LoRG 2

Allica just stared downward So what now

The light around them became blinding

Breaking to create energy and then with it creating Randidly breathed Next you become me

My good looks Rejt began but then there was an endless light that seemed to sear through the skin to their soul

For a second Allica was screaming Then she wasnÆt

She was standing on a low hill with Rejt in front of a sapling that stretched about a half meter out of the ground It was a small and weak tree and yet Allica instantly felt a deep nostalgia as she looked at it

Most importantly there were fucking words hanging in her vision

System Initializing

Do you see these words Allica whispered

Rejt scratched his head Yes Did you write them They move when I look in different directions This is

Welcome to (Warning World impossible to determine Please see a Village spirit) Your world has been entered into Nexus and as such are now running on a new system to give you the tools and challenges to survive and live a fulfilling life Good Luck

Allica Urnollohan

Health(/R per hour) 76 (34 5)

Stam(/R per min) 24 (12)

Vitality 8

Endurance 8

Strength 6

Agility 5

Resistance 2

Intelligence 3

Congratulations You the Newbie Path is open to you

Congratulations Due to the unique circumstances of your entrance to the Nexus the Children of the Ghosthound I Path is open to you

Congratulations Due to your life experiences as the leader of Carthak the Grantor of Sanctuary Path is open to you

Congratulations Due to your dense and complex images the Untapped Potential I Path is open to you

You probably have a lot of questions Randidly said Allica turned to regard him Rejt was glaring at the words that were evidently hanging in front of his gaze IÆll do my best to answer but letÆs be quick it seems like IÆm wanted in the outer world

Chapter 815

Silo yanked his spear from DarruneÆs back The desiccated corpse fell to the ground and cracked into pieces on the spot Without the animating energy within it the SpearsourceÆs different incarnations were quite fragile

Silo tried not to imagine himself in just such a situation

Hissing in displeasure Silo looked at his Level 98 One short of his goal

For the first time in his life Silo knew what his role was He had to reach Level 99 And then he had to slay someone

Well things werenÆt crystal clear But the headaches and confusion had passed when he had accepted his instincts With the clarity Silo felt some guilt for the lives he had taken over the past several months But more than that he realized that none of it was his fault everything was just due to the world he was raised in

He lived in a violent world so he was violent That was just the way things were

It wasnÆt his fault

Silo had been very thorough in his search of Hastam which was made much easier because most of the city was celebrating and the leadership was conspicuously absent He hunted down and killed every shard of the Spearsource All but one

IÆm sorry Rumi Silo whispered as his hands tightened on his spear But I need it This world needs it ItÆs not my fault

You were looking for me Randidly asked walking stiffly into the room where a pale faced Platton was deflecting the OracleÆs questions

The Oracle straightened looking at Randidly with a frown Evidently her prophetic visions hadnÆt informed her that he would be here Slightly amusing In fact he had waited outside the room and overheard several minutes that consisted of the Oracle demanding to be shown where Randidly was hiding

In addition to rather pointed questions about the runes that covered the mountain in connection with the sudden inactivity by the Wights

Well to be honest Randidly hadnÆt just been listening to gain information He had been recovering as rapidly as he could The process of merging with the world that had been his Soulskill was not only mentally exhausting but several of his images were very very badly damaged Not like As the Sun Stills had been his first trip to Tellus but right before the point that the Skills would break They all had hairline fractures Critical weaknesses in the short term

Especially his Yggdrasil Skills Those had taken the fall of the World Tree in his Soulskill hard And that was with thousands of those that shared his images connected to him in a formation to bear the brunt of the damage

Randidly grimaced Everything had a cost And Randidly hadnÆt even had the spare time to investigate some of the changes that came along with his Soulskill in his new form

But already his Skills were on the mend It would not be long before they were back into usable shape They were not currently so healed that Randidly wanted to fight for a few hours yet but enough to put up a strong front to the Oracle

The Oracle regarded him suspiciously Ah Mr Ghosthound Were you taking a nap I couldnÆt sense you for a while It was peculiar

Randidly made a mental note of that Was it a feature of his new merger or a coincidence Apologies I didnÆt mean to make you wait What can I do for you

With an intensity that made it difficult to meet her eyes the Oracle stared at Randidly With his jaw muscles bulging as he gritted his teeth Randidly kept his gaze even and mild while they stared at each other Seconds ticked past Randidly became all too aware of the scent of PlattonÆs sweat

Truly the man was a good soldier but this was well beyond his comfortable depth

Hmm I have long ago seen that you have come to this land to find your equipment I believe I have the intelligence on where such things would be stored As I favor I am willing to guide you there

Randidly smiled politely Thank you but I assure you that I will be fine Surely a figure such as you has

I must insist The OracleÆs smile displayed her sharp canines A recent event has added turbulence to the fates I believe you would have been informed that the Wights appear to have suffered some disease or illness But it is unclear how long it will last As such we must move quickly to take advantage of this weakness So as to make sure such a portentious individual wasnÆt the victim of unfortunate circumstances during these unpredictable times

Is this a threat Does she know it was me Randidly wondered as he looked at the Oracle Or is this a genuine offer by a confused old woman

But the OracleÆs faux young face held no answer So after hesitating for a few moments Randidly nodded slowly Fine then LetÆs go retrieve my equipment

We can leave immediately The Oracle announced Then she turned and walked out of the room

Gritting his teeth Randidly said I would really prefer that we wait for some time I must make arrangements for my absence

The Oracle glanced at him over her shoulder Did I not already tell you Your Master is in danger Due to this unpredictable event that window has opened once more you may return in time save him But you will need your equipment That is why I have come Or would you rather wait here and handle your business first

When she said business the OracleÆs nose wrinkled like she was talking about Randidly masturbating But she had a point RandidlyÆs lips pressed into a thin line He really wanted to stop and understand what was going on with his Soulskill Now that it was a part of him rather than a projection of him it was governed by the System There were strange implications there Ones that he would like to investigate

In addition the people Randidly had saved were separated by the chaos of the transition and on a rather small continent that was surrounded by huge banks of mist And Randidly genuinely had no idea what lay on the other side of that mist Even his powerful Perception was helpless before it He had the intuitive feeling that he couldnÆt extend the world only the people over there could By exploring

So in effect he had both combined himself with a world and dropped thousands of refugees into the countryside without any food or shelter At least this land hadnÆt been pillaged and when the golden egg that had been his charred Skills hatched to form the world Randidly had sensed how vibrant and abundant the natural resources were

But honestly this wasnÆt a great start to his new Soulskill

Everything has a price

Fine Randidly said lightly Even if he had to leave his army behind he would travel quickly to get Acri and Sulfur and then return It shouldnÆt take more than a day And then once he had determined the situation around Shal he could deal with his Soulskill

Time was now equal between himself and his Soulskill and these people would be resourceful enough to survive for a day without him babying them Besides without ProgenitorÆs Influence what could he do

Plant crops for them Erect a longhouse

After nodding the Oracle began to walk down the hill Randidly followed When they reached the bottom the Oracle began to jog and then run RandidlyÆs eyebrows rose for all her small stature she had serious wheels on her

Very quickly the countryside was zipping past them as they crossed the mist covered Death School Randidly was honestly surprised how barren the land was apparently the austere personality of those from the Death School was mostly upbringing The stone studded highlands were just the right kind of combination of monotony and danger to raise spear users that largely hated fun and innovation

The Oracle glanced over at Randidly Is this your top speed

Randidly grinned awkwardly They both accelerated but Randidly felt the strain more than the Oracle did It was clear that the Oracle was tapping into some image of wind to increase her speed but Randidly didnÆt really have any images relating to straight line speed In addition his most relevant Skill was Yyrwood Body of Yggdrasil that gave him a physical boost and that was currently being repaired He would rather give it a break in a situation like this and let his pride suffer

Plus running without activating the Skill was a strange experience It was easy to forget how far they had come with the System Which then made Randidly wonder how the surviving denizens of his Soulskill would handle the System

The fact that the System would now affect them directly had been an unpleasant surprise It seemed that the circumstances confused the System but it also might mean that monsters would soon begin to appear and not of the racial variety Goblins Minotaurs Evil Spirits

Still where there was darkness there was light Even before he left Rejt was laughing uproariously as he unlocked the Clever Quip Skill and was pestering Allica to engage in dialogue with him so he could increase its Level

For her Randidly felt only pity

We are here The Oracle announced Randidly slowed down and looked up at the rather cliche castle built into the side of a mountain The only things missing were the black rain clouds and ominous bare trees

After exchanging a glance the two continued inside There they wound their way through guard houses with slumped Wight bodies and a grand hall that was barren of even a table As they walked through the wide room their footsteps echoed

They eventually proceeded upward racing up stone stairs until they reached what must have been a sunroom The main feature of the room was the wide openings that likely once held windows now they were shattered and empty looking strangely like the maw of a dead swamp monster Without the glass mist flowed in through the windows and pooled on the ground like

In the center of the room was a table where Acri and Sulfur were strapped down with thick leather bindings When Randidly arrived they squirmed in excitement

Beside the table was a chair in which a man sat

Mr Ghosthound pleased to make your acquaintance I am Versault I believe itÆs time for us to have a talk

Chapter 816

Randidly studied the lines of VersaultÆs face very carefully What sort of conversation would this man wish to have with him And he greeted Randidly by name

With delicate softness Randidly asked Perhaps I could retrieve my weapons first

Versault inclined his head shortly and then continued to speak as if this sort of minor task was beneath his notice Beside Randidly the Oracle folded her thin arms and pinched her face into an aggrieved expression as she rolled her eyes

It seemed like there wasnÆt an extreme amount of fondness between these two figures

You know Versault spoke in a low sonorous voice as Randidly took even steps toward the table on which Acri and Sulfur squirmed You have been a thorn in our side for some time Mr Ghosthound

Randidly paused in his walking But seeing that Versault just remained in his seated position he started to move again All the while Versault continued to talk

I am not privy to the inner workings of the mind of the Spearman but I am well aware of his plans After all in the old days we fought side by side I too am a Nemesis descended from a higher Cohort you understand And I am old And tired Far too old for the plans that the Spearman subjected himself to But he was obsessed He would not let go of the memory of Ethellem his love To protect the world that spawned her he subjected us to hundreds of years of suspension in this hell And now our emancipation is so close that I can taste it

Randidly reached the table Unfortunately Sharpness was one of the images still recovering from the Soulskill debacle So Randidly produced a small shard of Erickson Steel and slit the leather bindings around Acri Instantly the half plant half spear twisted around RandidlyÆs arm in a familiar embrace

Despite the strange situation he found himself in Randidly grinned it was good to have his equipment back Very quickly he cut Sulfur free as well and helped the armor onto his body The more quickly he was ready for the worst case in this scenario the better he would be

All the while Versault continued to speak

You see the Spearman needed an image not of his own making to ascend for Tellus In addition he had no desire to leave his images around to be the butt and lose in the battle for Ascension the next time around the Spearman was too proud for that So he created a political schism that isolated a Style from the SpearmanÆs own images It took a few hundred years of careful pruning but he managed it So then this common young spear user was to rise to prominence in the escalating conflict with the Wights With that as a backdrop this spear user would fight and win over the corrupt leadership of the Spear users and become TellusÆ new savior

Yea Shal Said Randidly slowly looking from Versault to the Oracle But

No that is where you are wrong Versault said with a tiny little laugh Where there must be a winner there will be a loser Opposite the common spear user there was to be the disgraced son of a hero who had been persecuted all his life While stuck in a Dungeon that perfectly countered his weaknesses he would experience a psychotic break The pressure would be too much for him When he did finally escape he would witness the Northern Regional Tournament and by chance meet his mother a Wight The truth of his existence would so strain his already wounded mind that he would go mad and be controlled by his mother like a puppet to kill and kill his fellow spear users Only when that unassuming spear user rose to prominence and defeated him would he finally find peace

Randidly stopped and turned to look at Versault Blinking Randidly said Shal was made to be the bad guy

So you understand why your interference was such an unpleasant surprise The Oracle spoke out her high pitched voice a thin veil over her clear disapproval Of course it is clear that you were a minor figure you had no idea the plans into which you were interfering You were simply a boy out of your depth Yet somehow the mere presence of having a pupil saved Shal He endured He became an exemplary spear user

Ruined your perfect plan huh Randidly said with a deadpan expression Not that he truly minded interfering on principle The Spearman was a sociopath clearly and these two henchmen were just as bad But considering the state of his Skills antagonizing these two was not high on his to do list

He upped his Aether absorption and made no move to head toward the door Randidly sensed that his attempt to exit would provoke a response

You donÆt even know the half of it boy Versault said with a thin smile Decades of work thrown into the trash because of your unthinking actions

So this Randidly gestured around This was to isolate me and punish me

Even though Randidly was trying to relax his Skills he could feel the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom throbbing to be used Righteous ire rose in his chest They might be Masters but if these two thought for a second that they could bully him

No of course not The Oracle hastily added Well it was to isolate you But we have no plans to punish you We might be callous but we wonÆt cast aside useful talents For all your interference you are obviously a talented spear user One of the elite For that you have earned a place on Tellus working for the Spearman But we cannot risk you altering our plan once more Shal is on his path H needs to stay there

Why Randidly asked scrunching up his expression But for all that a part of him relaxed now that they seemed to be here to detain him rather than being dead set on lynching him More time to heal Are you afraid that IÆll tell Shal heÆs being lied to about his role as the hero

We are not lying to Shal Versault cut in He is the hero

But you just said

VersaultÆs face twisted into a grimace Your interference changed more than you know Because of you the original hero is no longer viable So we have been scrambling to assemble a suitable duel that will have enough weight to shift the defining image of Tellus For all of ShalÆs deviations he was still an image that was acceptable for Tellus to use to ascend

That gave Randidly pause What happened to the original hero

You happened Versault hissed lightning fast

Tilting his head to the side Randidly regarded the two with confusion You are blaming this on me as well

The original hero continued Versault was Drak Wyrd

Oh Yea that was my fault

Really Randidly said with a frown as he thought further about it But he accepted energy from Lucretia he was a heretic

Due to your influence as far as we can tell The Oracle said with a shrug This matter of arranging for two images to fight for dominance and achieve ascension is not an exact science even someone as wise as the Spearman has his limitations For us to be unable to see through the conflux of fates is understandable

RandidlyÆs lips quirked upward But are you not the Oracle IsnÆt this your cup of tea

It isnÆt as easy as it looks The Oracle barred her teeth Sometimes I feel flashes of insight My knowledge of karma is unmatched even by the Spearman But there are limits Touching fate is reaching into murky water where the clearest image you see is your own reflection on the surface

So what you said to me earlier about a betrayal Randidly said slowly Why did you tell me not to come to the Death School When you clearly now want to keep me here If I had attempted to turn around at your advice would you have just let me go

Of course not The Oracle said dismissively But there was little chance of that We have been controlling stubborn groups of young men for generations Is it truly so strange that I would advise you do the opposite knowing that you would refuse to listen to my advice Perhaps you are not as intelligent as you look

Randidly looked at the Oracle then but his eyes were not filled with hot fury He was angry But that wasnÆt the dominant emotion that he felt as he looked at the Oracle Then he turned and glanced at Versault who was watching him with dark eyes

What he felt was pity These fools Even now they didnÆt understand how they would doom themselves through their strange manipulations and distant controls It was an unfortunate coincidence but Randidly suspected that even if he had not appeared on the scene Drak would have gone off the rails and failed at becoming a hero

That was life Unexpected things happened Especially when your true goals were mired in lies and deceit

Why do you look at me like that The Oracle demanded

Both Randidly and Versault ignored her

What now Randidly asked His Skills were close to being fully healed Very soon he would have some confidence in escaping the two of them

Versault smiled Now Shal is being prepped to fight the SpearmanÆs own image warped by the violence of that shade Silo You are familiar with him correct We discovered him by accident but he will serve admirably as the final hurdle Shal will defeat

Chapter 817

Randidly would very much like to relax and trust the world of these two would be jailers around him He would like to believe that they were being honest about what was going on Hell Randidly could sense that they genuinely believed that they were leveling with him In their eyes he was some sort of sophisticated recruit that they wanted to rope into their future endeavors

To them being honest now was the way to build a bridge between the two sides And yet

What Randidly now concerned himself with was accuracy Should he feel confident enough in what they were saying to not force the issue Could he simply stay here and familiarize himself with his Soulskill while Shal fought Silo

Something stunk It was like a sudden itch Randidly felt on the back of his neck

Somehow Randidly didnÆt believe that things would happen so easily There was something fishy about the way things were proceeding And even if there wasnÆt their prior plans had been thrown off by his brief tutelage under Shal How simple would it be for coincidence to derail their plans once more

Versault continued to speak as Randidly tried to unpack his uneasiness Relax and remain here with us for the duration once Shal ascends he will travel upward into the deeper parts of the Nexus to be judged If his strength is sufficient and it should be considering the time Tellus has spent refining him our world will experience untold plenty

Accident Randidly burst out Very much would he like to simply take the time to go through the many notifications he had received when he remade his Soulskill He hadnÆt had time yet and who knew what bonuses and worrisome messages he had received from the System But his intuition wouldnÆt let him let go of the current issue of Tellus His mind focused on the adjective that Versault had included Why was Silo an accident

Versault paused and exchanged a look with the Oracle The young looking woman spat on the ground and threw her hands up into the air So Versault shrugged and said I suppose there is no harm in telling you Before the war started the Spearman went to fulfill the role of Autarch and guide Wight attacks on Tellus the prime overlord of the Wights having been killed by the Spearman himself hundreds of years ago

While he was gone the Spearsource disappeared It was actually the subject of much debate As it was during my guard shift I was held under suspicion VersaultÆs eyes narrowed to slits Only in retrospect was it obvious that the Spearsource had developed nascent sentience and left of its own accord It is after all a bundle of some of the most powerful images on Tellus Was it truly so strange that it was able to transcend itself It has since created homunculus that it is using to try and once more become the dominant image of Tellus Silo is one of those Ah I believe you knew Skarch She was also one such

There were many the Oracle interjected But Silo has lasted the longest We wouldnÆt have even discovered him if not for you so let it be known that not all of your interference was negative

Frowning Randidly turned and looked at the Oracle Now he was just beginning to grow suspicious It made a certain amount of sense for them to be honest with him if they wanted to recruit him but really To this degree And now offering him something close to compliments

You know for a while we were actually considering you as being the hero Versault said and to RandidlyÆs surprise he chuckled That was why you encountered a Propagator while in the Southern Region Your Level climbed but not nearly at the speed we had been expecting We figured it was due to the limitations of your Spellspear Class and let it drop But SiloÆs Level increased at a rapid clip during that time which caught our attention

Randidly filed away that confusing bit of information even more weirded out by how friendly and accommodating these two were being This was basically house arrest was it not

Spinning slowly about Randidly looked at both of their faces Versault continued to explain the ways that they sent Wights against Silo to strengthen him while Randidly continued his focused dissection of what was going on here All the while that sense of wrongness that warned of danger to Shal grew more pointed And for all that the Oracle was scowling she was clearly nodding along with Versault and agreeing with him

