LoRG 3

Yggdrasil shrugged Who is to say Certainly in terms of similarities to Randidly you are the closest being in the universe

Randidly who might still just be a weird amalgamation of personality quirks thrown onto the Grim Chimera scratched his cheek YggdrasilÆs answer was rather unhelpful but he took the point in addition that wasnÆt the most important issue to address

Randidly crawled over to the corner where Yggdrasil was standing and pointed at the curled form of the Ignition Essence in its gnarled hands Perhaps because Randidly had already accepted this body was of an image as well Randidly felt somewhat shaken by the inert form in YggdrasilÆs hands So is there anything that I can do If you need to take back the part that you gave me

The emerald color of your eyes came from Ignition Yggdrasil said sadly Its roots continued to undulate around the flickering tongue of emerald flame each root covered in dense golden script But then Yggdrasil shook his foliage No I believe something fundamentally changed in you when all the traits I could gather came together For now I wouldnÆt even have the slightest idea how to go about helping Ignition The best thing we can do is wait

Yggdrasil turned its trunk and Randidly was abruptly struck with the realization that it was looking intently at him Which means we will need to survive here for a while The fastest way to make sure Ignition recovers would be to recover our true body but I am unsure how easy such a process would be Although the language of Engraving is a pat of me I cannot read Aether as our true body can For now we should be cautious and come to understand this place before we begin making plans to escape

RandidlyÆs lips slid backward to reveal his teeth If there is one thing IÆm confident of it’s fighting Leave that to me

After that the two beings who were limited by their images compared their findings regarding the capability they currently possessed By and large Yggdrasil had discovered the same limits that Randidly himself had regarding the Skills that it could access The only meaningful difference was that Yggdrasil had some capability of manipulating Aether The problem with that discovery was it didnÆt possess any real ability to see what sort of effects its manipulation caused

In effect Yggdrasil using Aether was like a blind man swinging something he thought was probably an ax but might also be a broom with a heavy brush Certainly it might have an effect when swung at the right time but only as a surprise attack once the opponent saw the strike Yggdrasil didnÆt stand a chance

Once the discussion was over Randidly returned to focusing on his own recovery Even if Emerald Leaves of Yggdrasil could do a lot to gather clarity to his mind he was still deeply exhausted by the image trial Yet as soon as he closed his eyes Randidly couldnÆt stop seeing his claws ripping through the flesh of a woman holding two swords his bone spear sliding into a skull his legs smashing an imageÆs knee with enough force to shatter the bones

It was an intoxicating sort of violence that Randidly found in his head after the image refinement Some part of himself whispered that giving into the violence wasnÆt always the best answer but Randidly ignored that For the short term Randidly would be fighting on the front lines He couldnÆt afford to be distracted or hesitate

After all the Grim Chimera was a creature that was the ultimate survivor It fought and struggled in order to exist The great gift that the image refining of the Eidolon Crucible had given to him through that trial was to make that struggle for survival seem concrete The endless fighting the intimidating odds the constant presence of danger

Randidly could feel the depth of his image slowly increasing And part of him wondered if the methodology of the trial would change as the needs for his image changed It was probably an area that would be worth considering for the future

But unfortunately he only had another few hours to prepare Because after the three days had passed Zagnal once more turned up outside the tent As Randidly suspected he could also sense that many other images in the surrounding area were stirring and leaving their tents to head off in long lines toward the South

Randidly left the tent and straightened to look at the dragon headed man my fellow images are still recuperating Would it be alright if only I go to the frontlines to battle

Behind him Randidly could feel YggdrasilÆs unwillingness to allow him to fight alone even while Yggdrasil begrudgingly accepted the knowledge that its current role was to remain and protect Ignition Essence They hadnÆt talked about it explicitly but Randidly expected that they wouldnÆt have to Yggdrasil would understand what needed to be done

In the darkness of the tent Yggdrasil remained completely still while ZagnalÆs gaze slid to examine the depths of the tent From the rather tired expression on ZagnalÆs face it wasnÆt that he disbelieved Randidly It only seemed like Zagnal didnÆt approve of RandidlyÆs choice

Then ZagnalÆs gaze back to Randidly it is not impossible Although your first battle is easy it is still a battle against the cursed abominations from Nether If you choose this Path it is open to you But you risk a crippling wound if you go alone Are you willing to take that risk

Randidly nodded Of course it barely matters to you at all what I choose does it We images we are just fodder If we die there will always be more worlds to suck life from so the System can grow

For several seconds Zagnel looked at Randidly He considered every inch of him His gaze was extremely heavy with pity But ultimately he said nothing to dissuade Randidly further Turning away Zagnal said Follow me then ItÆs time you see the Great Rift

Chapter 1042

Randidly followed Zagnal through the dirt paths between the grey tents and listened to the staccato beat of footsteps running parallel to their own Although Randidly controlled himself some part of him wanted to hurry forward and catch up to the flow of bodies that were passing through the tents around them Their presence tugged at his attention from the corner of his eyes pulling his curiosity over toward their silent and flickering forms

Are all the individuals here like I am Images extracted from people That thought caused Randidly to frown Perhaps itÆs not just a measure targeting Heretics then but a new development for the Frontlines Which would at least mean that IÆm not being targeted but it would also mean getting my body back while IÆm here would be a bit difficult

Zagnal spoke in a low tone pulling RandidlyÆs attention back toward him while they continued through the tents There are two types of battles that happen at the edge of the Great Rift The first type is a defensive battle Defensive battles are the rough kind because the attacker holds the initiative In a defensive battle you will rush to an area that is being destabilized by the fiendish Nether and will try to defeat the attacker and forcefully stabilize the area Even if you defeat the Nether if you are so exhausted that you are unable to stabilize the land we will still consider it a loss

Meanwhile an offensive battle is much easier You simply must go into an area taken over by Nether and forcefully stabilize the energy An Aether Key will be provided for the task of stabilization Just as we beings of Aether have a difficult time with defense some monster of Nether will be set to the unenviable task of stoping your activation of the Aether Key But you will have an edge of arriving first and already accomplishing a portion of your objective before the opposition is able to stop you

Is defense really so much more difficult than offense Why are most of the battles fought defensive ones then Randidly asked

Zagnal spat to the side Unfortunately this front is in such a precarious situation because our main baseÆs coordinates are discovered Unless we could similarly locate the area that the Nether abominations use to attack us defense takes precedence And finding their base impossible After all the area of space that both sides are attempting to monopolize are simply too vast

Frowning Randidly continued to follow Zagnal as he proceeded forward with his explanation

For our area we are unfortunately giving up ground to the Nether even with a focus on defense their forces have overpowered us quite a bit in the last few years Zagnal said gloomily As the momentum is in their favor we canÆt afford to launch many low yield offensive missions We need to stabilize in the face of their brutal assaults first Therefore only every three successful defensive missions can we launch an offensive one Of course your first mission will be offensive so that you can get a taste of fighting the Nether Enjoy it while it lasts

Finally they broke out of the tents and arrived at a low slope Above them towered an ominous stone outcropping IT seemed more like a huge pile of stone shards than any natural geological formation But that might be the constant visual variation stretching the ridges and crevasses Without offering any explanation Zagnal began to stride up the twisting path toward the peak of the outcropping

At the beginning as they began to climb upward Randidly expected it would be relatively easy to get to the top Yet as they approached the outcropping grew increasingly large It loomed higher and higher above and although Randidly felt like they should be nearing it the distance to the summit hadnÆt appeared to have shortened at all

And then they reached the edge of the long shadow cast by the stone Randidly sucked in a small breath With his hand Randidly wiped several beads of sweat from his brow and continued to follow Zagnal

Noticing RandidlyÆs brief stutter Zagnal sneered From the bluffs it is possible to see the entirety of our combat sphere Come it is something you should understand Before you get any ideas about the great victories you can accomplish there

The two of them walked for almost five hours to ascend the slopes And although Randidly thought of it as walking both were relying on various images in order to cheatÆ through traveling Randidly in fact relied on the obscenely broken power of Chimeric Avoidance to simply shorten the distance directly by avoiding it Beyond that they both devoured distance with long strides that could put away miles in five minutes

Yet before this rocky outcropping

Those Skills along with the constant usage of MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality allowed Randidly to barely keep pace with Zagnal Whose brutal march seemed to devour the distance with a workmanlike detachment They moved quickly from the foothills to the tight cutbacks of the mountain proper and then to the winding paths along the high cliffs

It was Randidly realized extremely dangerous for the visual lines to engage in such spastic switches while they were traveling along the edge of a cliff But he simply shook his head and continued to push forward

Of course Randidly wasnÆt tired when they neared the summit of the bluffs as an image he didnÆt really possess Stamina But he did feel a bit blurry around the edges Rather than worrying about his physical Health it was how sharp his Willpower remained that suddenly concerned Randidly And now that he was outside the tent he could feel how that area was designed to help concentrate Willpower in preparation for what was to come

Maybe they should build their tents closer to the fucking front lines Randidly thought grumpily as they followed the meandering path along the edge of a cliff to the top of the bluffs That way we donÆt have to set out an entire half day early

RUMBLE

The ground beneath them shook violently Small stone skittered off the cliffs and pattered down the steep mountain gorge to their left

Zagnal chuckled darkly It looks like it has begun Come we are almost there And have a care the reverberations will only become more violent

True to ZagnalÆs word those ominous rumblings continued as they climbed up over the rocks to their destination From time to time Randidly glanced up and was gratified to see that there was clear air above them Finally after a half day of trekking they had reached the top Taking in a deep breath Randidly clambered up over the last shale scramble and stood with a completely unobstructed view of the surrounding land

Randidly wasn’t sure what he was expecting to see when they mounted the summit He supposed that the expectations had been pushed upward by the phrase “Great Rift” but some part of him was so busy coping with the constant visual variations of the stones around him and his own out of body situation that he hadn’t really thought about what war on this scale would look like Even the ominous rumbles that seemed to shake his bones failed to convey the sense of scale of what he was about to see

But it only took one glance for Randidly to be frozen by the vast expanse of space that he could see from the top of the rocky outcropping

Perhaps it was because Randidly had never visited or traveled through any true mountains that it struck him so violently He had heard that the recently revealed Mount Olympus in Zone Eleven was large but he had never seen it But when Randidly stood atop this summit it felt like he could see almost infinitely in both directions The rocks in front of him finally fell away revealing a steep slope down toward the ground Although Randidly thought their assent was steep this drop was even steeper

Randidly didnÆt possess any Stats to augment his vision right now but every small change in the land seemed completely clear and distinct before his eyes

Beyond the slope was a rocky expanse of cracked and heavying ground that seemed to pulse slowly up and down like it was breathing The jagged fault lines expanded and contracted Barren badlands sprawled outward from the base of the outcropping and in the surrounding area tumbling helplessly outward

But whereas the nearby land was relatively gentle in its movements in the surrounding five miles away from the outcropping the ground did away with pleasantries Huge stones undulated like a jump rope They bucked and heavy like a bull in mating season

Across that heavying expanse were hundred of black dots From the height and with the intervening distance it wasn’t possible to distinguish their features but Randidly was confident that those were the very same images that had flowed silently out of their tents and marched to the borderlands They seemed like beetles dragging their bellies across the ground as they walked toward the edge of something Something that could only be the Great Rift

But before Randidly’s gaze slid outward it slid to the left and right Those thousand small bugs became millions as Randidly broadened his view to include the vast line that separated the land from the Great Rift Randidly seemed to be standing at the center of a long coast To his left and ring were wings of heaving ground covered in black dotes There were so many that Randidly couldnÆt count them all The land went on for so long that Randidly couldnÆt see the end of the area

Abruptly Randidly felt very small

The further forward one went the more violent the movements of the ground became Gravity seemed to fail as you neared the Great Rift allowing huge boulders to spin lazily in the air And the Great Rift itself

It was black That much was obvious And empty too It was thought some great god had brought a knife and cut away the edge of the world Randidly wondered what he would have seen if he stood on those heaving grounds below and looked down through the dark fissures Would they stretch to the center of the planet

But every second as Randidly watched in alarm thin tendrils of ghastly blue energy slithered through the darkness It only took a few seconds to realize that infinitely large blackness and its blue energy beat in time with the pulsing of the ground It was exactly that strange energy that seemed to so upset the land

But RandidlyÆs eye was caught by those strange blue lines His gaze narrowed and he examined them carefully They seemed to branch and shift without warning but some instinct Randidly possessed said that wasnÆt so There was an inherent pattern in that vast darkness

Which was when another realization struck Randidly those blue lines were veins This great darkness was somehow a living thing

Chapter 1043

“Hurry up ” Zagnal said gruffly “You’ll have time to admire the view later “

Randidly nodded slowly and turned away from the Great Rift to follow Zagnal Aside from the raised stone outlook where they were currently standing there was a small path that led toward a flat ground that featured a permanent building and a parade ground

As they approached the first thing that Randidly noticed was that people were waiting in the parade ground There was a low stage that had about three dozen individuals standing in front of it with their hands behind their backs And then there was a group of confused and rather dull eyed individuals who were milling around in a mass in front of the stage

Zagnal inclined his head toward the crowded mass of bodies and then went to join the group standing in front of the stage Randidly blinked several times and walked over to stand along the edge of the unorganized crowd it became clear to Randidly that his situation was not unique there were two tiers of individuals here People like Zagnal who saluted sharply to the man with the salt and pepper beard standing on the stage before standing at attention and people like Randidly who were directed over into a large and amorphous mass

Randidly chewed on his lip as he glanced around And Zagnal wasnÆt wrong Most of the people in the image group look like they are sleepwalking

Behind them along the path usually coming in pairs or in groups under five people more and more escorted images were brought up Randidly thought cynically that they had all the glassy eyed awareness of chickens in a slaughterhouse While they trickled in and congregated Randidly turned his gaze upward and regarded the Great Rift As he watched it breathed slowly its azure veins branching and spreading with an almost engineered regularity

Randidly’s eyes narrowed So this is the great enemy huh Even from here I can feel how dangerous it is And that’s only my instincts from when I had Nether Resistance But as an image I still remember how aching those headaches were after prolonged exposure to Nether It’s unfortunate but it seems like images are exactly the portion of Aether that is most vulnerable to Nether

Eventually the man with the salt and pepper beard clapped his hands “I believe that’s everyone Welcome all to the Great Rift IÆll be your commanding officer for the duration of your stay here Lord Miln I think I don’t need to explain to you how dangerous a foe we face Look at that darkness This place used to be a vibrant world And now it is a broken place

“The beings of Nether are demons that seek to destroy order and are incompatible with our existence As they have sought to expand that have taken and taken and taken So many lives have been lost but no more “

“I swear to you if you give everything you have to fight against the Nether and follow my orders that will change We will take back what we’ve lost We will avenge the fallen And Aether WILL annihilate these abyssal beings “

Lord Miln thrust his fist up into the air with a determined expression on his face This was followed by several seconds of silence Then there was a smattering of applause as the manÆs defiant pose and framing with the vast blackness of the Great Rift behind him finally reached the crowd Honestly it was very well done But the audience

Randidly glanced around Most were drooling zombies Even with three days most of these images hadn’t recovered enough to be swayed by the performance After holding the pose for several seconds the Lord Miln relaxed

“Your liaisons will be taking you to the staging area and provide Aether Keys Obey there instructions and your odds of survival will shoot upward I await word of your success Good luck “

Then the man flickered out of existence Sensing a familiar sensation Randidly frowned He was an image the whole time Well I suppose if he truly is overseeing the entire area it would be a bit much to come out and greet all the newcomers

Zagnal quickly found Randidly hanging around the periphery of the image group “Good you didn’t get sucked into the middle of this rabble Quick follow me The sooner we get to the staging area the easier your mission will be “

Randidly raised his eyebrows at the sudden display of emotion from Zagnal Randidly supposed it was too much to hope that the dragon headed man actually wished him well “Does it make that much difference “

“Yes ” Zagnal grunted already striding away After following the gruff and dragon headed liaison all morning Randidly anticipated his rapid departure and was able to keep pace with the man through the sudden movement They wove easily through the press of surrounding bodies from the other groups Randidly watched with interest as the other liaisons seemed to be similarly urging their images forward Seems like it isnÆt altruism that motivates Zagnal then

Snorting lightly Zagnal continued to speak as they moved with enough velocity to leave the lionÆs share of the images and other liaisons behind “This is only one of two offensive staging areas along the entire front So there is a lot of variance in the areas you will be invading And where you invade determines who you will report to for the duration of your defensive missions “

Zagnal spared Randidly a glance as they moved off down a sloping hill past the parade grounds “And I’ll be honest I’ll also earn some merits if you do well And you seem more aware than most so you might be the chance I’m waiting for Don’t disappoint me “

“Oh don’t worry I have no intention of dying ” Randidly said dryly Zagnal shook his head and led Randidly further down the slope and toward a veritable city of floating stone pillars

“This is the staging area ” Zagnal said shortly He gestured with his hand as though Randidly couldnÆt figure out that the stone pillars were the strange construction here Then his eyes quickly flicked in several directions before he pointed decisively toward the center of the tightly clustered pillars “There Follow me “

While from afar there were so many stone pillars that they appeared as a forest they resolved themselves into an understandable pattern as Randidly drew nearer There were probably hundreds of pillars but each was part of a pentagram with a pillar at each point of the star The pillars themselves were covered in a complicated Engraving that Randidly studiously memorized although they didn’t mean anything to him currently

This shit is useless to me now But to the main body and Lucretia

Zagnal dragged Randidly through the maze of pillars to one of the central pentagrams But as they wiggled their way through the small spaces between the pentagrams for the first time since he had met Zagnal Randidly saw him hesitate “Huh Iellaya’s is also open Hmm

With a familiar decisiveness Zagnal spun on his heel and faced Randidly His eyes glowed ominously Then you have a choice This staging area is the one directly under the command of Lord Miln but Iellaya she is someone that I’ve wanted to establish a relationship with for quite some time She arrived only five years ago but her record speaks for itself And she doesnÆt have many close subordinates yet Your quick feet earned this so choose to whom will you bind yourself “

Randidly blinked Other groups of liaison and image were hurrying down the rocky slope Truly those blank faced images were slower than Randidly but not by much They would arrive soon And it was clear from their determined movements that these other liaisons also had plans for which staging area to use

But still without any more information Randidly hesitated The other liaisons hurried closer Zagnal’s gaze grew flinty

” let’s take the gamble then ” Randidly said “Take me to Iellaya’s staging area “

Although Randidly wanted to get near to Lord Miln to investigate more of his body he was very far from having any sort of plan or capability to rescue it As such it seemed better to go to a distant area where Randidly’s exploits wouldn’t grab the attention of the very being that he hoped to dupe

Not that I know for sure that I’ll do well especially without Nether Resistance Randidly thought bitterly But still The more I can fly under his radar the better There is still so much that I donÆt know about this battlefield

