A Nether for the particular individual he was or was becoming
Charlotte stiffened at his presence before relaxing as the brilliant energy roots of Yggdrasil sunk into her Primal Ground image Randidly chuckled softly DonÆt worry I can foot the bill for these people You are right they deserve safe zones in which to exist We just might need to become a bit creative to give it to them
What do I need to do Charlotte replied immediately Most of her image turned itself over to him offering him the humming life of her bacteria She completely opened herself up to his influence
RandidlyÆs lips twitched even from afar Sensing the constant wiggling and oozing of the miniature organisms across CharlotteÆs whole understanding was a bit uncomfortable at first You would grow used to the constant awareness after a while he was sure but the first brush left him slightly uncomfortable
Still he took the power offered to him The conversion of energy through his body accelerated his Nether Core finding its chosen pattern He felt a flush of fondness through him sensing her pure emotions So he brushed her lightly again you just need to continue being my Knight These people are worth defending
Randidly cracked his knuckles and raised his hands He reached out for the super vine that had been created when Yggdrasil the history of the Homid people and the Lifeseal brushed up against one another His eyes were bright emerald discs more lime paint than natural pigments as power coursed through him He used his body all the Stats improved beyond the limits of the System to corral and soften the energy
In his body the lava could rage freely smashing against his muscles and skin and finding no purchase The new Nether refined in the particular pattern acted as strainer withstanding the violence and seeping out the pure life And after a few minutes relaxing and warm hot springs of energy could traverse his body and blossom through the slums and nourish the transition The energy formed protective bubbles around the population so faint they probably didnÆt even notice as they paused in their basket weaving and berry picking to frown at the strange ripple that went through the whole vine
Congratulations Your Skill the Aureate Arteries of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 940
The ground began to tremble The universe growled and RandidlyÆs Fatepieces released unwilling twinges Randidly couldnÆt help but roll his eyes His Nether Core hummed fast fast slow HavenÆt you been with me from the beginning YouÆve forgotten who I am if this is enough to surprise you IÆm going to be the one to tear it all down
The roots of the vines thickened in the ground growing strong and sure Don Beigon paled sensing the shift in energies However he clearly misinterpreted the source You would consider destroying all this just to spite me Truly you are a more bitter female than I
HeÆs not destroying it Charlotte Wick replied with wonder in her voice Then she laughed Really Ghosthound You are such a creature of habit
The ground began to truly shake now as the vineÆs consciousness came alive guided by the gentle hand of Yggdrasil The roots flexed again once and then twice testing the power they could wield And then with a groan they pushed until the entire vine slum stood up the usually drooping fronds scooping down into the ground and taking two meters of dirt with them as well so the dug out dwellings werenÆt partially left behind
While Don Beigon goggled at the display the slum began to march West and South creating some distance between itself and Homewell
Considering its presence at the edge of the Badlands it couldnÆt move entirely to safety But at the very least the people of the slums would be given a chance to develop without being squeezed dry by Don Beigon
Chapter 2269
Moish nudged Raddeus with his knee as the two departed the guardhouse So is your wife
You cannot come over for dinner Raddeus scowled over his shoulder and loped ahead of his superior officer He used his feet to rub his eyes This is getting out of hand Look I obviously appreciate everything youÆve done for me And the restructuring of the neighborhood has helped so many people
We do the best we can Moish said firmly unwilling to savor the relative peace of the last week Not with the Nether host marching toward Homewell
Behind them their captain complained loudly of the bitter smell of the vine berries a common new refrain as baking swelled in the slums and smoke drifted over HomewellÆs walls but these were the same individuals who surreptitiously hired others to head out and by some berry turnovers But by now Raddeus didnÆt even twitch as they walked past the snide complainers he had learned that the best revenge is surviving well
Even setting aside you straining our hospitality
Your wife is such an excellent cook Moish smacked his lips together And she keeps inviting me back
Because you loiter outside Besides my wife wonÆt be home in time to cook dinner And itÆs your fault The job you helped her get routinely keeps her after hours to help with the cleanup Raddeus grumbled but he slowed down and allowed Moish to keep abreast with him Honestly with schools closed down we are barely managing
ItÆs a good job And working for the trade emporium even just as a banquet hall staffer will open doors Moish pointed out When Dattylan wants to go to school in Homewell
Why bother with a place in Homewell considering Turtleline attitudes Conditions are improving so quickly in our neighborhood I bet within a year we will have a school that is just as good as theirs Raddeus growled At that moment a pair of Lizakh soldiers rounded the corner heading in the opposite direction as them one pair of slum warriors heading to help with Homewell guard shifts while the other went home They exchanged nods even while a Turtleline woman clearly coming back from the slums sniffed and crossed to the other side of the street to avoid passing either pair
Moish raised a foot and scratched his forehead He didnÆt know how to explain that while yes conditions were improving there was no way the teaching environment would be as good in the slums as in the city The difference in money meant that the teachers
A rumble brought both of their attentions sharply up Out through the West gate of Mallon they could only see a sudden rush of dust From the wall above them a cry of alarm was raised They could feel the ground rumbling through their knuckles Moish and Raddeus both broke out into a gallop crossing thirty meters to the gate as quickly as they could If the Nether attack had come early all of the carefully maintained peace would be taken
MoishÆs heart clenched The two careened forward narrowly missing a panicking civilian coming the other way They skittered to a stop their eyes widening at the sight that awaited them Thaddeus blinked several times trying to make sense of what they were seeing What the hell
The dust slowly cleared making the truth more obvious In front of them was a wide and roughly dug hole And the slums the vines and all their homes seemed to have inexplicably stood up and wandered off away from Homewell They watched its hunched movements for five minutes until it shuddered and settled itself back down about three kilometers away from its original position
Raddeus clearly couldnÆt compute the shift This is
MoishÆs tension eased He chuckled going to make the commute to work much more obnoxious But also at least Turtlelines wonÆt be able to slip out into the slums and buy our baked goods without people noticing any longer No more teenagers throwing shit off the walls at people in the slums either
Neighborhoods canÆt just move Raddeus gestured widely But his eyes were vacant the proof of his mistake right in front of his face
Moish patted his shoulder Just because youÆve never seen it before doesnÆt mean it canÆt happen But now letÆs hurry to see if anyone needs help even if it just moved there was probably damage
The downside was Randidly had to quickly cease his efforts allowing his Second Authority to dissipate His Nether Core had begun to whine and his head pounded for all that Deganawidah kept the world in place Randidly still couldnÆt handle the powerful Authority for too long But he knew it would be worth it to include both his newly patterned Nether and scraps of his emotion in the Nether Rituals