LoRG 2

Cursing himself Randidly wished he hadnÆt been so torn apart by the painful image of ash at the time and thought to ask more concrete details regarding what would be coming But he supposed it had been a rather harrowing experience It was to be expected there were questions he would miss

Randidly looked up at Trentyon with a frown What about the Spearsource What is it

Trentyon smiled It was a wide and smug smile Huhuhu finally a good question What actually is it It was rumored to be the personification of TellusÆ will that enabled the Spearman to bring the System Others say it was a blessing gifted by the Gods to the Spearman when he found the one true Path Most agree that it was the weapon with which he slew the first great Calamity

Then Trentyon leaned forward however there are numerous problems with this interpretation of historical events After all of all the contemporary primary sources that speak of their encounters with the Spearman none mention the Spearsource

Chapter 690

Randidly blinked you think the Spearsource didnÆt show up until the Spearman left

Trentyon was watching Randidly with a half smile but when the other man spoke Trentyon scowled Well I suppose that is a rather inelegant way of saying it but I suppose I couldnÆt call such a sentence inaccurate

Considering that Randidly believed the Spearsource was probably a manifestation was somehow a personification of the images of spear use it made sense that it hadnÆt appeared until after the Spearman disappeared It was the amalgamation of all of his images the Spearman had gathered during his lifetime

What Randidly was truly curious about was how he had managed to separate himself from his images Considering his current issues with the pervasiveness of ash in his images Randidly felt a tightening of his heart but ignored it

Well perhaps he was thinking about this the wrong way Maybe he hadnÆt severed himself from the images but perished as an individual to become an object Either way if the goal was to dodge the track of the Calamity it seemed to have work Tellus was stuck in the current situation with no progress with the Calamities and very rigid images for hundreds of years

The CreatureÆs dream Would it be so bad for the Earth to fall into something similar

Randidly shook his head Perhaps in the short term but there were a lot of strange perversions in Tellus that seemed unusual Accomplishing such a feat that had been done here was not a simple thing Before he understood the details no point in getting into a philosophical debate with himself

ThatÆs not the only bit of drivel that the Song of the Spearman swears by Trentyon said Immediately his gangly limbs stretched to grab different scrolls from the piles and spread them out in front of Randidly Another important point that is the subject of hot debate is the actual arrival of the Spearman It is assumed that he brought the era of prosperity to Tellus but some sources seem to contradict the notion that it was such a neat thing It seems much more likely that the Spearman was a relative unknown until he slew the Calamity It was only then that Tellus became a global community

That seemed to make sense especially since Randidly sincerely doubt that this individual simply brought the System back He might have been the one to accomplish whatever arbitrary goal the System demanded but he was an unknown to that point

In addition there is a lot of confusion and mixed reports regarding the destruction of the Halo School Most say that they perished in the first part of the war against the Wights but others seem to speak of the Wight invasion as a distant memory while the war of Schools was going on which would play the war of Schools after it during the beginning of the SpearmanÆs absence Trentyon shrugged For political reasons it makes sense There was likely a reshuffling of power in the SpearmanÆs absence and the different Schools fought But afterward they preferred to blame the brutality on a third party than own up to it If you look at this passage here

Trentyon Randidly interrupted Shit how many of these scrolls do you have memorized Every time you want to show a source you know exactly

I guess itÆs just luck

Abruptly the temperature in the room seemed to tick downward Trentyon was looking at Randidly with a wounded and angry expression

Scratching his chin Randidly said Look I didnÆt mean

Of course ItÆs fine I have some work to do putting these back YouÆve gotten your brief overview so please leave ItÆs about time to close for the night Without saying anything more Trentyon grabbed a pile of the scrolls and hurried off

For several minutes Randidly just stood on the upper catwalks and watched the other man It seemed like he had touched upon a sore subject but what had he even said There were moments when Randidly was almost compelled to speak up and ask but the slouching way that Trentyon scurried around the lower level gave him pause

Finally Randidly sighed and left Perhaps it would be best for him to try his luck tomorrow when TrentyonÆs mood improved

But it was true that he had gotten the general overview of history that he wanted Still it had only equipped him to ask the right questions not answer them In order to answer them Randidly would need to actually speak to someone who was present during those that time years ago

Was it feasible to try and meet one of the leaders from the central Styles They would undoubtedly know more And based upon what Randidly knew Shal was the sun of someone from the Endless Heat Style albeit a bastard one

Most of the people had left the streets at this point so Randidly could walk in peace along the streets But even at this hour the gyms on the roofs of most buildings were alive with noise and exertion It was a city that prided itself on strength

And it was slowly being strangled to death by an old enemy that should have been defeated

What had happened Why was the Spearsource taken now

Stopping at a well Randidly considered his friend’s list After great hesitation he composed and sent a message to Shal

IÆve been back in the world for a while I think itÆs time we talked

Randidly

After sending it Randidly looked up at the sky above Before he could dwell too much on the drawbacks of the newfound power in his plant images he received a reply

In the middle of something We speak later

Randidly blinked In the middle of something What was his master even doing these days

The cave was cold and dark dimly lit by a few candles on VersaultÆs bedside His gaze was cool as he considered the three people in front of him This is unnecessary I have already given you all the information I have You must come here too This is a sacred place to our School If you do not leave immediately

If it is so sacred why do you rest here every night Verynica countered Even with only the light of the candles a huge dome of a cave could be seen It was true that there was a small pallet and some personal effects in the middle area but Shal could vaguely see seven large shapes looming in the darkness along the walls And in the center there were a brass dias the size of a gazebo

Shal glanced at Verynica surprised she had spoken Ophelia stood between her two Lieutenants looking at Versault with a bland smile ShalÆs instincts warned him that this would not go well For once he was glad that Razland had insisted on going to bed early At least he wouldnÆt be caught up in whatever sort of farce this was

It was your turn to guard it Ophelia said softly I find it hard to believe that you and your people know nothing

Versault nodded slightly and it was clear to Shal from his stiff neck that even that small gesture took a great toll on the man As I have said we are not what we were

Truly the crushed remnants of Memory do not amount to much Ophelia whispered Then her eyes flashed and she gestured to Shal and Verynica Subdue him We will need to bring him back with us to the Oracle

Verynica took a step forward even while Shal hesitated

Ha Versault cackled You think her name would cow me Child although I can no longer remember my homeland my existence is not something that you can understand Begone from this place it deserves better than your petty tricks

Enough talk Verynica said and leapt forward towards Versault Despite his previous bluster the man seemed to deflate as Verynica approached Visibly he aged But when he raised his hand to meet VerynicaÆs thrust all Shal felt was an impassable barrier A shield of woven reeds that stretched endlessly in all directs

What Verynica gasped looking in horror at the shattered head of her spear Like glass meeting stone her weapon had disintegrated into nothing when it encountered VeraultÆs hand This made Shal narrow his eyes For all her bluster Verynica was competent Her weapon was also excellent What sort of man was this that could stop her bare handed

Child of Gila must we do this Versault asked one last time

Ophelia said nothing and gave Shal a small look With a nod he moved forward to strike

Chapter 691

As Shal charged forward Versault raised his other hand Once more those woven reeds filled ShalÆs every sense It seemed like he could smell the dirt and running water There was the soft rustle of wind amongst them

Grinning Shal stepped to the side If nothing else he knew that testing that image was not an easy thing Better to start with more probing strikes His spear lashed out towards VersaultÆs foot

The man clicked his tongue and the bare palm turned into a gentle wave Shal seemed to see a child splashing thick drops of water in play and in the air the drops caught the light of a hot sun until they were glimmering like gemstones

With his instincts roaring fear Shal allowed the force of the blow to spin him away He stumbled to a stop some distance away looking wide eyed at Versault

That level of image it was obviously that of a Master but it was more concrete than anything Shal had ever encountered Compared to this his own hidden strength was also insufficient

But those few moves seemed to catch VersaultÆs attention He turned and regarded Shal with bright eyes Ah it is you Interesting I suppose it will not be a total waste of time if I witness your limits Child what is your Level

Before he could stop his mouth Shal answered 83

Then he slammed his hand across it horrified Why had he answered that question

Versault made a click with his mouth Slow But I suppose we have some time left especially considering all the movement out of the Spearman School Little Feely I really think that is where

My name Ophelia said imperiously Is Ophelia DonÆt you dare use that name traitor

So blinded by loyalty Admirable Will you raise your spear against me after so long Versault asked in an amused voice But he had to turn to the side as Verynica moved with her new spear and struck again

Following VerynicaÆs lead Shal attacked from the other side in a pincer maneuver that was relatively well done considering they had never practiced

But it only earned a dry chuckle from Versault He spun and the room was suddenly filled with a warm spring breeze across a dirt road Travel and independence sun and exploration Possibilities filled every breath

Shal gritted his teeth A cold specter of the Spear Phantom condensed behind him reaching out his greedy hands towards VersaultÆs body Shal wasnÆt too familiar with VerynicaÆs abilities but he could tell that she also threw a haymaker at the old man

Shuddering Shal stumbled backward from the collision His eyes narrowed as he considered the frowning man in front of him He took both of their shots on directly without seeming any the worse for wear Meanwhile Shal himself was stunned for several seconds and Verynica had shattered another spear and collapsed

Versault picked an infinitesimally small bit of dust from his nails and then spoke to Shal These are not your natural images

Immediately Shal froze

Fine unleash the seal Ophelia hissed and then she flexed her hand and produced a spear

For the first time VersaultÆs face turned serious Do you truly dare to act If you activate your soul

The Spearsource has been taken Unless we find it all has been lost Ophelia said softly Why would I dare not act

Now VersaultÆs face creased with furious wrinkles And you truly believe that using your power against me is the best use With this you accomplish nothing I have no knowledge what that selfish fool has done

Now Ophelia said

From ShalÆs chest the images he had so long suppressed burst to the surface All those giggling moments with his beloved brother came to the surface designing a Style all their own Borrowing the grace and speed of AemontÆs Spear Phantom but reducing it to a deadly form that they could most easily use

The Wraith Adder Style

His spear instantly began to twist and sway as it slithered closer to Versault Snorting he waved his arm and conjured the image of layered reeds once more

But the ground split as Ophelia thrust forward with her spear The ground beneath Shal trembled as it seemed like there truly was a stabbing explosion of rock out of the ground The attack smashed into the reed wall with an explosion

With glowing eyes and deadly intent Shal advanced forward

The Luck of the Wraith Adder saved Shal as he twisted to the side at the last minute A plain palm strike slid past his cheek but it set ShalÆs scalp tingling There was more power in that palm strike than in either of the strikeÆs Shal had thrown earlier

But he had been sandbagging

ShalÆs Fatal Bite sliced sideways in the direction that the attack came from but it was stopped dead by another palm It was however somewhat satisfying that Versault grunted and took a step back Above Shal the Wraith Adder hissed calmly its eyes the terrifying blue of ice on deep water

Growling Versault spun around and the soft noise of rustling leaves became immediately audible It was fall and the ground was littered with red orange and yellow leaves before a cold winter chill began to wither them into a twisted brown Shal slithered past the attack and struck again and again hammering the man while he was busy dealing with all three of them Versault stumbled backward again and he looked up at Shal with a grim smile

Indeed this is more like it Not images but a creature composed of images that you have raised Fascinating

DonÆt look away from me Ophelia said calmly dropping a huge attack that looked like an avalanche Instead of reeds this attack was met with the placid waters of a lake Unfortunately for Versault the distraction of addressing Shal meant that this time the image wasnÆt powerful enough to completely blunt the blow and Shal heard a bone in the manÆs hand snap

Verynica struck from behind Versault but was met with a donkey kick Vomiting blood the woman rolled backward until she hit one of the large marble columns along the walls

This immediately got VersaultÆs attention and he spun around with worried eyes In this moment where he was clearly distracted how could Shal let this chance pass

Lightning quick ShalÆs spear stabbed once twice three times into VersaultÆs back The blade slid into the thick flesh of his back even as the man hissed and turned But Ophelia moved from the side slashing her spear to knock Versault back towards Shal

But the man was remarkably resilient Using the smashing attack from Ophelia Versault rolled sideways back toward the entrance At first Shal thought that he was making a break for it but he simply grabbed one of the thin brass spears from the carved figures by the entrance He lowered it at Ophelia I hope you have thought this through

Ophelia grinned cracking her neck I had forgotten how good this feels to utilize Skills Images have none of the weight of a true Skill With this we have a chance to seize the Spearsource once more Whatever you were in the past Versault I will give you one last chance Surrender the location of the Spearsource

Already you grow corrupted Versault said with a sorrowful shake of the head It seems the terrible darkness in the air still lingers Allow me to fulfill the duty of putting you down Only one strike shall I allow myself on this day

The ground rumbled as Ophelia charged toward Versault with rumbling footsteps In terms of momentum every step seemed to increase the force of mass behind her Meanwhile Versault simply stood waiting

The rumbling intensified until the whole underground area was shaking The vivid image of the ground splitting in a cataclysmic explosion filled ShalÆs vision Meanwhile Versault just thrust forward with a spear The smell of tanned leather and sweat filled ShalÆs nose He watched in muted astonishment as several pale skinned individuals slowly carved the spear that Versault now held They stood in a cluster in a tent

The wind pulled insistently at the covering of the tent and one of the figures looked up Their eyes met

Strangely Shal was looking at himself or at least a man with his face

A concussive explosion shattered the two images Versault coughed lighted and his brass spear was bent sideways But he was panting with exertion and Shal struck

Soul Venom

The point of ShalÆs spear slid into VersaultÆs chest the other man turned and smashed Shal to the side with a flash of a child splashing water once more When Shal hit the ground one of his ribs broke Coughing he struggled to sit up straight

Versault was walking towards Ophelia After their one blow she had collapsed into a pile and was only now stirring

At that very moment Shal received a message from Randidly He immediately informed his apprentice it would need to wait

Perhaps it would be better to kill you but I dare not But I urge you to remember why we swore those oaths all those years ago Otherwise we would have fallen into darkness Versault said softly

Fuck you Ophelia panted looking pale and bloodless It was somewhat strange to see Ophelia like this For so long Shal had thought she had all the answers But now it seemed that although she was also one of the older heads of Schools Versault stretched even farther back

Sighing Versault turned to Shal He didnÆt say anything but he reached up and touched the spot where Shal had struck with Soul Venom His eyes were full of pregnant meaning Then he turned away and looked around the cave

I suppose this is all the proof I need This place is forgotten No longer should I be bound here

Then he left

Chapter 692

Slightly disappointed with Shal’s response Randidly returned to his room in the Hall of Stances On his way back to his room he asked one of the young initiates of the hall how busy the main part of the Hall was and was disappointed to find that it was as popular as ever It would take longer than a few days for the joy of being able to encounter some of the greatest images the world had ever seen to wain

Mulling over what he had learned from Trentyon Randidly returned to his room However as soon as he was alone his eyes sharpened

Even though the past was important in order to prepare for the future Randidly’s main focus right now was growing stronger So he decided to focus his efforts over the course of the next week to polishing his Skills Not particularly on raising the Skill Level but Randidly believed the right course of action was to make sure using the Skills together was second nature

As he began to develop a training plan for himself Randidly was pleasantly surprised to receive a response from Shal

Will be returning to Hastam We shall speak Be careful

Shaking his head but slightly heartened Randidly focused his attention one more inward on himself Those strange Skills lost to ash remained in him cluttering up space within his Soul Much to Randidly’s chagrin he discovered that they really took up space inside of him He would not have the same potential of learning Skills as he had previously due to the influence of Ash inside of him Simultaneously though many of Randidly’s Skills had combined so he still had a dozen or so slots inside of himself for Skills

That was around the amount he had from his Class anyway so there was no use becoming frustrated over the lost efficiency Instead Randidly considered what to train to the utmost in this week But as he looked at his Skill List his face was covered by a frown He had gained quite a few Skills today almost 20 But in Talon Strike Mana Engraving and SpriggitÆs Tinkering The nine in SpriggitÆs Tinkering was especially confusing There was no way that his careful consideration of history earned him points in engineering right

But what was the alternative How ELSE could Randidly be gaining Skill Levels

It was obviously beneficial at the moment because he had more PP to spend but Randidly had a bad feeling in his chest Gifts like this rarely came free He had learned that from Lucretia

To his surprise Randidly realized that he missed the centuries old woman Both for her ability to use Aether and karma and also because of the strong steadying effect she exerted over both himself and his Soulskill With her helping to administer RandidlyÆs insides there was one less thing for Randidly to worry about

Still he understood that wasnÆt a reasonable expectation Lucretia would likely never return to be inside of him again and that was alright The life inside of him wasnÆt a true life Perhaps it was most akin to a clinical trial of some sort where a person was brought away from their real life to test some esoteric detail of life Randidly had been blessed to have her as long as he had inside his Soulskill

And speaking of his Soulskill

Randidly sat on his bed and buried his head in his hands His Soulskill was an area that Randidly always meant to give more focus toward but he always ended up being distracted by something else It was basically the equivalent of his Class for his Soul and yet he completely let it fall by the wayside Truthfully Randidly guessed that if he really wanted to make a change to the overwhelming quality of ash that had suffused his Skills even the plant ones the Soulskill might be the place to start

With a light sigh Randidly leaned back on his bed It was nowhere near the comfort of a bed from Earth but it was still lightly cushioned for those rare times people from Tellus slept And there was something profoundly soothing about staring at the ceiling The sounds inside the room were practically nil so slowly the sphere of hearing expanded to his whole wing of the strange dorms the warriors were placed

As it was mostly empty there were barely enough creaks to slow his Perception and he stretched further It was only when he reached the training ground and the kitchens of the Hall of Stances were his senses suitably engaged And while his focus was stretched across half of the building he released his mind so that his eyes grew dull and he could give his consciousness a few seconds of rest where he thought about nothing

The zen state was difficult to maintain but Randidly forced himself to remain there for several seconds letting his thoughts about the Ashen ImageÆs presence accumulate It was a hard thing to address immediately but Randidly had been putting it off long enough

As he gathered himself back together after the refreshing break RandidlyÆs mind went to one thing Plant Dominance All his ability to cultivate growth had basically been sacrificed for raw power Not that he didn’t value raw power but

Randidly silently grimaced Here in the dark room while staring up at the ceiling it hit him like a physical blow his ability to grow things was gone No longer could he be the same man he had been for so long leading up to now His time here had Tellus had hardened his heart and burdened him with a deep sense of responsibility and it also saw one of his most concrete ways of benefiting others disappear

His original little garden in the dungeon safe zone the fields around Donnyton he had cultivated the bloom of flowers by the shrine near Tatiana’s base that he had playfully planted all of it was beyond him now He had gained much his mental voice assured himself But it did little to alleviate the deep sense of loss that he felt in his heart

His grand image was the tree of life And now for power it was burning everything that grew around it to ash The sheer violence of the Ashen Image left a bad taste in RandidlyÆs mouth

