LoRG 3

Randidly twisted his mouth but he gradually pulled back and forced himself to relax If Neveah didnÆt want to share what was bothering her that was fine Hopefully it was a sign that she was working through her own grief and loneliness

While he allowed his emotions to settle and continued with his image training Randidly looked down at the rust colored metal of his left arm Most of the smaller cracks in the tiny scales had already been knitted together by the base Engraving Neveah had created The shoulder and forearm looked gleaming and impeccable to even RandidlyÆs exacting gaze

Most of the remaining damage was present in the elbow Despite the fact that WendyÆs plans had sought to strengthen that very area the amount of force that the joint had endured was far beyond even the worst case scenario predictions Progress in healing those broken Engraving connections was very slow

But waiting for the Engraving to do its own work wasnÆt pointless Already the Engraving had grown to Level 22 during the process It was time consuming but this was the arm that carried NeveahÆs hope Giving it the time to heal itself was the least that Randidly could do

Randidly bit his lip IÆm going to need that strength when I go to the Nexus huh werenÆt you going to come with me Neveah

Then he shook his head focused on his images once more All three grew more present in the space around him The branches of the World Tree unfolded into a leafy canopy The Grim Chimera prowled off to the side its two tails flicking back and forth To RandidlyÆs left the Stillborn Phoenix released its horrible cry and began to slurp down light in the surrounding area

Randidly flexed his right hand Growth survival obsession After being repeatedly attacked by KaanÆs counter image each one was a little shaken But after taking the time to refine the details each is more powerful than ever The only problem is manifesting them together

Closing his eyes Randidly brought the three images within his body The Stillborn Phoenix flowed into his eye Yggdrasil channeled through his cardiovascular system and hair while the Grim Chimera warped the skin across his body Soon his torso was translucent while the flesh of his extremities was blackened and warped

He was larger than life He was more than human The light around his face bent inward toward his left eye He was a monster His shoulders rose and fell with his breath The wind whispered past him

The tightrope that Randidly walked to manifest all three images was bucking widely he released a hissing breath as his heart began to pound The unfortunate side effect of the improvements that Randidly made to his images was that each was more unwilling to work with each other without the outside pressure of Kaan Swacc forcing them together The muscles in RandidlyÆs body tightened as he channeled the powerful energies through his flesh

Each passing second voraciously fled away with significant bites of his mental energy but with his improvements after the fight against Kaan and the Eidolon Crucible Randidly could just barely keep up The Grim Chimera roared and Randidly carefully balanced it with the howling of the Stillborn Phoenix and the rustles of the World Tree All of the images were in his body stubbornly refusing to expose that weakness that allowed them to work together in the past

The three images stubbornly refused to easily mesh

Randidly was hesitant to add those weaknesses himself worried that it might weaken his own images when he utilized them alone It was always a possibility that he could consider in the future so for now he simply tried to will the unwilling into cooperating After he had achieved a basic balance Randidly began activating individual Skills feeling his balance shudder from the force of a Skill activation Yet Randidly doggedly kept at it gradually developing the requisite mental balance in spite of the unruly images

Congratulations Your Skill Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 301

Congratulations Your Skill MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality has grown to Level 307

Congratulations Your Skill Golden Roots of Yggdrasil has grown to Level 262

RandidlyÆs eyes flashed Honestly it was rapidly becoming apparent that activating individual Skills while he was in this state was almost harder than activating three at the same time Not in terms of mental energy because three simultaneous activations were the reason that he was dizzy for several days but rather in terms of balancing the image With three Skills activating together they largely kept each other in check

The images saw a single Skill as a chance to upset the balance

Of course any minute imbalance that Randidly had missed before that triple activation would be magnified until the point he collapsed So instead of rushing to utilize three at once Randidly steadily went through the process of training with single activation This was the Path that he would take to power

The habitual inspection of the three imagesÆ interaction would be his foundation in the future If what he suspected was correct this utilization of multiple images and Skills at once would allow him to reach unprecedented heights Besides Randidly had some time to develop himself he was in no rush to fight an impending foe right now

Precisely for that reason Randidly had sent a message to Octavius Shrike a few hours ago asking whether there were any dangers to him using Dungeons

Keeping his breathing even Randidly stretched out his right hand With the adjustments of the images around him it manifested physically as a spear of bone that stretched out from his elbow joint But that was just the dominant image in that location on his body Randidly could also curl his hand into a claw through Yggdrasil or Stillborn Phoenix

