LoRG 2

In terms of his Soulskill shifting that was a bit more difficult Remaking those was usually done in a self righteous burst Besides Randidly had briefly checked in on his Soulskill right after finishing the first layer of engraving

The people of his inner world were currently embroiled in a panic because the alterations to his images caused widespread earthquake and ground instability in the lands Perhaps now wasnÆt the time to force the issue of recreating the world and relocating everyone And besides Randidly suspected that Soulskills were much less taboo to mess with than Classes Changing Soulskills happened

Changing Classes didnÆt

So letÆs remake a Class Randidly whispered Mentally he reached out and touched Neveah seeing if she wanted to participate To his surprise she declined because she was apparently assisting Nathan as he remade DozerÆs Class at Level 49

Well shit Randidly muttered If Nathan could manage Level 49 he sure as hell could handle Level 35 After all Nathan’s Aether source was him And likely Nathan’s images were influencing him currently So Randidly closed his eyes and reached deeply into his Aether Spring

Then he reached even deeper until the Aether at his fingertips had that pure fiery ice feeling that meant it was pure With all of his newly sharpened Willpower from being trapped in the prison for three weeks Randidly pulled

In the hammock RandidlyÆs body spasmed slightly as the icy hot energy flooded through his veins and filled the air Gasping RandidlyÆs eyes opened to reveal orbs of violet His breath came out as steam Thin lines of static ran across his arms and chest There was too much available power even for his strengthened body to handle His muscles and veins bulged under the strain

Even so Randidly ignored it and pulled all that vicious energy deep within himself In a vicious spiral it followed down to arrive at his Class

As he had previously noticed the one leg of his Class Progenitor of the Four Shaded Evolution had long stopped being able to keep up with the other legs of the Class But it was only at Level 35 that its weakness began to be a hard limit that prevented him from improving further With the energy following after him Randidly swirled around his Class

One Class five individual and separate legs Each of the legs followed the pattern set by the Class to form a spin on its unique image

Randidly continued to spin forming a vortex of Aether Already his body was reaching its limit He needed to contain the energy here as much as possible Pushing himself to the limit he drew more and more Aether down to the area of his Class Exposed to the Aether the Class itself began to tremble and crack

Perhaps one solution was to simply flood it with Aether and hope for the best but Randidly figured that would be foolish What he wanted was a base that would last Originally he had planned to destroy the image associated with the Class itself and then remake the legs underneath it but now that he was here Randidly realized it wasnÆt realistic For all that the Progenitor of the Four Shaded Evolution was broken the Class itself was thriving

With the legs behind it it was too powerful That meant building from the bottom up and then use that momentum to smash the Class image to remake it

Well then Randidly said making hammers and pillars purely out of Aether LetÆs begin

His whole Soulspace trembled as Randidly smashed into the five legs that held up the Class The way it worked was the Class itself was truly like a scaffolding around his core which was a tall tower of layered energy and images Those were what his Class had created by existing The Skills and Stats he had absorbed from it So he couldnÆt strike with his true mental strength But it needed to be enough

Randidly neednÆt have worried The weakened leg gave way immediately and afterward the surrounding legs collapsed They werenÆt actually the Class just this added meaning that was being woven into himself

Of course seeing that truth laid out like this rankled but he couldnÆt deny that he had obtained benefits from it So he would ignore it for now

But in the collapsing of the legs Randidly did confirm that the image suffusing the whole of the Class was rock solid It would cost him too much to reform it like this He needed energy momentum and a pattern

So as his pillar of Aether slammed into place to stabilize the shaking central substance of the Class Randidly reached out for the place where the weakened leg had been This had been the whole issue and it was the signal that his Soulskill was so far off the beaten path that he truly needed to intervene to fix it In naming this leg he needed both to strike a blow at the hold the Ashen Image had on his Soulskill and leave room for him to remake his Soulskill After all this would be pointless if the same thing happened in fifteen Levels

Randidly grinned at the spot and raised his hands For you Rejt Allica and Alta IÆll be the Lighthouse of the Boundless World

In his mind the brilliant emerald light of his Ignition of the Emerald Essence exploded like a beacon at the top of a tower That would be the guiding light of inspiration that the people of his Soulskill would need to survive

Already his Aether pillars were giving way so he poured himself into the crafting of the image of a boundless world spreading outward from that lighthouse A place where there were no more lands giving them a hierarchy Just a world to explore with that lighthouse at the center that was the hope of home

As the support pillars began to buckle and his Class substance shook the first leg snapped into place It steadied the Class somewhat but Randidly still pulled deeply from the Aether vortex He needed power He felt a blood vessel in his hand pop in the physical world but ignored it The support system was rapidly propped back up so Randidly could move on

To his surprise when Randidly reached for the next leg he touched the CreatureÆs addition Poison of the Fickle Aether His first reaction was shock which was swiftly followed by anger But then came a strange sense of melancholy For all that Randidly hated the Creature he was tied to it His Soulskill and Class were tied to it He couldn’tÆ escape that truth

Just like the Creature would never escape the fact Randidly would annihilate its plans for Earth

For you Longing of the Banished Wind Randidly said softly With the pattern in place this leg came together more quickly No it wasnÆt due to the pattern Randidly had to admit to himself It was because Randidly had experienced the CreatureÆs sad existence in those memories recovered from the charred portion of its soul Randidly knew intimately its deep fear and paranoia He had seen through its eyes

All it wanted in the beginning was peace but it was being pursued So like the wind it fled But in fleeing it had seen itself warped beyond recognition

As that leg snapped into place and rapidly assisted one of the bowing pillars Randidly reached again This time he came back with Mrs HamiltonÆs Leg Protector of HumanityÆs Final Enclave

I will be the Loyal Benefactor of the Weak Randidly said even as he felt his Crown stir I have been away for too long and too easily allowed others control I wonÆt make those mistakes again

Quick as a spark that one was repurposed and reassembled Randidly reached again Aemont this time appearing in one last burst to give him Phantom of the Foreshadowed End

Lodestone of the Black Wanting Randidly said feeling AemontÆs constant unwillingness to cease Such was Aemont’s dedication to the love of his life that he broke the constraints of the images of Tellus and created a Skill that could slay a Propagator Randidly had learned recently that Propagators werenÆt nearly as immortal as they had been made out to be but the reality of it was that those who could kill them hadnÆt

Aemont had been the first That was how much he had craved it It was greed and it was ambition and it was a deep stubbornness that Randidly still carried with him

That was the fourth leg so when Randidly reached he found the final one easily The leg from the Patron of Ash The leg from Ulaat the young boy who had burned down his whole world and been consumed by the ashes

IÆm sorry Here you lie buried And I will stand above you a monument A Lesson for those of Brittle Will Randidly said He bowed his head The final leg snapped into place

But even so as the Aether began to swirl faster around him and other blood vessels in his body ruptured he remained silent That was the deep respect he felt for what Ulaat had accomplished for all that he had hurt Randidly with his lack of control A small show of literal bloodletting as the energies crashing around in his Soulspace made themselves felt in his physical body

Only after five seconds passed did Randidly move

Slowly Randidly looked up toward the top of his Class where the heavy image of the Planting of the Forest of Enmity stood Stripped of its legs and assailed by strange images it trembled Grinning Randidly made a fist and smashed it to pieces Then with a thought he floated up and gathered those fragile shards buoyed by the legsÆ surging power to land atop his Class

From now on I will be Lord of the Baleful Wood Randidly intoned carefully for when he named himself he felt the immediate becoming Weep Tellus for tomorrow I will ride to war

The image of that Class formed a singularity sucking the Aether into it like a rip in the fabric of space Even Randidly was caught up in the rapid restructuring swept away by the energy to rest in a deep slumber as his body rushed to catch up with what was happening

Chapter 755

Why did you agree Lucretia asked while studying Alta very carefully

Alta sat very still at the table in the Foyer of the Bounty Estate She had been silent and morose ever since the group had managed to get out of the First Land After a brief conversation with the members of the Council of Fate everyone had agreed the expedition was a failure The door in the first land was closed to them no matter what they tried

They were however offered seats on the Council Both a little shellshocked from the images they had seen in that upper land Lucretia and Alta had mutely nodded Everything was too fresh in her mind The decisions could wait until later

It had been six months since they had returned from the first land and the world was in flux Great rifts had opened in every land where fire poured upward At the same time verdant hyperdense jungles sprung up in strange places For the first time in generations there was a surge of hardline religious factions as that strange phenomenon drove people toward an explanation

All the while Alta remained introspective refusing to speak It had made running the company difficult but Lucretia had trained for this all of this life she was capable enough in short spurts to keep the furnace running until they figured out there next move

And Lucretia didnÆt want to rush Alta through whatever she had seen Knowing that what was up in that Land were RandidlyÆs memories Alta could have seen a lot to shock her system So Lucretia waited After all there werenÆt any changes in the grey flowers with black thorns in AltaÆs chest So she assumed she had time

That was until today when an emissary from the Council of Fates turned up and asked the two of them to join the Council in leading a party to the door in the lowest land And not just a party caravan Thousands of people An expedition to the outer world

What they would need from Alta was a power source like none the world had ever seen The Council believed that they understood enough of the runes to pry open the door with brute force For that force they needed Alta

Alta said yes But that wasnÆt what threw Lucretia

What threw Lucretia was she could tell that Alta meant it

Alta laughed softly before speaking Maybe IÆm tired Tired of all this The constant need for vengeance Maybe this is me letting go

Lucretia gave Alta a sour look

Chuckling Alta shrugged Who knows I might reach that point someday But you are right not yet Maybe I donÆt know how to explain What did you see in that land Lucretia

Back and forth Lucretia had gone in the previous weeks over whether to lie But ultimately Lucretia realized that it didnÆt matter AltaÆs bindings to both her and Randidly were too tight for mere words to throw anything off I saw myself The way that I was tricked The way I was played by my own game and just like everyone else I wanted it by the end

Pursing her lips Alta said Strange I saw a portion of the ProgenitorÆs life It was a hell of a sort Maybe part of the reason that I agreed to help is that I have a suspicion that if the world outside of the World Tree is anything like that going there would be the best sort of vengeance

After trailing off AltaÆs eyes unfocused Lucretia waited But as she did so the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end This empty and listless Alta was the scariest version of her mistress that she ever encountered It was so casual so matter of fact

more than that though I can understand why the Progenitor created the world the way he did I understand him Alta looked up toward the ceiling as though she could peer straight upwards into RandidlyÆs soul from here He fought for every bit of what he earned I see that now That is what this place is A ladder with nothing at the top Because the point is only to climb and control and devour So if they want me to open a door

AltaÆs smile was crooked and broken IÆll open a door for them An unforgettable door that will never close Why not let everything be washed away into oblivion

LucretiaÆs hands tightened The Abyssal Sea To break that barrier keeping it back youÆd need to hurt the World Tree in a big way If you do that it is unclear whether this world would survive

Alta just smiled Would you tell me no

IÆd ask you if you thought it through Lucretia countered

Alta shrugged Creta the world is falling to pieces The World Tree is the battlefield of two forces that are doing just as much damage as I could Soon the Lands might separate into dozens of smaller protrusions The world as we know it will have ended Beckoning that doom closer hardly seems sinister ItÆs just efficient

You know just as well as I that those energies are balancing out Lucretia said quietly That new energy even you have to admit that the applications for power and mechs are endless THAT is the energy source youÆve been waiting for The Genesis mech frames all the plans

AltaÆs sharp glance cut Lucretia short Are you truly thinking of preventing me from following this Path Here and now After all weÆve been through

Never LucretiaÆs voice was just a breath IÆll follow you to the end But I wonÆt let you walk coyly into the darkness Stride boldly as you make to burn the world down Alta Or I will twist your arm until it breaks

There was a tremor in the grey flowers at AltaÆs core The fragile plants seemed to breathe The petals spread outward Slowly the blackthorns that dotted the stalks grew larger and more sharpened AltaÆs eyes flickered that twisted smile hanging on the corner of her mouth

Fine Alta said with a sigh Creta we have been given the keys to the world With that energy I can make technologies that would be the foundation of a utopia But this world doesnÆt deserve it This world doesnÆt deserve your clear eyes or the CouncilÆs escape to a better realm no This world deserves me

Alta pressed her hands to the table And IÆm going to blow it up This is a toy I can break and IÆm going to because I can That is power

Then letÆs plan Lucretia said lightly But Alta shook her head

Not now not yet IÆm still figuring things out For now send Danz to my quarters Alta turned to go

Now LucretiaÆs frown deepened As if sensing it Alta stopped and gave Lucretia an amused glance What Just because you remain a virgin doesnÆt mean I need to be Besides he enjoys it just as much as I do

If he really enjoyed it so much why Lucretia began but then she stopped herself

Laughing Alta waved her hand and walked away Lucretia made a mental note to send for some healing potions so that DanzÆs injuries would be quickly healed That helped somewhat to shake the funk that always seemed to hang around him after Alta spent a night with him Getting rid of the bruises helped shake some of the reminders

But it didnÆt fix the internal wounds

Lucretia walked over to to the table and lightly touched the spot where Alta had pressed her hands against the table Some of the wood had worn away leaving an ashy powder Sighing Lucretia wiped it away and left the room to find Danz It was a small thing but Lucretia always preferred to do these sort of tasks herself Just like she insisted with Alta she would not look away from the horrors she committed

She found him in the workshop as usual Just like Alta Danz realized the potential of this strange emerald form of energy that emerged It was related to the original life force in the World Tree but this energy it was electrifying It behaved so curiously that all the tech people who had noticed it were full of ideas

When she stopped next to him Danz looked up with an annoyed glance It only took one look for him to realize what was happening

It wasnÆt quite AltaÆs beauty that made him always acquiesce but that was part of it It wasnÆt the crush he had nurtured for almost thirty years that heady and sick allure that only the broken people can have It wasnÆt the precarious nature of his job nor the looming threat of silencing that had become increasingly apparent to him as he witnessed AltaÆs meteoric rise to power

It was all of these things and none of them

It was also Lucretia forced herself to admit because Danz trusted her And as long as she asked he would go

IÆll finish up in a minute Danz said shortly And true to his word he quickly finished his tinkering and began to wash his hands

As the water rushed out Danz let out a whisper so quiet that the sound of water covered it up Do you think she could find it in herself to love me

Lucretia didnÆt answer

Chapter 756

Allica looked at the entrance to Carthak with a beaming smile Although it had taken almost a month there was now enough rubble cleared that several carts could pass through abreast There was still a pile of rubble tall enough to crush a small building pressed up against the wall but it was a start

In addition there was enough space that light could flow into the deep halls of Carthak A system of mirrors was being assembled to rid the deeper passages of the constant smokiness that had plagued them Step by step this place was becoming a city

Although Allica had originally intended to fix up as many waystations as possible to handle the flood of refugees her first thoughts upon reaching Carthak was that if the city could be cleared out there would be more than enough room for everyone It was just a matter of moving the stone Which was just a matter of getting workers

And technically she had thousands of workers willing to accept only a home The trick was lighting the fire of their passion and leading them forward

To her surprise she had managed it Ever since she had talked with Talim something inside of her had shifted She felt capable More than capable Allica felt a bone deep certainty that what the world needed right now was not an answer or a hero but a few dozen normal people willing to put in the world to build themselves up

It was from that growth that the Earth Golems would be able to get back on their feet

So Allica had settled in Carthak and began to lead that change And it was going well

Perhaps the most important point was not her action but the Progenitor himself reaching down and assisting Not only did that strange carvings along the back of Carthak produce a strange music for the chapel but it also had a strange effect on the whole area Although most of the Land was blanketed in sandstorms the sandstorms broke against Carthak dispersing into dust and wind of the more harmless variety

Carthak was a foothold against fate in more ways than one

The only problem was the constant push for Allica to name herself Or rather to crown herself It had started quietly at first but as time went on the extreme elements in the population spread the word about her connection to the royal family More than that she was providing for almost twenty six thousand people a number which was growing daily

Earth Golems were an eminently practical people when it came to most things aside from fighting so slowly the reserved were being won over

At the very least they suggested she should give herself some sort of station That way there would be security and structure for the new arrivals

And there it was the trap that lay at the heart of what the retired warriors and snobbish merchants were suggesting It wasnÆt simply a role for herself but the creation of a whole slew of roles to govern their new environment One would cover herself but there would also be enough to go around for those in power

AllicaÆs new mindset detested the very idea of a more rigid class system than was present previously It was bad enough that people worshipped the ground that warriors stood on To spread that for the Founders or the Senators

What were they Spriggits

Because she was tired after a long day of slaving over pointless decisions on dividing property Allica left her assistants and her office behind They all knew where she was going anyway If anything important came up they would find her

She was seeking out her one weapon against the Crown Faction The mascot if not the leader outright of the growing Holy Wind Faction The path led upward through the chapel and then through a very makeshift series of ramps and bridges The original stairs hadnÆt yet been cleared so the only way to ascend to the upper levels in this area was to climb on top of the rubble

It always made Allica wince when the ground she was walking across shifted underneath her even if it was only a few pebbles that fell away With her strange new mindset to see small details was to see how things would eventually turn out This pathway was unsustainable But Allica understood that to many it was part of its charm

With the cuts in the stone of the chapel it was the most lit room of Carthak and therefore always full of talk and laughter Although this place didnÆt end up being turned into a market most came to gather here The other draw was the every changing song of the chapel The strange noises the wind maid were surprisingly pleasant and varied In addition the sound changed as your rose So while it was a delightful rumble in the few caverns below the chapel by the time you climbed to the point that Allica was at the air was filled with haunting arias

At the top of the pathway there was a round opening where the relative darkness of the upper chapel gave way to clear blue sky There as a view platform there where it was possible to see almost 270 degrees around Carthak The clouds churned overhead in a donut shape even as the crisp blue seemed to be sharp enough to drink

There Allica found Tessa and Rejt

Ha you ran away from work again Came an amused voice and Allica glanced to the side Kurag was there too leaning against the wall It is a wonder that this city has managed to accomplish anything If you would just give me a group of strong young men

We donÆt need a guard Allica said for the hundredth time The laborers need to labor And god knows young men who can wield a blade will find ways to use those shiny new Skills With the sandstorms no one will approach Our internal structure is more important

Tessa who was now almost big enough to reach RejtÆs waist scurred over and rubbed her soft head against AllicaÆs hand After giving her a few seconds for Allica to scratch Tessa turned her gaze upward Her eyes were limpid and full of longing

Her glance went pointedly to AllicaÆs pockets

Laughing Allica tackled Tessa to the ground and tickled the gluttonous ferret No snacks today I skipped lunch to learn about the importance of smelting and why an entire lower assembly hall needed to be dedicated to it

Kurag continued to grumble All IÆm saying is that it is a mite unnatural to have so many Earth Golems gathered in one place and not have some training to pursue the martial path Even if it was only a handful

You stayed with me for a reason when Talim left with all of our would be warriors Allica said softly Trust that instinct DonÆt let your wrinkles and stubbornness get in the way

I would beat anyone else who spoke to me like that you know Kurag said with a glower

