend and our balance sheet

Allica paused Her brotherÆs gaze grew clouded and the air around him was heavy The money is gone That was the remnants of the royal treasury Allica You had no right to spend that

Chapter 747

If the money was so important include a fucking note Allica hissed To have Talim blame her for something she had no control over was bringing up the deep history of aggravation that the two had shared And donÆt expect me to come with you now to clean up whatever mess you find yourself in I know thatÆs why you are here The war is over and now you need help eh Must be of great importance

Talim stepped toward her desk His hands clenched into fists In the small cave like room she had commandeered as her headquarters it was hard to be very aware of TalimÆs commanding size But she sure as hell wasnÆt going to let him gallop in and derail her plans

DonÆt speak so flippantly Talim said If you knew the truth

Allica remained seated and steepled her fingers If you told me I would know How many times do you need to shoot yourself in the foot before you realize you are a fool

At that Talim visibly paled Allica winced inwardly Reminding Talim of his past failures was a little unfair he had just fallen in love with the wrong chieftain’s daughter In addition the wound cut doubly deep because she had died in the civil war that followed Still Allica would never forget that it was TalimÆs lustful young heart that had pushed Alrick to lead their tribe to war all those years ago

How distant those memories seemed now How small and fragile

It was a certain sort of irony that Alrick would later offer the Widower Talim his own sister and she too would die in a great war

Despite all the emotional weight that Allica had spat out Talim recovered and stood firm my crimes are my own I will carry them for the rest of my life I have resigned myself to that But this this concerns the fate of our entire Race Do you not want to have an Emperor once more Allica Do you remember the old stories

Those stories have led us to graveyard after graveyard Talim Allica said Abruptly she felt so tired she wanted to just close her eyes and let the whole world slip away Far too many times in their excavations had her team found twisted and broken bodies Far too often they went down a caved in tunnel and found the curled and starved body of a child We cannot chase that dream any longer

It need not be a dream Talim said softly I believe we have found a way A road to an Empire of prosperity and peace Where we need not live in fear of the next warlord Where we will have room and space to grow

In spite of herself Allica looked up toward Talim For all that her brother was self important he also genuine He truly believed the things that he said For him to sound so dedicated to a cause one that Allica had pushed for years

Like an old addict coming back for one more hit Allica sighed and said WhatÆs going on Talim

He smiled Before we continue I must have you swear to secrecy

Impatiently Allica waved her hand With a chuckle Talim said LetÆs start with the good news sister the High King lives And with this we can rise again

Allica felt a flutter but then all she could manage was disbelief Talim are you sure The coalition army came and took away a body They were very sure that it was the body of the High King Otherwise they would not have left as many civilians alive as they did Even they by the end had to admit that he could transform any group of people into an army

In the darkness Talim sneered Allica hated that expression on her sweet elder brother Treachery Even amongst the Coalition there are those that would see the High King crowned once more With their assistance it was simplicity itself to survive the siege and escape An entire Council dedicated to the Creation of an Empire with the High King leading us

Just as swiftly as she had allowed Talim to raise her hopes everything came crashing back to the ground for Allica Shrugging she asked Leading us where This is our land Talim For all that it is a broken thing itÆs our home If this Council plans to lead us against another Land it is useless The others would not permit it And we donÆt possess the strength to accomplish it For now we need

The greatest secret in the world Allica Talim whispered urgently He leaned close This world is a false prison The ruins left by the Progenitor will lead us to a promised land There once we conquer

We cannot conquer our way out of this Allica shouted Her voice reverberated strangely in the small room and both of them fell silent The siblings gazed at each other Thousands will die to Sandstorms this year Talim Sandstorms will kill more in two months than twelve years of war ever managed And why Because we stopped accepting peace

In a few more years the separate tribes would have starved Talim countered habitually falling back into this old argument they had Without unification

Unification need not mean bloodshed Allica said quietly

Talim shook his head You are too sheltered Your time taking care of the estates has left you out of touch with the world I have ridden across this land and naught but the sword can convince the population Believe me

I donÆt AllicaÆs tone was icy It was a strange coldness that was emerging from her core flowing outward through her veins Her arms and legs tingled slowly numbing underneath the strange frozen sensation You are wrong

Talim sighed dramatically shaking his head

Something inside Allica snapped A torrent of frozen rage burst out of a damn in her chest and flooded her system

Listen to me Talim You know nothing of the world Do you think your pursuit of violence taught you of the world You are grievously mistaken The world is not a battlefield It is not a place of compromise or death Ultimately we do not live in that contrived land of constant necessity that you common warlords so applaud Allica said The world is not can or cannot It is will or wonÆt It is a choice between shitty alternatives It is responsibility and respect and duty It is not the pursuit of the empire or

The responsibility of a leader Talim growled Is to lead the people toward a better life To protect them at the cost of all else if necessary

No Well just no Talim Allica leaned back and looked at the ceiling She was tired again and had half a mind to just allow Talim to pull her along in his wake The simplicity of it but no she would not take that path Because she knew that the figure in front of her might be her brother but it might as well be a reaper wearing a mask To follow him was to follow death He would bleed this land dry to chase an old story

Although Allica had met royaltyÆ in many forms and roles she found her mind going toward a certain prince with eyes of emerald flame A leader a leader does not demand fealty with threat of force or by using the long whips of fear A leader does not insist their dream is the only dream And a true leader would never insist that they will never err

No a leader works to build A leaderÆs job isnÆt to invent the dream for each person but to dream of a world where the small dreams of the common man have room to grow As Allica spoke she felt the room falling away All she could feel was the flood of cold in her veins coiling through her like threads of arctic hunger And as they moved they flowed upward toward her forehead There they began to gather and condense The violent chill grew even stronger so that her head was throbbing with the cold It was simultaneously the most distracting and invigorating thing she had ever experienced

Yet still she continued to speak even as she pictured the slender form of Randidly carrying stones half his size Sometimes the now becomes the most important element to create an Empire The Earth Golems have fallen into a cycle of believing that they must destroy themselves to accomplish their dreams Is it really so strange that their dreams have become so bitter We need a new dream Talim A dream where it is okay to not be perfect A dream where we donÆt see our only path forward as devouring others Only then will we find the Empire we are seeking

For several seconds Talim was quiet From the expression on his face Allica could tell he was confused But they were alike in that Those words she had just said she believed in them yes but they werenÆt from her But after that frozen core of an idea formed in her head calmness and serenity It was like a piece she had been reaching for was finally found It fit and things suddenly clicked

