It gave it a Path
The Path that it would earn here well Randidly was ready to move forward All in all he was tired of chasing things down and he was working up a fair bit of resentment toward Roy who was forcing him to be in this situation
And if he Frogpeople misbehaved he would work out some of his accumulating frustrations on them
Good luck Decklan said shortly Randidly turned and spared him a glance carefully studying the man for any remnants of the emotional detonation that had happened on their initial meeting There were some traces around his eyes his gaze was tired and red rimmed But the previous explosion would have delayed the eventual collapse
For now it would have to be enough To solve the problems of those who follow me That is not my Path I only open up the future so they have the capability to choose That is the Crown of Upheaval and Gloom
When they reached the gate it lowered with a dull boom that sprayed mud and sludge from the far side of the moat The frog people had already been let out after their pleas before Neveah but the elevation of the castle meant that any noise here echoed in the surrounding area Randidly could see some in the camp below turn and stare at the sudden noise
At this distance they looked like ants Tiny numerous creatures that marched out of their strange buildings to peer uncertainly at the source of the commotion
Randidly slowly let his face split into a smile Over his head the true Crown of Upheaval and Gloom condensed into an austere grey metal circlet with long spikes sticking upward And in the grey and dim world of the constant drizzling rain the Crown itself seemed to radiate a sickly light that illuminated Randidly
But a small question from Decklan stopped Randidly just as he was about to bound down toward the camp
How do you keep moving forward IsnÆt it heavy
Randidly tilted his head to the side and looked at Decklan He was a scarred and broken man That much was clear But Decklan had also determinedly continued to fight for the good of Donnyton For all of his flaws he was strong
He deserves better than this Randidly thought to himself
But then another voice answered DonÆt we all
Mostly because I donÆt think about it Randidly answered quietly All I think about is what I need to do next And I keep reminding myself of the consequences if I wouldnÆt act ThatÆs all any of us can do
Then Randidly left Decklan and rushed down the slope toward the camp
Instantly the Frogpeople below scurried into action They seemed to trip over themselves as they struggled to array themselves into a defensible grouping Dozens turned into hundreds as they continually streamed out to form a loose line at the edge of the camp directly in RandidlyÆs way
Although no one drew weapons Randidly could tell that tension was very high in the camp A brief Aether scan confirmed that they were all in their high 40s and 50s in terms of Level These were strong individuals that could wreck a small Village on Earth
Their misfortune was encountering Neveah and Randidly It was a hard truth that this violence was the simplest option to stopping a tragedy But the fact remained that they had chosen the easy option willing to sacrifice the lives of the Frogpeople for the good of Earth
Although the System is at fault we will have to carry our sins Randidly reflected warily as he rapidly destroyed the distance between himself and the camp And in his mind DecklanÆs question reverberated
Is it heavy
The tang of fear was soon palpable on the air As the distance between them continued to shrink many of the Frogpeople visible flinched Which made Randidly wonder what Neveah had done in order to keep them so perfectly in line
As he approached Randidly slowed Then he looked back and forth at the camp before them Rather than tents these would be closer to longhouses They were made with mud and pitch permanent enough for now but overall extremely fragile buildings
Randidly also couldnÆt notice any difference between the frogs aside from small variations in size and coloring Overall they seemed completely ethnically similar Neveah had said these groups came from two Toad Lords but Randidly couldnÆt draw any distinction between them with most of the ways humans differentiated people
He supposed he would need to talk at length with his guide about just such issues The more information that Randidly had the quicker this process would go
W w who are you A rather large frog at the front eventually said The mood had eased somewhat when Randidly had arrived before them and not approached but everyone that Randidly could see continually glanced up at his Crown
Hiding his grimace Randidly announced I am the Demon Prince
After giving it a second for that news to sweep through the ranks of waiting frogs Randidly followed up with And I am looking for a guide to take me South I have heard of Toad Lords donÆt believe that this world will soon belong to the Demon Lord
Randidly bared his teeth I will teach them the error of their ways
There had been whispers among the frogs previously but that statement silenced them completely Awkwardly those nearest to Randidly just stared at him with steadily growing fear For almost ten seconds nothing happened
The rain continued to fall on them all standing and looking at him Randidly waited while the frogs just goggled at him They were frozen unsure of how to respond Then someone in the back audibly gulped
Ah I heard a volunteer Randidly said lightly stepping forward toward the group Immediately there was a panic in the crowd of frog people It was clear that those at the front who held sheathed swords didnÆt want to allow Randidly to walk through into their lines Yet they were seized with a deep fear And it seemed obvious that Randidly was only there for one person that fool who gulped
Randidly could see the conflict in their eyes as he strolled forward Was defending the honor of their people more important Would they protect one of their own from this external threat and risk exposing them to his ire
Always their eyes would return to the Crown that floated above his head
Yet as Randidly was only a few meters away the Frogpeople at the front looked at the ground and shuffled to the side Fear had won in their hearts
How easily we are divided Randidly reflected as he moved through the nervous bodies of the frogpeople It made him sad Not just because this happened here but because Randidly knew that humans would do the same if put under similar circumstances
Some things were the same amongst all people
When the frog had made the noise Randidly had locked onto it with his Perception So even as the frog attempted to creep deeper into the press of bodies the other frogs fearfully retreated away from that singled out individual It seemed that the people deep within the crowd had made the same decision that those at the front had made
So very quickly Randidly arrived before a trembling Frogperson who stood quite a bit shorter than those around it Likely this frog hadnÆt even been able to see Randidly as he was speaking The press of body was too thick Even now Randidly only had about two meters of space around him Aside from that the Frogpeople crowded around and stared fixedly at his Crown with dread in their posture
Believing itself to be anonymous the Frogperson hadnÆt suppressed its natural reaction Which was all the excuse that Randidly needed to approach A small tragedy in a world driven toward so many massacres by the System Slowly Randidly extended a hand toward the short and trembling frog person We are leaving immediately Thank you for your support
A thin voice cut across RandidlyÆs own He slowly turned to find another rather squat Frogperson forcing itself up through the press of bodies to stand near to Randidly Then the Frogperson paled and took several steps back as though it suddenly realized how close Randidly was wearing that baleful crown But the people behind it would not give space and it found itself pushed back toward Randidly
Yes Randidly asked
I I volunteer To be a guide The Frogperson managed Please donÆt take my spawn mate