LoRG 4

The Headmistress Gertrude Collins sighed and shook her head IÆm sorry but I am denying your request

Zack tensed but tried not to let his alarm show on his face considering the current political situation it doesnÆt make sense for me to remain at Kharon Academy when there might be listen if you approve this special dispensation for me to join the Order Ducis

You arenÆt ready for the Order Ducis Zack Headmistress Collins looked at him with heavy eyes You are strong yes but you havenÆt yet cleared the Kharon Labyrinth You know that is one of the prerequisites for the special dispensation But even aside from that your scores in the Squad based exercises are fine but only fine You are strong and powerful but that isnÆt the only aspect that is important The Order Ducis agents will be required to act independently in the field In addition you have a responsibility to fulfill as a member of the Order Ducis you will need to lead and protect civilians

But isnÆt it better to have me out there than to have no one Zack argued His hands behind his back began to shake And no offense but Kharon AcademyÆs Squad exercises you just get random other students placed into your group Some of my members purposefully

Do you think panicking civilians will be any easier to handle Headmistress Collins raised an eyebrow You are strong Zack But you arenÆt ready And in this case my decision is final

Zack was rather numb as he departed the HeadmistressÆs office He walked through the ornate hallways of the Kharon Academy administration building walking out to the wide plaza with a gushing fountain He flicked his wrist and produced a skyboard drawing a hasty Scrawl and shooting up into the air

The cool night air finally woke him up As the Calamity approached so did winter for Expira Slate grey clouds hung low over Kharon and its Sky islands Zack spat out his words into the frigid wind Fuck Fuck fuck fuck

He soared out from the Skyisland and followed a thin trail of emerald moss spirits that spun a road for him through the darkness of the night Zack reached up and scratched furiously at his fuzzy orange hair As he whizzed past several residential skyislands he saw many people gather in small groups and discussing in quiet voices Everyone was talking about one thing the coming Calamity

The President of Zone 1 repeatedly made claims that Kharon and the other Zones were fear mongering but no one was willing to take that chance not after surviving the initial arrival of the System Kharon relaxed its entry requirements and patrolled the periphery of the Zones picking up anyone who sought sanctuary

The populations of Bubble Cities flooded toward more populace areas afraid they would be found and executed Across all of Expira anyone with any sort of prophetic Skill warned that they felt a horrible danger approaching No one could discern the details of the Calamity but it was approaching

Shit Zack said again his eyes watering from the cold as he continued to accelerate on his skyboard The world was walking toward a precipice and here he was staying in one of the safest places on Expira

He couldnÆt stand it He wouldnÆt

His gaze firmed into a scowl He would do something about it Even if he lost his place at Kharon Academy because of it people were in danger

Chapter 1721

The sympathetic bond sizzled then snapped completely into place

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 20

Congratulations Your Skill Yyrwood Flesh of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 407

Randidly released a growl of triumph even as his body was splayed wide by the overwhelming force of electricity coursing through his muscles Each limb was extended as far outward as his joints would allow as though his arms legs and also tail were trying out for a position as the hand of a clock

After the electricity forced his muscles to contract in the middle portion now each individual sell was individually charged through his body Each muscle strand wanted to contract but the prevalence of the crimson electrical serpents in his flesh meant that RandidlyÆs body was forced to extend to its limits

His limbs strained and RandidlyÆs face warped in a twitching grin The sense of pressing against his limits was agonizing but satisfying His tongue was twisting itself with enough force that he felt a portion tear Finally reaching the point that he could totally withstand a single layer of the Fatepiece felt like an accomplishment

Randidly could practically hear his flesh sizzling from playing host to so much electrical discharge Heh Reaching this is impressive but it just makes it even more intimidating that this is only one fifth of the burden within this Fatepiece and the least dangerous kind of strain it contains I do think I can start sharing the burden perhaps with Helen but still

Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Impunity has grown to Level 406

The most difficult part of this Fatepiece was the next step he could only activate second layer of the Hierarchy of Burden while the first was completely handled After hesitating for a few seconds Randidly summoned the Fatepiece to float in front of him The inverted pyramid slowly spun the crimson tip glowing with ambient power A powerful and complete sympathetic bond existed between his body and that ruby tip

RandidlyÆs eyes settled on the crystal translucent layer of the pyramid Well I suppose there is no harm in trying this next layer should be some sort of light radiation

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 21

Almost immediately Randidly felt the shift in the environment He had thought that he was already stretched to his limits by the electricity but somehow RandidlyÆs back found the ability to arch even farther sticking out his chest The sensation was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time Randidly simply felt like he was laying in a tanning bed manufactured sun beating down on him from every angle

Yet the intensity of the rays he experienced

There wasnÆt heat to this inexplicable exposure not truly but it somehow pierced through him with wrathful abandon searing through his skin and muscles and organs and coming out the other side Every part of Randidly was being hit and soaked with this radiation His insides began to prickle and then to sting Vulnerable parts of himself that werenÆt usually damaged were suddenly blasted with a spotlight

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 373

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 374

Obviously not much time has passed for me since I received your message Edraine spoke slowly as she steepled her fingers in front of her on the desk But Octavius and I made overtures to some of our contacts that arenÆt quite as happy with the powers that be but their answers were strange

Edraine slowly parted her hands and rapped her knuckle on the table itÆs like they are waiting for a password that we donÆt know There is a secret related to this issue with Velio Dunn and without being able to prove we are part of the club we wonÆt get any further information These secrets they do originate from my original time But I became part of that horrible Nether Array before the relevant developments I believe

So we know nothing Randidly flexed his fingers anxiously He tried to be worried about the strange situation regarding Velio Dunn but his thoughts kept turning back to Expira

Well thatÆs not actually true Edraine leaned back We have some theories Derived from some of the materials you have obtained from Claudette Beigon Here I want to show you a timeline Octavius has established

Edraine stood up moving with such purposeful slowness that Randidly was finally brought out of his own anxieties to look directly at this alternate aged version of Vualla As his scrutiny became more intense he could sense minuscule ripples of power from her that told Randidly that she had definitely not been idle since she had been liberated from her prison on the frontlines

Her image was deadly his instincts warned him

Edraine tapped her finger against the far wall and the ornate hardwood rippled and vanished In its place was a chalkboard covered in complicated scribbles and lines There truly was a timeline across the top portion while the bottom portion was filled with explanations and arrows indicating when each event happened

The end date of the Second Cohort is a bit murky But it was sometime between 270 and 299 years after the Nexus was founded In fact several of the official accounts and the ones you got from Claudette contradict themselves and each other Its as if different portions of the Nexus experienced the shift at different times Officially this isnÆt an issue historians simply acknowledge that the first two Cohorts were an extremely chaotic time Not only were the Cohorts smaller but the length of time for each was much shorter The Nexus hadnÆt quite realized what it wanted to do at that point Edraine gestured toward the middle of the timeline However there are some interesting points about this particular transition Points that give us clues to what sort of business Velio Dunn might be involved

EdraineÆs long fingers switched to a point much earlier on the timeline She tapped a massive tick mark with her nail I lost my consciousness at around year 254 IÆm a little hazy on the details but there are few things that I do remember I was part of a small military family but we were a subordinate of one of the three main factions at the time however we were a relatively minor subordinate family and I was young I donÆt remember much about who we supported

After the Third Cohort started EdraineÆs hand moved left beyond the middle portion of the timeline The histories all reference The Two Pillars of the Nexus And they call them by name the NLC and Military High Command This was the beginning of the modern Nexus

So one of the main factions was eliminated Randidly said slowly Were the Pinnacle Seekers more unified back then

With a small smile on her face Edraine shook her head This is a tidbit that we obtained from ClaudetteÆs information it is completely unavailable in official accounts But both the NLC and Military High Command were founded about Year 301 or 302 After the Third Cohort began

That made Randidly blink So all three of the original factions from your time

Edraine shrugged Hard to say But letÆs look at other information Direct references to Yystrix are gone from every historical source we could find but there are some more general implications prior to the Third Cohort that she was present in the early days In addition two huge occurrences definitely can be pinned to the transition between the Second and Third Cohorts the disappearance of Elhume from the public eye and the creation of Alymian

So before that Randidly said slowly Elhume wasnÆt stuck within that huge amount of crystalized Aether

Yes And it makes one wonder Edraine gave Randidly a long glance After you saw Velio moving freely even covered by crystal is Elhume as imprisoned as everyone believes Or is there another reason for his strange state

Chapter 1722

Zack Krum kept his limbs as tightly wrapped around himself as possible The interior of the barrel rubbed against his tailbone and elbows unpleasantly He was almost constantly chewing on his lips Part of the source of his tension was the cramped space inside of the barrel but the other part of the problem was that if he moved too much and gave himself away

There was a shudder beneath him and then the transport bargeÆs Engravings engaged Although he could not see it his Skills picked up the spread of energy across the vehicle A sense of vertigo followed them upward as they took off and headed to the dock that housed long range delivery vehicles

Zack pressed his eyes closed the inside of his eyelids as dark as the interior of the barrel A gust of wind jostled the barge which jostled the barrel which rubbed his elbows against the wood Yet even if this was unpleasant this was his choice He was leaving He was going out to make a difference for Expira

Not that Kharon necessarily restricted its students from leaving the city but especially right now the too friendly moss spirits would cling to them and reveal them to some of the patrolling members of KharonÆs defense force Technically they would not force you to remain in Kharon but they would bring you back to complete a withdraw from Kharon Academy before you left

For most of the orphan students who had staked everything to come to the Wandering City that prospect was too painful to bear Sitting in front of the piece of paper that required them to withdraw before leaving most would break down and back down Which was true for Zack as well he blanched just to think about leaving Kharon Academy permanently This way was better As long as he snuck past the outer perimeter he wouldnÆt need to withdraw

They might not let me back but at the very least Zack leaned his head forward and squeezed his temples between his knees In my heart Kharon Academy will always be my home ItÆs given me everything

After ten minutes of morose thoughts with the pain in his elbows steadily increasing the floating barge landed again Which meant that he was halfway to freedom Zack tried not to sweat as he heard the heavy tread of boots around him The teenager thrust his thumbs into each of the small gaps between his fingers for good luck pointer middle middle ring ring pinky The silent sensation of skin sliding across skin calmed him down

I hate biological transportation A low voice grumbled The barge creaked as the man stepped up onto it What is this Stinks like salt

Tank raised Gutfish A womanÆs voice responded Apparently a delicacy brought out of a Dungeon by someone from the Order Ducis Very rare which means very expensive ItÆs a booming industry but they need to be served fresh or else you can taste that stink when you bite into them

So we are hauling barrels of seawater The grumbler continued to grumble and the explainer snorted They both quickly moved around Zack KrumÆs barrel and began to shift the various containers into new positions Zack clenched his fists and said a silent prayer

Mr Ghosthound if you can hear me Let me escape here I know IÆll make you proud

Suddenly it was his turn He pressed his lips together as the container was jerked upward and bobbed toward a new destination With the transport workers’ high Strength and Endurance Zack was betting that the individual wouldnÆt possess enough Wisdom Focus or Perception to notice the small difference in weights between his body and barrel full of seawater Which was a bit of a gamble but this was the best plan he could manage even after weeks of planning

Speed wouldnÆt fool the guards of Kharon So he needed to take advantage of the few areas governed by greedy enough individuals that they would overlook small problems

But Zack could wait no longer The Calamity had begun Monsters started showing up everywhere harassing and clashing against the various defense forces The constant hordes werenÆt so bad but the Major Warp breaches

Bzz

Both students of Kharon Academy fell silent and twisted around to stare at the new noise A small buzz saw poked out of the top of another barrel and began happily cutting the lid to pieces Sawdust sprayed in every direction As the wood fell away a brass featureless face slowly poked its way out of the container After studying the two stunned individuals the Brass Automaton clambered out and scuttled across the top of the barrels toward them

Hello The brass automatonÆs voice was low but it sounded a bit different than the other BAÆs that Zack had encountered My designation is BA Zeta I am the first experimental automaton brought to consciousness with the GhosthoundÆs Engraving active Like you humanoids I am fleeing this city covertly Perhaps we should journey together

Interesting Todd said with excited eyes You are welcome to join us Zeta Why are you leaving Kharon I didnÆt know that BAÆs wanted to leave the city

Us Zack Krum felt a bad feeling in his heart as he looked at these two weirdos

Unfortunately the other two didnÆt seem to notice his qualms BA Zeta nodded I am special And I leave the city to encounter other humanoids on Expira to make a name for myself Very literally I wish to find my own name and not just possess a designation A name is my fondest wish

Beneath them the transport continued to rumble

After discussing the history of the Nexus with Edraine for a while longer Randidly calmed himself down Then he focused his attention on addressing the horrible unease in his chest both figuratively and literally He began examining the situation on Expira

He found both good news and bad news The good news was that while a lot of people were displaced the preparations the Zone governments made were currently sufficient The number of deaths as a result of the monster attacks was still pretty low Each loss of life was painful but Randidly tried not to let himself be caught up too much in the number

However Randidly sensed the general situation and knew things would get much much worse before they got better His Pantheon didnÆt bother to make it obvious that people would need to utilize one of the openings and charge through to the source to stop the attacks so for now the various organizations were just focused on defending

Perhaps more problematic however was the rising number of monsters wandering through the wilderness The defensive preparations were currently sufficient but soon a monster tide would come out of the mountains somewhere and overwhelm the exhausted defenders

Randidly pressed his eyes shut and pulled his attention away This was the Nexus There were only so many dangers that he could handle on his own The people of Expira needed to be ready as well

Chapter 1723

As Randidly was preparing to head back to NrorceÆs farm he received an unexpected message from Commandant Wick

Please consult me on your choice of dress for the Imperium Ball I am an expert in these matters

Randidly stared at the message for several long seconds He wanted to laugh but also somehow was too exasperated to do so That tension built until he muttered out loud Does this man really want to interfere with this faerie tale romance to the point he wants to dress me up for a ball

More than anything else this stunk of Commandant WickÆs crushing desire to control and restrict Even though this was but a side plot for the Commandant to create trouble for Don Beigon he wanted to seize every detail

For now Randidly set the obnoxious issue of how he would dress for this ball aside Instead he picked up his guilt toward Nrorce and opened a portal with the PhilosopherÆs Key When he stepped through to the waiting goblin world RandidlyÆs stomach curdled further Only a short time had passed but the grass was increasingly brown and stiff The clouds in the sky were grey and listless

Aether was more than energy it was image and emotion With no Aether coming into this world it was rapidly fading to a featureless rock

Randidly hurried inside the farm after wrapping his hands with the familiar gloves Of course Randidly could already tell that the formation beneath the farm no longer functioned so the Engraving sigils on the glove were cold and dull He still took great care to suppress his own image reverberations and walked toward NrorceÆs house

Helen was sitting on the stone steps in front of NroceÆs house and looked up as Randidly approached But when she saw his expression she shook her head slowly Nrorce hasnÆt yet left his inner chamber That little pah Representatives from the other goblins are pounding on the doors constantly but he hasnÆt moved I wonder if we should consider it lucky that the doorbells donÆt work any longer

RandidlyÆs heart cooled somewhat and he nodded slowly he probably needs some more time to process this That Aetherium was precious And since he took it out for me IÆll handle the sort term issues of this planet

Randidly raised his eyes to the sky and released a low breath Most of his attention had been on fine tuning his Nether Core and images recently but that didnÆt mean that he lacked the ability to utilize Aether Rather it was safe to say that now that Randidly had his Nether Core the lionÆs share of the Aether based capabilities shifted rightfully back over to Neveah Her ability to utilize Aether was so intrinsic and graceful that Randidly gratefully could devote his energies to other pursuits

Sensing his intent through the Soulbound Neveah directed a huge wave of Aether out of the whirlpool of energy she maintained between them All at once Randidly skin was singing with the vibrant animation of shape and emotion upon which most of the Nexus was based A plume of invisible power stretched upward before beginning to curl in a grand arc spreading over the surrounding surface of the planet

Motes of light glimmered briefly in the air but just as quickly as it came it was gone being absorbed by even the air

The next wave of energy Randidly produced sank slowly into the surface of the ground and slowed the decay of the planet RandidlyÆs features tightened as he sensed the state of the soil Truly how have things on this planet devolved so quickly With this little Aether in the surroundings its a wonder that these people are still alive

Randidly quickly directed a current down below the surface of the farm and into the Engraving there He carefully avoided the main barrier around NrorceÆs farm lest he activate it and give the goblin the wrong idea but he did shuttle energy through the ancillary nodes which distributed out through channels within the ground to various areas

Again and again he kept the current of Aether up gushing out the pure raw Aether into the environment Gradually he spread his reach across the whole planet distributing the energy into currents that

Uh Randidly

Congratulations Your Skill the Wrathful Calamity Rends has grown to Level 264

Congratulations Your Skill the Wrathful Calamity Rends has grown to Level 265

The claws of the Grey Creatures smashed against several of HelenÆs Horror Seeds Both combatants were largely immobilized so the only effect was that Helen growled in challenge The air around her darkened as she conjured more and more of her image

Randidly pressed his lips together She can forcefully suppress the electricity with her image and her body managed to get acclimated to the third level so quickly but ultimately this is probably close to her limit in the short term She simply doesnÆt have my Stats

He set that concern aside for now and mobilized the Grey Creature The image launched itself forward into Helen Depths of Horror Domain Fighting against her from afar Randidly got to experience exactly how powerful Velio Dunn must have been to toy with him just by relying on image projections

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 448

Gradually HelenÆs image forced RandidlyÆs back as she forced herself to move and broke the stalemate between them with several clumsy stabs of her spear In the end the ungainly physical support was surprisingly powerful Randidly furrowed his brow and mobilized every single point of his Willpower into his strikes to slow down her advance The Grey Creature lashed out again and again but the more organically it moved the more Randidly encountered movements or positions that were slightly outside of his understanding of the image In those moments the power weakened and Helen stumbled forward with a triumphant expression on her face

Of course those current failures were more bricks in the foundation of his image But he also now had to face his subordinate’s smirk

IÆve got you now Helen hissed but as she stepped to within spearÆs length from Randidly he shamelessly increased her share of the Hierarchy of Burden to four portions from three Instantly her body began rigid Only through the narrowing of her pupils did Randidly became aware of her incendiary fury

After she had calmed down due to several hours of sparring without the Hierarchy of Burden during which Randidly had unreservedly walloped Helen into submission using his vastly superior base Stats they could finally refocus on other matters Randidly forced himself to turn to a few messages that Tatiana had sent him recently asking for advice on how Kharon could be guided Sighing he sent her a few basic tenants to follow

Prepare for things to get worse Take one task at a time Always move forward

Keep your promises

Randidly spared a few casual moments for actually viewing the rising chaos on Expira as monster raids on civilized areas became more frequent but he rapidly realized that his own training was sharply impacted by that attention

He couldnÆt watch He had made the decision and planned on standing by it He would check in and mourn or celebrate when it was over but until then