Allica winked at him

As the older man silently fumed she turned to Rejt What are you looking for

News The wind carries it Sometimes I can see it Today today is a bad day

No news Allica said

unfortunately not There is much news But it is all bad Rejt said solemnly He squinted out toward the sky As he did so the movement emphasized the web of scars that crossed his face and torso When the strange judgment of the Progenitor descended and reshaped the chapel Rejt had been caught in the center of it Those scars were the constant visceral reminder of what he had to go through to survive that ordeal

And because he survived he was marked And because he was marked Allica was constantly asked by the well to do remnants of society whether he was single and would be interested in a very willing wife

More news of the Monster land

RejtÆs frosty exterior instantly broke Ha That boy Randidly returned more slowly than we expected but when he arrived the rebel faction disappeared without a trace Within a week he had all their heads For all his kindness he bloodies his hands without much fanfare I appreciate knowing him I am made better for it

But then his smile slowly disappeared What was left was only a deep wariness No it is not that I see movements The Spriggits will come but it is more worrying than that The Weavers they are moving The entire host Descending South through the Lands crushing anything that gets in their way They will be here perhaps another six months maybe a year at the latest And with them Talim will return They go to chase the dream of an Emperor

Chapter 757

Dubiously Shal lifted the knitted hat and put it on his head The bright red cotton ball at the top could be felt even through the fluffy material of the cap and made him profoundly uncomfortable Woodenly Shal turned to Rumi

You look ridiculous Like a training spear that uses a droopy pillow as a blade Rumi said critically rubbing her chin But I bet if they could make a doll version of you thousands of young women spear users would snap it up Your glower makes you seem unapproachable and distant yet hyper competent ThatÆs catnip for young women I would know

Shal snorted As if to prove that she had a legitimate point Rumi held up another small doll The two were currently standing in one of the larger C Corporation pop ups selling memorabilia for the under 25 tournament The doll that Rumi proffered for ShalÆs study was the Helen doll Shal had no doubt that this was the most enthusiastically made doll of the eight although there were other women in the final eight they lacked some of HelenÆs charms

Such things are unnecessary I am a spearman I move with a purpose These things they simply distract Shal said bluntly

Surreptitiously Rumi squeezed the Helen dollÆs stuffed bosom mm Perhaps Or are you perhaps worried that your spear skills arenÆt advanced enough to satisfy thousands of young women Although some might just buy you for collectorÆs sake others might take you to bed with them

Shal shook his head Your ribald humor does not dissuade me I have made up my mind You will be my woman

Rumi contorted the dolls limbs IÆm not seeking the boyfriend at the moment but thank you for your inquiries Believe me you would be on the short life of candidates

There is no need for a list It will be me Shal flashed his teeth Give me these other names I will demonstrate my superiority as a mate by dueling them Out of respect for you I shall let them keep their meaningless lives

Arrogance isnÆt attractive Rumi said but Shal noticed her quick smile as she attempted to turn away and hide it Besides we are getting ahead of ourselves We are here for the tournament What are relationships but dressing around our god the spear Who do you think will pretend to kill the best in this tournament

Grandly Rumi spread her arms to indicate the four bins of the final eight contestants Shal pointed confidently

RumiÆs eyebrow quirked up Really Azriel Blanche If you are right you can make good money on such a bet Although her half of the bracket is definitely the weakest

Leaning forward Rumi picked up a male doll from one of the bins As she straightened ShalÆs eyes flicked up from admiring her long legs to meet her gaze If you ask most people they would say this man Althumber Veir Heir to some Style or other here in the capital Beyond that the peopleÆs favorite well

With a disgusted shake of the head she gestured to HelenÆs buxom doll Shal rubbed the back of his neck The amount of detail that went into these dolls was somewhat disturbing to him Although he didnÆt want to admit it he acknowledged that certain foolish young men would take the doll for less than savory reasons

But if you ask me With two long and slow steps Rumi crossed over to the far bin This bin out of them all had the most dolls remaining Of them all this was obviously the least popular The slim male figure looked washed out and pale in RumiÆs figure as she gently lifted up the doll Her lips were thin and bloodless as she forced a smile Silo will win I just canÆt picture my brother losing

Shal had spent the past few weeks avoiding the topic of RumiÆs brother As he delighted in the lovely young woman he had encountered randomly on a farm Shal was only too happen to leave the subject untouched After all after she returned to Hastam Shal had made the connection between Silo Rune and been disappointed that she would depart to meet her brother But she hadnÆt

Why have you not seen him Shal knew this wasnÆt the best way to deal with the issue but this was his way of dealing with it He was like the spear he had spent so long handling A direct approach was often the best

Rumi tilted her head to the side and gave Shal a twisted smile I wonder A womanÆs intuition I guess Well anyway care for a bet

A bet Shal said cracking his knuckles absently On the tournament

Just so Rumi waved away a C Corp employee that had begun approaching and leaned close to Shal conspiratorially But first a question Shal why do you wield a spear under that woman from a foreign School

I am a spear user I have given promises and now I fulfill them Shal grunted Responsibility is the weight behind my spear It is my geas and my strength Until my promise is fulfilled I will follow OpheliaÆs orders

Hmm RumiÆs expression seemed to flash sour as she stepped away from Shal as the worker took the hint and avoided them ShalÆs hands twitched as the impulse to pull the girl close to him rose in his chest but suppressed it There was no meaning to such things if she did not come willingly

You might find this surprising Rumi said seriously But I want to be powerful An ultimate warrior capable of controlling the fate of entire Schools so I say we bet the reasons we wield our spears on the tournament But since there are only two of us we only lose if the other personÆs choice wins If Silo wins for example you must agree to give up your precious duty you will cast aside your spear As a show of generosity I will agree to accompany you on a date Which would be our first day just so we are clear

Snorting Shal shook his head What woman would want to date I should I be spearless

Rumi snorted right back at him Now who is making ribald jokes

I am being honest Shal rumbled My drive comes from the spear and the future it grants me There are many things I want to accomplish and without the spear I am incapable of reaching the heights I pursue I cannot help but wonder Why do you covet the weight behind my spear

Think about it Rumi said softly With her fingers she delicately brushed the Silo dollÆs hair to the side It was pure gold and caught the light well even in doll form What happens after you reach the end of this road Are you yourself any longer The rivers of blood that flow to the pinnacle of Tellus have tolls Perhaps I donÆt want to see you pay them

Because I am your man you worry for me It is unnecessary Shal drawled

Rolling her eyes Rumi tossed the Silo doll back into its wooden bin If you arenÆt going to even listen to me I will go find our seats alone

The fight will not be for a bit yet And besides I have not yet learned what I will win should Azriel prove victorious in this tournament ShalÆs gaze remained fixated on RumiÆs shoulders as she marched away from him It was a habit from reading an opponentÆs bone structure in fights to the death but Shal was shocked to find how much he delighted RumiÆs musculoskeletal system in smooth motion

There was an uncommon grace and lightness to her movements She walked like morning mist arriving all silent approach and cool tingling She seemed so small and so slight and from the moment that Shal saw her he felt a deep longing in his heart to protect her Of all the people that he had encountered in his life even Randidly this young woman was by far the most bright and delightful soul he had met

Rumi spun around and caught him staring Putting her hands on his hips she tsked lightly and said DonÆt look at me like I am a cut of meat when you ask what you will win This isnÆt a scenario where I offer you my hand in marriage Besides the bet you are putting up is a weighty thing I must even the scales with something of equal value

And as you are already my woman

THEREFORE Rumi said with a glare Therefore to stand opposite your deep dutiful spear I offer my vast potential in spear work Should Azriel Blanche prove the superior spear user I will willingly pass to you my infinite amount of possible power

Shal blinked opened his mouth then frowned Of all the things he expected her to offer this was most unexpected This

Ha you donÆt believe me Let me prove it to you Rumi turned around and walked smoothly toward Shal She was perhaps only two thirds as tall as him a slender and slight thing And when she stood before Shal he once again felt the urge to grip her and wrap his arms around her

His right pointer finger twitched

Very slowly Rumi raised her arm and drew the back of her hand across his cheek The short stubble of his face caught on the tender skin of her hand While Shal stood shocked by the sensation he couldnÆt help but notice that she was standing on tiptoes to so casually reach his face Then she twisted her hand and with fingertips traced the line of his jaw to his neck From his neck she followed the thick veins of his shoulders down to his collarbone She tapped his collarbone three times and then allowed her hand to drop

There Rumi announced beaming up at him Would you not be dead had I done that with a spear instead of a hand Perhaps next time I will show you the secret of my moves

Shal chuckled in spite of himself You cheated This proves nothing

You know what they say There is no such thing as unfair to a man holding a spear Very pleased with herself Rumi spun in a circle then hopped up and planted her feet to stop herself oo okay LetÆs go I want to get a good seat so letÆs go early

Are you worried Shal asked as he moved to her side Your brother is facing the favorite today

Of course IÆm worried Rumi said And as she spoke she seemed to pale But it is not for my brother that I worry

Chapter 758

Who do you think will win Skarch asked yawning widely

Helen drummed her fingers against the wood of the seats Although they were in the participantÆs box no one had bothered to spend the money to make sure the fighters would live in comfort The C Corp only provided the higher end amenities to those willing to pay money I donÆt know But you two spent time with him during the preliminaries how strong was Silo How would you describe him

Huh Azriel seemed genuinely surprised by the question She frowned She frowned harder She reached up and scratched her chin I guess passable

Passable compared to you two and Randidly is still pretty good Helen said Then immediately she felt the flash of fear and annoyance that always followed mentioning Randidly He had been gone for almost thirty days without a word Part of her wanted to worry but the other part of her knew that as soon as she bothered to express worry that idiot would swagger back into her life

And the worst part was he would probably reveal that he had in a single month leaped up to Level 50 and now had enough power to fight a Master

HelenÆs increasingly furious daydream got distracted by Skarch The level of this tournament is above passable at this point But from the fact that he finished his previous two matches in under a minute he certainly is good

Speak for your own bracket Azriel said with an aggrieved look My opponents will be two nobodies no matter who wins

Only you would complain about having an easy path to the finals Helen said sourly casting Skarch a glance

The other woman her opponent in three days grinned at her I will crush you Prepare for it

How charming Helen said darkly But before she could follow up with a retort Skarch twisted and peered toward the stands below them The other woman leaned forward her hands tightening on the wooden frame of their viewing booth

Something wrong Helen asked

Through gritted teeth Skarch spat out a single word Family

Ah Helen understood immediately Her mother was still staying in the Northern ExpeditionÆs campsite a little way out of the city while the powers that be discussed where to house them all but she knew her mother and cousin would try and claw their way in to see her match And undoubtedly they would gloat knowingly if she won and disappointed in her if she lost

Both options were infuriating in different ways But still it made Helen empathetic to SkarchÆs rather uncharacteristic reaction

Should we not great family Is it an elder Azriel said clearly missing the cues in SkarchÆs voice

Skarch smiled viciously Not an elder technically we are the same age But it is fine We will likely no I am sure our paths will cross soon It has that feel in the air

As if to demonstrate her point Skarch stuck out her tongue and wiggled it But before Helen could respond the crowd began to roar

Looks like it is about to begin Azriel said About time

From opposite ends of the arena the two fighters walked out while the crowd shouted their approval Both seemed to small although HelenÆs Perception was high enough that she could pick out every detail on their person No their size was perhaps related to the sense of showmanship that Helen sensed from their deliberate walking speed

This is why Randidly wanted to move on He understood that his growth would be slow if he had to slog through this

After almost a minute the two fighters finally arrived at the stage There they calmly faced off Althumber was tall and possessed tan skin with a bright smile as he spoke to Silo

HelenÆs gaze turned to Silo just as Skarch voiced almost exactly her gut response Is that boy eating He looks like a withered old man

SiloÆs golden hair hung limp and pale like old straw He walked with a hunch his spear clutched to his chest It seemed like the kid hadnÆt spent any time in the sun these last few weeks because even from this distance his blue veins clearly stood out against his paper thin skin His face seemed more like a mask that a true face one was born into and there were deep and dark circles around his eyes

While Althumber clearly taunted him Silo ignored his But HelenÆs eyes narrowed For all that he appeared weak the fragile looking gaze was dangerously sharp

Interesting Azriel said with relish Perhaps it will end up not being a waste to attend after all

Helen rolled her eyes Ever since AzrielÆs master had arrived in the city the young woman had almost been obsessively training every second of the day It took quite a lot for Helen to drag her out here

In a way Helen could understand AzrielÆs plight Her goal was to prove her master to be a powerful spear user and not a crystal bug the size of a cart and yet her matches had all been absurdly easy Meanwhile

Veir Veir Veir Veir The crowd chanted ceaselessly clearly demonstrating who the home favorite was With great relish Althumber raised his hand and made a fist Instantly the crowd went silent For all that it was meaningless it was a cool show of influence

With the crowd finally allowing the fighters to take center stage it was possible to make out their voices as they spoke back and forth

I have waited many months to finally put you to rest Rune This is the culmination of a lifetime And after beating you

Ever wonder what it feels like to be one of the people you kill

Keh Arrogant curr For interrupting me IÆll break your legs as punishment

I bet they find themselves detestable To be so weak

Then the refereeÆs voice interrupting the strange exchange Begin

AlthumberÆs spear was overly long with a thick blade at each end It was in sharp contrast to Silo who held a thin spear with only a few spiked spines for adornment But when Silo rushed toward Althumber that large spear was barely brought around in time to block SiloÆs thrust

But as Silo pulled back his spear he twisted the weapon and one the spines ripped across AlthumberÆs forearm A flash of red hit the pale tiles of the arena

HOW DARE YOU Althumber began to bellow but his explosion of rage was cut short as SiloÆs spear swept outward and absolutely smashed him to the side HelenÆs expression was grim as she watched There was an image there but it was a bit hard to grasp from this angle But what she could see were that those spines she had noticed earlier were in fact hooked So they could be used creatively to throw the opponent off guard

Which was exactly what Silo did when he looped the end of the hook under Althumbers shoulder guard and yanked the man sideways He stumbled and Silo drove his spear into AlthumberÆs foot

Instantly Althumber howled again but the rage was edged with something close to panic As quickly as he could he stumbled backward His spear stabbed outward in blows that were powerful enough to create small sonic booms Perhaps in some cruel twisted pride Althumber didnÆt manifest any of his images in the face of SIloÆs assault

Which was a mistake

That hooked spear snaked sideways and ripped a deep gash in AlthumberÆs calf When he tried to spin to protect the weakness Silo pounced like a beast and physically slammed himself against Althumber Although he was much larger and heavier the surprise was enough to knock Althumber backward

Instead of relying on the spear Silo scratched with his hand Although the movement was quick Helen could have sworn

MY EYee Althumber screeched This time he dispensed with the pride and an explosion of flames forced Silo to leap backward or be charred

His chest heaving Althumber held one hand to his left eye and glared at Silo

Concede The skeletal Silo said softly Otherwise

I will grind you to dust Althumber roared This spear has been tempered in a thousand flames The heat of its core could melt the coldest ice Lakes evaporate from my single thrust You are nothing but

A spear Silo said as the sky darkened overhead in an overwhelming display of image potency Is just a tool to kill To pretty it up is foolish Power is found in the killing

Above Silo a huge image of a spear as large as a mountain rushed downward Crimson streams of blood ran across it so thick they resembled rivers And as it descended the fires around Althumber were just snuffed out On the ground Silo ran Althumber through

YOU DARE

Silo pulled the hooked spear out pulling out several dozen meters of entrails out with it With his one good eye Althumber goggled at the mess of his own gore for several seconds even as a deep boom echoed out arena The ground cracked as AlthumberÆs father arrived between the two his eyes bloodshot If looks could kill Silo would have been roadkill at that moment But he pulled his gaze away and produced a glittering potion for his son to drink

If you have confidence in your violence I am prepared whenever Silo said He didnÆt smile but there was a manic glee in his gaze Otherwise

Then Silo turned and walked off the stage The tip of his spear dragged across the ground leaving a thin line of blood to mark his passage

Chapter 759

When Randidly awoke the first thing he felt was panic

wait how long

Thirty days came the answer from his Skill completely oblivious to the danger of laying around even a single extra day

RandidlyÆs first instinct was to explode outward in a swift current of power Although it wasnÆt the best momentum and the element of surprise were good enough weapons in a pinch And yet just as Randidly gathered his Aether unto himself more cautious parts of himself prevailed

IÆve been left in here for this long without anything happening so itÆs not like there is any reason to move forward without a plan

After shifting himself around to a more comfortable position Randidly snapped his fingers and created a thin tongue of emerald flame to see by Then he took a quick mental inventory

His Class was remade Randidly could sense the information pressing at him but he wouldnÆt experience it until he left this prison But to know that he succeeded without any negative side effects was a relief Ever since he had been infected by the Ashen Image things had seemed to come with a price in his life It was good sometimes to be able to just add a tick mark to the win column

The other task that Randidly wanted to accomplish was reforming his Soulskill but the threads of karma that he had woven during his brief visits to the Soulskill recent warned him to stay away for now Although he would much prefer to do the work now it wasnÆt yet time the Soulskill was still struggling to handle the changes Randidly had introduced with his new images

After making a mental note to check in with his Soulskill this evening Randidly scanned the prison Then he grinned

Time to leave

It wasnÆt like there were any great preparations to be made Randidly had laid the groundwork before he had begun work on his Class Now it was just a matter of using Aether to increase the power of those runes by an order of magnitude They flashed bright and began to smoke As the power reached a critical mass the strange material of the prison shuddered

As soon as there was the smallest flaw in the exterior RandidlyÆs vines and roots from the surrounding area dug their way into the break and ripped it apart Randidly clenched his left hand into a fist and summoned a neon green Ignition Bolt that he held at the ready With a flicker his Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom was hanging over him sharpening his every sense

Ridding a wave of charred and ashen plant life Randidly rose to the surface It appeared that Randidly was in a sub basement beneath a series of buildings and Randidly opened up several Eruption of the Blazing Leylines underneath these buildings The brilliant green energies hissed outward and began to gleefully consume the structures

On a whim Randidly gathered the spreading emerald flames into a long cloak that he called to himself With the prison broken notifications began to flood Randidly but for now he ignored them With his eyes burning like a chemical fire Randidly rose from his prison ready to fight

He was faced with the charred wreckage of the farm he just destroyed and nothing else

Coughing lightly from the soot Randidly let several seconds pass by just in case the bad guy hadnÆt gotten his cue Several more seconds passed With methodical movements RandidlyÆs plants had eviscerated almost all of man made structures on the farm Nobody had emerged

Where was Aiden Darke Where was the Propagator

Had they really just thrown him in prison and intended to leave him there

Sighing Randidly stepped off his plantlife and onto solid ground But then a grin spread across his face It was dusk and the sky was purple red as the boldest of the star crept out to join the night sky Even if he didnÆt get the chance to fight today Randidly was free Almost in wonder Randidly looked down at his hands His fingers flexed powerfully