Finally Talim said Your pretty words cannot escape the reality of the world The weather variations will kill us Allica Crop yields have dropped for generations And with this war it was not just our economy that was affected If we do not conquer our people will die Your precious estates will wither and rot Is that truly the choice you are making To remain still and allow those counting on you to die

You paint such a stark picture That is not the world we live in Talim Ten years ago mechs were oversized industrial fixtures Now they have enough killing power to defeat us the Earth Golems Allica spread her hands over the desk

Which is exactly why Talim began right on cue But then Allica gave him a look that contained a shred of the frigid will she had finally found His words stopped abruptly giving her space to continue

Paths emerge because you look for them For too long we have chased the same dream without questioning its validity So much is possible right where we are And you would have us go a conquering to another world No Talim The same dream elsewhere is still useless It is time for us to imagine other dreams Perhaps then our peopleÆs children will sleep less fitfully

Their gazes locked Talim opened his mouth and slowly said It is not your decision to make Without you without the money even Earth Golems are drawn toward glory Despite your madness blood will show through When the High King rides on a Crusade the people will follow

With ice in her veins Allica smiled IÆm sure your procession of ghosts and orphans will strike fear into the hearts of your enemies

Chapter 748

Randidly stopped as Kurag raised his hand Rejt also paused They exchanged glances in the dimly lit stone corridor Then as one all three listened

Paths emerge because you look for them For too long we have chased the same dream without questioning its validity So much is possible right here And you would have us go a conquering to another world No Talim The same dream elsewhere is still useless It is time for us to imagine other dreams Perhaps then our peopleÆs children will sleep less fitfully

In the darkness Randidly could feel Kurag smile Well said girl

But Randidly was looking past the words to the forces that were colliding One had been clearly threatening to overwhelm another and then and then an image had arisen that allowed Allica to continue on

What was most disturbing and illuminating was that the image was not one of RandidlyÆs

It came from Mrs Hamilton

Although the voice was low RandidlyÆs hearing clearly picked up the rumbling response It is not your decision to make Without you without the money even Earth Golems are drawn toward glory Despite your madness blood will show through When the High King rides on a Crusade the people will follow

IÆm sure your procession of ghosts and orphans will strike fear into the hearts of your enemies

Randidly felt that shard of Mrs Hamilton shine brightly infecting all that was Allica There wasnÆt a construct of Aether at her core as the Soulskill wasnÆt truly a thing of energy or images but Randidly knew that she was being altered

Very quickly he spared a glance for Rejt who was staring intensely toward the door to AllicaÆs office Then he was Alana

But a few seconds of examination instantly ruled out that option This wasnÆt AlanaÆs hand this was SamÆs Ritual and refinement To forge a more perfect instrument

Carefully RandidlyÆs gaze slid back toward the wall The silence continued to grow and build In it the mess of RandidlyÆs thoughts slowly assembled themselves into something akin to understanding And with it it felt like a bomb was dropped in his mind

IÆm not alone

Because of Neveah and the connections of Aether he had made energy and images were flowing into and out of him Compared to the huge amount that Randidly drew each day it was not as impressive individually But as he continued to make new connections and help those people grow with his images

They would provide images back to him Even under the strain of the Ashen Image his world would persevere He didnÆt need a way to solve ash in the short term He would manage with help from others until he could create the image he needed

The realization was basically just a reassurance that taking the time to figure things out wouldnÆt be damning but that was an incredible relief In the dark passageway Randidly grinned

Kurag noticed his expression and nodded approvingly Truly the girl says some things that fill the heart with boldness If I was seventy years younger

Both Randidly and Rejt twitched Luckily for Randidly Rejt was more than willing to jump onto that grenade Err Kurag how old are you

Just as KuragÆs face twisted into a scowl the door slammed open An absolutely gigantic Earth Golem filled the threshold glowering down at them After a second Kurag snorted and some of the derision and frustration fell away from the new arrivalÆs gaze

ahem you must excuse me This meeting did not go as I had planned Sir Kurag Gigantor said quietly Then he reached up and scratched his neck before saying Am I to understand that my sisterÆs position is yours as well

Kurag folded his arms Honestly I am deeply suspicious But I will follow Allica to the end of this experiment She can give the people hope

To that gigantor had no response He briefly scanned Rejt and Randidly but then just brushed past them Very quickly for his size the Earth Golem disappeared in the branching tunnels

So Kurag said without missing a beat I assume the two of you have something to report considering you have left your assignment several hours early Well LetÆs hear it

Randidly and Rejt stared helplessly at each other Just as Randidly was resolving himself to saying fuck it to hiding his powers so he could just clear the entire chapel out in one go a voice rescued him

Randidly Come in I believe we should speak

Randidly put his hand on RejtÆs shoulder IÆll have to trouble you to explain the details to Kurag

Without a backward glance Randidly walked into the room That would hopefully teach him a lesson for encouraging the children to treat him like a pariah

When Randidly entered the room Allica was pouring out a clear liquid from a polished wooden canteen into two glasses She smiled wanly at him How much of that did you hear

Enough Randidly said She had certainly painted a pretty picture of the world and leadership That was the ideal sure But in practice

Still to have the goal of a leader be creating an environment where others could grow That truly felt like Mrs Hamilton Without her tireless work in Donnyton the city wouldnÆt even be a fraction of what it was now

Which of course made Randidly confront the many similarities with his behavior in regards to Donnyton and how he had treated his Soulskill until recently Of course there was the complicating influence of Lyra as the Village Spirit acting willingly with a nefarious and ancient entity to sell out humanity but

But the point was the same Randidly needed to respect the connections he had made And the connection he had with Donnyton was one of his strongest Those connections grounded him and gave him strength And ultimately if he was to progress it was due to the influence of those connections

HeÆs right you know Allica said If word leaks out that the High King yet lives many will run to his side I can promise fleeting comfort but but if they wish to bring honor to themselves the only path is to follow the King And if they were to actually succeed in conquering this new land and founding an Empire

They will not Randidly said with deep certainty It would certainly be amusing to have an army of Earth Golems somehow open up his chest and climb out The experience of being completely suppressed in that deep dark room would be an interesting learning experience But Randidly felt rather confident they wouldnÆt be able to manage it

Still considering his thoughts about how karma was owed to his world

If the people asked to leave would he be forced to grant them that wish

You sound so sure I wish I had your pedigree I was not born to do this Allica sighed

Randidly grinned To be honest my origins are more common than you would think We donÆt like to talk about it but I suspect the first half of every success story is just luck Being at the right place at the right time and then suddenly you are