And as Versault talked he grew more and more genial

As Randidly frowned in the face of this strange change of treatment one of the first things that Versault said to him popped into his mind

And I am old And tired Far too old for the plans that the Spearman subjected himself to But he was obsessed He would not let go of the memory of Ethellem his love To protect the world that spawned her he subjected us to hundreds of years of suspension in this hell And now our emancipation is so close that I can taste it

A strange thrill of surprise ran through Randidly as a realization struck him

These fucks are taking a victory lap They might be here to keep me from messing anything else up but they are so sure of their victory that they are gushing in relief

The nagging sense of something being wrong grew even more powerful until it seemed to cast a pall entirely over Randidly and Versault At this point Randidly couldnÆt even focus on what the other man was saying as he talked about the trials and tribulations over the long years

Instead Randidly had a decision

These two old likely very powerful Masters might be correct They might be simply waiting for a confrontation between Shal and Silo to decide the overarching fate of Tellus For all that Randidly worried about missing something he didnÆt believe that Shal would lose even to Silo whose images had been warped and inflated by the Aether he force fed himself

Randidly would admit that if the fight happened as the Oracle and Versault believed it would Shal would win He would ascend and the Spearman would have saved his loverÆs world because Tellus would have overcome the Second Calamity without relying on a Nemesis to do it

But would the fight happen

Randidly couldnÆt think of a reason that it wouldnÆt happen

In addition Randidly couldnÆt think of a series of scenarios that would result in something bad happening to Shal Honestly the biggest danger might very well be ascending Randidly was completely unsure what that would entail

But he had a bad feeling And the longer he stood here the worse it was growing He had to decide whether he wanted to pay the cost of questioning these two Masters or pay the cost of trusting them In the end it was an easy decision

Suddenly Randidly interrupted Versault and you are sure there isnÆt any force out there that would try and stop this ascension Or usurp it

Versault paused and instantly his face creased with annoyance when he was reminded of the possibility of failure Of course there is none

If there were no independent entities how would I have thrown off the plan in the first place The Spearman canÆt control everything Randidly said looking over his shoulder to watch the Oracle It was an unfair question because he was from another Cohort but these two didnÆt seem to know that And of the two he believed that the Oracle was less filled with gaiety at their impending success If there was a small possibility she seemed more likely to see it

Versault snorted not bother to answer But Randidly saw on the OracleÆs face exactly what he had been expecting

She frowned

There is nothing Versault said sourly

But this time the Oracle said Well thatÆs not true

Versault glowered at her

The Oracle shrugged clearly irked by his superior attitude The first Propagator the original leader of the Wights

That thing It was broken by the Spearman Versault said dismissively

Its image was broken the Oracle corrected Technically it escaped fatally wounded Long have we searched for its corpse but it has never been found It too would want to have its own image ascend It is possible that it has long bided its time for this moment

Bah you are superstitious Versault waved his hand Even if it did manage to survive what could it do

ItÆs had hundreds of years The Oracle said in a quiet voice The worry on her face was spreading

In that time what would it do Versault demanded Its image was broken That you cannot deny It was mortally wounded It would have taken generations for its body to heal And its greatest weapon the Wight energy was stolen from it Now it appears that weapon has even been banished from this world What could it do with just itself

Randidly blinked slowly A weird theory began to emerge of small pieces of circumstantial proof More than that there was a throbbing river of karma in his chest Suddenly it was clear to him where this bad feeling he felt was coming from

It could have learned to use a spear Randidly whispered

Chapter 818

The Spearman didnÆt like moving himself It stunk of the scramblings of an amateur But things were getting too close to completion And this time he needed to be sure He had waited for far far too long What the situation needed was perfect And that meant his personal touch

Bitterness sat in the SpearmanÆs chest like a crate full of rotting lemons

Are you watching Ethe Even if I couldnÆt save you IÆll save your world ItÆs the least I can do after you saved me

The Spearman steps were broad and devoured distance Although he didnÆt use images any longer lest he taint the world he still had the Skill Levels that were approaching Level 400 With them most mundane tasks were all too simple for him to accomplish with his vast physical abilities and Skills

It was quiet out in the countryside the Spearman noticed Then he clicked his tongue in distaste That strange interloper Randidly Ghosthound who somehow resembled his images yet didnÆt have the SpearmanÆs own distinct energy signature had performed some grand spell working earlier in the day Somehow the fool boy had destroyed the sea of energy that animated the Wights

Long ago the Spearman had dismissed most forms of Mana based Skills finding them lacking in efficiency Sure they possessed more flash and often contained a certain amount of charming utility but they were nothing in the face of reliable performance with a spear Since then he hadnÆt bothered working overmuch with such Skills

Even now when most of the SpearmanÆs day to day work was with engravings he had developed his own method of engraving that relied on Stamina

But all that seemed pale and weak in the face of what that boy had done

Jealousy flashed hot and vicious in the SpearmanÆs chest but he suppressed it Per his orders Mydia and Versault were currently speaking with the boy about the way of the world For all his irritating timing he would be a useful tool going forward Who knew what new trial the System would throw at Tellus once they passed this one

The SpearmanÆs eyes narrowed And to protect EtheÆs memory I will use any tool necessary All so that her world will survive

If it still survives If it didnÆt starve just like Tellus did The Spearman couldnÆt suppress the insidious thought quickly enough But while walking he kicked out and shattered a mountain to vent his frustrations at his traitorous mind that spawn such darkness and pessimism

The stone shattered finally breaking the silence The Spearman then continued forward

His mood was much more even by the time he arrived in Hastam

The city was clearly in the throes of bleary relief People were singing and drinking in the streets That damned C Corp had set up carts on street corners to sell their malt beverage It was infuriating both because the Spearman still hadnÆt been able to determine the leadership of the Corporation and because it had made the city smell like cheap beer

The Spearman considered destroying a few of these to send a message but he knew it was just a distraction Better to continue onward

He arrived at the room they were staying in without in a minute After a single knock the door opened

As soon as she opened the door Ophelia bowed deeply Milord Spearman I apologize for forcing you to come so far out

The Spearman grunted as he walked past her You dealt with the situation with appropriate responses We remain on for the conflict then

Ophelia kept her nose pressed against the ground Yes We have just returned from the Dungeon Shal has reached Level 99

Aylwind who had been sitting on the couch hastily jumped to his feet and also bowed Which just left a single figure standing in the middle of the room The Spearman took another step forward examining this turning figure carefully

Shal was tall and muscular with a slight bluish tint to his skin That combined with the closed third eye in the middle of his forehead were small hints at his genetic heritage The Spearman also felt a flash of fury as bright and sudden as an ignited firecracker They also hinted at the SpearmanÆs own failure he had been able to genetically modify Wights to breed with the people of Tellus but he had never been able to rid those of mixed blood of these genetic ticks

Even now it irked him so much he wanted to kill them all and start over

Everything for you Ethe IÆll stay calm for you

Aside from his heritage Shal was tall with a strong gaze Even though Shal wasnÆt using any images the air around him was filled with vivid pictures of his Wraith Viper as well as venom and fangs The SpearmanÆs eyes narrowed

This was the true reason he had come One last examination Most wouldnÆt be able to sense these thin phantom images but the Spearman had cut himself off from images long ago so he would no longer infect those that came after with his own image Part of the reason why it was necessary was that it had given him an extremely delicate sense of images Even when not in use the Spearman could see the shadows of the Skills an individual used just by looking at them

The other reason was so others wouldnÆt resemble his images and the System wouldnÆt doom EtheÆs world because their image was created by a Nemesis Even so the damage had largely been done He had been forced to wait generations for new images to slowly take shape even as his images calcified and slowed the process

All for this

The Spearman smiled because there wasnÆt a shred of his energy in the images that Shal carried around with him

ItÆs time to seize your destiny Shal The Spearman said in a low voice We have waited so long for this so much has been poured into strengthening you You are the hope for Tellus And it is time you make good on that promise

There was a flash of tightly controlled fury in ShalÆs eyes at those words The Spearman almost laughed the fool was incensed by him Likely by the manipulation that the Spearman used to get them all to this point

But anger was useful It was an excellent motivator The Spearman would know he had been angry for six hundred and thirty two years

Since the System took you from me Ethe

So Shal asked in a tight voice His face was twisted into a rigor mortis blankness as the man clearly struggled to not glare outright Who else need die

As if on cue there was an explosion a few blocks distant from them The shockwave shook the building Immediately ShalÆs face drained of blood In a whisper he said There is no need to involve her

The Spearman kept the grin from his face but only barely Some part of him wanted to tell Shal that Rumera was only a piece of his own Spearsource that had unexpectedly gained sentience Just to see ShalÆs expression But that impulse too was suppressed

At first the Spearman had been furious when he found out that rather than being stolen the Spearsoure appeared to have gained sentience and wandered away It was relieving that he wasnÆt being betrayed but it also filled him with fear that the incarnations would once more spread his image across the land It would ruin hundreds of years of work

But when he realized he needed to use his own images to be the loser of this battle anyway he had acknowledged the SpearsourceÆs usefulness It rapidly empowered those who came into contact with Especially fools like Silo who didnÆt possess half of the combat experience and sense that Shal had As such it was an easily slain villain

For all that the Spearman had dreaded allowing Shal to associate with Rumera But it did serve as a convenient lever to force conflict now

Run toward destiny boy The Spearman whispered even as Shal leapt out the window and dashed toward the building in which Rumera had been waiting

You need to let me go Randidly said evenly looking at the Oracle She was the weak point of the duo If he could convince the Oracle

Impossible You are an unpredictable element You will only cause difficulties Versault said with a shake of his head You are young and impatient It is known But still

You were right about me being betrayed Randidly said his face twisted into a grimace You just didnÆt realize who had betrayed me ItÆs just a theory but you have to listen If IÆm right this battle is going to go wrong Someone is going to steal ShalÆs thunder Someone who is an expert at getting thunder stolen

Shal pictured dozens of horrifying images as he dashed over to save Rumera Her body contorting blood dripping from her lips her limbs broken and mangled her eyes dead and empty her hair tore away from her scalp

None of them prepared him for what he found when he arrived at the spot of the battle

Rumera sat pale but unharmed against the remnants of the destroyed wall

In the center of the room Silo stood covered in ridged bone armor with a powerful veil of darkness rolling about him Ghastly claws formed and dispersed as easy as the scales of fishes flashing in the shallows of the ocean But even through that thick cloying blackness a bright spot of color was visible there was a crimson needle sticking out of SiloÆs chest

With blank eyes Silo slid off of the spear blood spurting from the gaping hole in his chest to flood the small apartment Above him with ivory hair and fiery eyes Azriel stood A pair of vivid red ribbons extended from each hip on her leather armor coiling behind her

With an inexorable flow darkness traveled up AzrielÆs spear from Silo into her body

She grinned at Shal And here Helen told me he was already dead Foolish girl Do not worry Shal I will be much more thorough

Chapter 819

Ophelia looked sharply up when the SpearmanÆs whisper broke their anticipatory silence

How is this possible The Spearman whispered staring through the wall toward the battlefield beyond where all of their fates were being decided For the first time in their long master student relationship Ophelia heard fear and confusion in the SpearmanÆs voice which filled her with a barely controlled panic

The Spearman never wasnÆt in control He was the Spearman He was

What is it Aylwind asked Ophelia immediately cursed him and blessed him because that very same panic in her chest wanted to demand the answer to that question while simultaneously wanting to pretend she had never heard this display of emotion both at the same time

I donÆt know The Spearman lowered his head From its grimace of fear Ophelia was relieved to see his face shifted to a furious look of contemplation This should be impossible Silo was killed by a third party the duel for Ascension hadnÆt even occurred yet All of our work and once more one of our selections has failed before even reaching the finish line Damnit AGAIN

How is that possible Ophelia heard herself asking

Aylwind grunted and shrugged Well we already have Shal We can just train another to reach that Level It will take time but

Fool The Spearman said sharply fixing Aylwind with a pointed glare So much of the world was lost to make the strength of image and experience Shal has absorbed over the past two years We have burned our resources to reach this point Theoretically it is possible yes but the energy of this world

The SpearmanÆs gaze turned upward His eyes flicked side to side as if reading the life energy of Tellus itself in the sky Then his expression morphed into grim faced hatred

To prove she understood the Spearman Ophelia turned to Aylwind and said quietly Tellus is stuck at a half stage midway to completing the Second Calamity As such we have ceased receiving the relatively pure energy that the System fed us to grow to this point We have proved ourselves beyond that So now

But we got here once did we not Why canÆt we do it again Aylwind stubbornly said He folded his arms I do not like this defeatist attitude

In that moment OpheliaÆs fury knew no bounds She snuck a look at the Spearman to check if he shared her indignant disbelief If he had Ophelia would have killed Aylwind But it looked like the Spearman was distracted by his own thoughts as he considered how to move forward So Ophelia could only grit her teeth and turn back to Aylwind

We destroyed many of the SpearmanÆs own images to do this Struggling to keep her voice even Ophelia could at least meet AylwindÆs gaze with a searing glare It was not an efficient transaction In addition we were largely trying to alienate our own images so they could theoretically be used as fuel But as we were so close to success we began to use our images once more It was a foolish decision I regret not listening to Versault As such the destruction of those images will take much more time to prepare

What I donÆt get The Spearman suddenly said Is how this is possible Azriel is Level 57 I can feel it in the air even if she now grows in Level Silo had reached 98 After he absorbed Rumera he would have been the Level 99 we needed him to be Even at 98 the Skill he obtained at Level 90 should have given him an edge that Azriel couldnÆt compete with How could she have defeated him

If the SpearmanÆs strange lost whisper filled Ophelia with panic the voice that spoke now doused her in frigid water

Perhaps your Spearsource avatarÆs were designed with a weakness that she knew about

You The Spearman hissed as the flimsy wooden door swung slowly inward revealing a tall figure whose face was shrouded by the heavy shadow from his cloak

The amusement was clear in the cloaked figureÆs voice It has been a long time Auto Rach How are you doing Disappointed Defeated Broken

The original Autarch itself crawling on his belly to meet me skulking in a disguise The Spearman hissed This was your doing then

It all was my doing although IÆm surprised how deftly you parried my earlier attempts to destroy your foolish play The cloaked figure shrugged Well it doesnÆt matter now ItÆs all over You have lost

If you think The Spearman began but he stopped mid sentence as the cloak around the interloper exploded revealing a large amethyst body that was low to the ground and way too large to have been actually contained by the cloak But just as OpheliaÆs eyes were struggling to take in the huge crystalline form that had appeared there was a blur near the roof

It was funny Ophelia reflected that not even the Spearman realized what was happening fast enough The only one in the room that had the presence of mind to move was Aylwind

Aylwind bellowed and leaped upward with his spear raised Instantly a wave of heat boiled out from him to char and singe the walls and ceiling Moving lightning fast Aylwind met the blur

OpheliaÆs breath caught in her throat as the instant of time following that sharp crack was burned into her vision

Aylwind interposing himself between the amethyst scorpion and the Spearman had a blank look on his face His spear was broken the scorpions impossibly sharp tail had penetrated through it and into AylwindÆs chest cavity

Ophelia stood frozen shocked that both had moved so quickly And that it was immediately clear that the razor sharp needle at the tip of the scorpionÆs tail discharged some deadly poison into AylwindÆs body Within a second his eyes dimmed and Aylwind slumped to the side

Hmph what a sacrifice Would he have still acted so bravely if he knew how many sacrifices you have demanded from the spear users of Tellus Auto If he had known what you had done to defeat me the first time

The Spearman ignored the scorpion and shattered the wall behind him Ophelia move We must retreat and regroup Until we understand the situation

The Spearman vanished Moving as quickly as she could Ophelia followed As she dashed out of the house she spared a glance for Aylwind Blood dripped down the tail puncturing through his chest and pooling in the center of the floor

And the last sound she heard was laughing as the amethyst scorpion watched them both flee

Randidly clenched his fists even as he tried to keep his voice even Please you need to listen Something will go wrong

Something will go wrong if we allow you to go Versault interrupted with infuriating persistence But now his dark eyes were fixed on Randidly watching his every move Even though Versault wouldnÆt want to admit it Randidly believed that the man could sense the problem as well If not the shape of it at least its presence Keeping you here is better

If you do so it will be too late Randidly said through gritted teeth He turned and laid his case at the feet of the Oracle Her eyes were watery and indecisive Please I swear to you that I will only help Tellus ascend I want Shal to survive this But you know something I was never the one aiming for Drak Wyrd

Let is be Mr Ghosthound The Oracle said tiredly Mist flowed in through the broken windows and pooled at her feet She shrugged This path has been chosen we will stay on it to the end

Randidly looked at the Oracle then turned around and looked at Versault Both wore grim fatalistic expressions

Closing his eyes Randidly surveyed the crossroads ahead of him Another choice To force the issue or to allow Azriel and her Master to

To do what Randidly didnÆt even know It was just a hunch

But there was a thick river of Aether flowing through him that told him that he was right Azriel planned on interfering there

Why do you so desperately seek glory Azriel Is your debt to your master really that great Randidly asked vainly to the Aether Of course it did not answer There was only the silent flow of energy and meaning between them

But immediately Randidly reflected that he had given up much to assist Shal In some ways he understood the sentiment at least And from what he understood AzrielÆs debt to her Master was much much deeper than his to Shal

In a Dungeon that neither of them could handle alone Randidly and Shal had relied on each other to escape and thrive They had ultimately become master and apprentice but that relationship had been based on respect for eachÆs respective strengths The memory of that trying time spent together stayed with them

Azriel had been a young woman from a declining family that would have been sold as a bride to the highest bidder as the Blanche clan struggled to stabilize its collapse Her Master had stopped that by giving Azriel that tools to seize her own destiny A spear that could pierce anything became her lifeboat in her storm jostled seas of life She was of course already prodigiously talented But the family had never given her the opportunity to leverage that advantage

Her master had given her everything she now had Well setting aside the Aether that Randidly himself gave her

For a second he considered cutting the connection but that wasnÆt what he wanted No his choices were what to do here Acquiesce or struggle

Honestly it was an easy decision he would fight

RandidlyÆs mouth firmed into a line He wouldnÆt willingly pay the price for anotherÆs foolishness He stepped toward the Oracle with lantern like emerald eyes but even as he did so Versault spoke behind him

Wha what How could this be

Randidly spun slowly around From the mounting horror on VersaultÆs face it was already too late It had happened Something had averted the Ascension

Chapter 820

You you knew something about this Versault bellowed as he took a trembling step toward Randidly pointing a bony finger forward That was why you were teasing us This is all part of your game

Randidly blinked That was pretty quick 180 from dismissive superiority to devastated horror and then on to accusatory fury Opening his mouth to reply Randidly barely had time to witness Versault disappear

There was a rustling in the broken room Suddenly he found himself face with a wall of spring wind Leaves seemed to rustle as they were blown forward to tumble toward him Without even his eyes Randidly could feel the fading warmth of autumn as the wind drew itself around Randidly and down the path behind him