In many ways his time in the prison had reduced him to a purely mental creature It was with relish that Randidly twisted and stretched his body without encumbrance The speed at which Stamina replenish itself made Randidly sigh with pleasure

Notifications filled his gaze like a sea Randidly skipped through most of them regarding his Mana and Stamina Deprivation and also all the notifications about Skill Levels Randidly was looking forward to filling up a Path considering all the PP he seemed to have earned but that wasnÆt what Randidly was looking for Even if he could intuit the meaning of the Skills he had gained Randidly had gone unconscious soon after gaining his new Class

He was looking forward to seeing what it could do

Congratulations Due to strange circumstances you have evolved your Class to a new Level You now possess the Class “Lord of the Baleful Wood” As the Class was earned mid Level you shall retain all your prior Skills yet earn more powerful variations on the Skills you have yet to earn You may learn 8 additional skills to these and those you already possess Skills may be forgotten to learn new skills +36 Health per Level +40 Mana Per Level +40 Stamina per level +8 Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence or Control per Level +20 Free stats per Level

Due to addition detail added to the Class your Class is now Lord of the Baleful Wood (x5) Gain an additional 3 to all regenerations per Level

RandidlyÆs grin was wide Almost double his Health Mana and Stamina per Level would be something worth having The extra stats would be rather useful too Although after his time in the prison Randidly was beginning to question exactly how valuable Stats were

Without them Randidly would lose a lot of his strength it was true But after dealing solely in images for a month Randidly suspected that those sorts of things might be even more important than having high stats Consider Aemont who was able to overcome the distance in stats with a powerful image and a creative Skill

But of course Randidly said slyly I have it all donÆt I

Very quickly Randidly skimmed through the rest of his actual notifications There certainly was something cathartic to see so many affirmations as to his progress in the last month and clean them out so totally But a few notifications right at the end caught RandidlyÆs attention

Warning

Recalculating recalibrating

Continuity interrupted Resetting life monitor

Monitor reengaged Scanning

Report compiled Submitted Continuity established

Warning Please avoid losses in continuity Many Paths forward may be barred to you due to an error filled repot

Randidly clicked his tongue thoughtfully Somehow the overlay system seemed to sense that he had been beyond its reach for a time Interesting and a bit disturbing What was perhaps more relevant was that it very bluntly threatened Randidly if this continuityÆ wasnÆt maintained Paths wouldnÆt be available to him

That was different The overlay System clearly didnÆt like Heretics but still it never went as far as to directly threaten It would just periodically send Judgements to stop you

And speaking of judgments

Randidly checked and breathed a sigh of relief to see his Heretic Path was still at 29

After glancing around Randidly leaped toward a small hill a short distance away When he arrived he set himself up on top and released some Ignition of the Emerald Essence Immediately the plant life on top of the hill reaction It wove itself together into tall pillars of plant life

Randidly scratched his head He had meant to make a shelter but this was just he felt like he was standing in a Parthenon without a roof A part of him wanted to use Grasp of the World Seed to move the plants into a better shape But another part recognized that this balance he had found wouldnÆt be perfect The lack of control would take some getting used to but it wasnÆt such a bad thing So he sat and turned his attention inward

As Randidly counted up the different PPs he had earned Randidly considered the different Paths available to him

Heretic XXIX 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Experimenter I 0/50 System Transgressor 0/1 Steps of the Godling II Path 0/200 Friend to Humanity 0/100 War Leader 0/200 Mantle of the Patron 0/500 Metallurgist 0/300 Advanced Mana Engraving 0/400 Aether Convergence II Perfect Soul Bond 0/1000 the Bell of Doom Tolls 0/600 Growth of Yggdrasil III 0/2000 Fiery Sharpshooter 0/350 The Ashes of Ulaat Patron of Ash 0/1000 Order Ducis Font of Guidance Evolution of Self I 0/50 HumanityÆs Torch 0/500 Bearing of a Teacher Limitless Will 0/1000

Great Path Dual Mage of Inspiration and Ash 0/1400

Chapter 760

After glancing over his gains Randidly had to chuckle It was easy for him now to appreciate what the incubation time in that prison had given him but at the time Randidly had truly sweated his future somewhat Initially suspended in the darkness without the benefit of the ability to move

If not for Randidly touching lightly on the ability to conjure Skills without actually using them in his fight with Helen he would have been a loss

Still it had been a stressful time And that stress was the finest fertilizer for improving Skill Levels

Assuming you survive of course

Randidly had gained a smattering of Skill Levels less than five in quite a few ancillary Skills The beneficiaries of this small growth were Combat Proficiency the Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Physical Fitness Heavy Blow Dodge Idiosyncratic Cut Stalemate Breaker Counter Sharpness SpriggitÆs Tinkering Volatile Ash the Inevitable Phantom Arrives Breath of the Spear Phantom Ignition Bolt Eruption of the Blazing Leyline Pain Resistance and Engineering Savvy

Meanwhile Randidly had much larger gains some as high as ten Skill Levels in Spear Mastery Fighting Experience Embrace of the Wild Phantom Spear Advances Ash Trails Yyrwood Body of Yggdrasil Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Talon Strike Chosen of Ash Aether Detection Absolute Timing Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom and When a Shadow Departs Fireflies Dance

Just the PP from all those gains combined plus the leftover Randidly had after the Helen fight totaled at 202 But that didnÆt include the big winners from the experience

Frigid Ash Extinguishing Storm which was created in the Helen fight might not see as much use as the other Skills but its image had been constantly refined during his initial time in the darkness and then when Randidly had traveled through his own Soulskill For that he had gained 27 Skill Levels

Grasp of the World Seed was slightly less impressive but was still an integral part of RandidlyÆs escape plan Although most of the time Randidly was struggling to find a way around the downsides of the image he was still intimately familiar with the image More so than he had ever been in the past Therefore Randidly had earned 18 Levels in that Skill

Ignition of the Emerald Essence only gained 12 Skill Levels but Randidly knew that that would rise quickly as he used his fire Skills more often Of all the Skills Randidly had made he was most proud of this one Perhaps not due to its power but simply due to the raw determination it had taken for him to reach the point where he had made the connection to create it

All is Ash had gained 18 Skill Levels It had settled as one of his core Skills both for mobility defense and destructive power His usage against the Propagator and Darke had been less than impressive but Randidly wished dearly for another chance

He would make those two regret capturing him

Aether Manipulation jumped but by 14 Skill Levels So much of RandidlyÆs escape would have been much more tedious if he wasnÆt able to use Aether as freely as he was In a similar vein Mana Engraving had increased by 22 Levels Randidly suspected that a lot of this was due to the method he had used without a Skill he had managed to conjure extremely weak Mana Engraving on a large scale

Such an ability had relatively few applications But Randidly had a few ideas that he would like to try when he returned to Earth He and Sam would undoubtedly be able to make something of the Skills that he had

Of course there was one main beneficiary of RandidlyÆs time in the underground prison Visualization had increased by a grand total of 41 Skill Levels Making the total amount of RandidlyÆs gains a little over 350 PP

There was a brief moment where Randidly considered waiting until he remade his Soulskill to spend his PP but he honestly had no idea when the shifting forces in his Soulskill would settle enough for him to make the change 350 PP was not a small amount It usually took him almost six months to earn that much Especially considering RandidlyÆs goal of stepping onto the world stage and finding out about the Second Calamity it did not seem wise to wait

So Randidly finished off his Mana Ghoul Path using a little less than 150

Congratulations You have completed the Mana Ghoul Path The path you have tread was winding and dark yet you followed it to completion It was a time of suffrage in many ways The Path and your own circumstances aligned to wean you off of Mana no matter how much your body craved it To be deprived and then flooded with Mana the very nature of your body has changed For the better Perhaps But remember no matter how far you walk down your Path you cannot outrun the consequences of your actions

Due to special circumstances the reward for completing the Mana Ghoul Path has changed Decrease your Willpower by 25 Double your Mana Regeneration You have learned the Skill From Darkness Genesis « Lvl 1

From Darkness Genesis « Once per week when you reach 10% of your Mana Pool or lower double your Mana Regeneration for the next hour During this hour Skills utilizing Mana will cost slightly less and be incrementally more powerful These effects increase with Skill Level

Although annoying the loss of Willpower could ultimately be ignored It surprised Randidly that there were Paths that had you losing stats as a reward but he was floored by the reward of DOUBLING his regeneration

In terms of his regenerations Randidly suspected that he was completely in a league of his own His time of growth without a Class had earned him much in the way of bonuses to regeneration While most people would have a limit of Skill Levels and quickly stop focusing on PP for Levels Randidly was free to pursue PP for quite a while before he had made himself a Class

Normally such doubling would not be much Especially considering that regeneration of Mana was exceedingly slow people would be modestly surprised but not overwhelmed But for Randidly

His Mana Regeneration had previously been 933 Doubling that put him at 1866 That was very near to one Mana every two seconds That truly wasnÆt much compared to his Stamina Regeneration but it was a constantly growing resource that Randidly now had Depending on how long fights lasted Randidly wouldnÆt have to worry so much about conserving Mana A few minutes of battle would have Randidly able to cast a few more Skills

And this advantage only grew over time Most of the problems Randidly had run into were that he had blown all of his Mana in a fight and then encountered another fight soon afterward Due to the short time between the two his Mana resources were severely limited And the bonus Skill he received would double that total to one Mana a second recovery Hour duration was more than enough time to accomplish his goals too The increased efficacy and power of Mana Skills was just a nice bonus

With his most recent Path finished he considered his new options The change in his Great Path was interesting but not an option he still considered seriously There was a secret there and Randidly was not in a rush to force the issue

Path of the Patron changed to Mantle of the Patron and Randidly wondered if it was from the portion of the mantle that he had been able to seize from Ulaat during the transfer of the Ashen Image Going down the Path of a Patron also likely came with costs that made Randidly lose interest quickly

There was also a notable absence Road to Mastery had disappeared from the list of available Paths It was possible that a new Path had replaced it but none seemed particularly related to the Road to Mastery The Road to Mastery was one of the baseÆ Paths available to individuals with certain stat totals Last time he had lost one and reached the next tier without using the Path the new Path had a plus next to it But none of his new options had this

There were five flat out new Paths the Order Ducis Font of Guidance Evolution of Self I HumanityÆs Torch Bearing of a Teacher and Limitless Will Unfortunately three of them seemed to be spins on his new Ignition of the Emerald Essence The guiding teaching and inspiring images of the flames Randidly conjured would be improved but that wasnÆt what he was looking for right now

Very carefully Randidly examined each of the options available to him Not with his eyes but with his Aether Detection Unlike other forms of Aether Paths were not as definite They were not structures that Randidly could feel but only entrance ways Some were doors some were caves some stairs some ladders But with the increased skill and fidelity Randidly possessed he was able to intuit some Of the two non Ignition options Randidly found himself attracted to both

Evolution of Self felt like bone steps leading up into darkness The Limitless Will seemed like a crystal bridge leading up toward the stars Of course one cost 50 and was part of a set and the other cost 1000

Sighing Randidly went back and perused the Paths he already had previously Growth of Yggdrasil II was an eventual goal but just had a prohibitive cost Similarly the Ashes of Ulaat would likely give Randidly more mastery over the Ashen Image which was much more interesting now that he balanced it out with Ignition of the Emerald Essence But once again that was 1000 PP

Of the reasonably costed old Paths Randidly also felt drawn to the Steps of the Godling II Path After all he promised to refocus his efforts to emphasize his Soulskill He had abandoned them for far too long And besides he had enough to finish that Path immediately and start on another

So just like that Randidly dumped PP into the Steps of the Godling II Path

Chapter 761

Congratulations You have completed the Steps of the Godling II Path The bar to having even this Path open to you is extremely high Your influence over a people must have grown to the point that they have become inseparable from you But from there many paths exist forward Will you teach and nurture them Will you guide and challenge them How will they see you Will they feel your hand follow your back notice your footsteps

To finish this Path you have begun to find your answer Proceed with great care to know this Path is to give up control of your own fate

Congratulations Endurance and Resistance +20 Willpower +50 You will experience increased resonance with those from your inner world You have gained an ability in your Soulskill to sense the intention of others Additionally gain a further 50 ProgenitorÆs Influence per Level

Having the Willpower he had previously lost so quickly replaced was nice but that notification

to know this Path is to give up control of your own fate

What did that mean

At the same time Randidly had always known what it had meant It was a little intimidating to think of it this way but for the last several years Randidly had been opening up himself to other influences First through his four blessings but then through his Aether Connections and Soulseeds Randidly had created within himself a space where others held sway

His Soulskill was perhaps the most sizable example of that And during the Ashen Image aftermath he had gone into his internal space and seen that changes that were happening there In his mind the Soulskill had shifted to become a reflection of himself It was his own images expanded and connected to uncountable lives and forces

For his true body it made his images incomparably sturdy Already he could feel that Not only were people clashing with his new images struggling with the images themselves but also the weight of the entire world built on those images But by the same token it was relatively easy to move things around in the Soulskill to adjust his images It was akin to the concept of mechanical advantage

Of course that required one to have access to his Soulskill but there was at least one obvious example of that already happening so Randidly had no illusions as to the sanctity of his inner world Now that he had begun to view himself in this way that image was slowly coming true And one painful truth of that was that he was giving up some measure of control over himself

Well outwardly

Randidly grinned and opened his eyes For a few seconds he could wait to choose his next Path Instead he tightened his hands into fists His grip was so strong that his knuckles popped Above his head appeared the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom Although night was falling a fel light seemed to spread from the low hill on which Randidly was sitting Then he activated the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil He felt that dreadful unwilling howling spread in the immediate area The air warped The hill underneath him shuddered as if in physical pain RandidlyÆs grin only spread wider

There was a dull barely perceptible whine in the air as Randidly slowly increased the intensity of his Skills With deliberate viciousness he pressed his Will harder and harder The full force of those sturdy images was brought to bear against this small hillside With wide eyes Randidly let his vision fall away

Once more he was plunged into the darkness of the prison That shred of helplessness filled his heart The powerless struggle as he was deprived of his faculties And in that dark and desperate state he conjured the crown

With slow strokes he filled the darkness with the cold grey white metal that would make his crown Seven vicious spikes each more twisted and barbed than the last A thin circlet of the same metal clean and wholly unlike the spikes that adorned it As if this crown had been part of something larger once Before it had been forcefully ripped away and twisted into its current state

Once that image of a crown was completed Randidly willed it bigger And bigger And bigger It became the sky It became the terrible weight that had kept Randidly near motionless from exhaustion It was the jailer and the bindings a terrible seal of violence and near darkness that slowly ground away at the sanity of all those that witnessed its terrible majesty

Because that was the thing The longer that Randidly lay beneath that crown in the darkness the more there seemed to be something else there Something vast almost infinite and filled with an ancient strength A twisting gnarled tree

And that tree wouldnÆt care if the entire world collapsed beneath its weight That was its prerogative as the God that wore the twisted crown It would

With his image broken RandidlyÆs eyes flickered open It had been difficult working both of those images together but it was undoubtedly effective The hill beneath Randidly had been riddled with cracks The nearby stones were flattened or twisted or warped into strange horrifying shapes There was a ghost of a smile on RandidlyÆs face as he stood and stretched Lightly he hopped off of the hill

After he left it was with a whimper that the hill collapsed slowly sundered by the weight of that image Strange spectral images of crowns floated above the shattered ground Just to look at them Randidly felt a small twinge of pain that was a ghost of the agony Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil could cause It seemed that Randidly’s brief image experiment had left an indelible mark on the area It would take a long time to heal

Let them come if they want to change me For them it will not end well Randidly swore to himself Then he crossed to a small tree and sat under it to finish choosing his next Path

It was a measly 24 PP that Randidly had remaining He couldnÆt even finish the extremely short Evolution of Self I Path But what he would choose was his next direction As he expected the Path of the Godling III was not immediately available It seemed he would need to grow closer with his Soulskill before the next leg of that Path was available

Of the options Randidly only had eyes for three Evolution of Self I Limitless Will and the Ashes of Ulaat Randidly scratched his head in annoyance Right now he valued the flexibility most of all Although Limitless Will would have huge benefits for his images generally and the Ashes Path for the Ashen Image

With a sigh Randidly put his PP into the Evolution of Self I After all 24 was gone Randidly had an aggrieved expression on his face of course he wouldnÆt earn a single bonus stat from his choice Such was his luck

After cursing enthusiastically for a full minute Randidly stood and glanced around There were a few more things that Randidly wanted to accomplish before he was ready to walk back toward Hastam but

One of those things was reacquiring Acri and Sulfur Through his connection with them he could generally sense their location They were located to the East of him

Very very far East

Through his connection with Azriel and Helen Randidly could trace their Aether and have a pretty good idea where Hastam is located It was pretty close to where he was now Meanwhile Acri and Sulfur felt almost twenty times further away from him to the East

Randidly pursed his lips Had his jailers truly been forced away Yet it seemed that they likely kept a hold on Acri and Sulfur Was that just his bad luck Or perhaps had the individuals who attacked the prison where he had been kept taken the equipment

Rubbing his forehead Randidly had to accept that he had no idea what had occurred Perhaps if he had spent some more time learning to read tracks but that had never been his game He had sharp senses and a sharp mind but he had none of the training or experience to try and comprehend what had occurred on the farm And of course it didnÆt help that the first action that Randidly had taken when he escaped was to rip the place to bits

Also from their connection Randidly could sense that Acri was angry but not afraid Not that a spear need fear much Especially one that was effective a hyper strong wood/metal hybrid that was also alive Sulfur was useless all that Randidly felt from his armor was a vague sadness that it hadnÆt been hit recently

Fucking masochist Randidly muttered But he then raised his gaze and looked around It wasnÆt feasible to just skip Hastam and search randomly for his equipment He supposed the best bet was to return and check in Afterward he could hopefully get information as to where Acri and Sulfur might be

Besides it had been almost a month since Randidly had fought Helen Without him the tournament had continued He wondered how they were doing

So Randidly set off to the East But before he went he took a long look at his Status screen Truly nothing felt better than a big power up

Class Lord of the Baleful Wood (+x5)

Level 35 (99%)

Health(/R per hour) 5173/4443 (+730) (2437 (+165

Mana(/R per hour) 3333/5204 (1926 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 4299/4436 (+60) (769 (+45

Vit 510 (+15)

End 193 (+20)

Str 517 (+52)

Agi 564 (+24)

Perception 444 (+20)

Resistance 448 (+45)

Willpower 585 (+10)

Intelligence 580

Wisdom 409 (+9)

ProgenitorÆs Influence 59 911

Skills (Soul Skill) Seven Lands of the Spectral Tree Lvl 2917

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 197 White PhantomÆs Half Step (Un) Lvl 86 Heavy Blow Lvl 110 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 106 Fighting Experience (Un) Lvl 154 Block Lvl 75 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Calculated Blow Lvl 97 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 74 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 115 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 45 Talon Strike Lvl 89 Counter Lvl 81

