Chapter 2188

Chapter 2188

To Lowanna, the way she hid her true feelings within her small comments almost became a farce. “Nether King Hightower, to think you would also enjoy the scenic vistas around Wyndaos. What a pleasant surprise,”

Around them, the Hollow Plains seemed to shiver, raising itself to be at attention for what followed.

She paused in her gesticulations, turning and laying her chin upon the hand of her left arm. Her tone possessed none of her usual humor. The wind whispered around the group, almost afraid to draw attention to itself. Next to him, Nether King Hightower straightened. Enmya had led the Nether King out through the rings to one of Lowanna’s usual haunts. He didn’t know what was worse; that she waited in all her ornate finery or that she sat in front of the spheric absence in the ground that she had told him she stored her regret in, a few days prior.

Enmya averted his eyes as he moved to his Arbiter’s side. She did not attempt to make light of the burden she bore this time. She seemed immovable as she sat in front of them, as solid and heavy as a mountain range. Her words possessed enough depth to ring in their chests, even as a whisper. When she spoke, the entire world listened.

Nether King Hightower had sculpted his form to be a heavy golem of pale sandstone. His carved features moved slowly as he bowed in respect. His manner was why Enmya had chosen him. “Please forgive the intrusion. But I must beg that the Arbiter intercede in the travesty developing. The Aether rabble gathers their forces, committing atrocities against our people and then complaining when we seek well-deserved justice. At this rate, they will begin raiding Nether Kings along the border.”

“Do you,” Again, the voice hammered against their bodies. The impossible weight of so many Phaea made her powerful beyond imagination. Even Enmya had difficulty resisting the urge to tremble. “Have a conflict for me to judge?”

Despite the power in her tone, Hightower was not cowed. His brow slowly crinkled while his spine remained straight. Nether Kings stood apart from the usual Tier Hierarchy of the other Nether roles, unique due to their acceptance of Phaea from other Nether entities. However, Nether King Hightower had been a rare Tier Six Nether Warrior previously, meaning his Nether had been incredibly pure before his ascension. “... the conflict has not erupted, but if we wait, the costs will increase. In addition, to fuel the war effort, additional Black Wicker Seeds will let us strangle the life out of the Aether-”

“I will offer you free advice,” The Arbiter smiled, slowly, cruelly. The wind above Wyndaos picked up, urged from whispering to howling by her emotions. The few unlucky kites in the sky were snatched up and crunched against the ground by a wind with only the concern of spiraling around their position. “The coming war will not be without immense costs. The longer we wait, the more those costs will decrease. So. We. Wait.”

For a split second, the wind died completely. Without the movements of air, the presence of Nether around Lowanna’s body became increasingly obvious. Enmya’s face distorted; he hated seeing Lowanna like this. But without the sound of the wind to trick the ear, a low hum emerged. The hum came from Lowanna’s limbs, her eyes blazing as she endured the grind, the fabric of existence in a constant state of tearing underneath the pressure of her presence and healing itself. Strange, vicious energies associated with tears in existence crackled along her body, even as she remained entirely still.

Before the full force of the Nether Arbiter, Nether King Hightower could only bow and retreat with his people. The wind scoured the ground after he departed, all remnants of his presence on the Hollow Plains scraped away.

When they were out of sight, all the sense of weight vanished. Lowanna stood, somehow keeping her bells silent through the movement, and drew several currents of Nether out of her body and sent them into the hole. Lowanna seemed light and free, but Enmya understood that, in fact, this sort of careless effect took more effort than all of the furious power she had revealed to cow the Nether King.

“...simply providing additional Black Wicker Seeds to them will reassure the Nether Kings,” Enmya finally broached the topic he had been dancing around for the last week.

All his maneuvering overturned as an adult might do to a child.

However, she still shook her heavy head. “You miss the point, however. The same point the other Nether Kings and Nether Heralds have been forgetting for generations. Methods matter just as much as outcomes, with Nether. You cannot erase the sins of the past; for us, they become us, just as surely as our victories. We might delay the arrival of our downfall, but only in short gasps. And those actions will make our eventual breaking so much the worse. No matter how much I think, I see no patterns that allow us to escape.”

With the Hollow Plains around them, it was difficult to overcome the finality of her words. Yet he tried.

“You...” Enmya licked his lips. “...are not infallible.”

“Ha! And that, Enmya, is both definitely true and exactly why you’ve always been my Nether Herald.” She beamed at him, visibly pleased. “Few others would have both your loyalty and the spine to point out not to get too wrapped up in my own predictions. Yes, yes, perhaps I’m entirely wrong and a hero will emerge to shatter the horrible restrictive caste system and the short-sighted mentality of our people.”

Enmya grimaced. “You cannot call me a Nether Herald any longer. You know that. If they would hear you-”

Then Enmya cursed, suddenly seeing that Lowanna had been the one to arrange this entire conversation, guiding them to this point. “...you believe this independent, deviant Nether King is the key, then. A variable, one small enough to escape your predictions, that will have an effect on the future. A chaotic gamble, at best.”

Some of Lowanna’s cheer faded. “There are no small variables, only squinted eyes before large patterns. But, well, I admit you have a point. I do not have much hope this one will come to anything productive. Especially considering his moniker, which seems to embody the worst of the gluttony displayed by the King of Bone. Have you heard what they call him?”

Of course Enmya had; he had been monitoring the situation since he first learned of it. “Nether King Hungry Eye.”

“How positively monstrous,” Lowanna clicked her tongue. “Yet what choice do we have? Within the week, gather up a team of our greatest warriors in Wyndaos. You will lead them, Enmya. All our strongest. A failure once is unexpected, but a second failure will not be tolerated. Go to the area around Malloon and make contact with Nether King Hungry Eye.”

Enmya felt bewildered for a second, being ordered to do exactly what he wanted to do. His gaze sharpened, the gears of his mind turning, trying to figure out the possibilities. “And Westrisser and his horrid experiments.

Lowanna’s gaze turned heavy. “My judgment remains the same. For the crime of ripping out the hearts of Nether Kings... he needs to be eliminated.”