Of course what if it doesnÆt end The bleak thought popped into RandidlyÆs head and rusted his joints to stillness What if Expira wonÆt be able to withstand this decentralized Calamity

RandidlyÆs gaze turned heavy his eyes darkened from emerald to the peaty darkness of a swamp Within his chest the expression on the Grey CreatureÆs face grew ever more stark and strained

Chapter 1724

Unfortunately time was not on RandidlyÆs side The friendly sun crept above the horizon shedding warm rays of light WIth an Aether rich environment the entire planet was transformed But that night a baleful star loomed it was the day of the Imperium Ball

Randidly grimaced as he paused and straightened from harvesting cabbages from the once again fertile ground He wiped sweat off his forehead and turned toward the central building on the farm Not even a breeze had stirred that buildingÆs doors these past several days Looks like I canÆt just wait until you come out to talk to you huh

His chest was buzzing with anxiety over the debt he owed to the talented Nrorce but Randidly also knew that everything had its time He had hoped to wait until he possessed the space within his Alpha Cosmos to make the offer but the progress of the Alpha Cosmos was slow Even now he was just finally getting over the discomfort of being stuffed

Perhaps the time until he could safely absorb another planet should be measured in years not months He would need to wait

Yet after the Imperium Ball Randidly was going to throw himself totally into the task of preparing for ClaudetteÆs image refinement That process would consume him for the immediate future and would likely involve time dilation

Of course for now Randidly rolled his shoulders and leaned back down to begin working I should finish the chores before I force the conversation

It was perhaps a form of procrastination but Randidly also knew the prickly and demanding Nrorce well enough for it to be an allowable form

About an hour before noon Randidly and Helen finished all of the tasks He left Helen to struggle against the fourth tier of the Hierarchy of Burden and walked up to NrorceÆs house He ducked under the low threshold and slowly walked into the building He passed the kitchen and dining room and took a half staircase down the bowels of the house sinking even deeper into the ground The hallway was cramped and dark but the wooden floorboards were cool on his feet

Randidly continued walking forward moving past the inside entrance into the spice room and then NrorceÆs private bedroom room Neither of these was his destination Another half staircase led him even further down to a level with stone floors There at end of a short hallway was a small wooden door Randidly released a breath and walked up to the wooden door He hesitated for a second then knocked

The noise echoed in the deep stone hallway that sat nestled several meters deep in the hill But there was no response from within the room even after a minute had elapsed

This is the room Helen said right Randidly wondered The bottom of his feet tingled against the cold stone He knocked again but there was still no answer Feeling like there wasnÆt any other choice Randidly cleared his throat Nrorce

That finally earned a low grunt from within the room but no further response Which was probably the closest thing to acknowledgment that he would get Pursing his lips Randidly pushed open the door and revealed the interior

The first impression Randidly had of the room was how small it was The walls were made of stacked bricks that seemed to lean inward as though the entire structure was about to collapse Obviously it was built on the scale of goblins while the rest of the house had been rather grandly extended to house humanoids this was short and slight The floors were stone in here as well except for a small area covered by a worn grey rug that was smudged with mud and dirt

There was a flimsy dresser against the far wall covered in cheap glass containers that held decaying flowers The only other furniture was a small childÆs bed on which Nrorce was now laying Tufts of straw poked out of the edges of the mattress Even his goblin frame was too large for the bed the heels of his feet dangled over the edge His eyes were blank as he looked upward at the ceiling simply existing Since Randidly had last seen Nrorce the old goblin had also begun to fade The small hairs on his face had grown thin and wispy His blue skin had lightened and greyed

On the ground in front of the bed were several more vases filled with wilting flowers RandidlyÆs eyes flicked sideways to several stick figures that had been clumsily carved into the wooden headboard of the bed Then he refocused on Nrorce Nrorce there is something I wish to discuss with you

Nrorce shifted on the straw bed again raising one of his thin arms and jabbing it at Randidly You probably need to hear this These people all sorts of tiny bug like people they will devour you from the inside if you arenÆt careful They arenÆt worth your time or your energy They are carrion

Randidly gritted his teeth as his face flushed with heat I refuse to simply allow these people to die when I could

Your gratitude is a cheap thing The blue skinned goblin sneered at him You come here to thank me yet when I make a request suddenly you are forcing your morals on me Is that last shred of my daughter that you absorbed truly such a cheap treasure

Rage came first to Randidly as Nrorce resumed his vigil facing the ceiling Then confusion and hesitation Finally everything was swallowed by a horrible sense of loss as Randidly looked at the twisted features of Nrorce Obligation warred against justice The two imperatives marched across his ribs and had their armies crash together between his heart and lungs

Bits of shrapnel flew outward from the conflict and cut a thousand tiny wounds through his organs

Randidly hissed a breath out through between his teeth His fingers slowly clenched into fists Do you truly feel this way

Of course Nrorce shook his head sadly His ear dropped and pressed flat against his head Then he lowered himself back into his laying position He brought his fingers together and returned to his previous position We all for driving her to her death for burdening Ivlin with our need deserve to die

Randidly didnÆt even remember leaving the room but soon he found himself standing out in front of NrorceÆs house Helen was by his side looking at him with worried eyes He stood there and trembled for several seconds Then Randidly released several strong breaths surprised that immediately the surroundings were obscured with the thick water vapor that flowed out of his nose He looked down in surprise and realized that his entire body was steaming he was so incensed that his physical body was responding and shifting into battle mode

Randidly forcefully calmed himself down When his exhales had turned even Helen finally spoke Is everything alright

No Randidly said simply Then he reached up and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his right hand We need to leave If you want you should say goodbye to Nrorce I donÆt think we will be coming back for a while And even if we do

He couldnÆt finish that sentence picturing the abandoned and dead bodies that he had found on those moons in space This planet would become the mirror image of that soon Helen nodded slowly sensing his mood She slipped past him into the house

Meanwhile Randidly turned his attention downward to the delicate arrangement of Aether veins that Neveah had made to feed energy into this world Sensing his intent NeveahÆs consciousness swirled up to him Is this really necessary

No no itÆs not Randidly heart ached as he gripped all those precious Aether veins He could sense each life on the planet each struggling to survive Each of those individuals had been pushed to the limit over the past several years by the NexusÆs cruel allotment of energy and NrorceÆs apathy Which is why its a tragedy

Randidly bared his teeth and ripped all of those Aether flows out of NrorceÆs planet NeveahÆs consciousness flickered I can make a portal At the very least

DonÆt tell me about it Randidly snarled He hunched his shoulders and clenched his hands Then I wonÆt need to lie about it if Nrorce asks

Chapter 1725

Strangely an event that he had been dreading suddenly became a much needed distraction

Randidly met Claudette at one of the side entrances to the Beigon Estate before they headed together to the Imperium Ball Almost immediately she looked over him critically Is everything alright You seem a bit

LetÆs just let it go for now Randidly pressed his eyes closed We have other issues for tonight making it through the Imperium Ball And somehow I think that will take our full attention Or at least I hope it will Randidly opened his eyes and refocused so you said you have some finery ready for me

Claudette clicked her tongue and her expression quickly shifted to a conspiratorial smile At this moment Randidly was glad that she was a woman that could quickly move between masks Her sudden cheer seemed quite genuine Honestly Mr Head Drill Sergeant it is a travesty that you had no clothing for finer occasions at all You have the uniform given to you by the Commandant but the fit is slightly off and it made no allowances for your delightful tail Luckily I have quite a lot of experience with this If youÆll follow me

Randidly allowed Claudette to lead him into the nearby guardhouse while seven of the Beigon Family guards looked balefully after them The interior was deserted and clearly freshly so because there were cards and drinks laying half finished on a table pushed up against the far wall After pulling the curtains closed Claudette waved her hands and conjured a long garment bag that she lowered across the table

She batted her eyelids clearly waiting for pray Randidly snorted and unzipped the bag Within was a tailored suit that had lines remarkably similar to the ones that Randidly was familiar with from Expira The NexusÆ version thankfully didnÆt include a tie For adornment Claudette informed Randidly that he should pin some of his military merits to his chest The suit was a deep forest green so close to black that you could only distinguish the color at the edges Randidly reached in with his fingers and rubbed the material

His eyebrows immediately rose He carefully kept his somewhat jagged edge left arm from catching and tearing the suit This this actually feels quite nice

The shirt was bright emerald in comparison although most of it would be tightly wrapped in the dark suit The flash of color would only peak out at his chest or as the sleeves of his shirt flared a small amount past his suit by his wrists Then with even more fanfare Claudette revealed here seafoam green dress with chiffon trim that added the illusion of waves to her outfit

Without any of her usual playfulness Claudette Beigon set up a screen between the two of them and began changing without comment Or at least Randidly had assumed she wasnÆt being playful But Claudette stood between the screen and the light source on the far so Randidly realized her silhouette was clearly visible on the screen as she shimmied out of her clothes

Randidly rolled his eyes and turned away gradually taking apart the pieces of the finery to wear them As he did so the small smile on his face began to fade At the very least this is a good distraction from NrorceÆs planet

Their previous lives would completely end He assumed Neveah would evacuate the population but the result was only part of the pain

He was being asked to leave all those people to die by someone who had saved his life

Every time he thought about the situation the force of those two desires slammed into each other and for a few seconds no other thoughts were created as they fought for dominance in RandidlyÆs head Randidly eventually had to shake himself and forcefully exercise control of his mind to calm himself Although it was difficult he did not allow his attention to dwell on the issue for now

His tail was honestly the most excited portion of Randidly for dressing up because the suit had a discrete sleeve to allow the appendage to move freely Since becoming heavily involved in the Nether Rituals the relative independenceÆ of RandidlyÆs tail had continued Often he would be distracted out of his thoughts by noticing that some portion of his consciousness was experimenting with Nether Rituals literally behind his back As the tip of the tail flicked back and forth it drew dark lines of energy in the air

As Randidly slipped into the suit the tail happily flared out its luxurious fur and undulated behind him Randidly shook his head wryly and straightened up his collar and cuffs He couldnÆt help but be amazed that the suit fit him so well but then again his dateÆ for tonight really only got to know him after his body was remade He considered her eye for detail while he waited for Claudette to finish

It had been quite a while since he felt so socially awkward as this

Suddenly that strained moment of standing alone at one end of the ballroom and being watched by the various factions was interrupted by the sound of heels clicking across the ballroom Very soon the familiar form of Lady Iellaya emerged from the crowd her raven black hair pulled into an ornate braid A line of black feathers ran along her arms Her dark dress revealed that Commandant Wick and his subordinates should be a part of the grey faction

She walked up to the duo and gave them a very fake smile Why donÆt you come with me There is much to discuss

Randidly nodded and Claudette clung to his arm skirting around the edges of the lower floor of the ballroom and ignoring most of the groups that sipped on champagne flutes and watched them with narrowed eyes Suddenly Randidly noticed beyond the lack of noise in the room and felt the ambient emotion of tension that ran over everything

At the moment a storm was raging in one corner of the venue Bits of emotion so charged with ferocity that they crackled soundlessly through the air suppressed all willingness to talk amongst the present figures And of course Lady Iellaya led them directly to the source

Commandant Wick was a physical force in the corner of the venue surrounded by several other powerful figures Next to him was an almost child sized woman with red inflamed skin who seemed at ease despite the horrible rage leaking out of him but the rest of the individuals were clearly subordinates who were very nervous to see the Commandant in such a mood

Lady Iellaya bowed to the Commandant and stepped to the side The furry soldier eyed Randidly with a sharp gaze from how stunned you were when you walked into the room I can tell that this is a result of incompetence rather than insubordination Humph a small consolation for my reputation amongst my fellow Commandants at the very least have you been preparing for the Grand Dance

Claudette looked at Randidly out of the corner of her eyes He felt rather shitty at the moment because obviously he had not

If you didnÆt know about the Imperium Ball why wouldnÆt you ask me Lady Iellaya sent Randidly a sharp message And honestly he wasnÆt sure how to respond Recently there had been a lot of things on his plate The actions of Commandant Wick utilizing his name to invite Claudette to some Military High Command Ball just hadnÆt seemed very important

The child like woman chuckled The Commandant shook his head slowly Well then there is no need to keep up pretenses at this event Since you have come wearing another color you can just sign up as an independent faction It has not been done since the Fifth Cohort but there is at least precedent

Commandant Wick turned his gaze to Lady Iellaya You may have half an hour free to entertain Mr Ghosthound as he came under me by your recommendation In that time Despite the fact he is not in our faction I would be disappointed if he embarrasses himself too badly in the Grand Dance

Then Commandant WickÆs eyes flicked sideways to Randidly There are only so many youthful liberties that a man like me can endure

Lady Iellaya nodded and led them away As they departed Randidly glanced over his shoulder one last time feeling that the intense emotions that the bearman was releasing hadnÆt dissipated at all But as he glanced backward Commandant Wick was staring down at his drink with a brooding expression Meanwhile the other Commandant caught RandidlyÆs glance and winked at him

Lady Iellaya hurried out to the central portion of the lower floor and pointed out ten divided areas in the middle Each was composed of rows of generally ten square tiles although the middle four tiles of the pattern were joined together in one massive baseÆ tile

As Lady Iellaya began to explain the rules RandidlyÆs lips couldnÆt help but twitch This isnÆt she just talking about a complicated rhythm game This is what the Military High Command does to entertain themselves

Chapter 1726

There are smaller stations on the different floors so we donÆt need to practice out here with everyone watching Lady Iellaya explained as took the staircase to the next floors Randidly rolled his shoulders at the stares he and Claudette received as the wound between the differently outfitted but his stubbornness quickly rose to the surface These might be the most powerful individuals in Military High Command but he gradually thickened his skin to ignore their gazes So we can practice without using the central area for now But since you will be participating as an independent faction

A representative needs to be down in the middle at all times Randidly guessed Lady Iellaya nodded and then shrugged

Of course thatÆs how it works

As the trio moved away from Commandant Wick the ambient emotional pressure started to recede At the same time Randidly didnÆt hold himself back in whirling his Nether Core within his chest and allowing the Stillborn Phoenix to very subtly breath in the emotions to siphon out some of the bite He wasn’t sure if Claudette understood what was happening but his interference dismantled the stuffy pressure around them Both stood straighter even pausing to stop at an ornate food table and filling a plate before following the impatient Lady Iellaya

Of course a single taste of that made Randidly reflexively think that Nrorce was a better cook which brought him back to the whole issue with the goblin Grimacing he lowered his utensil and deposited his full plate in the trash

Randidly glanced around at a few members of the orange faction who continued nibbling at their own foods and very purposefully didnÆt look at him His eyebrows knitted together I came here for a distraction and the off chance I would see Vualla I made a few mistakes in my preparation because I didnÆt think much of this event But that doesnÆt mean I shouldnÆt try to enjoy a party Rhythm games can be fun

Congratulations Your Skill Soul Bond has grown to Level 357

Through their Soulbond Randidly felt NeveahÆs flash of pleasure at that thought and he had to roll his eyes Then he gestured for the nervous looking Lady Iellaya to lead him to a side area where four of the grids were laying One of them was in use so that Randidly and Claudette could receive an explanation of how the Grand Dance worked with a demonstration

The publicly acknowledged most powerful Speculum one of the original founders of Military High Command originally created this method of training for his earliest disciples Lady Iellaya said Randidly watched with interest as various symbols and squares lit up and flashed with light before the individual stepped sideways onto that particular square and triggered them in a flash of light The image of this grand Speculum is extremely esoteric focusing on intuition patience and serendipity In the end this method was the only way that he could find to instill those values in his follower

Let me guess Randidly interjected as a way of showing some good cheer Lady Iellaya you arenÆt very good at the Grand Dance are you

Lady Iellaya pursed her lips and snorted But she continued speaking without answer basically confirming RandidlyÆs suspicions The key rules are simple the goal is to trigger the various tiles when they are at their peak brightness which requires an acute grasp of timing But the patterns devised by the talented Speculum are quite mysterious Sometimes the tiles that will light up seem completely random As soon as you are comfortable a new combination will arrive to shatter your understanding

It was at that point watching the sweating gilled humanoid on the tiles struggling to keep up with the rapidly flaring tiles that Randidly realized the most unexpected aspect of the Grand Dance it was silent There was no music accompaniment meaning that the patterns sometimes shifted in confusing ways

Randidly scratched his cheek I mean I guess taking away the music from a rhythm game would make them harder but is there any point to doing so Focusing on serendipity huh just sounds like this Speculum likes torturing his disciples

Neveah whose consciousness flowed in with Randidly to watch the fun began to actually assign notes to the various little tiles and sing along with the pattern Dum didi dum da DA DA DA

Is it truly weakness You and I both know that few can survive the trials of the Path to the Pinnacle The Nether King will die just as so many others have Wick rumbled There is no need to worry

The being doesnÆt rely on Aether How can the usual defenses work against it Tipplin countered She gestured imperiously and one of her subordinates brought her a plate of pickled rodents Only when the man bowed and retreated did she continue to speak around chopping bites of the nasty smelling things But this is why the small threats should be eliminated Alone they are nothing But if they start banding together

And if we took the effort to squash themselves we would exhaust ourselves Commandant Wick countered Then he noticed the change in the air and raised his head He waved a paw We can discuss later with the other Commandants once the Grand Dance has occurred

Commandant TipplinÆs lips curled up into a sneer Heh Do you wish to go and watch your Head Drill Sergeant embarrass himself

Gesturing curtly to his subordinates Commandant Wick headed down to the lower ballroom floor without bothering to answer The alliance between the two of them was made purely out of necessity so he had already grown used to the other CommandantÆs needling There was no point in avoiding this even now every individual at the Imperium Ball was discussing the fact that there was suddenly an independent faction participating Better that he be there as a presence to suppress the rumors then allow them to ferment in his absence

Lady Iellaya came to his side as he lumbered across the fresco floor to the arena of the Grand Dance Apologies Commandant I took longer than the allotted time to instruct the Former Head Drill Sergeant but

Commandant Wick gave her a sharp glance and she blessedly ceased speaking It wasnÆt like he needed the relatively weak Lady Iellaya by his side constantly Any effort to improve the fool boyÆs performance was worth it However there was no need for this thoughtless descendant of the Peregrine Serpents to spread her inefficiency to every curious ear

The other factions shifted into place Normally the leaders stayed at the back of the venue for the event but since Commandant Wick was going to watch the central arena directly the other Commandants would not allow him to be the only face there After everyone was in position an old man with a can walked out of the back and onto the raised platform and stood next to the obelisk that controlled the patterns for the tiles His eyes were rheumy as he looked around at the six factions participating The five normal ones and Head Drill Sergeant Ghosthound

The Ghosthound stood with the Beigon girl surrounded by empty space In fact the other factions had to cluster more closely together to create such a wide gulf of space However despite their independence both kept their heads held high The Ghosthound stood at rigid attention

If nothing else the boy has spine Wick mused Of course as soon as he thought that he had the overwhelming urge to break the Ghosthound But he soothed that response for the moment There was no need to rush this Instead Commandant Wick turned back to the old man

