Chapter 764 (1/2)

When Randidly touched his Soulskill, something strange happened. At first, Randidly panicked as he felt his consciousness diffusing, but then he realized that it was somewhat akin to how he felt when using All is Ash and his form dissipated. With a little exertion of will, it was possible to gather himself all up again. But it felt like Randidly dye dropped in water.

As the currents of his world moved, he felt himself spread to the farthest reaches of the Seven Lands. The thin tendrils of his perception spread in a way that was definitely different, and likely a result of the strange connection that he and his Soulskill shared.

Randidly’s first impression was of moving bodies. A vast host of Spriggits and Weavers traveled down the branches to lower lands. At the moment, they were proceeding into the Land of monsters. From them, Randidly could sense mounting tension. His sense of self slid across the fortresses waiting in the way of the host. Those squat, steel buildings were bristling with sharp pieces of metal and the stink of fear.

In terms of size, the host was almost one hundred million. The number came unbidden to Randidly. They moved in a vast, disastrous blob. Behind them lay several lands that were trampled and left hollow. Like a pestilence the descended.

The thin tendrils of Randidly flowed into the host. It was difficult to get specifics, but Randidly could get the gist of the desires of the host.

Escape. Freedom. Heaven. Somewhere else.

With a spiraling precision, Randidly zeroed in on Alta. She stood at the heart of the host, standing before an ancient, grey-haired weaver. Fear and fury were warring across her face in a way that gave Randidly pause. Very gently, he settled into the room.

*****

“What…” Alta stuttered, shaking her head slightly. The weaver and the girl were alone. The old Weaver’s body was as large as a car, but Randidly could sense that beneath its many hairs the actual limbs were stick-thin. “What did you just say…?”

“Not the journey, but the destination you understand,” The Weaver purred. Its voice was thin and weak. “All of it was set into motion by me. You could say… I am more mother to you that the bitch that spawned you. Your parent’s death, the peace you had to experiment, that fire that prods you forward…”

The Weaver paused. It rubbed its two forelimbs together. “Your entire life, dancing to my tune. My only oversight was Creta. How could I expect a no-name servant to become one of the deadliest killers the world has ever seen? But it was convenient. She kept you save from the threats that I couldn’t neutralize myself.”

“I-I knew,” Alta stuttered. She finally seemed capable enough to focus her gaze on the Weaver. “This whole time, I’ve known the Council of Fates-”

“Let’s not beat around the bush, girl.” The Weaver interrupted. “The Council of Fates is the name that my errand boys have invented to make themselves feel important. All of the actions they took were orchestrated by me. I do hate the stereotypes of my race, but… I sat in my web and pulled the strings for the last two hundred years to get to this point.”

“Your plan-” Alta tried again, her hands clenched into fists.

But the Weaver’s thin voice cut through hers without difficulty. “-will go off without a hitch. I know of the critical flaw you built into the machinery. Your plan to siphon so much strength from the world tree is brilliant; you Spriggit’s always had the most amusing ideas. But did you truly think I would blindly trust a girl who I trimmed and pruned like a garden? Who holds the flowers of one thousand years of hatred?”

With great care, the Weaver lifted itself up off of the ground and took several steps toward Alta. “Do you think that hate that has animated you is your own? Ah, child, you are not so special a creature as that. I made you with the seeds I have nurtured for a millennia. The Progenitor has forgotten us. That foolish man owes us much but refuses to return here to pay the piper. So I needed a weapon. Something so large and violent that he would pay attention. And you have performed splendidly.”

“I-”

“Have served your purpose. You have created weapons capable of decimating the countryside. You have taken energy from the world and destabilized climates. You have bred fear and suspicion in the populace. And you have cultivated enough political support that your idea to open a door to the Land of the Progenitor was considered seriously. And once the people caught wind of it… well…”

Randidly sighed with a certain resignation even if he was just an invisible strand of consciousness in the room with the two. Perhaps because of their connection, Randidly felt that this scene was too familiar. He too had been confronted with a Creature that had bred him with a purpose. And she had found him to be an excellent experiment. So much so that the Creature had attempted to stop him so she could take advantage of the strange patterns Randidly had introduced to the System.

So Alta’s response was also unsurprising.

“Fuck you,” She swore quietly with smoldering eyes. “Maybe that’s true. Maybe all of that is true. But do you think that will prevent me from killing you right now and stopping it?”