It was a complicated array of rotating lines of power and even when inspecting from this distance Randidly wasnÆt able to tell what it was It was a mesmerizing series of wheels and extremely complicated Aether constructs But somehow it seemed quite familiar
And then it hit Randidly This was a variation on what he had seen within the Raid Dungeon This strange machinery removed the overlay System and only allowed the main System within the area hidden inside of the tree
With this in mind Randidly studied the engineered Aether more critically Now that he knew what he was looking for Randidly was able to focus his intent and get a better picture of what was going on This seemed to be a much more sophisticated version of the previous one because the swirling motion somehow sucked more of the System Aether into the immediate surrounding area But why
Ah of course Randidly thought with a dawning realization The concentrated System Aether must be used as a cover This variation has the added ability to hide this construct from the System
Which was a dangerous proposition but it was about in line with what Randidly had expected to find when he came here But of course considering the warning he had received from Octavius perhaps staying here very long wouldnÆt be a good idea The System overlay wouldnÆt be pleased if he passed from its purview after the antics he pulled in the prison
Randidly stopped short of the trunk and slowly circled the tree There was nothing distinguishing about the trunk to his normal senses but that was fine Randidly retreated out of the treeÆs shade and sat content to wait
He luckily didnÆt need to wait long
IÆm surprised you came you seem like one to hold a grudge
Randidly looked up Lyra stood there looking every bit of the lovely young woman she would have been had she still been human Her tawny hair curled down around her face in ringlets Her lips were pursed somewhere between a pout and a smirk which were her two favorite expressions And her eyes Those were what grabbed RandidlyÆs attention
Violet red the eerie color of Aether
Of the two of us I think itÆs pretty obvious which of us would hold a grudge Randidly grunted as he stood up DidnÆt you chase me after I refused to take you out to hunt monsters with me
Lyra flashed a bright smile at the sudden memory She was obviously a beauty capable of being a movie start even as a teenager And now that she had time to mature
Yet Randidly felt a strange bitterness in his heart You no longer have a true human body just like perhaps I no longer have a true human soul We can shape ourselves however we wish with enough preparation What is within without Without within Therefore that beauty my strength can it truly be called the providence of humans
That line of thought quickly became too dark to bear so Randidly shook his head and focused on Lyra
She rolled her eyes Well you were being an ass It was rather misogynistic to refuse to let me help you just because I was a young lady
I mean it was because you were sixteen Randidly retorted Then he frowned Or am I misremembering Were you even younger
Lyra smirked ItÆs rude to inquire after a ladyÆs age young man
They both looked at each other feeling the traces of the bond forged by being the original sword and sheath for Donnyton That compelled connection by the System But now it was just a memory just a decipherable old construct of Aether between them
As one both of their faces became serious
So why are you here Lyra asked quietly
Randidly raised his chin To talk Both about Earth and about the society that runs the System
Chapter 876
They speak of you Lyra had said You are known to them It is difficult to describe There is curiosity Interest But it is largely idle Most are content to wait until the status of Earth has been decided Then they will simply read the detailed report that the Cohort Overseer has made and pull your secrets directly from your recorded Aether
Randidly walked slowly back from visiting Lyra wondering if he had learned anything useful there About the society and its reaction to the announcement that someone had risen two Cohorts and caused a previously stalled planet to pass the Second Calamity Perhaps he would perhaps he wouldnÆt But it was somewhat reassuring that none was investigating him too actively
Randidly and Lyra had then spoken about her goal in building an Aether construct that would allow herself to be hidden away from the world The answer that Randidly received was less than satisfying
IÆm building an ark Lyra had announced Due to your successes I wonÆt say anything of your methods But I do not wish Earth to have to rely solely upon you to survive what is to come So consider this backup if we would need it the most
And where would the people of Earth go on your ark Randidly had asked
In typical Lyra fashion she looked at him witheringly If the System truly controlled all of existence where would new Cohorts come from One thing I learned from Yystrix is that there is an edge to the System We would simply need to head past that wouldnÆt we It might be a far distance but it is better to run than to die
An Ark Just what they needed To have an escape valve for potential if the pressure against Earth was growing too great
But ultimately Randidly said nothing He could say nothing For all that he wore a crown he was one man If Lyra truly chose to escape that was her prerogative But he intended to struggle as hard as he could to give people a future on Earth This was their homeworld after all Even if it had been largely remade by the coming of the System
And as for the third reason he wished to speak to Lyra the status of the Creature
Randidly had said nothing Lyra didnÆt bring it up and Randidly hadnÆt pressed It was almost a relief to allow those wounds to remain dormant and speak relatively amicably with Lyra Besides who could tell whether Lyra wouldnÆt just try and play more head games with him
Shaking his head Randidly focused his mind on moving forward As he thought he hadnÆt found a trace of the CreatureÆs Aether in the area He even had forcefully invaded the Ark folded in space within the tree to check And unlike the strange runes on AjaxÆs soul Randidly was able to pierce through easily
It was slightly different than what Randidly expected but there was a completely empty city on a floating island hidden within the tree All completely free from the touch of the Creature Almost unwillingly Randidly stopped searching and accepted LyraÆs explanation
That at least was one less thing he needed to worry about now At the moment Randidly had other things on his mind
After all another one of his Riders that he had sent out had died And perhaps most disturbingly the one that had died was one of the original two that had wandered off
But Randidly did his best to ignore his growing irritation One more try IÆll attempt it one more time
So when Randidly returned to his hut he activated Riders of the Baleful Wood and summoned more Riders Due to increases in the Skill Level Randidly was able to summon five Riders now that he was above Skill Level 50 Which of course meant that his Riders continued to be active somewhere earning him experience Honestly it was a pretty good deal The only frustrating part was that they continued to refuse to heed his orders and return
DonÆt murder people Randidly opened with this time Then he conjured his Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom to drive home his sincerity with the order Again he really didnÆt mind his Riders wandering around after all he gained quite a few Skill Levels due to their actions But there was a small chance they were up to some hijinks that would come back to bite him in the ass
Some hijinks were par for the course but he wanted to avoid anything that would serve as a significant distraction to his goal of preparing Earth for the Calamities One way people might be distracted would be to find out that Randidly GhosthoundÆs summons were committing murder sprees