Now is precisely the right time A woman with small fluttering bat wings pumped her fist For two days we are free from training
The leader cut in as they rounded the edge of the sand beach coming upon a rockier area Plus the storm is actually the greatest boon to the game that weÆve ever encountered The ever shifting nature of the environment means that you need to adjust on the fly Images are dampened Your physical power can only carry you so far
So Arrietti allowed himself to be carried along as the group veered sharply away from the beach and headed deeper into the island They wove around trees the training Overseers laughing and hooting in pleasure The strange pressure of being within the storm continued to wear at ArriettiÆs nerves but he gradually calmed himself
Sometimes you are like a fowl Selene sometimes said to him when he came back to their shared apartment huffing over the dayÆs work ItÆs less than something legitimately bothers you but that you just need some time for your rustled feathers to settle And thatÆs fine
Soon they arrived at the bottom of a low hill where three bowling lanes had been painstakingly carved Their glossy black surface spoke more of obsidian than polished wood but Arrietti supposed they would be smooth enough Strange metal arms curled up from the hill above the lanes but he realized that they were likely canopies with the covering portion removed He had heard that the island experienced a constant rain during the actual training sessions
Gleaming balls of precious metal sat by the head of the lanes gold sapphire and emerald The pins were slightly oversized and appeared to be carved from ivory Silver lines wove themselves in graceful swirls across their fronts
IsnÆt she a beauty The leader asked Arrietti had been inclined to release a begrudging nod of acceptance but his eyes widened as something else caught his attention
He pointed to the top of the hill What are they
Oh the ants The woman with the bat wings shrugged as though ants as large as motorcycles were a common occurrence They own the territory North of this Sometimes they come to watch
Every few seconds Arrietti cast a worried glance over his shoulder at the ants but the Overseers dragged him forward and encouraged him to give the lanes a try Soon he had the gold ball in his hands and stood at the head of the lane
At the very least Arrietti mused They have the good sense to finally be silent when the ball is in my hand
Now that he stood at the lane with the ball raised he could see how the Overseers were right The pressure storm the Ghosthound made with Nether was extremely strange it exerted influence on several aspects of life So it could erode both kinetic momentum and also image power so it was difficult to predict how injecting either into the ball would result Arrietti felt a little more familiar with the environment but still unable to guess how to throw a good ball
So he shrugged and took his smooth steps forward His plant foot was sure and he felt the satisfying flick of the wrist as he unleashed the ball burying just a seed of his image in the object before he released it
The bowling ball seemed to skate sideways toward the gutter zones and ArrietiÆs panic rose again in his chest But then the spin caught the glossy surface they did an excellent job replicating wood in obsidian There was a strange wiggle to its movements due to the storm but the ball smashed the pins in an explosive arrival
A strike
If anything that just made Arrietti more nervous
Chapter 1904
As expected of the Commissioner
On his first ball on a completely new alley
Not even a test throw
Truly that feeble image seed was exactly what the ball needed did you notice how it hit the pins only physically Sublime
Just watching him I feel like a better bowler
The peanut gallery of powerful trainers launched into their usual ridiculous praises causing the fat beads of sweat on ArriettiÆs back to multiply He could imagine SeleneÆs sigh when she saw how sweaty he had become Obviously he had just thrown a ball casually without thought Obviously his image seed had been wiped out by the storm because his image was comparatively weak Obviously his success was a result of circumstance and luck
His eyes followed the movements of some other trainers as they set the pins back up in record time He also knew that admitting his inadequacies wouldnÆt matter theyÆd ignore him and
A trumpeting peel carried over the small hill cutting off the panic inducing cycle of his thoughts When he raised his gaze his eyes bulged to see that the number of ants on the top of the hill had multiplied while he had thrown the ball he could see at least a hundred new ants their carapaces suddenly seeming quite serrated and intimidating standing in orderly rows above the bowling lanes
Two rather slender ants with oddly shaped pincers raised their heads and released another clear trumpet blast from their mouths It was difficult to see the movements of the ants from the lower elevation but the whole formation began to shift Then from between those two unique ants came a third ant that seemed to settle over the scene like morning mist
The typical ants had a dark reddish brown carapice But this one had a creamy pink exterior that seemed to glitter It had wings long translucent wings but they appeared so delicate that it flapped behind the ant like a gauze cape rather than implements of flight Compared to the other ants its limbs were more slender and delicate its eyes closer together above a mouth with smaller mandibles
It looks like an antÆs attempt to make itself look more human Arrietti was struck by this sudden thought as he looked at its delicate and purposeful steps It descended down the hill the two trumpet ants remaining behind but a burly and oversized ant with curling horns acting as a guard
That ant huffed dangerously and shook its head from side to side seeming to look for an outlet for its aggression
The lead ant reached the bottom under the watchful gaze of all the powerful individuals and serenely drifted forward Its wings undulated softly Its thin limbs carried it up to the place holding the bowling balls It reached out with a foreleg and picked one up After testing the weight the ant moved against the crowd parted and allowed it to walk up to the front of a lane
After a decidedly haughty glance at Arrietti the ant scuttled forward and threw the ball awkwardly sidearm down the lane But to the watchers surprise the side arm thrown ball rapidly began to adjust its vector until it slammed into the pins and knocked down nine
Immediately the trumpeters began a waxing note of victory The hundreds of ants started slamming their feet up and down with such ferocity that Arrietti worried that the hill would collapse on top of them But just as the ants seemed willing to work themselves up into a fever pitch their bowler screeched in fury and waved its forelegs aggressively At once the other ants all fell silent Its guard released a plaintive huff
Rubbing its antenna together the bowling ant waited for the overseers at the end of the lane to clear away the knocked over pins and then easily picked up the spare with another sidearm throw Then the ant tilted its head to the side and regarded Arrietti once more with a fixed stare
And rumored to be the richest too And with incredible political influence And known to teach other individuals and swiftly make them much more powerful than they had been in the past Sydney began listing things off and raising fingers as she spoke Then she narrowed her eyes at those raised fingers as though an answer waited within the thin digits Honestly just having a connection with Randidly Ghosthound puts you in contact with Kharon the Order Ducis and a lot of the original leadership of Donnyton People might even be tempted to go out for it for job reasons
Neveah reached out and put her hands on Tatiana and SydneyÆs shoulders Her violet eyes danced And with the three of us weÆd probably whittle down to a list of excellent candidates You are half of my soul after all so I canÆt have you spending the rest of your life with someone boring or mooning after someone who doesnÆt even notice you are gone