If the old man saw anything strange his expression didnÆt reveal it He simply smiled and began to speak I have the honor of being one of the first disciples to be taught by our Lord Speculum using this method When I first began it was simply work It fills my heart with joy to see that the beauty and complexity of my masterÆs methods have spread to fill Military High Command

Commandant Wick scowled inwardly You mean you enjoy spreading the misery around you old goat

The old man delivered the same slow platitude filled speech that he did every year The Commandant quickly stopped listening and turned his attention again to the rigid form of the Ghosthound

The Grand Dance was composed of twenty one secret patterns seven of mild difficulty seven of moderate and seven of extreme difficulty Each faction must send a representative for each or forfeit their place in subsequent rounds Usually different individuals would switch out between rounds so weaker subordinates took the earlier patterns while stronger ones handled the latter

Considering the mental stress so long as the Ghosthound manages to persist through the Mild Patterns I will not hold a grudge Commandant Wick decided His heavy gaze flicked sideways and landed on Claudette Beigon who stood next to the Ghosthound with a polite and empty smile on her face And if she participates two of the moderate difficulty patterns That can be considered enough of a redemption for him

Chapter 1727

Finally the old man was speaking and Randidly walked out onto the floor with the five other representatives The air in the ballroom was strange as three hundred ish bodies remained still while five moved out to stand before the assembled statues The air was thick with powerful images and the attention of powerful figures

One of the moving figures was swaddled in dark grey cloth one wore a bright orange flower another had a pearl necklace the fourth had a vivid purple suit and the final one wore a light pink cape All surreptitiously examined Randidly out of the corner of their eyes as they assumed their positions on the central tile groupings leaving an empty space between each

Randidly cracked his knuckles to avoid thinking about how many powerful individuals were watching him He settled himself on his group of ninety seven tiles The old man placed his hand on the obelisk Is everyone prepared for the first pattern

All six participants nodded Randidly did so with confidence

After talking with Lady Iellaya watching others attempt the patterns and then trying the Grand DanceÆ himself Randidly had identified three main reasons that made the process difficult First and most obviously without the assistance of a music track sometimes strange tiles activated in a manner that would completely catch you by surprise

Still he had a natural advantage Neveah wasnÆt perfect but she rapidly got better and better at making up this musical background At the very least it was an entertaining diversion

Second successfully triggering the glowing tiles required one to identify and release a variety of images very quickly Randidly had noticed in the other practitioners that not only did they need to worry about their mental energy but because most people cultivated only a single powerful image their abilities to respond property to the image components were lackluster to say the least Not that any of the required images were complicated mostly shifting between fire water electricity darkness etc

However to individuals who had no experience conjuring those sorts of elements they were often thrown And just like the rhythm games that Randidly recalled from his college days a single miss could start a horrible chain reaction of failure

In terms of variety of images RandidlyÆs three didnÆt cover everything but he was quite familiar with a lot of different concepts

Finally there was the physical component One needed to physically move and touch the relevant tile while it was glowing The movements were not showy but required a profound control of the body Honestly after trying one of the more intermediate practice patterns Randidly wasnÆt sure whether he would have been able to manage without his tail as an extra limb to touch the tiles

Or rather he wasnÆt sure if he could participate without a reaction so violently that his body would crush the delicate Aether apparati underneath the tile In this regard his monstrous Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae was extremely helpful

Honestly this sort of activity is quite suited for having a bit of fun Randidly bit back a smile

Begin The old man announced And almost instantly the tiles in front of the six participants

Duunn dunn Duunn Dun Neveah began to hum along with the flaring tiles and Randidly stepped forward onto the correct spaces He flexed his toes as he triggered the first several symbols the tiles were normally cool but right as they were about to reach their peak they flared with heat

Randidly stored that information away and rapidly began to follow the lighting tiles as the speed of their arrival accelerated His focus narrowed to the ninety six tiles around him his Grim Intuition tracking every shift in light and heat As Neveah seemed to get a better grip on the cadence her humming sped up and Randidly moved with more confidence The few tiles that required images were easily handled by him He even had time to notice that although the tiles that burned around the edges could be hit whenever they flared with heat at certain points too which he supposed demonstrated the perfectÆ response

His feet flicked out and tapped tile after tile His breathing was even He was confident in his initial assessment This was actually quite a bit of fun

Just as Randidly was trying to use the bottoms of his feet to zero in on the perfect moment the tiles stopped lighting up and Neveah fell silent He looked up in shock and was greeted by polite applause from the watching members of Military High Command Following the lead of his fellow participants Randidly bowed but his internal monologue voice was extremely dismissive

Really no need to applaud We all know that those individuals sent out for this first pattern are mainly here to get experience for future Imperium Balls Most of us werenÆt shoehorned into somehow performing a marathon for the pleasure of Military High Command

None Commandant Wick authoritatively declared

Randidly pressed his lips together and felt a hint of pity for the horned humanoid who had challenged him But as he looked over at that man all his empathy vanished The member of the purple faction was smoothing his velvet suit and nodding decisively No objections To win honor for you Commandant I would risk everything

He thinks he will easily win RandidlyÆs gut bubbled He didnÆt even flinch at the win or die ultimatum Because he was raised in the Nexus Because this is the way that this place is And this is exactly why I cannot slow down No matter what stands in my way This is exactly the attitude that needs to change

Just as the old man with his cane was opening his mouth to speak a new voice cut across the ballroom Announcing the Leader of the Elite Squad Raymund Ballast Joined by the rest of the Elite Squad fresh from their victory clearing out the Fifth Cohort of the Nether threat

The crowd near the entrance of the ballroom parted and allowed the two hundred individuals from the elite squad to walk forward with the muscular three tailed vulpine in the lead They naturally flowed into the empty space which was behind RandidlyÆs tile grouping Raymund’s eyes scanned his former Drill Sergeant Then the foxman looked around seeming to take in all of the strange dress of those watching individuals

Then his gaze came back to Randidly

And just as Randidly realized the worst case scenario for what was happening next Raymund said out loud You are not within the usual factions

I Randidly opened his mouth just in time for Raymund to reach up and rip away the heavy grey mantle that he was wearing

Obviously if our Drill Sergeant wishes to found his own faction we will follow him Raymund announced Behind him DiOrtho Vant Jieu Ronault Vizzeret Clamman Charlotte Wick all of the other members of the Elite Squad followed their leader’s example and cast aside their affiliation with the dark grey faction Then at the very least Raymund had the presence of mind to bow toward COmmandant Wick No offense meant Commandant

Do as you wish Commandant Wick shrugged and when there were no ominous emotional thunderstorms around him RandidlyÆs mood actually brightened That went a lot better than expected Maybe IÆve been believing the Commandant to be a bit more surly than he actually is just due to our one on one conversations Now I just need to survive this challenge

Wait Suddenly the horned humanoid looked worried He looked beseechingly at his own Commandant They they cannot interfere in our challenge

In turn the serpent tongued Commandant smiled casually at Randidly He barely suppressed a shiver Her attention had a physical presence that oozed across his skin Aside from the Frost Matriarch the chilling aura he felt from this tall woman was the most insidious he had ever encountered

Randidly looked at Raymund Have you all done any research on the Grand Dance

None Raymund replied decisively

Randidly shrugged and turned back to the horned humanoid You see They will not be participating Your only foe is me

Ah Meanwhile the old man controlling the patterns had a fond expression on his face Following the Grand Dance with your lives on the line this reminds me of my youth training underneath the Speculum Luckily I was just a bit more attentive than some of my other apprentices allowing me to comprehend my masterÆs teachings for a long time

This is just entertainment to them The muscles along RandidlyÆs jaw flexed

Is everyone ready The old man looked around Let the third pattern begin

Chapter 1728

Although she logically believed that she should feel some sense of tension after Randidly was challenged and forced to put his life on the line Claudette Beigon couldnÆt seem to take the threat of this horned individual that seriously Part of it was the look in RandidlyÆs emerald eyes he looked at his challenger with the sort of pity reserved for a carnivore that was happily devouring poisoned meat

Another part of it came from the general sense of being unable to quite capture him that Claudette experienced while watching Randidly Ghosthound There was a sense of unpredictability of adventure Even now surrounded by powerful individuals in the Nexus he could focus on the task in front of him After being able to survive the destructive forces from when the Nether King and a Speculum fought it would be extremely surprising if this small character managed to seriously threaten RandidlyÆs life

And of course ClaudetteÆs intuition proved true as they began to compete As the sixth Basic Pattern finished and the crowd applauded there was a vicious glee to the noise While Randidly Ghosthound cracked his neck and rubbed his shoulders in preparation for the next pattern the horned humanoid shuddered Sweat was sluicing off his face His purple suit was stained with his perspiration

He looked over at the unflappable Ghosthound with wide eyes and stunk of fear The other factions watched the developments while sharpening their smiles All of his earlier confidence had evaporated

Mr Loas The rheumy eyed officiant cleared his throat causing the sweating man to twist around in surprise The man knocked his cane and favored the horned humanoid with a smile but Claudette knew there was no genuine affection in the expression I have to warn you that you were very close to failing that last pattern Very concerning And the seventh Basic Pattern can be considered a half step into the next tier so be careful

Claudette could practically see Loas shudder underneath the pressure of his knowledge But truly he was an elite raised to excel in the Nexus So even now facing RandidlyÆs indifferent performance Loas did not let himself be distracted by the possibility of failure He stretched his trembling legs I was unlucky with the last one but I refuse to believe that the Head Drill Sergeant will continue to have the patterns go his way

Ah I should clarify The older man continued cheerily His eyes gleamed as he watched Loas The Former Head Drill Sergeant his execution can not be considered perfect but he has not missed a single tile since the very beginning In terms of achievement in the SpeculumÆs methods I would say he is ten times more talented than you are Aiya if only someone had asked for my opinion before making such bold claims the result was apparent after even that second pattern

The horned humanoid began to shake very slightly Meanwhile the old man shared his smile with the others Well then Is everyone prepared Let the final Basic Pattern begin

Instantly tiles began to light up as the pattern arrived with a vengeance Randidly hunched his shoulders slightly and his feet flicked out left and right to touch the palm sized tiles As the speed of the pattern quickened RandidlyÆs tail also became heavily involved While his feet covered the rest of the area the positions directly behind him were covered by the tail In addition Randidly only triggered the non time sensitive tiles with his tail

Meanwhile his feet began to release a dense network of image pulses satisfying the diverse requirements of the pattern Claudette was almost entranced watching the bulging tendons of RandidlyÆs legs as he smoothly moved to follow the pattern Truly there was an element of dance in his coordinated steps Whereas the others appeared to be struggling and the horned humanoid especially was gasping for air Randidly was simply focused

Just barely I can see why this activity has endured as a training method for so long ClaudetteÆs eyes flickered Perhaps it was because she was currently being ignored by the elites of Military High Command but the observer began to float closer to the surface to get a closer look at RandidlyÆs efforts The grace of the movements the flowing aura of the images

When the pattern ceased Randidly huffed out a steaming breath and slapped his cheeks as though to invigorate himself after a tiring exercise Two tiles over the horned humanoid collapsed and wretched out a mouthful of bile onto the gleaming tiles After he finished coughing he looked around with blank eyes With trembling hands he used the sleeves of his suit to clean up his spit up It was clear to Claudette that he had lost his fighting spirit

Such cheap pride The muscular Vulpine next to Claudette shook her head Some of the other members of the Elite Squad nodded in agreement

A low rumble smacked into the air above the tile positions as Commandant Wick narrowed his eyes It was as though a bolt of thunder unceremoniously smashed the air above them with impotent fury But just as quickly as his temper flared it began to wane Shaking his head Commandant Wick folded his arms

If anything LoasÆs trembling intensified If you give me another chance

Perhaps I would have considered it The womanÆs tongue flicked out Her fingers on her parasol tightened had you not implicated my honor And after using that pathetic mouth of yours to drag me into your petty squabble you collapse like this Look at Commandant WickÆs fool subordinate He may be unruly but you are crawling on the ground like a beetle while he stands tall Is there any more need to compare the two of you

Am I being complimented Randidly wondered through his haze of exhaustion Ultimately he tried to keep his distance from the occurrences in front of him and focused on allowing Yggdrasil to continually recuperate his mental acuity The Moderate Patterns were definitely much more draining than the Basic ones had been At this rate Randidly believed he would not be able to complete all of the Moderate Patterns

He pressed his lips together and did his best to recover

So please allow me to handle this personally The snake tongued woman hissed When Commandant Wick didnÆt respond Loas went pale but obediently stood and walked to the womanÆs side Another representative of the purple faction went down onto the tiles The snake tongued woman patted Loas lightly before gesturing for the old man to continue with the Grand Dance

Meanwhile a thought occurred to Randidly He checked his PP and was rather surprised to note that he had over thirty three hundred just sitting in his Path screen He already knew that he wanted to spend one thousand of that on the World Host I Path ideally to further alleviate the pressure in his stuffed Alpha Cosmos but that still left quite a bit of PP on hand He scanned his available Paths for any that might help with the mental strain

Randidly chewed his lip as he looked at a new arrival to his possible Paths Perseverance of the Energy Maestro huh More than likely this is a result of my manipulation of Nether But it should still help me in this situation Perseverance is a quality that I could use right now

At the cost of one thousand PP it was well within an acceptable price So Randidly quickly finished the path He was surprised to find that he earned 5 Wisdom and Willpower for every hundred PP he poured into the Path Even if it was just those extra 200 Stats Randidly could already feel himself gradually recovering more quickly

But the Path Completion Notification was even more beneficial than Randidly had expected

Congratulations You have completed the Perseverance of the Energy Maestro For a true master of their craft the joy comes not from the flashier accomplishments but from the grand creations that alter the way life functions Your curiosity drives you to pry into esoteric secrets As you have begun to experiment with that grand pursuit your mind has begun to evolve so it might ponder the higher functions of existence

Congratulations Intelligence +100 You have learned the Skill Grand Perspective

Grand Perspective User develops a knack for viewing various aspects of themselves or others from a wider point of view Will increase the likelihood of the user overcoming their own biases and identifying flaws Will grant a slight boost to the userÆs ability to think and manipulate energy on a broader scale In addition user will have an easier time parsing apart massive amounts of details Effects increase with Skill Level

Chapter 1729

Randidly rubbed his chin Overall itÆs really just the last bit that will benefit me right now as IÆm dealing with this sub par rhythm game But even if that effect is relatively minor gaining three hundred extra Stats isnÆt something to sneeze at And definitely once my focus is back on larger Nether Rituals

Haa whenever this damned Alpha Cosmos begins to digest my last meal

Let the third Moderate Pattern begin The old man announced As the tiles in front of him began to light up in rapid succession almost three at a time Randidly shoved all his extra thoughts to the side and threw himself back into the rapid movements required to keep up with Moderate Patterns At this point Randidly couldnÆt keep himself from steaming slightly as Nether and blood swirled through his limbs

When the tiles floor beneath him didnÆt seem to take any damage from the violence of his movements he slightly eased the tight control he kept over his movements The unrestrained motions probably cost him more physical energy but that was something Randidly Ghosthound had in spades

Neveah stumbled in her accompaniment at first causing Randidly to grit his teeth and simply rely on his potent Reaction to keep up with the flaring tiles Luckily with a brief activation of RandidlyÆs The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence to provide an edge Neveah soon settled into the correct rhythm The music of her symphony swelled with confidence led by an aggressive guitar track that kept manifesting zigzagging trails of tiles directly in front of Randidly

Congratulations Your Skill the Grey Creature Glimpses Providence has grown to Level 350

Congratulations Your Skill Grand Perspective has grown to Level 2

The leaves of Yggdrasil rustled Randidly released a breath his eyes steadily glazing over as he allowed the music to guide his movements Several streams of energy flowed in different directions in RandidlyÆs chest as he managed to release the correct images to image tiles while also keeping his own images active to boost his performance

Congratulations Your Skill Grand Perspective has grown to Level 3

Congratulations Your Skill Grand Perspective has grown to Level 4

The various images rubbed against each other as they flowed down to his blurring legs and created some friction but Randidly managed to keep the whole complex network from collapsing

Heh having high Stats is such a cheat way to boost Skill Level growth Randidly thought rather smugly at the notifications that continued to pop up in front of him He still felt somewhat grim at the postponed fate of Loas but that worry gradually loosened as the beat of his heart guided his mood upward NeveahÆs soundtrack to this pattern was much more rock forward than her previous ones as waves of cascading tiles glowed and vanished underneath RandidlyÆs feet and tail

Congratulations Your Skill Grand Perspective has grown to Level 5

Congratulations Your Skill Grand Perspective has grown to Level 19

Plus Randidly was good at this particular task The movements came easily to him and the musical accompaniment had him bobbing his head As Grand Perspective continued to accumulate Skill Levels the messy tasks of releasing pulses of images gradually became easier to manage The net of images straightened and became less frantic

Congratulations Your Skill Grand Perspective has grown to Level 32

When the next Moderate Pattern finished Randidly was sweating but metally feeling no worse than when he started Grand Perspective lowered the processing power required to keep up with the images which was the one area that Randidly was starting to lose ground compared to the fresh faced participants in the Grand Dance Without much fanfare a new group of dancersÆ walked out and replaced the previous cohort Only Randidly still vaguely steaming was left amongst them

How much do all these people know about me Randidly couldnÆt help but wonder

Even worse Randidly was again caught Perhaps he could obtain a similar amount of help from the information Claudette was gathering but he couldnÆt deny he was tempted by the offer

Honestly he had no idea how he would have responded had a voice not cut through the ballroom at that moment

Velio Dunn has been spotted HeÆs burned a wing of the Engraving Guild to the ground

After sheathing his sword Velio Dunn turned away from the sea of flames and rubble The defensive arrays discharged bursts of energy pointlessly into the air All he had left was a shard of his former image but even that was enough to cut through this rabble

The Southern portion of the massive Engraving Guild pyramid had been obliterated

Today he had essentially wiped out the memoryÆ of the overlay System Individuals would still retain a copy of the Status locally as part of their Aether apparatus but the orthodox faction of the Nexus lost access to those billions of data sets And considering the scope of what they lost it would take them some time to reconstruct their surveillance scheme

Now itÆs time to learn a very very forbidden sort of Skill Velio licked his lips Then he twisted in place and vanished even as several powerful members of the Nether Lattice rushed over to surround him and lock him down

He utilized the Nexus Ways even knowing that the shortcuts he understood were probably known better by Lathis NÆGick who would soon be pursuing him His form flickered and glided through the convoluted spatial tunnels surging past the main veins Honestly he had no choice Right now it was a race against time Since the fuckers wanted to guard his old companions Velio needed to obtain a skeleton key

Flames that he had long buried in his chest had been reignited For the first time in a millennia Velio moved with purpose And the only place he knew for sure he could obtain this key was

