LoRG 2

Randidly noticed that he was gaining points in a few things Chosen of Fire and Pain Resistance but more than anything else Visualization But he ignored them because he didnÆt have the luxury of enjoying the growth right now Not when so many things were crumbling inside of himself And with the constant waves of pain

Fuck Randidly whispered because those Skills he had arrayed around the Ashen Image were quickly being overtaken by the image The images fueling them simply werenÆt strong enough to resist the influence of the Ashen Image even with the support of a sea of Aether

But it gave Randidly another moment to reflect and he considered for the first time the four Skills that had already been reduced to Ash Pollen of the Rafflesia Healing Palm Body Control Freeze and finally

Spearing Roots

Randidly felt a strange numbness as he saw it That was that was one of his first It had evolved numerous times to reach its current form and there was rarely a fight that Randidly didnÆt use it Its image was powerful and strong It occurred to Randidly that this was probably why the damage to himself was so minimal comparatively even when he was being distracted for so long by the PatronÆs story

And also why the pain in his chest felt so melancholy Something precious had been ripped away from him Struggling for its owner that Skill had been snuffed out without any fanfare Randidly could accomplish the same thing with Plant Dominance perhaps but the image

Caring and familiarity are the most important Repetition is strength Skarch seemed to whisper to Randidly He never could overcome her in their battles of images but Randidly had begun to come close as time went on Steeling himself Randidly considered the Ashen Image In his heart he knew he could win the Patron of Ash didnÆt care about the image and therefore Randidly would gladly crush it

But in his initial haste to save his important Skills Randidly had made a miscalculation it became immediately apparent that the Skills that had been turned into ash were resonating with the Ashen Image and adding more strength to it The pain struck at him like a whip curving around his mental defenses and slashing at his weaknesses

Those Skills in the surrounding area began to turn to Ash and Randidly growled He needed to make a decision and now Closing his eyes he mentally shook his head This is foolish You never meet a superior strength with strength

But his Yggdrasil Skills shifted to the forefront burning brightly against the Ashen Image Golden Roots of Yggdrasil was the brightest of all flooded with more Aether than he had ever poured into himself before He could feel NeveahÆs concern suddenly as she asked what was all but just as quickly the energy of the Patron of Ash rushed to mute that connection

RandidlyÆs grin was vicious That was fine He didnÆt plan on relying on anyone elseÆs help anyway

No matter the brave face he put forward Randidly couldnÆt help but feel a flash of despair as the corner of the Golden Roots of Yggdrasil began to blacken and smoke Then as he watched it became dim and transformed into ash

The pain did have one positive effect It served to numb Randidly somewhat As he watched his self created Skill slowly become corrupted he didnÆt feel anything but cold fury Again he ignored the improvements to Visualization and focused on stubbornly resisting the Ashen Image

It was difficult not just because of the strength of the image that could make one a Patron but because of the image itself It was all about igniting a substance hollowing it out of substance and turning into ash in a blaze of power It was obvious why no previous Chosen had been able to resist this But Randidly refused to simply be another

Still Randidly didnÆt have the luxury of dwelling on it Randidly pulled more Aether and reinforced the Skill Immediately it became apparent that there was another problem His Class was beginning to shake Perhaps he had spoken too soon in regards to the structural integrity earlier To buy himself some time Randidly advanced the Crown of Upheaval and Silence which was feasting on the chaos inside of the Soulspace He could feel it growing at a noticeable pace Its powerful suppressing effect smashed into the Ashen Image

Not a permanent solution but it would have to do

The thing was vibrating causing a dull sort of ache in RandidlyÆs chest Such was the constant assault of the pain of losing his Skills that it was barely noticeable But his instincts screamed something was going on here so Randidly paid more attention to the vibration Suddenly his perspective switched and he cursed He didnÆt have fucking time for this

But he paused as he looked around The pain receded somewhat Randidly was standing in a circle of fire trees The trees were partially grown and their branches twisted upwards like gnarled fingers grasping at the sky above The Planting of the Forest of Enmity

One tree glowed with a feeling of justice and comradery Another seemed twisted and malformed as if something vital had shifted within it and it hadnÆt yet adapted Another was cold and desolate but proud amongst its brothers

It was the final two that caught RandidlyÆs attention Because both seemed to speak to him at that moment Both offered him Paths forward

Chapter 669

The first planting offered Randidly a sickle Poison of the Fickle Aether If something is in your way destroy it Crush its form and seize the remnants of its power You are a greater being than this Do not let it stop you Sculpt yourself as you will so that you might ascend your true Path and become a God

Randidly considered this planting coolly He knew its source This this was the attitude of the Creature He had never been truly sure as to the source but to see this portion of his Class with the trappings laid bare made it immediately clear It disturbed him greatly that it had influenced him but now wasnÆt the time for that

Randidly turned to the other planting seeking his attention

This planting offered Randidly a gauntlet Patron of the Fallen Earth This was a gauntlet that could seize the world All could be grasped with the strength of hits gauntlet With it any wild force could be brought to heel Seize the strength given to you and wield it freely Choose to absorb the strength that was your birthright

Randidly snorted This was due to the Patron of Ash Interesting At least Randidly had impressed him enough to convince the Patron all that time ago that he would have the potential to become Chosen Well it was hard to know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing

A wave of pain reminded Randidly that he didnÆt have time One of these Paths needed to be chosen With Inspiration partially ashen the opportunity to use Erode Image wasnÆt present As it was Randidly was just as likely to knock himself out by using the Skill without the boost from Inspiration

Sighing Randidly reached out Perhaps if it were him five months no even a month ago Randidly wouldnÆt have chosen this But he had spent the last month fighting to defend people He had watched men and women die and buried them Responsibility weighed heavily on his shoulders

Randidly took the gauntlet Although he would like nothing better than to say fuck you to the Patron of Ash Randidly was no longer just representing himself He didnÆt put much stock in it but he was the Leader of the Order Ducis He was sniffing out the secrets of the Second Calamity In a lot of ways he was EarthÆs hope

But as he prepared to return to the Soulspace Randidly hesitated He eyed the sickle

After all he had two hands

When he returned the pain smashed into him Golden Roots of Yggdrasil and Crown of Upheaval and Silence was almost on third ash Most of the other Yggdrasil Skills were also showing signs of slowly being burned away The Aether flowed through him like a howling gale and his Class continued to shudder underneath the strain

With burning emerald eyes Randidly gestured What he hadnÆt been prepared for was that the insidious influence of the Ashen Image had bypassed his Skills They had blunted it but some of his lessor Skills like Mapmaker and Dagger Mastery had turned to ash despite the protection With that resonance some other Skills were now consumed or partially so Nothing truly important but several of RandidlyÆs Class Skills were the worse for wear

Fine time to bring it all

Both RandidlyÆs Class Skills and the Kata of the Ashen Spear flew to suppress the Skills lost to the Ashen Image spread throughout his Soulspace And the Spear Phantom Skills came to stand side by side with the Yggdrasil Skills smashing against the powerful influence of the Ashen Image

It was an earthquake of the Soul and Randidly himself was the battleground The Ashen Image was more like a wild beast than a true image he abruptly realized It wasnÆt that the weaker Skills of hills had simply been in the wrong place they had been targeted This vicious Ashen Image was semi intelligent

It gave him the chills

Now fighting it desperately head on Randidly felt its cunning as it lashed out with a vicious image of burning to strike at the struggling Skills he used to suppress it RandidlyÆs Willpower surged in response The two clashed and Randidly briefly blacked out

Absolute Timing gained a Level and Randidly immediately flashed back to himself feeling a deep fear With a wild glee the Ashen Image charged to bludgeon RandidlyÆs Skill and RandidlyÆs grip tightened on the gauntlet in his hand Although the portion of his Skill had informed him this was possible holding the gauntlet gave him an implicit knowledge of the process

Unless the Ashen Image could be subdued somewhat it would damage many of his quickly dwindling Skills as Randidly attempted to fuse with it In addition

RandidlyÆs eyes glittered Suddenly he smiled As the Ashen Image rose again to lash out a great force smashed down on it from above There was a soundless rumble and the Ashen ImageÆs strength faltered for the first time

Tall and proud RandidlyÆs ProgenitorÆs Influence gathered to strike again Its attacks were fast and depleted itself but there were many benefits to being worshipped as a god These people provided mixed images but it was numerous beyond belief For several seconds it was possible to smother and overwhelm the Ashen Image

Deciding to risk it Randidly removed his perception from his inner world and twitched in the real world The Patron of Ash in the form of Ulaat was standing before Randidly He regarded Randidly curiously

Have you given up Boy I did not waste my

The sickle slid cleanly into UlaatÆs chest Randidly intimately knew this sickle It was a brittle weapon but it was one designed to poison a connection between two things In practice it was difficult for such a brittle weapon to make it near enough to a vulnerable target to inflict damage Perhaps that was why the Creature felt comfortable providing Randidly with this tool

When he struck the Patron of Ash when he struck Ulaat there was no resistance All that made the Patron powerful was now consuming Randidly from the inside out There was no substance on which the sickle could be broken So Randidly aimed for the consciousness of Ulaat and struck at the body Immediately Randidly felt something inside the Patron sever He staggered confused What This ah

Fuck you Randidly said relishing every word To think he didnÆt believe he would find the opportunity for this

Foolish boy Ulaat said as his body collapsed in an explosion of ash Within there was a glowing ember The sickle had sunk cleanly into the coal and it flickered feebly I have not yet revealed the third secret And I will not until

Fuck Randidly enunciated clearly gripping the sickle tighter Then he wrenched it to the side splitting the coal in half You

The remnant of power that had seized the two severed things could no longer hold on and it faded With a sigh the body in front of him disappeared Above the giant face collapsed RandidlyÆs eyebrows rose With somewhat shocked eyes Randidly looked at the sickle Had it truly been that simple The Patron of Ash had obviously made himself vulnerable on purpose so he could cease to be but

Congratulations You have reached Level 35

Warning due to internal damage Level ups are currently unavailable

Ignoring the notifications Randidly felt his instincts flair Absolute Timing rushed down to his hand His emerald eyes narrowed There was a choice here a split path A strange and incredibly complex bit of Aether detached from the split coal and began to float up into the air

I can take that the gauntlet seemed to whisper But Randidly knew if he were to do so it could no longer be used to control the Ashen Image But looking at the complexity of the Aether Construct Randidly had a good guess what it was Possessing such a thing would definitely be useful down the line

A spear only advances

Without any remorse Randidly reached out with the gauntlet and seized the construct of Aether that was split in half by his strike with the sickle The motion was all fluid and easy As he examined the construct the remorse in his heart trickled away No use regretting it now The construct wriggled in his hand like a fish attempting to get free Portions broke away to disintegrate but Randidly had a firm grasp on the main piece

The mantle of a Patron huh Randidly whispered The gauntlet tightened and he felt some part of it become his It was claimed But a surge of physical pain similar to his esophagus being hit with dozens of flaming arrows reminded him time was of the essence so Randidly left the examinations for later Instead his focus once more turned inward

Chapter 670

Luckily the ProgenitorÆs Influence had bought him the time Unfortunately that strength was clearly spent and the Ashen Image was releasing a keening wail filled with vicious intent There were grief and madness in the sound but more than that

it was loneliness

Even if I was hated that was still my source

Randidly blinked Was the Ashen Image speaking Did it realize that the Patron of Ash was no more If so Randidly had once again underestimated its intelligence

IÆll IÆll burn this all Everything will be ash

The heat spiked upwards Randidly swayed mentally His Skills flickered struggling to withstand the explosion of the Ashen ImageÆs power It was hot and baleful A doom for all that neared the ash All would become ash

With both the sickle and the gauntlet used how could he persist On the strength of his images Randidly had no illusions of overcoming the Ashen Image Besides his usage of Erode Image had taught Randidly how such a clash of images would often result in mutual destruction If not facing it directly then

Caring and familiarity are the most important

SkarchÆs words once more grounded him Because Randidly remembered a time where he had abruptly lost to Skarch in an image due For some reason his image just parted before Skarch Afterward she had laughed at him

Did you think it was only your own images that you could become familiar with With enough exposure you can become intimate with anything

Randidly felt a tingling in the back of the head If this was the image that Ulaat formed at the beginning then he knew its story The Patron of Ash had given him the answer A desperate hope to save the world Frustration due to no one listening Regret and fear because of the destructive effects Loneliness because all else was burned away by the strength of the image

You Randidly said slowly in his Soulspace To his surprise the furious aura rolling off of the Ashen Image paused But a second later it redoubled in stubborn fury But it was all the proof Randidly needed to try something

Slowly RandidlyÆs focus in his Soulskill moved forward It formed a body in the space Aether continued to rush through him without end to defend his Soulspace The pain had turned into jagged bolts of lightning stabbing outward from his chest It felt like he was drawing very deeply from NeveahÆs Health in the wake of stopping the Patron of Ash from supporting him Panic was rising in RandidlyÆs chest

But he ignored it as he walked slowly towards the Ashen Image Without stopping he passed the line of defense of his most powerful Skills with the best images Immediately the pain seemed to cause fissures through his vision as everything began to shudder under the constant barrage of agony

More notifications came up for Pain Resistance Chosen of Fire and Visualization but Randidly ignored him He was just happy that those Skills were still functioning

Leave me alone All of this all of you will be ash

I need help Randidly said simply I need strength

The Skills in the Kata of the Ashen spear began to vibrate

I will help you do oblivion the answer came quietly It is all I can do for you

No you can do more Randidly countered Even in his mental form he stumbled as he walked forward towards the Ashen image It was a small thing a tiny glowing ember burning brightly in RandidlyÆs Soulspace Even now Randidly couldnÆt look at it directly The terrible heat and light from it burned his mental vision You can save a world

My world is dead I am the world I am Doom The heat was rising once more and not because Randidly was approaching the Ashen Image It seemed he had struck a nerve

Beyond white hot pain there was black paint and that was a sea that threatened to drown Randidly and never allow him to resurface But Randidly continued walking forward

Warning irreparable damage

Randidly ignored it and walked forward I was alone too for a long time Sometimes sometimes I feel alone now “

FOOL I AM ALONE BECAUSE I DESTROYED EVERYTHING THAT COULD BE NEAR ME I AM MY OWN ETERNITY

This time Randidly did get submerged in that black sea of pain All sensation began to fade away With a surge of panic he returned to the surface breaking through it What was waiting for him was the white pain It felt like someone was hammering icicles into his eye sockets Even distantly Randidly could feel his physical body had collapsed and was shivering in agony

His Skills were flickering The Crown of Silence and Upheaval darkened as almost 40% was lost to the ash Gritting his teeth Randidly continued to walk forward

I am alone because my Path ascends past the limit that my people can follow Is that not similar

NO

But despite the vehement denial the violence of the power the Ashen Image was throwing off seemed to stall out somewhat In that space Randidly advanced forward

You have not turned me to ash Randidly said quietly

There was no explosion of energy just derision Yet Eventually all becomes ash

Perhaps If you choose that Path Randidly said through the jumbled mess of thoughts He was now right before the Ashen Image Although to look at it was painful there was nothing in front of him but the vision of that consuming ash Over and over Randidly felt the slow death of the World Seed He felt the dark jumble of emotions from Ulaat still here This was his image kindled since he was young

It is just a desperate child Æ Randidly realized The Crown of Upheaval and Silence blazed brilliantly for several seconds forcing the ash back It angrily rose in intensity after tapering off in response to that

It is what I am There are no other paths to one such as I All will become Ash It is how it has always been

One by one the Skills around Randidly dimmed He raised his hands Stabbing numbness consumed his perception he had been near this thing for too long He didn’tÆ have time to be subtle anymore His strength was failing Perhaps not a path for an image but maybe a Path for us both What do you think about making a home here I need you

It was a desperate gamble But all at once Randidly stopped forcing Aether into the Skills to resist the Ashen Image They all went dark That insidious image of all turning to ash exploded outward through Randidly like a tidal wave His Class was shrieking under the strain His mouth tasted like ashes

But he felt it Shock and confusion And wonder

You are going to die like this

Am I not already partially ash A little more wonÆt hurt Make yourself at Randidly smiled He could feel the three Skills from Kata of the Ashen Spear pulse They were calling the Ashen Image But Randidly had run out of gas Although he wanted to entreat the strange sentience of the image more the black pain rose up and took him Silently he drifted downwards into numb darkness

Chapter 671

It had been a while since Randidly had dreamed And he knew it was a dream because he was sitting in his high school principal’s office with his mother and the Creature But even though it was clear to him that this was a dream Randidly was rather ambivalent about the whole thing He simply accepted it and looked back and forth between the two of them

I wonder if you are alive Randidly whispered looking at his mother She favored him with one of her beaming smiles that lit up her entire face At that time Randidly could see why his mother had become so strange as she aged

She wasnÆt just beautiful she was transcendent Impossible She was a moonbeam weaving through the trees to find a blooming lily This also just wasn’t a facet of the dream Randidly’s mother was truly this striking when she remembered to try

Of course IÆm alive His mother said sweetly reaching out to touch Randidly

The Creature spread its fingers on her desk Scowling it said Mr GhosthoundÆs behavior has been deplorable lately He has killed hundreds and on school grounds

His motherÆs hand brushed against his cheek and then she leaned forward and took Randidly in a hug No matter what he has done or what he has become he will always be my baby Just like I will always be his mom

Sighing Randidly shattered the dreamspace around him with a pulse of will The images of his mother and the Creature disintegrated into tinier and tinier pieces After a time they were naught but dust and settled in the corners of his subconscious where they had previously come from Randidly could strike and destroy their representations in the dream but they would always loom large over his subconscious

Because unfortunately his mother hadnÆt always been there for him

Randidly opened his eyes He was laying on the ground covered in ash His chest burned but in an oddly pleasant way No longer did Randidly feel like he was soon going to die Ash was falling slowly from the sky like a warm snow When he set off a layer of ash fell off of his chest and onto his legs

As he did so a sharp spike of pain ran through his head and he raised his hand to touch his forehead Fuck so he was alive but this was one hell of a hangover He could feel chaotic energies still running through his Soulspace but more worrying was his physical weakness The constant pain seemed to simply be persistent aches and Aether flowed freely into him slowly healing the wounds that remained

Tentatively Randidly reached out and made a fist A fist of lava burst out of the ground and gripped an ashen statue crushing it to powder The Mana inside of Randidly was sluggish but it responded Randidly released a huge sigh he had been holding At least that confirmed that all of his Skills hadnÆt been burnt away

But even after long seconds of staring at the ground Spearing Roots did nothing There was no response

Very slowly Randidly leaned back against the ground and watched the ashes swirl down towards him on the ground He was deathly exhausted He had a very real worry that this situation would lead to Randidly to being weaker But despite that he grinned widely at the sky

I survived Randidly whispered

After breathing in and out several more times Randidly considered the notifications

Warning Significant damage has been sustained please see a Village Spirit for Assistance