After taking a long drink Allica grimaced and said The voice of reason

Chuckling Randidly nodded “Something like that You happen to be at a spot where you possess both knowledge and capability Or you act without the knowledge and things work out Suddenly when other people lack knowledge they feel comfortable relying on you to act You become their foundation I think when you talked about leaders that is what you were getting at “

Allica nodded slowly and the two stood in a strange silence As the silence stretched Randidly began to wonder why it was that Allica called him in here It took almost eleven minutes but finally Allica set down her glass and continued the conversation

Speaking of being foundational YouÆre fired

If RandidlyÆs jaw could come unhinged it would have hit the floor What

You heard me I appreciate what you are doing And why you are doing it but we both know this isnÆt where you belong Allica offered her hand You are needed elsewhere Randidly We can hold down the fort here ItÆs time you bring peace to your own lands

Smiling Randidly took Allica hand and nodded Well it was about that time anyway His plants were likely close to grown enough to create seeds And while he allowed the now batch to grow he could fashion a torch and begin the work of escaping

Randidly wondered if he could gift her with a skill as a little reward for letting him stay here for a short time but Allica had continued to speak Immediately RandidlyÆs face was warped by disbelief Normally I would over a severance package but due to your unique circumstances I have no doubt the amount I could offer you would be more insulting than useful Imagine a prince receiving a dozen or so silver I might as well offer you a hand me down wind poncho So go with luck Know that we will always be behind you

This conniving penny pincher Mrs Hamilton is this your influence

Chapter 749

Naffur just looked at the tree boy wondering what he could say to convince him You really refuse to go toward those lights It looks like a festival And I donÆt know about you but I havenÆt bathed in weeks

The slightly smoldering tree crossed its arms and shook its head vigorously

Sighing Naffur asked Is it because of burning the flowers

The treeÆs foliage springing up from his back drooped Over the past four days Naffur had accompanied this strange tree and gathered a few dozen flowers of different varieties Naffur had no idea what the tree boy needed them for but there was such an honest joy in his motions that it was hard not to get caught up in it In addition monsters seemed to avoid the tree boy so it had been a relaxing few days

But then Naffur tripped When he sprawled forward the bouquets he was carrying slammed into the tree boys chest At first nothing happened The tree boy rushed forward and hovered around Naffur making concerned noises

Naffur honestly wanted to roll his eyes He wasnÆt a kid He had plenty of stats in Endurance What the tree boy should really have been worried about was NaffurÆs head that he managed to trip in this world where he was empowered by the System

But right as the treeboy was about to help Naffur up his face twisted in fear and panic Naffur could feel the strange beingÆs body flush and throw off a wave of heat It was so much so soon that Naffur scrambled backward The flowers that had gotten caught in the tree boyÆs foliage slowly withered and simmered

That had been several hours ago and so much of the cheer from the treeboy had disappeared that Naffur wanted to run away from the thing But

It will be fun Naffur said plaintively In his life he never had much cause to try and cheer someone up and felt extremely awkward about the whole situation You need a distraction

The treeboy pantomimed being locked behind bars

Grinning Naffur rushed forward and shoved the tree boy With the same silent clown motions the treeboy tumbled to the ground In its wake a wave of heat spread outward sizzling the grass

Naffur nodded in satisfaction and held up his hands to demonstrate Look not burned You only heat up when you worry about it dummy As long as you stay calm you wonÆt burn anybody LetÆs go to the festival

Although the prospect of people made Naffur extremely nervous he had realized how foolish he had been to rush into the wilderness without any preparation Having a place to gather supplies was important Naffur was tired of nuts and berries and cold monster meat

The treeboy seemed torn but then he reached down and picked up a twig He gripped the thing for several seconds Very soon the twig flickered and warped A second later thing tongues of flame sprang up from the place where the treeboy was gripping

well itÆs not perfect Naffur said awkwardly He scratched the back of his neck IÆve spent a few days with you We arenÆt super close but I noticed some things This forest at night is super cold I honestly wish you would produce more heat while you are doing your nighttime dance But you donÆt

The treeboy gathered his hand twigs into a fist and slapped it down on his other palm Then he mimed shivering with chattering teeth

Naffur glared at him Yes thatÆs me being cold because you arenÆt throwing off any heat And anyway why would you throw off heat You arenÆt on fire If you were on fire wouldnÆt you also throw off light ItÆs just

For several seconds NaffurÆs words got caught in his throat But he forced them out Sometimes life sucks ItÆs really shit And you worry about being well about people liking you And you are so worried that you just sit in your little shack and watch the stars And the next day when no one new likes you you feel a sick little bit of satisfaction because you were right Just like you expected nothingÆs changed But donÆt you see The reason you the reason I was alone for so long was that I was too afraid to try anything else

NaffurÆs mouth felt very dry And even now When something happened that worried me I just ran I didnÆt try anything When she I just ran But I also ran because I was afraid of what would happen if I ran well you donÆt need to know that But yanno I was giving in to my fears and facing them Just maybe in the wrong order

The treeboy cocked his head to the side

Throwing his hands up in the air Naffur released an aggrieved breath I donÆt know Your chest is hot and tight and queasy and you donÆt know what to do ThatÆs just the way things are So stop being a baby and pound it

Naffur raised his fist The treeboy blinked his bright eyes and simply looked at Naffur

Then slowly the treeboy raised his fist and bumped it quickly against NaffurÆs It was hot but no it was warm NaffurÆs face split into a smile

So ready to go to the festival

The treeboy blew out his cheeks in annoyance and stomped his foot But after throwing a mini silent tantrum he nodded reluctantly

Excellent Lord Arbor We have prepared your procession I am so happy that you have agreed to come

Naffur spun around In the middle of the path behind them there were suddenly a dozen bowing monsters The leader straightened His head was a snakeÆs with a neck almost a half meter long The rest of the men with him straightened as well and revealed a series of tigermen and beetles and broad shouldered storks

Uh Naffur glanced at the treeboy The treeboy was giving him an accusing look blatantly saying This is your fault Æ W who are you

You may call me Alm I was placed in charge of following behind Lord Arbor in case he may have need of mundane assistance Praise Arbor

Praise Arbor The people behind the snakeman Alm echoed

Naffur looked back at the treeboy Your name is Arbor

Arbor nodded his eyes creasing into two happy moons Then he shook his body back and forth swaying in place And to NaffurÆs disbelief the dozen sudden arrivals imitated Arbor They looked like fools

Arbor himself wasnÆt that great of a dancer And for all these seemed to be monstrous animal forms of humans they dance a lot like the way Naffur had seen normal middle aged men dance It did a lot to help Naffur’s last vestiges of instinctual fear dissipate

When the dance ceased Alm snapped his fingers Fetch the palanquin Lord Arbor will grace the city with his presence May all sing praises in his name Praise Arbor