Steadily Randidly worked through each Skill in his three Skillsets He spent a bit more time on the relatively high Leveled and low Leveled ones just so he had exposure to their specific reverberations Hours slowly passed The sun gradually set toward the horizon Occasionally he would take breaks to re center himself but then Randidly would return to the images

This balance needed to be perfect

Of course that wasnÆt something that could be accomplished in a single day This was just the beginning

The sun was now setting obscured behind the heavy grey clouds that seemed to hang perpetually over the Earth since the temperature changed RandidlyÆs eyes flashed as he resolved himself Despite the fact that he was using single activations to improve his foundations he began to marshall his mental energy for a triple Skill activation Not because he wanted to rush forward but because Randidly had a theory about another problem he had noticed recently

RandidlyÆs mouth stretched into a lopsided grin Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil Tide of the Void and Cursed Appetite of the Wraith activated all at once When he then took a breath he pulled at the surrounding area Initially he expected that his Skill activation would only reach his island but he felt his scope expand rapidly beyond that

Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Appetite of the Wraith has grown to Level 289

The core of this Skill combination was the Grim Chimera pulling energy from the surrounding area But supporting it was Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil and Tide of the Void Spectral claws of manifested in a large radius around Randidly sweeping through the surrounding area These spectral claws pulsed with golden veins as Randidly inhaled

And where the claws came they took

In Kharon below at some time around 7 P M Randidly Ghosthound extracted a small amount of energy from every soul in his city The sense of immense physical power that he experienced in the few moments after that was intoxicating The sense of mental strain that came with it was less enjoyable but still manageable

However RandidlyÆs true focus was not on the Skill combination Instead his focus was intensely on his inner area And as it turned out his suspicion was correct

RandidlyÆs expression was bitter So thatÆs where the liquid Aether was going The physical image manifestations require it as well

Chapter 1409

Over the next few hours Randidly performed various experiments to understand why exactly his drops of liquid Aether were deconstructing while he wielded the physical manifestations of images In the end he received good news and also news that should have been obvious in retrospect

The act of condensing liquid Aether basically synthesized the prevalent and pure energy in RandidlyÆs body with the accumulation of emotion and meaning that he accumulated while living his life For this reason there was a soft cap on the amount of liquid Aether that Randidly could generate He only possessed so much emotion of the requisite intensity

For him it had turned out that it was extremely difficult to condense an eighth drop of liquid Aether prior to the confrontation against Kaan Swacc He had expended some effort during his recovery to generate more and had reached six drops of liquid Aether before this training session From the ease in which he reached that point Randidly suspected that the emotional turmoil he had experienced in the last several weeks had raised his soft limit but that was irrelevant to the current issue

While resting over the past few days Randidly had been investigating his body to see how the physical manifestations of images would affect him What had been confusing was that the results were inconsistent Sometimes it seemed like the images being in his body was slowly improving his physique sometimes Randidly couldnÆt find the slightest change

After seeing a drop of liquid Aether begin to dissipate during his simultaneous activation Randidly realized the truth drops of liquid Aether and the physical manifestation of images came from the same source When he focused on one area he weakened the other

In a way it made sense Liquid Aether was externalizing the benefits of images per the System plan Keeping those benefits within the body as Randidly was doing was a method that didnÆt seem to be supported But the real issue was that both required immense mental energy and focus

What was even more annoying was that neither was inherently superior While the Nexus gradually pushed people toward externalizing their emotional meaning to avoid breaking the physical limitation this method provided a store of ready made sudden bursts of power As Randidly had seen while fighting Kaan having liquid Aether present to counter anotherÆs use of liquid Aether was important

Of course Randidly recognized that this simple usage of liquid Aether became less clear the more talented someone was with their images At RandidlyÆs level the two combatants were effectively bursting with so much strength for a brief instant that they couldn’t control it They had to rely on their image to channel it If someone with plentiful experience using liquid Aether was RandidlyÆs opponent the counter strategy wouldnÆt be as applicable

It was a sobering thought And it helped Randidly understand the difference between himself and someone like Elhume

Meanwhile internalizing the benefits with the physical manifestation of images was a constant passive boost to RandidlyÆs performance It pushed his actual abilities beyond the limits of his Stats

Randidly released his focus and began to drum his fingers against his healing left arm The fact that he was sacrificing one benefit for the other was a wrench in his plans that Randidly hadnÆt expected Still he believed that even though he was splitting his emotional meaning in two directions the benefits of having pure Aether on his side would still mean he could more efficiently do both

Now it was just a question of divvying up percentages

With a sigh Randidly hopped to his feet Assuming that he received good news from Octavius he would be spending the next several months of his time within a Dungeon to work on achieving image balance So the decision regarding his focus could be tabled for the moment

