My damn vision''s too blurry. I can''t see what''s going on. Luckily Reality''s Edge Purification may not be passive but it''s mostly subconsciously controlled when I''m using it on myself. I can barely think straight. What the hell was that needle coated in? The only thing I can figure out for sure is that it wasn''t meant to kill me. They were trying to kidnap me?


    Goofy dude, you could have just pushed through it. That wall of wind might look impressive but other than sliding you a bit it''s just flashy bluff. Now, if I had some metal shavings...have to file that thought.


    Here I am, making your small deception into truth. If you have no intention of dealing decisively with malcontents don''t draw my name or reputation into your actions. If a similar situation happens again I may contrive to allow you some suffering before coming to your aid, least you believe that you may hide your actions behind my threat.”


    In that short time, old man river drowned one. Damn, he doesn''t play. Wait, unless he busted dude''s lungs, CPR should be able to bring him back. They''re not even gonna try? Should I care? The least I can do is try to clarify something before letting the guy, who was probably the one who darted me, enter permanent corpse status.


    Were you reading a medical journal or Victorian smut, old man?


    Damn, you really stuffed that water in there hard, Glaucous.


    “This isn''t necessarily bad. As long as you bring that one back for me to question then I''ll not hold slight against you for circumventing my justice, Wren,” Glaucous interjected in Wren''s mind.


    “Not to sound unappreciative of your intervention on my behalf because I appreciate the hell out of it. But if it comes to a matter of justice, since it was my neck with the needle sticking out of it, I say let bygones be bygones if he walks the line from here on out. Go easy on the kid.”


    “Failed or not, you were not his only target and he is 19, three years beyond majority in this culture. Still, I can concede mercy out of gratitude as long as Eldest Suncave releases claim against him.”


    Sigh, why you gotta be so mean dude?


    something to happen but it''s not like I can see the future. To be honest, ever since opening my eyes in an unfamiliar underground city, I didn''t know whether to laugh or cry. That conflicting feeling hasn''t faded with time,” Wren said, gingerly picking the dangling needle out of Rohn''s skin before continuing, “Something that would help me stay on the positive side of my delicate emotional equilibrium would be hearing you say that you''ll give this little guy a chance to make up for his mistake.”


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Still counts as a slow motion entrance. This might be a dangerous thought to be having in front of an entity that could end me in or maybe even with a breath but dude, SME''s are for beautiful teenagers and cheesy super villains. When grown ass men do it, it kinda comes off either tacky or pretentious. Did he just stumble a little bit? Hey, not my fault. I have the shield up and everything so if he heard me that means he''s eavesdropping and thought policing is a crime.


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    Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! He looks pissed...


    you your place!? Or do you get a kick out of scrambling a kid''s brains and having an entire civilization tremble in fear of your wrath. Perhaps that''s exactly what your brother had in mind when he asked you to watch over his descendants.” At that point, if Glaucous wasn''t too shocked at the little ant to squash him yet, Wren would have never had the chance to say, “Sure, some of them have wronged you and continue to wrong you but has Grimalkin personally wronged you? Have hundreds of red and brown sash citizens personally wronged you? We may be beings who ordinarily would be beneath your notice but we have our own thoughts and feelings, our own hopes and dreams. So if all we are to you, all we''re worth, are toys to amuse yourself with when you deign to even notice us then stop hiding behind noble concepts like love, duty and gratitude. Just simply be the ugly tyrant, the blood thirsty god of this anthill. There''s no one here you need please but yourself, no one you need answer to but your own conscience. The rest is a farce and even if it kills me I won''t cater to it!”


    This is my place, Riverson, and that is yours.”