LoRG 3

He was a little bit disturbed how obsessed with Tim the spirits had become but he had only experienced positive results from interacting with his own moss spirits Besides they had only been here for a few days and already

Derek chuckled dryly to himself when he checked his mailbox and found a scroll waiting for him there The Order Ducis had said that they would probably have some work for him to help with today due to the upcoming birthday but it still impressed him how efficiently the organization operated It helped that there were only a few people at the top but still From everything Derek had been able to gather over his frantic few days on Kharon Tatiana was a genuine miracle worker by keeping the mechanisms of this city functioning cohesively

While deftly peeling a banana with his one hand Derek unrolled the scroll with his right on the kitchen table He began reading rather casually but very quickly his eyebrows shot sharply upward

For whatever reason Derek Moss had been named the Official Liaison between the Order Ducis and Affiliated Defense Forces for the Birthday of Randidly Ghosthound Whatever that meant

The rest of the scroll detailed that today would be a day where he would attend a series of pre scheduled meetings with the three main groups that would be assisting in the defense to familiarize himself with whom he would be working in the coming days On the other hand tomorrow would involve extensive meetings with the leadership of Kharon and Order the Ducis so he could understand his specific responsibilities and coordinate the defense forces

Err Derek rather blankly looked down at the scroll Then he laughed awkwardly His mind drifted idly back to how interested Naffur had been when Derek mentioned that he had experience with military command structure I guess I take everything back that I thought about the organization here being well run

Well Derek supposed that it was inevitable that a hastily made moving city like Kharon would have some cracks in the leadership They needed capable people and Derek understood that his experience in Zone 1 and his help during the terrorist attack on the stadium made him the least offensive of a bunch of bad choices In fact Derek had been relying on that to get into the Order Ducis for Tim

Still rather bemused at the sudden and official sounding title he had received Derek flipped to the back of the scroll on the off chances that there were more substantive instructions there There was not but there was a handwritten note written in a neat line that filled Derek with a sense of dread

Of course I can understand if you feel unqualified for this position If you choose not to accept please return to the training field and continue with your potential testing with Helen

Sincerely Tatiana

Hah Derek released a loud breath as he finished his banana His thoughts about Kharon changed immediately It wasnÆt that they were desperate just that they were busy and he was a convenient tool that had come to their attention They likely wanted someone with battlefield experience and who appeared competent and Derek had spent quite a lot of time learning to do exactly that

And with the delicately implied threat of more time under HelenÆs tutelage goading him forward he definitely didnÆt plan on shirking the duties associated with his newfound title He planned to rise to the challenge like the opportunity it was If he impressed them here he had no doubt his other activities would grow easier

Still he took his time to carefully examine the note and could only conclude it was truly handwritten He wondered how involved in the details of KharonÆs operation Tatiana really was

So Derek washed his face and then proceeded to ask the superintendent of his apartment building where to find the locations that his instructions informed him where he would be expected The man was friendly so much so that he chatted with Derek so long that Derek was forced to run across Kharon in order to arrive at his first meeting on time

The first meeting was with the leaders of various Orders that had offered assistance with the birthday extravaganza and the Order Ducis had seen fit to accept Basically every Order that wished to provide a token force for the security aside from the Order Valorem was accepted And considering how big of a political event this was going to be it came as no surprise to Derek that basically every Order was accounted for

The meeting went surprisingly smoothly They met in a reserved room at the back of a swanky restaurant where the waitstaff were all wearing tuxedos Derek arrived five minutes early and every one of the Orders that was supposed to be there had already shown up to wait for him He shook several hands memorized faces and names and then took down the general details of the forces each Order had brought

They seemed willing to give Derek more information about their capabilities but Derek quickly settled into the role of an honorary member of the Order Ducis in the face of their obvious respect So he waved his hand casually and simply replied ThatÆs all for later We will arrange for a specialist to test your people soon For now letÆs just get to know one another

Honestly he felt something like a mafia don And Derek had always loved mafia movies growing up

Eventually Derek announced that he had other meetings to attend and left the swanky restaurant After taking some time to make some notes about what he had learned about each OrderÆs representatives he proceeded to meet with the second group the ogre contingent

Derek had obviously seen ogres before while he had been waiting in the merchantÆs line to get into Kharon but he hadnÆt had any close contact with them Still he figured that he would be able to interface with their leader and establish a rapport easily enough However he realized that he had perhaps overestimated himself as he walked into the park that would host the meeting and found himself facing a hundred stone faced three meter tall ogres wrapped in enough steel that each suit of armor could comfortably function as an ostentatious coffin for Derek

As he made his best attempt to shake the hand of their captain whose palm completely engulfed his fist Derek winced Note to self physical variation amongst the ogres are even greater than similar things amongst humans

Perhaps due to their regimented ranks and the fact they stood in formation as Derek arrived he had pictured them as hardasses But when they began to speak it became immediately clear that the ogres had been given orders to defer to Derek and were perfectly willing to do so From his time serving in the armed forces of Zone 1 Derek quickly fell into old habits and found common ground with the group

After an hour of familiarizing themselves and making arrangements to meet tomorrow after Derek had received his own orders he left the ogres and headed to meet the third and final group on his agenda for today

Derek squinted at the scroll when he read then name then shrugged He had never heard of the group labeled Riders of the Ghosthound but Derek didnÆt really care either way After how pleasant the first two meetings turned out being much of his confusion and hesitation in regard to his sudden position had dispersed

The only problem was how far away the meeting place was Derek needed to leave Kharon and head to the forest to the West in order to meet them

Whistling a tune at how good the day was going Derek quickly hurried to the West

Chapter 1299

Derek arrived at the meadow to which he had been directed to just with a few minutes to spare before the meeting It was scheduled for two oÆclock and the sky was high overhead as he glanced around at the meadow in question He was surprised to find that he was the first one here but he supposed that he shouldnÆt let the positive outcomes in the other two meetings spoil him from the mundanities of the world After all most meetings were drawn out and torturous affairs

But just as Derek settled in to wait for the arrival the GhosthoundÆs Riders began to slowly arrive They were exactly one minute late They were a fascinating group riding slowly from the opposite direction Derek had come

Hello my name is Derek began after the first dozen Riders rode their strange steeds into the clearing but he was stopped as one cantered toward Derek and raised a hand to signal that he should wait Then the Rider brought his finger to his lips Around him the other Riders began using their heavy lances to hack down the nearby trees

Falling silent Derek shrugged and settled down to watch the RiderÆs activities Because this was his last meeting of the day he didnÆt feel bothered to see that the Riders were doing some sort of preparation for the meeting Besides they made quick work of the surrounding vegetation do to their obvious power

Honestly Derek was more interested in studying the Riders and their mounts than teasing out their motives As more and more Riders streamed into the enlarged clearing and continued to expand the open area Derek realized that the Riders were not uniform at all But with the press of bodies cutting down and towing away trees it was hard to notice any defining characteristics amongst them

There were a few traits that all of them possessed however The steeds were strange creatures with long legs covered in chitinous black armor But the steeds came in several varieties Every Rider appeared to be some sort of animated treant but the type of tree and coloration of their foliage varied wildly And each had a spear or lance but the length and weight seemed made to match the steed

At about half an hour after the meeting was supposed to start some broader patterns started to emerge in the way they behaved that disturbed Derek He abruptly realized that the Riders in front of him werenÆt people not truly They were much closer to monsters or summoned creatures Yet they displayed admirable intelligence and teamwork If this was truly a type of summon then that was one of the most overpowered Skills Derek had ever heard of

But they were labeled as the Riders of the Ghosthound

When sufficient space was cleared the groups began to build various buildings in a loose semi circle in front of DerekÆs position And during the construction the mass of bodies split into their discrete cohorts

Of the six groups that gradually revealed themselves Derek first identified the two smallest One group was a gaggle of Riders in what Derek finally realized was their baseÆ state The mount was a combination of a rhino a spider and a camel creating an extremely gangly long legged mount that moved with surprising speed for its size The other small group seemed to be a loose association solo individuals that clustered together having evolved beyond the base version of themselves but not fitting into the four normal groups

Derek saw one Rider amongst the individuals that appeared to have shifted toward aquatic combat riding an extremely large black alligator Another sat on the back of a plastic looking eagle the size of a small airplane

The smaller groups had about twenty and ten individuals in them each respectively Which was practically negligible next to the one hundred that each of the larger four groups brought

Three of the larger groups seemed to follow one of the original traits of the mounts and focused solely on that aspect For example one group rode what could only be a combination of a rhinoceros and a triceratops The head was surrounded by a bone plate that flared outward and covered its vulnerable neck Its legs were thick and powerful enough to shake the ground with each step Rather than a true spear or lance what these Riders carried was much closer to a heavy greatsword They casually felled trees with a flick of the wrist as they build a primitive platform

The second group focused on the camel side of the mount If anything this was the group that amused Derek the most The limbs had been elongated even further and each mount had two humps on its back But slung across those backs were an entire armoryÆs worth of weapons that clanked noisily as the group hurried to make a pyramid

The third group had followed the path of the spider They were smaller and lighter than their fellows but they more than made up for that in dexterity and agility They easily surrounded trees and used teamwork to bring down the trees that were in their way Their weapons were the most spear like but there was strange flexibility to the weapon that made Derek wonder about what materials were used A delicate tent was erected by this group

The final group probably had a score more than any of the others And these Riders had apparently completely eschewed the evolution path of their mounts that others followed instead riding proudly into the clearing on croaking toads that looked extremely ungraceful as they hopped around Their weapons were serrated harpoons that made short work of the trees in their path But rather than constructing anything this group began digging a hole And then another Rider came forward and used a Skill to fill it with water to create a muddy pool

Finally at about an hour past the time when the meeting was supposed to begin the Riders all fell into neat rows and stood at attention Relieved Derek opened his mouth to speak but was stopped when the Rider on top of a black alligator shook his head imperceptibly

Derek was grateful for the warning but was nearing the end of his patience Still he preferred not to rock the boat unless it was absolutely necessary As he looked around he was careful to gauge the group none of these Riders present struck him as dangerously powerful They were strong definitely with many as strong as he was But when compared people like that woman Helen he had trained with yesterday

Ten minutes later Derek Moss had to eat his words as the leaders of the four largest groups came into the clearing Each was just a bigger tougher more ominous version of the groups it represented but each had enough of an image aura around them that Derek wouldnÆt trust himself in a direct fight Hell he wouldnÆt trust ten of himself

Which I obviously hope wonÆt be necessary Derek winced Was all this supposed to be an intimidation factor against me or is there something else going on behind the scenes that I donÆt know about Damnit I wish I would have gotten up early enough to track down someone to get more background information on this job

But he hadnÆt So Derek turned to look at the four most powerful individuals of the Riders who were all looking at him with an extremely intense expression This at least Derek recognized from his time in the military Unfortunately this was genuinely one of the worst sorts of situations he could find himself in several superiors of equal standing hoping that they will be the first person to be addressed at a meeting

Still Derek had been around long enough to have a few tricks to get past tests like these After glancing around at the almost six hundred Riders of the Ghosthound that stood with a frighteningly perfect stillness Derek put his hands behind his back and said Alright is this everyone

The groups look at each other

The Rider on top of the toad cleared its throat in an almost aggressively upper crust accent My group the Legion of the Moist Bounds have all arrived sir

The Legion of the Unavoidable Pivots is assembled as well the Spider Rider had a smaller higher pitched voice that was almost feminine although it was difficult to make out any sort of gender difference in their plant based bodies

The other groups unleashed a chorus agreement looking sourly at the Toad and Spider groups for speaking out before they had a chance to Which was exactly what Derek had wanted As long as he kept their ire direct at each other he had the chance to position himself as the reasonable but restricted by orders ally to every side

At least in the short term Long term balance was almost impossible to achieve

Perfect Derek continued He smiled around at the inhumane Riders around him wondering idly what his pre System self would think seeing him interact with so many strange creatures Then letÆs begin This first meeting is just mostly to familiarize ourselves with each other IÆm Derek Moss the

I as leader of the Impenetrable Bulwark Legion would like to motion to put an issue on the agenda for this meeting The Rhino Rider leader rumbled

I second the motion The Rider that was on the back of the Eagle chirped

Derek felt a headache coming on so this all wasnÆt just a misplaced show of strength the lateness and the construction were probably to give themselves a mental edge for whatever request they were about to make But rather than fight it Derek knew it was better to retreat when he had already been outmaneuvered Alright then whatÆs the issue

The Rhino Rider seemed taken aback at first by DerekÆs sudden agreement but then straightened and hefted the massive greatsword that it carried Before we talk about defending the birthday event we all need something clarified

As the Rhino spoke every Rider in the clearing stirred Their eyes flashed and the aura of power that each of them released slowly began to grow heavier Some of the Riders that Derek hadnÆt realized were threats in the past very quickly triggered his Wisdom of the Leylines Derek kept his face neutral but felt a sinking feeling in his chest It was one thing if just one or two of the powerful groups wanted something but if all these Riders were entirely united in their request

Honestly it was exasperating If I had the slightest inkling of how much bargaining power I had this meeting would at least be manageable Undoubtedly IÆd be lectured for giving away too much afterward but I would probably do fine But to be given nothing but a job title and locations for meetings

Please tell me your requests Derek said smoothly IÆll see what I can do

We The RhinoÆs deep voice quivered in a way that brought DerekÆs attention sharply around It stunk of desperation We ahem we just wish to know whether ah

Coward the leader of the Camel Riders said contemptuously Then he turned to Derek and said As head of the Legion of Marching Cadence I wish to know whether whether we were deliberately left off the list of groups to receive invitations to Randidly GhosthoundÆs birthday If not we would like to request invites We all want invites

DerekÆs eyelid twitched

Chapter 1300

Eventually Neveah overworked her mind and was forced to take a break from studying the expansive Engraving that Yystrix had carved into the stone floor of her tomb At that time she traveled to RandidlyÆs mist shrouded island and asked him a question

What are you going to do about the CreatureÆs missing memories Would you like my help looking for them

Randidly who had been experimenting with Living Engraving again as an only partially successful distraction set aside the piece of metal in front of him and turned to Neveah After rubbing his chin he replied in a low voice IÆm of two minds about this On the one hand if we assume that the Creature really did do this to help me I have a feeling she arranged safety precautions for the memories like with my Fate piece that meant only I could access them And also If this was all a trap to get me to access the memories these poor fools might give me some extra information before I expose myself

Neveah frowned True But those memories are still powerful Leaving them out there is dangerous

Definitely less dangerous than the Creature herself acting erratically on Earth Randidly shook his head And itÆs true the memories I bet they are powerful But I think the most dangerous portion of them is the information they contain not any inherent power And before the Calamities arrive I doubt many people from Earth will be able to escape from the planet

And as long as the knowledge is here on Earth the danger is unlikely to reach extreme levels Neveah clicked her tongue Perhaps But also You

IÆm exhausted Randidly admitted All that built up tension for nothing just left me feeling drained And with the birthday coming up in two days I just canÆt spare the attention for the memories right now IÆve even been thinking about taking a nap

Randidly you are not exhausted Neveah said softly You are mourning

To that Randidly found nothing to say Neveah eventually leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek before leaving him alone on his island Well not alone Acri and Sulfur was still out exploring the island But still

Randidly waved his hand and the mist above the island parted and gave him a view of the sky above him It was a clear chilly night resulting in a dazzling array of stars hanging across the dark overhang of the universe The moon was only a sliver rapidly waxing but it was still a lovely presence in the visage It felt very close to how his heart felt rapidly shrinking away to nothing

It did him good to study the beauty of the sky for a while It was a much more effective distraction than the half hearted attempt at living Engraving And Randidly wanted anything but to be reminded of the lonely darkness of that cavern where YystrixÆs body now lay

Yet he couldnÆt help himself His mind continued to slowly spin turning over and over the many things that Yystrix had briefly referenced in her story But right now as he looked up toward the sky RandidlyÆs memorized replay of her letter stopped at a very different point than it did usually

Age brings with it the knowledge that you will eventually cease to exist

RandidlyÆs emerald eyes glowed He had always known that truth he supposed The System had never felt qualms bringing him face to face with his mortality But the issue had seemed less pressing since Randidly had started growing stronger That was simply the way that existence underneath the Nexus worked

Most of the causes of death in the old world were things you couldnÆt prevent At least now becoming strong would enable you to fight off most of the ways you would die As evidenced previously by the Creature and Ileot Swacc you would be granted something very close to eternal life by the System

But it turns out that eternal life was extended but equally illusory Ileot Swacc was currently trapped by VuallaÆs duplicate in a fate worse than death and Yystrix seemed to have been critically wounded by Elhume when her husband finally located her And she had some of her memories ripped out during the attack

That at least was a concrete reason to find the memories quickly Randidly reflected To see if those memories contained any hints to what Elhume was currently seeking And whether any of those goals would place Randidly or the Earth in danger

Yet that was not the only reason that Randidly was fixating on the phrase and his own knowledge about his death No the real reason was that there was a slight stirring in his image when he had heard that phrase for the first time Some portion of Illym the soul that fused with Ignition Essence was roused to wakefulness as she heard that sentiment

RandidlyÆs lip curled in amusement You want me to acknowledge that I can die before you are willing to evolve to the next version of yourself Well

After thinking about it for a minute Randidly went off to seek some expert help He needed someone who could pose a credible threat to him and right now he was feeling quite excited by the prospect of danger So much so that some part of Randidly knew that it was problematic but he overlooked that for now

He found Helen working with Valor Rend in a training room the younger man barely able to stop HelenÆs vicious series of powerful image attacks that she so casually unleashed The entire arena was swirling with the Tides of Blood and Valor could barely keep his feet on the ground let alone mount a credible defense Rather than being any sort of real challenge for Helen it seemed like this training was designed to push Valor to his limits

And based on the bone deep weariness that Randidly could sense radiating off of the man he suspected that they had reached the point of diminishing returns in that regard

Randidly released the rather tight reigns on his image that he usually maintained while in Kharon The chilling gaze of the Grim Chimera swept through the area Helen immediately pulled up from a vicious series of thrusts that were digging deeply into ValorÆs thighs despite the manÆs frantic guard With a sharp flip of her wrist the Tides of Blood rippled and then began to disperse from the arena

Gratefully Valor collapsed to the ground and took several very deep breaths while staring up toward the ceiling

Grinning Randidly walked out toward Helen Having fun

HelenÆs expression was bitter I have been very busy these past few days Randidly Constantly asked to give some pointers to weaklings Its insufferable Is this really the best that Earth has to offer

As she asked that question Helen glanced rather disparagingly at Valor who was only now staggering to his feet He even had the good sense to ignore the look give Randidly a thankful nod and then hurry out of the training room

Randidly chuckled You know heÆs not the best right now but he likely will be right at the edge in a year or two He came late to the party There is a lot he will learn by being here and training with the Order Ducis

Hmph If heÆs lucky Helen said but it was without venom She then began to bend at the waist and twist to bring her fingertips to the opposite foot to warm her body back up But since youÆve come here with that kind of ominous expression on your face seems like EarthÆs best really has come to fight me About damn time