Warning Your soul had reached the point that it has been permanently scarred

Warning If you proceed

Warning A foreign energy is

Recalculating contemplating absorption following intent

Congratulations Your Skill Ashes to Ashes has gathered some of the power of Ashen Image Your Skill has evolved to All is Ash Lvl 64 It has become the fourth Kata of the Ashen Spear Due to the increased rarity and presence in the Kata of the Ashen Spear the Skillset’s rarity has increased to Legendary

The power of the Ashen Image runs rampant through your body Images relating to ash grow more powerful

Your Skill Gravity Affinity has gathered some of the power of the Ashen Image Your Skill Plant Dominance has gathered some of the power of the Ashen Image Chosen of FIre has gathered some of the power of the Ashen Image

Your Skill Plant Dominance « Lvl 127 has evolved to form Grasp of the World Seed Lvl 199

Grasp of the Desolate World Seed Using the influence of the World Seed you have gained the ability to influence plants Fidelity over such plants is extremely high and small amounts of Mana give the empowered plants great strength Distance does not negatively impact Control during use Plants controlled in this way can be combusted at will for very little Mana cost However after you cease controlling the plants they will persist for only sixty seconds before being consumed by fire and ash after being exposed to your power Effects greatly increase with Skill Level

Your Skill Chosen of Fire « Lvl 92 has evolved to form Chosen of Ash Lvl 100

Chosen of Ash You raise the temperature of your area by simply standing there As you are a hollowed out thing status effects have a significant chance of not affecting you Fire loses most of its ability to harm you Things you touch are affected by a minuscule amount of ash Skills that include ash or fire are much more effective Effects increase with Skill Level

You Skill Gravity Affinity has warped beyond recognition Due to the influence of the Ashen Image Gravity Affinity Lvl 74 has shifted to Influence of the Molten Core Lvl 1

Influence of the Molten Core Conjure a hyperdense core of molten metal and other trace materials Size and weight increase with Skill Level and the time taken to summon the core Once the core is summoned it may be used as a weapon or as an agent to utilize its special ability Its ability is Gravity Manipulation « The power of Gravity Manipulation increases with Skill Level Ability to control Molten Core increases with Skill Level

After all of that Randidly had four of his Skills shift to more powerful versions Although it wasnÆt as splashy as he was expecting after all of that Randidly was excited to try out the different Skills and see the effects He had no doubt that at least when it came to All is Ash he would be pleasantly surprised by the power

Randidly sat up again abruptly frowning The question then is why he was still here

Just as he was thinking that there was a strange swirl in the floating ash and a figure appeared Ulaat

Wasting no time Randidly sprung to his feet and winced at the immediate sense of vertigo It was all Randidly could do to not collapse back to the ground His hand went to his chest No matter that the pain had stopped it seemed that the damage he had done to himself was not insignificant The System wasnÆt lying about the soul scarring

What are you doing here Randidly growled but Ulaat just seemed amused

I owe you the third secret Did you think I would begrudge you this treasure just because you refused to choose the Path I laid out for you Take your time and gather yourself I must speak to you about that Skill you now possess All is Ash Hopefully you can avoid throwing yourself out of existence as you did in the past Then Ulaat seemed to think Well donÆt take too long I am a spirit without a home I will not last more than a few days But there is no immediate rush

Randidly eyed Ulaat suspiciously but ultimately decided nothing could be done about him right now Besides Randidly had taken his animating image and the mantle of a Patron What more could Ulaat use to hurt him

And above all the fucker seemed mightly pleased That rid Randidly of the rest of his suspicions Instead he turned his attention inward And immediately grimaced

He had lost a lot of Skills to the Ash What was strange was that it seemed that Randidly was completely unable to perform some of the tasks relating to them It truly seemed like those abilities were lost to Randidly Most of them werenÆt super important but there were a lot of Ashen statues in his Soulspace

Randidly had lost Manual Labor Hammer of the Dawn Healing Palm Pollen of the Rafflesia Spearing Roots Mana Bolt Summon Pestilence Body Control Freeze Dagger Mastery Mapmaker Pierce the Skies Shatter the Earth Sweep Spear Deflect First Aid Pathfinding Cutting Vegetables Plant Breeding Vengeful Bloom Gallant Intervention (Human) Four Shaded Domain PhantomÆs Lantern Mana Shield Arcane Orb Fireball Magic Missile and Wall of Thorns

Randidly sighed as he looked at his status It was certainly somewhat slimmed down

Level 35 ( %)

Health(/R per hour) 3522/3773 (+730) (2314 (+165

Mana(/R per hour) 4109/4126 (884 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 3211/3276 (+60) (704 (+45

Vit 490 (+15)

End 163 (+20)

Str 437 (+52)

Agi 494 (+24)

Perception 424 (+20)

Resistance 398 (+45)

Intelligence 510

Control 697

Focus 302 (+4)

ProgenitorÆs Influence 27911

Skills (Soul Skill) Seven Lands of the Spectral Tree Lvl 2228

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 190 White PhantomÆs Half Step (Un) Lvl 86 Heavy Blow Lvl 105 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 102 Fighting Proficiency Lvl 144 Block Lvl 75 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Calculated Blow Lvl 97 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 74 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 109 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 41 Talon Strike Lvl 44 Counter Lvl 68

PoFE Class Skills Grasp of the World Seed Lvl 199 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 25 Sharpness Lvl 85 Call Grove Defenders « Lvl 34 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 47 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14 Grasp of Lava « Lvl 95 Erode Image Lvl 10 SpriggitÆs Tinkering « Lvl 75 Aether Understanding Lvl 56 Summon Lava Golem (Un) Lvl 46 Aether Infusion Lvl 45 Volatile Ash Lvl 29 Visualization « Lvl 74 Fruit of the Planting of Enmity Lvl 2 Absolute Timing Lvl 11

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 92 As the Sun Stills Lvl 64 When a Shadow Departs Fireflies Dance (Un) Lvl 46 All is Ash Lvl 64

The 6 Signs of the Spear Phantom « The First Sign The Inevitable Phantom Arrives Lvl 106 (Un) The Fifth Sign The Wild PhantomÆs Embrace Lvl 187 The Sixth Sign The Breath of the Spear Phantom « Lvl 68

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 110 Aether Manipulation Lvl 105 Living Aether « Lvl 108 System Interference Lvl 22

Spells Yggdrasil Soul Seed « Inspiration « Incinerating Bolt Lvl 100 Circle of Flame Lvl 76 Plantomancy Lvl 35 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 Touch from Beyond « Lvl 37 Influence of the Molten Core « Lvl 74 Incendiary Eruption Lvl 65

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 73 Farming Lvl 34 Analyze Lvl 29 Refine Lvl 72 Extract Lvl 58 Mana Engraving Lvl 140

Yggdrasil the Tree of Upheaval Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 122 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 145 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 143 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 153 the Deific Mien of Yggdrasil Lvl 140 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 133 Crown of Yggdrasil Silence and Upheaval Lvl 76

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 56 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Pain Resistance Lvl 79 Fire Resistance Lvl 102 Sewing Lvl 11 Digging Lvl 5 Cooking Lvl 77 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 25 Aether Connection Lvl 15 Soul Bond Lvl 105 ChefÆs Palette Lvl 33 Nether Resistance Lvl 20 Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 45 Chosen of Ash Lvl 100 Engineering Savvy « Lvl 83

With serious eyes Randidly looked up from his status screen and considered Ulaat The ghost formed of Ash smiled at him

So are you prepared boy

Chapter 672

Randidly nodded to Ulaat’s question

With a small cocky grin on his face Ulaat spread his hands wide Then he brought his hands together with a loud clap When Ulaat pulled his hands apart a portal opened between them It was a small thing at first but as Ulaat continued to spread his hands it widened until it was large enough for a person to walk through With extreme delicacy Ulaat placed the portal onto the ground

The third secret is this But it is also the move of mine you inherited first partially as Ashes to Ashes and now totally as All is Ash Ulaat frowned at the portal and then gave Randidly a meaningful look

Randidly just blinked Where does this go

Ulaat tsked But then his gaze turned to the portal and his gaze softened It was bright blue and fuzzy at the edges Waves of energy distorted the light coming through so it was all but impossible to see anything This leads to what I assume is the Third Calamity When it appeared a notification came that informed me that if I did not Ascend as a Challenger within a year my world would be reduced to dust

As if remembering something depressing Ulaat looked blankly at the ground The skin of his face twitched the only movement on his whole body I was in a very dark place then and I couldnÆt help but laugh Reduce my world to dust What did I care But

Gesturing to the world of ash around them Ulaat said This is only an imitation I conjured with my abilities as a Patron A year from the day I completely burned through the images of my world my homeworld was annihilated A being came and no matter how I had grown with my abilities I was nothing to this being It seemed simply to smile and I was alone The pain of losing your home planet it is difficult to describe I thought the emptiness of my world was worse than it not even existing but

So you kept the portal Randidly asked with a frown He considered the portal Randidly intended to take a step closer to it to examine it but as he tried it there was a powerful repulsive force that pushed him back from it

Ulaat grinned It was only made for one person Although

Randidly felt it too In his Soulspace the mantle of the Patron he had stolen was humming softly It was a key in a way to the portal But Randidly wasnÆt sure what other side effects would be involved if he attempted to use it Better to learn before he forced the issue

why is it still here if the one year has passed Randidly asked

Grimacing Ulaat waved towards the portal There is a Path there although I do not know what it is Enter at your own risk Æ it says as I approach Although I will cease I will leave the portal here With All is Ash I expect you to be able to return if you ever possess the power to do so In the memory of my people I hope you will grasp victory on the other side

No matter how good of an idea you think it is Randidly sternly told himself You will NOT go through this strange portal that is meant for a Patron

Anyways I must give you a little guidance so you do not kill yourself with my powerful Skill I must warn you I expect that my circumstances were a little special I believe that very few with images as powerful as mine became Patrons They likely challenged the Third Calamity although it is difficult to say what the outcome was Ulaat rubbed his chin My cowardice was not because I didnÆt have faith in my strength but because some part of me died along with my people The rest died with my world

But as Ulaat looked up and met RandidlyÆs gaze his eyes were blazing Still I have finally found you It is not a high hope but I will give you one wish of a dying soul find the maker of this System that made fools out of my people and forced them to combat their darkest fears and turn that individual to Ash Salt the fields of their home Turn all they love to dust Only then may I rest quietly

As Ulaat spoke the end of that sentence the world seemed to shiver Those burning eyes seemed to take up all of RandidlyÆs vision Abruptly Randidly realized how lucky he was that this hadnÆt turned into a combat sort of test The Willpower that was palpably wafting off of Ulaat even in this weakened state was intimidating

This is the being that had killed his people watched his world die and become a Patron It was a sobering reminder in the differences of their levels and Ulaat still hadnÆt been able to protect his world

All is Ash is primarily a Perception enhancing Skill Ulaat said shaking the strange hypnotism his implacable will had on Randidly Although you have used it as a method of escaping death that is purely a side effect of the true function of the Skill A convenient one of course But overuse of the side effect slowly reduced your bodyÆs resistance to the transformation to ash until there was a point that a portion of yourself didnÆt return The pain you experienced was an existential doom hanging above you If I had not intervened your soul would have been permanently changed Perhaps for the better but how often are things improved by subtraction

But I am getting ahead of myself I developed All is Ash in order to hunt down the Scourge It is primarily a worldview so powerful that everything around you shifts All is AshÆ as it were This makes everything weak and hollow You have not yet developed the sophistication to do so but you will one day be able to strike at things using the Skill and will find that others will blow away like ash before your might

Will they recondense as I do Because Randidly asked

Ulaat chuckled Of course not Because they donÆt believe that All is Ash They are simply struck by a Skill they donÆt understand You would recondense because you understand you are naught but ash But remembering to gather just the right of ash in the right combination to create yourself it is difficult You will need to practice just sitting in the All is Ash state learning yourself Otherwise you are doomed to lose yourself with this Skill The next time I will not be able to save you

If Ulaat was giving the whole truth then All is Ash was an incredibly powerful Skill To think something was so and shift the whole world to follow it That was a monstrously powerful Skill if Randidly could master it But the road to mastering it led through that pain that had struck him when the Patron of Ash had to save him

Shivering at the memory Randidly asked thatÆs all fine But when the accident happened last time I felt like I was in a place where nothing was something Where was that

Ah Let me explained what occurred While you were in the All is Ash state a part of you did not return to form your body It was unfortunately a very vital part Perhaps an emotion or a goal but some necessary ingredient was left behind That absence hurt Missing that one piece of Ash was enough to send your soul into full panic mode

Once it started sending pain to indicate something was wrong the pain destroyed your concentration you lost the focus to stay in the state Suddenly you were not a part of the fabric of existence you were an individual And something was lost But nothing had changed So it had to go somewhere But where could it have gone Nowhere

This time it wasnÆt the world that trembled but Randidly Ulaat continued to speak I have encountered the Nowhere a few times while using the Skill At first I speculated it was the area of space not yet covered by the System but now Now I believe it is something much more terrible All my attempts to investigate have been unfruitful I recommend you put it out of your mind while using it It will only bring you suffering

With a sigh Randidly stretched feeling his shoulders pop as he put his hands towards the grey sky Although it was a dark place Randidly could feel the peace of this ashen world It was a retreat Perhaps some of the emotions that Ulaat felt bled into the making of this place

Wanting to waste no time Randidly sat on the ground in front of Ulaat and closed his eyes Ulaat wouldnÆt persist forever and if there was anything wrong with the Skill Ulaat would know

Burning his Mana at a huge clip Randidly activated All is Ash

There was only a little color to this world aside from the red of some exposed lava but all of that color was bled out of the world as the Skill activated Rather than moving Randidly simply felt He felt how small he was How fragile and breakable everything was All was Ash Everything would disintegrate to nothing from just the slightest breeze This world had been hollowed out by an all consuming fire

His breathing began to speed up More than the fragility of life Randidly could feel a deep undercurrent of commonness between everything If all was Ash everything was connected He was one piece in a grand machine He bore his current form but when he died the substances that constituted him would be recombined in different shapes Life was eternal because it didnÆt exist Everything had its place in an endless dance with no sound but only hollow remnants

Was there true existence in the past Possible But the real world had been burnt away They were all that was left It was all that is left

All is Ash

Randidly let out a gasp as his Mana ran out and the thinness of the world left him Although it was purely a comfort thing Randidly took several deep breaths At his level breathing wasnÆt strictly necessary But it certainly calmed him down

Ulaat nodded with a grim expression Then he waved his hand and Randidly abruptly felt energized It is still my world and I can assist you regaining Mana We need to train as much as possible before I go I wonÆt allow my first Chosen to bring shame to my name I have a reputation of some import you know

Chapter 673

When Randidly returned to the back of that cart on Tellus there was a notification waiting for him

Congratulations Despite the odds you have merged with the essence of your Patron becoming Chosen The Efficacy of all spells and abilities relating to your Patron have increased by 25% At the long end of the road you find the corpse of your Patron and a mantle to carry forward You garb yourself in the mantle and continue forward Although it may be difficult the Path goes ever onward +500 to Health Mana and Stamina +50 to Agility Reaction and Focus

It may seem aimless the many winding paths you have walked but the further you go the more you realize that all Paths lead to the same place

Randidly tightened his hand into a fist That last line was certainly disturbing but most of all he was simply pleased to have made it out of the world of ash alive Besides he had learned much while he was there both about the second Calamity and the third More than that his Skills had been empowered

Randidly sighed At least he hoped so The changes to Plant Dominance had a huge drawback Hopefully it wouldnÆt end up mattering

The other shift that Randidly noticed was how cluttered his Soulspace had become with the charred remnants of Skills and the new Skills His previous Skills had been neatly ordered but the new arrivals were rather haphazardly spaced Shaking his head Randidly opens up his Path Menu With the spare he had leftover from before and the gains fighting off the Ashen Image Randidly had some more PP to throw around He considered the open Paths

Heretic XXIX 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Experimenter I 0/50 The Fighting Proficiency III 0/ System Transgressor 0/1 Steps of the Godling II Path 0/200 Friend to Humanity 0/100 War Leader 0/200 Path 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 Mana Ghoul 0/200 Fiery Sharpshooter 0/350 The Ashes of Ulaat Patron of Ash 0/1000

Heretic had gone up another one which was worrying if only because reaching 30 would cause another Judgement to descend Remembering the one that came at 20 made Randidly grimace It had interrupted his training as they prepared to be connected to the New Earth and had left a constantly foggy area in the North of their Zone

Hopefully this next Judgement would be possible to overcome on his own without attracting much attention Otherwise

Shaking his head Randidly peered at his options There were three new ones Mana Ghoul Fiery Sharpshooter and the Ashes of Ulaat The Ashes of Ulaat seemed the most immediately interesting but it was a 1000 PP Path Especially now that so many of his Skills were lost Randidly wasnÆt sure if he would be able to finish such a Path in less than a year Waiting a year for a path was a bit

Although Randidly admitted to himself that he was likely spoiled for choice when it came to Paths he was still impatient for results For now he set that option to the side Mana Ghoul obviously would help his Mana but the word Ghoul in conjunction made him wary Fiery Sharpshooter on the other hand seemed much more straightforward Likely he would obtain a Skill from it that would be an upgrade on his ranged fire spells Or he would get a Skill that would improve them either way would be satisfactory

After cutting out the bad ones Like Heretic System Transgressor the Steps of Godling etc that would have less utility and that didnÆt take 1000 PP Randidly had a much more manageable list

Fighting Proficiency III 0/ War Leader 0/200 Path of the Patron 0/500 Aether Convergence II the Bell of Doom Tolls 0/600 Mana Ghoul 0/200 Fiery Sharpshooter 0/350

Path of the Patron and Aether Convergence also seemed to be not what he was looking for which left Fighting Proficiency III War Leader the Bell of Doom Tolls and the two new additions

Fighting Proficiency Randidly had a for a long time and would likely be one of the more predictable options War Leader was possibly too focused on leading others to be immediately useful The Bell of Doom tolls was 600 which was still a significant amount and like Mana Ghoul it was oddly ominous Fiery Sharpshooter would push him more towards using certain SKills in the future

Finally Randidly narrowed it down to either Fighting Proficiency and Fiery Sharpshooter And Randidly believed that he would be focusing on his Spear Skills for the interim Therefore he chose Fighting Proficiency When he put the first PP into the Path he was delighted to see that the Path only took 175 PP to finish It would likely be a quick Path and hopefully give him a positive benefit It was also nice that it seemed that every 5 PP he put into the Path earned Randidly 1 Strength and 2 Stamina After the Chosen of Ash netting him nothing it was a pleasant surprise

After distributing the PP and cracking his neck Randidly walked out of the back of the cart and looked up at the night sky Stars were sprinkled across the dark expanse like granules of sugar sweet and cold up in the sky On Tellus it didnÆt seem like any time had passed at all

Azriel looked up at him as he walked out Ah good you are alive Congratulations

Chuckling Randidly nodded Then he said Can we take a break here IÆd like to confirm some things