Velio skidded to a stop in a dark under tunnel of the Nexus Ways The walls were flickering and insubstantial These sorts of places hadnÆt been used since the middle of the second Cohort But there standing talk and scowling with a caustic rage was the feathered Lathis NÆGick

Velio stifled a curse Then he examined Lathis closely just an avatar

Nether bubbled up out of the surroundings and rushed to Lathis as he raised his hand His black eyes were narrowed As he gathered more and more Nether the Aether substructure in the surrounding space began to tremble Against you an avatar is more than enough Your loyalty is misplaced Velio Do not make this more difficult than it needs to be

Velio made some quick calculations about forcefully ripping his way out of the Nexus ways and manifesting in some random corner of the Nexus but he quickly shelved that idea LathisÆ Nether interference made that a death wish He would need to fight against this avatar quickly to escape

He may not be your match but what about me There was a flash of light and then an overwhelming wave of destructive energy rushed past Velio and slammed into the shade of Lathis NÆGick Instantly the Nether was suppressed and the surroundings stabilized

Who the fuck are you Lathis snarled his feathers standing up off of his arms

A woman with blue grey hair and a long scar across her face strolled out of a side tunnel and smiled You may call me Edraine

Chapter 1730

VelioÆs jaw muscles clenched into over strained cords as he studied the woman in front of him After watching this stranger Edraine clobber the projection of Lathis NÆGick he dared not underestimate her Yet at the same time Velio couldnÆt help but find her energies familiar As soon as he placed her he only grew more confused You you were the one to strike at me in the Shaft when I pursued the Ghosthound YouÆve improved in a short amount of time

The ground was still sizzling with the passage of her image As one approached the Pinnacle there was power and then there was power Even though certain individuals below the Speculum tier would possess similarly refined images there could be stark differences between their martial capabilities

The image for peace was simply incomparable to the image for fire

And the woman in front of him the raw and primal waves of energy she could release It was the most devastating image Velio had ever witnessed And he had lived for a long long time

Unfortunately things are not that simple Edraine shook her head and gestured to the charred organic matter that was all that remained of LathisÆs avatar Under normal circumstances such a decisive victory would be impossible Due to some particular circumstances I am in a position to very easily condense drops of liquid Aether However that brief fight drained most of my storage So we should take advantage of this brief opportunity and depart

Velio barred his teeth and ignored the sweat trickling down between his shoulder blades Neither of them moved despite the fact that the orthodox forces of the Nexus would no longer be pursuing them casually Not after Edraine demonstrated enough power to overwhelm a fraction of Lathis NÆGick

Edraine raised an eyebrow after a few more moments of stillness Is there a problem

What do you want from me Velio said bluntly Even if this Edraine claimed that she had used most of her liquid Aether against Lathis he did not believe her She was too calm too confident despite trampling over one of the most powerful individuals in the Nexus Besides even if she just relied on the sort of strike that she had used in the Shaft to delay Velio attacking Randidly Ghosthound he would not be able to escape quickly

Which meant that Velio Dunn now had two options The first was to force his way out of the Nexus Ways and accept that the complex folding of space around these specially made tunnels would both damage him and pop him out in a random area In addition due to the violence of this method it would be very easy for pursuers to follow his trail through warped space They would gain valuable minutes and accomplishing his ultimate goal would become almost impossible

Secondly he could work with Edraine who clearly had come to this location to assist him The crux of the matter was her price

Heh itÆs actually quite simple Generally I want a relationship with you But specifically I desire information Edraine said Although I am your contemporary in age much of my existence was in a peculiar state of hibernation Recently you fought against Randidly and had some seal within you loosened yes I wish to understand why the Nexus reacted to this as though you took a shit on ElhumeÆs chest when that seal disappeared

Several emotions flickered across Velio DunnÆs face He felt the urge to grip the comforting wrap of his bastard sword but suppressed the impulse he didnÆt want to waste time explaining such an aggressive action He had guessed that this figure must be ancient but if she truly was from the Second Cohort yet she couldnÆt tell that horrible conspiracy that had occurred during ElhumeÆs grand project

You were just a common individual before your hibernation Velio Dunn guessed

Edraine favored him with a dangerously jagged smile but didnÆt answer

Both instantly shifted into fighting stances as the Nexus Ways around them began to vibrate The intensity of the seismic activity rose sharply upward until the small debris began to tumble from the ceiling Considering the fact that these reverberations were resonating through Aether before transitioning to the physical surroundings Velio paled to think of how much jarring pressure was near the epicenter

Velio and Edraine exchanged another look neither wanted to find out if that noise was related to the pursuit of Velio If that horrible specter of Elhume that ruled the Nexus was moving personally

I agree to explain Velio Dunn said still ignoring the itching of his hands But follow me first It will be easier to show you the place where it all happened rather than explaining That place is the site of the greatest betrayal in the history of the Nexus Where Elhume revealed his true colors

Maybe it was his visit to Expira and NeveahÆs pleas that he stop viewing himself as a force and more as a person or maybe it was the time since he had last seen her but seeing Vualla now stopped him dead

It was her casual confidence as she met his gaze It was the hint of hurt in her expression as she made the joke It was the faint notes of her image that wafted off of her body It was the lean and athletic lines of her arms as she twisted and the uniform was pulled tight around her shoulders

For a second Randidly couldnÆt even think Even her teasing smile squeezed his chest in a way that was very different from the mental strain of a grand Nether Ritual or the pressure released by Commandant Wick

He looked at her and was simply stunned

Then he forcefully collected himself and continued to walk toward her Of course Vualla didnÆt miss the hitch in his gait She pursed her lips as she studied him ItÆs true what they say about men being visual creatures huh You see me and suddenly remember our bond

Randidly didnÆt know how to answer so he didnÆt open his mouth Instinct whispered to him as he walked forward The heat of their Aether bond scorched his body and space between them Vualla turned fully around and put her hands on her hips She was just opening her mouth to say something else when Randidly followed the instructions of his body he reached out and pulled her to him

VuallaÆs eyes were wide and guileless right up until the moment their lips met

For several long seconds they kissed At first Vualla seemed stunned by RandidlyÆs silent need but then her hands willingly wrapped around him and pulled him in even tighter Randidly even felt her mobilize some of the Nether Weight that she could borrow from him to squeeze him as tightly as she could manage

The physical force and vehemence of their embrace warped the surrounding air Their bodies spoke to each other without language but with need

With these hands we can change everything

Together

Eventually they parted Vualla blinked at him her expression probably mirroring the fuzzy sense of weightlessness that he felt Huh What was that for

Randidly grinned at the and kissed her again He quite enjoyed the pleased expression on her face as he did so

After another few seconds of lip contact Vualla pushed him away Really whatÆs gotten into you You are looking at me like me eyeing a new training regimen

Neveah forced me to address some issues directly To think about myself as an individual sometimes Randidly said His and VuallaÆs faces were only a short distance apart His sensitive skin could feel the heat of her breath as they stared at each other Somehow those cool azure irises eased the stress of his weird confrontation with Nrorce and the Calamity slowly gathering momentum on Expira His hands dropped and settled on her hips And as an individual I missed you

Yes well Vualla tried to keep a smile from stretching her face open but only did an okay job of it I suppose I missed you too

Any news Randidly said His expression shifted to a more concerned frown He had sensed VuallaÆs presence earlier during the Moderate Patterns but had been too focused to really acknowledge it

Vualla grimaced at Randidly and pinched his stomach until he winced Hmph am I really the one with news Huh Which of us has been causing rumor after rumor in the Nexus huhh Besides isnÆt the fact that I missed you news enough

Chapter 1731

Claudette followed the Elite Squad to the Fifth Cohort Rally Station more because she wasnÆt sure what else to do than because she had any business with them Besides the Rally Station was located in the periphery of the space around the Nexus so the force of the aftershocks which occurred about every fifteen minutes was much reduced

Some weird tension she couldnÆt explain finally began to ease as she stood on the distant asteroid with only mild reverberations in the ground Claudette twisted and looked back past the minuscule looking teleportation stations and the shadowy smudge of the Nexus proper behind it Is there really a force that can threaten the Nexus Maybe the Nether King

None of the others appeared to share ClaudetteÆs worries Like a well oiled machine the Elite Squad quickly reactivated the old Engravings and began to do some light physical exertion to distract themselves The recruits hefted strange pillars and began to jog mindlessly in a circle Which left only Claudette and Helen idle

Claudette watched the lovely woman out of the corners of her eyes reading the slight cloud over her mood Considering her own nerves she figured a distraction was in order Ah Helen yes Is something the matter Do you think Randidly

What Helen blinked and twisted around Then she blinked several more times as though completely thrown by ClaudetteÆs presence here She waved a hand vaguely Oh Oh no IÆm not worried about that punk Randidly Just well shit A personal matter

Claudette felt speechless as she looked around at the exercising members of the Elite Squad and the distracted Helen I mean I was used to Randidly completely ignoring my status in the Nexus but its kinda irritating that all of his followers have inherited his particular attitude

Then I wonÆt ask further Claudette offered Helen a polite smile She cast her mind around for some sort of subject to bridge the gap between them but I was here to ask would you like to participate in a spar

Instantly HelenÆs expression brightened Her eyes scanned Claudette critically for several seconds Then she nodded emphatically Ah alright I really could use a way to work off some stress Here follow me Randidly made an Engraving for this as well

Helen led the bemused Claudette away from the huge circuit of Elite Squad members sweating and carrying Engraved pillars to a chaotically cracked basin As they trooped down the dusty and smashed ridges another small rumble echoed outward from the Nexus and set ClaudetteÆs teeth on edge The more she thought about it the more she felt like releasing some stress was a good idea Then after they both warmed up the two women both manifested their images

A halo of cold surrounded Claudette sending a creeping layer of frost out from her feet In her mind that ancient sword stuck in ice released a blinding pulse of light Cool energy rushed through her veins refreshing her and pushing away her worries Opposite her Helen had several smoking swirling masses of wicker blackness that clustered around her weapon Almost imperceptible waves of lapping red energy spread out from her silhouette

The subordinate of Randidly Ghosthound spun her spear expertly and accelerated forward cutting directly into ClaudetteÆs expanding image

Lowering the intensity of her image Claudette lifted her hand and send a cutting wave of cold wind shooting toward Helen Comparing their images it didnÆt seem fair to forcefully suppress Helen so Claudette instead began to brew a casual blizzard around her The wind seemed to sing in her ears She would meet this foe with carefully aimed small cuts

Helen somehow adjusted her direction so sharply at the last second that she swam past ClaudetteÆs howling blast of wind Pressing her lips together Claudette spun three similar icy wind blades together imbued them with an intense feeling of cold to affect the surrounding area then unleashed the net toward the charging Helen

This time instead of dodging HelenÆs points of smoking wicker spun together to form a massive drill in front of her body Then she forcefully broke through the weakest point of ClaudetteÆs attack Some ice condensed on HelenÆs leather sleeves as she charged forward but a pulse of the womanÆs Domain image quickly shattered those lingering notes of an image Her decisive dismissal of her image left Claudette somewhat stunned

Rather than continuing to charge forward Helen decelerated and frowned at Claudette She cleared her throat and spun her spear once more If you donÆt intend to take this seriously there is no point in continuing

I Claudette was speechless I well I apologize I thought due to the differences between our image the spar would be more even if I adjusted myself to your level

Helen nodded without seeming to be offended by ClaudetteÆs words But then the other woman smirked I mean yes your image is more refined than mine but we are not comparing images we are fighting And when we compare combat experience somehow I sense that IÆve looked into the regretful face of death quite a few more times than you have

ClaudetteÆs eyes widened in horror Her image empowered attack took Helen in the chest likely freezing her internal organs and bringing her Health down to dangerous levels Claudette instantly felt regret She lowered her weapon You

Helen thrust her spear forward As she attacked a massive shadow spread in the space behind her From the depths of that darkness a single eyelid trembled and then began to open

ClaudetteÆs instincts served her well She brought the holy sword horizontally across her body and resisted the strange gaze which caused the hairs of her arms to stand on end and her palms to sweat Then she spun around and slashed again this time targeting the attack at HelenÆs left knee This attack also landed A thick rind of frost crusted up HelenÆs thigh

Claudette gestured imperiously sending a wave of frost up from the snowy ground to cover both of HelenÆs feet You are now immobilized

Helen simply stomped and shattered the ice Claudette was stunned by how casual an effort the woman expended to overcome the ice The redness bleeding through the frost on HelenÆs body was darkening toward the color of wine The shadow she dragged behind her continued to stir

How the hell are you doing this Claudette swore in a rare showing of frustration

Helen didnÆt even answer she just charged forward and thrust forward with her spear Growling Claudette brought her frigid weapon around in a sharp arc

Over the next twenty or so minutes the two women clashed again and again in a flurry of motion ClaudetteÆs mood continued to plummet In any sort of direct confrontation Helen was nowhere near her match Her image would freeze the dark redness that Helen released without any suspense

However Helen was an expert at avoiding meeting ClaudetteÆs image directly And if that wasnÆt bad enough the womanÆs body seemed to be made of metal and dreams rather than flesh Many of the attacks that Helen had used to incapacitate much more accomplished Pinnacle Seekers during her training were simply shrugged off by Helen Part of it was the way she manipulated her image even Claudette was stunned by the resiliency of the Depths of Horror If Claudette didnÆt stamp out all of it the energy would rapidly flow sideways in an unpredictable manner and attack her in a different way

But it was also clear that Helen had poured a significant portion of her energy into developing high quality physical passive Skills and related images Otherwise even with advanced Stats it would be impossible for the woman to shrug off ClaudetteÆs attacks

Rather than an image user fighting Helen felt like struggling against a gleeful Nether Gatekeeper

After the battle had ended in a bitter stalemate Claudette sat on the ground and wiped the sweat off of her forehead The spar had depleted her mental energy very quickly very rarely had she encounter such a cockroach like opponent Then she glanced sourly over at Helen The other woman grinned at her looking flushed and invigorated as though she had just gotten out of a hot shower Ha DonÆt give me that look If IÆm being honest the methods I used against you are what Randidly does against me when he wants to use me for his own training haahh I know exactly how exhausting they can be

And unlike me Suddenly HelenÆs expression just turned as sour as ClaudetteÆs You can at least force me back directly with your image Imagine fighting against someone who can shrug off your images either physically or mentally Literally hell

Claudette just grunted

Helen chuckled ” will it help if I admit getting hit with your ice image hurts like a bitch “

Claudette considered her numb and exhausted interior There was no reaction but she still opened her mouth ” worse than it hurts when you are sparring against Randidly “

“Like I said ” Helen sighed “Literally hell Basically any part of his body can impact me and pop me like a balloon You ever feel a limb liquify “

Chapter 1732

Octavius Shrike and Randidly stood in one of the cramped rooms on the ground floor of their baseÆ looking at the activated video terminal on the far wall A live emergency broadcast played across the screen buzzing with occasional distortions from the continuing aftershocks from the shaft Randidly recognized the officious looking flushed skin woman at the podium as the Commandant that was allied with Wick

We know very little about this EdraineÆ aside from the fact that she is responsible for the recent dip in Aether distribution of the Nexus The Commandant announced to the watching reporters She was standing in front of the Military High Command headquarters meaning that the building squatted above the gathering and added an air of seriousness Randidly watched in amusement as all of the minor characters at the press conference raised up small square pieces of metal Engraved to function as both mic and camera Which certainly made their equipment more streamlined Our investigations have revealed that she has affiliations with known malcontents and is determined to undermine the security of the Nexus All relevant information any Nexus citizen can provide is appreciated

Well Randidly said as he casually continued to mentally poke and prod at the Aether constructs around his Class All the previous defenses he sensed were now inert after VelioÆs attack but he still wanted to investigate a bit before he ripped portions out They arenÆt wrong We really do want to undermine the Nexus

Congratulations Your Skill Aether Manipulation has grown to Level 262

Congratulations Your Skill Lesser Aether Inoculation has grown to Level 243

Octavius just grunted and chewed on the thumbnail of his left hand He watched the display terminal with wide eyes Randidly shook his head slightly the rhino man was going to worry himself to death someday He wondered whether Vitality kept cholesterol at acceptable amounts But Randidly admitted that part of the reason that he was taking this news so well was that he was still slightly floating from his meeting with Vualla

For once they had met without any great threat looming above them They had simply been able to coexist

That and VelioÆs attack on the overlay System had given him the opportunity to adjust the observational constructs that had plagued him and earned him some disturbing Paths in the past Neveah hummed along with him her entire focus on his Class Her mental feelers stretched and teased gradually feeling out the various constructs the Nexus had included

Congratulations Your Skill Aether Manipulation has grown to Level 263

The Commandant on the screen continued to speak Despite her small stature and sharp features she effectively conveyed a message of stern dedication to duty Edraine and Velio Dunn are both dangerous and deranged Right now we are pursuing leads that the duo is meeting with contacts amongst the Pinnacle Seekers in an attempt

Can you please explain what sort of leads those are

A loud voice cut across the press conference but even Randidly and Neveah were briefly distracted from their work by the intrusion on screen Randidly tilted his head to the side He recognized that voice The recording devices swiveled around away from the podium and stone steps behind the Commandant and focused on the figure of Neshamah Rex

She wore an orange sundress embroidered with blue flowers looking like she had just come from a casual luncheon Her face bloomed into a smile as everyone stared at her You are suggesting these two individuals have ties with the Pinnacle Seekers So I just want to make sure that Military High Command isnÆt making baseless accusations You donÆt blame me right We all know your history of blaming others So IÆd like to hear about your sources

Unfortunately we are not taking questions at this event The flushed Commandant regained her momentum with each word The heavy building behind her lent its support to her legitimacy She favored Neshamah with a pointed glare Also we will not compromise the investigators by revealing sensitive information Or are you trying to imply that we are not responding seriously to a crippling blow to the System

IÆm saying you are implicating others without proof Neshamah shrugged But by all means continue your press conference IÆve definitely found it to be illuminating

Even through the relatively grainy display terminal Randidly saw the lines around the CommandantÆs eyes tighten The reporters swiveled back and forth between the two women unwilling to miss a single moment Next to him Octavius shivered This if Neshamah is challenging a Commandant so directly then Solomon Rex is behind her And if he feels confident about openly opposing Military High Command

Then Octavius shook himself and looked at Randidly But we should start preparing for the worst case scenarios Edraine is a wanted woman Is there anyone who can link us with Edraine We made preparations for the old messages but I believe now that the Nexus has her in its sights sending her messages will tip them off

Congratulations Your Skill Aether Manipulation has grown to Level 264

Randidly let Neveah to her utilization of his Skills and considered OctaviusÆs question assuming the acquisition of this house is fine then the three who know are Ileot Swacc who has already been dealt with Velio Dunn who probably wouldnÆt betray us at this point and Lady Iellaya And she should still be on our side There are individuals in my Alpha Cosmos who are aware but IÆm working on making sure that the Nexus has no access to them at all