Randidly winced but did not deny what she was saying HelenÆs gaze was as sharp as ever Instead of replying he reached to his chest and tugged at the edge of Sulfur The living armor complained but gradually acquiesced to being peeled back off of RandidlyÆs skin The Engravings carved into his shoulder and back the ones that connected his metal left arm to his flesh were strangely luminous as he tossed Sulfur to the side In addition Randidly sent Acri a mental image that he shouldnÆt interfere in what was to come

How serious Helen asked lightly as she continued to stretch her legs Randidly could already feel the air begin to churn around them as the Tides of Blood flowed into the dome of the training area

Serious Randidly said just as lightly None of his images mobilized themselves but he quickly sank to the core of his Soulspace and immersed himself in the swirling nebula of Nether that he found there I will just be fighting with my physical body but I donÆt want you to take it easy because

No worries IÆve waited for the chance to smack you around for months Helen hissed The surrounding air turned immediately crimson as her powerful image pressed them deeper and deeper into the Sea of Blood Then she spun a spear deftly and leveled it at Randidly DonÆt blame me when I break you and your pride

I wish you would Randidly said in a rough voice And he truly meant it The numbness of his emotions was slowly passing leaving him in a bubbling cauldron of confusion rage and sorrow that threatened to destabilize dangerously at any moment And being in his Nether Gatekeeper core demonstrated that the weight of the CreatureÆs death was already causing noticeable improvements to RandidlyÆs mastery of Nether

Something was gradually changing in RandidlyÆs heart and the shift was not a painless one

Both moved at the same time Both charged directly toward each other Helen raised a spear while Randidly casually moved his hands to meet it Nether leaked out from his silhouette like poison corrupting the surrounding air

HelenÆs thrust was sharp but Randidly slapped it to the side with his metal palm and stepped forward to close the gap between them Seeing that the Tides of Blood couldnÆt bind RandidlyÆs Nether empowered body Helen instead relied on the flows of energy to accelerate her own movements With the combination of Tides of Blood her passive Skills and her Stats Helen bridged the gaps between their physiques Just as quickly as Randidly stepped forward she stepped back and brought her spear across in a sweeping motion

Randidly didnÆt bother to dodge His Nether core spun dangerously in his chest and every pumping beat of his heart circulated more of the energy through his body

In a way Randidly wanted to see how much of an advantage Nether alone was

A huge gaping maw appeared around the head of HelenÆs spear her image empowering the attack further It crashed into RandidlyÆs side causing him to grunt and take a step to the side The arena floor groaned dangerously Despite the fact that a lot of the image was dissipated by Nether in the air purposefully not using any image to contest it still made the impact a heavy one

Several sharp lacerations ripped across RandidlyÆs chest For the first time in quite a while Randidly bled The crimson drops fell to the ground and sizzled as the powerful properties in his blood corroded the reinforced metal ground

Randidly laughed aloud His emotions were buzzing in his chest in time with the beat of his heart which was sending jolts of light pain through his wound

Then he planted his feet and took another step forward Nether swirled even more tightly around his core Helen raised her spear and thrust it forward

Randidly ducked sharply under the blow faster than even he expected to Her response was to bring the butt of her spear around but Randidly dodged that too and swiped with his hand more like a cranky bear than a human But the casual attack still ripped through the shaft of HelenÆs spear and sent her stumbling backward

Which opened up enough space for her to unleash an even larger attack by one of the spectral monstrosities that inhabited the Sea of Blood

RandidlyÆs vision was red and he wasnÆt sure if it was from HelenÆs image or just from his rage finally being given space to swell He just stepped forward and raised both of his hands to grab the bloody spectral jaws that were attempting to swallow him whole

His hands struggled for a second to find a grip but then Randidly gritted his teeth and allowed his feet to skid slowly backward as he directly engaged the attack His left arm held back the upper jaw while his right kept the bottom of the jaw from snapping upward The muscles and Engravings in his arms strained relying on raw physical Nether Brawn in order to handle the assault

Of course Helen wouldnÆt let him futilely strain like that for long She acquired another training spear and suddenly shot out of the murky Tides of Blood to RandidlyÆs left

RandidlyÆs whole body spasmed as he pulled at his physical presence demanding more power The veins along his arms stood out grotesquely and pulsed with the beat of his heart His emotions were erupting Gradually a small quantity of Aether began to flow along with the Nether in his body supplementing its power

DAMNIT Randidly roared He strained and twisted but Helen was only a meter away and he couldnÆt triumph over the combination of the Skill and image with just his body Narrowing his eyes Randidly changed his tactics

His hands flexed and the teeth he was gripping shattered Rather than overpowering the entire jaw he was forced to resort to cheating to get out of this In that brief moment of hesitation while the images teeth shattered Randidly stomped forward into the mouth avoiding the closing jaws Then he erupted in Nether ripping the interior of the Skill to shreds with raw energy

It annoyed him that the effect was only so exaggerated with the boost from the small amount of Aether but since he didnÆt use any image Randidly supposed it was fine

Then Randidly brought his hand up just in time to catch HelenÆs thrust But an image or a Skill empowered the tip enough that it cut his right palm to the bone His blood rapidly corroded the tip of the spear into a useless state but Randidly snapped the offending weapon in half just to vent some of the heat that was circulating through him

Sloppy Helen said with a grimace as she looked at blood dripping from his hand

Randidly stomped once and then twice The second stomp he timed so that the metal ground beneath them cracked and shattered right as Helen was preparing to open up some distance between them There was a secondary dirt floor below but both were now floating

Although Randidly was shooting like a zooming cannonball toward Helen

But Helen produced another spear and was buoyed safely out of his path by her Tides of Blood She floated then in the air above him as he landed looking down at him surrounded by a crimson vortex

Are you really taking this seriously Helen asked

Nether swirled through RandidlyÆs body His grin was wide as he waited for her to attack With every circulation the small pinch of Aether seemed to be even more fully integrated into his body The aura that Randidly released caused the nearby stone ground to bubble and warp

IÆm just warming up Randidly hissed

Chapter 1301

Alana noticed the violent energy reverberations coming from the South immediately but she didnÆt even bother to look up Her group was meandering through an open air market in the heart of Kharon just enjoying the chance to relax Hank beside her gave her a glance but ultimately followed her lead in not bothering further despite the obvious power he sensed The third figure behind them wrapped in a tall cloak so that none of her features poked through Looked curiously in the direction of the disturbance but didnÆt seem to care much Her gaze quickly returned to the wooden stalls set up along the walking path

To her every aspect of this human city was curious

The group had arrived at Kharon two days early in order to offer their services in helping to get ready for RandidlyÆs birthday but had sort of gotten lost in the novelty of being at Kharon for the first time Despite several hours passing they hadnÆt bothered to approach KharonÆs leadership at all Truly the city had absolutely transformed in the six months it had spent operating independently in the Wildlands

And the result was something that Randidly had plenty of reasons to be proud of When the average person finally realized that something was going on to the South no one really panicked In fact many people took the opportunity to clear their goods off of their floating platforms and charge a few dollars for the privilege of riding up over the action for a better view

Alana couldnÆt resist a small smile as she saw almost a hundred glowing platforms floating toward the source of the commotion People absolutely packed the larger platforms peering over the edge to see what the fuss was about The people of Kharon were nothing if not adaptable

even if there were perhaps a few sleazy apples in the barrel

ItÆs my platform who are you to tell me how I should use it A mustachioed man sneered at an older man who had been arguing quietly with him The older man was accompanied by a younger woman with her brown hair in a bob cut and the trio was standing in one of the small plazas off of the main portion of the open air market

Alana didnÆt miss the way the mustachioed man gazed greedily at the woman next to the older man So what if IÆm a bit discerning about who I would let onto my platform ItÆs my prerogative as the owner So lovely do you really still want to stick with this guy WerenÆt you desperate to catch a glimpse of the Ghosthound

You just want to spend some time alone with a young woman The older man bellowed His face began to turn red as he worked himself up The volume was enough that a lot of the surrounding people turned to look at the source of the noise ItÆs because of scum like you trying to take advantage of innocents

Easy easy As the older man grew louder the mustachioed man grew more uneasy His eyes flicked side to side to scan the surroundings Alana nodded approvingly it seemed that the police force of Kharon was known to intervene in situations like this Good That is not true ItÆs ah itÆs a weight issue While IÆm unsure if my platform can support the three of us but since the lovely lass is so light

You The older man began again but Alana lost what he was saying as she was forced to reach out and grab HankÆs elbow as he took a step toward the confrontation

Hold it cowboy Alana said in a low voice She rolled her eyes at HankÆs predictable response Look at that womanÆs eyes There is strength there She doesnÆt need another man to step in and save her

Hank gave Alana an amused look DonÆt try and act all high and mighty with me We both know that by stopping me you are just taking the role of a hero saving a damsel for yourself

Barring her teeth at Hank Alana tugged him closer and continued to speak quietly DonÆt try and claim IÆm you I know for a fact that she wonÆt need anyone to intervene

IÆll go with you sir the woman piped up She laid her hand on the arm of the older man ItÆs okay Raymond Thank you for your assistance but I can handle this And I really do need to see this Ghosthound for myself

But Gertrude The older man began but the woman silenced him with a firm look

Alana paused her analysis briefly thrown into disarray Did she read the situation wrong But the woman

As Hank chortled next to her Alana activated her Radiant Eyes Skill and peered into the mustachioed manÆs and the womanÆs Status screens But what she saw made Alana even more confused She had thought the woman must at least had the confidence to defend herself but she was a Level 39 Generous Caregiver compared to the manÆs Level 50 Armored Axe Wielder Just by comparing the Classes it was clear who would win in a physical altercation

Not that Alana would assume it would get to that but

Yet the young woman with her brown hair done up in a bob cut generously stepped up onto the hovering platform without any hesitation The man laughed and rubbed his mustache as he stepped up to join her And who knows maybe we will hit it off from spending so much time together IÆll have you know that IÆm familiar with several great spots for dinner

That wonÆt be necessary The woman responded sharply The platform beneath her feet began to slowly float upward lifting the two of them off of the busy street Perhaps due to the close proximity of the crowd that watched the process with suspicious eyes the man didnÆt order his platform to move too quickly Only now seeing the woman agree were people starting to turn away and move again This is a business transaction sir and I hope you will respect that

The mustachioed man laughed as he reached over to pat the womanÆs shoulder Now donÆt have that sort of attitude

Leaving a full on guffawing Hank behind Alana stepped forward and wove her way through the annoyingly disinterested crowd Right when the platform was about shoulder height Alana reached out and simply seized the edge of it before it floated away Her fingers tightened The platform stopped dead

Alana cleared her throat and then spoke up to the woman Excuse me miss I can fly you over there to see the Ghosthound With no frills

Both the man and the young woman turned down to look at Alana Both their expressions were confused for several seconds as they looked down and saw her casual grip on the platform She suppressed a smile ThatÆs the other good part of being out of Donnyton Nobody recognizes me in Kharon So much less pressure

The mustachioed man reacted first his eyes flashing emerald for a second Alana wasnÆt sure what he was doing but she had seen that trick from others in the city Apparently it was an ability you gained when your relationship with the moss spirits reached a certain level Instantly the man sneered You There are basically no moss spirits around you How can you levitate the platform if you wonÆt even befriend the spirits

I have my ways Alana replied The woman frowned as she looked down at Alana But then she nodded and hopped down

thank you The woman said quietly Alana gave her a smile

Hey Did you hear me The man threw his hands up in the air and made an obscene gesture And when you realize that she was just lying donÆt bother trying to come back and beg me for a ride IÆm done with charity cases

The two women ignored the man as they walked back toward Hank and the cloaked figure who remained at the edge of the main drag of the market The man Raymond hurried to join them thanking Alana profusely She smiled at Raymond then turned back to the young woman You are really desperate to see Randidly Ghosthound huh Or did you just want to watch the fight

So it is a fight The woman said quietly Then she shook her head I was thinking about moving to Kharon But knowing that this is the city of Randidly Ghosthound I wanted to see him for myself before I made the final decision I trust my eyes So

I really can take you up there to see him Alana said simply And IÆll say that although this appears to be a bad day for him he is a good man His city is a good place IÆm Alana Donal by the way

The woman nodded and shook AlanaÆs hand then paused thoughtfully Gertrude Collins Huh have we met before Your name seems so familiar

YÆall have probably heard it before Hank drawled Alana is a mite famous And IÆm

In the way Alana shook her head Wivanya

The dragon hiding in a humanoid form under her cloak glanced at Alana questioningly Alana understanding her partnerÆs question turned and looked at some of the other people aimlessly standing on the wide cobblestone walkway around them Clear a space please

The few people who remained were curious about them still likely due to the earlier yelling by Raymond and the surly looks that the mustachioed man was casting in their direction but the people of Kharon were polite enough not to force the issue They shuffled backward clearing a few meters of space in the center of the walkway

Alana let a bit of her image out to press against the lungs of anyone standing too near to them careful not to send any in GertrudeÆs direction If these people didnÆt move it would be very difficult for anyone under Level 60 to breathe I think a little bit more space is necessary

Sensing her power the crowd quickly vacated almost ten meters of space And as soon as they did so Wivanya exploded in a swirl of chilling energy that still sent the nearest ring of people sputtering as they were covered in a thin layer of frost Alana wavered her hand and a burst of heat protected the group but she knew in her heart that the freezing effect was largely for show It wouldnÆt harm anyone Wivanya had just wanted to show off a little bit

Who would have guessed an ancient Dragon Broodmother with dozens of children and grandchildren would be such a diva Alana complained inwardly

But of course as the cloak that hid the dragonÆs form was blasted away Gertrude yelped and took a step backward Then as sunlight reflected off of WivanyaÆs mesmerizing blue scales the young woman stopped and simply gaped at the natural beauty of a dragon Alana shook her head as Wivanya struck a purposefully aloof pose viewing all the nearby people with disdain Her eyes focused on the middle distance letting her see nothing in particular but seeming very intimidating

Then Alana turned to Gertrude again A little less convenient than a platform but how would you and your friend feel about a ride on a dragon

Despite the earlier shock it was clear that Gertrude Collins could quickly regain control of her emotions At least when compared to Raymond next to her whose face was quickly reddening as he looked in alarm at the monster that appeared before them That definitely earned the young woman a few points in AlanaÆs books But will this size be enough to carry all of us With that sort of wingspan and the volume of air it can displace the amount of lift generated wonÆt be enough

Yanno Hank said slowly ItÆs a dragon Dragons are magic AnÆ let me tell ya this she gets bigger Like jumbo jet bigger

Oh Gertrude blinked Oh Well okay then

Chapter 1302

Honestly the vantage of the action below would have been rather uncomfortable for them all if they had to peer over the edge of WivanyaÆs wings to look down if just because of the impending feeling that you were going to lose your grip on the scaly wings and fall off the edge Alana had her saddle on WivanyaÆs back but the rest of them would need to rely on the few ropes Alana had designed into the saddle for this purpose and an acute sense of balance But Alana quickly spotted another option

With a subtle touch of her knees she guided Wivanya through the drifting crowd of other floating viewers toward a large and rather deserted platform floating directly above the confrontation below Although the air up here was thick with floating platforms wreathed with emerald energy everyone gave this the largest platform in the sky a wide berth It sat in the eye of the slowly rotating storm

Wivanya landed gracefully onto the solid ground only breathing out a small about of ice that immediately froze the platform beneath them so it appeared that when they touched down a crystalline halo was summoned Luckily the platform didnÆt even shudder underneath the sudden weight it was probably large enough they didnÆt matter much Shaking her head Alana allowed Hank to help Gertrude and Raymond off of WivanyaÆs shrinking back and walked over to the two individuals already present on the platform

Tatiana looked up with a smile ceasing to speak to the tall three headed ogre next to her and turning her attention to the new arrivals The ogre turned away and began to study the commotion below extremely closely Ah Alana I thought I sensed your image around Kharon Stopping in early for a bit of last minute birthday shopping

Alana snorted as she moved to stand next to the other woman Both peered serenely over the edge of the platform as they talked Ha I suppose Kharon itself would be taking part in this farce of a gift competition If thatÆs what you are asking no we donÆt plan on taking part When Tatiana gave her a disbelieving look Alanasmoothly continued to talk but of course in consideration of everything Randidly has done for me I did prepare something special

Of course just a token of appreciation IÆm sure Tatiana rolled her eyes Then the two women fell into silence as an impact below shook the very air around them Some of the smaller platforms circling around them wobbled dangerously before control stabilized

Alana tilted her head to the side as she looked down Is everything alright

Tatiana grimaced Well if things are not alright we have a problem so big that I donÆt have any way of dealing with it So for now IÆm hoping that this is just exuberance That will pass very quickly Before tomorrow

Another impact below erupted once more sending all of the smaller platforms floating in the air swaying despite the distance between them and the fight going on below Pressing her lips together Alana peered over the edge and studied the conflict

Randidly Ghosthound currently wreathed in a strange black energy that warped the very air around him heaved himself out of a crater which had been created as he had been smashed into the ground by a powerful combination of HelenÆs images It was almost impossible to discern any of his individual features through the thick haze of energy but Alana was confident that the assault that Helen had just launched against him didnÆt injure him in the slightest He cracked his neck casually while his energy burned the dust off of his skin

The lack of injury was unfortunate because it was clear to Alana that Helen was nearing the end of even her prodigious mental strength Her gaze was calm as she watched Randidly clean himself slowly off but her shoulders were heaving as she struggled to catch her breath The crimson color of the Tides of Blood in the surrounding area was slowly fading as she couldnÆt maintain the peak concentration required for the Skill any longer

In the battlefield below a few moments of silence passed as both combatants realized that they had neared the end of their conflict The remnants of a sizable stretch of forest and several low hills served as a testament to the intensity of the clash that was coming to an end

Of course some of the individuals on the other platforms didnÆt recognize the silence for what it was They whispered nervously to each other looking down at the crater Helen had used RandidlyÆs body to created Even if he quickly hopped out and landed back to face her it was probably a memorable moment of weakness for Randidly Ghosthound

Could you be doing this on purpose to teach Kharon the same lesson you insisted on in Donnyton That invincibility never lasts forever Alana wondered as she peered down But that didnÆt feel right to her No I suppose these people know that it isnÆt about you being invincible itÆs about the work you put into achieving your strength that matters Then this display

Honestly Alana wished that she shared the ignorance of the surrounding people Because the emptiness that was wafting out of Randidly was intimidating to say the least In that swirling energy around his body there wasnÆt even a speck of an image He was a completely black space in the world ripping with power

He was an empty hole where a sentence had been ripped out of the diary Definitely present and a part of the world but in a disturbing negative way He was connected without seeming to have any substance to him To AlanaÆs senses that had been so tuned to images recently it was extremely disturbing

But itÆs so strange as he breathes it feels like the world breathes with him Alana narrowed her eyes

