LoRG 5

All that he needed was to determine both shapes

And now Nether King Hungry Eye Mae Myrna turned to face Randidly I suppose you are also going to suggest I cease with this experiment

Sighing Randidly shrugged IÆm not making any judgments IÆve made plenty of decisions I am not proud of That I regret to this day So long as you know your way pits you against all of the rest of existence Eventually you will need to crush the rest of us in order to triumph Do you truly believe you can overcome us all

What choice do I have Her voice sounded cold Despite the pain in her significance she showed not a single sign of weakness I wish to rise above the odious habit of setting aside their sense of justice and just accept an unfair world

IÆll say one thing before we leave Randidly glanced at Neveah She sagged with sadness and empathy for Mae Myrna but agreed they shouldnÆt interfere further He cleared his throat he definitely wouldnÆt let MaeÆs strange image spread but he didnÆt want to be the one to doom it if he didnÆt need to Do you know why I appreciate an unfair world Or at least a seemingly random one Because even when I am filled with certainty I can be wrong

Certainly a pessimistic appreciation of life Mae sniffed Does the monstrous Nether King Hungry Eye possess survivorÆs remorse

Randidly shrugged At no point in my life have I been given more opportunities to grow than when I run into a dead end IsnÆt your image going to evolve into a more complete form from this experience Good luck Mae Myrna

Randidly flicked his wrist conjuring a bit of the Cloak of Utter Night Neveah stepped precisely in time to grab onto the edge of the image and ride it with him as he rose into the sky pulling his storm of Nether that he had been prepared to use to suppress images

IÆm surprised you didnÆt come out swinging Neveah commented Is this maturity

Randidly lips twitched Heh not quite Honestly it was ElhumeÆs improvement IÆm still quite confident I could overcome this version of Elhume in a direct contest but I think the victory I would achieve with an out of commission Stillborn Phoenix would give him the wrong ideas about how close he was to surpassing me

So what now Neveah asked Randidly folded the Cloak of Utter Night into a paper ship on which they sailed across the sky its prow cresting through the dark clouds hanging over the Aetherlands

Randidly considered that question His gut told him it was time to return to the farm but he looked up at the sky and his expression fell unfortunately we might need to swing by Homewell before anything else The Nether invasion returned a bit early And theyÆve already breached the walls

You are going to protect the Turtlelines Neveah seemed genuinely bewildered

Randidly grimaced At the very least we need to make sure Charlotte Wick makes it out of there

Chapter 2244

How are you content with this Raddeus said his long arms pressing against the ground but not quite having reached the bulk of a mature Homid They patrolled through the slums outside of Homewell less to discover trouble than to be a public face of security reassuring all the Lizakh and Homids and assorted other races that fled to Homewell that they were being protected Relations have been good due to the general sense of revelry but as soon as the war starts back up again we will once more be the ones bleeding on the frontlines We will bear the lionÆs share of the cost for protecting the city

The sun felt warm against MoishÆs skin Nearby he spotted a Lizakh child in a ditch his body covered in mud with some sticks artfully attached at the head He shifted his burden to the crook of his left leg and raised the other of his slender legs hanging down from the base of his torso and rubbed his eyes I really donÆt want to talk about this Not while we are working

Unwillingness to talk has caused our people no end of hardship RaddeusÆs lip curled upward We cannot remain content with scraps What sort of future are we leaving for our children camping in filth outside of the true city We need

To deliver your daughterÆs science project Moish lifted the small plant Its thin stem swayed just from the movement Tiny green leaves fluttered With the proximity to the badlands it was difficult to find genuine plant life outside of the cloistered gardens of the upper class

Pride and frustration warred on RaddeusÆs face Perhaps a few weeks ago pride would have won But now his brow creased and his mouth settled into a frown witnessing the difference in the holiday celebration between the Turtlelines and everyone else had been the last straw Silence is consent when dealing with a regime like this So we need to speak up and gather A revolution one that puts the HomidÆs and Lizakh on equal footing with the Turtlelines

ItÆs their city Moish responded quietly The duo strode past a wooden shack owned by a feathered serpent that considered itself an architect while most of the rest of the lodgings in the slums were single story this one stacked itself up to a precarious three The walls were slanted up on the upper floors but it bulged outward like a growth on the skin Threadbare laundry fluttered from the top floor They built it They did not seek us out we came to them seeking a better life

So they are excused for never looking at us with respect because they were here first Raddeus responded

Moish couldnÆt help but sigh acutely feeling his age Right now the truth is the Turtlelines donÆt even think of us no matter how we cluster around them What you speak of revolution a unification of the immigrants into a voting block that will get their attention And I do not think their first thoughts will be friendly

Before he could figure out how to articulate this complex fear to the younger Homid who didnÆt quite remember their peopleÆs tortured history in the badlands someone dimmed the light As though the sun were a torch that someone could stand in front of to cast a shadow

Both Homids looked up and saw a tidal wave of Nether clouds crackling and heavy

Belatedly the alarm began to ring from the heart of Homewell The Lifeseal swelled in power and presence to the point that even Moish could feel the energy humming against his skin But so far from the walls the effect was weak

The far outpost Now Moish whispered Both burst into their fastest run the younger Homid steadily pulling ahead with his longer and less bulky arms As Moish looked at RaddeusÆs back he found himself very aware of the small fragile potted plant in his arms He considered tossing it to the side Yet he couldnÆt bring himself to do it

They streaked past heavy eyed beast people stepping outside of their shelters and looking up to spot the impending Nether doom that had arrived at Homewell Children began to cry not understanding what had happened but knowing it wasnÆt good Meanwhile those of MoishÆs generation seemed to visibly age growing brittle with familiarity to the suddenness that the world could turn

Yet they were also the ones who turned on their heel walked back into their houses then headed out with old weapons to also head for the far outpost

Moish quickly began to hear the sound of his heart struggling in his ears The veins of his arms pulsed uneasily with each beat struggling to get the blood where it needed to go his people were designed for sprints not for long distances Yet he bit his lip clutched the plant and continued forward

The wind of the Nether storm felt unnaturally cool against his skin sending prickles up and down his limbs

Lines of bodies walked down around the fort and taking up positions right outside the embankment Almost belatedly the bells of Homewell shifted from a constant alarm to more focused orders for the soldiers proceed to your post wait for further orders What followed then was a complicated follow up ringing as the Turtelines called for a full evacuation of certain areas Moish didnÆt know the combinations of chimes as well as he should but it seemed the areas of the city interior around the West wall were being cleared

Although partially it was just the noise of the Nether drowning everything out

It was only when Moish made it to his position squinting to keep his eyes from filling up with dust that he realized he still held the small plant for RaddeusÆs daughter’s science project His heart felt strangely hot as he clung onto it He knew it was silly but he couldnÆt bring himself to put it down

Every second counts The Lizakh leader remarked to no one in particular They were a line of old soldiers their bodies working like clockwork to bring them here so they wouldnÆt fail the civilians behind them The first wave of the Nether Warriors got over the final hill breaking into an uneven horde as they rushed down the slope toward the embankment

Every second is a chance Another soldier agreed Everyone nodded

The blood thundered in MoishÆs ears as the sound of footsteps the war cries of the Nether Warriors and the wind merged into a living beast He felt like he was being squashed beneath the monster of the conflict his body pressured until blood was about to rupture out of his mucous membranes

He saw a Nether Warrior only ten meters away hitting the dried riverbed and bounding forward its bestial fangs flashing He could see the veins of the beast’s legs the bulging bunches of muscles as the opponent prepared to bound forward

While Moish braced himself for battle some of the warmth he had been ignoring in his chest trickled down into the small plant he clutched to his side Several minute symbols flared to life and danced across the slender stalk The leaves swayed motes of golden dust twinkling across their green surface

Unseen the roots within the small pot thickened and curled pressing up against the bottom The bestial Nether Warrior had a long rope of saliva dripping out of its mouth as it crossed the last stretch of distance Once more the muscles of its legs bunched as it threw its body up over the small wall of the embankment

With his heart pounding in his ears Moish tightened his grip on his weapon He felt so so afraid In fact he held two fears within his chest But his self preservation was the smaller of the fears and stepped gracefully to the side for the other He could not stand aside not while the younger generation still bickered and figured out the best way to evacuate They needed time

The thought that the next generation’s time had run out left him shivering So Moish prepared to fight and likely die

Maybe that’s why I can’t let go of this plant Moish began to hyperventilate There were so many Nether Warriors the density of their energy made the air difficult to breathe Because it reminds me why I’m fighting I cannot afford to forget

Every second counts And I think I can buy more than a single second

His jaw clenched There seemed to just be a tide of blurred bodies rushing and leaping and they were about to arrive

The pot in his legs cracked A small root slithered down and into the ground

A massive thorny root erupted around the ground and speared the first Nether Warrior in the gut

Chapter 2245

Charlotte Wick sat in a lotus position waves of life energy radiating off of her body The patterns in the air were derived from the secrets she saw within the lifeseal organic and purifying From the outside her cell had been transformed into a sauna with energy so dense that she produced heat enough to steam up the entire corner of the prison

Plus she found the relentless heat to be relaxing

Energies vibrating at different frequencies concentrated at points along CharlotteÆs spine She could imagine her grandfather scoffing at the emphasis on chakras but it simply became the easiest way to organize the flow of her image The energy had different purposes and therefore housed itself in different locations The diversification of the energy was the first step leading to a broadening rainbow of combinations throughout CharlotteÆs entire image

Life thrived from diversity Her Primal Ground was filled with minute bacteria munching on each otherÆs spent corpses and thriving in the complex and damp environment Several broad areas happened simultaneously straddling the physical realm and her image Columns of bacteria settled into a sort of stasis the same sort of bacteria gaining traction or restricted by others Eventually an equilibrium was reached in various sections

But for Charlotte this amount of differentiation wasnÆt enough She didnÆt quite feel like her power had taken the last step she needed to become a worthy Knight to the Ghosthound So she began to churn the flow of mist around her body Chunks of different bacterial ecosystems moved and slammed against each other While in some new combinations one type was able to achieve dominance in another area less had arrived Or a third bacteria interfered and upset the balance of power A dozen new types evolved to fill the gap leading to whole new explosions of diversity

Charlotte pressed her fingers into the dirt Her Primal Ground deepened in complexity and the force behind its presence swelled She then clenched her fists until her knuckles cracked with this extra power she hoped she would have a chance to face off against Elhume again

The sting of that loss hadnÆt faded

She refocused and continued to allow her image to simmer the complex stew of evolution bubbling up from her depths The first tremors coming through the lifeseal were small and Charlotte ignored them Her image continued to improve and she tried not to less outside forces distract her But very quickly those explosions forced her to acknowledge them The LifesealÆs peaceful flow shifted into a more defensive posture

When Charlotte raised her head and followed the amorphous substance of the Lifeseal she found the looming presence of Nether already leaning against the edges of the dome already disfiguring its shape Although the churning Nether attack didnÆt possess the sort of staining thickness Randidly himself wielded what it did possess was heft

Like a boulder about to punch through the surface of a pond

Once her attention turned outward she felt her Ghosthound intuition ping with his focus She straightened and immediately understood his query did she need his help getting out of the city before the Nether attack arrived

She responded in the negative before belatedly scanning the surroundings to check to see if she spoke too soon But no if anything her escape would be easier at the moment the nearby guards rushed away to assist in the cityÆs defense She sat entirely alone in the dungeon her image allowed to freely spread and manifest

Charlotte twitched her jaw back and forth loosening up her neck It would be disappointing to pause here while she continued to improve her image at such an obvious speed but definitely the Nether invasion would have distracted her soon anyway

In a single motion she popped to her feet But then the bearwoman hesitated feeling the desperation starting to seep into the fabric of the lifeseal as the Nether mass pressed forward and forced it backward lest the fabric of the barrier tear Charlotte sent a message back to Randidly asking whether they could help Homewell

What came back was a complicated Russian nesting doll situation composed of frustration helplessness confusion and wistfulness He wavered on the edge of a decision unsure

His heart spoke to the seed perhaps thinking it was speaking just to itself

This happiness is worth anything This is what I need to protect

On the day of the Nether attack the seed had been listening to the heart rhapsodize about the idyllic space for the children for several weeks And at the same time the environment suddenly gave the seed the keys it needed to begin to grow

The Nether Warriors roared during their charge The clamor of bells from Homewell could barely be heard over the racket right before the battle was joined

The anxiety in MoishÆs heart became the fertilizer Only under great pressure can powerful desires coalesce The shape of the plant held in the hostÆs legs became the goal Every wild heartbeat of the host pushed the seed further and further toward its evolution Some of its magic seeped into the plant the hint of animation nova altering its structure so it could serve as a better conduit for the seedÆs power

The seed continued its steady growth until it caught the small sigh out of the hostÆs heart as he stood at the edge of the battlefield and saw the onrushing Nether horde

IÆm going to die here today But thatÆs okay

The seed froze Because like all newly born children it had never considered the possibility that the way things had been wasnÆt how they would always be The prospect of change loomed before the seed vast and dangerous The vicious Nether Warriors became the face of change violent and demanding

The seed’s first genuine feeling was blunt It didnÆt want Moish to die

The plant trembled Then its roots swelled following the familiar shape of the image from the man in a black cloak They shot out into the ground where they gathered more energy invisible roots reaching down and scooping up the abundant vitality of the land

When the root erupted from the ground it had become a spear taking the Nether Warrior in the chest The seed which was no longer just a seed but a sapling felt its host’s surprise Gleeful at the sudden freedom and power it flicked its root and tossed the body of the speared Nether Warrior to the side knocking another out of the air But there were a few dozen more Nether Warriors in the surrounding space and thousands more beyond that first wave all suddenly focusing on the area where the first blow had been struck

The sapling wavered taken by a sudden impulse to sway like it was dancing and following it As it spun it stabbed more roots into the ground They thickened and erupted out becoming a second more dangerous sort of embankment in the area The roots scythed quickly through the first wave of Nether Warriors slaughtering eleven

Just as it began to flag energy poured into the sapling from the city the host protected The sapling rallied growing slightly taller doubling the number of its thorny roots shooting out of the ground and puncturing the bodies of the opponents Almost thirty Nether Warriors died this time with double that number losing limbs

The glittering specter of a different tree manifested in the air above the sapling an echo of the tree carefully cultivated by the man in the black cloak Underneath its auspices all the Aether warriors felt their breath come a bit easier

However even with all that energy there was a limit to the amount a single sapling could do It stood at just one point in a long line of the shore as the wave of the Nether offensive crashed against Homewell Further away from the host other warriors began to die

Chapter 2246

Noise and chaos came together to Homewell using violent friction to rub at pretty sounding ideals

When the lines of two lines of soldiers hacked into each other the ruddy brown of dust and blood became the dominant color palette of the edge of Homewell The bells kept ringing sounding the alarm and repeating the same reframe those in the west hold positions until reinforcements arrive

The situation deteriorated even with the roots even with the boost from that mirage of a tree An Aether Warrior pounced toward a stumbling Nether warrior but the scaled monster whipped around and drop its hand into the Aether warriorÆs chest For several long seconds a different Aether warrior screeched from a mortal wound until the noise abruptly cut off A hacking blade cut down and severed the arm of the Lizakh leader only a few soldiers down from Moish

The thorny roots continued to thin their attackers but the Nether Warriors seemed infinite

The Lizakh leader roared and whipped his saber around burying up to the hilt in the neck of a feline with six legs that had wounded it While those extra legs twitched and spasmed and it collapsed another Nether warrior hurdled over the first and brought its hammer swinging down

Standing quite stupidly with his weapon still raised Moish watched as a new root ripped up out of the ground and grabbed at the hammer wielderÆs leg As the Nether Warrior stumbled the Lizakh leader finally unstuck his weapon from the neck of the first foe and chopped through the waist of the second

What is happening Moish looked down at the small plant in his arms which now possessed several roots stretching from a crack in the pot into the ground When he raised his gaze more and more roots erupted out of the ground Rather than striking down enemies these thorny pillars formed impediments to the oppositionÆs attack slowing down the charge

Comparing the two forces the Nether Warriors were both more powerful and more numerous Although the lifeseal pressured the Nether Warriors they were near enough to the edge of Homewell that the effect was small And these were the dredges from the slum those entrusted to patrol and watch not the Aether warriors that had been drawn into the city itself to be trained A tree shedding weirdly exhaustion relieving shade wouldnÆt be enough

Yet despite the fact that every other part of their loose picket line was getting shredded except the middle due to the plant no one took a step back They threw their wounded and tired bodies forward

Every second is a chance Moish bellowed A ragged cheer went up down the line as two soldiers ganged up to cut down the first Nether Warrior that had been forcing them back only to have the second and third arrive and reap limbs and lives within a second

A few more roots spread out buffing the fighting further away but they were smaller and less Moish set down the plant carefully then began loping down to assist the Lizakh leader But before he could take more than a few steps a new echoing roar pulled his attention around

A veritable bowling ball of Nether obliterated the tallest and thickest root shot out of the ground A minotaur Nether Beast raised its head and glared forward the energy around its body so thick a murky mist seemed to seep out of his skin Its eyes glowed with a promise of violence and Moish felt the minotaur fixate on the plant

Moish spun around and hurried back as the minotaur slammed aside the first root that twisted and stabbed at it and grabbed the second one With a mighty heave the minotaur tore out the thorny plant attack and tossed it to the side Then it stomped forward followed by a new weave of Nether Warriors that concentrated on ripping out the defenses

The feeble embers of hope Moish had felt at brief resistance of the line vanished smothered by the truth But still none of the soldiers desperately fighting along the edges of the slum faltered They had been in more airless chambers for most of their lives fleeing one powerful monster or another

And in the end I donÆt want this

A blast of power surged out from RandidlyÆs body Normally the lifeseal would have tried to restrict them but at this point it had bigger fish to fry The minotaur raised a massive fist to smash Moish into a bloody pulp but with the ambient energy rising more roots erupted out of the ground and tangled up the Nether Warrior

However several figures shot out of the Nether storm and headed directly for Randidly

You are the one called Nether King Hungry Eye The pet Nether King of the Aetherlands Five figures stopped in the air several meters above Randidly The central figure sneered So it is true then YouÆve sold you honor

Randidly barely even saw the figures except to note that four of them stood clustered together with the fourth off to the side When his Nether senses traced lightly over them he felt the cruelty inherent in the first four they might not have created the bonds but these were individuals raised to admire the shape of the ancient Maala bond And the fifth individual lower with her eyes lowered radiated the selflessness and dedication of Toosah

The young generation of the old Nether guard looked at Randidly practically begging for a fight

Randidly clenched Sulfur After a second of lurching nausea the Stillborn Phoenix activated and condensed within the perfect hole in his left palm The pain is manageable And the edges of work IÆve done so far will be blunted but I cannot baby this image If it is impossible it will need to thrive in more important situations than this

Superposition let’s see how it works in practice

If you care to wager your life IÆll teach you all I know about honor Randidly growled His three images for the first time in a week moved together The Stillborn Phoenix loosed an uncertain keen but Randidly did not ease up due to discomfort He lifted his chin bullish on forcing his way through the issue with brute force