Praise Arbor They all chanted even as two dashed toward a nearby boulder Within ten seconds they had stripped off layers of dyed cloth and vegetable matter they had used to disguise a small dwelling From there the rest of the chanting assistant rushed forward and disassembled the house while the first two began to pull a large parcel from a tiny shed they had erected and began to unpack that

Five minutes later Naffur was sitting on a wood platform surrounding by thin veils of what seemed like chainmail Ostensibly to keep other people from looking in Naffur guessed

Struck by a sudden thought Naffur turned to Arbor Arbor are you super rich

Arbor grinned and raised his eyes to the sky Then he began to gyrate his trunk and shake his foliage The strange movement lasted all of ten seconds before Naffur looked away with a scowl Goddamnit he was rich

Well at least that meant Naffur would probably get access to a shower today

In order to pass the time without acknowledging the obscene movements of Arbor Naffur went into his Path menu To his delight he had enough PP to finish his current Path It was a completion that Naffur had looked forward to and dreaded because it was the Path Ducis The Two Faced Boy

For all that the title had scared Naffur away somewhat he had heard that the more specific the Path seemed to your life the more likely it was to be powerful So Naffur had bit his lip and began pouring his PP into it And now

Congratulations You have finished the Path Ducis The Two Faced Boy In your body lies a deep potential to accomplish much If you pursue it you could stand at the pinnacle of the world And yet in your heart you hold many weights that prevent you from advancing Both in act and deed you are many people Yours is a life filled with masks The Path you walk is not one you chose But you have chosen to follow it And this world is such that if you seek your fate at the end of the Path it will be found in one manner or another No matter your dreams or longings your feet can carry you forward

You have gained the Skill Three Aspects of the First Ducis You have gained the ability to create three aspects to affect your own performance Stats and Skills One will be active at all time Switching between the different Aspects will cost Stamina and Mana depending on the effects of the Aspect you are switching to Costs will decrease with Skill Level The bonuses provided will increase with Skill Level

You have created your first Aspect You have gained the Aspect of the Lost BoyÆ While utilizing this Aspect you will be harder to notice Skills involving deception and stealth will be more effective You will experience a minuscule bonus to Reaction and a small bonus to Perception

Chapter 750

Alta spat out a mouthful of dirt and slowly pushed herself up from the muck of the ground Although the logical part of her mind knew that she was trapped in the strange dreamworld of the highest Land and buying into it would do nothing to help her advance there was something oddly compelling about the figure in front of her

The two were standing on a vast muddy plain The only real feature to the place aside from the constant ruts and downtrodden grass was a hill on which was built a fort For the past hour Atla had made a beeline for the fort yet it still appeared the same distance away And she was trapped here Alta could sense That was the oppressive truth in the air This place was a prison

The man standing opposite her was faceless but held a spear that he kept pointing at the Alta

Fine then Alta said through gritted teeth If you want to play the hard way

Alta reached for the vast image of ash she held drawing deeply enough from her resonator that she would burn this whole place to nothing And she found emptiness

The resonator was gone

In her shock Alta missed the beginnings of her opponent’s attack His spear smashed into her stomach and knocked her almost a dozen meters backward Whatever spirit was torturing her had a sadistic streak because it had used the butt of the spear to strike Rubbing her stomach Alta got to her feet She was practically trembling with hatred for this strange figure but she also felt an overwhelming sense of helplessness

Of course the resonator was likely not gone she simply couldnÆt reach it in this dream world The problem was that her combat abilities otherwise were rather lackluster Even Danz the lab monkey that he was considered AltaÆs abilities in a physical contest laughable And that of all things rankled so much that Alta had taken a few classes on the side

However the quality of instruction that catered to the Spriggit Elite was soft putty compared to CretaÆs brutalizing regimens Alta had been praised endlessly by her new combat tutor Her protests fell on deaf ears even as the tutor could easily overpower her

At the time Alta remembered thinking This is how the world ends We are told we are capable and even when we know it is a lie and we do nothing but even she fell prey to that very sentiment CretaÆsno nonsensee practicality was a necessity for planning to tear down an entire society but it didnÆt often make Alta feel as good as those false praises did

Besides Alta had rationalized What did she need to be good at hand to hand combat for That was why Creta was around To be the fist she broke the world with

All Alta was to do was watch and feed that hungry cold beast that was wrapped around her still heart

But those memories seemed short sighted and foolish as the spear spirit smashed his spear against her nose and followed up with a kick to the gut With a grunt Alta dropped to the ground Groaning in pain she still forced her eyes to scan left and right There werenÆt any true openings but

This time when Alta got back to her feet she simply sprinted away from the spirit figure toward the fort in the middle of the plains To her surprise the figure didnÆt follow So after a minute or so she let her pace drop to a more managable speed

The spear took her in the legs sending her sprawling into a mud puddle Dirty water splashed across her soaking her to the skin

YouÆve got to be fucking kidding me Alta choked out The faceless figure stood above her waiting for her to stand And when she glanced toward the fort it seemed just as far away as it had before What

Running wonÆt help To escape these things you have to follow his path Fight your way forward and you will move closer to the center

Alta twisted around to find a lovely young woman with blonde hair to her shoulders The new arrival was dressed in something akin to camping gear with heavy leather boots and a sporty looking vest When Alta simply goggled at her the woman flashed her a smile her teeth were impossibly white But the most disturbing thing was the womanÆs eyes they were red violet and so luminous they were hard to look at

Who are you Alta asked slowly As she looked at the woman it seemed that the world almost warped around her Like there would be flaws in the air above a campfire due to the heat This woman seemed separate from the dream

Ah I guess you would say a tourist I come here occasionally so I can walk in his footsteps Deepen my understanding you know Well maybe the truth would break your brain sweet thing The womanÆs smile was condescending But you can call me Lyra

Without any warning the faceless spear spirit attacked This time to AltaÆs delight he aimed for Lyra But quick as a flash the woman had drawn a thin rapier from her waist As the spear was thrust forward toward her Lyra spun out the way and drew a sharp line through the air aiming for the spiritÆs eyes

Of course he ignored it He didnÆt have eyes The spear smashed into LyraÆs thigh and sent her stumbling The spirit followed up with a thrust toward her collar bone but Lyra proved extremely slippery She shimmied sideways that thrust

Or at least Alta thought she did The attack was so fast that her eyes couldnÆt even follow it But on pure instinct it seemed the spirit leaned back and the attack missed