But quickly Gertrude Collins proceeded to move to stand next to Tatiana and Alana with Hank sauntering over after her with a nervous Raymond in tow She frowned as she looked over the edge ThatÆs Randidly Ghosthound He heÆs in such pain

ThatÆs an occupational hazard of becominÆ a fighter Hank drawled

But Gertrude shook her head No not like that ItÆs like he lost someone very important to him And heÆs

RooArr

Whatever the Generous Caregiver was going to say was drowned out in bellow that Randidly unleashed AlanaÆs skin tingled like she had been touched by an electric shock And from the otherÆs faces it seemed they experienced a similar sensation Then there was a blur of motion and Randidly was streaking toward the still recovering Helen

IÆm surprised you havenÆt hopped down there to join them Tatiana said with forced casualness And Alana had considered it Yet

Hank chuckled ruefully AinÆt our turn WeÆve been putting in our time for long enough

And as he spoke two figures streaked from the shadows of the nearby ruined hills intercepting Randidly before he reached Helen The first Alana recognized immediately it was Naffur Suite the head of the Order Ducis He wore a pair of ornate gloves and unleashed a huge haymaker of a punch toward RandidlyÆs side which didnÆt even earn a response from the energy clad man

On the other side a solid emerald moss spirit the size of an ogre simply tried to spear tackle the Ghosthound Randidly saw both of the attacks coming but he didnÆt even adjust He simply continued to charge forward daring an offensive against him

The moss spirit slammed against the GhosthoundÆs waist but Randidly just dragged the green giant forward like he didn’tÆ notice the impact NaffurÆs punch was only a tiny bit more effective it slammed into RandidlyÆs jaw and forced him to take a half step to steady himself but then he was back to charging forward

Luckily for Helen that was all the time she needed Raising her hands HelenÆs face twisted in fury The crimson coloration that was slowly sinking away as her image faded surged suddenly back To the point that the area around her was completely soaked in blood

Truly Helen always hides her strength deeply Alana folded her arms across her chest

As Randidly closed the last two steps of distance between himself and Helen those crimson tides turned into a tight spiral of blood And from that frantic whirlpool came a pale and fleshy claw This the Ghosthound actually reacted to he raised his hand and attempted to smash the claw

Randidly Ghosthound hit the fleshy claw with all the force of a freight train splintering its bones and splattering its flesh before the image destabilized and fell to pieces Helen stumbled backward but she had managed to disperse his momentum enough that she opened up some space

Which gave Naffur the chance to explode with an image of a sharp adventurous spirit Of a challenger He threw punch after punch at RandidlyÆs exposed back gaining speed with each attack The first couple of punches didnÆt do much but it seemed that the punches were gaining quite a bit of power with their increased speed So much so that the Ghosthound gave up pursuing Helen and lashed out toward Naffur as he twisted around

But this is where the moss spirit proved its usefulness While its image in AlanaÆs eyes was relatively weak its body was extremely stable RandidlyÆs hand positively crackling with that strange energy that circled him seemed capable of ripping through images like they were paper Yet the almost elastic moss spirit used its body to significantly slow and weaken the GhosthoundÆs casual swipe enabling Naffur to duck under the strike and continue his own barrage

And Naffur continued to accelerate as the moss spirit gave up its more humanoid form and shifted to a series of amorphous tentacles that bound the GhosthoundÆs movements However almost immediately the emerald tentacles began to shrivel and shrink as the energy around Randidly ate away at its mass

Looks like heÆs not going easy on them any longer Tatiana said Alana nodded

Naffur continued to accelerate to the point that he could avoid RandidlyÆs sharp counter attacks but he only had a few more seconds of landing pounding blows on the GhosthoundÆs arms and chest before the moss spirit couldnÆt hold on any longer And then it was just Naffur and Randidly Ghosthound throwing punch after punch after each other like two brothers brawling over a toy car

And of course when the two were facing each other directly it was only a matter of time before Naffur faltered and was smashed backward Although it seemed like the power in their fists was coming close to each other it was clear that Randidly GhosthoundÆs defense was in another tier altogether

Alana had doubts whether empowered as he was by that strange energy even she would be able to inflict a serious blow Despite the fact that he didnÆt even bother to use an image

But after Naffur was knocked backward Randidly didnÆt pursue He simply raised his head and roared one last time But then that dark swirling energy dissipated and all that was left was the very human and vulnerable form of Randidly Ghosthound His chest and feet were bare the knuckles on his right hand dripped blood that sizzled against the ground

Guess he doesnÆt like birthdays Hank joked but Alana winced Everyone stood for a few seconds then transfixed by the twisted expression on the GhosthoundÆs face before he opened up a portal and disappeared

Chapter 1303

When Randidly returned to his island the first thing that he did was take some time to breathe It had definitely felt good to completely let loose and fight without relying on his mind at all He became a body incarnate striking and moving as his instinct dictated Which turned out to be an extremely frustrating way of fighting after he had grown used to relying on his powerful ranged Skills and images but that difficulty was part of the point

Still that exertion had largely spent the emotion that had been steadily bubbling up in his chest for the last twenty four hours Finally he had regained a bit of clarity

Of course that wasnÆt the only benefit there is definitely something about not using an image that triggered Illym in the Ignition Essence again Randidly narrowed his eyes then hurriedly shook his head That was an interesting development and one he hadnÆt expected but it wasnÆt the most pressing issue right now

No what Randidly had to figure out now was what to do about how weirdly sad he was Neveah was right he was grieving the Creature as though he was sure that she had actually died and as though they really were more than enemies

And even if part of him insisted that the Creature was likely unharmed and just fooling him somehow he felt

Pressing his eyes shut Randidly ended that train of thought immediately Instead he focused his attention inward and shifted to his Alpha Cosmos Since replacing the overlay System in his Alpha Cosmos Randidly had largely been distracted by other issues but he had still checked in occasionally to make sure everything was going okay

Once the overseers agreed to some rules of what Paths and Classes they could give out it seemed like things stabilized immensely Or at least returned to a situation that was similarly stable to the bubbling cauldron of tensions that had been present in the Alpha Cosmos previously A status quo that involved two empires that were only a miscommunication or two away from a costly and horrifying war

Luckily there are now a whole slew of very mortal gods wandering around granting powers Randidly thought sardonically as he held his PhilosopherÆs Key and felt in the surrounding air for karma After a few minutes he located the signature he wanted and opened a wide passageway to visit Lucretia

If she was surprised when Randidly appeared on the hillside next to her Lucretia didnÆt show it She kept her eyes lowered and continued the steady process of drawing her fingers across the iron stele in front of her The two were alone on the top of the hill with a cherry tree and the metal protrusion the only non plant entities around for what seemed like miles The wind rustled through the forest below the hill giving the strange impression of the world beneath them was breathing

Although Randidly wanted to address the issue as quickly as possible it wasnÆt something that he would interrupt Lucretia for Instead he was content to sit down and study the patterns that Lucretia drew upon the stele He wasnÆt as talented as Neveah was but their connection did give Randidly something of a natural advantage when it came to Engraving Especially because of his exposure to Nether Rituals recently

But as Randidly watched Lucretia drawing curving patterns across the stele Randidly was left confused So he leaned closer and studied the shapes more intently And of course when he finally realized what she was doing he felt almost stupid for not realizing it immediately SheÆs trying to mimick the effects of karma with Aether and Mana To connect

The stele shattered into pieces as though it had been some sort of jigsaw puzzle rather than a solid piece of metal as Randidly had clearly sensed earlier Lucretia waved her hand and produce a barrier of Mana in front of herself but Randidly was quite a bit faster Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil sent a hundred roots surging out of the ground to snag each jagged piece out of the air and lay it delicately on the ground The peace of the hill had been cut by the abrupt noise but Randidly didnÆt really want the tree to be scarred by it too

Congratulations Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 286

Thank you Randidly Lucretia said as she finally looked over toward him Then she sighed and waved her hand at the pieces DonÆt worry about keeping them gathered together so far as I can tell the sundering that accompanies my failures makes the pieces somehow inoculated against further Engraving In terms of their usefulness those scraps are worse than garbage

Shrugging Randidly gathered up all the metal pieces and produced tongues of Ignition Essence underneath them While they melted he glanced at Lucretia You are trying to make an Engraving with karma Why

Lucretia threw her lavender hair over her shoulder It caught the wind and fluttered across her face as the trees below rustled Well because IÆve been trying to deepen my understanding of Karma And at every turn IÆve come up against the same question what exactly is karma I can describe how it functions but when it comes to what it is well if I can create something to mimic its effects then I hope to be that much closer to answering the question

While Lucretia had been speaking the metal he was manipulating had melted Then Randidly rapidly cooled it with a chilling image from Grim Chimera creating an ugly looking sphere of metal Then he pressed his fingers against the surface and injected Mana into the material immediately Randidly grimaced

His Engraving warped as soon as it was made the Mana going haywire and dissipating before he could even complete a single line Interesting

As I said trash Lucretia said lightly Then she gave Randidly a long look But anyway I doubt you are here to discuss the finer points of karma even at your most understanding you view it with suspicion So what are you here to discuss Is it due to the death of Yystrix IÆve spoken to Neveah about it when she visited Quite unexpected

YouÆve spoken Randidly blinked YouÆve spoken to Neveah Recently

Of course While you might be content to let the Alpha Cosmos develop rather freely Neveah visits quite often to keep tabs on the various factions Plus she and I have some of the best discussions about Engravings itÆs one of the few things that bring me joy these days That and my students Lucretia folded her hands behind her back and walked to the edge of the hill looking down at the trees below

Randidly moved to stand next to Lucretia while he put his thoughts in order So Neveah comes over to the Alpha Cosmos pretty often I suppose that makes sense she can probably use our connection to come here directly plus I bet she was a little bored with her time alone on Earth recently

Ultimately Randidly set that aside for the moment in a way yes the reason I am here is due to the death of Yystrix Her the karma between us is behaving strangely I was hoping you could take a look at it and help me understand what the cause is

Lucretia gave Randidly an amused look I mean that much is pretty simple especially because the karma between you two is so potent But are you sure you want to hear the answer I have a feeling that you already know what it is that IÆll tell you

Although he had expended quite a lot of his rampaging emotions in the battle earlier it was like everything suddenly came swirling back as he looked into LucretiaÆs eyes at that moment The violence was in his veins again struggling to find an outlet His heart was pounding Randidly gritted his teeth and nodded I just want to know if sheÆs really dead

Ha Unfortunately even I canÆt tell something like that Lucretia shook her head But then she turned to face Randidly and reached up to touch his shoulder She drew her finger lightly inward across his collarbone until she reached the other shoulder but what you are sensing is a definite sign Randidly I do not know what happened to Yystrix but the karma between you two has been sewn and reaped There is no lingering attachment remaining

What Randidly asked in bewilderment

LucretiaÆs hand fell to her side There are a lot of suboptimal definitions of karma out there But for this situation perhaps it will be helpful to think of karma as an indicator of more to come between two people As a sign that the story of you two isnÆt yet finished Now that yours is fading I would say pretty clearly that there is nothing more between you If she yet lives It is possible for you to seek each other out and start the cycle of karma once more but if it were at all likely karma would have remained And your karma with each other is vanishing very quickly

Randidly didnÆt know what he had expected A confirmation of some sort Finally a clue whether the pain in his chest was real or he had been tricked again And in a way this was a sort of answer Just not one that provided any closure

Then why do I damnit Randidly flexed his hands and spun away from Lucretia Even as the trees continued to rustle with the breath of the land below Randidly began to pace back and forth on top of the hill Then why canÆt I get over this Why am I so angry and sad I shouldnÆt feel bad that she died the things that she wanted to do to Earth

Ah I see the problem Lucretia sighed Randidly let me say this when has what you should feel ever stopped a living being from feeling You are human And your heart in particular is much more kind than you give it credit for Do you think my relationship with Autarch was harmonious No I was a tool created for a purpose and he used me unscrupulously Yet when he died I mourned Not because his influence on my life was positive but because his influence was irreplaceable I suspect that your relationship with Yystrix is similar

Very conscious of the movement of his shoulders and his chest Randidly released a long breath The tension drained from him So I mourn then And eventually I just get over it

Lucretia laughed softly This will be hard for you IÆm sure Because you have lived so long struggling to survive But your emotions are not something that you struggle against they are something that you experience I expect that most of the reasons for the violence of your current emotions is because you have sought a quick solution to something that is really a problem that will span a lifetime

Pain passes because you sit in it and accept that you are hurting You cannot beatÆ it It is an agony that you cannot hurry your way through You can only be torn and watch your heart bleed down your torso and onto the floor every day until the wounds start to knit together on their own There is no bandage for the soul

I donÆt want to mourn her Randidly said softly

This time LucretiaÆs laugh was loud and harsh If that were true Randidly Ghosthound then you wouldnÆt be mourning her And perhaps the whyÆ you are mourning her is the question you need to answer

I Randidly opened his mouth but as soon as he began to think about that he knew the answer

Because in a way Yystrix had been right in her letter she and Randidly had wanted the same thing An escape from the System And despite their differences despite YystrixÆs attempts to endanger the Earth she had failed in their shared quest Whether Yystrix now hid herself away or had truly died Randidly trusted LucretiaÆs diagnosis they would likely never meet again

And before she had gone she had written every ounce of her knowledge onto a grand Engraving in her tomb so he and Neveah could finish what she started It was a heavy burden

It felt like a gift he didnÆt deserve An early present for a birthday that was already more than complicated enough as it was

Chapter 1304

Commissioner Elmer ArrietiÆs eyebrows knitted together as he examined the report that Heiffal so casually handed to him With the birthday of Randidly Ghosthound tomorrow AriettiÆs job had recently gotten a lot more stressful He was only responsible for the peacekeeping in the city itself not any of the defenses of the actual event but just this amount of work was disastrous to his typical schedule

Elmer wished that he had asked more incisive questions about the retirement plan before he had agreed to be the Commissioner of KharonÆs police force

He was overworked both because of the huge number of people flooding to Kharon for the birthday and also due to the fact that Kharon had been stationary for the first time since its inception Just tourists alone would give Arrieti a headache let alone foreign diplomats and their grouchy security teams The combination of the two stretched the rather modest number of employees beneath Arrietti to their limits

Still Arrietti tried to keep a level head about this Tatiana was giving him a sizable bonus for his assistance with handling the situation in the city during the party In addition she had secretly hinted that the Ghosthound was going to once again try to get his floating real estate idea off the groundÆ This time they planned on making private offers to some of the higher placed individuals in the Kharon government so wealthy investors would be able to see what they were buying rather than just imagining it

Tatiana hinted rather heavily that Commissioner Elmer Arrietti a sterling example of a civil servant of Kharon would be on that list of individuals

With a home Arrietti finally would have some confidence in ridding himself of the bachelor status that had plagued him since his early twenties All he had to do was make sure no mistakes happened under his watch So despite his growing headache he didnÆt allow his focus to waver

But this report

Commissioner Arrietti glanced upward at Heiffal the oppressively powerful leader of a group of oppressively powerful individuals who addressed the Ghosthound as CommanderÆ Even after spending more time with them Arrietti still felt slightly uncomfortable around the group Ah Heiffal it appears there is a tiny mistake in your report If you check this line perhaps there is an extra zero here

No Commissioner Arrietti that is correct over the past several days we have killed almost five hundred thousand monsters over Level 50 in the greater area around Kharon We thought it best to expand our perimeter when we finished early Per your requests we allowed anything under Level 30 to live and let anything between Level 30 and Level 49 flee freely The bodies of the killed monsters were transported to the Butchery but it seems that the volume was such that it will take them several weeks to catch back up Still all the guests should be very safe in the area around Kharon

Commissioner ArriettiÆs eyelid twitched as he pictured Heiffal and his men committing genocide against the monster populations in the surrounding area Despite the fact that monsters would generally kill you as soon as look at you Elmer couldnÆt help but pity them

Just like he felt a chasm of regret having ever introduced the group to bowling

oh I see excuse me Arrietti said officiously Then he straightened the papers on his desk If there is nothing else

Of course I understand how busy you are but I just wanted to ask if you had the chance to see MyombÆs perfect game on the newly constructed Premier Lane at the last bowling night HeiffalÆs eyes were already sparkling with barely concealed excitement I cannot believe even after we strengthened the pins and lined everything with darksteel to weaken the influence of images he managed to so cleanly

Unfortunately work kept me away last week But IÆve heard the story Very impressive Arrietti lied blandly Work hadnÆt kept him away but the literal sea of hyper powerful ultra passionate soldiers at the bowling alley had They had even funneled their money back into the bowling lanes quickly expanding the quaint private lane with its three stool bar into three story super center that was somehow both an image training center and a bowling alley And hard to say about next week I might need a break after this birthday

Understood we will postpone the bowling league a week so you can attend Then with a bow Heiffal left ArriettiÆs office Immediately after the door closed Arrietti allowed himself to slump forward and press his head against the desk

My peaceful days my sanctuary gone Ah I just want one quiet moment to drink the shitty light beer they used to have

Oh actually The door abruptly opened again as Heiffal stepped back into the room But he immediately paused when he saw ArriettiÆs slumped form Arrietti for his part froze with his forehead pressed against wood he was unsure of how to deal with the surprise

Obviously he couldnÆt just pretend nothing happened Perhaps it looked a little like he was bending over to pick up a pen that rolled off his desk

Then Arrietti heard Heiffal speaking softly to himself He was so exhausted during the whole meeting that he collapsed immediately after I left Truly despite his meager strength Commissioner Arrietti is an admirable man

Perhaps out of a show of respect Heiffal left without saying anything further closing the door quietly after him ArriettiÆs face twisted into a grimace still against his desk But before he could complain more his terminal began to beep Grateful for the distraction and praying that he wasnÆt about to receive more work Arrietti straightened and accept the phone call

Tatiana didnÆt waste any time with small talk Luckily the disturbance to the South yesterday appears to have been a blip rather than a pattern That issue can be set aside But we need to switch the street along which you will be setting up the police barricade The street we originally picked is too small to fit some of the guests

This isnÆt a parade Commissioner Arrietti complained but Tatiana just smiled slyly at him

Nor is this a suggestion The street will be switched to the main drag The terminal flicked off as Tatiana cut the line And although she was curt with him Arrietti didnÆt mind After all he could only imagine the volume of work that she had to deal with in preparation for this event

Bah switching to the main street the shopowners along there will go ballistic IÆm going to need a stiff drink before I can work myself up to making those rounds again Arrietti hummed to himself as he went to his cabinet a removed a bottle of Donnyton barrel aged whiskey But as he was removing a crystal glass to drink it in the door opened again

I need to get a lock Arrietti grumbled as he looked to see who walked through this time To his surprise he didnÆt recognize the grizzled man standing in the doorway From the way he stood the man obviously had some military training His eyes swept the room seeming to take in every detail before they settled on Arrietti Then the manÆs eyebrows rose

Am I interrupting something

No I Elmer shook his head and laughed at himself Then he shrugged Why even bother to hide it at this point It seemed like his office wasnÆt nearly as private as he had thought And his slightly exhausted state it amused him more than anything else ItÆs been a long few days So I was thinking about having a drink to wind down