Neveah would think this was foolish but he couldnÆt get rid of the wolfish smile on his face Other foes might have forced him to think twice but not these children bullying weaklings

And as soon as he made the decision Randidly felt an undercurrent in his emotional sea settle before it could become problematic He realized he wouldn’t stop just here as he pushed the Stillborn Phoenix toward its next evolution he would completely dismantle the Nether offensive

“Nether King Hungry Eye you are outnumbered ” Another of the central four observed To the side the Toosah woman looked up slowly her eyes curiously pale

Randidly grinned “That’s what makes it fun “

Chapter 2247

Right as he decided to let loose an simply challenge the Nether forces in front of him Neveah nudged Randidly mentally Even from afar her disapproval radiated like out from her like the sunÆs rays This is a bad idea

If we worked with the fabric of reality this would be a dangerous gamble Randidly acknowledged watching as his blatant provocation warped the faces of the leading four Nether Kings who smelled like Maala into scowls He flexed his fingers adrenaline beginning to trickle through his system But this is the Stillborn Phoenix It was hewn from impossibility and craving IÆve been careful but I donÆt think I should be

Because you are growing impatient Neveah snapped back with a fair amount of accuracy You just realized the importance of two elements superimposed upon one another think what other truths you could learn about your image if you would just

Adding more than a single novelty to an arrangement makes the whole thing pointlessly complex Randidly felt Nether unspooling through his body the Nether organ within Sulfur no longer just a small piece of his body but integrating and growing to support him His body steadily evolved the energies now sending experimental tendrils into his Soulspace And maybe I am getting impatient but I want to protect the people here And how much time do we have to grow Nev

She didnÆt respond The Nether edged wind whipped at his face

Meanwhile the leader of the four Nether Kings glowered at Randidly His fangs peaked past his thin lips I can honestly say IÆve never been so disrespected in my life I do not find the experience to my taste If you stand in our way you will be crushed

For the first time the woman standing by the side raised her gaze and spoke She possessed blunt humanoid features on her face but also possessed glimmering dragonfly wings that remained still against her back This Nether King also exists outside of the guidelines of the Nether Arbiter He could be an ally Many arrangements will crumble and rebuilt in the furnace of war

His behavior is aggravating Of the lead four grumbled but they all did seem to consider the womanÆs words

However Randidly couldnÆt just wait around for them to make their decision every second that passed meant the Nether Warriors slaughtered more of the defenders threatening the lifeseal over Homewell Now that he had made a decision he intended to follow through Besides some part of him was itching for a fight ever since he had controlled himself and remained passive in the confrontation between Elhume and Mae Myrna

By fighting he knew he would find his Path forward

Despite the pain of a partially fractured image the Stillborn Phoenix opened its hungry eye and gazed covetously at the world It began devouring all the non Randidly Nether in the surroundings

Randidly smiled at the five as his image forced back their Nether It took a single manifestation of Yggdrasil to irrevocably change the face of the battlefield In an overwhelming juxtaposition to the first manifestation from the sapling earlier Yggdrasil stretched up toward the sky and filled the environment with rustling green leaves Its arrival released a powerful radiance that washed up against the advance of the heavy Nether and gave it pause the history of the image had deepened to the point the Nether drill could not advance quite so easily

Congratulations Your Skill Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs has grown to Level 900

The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty ChimeraÆs Suffocating Rebuke Hypothetical Gaze that Consumes the Universe

Congratulations Your Skill ChimeraÆs Suffocating Rebuke has grown to Level 1000

Congratulations Your Skill Hypothetical Gaze that Consumes the Universe has grown to Level 950

I wonder how many Mille that points me at Randidly wondered His three images moved together trembling due to the pain and inconsistency of the Stillborn Phoenix but quickly finding the balance to strike YggdrasilÆs addition stabilized the energies in the environment which remained chaotic due to the whorling patterns of Nether Illia released behind her

It was a fascinating manipulation and one Randidly had never considered before Especially against pattern focused Nether individuals it was extremely effective But it wasnÆt so effective at an old fashioned punch

The air and energy around them cracked when fist met rainbow Fissures in reality briefly formed from the kinetic shockwave but those quickly healed Randidly grunted from the deep ache in the Stillborn Phoenix the situation improved as he forced his way forward but the image still felt tender

Congratulations Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix has grown to Level 801

Opposite him the rainbow wing Illia let out a shocked gasp as RandidlyÆs blow stopped her dead and spiked her at the ground She smashed into the root forest and pulped it with the same emotionless immediacy that the Nether Warriors had been ground into paste The land cracked and shuddered

Bits of protruding roots cracked and collapsed in the wake of her rapid descent throwing up a cloud of dust Randidly rolled his shoulder and observed the state of Homewell With his arrival the tide began to turn The event horizon about his left hand grew larger until it was the size of a volleyball Light melted and a miniature storm crackled around the edges He looked toward the ground

But then his eyes sharpened and his hand flicked up to catch a stiletto aimed for his back Despite the fact he stopped the strike an invasive pattern shot forward and sank into the Nether of his body throwing his energy into chaos Randidly grimaced but the rotations of his Nether Core and Nether Organ steadily ironed out the issue

Illia blinked at him the air behind her still rippling where she had used the chaotic patterns she left in her wake to step out of the Nether Apparently she spread this influence both to disturb opponentÆs patterns but also to sink her own hooks into the energy

She grinned at him and tossed the stiletto between her hands Indeed As strong as hoped Now letÆs play a bit

Chapter 2248

Fatia Cerulean leaned back in his chair and considered the divination surface in front of him The cobalt flames of energy wrapped around his bones but stayed thin and meek as he considered the dire news flooding in from the western front

WestrisserÆs face appeared a sneering example of a figure without empathy for the plight of another Having to struggle alone for so long under siege from Nether forces had left some scars We have dispatched back our elite troops The trained individuals you sent to experience my Dungeon are in route completely transformed to be future pillars of the Aether world Only a single one expired during the process What additional help should we give to Homewell Our domains will soon be under attack our resources must be pointed toward our own defenses

If more help doesnÆt arrive soon Homewell will fall The female Turtleline Kethope cut across him the only one in the entire city that had any sense The fact that the returning force from the Dungeon had any quality fighters at all was only due to her chosen dispatches The Nether attack arrived too suddenly and

For a second the image fluctuate and wavered as the Nether interfered with the divination The faces of the other Aether forces all became grim if the communication line had begun to fail it meant their Lifeseal was under attack

Fatia leaned forward Cerulean City will dispatch extra forces to assist The Nether Leader still hasnÆt moved and the threat against our lands are lower Besides I think it is in our best interest to get a good look at this new Nether force

Besides Fatia mused I want to give the chance for my precious Fates to shine

Illia the dragonfly woman pirouetted in place avoiding RandidlyÆs jab The air around her rippled from the strange patterns she released The fabric of reality slithered and trembled Eventually the distortions rebounded of of another and she vanished from view

Randidly pressed his lips together and caught her attack when she shimmied out of the air next to him The preparations for his follow up attack had already begun but he could only hiss and give a little bit of ground as this time her rapid movements were accompanied by a wave of needle thin Nether projectiles

RandidlyÆs Nether Core flared to life whirling in defiance Once again he forcefully suppressed the Nether interference He twisted around and slammed a heel kick against her chest but the Nether bonds around her body hummed to life Those last few inches in front of her body felt like he kicked through lead sand

Of course RandidlyÆs raw physicality powered through and smashed Illia across the sky but it faded from being a finishing blow to just a wound

His emerald eyes glittered as he considered the Nether around her body as the energy snapped back into place Not only does she utilize a strange pattern but the Toosah esque bonds she possesses helps to diffuse any physical force I use against her Fascinating the way her Nether bonds are used defensively

RandidlyÆs head snapped up as a massive freight train of Nether slammed into him from above and drove him toward the ground Finally the four Nether Kings became involved in the fight Their Nether sizzled at spat against his skin a churned mixture of energy from all the Nether Warriors of the offensive All four had poured their energy and conjured a blunt instrument to wield

But the only interesting aspect of the attack was its suddenness The Stillborn Phoenix roared to life around his left hand He dragged his event horizon obscured fingers through the attack and consumed huge swathes of the Nether used against him It might be a heavy powerful tool but its lack of cohesion made it simple for the Stillborn Phoenix to eat its fill

Her Nether stabbed forward ignoring the gravitational plates Randidly had created and sinking into his Nether Core His Nether possessed more density but she wasnÆt trying to wound the core of his significance just affect its rotation Sulfur hummed to life absorbing some of the effect One of the spikes sticking out from his left arm began to glow

Congratulations Your Skill GhosthoundÆs Acute Nether Nose has grown to Level 1074

At the last second Randidly noticed what Illia had said aloud His eyes widened But those needles forced their way past his defenses Small earlier holes he believed to have ironed out flared open and allowed her Authority to tighten around him

The world blurred His legs shook his bare feet sinking into the muddy ground A dead Nether Warrior looked sightlessly up at him a broken sort poking out of his chest Beneath the Nether Warrior were two Lizakkh warriors equally dead

Blinking Randidly looked up Illia drifted above him a small smile on her face Gleaming pearls of light fell from her wings as she drifted in a lazy circle looking like a life sized dancer from a music box Further above her the four Nether Kings rapidly began condensing a new more focused drill of Nether

Randidly flexed his legs and pressed the ground to jump The ground cracked beneath him but not even for a second did he leave the ground His countenance darkened He could feel a strange pattern in his own Nether wrapping around him like a spider web and pressing him against the ground Even as he squeezed his Nether to try and rid his core of IlliaÆs influence the offending portions swam deeper into his Nether hiding from him

I suppose we will find out exactly how tough you are Nether King Hungry Eye One of the Nether Kings crowed They gestured and the empowered drill of Nether shot toward his body Illia continued her dance

Randidly raised a hand but felt a thin membrane above him preventing even his energy from stretching into the sky He could see and sense the patterns his opponents made but while he was under the influence of her Authority he couldnÆt cross that divide

Randidly narrowed his eyes and raised both hands toward the sky He licked his lips thoroughly enjoying the prospect of what was about to happen The First Authority Seize

The Dread Homunculus grinned New notes of resonance floated to the surface in RandidlyÆs body

Congratulations Your Skill HomunculiÆs Monstrous Tenacity has grown to Level 903

He seized the entire sky above Homewell The clouds shivered The muscles of his arms bulged Then he yanked all of it down

If IlliaÆs Authority had torn he wouldnÆt have minded But what actually happened ended up being much more satisfying

His Primordial Nether Juju pulled a yelp out of IlliaÆs mouth as she crumpled against the ground her wings slathered in mud The Nether Kings didnÆt even get a chance to make a sound simply crashing through their own Nether drills and having their bodies impact the ground before they could even respond

Randidly cracked his neck and then began to walk forward If you wanted to fight on the ground you should have just said so

Chapter 2249

MoishÆs knuckles ached but he didnÆt dare slow

The confrontation behind him shook the air and ground The front wall of a house collapsed right in front of the Homid shaken loose from its bindings The howling Nether winds possessed enough power to punch holes through MoishÆs feeble image and ravage his body but he kept his head down and tried not to think too much about how fragile they were His arms pumped carrying him away from the battlefield now that the strange Nether King had taken over

The Lizakh leader running abreast with Moish ceased trying to stem the flow of the blood from his stump and used his good hand to slap the back of stumbling soldier in front of them The two veterans kept up the rear of their ragged group of survivors but this oneÆs speed kept slowing Just keep going Homewell will hold

With poor timing a rumble shook the ground and collapsed several of the shanties along the thin thoroughfare into a mess of repurposed metal sheets and wooden pillars The group of wounded soldiers continued forward by climbing and hoping the slums West of Homewell too cramped and the situation too desperate to circle around

The wind whipped and screamed back and forth blasted away by one attack after another

Moish tried not to look down as his heavy fist settled on a brightly colored ceramic pot from the shaken loose home and shattered it to pieces He didnÆt think about all the memories lost in the collapse

All the lives spent

MoishÆs eyes were bloodshot but he didnÆt dare close them He knew that as soon as he did he would see again the ground eviscerated by a rising wave of thorny roots Nether Warriors admittedly enemies had been ripped to shreds by these implacable almost primordial roots that had emerged Probably two thousand lives had been snuffed out in only a second leaving carnage and the eerie silence of graveyards Draining and puddling a murky brown pollution that Moish couldnÆt scrub off the surface of his mind

As a last straw as Moish stood there and watched those thick violent roots tear through the system created by the sapling he had carefully protected for so long As a result the plant seemed to slump It might have taken on an ominous brown coloration but with the darkness of the Nether storms it was difficult to tell Now with more pieces of the broken pot falling away from the jostling of fleeing Moish couldnÆt help but feel like the plant he cradled in his feet was the perfect metaphor for Homewell

His toes tightened but that only caused the pot to deteriorate faster He couldnÆt look too closely at that situation either so he looked up and stared at the marred armor of the soldier in front of him

Ahead of the group a few civilians waddled along the parents bearing their important belongings in packs on their backs and herding their confused and frightened children Moish and the Lizakh Leader exchanged a glance Moish cleared his throat Everyone please hurry The fighting

For a moment the world seemed to shiver Then Moish blinked with his chin aching from sudden contact with the ground his mouth filled with dirt The blow had come so suddenly he hadnÆt even been able to react his bones ached It felt like someone had picked up the sky and used it like a weapon bludgeoning them onto their bellies

Next to Moish the Lizakh Leader groaned Moish looked down at the clods of broken dirt and shattered pot beneath him The sapling had been crushed He bit his lip

He hoped it wasnÆt a portent for the city

His vision still swam but Moish pushed himself up to his arms One lesson you learned in the Badlands is that you very rarely had enough time to acknowledge your current injuries before you needed to dodge out of the way of the next blow He winced as he glanced again at the broken pot but the ground shaking reminded him of his priorities He gave the Lizakh Leader a hand and hauled him back to his feet

Thank you The Lizakh Leader said Then a strange helpless expression crossed the lizardmanÆs face The shift was enough for Moish to pause and wait After an internal battle visible on his face the Lizakh Leader coughed and continued I know this isnÆt perhaps the best time An impact back behind them sent a wave of poorly constructed slum houses tumbling through the air only twenty or so meters behind them but if not now IÆm not sure IÆll get the chance I actually donÆt know what your name is although weÆve worked together for so long

Congratulations Your Skill The Wrathful Calamity Rends has grown to Level 921

Right before Randidly unleashed his thrust he rolled his shoulders Thousands of ghastly imitators sprung into existence the host of the dead that had poured themselves into the making of the Dread Homunculus His posture straightened and his body pulsed with authority all these wights bowed their heads acknowledging his superiority Then he thrust the cohort all striking simultaneously with him creating a claw to rend open the boundary between ground and sky

The Stillborn Phoenix flinched slightly but recovered enough to support the effort His emotional sea thrummed carrying all three clear emotional notes together in a beautiful harmony The edges of his image physicalizations across his body sharpened The veins spread even closer to RandidlyÆs Class

The air shook It was perhaps the most powerful single blow he had ever unleashed The memory shivered a small stuttering as Randidly steadied his foundation on a new plateau of power

The attack became a beckoning finger a featherlight touch that annihilated everything in its path

Illia gasped the thrust ripping her open from her left shoulder to the right side of her stomach even through the diffusing power of Toosah In addition the bottom right of her four wax paper thin and artistically rendered wings fluttered down away from her body severed

Randidly drew Acri back settled into his base stance habit hammered into him from years of training under Shal He released a breath through his nose However before he could follow up the Stillborn Phoenix released a deep ache an echo of forcing itself into a complete whole for a second to utilize that attack

High level performance still remained slightly beyond the image

Grimacing Randidly swayed Above him her wound weeping IlliaÆs eyes narrowed as she considered him across the divide between ground and sky You could kill me with the power you demonstrated Well I am honor bound now to prove I can do the same of you Nether King Hungry Eye Otherwise I could not live with myself You might have taken a wing but I yet remain free to dance alone across the sky

The Nether Warrior who had dedicated her life to the service of others blurred into motion spreading out those weeping unraveling patterns faster and more broadly than she ever had in the past They rained down around Randidly invisible streamers of energy erasing the wild storms of power that thundered around them The energy nearby rapidly transformed into sand and ran through his fingers In the back the three Nether Kings in fighting shape began to gather up their power into a new more sophisticated form They forged a single concentrated weapon to wield against him

Randidly clicked his tongue and pulled again both with Yggdrasil and tugging at the other edges by manipulating patterns

Congratulations Your Skill The World Tree Sips from Every Realm has grown to Level 990

Congratulations Your Skill Gospel Within the Seething Torrent has grown to Level 996

Their attempt collapsed But by the time Randidly refocused on IlliaÆs frantic and confusing motions her preparations had finished She lifted her chin Celestial Tears

Her body blurred into motion seeming to lose all its mass and gaining vast quantities of energy in exchange The Nether around her buzzed animated by the sharp pop of color around her body as her wings fluttered She rode lime colored lighting spitting out turquoise sparks and vibrating along violet arcs

Her new form flitted around him She started at the edges of the area she had so thoroughly affected with her patterns using her strange Nether methods to step out of the air and appear in a new spot

Then she began erupting right next to Randidly and physically slamming into him all crackling lightning bolt energy and searing antagonism

Chapter 2250

RandidlyÆs eyes widened partially in pain but also in shocked confusion

At first Randidly felt taken aback by her Celestial TearsÆ attack pattern Considering all the advantages he had accumulated in his life it didnÆt seem like a winning strategy against him She became a concentrated bolt of energy teleported around in a small area to build up additional momentum then began to slam herself into him with so much force it felt like he was being repeatedly body slammed

Randidly gritted his teeth as the impacts began to add up His bones ached and his jaw clenched enduring the rapid barrage He couldnÆt even see as her energy rose the brightness increased Peach and fuschia and gold fuzzed his vision And the technique seemed to be ramping up in frequency During the first few seconds she crashed into him a dozen times a second By the fifth second the number was closer to a hundred even his physical endurance was overwhelmed by the constant pressure

The special ability of Sulfur Resistant to Force has been activated

Congratulations Your Skill the Cloak of Utter Night has grown to Level 988

For quite a while he maintained his bemusement as so many of his abilities and Skills invalidated concussive force But the onslaught of attacks kept accelerating The energy body slams didnÆt seem to weaken IlliaÆs momentum at all only strengthen it His expression grew darker and darker as he remained in a defensive posture His skin tingled numb from the constant blows He could no longer count how many times he had been hit by her

He tried to shift his weight and prepare to break out but rainbow Illia twisted and struck him at the exact weak point of his center of gravity Randidly almost stumbled but was able to forcefully control his body and settle back down Like the opposite of a good masseuse Illia seemed to be pounding tension into the depths of his body An ache in the marrow of his bones steadily grew as he endured

