Chapter 256 (1/2)

Randidly shook his head. If she could truly read his mind… that was a power even more intimidating than the Creature’s mastery of Aether. That would mean she had access to all of his secrets at a glance.

But upon review of the whole scenario, it had all happened so fast, and there had been several abrupt changes in her mood, where her face twitched as she looked at him, even though he hadn’t said much. They couldn’t have been together for more than a minute, but she had already proposed exchanging gifts, while he countered with a trade, hoping to avoid her cycle of disastrous gifts.

The exchange wasn’t very well structured, especially after Randidly’s thoughts had turned to marketing recently to help Claptrap. She had just shown her cards immediately. Which likely meant that she REALLY wanted the Aether that he had.

Which also seemed to imply that she had been able to at least see it, and notice its existence, which was intimidating. But it was nowhere near as fearsome a power as the ability to see his thought. With that train of thought, she had come… for some reason that filled Randidly with apprehension, but swiftly changed her mind upon seeing him and his Aether.

Why had she come before… something to do with Shal? Or the tournament? Or to tempt him, as Bertarn seemed to imply was happening all throughout the tournament…?

Sighing, Randidly sat down, letting some of the tension drain from him. So many questions without answers. It was pointless to think of them.

The only thing a spear can do is advance.

So after Randidly went down to the kitchen and prepared himself a meal, he came back up and continued with the 3rd volume of the encyclopedia set, reading more information on Engraving. The more he learned, the more Randidly realized how much detail he was missing in his Engraving. It was more of the creation of a 3D sculpture on the surface of armor, than anything else.

Which didn’t really make sense when stated out of context, but was the only way Randidly could describe the process. Deeper and deeper Randidly focused, taking careful notes on what he read, trying not to miss anything. After all, this was the only real option he had for an escape route after the Tournament.

Perhaps though, he could ask Lucretia for some assistance…

But immediately Randidly shook his head. It already slightly insane that he was considering giving her a flat amount of Aether in exchange for… something, to do with Shal. He needed to think very carefully about what he wanted, and what to ask. In that regards, he also had very little information about Shal, and what was going on with him. It was hard to know what to ask for.

Randidly considered informing Divveltian, but Lucretia’s threat hung heavy in the air. Gritting his teeth, Randidly sat back from his Engraving research. There was just too many things going on at once. All the while, he needed to prepare to fight against Ciel…

“Bah!” Randidly bellowed, throwing his hands up to the sky. He probably wouldn’t get much more studying done for now, so he stood and headed towards the roof. Although it wasn’t effective, some physical exertions were just what he needed to get all of the ancillary stuff out of his mind and focus on the task at hand.

One goal at a time. First, Ciel.

****

“Why won’t you take it? It was the ultimate gift, my true strength. It should below to you?” The shade of Aemont ask, looking at Shal with crossed arms.

Shal kept his eyes closed, although in his spirit form, it made little difference, he could still sense the dreamscape around him. Everything twisted and shifted, but the face of Aemont stayed constant.

For whatever reason, the shade had begun speaking more directly to Shal a few days ago, and now wouldn’t stop with its incessant chatter. Shal was swiftly nearing the end of his patience, his flinty temper sparking. But in his heart, he knew that the peace he found in this world was a fragile thing. So it was of the utmost importance-

“Take it. Takeit takeit takeit takeit-”

“Shut the fuck up you dead zombie!” Shal bellowed, leaping to his feet. The dreamscape swirled dangerously around him, and Shal staggered, hit with a sudden wave of exhaustion. Even this much was… too much. Better to just…