Chapter 956 (2/2)
But the reason she can be so honest about the benefits was that the consequences were so deeply hidden. As it was with the Creature… so it will also be with Lyra.
Randidly unfolded his arms, in no hurry to speak. Only when he saw Lyra’s mouth twitching in annoyance did he finally open his mouth. “And the second thing you are offering me?”
Once more, Lyra’s beaming smile returned. “Information regarding your friend Shal. He finished ascending and has returned to Tellus. If you help me, I’ll tell you what I know about he endured, and his result.”
“Can’t I just ask him directly, if he finally finished?” Randidly asked wryly. But when Lyra’s smile didn’t waver, he knew something was wrong. After sending a quick message to Shal, Randidly realized that the problem was larger than he had assumed.
Warning! Contact with the targeted planet is currently cut off while the Third Calamity occurs. If this contact is related to an emergency, please contact the Cohort 5 Overseer so your request can be considered.
“Randidly, I would never offer you something worthless,” Lyra scoffed. “But with my connections, I can obtain information that you can’t; our Paths and reach are very different. That’s why there is no one else but you that can help me.”
Feeling a stirring in his chest, Randidly reflected on his past interactions with Lyra. Always demands and teasing never trades. But also no true gifts had been exchanged. As such, the karma between them was… complicated. Which meant that there wasn’t a forced gift in either of their futures, but it also meant that the outcome of their interactions felt extremely messy.
Just like my parting with Donnyton became messy… Randidly thought while twisting his mouth. Then he shook his head and asked Lyra. “Why do you want a Class? If you give me the honest answer, I’ll think about it.”
“I’m sure you’ve already guessed it, at least partially,” Lyra said as she wrinkled her nose. “It’s to have access to images. As a Village Spirit, we are extremely limited as to releasing our own images. To prevent a higher Cohort from spoiling a lower Cohort, I imagine. I was confused for a while, why you would ride so roughshod over Donnyton, you know? But then I noticed that spear mark you have. After making some discreet inquiries, I learned that it prevented your images from being used for Earth to ascend.
“You might have started as a farmer, but you’ve become a warrior. No matter how many seeds you spread now, we need more assurances for Earth. And I have no doubt that when you learn more about the System and the Nexus, you’ll be too busy preparing for grander problems to push Earth’s images to the next Level. And like I said, I don’t want the Earth to fail before the Third Calamity. So giving me the ability to use images myself is a win-win.”
More than that… giving you a Class gives you the ability to condense a Fate. And later, I have no doubt that you will attempt to complete a Great Path… Randidly immediately realized.
“What do you mean, I’ll be busy preparing for grander things?” Randidly asked.
Lyra shook her head. “That information is part of the reward you’ll get for helping me. I won't sell it cheaply to a pretty face.”
Randidly ignored her joke. Then he gritted his teeth. “...I’m sure you understand my unwillingness to give you another weapon. I’ll need some time to think about it. Come find me in a week. Hopefully, I’ll have made a decision by then.”
“Won’t you have left the area around Donnyton? It’s difficult for me to travel so far, you know.” Lyra pouted.
Randidly didn’t bother to respond.
Seeing that her emotes didn’t sway him, Lyra’s face became serious. “I understand your Crown’s Pride will not want to give others control over Earth’s fate. But we are small fish being tested in a pond. After your travels, I’ve no doubt that you’ve seen that. And I’ve seen the ocean that is the Nexus as a Village Spirit. We need this. We need every weapon we can bring to bear. Even you cannot manage everything alone. And like I hinted at… there’s something that only you can accomplish. If you don’t realize what that is in time, it will be too late.”
Then Lyra disappeared. Her energy signature dissipated quickly, dwindling to nothing as Lyra moved her projection away from him. After waiting a few seconds, Randidly released a blast of Aether, clearing the lingering particles out of the air.
Even her words as she was leaving sounded like half a threat…
Yet Randidly didn’t dismiss her concerns out of hand. Truly, he knew too little about the System itself, let alone the Nexus and the various powers that gathered there and competed against each other to indoctrinate new worlds into the System’s ways.
The question was whether that information was worth the price of handing Lyra a way to directly influence the Earth. Randidly’s immediate answer was no, but the ambiguous pressure he felt from not knowing what would happen prevented him from refusing immediately.
Randidly scratched his head. Truly, this won’t be an easy week…
Then he released a deep sigh to exercise all of the stress that the meeting with Lyra had injected into his previously cleansed psyche. As the sounds of the spring and the wind slowly returned, he sunk back into his peaceful state. Then he returned to his Path screen, intent on spending the remainder of his PP.
Randidly’s immediate instinct was to move onto Fiery Sharpshooter and Mana Lich, but a newly released Path gave him pause: Experimenter II 0/250.
Well… I suppose it won’t hurt to just grab these three midsized Paths all at once… if the Experimenter II Path improves the performance of the Skill I obtained, so much the better.
So Randidly rapidly dumped away another 1100 PP. From Fiery Sharpshooter, Randidly obtained 1 Perception and 1 Intelligence every 25 PP. From Mana Lich, Randidly received 100 Mana every 50 PP. And finally, from Experimenter II, Randidly once more received 1 Control every 5 PP spent.
Congratulations! You have completed the Fiery Sharpshooter Path! Through combat and strife, you have honed your ranged abilities to an explosive deadliness. In terms of destructive power, your Path is unrivaled. As you head toward the summit, your existence will become increasingly fearsome. Congratulations! You have obtained the Skill Offensive Array (Un) Lvl 1! You have obtained the Skill Hell’s Lance ® Lvl 1! You have obtained the Skill Agonizing Heat ® Lvl 1!
Synergy Detected! Offensive Array has been absorbed by Ignition of the Emerald Essence. Performance of the Skill slightly improved. Hell’s Lance has been absorbed by Ignition Bolt. Performance of the Skill marginally improved. Agonizing Heat has been absorbed by Ignition of the Emerald Essence. Resulting flames slightly improved! Skill Levels have not changed.
Congratulations! You have completed the Mana Lich Path! At this point, the very structure of your body has become accustomed to the flow of Mana. Energy has become a part of you in a way that cannot be underestimated. In the future, all Skills relating to Mana will be cast more quickly. Your ability to gain Skill Proficiency in Mana related Skills has greatly increased. Your ability to understand Mana has become as simple as seeing. Mana Regeneration +100. Congratulations, you have obtained the Skill Mana Physique (Un) Lvl 1!
Mana Physique (Un) Lvl 1: All damage you receive is slightly reduced by your current amount of Mana. Reduction increases as Mana increases. Effect increases with Skill Level.
Congratulations! You have completed the Experimenter II Path! Your curiosity knows no bounds. From the mundane to the intangible, nothing is safe from your piercing gaze. As the Path begins to veer from the well-established Path, the benefits you received become sparse. But those few gems that you are able to locate completely warp your worldview. The performance of each point in Perception is slightly increased. The Skill Creator’s Luck Lvl 1 has evolved into Creator’s Knack ® Lvl 1. All prior effects are slightly improved.