Before it was just her body but now there was a growing sense of internal and external influences within her image Around her was a persistent flow of energy She had begun to understand how interconnected the physical objects and images were How by bringing power along alternate avenues the destruction that could be wrought spread even further
Basically she had begun to incorporate Nether principles into her use of images The Nether wasnÆt genuine so the effect hadnÆt reached its full potential but it had given her a significant boost in power Considering the already deep and detailed image that she had managed to receive from the brief possession from the original Vualla
And also the fact that she had been constantly pushed to her limits by the Xyrt BrigadeÆs training
Randidly bowed his head in mock surrender Please remember to mention me in your speech when you topple the Nexus
Vualla laughed in their mental connection loud and genuine and full of pleasure Randidly felt the warmth pass between them But then VuallaÆs mood turned more serious I hope I get that chance Looks like someone else is trying to beat us to the punch
Sensing RandidlyÆs mental query Vualla continued to communicate Your Nether King in the sky above Earth It looks like the Seventh Cohort was a feint Two days ago it was discovered that the Nether King was active in the Sixth Cohort By the time its presence had been discovered at least ten planets that possessed citizenship of the Nexus had been quietly polluted and destroyed It used the corpses of Aether beings to raise an army of twisted monsters
My training is being accelerated IÆll be deployed in a month to investigate the extent of the Nether threat to the Nexus
Chapter 1475
Alana froze with her lips slightly apart when she opened the door and found Helen standing there one hand on her hip and her usual scowl of I wish we were just fightingÆ written large across her face But very quickly AlanaÆs expression turned solemn and her hands dropped to her sides in a way she had known that she would be coming She had chosen a Path by approaching Helen and asking for passage to the Nexus This was the inevitable result of her true progress on that Path
“So ” Helen asked simply Her expression didnÆt change
Alana pressed her lips into a line She felt somewhat reassured by her own very human sensation of her heart pumping blood through her muscles and organs When she spoke she chose her words carefully “I felt my own weakness in the finals I understand how close I came to losing that fight And I cannot deny that my victory was less due to the strength of my image and more due to gamesmanship within the fight But still I want to try “
A win is a win Helen responded mildly She was using her own image as she carefully studied Alana staining the air around her a mild pink with the intensity of it Being carefully weighed by Helen was a curiously impersonal thing At the moment it was like they had never met fought eaten or laughed together at all The attention that Alana now earned was a pure thing of merit sundered from personal feelings
“You have a week Sharpen your spear Alana Donal ” Helen said before she turned and left leaving Alana with a strained sense of erratic glee
A week was a small amount of time But after her fight against Paolo and Kayle Alana had quite a few ideas about areas of her image that could be refined At least a dozen small steps popped into her head that would let her improve And what she had learned from watching Randidly Ghosthound through the years was that it was these small steps that eventually carried you all the way toward power As long as she went into a Dungeon and spent a few months honing herself within
Alana clenched her fists so hard that she subconsciously released tongues of orange flame that danced across her knuckles Whatever Helen had seen it had been enough for a chance as long as Alana could take the next step she could earn herself a ticket to the Nexus Her excitement was so genuine and pure that she belatedly realized that the flames had extended up along her arms to her biceps and began to singe her cotton shirt Chagrined Alana brought herself back under control
Behind her in the suite they shared the door to Hank’s room opened and the gunslinger poked his head out “Is that woman gone I ain’t associatin’ with her ever again You know she tried to cut my revolver in half “
“Maybe that’s considered flirting in her culture ” Alana chuckled and closed the front door Besides I know plenty of men that would kill for the shotÆ on her you had IsnÆt that right cowboy
Hank made a strangled noise in the back of his throat that made Alana laugh She walked toward her room but he cleared his throat and spoke before she got there Ay reckon that it wonÆt be these pistols that eventually slay her but there is another issue You seen Ancho today
Alana paused briefly She considered telling Hank the truth that she had seen Ancho hanging around with some of WivanyaÆs children and a few ogres that convinced the horse to try drinking ale and spitting it at a match to pretend he was a dragon The sight on HankÆs face when he learned of his horseÆs escapades would be priceless
On the other hand she didnÆt want to blow up AnchoÆs spot if the strangely intelligent yet otherwise mundane horse was able to return without issue So Alana offered Hank a small smile and lied Have you checked the stable Well you know he doesnÆt like it there he might be wandering about Kharon IÆm about to head out so IÆll look for him as IÆm departing and let you know if I see him
Then Alana slipped into her small bedroom and shut the door behind her Very quickly she gathered up all of the few objects that she had scattered around the room her spare clothes leather wristguards a whetstone and rag for polishing the head of her spear a few spare dollars of currency on the bedside table and the half read travel report sent back from VyeÆs explorations
The book was the last thing Alana picked up Of particular interest to her was the section on Zone 11Æs Epic Dungeon A few had gone in to cull the numbers of monsters that periodically exploded out of the Dungeon but Warlord hadnÆt yet wanted to commit a large number of Zone 11Æs forces to the endeavor Which meant that the hitherto unseen Dungeon Boss was a perfect foe to test herself
She tossed everything into her interspatial ring She only had a week she would need to start immediately
Before even the clumsily tied rope came loose and the extendable ramp began to slide back toward full extension Commissioner Arrietti was there His hand snapped out and seized the metal handle and dragged it the half meter back into its original position With his other hand he looped the rope once more about the ramp and deftly tied a quick knot Then he stepped back and glanced around at what had previously been the main route of ingress and egress into Kharon the gate had been disassembled and all of the rope ladders and ramps were stowed away Now it was simply another edge of the city without any lingering structures
Behind him he heard one of his patrol officers speaking quietly to a younger colleague “And THAT is why he’s the Commissioner It might seem overwhelming at first but you can’t relax not even for a second That’s what it means to wear the uniform If you want to learn how to be a police officer of Kharon the best way is to watch the master “
Well it helps that my Skills give me precise warnings about accidents like this Commissioner Arrietti thought modestly while simultaneously bearing a wide smile on his face He remained facing out toward the edge of Kharon to hide his good cheer Over the edge he could see a crowd milling above peering up at the moving city Ahem Certainly though considering the torturous training with Helen I had to endure in order to get here I have earned the chance to savor this respect