Chapter 2091

Chapter 2091

Randidly walked to the edge of the alley to get a better idea of their position. They remained in a relatively rich part of town, albeit more middle class than the mansion studded section where Drane Swacc lived. Fewer gardens, more business. A few people walked around in the nearby street, so concerned with their own business they didn’t see a Nether King in black robes poking his head out of the alley.

Randidly scratched his cheek. Part of him figured this would be easier to take off his robe to blend in with the average person, but people’s reaction last time had been just as sharp and demanding. Affiliation mattered in the Second Cohort. And without knowing what the various colors meant, it seemed like a gamble to just make a robe in a random hue.

He glanced back into the alley, where Bogart was finally groaning back to his feet. Better to leave these two here-

Randidly paused as the Nether Ritual twinged again, urging him forward. His smile became wicked as something occurred to him. Ah, of course. No wonder the new Undersecretary was so quick to agree to an agreement with a Nether King. He will be the one pushing for higher security for the upcoming events, to solidify his power. And what better excuse than a murdered merchant in the heart of Malloon to justify that? He will likely make speeches about uniting in the face of tragedy, of not forgetting joy even during the most dangerous of times.

Well, let’s see if we can disappoint him.

“The two of you are free to go. I will not hold you here. However, if you want my assistance leaving the city, and are willing to answer my questions, you should wait here until dark. I’ll return”

“We will be here, Nether King,” Demetrius inclined his aged head. Behind his back, Bogart shot Randidly a vicious glance.

Shrugging, Randidly turned away; whatever trouble they got into while he was away was their own business. He would be annoyed if they ditched him, but not too much so. No one deserved to be locked away by a Swacc.

With a light hop, he propelled his body to roof level. His feet touched the slanted, tile-covered roof and Randidly blinked. He felt a strange sense of rejection on the roof that grew steadily stronger, like the pulse of an electric fence. The feeling was actually quite unpleasant.

His eyes went to the edge of the roof; an Engraving there flared angrily, pushing him to leave as quickly as possible, lest he attract its wrath. Electromagnetic, dimensional-wall caliber resistance it was not, but it was clearly designed to grab attention.

Of course, it took Randidly all of a single moment to understand the Engraving and remove the ‘lock’ that prevented him from being accepted, even with only a fistful of Aether. He scanned the surrounding buildings, finding slight variations on the same defense in every direction. The buildings in the area were all attached to small security systems. Randidly felt vaguely impressed. Even if a defense like this wouldn’t stop someone truly powerful, it likely did a lot against mundane burglars.

For a few minutes, Randidly examined the surrounding defenses and constructed his skeleton key. Then he began to move rapidly across the rooftop, heading in the direction indicated by Drane’s Nether Ritual.Visitt novelbin(.)co/m for the latest updates

He moved from the upper-scale residential area into a shopping plaza. Wide, well-maintained roads led around a series of heavy jade statues. Along the sides were anthropomorphic badgers standing next to high stacks of raw lumber and ore, for those who wanted to buy in bulk. Through the wide windows, Randidly could see the finished products being sold within, undoubtedly at a quite hefty markup.

Bringing his hand to his chest, Jotem said. “I would know. It was I who sponsored the malicious, spineless, grotesque-necked poison back when he was still a whelp. With an open hand, I provided a job as an assistant and gave my ringing endorsement of his work when he moved to start his own mercantile firm. And now-”

Jotem fixated on Randidly. “Now you. An angel of death, simultaneously unexpected and inevitable. Ah, the poetry inherent to your existence moves me, even now, even with my approaching demise...”

Randidly felt bemused to hear the tangential thoughts of this being while simultaneously feeling the struggles of the Nether Ritual in his left arm. It sensed the proximity and demanded immediate satisfaction. Sulfur enjoyed its tightening grip.

The floating figure swam through the air, graceful and effortless. He descended in front of Randidly and spread his arms wide. Clearly, the expectation of death had him positively swooning with emotion. “Please, no more of this dwelling; were you also required to torture me before my fire was snuffed? But as I was with Drane, I will be generous with you. I will not fight. Do your cruel work and be done with it.”

He closed his eyes. Randidly scratched the side of his nose. It was strange that this man couldn’t read the significance, which very clearly indicated nothing of note would happen in the next few minutes. He cleared his throat. “...do you have somewhere you can go? Outside of Malloon.”

The rain began to fall harder, pelting the glass windows. Thunder crackled with enough force to shake the building, even through the defensive barrier around the city. Randidly wondered how dangerous the storms were outside.

“What?” Jotem seemed confused, but it got him to open his eyes again.

Shrugging, Randidly said. “Don’t misunderstand why I’m here. Today is not the day you die if you wish to continue living. All that is required is that I get rid of you. If you have a place outside of the city... well, go there.”

His face creased with anger. Once more his body puffed up. “Here I am, baring my soul to you, and you take the time to needle me further?!? Do not give me false hope. My whole life-”

“You are an origin beast, yes?” Randidly interrupted. Based on the strange life energy he sensed out of Jotem and the easy mastery of gravity the man possessed, he felt relatively confident in this assessment. “A powerful, influential race, even if you have fallen on hard times. I have the utmost respect for you; I have received quite a bit of inspiration from your fellows. As such, I would not lie to you. All I’m required to do is get you to leave.”

The Nether Ritual on Randidly’s arm seemed confused. Its constant urgings loosened.

“Just a half-Origin Beast, but... You speak with an honest heart and tongue?” Jotem gaped at him. “This... I do have a small far only a short distance from the city. If I am allowed to live the rest of my life there- what can I do to repay you?”

“Actually,” Randidly offered a small smile. “I was hoping you would let myself-” He adjusted his initial statement based upon the Nether beings he had rescued. “-and a few others stay with you for a while. What do you say?”