That number rang out in the grey cell for several seconds Even with all the liberated Bubble Cities they had lost far too many in the arrival of the System to sniff at a loss of a hundred thousand lives
A terrorist attack Alana huffed out a disbelieving laugh From a non human group
Raina sighed Her glossy blonde hair and its pink stripes felt garish next to the grey of the cell ThatÆs why they called me To persuade the culprits to reveal any outside influences As far as I can tell there are none This was really just a malicious group of frogpeople who primed and released a Level 99 Chimera with the idea that it should kill a certain human
We were busy hiding the Chimera here until we could figure out how to handle the situation Huang Li whispered Now the jailbreak has become an enormous news story The actions of the trio from Kharon Academy just took us by surprise
Alana licked her lips How lucky for the conservatives Several times in a row Oh did you say one particular human
The Ghosthound GhostÆs tinny voice released the unsurprising answer The Chimera had been taught to harbor deep resentment for the Ghosthound And as far as we can tell it just didnÆt know humans enough to tell the difference between them
Alana closed her eyes again Her brain ticked through the branching future paths with a mechanical precision TheyÆve begun spreading the information about this Chimera through the news channels then
Raina nodded The usual group of talking heads are doing much fist slamming over the lack of security on Expira and the rise in crime since the portals opened Much of it is pretty direct attacks on the Order Ducis for failing to police the works of the Ghosthound Considering the business opportunities the portals represent they would keep up this refrain for long but right now they are broadcasting a constant low thrum of alarm with System Skills Even individuals who donÆt regularly consume those sorts of news programs will absorb it just by proximity to those who do by that point it will be through the basic human pattern of mirroring their peers and they wonÆt even be able to sense a Skill at work
They will need something else though Alana said slowly A nail in the coffin to silence the opposition And based on their sudden luck
Today is the first day of the GhosthoundÆs bbq Ghost chirped Based on my observations a lot of bodies are heading to that event A lot of different races will be there If something were to happen then I suspect the conservatives will beat us to establishing a World Government And one that discriminates very overtly against anyone but them
Chapter 1906
Randidly quirked an eyebrow as Sunan dashed back and forth carrying the small serving plates and tongs one armful at a time to their place along the long table Next to Randidly Sam shrugged with an exhausted expression His eyes remained fixed on the saddle the kid wore even while helping set up I really have no idea He just got it fixed in his head that the coolest characters in stories are the mounts Haah youÆll understand when you have kids of your own Sometimes you just gotta hope the fixation passes
The sun had worked its way up toward the sky hanging directly overhead so it avoided the lingering screen of storm clouds completely and just beat directly overhead Even with the breeze coming across the island the heat was still a physical presence humming against all their backs Hearing their conversation Sunan paused in his work and regarded the three men very seriously Couriers are the mounts of information and substance Mail is the glue that holds society together This counts as training
Then he returned to his tasks Further down the beach Selene and Tatiana squatted next to the smoking pits and poked around the food should be done soon based upon their loose schedule Most of the other attendees for the barbecue were either on the beach on the opposite side of the island or enjoying a cocktail morning on the moored barge For now not even the workers who were going to help manage the event had arrived
Randidly and his companions had the beach to themselves Which only served to emphasize how strange Sunan was
Nrorce clicked his tongue and shook his small head at the rushing kid but Randidly was surprised by how warm the goblinÆs expression was Honestly kids will dig up pet peeves you didnÆt know you had All the while displaying less sense than a hedgehog carrying an armful of balloons But thatÆs why
The goblin’s words cut off abruptly as Sunan came hurrying back picking up more silverware from the pile and carrying it by hand back over to the serving table With surprising delicacy Sam patted the smaller figure on the back as Nrorce continued to be unable to finish the sentence Then he gestured with his chin and the three left Sunan to his work
Part of the bratÆs energy comes from the fact you are watching Randidly Sam grunted Kid grew up on stories of you With us gone hopefully he will tire himself out a bit and get bored Maybe even play with some children his own age Besides brought something special from DonnytonÆs distillery
As the trio wandered toward the treeline Sam produced a heavy glass bottle with a glossy black label Nrorce harrumphed in approval as Sam popped the heavy topper off and took a sip for himself The goblin went next making Sam look like a disapproving choir director with a full gulp of the amber liquid They were on the giant vegetal collective portion of the island so Randidly eyed the vines suspicious as the plant matter withdrew slightly to allow them easy passage into the maze like palm tree trunks
He didnÆt think the vegetation would lure them in to consume them considering he was amongst them but you never knew what vines were thinking And he made a mental note to keep some of his attention on the trees to protect the less powerful guests at the event
The last thing he needed was to birth another blood drinking plant being Although the Patron of Blooms would be over the moon at the prospect
The bottle felt cool when Nrorce begrudgingly passed it over having taken a second gulp for himself Randidly hefted it feeling the weight sensing the swirling notes of significance and image that had been lovingly layered into the liquid For a product of Expira he was impressed by the effort The distillery clearly had the process down and cared about each bottle they produced
He lifted the glass bottle and allowed a little of the whiskey to seep onto his tongue His eyes glazed offer He tasted toffee and warm hearth and coffee beans and notes of vanilla and citrus rind Warmth spread outward across his tongue and then crept down into his throat For several seconds he felt beyond himself sitting somewhere warm and safe wrapped in a wool blanket looking out at a snow covered wonderland A ghost of an image possibility flickered in front of his vision
Randidly took another sip careful not to look too hard the force of his attention would destroy the small image the liquor contained Nrorce smacked his lips Good stuff
Small batch Everett the guy who does all of their mixtures nurtured this one for almost five years You can feel his care in every sip Sam nodded He snatched the bottle back as Nrorce reached out to take it from Randidly And it cost me a pretty penny so letÆs not guzzle it eh How much liquor does your body need anyway
Sam nodded slowly Then he scowled over at Nrorce who had just finished the last few drops He grumbled and produced another bottle The goblinÆs eyes brightened and he rubbed his hands together HereÆs to not regretting finishing the bottle If I had nursed it imagine how long it would take before we brought out more
What is the purpose of the human gathering The chimera woman asked The four of them sat on a small boat powered through the water on the Scrawl across the wood The sun smoldered overhead Todd sat in the back toying with a few more pieces of driftwood Zack sat in the middle eyeing the horizon Ever since they had returned to Expira he had been on edge expecting an ambush around every turn
If Alana Donal hadnÆt been there when Huang Li caught up with them