LoRG 5

everything can change

Pine felt time tear first but didnÆt care they could fix time Randidly Ghosthound would fix time so long as they endured through this difficult beginning PineÆs existence buzzed as the stretching became tearing and he had to throw more and more of himself along the edges of the third circle to keep it held in place

His soul stretched even his sense of self put on the line to hold the third circle in place Everything became agony Fiery consumed his confusion his knowledge of a sister and even his ever present hunger He felt the sweat and the pain and nothing else Without time the strain seeped deeper and deeper into his being without any chance of easing

His grip loosened slightly It was just so hard Pine wished with all his being wished for a different life He felt a different sort of hunger growing in him

Golden light congregated energy flooding in from the World Tree The Engraving wrenched again but couldnÆt unmoor the implacable and hungry oblivion The darkness wouldnÆt shift It was too much too big too heavy

PineÆs wish began to fade His grip loosened even further just so he didnÆt hurt so much anymore He felt himself curling inward He felt guilt a familiar guilt forming in his gut He stirred himself into one more titanic effort but he already felt his heart seeping out of it Everything was too painful

Pine felt tears in his eyes Was changing always this painful

And then a mysterious figure exhaled Pine felt a light touch and someone whispered in his ear We deserve better than this

In one corner of the Nexus a group of individuals hadnÆt stopped working despite all the turbulence across the rest of the universe

The Upper Sonora Society had created a massive array in order to accomplish an act of terrorism undercutting the System Despite all the chaos of Randidly GhosthoundÆs battles they had continued on their project allowing their Engraving to stretch and sprawl They had given their all to the process for hours

Perhaps compared to the rest of the involved individuals only Randidly Ghosthound had given more sweat to revolutionizing the Nexus than these toiling rebels

And unbeknownst to them a Monarch of Karma awoken by an old memory fresh from his conversation with Shal had stumbled across the working He had witnessed their efforts and determination and had felt a kinship with their struggles His presence his wishes had nudged the working just from an act of terrorism to a manifesto of hope

We deserve better than this

When the working created by the Upper Sonora Society finally activated the System had largely been neutralized by the Pantheon working overtime NeveahÆs Engraving had already begun to shift the status quo of the underlying Aether framework The connections at the moment were more chaos than System So while the original target of their project had vanished the hope lingered It spread and suffused more and more of the Nexus And then eventually it stretched past that It whispered out an assurance even while everything hung in flux

In the Alpha Cosmos Fatia Cerulean stiffened as he felt a strange sense of reluctance fill his heart He wondered whether he had been wrong to pursue the Narrow Path for so long He looked down at his bloody claws and the corpse of a horned stag in front of him and sighed

On the Kharon Academy grounds a thousand teenagers and children looked up at the sky where glittering motes of light had begun to fall like a monsoon of gold dust across a shifting universe They clenched their fists each individual joining a group resolved to leave the world a better place than they found it

Devick stood in the middle of the golden Engraving standing on the back of a disgruntled Frost Dragon pumping her fist wildly in the air She felt everything shifting and changing she screamed herself hoarse riding the wave She couldnÆt wait for what happened next

Delilah the first child born after the System arrived leaned against her mother The sky was beautiful and the world may or may not be ending but she trembled from the fallout of a heart being torn to pieces by an apathetic boy She buried her face in her motherÆs shoulder She couldnÆt look up as she spoke I donÆt think IÆll ever find someone who will love me

No one exists who deserves to love you Dozer rumbled from across the room By the way whatÆs this young manÆs name

Annie shot her husband a sharp glance and then squeezed her daughter DonÆt give up hope quite yet Life is all about the looking darling Because so long as you keep looking

Pine felt those words those sentiments wrapping almost gently around his body He felt all the souls that shivered and agreed even if they didnÆt know how to express it The alignment of desires brought them all together and lent him their strength His soul relaxed by a small margin no longer on the brink of tearing

That unified belief wrapped tightly around the frayed lines of the Engraving They all helped hold the third circle together

And the words also reached the darkness They echoed out through the vast home of the dead Some of those who had been driven wild by hunger who had been prepared to ravage the universe paused They eased their tension remembering their hopes Remembering how chaotic and desperate it was to be alive