Are you just going to fucking watch Lyra asked sounding extremely annoyed As much as Alta appreciated that condescension beaten out of her overcoming the spirit was the goal So She worked her way forward with her arms raised She had no weapon but she was pretty confident in her ability to hit things

Years working with machinery had given her an impressive amount of upper body strength

The spirit scored a light hit with his spear across LyraÆs stomach and the woman hissed in pain But instead of backing off her rapier flashed out faster and faster Even the hyper athletic spirit slipped a little as it moved backward out of the trajectory of her strikes Which was just the chance that Alta was waiting for

With a roar she simply rushed forward As she neared the spirit she raised her hands ready for anything

Graceful as a cat it spun around out of LyraÆs thrusts and managed to smash his spear toward Alta But instead of dodging Alta simply raised her hands in an attempt to grab it

Of course doing such a high speed maneuver without practice was impossible Alta spent all day in the lab Things occurring at speed was not her forte The shaft of the spear struck her in the palm of her right hand but her middle ring and pinky fingers of her left hand were caught and smashed downwards She felt the bones snap like twigs as the spirit pulled back his spear

Although Alta was knocked backward by the attack and swearing from the pain that cold creature around her heart stirred ItÆs icy influence spread down her arm to her right hand Even if it should be possible AltaÆs gaze was vicious

Fuck this world If you donÆt like the way I live IÆll tear it all down

Her right hand scrambled for purchase on the spear shaft and found it for a split second The spear spirit hopped sideways and pulled again to dislodge her But as it did so the thin blade of the rapier rammed itself up through its jaw and into its head

It dissipated like a bag of knocked over flour coating them boat in a strange glittery substance that lingered for almost thirty seconds

Nice grab Lyra said cautiously eyeing Alta I couldnÆt have managed that without you

Hard to admit huh Alta said sourly while cradling her hand She looked down at the fingers Without any of her healing serums she would be forced to nurse the injury for as long as she remained in the dream world Would the world truly subject her to the false pain for now reason

Of course it would It doesnÆt even care about the real pain IÆve carried for four decades

Alta looked up dispelling the soft whispers DidnÆt you say you had been here before If you were so shit with a rapier how did you get out of here

Lyra shrugged That was then I had different methods Believe me I wish to rush her just as badly as you do So why not work together

Alright fine Alta said She didnÆt know if she truly believed that this woman wasnÆt another part of the dream put here to fuck with her but considering it was only due to her influence they beat the spirit it seemed worth the risk But next itÆs your turn to have a bone broken

Lyra smile was white and brilliant even as her red violent gaze was slightly sickening Deal

Chapter 751

In the darkness Randidly smiled

During the time in his Soulskill he had left behind this place The strangeness was gone luckily the sense of dissolution of self But now he was even more aware of the crushing restrictions on his Stamina and Mana usage It was completely maddening Yet even so Randidly smiled

In the darkness his fingers traced the tall plants growing out of his homemade farm They felt like silk and gold His hands were trembling He was so excited that he lost track of his Stamina and his arm physically collapsed on top of one of his plants as he was left without any energy to speak of

But this just improved his mood further His gaze turned toward the ceiling It was time to leave

According to his Absolute Timing Skill it had been twenty days and two hours since Randidly had come here He wondered when his jailers would check on him next His original thoughts were around now which meant he had to hurry But Randidly also wondered what was going on with the under 25 tournament He had felt the arrival of messages but had no way to check them It was outside of his understanding of the System to determine where they were kept

As Randidly recovered his Stamina he began to harvest the plants With only his touch they seemed to be some oversized variety of scallions There was a firm stalk that extended about an armÆs reach above the ground and then beyond that it was leafy and soft

Randidly wondered what was the edible part of this super grain even as he knew it didnÆt matter

Examining the produce filled him with a deep sense of satisfaction that he hadnÆt felt in a long time but Randidly knew he couldnÆt let that emotion distract them He needed to begin work immediately Without any knowledge of timing he could only assume the worse Without an efficient transition to his next phase of the plan he would be in deep shit

Luckily for him the Sharpness image was relatively easy for him to reproduce In the pitch black room the plants were quickly felled and then much more slowly gathered If Randidly had thought that moving his arm depleted Stamina quickly he had never even considered how quickly the very necessary task of moving the plants would deplete his Stamina

In order to conserve energy Randidly used his Sharpness image liberally After about a half hour he had several hundred meter long thin strips of plant The fibers of the plants were strong enough to stand straight but also possessed enough flexibility to move in the wind

Randidly considered the problem in front of him for a few minutes savoring the darkness Sometimes it felt like he was at the deep bottom of one of the sea trenches on Earth Overwhelmed by the pressure and kept in complete darkness he wondered what sort of being he was these days After all a lot had changed for him while he was in here had it not His ability to form images his understandings about his Soulskill

Randidly shook his head That stuff could wait until later Instead he began to plan how to create his light

After careful consideration of his supplies and limitations Randidly decided to try making a torch by weaving the thin fibers If he made the weave tight enough the light would hopefully last for a longer amount of time It might not be an important consideration now but Randidly knew that it might sometime come down to keeping the cave lit for a longer period of time Although it might seem overly cautious rationing now seemed just prudent

So Randidly wove To make the weave tight required extra Stamina to tighten but Randidly was growing more in tune with his own body in order to lower Stamina exertions Where before movements were wholistic things Randidly was slowly breaking them down now into pieces When each small thing cost a tenth of his Stamina pool it wasnÆt enough just to do some tasks one part at a time Some things couldnÆt be separated So creating a more efficient exertion was critical

The darkness felt cold pressed against RandidlyÆs skin but it was a familiar chill It sharpened RandidlyÆs mind As his hands continued to move he considered his plans going forward

Once he had a light begin work on the rough counter to this room that Randidly had figured out If the initial stages are successful draw the outline such that the rune isnÆt operative but could be completed under very short notice Make any final necessary preparations Break out

Beyond that Randidly felt helpless His goal leaving the tournament was to find Shal and also help solve the problem of the Second Calamity that Tellus was facing Part of the second goal was to figure out the process so Randidly could help Earth succeed where Tellus had not Partially that was accomplished but Randidly sensed there was one further trick to the whole production

Still the whole reason that Randidly had gotten put in this situation was that he had faced a Propagator one of the true powers of Tellus and been beaten It had been close but Randidly had caught it by surprise in many ways His Skills gave him so much flexibility that it hadnÆt been able to recover in the short time that Randidly had tried to target it

But would that happen again

Sure Randidly had improved while in the darkness but

ItÆs like IÆm being born again Randidly muttered quietly But when I walk out of the darkness what will I find