Randidly used the PhilosopherÆs Key and opened a portal directly to the Fifth Cohort Rally Station Randidly stood on top of the Overseer housing building and sucked a deep breath of this familiar wind Standing over the area he was immediately struck by two things the silence and the crackling remnants of a restrictive rigid image

That set RandidlyÆs teeth on edge and he looked around with a sharper gaze Commandant Wick had been here Recently too

Randidly blurred into motion He leapt directly upward and spun around He quickly spotted a gathering of two hundred bodies nearby the physical training area and Randidly kicked off of the air Behind him the wind shuddered and cracked beneath his force He was a missile piercing through the air in a shallow arc His expression rapidly shifted into a grimace the more he moved toward the distant crowd the stronger the lingering scents of restriction became

RandidlyÆs heart began to pound In his chest his Skill The Grey Creature Glimpses Providence began to activate naturally Ripples spread outward through the Nether that flowed in his veins Without any explanation the Grey Creature raised its head to release a keening howl

He landed and cratered the ground Randidly hopped out of the three meter deep hole and his elite recruits turned to look at him Those that were humanoid had pale faces Their expressions were filled with bewilderment fear and pain Randidly walked forward accelerating His toes flexed and contracted digging tiny troughs in the ground as he moved forward The bodies parted or he shoved past them Randidly didnÆt really notice

Raymund stood alone at the front of the group with his shoulders hunched His silhouette heaved with emotion His eyes were wet with tears as he bowed his head to his superior officer Head Drill Sergeant IÆm sorry We I tried but

Randidly pushed past the Vulpine and stepped around DiOrtho who he hadnÆt even noticed in his haste to approach Randidly chided himself for being so careless ignoring the rising sense of alarm in his stomach The ram demon was slumped on his knees his eyes focused In front of him letters had been painted onto the sandy ground with blood

If you want to play with my subordinates IÆll play with one of yours

A strangled noise emerged from RandidlyÆs throat as he read that message The tang of Commandant WickÆs image was sharp and pervasive in RandidlyÆs nose like chemical ammonia The keening cry of the Grey Creature was joined by the rustling of millions of leaves and the horrifying vacuum of endless need His three images began to resonate with each other The turbulence of the flow of his Nether was turning the energy chaotic in his body

RandidlyÆs eyes wandered forward to her body

She was folded like an aluminum chair Her braid was shredded leaving portions of her scalp bald or scratched and her eyeballs had been popped Her hands were drowned hairless tarantulas fingers curling up in all the wrong directions Every joint in her body had been forced back against itself Her mouth was open her just barely pink lips stained with blood and bile Next to her on the ground were several shattered weapons

She was so very very still

Randidly took several steps forward His ears were ringing The noises of his images grew louder His eyes ached He could barely hear RaymundÆs voice behind him He demanded she become his personal servant She told him to go fuck himself

RandidlyÆs body was twitching He became aware that he had wrapped his arms around himself and was squeezing so tightly with his right hand that the warped metal of his damaged left arm was slowly being crunched downward by his fingers But Randidly couldnÆt get his grip to loosen

His body wasnÆt behaving normally Everything felt wrong

RandidlyÆs breaths were heavy as his heartbeat continued to accelerate great steaming breaths that belched out as much steam as the exhaust of a train engine But after he sprayed out that condensation it rapidly dissipated and left him facing a corpse

His limbs felt bloated flooded with eddying currents of Nether

Helen Randidly whispered Suddenly he became aware of the gulf inside of himself that used to house the Aether connection between the two of them That emptiness ached like few things Randidly had ever had to deal with in the past

His grip on his metal arm continued to tighten

Chapter 1733

Shit

Randidly surprised himself with the word waking him up from a strange dream where the world turned flaky and grey and began to dissipate He blinked several times to try and ease the itching around his tear ducts He was on his knees The rustling of Yggdrasil had risen to a roar all of the ambient soundscape was blanketed by a horrifying drone of white noise Everything else was smothered

Somehow he managed to loosen his grip on his arm His trembling hand reached out and pressed two fingers against HelenÆs neck Just in case he gathered an enormous quantity of Aether in his body ready to flood her with it and heal HelenÆs wounds

Randidly pushed away the intrusion His gaze was intense on his fingers refusing to allow his gaze to linger too long on her ruined hands the shredded flesh on her thigh shin and forearm where bones poked out beyond the skin and the sagging organs in her opened chest cavity One thing at a time

One step at a time ThatÆs how

He didnÆt know how to finish that thought

Unfortunately RandidlyÆs Absolute Timing Skill just failed He blinked several more times conscious of nothing but the fragile feeling of HelenÆs skin on his fingers and the roaring noise Yet he had no idea how long his fingers had been there Perhaps the reason he hadnÆt felt a pulse was that he simply had not left his fingers there for long enough

Even in his current state Randidly knew that thought was incorrect His Grim Intuition reported the truth of what was in front of him But he didnÆt dig too deeply into the why right now

He couldnÆt He refused He ached and blinked

He kept his arm still for as long as he could The roaring in his ears grew louder The tightness in his chest lingered But ultimately it was the shaking of his hands that forced him to pull back at this rate his uncontrollable spasms would crush HelenÆs neck

Randidly sucked in a sharp breath and stood He pressed his eyes shut Helen was dead She was killed

Head Drill Sergeant

Through the howling roar of noise in his head a distant voice reached Randidly Creaking like old oak Randidly slowly turned and forced his eyes to open He found a whirlwind spinning rapidly around him and Raymund Ballast barely able to stay on his feet before the violence of the elements

Aether and Nether crackled in a circle three meters in diameter around him and at some point Randidly had activated the Hierarchy of Burden Serpents of crimson electricity swam out from his arms and used jagged jaws to tear at the surrounding space I canÆt even feel these

Randidly dully looked down at his arms almost impressed by how sharply his limbs had shifted even as they were ravaged by electromagnetic forces His fingers were long and deadly ridged with black lacquer armor Golden veins pulsed beneath his skin An enormous segmented tail snapped back and forth behind Randidly scoring the ground in impatient arcs And of course huge pale flames danced across his skin

The entire of his Weight was strained to its limits The air around him whined and disintegrated As his eyes slowly absorbed the details he also noticed that the zone of destruction around him was slowly spreading The combination of image significance and electromagnetic radiation was destabilizing the surrounding space in a cascading reaction

Randidly parted lips as his mind spun Somehow he must have subconsciously activated his image physicalizations and Nether Core with more potency than he ever had in the past Plus he was searing himself with all twenty Levels of the Hierarchy of burden transforming himself into a spatial bomb The thought almost made him giggle but that impulse was devoured by the aching void in RandidlyÆs Aether Crossroads Instead he slowly inhaled and his limbs shimmered and regressed to normal He released the Hierarchy of Burden

He was suddenly just a human standing over the corpse of a friend An emotional fork was inserted into RandidlyÆs gut twisting and swirling his intestines together in a distressing clump

The wind around Randidly died revealing the slumped forms of most of his elite recruits that had been caught in the rapid escalation of power Randidly didnÆt even have the emotional charge to feel guilty as they began to stir Without the subconscious manifestation of his images everything was abruptly silent the tingling soundless left Randidly pained and numb

Wordlessly he turned back toward Helen but not all the way to the messy calligraphy of her body Not right now not with the fork continuing to insistently twist Instead Randidly looked down at the three shattered spears just outside of the reach of HelenÆs twisted fingers and the shattered remnant of her Fate

Next to the black harpoon Randidly knelt again His left arm wasnÆt cooperating so he once again reached out with his trembling right hand Helen had refused to allow Randidly to see her Fate for quite some time She had vehemently refused to bring it out in any of their spars Yet now here in this horrible moment it lay before him

Since Randidly had seen it last the weapon was almost unrecognizable Part of it was probably the strain which had destroyed it and its mistress but the weapon had twisted and thickened and corroded to become an incomparably more gothic implement than the original harpoon The new form made Randidly think of the fire poker used by Satan to invigorate the coals for infernal torture

The weapon combined the cold cruelty of a practiced butcher and the poise of a victorian agent of the crown The handle was roughly wrought but possessed an undeniable aura of nobility Randidly wondered between their spars and her training of the elite squads and her relationships with Neveah and Tatiana when Helen had time to pour so much effort and imagination into adjusting her Fate Even in its current form he felt the budding image that had been planted and cultivated to its current state

Randidly didnÆt bother to dodge He couldnÆt He just stared wide eyed at Helen as her image and physical force slammed against him He took a half step backward and bit his lips with enough force that he tore through his flesh

For a brief moment HelenÆs image flared with power but then she pursed her lips and scowled at Randidly The rising tide of red wine around her ebbed Okay okay whatÆs got your panties in a bunch If you arenÆt fucking ready to actually fight letÆs stop now

RandidlyÆs throat was so tight He looked at Helen until he had to blink away tears to keep his vision from blurring HelenÆs expression transformed from annoyed to serious in a second She tilted her head to the side The casual movement made her braid sway behind her back Randidly WhatÆs wrong

IÆm so sorry Randidly pressed his eyelids shut for several long seconds squeezing out the moisture His shoulders heaved as he bit back a sob A muscle along his ribcage was spasming as he looked at her I should have protected you That was the deal You follow me and I

After feeling how furious Commandant Wick was I should have understood how close he was to going over the edge Randidly thought as he stared at the confused Helen Even with my performance with the Patterns it was never about me It was always about his own pride and prestige And when the Elite Squad visibly tossed their affiliations to his faction onto the ground the lack of emotional reaction wasnÆt because the Commandant wasnÆt pissed

but just because he had decided how to get back at me And I didnÆt even notice

Helen licked her lips as she examined Randidly Something bright dimmed in her eyes Her shoulders slumped and she released a long breath A small pulse of mental strain began to tug at Randidly as the memory diverged sharply from the original Yet at the same time RandidlyÆs Nether Core began to spin with so much furious intensity that the friction of Nether flooding through him produced heat The sensation was scalding

Strangely Helen slapped her face with her palms Then she looked at Randidly with clear eyes IÆm guessing this is your Fatepiece the Dreamcatcher of the Long Night Right now IÆm just a memory Because IÆm a corpse

Randidly shook with more and more intensity

Fuck Helen cracked her neck Her lips trembled Randidly could tell how hard she was trying to stay strong And the little shit that did this to me Did we get them

yea Randidly lied He hunched forward burying his sobs in his lungs

Helen tilted her head to the side Her amber eyes were piercing as she examined him Her expression softened and she reached up to touch RandidlyÆs cheek Her fingers were scorching thatÆs good then But we all knew weÆd fuck up and die someday right ThatÆs why we trained so hard Because thatÆs the sort of world it is

And if you didnÆt actually kill the bastard be patient There was a tremor in her voice HelenÆs arm fell to her side Be realistic for once in your fucking life DonÆt sacrifice everything you are working toward you have time

And also and this is a bit awkward HelenÆs smile was so brittle that Randidly couldnÆt breathe He felt like his shaking was going to break the surroundings and everything would tumble and tinkle to nothing around him My mother is one of the survivors on Tellus SheÆs always been pestering me about well I know this is so shitty of me to ask but can you tell her that you are impotent I never had the heart to tell her that after the first time you never wanted to continue meeting me intimately

ItÆs dumb right That right now All I can think about is the one person who will never think IÆm good enough Helen trailed off as she stared at him hands at her sides Randidly choked back the bastard child of a snort and a sob

DonÆt worry Randidly sucked in a powerful breath through his nose When it comes to feeling like IÆm not good enough no one understands better than me

Randidly Helen smiled at him This isnÆt your

He didnÆt let her finish His Dreamcatcher of the Long Night fizzled and failed leaving him in his dimly lit room sitting on his cot For several long minutes Randidly just sat there and cried

When his tears had dried Randidly knocked his knuckles against the floor His eyes were pale and luminous in the dark room What is the fucking point of having power if I canÆt use it to protect those that are important to me

Nether swirled in his chest rushing into the space but failing to fill the void that Helen left in him A smile with no joy stretched across the face Gradually the fog around him began to clear The wheels of his mind began to turn

DonÆt sacrifice everything you are working toward Helen had said Be realistic

But right now Randidly had found his next goal She was right that he had time there was no reason to charge over right now and force the issue But this was not something that he could forgive

RandidlyÆs smile without happiness stretched wider He opened his right hand and brought the wrought iron serrated blade of HelenÆs Fate Commandant Wick after IÆve taken your precious pride and shredded it to bits IÆll imbed this blade between your eyes Lives are not toys

Chapter 1734

For a while Randidly simply sat

His current reality stood right beyond the threshold of his body lengthening in every direction like a pervasive shadow No matter which direction he turned his head the current reality continued to remind him in a thousand different ways that Helen was dead His closest subordinate probably his best friend too was dead

Randidly kept his gaze fixed straight ahead And against this reality he threw himself again and again He gripped pointless at the space around him with his Willpower just attempting to crush air into tighter and tighter balls

His body remained inert during the whole process He wasnÆt trying to rail against reality or to change it not really But he simultaneously couldnÆt bear to do nothing and couldnÆt find the right steps to escape the pit of his grief Every moment was a fresh realization the shadow remained all around him So he seized the air and crushed

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 449

Randidly could feel Neveah sighing through their Soulbond but she tactfully kept from disturbing him Instead she continued to study the inert Aether constructs of his Class For long stretches of that mental mashing Randidly forgot to breathe Then when would realize the omission he spent several minutes purposefully breathing distracting himself with the sensation of air filling his lungs

Nothing distracted him from the shadow around him for very long

Eventually his restlessness jumped from the mental realm to the physical The longer he sat the cooler and tighter the fist in his chest became His skin began to itch He flexed the fingers of his right hand and methodically worked his jaw cracking it back and forth And from the physical a mental imperative arose that soon that earned unanimous support from his three images

In a move that was very unusual for him Randidly decided to approach this problem with a social touch to start

Rather than any growth spurring this choice he just couldnÆt bear not to acknowledge this horrible action As he typed out his message he kept seeing the twisted form of Helen left on the ground in front of his recruits Only her face was different in RandidlyÆs mind she no longer had bloodstained lips and popped eyes She had that fragile smile from his Fatepiece

Somehow that was even worse

You killed my subordinate Randidly sent to Commandant Wick IÆd like to make sure I understand why

Immediately after he sent the message that cooling core of emotion within his chest began to buzz with heat once more RandidlyÆs Nether stirred uneasily sloshing back and forth in his torso like he was a barrel of salt water This time he noticed as the emotional buzz began to radiate out from his body and activated the Stillborn Phoenix to devour the ambient emotions

Everything snapped back to outward tranquility He cracked his knuckles to pass the time Until the response came and transfixed him

Heh you are surprisingly frank This is why you could be a useful subordinate to me So let me be equally direct at your current strength you are naught but a tool A tool I am happy to use but one who appears not to know his place considering your recent actions Killing that woman will hopefully teach you your own insignificance

It is by MY hand that you could achieve greatness

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed into a tighter and tighter bunch as he focused on the message in front of him He hissed out his boiling hate and didnÆt stop flames of Weight from manifesting across his body Very soon his image physicalizations followed His body stretched and grew his humanoid form sharpened and intensified toward violence The floor began to shudder as the Grey Creature raised its head and roared along with the emotional vibrations The Stillborn Phoenix twisted gravity in the surroundings Both used the stability of Yggdrasil to spread that disturbance to a larger and larger platform

Randidly Claudette said slowly still remaining beyond the threshold of the door The emptiness felt so vast that she would fall into it should she take one more step She chided herself for being dramatic Is everything alright

His neck slowly pivoted bringing his head to focus on her Ah Well yea It will be

Oh Claudette really didnÆt know how to respond to that especially when Randidly then lowered his head and returned to his disturbingly still posture She steeled herself and stepped into the dimly lit room Instantly her nose twitched it smelled like he had remained in here for quite some time At the very least the smell added a sense of mundane to the strange experience The mood continued to be strange but she forced herself to continue Ah Randidly are you prepared Today is the agreed upon date for the preparations for my image refinement I have contacted the Frost Matriarch and received some guidance for my image Now we just need time

It really Randidly seemed bewildered He shook his head slowly side to side His black hair hung across his face How how long has it been since since the Imperium Ball

a week Claudette replied She certainly wasnÆt filled with confidence as she looked at RandidlyÆs disheveled hair his stubble and the torn cot behind him Has he perhaps been preparing with such focus that he lost track of time

A week huh RandidlyÆs expression sagged as though her words had kicked out the supports that propped up his cheeks Then he rolled his shoulders and slowly stood Weirdly even while moving Randidly retained the ominous sense of stillness The individual movements were a series of stitched together frames He had lost his usual fluidity of movement

Every moment ClaudetteÆs instincts whispered that he could spring into motion and shred her Those snapshots failed to capture the something that stitched the moments together into this patchwork and empty whole

Suddenly Claudette also had a difficult time imagining that only a week had passed since the Imperium Ball

His eyes were haunted his expression tense To try and cheer him up Claudette pulled two heavy tomes out of her interspatial ring and offered them to Randidly Ah finally here are the documents I promised you The methods for the Rex Style Nether Cores are a bit archaic in their language but youÆll probably have an easier time understanding it than I do

Randidly shook himself again and raised his metal left arm to take the books Finally seeing him behaving like a human Claudette sighed in relief and passed the books over But after she placed them on his hand the tomes immediately slid sideways and thumped onto the floor Both stared at the invaluable records that were now sprawled on the floor

Claudette pursed her lips and wondered if she had underestimated the seriousness of the change Then her eyes narrowed as she looked at RandidlyÆs metal arm Randidly what the hell happened to your arm

Ah Randidly glanced down at himself Halfway up his bicep there was clearly a deep indent of a grip on the metal limb squeezing it down to only half of the arm’s usual thickness Even worse there were occasional sparks of energy and flaring symbols along the metal limb due to the malfunctioning Engravings on that portion Randidly reached over and rubbed at the finger grooves that had compacted the material Huh well it looks like IÆll have to replace this But thank you These methods will be helpful

Randidly waved a hand and the two books lifted themselves off the ground and then vanished into his dimensional storage Even though his emerald eyes did appear to be focusing better Claudette still felt uneasy She tried a different conversational tack So before I returned to the Beigon State after the Imperium Ball I spent quite a bit of time sparring against Helen She truly is extremely talented

Yea she was Randidly said his voice edging back toward that raw stillness like the broken wreckage after a bombed town after the dust had settled His tone was all fractured glass and the crunch of bones She was my my one and only knight But Helen is now dead That might be why my responses are a bit hollow ItÆs been a rough few days

What Claudette brought her hand up to press against her chest For a few seconds she couldnÆt make sense of what Randidly was saying She could still picture HelenÆs dismissive smirk when she had stopped their spar and demanded Claudette stop holding back

Commandant Wick wanted to teach me a lesson Randidly shook himself again ItÆs been a week well shit But I canÆt just stay in here forever

His emerald eyes flashed as he looked at Claudette The intensity that she saw there hit her with as much force as a hand tightening around her throat Time to get to work