“Anything else I need to know ” Randidly asked as Zagnal pushed him into a pentagram just as another liaison came dashing over to the same array of floating pillars

“Don’t lose yourself ” Zagnal said shortly as he passed Randidly a small item that reminded Randidly of a snow globe Glittering energy spiraled around the glass orb given to him grabbing Randidly’s eye “ThatÆs the Aether Key Keep ahold of that That will help your im that will help you stabilize the space And when the energy is inside of it is depleted the formation will activate to teleport you back So doubly so donÆt lose it “

Before Randidly could open his mouth and ask additional questions the array flared to life and Randidly felt the familiar lurch in his stomach that came with teleportation But as he traversed the distance to his destination he barred his teeth at the twisting space around him

Zagnal was about to say image and stopped himself so he’s complicit with whatever is going on

Randidly’s claw flexed But it also means that if I can do earn him some benefits he will be able to tell me the truth of the situation

Chapter 1044

A split second later Randidly was floating in the Great Rift Small azure paths of energy scurried by his face like schools of curious fish Vast black space pressed down on Randidly from every direction

The first sensation that hit Randidly was a sledgehammer of cold Not a physical cold but a mental cold that felt like falling into oblivion and the hole you used to get there closing up behind you Then an eternity seemed to pass cracking through the neat processes of RandidlyÆs thoughts to rip at the core of his being It was one of the worst feelings that Randidly had ever encountered

Against the Judgment Randidly had felt cold But that was a literal cold that was so acute that it started to forcibly shut down Randidly’s biological processes His brain hadnÆt been able to handle the temperature That was the sort of trial that Randidly endured against the Judgment But this cold seemed to extinguish Randidly’s Willpower

Don’t lose yourself

Randidly’s eyes glowed with a furious emerald fire as he opened his mouth and roared The noise started at the pit of his stomach and clanged back and forth through his organs inside of his windpipes and then ripping out of his throat As if responding to the righteous fury and refusal in his chest the snow globe clutched in his claw began to glow

Simultaneously something distant and ethereal began humming in Randidly’s chest Whatever was there began to slowly build as the cold continually pounded against his will to continue As Randidly refused to give in it budded like a flower in spring

Yet it was the glow whipping outward into the surrounding darkness smashing into the blue veins and shattering them that finally freed Randidly from the vice grip of the cold The outward expansion of light slowed and the energy whipped back to swirl around Randidly The terrible cold was driven away and simultaneously the humming in Randidly’s chest ceased

But he found in himself a strange new capability Randidly could use that light to shape the surrounding space It was an instinctive feeling but it felt impossibly true at that moment Randidly could wave his hand and make

Then that certainty trembled Randidly spun around in his halo of light surrounded by darkness filled with azure veins and felt something desperately shooting toward his position through the unimaginably large space in the surrounding area And as Randidly felt that expanded sense he couldnÆt help but gasp at the size of the darkness around him

The teleporter had brought him out here but Randidly could not for the life of him detect anything in the surrounding darkness but those intermittent azure lines In the vast expanse of space Randidly was completely alone

For a second Randidly thought while he tapped his jaw lightly The strange certainty of creation the huge distances the lonely darkness it all gave him pause Yet he couldnÆt wait around forever It seemed that the response from the Nether was coming Even here a small island of slowly stabilizing Aether in the Nether something was coming to kill him

Randidly’s face split into a grin Some things are too comfortably familiar

And with that thought in his mind his will twitched and then spread outward in a nova of genesis Within a second that very same arena that Randidly faced the challenge of Donnyton and then the Eidolon Crucible condensed around him in stuttering waves of light and substance The flat surface of the arena the pristine waters of the quarry the surrounding cliffs the empty stands

All was perfectly reproduced The dreamland descended once more to surround Randidly

Randidly’s smile was the site of a vicious battle as hunger for violence and bitter regret warred across his face There’s a certain sort of poetic justice that I keep returning to fight in this place that I left annihilated But I canÆt help but fear that if I keep returning here one day I will lose on this battlefield

Then RandidlyÆs gaze hardened But that day will not be today

Then the Nether creature arrived and all of Randidly’s focus narrowed to a point

Randidly wasn’t sure what he had expected But certainly he didn’t believe that this sinister existence so reviled by Lord Miln and Zagnal would turn out to be so acceptable Rather than some unspeakable horror with twisting inversions and an inside out body comprised mostly of hungry mouths the being of Nether that pierced into Randidly’s created area like an arrow was like a midnight black jellyfish Its tentacles seemed rather dehydrated and wrinkly but still it was a familiar silhouette cast in inky blackness

As it shot downward it flailed wildly ripping large gashes in the Aether that was pulsing out of his Aether Key

Swirling it like an aura however was that same terrible chill that attempted to extinguish Randidly’s Willpower Yet with the admittedly fragile backdrop of the conjured world behind him that same chill that had briefly left him stricken now filled Randidly will grim purpose

“Let’s see then what a being of Nether can accomplish ” Randidly hissed as he stalked forward like a hunter going to meet game that had fallen into a snare

The black jellyfish hit the edge of the arena like a comet splitting the ground and sending shards of stone flying up into the air Randidly activated Man is Proud But the Chimera Craves and launched himself forward with all of the concentrated momentum of Spear Advances Ash Trails That very same aura of cold grew stronger as Randidly shot forward but he ignored it Even though the ground that the black jellyfish impacted began to slowly float upward as the concentrated Nether destabilized the space

Randidly’s emerald eyes were locked on the dozen or so tentacles that began to lash out and rip through the arena Rather than an evil Nether is just the opposite of Aether It might be some sinister evil force whose invasion necessitated the System but that doesn’t change HOW it operates And that way is to destabilize space by slowly sapping away the strength of inherent order of the world Which might just be an image

In that split second of that reflective thought Randidly focused less on the actual bone spear of his right arm and more on the image of heaviness Rather than physical strength all of his effort spiraled together to form an image of unstoppable weight And as Randidly concentrated his Willpower to go toward that point he felt strength flooding into him Strength that wasnÆt just originating from himself

No the weight that condensed into the tip of RandidlyÆs bone spear was the strength and vehemence that he had siphoned off from the images of those who followed him from the Eidolon Crucible Individual it was an infinitely small amount They likely wouldnÆt notice the difference in their image aside from the bitter truth that they had lost But to them that truth would only drive them to reach more desperately to grow strong

That weight only had meaning when aggregated And then when it was combined with RandidlyÆs already significant determination

When Randidly smashed into it the jellyfish of Nether popped and exploded like a soap bubble Black inchor spewed everywhere drenching Randidly and the surrounding arena in viscous sludge

In addition a howl of fury emerged from the creatureÆs previous position as it began to eat directly into the image of the surrounding area RandidlyÆs mouth twisted in distaste This fucker didnÆt know when to give up And then the pain hit

For a split second the agony of that Nether eating into his image directly left Randidly’s face warped in hatred and wrath His breath came out in an explosion of steam as fury and his pounding heart kept the sizzling antipathy of Nether at bay

It was strange as time seemed to travel in bits of filmy pictures across RandidlyÆs mind The pain was something that he could see eating away at him Not at his body because that was a luxury that Randidly didnÆt currently possess No when Nether and Aether met directly the two forces crackled and spat and parts of him began to blur and diminish

DonÆt lose yourself Æ Zagnal had said with a tired expression of one too often disappointed and finally Randidly saw with absolute clarity why Zagnal would feel disappointed from even having the smallest bit of hope for his success

That expression was motivated by the same reason that Lord Miln was willing to toss away what amounted to little more than ghostly images in an offensive Because in those moments of filmy time Randidly felt a strange pivot opening up before him The Nether Jellyfish hated him hated his very existence They repelled each other like magnets and pressed together that rejection became mutual destruction

And as Randidly felt bits of him being destroyed he could have easily panicked and allowed the damage to worsen But some instinct honed through a year of carefully refining his images roared to the forefront of his existence It buckled down and brought every shred of his Willpower smashing against this influence that invaded his body It would not lose to this strange darkness

It was a burning desire to live And Randidly suddenly suspected that regardless of how deeply rumpled or shellshocked all those images were after being ripped out of their bodies no amount of preparation would have gotten them ready to endure that agony It wasnÆt something that preparation could equip you against so why bother to prepare

You could either handle it or you couldnÆt And among the recruits who came here unusually not due to the Fourth Calamity it seemed that most simply couldnÆt handle it

Chimeric Avoidance Randidly hissed in agony and he felt the pain immediately lessening More than the Skill itself Randidly used every iota of his Willpower to picture himself as an inviolable entity that simply avoided the dangers of this contact with Nether He had no true shield but the firm belief in himself

Honestly what followed was somewhat akin to the Eidolon Crucible that Randidly endured the prior day Except where those images had demanded a portion of RandidlyÆs strength this being of Nether demanded that he cease to exist It completely denied his ability to avoid this damage and instead wished him into oblivion

Steam hissed upward from the spots were the jellyfishes black ichor pressed against the skin of the Grim Chimera The emerald light in RandidlyÆs eyes brightened That strange ringing was back in RandidlyÆs chest too The globe in RandidlyÆs hand flickered as the Aether Key attempted to keep the surrounding space stable while Randidly clashed directly with the monster of Nether The ground quaked causing several small pebbles to drift upward into the air

Randidly raised his head and bellowed with such violence that spit flew out of his open mouth The veins across his body were bulging out of his skin as the agony continued to pound against his WIllpower Some inner fire was burning in RandidlyÆs chest refusing to give in to the agony More and more of the Grim Chimera was beginning to flicker but with that rising ringing in his chest

Then something clicked within Randidly Abruptly the pain took several steps backward so it was still extremely painful but not so existential in nature A very familiar feeling rose up in RandidlyÆs hand as the Nether still maliciously tried to eat into his body

Nether Resistance Randidly thought blankly Nether Resistance activated After being exposed to it for so long I was able to trigger the Skill

A Skill from the main body that I shouldnÆt be able to use if I was simply the Grim Chimera

To lend credence to RandidlyÆs theory a notification popped up in front of him

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 75

Then Randidly pushed away all his shock wonder and excitement Because for now he had a fucking black jellyfish to annihilate

Chapter 1045

Once Randidly had the assistance of Nether Resistance the battle became immensely easier Although it could still blur the edges of the Grim Chimera image much of its potency had been sucked from it With the additional image strength from his victory in the Eidolon Crucible his victory was no longer in doubt

Of course a sufficient amount of Nether would still be deadly to Randidly Activating this Skill would not mean that Randidly could act with impunity in the front lines The lingering damage to the image of the Grim Chimera was a testament to those tense first ten seconds of bitter confrontation

But with the periodic pulses of Aether from the Aether Key in his hand Randidly was nigh unstoppable in the current battle He methodically used Molten Fang of the Pariah to eradicate the remainder of the black jellyfish that covered the ground of the arena He even earned several additional Skill Levels in his Grim Chimera Skills and Nether Resistance

But those notifications soon twisted his mouth into a scowl I get the Skill Levels sure and that will help But without my main body I wonÆt have any way to use the PP to follow Paths

Yet that annoyance quickly gave way to hesitation then again I would have said the same thing about my ability to use non Grim Chimera Skills So perhaps it’s doable I just need to find a way to cause a resonance as happened with Nether Resist But a resonance with my Status

But causing such a phenomenon was easier said than done In this case the direct cause was obvious exposure to Nether After that switch had been flicked inside of himself to grant access to Nether Resistance it felt like a tenuous connection was established with his main body that allowed him to utilize the Skill Perhaps it was due to whatever actions Yggdrasil used but there was enough sympathy between the two of them that Randidly could probably worm his way into access to all of his main bodyÆs Skills

However very few other Skills possessed the same extremely blunt activation pattern as the Resistance series of Skills did

And of course the traitorous Skill Pain Resistance doesnÆt work at all from the pain resulting from Nether damage Randidly gloomily regarded the burnt skin of his arm and chest So torturing myself here is a waste of time

Once the creature of Nether was gone Randidly felt rather bored as the Aether Key continued to pulse out waves of energy into the surrounding air Some wild part of himself almost wished more enemies would show up Still he had his hands rather full doing his best to repair some of the damage that Nether had done to the Grim Chimera and decided a peaceful conclusion to his trip out here wouldnÆt be such a bad thing

Nether Resistance probably didnÆt win the battle for Randidly but it certainly saved him from a lot of pointless suffering But even with that advantage Randidly could feel portions of his image that had grown vague and blurry While sitting on that imagined arena that Randidly had left destroyed in the past he slowly repaired the damage to the Grim Chimera

He reinforced the image of violence added more detail and texture to the physical body of the Grim Chimera and slowly upped the ravenous hunger than animated it Even though the exertion left Randidly in a state that was close to dizzy Randidly was able to quickly repair his image

Of course there were some spots that Randidly spotted the tenacious touch of Nether lingering despite his best efforts It wasnÆt pure Nether as it had been mixed too thoroughly with RandidlyÆs energy into a strange mixture that was probably useless to both types of beings But it became part of the fabric of his Grim Chimera As Randidly examined it it even seemed to strengthen the shadow of loneliness that covered the Grim Chimera

This will be the part that becomes a star then Randidly tapped his lip and then shrugged Although he couldnÆt remove it here it might be possible to purify his image if he had access to his main body Even if the strange process of transforming the Nether into a star didnÆt pan out Randidly didnÆt believe he wouldnÆt find a way to handle it

With his repairs sorted Randidly moved onto a restive type of meditation His breathing evened out and Randidly let himself drift for quite some time Some of the edge returned to his Willpower Only after Randidly felt himself grounded and capable did Randidly open his eyes

With most of his internal state sorted out Randidly glanced around at the surrounding area At the moment he dearly wished he could find a way to cause resonance between himself and the Skill Absolute Timing because Randidly wasnÆt sure how long he had been here The battle against the being of Nether couldnÆt have been long but it left him drained As for how long his recovery meditation lasted

Randidly sighed and shook his head Honestly he had no idea It could have been an hour since he was teleported here it could have been a day But it did seem like the energy within the Aether Key was slowly starting to die down so the return should trigger sometime very soon

With the being of Nether eradicated the arena came back with perfect clarity The point of impact where the ground had been destabilized slowly settled back together like a magical self solving jigsaw puzzle The pristine water of the quarry reflected the blue sky But beyond that

Randidly walked slowly with the Aether Key in his claw to the edge of the area Just like it was with the frontlines the edge of RandidlyÆs stabilized space ended with a sharp wall of ominous blackness The azure veins added some depth but the view still struck Randidly with a physical force It was difficult to imagine what existence for the Nether beings was like looking at those strange azure patterns flickering across the blackness

Randidly glanced up The blue sky ended sharply at the edge of the blackness Rather than any true phenomenon that color was likely created based upon his image But it was still rather off putting to see the stark line where the edge of RandidlyÆs small world ran up against the surrounding vast darkness

The Great Rift huh Randidly mumbled Then he shook his head and walked back to the center of the arena Once there he sat down once more and returned to meditation This time rather than trying to refine his image Randidly let his mind go completely blank in order to recover from the strain of his confrontation with the being of Nether

Breathe in breathe out

DonÆt lose yourself

In the past this would likely be a time where Randidly would slip into his growing image verse and feel the movements that he could sense with his Crown which had now been restructured into the Reign of the Eidolon Crucible But displayed on the inside of his eyelids Randidly now only found blackness He wondered idly how Ignition Essence was doing and what Yggdrasil did to pass the time while he was performing missions

Would his growth here help the main body grow more powerful

The concept of time writhed and slithered around Randidly like a naughty serpent The only constant was his own breath and the intermittent pulses of the Aether key grasped tightly in his claw After focusing on his mental recovery for what felt like days Randidly soon felt himself returning to his peak

Well rather than his peak it was the rather gritty reality of feeling good in not the best of circumstances Which considering where he was seemed good enough to consider it a victory So Randidly returned to the rather endless task of refining his image of the Grim Chimera

And when he did so Randidly was met with the rather shocking realization that his earlier refinementsÆ were extremely crude and clumsy They stuck out like a sore thumb against the rather smooth rest of his image He had wielded a blunt instrument to repair the damage done by Nether leaving the finished product extremely rough

Randidly grimaced as he went about correcting and enhancing the pieces he had added to his image earlier Well I suppose thatÆs a sharp lesson about trying to perform surgery on yourself directly after a battle the results are pretty abysmal But IÆm not sure whether itÆs better to add such stopgaps to an image or simply focus on recovering mental acuity first leaving those wounds to the image to bleed during the intervening time

Shaking his head Randidly stretched and straightened He glared down at the Aether Key as though it was responsible for his current predicament Weak pulses of Aether continued to flow outward about once every five minutes or so In order to pass the time Randidly stuck his feet into the cool water of the quarry But although the sensation was enjoyable it felt hollow

Hard to tell if thatÆs because I donÆt have a body or because this place was made off of my rather fuzzy memory Randidly sighed and closed his eyes once more Instead of simply focusing on himself or his image Randidly focused on the Aether Key in his hand

With the Grim ChimeraÆs instincts he could clearly feel the dense Aether that was held within the glass sphere But it was also clear that much of that energy had already dispersed into the surrounding area Which considering it was used to stabilize the space made Randidly wonder how exactly Aether worked Why did its presence give Randidly something to affix his image to If it was just an energy form

Of course Randidly knew it wasnÆt just energy It was also shape But

Then Randidly froze Because while his focus was directed at the continually pulsing waves of Aether there was a subtle stirring in his chest Something was resonating

Instantly the excitement in RandidlyÆs chest bubbled up and completely destroyed his focus But now Randidly stared down at the Aether Key with a hungry intensity Of course Even if I canÆt get some of the other Skills if I can get Aether Detection to resonate by holding such a powerful bit of concentrated Aether for a prolonged period of time

So Randidly took several breaths to calm himself down and focused on the slow beats of Aether that were spreading outward from the sphere in his hand Of course the time between the pulses of Aether seemed extremely long to RandidlyÆs impatient senses Almost prohibitively slow

Yet after every pulse the resonance in his chest would increase by the smallest bit The energy would clearly trigger something and come back with more vigor than before only then to slowly fade as the space between pulses stretched

Randidly frowned while keeping his eyes closed Focusing like this earlier would have been better when the Aether held within the Aether Key still possessed most of its potency But even so with a few more pulses

The resonance in his chest continued to climb in intensity Randidly didnÆt remember exactly when the resonance had reached a tipping point but he suspected it was very close

RandidlyÆs stomach lurched as he was pulled through teleportation once more The resonance rapidly faded to nothing With a quick look it was clear that the sphere in RandidlyÆs hand was completely devoid of energy Randidly released a long stream of curses

