Chapter 254 (2/2)

But there weren’t many skills that he could grind like this…

Randidly grimaced. Which meant that perhaps it was time to take a break, and just think about a few issues. Although it was not the most pressing, Randidly had been ignoring the implications of his Aether Donation skill, and it was perhaps time to address that.

At its most basic, Aether Donation could be used to give a set amount of Aether to another party, a simple donation. Perhaps the used could use this to overcome Aether Sickness or create their own skill, but the donated Aether would be of a finite amount, and run out after a while.

The other option, the one he had employed on instinct with Helen, and attempted with Shal, was to have a permanent, ongoing “Donation”. Which, for a skill like Aether Donation, seemed a bit counterintuitive. It made Randidly all the more sure that it was designed to be that way, because very soon after he created the connection, and let it exist, he could feel “meaning” flowing back through the connection, informing his inner world and Soul Skill of the power and presence of rivers.

What was even more disturbing was that although he had originally checked after making it and found it easy, now closing the connection seemed almost impossible. Just like allowing a real stream to flow through his land, it would be easy to block off a trickle of water. But now that it had grown into a river, flowing both ways, there would undoubtedly be consequences, for both of them.

The name was clearly a clever bit of misdirection; the Creature had created a way for Randidly to create Aether connections almost exactly like people would do with villages, with the only difference being he couldn’t provide a class. But what Randidly could provide is a large amount of clean, very unpolluted Aether, at least for now. Perhaps that would change as his own inner world developed, or as he made more connections, but…

Permanence was something that made Randidly hesitate, however. A permanent connection filled him with a vague fear that almost made him smile sardonically; he was a man in his early 20s, after all.

Then Randidly paused. He supposed he was no longer really in his early 20s. It was probably getting close to his 25 birthday, with the time since the System arrived, and his 2 years in the prison. He just hadn’t celebrated any of them, so he wasn’t sure if they really counted. Besides, the only changes in his body were changes that Randidly would associate with youth.

Randidly walked over to the mirror to look at himself. Since increasing his stats, mostly Vitality, he suspected, his skin had become remarkably clear and soft. His hair was still black, but now had a strange luxurious richness that caught the light and made it shine, rather than just devouring it. It honestly reminded him of a shampoo commercial.

His nose was straight, his jaw sharp, his lips stretched into a self mocking smile, revealing white teeth. His eyes burned emerald, even as he looked at himself in the darkness, slightly luminous. This was probably an effect of the Aether flowing through him, but his eyes were amazingly clear, the color noticeable even from a far distance.

Perhaps it was the result of his training, perhaps it was the subtle result of his Soul Skill, increasing his size in marginal amounts, but Randidly had gained quite a bit of weight in muscle since the System arrived. These muscles were packed on the same frame, but it gave him a compact heaviness that he didn’t possess before. Even to his own eyes, his body looked coiled like a spring, prepared and capable.

Randidly shook his head and looked away, and then began to stretch. This was another important point that Azriel emphasized. In direct conflicts, Randidly was average at best, which left him slightly miffed, but he couldn’t dispute her. So she wanted him to focus on increasing his flexibility, but literal and figurative. Which required…

Stretching. Twice daily. Until his tightly packed muscles loosened up…

Looking at his wiggling toes as he reached for them, Randidly sighed. All of this was decidedly tiresome. He would much rather fight or study than just… bend himself weirdly. But he couldn’t deny the utility, so did his best to ignore these thoughts and focus on the task at hand.

But suddenly, he stilled, a forced casualness snapping into place almost instantly. Very slowly, naturally, as if he had finished his stretch, he straightened, keeping his movements even.

Someone was standing behind him.