Congratulations Your Skill the Cloak of Utter Night has grown to Level 990

With more concentration the soft velvet of his Cloak condensed around his body The image physicalization took the edge off of the pressure he felt but her strategy seemed not to be to knock him out with one strong blow but to wear him down with sheer numbers She bounced around ripping out of her patterns at unexpected angles impacting him with dangerous amounts of force His Nether senses could barely follow her movement shrouded as she was by her unraveling patterns but he could sense the reverberating diffusions of her Toosah softening the blows on her body

So it will come down to endurance Randidly observed He pressed his lips together his face locked into a vicious leer So far none have been able to rival me But you certainly are an admirable foe Illia I wonder how were you trained

Congratulations Your Skill the Cloak of Utter Night has grown to Level 999

His Cloak thickened muffling the pounding Even under attack he could use this opportunity to refine his rather recently formed Dread Homunculus As though sensing his increasing resistance Illia accelerated Then all of a sudden Randidly gasped and spat out a mouthful of blood

His body sent out a dozen warnings from only a single one of her vicious impacts and a second had arrived before his brain caught up with the threat Long furrows had been clawed into his powerful flesh by a sudden shift in the patterns around IlliaÆs body Those Toosah arrangements that diffused pressure and force suddenly flipped around concentrating it The power of her rainbow slam punched small holes through the Cloak of Utter Night and impacted him directly Randidly pulled more energy to create dense Nether around him in defense but her patterns melted the energy Desperately he pulled more from the surrounding environment to reinforce himself

Congratulations Your Skill the Cloak of Utter Night has grown to Level 1002

Congratulations Your Skill The World Tree Sips from Every Realm has grown to Level 996

The flurry of violence after Illia shifted her Toosah to a glitteringly offensive arrangement shook Randidly Just as he began to consider the possibility he couldnÆt endure like this the attack stopped For a second he looked straight ahead the brightness of IlliaÆs attacks leaving him blind in the lull that followed

Fatia Cerulean offered Randidly a short bow Already his energy began to transform as he incorporated this new prize into his body I appreciate your efforts as always Hungry Eye Please allow me to take it from here

Randidly looked at Fatia with disgust He had an overwhelming desire to strike to rip this carrion being to pieces The thought of Fatia stealing the lovely mesmerizing rainbow wings of Illia and slapping them Frankenstein style onto his body made him want to vomit All the secrets all the quiet pride the moxxy to challenge Randidly to a physical contest had been extinguished And yet

Randidly turned away without saying anything further In the end he had come here with the intention of assisting the Aetherlands in their war against the Nether Not to create a counteroffensive but to defend the lines between the two lands And that was exactly what Fatia was doing

The character of his allies left him bitter But he knew now wasnÆt the time to act on the feeling

RandidlyÆs justice would come later

As Fatia and his subordinates raced away to pick off wounded Nether Warriors like the mangy coyotes they were Randidly looked up at the ominous Nether storms above Homewell He reached out his body still aching and small seeds of regret in his chest He kept his touch as gentle as though he held a newborn as he unwound the patterns in the sky to create a new beginning

Congratulations Your Skill Gospel Within the Seething Torrent has grown to Level 999

When you became part of a movement bigger than yourself sometimes you became hitched to unsavory individuals taking advantage of situations for their own ends However Randidly also knew his own behavior was the most important So long as he kept his eyes focused forward and acted in a way he wouldnÆt regret he could keep his chin held high

He didnÆt dissipate the Nether storms but wove them into something new His Nether Core remained exhausted from his activation of his First Authority but he possessed enough Nether to unleash a bit of the Fourth Authority Animation Nova

While the Nether forces retreated from around Homewell Randidly knitted together a soft rain The clouds shifted from the heavy black of unrefined iron to the soft grey of dirty wool The heavy bottomed masses of water vapor cracked open and began to mist down across the city as it nursed its wounds

Randidly looked up at the sky allowing the warm rain to hit his face In the midst of a collapsed road through the slum a small sapling twitched Its roots found it in themselves to dig into the ground and spread The ominous brownish tinge in its leaves began to recede The sapling remained pressed against the ground but that was fine

After all it wasnÆt a sapling at all but a vine And it was more than happy to snake sideways through the complex and interesting terrain of the rubble

Congratulations Your Skill Gospel Within the Seething Torrent has grown to Level 1000

Congratulations Pantheon intervention You have achieved your 15th Mille in record time In terms of total MilleÆs achieved you are now second within the whole of the Nexus But please note you have not yet created the definition for the term Ghasthund Each Mille you achieve before creating the definition will increase the effect the term will have on existence

As you advance along this Path your ability to influence the underpinnings of existence grows Should you reach 25 MilleÆs before creating your definition the term Ghasthund will be potent enough to generate a corresponding HierarchyÆ for the Nexus The Hierarchy of Ghasthund

However expanding the term’s influence also makes it a broader foundation and more easily infiltrated If you do not define the term soon influence from the Alpha Cosmos will be unavoidable

Chapter 2251

It is truly astounding The Scythe whispered into the ProphetÆs ear How the timing of these two events once more has fallen into alignment despite the many deviations along the way It is almost as if your fears have been completely unfounded Every step beyond the prophecy you have taken has been superfluous

Heh I suppose all sins are superfluous arenÆt they

The Prophet kept his growing disgust for the hunched and shadowy form of the Scythe from showing on his face His eye mouths twitched but that was all the reaction he displayed Disappointed the Scythe prowled away

Not that the Scythe truly cared about the deviations from the prophecy that was the great contradiction of the Scythe it must exist within the Cult of the Savior without being bogged down by sentimentality When part of the flesh needed to be removed it was an impartial butcher

And its words now were designed to inflict pain They definitely had considering the way the ProphetÆs actions over the past few weeks wandered away from the light and into unknown territory Doubt plagued his every step

Yet no one else seemed to recognize the threat to the light that this incursion could represent Allowing information to the superiors of Nether King Hungry Eye felt like an obvious liability

Which then sent the ProphetÆs mind spinning down the rabbit hole of wondering whether he only thought that because he had so long been deprived of the light he didnÆt remember the invulnerability of its radiance

The Prophet narrowed the bulging eye hanging from its chin Do not let your attention wander Enough of that has happened Now witness the beauty of the Prophecy

In front of him the shallow stone bowl filled with water rippled and he witnessed events knitting themselves into the future predicted by the light of El Kedec

After receiving the careful instructions from the Cult of the Savior Elhume had asked why they the Prophet had been so detailed IN response the Prophet had smiled I had assumed we are aware that you are working with us because both intend for the safety of Pine but you would be more comfortable with us not present for the process of introducing the Hierarchy of Equivalence into the universe But if you need assistance

No I will be fine Elhume had closed his eyes and turned away The important portion is connecting with the correct Schema Coelom yes And pulling the proper idea I can manage it

In the present the Prophet observed Elhume with his glowing eye as he proceeded through the ritual Based on Nether principles the ritual opened up a small door to the deeper realm through which the fabric of universal law moved The true source of El Kedec existed in that place and even thinking about it filled the Prophet with longing

But right now the Prophet would accept this obvious invitation The ProphetÆs attention shifted and the depiction on the waterÆs surface shifted To the Northeast the frazzled and exhausted Mae Myrna dragged her fingers in sharp lines across the walls and floor of a stone room carving out furrows Her eyes were bloodshot she hadnÆt slept since the confrontation between herself and Elhume

Already her energy began flowing through the patterns carved into the room Being so casually dismantled by Nether King Hungry Eye had taught her a lesson but she had doubled down on this path just as the Prophecy had predicted Her fingers twitched when she didnÆt use them to carve but they didnÆt possess the slightest tremor during the work

She took the lessons imparted by the Nether King advancing by leaps and bounds much faster than predicted But the Prophet supposed that those same ripples released by the interloper had propelled Elhume to power more quickly Already the fist userÆs image crackled with a vast emptiness that made the ProphetÆs hands tingle They grew close to the point that the pieces they played with grew powerful enough to throw off their yoke should they become aware of it

It would not easily expand beyond this area but in exchange it would be very difficult for other forces to invade and attack her until she had finished her preparations

The Prophet pivoted back to Elhume fishing out into the Schema Coelom for the proper Hierarchy

Normally the relatively modest area perhaps now a twentieth of the total Aetherlands would not have much of an impact on the process of acquiring a Hierarchy The Prophet straightened slightly feeling Mae MyrnaÆs image reinforcing itself and therefore exerting a larger influence on the Universal Its existence gathered enough pull to drag more of the universe soul into alignment

The Cult of the Savior had carefully pruned for this moment over the course of two hundred years

The whole of the current Nexus was about nine parts Nether to one part Aether But in the universe soul both were represented equally So this small bubble Mae created and cut off from the world became grossly overrepresented Simultaneously another piece had developed far earlier than expected without any assistance from the Cult of the Savior spreading the technique with abandon

Each time an Aether being created one of CeruleanÆs FatesÆ what they really did was cut back out their contribution to the universe soul weakening it further To fill that space what choice did Pine have but turn to the solid if warping Mae Myrna

The Prophet snickered Finally Elhume found the proper target within that horrid gulf of the spiritual abyss so many poisoned shapes trying to smother El KedecÆs light He pulled dragging a little bit of that influence into the Nexus The whole isolated universe shook as the principle tried to squeeze its way into their little corner of existence

It passed through the universe soul Pine exhausted and tainted by Mae Myrna and trembled It reacted to the energies present in the universe and shifted

The Hierarchy of Equivalence entered through the other side of the portal and the Hierarchy of Karma popped out the other side affected by its new environment It came into existence as a crystal chalice not large enough to serve a drink with a stem so thin it looked as though it could snap with just two fingers

The Hierarchy released a soft radiance its influence percolating out through existence and settling across the Nexus

When Elhume smiled he looked young With this Pine

The problems began when he reached out to touch the Hierarchy

At the point his fingers brushed against the chalice little motes of energy exploded outward like a kicked dandelion Blinking in surprise Elhume swiped his hand ineffectually through the new light When it finally began to dissipate his eyes widened to see the chalice now missed several large chunks with more breaking off and flaking away every second

What ElhumeÆs hand snaked outward He touched the chalice and it exploded vanishing before he could even take advantage of the tainted tool he had pulled into the Nexus

The Prophet could hear the wet sound of Scythe licking his lips A newly arrived Hierarchy always came through the universe core but would immediately be pulled toward the individual who most epitomized it

Chapter 2252

In this moment of serendipity as neither the actions of Nether King Hungry Eye nor the ProphetÆs own counter actions managed to sway the majestic confluence of events the Prophecy had predicted the world seemed to be chiding the Cult of the Savior for ever doubting the Prophecy All fell within the light of El Kedec

Mae Myrna and Elhume independently reached the promised moment Fatia Cerulean somehow stumbled across the idea he was supposed to only discover after being nudged very forcefully by the Cult of the Savior In the end the light came from a deeper place Its truths ran deeper than the Prophet could fathom

The Prophet almost wanted to laugh at its own lack of faith Once more the luminous brand of divinity seemed to swell in his chest until he housed a young star his blood and muscles nearly evaporating before the all consuming power of that light coursing through his limbs His doubts vanished erased entirely by its presence in his body

An off kilter existence had been nudged back into perfect balance

The Prophet moved its attention away from the cursing and struggling Elhume whose groping fingers only hastened the HierarchyÆs disappearance He observed the flow of those energy particles as they flowed to the Northeast corner of the Aetherlands The powerful weapon wouldnÆt arrive directly to Mae MyrnaÆs desperate grasp but it would follow resonance and condense

The flow of the hierarchy shards trembled A tributary split off from the main flow heading for Nether King Hungry Eye

As the ProphetÆs expression twisted both mouths gnashing their teeth and its eye bulging it became obvious those particles of the Hierarchy of Karma werenÆt heading to him directly Somehow those particles flowed around him without him noticing their presence The surface of the scrying rippled and a woman with long lavender hair stood behind the Nether King apparently springing directly from his body into existence

The change within the disintegrating particles grew even more noticeable as Elhume stared with hollow eyes at the spot where the Hierarchy of Karma had previously been

The lavender haired woman twitched a finger and the particles began to dance and spin a small celestial wonder More particles of the dissipated Hierarchy flowed toward her The ProphetÆs anger mounted still managing to keep its doubts at bay but understanding that it had been correct in one aspect Nether King Hungry Eye represented a threat to the very fabric

Across the room some object audibly shattered producing a small crack The Prophet glanced sideways impatience clear in his furrowed brow and twitchy gesture It quickly transformed into appalled when he saw the Prophecy had been the source of the noise

In the bowels of the Cult of the Savior facility an alarm began to ring A voice spoke and almost the entirety of the Nexus must have heard Yet the ProphetÆs skin crawled when the words brushed against the skin behind his ear warm and indulgent

More alarms began to sound in the compound The pressure of a foreign beingÆs attention froze the image displayed on the scrying surface just as Nether King Hungry Eye whipped around also a confused recipient of the words The sudden chill of pressurized Nether made the Prophet flinch backward His senses scrambled trying to understand what had happened The resonant voice reaching his position within the deep enclaves of the Cult of the Savior was impossible A being this powerful

The fern like growths arching over the vine road whipped at CharlotteÆs face as she dashed forward They grew higher every hour but right now she needed to duck so her nose wasnÆt tickled until she sneezed She saw a few divots cut into some of the smaller offshoots of the main vine systems which apparently oozed enough refreshing liquid to drink but kept her focus up on the dark sky

But an opponent didnÆt descend and the shadows slowly receded Perhaps the real threat would wait for the promised week to pass before revealing itself

Charlotte found Randidly sitting on the edge of the ruined embankment the twisted violence of the root orchard in front of him smoldering its way to the ground One of the Pantheon Lucretia stood next to Randidly She noticed CharlotteÆs approach and bowed quickly vanishing back within the Alpha Cosmos

Charlotte licked her lips is another attack coming

Randidly offered her an exhausted smile ThereÆs always another attack as far as I can tell But for now I donÆt think it is impending It was just a promise From a very very powerful Nether individual From what I can tell a remnant of a different age a genuine Nether Warlord

For a second he seemed lost in thought Then he snapped back into focus with a shake of his head One by one he used his thumb to crack the knuckles of his right hand Too much is happening too quickly For now I need to return to the farm and speak to the Nether Arbiter He pivoted and gave Charlotte a glance She felt herself flushing Randidly Ghosthound could sometimes gaze with such an intensity that Charlotte felt the layers of herself peeled back her thoughts and images laid bare

Such was the razor sharp point of his look that she sometimes worried that when he looked at her with those emerald eyes he also saw back to Commandant Wick and remembered what had happened to the GhosthoundÆs first Knight That beneath the begrudging acceptance of her being his Knight lay skepticism waiting for a failure on her part to strike

Your image had deepened considerably What a complex interplay of bacteria you are maintaining However The Ghosthound glanced at her again an optical excavation that took only a second His lips twitched You are stretching yourself more than you need to account for complexity Instead of going wide consider depth

Charlotte tilted her head to the side briefly distracted by his words What do you mean

ArenÆt bacteria just piles of cells You have quite the variety of cells within your image they form an excellent base layer It will take a lot of work to set up Randidly rubbed his chin But if you have your bacteria composed or perhaps colonized but a set of smaller bacteria you can add quite a bit of variety Perhaps sometimes those bacteria can have an effect on the host but sometimes they wonÆt And that certainly is life

As soon as the Ghosthound had said it Charlotte WickÆs eyes brightened She could see the way her image could evolve incorporating more complexity Yet she set those sudden insights to the side and looked at the Ghosthound with genuine concern That voice what are you going to do Can you win

For a moment Randidly Ghosthound looked old The System suspended aging to a point But a portion of that depended on how the individual viewed themselves so far as Charlotte understood it So although the signs were subtle lines formed on the GhosthoundÆs forehead the chick form of crow’s feet were visible when he frowned

Honestly IÆm not sure He smiled and his whole face transformed His eyes sparkled ItÆs an invigorating feeling

Chapter 2253

Lowanna received the message from Nether King Hungry Eye but she had already been gathering up her things for the past several minutes The winds had whispered of the coming shift although she hadnÆt realized how frightful the event would be

Winds are funny that way Seeing so much Understanding so little Lowanna picked up a ceramic mug that had been made for her by Neveah with hoops on both sides so it was easy for her to lift with bound hairs She released a long sigh and pried her shaking fingers away from the mug before she stored it away careful not to shatter it I am quite like the wind

She stood at the threshold of his farm looking around and sighing at how organized and lush the greenery seemed rustling in the harsh winds produced by the wave of atmospheric Nether in the South However the fresher breezes stunk of fear something old and monstrous had begun to move deep in the Netherlands

Lowanna winced A shift inside of her allowed this to happen although the alternative was to kill a villageÆs worth of people She had felt the breaking of a few of the bindings that made her the Arbiter A counterweight from the surly old generation of Nether beings a promise to protect the Nether people

Suddenly winds of significance did not believe she was doing everything in her power to protect her people

Lowanna’s hands tightened to fists some part of her anxious that even the small movement would reap lives Damned if I do damned if I donÆt Too hot or too cold Always sucking away moisture or bringing storms

What what is my purpose

For now she had some information Once Lowanna felt the shadow she recognized the horror from which it stretched She waited for Nether King Hungry Eye to open a portal to her position so she could report what she knew of Deganawidah the Thrice Drowned Perhaps the worst of the old Nether monsters for him with which to become an enemy Yet she blinked as Devick moved to her side her packed bag strapped to her back her expression determined

You are returning to the frontlines Lowanna tilted her head to the side She forced a smile onto her face Well at least you and Hungry Eye will once more be on speaking terms You know heÆs never quite as happy as when

I am not She shook her head her crimson hair rippling across her face Devick still possessed that brittleness that had characterized her frantic training over the last week Yet she had also settled into a decision and purpose looked good on her I will head to the fighting in the central plains IÆll fight until my fingers break if thatÆs what it takes

Lowanna’s heart ached at the other womanÆs desperation IsnÆt it enough he cares for you Why are you so concerned with rivaling him in destructive power In the end there are areas in which you are superior to him

Are there Devick challenged her tone sharp As Lowanna prepared a response she shook her head No donÆt answer that You are right this is selfish I cannot stand that I am a burden to him I am the problem the one unwilling to allow things to continue like this

So you will endanger your life Lowanna pursed her lips

If thatÆs the quickest Path Devick nodded The two women embraced When Nether King Hungry Eye opened the portal to his position Devick smiled at Lowanna over her shoulder This is strange to say but IÆm just not strong enough to be weak you know I donÆt know how to just accept help IÆd rather that I be the one helping IÆd rather he needed me

Then Devick began to walk away and Lowanna passed through the portal

Randidly felt goosebumps on his skin He looked up and witnessed the way small bits of the remnant patterns left behind by this figureÆs reach now began to decay weighing down the significance in the area with fear His pupils dilated this effect was deliberate

Despite the fact he could sense what was going on Randidly still felt the air thicken His frown deepened as he felt the flows of Nether Time and immaculate care created this sensation This being first created one of the most powerful patterns IÆve ever seen and then altered it in its base state so that it would steadily unravel and release waves of fear