And based on what Zagnal said IÆll need to handle three defensive missions before IÆll have another chance at an offensive one again Randidly wanted to rip out his hair But maybe there will be a way to get access to a spare Aether Key without waiting for another mission What are they anyway I would assume its concentrated System Aether but without Aether Detection

A split second later Randidly was standing once more in the pentagram of pillars Zagnal looked up and met his gaze with Randidly whose face was probably covered in an expression of a man whose fiance died of a heart attack at the alter across from him

Zagnal patted Randidly shoulder with a commiserating expression Not so easy is it And it will only get harder from here but you survived thatÆs whatÆs important When youÆve recovered follow me ItÆs time to take you to your new lodgings Now you report to Iellaya

Chapter 1046

As a sour mood Randidly followed Zagnal down the Eastern side of the rock outcropping he was shocked out of his funk by the sight of Ignition Essence and Yggdrasil waiting at the base of the slope Even though Randidly could clearly see Yggdrasil was still cradling Ignition Essence in his arms he hurried over Was there any change in his condition

Yggdrasil shook his canopy sadly No there has been no change since this morning Time will take much longer than that to begin its holy work IÆm afraid But it is good to see that youÆve managed to survive your ordeal Was it painful

Randidly paused Then he turned and looked at Zagnal after he parsed apart what Yggdrasil had said to him How long was the mission

About three hours Zagnal showed his teeth Heh it felt much longer to you did it not Good thatÆs very good

RandidlyÆs depressed mood returned with a vengeance I even was warned that time here moves strangely But even so really That was only three hours I feel like I did a weekÆs worth of damage control on the Grim Chimera image holy fuck

Growling at Zagnal Randidly said Why is that a good thing it felt so fucking long

Because the heavier an individualÆs image the longer time seems to stretch The damage done by the Great Rift it is an insidious influence that is difficult to overcome And the Nether are beasts of instinct that know nothing of time The weaker an image is the more easily it is swept along to that timeless quality ThatÆs how we can tell which images are nearing

So you are saying I have a strong image Randidly said with a vicious smile

Zagnal froze caught between what Randidly assumed were orders to keep references to images to a minimum and his own pleasure that the image he was acting as a liaison for had returned none the worst for wear

Eventually Zagnal coughed and nodded Yes that is the case Now follow me My own defense mission is tomorrow morning so we will need to make good time to IellayaÆs base of operations this evening so I can return

With Yyrwood Body of Yggdrasil Yggdrasil had no trouble keeping up with ZagnalÆs brutal pace They quickly traveled to the backline of the lower camps and began to speed across the badlands As the rocky outcropping seemed to barely grow any more distance behind them the four blazed across the outer ring of the huge base that sat here on the edge of the Great Rift At first there were some other groups traveling along the same path but as they headed further and further away from headquarters they quickly became the only group on the path

Rather than any real fortifications for these bases there only seemed to be the lines of tents stretching endlessly on their right across the broken and barren ground There were also small spaces between the bases too giving Randidly of a sense of scale for this battlefront So far they had walked past the edges of the headquarters and one other camp about to enter into the area of a third

Now at least Randidly saw some individuals moving outside of their tents Noises from cooking fires and conversations caught RandidlyÆs attention In addition it rapidly became clear that there were three types of tents and the greys were in a minority

Most of the tents that Randidly saw now were a maroon red and often had wounded individuals standing and talking around by them When their group passed these individuals would look sharply up before returning to their conversation not even bothering to acknowledge their passage

Who are they Yggdrasil asked as they continued past these groups

Once more Zagnal hesitated veterans TheyÆve been fighting here for a while DonÆt let their attitude bother you By the time you prove yourself you will have the chance to stand amongst them

Which probably means that these are individuals that were allowed to keep their bodies Randidly reflected But I wonder if Zagnal saying by the time you prove yourself Æ means there is a possibility that I will be allowed to return to my body Should I reveal now that I know I am an image

Ultimately Randidly clicked his tongue and decided against it There was still too much he didnÆt know And there was always the worry that it was explicitly outlawed that the images learn what they were Better to wait and learn more information for now

In addition to the grey and maroon tents there were also gold tents Randidly only saw a few of those in the four camps that they passed and it was clear that these were reserved for special individuals In each section of maroon tents there would only be a dozen or so that were golden Zagnal clearly saw the interest in RandidlyÆs gaze as well but he didnÆt volunteer any information

Meanwhile Randidly was rather occupied sensing the gradual changes happening within the fabric of his image As Zagnal had informed him the first day he arrived he could feel some sort of current through the air that tugged insistently on the tainted Nether that remained suspended in his image

Slowly that Nether was siphoned out and formed a star shape pattern in the air around Randidly Like the staging area this new star had five points But rather than a star with equal sides this star was scrawled with a wild curving script The substance of Nether began to flow toward the points and central area

However there wasnÆt enough Nether present in Randidly to create the strange star diagram In fact only one of the points seemed to be filled in the looping script The remaining points were dull and empty while the center seemed to have not even been started

Randidly tskÆd in his mind and shook his head I beat that damn jellyfish too badly It will take a lot of enemies of that caliber before I can condense a star and in order to investigate what effects it has

In the beginning Randidly had been rather worried about what sort of influence the owner of the grand array could wield if that being could use the remnant Nether to make these stars But seeing the slow accumulation and more important the way that it accumulated Randidly was somewhat relieved

His main bodies expertise was still absent but Randidly was still able to recognize certain patterns From what he could tell this strange looping star would do exactly as advertised it would only give him a minor resistance against Nether The full star would create a bubble of Nether substitute that would reduce the effectiveness of Nether attacks

Until as Zagnal pointed out the Nether reached the point of overwhelming him and turning those stars against him But Randidly had faith in his own Willpower and the additional strength he had received from the Eidolon Crucible

Which once combined with his current Nether Resistance

It was only after they had traveled for about four hours that Zagnal spoke again By this time they had reached the sixth camp to the East of the headquarters They stood in front of a thin thoroughfare that led through a row lined with maroon tents This is the edge of IellayaÆs headquarters She is the Easternmost commander on this battleline

Randidly glanced around One thing he immediately noticed was that although most of the tents were maroon there were no golden tents that he could see In addition there were a few dozen or so grey tents tucked away behind the sea of maroon Randidly chewed his lip thoughtfully If the tents meant what he believed they did that would mean this camp also hosted disproportionately more isolated images than any camp they had passed did other than the main one directly underneath Lord Miln

It was difficult to know whether that was a good thing or a bad thing for Randidly

But more than that there was a scent in the air

It is a strange energy that lays over this camp Yggdrasil said lightly Zagnal blinked and looked at Yggdrasil with a frown Although Randidly had been thinking the very same thing it wouldnÆt do to have ZagnalÆs attention focus on Yggdrasil and his impressively acute senses

Before Zagnal could direct his attention wholly toward YggdrasilÆs ambiguous statement Randidly took a step forward to grab the liaisonÆs attention So why are you so desperate to form a relationship with this Iellaya

That seemed enough to attract ZagnalÆs attention back to Randidly Zagnal sighed You would not understand It is a thing closely related to the status of my homeland For someone ah for someone like you without a place to return to someone who is waiting for the old friend of Lord Miln it might be difficult to understand

Despite the fact Randidly was trying to keep his knowledge secret his emerald eyes flashed in annoyance His emotions bubbled ominously Barring his teeth at Zagnal Randidly growled Try me

Almost immediately Randidly inwardly cursed his hot headed reaction Where had that sudden aggression come from ItÆs true that this fuckface needs to stop treating me like a broken doll but

Zagnal seemed similarly surprised by the sudden violent sneer that covered RandidlyÆs face Luckily before he could articulate any sort of reaction there was a dull roar from deeper within the camp All three of the figures twisted to look up toward the glittering fireball that filled the sky while Yggdrasil clutched the weak form of Ignition Essence to his chest

What the hell is that Randidly asked in alarm Is the camp under attack

Yes but it’s not what you think Zagnal said slowly His eyes glittered from the reflected light as the huge fireball faded to a glittering bonfire that burned near the center of the camp Almost instinctively his hands tightened into fists The sudden longing in his voice was abundantly clear Obviously there would be much more drastic response if the camp itself was under attack No that light is a Beacon of Duty Basically a commander will light one if they are looking for volunteers for a special mission

Randidly considered the light solemnly Calling for volunteers huh I suppose volunteering in a situation like that means that whatever is going on the mission is extremely dangerous and that the commander would be extremely grateful toward any volunteers

Their previous argument hung between them like a bitter death in the family Zagnal’s eyes continued to glitter with unwillingness as he looked up toward that burning beacon Huh whatever he wants from Iellaya clear is something significant If it has to do with his homeworld something to do with the Nexus A steady supply of Aether

But after a few seconds Zagnal sighed in dejection Yes that is correct but for you as you are now going on such a volunteer mission is a deathwish Still you are also correct this is exactly what I need for my people Perhaps no I have my own duties No matter what I cannot afford to risk failure

Zagnal twisted around Emotions warred on his face for several seconds as Randidly and Zagnal stared at each other The rather sudden appearance of emotion on Zagnal’s face filled Randidly with wonder Even more so because the emotion Randidly saw was desperation

And then even more surprisingly Zagnal bowed to Randidly at the waist Please If you can do this for me IÆll do everything in my power to help you reclaim your body Because right now I must come clean you are currently naught but an image that was forcibly ripped from your body You possess a fragment of your true power And if this separated version of you is powerful enough then your true form

ThatÆs enough Randidly said lightly as he tapped Zagnal on the shoulder Although Randidly still wasnÆt sure how much he could trust the man the fact that he had come clean about RandidlyÆs status was enough to earn a measure of consideration now After all if we donÆt act quickly wonÆt someone else volunteer first

ZagnalÆs face split into a wry grin but then his brow furrowed I was not exaggerating however If volunteers are required it is not something that should be possible for an image

I have never been a man Randidly called lightly over his shoulder profoundly enjoying the experience of leaving Zagnal in the dust to walk away To be greatly concerned by what others say I can and canÆt do

And more importantly than winning your trust I have Nether Resistance back to give me an advantage Hopefully that will give me enough of an edge to seize this chance

Chapter 1047

Yggdrasil stayed outside with Ignition Essence as Randidly and Zagnal walked steadily toward the towering command tent The large aisles forward leading to the central area of the camp were completely deserted Conspicuously so considering the lit Beacon of Duty As they proceeded deeper into the camp Randidly had to expend more and more effort suppressing a frown

And it wasnÆt even the lack of volunteers No Randidly was concerned about something else As Yggdrasil had so bluntly pointed out in front of Zagnal earlier there was something extremely strange in the air of this camp Almost like a persistence stench that one couldnÆt quite place Randidly glanced sideways at Zagnal who walked forward with gritted teeth

So why canÆt he seem to sense it

Of course the current Randidly was just an image Perhaps for that reason it was easier to sense other influences in the air But calling it a stench seemed quite fitting the entire camp was steeped in that strange influence

It was very easy for him to just forgo breathing so no foreign particles could enter his bodyÆ Even if the main body was present it would be extremely simple for Randidly to hold his breath long enough to avoid the strange smell and whatever trap may lay in it This thing was avoidable But even so RandidlyÆs instincts prickled as they proceeded through the tainted air It wasnÆt that it was dangerous to him per se

The sensation was extraordinarily strange But Randidly shook his head and did his best to ignore it as Zagnal knocked formally on the tent flap For now it was clear that Randidly didnÆt need to worry about it affecting him

No what concerned Randidly more was whatever being caused that stench to lay so heavily over the camp It was the only camp of the five they had passed that possessed such a stench Randidly wondered how easy it would be to transfer away from Iellaya if things turned dangerous

Enter came the regal sounding reply After exchanging a glance the two men pulled aside the flap and went into the tent

The interior was sparsely decorated there was open space for a training area a pole in the center that held up the wide tent and a desk at the far side Two people were gathered around the desk one seated and the other standing with his arms crossed both were carefully examining the two individuals who walked into the tent

The standing one was a being that seemed to be made of granite with bright yellow eyes that glowed and faded independently of each other like fireflies The figure seated at the table was an intense woman with a long main of ebony feathers hanging from her head

Narrowing his eyes Randidly confirmed what he was seeing rather than hair this womanÆs body was covered with feathers in all the places where most people possessed hair Extremely long feathers curled gently down around her face from her head and Randidly could also see feathers of a smaller variety sticking out from her forearms

It didnÆt escape RandidlyÆs notice that the stench of that strange influence was even more densely present inside of the CommanderÆs tent Although Randidly wasnÆt sure what it meant it did seem like there was no avoiding the fact that Iellaya would be involved in this strange feeling that made RandidlyÆs skin crawl

The woman leaned forward and clasped her fingers together as she considered Randidly and Zagnal I donÆt believe I recognize either of you two from my division Although I appreciate that you have come to assist after seeing the Beacon of Duty the mission is only open to my subordinates Thank you for your time you are dismissed

Zagnal cleared his throat Randidly watched with amusement as his liaisonÆs draconic features clearly displayed nerves With all do respect Lady Iellaya this man is one of your subordinates He only recently passed his first defensive mission and was assigned under your command today

IellayaÆs eyes flicked to Randidly then back to Zagnal indeed I did receive notice that a new recruit would be coming to my camp But letÆs not dance around this issue this being is a homeless image With his body enduring the punishment he will no longer receive energy from the System Do you really think that his assistance will do anything to help me

Lady Iellaya please thereÆs no need to Zagnal began as he nervously glanced at Randidly But Randidly just raised his hand to stop him from speaking

Yes I can help you Randidly said smiling easily at Iellaya Enduring a punishment huh But itÆs still impossible to tell if that is due to my status as a Heretic or from the special addition that Octavius said would be in my Judgment Information just lets me ask even more questions

Her expression twitched in surprise She looked at Randidly again this time more closely Her expression shifted After allowing her gaze to flick back to Zagnal she put Randidly in her crosshairs this time Ah I didnÆt realize you had regained your clarity You were already aware of your situation werenÆt you

Although Randidly smiled he didnÆt answer that Honestly he hadnÆt been truly aware and he still wasnÆt But that strange feeling of that stench was even stronger within the tent and it was clearly emanating from Iellaya now that he was standing nearer to her Rather than letting her set the pace with her questions Randidly instead said lightly Besides it doesnÆt seem like any others are coming to your assistance Even if itÆs a gamble to trust me arenÆt I better than nothing

Of course the fact that they had seen no one stirring in the camp after the Beacon of Duty was lit did diminish RandidlyÆs confidence that it would be fine for him to accept this mission It was possible that the people of IellayaÆs camp knew something about this that Randidly didnÆt If so Randidly might be signing his deathwish

RandidlyÆs eyes flashed I cannot afford to let my growth slow down With the main body locked away under some punishment I need to put myself in increasingly dangerous situations in order to grow And with Nether Resistance I have a pretty significant advantage over other images here in fighting against Nether

IellayaÆs eyes were so black that they didnÆt reflect any light Inscrutable and large they seemed to be entirely composed of pupil with the faintest hint of sclera around the edges itÆs true This is actually the third night in a row IÆve lit the Beacon of Duty The first night there were numerous volunteers and nine were sent Only two returned The second night three of my strongest people went and none remained in the morning And now on the third night it appears that none of my brave subordinates will come Because they understand I will not hold it against them if they do not That is how deadly this mission is

Iellaya tilted her head to the side The light inside the ten reflected off the main of glossy feathers that tumbled down her back Even the ebony feathers seemed lighter than those eyes Does that scare you

Of course Randidly said with a small smile But what he didnÆt say was whispered by the Grim Chimera in his ear

But if there was no terror these enemies wouldnÆt even cause me to struggle And I crave struggle

Iellaya blinked Then she laughed Indeed So at least you admit that you are afraid Well then fine If no others come you will be my lone representative into the Great Rift on this night Abiodun please take Mr

When Iellaya looked at Randidly in askance he said Ghosthound

Nodding Iellaya continued Please take Mr Ghosthound to the staging area I wish you the best of luck I will not forget this favor

After Randidly had been led away by the rumbling being of granite Zagnal still remained in IellayaÆs tent with his hands clenched at his sides

Iellaya looked at him with obvious amusement But for several minutes she didnÆt attempt to break the silence Instead she stood and walked over to the side of the desk Pulling on a drawer Iellaya removed a tea set and delicate set it on the table A snap of her fingers set the kettle to steaming and she poured the scalding water over pink leaves

ZagnalÆs arms trembled from the exertion of staying still

After another few minutes Iellaya raised the glass of tea to her lips From her vantage point Zagnal could see that the water was still completely transparent However the pink leaves had completely dissolved

After taking a sip IellayaÆs attention turned finally to Zagnal She returned to her seat behind the desk The small feathers of her eyebrows twitched as she examined him So It wonÆt solve my problem but I appreciate you sending such a promising image of yours to die in my defense You have my attention

You never know Zagnal said slowly as much for himself as for Lady Iellaya He could survive He sustained almost no damage in the earlier defensive battle Perhaps his aptitude is quite high for an image

Offensive battles and defensive battles are very different Iellaya waved her hand So much so that I didnÆt even bother to lay out how they are different for the fool And you didnÆt speak out at all either So letÆs not pretend like the outcome is in doubt that image will die and be consumed by the Nether Still thatÆs not a knock against it many better individuals have met the same fate out here

Leaning back in her chair Iellaya pulled a pile of papers on the corner of her desk in front of her With a quick flick of the wrist she made a quick note underneath a page featuring a picture of Randidly GhosthoundÆs true body Still two more images were extracted from this body so all is not lost And even if he fails spectacularly it will buy us a tiny amount of time So please tell me what you want

ZagnalÆs mouth was dry He huffed out a smoky breath from his nose I I wish to arrange passage to the Nexus for my world I hear you already possess Tier 2 Citizenship in the Nexus IÆm willing to throw my support behind you assuming my world becomes a portion of your Realm if you reach Tier 3 citizenship with your accomplishments on the front lines

Lady Iellaya chuckled If you know that much youÆve certainly done your homework on me And if thatÆs true I suppose you know that throwing your support behind me carriers with it certain additional requirements

Nodding slowly Zagnal took a step forward His knees almost buckled underneath him as the took that step I I am aware I am willing

The air within the tent began to change Suddenly Zagnal could barely breathe as a heavy energy swirled between them Under the influence of that abrupt weight even the visual cues from the destabilized space were somewhat restricted The very air seemed to tremble in the presence of that energy

Slowly Iellaya stood With a certain ritualistic cadence she took slow steps around her desk to stand before Zagnal As she slowly turned Zagnal could see how the ebony feathers stuck out of her body all along her spine giving her a black trail of feathers leading down her slender back When she settled only a meter away from Zagnal those feathers began to flare outward like a cobraÆs hood

Iellaya was now wreathed in darkness

Then you also realize that this means your own potential will become mine Lady Iellaya said quietly You will still grow but only in proportion to my own strength This is the end of your Path