Besides Randidly had another concern nagging at him Although his three initial islands would meet KharonÆs immediate needs Randidly expected that his Wandering City would grow even larger in the future Perhaps more quickly than could be anticipated As such he needed to give the city the tools in order to make the additional floating islands on its own The moss spirits continued to proliferate freely so it wasnÆt a question of power

He just needed to find someone capable of the Engraving process In terms of relationship with Moss Spirits there was an obvious answer Grimacing Randidly pulled out the report that Tatiana passed onto him regarding Tim Moss

The kidÆs young age made Randidly hesitate It wasnÆt an issue of Tim eventually leaving Kharon and taking the Skill elsewhere Randidly wasnÆt trying to prevent other cities from achieving something similar If those places could poach Tim and then figure out how to power the floating islands more power to them

No Randidly just wanted to ensure KharonÆs growth wouldnÆt need to slow because of this issue But considering the fact that he was soon leaving the city

Perhaps if Kharon Academy was developed running I could have him enroll and study the kid for a while As Randidly chewed his lip purple black revelation energy sparkled outward from his left eye But if I delay my departure until that point it will push back the Nexus situation by a few months Damnit I hope Octavius includes some details of what the plan is when he finally gets around to replying

As the revelation energy soaked into his skin Randidly peered forward into the future Especially concerning the Path of Kharon Randidly could see relatively far into the future Considering the strength and focus of the image he cultivated in the Wandering City he was relatively confident in his predictive abilities The changes to the government and the assembly of the Academy complicated things but still Randidly persisted in following the chain of causality forward even as each scrap of information he could glean became increasingly vague

The further afield he looked the more the energy around his eye darkened

Congratulations Your Skill Revelation of the Atramentous Threshold has grown to Level 302

Eventually Randidly sighed and shook his head there was a key piece of information missing Tim himself

Randidly had sensed the kid in the past but he hadnÆt had any interaction with him As such it was almost impossible to have any sort of insight into the choices he would make in the future And perhaps just as important as Tim himself Randidly wasnÆt very familiar with his father Derek Moss Honestly the elder Moss might be even more indicative of the familyÆs behavior in the future It would be a while before Tim was independent

So Randidly shook himself and dropped off of his island onto Kharon below Time to conduct a little bit of research

Tim leapt to his feet as though the chair beneath him caught on fire as his dad walked through the front door Even from his bedroom at the back end of the apartment the sound of the door opening was attention grabbing their apartment simply wasnÆt very big So hurried out of his room rubbing his sweaty palms on his pants while he did so He surged past the kitchen the hallway closet and then arrived at the entry area that connected with the living room And then Tim looked at his dad

From the heavy frown on DerekÆs face it was obvious that his day had not been an easy one TimÆs already pounding heart began to race as he tried to keep his face neutral He put his hands behind his back This is such a bad idea But if I donÆt do this

Uh hey dad Tim began His eyes were on the light dusting of snow that covered the taller Moss Derek knocked his boots against the sill of the door to dislodge snow and began to take off his coat Here let me help with that Um were you thinking anything in particular for dinner

DerekÆs eyes slid to Tim as he slowly passed his son the coat Tim tried his best not to jump Then Derek chuckled What you hear about some fancy restaurant from your friends You are in luck after the day IÆve had there is no way IÆm cooking What sort of cuisine is it this time IÆm down for a little bit of a treat

Ahaha Tim did his best to imitate his usual laugh He honestly thought he sounded pretty convincing He folded his dadÆs heavy coat in his arms You know whateverÆs fine IÆve just been uh especially hungry lately Puberty and stuff So whatever it is letÆs just get a lot okay

Derek gave his son a slightly longer look as he struggled with the coat Puberty and stuff huh

Something in DerekÆs tone warned Tim that he had somehow gone astray He frantically scrambled for something to distract his father Ah just can we have time with the two of us you know With you working in the Order Ducis ah no itÆs really cool But just

That softened DerekÆs expression He released a long sigh Yea I havenÆt been home much have I bud Sorry about that So how about this instead of ordering something in do you want to head to that three story game center that you are always talking about The one that used to be a bowling alley on the boulevard Just the two of us Some quality time

TimÆs initial reaction was to be very excited but then he remembered the source of his anxiety and he began to sweat Ah well I think

Someone firmly rapped on the door to the MossÆ apartment surprising both of them After glancing at the door Derek frowned and looked at Tim with some of his earlier suspicions It seemed that TimÆs expression made something click into place in his mind So you wanted to go out for some reason huh Tim what did you do this time Telling me first will make things much easier for you