PoFE Class Skills Grasp of the World Seed Lvl 217 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 25 Sharpness Lvl 90 Call Grove Defenders « Lvl 34 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 47 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14 Reach of the Jade Slag Lvl 95 Erode Image Lvl 10 SpriggitÆs Tinkering « Lvl 87 Aether Understanding Lvl 56 Summon Lava Golem (Un) Lvl 46 Aether Infusion Lvl 45 Volatile Ash Lvl 31 Visualization « Lvl 169 Fruit of the Planting of Enmity Lvl 22 Absolute Timing Lvl 44

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 101 As the Sun Stills Lvl 69 When a Shadow Departs Fireflies Dance (Un) Lvl 63 All is Ash Lvl 92 Frigid Ash Extinguishing Storm Lvl 28

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom « The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 111 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Wild PhantomÆs Embrace Lvl 194 The Sixth Sign The Breath of the Spear Phantom « Lvl 72

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 119 Aether Manipulation Lvl 119 Living Aether « Lvl 108 System Interference Lvl 25

Spells Yggdrasil Soul Seed « Inspiration « Ignition Bolt « Lvl 101 Verdant Nova (Un) Lvl 76 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 Touch from Beyond « Lvl 37 Influence of the Molten Core « Lvl 74 Eruption of the Blazing Leyline Lvl 69 Ignition of the Emerald Essence Lvl 13

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 73 Farming Lvl 34 Analyze Lvl 29 Refine Lvl 72 Extract Lvl 58 Mana Engraving Lvl 171

Yggdrasil the Tree of Upheaval Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 129 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 156 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 143 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 163 the Deific Mien of Yggdrasil Lvl 141 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 133 Crown of Yggdrasil Cataclysm and Gloom Lvl 85

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 56 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 82 Fire Resistance Lvl 102 Sewing Lvl 11 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 77 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 25 Aether Connection Lvl 15 Soul Bond Lvl 106 ChefÆs Palette Lvl 33 Nether Resistance Lvl 20 Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 45 Chosen of Ash Lvl 119 Engineering Savvy « Lvl 103 From Darkness Genesis « Lvl 1

Chapter 762

While Randidly was walking he experimented with his new Ignition of the Emerald Essence Skills to test their effectiveness

Ignition Bolt seemed to behave a lot like Incendiary Bolt There were a few key differences The first of which was that when Randidly fired it the projectile didnÆt seem to stop when it hurt the first thing it encountered The piercing power of the Ignition Bolt enabled it to pierce through a lot of the trees and stone that Randidly tested it on

In addition after the projectile burned its way through some energy remained at the edges As time passed that energy ate up through the already wounded material The process happened pretty quickly for wood an oak tree that had a fist sized hole in its trunk completely collapsed within a minute Stone was slower but Randidly was somewhat impressed by how lingering the emerald energy of the bolt was

Eruption of the Blazing Leyline didnÆt seem to have much of an increase in power Instead the area of its effect seemed to have doubled In addition the strange emerald fire it released was hot but there didnÆt seem to be a diffusion of heat The attack felt just as hot in the middle as it did on the edges So not only was the area increased but whether the target dodged the center of the blast was now a moot point

Which was obviously a violation of some laws of physics but Randidly was just pleased that his magical fire was powerful

Reach of the Jade Slag also had a facelift Instead of the huge paw of lava that erupted out of the ground a sharp and jagged jade talon ripped up out of the ground wreathed in white green fire The overall size of the projection was the same but the four sharp claws of the talon cut through stone tofu

To experiment Randidly produced some broken armor he had found on his walk but it turned out that Reach of the Jade Slag didnÆt seem to differentiate between the substances Which meant that its penetrative power was also high enough that the armor was nothing in front of it Which was impressive but ultimately annoyed that he wasnÆt able to perform any sort of true test

Randidly wished he had his ring and could use some leftover steel he had made during his Erickson Steel days To make a comparable test Randidly used plants to find some metal deposits in the ground and ripped those up to the surface as test dummies The metal wasnÆt shredded as the armor had been but it slowly softened to putty until it was crushed into a ball After letting it cool to regain some structural integrity Randidly struck it again with the sharp claws The thick chunk of metal dented rather than parted but it would not have felt very good for anyone without such an armor

It would probably too much of a hassle to make a foundry on Tellus right Randidly muttered Experimenting reminded him of the simple enjoyment of making the metal They obviously had some sort of metalworking facilities here but Randidly wasnÆt interested in working with rather archaic machinery But then Randidly shook his head annoyed with himself

Really why was he getting upset that this trash ore wasnÆt up to par WasnÆt the point that he had become much more powerful with the Skill

Of all the Skills the only one that Randidly had mixed feelings about was Verdant Nova The power was higher as well as the knockback but there was a single glaring problem When Randidly activated the Skill there was a half second of time where tiny motes of emerald light gathered toward Randidly

The resulting explosion was powerful but that warning was a bit annoying Although slight that amount of time was plenty for individuals with high Perception and Reaction to dodge

But at the same time Randidly didnÆt mind the short of move that announced its coming He had already proven that with Inevitable Phantom Arrives

Quite a bit before Randidly had approached Hastam a sound dragged RandidlyÆs gaze to the North It was distant but there were the distinctive cries of anger and fear that were only created by battle Randidly pursed his lips This was his life He couldnÆt even gloriously return to the living without being sidetracked by random nonsense

Because he had arrived on the scene of too many battles late in the preliminaries Randidly was tired of burying bodies

The fight was happening next to a small lake It seemed like the spear users had gone to the shore in order to gather water and the Wights had swarmed up upon them while they had their guard lowered Already some bodies were being dragged back into the depths of the lake while a few dozen Wights chased down the remnants

RandidlyÆs lips thinned this wasnÆt a war party either Most of the fleeing Tellites were children or the elderly Flexing his hands Randidly began to run

The three dozen Wights that were rushing after the people didnÆt last even a second when fifteen Grasp of the Jade Slag claws ripped up through their ranks Those that werenÆt shredded into bits swiftly deformed and melted underneath the wave of heat that erupted from the ground with the Skills

The stragglers that survived that were physically crushed as Randidly leaped and then smashed into their midst like a meteor The wave of force was enough to cover up the small gathering green particles and the second emerald explosion was just overkill The Wights wading in the water were surprisingly quick on the uptake and quickly zeroed in on this new threat

Their immediate response was to turn in thing Understandable but foolish

Smoldering roots ripped upward through their bodies and smashed them into broken twigs Randidly bent his knees again and leapt once more He wasnÆt going to let it end with this With his Aether Detection he could sense them loitering at the bottom of the lake

A huge geyser of water shot upward in the wake of Randidly With burning emerald eyes Randidly unleashed Frigid Ash Extinguishing storm The water around Randidly slowly froze but he dived too quickly to get caught up in it

There was a shrill screech that reverberated through the deep waters of the lake that was accompanied by a soft rumbling Randidly touched to the lake bottom and spread his hands The vicious cold of ash exploded outward The forms of the hundreds of Wights sprung into motion like an anthill kicked over but then froze just as quickly

Take it all Drag it down in into the cold Randidly thought grimly

There were a few seconds when the water resisted the sudden change in temperature but soon it was cracking and solidifying into ice Many of the nearby Wights were crushed as the ice expanded to fill a larger space

A shriek cut through the ice and there was an abrupt crack A large form shot toward Randidly Calmly Randidly summoned a root to his hand in the shape of a spear He recognized the approaching form it was a Witch King

A giant spectral claw ripped the slowly rising ice to pieces destroying most of the remaining Wight bodies in the process It raised its claw once more to strike again but Randidly used Spear Advances Ash Trails and smashed directly into the Witch Kings chest

The physical force was so overwhelming that the area around them was cleared of water briefly by the pressure In addition the image of explosive force was empowered enough that Randidly felt the Witch KingÆs frame shudder and crack

The sudden force appeared to catch the thing by surprise and it stumbled backward It opened its mouth to cry once more but Randidly struck before it could manage another sound

Everything flattened and faded to grey Randidly felt it now more clearly than ever His time in the darkness had shown him how much the senses shaped the world When he shut off all senses but his deep connection to ash he felt every fragile bit of the world around him

With a sharp gesture Randidly cut The Witch KingÆs ash form cracked and disintegrated leaving nothing be debris in the turbulent water

Sighing Randidly let All is Ash fall away In terms of his physical strength he hadnÆt improved to such an overwhelming degree since last he fought a Witch King Although Randidly would have had some confidence against them But now Randidly could sense they were no longer quite strong enough to pose a serious threat to him alone

The impact of images kept the Witch King on its back foot the entire time That extra edge added up especially in a fight

In addition the Witch King also left Randidly one more gift

Congratulations You have reached Level 36 +8 Stats distributed between Vitality Perception Resist Intelligence and Control +20 Free Stats +1 Stat to a Mental Stat +1 to a Physical Defense Stat +1 to a Mental Support Stat +2 Control +36 Health +40 Mana +40 Stamina +3 5 to all Regenerations +1 to Health and Stamina Regeneration +70 ProgenitorÆs Influence

Congratulations You have learned the Skill Cycle of the Gloomy Wood « Lvl 1

Chapter 763

Cycle of the Gloomy Wood All of life is in an endless cycle Although the deepest and darkest woods seem to be completely still they are simply a part of a great dance that will go on into eternity When something dies it will release a small shred of energy Gathering these shreds will enable the Skill user to regeneration a small percentage of their missing Stamina and Mana Percentage increases with Skill level As Skill Level increases the cooldown between uses decreases

The Skill was convenient especially with these Wights dying easily in front of him But it wasnÆt like he needed additional Mana if he was facing a large group of the weaker ones However it was possible to avoid a confrontation with a single strong foe long enough to gather Mana up again The only problem was the cooldown

With a few steps Randidly crossed the bottom of the lake and arrived at a Wight that had somehow managed to avoid being crushed in the ice A cut to the neck later a pale orb of light floated upward from its body As soon as it appeared Randidly felt drawn to the orb But also Randidly noticed that it immediately began to dim It wouldnÆt last long it seemed

Randidly grabbed it There was a small benefit to RandidlyÆs Mana and Stamina but not significant enough for the energy burst to be useful by itself Immediately Randidly checked the surrounding area for another and found it

When he crossed to this one he killed the thing just as quickly Another orb appeared But Randidly could sense that it would be another five minutes before he could absorb this one With a bitter expression Randidly returned to the shores of the lake Another growth stock Wonderful

Still it meant that his Class was once more solid enough to grow and provide him Skills For now that would need to be enough

As he walked calmly out of the water the people he had saved jumped They had gathered some distance from the shore but when they saw him appear they hurried over

Hero Thank god you arrived when you did middle aged woman said with nervous nods Otherwise we all would have perished And our section would have gone without water Is there is there anything we can do to express our thanks

No need Randidly began but his body had other ideas With an embarrassing amount of volume his stomach grumbled Randidly grinned awkwardly

True his stats were so increased that he largely was beyond the normal necessities of life But he had spent a month in the dark without eating anything Even if he didnÆt desperately need food yet RandidlyÆs body wanted it

ah I see sir is hungry Well feel free to return with us to our camp The woman said bobbing her head What ah may we call sir

Ghosthound Randidly said softly

Annoyingly it seemed the path back toward the peopleÆs camp led through a dozen Wight patrols After the third such group was encountered Randidly rapidly expanded his Perception by relying on Grasp of the World Seed

How can there be so many fucking Wights Randidly hissed shocked in spite of himself They seemed endless Like ants they marched across the countryside Near their current position they mainly kept to reasonable groups but beyond that there was a sea of them Against that many even he

How many Psychic Poisons would it take to knock him unconscious Even with a stronger will that many attacks with PropagatorÆs supporting them

To answer Sir Ghosthound Hastam is surrounded The woman whose name was Merta said shortly Even now she seemed to constantly walk on eggshells around Randidly But they had been so constantly harried by Wights that there hadnÆt been time for Randidly to find out why The Spearman School is under siege Most of the Wight forces moved from the other Schools to our current location to finish us off because we are the greatest threat

Damnit Randidly growled Closing his eyes he unleashed a two thousand or so Mana with Grasp of the World Seed to kill another nearby band When he opened his eyes he found Merta looking at him with a horrified look For a second he began to explain he wasnÆt angry at her but it seemed a pointless pursuit

Randidly glanced behind him The twenty survivors of the water gathering expedition aside from Merta maintained a distance of about ten meters from him constantly Sensing his gaze on him They all hunched their shoulders and stared at the ground RandidlyÆs gaze hardened but he wasnÆt sure why this was happening Still to be so totally feared it was not a good feel

LetÆs keep moving then Randidly said lightly

Like nervous rodents the group trailed after him With Randidly striking with Grasp of the World Seed before Wights could even come close the walking speed of the group rapidly increased Within three hours they had arrived at their baseÆ

Which was it turned out a huge camp some distance away from Hastam When the group approached Randidly was somewhat surprised to see the place was utter chaos There were hundreds of clustered leather tents sprawled across a large valley With his eyesight Randidly could see some official looking buildings at the far end of the valley but the group that he had rescued was not heading in that direction

Eventually Merta led Randidly to a group of tents that was surrounded by a very basic barricade Wooden poles had been sharpened and stabbed into the ground Several muscled and scarred men and women who were lounging by the opening in the barricade perked up when the group approached

Merta You survived A tall man said He had a warm smile as he walked out from the gate toward the group His skin was light orange and there was a closed eye in the middle of his forehead We feared well we heard the news about the Wight horde Did you manage to bring water

Yes I think we would all know what you brought back for the group

Everyone turned to look at an ugly looking man that walked out of a large tent erected outside of the barricade A jagged scar cut off a chunk of his nose and left his mouth lopsided Even though the expression was grotesque enough to mask some of the emotion Randidly could tell the man was smiling with ill intent toward the new arrivals

The tall man flushed Darrune Leave us This is not your business

Now now now Darrune said sidling over ArenÆt I protecting your section by placing myself here IÆm a deterrent Have you not all benefited from the meat that I bring I just ask for a little water for the invaluable service I provide Perhaps five barrels

Five barrels Merta spluttered barely able to believe the number Randidly felt a headache coming on

Darrune without that water the children But the tall man abruptly fell silent His eyes went wide The same thing happened to most everyone in the group including Darrune They all stared slack jawed at Randidly

The only person who didnÆt react with shock was Merta But Randidly could sense her trembling

All Randidly had done was raise a finger and point But in that casual gesture he had focused on the image of overwhelming Sharpness An edge that could split a hair and the hardest steel just as easily A spearhead that could pierce through an entire world A grasping jade claw that would treat metal like paper

The image slid silently forward digging a long trench across the ground There were probably twenty meters of space between Randidly and Darrune With a wicked glee that image ripped a deep gash in the ground that extended for nineteen and a half of those meters

As the image approached Darrune emitted a choked cry and fell backward It was only when the image ran out of steam and hissed to a halt that anyone dared move Everyone’s eyes traced the long rip that Randidly had so casually torn in the land The groove was deep and even Chillingly so

In his mind all Randidly could think about was how many people that sea of Wights had killed And in the face of that heavy number he had no patience for these political squabbles And also no time to indulge them

When someone finally found the voice to speak it was only one word

Pontiff

Frowning Randidly carefully looked around at the surrounding people I donÆt have time for this Merta bring me to a cooking fire

Ah yes Sir Ghosthound Merta said hurrying past Darrune and into the barricade Darrune just stared blankly at Randidly until the scarred man realized that Randidly had turned his way And then he scrambled up and scampered back to his tent

Sighing Randidly followed after Merta Frustrating and worrisome this night had been Although the sun hadnÆt yet risen the Eastern sky was beginning to brighten The entire night had been taken up escorting these people If he got a good meal it wouldnÆt be a total waste but it still made him somewhat nervous that he didn’tÆ know what was going on in Hastam Even the tournament took a backseat to the looming threat of extinction at the hands of the Wights

Perhaps not more important than that but there was something else Randidly needed to do while he had a moment If he let himself get swept up he would always make excuses to avoid it And this was a promise that Randidly had made to himself tonight he would check in on his Soulskill Which was exactly what he intended to do The benefit of such a visit was that the time difference would mean that it would only take him a few minutes to check in on all the people he was curious about

In that time Randidly hoped he could get a pulse on the world within him

After receiving a bowl of thick stew and wolfing it down Randidly found a quiet tent in which to sit Then with a light breath he slipped into himself to find out just how much had changed with his Steps of the Godling II Path

Chapter 764

When Randidly touched his Soulskill something strange happened At first Randidly panicked as he felt his consciousness diffusing but then he realized that it was somewhat akin to how he felt when using All is Ash and his form dissipated With a little exertion of will it was possible to gather himself all up again But it felt like Randidly dye dropped in water

As the currents of his world moved he felt himself spread to the farthest reaches of the Seven Lands The thin tendrils of his perception spread in a way that was definitely different and likely a result of the strange connection that he and his Soulskill shared

RandidlyÆs first impression was of moving bodies A vast host of Spriggits and Weavers traveled down the branches to lower lands At the moment they were proceeding into the Land of monsters From them Randidly could sense mounting tension His sense of self slid across the fortresses waiting in the way of the host Those squat steel buildings were bristling with sharp pieces of metal and the stink of fear

In terms of size the host was almost one hundred million The number came unbidden to Randidly They moved in a vast disastrous blob Behind them lay several lands that were trampled and left hollow Like a pestilence the descended

The thin tendrils of Randidly flowed into the host It was difficult to get specifics but Randidly could get the gist of the desires of the host

Escape Freedom Heaven Somewhere else

With a spiraling precision Randidly zeroed in on Alta She stood at the heart of the host standing before an ancient grey haired weaver Fear and fury were warring across her face in a way that gave Randidly pause Very gently he settled into the room

What Alta stuttered shaking her head slightly The weaver and the girl were alone The old WeaverÆs body was as large as a car but Randidly could sense that beneath its many hairs the actual limbs were stick thin What did you just say

Not the journey but the destination you understand The Weaver purred Its voice was thin and weak All of it was set into motion by me You could say I am more mother to you that the bitch that spawned you Your parentÆs death the peace you had to experiment that fire that prods you forward

The Weaver paused It rubbed its two forelimbs together Your entire life dancing to my tune My only oversight was Creta How could I expect a no name servant to become one of the deadliest killers the world has ever seen But it was convenient She kept you save from the threats that I couldnÆt neutralize myself

I I knew Alta stuttered She finally seemed capable enough to focus her gaze on the Weaver This whole time IÆve known the Council of Fates

LetÆs not beat around the bush girl The Weaver interrupted The Council of Fates is the name that my errand boys have invented to make themselves feel important All of the actions they took were orchestrated by me I do hate the stereotypes of my race but I sat in my web and pulled the strings for the last two hundred years to get to this point

Your plan Alta tried again her hands clenched into fists

But the WeaverÆs thin voice cut through hers without difficulty will go off without a hitch I know of the critical flaw you built into the machinery Your plan to siphon so much strength from the world tree is brilliant you SpriggitÆs always had the most amusing ideas But did you truly think I would blindly trust a girl who I trimmed and pruned like a garden Who holds the flowers of one thousand years of hatred