Yes But Zagnal panted IÆve served twelve of my twenty five year sentence on the frontlines I have seen too many individuals far more powerful than I die to think that it is anything but luck that IÆve made it this far And if I die my world

I know hush child Lady Iellaya reached out and brushed her fingers against ZagnalÆs cheek It is for exactly those reasons that so many lost pilgrims have made the very same decision you now make So do not regret Instead relax As soon as you kneel your woes will become mine And I will not forget the petty burdens of those who dedicate themselves to me

Trembling Zagnal went to his knees His hands were twitching The weight was growing too much to handle His entire body was oozing a mixture of sweat and ash from his pores Lady no Queen Iellaya My life is yours My will is yours My image is yours

Chapter 1048

Randidly glanced over at the stoic Abiodun Well at least he adjusted his speed so that I could keep up with him but it doesnÆt seem like my luck of getting brusque silent types will change anytime soon

Although Zagnal has been a bit weird ever since we came to IellayaÆs camp so perhaps itÆs just a matter of allowing them to warm up to me Perhaps the Grim Chimera body is a bit more charming than the main body

Randidly looked down at his bone spear sticking out from the elbow of his right arm and his monstrous claw for a left hand Or not after all my physical appearance is a bit off putting even for all of these combat focused alien creatures

As they arrived at a familiar series of runic pillars floating in a pentagram Randidly looked toward AbiodunÆs hulking frame So is this an offensive or defensive battle Or something in between

Abiodun slowly turned and looked at Randidly Interestingly enough the granite man moved quite quietly there was no grinding in his joints Then he turned back and walked over to one of the arrays of pillars there is no in between The battle type is determined by who is currently maintaining the surrounding space In this case the Nether beings have had the chance to warp the space to become another portion of the Great Rift so it is a defensive battle You have to protect yourself from the environment while fighting off their forces

So jumping to the hard one immediately well itÆs not like I donÆt have plenty of benefits from my first battle to inform me RandidlyÆs claw tightened into a bristling sphere of blades and talons What IÆm saying is donÆt Aether and Nether destroy each other So what is left if the energies are completely equal and they fizzle out ThatÆs in between

Again Abiodun paused This time he completely turned around and looked at Randidly His eyes glowed and then dimmed as he considered Randidly for several seconds theoretically you are correct However what exists in the balance is impossible to determine By viewing that balanced state we influence it Therefore we only ever see Aether space to be protected or Nether space to be destroyed As long as Aether and Nether exist there cannot be a balance For balance would mean both have ceased to be

The part of Randidly that was undoubtedly the Grim Chimera was raring to fight this treacherously difficult defensive battle But the Randidly part was intrigued by AbiodunÆs words I m surprised you are the first individual who hasnÆt constantly referred to Nether as a monstrous force of evil Then of course RandidlyÆs Grim Chimera aggression commandeered his mouth For a rock you are pretty philosophical

Abiodun tilted his head to the side For an image that is about to die you talk an unnecessary amount But rather than annoying me it simply causes me endless regret It is possible we would have grown fond of each other given time

You certainly have a strange way of expressing regret Randidly shook his head as Abiodun turned back to one of the pentagrams and began to activate the runes Randidly calmly walked to the center of the array twisting his neck to crack it

Then something struck Randidly Oh by the way how do you return from defensive missions Can I have an Aether Key

In a defensive mission you attempt to defend against the enemy and the space Abiodun repeated rather unhelpfully Just when Randidly was about to complain the granite man added You will continue to defend until the morning when a relief force can be arranged Struggle hard fast talking image so the Nether doesnÆt have much time to reinforce their position before we arrive

Then space bent and twisted as the array around Randidly activated

Good thing he activated the teleportation after that Randidly frowned I didnÆt have any sort of comeback at all

Almost immediately after that thought however RandidlyÆs expression turned serious His attention focused inward He did last checks on his Grim Chimera image and began to forcefully activate the connection he had to Nether Resistance If he was understanding how this would play out correctly he was heading to an area to which a being had Nether had brought the reciprocal of an Aether Key

So not only would Randidly need to fight against the Nether creature but also he would need to fight against the environment

Then Randidly paused You know I suppose IÆve always assumed I would only fight one Nether beast at a time due to the huge size of the space that the two forces are contesting but no one has ever said explicitly that this would be the case And if this mission is so important that they sent NINE the first time and only two returned

well fuck

Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his chest But his grin spread wider and wider in anticipation of the danger facing multiple beasts of Nether at once would pose to him

Then Randidly blinked into the mission area and the existential cold of the Great Rift began to suck incessantly at his Willpower The great blackness filled with those azure lines was wrapped around him like a blanket that was so tight it felt like a noose This time however Nether Resistance surged immediately to life Randidly spread his arms and roared with such violence that some of the pulsing azure veins in the air around him trembled and shattered

With his left claw Randidly reached out and grasped the Great Rift with Eternal Cravings of a Wraith Randidly sucked and consumed everything in the surrounding area even the void The blackness trembled then small motes of ash began to form and spiral around Randidly in the void It was a small thing but immediately the pressing cold surrounding him eased up as the space began to shift toward something more hospitable to beings of Aether

In that same moment Randidly felt three presences begin making beelines through the void toward his position One was almost immediately on top of him and the other two shot closer together to assist Beyond them Randidly could feel a huge concentration of Nether that seemed to be a much larger version of the Nether Key

Thankfully there was no response to his presence from that huge knot of void energy

Spinning around Randidly locked onto the position of the first foe that was nearing him Wreathed in tight azure lines a strange shadow cut through the Great Rift toward RandidlyÆs position Emerald eyes blazing Randidly locked onto it almost immediately It seemed to possess two pairs of arms but a thin film of shadow stretched from the upper pair of arms to its waist like bat wings

Just as Randidly was trying to analyze the shape of the foe it twisted sideways and slipped between two glowing azure veins and disappeared Grimacing Randidly twisted to the side as the batbeast appeared behind him in a swirl of patterned azure veins Its dusky claw slid past RandidlyÆs side forcefully impacting RandidlyÆs image just with the violence of the attack A cold spike of agony hammered into RandidlyÆs side

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 76

You piece of fucking shit Randidly hissed Once more he sucked violently in with Eternal Cravings of the Wraith to pull all the surrounding energy toward himself Although he couldnÆt actually drag anything useful from this Nether being his overwhelming image of hunger that exploded outward was enough to daze the batbeast It acted as a vast thunderclap that destabilized the Nether in the surrounding area

RandidlyÆs Molten Fang of the Pariah sizzled toward its chest But the batbeast released a low rumble from its chest and stepped backward into the swirling azure veins After only inflicting a shallow scratch and a mild impact to the Nether being it disappeared The veins scattered like a spooked school of fish

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed I suppose it makes sense just like physics and geography are strange Aether rules that these Nether beasts donÆt understand these azure veins are an environment that I canÆt figure out and it can take advantage of Therefore the first step in defeating this foe would be to destroy the veins

The batbeast appeared once more so close to Randidly that he couldnÆt react in time even with the benefit of Chimeric Avoidance The batbeastÆs two lower arms slashed out and ripped away sizable chunks of the Grim ChimeraÆs image The wounds sizzled and burned as Aether and Nether met All the previous planning that Randidly was engaged in was wiped away by a flood of white hot rage

Screeching in hate Randidly took a sharp step forward and simply seized the batbeastÆs head with his clawed left hand Immediately the contact began to burn At first the batbeast was surprised by RandidlyÆs decisively aggressive move but then it began a flurry of attacks on RandidlyÆs exposed torso Existential agony pounded against RandidlyÆs Willpower but he began to laugh

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 77

Do you fucking think you are my equal RandidlyÆs eyes blazed like a supernova of emerald fireworks His claw tightened inward and the substance of the batbeastÆs head buckled Look at what this body can do and be appalled cretin

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 78

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 79

Although RandidlyÆs consciousness grew a little fuzzy around the edges the batbeastÆs struggles grew increasingly feeble and it whined in agony Steam wafted upward from the wounds on RandidlyÆs chest and his claw around its skull A second later Randidly used The Chimera Weeps But Man Mourns to pepper the batbeastÆs body with gory holes

The inky black flesh of the batbeast spasmed and then began to deflate like a punctured pool floatie With a shudder it collapsed in dispersed ichor that sizzled painfully against RandidlyÆs skin

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 80

For a second RandidlyÆs face was twisted with the intoxicating rush of triumph Nothing else mattered but that warm thrill of victory Then Randidly winced as the adrenaline began to pass and he felt the terrible wounds that disfigured his image of the Grim Chimera

With two more foes coming to fight this might be a bit

Then Randidly felt something in his chest There was a tremor and suddenly it appeared like it was placed there deliberately for Randidly to notice And it immediately seized his entire attention For several seconds he was frozen in shock Even the instincts he had received from the Grim Chimera werenÆt sure how to handle this new arrival

This what the hell is this

Chapter 1049

The thisÆ that left RandidlyÆs jaw rolling on the floor was a dense ball of Aether that appeared suddenly in his chest It was warm and bright and familiar filled with ash grey emerald gold and the pale steel of a shattered Crown turned into a spectral Reign It hummed with potency as it hung inside of Randidly

This this is clearly Aether From the main body Randidly who was probably heavily based on the Grim Chimera struggled to categorize all the implications that the sudden arrival of this dense Aether signaled Then it looks like the main body can still send Aether to me So the punishment Iellaya mentioned is due to what Octavius warned us about not us being a Heretic Because wouldnÆt they try to cut off a HereticÆs Aether to its images Would there be meaning to cut them off only from System Aether to starve them out Because Heretics have proven to have other methods

But maybe thatÆs exactly why they are cut off from System Aether and have their images ripped out Without the main body they probably lose the ability to accumulate Aether on their own through various means because those methods arenÆt usually a part of them like the Aether Crossroads is with me

A certain sort of poetic justice to remove the images from the body to deprive them of their usual methods then allow them Aether from the System no longer

Then Randidly shook his head rapidly But even then that isnÆt the important part WhatÆs important is whether itÆs just a coincidence that the Aether appeared now or whether somehow the main body is aware of what is going on with the images Likely communication is blocked by those same restrictions on System Aether but if the Aether between us can flow freely with the main bodyÆs Aether detection

Right now Randidly was facing the daunting prospect of struggling to face against two more approaching batbeasts working together who had the advantage of those strange azure veins to teleport freely in the surrounding area Plus the rage that had consumed him upon being initially wounded had meant he had exposed himself to quite a bit of unnecessary damage as he dealt with the first foe

But with this ball of Aether

Randidly released the ball into the air and it exploded like a glimmering nova of energy Familiar scents spread out in a whirlwind around him Once more that certainty of genesis came to Randidly and he pulled the surrounding area to his will The Great Rift shrunk back arranged and structured into space by RandidlyÆs Willpower

Randidly was initially quite disappointed to see that this space he conjured was quite a bit smaller than what he had been able to accomplish with the Aether Key it was a little less than half the size of the area the Aether Key had been able to turn into a habitable zone But this time Randidly at least had a little bit of perspective to shape his choice of local

Rather than that familiar Donnyton arena that Randidly had turned into a monstrous sinkhole RandidlyÆs conjured land was the familiar scenery of his vast image zone He stood on a dirt road To his left was low grassland that sloped down toward the towering World Tree and to his right was the familiar dusky landscape that surrounded the Grim Chimera

Needless to say the current Randidly gladly fled into the ashen filled fog of the right area It might not be as big as an Aether Key could manage but it feels like home Thanks Main Body

Randidly didnÆt have much time before the other two batbeasts arrived but he did have enough time to hastily smooth the wounded edges of his Grim Chimera image This time Randidly was well aware of the fuzzy edges of his thoughts and didnÆt attempt to create and detail oriented repairs to the wounded areas of his image Instead all he focused on was intensity and alignment of purpose

Anything else would turn out clumsy and malformed This at least could get by just by with the intensity of feeling Besides these areas would likely be impacted by the fast approaching battle anyway no point in trying to be too fussy about the details

After a brief meditation RandidlyÆs eyes snapped open The other two batbeasts had arrived And as they approached Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach One of them compared to the other two itÆs the real deal ItÆs almost as big as the other two of them combined

Releasing a breath RandidlyÆs Willpower expanded outward and began to rapidly reinforce the surrounding space he had conjured as much as he could before the antagonists arrived Details seeped into place in the surrounding area This time he was very careful to emphasize the stability and strength of his place Abruptly Randidly dearly wished he had the main bodyÆs understanding of Engravings to add some engineered stability to the frame of the small conjured image

As it was Randidly did as much as he could on short notice Then his eyes snapped open and he smiled widely Not even bothering with polite greetings eh Well then I wonÆt start with a warning shot either

The smaller of the two batbeasts crashed into the conjured space and caused thin cracks to run through the World TreeÆs manifestation that splintered outward to touch the path that ran between the two sides of the image

Then its larger and meaner cousin ripped through the entire left half of the space and turned it into large flakes of rapidly disintegrating space The concussive force of its arrival was enough that ever Randidly was briefly jarred

RandidlyÆs eyes flashed Although I might not think of it that way these physical spaces are just as obnoxious and confusing to them as the azure veins are to me If thatÆs the case

A tendril of RandidlyÆs will stabilized the ashen half of the image while taking the largest remaining pieces from the scattered World Tree and send them spinning lightly toward the larger batbeast It ripped and crashed into them with a roar but the collision slowed it down It even was polite enough to methodically shred those larger pieces of space into oblivion rather than rushing directly toward Randidly

Which gave Randidly time to give the smaller batbeast his entire focus

Man is Proud But the Chimera CRAVES

Randidly pierced outward like a spear from his ashen halo of safety into the rapidly spreading Great Rift to strike at the weaker batbeast At the last second it seemed to sense its impending doom It managed to bring its lower left claw in a vicious counter that aimed to rip through RandidlyÆs neck and spine

Randidly tilted his head to the side Chimeric Avoidance

Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Avoidance has grown to Level 198

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 81

The claw sliced harmlessly past RandidlyÆs neck A thin sizzling strip of flesh hissed as Aether and Nether brushed against one another however slightly Then RandidlyÆs bone spear covered in dried blood ripped into the Nether beastÆs chest It screamed at it trembled and shattered into a spray of ichor

Randidly frowned at the burst body Rather than my image which is damaged when its physical form is altered these being of Nether are made on the same principle as the stars the grand formation condenses on the front lines there is a light outward bubble and a dense inner core But if you can manage to have your attack reach that inner core

Just as the mean batbeast finished its work on the manifestation of the grasslands and the World Tree RandidlyÆs claw pierced forward and smashed against the tight center of the smaller Nether being that was hiding amongst the oozing piles of ichor It trembled the gurgled into oblivion

The Nether of its body continued to burn painfully at RandidlyÆs senses but without that core of meaning the constant burn was mostly just superficial pain Randidly had managed to finish off one of the foes without taking any more significant damage Which was definitely necessary for his survival But on the other hand

The remaining batbeastÆs chest heaved in fury It beat its chest and azure veins began to spiral down out of the vast darkness to surround it

Not so fast

The effort left Randidly slightly dizzy but he reached out and used his Willpower to shift the imagined area that the Grim Chimera always existed a few meters to the left so that Randidly and the batbeast were once more surrounded by the familiar press of Aether Once more the chill of Nether began to ebb

Of course the batbeastÆs eyes widened in fury and it began to swing its arms and rip out large chunks of the surrounding space But that also gave Randidly a moment he needed to breathe sharply in and activate Eternal Cravings of the Wraith It wasnÆt much and the energy that Randidly could gather was only the Aether that the main body had donated to him but it was enough to refocus him and give him a lethal edge

The swirling weight of images that Randidly had gained from the Eidolon Crucible flowed easily into his limbs With a single step Randidly arrived before the batbeast To its credit it reacted quickly and slashed at his head with one of his arms But Randidly easily ducked under the attack and speared it with Molten Fang of the Pariah

Instantly Randidly gritted his teeth Like I thought this one is on another tier of strength I canÆt just pop it like I could the others

Flexing its wings the batbeast brought two lightning fast slashes around to cut at RandidlyÆs sides Randidly stepped backward then used The Chimera Weeps But Man Mourns to pepper it with sharp attacks searching for a weakness Unfortunately Randidly received a vicious ripping blow to his left shoulder for his troubles

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 82

Of all the fucking times to no longer have a metallic shoulder

Randidly tried to control it but that same wild madness that had seized him earlier was rising in his chest That raw heaving rage of the Grim Chimera began to cause the surrounding area to fill with swirling bits of ash Which at least was proof that the potency of his image was intensifying But it felt beyond his control at the moment

RandidlyÆs claw reached out and seized one of the batbeastÆs arms and then Randidly yanked the fucker sharply toward him so he could smash his forehead against its inky black face

The batbeast flailed its arms leaving several agonizing scratches that sizzled unpleasantly with a gurgling chemical noise Fortunately for Randidly it didnÆt appear very well equipped to defend against RandidlyÆs close combat onslaught

With grim cruelty Randidly began utilizing his powerful left claw to rip off large chunks of the batbeast Every shiver of pain and increase in the violence of the batbeastÆs struggles made RandidlyÆs smile go wider

However it didnÆt take long for the batbeast to surge and scream with enough force to crack the surrounding space even with the full weight of RandidlyÆs Willpower behind it It wriggled out of RandidlyÆs grasp and began to throw wide sweeping slashes with its claws But for every cut Randidly received he inflicted back the same with interest

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 83

RandidlyÆs focus began to narrow Growling he pounced forward and smashed the batbeast back into the Aether image to restrict it And when it pulled away as Randidly had expected he unleashed a flurry of strikes with his bone spear to make it pay for its predictable decision

With remarkable quickness one of the batbeastÆs claws reached out and seized RandidlyÆs bone spear It then rushed toward Randidly with claws swinging with deadly intent Randidly met it with his own claw

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 84

Randidly was cut and he cut back harder The reality of the situation became fuzzy Randidly cut and cut and cut

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 85

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 86

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 97

Chapter 1050

When Randidly came back to himself everything was fuzzy and blurred It was like someone had left a sticky residue over all of his perceiving organs Sensation was strange But some deeper necessity from his core urged Randidly force himself into wakefulness So he scowled and forced his gummy eyes open

Randidly was sitting in a small bubble about five meters in diameter filled with swirling ash After thirty seconds his gaze shifted to the limit of that bubble Beyond that the familiar sight of the Great Rift loomed imposingly in the background

See Alive and with a bit of Aether surrounding me It seems that I barely need to be conscious in order to slaughter batbeasts And I cannot sense anything in the surrounding area No need to wake up from my nap yet

After closing his eyes Randidly allowed himself the briefest moment of surrender to the aches and pains that he was now strapped with Then he forced his eyes back open