Chapter 1735

Randidly floated alone in the darkness of the Shaft He remained a little higher than usual to avoid the eyes of the Nether Gatekeepers Claudette was back in the Alpha Cosmos preparing with Neveah for the image refinement process

One portion of the work they still needed to do was generate a specific array to expand and magnify her image for Randidly to work during which time Claudette would go into a sort of hibernation Neveah was finalizing the details and refused his help leaving Randidly to make his own preparations

Neveah had taken a few breaks to send him a few increasingly pushy messages about taking some time to process the loss of Helen but Randidly had ignored that

Not because he didnÆt think it might be helpful he admitted that Neveah had been quite insightful about his mental health previously and was likely correct that he would need to cope with the loss before he could move forward

But at the moment Randidly didnÆt want to move forward And he had his own particular methods for coping

Methods that he believed Helen would have also engaged in had he been the one who died

Congratulations Your Skill the Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 361

Congratulations Your Skill the Implacable Price of Exodus has grown to Level 330

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 472

Randidly sat in the projection of his Yggdrasil image methodically tightening his mental grip through the image Waves of heat roiled off the thick and vibrant grass The thick natural architecture of the roots swimming out of the ground now released a blinding radiance of golden light as more and more energy was funneled toward the trunk of the world tree

Those golden streams of energy flowed constantly inward concentrating the force of this image

The massive emerald canopy rustled capturing and corralling the overwhelming heat released by a low looming sun Only due to the shade cast by the World Tree could this planet support life From the high mountain tops nestled underneath the world tree a mixture of water and frigid essence flowed downward providing refuge from the unrelenting force of heat

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 473

Due to his efforts the sun was dragged closer and closer The environment intensified More energy was absorbed by the planet and gathered into those golden flows

RandidlyÆs grip tightened further ignoring the growing headache HelenÆs passing had broken some inherent mental stop that he had possessed The intensity with which he approached his image training wasnÆt exactly stronger but more desperate Perhaps for the last few months as the threat of the Swacc Family eased a part of him had relaxed

Only when reality had thrown weakness in his face did Randidly realize how foolish he had been to ease off his training The Nexus had always been a guillotine hanging above his head If he ever lost sight of that again someone else would needlessly die

For a brief instant Randidly wavered Why the hell didnÆt you reach out If you had maintained our Aether connection even if you lost your body your soul

Fuck Randidly said Then his lips quirked up for a small smile the tightness in his chest eased somewhat when he recalled how foulmouthed Helen had been when they had first met during an under Level 25 Tournament on Tellus Although she had eased up somewhat in the subsequent years she always viewed any developments sourly prepared to be shafted and complain about it

The tightness quickly returned to his chest He chewed on his bottom lip She might have complained but she had never failed him

Then Randidly shoved all those things away and focused on Yggdrasil The heat was sweltering in the dense jungle environment The air was thick and humid He ignored the sweat running down his shoulders and back and simply focused on the details The buzz of insects The growls and stink of the furred animals The flickering figure in the canopy the horrifying specter of death that stalked Yggdrasil with a thousand strands of hair that ended in hands now carrying with her an elegant iron implement with a serrated edge

Congratulations Your Skill the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 319

That last notification earned RandidlyÆs attention Yggdrasil continued to creak and groan between the crushing grip of his focus The leaves rustled uncertainly demanding a change Randidly gradually returned back to his body still slick with sweat Perhaps perhaps I do need to nudge myself in the right direction before Yggdrasil can grow to its next stage Pressure alone isnÆt enough

His attention narrowed to the pitted bark of Yggdrasil covered with glowing symbols that flitted and danced with all the stories in the universe Then Randidly pressed himself deeper digging through the history filled exterior to sink into the core of the trunk And there he found the life giving Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil flowing rapidly through the treeÆs veins

Randidly smiled grimly Waves of heat and energy were concentrated on the trunk rapidly altering the original environment of the Sap With his Willpower Randidly accelerated that process His Nether Core hummed with the resonance between his shape emotion significance and memory

Of course YggdrasilÆs greatest aim to support and nurture it is the World Tree But without tenacity it wouldnÆt have grown to be the dominant organism that it has become Patience and foundation only get you so far

The sea of Nether flames that covered the Yggdrasil environment began to rush along the roots slurped toward the core of the image by the World Tree Randidly raised his head and bellowed his eyes unfocused His head pounded as he pushed himself even further

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 475

An agent of change is needed Randidly clenched his jaw His shoulders shuddered Even if the steps are small when they accumulate

Warning Skill Deviation is occurring

Error Warning please see your nearest Village Spirit

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 476

Randidly tried to breathe but his chest was tied together in knots So instead he forced himself to stand in that sweltering humid environment His body felt heavy and strange after focusing away from it so long Once he was on his feet he wheeled around and then took lumbering steps toward the trunk of the World Tree His bare feet sizzled on the ground The vegetation in the surroundings was wilting and dying underneath the vicious heat Even Yggdrasil couldnÆt resist the rising pressure

RandidlyÆs joyless laughter echoed out through the dying wilderness as he slogged forward Animals hid in their burrows The streams of ice water melt gradually evaporated The previously thick grass began to yellow and wilt all the moisture dragged out by the heat

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 477

The process was grueling but Randidly dragged himself past larger and larger root archways and approached the pyre of seething Nether Flames that was the trunk of Yggdrasil He had long sensed ceased sweating and now simply was baked dry by the heat The surroundings were constantly rumbling driven by image strain and the constant violence of emotions he released As the grass died the ground was revealed and began to crack

To nurture the future Randidly hissed as he sourly considered the last hundred meters to the central portion of his image The selective reality of the image was a bit obnoxious at the moment but he did his best to put it out of his mind One must resolve for the past to be destroyed

In the memory Helen smiled at him Her lips trembled slightly Her eyes were wet RandidlyÆs heart folded inward on itself He didnÆt dare breathe lest he shatter everything and be left with only broken pieces His bare feet moved over dying grass and steaming ground

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 478

Randidly reached out through the Nether flames and touched thick and pitted bark that lined the trunk of Yggdrasil At the brush of his fingers the bark finally ruptured and spat out the boiling sap that it contained When it hit the ground that sizzled and bubbled

Congratulations Your Skill Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil has evolved into YggdrasilÆs Unruly Ichor Skill Level will be maintained

Chapter 1736

The Ichor gleamed in the warm yellow light of the sun Within the bulging curve of those drops of liquid existed raw possibilities

After the Skill transformed Randidly instantly eased up on his mental pressure against Yggdrasil The flames of Nether Weight flickered and then began to shrink The emerald leaves of the World Tree shook almost as though they were heaving a collective sigh of relief The looming sun began to gradually drift backward Without the heat lamp baking the environment the ambient temperature of the surrounding air steadily dropped

Randidly released an explosive sigh that seemed to last for a full minute His body was sticky with sweat and some of the Ichor that had burst out of the massive tree in front of him His eyes observed the emerald Ichor as it seemed to stir on his shin possessing a base intelligence and began to flow down his leg and sink into the dirt ground

A very drained Randidly Ghosthound twisted around and examined the surrounding vegetation to assess damages Even with the shade cast by Yggdrasil the ferns here had withered and collapsed into stiff tan husks Some of the larger bushers clustered underneath the direct shade of the root archways still retained some of their greenery but largely the heat had decimated the flora The area around Yggdrasil had been transformed from a vibrant jungle into a savannah during the dry season

The greenery thinned further away from the trunk leaving the vista to be filled with mostly leafless trees and the exposed bones of the World TreeÆs root system

However now that the heat had returned to more normal levels the meltwater and ice essence began to flow back through the cracked and dry streambeds It would take a while for the cooling flows to return to their prior depths but the land could gradually recover

Randidly pounded his fist twice against his chest his eyes weighing the dehydrated land in front of him Then he reached out and pressed his hand against YggdrasilÆs trunk feeling the abundant life energy contained within the wood Pushed to the brink of extinction but not dead not yet As long as one doesnÆt die anything is possible And also this new Ichor

On the exact spots where the Ichor had splashed out of Yggdrasil all of the dried remnant plant matter had been mysteriously disintegrated by the concentrated energy in the fluid But from those small grassless circles waves of sprouting grass began to steadily poke out of the ground

Congratulations Your Skill YggdrasilÆs Unruly Ichor has grown to Level 320

Congratulations Your Skill YggdrasilÆs Unruly Ichor has grown to Level 352

As the area around him began to bloom and expand with life once more Randidly closed his eyes His senses traced the limits of Yggdrasil His mind worked slowly exhausted from applying pressure on so many dimensions for the past several hours During his circuit he found dozens and dozens of places where the strain had warped his image The inviolable image of Yggdrasil was beginning to fray at the edges

Rather than healing those flaws Randidly pressed his lips together and enlarged them Soon there were hundreds of flaws in the veins and boundaries of YggdrasilÆs roots And from those small flaws YggdrasilÆs Unruly Ichor followed its natural impulse to expand and explore Drops of sizzling emerald liquid chemically overwhelmed any plant matter in the immediate area but then spurred a wave of growth through the surroundings

Randidly pressed his eyes closed The image projection around him faded and he was back in the shaft He was too tired to think but still his mind twisted around and conjured HelenÆs fragile smile His heart ached It didnÆt feel like he was doing enough but he also knew that his image would need time to recover His mind needed time to recover

Randidly bit his lip and drew blood His breathing was very loud in his own ears But then he shook himself and pulled out his Hierarchy of Burden

Nothing serious which I think is the problem from the perspective of the other Zones TatianaÆs expression turned serious More than whatÆs happened to our residents its how weÆve been treated that is beginning to sour our spirits Even though the Wandering City always heads toward the thickest of the Calamity fighting there are undeniably days that we are transitioning between one location and another A break while all the other Zones struggle to defend their own boards from the rising tide of monsters

Neveah pursed her lips as the two women turned and began to walk back toward her cottage Will it mean trouble

Not in the short term Tatiana sighed and shivered They need us especially now that Expira has realized that isnÆt a time based Calamity but one where we need to force our way into one of the breaches to find the source Unsurprisingly suddenly there is an extreme dearth of manpower Donnyton has made too many promises the other Zones will raise a fuss if they pull back too many of their forces from the outer perimeter

Comparatively DonnytonÆs groups are better trained but donÆt they actually constitute only a small percentage of ExpiraÆs forces Neveah asked

Tatiana snorted Her breath steamed out of her nose You would think But itÆs a reputation thing Because Donnyton has it they are reliable and vulnerable a little bit of snide reputation blackmail But anyway thatÆs a problem for Donny and Mrs Hamilton Meanwhile the Order Ducis is being asked to lead the expedition to cleanse the Calamity with some assistance The volunteers mostly come from Franksburg and King PhirunÆs forces And we donÆt have much time to hammer out the details the attacks are getting worse every day

Both fell silent at that Neveah gestured and the two women started their returned journey down the slope and back along the path The grey clouds continued to linger overhead fat with precipitation but unwilling to break open With only a few days left until the month anniversary of the Calamity the tension across Expira was at an all time high In the last several days both Zone 7 and Zone 1 had experienced some high profile breaches of their security perimeter

But even more ominous was the sudden silence from about twenty percent of the known bubble cities in the Wilderness Kharon tried to swing past as many as it could as they shifted from the various battlefields but there was simply too much to do

Admittedly part of the reason that we are pushing the holiday celebration so forcefully Tatiana chewed on the inside of her cheek as they walked through the pristine snow covered wood Is how many people saw the remnants of that Beijing suburb we visited Slaughtering the monster horde responsible wasnÆt enough Right now humanity needs hope

And the other Orders Neveah asked CanÆt they help the Order Ducis

They are also under contract to protect various areas Tatiana huffed The two finally rounded a bend in the path and could see the cozy silhouette of NeveahÆs cottages The windows were warm and orange lit from within by a magical hearth gifted to Neveah by Sydney Harp

Out in the middle of the clearing below the door to the cottage Claudette Beigon sat on the snowy ground in only a t shirt and shorts She claimed that she needed to take the time to thoroughly experience the image of cold that Expira possessed Tatiana inwardly admired the womanÆs dedication even as she would never use the cold as a basis for image not when the training required this sort of practice

Neveah and Tatiana skirted around Claudette unwilling to disturb the womanÆs practice But the two were kicking their shoes on NeveahÆs steps to dislodge ice when Neveah stiffened

Something wrong Tatiana asked

Neveah blinked several times no But just very unexpected Randidly just sent me a message asking me to arrange a funeral for Helen in the next few days He will be attending

Huh Tatiana said She turned her attention inward to the connection between them The bond burned like a metal bar that had been left out in the sun But perhaps it was her imagination but it did seem like the sense of emptiness that howled out from her Skill had begun to wane

Chapter 1737

Bzz

The sun sat directly above the group but the air was cold and the ankle deep water was frigid Both of BA ZetaÆs arms currently ended in whirling blades of serrated death as it took point on cutting a path forward A Level 55 Greater Werewolf slammed into the gurgling streambed ahead of it sending up a splash of the freezing water While the beast was twisting around to strike BA Zeta made some precise calculations and leaned to the left One of its arms hummed forward

The wickedly sharp implement spun until the edges blurred

The Greater Werewolf roared and lashed out with its claws but the lean was effective its strike barely skittered across BA ZetaÆs exoskeleton Then the automatonÆs return attack landed shearing through the monsterÆs thick grey fur and then its ribs The rotational velocity sprayed blood and bits of organs sideways painting some larger stones and a portion of the cliff walls red

The Werewolf swayed and BA Zeta already spun and leapt slamming a back heel kick against the beast and knocking it to the side The winding ravine was about five meters across but the automatonÆs kick had more than enough force to crumble the beast against the stone wall The servos in ZetaÆs joints buzzed as the automaton landed back in the shallow water and began accelerating again

Congratulations Your Skill Butchery Proficiency has grown to Level 98

Congratulations Your Skill Servo Overclock (Un) has grown to Level 120

Congratulations Your Skill Automaton Attunement has grown to Level 149

Truly the speed of Skill improvement has increased by 736% since I have left Kharon No wonder the Ghosthound arranged all those years ago for the city to be mobile Novel experiences are vital to sustained martial attainment BA ZetaÆs visual lenses adjusted as scanned the twisting walls of the ravine for any further threats It made minute adjustments as it searched for secure footing in its advance But despite improvements in Skill Levels I do not feel any closer to obtaining a true name

BA ZetaÆs visual apertures flicked upward Behind it twelve humans hurried to keep up as they fled along the creekbed Most people sloshed forward their feet numbed by the constant flow of water At the back of the group a teenage girl picked up her sniffling younger brother and staggered forward with the kid pressed to her chest All knew that they did not have much time Now that they had reached this point there was no option but to advance forward as quickly as possible

High stone cliffs stretched up on either side of the creekbed hemming in the options for escape Zeta might be able to scale the seven meter walls but the rest of the humans could not follow So Zeta ignored the distant sounds of howls and concentrated on moving forward

Zack Krum had suggested this route to avoid the thick waves of werewolves that filled the surrounding hills they needed to pass through this mountain range to reach Davieau the border city of Zone 50 None of them possessed enough power to survive against these werewolf packs in a direct confrontation But now that the monsters had discovered their presence

Hoowwl

Two more heavy Greater Werewolves whooshed through the air and smashed in the middle of their column Several of the humans screamed and fell backward BA Zeta paused for a small instant its training to protect humans urging it to turn around and fight against these new arrivals The Greater Werewolves had landed in a crouch to absorb the force of their fall but now they straightened and howled drawing more monsters to their location

However BA Zeta continued forward without assisting with these two After all it was not fighting alone

Fucking dogs Zack Krum grimaced and moved forward to meet the first opponent showing no fear despite the fact that the bristling grey monster was twice his size His hands glided forward through the air in smooth perfect circles The Greater Werewolf regarded him with its yellow eyes as it weighed his threat then decided to pounce forward with its dangerous arms raised

Those circles accelerated and met the muscular limbs of the werewolf BA Zeta could feel the wrenching pop as Zack Krum tore the monster’s shoulder joint out of the socket by redirecting its force Then before the Greater Werewolf could respond Zack swept out its legs Spinning like a whirlwind Zack slammed the monsterÆs snout into the shallow water His elbow flashed up and then cut downward shattering the beastÆs skull

By the time that blood began to seep down through the clear water the other people had already hurried past it

Back amongst the humans Zeta heard a shout from Henrik This is all your fault If that fucking kid hadnÆt revealed us

Angry roars from behind the group meant that Todd was dealing with the pursuit The tan arm in front of Zeta blurred and cut at his shoulder joint Perhaps because it had encountered this speed once but it was no longer quite so overwhelming but simply quite very difficult to handle Zeta made minute adjustments and shifted its weight forward but this Level 70 monster instantly adjusted the arc of its claw

Congratulations Your Skill Servo Overclock (Un) has grown to Level 122

Congratulations Your Skill Butchery Proficiency has grown to Level 99

With all its mechanisms spinning at full blast Zeta released an ambient humming voice Its calculations determined this would not go well for it As expected the Level 60 barrier remains difficult to accurately judge

Zeta sheered off a thick clump of hair from the monsterÆs chest and drew a beading line of blood across its exposed skin Meanwhile the automatonÆs chassis was heavily scratched by the monster Even Zeta didnÆt have time to react before the rest of its frame was slammed against the stone wall The interior gears of its body rattled

HeÆs just a child He didnÆt know The teenage girl yelled back The chill of the water surprised him

ToddÆs voice was high and he appeared not to engage in the other conversation Zeta marveled again at the obliviousness of humans Shit shit shit

WhatÆs that A small voice asked

All these noises were distant Closer to the spot where Zeta attempted to recover its bearings there were several more impacts more Greater Werewolves were coming The situation worsened every moment they did not advance

Zeta was still buzzing rapidly trying to ascertain its own state as the Level 70 Calamity Tainted monster closed the distance to finish its job Currently Zeta had not sustained any serious damage But its rapid calculations could not figure out how to overcome this enemyÆs superior offensive capabilities

Then Zack Krum was there physically tackling the monster and wrapping his arms around its waist The young man earned a deep gash on his shoulder but once the two were on the ground and rolling through the shallow water there was a pulse of KrumÆs image Ripples of dark green energy spread outward thickening the air and creating an environment where Krum excelled

By the time Zeta finished its diagnostic and regained its feet the first sickening pop informed it that Krum had gained the advantage So Zeta twisted and threw itself toward the two recent arrivals to the streambed Its saws were beginning to glow dangerously from the heat but they were more than capable of ripping through the backs of the two Level 55 Greater Werewolves

Congratulations Your Skill Butchery Proficiency has grown to Level 100

Congratulations Your Skill Butchery Proficiency has grown to Level 101

The two monsters collapsed with soft whimpers But as their blood began to seep out of their wounds five more werewolves crashed down from the cliffs above They landed over by Todd who immediately began slowing them down as best as they could BA Zeta hummed uncertainly

The humans had stopped and clustered More and more Greater Werewolves were throwing themselves down around them every moment They had been trapped in the streambed

