Chapter 309: The Sweeping of the Flock

After we arrived on the fortress, it felt as if each final individual in it was ready for us. Which made sense, as we might despatched phrase forward per week earlier than we had left. It had taken a while to arrange for an prolonged absence for each Beatrice and me. So, they have been anticipating us.

Beatrice flew a bit bit forward of me, however I rapidly handed her as I zipped off in my pleasure. We flew by means of the opened gate to be well mannered, although we may have simply flown above the huge wall itself. As I emerged, I noticed that all the congregation actually was out within the subject ready for our arrival. How they’d gotten the timing proper on this, I wasn’t positive. Hopefully, they hadn’t been ready right here lengthy. And to my chagrin, once they noticed me, they knelt as one.

I seemed round hurriedly, gesturing for them to rise up. Actually. That they had been doing so nicely earlier than I left! However now, each single individual was on their knees — Mary, Trent, the Nighty Knights, and even Tony!

I used to be glad that Tony had made it right here, not less than. Earlier than our little expedition, he’d been on his approach to the fortress with Susan. I wasn’t positive if we might miss him or not.

However that wasn’t essential proper now. What was essential was getting everybody to face once more. I gestured for them to all rise up, however they stayed on their knees, bowing to me for a stable 10.03 seconds. Lastly, simply earlier than I began to actually protest, they lastly acquired up.

I expelled some air in reduction. That felt very excessive.

Beatrice and I landed to greet everybody. Properly, we tried to. The greetings have been pretty sluggish, contemplating how many individuals needed to bow to me a second time. After the 20th or so individual, I made a decision I would had sufficient. These have been my people, and so they have been superior, however this was an excessive amount of. I wanted to go elsewhere till they have been rather less excited.

With a fast beep to Beatrice, I headed off to examine the fortress.

To be trustworthy, I used to be fairly impressed. The within was near immaculate. There have been only a few occasions once I needed to make use of a bit little bit of assist utilizing my sanitation lamp to take away micro organism that that they had missed or suck up some particles from hard-to-reach spots. However for essentially the most half, they’d saved the place in nice form. Even the tops of the chandeliers hanging 20 toes within the air have been dusted and well-maintained.

The largest mess, actually, was within the cleansing provide storage rooms. That, and some locations that have been already within the strategy of being cleaned. I imagined they’d be taken care of finally. Nonetheless, with the fixed removing of filth, it was solely anticipated that some could be left behind. I simply helped them out a bit bit there.

Exterior, I used to be additionally greater than glad. My requirements have been a bit decrease right here, seeing because it was nonetheless the outside, and issues have been barely much less ordered by nature. However that was all inside acceptable boundaries.

I used to be most impressed with the situation of the orchard. The rows upon rows of saplings I had planted have been now towering bushes, every trunk wider in diameter than I used to be. Every part had been nicely trimmed into orderly fractal-like preparations.

Really, wanting round, there was a whole lot of fruit. Lots. I wasn’t positive how they have been accumulating it. Nonetheless, some tough projections steered that they could not probably harvest every little thing successfully, a lot much less eat all of it. However I did discover one thing extra nice.

Felix spoke first. “Reporting for responsibility, Lord Void!”

I returned the salute, and so they all broke into smiles. “Lord Void, I am glad you are. We have been working towards, similar to you advised us to!”

I gave them an inquisitive beep. Felix nodded. “Yeah. We’re manner larger stage now, and we’re higher at teamwork, too.”

I beeped proudly, then steered that we play a sport. One that might allow them to exhibit their new expertise. It had been too lengthy since I had performed with the youngsters, anyway, so this could be a very good likelihood to make up for it.

Instantly, the Knights brightened and started to chatter excitedly. “All proper,” Felix reached out and tapped my exhausting shell. “Tag. You are it!”

After which the kids have been off. A few of them sprinted off with sufficient velocity that lower-fidelity visible sensors won’t have the ability to observe them, whereas others merely stopped registering. Most simply ran, albeit sooner than they need to have been in a position to. No matter their strategies, all of the Nighty Knights scattered across the forest, screeching with delight and drawing consideration from the adults.

I acquired a bit excited. I understood this sport. It was an outdated favourite of ours, and I believe it was an ideal alternative to point out me what they may do.

With a sense of elation operating by means of my circuitry, I zipped off. I did not go wherever close to my full velocity, after all. To not begin. I might ramp it up as time went on. Nevertheless it had been some time since we performed collectively, and I felt like this could possibly be enjoyable. Particularly if I gave them a little bit of a problem.

As I zipped after the youngsters relentlessly, we began to kind a extra revised algorithm. It rapidly turned clear that this needed to be a staff sport. When the Knights have been it, they’d all work collectively to tag me. However once I was it, I would need to tag the entire Knights. After a little bit of backwards and forwards, we finally settled on a rule that after they have been tagged, they must keep nonetheless in a single spot. But when one other one of many Nighty Knights lifted them off the bottom for 3 seconds with out Void intervening, they’d be untagged, and I would need to catch them once more.

It was a totally unfair rule set, however I used to be wonderful with it. It might assist present their teamwork very well but in addition give me a little bit of a problem.

A couple of moments later, I tapped the backs of Felix and Bradley in fast succession. However earlier than I zipped away, I observed a slight warping of the air close by. One other Knight crawled alongside the grass, sneaking over to untag them.

I zipped over and tried to tag him, solely to be stopped by a wall of earth slamming into place in entrance of me. Trying over, I noticed one other younger lady along with her hand prolonged. She grinned at me earlier than sinking beneath the bottom herself.

Man, this was going to be enjoyable.