That easing lightened the darkness by degrees

And that was enough for Pine to shove and for the darkness to shift The third circle held as the golden Engraving churned and created a whole new tableau

The blindfolded woman actually laughed as the spear rushed at her face Randidly GhosthoundÆs image burned through the austere fabric of the multiverse in an attempt to bridge the gap and damage one of the inert statues The tallest and most monstrous of the individuals in front of him

She didnÆt even flinch despite the concentrated Aether and Nether Randidly had poured into the attack It was without a doubt the most powerful attack he had ever thrown With the attack he felt completely hollow His images faded struggling to maintain their presence in the oppressive environment

Please allow me Pangu as Randidly had gambled stepped forward to intercept the attack He adjusted his monocle and waved a hand A new shadow interposed itself the layered form of Pangu Eternities and Pinnacles managed together to for a sharp shape that scraped away everything else Acri crashed against the force Pangu created and stopped dead

Itzpapalotl handle the sub universe We donÆt have time to play around any longer The blindfolded woman said The shadowy figure snapped up its dagger and ghosted forward Randidly narrowed his eyes and prepared to intercept but Pangu chose that moment to offer him a warm smile He gestured just as vaguely as he had to defeat his attack

Power suffused Acri as the weapon shrieked and shot directly back in RandidlyÆs direction but empowered with some spite from Pangu

Gotcha Randidly hid his glee You just couldnÆt resist could you Predictability is a weakness Pangu

Congratulations Your Skill Deviations Inevitable Machinations has grown to Level 2101

Congratulations Your Skill What the Ghosthound Sows He Will Soon Reap has grown to Level 2000

Vessel Layers 7

Creeds Germination (20000) Enigmatic (20000) Impossibility (27150) Tolerance (27000) Duty (28000) Vengeance (16000) Harmony (19000) N/A (1000)

VPs 1 446 974

He had earned a total of 240 for each Stat RandidlyÆs eyes flashed He only had a split second now This wouldnÆt be enough He began pouring his VPs away so quickly he barely noticed the notifications popping up in front of him

You have condensed a Vessel Layer Current Vessel Layers 8

For earning a new Layer you have unlocked access to a new Creed Creeds will be distributed differently based on the Vessel Layer For the eighth Vessel Layer you have been randomly distributed the Creed Generosity

You have condensed a Vessel Layer Current Vessel Layers 9

For earning a new Layer you have unlocked access to a new Creed Creeds will be distributed differently based on the Vessel Layer For the ninth Vessel Layer you have been given a Creed by the Pantheon You have been distributed the Creed Vulnerability

You have condensed a Vessel Layer Current Vessel Layers 10

For earning a new Layer you have unlocked access to a new Creed Creeds will be distributed differently based on the Vessel Layer For the tenth Vessel Layer your actions have earned you a Creed You have earned the Creed Experimentation

The sword shot toward RandidlyÆs chest but his flesh wriggled and flexed attempting to keep up with the shift His Creeds became almost like armor reinforcing his body transforming his entire person

Vessel Layers 10

Creeds Experimentation (100000) Vulnerability (100000) Generosity (100000) Germination (120000) Enigmatic (120000) Impossibility (127150) Tolerance (127000) Duty (128000) Vengeance (116000) Harmony (119000) N/A (1000)

VPs 446 974

Just by spending VPs each of Randidly GhosthoundÆs already impressive Stats had grown by 2240 His flesh hadnÆt even caught up with the change in his capability A boost that big meant that his Physical Defense Stats HomunculiÆs Engineered Adaption and Carrion DragonÆs Carapace more than doubled in only a heartbeat

A half a hummingbirdÆs heartbeat even

The copper sword arrived quelling the universe with its motion Randidly accepted it refusing to back down

The Creeds shifting was one thing but perhaps just as valuable were the three sinking of anchors Elhume Devick and Enmya all settled as NeveahÆs Engraving reached its final form They had been in formation but now the locks snapped into places as the three dimensions operated around each other

Randidly released a breath

Behind the tip of the sword was an EternityÆs worth of scorn and indignation

His flesh rippled first almost a frightened shiver before the weapon arrived His skin parted his muscles pulped his blood evaporated His images roared out their personal refusal channeling their power into the defense Yet the hammering of the blindfolded woman smashed back the shapes and emotions before they could manifest She forced back his significance with sheer violence

