He looked up and down when he appeared in that shadowy place watching significance getting pulled down and emotions flowing up The Stillborn Phoenix excitedly demonstrated for the two Unborn spirits how they could devour the emotions digest them then regurgitate their own sort of warped emotions back into the river
The inflated slugs seemed to enjoy this prospect immensely
Shaking his head Randidly sensed the Nether content in the air Based on how dense the Nether is I should be able to rest here for about a week before the confrontation against Wick That should both be enough to recover to refine all the significance I took from Neshamah and also spend some more time experimenting with Synechdochence
Just the prospect of this confrontation filled him with anticipation He pressed that feeling down and focused on his Status screen Not that I blame the System for having a shitty frame of reference but I donÆt think 110% is anywhere close to my limit I wonder if improving that will have an effect on the next Authority I will eventually condense
However that question turned RandidlyÆs mood sour He had no idea how to go about condensing a Second Authority Obviously it would be related to the meaning and desires of one of his other images but from everyoneÆs bland reaction it wasnÆt a recognized thing in the Nexus Plus the person he would have asked Neshamah had betrayed them within the Skull of Truth He could approach the Engraving Guild but Randidly couldnÆt shake the feeling they wouldnÆt be much help either Especially after losing their leader
Which left the Nether King
Randidly shook his head decisively He might consider it if he was desperate but for now he had more than enough areas in which he could improve He didnÆt need to gamble on another interaction with that mysterious entity
At the same time he felt a thrill of excitement that glimmered even through his indignation at having been physically suppressed by the Ghosthound When you become a part of me that body of yours will be mine And then
WickÆs small pink tongue flicked out through his lips
Even more positively he could feel the emotional connection between himself and the Ghosthound strengthening every moment That would allow him to force the issue much more quickly avoiding the pointless and prolonged struggle that characterized his previous attempts The more quickly the two were connected the more energy Wick would have to establish himself as top of the twisted hierarchy that functioned within their new bodies
There was a soft knock at the door Lady Iellaya poked her head through her face unreadable Commander Ghosthound is here for the disciplinary hearing Commandant
Commandant Wick tried to keep the strain from his face and nodded slowly Take him to the sitting room I shall be finishing presently
Once Lady Iellaya was gone Wick wondered for a moment whether she understood the struggle that raged inside of him every day simply by the dint of remaining near him for such a period of time However he concluded that she wouldnÆt have been so emotionless if she truly understood considering her prior relationship with Randidly
After all who could imagine the torture under which I must constantly labor Wick reflected Some of the bubbling intense emotions that were not his own rose up in him hatred envy fear madness breathing caustic flames along his ribcage and inflicting agony But Wick simply allowed those emotions to expend themselves and sink back to the depths of his person He released a breath
All those years ago I seized power any way I could I do not regret that But after struggling for so long perhaps this finally will provide me with a way to escape this hell A perfect vessel without flaw A well of potential that hasnÆt yet run dry
Commandant Wick finally brought his formidable Willpower to bear crushing any remnant emotions that licked at him His powerful scaffolding of control snapped into place suppressing any further surges He stood at his desk and walked around to the door He walked out of his personal office and then down the hall to the sitting room
The Ghosthound waited within looking up slowly when Wick strolled into the room Wick smirked at the young man If IÆm being honest your presence here comes as a pleasant surprise after your recent insubordination I had resigned myself to hunting you down like a skulking dog and dragging you back here for your comeuppance Punishments thus far just havenÆt seemed to stick with you
Through the method he had learned to manage his multifarious souls Wick felt the intense emotional response that the Ghosthound had to his words And yet the young manÆs gaze remained curiously mild and his face blank
Except for his eyes Their ethereal emerald color seemed oddly wet and infectious ready to seep out and color the surrounding air
The lack of response irked Wick to the point that he felt a powerful impulse to lash out and smash the GhosthoundÆs face To pay the arrogant young man back for the attacks he had launched in Alymian As it always was for Wick the source of the impulse was difficult to pinpoint
However Wick suppressed that desire There would be time enough for that later
Follow me he said coolly Then he led Randidly Ghosthound down into the bowels of the Military High Command building where no one would disturb them
Chapter 1879
Emerald The crab thought idly as he looked into the eyes of the statue
In the chill undersea world movement became frothing disturbance before oneÆs senses could follow With an almost gentle touch being its departing gift suddenly the statue was gone The crab hit the floor unable to cope with what happened That is until mental communications reached it
No need to rush The mental projection boomed out over the corner of the seafloor as the Crushgrip Crab leader led about a score of crabs several bored Acidic Pufferfish and an ancient electric eel that lived in the area back toward its new home For this area of the sea this was quite the star studded process The grip of this edifice upon the scenery is strong likely it will become a centerpiece of the landscape for quite a long time
The crab who often criticized the first was so stunned by the sudden movement from the statue that it remained on its back and looked up at the rush of bubbles the thing had left in its wake even as its mind began to catch back up to the current situation Even now its senses were frazzled by the intense green light it had seen within the edificeÆs eyes
But strange images had been contained in that color There seemed to be an ancient tree and a strange monster and a vast egg all wrapped up in that emerald hue The roots of that tree and the arms of that strange monster seemed so strong was it possible they used their powerful grips to prevent the egg from hatching
This There was a pause in the mental projection from the Crushgrip Crab leader as it stalled out The group stopped as they rounded a bunch of kelp looking at the cracked ground and the still dazed crab
And obviously the absent space where the edifice had been
Feeling quite embarrassed at the situation the critic crab scrambled to its feet Behind the leader small mental reverberations revealed the frantic gossiping of the other crabs The ancient eel began to list sideways having fallen asleep in response to this exciting development Its mouth hung slightly open revealing its sharp teeth
What happened here Why is the edifice gone The leader crab cried What have you done to garner its ire
The critic crab mobilized its mental energies preparing to admit that it had no idea what exactly had occurred But then the implication of that final phrase reached its brain It felt bitter and envious of the respect that the other crabs afforded the leader just because of its slightly larger claw now with no proof it wanted to frame this crab as the cause Immediately the critic crab changed its mind Very quickly it used context clues and the few images that it had seen in those emerald eyes to understand what had really occurred
The edifice wasnÆt a home and was deeply offended by your casual transgressions The Critic announced to the watching group Immediately the rippling mental gossip in the back of the procession intensified It it in fact was a wounded god An egg of pure darkness trapped in some horrible form a blanket of perfect darkness that just wished to sleep in the deepest corners of the sea sealed away by a monstrous surface dweller and a tree