Chapter 442 (1/2)

Randidly had thought long and hard about the issue of whether to just cut their losses in the Raid Dungeon and run. But there were a few issues that Randidly wanted to resolve before they departed.

First, and most importantly, the issue of their Champion. When the Creature had fled into the Raid Dungeon, it had taken the two Regalias of the Champions of their Zone. Apparently, whenever a person would hold both, they would transform into the Champion for the Zone, and gain…

Power? Skills? A learnable ability?

Randidly wasn’t sure of the specifics, but it couldn’t be denied that this was a gift of free power from the System, and they had the means to bring it under their control. You couldn’t always count on a genius like Lyra usurping control of the Village Spirit, enabling them to had a glimpse behind the curtain of the System.

Then Randidly grimaced because they hadn’t really obtained that at all. All that really changed was that Lyra asked him to trust her more.

Shaking his head, Randidly dismissed that thought. It would distract him from the issue at hand.

The second issue was… simply put, to fuck up whatever the Creature was attempting to do in the Raid Dungeon currently. Randidly wasn’t exactly sure what was going on, but he wanted to put a stop to it as soon as possible before that sick being could twist it to suit its own needs, and destroy countless lives in the process.

It wasn’t a well-formulated reason, because Randidly couldn't really quantify the future threat of the Creature if it could accomplish what it wanted. Because it was primarily looking to hide from the System, letting it live in the Dungeon had seemed like a deceptively attractive option, but Randidly stubbornly refused to accept it.

When it came to the Creature… Randidly’s eyes narrowed.

Which led very easily to the third and final reason. Randidly wanted, very much so, to make that piece of shit pay for what it had done to him, and also to others. Just the fact that it warped the Raid Dungeon scenario like it had in order to drive the Dintan to being indebted to it was diabolical on a level that Randidly felt driven to salt the very earth it walked on to spite it.

However… those destructive tendencies needed to stay cautioned. The Creature should never be approached in a fit of rage. It would be prepared for that.

But it would be hard to say all of the points and counterpoints in Randidly’s head to Thea so he simply nodded to her quest. “Yes. There is more to do.”

To his surprise, she accepted that, nodding and turning away. And so, with one less thing to worry about, for now, Randidly turned back to the Wild Rider, only to find that she was awake, smiling weakly up at him.

Still, Randidly didn’t relax, because her eyes were completely pitch black, without a hint of light.

“You make for an interesting nurse,” Ten’Malla said, a shallow imitation of the playful and callous monster that she used to be, masquerading as a young girl. When she spoke, her voice quavered, as if her strength failed her halfway through a sentence. Randidly could only frown.

“What? Nothing to say? No questions? No missions?” Ten’Malla raised a hand as if to brush her hair out her eyes, but her hand just pressed against her forehead, her fingers twitching slightly. She grimaced and reached with her more functional left hand to cradle her almost useless right. “I might look like this right now, but I’m still very powerful you know? I could devour you all.”

Just because Randidly hoped that it was cut off these jokes, Randidly snorted humorlessly. Then he crouched down next to her, his eyes scanning her as best as he could. He would have preferred Rose to be here for this, but… he wasn’t afraid of Ten’Malla, per se, because her powers as Wild Rider appeared to be gone, but she was a mysterious entity, to begin with. Even now, her loyalties remained… unclear at best.

Which was why, Randidly decided to make a show of good faith, asking nothing in return.

Reaching out, Randidly held his hand over her head and dug his fingernails into his palm. When the skin stubbornly refused to give, he pressed harder. And then harder again, until several drops of emerald blood welled upwards. He flipped his hand, so his palm was facing upwards and allowed the blood to pool between his cupped fingers. All the while, Randidly focused on that blood, emphasizing healing.