Reminding himself that it was not his choice that had led to here also didn’t do much to stop the frustration and anger It was true that the Patron of Ash had forced his overwhelming Ashen image onto Randidly forcing Randidly to open himself to the desolate and lonely image But Randidly knew what sort of world the Patron of Ash had inhabited It was pretty reasonable to expect that as one proceeds down the path of a Patron their relations to that image would grow

Despite that Randidly had never thought what becoming more tightly bound to the Patron would mean He only followed that Path for the power that he was sure waited at the end This was a decision that he had come to on his own and now he was dealing with the consequences

Randidly raised his hand and conjured an Incinerating Bolt It hung hot and smoking above his hand Slowly his Mana drained as the thing remained in his grasp without being loosed Drops of molten metal fell to hit the ground sizzling softly against the wooden boards With a crunch Randidly closed his hand

The first Skill he had gained was root based Well perhaps that was not true Randidly frowned as he tried to remember the exact series of events years ago in that dungeon But the first choice between Skills that Randidly had he had chosen Grasping Roots That ability to control had blossomed into something so much greater

His Soulskills up until this point had been based partially on growth even if it was a rotting growth Now with all of the induced growth he caused resulting in fire and ash that long standing leg of RandidlyÆs had been cut

As if on cue there was a throbbing in his chest With a slow hand Randidly reached up and placed it under his heart His frown deepened Over the past few weeks he had noticed this pain intermittently When had it started Although he couldnÆt pin down the date it did seem that it had begun when he had gained the Ashen Image Perhaps the loss of one of the focus points of his images was having a deeper effect than he realized

Perhaps like when the Cycle of Rot and Ash grew too quickly he was suffering from growing pains Randidly closed his eyes Within the next coming days perhaps it would be best to spend some time in the Hall of Stances proper Although it was not an option Randidly liked stealing anotherÆs image to balance out his Soul would be important

Growth growth was why Randidly had strived so hard for strength He had wanted to find the power to let humanity flourish To lose that now

Even further back in the past Randidly recalled being a child and helping his mother and Kulwort garden A simple wholesome activity Those memories were some of Randidly’s favorites of his mother

So much had changed in so many ways But that didn’t mean he missed it any less

Randidly closed his eyes and as he did so a salty tear ran down his cheek

Some mechanical part of Randidly that wondered if using that tear in a potion would make it extremely effective Experimenting with the tear would undoubtedly result in great effects But Randidly simply wiped it away For this small moment at least Randidly was unwilling to force himself to always aim constantly to be working for the future This had hit him harder than expected and it was time to feel that grief

Although he needed to find balance in himself there were also so many other things grabbing at his attention It was exhausting His was now a dread Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom At the moment it felt like the change in the name was an ominous sign

For another fifteen minutes Randidly laid on the bed listening to the soft noises in the building The tread of feet upon wooden boards The bubble of boiling water The tired breath of an old man removing his outer garments in preparation for bed A young boy singing to an even younger girl Wind tracing its fingers along the roof Even as Randidly was seized by grief everyone else continued to move forward That was life

Then the moment passed and Randidly stood with a firm expression on his face It might not be now but he would remain on the lookout for a way to find his balance “Alright it’s time to get to work “

Chapter 693

As they passed each other the spears tapped against one another with surprising gentleness It was only a spar so neither Helen nor Azriel were really giving their all to win It was more a way to explore each otherÆs capabilities

Besides sparring with lowered intensity was necessary Generally Helen didnÆt have a problem controlling her bread and butter Skill she had earned on the front lines but since hearing she would face Randidly it had become increasingly difficult It didnÆt help that it had seemed that he was completely intent on ignoring her until the battle happened

And Helen believed she knew Randidly well enough to guess what he was thinking by not seeing her And that pissed her off even more

Instantly Azriel changed directions and rushed toward Helen Spinning her spear Helen gathered the thin eddies in the air and pressed them against Azriel to sway her advance However the small tugs did little to stop Azriel

HelenÆs eyes narrowed In that at least Azriel was an extremely useful person to fight against in preparation to face Randidly in three days Both of them seemed completely immune to small forces There was no subtlety to their movements so to make tiny adjustments did little to weaken the main thrust

Helen stepped to the side then stepped immediately back Azriel had already taken a sharp step to aim towards where she was heading and sailed harmlessly past in that direction To HelenÆs surprise however when she stabbed with her spear Azriel expertly raised her own and tapped the blow away

Gritting her teeth Helen chased after Azriel She was unwilling to let such a good chance by Her Skills boosted her speed and her spear flashed back and forth The harrying blows were light due to the rules of the spar but a few drops of her Sea of Blood Skill leaked out Even if it was a small thing Helen felt the grips she had on herself loosen just lightly

Pause Helen said with a sigh She lowered her spear This was exactly what she was trying to avoid In battle when the Sea of Blood Skill fueled her River based Skills the effectiveness almost doubled But it also made holding back difficult Anger was the fuel for that Skill

Although she was clearly on the losing end of the exchange Azriel stopped immediately and looked decidedly cheery Her impassive face made it seem like this was one of the most placid things in the world Very little of the knife edge of tension Helen stood on was reflected in AzrielÆs eyes

Azriel studied Helen in turn You are thinking too much about these things If you wish to speak with him do it Do not simply worry yourself

IÆm not worried Helen snapped Gouts of red blood poured out of her hidden image filling the room With a hiss Helen forcibly dispelled it Then she looked at Azriel with a hint of jealousy If she could control her emotions that well I really am not It is just curious He promised that we would have dinner

Azriel blinked Neither of you have had dinner since we returned

Fucking Azriel Helen grumbled inwardly It was impossible to prove but Helen would have sworn that the other woman played dumb on purpose in order to force her to admit to something Well today would not be that day

Have you heard the news The survivors from the Northern Domain have made it down to the Niergem Their following is swelling All communications indicate that they crush the Wights every opportunity they get Helen said

Now emotions played across AzrielÆs face Hope happiness concern amusement and even worry

That last one made Helen blink Do you do you think your Master is among them

I suspect so but in his restricted form so it does not unnerve them Azriel pursed her lips That they have come so far is illuminating however

When Helen looked at Azriel in askance she continued to speak Although we have had victories they were largely pyrrhic ones and successful delays RandidlyÆs actions on the banks of the Hallat are a good example Which means one of two things that the Wights donÆt care or the people from the North are doing something special

Like what Helen asked Her heartbeat had slowed after the spar and she felt her emotions returning to the small box she kept them in She closed the box with a click

Azriel grimaced It might seem strange but the true experts among them might be moving If they were to do so the war against the Wights would change

Aylwind Sky head of the Spearman School sat at his desk in the highest tower of Hastam In front of him in stark contrast to the warm brown of the desk were two crisp white envelopes Both were addressed to him and written in cold hands

Aylwind picked up the letter from Versault first With a thought the image of spear suffused his finger and he ripped off the top to remove the letter within

Ophelia has allowed her youthful exuberance to overwhelm her better judgment We must abide by the Three Oaths that we have all taken I urge you to contact Ophelia and remind her of her responsibilities

With a sigh an image of fire annihilated the letter in a second Of course more calls for peace While an army of Wights sat on the doorstep of Hastam he was to do nothing This was the great result of the Three Oaths

The three Oaths were rather simple He had to swear to them when he was ordained as head of the Spearman School

The Oaths were fine for the past six or seven hundred years Aylwind thought morosely But with the Spearsource was lost both Oath one and two seemed to block them from reclaiming the Spearsource

Honestly Aylwind deeply regretted accepting his position as head of the Spearman School Having his hands tied like this was infuriating

Sure the initial novelty of utilizing solely images to act was somewhat diverting When you relied completely on images outside of the Skill you gained a lot of insight into how a Skill was constructed In addition you generally would still gain Skill Levels in Skills related to your image It was basically what weight lifting was for athletes The point wasnÆt generally to accomplish those tasks but it would sharpen you in beneficial ways

One hundred years later Aylwind did indeed feel powerful But he couldnÆt forget the feeling of crushing his rivals with the raw power of his Skills That feeling was a nostalgic memory that occupied a lot of AylwindÆs time

Still he understood why that Oath was present even if he wasnÆt as clear on the others AylwindÆs expression turned serious There was something deeply flawed about the energy of the world When he had ascended to his transcendent might he had been young But in addition he had been wild and filled with a reckless rage After a prolonged duel Aylwind had defeated the prior head of the Spearman School and killed him and his entire clan

Perhaps his reign of terror would have continued had not Ophelia and Versault arrived and subdued him Immediately he was locked in a dark room that was effectively a jail Initially Aylwind would have scoffed at the thought of jail But it was engraved in such a way that expenditures that cost Mana or Stamina were multiplied by one thousand while regeneration was reduced to one tenth

To simply stand up required several minutes and would leave one too exhausted to do anything but collapse back to the ground While in that room Aylwind had suffered deeply

It was only after six months of discussions did Aylwind accept the terms of release Because at that point he had spent enough time without using Skills to feel that his previous actions were extremely strange There used to be a wild rage in his heart that was suddenly gone

Thinking back Aylwind couldnÆt understand where it had come from And that filled him with fear

Later Versault and Ophelia had explained that it was the world itself that was poisoned And the higher your Skill Levels the more you exposed yourself to the insidious violence that the world craved That the Spearsource craved

Which was why that had kept it locked away for centuries

Humming to himself Aylwind picked up OpheliaÆs letter

Can we afford to wait any longer

Aylwind grinned Much more to the point and much more aligned with what he wanted to hear

Chapter 694

Randidly woke to the omnipresent feeling of danger It felt like the world was crashing down around him The pounding of his own heart in his ears did nothing to distract from the impending doom

Sharpening his senses Randidly immediately sensed the source a figure was floating above Hastam His heart dropped out of his stomach Someone was here And they were going to

A searing pain in his chest silenced him and Randidly hissed in annoyance It was on something of a whim that Randidly had laid down to rest for a few hours and now he deeply regretted it

What was the most surprising was that no one else seemed to notice it The Hall of Stances was quiet around him Dozens of participants slept soundly or trained without noticing the vortex of rage hanging above them The vicious and murderous Aether seemed to seeth around the figure like nothing Randidly had ever seen

Who

Endless Heat Style The figure said Randidly couldnÆt hear but he could feel the speakerÆs lips by feeling through the thick and knotted Aether around him Bonefire

The spear fell like the ticking of a clock moving exactly 45 degrees

Then the hairs on the back of RandidlyÆs neck stood straight up as he realized he could hear the roar of flames from inside his room inside the Hall of Stances inside of Hastam Instantly his Perception spread outward Paling he pushed further riding on the Aether heartbeat in the air That heartbeat seemed to be even louder despite the noise of the fire It seemed in some way Tellus was coming alive before RandidlyÆs eyes

And the South was burning All of it Everything that Randidly could sense

That Azriel said shortly staring out from the walls of Hastam at the charred and destroyed fields south of the city The ground wasnÆt completely burned but it seemed in an area spreading outward from Hastam like it was the tip of a triangle everything was gone Was Aylwind Sky the head of the Spearman School

Randidly just looked mutely out at the ground Something inside of him shivered Is this what awaited him in his own future

But Randidly pressed that thought down He knew his ashes functioned as an excellent fertilizer Meanwhile this

Apparently an army of Wights was sneaking up on the city at night Almost a million Gone just like that Afterward he walked straight South through the night attacking when he found anything They say the Southern Domain is basically no longer there Azriel continued grimly

She turned and gave Randidly a look We are powerful But this this is beyond us

The ability to turn the tide of the war Randidly said softly The Styles of Hastam seemed to have finally moved And the final result was far beyond what he had expected

The early reports did indicate that Aylwind was careful with his strikes to avoid hitting the remaining areas of resistance or destroying too much farmland But when the cleaver he held was so large there was only so much damage control that could be done Still moral in the capitol and on the front lines was up Randidly had received a message from Platton that they were retaking the entirety of the South on the back of Aylwind

Lifting his gaze Randidly looked at the soft clouds and the heartbeat of TellusÆ spirit that was within them Another tier higher on the power scale huh Was this a normal thing Would he need to reach this level of strength in order to face down the Calamity

Or perhaps was this a result of Tellus stalling out as it had

Over the past few days Randidly had managed to convince Trentyon he had meant no harm with his common and the two of them had spent a few hours each day researching into the history of Tellus Although Trentyon had access to his own scrolls he had collected they were relatively limited in scope

But when Randidly had told him that he could grant Trentyon access to the Hall of Stances and their records the thin man was delighted The caretakers of the Hall of Stances were decidedly against it but Randidly pointed out that they allowed him to view the images held there

How could scrolls be more valuable than that

Randidly needed to hold TrentyonÆs mouth practically to keep him from fighting against RandidlyÆs argument but it had worked against the caretakers Even now Trentyon was chuckling to himself and unrolling and rerolling scrolls in a mad search for more details

It made Randidly concerned that he might be wasting his time here Even more so than he had previously He was however now waiting for ShalÆs return so at least that gave him some direction

Do you wish to talk about your upcoming bout with Helen Azriel asked

Randidly chuckled because Azriel intuited the general focus of his thoughts if misconstrued his motivations Thank you but no

Am I correct in thinking you two have had sex before Azriel asked

Randidly did a double take What Why

Ha do not treat it as such a special thing Azriel said with a deep frown Helen and I have engaged in intercourse regularly in order to release stress

There was a moment when Randidly just stopped His mouth was wide open as he looked at Azriel Then her eyes crinkled up in the corners and Randidly glowered at her

Ha ha AzrielÆs laughter was low and warm Truly you are a delight to bother You should not act so seriously It will impair your ability to read feints Social skills are necessary even for a warrior

With an exaggerated sigh Randidly turned away from the burned grassland and walked down the staircase of the stone walls Azriel followed close behind By an effort of will Randidly forced himself to relax Azriel was perhaps correct if a little weirdly focused

Finally he said Yes we had sex And honestly I bet Helen would have blushed worse than I did if you suggested you two were coupling up Try that joke out on her

Azriel raised her eyebrows Do you think so Hmm intriguing Well perhaps Her reactions are generally violent I do not mean to bring such ancillary things up but I suspect the tension you are feeling is due to the previous sex

In spite of himself Randidly chuckled There is no tension Azriel

Then why are you two not speaking You spoke before and you are not speaking now All has changed due to this minor duel

Minor duel From you HavenÆt you staked your entire reputation on this tournament No need to downplay the reverberating implications of this Randidly said to Azriel over his shoulder She frowned at him so Randidly continued on a more gentle tack We arenÆt talking because she wonÆt like what I have to say Better to wait and let the fight speak for itself

I suppose fights are an oddly erotic activity Azriel said while scratching her chin It makes sense that your emotions could be successfully sublimated during the tournament Just have a care that you donÆt disappoint her

I donÆt want to have sex with her Azriel Randidly said giving Azriel a sharp look

She grinned at him Because you want to have sex with me

This time Azriel blinked and found herself at a loss for words Then her face scrunched up into a look of annoyance I suppose I deserve this but I donÆt appreciate these jokes

Welcome to adulthood Randidly said grandly Where we look each other straight in the eye and lie about the sexual tension

I am your elder but should you ever desire true courtship I would be open to the concept Hopefully your opening gift is persuasive to make up for all the work I had to put into your spear skills Then Azriel barred her teeth But I do not share such things with another You would be forced to make a choice

Shrugging Randidly let the matter drop There was a lot to do and now was not the time to chase fleeting emotions They would either prove true on their own or burn out A joyless outlook perhaps but one that put the fate of the world much higher than his libido

So do you have time for a spar Randidly asked He was itching to really push himself after seeing the destruction caused by Aylwind And his match against Helen was the morning of the day after tomorrow so he wanted to push his PP up as much as he could in the interim Because according to his plan everything would start after that first match

Azriel clicked her tongue a habit she had learned from Randidly We just spoke about the sexual aggression of violence So of course my answer is yes

Chapter 695

It wonÆt be a big thing but my new employer is throwing a party for me before I return with him to Donnyton Mareen said excitedly People flowed past them on the sidewalks but Naffur barely noticed him His breathing was short and his skin was tingling as he stared at the purple invitation Mareen was offering him It will be at the Eastern Gardens in one of those cute little gazebo things ItÆs close enough to my birthday that my family will be there too Because IÆm not sure when I will see everyone again

Mareen trailed off seeming to notice NaffurÆs glazed eyes for the first time Naffur is something wrong

You are leaving

No itÆs nothing IÆm just tired Naffur said quickly His tongue felt fat and dry and his mouth How could he feel so cold but be sweating at the same time There was a dull ache in his chest as he fumbled with his words I err I can come I guess

Really MareenÆs eyes flashed as she smiled The pain in NaffurÆs chest grew worse Thank god Honestly Naffur I wouldnÆt want to leave without um saying goodbye To you I mean

They stood awkwardly for several seconds not quite looking at each other Instead both seem to focus on the invitation held between them At some point NaffurÆs hand had reached up and seized the edge so that their hands each held an end They were close only a small distance from touching But they were at a strange impasse

I Mareen began but Naffur cut her off with an effort of will His eyes were bright and serious as he raised his gaze He would say something

I like that you have this opportunity You deserve it His tongue was fat and dry in his mouth again His left hand the one not holding the card so near MareenÆs hand twisted and fidgetted It was very sweaty I wouldnÆt miss your party for the world Mareen

Oh thatÆs good Even Naffur noticed that MareenÆs gaze was strange as it looked at him People continued to move around them They had earned more than a few annoyed glances from workers but they both ignored them

So um Mareen suddenly said as she let go of the card Slowly NaffurÆs arm fell to his side still gripping the invitation How about you Did you get a sponsor from the Lottery Things were so chaotic afterward I looked for you but

Ah Naffur reached up and scratched the back of his neck How should he answer this What would be easier to say That he gained a lot Or that basically nothing changed in his life Yea but its a minor sort of position for a bureaucrat Basically IÆm supposed to go to meetings

Which was true in a way Just extremely misleading

Oh thatÆs wonderful Have you told everyone down at the shop yet Oh have you heard about the man thatÆs started pursuing Mama HeÆs only 37 ThatÆs 20 years her junior Say what you will about the System but in terms of health and beauty

Mareen continued talking happily with Naffur but all he could think about was the moment he had to tell her not to leave and the fact he had done nothing Very quickly he couldnÆt stand it anymore and made an excuse to leave After extracting from him a promise that he would attend her party Mareen let him go with a disappointed expression

It was only after Naffur returned to his little base on the connecting scaffolding between two buildings that he could truly relax But that was short lived because as soon as he returned the first thing he looked at was the mask that started the entirety of this portion of his life the Ghosthound Mask It was partially melted and scuffed from the events at the Manhattan Tower but it was whole

And beneath it was a pile of money

The ending of the Lottery had gone almost perfectly well for Naffur The Haveheights were cast as heroes because all that most people saw were them charging into the bank in order to stop the terrorists that were attacking it Ricky Stain had been over the moon because the exposure had landed them a security gig at one of the lesser government facilities He had even sent Naffur a thank you note and a fruit basket complimenting his gift for knowing when to make an entrance

Still Naffur didnÆt have a job or a sponsor who was training him All he really had was an alter ego that was the only known member of the Order Ducis other than Randidly Ghosthound himself

