Randidly almost snorted watching irritation flick across the face of Don Beigon In addition to the madness this Devick appeared to possess a keen intellect and cruelty in spades She sensed weakness the way a shark tasted blood But the wily old man quickly masked his emotions and released a self conscious laugh Things like this canÆt be forced Since the moment has passed why donÆt we
Okay okay beach time everyone Devick said cheerily leading the group down onto the sand and leaving the Don with a stiff expression facing her back He handed the blood stained rag back to the employee and watched with bemusement At the very least Randidly was impressed by the lack of any sort of violent emotion targeting Devick because she was clearly antagonizing him His emotional mastery was certainly worth emulating Not an iota of his personalityÆs force was wasted
Still one question nagged Randidly Why was Devick working so hard to antagonize the Don Was it just because she could Because she lived to drag others into her own variety of insanity Or was she targeting him for another reason
Randidly shook his head His temples ached and he couldn’t figure out what she was doing it aside from instigating chaos Right now his mind wasnÆt up to the task of unearthing any more information than that
Randidly moved down to the beach but he rapidly stiffened His skin then crawled as Devick paused in front of him Behind him the workers on the beach rushed to finish completing the bonfire and get the flames started now that the guests marched down the bamboo steps and onto the sand He could hear the smile in her voice although her face was covered with that impassive gold mask Mr Ghosthound I have to say for as much as I admire what youÆve done here today one particular thing about you bothers me Why are you allowing those two slugs to parasitize you They will bring bad luck Such things shouldnÆt exist They donÆt exist not truly
Randidly frowned the pain in his hands was getting worse as the last dregs of adrenaline left his body The ache in his temples grew more demanding He really wished he didnÆt have to deal with this erratic version of Devick while feeling so drained Slugs You mean the Unborn
A foolish statement One of the retired Military High Command Commandants wandered over to join the conversation Not the one that Moonlight Blade informed Ozark to watch out for so he continued to hang back while the more powerful figures discussed This man sneered at the lumpy body of the first speaker You say Nether is a Path to quick power If that was the case far more individuals would attempt to create their own Nether Cores If anything Aether is the quick path to power which is likely why Elhume in his wisdom saw fit to use it as the basis for the Nexus
The Tier III citizenship figure drew himself up to his full if lopsided height Oh and you would know so much about Nether Core Your generation barely had to fight against the Nether forces when they were at their height They bred like flies They swarmed toward us day and night So yes it is a quick
Several more figures drifted over interested in the discussion but Moonlight Blade gave Ozark a look and the two of them walked around the side of the fire Then they stopped standing alone in the flicker shadows at the edge of the firelight and Ozark looked at the Pinnacle Seeker questioningly The wolfman shook his head arrogantly he wasnÆt willing to explain
Then Actus Suprem Devick who had been communicating with a harried and exhausted looking representative from the Engraving Guild glided across the sand right where they had been about to walk She made a beeline for the growing group that argued over the relative merits of Nether Cores versus the risk of being punished by the Orthodox Nexus for using them publicly
When she had gone Moonlight Blade moved forward slowly finding a new spot to stand A servant brought a tray with drinks and to OzarkÆs surprise the Pinnacle Seeker took one He drank the entire thing down in a gulp crushed the glass in his hand and then tossed the broken pieces behind him to mix with the sand and frothing edges of the ocean
Moonlight Blade spoke softly as the wolfman watched Devick move into the group and dominate the conversation Something strange is developing in the Nexus Those fools they donÆt even notice it Where has Elhume been for the past several weeks Why are the Tier III citizenship geezers moving so openly Where did this Devick come from with such force IÆve encountered individuals who have completed their image fulfillment before but none have felt as dangerous as her Even I heh
Ozark jumped as a wave of bloodlust erupted from the wolfman and practically sizzled against his skin Then it disappeared and Moonlight Blade patted him on the shoulder Thank you for knowing your place My instincts regarding that woman are confusing
For a second they stood in silence Moonlight Blade feeling much more approachable than usual as he studied the laughing Devick on the opposite side of the bonfire Ozark licked his lips he knew that this was an opportunity both by coming here and to earn the Pinnacle SeekerÆs attention What What do you think is happening In the Nexus
You think this issue is within a realm where your curiosity has a place Moonlight Blade flared his bloodlust again and Ozark hurriedly lowered his head remembering how cruel this master could be But it seemed that the Pinnacle Seeker was more amused than anything else Well I do also wish to understand Do you perhaps have any insight Mister Tyune
Suddenly a figure Ozark hadnÆt noticed before seemed to congeal out of the shadows behind them The mysterious Tyune tilted his head to the side You noticed me Interesting But why would I tell you Are we not competing for WickÆs offspring
IÆve heard you love to show off your knowledge Moonlight Blade responded shamelessly
And IÆve heard you know nothing of manners or flattery Tyune returned in a flat tone But then the strange waxy skinned being shrugged I suppose there is no harm in telling you you will not understand the implications of the information anyway
Elhume is the cause but the reason he moved was that his wife died I do not know the details but she apparently held some restrictive power on him even though she had not been seen in two thousand years She possessed a weapon or a method or a key there are various rumors among the what was your term Tier III citizenship geezersÆ
Chapter 1858
Claudette felt her breathing ease as she looked down The predictable sound the stillness the reassuring presence all of it combined to reassure her After the night she had so far it was a welcome shift
NeshamahÆs lips twitched as she looked over at Randidly laying on the cool sand underneath the tiki bar His chest rose and fell at regular intervals I cannot believe he can lay down and fall asleep right now
His ability to handle tension is refreshing Claudette spoke with a wry smile looking at Randidly with affection bubbling in her chest And despite this display heÆs always been quite reliable Even from the moment we met he seemed to have confidence that everything would be alright IÆm starting to see that itÆs just his inner determination Something that IÆm slowly learning to possess
With that ClaudetteÆs expression firmed up She glanced at Neshamah and Yust Speaking of which we shouldnÆt waste this opportunity While the other attendees are mingling I have no doubt my father is making his final preparations We need to be doing the same If either of you has any ideas
YustÆs eyes flashed His lips curled back to reveal his long tiger canines You know watching the Ghosthound gave me an idea can I not do the same thing to Moonlight Blade that he did to Wick If he is forced to deactivate his connection to Alymian and return to the Nexus he will no longer be a threat IÆm very confident in my
Neshamah punched him lightly in the shoulder Bad idea Randidly has the benefit of his Nether Core to give him an edge plus his physical Stats are She and Claudette shared an understanding and slightly bewildered glance difficult to rival Even reduced here he might be a match for some old monsters in the Nexus Besides Moonlight Blade is a very different warrior from Commandant Wick More experienced and more primal He might even be excited if you challenged him like that The last thing we want to give him is an appetizer