No matter how placid the sea appeared it wasn’t alive unless the body was filled with currents
Although the Alpha Cosmos benefited from his lighthouses those were just concentration points of ambient Aether Springs of pure energy that emerged in the world and were shaped by the people’s meaning
But those were the origins of energy and it was left to the people to determine how they shaped the world Over time those flows would naturally congregate An ecosystem would slowly evolve in the living world of RandidlyÆs Alpha Cosmos
But Randidly didn’t have time for that This situation called for an image immediately He reached within himself his will stretching outward Unlike the Blessings of the past there were no hard points of Aether to follow He hadn’t engaged in direct transfers of energy so the process of finding suitable connections was much more difficult What Randidly grasped at then was meaning
His consciousness traced along the lines of his lighthouses searching for a firm grip to stabilize himself and form a connection It was a hasty decision perhaps but Randidly believed to be the right thing to do
What was within without Without within
Now all thatÆs left is to find people who can handle to be connected
Click
With a small noise connections of Aether snapped into place as four willing individuals accepted his touch It was so easy that Randidly felt somewhat shocked Those he had harmonized with had accepted without a second thought
A feeling of vertigo overwhelmed Randidly for a split second because his sense of self was immediately twisted Whereas before Randidly was located within his Soulspace that Soulspace now shifted rapidly leaving his body and floating somewhere in the nebulous boundary of his skin Four beams of support shot outward to connect him with the four people on Earth who were bound to him
Yet now there were also four connections that solidified his connection to four individuals within his Soulskill Perhaps before Randidly was suspending himself with his original four connection but now he was pulled in a different direction Because his body was his Soulskill and he now was intimately bound to four figures within his Soulskill he was pulled to the edge of his skin The boundary between his Alpha Cosmos and Earth
It was there that he found himself existing no longer quite within his body It was an extremely strange experience Randidly raised a hand and looked at the skin of his hands
Releasing a breath Randidly allowed himself to relax The frigid air that he had been projecting cracked and began to thaw Meaning flowed through him buying him a little more time
In the arena the Squads were cautiously forming back up into a group as they stared at Randidly in fear Above him the World Tree was a towering monolith Helen had returned to his side but she was staring at him with a frown Everyone began to move as Randidly let air circulate through his lungs and search for another path forward
I must kill this man Randidly’s Crown called weakly Its light was still fading It could not understand why its image hadnÆt been followed
Although his balance had shifted it was still difficult A difficult thing to get around the necessity of Stan’s death just by drawing additional inputs
But as Randidly waited the knowledge eventually flowed into him From a most annoying source So much so that Randidly physically chuckled
One of the four beings that acted as a fixture for Randidly’s meaning was the Monster Prince Not one that Randidly would have chosen but the Monster Prince had shown time and time again that he had a knack for surviving
Even now Randidly’s brief contact with the man revealed that the Monster Prince was leading negotiations with one of the nearby nations that Randidly’s Soulskill citizens encountered Very soon it seemed he would be named Duke of the newly exposed lands with full political power within this already established country
A peaceful solution One that attempted to avoid the greed turning their way Randidly thought with gritted teeth Most of his ire was not for the Monster Prince but for the fools of this world that were coveting the resources of his people All of this was created for them These previous residents they were nothing but baggage of the System
Yet it was very clear that the Monster Prince had purposefully sold a portion of their land’s riches to this country in order to avoid open war And the answer that Randidly found was in the Monster Prince’s fear
Their path is not my path
The thought came as the Monster Prince watched Alicca and Rejt continually growing in strength and expanding their sphere of influence To the point where the Monster PrinceÆs new allies were only forced to recognize him because of their fear toward the other individuals active in the Alpha Cosmos
There were many subordinates that followed the monster prince but none of them possessed the pioneering spirit that was epitomized by these two Indeed the Monster Prince wasn’t charismatic or innovative Yet he could maintain the status quo His goal was to make the people who trusted him feel secure
I cannot follow them Their path is not my path It was a bitter truth that the Monster Prince realized Even as he respected and envied their strength there was nothing that he could do to keep up with them They were leaving him behind Somehow the Monster PrinceÆs palace became empty and dim
But right now bitter medicine was exactly what Randidly needed
With a huge effort of will Randidly shifted the golden writing along the World Tree The death of Stan had been written but now Randidly shifted it sending spiraling changes across the whole of the treeÆs writings
The lettering glowed and flickered as though the shapes were small tears that let the viewer see a burning sun that was housed within the towering form of the World Tree Randidly traced through the writing line by line across the whole of the tree It rippled like water and changed to suit his will
His eyes were emerald lanterns and his gaze shifted from Stan to Mrs Hamilton Their path is not my path If you choose to allow this liability to continue to exist well it isn’t my business It isn’t just Donnyton that is watching this challenge
I’ll show them all how powerful my images can be It was not my first choice but Donnyton doesnÆt need to lead the world does it
As though they sensed Randidly finally losing his horrifying level of tension the Squads began to surge forward Melee fighters covered in copper armor dashed forward while Skills sizzled above them heading toward Randidly and Helen
Helen’s eyes brightened and she looked toward Randidly but she was instantly disappointed when he waved her to stand behind him No he had sharpened his Ashen Phantom enough Since Yggdrasil had made an appearance it was time to hammer home its power
It was time to make a point
Of all of Randidly’s Skills Yggdrasil was the core of his growth It gave him his physical and regeneration buffs as well as sharpening his aura into a weapon that could warp space It had grown with him until it towered over Donnyton like the city itself was just an ant The leaves in the canopy rustled releasing a noise that deafened those below
Cruel Indignation of Yggdrasil
Previously Randidly’s intent to kill Stan had released the Skill in an indiscriminate wave This time it was concentrated in the small space between Randidly and the forces of the Squads Basically he erected a three meter wide three meter tall wall between himself and them And then Randidly waited as he watched the challengers approach
The air cracked and roiled creating a strange heat haze in the middle of the arena Roaring the vanguard of the Squaders charged into it without care That was their confidence That was their pride
Perhaps they wouldnÆt have done so originally They would have calmly considered the problem and found ways to address it But Randidly had landed too many solid blows against the legitimacy of DonnytonÆs Squads To them this was their chance to get even