I would say if I wanted to die here Randidly groaned and forced himself to stretch and strand Which was surprisingly difficult considering the mauled and wane form of the Grim ChimeraÆs image As Randidly shifted he realized exactly how much damage he had sustained fighting against the batbeasts Randidly’s left arm was completely gone and one of his legs was melted up to the knee

Charming fuckers

Groaning again Randidly began the fuzzy work of bringing the Grim Chimera back into focus The left arm was the most important because without it Randidly was basically left with a single chopstick with which to go about his daily life Comical as such an image would be it would certainly undermine the violence and urgency of the image

After that rather pressing bit of repair work Randidly did a few touches on his head and torso to remove the vicious scarring the claws of the batbeasts had left on his flesh Which turned out to be a very time consuming activity Finally Randidly began the frustrating task of trying to recall how the inverted joints of his legs worked

Certainly he remembered that the knees and ankles were inverted However he had never really examined the mechanical shifts of the joints enough detail to reproduce them So Randidly was forced to experiment in his small bubble of swirling ash

All the while the all consuming headache continued to pound like a hammer against the base of his skull Shaking his head Randidly did his best to push that away and focused on recovering his ability to fight With Eternal Cravings of the Wraith Randidly sucked in a bit of the surrounding Aether to take the edge off of his pain The swirling sphere of ash around him decreased by a full meter

Randidly eyed the space bitterly Well at least my bubble is still intact And that Aether helped a lot

Randidly checked his body out once more and could only wince Perhaps even worse than his patchy skin which appeared to have been set on fire and then boiled was the sludge like byproduct that resulted from Nether and Aether fizzling out on top of each other His body was covered with that ooze

Several layers of it in fact It was possible to see where earlier layers dried and then were covered in a new layer

Irritably Randidly wiped the gunk away Or at least he tried to while using the ungainly remnant of his bone spear But he mostly just managed to smear it across himself Even worse it seemed that more oozed out of his image every second like an oozing sore from third degree burns

Growling in frustration Randidly slumped back and allowed himself a few seconds of rest to cope with the pain coming from his head His Willpower was blunted and depleted after all of the major repairs had been accomplished Yet this was only the beginning of the recovery process With no way to accurately measure how much time Randidly had been in here he could only act like he would be required to stay here for quite some time

So with the most pressing repairs done Randidly allowed himself to sink into a more focused recuperative state The flow of blood had been stemmed now Randidly needed to give himself the chance to regain his clarity He allowed time to drift away to the realm of unimportance His mind settled down into a hibernative state

When Randidly felt well enough to pull himself out of that meditation he found that although the pain was still present it had faded to a dull ache A tiny mallet playfully tapping against his temples Much more pressing was the fact that the swirling sphere of ash had shrunk to only a meter

Randidly eyed his chest doubtfully No touch ups to my area main body A little bit of Aether would go a long way right now

Minutes crept past and there was no change Shaking his head Randidly set that problem aside for the immediate future and turned his attention outward to the ominous fluctuations of the Great Rift around him

What he found made Randidly swear quietly It was clear that at some point while Randidly was indisposed that huge mass of Nether in the distance had drifted closer In addition Randidly could feel a dozen batbeasts or similar monsters slowly spreading out away from that mass of Nether They didn’t appear to be rushing over toward Randidly but it was easy to see them as a net that was slowly spreading out to surround him Although their movements were slow that only made him take the threat more seriously

Heh if you want a fucking fight IÆm ready and willing

Snorting Randidly pulled back his focus to his body But as he did so he felt the faintest glimmer of resonance from his chest It was a low thrum like a single guitar string being plucked

What was that

Ultimately Randidly couldn’t seem to reproduce that sensation no matter how long he waited so he shrugged in let it go If it’s me connecting with another Skill I hope it’s Absolute Timing Just so I know I’m not going crazy with my perception of time out here

Then Randidly turned to the exhausting task of doing more in depth repairs of the Grim Chimera image He had taken the time to rest and now it was time to add some polish to his earlier efforts

One thing that became immediately clear was that the relationship between his current body and his image wasn’t exactly direct The ruinous damage that had been inflicted on his body hadn’t exactly damaged his image It was more like that his body and his image were always trying to shift to align with each other So possessing a damaged body had begun to degrade his image as the image attempted to shift in his mind to match the bodyÆs damage

And the damage to his image as it quickly degraded was already so extensive that it seemed clear that Randidly had spent a significant amount of time alone in the Great Rift while unconscious Yet somehow Randidly scowled as he knew that he would be soon brought back to the base of Iellaya and they would say something like ‘What No it’s only been four hours Why are you complaining ‘

While keeping a wary eye on those distant batbeasts that were drifting through the Great Rift in his direction Randidly took his image inch by inch and repaired the damage And then as Randidly finished he sighed and started again as portions had degraded once more as his body affected the image

And then when he finished for the second time he did it again

Because there was no way for Randidly to forcefully repair his body All he could do was perfect his image and allow the image and his body to slowly align with each other in the right direction Once the sorry state of his body had degraded his image in their slow alignment Randidly had to repair his image again to increase the speed of his body’s improvement Which led to Randidly having to repair the image again and again to keep the speed of recovery reasonable

The improvement was noticeable at least But it also was a constant struggle to keep the quality of the image high Even worse the constant mental exertion meant that the headache quickly returned This work was not easy

If not for the extra oomph that Randidly possessed after overcoming the Eidolon Crucible it likely would have been something that beggared him mentally

The only silver lining of the whole ordeal was that Randidly became intimately familiar with the image of the Grim Chimera Although he had spent quite a bit of time refining it before Randidly had never been required to go through the minutia of the image again and again with such an exacting focus The constant repetition of the repairs meant that some part of the knowledge was tightly branded in Randidly’s psyche For better or worse Randidly would never have the luxury of forgetting the

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 104

“Fuck ” Randidly swore as his skin began to hiss When he opened his eyes Randidly realized that the aura of ash had shrunk to the point that his slowly regenerating legs were sticking out of the ash sphere of Aether and into the Great Rift Such were the wounds already present that his body immediately began to warp and shiver

Grimacing Randidly split up his already overtaxed attention and began to regulate the remaining Aether around him He couldn’t increase the size of the Aether bubble he possessed but he could stabilize its slow dissipation In addition there was no need for the Aether to be shaped in a sphere Randidly spread out the remaining energy he possessed so it covered his body like a suit Then he willed the presence of ash into that suit giving it the little bit of weight that Randidly could manage right now

Which was all well and good but then Randidly had to return to the monotonous task of repairing himself

Time crept past The batbeasts drifted closer That strange mass of Nether that Randidly could distantly sense seemed to be rotating but Randidly had no idea what it meant Azure veins ran through the Great Rift and twined around Randidly leaving him unsure whether it was worth it to expend the effort to destroy them

And again and again Randidly would feel that strange feeling in his chest of a resonance occurring But every time he focused on it it disappeared Whatever Skill he was brushing up against it was certainly shy

Randidly gritted his teeth and tried to focus on the repair of his body As his form neared a serviceable state the difference between his image and his body narrowed to an amount that would be easy to overlook Therefore both his image and body slowed in their shifts

Which was good because the repeated repairs took much less time but it also meant that the speed of his body’s recovery was much slower

This is probably why there is so much attrition at the front lines Randidly frowned down at his hands Once you are damaged you need to spend so much time and effort to recover and by then you have another mission And this is what happened to me even with Nether Resistance at Level 100

As the repairs became easier Randidly focused more attention on making sure the Aether surrounding him stayed stable The last thing Randidly wanted was to deal with additional damage to himself

At this point enough of the dull pain from his wounded form had faded that Randidly had finally realized that he had been in constant pain for quite a while However the aggrieved pain of a warped body was so minuscule compared to the mental strain and the memory of the existential pain of Nether that he had hardly noticed until now

Fuck IÆm getting too old for this Randidly grumbled

Chapter 1051

Eventually Randidly was required to spend a larger and larger portion of his attention on maintaining the Aether around him The vast expanse of darkness around Randidly continued to loom menacingly above him The azure veins gleamed to light intermittently according to some series of rules that Randidly couldnÆt seem to understand

Perhaps worst of all Randidly was becoming extremely bored

The net of distant Nether monsters continued to slowly circle his location Even with the strangely stretched time of the Great Rift Randidly had a horrible sinking feeling that the waiting for the knife would never end It was a cruel form of torture to leave him stranded here without any comfort or at least the distraction of a good battle

Which of course was infuriating enough of a truth that it reinvigorated RandidlyÆs efforts to perfect the repairs to the Grim Chimera The more unlikely his escape seemed the more that Randidly was determined to prove this Great Rift wrong But it was difficult to manage both the repairs and his Aether covering perfectly at the same time

ss

Wincing Randidly did his best to redistribute the Aether covering as he allowed a small portion to be exposed to the inhospitable surrounding Nether Because it was rapidly becoming clear that his efforts to stabilize the Aether was just slowing the inevitable soon the entirety of his Aether covering would disappear

Randidly would find himself alone in the Great Rift without any protection As oddly exciting as that prospect was the reasonable portion of RandidlyÆs mind was well aware of how painful such an experience would be

Rather than allowing it to happen all at once Randidly opted quickly concentrate the remaining Aether around his head and face and let his limbs handle the lionÆs share of the corrosion for the time being At least in this way Randidly was prepared for the locations of the sweat inducing levels of pain

Aether and Nether truly hate each other Randidly thought while gritting his teeth His arms and legs bubbled and twitched as the Nether continued to grind away at his substance The pain was a slowing growing into a hot white lance into his brain At least Nether Resistance is continuing to rise Otherwise I might just lose my sense of progression at all

Once more Randidly resentfully checked that place inside of himself that had suddenly been filled with a ball of Aether earlier Coughing lightly Randidly gave that portion of himself a meaningful look There was no change Which left Randidly wondering whether the main body couldnÆt observe him or whether the tight ball of Aether was a one time gift only Perhaps the effort the main body had to expend was much higher than Randidly would have anticipated

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 111

Randidly breathed in his nose and out his mouth The pain continued to grind at his focus making the necessary repairs he did to his image that much more difficult to do efficiently Everything was becoming so exhausting Time slid past in a constant state of strain as Randidly continued to hone himself while constantly working on his arms and legs to keep the new damage from becoming something systemic

All the while Randidly felt the Aether around his chest slowly shrinking Soon RandidlyÆs midsection was exposed Nether burned and sizzled at his skin Even though the Grim Chimera was a being that was imagined as this cockroach that thrived in hostile environments the constant damage from Nether was slowly corroding him

It wasnÆt despair that emerged in RandidlyÆs heart but a certain sort of exhaustion that stemmed from his very bones It was like a heavy wet cloak that was draped across his shoulders Randidly didnÆt fear that he would die here The gritty violent determination in his chest would brook no word of failure even now In fact his eyes continued to blaze emerald as he prepared to meet the slowly circling batbeasts

No rather than that Randidly felt in his chest a deep melancholy as he floated alone in the Great Rift because this was the Path down which he was leading Kharon He wanted to teach them how to fight on the edges of existence in order to protect humanity Which was exactly what Randidly was doing now and the pain and toil of it made him feel a great deal of guilt toward the tribulations they would need to endure

There were no bright rewards waiting for Randidly for what he was doing here in the Great Rift

But someone has to do it Randidly breathed in and then breathed out savoring the feeling even if it had no physical meaning Rather than recharging his mind he was falling into the familiar habit to ground his mentality

Congratulations Your Skill Nether Resistance has grown to Level 113

RandidlyÆs eyelid twitched Had he been so focused on repairs that he missed the Level 112 That certainly didnÆt help at all with his peace of mind It meant that even though Randidly felt that most of his focus was present the extended period of time he had been working at this was beginning to blunt the edge of his WIllpower

The edges of RandidlyÆs mouth turned downward And he shouldnÆt forget that previously he had completely lost consciousness in his battle against the batbeasts For all that he had been able to rest resting here wasnÆt what he needed right now

The Aether around him continued to slowly be worn away by the press of Nether By now all but his head felt on fire as Aether and Nether clashed Chimeric Avoidance and MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality were doing their best to resist the damage but it was a tolerance thing Pain was not a foe that Randidly could fight And as time continued to move fluidly around him Randidly lost that last barrier of protection he was now completely exposed

In a way it was better to have no Aether than only a little Because now his entire focus could handle the problem of coping with the pain from Nether and image repairs Or at least that was the idea Randidly should now have a fair portion of his attention to dedicate to other problems And yet

The pain in his arms and legs had grown to the point that Randidly could barely tell that the limbs were there anymore Rather than any physical shape what defined them in his mind was the pain

His chest and head began to sizzle RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed in fury and self hatred He should be better than this

The skin began to burn and curl upward in long warped loops The emerald light from RandidlyÆs eyes grew brighter and brighter It felt like

Huh I stand corrected The very reassuring voice of Abiodun rumbled You have lived This is a surprise

Abiodun stood before Queen Iellaya looking at the ground as his mistress stared up at the roof of her tent while lost in thought

An image surviving alone in the Great Rift should be impossible Iellaya said lightly Because she said it it was so Abiodun continued to look at the ground without responding She did not need him to assist her here She would turn the problem over in her mind until she was satisfied with the answer

That was the terrible implacable determination that made Iellaya such a formidable commander

An image without a body will be damage directly by Nether That very image body is the source of its strength while it is cut off from the main body It no longer possesses the sentience that imagined itÆ originally Without the imaginer the image cannot very well return to its original form once damaged Because the part of it that knows itself would be warped along with the form Iellaya tapped the edge of her desk with a heavy silver pen Abiodun could hear the soft sound of IellayaÆs feathers flexing outward

there is also the matter of the resonance between the images of this Randidly Ghosthound They are clearly more intimately connected than most images and each more distinct and evolved Iellaya showed her teeth If I can bring this man to my side it will be a great boon to the cause Regardless of how his image accomplished it the fact that the image possessed that capability means the man behind the image is even more of a find Did the image use the Aether Fountain to recover after returning

Abiodun straightened and shook his head The tree image informed me that such a thing would be unnecessary It is performing the healing directly As for the image running out of Aether it showed no signs

Iellaya sneered If they became cognizant of their situation they are likely aware enough to avoid the Aether Fountains They can clearly see that such energy would not come without costs But at least thatÆs one thing I wonÆt need to worry about Although now that the image survived after I filed it as destroyed IÆm stuck in something of a pickle but perhaps that can be used to my advantage

Inclining his head Abiodun agreed with IellayaÆs assessment That was the reason that Abiodun had thrown his lot in with Iellaya just as she was beginning to discover her ability to subsume otherÆs images for her own gain she did not regret mistakes but found ways to transform them into advantages To Iellaya it was all a matter of perspective And due to the fact that Abiodun was the first to bow his growth surpassed all the later converts

One part of that was outlook but the other part was an extremely sharp mind that would repeatedly reduce a problem to thin slices in order to determine what the best path forward was

Still if the image recovers it will be a strong soldier Iellaya mused The physical form is quite compelling as well I quite look forward to how being within my Domain will influence it Hopefully its loyalty toward me will grow rapidly enough to make a difference Otherwise that fool Lord Miln will have his way and half the frontlines will collapse just so he can win his fucked up private war

Abiodun didnÆt respond to that Some thoughts it was better to pretend not to have heard He was not here to offer advice He was just here to obey

And yet some instinct made Abiodun raise his head and look at Iellaya in the eye When she mentioned the Ghosthound being influenced by her Domain something inside of Abiodun did not believe it

Iellaya noticed his gaze almost immediately and paused in her thoughts So rare was such an action for Abiodun that even Iellaya was swayed by its sudden arrival Is something the matter

No Queen Abiodun said After hesitating for a second he finally rumbled I just I like this Randidly Ghosthound It might not be relevant but I wish to offer you this information His spirit is not one that will be easy to sway This I sense

IellayaÆs eyes were pitch black as she weighed his words carefully you very rarely express any sort of emotion And to it to be enough for you to say you like him

The only other person I would have said such a thing about Abiodun sighed in his heart But his loyalty to Queen Iellaya was everything She should know his honest reaction was you

Indeed

Abiodun could not look up and examine IellayaÆs expression Her face was covered in that same devouring darkness that was always present in the corner of IellayaÆs eyes But now it spread and it became her entire countenance The vast will to dominate and control that usually slept in her chest was shaken into wakefulness

As with every other strange bit of information Abiodun could feel Iellaya attacking this with a scalpel cutting and cutting and searching to find the perfect way for this information to become useful to her

To find the way that AbiodunÆs affection for Randidly Ghosthound became a weapon

Chapter 1052

YggdrasilÆs extremely vivid leaves rustled as his branches continued to sway over the frowning form of Randidly It was at least an extremely soothing sound Pressing his eyes closed Randidly did his best to not think about the horrendous headache that was only now being soothed away by YggdrasilÆs Skills

The specter of the experience he just endured still hung over Randidly

That was close If Abiodun had taken only a little longer to arrive If the main body hadnÆt been able to provide Aether to me while I was lost in the Great Rift If those batbeasts had arrived a little sooner Even with Nether Resistance IÆm still not strong enough to stay out there alone without a body

But there isnÆt much I can do about that right now is there

Eventually Yggdrasil pulled his branches back Huu I apologize but I have reached the end of my strength If I am to continue assisting Ignition Essence today you will have to recover on your own from here

This is plenty Randidly said as he used his claw to leverage himself up into a sitting position He spared a glance to the flickering form of Ignition Essence which continued to remain dormant and dim in the corner of the tent Save your strength for Ignition Essence I have a feeling that our recovery will become immensely easier if we manage to bring him back around to wakefulness

Inclining his canopy Yggdrasil turned and used his roots to pull his body across the interior of the tent to huddle over Ignition Essence Randidly shook his head probing the dull ache that remained behind his eyes with not a little bitterness It wasnÆt a complete recovery that Yggdrasil had powered but it certainly had restored a lot of RandidlyÆs capabilities Enough that he should be unencumbered for normal activities

Enough that he had some time to reflect on the aid given to him by the main body Although he had felt the distinct sensation of having that large amount of Aether being given directly to him there needed to be some Aether flowing between them Otherwise it would have been near impossible for Randidly to recover so abruptly

And in addition

Randidly closed his eyes again While he was being healed there had been strange flickers of images that he could see on the interior of his eyelids When he focused on it it would immediately disappear But if Randidly remained relaxed he could see a version of the Grim Chimera projected there Instantly Randidly had a deep impression that this too was a gift sent to him by the main body

It was an older version of the Grim Chimera likely the one that had originally come to the land of Nether before being knocked out and separated But it possessed certain characteristics had since been burned away by the acidic touch of Nether For example Randidly had lost both of the tails that extended out from his waist and the base of his neck as well as a lot of the texture of his skin and body