With great care the Weaver lifted itself up off of the ground and took several steps toward Alta Do you think that hate that has animated you is your own Ah child you are not so special a creature as that I made you with the seeds I have nurtured for a millennia The Progenitor has forgotten us That foolish man owes us much but refuses to return here to pay the piper So I needed a weapon Something so large and violent that he would pay attention And you have performed splendidly

Have served your purpose You have created weapons capable of decimating the countryside You have taken energy from the world and destabilized climates You have bred fear and suspicion in the populace And you have cultivated enough political support that your idea to open a door to the Land of the Progenitor was considered seriously And once the people caught wind of it well

Randidly sighed with a certain resignation even if he was just an invisible strand of consciousness in the room with the two Perhaps because of their connection Randidly felt that this scene was too familiar He too had been confronted with a Creature that had bred him with a purpose And she had found him to be an excellent experiment So much so that the Creature had attempted to stop him so she could take advantage of the strange patterns Randidly had introduced to the System

So AltaÆs response was also unsurprising

Fuck you She swore quietly with smoldering eyes Maybe thatÆs true Maybe all of that is true But do you think that will prevent me from killing you right now and stopping it

Can you kill me child Doubtful The Weaver sounded amused

Alta snorted Burn for me

Randidly felt as the strange resonator device amplified the vicious heat of the ash in AltaÆs chest For a second he thought that a huge area around them would be burnt away But he was surprised that as that vision of ash exploded outwards a chilling blast erupted from the Weaver

It chuckled by clicking its fangs together in amusement There is balance in all things child Where there is light there is darkness Although you refuse to acknowledge it we are one and the same We both seek to break out of this cage Why do you hate me

Because you killed my family I watched them suffer and die because of you Alta bellowed The resonator in her chest began to spin more rapidly The air around her distorted Her clothes began to smoke and smolder

DonÆt hate me Hate the Progenitor that stranded us in this broken land

WHY DO I NEED TO HATE ONLY ONE THING Alta roared as her body burst into flames That heat was enough to melt the ground beneath her RandidlyÆs consciousness swam through it like a fish in water twirling around AltaÆs head With an even gaze he followed the vicious thorns that wrapped even more tightly around her soul as the image of ash exploded outwards

The wave of heat was impressive and even the Weaver faltered in the face of it Although it was producing an image of Frigid Ash to counter it perfectly the cold image was being slowly overwhelmed Hissing the Weaver slowly retreated

Do you think killing me will accomplish anything The Weaver spat out These last hundreds of years I havenÆt had to even lift a spinner all of you follow the paths I have created So deep are my plans that

you donÆt matter Alta said with a surprising amount of chilling hatred for the fake she was a walking torch ItÆs true Your death will mean nothing But that is because everything means nothing This is an empty world Your words won’t stop me

The Progenitor

Killing you will make me feel good Even if itÆs just for a moment Alta interrupted She was smiling but the heat warped the air so her smile seemed to wiggle like a blind earthworm IsnÆt that reason enough

In a wave of force the flames blasted outward and ripped through the WeaverÆs image The WeaverÆs body followed quickly afterward incinerated in the speed it took one to blink

After that powerful display the Ashen Image that had seized Alta departed with a groan she collapsed to her knees The flesh around the resonator in her chest was softly sizzling as it burnt her skin

The naked girl sat and stared numbly at the ash that was the big bad guy she had chased for her entire life Then she began to cry

Randidly reached out and brushed her hair He remembered how exhilarating it had been in those moments where the Creature had been reduced to nothing but scattered memories But afterward he felt so hollow His great foe had died but not really And now he faced directly the larger threat that the System posed to Earth

By slaying the Creature he hadnÆt accomplished anything And that lack of satisfaction ate at him Even now Especially now because he was aware that the Creature still existed in some form waiting for him to let his guard down

Which was followed by the second realization although it was a hollow gesture Randidly and Alta couldnÆt have proceeded without making it

That was the thing about life Toward the end everything began to feel like work There were no easy answers just a list of things to do tomorrow

Randidly detected Creta hurrying over to investigate the commotion and flowed away This was just one story developing in his Soulskill Karma dictated there would be two more so Randidly followed his instincts toward the second

Chapter 765

Why did I fail The Earth Golem who had been called High King asked to the empty sky

The clouds held no answer They hung thick and low above him forming a dirty sky that warned of the coming rain

For what felt like the hundredth time today the Earth Golem reached up with his good arm and rubbed the stump at his left shoulder He could still remember the cold glean off the reflective silver mech as it burst through the barricade and raised its sickle to strike He had been confident then He had been high king

That sickle was the sharpest thing he had seen in his brief reign

To survive in the prerogative of the great his mother had whispered to him when he was young She would drag the sheepskin covers up to his chin then and finish with As long as one lives all is not lost

Oh Nana I wish the world was like your stories

Below him the vast horde of the afraid traveled with a momentum that couldnÆt be stopped They marched and steamrolled the steams and lives of many without a thought A few days ago one of the leaders of the Council of Fates had died and there had been some scrambling around but the body was too large for the head to control any longer the migration was considering down to the promised land

And as one who had been neutralized and spirited away to be a critical appendage for the head to keep control of the body the one who had been High King felt lost For many reasons

Most of the mechs had a rough grey hue from enduring the harsh winds of the Earth Golem Land but not that terrible model that had struck him down The one referred to as Seraphim He had never seen the pilot but he had seen her long tawny hair cascading down her back

At the time his gaze was blurry from agony and the heartbreak of his loss but he would never forget how the pilot had moved She had stepped down out of the suit and glanced at him She wore a black helmet Then she turned and walked away

As requested he has been delivered IÆll expect the payment in the usual place

Why He muttered again In spite of himself he sat up and looked over the edge of the cliff next to him toward the living mass of bodies moving below It was somewhat mesmerizing to look at them all flowing like ants over each other They were about to reach the first line of defense for the Monster Race armies Currently a delegation of the monsters was in the heart of this horde seeking to bargain for a peaceful passage

But without a doubt there was no stopping this force The Monster royal family could either join in or have their entire land laid waste by the flood of people

The one who had been High King sat up quickly reaching for the club at his hip At the head of the path a slim man stood There was an easy smile on his face and he possessed short black hair Immediately the one who had been High King relaxed Although he wasnÆt overly familiar with this man it was someone he knew

To be blessed by the presence of the Prince of Monsters it is a rare honor for one such as I He said monotonously

The Monster PrinceÆs eyes flashed emerald as his smile turned indulgent Please I have never been recognized as half of what you have been named It is my honor to stand before the High King the greatest the Earth Golems have seen in generations

To hear that title from you it sounds like a sad joke The Earth Golem said Laboriously he stood Besides the fact that I yet live is extremely sensitive Since you are aware of me it is possible that I may need to kill you

Could you The Monster PrinceÆs smile widened

For a second the one who had been High King felt the urge to test out the young manÆs resolve The Earth Golem had no doubt that the monster before him was strong Not only had he accompanied the group that went to the Land of Dreams but he also returned to a Land and united it all within two years

Although there was nominally a regent that governed the main workings of the Land before the Monster PrinceÆs thirtieth birthday everyone knew who held the reins of power in the 3rd Land

prince IÆm too tired for games I have lost much IÆve been broken But that does not mean IÆve weakened In fact I have grown strong So strong that I feel like the current me could cut down my past self just as I was cut down But that is a cold comfort Some foes cannot be fought

The Monster Prince rubbed his chin The Great Weaver is dead is it not Who is left to fight

Fate The one who had hoped to be Emperor sighed The one who had been High King shook his head sadly I fought not against an individual but against the world

The Monster Prince walked over and joined the Earth Golem at the edge of the cliff His emerald eyes studied the flow of bodies below then moved back to the Earth Golem Against the world

Stoically the Earth Golem shrugged and gestured to the sweaty and endless crowd below It is so I have been raised to pursue an impossible dream Perhaps the great Earth Golem Emperor once existed but I have felt the laws of the world There is a bar there preventing another such one from rising My people for hundreds of years have chased a lie

You are being melodramatic The Monster Prince chuckled

The Earth GolemÆs temper flared but he let the emotions wash through him before continued to speak Perhaps You are young Although you have faced adversity Can you know for sure you know better than I Have you been broken down to nothing Have you been left to die or treated like cattle

The Monster Prince just looked at the Earth Golem His eyes were empty and green They were as peaceful and deep as a fae moon

To his own surprise the Earth Golem looked away first Generally he would be incensed by the loss of pride before this young man but the Earth Golem was surprised to find a strange feeling of intimacy toward the prince well each treads our own path All I can say is that when I rose to my apex the SpriggitÆs who had stalled out on their mech research for three hundred years had a revolutionary breakthrough Within two years they had created avatars with the strength of the ProgenitorÆs messengers What am I supposed to do but assume this is the will from above I was deemed not worthy

If all you are going to do is whine about your loss The Monster Prince turned away looking at the dust cloud that followed after the host of people It wafted low and fat behind them It almost seemed like the migration was fleeing from the trail of airborne debris they left in their wake Then I will go You donÆt need me to feel sorry for yourself

Why are you even here The Earth Golem hissed His phantom left arm reached out and roughly grasped the Monster Prince to spin him around but of course nothing happened Just as soon as it had arrived the intimacy fled leaving only his vicious sense of helplessness This journey of yours was pointless Your land will either join the movement or burn There is no other option at this point

At that the monster prince reached up and covered his face with his hand Although his back was to the Earth Golem it was clear that the prince was bearing a great weight on his back The Earth GolemÆs words brought that back into stark relief

There was a shred of regret in the Earth GolemÆs chest but only that His expression turned bitter Had not he felt that same helplessness WasnÆt that the same weight under which he now struggled

His mother was incorrect There was no meaning in life when the world considered your dream anathema What was the point of it all

Is this so simple a world that there are only two paths forward The Monster Prince said in a light tone with his back still to the Earth Golem And that is why I can still chide you in my situation to find a dead end at the end of one path doesnÆt invalidate a dream

The Earth Golem spat off the cliff toward the masses below You did not witness the Seraphim when it descended and slew the High King It was the will of the Progenitor itself such was its strength And even now with the confidence of crushing the Seraphim there would be no point Another judgment would lay beyond this one The trials are endless The world is constant strife

If you were so confident of your victory would you really be laying here with just the sky

The Earth Golem ground his teeth but could not force words out of his mouth

Chapter 766

After the silence between the two had stretched for several minutes the Earth Golem finally said Perhaps you are right But the entirety of what I was did not survive that strike from the Seraphim I was severed from the mantle I wore The High King fell that day My people no longer believe in my power Without that I have felt myself lessor

When the Monster Prince turned around his eyes seemed to twinkle Instead of replying he asked What is your name friend

The Earth Golem smiled in spite of himself although it was a short and ugly thing What is the point of a name To me my title was everything I would prefer that my name died with the title So that I might forever be remembered as the man who was High King

IsnÆt it okay to want something for yourself The Monster King looked down at his hands to avoid the Monster Prince’s serious expression To wield so much power responsibilities are constantly heaped on your shoulders But that does not make you any less the individual who had brought you to that point

It is justice that those with power lead and face the great enemies of their people The Earth Golem intoned still looking at his hands That responsibility becomes you That is your strength but also your great flaw The name I had before is meaningless

There was an Earth Golem named Alrick the Monster Prince interrupted Who craved strength enough to shake an entire Land And as he built up momentum the entire Tree of Life would whisper his name Three Lands joined hands to strike him down and even then it was a close thing A bitter war and an intolerable loss Right

The one who had been High King who was born to the name Alrick grimaced If you knew my name why ask boy

Because I wanted to remind you Now the Monster PrinceÆs eyes slowly brightened until they were verdant lanterns Alrick found himself unable to look away There is no shame in failure There is no shame in learning So listen well what would the Earth Golem Alrick think if he saw how things would turn out

He wouldnÆt understand immediately Alrick said quietly But there are some truths that cannot be changed

He wouldnÆt understand and wouldn’t accept it That was why he was so strong He refused such things

AlrickÆs one remaining hand flexed In order to calm his agitation he flicked the pommel of his club And he was cast down He was left for dead and sold to the highest bidder His fate was taken from him

Fates cannot be so easily taken It was surrendered out of fear Not because Alrick was slain but because the legend of the High King was broken That Path didnÆt lead to the pinnacle Can you really draw a broader message from your situation than that The Monster Prince gestured to the people below What would happen if word escaped you were alive Your hollow threat hid a very real truth these people would react if they knew you were among them There would be chaos That is the weight that you still carry

Shaking his head Alrick growled We will never agree on this So I ask again why are you here I need no lecture from a pup who manages charlatans in his own court in his spare time Your crown was one you were born into Mine I seized with bloody hands Do you seek to enlist me into your service I reject you and all those who hold crowns If this land cannot be mine I will carry no king to rule over it Do you seek some answer to the problem of the crusade I cannot help you You are alone in this Do you

What I want The Monster Prince said slowly Is to have a friend To me What do I care what you might have been ThatÆs why I asked for your name No more no less

You want a friend Alrick blinked several times When it became clear that he hadnÆt misheard he began to laugh wildly He pounded his good arm against his thick thigh as if to check if this wasnÆt a dream The young man had prodded all the tightly wound stress and anxiety sitting in his chest for something so inane Truly

Why would I lie The Monster Prince asked wryly

Hmm Truly you are as strange as they say Alrick said After rubbing the pommel of his club for several seconds he snorted and said Well then I am known as Alrick And as to friendship No Never it is impossible Your people have killed thousands of mine Due to that we are forever enemies

Really You are going to say no just like that For the first time since the Monster Prince appeared he seemed genuinely surprised Some of that constant pressure that he emitted evaporated as he looked wide eyed at Alrick

Feeling somewhat smug Alrick nodded Of course Although I have lost my title and my purpose I will never lose my honor It is already stretching it enough to not run you through where you stand

For a man without hope you sure hold tightly to honor The Monster Prince said helplessly Then the prince began to laugh as the overwhelmed by the sudden refusal To AlrickÆs surprise he found himself caught up in the strange joy of the moment The two of them stood on the cliff above the sea of people and laughed for quite some time

When they finally quieted Aldrick said seriously Duty is what is left of ambition when hope dies Even though I suspect your path might be the same as mine I hope you find a different end to your journey enemy of mine

There was a ghost of a smile on the Monster PrinceÆs face Enemies eh It feels like I already have too many of those these days

My people have said that it is always best to judge by oneÆs enemies Truly those destined for greatness will not antagonize the weak and crippled Alrick said remembering how serious his mother had looked when she had explained to him the rules to live by And as he remembered her his stance softened imperceptibly

Perhaps Mama was correct Alrick conceded to himself Although my life has reached its end it has meaning if only to guide those that follow Without tradition the glory of what we are would be lost

it seems there is no more to say between us The Monster Prince said slowly Goodbye Alrick I suspect the next time we meet each other well Such a place will not be one of words

mm Alrick rumbled But as the Monster Prince turned to walk away Alrick surprised himself by saying And you prince What is your name

For a second the Monster PrinceÆs face went blank But then he simply shrugged

Randidly Randidly Ghosthound

Darrune do you think I would believe your lies A tall man said spitting on the ground But to the tall manÆs surprise Darrune didnÆt flinch at all at his aggressive movements In fact Darrune seemed perfectly at ease in the canvas chair in which he sat

It is true brother Would I lie to you Ask around many witnessed it Darrune said mildly Today a Pontiff arrived at our camp Upon spotting me he was so taken by my spear potential that he demonstrated his ultimate move for me and many others With just a finger he produced the most perfect attack I have ever seen Witnessing it once was enough to increase my Skill Level in Vicious Thrust by 29 Levels

At the announcement that Darrune had gained twenty nine Skill Levels from watching something the third person in the tent choked on her water After pounder her chest for several seconds she regarded Darrune suspiciously ThatÆs impossible

I was once like you unable to see the light Darrune said with a sad shake of the head But now well my eyes are opened That is why I called the two of you over to speak There is an opportunity here My master made it known to me that he wanted a few guards to protect his interests while he was in the area I am unsure whether he will bother to instruct again but

But a Pontiff The tall man was unconvinced

unfortunately I did hear rumors about this The woman admitted reluctantly She shot Darrune a barbed glance before continuing I heard no word that this was a demonstration however They way I heard it he tried to kill you He didnÆt even need to lift a finger and had you on your knees

Would such a powerful spear user truly have difficulty killing me Darrune said with a smile

In spite of herself the woman cackled Have some respect Darrune Truly you are the most shameless man I know Hmm well even if it’s just a chance being taught by a Pontiff itÆs too juicy to pass up Fine we will assist your MasterÆ But if it turns out you have been lying to us

IÆll kill you The tall man said filling in the long pause the woman left Darrune didnÆt even twitch He simply chuckled But his eyes sparkled with glee

Chapter 767

Randidly condensed himself at the end of the horde of people after he walked away from Alrick When his body appeared it was marred by a sour expression on his face

To his surprise it was difficult not to take the fact that a living being based upon some reflection of himself had bluntly refused friendship The grounds on which he did so was of course incorrect but Randidly could sense that no matter how he pushed he would not have changed the Earth GolemÆs mind

RandidlyÆs original goal was to rile Alrick up and then reforge his determination with a friendship with himself It wasnÆt a great idea but when Randidly had detected that the second meeting he would have today was with the scarred and hopeless leader of the Earth Golems he really had no idea how to proceed

Cheering someone else up was not his strong suit But sometimes there was nothing to do but his best And to his surprise he had succeeded

Somehow in rejecting Randidly Alrick had found his piece And it left Randidly irritable So he hoped this third meeting would be more pleasing than the others

Randidly casually walked out from behind a rock and joined the slowly walking groups of people at the rear Most of the people here were Spriggits who walked aside large carts carefully checking the equipment within Making use of his newfound power to sense some of the intentions of those nearby Randidly quickly realized that most of these were experimental tech related to a giant power plant

These carts carried the pieces of the engine that was supposed to open up a path out of him It was oddly disturbing to be near something that likely was meant to damage him Not that Randidly really believed that it would or could But just to have this symbolic dagger pointed at his heart

Randidly did his best to ignore the implications of what the carts carried and let the people and carts around him trundle past The person he was looking for was even further back in the endless stream of bodies

Annoyingly the one Randidly was looking for went out of the stream altogether and was standing still in a small wooded area that hadnÆt had the misfortune to be trampled by the wave of bodies Even though Randidly had already intuitively understood how much damage this many people traveling recklessly could do it was somewhat intimidating to witness the ruined land they left in their wake

Perhaps more concretely than he had sensed earlier this was leaving a scar across his Soulskill on the magnitude of the Ashen Image itself Glancing upward Randidly cursed it had begun to rain

He found the figure he was following crouching next to a small obelisk that was situated in the middle of the small wood The figure didnÆt look up when he approached occupied by what Randidly assumed was a prayer So instead Randidly closed the eyes of his physical body and felt the figureÆs inner world more directly

Why me

Slowly Randidly opened his eyes The figure had stood and turned to face Randidly

hello IÆve not seen you before The figure said lightly But IÆm surprised another knows of this old place My father researched ruins of the Progenitor you see So thatÆs why I had to stop here I just wanted to check you know

