You are returning to the frontlines Lowanna tilted her head to the side She forced a smile onto her face Well at least you and Hungry Eye will once more be on speaking terms You know heÆs never quite as happy as when
I am not She shook her head her crimson hair rippling across her face Devick still possessed that brittleness that had characterized her frantic training over the last week Yet she had also settled into a decision and purpose looked good on her I will head to the fighting in the central plains IÆll fight until my fingers break if thatÆs what it takes
Lowanna’s heart ached at the other womanÆs desperation IsnÆt it enough he cares for you Why are you so concerned with rivaling him in destructive power In the end there are areas in which you are superior to him
Are there Devick challenged her tone sharp As Lowanna prepared a response she shook her head No donÆt answer that You are right this is selfish I cannot stand that I am a burden to him I am the problem the one unwilling to allow things to continue like this
So you will endanger your life Lowanna pursed her lips
If thatÆs the quickest Path Devick nodded The two women embraced When Nether King Hungry Eye opened the portal to his position Devick smiled at Lowanna over her shoulder This is strange to say but IÆm just not strong enough to be weak you know I donÆt know how to just accept help IÆd rather that I be the one helping IÆd rather he needed me
Then Devick began to walk away and Lowanna passed through the portal
Randidly felt goosebumps on his skin He looked up and witnessed the way small bits of the remnant patterns left behind by this figureÆs reach now began to decay weighing down the significance in the area with fear His pupils dilated this effect was deliberate
Despite the fact he could sense what was going on Randidly still felt the air thicken His frown deepened as he felt the flows of Nether Time and immaculate care created this sensation This being first created one of the most powerful patterns IÆve ever seen and then altered it in its base state so that it would steadily unravel and release waves of fear
That what sort of being does that
I guess the sort whose first experience is attempted murder
ItÆs very dramatic Randidly rolled his shoulders
Lowanna attempted to laugh but the sound was hollow He saw a small drop of sweat run down from her temple despite the cool temperature Apologies I know it can sound far fetched but as far as I know this is the truth The records in Wyndaos Briefly a different sort of flinch seized Lowanna due to the tragedy of the cityÆs annihilation but she kept speaking were considered relatively expansive stretching to before our people split off and came into the Nexus And in those days Deganawidah was still shrouded in myth
What happened next Did he bring ruin upon the great Nether city Randidly tilted his head to the side With his spare attention he wove his own small patterns to try and eradicate the lingering effect of Deganawidah To his annoyance the particles stubbornly resisted his attempts to remove them And the more energy he poured into it the more the targeted particles released a magnetic field that cause more to flock and surround him
Randidly forced his jaw to unclench and listened to Lowanna
In a way Deganawidah did bring ruin to Quillic But not for several decades First he crawled out into the wilderness and learned to survive on his own Early Nether beings developed enough to survive on their own very quickly but even for one of his people he was exceptional Within ten years that area of the wilderness had fallen under his dominion Within twenty years he had civilized the area his protection enabling a half dozen small villages to begin altering the wilds to be more habitable
As trade blossomed connections with the wider Nether world began to form Perhaps it had once been prudence that had guided Quillic to its heights but now their behaviors might more closely resemble paranoia Their high Nether Priestess had a vision and hammered on doors until the entire city had awoken to hear her words She had one chill message Deganawidah would soon return
And return he did without knowing the complicated past he shared with the city Although his awareness is a subject of considerable debate He had been a child left to thrash and drown in the river most believe it is impossible for him to have any memory of Quillic Yet others found his countenance so uncanny they would believe any evil if attributed to him As though he could smell a betrayal and followed his nose right back to his birthplace
Randidly cracked his jaw His patterns managed to wrestle these particles into an uneasy deadlock ceasing their constant release of negative energy but he didnÆt manage to achieve anything more than that
At the very least Lowanna seemed more at ease as she continued her story He led the trade caravan from the borderlands personally happy to escape the struggle for survival and see the riches of the Netherlands The group snaked their way across the intervening lands bringing their raw materials and earning untold riches They worked their way inexorably toward Quillic the heart of the Nether lands And when they arrived they received a great honor of being invited by the ruling council of Quillic to be received in what was once known as the Hall of Ephemeral Lanterns
Lowanna released a long sigh It is known now as the Hall of Ash They burned the entire place to the ground hoping Deganawidah would succumb to fire where water had failed But for the second time he lived
Swimming amongst the baking corpses of his closes friends and companions through waves of flame Deganawidah did not drown
Chapter 2254
Despite understanding this was the life lived by this enemy that had now fixated on him for his hand in IlliaÆs death Randidly couldnÆt help but be curious He closed his eyes allowing his imagination to transport him into his worst moments He remembered his second trip to Tellus force to swim through lava in order to avoid the vicious power of the sun How did he escape
The corner of LowannaÆs mouth quirked upward The legend says in his grief Deganawidah followed his murdered companions to hell without noticing his own heartbeat He looked so devastated that the gatekeepers didnÆt even notice he was still living He then lived in hell for seven years before he could cope with living again However other accounts seem to think this is a figurative account of a literal occurrence In order to survive Deganawidah dug his way down and out of the city while his people burned around him Before turning to charcoal the bodies of his companions protected him until he could burrow away from the heat
Shit Randidly whistled He had known it was true from pre System human history but intelligent life would sometimes default to violence without even the slightest nudge He felt a small pulse of sympathy for this Nether Warlord Alright and the third drowning
We have a bit to get through until the third drowning This time Deganawidah moved with purpose after escaping Quillic Lowanna said He returned to his lands and allies They were few but they had been honed by the wildlands for their entire lives They were strong At the same time it is said that Deganawidah motivated by the only emotion remaining to him malice invented the modern form of Maala A bond that involved coercion so these powerful individuals could feed off weaker settlements until they were a force to be reckoned with
Until they were a horde a seething mass of bodies carrying weapons and spreading death Stampeding directly back to Quillic Capturing the leader of every force in opposition to him and burning them alive to send a message
What a cheery fellow IÆve appeared to piss off Randidly muttered He rolled his shoulders and released a pulse of Nether forcing the lingering patterns away Following their contrary nature other nearby patterns began to swarm toward Randidly to spite his attempts Yet this time Randidly sent out several twisted patterns in a second wave of energy Patterns that he had adapted from the energy of Illia