Roy diligently continued to practice popping his fingers in and out of their respective sockets Then because he was bored into the wrong sockets
To these frogs I am a monster but for all of the wrong reasons Roy couldnÆt suppress the thrill in his chest from that strange irony but knew better than to try and explain the humor to his jailor Theosmum had made it quite clear early on that the interactions Roy had started with the various Toad Lords that hung around this swamp bottom would trigger commiserate punishment
So Roy sat in his damp cell with thick strands of algae wrapped around his hands His jaw popped mechanically and then was replaced with popping from other joints Mostly this was just a distraction from the constant din of noise from next door
DrakeÆs pained screams echoed out of his own cell and into RoyÆs That Drake was screaming could mean only one thing the daily delight of seeing Theosmum directly would soon be upon Roy
But still Roy frowned There was no consciousness to Drake at the moment but still Theosmum diligently visited Drake each day in order to pry more information out of him Despite the lack of results Theosmum did not tire of his pursuit In fact he seemed to grow more enthusiastic every day
It seemed that despite TheosmumÆs professed hatred for change he quite delighted in the new arrivals to his kingdom Perhaps his curiosity about the other world was stronger than Roy had expected
That and he had developed a taste for causing them pain of course DrakeÆs hoarse shouts and howls were the constant proof of that
If you continue to torture Drake so painfully Roy looked up at the ceiling of the cell doing his best to convey the depth of regret that he felt in his largely imaginary heart The packed mud was a poor audience but it would have to do WonÆt I as a hero be forced to take up the cause of breaking us out of here
It took almost an hour but Theosmum eventually finished with Drake The screams abruptly cut off After experiencing it himself for several days Roy knew that Drake had been thrown into a pool of ice water
It was a brief oblivion but the poor fool deserved it
Roy shook his head sadly as he continued to pop his jaw in and out of place Truly it is a tragedy that Drake has to endure so much ah if only I could travel back in time perhaps my comments about being useless to East End were poorly timed He was already so distracted with struggling to cope with the bonus Stats from clearing the Danger Zone and condensing a Fate at the same time
Such ambition he had Such hope And how twisted he has become The small spots of fire in RoyÆs eye sockets brightened slightly But if I want to use Drake to draw Sydney out to play IÆll need to handle this Boss first
With a high pitched whine the metal door swung open and revealed the extraordinarily fat and flabby body of Theosmum Roy as always enjoyed the rather revolting sight of TheosmumÆs saggy body Strange mosses and mold covered him giving him a slightly motley appearance It seemed like the head toad of this world had been patched together from spare cloth
A costume befitting a jester not a Boss Roy thought sourly But this was the lot of a hero Constantly forced to face off against deranged and distasteful villains
Roy Theosmum croaked as he did every time he paid a visit to him Submit to me and allow me to manipulate your life energy Otherwise I will create unending pain
Roy sighed unable to believe what he was hearing To ask for quality discussion with this motley toad was a pointless endeavor But Heroes never gave up ItÆs like you havenÆt taken our talks to heart Threats are woven from thread not violence If I donÆt have a shred of hope and if you donÆt subtly make me realize why my hope will not come to fruition ah I simply canÆt gather any sort of tension about fighting you A terrible villain Are you sure you arenÆt being manipulated by someone else
IÆm simply an old toad that would like nothing better than to be left alone Who else would there be Theosmum chuckled softly Its legs carried his vast body forward with remarkable grace After a few steps it settled down next to Roy studying the skeleton carefully ThatÆs why your presence is so worrisome I would like nothing better than for that Demon King to successfully keep all of you people out of this world IÆm comfortable here But will that really happen I think not
Undoubtedly some evildoers would eventually allow greed to blind them of the dangers of antagonizing you Roy said helpfully It was truly a tragedy Roy reflected that he felt compelled to be unfailingly honest As long as it wasnÆt a verbal exchange You really are rather dull in that regard
So no answers The toad asked quietly
Roy shook his head fearlessly Unfortunately my life has already been given to protect the Earth I will not be swayed from my eternal mission even in death
Bringing its hands together Theosmum concentrated very intently on the space between its palms Truly this is my first time encountering a being that has gone beyond the veil and returned I suppose I shouldnÆt be shocked that normal torture hasnÆt been able to sway you But that just means I need to become more creative
A violet flame emerged between TheosmumÆs hands
Roy stilled looking at that thin flame very intently
ItÆs not that I cannot learn Theosmum said slyly Just that it has been a long time since IÆve needed to For hundreds of years I perfected my mastery of life energy to the point that it became the tool I use to rule this world Without my Feed this world would collapse I am the spine of this world
After gaining control I was content to play With the tools I had I had reached the limit of my mastery So I indulged in the small comforts of rule Yet now your presence is an unspoken threat to the way of life I have cultivated And you bring with you new life energy in strange flavors It reminds me of the old days when the System sought to suck us dry
Theosmum considered the flame then looked at Roy Then its vast mouth opened revealing rotten and stinking teeth Now Reveal the information about the Demon King I require Or I will burn away your soul
Chapter 953
When Randidly awoke he felt an abrupt sensation of deja vu seize him Time seemed to stutter and skip leaving him stranded on the lush layer of grass The soft bubbling of the creek was so familiar and poignant to him that he felt outside of himself The memory was so vivid that Randidly believed that he was watching a movie of his past peering through time to rewatch his own genesis
How similar How different
Very quickly the sensation passed and left Randidly alone with the feeling of dappled sunlight caressing his skin through the surrounding tree canopies As fall finally came to New Earth the colors of the leaves were beginning to shift from green to orange and yellow When he looked at the color Randidly couldnÆt help but think over the repercussions of the past day
Things are changing Randidly thought not without a healthy scoop of sadness But not even the eternal present has the power to destroy the past Even if my relationship with Donnyton has become warped it wonÆt diminish what we have been for each other
Shaking his head Randidly sat up Around him the familiar scene of the natural spring where he had encountered Simon was as pristine as ever For him it was a place of healing In the wake of his first visit to Tellus he was forced to recover her for several weeks before the pain of his broken Skill subsided Even remember the pain now was difficult It was almost too fresh to bare
Releasing a sigh Randidly leaned back once more and let his eyes unfocus
Just a few hours ago after overcoming the last rung Donnyton had tested him with Randidly had very nearly lost himself in the violence of the Grim Chimera He had submerged himself for power but it was not a simple thing to surface It was only due to HelenÆs timely intervention that he had recalled where he was and what he was supposed to be doing in the arena