They were on a thin trail heading up a slope as they made their way around a canyon Azriel nodded towards the canyon they were driving around The town we are heading towards is right up there Since weÆve brought it this far Skarch and I will bring the cart to the town to sell feel free to jump off here and meet us when you are done

With a grunt Randidly did just that When he landed on the ground he smiled with relish nothing was as calming to him as dirt underneath his feet Being in that ash world it simply didnÆt feel right

Randidly had to walk some distance away from the track to find some plants Not that there werenÆt plants everywhere but he wanted to see his new effect on plants from the beginning Growing tiny plant bacterium wasnÆt very satisfying At the very least Randidly was pleased to notice that his plant senses werenÆt affected If he simply used his Skills to feel through the plants nothing untoward happened to them

It seemed it was only his Mana that was poisonous to them then

After he found a gnarled tree Randidly pointed and sent a sliver of his Mana into a branch Instantly the branch swelled and twisted almost instantly doubling in size RandidlyÆs eyes widened He had barely spent 5 Mana and it seemed well within his abilities to make the branch even larger

So Randidly did so swelling the branch until it was as thick as a human torso Without even his prodding as it grew the branch produced crimson thorns that threw off heat waves That raised some eyebrows Then Randidly lashed out with the branch striking the ground Of course the branch passed cleanly through it shattering the ground to pieces The thorns melted and then cut with the branch itself was almost impossibly powerful given its size

Checking his Mana expenditure Randidly swore quietly The cracked ground was a testament to having power similar to 200 Strength and that was still under 10 Mana If he pumped more into it

When the Mana reached about 25 the tree cracked and fell from the weight of the huge hulking thorned branch that was swaying above the tree It was explosive in its attacks striking with an impressive amount of speed And the power was likely four times what it had been previously In terms of offensive ability Grasp of the World Seed was incomparable to Plant Dominance

So Randidly slowly withdrew his Mana and waited He drummed his fingers against his thighs as he watched the branch slowly shrink back to normal size After about 30 seconds the branch began to smoke Then after another minute passed the entire tree was aflame and collapsing It looked like the fire had eaten it from the inside out slowly reducing it to nothing but ash

Then Randidly frowned Would that happen with everything

To test it Randidly used Wall of Thorns After he withdrew his Mana it only took a minute for it to collapse into a heap of smoking twigs

This time Randidly swore viciously That was actually quite annoying

Chapter 674

On the other hand Influence of the Molten Core was a delight to experiment with Setting aside the ability to use the Gravity Manipulation which was a much improved Gravity Affinity the core itself was incredibly useful

It reminded Randidly somewhat of the weapon Tykes used Except he didnÆt need to touch it and it was hot enough to sear skin just by being within a meter of someone In addition Randidly could control it rather easily It would take some getting used to before he was comfortable using it in battle but it seemed simple enough to use bluntly

Tactics would come later but

Then Randidly stilled With a wave a small amount of Mana summoned a blade of grass that became a platform underneath his feet and lifted him high into the sky When he was perhaps 30 meters off the ground Randidly pulled his Molten Core up to him Randidly inspected the ball of metal carefully It didnÆt drip as he would expect considering how almost liquid it seemed But instead it seemed to be self contained almost like a lava lamp

The strange minerals in the core swirled mysteriously before RandidlyÆs eyes Smiling slightly Randidly reached out and touched it Although it was painful Randidly didnÆt truly mind There were worse things in the world then pain

As the Sun Stills Randidly said softly

The Molten Core began to slowly fall RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed because it truly looked like the ball was falling in slow motion The air seemed to congeal There was something almost stately about the core as it fell Its movements were simple His Stamina was rapidly fleeing him as he continued to channel the Skill and the ball grew heavier and heavier It seemed to move slower and slower

Abruptly Randidly wondered if there was something about using Stamina that seemed to slow the passage of time

Then the core alighted on the ground seeming to kiss it

Boomm

Everything shook and RandidlyÆs control with his new plant Skill wasnÆt enough to keep on top of the platform As the grass platform swayed Randidly let himself fall off Flipping midair he rushed feet first towards the dust filled crater the core had descended into

With a soft tap Randidly landed The ground was split the core pounding its way almost 10 meters into the ground through solid rock Powder and dust from the rocks that had been smashed to annihilation still filled the air

A good combination despite how much Stamina it required If he could somehow work out a way to use Spells while striking with the core But no that likely wouldnÆt work It was never a good idea to use two images at once Both were weakened by the experience Randidly frowned at the ground

Which meant that the As the Sun Stills was already weakened by Influence of the Molten Core and it still accomplished this Perhaps he should spend some more time making those images harmonious If he could use it freely in fights

Muttering to himself Randidly set off towards the town It was not easy to find the most cost efficient way to use his new Skills and it would take some time to figure it out But at the last second Randidly paused and spun around He reached out with his Mana intending to clean up the area but then he faltered

Slowly Randidly lowered his hand His expression turned bitter as he considered his hand He supposed in the grand scheme of things this was a small price to pay for power To never use plants without destroying them again that was just the way of things It reminded Randidly a lot of his roots The Cycle of Ash and Rot He would burn so things would grow

So Randidly seized a single blade of grass again and swelled and split it into a dozen vines that moved throughout the broken ground and moved the shattered rock back into the hole he had created It wasnÆt perfect and the dust in the air meant that there were numerous spaces that need to be filled but at least it was no longer such an eyesore

Satisfied Randidly leaped and began heading towards the town He wanted to be far away from the canyon when fire consumed that blade of grass from the inside out

The inn was small and as soon as Azriel walked in she was very conscious of the fact that she could defeat everyone within the building With a force of will Azriel eased up her vicious killing intent as everyone froze at their entrance Azriel had been to the front lines before but that was a different world than the invasion they had fought against in the last month It pushed towards a certain very specific worldview One that wasnÆt helpful with social interaction

There was a group of seven laborers eating at a long table on the left wall and they seemed to have missed most of her pointed bloodlust but there was a man sitting with a young woman at the bar who jumped to his feet when she and Skarch entered

The man turned and looked at Azriel his face pale Azriel calmly returned his gaze and nodded her head Forcing out a laugh the man sat down next to the young and began waving away her questions about his outburst

Was that on purpose We should do this more often It is a fun game whoever can get a bigger reaction wins Skarch said with a smile

Are there a lot of children like you in the Spear School Azriel asked with a little bit of interest as they walked towards the bar The woman behind the bar noticed the bloodlust too she watched them with obvious wariness as the two approached

Skarch knocked the butt of her spear twice against the ground Are there a lot of children like you in the Northern Domain

Azriel gave Skarch a withering look and then smiled at the woman behind the counter Excuse me Madam we would like to purchase a room for the night

The woman grunted Oh Well we donÆt have many amenities to offer warriors such as thee Perhaps it would be best to continue another hour on the road and reach Hastam There are plenty of places there that would undoubtedly be a better fit for you

That wonÆt be necessary a room here is fine Azriel said She let some more of the tension leave her shoulders It was her mistake to come in with so much killing intent laid bare The rest of her squad had such similarly vicious gazes that they likely didnÆt notice it But Azriel should’ve known better That was her role to understand and adjust

It seems like we disagree The woman said blandly The talk at the laborers’ table was tapering off and they were all looking over towards the two newly arrived woman The man talking to the young woman kept laughing too loud and looking over his shoulder at Azriel and Skarch

Do you take money Skarch asked For good measure she took some out and put the cold metal onto the counter She tapped them with her pointer finger clinking them against each other We have money

The woman seemed to consider the money on the bar Money which was more than enough to pay for almost a week of room and board But she made no movement to take the coins Instead she just looked up at Azriel and Skarch Her eyes were red rimmed and it was clear the woman hadnÆt been sleeping well lately ItÆs not a matter of money YouÆll be wanting food yes Well there is none With the raids on the farms to the South we have nothing I wonÆt spare even a spoonful of food for strangers when I barely have enough to feed my kin You are welcome to sleep down here by the fire but we are filled to bursting with refugees who have been mistreated by soldiers for weeks Soldiers who extortedÆ them for the protection to be dumped even a few more kilometers North I think you might be in danger if you stay here so

Let me be clear Azriel said quietly It was just lark to stay inside after they had sold the cart and Azriel now regretted it But she wasnÆt going to let this woman take out her woes on her and blame not after how much blood Azriel had shed for this land It is not us who would die if someone pursued the foolishness you speak of

Fear filled the womanÆs face Before the confrontation could continue the door opened Muttering to himself and smelling of smoke Randidly walked into the inn His bare feet were dirty and his hair was starting to grow out The stumble across his jaw was starting to form a thin beard But he carried a spear and bag over his shoulder even though he possessed an interspatial ring It was a habit he had gotten into as a soldier

The womanÆs eyes turned flat You soldiers all can just fuck right

RandidlyÆs gaze shifted to the woman and then when the other person spoke it shifted again To AzrielÆs surprise the man who was sitting at the bar stood suddenly with much more grace than he had jumped up previously He turned around and regarded them all He scratched his hair and stared at Randidly for several seconds RandidlyÆs eyes widened as he looked at the man

Before you kick them out I owe this man a drink ItÆs good to see you again Randidly Ghosthound The man announced He offered a hand with a cocky grin

Randidly blinked uh Oh Orangey Is that you

Orangey as Randidly called him opened his mouth and then closed it Then he opened it again with a frown M my Tassle was orange yes but we had such a confrontation in the preliminaries to the Regional Tournament did you really forget my name

Randidly scratched his cheek Azriel chuckled

Skarch turned back to the woman and pounded her finger against the coins again IÆll take a drink too

Chapter 675

Randidly considered the vaguely familiar man before him It had been almost a year since Randidly had seen Orangey or Saynard Thorpe as he introduced himself but Randidly could still vividly remember struggling under that strange weighted contraption to secure a spot in the Regional Tournament If anything Saynard seemed even more self assured and confrontational than he had been in the past

It was a good thing that he had spoken up when he had however Because when Randidly walked into the shabby inn there had been a definite edge of violence to the room Over the past few months in Tellus Randidly had grown very familiar with the feel of violence And this was not a good one The violence of sparring was almost professional and dispassionate War against the Wights felt methodical and desperate but oddly impersonal

But in that room the violence was shaping to be frustrated and slightly crazed

Bah everyone is just tense because the Styles wonÆt move Saynard said with a wave of his hand The group of the five of them were now sitting at a table in the corner The laborers had stayed at their table and considered the group coolly but without malice One of the reasons the hostility had departed was Saynard greeting them People rioted but the Styles used fear mongering and pointed out if they would take to the countryside to fight the Wights no one would be here to defend Hastam Bah as if we were so weak to rely on them The Black Feather Style

RandidlyÆs eyelid twitched Orangey really loved to say BahÆ it seemed But the man clammed up as another person walked up to the table

The server brought over several drinks on a platter as well as a thick mutton soup The wafting smell included a hint of caraway which reminded Randidly wistfully of the goulash of his youth But after the young male server dropped off the food and drink he scuffed his shoots against the wooden floor and looked at the edge of the table

Azriel frowned at the boy and Randidly knew that her answer to this problem would be effective but blunt Sighing Randidly said quickly Was there something else

The boy looked up at Randidly with bright blue eyes The other reason the hostility had departed was that they had revealed that they werenÆt just soldiers they were the soldiers For all that the local militia regularly stole food from the people they understood that those layabouts werenÆt the entire army And due to their strange names most people knew the individuals who spearheaded the defense under Captain Platton

It seemed the name Ghosthound was familiar to them

Is it true what they say The boy blurted out The reason you are the most powerful Spellspear in the Spearman School is that you are really a Wight from the other world And you fell in love with the spear and betrayed your people and chose justice over evil

Randidly just blinked Uh

AzrielÆs mouth twitched Conspiratorially she leaned forward and nodded to the young server Yes he is from another world

But the real reason he betrayed his people was that a Propagator consumed his entire clan before his eyes Skarch said her mouth slowly widening as she spoke On that day under a blood red moon he hid in the corpse of an animal because all the Wight corpses were recycled by the Propagator He swore to never rest until every Propagator was defeated

Wow The serverÆs eyes were wide saucers

Awkwardly Randidly stayed very still His toes pressed against the warm wood of the innÆs floor How was he supposed to respond to this Honestly RandidlyÆs dominant emotion was exasperated that Skarch and Azriel would speak so misleadingly But he also didnÆt miss that Azriel had very confidently stated he came from another world Had he confirmed that It was difficult to remember

Besides what did the kid see when looking at Randidly RandidlyÆs expression slowly fell into something close to exhaustion After a month of constant fighting and then the agony of becoming the Chosen of Ash he really wasnÆt in the mood for this

Did you The server stumbled over his words then seemed to work up a head of steam Is it true you wrote your name on the South Bank of the Hallat and the Wights have been so filled with dread they havenÆt made any attempt to cross

Boy Orangey growled leaning on his elbow but Randidly raised a hand to stop him

Would this be too much Well there was only one way to find out

For the offer of hospitality IÆll show you just for a second why they fear crossing the river It is not for my name boy Randidly spoke slowly feeling something old and familiar rise in his heart the touch of karma It took him somewhat by surprise to find it rising but he supposed he shouldnÆt be surprised to sew karma

And then just for a second Randidly summoned his crown The thin grey of the circlet and metal spikes appeared The air distorted

Or at least Randidly meant for it to last for just a second

Synchronicity with ambient Ashen energy in your body detected

Your Skill Crown of Yggdrasil Upheaval and Silence has absorbed a significant portion of the remaining energy and transformed into the Crown of Yggdrasil Cataclysm and Gloom Skill Level will be maintained Area of effect increased Effectiveness of previous Skill increased

Warning The Rarity of the Skill Level is nearing a new plateau Please see a Village Spirit for more information

Randidly could feel the crown above his head twisting just slightly as the change rippled through it Instantly he felt that its offensive capabilities grew with this change although he wasnÆt sure of the details In addition it was worth noting that the notification seemed to indicate that although a significant portion of the remaining energy was absorbed there was still more Could another one of his Skills change

AzrielÆs short world brought him back to himself Immediately he dismissed the Skills Azriel and Skarch just seemed annoyed but Orangey was staring The girl that Orangey had brought with him and not introduced was trembling The laborers were looking with wide eyes over at the table Everyone seemed on edge

Then Randidly turned and look at the server He was frozen stock still His pants were wet and the smell of urine filled the air Inwardly Randidly winced That was a little more than he had been intending

Coming back to himself the server flushed and said I I I m my apologies

Kid Randidly said trying to speak as softly as possible And still the server jumped Hiding his embarrassment Randidly reached out and touched the serverÆs shoulders You didnÆt step back Ultimately that is all you really need in this world

Ducking his head and muttering apologies the server ran away Randidly honestly felt pretty bad about embarrassing him and hoped his final line was enough of a positive that the boy wouldnÆt be twisted by the experienced Thinking of that sensation of sewing karma with the boy RandidlyÆs expression turned bitter

ahem Orangey said into the awkward silence He spared Randidly a quick glance and then continued as I was saying the people around here arenÆt as weak as you think Err I mean that kid probably hasnÆt held a spear a day in his life but there are some hidden masters around here believe me

Trying to put that strange experience out of his mind Randidly turned to Orangey What were you saying about a Style The Black Feather Style

Ah Perfect Immediately Orangey grinned ThatÆs actually where I met Noota here ItÆs not really a Style it’s just a coalition of the independents and counter culture spear users in the area of Hastam It used to be a pretty small time thing but with all of the worry over the Wights our numbers are exploding Actually I had a favor to ask

Skarch looked at OrangeyÆs serious face with some amusement Orangey what entitles you to a favor A drink Despite what the bartender insisted I have money That should buy things

Orangey winced and threw Randidly a hurt look As I said my name is Saynard I tire of your jokes miss Besides between Randidly and I we donÆt count favors Sometimes there are just bonds between men that defy explanation It’s like a hunter gazing into the eyes of a Killer Hawk Bear

Randidly would have sworn that he had never heard OrangeyÆs name but he had learned insisting ignorance hadnÆt had any effect Also was he supposed to be the hunter or the strangely named Killer Hawk Bear in this metaphor

As I was saying a simple favor You three are competing in the under 25 tournament correct I would ask you to wear a visible black feather on your person Nothing ostentatious but I believe our movement would benefit from visibility Especially with such talented individuals wearing the sign It will prove to the Styles of Hastam that something has to be done about the Wight problem

Randidly looked at Orangey with sad eyes He could empathize with the grassroots movement but it was hard to believe it would make a difference to the Styles From everything Captain Platton had said they didnÆt care at all that land was slowly being devoured by Wights right under their noses

Which was why AzrielÆs response took Randidly by surprise

I think we should do it

Chapter 676

Really Randidly asked as he twisted to look at Azriel She nodded affirmatively

My goal is to earn honor for my master If it is proven to be legitimate I will finally feel satisfied Azriel said simply This move will earn us the recognition of the people if what Orangey says is to be believed That attention is valuable

I agree Skarch added All of the established Styles hate us anyway whatÆs the harm in making some new friends

Orangey broke out into a wide grin and drunk down about half of his mug When he finished he slammed it down on the table and smacked his lips This is wonderful news You might think we are simply a band of malcontents and wayward elements but we are the voice of the people This will do a lot to bring some cheer to the common farmers around here

Not a lot of course But it will help a little

Randidly turned and looked at the girl Orangey had brought who had finally spoken up She was very obviously not looking at Randidly which made him sigh Still his little blip of self control earned him this behavior If he didnÆt want it he should have been more careful

itÆs the food thing isnÆt it Randidly asked the girl His mouth firmed into a line Actually I can

Then Randidly froze Like a glacier melting his face once again fell back to a deep wariness No he couldnÆt Although he could swell vegetables and fruits to huge sizes for barely even 10 Mana that Mana was a death sentence to those foods Suddenly the enormity of what Randidly had lost to the Ashen Image struck him

Randidly shivered as he imagined what would happen to a person if they ate one of his vegetables before the burn up time frame had expired Would it hurt them

The shook her head sadly ItÆs a problem of manpower not something you can solve by fighting someone Too many of our stronger individuals went to the front lines to defend against the Wights Fields arenÆt being worked and if the seeds arenÆt planted soon

She didnÆt finish the thought Soon talk moved away from that topic and back to the Black Feather Style Azriel and Skarch questioned Orangey relentlessly about what it was how many members it had what its goals were etc

Instead Randidly just sat there his eyelids slipping down until they were half closed But in his heart his frustration and fury burned His emerald eyes were bright They flashed with the violence of his emotion Then he began to channel his Mana Although he had lost his gentle touch it couldnÆt be denied that what he gained was a much more powerful tool with which to affect the world So he spread his influence across the surrounding miles and pushed

If any at the table werenÆt caught up in the discussion they would have noticed that there was a strange flickering redness at the edges of RandidlyÆs iris When compared to the bright green it was almost as if flames were slowly eating in at his eye color

Jera rose before the sun as he did every day

First he washed his hands and face Then he moved to feed his livestock Afterward as he was walking back to his house the sun was finally peeking up over the horizon Rubbing his back Jera allowed himself to rest on his porch for a few minutes and watch the sunrise