Not that Randidly could really be blamed for losing these details as his focus was locked onto surviving in the Great Rift but Randidly knew that the very fact he lost these details was proof that he wasnÆt powerful enough If he knew his image more intimately surviving while submerged in Nether would be much easier

So after Yggdrasil healed Randidly as best as he could Randidly spent some time refining his image once more with this new information He brought back the detail and texture while also allowing some of the lingering damage from Nether to remain After all the Grim Chimera had never flinched from obtaining scares In its eyes the only thing that was really important was survival

And Randidly had survived

Cracking his neck Randidly straightened and looked at Yggdrasil After realizing that there was likely Aether flowing between the main body and him Randidly was slightly worried They had been cut off from System Aether which meant that it would be difficult to explain where the Aether originated

Then Randidly glanced slowly around He couldnÆt detect any other movement in the nearby area Turning to Yggdrasil Randidly said There is something else I need to tell you While I was in the Great Rift I received a great deal of Aether I believe it was directly from the main body But I cannot tell if was done purposefully due to my need or the main body was simply sending random aid It has not happened since

Yggdrasil who had been bent over the flickering emerald flames of Ignition Essence straightened The golden characters that were scrawled across his bark shimmered as his body shifted Hum Indeed Then it seems that our actions werenÆt in vain You possess the deepest connection to the main body of us all For now there is no need to be impatient It has been less than a week since we were severed from the main body

If the sympathy between you grows as you grow in strength or as you and the main body recover I expect that we will soon find a way to escape this hellish situation

I agree Randidly grunted The right side of his face itched but it was rather difficult to reach across his back to touch that spot with his claw of a left hand In addition his right arm was too blunt an instrument to handle a delicate operation like a scratch But I also had another thought it was clear from AbiodunÆs reaction that he was quite surprised to find I had survived likely due to the fact that IÆm an image without a body

you think they will begin to question how you managed it YggdrasilÆs roots curled into tight knots

Randidly did his best to manipulate the recently recreated small tail from his neck to curl around and try and scratch the side of his face The tail swept back and forth awkwardly unfamiliar with the motion he was attempting Scratching turned out to be an extremely difficult task Perhaps but I think they will accept my survival as true But It is hard to explain what I am thinking without you having been in the Aether and seeing how it damages images that have no body to act as a shield I believe it they will be incredibly suspicious at how quickly I recovered rather than my survival

In the Nether I realized that these image bodies we possess are our images When they are damaged the image is damaged as well Therefore any damage is incredibly difficult to recover from for images Due to the main bodyÆs presence IÆve been able to sense flaws that were created in the Grim Chimera image But I suspect that I shouldnÆt have that sense That a typical connection wouldnÆt allow such an experience

So what are you saying Yggdrasil asked quietly

Finally RandidlyÆs efforts paid off the small tail was able to reach the offending itch Not to put you on the spot but it might be best to offer them your ability to calm and repair images as the special thing about us rather than something relating to the main body

Ah I see It will act as an explanation for the unlikely But one that may require that I use my abilities to heal others when the truth of it is discovered Which is why you bring it up now

Randidly nodded sharply His initial impression of Iellaya was that of a capable and determined woman If she would learn of this ability she did not seem like the type to allow such a useful tool to lay fallow

Yet YggdrasilÆs earlier comments were exactly why Randidly believed that this was necessary Only a few days had passed since he had awakened from being split from the main body Perhaps as time passed more and more Aether would be able to flow between them Which certainly didnÆt appear to be what happened with other images

And the Grim Chimera had long ago learned how dangerous it was to be seen as different by those in power Especially when those powerful individuals wished to use you for their own benefit

Yet I wonder YggdrasilÆs many branches shifted and rustled Do we know for sure that they will really care about this connection

I donÆt know Randidly sighed

The unknown can perhaps doom us Yggdrasil sighed Let it be so In truth a portion of my image could be accurately called recovery focused But it is not an easy thing to accomplish without familiarity with the image on the receiving end Our similarities make it possible but with others we shall see

Randidly opened his mouth to say some more perhaps to thank Yggdrasil or offer some apology for him having to bear this responsibility but the noise of footsteps on the rough dirt seized his tongue with an iron fist Both images sat over their dormant companion and waited as the sound drifted closer

As Randidly had expected the footsteps stopped outside of their tent and there was a knock on the tent flap Without waiting for a response the tent flap was pushed open to reveal the granite torso of Abiodun

His eyes winked in and out slowly as he considered the interior of the tent truly extraordinary You hardly appear the worse for wear after being reduced to a blob of spectral goo not six hours ago But perhaps such a situation is common for you

Ha Randidly laughed hollowly Truly he felt incredibly exhausted at the moment Even with most of his image repaired and reinforced the remnants of his headache continued to grate against the healthy operation of his own thoughts It hadnÆt helped that he had spent time repairing his image and also was trying to parse apart what information it was safe to share

But what was immediately made clear by AbiodunÆs statement was that RandidlyÆs suspicions about how they would view his recovery were correct As RandidlyÆs tongue twisted in his mouth to arrange the prepared lie in a form that would encourage very few questions Yggdrasil just bluntly spoke

Due to our common body and my own image I was able to heal Randidly to a greater or lesser degree At the moment he is incredibly weak but it should not take long for him to recover his combat capability

Because capability is what matters here more than anything else As long as I remain capable I will remain useful Randidly gritted his teeth but added nothing to YggdrasilÆs short explanation

Abiodun simply nodded Indeed A lucky thing for this cretin to have companions who can clean up after his mistakes

Insult me one more time and ill rip out your throat Randidly growled unable to repress the hot rage that was pumped outward with each beat of his heart It was doubly infuriating because Randidly wasnÆt sure that Abiodun even had a throat that he could rip out

But Abiodun just smiled Apologies I must admit I goaded you purposefully only because it worried me to see you as indecisive and feeble as a falling leaf ah no offense Sir Tree

Yggdrasil chuckled We all have our own strengths and weaknesses But I’ll agree that Randidly was not one designed for planning or waiting His is the brutality of action and impulse

Virtue in motion Abiodun clicked his stone teeth Well if you have recovered my job is much easier I came earlier and asked and your tree friend refused on your behalf but it is protocol to ask the wounded individual directly do you wish to receive the blessing of the Aether Fountain

Chapter 1053

Randidly examined the two tired and shredded individuals who were experiencing the process of using the Aether Fountain in front of him Once again his focus on the movement of Aether earned him a small resonance in his chest that he believed to be related to Aether Detection However both individuals finished their brief exposure to the Aether more quickly than Randidly could reactivate the Skill and therefore the resonance quickly disappeared

Three more missions Randidly promised himself

The Aether Fountain didnÆt actually look like a fountain at all Instead it was a gleaming copper grate that was inlaid into the ground at the center of the camp behind the CommanderÆs tent It was only a meter in diameter but it was clearly a very complex work of Engraving When activated the brass would glow to the point of becoming almost golden as energy rushed through the material

Without Aether Detection Randidly wasnÆt positive what occurred in the process but even if those senses werenÆt activated he still had his eyes

Two individuals used the Aether Fountain while Randidly watched Abiodun briefly commented that they had rejected the opportunity yesterday but they acquiesced this morning as their conditions worsened

Truly they looked ragged before they began Like crayon drawings of real people that had been soaked in chilling river water for several hours before being recovered They were grey and diminished beings that seemed to be flaking and disintegrating as Randidly watched Then again that might have been an effect of the strange visual phenomenon caused by the Great Rift rather than any real lingering damage to the image

But after standing on the Aether Fountain those images were soon swollen with color and power There was a palpable strength that radiated off of them as they stepped off the copper grate and released booming laughter while slapping each other on the back in congratulations

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed Of course that strength radiating off of them is the very power that they just obtained leaking out through the flaws in a broken container None of the damage that was done to them was repaired and none of the fuzzy details were corrected No they were puffed up with empty power that will slowly leave them as time passes

But from the SystemÆs perspective putting a little bit of energy in the hands of these broken but proven images is probably preferable to giving it to a planet that might not even survive a single Calamity

Yea no Randidly said shortly as he turned to look at Abiodun He flashed a predatorÆs smile at the granite man I donÆt think such measures are necessary

Yet it seems like they both enjoyed the feeling immensely Perhaps they were even improved by the experience Abiodun rumbled but you could tell from his open maw that the being was making a joke at the expense of these wounded and struggling images

It was a cold and cruel joke but Randidly felt the corners of his own mouth twitch upward in response “An easy joke for someone with a body to make The wear and tear you endure heals with time “

“An easy joke for someone with strength to make ” Abiodun countered “Or do you claim that you are like them Will your eventual end be here on this endless battlefield before the vast darkness “

Randidly looked at Abiodun then for several minutes without speaking The other man was content to allow it standing still with his eyes independently fading in and out of his sockets like each one needed periodic holidays from the madness going on within Abiodun’s mind in order to continue with its duties

Finally Randidly opened his mouth “You know I thought you were a gentle being when I first met you “

“And I thought you were wispy ” Abiodun’s mouth stretched even wider “What a delight that we were both wrong and we two monsters were able to meet here at the edge of the world Nether will learn to rue this day “

Randidly didn’t bother to refute the label of a monster Honestly he wasn’t even sure if he didn’t believe it to be true Instead Randidly turned away from the Aether Fountain and began to walk back toward his tent

Behind him Abiodun called after Randidly’s departing form “Remember that heeding the Beacon of Duty will not excuse you from your assigned missions In two days you will participate in a defensive battle against the Nether Make sure you rest well “

Randidly continued without turning around But he gritted his teeth in response to Abiodun’s words

When he arrived back at his tent Randidly didn’t head inside to sit and meditate with Yggdrasil and the feeble form of Ignition Essence Instead Randidly walked beyond the tent toward the edge of Iellaya’s camp and the barren badlands

They had been stationed near the right side of her camp so it didn’t take long to walk beyond the tight rows of tents and toward the empty space between this camp and the next one Because the threats were existential rather than physical there weren’t any real defensive structures that served as a buffer against the Great Rift It was only on the basis of potency of Aether that their defense was mounted

But because of that lack of physical barriers there was a wide open space filled with pebbles and coppery dirt that no one bothered with And it was there that Randidly released a long breath and raised his head to the strange sky of this land

Randidly began slowly to move And he began with of all things the Spear Phantom Style With his right arm Randidly moved smoothly through all forms he could recall Shal teaching him in that strange Dungeon For a half hour Randidly let go of all of the fighting and bloodshed that he had endured over the last five years He was just a foolish kid who was slowly learning the spear from someone who was muddled by generations worth of manipulation in his body

The spear began to blur as Randidly accelerated

From there Randidly shifted toward the Ashen Kata These moves were much less refined and smooth but they were built on a monstrously powerful base of Aether that elevated them far beyond their technical strength Randidly could see now how he had relied on Aether for much of the moveÆs potency a lot like those images today let themselves be inflated by the Aether Fountain But still there was value in revisiting the seeds for what he would soon become

After all Randidly still was unsure of exactly what the current him was But he couldn’t deny that the Grim Chimera was intimately related to his current existence

The air around Randidly stirred as he used his right arm and moved through the old motions Fragments of images that he had forgotten floated into the air around him The face of his mother half flesh and half bone staring out as his phantom The ominous ticking of a clockwork world as a doom slowly approached The curling smile of Aemont his broad back and wild determination spreading away from him like wings

Although Randidly had no body with which to physically breath he found himself panting after transitioning through the moves Perhaps it was the weight of memories that dragged at him but that wouldnÆt slow Randidly for long This was only a warm up

Randidly’s eyes glowed emerald as he began to move through the motions of the Grim Chimera His muscles bulged outward The joints of his legs flexed and pulsed Small motes of ash began to drift outward from his body Although he couldn’t sense it Randidly was almost positive that there was a connection of Aether between himself and the main body Otherwise even with Yggdrasil’s help he wouldn’t have recovered so quickly

Now moving through the vicious and desperate movements of the Grim Chimera Randidly pulled as much as he could at that connection

Congratulations Your Skill Chimeric Avoidance has grown to Level 200

Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Appetite of a Wraith has grown to Level 251

Congratulations Your Skill Cursed Appetite of a Wraith has grown to Level 252

Congratulations Your Skill Monstrosity’s Appalling Physicality has grown to Level 220

Congratulations Your Skill Reaper’s Mantle of Catastrophe has grown to Level 99

Randidly pulled and pulled and pulled His body began to blur further as he accelerated through motions He hardly had to think at all before his body instinctively moved In the Grim Chimera’s moves Randidly found a familiarity that made it difficult for him to try and claim that he wasn’t something deeply connected to the Grim Chimera While performing these moves Randidly felt completely at ease To the point that it was illogical

Because Randidly remembered the feeling of using the moves while he had possessed the main body Or at least he thought he did And the ease with which he could grow now was extremely high His Skill Levels continued to shoot up at a pace that would be ridiculous if he were still on Earth

It might be his imagination but it seemed to Randidly that the flow of Aether into himself was slowly growing as he continued to so insistently pull on it

Congratulations Your Skill Molten Fang of the Pariah has grown to Level 189

Congratulations Your Skill Man is Proud but the Chimera Takes has grown to Level 171

Congratulations Your Skill The Chimera Weeps as Man Mourns has grown to Level 155

Main body watch me grow Randidly thought as his body became a veritable whirlwind of ash in that abandoned strip of land between camps Although I might not have all of the tools at your disposal I’ll prove my worth by growing so strong that you won’t even believe it So strong that it will never be in doubt how much you need me

Congratulations Your Skill Monstrosity’s Appalling Physicality has grown to Level 221

Congratulations Your Skill Molten Fang of the Pariah has grown to Level 190

“For an image you are extremely strong Incredibly so Even the visual fluctuations caused by the Great Rift are diminished around you “

Randidly froze Then he blurred into motion once more spinning around and opening up some space between him and the speaker with a light hop

Three figures had appeared in that same no man’s land between the two camps The woman in the center watched him with extremely amused azure eyes that matched the waterfall of hair that went from her scalp to the ground behind her On her hands were a pair of thick metal gauntlets so heavy and worn that they were likely older by far than she was At her side were two men one tall and broad shouldered and the other slender and slight Both wore short capes around their shoulders that were the same color as the woman’s hair

And most annoyingly Randidly could immediately sense that the implication of the woman’s words was true all three possessed their actual bodies

Chapter 1054

Relax we arenÆt the type that harasses lone images wandering the camps The azure haired woman said with a surprisingly gentle wave of her gauntleted hand The subtle grace in the movement was enough to impress Randidly despite her slender arms she had perfect control of her heavy gauntlets We are all here to fight against Nether right It doesnÆt matter who you pissed off in the past

Well I suppose itÆs good enough that I learned that there are people who harass images for the fun of it Randidly thought rather bitterly as he eyed the trio He specifically looked at the woman with suspicious eyes wondering why she decided to approach him during his exercise And so purposefully too

Although Randidly was truly caught up in the process of training it was extremely disturbing that he hadnÆt noticed the group until they were very close to him It was difficult for Randidly to accept that they hadnÆt purposefully approached using stealth And yet

The woman continued to smile at him She waved softly with her heavy iron gauntlet as though she wasnÆt sure if he saw her At her sides the two menÆs ill will toward Randidly became almost comically obvious as he had no response to the womanÆs words

Slowly the tension in RandidlyÆs shoulders relaxed In most cases like called to like That hostile and fear driven suspicion that Randidly blazed with in response to their approach should have brought out similar emotions in the woman and her companions if they possessed them Just like the no nonsense cruelty of Abiodun had brought out similar emotions in Randidly that he normally kept under tight control

But now the woman just studied him with a friendly smile Randidly stared stoically back at her trying to understand what her goal was for approaching him And although the womanÆs companions were growing increasingly irate it wasnÆt ill will toward Randidly They simply wanted to protect the woman

As the seconds ticked past and Randidly continued to glare at the woman her smile started to falter

Plus She added finally as she twisted awkwardly in place I ah admire your spear form It seems very dangerous and powerful And you already are near to condensing your first star You must be a veteran of man battles And with your powerful body

Randidly looked down at the long protrusion of bone that stretched out from his right arm It was covered in dried blood and much of the point on the end came from the jagged remnants left from a time immemorial where the bone was snapped off He looked at his scaly and oversized left arm that ended in five extremely sharp talons Then he looked back up at the azure haired woman

Well certainly itÆs easy to kill people with these limbs

She suddenly seemed to be blushing M my name is Vualla by the way Vualla Meteo We were just patrolling here And I guess when you patrol you finish a whole round right Right guys so I think itÆs probably time that we get back to it

My nameÆs Randidly Ghosthound It is nice to meet you Randidly said slowly as he frowned at Vualla Abruptly it seemed like the woman wanted nothing to do with him She fled quickly back across the expanse of dirt toward the camp immediately to IellayaÆs right and her two companions followed her while glowering at Randidly

After they departed Randidly shook his head For a few seconds he had seen a strange hunger in VuallaÆs eyes that made him believe that he would need to fight It was a relief that it hadnÆt come to that but the strange and sudden conclusion to an equally unexpected meeting left him a little uneasy

Were they perhaps sneaking toward me Did noticing their approach throw off their plans to attack But I really didnÆt notice them at all until she spoke If they had intended something malicious then I

Randidly likely would have continued to pick apart the strange actions of the woman but a notification popped up in front of him that stopped his heart for a split second

Congratulations You have finished the Nether Adaption I Path By pushing your body beyond the limits of the physical you have begun to slowly incorporate aspects of the Nether into your existence It is an unstable Path you walk but it is not one that will not lead you forward Do not slow in your advance for this strange combination will have unpredictable effects that could possibly benefit you

Endurance and Resistance +50 Your Skill Nether Resistance has evolved into Nether Acclimation « The effect of each Skill Level in the Skill has slightly increased

In addition your ability to learn Skills relating to Nether has slightly increased

A tingling wave of numbness ran across Randidly as he felt something shift in his body Abruptly he had the vaguest sense that he could feel the slow flow of Nether through his body drawn out from the substance of his image and into a complicated pentagram array to form the star Of course he could see the results before but now it seemed to him that the entire process was becoming clear He could feel himself slowly aligning underneath the influence of the grand array that covered the camps

The Nether was so different from Aether Where Aether was shape and space Nether was aura and core It seemed to Randidly that he slowly stretched and warped as that slowly coalescing star made him straddle the line between existences

Of course it was difficult to tell if this was just his imagination or not

Did I complete that Path unconsciously Randidly wondered Or is it the main body doing what he can It would certainly be rather boring to just sit isolated and look at the Status screen for a long time he is probably ecstatic when PPs come in so he can at least enjoy the sensation of spending them

RandidlyÆs left claw clenched into a tight ball of bone and talon Plus with this IÆll have an even easier time surviving out in the Nether Every little bit counts