The man closed the door behind him can I join you

Perhaps Arrietti would normally say no to a stranger that walked into his office especially considering the price of the alcohol bottle but for whatever reason he nodded Perhaps it was how drained he was perhaps it was the similarities in age and temperament between the two men but almost immediately he felt a kinship

Besides if someone walked in now it would be much easier to explain away the drinking if he wasnÆt alone

So he retrieved a second glass and poured two fingerÆs worth of liquor into each As he handed the glass to the man Arrietti asked So who are you IÆm surprised you got through the precinct without me hearing about what your business is Some of the officers can be protective

IÆm Derek Moss The two men shook hands and then sat down After tasting the whiskey and sighing in pleasure Derek Moss continued to speak I have been ah selected as the Official Liaison between the Order Ducis and Affiliated Defense Forces for the Birthday of Randidly Ghosthound So IÆm here to introduce myself If there is a minor issue on your end IÆm who you can contact to coordinate with the defense forces at the actual event

Ah Commissioner Arrietti felt an even stronger empathy to the man as he heard the weariness in his voice Certainly a prestigious role

Derek grimaced I received it a single day after I arrived in Kharon

Tatiana is very good at picking dupes out of a crowd Arrietti said with a smirk Then he gestured to the sparse office around them How do you think I landed this job I was trying to keep a moss spirit from landing on a slice of pizza and she tapped me on the shoulder

Chuckling both men turned to their drinks for a minute They were content to simply enjoy the well made alcohol and sit in silence with a companionship that took only a short time to develop It was positively divine It was what Arrietti missed from the days before Heiffal and his men took over the bowling alley

And of course a notification that flashed across ArriettiÆs vision interrupted it

Congratulations The fifth Danger Zone was cleared and the worldwide reward was selected Due to finishing the assigned task before the deadline the whole of Earth shall receive a bonus

In addition to other bonuses all people from Earth shall earn experience 50% more quickly while on Earth All individuals shall receive an additional +5 Health Mana and Stamina per Level

The quality of life energy on Earth has vastly increased As a result Skill Level growth will be slightly easier All individuals on Earth gain access to the High Potential 0/200 Path It is highly recommended that you complete the Path as soon as possible

In addition due to your exemplary performance the Earth has gained access to the special event Corrupted Invaders Three of the non cleared Danger Zones have been secretly taken over by invaders to Earth Find and destroy these three hidden bases before the First Calamity arrives to reveal an Epic Danger Zone Failure to accomplish the task within the time limit will result in the inability to receive further awards but the invaders on Earth will remain a threat until they are dealt with

Both men studied the notification for several seconds Then they both sighed

This world Derek Moss began but he was interrupted by ArriettiÆs terminal beginning to read

DonÆt I know it Elmer Arrietti finished the rest of his glass and walked over to accept the incoming call

Chapter 1305

Honestly Randidly liked the timing of the notification it would mean that there would be an added sense of purpose to the discussions that he wanted to have with the leadership of Earth A tangible threat would serve as a focal point for the diverse group But he did almost immediately sense a change in the usual Aether composition of New Earth as the notification was announced Whatever this was it was big

Randidly walked to the edge of his island and frowned out toward the mountain range to their North Corrupted invaders it almost sounds like they are trying to introduce Nether to Earth But from the images I sense

In reality it was comically easy for Randidly to use Grim Intuition to quickly scan the remaining Danger Zones on Earth and locate the hidden bases Although they were all quite far from his position his upgraded Perception Stat was more than capable enough to reach across that distance Even more importantly the images wafting out of the affected Danger Zones were strong enough that Randidly expected some of the regular people on Earth would be able to sense their presence if they were near the Danger Zone

These images were strong At least as strong as Wolfram had been

Still it was the taste of the invaderÆs Aether that made RandidlyÆs eyes narrow These arenÆt some wild invaders That is extremely rigid Nexus Aether that they are bringing With images strong enough that they shouldnÆt have failed the first two Calamities and thereÆs still the question of the Epic Danger Zone

Despite RandidlyÆs best efforts however he could find no clue of this Epic Danger Zone But he could continue to feel the Aether mechanisms that surrounded the Earth becoming even more convoluted Something was shifting within the fabric of the System Scowling Randidly sent out of several messages One to Vualla Lady Iellaya and Octavius Shrike to find out if this sort of thing was common

In the meantime Randidly almost immediately put PP into the High Potential Path that the System gave out If it was a trap Randidly was confident that he would be able to find a way around it And he wanted to know if there was more at play in this sudden change in rewards than met the eye Besides unlike most people Randidly had 200 PP to spare immediately

Better he find out the Path was useless than an innocent who struggled to gather that 200 PP

To his surprise it seemed like there wasnÆt anything dangerous about the Path It even rewarded 1 free Stat every 5 PP which was a throwback to some of the earlier Paths that Randidly had access to

Congratulations You have finished the High Potential Path It seems that the road in front of you is smooth but the truth is you are just adapting very quickly to the terrain As you proceed forward you quickly shift and grow more quickly than your peers Because of your outstanding abilities it is a definite possibility that you will reach unprecedented heights in your time within the Nexus

Congratulations +5 Health Mana and Stamina per Level +2 Free Stats per Level You have learned the Skill Quick Learner (Un) Lvl 1

Quick Learner You adapt slightly more quickly to new movements or knowledge Effect slightly increases with Skill Level

Resonance detected

Your Skills Quick Learner and Fighting Experience have combined to form the Skill Innate Violence Skill Level set at 175 The effects of all Skills that inflict damage is slightly increased

It even comes with a pat on the back he chuckled as he examined the notification

Aside from the Skill evolution that occurred Randidly was rather confident that everyone who finished the Path would receive the same notification He was also quite careful to watch for shifting Aether constructs around him during the process but he found nothing As far as he could tell this really was just a way of boosting the potential of Earth

Unfortunate for the people that have already gained most of their Levels but every little bit counts Randidly rubbed his chin and then sent a message to Tatiana to share the knowledge of the Path with all of the people on Kharon and the other political powers on Earth And right when he received TatianaÆs acknowledgment Randidly received a response to his earlier messages

To his surprise it was Octavius Shrike who responded

The order for this special scenario came down from the Nexus Council itself Supposedly as a reward for your exemplary performance on the frontlines Someone clearly is onto your uniqueness ItÆs out of my hands but I can warn you that a Seventh Zone is in its Raid Dungeon as we speak Do to my objection to the fairness their time is only being accelerated to double as quickly as yours but this task they gave you is a difficult one IÆll tell you more tomorrow Be careful

RandidlyÆs expression was grim as he regarded that message Because it was exactly what he hadnÆt wanted to hear The rewards were likely real but were just used as a front to justify whatever consequences would be still lurking in EarthÆs Danger Zones if they didnÆt manage to clear them out in time

But then it begged the question who was moving against him from the Nexus At least the message finally confirmed that Octavius was coming to his party and would hopefully have more information for Randidly on what was happening

Zone 32 had taken almost a month to clear their Raid Dungeon but part of that might be the interference of the Creature making the process more difficult But considering it had taken this new Zone longer to attempt the Raid Dungeon perhaps it was fair to give them a similar time At half speed that meant there would be about two weeks remaining to clear out three Danger Zones and then the epic Danger Zone waiting beyond them if they wanted the reward

Of course this was assuming that there were genuine benefits waiting at the end of these hoops the System was asking them to jump through But after seeing the High Potential Path Randidly was willing to cautiously proceed forward with that assumption

Besides Randidly through with a sigh I suppose I plan on trying to accomplish this anyway to take care of this new threat to Earth The only question is how much I deviate from my thoughts on non interference

Especially because this isnÆt just a special event that threatens the Earth if this is someone within the Nexus targeting me they must be confident that the threats hiding in the Epic Danger Zone are a threat even to me or will something change after the Calamity arrives and they plan on hiding out until then

At the moment there was very little that he could glean from the information available Still Randidly had some time to consider exactly how to address the problem And it didnÆt seem nearly as depressing when the free Stat points that Randidly received from the Path were enough to push his Nether Brawn just to 1000 Almost immediately Randidly felt the muscles in his body twist and flex A searing heat spread outward from his beating heart and flowed down to his fingers and his toes

As he slowly twisted his body his back and neck cracked releasing a wave of cooling relaxation that spread all down his spine Randidly released a breath and rolled his shoulders Heh Naffur is lucky that I didnÆt get my Nether Brawn to 1000 until after our little boxing match I almost want to challenge him to another Plus Resistance and Reaction are getting pretty close to 1000 too if I gain another Level I can get at least one of them up there

Humming to himself Randidly looked at his Status screen

Class Lord of the Baleful Wood (x5)

Level 60 (4%)

Health(/R per hour) 11739/11739 (4656)

Mana(/R per hour) 11063/11063 (2746)

Stam(/R per min) 8301/8422 (1737)

End 906

Nether Brawn 1000

Agi 1179

Reaction 947

Resistance 998

Intelligence 1052

Wisdom 718

Control 1330

Focus 792

Skills (Soul Skill) Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 23400

Combat Spear Mastery Lvl 303 Heavy Blow Lvl 124 Iron Skin Lvl 47 Dodge Lvl 124 Innate Violence Lvl 175 Block Lvl 77 Calculated Blow Lvl 120 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 87 Idiosyncratic Cut (Un) Lvl 126 Stalemate Breaker Lvl 112 Talon Strike Lvl 90 Counter Lvl 94 Ruinous Drive Lvl 73

LoBW Class Skills Spray Holy Sap (Un) Lvl 27 Sharpness Lvl 149 Earthquake (Un) Lvl 48 Invigorating Call (Humanity)(Un) Lvl 14 Erode Image Lvl 100 SpriggitÆs Tinkering Lvl 152 Aether Understanding Lvl 140 Aether Infusion Lvl 47 Volatile Ash Lvl 44 Visualization Lvl 254 Fruit of the Planting of Enmity Lvl 49 Absolute Timing Lvl 116 Cycle of the Gloomy Wood Lvl 45 Riders of the Baleful Court Lvl 159 Lantern of Harsh Truths Lvl 85 Sigil of an Approaching Fate Lvl 66 Profound Influence Lvl 21 Reckoning of the Bleak Dawn Lvl 99

Descent of the Grim Chimera Chimeric Avoidance Lvl 237 Cursed Appetite of a Wraith Lvl 275 MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality Lvl 257 ReaperÆs Mantle of Catastrophe Lvl 105 Molten Fang of the Pariah Lvl 209 Man is Proud but the Chimera Takes Lvl 200 The Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns Lvl 157 All Else Succombs Yet Time Whirls the Earth Lvl 161

Aether Skills Aether Detection Lvl 192 Aether Manipulation Lvl 215 Living Aether Lvl 160 System Interference Lvl 88 Aether Surgeon Lvl 99

Spells Yggdrasil Soul Seed Inspiration Phoenix Slaying Bolt Lvl 190 FirebirdÆs Lament Lvl 111 Burning Footsteps Lvl 23 NetherÆs Caress Lvl 126 Authority of the Burning Heart Lvl 126 Talon of the Restless Immortal Lvl 187 Ignition of the Emerald Essence Lvl 215 Stigma of the Lifeless Phoenix Lvl 232

Crafting Potion Making Lvl 73 Farming Lvl 34 Analyze Lvl 29 Refine Lvl 106 Extract Lvl 92 Architecture of the Primordial Ways Lvl 253 Experienced CreatorÆs Ingenuity Lvl 68 Touch of the Ghosthound

Yggdrasil the Universe that was First a Tree Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil Lvl 190 The Golden Roots of Yggdrasil Lvl 228 the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil Lvl 199 the Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil Lvl 241 the Inscrutable Mien of Genesis Lvl 252 the Implacable Price of Exodus Lvl 219 Reign of the Eidolon Crucible Lvl 206 Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Lvl 286

Auxiliary Sneak Lvl 56 Acid Resistance Lvl 22 Poison Resistance Lvl 21 Sewing Lvl 11 Digging Lvl 9 Cooking Lvl 101 Clockwork Mastery Lvl 30 Aether Connection Lvl 21 Soul Bond Lvl 135 ChefÆs Palette Lvl 36 Nether Modification Child of the Rain (Un) Lvl 59 Engineering Savvy Lvl 154 From Darkness Genesis Lvl 17 (Domain) Crossroads of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 190 Connection to the Alpha Cosmos Nether Sensation Lvl 135 Nether Ritual Lvl 143

Randidly looked at the sky when he was finished going through his Status screen The sun was setting over the horizon signaling that April 27th would soon end Which meant that tomorrow would be his birthday

So what sort of day will tomorrow be

Chapter 1306

Han Yazhu Ambassador of the Final Republic of Earth and personification of the bulwark between Zone 7 and the trio of women that had ruled so long as Xiang Le was somewhat scandalized as he hurried after the three women in front of him He felt a pang of regret in his heart as he thought about the half full immaculately brewed cup of coffee he left back at his tent Ah far be it from me to question your immutable wisdom but is the party not scheduled to begin at 6 P M tonight Perhaps we should wait a little longer at the campsite before we set out toward Kharon

Xia snorted Her hair was done up in a tight bun behind her head She walked forward with methodical steps that seemed to all cover the same distance True the invitation said the festivities would begin at 6 P M But do you really want us to just sit around in that tent all day before that Besides

Xia glanced forward along the worn track they were following through the thick trees in order to reach Kharon Ann who was only a few meters in front of Xia laughed lightly and shrugged You know how Le gets when she sets her mind to something

Le who was leading the group by a sizable margin turned around and adjusted her glasses on her nose Based on the setup and dramatic plotlines converging in the background I expect this birthday party to partially be a reaction event A time where the world finally gets an accurate read on what the protagonist is capable of in comparison to themselves and therefore is overwhelmed with some sort of emotion And if we donÆt arrive early we will miss some of the best reactions from token antagonists

Han Yazhu winced Not this again Miss Le I thought we had discussed

Who are the token antagonists Ann asked curiously cutting off Han before he could try and gently correct LeÆs thought processes

Le tapped a finger on her cheek Well definitely the President of Zone 1 By extension some of the Order heads that havenÆt agreed with the Order DucisÆ policies The Zone leader from Phirun the Floating City is definitely hideous enough to position himself as unlikable oh and of course us Be sure to try and accept your role as a foil generously some of the most entertaining reactions are when an unexpected individual bets on the protagonist based on a hunch If we remain low key we might be able to take that chance

These are real people not characters Han began but LeÆs frosty glare shut him up Then she stopped where she was at a bend in the path and beckoned them all over

They filed next to Le and followed the line of her gaze They were standing at the edge of a long valley the trees gradually falling away in front of them as the valley broadened toward the end Before entering into the landform in front of them this was probably the best vantage point And there sitting in the lowest and flattest part of the valley seemingly propped up against the line of mountains behind it was Kharon the seat of Randidly GhosthoundÆs power

The dark metal of its hundreds of legs gleamed in the midday sun And from what Han Yazhu understood there were larger legs folded beneath the twenty meter thick base on which Kharon stood It was a moving city a glorious achievement of engineering and magic that was one of the most talked about things of the past year Compared to it many other accomplishments seemed lackluster

Han Yazhu wondered how they gathered enough fresh water to support themselves in the city Did they just have a mage constantly using Skills to fulfill their demands

I would kill to see the engine that powers that thing Xia said with obvious longing in her voice While her eyes still remained locked on Kharon she pulled out a small notebook and began to jot down a few of her thoughts

Ann nodded rapidly The wow factor of this place is tremendous Can you imagine if we had our own mobile city

I think the real question is where they obtained the materials for the construction XiaÆs forehead creased and she leaned forward to study the distant Kharon more closely Her hand continued to write her observations on her notepaper with blinding speed There must be a framework on the base Le what are you shaking your head at

And when Han Yazhu turned away from Kharon Le was shaking her head The youngest of the three who had been Xiang Le sighed Your reactions were relatively boring ThatÆs why I wanted to come here early I knew I would need someone else to give me the fix that I need

Han Yazhu grimaced I really wish you would consider the political implications of some of the things you say at the party

Le gave him a withering look I know you donÆt believe me But he has a Traveling City Han If that doesnÆt prove Randidly Ghosthound is the protagonist I donÆt know what does

Tim Moss wasnÆt lonely not really but he was sitting alone in a low meadow and experimenting with how much he could compress the moss spirits that floated around him Perhaps it was due to some of the other kidÆs shrieks of joy or maybe it was his concentration but when a voice spoke behind him it took him completely by surprise

Hey new kid

Tim looked sharply up the tight ball of moss spirits that he had been playing with exploding in a small nova of color over his face and arms The older kid who had spoken to him who Tim vaguely recognized to be named Kevin raised his eyebrows but didnÆt comment on the moss spirits as the dispersed in every direction For which Tim was extremely grateful Everyone used them after all but if people found out the Path that he was working through

Yes Tim said hesitantly after the remaining emerald energy drifted away Kevin was twelve and tall towering over the new arrival to Kharon They were currently in one of the broad parks of Kharon Generally around this time of day there would be mandatory lessons on Skill use that children were expected to attend But today was a bit special

Even so most parents sent their children here anyway busy with their own preparations Which led to the chaotic mess of dodgeball and capture the flag that appeared to be happening simultaneously across the park

It was the birthday of Randidly Ghosthound so only a skeleton crew was here to chaperone the over a thousand children running rampant with bright red rubber balls By this point in the day the adults seemed content to allow the children to do whatever they wished and retreated to the command tent at the center of the park

Basically they were free to do as they pleased for the rest of the day Which was why Tim was so nervous that he suddenly had been approached by an older kid he didnÆt really know

I mean I wanted to talk to someone but for it to be like this

Kevin jerked his head behind him The boss wants to speak with you Follow me

It was only after Kevin had turned and quickly walked a few meters away that TimÆs body jerked back to life With sweating palms he hurried after Kevin But to his surprise they didnÆt head toward the central pavilion where the teachers were chatting No Kevin led Tim to a grove of trees along the edge of the park that appeared deserted

As they moved toward the trees the sounds of shrieking children behind them faded And once they were hidden underneath the branches Kevin directed Tim past the low branches of the trees to a hole that had been ripped open in the chain link fence around the park and urged him to head through Unsure of what was going on Tim just let himself be propelled forward

Once they were out of the park Kevin broke into a surprisingly quick jog as they suddenly found themselves in the farming area forcing Tim to exhaust himself keeping up Although he had spent some of his free Stats on physical ones most went to his Mental Stats to empower his Earthsinger abilities So by the time they had crossed the entirety of the flower and herb fields to the West edge of Kharon Tim was having trouble staying on his feet

Kevin gave him an annoyed look but at least he didnÆt say anything Tim plopped down a meter or so away from the edge of Kharon already a little nervous to be so close to the edge After taking a few seconds to wipe the sweat from his forehead he asked Kevin I where are we going

Kevin ignored the question and produced a small piece of wood He offered it to Tim Make yourself a platform We are going down WeÆve already taken longer than I thought

