Because they didnÆt want to bar anyone from participating applicants were already flooding in The current count was a little less than a thousand but it seemed like they might even reach 3000 before the Order Ducis stopped accepting applications the day before the tournament It was an added strain on KharonÆs resources that was not needed right now
Even if I can’t finalize the details now I can take those questions into the Dungeon and work on them there Truly having the ability to secretly train while no time at all passes in the real world is quite the advantage
Of course Randidly wasn’t the only one who knew the advantages of Dungeons He was just one of the few people who could avoid the drawbacks But despite those risks he was aware that hundreds of people had flocked to Dungeons after the announcement of the duos tournament planning on pushing their Skill Levels just a little higher and working on teamwork Most of the projected applicants were those who had gone recently into Dungeons and stayed there for several hours of actual time
For that reason those preliminary rounds were very important The gathering of Classers was basically unprecedented Even those unaffiliated with the established Zones dreamed of naming the Earth And the Order Ducis had to deal with such a large number of people both efficiently and fairly They had to appear in control
Heh simply so many things to do But thatÆs for the best There is no way that the people who want to target Kharon will let these chances slide Randidly’s mouth slowly stretched into a grin But I think they will be quite disappointed if they believe they can pressure this city even if I don’t personally move
Then Randidly shook his head and let the thoughts about political issues fall away Despite the fact that there seemed to be endless things to do with the Dungeon visit planned Randidly had some time Plus the two hours was up it was time to once more reach out to Vualla RandidlyÆs fingers flexed
Congratulations Your Skill Nether Ritual has grown to Level 167
For whatever reason this activation of Nether RItual proceeded even more smoothly than the prior one had Perhaps it was because the connection was already established and Vualla was aware that it would appear so there was a base for the connection on both sides The Nether seemed to weave itself together faster than RandidlyÆs eyes could follow But no matter what the cause was the resulting connection was instant and intimate Randidly could feel Vualla’s warm rush of joy as he reached across time and space to suddenly swirl in her Soulspace
Those first few moments were just the two of them being present with each other allowing their familiar existences to ease both the accumulated worries that both had gathered It hadnÆt been long but a lot had happened since they had last conversed
Randidly looked at Vualla and felt some sort of horrifying certainty hanging over her slowly lift as they simply interacted with each other It was a feeling that he recognized from NeveahÆs struggles but the terrible specter of loneliness and depression was slowly extinguished as Randidly was there breathing with her
For Randidly’s part some deep inner fear he had been ignoring regarding Vualla was finally reassured She hadnÆt died she hadnÆt been turned against him Breath by breath they both relaxed
Hey Randidly began slowly Then he abruptly felt foolish Maybe he should have prepared something more meaningful to say
Vualla’s amusement was a rich and vibrant thing Her previously sparse inner landscape lit up like someone had turned the power back on at an amusement part at the witching hour If you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to But don’t think for a second I can’t take a single look at you and know that you almost died recently Randidly Ghosthound
That forced a mental chuckle out of Randidly Well I would have brought it up eventually A Special Investigator from your very own Xyrt Brigade came to Earth He was well he was convinced I was a Nether Spy
I wonder what gave him that idea Vualla laughed You know that my senses tell me you are even more dangerous than a Nether Gatekeeper right
Randidly just mentally shrugged and continued to explain and he wouldn’t let the issue go To the point that even the Xyrt Brigade effectively abandoned him on my planet for failing to fulfill his duty With that opportunity and in order to rid the Earth of another threat I killed him
The air between them was silent Around his physical body back on Earth Randidly felt the Nether Ritual waver As his mind wandered the weave slowly began to come undone And he knew it was his own fault because he pulled back slightly as he admitted that he killed a member of the Xyrt Brigade Ultimately Kaan had been a tool of the Swacc Family but Randidly wanted to be honest with Vualla And he was very afraid of what her reaction would be
As Randidly pulled slightly away Vualla reached out and pulled him back Relax the Xyrt Brigade isn’t some cult I haven’t been brainwashed into feverishly cursing anyone that kills a Xyrt Brigade member From what I can tell there are a lot of competing factions within the Xyrt Brigade They encourage infighting so long as there arenÆt any enemies present Honestly it might be better if the Xyrt Brigade was a cult
But they are much more practical than some religious organization and much more dangerous Something in Vualla’s tone began to change The bright lights of her emotions that had been given power by Randidly’s arrival began to flicker and die around him I it’s been hard here To still believe that our promise is realistic That this Nexus can ever be shaken It’s hard to do this alone IÆve itÆs so dumb Without you I
You arenÆt alone Vualla Chiding himself silently for missing her weakness to this point Randidly reached out with Yggdrasil and wrapped his thick roots around Vualla’s Soulspace and images Mental energy began to rapidly pump outward radiating from the roots and nourishing the surrounding space And as Randidly released more and more energy to nourish Vualla he was horrified to discover that the mental starvation Vualla had experienced was much worse than he had originally sensed
Starvation might even be less accurate than dehydration The parts of Vualla that were the brightest and most valuable her courage and kindness have withered and faded to almost nothing Under the relentless pressure she endured the Xyrt Brigade had managed to transform this Vualla from a hopeful young woman into something very close to the bleak fatalism of the first duplicate Vualla which even now bound Ileot Swacc
So this is the method of the Xyrt Brigade RandidlyÆs eyes flashed Both the Grim Chimera and the Stillborn Phoenix stirred in response to his rising rage
Randidly Vualla began but Randidly released a wave of sternness
Rest first We can talk later And Vualla I’ve missed you too
Randidly’s eyes began to glow emerald as his inner world shuddered and Yggdrasil emerged to the fore of his mind The two other images withdrew into the shadows watching the process with a terrible stillness All of his potent mental energy that had been tempered by the fight against Kaan balancing three images at once and manipulating Nether swirled and focused itself to empower this one image of healing Nurturing waves of simplified growth formed a gold and emerald aura that surrounded VuallaÆs soul Almost instinctively she released a sigh and leaned deeper against him mentally
The effect was small at first but desiccated and almost mummified portions of Vualla’s personality began to shiver and stir after their long hibernation As the healing accelerated Vualla shared some explanation of her earlier statement as well as her thoughts on the particular brand of brainwashing of the Xyrt Brigade
Rather than trying to pin the trainees’ loyalty to the organization the Xyrt Brigade took an entirely different tack They tortured and goaded the trainees to be the most powerful elites in the Nexus but then also constantly exposed them to prove that even with their significant increases in power they were nothing compared to the larger powers in this universe