Very quickly Randidly quieted his excitement and returned to the calm tranquility of training He was determined to continue to push himself and earn more PP that the main body could use Unfortunately reaching that same relaxed mental state where he was perfectly in tune with his images was not an easy task If it was training would not be an activity that was done slowly over time

Although he trained for the rest of the evening his PP accumulation speed slowed back down to normal rates the special magic of the moment had been lost Even though he spent six hours training he only earned 9 additional PP in his Grim Chimera Skills

Rather disappointed Randidly returned to the tent and laid down to rest after sweating off his the remainder of his headache Although there hadnÆt been any serious changes in Ignition EssenceÆs status Yggdrasil was hopeful that it was slowly stabilizing due to his constant attentions

Randidly hoped it was so But to his eyes Ignition Essence seemed to be getting dimmer each time Randidly returned Pushing those concerns out of his mind Randidly focused on recovering fully from his battle the prior day

After all he only had a single day more until he had to do it once more

Iellaya kept her expression mild even though she was shocked to the core as she looked at the whole and robust image of Randidly Ghosthound Truly this image of the three was a being made for war His claw and spear radiated an aura of ominous energy that was palpable enough Iellaya almost reflexively released a bit of her own image in response

As Abiodun had dutifully informed her earlier in the day the image appeared to be completely recovered from his ordeal after responding to the Beacon of Duty Which should be impossible even for a fresh recruit with a body In fact it appeared that the density and clarity of his image body had actually increased from his original form Suddenly he possessed a long tail from his waist and a rather slender one from the base of his neck

Such growth should be impossible Iellaya reflected as she calmly stood and offered the image a warm smile Which means that perhaps the images of Randidly Ghosthound are the keys to saving us all

IÆm so glad that you were able to recover so quickly Iellaya said as she offered the image her left hand Today I called you in a bit earlier than the usual sortie to talk about the details of defensive battles You seem to have intuited most of the details but preparation makes all the difference in war

Iellaya breathed in slowly My face needs to be completely composed when I say this It is simply a normal statement Otherwise all of this is useless Then she smiled and said As you know as an image you need to rely on the tether to your body in order to possess enough Aether to stabilize the space in the Great Rift But there are a few details you can look for in order to have an easier time establishing an island of Aether in the darkness

Randidly slowly nodded Iellaya blinked mildly She would not respond visibly She would control her facial muscles Relying on the tether to the body is correct but the body has been completely isolated from the System Are you aware and humoring me Or does your body have enough ambient Aether to spare that you were able to survive as an image in the Great Rift

Either way a Heretic I wonder who you pissed off enough that they ensured you were isolated then Usually only the Heretics who target System roles directly are imprisoned And you donÆt have that feel to you

Although Nether isnÆt Aether that doesnÆt mean there arenÆt defining features that you can locate We call them Nether Wells Immediately after you arrive the best option is to sense the nearest Nether well and head a good distance away from it before establishing your base of operations The goal is to defend the surrounding space with your Aether Zone Its presence will weaken the Nether wells in the area and keep the Great Rift from expanding

There were three types of Heretics generally the Pirate the Vampire and the Ritualist Although the names were rather garish in IellayaÆs opinion they did serve as a useful descriptor of the process by which Aether was gathered for each variety

Pirates killed and plundered Aether from the corpses of their enemies They were also the oldest type of Heretic because when you thought about it the System was a Pirate that raised livestock that it could cannibalize later It was the greatest evil that they were all struggling against Greater even than the threat of Nether

Vampires like Iellaya herself siphoned a portion of otherÆs Aether to a greater or lesser degree based upon the relationship and personal preference There was a lot of variance in the process used Some took a portion of lifespan Others learned to leech Skill Levels Iellaya found it most efficient to consume the image directly then allowing the original image to exist like a parasite within her own

But I suppose I am a special case

And Ritualists well Ritualists were the ones who truly mattered to Iellaya Because Ritualists were smart enough to make the impossible possible So smart that they could extract Aether from the natural forces of the world in ways that the System hadnÆt been able to figure out how to prevent

Which is exactly what we fucking need if we want to win this war

Chapter 1055

Randidly mulled over IellayaÆs words as she continued to talk about the various types of Nether beasts that could be encountered in the Great Rift

An Aether tether to the main body is accurate but what is she fishing for

Immediately when Iellaya casually mentioned Aether RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition warned him that this question was a trap of some sort Which was at least a nice confirmation that Randidly still had access to a portion of the main bodyÆs capabilities It wasnÆt present in quantity but he could now sense the qualitative change even to his image that resulted from the evolution of the stat

However its continued effect on him now might just be because of the word GrimÆ After all Randidly couldnÆt feel any particular benefit currently stemming from his very high Control He didnÆt have a body that had stats after all But perhaps the qualitative change had been preserved

So Randidly could immediately tell that the soft spoken Iellaya was trying to extract some information from him likely something that Randidly didnÆt want her to know But simultaneously Randidly didnÆt want to deny that there was an Aether connection to the main body Otherwise there might be even more pressure on Yggdrasil to heal other images as they turned to that as the reason he could recover

Yet even as he nodded Randidly knew that he had likely given away more information than he wanted Still it didnÆt feel like he had any other choice Iellaya was standing easily before him releasing not a hint of pressure Which did little to alleviate RandidlyÆs fears

IÆll need to talk about this with Yggdrasil later All of this thinking feels like such a waste of time I would much rather be fighting and growing

And now Lady Iellaya was trying to bury her innocuous question beneath a flood of practically useless information about the Nether Honestly Randidly was rather relieved when she finished ten minutes later allowing him to head out to the staging area To RandidlyÆs surprise Abiodun was together with Zagnal waiting for him to arrive As he approached the two ceased their discussion and turned to look at him

Once more RandidlyÆs Grim Intuition tingled Seems like discovering Grim Intuition again means it’s now comfortable flaring up whenever it wants Truly aggravating

It could also just be a sign of how much danger is lurking here

When did you two become friends Randidly asked with a vicious smirk The two seemed rather casual like there was a sudden intimacy between them But it was clear from their stances that Abiodun was in the position of authority

Abiodun only chuckled and after a quick glance for confirmation Zagnal stepped forward and spoke Good news I have applied for a transfer to serve under Lady Iellaya and Abiodun here That way IÆll be able to continue to assist you while you are acclimating to battles in the Great Rift

Lucky me Inwardly RandidlyÆs lip continued to curl upward until he showed teeth But he kept his actual expression rather neutral Recalling how freely Iellaya spoke about his body being locked away Randidly took a gamble and said What about our deal then Were you able to talk to Lord Miln about retrieving my body

Again ZagnalÆs eyes flicked sideways to Abiodun before he spoke

How cheaply you have sold yourself Zagnal RandidlyÆs emerald eyes were as cold as slate grey cloud about to dump snow out over the world I will remember this

Abiodun reached out and put a heavy hand on ZagnalÆs shoulder Some unspoken message passed between them before Abiodun turned to Randidly and spoke A hungry little piranha arenÆt you Randidly But IÆm sure I donÆt need to remind you that we are about to go to battle There will be time to settle personal matters later but I can assure you that we have already brought the subject of your body to Lady IellayaÆs attention And she is not a woman who takes no for an answer

But it seems she likes groveling Randidly smirked at Zagnal but didnÆt press the issue further Already he could feel ZagnalÆs hackles rising as he was so obviously dismissive but some part of RandidlyÆs mind was hot and slick Offending a man with a dragon head who did not keep his word felt good

How many will you kill today Abiodun asked casually to change the conversation

Randidly tried not to smile but it was a natural response to the discussion of brutality he couldnÆt even help it Can we truly say for sure whether beings of Nether die Perhaps these beasts we fight are dead things Our actions finally bring them life

Rumbling in amusement Abiodun shook his head A convenient truth for us if it is truly so

Very quickly Randidly was brought away by the duo to another pillar filled staging area That same wild violence that pushed him to aggravate Zagnal wanted him to wander away and follow his Grim Intuition to choose his portal but his better judgment kept him in line In addition Iellaya had mentioned that he would be sent to some of the least dense Nether fields around the edge of the Great Rift as consideration for him volunteering two nights ago

As a final chip on the side of behaving Abiodun stayed close to his side His solid presence exuded a subtle weight of image that Randidly didnÆt think he was prepared to face quite yet

Randidly felt confident that his ability to handle Nether shot upward after his Skill evolved to Nether Acclimation but he was too aware how close he had come to his limit on that night to risk it again His growth would be slower in a safer area but if Randidly wanted to figure out the secrets of this place he would need to be well enough that he wasnÆt constantly struggling against a headache

After he was teleported into the Great Rift Randidly could immediately feel that his current location was nowhere near as dangerous as he had been sent two nights ago Whereas his skin had almost immediately begun to bubble and spit previously now it was just extremely painful Slowly a low sizzling could be heard

In addition Randidly could close his eyes and only distantly detect something similar to the dense mass of Nether that he had encountered previously the Nether Well Perhaps the most disappointing of the changes that were present Randidly couldnÆt sense any Nether beasts at all in the surrounding area

Not that his sphere of detection was very wide But there simply wasnÆt much around him So Randidly settled down and prepared to wait for his foe to arrive

And then over the course of the next six hours Randidly was taught an extremely aggravating lesson Not all defensive missions involved engaging with an enemy Sometimes all you needed to do was head out into the vast darkness and repeatedly destabilize the blue veins that flowed through the surrounding air

Without the threat of Nether beasts the mission dragged on even longer than either of RandidlyÆs previous two sorties Time seemed endless in the darkness After a certain point Randidly stopped destroying the blue veins that sometimes swam curiously around him At least staring at their strange movements provided some small amusement

In addition to the wide expanse of monotony the slow and bitter resistance against NetherÆs corruption was especially exhausting Perhaps even more so than it would have been normally because the exertion was so relatively light It couldnÆt be described as easy but it also wasnÆt difficult It was just constant exertion

Randidly couldnÆt get his tension up at all to face this thin Nether In small spurts he would focus his mind enough to cause waves of ash to radiate out from his body but the effort didnÆt seem worth it

Inwardly he vowed never to allow himself to fall prey to his cautious attitude again this test of endurance was completely intolerable Even worse he could suddenly hear very clearly Iellaya saying that there was about a 20% chance that the location they were sent to in the Great Rift would be so remote that no Nether beasts would bother to defend it

So Randidly did his best to refine his image while fighting off the fearsome opponents of boredom and darkness Perhaps even worse every time Randidly would resign himself to his situation and take a breath something would begin to resonate in his chest The sudden sensation was such a surprise that he was knocked out of his trance and completely destroyed the resonance

With only five Levels of his new Skill Nether Acclimation to show for it Randidly was replaced by another and sent back to the camp

There at least Randidly was met with excitement

The very sky seemed to have cracked far to the East Those thick golden shapes that had so often passed in the sky previously were completely gone The light orange of the sky seemed pale and thin and the maroon clouds had darkened to dried blood Thin tendrils of blackness lined with thick veins of blue wormed their way deeper into the sky from the Great Rift Randidly took several heavy steps away from the staging area and joined a slowly increasing crowd who were staring upward toward the sky with worried expressions

Those threads of blackness continued to writhe in the sky above speaking to their continued offensive against the Aether of this place The visual variance on the ground was even more aggravating than usual When looking at the grim faces around him it was immediately clear to Randidly that this wasnÆt a usual occurrence

It took a few seconds for Randidly to spot her but he very quickly scanned the crowd and saw Lady Iellaya standing in the shadow of a tent at the far side of the staging area She stood with her hands folded and her obsidian feathers pressed tightly down against her scalp and neck The familiar form of Abiodun loomed next to her an even deeper blackness in the shadow marked only by the unpredictable light of his eyes

IellayaÆs lips moved and Randidly surprised himself with his ability to read them Lord Miln is a fool

Even more surprising to Randidly was the fact that even as AbiodunÆs mouth barely moved he could clearly intuit the words he was saying Should I voice a criticism If it does not come from you

IellayaÆs expression turned bitter The feathers on her head twitched It matters not Even if we cannot afford a loss on this front those who already possess citizenship always choose to take the long view of these things The flood of new recruits are being tempered he will say A loss of a single camp means nothing

Leaning forward Abiodun said Was the entire camp lost

Thankfully not or I would have proceeded over there myself and damn the consequences It would actually be a relief to strike at their Leviathans Iellaya showed her teeth The feathers along her neck spread outward But a Nether Well used a corrupted image to travel back to the staging area It expended itself to radically destabilized the space on this side of the line It will take weeks to repair and I suspect that Lord Miln wonÆt bother to spend the Aether required to do it He has found other uses for it apparently

Abiodun made a sharp gesture that Randidly wasnÆt able to spot through the crowd Immediately Iellaya shook her head I donÆt know the Commander over there heÆs new as well Better to continue to strengthen our position here then try to expand

Before RandidlyÆs eyes Abiodun nodded and then faded into the shadows next to the tent leaving Iellaya alone The feathered woman continued to stare upward for several more seconds considering the invasion of blackness that was slowly eating into the brightly covered sky over the forces of Aether

Briefly Randidly wondered what would happen if Aether actually lost this war Based on the forces he had encountered so far Randidly could only manage to be a soldier here Even with his main body he held no secret hopes that he would be able to affect the outcome of this confusing war in a short amount of time

Perhaps the most frustrating part about being here is that so many of the battles had been fought alone Fighting on this front was about influence over space rather than about any real combat between individuals It was more important to establish territory and weaken the opposition’s grip on their own area Therefore Randidly hadnÆt seen the strength of anyone

Of course right as Randidly was thinking that he saw Iellaya gesture sharply with her hand Distantly above so distantly that Randidly almost believed that he had imagined it the sharp cry of an eagle rippled across the strange maroon clouds

To RandidlyÆs disbelief one of the tendrils of blackness up in the sky was cleanly chopped off It began to lean and fall toward the ground slowly dissipating as it crashed downward It was difficult to get a sense of scale from here but by comparing it to the looming rocky outcropping of the headquarters that huge chunk of blackness was the size of a skyscraper

When Randidly looked back down toward Iellaya she was smiling at him Then she calmly turned and walked back toward the CommanderÆs tent

Chapter 1056

Lord Miln smiled widely at Iellaya as she walked into his headquarters From his relaxed stance it was clear that he had been expecting her As always he stood behind his ornate desk the ground around it covered in thick lines of Engraving Behind him his mausoleum of isolated bodies floated suspended in the strange mixture of Aether and Nether that would ensure that they would be cut off from the System Lady Iellaya to what do I owe this pleasure It has been quite some time since youÆve come to visit me for a pleasure call

His smile artfully slipped away as though a true tragedy had occurred to him only at that moment Unless you made the trek over here in order to talk business Ah I suppose you must have heard about Commander ThrallÆs camp truly a tragedy To think that the monstrous creatures of Nether would be so insidious and deceitful as to corrupt an image to infiltrate our base but worry not it has all been taken care of There is no need for you to be personally involved

To be honest Lord Miln leaned forward He smiled like a shark eyeing a haunch of meat as his eyes glided over IellayaÆs tightly controlled feathers You are somewhat superfluous at the moment

No need to worry this isnÆt about todayÆs bitter defeat But I can understand your tension You could use a break after the day youÆve had Although Iellaya knew better than to press it she wanted to squeeze a little to see if any blood oozed out Lord MilnÆs eyes were glassy and mild as he returned her stare

Nothing ThatÆs a pity She continued Actually I would like to apply to have one of your precious prisoners freed An extremely strong image was transferred to my base in the latest batch I think he would be invaluable if he possessed his body to fight

He survived an offensive battle Lord MilnÆs sculpted eyebrows rose smoothly upward The man ran on clockwork and snake oil How lucky he must be to have avoided an area of dense Nether and likely encountered no beasts in the Great Rift

I have it on good authority that he did in fact avoid any beasts today As prettily as she could Iellaya smiled But her feathers stayed tightly pressed to her scalp and spine Lord Miln was the worst sort of predator too lazy and sure of himself to even hide his dripping fangs

How strange that such a fortunate individual had garnered enough ire to require my involvement Lord MilnÆs fingers drew slow circles across his desk What is his name

Somehow Iellaya knew that Lord Miln already knew his name This was all just a game But just like Iellaya came to weave a net to protect what she wanted to protect it seemed that Lorn Miln also had skin in the game Interesting His name is Randidly Ghosthound

The peculiarities of this individual seem to be perpetually multiplying Lord MilnÆs eyes practically glowed with the glee of a positive determination I must be misremembering because it seems to me that was the very name of an image you reported to have been destroyed two days ago Right after you lit your Beacon of Duty if you recall

IellayaÆs eyebrows pulled inwards in confusion Her face displayed only the confusion she wanted to be present there What are you playing ate Miln I have no doubt you are aware that the body possessed multiple images And it seems like one of the images might possess the capability to heal other images As such it is in the best interest of the front that the image returns to their body

And I want the main image to be beyond your reach

You know well the danger of returning images to a body after one of the images has been destroyed Sometimes there are consequences

I m willing to risk it Crossing her arms Iellaya studied Lord Miln Although there were generally consequences sometimes it didnÆt occur It depended on how discrete the images were In the case that the images were very different the physical body could continue as normal

And they both were aware that it would be impossible to determine what images were returned to the body unless the images were once more extracted So the images would be safe

I cannot risk such a tragic loss of life was all the reply she earned That same stupid smile remained pasted across his face

I had hoped it would not come to this Iellaya leaned forward with her face twisted into a scowl She was overwrought and frustrated nothing more You owe me a favor My vacation last year was very timely was it not I wasnÆt present at all for the Aether flow inspections

Lord Miln shook his head sadly Lady Iellaya or should I call you Queen I cannot believe you donÆt trust how deeply I value our candid relationship It would bring me nothing but joy to acquiesce to your requests no matter what they may be Alas I cannot There is a superior lienholder

Turning slowly Lord Miln glanced over his shoulder almost fondly This body Well letÆs just say you arenÆt the first to express interest in it You can consider it to be on lone for as long as the images yet live And after it is emptied it has already been purchased by a very influential citizen of the Nexus So satisfy yourself with just the images please

Yggdrasil and Randidly sat above the emerald form of Ignition Essence in silence each considering the information that Randidly had brought for them to consider from his experience watching Abiodun and Iellaya

There is something I have to tell you as well Yggdrasil rumbled to break the silence After you left I was approached By a wounded image suffering It said that it heard a rumor that I could perform healings

Fucking bitch Randidly swore without bothering to keep his voice low It seemed like they planned on moving quickly to discover the veracity of the rumors about Yggdrasil And asking Yggdrasil how he responded was almost unnecessary You healed it didnÆt you The image

Of course YggdrasilÆs branches creaked as he shifted I could not fully restore its strength but I could trigger some of its latent potential with the image of timelessness that has been woven into me Rather than healing it it might be more accurate to say that I have taken away the lingering damage done by the wounds But the lost portions of the image cannot be recovered by my efforts alone