TodayÆs labor was the same as yesterdays and it would be the same for the rest of the week he had to see how many of the nearby fields he would be willing to clear and till With all of his neighbors drawn South by the war effort and promises of glory Jera had much more land than he could handle by himself By maybe a factor of 20

But as the sun came further up into the sky JeraÆs eyes widened He rubbed them to wipe away any effects of sleep and then looked around him to be sure his eyes werenÆt deceiving him Even then Jera quickly got up and roamed around the house to see how big of an effect it was He hadnÆt noticed it in the darkness but the fields in the surrounding area

All of them had been hoed and cleaned They sat pristine under the sun ready and waiting for the seeds to be planted

From the hill where JeraÆs house sat he couldnÆt see a field that hadnÆt been tilled And that was a mighty far distance for one to have worked especially at night

Curious Jera approached the fields with a critical eye When he drew close his slowly budding hope turned to a spike of fear Frowning he walked up to the field and picked up some of the strange grey substance that had been left on top of the topsoil in some areas Now that Jera knew what to look for he saw it everywhere The entire field was covered in it

Rubbing it between his fingers JeraÆs frown deepened

Ash

The sound of running drew JeraÆs attention and he looked up as a group of three men jogged up the road toward his house One of them he recognized Albby

As the three approached the house Jera wiped the ash off onto his pants and returned to his porch After a brief discussion two of the men waved at Jera and received a nod in return Then they continued past his house and down the road heading west Albby walked up to the porch

Those boys were from Magedevlin way Albby grunted Every field tilled and ready just like yours A few people are complaining the lines arenÆt always completely even but damn There wasnÆt a Year I remember where IÆd seen such pretty fields for such a long distance

Albby sat next to Jera and they both considered the strangeness of it Almost as one they both shrugged they werenÆt in the position to wiggle the head of an inherited spear

They are running West to see how far it extends

Jera nodded simply Then he frowned Do we know anything about the ash

Some of the best damn fertilizer IÆve ever seen Albby said fervently If I didnÆt know better someone shipped compost from a forest fire in the Heart School High nutrient density and Mana is practically rolling off the stuff I bet harvest time is naught but two weeks away and we havenÆt even planted yet Whoever made this has a gift Probably a Skill

As one the two men smiled at each other Jera rubbed his back as he stood and then shook AlbbyÆs hand Alright time to get to work

The girl returned to the Black Feather headquarters but Orangey insisted on accompanying the rest of them as they returned to Hastam Randidly didnÆt mind but Skarch enjoyed it the most The entire journey was her teasing Orangey over his name What was perhaps more amusing was that Orangey fell for it every time spitting and stomping his foot in anger at her more cutting jokes

Randidly supposed this was somewhat akin to watching a bull and matador fight No matter how much he knew he shouldnÆt Orangey just got enraged and charged at her And unlike the bull being able to trounce the matador Randidly had no doubts which of the two would be more powerful

Are you ready Azriel asked

Randidly tilted his head at her and she continued You might have ignored the announcement at the preliminary meeting but we have all earned time in the Hall of Stances by qualifying However it was being investigated when we arrived due to the Spearsource being stolen But I have spoken with my contacts in Hastam and it is being prepared for us

What is the Hall of Stances Randidly asked

Azriel seemed to consider this question Hastam was one of the most powerful Villages in Tellus It possessed a Village Spirit with unparalleled power and vision Over the course of hundreds of years Hastam purchased a strange treasure that enabled it to record ten seconds of movements from an individual in stones

Upon reaching the Pontiff level an individual possesses the qualifications to be selected to be within the Hall of Stances But generally it also requires proof of great power and influence Generally this is interpreted as great merit but there are also many great villains and TellusÆ history that have been enshrined there Although they were beings of great evil their spear use was exquisite

AzrielÆs eyes hardened One of my goals is to have my Master acknowledged there If that is impossible I will make it there and obtain a spot in the inner circle where the ten most powerful spear moves in history are enshrined

A tall order Randidly said lightly considering this information He suspected that whatever this was conveyed a bit more than a video recording would have otherwise Azriel wouldnÆt have the note of reverence in her voice as she talked about it Likely it would let you experience something similar to that Skill Sampling so many powerful images it was no wonder why they were cherished

Rich coming from the man who tried to kill a Propagator Azriel said with a shake of the head After all there was only one person who ever had a confirmed kill on a Propagator

Randidly didnÆt say anything but wondered about the veracity of that If the Propagator was the expression of the deep fear of TellusÆ images then the Spearman would have fought against one Before the Spearsource was stolen the Propagators were clearly on the rope Had the Spearman failed to kill one

Then RandidlyÆs eyes sharpened The Hall of Stances recorded old styles for future generations The Propagators picked up their dead and refashioned them into more soldiers Was that a coincidence

With Orangey and Skarch bickering behind them the group entered into the gates of Hastam

Chapter 677

This trip into Hastam was much more expedient although the mood in the city had soured There was still a long line of arrogant men and women wearing expensive clothes but the sound of their talk had changed It became less light and sneering and more snapping

With their Soulstones denoting them as members of the under Level 25 tournament they passed easily through the gates and into the city proper As they did so Randidly turned to Skarth and Azriel

Where does the other tournament take place The under 50

Skarch smiled widely at Randidly Currently the Spear School has the honor of hosting the greater of the two tournaments Still of all the Schools the Spear have experienced the least amount of invasion on the part of the Wights Our equipment gives us a natural advantage As such we have maintained our lines much more easily than the others

I am glad we are here We have sharpened our Skills immensely on the front lines Azriel interjected

Orangey shook his head in disgust From what I hear the front lines were a meat grinder Were you three all truly out there fighting against the Wights I know they exaggerate but they say you killed thousands

Azriel just smiled and Randidly was amused to see Orangey shiver Azriel had a way to get under his skin

I mean you might have passed the preliminaries back then Orangey continued with a sharp look at Azriel But we were equal I canÆt believe that so much has changed How different we are now

As I said Azriel said We have sharpened our Skills immensely You do not grow as we do away from the chance of death

Not just our deaths too Æ Randidly thought sadly as he remembered the graves he had dug He still remembered the smell of the river and the feeling of the wooden shaft of the shovel in his hands Whenever he felt tired or annoyed or frustrated Randidly knew that he would remember those feelings to push himself forward

The group followed AzrielÆs lead deeper into the richer portions of Hastam Slowly the storefronts were replaced by walled courtyards The people that remained on the strength carried heavy spears and considered the group with hard eyes But inevitably they nodded grudgingly Randidly inclined his head in return

But abruptly Azriel took them from the rich streets into a side thoroughfare that was almost an alley Very soon the alley led to a doorway with two torches Randidly was slightly surprised that there were no guards or guides It all felt rather poorly arranged

Perhaps the Central Domain was finally taking the threat of the Wights seriously which was a good sign

The group pushed through the unguarded wooden door and found themselves in a wide antechamber A wave of heat and noise stopped Randidly dead His eyes quickly located the veritable troupe of minstrels along the wall playing at violins and harps Almost 300 people were packed into what could only be a ballroom There was a lavish spread of food laid out in the center of the room on a long table Roast ducks and huge haunches of mutton steamed appetizingly

Men and women in dresses held flutes of a dark orange liquid and laughed as they gathered around several men and women dressed up in battle gear that didnÆt seem to have seen even a lick of use on the frontlines Their leathers were pristine their steel shoulder pads shining

In a split second Randidly could see that there were several large groups among the fancy dressed individuals Likely these were the supporters of those members of the tournament that grew up in Hastam But to think that so many would come and have a party here before the tournament really even started the preliminary results werenÆt even yet in

Azriel finally broke the silence stating RandidlyÆs thoughts exactly This is the rumored Hall of Stances Pah perhaps I donÆt wish to be here as badly as I thought Why not commission a bronze statue in front of a C Corporation burger joint

Well this should just be the gathering antechamber Skarch said with a frown But she too seemed disappointed None of them had actually been to the Hall of Stances before but Skarch had spent the most time between them in Hastam as she had come here early for the tournament

Before they could speak further a man in a long red cloak appeared before them a frown firmly installed on his face This is a private event Please leave or you will be thrown out

We Randidly began but a figure arrived behind them And in a blur of motion the figure stepped forward and smashed the red cloaked man with his fist

The man was thrown backward and crashed into a table with a crystal bowl of the strange orange drink on it The table buckled from the force and collapsed In a tinking shower the bowl and the glasses on the table shattered Orange liquid seeped outward from the manÆs body looking like a farcical mimicry of blood

Then the man leaped to his feet with a bristling scowl breaking the image The party around them fell silent turning to look at the new arrivals and their actions

You The man bellowed He drew his spear and a few similarly dressed compatriots came to his side to face their group

Randidly turned and regarded the new arrival Silo coolly cracked the fingers of his hand and then gave his three teammates a dismissive glance

IÆve returned Silo said dramatically Azriel just gave Randidly a puzzled look Randidly shrugged Silo had no way of knowing that the twisted Aether cloud he walked around in was incredibly easy to spot for Randidly It was like a looming cloud of secondhand smoke

Fools Do you think you can simply barge in here this is

Heh guardsmen let them come Much as it pains me to say the Spearman School has declined to the point that these four are part of the tournament A tall man with a stupidly square jaw walked out of the largest group of fawning people and smiled at Silo Welcome back Silo You seem somewhat pale Was the stress of running away from Wights too much for you

Althumber Silo growled his hands clenching to fists

Randidly didnÆt like to admit it but squarehead was right Silo looked terrible to the naked eye But when he sensed the Aether around him the picture was even more disgusting The guy was practically a pulsing mass of Aether and not in a good way It was clear that he stuffed more Aether into his body than he could handle and had suffered some sort of strange deviation in his internal world

The more Randidly studied him the more Randidly was sure that something bad had happened Something involving SiloÆs Class But even as Randidly was worried about what would happen he was deeply curious about the effects One part of him worried that this was an action akin to something the Creature would do using someone for research but Randidly wasnÆt going to hold himself at fault for whatever was occurring with Silo This was something he had brought on himself

We are all here A man said This one Randidly recognized It was Mister Veir the father of Althumber Then let us begin Our first business on the agenda a few moments of silence for one of our number who fell during the Wight attacks Let it be a lesson for all of you fighting needs to be taken seriously When you take up the spear you accept the possibility you will die

Around him all of the spear users closed their eyes and nodded their heads But he kept his blazing eyes forward Mr Veir also didnÆt lower his gaze in reverence for the fallen people Instead he peered around with obvious boredom

Their gazes met

Randidly bared his teeth at the man I will teach you a lesson about taking things seriously Mr Veir I will rip your son to shreds so you feel the pain of those thousands of farmers you couldnÆt be bothered to fight for Æ

For his part Veir seemed shocked that someone was glaring at him so openly But before he could form a reaction most people looked up With a final probing glance at Randidly Mr Veir slid a mask back over his features and was suddenly a sorrowful man

with that important task out of the way it is time to follow me through to the inner chamber Apologies to the friends and family that have come to support their young elites but this portion will happen privately as we determine who will make it into the final tournament Worry not however because it will take but a few minutes and we will soon announce the highest seeds

Chapter 678

Silo was torn

He partially was horrified at the needless and excessive violence he had engaged in Although the guard was an asshole that was no reason to strike him The other part of him glorified in it There was a simple satisfaction in being physically superior to someone else It was a simple pleasure like nothing else Silo had experienced

This split was nothing new It had been a constant source of inner pain and turmoil since he had pushed himself to Level 50 with the gift from his masters

As they walked SiloÆs gaze shifted to his group He barely controlled a sneer They seemed rather hale and healthy they probably had done little actual engagement with the enemy Meanwhile Silo had been behind enemy lines Every day he had killed dozens if not hundreds of Wights

In those circumstances others would have probably fallen into the hands of the enemy and Silo couldnÆt deny there were many close calls A handful of times he had sustained a deep injury that put him in dire straits But with his new more powerful images that he had received from the gift he was able to grasp victory

Silo was aware that he was losing a portion of his old Skills but it was hard to care After all everything was to show these pompous Central Styles that they canÆt just trample over the lives of the people in the Spearman School

In his pocket SiloÆs hand tightened on his Soulstone No matter what the rest of his squad had done Silo was sure that his actions were enough to buy them a ticket into the finals And from there he could demonstrate how far he had come

He could kill someone

The thought came unbidden and Silo stumbled as part of him recoiled horrified

Without much respect Azriel pushed lightly on SiloÆs back Keep walking

Silo felt a flash of hot fury but he buried it Instead he hurried forward Why did he suddenly suddenly think about killing someone And why

did he want it so badly

Luckily they soon reached another room where there were 16 larger Soulstones about the size of a large closet Although this new room was just as spacious as the first the sixteen Soulstones did make it feel pretty cramped There was a small wooden podium in front of the Soulstones and Raption Veir walked to it and began to speak

Since we are here letÆs begin quickly so we can return to the festivities One at a time each team will come up to touch one of the Soulstones They have been labeled To begin Team One

With an easy smile on his face Althumber and his group walked forward They laughed as they did it too which made Silo dig his nails into the palm of his hand In his mind Silo had no doubt that Althumber had never been placed in a situation where he was in any danger during this three month time span He had simply collected his points from others It was infuriating

But then Silo forced himself to relax Although he had suffered while Althumber had not the experience of fighting alone behind enemy lines was invaluable Silo had no doubt who would be able to triumph in a direct confrontation

Very quickly energy flowed out of the Soulstones they pressed on the larger Soulstones It was like watching a sphere slowly fill with mist Silo felt a flash of glee as no more energy flowed into the large Soulstone and the large thing was not even halfway full It truly appeared like think grey mist was pooling around in the stone

But when Raption spoke it was with laughter in his voice Oh Our Team OneÆs final scores is 26 132 Truly impressive They truly set a high bar As expected of the number one team

Althumber looked smug Silo did his best to suppress his twitching

More and more teams went up and put their energy into their individual Soulstone Team TwoÆs score gave Silo something of a shock because it indicated how he might have underestimated how badly the VeirÆs were cheating for the First Team Team Two scored 15 079

Team Three was 9 010 but Team Four was 17 982 which gave Raption a moment of stiffness before he congratulated the team It seemed that Team FourÆs performance was not in the cards The rest of the Teams were largely in the order they were ranked however except for one notable exception

Team Eleven 25 999 That For several moments Raption truly seemed unable to fathom what to say Instead he just stared at the lovely woman who had turned in the lionÆs share of the points Silo spared a glance for Randidly who was yawning

The lovely woman bowed If Silo recalled correctly her name was Helen and she traveled here with this group It was incredibly impressive that she had accomplished this much

After a few more teams went up and revealed scores between six and seven thousand it was finally their turn

Silo stretched his hand out to his teammates stopping them Please let me go first You will understand why afterward

Unlike the rest of the team his team shrugged and let him go up alone His gait was calm and his breathing was even but the wild and dark side of him was practically giggling with glee Although he didnÆt know how much energy he had gathered Silo had no doubt the amount was jaw dropping

An acidic smile curled up the edges of his mouth It was time to give them the first sign that they were not as in control of this tournament as they thought

Silo pressed his Soulstone against the larger Soulstone labeled with sixteen Energy rushed out of it and began to pool in the bottom More and more flowed out very quickly passing the point totals of most of their competition

But ultimately Silo had a bitter expression on his face as he noticed that his total was barely short of Team Two

Team Sixteen 14 578 Now the shock in Raption VeirÆs face gave way to barely concealed fury It was clear that the man was grinding his teeth as he regarded Silo It did a lot to alleviate the frustration that Silo was feeling How surprising Well if thatÆs all IÆll announce

Ah wait I havenÆt had a turn yet

Everyone turned as Skarch the Spear School Style woman walked calmly forward She removed a Soulstone and tapped it against the larger Soulstone Then she turned and walked away

Everyone stood stock still as they checked the new amount of the Soulstone

Team Sixteen 42 394 points Raption mumbled Then he turned around and gave Randidly and Azriel who were standing some distance away a hard look When they didnÆt move it seemed something inside of him relaxed

Silo experienced a similar reaction Forty two thousand meant that the other three had gathered twenty eight thousand together That evened out to a little over nine thousand a piece It wasnÆt as big as he had gathered which was reassuring There had a been a moment when Silo had felt a strange surety that they had each gathered that much energy

and something told Silo that of the three of them Skarch wouldnÆt have the most Her attacks were too direct Meanwhile RandidlyÆs Spellspear Skills

Ah Well then Ahem Our final five teams are Team One Team Two Team Four Team Eleven and Team Sixteen The err Here Veir paused briefly before continuing The board of elders had decided to do away with the seeding element and randomly distribute the byes for the first round of the tournament which will be determined on an individual basis

The drawing will well occur presently Ah to make the numbers work there will be 8 individuals who will need to fight in a preliminary round and then those four will join the remaining twelve in a typical single elimination style I will write down the names and select them presently

Sneering at Veir while he hastily scribbled down on scrap paper brought to him by an aide Silo knew that the plan had likely to give the winners a bye and perhaps force the final two teams to fight themselves It was quite satisfying to see him thrown by the outcome but it was still frustrating that they couldnÆt admit Team Sixteen was superior

In fact they could have just accepted the seeded method and forced Teams Two and Four to fight each other and Given the other three the bye into the final top 16 portion of the tournament But that was likely politically untenable Although not as important as those in the first Squad Squad Two had a lot of the pampered elites of the Central Domain

And to protect their fragile feelings Raption Veir would do anything

Oh also Veir added before the drawing began Even should you fail in the tournament before the end worry not For the remainder of the tournament you will stay in housing provided by the Hall of Stances During that time you may peruse the outer area of the Hall But only the final two shall be allowed into the Inner Sanctum So without further ado

As expected none of Squad One and only one from Two was selected That individual was from the Death School which was largely independent and cared not about such things But two people from Squad Four was selected Two people from Squad Eleven as well And finally three people from Squad Sixteen

Everyone but him would be fighting in the first preliminary round

Chapter 679

Randidly sat in the room provided for him by the Hall of Stances meditating Unlike most of his peers he did not choose this time to excitedly enter into the Hall of Stances itself Not only was the inner sanctum portion barred to him but there were also quite a few fellow competitors who would be using it at the moment It would not be the proper environment to experience these other images from powerful spear users of the past

All of those who wouldnÆt be in the final tournament had seven days to peruse the images Undoubtedly they would be in the Hall of Stances this entire time hoping to squeeze any benefit they could manage out of their time here

Exactly the sort of attitude that would make such a trip useless

Today was the day that the tournament arrangement would be released Although Skarch and Azriel went to the presentation Randidly did not join them He didnÆt really consider it necessary they would bring him the answer as soon as they had it Finding out which random spear user he would fight didnÆt have much meaning

Releasing the rest of his breath Randidly felt he was ready So he activated All is Ash