What Tim was so alarmed that he stopped panting for a few seconds and just stared at Kevin

Kevin frowned Oh I forgot you were new to Kharon Here can you draw Push Mana into your finger and draw this symbol onto the board After fishing around in his pocket for a moment Kevin produced a crumpled piece of paper and offered it to Tim Hope you can control Mana well though Otherwise you are probably going to crash pretty The Mana has to be evenly distributed through the symbol for it to function well

Hesitant but unwilling to back down after Kevin had questioned his ability to manipulate Mana Tim snatched the piece of paper and studied its contents To his surprise it was a relatively simple symbol of looping lines After watching Kevin start to draw his own symbol on a similar board Tim got to work on his own

Although he relied heavily on the paper to check his work he finished in only five minutes and was relatively proud of the accuracy of the result And to his delight he received a notification when he finished the drawing

Congratulations You have learned the Skill Language of KharonÆs Moss Spirits Lvl 1

Language of KharonÆs Moss Spirits Create runes of power to communicate clearly with the Moss Spirits of Kharon Runes dissipate after a single use but can give Moss Spirits several abilities to interact with the physical world that they donÆt normally possess Power of runes increases with Skill Level Mana cost slightly decreases with Skill Level

Congratulations Your Skill Language of KharonÆs Moss Spirits has grown to Level 2

Is this like Engraving Tim asked excitedly as he looked down at the symbol he carved on the board Already some of the moss spirits that floated around him flooded into the gleaming lines filling it with emerald light The board began to float playfully in front of Tim

Not at all Do you think we could hide that we could do this from adults if the markings stayed on objects long term Kevin shook his head Annoying that we have to draw them fresh every time but better than getting in trouble But anyway get on your board we are going down

Although Tim was still a little nervous about heading down the almost thirty meter drop the excitement over his new Skill did a lot to alleviate his fears Although the board wobbled dangerously when he first got on top of it Tim shifted until he sat on it like it was a swing and held onto the edges with his hands Kevin hopped onto his like it was a skateboard and went immediately over the edge

Tim took a deep breath and shuffled forward to follow

The way down wasnÆt nearly as bad as Tim had feared They quickly got to the ground near the edge of the forest that ran along the valley in which Kharon sat There they ditched their boards and hurried into the forest After another ten minute jog that once more exhausted Tim and earned him two Skill Levels in Physical Fitness they arrived at a shabby looking wooden castle propped up in the middle of a forest

This is our base Kevin added rather unnecessarily then when up to the wooden door and knocked three times The door was quickly pulled open by an older and even taller boy who nodded at Kevin glanced at Tim then shifted out of the way Tim followed Kevin through to the inner area

Although the outside was rather impressive the inside just seemed like a bunch of random logs stacked on top of each other And very quickly Tim could recognize who the bossÆ of this place was

A little girl probably not even six was standing on top of the tallest log When she saw him come into the fort she put her hands on her hips and grinned over at him Hey You are the new kid right Jeez they didnÆt lie the moss spirits really love you Want to have some fun with us today We want to break into the GhosthoundÆs birthday party

Then she hopped down off the log and walked toward Tim She was almost a foot shorter than him She offered him her hand with that sa wide grin on her face WhatÆs your name IÆm Delilah

Chapter 1307

Hydie Mordath Silver Hexwitch and recent skillful infiltrator into the Order Ducis hurried after the man to whom she had been assigned cursing her own abilities with every fiber of her being Her toe smashed painfully against a previously hidden stone on the ground While it was true that her subtle abilities as a Hexwtich made her perfect as a spy there were some extreme drawbacks when she was forced into the field that made it extremely aggravating

After all her Aura of Misfortune was an equal opportunity Skill Hydie was often screwed over just as badly as her targets were The only real solution was to move as little as possible but sometimes that even backfired one time she had been sitting in a park while her target almost drowned in a lake and three pigeons had shat on her head in quick succession

And of course when I try and do activities like this Hydie thought sourly as she rushed after Derek Moss through the dark tunnels underneath Kharon They turned a corner and when perhaps because she was now staring at the ground Hydie slammed her knee into the rigid metal frame on the corner she could only bite back a curse and attempt to keep up with the man who had clearly spent more of his Stats on Agility

Abruptly the duo burst out of the tunnels and into an open area that was dimly lit by a fluorescent light far above it seemed like this was a water processing plant A group of a dozen figures who had been quietly discussing something next to one of the larger vats in the room leapt to their feet and pulled out weapons Although they were surprised they probably had expected something like this

Bah found already Well it doesn’t matter The central figure began to speak We are from the Unity Church here to

Yea yea yea Derek Moss thrust his hand forward and an emerald orb shot out to impact the ground right in the middle of the group of terrorists The detonation area was small but powerful and all of the enemies were thrown off their feet Even the central figure impacted the ground a meter away with a heavy smack

Sound like an unlucky angle she thought with quite a deal of schadenfreude

Of course that central figure quickly hopped back up to his feet despite whatever injury he sustained But Derek was already rushing forward his forearms and lower legs wreathed in green fire The terrorist drew a modified Mana pistol but Derek simply smashed his fist into the manÆs stomach then reached up with both hands and pulled his head roughly down to impact his knee

As the leader fell bonelessly to the floor Derek spun around and released three more emerald orbs that blasted away the other members that had managed to recover their bearings in the frantic seconds of his fight with their leader Then as the bodies of the victims were flying through the air Derek made a curt gesture and moss spirits flooded into the room to surround and bind the neutralized terrorists

Honestly Hydie couldnÆt help but be a little impressed by DerekÆs decisive actions Wow you certainly know how to fight

Thanks but this isnÆt the end of it todayÆs going to be a long day Derek sighed and wiped his brow We need to head over toward the engine room Looks like the group over there is just technological espionage but we should rough them up a bit so they donÆt get any funny ideas

But why does it have to be us Hydie said in an aggrieved voice She had worn a dress with a poofy skirt so her stride wasnÆt limited but the constant running was starting to annoy her But of course Derek was already exiting the water processing plant and heading to their next destination

Her mouth twisted into a scowl Hydie took a large step to follow she stepped on the edge of her skirt and heard it rip Gritting her teeth she picked up the edges of the fabric and hurried after Derek When she had caught up to him Derek glanced over his shoulder Besides we should be happy that we were assigned to the tunnels until the event starts IÆve received three reports of man made beast hordes that are heading toward our location Better deal with small time foes here than handle that

Because he was twisted around to talk to Hydie DerekÆs feet got tangled up and he fell forward But the man didnÆt panic due to the misfortune He simply turned his head back around and used both of his palms to slap the ground and threw himself back up to his feet He barely seemed to miss a step Then he twisted back around like nothing had happened Basically our job is the simplest of a bunch of shitty jobs

This time Derek stopped talking because they had turned a corner and found two individuals dressed in crimson robes carrying what was obviously a ballistic missile These two were much less on the ball than the people from the Unity Church Derek had already adjusted his vector and charged forward before they spoke

Bah How did you discover us We are from the Red Revival

Do you mean the Red Revival Revival Derek said with almost clinical disinterest as he smashed his fist into the first manÆs jaw and slammed his head into the stone wall behind him With a twist he brought his leg up and around crush his heel into the other manÆs temple Because IÆm pretty sure that organization is now defunct

Moss spirits rushed forward to keep the missile from hitting the ground and bound the two lingering members of the Red Revival

You respond very well to sudden changes Hydie said cautiously as they resumed their jog

Derek grinned without any mirth Too much military training ItÆs been drilled into me that what can go wrong will But even so seems like weÆve had a lot of bad luck down here

As if to punctuate the statement a fist sized stone dislodged from the roof and fell toward DerekÆs head With an easy movement he stepped around it without slowing down at all Hydie chuckled somewhat guiltily Plus how are all these people getting into KharonÆs underbelly Are there really so many powerful shadow organizations operating on Earth right now

Derek rubbed his chin If you want my honest opinion No They are being deliberately led here Both to test how two of us respond to pressured situations I think and because the interior of Kharon isnÆt nearly as vulnerable as these people seem to think Not only is this the focal point of the moss spirits power but this place was built by Randidly Ghosthound himself I doubt it is easy to damage

Thinking about that Hydie missed her own fist sized stone that dislodged abruptly from the ceiling and fell toward her face

Congratulations Your Skill Aura of Misfortune has grown to Level 199

With an aching nose Hydie swore to herself to pay more attention to her surroundings in the future

Theodora Greyman was in a black mood

The sun was shining birds were chirping and even the trees seemed to be weirdly joyful as the wind playfull rustled their leaves Level 19 Flesh Eating Squirrels could be seen cheerfully chasing each other up and down nearby tree trunks The road leading to Kharon seemed like an idyllic pathway out to a rural sanctuary rather than what it actually was the road to the most important political event since the arrival of New Earth

Does no one have any sense of seriousness

And Theodora hadnÆt seen a single monster above Level 30 since she had arrived in the area around Kharon Even worse she hadnÆt been able to sense the presence of any sort of security detail Not that she wanted to be attacked but it was immensely frustrating that there wasnÆt even the slightest hint of danger around the event

After all there hadnÆt been any high profile announcements like what happened before Zone 1Æs football game but several smaller extremist groups had made their intentions for RandidlyÆs birthday known Especially groups that were radically opposed to the System and were determined to destabilize any government that accepted its presence

And Randidly Ghosthound for better or for worse was all about spreading information describing how best to adapt to the System

Next to her Mark Rowel frowned around at their surroundings through the window Are there even any guards I canÆt believe that we were the ones accused of not taking threats seriously if it hadnÆt been for that fucking barrier

Theodora put a hand on MarkÆs arm They were riding in a Manatech carriage with three people sitting in the interior and four guards on the outside of the vehicle But even if they were in private Theodora knew how fruitless getting worked up over the past was

She had indulged that train of thought more than enough over the past few weeks Today they needed to stay focused on the task at hand

Mark pressed his lips into a thin line but remained silent And it was at that point that the third individual in the carriage spoke up No there are guards They are just strong Impossibly strong and very good at hiding their presence

Theodora turned and glanced at the man sitting calmly in his wheelchair gazing out the window of the carriage The long fingers of his left hand manipulated a coin to dance across his knuckles while his other hand rested on the fleece blanket that covered his legs His name was Richter and despite his complete lack of investment in physical Stats he was the best agent that the Special Forces of Zone 1 had

Really Theodora was slightly dubious but was inclined to trust Richter more than her own senses This was what he specialized in after all

Really Richter replied still spinning the coin across his fingers

Creasing his brows Mark released an exaggerated sigh Perhaps terrorist organizations are just scared away from attempting anything based on the reputation of the Ghosthound Or perhaps they are waiting for the actual event to begin

I guess you might be right Richter agreed in a light voice His eyes never left the window

Chapter 1308

Roy the Undying Hero flexed his hands Despite all of the unusual situations in which he found himself over the past several years with the System the current one had him extremely confused Uncertain he rubbed at his newly liberated wrists I donÆt understand what you are trying to do

WhatÆs not to understand You are going to be my date for RandidlyÆs birthday Neveah said regally She then pointed to the suit that she had brought down for him

RoyÆs mouth twitched It was the same message Neveah had said when she had originally come down to the cell he had been locked in for the last few weeks and released him But he was still having difficulty coping with the sudden change in treatment

But what was Roy supposed to say That he had been secretly plotting his escape and finally was prepared to make the attempt now that most of the Riders and Neveah herself would be gone for a day Had she done this on purpose because she had become aware of his plans The narrative here was very difficult to follow

No I mean why would you take me as a date Roy shifted rather lamely For someone who prided himself on always having a sharp comeback He currently felt extremely stifled and bland NeveahÆs unexpected arrival made him think very seriously if he underestimated the GhosthoundÆs Soulbound companion

Perhaps their partnership is more even than any of us assumed

Ah well if you must know someone I was briefly engaged to will be at RandidlyÆs birthday party Neveah’s face fell into a look of nervousness And I hear the human way to deal with is to bring another date so that your ex will become jealous So you will be my date

but IÆm just a skeleton Roy said slowly letting his illusion fall away and pointing to his skull with a bony finger IsnÆt the point to bring someone desirable as a date when making someone jealous

Neveah let her illusion fall away as well

RoyÆs first impression of NeveahÆs true form could be summed up in a single word power She was at least three meters tall and twice as wide as Roy himself The bones of her limbs were thick and strong Grey tendons stretched between her joints holding everything together Her mouth was a maw of razor sharp teeth that seemed capable of turning a human body into a smoothie in under a minute Two large protrusions of bone spread out from her back a horror enthusiastÆs imitation of wings Twisting spikes of bone protruded from every joint

Roy wondered how Neveah managed to move around effectively when her true form was at least double the size of the illusion And it reaffirmed in his heart that he had very little chance of escaping as long as Neveah herself watched over him

Then the illusion was back and the pretty petite and smiling woman with black hair was standing in front of him Well your Class is Hero and I think thatÆs pretty desirable to humans You all get so riled up over the term So any more questions

Randidly picked up one of the sharply stylized pieces of metal on the table and examined it closely He drew his thumb almost gently over its surface Whoever had done the forging was relatively skilled although he didnÆt test the limits of it casually prodding with 1000 Nether Brawn infused fingers wasnÆt enough to warp the piece In addition someone else had done a tight piece of Engraving along the backside of the wrought metal giving it the ability to conjure a Skill Level 125 Mana Shield for several seconds that recharged once a day

At the current Level of Earth a pretty impressive ability Randidly thought as he set the piece back on the table amongst five hundred other similar pendants

The pendant was shaped like a sword thrust downward with an X across it So there were points in five directions and a hilt sticking up at the top Randidly glanced sideways at Tatiana who was watching him touch the objects with a small smile What are these

Party favors obviously Tatiana responded

Randidly rolled his eyes You know I meant the shape Have you been looking forward to this conversation for a while The workmanship is really impressive Doubly so because both the metal and the Engraving were made without my input and they are both very well done

YouÆve trained the people of Kharon well Tatiana said smugly She walked away from the door to the ballroom out onto the black tiles that covered about two thirds of the ground away from the buffet table the party favor table and the bar along the back wall But as for the shape itÆs the symbol weÆve decided to put onto KharonÆs flag

Randidly watched the light slowly gather around TatianaÆs feet as she walked out onto the black tiles It seemed he got the sensitivity right despite her shoes the floor immediately activated The brightness quickly grew from a firefly to a reflection of the moon on a lake and then to a bonfire of incandescent color Not blinding but eye catching Good But I use a spear Why a sword

Not everything is about you Randidly Ghosthound Tatiana said rather haughtily The light around her feet continued to grow but gradually slowed in its size increases Then she shrugged Although in this case it is paradoxically about you we think itÆs best that Kharon not be so tied to your name and identity This is obviously your city but other groups will take KharonÆs government more seriously if we arenÆt just your lackeys

Randidly winced Do people treat you like my lackeys

Well they havenÆt had much of a chance to interact with us This is a preemptive measure And I am something of a worry wort Tatiana pointed out She spun lightly in a circle allowing her long beige dress to spin around her and draw additional attention to the light at the base of her feet Still IÆm very impressed with the floor I think it will be a wonderful addition to the festive atmosphere Oh and Happy Birthday by the way

Randidly chuckled awkwardly Thanks But I have the feeling that this wonÆt be as restive as my previous birthdays

How old are you if you donÆt mind me asking Tatiana stopped spinning and tilted her head as she considered Randidly Her amber eyes sparkled as she looked at him

Including time spent in Dungeons and things Randidly asked After Tatiana had nodded he shrugged I think twenty seven But itÆs getting a little hard to keep track

And the System makes actual ages less relevant than how old you were when the System arrived The research from Donnyton indicates most people stop seeming to age at around 25 but the number of teenagers who survived the initial danger of the System was pretty low We will have to wait a few more years for more data

Then Tatiana paused Randidly if the System hadnÆt arrived who do you think you would have done with your life

For almost a minute Randidly was silent His eyes remained fixed on the luminous light coming from the area around TatianaÆs feet Tatiana for her part was content to let him think as she performed a last minute inspection of the ballroom She walked around the area cooing in pleasure as the light matched her movements perfectly

I donÆt know Randidly finally admitted Then he shook his head uncomfortably Or rather it might be better to say that I donÆt remember who I was at that time I was just a kid really I wasnÆt even living on my own then As for what I wanted what I was good at I really canÆt seem to remember But despite everything I was definitely a worse person

Why Tatiana asked

Randidly looked down at his hands One flesh and the other a black metal lined with lines of white light So much has changed He chuckled and tightened his hands into fists The most important rule for living is to face your fears Both in yourself and in the world And the me before the System did not have the strength to take a deep look at who he was

ThatÆs probably why you canÆt remember anything about that version of yourself Tatiana noted Then she walked back across the ballroom toward the platform on which Randidly was standing with the party favors But you need to leave soon to prepare for your grand entrance Everything set up with your demonstrations Do you want to hear the security reports

EverythingÆs ready here Randidly said with a nod Then he waved his hands And I can sense that we are stopping everything thatÆs trying to infiltrate Kharon so the details arenÆt important But are you seriously using this as a giant training exercise for the Order Duics

Yep TatianaÆs wide smile didnÆt even have a fraction of shame in it She stopped a meter away from the edge of RandidlyÆs platform light still blooming beneath her feet ItÆs time consuming to track down Raid Bosses strong enough to pose a challenge to the applicants so long as we arenÆt in the Wildlands besides IÆm a practical woman If all of these groups are determined to be serious threats to our existence IÆm not above using them for my own purposes I figured you would be proud of me

Snorting Randidly turned away and took one last look at the large ballroom Truly everything was ready Then he spotted TatianaÆs expectant expression and raised an eyebrow What is it Did you think that I would judge you for making my birthday party a training exercise

No I just figured you would show off a bit at this point and am disappointed you havenÆt yet Tatiana gestured to the ground Give me a sneak peek of whatÆs going to happen at the party when you finally arrive

Rolling his eyes Randidly walked over to the edge of the raised platform Then he crouched down and lowered the pointer finger of his right hand to the ground The tip of his finger touched the cool tile

Immediately the light beneath Tatiana flickered and began to dim Tatiana rubbed her chin Are you suppressing me or

The floor is based on relative strength Randidly said easily At this point the light beneath Tatiana had shrunk to the burning head of a match And then an incandescent blaze began to form at the spot where Randidly touched the ground

Randidly quickly removed his finger from the ground before the blinding area of light grew any larger than a fist He gave Tatiana a grin Satisfied

A little Tatiana walked over to the spot that Randidly touched which was slowly dimming to look like the headlights of a car The effect lingers

If your image is strong enough yea Randidly rubbed the back of his head and cracked his neck

Tatiana walked up onto the platform next to him So How will you spend your time for a while

I suppose IÆll Randidly thought about it take a bath

Chapter 1309

Shush itÆs about to start Le whispered Both Xia and Ann straightened in the wooden outdoor seating of the cafe where they had set up shop but Han Yazhu practically wanted to pull out his hair He was thoroughly tired of this game that Le was playing