After recovering the Stamina he had wasted by speaking Randidly continued to weave With the thick darkness wrapping around his skin his thoughts rolled forward without end The space in front of him shivered and began to fill with the images that he was thinking of This deep darkness was an empty world asking to be filled Randidly could not help but oblige

Even aside from the problems he had relating to accomplishing his plans Randidly had two very large and related problems The first was the instability in his Class that he had discovered Because the upper level of the System the one that so often reported his happenings and raised his Heretic Level was not present here Randidly had thought to address the problem If possible

That brought him face to face with the second problem The Ashen Image Be it his Soulskill or his plant Skills generally it had infected him In small ways Randidly found himself fighting back but he felt like he was missing something

Previously Randidly had the Cycles of Rot and Ash He obviously knew about death and reincarnation the conservation of matter and various other forms of recycling But for whatever reason that deep heat and vicious cold that he had found in his ash now seemed like the end That image had become something so unshakable that it couldnÆt be transformed further

Or even if that was an exaggeration it could not be transformed quickly With the help of his Aether connections he found small ways to neutralize the Ashen Image Allica and Rejt were proof of that

Randidly paused in his weaving to close his eyes Not that it did anything as it was just as dark without as within his eyelids But it did wipe away the drifting images that Randidly had been previously thinking about With that blank slate he reached toward his core and felt through the conflux of Aether that sustained him At this point the currents and eddies were too complex for Randidly to manage He was a spring and a drain and there were large and small rivers and streams running into and out of him Images mixed and formed together in strange combinations The weak ones broke apart and drifted until they could find their match

The strong connections formed images that clung together and began to create a small whirlpool in the surrounding area With that small current similar images drifted over Very slowly larger clumps of meaning were being created inside of Randidly And of course hovering over it all was RandidlyÆs Soulskill growing on this places fumes

With a sigh Randidly removed his perception from that part of himself For all that he wished to be able to make sense of that place and find an answer there it seemed impossible Even if the answer was there for the taking it would take some time to form in its right iterations Not even part of the answer would be right

What could transform Ash

That was what Randidly was looking for at the moment

Randidly opened his eyes The same darkness was waiting same without as within But now Randidly had a weapon cradled in his arm His clumsy woven torch was ready It felt so incredibly light leaning against his chest Although weight didnÆt necessarily relate to power after three weeks in this place Randidly was almost hyper aware of the weight of his body It was overwhelming

Now to rely on such a slight thing to help him escape

The process of weaving had taken four hours so Randidly wasted no time in placing the woven torch back into the ground He shifted it left and right so it had enough support to stand straight up Then Randidly shuffled over waited and then shuffled closer again

With great care Randidly positioned his elbow on the ground waited then straightened his elbow so his hand was resting against the top of the torch Leaning not enough to knock it over but enough to lower the Stamina expenditure

WhatÆs ironic Randidly thought with a smile is that this will in fact create more ash But even if it does fire also gives me

In what felt like the slowest moment of his life Randidly blinked His eyelids moved glacially across the thin membrane of his eyes

Then Randidly laughed once loud and tinged with disbelief

I was an idiot Randidly said to the darkness It had pressed so close to him for so long it felt wrong to keep the answer from it now Ash isnÆt a step in the process well it obviously is But obsessing over ash is a dead end Because ash is the byproduct if that becomes the core the whole system collapses

Randidly pressed with his will lightly to the world building toward an image His fingers were light on the top of the torch There are other byproducts Heat light and by that light vision But my system needs balance My plants have become stricken by ash So to counter

Although Randidly was building toward something large all his focus went toward the small point at the tip of his fingers A seed slowly took form to counter I will give the other side growth Warmth Inspiration Understanding Because sometimes all you need is a good story And in the stories humans were nothing before Prometheus

Randidly lowered his voice and the darkness huddled closer straining to hear Randidly thought perhaps it was cruel but drew the darkness closer anyway even as he prepared to decree its banishment Because the true catalyst is the fire Fire is what changes humanity from beasts to men Gathered around its hungry light all of civilization grew

There was a spark From that tiny concentrated seed there was a flash of light as the image grew strong enough to bring it to life There was a crack and a sizzle and suddenly a thin plume of smoke rose upward from the torch’s tip When nothing followed Randidly pressed harder with his will

Grow for me Illuminate Show me the land on which I will build my world

Silently a tongue of flame flickered upward from the torch With a strange shyness it flickered and shrunk and grew Its hue was brilliant emerald

Randidly bared his teeth

Chapter 752

Randidly was instantly hit with a flood of Aether constructs listing off information for him At first it didnÆt make sense but then Randidly looked at the slowly growing emerald flame In that strange fire Randidly felt clarity come to him

Congratulations You have created the Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence Lvl 1

Warning This energy is fueled by your life energy Prolonged use could lead to injury or death Use cautiously

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence is on the edge of the Legendary Rarity Improvement will lead to an unprecedented evolution in power

Ignition of the Emerald Essence By fueling the fire of your spirit with Aether you are able to create a very special flame The emerald essence is perfectly aligned with you Those who you consider an enemy will be burnt by its indomitable flame Because the substance that is burning is your personal Aether itself materials that wouldnÆt usually be damaged by fire will be warped and melted Effect increases with Skill Level Those who you consider an ally will be empowered In addition the vibrant life force of the ignited emerald is incredibly beneficial to plants and animals Those that encounter it will experience rapid growth Effect increases with Skill Level Within the light of the Ignition of the Emerald Essence understanding and insight will come much more easily Drawing connections will be much simpler Effect increases with Skill Level Mana cost will decrease with Skill Level

It was fuzzy and likely inexact his understanding But Randidly trembled with excitement at just the general idea of what the Skill could accomplish Perhaps the fact that he had been able to understand this much was only due to how long he had been studiously examining the Aether constructions in the dark up until now It made sense that he knew more than he could completely capture and the flame was giving him the bridge to experience all the meaning he understood

With this Skill it would be strange Randidly suspected to see him fight now He would wield an emerald flame and be followed by smoldering ashy plants

But Randidly snapped back to focus More information arrived This was a little bit more difficult to parse but under the flickering green light he managed it

Synchronicity detected Calculating

Skills are resonating with the Ignition of the Emerald Essence

Your Skill Incendiary Bolt ⌐ has evolved into Ignition Bolt «

Your Skill Circle of Flame ⌐ has evolved into Verdant Nova (Un)

Your Skill Incendiary Eruption ⌐ has evolved into Eruption of the Blazing Leyline

Your Skill Grasp of Lava « has evolved into Reach of the Jade Slag

More information but Randidly was distracted by several strange cracking noises in his inner world As the Skills evolved under the influence of his new image several grew and shifted Instantly Randidly flew to survey his inner world Just as he arrived he witnesses a powerful green light exploding out of the new Skill and four evolved ones