You are Danz Randidly said slowly The name was somewhat unfamiliar to him but he found it in the manÆs mind But what concerned Randidly were the deep gashes in the manÆs soul It seemed like someone had dragged a flail through his psyche

For all that DanzÆs smile was surprisingly even And you must be the Progenitor

There was a second where RandidlyÆs heart jumped in shock but then Danz chuckled and shook his head It canÆt be right If the Progenitor appeared the first time someone prayed people would save those moments for dire times

His voice trailed off then he looked upward sharply at Randidly My apologies IÆm not IÆm not myself You will have to excuse me I have women troubles Err woman troubles Just one

It seems strange to me that someone whose father researched the Progenitor wouldnÆt pray Randidly said slowly Although Danz had given him an obvious in with his prior comment Randidly didnÆt want to address it directly yet The man was talking about Alta But Randidly peered at Danz with a bit of apprehension There was an image hiding in Danz one that Randidly couldn’tÆ quite suss out And until he could figure out why this moment was important

Oh Oh I suppose thatÆs true Danz scratched his cheek My father didnÆt raise me He left us my mother and my sister and explored the lands Very rarely we would hear from him Even more rarely he would send us money It was difficult but manageable until my mother died After that I was so young and needed to work So I took the first job I found with pay enough to keep us afloat A lab assistant A housekeeper A butler

Randidly moved and sat next to Danz on the damp grass that surrounded the obelisk Of the entire forest this was the spot with the most sunlight so there were several bushes and weeds that choked up space But it felt strangely insulated from the droning bass of the convoy only a short distance away Randidly stared at Danz studying him for a hint of what he might mean

Have you ever Danz faltered as he started to speak again and had to frown for several seconds before he could continue Do you think some people are incapable of love

But before Randidly answered Danz shook his head No thatÆs a dumb thought Okay how about do you believe in fate

Randidly froze He did recognize the scent of a Skill that hung around Danz But it was an old distant memory because Randidly had forcibly destroyed the Skill as it tried to bind him What was it called Weaver with the Threads of Fate In a way however it made sense that there would be enough remnants to manifest here That was the fate of this place To be a distorted reflection of all the images that passed through Randidly

When Randidly didnÆt say anything Danz continued to speak Randidly couldnÆt look away from the deep circles underneath his eyes It has to be all or nothing right Everything is predetermined and we are puppets or nothing has meaning and everything is empty chance The Progenitor is either a grand script or a pair of dice but which it is

Why were you praying Danz Randidly asked quietly but his eyes were bright and vicious Just from touching DanzÆs mind he had seen the path this conversation would run and already fury was pumping through RandidlyÆs veins

Danz continued speaking as though he hadnÆt heard Randidly There was a rambling madness to his tone that hinted at how long it had been since he had slept soundly Do you know how long I’ve held this job It was supposed to be a short term thing All I wanted was to help my family It was just a job I didnÆt mean to fall in love It was supposed to be safe It was supposed to be a harmless crush on my boss Even then I knew she would never love me even if my reasons were wrong Even as we began to end our shifts with her riding and choking me out until she came It was just

Danz Randidly said his voice rumbling with fury The air around him warped as he slowly lost control of his emotions

All Randidly could see was the whites of DanzÆs eyes now and there was a little bit of froth at the corner of the manÆs mouth I used to know so clearly why I was doing things Reasons were bright and easy To make money because I loved her because I actually wanted something But everything went to shit First the corporate spies in the assistants that Creta killed and then pretending I wasnÆt fucking Alta every night so that she could have her fake engagement Working long hours even though my sister was fine on her own now And the money kept getting better but I had nothing to do with it All I had was memories

There were so many things to do and then Alta tells me we are going to build a flaw into the generator that would result in a cataclysmic chain reaction And sheÆs so serious And for the first time more than IÆve ever seen her before sheÆs happy This is what sheÆs always wanted And IÆm just so sure she will never look at me like that

Danz Randidly bellowed

Danz blinked Then he smiled and wiped some of the drool and froth from the corner of his mouth I was praying for judgment I know how to fix the generator But I wonÆt fix it I just won’t I wish I could tell you why I’ve thought about it for a month and nothing has happened I go to her bed every night and then return to mine ThatÆs the whole problem These days I just feel so used I don’t know how to want anything for myself anymore For so long IÆve been taking care of small tasks to avoid thinking about the big problems with my life And now those big things were only ever a bunch of the small things grouped together My choices were made while I was on autopilot And And

A series of wracking coughs overcame Danz then and he spent several minutes coughing onto the forest floor Flecks of phlegm and blood spattered the grass Eventually Danz straightened again and looked directly at Randidly IÆm glad someone was here for this Truly Maybe the answer truly is destiny Please I need a favor After after this I want you to watch Alta Watch her carefully

Watch her yourself Randidly growled

Danz winced I just want to know If she will mourn me If there was enough space in her heart for me

It took Danz almost an hour of wracking coughs for the poison to do its work Randidly believed that it would have been possible for him to burn the substance out of DanzÆs body but the process would have been painful beyond a normal personÆs tolerance And besides that if the man was thinking about suicide now it would likely only get worse if he was mentally worn down by pain

Randidly lay back on the grass and let the soft rain fall on him The tiny pinpricks felt good

His Soulskill seemed to hum Something had been set in motion by him witnessing the three scenes today But what

Part of what he had seen was actually relevant to the Soulskill broadly Alta striking out killing the Weaver would have implications Probably too the disposition of Alrick would be relevant to the future of this world

But why was it necessary for Randidly to be here and witness the final moments of Danz Would it affect Alta

Randidly released a breath Then his eyes snapped open His gaze pierced upwards through the thin and spitting crowds to the creaking and powerful branches of the World Tree Perhaps he did understand why karma had brought him here It was a lesson

For so long IÆve been taking care of small tasks to avoid thinking about the big problems with my life And now those big things were only ever a bunch of the small things grouped together

Perhaps it was timely enough of a reminder to have been necessary Although Randidly was in Tellus to help his main goal was to gather knowledge for EarthÆs eventual conflict with the Calamities The outcome of the tournament was ultimately secondary

Shaking his head Randidly stood For all that he needed to remain focused on what was to come sometimes small tasks took precedence This was one of those times

He gathered to himself enough roots to form a shovel and began to dig a grave

Chapter 768

Very slowly Randidly opened his eyes His Soulskill would keep at least for now He had considered confronting Alta or Lucretia before he left but from what he sensed in Alta more interference would be met only with a flat refusal And to this point Lucretia had made it clear that her stance was to follow AltaÆs decisions

Besides he had some real world time The horde of people had to travel across two more lands before they arrived at the gate they planned to use to attack him In that time Randidly needed to figure out what he could do to prevent karma from compelling him to do something foolish

Breathing through his nose Randidly shook those thoughts aside Better not to dwell There were things to do here as well

DanzÆs death was a small thing Unexpected Rather anticlimactic considering how much Randidly knew about him But perhaps that strange disconnect with the way Randidly felt he should feel and the way he actually responded was what made him so weary Karma of some sort had guided Randidly to that spot to witness DanzÆs last moments

His was a cautionary tale an example of a life so wrapped up in that demands of minutia that he found himself living as someone he didnÆt recognize The reasons supporting him had slowly faded away and left the behavior unchanged It was a man that had become an abandoned ship running on old ocean currents

Randidly frowned Not quite right

Perhaps the lesson was one of the consequences It spoke to the unintended consequences that followed every action no matter how small That was perhaps more applicable to RandidlyÆs own life Even his movements here in this strange camp the attack he had made to iron out the wrinkles in getting food for himself what sort of consequences would result from that

RandidlyÆs expression soured Perhaps the worst and most likely option was the simplest Not everyone had a happy ending waiting for him/her

In a way Randidly had never thought about how his journey would end Ideally he would beat the last bad guy and then retire He would age Start a family

Jesus what am I doing Randidly muttered while furiously scratching at his head His hair was growing out a little It needed to be shorn off

And with a few swipes of his finger Randidly did just that His image of Sharpness was more than enough to handle hairs After finishing Randidly looked at his finger and brooded

IÆve become so much more than just a person Will I simply return to a life like my old one at the end Will I give up fighting Will I sit back and allow my friends and family to fight against a seemingly unending horde while taking no action

His anger at the Masters of Tellus aside it was a real question he had never considered What would they say of him after his journey was finished

Would it finish With his increased Vitality it didnÆt seem like Randidly was aging at all It was a little difficult to keep track of his actual age with all the time spent in his Soulskill and Dungeons and other worlds but Randidly believed he was twenty six As far as he can tell he hadnÆt aged a day The only change was in muscle mass While Randidly still was slim he recognized that he was quite a bit heavier than when he started Part of it was muscle but Randidly also suspected that it was the accumulation of Aether

Not that Aether had physical weight but there was an effect on the world when so much Aether was gathered in one place

But all this was a distraction how would the Legend of Randidly Ghosthound end

I would like to settle down eventually Randidly said slowly I want Earth to be safe from the System I want Donnyton all the people IÆve met to survive I want them to be free from harm if they choose it I want

RandidlyÆs eyes hardened All his wants required strength Absolute strength For now knowing that was enough Instead he considered his next moves on Tellus

Find Shal Ask about Calamities Even even if it wastes time help Helen or Azriel win the tournament They deserve it And of course find Acri and Sulfur Randidly said clearly Then he nodded to himself and stood Ah and also help the people of Tellus despite the strange game being played over the images of this world all these people did not deserve to die If it is possible punish those that so apathetically let the common folk out to dry against the Wights

As Randidly stepped out of the tent he had been given he stiffened slightly There were four individuals surrounding his tent They appeared relaxed but it was easy to tell that they were waiting for him to leave

Were they some of the people he saved

no All of those people were some distance off And one of the four was the individual had scared off last night so he could enter the area without a hitch An ambush then

RandidlyÆs mouth twisted into a grim smile Audacious

Admiring the clear sky above Randidly stepped fully out of his tent The four figures scrambled to their feet and rushed forward toward them

Randidly raised a hand to stop them Do you truly require another demonstration I don’tÆ have time to waste on you all You are lucky IÆm in a giving mood

Then his hand clenched into a fist and the air filled with Frigid Ash Devouring Storm For added effect Randidly used the Skill itself not just relying on the image The difference was like heaven and Earth With the skill itself helping him along the tent behind him was frozen into a popsicle in seconds The four approaching figures skidded to a stop their faces aghast

All but one The one who had been the cause of trouble yesterday Darrune seemed to have a gleeful smile on his face as the three in front of him were struck dumb by the power of RandidlyÆs Skill As seconds ticked past the ground frosted over and small flecks of snow began to form as the wind that passed by Randidly condensed into snow and sleet Around him the wind began to howl

RandidlyÆs eyebrow quirked upward Oh Not so simple as he first assumed Even if this was an ambush this Darrune intended to use Randidly to teach a lesson to these three Darrune had obviously been aware of RandidlyÆs power and that the attack would fail But all he had to do was convince those he didnÆt like to strike first and Randidly would do the work for him

Clever but not clever enough

Randidly let the Skill drop Bits of ice clattered to the ground in a tinkling staccato Stepping forward Randidly arrived next to one of the three individuals who had joined Darrune The one he chose was a woman

After coughing awkwardly he patted her on the shoulder That should be enough right No hard feelings

This his gaze focused on Darrune and it turned sinister And you IÆm going to grab some supplies and when I return you are going to lead me to Hastam Are we clear

Randidly obviously didnÆt need the man to take him to Hastam but he figured setting a brutal pace would be a nice way to torture the poor man for what he had attempted In addition it would keep him away from the people who lived here for whom it was very clear Darrune caused trouble

Randidly took great satisfaction in DarruneÆs wide eyed expression as he walked past and headed toward the cooking fires

At least in this instance IÆll keep a handle on the consequences Randidly thought with a wry smile Then he sniffed and caught the smell of bacon His pace quickened

You really are his student The tall man said

The quiet one who was their fourth member shook his head wordlessly

You two are going to Hastam The woman hissed How can you get in Why are you going How high up in the command structure is he He might be a Pontiff but heÆs so young

Now now Darrune said lazily drooling from all the attention he was getting My masterÆs business is his own Even I have only heard the broad details during our talks let us not spend the time dwelling on casual acquaintances like you three

The three glared at Darrune but they could say nothing After all he was actually telling the truth this time Even if they hadnÆt wanted to believe it what other interpretation could they have of the events after the tall black haired man left his tent

Oh did you make any gains while witnessing his profound moves Darrune asked teasingly

The tall man rubbed his nose Uh a few It all happened so fast

The silent one nodded furiously

After grinding her teeth for several seconds the woman nodded

Ohoho Darrune forced himself to laugh in a creepy manner while waving a hand in front of his face Well I must depart In the meantime please gather other like minded people My master has need of them When I ah when I return it will be with his orders

How many do you want The woman asked her face scrunching up

Darrune smiled An army

Chapter 769

Despite RandidlyÆs misgivings about Darrune the man kept up admirably well when Randidly started out So he had upped the speed to the point where the Tellite was wheezing like a deflating balloon From there Randidly slowed down but only a little

Despite that Darrune managed to make it all in four hours Although he didnÆt really mind Randidly suspected that the ambient Aether that he threw off just by being an Aether Crossroad was a big reason that Darrune had been able to maintain the demanding level of exertion for so long Randidly supposed that it was this manÆs lucky blessing that gave him this opportunity

After he arrived however Randidly wasnÆt sure what to do with him But it seemed like Darrune was content just to follow along after him and wheeze so Randidly didnÆt pay it any mind Perhaps the journey had convinced Darrune to try and become RandidlyÆs Spear Attendant Which would be convenient in some ways but

Darrune was not the type of person he wanted to be around

So Randidly ignored him as he quickly set off through the crowded streets of Hastam to head toward the Hall of Stances Although the streets were packed with people most of the energy that had been here previously was gone People were sitting on street corners and muttering to themselves Despite the bright sky and sunny day the mood was that of a funeral

RandidlyÆs mood worsened perhaps poisoned by his surroundings But to his surprise just as soon as he descended into a funk he was yanked out of it by a familiar voice

Randidly Ah good you yet live

Randidly froze and turned Standing there hands on his hips was Shal Blue skin closed third eye glowering visage Well all but the last was present Randidly was somewhat surprised that Shal appeared relatively happy to see him Although he wasnÆt smiling his gaze was positively bright

Slowly wondering where his driven and haunted teacher had gone Randidly walked over to him

Shal ItÆs been quite a while

YouÆve grown stronger Shal said a hint of surprise in his voice I witnessed your match against the girl Helen But now The air speaks of the spear near you Have you managed to control the abilities of a Pontiff

Yes Randidly said with a nod Still watching Shal carefully

Satisfactory Shal announced

Then the two stood and looked at each other It felt to them both that the situation that they had last seen each other in was a far cry from where they had once been Randidly had been fleeing from an incarnation of a Master from the Northern Region and Shal had been struggling with the truth about his lineage In their knowing gazes toward each other they seemed to acknowledge these things and then agree to let them go

This is certainly heartwarming A low womanÆs voice full of amusement said Perhaps I should go IÆd hate to interrupt Besides IÆm getting emotional just watching

Randidly blinked turning to the woman standing beside Shal She smiled warmly at him as he finally noticed her Instantly RandidlyÆs brow furrowed I know you You were out in front of Hastam when we arrived You were waiting in line in front of us You are SiloÆs sister

The very same Mr Ghosthound IÆve heard much about you My nameÆs Rumera ItÆs nice to finally meet you But thank you for remember me Some of the good cheer fell away from RumeraÆs face She glanced sideways at Shal I want to get this out of the way your Master had decided that I am to marry him and is not accepting my protests Randidly I donÆt mean to put you on the spot but when I make my escape attempt can I count on you

Shal snorted Randidly looked incredulously from one to the other Was this girl who was probably a few years younger than him truly flirting with Shal

I would kill him without a thought if he attempted to steal you from me Shal announced

Rumera rolled her eyes He isnÆt stealing me ThatÆs the whole point I am not a belonging IÆm just choosing to leave your side

We will talk later and work out a signal Rumera Randidly said with a small laugh But right now I need to talk to Shal I have questions

Instantly Shal familiar glower returned Hum If it is so then it is so Come I know a place where we may speak without being heard Rumi I expect you for dinner

You certainly expect a lot donÆt you Rumera chided But she waved at Randidly and then departed Suddenly all business Shal started striding toward the edge of Hastam

Randidly gestured at Darrune He obviously didnÆt want to bring the man with him but there was a certain cathartic joy in driving the man to his limits that Randidly hadnÆt yet tired of So better to send him somewhere he wouldn’tÆ cause trouble Do you know where the Hall of Stances is Ask around if you donÆt Head there and ask for Azriel or Helen Inform them you know me Then wait there until I return

Then Randidly exploded into motion to follow Shal who wasnÆt holding back on account of his disciple Very soon the two of the passed like a sharp wind through the nearby streets and covered quite a bit of distance Randidly had encountered Shal in the business district so they passed through the residential districts until they arrived at some of the industrial smelting locations

The air here was clogged with smog and soot and the cries of blacksmiths but Shal didn’t stop He kept walking along an old dirt alley until he brought Randidly to an old rusted house frame It looked like someone had built the bones of a house but stopped short of actually making it habitable

What is this place Randidly asked

An old friend of mine once believed that he could make a house using only spear moves Shal said wistfully It was a childhood friend This is the extent of his efforts I always come here to visit when I think of it Although he didnÆt amount to much his family is influential Out of respect for him they keep this relic even now None will hear us here

What happened to him Randidly asked even though he sensed he knew the answer

He died Shal turned and frowned at Randidly It is good that you have come to me to speak There is much to tell you Your life is threatened

Randidly gave Shal a helpless look

In a surprising display of good humor Shal laughed Hmm It is true you are generally pursued and hunted But this time it is a danger I do not have full confidence in protecting you from

Inwardly Randidly marveled at the change in ShalÆs disposition from his time flirting with Rumera He supposed you shouldnÆt underestimate the effects of a relationship But in answer to Shal Randidly shrugged The Wights are many but they are weak As long as I donÆt need to fight a group of Propagators

No it is worse than that boy ShalÆs expression grew even more grave Long shadows lay across his face The Northern Convoy has arrived It is with great joy that so many from Deardrun and the surrounding areas made it out alive but it comes with its own sort of problems The first is general there is some sort of tension between Aylwind Sky head of the Spearman School and the head of the Northern Convoy As such those from the North have largely stayed away from Hastam

Which leads to your first problem the leader of the Northern Convoy is Aegiant Wyrd the Crimson Dawn The man whose descendent you reduced to an unresponsive vegetable I advise you to stay within Hastam as much as possible Should word of your presence get out well there are larger fish to fry at the moment but Aegiant is not a man that would forget the loss you inflicted on him

And second I have received repeated requested from Aethon Thai to approve a marriage between you and the girl Ciel I am told you won her chastity in a tournament match Such a thing is bold but ultimately a distraction One should concentrate

