Even as his head throbbed from a long day of creating something from nothing Randidly was able to pull himself out of the spiraling images and disperse his marshaled strength
Honestly it was a bit like his injury that Simon had treated He was very close to losing himself in the pain But this time a reminder was all he required to save himself
With HelenÆs help Randidly had moved himself a few kilometers away from Donnyton to recover as much as possible in a short span of time More than any physical damage the strain of maintaining a physical form for his images for so long really had depleted his Willpower to the point that another rung was an intimidating prospect That combined with that extended physical manifestation of his image in that last duel meant that his tank was empty
At the time Randidly had resolved himself to the fact that he would likely need to use NeveahÆs Mana pool or Inspiration in order to handle all of the groups at once To challenge them with just his body and his weakened images would be beyond foolish
Luckily Helen had informed him that Donnyton was delaying likely permanently Helen had been extremely disgruntled by this fact but she had clearly understood that this answer was exactly what Randidly wanted to hear Even if Helen was relishing the change to test her limits Randidly tired of striking at the best and brightest of Donnyton
Rather than remaining near the Village Randidly had immediately moved North eventually finding and resting at this spring
Some part of Randidly whispered that if he didnÆt face the final rung now the lesson he spent so much time beating into Donnyton might not take Still Randidly was exhausted more so than he had ever been in the past Emotionally mentally and physically he had pushed himself to his limits in the battle against Donnyton
He needed a break He deserved it
And he had shown them the power of images Even now from so far away he could feel the stirrings along the channels of Aether that orbited the world As images formed they would insidiously spread their influence by competing with each other Randidly had started the process early but this was all in preparation to handle the Second Calamity
Initial signs indicated that the goal that had motivated the whole initiation of the challenge had been accomplished There would be many times that Donnyton could stray from that Path or squander the chance he gave them but that was a problem for later
A light touch of RandidlyÆs fingers against the ground was enough to throw himself a meter into the air and settle gracefully into a standing position Without much sense of propriety Randidly scampered over to the pool underneath the gurgling spring and used his hands to bring several ice cold gulps to his mouth
Immediately Randidly felt himself slowly relaxing Some of the numbness that filled RandidlyÆs heart began to twitch and revive finally giving life to the emotions he had felt as Stan encouraged Eli Iron to attack before the round had started Some of his own horror at being isolated and therefore striking without any reservation at Alana made itself known
The Grim Chimera was power But it was powerful because of the weight it carried
But IÆve never been a light traveler have I Randidly thought with a sigh His mind drifted back to those guards he had killed in the Tellus prison Not just blood but expectations and dreams too
Unwilling to let any ball of tension or loneliness or betrayal escape this cleansing Randidly followed up his gulps by dunking his head underneath the glassy surface of the water Even though RandidlyÆs Stats were monstrously high the cold stung when he opened his eyes and peered around at the poolÆs inner workings
Several finger sized Level 20 Crayfish waved their claws menacingly at each other and began to duel below RandidlyÆs head oblivious to the calamitous individual who peered intently down at them Fish swam around algae coated pebbles moving abruptly for several seconds and then not at all Light danced across the bottom of the pool warped by the uneven surface
Underneath the water the sound of the creek was much deeper Rather than tinkling bells it sounded like a mother humming as she cooked a childÆs favorite meal It was another world one of lightness and chill clarity
That thought made Randidly close his eyes He released a long stream of bubbles attracting the ire of the crayfish What is without within What is within without
The roiling bitterness in RandidlyÆs chest that had been spinning at half speed even after a full nightÆs sleep finally settled down Perhaps Randidly could have moved on without addressing it but he still didnÆt fully understand what he had done to become the image in those moments of isolation It had something to do with that vicious resentment and rage that had been spinning Before he understood how that manifestation occurred he planned on carefully monitoring his internal situation
Right now Randidly aimed for a total reset Only after that could he begin to move forward
After seeing the might of both Randidly didnÆt dare try and let the Grim Chimera and the Yggdrasil images bleed into one another He had already counted on his luck for too much in the last week
With a soft splash Randidly pulled his head back above the water After shaking his skull to dislodge any loose liquid Randidly moved to the small clearing immediately adjacent to the spring itself It was in this area that Randidly and Simon had spent several weeks as Simon attempted to nurse him back to health
So easy to forget his guileless kindness after he seized the role of Champion for himself Randidly thought distantly But he has a good heart ThatÆs why he felt compelled to act even then Foolish beyond belief but a good heart
Still A wave of RandidlyÆs hand created a whip of vines that gathered logs for a fire A point of his finger ignited the wood the flames fading quickly from emerald to the more mundane variety Am I any different The edge of experience with the System I have is a small thing in the scale of years It will eventually become meaningless Plus the image of this world will not be mine Just like Simon others will lead Earth to the future IÆm now just a watcher
So itÆs time to focus on what I want to do
What are my goals
Randidly shifted into a cross legged position and closed his eyes The small noises of nearby animal life wind through the drying leaves and the babble of the spring faded away He no longer possessed the Meditate Skill but it had become part of the Yggdrasil Skillset
Taking great care to control the image so it didnÆt manifest itself physically Randidly felt the myriad golden roots spreading downward from his position He then felt the invisible Emerald Leaves springing from his body to gather the energy of the sun that drifted overhead With his body as the core an invisible tree made of humming Skills formed around him
Moisture flowed upward while energy flowed downward His extremities gathered air and purified it Guided by his Skills three threads of energy wove themselves together inside of Randidly As he allowed natureÆs cycle to play out through his body Randidly tasted a hint of something powerful
Profoundly powerful So powerful that Randidly felt immersed in it for several seconds without even noticing it It was an intoxicating and vital energy even as it was composed of exceedingly dense images
It was only a faint whiff but immediately Randidly had to suppress the urge to follow it back to the source Time for a reset not time to follow this natural connection
With a sardonic smile Randidly allowed his meditation to end Looks like I brushed against the image of EarthÆ humans hold Being able to observe it would undoubtedly be helpful to images but not right now
Instead Randidly considered the things that he felt he had to do
Prepare to meet the final Judgement due to him because he had been labeled a Heretic by the System
Figure out how to subvert the designs that the System had on the Earth
Create a countermeasure for when the Creature inevitably came back to interfere with the Calamities