But the hairs on the back of RandidlyÆs neck instantly stood up This was the most dangerous image he had ever faced And it felt like it was the most natural and real image he had ever witnessed In terms of breadth and specificity Randidly felt the individual leaves dragging across the ground He could strangely sense the broken branches and the smooth bark of the nearby trees

This was a bit beyond his current depth

Instantly Randidly activated All is Ash The world slowed around him slightly but the main effect was to give Randidly eyes to see through the calm wind that was rustling toward him With the All is Ash shift in perspective it looked even more dangerous It was a wall of thousands of interlocking blades preparing to shred Randidly and his images to pieces Yet Randidly found himself smiling

Because there wasnÆt a hint of weakness any longer in his All is Ash Skill It had fully healed during this fucked up farce The world split into the component parts that were the sad remnants of the world that had died to form what they were It was weak and fragile

Randidly grinned For all your pretty image letÆs see how strong it really is Because at its core it is ash same as everything else

The Crown of Upheaval and Gloom flickered into existence over RandidlyÆs head as he gathered his will and smashed it against this assembled wave of ash that scuttled slowly toward him

To RandidlyÆs surprise tt was as satisfying as kicking a steel wall

Randidly grunted and took a step back The force from the abrupt collision was enough that the All is Ash Skill automatically disengaged so his body which was also made of ash wasnÆt scattered by the overwhelming force he encountered Inside of RandidlyÆs core the Skill groaned painfully

Wincing Randidly straightened Well that means IÆll need to heal that Skill for a bit longer

Opposite him VersaultÆs attack was stopped dead as well The elderly man simply stared at Randidly with wide eyes after his momentum was completely dispersed by RandidlyÆs strike how did you

Versault let it go You have no doubt received the same orders I did The Oracle barked interposing herself between the two of them Her form was small but she burned with a strange heat as she held up hands to keep them both at bay But like Versault she gave Randidly an intense glance as if trying to figure out the depths of his strength

Eventually she continued We head back to Hastam You can come too Mr Ghosthound The Spearman did not think to address your situation in the orders he sent but I have no doubt that considering how much he looks forward to your future accomplishments you may join us as we return

How generous Randidly said hollowly But this was the outcome he wanted The journey back to Hastam would give him time to investigate his Soulskill and allow him to be near Shal and Helen for whatever shitstorm was brewing now that the Spearman was foiled Worse Randidly suspected that like Versault the Spearman would not take kindly to this sudden change

For all that Azriel appeared to have a hand in this Randidly would wish that she survive this She was one of the few people that seemed to understand what he was going through

Randidly felt a brief impulse to ask what had happened but suppressed it He didnÆt want to need these two fools to find out the information Instead Randidly sent a brief message to Shal If nothing else his response would give Randidly an idea of what kind of problem they were dealing with

The run back to the coast from the castle where they had met Versault was much quicker than their run there Besides possessing extreme power VersaultÆs image of wind could be used as a mass buff All three were pushed to speeds that left Randidly inwardly shocked as they ran with that wind at their back

Honestly it made him wonder if his decision not to follow any of his Helper of Humanity or whatever Paths was a mistake If he obtained a Skill like this now and worked on it with the large army of followers he had gathered

But those were thoughts for another time

For now Randidly simply forced his body to its physical limit as the three streaked across the countryside

Luckily RandidlyÆs followers who had dealt with the feedback from the Soulskill genesis were largely recovered by the time the three arrived at the mountain It stood tall and imposing releasing an aura that Randidly couldnÆt quite pinpoint

It was clear that the act of extracting the life from the Wights had changed it The golden runes near the summit glittered in the midday sun As they approached the Oracle once more transfixed Randidly with her incisive glare but he ignored it

This is the price of you refusing to treat me with respect on our first meeting

Also lucky was the fact that RandidlyÆs longships were equipped with masts even if they hadnÆt really been used on the boat ride down This way his flotilla could keep pace with the OracleÆs impressive cruiseliner by boring the wind that Versault was producing for the travel

It was a difficult trek back to the coast Within an hour the army marched double speed to the coast with VersaultÆs buff and loaded everything onto the ships Even Randidly was impressed by the tenacity of his underlings Many collapsed onto the boats once they arrived every ounce of Stamina squeezed out of their bodies Likely they had kept their Stamina so low for so long that they received a status effect But they had made it

It once more proved to him that developing the group would be worth it

When Randidly was finally alone in his cabin he released a long sigh He had learned a lot today but nothing that would help Earth For now at least his goal was to assist Tellus Honestly it didnÆt look like he would receive any information as to what the portal at the end of the Second Calamity meant Was it a passage to the Third Calamity Was it part of the Second Calamity Some sort of reward

It had already been five months since Randidly had come to Tellus Much more and he would worry about whether enough Zones had joined Earth for the First Calamity to arrive Soon it would be time to return

From what he had learned from the Patron of Ash the strange passage that would allow for ascension was difficult The Patron himself didnÆt have enter into the portal which was the reason he became a Patron So if nothing else it was a chance to abort the passage higher into the System That was an option that Randidly wished to research some more For all he detested the Creature being able to save the Earth from further torment was worth investigating

Of course there would likely be costs to him becoming a Patron not the least of which was holding a role in the System He would need to understand those too before he made any decisions

Sighing Randidly let those thoughts fall away Instead he finally brought up the notifications he had received while transitioning his Soulskill Immediately Randidly skipped through the almost three dozen warnings that he had received from the System regarding the danger of what he was doing and looked at the meat of the notifications

Calculating Considering changes

Your Soulskill has merged with your physical body Unable to predict further spiritual growth Calculating differences

Adjusting for influence

Body and Soulskill are merging Congratulations Merging successful

New Paths regarding your Soulskill are available to you Please complete them in order to strengthen your SoulskillÆs abilities

Congratulations

Congratulations You have created the Soulskill Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Your body will be slowly empowered by the parallel universe that it has become As the Alpha Cosmos grows so will you

Warning Because your Soulskill has become a portion of your physical body growth will not be caused by use of PP However upon reaching certain total amounts of PP you will unlock bonuses based upon the growth of your world These bonuses will increase as your Alpha Cosmos Grows

Please allow Alpha Cosmos to grow so more information can be gathered

Randidly frowned Of all the confusing notifications he focused directly on the last one

Please allow Alpha Cosmos to grow so more information can be gathered huh

On the one hand Randidly would need to allow it to grow He hoped that the very intangible bonuses talked of in the notifications would end up being helpful to him

Randidly had a sinking feeling in his chest that this meant something Of all the changes he had made in his surroundings thus far the System had never been confused as this Which meant the things that happened before to him through chance or talent on the part of the originator werenÆt worthy of note

This merger between his physical body and the Soulskill was unique

And it had caught the SystemÆs eye

Chapter 821

Instead of panicking that he had made some terrible mistake by giving the System access to himself and this data Randidly simply closed his eyes He spent some time feeling the shape of the world he had created humming lightly inside of his chest

It was warm and as he watched slowly growing

What was peculiar about it was that the shape was haphazard Very quickly Randidly realized that this was because the method of expansion was exactly what he had anticipated earlier one of the denizens of the Soulskill needed to explore and discover new landmarks to bring them into the Soulskill’s purview

Which posed a lot of questions Did the explorer have some effect on what they found If they casually walked through without noticing anything would that landscape in the mist change once more into something else entirely Was there a cooldown on the mist so if the people inside of his Soulskill abandoned an area it would once more be lost to the mist

Figure of the Alpha Cosmos huh Randidly thought rather puzzled It was hard to glean anything in particular from the name that he didnÆt already know Specifically the inclusion of the Alpha likely referred to the fact that this was something entirely new never before seen in the System

It occurred to Randidly then that perhaps many worlds were Soulskills It was the obvious endpoint of growth for those who wanted a particular set of complementary images He could even already see Helen heading toward it Soon her Hellfin Reaper would inhabit a whole world and its growth would drive her forward

Of course a prerequisite to such an end was a metric fuck ton of energy to build the Soulskill The System was too stingy to provide Aether on the magnitude necessary to accomplish it but all those who were connected to Randidly would likely reach that point sometime in the future He planted world seeds left and right

Grimacing Randidly opened his eyes back up and looked at his System menus Perhaps before spending his PP it would be worth it to visit the Soulskill and see how everything was going A check in after a day to make sure that everyone was satisfied with their new home

Shal considered Azriel his confusion clear on his face You are RandidlyÆs friend yes Thank you for protecting Rumera I will not forget this favor

Azriel seemed puzzled by this response then studied Shal for several seconds Inwardly Shal tensed Was she considering the favor He did not like the calculating look in her eyes

But after a pause Azriel simply laughed You truly mean that How strange They explained to you that you were to fight Silo here did they not It was your destiny IÆm sure Then you should understand what it means that you were not able to fight him

Cracking his knuckles Shal shrugged Perhaps I figured it was best to let such things go After all none of these other concerns matter as much to me as RumeraÆs life She is mine I will not let you have her

On cue Rumera staggered to her feet and hissed in displeasure I much appreciate you both acting out your roles flawlessly but I belong to no one I would have handled Silo just fine Now please both of you leave me in peace to mourn my brother

The muscles in ShalÆs jaw tightened Azriel smiled sadly Neither moved

Rumera pursed her lips So it seems it wasnÆt enough for either of you to just save my life was it

You are not safe yet Rumera Shal said softly This gaze was ice as he considered Azriel He wanted so badly to move but he dare not as long as Azriel was so close to Rumera For all that you are my studentÆs friend I will kill you if you move

Shadows were still rolling up AzrielÆs spear to gather around her body Like oil on water the shadows hung around her body swishing to and fro as they looked for a passage into her body The shroud around her seemed to thin as she chuckled and ShalÆs gaze tightened as she raised her spear to point it at Shal Then you understand my goals in coming here Shal I apologize for all the favors I owe to your student but by the will of my master you will die here

And who will kill me Shal asked quietly His eyes blazed with fury as he looked at Azriel purposefully keeping his gaze from straying toward Rumera Even the tiniest thread of weakness in his gaze would mean the end of them The end of Rumera

For Shal the end of everything

You resemble him you know based on what my Master has told me Azriel finally said as she lowered her spear to her side The pulsing waves of darkness that crossed her armor and body were slowing and lightening The Spearman In focus and obsession you two are in a league all of your own Is it truly so important that this woman may live She isnÆt even a living creature She is an animated image that believes it to be truly sentient But it is a puppet nothing more Why struggle so hard to protect it

Shal felt the question more than he heard it Mostly because it was something that he had been struggling with for a couple of months as he slowly grew closer to Rumera In the grand scheme of things he had known her for seventy one days That was not long enough to truly know someone In addition Shal had quickly noticed that his intense attraction to her was in part due to the powerful spear images that were subtly imbued into every common action she took

In a way Shal had always known that she was a creature of images he simply didnÆt want to view her as such

At the moment however he had no choice as Azriel guided his mind there Rumera was a constructed thing made of the images of a man who had callously let most of Tellus die in order to accomplish his goals

Strangely Shal felt no cognitive dissonance as he reluctantly released that statement into his mind In fact he felt relief Because it was true And that truth didnÆt change the fact that Shal loved her anyway

Chuckling Shal moved Azriel narrowed her eyes and peered through the veil of darkness around herself as she remained motionless during the process Of course he was too worried to see it earlier but she was bound Whatever magic she was using had the price of stillness

Shal had no such qualms

Although it drew a yelp from Rumera Shal picked her up in his arms She glared up at him but Shal kept his gaze on Azriel It is strange is it not You are right But because of what she is and how we interact I love her I would not love her if she is different Therefore it would be foolish for me to quibble with the truth

Wait Shal after this transformation finishes Azriel began but Shal waved a hand

Bah IÆm tired of being told when and who I need to fight I am very disappointed to find the same coming from you Shal said over his shoulder as he leaped across Hastam The war is over The Wights are dead Why not celebrate

Then Shal was gone moving across the city in the night

Rumera crossed her arms cradled against ShalÆs chest I can handle myself you know

Shal raised his eyebrows Can you

Scowling Rumera play punched ShalÆs jaw Of course But not without cost I am much less than what I was once

After trailing off they traveled in silence Even when the two passed the edge of Hastam and rushed into the wildlands West of the city Rumera said nothing So Shal continued to carry her toward the destination he had in mind

The countryside bore the mark of the Wights occupation and passage Most buildings were torn down and periodically large anthill like bases that the Wights could crawl in and out of without fear of spear user attacks loomed above the trampled foliage It had the strange effect of causing Shal to reminisce about his childhood when he and his brother would pick up sticks and gallantly attack waspsÆ nest in order to eradicate the dumb WightsÆ

The Wraith Adder hissed softly in ShalÆs chest If I could go back there is so much I would say So many things I could do For that reason I wonÆt let go of Rumera No matter what it is Because I do not want to hold these feelings in my chest after it is already too late

I remember it you know Rumera said breaking into the low sound of the rushing wind around them as Shal ran Being the Spearsource Being a part of the Spearman I remember the power and the overarching sense of purpose But now IÆve lost that

It aches Shal murmured being alive All the small flaws bring you anguish And there is nothing you can do but continue advancing

But I want it This independence Let me down All at once RumeraÆs whisper shot upward in volume into a shout as though just now realizing that Shal was carrying her Shal let her down because they were already at the destination he had in mind Without even looking around Rumera continued to speak

ItÆs horrible and the closest thing I had to a family was driven mad by a desire to complete the world Worst of all I feel that same desire It eats at me every day Sleeping is confusing and the feeling of eating is horrifying and going to the bathroom well it all sucks ThatÆs basically every moment of being alive And IÆm full of panic and I hate it and then I met you and you are so

Rumera paused Shal grinned at her back as she spun around

This is the spot Rumera said in awe This is where we met The farm is destroyed but

Yea This was a place where my life changed Shal rumbled

Rumera was quiet for several seconds Evening was falling revealing the tapestry of stars above She looked upward and sighed I cry a lot you know When you aren’t around not because you arenÆt around but because because IÆm glad IÆm alive Every day

Shal didnÆt say anything He didnÆt need to For the moment he relished the proximity of Rumera and simply allowed her to spin and spin and spin as she searched through the stars for something that only she knew she was looking for Some answer or some comfort on the day that the being she had considered her only family had been killed

Dearly Shal hoped the stars would grant her some small succor

Chapter 822

Randidly appeared in his Soulskill at the center of the explored area A tall pearly obelisk stretched upward and at its tip glowed a bright emerald There were a sun and two moons in the sky sliding across the plane of the sky but despite that the emerald provided enough light to see by in the dark hours It made people feel safe and secure

Even at night the emeraldÆs green light guided people who had been exploring in the mists back to the new base of this world

Which of course meant the ramshackle bones of a city were springing up around the base of the obelisk There were even some hut dwelling that leaned directly against the obelisk itself Randidly grimaced Not that Randidly believed it to be some sort of affront to him personally but it showed some of the peopleÆs desperation that they werenÆt willing to venture far away from the main base

Besides didnÆt they have enough class to not just lean right up against the obelisk

One of the few powers that remained to Randidly in this new area was his ability to sense the people inside of his Soulskill A quick scan revealed that there were a little less than one hundred thousand living souls wandering around with about double as much fauna and system spawned mobs

Randidly pressed his mouth into a line That was strange Because he would have sworn he brought almost double that here Had so many died in the first two days within his Soulskill Not a good sign

Unfortunately Randidly had no way of locating anyone individually within his Soulskill The strange energy density of the air kept him from being able to scan it or teleport as he had in the prior Soulskill So Randidly wasted almost three hours simply searching asking for directions

All he really wanted was someone who could give him an idea of what was going on

Finally he found someone with enough savvy that they informed him that Allica and Rejt were part of the Torchbearers a group of adventurers who gathered supplies and ventured into the mist They were this young woman told Randidly a group that did not fear Mist sicknessÆ

Tucking that disturbing term into his mental belt Randidly made a beeline for the Torchbearer base

It was North from the city sitting on a low ridge that ran across one end of a valley When Randidly approached he was greeted surprisingly warmly until they noticed that he didnÆt light a torch as he approached Apparently this rather simplistic greeting was a sign of respect and community That he failed to do so marked him as an outsider

So quickly we fall back on ritual Randidly thought idly

A gruff Spriggit with an impressive beard pulled him aside as he came through the rather basic palisade Look son volunteering for the Torchbearers is very impressive but even though it might seem like all action and adventure there is a very rigorous testing process

Randidly didnÆt bother to point out that the Torchbearers had been around for barely two days how rigorous could the testing process really be

The Spriggit introduced himself as Thom and then leaned forward with a serious expression In addition have you ahem do you know for sure that you are immune to the Mist Sickness That is an important requirement to enter the brotherhood of the Torchbearers We donÆt allow those who canÆt pull their weight into the group

Randidly wanted to say yes he had tested it but saying no would likely bring some clarity to the issue IÆve heard about it but I donÆt really know what the Mist Sickness is

Pulling out a pipe Thom nodded sagely Most of the other guards wandered away from the conversation continuing to construct the palisade Ah of course Well after we arrived here there was a slew of expansion Exploration of the surrounding area But when people returned to the emerald light at nightfall about half of the population was gone They had just vanished We tracked them as best we could but their tracks led deep into the mist Too deep

Thom shook his head After a while the mist gets strange You hear noises see movements out of the corner of your eye ItÆs very easy to get lost So for a while we thought it was just that But there were witnesses for some of it When they talked about how their companions went into the mist everyone reported that the victimÆs face suddenly went blank they entered into the mist and they just kept wandering deeper We had a few that were restrained and brought back before they could go too deep but

Thom grimaced and took a long pull on his pipe But overnight their bodies transformed into mist and just flowed away

Randidly frowned at this little man and considered that bit of information These people were somehow absorbed by the mist That wasnÆt a good sign Was there a connection or did the mist take a percentage of the population as tithe

That certainly wouldnÆt win him any popularity contests

Honestly the population had been rather mute considering half of the fucking people that came through were pulled away into the mists Part of that might be shock from receiving one punch after another but there had to be another force at play here

Well anyway if you havenÆt been tested Thom said sorrowfully He reached up with difficult and patted RandidlyÆs shoulder I cannot let you in But that doesnÆt mean you canÆt help the community in your own way

Randidly was gone having used Phantom Half Step to simply teleport to another figure deeper within After that step landed Randidly activated Embrace of the Wild Phantom and flitted deeper into the camp Not that he had anything personal against Thom And the Spriggit had been quite friendly But

This wasnÆt worth his time And he would need to leave the Soulskill and go back to Hastam eventually The more quickly he could position himself into a spot where he could assist the denizens of his Soulskill the better

It didnÆt take long to find Allica and the Monster Prince who were arguing animatedly over a table with a roughly sketched map of the surrounding area Ignoring the shocked guards Randidly pushed right into the room

Which it turned out was a mistake Perhaps he should have announced himself Because like a coiled spring the scarred and wounded body of the Monster PrinceÆs bodyguard launched himself toward Randidly