Even stranger still upon waking up after the Manhattan Tower Lottery Incident he had been greeted by a creature that was only Randidly GhosthoundÆs doppelganger named Neveah

You arenÆt him Naffur asked from his bed feeling profoundly disappointed Then am I not

Oh you are still in the Order DonÆt worry I am basically him Even if I look like this My fiance doesnÆt like it much either Then Neveah transformed and Naffur saw so many teeth that he wished he had never asked

But what Neveah did tell him was that the Order Ducis was important Incredibly so Mostly because it was seen as the vehicle for the will of the Ghosthound which was important to basically all of the important political figures but also because the Order Ducis was given sole responsibility of issuing permits for the founding of Orders by some charter

And then there was the money

Answering all the letters to make things Orders is boring Neveah said shaking her head After some goopy features she had settled on an androgynous body that looked similar to Randidly but was clearly not him But some are persistent and sent gifts You can have them itÆs of no use to me

So Neveah had given him a seal signifying the authority of the entirety of the Order Ducis a pile of letters and so much money that Naffur still didnÆt believe it was really sitting in the side of his small rooftop shack At nights sometimes he counted it to fall asleep He never finished going through the bills

Some of it was American dollars others were the Donnyton buck with there were promissory notes from various institutions companies and organizations of varying repute It was hard to know even what was worth what

But NaffurÆs interaction with Mareen had filled him with a strange sense of powerlessness so today he made an exception to ignoring the letters After making a small fire he began to read

The first was a letter from someone who simply introduced herself as Annie She in spare prose asked for leave to found the Order Sagitta

Naffur was having none of it the letter was dropped into the greedy flames without a thought

The next was also a rejection it was for the Order Denaris Although he wasnÆt positive that he knew what it stood for based upon the implications of the letter this was from a bank At the thought of a banking institution possessing the power to be an Order Naffur wrinkled his nose In the old world banks had run the world He wasnÆt in the mood to allow that to happen again

More and more Naffur read applications for status as a recognized Order and more and more his frustration and anxiety about Mareen dissipated Soon Naffur stopped reading the letters because he was deeply concerned

In what way would he be able to know if these groups should be orders

Already the influence of the Orders could be seen For most other Orders there were small groups in most places supporting them and benefiting the community

For example the Order Fide was opening shelters for the poor in the Orchard giving away soup and bread twice a day The Order Valorum had set up Valor Boards where anyone could post jobs and rewards that were free for people to take

The Order Veritas offered some sort of honor based promises service that Naffur didnÆt quite get but he recognized it was gaining popularity Basically an oath before someone of the Order Veritas meant something special People had even taken to inviting a member of the Order Veritas to witness their wedding

These were forces for good How could Naffur hope to rival the planners of the Orders in choosing who should be allowed into the group of Orders

How can I do this Naffur had asked when Neveah dumped it all on him He was overwhelmed and likely still a bit concussed Look at me I am just

Someone who went back to help in the face of danger Neveah had said shortly She flashed a smile at him I was watching And I think youÆll do fine Half of being a leader is just clenching your fist and being the first one to take a step forward

Then she had paused the second half is results but you get better at that part over time The sooner you start practicing the better I think

Chapter 696

With a deep breath Naffur brought his focus back Although his hands were trembling he picked up the letters

Just take steps forwards The results will come with practice

There was note that gave Naffur some encouragement After the Lottery Naffur had access to a new Path the Path of the Order Ducis I It had even been a measly 50 PP In the intervening four weeks since it had happened Naffur had even been able to finish it But the rewards he got were a bit strange

He received a big boost to his health and two Skills Summon Mask (Un) and the DevilÆs Luck for Entrances Both had proven to be more disturbing than useful thus far

NaffurÆs eyes flicked to some of the newspapers piled beside his bed but his stomach twinged strangely so he returned to the letters After burning at least 25 he finally had reduced all of the applications to two The Order Sanus and the Order Machina

There wasnÆt a quota per se for what he had to allow Or at least Naffur hadnÆt been told about one The Ghosthound could do as he pleased as far as Naffur could tell and as of right now Naffur was something of a proxy for Neveah who was a proxy for a Ghosthound

It was all rather confusing

There were a few things that Naffur did know

There would be a summit for the Orders in a few days on the same day of MareenÆs party That was part of the reason that Naffur was so shocked Neveah had delivered the invitation and itinerary to Naffur that morning by silently causing them to appear in NaffurÆs room just as she did with the letters and money It was somewhat disturbing that it was so easy for Neveah but Naffur figured that for all she wasnÆt the Ghosthound her dealing with the terrorists proved she was far beyond him

Luckily the meeting was for earlier in the day while MareenÆs party was in the afternoon And they were both in the Eastern Gardens of the Orchard With this fact and NeveahÆs delivery Naffur felt quite pressured to attend

But what did they expect him to do once he was there

Pacing back and forth NaffurÆs eyes kept flicking to the itinerary laying on the crumpled pile of bedding which was where he slept

The meeting marked three months since the Orders were founded and would review what had occurred and needed to be addressed It also seemed that these meetings would become a semi annual event

One of the items on the agenda was review recommendations of the Order Ducis for appropriate groups to become orders

Fuck this Naffur finally whispered with a shake of the head He was hungry The decision over these two orders could wait

Without much fanfare he hopped down and gripped the scaffolding to climb down from his roost with all the grace of a monkey Although the Skill rewards for the Order Ducis I Path were Skills he had also gained 50 free stat points from it With those points he was physically much improved because most of the points went to Strength Agility and Perception

The noise of his landing was a soft one and Naffur brushed him off before he walked around the corner and found him faced with three individuals

Congratulations Your Skill The DevilÆs Luck for Entrances has become Lvl 26

Congratulations Your Skill Summon Mask has become Level 12

NaffurÆs expression became ugly as he viewed the two masked men holding up knives to an elderly man with an expensive looking leather backpack This shit again

HIs Skills were more trouble than they were worth

The DevilÆs Luck for Entrances There is a small chance to walk in on a situation in a key moment for good or ill That chance is vastly increased when the concerned parties are related to the Skillholder or thinking about the Skillholder Frequency increases with Skill Level The timing of the entrance is perfected with Skill Level increases

Summon Mask (Un) After selecting a basic mask or disguise you may summon it to your position at any time Cost increases with distance and size of the mask Effect is always instant Cost decreases with Skill Level Warning when the user is surprised there is a high chance of activating automatically

Shit itÆs the Knight Errant Ducis One of the masked men shouted Then he immediately turned and dashed away leaving his partner holding the backpack man and a knife

The remaining manÆs eyes widened until Naffur could clearly see the whites of his eyes even through the Ghosthound mask The man was clearly trembling Please please DonÆt come any closer IÆll

Naffur stepped forward and punched him in the face

Congratulations Your Skill Cheap Shot has become Level 52

The problem Naffur thought ruefully as the backpacked man thanked him was that recently rumors of the presence of the Knight Errant Ducis had spread through the streets of the Orchard Most people were proud that such a hero was here But criminals dreaded Naffur even though he wanted nothing to do with them For all Naffur cared the common crime could continue unabated He had been on the receiving end long enough to have little empathy for rich individuals who had a little skimmed off the top due to a poor decision to go down the wrong alley

The six castes of an Order were Cadets Knight Errants Gallants Chevaliers Paladins Abbots and finally Prelates After the Lottery and NaffurÆs appointment as a Cadet of the Order Ducis Nevaeh had quickly announced that as the only current Cadet he had been promoted to Knight Errant due to inherent qualifications

Knight Errant didnÆt mean much to Naffur at the time but that was because he didnÆt quite understand the difference But after hearing some of the same youths who had previously bullied Naffur excitedly talking about how much they wished they could be a Knight Errant in any Order Naffur realized his understanding had been a bit shallow

A cadet was an aspirant A Knight Errant was the basic full member of an Order and it was on the Knight ErrantÆs that an Order would be judged It was them that the population would interact in most frequently Or at least that was the state currently with all the Orders in fledgling states trying to market themselves

Plus with NaffurÆs Skill basically forcing him into awkward situations

It did have the positive benefit of giving him some chance to test out his new fighting Skills so NaffurÆs initial reaction to it was rather annoyed but overall not too bothered

Then Naffur had walked in on a woman being eaten out in an alleyway and she had beaten the shit out of him Of all times the Summon Mask chose that moment not to appear to cover his face It had been a firm reminder that although he was getting stronger it was nothing compared to most people with Classes

And it also served as a reminder that he was not lucky he had the DevilÆs Luck For good or ill

Naffur hurried away from the scene of the mugging leaving the knocked out man on the ground After he was out of eyesight he removed the mask and tossed it in the trash with a forlorn expression No matter what he did it would be back Naffur had even tired keeping himself deprived of Mana so it wouldnÆt randomly appear but that hadnÆt stopped it

The only real consequence was a killer headache from Mana deprivation

His meal tonight was street tacos from a small truck in one of the slums of the Orchard But for all that the company wasnÆt the best the chorizo was to die for Still Naffur ate with his eyes peeled He had also found that even if he wasnÆt moving sometimes trouble would find him

Still to his delight the meal was a peaceful one Not willing to press his luck Naffur hurried back on the roof to avoid people Unfortunately it only took five minutes for his plans to go awry

Stop

Naffur twisted around at the voice only to see a figure leap over the edge of the room and crash into Naffur Instantly instincts kicked in and Naffur fell while grasping at his side The figure seemed incredibly surprised to have hit someone and slowed to a stop to peer at Naffur

The voice was gruff and male Kid are you alright I didn’t mean

Hmph you have a lot of nerve if you dare pick my pocket and lingering around chatting A female voiced hissed Instantly the manÆs face paled Floating over the edge of the roof and landing on the roof was a lovely woman with dark hair to her shoulders In her left hand was crackling electricity In her right was a pure blue orb that made Naffur cold when he just looked at it

Naffur gulped

Chapter 697

It was an accident The man coughed

Naffur looked at the man with disbelief

An accident The woman said icily In the darkness her eyes flashed different colors one blue and one yellow

ThatÆs seriously the best you could come up with Naffur blurted out Immediately he regretted it because both pairs of eyes turned to him Holding up his hands Naffur did his best to convey that he was a third party that wasnÆt involved in the affair at all

From the hard gazes of both it seemed neither truly believed him

Pah The man spat on the ground at the womanÆs feet even as he edged away The roof was ultimately not very large so he could not retreat much further before crossing to another roof Which Naffur knew could be done very quickly What use have you for a Lottery ticket I can tell by your dress you are not of the Orchard

The womanÆs eyebrows rose marginally Do you think you have a right to steal from humans who grew up elsewhere If you believe you are better than others

You cannot enter the lottery The man hissed His eyes were bright and strangely fragile like candy from a gumball machine Look at you You undoubtedly have a Class to wield magic such as that Yet you want to monopolize the resources If I could I would

Without any flourish the man turned and dropped off the roof With the dexterity of a monkey the man sprung off the wall to another building and scuttled along the sides to a thin alley and slipped into it Within four seconds he was no longer visible leaving Naffur with the strange woman But immediately after the man left the womanÆs gaze lost a lot of its hostility and instead turned thoughtful

She still held her magic in her hands although she lowered them as her piercing gaze focused Naffur Speak Tell me why this man felt so emboldened to steal from me

Although he was sweating Naffur did his best to lay out the function of the Lottery and how covetously the people of the Orchard viewed the chance It was their chance to be put into the view of people who could afford to give them resources to gain a Class In a way Naffur could understand how a desperate man could be infuriated by witnessing someone who didnÆt need the Lottery discovering a ticket

Not that crime wasnÆt a problem especially in this district of the Orchard But with the arrival of the System usually people who looked rich were also powerful It wasnÆt an easy thing for a criminal to get the jump on someone like this woman

Clicking her teeth the woman let the magic drop after he gave an explanation Then she seemed to intuit NaffurÆs thoughts as she stated The fault is partially mine I laughed at the idea of a Lottery when a shop owner explained it to me But perhaps I remembered the foolish hysteria of lotteries before the System It is not my place to mock

Naffur nodded seriously feeling the beginnings of elation in his chest Now he just needed to make his own casual escape Well since the misunderstanding is cleared up I suppose IÆll be on my way

Ah wait The woman said holding up a hand My name is Sydney You must be quite unlucky to be standing in the exact spot where someone leapt up to the roof Please let me make this up to you And I would like to hear more about the Lottery system here You stated you are familiar with it

Yes but Naffur fidgeted The threat of Skills was gone but Naffur didnÆt forget how quickly she had brought out the threat of violence Being around such an obviously powerful and unbalanced woman was exactly the wrong sort of thing for him to have a peaceful day His DevilÆs Luck for Entrances would probably have a field day if he was accompanied by a woman like that

Please The woman said But her voice was surprisingly insincere for someone who said please Instantly Naffur recognized her type Although she was a young woman it reminded Naffur quite a lot of those sort of attractive women or powerful men who were so used to getting their way that they didnÆt expect you to reject them even as you were doing it No matter how perfunctory their imitation of manners was they assumed that would be enough to sway you

With a frown Naffur opened his mouth to refuse But then he had a thought

Blinking Naffur instead asked How old are you

Sydney pursed her lips Is that really relevant I am 25

Uh Naffur licked his lips She was a little older but still a woman And honestly without some input he would be lost over what to do Would you be willing to go gift shopping with me For a girl err a woman Young woman A birthday But sheÆs younger than you nineteen sheÆs nineteen

Sydney just gave Naffur a helpless glance as his words and sentences mashed together and sputtered to a stop For several seconds she just looked at Naffur Immediately some of NaffurÆs shame that he wasnÆt able to say anything to Mareen directly And somehow Naffur expected that information to come out But it would be much worse to show up without a gift to MareenÆs party than it was to spend a day with a stranger

He needed the gift to be perfect And if he were to pick out the gift alone

NaffurÆs expression darkened Recently his life had been anything but perfect It had just been weird

you like her donÆt you Sydney said Naffur just blushed

To his surprise then she began to laugh She kept laughing for a few minutes and Naffur thought that despite her age Sydney was really pretty in a wild and reckless sort of way Finally she rubbed her eyes and said Okay okay I think we can help each other out You remind me of a close friend I had growing up I would love to help you with your gift

Sydney watched the back of NaffurÆs head following his sharp bird like movements with her eyes He was the type that was motivated by a body and psyche unable to keep up with the flood of hormonal energy he was experiencing That was very different than Randidly whose body seemed to grow far before his hormones had risen to keep up but somehow when she looked at this kid

They had the same desperate sincerity Fairness and justice were important to both They respected the rules and also frequently completely forgot about them In a lot of ways they were similar

The sort of fools who would burn themselves out trying to be heroes Sydney thought somewhat sadly It was too late for Randidly but hopefully this boy would have an easier time of it

WeÆve gone through the stores Naffur Sydney said I think one of the necklaces or snow globes would make great gifts But you need to pick which

It was obvious the boy was smitten with this Mareen They had met earlier in the day and had spent almost two hours with Naffur mechanically taking Sydney through different shops to get her opinions on female gifts What she wanted to say was that proving that Naffur listened to Mareen and paid attention to what she said was so much more important towards how the gift would be received But Naffur had insisted that money was not an object by which he seemed to indicate he was so desperate that this is done right that he didnÆt care how much it cost

Sydney was confused by Naffur As it was he served the purpose that had made Sydney put aside her annoyance at the pickpocket and speak to him in the first place he was a knowledgeable local guide Naffur had been in Orchard for as long as it existed which was still barely more than a year He knew quite a bit about the area but his knowledge of the economy was only anecdotal

Sardonically Sydney what she had expected out of a sixteen year old boy when she asked about how much freight moved Orchard

The idea was to grow more familiar with the Orchard so she was better equipped in tomorrowÆs Order meeting to vote on what to do about the manatech rails Already companies in Zone 1 were building tracks East relying on the Donnyton expeditionary squads for protection Basically the plan was for the Orders to buy out the railway companies and control the supply lines After all neither Zone liked the idea of the other having control of something that would ideally run very deeply in their territories for all the economic benefits it would bring But which Order would own it

Naffur stood at the corner of the busy street seeming to spin around in a circle He was breathing surprisingly heavily considering that they had done nothing but walk leisurely about Are are you sure We could go to more

No more wonÆt help Sydney said patiently Besides she had spent enough time with the boy to learn everything about Orchard that she wanted to The fact she had stayed this long was mostly due to pity for the kid She needed to contact the official elements of the Orchard

Just as Sydney was about to inform him that she was leaving Naffur seemed to freeze up Slowly his finger rose up and pointed down the street Curious Sydney looked over her eyes tracing up and down the line of street vendors

Do you think Naffur said nervously Do you think she would want something like that It just seems like her

Naffur was pointing to an old woman selling hand woven flower crowns Sydney chuckled and said That seems perfect

Chapter 698

NaffurÆs back itched terribly but he dare not scratch it Neveah was sitting beside him at a large table She was in her androgynous form but she still beamed around at the other members of the table with palpable good cheer The other people around the table seemed more focused and grim after every Order at the table had given its report on numbers and growth

Some orders such as the Order Valorus and Order Fide seemed pleased with their monthly progress They were led by a sharp eyed woman named Alana and a tattooed man named Alumuran respectively Both were difficult to look at for different reasons When one looked at Alana oneÆs eyes would begin to water And whenever Naffur snuck glances at Alumuran he instantly noticed and peered back

Meanwhile it seemed that the Order Ferocitas Veritas Caelim and Umbra were less impressed by their progress Compared to the first two these Orders had experienced extremely disappointing growth But still Naffur paid close attention to them mostly because Sydney was the representative of the Order Caelim

Seeing her there was a shock to his system and immediately Naffur was wracked by doubts regarding the flower crown in his interspatial watch What if Mareen thought he was an idiot Getting a flower crown for a nineteen year old What was he thinking It was a childrenÆs toy

But nothing else had seemed to fit And now he was stuck with it

To distract himself from his worries Naffur considered the last group of the Orders at the far end of the table The Order Sapienta wasnÆt present due to their leader being otherwise occupied But both the Order Ferrum and Order Infandus had sent individuals The Order Ferrum was a gruff man who had introduced himself at Kelly He wasnÆt the leader of Ferrum but he spoke with the leaderÆs authority

And the thing from the Order Infandus was one of the people transplanted into the body of a monster due to Father FosterÆs experiments Just looking at the scaly claw at the creatureÆs side made Naffur shiver

Does everyone agree that we continue to remain inactive in regards to the Ogre Gorge and the portal to another world No one spoke but the previous argument was exhausting enough that Naffur was glad that the powerful individuals at the table didnÆt have the energy to continue The worst of it was that every once in a while other leaders would spare glances for him and Neveah

Neveah just smiled blandly and Naffur began to sweat more and more behind his mask They couldnÆt expect him to have an opinion on the issue did they

Alright onto the next order of business The leader of the Order Veritas led the meeting Naffur believed her name was Tessa but it was hard to remember That itch had spread up to his neck and it was making things very difficult to focus Order Ducis do you have any recommendations regarding the establishment of new Orders