Per the Patron of AshÆs advice most of RandidlyÆs practice with Skill was simply using it in a resting state The idea was to give his subconscious a baseline to feel what being himself under the influence of the Skill would be like That way an accident like what had struck him previously wouldnÆt repeat

The world flattened and Randidly felt the flimsy shell that was the world around him Everything was Ash All was fragile and empty

His eyes burned emerald in the dimly lit room At the edges of his irises the faintest trace of crimson could be seen

The other thing that struck him about this state was how much movement there was in the world and how little it mattered Randidly could clearly feel how the small motes of dust in the air wandered around the room It gave the eternal silence around Randidly a sense of erosion Slowly but surely she shapes we created out of ash would decompose to leave nothing remaining

The only conclusion was oblivion It felt intimidatingly close but Randidly didnÆt shy away from it That was the trick with this Skill Growing comfortable in the balance on a razorÆs edge

Abruptly Randidly ran out of Mana Sensations crashed back around him To his chagrin he realized that he was audibly breathing With a wry smile Randidly stood and stretched Acri slithered over like a snake and Sulfur oozed across the ground excited to be retrieved once more but Randidly held up a hand Not quite yet

Instead he walked to the window and looked outside into the dingy courtyard below Although this place was clearly constructed with the finest materials the traces of the thorough and demanding investigation by the different Schools marred the surface The fine marble of the floor below was scuffed and dirty

RandidlyÆs mouth thinned to a line Although he wasnÆt sure how to go about it he was sure that he would want to spend some of the time here in the Hall of Stances trying to figure out what went on with the Spearsource

The first question he had was what the Spearsource was Taken literally it seemed like the Spearsource was a source of power or perhaps more accurately a source of images Considered in the context of Tellus trying to pass the second Calamity it seemed likely that the Spearsource was the bundle of images that was going to vanquish the fear fueled images

The Wights made a lot of sense as the product of a villainous version of images as well Where the Spear users believed individual might was everything what did individual might mean when your body was assembled by a Propagator and once dead you could be recycled without any effort

But from everything Randidly had heard about the war against the Wights the Spearman had won and had been left alive at the suffrage of the Spearman Then as far as Randidly could tell the Spearman disappeared leaving the Spearsource

Randidly scratched his chin Did they have a comparable to a library Looking up some history might make this process much easier He needed more information to understand what was going on

Besides images couldnÆt just occur naturally on their own Was it just as simple as the Spearman severing his own victorious images from himself But why Did he know what was coming Perhaps he had a clue what was through the portal and how he would be tested Was he trying to buy time

Or was the premise Randidly was beginning from flawed Had the Spearman lost and the Spearsource was the last bastion of his images

Or was the Spearman a misnomer perhaps in the past this world wasnÆt governed by the image of spears at all

Randidly sighed Useless to speculate Instead he opened up his menus and spent the few PP he had earned over the past few days To his surprise it was quite a bit higher than he had expected But as he examined it his frown deepened

He gained 12 Levels in Talon Strike and 7 in Counter As far as he could remember he hadnÆt used those Skills recently

His finger tapped the wooden frame of the window Were there perhaps more benefits to being in the Hall of Stances than Randidly assumed There certainly was an air about the place the vibrancy and strength of the images that lay below Randidly were palpable He had no doubt that he could gain a lot from staying here

However that could wait until the week was over and only the final 20 remained Then there would be more chances to peruse the images

Long before there was a knock on the door on his door Randidly heard the footsteps approaching They were light and soft but the time between each step was very precise Shaking his head Randidly prepared to see Azriel

After knocking once she opened the door To his surprise her face was serious as she considered him

What is it Randidly asked

Your first match is against Helen Azriel said quietly She seemed to be watching him very carefully for his reaction

Inwardly Randidly was somewhat annoyed That would make things complicated between himself and Helen especially if

Then Randidly blinked With a laugh he shrugged Alright thatÆs fine By the way where is Skarch

Azriel pursed her lips Your reaction is unusual One of you will not pass this trial Although I admit your emotional fortitude has increased it is honestly not for you I worry Helen will

ItÆs fine Azriel Randidly interrupted in a tired voice There was a lot to investigate and he was already far behind on what he believed he should be doing He didnÆt need more pointless worries to distract him It will work out

I believe I could mimic her Skills to a satisfactory extent if you would like to practice spar Azriel added

Thank you but that wonÆt be necessary

This finally seemed to annoy Azriel You do realize she held back in the past Her abilities have been honed to a killing point I have no doubt that this three months only polished that She has the capabilities to beat you Kill you even

Then I suppose itÆs time I give her the chance to demonstrate that Randidly growled shooting Azriel a glare Now where is Skarch

Aiden Darke and Selfia sat in a room opposite where Randidly and Azriel stood DarkeÆs face was creased with a frown

You can find nothing He asked

Selfia shrugged helplessly He doesnÆt match the description of any known agents It was confirmed that he obtained some information from one of the previously established breeding farms but he holds none of their traits So therefore he obtained their methods by luck or

Or he knows enough to have sought them out Darke finished grimly His gaze pierced through the polished wood of their walls and the walls of Randidly’s room as if to finally see the truth of the man Randidly Ghosthound was an enigma Before appearing along with Shal in the Regional Tournament it was like the kid didnÆt exist

Because of course the spear user Randidly Ghosthound didnÆt exist Which was why he was called

Just watch for now Darke closed his eyes Disguises we have dealt with before After the tournament is over we will simply have to retire Mr Ghosthound and gather the truth from his broken flesh

Chapters 680

Her new body wasnÆt ideal Lucretia reflected was she was led down the labyrinthine halls below TaftÆs Assembly of MinisterÆs The capital of the Spriggit empire might be described in many ways but simple was not one of them

She was currently five and was following quietly behind one of the Under ministers the almost faceless people that performed the bureaucratic tasks of the Assembly Unlike the ministers themselves they were not elected and therefore spent quite a long time here Although they had no explicit powers many a Minister had discovered how crippling it was to be on the wrong side of the under Ministry

Through here The manÆs gruff voice sounded very small in the dark The only light came from the torch he carried and the light seemed very muffled in the long stone halls He gestured impatiently to the door and Lucretia walked through

Inside there was a warm fire and a long table at which three people sat Their chairs were ornate and honestly the entire room looked much more respectable than the hallway that led here would indicate But of course

Lucretia glanced at the far wall at the mahogany door There was another way here But that door was too good for one such as here

Even with only a fraction of the monster raceÆs genes in her body it was too much in the eyes of the conservative faction of the ministry

Although this bodyÆs father Halt was a Spriggit servant her mother Massy had the blood of Monsters in her In visible ways too Massy had curving horns from her head and powerful leathery wings that she had to keep bound against her back during the day

Lucretia didnÆt mind the racism overmuch She was far too old to be bothered by the looks people gave her It just tired her sometimes Always it came back to this She wondered how much longer this charade would last

A part of her worried she would grow old and die in this body before Randidly would notice that she had lived inside his world

From her back stretched to protuberances of bone It was clear that they were the frame that the leathery wings her mother possessed were built on but there was no wing membrane They were just thin limbs extending from her shoulder blades that ended in a sharp claw Luckily they were much easier to hide than her motherÆs They could be belted to her arms to hide most of it What was worrisome however was that her wing bones continued to grow Soon they would be too long to hide behind her arms

You may sit

A sharp voice from the central figure at the table cut through LucretiaÆs thoughts With a small nod she walked to the unadorned wooden chair in the middle of the room She sat and faced the three

The central figure was an older spriggit man His hairy ears drooped as he studied her On the right was a figure with a cloak pulled over his face to hide it in shadow After giving up on discovering his identity LucretiaÆs focus drifted back to the central figure for a bit To his left was a sharp faced woman who Lucretia vaguely recognized That got her attention

Ah it was the woman who had saw Lucretia fighting off the three thugs that lived in the kitchen Her irritation spiked sharply up remembering it

Not only did she need to endure the constant stares from Spriggits ranging between pity and disgust but most of those with visible monster blood made snide comments about how Massy and Creta were spineless shits The comments werenÆt so bad but it made her mother upset

It might be a fake body but Lucretia had been cared for by Massy when she was effectively helpless in her own body There was karma there

It was an old joke the half monster servants made sometimes that Spriggits dine on metal rather than meat So when Massy was sick and the kitchens sent down vegetable soup with a rusted gear in it

Lucretia visited the kitchens She tore off the left hand of the ten year old cretin who thought he was the descendant of the Hero because he had fangs and was well on her way to torturing the other two when this woman had walked into the room Lucretia immediately bailed

That had been almost a week ago It did not bode well that they brought her here now And yet the room didnÆt feel like a prison or that she would be punished for it No if anything this felt like

a job interview

You are probably wondering why you are here The central Spriggit began His voice was nasally and cold We have been informed of your act of violence against the kitchen boys We investigate such things seriously especially considering your kindÆs propensity towards violence However we were shocked to discover that aside from ripping the flesh of one of them you kept your strikes in purely non lethal places It displayed remarkable animal cunning

Some might say dangerous tendencies The woman added darkly Her gaze was the most hostile but it was also measuring

Well Lucretia turned to the cloaked figure Who knew how hostile that gaze would be

these three did realize that her body was only that of a five year old girl correct Monster or not she wasnÆt yet at the age she would be working

violence has its uses The man said smoothly Which is why you have been brought here I would like to offer you an opportunity If you accept it both of your parents will be cared for They will not need to work a day for the rest of their lives

That got LucretiaÆs attention Although Massy hadnÆt realized it yet she was pregnant again Due to the morning sickness her performance as a message runner was taking a nosedive This stressed her out which caused her to catch an entirely different kind of sickness Lucretia had considered many ways to assist the familyÆs finances but was stuck at somewhat of an impasse

After all there were no Skills in the world

There were magic and real vocational skills But there were no Levels No Classes No stats Everything was hidden although Lucretia suspected that there was some sort of numerical System underlying it all But for all her age and experience she still felt lost without any Skills to rely on She didnÆt know what to do

What sort of work will I be required to do Lucretia asked Although she was truly five her monster blood made her body mature somewhat faster than Spriggits To adults unfamiliar with her she could pass as a short and skinny ten year old Besides playing dumb had never been LucretiaÆs game

Creta that is your name yes You would be a shadow

Lucretia turned and looked at the cloaked figure with raised eyebrows It was somewhat surprising to her that the hidden figure was female if just based on her voice

What is a shadow Lucretia asked slowly

Cold and calculating The hostile eyed woman said sourly

The older Spriggit man smiled And capable Then he turned back to Lucretia A shadow is a being tied to another that takes care of the darkness so that the other can bask in the light

Something clicked in LucretiaÆs mind She had seen them before those few monsters that were allowed into the Ministry They were never alone In fact they were generally following just behind a Minister their eyes scanning around An aide a bodyguard a shadow

Okay Lucretia said with a nod When can I start

An opportunity would put her closer to those in power In addition Lucretia had no doubt that she would be trained in preparation for this assignment Both would be helpful as she figured out how to grab RandidlyÆs attention She needed capability and influence Although she had some protective feelings towards her family it wasnÆt overly emotional not being able to see them in the future wouldnÆt be a crippling blow

Today Follow me The cloaked figure said Then she stood and went out the servantÆs door Lucretia followed She wouldnÆt see daylight for two years

Honestly Lucretia would perhaps not have seen daylight for longer except for two facts First she realized that although she didnÆt have access to her own Status she could see her connection to Randidly gave her access to his Skills Almost innately she had muscle memory and hyper powerful intuition that couldnÆt be explained any other way Her Fighting Proficiency was so much that Granyulla her trainer was forced to admit Creta was the most talented youth she ever taught

Granyulla was the woman in that room the first day and was also a White Hunter Although rarely seen outside their land it made sense to employ them as a martial instructor It was just that Lucretia was practically cheating Especially when she realized that striking with the bones of her wings could be used in conjunction with Talon Strike in addition to using her hands

So for two long years in the dark Lucretia familiarized herself with her body and paid lip service to learning to read do math conduct business understand law and assist another fully in their role as monarch of a company

She was ready because of the first reason But she left because of the second reason

The second reason was that a girl named Alta Bounty was born and the Bounty family had paid for their daughter to have a shadow

Chapter 681

When Alta hopped off her mount she stumbled but for a 10 year old she was surprisingly balanced Although it certainly looked like she would faceplant into the dirt track a mad pinwheeling of her arms managed to stabilize herself

LucretiaÆs mouth twitched For all the girlÆs faults fearfulness was not one of them

Alta scampered across the dirt track to the edge of the sunflower field her eyes wide Lucretia reigned in her mount and spared a glance for the servant following her and Alta in the carriage While AltaÆs father and older brother were up ahead hunting god knows what the women dithered behind

Look Look Tiny sun babies Alta said with a wide smile She spun around and practically beamed at Lucretia Even though Lucretia was expecting it it still hit her with a physical force Although there werenÆt Skills in this world there was a much more elusive and altogether useful sort of magic Of which Alta was a particular beneficiary Her emotions were booming waves of force that hit you when you were near her Volatile sure but powerful

As her shadow Lucretia was subjected to it almost every hour of every day She rose with Alta and put Alta to bed From the outside Lucretia had perfectly fallen into the diffident servant to this small bundle of power Even Lucretia wondered sometimes whether she was committing to this too emotionally or whether the girl was influencing her overmuch

But no matter what Lucretia would never leave the girl As Alta turned back to the field LucretiaÆs eyes focused on the girlÆs heart There a thick thread of karma sat It was slowly developing almost like a flower blooming When Lucretia had met Alta almost ten years ago it was so faint that Lucretia worried that she had imagined it But as time passed her fervent hope turned out true

Because that blooming karma was not with her

It was with Randidly

Lucretia eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she peered at the girlÆs back Not that she was tossing aside all other avenues Lucretia had found to her delight that Engraving was still effective in this world and had been working diligently every night However this was an obvious lead given to her by the world She would not take her eyes off of it when it was building toward a possible connection

And it was also clear in that karma something would happen today Lucretia could hardly wait

Alta Darling Perhaps we should keep going Your little sister is tired if we continue to the summer home

Alta spun around and rolled her eyes at the face poking out of the window Whatever Darcy Daddy said I could stop and look at the flowers if I wanted right Creta

Lucretia nodded woodenly This is correct miss

See So there Alta spun around and skipped into the field her expensive dress catching on some of taller weeds that choked the ground around the wildflowers Not that she noticed She was too lost in the delight in foiling Darcy

LucretiaÆ gaze slid to DarcyÆs rapidly reddening face Alta Bounty was the second child of the Bounty Family who owned the transportation system between the different lands of the World Tree and the power plants built on the connecting branches of the tree Although Lucretia wasnÆt too clear on the details it seemed to feed on the electromagnetic energy given off by the bark of the World Tree There might be individuals with more influence than the Bountys but they were the richest Spriggit family in this strange world

AltaÆs mother died in childbirth after having had Alta and Puar her elder brother A few years ago AltaÆs father remarried Darcy who took her step daughterÆs lack of respect as well an insulting lack of respect

Darcy noticed LucretiaÆs glance and narrowed her eye at her Are you not supposed to protect her you stupid half blood DonÆt stay here your smell offends Dalmanica

For several long seconds Lucretia just looked at Darcy with a widening smile It only took a second before Darcy shivered and pulled her head back into the carriage As soon as she was gone Lucretia ignored the carriage driverÆs apologetic glance and hopped down off of her mount to follow Alta

Although Darcy hated it Lucretia was attached to Alta from birth Alta wouldnÆt hear of firing her and the way her oath to the family was written only required her to show reasonable deference to the family other than Alta

Besides time and time again Lucretia had demonstrated to Imnor Bounty AltaÆs father why she was indispensable as a shadow for his precious daughter

Likely out of annoyance and childish anger Alta had given up on skipping and switched to running as she opened up some space between the carriages Although Lucretia was wearing a long plain dress the young girlÆs speed was nothing to her Within twenty seconds she felt the wind and caught it It was hard to explain and Lucretia understood it was a Skill of a kind But immediately the energy of the world filled her and she could arrive next to Alta without much work

That was the trick of the magic here It was not truly yourself growing although that was one way it was understood Lucretia knew that was foolish What you were truly doing was borrowing a fraction of RandidlyÆs power that animated the world As soon as she had this realization Lucretia seemed able to freely learn the special skills reclusive experts had taught her on the dime of Imnor

You are getting faster Lucretia teased as she caught up with Alta

The girl pouted but it was only play acting When Alta suspected LucretiaÆs guard had been lowered she screeched and leapt towards LucretiaÆs legs in the hopes of tripping her Although she could have dodged Lucretia allowed the young girl to tangle her legs and knock her to the ground All the while she was very aware of how gentle she was

The two of them rolled around and wrestled for a while But there was only so many openings that Lucretia could leave for Alta to take advantage of Very soon it became impossible to pretend like she wasnÆt capable of overpowering the younger girl

With the straight face she used around the rest of the family Lucretia stood while holding Alta upsidedown by her ankles Apologies for tripping miss To prevent you from injuring yourself I will carry you for the remainder of the trip

No Alta bellowed but she was giggling furiously and clawing at LucretiaÆs dress to get a grip Put me down IÆll have you fired if you donÆt

Of course Lucretia intoned monotonously dumping the girl unceremoniously on her head This caused Alta to howl in anguish but then her giggles overtook her again They played this game a lot and both of them knew their parts

After being dropped Alta settled on the ground and looked up at the sky Part of the effects of the electromagnetic radiation of this place was the miniature climates formed above each of the seven lands in the tree Right now it was a bright and warm late afternoon in the finest countryside the Spriggit Land had to offer But Lucretia barely noticed Her eyes were locked on that blooming karma in the girlÆs chest

Am I special Alta asked From LucretiaÆs time on Tellus granting wishes she heard a familiar note in the girlÆs voice longing

As Lucretia considered how to answer she felt pity for the girl Given everything she could ever desire but rarely anything she needed Her father was busy her mother dead Her older brother loved her dearly but was driven hard by Imnor to inherit the business There was always something else that they should be doing so that Alta barely had the time to have meals with them

Vacations like these where Alta got to spend time with her father and brother were rare And even now Imnor considered this a good opportunity to bond with his son so he had left his two daughters and his nagging younger wife behind to find some peace hunting

Perhaps no one was at fault but Alta was the one who was forced to understand why everyone looked at her with jealousy but she was always so sad

Yes Lucretia said quietly with glowing violet eyes

Alta sat up and looked at her with a mock serious face It always made her laugh because it was an impeccable impersonation of ImnorÆs butler Creta I do believe we pay you to perform that task

Both women giggled and Lucretia reached down and ruffled AltaÆs hair But then her hand paused LucretiaÆs eyes narrowed

In a fluid motion her dress was ripped open from behind as she spread her talonsÆ The two strange wing bones were about as thick as a wizened plum but they were almost three meters long and all muscles As her outer clothes fell away the skin tight leather armor she always wore beneath was revealed

LucretiaÆs gaze turned to the West Alta we need to get back to the carriage

The air smelled like blood

Chapter 682

The carriage driver had stopped and was staring down the track with a pale face when Lucretia carried Alta back When he saw LucretiaÆs state of dress he blushed further Miss the mounts they can smell