Very quickly Randidly scanned this man Lucretia had truly done a number on him His left arm was still tightly wrapped in bandages and the entire right side of his body had all his hair singed away But that still left the impressive metallic scales that shimmered in the torchlight as he leapt toward Randidly

Of course Randidly just reached up and snatched him out of the air flicking his wrist to break the bodyguardÆs momentum Stunned the bodyguard just stared at Randidly as he was set onto the ground Randidly grinned now that these people were governed directly by the System he no longer had to rely on his images to be strong His ridiculously strong body could handle the heavy lifting for now

Especially since they had just received stats and even if they started with a higher base than Randidly had they were nowhere close to reaching the capability of someone whose average Stat was over five hundred

Allica looked up sharply then exhaled when she realized who it was Randidly Good Maybe you can give us some of the answers we seek

You The Monster Prince rapidly backed away The one who stole my face

Sighing Randidly said I thought we talked about this ItÆs a coincidence And as the originator of all of this I came first But anyway He turned to Allica What do we know about the Mist Sickness That wasnÆt part of my plan

Ours either but it certainly has made feeding us all a little more manageable Allica grumbled She waved away the guards who came rushing into the tent two beats after Randidly burst through This is just anecdotal but those who disappeared were disproportionately older rather than younger and from rather biased evidence gathering through interviews

She looked at the Monster Prince who puffed out his chest self importantly were all rather afraid and discontent The disliked and the panicking ItÆs a tragedy of course but it looks like the mist syphoned off all the malcontents and layabouts Everyone left is willing to work even is 75% of them are scared to death by the mist

Which is why we had questions for you Allica clarified She put her hands on her hips IÆm not relieved that you are just as confused as we were

Randidly thought about it for a few seconds Then he closed his eyes and reached out to feel his Soulskill If expansion came at the cost of lives he would be very disappointed in himself Even if these were the dregs of society there was no perfect criteria to judge that And even if they were all shit people other people cared about them They were family and friends to people that didnÆt deserve to be hurt

What he found in the shape and image of the Soulskill was reassuring in a way There was no hunger in the world No need that he could sense that would require a consistent flow of lives in order for the mists to part and reveal new lands But what he found was a queer feeling that pervaded every inch of the world an insistence on wonder and awe A desire to grow and explore

This world was a child

But still that truth set RandidlyÆs teeth on edge The last thing we need is a world that could throw temper tantrums

Because laying behind that desire was a strange dark impulse to eliminate those that would get in the way of that growth

Still the more he examined it the more he could sense how what had occurred was likely a one time phenomenon The World had rejected some of the people he had brought into it But those that remained had passed Satisfied the world was falling into a deep slumber

Randidly opened his eyes with a frown From what I can tell it shouldnÆt happen again There might be small instances of it going forward but those who arenÆt affected now shouldnÆt be later More troublingly It looks like the world will require a certain amount of growth for it to remain passive ItÆs hard to get a clear picture but it seems there should be more lanterns Like the obelisk with the emerald at the center

Perfect youÆve read my mind WeÆve already found the first it was in an underground labyrinth that we cleared But to light it someone needs to obtain a Class from it Based on the notification it gives us it will select a Class for the person based upon the location and the traits of the individual And from that moment forward that class will be available at that obelisk like Wayfinder of the Baleful Wood can be obtained from the first obelisk This is what your world is like right Since you have experience in this area do you have any suggestions as to what sort of Class we should try and obtain

Randidly just looked at Allica What

Chapter 823

Randidly and Rejt trooped down the long tunnel toward the second Obelisk The traps and monsters had already been cleared through but monsters would continue to spawn until the obelisk was claimed Randidly was informed Not that it mattered Randidly kept a sliver of his Perception forward and simply ripped the Level 7 mobs to shreds as soon as they spawned For them the walk down was downright leisurely

As then walked Randidly chewed on his lip in confusion So you never received any notifications about Village Spirits or Villages

Rejt shook his head No Only the obelisks Seek the Obelisk to find your destiny and leave a legacy for those that follow Æ Very intriguing I was tempted to seize the obelisk for myself but Allica was rather rude about it As you know she has strong feelings Apparently it is a strategic resource YouÆll see below

But Randidly couldnÆt wrap his head around what was going on here Why had the methods of the System changed So everyone who gets a Class at the obelisk gets the same And are there any requirements for getting a Class How many Classers

Easy Rejt laughed You take this almost as seriously as Allica Why stress when we can simply look around and find more obelisks

The monsters and traps that guard them are going to become more powerful Randidly said with a short shake of the head

Rejt grinned back at him Not as quickly as I will You forget how invincible I am But no not all Classes are the same but they are related From the first Obelisk most of those who chose to obtain a Class obtained Wayfinder but we also acquired a few Hunters and Woodsmen of the Baleful Wood As for requirements

After rummaging in his pockets for a while Rejt produced a handful of sparkling copper coins These are dropped by monsters A hundred copper will allow you to purchase a Class I took only a day to reach a sufficient point but most others are still struggling to do so Only the best obtained a Class so quickly Still the one Class we have is rather well What is this Baleful WoodÆ that the Class refers to

What sort of Skill restrictions do the Classes have Randidly asked as he had ignored the jab at his own Class his heart tightening in his chest Good thing that Rejt himself hadnÆt received a Class He could explain about gathering enough Skills prior to obtaining a Class That would likely help these people grow

But Rejt just stared at him Skill restrictions I have not heard of this It was not included in the Class notifications Why would there be Skill restrictions

Randidly had no response that would make sense Why indeed He supposed that since he was supplying the Aether rather than the System people could gather as many Skills as they wanted

Can you buy anything else at the obelisk Randidly asked instead

Nodding Rejt said Yes One hundred thousand coins can be turned in for an upgrade to the obelisk Although no one knows what that means most of those not part of the Torchbearers are clamoring for the Torchbearers to clear out the surrounding area and upgrade the obelisk They seem to think it will solve the food crisis

RandidlyÆs mind moved lightning fast If the obelisk was really a streamlined Village Probably wonÆt even affect food But it might offer more Class options allow you to buy weapons or learn special utility Skills that are pretty useful I would recommend trying it as soon as possible

Rejt threw up his hands Always more work Gather the coins yourself Are you not all powerful

Grinning Randidly said Only compared to you

Pah then why did we walk all the way down here on foot Someone one of your godly steeds Rejt grumbled

The two arrived at the labyrinth which now had helpful signs that allowed them to reach the center without trouble As promised the central clearing was dominated by a crystalline obelisk with a black stone at its tip very similar to the one at the center of the shanty town above In addition there were a number of tents and carts spread in the surrounding area as well as almost fifty people

Monsters and White Hunters helped Weavers carry boxes too and fro while there were other groups studying the obelisk directly with strange devices Randidly couldnÆt suppress a wince as he noticed most of those devices had the distinctive mark of AltaÆs handiwork It will take a long time to rid ourselves of your habit of taking the energy from the world itself without a thought to the consequences

When the two arrived they were immediately swarmed Not because of Randidly but because of Rejt He was immediately bombarded with questions about the obelisk the plans for a permanent settlement here and when the obelisk would be activated

Rejt acted like he hadnÆt heard a thing and walked calmly forward forcing the group to scramble sideways to not be trampled Amused Randidly followed

They eventually arrived at the largest tent and only then did Rejt speak to the group Send Talim Grem and Eulia to me We will activate the obelisk within the hour

Then the two shut the tent flap and Rejt rubbed his neck I much preferred when it was not I who was so impressive that the crowds gather for me The pressure of being influential I shall soon buckle under its strain

DonÆt be dramatic Randidly quipped back What you are feeling is likely just old age

Ha coming from you Rejt shot back How ancient are you anyway To have seen the dawn of the world it must have been quite a sight

Randidly shook his head helplessly with the time difference this debate would become largely semantic Instead he asked Are you really going to activate the obelisk now IÆd appreciate the chance to watch but

I am Rejt affirmed Not because of you but because we must know what it does to the mist in the surrounding area when the obelisk is activated We expect that it will drive the mist away but that is just conjecture based upon the lack of mist around the first obelisk The mist can be slowly driven away by careful exploration but that process is very slow Plus the new Class option might draw more to join the Torchbearers The addition area cleared of mist certainly will if it happens

On cue the tent flap opened and three figures walked through it Of the three Randidly recognized two Talim was AllicaÆs brother and Grem was a dour Monster that Randidly had often eavesdropped on while he was staying in Carthak The third was a Weaver with luminous chitin exterior that was really rather lovely in its cream color

Rejt gestured lazily toward the three The choice is rather straightforward Talim is a solid warrior A battle focused Class would be useful I feel Allica leans more toward Grem He is a craftsman and a carpenter which would hopefully give us more capability to build cities and walls The monster threat has proven to be more problematic than we anticipated

Randidly nodded Both were understandable choices

Finally Rejt studied the Weaver Eulia for several long seconds This one is the follower of the Scarred Woman She can use Mana to Engrave strange symbols into all manner of substances It is admittedly useful but would not address either of our short term problems

RandidlyÆs heart rate increased and he raised an eyebrow Had she truly lived the Scarred Woman

Rejt bared his teeth You have to admit keeping the name Queen of Talons wasnÆt really an option was it The number of people she has killed well Her small role now is enough for her And it cannot be denied that she is useful

To his surprise Randidly felt a flash of relief Lucretia is alive All the knowledge she had gathered with him about engraving and the System hadnÆt been lost

But then he focused and considered the three options in front of him Talim regarded Randidly suspicious EuliaÆs Weaver face was rather mystifying to Randidly he couldnÆt make heads or tails of what she thought And Grem just morosely looked straight ahead as if all of this had nothing to do with him

Scratching his neck Randidly finally said Grem is probably the best option Anyone who already wanted to fight probably is already in the Torchbearers A combat Class wonÆt sway people much And I saw the city of hovels springing up you need a cohort of people who can build And it will give the people who want to help but arenÆt brave enough to fight a way to contribute

Rejt nodded and very quickly the ceremony was complete Randidly wasnÆt sure what he expected but the activation of the obelisk was rather underwhelming Grem trudged up to it and laid his hands upon the exterior After a few seconds the crystal at the top began to glow rust red The exterior of the obelisk changed to a slate grey

Grem announced he had obtained the Class Stone Singer and proceeded to demonstrate by singing in a jaw droppingly impressive baritone to cause the stone beneath his feet to slowly rise into a low platform

It was rather slow even by old world building standards Randidly noticed but he knew that this would improve with Skill Levels and Stats These people were all so new to the System They had so much room to grow

Like predicted about a two kilometer circle of space was cleared of mist What was revealed was a rather grim and inhospitable mountain range but Randidly was incredibly amused to witness GremÆs reaction to the new surround land

Huh He said stiffly after he had clambered out of the tunnel into the ground and looked around It wasnÆt a smile that crossed his mouth but it seemed for a second that the deep lines across his face disappeared Reminds me of home

Afterward he immediately began constructing a Fortress of Solitude in which to spend his time learning about his new Skills

Rejt sighed woefully HeÆs not going to just make houses for people will he

Chuckling Randidly shook his head I suppose not

Chapter 824

Randidly found Lucretia in front of a grave

One reason that the city around the first Obelisk was so crowded was that everyone had agreed almost immediately that part of the area currently cleared of mist needed to be used as a graveyard to mourn the passing of the so many who had died in the past few years From king to pauper everyone had lost someone

There were a few enterprising individuals who carved fancy gravestones for a copper coin but the average citizen just cut down trees and scratched the names of their loved ones into planks of wood Rows of uneven and mismatched graves meandered in strange diagonals across each other until they formed strange complex patterns of grief

Quietly Randidly took his place beside Lucretia and looked down at the grave It was small but made of stone The sides were crisscrossed with glowing runes that Randidly recognized would make the stone very difficult to destroy On the front in simple letters was the name Alta Bounty

You decided to live Randidly said lightly It was hard to conceal the happiness in his voice

Lucretia nodded with her eyes on the grave Really it wasnÆt a hard decision I was brought here by guilt by an urge to rectify it And after what happened with Alta well I donÆt think anyone would say that I succeeded and righting my wrongs If anything my selfish guilt poisoned your entire Soulskill If I hadnÆt let Alta run wild

We all made mistakes Now this place is where we correct that Randidly cut in unwilling to allow Lucretia to proceed further down that line of thought He had struggled with that very question of whether he could have done more for far too long Then after a long hesitation he also added IÆm sorry for your loss I know how close you two were

I wonder at how bright and beautiful she used to be And how it slowly died and left something there wearing her skin But that was her too No one is solely composed of heroic traits We hold just as many apportionments of the anatomy of a villain Lucretia whispered

Sadly Randidly nodded He knew that truth far too well

Lucretia nodded A tear ran down her cheek that she didnÆt bother to wipe away Then she turned to face Randidly IÆve been keeping tabs on the real world you know Others here shouldnÆt be able to but because of our connection I can sense some of what was occurring above The First Propagator has begun to move aiming to stop the Autarch from accomplishing his goals I believe I have some insight into what will happen next

Randidly gestured for her to continue

During my time as a Wight all of the AutarchÆs work creating was done in his solar where his coat rack sits in the center of the room It is a steel pole thrust into the ground with such force that the foundation was bored into by the thrust It is obviously not just a coat rack it was the fount of power that let him tinker with the Wights To that end I have a theory of what it truly is

If it wasnÆt a coat rack not that it matters Randidly said slowly Why would he hang coats on it

LucretiaÆs smile was wan This at least I can be certain of the Spearman hated the trappings of power It pleased him somewhat to insist that none of the Wights may ever have influence over each other Only he would orchestrate them

That doesnÆt seem like someone who has eschewed power Randidly pointed out ThatÆs someone irreverent who wants all the power to himself

Making a dismissive gesture Lucretia moved on However back to my theory It is known that the Spearman defeated the first Propagator a long time ago Even the Wights were aware of it It was rumored that the Spearman defeated the first Propagator by destroying its heart which was why the Wights must always seek vengeance against the Spear users So I suspect this heartÆ of the first Propagator lies impaled beneath the SpearmanÆs spear forming a coat rack That is why the Spearman stayed near it for his experiments the power leaks out of it and into the room

And therefore if I was the resurging first Propagator Randidly said slowly I would be rushing back to the Wight capital to try and take back his heart

Also remember that the Spearman severed his images leaving the Ascension half finished Lucretia said levelly Her eyes scanned the rows of uneven graves filled with extreme sadness The Spear images became the Spearsource but whatever image the Propagator held will be there damaged by preserved If they were not still in working order the Spearman never would have been able to control the Wights as he did

For several minutes Randidly just stood next to Lucretia and considered The Spearman was proud but more than that he was obsessed with saving the world of his love For that he had dragged them all through seven centuries of this elaborate experiment

But Randidly needed to back up a bit Put himself in the SpearmanÆs shoes because something was strange The Spearman had defeated and broken the First Propagator and sealed its power Then as he was ascending he had the terrible realization that he himself couldnÆt be the one to ascend lest he destroy his loveÆs world

If he had truly captured the First PropagatorÆs images why hadnÆt he used those to ascend

Originally Randidly had been told that his images were one of replaceability with an all powerful puppet master pulling the strings Therefore the Spearman relying on Wights would demonstrate how far he would go to save his loveÆs world And yet that couldnÆt be true could it

The Spearman had displayed no real remorse about using the Wights So why hadnÆt he used it to ascend

The only logical explanation was that he couldnÆt Just like his own the Second CalamityÆs image emerged from a Nemesis and would doom the world he wanted to save Which of course it would because that was the SpearmanÆs worst fear He couldnÆt allow this other image to succeed because it would mean sacrificing the thing that brought him here

That brought Randidly to a stop Because that was the SpearmanÆs secret fear That he couldnÆt save his loveÆs world But how did the Second Calamity prey on that fear There was something Randidly was missing

I suppose I need to talk to the Spearman Randidly said with a sigh

Lucretia nodded It is for the best For all that he has warped this world no because he has warped this world His help is necessary But I have a thought

Randidly tilted his head to the side in askance at Lucretia

She shrugged It is something you need to consider What will you do if the First Propagator genuinely just wants to foil the Spearman by helping Tellus ascend while achieving a victory for the Nemesai Would you fight to stop it from doing so and force Tellus to remain in suspension

Icklid was as it had been described to Azriel Rather dull even by Tellus standards There were some decorations in the halls but it was a sparse and utilitarian area Very little fun was had here everything was designed for a purpose

This was your work Azriel asked her master

Her master clicked one of its claws I was young I didnÆt understand the world To describe what it is to be a Calamity it is a confusing experience But it is over now Soon we will be finished

The sound of its crystal legs and AzrielÆs leather boots echoed through the empty city Although the part of her Master that controlled the Wights had been vivisected from it it still looked pained as it considered the slumped bodies laying like trash beside building and in corners Even here even here RandidlyÆs strange spell that had stolen their life energy had worked

Truly he requires watching Azriel reflected as she struggled to manage her throbbing headache To underestimate him is to invite doom

Master Azriel said slowly I wonder if this course of action is wise

What do you mean The duo passed through the outer halls to the main sanctum Very soon they would arrive at the suite of the Autarch which had once housed the First Propagator in all its glory

Is me Azriel was surprised to find that her tongue felt heavy in her mouth She nervously licked her lips and chided herself This task wasnÆt forced on her as nothing ever was with her Master He had asked it of her and she had acquiesced Therefore it was reasonable for her to offer a perspective Is my body truly necessary To accept your images and ascend

mm Not in particular There is nothing special about you that would make this a good decision Her master said after a moment of thought Yet the Spearman must be prevented from interfering with the ritual There is a higher degree of certainty that I will be able to manage this than you Therefore you are the better choice There is no one else we can trust

Azriel reached up slowly and touched a lock of her hair rubbing it between her fingers It was still soft but itÆs color had changed after absorbing the violent images of Silo it had turned black She was now raven haired Which was the least disturbing of the changes it had caused in her Likely her earlier show of emotions and lack of faith was related to the images she was housing

They were likely wild bulls resisting her attempted to corral and bridle them They smashed into the sides of her head causing the dull ache that she had dealt with for the last several hours

Finally she mustered up the courage to speak again I already hold the SpearmanÆs image is it really necessary for me to hold both to ascend Already my mind

Yes it is necessary Her Master said as they entered into the final room A tall poll of steel covered in a coat stretched out of the floor at the center of the room If you looked closely it was possible to see the tiny cracks in the floor where it had been smashed into the ground with deadly force

For two reasons The first is because it is the only way to continue the aborted Ascension from seven hundred years ago Both must be present Otherwise we would need to start over as the Spearman desires The second reason Her Master scuttled to the spear sticking out of the ground and struck it with its tail lightly The spear sung clear as a bell vibrating in the marble floor

The second reason was that this Second Calamity was rather special It wasnÆt a tribulation but an offer from the System I came in peace and offered in confidence a deal to ascend without violence Of course at the time I had no idea that the peaceful offer was in itself a test So we were to ascend Together And I was betrayed The cost was too high Æ he said as he pierced through my back and pinned my heart to the core of this place

