Chapter 275 (1/2)

Randidly breathed slowly in, then out, feeling the flow of air through him.

He felt… sharp. There was no other way to describe it. He had been training until late last night, fighting time after time with Azriel. They had trained until both of them were ragged and out of breath, and then for the first time in several weeks, Randidly allowed his body to relax and sleep. Because today was the day of his match with Drak.

A part of Randidly’s subconscious wanted him to feel panic that even by the end, Randidly had never once managed to beat Azriel. But there was another part of him, one that rang more true to his ears, that Azriel was the type that could instantly recognize and predict an attack after she had only seen it once. It only took a single glance for her to reduce its effectiveness against her by 50%.

Yet every match they fought lasted longer and longer, became bloodier and grittier. Their struggles became more intense, even as Azriel kept categorically making some of his maneuvers obsolete.

But Randidly continued to improve at a rate she couldn’t predict.

She said nothing as he left, just nodded at him. But there was something in her eyes, a strange sadness that Randidly couldn’t put his finger on. Perhaps it was just that they had both realized that their impromptu alliance was ending today. After this match… it would be up to her.

Randidly took another breath, savoring the morning air. He stretched out his arm and summoned the ivory spear into his hand. For several long moments, he simply looked at it, running his fingers over it, savoring the feel of the bone. It was… somehow dear to him, at this point.

There was a strange connection growing between them at this point. It was part Aether, and part of the same sort of connection that formed between himself and Lyra all those years ago, in the village of Donnyton.

Randidly’s mouth quirked up. Of course… it hadn’t been years to her…

Very quickly, he forced those thoughts out of his mind. Better to focus on this connection that was forming, because it was his one lingering doubt about the upcoming match. Randidly didn’t like relying on a spear like this that he couldn’t understand. And Randidly had believed he had understood the purposes of the runes on the spear, but his examination was crude. More secrets could be hidden inside of it, ones that he didn’t want to encounter mid match.

The emotions of Aemont were a grim reminder of what tragedy this spear could bring.

At the same time, Randidly had also discovered that he had the ability to store the spear… inside himself somehow, through the connection he shared with the spear. It was… convenient, in a way, because it gave him some ideas about how to fight against Drak Wyrd, but it also escalated his fears to another level.

Still… after confirming with Divvet that it was allowed, Randidly still planned on taking advantage of that small surprise. Every little bit counted.

Twisting his mouth in distaste, Randidly walked up towards Shal’s room one last time. He had certainly come a long way since he refused to use his spells, so he could experience a true “spear fight” in the qualifiers. He had learned things. His inflated pride had been popped, and he had learned to care less about experiencing something truly, and more about giving his all towards his goal.

Which was why he would fight and fight and fight to the bitter end today.

Randidly entered Shal’s room and looked at his mentor, who still slept. Although he had transitioned to something that seemed exactly like a natural sleep, he had still been like this… for at least a week, perhaps even longer. That… couldn’t be healthy.

The daggers that he had engraved in his hotheaded attempt to affect the sleep still sat there, on the bedside table. Picking them up, Randidly examined his work with a critical eye, before returning them to to table. Perhaps they would be… good luck.

And perhaps that strange impulse he had to put them there and leave them there was really the tug of fate.

Randidly left the inn and walked towards the arena, and was surprised to find the male spear attendant and Helen.

“If you go to fight with that sort of expression… you definitely need an entourage to go with you.” The male spear attendant proclaimed.

Randidly’s mouth twisted. Then he frowned. “Where is….?”