Not that it was the sudden death that swayed him especially since this individual was a stranger He had seen so many people die both suddenly and slowly since he came to the Nexus and walked across the dangerous battlefields that were becoming increasingly common here Even the personal responsibility wasnÆt the source of his anxiety Instead what left Randidly staring down at the shredded remains of this unnamed man was the sense of helplessness
Randidly had wielded the force that had killed him yet he had not expected or meant to The ripples running through his heart right now were curiously similar to those he felt after Helen died He had trained so hard to obtain this power but in the end that power hadnÆt mattered
Yet what did I want to happen for me to lose To triumph was always the plan Just the simplicity was a bit of a shock
He shook himself and sucked in a deep breath Then he wondered whether he would be punished for killing this man As he looked up at the rugged mountain in front of him and the swirling grey clouds somehow he doubted that the people who ran this place would care at all And honestly that made Randidly feel even worse about his death
He sharpened his gaze and looked up at the mountain that loomed above him So far as his Grim Intuition could tell this space was rather isolated beyond the heavy granite mountain that towered over him nothing else existed But the space did stretch upward through at least three layers of increasingly complex wind that hugged the towering edifice of stone Based on the fact that as he stared upward his gaze was stopped dead halfway up the mountain by a thick layer of wind and cloud Randidly expected that even more lurked in this place
Sighing Randidly shook his head Although the real problem is that now I have no idea what to do next
He sent a message to the contact that had told him which teleportation terminal to use to arrive but had received no response after five minutes of waiting next to the bloody stone Randidly could only grimace and follow the lines of the wind that lashed back and forth above the rock outcroppings He saw a weird trench that led down to the left and basically no other way to proceed
Randidly paused his eyes catching the slow ooze of blood he had created For a second he was disgusted at his own morbidity but then his own curiosity overcame that Because despite the precise information given to him by his bare feet there must be a slight slope to the ground
Some massive alignment was grinding into place above him Although he couldnÆt use the image the Grey Creature Glimpses Providence could still activate and give him some insight For a brief amount of time force from the second layer above was going to descend and ravage the lowest layer Randidly licked his lips anticipating the extra sense of danger that was the reason he had come here Because he was starting to stall out on self motivated growth
To continue to improve he needed some pressure
However that thought made Randidly look around at the barren and stony surroundings Except this was supposed to be a training camp with one hundred individuals The meeting place was the Upper Summit room Do I really need to climb all the way to the top of this damn mountain to participate Why the hell did you need to send a tester if thatÆs the case
The wind continued to howl like a wolf pack that scented blood Randidly watched as the complex flows shifted and the heavier and more dangerous portions of the storm began to rapidly descend Somehow the previous layers spun off into nothing in the surroundings But as he looked upward his face grew increasingly pale Because as the moment of collapse neared Randidly could see the broader shape of this infinite storm that hung above the mountain at least at the surface level
There were several patterns moving in constant motion This brief moment of understanding let him witness four or five When two aligned a portion of the storm would briefly have the space to collapse downward and scour the base of the mountain The hungry wind would devour any flaws that it found
Yet suddenly Randidly could feel two such patterns nearing alignment The constant screech of the wind continued to rise He couldnÆt even help it a smile began to creep across his face Maybe thatÆs why I havenÆt seen anyone they know something that I donÆt about whatÆs coming
About twenty meters above Randidly a particularly violent combination of natural energy hammered at the edge of a shale outcropping The ancient stone collapsed downward and began to slide directly for RandidlyÆs tiny path
Randidly pursed his lips and stepped forward ignoring his previous plan to train himself here When the blades of wind came for him as he moved beyond the safe area of the Grand Pattern he raised his left hand to smash them to the side Sulfur hummed with relish but Randidly again felt that sentience within the storm fixate on him
Not to lean down and oppress him but Randidly sensed a strange sense of curiosity appeared to be leaking down through the storm Randidly wasnÆt sure whether to be happy or sad that the monstrous storm appeared to have noticed him
He quickened his step and moved out of the way just as the shattered hunk of shale slammed into the footpath and cracked the edges After a long moment of stone grinding on stone the massive boulder tipped over the edge and began tumbling down across the rest of the slope In its wake the second layer of wind arrived just over RandidlyÆs head
Suddenly the wind crooned and whispered it was coming for him
Which Randidly was already well aware because the sharpened blades of wind cut deep troughs into the mountainside above him Before the second layer of wind the mountain had all the structural integrity of soggy bread With the curiosity of the storm driving it those powerful blasts of wind began to curve inexorably toward him leaving markings like an invisible giant dragging its fingertips on its way to scoop Randidly up
I could steal natural energy and fight against the wind directly but something tells me that will earn even more of this strange forceÆs attention Randidly bounced on the balls of his feet as the net of dangerous wind spun closer Plus following the pattern will help me understand it more quickly than fighting against it So after a brief rockslide interlude right back to the training plan
The noise of the wind was deafening in his ears demanding his attention as it made its grand entrance Blades of wind cut sideways at RandidlyÆs knees and feet but he danced forward and then leaned back to above a blast of wind that smacked into the stone face of the mountain flinging away a wave of dust and pebbles that bounced off RandidlyÆs face
Then he lowered his stance and accelerated as horrible spikes of wind tore giant holes in the path behind him
Suddenly something occurred to Randidly With the wind like this the path wouldnÆt have survived for me to use it if it was naturally occurring So it had been prepared ahead of time Maybe not for me but and thatÆs also why it feels like the Grand Pattern is studying me so closely IÆve walked into something A trial carefully crafted for someone else
The only question is what sort of path is this
Chapter 1802
The tier two winds were vicious A direct strike could cut through his skin fat and muscle to leave his bone bare Randidly rapidly healed through those wounds but the small impacts also threw off his steps that would allow him to avoid other strikes resulting in an exhausting and brutal gauntlet of pummeling
Damnit Randidly struggled to set his feet and ducked under a few blasts of wind How the hell does this mountain control so much natural energy
Then there was stillness It was a prelude to the tier three version of the Grand Pattern to creak and descend with vicious intent The flurry of attacks tore away all pretense of dodge then struck at RandidlyÆs restricted images then blasted through the meager natural energy he had managed to tempt to his side Then it began a long and vicious argument with his body and Stats demanding a tribute of flesh