Chapter 853 (2/2)

Ptolemy took a sip of water from his cup. “What does that mean? ‘Image’? What actually constitutes an image?”

“It’s not a trick term,” Randidly said with a shake of the head. “It’s legitimately the image of the world. It might be easier to understand as a philosophy on the broader narrative role of people. For instance, Tellus was a world that focused on the spear, and their fight boiled down to the spear as a tool of violence or as the weapon of a hero.”

Everyone considered that.

“That’s… still very vague. So almost anything can be an image?” Ptolemy asked.

Randidly shrugged. “As long as you can picture it.”

To demonstrate, Randidly focused his Willpower and exuded a bit of Frigid Ash, Extinguishing Storm. Small motes of freezing ash drifted outward from his fingers to touch the canvas wall of the tent. Without the Skill, it was not immediate, but after about ten seconds his image was enough to freeze the wall of the tent. Everyone watched, mesmerized.

“Well, it’s good you are back,” Alana said. “Thinking about the Second Calamity is getting ahead of ourselves. A couple more Zones need to connect to Earth first. Oh, what are you doing next? We will need to head back toward Donnyton in the morning, now that this ogre problem is finished. Mrs. Hamilton will be ecstatic that we finished so quickly. You’re welcome to join us, of course.”

Randidly looked at Helen. She seemed to be sulking and didn’t even notice his gaze. He lowered his eyes to the floor as he thought about it. “...I’ll be heading to Donnyton soon, but not immediately. Neveah left me a couple of tasks to see to, then I’m going to go South and help her…”

Helen was still stuck in her own negative world. Sighing, Randidly put her hand on her shoulder. She looked up sharply, as though expecting a fight. She seemed genuinely shocked to find him standing next to her.

“What are your thoughts; staying with me or do you want to travel with them and see the countryside?” He asked.

Her eyes seemed to tighten with rage. She lifted her chin. “I’ll be going with them.”

Please don’t try to kill anyone, Randidly wished silently. Then he looked in askance at Alana. She thought about it, then nodded.

“Should be fine. Since we have extra time, we were going to stop by Star Crossing for a day or two as well. See the sights, sample some of the wine that they are shipping East from Providence.”

Randidly nodded and looked around at the room. Everyone he didn’t know had stayed quiet for the entire discussion and now looked at him with a strange disappointment and longing. Inwardly, he could feel the Crown of Cataclysm and Gloom pulsing.

After sighing, he turned to them and said. “By the way, you all are also free to speak. If any of you have any questions, now is the time to ask them.”

As one, the waiting squad members blinked. Then they took an involuntary step forward. Their eyes were watery and bright.

Alana’s sharp voice cut across before any could speak. “One question each, so make it count. And then after that, we are making preparations for leaving tomorrow. So nothing too fancy.”

Randidly looked at Alana in bemusement, but she returned his look with one that indicated she thought that he was crazy. Some part of Randidly softened at that look, and then he turned back to regard these people that he had never met.

But for all that we’ve never met… they’ve probably heard every story about me, haven’t they? Or they saw when the Donnyton Squads challenged me…

Randidly grinned as he toyed with the idea of doing that challenge once more. It would be a hell of a lot more difficult now that everyone was probably higher Leveled than he was. But it might be enjoyable.

Still, he didn’t have much time to think, because they started asking questions of him.

Some were strange, like when he was asked why he settled Donnyton where it was. Another wanted to know what he was doing when the System arrived. A third asked how Randidly went about creating so many unique Skills. Someone else chimed in, asking how he managed to control all of his different vines in his plant moves.

One at a time, Randidly answered the questions. And despite what Alana said, he didn’t say anything when someone asked a second question or a third.

These were the elite of Donnyton, the rough ones that were always between Donnyton and the worst of the threats that faced them. And every one of them had a couple of scars. So Randidly didn’t think anything of it to spend a couple of hours sitting with them and telling them everything he knew about the System and living with it.

Very soon, he was talking about Aether and images, Soulskills and Skillsets. Although Earth had the benefit of Mrs. Hamilton and Daniel, that couldn’t compare to the generations of knowledge that had been assembled on Tellus and haphazardly distributed to Randidly by Shal. All the while, they listened and ate the information up.

Afterward, Alana pulled him to the side said,” So you aren’t just top dog for show. You sure as hell know a lot about the System.”

Randidly’s smile was thin. “Understanding is the only way we will be able to overcome it. And I don’t mean to let the System rule my life forever.”