They stared at each other as her static intensity began to eradicate him almost on a philosophical level

Then buoyed by the settled triverse a wave of Creeds reinforced by the population of the newly reformed Alpha Cosmos pushed back It joined with the pulsing invigorating wave from the Shallah energy Randidly conjured It endured Eternity one twisted and built upon exploitation

Randidly could see the blindfolded woman clenching her jaw with force enough to chew through a planet like a gumball

Obviously the impact hurt More than anything he had ever felt The essence of Randidly Ghosthound served as the battleground between two overwhelming forces the pressure of an Eternity and the hope of a new universe Yet he cackled wildly as blood spurted in every direction bones splintered and vanished his organs withered and caught fire just from a rough impact

Because her sword stroke ran out of steam first The blindfolded woman snarled at the stalled conflict You

He didnÆt give her a chance to finish that thought

She didnÆt step back but the pressure eased And Randidly stepped forward into the fading pressure with a slight gesture of his hands His fingers tugged on the Aether strings of Providence He conjured that horrid maw of the Field Identification and stepped into it

Randidly felt a fusion reactor of the partial Shallah swirling in his chest almost as dangerous to him as the Eternities Its energies blasted out in every direction chewing on the Nether flows in his body His eyes narrowed Just a bit more

The essence of Randidly Ghosthound his Aether and Nether exploded down the field identification Because of his skilled manipulation of his energies he wove himself around the vicious spikes of the Field Identification as he moved through it He shot forward along the trap of the Providence System ignoring its intentions to pin him in place like a deceased and rare beetle

Because Randidly wanted to teach these bastards a lesson

Identifying in progress please wait

Thematica you must stop him now PanguÆs eye the one not hidden behind a monocle bulged

If you have time to speak fucking do it yourself The blindfolded woman Thematica snarled over her shoulder at him Which delightfully earned Randidly another second of heretical indulgence

Energies exploded out the shape of Randidly Ghosthound his images his patterns his flows his memories his feelings A lonely boy who became a grey monster who forged his body into a homunculus A tall tree dedication and care and focus giving life to those around him breathing energy in and out An absence a strangeness a different dimension that craved life and found music

His hands were blurs spitting out little sparks of plasma as they moved right up to the edge of the speed of light in order to stay ahead of those pinning spikes of the identification as he wove his energies forward At the core of this rocketing energy explosion Randidly cradled the Shallah of potential of forgone possibilities

His eyes flashed as he remembered his early days in the System

He remembered all the benefits he derived from and all the trouble brought to his door on Tellus by his Engravings

It was one of the areas which gave him a definite advantage in his preparations Not only did he have Sam create for Randidly some of the best equipment in existence but then Randidly would work tirelessly for weeks in order to create an Engraving to match the equipment And it was the combination that made him unstoppable before he had a Class before his Skill Levels had become truly ridiculous

In the multiverse Randidly had to twist and wound himself more quickly more tightly in order to avoid the spikes He clenched and squeezed barely managing to continue advancing

And the change that completely made him unstoppable was the moment Randidly learned to create Living Engravings So they would grow with him just one more Skill

Life from static shapes

The blindfolded woman paused in her ire at Pangu and pivoted back around Her Aspect the copper sword flashed up with its deadly point She pounced forward

Randidly finally couldnÆt wind himself anymore tightly as his energies hurtled through the identification process The pinning spikes pricked him preparing to settle and bind him into a static form But at that very moment Randidly detonated the Shallah moment held within his body For good measure he activated his Nether CoreÆs Fourth Authority Animation Nova

YourÆs is not the only way Randidly told the multiverse

Welcome to Providence Randidly Ghosthound You have been assigned Identification No 403921029281

Error Processing

A wave of pure light exploded from RandidlyÆs body ThematicaÆs attack paused held at bay by the brief and all consuming energy of a combined Pinnacle and Eternity and naught the twisted version practiced in the outer multiverse She couldnÆt pierce through his power

even as Randidly drew small shapes into his freely given identity Just an arrangement with small repeating patterns that could naturally shift and adjust He had done this a thousand times with the nascent form of this made when he created the emerald motes that dwelled within Kharon And this time they had both the benefit of Animation Nova and the giving ambiance of a Shallah event

