Chapter 1040 (2/2)
Yet there was nothing he could do; he was currently only in the body of an image.
Yet strangely, after Randidly felt sleep devour his body, his mind remained completely clear. He sank into blackness and then through a layer of clouds. Then he drifted slowly downward until his bare feet pressed against the ground. Even more surprising was the fact that he found himself in a very familiar situation. He stood alone on the small manmade dueling platform that had previously sat in the middle of Donnyton’s quarry.
In front of him were the stands, completely devoid of people. Shivering, Randidly blinked rapidly faced with such a strange an ominously empty sight.
Randidly slowly spun on his heel. The blue water that filled the quarry was impossibly clear and tranquil without even a hint of a ripple. It was more aqua mirror than water. The cliffs and low hills in the surrounding area were clear and faithfully reproduced from Randidly’s memory, but anything beyond about a mile away was covered in a thick blanket of fog. It was like this small snapshot of a location had been clipped away from the world and isolated here. And somehow, Randidly’s sudden sleep had dragged him to this place.
Randidly supposed that it was the least of his worries that this whole area had collapsed to become a sinkhole. Could this be some sort of mental attack? Truly, my feelings about what happened in the Donnyton’s Challenge are complex…
Then Randidly’s expression abruptly brightened. But this does mean I get another chance at this. And this time, I won’t be nearly as gentle with the lessons I teach them...
The air here was also completely still. But Randidly didn’t have to wait long before a change arrived. Slowly, figures began to walk out of the surrounding fog. They had no true faces, but Randidly could immediately sense they were not here for a surprise birthday party. They were beings of shadow and violence. Even before they approached, Randidly had the strangest sense that he could predict how these beings would move. And that sudden certainty that emerged in his heart gave them pause.
As these figures drifted closer from every direction, some simply hopped off the cliff and splashed into the quarry. Within a second, the ripples on the surface of the water were gone. But they swam silently through the depths of the quarry, continuing to approach. Others were on the low slopes that connected to the stone bridge to the dueling platform, so they marched and waded forward toward Randidly.
When the first batch began to climb up onto the dueling platform, Randidly felt the first hints of Aether wafting off of them. His eyes narrowed and flashed with emerald fire.
Whatever this army was, it clearly was not sent by a friendly force. Even though this appeared to be some sort of mental Skill or dream, Randidly still possessed the body of the Grim Chimera. Therefore he settled into a low pounce and prepared to lash out at the nearing shadow beings. The first bubblings of excitement trickled up from his pounding heart.
But as the feeling of Aether around him grew stronger, Randidly realized that he recognized that Aether: it was from his new Skill, Reign of the Eidolon Crucible. Most of the gleeful bubbles of anticipation that Randidly felt toward the fight were completely obliterated by a shocked sort of indignation.
“...you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” Randidly spat out as his brain whirred into action. If his senses weren’t deceiving him, this wasn’t some terrible test arranged by that man with a salt-and-pepper beard or some sort of unexpected attack launched by the Nether against the beings of Aether.
No, it seemed this was one of the promised periodic image trials that Randidly had to endure due to his Skill. And based on the density of Aether that the instincts of the Grim Chimera were picking up in the surrounding air, he was bearing all of the weight of the trial even though Randidly currently only possessed the Grim Chimera’s image.
“I JUST fucking earned this Skill… and already I’ve getting screwed over by it…?” A disbelieving laugh escaped Randidly’s lips. He wanted to flex his fingers and painfully squeeze a spear shaft, but Randidly settled for whipping his right arm sideways and leaving a deep gouge in the ground.
But hopefully that means that Yggdrasil and Ignition Essence will be spared this trial. Randidly’s eyes narrowed into slits as he let out a guttural growl that echoed menacingly throughout the quarry. Considering their current condition… I would rather give them more of a chance to rest.
Besides… if that is all this is… Randidly slowly raised his left hand and flexed his wickedly sharp talons. This will be the perfect opportunity to test the limits of this body.
Randidly’s legs exploded with force, throwing him across the dueling arena toward the first shadow figures to drag themselves up onto the arena proper. His spear of bone that protruded from his right arm glowed cherry red as he activated Molten Fang of the Pariah and skewered a shadow that seemed like an image sent by an older man. The sharp weapon of bone ripped through his skin and burst out through his back
The image staggered underneath the assault but refused to fall. As it raised its hand, a flickering image of an ax appeared.
Randidly ripped the spear out of the side of the image’s chest and raised his mouth to suck in a huge breath. Eternal Cravings of a Wraith pulled at the substance of all of the surrounding images, dragging a fraction of their strength toward Randidly. Unfortunately, it was only a very small fraction. And rather than Stamina or Mana, it was something akin to Willpower. After all, these images had no real body. What Randidly was pulling from them was a bit of what they were; there were no attributes to steal.
Sorry friend, Randidly leered down at the dissipating image of the old man and laughed. I don’t have the luxury to treat you gently. Not when you brought so many friends…
Randidly activated the Chimera Weeps but Man Mourns three times in a row to fill the surrounding area with dozens of quick thrusts. The attacks themselves were relatively light, but these images ignored damage anyway. It was only when Randidly forcefully brought his image to bear against them that they faltered and dissipated.
Although the images nearby had been defeated, more were climbing out of the quarry and up onto the arena on the far side of the platform. And of course, the stream of staggering images into this strange isolated area hadn’t ceased.
More and more flooded in, aiming to destroy Randidly.
The Grim Chimera raised its head and cackled in reckless glee. Then Randidly clenched his left claw and began to cut the images of these fools down. “Not willing to wait your turn? Fine then. Those who follow me… let’s see how much I’ve managed to teach you about images.”