That what sort of being does that

I guess the sort whose first experience is attempted murder

ItÆs very dramatic Randidly rolled his shoulders

Lowanna attempted to laugh but the sound was hollow He saw a small drop of sweat run down from her temple despite the cool temperature Apologies I know it can sound far fetched but as far as I know this is the truth The records in Wyndaos Briefly a different sort of flinch seized Lowanna due to the tragedy of the cityÆs annihilation but she kept speaking were considered relatively expansive stretching to before our people split off and came into the Nexus And in those days Deganawidah was still shrouded in myth

What happened next Did he bring ruin upon the great Nether city Randidly tilted his head to the side With his spare attention he wove his own small patterns to try and eradicate the lingering effect of Deganawidah To his annoyance the particles stubbornly resisted his attempts to remove them And the more energy he poured into it the more the targeted particles released a magnetic field that cause more to flock and surround him

Randidly forced his jaw to unclench and listened to Lowanna

In a way Deganawidah did bring ruin to Quillic But not for several decades First he crawled out into the wilderness and learned to survive on his own Early Nether beings developed enough to survive on their own very quickly but even for one of his people he was exceptional Within ten years that area of the wilderness had fallen under his dominion Within twenty years he had civilized the area his protection enabling a half dozen small villages to begin altering the wilds to be more habitable

As trade blossomed connections with the wider Nether world began to form Perhaps it had once been prudence that had guided Quillic to its heights but now their behaviors might more closely resemble paranoia Their high Nether Priestess had a vision and hammered on doors until the entire city had awoken to hear her words She had one chill message Deganawidah would soon return

And return he did without knowing the complicated past he shared with the city Although his awareness is a subject of considerable debate He had been a child left to thrash and drown in the river most believe it is impossible for him to have any memory of Quillic Yet others found his countenance so uncanny they would believe any evil if attributed to him As though he could smell a betrayal and followed his nose right back to his birthplace

Randidly cracked his jaw His patterns managed to wrestle these particles into an uneasy deadlock ceasing their constant release of negative energy but he didnÆt manage to achieve anything more than that

At the very least Lowanna seemed more at ease as she continued her story He led the trade caravan from the borderlands personally happy to escape the struggle for survival and see the riches of the Netherlands The group snaked their way across the intervening lands bringing their raw materials and earning untold riches They worked their way inexorably toward Quillic the heart of the Nether lands And when they arrived they received a great honor of being invited by the ruling council of Quillic to be received in what was once known as the Hall of Ephemeral Lanterns

Lowanna released a long sigh It is known now as the Hall of Ash They burned the entire place to the ground hoping Deganawidah would succumb to fire where water had failed But for the second time he lived

Swimming amongst the baking corpses of his closes friends and companions through waves of flame Deganawidah did not drown

Chapter 2254

Despite understanding this was the life lived by this enemy that had now fixated on him for his hand in IlliaÆs death Randidly couldnÆt help but be curious He closed his eyes allowing his imagination to transport him into his worst moments He remembered his second trip to Tellus force to swim through lava in order to avoid the vicious power of the sun How did he escape

The corner of LowannaÆs mouth quirked upward The legend says in his grief Deganawidah followed his murdered companions to hell without noticing his own heartbeat He looked so devastated that the gatekeepers didnÆt even notice he was still living He then lived in hell for seven years before he could cope with living again However other accounts seem to think this is a figurative account of a literal occurrence In order to survive Deganawidah dug his way down and out of the city while his people burned around him Before turning to charcoal the bodies of his companions protected him until he could burrow away from the heat

Shit Randidly whistled He had known it was true from pre System human history but intelligent life would sometimes default to violence without even the slightest nudge He felt a small pulse of sympathy for this Nether Warlord Alright and the third drowning

We have a bit to get through until the third drowning This time Deganawidah moved with purpose after escaping Quillic Lowanna said He returned to his lands and allies They were few but they had been honed by the wildlands for their entire lives They were strong At the same time it is said that Deganawidah motivated by the only emotion remaining to him malice invented the modern form of Maala A bond that involved coercion so these powerful individuals could feed off weaker settlements until they were a force to be reckoned with

Until they were a horde a seething mass of bodies carrying weapons and spreading death Stampeding directly back to Quillic Capturing the leader of every force in opposition to him and burning them alive to send a message

What a cheery fellow IÆve appeared to piss off Randidly muttered He rolled his shoulders and released a pulse of Nether forcing the lingering patterns away Following their contrary nature other nearby patterns began to swarm toward Randidly to spite his attempts Yet this time Randidly sent out several twisted patterns in a second wave of energy Patterns that he had adapted from the energy of Illia

Unwillingly the energy left layered across Homewell by Deganawidah melted away The arrangement felt gorgeous like dappled light across a rippling surface of water On his own it would have taken him perhaps a month to come up with something as functional and lovely As he watched the influence disappear Randidly felt a pang in his heart Illia and her dragonfly wings had been weaker than Randidly but only by a small amount He had felt genuine pressure

To then witness her killed by Cerulean was almost too much to bear

Lowanna continued I am skimming through a very long and bloody war that was triggered by Deganawidah and then joined by other borderland powers unsatisfied with the tight control centralized Nether authority held over the economy This became a much larger calamity than just his vendetta Others took up the brand of revolution and set fire to the old ways The particulars of his battles were irrelevant aside from the fact that Deganawidah kept winning He won all the way back to Quillic this time demolishing every fortress and city in his path enslaving the survivors with Maala and only growing stronger

And just when he arrived the Aether began their invasion of the Nether Lands Sensing weakness they struck All the losses they suffered meant other predators smelled blood So when DeganawidahÆs host arrived at Quillic they found it besieged from the other side

Randidly held up a hand for Lowanna to pause because an individual in flashy sapphire armor marched across the open ground to the broken fort The mud and dirt of the badlands scuffed up his greaves making the polished feet coverings look like smelly leather The two watched the soldier approach and then leap up to stand before them

Bowing the soldier said Nether King Hungry Eye Lord Cerulean has recovered enough to speak to you regarding this new threat I will escort you to his position so you might plan your next moves

The muscles of RandidlyÆs jaw bulged The truth that Illia had been hacked from the world by the bone raptor monster hit him again That Fatia had caused them both to draw the attention of this ancient monstrous Nether Warlord He considered just giving into the undertow of rage that seized his emotional sea striking the messanger and seeing how high up in the sky he could smash the body

He restrained that impulse he wasnÆt so depraved he would crush this buffoon just to feel better And as he thought about how he wanted to deal with it a smile snaked across his face Well well well I suppose this is appropriate I do have several subjects in need of discussion with Cerulean IÆll head over in a few minutes

When he entered two guards in those same overly polished blue armor leapt to their feet and leveled their weapons at him Randidly pressed his lips together the Cloak of Utter Night once more settling around his shoulders A specter of the void he glided forward and waved an arm Night settled across the two guards heavy and complete leaving them blind deaf suffocating alone in a darkness too vast to fathom or explore Both collapsed

Then Randidly had passed and they lay on the ground their breath coming in ragged gasps

Inside Fatia looked up His raptor face stretched into a sardonic smile I appreciate your flair for the dramatic but if you could refrain from disrespecting my soldiers

You are carrion Randidly enunciated every syllable Nether moving through his body to support the assertion

What The blue flames around FatiaÆs body flickered

Randidly observed the energy around Cerulean Already thin lines of Nether had begun to be woven into its being a benefit from the new trophy A benefit Randidly intended to rip from him He cleared his throat You are carrion pecking at the corpse hunted and overwhelmed by another You ambush you lurk you stalk You are carrion stealing a prey that was mine

Fatia CeruleanÆs image warped The fourth trophyÆ began to spark Belatedly the raptor construct realized what Randidly was doing His eyes blazed with fury but that fury made Fatia Cerulean go very still It was this ability to restrain impulses that made Fatia dangerous despite being little more than a hyena with rabies

You did not act with honor You did not earn this Randidly said trying a few phrasings to find the proper point of contention At earn the image shuddered The sparking became more intense Randidly allowed himself a small smile of triumph

Fatia Cerulean might possess a powerful image that allowed him to cannibalize his victims but he was deluded And he had deluded himself regarding the how of his predationÆ Randidly armed with his certainty and the significance from his battle with Illia could deprive him of that delusion Because Fatia knew he was right

The flames across the raptor constructs body began to tremble Randidly waited At this point Fatia could either choose to suppress the response and likely weaken his image in the long term or regurgitate that vital essence he had stolen from Illia

If this is true the problem of this Nether Warrior is entirely yours Fatia spat out the words

Randidly showed him his teeth Who else would be capable of handling it

You The anger receded from FatiaÆs expression You will regret this

I regret waiting this long before making my stance clear Rumors of our friendship are greatly exaggerated Randidly waited until Fatia allowed his brief fourth trophy to unravel From the remnants he plucked up the Nether Prince that formed from Illia

He left quietly a fluttering breath of air followed by a slew of curses from Fatia Cerulean

Chapter 2255

Moish and Tenectoil now introduced to each other and building a bridge of friendship between the two of them which had a strong foundation of long near anonymous association sat on one of the low horizontal shoots that spread out from the life giving vines running through the slums and ate corned ostrich sandwiches on unleavened bread

Despite the day before today was good For now that was enough Both chewed in near bliss

Ostriches were a pest that filled the badlands but their presence near the slum was a recent development the locals were busily exploiting The greedy birds had discovered the berries that grew on the new vine system and now periodically returned for a meal And a new source of meat was exactly the sort of boost the refugees around Homewell needed right now

Each bite was a struggle the cheap bird meat was stringy and the bread was rough Yet each felt like a triumph For one more day they bad both managed to survive TenectoilÆs arm healed slowly and Moish now had an ache he couldnÆt pinpoint in the knuckles of his right hand but they lived UppTodated from

Both bit into their sandwiches and tore off another chunk of sustenance Their chewing was nearly synchronized

The horrid grey clouds loomed on the horizon a reminder of the Nether force waiting outside their gates Part of a larger offensive slowly constricting around the Aetherlands But Moish had learned long ago to focus only on the now

His attention remained in only those moments you were guaranteed the present

Raddeus going to pull through Tenectoil asked between massive bites dragging the mood down somewhat Bits of ostrich meat were stuck between his tiny and sharp teeth as he spoke

However Moish offered a cautious nod He reached over and patted the warm body of the thick main branch of the vine They said the Nether WarriorÆs energy infected the wound that it would be impossible to do anything That he would slowly rot away one organ at a time And I thought his daughter well We were just trying to make him comfortable feeding him water from the vine Giving him a few small fruits And the Nether is dissipating

Tenectoil paused You think the vine water affected the Nether in his body

Moish could only nod It was hard not to feel a fierce pride when he looked at the plant the ancestral crop of the Homid people now swelled to almost deific proportions But he still looked furtively around before answering I donÆt know what else to think And apparently others have noticed too although no one wants to talk about it to publicly In case

Tenectoil gave a knowing nod of his own Both understood that if the knowledge became too widespread the Turtlelines would come out and begin draining all the liquid out of the vine for their own purposes It was impossible to hide the truth from the rulers of Homewell forever but for as long as possible they wanted to let them believe the vines were just a strange and perhaps convenient mess in the slums

Moish leaned forward and pressed his forehead against the vine feeling its warmth He loved reminding RaddeusÆs daughter to distract her while her fatherÆs pain was at its worse this plant had been his gift to her a rare bit of Homid history And now it had expanded and provided so much for the slums

The main branches of the vine were about a meter off the ground thick enough for a surefooted individual to walk along the top without fearing a fall Rigid almost cage like protrusions grew out from the bottom mostly horizontal before they dipped down at the end It was on one of these that Moish and Tenectoil now sat But also compared to the ramshackle hovels which had populated the slum previously it was much easier to dig under a main branch of the vine and lay materials across the lower offshoots creating a sinuous partially underground length of dwellings separated by curtains

Not soldiers Tenectoil muttered under his breath and Moish agreed These two didnÆt possess the rigid attention or prowling confidence of soldiers If anything they looked bored Despite their slow gait the soldiers moved aside and gave them space to head to the front giving Moish a better look at the two The one on the right had a constantly stormy expression and a rippling grey robe Obvious rich Aether beings loved their robes but this one took it to the extreme Moish had never seen a busier cloth surface

Every inch was covered in dense network of stitchings that flashed and glittered Obviously this figure considered himself an expert of Engraving although even an Engraving amateur like Moish wondered whether the robe was functional or just an ostentatious brag without any merit It was impossible to see anything of the wearerÆs identity in the robe just the constant gleam of vanity

The figure on the other side of the Colonel was a great deal more professional looking with a well kept goatee and sharp eyes Something about the way this man considered the dirty looking soldiers made Moish uneasy

Not a soldier at all Perhaps a merchant

A few minutes later the Colonel cleared his throat I believe this is everyone if your reports about casualties amongst your unit is correct My condolences by the way We understand you had to hold the line until Nether King Hungry Eye arrived And now you remain afflicted by a remnant image of his in the form of the vine Please know that Homewell is aware this invasive plant has dislodged and destroyed many of your homes When the Nether threat has passed we promise we will dedicate resources to restoring the pristine condition of your neighborhood

None of the soldiers said a word just simply looked at the Colonel and waited for him to continue Their faces were blank All had learned the lesson of what happened when a more powerful being realized how valuable one of your possessions was

Still we wish to assist with your current situation as much as possible WeÆve brought supplies mostly cornmeal and armor to reinforce you in this trying time

With an elaborate gesture the Colonel produced a series of crates from an interspatial ring To be fair to the Allied Aether Military they had not skimped on crates They were stacked as high as two of their ornate multi floor houses within Homewell several tons worth of materials When the Colonel remained there waiting for a response Tenectoil gave Moish a glance and strolled forward

The Lizakh leader had been awarded several honorary Turtleline medals for holding the center of the line during the Nether charge Which meant he was likely the most official individual in the slums So the Lizakh walked up to the crates and opened a couple He made admiring noises bowed toward the Colonel then returned to his place in line

But as he did so he rapped his knuckles against his leg At first Moish didnÆt realize what was going on but then on the repetition of the noises caught the message the same code they were developing to travel through the vines

Edible

The group of soldiers rustled softly repeating the message against their own armor so it spread through the group Obviously the soldiers were less interested in armor and more in cornmeal And hearing edible made them realize it was definitely usable to feed their families However even the arrival of a ragged ostrich looking for berries was announced through the vines as a feastÆ

The cornmeal had been damned with faint praise in comparison

Not that any of the soldiers were surprised they lifted their heads and waited Because after a meager gift came the ask

I should introduce you to a very esteemed individual This is the Master The Colonel gestured to the individual with the overly embroidered robe He has come to assist in the defense of Western Homewell by attempting to replicate your own variety of a Lifeseal I hope you all will do your utmost to assist him

Chapter 2256

A long silence stretched after the ColonelÆs pronouncement Some of the soldiers around the two leaders glanced at each other unsure of what they were hearing Everyone knew even an inferior version of a Lifeseal would benefit the slums immensely When no sudden caveats appeared from the mouth of the blue haired Colonel some of the younger soldiers had hopeful expressions on their faces

Moish and Tenectoil exchanged a glance both had fixated on the request to assist in the Master

They had heard many similar requests before They were never as neat or palatable as they had been phrased

Moish cleared his throat speaking for the first time in the gathering What sort of assistance will be required to establish this imitation lifeseal Obviously with the continued presence of the Nether and the ongoing adaptions to the vines that have grown across our area we donÆt have much spare manpower to provide

Memories The Master spoke with a surprisingly low voice that rumbled across the parade ground His mouth pinched into a small o at the prospect of having to explain himself especially to soldiers Moish could see the distaste in the lines around the MasterÆs eyes The Lifeseal needs to be weighed down by a dense core to establish it in any location Especially to tie it to your people’s your memories will be the most efficient medium The theory is sound and the result should be extraordinary with my modifications

Moish felt a strange chill He wondered about the early Turtlelines who had come into the Nexus and what they had gone through to establish a safe haven for themselves Perhaps those prideful shelled beings had a better reason to jealously police their cityÆs borders than Moish had realized What happens to the memories used to stabilize the Lifeseal

They will become a part of the Lifeseal The Master said as though this result should be obvious Moish didnÆt bother to push the issue further able to infer from the dismissive answer how little the Master cared Next to the bearded Master the Colonel smiled glowingly around at the soldiers as though to shine positive energy on them so they would be more willing to accept the proposal

The rest of the soldiers remained idle waiting for their leaders to sound out this strange request

you have not done this before You say the result should be extraordinary TenectoilÆs brows knitted together The Lizakh rarely displayed emotion but an undercurrent of displeasure was apparent on his features You have not tested your theory

Moish heard the LizakhÆs words but also had the strangest out of body experience He stood there in a packed parade ground next to Tenectoil but he also stood in a much more sparsely populated flat stretch of ground facing the exact same trio of individuals Both layers seemed to press atop one another yet stood separately This other Moish was dirtier hungry and ached from wounds that hadnÆt quite healed yet

In the parallel vision a cold wind crusted dirt across their arms and legs touching the ground

That other Moish had the horrible realization that the memories would probably have to come from him or those like him the last few of the older Homids Those that had survived the sacking wait what of Homewell and fled with the Turtlelines It dawned upon other him that the only memories powerful enough to create a Lifeseal would be the memories of an entire people

Cheap prices the Turtlelines would have been willing to pay themselves

This Master wanted to bury the culture of the Homids in the ground and allow something else to grow atop it They would be a sacrifice for the safety of those who had escaped the city

But that other Moish in an alternate reality broken and still grieving from all the companions he lost looked around at the feeble remnants of his people He thought about the few score remaining Homids the weeping parents and the silent children with hollow eyes He thought about how hungry they were He thought about the cornmeal

In that alternate world edible held a powerful draw

As tears began to form in his eyes at the horrific choice he needed to make the third figure finally leaned forward MoishÆs vision swam he also leaned forward in the same manner in the other reality the one he currently inhabited and spoke in both The two voices resonated Obviously it was not easy to gather up these supplies Homewell had suffered much and the reinforcement convoys from our allies have not yet arrived Can you understand what a sacrifice it is for us to feed you right now We live in a society we thrive when we work together and crumble when split apart We will help you re establish your neighborhood and in exchange you will do what we ask

The last part of the sentence came with a vicious pressure a hook that sank into the alternate Moish so deeply he released a surprised sob Tears trickled down his cheeks as he made the decision He would give up the heritage of his people Because what matters more than the present If his people didnÆt have the cornmeal they would starve anyway

In the present Tenectoil slowly shook his head The hook did not find flesh here Ah well such effort was unnecessary If you need this cornmeal to feed your people you should keep it We will find a way to make do That is our way

All three figures seemed shocked The Colonel blinked several times as though unsure of what he was hearing He glanced sideways at the sharp eyed man with the goatee You you donÆt want the food

Moish snapped back into his body chilled by the alternate timeline he had seen He squeezed his feet to hide the trembling it would not do to show weakness here He wondered if any others had witnessed that world more than ever he felt deeply thankful that Nether King Hungry Eye had decided to move in their defense He cleared his throat If there is nothing else we need to continue the reconstruction efforts Thank you gentlemen