Please Le letÆs not Then Han Yazhu paused as he saw a large group approaching out of the corner of his eye is that King Phirun

When the group from Zone 7 had arrived at Kharon proper they had been checked in at the entrance of the city but largely left to their own devices to get to the venue for the party Han Yazhu had been scornful when they had simply been given a map of Kharon and let to wander within the bounds of the city but the trio that was Xiang Le had been delighted by the freedom

It was after all a far cry from what they could do in Zone 7 with the recent political unrest They had known the publics’ reaction to lying about Xiang Le would be strong but the truth was much more disturbing than that The three women that had exhausted themselves for the past several years guiding the Zone needed a break

So for the last two hours they had meandered around looking at the different districts and shops And to the three womenÆs delight no one recognized them as the now contentious leaders of Zone 7 They were just who they were

Han Yazhu had been tempted to remind them to be careful due to the recent assassination attempts since revealing that they were women but couldnÆt bring himself to spoil the smiles on their faces So he had accepted the diversion and followed his leaders around He had even been amenable to taking a break when Le had suggested taking a break at a bakery along the officialÆ route to the venue

But now Han cursed his own shortsightedness as he saw the extremely massive body King Phirun waddling side to side down the cleared street It was almost four oÆclock and it seemed like the other delegations were starting to arrive

Yes Le said gleefully Then she pointed to the empty plate on their table that once housed a decadent and heavy cinnamon roll And you remember his love of sweets IÆm sure It is without a doubt that this combination of factors will trigger an event

Event Ann whispered almost reverently

King Phirun leader of Ifrenne the Floating City and the whole of the Great Sea Zone had likely been a large man even before the System had arrived And because of the SystemÆs strange magic he had spent the last few years transforming from fleshy to shocking to look atÆ Every part of his body was covered with sweat and grease to the point that his own black hair seemed to be slicked back with by products of his own body

Of course he was also extremely strong Despite the fact that his government was the most decentralized due to the vast amount of space his Zone covered Phirun was one of the first groups to actively adopt some of the information about images put out by the Order Ducis Which meant that despite their small number PhirunÆs warriors could hold their heads high against the larger armies of the other Zones that had been more resistant to the GhosthoundÆs teachings

And a group of his finest warriors followed after Phirun chests bared and covered in intricate ink tattoos that supposedly denoted their status All of the people present seemed to have torsos that were living tapestries of bright primary colors indicating that no one was a slouch when it came to combat

Han Yazhu was torn between urging his leaders to greet Phirun and staying silent to avoid the manÆs attention when PhirunÆs bulk stopped with remarkable abruptness only a few meters away from them

With almost comical seriousness Phirun sniffed Ah hum that smell

Cinnamon rolls from this cafe Le supplied helpfully pointing toward the green awning of the building behind them PhirunÆs eyes shifted and landed on her Le adjusted her glasses and continued to smile at the gargantuan man The moment stretched

Then PhirunÆs aura grew slightly heavy He rolled his shoulders and began to frown There was a claustrophobic suffocating wetness in the air around them suddenly Rather than in a cool autumn day with the sun overhead it felt like they were isolated in a cramped cave Han YazhuÆs hands on the table tightened Xia straightened but didnÆt look up from the task of writing continued notes on the details of Kharon Ann almost lazily began to create a series of colored lights that danced around her palm in imitation of the Moss Spirits of Kharon

Just as abruptly as he stopped moving his body the image Phirun pressured the group with vanished He glanced at the four people at the table doubtfully clearly not recognizing them even though Han Yazhu had spoken with the man twice during his trips to Ifrenne But it seemed enough that none of them had panicked in the face of his image thank you for the information Kiruk

A tattooed man behind Phirun punched his fists together and bowed Phirun gestured imperiously toward the cafe Bring me one of these cinnamon rolls

Kiruk bowed again and then strode confidently into the cafe The minions of Phirun glared at the group sitting at the table as their King dug into his ear and produced a fat green yellow glob of wax Le calmly took a sip of her tea with her eyes shining If anything she seemed excited by drawing PhirunÆs attention

Even without System enhanced Perception it soon became clear that an argument was occurring within the shop There were even reverberations from images clashing within but Han Yazhu was surprised to find that the shop owner wasnÆt intimidated in the slightest by the muscular tattooed man that went in to talk to her

It seems that even the average citizen in Kharon isnÆt a slouch when it comes to images

And in fact thirty seconds later Kiruk stomped out with red face but no cinnamon roll to show for his time inside the cafe He hesitated for several seconds while PhirunÆs face warped in fury Ah your honorable highness the merchant within demands payment before she is willing to

WHAT

Han Yazhu was genuinely surprised that when PhirunÆs image blasted out this time its power was enough to make the surrounding air seem to shiver in fear It seemed the past pressure he released wasnÆt all he could manage Han also noted that there suddenly seemed to be quite a concentration of moss spirits floating overhead In addition he didnÆt miss how delighted LeÆs face became

Before Phirun could expand on exactly why it was so unbelievable that the owner would ask for payment for goods and services the woman in question walked out of the cafe with her hands folded behind her back The old woman didnÆt falter at all in the face of PhirunÆs ominously powerful image and simply looked mildly out at the people from Ifrenne gathered in front of her shop If you arenÆt going to pay leave You are bothering actual customers

You dare Kiruk snarled But even when he stepped forward and blasted out his own image of violence and the furious power of the sea in storm it didnÆt do much to shake the sway of PhirunÆs dominant and claustrophobic image on the street For all that the man appeared foolish for demanding to be called a King his power was very real

Yet the cafe owner didn’t even blink when pressured by the two images Nor did she mobilize her own image Which had Han Yazhu narrowing his gaze as he looked over at her Do you think you can intimidate me You are a child and likely

Now now now Suddenly a harried looking man in a police uniform interposed himself between the two groups He looked around and winced at what he saw Because all the windows of the upper floors of the nearby buildings had people pressing their noses to the glass to see what the fuss was about How about we take a step back yea Audrey IÆll gladly pay for this manÆs food

I donÆt want her poorly made dirt Phirun said frostily At the same time as the shopowner snorted and said I wonÆt give it to him

Both glared at each other Phirun raised a fat finger and jabbed it at the older woman You would do well to watch your tone around me Do you think that this city can protect you My kingdom

Something changed in the air before anyone could react

All sounds became muffled for a second Han YazhuÆs breath hissed out through his teeth It felt like there was a beast lurking directly behind him jaws dripping with saliva poised to snap closed on his spine if he were to earn its ire And from the jerky movements at everyone in the area it wasnÆt just him that was subjected to the sensation

There was one clear sound the sound of the monsterÆs breathing Then the smell of musk and dried blood and death wafted forward carried on the humid breath that those invisible jaws behind Han released

In terms of images it was the most horrifyingly powerful that Han Yazhu had ever experienced His mouth was dry his instincts continued to scream at him to not move lest he attracted this predatorÆs attention One of the guards behind Phirun collapsed into a heap while whimpering in fear

The beast closed its ground and the air was filled with the mocking cackle of a hyena Then the image was gone and a man with animalistic features was smiling at the police officer Commissioner Arrietti is everything alright here

The police officer seemed frozen stiff It took a few seconds for him to work his lips and tongue into speaking shape of course Shifloo Everything is fine here

Of course Shifloo said smoothly He glanced sideways at King Phirun and his group

Phirun to his credit recovered quickly Acting like nothing had happened he began walking down the street with his chin raised After a few shaky steps his dozen or so guards followed in his wake

After they had gone Audrey bowed to Shifloo Thank you sir Visitor Would you like anything

How could I possibly take something for just passing by The monster in partially human form waved his hand lightly Audrey bowed again and then Shifloo sighed Well if you insist some of those eclairs I tried the other day

Of course Audrey returned to within her shop and came quickly back out with a small bag in hand Shifloo took the package nodded and walked away with his arm around the policemanÆs shoulders So Commissioner Arrietti have you heard about what Myomb did to the recently constructed Premier Lane

After the partially animalistic man left Han Yazhu gradually recovered his ability to breathe His skin still tickled from the brief exposure to ShiflooÆs image Another few minutes passed before Han could force his hands to loosen from the instinctual grip on the wrought iron table That how

That was the most powerful image that IÆve ever felt Xia said quietly Although she was still looking down at her notebook her pen was completely still And I suppose it would be foolish to assume that Randidly Ghosthound isnÆt more powerful even than that

Could our Zone survive if that man attacked Ann asked with an uncharacteristically serious expression on her face Han Yazhu did some mental calculations on that question and didnÆt like the answers at which he arrived Mutely he went pale and shook his head

“We should perhaps make some changes to our defensive scheme when we return ” Han said heavily

Next to him Le held her chin with both hands and blushed like a schoolgirl who encountered her crush Yes this is exactly right mm That honesty is why youÆre my favorite Han

Chapter 1310

When he walked out of the steam room in the largest bathhouse in Kharon Randidly was surprised how genuinely relaxed he felt It also helped that there were few noises in the empty hallway of the bathhouse other than the sound of water running through pipes overhead The busy emptiness did a lot to set his mind at ease

And despite talking with Lucretia about the loss he felt Randidly dearly needed the peace

That thought made Randidly press his eyes closed But thatÆs exactly what Lucretia was talking about I canÆt avoid this pain I just need to learn to let it be a part of me The prospect was slightly exhausting even to Randidly who was a man who could count on his hand the number of break days he had taken over the past year

While toweling off his freshly trimmed hair he proceeded blithely forward down the hallway into the luxury bath area reserved for KharonÆs elites An ornate series of carvings surrounded a bleak grey door that had been emblazoned with the emblem of the Order Ducis Randidly glanced around to see if this area was different Grim Intuition quickly reassured him that it was not As he had expected everyone was so busy with the preparations for his birthday that he basically had the whole building to himself

Everyone was hard at work So he had time to relax

He pushed on the heavy stone door and it slid open with a silent smoothness that spoke to the workmanship of the hinges Warm interior lights flicked on as Randidly stepped forward and closed the door behind him To his surprise it seemed that the area was one rather large room rather than more hallways and personal baths like the other half of the building

Still it was a good space The rough tiles beneath his feet were pleasantly warm as Randidly walked forward and surveyed the area The hum of Engraved water heaters began spreading out and adding a pleasant fullness to the room that was empty and still

The room was certainly large There were towels and heated stones at the end near him alongside several heavy wooden benches In front of that area was a large pool Deep enough for swimming in some areas with the water pleasantly cool to the touch Perhaps it was RandidlyÆs imagination but he immediately suspected that the water within the pool was uncommonly pure his own reflection he saw in the placid surface had sharp edges

Beyond that was the hot tub and a vat of powdery snow available as alternate ways to clean Which is part of the reason that Randidly was here With echoing footsteps Randidly walked across the bathhouse only accompanied by the sound of his bare feet slapping against the stone tiles Then he stood between the hot tub and snow vat closing his eyes as the steam and cold air wafted upward and pressed against the sides of his body

Randidly took a deep breath Tonight is to show people that we need to stop getting caught up in fights with each other and realize we are part of a play designed by the System We cannot let the current conflict eclipse the looming threats of the Calamities and now there is also the problem of the Epic Danger Zone to address

Tonight is to remind of the importance of images Beyond that it is to demonstrate what a sufficiently powerful image can accomplish

Also if I can IÆd like to warn people about some of the hidden dangers of the System even if that might reveal some of my own secrets in order to make my claims believable

Last but not least I would like to receive a present from my father

Climbing the stairs next to the hot tub Randidly put his right hand into the water Then he winced and fiddled with the glyphs along the side of the hot tub until the temperature spiked upward One problem with post System Earth was that their bodies had become so powerful that it was difficult to achieve the painful heat that Randidly had always savored in showers prior to the System

To KharonÆs credit it seemed they had some workarounds for this Some mechanism quickly engaged and dumped another liquid into the hot tub Very quickly the liquid within became milky likely raising the evaporation point of the mixture And when Randidly tested the temperature again it was indeed pleasantly warm

Not truly hot of course but it would do

who would have thought there would be a day that I remember fondly being forced to hide within a lake of lava in order to survive Randidly thought with a smirk as he lounged in the tub and did his best to ease the tension in his shoulders It was a difficult task Randidly was very aware that today would be a day full of activities that he didnÆt enjoy in the slightest

Talking Mediating Explaining Teaching Placating

Hopefully I will at least get the chance to break up a fight Randidly chuckled to himself Because when the Nemesai contingent arrived it would be rather shocking if people didnÆt react poorly to their presence The deaths at Zone 1Æs football game were still fresh in everyoneÆs mind after all

As Randidly spun his body in the water his eyes caught on a cupboard next to the hot tub Curious he drifted over and slid the wooden door open Within there were several labeled slots where soap were placed Most were empty but there was one that looked like it had been recently refilled

scent by Ghosthound Randidly muttered to himself Then his expression turned extremely sour

It was his first bath in a while but still Using this soap was a little bit embarrassing

Once more Randidly scanned the surrounding area His expression turned extremely aggrieved as he looked back at the cupboard’s interior Why did this one soap have to be the only one available was it unpopular

The sun seemed to set early as though sensing that everyone was filled with anticipation of what was to come Without the sun the temperature quickly cooled but the ambient heat of the industrial forges of Kharon seemed to keep the entire mobile city a pleasant experience

The street was well lit a clear pathway cut through Kharon that led directly toward the venue hosting Randidly GhosthoundÆs birthday The emerald moss spirits swirled around clearly somehow aware of the pageantry of the night They made sweeping movements sometimes appearing more like a flock of infinitesimally small fireflies that spun above the pathway that the strange energy consciousness that they truly were

A night that could convince someone to believe in magic Mrs Hamilton thought with a great deal of nostalgia A night for miracles

Mrs Hamilton Did you hear what I said

Mrs Hamilton sighed and lowered her gaze from the lovely sky and faced the pug faced representative from the Order Fide Of course I heard you Carl but letÆs not jump to conclusions about what the Order Ducis will say about the Epic Dungeon before giving them the chance to speak yes They have been passive in the past but isnÆt this event proof that such a stance is now changing

Miranda The man said with a condescending sigh Despite your status in Donnyton sometimes I am quite shocked by how naive you can be This birthday party is simply a vanity project It can be seen from the Order DucisÆ prior actions

Excuse me but it seems I need to talk with my subordinates Mrs Hamilton said serenely Then she turned away and ignored the manÆs voice as he tried to call Mrs Hamilton back over speak with him They were part of a larger slow procession toward the venue a group content to chat while taking in the unique experience of Kharon meaning that there were several representatives and guests from other Orders who looked over curiously at CarlÆs raised voice Which luckily meant that Carl quickly scowled and fell silent rather than draw more attention to himself

Mrs Hamilton walked briskly forward nodding calmly at some of the groups that gave her curious looks Aside from just the Orders the politicians from Zone 1 were a large percentage of the crowd of meandering people as they examined Kharon during their slow trek toward the event Unfortunately they imitated the representative from the Order Fide in principle if not in obnoxious practice

As she continued forward their whispered conversations and almost snide assurances in the dimming light of dusk all seemed so silly to Mrs Hamilton They played tiny games while walking toward the table of the most powerful man on Earth Did they think that any of this would have much meaning after the evening began in earnest

Too much had happened recently The EarthÆs weaknesses had been exposed at the football game but most of the Zones seemed to think that the weakness was only Zone 1Æs Which Mrs Hamilton expected to be the exact opposite of what Randidly had gleaned from what had transpired

But then she knew Randidly Ghosthound And Mrs Hamilton knew that if Randidly was willing to put himself through the horror of entertaining all these people he would have a plan in place to keep the event on track

The small plans were cobwebs to him He would blow them away without even noticing that they had built up in the small corners of the party that werenÆt worth noticing

Passing a large group that seemed to be the guard entourage of Zone 7 that was looking frantically for any of its leaders Mrs Hamilton finally spotted the woman she was seeking She walked calmly up to Isabella CortezÆs side as the other woman was watching a group of spiraling moss spirits in fascination and cleared her throat

WhereÆs your brother

Isabella glanced over then shook her head Paolo and Kayle took him ahead Apparently with the number of people here the men are worried that the food Kharon provided will run out if they are late

Is it an excuse or are they just excited to get to the spectacle of the party Mrs Hamilton wondered aloud Isabella Cortez snorted as though this was exactly the sort of behavior that she would have expected from her brother Paolo and Kayle Despite her own martial strength Isabella was becoming increasingly disinterested in pursuing such power further Instead she voraciously consumed every bit of political wisdom that she could

Perhaps she felt that her own strength was insignificant Randidly GhosthoundÆs power was the exception that proved the rule His strength could change an entire world but others struggled to imitate his accomplishments So Isabella took her Donnyton studies more seriously

What was ironic was that Mrs Hamilton had started leaning toward the exact opposite conclusion recently

Mrs Hamilton smiled lightly as they continued to walk forward down the lovely street The buildings around them shifted from the bustling city to more commercial and industrial properties as they proceeded forward How much does this girl truly understand about the games within games that we play here Kayle and Paolo might be rushing forward for their own desires but they will test the waters and prepare for our arrival There is much we miss by arriving exactly on time

Truly raising a successor was extremely hard work Mrs Hamilton was alternatively vexed and delighted with IsabellaÆs performance but had to eventually conclude that she had begun to like the young woman so much that it interfered with her previous arrangements for her Although she had intended to be bitingly merciless in training to utilize the soft forms of DonnytonÆs power she recently had been flinching from giving Isabella tasks that would likely leave emotional scars

The sort of emotional scars that Miranda Hamilton used as reminders of the cost of making mistakes And with those scars as her compass the power that Randidly Ghosthound had left in Donnyton had grown to maturity even after he cut ties with them Mrs Hamilton did not believe it to be bragging to say that DonnytonÆs continued political capital was due to her actions and foresight

But it was a tiring business always making sure they were on the cutting edge of the System And a business that Mrs Hamilton could see herself leaving soon After all RandidlyÆs lesson had been extremely clear For what came next they needed power

Mrs Hamilton was starting to believe that she might be better served by focusing her attention on the Skills that would make her individually powerful rather than continuing to prop Donnyton as a whole up

In her secret grey heart of hearts perhaps she could admit to herself that she was slightly jealous that Alana had shed her responsibilities in Donnyton and run away to spend her time riding a fucking dragon

The two women walked in silence until they began to leave the press of buildings and arrived at a broad expanse of greenery The location that would host the party was just a hunched silhouette on the horizon as the stars began to come out but the park itself was gorgeous Not only were the trees and flower beds immaculately manicured but the place was populated by small cocktail tables and large obsidian braziers that filled the place with ambient light

Most of the partygoers appeared to have settled here rather than proceeding into the event hall early Yet individuals in sharp uniforms walked around the wide park with trays of food and drink so it appeared that it was KharonÆs intention to keep here

Mrs Hamilton scanned the area and then turned to Isabella with a smile Ah so theyÆve closed the door to keep us out for now Interesting What do you see

