Together they formed the special tribunal on Drill Sergeant Selection
Lady Iellaya lifted her head as they settled into the five seats at the table peering through the doors of the amphitheater to the two figures that had arrived outside This was the first of the three candidates they were considering for the position of Head Drill Sergeant It was already tacitly agreed that they would choose one of these three
Octavius Shrike had brought Randidly Ghosthound And he had the advantage of being the first candidate they saw
Lady IellayaÆs loyalty to this newly created rather small faction based around Edraine and the idea of radically altering the Nexus had been relatively shallow at the time of its creation she had just been named Supreme Commander of the frontline and was content to nap in her victory like a cat in sunlight Plus her emotions were extremely turbulent making her unwilling to commit for too much She was high from her success grieving over the loss of Abiodun faction and deeply skeptical of the rather unknown EdraineÆs capabilities
But then Lady Iellaya had been forced to interact with the Military Council for three months The invisible limits had become obvious She clearly felt that she was currently at the apex of what she could accomplish without someone dying above her on the totem pole Many a time she had been sent away from a meeting while all the established Commandants of Central Command remained behind drinking brandy
There was a greasy edge to their smiles as they watched her go they knew exactly what they were doing And although there might occasionally be internal disagreements they delighted in keeping the power just amongst themselves
And then Edraine had returned and Lady Iellaya had met with her The raw power that woman could release unnerved even Lady Iellaya she possessed the sort of power that could shake even the Military Council Gradually Lady Iellaya started to take their factionÆs abilities quite seriously She agreed to go along with their plans at least for now
They just needed the smallest crack to form a grip on the army Then they could begin to tear everything down and remake it as they wished And Randidly Ghosthound was the key to that
Honestly she had been rather surprised that she had so easily gotten a seat on this Tribunal But from what she learned after the fact most of Central Command believed that these troops were being sent to die There was a strange certainty amongst them that if these youths were really so talented they would have already been noticed Therefore it was for the best to stay some distance away and blame others when the recruits started dying
The only reason that Commandant Wick became involved was he did have a descendant that seemed quite talented and insisted on participating in the draft So the Commandant moved directly determined to shield this seedling from harm
We have the opportunity now All we need is for the impression that Randidly gives off to be the right balance between controllable and capable Once more her gaze went out through the still shut doors Her examination was acute relying on their prior interactions to judge him As Lady Iellaya sensed the changes in Randidly Ghosthound her eyes began to glow It was almost too much the speed at which this man improved To the point that he was becoming somewhat unsuitable for this role
No one of any true power was going to be allowed anywhere near the elitesÆ What if their instructor earned their loyalty and had the power to pry them away from their original factions
Which prompted Lady Iellaya to send him a quick message When you come in to the interview focus only on your tree image And especially emphasize its ability to heal and alleviate mental damage IÆll take care of the rest
Chapter 1495
Randidly released a breath as he stood before the doors to his sudden interview He rolled his shoulders to loosen up A guard in a sharply pressed military uniform was standing next to the carved double doors with his hands folded behind his back His eyes were aggressively straight ahead He seemed to receive some notification and finally acknowledged Randidly They are ready for you
What joyous news Randidly watched as the manÆs eyes quickly flicked away once he had delivered this missive from his superiors It must have been a great honor to spread the good word
Randidly glanced to the side Octavius was looking over at Randidly wringing his hands like a dehydrated man squeezing a damp dishrag If anything this Overseer seemed more worried than Randidly himself about the whole situation Sweat beaded across his brow and he kept rubbing his horn before returning to his hand wringing Are you are you prepared
Within himself Randidly shifted his images Both the Grim Chimera and the Stillborn Phoenix receded from the air around him He felt his body gradually shift as he suppressed even the physicalization of his images in his body A grunt escaped his lips as the painful changes popped his joints While the strength and definition within his muscles steadily decreased his heart continued its powerful beats With no other images jostling for dominance Yggdrasil made the veins in his chest and right arm glitter with golden notes His hair shifted toward black with an emerald dusting when the light hit it just right Randidly nodded at Octavius IÆm ready
The doors opened and Randidly stepped into the room The floor was a material similar to marble with elegant gold patterns swirling across the surrounding area The ceiling vaulted upward held aloft by massive pillars around the outside of the thirty meter wide room The heavy air of the room quickly enveloped him as he stepped forward muffling even the heavy sound of his heartbeat
It immediately became clear to him that his panelÆ intended him to be impressed by their presence All five of them sat at a table on a raised dias in the center of the room The air around them didnÆt display even the slightest hint of an image a phenomenon which Randidly had only seen from Kaan Swacc in the past It was less that they didn’tÆ have any image but that they would allow not even the slightest tremor of an image in the air around them These were people who had incredible control over their image That control became a stifling silence that sought to bully Randidly into conformity
Almost effortlessly Randidly shrugged off that oppressive vibe Part of it was how far he had come with his own images but it was also the anchoring of the significance in his Nether Nebula If they wanted to stifle him they would need to try a little harder than that
In direct contrast to the panel Randidly walked into the room while steadily radiating the healing energy of Yggdrasil He tightened his Control over the sensation as his image expanded to fill the surrounding space but he made sure to let his most support image be on full display Per Lady IellayaÆs advice he emphasized the healing elements
There were five people in the panel with Lady Iellaya on the far right Of them all she was clearly the least competent when it came to images the area around her that was devoid of images was the smallest and had the foggiest edges But even so she displayed a mastery that inspired in Randidly a resolution to improve she had not been slacking since being named Supreme Commander Likely she had kept working with the gift that Randidly had given her reaching even higher attainment
Her face displayed not the slightest hint of their prior association mildly meeting his look without any recognition With her stern expression and sharp military uniform she barely resembled the last impression that Randidly had of her mud streaked bloody and crying after Abiodun died on that fateful day This was a capable determined military leader
Randidly wondered whether he would need to cultivate a similar persona if he landed this job The prospect was unappetizing but he could practically feel Tatiana staring reprovingly at his back He instinctively straightened his spine To accomplish his goals he wouldnÆt balk from making more social effort