Chapter 921 (1/2)

Randidly stood after the one hour break. Helen was still slowly applying bandages to her wounds. Her body was crisscrossed with small little cuts that oozed blood. Although she was able to suppress the strength of Donnyton’s Squads, she sustained significant wounds while doing so.

And it was clear from her periodic twitches that she was deeply humiliated by this fact.

“You did well,” Randidly said lightly. “They were not weak. And considering how difficult it is to transition through my Domain-”

“You don’t need to comfort me,” Helen grumbled. “I won. Let’s not dwell on the irrelevant details.”

Chuckling, Randidly nodded. Then he looked up at the crowds that were slowly drifting back to their seats after the break. Only a few minutes remaining, now.

Compared to the noise they were making when the challenge started, the people of Donnyton were much more reserved. They moved quietly, muttering to each other as they shifted into their seats. They had full stomachs and heavy hearts, slowly processing what they had witnessed in the earlier two rungs of the Hound’s Ladder.

Randidly’s eyes moved to the arena. Once more it had been repaired, but they hadn’t thought to wash away the bloodstains that sprinkled the ground. Most of it was trampled away, but wide splotches of rust-colored dried blood had begun to stain the arena.

This place had been marked. It would never be the same.

Which was the point. Truth was always a difficult weight to bear. Facing the proof of your own weakness was doubly difficult to swallow. More and more images slithered through the air to join with Randidly’s Crown of Upheaval and Gloom. Slowly, the weight that he was forced to bear was growing as he relieved the people of Donnyton of their feelings of security.

Randidly closed his eyes. Although he walked down a path that was similar to the Spearman’s Randidly did not fear it. I will not be the monster that he became. I do not think that I’m any more perfect than these people. No, my opinions might be even more suspect. With the Creature, and my time on Tellus… I have been warped.

When Randidly’s eyes sprung open, his emerald gaze was clear. But they need to watch. This time of building has softened their edge. The people of Donnyton need to remember how desperate our position truly is. The Calamities… will not die as conveniently as we wish.

Better I take that fear onto myself now than they need to learn it the hard way from a being who was designed to kill…

“I’ll be ready in time for the next challenge.” Helen finally said.

Randidly waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. You felt it, right? It’s easy to grow while struggling like this alone. Sit out this one, and we will work together on the next one.”

“I’m not a child,” Helen hissed. “I don’t need you to baby me.”

The corner of Randidly’s mouth quirked up. This was the Helen that he knew. She had been altogether too accepting of his orders since he had agreed she could participate in the challenge. It was good to see that dutiful glow was wearing off. It was much easier to count on the vicious Helen than the quiet one.

“It’s not about babying. You felt it too, right? That fight was close to your limit.” Randidly said calmly. “Take this time to refine your image. Otherwise… will you be able to help me against the later rungs?”

“Well, when they don’t fucking come two hundred at a time,” Helen muttered darkly. But she sat back down and began to meditate. Very quickly, the air around Helen began to swirl with dark currents. Energy from the bloody arena flowed toward her, pooling above her sitting form.

With those raw materials, Helen could begin to create for herself an even more dangerous and detailed image. It wasn’t as though the only benefit of the challenge was to protect Donnyton. Randidly had no doubt that he and Helen would grow a significant amount from these perspectives.

Randidly cracked his knuckles. It was time for him to get prepared as well. The Squads Sixty through Forty-one were forming up into eight groups. A quick scan with Randidly’s Aether Detection Skill made it obvious that these fighters were at a whole different level. The air of competence around them was palpable.

Smiling quietly, Randidly stood before them, stretching his hands and flexing his fingers. The Tinglesilk Gloves draped across his hands, leaving a familiar tingle as they brushed against his skin. Honestly, the constant feeling of numbness was relatively exhilarating. It certainly meant that Randidly would never forget that he was on a battlefield.

Acri crawled down from around his neck and straightened into his rigid spear form. Randidly’s grip tightened on his shaft. So far, Randidly had only needed to rely on his new combined Skillset of the Ashen Phantom. He hadn't really even had the chance to showcase the new armor that Sam had made for him.

But this group was, on average, about six Levels higher than the prior group. And as everyone was past the Level 50 marker, each Level was a struggle. This, then, was finally the Squads of Donnyton that fought valiantly in the trenches. Not those that shined, but those that were dependable.

This was the last bulwark of Donnyton’s image, Randidly could sense. It floated above the entire arena, clear in the tense silence that had seized the crowd.

Donnyton had suffered losses in the past. Grievous losses that left deep wounds. The attack by the Nemesai only a few days ago was just another example of a setback that took the town by surprise.

Yet there was a group that always threw themselves in the way of threats. They were the true bulwark that created peace of mind for the average individual living in this world. When you grew to the size of Donnyton, you couldn’t avoid taking punches.

What really mattered was how Donnyton responded to the cheap shot. These Squads had been that response for the past year.

I don’t mean to say you all must be warriors, I am not the Spearman. Killing is not the only path forward. Randidly thought sadly as he looked out at the intent crowd. How many people were here? Ten thousand? Twenty thousand? And it seemed like even more were lining the space above the quarry as he considered the wide sea of people. More and more people were finishing their day’s labor and hurrying over to see this historic day.