Naffur was busy sliding up and down in his chair to use the back to scratch himself when he realized that everyone was looking at him Immediately he froze Neveah poked him under the table

With a jump Naffur produced the two letters from Orders he thought sounded okay enough and slid them to Neveah Smiling Neveah took them The Order Ducis has two recommendations Ah The Order Sanus and the Order Machina

For the first time all meeting the quiet man from the Order Ferrus looked up Order Mechina

An association built around GhostÆs experiments and Erickson Technological Conglomerate I believe Tessa said glancing towards Neveah Neveah nodded simply With the Order Sanus being entity pushed for by Mrs Northwind

Alumuran made a low sound An Order for both Zones Equitable

An Order for Donnyton Sydney said sourly She turned and looked at Tessa Is this put to a vote I do not see the need for additional Orders

Indeed clarification is necessary The pale faced woman who led the Order Umbra said She cracked her knuckles methodically Naffur remembered her name was Illya So I believe that neither the entities that we spoke of have been put forward by the Order Ducis The Order Dinaris or Order Currus Without an order to control the rail lines our talks will undoubtedly fall through It is an interesting choice by the Order Ducis to ignore this issue

IsnÆt it just a railroad DonÆt act like itÆs the end of the world Alana said dismissively Although it was difficult to look at her Naffur liked her This whole time it was clear that Alana was fighting off the urge to nap while sitting at the table

Zone 1 needs System relevant equipment and Zone 32 needs the market expansion Sydney said with a sharp look towards Alana Both would benefit from something more reliable

For the first time in a while Neveah spoke up What about another portal Like between Donnyton and Star Crossing

A few of the people at the table grimaced Finally it was Alumuran who spoke The teleporter is of course available to us however I fear that none but Donnyton have the points on hand to construct such a thing let alone operate it as freely as they do Without Classer Squads harvesting points for months it is an impossible expenditure

Also the Village Spirit of Donnyton has become unreliable recently Kelley said giving Alana a knowing look Although to afford such a thing is feasible let us consider that a backup plan

Either way Tessa said sternly looking around the table We are skipping the current issue The Order Ducis has the right to recommend Orders to the Council It is put to a vote then All recommendations are considered together We either approve both or neither All in favor

Tessa Alana Alumuran Kelly and surprisingly the scale man from the Order Infandus raised their hands Sydney the burly man from Ferocitas and Ilya didnÆt move

Motion passes IÆll send out the paperwork and they will be official Orders three months from now Tessa said Then she glanced around Okay now itÆs time to talk about

Tessa looked at Alana and frowned What is it

But it wasnÆt Alana who answered Alumuran pushed back his chair and stood It appears this will not be a peaceful day

Sighing Sydney said Unbelievable How cliche can you get

Naffur was bewildered The Eastern Gardens were a sprawling series of ornate gazebos and pavilions that were divided by tall hedges There was also a central fountain and a jogging path that wound its way around some of the more ornate areas of the park The wind picked up and the rustling of leaves sounded like childrenÆs laughter The sun was warm on NaffurÆs exposed skin There was a drop of sweat running down the inside of the mask

What was this if not a peaceful day

Of course as soon as he thought that an explosion rocked the parks Distantly Naffur could hear people screaming Suddenly a strange rip in space opened up in front of the table where the heads of the Orders were sitting With a howl monsters over Level 60 that looked like blue wolfmen rushed out of the ripped space and brandished hatchets

Frozen Naffur could only watch aghast they streamed out to assault the group His hands tightened on the arms of the chair His Path had given him such horrible look recently Because the table was slightly rounded the wolfmen would reach his sitting position first He was going to die

There was a warm breeze and a flash of light and then the first six wolfmen toppled over with sizzling holes in their chest Alana stood with a golden spear and a winged helmet that made her look like a Valkyrie Her sharp eyes scanned the horizon and then she swore Another sweep of the spear blasted out golden light and neutralized the rest of the wolfmen This portal thing is a neat trick

As she spoke the portal shivered and closed up

ItÆs Mana based Sydney said spinning slowly in a circle When she had spun 360 degrees her mouth was twisted There are a lot of them I can trace it to the source but it might take a while

Is this targeting us Ilya said aloud with a frown Or was us being here a coincidence There was an attack on a building in the Orchard a few weeks ago correct

Humans havenÆt yet mastered using monsters to fight Alana grunted The representative from the Order Infandus chuckled and Alana seemed to wince

Naffur just stared at them all They had just been attacked by a dozen monsters over Level 60 and they were so casual about it Like it hadnÆt mattered and everything would be fine

But were they wrong They had so easily dealt with that attack that Naffur couldnÆt deny that they seemed fine These people lived in a different world than Naffur They had Classes and Skills beyond what he could manage

Although they might be fine others would not be NaffurÆs eyes widened MareenÆs Birthday It was still before noon but if she had come early to set things up

He leapt to his feet Neveah tilted her hand at him in askance

Gritting his teeth he said There are other people in the park

The Knight Errant Ducis is correct Alumuran said with glittering eyes Whether it is an attack on us directly or simply on the legitimacy of the Order structure we need to take it seriously Let us make this faction regret drawing the ire of the Council of Orders

Chapter 699

As if an inaudible accord had been reached the rest of the leaders of Orders stood Naffur turned and began sprinting out of their courtyard But very quickly panic rose in his chest as he realized he wasnÆt sure where MareenÆs party would be Fumbling he produced the invitation and skidded to a stop

He heard the screams of other people and then the soft rush of air as other leaders whipped past Naffur at speeds he couldnÆt follow

There was a crash from behind him from the meeting place of the Orders This was swiftly followed by a hideous shriek and a flash of warmth that Naffur felt on his back 50 meters away When he shivered it was not from the cold but from feeling profoundly out of his depth

With trembling hands Naffur did his best to ignore the rising tide of noises around him and look down at the invitation It was handwritten which Naffur hadnÆt noticed before I hope to see you there was at the bottom written by Mareen

Naffur went pale What did that mean

There was a soft ripping noise which forced Naffur to look up In front of him there was a semi opaque tear in the air that crackled with energy

Oh right

A strange fish creature with tentacles stepped out of the portal Its mouth oozed with gore and its limbs seemed to twitch as it menacingly stepped forward and looked around

Congratulations Your Skill The DevilÆs Luck for Entrances has reached Level 29

The slimy tentacle creature came out of the portal with its back to Naffur It cackled gleefully even as Naffur smashed it in the back of the head with an Intrepid Hammer earning him Levels in Intrepid Hammer and Cheap Shot

Stunned the thing fell to its knees and twisted around The tentacles flailed wildly and Naffur jerked his head back to avoid the attack The tentacles missed by quite a distance but some of the goo that was dripping from the creature sprayed outwards and landed upon NaffurÆs Ghosthound mask

Very quickly the mask became to smoke and sizzle as the goo ate through it Horrified Naffur scrambled backward even further Shit he was going to need to get a new mask soon

No more important than that had he really just punched that acidic thing

Looking at his hand Naffur was relieved to see that his flesh wasnÆt bubbling away But his heart thumped painfully as the monster seemed to recover from his earlier strike and stood tall in front of him

A hand reached out and squeezed the monsterÆs head until it burst in an explosion of gore

Careful These are stronger than you Neveah said wagging her finger at Naffur

You need to be careful too Naffur shouted There is ooze on that think that can disintegrate flesh

Instantly NeveahÆs face contorted in horror She raised her left hand which was still dribbling in the ooze and brain matter of the tentacle monster For several seconds they both looked at her hand Nothing seemed to be happening Neveah glanced back over at Naffur seeming to ask with her eyes whether he was sure about what he had said Helplessly he shrugged

With a pitiful sigh Nevaeh crouched and rubbed the gore off on the ground Instantly that area of grass began to smoke and wither The effect spread in a one meter area creating a small zone of death Naffur paled as he realized that there was a similar halo of annihilation around the body of the monster

Such a close call Thank god Neveah said in a hollow voice Naffur was annoyed but could only helplessly look at the bits of blood still on NeveahÆs hand that didnÆt seem capable of doing anything to her

Shaking his head Naffur decided to ignore NeveahÆs inexplicable strength Instead he looked again at the invitation FOr all that Neveah was almost mocking him and his worries it had served as a way to calm him down With his mind cooled off a bit Naffur was able to organize his thoughts much more efficiently

Okay itÆs this way Naffur finally said and the group of two began to run Or rather Naffur began to run and Neveah seemed to skip effortlessly to keep up

The interaction with the tentacle monster had been brief but it did seem like that monster had been part of a large wave of monster attacks All around there were yells of battle and fear As Naffur rushed past unrelated courtyards and gazebos he saw plasma pistols and exosuits abound fighting against various strange animal and fish beings

Then there was a scream that cut across it all NaffurÆs heart hammered in his chest with such force that it felt like his body was going to burst In his fit of desperation he yelled Mareen

Instantly he veered to the left and lengthened his stride From the screen he knew which opening in the tall bushes he should aim for But the responding shout stopped him dead

Naffur

Uh NaffurÆs walked a few steps forward almost tentative Could he just rush in there now If she found out about his secret identity

DonÆt come itÆs dangerous Run away

Naffur winced Not that she didnÆt mean well but yelling DonÆt come Æ felt a bit like a rejection

Why did I fucking buy a flower crown

Lost in his strange reflections Naffur jumped when it seemed like a hammer was dropped beyond the hedges causing the ground to shake Mareen screamed again

Galvanized by the scream NaffurÆs entire body seemed to hum But no sooner had he resolved himself to dash the fifteen meters forward and go through the opening in the hedge than he felt NeveahÆs hands in his armpits

Right now you are not Naffur She whispered Fly Knight Errant Ducis Take a step and the rest will follow

As if she were pushing a child on a swing Neveah gently pressed forward Naffur was launched into the air as if he was shot out of a cannon The pressure from the wind took him by surprise so much that he flinched and blinked wildly But even as he arced up over the hedge he realized that he had underestimated the strength of his body the Stat points he had used over the past few weeks was more than enough to give him the ability to do this

A blurry image resolved himself as he careened through the air and focused on the condition of the courtyard below There was a large ape with teal skin and four arms that had left deep impressions in the ground in the shape of fists The monsterÆs arms were as thick as tree trunks with corded muscle that was visible even through a thick layer of fur

In fact there were two apes one in the corner lumbering out of the portal and another slowly advancing toward Mareen

For a second NaffurÆs gaze hitched on Mareen She was wearing a long green backless dress and holding a plasma pistol aloft in front of her body She wasnÆt aiming but simply holding it as though it would ward off the approaching violence Scattered around her was a fractured cake and brightly colored chairs that were overturned

NaffurÆs eyes narrowed Intrepid

The ape monster twisted around as he descended Naffur thought briefly that it was incredible that Neveah had thrown him perfectly to hit the ape but that those was lost as adrenaline filled his body HAMMErr

The first hit knocked the ape in the tremble and it stumbled away Naffur was about one half of the size of the ape so his body rebounded harmlessly as he crashed into his shoulder With a grace that Naffur didnÆt know he possessed he landed on his feet and raised his hands again Clenching his fingers together Naffur through punch after punch

Intrepid Hammer Intrepid Hammer Intrepid Hammer Intrepid Hammer Intrepid Hammer Again and again Naffur threw punches against the ape creature Each time notifications ticked up that he had gained one or two or five Levels in the Skill Very soon his arms were trembling from the strain of supporting the attacks But his vision had narrowed to just the ape

Even the reverberations of the apeÆs moans and the feeling of bones shattering under his touch did little to alleviate the feeling of rage that filled him

Once again NeveahÆs hands brought him out of it seizing his wrist The ape was on the ground its breathing labored Perhaps it is better that I handle this

Naffur looked up his breathing labored Mareen was looking at him with watery eyes a hand raised to cover her mouth Nafur turned and ran away

Chapter 700

Naffur did make an appearance at MareenÆs rescheduled birthday but it was just a brief one After he dropped off his gift box he immediately made an excuse and vanished

The rest of the night Naffur wandered the streets of the Orchard listless People were still abuzz with hushed arguments over what the attack on the East Gardens meant even as the Orders quickly mopped up the rapid attack Rumors about how the Nemesai accomplished it led to a frantic energy that did little to dispel NaffurÆs funk

With a sigh Naffur settled down on the corner of the roof above the flower crown stand It was near dusk and the different stand owners were moving back and forth as they took down their wares for the night

What should I be doing Naffur said softly looking up at the darkening sky Stars were just beginning to peek out but they just looked like small holes in the world It was hard to have any enthusiasm when Naffur realized how little he could accomplish it

Part of it was the gift he had given Mareen which seemed like one of the dumbest things he could have done but the other part was seeing the other figures from the Orders Sydney Alumuran Alana even the scaled man from the Order Infandus had ripped through the monsters like a hot knife through butter When they acted they could accomplish To compare that with NaffurÆs losing his cool and punching an ape enough to cause Mareen to be horrified

I wonÆt grow stronger here Naffur said But immediately after he did so a sharp spike of fear cut through his chest Did he want to grow Raising his hands he looked at the gnarled and bruised knuckles that remained from attacking the ape Already the dull ache in his fingers was dissipating as his meager amount of points in Endurance and Vitality overcame the bone bruises he had given himself

Even though it was a dim echo of the pain it still made it difficult to seriously consider what to do to get stronger Because Naffur knew that he needes higher Skill Levels higher Stats and eventually a Class And his growth in Orchard

Slow The incident at the Manhattan building was less than an hour of activity that had earned him almost 30 Skill Levels Violence and struggle increased the speed at which you gained Skill Levels The reason why this occurred was unclear but it couldnÆt be denied that the fastest way to grow was to risk yourself

And risk meant pain

Naffur pressed his eyes shut and clenched his fist It was difficult It was so difficult to overcome the hot nervousness in his chest Naffur wished that the had the ability to just push aside his fear and go out into the world to fight and grow But his hands were cold and sweaty His ass seemed to have filled with lead keeping him firmly placed on the wall

Even though Naffur had a deep resentment and hate for the fact that he was given the Path of Cowardice his mind was still coming up with excuses as to why he shouldnÆt go If he was going to go out and grow shouldnÆt he research first ShouldnÆt he practice combat Skills ShouldnÆt he prepare supplies form a team

The hot shame sunk in NaffurÆs chest going from an animating energy to a surly restiveness Somehow Naffur knew that he wouldnÆt leave the Orchard He could stay here and his DevilÆs own Luck for Entrances would force him a little outside his comfort zone Even if it wasnÆt as fast as Naffur had heard from soldiers who had served out in areas controlled by monsters his growth had picked up

What Naffur pointedly didnÆt think about was how far behind he was from those at the frontline A split second of heat and warmth annihilating monsters over Level 50

Besides he had a role in the Orchard as a masked vigilante People relied on him Because people at the Eastern Gardens had seen him the Order Ducis was talked about as one of those Orders that had stopped the terrorist attack It pressed a heavyweight of shame on Naffur but still it wasnÆt like he hadnÆt helped

Naffur froze

Mareen was walking across the almost deserted sweet in the twilight picking her way through the closing down stalls As she approached the old woman who worked the flower crown stall straightened While Mareen walked forward she never looked up and saw how NaffurÆs face was locked in a rictus scowl

Little Mareen The old woman said with a smile IÆm so glad to see you are safe I hope your birthday wasnÆt ruined by that tragedy in the gardens

We had to move it but it turned out well enough Mareen said with a smile

Wonderful wonderful Now what can I do for you Surely you didnÆt seek little old me out just to chat The woman asked

MareenÆs smile faded somewhat She held up her hand and produced an object from her interspatial watch IÆm sorry to ask this but am I able to return this

In her hand was a flower crown

NaffurÆs ears were ringing His face flushed with so much blood that it felt like the skin of his face was burning She she was going to return it

The two continued to speak but Naffur couldnÆt even hear it His eyes were just locked on the flower crown Blinking Naffur was surprised to find tears falling down his face

Something snapped

The next thing Naffur knew he was rushing across the rooftops his vision blurry from tears His breathing was rough and the dull pain in his hands was lost amongst the sea of crashing emotions Fear anxiety anger depression loneliness

As Naffur ran for longer and longer his breathing became even rougher Although he had a passable amount of physical fitness Naffur had never done anything like this The size of the buildings slowly lowered Above the sky grew darker and darker Stars loomed overhead seeming to stare down on Naffur and notice his every flaw

I canÆt stay here I canÆt stay here I canÆt stay here Naffur repeated it like a mantra Every time he said it there was a split second where he lost the sharp memory of what had just happened

It wasnÆt a big deal that she returne his gift

It just meant she didnÆt care

She didnÆt care

As the tears slowly transitioned to sobs Naffur was forced off the roof onto the ground Passing the stacked piles of materials near the new construction on the outskirts of Orchard Naffur stumled out of the city and into the wild He didnÆt know where he was going but he wasnÆt going to stay here

IÆm sorry to ask this but am I able to return this Mareen said feeling profoundly awkward

The flower stall owner frowned So soon You have been looking at this flower crown for months If you just wanted it for your birthday party I would have let you rent it

No no MareenÆs smile turned soft I do love it but someone got me another Someone special Somehow he picked the one I liked the most IsnÆt that something

Ahh indeed The old woman reached out and took the flower crown Then she blessed Mareen with a warm smile Serendipity is a strange thing listen when the universe tells you something little Mareen

Blushing Mareen looked at the ground Yea I think I will

Randidly looked up at the sky The stars made strange shapes in the Tellus sky showing a completely different universe One part of Randidly wondered what sort of distance separated the Earth from Tellus Was it possible to traverse the distance physically or were the two located in separate universes

But that was a small part of RandidlyÆs gaze Most of his attention was on the Aether that filled the sky

The heartbeat of Tellus the sharp image of the spear was becoming increasingly clear Aether was being produced as the flow of Aether rubbed against the calcified Aether of Tellus and slowly wore it down By now the force of the heartbeat of the sky had reached a critical mass of strength and it was rapidly breaking down the previously held Aether of the world Soon the old images would be worn down to nothing

Still Randidly frowned Because he couldnÆt help but notice that although the Aether was broken apart and set forth in the world in a much more digestible form a lot of the sharp violence and aggression that was present in the old Aether persisted If anything the breaking served to exacerbate it This vicious Aether drifted downwards settling on the increasingly active front lines

RandidlyÆs fight with Helen would be the day after tomorrow Today had been an explosion of attacks of the Wights in the wake of Aylwind Sky finally moving Most of the the fighting was not near the capitol but Randidly communicated with Platton and learned how there was a groundswell of support from farmers and tradesmen They were aggressive and they were out for blood

Tellus was changing And Randidly had a sinking suspicion that it meant he was going to learn quite a bit about the Second Calamity at the cost of the lives of people he had met here

Chapter 701

RandidlyÆs attention on the sky was torn as he received a message from Trentyon

Wow Wow Wow Come to the scroll room

With a small smile Randidly shook his head Trentyon had been conspicuously difficult to talk to Randidly had initially hoped his access to the scrolls of the Hall of Stances would be fruitful for learning more about the history of the Spearman but it soon became clear that his interest lay in areas that were at best historically adjacent

