Tatiana knew that he meant it as a joke so she flashed her teeth in an imitation of a smile But she felt quite cold all of a sudden She breathed in and then breathed out When do you leave
Tonight Randidly replied IÆve already gathered my Riders they all chose to accompany me from within the Alpha Cosmos So they wonÆt be scouting for the Order Ducis any longer IÆve already talked to Naffur about it
Are you taking anyone else with you Tatiana asked
Randidly shook his head Just Helen The people of Expira they will be handling ExpiraÆs problems in the future I canÆt drag them around with me all across the Nexus
Then this is goodbye For a while at least Tatiana blinked Randidly walked forward and put his arms around TatianaÆs shoulders squeezing her into a tight hug He was strong of course he was strong but it was so easy to viscerally feel how strong he was as he hugged her His hands pressed her back bringing her to his chest She felt so light and insubstantial compared to those arms He smelled like soap charcoal and iron The metal arm was warmer than she thought it would be Not as warm as flesh but also not unpleasant
Then he let her go and took a step back His eyes were still dark but they swirled like shadows over the surface of a deep swamp Goodbye Tatiana IÆve left so much in your lap I know that And I could never repay you for all youÆve done for me
You can Tatiana whispered She refused to allow herself to cry at least while he was here She would save that for later You can win this You can go the Nexus and ensure that no more humans need to die to fuel it
Randidly favored her with a toothy grin ThatÆs the plan
Chapter 1490
Helen stood with her hands in her pockets tilting her head to the side as she regarded Alana Alana couldnÆt read the expression on the other womanÆs face She approached AlanaÆs answer with the same stoic determination that she approached violence She immersed herself totally giving it the entirety of her spirit Silence hung between them as Helen mulled over AlanaÆs words
The two were standing on the veranda of AlanaÆs Donnyton home looking out over Donnyton Below smoke billowing up from the industrial district reveal that the city already was preparing to move through the day despite the early hour Finally Helen shifted she reached up and cracked her jaw with one hand before speaking What made you change your mind
Alana chuckled Perhaps the fact that it was a bad idea to begin with I shouldnÆt tie my life to Randidly Ghosthound at least not literally I am the prophet that will spread the virtues that he exemplifies across this world IÆll be the voice to reach that Randidly cannot on his own But IÆm not going to make the same mistakes in regards to my role that I did with the responsibility of Donnyton I have my own Path independent of him
At that answer Helen favored Alana with a wicked grin Are you sure you arenÆt just a sore loser after ambushing him HowÆs your head
Alana turned away from the other woman To tell the truth she probably was still at only about half power a week out from the fight But she wasnÆt going to dignify HelenÆs jibe with a response Are you sure you donÆt just want a punching bag in the Nexus No this is the right decision I realized while fighting Randidly that I shouldnÆt be trying so hard to be him He has some very notable weaknesses that are better avoided I can be myself and also continue to strengthen Expira
For several seconds Helen was silent Without any more words passing between them Helen could understand Because she too had faced a similar decision in the past Even if she had made the opposite choice she could respect AlanaÆs reasons then good luck
You too Alana said seriously There was the sound of water lapping against stone and then the air darkened By the time Alana turned around Helen had vanished carried away by her Tides of Blood Alana stared after idly her allowing some of the doubts she had toward her decision to surface on her face It hadnÆt been easy AlanaÆs troubled frown formed deep caverns across her cheeks
The morning breeze was cold on AlanaÆs hands gripping the railing of her veranda Winter was truly here
But the more time passed with this opportunity gone the more Alana began to relax There were consequences of not following the Ghosthound on the journey but at the very least this was her choice She had earned those consequences And making it allowed Alana Donal to feel free She closed her eyes and felt the steady pulse of life coming from her altered Fate It reaffirmed her conviction
As long as she continued walking this Path would carry her forward
Alana was still sitting on her veranda enjoying a meal of fried ham and potatoes when WivanyaÆs bulky for noisily landed in her yard Her dragon companionÆs wide wingspan blew huge gusts of wind across the surrounding houses likely waking any sleeping neighbors Icicles were shaken and dislodged from the manicured trees in the surrounding lawns But Alana doubted that the sulky neighbors would have the nerve to bring it up to her
She allowed herself a small smirk Just a perk of being the strongest duo on Expira Plus it shouldnÆt happen too often in the future I wonÆt be remaining in Donnyton for long
Although Wivanya was typically composed in her actions currently the dragon simply pressed her wings to her sides when she was about ten meters away from the ground and dropped like a frozen bomb toward the ground After hitting the lawn and sending another shockwave through the surrounding block the dragon used her claws to scramble up toward Alana on the veranda Alana Is it true
YouÆve heard the news about the Ghosthound I assume Alana kept her face impassive balancing out the wild emotional reverberations coming from the dragon Perhaps because Alana had known Randidly when he was just Randidly but his eventual departure was something she knew would happen eventually But Wivanya seemed completely blindsided by this development
The Frost Dragon Broodmother swung her head side to side like a dog looking for a scent Yes They say he left last night Without Without even coming to visit the Ghosthound Cathedral
Inwardly Alana snorted honestly Randidly would be more likely to come to the Village of the pious Frost Dragons if he didnÆt know about their cathedral dedicated to him Continuing to shout about it at every opportunity would not lure him into visiting But she understood how much the figure of the Ghosthound meant to Wivanya The entirety of the growing Frost Dragon population dearly wanted to show him their sincerity
Unfortunately I think this is a situation where you will be disappointed for now such is the prerogative of gods Alana thought sadly But her face opened up into a warm smile as she mastered those feelings to cheer up her friend The Ghosthound cannot yet visit he is required in the Nexus But doesnÆt that mean that Ghosthound Cathedral can be even more impressive when he finally does visit
Wivanya considered that Her sapphire eyes narrowed and Alana briefly thought that her dragon saw through her rather clumsy misdirection But when Wivanya spoke she used a voice that was trembling with excitement a whole glorious Ghosthound complex hum maybe we should add a pyramid
Sorry Randidly Alana thought as she reached out and patted her companion’s long neck
You run this shop yourself Elmer Arrietti asked as the woman gracefully leaned forward and set the large tray of food in front of him The smells hit him first warm and rich He couldnÆt control the saliva in his mouth as he gazed at the heaps of smoked brisket pulled pork baked beans cheesy mashed potatoes and cornbread But then the Police Commissioner reached down and adjusted his belt reminding himself to act his station He looked back up at the proprietress and cleared his throat
Selene favored him with one of her winning smiles and the Commissioner was briefly stunned his face tingled like she had lightly slapped him His heart pounded in his chest as she spoke Why yes ItÆs actually been somewhat difficult for me moving to a new city and setting everything up But smoking meats is what my family has been doing for generations Hehe IÆm glad I can now count the Police Commissioner as one of my customers Maybe I should put it on a sign and hang it up