It was somewhat bemusing to walk through the crowds without anyone caring about his presence at all It settled RandidlyÆs heart
There was a lot of pressure on Earth Because Randidly had seen both sides of what could happen to the planet with his association with Tellus and also with the Patron of Ash It was a constricting fear that was deeply planted in his heart At all costs Randidly wanted to guide people toward the Tellus end albeit in a much more efficient fashion
Today would be the first steps on that path
So Randidly passed through the crowds meaning to head toward that quaint bakery he had stopped at when he arrived at Donnyton While walking he listened to the talk Most of it was centered around RandidlyÆs challenge of the Squads of course Popular opinion on the outcome was mixed Those that supported Randidly argued vehemently that he was the cornerstone on which Donnyton was based Randidly Ghosthound could never lose
The detractors pointed out that he had lost in the previous challenge Randidly thought that wasnÆt really a fair assessment but couldnÆt deny that he had conceded rather than using deadly force against the Squads of Donnyton
The previous challenge had made Randidly realize that he couldnÆt keep protecting Donnyton It needed to grow on its own
This challenge was to make the Squads realize that they wouldnÆt be able to protect Donnyton if they stayed on this path Images had that much power especially at the high end of the spectrum They needed to start to build the base image for Donnyton now
The grim specter of Aegiant laughing as he evaporated fucking lava to force Randidly out into the open was a hard sight to forget
Randidly reached up and pressed his hand to the leather bindings that wrapped around his metal left arm Although RandidlyÆs figure wasnÆt really associated with a metal arm he had still covered it up for good measure But the loss of his arm was the price he paid for the power to escape from that painful pool of lava He would probably carry that grim truth with him to the grave
When Randidly arrived at the bakery he blinked Gone was the sleepy square with only a few squad members loafing around Sure he had come at a later hour than he had previously but could things really change so abruptly in a few weeks
Gone were the seemingly closed shops Instead there were about a dozen fenced off areas filled with tables People laughed uproariously and ordered food that professional looking waiters quickly took back to the main buildings Street performers stood outside the gates dazzling with the breakfast eaters with System assisted tricks
Honestly Randidly felt like he was standing in the middle of a tourist destination
Squished in between all of these affluent cafes was the familiar bakery Although there were people flowing in and out of the bakery itself it was a pittance in comparison to the vast crowds that were frequenting the surrounding cafes
Somewhat bemused Randidly pushed his way forward and entered into the bakery A familiar face without a mustache looked up sharply then went abruptly pale Without addressing him the man turned and rushed into the back room leaving a teenage girl working alone to satisfy the five or so other customers in the shop
Randidly smirked after Ed Certainly your decision to retreat is pretty decisive are you still afraid of me revealing your identity I can sense almost every one of the nearby owners is also using an illusion
Not that it really mattered Randidly wasnÆt here for any more complicated reason than getting some of the baklava from the shop
His task finished Randidly left the shop while munching on his purchase Then he allowed himself to be swept away by the flow of bodies toward the great arena in the area North of the Production District
Already thousands of people had arrived so there were extremely long lines for seats that stretched backward up into the surrounding hills There were also stands built on the ridge above the quarry allowing those with high Perception to sit without being so tightly packed together And with the advent of the System there were a lot of people who had the requisite Stats to be able to observe from afar
Randidly finished his breakfast with a grin Which would be fine if we were going to be moving at the speed that most of these people could follow at all
Eventually Randidly slipped out of the line and walked alone into the hills Rather than waiting to get in Randidly thought it would be more appropriate to simply pull himself out and appear right before the first challenge
Such was the prerogative of being Randidly Ghosthound
It didnÆt take long for Randidly to clamber into a crack in the stone wall of the quarry and find himself an overlook where he could view all of the press of bodies that were lining up in order to witness the spectacle today As he scanned the crowd he didnÆt see a single person he recognized it seemed that the important players shared his plan for the event
Randidly looked up at the sun It was getting close to the promised time The HoundÆs ladder would begin within the hour
The first rung would be the easiest but easy didnÆt mean that he wouldn’t need to try His first fight would be against all of the Donnyton Squads numbered 100 81
Most of these individuals would have arrived at Donnyton after Randidly left for the first time They had been raised on the stories of DonnytonÆs frantic struggles against the early monster hordes but they wouldnÆt have actual experience with him
To them this was undoubtedly an exciting day The day to prove to Randidly Ghosthound a man who had steadied then entire 32nd Zone that they had grown strong
In his chest RandidlyÆs Crown of Upheaval and Gloom was breathing deeply of the air of excitement that covered the battleground It was not something that he enjoyed doing but Randidly couldnÆt deny a certain sick fascination he felt as he imagined crushing all these people with the reality of the situation they would be facing
In fact Randidly felt downright smug with his superiority He quickly pressed that feeling down It was that sort of thought that would cause him to underestimate them Because for all that these were the lowest of the Squads they were still the worst of the best Earth currently had They wouldnÆt just roll over
To face 20 Squads meant that Randidly and Helen would be fighting against two hundred and twenty trained Classers Classers that had been on the frontlines of DonnytonÆs efforts to keep the entire Earth safe They were not inexperienced in battle The last year of their lives had seen them rapidly working to improve their capabilities To the point that they had earned the right to wear the insignia of a Squad of Donnyton
As the sun rose higher in the sky Randidly felt the squad memebrs gather their bright eyes and excited faces more feed for his Crown They congregated at one end of the arena slowly stretching and warming up RandidlyÆs Crown pulsed sucking in their energy
Truly this Crown is only good for destroying things sometimes
But that wasnÆt such a bad thing There were a lot of terrible organizations in this world that Earth would be better off without The Skills to destroy might be a simple application but it was enough also a necessary one for this life
The crowd slowly made its way into the stands More and more people arrived cramming themselves into an extreme tight space There were Classers with telekinetic Skills shouting offers for food and drink and floating the concessions up toward the extremely tightly packed customers There were cheers and flags
There was so much pride in that noise So much surety and optimism
Eventually Helen appeared swearing and shoving her way through the crowd until she could walk out onto the arena proper Seeing her there Randidly was reminded of their fight in the under 25 Tournament The venue this time was much smaller but there was a completely different air of excitement hanging over it all
Helen raised her head and closed her eyes seemingly tasting the image of confidence that was hanging over the arena Good It seems she can sense the same thing that I can