But Randidly pulled all that back into himself He forced out a breath and noticed the familiar hair and aura the real evolved version of the third Devick stood in front of him decked out in a golden mask and very official looking regalia Based on her dress she was even higher on the MIlitary High Command totem poll than he was
Too much was happening too quickly Spending his Nether Core to activate his authority had blunted his edge Everything was raw and chaotic in RandidlyÆs mind
With all these strange things combined Randidly looked around and found ClaudetteÆs face in the crowd It took some time to sift through all the strange and likely influential figures watching him but he soon found her golden hair and sapphire eyes Seeing her features noticing the small lines around her eyes and the tension in her mouth helped him push down the sudden urge to lay into Wick right then Even fury could only give way before necessity
He stepped to the side and walked toward the party Wick stepped in front of him and spoke again Punk DonÆt you dare ignore me What was her name again Helen Perhaps the two of you had a shallower connection than I thought WouldnÆt she be hurt by how quickly youÆve forgotten the lesson she died to teach you
You All that carefully stitched together control that Randidly had gathered was obliterated by the sneering arrogance with which Wick used HelenÆs name His hands slowly tightened into fists the Nether in his body becoming a volcano with impatient magma ready to erupt He took a half step forward seeing WickÆs perfectly uniform and cruelty and almost lashing out immediately with a blast of Nether
But there was a reason that Randidly had worked so hard for this day The man who had killed Helen stood in front of him but Helen had been the closest relationship he had in recent years Some sort of kindred spirit and perhaps even something more might be incubating between himself and Vualla but they just hadnÆt had enough time or interactions to make that connection solid Meanwhile Helen had always been there and losing her made him realize how important it was that he cultivate relationships
Like the relationship he had with Claudette And this day was about her escaping her father not about Randidly selfishly lashing out at this bully As galling as it would be Randidly would rather accept this rebuke from Wick for now so he could focus on the real issue
One day someday soon Randidly would get even for what had happened with Helen But without preparation he did not need to make today that day
Randidly felt the change in Wick as his superior stopped underestimating him and brought his combat experience as a Commandant to bear He fell into a fighting stance releasing a probing and stalwart palm strike in RandidlyÆs direction But from a single look Randidly could tell that the motion was inefficient and hadnÆt been practiced in a long while
Wick is rusty
He sidestepped and looped his arm around WickÆs attack Before the bearman could pull his arm back Randidly braced the thick arm against his side with one arm and a tail and brought his other hand down in a hacking bash that shattered WickÆs forearm Stepping forward again Randidly whipped his body around and brought his elbow slamming against WickÆs collarbone
His lip curled in distaste as he took a half step back Likely fractured but not broken LetÆs fix that This is for Helen you fucking prick
Wick recovered quickly even while nursing his right arm He adopted a different stance a tight sort of boxing where his still powerful left arm flashed out in several quick jabs But the agony of hosting his own Nether in this weakened body was starting to pay dividends Randidly felt how his significance had recovered and stamped his foot with unnatural momentum All that extra Weight that he possed smashed into the ground sending a wave of sand that obscured the surrounding area for a brief moment
Wick moved backward but Randidly rushed in on the heels of that sand wave The impact of WickÆs unavoidable first jab to his chest hurt like hell on top of the pain he was already enduring but then Randidly closed the distance and whipped his leg around into the side of WickÆs knee
Howling the Commandant folded down on his shattered joint leaving Randidly standing above him almost shocked by how easily he went down His lips curled back to reveal his teeth as he started raining blows down on the crumpled form of Commandant Wick You little shit How long has it been since youÆve needed to fight with your body
Something ugly and vindictive and scarred rose in RandidlyÆs body smashing his fists again and again against Commandant WickÆs weakness Each strike was driven by that immortal image of Helen laying on the ground Each hit sprayed flecks of blood that hit the sand and remained there tiny crimson gemstones After four quick hammer blows WickÆs face was beaten to a pulp but Randidly could barely move his shattered and bleeding knuckles Growling out his frustration Randidly reached down and forced his hand closed around WickÆs lower jaw
Wick almost immediately attempted to bit down on RandidlyÆs hand but Nether Weight gave him more physical presence than could be resisted With a wet squelch Randidly pulled until he ripped out his superiorÆs lower jaw Gore spray sideways and then dripped from the rigid bit of bone and cartilage he held
For several seconds he stood there his chest heaving But the adrenaline began to drain out of him
The Wick in front of him vanished as though by magic Randidly looked at his now empty hand where the jaw had once been There were several wounds on his palm more from him gripping too tightly than Wick biting him He heaved out a shuddering sigh It was probably too much to hope for that this would seriously hurt him It felt good to punish Wick for treating Helen so casually But what this had really done was tear off all pretenses between himself and Wick
Outside Alymian I have no doubt that you will now be making preparations to get back at me Randidly trembled this body pushed to its limits by hosting Nether for as long as it did So be it Just like I m ready to stand up against the peak powers in the Nexus I m ready to fight to the death with their pathetic lackeys
Now that my subordinates are hidden away in the Alpha Cosmos do your worst Wick
Bravo To RandidlyÆs surprise Devick broke the awkward silence with enthusiastic applause With her in the lead the rest of the DonÆs party followed clapping their hands as Randidly stood in front of them blood dripping down out of his hand and nose to pool on the sand
A headache was already building behind his eyes as he looked at Devick Your madness has only gotten worse since leaving the mountain hasnÆt it
Chapter 1857
The applause continued for several seconds until it tapered off sharply following the movements of Devick
But the ache in RandidlyÆs right hand was growing drawing his attention back down to the state of his body Blood dribbled out of his shredded knuckles and onto the sand beneath him compressed by Alymian to the blood of a mundane human He pursed his lips Looks like IÆve really grown to rely on my body Without it handling the force in my Nether Core is impossible
IÆve judged Neshamah a tiny bit for how limited her power seemed but maybe its as much as she can safely handle IÆll need to do some experiments to find out if IÆm about to bite off more Nether than I can safely chew
Also the prospect of activating my Authority with this body
Well The Don brought his hands sharply together Several uniformed individuals rushed forward with rakes quickly burying the blood that had dripped on the sand A woman approached Randidly with a bowl of water and a towel to clean off his hand He regretted not using Sulfur to strike more but Sulfur’s presence was muted apparently Alymian affected him too
The Don continued to speak This is as good a time as any to transition to the bonfire Mr Ghosthound so wonderful of you to make it thank you for christening the beach Undoubtedly it will bring us all good fortune Maybe even in fifty years youÆll reach your own Mille eh
Oh Don This towering horrifying true incarnation of Devick turned and looked at the Don I just remembered I feel slightly guilty DidnÆt you have some ritual you were performing No need to move forward on our account play out your little skit if you please We are all dying to see what sort of declaration you want to make