Randidly scratched his cheek with his upper tail trying to conceptualize what Yggdrasil was saying So the strength wouldnÆt return to normal but perhaps Yggdrasil could remove the headache as he had often done for Randidly How useful do you think is it

Unfortunately very Yggdrasil shook his canopy with palpable regret After receiving my assistance that image was ordered by that rock man to proceed to the Aether Fountain I followed at a distance to observe It seems that part of the benefits of my healing process is that the speed of leaking Aether from the image is drastically slowed It greatly raises the efficacy of the Aether Fountain process

Abiodun just how dirty are your hands RandidlyÆs claw twitched The feeling of bloodthirsty competitiveness and strange sense of kinship that Randidly felt toward the stone man was extremely confusing to him He simultaneously wanted to murder Abiodun and also team up to murder someone else with him But there could be no doubt that Abiodun was the right had of Iellaya

Lady Iellaya didnÆt do anything without reason This was calculated

They will come again Randidly said tiredly Rather than the peaceful experience he had resisting the Nether Randidly wished he would have been able to rip the skull off of some sick Nether monster in a burst of adrenaline He needed to relieve some of his stress We need to figure out how to respond to it

YggdrasilÆs branches shifted There is a bright side The experience allows me to sharpen my own image immensely And there is an aspect of growth assistance to it that the main body often forgets or does not utilize directly If we allow this process to happen I will improve I have strength enough to assist Ignition Essence and a few other images a day

Randidly shook his head True but it wonÆt just be a few other images a day if it is really so useful It

Immediately RandidlyÆs mouth twisted into a snarl as a heavy mental blanket began to smother his ancillary thoughts Perfect timing Just when I needed some ways to blow off some steam the images of Donnyton decide to swarm up to the plate

Shifting rapidly Randidly laid himself down YygdrasilÆs leaves rustled in concern mm Try your best to not destroy any of them

Randidly fell asleep laughing

The mist wrapped around him until it solidified into a thick and fluffy sea around him Randidly floated downward his eyes blazing like a chemical flare as he sunk deeper into the strange depths of the dream world As his bodyÆ became subdued into unconsciousness by the strange Skill clarity returned to his mind Despite RandidlyÆs building rage he couldnÆt help but notice that some lingering wariness he hadnÆt been able to eradicate was lifted away from him as he was taken by the skill

Seems like it isnÆt just another way to exhaust myself Well point for Eidolon Crucible And the timing was at least reasonable

This time Randidly didnÆt find himself in that familiar arena in Donnyton Which in a way was a relief He was awfully tired of that place where he constantly needed to seize victory in order to protect himself and the entire world through the direction of Donnyton

But perhaps this place held an even more troublesome place in RandidlyÆs heart As he examined the surrounding the sound of his heart pounding in his ears grew increasingly loud

He was floating in a sea of lava watching as that superheated metal and stone evaporated around him like it was rubbing alcohol Floating above Randidly the combined force of the thousand images of Kharon was the faceless form of the sun A strange amalgamation that served the role of Aegiant

Heat hammered at RandidlyÆs skin Compared to Nether it was a rather mundane assault but it did feel like thousands of fingers were scrabbling at Randidly to rip away his skin and feast on his core The lava around him hissed and spat its heat in a malicious spray Perhaps the most obnoxious part was the weight of the warped molten metal against Randidly restricting his movements

That shadow figure rippled as the multitude of images that formed it struggled to demonstrate their unique charms This was more than just a constant spiritual raid perpetrated by the images of those who swore their cause to RandidlyÆs this was also the chance for the images to prove themselves as capable

But right now Randidly didnÆt care The shadow of Aegiant raised his arms and screeched The heat spiked upward as its power began radiating outward Thin vapors of evaporated rock whistled up from the growing spear of superheated air that neared plasma

Is this all you have

Randidly spread his arms wide and began to pull himself up through the thick lava His two tails sinuously twisted pushing him upward When he broke the surface of the lava Randidly took a deep breath His lungs screamed in protest but the Grim Chimera just smiled

I always wanted a second chance at this Perhaps this Eidolon Crucible isnÆt such a bad thing after all

Chapter 1057

When Randidly awoke it was to a black and silent night The thin light from Ignition Essence illuminated the inner portion of the grey tent but its actual usefulness for distinguishing details was low All Randidly could make out were several figures at the far end of the tent with one of them being familiar Yggdrasil sat at the far side talking to two individuals who were standing outside the tent in a voice pitched low so as not to wake Randidly

Instantly RandidlyÆs focus sharpened to those two shadowy individuals With a few sharp movements he materialized on his feet He half expected to find that Iellaya herself had come out to harass Yggdrasil but instead there were two unfamiliar figures at the door One was a smaller and more brown version of Abiodun a man completely made of rock and mud The second was a thin man covered in scales and with the head of a snake

Both were images There was an ambiguous quality to their bodies that Randidly was beginning to recognize

Sensing that Randidly awoke and was glowering at the new arrivals Yggdrasil turned around Ah good It seems you had a good dream You were ahem laughing in your sleep But these two are

Yggdrasil rustled his leaves as he gestured to the two figures This woman is Zauna She is a relative of AbiodunÆs This man is Salazar Lady Iellaya issued orders that since you had proven yourself in your first two missions you would be sent to more dangerous areas in the future Areas where you could make more of an impact on the battlefield as a whole Therefore you would need subordinates

In addition I will be responsible for healing them Yggdrasil paused briefly But Lady Iellaya also informed me that as long as these two remain in fighting shape I will need not use my talents on any others

That sharpened RandidlyÆs gaze His eyes took in the pair once more It turned out that the brown Abiodun was a woman She didnÆt appear to carry any weapons but Randidly supposed most images didnÆt carry weapons with them

Meanwhile the snake man Salazar had two miniature scimitars strapped to his lower back His long fingers were constantly wringing in front of his slight body

Spies Likely both of them What a hassle But if it kept Yggdrasil from being worked to the bone

Nice to meet you Randidly said through his teeth Honestly he was in a rather good mood after slaughtering his way through the images of Kharon Even this strange ambush couldnÆt shake his optimism He had tried his best to not be too violent to the rather feeble images but the tiresome experience of remembering what information he should and should not share had built up in his chest over the past several days the images had been the perfect outlet

And compared to Nether the small individual images even as one monstrous Aegiant replacement were almost comically simple to overwhelm with raw force It was like comparing someone who fought for sport on the weekends to someone who fought to stay alive There was simply no tenacity to the images of Kharon So Randidly took it upon himself to teach them the true brutality of images

It would be worth it in the end he knew

I bet the main body will even thank me when we are all finally united Randidly thought as his hand remained extended toward the two images Salizar looked up at Zauna nervously while wringing his fingers without any visible reaction Zauna nodded shortly and reached out to shake RandidlyÆs hand without saying anything

Only after Zauna moved did Salizar seize RandidlyÆs hand with both of his own A p pleasure We have heard heard much about you

A silent woman and a coward The perfect sort of subordinates Soon dominion over the entire world wonÆt be just a dream

Setting aside his sarcastic thoughts Randidly did realize that there was no reason that his Eidolon Crucible needed to be focused on only Kharon The main bodyÆs subordinates could be from any world He made a mental note to talk to Yggdrasil about vetting these two more directly to be recruited into the Eidolon Crucible

They were likely spies but that didnÆt mean there wouldnÆt be other chances in the future Even if it took some time it might be worth looking into the option

Well I need to spend some time training after that I will see you both later Randidly said shortly He nodded at Yggdrasil and walked out of the tent while brushing past Zauna and Salazar

It was about ten steps later that Randidly stopped and turned on his heel He glared back toward the tent Is there a problem

Both Zauna and Salizar were following him Salizar glanced up at the stoic face of Zauna then winced and offered Randidly a weak smile It is d difficult you know For images l like us around the camps So if we f f f follow you at least

Randidly brought his claw and tried to rub the bridge of his nose He almost punctured his eye with one of the sharp points of his talons He calmly lowered his hand and hoped the large size of his hand kept his new subordinates from seeing his close call When his face was revealed it was glowering at the two of them Then return to your tents Is there a need for you to wander around so late at night

We w will be staying with you and Yggdrasil from now on sir Salizar said in obvious discomfort His tail flicked rapidly back and forth behind him

Then it wonÆt be a long walk back to the tent will it Randidly hissed

But the two simply stood there dumbly Zauna said nothing In fact she seemed completely unphased by RandidlyÆs obvious ire It seemed that she definitely inherited some of AbiodunÆs nerve And as for Salazar although he began to wring his hands more quickly there was no other change

From behind them Yggdrasil said unhelpfully To be fair I was told that Lady Iellaya ordered you to familiarize yourself with your new subordinates tonight It might not matter much but on the other hand

Sighing Randidly just shrugged Fine just stay out of my way

He had planned on heading back out to the border area and spending some more time working on his Skills It didnÆt seem like the presence of these strange two would make much difference to the process If they were going to accompany him into the Great Rift in the future they would see his capabilities anyway And perhaps seeing them while in an Aether controlled area would lower their inevitable shock after seeing what Randidly could manage in the Nether

RandidlyÆs eyes narrowed as a resolution formed in his chest Not knowing the details this place and walking on tiptoes to avoid revealing my hand itÆs unsustainable Now that these two are going to be following me out into the Great Rift time to shift the strategy Stealth wonÆt serve me well for much longer

I need to have a candid conversation with someone around here that knows whatÆs going on Considering ZagnalÆs recent change in attitude HeÆs no longer an option Which probably means that the conversation needs to be had with Iellaya And to sway someone like her I need to prove my capability Perhaps these two are a test for exactly that Better to keep them alive then

So Randidly proceeded to the no manÆs land between the two camps once more intending to spend some time training But as he approached the edge of the camp noises ahead caused his gait to slow Glancing back at the two follow him Randidly was relieved to see that both noticed his expression and moved stealthily in his wake

Despite her size Zauna seemed to drift across the land like a ghost Her heavy footfalls didnÆt register even the smallest sound to RandidlyÆs ears And Salizar seemed to fade into the nearby shadows so naturally that even RandidlyÆs luminous eyes could only barely distinguish him against the shadowy backdrop of the dirt

Snorting softly Randidly turned back forward and began to activate Chimeric Avoidance to its limit While he also slowed his gait and took care to remain quiet he also simply avoided making noises The Grim Chimera had its own methods

Moving near silently the trio drifted forward to the edge of the camp About three fourths of the way across the no manÆs land two figures were arguing in the open area with some space left between them and the tents of the camp With glittering eyes Randidly could intuit their conversation just as he had been able to do with Abiodun and Iellaya

Vualla I will report you The tall and broad shouldered man said

The same woman with azure hair that Randidly had seen here a day ago shook her head The motion sent long undulating ripples through her dazzling hair Even so IÆll take the demerit This is personal

That demerit will see you sent to a deathzone on the next mission The man hissed

Then donÆt report me Vualla replied rather flippantly Even to Randidly her smile looked fragile in the night Then I wonÆt need to worry about the deathzone

The man sighed If I have to report you to stop you from going I will This pointless errand of yours is not worth it WeÆve already received the reports What more do you need

Vualla raised her chin Most things arenÆt worth dying for A few things are And I know that this is one of the things I would die for

They stared at each other for a long time So long that Salizar began to wring his hands to work off his nervous energy until Randidly shot a glare his way He made a mental note to ask how much control he really had over his subordinates when he saw either Abiodun or Iellaya again as he turned back to look at the duo across the no manÆs land

The large man shook his head one more time IÆm going now To report you So so please Please be there when the patrol comes to your tent

It is a petty man that asks a woman to betray her principles And not even for love but out of fear You can be afraid most of the time but if you claim to be alive you cannot be afraid all of the time Vualla spat at the manÆs departing back

Strangely Randidly cocked his head to the side You can be afraid most of the time but if you claim to be alive you cannot be afraid all of the time

Something shifted in his chest As a being deeply rooted in fear the Grim Chimera constantly needed to be wary of threats Wariness stemmed from fear So Randidly was constantly in the throes of a small amount of fear

You can be afraid most of the time but if you claim to be alive you cannot be afraid all of the time

Randidly found his legs moving across the dimly lit barren land between lands making a beeline for the womanÆs lonely back He could feel Salizar and Zuana moving silently behind him like a mute entourage which pissed him off a little bit Some part of him dearly wished this was about to be a private meeting Yet Randidly was more unwilling to let this moment go than he wished to hide this interaction with the azure haired Vualla

After all there was a completely reasonable basis for this action This was the one person that Randidly had encountered who wasnÆt associated with Lady Iellaya at all That same pervasive feeling that Randidly had felt when he arrived in Lady IellayaÆs camp had become a subtle backdrop to his experience but it ran through everyone he had seen and talked to in a greater or lesser degree But from Vualla there was a completely different feeling

It was in a word refreshing

Perhaps I wonÆt have to impress Iellaya after all Randidly grinned If I can help Vualla right now perhaps she can give me the information that I seek

Vualla was standing with her shoulders trembling and her fist clenched as Randidly arrived about five meters away from her back More than her actual body Randidly would see her cascade of hair But it was clear to him that she was facing the ground with her features steeped in shadows

What does a salesman say to sweeten a deal before the sale well the obvious step is to remind the recipient of our previous interactions

Randidly cleared his throat lightly But of course he didnÆt have a real throat He didnÆt really understand why he did it For someone with a body you seem incredibly fragile right now

Vualla flashed into motion Unlike Randidly how had opened up some space when surprised Vualla twisted around and brought one of her heavy gauntlets around in a haymaker toward RandidlyÆs head Eyes widening Randidly brought up his claw up to catch the blow But his body wasnÆt moving quickly enough to catch up to her dazzling speed

How the fuck can she be so fast So this is the ability of someone fighting on the front lines

Randidly released a low breath that came out grey and ashy as his image billowed outward Chimeric Avoidance and MonstrosityÆs Appalling Physicality roared to the fore His body contorted as muscles bulged to accomplish his will

Even then Randidly gritted his teeth to brace for the blow as he watched it approach the power behind VuallaÆs strike was obvious from a single look The air quaked with its passage But at the last second she halted in her abrupt attack The shockwave of the sudden stop still struck Randidly sending a ripple through him and through VuallaÆs waterfall of azure hair

RandidlyÆs eyes widened at the casual force Then he saw her glittering azure eyes sparkle even in the shadowy no manÆs land It took him a second of confusion to figure out what was happening then immediately it was obvious

Vualla was crying

For a second Randidly was transported across time and space to a moment in the port town on Earth when he encountered a young woman whose life would be wasted All he needed to do was reach out and help her but he hadnÆt

Slowly Vualla lowered her gauntlet and turned away from Randidly sorry ItÆs been a long day

Chapter 1058

Uh Randidly blinked several times as his mind struggled to cope with so much strange information Vualla had attacked him so quickly he could barely cope and then she had stopped herself And obviously he had seen other people in pain before The Grim Chimera itself was an image that was built on a lifetime of pain Yet those sparkling tears in VuallaÆs eyes seemed to force his breath to catch in his throat Is everything alright

No Vualla shook her head still facing away from Randidly But donÆt worry about it ItÆs none of your business anyway IÆm just just taking a night walk to clear my head Just walking

And with that Vualla began to walk back toward her camp with a determined stride Feeling helpless Randidly turned and looked at Zuana and Salazar Zuana was standing silently and Salazar was wringing his hands and flicking his tail from side to side If anything they both appeared even more confused than Randidly was

Completely useless

Randidly turned back and looked at VuallaÆs departing back Even in the dim light of night here on the edge of the Great Rift her vivid azure hair was a poignant as an auditory thread of a saxophone on a street corner Randidly couldnÆt look away from the sinuous motion of her gait

And to his own surprise he spoke again Do you want company for your walk

That was a dumb thing to say a small voice whispered to him If you take a walk you wonÆt gain any PP for the main body Training would be a better way to spend your time

Vualla stopped She slowly turned around and stared at Randidly for several seconds Her mouth twisted ThereÆs no need It will be a long walk

I have long legs Randidly grinned and gestured with his claw down at his raptor lower body

Some life returned to VuallaÆs eyes as she studied Randidly She inclined her head toward the space behind him What about those two

Randidly shook his head in mock sorrow If IÆm being honest they follow me around everywhere They would be coming as well But as far as I can tell there are no problems with their legs either They are like baby chicks

T tweet tweet Salzar said helpfully Randidly suppressed the image to turn around and stick his bone spear down the snake manÆs unnecessarily vocal throat He wondered idly if snakes could regenerate severed limbs

But Vualla laughed Then she shook her head IÆm obviously not concerned about their legs Thank you but itÆs unnecessary What IÆm about to do it can be considered desertion even if only for a night I hear Iellaya is a relatively lax Commander but she wonÆt look kindly on you leaving

Honestly Vualla narrowed her eyes as she peered at the three of them IÆm surprised you left camp at all ThatÆs why I was uh so interested in you two days ago Rumors are that all of IellayaÆs troops are part of a cult Everyone says that when no one else is around they kneel before her and call her Queen

Vualla seemed to be studying Randidly for any sort of reaction He shrugged IÆm a recent transfer But I will say that I donÆt think it will be a problem for me to come with you I was ordered to spend some familiarizing myself with these two subordinates This walk can be considered a team building exercise

Pfft would anyone actually believe that Vualla shook her head but then she threw her hands up in the air Well I canÆt very well do anything if you also want to take a night walk in the same direction And thanks Randidly

She couldnÆt very well use her heavy iron gauntlets so Vualla rubbed her shoulders against her cheeks to soak up the tears Randidly felt strangely tingly as he settled into pace next to her He opened his mouth to say something but he was beaten to the punch by Salazar

If if this is a team building exercise Strangely his voice sounded hopeful Perhaps introductions and fun facts about ourselves

Fine Randidly said as he glared over his shoulder at the inane snakeman I suppose Zauna can go first

AbiodunÆs relative trundled forward in silence for several seconds After flashing a look of triumph toward the hand wringing Salazar Randidly turned back forward And then a surprisingly soft and feminine voice spoke from behind him

Zauna Tjak I play common musical instruments

what sort of musical instruments are common for rock people Randidly wondered but already Salazar was excitedly beginning his own introduction

Salazar Griss In my homeworld I had many w wives and admirers I had so many children that there would always be at least o one person s singing s songs about me at every time of day

Doubtful

Then Randidly belatedly realized that everyone was looking at him Vualla’s eyes were so very bright After gulping down a mouthful of air Randidly raised his bone spear and waved it vaguely Randidly Ghosthound Specifically the image of the Grim Chimera I uh my body is being punished for some reason but the main body is very skilled at creating Engravings

Oh Vualla seemed rather disappointed after Randidly spoke So you donÆt look like this normally

Randidly blinked Well my face looks the same and most of the torso but my limbs are a bit more average