Chapter 1807

Chapter 1807

The group was an awkward one as they stood in a loose jumble and considered one another. While Edraine and Velio Dunn had struggled to pry open first the Patron of Blades and then Abyss’s cells, the Patron of the Sun and the Patron of Blooms both returned. They seemed to slip easily back into the Sanctum. However, their expressions were unreadable as they watched the two other Patrons being liberated.

Neither offered any explanation of where they had gone or what they had done.

Despite how brutal the work was to release the Patrons, Edraine felt a sense of disappointment as they finished. It was still far away from becoming anything concrete, but she began to feel the tantalizing sensation of a new method of leveraging her image. To her surprise, her time in the Sanctum had been a great benefit to her personally. Having a barrier with sufficient strength allowed her to test out a lot of methods she had only theorized in the past.

Now it just remains to be seen whether anything good will come from liberating these thankless Patrons, Edraine thought as she examined them. The Patron of Blades, a remarkably mild older man with grey hair and a slender build, turned to Edraine and cocked an eyebrow. From his expression, he had read her thoughts and mocked her gently for her skepticism.

Luckily, the rest seemed to be too caught up in regarding each other warily to notice her lack of faith in their abilities. The Patron of the Abyss was a pulsing purple amoeba that both the Patron of the Sun and the Patron of Blooms regarded warily, leaving only Velio to step forward and speak.

“Now that you are all free, I think it’s time to talk about the next steps,” Velio said. His expression began to twist. “As we discussed earlier, there is never going to be a better time than now to strike; the forces of the Nexus are in disarray. Those that haven’t yet will soon begin fighting against themselves to jockey for better position in the aftermath. If we strike at some of the aggregate Aether pumps, we can cripple the Nexus-”

“Touching the Aether lines will draw the attention of Elhume without delay,” The Patron of Blades said quietly. His eyes were intense with an obvious desire to act, but he shook his head at the prospect. “Despite everything else- perhaps because of how he betrayed us, it’s obvious that we cannot face him directly. Without a better plan than hacking at the Aether supply, we should remain in the shadows and gather information.”

“Still, we won’t have another opportunity-” Velio urged, but he was stopped by a raised hand from the Patron of the Sun.

“Truth be told, none of us quite knows what happened back then. We were betrayed, yes, and very quickly Elhume gave the rest of us Patrons up to appease the other factions, but we were not there when the betrayal happened. That’s why...”

“That’s why we still live,” The Patron of the Abyss hissed. Small orange sunbursts of orange light radiated out from its body.

For several seconds, there was a heavy silence. Then the Patron of Blooms cleared her throat. “During my examination of the Nexus, I discovered traces of some of our previously liberated fellows. For whatever reason, the Patron of Feathers’ trail was particularly strong. I believe that before we attempt to plan anything, we should get a better understand of what occurred. Hopefully, we can capture her and figure out the current situation. The Patron of Feathers was there, along with the Patron of Truth and the Borrowed, right at the end of the ritual.”

Edraine cleared her throat and spoke for the first time since they had liberated the Patrons. Her curiosity moved her, even as she tried to find a few concrete details that she could use in the future. “May I ask, what do you think happened?”

The Patron of the Sun’s face darkened. The Patron of Blooms flexed her wrapped vine body. The Patron of Blades sighed.

The Patron of the Abyss answered her. “Elhume must have run out of power. He felt his limits... and considering his pride, likely panicked. So he devoured the Patron of the Borrowed, the weakest of us, and the Patron of the Truth, the most trusting of us, to accomplish his mad desire.”

...

Congratulations! Your Skill Natural Insight (A) has grown to Level 401!

Congratulations! Your Skill Cutting Tides of Amenonuhoko (T) has grown to Level 515!

Congratulations! Your Skill Natural Insight (A) is absorbing your insights! Synchronicity detected!

Congratulations! Your Skill Natural Insight (A) has evolved into Philosophy within the Boundless Deluge (M)! Skill Levels will be maintained. Your ability to recognize patterns has greatly increased. Your touch has the slightest hint of charm to loose natural energy. Effects increase with Skill Level.

Congratulations! Your Skill Conviction of the Celestial Cataclysm (T) has grown to Level 570!

Randidly cackled; he couldn’t help himself. He had closed the distance between himself and the storm. The feeling of having the capability to resist directly was a good one.

BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOOM-BOOM

He jogged forward, standing in the middle of his hijacked wind blade orb. His hands and tail were in constant motion, orchestrating the waves of natural energy that resisted the constant bombardment from the storm. At this point, the clouds had darkened to a pure black. It lingered above him like an inkblot. The consciousness at the core was totally focused on Randidly, unleashing a constant rain of triple wind blades.

Congratulations! Your Skill Philosophy within the Boundless Deluge (M) has grown to Level 402!

But Randidly didn’t mind. As he proceeded forward, his understanding of his of the Grand Pattern deepened and he could use his mobile maelstrom to match the attacks from above. Even with the physical restriction from being forced from the path, he made a steady pace. However...

Randidly grimaced at the space in front of him, even as he continued to battle against the constant attacks. Time to step onto the third tier, huh?

A gorge ran through the mountain in front of him. The other side was cloaked in a thin mist. As it had previously, his perception was almost completely blocked. A thin rope bridge swayed across the gap, completely free of wind blades. Even though it stunk like a trap, Randidly refused to back down. He had built up plenty of momentum.

He was ready.

He stepped onto the bridge that divided the second and third tiers.