I know Lucretia cut him off with a sharp glance Being reborn into the body of an attractive young woman was a complicated experience and in important moments like this she was unwilling to humor otherÆs reaction to her Do you know anything

No He shook his head furiously

The door to the carriage opened and Darcy came out with a wailing baby and a frown Why have we stopped If Dalmanica is forced to starve so help me

Shut up the baby Lucretia said bluntly In her arms Alta was trembling and she was looking around with glassy eyes

Creta something feels bad Everything everything is so bad Alta mumbled

How DARE you Darcy bellowed setting off an even louder set of wails from the baby Mother of the year right there Do you think for a moment that I wouldnÆt

Luckily for Lucretia the noise brought on the first wave of attacks more rapidly The beast stood up amongst the tall grass of the fields and roared their strange facial pustules oozing They were shaped like bears but their torsos and head were largely without hair and instead covered with boils and worts

Lucretia pressed her lips into a thin line With a firm hand she reached up and covered AltaÆs eyes What was about to happen would still be too much for the girl

Darcy began to scream as the first two dashed forward to only a few meters away and more were worming up out of the woodwork As LucretiaÆ channeled RandidlyÆs strength her mind was quickly calculating the likelihood that a band of half mutated Soulless could coincidentally end up here deep in the countryside of the Spriggit elite

Obviously that wasnÆt very high

Growth Lucretia whispered Her three meter talons trembled and then as energy flooded into them they sprouted outwards First five meters then ten And as they grew offshoots sprouted outward like branking courses of a river Soon there were a dozen talons flashing left and right The Soulless were helpless before the attacks and the first way was mincemeat before the second arrived

The reinforcements fared no better

Within a minute the area was clear and silent aside from Darcy and DalmanicaÆs screams As the energy left her LucretiaÆs talons shrunk to their normal size Fat drops of black blood fell off of them The carriage driver had enough presence of mind to fumble his sidearm out of the holster but had made the intelligent decision to freeze up rather than embarrass himself by shooting it

Slowly Lucretia kneeled and set Alta on the ground What surprised Lucretia was that it seemed the baby read the mood and slowly fell silent

You shouldnÆt look around Lucretia said as she took her hand from over AltaÆs eyes The karma in her chest was spreading thin tendrils outwards It was all she could do to refrain from pouring her own energy into the girlÆs body to feed it What was it about this moment that was important however

Of course Alta looked around anyway And as she did so she grew pale But after biting her lip the girl seemed to firm her resolve She looked straight at the shredded bodies of the Soulless What what are they

Lucretia sighed inwardly It would be too much to say they were the sad and desperate children that the Creature had left in RandidlyÆs Soulworld when her incarnation had been burned away they are debris from an older era From an old war

Abruptly AltaÆs eyes widened If we were attacked do you think daddy and brother

Lucretia said nothing and instead stood and looked at Darcy The woman was weeping silently holding her baby to her chest She was doing everything she could to not look at the bodies spread around them In a way it made sense Darcy was a pampered and pretty daughter What would she know of death What did she know that two of the seven lands were engulfed in constant warfare and the Spriggits were the merchants of death for both sides

On the back of the founding BountyÆs invention Spriggits had been able to control trade amongst the lands on a scale that none could replicate This was not the first attempt on the lives of the Bounty family and it would not be the last If she wanted to survive in this family Darcy would need to toughen up Perhaps imitate the maturity of Alta for example

Without even LucretiaÆs answer Alta came to the correct conclusion by herself Several small tears formed in her eyes and ran down her cheeks But it was with an even voice that she said Go Find them Protect them You are strong right ThatÆs why thatÆs why daddy takes you sometimes Out Please Creta

Lucretia nodded watching the slow and gradual shifts in AltaÆs chest Was it simply that she would mature here Well perhaps that was fine too It wasnÆt as exciting as Lucretia wanted but it would be enough Her time wasnÆt wasted not as long as she felt that constantly growing connection between Alta and Randidly

With a nod Lucretia turned to depart But she had only taken a single step before she froze

Wait Damnit you canÆt just leave us

Lucretia pirouetted on the spot to find that Darcy had apparently placed the baby back within the carriage and emerged with her own sidearm Inwardly Lucretia cursed herself for writing Darcy off as harmless

Although she was standing and trembling Darcy had one hand on AltaÆs thin shoulder and held the sidearm with the other It wasnÆt pointed at Alta but

The meaning in DarcyÆs eyes was clear What if we are attacked again Please You must stay

In the weeks that followed Alta cried endlessly between the two wooden boxes with the ceremonial black cloth draped across them All the while Lucretia said by her side studying the warping karma within AltaÆs body with sharp eyes This was the change Now it only remained to be seen what the ultimate effect would be

Both Imnor Bounty and Puar Bounty were pronounced dead on the scene by the time the medical tank arrived DarcyÆs interference had prevented Lucretia from moving but Lucretia was honestly unsure whether she could have made any difference to protecting their lives at that point The fact they smelled blood already would indicate someone had already died and included the two bounty men there were only five individuals

Plus AltaÆs group had been attacked by the mindless variety of Soulless Although physically powerful they were without guile and therefore not truly a challenge to Lucretia Imnor Bounty who was himself one of the most powerful warriors in the Spriggit nation had the misfortune of running into a Soulless Behemoth And based on the face it had escaped it was clear it developed sentience

A monster such as that was not one seen often except in the lowest Land of the Tree and Lucretia wasnÆt sure how she would measure up against it

But of course this truth wasnÆt one that Alta knew And early on the only thing that woke her from the storm of misery was hatred for Darcy

Imnor Bounty had a younger brother who took the helm of the Bounty Agency but without ImnorÆs firm hand things swiftly fell apart Some of the other Ministry officials related to the family would have only been happy enough to feast on the corpse of the family but Lucretia had stepped in at that point strictly off record

She reminded those Ministers that her reputation as the Taloness was not something that should be treated lightly If Alta was not given her due Lucretia would ignore the SpriggitÆs precious rule of law and bleed them all dry It wasnÆt a boast to say she could do it For all the SpriggitÆs ingenuity very few among them could even give Lucretia a run for her money in a fight It was part of the reason that so often Shadows from other races were brought in

Defending Alta was a priority but when accusations of extra marital affairs were brought against Darcy Lucretia didnÆt even bat an eyelash When that woman was driven away from the Bounty ancestral manor on the South slopes of TaftÆs affluent district all breathed a sigh of relief

When the dust settled most of the servants had left because most of the money was gone All they retained was the manor some small shops owned in ImnorÆs personal portfolio the now empty research facility below the house and piles of scattered documents

Amongst all that Alta just sat with blank eyes staring at the wall In her chest the karma was twitching intermittently

For another week Lucretia brought meals to AltaÆs chambers and forced her to bathe every couple of days Nothing solicited a response and Lucretia didn’tÆ force the issue That was one trick of karma that was true here as everywhere else nothing grew if you pulled it out of the ground early

Creta would you kill someone if I ordered you to

The question that finally signaled AltaÆs return to some semblance of consciousness was one that Lucretia was not expecting But at the same time it couldnÆt be considered too surprising She simply responded by given Alta a look Alta might believe the look was for her but it was truly to follow the path of the karma

Because at long last the karma reached out and took root from Alta to Lucretia forming a bridge And as it did so a terrible darkness spread through the karma from Lucretia In creeping fashion it followed the bond back across to Alta Very soon every inch of the karma in her body between Alta and Randidly had been twisted and warped into a black and oily substance

Then it bloomed and it was a pale flower

Those Soulless werenÆt an accident Alta said slowly The ten year old girl looked up at her Shadow who harbored the soul of a seven hundred year old woman who had been accepting the souls of the innocent in bargains for generations It was after all a very rare hand that would not find a way to use the sharp knife it possessed We need to find out who is responsible And when we do I order you to kill them all

Lucretia smiled without the faintest hint of guilt and nodded Nothing would give me more pleasure

Chapter 683

This is a serious matter Are you certain Skarch asked him for the fourth time

Randidly did his best not to roll his eyes Although he understood the connection that Skarch had to her spear this was getting ridiculous Yes I am sure Based on my understanding of your spear this should be an exceptionally simple procedure In addition you now have your own Soulstone from the tournament with it you will be able to continue using your spearÆs abilities indefinitely as long as you take a break to slaughter Wights

Skarch released a pleased smile in response Hoo Such a thing would be a great boon to my family Although you realize that you have sealed your own doom When my spear is activated none can stand against me

ArenÆt there other Spear School individuals in the tournament Randidly asked with a bemused expression If it were truly such a simple thing to win here wouldnÆt the Spear School dominate

You speak of the fumblings of amateurs My spear it is one of the greats Only the top three Styles of the Spear School would possess comparable spears and they would not dare allow their heirs to take them out into the world Alas due to one small mistake of my father to think generations of preparation came to nothing

Smiling slightly at SkarchÆs boasting Randidly laid his hands gently against the spear His eyes traced the many interlocking engravings that crisscrossed the shaft Truly Randidly could understand how SkarchÆs father could have made a small mistake to ruin the entire thing without LucretiaÆs assistance to parse apart everything that was going on just trying to calculate all the energy exhaust made RandidlyÆs head spin

With a construction this dense you needed to have systematic methods to deal with that ambient energy and also needed those methods to not conflict with the true performance runes on the spears It was absolutely commendable

For all that Skarch had mentioned in passing once that the problem was not with the spear itself but the power source That comment from a few weeks ago had stuck in RandidlyÆs head Once they were here in the Hall of Stances Randidly didnÆt want to bother with the crowd viewing images of heroes past so he instead wandered over to SkarchÆs room to ask about the issue

And luckily his suspicions proved right

This is it right Randidly asked grimly looking at the tight swirl of runes near the base of the shaft

Skarch nodded It is so The designs for this spear are a hundred years old Materials were prepared centuries in advance as our ancestors prayed for this day But who was to suspect the careful storage of the specially selected wooden shaft would be in a dry environment and the shaft was to shrink a minuscule amount due to this Due to the small variance it wasnÆt noticed until the rest of the Engraving was already done As an unfinished product it was set aside and hidden for 10 years when my father believed he had found someone who could fix the transferal procedure

As Randidly touched the rough swirls of the energy absorption rune he was able to intuit a little as to their functions And just the small bit that he was able to see left him flabbergasted To think that SkarchÆs family was so far ahead of him in terms of understanding Engraving

Compared to this failed product RandidlyÆs work on the GhostÆs tank like body was an embarrassment The thought of destroying even a shred of the spear made RandidlyÆs heart hurt

as I explained I will need to defile this Sand away the old runes and drill a hole through to store the Soulstone Is that fine Randidly asked

If you are certain it is fine Skarch confirmed Then her eyes softened as she looked at the spear After all I am just barely to activate a few of the lesser runes with my own Mana If this were to give me access to the full complement of tools a small marring is not significant For all that I treasure its form this is a tool of function

Nodding Randidly began to work

Originally the power system at the base of the spear was supposed to be accessible directly by the spear user Their Mana and Stamina were combined in an esoteric way to form a raw sort of energy that would be pumped into the spear and fuel the runes on it This would increase the demand on the body of spear wielder but it seemed the Spear School cared little about that

To transfer energy through the palm of the hand from Mana and Stamina into a consistent form of energy was a feat of genius Randidly saw the parts that took in the Mana and Stamina the part that he believed would enable it to pass at the userÆs will and also exhaust to the main energy line that powered the spear but there was a giant whirling mess in the middle that basically meant nothing to Randidly

He even broke out his old Engraving Encyclopedias to puzzle over it but ultimately he just made a charcoal rubbing and decided he would investigate more thoroughly later

Obviously Randidly couldnÆt repair this But he figured he had an easy workaround stuffing a battery in it

For all that most people viewed the Soulstones as useful only for boasting they clearly absorbed usable energy from Wights This energy wasnÆt anything that the human body could use but that didnÆt matter to a spear So Randidly planned on chopping the complicated design down the middle and stuffing a Soulstone into it

After sanding down the base of the spear to wipe away most of the power of the previous engravings Randidly gave Skarch a look She nodded stiffly

With a smile Randidly began to drill through the middle of the shaft After a short talk Skarch admitted this would be the best method even if she didnÆt like defacing the spear In order to distract her Randidly said casually IÆm honestly surprised at the workmanship of the spear These Engravings a met an Engraving clan once but this this is much more sophisticated

Immediately SkarchÆs expression grew stiff but after a second of studying Randidly she sighed yes Well it is something you likely do not know much about but before the Censure my family was a powerful force within the Engraving Clans When the Censure came and all who knew of Engraving were to join the Guilds or perish many in my family were forced to leave But because they went most of us survived with the teachings of our elders occurring only in secret

Even then we dare not move lightly We waited 150 years simply accumulating wealth through other means before we began preparations to forge this spear Skarch trailed off staring at the smooth hole the size of a strawberry that Randidly made in the spear shaft

Randidly frowned They certainly take controlling Engraving seriously Is it the same in all Schools

Yes it is known Skarch bowed her head

In spite of himself Randidly chuckled Then why are you telling me this

Blinking at him Skarch said Are you not in a similar situation Otherwise how would you have the capability to do this If the Engraving Guilds find you your fate will not be a simple one What point is there in hiding things between us

That took a lot of the cheer out of Randidly and he turned his attention back to the spear Grimly he raised a silver Engraving Needle and began to work The Needle was Level 40 and let to him by Skarch which cemented RandidlyÆs impression that her family was incredibly talented in terms of Engraving

The Engraving Guild An old enemy Not even an enemy An old worry But it was difficult not to realize that if Randidly did as he planned the Engraving Guild would likely have no qualms about moving against him Especially as he attempted to research more of the history of this world it would be decidedly inconvenient

But did he have any choice

The next ten minutes passed in tense silence With great care Randidly channeled his Mana through the silver needle and into the wood around the hole At this point he couldnÆt do anything more sophisticated that creating the means of the spear drawing the energy But in this case that should be enough It would be inefficient but that could be improved in the future

After a bit of fiddling Randidly placed his Soulstone into the shaft and attached it with thin metal strips It burned with a bright light still filled with all of the energy he had gathered from killing Wights One part of him wondered how much energy he had gathered but the other knew it was more than the next closest by a lot There was no point and showboating here Better to use the energy productively like this

Well that should be that Randidly announced Now we just need to try it

Chapter 684

Who do you think will win Helen asked as she slowly moved through her warm up routine

Azriel didnÆt even blink as she replied Randidly

Inwardly Helen was thankful for Azriel spending time with her over the past few days Knowing she would need to fight Randidly and one of them would lose in the tournament It pissed her the fuck off Especially given the blatant favoritism shown to Squad One

HelenÆs fingers tightened on the wooden shaft of the spear but her movements didnÆt increase in speed Balance in all things The river is movement but it does not move

Your lack of faith is disconcerting Helen commented briefly I have grown

Not enough Azriel replied

HelenÆs eye twitched It wasnÆt much but the two women were likely the only two who truly understood how much a monstrous change had seized Randidly in the past year An unlikely bond but one that was easy to rely on in times of war

From barely qualifying for the Regional Tournament he was no in the Inter School finals If not for the looming invasion of the Wights this would be the most talked about event of the year He had grown at a rate that defied the imagination and Helen knew that he wasnÆt truly giving it his all

It was infuriating Doubly infuriating was that Azriel refused to pull her punches and continued to reminder Helen of this disparity Triply infuriating was that the fucker hadnÆt even stopped by to talk to her about it Was he refusing to acknowledge their impending match Did he think it a guaranteed thing that he would win

What do you want him to say Helen thought sourly as she finished a circuit of her warm ups She had no answer for herself and just threw herself into the next series of motions Her hands guided her spear in elaborate loops

As long as he doesnÆt take me seriously I have a chance Helen announced to the training grounds

Azriel shot her a bemused look You sound like you are trying to convince yourself Your chances

Fuck this Helen growled giving up on the progression ItÆs time to spar Give me your best Randidly Ghosthound impression

Buoyed somewhat on the success of his modification of SkarchÆs spear Randidly returned to his room with a smile on his face Even he hadnÆt known how effective it would be as a battery Now battery life suddenly became a demanding problem and Randidly could only guess at that But no matter what Randidly was looking forward to seeing how she performed with her newly freed up weapon

As Randidly went to open the door to his room Acri slithered up his arm and gave him a sorrowful look Randidly chuckled It seemed Acri knew he was thinking about another weapon and was slightly jealous Well that was easy to fix

His hand fell away from the door and Randidly turned and head down to the courtyard below There were training fields provided by the Hall of Stances for everyone for the duration of their stay but Randidly could feel his connection of Aether leading to those fields Both Azriel and Helen were there

At the moment Randidly had no desire to face Helen He was going to have so bad news when he saw her next and he wasnÆt relishing his role as the person who would deliver the news Of course he could have someone else do the work but

Sighing Randidly pushed it from his mind and walked into the small courtyard It was a problem that could wait for later Now was a time for training

Although he had never been lazy during his time fighting the Wights underneath Platton it also couldnÆt be said that Randidly spent much time working on the technical flaws of his spear use Mostly this was just due to lack of time But now Randidly was intent on really focusing his attention on himself After all his Perception ability had never been higher It was time to begin remaking himself

He started by simply standing and holding Acri feeling the weight of the spear His bare feet were on the soft grass of the open air courtyard His eyes were closed

Randidly had known for a while that he would need to begin consolidating his spear use but he hadnÆt truly known what to do about it Not that it was exactly pressing but his image spars with Skarch had made it clear that as a whole RandidlyÆs images were starkly divided If he wanted an offensive Skill would he use Spear Advances Ash Trails or the Inevitable Phantom Arrives

One was a raw explosion of fury that had gifted him his first Skillset The other was the modified movements of Aemont and Shal both of who were likely far superior to Randidly in terms of spear use But suddenly it seemed that TellusÆ strange fixation on your ability to use images had very tangible effects It was important

It wouldnÆt be an easy thing but it would not occur without work Instead of having two move sets that Randidly relied on his goal was to merge both into a single theory of fighting Ideally it would be composed of the refined movements of The Spear Phantom with the powerful images of the Kata of the Ashen spear

Randidly sighed That was the idea anyway

To start he moved slowly through each of his different moves Almost out of habit the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom flicked to life above his head The presence of that twisted crown gave Randidly pause but it couldnÆt be denied that it focused his Perception to incredible heights For all that it would grate on any who approached him while he was training the effect was probably worth it

After all it was much more palatable of the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil

Finishing up each Skill Randidly possessed he moved on to the different training movements taunt to him by Shal Most of these were supposed to be done with an instructor but Randidly didnÆt worry so much about this The whole point of this exercise was to focus on himself

After finishing those motions Randidly returned to his Skills This time he performed each one dozens of times shifting his balance or making small adjustments to the way he twisted his hips and moved his shoulders Sometimes the corrections weakened his strikes Other times there didnÆt seem to be any changes After all it was not an easy thing to even understand yourself and how to improve

