Chapter 1037 (2/2)
He saw children clamoring to climb up to the edge of the wall around Erickson Steel and look over the edge of Kharon to see the grasslands flowing by below them in endless waves of grass.
He saw a woman ineffectively using her hands to keep moss spirits away from bullying her frightened pit bull who whined as the curious spirits circled.
He saw a young woman dancing alone behind a warehouse, every inch of her limb drenched in cheerful moss spirits. She was laughing and laughing as the spirits tried to mimic her movements, so it looked like a forest green copy of her followed her every movement a half-second too late like an afterimage.
He saw an old woman wipe sweat from her brow as she labored in one of the refineries closest to Wendy’s reactor. Again and again, she hammered bits of metal into a rough approximation of the shape of Randidly’s self-made Levelable Engraving for Kharon. Time after time she inspected the result and her shoulders slumped in failure, but every time she didn’t cease in her labor. Instead, she wiped the sweat from her brow and began again.
Randidly’s Grim Intuition swirled outward.
He saw two male guards whispering to each other as they peered out over the Erickson Steel walls to the Order Ducis area, where Helen was ruthlessly putting the applicants through their paces.
He saw Naffur meditating alone in his tent, a heavy frown making the kid look ten years older than he actually was.
He saw Tatiana urging two men to “be careful” as they carried the couch that had been in her office down the stairs to the ground floor.
He saw birds circling overhead, bemused but willing to follow the strange moving city on its pilgrimage across the land.
And for every single thing Randidly saw, he felt five more.
Images, hopes, dreams, fears, desires… it all swirled together into a dense mixture that left Randidly’s head buzzing. More and more and more, his Grim Intuition connected him to all of the emotions that flowed through the people of Kharon as they struggled to find their footing on this strange, mobile city.
Randidly’s Crown of Upheaval and Gloom hummed painfully, making it even more difficult to handle the flow of information that crashed against his psyche. The last thing he needed right now was another distraction. But Randidly didn’t turn away or close his eyes. He kept his breathing even and just immersed himself in the wild flow. The pain slowly spiraled upward but he felt ever priceless moment of it.
Without even being consciously aware of what he was doing, Randidly had climbed up on top of the Erickson Steel headquarters. Grinning, he swung like a monkey up the radio tower to reach the very tip of Kharon. Randidly opened his mouth and let his tongue hang out, tasting the sweet scent of the air that swirled above this turbulent city.
It was hard to get to this point… But I’m so glad I did it. Randidly reflected. Even if the people are unsure… even if I’ve gotten this far by killing… they trust me.
They really trust me.
A long-held tension that Randidly hadn’t even noticed finally eased in his chest. Randidly released a long breath, dispelling that tightness completely. Then, as though that breath had been the only thing keeping the Skill together, the Crown of Upheaval and Gloom split in half without a sound. Then, with all of the subtleness of a bull, the remnants of that Skill and all of the feelings and sights Randidly encountered today smashed together into a smoldering ball of energy.
Congratulations! Your Skill “Crown of Upheaval and Gloom (L)” has evolved into the “Reign of the Eidolon Crucible (L)”. All Skill Levels will be maintained.
Reign of the Eidolon Crucible (L): The bonds of fealty between you and those who follow you have created a connection based on the mutual exchange of images. Phantasms and fantasy dog your steps, swirling around you in a maelstrom of possibility. That connection between you and your followers cannot be broken. When the Skill is active, the user’s strength will increase in proportion to the quality and quantity of people subordinate to your image. Effect increases with Skill Level. In addition, both the user and the subordinates will experience periodic mental trials that will test them based on the other’s images. Speed of refining image during that trial will be vastly increased.
Randidly released another breath. The Crown was gone. Much of the extra Perception that came with it was gone, too. But Randidly felt something else. A dense weight of images that now spun slowly around his shoulders like the thin threads of a cloak being steadily woven together. At the moment, it wasn’t anything impressive. But in the future.
Randidly barred his teeth at the sky.