Kent squeezed through a tight space between two groups and then swayed to a halt having rather abruptly reached the edge of the pier He scowled Naffur had vanished And right as he turned to head back down the pier a hand pressed in the small of his back and pushed him off the edge
He was so thrown by the purposeful malice that he simply spun as he fell toward the water being greeted by that long haired woman who had spilled wine on his suit earlier winking at him Then he hit the placid waves and produced an enormous splash
Chapter 1908
MeatÆs done Selene pulled off plastic gloves and tossed them into the trash can Several workers began to dig up the roasted meat and bring it to the butcher to be cut She nodded to Randidly and Tatiana Just need to spread it out on the plates Hungry people usually will handle the rest on their own even without serving utensils Now I need to go and figure out why my boyfriend is sweating like heÆs related to the three dozen pigs we just smoked
Both Randidly and Tatiana waved as the woman strode purposefully away toward where Police Commissioner Arrietti sighed and stood so dangerously close to the living plant third of the island that a few vines had been surreptitiously creeping closer to him
Randidly raised an eyebrow at Tatiana She certainly has a lot of personality IÆm surprised she ended up with someone like Arrietti
Tatiana clicked her tongue Not you too You know despite how he looks and acts well how he looks and acts most of the time heÆs extremely competent at his job Essentially everyone on the police force looks up to him It just so happens that heÆs the only individual who hasnÆt noticed his own worth For that reason and because he obviously doesnÆt notice how many women make passes at him SeleneÆs rather protective of him But enough about gossip do you really want to be on the serving line
Yea The patterns coming together running here from all over Expira are fascinating ItÆs much easier to see them up close when IÆm submerged in them Randidly looked up at the sky The remnants of his storm continued to linger around a distance halo of smog that hung across the edge of the horizon Meanwhile the day here only became hotter Plus you know I love being a small part of events like this
I do I really do Very prince dressed as a commoner sort of vibe Tatiana shook her head IÆm just worried that your presence will grind the food line to a halt Or cause a few famished individuals to be so overcome with awe that they forget to grab food and just stare only later to succumb to heatstroke You know I hate disposing of bodies for you
You have a lot of worries Your boss probably doesnÆt pay you enough Randidly joked with a grin
Tatiana responded with a hollow laugh as she turned away The worst part is that no matter how much my boss pays me his capital is large enough that he doesnÆt even notice the missing cash Stealing from him feels more like a chore than anything else Even though I do do it just out of habit
Snorting Randidly watched Tatiana go without calling her bluff He knew that she deserved a raise and made a mental note to give her one The only awkward part was that she handle that portion of the finances He needed to figure out how to surprise her with it because he didnÆt want to use her to give her a surprise
Humming to himself Randidly turned and faced the nervous looking group of Order Ducis applicants and volunteers from Kharon Academy that had been trying very hard to seem like they hadnÆt been listening to his and TatianaÆs entire conversation He waved a hand and picked up an apron from the pile Fill in around me at the table Tatiana told you your assignments right LetÆs go around and everyone say your names then letÆs get started
The introductions were less painful than Randidly had anticipated even though he had suggested them on a whim Although most of that was because the momentum of the activity helped distract all the food servers from his presence Plus using that lull Randidly began to weave the significance of his presence and his actions through the surroundings He stopped leaning so heavily on his physical senses and sank into the constant humming layer of Nether that lay beneath everything
Congratulations Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle has grown to Level 690
His touch was light as he spread out his feelers through all these individuals giving himself a broader range to experience the arriving patterns He kept the connections loose and the bindings almost imperceptible afraid of somehow altering the trajectory of the lives around him by tying them to himself
The other aspect of this activity was using himself as part of the pattern He was still a bit stiff but he gradually felt the knack of incorporating patterns in his natural movements He saw and felt the ways he moved through the world and shifted the surroundings In small situations like this he could still have a high degree of influence
Ripples of Nether connecting and sharing started arriving in denser and denser clusters
His evolved Focus Exquisite Piety played a pivotal role in this adjustment as well He could pour his attention into the pseudo ritual perhaps even relying on that innate faith that Sydney had pointed out that he possessed as he set it up He leaned into that relying on his own certainty to prop up the spread of his intended patterns
Soon he had a giant conducive bowl of Nether around him that would absorb and transmit information to Randidly Nether Sensation Honestly the effect seemed too good
The humming of the Nether bowl cut off abruptly as the strain finally became too much The pseudo ritual collapsed leaving Randidly only to feel through his skin
Congratulations Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep has grown to Level 704
I can see why that broken Master pursued so many Paths and patterns Even now in my own body I feel like IÆm midway through the Path of Blood again glimpsing the edge of the working but unable to quite catch it Randidly opened his eyes and looked down at his hands the serving plate in front of him was empty He had no idea how long he had stood still and savored the pattern that worked around and through him This world even for all the evil and selfish people is an amazing place
Some small inkling brought RandidlyÆs gaze around He met the dull eyes of a familiar face just now walking up over the sand dunes Todd the young kid who had been bullied at Kharon Academy and taught Randidly how to create a Scrawl The greyness in the eyes was unfamiliar but the features hadnÆt shifted that much
Distance didnÆt matter Randidly still rode high on the flow of Nether The press of physical bodies provided no obstruction to the firm connection between them
But in the next moment the emotional gulf between the Todd that Randidly remembered and this one hit him like a gut punch This young kidÆs faith had been shattered Randidly felt the boyÆs pain and the blame and the deep deep sadness that he carried with him The Nether between them snapped into place and Randidly could practically see the arch of his journey He could feel the agony and confusion that it had taken to reach this point
Todd expected Randidly to be a hero but he had allowed the Calamity to ravage Expira
Something within Randidly curled away from this responsibility but as soon as he noticed he firmed his resolve and lifted his chin He wished he hadnÆt done that but Randidly would do the same thing again in order to teach Expira what it would need on the off chance that he could no longer protect the planet
Yet Randidly felt a turbid bubbling in the pit of his stomach The lance of ToddÆs accusation crossed the distance between them and struck at his heart
Thankfully a distraction emerged Through the crowd Randidly saw a strange monster woman with which he felt a certain kinship in the same literal way that the Alpha Cosmos was his body she was a part of his Nether Core foundation But weirdly she began to raise her arms and shriek as they made eye contact