Chapter 2084

Chapter 2084

Byuresk walked slowly at the front of the group, heading through the outskirts of Tatem to where the Nether Kings were waiting. His eyes kept flicking up to the sky. All he could sense was a vague threat, which made him grit his teeth. As head of the security force for the council, how can I be so useless as to let this happen again...? If that bastard Dello makes a push to unseat me using this as an excuse, how can I-

He pressed his eyes shut. Those thoughts were selfish. He couldn’t have them dominating his mind right now, while the crisis was still ongoing. The Nether Kings would sense it. They would cleave at his weakness and bleed Tatem dry. The unfortunate truth was the other four members of the Council gave him complete freedom in responding to Nether threats. At the time he assumed his position last year, Byuresk was slightly impressed by their reasonable handling of the situation. The head of security could not function if he needed to get all of his decisions approved by several other individuals.

Now he understood it was just so all of the blame would rest solely on his shoulders. In its current state, Tatem being threatened was an inevitability. Visitt novelbin(.)co/m for the latest updates

Still, he schooled his face and kept his expression dignified as they crossed through the less sophisticated houses to reach the South gate. Especially because his adoptive daughter had finally taken an interest in his job, requesting to follow him to the meeting place and witness the transaction. For that, Byuresk felt slightly proud.

Clearly, she was moved by his heroism and constant toil.

She might not be his biological daughter, but he truly wanted the best for her. The honor she might someday obtain, due to her illustrious lineage, would reflect well back on him. Perhaps he might someday become famous for his generosity. She would thank him publicly, after coming into her own power and winning a massive victory over Nether forces. All the crowd would come to their feet, bringing their hands together-

Byuresk licked his lips, his eyes slightly glazed. At a time like this, the brief escape of a daydream was a much-needed relief.

The houses continued to degrade, the further from the plaza they moved. Faces peeped out of nearly shut windows before quickly withdrawing, radiating an intense fear. Rusted metal leaned against the propped up houses, a testament to how much wealth had been sucked out of Tatem recently by the consistent raids.

As they moved, Byuresk observed the strange Nether King Randidly Ghosthound moving behind him. The man definitely had a physical body and also released slight image reverberations. Yet within his chest clearly churned a powerful Nether Core. Byuresk found himself almost angry at the contradiction. How could one individual house both energies? How powerful would be be wielding both?

The Ghosthound’s eyes moved frequently, seeming to examine every inch of Tatem. He felt slightly uncomfortable at the intensity of his examination: the Nether King seemed to be searching for something, but he wasn’t sure what that was. Occasionally, his eyes would flick upward. He wondered what the trap looked like to this creature of Nether.

He desires information? Possibly. Just what sort of information could he find at this small outpost? Byuresk clenched his fist.

To distract himself, he sent a message to Llewella. You experienced this Nether King’s power directly. Will he be able to help us?

Her response was immediate. Perhaps. I... I am of the opinion that he must be heavily wounded after the confrontation. In our brief clash, he overwhelmed me with a single, physical palm strike. However, he didn’t mobilize Nether at all, even when my blow landed. He is perhaps teetering on collapse. Relying on him... might be unwise. Such individuals can be unpredictable.

Byuresk paused and allowed the guards and the Nether King to walk past. Randidly Ghosthound glanced sideways at him, but just moved past without comment, still examining the surroundings with such care. Pursing his lips, Byuresk began to move once more. Nothing in his gait suggested an injury. He exuded confidence, despite the strange mixture of energies he possessed.

Byuresk’s attention fixated on the strange hungry eye drawn in gold thread on his black robes. Perhaps it was the subtle motions of his back, but the few broad strokes seemed to stir. He tore his eyes away, a cold feeling in his chest; an image fragment seemed to be bleeding out of just the thread and robe to affect the surroundings. If it could even affect Byuresk, it must indeed be powerful. Next to the Nether King, the Herald continued to jabber in a low voice.

The right Nether King loudly sucked on his large and flat teeth. “Unbelievable. How much do you offer to ransom yourself, boy? Out of respect, it will not be expensive.”

After scanning the environment one more time, Randidly shook his head. “I don’t think your Ritual can hold me. I won’t need to ransom myself. I’m just here to speak on behalf of the town of Tatem.”

Into this space, Byuresk stepped forward to stand next to Randidly. “Most of our forces were attending to the needs of Nether King... Hungry Eye. You struck while we were in peaceful discussions with another of your representatives. Therefore-”

“Shut your useless mouth,” The big Nether King looked at Byuresk in irritation. “Your shitty town wouldn’t even be such a weakling if you would simply acknowledge the usability of Engravings. Amongst the tribes, you are a joke.”

The saber-wielding woman stepped angrily forward. “Why the hell would we utilize filthy methods based on the insanity of the rival faction? Their fanaticism will be the death of us all. Power that does not come from an experience in the present-”

With another tsk, the massive Nether King casually whipped his arm sideways. A casual movement for Randidly, but the limb was probably invisible to everyone else. Randidly hand flicked out, a dense spike of Nether impacting his palm and ricocheting off. The woman yelped and scrambled backward.

“You really mean to protect them, King Hungry Eye?” The smaller Nether King Ioot asked. Her fingers thoughtfully tapped the edge of her mask, as though ascertaining its material.

Randidly winced inwardly at the name but nodded. “I have some business with them. I would appreciate if you withdrew, as a favor to me.”

Both Nether Kings just looked at Randidly for several seconds. He forced himself to relax, which became easier as the saber-woman’s image was finally eliminated from his shoulder. His Nether Core revved a little more. Yet obviously he was worried. Because he had no idea about the context of these attacks, how often they occurred, how important they would be to the Nether forces. He had been dropped into the middle of this memory and had wandered around, but now he brushed up against some serious forces.

Yet to his surprise, the right Nether King ended the silence by smiling at Randidly like he was an old friend. “...alright, have it your way. However, two points about this agreement. One, you will owe both of us a favor in the future. And second, we still need a single, symbolic captive to leave with our pride.”

From the surge of relief that came from Byuresk, Randidly knew that this was a good deal. Even if the fate of that individual would likely not be kind.

“If I might have a suggestion,” Ioot said. She raised a long hand and pointed back amongst the guards. “There is no need to look too far, any would suffice, really. Amongst the guards is a girl-child, without any power about her. She will be our captive. The one with the gorgeous red hair. Even if she possesses little fighting acumen, she has... an auspicious spirit.”

Randidly stiffened. Even when Ioot began speaking, he felt Nether beginning to move. His Nether Core revved slightly. There was only one individual who they could be talking about. He barely resisted the urge to look back. Why... is she here?

“Is there a problem?” Ioot probed. Her eyes gleamed.

Next to him, Byuresk lowered his head and looked at the ground. Randidly could feel the muscles along the man’s jaw working. His mustache trembled slightly. Yet when he raised his head again, the man nodded. “This is acceptable.”