BA Zeta finally allowed its keening saws to slow for a few moments Perhaps in the moments before oblivion I shall realize my own name

That would be a cause worth celebrating

Chapter 1738

By the time Zeta had splashed back to the dozen humans to see if they could defend this position Zack Krum had caught back up with him The young man gave the automaton a sour look but Zeta did not take it very seriously many of KrumÆs expressions were sour Your body affords you high base Stats but without a Class you will not be able to keep up with monsters beyond Level 60 You need at least the base of an image to match them If not high Level Skills to weaponize that image

BA Zeta nodded its head to show the human that it understood And it truly did only Zeta suspected that eventually Stats could accumulate that would invalidate this rule However it appeared that having every Stat over two hundred was not quite enough for this effect The superior engineering of its body could only carry it so far

Hoowwll

Henrik finally thrust himself to his feet and swayed Zeta wondered if the humans could smell the thick scent of werewolf sweat being blown down by the wind winding through the streambed The desperate man jabbed his finger at the female teenager holding her brother to her chest Shut up You little shit Because of you their sacrifice means

Look look The boy said again and pointed upward Zeta watched the older manÆs face twisted in madness as the being he blamed for their current situation continued not to recognize their dire circumstances Humans were oblivious to the inherent obliviousness of their own nature However any move Henrik was going to make was preempted by the return of Zeta and Krum to the group

Zeta could feel the reverberations of feet intensifying meaning that a large number of monsters were converging on their location Zack Krum scanned their surroundings then pointed sharply to a fold in the rock about five meters back the way they came Someone investigate that If there is a cave we can at least defend ourselves here

Henrik just looked at Krum If we stay here we will die

We have no other choice Krum said decisively Then he produced four metal bars about as long as his forearm and tossed them to Todd Make these into projectiles We are going to need as much help as we can get

The rumbling was getting louder humans would probably be able to detect it In a move that made no logical sense Zeta revved his saws creating a whining noise that drowned out the growing evidence of a monster convergence One of the older women wrapped herself in her arms and began to sob but stumbled backward to check the rock outcropping that Krum pointed toward

Every second another Greater Werewolf hopped down and landed around the streambed usually about twenty or thirty meters in either direction from where the humans stopped Zeta spun on its metal heel A surging wave of Greater Werewolves was loping toward them from both directions The monstersÆ howls were high and piercing very uncomfortable in ZetaÆs audio receptors

Meanwhile the little boy continued to point and Zeta followed his finger while continuing to make pessimistic calculations about their survival chances To his surprise when Zeta looked up his lenses located well hidden slots in the stone walls And from one of the larger openings a wrinkled blue skinned goblin looked down at them

There is a tunnel The woman shrieked as she investigated the folds in the rock Her voice was torn between fear and relief The other humans shifted their tired bodies and gathered around the woman as she squeezed between the rocks Todd was furiously etching lines of Mana into the bars of metal provided to him not even noticing that the group was shifting away from him toward the escape The kid worked while shivering too much more susceptible to the chilly water than the average human

Zeta tore its gaze away from the strange goblin withdrew the saw at the end of its left arm Although it had been impacted by the Calamity Tainted Werewolf its base operations remained functioned Then it hooked Todd around his waist and picked him up careful not to disturb the Scrawling

Krum moved beside Zeta and looked back and forth The woman had fully disappeared in the small cleft in the rocks and now a thin teenager followed her The girl carrying her brother urged the young boy forward Zeta could sense the shift in KrumÆs heart rate as he looked at the girl We arenÆt going to make it in time

That howl was a song of vengeance That howl was a promise

Congratulations Your Skill Grit of the Ascendant Bane has grown to Level 415

Congratulations Your Fatepiece the Hierarchy of Burden has grown to Level 25

Randidly allowed the Hierarchy to deactivate gradually his teeth aching from the strained tension of having his body ravaged by the powerful electromagnetic radiation Without even him flexing several of his joints popped and shifted as he relaxed Even though he could safely endure those energies for quite some time even at the HierachyÆs maximum setting that didnÆt mean he enjoyed the experience

Of course right now if I donÆt push myself to the limits Randidly squeezed his eyes shut and released a shuddering breath The warped Engravings on his metal left arm sparked ineffectually On the one hand ever moment was a new twinge of agony from the chasm within his Aether Crossroads An abyss had been opened in him and even moment allowed a little more pain to leak upward But suddenly he also had the looming funeral to torment his anxiety after his decision to ask Neveah for her help

Of course he didnÆt regret it Yet the abrupt arrival of that impulse had shaken him somewhat When he had checked in on Yggdrasil he had seen the Ichor emerald seeping out of the cracks in Yggdrasils bark and those fat drops of fluid squeezing them out viscerally reminded him of the sensation of tears sliding down his face The next thing he knew he reached out to Neveah

One thing at a time Randidly slapped his cheeks he was exhausted His inner organs shifted uneasily burned and singed from the light radiation from this new layer of the Fatepiece The discomfort was real but Randidly knew that if he pushed himself he could go further so long as he didnÆt also need to deal with his muscles spasming uncontrollably Handling both made the process complicated If he could find someone else to bear the first portion of the Hierarchy

Helen RandidlyÆs breath hissed through his teeth and his heart threatened to fold in on itself once more The surrounding space in the shaft began to vibrate and he activated the Stillborn Phoenix to devour some of that ambient emotion He forced his mind away Randidly looked in on the Alpha Cosmos and scanned for anyone with high enough Stats to assist with the Hierarchy

And to his surprise he found something immediately The ram demon DiOrtho Vant was within the Alpha Cosmos strolling along a beach with his wife Or rather DiOrtho was giving his wife a piggy back ride and she was hitting him with a leather riding crop Something about how gaily the two were laughing caused RandidlyÆs mouth to spasm Their version of domestic blissÆ briefly distracted him

Randidly withdrew his attention to give the two some privacy and spent a bit of time meditating But his mind kept moving back to the horrible visual of HelenÆs body so he couldnÆt avoid sending a message to at least give himself a task How did you end up in my Alpha Cosmos

This was RandidlyÆs sudden worry at his unexpected presence how did his subordinate make it into his Alpha Cosmos If there was a method of transportation that those in the Nexus could use

You donÆt remember After Overseer Helen was attacked I asked to return to the Alpha Cosmos to spend some time with my wife You didnÆt answer but you tossed me in here

Randidly could only chuckle without any humor Truly those moments on the Fifth Cohort Rally Station his mind had stuttered somewhat as he tried to process what was happening Even now if he thought about it too deeply

Randidly pressed his eyes shut then he rolled his shoulders letting the physical sensation distract him He focused on his original goal of searching the Alpha Cosmos Can I ask you for a favor

Chapter 1739

A natural force drove Randidly forward At this point he couldnÆt stand even a single second of idleness However his years of training had taught him how to manage his body well He cleverly arranged the tasks to keep from burning himself out

Still he couldnÆt help but push his limits a bit Without novelty and strain it felt like his anxieties would catch up to him and devour him So while keeping his Fatepiece roaring Randidly began to think about his image The Stillborn Phoenix strained to spread its wings as its chilling grasp seized the surroundings

An egg of darkness slowly formed Randidly reached out and began to polish the details

At the edge of the event horizon crimson snakes of electricity crackled and snarled Just as quickly as they formed the electromagnetic discharge too was pulled back past the point of no return summarily devoured by the open maw of the Stillborn Phoenix Its suctions was overwhelming

Randidly released a breath and finally allowed himself a small break He had spent an hour sharpening the details of the electricity using the lessons he had endured with his own flesh to increase the potency of the Egg of Depression But now satisfied with his current progress he turned his attention to the light

Congratulations Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm has grown to Level 482

He had always transformed the light into a milky liquid circling the edges of his image running into thick currents as the pull of gravity and significance became irresistible But now he began to toy with the particular hue of the light Because Randidly had begun experiencing the vast spectrum of light with his body due to his Fatepiece He peeled the light back layer by layer His focus was exacting searching for only the particular radiation he needed Even at the event horizon there was a gradient

I will not compromise Not here not now Randidly pressed his tongue against the backs of his teeth and hissed out a breath

Soon he arrived at the frequency he wanted and spread transformed his image Only a pale cold insidious light could escape from the edges The sort of deceptively intense light that the human light couldnÆt detect and would cook a person just as quickly as a stint in a microwave oven The forceful grip of the black hole was a blunt instrument that sundered light and left a portion weaponized and dangerous

He moved deftly expanding the details Those horrifying frequencies of light were drawn in the surrounding space almost like a morning mist The Stillborn Phoenix became the pupil at the center of a murky and indifferent eye

HelenÆs punctured eyes

Every muscle in RandidlyÆs body clenched Then one by one he loosened the muscles and continued with the work in front of him It was all he could do to stay sane When the combination of his headache and his lack of knowledge left him hesitant due to his limited experience with the Hierarchy of Burden Randidly shifted his focus to the Skills His strained Willpower could at least partially take a break Instead he simply focused on applying the image to the Skills

The Stillborn Phoenix reached out and seized the surroundings That strange determined desperate mad image continued its emotional breathing all the while When the image exhaled the surroundings buzzed like a kicked beehive Purple black energy swirled through RandidlyÆs eyes

The new image was sharp and oppressive rapidly earning him Skill Levels The surroundings began to buzz even when the image was not exhaling not from emotional violence but from the grasping need of the Stillborn Phoenix That natural need accelerated the Skill growth

Congratulations Your Skill Piercing Gaze of the Egg has grown to Level 295

Congratulations Your Skill the Tug of Tragic Silence has grown to Level 288

Randidly could practically hear HelenÆs snort She would have pointed out exactly the sort of deal that the Commandant would have insisted on in order for her life to be spared RandidlyÆs jaw clenched partially at Helen being right and partially due to the circumstances This was all because the manÆs fucking feelings had been hurt by a casual action from Raymund and the rest of the Elite Squad

So Helen hadnÆt hesitated She was his knight one that had always been frustrated by her inability to fight for him This had been an easy decision for her

With her last moments she had lost a battle and paid a dear price for it But the fires of conflict were spreading and Randidly would damn himself rather than let HelenÆs sacrifice for this war be in vain

But all that was for later Randidly shook himself ignoring the awkward expression that DiOrtho was making They had been floating silently for several minutes while Randidly had grappled with his helplessness Instead of bothering to explain he took out the Hierarchy of Burden and began explaining the basics to the ram demon

When Randidly was done he could tell from VantÆs expression that his subordinate wasnÆt going to let the indeterminate amount of time that he was silent pass by Vant coughed and then said About Helen

We are holding a funeral Randidly forced himself to say His throat was raw As he saw DiOrthoÆs expression shift Randidly realized that the members of the Elite Squad would likely also want to pay their respects That gave him a bit of a headache he would need to head above the edge of the grasping significance and pick them up LetÆs save those sort of thoughts for then alright For now we train

Like the Overseer would have wanted DiOrtho bowed his head RandidlyÆs chest was viciously uncomfortable so he was very willing to unleash the Fatepiece on the ram demon and share the misery But of course watching electricity tweak his muscles into twitching did nothing to improve RandidlyÆs mood

It only reminded him of how he had unleashed the Fatepiece on Helen in their last spar

what do you mean Shal blinked several times

Gabriel Swacc looked up from his desk and frowned The office was spacious and illuminated by tall windows yet GabrielÆs expression made Shal feel like he had kicked down the door to a triage tent during surgery What is there to say Originally we had set your home planet to the side due to your meritorious service but it appears that in the chaos of those early attacks against the family your planet has vanished So no you cannot have time off to return There would be no point

Tellus ShalÆs hands were clasped behind his back and his arms from the force of his grip His planet was everything to him He had sacrificed years of his life his original image and his pride in order to obtain the power to protect that planet And now somehow Tellus had been misplaced

If there is nothing else Gabriel SwaccÆs expression turned stormy Get the fuck out of my office The Swacc Family has been absolved of its crimes politically but the Pinnacle Seekers have dropped all pretenses I have raids hitting every base that isnÆt on the Swacc homeworld So I donÆt have time for your meaningless quibbles

This is my planet Shal wanted to say Nothing is more important to me than this planet

But Shal found himself turning away from the representative of the Swacc Family without saying anything He could feel his pulse pounding in his head His feet carried him out of the office down the hallway and then out toward the training compound But a voice caught him before he returned to his bunk to stare at the ceiling and face the realization that his planet had been destroyed

Hey Shal There you are IÆve been looking for you Techetadore the six tailed Vulpine strolled casually down the stone path After he had acclimated to the image given to him he had been given more and more responsibility until he was in charge of their entire unit About a week or so ago he had completely recovered from his injuries on the Fifth Cohort and returned to active duty I have good news for you

Shal numbly turned around At this point all he had were his orders Because his world was gone Everything was gone Everything except his disciple but Randidly had already surpassed him Basically Shal now buckled under the realization that he no longer mattered

TechetadoreÆs smile was sharp We have found a new image for you A powerful image With it heh anything you want will be within your grasp

Chapter 1740

While DiOrtho continued to struggle through the basic tiers of the Hierarchy of Burden Randidly did his best to focus and observe NeveahÆs movements inside of his inner world His Soulspace hummed with the force of her Aether as she deftly wove threads of Aether through different constructs in his Class and Skills Although Randidly supposed that he could accomplish similar things when he truly lost himself to working with Nether NeveahÆs speed and grace were still staggering

Congratulations Your Skill Lesser Aether Inoculation has grown to Level 263

Are you ready Neveah asked when all her preparations were finished A dense network of Aether threads wound together in an inexplicable knot Randidly nodded as he tried and failed to understand the exact mechanism by which it would work

Soon he pulled back letting Neveah to her task What followed were five long seconds of stillness Then all that restrained force exploded She spun like a tornado yanking on the delicate seeming Aether threads in a very precise order

Several Aether constructs were forcefully removed from Randidly as those threads became taut They dangled and flapped in the air rapidly degrading without their support structures to maintain them Others didnÆt come out quite so cleanly but were left partially shredded with their embedded edges sizzling as the greater mechanism failed NeveahÆs arrangement was truly thorough

But what caught Randidly by surprise was how fucking painful the process was Instantly RandidlyÆs body began to sweat from the bone rattling reverberations as the various System constructs seemed determined to announce how completely a mistake Randidly had made

The shattered constructs released unique pulses of energy that triggered the remaining Aether constructs within his Soulspace until a cacophony of agony made his interior hum Physically Randidly felt his body curling up and he suppressed the urge to retch It took him fully five seconds to overcome his instinctual reaction and straighten his body Knowing that he was floating next to DiOrtho Randidly refused to display weakness for too long

You werenÆt quite ready Neveah noted rather wryly

Randidly bared his teeth but he enjoyed her needling Those few moments of regular humor made him feel briefly human again She had gotten much better at masking the lapping waves of worry about his mental state that she definitely released

Although honestly so little of what made me human remains In the Shaft Randidly opened his eyes and looked down at his hands One was powerful flesh the other corroded metal Both tightened into fists as the horrifying ache from the Aether tearing began to dissipate But right now to avenge Helen IÆm glad that is the case I need this strength to make things right

Just as RandidlyÆs thoughts were turning down dark hallways Neveah was there once more through their Soulbond There is no trick to the process of removing the Aether constructs and as you felt the built in alarms will quickly dissipate when there is no response from the overlay System but I need to experiment a few more times to figure out if there is a method to lessen the discomfort And for you to clean up all of Expira and the rest of the Alpha Cosmos at once

IÆll start looking into it Randidly answered His focus turned inward to his Nether Core His entire being buzzed with the lingering pain of the torn Aether but he quickly moved his focus to a different topic so his mind didnÆt wander further How is the preparations with Claudette coming along

With the Aether schematics she has access to and my Skill with Aether how could it be difficult Randidly felt Neveah rolling her eyes In terms of her own readiness although the passage of time doesnÆt mean much I can tell sheÆs getting nervous Not that IÆm an expert but I wouldnÆt keep her waiting too long She will begin to self sabotage if too much time passes

You certainly sound convincing Randidly teased but his gut began to seeth The timeline in front of him felt too tight for even his resolve Or perhaps his grief in regards to Helen was jealous of RandidlyÆs time He wanted to train and improve enough to avenge Helen but he had this looming obligation to Claudette to fulfill The tension across his being felt quite physical as though his stress developed enough sentience to create an image that oppressed his body If he also needed to be thinking about a grand Nether Ritual

That wasnÆt even addressing the millstone of HelenÆs funeral that was sitting on his chest Randidly would need to go invite HelenÆs mother And that was after he broke the news that her daughter had died and and somehow dealt with the aftermath Then he would fetch the Elite Squad

Congratulations Your Skill Soulbond has grown to Level 360

HelenÆs fragile smile flashed in RandidlyÆs mindÆs eye But instead of looking away or flinching like he usually did this time Randidly simply observed her trembling lip for several long minutes and felt his heart steadily breaking Pieces of the shattered organ dropped away in the depths of his churning guts Only after the surroundings began to buzz with his radiating emotions did he force himself to look away

This is why the influence of the Nexus needs to be removed RandidlyÆs eyes were intense as he spun those emotions together into its own sort of sizzling thread and wound it together with the Nether thread Significance and emotion began to resonate Because as long as the Nexus continues to dominate those at the top of the Nexus will treat life like it is nothing They will continue to bring ruin to those worlds unlucky enough to be pulled into their orbit

Congratulations Your Skill Grand Perspective has grown to Level 41

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 309

Congratulations Your Skill Grand Perspective has grown to Level 70

He created and destroyed grand patterns of Nether over and over again searching for the special recipe that would pull the elaborate magic trick of making all of Expira disappear truly from under the NexusÆs nose No matter how his body or mind tired he continually pushed his Nether Ritual to more and more innovative shapes

An emotional fire smoldered beneath his heart The ventricles pumped and spasmed in a smooth rhythm completely ignoring their nestled presence between searing embers This state meant that there were frequent stalled moments for Randidly but it also meant that failure was the furthest thing from his mind Any effort was better than stopping for too long and staring into his memories of Helen

His Dreamcatcher of the Long Night pulsed at that thought but Randidly ignored it He continued to work His tail smoothly drew symbols of Nether in the air and tied them off into neat loops

I need to take care Randidly thought with a pinkch of bitterness If I push myself too hard Neveah is going to be on my case to not exhaust myself Haah

After a dozen more failures Randidly pulled himself out of his submersion in Nether and allowed the different patterns to snap apart and dissipate Soon he was floating in the shaft with a special guest appearance by the electrified DiOrtho Vant

Randidly regarded the ram demon for several seconds looking at the glazed focus of his eyes There was a low level constant vibration to his body that was mildly off putting Vant had forcefully endured the electromagnetic radiation up to the fourth level because Randidly had casually mentioned that was how far Helen had been able to go on her first attempt But of course HelenÆs Stats were probably fifty to a hundred points higher at this point Vant was just torturing himself