With a bit of hesitation at first then with more speed as the three just stood stupidly next to their piles of crates the soldiers of the slum marched away Moish scanned the groups most seemed confused or some even disappointed they had rejected the offer but he spotted enough hard eyed fury amongst the soldiers to feel comforted others had understood the real transaction the three representatives from Turtlelin wanted

Do we know who that third individual was The one they did not introduce Moish said quietly to Tenectoil There was something insidious about his way of speaking I believe he tried to compel us to agree with the gifts they offered

Tenectoil nodded his pupil so narrow it was almost invisible I believe he is the one they call Beigon A common merchant Well we will make sure he does no business with our peoples in the future Individuals like that sink their teeth into even the smallest weakness

Scope 50 000

Influence 6 702 966

Synechdochence 127%

Second The Hollow Needle

Third Intangible Burial

Fourth Authority Animation Nova

Skills (Soul Skill) Figure of the Alpha Cosmos Lvl 484 950 (Next 600 000)

Unique Abilities from Foreign Entity Sulfur (Rarity Rating Impossible) Combat Furnace Nascent Nether Organ Resistant to Force

Moirae of Minute Repercussions Severing Tide of Amenonuhoko Lvl 1040 From the Chaotic Sea Abrupt Reverberation Lvl 875 Gospel within the Seething Torrent Lvl 1000 Motif of Unimagined Tolls Lvl 1025 (Fusion Domain) HelenÆs Sea Cradle of Unlikely Lives Lvl 1100

LoBW Class Skills Footsteps of a Legend Lvl 902 SpriggitÆs Tinkering Lvl 657 Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm Lvl 1001 Fruit of the Planting of Enmity Lvl 49 Cycle of the Gloomy Wood Lvl 45 Lancers of the Baleful Crusade Lvl 1001 Armory of the Nether Damned Lvl 921

Combat Heavy Blow Lvl 434 Block Lvl 527 Calculated Blow Lvl 549 Roundhouse Kick Lvl 197 Inexorable Slash Lvl 626 The March of Ruin and Valor Lvl 751 Smothering Inevitability Lvl 801

Dread Homunculus Nyx Reincarnated Cloak of Utter Night Lvl 1002 ErebusÆ Baleful Waltz Lvl 1005 HumunculiÆs Monstrous Tenacity 913 ChimeraÆs Suffocating Rebuke Lvl 1000 The Wrathful Calamity Rends Lvl 901 NyxÆs Successor Births Fate Lvl 1001

The Stillborn Phoenix A Star that Prayed it would be Reborn The Hypothetical Gaze that Consumes the Universe Lvl 970 Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart Lvl 906 Diffracted Corruption from an Avaricious Impossibility Lvl 930 Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix Lvl 801 Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold Lvl 952 The Twin Lingering Shadows of Misfortune Lvl 1106

Aether Skills System Interference Lvl 88

Crafting Architecture of the Primordial Ways Lvl 943 Touch of the Ghosthound Scrawl of the Ghosthound Lvl 475 GhosthoundÆs Green Thumb Lvl 752 Heritage of the Origin Beast Lvl 851

Yggdrasil the Universe that was First a Tree The World Tree Sips from Every Realm Lvl 990 Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil Lvl 935 YggdrasilÆs Plasm Animus Lvl 961 Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil Lvl 936 Dawn Opens the Sky and Reality Stirs Lvl 919 Darkness Withers the Horizon and the Waiting Carrion Grins Lvl 969 Spirit Realm of Marshaled Endeavors Lvl 1006 The First Tree Suffers Only Fealty Lvl 957

Auxiliary Yggdrasil Soul Seed Inspiration Burning Footsteps Lvl 223 Cooking Lvl 101 Soul Bond Lvl 904 Nether Modification GhosthoundÆs Acute Nether Nose Lvl 1074 Yearnings of the Nether Heir Lvl 1080 Left Hand of the Nether Oracle Level 987 Right Hand of the Nether Polymath Lvl 945 Infinite Incendiary Filaments of the Dove Moirae Lvl 1142 Casting Blades from Insatiable Grievances Lvl 961 GhosthoundÆs Proficiency

In terms of commonly used Skills above Level 950 Randidly had seven all of which he used enough that they wouldnÆt take long until they reached a Mille And he even had about double that above Level 900 which meant any concerted effort could push him high enough to reach that rather arbitrary of twenty five

Which means I can reach that threshold rather quickly Randidly felt a part of him relax The end of the notification about the Alpha Cosmos had made him slightly nervous he knew from the negative subconscious he needed to process that his small universe wasnÆt perfect

Then he scratched his cheek and directed a sardonic smile at the ground But that just means that I need to figure out what sort of definition I want soon

Sighing Randidly put that to the side Instead he straightened and moved like a ghost through the busy thoroughfares of HomewellÆs slum to where Lowanna was staying When he knocked on his door she answered immediately I have thought more about the legend of Deganawidah I think I have some insights into his abilities

Randidly raised a hand I appreciate that and would love to hear your thoughts But I also well it would be better if I donÆt need to have a fight to the death with this ancient figure on the horizon I hope heading there now with you and with a peace offering will buy us some time and clemency

LowannaÆs eyes widened Her voice squeaked Now

Now Randidly confirmed Within his Nether Core IlliaÆs Nether Prince spun locked away in a protective cage It was he believed the best chance of avoiding the sort of confrontation that would destabilize the memory and cause all the changes he had created to crumble

Chapter 2257

Randidly had worried he wouldnÆt know exactly where to find Deganawidah the Thrice Drowned when he headed West from Homewell with Lowanna He walked toward the Nether host that sat on the horizon his senses tingling as he felt the breadth of the second wave of Nether violence a vast machine of antagonism that had been hissing and clicking in the dark like cooling automobile for hundreds of years and now finally roared to life spewing hatred and stringy grey clouds

Yet all he had to do was orient himself toward the weeping sense of desolation trace the bleakest clouds back to their source to find the Nether Warlord he sought The opposition stained existence with his presence bleeding slowly outward Even the vast and wild Badlands seemed to be withering under his touch the sand stinging less as it whipped past legs the distant hills looking less ominous and more forlorn

Randidly and Lowanna both made no secret of their passage releasing their patterns into the air and holding their own against the crouched antagonism of the army Different flows of energy sparked and ground against one another seeking to break the foreign patterns down For the first time Randidly could see the complex interplays of Nether politics laid bare in the intersection of patterns

RandidlyÆs complex and rotating energy entered into a tense standoff with the ambient flows of the army his too pure for theirs to overwhelm and theirs too massive for Randidly to attempt to unravel but the armyÆs Nether begrudgingly gave way before the neat and imaginative patterns released by Lowanna He could see the stubbornness in those patterns the joy and the chaotic violence cowed by the Nether Arbiter and the supreme irresistible weight she carried by holding the Phaea of all Nether Beings

Considering that the old engines of Nether violence had restarted Randidly wondered how long this deference would remain His eyes flicked back and forth watching for any movement in the distance

Congratulations Your Skill GhosthoundÆs Acute Nether Nose has grown to Level 1075

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 988

Randidly sensed several troops of Nether Warriors shifting around them allowing them past the edges of the Nether army and underneath the long shadows cast by the clouds above Those dense patterns of Deganawidah that radiated fear grew more thickly clustered as they approached They waded deeper even as the resistance sizzled against their skin Pressing his lips together Randidly continued to lead the way He created a bubble of gravitational force around Lowanna to aid her movement behind him

Step by step he ate away the distance He plunged right through the humming heart of the frightful radiations Walking deeply into the thick Nether Patterns RandidlyÆs Nether Core began to spin wildly He sensed the way to evolve his own Nether with the insights he had gained in the fight against Illia but for now he refrained from altering his Nether and unraveling the pressure

It almost seemed disrespectful to throw the lessons taught to his student back into this figureÆs face

When he arrived at the meeting spot Randidly knew instantly Deganawidah the Thrice Drowned waited for his visitors alone on top of a rocky bluff of little note In fact it was the lowest of three similar outcroppings in the area

Yet the baleful figure crouched atop those rocks made all the difference Low clouds hung directly over his head creating a fluffy iron halo

When it reached Deganawidah he flicked a finger and melted away the barrier He sank his fingers into the Nether Prince disbelief clear on his features For the first time since Randidly and Lowanna had arrived his mouth closed and hid his golden teeth

Without those small sources of glimmers he seemed to be an even more dour being

This was lost Taken Plundered Deganawidah said

Randidly nodded slowly his skin tingling I retrieved it She was a great Nether Warrior Her death lessens the world

You speak honestly Tch The evil humpty dumpty raised his gaze and scanned Randidly His attention possessed physical force so Randidly had to stiffen to keep himself from swaying DeganawidahÆs lips undulated on his face as though part of him fought to say something while another part restrained his words

Truth be told we have no Nether between us Hungry Eye With a gesture the Nether Prince vanished pulled into the swirling morass of Nether Deganawidah maintained behind his body Those low clouds seemed to press closer He still stared at Randidly For that reason I had assumed we would meet and I would kill you How strange You only started accumulating significance here recently But why Hum

RandidlyÆs eyebrows rose as huge quantities of Nether began to shift In one of the most casual displays of power he had ever witnessed Deganawidah twirled a finger and unleashed a veritable torrent of Nether in the fabric of reality around Randidly More than the motion and force of the shift what astounded him was the lack of violence This fat river didnÆt attack him directly or do any damage simply flowed so quickly that it began to spit and burn

when it ground up against lines of significance he had sewn in the past to other beings A whole web of connections came fitfully to life lifted out of the invisible underbelly of existence Around them the memory began to tremble

Right when it occurred to Randidly how dangerous this was becoming a new expression came across DeganawidahÆs face genuine surprise This time the smile curled upward at the edges attempting to fold in on itself and revealing gold teeth Truly the more I look at you the more peculiar you become Why is it that you possess a connection to one within the army I lead

A whole new wave of Nether surged this time in the distance The clouds rumbled In the next instant a lanky body smacked into the ground in front of the rocking outcropping on which Deganawidah sat Only after the figure had tumbled forward and bounced to a stop did Randidly recognize him

The bewildered horrified face of the Nether King from the present looked up at Randidly

The smile on DeganawidahÆs face curled even further up its arc meandering up and back down and then back up as it crossed its face as though different parts of the smile had different opinions on how amused the ancient figure was Very Peculiar

Chapter 2258

The young and gangly limbs of the future Nether King splayed out around his body against the dark stone ground For several seconds he did not move just loosed a low groan while both Deganawidah and Randidly observed his collapsed form

Snakes of Nether swam through the air the manifest frames of DeganawidahÆs curiosity Their long tongues tasted and churned the air above the Nether WarriorÆs body with the young out of his depth individual pressed himself up to his feet

Meanwhile RandidlyÆs heart pounded Even now he felt simultaneously awed and intimidated by the method used by the Nether monster to trace out his Nether connections For a brief moment Nether had moved with such violence to rub away the substrata of existence and lay the framework bare The dense and wide network of eternity had been displayed Nether scoured away the paint and veneer He had seen and recognized his own connections because that was the area that Deganawidah had focused on but other bonds had fallen within the displayed area

A few seconds later it was those depths that haunted him He kept picturing what he had observed

Webs on systems on tenuous bonds supporting existence a trapeze dangled above a deep abyss an ornate tent of meaning above the void the brief rip created had given Randidly insight into reality He peered down through gradually separating organizations prevented existence from collapsing back to naught Pieces steadily coalesced in his mind what he saw today what he understood from Engraving and what he had witnessed through that small hole within his Nether Core began to move together and create a larger more ominous working model of the universe

For the first time Randidly understood the phrase turtles all the way down Æ

You cannot have met this seed is mine and you bear the scent of a fresh and organic Nether King Deganawidah grunted pulling RandidlyÆs attention back to the trembling form of the future Nether King His thoughts spun begrudgingly settling until the pressing matter of this confrontation had been handled The evil Humpty dumpty leaned forward and studied the Nether Warrior as though the secrets of his and RandidlyÆs connection would be physically present on his body A conundrum An unusual pattern Peculiar

Waves undulated along DeganawidahÆs smile His expression resembled the gooey internal movements of a lava lamp the different portions always oozing in separate directions With his thick muscular hands the monster cupped the appendages together and created a circle Boy come here Let me cut to the core of this mystery

The future Nether King yelped as the force of the command yanked his collar and smashed his face against the ground He stumbled to his feet and helplessly trotted forward until he stood before corrupted Humpty dumpty the dark mound of DeganawidahÆs body casting the smaller Nether Warrior entirely in shadow

Congratulations Your Skill NyxÆs Successor Births Fate has grown to Level 1002

Congratulations Your Skill NyxÆs Successor Births Fate has grown to Level 1009

Congratulations MuseÆs Reverie +1

At the last second Randidly felt a sense of forbidding The Notifications exploded in front of his eyes as his Skill sensed a coming change Even MuseÆs Reverie snapped to attention The memory began to tremble All at once Randidly could feel the air squeezing him the vast significance of a pivot howling loud enough to be heard even through the screen of DeganawidahÆs storm Wait

Open for me boy DeganawidahÆs lips parted revealing first the blunt gold teeth and then a slithering onyx tongue He whispered a Nether Ritual into his hands staring intently through the circle created by his hands at the Nether King

All the Nether around the Nether Warrior Randidly assumed every pinch of energy visible through that opening in the thick hands stilled The Nether King whimpered Then the carefully preserved and frozen arrangement was pulled and expanded as though it was being projected against the backdrop of clouds above them showing a complex layered and very obviously bifurcated arrangement of significance Not only did the Nether Warrior in front of them have a mark on that system but looming even larger was the Nether King he would eventually become

The two layered beings also very clearly delineated the fabric of the memory where one began and the other ended Even had Deganawidah not been such a masterful manipulator of Nether even if one of the petty Nether Kings Randidly had fought within the memory had seen this the implications would dawn on them

Deganawidah grunted a look of distaste curling up the edges of his mouth You butcher my lifeÆs work for aesthetics Short sighted

I could only capture the slightest pinch of your allure The Nether King bowed slightly His eyes went up to the sky where his own Nether remained expanded then flicked back down to Deganawidah Even now this can barely

It seems late for flattery doesnÆt it Deganawidah clicked his tongue Nether continued to swirl in a giant storm above the face off The old egg monster held out a hand palm up

The Nether King looked pained This will wound him deeply He is meant for greater purposes

Do you think we were meant to be alive Yet stubbornly we live DeganawidahÆs face scrunched up The heavy clouds pressed closer Randidly pressed his lips together trying to understand the conflict between the two

Several different emotions passed across the face of the future Nether King In the end he sighed From the rumble that went through the memory the Nether KingÆs surrender had heavy implications yet Randidly marveled that the disturbance lasted only a brief moment quickly smoothed over by DeganawidahÆs support The Nether King stretched out his hand and deposited something in the otherÆs palm Then he vanished hunching over in fear and shock as he stood so close to the monstrous old Nether being of myth

Deganawidah waved his other hand and the liberated Nether Warrior fled

Randidly licked his lips unable to help his curiosity You donÆt seem to care much that the current version of yourself exists within a memory

Heh Need I be a shape Need I be a moment The small desperations of lesser beings donÆt interest me I am and I am enough A look of disgust crossed DeganawidahÆs face briefly closing his mouth But then the wry amusement returned the undulating smile Still the scales between us remain uneven I will not allow this to be so Thus you have hurt me I will hurt you Just a wound is necessary not the cessation of self Because your self it is quite large And peculiar enough I wonÆt push the issue

Randidly frowned His eyes went to the tensed fist of Deganawidah what sort of wound

A necessary piece deprived A shape made impossible An Alchemist no longer Or rather the possibility of alchemic success sealed away Deganawidah gestured to the object in his palm which resolved itself into a ruby colored sphere gleaming like fresh blood RandidlyÆs skin tingled and he felt his instincts screaming Just from looking he sensed the connection between himself and that object I now hold what would have been the ultimate piece of yourself AllinneÆs Tear Amu in your own worldÆs words it can also be called The PhilosopherÆs StoneÆ

My Sixth Fatepiece Randidly whispered remembering the future Nether King plundering the piece for himself His body blurred into motion but Deganawidah had already moved In the middle of his storm of Nether the environment dominated by his energy Randidly was too far away

The corrupted Humpty dumpty squeezed and crushed the Fatepiece to powder

Error Warning An unknown force has caused extreme damage to your Fateset Please see your nearest Village Spirit

Error

Warning Due to a sudden loss of structural integrity your Class has been damaged You will be unable to gain Experience for the foreseeable future

Warning Your specialty Attribute MuseÆs Reverie is deeply tied to your Fateset The synchronicity between your body and the Paradox of the Alchemist made its extraordinary effects possible You will be unable to gain MuseÆs Reverie for the foreseeable future

Chapter 2259

Randidly Ghosthound froze halfway through sprinting across the intervening distance to Deganawidah who sat upon the stone mound and watched him with cruel eyes The vast weight of the Nether Deganawidah assembled across his lifetime hung between them an intimidating gulf Bits of crimson dust glittered out through between his fingers Randidly swayed struck by a sudden sense of weakness

Since the first moment he had obtained his Fateset the Paradox of the Alchemist he had been sliding inevitably toward a goal Inevitably as though dragged down a slope by gravity he had proceeded toward the moment all six of the Fatepieces were assembled together into a superform and his Fateset could burn with the resonance between all the pieces He would have achieved a perfect balance

His eyes caught on more flecks of broken crystal caught in the wind and whisked away to oblivion

Yet now with the casual flex of Deganawidah the important piece had been removed The crown had been broken Already Randidly felt reverberations traveling through him His Nether Core revved to even faster speeds but all those hidden pockets of potential he had accumulated began to deflate The sense of momentum and direction he had maintained vanished leaving him adrift

Wait Randidly coughed an ache emerging in his chest The coughing grew worse and he bent over spitting out a thick chunk of black gristle

His head whipped back up suddenly making a horrifying connection He stirred his own seething Nether and used a rough approximation of DeganawidahÆs earlier technique to peer at the subtle connections He saw flames of hungry black Nether eating their way through the lines of significance through the whole of his body

Through the framework of meaning that kept his body suspended above the abyss

Deganawidah continued to regard Randidly with intensity The act did not simply destroy the Fatepiece but also ravaged its existence and its possibility The PhilosopherÆs Stone or the Tear of Allinne as it had been called could no longer be connected to him If Randidly tried to force the issue the connections would be shallow and surface level

All that he had been building toward suddenly began to sag Randidly hesitated the process being not as painful as he expected but a great deal more alarming

To live is to choose is to fail DeganawidahÆs eyes darkened gazing down at his own hands for several long seconds as Randidly struggled to regain his breath After a stretch of silence the hunched form seemed to come to a decision His eyes flicked sideways to Randidly The feud continues Nether King Hungry Eye between our two peoples None of our interactions now affect that Feet must always follow a Path even if it is not a Path Common beings run pointlessly in circles even while our debts have been settled But know this I will not be as forgiving if you disturb me again