Her Master drew its tail across the ground scoring a large mark and causing a screeching noise By Auto Rach By the System that birthed me And I will make both of them pay

Azriel was troubled but she inclined her head and focused on addressing the growing headache that was consuming her Hopefully this would be over soon

Chapter 825

Randidly came out of his Soulskill releasing a long breath His experience there was to come seeking final answers and to leave with only questions Difficult but that didnÆt mean there wasnÆt progress He hoped that soon the population of people in his Soulskill would stabilize and spread out there was no way to feed that many people camped in one spot

But that would require further expansion which Randidly had mixed feelings about assisting To his amusement he was able to gain experience inside of his Soulskill Which seemed broken somehow But of course the only areas that were exposed had monsters between Level 1 and Level 8 There was a Level 10 Giant Centipede that was walking around that even Rejt steered clear of but such a small monster could be killed accidentally by Randidly

Someday however there might be monsters that could materially affect his experience gauge It didnÆt have the benefits of a Dungeon but it was an area that he wouldnÆt be attacked by enemies of any sort

Once out of the Soulskill Randidly checked in on where they were The fleet had made it back to the Spearman School in record time and was now floating up the Hallat river toward Hastam Unfortunately they were now going against the current Much of VersaultÆs wind image was spent simply resisting that current

Of course their speed was incomparable with what it would have been without Versault Well assuming Randidly didnÆt just control all of the longboats to grow legs and simply walk along the river to make it back

At that thought Randidly considered his Mana pool and winced He was running pretty low Although he only needed to maintain a small touch he had been forced to feed these boats a constant supply in order for them not to spark and burn to ash Abandoning his newly christened army wasnÆt exactly how he wanted this day to go

Although Randidly didnÆt plan on bringing them to this final fight It would be a waste of life

Based on their current speed he would be able to maintain the slight flows of Mana until they reached Hastam but it might be an issue that he wouldnÆt have any Mana to fight with for a while And the only reason that he had been able to survive this long was that he gathered addition Mana with his Mana recharge Skill From Darkness Genesis

Honestly he had forgotten about it entirely Just when he was panicking he had a rather large bump and saw his Regeneration spike upward

It was hard to Level because it could only be used once a week but it was definitely worth improving as much as possible

But now Randidly finally turned his attention to his Skill growth and what Paths he would choose Part of the cost of creating the Soulskill was severing his Godling status Therefore his monstrously long Intrepid Will of the Godling Path had been destroyed He retained all the Willpower that he had already gained but he would receive no other bonuses for the 200 or so PP he had put into that Path

Which genuinely disappointed Randidly Based upon the bonuses he had received thus far the final reward would have been very satisfying But there was nothing that he could do now

All things have costs

This round of improvements was another example of Randidly gaining one or two Skill Levels in most of his Skills and the total just reaching ridiculous heights There were a few exceptions that were worth commenting on however

The biggest grower was Ignition of the Emerald Essence which had risen by 20 Skill Levels Randidly suspected part of it was that he had imparted it upon quite a few individuals but he had also used it heavily to shape his Soulskill toward the end It was useful and also the new engine that drove his different fire based Skills

Disturbingly the System Interference Skill jumped up by 13 Levels at some point For whatever reason Randidly had missed those notifications The most likely culprit was the Soulskill creation itself but Randidly couldnÆt be sure if it all came from that Luckily it hadnÆt triggered his Heretic Judgement but that had to be coming soon

Another big jump was 9 Levels in Erode Image and All is Ash Randidly suspected that growth was from his brief contest with Versault that left both of them shocked at the otherÆs prowess He wouldnÆt easily piss of Versault again

But I might not have a choice Randidly reflected reflexively polishing a wiggling Acri Everyone else has already lost Only opponents of that caliber are left to fight

Still after Lucretia pointed it out Randidly had been thinking very deeply how he should handle the fight that was about to occur He needed to find a way to stop reacting to someone elseÆs plans but it wasnÆt as easy as he had hoped to find another way

Randidly had earned himself 156 PP over the last few weeks With a satisfied hum Randidly opened his Path Menu and looked at the options

Heretic XXIX 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Experimenter I 0/50 System Transgressor 0/1 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 HumanityÆs Torch 0/500 Bearing of a Teacher Puppet Master 0/100 Alpha Cosmos I The Intermingling 0/200 Mana Lich 0/500 Ashen Aura I 0/

Randidly grimaced Just a lot of shit to sift through And at the moment he didnÆt have any long term goals that these Paths easily satisfied He had simply earned himself too many choices

There was a feeling in the air of Tellus that seemed to indicate that the final battle was coming up quickly That heartbeat of images in the sky that had emerged after the battle at Southbeach was slowing toward cessation There wasnÆt much time left for this world Hopefully the energy lifeblood would be jump started by an Ascension but

Tellus had been stuck between two places for far too long The energy that had kept it going had been sacrificed to make the duel between Silo and Shal and Azriel had ripped that plan to shreds So now what Æ The world seemed to ask

Without any personal goal the short Paths were as viable as the long ones But there wasnÆt any point in just finishing a short Path because even if Randidly obtained a strong Skill it would still be Level 1 RandidlyÆs stats might be high but that would be barely enough to be usable in a real life or death fight

Randidly eliminated the usual suspect that had been clogging up his options for quite a long time and considered the three new arrivals The Alpha Cosmos I The Intermingling might empower his Soulskill That was a pretty attractive option As far as Mana LIch was concerned it seemed to be an upgraded form of Mana Ghoul

That would probably be useful to finish but also unexciting Mana was a substance Randidly used a lot but it wouldnÆt be the thing that determined victory and loss in battle

Ashen Aura seemed to have been earned when All is Ash reached Level 100 Just for that alone it was an attractive option But Randidly was inherently suspicious of Paths that ended in question marks He had been burned too many times by Paths that should have been easy and ended up being several hundred long

For all his PP gathering speed had increased he wasnÆt that quick

In addition Randidly believed that his thoughts about VersaultÆs image were true If he had no immediate needs it would be good to gain a mass buff that he could slowly improve So Randidly looked at the Paths that might provide those sort of Skills

Friend to Humanity 0/100 War Leader 0/200 Mantle of the Patron 0/500 Order Ducis Font of Guidance HumanityÆs Torch 0/500 Bearing of a Teacher Puppet Master 0/100

Randidly grimaced Of them all Puppet Master and Friend to Humanity were the only ones he could complete on the spot Neither seemed the most interesting of the options

Well if he was going to go this route he didnÆt want to gamble overmuch with Path length but he definitely wanted to receive a Skill that would be useful Which meant War Leader With his current PP he wouldnÆt be far from finishing after dumping all of the PP he gathered into it And as a War Leader it seemed to make a certain amount of sense he would have some sort of leader centric Skill

Still Randidly was probably most tempted by HumanityÆs Torch But 500 PP investment right now

Shrugging Randidly poured his 156 PP into War Leader Every 10 PP he spent he earned 1 free stat which was rather bland but still a nice touch These extra stats he put into Endurance It was high time that he started to funnel some stats into it so he wasnÆt so bad at taking direct attacks

Randidly had a feeling that against the caliber of opponents that he would soon need to fight he would need the survivability

Afterward Randidly looked at his Stats in satisfaction

Level 39 (6%)

Health(/R per hour) 4946/4946 (2504)

Mana(/R per hour) 986/5449 (1963)

Stam(/R per min) 4713/4797 (797)

End 260

Perception 526

Willpower 665

Control 837

Focus 409

Skills (Soul Skill) Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 156

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 199 White PhantomÆs Half Step (Un) Lvl 92 Heavy Blow Lvl 113 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 110 Fighting Experience (Un) Lvl 156 Block Lvl 77 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Calculated Blow Lvl 101 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 76 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 120 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 63 Talon Strike Lvl 90 Counter Lvl 86

LoBW Class Skills Grasp of the World Seed Lvl 222 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 25 Sharpness Lvl 109 Call Grove Defenders « Lvl 34 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 47 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14 Reach of the Jade Slag Lvl 104 Erode Image Lvl 19 SpriggitÆs Tinkering « Lvl 94 Aether Understanding Lvl 64 Summon Lava Golem (Un) Lvl 46 Aether Infusion Lvl 46 Volatile Ash Lvl 33 Visualization « Lvl 180 Fruit of the Planting of Enmity Lvl 25 Absolute Timing Lvl 52 Cycle of the Gloomy Wood « Lvl 16

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 104 As the Sun Stills Lvl 76 When a Shadow Departs Fireflies Dance (Un) Lvl 64 All is Ash Lvl 100 Frigid Ash Extinguishing Storm Lvl 50

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom « The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 117 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Wild PhantomÆs Embrace Lvl 195 The Sixth Sign The Breath of the Spear Phantom « Lvl 74

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 122 Aether Manipulation Lvl 121 Living Aether « Lvl 111 System Interference Lvl 40

Spells Yggdrasil Soul Seed « Inspiration « Ignition Bolt « Lvl 106 Verdant Nova (Un) Lvl 78 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 Touch from Beyond « Lvl 37 Influence of the Molten Core « Lvl 84 Eruption of the Blazing Leyline Lvl 74 Ignition of the Emerald Essence Lvl 49

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 73 Farming Lvl 34 Analyze Lvl 29 Refine Lvl 72 Extract Lvl 58 Mana Engraving Lvl 173

Yggdrasil the Tree of Upheaval Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 131 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 158 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 150 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 169 the Deific Mien of Yggdrasil Lvl 146 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 139 Crown of Yggdrasil Cataclysm and Gloom Lvl 95

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 56 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 84 Fire Resistance Lvl 103 Sewing Lvl 11 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 77 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 25 Aether Connection Lvl 21 Soul Bond Lvl 110 ChefÆs Palette Lvl 33 Nether Resistance Lvl 20 Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 45 Chosen of Ash Lvl 125 Engineering Savvy « Lvl 112 From Darkness Genesis « Lvl 10

The only problem was

RandidlyÆs face twisted into a frown

he hadnÆt gotten anything from 150 PP into his Soulskill

Chapter 826

Randidly leaned against the wall in the corner happy to have even been brought to this meeting Part of it Randidly assumed was that he had just been with the Oracle and Versault when they arrived and tagged along Both seemed too intent on the developing situation at hand to address his continued presence

And when they arrived Ophelia and the Spearman himself seemed too caught up in their own thoughts to do the same Basically Randidly had quietly walked into the room and assumed his spot in the corner No one said anything

So Randidly stayed

While the other four were glowering at the floor to express their emotion Randidly studied the Spearman He was old that was for sure It wasnÆt so much present in the lines of his face but by the way he held his body Every movement was slow and methodical His muscles were heavy and solid He was the type of individual that seemed to broadcast physical violence due to his intense gaze no matter how controlled his movements were

He also radiated danger Randidly forced his muscles that tensed as he simply looked at the Spearman to relax he kept his gaze on the Spearman mild The SpearmanÆs eyes were dark and serious and his eyebrows were extremely bushy Of course what struck Randidly the most about him was that he was one of the few people he had seen on Tellus that wasnÆt carrying a spear

The irony curled the corner of RandidlyÆs mouth up

The Northern Camp is moving Following the First Propagator to Icklid Ophelia finally said to break the heavy silence Why Why would they betray their fellow spear users and follow a monster

The silence continued The Spearman peered out the window and simply continued to rub his thumb across a shattered piece of wood he had picked up It had already been worn smooth by the almost mechanical gesture Randidly suspected that it would shine and reflect light it had been so worn down

Spearman Ophelia hissed as she seemed very clearly to be on the verge of panic

Randidly noted that the Oracle rolled her eyes and Versault sneered at Ophelia while she spoke It seemed he wasnÆt the only one they treated with disdain

Randidly jumped out of his skin when the first words that the Spearman said were directed to him Smoothly the Spearman turned around and studied him with his heavy gaze Would you be so kind as to do me a favor

Randidly nodded slowly

The SpearmanÆs smile was a spare and chilly Please head over to meet your master Shal and invite him to join us Tell him that his time with my spawn can wait until later Right now we need his strength

Randidly considered refusing but ultimately nodded Because very suddenly something emerged inside of himself that he needed to check on immediately The feeling in his chest was cloying and hot very different than the Ashen Image that he had dealt with previously And if he was going to turn inwards to examine himself Randidly didnÆt want to be anywhere near these people

Especially the Spearman His experience with creating the Wights and extracting the energy unnerved Randidly

It was also somewhat impressive to Randidly that the Spearman had with a single request dismissed Randidly for private discussions requested ShalÆs presence and shifted the focus of the room away from himself for the moment The Oracle Versault and Ophelia all glared at Randidly willing him to leave quickly Truly this man was an old hand at manipulation

So Randidly nodded and left blurring across the rooftops of Hastam Slowly the city was rebuilding itself But that would mean little if the Aether in the world soon ran out

Once he was outside of city limits Randidly paused and created for himself a small dome of roots Lightning fast he scratched out some runes on the plant matter that would block out any sort of Perception Skills that sought to follow him Then he sat down cross legged and focused his attention inward

Something was wrong with the river of Aether that came from Azriel

Randidly had noticed as he arrived in Hastam that suddenly her Aether demands jumped markedly upward but had thought nothing of it But now the Aether that she was taking from him had halved from her previous baseline And some of the meaning that was flowing back from her

It was muddy and dangerous Already some of it had slipped through into his Soulskill which caused Randidly to grimace What he did not need right now was more trouble there Liberally using System Interference Randidly set up a netÆ of sorts that would sift through the meaning that flowed toward him It wouldnÆt be able to catch everything but it certainly would clean it up quite a bit

In addition he sent threads of fire and ash flowing up through the meaning that was flowing toward Azriel She might not sense or use it but it would serve as a natural defense against these warped images of violence It was akin to them but the self destructive nature of those images would hopefully neutralize some of the worst of it and reduce the pressure on Azriel

It certainly set RandidlyÆs teeth on edge these were the sort of images that he had sensed within Silo And now Azriel was trying her best to manage them

Randidly lowered the dome of plants and then rushed toward ShalÆs position Perhaps he had been too careless about his treatment of the broader Tellus issue It wasnÆt just the whole of Tellus at stake right now Whatever was happening in Icklid it was affecting Azriel The fate of the world was probably more important

But these changes to Azriel were what pissed Randidly off

There would be no talk of allowing the First PropagatorÆs plan to allow Tellus to ascend if it came at the cost of AzrielÆs life

Within ten minutes he found Shal As soon as Randidly arrived on the farm Shal stood as if expecting him They sent you Not that it mattered I assume the Spearman included some threat about Rumera

After thinking about it Randidly nodded

Shal sighed Fine then Let us finish this farce once and for all

Wait Randidly said He had thought long and hard about this and he too was worried about the SpearmanÆs relationship with Rumera Once he had the idea for a solution all that was left was to offer it he searched for the right words There is something that I want to give Rumera just in case

ShalÆs eyes were dark and vicious as he scanned Randidly for any sort of threatening intent This gift is from you

Randidly nodded hoping that Shal didnÆt ask too many questions After all Randidly wasnÆt sure what would happen if he made an Aether connection to Rumera She might really be as the Spearman believed her to be just something that spawned from his images Less than a real person

When Randidly made the connection he would know And he didnÆt think he would be able to hide that truth from his face afterward So it was with a knot of tension in his chest that Randidly walked into the ramshackle farm in which the two were staying

For all that outside was practically a warzone the inside looked warm and cozy There were two overstuffed chairs next to a roaring fire Randidly noted with amusement that there were two of everything in the room Two scrolls two tables chairs two steaming mugs

Rumera looked up with haunted eyes when Randidly walked into the room Shal didnÆt even bother to explain he simply walked through a threshold in the back and disappeared into the backside of the house

So in stuttered sentences Randidly explained what he was doing Rumera blinked

If it works IÆll be

Free Or not reliant on the Spearman if you still are Randidly clarified Then he shook his head helplessly Without looking at you I canÆt really tell I can sense you possess your specific Aether but

Fine Do it Rumera said Just please DonÆt tell me what happens IÆll close my eyes I I feel free I want to hold onto that even if itÆs just a lie

And she did so leaving Randidly to uncomfortably walk up to her and place his hand upon her shoulder For whatever reason he closed his eyes too it just seemed appropriate With a gentle touch his Aether Perception Skill flowed through her body searching for the mooring point that he could attach a connection to

Before now he had never considered what exactly

Then Randidly grinned as he found it and made a connection I should be more careful about these from now on but for you Shal IÆll trust your taste

Afterward the Randidly and Shal immediately began running back toward Hastam Shal didnÆt even bother to ask how the process had gone keeping his eyes straight ahead

And when he finally did speak it was on another topic altogether Looking over at Randidly Shal said You have grown strong But are you ready for this fight

RandidlyÆs expression was grim Perhaps But I donÆt suppose I have any choice now Losing will mean that all of this death and sacrifice will have meant nothing

Shal grunted I do not like it Even now we know not why we fight We dance to the tune of another The duel to decide the fate of Tellus we are not the true players We are but pawns

There was nothing for Randidly to do but agree Shal clearly had the capability to ascend with his image and Randidly would like nothing better than to help that happen Especially if whatever the First Propagator was doing would endanger Azriel But without an opponent with a dominant image

Randidly paused Based on the Spearman and what he had learned from Ulaat the Patron of Ash the source of the image didnÆt really matter It just needed to be accompanied by a Level 99 individual accepting a Great Path But did both sides need a Great Path

Ulaat had faced down two images and burned them both away It wasnÆt about the duel it was about supremacy

But it made sense that neither the Spearman or the First Propagator would know that They didnÆt have the example that Randidly did And the System was looking for a powerful image not pieces that could closely follow its formula So if Randidly just

Randidly stopped dead Shal slowed and turned to look at him Randidly studied Shal before he spoke Because if this was to work what they needed was not a clever plan They needed Shal to be the most powerful individual on Tellus Shal I have an idea But for it to work we need to do a bit of preparation before we head back

Chapter 827

The Spearman looked up imperiously when Shal and the boy returned His eyes flicked between them suspicious It had taken the two almost an hour to return and as they stood before him the boy wiped a bit of frost from his leather Both were rather soaked

The Spearman then turned and looked outside Sleet came down in waves soaking and freezing Hastam It looked like the weather had finally turned on Tellus The long summer that they had enjoyed was over Could they truly have simply been slowed by the weather

The SpearmanÆs lip curled up How mundane

But for all the time they took to arrive they had come And they were tools that the Spearman wouldnÆt refuse right now Both were capable enough to be of use in what would follow

I suppose this is it then The Spearman said as he considered the dismal weather Out of respect for your Master Randidly I will allow you to accompany us Besides I suspect that the Propagator will assemble a small army of puppets to try and slow my advance You will be of some use

The boy twitched but his expression did not change Internally the Spearman chuckled You think you are worth my time boy Perhaps in one hundred years Right now you are simply fodder Accept your truth