I donÆt need to hear that from you Randidly bellowed Shal regarded him with an unamused look Shaking his head RandidlyÆs thoughts raced as he absorbed what Shal had just said

It made sense that Aegiant Wyrd had reared his head and that might spell trouble for Randidly He recalled generally that a portion of the Regional Tournament he had fought in was about the political state of the Northern Region That point had become moot from the Wight invasion but if in the wake of their fight Drak was reduced to a vegetable Aegiant wouldnÆt easily forget it

That Aethon Thai and his daughter Ciel had accompanied him was more confusing given how the last thing Randidly remembered was Thai and Wyrd fighting But he supposed that the circumstances had pushed them into this And the marriage proposal Tiresome but not a real issue Just somewhat silly for it to crop up like this all this time later

This is what I get for thinking I would like to settle down someday Randidly reflected with an aggrieved expression Plant too many flags and the world will go out of its way to make you eat your words

Chapter 770

After informing Randidly of the looming threats against him Shal explained a small amount about fulfilling his oath to the warden of the prison that he and Randidly had broken out of and then joining the warden in the war effort against the Wights Soon enough however it became clear that Shal was the superior warrior and the warden became ShalÆs lieutenant Eventually he was promoted so many times he began to serve with Ophelia

It was clear to Randidly that Shal knew more about the situation than he explained But when Randidly asked Shal simply shook his head and said That is enough for now And you pupil How have you fared

At which point Randidly grudgingly relayed what he had encountered since returning to Tellus The travel to Hastam Facing a Witch King His teammates in the preliminaries in the tournament All the spear users that died The slow retreat from South Beach toward the Hallat River The Hall of Stances and the match against Helen And then finally being captured by the Engraving Guild and his time in their prison

Which is why of course that they currently were standing in front of the Engraving Guild Headquarters It was a building that was built to fill the role of imposing Huge black slabs of marble with swirling gold inlay created an ominous exterior that towered over those that approached In addition it was built at the most deserted edge of the commercial area so the surrounding buildings were only one or two stories

Randidly believed that the Engraving GuildÆs building stood almost at ten It looked like a solemn monolith that gazed hungrily around at the surrounding area

The inlay was laid out to form runes but they didnÆt create any sort of defensive formation like Randidly had anticipated Instead there formed a single dominating emotion that emanated from the building like a thick blanket over the surrounding area it exuded a bone deep fear

Not of the strength that it could affect Randidly or Shal but it was still rather obnoxious And painfully ostentatious It couldnÆt be denied that the Engraving Guild took itself way too seriously

We are just knocking In such a thing how can there be harm Shal said with a shake of his head Without any fanfare He stretched out his hand and pulled his spear from his back But you are my student after all You represent the Spear Phantom Style Considering their cavalier attitude it is understandable that we take our due

Randidly watched with a frown as Shal approached the tall oaken gateway of the Engraving Guild Headquarters As they had approached there had been no outward response from the Engraving Guild The tall building stood silent waiting for them to make their intentions known

Which was exactly what Shal intended to do

Randidly was aware that Shal would not be gentle in his retribution He had rarely seen Shal truly angry but there had always been a fire behind his teacherÆs eyes that seemed to have an inherent violence to it Which was why the spear wasnÆt a surprise It was the attack used when he swung it that was

As Shal thrust his spear forward the entire world seemed to warp Crouching about the black marble of the buildings was a hulking beast Its eyes were sightless but its grasping hands quickly found purchase upon the building Its breath hissed out between a mouth that had been sewn shut Dragging its claws across the stone of the buildings it produced a jarring keening that likely could be heard throughout the entirety of Hastam

So this is the Phantom you see Randidly thought in awe as he looked upward at the apparition It was so large that it seemed possible for it to reach up and pluck the moon from the sky

ShalÆs thrust seemed suspended in amber sliding evenly forward The spear itself was rather unassuming it was only RandidlyÆs instincts that could sense the danger behind it When the thing chuckled Randidly shivered despite its allegiance to Shal After considering the structure the thing casually thrust its paw with ShalÆs spear

When the image touched the actual attack there was a low hum The spear seemed to be singing with the power of the union It struck the doors and blew them backward with a crash Thin cracks ran outward through the stone of the exterior from the shattered entryway

Even though Randidly had spent his last month focusing on images he wasnÆt able to replicate an image on this scale Whether that equated to power was a more difficult thing to judge but from the way that the door was blown off the hinges

Hm It appears one knock didnÆt suffice Shal remarked He raised his spear once more

Although it wasnÆt physically possible to see due to the angle Randidly had an overwhelming impression of the Phantom crouching above them and the building looking up to the sky and opening its mouth as wide as it could manage The thin cloth bans that tied it shut stretched with it straining there was just enough room for a thin breath to escape its mouth

Just from sucking in the air the figure of the Phantom seemed to swell Rather than diffusing its substance it only became more solid and dense as its size grew to ridiculous proportions Soon it was so big that Randidly had to imagine that all of Hastam was capable of being smashed beneath its foot

Then it let out a breath and what came out was darkness and mist that flooded out to fill the air It was a familiar darkness to Randidly a darkness of isolation and need Of being separated and not understanding why

Something clicked in Randidly

My imprisonment Shal understood More than I realized it reminded him of things he would rather forget Randidly thought His gaze was solemn as he followed the hunched and twisted Phantom as it slashed with its strange claw again

All the while ShalÆs spear slid forward

It took several seconds for Randidly to recognize what happened There was dust and debris everywhere filling the air Honestly the first thing that was clear to Randidly was that ShalÆs face was warped into a scowl

Bah they fled already Shal muttered A breeze blew through carrying away with it a large amount of the clouds What was revealed was the scarred rubble that had once been the Engraving Guild Headquarters as well as most of the buildings in the surrounding area Perhaps they are more intelligent than I suspected

They are associated with the Wights Randidly said slowly his eyes scanning through the broken stone and gold trim But other than the impressive facade it was a somewhat disappointing core But this was a business correct Is it usually so empty

No Shal said grimly I myself have come here on several occasions Hundreds work here And yet now there is nothing Perhaps you are correct Spies among us But from who

Frowning Randidly turned to Shal Shal what do you know What is this war Why have the Masters remained quiet for so long

It Shal began but another voice cut him off

It is not his place to say It is mine But as I do not know you IÆm afraid you will need to be satisfied with what you can piece together

Randidly turned slowly to face the speaker Standing calmly amongst the debris was a slight woman with her dark hair twisted up into an elaborate braid The spear at her back was simple yet RandidlyÆs eyes easily noticed the high level of refinement of the base metal Although it wasnÆt a complicated thing that spear would not be weak There was even a pulsing engraving that spiraled across it As Randidly watched it it shifted from one form to another

His eyes narrowed Now now wasnÆt that an interesting ability to have in an engraving

A split second later a man appeared behind the woman He was huge with bulging arms that strained at the confines of his shirt His sharp yellow eyes skimmed over the woman the rubble Randidly before finally settling on Shal

A good spear The man said simply his blazing eyes speaking volumes more A little rough for inside my city isnÆt it

Shal simply grunted while he met and held the manÆs gaze

The woman frowned Aylwind let it pass IÆll owe you a favor in the future After all Shal here was just avenging the injustice perpetrated against his student IsnÆt that right

Bah of course Besides if Aegiant knew the boy was here heh it would infuriate him Just for that IÆm willing to let him live although he is Aylwind who Randidly realized with a start was probably Aylwind Sky focused his gaze on Randidly strong Hum Boy if you survive this I will take you on as an honorary disciple

Unnecessary Shal growled

Aylwind shrugged a sly smile on his face What comes is a cataclysm I will survive without a doubt but will you Keep it in mind

Then Aylwind disappeared leaving a sizzling pool of melted rock in his wake Sighing the woman shook her head and then gave Shal a pointed look ShalÆs expression tightened

Then the woman turned to Randidly with a warm smile Well met Mr Ghosthound IÆm Ophelia Vade Leader of the Heart School I must say I would love to hear your story again in person It was so hard to hear the first time I listened in

Chapter 771

Darrune was sweating so much that he dare not move lest he slip on his own lubrication

Hmm what are you to Randidly The more aggressive woman asked She was likely the most confusing woman Darrune had ever met She was all sleek curves and lovely grace but her eyes and wit had slowly cut away DarruneÆs confidence He really told you to come here

As instructed Darrune had come to the Hall of Stances and asked after Helen and Azriel To his surprise it had taken quite a bit of effort to make it through to see them apparently the two of them had been inundated with their fans in the past few weeks so Darrune had originally been assumed to be that It was only after quite a bit of struggle and getting his message to the right ears that he had been let past the front gate

While he was accomplishing this feat that he rather believed he should be praised for he had learned a few things these people were just as powerful as the man Darrune was trying to cling onto They were in the quarterfinals of under Level 25 Tournament Both of them

Darrune himself was Level 46 but he had no delusions that he would be able to last a moment against them Their intense gazes made that clear

Darrune opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by the other woman Look at him HeÆs sweating so much I can taste it This is not a man who is bold enough to lie

Although his pride twitched at that comment it did not stir If anything Darrune was more intimidated by the relatively quiet white haired woman more than the attractive Helen Since Darrune had walked into the room AzrielÆs gaze hadnÆt shifted at all The way she watched him was like DarruneÆs cat had once watched him as he readied its food

Huh Fine then But why would Randidly send him here Helen asked dissatisfaction clear in her tone She walked in a slow circle around Darrune examining him from every angle Darrune could only wince Did she expect to be able to figure out the answer just by studying him

Normally Darrune would bluff and use his sleazy smile to make his way through an interaction like this But it just felt incredibly dangerous Still they were both young women Surely it couldnÆt be too dangerous to fudge the truth just a bit

Ah Darrune began coughing lightly to clear his clogged throat IÆve become apprenticed to Randidly

He didnÆt even see the spear He simply woke up a split second later staring at the ceiling and struggling to hold his skull together as a headache threatened to split it With a groan Darrune sat up

Apologies The white haired woman said with a smile When I hear a lie I strike without thinking Perhaps use your words more carefully

DarruneÆs mouth became very dry If it wasnÆt for his time on the frontlines he likely would have wet himself Ah well IÆm his spear no I want to be his spear attendant so any more violence is unnecessary

Rather than being concerned about Darrune Helen seemed more shocked about the details of AzrielÆs attack You have a way to sense lies ThatÆs so useful

I do not But I figured proving a point was worth ignoring the details Azriel said her eyes still locked on Darrune Shivering Darrune hunched forward His sweat was forming rivers down his back What the hell had he done wrong to deserve this As he stood his vision swam He had to hold onto the wall to stay upright

Plus if IÆm being honest Azriel said with a small shake of the head I expected someone Randidly sent to be strong enough that wouldnÆt kill them Thank god I noticed how weak he was right as I was about to strike Killing should never be done casually

Any relief that Darrune experienced as Azriel finally looked away froze into horror as she continued to speak He had almost died No surely she was boasting

Ah this is all just boasting Darrune thought with glazed eyes He blinked very slowly His head was still throbbing If itÆs just boasting I can manage that

I am under strict orders not to harm either of you Of course I couldn’t respond to your strike The mildly concussed Darrune said He flashed his greasy smile Although he noticed it visibly sickened Helen there was little he could do This was his bluffing face But now that youÆve ascertained my identity it is time I reveal my mission

Both women blinked at him Then they looked at each other

Fuck your mission whereÆs Randidly Helen said with a frown

DarruneÆs addled mind tottered along scrambling to think up an answer Or could he just tell the truth It was so hard to know ItÆs hard to explain do you believe in reincarnation

Azriel snorted Perhaps this clown was supposed to cheer us up before the fight

When did Randidly ever care about our happiness Helen said morosely Then her face shifted into a look of determination and she shook her head Well either way you are here now DonÆt stay fucking dumb stuff just explain the mission

They were training for this match right So IÆm a training partner Highly sought after in certain circles

Sought after by who loan sharks Helen exclaimed Her eyes seemed to weigh Darrune and then she just shook her head in disgust I donÆt believe it

I dueled a Pontiff to a draw once Darrune announced He was about to explain the entire made up situation when the second blow took him At least this time he was somewhat able to notice its approach Not that he could stop it The thin spear smashed into his temple and sent him cartwheeling into the solid stone wall

This time when Darrune awoke his ears were ringing It was only after several slow minutes that he was able to roll over And then he found himself covered in a thin blanket Several ineffectual swipes later he removed the covering and could see the room again The two women were sharing a meal at the table basically pretending he wasnÆt there

What Darrune began Then he frowned What had he been trying to do again Honestly what who

As Darrune reached for basically any information he drew up a blank All he could find is his name Darrune

YouÆve been unconscious for a bit so we didnÆt want you getting cold The girl with the bone white hair said matter of factly Now I have a question If you are a sparring partner how could you keep being knocked out by weak sudden blows

Darrune filed that away He was a sparring partner Then he considered the question For about six minutes he struggled with it Both women appeared to have given up on him and turned back to their food by the time he finally found an answer And Darrune wasnÆt sure if it was a good one but it was all he could think of on short notice

Probably IÆm weak to sneak attacks

The Autarch frowned as he read the scroll in his hand There was of course no point in still using scrolls But the Autarch found that he loved the feel of them in his hand It reminded him of his precious years with Effie reading by firelight

As he finished reading he closed his eyes He was so close After hundreds of years all of the necessary elements were in play But now suddenly an unexpected variable had appeared One that appeared to have enough influence to affect the most critical piece of the plan

Standing quickly the Autarch shifted his cloak and walked over to the model of Tellus that he had commissioned He looked at the tiles that indicated his armies swarming around Hastam He reached down and tapped the pieces thoughtfully

This wasnÆt a foolproof move but hopefully it would eliminate the aberrant element

When he had reviewed the decision several times from different angles the Autarch snapped his finger A tall willowy Witch King appeared bowing immediately

Without looking over the Autarch said I want you to invade As quickly as possible Spare no expense And make sure to kill them all None are to survive

The Witch King nodded

Chapter 772

RandidlyÆs spine stiffened at OpheliaÆs words but before he could decide how to respond Shal had cut in

Is there truly a need Ophelia My student has business elsewhere I am more than willing to share his story

Ophelia spared Shal an amused glance Oh Are you done avoiding me These days I have felt less like your superior and more like your jealous wife as you have spent so much time flirting with that girl Fine then IÆll expect you for dinner

She too disappeared but she left the soft flutter of wings in her wake

Randidly gave Shal a knowing look To keep two suitors happy is a hard thing

Hmph foolish boy Shal said while unceremoniously shoving Randidly backward To his surprise Randidly noticed that he was still slightly weaker than Shal Do you not go to both Azriel and Helen Both are strong women Their children will kill many Choosing one to share a life with will ground you

A single crush and you become a life guru huh Randidly said He opened his mouth then to shift the conversation to talk about how he still carried the spirit of ShalÆs mother in his chest But ultimately the words died on his lips Although they hadnÆt actually been rather expressive Randidly had spent quite a bit of time with Lucretia And he knew that she wouldnÆt leave her current role as friend and protector to Alta until she was satisfied To tell him before she was available it seemed cruel

So Randidly just shook his head But he stopped when he noticed ShalÆs serious gaze

It is no crush Shal announced It is fate Us two could not avoid coming together We were made for each other

To hear such platitudes from Shal was sickening in one way But in another there was strangely stirring Because in his solemn expression there was a legitimacy that Randidly had never seen in twenty odd years of old Earth rom coms So he kept quiet Instead Randidly asked another question that had been on his mind before he departed

Shal what Level are you

ShalÆs grin was wicked I have reached 97 Perhaps someday you will be half as lucky Now go your friend needs all the help she can get

With this bit of information Randidly left the rubble filled streets and traveled across Hastam to the Hall of Stances Halfway there he belatedly remembered telling that manipulative slime to bring himself to the Hall of Stances ahead of him Although he had previously been somewhat amused by making the man struggle Randidly now felt rather exhausted by the whole thing

Hopefully the guy hadnÆt even made it through security into the Hall of Stances

Because of this Randidly felt a great deal of relief when he arrived at the Hall of Stances and saw hide nor hair of him There was a crowd around the door which Randidly cut through with a pulse of his Crown and the guards let him past In passing Randidly had asked whether Darrune had arrived and the guards hadnÆt seen him

From there he proceeded directly to AzrielÆs room which he found empty and then HelenÆs which was also empty Next stop was the training area between the two rooms Although neither Helen and Azriel was there Randidly found an acolyte of the Hall of Stances who was able to direct Randidly to their current location

Helen was sitting at one of the low benches in the feasting hall resting her forehead on her bowl of goulash Azriel was next to her talking intently to Helen Aside from the two of them the long room was empty as it was between the acolyte’s scheduled meals Both straightened when Randidly entered into the room

Ah you havenÆt died IÆm surprised how relieved I am Azriel said with a smile

Wanly Randidly smiled back Right back at you And Helen why do you look so depressed You didnÆt end up losing in the tournament after I gave you my slot right

For a second HelenÆs face scrunched up into a tight fist that made Randidly tense for a biting response But instead Helen surprised him by leaping up from the bench crying fat tears She tackled him like a linebacker spearing him in the midsection with enough force to stagger him Then she latched on sobbing and trembling with her face buried in his worn shirt

The sudden guilty realization that he hadnÆt washed his clothes since before being trapped in the prison surfaced But he couldnÆt be blamed for that right

So Randidly said slowly He looked down at the top of HelenÆs head then over to Azriel

Azriel shrugged Well she has not lost yet But she faces Skarch likely one of the most powerful individuals in the tournament She would have even given you a hard time Maybe even beat you Over the course of the last several hours weÆve been discussing strategy It has not been productive

After hesitating for several seconds Randidly reached down and squeezed HelenÆs shoulder ItÆs fine I have a plan

An hour later Helen sat in one corner of her room with perfectly neutral and emotionally stable eyes and stared daggers at Azriel The other woman confidently kept her chin high refusing to acknowledge the projected animosity

Helen spared a glance for Randidly He as rubbing his forehead looking disappointed Her guilt and shame formed two wiggling wobbling towers of emotions in her head that threatened at any point to keel over and cause another display of waterworks Which of course caused her shame to become even more aggravated Helen forced herself to breath

It wasnÆt my fault Azriel protested I couldnÆt have caused HelenÆs emotional outburst I am not an emotional witch She is the only one in charge of her emotions

HelenÆs hands clenched into fists But Randidly glanced toward her so she forced her expression from murderous to aggrieved

Well Randidly sighed It was a little overkill to talk about how she is hopeless and will lose brutally for four hours WouldnÆt you stop after just twenty minutes to move on to more productive matters

Although it is unlikely we could have missed something Azriel said sternly Therefore we meticulously went over each and every one of HelenÆs strengths Unfortunately Skarch is simply superior in most areas With such a difference in ability I wasnÆt able to come up with any countermeasures

How is Skarch better Randidly asked with a frown She was rock solid but I donÆt remember being overly impressed with her during the preliminaries