No YOU were the one that wanted to go out I just wanted more food Tim wanted to say But his tongue was stuck in his mouth from nerves He could only smile nervously Somehow his hands were sweaty again

Sighing Derek turned and took a few steps back toward the door As his hand twisted the knob and pulled the door open the hall closet burst open and the source of TimÆs stress burst out No DonÆt open that door

Delilah tumbled across the hall in a spray of cleaning supplies and broom handles until her forehead collided with the wall Then she hopped to her feet and put her hands on her hips The jumble of paper towels and bleach only served to emphasize how dirty her t shirt and shorts were from several weeks of skulking around KharonÆs streets Likely she would have continued to live out of dumpsters and floating tree forts if not for the sudden drop in temperature which was why she came and practically begged Tim to let her live in his closet

TimÆs dad just blinked as the door swung open

Derek gave Tim a long look as he turned the we will talk about this laterÆ look The open door behind him revealed a face that no one in Kharon would mistake TimÆs jaw dropped ThatÆs the Ghosthound

Argh you Why couldnÆt you just leave me in peace DelilahÆs faced turned ashen and she took several steps backward

The GhosthoundÆs mouth was open but he seemed to pause as he saw Delilah He frowned and studied each of them in turn The weight of that examination was such that not even Delilah could move Then he turned to Derek Delilah is staying with you

If she is nowÆs the first time IÆm hearing of it sir Are you here to speak with her Derek said slowly But he did frown at the Ghosthound

The Ghosthound waved his hand No itÆs honestly a good thing IÆve been a bit worried about what Annie would do if she found out I let her daughter sleep in some igloo somewhere

Ah An igloo Why didnÆt I think of that Delilah pounded her tiny fist into her palm Then she glared and the Ghosthound and shouted IÆm blowing this dipshit stand

Then she spun around and bolted for the window at the back of the apartment while Tim stared at her back in wonder Is she really just five years old

But as the young girl pumped her small legs as fast as they could carry her Tim felt a pulse of an image behind him It was brief but overwhelming And in the next moment a spectral claw phased out of the floor and caught Delilah dragging her struggling form back down the hallway During that time she continued to display her rather expansive knowledge of swear words Tim learned quite a few new phrases

Ah Derek Moss scratched the back of his neck glancing over his shoulder at the struggling Delilah and then looking at the Ghosthound in front of him Do you want to come in for a scotch Mr Ghosthound This has just been a really long day

Chapter 1410

As Randidly calmly moved around the dining room table in the MossÆs apartment Delilah sat in her seat with her arms crossed and glared at him Randidly could sense her violently kicking her legs under the table but didnÆt say anything The conversation that he had to have with the Mosses would be easier if she wasnÆt so antagonistic but he couldnÆt figure out a simple solution Even he felt somewhat helpless before the headstrong child of Annie and Dozer

Not that he thought that he had helped his chances by using his images to capture her yet at the same time some of the ways that he had seen Annie treat her daughter had shocked Randidly But Delilah was a bit special She was the first child born into the System Her development speed was informative if only just because it might indicate that other children born with the System would mature more quickly

Of course this child might just be a singular aberration But Randidly wanted to keep an eye on the issue so he approached the current situation diplomatically

He set the plate of lambÆ and carrot risotto that he had thrown together in the last hour in front of Delilah and she grumbled up at him Heh just you wait Someday IÆm going to be stronger than you and IÆll pay you back for this

Randidly couldnÆt help but roll his eyes He supposed the one thing that the girl didnÆt lack was motivation But Randidly ignored her for now and proceeded around the table dropping plates he had balanced on his interim multi jointed root arm in front of the waiting Derek and Tim Then Randidly sat down in his own chair and glanced around with a smile Dig in IÆm honestly pretty confident in my cooking ability

Derek Moss forced a chuckle Really there was no need for you to stay for dinner and actually cook it but since you did donÆt mind if I do

Of the three individuals that Randidly had cooked for honestly Tim was the least awkward with the situation Delilah had her simmering ambition to trounce him while Derek seemed to be juggling RandidlyÆs identities as the leader of the Order Ducis and therefore his boss the most powerful man in the world the creator of Kharon as well as the man who had effortlessly captured Delilah within his hallway Derek also didnÆt seem to be managing the mental gymnastics well perhaps on account of his rigid military background

Tim had remained silent seemingly relieved and awed by RandidlyÆs arrival He had talked quietly with Delilah while Randidly and Derek had spoken over a drink earlier but he was mostly there to listen to DelilahÆs litany of complaints about the situation But Tim had snuck several glances at Randidly indicating his interest