Basically Trentyon was quickly caught up in the minutia of anything Apparently the scrolls present in the Hall of Stances predated anything Trentyon had seen before and Randidly had asked after him a few days prior only to find that he was skimming through conjectures on pre Spearman religions

Randidly was somewhat heartened that there was information available from prior to the Spearman but was rather annoyed at the form that Trentyon pursued it Honestly the shame and self hatred that Trentyon had experienced as a literary focused person in a spear world were exploding into a gluttonous attitude towards the scrolls available Not that Randidly could really blame him For better or worse Randidly had encouraged him in a way that Trentyon had never experienced before But a lifetime of refusing to meet otherÆs expectations wasnÆt so easily shaken off

But the fact that Trentyon had reached out now was a good sign because the few times he had done it so far were due to concrete information about the Spearman Although Randidly had wanted to finally head down into the Hall of Stances proper he wouldnÆt mind the diversion if it helped him find out more information Whistling he walked down into the deep basement where the scrolls were kept

Whereas TrentyonÆs original home had a deep pit with haphazardly piled scrolls these scrolls were in tall shelves that reminded Randidly of wine racks After descended down a steeply slanting staircase a high ceilinged cavern held the history that the Hall of Stances had collected

As Randidly approached the corner that Trentyon had appropriated for his researchÆ his eyebrow twitched There were several tall scroll piles next to a giggling Trentyon making Randidly wondered whether the poor treatment of the scrolls wasnÆt a function of Tellus as he initially thought

Perhaps Trentyon was just a messy person

Good good good Trentyon said when he spotted Randidly approaching Ah I have finally made the definite discovery you were waiting for To think you wished for me to focus on fruitless endeavors it was actually during my perusal of the effect of the Spearman on the study of ethics that I stumbled across this gem

Trentyon proffered a scroll Proudly displayed at the top was On Trust by Edric Zolan

And this is relevant because Randidly drawled

But TrentyonÆs good cheer only became brighter as he smiled in response At first I believed it was truly just a commentary on trust But then I started to realize it was a regime critique of the SpearmanÆs government using strange examples But the more I read into it

In spurts of excited talking Trentyon began to explain the contents of the scroll unrolling it to indicate each portion as he reached it And as he did so RandidlyÆs forehead creased

In ZolanÆs story there were 6 AvatarsÆ who lived in accord Amongst them there were two that were devils and four angels Originally there were over 20 Avatars but a great war rocked them pitting the angels against the devils In the wake of this the remaining few decided to let the war lapse Due to the nature of Avatars growth would stagnate without the war but their peopleÆs would be safe

During that time of peace one of the angels and devils became involved and fell in love This Zolan opined was the ultimate mistake for no rational decisions could occur while the mind was clouded

The peace continued until the world was hollowed out by slow consumption without present sources Æ In that emptiness one of the two lovers died Such was the love that the surviving Avatar had that they grieved for one hundred years Afterward their heart was broken by seeing the suffering of the people of the deceased people

In their name that Avatar once more fanned the flames of war The Avatar wielded a long rod of black iron and wore a cloak of darkness Before this Avatar none could stand and in their grief they were able to finally unite the world under one banner with one name

But a cheaply bought peace was easily shattered Two of the angels opposed the new order while one supported it One devil chose to remain neutral content to remain in their self created paradise

The Avatar won that war and named himself with his bloody tool They would call him the Spearman

Stop Randidly said raising his hand Is this

It isnÆt named as such but it seems very likely this is a biography of the Spearman written by a contemporary Trentyon said with glittering eyes IÆm unsure of what angels and devils meant but perhaps it reflects their style of leadership

Randidly said nothing but inwardly his gears were turning Avatars could be a general term to describe Champions and Nemesai or even terminology used in the earlier cohorts It also might be a clue about how to activate the Calamities because it seemed like they had allowed the world to stall out there somewhere

It seemed that a great war amongst the Champions and Nemesai occurred which might have been one cause There was also the mention of uniting the world

Is there more Randidly looked up and asked Excitedly Trentyon continued to explain the text of On Trust But very quickly Randidly was shaking his head After naming the focus of the treatise as the Spearman the text quickly devolved into meaningless dribble Exactly the sort of stuff that would be useless to RandidlyÆs investigation and that Trentyon ate up

But what Randidly had learned was more than enough to give him several leads And it seemed to indicate something extremely strange the Spearman was either a Nemesis or a Champion Perhaps that was the reason that t problems happened during the final parts of the Second Calamity Was it impossible for one of them to be the source of the image that would defeat the Second Calamity

But that didnÆt make sense either The image was victorious against the Wights but it seemed that at the last minute the Spearman had severed the image from himself The images were left to lay fallow quickly stiffening Why

Why

After talking to Trentyon a little longer about other scrolls that he insisted were relevant Randidly left the deep portion of the Hall of Stances and walked towards the actual core of the building the spiraling ramp of images

But as he approached the entrance a figure was leaning against the wall almost as if waiting for him HelenÆs eyes flashed as she looked him up and down The examination was extremely thorough and lasted almost a full minute Finally she shook her head sadly and said You arenÆt afraid to see me You also arenÆt embarrassed or angry Which means you arenÆt concerned with the fight Will you make a bet with me

RandidlyÆs lips twisted He was somewhat surprised by her words because it implied that she realized something about his plans So Randidly stayed silent and tilted his head to the side in askance

After a long breath Helen said I bet I am stronger than you In the future in a year no probably only six months you will be past the point where I could fight you But right now I can crush you I will not let you dodge that by surrendering now

Randidly grimaced He had truly been thinking about surrendering in his match against Helen Truthfully the reward for the tournament was only to view the images in the inner sanctum That was likely useful but it was nothing compared to figuring out how to protect Earth from the Calamity It was even less important than identifying and address the current Second Calamity that was doing so much damage to Tellus

At the moment he didnÆt have many concrete ways to address those issues but when Shal arrived that would change In addition Randidly had heard that a procession from the North was arriving in Hastam Some old faces would be making an appearance and they would how the power and knowledge to help him At some point it seemed like the tournament would only get in the way

so whatÆs the bet Randidly said softly

We fight it out in the match until one of us loses And then the winner concedes Helen said The only light in the hallway was torchlight and it highlighted her tanned skin in the darkness Her large brown eyes were fixed on his own emerald gaze If you arenÆt even strong enough to defeat me Randidly do you really think it is your place to set aside this tournament and attempt to tackle bigger things

In spite of himself Randidly chuckled

Chapter 702

After saying her piece Helen left To his surprise Randidly felt a strange warmth in his heart It was clear from the way that Helen framed the issue this was her way to try and protect him

In a way Randidly supposed her concern came from a place of truth The end of the Northern Regional Tournament involved Randidly fleeing from a furious Skill Incarnation Even with the help of Aethon Thai Randidly had been wounded although Helen wouldnÆt know the extent of that Remembering the agony he had suffered afterward with his broken Skill

Randidly shivered Without SimonÆs intervention it was difficult to know if he could have even recovered

This time the foes that Randidly faced were even more powerful Thinking of the wave of destruction left in the wake of Aylwind Randidly couldnÆt help but feel pressure The dead and dry grasslands werenÆt just destroyed but they were filled with a deep image of a heat that bordered on parasitic At that level the heat bleached the color and moisture from the vulnerable land leaving it a smoking ruin

It wasnÆt just a difference of stats Randidly had realized while looking at the destruction What separated Randidly from that tier of strength was also the resilience and clarity of the image As such Randidly knew he had to check out the Hall of Stances It might not be contemporary but it would be enough to get an understanding of the things powerful images could accomplish

After heading down some obligatorily ornate hallways Randidly arrived at the entrance to the true Hall of Stances Two of the weird acolyte types were standing there and then bowed deeply as Randidly approached The doorway was wide and tall and carved of bone As he approached Randidly paused but the acolytes remained perfectly bowed at the waist as he hesitated

Honestly it seemed like he could sit on them and they wouldnÆt move That was certainly dedication although it seemed rather pointless Shrugging Randidly walked forward into the Hall of Stances

The main portion was a wide spiraling ramp downwards It was far enough across that thirty or so people could walk down in a line comfortably The slope of the ramp was extremely shallow too so it was easy to just think that one was walking down on a slowly curving all rather than a spiral that led deep into the ground

The first realization that Randidly had was that he had vastly underestimated the size of the Hall of Stances The building above the actual Hall was huge but Randidly assumed that it was because the organization that managed the Hall of Stances had grown to a ridiculous extent But perhaps if this Hall was truly this big just housing enough people to mop the floor here would take up a hotels worth of space

Then next thing Randidly noticed was the small altars The first altar was about fifty meters down the Hall It was a rather plain thing a stone square with a thin and worn Tassle hanging from the front On top of the altar was a disk of crystal that was a dirty red color

With a sardonic smile Randidly walked up to the crystal This was exactly why he should have forced the issue and asked questions about the actual process of this place Still that was not RandidlyÆs way Plus no one was around

This thought made Randidly wince If the Hall of Stances was so huge why had he avoided to keep away from people

Randidly reached out and lightly touched the crystal Instantly he felt a sharp impression fill his mind A vague image of a middle aged woman stood there holding a spear As if she was dragging a large brush across canvas she drew her spear sideways in the air Instantly the wind curled and buzzed and thin disks of razor sharp air exploded out away from her From that simple stroke of the spear those disks of air ran almost fifty meters in a cone in front of her

Then the image stopped Randidly stepped back on his heels and frowned Then he touched the crystal again

Once more the woman stood still for a second and then dragged her spear purposefully through the air This time RandidlyÆs entire focus was on the way her seemingly casual strike with the spear managed to interfere with the air currents in such a way to cause such a reaction

Unfortunately it seemed that the Hall of Stances had some purpose to restrict access to the images here When Randidly pushed all of his focus into looking at the image his vision very quickly became mired in a strange blurriness It seemed that the slow repetition of the image had led to its more profound points being lost

Even so

RandidlyÆs expression was grim Because what he saw when he looked at that first image was that the woman didnÆt use any profound technique or rely on stats She simply held an image of such power that it warped the world

The more Randidly watched the surer he became It was easy to miss because of the fuzziness and the perspective but the woman didnÆt have an offensive image as she moved Instead she held a very simple concept the wind is sharp

When she influenced the wind in such a way even the small breezes from a moving spear were enough to level fifty meters worth of scars in the ground That incomparably sharp wind image drop those small buzz saws of air to rip up the ground for quite a distance beyond what should normally be possible

After a while it was clear that Randidly wouldnÆt get much more from this crystal so he began to slowly walk down the descending ramp Purposefully he kept his steps even and infrequent so he could take the short walk as a break to think about that use of images Not a movement or attack but holding a truthÆ about the world as an image

Pondering Randidly approached the second crystal But before he touched it he closed his eyes and looked at his Path screen It wouldnÆt matter much that he improved his Perception by a few more stat points but it surely couldnÆt hurt

But immediately some of his focus was shaken Another 12 Levels in Talon Strike 3 in Mana Engraving 10 Levels in Engineering Savvy

Randidly had been busy in the past week Apart from speaking with Trentyon and looking at the destruction left by Aylwind he had been honing his new ash based Skills His Kata of Ashen Spear had received particular attention and he had a few Levels in each of those Skills

But his growth was being boosted in strange ways Why was he gaining these Skill Levels

It was a positive thing but Could Neveah have something to do with it He sent an inquiry her way and soon received confusion and denial She had nothing to do with it as far as she knew Strangely Randidly felt a sharp heat in his chest as he scrunched up his brows Sighing Randidly pressed his hand to his chest and smiled ruefully

The Ashen Image acting up again was a good reminder This might not be something he understood but it was benefiting him His attention should be directed toward more pressing problems

With the boost from the strange PP he received he had enough to finish the Fighting Proficiency III Path

Congratulations You have finished the Fighting Proficiency III Path Through constant trials and challenges you have persisted down the path of violence You have not engaged in slaughter and you were not hunted like an animal Yours was the noble pursuit of physical contest against your peers The violence you have found had refined your body to a new sort of perfection You sense in your body the possibilities to evolve beyond your current understanding The Path stretches onward into deep red mists To proceed is to challenge the unknown with your body Good Luck

Congratulations Your Stamina has increased by 500 All Physical Stats are increased by 10 Your Skill Fighting Proficiency has shifted to Fighting Experience (Un) All Skill Levels have a slightly larger effect in increasing your abilities while fighting Skill Levels retained

Tapping his lips Randidly looked at his Status screen

Health(/R per hour) 3522/4343 (+730) (2357 (+165

Mana(/R per hour) 4109/4696 (898 (+9

Stam(/R per min) 3211/4376 (+60) (714 (+45

Vit 500 (+15)

End 173 (+20)

Str 482 (+52)

Agi 554 (+24)

Perception 434 (+20)

Reaction 507 (+15)

Resistance 408 (+45)

Willpower 505 (+10)

Intelligence 545

Control 757

Focus 352 (+4)

Skills (Soul Skill) Seven Lands of the Spectral Tree Lvl 2493

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 191 White PhantomÆs Half Step (Un) Lvl 86 Heavy Blow Lvl 107 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 102 Fighting Experience (Un) Lvl 145 Block Lvl 75 Phantom Onslaught Lvl 42 Calculated Blow Lvl 97 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 74 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 110 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 41 Talon Strike Lvl 80 Counter Lvl 79

PoFE Class Skills Grasp of the World Seed Lvl 199 Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 25 Sharpness Lvl 87 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 84 Aether Understanding Lvl 56 Summon Lava Golem (Un) Lvl 46 Aether Infusion Lvl 45 Volatile Ash Lvl 29 Visualization « Lvl 90 Fruit of the Planting of Enmity Lvl 22 Absolute Timing Lvl 22

The 7 Kata of the Ashen Spear The Spear Advances Ash Trails Lvl 95 As the Sun Stills Lvl 69 When a Shadow Departs Fireflies Dance (Un) Lvl 46 All is Ash Lvl 74

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 110 Aether Manipulation Lvl 105 Living Aether « Lvl 108 System Interference Lvl 25

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 73 Farming Lvl 34 Analyze Lvl 29 Refine Lvl 72 Extract Lvl 58 Mana Engraving Lvl 149

Yggdrasil the Tree of Upheaval Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 124 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 146 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 143 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 155 the Deific Mien of Yggdrasil Lvl 141 the Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil Lvl 133 Crown of Yggdrasil Cataclysm and Gloom Lvl 79

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 106 ChefÆs Palette Lvl 33 Nether Resistance Lvl 20 Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 45 Chosen of Ash Lvl 110 Engineering Savvy « Lvl 98

Chapter 703

In the middle of examining his Status screen Randidly looked sharply up Above him he could feel the Aether of the world moving with sudden purpose Immediately it formed into strange interlocking shapes causing Randidly to frown This was oddly familiar

But then he narrowed focus in the area of the concentrating Aether It flowed from the sky and formed a strange series of interlocking loops As he watched those loops began to fold on themselves becoming even more concentrated First once then twice then five times as the size of the loop shrunk and its energy shrunk Randidlywatched

Then he chuckled Below that burning firebrand of Aether another noticeable source stood

So this Randidly said softly in the Hall of Stances as he walked to the second altar Is a judgement

Randidly was careful to not touch with Mana but he listened through the senses of the plants in the surrounding area of the energy source Instantly he could feel the weight of SiloÆs shoes against the ground as he stood alone in a clearing as the Judgement descending

The energy folded again and RandidlyÆs eyes grew immediately serious Even though his eyes were useless he turned and peered upward through the hewn stone of the hallwayÆs walls This much energy what Level of Heretic has he reached

Even from here the Aether seemed to burn in his Detect Aether Skill It was so bright and concentrated that it seemed to blind his senses which was an extremely strange thing Randidly didnÆt have as high Perception for his first two Judgements but he had seen it when his Judgement had descended for the third time

Strangely that Judgement was one of the weakest he had encountered although that might due to the acceleration in his strength increases But it somehow felt something was missing from it But that was a dim candle compared to this wildfire Whatever was coming would be huge

Randidly paused as he walked down the ramp Briefly he entertained the idea of assisting Silo The guy was an oblivious and self centered dick but he meant well for all that the energy around him was powerfully negative and violent Recently Randidly hadnÆt spent any time with the guy at all but he felt vaguely pleased with Silo because Silo had brought back so much of the WightÆs energy Because of that Randidly had been able to experiment and assist Skarch with her spear

Idly Randidly wondered how the experiment with Skarch turned out She hadnÆt approached him so Randidly was forced to assume his adjustment to her spear had gone well

Then Randidly snapped back to the moment The loop folded one more time and the Aether seemed to form a singularity Quite away from RandidlyÆs goal of examining the mechanism of the Aether portal RandidlyÆs attention was caught up in the strange concentration of energy that built up into a paradigm shift of power

If I can make As the Sun Stills have some of that sudden and abrupt feeling

But then the moment passed and the Aether seemed to disperse Frowning Randidly channeled more of his focus into the nearby plants Silo remained still and after some concentration Randidly realized that a creature with wings was floating in front of Silo They seemed to be speaking

Shrugging Randidly let his focus drift away For all that he knew Silo the Judgement drew strength from others interfering With RandidlyÆs amount of Stats his assistance might be more harm than help Randidly wanted to protect those near him but this was SiloÆs battle to fight Just like Randidly would have his own Judgement coming soon

On that thought Randidly arrived in front of the second altar But before he touched the brown crystal sitting there Randidly opened his Path screen

Heretic XXIX 0/ Nexus Traveler Cohort 5 0/50 Experimenter I 0/50 System Transgressor 0/1 Steps of the Godling II Path 0/200 Friend to Humanity 0/100 War Leader 0/200 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

None of the Paths available to him now were new But what caught RandidlyÆs eye was something below that He bared his teeth at the text in front of him

Great Path Burning Dualmage (Ash) 0/1000

Then Randidly forced himself to relax He was aware of the far reaching effect of taking the Ashen Image into himself It was not going well now but he would balance his image somehow For all that his plants were consumed it was a small comfort that the ashes of those plants ended up an effective fertilizer But to see himself losing his dualmage status

Wryly Randidly shook his head It wasnÆt something he planned on using for a while based on hints from the Patron of Ash What was the use it letting it bother him

But what it did do was firm RandidlyÆs resolve Although all of the options were tempting Randidly reached for the intimidatingly long Growth of Yggdrasil III Who knows how long it would take him to finish but Randidly wanted to commit to focusing on the plant side of his images He would not let them

Warning insufficient time has passed since the last Growth of Yggdrasil Path was experienced 298 days remaining until this Path is usable

There was a cooldown

Fuck me Randidly muttered Why was the Path available if he couldnÆt use it Instead Randidly morosely turned his attention back to his other Path options or at least the ones that he thought would be the most helpful

Advanced Mana Engraving 0/400 Aether Convergence II Perfect Soul Bond 0/1000 the Bell of Doom Tolls 0/600 Mana Ghoul 0/200 Fiery Sharpshooter 0/350 The Ashes of Ulaat Patron of Ash 0/1000

