Vye stood on top of the radio tower that served as a crown of sorts for the headquarters gripping against the metal latticework of the tower and leaning out to look over everything in the surrounding area The people were ants and the concrete city was only a portion of what was below her Such was the height of the headquarters and then the additional height of the tower that Vye could see around for miles and miles
Beyond the tin and plastic roofs there was dirt and mines in the trough below Beyond that was the trees and beyond that was the river snaking South to Lake Apollo It was a clear enough day that the hint of the newly revealed mountains to the West was visible The breeze was strong at this height but that was the point
When Vye was up here she could imagine that she wasnÆt trapped in this strange place The SystemÆs implicit threat fell away She could imagine that she had seized the strength to control her destiny and was moving throughout the world She felt independent The wind spiraled around her limbs comforting her whispering of all the places that it had traveled through to reach her
Vye closed her eyes and listened It was only in moments like this that she was truly happy
As a crackling cacophony emerged from the speakers mounted along the roofs of the surrounding factories Vye was so shocked that she almost reflexively released her grip and toppled off the tower Hastily she grabbed onto the metal and calmed her breathing Falling from this height would have been bad the twenty or so meters down to the roof itself would have given her enough time to gather enough momentum to punch through the roof
Which in turn would have revealed that VyeÆs lunch break had seen her fleeing from the foundry floor Quick as a monkey Vye zipped down the tower and landed on the roof Just as she had dashed to the side and was beginning to scale down the gothic exterior on the side of the building TatianaÆs voice began to boom out from the speakers
does she know IÆm up here Vye thought guilty but then she shook her head It seemed that all of the speakers in the whole damn factory were activating Surely Tatiana wouldnÆt mobilize the entire speaker system in order to track down a single wandering assistant Surely
Vye gulped audibly
Ahem TatianaÆs voice boomed outward Then Vye could practically hear the woman plastering a smile across her own face before she spoke Greetings everyone I just wanted to make a quick announcement The founder of Erickson Steel Randidly Ghosthound will be performing a forging demonstration in ten minutes He will be assisted by our three most talented smelters and the whole process will be broadcast on the large screens in the assembly halls I encourage everyone to attend and watch the process
I repeat TatianaÆs electronically spread voice boomed out again repeating her message Vye ignored it and landed on the ground For several seconds Vye simply grinned and savored the feeling of release as her earlier anxiety dissipated like mist beneath the beat of a strong midday sun Then her face twisted into a frown
A demonstration huh
Inwardly she was extremely torn Although she was interested in Randidly Ghosthound and his experiences in other places Vye truly didnÆt have much interest in forging itself If the focus was supposed to be on forging it likely wasnÆt worth her time And everyone would be gathered in the assembly halls to watch
Do you have any proof
Nope all I have is my word He had said his emerald eyes glowing with easy confidence It was a gaze that said canÆt you see it My what proof do I really need
Rather his gaze seemed to suggest with not a little amusement which one of us is truly being tested here I wonder Æ
Vye gritted her teeth and forced her feet to carry her toward the assembly hall In their prior two meetings Randidly Ghosthound had seemed profoundly ordinary In the past Vye had met powerful individuals from Zone 1 who seemed to ooze authority Randidly Ghosthound didnÆt possess that But he possessed accomplishments that the people that Vye considered powerful couldnÆt even dream of Even if it was just to check whether the stories or the rather bland impression she had was true Vye would go and watch at least the beginning of the demonstration
Was that air about him just the circumstances Vye wondered Her eyes flashed If it was then in this demonstration IÆll be able to see what he really is like The man who has the power to control his own destiny Randidly Ghosthound
Because of her status Vye possessed keys to head up to the administrative box in the central assembly hall When she arrived she was surprised to find the relatively spacious room already had about thirty people standing around waiting for the demonstration to begin Below in the floor of the assembly hall proper bodies were packed like sardines
As she looked down at the crowd each tiny head peered upward at the screen which was displaying a relatively basic large forging room Almost unwilling Vye followed their gaze and looked at the screen Although the camera used changed frequently giving the watchers a complete understanding of the contents of a room what she saw there was relatively without suspense
Five people stood within the room Randidly Ghosthound and one of the loveliest women Vye had ever seen were talking quietly in the corner At the other side of the room seemingly too intimidated to approach two men and a woman stood stiffly in silence All three were wearing heavy leather aprons and gloves
Vye recognized the three as the best forgers Erickson Steel had And it was clear that they would be working in the function of assistants for the demonstration
Minutes slowly crept past Around her Vye could hear the whispers of other high ranking members of Erickson Steel but she didnÆt bother to join the speculations She simply looked at the screen Even through the filter of technology Vye could immediately tell something was different about Randidly Ghosthound But maybe that was just the fact Vye was hyper aware of how many people were gazing up at him with worship and envy in their eyes
Yet Vye couldnÆt shake the feeling that something had truly changed Where he had been almost blank before now he seemed peaceful She had seen him calm and also in pain but this was not related to either of those His determined gaze his furrowed brow
With an abruptness that shocked Vye Randidly looked up and stared directly at the camera For a split second she had a deep fear that he was looking directly at her His eyes were so so emerald Then Randidly smiled and the reality of her situation as one amongst the crowd hit her like a bowling ball to the chest
Just like always IÆm here watching Vye thought with a sigh
Anyways Randidly Ghosthound said drawing the attention of the all watching to himself I think itÆs time we begin IÆll try and keep this brief so IÆll be explaining while I work Today I want to impress upon everyone the uses of an image while creating metal If Erickson Steel is going to be the best metal manufacturer in the world this is the Path
Chapter 966
Despite her earlier doubts about the staying power of the demonstration VyeÆs eyes were locked onto the screen from the very beginning
Randidly casually waved his hand Behind him a monster with a huge claw for a left arm and a spear for a right arm appeared Its legs were inverted like a raptorÆs Its face was obscured by a layer of skin revealing only dark holes for its eyes and mouth From it a vast sense of desolate loneliness washed outward VyeÆs hands tightened into fists Around her several people flinched or took several steps backward
But then in the next moment it was gone
In its place there was an immaculate tree The ground physically rumbled causing Vye to blink rapidly and place her hand against the wall to steady herself When she looked out the nearby window she paled there was a hundred meter tall tree right outside of the assembly hall ItÆs thick branches spread over Erickson Steel shading it from the midday sun
Just as quickly the tree disappeared In its place motes of emerald fire danced around Randidly
IÆm going to move through this preface quickly Randidly said casually as he spared the three assistant forgers During the actual smelting feel free to ask questions For now just listen Helen if you would like to start