Those little shapes flexed and swelled testing the limits of their new home The helixing rails of the Identification groaned and crackled at the bustling curiosity contained with Randidly GhosthoundÆs identityÆ

Randidly stopped then no longer guiding the development He only needed to wait a second From stillness life exploded in every direction

Welcome to Providence Randidly Ghosthound Assignment clarified You have been assigned Identification No 403921024263

For a multiverse filled with the austere stillness of a tomb and power derived from weighty shadows a repudiation

As the Shallah moment exploded outward the rails of the Field Identification snapped A riot of light color image possibility all the flouring tenacity of Randidly Ghosthound opened up like a curling bouquet of flesh spring time blooms yellows and pinks and oranges These flowers of Aether and Nether grew in every direction curious about the environment

Welcome to Providence Randidly Ghosthound Assignment clarified You have been assigned Identification No 426342634263426

The fabric of Providence shook The multiverse almost seemed to recoil from the presence of the spreading vines and growths of energy Without the typical liquid energy medium of the Alpha Cosmos the identity Randidly provided needed to slither closer to individuals and wrap around them for sustenance

Chuckling he watched as his brilliant life giving identity spread Even as Providence tried and failed to name it

Thematica We cannot linger here any longer The outer Republics will have sensed the disturbance Either we call reinforcements or we retreat The bark skinned man pleaded Next to him his female counterpart growled and waved a hand The shadow pressure from her statue smashed against one RandidlyÆs tendrils of energy

The main vine withered and died but the bulb at the end of the living pattern burst A hundred small seeds static patterns that could transform into vibrating life flew and spread in the surrounding space

Thematica stilled even as all her subordinates began to wield their vast powers against the identityÆ Randidly had released They were definitely more powerful than these small sprouts but it was like a cohort of hurricanes trying to stamp out dandelions While they wrought great destruction they also served as the impetus that would spread some seeds far and wide

Every bit of the blindfolded womanÆs posture and intensity radiated hate as she considered him Randidly Ghosthound I will not forget this

Good Randidly Ghosthound soul of the Triuniverse known as the Alpha Cosmos winked at the blindfolded woman I wouldnÆt want you to be bewildered when the seeds I plant begin tearing down everything youÆve tried to accomplish

YouÆve changed nothing The shadowy figure Itzpapalotl hissed

Randidly barked out a laugh that echoed out through the vast space of the multiverse His amusement rolled out and allowed his amusement to congregate in the secret cracks of this static edifice built by the Eternities He spoke full of certainty his voice humming with the promise IÆve planted a seed And you know what they say about seeds

Congratulations Your Skill What the Ghosthound Sows He Will Soon Reap has grown to Level 2500

Chapter Announcements Thanks Epilogue Info and More

Hey all

Wow We fucking made it

Even now it’s hard to believe It’s hard to explain how much a difference Randidly Ghosthound has made in my life From my best friends stupid nickname that I used as a joke to essentially starting my whole career as a writer

Ah on that note Book 9 of LoRG came out on Amazon today The first of the Nether Frontlines arc Check it out leave nice reviews

Anyway I really wanted to make this post for two reasons Some announcements which I’ll get to later but mostly thank you

To all the readers who were with me from the beginning to the people who participated in the various character naming and powers contests I hosted to those who supported me on Patreon while I was making the story I couldn’t have accomplished all this without you Without your reviews your comments your eyes your imaginations

In a lot of ways my adult life has been about lowering my maladaptive coping mechanisms and sharing all this fun that burns in me with the world So again to the readers thank you for helping me with that

Third I plan on writing a few LoRG Epilogues I’ve had this intention since I finished the current chapters back in January But I’ve been delaying because I now realize I was approaching it in the wrong manner Those will come out on my Patreon in November trickling out to here in December

Finally I want to work on a secret project for a while Labor on something that doesn’t get set in stone chapter by chapter as I work through it With an eye toward releasing a whole product a novel all at once Who knows how it will go but that will be my October

Ah and also the joke from the beginning was that The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound was the first of a duology culminating in the Doom of Thomasa Vaine(I think that was the title) And maybe I made the grooves so I could try again if I wanted to But we will see I love this world and all its done for me But I want to spend some time working on some other projects

Seven and a half years

Y’all made it worth every second

Noret Flood IV