They seemed to form connections to each other with crisscrossing lines between them There was a throb of energy Frowning Randidly reached out with his will to brush against the strange resonance but he was momentarily dazed by a powerful desire for growth and an endless sense of optimism

The feeling was so strange that he laughed aloud

As if waiting for that cue the Skills exploded with an even brighter emerald light For a few seconds RandidlyÆs inner world was lit by the strange energies Everything was brilliant green and shadow Depth lost meaning as it became all light and color

Then it winked out There were a few seconds where nothing happened

Honestly Randidly felt oddly disappointed by the whole display Even though he had work to do in the world now that he had discovered a light he had followed his intuition that told him something important was happening here This image it was important for him It would change everything

It certainly had exploded like a flashbang but

Well expecting more would be ridiculous This was the world In the world things took hard work He had finally discovered the tool he had been looking for in order to bring balance back to himself If his plants would turn to ash he would have things burned by his fire explode in growth It was reversed but it would suffice

Plus with the spread of the image to several other Skills Randidly had hopes that the people in his Soulskill would quickly feel the effects of the new image Perhaps

Randidly paused

The ground was rumbling The ground of his Soulspace

Randidly spun around looking toward the middle of his Soulspace There one of the Skills consumed by the Ashen Image trembled briefly before disintegrating in a cloud of ash In the few seconds after that the rest of the Skills followed Those hollow and consumed Skills shuddered and collapsed The Soulspace filled with the billowing debris that had seemed calcified until now

With a bit of will Aether swept through the area and blew away the dust And of course revealed the tiny floating image shards that had been revealed in the wake of the ash There were about a dozen and so small that they were nowhere near forming a Skill but from the middle portions of the Skills somehow survived the culling

Now they were murky and slightly vague but Randidly got a few feelings from them Manual Labor Wall of Thorns Mana Shield

Randidly smiled at the largest of the remnant bits And unlike the others which were various greens and blues this one was bright golden It was even double as large as the next largest remnant Randidly floated over toward it and placed his hand on top of the image shard

Spearing Roots huh

Ha ahahaha In the silence of his Soulspace RandidlyÆs eyes blazed and he threw his head back and laughed It shouldnÆt mean anything He had gained other Skills that possessed a great deal more power But

Grasping Roots was his first Skill It fucking mattered that he got this back This was the core of the Path Randidly had walked to get here If Randidly was Yggdrasil this little shard was a seed

All those years ago fighting against the Sphinx to obtain the beginning of his Aether Crossroads he would have been barely able to scratch her without Spearing Roots It was a small strength but it had grown with Randidly over time When he had lost it it had been a devastating blow Even now Randidly could sense he couldnÆt recover it but he didnÆt need the same thing

No what he needed was that surety that this was the right Path

Grinning Randidly reached out and squeezed the remnant image As if sensing his intent the other remnant images shot forward and gathered around RandidlyÆs fist Very quickly the slipped through his fingers and gathered together with the Spearing Roots image Although they were all individual smaller as all the remnants gathered they began to grow and warp

The focus of Spearing Roots was lost but that golden color just grew stronger and stronger until an orb of liquid gold floated before Randidly Within it those images were shifting and merging in strange ways Randidly glanced upward Already Aether was beginning to swirl above it

He wasnÆt sure what it would become but

Randidly took a step back The flows of Aether spun down and surrounded the strange orb Very quickly energy began to penetrate the outer layer and nurture it Content Randidly returned to his body His eyes flicked open

Time to prepare for his escape

Chapter 753

With actual vision Randidly had to blink several times to force his eyes to focus They did so slowly and then all at once He grinned without humor as he stared up at the ceiling Damnit he would need to burn Stamina to lean up and get a view of the place wouldnÆt he

This fucking shit prison

It took Randidly a while to shimmy away from the flickering torch The worst case scenario was for him to knock it over and snuff it out Not that he couldnÆt make another one or relight this one but it certainly would make him feel like a fool to waste all of that time and Stamina

RandidlyÆs initial impression was that the fire would make the room spooky due to the emerald color But as RandidlyÆs liberated eyes flicked around he realized that there was a warm gold tint to the flames as well It did dip everything in some amount of green but it wasnÆt an unreasonable amount Even if it wasnÆt neutral it was definitely palatable

When Randidly pushed himself up into a sitting position with his back in one of the divets

The place was simple and much smaller than it seemed when Randidly was forced to drag himself around A stone plateau above water There were two poles and a hemp hammock between them RandidlyÆs piled reeds and the couple foot across little farmland he had made Beyond the edge there was a hint of darkness and the sound of water

Randidly spared a glance for his golden emerald flame With a touch of his will the flames exploded upward It had perhaps eaten its way one eighth of the way through the prepared torch already and this vastly increased that speed But it gave him vision of the room which was what Randidly wanted

Above him Randidly saw the ceiling

RandidlyÆs smile was that of a hungry wolf They werenÆt glowing but very clearly on the ceiling and walls where Randidly could turn and look he could see the shape of the runes that kept him imprisoned WasnÆt this making it too easy

After confirming that the runes were there for him to see Randidly allowed the flame to shrink back to its normal size It would be best to conserve the fuel as much as he could and concentrate on the tasks at hand Who knew how long it would take to Engraving the runes he would need to take apart this fucking place

But there was one last thing that Randidly wanted to try

During his time in the dark he had grown very used to projecting his inner worldÆs images into the blackness that was spread before him It was the most welcoming of backdrops taking anything that he sent out there But now that he had light

Randidly relaxed his eyes until his eyelids were half closed The trick of being a Pontiff was possessing images that were so potent that simply the image was enough to give them substance Although they were a shadow of the Skill behind them it did give many of the effects of the Skill In this case

Burn for me

When nothing happened at first Randidly simply further unfocused his gaze It was like waiting for the earthquake in his Soulspace Randidly was pushing but it was difficult to tell when the mountain would collapse until it did And until then

There was light

RandidlyÆs gaze instantly became razor sharp Several thin tongues of ghost green flame floated in the air With a thought they drifted softly away from Randidly They swirled around in the air near him Then he sent them to the end of the room or at least tried They flickered and died some distance away from Randidly It wasnÆt like there was a limit on projecting his images but it definitely seemed like there was a strange numbness that suffused him as he used his will farther away from himself Like he lost the delicate feel of when he was pressing his Willpower against the world hard enough to accomplish what he wanted