None of RandidlyÆs options were particularly distinguishing Fiery Sharpshooter was the first to be rejected due to its fiery nature Ashes of Ulaat Randidly also decided against if only because his memory of the previous Ashes Path had been backloaded with value For all that Randidly was confident that he would win against Helen there was no reason to not take advantage of the small bonuses he could have

Aether Convergence was another long term usefulness Skill The same with Perfect Soul Bond Advanced Mana Engraving was tempting for Randidly especially with access to SkarchÆs spear but Randidly didnÆt forget about the looming threat of the Engraving Styles

Which left the Bell of Doom Tolls and Mana Ghoul The source of the first was somewhat of a mystery to Randidly but he knew the second was from the constant Mana deprivation he had subjected himself to during his month fighting on the front lines After a brief hesitation Randidly picked Mana Ghoul mostly because of the shorter PP requirement

He dumped his remaining PP into it and received 10 Mana for every 5 PP That was a nice surprise With a small smile Randidly touched the brown crystal on the second altar

Instantly Randidly was on a hill standing behind a tanned man with a broad back His hands were spread out across his spear near the ends He breathed in and lifted the spear Then he breathed out and lowered the spear

And when the spear fell the world seemed to fall with it

At first Randidly thought it was heaviness that made it so like his own Skill and the summoning of the Judgement earlier That there was such an image of weight that the world trembled at the hint of this easy movement

But it was not weight that set the small pebbles in the area to rattling The trembling ground of the hill did not feel the weight touching it it was something else that seemed to fill the air with helplessness The spear was slowly lowered and everything began to quake The ground beneath the manÆs feet cracked

Blinking Randidly realized this was somewhat familiar Then he got it

This wasnÆt weight rattling the world to pieces This was momentum

This was an avalanche

As Randidly leaned backward he unleashed a breath Flexing his fingers he wondered how these people grew to the point where they had such powerful images about things Just by thinking these things they made it so Where did that strength come from Was it stats in Willpower Should Randidly focus there

Or rather was it related to understanding Would studying the elements he wanted to imagine make them stronger Would a scientific understanding be helpful Or was this like some of the old novels Randidly had read where he required an epiphany that would suddenly bring a strange intimacy with these elements

Ruefully Randidly scratched at his head His short black hair was beginning to get longer again He would need to cut it soon

Images were just that images Some other things were helpful but it wasnÆt about the truth or understanding it seemed to Randidly It was about capturing something and projecting it Or put another way

It was about telling a story to the world that was so convincing that it believed you

Randidly reached and put his hand on the crystal once more

Chapter 704

Over the next few hours Randidly descended through the Hall of Stances slowly and methodically He encountered images left by the predecessor to the Endless Heat Style in Hastam The young girl just thrust her spear forward and the area in front of her seemed to boil and warp as the heat escalated beyond the worldÆs ability to endure

There were also images related to plants which Randidly was particularly interested in But both left him rather disappointed The first was a spear strike during a duel where the strike was clearly blocked but it seemed to split and grow around the block without missing a beat The second was a spear where every time the spear blade would flash it seemed like a flower would bloom A sweet and beguiling scent would fill the air

Neither seemed to be in line with what Randidly needed so he let it pass Skill Levels in Visualization and Absolute Timing slowly accumulated but Randidly ignored them Instead he continued to slowly sample the images of the Hall

There were images for Wind there were images for Thunder there were images for a flurry of spear strikes that seemed as gentle and refreshing as a spring rain storm There was a series of three images all left by the same old man The first was sharpness The second was resilience The third was just a strange aura of destruction All held the powerful tang of metal

Images for a waterfall images for sand images of the Spear School where images were simply the spear

It seemed that images from all Schools were here although Spearman School images were the most prevalent Randidly was profoundly confused when he found the first Heart School images and he was immediately overwhelmed with a strange feeling of devotion as he touched the yellow crystal

For several seconds Randidly was confused by what had happened His heart was hammering in his ears Then he shook his head It was a good thing that Randidly came here to check out these images If he had been confronted with a surging emotion like this in a real battle there was no doubt that he would have suffered for it

The Death School was even more confusing There was just a strange yearning A lack of something An emptiness

Honestly it made Randidly shiver It was certainly piercing and invasive and Randidly felt a strange coldness on his skin for a half hour after he viewed a Death School image It certainly wouldnÆt be the path that Randidly chose moving forward but there were parts of it that Randidly would borrow

Slowly and surely as Randidly moved through the images Randidly learned small things that occurred to him about his own images Slowly the Ashen Image the Yggdrasil Image and the Spear Phantom Image were all slowly refined

He began to take fifteen minute breaks between images During that time he would really dig down into the image that Randidly wanted to shift slightly With great deliberateness Randidly would paint himself a new mental image of that image taking care that it was extremely vibrant With RandidlyÆs every rising Control it was not difficult to make sure his images were poignant

Still Randidly sensed something was missing from each And Randidly was beginning to have an inkling what that thing was

Clicking his teeth in a strange sort of mental exhaustion Randidly touched a pale blue crystal This time for the first time Randidly was transported to what seemed like a physical body Rather than watching from behind Randidly was standing opposite an extremely thin and pale woman She was small too perhaps only a meter and a half tall

Her spear slid towards Randidly

The air shivered and cracked as it froze The pale blue blade of the spear seemed to fill the entirety of RandidlyÆs vision and its strange coldness prevented him from moving at all As it approached the numbness spread from solely being physical Even RandidlyÆs thoughts slowed

This was a cold spear Randidly thought numbly to himself

The spear grew closer and closer Time stretched longer and longer as the cold sank deeper and deeper into RandidlyÆs consciousness It gripped him in a way none of the other images had Being on the receiving end of the image filled him with a strange sort of wonder but it also filled him with such instinctual terror that it was difficult to bring his mind around to observe the attack too closely

The spear in front of RandidlyÆs face seemed to stand still Ice formed and covered his skin striking the blow that the glacially slow spear wouldnÆt

A touch on RandidlyÆs shocked Randidly out of the trance and he spun around wildly A young woman stumbled backward hands raised

Sorry Just wanted to make sure you didnÆt get stuck in there Because of the nature of the image they say people can just stand there experiencing it for almost an hour Are you uh okay

RandidlyÆs tension melted away upon seeing genuine concern in her gaze He nodded calmly and gestured to the pale blue crystal That certainly is wow Are there more images like that where you are on the receiving end

Ones that donÆt give you a migraine from the cold huh She seemed sympathetic but shook her head No it seemed that the nature of the cold Image made it easy to unleash directly at someone without harming them seriously Others preferred not to take the risk Because of how it makes you feel itÆs a rather unpopular crystal

She stalled off The silence stretched as Randidly looked at her Finally she frowned

Anyways IÆm heading back up I just wanted to warn you stay away from that crystal ItÆs more trouble than itÆs worth

The young woman walked away watching Randidly out of the corner of her eye Tapping his chin Randidly watched her go Only when he was around the corner did he relax all the way Even though he relaxed Randidly continued to wait for another ten minutes as he did his best to remember the coldness of the image

It had something of the heaviness that Randidly wanted for As the Sun Stills and also possessed a good about of bleak emptiness that Randidly wanted for his Spear Phantom Skills And for all that it was painful to experience Randidly reached out and touched it again

The slight woman raised her spear and thrust it forward The air quivered and froze

Drifting forward the spear seemed impossibly large Frost covered RandidlyÆs torso and hands His thoughts dimmed There was just the long seconds and the spear

The moment stretched It was so cold that RandidlyÆs mind went blank

When he came out of the image Randidly was trembling Although there hadnÆt been any real temperature the image was so pervasive that it had convinced RandidlyÆs body that he was freezing Part of the issue was exposure it was able to do so because Randidly had been locked in the image for an indeterminate amount of time But there was also a kernel of deep power in that image

Randidly released a breath After experiencing so many images he had made a rather obvious realization

Images were generally simple And when that simple image was pressed to a peerless level of surety that was when the images became powerful Wind is sharp The momentum of an avalanche Heat of the desert The cold of ice The growth of plants

Everything focused on something very specific Randidly had to admit that his own images were a little more eclectic Not that he believed this was ultimately a bad thing Almost intuitively Randidly sensed that this overwhelming strength of image was a result of the calcified Aether of Tellus As it stiffened it could become incredibly resilient and intimidating in a single form

But that power came with a cost Whether Randidly could gain that power without paying a similar cost remained to be seen To get there however Randidly needed to focus his efforts in that way Because although Randidly was gaining Skill Levels his abilities in terms of spear use had seemed to plateau

It had become pretty obvious in his duels with Azriel over the past week that although he was more than competent Randidly wasnÆt a match for the people here in terms of raw spear talent He had numerous theories for that The first was which was the Aether they used was particularly suited for it Another theory was that they had superior Skill Levels to Randidly which gave them an obvious edge

But as RandidlyÆs Skill Levels rose he realized that he may have missed something The distance between their abilities with a spear were narrowing but there always seemed to be something missing from his attacks In terms of piercing ability Azriel was a league of her own But even in everything else she else a strange edge It was like she had an instinct for the spear

Which Randidly eventually realized she truly did Whereas Randidly was going to class and reading only a short five years ago Azriel had held a spear for almost 20 years That led to increased Skill Levels sure but there was a more important difference here that Randidly was starting to detect

To the people of Tellus the image of a spear is incomparably capable They believed from their youngest moments that the spear was their only path to a better life

Setting aside the Aether that influences the issue if the concept of image was as nebulous believed it to me that meant that belief was an advantage that Randidly didnÆt know how to cope with It meant that Randidly needed his own edge in terms of images so he had to really focus on refining his view of the world

One way that Randidly considered to strengthen his images was to add more imagery from his own childhood But very quickly it became obvious that this was not a short term solution Perhaps eventually he could discover a powerful tie in from his time growing up but in the immediate future it would only make his images complicated and messy It would move them away from the simplicity that Randidly felt from all these images in the Hall of Stances

Now he was aware that the images he had just been faced with were the cream of the crop It was unlikely that any other fighters in the tournament would have this level of image But Helen had a point if RandidlyÆs goal was beyond this competition he needed to demonstrate his superiority

So Randidly picked his second thought for how to strengthen his images and this one had the added benefit of working quickly By stressing his mental state he could likely get his subconscious to slowly strengthen its own images to cope with the pressure Humans were incredibly adaptive Especially when they had hundreds of System empowered stat points strengthening them

With a wide smile Randidly touched the pale blue crystal again

Chapter 705

Hey Hey kid IsnÆt your fight today Shit Althor get over here This fool has been stuck in that ice image for god knows how long

The voices were extremely clear even as Randidly felt like he was hidden in a deep well Noise and sensation reached him slowly only after reverberating against the walls of the prison that Randidly had constructed for himself

Some distant part of RandidlyÆs mind was strangely pleased by the number thirty four for some reason but the part of Randidly that was most in control of his body was puzzled by this number Instead the controlling Randidly swam through the frozen morass of a swamp that was his mind to turn woodenly around and look at the two acolytes who were staring at him with a worried expression

RandidlyÆs head hurt but it was just a small twinge Everything was hollow and chilly Sensations at first appeared to be occurring to someone else before Randidly belatedly realized that he was the subject of these feelings Both of the acolytes looked at each other

Do you think he is alright

DidnÆt you see him on your earlier patrol How could you let him like this From how pale he is he might have broken the record for being stuck in that image

This is why some people get so riled up about taking it down ItÆs a danger to the supplicants who come into the Hall of Stances

HeÆs not even wearing shoes

Do you think he lost them Well I have a spare pair he can use

Randidly wasnÆt exactly unable to walk but his body took quite a while to obey the instructions of his mind There was a freezing expanse of body between his brain and his muscles As such most of RandidlyÆs movements were simply wiggles

Besides Randidly could really figure out why he would want to move He was torn On the one hand a part of him was very sure that what he was doing was helpful somehow But another part of him seemed to recall that he had something he needed to be doing

In the end the two acolytes carried Randidly bodily up through the curving hallways Every now and then they would spare glances for RandidlyÆs glassy eyes and wince At one point one acolyte spoke a short phrase to the other one and the two stopped With great care they sat Randidly down on a stool After rummaging in his interspatial ring the man produced two fur boots

He put the first boot on RandidlyÆs left foot and then began lifting RandidlyÆs other leg to place the other boot in its place To everyoneÆs surprise Randidly leaned down and grabbed the top of the boot on his foot His fist tightened

The boot acolyte frowned while the other acolyte wrung his hands What is he doing

He probably has brain damage He took the image too deep The hand wringing acolyte said LetÆs just hope that we arenÆt blamed for this

Randidly began to pull upwards

You mean you hope you wonÆt be blamed for this The boot acolyte said while he shook his head You were the one who missed him on

Ripp

After pulling for a few seconds the leather of the boot failed and Randidly forcibly ripped it off his foot He blinked slowly trying to understand what was going on Then he shrugged and dropped the ripped leather This was not a good thing he understood instinctually Randidly did not need it

What the fuck The boot acolyte said Those cost a full gold coin

Pah Althor when have you had a gold coin laying around DonÆt tell me your mother took up whoring again The hand wringing acolyte said

The other sent him a withering glance I hope that wit is enough to support you when you are kicked out of the Hall of Stances Well come on Better just bring him up to the sun Maybe that will warm him up

So Randidly buoyed by the two acolytes was washed up out of the Hall of Stances to the open world It was still early but the sun was already warm on RandidlyÆs skin It certainly allowed him to relax somewhat but the cold had taken a pervasive hold of RandidlyÆs core Instead of making things better the warmth of the sun certainly intensified the pain from the headache as Randidly became more aware of it

And it set him to shivering

LetÆs just leave him here Althor The one acolyte whined

This man is in the tournament We cannot just leave him We will need to wait with him and hope he recovers sufficiently in these two hours Althor said with a firm expression

The other acolyte winced what if he doesnÆt recover by then

AlthorÆs only answer was a glare

Randidly abruptly smiled Thirty four was the number of Skill Levels And Skill Levels were good Surrounded by ice the thoughts came slow But some part of Randidly was immensely pleased and looking forward to what would happen when the insidious chill inside of his body was vanquished

Deep within his core several tall runes that had been hollowed out and turned into ash began to hum softly His mental furnace coughed and sputtered then turned on

Mr Darke rest assured that the Spearman School is completely behind the activities of the Engraving Guild Aylwind spared the annoying young man a sharp glance with enough vicious heat that Aylwind hoped the boy would get the hint Unfortunately these contingency plans can wait I have other matters to attend to

To AylwindÆs surprise Aiden Darke only flashed a smile Perhaps but are we not currently at war with the Wights Understanding how the chain of command would work when your Excellency was out of contact would do much to alleviate the fears in the Engraving GuildÆs mind Perhaps if you could just

It was a short word but AylwindÆs bubbling anger combined with a Skill sent Aiden Darke stumbling backward His face paled but he certainly shut up

Immediately Aylwind felt somewhat guilty but he simply snorted I do not often speak twice Mr Darke Do not force me

The other man nodded meekly and Aylwind felt even worse All in all AylwindÆs temper was indeed once more rising to be a conflagration of rage and animosity Aylwind was well aware of this and he considered whether he should once more stop using Skills in order to let the strange emotions that drove him forward pass

But in the past he had to spend ten months in the strange suppression room for that to happen His Spearman School couldnÆt afford to have him missing for that long Although there might be small lapses of temper in the interim they wouldnÆt be any long term negative effects And once the war had passed Aylwind could freely rid himself of this strange darkness that crept up in his heart

Was this truly due to the Spearman himself The mark of his violence upon the world

Aylwind smothered that thought Best not to think like that Instead he turned to Aiden and extended an olive branch Well the relationship between the Spearman School and the Engraving Guilds can be considered significant so how about this consider yourself free to act while I am not here But know that I will return and if I find things not to my liking Well I do not easily give warnings twice Do not force my hand boy

Paling even further Aiden Darke nodded seriously Although he knew it wasnÆt a completely honest reaction it was still somewhat pleasing to Aylwind But of course the fact that this kid was chosen as the representative in Hastam meant that he wasnÆt a simple individual

Honestly Aylwind didnÆt truly know much of what the Engraving Guilds did They charged exorbitant amounts of money for the smalling engraving task and hunted down anyone unassociated with the guilds So they had money and not much else Even if they had power Aylwind didnÆt fear a rebellion from them They would need to rely on another Style to have the strength to contend with Aylwind but even then

Abruptly Aylwind looked up To the South a strange energy was moving

Another army Well itÆs about time Aylwind said cracking his knuckles I suppose I should welcome them to the Spearman School

Chapter 706

Azriel sniffed and frowned Why did she smell smoke

After a bit of searching she located a bonfire on a nearby roof surrounded by several smaller fires The fires were being controlled by two harried looking acolytes and in the middle of them

Snorting Azriel leapt over and landed on the roof Randidly What are you doing

With a sniff Randidly pulled the dripping mucus up into his nose and glowered at Azriel Simultaneously he seemed to be shivering and sweating It was not a great look even with his distinctive aura His arms were wrapped around himself as if trying to control his body I am camping It is a cultural activity with a deep history amongst my people

It is a form of self torture You look dead Azriel countered

Randidly scrunched his face up even further which was very amusing Well itÆs a short term problem IÆll have it handled soon

Randidly ruined the fierce and determined image he was going for by sniffing and rubbing his nose after speaking Chuckling Azriel opted to say nothing although she wanted to point out how much Randidly currently resembled a sick child His lips were slightly blue and his breathing was shallow His body clearly was not in its best condition

It made Azriel profoundly curious what sort of training he had engaged in For all of RandidlyÆs flaws unwillingness to work hard wasnÆt one that she had ever witnessed Honestly Randidly was hard working to a fault It was something that she deeply admired about him No matter how trivial he always seemed to be sharpening some part of himself for the future

Traveling with Randidly had done much to improve AzrielÆs own work ethic Perhaps due to her innate talent she had never pursued strength as doggedly as Randidly did She preferred to allow sufficient time for thoughtful meditation and reflection in her training Meanwhile Randidly brazenly charged forward

For all that Azriel would give up anything to prove her Master a true spear user she had never had a good handle on whether she was accomplishing that by gathering glory Randidly’s impressive display in the Regional Tournament had given her a much needed yard stick She still had so much more to do in order for her Master to be recognized

Would you like some support Azriel said lightly while trying not to smile

Bah leave it Randidly said Then he waved his hand at the nearby fires Immediately a cuttingly chilly wind blew The smaller fires were smothered with the large bonfire flickered and shrank

ThatÆs a cute trick Azriel said mildly watching RandidlyÆs reaction

His eyes narrowed to slits and he bared his teeth For fuck’s sake I can’t get rid of this damn cold

After a few seconds of studying Randidly AzrielÆs eyes widened It took some strange logical leaps but considering how boneheaded Randidly had been during their short image duels Did you spend a prolonged amount of time immersing yourself in the chill image in order to temper yourself That dangerous image that the acolytes warn newcomers away from

I really wish I could say no Randidly grumbled

Azriel laughed Randidly you arenÆt a fucking block of iron You donÆt just pound yourself into a shape You