Helen hung her head A sense of foreboding came over her Not this conversation

Not again

Ah well you are truly the one to blame Randidly Azriel said You repaired her spear did you not Ever since she has been transcendental Although she uses simple moves they are variable and fluid There seems to be no point where there is a difference between herself and the spear They are one being It is an aspect of being from the Spear School I suppose

Randidly Helen began meaning to transition the conversation into another Anything would be better than listening to the staggering abilities of her opponent once more But Randidly held up a hand

I can tell you are angry at me But I swear on my crown that IÆll get you through this I caused this I owe you that much Continue Azriel But give me the short version

On your CROWN Helen fumed and sobbed mentally at the same time She was torn between attempting to strangle Randidly and putting her head in his lap and sobbing for hours I donÆt hold you responsible ItÆs my own weakness that led me here I just I just want another distraction

Inwardly Helen chided herself for her emotional behavior but this was this was it For years she had dreamed of seizing the chance to become one of the powerful leaders of Styles Of being able to control her own marriage Of having the personal strength to not be locked into things by family and circumstances

In a lot of ways she had accomplished it But she had made it this far by a long string of wins on the front lines and in the tournament

With the very real possibility of losing Helen couldnÆt help but worry that a single loss here would unravel everything she had built After leaving the under 25 Tournament her top 8 finish would become just another way of saying that she hadnÆt won Her mother’s long fingers seemed to close around her shoulders Her hands were so hard and suffocating Helen felt like a naughty child again

As Azriel continued to speak Helen crossed her fingers and hoped that her mother hadnÆt yet found a way to squirrel herself into Hastam for the match

Chapter 773

As I was saying Azriel said with a glance at Helen The easiest problem is the difference in skill with a spear The unity that Skarch can display is horrifying But there are more difficult issues

Randidly twisted and looked at Helen It seemed like her face was in a state of rigor mortis A twitch had developed in the corner of her eye

Her fury was readily apparent Which is why Randidly turned to Azriel with a renewed focus He needed to assist in any way he could After all Helen was tied to him Their fight was a close one She had pushed him to the edges of himself Mid fight he had only been able to succeed by strengthening his images to the point that they were Pontiff level No matter what Azriel said Randidly wasnÆt going to take this challenge lying down

Beyond that we are both familiar with SkarchÆs powerful images While we have seen no proof that she is a Pontiff that might be due to the fact that all of her images are superimposed on her spear anyway Azriel reasoned Even now I have no confidence facing off against her in our little image game

Randidly winced That was very true In terms of images Skarch had trained since birth to focus on images But in terms of Skills

It is true that Helen has powerful ones And her new Soulskill will make her growth exponential should she have the chance to grow Azriel folded her arms She doesnÆt have time to grow Randidly Despite SkarchÆs rather bland Skills they have been honed to a point They will not fail her now IÆve sparred much against Helen to familiarize herself with the Skills but we simply donÆt have the time

Randidly looked up sharply Then maybe a Dungeon

ItÆs forbidden by the rules Helen muttered If I have to fucking resort to cheating to win whatÆs the point

Randidly the Level 35 coughed awkwardly But he said nothing It was clear that HelenÆs pride prevented her from relying on external means to grant the time she needed Shaking his head he looked once more over at Helen How much time do we have left

AzrielÆs fight is tomorrow the third quarterfinals match is three days after that Mine is three more days A week Only a week Helen’s voice was bleak

To briefly cover the rest Azriel added Skarch has a longer range and better Skills for closing distance She weighs more When considering their respective fighting Styles SkarchÆs consistency likely is the ultimate winner Skarch has better dynamic

The table Helen was sitting at had a dent in it

ItÆs hopeless I get it Helen hissed her eyes narrowed to slits You two stay here I donÆt need to hear how I will lose anymore IÆm going to go train

Wait Randidly said quietly And to his surprise she stood in the doorway Her back was to him but she didnÆt move an inch After clicking his teeth together a few times Randidly finally said I think you are going to win Helen

Where her hand was on the doorframe a large chunk had been snapped off Randidly blinked in surprise Just how strong was her grip strength But out of the corner of his eye he saw Azriel looking at him and shaking her head

Had she just followed his train of thought and bothered to inform him that in that area too Skarch was superior But Still Helen really needed to stop trashing this place before an acolyte of the Hall noticed

ItÆs an easy thing to say Helen whispered

I mean it Randidly grinned at her back so she would be able to hear the smile in his voice These are all of the same sorts of stats that Azriel could have given as to why I would never win against Drak in the Regional Tournament just ignore them There is more to fighting than just Stats and Skills

The last thing is experience Azriel added helpfully

Randidly glared at her and then said There is one more thing And if you are weaker than Skarch less experienced than Skarch and have less powerful images you are just going to have to be better the old fashioned way

Helen slowly turned it around Why do I get the feeling you are about to say something corny

Just want it more Randidly said Just let go of who you are and become who you have to be Become the very specific version of yourself that is better at winning than Skarch is

Both of the women just looked at Randidly

Your words are inane If that were truly all it took beggar could become invincible Azriel said dismissively These criteria

IÆm not asking a beggar to use these methods Randidly interrupted IÆm asking Helen

Helen shivered Then she straightened and her bright eyes locked with RandidlyÆs Do you truly believe I can win

DonÆt bother to ask whether the Path exists Randidly said slowly Ask rather how to pay the pound of flesh necessary to walk the high passes Come we will begin to train immediately

They didnÆt take much convincing Randidly could tell that for all of her anger and sorrow Helen desperately wanted to win here Azriel wanted her friend to win as well but was just too honest to allow any deviance from what logic dictated

A week Randidly thought to himself reflectively Could he spare a week to train with Helen

In his Soulskill the huge migration continued to move down through the lands The Monster Kingdom had capitulated and was slowly being absorbed into the mass But the journey across the Monster Land for a group of that size would not be a short one Beyond that the Earth Golem Land still needed to be crossed Randidly sensed that waiting a while to intervene more directly in its happenings

Plus Randidly saw his own struggle against karma in HelenÆs strange desperation He could sense that she was attempting to escape something she owed to her family at the moment and the ties were becoming heavy on her shoulders

The Acri and Sulfur problem was more concerning Not that Randidly believed they were being harmed but it just felt foolish to let them in an enemyÆs hands for so long But crossing the sea in search of them it would be a long journey regardless Perhaps it was best to ask Shal about travel and see if a teleporter was an option

The final hesitation was Shal Something was strange about his master and it wasnÆt just his newfound love of Rumera Some other sense of RandidlyÆs pinged when he was near him and he only realized after he left ShalÆs company But for the life of him he couldnÆt put his finger on what was going on

Blowing out his lips like a horse Randidly let all those thoughts and emotions pass Worrisome worries on all sides But he had a duty Helen was one of his knights He would do right by her

Randidly asked Helen what is the core emotion that motivates you

Helen seemed to be taken by surprise and pondered for a few seconds before saying Honor

But of course that few seconds of thought was enough for Azriel to slip in another word Rage

Very slowly Helen turned to glower at Azriel You think IÆm some sort of berserker motivated by Rage

Azriel just gave her a knowing look Randidly chuckled Well basically If you were a deadly sin you would be wrath Before we begin I just wanted to make sure of something if this is to happen you have to want to win You cannot simply want to not lose

IsnÆt it the same HelenÆs lip curled upward

Randidly shook his head it is not One is fear and another will come from your core So whenever you are afraid of losing

IÆm not afraid Helen announced

whenever you are afraid strike at it with that rage Randidly continued His eyes were luminous even in the well lit training area The air around him trembled with the cadence of his words They want to take away your power Call you a loser Deny you your right Tear it all down A rage that will consume the world Rip it to pieces That is what you need If the door is locked rip it off its hinges If the mountain will not budge dig through it

Helen snorted You are an idiot

Randidly shrugged and then shooed Azriel You can help later but I want to just get a sense of how powerful she is and what her Skills can do It will start with just me

Grinning Azriel backed away You are confidence Have you so gained in strength that you will be capable of such things alone

Well Randidly drawled slowly The ground underneath them rumbled Then the entire training room began to shake RandidlyÆs eyes were neon green IÆm going to be cheating

Out of each corner of the room a thick root exploded and twisted upward toward the roof of the training area As it twisted upward it threw off smoke and ash partially consumed by fire as it was But as it reached the roof it split into hundreds of different roots that would down and became a cage around the room These roots split off further and the cage shifted and flexed

Soon about a dozen human shaped root avatars stood with spears at the ready It had been quite some time since Randidly attempted to practice using this method but it came back easily More than that Randidly instantly could feel his ability to project Skills through them by relying on images taking their combat strength up to a relevant level With his high Control

It was time to play

Randidly grinned at Helen Ready

Chapter 774

After four hours Helen regarded the three root avatars in front of her with a furious glare This turned out to be her limit Three of the puppets that Randidly controlled And even this was taxing upon her

Immediately Helen activated the Tides of Blood Domain A thick wave of crimson spread across the arena moving with the soft eddies of the air currents that Helen controlled In response two of the avatars rushed toward Helen The last one straightened and held its vine spear aloft Slowly energy seemed to gather at the tip of its spear

HelenÆs mouth twisted into a snarl This was the first fucking problem These strange root people looked humanoid enough but they simply werenÆt humans Their bodies only mimicked human movement not actually followed it As such they were a hair faster than Helen expected It was aggravating how quickly they responded

The second problem was that they possessed images Not full strength Skills thank god but close enough to be a hassle to deal with en mass

And the third problem

The two front avatars dashed toward her with obvious intent to block her But the Bloodfin Reaper in her blood seemed to cackle with glee as she easily cut between them toward the third They had prepared well and both of the front two released the freezing immobilizing storm move that Randidly had used to beat her in their match But Helen had improved much since then and forced herself through

just in time for an overwhelming image of Sharpness to burst from the last of the three avatars as it cut across the entire arena severing her Tides of Blood Domain HelenÆs eyes narrowed into slits

IT FUCKING BOOSTS MY LEARNING SPEED YOU PRICK Helen bellowed But of course there was no answer

Immediately much of HelenÆs grace and quickness was lost but she still unleashed a vicious series of thrusts at the third avatar As it was rather unprepared after the severing of her Domain it to sever deep hits to the body Which it ignored as it wasnÆt a person Instead it counter attacked directly

That would have gutted Skarch Helen grumbled but her spear slashed sideways and knocked the counter attack out of the way Then she followed up with a few powerful thrusts that ripped away portions of the avatarÆs body leaving the thing largely helpless before her

But then the other two avatars arrived

With its spear rushing forward Helen just managed to twist out of the way of the Inevitable Phantom Arrives The air hummed with the imageÆs passage HelenÆs expression was grim How the fuck had RandidlyÆs images become so powerful in only a month

The second avatar rushed in with an overhand smashing blow but Helen casually twisted and swatted the spear off its trajectory Although she was no within her Domain she was still stronger and faster than these Or she had meant to What she hadnÆt expected was the avatar to drop its spear and rush at her with hands wreathed in emerald flame

SHE WONÆT BE FUCKING USING SPELLS Helen roared But there was nothing to do but sweep her spear back downward and hack off one of the avatarÆs arms

As if suspecting that very move the fuckwit root sidestepped and clapped its hands together A bolt of emerald fire flew forward and slammed Helen in the chest All it did was knock the wind out of her but that was more than enough for the second avatar to land a few brutal spear blows on her arm

Growling Helen rolled backward and looked up to find that the avatar she had brutalized earlier had rapidly regenerated its body An Idiosyncratic Cut smashed into HelenÆs temple and sent her reeling The other two swiftly gathered around and began to slash and bludgeon her There were a few seconds where Helen expected the blows to stop until she had a chance to recover but they didnÆt

The avatars kept hitting her

RANDIDLY Helen exploded upward with sparks flying from her eyes Her spear cut left and right drawing long currents of air the pushed two of the avatars backward The third rushed forward but HelenÆs TIdes of Blood Domain descended once more in that small opening

With infuriating predictability the avatar in front of her shifted to a defensive posture while the two that were farther back both prepared to sever her domain

What is he THINKING Helen fumed I need these Skill Levels My domain boosts how fast I gain them If you cut the Domain again I will fucking kill you

Maw of the Hellfin was a Skill that borrowed from HelenÆs exposure to Randidly Although it wasnÆt a Mana based spell it looked a lot like one It drew from HelenÆs Health and Stamina and produced a huge crimson monster that rushed toward the target and took a huge bite When it struck the vine avatar fueled by HelenÆs furious image it treated the think like a ragdoll The avatar in the defensive posture was thrown helplessly into one of the back two which were preparing to sever her domain

With blazing eyes Helen charged the final avatar It raised its spear An ominous weight seemed to settle on its shoulders Eyes widening Helen pulled up short and spun to the side

That wasnÆt Sharpness that was

The mental agony exploded outward as the powerful image of Indignation flashed into existence above the avatar Hissing Helen righted herself and did her best to focus on the source of a pounding headache With swimming vision she lowered her spear and activated Feeding Frenzy With the bonus from the Domain and this Skill combined she was simply a blur before she ripped apart the offending avatar

She spun around with malicious intent to do the same to the other avatars just in time to see one cut apart her Domain Feeding Frenzy faltered and then failed without the support of the Domain

LOWER THIS CAGE Helen had screamed herself hoarse at this point but she couldn’t say anything else as the two remaining avatars rushed toward her once more Behind her she sensed the third was rapidly regenerating She could only shriek and focus her red eyed gaze on the foes in front of her

Randidly would pay for this Helen vowed to herself A fingernail sized black flame in her heart wiggled gleefully at the thought Despite the fact that Randidly repeated told her to visualize her rage during their fight Helen had refused adamantly to do so for several hours Because acknowledging that Randidly had said that would mean acknowledging that he was purposefully antagonizing her

Which was doubly infuriating Not the least because Helen couldnÆt for the life of her fathom why Randidly was so focused on making sure she was infuriated rather than prepared for the fucking match she was worrying herself sick over

So when the black flame appeared Helen had been doubly pissed Which of course only caused it to grow faster But Helen swore to herself that she would feed every one of these leafy fucks to it given the chance

And Randidly too even if only for a few seconds to teach him a lesson

Randidly left without speaking lowering his vine cage after announcing the cessation of the dayÆs training Partially because he was mentally exhausted from controlling three root avatars at once while splitting his will into three to use images with them but also because Helen had stopped talking about hour seven of the training session and just started breathing heavily to communicate her feelings And from the way her breath was flung out of her she did not feel very generous with her praise toward her new teacher

Which was fine Randidly followed his instincts because they hadnÆt led him astray thus far And he knew that resolve was the most important trait an individual could have It was only due to the resolve that Shal had beat into him that he had managed as well as he did on Earth originally and it was only because he was called to Tellus and forged that he could clash with the Creature and come out ahead

It was a short time frame but Randidly could definitely put Helen through hell for this amount of time and see if that gave her the spark she needed

RandidlyÆs expression turned fierce It would work It had better fucking work if he got a headache from doing it for less than a day

Sighing Randidly walked toward his room At least in that respect it would not be a waste of his time RandidlyÆs activities during the day had earned him quite a few Levels in different Skills he used In addition Visualization continued to improve as it pervaded every aspect of what he was doing

Still it was draining on his will in a way that he had never felt before This then was likely the line between Pontiff and Master Pontiffs could accomplish this feat but Masters had reached the point where a fraction of their will could become an entity unto itself Randidly wasnÆt sure whether there was some conceptual thing or a Skill that enabled it but either way he was far from that threshold

As Randidly opened the door to his room he immediately stiffened The room smelled like blood and

Someone was snoring

Randidly walked silently forward until he stood over his bed It was covered in gore and the twisted semblance of a body which was sleeping with a blissful expression on his face Recognizing the fool he had sent on ahead of him Randidly felt abruptly bitter for bringing the man along

In addition his sheets were ruined Randidly shook his head sorrowfully It wasnÆt like he was going to sleep but it would have still been nice to use an actual bed to rest in after a month in prison

Chapter 775

The more Randidly looked at the snoring near corpse sprawled across his bed the more he felt a deep concern for the man Not that it likely wasnÆt the idiots own arrogance that caused the serious injuries but it appeared that Darrune had several head wounds and a broken wrist Actual injuries With the general state of affairs in Tellus such wounds would take months to heal all the way

Since the dude was right in front of him and Randidly didnÆt want to drag an invalid around behind him wait what was he thinking He didnÆt want the guy to come along with him at all

But Randidly admitted to himself that sending a man so full of hot air to Helen and Azriel was a fast way to get a bubble popped violently Which appeared to be exactly what happened As it was his fault Randidly needed to take responsibility for it

Before he approached the bed Randidly surreptitiously looked left and right Of course no one was there but Randidly still felt somewhat guilty It was like a nephew that broke and loaned his gambling addict uncle money But it wasnÆt like Randidly had donated Aether to him before he had just allowed the idiot to absorb his ambient Aether This definitely wouldnÆt become a habit

Of course Randidly didnÆt establish an Aether Connection There was no way in hell that Randidly was allowing this manÆs images to filter slowly into himself Instead he simply donated Aether to the man He filled that broken body up to the brim with extremely pure Aether Randidly made some effort to keep the Aether density pretty low so DarruneÆs body wouldn’t go crazy but just wanted to get the process over with

Afterward he left the room No need to stay here next to such a noisy and bloody sleeper Not when Randidly badly needed some time to rest and meditate to restore his mental energy The training today had been exceedingly draining

Eventually Randidly settled on the sparse stone roof of the Hall of Stances The city of Hastam was dark but Randidly could see the camp of the Northern Convoy distantly from his vantage What was more it was clear that the Northern camp was experiencing raids from the Wights while no Wights had yet assaulted the city Fires of war were lit and if Randidly listened intently he could hear the cries and moans

Randidly tapped his chin Although he hadnÆt been in Hastam to be sure based on the feeling in the city it had been a while since Aylwind Sky had been seen and slaughtered his way through the Wight army Had something changed Was his intervention just for that brief span of time And why were the Wights so focused on that other camp near Hastam

Was it really just political bickering between Aylwind and Aegiant that motivated it Randidly made a mental note to continue to observe Something was going on there and it was not good for the general populace

Sighing Randidly sat on the cool stone Perhaps it was not such a bad thing to form an Aether Connection with an average guy Of course that individual will never be Darrune But if he spent some time training a group like he was currently training Helen

Every little bit would help so more graves didnÆt need to be dug

Before going to his PP Randidly took stock of himself It was somewhat surprising how draining the use of the avatars was Of course the real part that got him was the extended use of images It just became so much of a chore after repeated use His soul wasnÆt used to the strain of switching so rapidly between images Combining that with splitting his awareness in three it was grueling

But the other fact that Randidly couldn’t deny was that he was perfectly capable of it Rather than feeling his strength inadequate it felt more uncomfortable to do Like he was exercising a muscle that he had long left to lay fallow Which he basically had

For a long time Randidly had possessed a Control stat that was his highest by 200 or so But largely he only used it for exact body positioning and creative weaving of his root attacks He also used it as a backstop to assist in the brute forcing of some issues but it wasnÆt something that he employed to its full effect