Randidly tutted and then cut off the connection between Vant and the Hierarchy of Burden His smile was small but genuine as he watched the ram demon succumb to a coughing fit now that his muscles were usable The former recruit pounded on his chest trying to come to terms with the easing spasms in his muscles

IÆm not alone Randidly shook himself You didnÆt know her for as long as I did but she was probably the first one who pushed you to be better wasnÆt she In that respect we have that in common

Without her Randidly pressed lips together We need to be our own Overseers

His hands trembled But Randidly reached within himself and created a bridge to Tellus It was time to speak with Islinda the mother of Helen

Chapter 1741

Randidly descended upon Tellus and was greeted by light rain A grey sky stretched as far as his eyes could see He took a deep breath and looked upward hoping that the small drops could briefly cool the uncompromising furnace of emotion that caged his heart

His emotions did begin to shift But Randidly wasnÆt sure if the grey mood would be a good thing or a bad thing

Before he followed a trail of significance that led back to HelenÆs mother Randidly sat on the low hills South of Hastam and watched children playing in the mud His memory of his time on Tellus was still incredibly sharp the geography was just as he remembered The bones of this place had not changed The main settledÆ portion of Tellus looked like a thick c written in hill and plains with the bottom portion stretching and widening more than the upper half

The Central Domain which had been the final bastion against the wights during RandidlyÆs previous stay was located in the thickest and largest bottom portion of that c By the end of that Second Calamity only Hastam was safe from the marching forces of the Wights

Besides this particular hill had witnessed of great personal import as well It was here on this slope above the Hallat River that he had first discovered the flexibility and power of Engraving

He had created a grand pattern that had drained the power from the puppet like Wights which were assaulting the city And yet Randidly only had that inspiration after he had watched dozens of fellow spear users fall underneath the Second CalamityÆs deadly blitz Mud and sweat and blood had mixed in a thick putty beneath their feet They had stamped that cruel mixture into an uneven battlefield And now

A child shrieked as one of her companions managed to splatter her face with a thrown mudball The victim scooped up two vengeful handfuls of ammunition and charged her giggling assailants Further down the slope on a more stable stretch of ground an old man was guiding ten teenagers through basic spear forms When one of the students made a mistake the old man slapped the back of their calves with a bamboo stick and reprimanded them in a sharp tone

At the base of the hill a road had been created alongside the Hallat leading to a dock/ market about a kilometer East of RandidlyÆs spot Despite the rain the wind would occasionally carry snippets of laughter over from the market The sound traveled well because all of the trees on this side of the river had been cleared Their absence made the familiar vista appear strange to RandidlyÆs eyes

So he twisted and looked up the slope That place on top of the hill where he had bitterly buried his fellow spear users had been surrounded with an imposing stone wall and filled with neat rows of tombstones Now a very reputable cemetery existed there Randidly watched as several young spear users kneeled before the entrance and paid their respects to the sacrifices of their predecessors

He couldnÆt help but wonder but how difficult it was to be buried in that location now

Savoring the cool tingle of raindrops on his skin Randidly turned and looked back down at the banks of the River Hallat His other senses spread out over the surrounding countryside Without the spine tingling pressure of the Calamity Tellus was developing Hastam had swollen to twice its original size and possessed three new residential districts around the massive fortress that Randidly remembered Brightly colored Spear Style Tassels fluttered from the walls Beyond that Randidly could feel a dozen new settlements across the surrounding plains as the people of Tellus reclaimed their land

Even more off putting than the growth was how different the air felt Randidly opened his mouth slightly and shifted his tongue from side to side Part of the difference was the presence of RandidlyÆs Aether filtering into the new planet in the Alpha Cosmos but the spirit of Tellus was not as he remembered it The pride was still there that probably would take hundreds of years to be shaken But it was the kindness that had really seized him and forced him to sit down on this hill

Kindness was not a word Randidly would have used to describe either of his prior trips to this planet

The Tellus that Randidly had visited twice was a world that was teetering on the brink of running out of fuel Each individual had to fight and prove that they deserved access to energy to advance the grand cause of the species Without a potent enough image to demonstrate your worth spear users and Styles were trampled and used as fertilizer for others

This new world is much softer Heh what would you think Shal if you saw it Did you see it What your efforts had created

Randidly sighed his heart turning on its side in his chest He felt like the greyness of the clouds was seeping into him ItÆs a good thing right To have a stable environment to grow To have a world that requires that fewer people need to die So why

Randidly twisted his lips I donÆt want everyone else to go through the same trauma I endured But this it would be nice I suppose to see that others still carry the same scars

That girl would rather have died than bring you home to meet her mother Islinda waved her hand and turned back into the house And since you are here

Despite himself Randidly snorted and followed He was still quite damp but at least he was no longer dripping

The inside of the house was surprisingly quaint Although Neveah had certainly made the conscious decision to settle down RandidlyÆs Soulbound companion couldnÆt hold a candle to the determined coziness of this house The entranceway was lined with hand embroidered Tassels once of which belonged to Shal and RandidlyÆs original Style He couldnÆt resist reaching out and rubbing out the fabric

Through the hallway there were several austere portraits in beautifully carved wooden frames A young Helen scowled out of one tiny portrait and broke RandidlyÆs heart Her hair was done up in a tight braid across her head the sort of arrangement that meant her hair would not interfere with her training

HelenÆs mom noticed his lingering gaze DonÆt blame me for that one She wanted her hair like that

I know Randidly thought sadly Even then she was driven

Islinda left her basket on the kitchen table and brought Randidly into a dining room She busied herself at the stove and soon brought Randidly a cup of tea The cups were small and made of jade Steam wafted off the surface of the warm liquid as both stared downward and organized their thoughts

Randidly felt very cold and damp

Did she die fighting Islinda eventually asked Randidly didnÆt even need to think before he nodded seriously Although he hadnÆt witnessed her last moments her posture clearly displayed how tenaciously she had resisted Commandant Wick

But of course Randidly knew that he shouldnÆt share the gory details of the girl’s demise

Islinda took a sip of her tea And the killer Have you handled it

Randidly instantly paled Islinda gave him a long look He licked his lips but she raised a hand before he could answer Honestly I can see the answer on your face That powerful huh Well I do not know you Randidly Ghosthound Despite how long Helen stubbornly clung to your side she refused to talk much about you But I believe that I am an excellent judge of character And looking at you now Islinda paused and tilted her head to the side pathetic as your current state may be you will not forget who harmed my daughter will you

No Randidly growled Of course not She the man who killed her did so to teach me a lesson To her last breath Helen protected me Which is why IÆm so sorr

Let me stop you once again Islinda winced and shook her head Then she released a shaky breath If you finish that sentence IÆm going to cry And I donÆt quite believe we are close enough for that no matter what you were to my daughter So for now

IslindaÆs segue wasnÆt even needed because a knocking on the front door interrupted her words The knocker didnÆt wait for her answer either and instead directly pushed open the door Two people walked into the entryway and then walked down the hallway to the kitchen A young female voice cheerily approached Isa We came back a bit early You know the monsters in the Eastern Domain Oh We have a guest

The young woman pulled up short as she walked into the room The man behind her bumped into her back Randidly recognized the young woman vaguely but it was the man that caught his intention Randidly frowned and fished for a name from his original visit to Tellus Is that Roger no you are Bertram yea

The tall muscular man blinked at him Then his bearded face split into a wide grin Randidly Ghosthound Of the Spear Phantom Style Well well ItÆs certainly been quite a while hasnÆt it

Chapter 1742

Just like sitting on the banks of the Hallat meeting Bertram brought Randidly right back to his early days on Tellus But his strained nostalgia was pushed to the side as both came and sit down at the table at IslindaÆs invitation

The woman was Ikaas HelenÆs cousin And Randidly was surprised to find out that the two were married and had three children The oldest was seven Randidly glanced sideways at the stone faced Islinda and then back at these two The reason that HelenÆs mother lived out here in this homestead at the edges of the Central Domain was that Bertram had been named the High Eastern Prospector which meant that he was in charge of the expansion

Not that Randidly was particularly close with Bertram during his earlier but Randidly still felt a small flash of pleasure to know that this former acquaintance was thriving

After the short introductions both listened to Randidly stumble through the news that was twisting a knife in his gut Somehow saying the words out loud was so much worse than his interaction with Islinda when she had simply known the point of his visit immediately The words tore through the soft flesh of his esophagus on the way out leaving Randidly raw Helen was dead

Helen is dead Randidly exercised his significant Willpower to prevent her twisted and broken corpse from appearing in his mindÆs eye

Well damn Bertram leaned back in his chair earning a creak from the wood piece of furniture beneath him Next to him Ikaas was sniffling with her hands covering her face The silence of the room became heavy and grey RandidlyÆs own affliction infecting the surroundings with his words Islinda continued to stare down at her tea By this point the liquid had cooled

Bertram again broke the pained silence putting his forearms on the table His brown eyes looked at Randidly then at Islinda and then back again IÆm so sorry for your loss She was your spear attendant right And your friend as well

We were close But she wasnÆt my daughter Randidly released a choked sound Being here was even worse than he imagined Not only did he have to deal with the hole inside him left by Helen but now he was hyper aware of similar wounds in others

But HelenÆs mother had been right about one thing hearing someone say IÆm sorry for your lossÆ to him was much more difficult than expected He squeezed his eyes shut preventing himself from shedding tears here

Damn Bertram said again He shook his head IkaasÆs sniffles were steadily turning into sobs He squeezed his wifeÆs shoulder and then stood abruptly His eyes went back to Randidly Well letÆs not just sit here then Randidly would you like to spar ThatÆs the best way I know how to work through grief

Uh Sure Randidly blinked several times surprised by the sudden request Then he followed the burly man out of the house and into the yard Bertram took Randidly around past the other two thatched cottages and out to a rock shelf along the edge of the mountain The wind danced amongst their legs tempting them to walk up to the edge of the sheer cliff With no fear of crashing to the ground below Randidly followed that impulse

The view was breathtaking Light filtered through the fat grey clouds that clustered up against the mountain peaks above and cast their shadows on the valley below Even he couldnÆt help but let out a breath as he stood at the edge as the ground fell away as though the ground had been scooped out by the hand of a god The natural architecture drawn by the movements of tectonic plates really couldnÆt be replicated

We need to restrain ourselves somewhat sparring here Bertram said lightly as he reached down and touched his toes He gestured to the mountain Otherwise the whole shelf will shatter and slide down to the valley below Madam Isa would not be pleased

Randidly nodded and began rolling his shoulders Truly he needed a distraction from how Islinda must be handling this Yet the process of warming himself up was not as simple as he had thought His grief and focus on refining his images meant that his body felt almost foreign to him as he loosened his muscles

Randidly produced a training spear from his interspatial ring and grasped ineffectually at the shaft with his metal left hand The spot where he squeezed his bicep still sizzled ineffectually as the broken lines of the Engraving could no longer contain the energy he pumped through the metal limb

Randidly grimaced and began to rapidly adjust the Engraving along the arm to at least get some fidelity back in his fingers Bertram didnÆt pressure him contenting himself with a thorough stretch of his own body

Soon he at least had a mishappen but working hand Randidly flexed his metal fingers and then gripped the training spear careful not to catch the uneven edges of the eroded metal on the shaft He began moving through some basic spear forms to get a sense of his current state Of course Randidly hadnÆt taken time off training his body he used his Fatepiece regularly to push his own limits

The last fight I had Randidly spoke into the hollow of his ribcage feeling the words bounce between his bones The spear felt so incredibly light was against Velio Dunn That seems so long ago

Congratulations Your Skill Sharpness has grown to Level 325

Randidly was slowly overheating his eyes narrowed and he gave himself over to the vicious impulse to lash out Even the grief was steadily pushed out of its entrenched position around his heart by the heat BertramÆs expression grew increasingly serious as he brought his spear up and around to defend himself from RandidlyÆs attacks Although Randidly kept his Stats suppressed he couldnÆt or wouldnÆt hide the ferocity that grew within his muscles

Randidly stalked forward his spear seeking to bite into the body of Bertram

Haa Bertram stomped his feet no longer suppressing his image Instead a mountain towered in front of Randidly From peak to bedrock a massive monument of stone was perfectly replicated This was the true power of the man who had become the High Eastern Prospector No matter how Randidly looked at this foe he couldnÆt detect any weakness any attacks would clatter harmlessly against the stone edifice

However the heat flowing through Randidly couldnÆt be denied If there was no weakness he would simply use his singing spear and carve a Path Randidly gnashed his teeth and attacked with renewed vigor The restraints remained in place he did not use his own images or full Stats But the head of his spear cut more and more quickly through the air His hands were on fire as he wielded the weapon

Congratulations Your Skill Sharpness has grown to Level 326

Congratulations Your Skill Sharpness has grown to Level 331

Soon RandidlyÆs barrage of attacks began to force Bertram back even when he utilized his image Imagined stone chipped and cracked under the assault Very quickly the man began to bring his Skills directly to bear in order to keep up But still Randidly glided forward the avatar of a blade whirlwind What he lacked in images Randidly made up for in battle experience against some of the most deadly foes in the Nexus And when that wasnÆt enough he used aggressiveness and daring to forcefully suppress Bertram

The humming of the spear wasnÆt just the resonance with the natural world but also RandidlyÆs emotions He had no other way to handle them so he channeled them down into his spear His body moved without thinking shifting away from his usual style he completely ignored his ripples of natural energy

RandidlyÆs attacks used the buzzing emotions to sheer directly through natural energies and attack

Randidly felt liberated by this expulsion but also slightly deranged His blood sang for violence Everything had narrowed to the pounding noise of his heart and the foe in front of him Randidly lashed out and struck spun and slice stabbed and advanced

And then as he was striking a thought managed to slip its way through the heat and reach him This style of fighting this desperate violence this is Helen

This was how she sparred against me even when she couldnÆt fight against either my Skills or images directly This is her intensity

God I miss her

Rather than extinguishing the inferno that consumed him this realization only caused RandidlyÆs determination to soar to even greater heights And now that he identified the source more and more the aspects of the Depths of Horror began to manifest in his movements Except in RandidlyÆs version he was the beast that lurked at the bottom of the sea of blood

His left eye rapidly darkened to black as the Stillborn Phoenix surreptitiously manifested Pale light spun and drained into the dark abyss as the center

Synchronicity detected

Chapter 1743

After their spar finally finished the two men sat on the cliff with their legs dangling off the edge Wind twined around their ankles For several long minutes the two viewed the sloping beauty of the mountains silently saturating themselves with the awesome sight in front of them Even with the blanket of night dragged across the terrain it was still gorgeous

Looking at the surrounding mountains Bertram could still remember the first time he had seen his master training underneath the mountain He had seemed like the strongest person in the world

Bertram shifted uncomfortably Yet now here I sit more accomplished in both spear and image than my master And compared to this man

The small slice on BertramÆs forearm that eventually ended their spar ached far more than it had any right to He had known that Randidly Ghosthound was grieving for his lost spear attendant from the moment he laid eyes on his former rival even if he hadnÆt known the details He had suggested the spar purposefully But the savagery of his opponent still filled him with fear

And envy Right now as he struggled to expand back into the Eastern Domain he wished he possessed a similar amount of capability

He snuck a peek sideways In the rebuilding of Tellus Bertram had encountered far too many similar individuals gripping tightly to their scars with no knowledge of how to allow those emotional wounds to heal And obviously sparring wasnÆt going to solve the problem But for now it would at least give outlet to the GhosthoundÆs emotions

But recalling the GhosthoundÆs desolate left eye made Bertram shiver Halfway through the spar the sort of violence he unleashed had changed Bertram had no choice but to start activating his own image to fight against it Your improvement puts me to shame Truly it was no fluke that you improved so rapidly during the tournament

Bertram looked up at the gloomy sky The clouds had blocked the descent of the sun but it was clear that night was upon them They had been sparring for an hour and a half Or rather the Ghosthound had ruthlessly vented himself upon BertramÆs desperate body for an hour and a half Now it was time to return

First Bertram cleared his throat and cautiously put out some feelers By the wall your spear usage it is truly sublime You possess a great deal of talent in this regard more than anyone else that IÆve ever seen If you founded a Style here on Tellus there were many that would flock to your Tassle for the chance to learn from you

The Ghosthound just grunted continuing to trace the sloping lines of rock with his eyes In the darkening night his eyes were almost luminous

Bertram licked his lips and tried to be a little bit more direct He and Ikaas had just returned from Hastam he had been forced to endure three days of rebukes from his superiors who were unimpressed with BertramÆs accomplishments He desperately needed a few practical spear users to help clear out the monsters on Tellus You its possible that you could obtain some very talented subordinates And IÆm sure having some spear attendants

IÆm not looking to replace Helen The Ghosthound hissed as he turned and favored Bertram with a baleful glare And as he stared into that eye Bertram briefly felt like he had been popped out of his stable place and the universe and arrived in a rumbling alternate reality Every surface he touched was vibrating at an extremely high frequency And the longer he touched that strange resonance the more it began to infect him

The Ghosthound snorted blasting away all those vibrations in its wake Bertram just felt cold Instantly all his preoccupation with his own problems fell away He looked at Randidly Ghosthound in horror He was aghast that the spar had shaken him enough to be this thoughtless Oh Oh no IÆm so sorry I didnÆt mean to suggest

I know The Ghosthound grunted and stood An echo of that strained buzzing pulsed outward before it gradually dissipated Otherwise well

The Ghosthound walked calmly forward leading Islinda down the side of a rocky hill to a small path The path meandered downward for a bit before turning into a ravine The entrance was wide enough for a half dozen individuals to walk abreast at the same time but what really threw Bertram was how many people stood in small clumps on the rocky pathway and spoke in low voices Everyone was dressed in dark clothing but they held weapons loosely in their hands

When they saw the Ghosthound the people bowed and stepped to the side The bodies pressed themselves against the stone walls and allowed those two figures to move forward Bertram and Ikaas followed after them very conscious of the gazes of these weapon holding individuals Chill air wafted up from the depths in front of them

The further they went on the path the deeper the path descended into the ground soon the walls of the thin canyon stretched high above them The shade in the interior of the pathway dyed the stones the color of bruised and most skin tones as sickly But the one thing that made Bertram nervous was the silhouettes that were peaking over the edge of the canyon walls from the ridge above

That and the fact that people fell into place behind them creating a natural procession as the Ghosthound led the way The walls peeled back giving them more room to maneuver until they walked around a twisting bend in the rock formation and found a natural cavern at the bottom of this ravine A thin strip of sky peeked down between the edges of the stone walls but they had descended deeply enough that the place felt like a cave

A very chill cave suitable for keeping meat from spoiling Bertram shivered

The area wasnÆt flat but tiered like a natural colosseum Whether by natural forces or human design flat stone slabs circled the central area Almost a hundred people were here already crouching on some of the higher tiers The red and orange stones in this deepest point were dyed purple and blue by the shadows When the Ghosthound led Islinda by the arm down into the shadowy area the waiting individuals straightened They too lifted up their weapons