Instantly a hush fell over the city as the sky seemed to darken AzrielÆs words caught in her mouth A bright comet flew up from the highest tower in Hastam and began to shoot towards the South It only too a few seconds to occur but in that time there was a monstrous sort of heat that grew as the comet hung in the sky above them

Even Azriel felt a deep wariness in her heart as she looked up and witnessed that heat in the sky It was soul crushing It eroded self confidence and endurance It was a physical force in the world Heat that devoured all resistance

It seemed that Aylwind Sky was moving once more

Just as soon as it arrived the comet was gone Azriel looked back at Randidly Then she crinkled her nose You look satisfied

It was the first bit of warmth IÆve felt in a while Randidly said while rolling his neck in slow circles And for sure some of the pale skinned and hollow eyed look that he had had was lost But even from standing near him Azriel could feel a vague hint of cold wafting off of his body

She tried not to think too deeply about what Randidly had done to himself Not only was there an extremely dangerous change of permanently warping his images but he also risked being lost in anotherÆs image There were a few times that her own master had provided Azriel with recordings of its piercing strikes But it had warned Azriel not to rely on them too heavily or use them for too long There were too many risks associated with submerging yourself in another image

And yet here Randidly was The fact that the image of frost and chill clung to him even now demonstrated that he had truly gone deep But he seemed to be recovering at a noticeable pace What sort of resilience did he have

Still it wouldnÆt be done in time for his match today Will you use this as an excuse if you lose

Randidly gave her a wry smile I wonÆt lose

Azriel mimed being shocked I was so filled with dread earlier that I didnÆt want to ask but have you truly mastered the ability to create cool breezes Such a talent will be so useful to store meat in the summer Undoubtedly you will be highly in demand

Ha Randidly laughed Then he shook his head Believe me it will be fine I may look like this but the worst of it should be gone Come on letÆs go to the tournament

Although he looked somewhat stiff to AzrielÆs eyes RandidlyÆs speed was quick as they left the Hall of Stance and went towards the grand Colosseum of Hastam There would only be two fights today and RandidlyÆs would be first He and Helen would be kicking off the entire tournament

While they walked Azriel watched Randidly out of the corner of her eye He forced them to stop briefly and Randidly bought a large bowl of steaming hot noodles that he downed as they walked towards the arena Truly he was improving at a visible rate His skin looked pink and healthy His eyes seemed to burn green even in the daytime

Suddenly Randidly noticed AzrielÆs gaze and he glanced over at her with his lips pursed What is it

SheÆs strong you know Azriel said IÆve sparred with Helen a lot over the past week She truly means to defeat you You cannot expect an easy match

I wouldnÆt want an easy match Randidly replied He let out a long breath and none of his breath was cold enough to mist up We have an understanding Helen knows she has to come with everything she has or I will crush her

You underestimate her While speaking Azriel shook her head

Randidly grinned at her Maybe you are underestimating me

IÆve made that mistake before I wonÆt again Azriel said firmly But Helen is different than you In your eyes you see the great troubles of the world Do not think I miss that your Skill has you wearing a crown It is an inauspicious shape for Tellus and yet you pay it no mind It makes your intentions incredibly clear But on the other hand HelenÆs eyes are locked on you Your strengths and your flaws I do not mean to say that she is the more dangerous out of the two of you but

Azriel paused her gaze has been on you for so long The person who currently has the greatest chance of defeating Randidly Ghosthound is Helen

To her surprise this just seemed to amuse Randidly IsnÆt that your game A move will only beat you once And to hit a second time I would need to evolve my plans and abilities mid fight If I can manage that why is this preparation something you take so seriously

What could Azriel say to that Randidly was correct in a very narrow way His abilities were strange and varied It wasnÆt an over exaggeration to say that the danger of fighting Randidly was to be forced to deal with all of the different avenues of attacks that he could throw at you And because he had so many Skills he could take advantage of even the slightest weakness

But Azriel also knew that the reason why Randidly was occasionally able to overcome her expectations and strike at her was that she was always surprised when her projections turned out to be insufficient to cover Randidly There was a definite point of surprise

Meanwhile Azriel knew that Helen had been forcefully pressing that out of herself in the past three months

No it likely started far before that Perhaps for almost a year

Helen fought on the front lines where the slightest weakness meant death Time and time again she found herself in impossible situations where there was no hope Only by hitting that bottom point did Helen encounter her own iron rod spine that served her through tragedy and disaster time after time

Surprise would not stop her Impossible situations would not throw her She had unshakable confidence and an admirable amount of flexibility Her ferocity with the spear provided enough pressure that weaker spear users would falter before her Helen was a soldier who had never once skipped her training

Azriel might be a genius and Randidly might be a monster but Helen was the soldier She was a professional at facing down trouble

And it is true that the soldier could not match up to the genius in most walks of life the one place the soldier had an advantage was fulfilling her role killing monsters

But if Randidly didnÆt believe Azriel could say nothing more to warn him He would need to find out for himself that what was truly scary about Helen were the things she had learned from watching Randidly

Chapter 707

The words of the elders introducing the under 25 tournament and explaining the various rules were just a dull ringing in HelenÆs ears The whole while her eyes were locked onto Randidly who stood next to her at the front of the contestants It seemed that it mattered little to the master of ceremonies whether the two first opponents stood next to each other Perhaps such a concern was beneath their notice

And what Helen saw from Randidly did little to dispel her fury

This fucker He looks like an invalid Helen thought her brows scrunching up as she fought to comprehend what was going on in RandidlyÆs mind Why had he allowed himself to waste away like this This was a special day that they had planned for such a long time so why

Unbidden the nagging voice of HelenÆs mother warned what such a powerful frown would due to her skin which of course only served to worsen her mood Yet her only distraction was to consider her opponent

Randidly was not an inconspicuous character but he was the type that was often overlooked in a mass of people He was tall enough to stand above most but not so tall that his body seemed to stick out in a crowd He kept his black hair shorn short most of the time although occasionally it grew into a longer tangle In terms of musculature Randidly certainly wouldnÆt turn any heads on Tellus he was wiry rather than built for strength Or generally that was how he looked

Today he had deep bags under his eyes that made his face seem extremely long and gaunt His shoulders were slumped somewhat resulting in his long arms hanging low on his sides giving him a strangely animalistic appearance Above all Randidly Ghosthound looked tired It seemed like a stiff wind could blow him over The lure of a pillow would pull him across a road right in front of a cart

Were you out all last night whoring If your respect for me is truly so little as this Helen thought spitefully Her eyes flashed Leading up to now Helen had felt some hesitation to utilize her full strength against Randidly Some part of her worried that if she won it would result in the sort of wound that one could die from But now seeing him like this

What pissed her off even more was the possibility that this whole visage was a ruse to cause just this reaction in her And it was working

HelenÆs vision was slowly turning red She would kill him for this For all he had put her through

And now without further ado let us begin with the under 25 finals Our first match is a duel of two hailing from the Northern Region Our first contestant is Helen who won herself a spot in the tournament due to exemplary accomplishments on the frontlines prior to the invasion In fact if not for her acts of heroism it is very possible that the war would have happened even more suddenly

Helen calmly walked out onto the arena leaving Randidly to stand behind and watch her Although it wasnÆt truly meaningful it was quite kind of this man to embellish some of her accomplishments Her footsteps were loud in her own ears even as the meager waters who hailed from the Northern Region or who served on the frontlines cheered for her

On second thought who was she to say that she hadnÆt accomplished exactly those things Truly she had been instrumental in several operations She might very well have delayed the WightÆs plans

And the second challenger is a man who needs no introduction Just the name of his master and grandmaster can be used synonymously with absolute strength Heir to the Spear Phantom Style we have Randidly Ghosthound

At least he has the decency to look calm Helen thought sourly She carefully eyed Randidly for any sort of reaction to the introduction but there was none not even shock crossed his face Which Helen knew would have been appropriate Likely Randidly wasnÆt aware of how recognized Shal had become in the time he was gone

As Randidly continued to walk forward only to stop about 10 meters away from Helen in the arena most of her emotions drained away Because despite how drawn and exhausted he looked the hairs on the back of HelenÆs neck rose when Randidly entered the arena Their gazes met

This Helen realized would not be easy

Do you insist on this foolish bet Randidly said softly

Helen grinned at him Are you 100% confident that you belong in the middle of those fights and not this one

To her surprise Randidly smiled wryly back Honestly I donÆt even know where those fights are occurring But If I donÆt try IÆll never leave this place

Is it truly so important to leave So be it So we fight Helen said Randidly didnÆt answer he just closed his eyes and breathed out Weirdly Helen abruptly felt a chill go down her spine Was he truly so strong as to effortlessly trigger her instincts like this

Then Helen frowned This wasnÆt her instincts It simply was cold There was a cold breeze She thought she heard an audience member from the front seats sneeze

DonÆt psych yourself out Helen chided herself as he produced her spear Randidly did the same as well as allowing that strange grey black armor to climb across his body and settle across him It mostly covered his torso shoulders and arms but Helen didnÆt miss the thin layer that settled on his upper thighs

Narrowing her eyes Helen speculated on the weak points of Randidly and where she should strike for the best effect Ultimately though she had to admit that he would be a tough nut to crack That was the rough of Randidly Ghosthound He wasnÆt a defensive specialist or a spear specialist or even a speed specialist He just did it all so well that he could endure what you were good at and strike where you were weak

Let the match begin

Even as the referee/announcer signaled the start of the fight Randidly shivered This fucking cold It was with an extremely uncomfortable expression that he regarded Helen before him who instantly began spinning her spear Although it didnÆt seem like much Randidly could sense that she was utilizing a Skill she had used previously to create strange currents of force in the air If he wasnÆt careful it would easy to be bound by them

In spite of the seriousness of the occasion Randidly sneezed As if on cue Helen surged into motion her body blurring strangely as she cut towards him Even forcefully pumping energy into Chosen of Ash did little to dispel the deep cold that was afflicting him In truth it didnÆt affect his movements or thoughts anymore He had checked his physical condition and it honestly seemed to have improved somewhat But it was a constant source of discomfort to feel as though warmth was impossible

The feel of it was not something he had experienced until now and it was taking away a little bit of his edge

HelenÆs spear was quick and already Randidly felt the small tugs of those currents of air But Acri sprung out in an Idiosyncratic Cut aiming to meet Helen directly Of course as soon as Randidly moved she shifted

With a quick spin her slash turned into a feint and now she stepped beyond RandidlyÆs guard In a blindingly quick movement she lowered her spear and thrust toward his exposed side Hissing between chattering teeth Randidly leaned to the side The strike skittered off of Sulfur harmlessly Taking advantage of the moment Randidly smashed down toward Helen with Acri

To his surprise or perhaps not Helen didnÆt retreat at all and simply planted her left foot In a single movement Helen shot past him and his strike Randidly instantly slowed the slash and turned to regard Helen Their eyes met

In her eyes was a challenge Was this really all he had

Randidly chuckled ItÆs not like Helen came out so hot in that exchange herself Strikes of that caliber he could endure all day

But she was right that this wasnÆt enough strength to overcome the enemies that waited on the grander stage Time to up the ante

For good luck and to get rid of some of the tingling numbness in his legs Randidly stamped his foot Once more Helen came forward with admirable sharpness spear raised

Breath of the Spear Phantom might have been effective but it seemed like that wasnÆt the point to Randidly That was relying on a single Skill to suppress Helen His goal was to prove to her and to himself that he had the qualifications to reach to the next tier of fighters He needed to prove he had the strength to alter the fate of a nation He was more than this

The Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom condensed above his head instantly sharpening RandidlyÆs vision The Wild PhantomÆs Embrace began to hum as Randidly moved forward to meet Helen

As they approached Randidly felt the pulling currents of a wild river with incredible strength Wincing he ripped forcibly through the restraints This might be a problem eventually if she could stack them infinitely But her eyes twitched slightly as Randidly did so which was slightly gratifying

Instantly her body contorted as she swayed out of the way and struck at him once more from the side But toward this attack Randidly only grinned as the binding forces that he had ripped through caught up to him he followed their pull Like a phantom he slid backward away from HelenÆs attack without moving a muscle Randidly wished he could see what it looked like

Her eyes narrowed in fury With an even higher level of acceleration Helen surged forward Randidly bent his knees and pressed forward to meet the attack The spear stab flicked past his face and clanged off one of SulfurÆs shoulder guards But all the while RandidlyÆs gaze didnÆt waver With a short breath Randidly expelled as much of the cold in his heart that he could manage into the surrounding air

Helen paled somewhat but her spear slithered back into a defensive position faster than an adder Even so she was forced to take the force of the Inevitable Phantom Arrives directly

Clangg

Chapter 708

Randidly saw the confusion in HelenÆs face as she experienced the wave of crippling cold he had dealt with for the past day Truly it wasnÆt something easy to handle even though he could reproduce only a fraction For all that it was simply an image the feeling of it spreading across your body wasnÆt comfortable at all Even now Randidly felt strangely stiff and out of himself

But still at the moment of attack Randidly felt very clearly how he could use the cold in the Inevitable Phantom Arrives Ever since the movementÆs inception Randidly had always had a headache keeping the opponent still long enough for the hit to land It was deceptively fast but that only took it from slow seeming to average But if he added the crippling wave of cold

Something that signaled the arrival of the phantom

With an annoying amount of capability Helen twisted her spear and dispersed most of the force from RandidlyÆs attack Still it wasnÆt as clean as Helen would like Her steps were extremely shaky and the hanging image of a river appeared above her head as she wove back and forth as the momentum forced her backward

But Randidly wouldnÆt let her off so easy

Randidly heard the ground beneath him shudder ominously as he launched himself forward In an instant his spear was ripping into the last meter in front of Helen but again Randidly underestimated her ability to react

Although he could tell that her left hand was somewhat numb from the last collision Helen leaned back and allowed Randidly thrust to hum past her Still bent backward at the waist Helen spun her spear with only her right hand so that the point arced upward and then down toward RandidlyÆs neck

With a small grin Randidly used Phantom Half Step to move himself a small distance away while maintaining his momentum toward her Randidly planned on physically crashing into Helen relying on his superior physicality to get the advantage of the trade

But to his surprise Helen straightened almost as soon as she launched her attack Unless she had the ability to predict the future such sudden movements should have been impossible

RandidlyÆs grin stalled out She had predicted he would do this And she had taken a pretty significant gamble that she would be right If he had continued and she had straightened like this

Still with her left hand only as a stabilizer Helen thrust her spear toward Randidly Above her head the roaring image of a waterfall emerged Suddenly the spear that was sliding toward Randidly looked to contain quite a bit of force Thousands of gallons of liquid smashed into rocks throwing a light mist into the air The thunderous noise was like a physical blow against his chest at this proximity Enough to give him a bit of pause although ultimately his mouth firmed into a line

If she wanted to meet in a contest of power

But just as their spears were about to clash the image above Helen disappeared In fact all of Helen disappeared Instantly Randidly felt a powerful threat

When a Shadow Departs Fireflies Dance

Rather than staying to find out the threat Randidly teleported himself sideways leaving a burst of ash in his wake As soon as his feet touched the ground he spun and to face Helen But the attack he was expecting didnÆt come Instead Helen simply hopped out of the ash and gave Randidly a sharp look

Abruptly Randidly felt a sting at his jaw When he lifted his hand to touch it he found a rather deep gas from the middle of the left side of his jaw to under his left ear Very quickly the blood was flowing freely dripping onto the ground

It was some small comfort that his blood sizzled on contact with the ground and began to eat through What was frustrating was that his body still was so damned chilly Even the brief spat with Helen did nothing to abate that cold Randidly rubbed the warm blood savoring the feel of it on his fingers

That strike was very close to being deadly Helen said

Shrugging Randidly cracked his neck After a few seconds the bleeding had stopped and Randidly felt a fleeting trace of warmth along his jaw as the wound healed Afterward it settled right back down to tundra feel however

Even though Randidly didnÆt believe that Helen had held back on the blow he had learned something very important Helen was good at reading him Which in a way was more impressive than almost anything else Randidly had encountered Azriel perhaps in a similar manner had grown used to his attack patterns and used that as an advantage against him But this was pure prediction Prediction while Randidly had access to more Skills than even he remembered to use

He supposed one way to combat this was to use his lesser Skills but that seemed a lot like admitting failure The point was to overcome Helen Not to avoid her

As if emphasizing the thought RandidlyÆs Crown pulsed with power

Helen frowned up at the crown and then looked at Randidly You donÆt believe me Fine IÆll prove it to you DonÆt say I didnÆt warn you

This time above Helen appeared a small spring water flowing up out of the ground And as Randidly watched the water slowly shifted First a little in thin tendrils and then all at once the spring was flooded by blood The water ran thick and crimson

HelenÆs eyes turned red and she smiled savagely Her grin was that of a hyenaÆs lean practical and out for a pound of flesh RandidlyÆs mental coldness was now accompanied by a true feeling of coldness that crossed his heart Something had changed Helen had bared her fangs Contained here was the power that had given her confidence

Sensing the change in the mood the audience began to howl The referee who had already been watching closely leaned forward to follow the two fighterÆs movements Randidly believed that the man generally had a duty to protect the contestants but it was clear he was more intrigued by the prospect of blood than anything else

This time HelenÆs approach set RandidlyÆs hairs on end In addition those thin currents of air that were constantly harrying him had thickened with the introduction of blood They wound around and began to encircle him flowing in a strange pattern That combined with the fearsome speed that Helen used constituted a real threat to Randidly

Such was her speed that in the split second he recognized its true depths Randidly wondered whether he himself was faster than her But then instinct took over and the Wild PhantomÆs Embrace carried him forward

HelenÆs attacks were fast and brutal It seemed like a small thing at first but the attacks she threw now were sharp and just a few centimeters longer than previously Randidly twisted the side out of a slash but his chest was still slightly scratched His counter thrust met only air and HelenÆs burning eyes were right in front of him as she smashed the butt of her spear into his chest

With a grunt Randidly endured it and activated Grasp of the World Seed Instantly two thick vines exploded out of the ground Their tips sharpened and they ripped up toward HelenÆs exposed back The river above Helen curved and she was away slashing and severing the vines with ease

RandidlyÆs eyebrows twitched After dispatching his two vines Helen once more leapt toward him and ripped at his neck with her spear Using her force the Wild PhantomÆs Embrace carried him to the side and into the path of another attack

Randidly grinned the challenge of it finally getting to him She had used the force of the attacks to guide where he was moving to and attacked there huh

The blood empowered currents of air settled like a jailorÆs chains around Randidly A fiery eyed Helen advanced with breathtaking speed Her spear cut downward aiming for his hands on Acri Eyes flashing Randidly twisted and raised his spear to meet her Just as they were about to clash Randidly felt her twist away to strike at another spot but he largely ignored that

Instead Randidly used Incendiary Eruption three times in a triangle around where they were standing Time to test her resolve

The ground blew upwards spewing bubbling metals and superheated gases The area of effect was small but Helen was surrounded She was bombarded on two sides by a wave of heat and stone debris