Deganawidah the Thrice Drowned turned away and vanished his business accomplished All at once the ferocity of the Nether storm faded the clouds degenerating from a looming promise to just the possibility of an impending drizzle With their leaderÆs departure the Nether army began to turn around and march away in an organized retreat They didnÆt withdraw a far distance but just providing Randidly space

Randidly sank to his knees trembling His head spun and he felt oddly dizzy So much had been thrown at him too quickly Deganawidah truly had been the most casually powerful individual he had been able to observe close up His methods would help Randidly refine his own use of Nether for months Yet for now he had more pressing issues

Now Randidly felt the hot flames of rage licking up his throat from his stomach

Both my Class Randidly narrowed his eyes And MuseÆs Reverie Sealed away until I find a way to heal them Seriously fuck

Randidly glared up at the clouds his emotions simmering Yet he quickly clamped down on the vicious surge of energy channeling into more productive pursuits

He dove into his internal space and sensed the extent of the damage to his Class The resemblance he found there did not ease his grim mood The wound occurred for a very different reason but the effect was similar to being glanced at by Elhume all that time ago And afterward Randidly painstakingly gathered so much meaning in order to heal his Class Which would require time he didnÆt have especially if he wanted to follow his budding instincts regarding LowannaÆs ideas about rethinking Nether bonds

Even worse his Class had changed and evolved to suit his body the sort of materials required to patch up his Class were so much more rare than what had been sufficient the first time it made his head spin Hell at this point it would take him all of five minutes to generate energy and ideas of sufficient qualities to heal the first wound in his Class

The current him had incorporated so many more quality influences requiring both a powerful idea and a relevant history to ground the connection And if he didnÆt figure out how to fix this the looming threat of Elhume

Just as the first threads of anxiety began to push their way through the anger Randidly felt three slim hands touch his back Thoughts flowed into him steadying him

Congratulations Your Skill NyxÆs Successor Births Fate has grown to Level 1041

Success has always been such a fickle Path forward The Moirae of Minute Repercussions added It is almost a relief to be severed from it

Finally it was the Dove Moirae that spoke his voice as soft as feathers against the skin that made him truly believe this was possible Especially when you consider the sort of changes we want to make the sort of fundamental shifts we seek no agent of the System would ever consider them successes

A grand attempt we make on the same day we next encounter Deganawidah and his vast quantities of Nether The Moirae of Minute Repercussions sounded excited Borrow his strength An attempt of this nature will require prodigious amounts of resources The beginning of a more permanent GhosthoundÆs Deviation

He could see it the wild chaotic storm that it would be RandidlyÆs lip twitched imagining NeveahÆs reaction to the idea Wait and Level Up during a fighting you mean

In all things timing is critical Even the Pinnacle yes The Dove Moirae gave his assent to the other twoÆs plan Yet we need many aspects to be in our favor

More than aspects we need Weight The Apostate Moirae hissed Even in a predestined failure there must be mass Weight enough to dig and reinforce the foundation of the Class in one fell swoop Yet I think the timing is perfect so long as we are prepared within six days the opportunity will come Deganawidah might have settled his business with us but not with Fatia Cerulean

RandidlyÆs lip twitched Now that he had an idea of how to proceed the rest of his anxiety had left him Yet the MoiraeÆs jumped around too quickly You know I admire the theory but what sort of massive Alchemist attempt will we be making

We have IlliaÆs pattern With the proper improvements it will render the force of that ancient monster at our fingertips And once the energy is up for grabs The Moirae of Minute Repercussions licked his lips In response a pulse of certainty came from RandidlyÆs Nether Core His Second Authority the Hollow Needle buzzed in agreement

Randidly allowed his eyes to unfocus and his mind turned the idea over in several directions testing it for flaws Take advantage of the imperative left within him in a grand attempt Wait for Deganawidah to move against Fatia Cerulean Deploy IlliaÆs pattern those lovely whorls that disintegrated organized Nether and left the chaotic soup she had used to teleport through the air Make the attempt an alchemic experiment to great something from nothing figuratively generating a PhilosopherÆs Stone

Fail butting up against the way he had been broken Gather up all the energy the conflicting ripples between the forces and the chaotic wash from smashing against a natural law and use the Hollow Needle to weave all those broken shards into life within his Class

Randidly pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes This is reckless We will have so little time to accomplish what we are trying to do Moreover it is difficult to predict the effect incorporating so much foreign Nether would have on my Class

Temper it with Nether from the Alpha Cosmos It will act as a counterweight The Dove Moirae responded in a serene tone I have already consulted with Lucretia and the Pantheon has agreed to stage a special event a wild battle against well they will be condensed Nether Beasts born of the foreign Nether The greatest champions of Expira and the other worlds of the Alpha Cosmos will fight against them purifying the energy so you can focus your attentions elsewhere

Randidly blinked You can communicate with Lucretia

We are actually quite close The Dove Moirae said defensively

The Moirae of Minute Repercussions hummed in agreement The less you think about the particulars of how the different aspects inside of you interact the easier it is to just accept But if you want to hear my current theories

No one wants that The Apostate Moirae snorted But youÆll need Aether and images too Or at least kinetic force The people of Homewell will need to be involved The Lifeseal incorporating its elements would be a great boon

I sincerely doubt that Cerulean would consider danger to the town reason enough to move away Randidly gritted his teeth No he will remain and use it as a screen as best as he can And Charlotte Wick can be there stabilizing the situation And we we just need to decide what we will be attempting What transfiguration are we seeking Moiraes

IsnÆt there only just one The Apostate Moirae snorted We try to change the world

Chapter 2260

Randidly sat in darkness his knuckles pressed together in front of his navel He breathed he relaxed he allowed his consciousness to steadily drift apart

He had a problem to solve A whole slew of messy overlapping events to make neat

He had sought out isolation wanting a location where not even the slightest ripple would interrupt his thoughts He burrowed down beneath the Badlands eventually stumbling across a vast network of caves populated by bug eyed beetles that flew into an immediate panic when he blasted open the roof of their world and descended into their midst He quickly burrowed deeper leaving a dense bramble of roots behind him to discourage pursuit

He continued digging down until the stones became erratic slabs as enormous as cities and warm to the touch Randidly excavated around the massive stones feeling their muted curiosity at his miniature stature his restless motion his flaring emotions Then Randidly shook himself wondering why he felt such sudden empathy for huge chunks of igneous rock buried and content within the crust of this planet

Once more the vision of the depths he had witnessed flashed before his eyes The extreme depths the emptiness the watching presence of the void held aloft by tenuous strands of meaning He had suppressed a shiver and settled into a meditative posture

Right now wasnÆt the time to allow existential dread to distract him

Randidly forced himself to relax despite the continued ache of the damage to his Class despite the mad glee that had seized him once he had understood the plan hatched by his three Moirae despite the six day time limit to finish his preparations despite the fact so much of what was about to happen came from supposition and optimism

He might be on a tight schedule but there was always a bit of space to breathe He needed perspective He needed inspiration He leaned back against the stone in the warm darkness and waited for what he needed to arrive

Very naturally he felt into slower breathing patterns His pupils dilated in the darkness spreading like an event horizon until the emerald of his irises were completely eclipsed The rotations of his Nether Core slowed down as well churning and refining his energy rather than simply racing to produce more Without even thinking he felt one of his Fatepieces begin to activate

He settled into the Visage of Obsession ancillary thoughts stripped away All at once he dropped through two levels of its progression 20% of himself sheared away In the bowels of the ground he took comfort in the stone supporting him The heat relaxed him His gaze unfocused Memories were unpinned from a timeline and began to freely float across his consciousness He believed with every fiber of his being that all the answers he needed to prepare were already provided to him just floating in the corners of his prodigious memory

The reason he came here was because he didnÆt quite agree with the Moiraes yes the imperative Deganawidah had created barring him from success as an Alchemist could be used to his advantage Likely he could borrow power from it incorporating elements into his class and also using the resulting shards of energy left by the evil Humpty dumpty to rake away some of his actual Nether

But they couldnÆt feel what Randidly had in those first moments after the sixth Fatepiece had been destroyed Before even he had begun to work on the imperative something had begun to wilt in RandidlyÆs chest His sense of direction had been killed His purpose had been vanquished

He needed to find a way to get that back And to move into the larger attempt to heal his Class with those arrangements in mind Because if Randidly was going to find meaning in repeated failure he needed to be especially careful right from the jump the most important misuse of a rule was the first one It would create the pattern he would follow in the future

So he sat in darkness and considered The undertow of his emotional sea began to pull bringing all the elements into alignment His eyes began to close eyelashes fluttering

The first question was the easiest how to make his new framing of an Alchemist plagued by failures have fangs

Ghasthund

Ghasthund Randidly said again savoring the sensation of the word on his tongue It would be his but it would also be a force in the world he needed to define the world with those implications in mind Once he created it he would not be able to outrun its reach Especially when it became such an integral part of existence

The alchemist whose success had been barred to him The Pinnacle an eternal shape the PhilosopherÆs Stone always kept a hair out of reach But already he had gone off the beaten path developing the GhosthoundÆs Deviation This was just a continuation of that journey And whereas he had been wandering through the unknown in the past now he understood and went to his task with grim purpose

The only question Randidly couldnÆt yet answer was whether he could feasibly make an attempt on the Pinnacle in his current state But he intended to find out

Ghasthund Randidly said one last time A slow grin spread across his face all teeth and spite And in his mind he let the preliminary definition float to the surface of his mind

A failure so haunting they will wish it had been a success

Neveah had a headache

Randidly and his merry band of idiots were in full super villain and co monologuing within their fortress of solitude swing planning the most ridiculous and desperate plot she had experienced in all her time Soulbonded with Randidly Ghosthound

Which said quite a lot

Not that he hadnÆt taken similar risks in the past they just usually werenÆt the first choice

Still Neveah understood Randidly had been wounded a door shut abruptly in his face from a direction that he didnÆt expect More than that he had been thoroughly suppressed by Deganawidah in terms of Nether abilities Overwhelmingly so This left him frustrated and furious And suddenly without a clear path forward when the conflict against Elhume loomed large outside of the Sonara Truly Randidly did not have time for this

Neveah shoulders slumped as a sigh escaped her lips Her thoughts moved sideways to other possibilities Devick if you had stayed I could take you to him now You could talk to him you whose pride makes it precarious to feel like he doesnÆt need you He who has been reminded for the first time in quite a while of what it feels like to be the absolutely weaker party You could talk Share how you feel Support each other

Clicking her tongue Neveah shoved those thoughts away But Neither of you is yet capable of that I guess

She prepared to move to what she considered to be her role in this madcap plot arranging for a more graceful success but she couldnÆt help but hesitate She scratched the side of her head and went to the table in her small cable Feeling almost foolish for enabling these two capricious monsters Neveah penned a short letter to Devick She explained simply that he had suffered the sort of setback that wounds him And that she just thought Devick would want to know

Afterward NeveahÆs expression turned serious Because while Randidly handled the inputs she would turn her eye for detail to the outputs His Class Lord of the Baleful Wood possessed five additional sub Classes Loyal Benefactor of the Weak Lighthouse of the Boundless Worlds Lodestone of the Black Wanting Lesson for Those of Brittle Will and Longing of the Banished Wind

Each of those would evolve if this gamble paid off And Neveah for one wasnÆt leaving those new sub Classes to chance

Humming softly to herself she slipped into the Alpha Cosmos and began her research

Chapter 2261

Don Beigon had been born knowing he would be someone someday His eyes opened with that certainty inside of his body and he had been long searching for some corroboration regarding this dream from the world

He came from a small village on the outskirts of Lord CeruleanÆs domain too far away to have been sent away for compulsory childhood training in one of the outposts but close enough to watch the columns of warriors in glittering sapphire armor march past the town for their patrols He would sit in the upper boughs of pine trees and clench his fists swearing he would be one of those armored men someday He would live a glittering blessed life and be the envy of all

He would pay any price break any rule to find a way to that bright armor

Now those childhood fancies made him sniff in disdain be one of the armored thugs of Cerulean The prospect was hilarious No Don Beigon would rule a city Someday he would have fellows like Fatia Cerulean begging for his favor He would gather enough money and influence in order to own an entire world

At the moment such dreams seemed very far away The wind off the badlands blew dirt into his face that no amount of spitting could keep out of his mouth When he clenched his jaw he simply had to accept the grinding crackle of sand granules between his teeth

Colonel Matteo frowned at Beignon The two stood on the Western wall of Homewell looking out over the leafy slum The day had not gone how both of them had expected You said you could compel them to accept

Beigon shook his head so vigorously his cheeks flapped I told you that if they took the gifts I could make sure they agreed to more than the gifts Yet you provided them with such a pittance they felt no need to say yes Cornmeal really When is the last time you ate cornmeal Colonel

We commonly send cornmeal to the slums They often weep tears of joy at the sight The ColonelÆs fingers tightened against the stone castellation Beigon pursed his lips but said nothing But turned and looked out to the West of Homewell By now the Lifeseal had regenerated through the damage it suffered three days ago and began to spread back across the whole of the area For the sort of experiments they wanted to attempt they needed to begin now before the Nether in the environment increased to dangerous levels

The damned greenery that now infested the slums meant that it was difficult to get a read on what was happening out there Cheerful ferns waved back and forth completely masking the movements of the people of the slums Half the time the messenger they sent into the slums couldnÆt even find anyone to speak with

Some of the Turtlelines actually approved of the shift many pointed out how much more habitable the city appeared to travelers and merchants surrounded by greenery rather than the dirty looking poor Obviously those industries were much restricted right now but these plants would remain assuming they survived the war

Beigon believed those who expressed such opinions were quite short sighted

Do we even know how many survived the attack Beigon tried to speak lightly but some of the tension in his chest leaked into his voice Frustrated at being at stumbling now in the midst of a war that was the perfect opportunity to prove his worth was beginning to irk him

He had expended so much effort to hitch his wagon to the Master considering the chaotic times and his very focused skillset And as he had hoped the Master had managed to catch the attention of several important people including the stewards of the Lifeseal

Yet now even the fucking Homids had the gall to get in his way

There canÆt have been that many in fighting shape Casualties were heavy The Colonel replied but he didnÆt seem sure Most of those remaining should be women and children but honestly weÆve seen less of them than ever Perhaps the Nether truly butchered them

Beigon shook himself and turned away Well IÆm going to head down and investigate We need to know what we are dealing with

After getting a general idea of the state of the Alpha Cosmos Neveah would have continued to refine her search discovering more concrete details for all of RandidlyÆs sub Classes which had become practically irrelevant with all the passage of time Yet she paused sensing that Randidly had come out of his Visage of Obsession coma

Immediately she withdrew from the Alpha Cosmos and went to the hole in the ground in the badlands He released a certain sort of surety that meant he had cobbled together enough of a plan it was worth talking to him and perhaps dissuading him from its most aggressive indulgences

When he popped out of the hole she almost groaned his eyes danced and his grin was wide and cheery He pushed his raven black hair back from his forehead and cracked his neck She sighed I can always tell when you have a bad idea You practically sparkle

IÆd consider it more of a dramatic radiance Randidly said with a sly smile He shuffled his shoulders in preparation and then performed an elaborate bow But I come before you having discovered the fool proof method by which I will solve all of my problems at once

It sounds simple and not at all reckless Neveah deadpanned A dream come true

Her tone earned a snort out of Randidly but he continued without comment The idea of the Moiraes which I believe to be a useful one is to use use the imperative Deganawidah laid on me barring alchemic success as a trampoline to jump to even greater heights in the fallout If I can get my Skill Levels in time I will define Ghasthund right before the end and add some extra bite to the final result But it was the process of getting there that left me slightly mixed up How exactly would I fail What would I be failing How would those results benefit me going forward But I think IÆve worked out all the details

Neveah folded her hands in front of her waiting

Randidly held up three fingers Three attempts Three failures In the process more and more chaotic energy will be generated First I will attempt to use Aether and Nether to create a small a minutely small isolated universe And then I will fold a bit of space in the memory on top of the isolated universe and superimpose them Two different points will be one if just for a moment

NeveahÆs gaze flickered as she followed his train of thought you might fail to connect the points but youÆll use the force and intensity of the attempt to handle the wound on the Stillborn Phoenix

RandidlyÆs grin was positively wicked Essentially yes Although I think all three attempts will strengthen the Stillborn Phoenix HasnÆt DeganawidahÆs voice become the universe shouting no at my attempts to surpass the possible Then for the second attempt with a bit of momentum built up from the first failureÆ we do exactly what we have been told we cannot do we attempt to recreate the PhilosopherÆs Stone A failure here will help me recharacterize the whole of my Fate Refocus myself from one type of alchemy to another

Neveah raised her hand and massage the bridge of her nose Please donÆt use the pronoun we to try and imply we are on the same page about this

Again Randidly was not swayed by her lack of enthusiasm Finally we use all of the energy both from the repeated failures and from the conflict between Deganawidah and Cerulean to attempt something truly ambitious

Ah now we have finally arrived at the reckless portion

and we try and recreate one of the moments of the Pinnacle

Neveah stilled On top of everything else you want to try and reach the Pinnacle Have you thought this through at all Even through the memory I suspect the modern Elhume would notice

No Randidly interrupted with a shake of the head I considered that but you are right I donÆt think we have the resources to manage it especially on short notice Instead we go after the moment of a Pinnacle We forcefully trigger it Normally that would be impossible too but we are in the memory And how else does this memory end but Elhume ascending and reaching the Pinnacle We either crack open the memory and reveal that perfect moment or rebound and fail but still

A Pinnacle failure possesses so much substance and Aether of the highest caliber your Class can easily be reinvigorated Neveah whispered finally seeing the pattern in the madness More than reinvigorated completely advanced Sharpened to the point that it no longer becomes an afterthought

Randidly smiled “And I become a spear aimed right at the System’s heart when I return to the main universe “

Chapter 2262

DevickÆs shoulders heaved with exertion Her lips twisted into a crooked smile but even she knew how brittle the expression must look The Nether Warrior in front of her thrashed and twisted dark ichor spurting out of its wounds Its spiked carapace gouged out a deep trough in the flesh of her left arm as she pinned it to the ground panting and waiting for it to die with her scimitar buried in its chest She couldnÆt remember the last time her inhales werenÆt desperate wheezes The choker made for her by Nether King Hungry Eye felt warm around her neck

Frantic combat had narrowed her entire world to just this face off this struggle Her wrist cracked dangerously as the Nether Warrior flopped sideways in search of leverage

At the last moment the Nether Warrior seemed to realize that its end had been determined Its eyes widened Its struggles became less last ditch attempts to wound her and more the frantic convulsions of a being seeking escape Its pupils dilated and its mouth began to froth Its arms and legs flailed With the last of her strength Devick slammed her body against her foe to keep it down The hilt of her scimitar cracked against her collarbone

To prevent it from creating enough distance to inflict a final wound on her before it succumbed

And then it slumped forward finally blood loss and organ failure dragging it to stillness Trying not to touch the body overly much feeling an odd reverence toward this foe With a curse she just released her grip on her weapon and allowed the dead Nether Warrior to pin the weapon the ground

Just another day like all the others A day I might have died A day I was too weak Devick scowled down at her trembling hands As a small distraction one of the now familiar notifications she began receiving when Nether King Hungry Eye had opened some sort of connection between them popped up in front of your eyes

