It was how Randidly had lived for almost thirty years underneath the thumb of the System
ItÆs almost annoying how similar we are Randidly shook his head
Devick frowned at him clearly surprised by his words Are we really that similar LetÆs talk again about how many Skill Levels I gained just by helping you The current total sits at three hundred and thirteen
Randidly scratched his cheek Ha Okay IÆve had a better opportunity to develop but its about ideology You know that bastard Fatia Cerulean told me that he and I were the same once that we walked the Narrow Path A path climbing across the bodies of those we surpassed A path built on corpses I think he would say you walk the same Path
As Randidly paused to gather his thoughts DevickÆs expression darkened Perhaps she felt the same ring of truth in those accusations as Randidly had Then Randidly cleared his throat But you know there are other ways ThatÆs why I became an Alchemist to create a Path for those who follow where there never was one before
what sort of Path is it Devick asked
Randidly considered how best to answer the question the one he had spent his whole life chasing and now only had a half answer and felt rather stumped Haah What would you say if I said my Path could lead you straight toward power with minimal deviations without requiring you to oppress those around you That there were no consequences for the journey that you didnÆt have to compromise your integrity that you could make the impossible possible with this Path
Devick squinted trying to tell if he was joking I would say you are an idiot And no I’m not interested in purchasing an estate share from you
Yea maybe Randidly straightened His smile widened as his Fateset responded to her words Perhaps thatÆs my role To show you how rewarding it can be to be the right kind of idiot
Randidly clapped his hands together and prepared to receive the first two guests of his third challenge
Chapter 2314
The Patron of Feathers could feel her mind beginning to tear at the edges as the process repeated over and over again The refuge of her life seemed worn and thin Even if she had received a gift from Yystrix one that allowed her to completely immerse herself in her own memories to become oblivious to the passage of time Faelmac WestrisserÆs plan required a weapon that could slay any foe
No one else could be trusted to this grueling task because it was an impossible mission to begin with She couldnÆt withstand the hopes poured into this working The Patron of Feathers didnÆt know how close she was to succeeding but she knew she wouldnÆt make it much longer
Even floating in her memories she would sometimes black out waking up several years later or reborn as a young child as the developments looped without her even noticing Her heartbeat became strained the noise echoed in her ears The demands of her physical body began to drag her attention back as blood began to leak out of her ears nose and mouth
Yet she did her best to close her eyes to those realities Sputtering now wasnÆt the worst outcome She just needed to endure for a bit more time
So she began skipping through the memories that didnÆt mean much seeking those that had caused her to feel strong emotions She knew that she had worsened her deteriorating condition by hopping around but only by soaking in her strong emotions could she briefly forget the pain she experienced by maintaining the array within the Dungeon The wholeness of those feelings could provide her shelter from the growing threat of timeÆs passage
This was one such memory
It had been at a time that both Elhume and Yystrix had become more active in the wider Nexus Their sphere of influence expanded as Elhume looked worriedly to the sky and saw how PineÆs soul continued to degrade They shot out to the different domains of the tyrants that had sprung up in the early Second Cohort rescuing those they could and planting the seeds of future resistance They grew in power sharpening their talents against the monsters allowed into the Nexus in the Second Cohort
She had even finally been named the Patron of Feathers by the Patron of the Borrowed Elhume thought it was adorable and began calling her that as well taking solace in the moniker And because Elhume called her that name while they performed operations strangers began referring to her this way as well
However both of these facts were just the backdrop to the true strife of that time at least in the Patron of FeatherÆs life Because she had begun taking on more responsibility with the group because she became one of the apocryphal powerful PatronsÆ she spent much of her time traveling across the land She spoke to scared refugees fleeing from cataclysm she appeared before some of the lesser dictators she negotiated with the owners of mines and timer mills for alternate trade routes
She took so many steps forward in her life stepping out from the shadow of the Westrisser name She crafted her own identity with her own effort and sweat
But part of the reason she became so integral to the groupÆs plans was because she threw herself into the work for a more selfish reason she couldnÆt stand to linger in that cabin any longer The constant bickering between Elhume and Yystrix had become unbearable Around her adopted parents hum an ominous air that reminded her much of the Westrisser estate Although their disagreements started with Pine they had now spread out to cover almost all topics that lay between them
And then came the little VulpineÆs tenth birthday Then came this memory so soaked in overwhelming emotion
The modern Patron of Feathers briefly blacked out as the day dawned All the festivities and the uneasy peace between the two parentsÆ were lost in a blur The cake the fest friends who attended the presents all lost to oblivion But that was fine the nucleus of the memory happened later after all the other guests departed
Because Elhume and Yystrix didnÆt want to fight on the Patron of the BorrowedÆs birthday they had both shot out on other missions as soon as they could So the young woman and the young fox were left alone Two Patrons lay in their pallets and tried to sleep in that quiet cabin But the Patron of Feathers pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked over at the young Vulpine its tails twitching in his sleep
It was easy to forget it now but she cared about him
All of the Patron of FeatherÆs senses sharpened The details of the memory came into stark focus Already she could sense the edges of the dread waiting for her
When the Vulpine didnÆt respond she spoke again and nudged his soft fur Heeyy
What is it The fox sounded sleepy
Then Yggdrasil manifested in all its glory sitting atop the sky island Its roots didnÆt physically dig down through the ground which had been thoroughly covered with his Engravings Instead they swam in and out of existence an impossible network of veins After forming a knot in the middle of the skyisland erecting the massive tree to a more towering monolith above the confrontations thinner varietals of the roots stretched down and sank into the ground of the memory These drilled deeper and deeper finding energy to draw from the ground
Holy shit DevickÆs eyes widened as she looked up at the intensifying image Flickering golden mists danced in the air around them as the environment fully came under RandidlyÆs thumb
Randidly rolled his shoulders as his image continued to change In the end it was inevitable that it be slightly awkward at first to manifest Yggdrasil in a different manner than he usually used it Or rather after becoming accustomed to relying on its potent energy rather than its history and accumulation to strike at his enemies So when he dug a foundation and allowed the World Tree to truly establish itself in space the sensation felt unfamiliar It was like stretching a long ignored muscle
Randidly did however understand how to utilize the flood of disdainful power that filled him
Congratulations Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to Level 989
Congratulations Your Skill the First Tree Suffers Only Fealty has grown to Level 994