What Randidly couldnÆt accomplish with the SystemÆs assistance in improving he brute forced with repetition Time and time again he would repeat small moves It was a good thing that the courtyard was so small and relatively fragile because it meant that his moves were largely limited He could only satisfy himself with basic footwork steps and simple attacks with the spear

But the more Randidly continued the more he realized he had vastly underestimated the amount of work his idea would require What immediately became clear was that the methods of force transference were very different for his different styles of attack That wasnÆt crippling to the idea of combining the Spearwork but it was still daunting

So eventually Randidly settled on footwork Start small Understand your base your core Feel the strength that came up through the ground and move with that momentum

By the time the sun was setting Randidly was covered in sweat and panting As he allowed the crown to fade away he laughed in delight It was fun training like this The small improvements were more a function of stumbling onto small opportunities but the feeling of improvement was palpable The first step a warrior takes from his guard stance was something Randidly had never truly considered before but the more he focused on it the more its relevance seemed to grow

Likely Randidly would come here tomorrow and work on the same thing And that gave him a wide grin He wondered what Helen would think to know he was practicing stepping in preparation for their match

Abruptly his good cheer fled He wiped the sweat from his forehead and grimaced Most of the tournament goers were still below in the Hall of Stances Only Azriel and Helen remained in the training grounds glowing darkly in his Perception due to their familiar Aether If everyone was still busy then

Perhaps it was time that Randidly moved into Hastam proper in order to do some research For a brief moment Randidly considered asking Skarch or Silo for assistance but Skarch was busy in her room with her new toy and Randidly had no desire to get closer to Silo Already he could see that the effects of the foreign images were exacting a high toll on the manÆs body Besides his newfound touchiness was more harm than he was worth

Whistling softly Randidly strolled off into Hastam Perhaps normally he would enjoy the peaceful sounds of a city at night but he was still hyper aware that the Wight horde was out there slowly killing its way towards Hastam As such it was difficult to set aside the tension held deeply in his chest

He needed to get moving There was simply so much to do

Chapter 685

Randidly winced and raised his hand to his chest as he walked through the illuminated streets of Hastam Was it heartburn To think that since he gave the recipe to Claptrap all that time ago burgers would already become this ubiquitous

Either way the pain quickly passed so Randidly paid it no mind It did however remind him of Claptrap His face fell into a scowl At a corner of a busy street Randidly paused and looked up at the sky It was overcast and gloomy but below there were dozens of people on the cobblestone streets laughing gaily

Inwardly Randidly felt himself smoldering These fucking idiots

But he set that thought aside for now and continued onward He had asked the owner of the burger joint and the old man and directed him to the Scroll Spire if he wanted to research the stories of the Spearman

Just the way that the man phrased that made Randidly somewhat leery of what he would find when he got there

What he actually found was that the doors were large and wooden and moved easily under his hand After a bit of hesitation he entered into the tall tower like building As the door shut behind him the noise seemed to cease entirely Instead Randidly simply found himself engulfed in the oppressive silence of a library

For that was what it was but not one the like of which Randidly had ever seen The entrance to the library brought Randidly onto a strange wooden catwalk that hung above the true portion of the library About ten meters below was a dark and misty place filled with pillars But as Randidly peered at the pillars his eyes widened

were they truly just piling scrolls down there

Visitors are rare You have business here

Randidly twisted his gaze away from the scrolls below and to a young man sitting at a desk in the center of the wide room The catwalks were in the shape of a cross and there was a staging area with ladders in the center As for the young man the first thought that struck Randidly as he looked at him was how skinny the man was He was so incredibly emaciated that it seemed he must never take a meal

But the intensity of the young manÆs gaze was on a level that Randidly had rarely encountered before Perhaps this young man was not strong in a traditional sense but he was not one to underestimate Besides Randidly couldn’tÆ help but notice that despite his wispy frame his limbs were overly long His arm was practically draped across the desk

Yes IÆm here to research the history of the Spearman and the Hall of Stances Randidly said Being honest was perhaps a risk but Randidly couldnÆt really find any disadvantage with being up front He did however add the Hall of Stances as a method of sidetracking the man if what he asked transgressed on any social norms

He had inquired with Skarch and Azriel about it and they didnÆt indicate there was anything to worry about But that just made him more worried After all those two were unusual

Ah Proceed The young man instantly relaxed and waved his hand towards the ladders

Randidly paused and looked at the piles of scrolls below Uh is it possible for you to point me in the direction of the scrolls regarding the topics IÆm researching

Ah The young man appeared shocked He looked at Randidly for a long time before shrugging I suppose so Follow me

Bemused Randidly allowed himself to be led down amongst the scrolls

What does it mean to be a hero

Silo let his words hang in the air He was sitting in the living room of rundown farm in the area North of the Hallat river No one answered his question

After all how could they The squatters that had been staying here were now dead

Blood dripped off of SiloÆs hands but it was hard to consider it important Everything was difficult these days His images were inconsistent and shallow his thinking muddled even his vision was blurry most of the time Still none of that made much of a difference to Silo It was hard to worry about such minor things when he finally had what he had searched so long for

Power

I wanted to be a hero so badly Æ Silo thought to himself as he considered the body in front of him The back of the manÆs head had been smashed inwards and when that hadnÆt stopped the man from screaming someone had ripped out his eyes and tongue The twisted and swollen face seemed almost humorous as it looked up at him But now that I can me I donÆt know what to do Æ

For all that his images were unreliable Silo knew that it wasnÆt doing much to really weaken him Where his old habits were being broken and lost new images were growing within him Images of darkness and violence of pride and blood There Silo was without peer He was a man with enough strength to silence entire worlds

In those images his body had been torn and broken so many times his original form was lost He became a twisted monster of violence But in that image his strength far exceeded that of everyone Silo had met

Well aside from his elders

That thought focused his mind because it brought back the reminder of the previous few days While his hands tightened to fists Silo did his best not to bare his teeth He failed

Although it was difficult Silo had achieved a balance with the strange energy in his body He had grown far beyond his previous Level with it to the point that he had true power All the slights he had endured in the past all the innocents that he had seen suffer no longer was Silo powerless to help them He had struggled behind enemy lines and obtained an impressive amount of accomplishments So much that he was sure to finally achieve the recognition he deserved

Remembering SiloÆs eyes turned red Yet his strength was equal to that of his inane squadmates who fled from the horde of Wights While he remained and struggled so valiantly

The only option was that he hadnÆt struggled nearly as much as he thought Silo needed more A hero was not one half of a team

a hero was an existence to which there was no answer

Silo hadnÆt reached that height So he was forced by circumstances to draw more deeply than he ever had before from his precious treasure So deeply had he drew that he had briefly lost himself in a feeling of strangeness His body no longer appeared to be his own But that feeling quickly passed

When Silo returned to himself he noticed two things The first was that he had reached Level 50 The second was that he was missing one of his fingers and his left eye was a different color Naturally the excitement of accomplishing the former overrode any small worries that Silo might have about discovering the latter things

He was also delighted to see the two new Skills that he gained from the treasure his elders had given to him Heinous Decapitation and Violent Impulse Both gained Skill Levels easily in the following hours Although Silo was largely overwhelmed by feelings he had enough presence of mind to stumble back through the slums of Hastam to the place where he had been blessed with this treasure No doubt the elders could give him guidance

But they were gone

The houses where they lived eeking out humble lives abandoned Silo felt lost

Then he heard a teenager bullying an older woman and all of SiloÆs confusion fell away What replaced it was a dull headache and the irresistible impulse to punish the fool who would hurt an honored elder

Needless to say Silo had followed the young man out of Hastam several kilometers across the countryside and waited outside a tavern while the kid drank Honestly the whole experience was good for Silo Breathing the chilly night air did a lot to numb his headache

After he returned to this abandoned farmhouse with his friends Silo could wait no longer He struck and taught these youths a lesson in respect that they would never forget It could be considered something of a generosity that Silo magnanimously taught them all the same lesson The final lesson

ches

Silo frowned and tilted his head to the side Then he carefully looked around him For a split second it had sounded like someone was speaking Yet that was impossible Silo had made sure that none of the people here had tongues with which to speak

teaches

What Who is there Silo bellowed The words were harsh in the creaky farmhouse and in their wake there was only the sound of the wind His heart was pounding in his ears as he spun where he stood sending small waves through the pool of blood on the ground

answering your question A hero is one who teaches

Silo blinked The voice was within his head How strange Perhaps that was the source of the headache

But for all that the voice had dubious origins it surely had some wise things to say Silo smiled widely Yes ThatÆs right isnÆt it A hero is an existence that can mold the rest Only I think that these sort of people will only learn in one way through discipline

The voice in SiloÆs head chuckled

Chapter 686

Shit Alta announced to the room as she threw her hands up to the sky The two assistants that worked part time in the workshop kept their eyes on their own work as the circuitry in front of Alta fizzled in submission as connectors gave out

Lucretia smiled helplessly as Alta obviously got annoyed no one asked her what was going on A warm feeling filled LucretiaÆs heart as she watched the younger woman turn around and glare at the ceiling waiting for someone to inquire about the most recent in a series of almost clockwork like failures in the research Lucretia had a mind to keep Alta waiting When she was frustrated in the workshop was one of the few times that Alta regained some of her youthful exuberance of long ago

Now twenty six Alta had blossomed into a lovely woman But she was currently a service mechanic for the very power plants that her family used to own and not many agreed with LucretiaÆs glowing assessment of AltaÆs beauty Not that it mattered much a lot of that came from the time they spent together in the way of the accident of AltaÆs childhood

No one saw how hard Alta had worked how determined she had been to not lose sight of her goals No one else held the deep guilt that Lucretia had as she watched the pale flower in AltaÆs chest grow more brilliant and shining day by day

What happened Lucretia said tiredly still with a smile on her face Strangely for the first time in her long lifetime Lucretia truly felt old It felt like a twisted sort of wisdom and pessimism about human nature that altered her entire worldview

Bah The electromagnetic energy from the tree same is too variable At one moment it is calm at another it is raging It makes sense I suppose Alta said with a frown The tree is a living thing As it breathes so we all live But even the small power contained in the smallest vein of sap that runs through the three can overwhelm the basic circuitry And if I insulate it there are times that the voltage ebbs and there is no power generated Without it basically the same thing happens the reaction fails without a constant source of power which burns out the circuitry

So whatÆs next For the day I mean Lucretia said patiently She already was moving to clear away the wrenches and soldering equipment on the workbench around the exposed vein Her guilt didnÆt come from anything Lucretia had actually done although it started that way Instead it came from the realization that some things were inevitable people were more like machines and less like amalgamations of random chance

For example in the wake of that baleful flower of karma blooming in AltaÆs chest Lucretia was slowly consumed by guilt The more time she spent with the broken girl the more she was reminded of her own experience growing up without parents in a strange place where it felt like everyone was vaguely out to get her The more Lucretia wished she hadnÆt tempted Alta towards this convergence of karma

But at some point as the bitterness and rage Alta possessed had solidified into a desperate determination the more Lucretia realized that Alta would have always chosen this same path Lucretia only accelerated the process

A shift in the machine works Alta said with a bright smile Finally IÆm tired of simply looking at power systems The mech IÆll be helping on is already two generations old but still its a modular frame with a basic suppression outfit It hasnÆt seen frontline duty but we mean to shine it up until it can

One of the two assistants looked up from their work for the first time Does that mean the war in the third land is getting worse Do you think the Weavers

Of course not no one wants a Branch War to occur Lucretia said shortly Cierce the assistant who asked the question was an intelligent girl who they had been able to locate in the slums outside of Taft a few years ago when Alta had her first real breakthrough in how to use the sap of the World Tree as fuel But she was weak to distractions especially flights of nervousness fancy and gossip Lucretia wasnÆt of the belief that her slight increase of intelligence over the next desperate bright child was worth her faults but Alta liked her

Mostly because Cierce was somewhat of an airhead and didnÆt think too deeply about what the technology Alta was trying to perfect would do

Lucretia glanced at Alta who flashed her a slight smile Inwardly Lucretia shivered She had been the sharp knife that had taught Alta that with power anything was possible She was a temptation But not by choice That was the heavy weight that Lucretia held in her gut now

Merely LucretiaÆs presence in the girlÆs life was enough to lead her astray

But for all that Lucretia had to face this hard truth about her nature and the way of the world it had also propelled her ability to manipulate karma to new heights For those who didnÆt earn LucretiaÆs empathy it was hard for any to resist her subtle tugs

It only took about five minutes to finish all the labor intensive cleanup and then Alta dashed out of the underground workshop to head towards her job Cierce immediately fled to the kitchen to rid herself of the last of her nervousness with food leaving Lucretia alone in the main workshop with the other assistant

He bowed to her Miss Creta IÆll be taking my leave

Danz if we come close to succeeding in this research will you stop us Lucretia spoke in an almost playful voice but she knew from experience that this was the sort of tone that sent a chill down the spine of those who held less power than you Danz was relatively controlled so he completed his bow without defect or visible response

Danz they had found through an old business connection of the Bounty family Although most people knew that Alta hadnÆt inherited any of the true assets of her father sometimes people still showed up who were either foolish or desperate Danz was the ladder Both of his parents died in some of the skirmishes in the lower lands leaving him with three younger siblings and not a lot of marketable skills

But what Alta wanted was discretion and they had enough left currency over to support Danz and his siblings Still Lucretia could see the powerful effect that the war had on Danz life She didnÆt want anything getting in the way of AltaÆs obsession

And while Cierce was airheaded Danz was meticulous and reserved His active eyes undoubtedly had begun making connections between their materials testing and the extensive amount of research in energy discharge Now that Lucretia had given Alta the basic idea for a battery to power mechs rather than drawing strength from the driver

Of course not If Miss Bounty succeeds undoubtedly we will all benefit Besides you can rest assured that I understand your abilities I am not a character with the clout to cross the Queen of Talons

LucretiaÆs smile was dangerous as she watched Danz back He was sweating Did that mean something

Shaking her head Lucretia left the workshop as well Although her employer and friend was at work that didnÆt mean she had any spare time In fact her time alone was likely busier than her time working at AltaÆs direction

And it was time to get to work

Almost eight hours later Lucretia and Alta met back in the BountyÆs old manor for dinner Cierce and Danz only came in the mornings and Alta wouldnÆt hear of hiring another servant so the two dined alone in the gloomy great hall A table long enough for twenty people held only two who talked in quiet voices

They are moving Although I donÆt like it this will be one of our only chances to catch them distracted With a little more information I believe it will be much easier to pin down who exactly they are Lucretia said softly Today had been very productive

Alta paused lowering her cutlery to the table A large chunk of mutton sat forgotten on the end of her fork And by they you truly mean

Yes Lucretia said The same organization that attacked your family The so called Council of Fates

Immediately AltaÆs face twisted away from that of a person to become a wicked beast that simply knew hunger Then we will go to stop them If they so truly desire war let us bring them a pitched battle LetÆs make them fear us

Lucretia chuckled awkwardly Alta you wonÆt be coming Your ability to defend yourself

Is you Alta interrupted She gave Lucretia a look I WILL be coming Do you have it in your heart to tie me up to stop me What if I injure myself trying to escape

Lucretia sighed Sometimes being a spectacularly useful tool came back to bite you Perhaps she shouldn’t have been quite so effective at protecting her Mistress in the past so the girl had a bit of reasonable fear for her own safety

Chapter 687

In the wake of the deathÆs of AltaÆs father and brother Lucretia had not been idle While Alta slowly came to terms with her new shift in lifestyle Lucretia had already begun gathering information For all that these stranger who brought the Soulless had caused the pale flower to bloom in AltaÆs chest Lucretia was extremely wary that they wouldnÆt let the young daughter of the Bounty line continue to live

Despite LucretiaÆs growing martial prowess and hundreds of years at persuasion she was unable to unearth anything definite But where she found no figures she found tracks Certain officials with less than savory records would be placed in positions of responsibility Sudden influxes of cash to certain business ventures Unexpected disappearances and a marked lack of complaints against any of the series of government agencies that took over the Bounty FamilyÆs assets

Someone wanted control of the transportation between branches and had taken it in one fell swoop While everyone else gathered around to devour the enormous wealth of the Bounty Family powerplants someone snatched up the ties that held the world economy together

The seven lands of the RandidlyÆs Soulskill were originally split so that one race dominated its own land but as time passed the peoples of the world spread Now there was a large intermingling although there were a few notable exceptions Part of the problem with maintaining the trade routes however was that the order of the lands occasionally changed The bottomland lifted to the middle The second from the top fell to the lower reaches

Lucretia believed that these changes were due to Randidly’s shift in how he viewed himself However that was hard to prove In addition he had an increasing amount of connections to others through Aether so it was possible that it was simply the influence of others

Either way keeping abreast of these changes was imperative for a land that depended heavily on its economy like the Spriggit homeland that housed Taft Currently it was the 5th land meaning that from the bottom it was the fifth land up Below them sat the Weavers land and above was the sparse land of the White Hunters

Once Lucretia believed she found the motives she began to keep track of which actors could benefit from seizing control of the transportation The immediately obvious culprits appeared to be the hardline military faction among the Ministers of Taft After the Bounty holdings were dispersed it seemed that more and more the voices calling for the open exchange of weapons were gaining in volume And those that didn’t want it for military reasons believed that intervention would free up more mineral resources for the Spriggit people

So Lucretia moved on one Minister who suddenly seemed to switch allegiances after the change and helped set up the agencies governing the transportation That night she had met with the man was the closest Lucretia came to dying and it wasnÆt enough one of the MinisterÆs camp

An Earth Golem was hired to keep tabs on the Minister and when the Minister confessed he was being threatened under LucretiaÆs torture the Earth Golem moved

It was a hard battle and reminded Lucretia that she was not truly the most powerful individual in the Soulskill not even close But she had won and had faced a hard decision

If the organization they were seeking could have a figure of that caliber keeping tabs on a single Minister who would they mobilize when they knew that Lucretia was tracking their movements and moving against them

So she killed the Minister and every soul at his residence at the time Word could not be leaked She would not allow a calamity to fall on AltaÆs head so soon after she had lost her family

But she had gathered a name for this shadow organization from the deceased Minister the Council of Fates

Afterward Lucretia had pulled back and stayed relatively inactive She kept track of the politics of the world but she made no moves and the tragedy that struck that poor Minister was considered just one more attack of foreign powers The voices for open arms dealing switched to active Spriggit intervention in other lands using their technological superiority to assist in conflicts

Those voices had won

Years later Lucretia and Alta made a reservation at a rather famous restaurant in Taft the Lowbeam They came dressed nicely but casually joking back and forth as they walked past the warm wooden interior to find their small table in the hall

It was around halfway through their salad that he arrived

The White Martyr walked with the unnatural grace of the White Hunters all deadly sinew and sharp limbs But this was a very special individual among the White Hunters After all he claimed to have been alive for almost 1000 years and lived through the great cataclysm when the Soulless invaded Currently he had descended to the Spriggit land to urge that the MInistry cease their interventions in the 3rd Land