Congratulations Your Skill Close Call has grown to Level 347

Congratulations You have grown to Level 96 You have 11 free Stat points to distribute

She flicked the message away feeling queasier than she wanted to admit Gradually her awareness expanded as oxygen flowed through her system A glance over her shoulder showed that the rest of the encounter was being settled also in favor of the Aether forces The Squad Leader observed all seven of the soldiers under her command cool and calculating The LeaderÆs Aide stood nearby gesturing at the action and talking quietly

Vendla the ace of the squad crouched over the dead bodies of two Nether Warriors and used a dagger to draw shaky stick figures across their skin locked in combat with each other Der and Fer the two feathered owlish Choulan siblings cooed and examined each other for wounds DevickÆs stomach did flip flops looking around it was obvious she was the only one who had been close to losing

Only two days removed from her arrival to the region and she had already been put back into patrol duty A patrol of an entirely different caliber with the new Nether Forces constantly marching forward so that rather than leading the squad she was its weakest most fragile member Devick bit her lip until it bled Because her wrist could have snapped in any of those last grappling moments She could have been a hair retreating from its blows earlier

I could die like this Devick whispered to herself The owl siblings glanced at her for a moment causing her to flush but no one else seemed to notice Her tongue moved slowly silently repeating the words

I could have died like this

Maybe I should write a letter to him just in case I

Her hand jumped to her throat the choker being the lifeline that kept her dangling above the abyss kept Devick just barely in control of the hurtling careening tumbling passage of her life with the Stats and Skill it imparted to her From the hand of Nether King Hungry Eye to her own unworthy near corpse

Why would he want a letter from her What could she offer him

Fucking Devick whispered to herself her shoulder still heaving with the brush with death Her fingers scrabbled at the smooth edges of the choker wishing she didnÆt need to rely on Hungry EyeÆs generosity wishing she possessed strength enough on her own to overcome this trial Yet she knew she didnÆt and hated herself a little bit for it

Because she also wouldnÆt throw away the choker Both for sentimental reasons and practical ones

The Nether Warrior in front of her looked sightlessly upward forever severed forever numb to the passage of time across his skin All worries were alleviated in exchange for no longer having access to joy Devick brought her fingers away from the choker I should not resent him All that negativity I need to channel it into myself I should be stronger than this I shouldnÆt need to constantly rely on him I have a goal IÆve been shown the methods to grow stronger

Vandla nodded this had been the answer he was looking for I have a suggestion chi Are you aware of the method of creating a Fate The trick of Lord Cerulean cheh

Devick nodded but pressed her lips together Yes However the truth is IÆm not Level 100 So I havenÆt attempted it as of yet

Cheh cheh yes it is known chi However there is a lesser known method Our Squad Leader was chosen to pioneer CeruleanÆs next method A Grand Fate chi Not limited by the same Level 100 as a Class but infinite Vandla glanced at Devick again his eyes glittering with alien emotions Squad Leader has already reached Level 100 in their Fate their growth in the war was rapid cheh So he is attempting the Grand Fate Yet Lord Cerulean is curious what would happen if one who hadnÆt yet finished their Fate attempted a Grand Fate A risky foundation You might be warped by the growth But there is no doubt chi you would become strong quickly So quickly it would defy belief

Devick simply looked forward for several seconds her heart pounding Her movements become mechanical as she considered the offer until she began to lag back Gritting her teeth she forced energy into her legs and caught back up You want me to utilize this method

There may be costs chi But if you proceed knowingly you will bring a great deal of benefits to the future generation cheh An experiment We pioneer the unknown VandlaÆs face remained completely neutral

I want power Devick whispered finally understanding the question The hare in her chest chittered with glee flashing its hollow teeth

Vandla smiled without guile You accept the risk Your courage will serve you well in this war chi

Fatia Cerulean and Faelmac Westrisser sat across from each other at the small camp table in CeruleanÆs command tent Westrisser frowned down at the bare wooden surface his expression unreadable After a few seconds of his jaw working silently he spoke Is this truly necessary The only individual who satisfies these conditions would be

Your daughter yes Cerulean clacked his teeth together He knew his sour mood from Hungry Eye stealing away his trophy made him unnecessarily cruel but now that his viciousness had been awakened it was impossible to cause that raw intensity to hibernate His eyes gleamed as he considered Westrisser a close ally while also being weaker than him

If anything I should be thanking Hungry Eye Fatia had to suppress a chuckle He reminded me relationships possess only two roles predator or prey To have the power to take what you want or to wait helplessly while others dictate the terms I thought finding these Fate methods would change things but life is not so simple

We need more power than this

Turning time into a weapon will come at a steep cost Cerulean whispered And while the theory remains sound we cannot be sure it will work as predicted Or whether such a weapon can be transported

Despite the protests Fatia knew he had him even knowing the danger it would pose to his daughter the man across from him wanted to know the limits of his research His DungeonsÆ were an interesting application but they were a side pursuit What Westrisser really wanted to discover was a way to falsify a Nether Weight equivalent by condensing time to the extreme

Then after storing the pressurized energy in a special container it could be released to erodeÆ all nearby history through a raw surge of temporal energy

Outside the tent the night crawled past CeruleanÆs guards in their sapphire armor marched in tight formations preparing a defensive Engraving for when Deganawidah made good on his promise Yet the raptor construct wanted another card to play in the confrontation

Cerulean spread his bony talons wide blue aura energy flickering across the whole of him Are we not surrounded by deadly foes The only reliable ally we possess is Nether King Hungry Eye and we both understand his allegiance isnÆt a sure thing If we can assure a bit of safety for the Aetherlands we need to take that opportunity It is why IÆve made the knowledge of my Fates public We have no choice but to choose paths we would prefer not to take to survive That is the world we live in

SheÆs my daughter Westrisser croaked My own flesh and blood And recently she has been so pleasantly filial

As a Westrisser shouldnÆt she understand how important a moment this could be Fatia spoke with a devilÆs tongue and Westrisser closed his eyes in exhaustion The raptor tapped a claw on the table three times She will be proud to assist IÆm sure

Chapter 2263

Elhume looked up at PineÆs soul with bloodshot eyes His muscular form began to tremble The fuzzy sphere looked like a leaf left next to a feast ant colony huge holes punched out of the fabric of its existence The idyllic world had shrunk by a third The situation is worsening After everything what the hell is this new development You told me we could save him

The Prophet stood dazed for a moment also somewhat unable to accept the current situation albeit for very different reasons So although Nether King Hungry Eye tossed a wrench into the progression and dragged the ancient Nether faction into the war events continued to proceed as dictated by the prophecy

Wounded and desperate Mae Myrna had cut off access to her portion of existence and stabilized her foundation So while she took a visible chunk out of Pine that particular deviation was no longer expanding At the moment the real threat came not from Mae Myrna and her twisted worldview or even Nether King Hungry EyeÆs strange distortion

It was the hungry ants greedy for power

The threat came from Fatia CeruleanÆs Fates Their quick rise was what left the Prophet so conflicted Fatia should only have developed the methodology to create the Fates due to the Cult of the SaviorÆs interference The fact they developed as predicted despite their inaction including the development of Grand Fates filled the Prophet with complicated feelings

Did the ProphetÆs deviant actions matter at all He almost wanted to purposefully contradict the prophecy just to see whether events would conspire to follow the ordained path The prospect sickened him while simultaneously thrilling him the smallest bit And if the prophecy continued despite him the ProphetÆs presence or efforts here didnÆt even matter

Prophet Elhume bellowed pulling the Cult of the Savior figureheadÆs attention off of his crisis of faith and to pressing current events The fist userÆs eyes were flat and near dead a viciousness at the heart of the Elhume the Prophet had difficulty understanding Waves of pressure rolled off the muscular man Why is it your solutions have done naught but try my patience and waste my time

You know the interference of Deganawidah is an unforeseen variable And at least the Prophet thought with a weird sense of relief Proof deviations from the Prophecy are possible And you can sense his power We have little recourse to reclaim the Hierarchy at least while he remains inert But soon he will come out of hiding to exact his revenge against Fatia Cerulean and Nether King Hungry Eye At that time if we slip into his camp it will likely be unguarded To him it is naught but a bauble

Do not treat me like a fool Elhume hissed The air around him pulsed flat and empty increasingly influenced by the aspects of the void that Elhume incorporated into his image It was difficult for the Prophet to understand how ElhumeÆs image incorporated the aspect of total absence when he was motivated primarily by the emotional imperative to save Pine I can see the other damage to Pine more added every minute Mae Myrna is not the biggest threat to him any longer

The ProphetÆs two mouths high on its head like eyes released small breaths Focus was needed you are correct But these developments are not necessarily bad things There is an opportunity

Elhume flared his image suffocating all other energies and entities in the surroundings Weird negative bursts of electricity snaked across his skin Caught by surprise the ProphetÆs eyes widened Then he pressed his mouths together His own image rose in a resplendent bloom all structure and purity and overwhelming light

Begrudgingly the absence Elhume wielded gave ground Absence fretted itself to pieces before El KedecÆs pure light It was closer than the Prophet would have believed but Elhume still remained weaker

You forget yourself The Prophet spoke firmly He revealed the holy light through his body to its full potential the air boiling and the ground turning molten and tormented underneath its gaze The dangerous aura of absence cracked and faded away Elhume winced and took a step back

The Prophet allowed the flash of power to fade Let me explain Perhaps you are right let us set aside the issue of Mae Myrna for now Are you aware of the current actions of Fatia Cerulean He has created a certain method calling them Fates A method by which any individual can gain power very quickly without improving their Class or Skills

What does this have to do with Pine Elhume huffed

Where do you think power for Fates comes from The Prophet shook his head Pine exists as a composite of the people who live inside the Nexus Gradually as their stories are created the substance is added to Pine However Fates reap that substance Plunder it back from the universe for selfish purposes damaging Pine in the process Those are the bites that you see Whereas allowing images like Mae MyrnaÆs would eventually drown Pine in this way Fatia Cerulean had found a process to starve him to death To deprive him of nutrients Even I had no idea the situation could change so quickly

ElhumeÆs pupils dilated The trembling of his shoulders resumed

However this issue is surprisingly simple And perhaps it will handle both of our problems at once We simply need to develop a reliable source of images and stories for Pine one pure enough he will not drown The ProphetÆs eye mouths smiled You are close with the Origin Beast yes Why not create a new race of beings One which will provide pure images for Pine Because what you need to repair these holes are more images In sufficient quantities Mae Myrna will no longer be a problem

Also unfortunately one more frantic requirement for what was shaping up to be a very busy date in four days

RandidlyÆs attention pivoted to the Cerulean aspect running through the Aether This thread had an ugly stitched together feel that made it extremely simple to follow through the dense nimbus of Aether history weaponizing itself and preparing to crash down upon the Nether offensive Yet the more he looked the more Randidly could only blink in surprise

First because the reach of Cerulean was much much more expansive than he had realized He almost couldnÆt believe it considering how neutered and absent Cerulean had been for the past several weeks It made him wonder if he was missing some element

RandidlyÆs headache worsened as he pushed himself to unspool more of the threads of history revealing patterns that would dictate the future The answer when he found it made him hiss in annoyance Underneath the layers of flowing energy he found the foundation for CeruleanÆs current influence actually came from him

Congratulations Your Skill Footsteps of a Legend has grown to Level 932

Riding my coattails to fame RandidlyÆs lips twisted sourly Suddenly he wished he hadnÆt been so casual about the rumors of their confrontation After all the broader rumor about the confrontation with Enmya had Cerulean as the major contributor And from that foundation the second reason for his influence

HeÆs given them all Fates Randidly gasped Simultaneously he felt relieved and foolish Relieved because this might be the very first example of those who have reached a Mille defining a word and breathing life into it with ripples flowing out across the whole of the Nexus Foolish because he hadnÆt seen this coming he hadnÆt really bothered to examine the System apparatus within the memory comparing what occurred now with the functions in the present

Considering he had already been smacked with the bumpy invention of Dungeons he should have at least clocked that a development like this would be possible Yet he also couldnÆt deny this was one more piece of a broader puzzle an Aetherlands suddenly filled with Fates

Tragically one which he had mostly unhelpful experience with considering his Fateset But every bit of information about the current situation built the broader context he needed

For now he forgave himself for the oversight no point in castigation especially when there was so much work to do He continued his examination following the jagged veins that Fates had provided for the Aether A way of development that worked quickly that gave them an edge they needed especially since Dungeons also provided the necessary time for these advantages to develop fully

RandidlyÆs mind raced along the connections trying to see how this would shape the confrontation how much the effect of Fates would grow before the two armies met in earnest in about four days The mental strain continued to grow but his emotional sea surged up in a typhoon of focused energy channeling its ferocity and wild violence into the Dread Homunculus The created being remained entirely still its focus narrowed to burning through the huge amount of information with its monstrous processing power

Congratulations Your Skill NyxÆs Successor Births Fate has grown to Level 1023

Congratulations Your Skill Motif of Unimagined Tolls has grown to Level 1030

You know Randidly began speaking aloud partially for his imageÆs benefit But also because he knew he had another reckoning to face soon The words helped stiffen his spine Back on Expira before the change before the System arrived and weaponized everything made survival a threat we humans had a lot of theories about the way the world worked And the different ways we believed it worked on an individual level One that always fascinated me was the idea of locus of control

The boughs of the World Tree creaked as it leaned more closely around Randidly The Egg of Depression paused in its keening to listen The Monster of Inevitable Finales continued to click away in its brutal calculations

People could be divided into two camps internal and external locus of control Internal locus meant you believed your actions were the determining factor of your life Your choices were the primary element in the alchemy of living Meanwhile an external locus of control meant you believed most of the result flowed from the circumstances around you No matter what you had done your economic situation the actions of the other people in your life details beyond your control or knowledge those were what determined the outcome

Randidly raised his gaze his emerald eyes flashing Life is contradictory Because you know I think the external locus of control individuals were right Life is an elaborate pachinko board pegs and balls falls and impacts and the physics of bouncing in a constrained space Your starting point and the board in front of you determine your future Because you are your history You cannot escape it

And yet Randidly lowered his gaze and looked at the woman standing in front of him her black hair matching his own He smiled In terms of outcomes people who believe in an internal locus of control are better both on career metrics and in terms of overall happiness Believing the situation is out of your control encourages bad behaviors even if thatÆs the correct answer So we have the control we need Looking at these patterns these other forces we are identifying the pegs What comes next is choosing from there everything will fall into place

Neveah crossed her arms unimpressed with his optimism All you have is a pile of contingency plans Randidly We are talking about your life Even if you somehow scrape by now is this really how you want to live Setting yourself up for larger and larger gambles later Treating life like a game

Chapter 2264

In the end Randidly and Neveah parted in tense silence His little rhetorical plea aside he couldnÆt yet reassure her effectively enough that this attempt would work out Nor apparently could he convey that he understood the consequences to the point she could accept his word

He reached up and rubbed the bridge of his nose In the end he had avoided giving her a dangerous truth about himself he was still in the process of accepting And she hadnÆt pressed too terrified by the same truth to bring it up

Sitting on a rock South of Homewell he looked East toward the sun just now peaking above the horizon The rays were still cool tinged more blue than yellow by the cloud cover He couldnÆt blame her for the intense reaction either The more details he shared about his planÆ the more obvious the holes became He could feel the patterns of humanity’s creation and the spread of Fates but how would those details fit into the three attempts he had described By the end of it she had almost been trembling with rage

This is not a plan This is a veneer of optimism spread across a deathwish Neveah had hissed before stalking away Leaving Randidly to stare at the night sky for several hours as he did some mental calculations

You think I donÆt understand the risks IÆm taking Randidly sighed to the night as it slunk away from him several hours too late for his conversation with Neveah He didnÆt wish to say these words to Neveah not now while her fury still sizzled and spat but he also didnÆt want to bottle up the feelings either He wore a tired smile on his face one worn from long years of desperate fights against long odds But IÆm different now Those other Paths I canÆt see them anymore Neveah Now

In his chest the Dread Homunculus hummed part engine and part hesitant child The purified form of the internal locus of control Ready at any moment to choose We advance

Randidly simply nodded allowing true reorientation to finish settling His Nether Core whirred but the mechanical note of its operation had deepened as his third image finally settled into its proper place Every since the image had evolved this shift had been inevitable He hadnÆt thought too deeply about how such a change in his priorities would change his direction but there was no avoiding it

To advance and to survive were two very different methods of living He needed to carefully sound out how to live like this without needlessly endangering himself Because he no longer could just behave the way he once had

Not that he was the one totally at fault here Neveah had always possessed a fear of his recklessness She could not see the thin admittedly minute Path on which he walked around the very pressing risks Her fear warped her perspective Her instincts warned her away

For the first time Randidly turned inward and examined his Soulbond connection He wondered if like other relationships it was possible for two Soulbonded individuals to grow apart Hell from what he had learned about Commandant WickÆs reliance on Soulbonding and systematically suppressing his companion he understood that the balance he and Neveah maintained was the exception not the rule

What would happen if the Dread Homunculus began guiding him into a darkness so deep the connection between them only made Neveah shudder

RandidlyÆs jaw clenched There is a way forward My instincts I need to trust them And I need her to trust them as well

He already had a few pieces With a few more he could begin to make more concrete preparations

He pulled the Cloak of Utter Night across his shoulders sinking into the inky darkness of the primordial emptiness that Nyx had gifted to him The cloak possessed an indescribable font of support a hint of the status quo before creation The eternity certainty which Randidly borrowed now to steady his overtaxed brain

He couldnÆt explain his certainty to Neveah But what he could do was gather enough understanding to make his actions seem less like a gamble and more like an educated guess

Ripples revelation energy and strands of fate glittered in his eyes Because even after cutting incisively into the budding storm of significance above there were so many aspects he hadnÆt yet followed Half of the sudden shift in the Aetherlands came from Cerulean and Westrisser but the other half

RandidlyÆs eyebrows rose these influences were familiar to him as well The Master and Don Beigon huh Just a small current right now and a weakening one but a lot of threads reaching out

Randidly eyebrows knitted together as he read the twining threads of of their malicious intention Because he saw they already had hypotheses about how to create Alymian now even before Elhume had become involved And their method

Lower the power level of the isolated world Randidly whispered impressed despite himself Take away all the benefits of the System the advantages imparted by Aether and Nether Makes it that much easier to arrange two of the necessary elements to reach the Pinnacle And once you earn the absolute moment you make the isolated low power space permanent

Another piece a strange one one which didnÆt currently seem like it would come to pass At least not yet But understanding their desires was another lever

The looming of Mae Myrna

Surly Deganawidah with his dead student

The machinations of Don Beigon

Fates spreading throughout the Aether population

The impending war as the Nether forces marched back with more Nether Warriors at higher Tiers

The tensions between this Nether leadership and the Nether Arbiter Lowanna

The overwhelming dread so thick it cast a shadow over Homewell even on the sunniest day

The weakened Lifeseal the support of Homewell for BeigonÆs and the MasterÆs experiments

