The process wasnÆt easy Whatever formed the foundation of the colors of this place it rubbed very violently against the edges of his images Soon he felt raw and exposed even before he took a single step through the liquid rainbow RandidlyÆs expression twisted This is a path A Sea of Dreams For having such a lofty name it sure is a rough experience
Randidly took his first step forward and a spike of forest green color slammed against his chest For a brief second his focus clouded Along with the color came a surge of emotion that didnÆt belong to him The impression was vague but Randidly felt like he stood on a snow dusted mountain and sucked in a chill breath He felt the air sharply in his lungs
Liberated That was what he felt He felt unmoored and freed from a great weight standing with the wind whipping around him
Then the sensation passed leaving him buffeted by the colors Randidly rolled his shoulders The emotion polishes the image The vague impressions offer suggestions for improvement without being too specific or critical Also emotional confusion forces you to be very specific in the way you motivate yourself and populate the image with emotion
Alright then LetÆs do this Randidly licked his lips and stepped forward A ruby scythe came at his neck and a hammer of glittering silver smashed at his chest
BA Zeta finished polishing his modular arm saws the glossy brass shining in the candlelight of the basement storeroom Then the mechanisms of its forelimbs folded inward so that mechanical hands replaced the weapons Feeling strangely unsure of himself BA Zeta raised its fingers and drew them across its face The sensitive fingertips perfectly mapped the small dents and scratches that covered the fabricated metal faceplate
Although the material was difficult to damage the last several months had been transformative Zeta would almost expect that its alloy was unavoidably mutated beyond the original brass from which it was cast
However the Brass AutomatonÆs attention didnÆt long linger on its own face There was another that dominated his mind dancing in the corner of his eyes like a make believe shadow so every time it twisted the automaton hoped to see it A face seen through the thin strip of sky perched atop an alley and across several hundred meters of distance Even with high Perception Zeta did not know if it would be possible for another to have seen that face Its lens system went well beyond what was possible for the human eye
A face for which it now proposed madness Zeta didnÆt know how to feel that its friends accepted the strange impulse so easily
There was a knock at the door If we are going to do this we need to do it now
My preparations are complete BA Zeta stood up It walked to the door with its hands still creating a perfect topographical map of its face while recalling a different face and lowered its hands before it opened the door No need to advertise how emotionally turbulent it was
They quickly joined a line of other figures dressed in various affluent outfits In contrast to the trioÆs silence most of the others were talking and laughing excited to be headed to the market They passed through the tight spaces between neat buildings and out into a crowded thoroughfare where stalls had hanging silks in a riot of colors Stooped old women snapped their fingers lighting candles within paper lanterns letting the red and orange and yellow flimsy constructs float up with the sun peeking beyond the horizon
Casually allowing his ocular focus to rise with the lanterns Zeta noted at least fourteen grim eyed guards watching from the nearby rooftops You would be first met with a stern but friendly local guiding you back to Zone SevenÆs public markets but if you insisted on pushing beyond that individual you would quickly stub your toe on a steel plate Their suggestions would become insistence very quickly
Noticing the same thing Zack shifted the sleeves of his robe and flashed several quick hand signs Too many eyes to sneak When we go we just need to go fast
Next to them Todd nodded without raising his gaze his sharpened senses allowed him to witness the discussion through other means The three pushed forward keeping their gait casual as they joined the throng of people for the opening of the market Above them the guards’ eyes flickered as they turned to greet their replacements
The corner of ToddÆs mouth quirked upward He called several of those small pieces of floating wood to his hands and whispered something ZetaÆs nostrils instantly detected smoke Just as quick as he had an inkling as to ToddÆs plan the small bits of smoking wood zipped away The flash and flap of eye catching tapestries and banners did a lot to cover up the strange movement
Even Zeta had some difficulty following the small bits of debris But he didnÆt miss ToddÆs soft words Be ready
Those tiny pieces of wood scattered each finding an object A few went toward some of the paper lanterns one to a wide crimson carpet another to the side of a stall and the most ambitious settled on the side of a building
Like some ominous disease proliferating behind the scenes no sound was made as the ScrawlÆd bits of charred wood carried Mana and spread the contagion of the Scrawl Likely the working was so slight that even a Skill generated to detect other Skills would miss the activity BA ZetaÆs internal engine whirred in its chest as it walked with deliberate slowness
He pictured that face those cheekbones the lonely glitter in her eye
The entire market swayed in unison heads swiveling to look at the side of a nearby building that had abruptly shattered The eyes of the nearest people widened as a huge slab of brick began to crack and splinter off ready to fall down on their heads But just was they were about to panic and shout to warn others of the danger several paper lanterns exploded into massive fireballs A wooden stall collapsed sideways blocking the foot traffic A massive rug shredded itself into a half dozen pieces that spun themselves into fabric stakes that zipped sideways impacting the guards
As the anarchy erupted on the street three cloaks fluttered to the ground their occupants abruptly gone
The race had begun
Chapter 1898
Rather grumpily Randidly exited the Sea of Dreams and returned to the island His body ached and his temples burned with stress and strain Once on top of the volcano he settled back into the core area of the Nether made a few small adjustments to the churning storm of Nether and closed his eyes to pay back some of the seconds he owed to the Penance
For a while he knew nothing Time flowed past the cost of the extra efficiency he achieved on gathering significance
When he woke back up all of the bleariness with which he had left the Sea of Dreams had faded away At the very least the sleep still had the function of allowing him to recover somewhat from mental strain RandidlyÆs eyes were sharp as he looked up at the rotating clouds overhead Earning PP might take a little bit more time than I thought My emotional resolve for the separate images is a bit lacking at the moment Before I nail down that sensation proceeding more deeply in that area is just going to wear me down without much benefit
For a few seconds RandidlyÆs expression turned bitter Walking nine steps forward through the Sea of Dreams had given him firsthand some understanding of some of the fraught experiences of the high tier images As he had to soldier through the strange impressions and vague emotions he could suddenly understand how easy going astray could be
What if you lacked the resolve to pursue a particular emotional flavor What if you couldnÆt find the relentless Willpower to push a certain point of view What if you lacked the correct understanding of how your image could be manifested What if this was the limit of your understanding
Maybe even more dangerous what if you knew what sort of emotional force was required to mobilize the image but you personally had markedly changed since the image had been created What if your values or focus had shifted and suddenly there existed a small incompatibility with the image you had carried with you and refined for all these years