But although she stumbled it was only briefly The next moment her spear was blurring toward RandidlyÆs face He frowned Strangely through the chill and stiffness that suffused him he felt that the currents of air that were holding him were tightening There was some serious juice in the infusion of blood into HelenÆs images

Even though the air was stronger it wasnÆt strong enough Randidly shrugged and activated Yyrwood Body of Yggdrasil Instantly his Strength and Agility surged upward With the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom activated Randidly moved perfectly to counter HelenÆs spear

For the second time of the fight their spears actually crossed

Hiss

Instead of the concussive force that Randidly had been expecting there was only a soft hissing as HelenÆs spear skidded across his own Even front this distance she managed to twist out of the way

Incendiary Eruption Randidly said again watching Helen carefully The ground underneath her shuddered and began to split

Her attack slid along his spear toward his chest and her body followed it as the full force of the Incendiary Eruption smashed into HelenÆs back But again she didnÆt react with anything but a tightening of her clenched teeth There was pain there but

HelenÆs attack smashed into RandidlyÆs chest in a small explosion of flame He tried to lean back but the currents of air binding him had toughened once again It wasnÆt necessarily heat that Randidly felt but his heart was pounding under the influence of adrenaline His curious numbness seemed to be lifted if only marginally

Immediately RandidlyÆs expression brightened Thank god he had thought for a bit that he wouldnÆt feel warmth again

But before RandidlyÆs joy could manifest itself Helen sidestepped and stabbed at him again With her own force Randidly spun to the side But then the restricting air flows descended once again around him and Helen slashed left and right Randidly raised his spear and blocked both The force was dangerous but not to his guard But the pressure from the air currents

It was rising The whole stage part of the arena was covered in strange flows It was beginning to look somewhat similar to a whirlpool

Even though HelenÆs strike was quick Randidly noticed that her feet were slightly slow to follow through with the attack It seemed that although she had somehow neutralized most of the damage from the Skill it wasnÆt completely useless

Incendiary Eruption Incendiary Eruption Incendiary Eruption

The Skills smashed upwards continuing to harry Helen as she pursued Randidly Her dodges were sharp and skillful but she continued to force herself forward and keep the flows of air binding Randidly While maintaining the pursuit avoiding the damage was impossible

Gritting her teeth Helen slashed with her spear again and again To his surprise the speed and sharpness increased with every attack At the same time RandidlyÆs brow furrowed over worry for Helen taking damage from the Skills Could she continue this

Her spear blurred toward RandidlyÆs chest cutting sideways out of a different vector of attack Randidly raised his spear to block but then there was a hyper sharp trace of HelenÆs quickening spear Randidly blinked HelenÆs spear swept upward hitting at the right angle and with enough force to knock away Acri and leave a slash across his chest It was shallow but still

Acri floated in the air for a second as Helen prepared for follow up attacks But then it twisted and like a lightning viper struck downward Eyes blazing Randidly reached out and filled the air with as much of the cold image as he could manage hoping that Acri wouldnÆt finish that blow

Chapter 709

Acri no

Through the sea of vicious heat that numbed Helen to the state of her body RandidlyÆs voice cut to her very core It helped a lot that her danger sense started screaming at her in the same moment and she stilled as a wave of wintery air hit her in the face

With a forlorn hiss something landed across her shoulders and spun around her neck She felt the sharp edge of a blade

RandidlyÆs spear was soft And living

Randidly had a few cuts across his chest and face He looked at Helen with a solemn gaze LetÆs assume nothing happened there Acri is a part of my power but it does not serve as proof that I need to move on from this tournament

HelenÆs hands clenched into fists but she stayed very still The strange living spear around her neck tightened She had known that RandidlyÆs spear was special and could curl up on his arm at will but she hadnÆt known it was an independent entity If anything it would only become more dangerous if it was away from Randidly especially in instances like this

So did her plan of separating Randidly from his spear amount to nothing

Her legs were trembling Although she had increased her Spell Resistance and Pain Resistance through exposure to the WightÆs Psychic Venom that was ultimately a different variety of spell Despite her extensive preparations just for enduring through RandidlyÆs spells she was already on the brink of her pain tolerance If not for her Sea of Blood fueling her Skills Helen didnÆt doubt that she would have already given in

Fine Helen hissed She couldnÆt deny that there was almost no chance that she could beat Randidly but she didnÆt want to give up Not now Not yet He was so close to her she couldnÆt bear to let this chance go now His face was so wan and solemn This wasnÆt what she wanted If this amount of blood wasnÆt enough she would pump more into herself until she drowned him Maybe finally then he would understand it

Nodding slowly Randidly gestured at his spear With a whisper it slithered off Helen and onto the ground But to her surprise it went toward the side of the arena

Where is it going Helen asked not liking where her instinct for Randidly was taking her

Shrugging Randidly said You did get rid of my spear ItÆs only fair that we continue as if it was a normal spear and it is lost to me

HelenÆs temple throbbed This dumb fucker Is that so

The crowd had been cheering for most of the fight although that noise faded into the background for the most part But now that they were standing and speaking the cheers slowly died There seemed to be some confusion among the audience Even the judge looked hesitant watching them

Fine then Helen hissed and she opened the Sea of Blood as wide as it could go Warmth and righteous violence filled her veins Like a sparrow alighting she moved Her only goal was to force some sort of reaction out of Randidly

Even as Helen exploded into motion Randidly felt cold

That he supposed was the point of his training To experience the cold and use it as a way to refine himself To that end he had engaged in repeated exposure to the cold After which he had been afflicted from this constant deep coldness leading to Randidly feeling lethargic and numb But most of those effects were at the beginning Since then he had slowly found some ways to flood the air with that cold image affecting Helen

It was a small thing but it proved that Randidly wasnÆt just emptying his body of the cold After all his core was still just as frozen over What he was doing was utilizing some portion of the image on his own Now Randidly didnÆt have any doubts about his own capabilities He might very well be the most powerful human at the moment but that was due to a great deal of luck and hard work He hadnÆt reached this point by possessing the sort of genius that could experience and image and copy it

Why then was he still producing such a deep bone chilling cold

HelenÆs bindings smashed into Randidly with a force that surprised him It seemed that over the course of the fight these sort of air currents grew stronger and stronger But as he had previously he exhaled and projected cold As the flows around him turned sluggish Randidly was able to wiggle out and step out of the way of HelenÆs hacking attack

Her eyes were sharp as she twisted to follow him But perhaps due to the damage the partial hits with Incendiary Eruption had inflicted on her legs there was a brief pause before she dashed toward him

However if she was somewhat encumbered the image of a blood red river erupted above her to accelerate her speed The wild savagery and sharpness that surrounded her like a halo expanded even further in a spiraling whirlpool

Her spear cut sideways toward RandidlyÆs shoulder and he stepped forward into the blow to meet it Quick as a spark she ducked to the side and cut down toward his thigh Randidly raised his leg to knock the blow to the side and Helen was suddenly dancing backward After a brief pause she exploded into motion again reaching even higher speeds

Randidly grimaced as he raised his forearm to knock away a stab Even with the Crown activated at full capacity Randidly continued to get covered by thin and violent scratches It wasnÆt so much that he couldnÆt keep up with her moves but that he hadnÆt quite conceptualized the extra reach the addition of blood to her images gave her

If this is all you have IÆll be claiming your head Helen hissed her eyes almost manically bright

With a sigh Randidly took two steps backward He hadnÆt relied on his movement Skills much but that was mostly because he recognized early on that positioning wouldnÆt be the key against Helen She was much too flexible and resourceful in her Skills Her image let her move basically freely from most positions as far as Randidly could tell What he needed was to restrict her movement

With a few points of Mana the ground exploded in a wave of vines and roots Instantly Helen launched herself into a spear whirlwind cutting left and right Roots multiplied and split but Helen was just as quick slashing them as they formed Like an unstoppable force she cut her way toward Randidly ripping apart the tide of plant life

Randidly grinned This was a mistake

Utilizing his high Control he brought more and more plants from different directions to attack at HelenÆs back In that first two seconds Randidly was surprised at her ability to cope She was a literal walking lawn mower making short work of all of the stabbing and binding plant life that surrounded her What perhaps surprised Randidly most of all was how she was able to manage this with a spear It just wasnÆt the sort of weapon that was best used in slashing attack and yet she was making it look like a machete in the tall grass

But she couldnÆt overcome stats By the fifth second of being assaulted by the plants her momentum had stalled out The roots lashed and slashed until Helen strumbled her wounded legs finally giving out As she went down the roots rushed to smother her and Randidly felt vaguely disappointed in his heart

For a while something was building within him with the cold imagery but with this

More than that though Randidly had been very circumspect in the ways he had been fighting In the corner of his mind he had known that this was a method that would likely win the power of his Grasp of the World Seed was just too powerful It could overwhelm anything a single person with a spear could do But perhaps what he had been looking for both in the cool image and in the fight against Helen he had been looking for an answer to the question of inner balance

He had not found it

Sighing Randidly turned away from the sea of plant life crushing Helen to the ground and turned to the Referee to concede

Not yet

There was a dull roar and Randidly turned back around The air around Helen was filled with visible red currents of blood Her eyes were almost completely red and the surging of her Skill caused her hair to flutter behind her body Her chest was heaving as she glared at Randidly Rather than Skill she was using just a flood of energy to blast away the nearby plants

Randidly lifted his head his eyes flashing The Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom pulsed once more with power

Then come Randidly said pouring more Mana into the surrounding plants The swelled to twice their original size and were now as thick around as a human thigh waving back and forth threateningly Growling Helen rushed forward exploding outward with a wave of energy

Randidly grinned He could feel her pulling deeply from the Aether connection she had to him She must be developing a Skill at this very moment or was fueling a new Skill Either way he welcomed the challenge In his heart all he felt was the cold Any sort of thrill would be desirable As of yet Randidly hadnÆt been able to prove to himself he should be beyond this Hopefully this would be the chance he needed

In a way he felt like he had all the pieces he just needed to bring them together But that was easier said than done Stats Skill Level and image all needed to combine to form something greater than the sum of their parts For that he needed a challenger

Helen howled in fury as she encountered the increased resistance from the plants IS THIS ALL YOU CAN MANAGE HIDING BEHIND YOUR PLANTS WHY WONÆT YOU FACE ME

Randidly said nothing but his heart trembled slightly There was something about her voice somehow Randidly sensed that the conversation topic had shifted beyond the match and the concession And as such his grim pleasure slowly faded away leaving him with just the dull ache of his scratches and bruises And of course the cold

Just be honest Helen said between deep gasps of air But her spear was barely visible It was a blurred force that ripped back and forth clearing wide swaths of plants It was impressive even as Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his chest

The audience seemed to sense the same thing too and their cheers slowly drained away as if someone had pulled a plug underneath the arena With the silence and the coldness RandidlyÆs enthusiasm for striking with the plants abated Soon there was a clear path between them

HelenÆs footsteps were loud as she walked toward Randidly

Confirmation means something Helen said as she lowered her spear at Randidly A promise means something

Helplessly Randidly looked at Helen Then he sighed Something clicked in his head For Helen this wasnÆt about the tournament really It was about fighting against the eventuality that Randidly would need to leave again That his strength meant that he would be needed for greater things

That they would never have another night to share a moment of passion That their dinner date could never mean anything

To that question Randidly was rather helpless They were from different Cohorts Randidly wasnÆt even sure what exactly that meant but he knew that it was something that created an inherent distance between them Was it something they could overcome With RandidlyÆs Skills there was little doubt they could find a way But was that a path Randidly wanted to pursue

He didnÆt know

Or maybe he did but he remembered how they had fit together in that violent moment where he had needed to find peace Maybe that memory of heat had meant that he had been unwilling to admit to himself that she was not a priority in his life even as he given lip service to the fact that she would be more than a friend

But passion had cooled And what remained was

Randidly froze his eyes widening What remained was ash Just ash that had existed for a long time And grew increasingly cold

His eyes glowed emerald and a chill breeze crossed the arena

Chapter 710

Pain That was what Helen knew at that moment Part of it was the burns on her legs and back from RandidlyÆs eruptions Part of it was the feeling of her heart beating too hard for too long exhausting her body Part of it was the scalding image of blood that she felt completely submerged in The heat was worse than RandidlyÆs Skills in a way

But it was the way that her heart fell silently to pieces when Randidly closed his eyes to her words that truly set her aflame Like cracks in an iced over pond this moment was long coming The fracture lines had been clear for a while But the ice had been holding strong She had held out hope that at some point he would lower his eyes from the distant horizon and find her own gaze

With his silence Helen had received all the answer she needed For better or worse Randidly would never cease chasing the elusive concept of destiny His passion was to struggle against the System itself

Compared to that Helen was

Around the arena the plants continued to sprout forth and attack her but it wasnÆt as thorough an attack as previously Her words had given Randidly pause Not that this was a good thing Even as she cut through the lashing roots she sensed that something was gathering in Randidly There was a barely audible ringing coming through the energy connection that Randidly had given her He was preparing something

The previously sluggish currents flowing through the air sped up as Helen forced energy into her exhausted body The roaring in her ears grew louder Her heartbeat intensified even further Her vision filled with steady drops of blood each tiny sphere slowly spreading to dye the entire world in front of her crimson

Fuck this Fuck him Even if I canÆt change the world Randidly I sure as hell wonÆt let you leave me behind like this

With her face twisted in a snarl Helen ripped the channel of energy between them open even more widely Power poured into her body and her will grasped it with steely fingers

There were only 5 meters between them Randidly stood with his eyes closed a cold breeze surrounding him But Helen was burning up submerged completely in blood now Around the arena the currents swirled haphazardly She had largely lost control of them but at the same time she had managed to condense them even more solidly than she had ever before

Her spear tip burned in HelenÆs vision The flecks of RandidlyÆs blood on it set her mind to ringing She was hungry She wanted more Her own blood felt like lava in her veins The energy she was receiving from Randidly was setting it aflame

Congratulations You have created the Skill Domain Tides of Blood « Lvl 1

Domain Tides of Blood Surround yourself in a deep sea of blood Within the sea your Agility and Reaction are greatly increased Efficacy of all Skills is increased This effect increases with Skill Level Opponents will find themselves restricted by the fickle tides of blood around them Opponents within the Domain will experience an increasing amount of mental strain the longer they remain within the Tides of Blood

There was a silent reverberation through the arena as the thing currents abruptly condensed to thick flows of blood The crowd gasped as their view of the fight became obscured as the Domain snapped into place Helen noticed the refereeÆs frown but he did nothing to stop the fight Domains were uncommon at this Level but not unheard of

HelenÆs hands on her spear tightened Her fingers felt less like human appendages and more like claws Her eyes were locked onto RandidlyÆs peaceful form She would rip him to pieces to prove her worth She would maim him She would

Congratulations Due to your powerful will your soul has evolved You have gained the Soulskill Hunger of the Hellfin Reaper Within the Tides of Blood Domain the power and growth of your Soulskill is doubled

This time the reverberation was completely internal She felt her grin stretch wider showing more teeth Her vicious anger was replaced by a hungry predatory instinct

RandidlyÆs eyes calmly opened and their gazes met With a shriek Helen sprinted forward toward him

As Randidly opened his eyes he felt the Aether in his chest gathering He was almost there He just needed to find the shape of what he wanted But as he looked at Helen he frowned slightly Helen had shifted somehow And strangely Randidly felt underwater with the air tinted with the metallic tang of blood

This was a domain

HelenÆs spear ripped toward Randidly forcing him to spin sideways to avoid It seemed that her predictive abilities rose once again because she instantly stepped toward him the middle of her previous attack cutting off his line of retreat

Randidly used When a Shadow Departs Fireflies Dance to move behind Helen but he released a blast of cold as he did so The frozen puff of ash was just enough to avoid the thickened currents of energy that flowed around the arena Grimacing Randidly landed and lowered his center of gravity It was annoying how restrictive this Skill was becoming But this was the sort of pressure he needed to shape this Skill

Freeze Randidly hissed spreading his hands toward Helen She largely ignored the concentrated image of cold heading toward her back and twisted around Her spear thrust was almost a thing of beauty with powerful image condensing as it approached Randidly He could feel it then more clearly than he had ever before The spear that Helen thrust toward him was not just a shaft of wood with a metal tip but it was something more than that

It was burned and stained with blood but unbroken As Randidly watched the spear approach It shifted right before his eyes until it became a jagged tooth of some deep sea monster with grey skin The spear to Helen was not a tool It was a way of life It was a part of her It was her hope and dreams experiencing the vicissitudes of life

That tooth hit RandidlyÆs wave of desolate cold and ripped right through it The difference in depth of the images couldnÆt be compared Randidly had done a little to refine the cold into his image of ash but it was still mostly an imitation Narrowing his eyes Randidly met the sea monster tooth with a Talon Strike

Randidly felt his arm shatter from the collision and was filled with a deep shock Then he bitterly smiled HelenÆs follow up was lightning fast and in it Randidly could sense that her image had shifted somewhat No longer was she the river but she was a carnivorous Queen that dwelled at the bottom of the sea of blood flowing along the bottom of the river to ambush the unwary The sleek movements of the sea beast made her speed even more impressive

Randidly allowed his left hand to fall uselessly to his side It would take a bit to heal through that wound

Instead he slowly exhaled Aether burned icy hot in his chest So powerful that even the image of chill that had suffused him was forced to give way for the power of Aether

Ash was a remnant Much of the Ashen Image Randidly had inherited was the process of creating ash through terrible consumption but ash was ultimately a remnant After the heat passed the ash could remain for an eternity a tragic sort of memorial for what had been destroyed

In the face of HelenÆs imminent attack Randidly only grinned All is Ash

Randidly still had about half of his Mana pool remaining so when the blow struck him his body disintegrated to nothing This was the first time in a quite a while that he had used the Skill like this and also the first time he had done so since it had evolved As such Randidly felt a profound sense of control over himself as well as a deep connection to the world Time seemed to slow as Randidly savored the feeling of the sameness of it all

The heat and chill of the world faded away and Randidly could feel the deep sense of loneliness and nostalgia that suffused the air There was a deep sense in the ash around him that this was so much less than had what been present before before the great fires of genesis consumed the one true source and left this world And in those emotions of deep longing Randidly found the home for the frigid chill he had been seeking

Still every second in this form depleted his Mana at a horrendous wait So as Helen spun around in confusion searching for Randidly he condensed out of ash right in front of her

With great care Randidly spread his hands The hot flows of blood in the air smashed down toward him to completely restrain him Like a carp flicking her tail Helen shifted instantly into overwhelming motion She pounced toward him spear raised

RandidlyÆs eyelids slowly lowered The deep cold that suffused him trembled The crown above his head burned with a strange heat All the great things in existence would slowly be consumed And what was left

Frigid Ash Extinguishing Storm

Congratulations You have developed the 5th Kata of the Ashen Spear Frigid Ash Extinguishing Storm Lvl 1

Frigid Ash Extinguishing Storm Tap into the deep pervasive laws of Entropy that afflict the world and create a storm of frigid ash that radiates out from yourself These ash particles will devour all forms of energy that they encounter around you Size of the particles and storm increases with Skill Level Mana is constantly drained during use Mana cost decreases with Skill Level