Elhume and his desperate hopes the scraped together plan to create humanity This time with a less wounded Origin Beast due to RandidlyÆs interference

Devick thrust into the middle of the chaos weak and wandering Growing as quickly as she could manage

Perhaps the realization that made him most bemused was the effect of Randidly himself on the pattern a spear of significance pinning certain elements in place acting as a counterweight for the devastation and war that had originally happened in the memory And if he had his way

Randidly paused For a few seconds he floundered wondering why his skin had tingled with a half recognized sensation as he gave the different flow of significance a quick once over Yet once he looked for the source of this feeling he could sniff it out everywhere especially in DeganawidahÆs deep well of significance remaining mostly still

Honestly Randidly wasnÆt sure if he would have noticed otherwise Because even the deep energy of Deganawidah unwillingly inched sideways pulled into a deeper pattern by a powerful force

His awareness still blurred Randidly leaned back He looked at the whole of the forces Not the way that they clashed with each other prepared for their inevitable conflict But he saw the way the entire approaching climax flowed slowing in one direction

And in the memory there was only one source of power so noticeably greater than Deganawidah it could have this effect

For a brief moment Randidly allowed his gaze to flick up to Pine A spark of genuine hope surged in his chest A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth In the end this is the battle for you huh How do they so corrupt the soul of a universe I wonder to turn it into the empty pit you are in the present

Well this time will be different

Randidly looked back down His mind raced tracing out the implications of the pattern in that inevitable movement through all these elements One method to handling all his goals would have been to categorize all the environmental factors and predict them perfectly Then he would walk without fear amongst the chaos plucking up every benefit he wished

However that was unrealistic And to be honest Randidly defaulted to simple brutality whenever he could More than conceptually understanding so many diverse influences he could just keep the pull of Pine in mind If he could understand that

He could make sure his goals were just a bit more downstream in the flow of history than his enemies The rest of the knot of tension he had been carrying in his chest the worry that Neveah had been right about him evaporated

With his three Moiraes and three images Randidly Ghosthound began to plan in earnest

Chapter 2265

Charlotte Wick tried to buy some time by raising a furred hand to wipe across her mouth At the last second she paused before contact could begin her hands was crusted with dirt from her morning appointment Her lip twitched And although it shouldnÆt matter to her her newfound discovery of lifeÆs complexities meant she was also in tune with the thousands of small bacteria that skittered through the mud their amoeba feelers waving

With a grimace she lowered her hand Opposite her the Homid Matron tilted her head to the side Well The family should be shifting their furniture and heirlooms later in the afternoon DonÆt breathe a word of this to anyone else but my brotherÆs wifeÆs aunt Reneke is a hoarder Heirlooms In the slums SheÆd rather her poor husband break his back than stop dragging her ratty old vanity around Right now we barely have enough room for ourselves Totally unnecessary IÆm really sorry for coming so suddenly but I didnÆt know who else to call If you cannot finish the task by then god IÆll almost thank you We could snap that old vanity into driftwood

No it will be done Charlotte Wick nodded her head quite quickly hoping to be soon free of Homid gossip

The woman gave Charlotte a prim nod in response pressed one of her toes to her lips in one final urging of secrecy and pushed her way outside the layer of hanging fronds that marked the edge of CharlotteÆs dwelling She pulled in a wide reed basket and left it on the floor Without another word she turned and left leaving Charlotte Wick standing alone with her paymentÆ

Charlotte pressed her eyes closed She felt vaguely ill and overstrained after her image had refined itself it was difficult to look at anything and not see the thousands of bacteria viruses mites fungi and other drifting single cell organisms that lived an entirely separate existence from the bodies they inhabited

Her skin tingled with the infinite populations as they lived out their small lives Charlotte believed she could turn all this understanding into power but right now it felt like she had opened her eyes in the middle of a nightmare and found her subconscious had actually been trying to cushion the blow of reality

How did I get here She wondered She forced herself to sit down on the low cushioned beds she had received as one of her payments for services The bedding was well worn but cozy reminding her of her favorite cave nook growing up but she pressed those thoughts to the side She did her best to ignore the warzone that erupted on the spots where her skin touched the new surface Waves of bacteria from both sides slammed up against one another She focused her thoughts away

Element One of CharlotteÆs New Existence After she had been freed from HomewellÆs prison during the Nether attack she had made her freedom permanent by assisting with the defense Homewell had issued her an official pardon (no small portion of that was related to Nether King Hungry EyeÆs own intervention int he cityÆs defense ) Meanwhile Randidly very clearly broadcast how busy he was so she had been left to her own devices with this freedom So she had kept training kept refining her understanding of the world

For now the Lifeseal was the primary source of her inspiration so she took up lodging right beyond the edge of the city

Element Two in which Charlotte Sabotages herself In addition to her own training regarding the Lifeseal she had been deeply fascinated by the root system in the Western Slums The interactions between the Lifeseal and the bacteria of the roots were almost like an elaborate tango between two longtime dance partners although as far as Charlotte could tell the two collectives one energy and one bacteria should be on entirely separate planes of existence They shouldnÆt be able to interact

In her attempts to understand the relationship better she had dug underneath the root system to meditate in the location where the two forces midst She had wanted to sit amongst the interactions and try and intuit the connections

Element Three when Serendipity Haymakers Charlotte from a Blind Spot A Lizakh father covered in dirt dried blood and holding in his arms all the remaining belongings he possesses saw Charlotte digging beneath the vines Now homeless due to the plants he decided this was a genius idea and completely misinterpreted the reason for her excavation

Hence with three elements Charlotte Wick rapidly became the first and most in demand digging specialist in the Homewell slums An expert recommended via word of mouth most enthusiastically by every customer

Growling to herself Charlotte reached over to the basket and removed the burlap covering The warmth and sweetness of several berry scones wafted up to her She quickly deactivated all of her images so she couldnÆt witness these delightsÆ invisible bacteria passengers And she felt oddly underappreciated considering she might be the most powerful individual in the slums right now

Paid to muck around with a basket full of scones

No scones were that delicious

Yet Charlotte had also developed quite the taste for the matured fruit of RandidlyÆs vines So although she grumbled she plucked up the basket grabbed her shovel to sling across her back and left her private meditation area

Or more complex than Charlotte knew how to express

So instead Charlotte hefted the basket pulling off the covering and showing the still fragrant baked goods Because you can stop and have as many snacks as you want As long as you donÆt mind a little dirt

DattylanÆs face opened as she beamed her total and complete support for such a prospect Mom complains about how dirty I am all the time She says its my most marketable skill

The Patron of the Deep floated back and forth considering the prospect His massive inflatable looking body drifted in strange directions as he moved as parts of him forgot where they were headed and began to meander in an entirely different direction

Elhume felt a vein in his temple throbbing as he waited He hated the waiting hated the stillness Because the current him was all momentum Emptiness crackled in his heart empowering his image but making him wonder why he went to such lengths Why he continued to fixate on this

Obviously he still cared about Pine his feelings for his son were left untouched by his methods to steel himself for the harder decisions that protecting Pine involved Yet he couldnÆt help but sense despite how careful he had been every time he chose emptiness over his other emotions he lost something

Without those drops of life running through his veins even his care for his son began to wither

I need this ElhumeÆs jaw clenched as his patience began to run thin Pine is being ripped apart by Fates I need to create a population that can feed him stories and images without trying to take them back

For that I want to create a special race One designed to imagine one creative and chaotic And I know that of all the Origin Beasts I have met none possess your particular flair for creation

Obviously you need not wonder about whether I would participate in such an ambitious project Elhume Truly I have been sculpted by the gods for such a purpose The Patron of the Deep waved a hand dismissively The flare of anger at the disrespect was of the exact size of his relief at the agreement making the result moot Yet the Patron of the Deep continued to drift back and forth No my role will be excellently fulfilled It is just With your vision and my vivid illumination it is not enough We require structure A third to oversee and corral the excess of enthusiasm that will gush forth from the two of us

Elhume felt a strange out of body moment He felt himself opening his mouth and suggesting Mae Myrna The woman he trusted more than anyone else The woman he

Emptiness crackled in his veins He felt exhausted and furious Any other emotions he felt for her had been lent out indefinitely

We can manage without Elhume barely managed to force the words out through his clenched teeth

The Patron of the Deep shot him a disappointed look The creation of a race is not a simple matter There is pomp and circumstance not just for the heady joys of celebration but because the spirit matters just as much as the substance And without proper shaping the spirit and the substance shall run amongst one another poisonous and degenerate No we simply must have someone present to guide the proceedings But based on your reaction ahem well truth be told my social skills are not only the delightful crown of any dinner party but

Stay focused Elhume growled

The Patron of the Deep rolled his eyes So be it brevity Your tragic addiction squeezing all nuance from life and fitting it into convenient boxes I know an Engraver of some renowned who would be perfect I actually met him due to his association with

He will work I want this done soon three days Elhume hissed His eyes flashed all emptiness and withering care If you Engraver doesnÆt show up in time well IÆll just have to go drag him here myself

Chapter 2266

Randidly and Lowana sat opposite one another both with their hands in front of their body Her due to the black wicker shackles that remained on her hands him to mirror her Nether moved between them Thin tendrils of connections were formed in then broken a constant state of energy motion

Both leaned slightly forward aiming to upset the equilibrium between them

Pressing his lips together Randidly tried his best to incorporate the inevitable force he had seen from Deganawidah as well as the delicate unraveling notes he had seen from the Thrice DrownedÆs student Illia Rivers of significance flowed with a metallic inevitability edged with sharp barbs His Nether armed with these new weapons marched to battle with the inky darkness of LowannaÆs energy

Randidly leaned further forward his Nether Core gathering up momentum

Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 997

Congratulations Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath has grown to Level 982

The results of first contact made Randidly wince as LowannaÆs Nether cleaved through his own without any apparent effort Yes each tool he had stolen was very powerful But that was against unreactive and unobservant opponents These principles he gleaned hadnÆt yet been totally incorporated into the function of his Nether Core Which meant that Lowanna’s more holistic pattern could target the weak connections and snap off these additions Her Nether swept forward through those weak points unobtrusive but suffocatingly thick

Randidly slammed his Nether Weight against the oncoming tide twisted and conjured spears of vicious significance with his Synechdochence and his manipulation of patterns but LowannaÆs energy could endure everything he threw at it and still advance In terms of concentrated power he might have an advantage against her albeit against the controlled not sacrificing lives version of the Nether Arbiter but her cohesiveness overwhelmed him Step by step the space between them the area where their extended hands existed began to fill with Lowanna’s energy

Congratulations Your Skill Gospel within the Seething Torrent has grown to Level 1015

Congratulations Your Skill HomunculusÆs Monstrous Tenacity has grown to Level 933

By the end of the exercise Randidly had a pounding headache And as a nice dramatic flourish Lowanna used her dominant energy to form a mirrored pair of black wicker handcuffs on RandidlyÆs limbs

Randidly nodded his surrender and twisted his wrists The fake handcuffs disintegrated into powder and fell away from his hands Lowanna studied his hands for a second then looked up at his face That well I cannot deny that I enjoyed the exercise but this cannot happen often Even with my energy controlled it toed a dangerous line Do you wish to instead practice the bonds again She looked at him for several seconds her eyes intent Ah you do not want to be here any longer You are distracted

No I do want to be here ItÆs just Randidly hesitated He gestured to the nearby firepit Can I get you a cup of tea

Lowanna raised an eyebrow and Randidly sighed He scratched his head Alright the truth is that I want to ask you a favor I need your help

Lowanna clicked her tongue like a mother at the behavior of her incorrigible offspring Is this engagement not helping you grow As I said this sort of practice carries risks for me And if you want me to intervene in the battle with Nether forces I refuse Your screening of my presence is the only reason the Cult of the Savior hasnÆt come for me They still wish for an effective lever against the Nether world especially now that the old ways are mobilizing No matter how ineffective they know it will be

I donÆt want you to interfere in the battle between Aether and Nether although I cannot deny I donÆt think your presence will remain hidden if you assist me But I think I can offer you enough that you will find it worth it Randidly felt awkward not because he didnÆt like asking for help although that was true No his hesitation was because he essentially wanted to ask Lowanna for a miracle

Snack break A now completely caked in dirt Dattylan asked

CharlotteÆs lips twitched thinking they would need to have a snack run if they wanted to continue at this food consumption pace But still she nodded looking at the mottled beams of light coming through the vine fronds to fall on the kidÆs face Snack break

They trooped out from the fourth room of this stretch the deepest by a good meter each room back along the vine roof to the entranceway going up by a foot or so until you could easily leave from the hosting area As they departed Charlotte waved a hand Her Primal Ground image hummed in pleasure sinking into the walls and working its particular magic

Small bits of uneven dirt flowed to fill equally small divots in the ground The corners sharpened into exact corners An aura of life flowed out of the ground rising from the very active bacteria that Charlotte had cultivated in the space Moving from that dark space of light into the warm sunlight left her blinking She sighed slightly as she leaned her bulk against some water barrels nearby In the end all my image improvement has really done is make me a bacteria farmer

However her dour mood vanished as Dattylan hopped up on a nearby box unfortunately just as covered in mud as she had seemed in the shadows her oversized shovel slung across her shoulders her mouth settled into a grim line and her eyes into a squint fully prepared to embrace her new life as a day laborer after two hours of digging

She held out a palm without even making a pretense of washing her hands in the rainwater barrels before her treat

Charlotte passed the last of the scones to the girl who gobbled it down along with quite a bit of dirt from her hands When the girl had finished she leaned back and heaved out a long sigh the noise filled with the vicissitudes of a life well lived Then she glanced at Charlotte her eyes glittering with hard earned wisdom You do this every day

Every day this week at least Charlotte replied And a second after she said those words she felt a pang of regret Because her bond with the Ghosthound as his Knight told her that a reckoning was coming Soon this brief period of idleness would be dragged away by the relentless march of time Maybe not if she remained and protected the slums but the peaceful exploration the flood of refugees shifting to live under the vines that would be over

War came hungry and cackling from beyond the horizon

And after this week Dattylan said

After the week I go back to working for my boss Charlotte said lightly

Who is your boss What does she do

He Charlotte corrected He well HeÆs trying to build something that lasts He wants to make

So he needs a good digger Dattylan nodded in understanding She patted Charlotte on the shoulder Well you are the best digger I know Whoever your boss is he is very lucky to have you

Charlotte was surprised by how touched the compliment made her feel But before she could try and thank the girl she paused and looked up Her image hummed a strangled warning A ripple ran through the bacteria starting from the nearby edge of the slum and then rushing inward along the vines Then in a second ripple the life giving aura the interplay between Lifeseal and the vines broke down

In only a few seconds after that large swaths of the bacteria began to die ViiSiit for latest novels

Chapter 2267

Devick felt curiously light as she moved through the familiar impacts and momentum of a long distance jog With the benefit of the forty eight Levels in her new Grand Fate MaverickÆs Barbaric Imperative she now could keep abreast with the rest of her squad during patrols The flickering movements of Vandla still left her stunned but the rest of the squad began to seem a bit more mortal to her eyes

She felt streamlined like a sleek cast iron falcon cooling into a gleaming form Her loping cadence shifted closer and closer to the violent ideal she had once glimpsed in Nether King Hungry Eye

Yet at the same time Devick felt insulated wrapped in layers of strange isolation She felt almost outside of her body watching it move watching it flash a thousand watt smiles at her companions and sever the limbs of her enemies She almost felt like the Grand Fate had begun to take over her decisions leaving her just to watch the progress of her form

Perhaps it would be better to say that the Grand Fate had become like an arresting robe that part of her had become the first impression any who looked at her would see And naturally suspicious by nature she suspected the Grand Fate was even now laying out plans to completely alter her to suit its whims

Still Devick couldnÆt deny the results the rapid increase in power mollified her opinion on the unmooring and muffling So she sat in her own body watching with detachment as it moved without her Her subconscious reached out and felt the familiar soft fur of the crimson hare crouching next to her also observing the process The hare leaned forward eyes narrowed and ears pinned back Having the image remain at her side took away the rest of DevickÆs doubts

Look how we dance Look how we strut Devick clicked her tongue Still isnÆt this nice Now my body exercises by itself Ah what luxury

She floated she petted her image she waited Malice Hare of the Crimson Foot and Barbed Heart liked her hand patiently watching the body move Because for all the posturing done by the strange Grand Fate since its inception Devick was very sure of one fact

In my body I will always have the final say

Outside in the real world the Squad Leader and Vandla fell into step next to Devick The Squad Leader eyed Devick up and down satisfaction lurking beneath the stern veneer with which she lacquered her expression For all that the muffling felt uncomfortable it did add a small amount of space to all her interactions With the tiny adjustment in perspective Devick found it much easier to intuit the emotions of those around her

Mentally Devick raised her hands to her cheeks Ah Hungry Eye how do you truly see me I wonder

However that thought quickly soured her mood The Grand Fate changed things

It didnÆt change enough to make her necessary in the Nether KingÆs life however

The Squad Leader spoke to her body heedless of the emotional squirming going on within You have improved by leaps and bounds Devick It is gratifying to see your assistance has helped advance the studies of Grand Fates at a time when the Aetherlands need dedicated soldiers quite badly Have you experienced any side effects

None The outer Devick confirmed favoring Vandla with a wink Aside from an increase in certain appetites ThereÆs just something about war isnÆt there When any day might be your last couplings become much more appealing

Congratulations Your Grand Fate MaverickÆs Barbaric Imperative has grown to Level 49 Due to the development of your Grand Fate +2 free Stats

VandlaÆs sharp and jittery features showed no recognition for the blunt innuendo tossed his way Floating within her own body Devick yawned The flippant sexuality almost seemed puerile observed from a distance Beside her Malice flicked back its ears sending a thought to Devick would the strange Grand Fate persona follow through with the offer of sex with Vandla

This foolish version of Devick would speak not because she wanted to extract the benefit but for the indulgent satisfaction of having it known that she despite her weakness could influence such a powerful figure

It was a selfish impulse born of her own fear of appearing useless It was the same sort of impulse that had distracted her from Tell when he had been broken on the Hobfootie pitch right next to her

She opened her mouth the body unable to resist the bubbling temptation to prove she was more than her weakness Yet the Devick within herself watching the farce narrowed her eyes She opened her mouth and leaked out faint wisps of hellfire You will not you dumb piece of shit

Malice smiled next to her revealing a mouth full of thin hollow teeth With surprising daintiness the Hare leaned forward and stretched its jaw into a ghastly maw Then it bit down just slightly upon the essence of the Grand Fate in DevickÆs chest The oily otherness squirmed wildly within the grasp of the image while Devick blinked and smiled

The seething volcano of emotion reasserted control Her brow twitched

Heh luckily we were not close at all That Nether King he has a horrid sort of aura Oppressive Completely beyond me Devick offered a shrug but spoke with a very real undercurrent of bleak bitterness Her Grand Fate bubbled and struggled in protest only causing MaliceÆs teeth to dig in more deeply into its essence IÆm pretty sure he just used the MiracleÆs that was my team as a vehicle to get entrance into Malloon