And god save me from the mental strain of moving the completed short legs through Randidly shivered Just the thought of it gave him a sympathy headache for his future self At the very least his Domain Skill was improving at a noticeable pace currently reaching Skill Level 134 By this point even Helen had to begrudgingly acknowledge his progress as she was finally able to utilize something close to her original strength
Even though they were the short legs these metal limbs were still fifteen meters long and as thick as a tree trunk They would handle the bulk of the movingÆs cities support and stabilization function so they had been absolutely covered with Engravings done by Randidly or Lucretia personally Due to their mass the prospect of moving them out of the Alpha Cosmos was a daunting one
Each pound that passed from within to without was a drain on Randidly Inanimate objects were definitely easier than animated ones but only by a little Which was why Randidly had transferred a few over earlier then ceased when his vision grew a little hazy
Randidly didnÆt exactly hide the finished legs from the clucking assistants but he did store the thirty he had prepared so far underneath a tarp awning behind the warehouse The poor assistants clearly werenÆt ready for them yet Which was fine for now but it wasnÆt like Randidly was going to slow down the rate of assembly just because it was inconvenient for these fools
These shocks are what we need to reinvent the image that Erickson Steel has for itself Randidly reflected As long as they learn to accept that anything is possible we can make some real progress Which reminds me
Randidly raised his head and looked West Originally this had been a series of rolling hills but one of the first things Randidly had done was level the area with Infinite Fingers of Yggdrasil Half of the space went to him for the preparations for the moving city while the other half went to the Order Ducis so they could continue their training
Apparently Naffur took his request to recruit more individuals into the Order Ducis very seriously He had arranged an entire six month long camp in order to determine suitability for the Order and was closely recording the progress of all of the participants
In a way Randidly found that dedication inspiring Rubbing his chin he looked over toward the frantically training individuals Perhaps its time for me to lend them a helping hand
WhatÆs this Vye whispered to Garrett
The tall man shrugged I donÆt know but I have a bad feeling about this
Good news everyone We have an exciting surprise that we are pleased to share with you all Naffur said brightly He stood in front of the assembled 36 individuals with his arms folded behind his back Since they had arrived at Erickson Steel several more individuals had trickled into the camp Competition intensified But also the difficulty of their tasks spiked sharply upward leading to a general decrease in optimism in hope across the board
Which was why Vye grew suspicious at NaffurÆs tone
Naffur gestured to the three steles that were behind him Our leader Randidly Ghosthound has created three of these Image StonesÆ so you can familiarize yourself with them Each stone has a unique image that it releases If you proceed closer to the stone youÆll have to endure a greater portion of the image released from it The Ghosthound stated that they are relatively flawed products so he will be forced to strengthen the image within the stones every few days Starting next week we will work these stones heavily into our training methods so we recommend you familiarize yourself with them now
Among the crowd of 36 dirty and exhausted individual most people looked side to side with the same question on their lips You seriously want us to train even more
As if sensing the crowdÆs reluctance Naffur smiled slyly Of course these arenÆt just ways to torture you After discussing the matter with the Ghosthound there is also a reward for those that can get close enough to the Image Stones to touch them you will be given a day off usable whenever you wish
Silence There was abrupt silence No one amongst the crowd was even breathing
Finally the spell was broken Someone in the crowd gulped down a mouth full of saliva Even Vye couldnÆt help but feel her heart begin to pound The past week had been so filled with training and weird exercises and rules that she had forgotten what it was like to make her own decisions
If she touched an Image Stone she could decide for herself to take a break Any time she wanted
Of course the reason that Vye stuck with the training was she could feel how much she had improved after even one week And at her core that dream of being able to seize the freedom to travel the land with impunity was still the engine that drove her forward But even so
VyeÆs fingernails drew blood on her palm as she regarded the three Image Stones Having a modicum of control like a break day was definitely the first step she needed to take
This is the first time there has been a reward like this it’s practically an announcement by Randidly Ghosthound that this is the strength that we need to have to reach his level IÆll touch those fucking stones if its the last thing I do
After giving his short speech Naffur walked off to discuss things with Ajax Which meant that the aspirants were free to wander toward the standing stones to investigate
With slow and deliberate motions the aspirants split into groups of two or three and wandered around the outside of the newly renovated area There were three stone steles about the size of a person arranged in a wide triangle Around each was a series of circles that had been carved into the ground The outer distance of the largest circle was twenty meters but there were also circles at ten and five meters
In addition there were also piles of rope with hooks on the end laying about The aspirants regarded each other in confusion They looked back over to Naffur He seemed to be completely content to allow the aspirants to explore so they returned their focus to the image stones and carefully studied them They had learned in the past week that Naffur wouldnÆt instruct them when they were meant to find things out on their own So it was up to them to perform their own investigations
That was the way of the Order Ducis It wasnÆt just strength that was revered here but also the ability to make confident decisions under less than ideal circumstances
Vye made her first realization as she began to walk at the edge of the twenty meter line around the Image Stones they werenÆt kidding about this being a type of training There seemed to be some engravings at the edge of the twenty meter circle that veiled the outside from the image stones but there was still a palpable pressure as they moved through the area
The pressure was something that you barely noticed at first but it rapidly became apparent that although the strain was small it quickly added up Many people began to frown toward the Image Stones
Gritting her teeth Vye turned to Garrett The manÆs sour expression didnÆt change at all after entering the area so Vye inwardly softened her choice of words about the Image Stones This is certainly one sort of training
IÆve got a bad feeling about this Garrett said again Vye rolled her eyes She supposed she shouldnÆt be surprised If there was one thing that was predictable it was GarrettÆs gloomy outlook
But then she looked to the side because Valor Rend was rolling up his sleeves and walking directly to the edge of one of the twenty meter circles
Of everyone amongst the aspirants Valor would be the unanimous frontrunner to join the Order Ducis He wasnÆt as fast as some other people or as strong or possess ranged Skills that were as overwhelming as some others but he was probably close to the top in every category Like Randidly Ghosthound himself he pursued the Path of an all rounder
His hair was even short like RandidlyÆs although ValorÆs was a golden blond His bronze skin and heavy muscles somehow made the constant film of blood and dirt that covered all of the aspirants look somehow heroic