We depart immediately The Spearman announced as he turned away from the window Oracle we will take your ship and sail back out to the sea and then South toward the Heart School There we will break through any blockade around the portal and crush the Wight resistance

This time for real Shal muttered For that display of insolence he earned himself a vicious glare from the Spearman but the Spearman was not pleased to see a brief smirk on the boyÆs face

IÆm surrounded by fools the Spearman thought with barely controlled anger They think this a game to be cracking jests while everything falls to pieces Well I will not give in I will never give in

We go The Spearman rumbled and everyone sprung into motion to see it done

As it should be

While the cruise liner sped down the river and then South Randidly returned to his Soulskill

This time Lucretia was carefully carving runes into the leather armor RandidlyÆs eyes scanned the work area around her where three leather pieces of armor already hung ready for distribution Moving into the crafting field

Lucretia smiled sadly and continued to work without pause Her hands moved fluidly across the leather as she traced out the runes Honestly Randidly was somewhat entranced by her movements For all her sad expression Lucretia was genuinely good at this

Sighing Randidly asked Is your legacy that heavy

Yes Was all the reply Randidly received Her hands continued to work Idly Randidly wondered where Lucretia had obtained the Mana Stylus

Although time was pressing the voyage to the portal into the Wight world would take some time So before he got down to the reason that he had come Randidly sat next to Lucretia and began to work with her

The work didnÆt last long when Lucretia finished her sixth armor and Randidly had already caught up were her and done so higher quality runes Lucretia raised her eyebrow I had forgotten how unfair Skills are To what heights has your Engraving Skill reached

One hundred and seventy three and honestly I havenÆt been able to focus on it in a while Randidly admitted then he rubbed his shoulders I forget sometimes how much I love doing this ItÆs hard work but itÆs so satisfying

These IÆm going to store for a while Lucretia said with a smirk as she shook her head after examining the armors he had made

Blinking Randidly tilted his head to the side as he watched Lucretia put the six armors he had made into the closet underneath a thick blanket What are you doing IÆm a little rusty but those armors should be good enough for people starting out to use

Randidly Lucretia gave Randidly a looked like he was an idiot Then she shook her head helplessly These armors give almost 50 stats altogether Focused on Agility and Reaction Most people donÆt even have that many stats across everything yet You canÆt just give these out People will go crazy for one Killing turning on each other Perhaps even more dangerous will be those who grow strong relying on those items They will die when the largess you have extended runs out

That set Randidly back on his heels He looked down his hands and he studiously examined them Knuckles tanned skin nails joints several small scars They looked like his hands But the chiding note in LucretiaÆs voice reminded him that hisÆ hands werenÆt normal

Maybe Lucretia was right In a lot of ways Randidly had lost touch with the baseline of the System He had always fought against ancient monsters and warriors from higher cohorts How much would he have given for a piece of equipment that gave him 50 Stats when he had first started out in the System

Probably a lot

Okay Now that you have officially come and broken the equipment economy why are you here Lucretia asked after she had stowed away all of her materials I appreciate you checking up on me but you have the sort of face you only have on when you have a dumb idea

While grinning Randidly explained

Which resulted in Lucretia chuckling Bold Pointlessly dangerous But hmm Yes I do believe I can travel outside of you once more on Tellus Would you like me to head out now

The First Propagator considered itself to be a true creature one that deserved a name But it did not have a name

This realization turned out to be deeply disturbing to it For it could not find a reasonable reason for the oversight up until now Everything had a name Why didnÆt it

Clicking its mandibles the First Propagator turned and looked at the pale faced and sweating Azriel as she struggled to absorb its prior images Already the toll of holding so many images within her body was beginning to show Her hair was black and frail and her eyes dulled to the color of mud She had not spoken in an hour She simply shuddered and blinked struggling in some inner battle

But the First Propagator was pleased to note she was continuing to absorb the images smoothly That was all that mattered

Not that the First Propagator didnÆt care that Azriel was in pain She was after all its first creation that relied mostly on external influences It had only guided her at critical moments moving her toward her current self It was a study in restraint and the First Propagator was very pleased with the outcome

But above all results were the most important AzrielÆs life was valuable but not as much as escaping the purgatory the Spearman had doomed them to It was time for Tellus to ascend

Satisfied that Azriel was proceeding as planned the First Propagator continued to ponder the mystery of a name as it walked out into the great hall where it had assembled part of its forces Before having Azriel absorb the image the First Propagator had used the image to animate some of the Wights that were laying around in the surrounding area

Waiting there were a dozen Witch Kings as well as Aegiant and Aethon

They are coming of that I have no doubt Aegiant said as he folded his arms He eyed the Wights standing around with suspicion and pushed one to the ground Satisfied as it simply stood itself back up and resumed its harmless at attention stance Aegiant turned to the First Propagator Will these forces be able to hold their own against the spear users of Tellus We are the most powerful group in the universe

They will buy time The First Propagator said mildly He did not trust Aegiant but it was undeniable that the man was powerful Aside from itself the Propagator believed that Aegiant was the most powerful of those who fought for its side All we need is time and Azriel will ascend Then Tellus will be able to prove itself worry of notice to the universe

Aegiant grunted and then continued to mess with the Witch Kings

Slowly Aethon gave Aegiant a sidelong glance and spoke Are you sure they will come IsnÆt their goal to have Tellus ascend as well If we need not fight I would prefer to stay back

Bah so modest Aegiant grin was all shark teeth and hunger Even if you are recently risen to the rank of Master you have talent Do not worry about death

I donÆt worry about death Aethon said harshly I worry over pointlessly spilled blood We have had enough of that to date

The First Propagator nodded sagely They will come The Spearman has been twisted by his own selfish desire He will not stop until he can control this entire world

So we fight Aegiant agreed Aethon looked at the ground

The First Propagator signaled the Wights waiting outside the door with clicks of its mandibles In neat rows hundreds of Witch Kings stamped their feet awaiting their orders So we fight

Chapter 828

Randidly released a low whistle After this is all over we should spend more time in the Heart School I can see why you transferred over here The water is crystal clear holy hell is that a coral reef

With a wan smile Shal shook his head and gestured at the expanse of sparkling sand and shockingly azure waters This This is what is shown to outsiders If you do not die on this adventure I will take you to the inner sanctum They have hot springs that make you truly feel alive again Years melt off of the body like wax when exposed to those waters Underneath their capital there is a crystal cavern

Stop acting like children Ophelia hissed her gaze fixed on the SpearmanÆs back before them for any sign that he had noticed their discussion The three of them brought up the rear of the train as they disembarked the Oracle’s boat with the Oracle and Versault flanking the Spearman We are here to decide the fate of the world Do not treat this like a vacation

Says the woman who is acting like a little girl trying to impress a man double her age with how grown upÆ she is Randidly thought with amusement But he simply shared a glance with Shal as the group hurried forward Now was not an opportune time to point out Ophelia’s flaws

The Heart School was a tropical paradise All beaches and hot springs and mountain vistas and active volcanoes Which of course was the site of the portal into the Wight realm Because that was the most convenient place to put a portal Right above lava

Randidly suspected that at this point he could survive a fall in the lava But he was not the norm Shal had informed him that there was a plaza on top of it but Randidly suspected that at some point the lava would be making an experience That was just his luck

There it is The Spearman announced as the walked up the beach and to the hill With the vantage point they now had the entire island was laid out in front of them Through there lays Icklid

Balamon Ophelia said after she was sure the Spearman was finished For a split second real disappointment could be seen on her face The White City

And quite white it was Randidly reflected The entire thing seemed to be constructed out of alabaster The buildings were squat and salty but were constructed with enough space between them that the whole place took on an immaculate feel At least from this distance the city looked clean and pristine

And empty of course The Wights slaughtered most of the people on this island when they exploded out almost a year ago It was in the ‘heart’ of the Heart School that the bleeding had started Randidly suspected that was why the wound had turned so grievous

Since the Spearman walked forward with no apparent concern of an ambush the rest followed blithely The city gates were open they werenÆt much of an obstacle anyway Rather than a wall they were a chest high rectangle of the same alabaster that comprised the whole town

It was only after the group entered into the city that it hit Randidly It wasnÆt a defensive fortification Randidly realized with a start it was a line For a giant rune

There was a strange energy in the air that was palpable to even Shal the moment they walked into the city proper Randidly’s master stood stock still when he walked into the area of effect and sniffed the air like a hare searching for a predator Randidly had no doubt that if he had a birdÆs eye view he would be able to see the entire shape of a strange rune which was the very purpose of the city

Was the portal here first or the city Randidly wondered as they passed squat dwellings on their way to the central plaza After examining the feel of the air with a fine toothed comb Randidly assumed the portal had come first perhaps when the Second Calamity originally arrived the runic engraving seemed to have the effect of causing all Skills and images in the city to form more easily

Why had they done it that way One obvious effect was to make this city the perfect place for one to ascend but if this was the gateway first it would give whoever held it a natural foothold And if this was meant to be a fortress there would be more defensive fortifications

Well Randidly supposed that wasnÆt true This was Tellus Defense was not something that they spent much time thinking about

But the very specific layout still struck him as odd

Boy Shal Clear me a path The Spearman announced as they turned the corner into the central plaza of the city Again in alabaster there was a wide and low square filled with four fountains and at their center the portal Lava dripped slowly from the fountains which were covered in runes Which Randidly suspected was the only way for the lava below to somehow spew upward and then drop back down with drying and turning the four fountains into four mounds

The portal itself was smaller than Randidly imagined only about three meters high and two wide Barely enough for two people to cross at the same time The fact that the Wights had brought an army through such a small portal was a testament to their relentless clockwork nature

In front of the portal were thirteen Witch Kings and one person

Aiden Darke gritted his teeth and glared at the Spearman How could you do this to us Dooming our entire world to this terrible stasis in order to satisfy your sick ends For that I will

The Spearman ignored him and turned to face Randidly with a mild expression on his face IÆm waiting

Shal looked at Randidly in askance Randidly scanned the Witch Kings and noticed one who appeared to be less stick like below their strange body covering Randidly nodded imperceptibly and stepped forward

As the Witch Kings began to howl a wave of vines and roots ripped out of the ground and smashed the group in twain With a path open the Spearman Ophelia the Oracle and Versault didnÆt hesitate they charged forward right through the portal

Immediately Randidly heard a loud collision as they met resistance on the other side of the portal but he focused his attention on the problem at hand the gathering of Witch Kings at hand that turned to pursue those that already broke through

With a Phantom Half Step Randidly was among them Acri gleefully sang as it ripped back and forth against the bodies of Witch Kings They seemed surprised that he moved quickly enough to get at them and spun around in hissing surprise

Spectral Claws condensed lightning fast even as Randidly noticed that Aiden Darke was staring at Randidly in shock Maybe he was insulted that he was so completely ignored

But now that Randidly had grown stronger than their prior meetings Darke really was an afterthought

Randidly ducked under one Spectral Claw and then used Absolute Timing to weave between the two more Spectral Claws that cut at him left and right Then he leapt upward to avoid being mobbed by Psychic Venom His mouth crept upward as the manic glee of battle infected him Out of the corner of his eye he saw the larger Witch King surround herself with lavender lightning and smash Shal to the side with brute force

That earned a chuckle from Randidly Shal really hadnÆt been expecting how strong that blow would be But LucretiaÆs form in this world was a little strange It seemed she kept her old Stats and Skills from Tellus on the one hand while also being provided with the budding Stats and Skills from RandidlyÆs world It had only been about a week but you gain Skills pretty quickly in the beginning especially when you are already talented in an area

Even if she only had 15 20 Skill Levels in the relevant Skills those small bonuses would mean a lot when the Skill Level was near two hundred Which meant only one thing LucretiaÆs combined strength stopped her son dead

But that wasnÆt his fight Randidly focused back on the Witch Kings around him Emerald fire exploded out from his body as he spun Acri expertly When a Shadow Departs Fireflies Dance got him out of another cage of Psychic Venom and put him behind two Witch Kings

They immediately twisted and lashed out but only used their physical bodies to do so Randidly forcibly smashed away the firstÆs blow and allowed the secondÆs to scratch harmlessly against Sulfur Sulfur hummed with pleasure even as Randidly used that moment to use the Inevitable Phantom Arrives

Like a ragdoll the Witch King Randidly struck tumbled backward Stepping back to avoid another Spectral Claw RandidlyÆs spear swept sideways and knocked a Witch King into the way of its companions Then he activated Verdant Nova used When a Shadow Departs Fireflies Dance to move back among the Witch Kings and then let Verdant Nova explode after its small warm up

It wasnÆt enough force or heat to destroy any of the Witch Kings but it did stumble several and fill the air with more fire and ash RandidlyÆs eyes burned emerald as he summoned three Reach of the Jade Slag to grab and crush three Witch Kings Then he used Spear Advances Ash Trails to rip through a wall of Psychic Venom and impale another Witch King

Randidly winced as the vicious psychological wariness from the venom struck him but ignored it With a shake of Acri the Witch King he had skewered collapsed Slowly Randidly turned to face Aiden Darke and the remaining seven Witch Kings

Aiden seemed stupified What are you

Chapter 829

The SpearmanÆs eyes narrowed to slits to look at the razor sharp point of the scorpion tail that was only a few scant finger widths from his eye This is why I needed to kill this thing Ethe Because it uses your weapon The perfect needle And that I cannot forgive

The First Propagator twisted its tail dislodging the SpearmanÆs vice grip and retreating a bit away to make room for the group to be well and surrounded The other side of the portal led to a high dias in Icklid There waiting for the Spearman was the First Propagator Aegiant Wyrd and Aethon Thai

And another army of Witch Kings in bristling ranks

Pressing his lips into a line the Spearman scanned them There werenÆt any that appeared to have any strength beyond the Witch King level it appeared it hadnÆt had enough time to make more Propagators But the Witch Kings would still gum up the other fights going on And the Spearman

had to twist out of the way as the tail struck again fast as lightning Even to the Spearman that attack was dangerous Seeing his awkward dodge the First Propagator chuckled Truly youÆve given up your images This will be too easy Die Auto Rach Rest knowing this world will finally prosper without you

Roaring the Spearman rushed forward Aegiant and Aethon let him pass without comment Their eyes were on the three assistants he had brought with him

Inwardly the Spearman sneered Fools Did they think they could triumph two versus three against Versault and the Oracle They would soon be shredded to pieces Those two had been with him since the beginning They couldn’t hold their own against these imitators

As if hearing some unspoken signal the Witch Kings began to rush toward The Spearman reached out casually and smashed a few Witch Kings that drew too near but they were an endless tide Even with the Skills of Versault this would be difficult to deal with easily

The First Propagator leapt up onto a pillar and scuttled toward the ceiling Narrowing his eyes the Spearman decided to try and ignore it and dash through the entranceway to the lower part of the tower where he could feel his images were morphing Reaching that process and stopping it was his goal If this glorified bug would give him an opening he would gladly take it

But the First Propagator dropped like a stone right when the Spearman rushed forward its tail flicking outward in rapid thrusts that forced the Spearman to stop The Spearman’s eyes burned as he glared at the monster in front of him Truly without relying on images this would be difficult Even he would have a hard time surviving a sting from this monster

Instead what he would need to do was find a way to take the tail out of the equation

The Spearman advanced even as he heard battle being joined behind him His eyes remained on the tail but this time the First Propagator swiped at him with its hammer like claws Growling the Spearman smacked those blows aside and then had to lean to the side to avoid a stab from the tail

I will crack you open and drink your blood this time monster The Spearman hissed

The First Propagator seemed to shrug Can you even beat me without betrayal and without your images I think not Besides I have decided to have a name now I will need it now that my images have helped Tellus ascend I will be Adethe in honor of those who birthed me

For a second the name hung in the air as the Spearman tried to place it Then the SpearmanÆs vision went red He smashed his foot against the ground and rushed the damned monster as fast as he could His steps were smooth as he weaved through the blurring thrusts of the tail to close the distance You are without images as well And you were always the one to rely on them as a crutch For daring to even use a portion of her name I will end you

Their bodies smashed together both struggling for supremacy with lightning quick blows that shook the entire tower with their force Several times Witch Kings cautiously approached only to be smashed away by an accidental blow or a shockwave

The order of magnitude of these two was on another level entirely

Shal reestablished his balance and lowered his spear until the point was directed at the chest of his mother

He knew it was her he knew it immediately The energy was a dead giveaway but the way she fought was what truly put it beyond any doubt Sneaking a glance at Randidly Shal had dubiously regarded Lucretia Randidly had told Shal that he would provide an opponent that Shal was simply to duel with for a while without winning to buy time for Randidly to free himself up Once they both were free the plan would continue

Shal had begun with doubts that Lucretia would be able to slow him down now that he had matured Then she smashed him in the chest slamming him into one of the nearby fountains Hot rock and specks of lava burned small holes in his shirt as he struggled to right himself

Irritation bloomed in his heart but Shal said nothing Instead the Wraith Viper awoke and regarded Lucretia with a deadly focus Fine then let us fight mother Let me show you how much I’ve grown

Why are you here Lucretia asked even as she wove together a series of slashes and feints that had Shal backpedaling

Gritting his teeth Shal ignored her question The few times their spears had crossed it was clear that he was stronger And his spearwork was more sophisticated Yet somehow Lucretia seemed to see through his every feint and strike at the core of his position She broke his center of balance over and over again sniffing it out better than a bloodhound When he moved she had already prepared a perfect counter for his every strike

It was like she could read his mind

Shal hopped backward and his spear lashed out wildly left and right If she could predict him then he would just remove the careful control Slowly Shal forced her backward with raw force It wasnÆt pretty but Shal gritted his teeth and forced the issue This wasnÆt going to be a battle that he would lose For all that it was mostly for show

At least it was supposed to be for show But her spear continued to mince left and right with deadly precision

After forcing Lucretia up against one of the low alabaster walls of the plaza Shal chanced a Vicious Viper Bite aimed at her shoulder Reading it a mile away Lucretia spun past the blow slipped around him and inflicted a shallow gash into ShalÆs shoulder

Then she danced away eyes still fixed on his face Why are you fighting now This is not your battle Shal

It is Shal growled It is the battle for Tellus It is a battle to vindicate Rumera

If you would not fight the Spearman would likely lose It is too late for him and his models and predictions Already the images are merging into something worthy of Ascension below Lucretia whispered as she avoided his attacks The more she spoke the more fluid her movements became Also IÆm somewhat annoyed you have this girl and you havenÆt bothered to introduce me

Shal flicked a gaze sideways Randidly was mopping the floor with his Witch Kings some distance away so it was likely safe to talk without fear of being overheard You havenÆt bothered to be around Mother And even if things would have turned out fine here without me I had to fight I was chosen to represent TellusÆ image I take that responsibility very seriously

You were chosen by a despot Lucretia pointed out Then she started using the Spear Phantom Style to borrow the momentum from his strikes and lash out at him

Incensed Shal increased the speed of his attacks But she simply sped up to compensate Then he abruptly shifted to a more sinuous controlling style of spear play which did stumble her for a brief amount of time The rapid shift in style was too much to cope with and soon Shal had Lucretia on her back foot