Enjoying your food You have such a look on your face Creta Alta said playfully

Lucretia harrumphed and took a dainty sip of water Of course she appreciated those few chances to see this side of Alta but Lucretia knew better than anyone that this was a front The energy of the evening was charged beyond repair Without a distraction the meal was unpalatable The Council of Fates was very interested in the continued war in the Earth Golem land and they would stop at nothing to keep this political figure from mucking up their game Lucretia’s investigation seemed to indicate that tonight was the night

Assassination may be a rather crude instrument to accomplish their ends but it would undoubtedly be an effective one

As if reading the mood most of the people around Alta and Lucretia also noticed the arrival of the White Hunter and the conversation shifted in that direction

We donÆt need to be at war One middle aged man at a nearby table was explaining to his partner The monsters and Earth Golems thrive on violence paying attention to them is a waste of time Let them form factions and charge at each other The pointlessness is why the war is unpopular

DonÆt be daft They crowned an Emperor For the first time in hundreds of years The woman replied with a shocked expression They say all Earth Golems kneel before him and he wields an artefact of the Progenitor

If everyone kneeled before him why are they fighting so much The man replied tiredly

Lucretia gestured sharply at Alta noticing the other womanÆs attention had wandered with the random personÆs conversation Focus LetÆs just enjoy the night while we can

Bah I already can barely sit still ItÆs incredible how calm you are aren’t you afraid you might die AltaÆs eyes twinkled as she looked at Lucretia

Not as afraid as I am that you will die Lucretia replied smartly A wall could fall on you and youÆd be fucked So worry more about yourself than me

Is it from fighting in the Arena Is that why you are so composed

Both of them knew that the other woman had gone to say the word cold and decided better of it But their relationship was not something that would be shaken by the truth of what they were to each other Such was the influence of necessity

Alta rolled her eyes The meal continued with the next course which was a springy bread and some pickled vegetables It made Lucretia was to cry a little One of the many things that she missed about the outside world was the food Courses came and went and all of it was just blah Even Randidly could cook better than this

By the desserts Alta was beginning to get antsy Are you sure it was going to be here There hasnÆt

Patience Lucretia said shortly Then she glanced over at the White Martyr It ate alone with methodical movement From its features it was hard to intuit what it was thinking Did it suspect that an attempt on his life would be today

On cue the lights winked out In a leisurely manner Lucretia stood and cracked her neck Time to get to work

The windows exploded inwards as several figures smashed into the restaurant Patrons began to scream and fall over themselves as they attempted to find out what was happening around them Lucretia tapped AltaÆs shoulder to tell her to stay still while her eyes adjusted to the dark

Very quickly she spotted the six figures in dark clothes that were moving quickly towards the White Martyr What did surprise her was that the White Martyr was still sitting and eating as though all of this was beneath his interest

Interesting that smelled a lot like confidence and competence

Two of the figures split off and waded into the other patrons slaughtering wantonly Likely it was done to distract from the true purpose What was also interesting was that all six were White Hunters themselves

Finally as the figures approached the White MartyrÆs table he looked up at them and frowned Need we do this Why play these games

The four that continued towards him didnÆt answer The White Martyr could only sigh before standing to face them

Chapter 688

As the White Martyr stood LucretiaÆs eyes narrowed Based on their movements these four were powerful but not on the class of the Earth Golem she had faced at the MinisterÆs residence all those years ago These were the distraction while the closer would come in later

Unfortunately one of the foolish two that were attacking the surrounding people was making a beeline for Lucretia and Alta Time seemed to slow

With a below the White Martyr leapt forward to attack the assailants and ripped a huge gash in oneÆs side Immediately their attention focused on the task at hand That moment of focus was all Lucretia needed to justify her movements

Smiling slightly Lucretia allowed her two long talons out of her dress By this point they were finally done growing and spread out three meters in each direction around her In the darkness the assailant probably didnÆt even seen the talon streaking into his temple before he died Lucretia always took great care to keep the dangerously sharp talonÆs slightly rough so they didnÆt reflect light well

The body fell to the ground with a thump and Lucretia tensed But it seemed like for the moment the general chaos of the restaurant floor was enough to hide the fatality

Several seconds had passed since the attack began and most people had either been killed found a door or settled in to cower and wait for something to change The fight between the White Martyr and his four attackers was swiftly getting out of hand for the assailants so the leader whistled and the remaining runner who was attacking patrons twisted and went to help

Not that it seemed like it would be enough to help The White Marty allowed a wound on his shoulder in order to decapitate one of the other attackers and it was not either of the two he had wounded previously LucretiaÆs eyes scanned the surrounding area If she wanted to strike she would be

A patron at one of the nearby tables Waiting for vulnerability

As if on cue two of the assailants ignored the grievous wounds they suffered and slammed against the White Martyr knocking him backward and to the nearby line of booths along the restaurant wall Like ghosts two figures rushed out of a booth with an intent to kill that seemed to freeze the air

Lucretia paled and surged into motion These two were definitely the ones she had worried about But they were also the ones who would have concrete information that Alta so desperately desired

However if they were able to kill the White Martyr safely Lucretia didnÆt quite trust her chances to survive and protect Alta She needed to intervene and keep the fight closer to even

She need not have worried A ferocity that hadnÆt been there previously burst out of the White Martyr and he cut the two tackling him to pieces Then he turned and slashed at the two new assailants splitting them as all three passed harmlessly by each other

The first landed the shadow resolving itself into a slight Spriggit man Will you not reconsider Ancient One You cannot triumph alone

The second figure landed and straightened right in front of Lucretia She was tall and shaggy and appeared to be from one of the beast tribunes among the Monster people LucretiaÆs talon cut her left leg off at the knee and her arms windmilled as she collapsed in a growing pool of blood

All three of their gazes turned to Lucretia

She smiled My master was enjoying a meal before you came Please depart so the meal may continue

DonÆt involve yourself in something you donÆt understand The Spriggit said with a grim expression It was clear that this surprise was a distinctly unpleasant one His eyes furiously dug at Lucretia intent on understanding her place here If you truly wish to protect your masterÆs life step back and forget everything you have seen

They will hunt you down and kill you if you do no assist me in ending them The White Martyr said calmly Retreat is a short sighted action

That certainly raised Lucretia’s eyebrows For someone named Martyr he certainly seemed unwilling to die here

She smells like blood The female monster said and to LucretiaÆs surprise her leg wiggled and grew rapidly back She stood and stomped on the foot as if to test it Then she backed up toward the booths again so she wasnÆt standing between Lucretia and the White Martyr I doubt that she truly is here accidentally I also doubt this masterÆ truly exists

Lucretia just smiled Not only could she regenerate but she also called Lucretia on her lie That certainly was unpleasant But since these two appeared to be in a talking mood Lucretia was of a mind to let it continue The more information that she could gather the better

The hard way it is So that we may break free of the shackles of our world Heed my will Erupt The Spriggit seemed to glow with a strange energy and pointed at LucretiaÆs feet As he did so she could feel the world shifting around her bending to his will

Lucretia almost fell over He was invoking RandidlyÆs Incendiary Eruption Skill Truthfully she had relied on RandidlyÆs other Skills in the past but if it was the case that you could utilize them more directly

Needless to say Lucretia dodged to the side to avoid the explosion of molten lava But the reality was somewhat different than what she expected Instead of the geyser of superheated air and metal there was just a bubbling of the floor and then it popped The heat was very real but the area of effect and speed was very lacking compared to RandidlyÆs true ability

So much so that Lucretia laughed even as the female monster attacked the White Martyr The Spriggit continued to point at her but Lucretia could feel the flow of this worldÆs energy As someone deeply connected to Randidly very little in this world was hidden from her Even as the Spriggit started pointing at spots he wasnÆt using the Skill she avoided his true strikes and only laughed harder

WhatÆs so funny The Spriggit snarled as he walked imperiously towards Lucretia The White Martyr seemed to be on the losing side of his fight as even as he ripped the monster to pieces she grew back body parts and inflicted wounds on him So Lucretia didnÆt want to waste much time with this guy

You are an idiot Incendiary Eruption is supposed to look like this

Although she wasnÆt too familiar with it Lucretia reached and touched the essence of this place As she did so something changed Where once the world felt vibrant and full of life now there was dryness and sense of loss and hollowness The energy tasted like ash

But it answered LucretiaÆs call Beneath the female monsterÆs feet the ground erupted a spray of molten metal burning away her skin and bones of her left side She fell to the ground screaming and the White Martyr pounced on her

As Lucretia opened her mouth to engage in a harmless quip something else happened

The ground began to shake Once more all eyes turned on Lucretia as the trembling of the ground became true staggering vibrations Lucretia just became tight lipped She hadnÆt done this Right

Soon the vibrations were so violent that the building around them began to groan and creak One of LucretiaÆs talons snaked out backward and seized AltaÆs waist After all a wall falling on the foolish girl and killing her was a real danger

Fuck Rialta we are leaving The Spriggit bellowed He produced a dozen or so metal disks and flung them at the White Martyr He could easily dodge the disks but the spots he moved to were dotted with the lava bubbles Overcome by pain from one of the attacks the White Martyr staggered sideways

The Spriggit made a beeline for the female monster but how could Lucretia allow it Even though beams above them were splintering her right talon slashed forward to intercept him Hissing he twisted away from the attack but with sheer force she smashed him backward away from the moaning figure

This will mean the end of you The Spriggit said quietly Lucretia wasnÆt sure whether he was talking to her or Rialta But then he turned and leapt out the window leaving them in a rapidly collapsing room

Lucretia cut her way out not bothering to hide the ability of her talons to expand and tear everything to pieces Hopefully the damage would just be attributed to the earthquake

She also carried out Alta the wounded Rialta and the White Martyr who seemed to accept her intentions werenÆt malicious Without bothering for subtlety Lucretia uses her talons as giant legs to walk across the splintering and cracking suburbs of Taft

Even when they arrived at the Bounty residence they were not yet safe Quickly Lucretia used some of the engravings she had managed to bind the monster woman and used drugs to knock her unconscious There wasnÆt enough time now to talk to the White Martyr but they did the best they could to wait out the Earthquake but it wasnÆt until the morning that the tremors stopped

After a long conversation with the White Martyr Lucretia went to find Alta

It was almost midday but neither Cierce and Danz came to work in the morning likely due to the quake Across Taft the damage was catastrophic And early reports were that it struck the entirety of the seven lands As she expected she found Alta in the workroom

What she hadnÆt expected was that the exposed vein of sap they had found would have ruptured in the quake Most of the room was covered in the energy rich substance which resulted in the papers and recordings and experimental technology they had sitting in the area being reduced to nothing It was a steaming pile of metal and glowing orange sap

All the years of work melted away in one tragic accident

LucretiaÆs heart dropped out of her chest Alta I have spoken to the White Martyr Finally we have some solid leads on the Council of Fates

Alta didnÆt respond She simply looked at the strange orange green liquid that had reduced half of the workshop to slag

Taking a step closer Lucretia said Although the research was important if we can figure out who is the cause of

Creta Alta interrupted Do you know how long IÆve stood here

Lucretia fell silent

Almost six hours Alta said answering her own question And this sap it’s throwing off a crazy amount of energy Everything that was here was destroyed Look at the warping of the ground at such even distances Even the high water marks of the voltage from before doesnÆt match this Something changed in the world tree And it

Alta gestured helplessly LucretiaÆs eyes didnÆt miss that AltaÆs hands were burned Without the resilience that Lucretia borrowed from RandidlyÆs Skills the energy radiation thrown off by the exposed sap was enough to char the edges of AltaÆs body

IÆm sorry Lucretia said quietly And she meant it

But to her surprise instead of speaking Alta just turned and looked at her Her eyes were sparkling with joy Within her chest the was a shudder Then the blooming pale flower soon became two flowers and then three

You donÆt get it Alta whispered The energy radiation Lucretia ItÆs been constant For six hours Look at the lines If this stays hell with this much power I could make a reactor that will ruin war The power will be so frightening that no one would dare step out of line With that power what does it matter who we are facing They all will turn to ash

The pale flowers in AltaÆs chest looked increasingly grey to LucretiaÆs eyes

Chapter 689

RandidlyÆs eyes glazed over at the level of detail his sudden guide went into The man had swiftly gathered over thirty scrolls and brought them back to his desk and subjected Randidly to one of the most headache inducing presentations in his life It was stress inducing how closely they resembled college presentations Ah please letÆs just focus on the big points I donÆt think the currency fluctuations during the time of the SpearmanÆs prominence are really relevant

This seemed to bring the gaunt and long limbed young man who had introduced himself as Trentyon to a halt Really You wanted to hear about the historical exploits of the Spearman I personally believe his heavy handed methods regarding the Inter School Economy is one of the most under explored areas of study Would you believe if that he allowed the tariffs on spears and scrolls yet completely neglected building materials and foodstuffs Due to that the Heart School was able to

Trentyon Randidly said with a sigh Please Overview ShouldnÆt I get a broader picture before digging in on the details

Not that Randidly had any particular connection with this dusty and gaunt young man Sure he had helped him find some relevant scrolls but that wasnÆt enough to sway RandidlyÆs empathy these days No what made Randidly have a slight sense of delicacy while dealing with the young man was how when he was excited his whole person seemed to be filled with some inner illumination It reminded Randidly of some of his casual acquaintances who were in things videogames or anime clubs back at Rawlands University Because they were so rarely allowed to talk they were incredibly excited by the prospect of gushing about their area of interest

So Randidly as long as Trentyon got the point allowed the meandering discussions Or at least he had so far Much more and he would be reaching the limit of his patience

Ah Trentyon blinked Of course Context is important To return to the beginning

They were currently sitting in the small area in the center of the catwalk area where Randidly had found Trentyon originally surrounded by a few piles of scrolls There must have been at least 30 that Trentyon considered relevant enough to bring back up with him After peering at the largest pile Trentyon grabbed a scroll and spread it for Randidly letÆs start here This is the Song of the Spearman which depicts a stylized interpretation of most of what the Spearman accomplished in the brief time of his activity And the song starts thusly Before Tellus had no water and no peace Not because we were consumed by war but because there was naught else but war We lived in a dead land until the day the Spearman split the sky and brought us light

There Trentyon expertly rolled up that scroll and grabbed another Although the Song is mostly complimentary driven it cannot be denied that all experts agree that Tellus was all barren deserts and salt rich seas before the Spearman came The population was naught more than 100 000 people Mostly the survivors lived on the coast and harvested frogmanÆs gallbladder to obtain the membrane that removed the salt from water A warlike and nomadic people the original people of Tellus didnÆt keep enough records to know much but the impoverished state of the world is clear

Randidly frowned With the System why wasnÆt something done about the food supply And how high Leveled were the frogman that

Ah this is a common misconception Trentyon said cutting Randidly off The Spearman brought the System to Tellus Before him it wasnÆt there Or perhaps rather we didnÆt have the energy for it Much like our current situation it seems likely that the people of Tellus were cut off from Leveling before the Spearman returned

ThatÆs RandidlyÆs mouth stalled out as he struggled to understand what Trentyon was saying They didnÆt have access to the System before the Spearman came How was that possible

however the Spearman did not come without enemies Trentyon continued heedless of RandidlyÆs confusion It is widely agreed that as the Spearman saved the world there was a great notification from heavens that since our world had passed a great trial a Calamity would descend upon us five years later Most historians agree that this was the most prosperous time underneath the SpearmanÆs rule as the entirety of the population united underneath the Spearman in the five Schools It was also during this period that people began to utilize the benefits of the System to become strong The hidden locations of the VIllages were discovered and Dungeons became active

Five Schools You mentioned that before There is a fifth School

Trentyon gave Randidly a reproachful look then he turned and fumbled in one of the side piles of scrolls DId you not say to avoid the ancillary details Yes there was previously a fifth School on Tellus Technically six because originally the Spearman had his own following before he became the spiritual leader of the world Eventually the remnants of his faction became interspersed throughout the others Ah yes originally there was the Spear the Spearman Memory Fate Abyss and Halo Schools The Halo School was the School that was destroyed

And the others Which became Heart and Death Randidly asked

it is not known but there are a lot of theories Do you want to go into theories With sparkling eyes Trentyon reminded Randidly of a cartoon drawing of a child on christmas

Randidly shook his head vigorously “Not at the moment “

Annoyed Trentyon pulled two scrolls out and set them in front of Randidly He indicated a specific passage on them both The details are highly contested on what the great Calamity was or how the Spearman dealt with it but it is clear that he was successful Victorious the Spearman returned to Illuminauct his citadel This portion the histories agree After returning to Illuminauct there was a grand banquet During which there was another message from the world Another Calamity must be overcome for the world to survive

A strange portal opened up in Tellus to another place where the puppet like Wights emerged from They were all completely manipulated by their Propagators and a great war was fought All of Tellus rose in support of the Spearman It was a war that makes the current invasion seem like border disputes Rivers ran red with blood 50% of the population was rumored to have perished Most historians state this was the time where the Halo School was destroyed and the SpearmanÆs faction was dispersed through the others But despite it all the Spearman was victorious

Once more he returned to Illuminauct He conferred upon his three apprentices great prestige and power To congratulate them another great banquet was held And once more a message from the System came down to survive our hero must ascend to a higher place

Tapping his finger against the same line in both scrolls Trentyon said At that point the Spearman went pale and said this In order to protect my people I must leave immediately Æ Without waiting for the banquet to end the Spearman departed Most assumed that he was ascending to a higher land because not a whisper of the Spearman was to be heard But after a year another notification came But it gave no information It was only the word WarningÆ No one could find the Spearman Since then Tellus has been waiting for word of what had happened but no one can tell That Mister is the context for all this

Randidly just looked at the bright eyed Trentyon with something approaching shock There was too much strange from the historical account of things If the first Calamity was truly the first Calamity what was going on before The System wasnÆt even present That obviously wasnÆt possible unless the way the System work had changed drastically since the fifth cohort

What seemed more like was that Tellus had somehow failed a test maybe to do with a Danger Zone in a way that affected the world similar to the drought of energy caused by the Raid Dungeon Was there another task for the world when enough Zones connected

That was worth thinking about It might not just be so simple as the CalamityÆs arrival After that the First Calamity was defeated and then the great war started when the Second Calamity came Just that information was valuable because it seemed to indicate that the fear reflection created by the Second Calamity was something that could reasonably annihilate the world if a transcendently powerful image wasnÆt used

It gave Randidly a headache to think of Donnyton becoming a war zone

But those were thoughts for another time After beating the Second Calamity it seemed that they received the notification that the Patron of Ash had mentioned with the year time limit to ascend At that point the Spearman disappeared It was unfortunate that the story didnÆt provide any concrete clues regarding RandidlyÆs suspicion regarding the Second Calamity that it could only be overcome by condensing a Greater FateÆ by reaching Level 100

That was a clue obtained from clearing a Danger Zone so Randidly had hopes clearing more would be more illuminating But he also had hoped Tellus would be helpful which had not yet been the case