Still the 10 meter area that Randidly had with his little ghost flames was more than enough Once he had the knack of it Randidly simply produced enough that the whole place was illuminated by dozens of thin green flames

The thought of the jailers bursting in at the moment was somewhat amusing would they think him haunted or perhaps performing a seance Did they have seances in Tellus

Shaking his head Randidly got back to business If using Skills as images was this doable at scale even if not at power there was something else he had an inkling to try For this Randidly closed his eyes and let his little flames wink out Due to how difficult he expected this image to be he couldnÆt afford to be distracted Besides he didnÆt want to be forced to try again with no distractions if he failed while maintaining the tiny flames

Randidly breathed smoothly in and then back out His lungs expanded and then contracted Air even though he didnÆt truly need the oxygen still had a calming effect for Randidly

In his mind he pictured the small expanse of ground in front of him Although what he truly did wasnÆt picturing it After all before the torch had been created Randidly hadnÆt seen the ground But he knew this patch of ground He had dragged himself across it dozens of times He knew the spots to shift grip to save Stamina He knew the smooth texture of the stone He knew the curve of the incline

With hundreds of these tiny tactile details Randidly built up his simulation in his mind He drew the ground until he could feel it with his body His Perception consumed itself feeling out this fraction of his prison But he needed to be sure

He needed it perfect

Only after several once overs without any revisions to the feel did Randidly consider himself satisfied Then he slowly reached inside himself He felt his body and the way he was sitting above the ground With much less care than the ground Randidly added himself to the image What was important wasnÆt really his features but what he was He added the bindings to the imagined him He added the Health the Stamina the Mana and the Aether

Then like a seamstress guiding a thread Randidly pulled a tiny bit of imagined Mana out of himself And into that Mana Randidly injected the terrible frigid cold he had earned in the Hall of Stances The Mana was heavy and substantial aided by that cold

And then Randidly began to engrave During the image engraving he took his time Although there was the looming threat of the wardens returning Randidly lost himself in the simplicity of the image Truly he had built himself an immaculately crafted imagined home It was possible to lose himself here

Of course this was his mind So although he felt like he spent quite a long amount of time here

Randidly opened his eyes His torch only had about one third of itself left to burn His Skill informed Randidly that it had taken him nineteen minutes to finish that image And in front of him lightly glowing from the Mana fueling it was a thin and pale rune

It was a small thing Even with RandidlyÆs Engraving in here bound by the runes he generally achieved a rune ten time as powerful as this one But that took much much longer and during the making of such a rune he would experience much more discomfort Aside from the obvious pride bruising that Randidly had endured while he was here he physically had to drag his body around like a sack

Not pleasant

It might be one tenth of the power but it would be enough to weaken the runes by interfering with them And perhaps the weakening was better That way Randidly could weaken the bonds on him and make further preparations without alerting those who had trapped him He didnÆt want to walk out to find a trap that was laid by a Propagator

Randidly pressed on the torch and the emerald fire flickered up The whole cave was illuminated It would burn through the remaining torch quickly but Randidly also felt the stimulating effect of the Ignition of the Emerald Essence Most of the steam he was building up was due to that fireÆs influence and Randidly wanted to cash in on that power

This time Randidly glanced around and memorized the runes he would hopefully unmake Then he breathed in and closed his eyes On a much larger scale Randidly once more constructed his prison

Every inch

Every struggle

Every divet and scratch

Every handhold and moment of his nose awkwardly pressed into the ground

Every day of worry and helplessness

Every slow and jerky action to gather the pebbles

Every grim triumph crushing them into powder

Every second waiting for the plants to grow

Every tremble of his hands as he felt his wonderful plants

Every break as he assembled the torch

Every image that haunted him here

Everything

Then Randidly began to engrave

Chapter 754

When Randidly finished the torch was extinguished But even though he was faced with blackness when he opened his eyes Randidly only laughed The runes were perfect With the vision he had been able to construct the inverses of those that constituted the prison easily They were shallow and weak things but they weakened the prison immensely

Well perhaps not immensely But it was enough

For the first time in three weeks Randidly pressed himself upward With a gangly sort of clumsiness he stood

The runes really hadnÆt had much of an effect but it had shifted the multiplier for exertions from 100x to 80x and the reduction on regeneration from 1 to 2 But of the two of those the additional regeneration was really what gave Randidly the edge Previously he had been able to regenerate well enough it was just that every movement drained him so much faster than he could regeneration Any movement that required effort bottomed Randidly out within a few seconds

After stretching his arms to the ceiling like a lazy cat Randidly collapsed backward as his Stamina hit zero Still he beamed at the ceiling This was more than enough to make things easier

Randidly gave himself a few minutes to regenerate back up to a respectable amount of Stamina and then got to his feet with much more grace He quickly walked over to the hammock and sat down on top of it Then after he had gathered himself for a few seconds he twisted himself and lay back down into it

In a strange sort of irony he had returned to the same position he had begun his stay in the prison in But there could be no comparison RandidlyÆs perspective had been irrevocably changed

After laying on cold and bumpy stone for three weeks a hammock was the epitome of comfort

With his newfound comfort Randidly savored the feeling of actually relaxing He stopped himself after a few minutes however and got back to work From the control hammock Randidly created his mass image of the prison once more With how high RandidlyÆs intelligence was he didnÆt need to light the place again to create it correctly

Then he added another layer to the runes weakening the room

Exertions went down to 70x and regeneration up to 3

With that Randidly could breathe much easier But still if he was going to take a chance like he was considering he needed to work quickly This place was without the overlay System which gave him a rare chance to act without incurring anymore Heretic Levels And considering that he wanted to remaking his Class and his Soulskill

These were definitely actions that would incur the ire of the overlay System The question was whether he had enough time for them If the prison warden came down while he was working on himself Well wouldnÆt they just assume that he was bound by the runes of the room and that was why he wasnÆt moving around They likely wouldnÆt even notice the opposing runes unless they shut down the room at which point all would go to hell anyway

To make himself feel better Randidly took some time to use the image Mana Engraving again pressing extra hard That way the exertions got down to 50x and the regeneration was now at one half of his usual

Either way Randidly would only take the chance to improve one between his Class and Soulskill Anymore was tempting fate As to which

His Class required images and identity which Randidly believed he had a few ideas for After his experience the prior time Randidly believed he would be able to use Aether to hold the superstructure up knock down the extra scaffolding around the outside and then build himself up until his Class reached the Level that he was He wasnÆt sure what would happen if he were to lose Levels but just the loss of Attributes and Stats were obnoxious

The System would likely even help It was designed to do that But this time Randidly would be the only source And he couldnÆt change up the influences too much or else the new Class would be too structurally different