With three hammering blows he had her dazed and retreating But she continued to circle and deflect She continued to buy time

ShalÆs eyes narrowed as very quickly Lucretia was stabilizing and predicting his new moves as well Was this a Skill It was incredibly overpowered if it was So Shal switched up again this time moving toward aggressiveness to capitalize on LucretiaÆs relative lack of Agility and Reaction

The move forced Lucretia to rapidly backpedal away spear deflecting his strikes

Slowly ShalÆs momentum grew as he switched to something closer to RandidlyÆs style making use of the terrain and his own mobility Even so Even so this is my spear I hold it because I have strength and therefore I have a duty to the people of Tellus It is that simple Because I have the ability I have the responsibility to use it And there is not point in being an individual with ability if I am not the bearer of my people’s responsibility

“It might be dumb It might be foolish It might be a concept that gets me killed However that is the soul of my spear And I will follow that until the end of my life

To his surprise ShalÆs blow slipped past LucretiaÆs guard and into her chest She blinked rapidly then with painful tenderness smiled All of this for responsibility Good Do not forget why you fight Shal If what is going to come next is as difficult as I expect you will need it

In the next moment she was gone leaving a regular Witch King dying on ShalÆs spear With a deliberate flick he threw the body onto the ground then walked slowly over toward the area where Randidly was finishing up the Witch Kings

Of course then Shal blinked as more Witch Kings began to emerge from the portal with their keening song

Sighing Shal got to work

Chapter 830

OpheliaÆs face was tight as she exploded with the rumbling momentum of a landslide to smash away about thirty Witch Kings that had been rushing toward her Most of them would survive the blow but their legs or arms were broken like dry twigs by the force They would limp around and hamper the mobility of the remainder

Which gave Ophelia a split second to interpose herself between Aethon Thai and The Oracle Grunting Ophelia barely managed to block Aethon’s sharp blow Afterward Aethon smashed her to the side with a deft blow and once more lined up an attack But by that point the Oracle was ready and smashed him backward with a blast of an image of the seaÆs tide

Which gave the Oracle time to hurry to help Versault

Because the most powerful spear user on the field was Aegiant Wyrd

You fools You have let your images dull over the years Do you fear the calcified violence in the spirit of Tellus Aegiant was laughing wildly as he smashed Versault into the ground The older man trembled and attempted to rise but he was simply smashed down once more Over them all a vast and endless sun roiled with heat and power Solar flares burned brightly and brightly in an endless parade Just absorb it Make it a part of you Usurp control of it And seize the power for yourself

Groaning Ophelia smashed away more Witch Kings as the Oracle and Versault managed to combine forces and score a shallow hit on Aegiant For a moment the heat and light in the chamber dimmed

But in the process Ophelia had to struggle to smash Aethon again which opened her up to a blast of Psychic Venom that splattered across her back There was a dull buzzing in her temples at this point this was probably the third blast she had taken But she had no choice

Roaring Ophelia collapsed a mountain on Aethon

To her surprise the man dispersed most of the force by spinning in a circle The image of a metallic shrike screaming filled her vision Then Aethon leapt upwards into the air and dived down toward Ophelia just as quick

There were Witch Kings behind her rushing toward her back

AethonÆs gleaming spear seemed to transform into a metal beak heading for her chest

OpheliaÆs eyes drifted sideways toward the Spearman He was the pillar that they all relied upon for support Even now he was grappling with the First Propagator He was the strongest man Ophelia knew but he seemed so small next to the giant amethyst scorpion

Blinking back tears Ophelia focused on the foes in front of her The Spearman had taught her every spear move she knew She was her Master And her first and only love

Fuck you all Ophelia whispered A rampart of stone formed in the air around her as she took a defensive stance She felt her willpower ebbing after conjuring so many vivid images but she couldn’t afford to falter here So she threw everything into this defense Aethon seemed to notice but didnÆt slow at all

The two clashed with a wave of force that thankfully knocked the Witch Kings approaching her from behind backward The stone mountain of her defense shuddered but held The metallic shrike dazedly shrieked again and moved away to open up space

Ophelia met eyes with the Oracle they both nodded

Both women rushed toward the stumbling Aethon Aegiant noticed but was largely held at bay by Versault You believe wind can stop the sun Foolish

There was a dull rumbling as the howling wind smashed against the unending light of dawn The ground quaked but Ophelia ignored it What they needed was to eliminate this one threat and then they could focus

The shout stopped her dead it was the Spearman

Twisting around Ophelia saw that the scorpion tail had pierced the SpearmanÆs shoulder He had immediately gripped the tail and snapped it off but that look of pain on his face

Ophelia it was on purpose the Oracle shouted You need to focus

Ophelia ignored her Her heart was pounding harder than it had ever had in the past Her fingers were tingling with the fresh flow of blood Adrenaline turned her bloodstream into a racetrack No nonononononononononononono

Ophelia was there by his side faster than even she could believe Images seemed so easy at the moment Everything came to her in grainy flashes of color The First Propagator didnÆt see her or didnÆt respond to her presence It kept its eyes fixed on the Spearman The Spearman saw her though and his eyes widened

Ophelia

She was a single stone Which was rolling down a mountain Which was all a stone needed to do to cause a disaster Because momentum

is borrowed from the world Ophelia whispered You taught me that

Her spear pierced through the base of the tail with force to spare and then continued through the body of the First Propagator in the lower midsection and then finally pinned its entire body to the floor as she finished the blow

For the first time the First Propagator shrilly screamed in genuine pain Its tail twisted and smashed backward and then

Aegiant frowned It was strange how much the sound of OpheliaÆs neck breaking echoed through the hall Especially when there were almost a hundred people five of them being the most powerful spear users in Tellus with images wildly clashing

Her body spun slowly through the air seeming to float lightly as it tumbled end over end and off behind a pillar Shaking his head slightly Aegiant turned back to the battle at hand He pulsed with the endless power of the sun and Versault was forced to retreat before him

Aegiant grinned So it is always supposed to be

Over at the front the First Propagator was struggling with the Spearman Without its tail and pinned to the ground it was a losing battle Even as it smashed at the Spearman with its claws the Spearman gripped both hands together and raised them above his head preparing to bring them down in a devastating hammer blow

Aegiant snorted and turned away Everyone has our own battle You are on your own monster

The battle in front of him quickly went South for the opposition without Ophelia Now without the distraction of Ophelia’s powerful strikes Aethon began to drive the Oracle backward There was no doubt the Oracle was powerful but most of her strength came from control and denial After all she utilized the might of an ocean as the basis for her images Of all of those present Aethon had the smallest and densest image For him it was childÆs play to resist the ocean currents with his heavy and sharp body

He cut through the water like he was born to it

Which left Versault alone before Aegiant

Grinning Aegiant began to slowly walk forward simply turning up the power of his image The sun stretched and stretched bringing its vicious heat and weight over everything in the area Witch Kings that wandered too near were crushed into screaming piles of mush

Yet Versault endured his lined faced pinched into a look of hatred You fool If you draw too deeply

This is a world of achievement Aegiant said with a sad shake of the head He could already feel the rising urge toward violence in his body but he didnÆt mind He had been biding his time for almost 200 years A the urging of the Spearman he had taken his family to a land of wilderness and sought to create a unique image And for what So his son could be broken by the machinations of others What else is there but victory There is no cost too high to pay for victory

Yours is no longer the world if this succeeds Versault hissed Already he was sweating his image slowly failing before the majesty of the sun Tellus

Yes yes Aegiant waved a hand I donÆt care for how considered this world has gotten Always caring what image is from where and why Dull But that changes after the Ascension Then all that will matter is power

Aegiant spread his arms wide and grinned down at the struggling man And who is more powerful than me

On cue Versault exploded into motion as Aegiant suspected he might The wind rose in a humming viciousness that cut up through the waves of sunlight Aegiant produced But Aegiant stood still and waited As the blade forced its way upward through the waves of heat it slowly weakened until it was nothing but the head of the spear

But AegiantÆs expression was vicious as that spear actually pierced into his shoulder The attack had possessed a dogged determination that endured his vicious bombardment of heat and weight Blood dripped down the blade and onto the floor evaporating into a dried circle almost immediately

Versault cackled in glee

That was a mistake Aegiant said mildly Then he burnt the man to a crisp Chuckling Aegiant turned and considered his next order of business

Chapter 831

Aiden Darke stumbled backward about three dozen dead Witch King bodies around him in a grim circle Near the portal Shal was a whirlwind of spear strokes that was ripping apart the slowing river of Witch Kings that walked through the portal to assist with their defense Their assistance wasn’t much use at this point

Despite DarkeÆs shocked expression Randidly still felt a trickle of fear in his heart The first reason was that it could not be a good sign that so many of the Witch Kings were flowing through the portal Randidly couldnÆt believe that they had enough Witch Kings to divert a lot of them from the fight against the Spearman and his forces His working had spread to this connected world All of the Witch Kings they had were created in the last twenty four hours

Was the First Propagator more powerful than Randidly had guessed

That would complicate things

The second reason that Randidly felt a sharp rush of fear is that his river of Aether flowing toward Azriel was beginning to dry up she wasnÆt absorbing anymore Gritting his teeth Randidly did his best to isolate all of the meaning he still received from her and make it into its own self contained marble that he could provide to her after this was all over But that still didn’t explain why she no longer was drawing meaning from him

With the images that Randidly gathered she could hopefully recover from the wounds that this process inflicted upon her

If she could still recover If she wasnÆt broken by this flood of images

He and Shal needed to move This was taking too long

Shal looked up to his bloody work of mopping up the remaining Witch Kings and considered Randidly You waste time why Do you need assistance

Randidly flashed a vicious grin he hadnÆt explained the details of his plan to Shal Or not at least the heavy lifting that Randidly needed to do But that was for the better Some things worried Randidly this was one of them Even if they needed to hurry it was useless if Randidly wasn’t prepared No Go on ahead IÆll finish up here and then continue forward to meet you

Nodding Shal struck sideways and smashed a Witch King sideways and then proceeded through the portal Randidly thought it comforting that there wasnÆt an immediate explosion of battle noises as soon as Shal went through the portal Hopefully the flood of Witch Kings onto Tellus wasnÆt such a bad sign then

Carefully Randidly turned to Aiden Darke

So kill me The man said bitterly His eyes were red and his hands trembling IÆve certainly had to finish such tasks enough in my line of work I do not fear it I worked with death for years

Is there a point to posturing so Randidly wondered He raised Acri but hesitated for several long seconds considering letting the man off

But then Randidly remembered the fleeing Style he had met with Shal They had been cold and chased away haunted by the pursuit of men just like this In fact if not for RandidlyÆs chance encounter with them he would never have been able to become as competent as he was at Mana Engraving And Randidly knew he still had more to learn

Long ago he had promised to come help when he could

If you are still out there this is my long awaited help Randidly thought as he slid his spear into Aiden DarkeÆs heart There were tears on the manÆs face and it looked like he pissed himself as the attack was coming Sighing Randidly let the body fall to the ground and walked a few steps away

Before he could proceed after Shal he needed to

Randidly froze and looked slowly up Out of the portal another figure came Tall and burning with the endless heat of the sun

Aegiant Wyrd smiled at Randidly Ah I thought you might come And you lived through the Witch King attacks wonderful I had hoped I would be able to do this personally

This was not on the short list of things that Randidly wanted to deal with But it made sense he had been warned about Aegiant Wyrd’s grudge Why hadn’t Randidly thought of his name when he heard the Northern expedition sided with the First Propagator

For several seconds his mental wheels simply spun while he tried to make sense of what he was seeing Why was Aegiant here and uncontested Even if Aegiant was strong it should have been three versus two correct Had Randidly grossly underestimated the power of the First Propagator faction Shal hadnÆt fought so most of the hostilities should have already ceased

Either way Randidly was faced with AegiantÆs grinning face

Cracking his knuckles Aegiant continued to walk forward So do you wish for me to explain your transgressions or have you been able to piece together the details

RandidlyÆs mouth pressed into a line Instantly he reached inside himself and gathered as much Aether as he could manage If he wanted this to go smoothly he would need to finish it quickly A surprise attack was his best bet

Besides could Randidly stand up to Aegiant in a direct confrontation

The quiet sort I respect that about you Aegiant said still speaking in a faux conversation style that sent chills down RandidlyÆs spine despite the heat My grandson was like that too you know Drak You remember Drak He was supposed to be a hero The hero For two hundred years I put up with that damnable Spearman I left everything I had completely abandoning my previous Skills and images I started from NOTHING

And I fucking did it I created a series of images that didnÆt have anything to do with a spear It was all about the all powerful sun in the sky I even inspired the wave of changes in the Spearman School that saw it rise to prominence among the Schools Aegiant pointed his spear at Randidly And you you walk in my sonÆs path and everything just turns to shit

There was an ugly expression on AegiantÆs face so Randidly spoke quickly as he gathered Aether to himself and stockpiled Mana On a sudden gut feeling Randidly tried a brutally honest tact to buy time We both know it wasnÆt my fault Your son was weak otherwise he would never have been forced into that situation He made a deal with a witch and

INSOLENCE

The ground rumbled in fear at the wave of rage that Aegiant released The stone near him hissed as the moisture in the air was rapidly baked away leaving it dry and hot and greedy The nearby lava from the fountains seemed to burn even redder With similarly crimson eyes Aegiant regarded Randidly He was of my blood He was not perfect but he was mine I understand that you are just a tiny figure in a world so broad you cannot imagine it You were a talented youth that was in the wrong place at the wrong time Even I cannot deny that you possess an astounding talent But you broke my kin For that I will break you

Looks like that didnÆt work out quite as intended Randidly reflected as he considered the figure before him RandidlyÆs hands were tingling He had briefly crossed blows with Versault but the fact that Aegiant was the one who had come out of the portal

And Versault hadnÆt been serious Aegiant was serious And he was coming for his pound of flesh

Aegiant and Randidly blurred into motion at the same moment AegiantÆs spear was a fiery cascade of sunlight and vicious cosmic flares The force of the light and heat melted the alabaster in the surrounding area after a second of exposure The fountains twisted and toppled like sad wax figures Spluttering the lava dribbled down the sad of the destroyed fountains

Randidly blinked All was Ash And since it was all ash why did temperature matter

It was a vicious wave of power that washed harmlessly through Randidly Just as quickly Randidly deactivated the Skill to conserve Mana and continued to rush toward Aegiant

Aegiant showed his teeth Impossible Truly you are a delight Fine then letÆs see how your spear work has improved

With the weight of a burning sun behind it Aegiant thrust his spear forward toward RandidlyÆs chest Cursing how quickly Aegiant responded Randidly brought his spear up to meet it As the Sun Stills LetÆs see if I canÆt suck the wind out of your sails just like I did to your grandson

It was blinding the sun that Aegiant conjured Its heat scorched the skin until large scrolls of it curled up off of your arm like dried papyrus Although it seemed incredibly small the more you looked at it the more you were blind to everything else and aware of the minutiae of its existence In terms of images it was rock solid

But all things turn to ash Randidly thought coldly as his spear slid forward As the sun advanced on in age its weight grew too great for it No longer could the combustion reactions continue with such vigor And as that energy died it dimmed further and further Very soon the weight of continuing on was too much to bear

The spears met silently like two lovers slipping into one anotherÆs embrace Then the muscles in RandidlyÆs right arm were torn to shreds by the reverberations coming up through Acri Even Acri whined in pain a thin fracture appearing in its body As the Sun Stills shuddered painfully sending jagged mental knives through RandidlyÆs focus

Onward AegiantÆs blow continued aiming to snuff Randidly out And Randidly felt completely spent at that moment There was a dull fuzziness to everything in the wake of the combat The mental feedback left him in some sort of localized shock Some part of Randidly knew that he needed to act to get out of the way of this but that part of Randidly seemed so very far from the controls of his body

So Randidly watched as the spear slid forward

and incinerated his left arm the earlier contest having been just enough to deflect a death blow

As Randidly stumbled backward it took him several seconds to regain a coherent and efficient train of thought And as soon as that happened he began to sweat Then the phantom of his left arm began to burn like hell

Of all the fool things to do challenging Aegiant to a direct contest

And because of it he had almost died And left everyone who was relying on him without any support

Chapter 832

It wasnÆt about the pain Randidly realized as he hopped back to avoid a rippling wave of heat that Aegiant released as a quick follow up attack What really pierced through his ability to shrug off and into RandidlyÆs core was how lightly he was treating this whole experience on Tellus

Aether constructs surrounded his body trying to make sense of how to reconstruct his arm

Yes this wasnÆt Earth But that shouldnÆt have been any sort of reason to let down his guard These fighters were much stronger than anything Randidly was likely to face on Earth As such he should have been so much more cautious than he had been Likely his time in the under Level 25 Tournament dulled his sense of danger

Randidly landed his arm throbbing with a tragic ache Aether flowed through him in icy hot wisps spiraling around the wound as it began to feed the regrowth of the arm It seemed that the System had a strange layer of Aether that covered every inch of the body Once there was a defect as there was now those pieces of Aether that were still attached to the prior flesh were drawn back to Randidly probably to form a template

Of course his arm had just been annihilated So the Aether that had formed him was drifting about in broken wisps to settle on the surrounding ground If he had a single second to focus and draw those Aether constructs back to himself

Which Randidly reflected was extremely unlikely He spared a single glance to look down at the cauterized wound with a grimace

Obviously he couldnÆt afford to spare too much time to examine the process as long as Aegiant pursued him he would need to rely on the SystemÆs natural healing process For all that it might take far too long

And now you die boy Aegiant roared as he rushed forward with a raised spear

As he often did in those long empty stretches between two high stress moments Randidly closed his eyes Inside himself he could clearly feel the raging flow of Aether and meaning that connected him to Alana In truth he had relied on and supported that very connection most of them all Alana didnÆt retreat She didnÆt allow nonsense She identified her foes and took them down

But to be fair sometimes you faced foes that were beyond you in strength At that time you couldnÆt stubbornly continue to try the same methods After a moment of hesitation Randidly reached out and touched that river of meaning

There was a moment where Randidly was literally jolted by the sudden intimacy to Alana at this very moment she was struggling with a similar decision On Earth

Across worlds and situations they both looked down at a losing hand and considered their next move In the brief moment of insight Randidly couldnÆt sense much of the detail of what was happening But he could sense how worried Alana was

There is no shame in being the weaker party Randidly thought as their two minds touched He felt her attention fasten on his own There is only foolishness if you continue to insist you are not

There was a brief flash of confusion from Alana and then a wall of resolve that instantly firmed in her chest she had made her decision

Just as quickly as it had happened the connection was broken and RandidlyÆs eyes flashed open Aegiant howled with glee riding on the heat of a burning star Randidly breathed in slowly

