Chapter 1940

Chapter 1940

Two Lancers sat on the hill over B’s Crossing, scanning the horizon for threats as the sun crept up and stretched into the day into wakefulness. They were not alone on their high outlook. A few surveyors combing through the hills for the best real estate spots observed them occasionally, but largely gave the two a wide berth; if the Order Ducis was the political entity that had the Ghosthound’s blessing, the Lancers were his army.

For all that some political entities had flirted with anti-Ghosthound sentiments, none of them were willing to stand up and antagonize an actual opponent, which the Lancers were definitely willing to be.

Both of these two lancers had come because they had heard through their vague information network that the Ghosthound had been dining here, but had been too late to actually see him. They felt some manner of disappointment, but neither were a very strong example of their kind. They were freshly born, content to follow the lapping waves of cohesion that came from their connection to the Crusade, rather than striking out on their own like the more powerful Lancers. They were still one of many

Neither had yet decided what sort of individuals they would like to become without the support of the Crusade. Even the word, individual, seemed hollow and ominous in their minds. They spoke it as little as possible, instead focusing on concrete tasks. Protection, patrol, examination... those were safer topics.Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com

For now, they stood in silence, words unnecessary. They just waited for the sun to creep higher and for more impulses to come to them. They were reaction, incarnate.

To their surprise, something did arrive and sent their senses tingling. They felt it through the network of Lancers before it arrived, even some of the overwhelmingly powerful individuals amongst their number sending out warning ripples of alarm. Both of the two stiffened to feel the tension. What approached wasn’t categorized as a bad thing, but the uniformity of Lancers' surprise made them nervous.

It came slowly, first swirling about their heels with lolling tongues and bright eyes of anticipation. Then the change breathed a humid exhale on the back of their necks and laughed as they shivered. Then it sank into their skin, leaving the two powerless to resist the change that came over them. One leaned forward, a sharp pain tearing its way out of its midsection. The other couldn’t stop moving its fingers, its weapon becoming near scalding.

Yet never for an instant did it consider releasing the serviceable ax.

Their armor darkened and their limbs lengthened under the influence of this force. The duo’s steeds huffed and pawed at the ground, nervous due to the display. And soon they were affected too, the settling mist covering the two horses and sharpening their edges, adding smolder to their eyes. From horses, they became hellhounds.

Across all of Expira, the Lancers of the Baleful Crusade housed remnant spirits of the Nether Beasts. Something primal and violent seeped into their pure spirits, tipping the group, just slightly toward aggression. Their explosive power increased.

With a roar, the left of the duo hopped down off his horse and allowed a massive spined tail to erupt from his lower back. Ichor dripped off the stinger and sizzled against the dirt ground. Blood and ripped skin drizzled down after it. As for the other Lancer, his back cracked as the muscles of his shoulders bulged outward. His arms lengthened further and his fingers tightened around the shaft of his ax.

Congratulations! You have completed the Throne to Nether Homage IV Path! From the abandoned wilderness, you wade deeper into the miasma and find the exposed bones of a city. Most of the taller buildings have ossified and collapsed, but you can still see some of its shape amongst the ruins. Yet you pause, feeling a more sinister danger lurking ahead.

Again, the projection shifted. Randidly walked among those abandoned buildings, the Nether flows having swollen into something more caustic and violent. He traced the lines that attempted to weave a net for him and snorted. Randidly’s perception moved outward and began to work through the intervening distance.

This Path was difficult, but not impossible. Soon, the knot in this abandoned village unraveled and revealed the reward.

Congratulations! You have broken through to a deeper layer of this mystery! Dreadful Alacrity (A) +250! Your Nether flows have become increasingly smooth. Change continues to bubble up from the base of your Nether Core, hinting at a more influential transformation that will be forthcoming.

Congratulations! You have completed the Throne to Nether Homage V Path! The darkness condenses into physical forms in order to fight against you. However, your own momentum and the force of the army that you bring behind you manages to overpower all opposition. Compared to the pulsing heart of darkness, the force in front of you doesn’t manage to slow you down.

You arrive at the core of an ancient empire, a place where Nether once ruled. You can feel the dried remnants of the energy pathways, a hint of the old energy still trickling through them. In an ancient hall built of granite, you find a specter staring at its own shadow. Without looking up from the darkness, it raises its sword in challenge- if you want to proceed, the only option is overcoming this adversity.

Randidly fell into the new projection, feeling exasperated at how labor-intensive these Paths were proving to be. He stabilized his mind and began to attack the Nether flows in the projection. Very quickly, he began chewing on his lip. Compared to the previous attempts, the fifth Path in the sequence possessed a high degree of difficulty. Yet as Randidly toiled, he felt himself improving.

Compared to the others, this one was much more useful for improving his own Skill. His mind hummed and began to overheat as he exhausted possibility after possibility in order to proceed. But eventually, the dark figure that symbolized the opposition broke apart into separate Nether flows and Randidly pierced his way forward.

Congratulations! You walk into the grand hall of this place, looking around at the high walls and the stark architecture. This is a place that has not seen another living soul in quite some time. However, as you approach the final room, you see a pulsing orb of light. Intelligence +300!

As you approach the pulsing orb of light, it activates of its own accord. You hear a voice begin to speak. Welcome. If you are hearing this, I suspect that you are Randidly Ghosthound. Very few others possess your potential with Nether; none should receive this message before you.

I have a few things to say. But most importantly, I owe you a favor. You freed me from the frontlines. Perhaps it was an action done without thought, but it deeply affected my life. For that, I am grateful. We have encountered each other in the past, but it was never the right time to reveal our connection; only when you possess the requisite Nether understanding will my gift to you become clear.

But as a small part of the repayment I owe you, I offer one truth: Do not trust Solomon Rex.