Isabella was much more considered in her examination than Mrs Hamilton had been Her eyes were bright and focused Warlord and his cohort are here already discussing something with a group of ogres Because they donÆt wear any sort of uniform difficult to tell what political power lies behind that ogre

Phirun is surrounded by almost twenty guards very near the building and the table he commandeered is littered with empty champagne flutes He came here mad Nearby Han Yazhu looks exhausted but the three women with him seem excited about something Of everyone itÆs the women at that table that appear to be paying the closest attention to people coming and going between the tables

Some of the Orders are cautiously approaching Zone 7Æs table but likely just for polite greetings Zone 7 still doesnÆt seem willing to provide more support for Orders to move into its land Paolo and Dozer are arguing about something while my brother and Kayle are watching them while looking bored There are more politicians and military people trying to look casual than I can count Theodora Greyman and Mark Rowel are surrounded by people but they are all people from Zone 1 Other than that everyone is avoiding them like the plague

But what group is watching the Zone 1 contingent despite that Mrs Hamilton interjected softly

Pausing in her speech Isabella twisted her neck the smallest bit as though to check but then stopped herself Mrs HamiltonÆs smile widened as the young woman struggled to find what Mrs Hamilton was talking about by relying solely on her memory

I donÆt recognize them But if I had to guess it would be merchants People from Kharon Isabella finally said

Mrs Hamilton nodded Politically everyone will avoid them but because of that isolation less overt forms of support and benefit can thrive Never think that any victory is absolute or any defeat permanent Also what didnÆt you see when you looked around

To her credit this time Isabella answered immediately Randidly Ghosthound himself or anyone from the Order Ducis Sydney from East End or Ace from the Refuge Lucifer from Franksburg Alana Donal and Hank Howard The rest of our Donnyton contingent Helen And also the Nemesai

Just so but I suspect we will get some of those people soon Listen Mrs Hamilton raised her hand to the air and Isabella perked up The wind rustled nearby trees but when the wind died what remained was a few quiet conversations happening nearby submerged in the deep silence of the night

IÆm not sure what I should be listening for Isabella eventually admitted

As if on cue the double doors to the party venue shuddered and then swung open Mrs Hamilton grinned And let the party begin

Chapter 1311

Tatiana pulled the unwilling Wendy behind her as she marched through the maze of modular walls and doors Luckily the Spriggit woman didnÆt weigh much and wasnÆt truly trying to put all of her effort into resisting her She just wore a deeply aggrieved expression as she stared at Tatiana I swear that all I need is a few more minutes of examination I am so close to a breakthrough did you know there as been some organic growth in KharonÆs core as the moss spirits develop more intelligence It shouldnÆt be possible

And as she continued to talk Wendy only built up additional steam Living Engraving is actually a misnomer it would be better to call what Randidly can do self replicating EngravingÆ It canÆt truly grow it can only make itself bigger Yet there are small systemic changes that have appeared in the engraving And if we could figure out the evolution mechanism

Wendy Tatiana sighed and stopped pulling Wendy while they were standing on the plush red carpet of the main hallway This is RandidlyÆs party You can go back and study the engine after the party is over DonÆt you want to celebrate a bit Let loose

No Wendy shook her head so fiercely that Tatiana considered if she had drastically misread Wendy and RandidlyÆs relationship It seems a waste of time especially when we know that Randidly wonÆt care much Better than that wouldnÆt the best sort of birthday gift be for me to figure out the secrets of KharonÆs engines

itÆs not that they secretly dislike each other they are both just workaholics Tatiana rolled her eyes

Nice try Tatiana chuckled out loud She turned away from Wendy and opened one of the side doors into an adjoining room As she peeked her head into the room she looked at the three individuals that were lounging on the low couches of the drawing room Are you three ready Everyone prepared to meet people from Earth

Azriel snapped the book she was reading shut and then looked admiringly at her hands Of course ItÆs quite a delight to just be a normal individual for a while Being a pseudo deity is surprisingly exhausting

Of course we are currently acting on faith that the Earth Golem Emperor doesnÆt cause another economic collapse while you are gone Prince Armgrast said with a scowl Then he looked uneasily around at the ornate walls and shook his leonine head I still cannot believe that our entire world exists inside of Randidly Ghosthound It seems unnatural

ItÆs more accurate to say that the world is Randidly but I see your point Perspective changes are difficult for some people to adjust to Azriel said as she looked at the prince with a sharp smile The man raised his chin and stood with a straight spine

The third individual stood as well albeit much more slowly Tatiana took this chance to carefully examine the expression of Alta Bounty She had a lovely face with high cheekbones but she didnÆt seem to be paying attention at all to the conversation Instead her eyes constantly roved the surrounding area Tatiana had noticed the way that she had been determinedly rubbing at the upholstery of the couch previously

Randidly had warned Tatiana quietly about Alta Bounty and what she had done in the past In actual fact Randidly had just generally asked some of the administration of his inner world about the party and was extremely surprised when she had accepted his invitation to celebrate his birth Tatiana had in fact questioned why he had allowed her to come and Randidly had laughed

IÆm already inviting the Nemesai arenÆt I And the party is about demonstrating the consequences of the System And for that I think she is an ideal candidate to attend

so now while Randidly went through his own preparations Tatiana was effectively babysitting the group from the Alpha Cosmos As though she didnÆt already have enough things that demanded her attention

Tatiana resisted the urge to raise her fingers and rub at her temples Already she regretted leaving Wolfram outside to handle any issues that would happen in the park portion of the evening Better to let the representatives from other Zones eat each other alive than risk spending the rest of the night with a migraine Well if everyoneÆs ready letÆs good ItÆs time to open up the venue

Luckily the group nodded in agreement Azriel and Wendy continued to discuss the scientific implications of the Alpha Cosmos while Prince Armgrast looked dazed and Alta continued to seem distracted by the substance of the surroundings They walked out of the study and then down the hallway to the entrance to the building

The venue was laid out as a giant rectangle The front third of the building was a series of interconnecting dining rooms billiard rooms and libraries in a grid shape Each wall looked extremely solid but they could be rather simply disassembled and reassembled to extend the various rooms This portion of the building was designed to be used by many different individuals at once satisfying their individual needs by changing which rooms they were given access to

The back one tenth of the building was for the catering staff and event workers The kitchens were top of the line and Kharon currently had several chefs on staff In addition the sides of the building were designed thick enough that there was a rather cleverly hidden passageway that enabled people who were aware of it to move relatively unseen along the perimeter

And of course the remainder of the building was dedicated to the vast two story ballroom that would host RandidlyÆs birthday party As Tatiana briskly led the Alpha Cosmos ers forward she checked every room along the way to make sure everything was in place The rooms directly out from the door to the ballroom had all been cleared and the modular walls rolled backward it was a grand passageway prepared for the guests The side rooms were left open for individuals to freely wander

Randidly had wanted to close those side rooms off but Tatiana knew that the people would want to be able to slip off to private locations at a large gathering such as this Not giving them any obvious opportunity to do that would just mean they would find unusual places to plot and gossip Far better to leave the rooms open and allow them the illusion that they are undetected that provide an incentive for people to wander around Kharon

Not that Tatiana was worried about people causing trouble In her mind it was much more likely that some fool from another Zone would wander around and offend someone that would grievously injure them without thinking anything of it And then suddenly it was a political problem better that they just are allowed to play in the surrounding rooms

Finally Tatiana reached the front door and pushed it open The heavy doors shuddered at first but then smoothly pivoted outward to create a three meter space that the guests could use to enter Immediately all of the assembled guests turned to face Tatiana and she made sure that her image was wrapped tightly enough around herself that the mental probes she received wouldnÆt phase her in the least

At the very least itÆs proof people are paying attention to image Tatiana thought as several guards of the various factions made attempts to pressure her mentally She released a beaming smile pretending to be ignorant of the small attacks coming her way A few lessons would need to be taught but that could wait for later

Instead she just kept her bright smile as she surveyed the several hundred individuals who had gathered Thank you all for coming to RandidlyÆs Birthday party Our guest of honor is still preparing but IÆd like to welcome everyone to KharonÆs Glowstone Ballroom

Feel free to explore but for now follow me to the ballroom I have a few more things to stay before this party really gets started

Then Tatiana turned on her heel and began to walk slowly back down the hallway Azriel grinned out at the crowd of people and elbowed the prince in the chest Her eyes began to glow a bright crimson color The image pressure in the area abruptly skyrocketed A bunch of weaklings looking a little too deeply at me eh Rude I suppose I will reprimand these

Tatiana hastily turned back around and took Azriel by the elbow When she spoke it was quietly into her ear so none of the very perceptive people watching would be able to tell what was going on Please let it go for now Tonight the role of punisher goes to Randidly

Bah just because its his birthday he gets to have all the fun Azriel said sourly But she did turn away and follow Tatiana back into the interior of the building The rest of the crowd not realizing that some of them had narrowly avoided the mental equivalent of sticking their hands directly into a fire began to gradually shift and head into the interior

Tatiana walked slowly at first so the closest groups could follow then steadily increased her pace as more people entered into the building Behind her Tatiana heard people making admiring comments about the artistry of the wooden paneling and the rich softness of the rugs but Tatiana just smirked You ainÆt seen nothing yet

Despite her direction that the guests follow her directly for the moment Tatiana didnÆt miss that several groups split off from the pack and investigated the side rooms She rolled her eyes safely facing forward at the head of the sluggish river of bodies likely people would regret missing what she had to say at the beginning

Or the show that was almost guaranteed to occur shortly after that

But eventually TatianaÆs precise steps had carried her to the doors of the ballroom Like all the others they were unadorned and wooden This touch was her decision creating the impression that what lay beyond was exactly what came before A screen of anonymity to hide the valuable core of the Glowstone Ballroom These mundane doors she pushed open with relish

Leading the individuals from the Alpha Cosmos she quickly entered and moved off to the side People filed into the room their eyes widening as they looked around at the ballroom that gave the Glowstone Ballroom its name

The entrance was tiled with marble and immediately to the right and left of the entrance were two wide staircases that led up to the second level Sitting to the side of the left staircase was the table that was covered with the small party favors Next to the right staircase was an open bar Beyond that the low ceiling caused by the second floor ended and the ballroom really opened up

Twelve large gold and obsidian pillars formed the perimeter of the actual ballroom with most of the floor being covered in RandidlyÆs special tiles There was a significant area along the left wall where the food was set up that had normal tile and also a place at the right where gifts were to be placed And in the center of the ballroom there was a small island

On that island was five bulky objects covered in tarps But those were RandidlyÆs demonstrations so for now TatianaÆs gaze moved past them

The lighting in the room was provided by a tight bit of Engraving that Randidly had to do himself It was a much dialed back version of the same energy system that ran Kharon so golden globes of light floated around through the air Randidly suspected that these wouldnÆt be able to develop the same sentience as the moss spirits or at least not nearly as quickly but secretly Tatiana hoped he was wrong

After all the lights were basically drifting around randomly now It would be much easier if they could be trained to distribute their light efficiently

As more and more people enter into the front area and milled about while admiring the construction Tatiana gave a quick speech Now that we are all here the dining period has officially begun YouÆll see the food tables off to the left In addition everyone is welcome to take some of these Engraved amulets as a token of KharonÆs appreciation I believe you will find them quite useful And the bar is open folks please enjoy yourselves

Chapter 1312

Wait Theodora Greyman said folding her arms across her chest as Tatiana made to turn away and speak to a woman that Theodora didnÆt recognize beside her It was a risk to speak out now but Theodora Greyman didnÆt want to leave tonight empty handed She needed to gather a bit of goodwill and this seemed like a good way to do it

When Tatiana turned around her eyes had something in them that Theodora recognized as pity Yes Is something the matter

Even more annoying that this strange woman also looks at me without the faintest hint of respect Theodora thought as her eyes flicked to the white haired woman next to Tatiana

ItÆs difficult for me to simply go on enjoying myself at a party right now President Greyman said rather matter of factly Considering the many threats against Earth These Corrupted Invaders I think it would be best if we spent some time right now discussing how we plan on meeting this threat And meet it as a united Earth I was thinking

I appreciate your dedication to Earth President Greyman but we wonÆt need to waste our time with that subject right now Tatiana cut in

President Greyman didnÆt know whether she should be pleased that Tatiana had reacted as she had expected or annoyed at how dismissive the woman was being Because even with the shame of the recent attack on Zone 1 President Greyman was a much more influential individual on the world stage Did Tatiana really think that she was a pushover Really Is that the official stance of Kharon Because my read of the notification is that there is a hard time limit to the benefits we can receive from the System but the dangers are permanent And not to state the obvious but the rest of us donÆt have the luxury of having our entire city run away from a threat So if we at least donÆt divvy up the Danger Zones we need to investigate

This is a bit earlier than expected but since you are so enthusiastic about this issue Randidly Ghosthound already informed me that he would talk about the Corrupted Invaders later HeÆs already located the Danger Zones that have been corrupted He will distribute the information once he is prepared Tatiana gave Theodora a warm smile As I said such a discussion would currently be a waste of time

Without waiting for more of a response Tatiana turned and ascended the right staircase to the second floor of the ballroom without looking back Some surrounding people spared Theodora a few glances but they seemed more interested in the party favors and open bar than even gossiping about the deft rejection Theodora had just received

Theodora gritted her teeth and spoke quietly to Mark Rowel Think there is a chance that they are bluffing

No Mark said rather bluntly Even Randidly Ghosthound wouldnÆt be able to get away with lying to so many people Nor would I think he cares enough to lie And that woman wouldnÆt have been as ice cold as she was if she was hiding something No I think itÆs better to wait to make a move later I really donÆt believe that nothing dangerous will happen here And once the veneer of invulnerability fades away we will have more leverage

Theodora thought about that for a few seconds and was finally going to respond but she noticed that RichterÆs gaze next to them suddenly sharpened She twisted around to follow the focus of his eyes A man she recognized from being one of the more powerful individuals from Donnyton Kayle had stepped out onto the shimmering black tiles that took up the majority of the ballroom

Light began to bloom underneath his feet as he moved forward

It started small enough that it was easy to miss but by the time that the man had taken three steps outward the radiance had grown to the point that people were turning and looking at the sudden light source Kayle stopped abruptly looking down at the ground and frowning The light seemed to pulse gently sending out ripples over the surrounding ground

And then radiating slowly outward along with the warm waves of light that his contact with the floor was producing President Theodora Greyman felt an image that was strong enough to make the hairs on her arm stand on end A blade seemed to be hovering in the area of the middle of the ballroom incredibly sharp and wielded with deadly precision The could feel the cold steel pressed against the soft veins of her neck If Theodora was to move she had a strong impression that the blade would descend and bisect her

Jesus Richter whispered as he frowned over at the Kayle His favorite coin continued to dance across his knuckles The floor is somehow a conduit to images

Perhaps reaching a similar conclusion at the exact same time as Richter another member of Donnyton leapt out to land on the stardust tiles about ten meters away from Kayle This man who Theodora believed to be Paolo grinned over at Kayle then looked down at the tiles beneath his feet with obvious relish Immediately his own light began to rapidly grow toward the five meter orb of brightness that Kayle now possessed

A new image spread outward in soft ripples Ripples that contained the sounds of a roaring crowd and a bloody champion standing with his arms raised in victory The two images pressed against each other but truly seemed to both exist simultaneously in the air A fascinating layer but one that placed a lot of mental pressure on the surrounding people

There was a change in the lights beneath their feet however They both continued to grow brighter and spread out until they brushed up against each other and then the lights shrunk to a more manageable size Finally they settled at about seven meters in diameter It looked like the two were standing on balls of white fire The light they produced wasnÆt blinding just illuminating With two sources a balance was soon achieved

But then Paolo offered Kayle a wide smile I hope this isnÆt your limit

Kayle simply snorted Then the light beneath them both erupted with all of the violence of an incandescent volcano

Some of the weaker aides that some of the factions had brought to the party were knocked off their feet by the shockwave of images as the two people of Donnyton intensified their contest There wasnÆt a true physical presence associated with the images but it was clear that the floor of this place gave the images a grounding they didnÆt normally have Just by releasing their pure image the two created a clash that everyone could feel and see

TheodoraÆs mind was racing as she stared at the floor Was this material the secret to Randidly GhosthoundÆs strength Perhaps if they could figure out its secrets

Mind if I join The leader of Zone Eleven the man who called himself Warlord walked calmly out onto the tiles There was a flare of brightness and suddenly there was suddenly a third bonfire of light filling the ground The three individuals grinned at each other clearly savoring the chance to have their images clash directly WarlordÆs light grew quickly to five meters and then began to slow its expansion

Around her other forces began to stir The Orders looked at each other and took several steps backward In fact many began to head up to the second floor of the ballroom either to get a better view of the conflict below or in order to track Tatiana down Theodora couldnÆt help but release a weary sigh If these tiles truly helped ground images enough so that they could be trained directly Zone 1 likely wasnÆt the only group that would want the secret

Possessing the ability to train images in that way was something they all dearly wanted

This seems fun mind if I join

Theodora twisted back around surprised by who had spoken this time Mrs Hamilton stood at the edge of the normal tiles grinning out at the three men When they didnÆt immediately respond she took that as a yes and stepped out onto the stardust tiles Almost immediately Theodora and several other individuals in the room shivered Mrs HamiltonÆs image induced a deep sense of dread in half the people that were standing around the area and revulsion in the other half

Theodora flexed her hands feeling like her body was slowly being wrapped in spider silk and bundled away to a dark nest Even when the movements of her fingers were free and easy it didnÆt dispel the uncomfortable feeling

The tiles reflected the difference in this image too While the other three had been relatively equal in strength in brightness Mrs HamiltonÆs image arrived and grew larger and larger until the other threeÆs images began to dim Theodora Greyman wasnÆt sure how reliable the tiles were in terms of magnitude but it looked like Mrs Hamilton was one third again as powerful as the other three people on the floor Her light source was probably nearing ten meters in diameter

So thatÆs Donnyton huh Richter said quietly To TheodoraÆs surprise the partially paralyzed man was smiling with genuine excitement as he looked over

Is this a joke to you Mark Rowel whispered ominously These people are our competition in a very real way I think itÆs been made clear that the System is designed to make individuals from a world compete against each other for a finite amount of resources And if what Tatiana said earlier is true Randidly Ghosthound already has a vast advantage in terms of information If we are at a disadvantage in terms of both power and information

No I understand this isnÆt a joke Richter said lightly He considered the leader of the Order Valorem for a moment before shrugging But IÆm not going to pretend like I wonÆt enjoy the challenge IÆm tired of spending most of my time in a laboratory I want to test my limits

And with that Richter began to wheel himself forward to join the others on the tiles However he was not alone in that desire Some others joined Richter in descending onto the dark and gleaming tiles There was a towering ogre King Phirun himself a few chosen champions of the Orders and also the woman with white hair who had been standing with Tatiana

Truly coming here might be worth it just to see the tiles Theodora thought with a frown But because of the competition it also functions as a natural way to weed out the weaker parties they wonÆt be able to endure images of this level for long in fact even I