He held that breath with burning emerald eyes

Breath of the Spear Phantom

As the attack crashed down Randidly activated Wild PhantomÆs Embrace and allowed the domineering blow to throw him across the plaza Unfortunately the momentum was so much that Randidly couldnÆt control it he crashed into a lava fountain The molten rock exploded out in a wave Most of it landed on Sulfur but some hit RandidlyÆs exposed skin Especially his bare feet

It burned like a fucking bitch Wincing Randidly straightened It certainly hurt but not as much as the throbbing of his missing limb

Randidly gritted his teeth as his lungs were battered by Aegiant struggling to breathe To RandidlyÆs surprise Aegiant stopped dead when he failed glaring at the ground in confusion across the plaza Underneath AegiantÆs feet the ground warped and began to melt under the barrage of heat Then as if suddenly remembering who Randidly had learned to use the spear from AegiantÆs eyes cut upward to RandidlyÆs

Aegiant opened his mouth to speak but Randidly simply endured the internal struggle

Which left Aegiant simply staring at Randidly his image flagging as his confusion prevented him from focusing on it

Shocking isnÆt it Randidly thought grimly I cannot compete with you in terms of Skill Levels or how refined my image is but IÆm damn close to closing the stats gap arenÆt I

This was how you broke a stronger enemy You isolated them endured them outlasted them You struck how they least expected it

Emerald flame began to dance up and down RandidlyÆs body Soon he became an incarnation of flame that produced enough heat that the spurting lava around him continued to be liquid Aegiant gnashed his teeth in rage and broke the ground underneath him with a pulse of power

Almost beyond RandidlyÆs notice there was a slight gravitational pull emerging from Aegiant His sun image even had its own gravitational field huh

Out of the molten ground behind Randidly he summoned a large humming world core Influence of the Molten Core quickly counterbalanced the gravitational pull It was small but if Randidly lost track of it mid fight that pull would come back to bite him

Summon Lava Golem Randidly thought and a dozen figures climbed out of the lava around him Very soon they ignited and were covered in emerald flames The figures circled around Randidly attempting to confuse AegiantÆs sight but it didnÆt seem to fool him AegiantÆs eyes remained fixed on Randidly

Randidly grinned Fine then

All of the figures around Randidly exploded into motion They dashed toward a glowering Aegiant even as Randidly felt another hammering blow against the hold he had over AegiantÆs lungs

Although the lava golems werenÆt particularly fast when Randidly fueled them directly with his energy they could move more quickly than seemed possible Bits of molten metal dispersed as they sprinted toward Aegiant He opened his mouth in a silent howl and beams of light shot outward to pierce through the chests of the lava golems

About half of them dodged even as Randidly folded his arms and watched from afar If Aegiant was content fighting against the avatars then there was no point in heading over to enter the fray himself Too much risk Besides

It gave him a moment to reach out and feel the Aether constructs that constituted his arms Even now they were continuing to disperse Randidly could sense how the process was slowing there was a draw that would eventually pull them back to his arm And until he had the template for his body back he would just stockpile Aether with nowhere to

RandidlyÆs attention snapped back to the battle The other half of the lava golems rushed forward with wild gesticulations and lashed out at Aegiant They werenÆt even very near to them but Randidly had stored some of his Ignition of the Emerald Essence in them Some raised their stubby arms and shot off Ignition Bolts Others began to glow as they charged up Verdant Nova

But none of it mattered There was a dull rumbled as Aegiant simply raised and lowered his arms in silent exaltation and the ground beneath him shattered The lava golems were crushed like bugs And then he exploded into motion

Right toward Randidly

Grim faced Randidly endured another attack on Breath of the Spear Phantom and activated the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom This was exactly what Randidly was worried about The height of AegiantÆs strength wasnÆt something that he could afford to underestimate

Instantly the blurred figured of Aegiant sharpened into crystal clear relief His expression was filled with barely controlled violence and fury and Randidly felt a small sliver of fear as that figure shot directly toward him

There is no shame in being the weaker party There is only foolishness if you continue to insist you are not

As Aegiant smashed into the area in front of Randidly he was met with a veritable sea of Reach of the Jade Slags The dark claws of jade twisted upward and slashed at his body one after the other Heat exploded out to meet them and they warped and sagged until they werenÆt even an attack any longer

Randidly was moving backward in the aftermath but Aegiant shot a sunbeam at him with unerring accuracy and swiftness Light made the distance almost irrelevant Such was the speed of the beam that Randidly could only turn slightly so that the blow wasnÆt a direct hit

Still RandidlyÆs ribs cracked painfully as the beam struck him Immediately afterward Aegiant tried to break the Breath of the Spear Phantom but Randidly was ready for it and fired off several Ignition Bolts to blind and distract Aegiant

They didn’t work as well as Randidly had hoped Aegiant was already moving toward the spot where Randidly had landed and stumbled Gritting his teeth Randidly reached out and set up several Earthquakes with the plaza as the spot where they would all intersect It would take a few seconds but

Unfortunately Randidly didnÆt have a few seconds

The spot where he had just been collapsed in a spray of lava and annihilated rock as Aegiant arrived with inhuman speed and simply struck with his spear Randidly wasnÆt sure if his image based attacks had been used to give him a false sense of the timing but it had worked like a charm With no other option Randidly activated All is Ash

Randidly condensed once more from ash with a chunk of his Mana missing even as emerald fire gathered in his one good hand like a gauntlet

With its base tied around his waist Acri straightened and lashed out at Aegiant as the man ripped over to strike again at Randidly Sneering Aegiant ignored it and continued his attack Randidly summoned as many instances of Verdant Nova as he could manage his Mana dropping at a horrifying rate

Acri slashed out and hit Aegiant right wrist The blow was so light compared to AegiantÆs freight train that it just seemed to brush against his arm AegiantÆs smile widened

Stalemate Breaker

Even though it wasnÆt enough to completely smash AegiantÆs attack aside Randidly burned his Stamina just as quickly as his Mana to knock the attack off target Then all the Verdant NovaÆs he was charging exploded the force directly smashing into AegiantÆs smug face

Chapter 833

Immediately after Randidly landed the attack on AegianÆts face he spun and pressed his feet against AegiantÆs chest Although it was not empowered with an image the unstoppable spear thrust whistled just off of his right shoulder and caused Randidly to experience a tiny thrill of fear

Randidly exploded directly toward the ground just as the Earthquakes began to rumble with vicious force The ground cracked and buckled as the stone scaffolding that held this place above the lava disintegrating under so much strain at once

With a plop Randidly pierced through the broken ground and into the lava beneath

Just in time too because the area immediately around Aegiant was annihilated as he brought the entire weight and heat of the sun crashing down in an effort to kill Randidly What areas of the ground in the plaza that werenÆt already destroyed were smashed into powder and then melted into paste

In the aftermath Aegiant floated slowly down toward the lava with burning eyes his gaze flicking back and forth as he searched for any sign of Randidly The dull red and black of the molten metal bubbled noncommittally

Below something very strange was happening

As per RandidlyÆs earlier predictions he had ended up finding out what it was like to dive into the lava Even from here the blast of force from AegiantÆs attack had hit him like a baseball bat to the chest And although Aegiant was clearly singed there was no true damage or any sign that he was slowing down anytime soon

RandidlyÆs Health was visibly being burnt away by the lava even as Chosen of Ash gained several levels to cope with it For all that this was a possible way to defeat Aegiant Randidly didnÆt have that kind of time

The river of Aether between him and Azriel had just gone completely dry

But Randidly didnÆt know how to hurry this up

To make matters worse the Aether constructs of his arm had been blown away by AegiantÆs strike against the area True he could now spare the attention to pull them back toward himself and try and heal the arm but it wouldnÆt matter he couldnÆt heal it while the wound was being roasted by lava

There was another blow against RandidlyÆs lungs as Aegiant struggled against Breath of the Spear Phantom When it failed AegiantÆs face was contorted by rage But with an effort of will he suppressed that and shrugged With a gesture of his hand he conjured an avatar of himself likely composed of a Skill

The so called prowess of a Master

So you hide The projection said folding its arms It was filmy and weak likely not a very powerful Skill But it didnÆt actually have lungs and wasnÆt bound by Breath of the Spear Phantom

this fucker just wants to monologue Randidly thought with disbelief

ThatÆs fine Truly you are strong I have enjoyed this Or rather it has made me anticipate your death so much more than I had expected It will truly be a treat Faux Aegiant said with bared teeth Then the real Aegiant floated downward and stuck his spear into the lava

How long will you be able to stay down there I wonder The projection mused even as Randidly could immediately feel the jump in heat as Aegiant began to direct his image of the sun to burn

From his vantage point Randidly could see that there was a slowly widening space around AegiantÆs spear where the lava evaporated and then caught fucking fire from the intense heat Which increased the speed of the expansion and also meant RandidlyÆs Health was ticking away at an increasingly fast clip

Chosen of Ash was doing its best but

And now Randidly didnÆt know what to do

For several long seconds he stared upward at Aegiant He could summon more Lava Golems or other minions but those wouldnÆt do much One of his greatest Skills Influence of the World Seed was very Mana inefficient at the moment Due to the lava and sparse city around him he would need to bring plants from far away And even then he would need a shit ton to pierce through this heat and do any damage

Breath of the Spear Phantom would sap AegiantÆs Stamina eventually but he hadnÆt Leveled it enough for it to work on a timetable that he needed And every moment that passed Randidly was becoming increasingly worried about Azriel

One option was to send Shal a message but Randidly knew that Shal had his own fight According to their plan he would be required to fight against whoever was the victor between the First Propagator and the Spearman to control access to Azriel

If someone Ascended and once more warped the image of Tellus toward violence while Shal returned to fight Aegiant all would be lost anyway Even if this planet moved up in the System the cycle of sacrificing innocents to advance would continue

So what could Randidly do

A spear always advances Randidly thought with a sardonic smile So for the second time Randidly closed his eyes

Lightning fast Randidly dumped all the PP he had gathered in this fight into his War Leader Path It wasnÆt much but it would have to be enough It was all he could manage On the way he also earned some free stats which he put into Strength so he could physically suppress AegiantÆs lungs

In a frustrating twist of fate he was two PP short from finishing his Path Strangely it felt like a huge loss Frustration bubbled and festered in RandidlyÆs chest He clenched his good hand still wreathed in emerald fire and added to the rising heat in the area Even though he knew that finishing the War Leader Path wouldnÆt have changed much or given him any sort of Skill that would be immediately impactful

And then RandidlyÆs Chosen of Ash leveled up again

It amuses me that I cook you now like a goose AegiantÆs projection said with a chuckle The heat around Randidly continued to increase I wish I had a good wine to pair your death with ah well I will follow my baser instincts and simply revel in your flesh

RandidlyÆs phantom arm throbbed even as more and more Aether flowed into it without any arm to heal The Aether constructs were now spread across the plaza slowly drifting back toward him But Randidly could only grit his teeth and wait even as he glared up at Aegiant and endured the pounding at his lungs as Aegiant continued to try and breath Breath of the Spear Phantom Were the struggles getting weaker

Or was that wishful thinking

Fuck I need a way out of this

Pain Resistance gained a Skill Level Instantly Randidly finished his Path

Congratulations You have completed the War Leader Path You are a warrior that will lead your people to victory Although you have only fought thus far in small groups soon the demands of fate will lead you on a Path toward larger battles Do not falter as long as you continue to walk the world will provide you a Path no matter how thin or treacherous the passage may be Do not give up hope

Congratulations Your Willpower has increased by 20 Your Agility Strength Reaction and Perception have increased by 10 You have learned the Skill Flowing Momentum (Un) Lvl 1

Flowing Momentum Those that follow you in battle will experience a slight increase in their stats as they follow behind you The bonuses increase with Skill Level capped at 10% of your stats The area of effect will increase with Skill Level

Randidly sighed Well it would be useful to train up assuming he fought with others Would it work on his minions Plus the bonus stats received were relevant to what he needed right now It was a small but well rounded boost Of course it wasnÆt enough to turn the tide against AegiantÆs overwhelming Skills and images But

Then Randidly received another notification and he couldnÆt believe his eyes

Congratulations Your Alpha Cosmos slowly grows bringing with it strength As the Figure of the Alpha Cosmos their growth is your growth they are a portion of your physical body You do not receive increased stats but as the world inside of you grows you will obtain additional bonuses

Congratulations You have poured 200 PP into developing your Soulskill and the denizens of the Alpha Cosmos have benefitted tremendously The Paths you take create Paths for them Warning Effects of growth will be unpredictable and difficult to trigger The next bonus will occur after the Soulskill has become Level 1500

And then the final notification

Congratulations Due to the growth of your Soulskill you have been awarded an extremely small percentage of PP as a tithe from all your denizens You have earned 536 PP

Randidly blinked even as his Health decreased past one fourth of his total His Soulskill periodically gave him large chunks of PP gathered from the people living inside of it

Chapter 834

Randidly didnÆt stop to think very much about the implications as he lightning fast opened up his Path Menu once more He scanned through the options but again nothing would grant an immediate benefit Skills took time to grow

But one would be completed immediately and would be an investment in the future If his Alpha Cosmos was going to add this huge kick to his powers he was going to finish the Alpha Cosmos I the Intermingling It was only 200 PP and was finished immediately Randidly obtained no stats from the addition of PP into the Path but he hadnÆt really expected to

Congratulations You have completed the Alpha Cosmos I the Intermingling Path Your body has become something that has never been seen before But though the Path has not been created by others that does not mean there are no ways forward Congratulations The PP tithe percentage you receive has increased by an extremely small amount You have learned the Skill Connection to the Alpha Cosmos

Connection to the Alpha Cosmos At the expense of great mental wariness individuals may cross into and out of your internal world During the transfer the individualÆs power will be scaled up or down depending on the relative power of the destination world Images that such warriors use will benefit immensely from the scaling Scaling will be increased based upon your own stats

Useful but would it be immediately beneficial RandidlyÆs mind worked furiously as he examined the Skill His Health continued to tick downward toward 900 a little less than one fifth his total Health Above there was now a legitimate slowly growing sun as the gas ignited and fueled the expansion of heat AegiantÆs projection was laughing with glee

This wasnÆt enough But Randidly had an idea

Even as his Health dropped he began to draw more and more Aether into himself And he appropriated the Aether that was trying to heal his arm before the constructs were drawn back to himself Although he didnÆt know exactly how it was done Randidly had witnessed the process of Lucretia crossing over and possessing a Witch King Even if some time had passed Randidly could still clearly picture the shape of the Aether that had allowed that to happen

Sure this new Skill he obtained would be strong But Randidly wanted to cheat the System After all LucretiaÆs transfer had been relatively costless to him because she already had a foothold in this world She couldnÆt completely come over but her manifestation had come at a discount The System had borne some of the cost

So why couldnÆt Randidly make it so the System bore the cost all the time

With the rest of his PP Randidly gambled and threw it into Ashen Path I hoping for a short Path But the result left him grimacing the revealed Path cost was 600 So he wouldnÆt be able to finish three Paths in quick succession for a sudden turnaround This part he would need to do the old fashioned way

What he needed was the ability to bring people into and out of his Soulskill at scale

As RandidlyÆs Health neared 500 only one tenth of his total he had to move So he exploded upward out of the lava at the other side of the plaza Immediately he was on the defensive ready for AegiantÆs attack

But Aegiant just chuckled and continued to build the ball of fire that had consumed almost one third of the plaza already The lava continued to evaporate and ignite fueling it further toward consuming the entire area A firestorm of greedy orange red flames multiplied before RandidlyÆs eyes Very soon the portal to Icklid would be covered by that fire Hopefully that wouldnÆt damage the connection

The phrase Randidly was focusing on was that the images of those that came out would benefit immensely from that scaling Hopefully that would be enough

Even as the fireball grew Aether howled within Randidly The icy energy burned its way toward the Unique Connection to the Alpha Cosmos Skill Very soon the Skill was trembling More and more energy was siphoned down forced into the small but compact Skill Soon Randidly was trembling His Health regeneration was roaring healing him as quickly as it could But the heat in the air was swiftly becoming unbearable The stump of his arm shivered and tingled

To combat the heat Randidly began to use Frigid Ash Devouring Storm But it was a losing battle Bits of ash initially cooled the surrounding area but very quickly the sheer volume of heat drove his Skill backward

Still the point wasnÆt to win It was to outlast

Does it hurt Aegiant whispered Are you scared You know the worst part of my day Every night after I finish my work I return to find my grandson painting or playing music or reading scrolls And as soon as he sees me sees my spear and my armor he begins to shake in fear Do you know how that makes me feel How ashamed I am of what he has become

To make a Domain Randidly thought evenly as he stood stone faced before the growing sun you warp the System You take something small and give it scale Then the area around you becomes yours

The Skill in RandidlyÆs chest was shuddering under the strain of handling so much Aether With every ounce of Willpower Randidly possessed he focused on what he wanted Visualization began to tremble with the strain He needed scale He needed low cost He needed it now

Burn burn for me The projection cackled Then he struck at RandidlyÆs Breath of the Spear Phantom but found RandidlyÆs grip vice like holding steady

Randidly raised his gaze and looked up toward the sky piercing through the heavy waves of heat to see simply blue He gritted his teeth

His new Skill shattered Which as always was one of the worst pains he had ever experience Even now if he didnÆt control the destruction what had occurred with him against Aegiant the first time would happen again If he didnÆt have someone with healing Skills like Simon he would be reduced to nothing

But this time Randidly was ready And once the Skill shattered the Aether he had gathered into a humming whirlpool surged into action

and did not find purchase

Randidly didnÆt really even know what was going on for several seconds But the sharp and vicious pain of a broken Skill dragged him right back to himself In spite of himself Randidly opened his mouth and gagged Luckily AegiantÆs vision was screened by the flames

Otherwise he would have noticed that a hair would have broken Breath of the Spear Phantom

I failed Randidly thought hollowly even as he gathered up the Aether that was rampaging through himself and set it to spinning above himself once more The pain of the broken Skill was making it difficult to think but Randidly gritted his teeth and forced his mind forward

The heat was rising Randidly was forced to back away to the edge of the plaza hopping up onto the low alabaster wall that was slumped into sludge at this point

Not that it really mattered the city was collapsing around him slowly falling into the volcano below

The reason Randidly had failed was that he didnÆt have an in Likely Domains developed naturally along predetermined paths There were pre approved ways Domains could be used And RandidlyÆs Alpha Cosmos and its connection were not on that list So when he sought to grip the System it had knocked his attempt away

With Aegiant cackling almost completely covered by the braying roar of flames Randidly felt a chill run through him The reason he had failed was that his Aether had no purchase on the System But that wasnÆt exactly true There was a method

Randidly activated Aether Perception and took a long look at the shreds of Aether that the System used to determine his body and heal him Not only was it Aether intimately related to him and his place in the System but it also happened to be currently ripped apart into manageable chunks that could be isolated and overpowered

Each of those Aether constructs was part of his body within the System

Their growth is my growth they are a part of my physical body

Which meant that rather than forming his arm those constructs could be the foothold that he needed Randidly looked down at the stump of his left arm blinking slowly His Health ticked downward below 300 Health