Chapter 768 (1/2)

Very slowly, Randidly opened his eyes. His Soulskill would keep, at least for now. He had considered confronting Alta or Lucretia before he left, but from what he sensed in Alta, more interference would be met only with a flat refusal. And to this point, Lucretia had made it clear that her stance was to follow Alta’s decisions.

Besides, he had some real-world time. The horde of people had to travel across two more lands before they arrived at the gate they planned to use to attack him. In that time, Randidly needed to figure out what he could do to prevent karma from compelling him to do something foolish.

Breathing through his nose, Randidly shook those thoughts aside. Better not to dwell. There were things to do here, as well.

Danz’s death was a small thing. Unexpected. Rather anticlimactic, considering how much Randidly knew about him. But perhaps that strange disconnect with the way Randidly felt he should feel and the way he actually responded was what made him so weary. Karma, of some sort, had guided Randidly to that spot to witness Danz’s last moments.

His was a cautionary tale, an example of a life so wrapped up in that demands of minutia that he found himself living as someone he didn’t recognize. The reasons supporting him had slowly faded away and left the behavior unchanged. It was a man that had become an abandoned ship running on old ocean currents.

Randidly frowned. Not quite right.

Perhaps the lesson was one of the consequences. It spoke to the unintended consequences that followed every action, no matter how small. That was perhaps more applicable to Randidly’s own life. Even his movements here in this strange camp, the attack he had made to iron out the wrinkles in getting food for himself… what sort of consequences would result from that?

Randidly’s expression soured. Perhaps the worst and most likely option was the simplest: Not everyone had a happy ending waiting for him/her.

In a way, Randidly had never thought about how his journey would end. Ideally, he would beat the last bad guy and then retire. He would age. Start a family.

“Jesus, what am I doing…” Randidly muttered while furiously scratching at his head. His hair was growing out a little. It needed to be shorn off.

And with a few swipes of his finger, Randidly did just that. His image of Sharpness was more than enough to handle hairs. After finishing, Randidly looked at his finger and brooded.

I’ve become… so much more than just a person. Will I simply return to a life like my old one at the end? Will I give up fighting? Will I sit back and allow my friends and family to fight against a seemingly unending horde while taking no action…?

His anger at the Masters of Tellus aside, it was a real question he had never considered. What would they say of him, after his journey was finished?

Would it finish? With his increased Vitality, it didn’t seem like Randidly was aging at all. It was a little difficult to keep track of his actual age with all the time spent in his Soulskill and Dungeons and other worlds, but Randidly believed he was twenty-six. As far as he can tell, he hadn’t aged a day. The only change was in muscle mass. While Randidly still was slim, he recognized that he was quite a bit heavier than when he started. Part of it was muscle, but Randidly also suspected that it was the accumulation of Aether.

Not that Aether had physical weight, but there was an effect on the world when so much Aether was gathered in one place.

But all this was a distraction; how would the Legend of Randidly Ghosthound end?

“I would like… to settle down eventually.” Randidly said slowly. “I want Earth to be safe from the System. I want Donnyton… all the people I’ve met, to survive. I want them to be free from harm, if they choose it. I want…”

Randidly’s eyes hardened. All his wants required strength. Absolute strength. For now, knowing that was enough. Instead, he considered his next moves on Tellus.

“Find Shal. Ask about Calamities. Even… even if it wastes time, help Helen or Azriel win the tournament. They deserve it. And of course, find Acri and Sulfur.” Randidly said clearly. Then he nodded to himself and stood. “Ah, and also help the people of Tellus despite the strange game being played over the images of this world, all these people did not deserve to die. If it is possible… punish those that so apathetically let the common folk out to dry against the Wights.”

As Randidly stepped out of the tent he had been given, he stiffened slightly. There were four individuals surrounding his tent. They appeared relaxed, but it was easy to tell that they were waiting for him to leave.

Were they… some of the people he saved…?

...no. All of those people were some distance off. And one of the four was the individual had scared off last night so he could enter the area without a hitch. An ambush then?

Randidly’s mouth twisted into a grim smile. “Audacious.”

Admiring the clear sky above, Randidly stepped fully out of his tent. The four figures scrambled to their feet and rushed forward toward them.