The individuals on the tiles spread out so that their images didnÆt mix too directly As it turned out Mrs Hamilton continued to reign supreme as the others began to fully release their image Lights flickered and shrunk as more and more images saturated the floor Most of the people were a little weaker than the original three that went out onto the floor becoming relatively forgettable beacons around the central individuals It was only Phirun who came as a surprise possessing an image that was about halfway between the original three and Mrs Hamilton

And then the woman with white hair coughed lightly This feels like bullying but IÆve felt very stifled in my professional role for the past several months I think Randidly will understand if I let loose a bit now that I have a body again

Then her image spread outward The immediate effect wasnÆt that the previously unimpressive light beneath her feet grew but rather that every other light on the tiled floor began to rapidly shrink Those individuals that had been unimpressive before soon barely produced a glow The original three had their halos of light shrink to about one meter Even Mrs Hamilton was ruthlessly pressed down until she was about half the size of the new dominant force on the floor

As Theodora looked on in alarm at the power demonstrated by this woman she couldnÆt help but notice that the tiles created an aesthetic that was positively cosmic it was like she was looking at a painting of the celestial bodies in the universe

Once the others had dimmed then the white haired womanÆs light began to grow She achieved the largest area for her light reaching almost thirty meters The other people on the tile slowly backed away from her so that they werenÆt standing in the area dominated by her image

Looks like a fun toy ss How about you let us try

Perhaps it was due to the constant press of images against her senses but Theodora was genuinely shocked when she realized that another party had arrived without her noticing

A serpent with feathered wings A human woman followed by an undead bear The raucous grin of the Bandit King The weary eyes of the Obsidian Duke

The Nemesai had arrived at the party of Randidly Ghosthound

Chapter 1313

Even though Randidly knew that he was alone in the bathhouse as he toweled himself off he still surreptitiously glanced around at the surrounding area What he was about to do was agonizingly embarrassing It was only when he was sure no one else was present that he twisted his neck and sniffed his own shoulder

It really does smell pretty good Randidly frowned down at his well cleaned arm and then shook his head So why was there so much of only the Ghosthound scent All the other soaps were gone

Gritting his teeth and cursing himself for spending so much time thinking about this Randidly went over to the locker where he had stored his clothes But of course when he opened up the locker he was met by a wafting smell of sweat and dried blood that had been slowly condensing there for the past fifteen minutes

Randidly grimaced as he looked in at the leather pants and cotton shirt that he had worn for the past several years in the System While it was true he washed regularly his definition of regularlyÆ had certainly been stretched to its limits To his Grim Intuition strengthened gaze an ominous miasma born of male excretions hung over the worn clothes

With a sigh Randidly used telekinesis with Authority of the Burning Heart to float the clothes out onto the warmed stone floor Then Randidly used a blast of emerald and orange fire to annihilate them completing filling the air with foul smelling ash

Congratulations Your Skill Authority of the Burning Heart has grown to Level 130

Congratulations Your Skill Ignition of the Emerald Essence has grown to Level 217

For good measure Randidly utilized ReaperÆs Mantle of Catastrophe to forcefully eradicate the drifting charred remains of his closed To his surprise it was difficult to isolate the particles without damaging the floor as well so Randidly had to spend several minutes concentrating in order to accomplish what he wanted His mind sharpened to a razorÆs edge and he cut away at the offending matter But eventually only a sparkling clean floor remained

Congratulations Your Skill ReaperÆs Mantle of Catastrophe has grown to Level 122

Then Randidly grimaced as he stood naked damp towel over his shoulder and looked down at his handiwork Perhaps now isnÆt the best time to be working on my finer Control with underutilized Skills Better finish preparing for tonight

Randidly retrieved some spare clothes from his interspatial ring and then hesitated as he looked down at his typical combination of leather pants and a loose shirt Then moving with forced casualness he retrieved a second pair of clothes from within his ring and placed them on the bench comparing the two outfits

In a move that displayed an annoying amount of prescience Tatiana had given Randidly the second pair of clothes just in caseÆ earlier in the day while they had been finalizing some minor details The shirt was pretty similar to his regular shirts white linen and loose fitting around his torso only obviously more well made than the typical shirts that Randidly wore

To the point that touching the fabric was more pleasurable than any shirt had a right to be

But the pants were something special They were a dark dark grey silk harvested from the Weavers that had come to Earth They were relatively loose as well and Randidly couldnÆt deny that the material was incredibly comfortable The part that made him slightly uncomfortable was the fact that there were embroidered designs hidden on the left and right legs of the pants

The left leg was done with forest green thread while the right was done with black thread Therefore it was practically impossible to see the embroidery unless the light hit the pants at exactly the right angle A subtle nod to the images hiding in his person

But when the situation aligned the left was thoroughly wrapped in the vast branches of Yggdrasil the tree of life The twisted form of the Grim Chimera with a claw a bone spear and two tails stalked across his right leg

Sorry Ignition Essence we need to work on your memorability Randidly muttered For a few more seconds he glanced between the two outfits but eventually he picked up the outfit given to him by Tatiana with resignation in his heart It wasnÆt that he didnÆt understand the value of wearing such an outfit it was just that Randidly generally preferred not to think of himself as anything but a man who trains Actively choosing the outfit when given other options was a very definite acceptance of the other roles he possessed

But he had already stepped upon the path of a leader Of a King And it couldnÆt be denied that people responded to outfits Tatiana even displayed a surprising amount of care for his opinion by making the decorations of his outfit as subtle as they were So today when he wanted to lead he would take the richer choice of vestments

He would wear the clothes that would correspond most closely with the power that he wielded

Randidly slid himself into the well made shirt actually enjoying how smooth and cool the fabric was against his skin Afterward he carefully put on underwear and pants Despite his general derision toward people who were too vain Randidly couldnÆt help but step up to a nearby mirror and examine himself

Today I try and change the world Randidly said with a tired smile at his own reflection

Tatiana ran her fingertips along the golden banister on the second floor of the ballroom and watched the situation develop below A hush spread rapidly out through the room when the Nemesai arrived in the ballroom Many people standing near the entrance took several nervous steps backward to give the new arrivals space to move There was probably a thirty by twenty meter space at the front but with so many people there already it was positively crowded

They were a bit earlier than Tatiana had expected them but that didnÆt matter This sort of confrontation was inevitable

Even the conflict of images on the dance floor proper seemed to stall out as the Nemesai pulled all the attention in the room to them The ripples of light and images shifted to become more tranquil The whole of EarthÆs elite that were assembled today turned to look at the group that had orchestrated the death of thousands only a short time ago

For a second no one said anything Then Thea snorted Nothing to say I had thought the people of Earth had more spine than that

That statement had Tatiana raising her eyebrows in surprise I had thought it was strange that they were making such an obvious entrance so early in the night but now also antagonizing most of the guests Are the Nemesai trying to incite violence here Or perhaps this is just them acting out againstRanddilyÆs implied threat that compelled them to attend the party itself

But TheaÆs words seemed to have the intended effect there were surges of emotion from around the room that quickly changed the environment from fearful to volatile Tatiana was especially surprised by one man from Zone 1 sitting in a wheelchair who briefly reacted with such a cutting and vicious surge of hatred that it shredded through the confusing swirl of emotions around it That one brief glimpse into the manÆs depths was just as potent as an image

Tatiana made a mental note of the man

Perhaps wanting to savor the reaction the Nemesai began to casually stroll forward through the crowd toward the tiles People backed out of their way faces twisted into grim stares as they considered the Nemesai The crowd was angry but no one wanted to be the one to break the uneasy peace They couldnÆt even respond to TheaÆs words

until Mrs HamiltonÆs voice cut through the heavy mood Jump on in The tiles are certainly a delightful experience

Plenty of room Warlord said with his eyes glittering as he looked over toward the approaching Nemesai

Even Azriel perked up as she looked over at the approaching group Oh I wouldnÆt have believed that anyone but Randidly had an image worth a damn on this planet What a diverting surprise Is the flaming bear coming too

In TatianaÆs mind the sudden tightness around Thea GlasshammerÆs eyes and the way the Winged Serpent abruptly stilled in response to AzrielÆs words confirmed that they were trying for a shock and awe strategy in their entrance And it seemed that three people had already begun subverting that impression So they would need to change their strategy

But the Bandit King didnÆt possess the tact of the other Nemesai

He barred his precious gem encrusted teeth in a snarl Do you think this is a joke I cannot believe that there are people that had the gall to invite us

Enough The Obsidian Duke said suddenly Demonstrate through action There is no need to speak to ones such as these

Ah Tatiana tapped her chin as a thought struck her Perhaps this isnÆt about Randidly at all Perhaps they even would be interested in the meeting normally but the Nemesai are worried what the people of Earth will think if they casually attend the party As though some of their fear of them will disappear So they risk attracting ire by entering boldly in order to leave an impression but why are they willing to go to such lengths to make others fear them

Thea the Winged Serpent and the Grey Lich stayed on the ground while the Obsidian Duke and the Bandit King proceeded forward onto the tiles The Bandit King in particular was already releasing an ominous pressure even before he moved out to join the other people who were testing their images People drifted naturally deeper into the central part of the ballroom as the Nemesai approached Then as soon as the Bandit KingÆs feet touched the glowstone tile a ripple of light ran through everywhere

Once again the smallest and weakest individuals had the light beneath their feet waver and shrink By this round the weaker individuals produced practically no light through their image Even Azriel the dominant force on the floor showed signs of waning as the Nemesai began to wax brilliantly Almost immediately the press of their images blasted outward and filled the ballroom

From the Obsidian Duke there was a strange sort of image of claustrophobic metamorphosis It was possible to feel how the heat and pressure of the ground warped materials into a completely different shape through his mind To the NemesaiÆs credit the process seemed firmly grounded in silence But there was a strange sense of alchemy to it that gave him his persistent ability to absorb damage

Meanwhile the Bandit Duke carried with him a more predictable scent of blood and the ominous feeling of standing on a field filled with freshly deceased bodies His was a figure that was dripping blood and craving more The depraved cravings in his heart were laid bare for all to see The dark oppressive nature of the two images seemed to seem into the air tainting everything they touched

If there is a problem with this floor itÆs that it conveys the images too well Tatiana thought as she frowned down at the action below She managed okay against the pulsing image that pressed against the surrounding area but she could sense that some of the reverberations were penetrating the thick walls of the ballroom and affecting the caterers who were just trying to prepare additional food She quickly sent a message to Wolfram who immediately began to move through the perimeter passages of the building to provide the average people some protection

As for the employees passing out drinks they were mostly selected from the Order Ducis applicants So although they didnÆt necessarily have the strongest images themselves they at least had experience enduring against the power of another personÆs image With exceptionally stiff expressions they continued to drift around the party and offer the distracted guests flutes of champagne

Helen had been only too happy to provide them hands on experience of the agony of enduring through an image It seemed she had quite a bit of frustration to work off after fighting a Randidly who relied only on his physical body

The light beneath the two NemesaiÆs feet continued to swell It seemed that they were familiar enough with each other that they worked together quickly pressuring even AzrielÆs image to shrink to a size smaller than them

Is this really all you have The Bandit King cackled He spread his arms wide in mocking imitation of the image the Paolo was still producing Is this truly the limit of your strength Well then donÆt mind if we tear everything youÆve built to the ground

Fuck you Someone from the crowd spoke up Tatiana stiffened Alta Bounty slowly stalked forward toward the Nemesai her eyes narrowed Smoke drifted up from the corners of her eyes

Chapter 1314

If anyone had bothered to ask Alta why she had decided to accept the invitation to RandidlyÆs Birthday which they hadnÆt she would have scowled at them and replied that being forced to assist the weaklings in the Alpha Cosmos was extremely tiresome This could be a welcome break from that But it was probably lucky no one had asked Because if they had Alta wouldnÆt have been able to deny that the answer she provided was slightly hollow

In the same way that she still was

Sure guiding the insufferable fools dumb enough to choose her out of all the available pantheon was often more aggravating than it was worth Either they refused to recognize their own strengths or they refused to listen to AtlaÆs advice And some of the Classes that they requested she create a lighthouse for it was like most people had no concept of how valuable such an endowment was Or how permanent it would be

Especially with the new rules worked out amongst the members of the pantheon it took significant capital to establish a Class Lighthouse Alta refused to do so casually

Yet beneath all the struggles and annoyances of the job Alta enjoyed it She enjoyed being able to provide futures for these people Even though her core was still filled with spite and fury toward Randidly Ghosthound gradually her desire to destroy waned as she was exposed to other peopleÆs stories Their small tragedies gave context to her own path through life Gradually she had even begun to feel uncomfortable with what she had done

At its core this trip to Earth was a distraction Or perhaps a confirmation of who she was Or maybe it was her way of questioning what she had done Perhaps even this was Alta trying to discover whether she had a mistake to lash out at Randidly for letting his negligence lead her original world to ruin

Yet what she found on Earth was not what she expected It was mundane in the most aggravating There was a polite woman who provided them with egg salad or cucumber sandwiches and spoke to them in this normal space On a bench on a hill overlooking a city diligently belching out smoke This place world with grass and trees and flowers And a place of work disappointment and sweat

She had taken a bite of the cucumber sandwich she had chosen and didnÆt try very hard to listen to what the woman had told them about the birthday party

Alta very quickly felt stupid for imagining Randidly would live in any sort of special world But in her mind Randidly Ghosthound was the closest thing there was to a god It was his inactivity that killed her family and allowed her world to slide toward ruin He possessed the capacity to do great things and he had been too busy to bother with thousands of lives

The world she expected him to inhabit to be a place of power and callous austerity His image of ash that Alta had experienced spoke of a ruined world filled with dust and drifting clouds of regrets But this world

Later as Alta had sat on the comfortable couch in the ornate waiting room in the giant event complex she felt lost This was not what she had expected from Randidly GhosthoundÆs origins Whatever her motivation had truly been it could find no grips on this average looking place

While Azriel Armgrast and Wendy had chatted about the surroundings and the situation with the woman named Tatiana Alta had just looked around It was only when they opened the doors to the event center that Alta had finally glimpsed something that could truly be the origins of the twisted Ghosthound that she had long held in her heart

Her eyes went out over the assembled people most of whom shared the strange angular proportions of RandidlyÆs body that Alta had always wondered about Their limbs had nothing of the grace of a Spriggit after all But just as quickly as she had seen their bodies she had felt their images desires

This was the greatest knack that she had developed as a member of the Alpha CosmosÆ pantheon sensing the images and desires of other parties While in the Alpha Cosmos they had all been intimately tied into the System itself so Alta and the others had been given extra insight into the people they would be helping

But although that access wasnÆt as effortless as it was before Alta had learned enough in her several months of experience to recognize some common factors She could sense the similar movements of the overly System of this place even if she was not connected directly to it So when she looked out at the assembled partygoers she had seen two things dripping off their brows fear and ambition poured in equal measure into a bubbling cauldron of expectation

They craved power but feared the price they would need to pay to obtain it And they were wild too in a selfish way Careless and self obsessed The dark emotions had finally made AltaÆs gaze focus on the situation at hand

When the party had moved to the interior and the function of the tiles had been revealed some of that tension began to come to the surface People surged forward to test themselves and their images against each other and try to eradicate some of the fears that they held in their hearts Although it was somewhat disgusting to watch such blatant attempts Alta could understand the urge to do something while feeling that desperate

It was that very same urge to change something uncomfortable that led her to attempt to destroy an entire world

The initial three that went out onto the floor actually were the purest out of the surrounding individuals Alta could get just a glimpse into their hearts and she saw the genuine love of competition that drove them forward The second wave of people was much more selfish in their desires So much so that Alta wrinkled her nose as she looked out at the group Luckily Azriel moved to suppress those fools who were most desperate to prove themselves

Then the Nemesai had arrived

Alta had a very haphazard understanding of the political situation in RandidlyÆs world mostly because she hadnÆt been listening closely when Tatiana had taken them through what was currently occurring But she had heard enough to know that the Nemesai had recently killed quite a lot of people and Randidly Ghosthound had invited them anyway

That had struck Alta as interesting but she couldnÆt figure out exactly why until now It had been the one thing that remained clear as she had been walking around in a daze Previously that information had been like a key to a door that she couldnÆt find It had just jangled around in the back of her brain frustrating her constantly But as soon as the Nemesai walked into the room she understood why RandidlyÆs actions had seemed familiar to her

She saw it in the sense of being lost that she could feel from the young woman holding a hammer She saw it in the forced confidence of the man with the golden teeth She recognized it in the bleak pessimism in the Winged SerpentÆs eyes Her mouth twisted as she felt the bleak fatalism that the floating lich carried around with him

Randidly treated these Nemesai the same way he had treated her when she had tried to destroy his Soulskill And this night was their chance Or rather it was his chance to teach them a lesson

For whatever reason that infuriated Alta Partially at Randidly but also at these Nemesai for being stupid enough to walk into this place

So as the Nemesai projected their violent images and applied pressure to the surrounding people AltaÆs eyes narrowed Despite the fact that she was just an image body one that she tried to make in her original image she felt a terrible heat coming from her chest Even as she tried to suppress the impulse pressure built inside of her body

And when they started joining hands to suppress Azriel well

Fuck you

Alana paused as she entered into the ballroom flanked by Hank Howard and followed by six blue silver dragons who were glancing around with interest at the human dwelling Wivanya raised her long neck to get a better look at the individual throwing off such powerful waves of fury

What Alana found almost amusing was that all the people scattered about the front area of the ballroom were so fixated on the image battle happening in front of them that they didnÆt notice the dragons only a few meters behind them It seemed that she had been worried about drawing too much attention for nothing there were plenty of eye catching guests attending RandidlyÆs birthday party

Hank sighed I finally thought IÆd get the chance ta play the hero too

AlanaÆs lip curled up in amusement but she stayed focused on the drama unfolding in front of them The woman stalked forward the air warping around her as the heat began to blast outward from her person Her aura was so powerful that you could literally see the amount of heat that she was producing

The two Nemesai standing on the raised platform at the front of the ballroom narrowed their eyes but stepped to the side as the woman passed The Bandit King whirled around to glare at the person who had shouted an expletive at them but his expression faltered as he saw the responsible party and felt the image rolling off at her

where does her power come from Alana thought with narrowed eyes She felt a drop of sweat forming on the back of her neck When she looked at the young woman who was heating the entirety of the ballroom with her presence Alana felt only a minor threat Yet the power of her image was it possible that she possessed a relatively weak body that tricked her Preception

But as Alana watched her the young womanÆs body began to transform She took another step forward and her skin began to redden and scab over as though she was being burned by the heat she was producing When she took another step her torso was suddenly wrapped in a thick metal casing and the center of her body glowed like a furnace

The next step had her wearing a steel helmet but it could be seen by the growing redness along her neck and arms that her burns were only growing worse There were places where her flesh cracked and oozed underneath the unrelenting heat Yet the woman showed no signs of pain simply pulsing with a hungry fury