Chapter 1159 (2/2)

Lady Iellaya tilted her head at Randidly, so he tried to explain. “It’s not a secret that I was brought here by a Judgment. So I haven’t really known how long to expect to remain. Or what’s currently expected of me. Not that I want to leave; I own debts to you and to Vualla. But I was hoping you could tell me where I stand.”

“Oh, I guess we haven’t had that conversation yet. Because of your… unusual circumstances, I simply assumed you understood.” Lady Iellaya rolled her shoulders and the glossy black feathers on her shoulders and arms flexed outward. “Simply put, you are expected to remain here for quite a while. You had a mandatory service sentencing of two years when you were brought here, two years of Nexus time. Which, due to the concentration and volatility of energy here, feels about ten times as long as it actually is.

“In addition, that sentence was stayed by your Heretic punishment: being deprived of your body. So your two-year service didn’t start until you returned from your mission. Which is only unfortunate because there is actually a pretty easy way to get out of here early. When you participate in a significant victory, six months of your sentence is reduced. Had you possessed your body during the attack against the Nether Gatekeeper’s base, you would have received an extra six months off of your service.”

“Two years of Nexus time…” Randidly’s face twisted. Of course, that meant that the Earth would only experience two years while Randidly faced much more time up here. But still, it wasn’t an appealing prospect. If it really stretched out to feel like twenty years…

Although he wanted to spend more time with Vualla, this was a bit…

“Ah, well it’s down to one year.” Lady Iellaya shrugged. “I’ve given you two reductions for helping with the two Nether King attacks thus far. But Commanders don’t have the authority to reduce a sentence below one year. Which is why your work with the Nether Gatekeeper, under Lord Miln’s directive, would have been useful. Without a stay… you are probably going to experience about five years here.”

“It’s rough… but let me warn you against deserting. If you thought the Judgment was bad the first time then brought you here… they deploy someone from the Xyrt Brigade to bring you back.” After shivering, Lady Iellaya pressed her hands against the heavy stone blocks of their parapet. “Honestly, your best bet is either getting me promoted to Supreme Commander or having Aether soundly defeat the Nether King. If we win this battle, all of us will get a service reduction.”

“How long are you here for?” Randidly asked curiously.

Lady Iellaya smirked. “I’m free to go whenever. It’s only after you finish your sentence that you can be promoted to Commander. But because I came willingly, my service time was a pittance to begin with. The System always wants strong images that are willing to leave the safety of the Nexus and fight against the Nether.”

Randidly scratched his chin and turned back to look over the battlefield. Even now, Randidly’s Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil was being used to casually repair some of the damage to Lady Iellaya’s fort. Perhaps seeing the success of Lady Iellaya at preserving her own strength in the previous few attacks, furious production was going on across the borderlands.

It was a strange feeling, Randidly reflected, to stand up here with such a powerful Commander and chat casually. And it also felt like an opportunity. So Randidly continued the conversation by asking, “What’s the Nexus like?”

“...sometimes I forget that you are so unusual.” Lady Iellaya regarded Randidly curiously. “You… you haven’t condensed a Fate, but fight even better than those who have. I wonder how quickly the Level of your Fate will rise. And you haven’t ever been to the Nexus. Well, if I had to describe it… the Nexus is…”

“Boring,” Announced the newly arrived Abiodun as he took long strides up the stone steps. He bowed politely to Lady Iellaya before passing her a scroll. “Please forgive me if I’ve spoken out of turn. But all in all, the Nexus itself is rather… boring.”

“A place filled with powerful beings who get off by descending to lower realms and restricting themselves.” Lady Iellaya leaned against the stone parapet and casually unrolled the scroll. Then with a snort, she flexed her hand an annihilated it.. “The lives of those uninitiated into the System are just numbers to them, and carrying a whole world full of people through to pass the Calamities is less important than the achievement of passing the Calamities. An idyllic cage where children squabble ceaselessly. There is always the threat of the Nether, of course, but…”

“A series offensive between Nether and Aether hasn’t occurred in thousands of years,” Abiodun interjected as he took his place standing between Randidly and Lady Iellaya. “The Xyrt Brigade sees to that. Honestly, this might be the eve of the largest confrontation of our era.”

Then Abiodun chuckled darkly and Randidly could feel his own mouth creep wider in agreement. Despite the fact that he was no longer the Grim Chimera, Randidly still certainly had a side of him that was looking forward to the opportunity to fight. And even his more cautious instincts couldn’t deny that he was growing quickly precisely because of the fighting.

Especially now… Randidly knew that after he received the next batch of PP and used that to empower Paths made with his refined images, his Fate-

Congratulations! Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level 275!

“I’m going to rest,” A suddenly very meek Randidly said quietly. At this point, his growth was moving more quickly than he would like. Some image training would do him good. But he couldn’t resist smirking toward Abiodun. “Don’t you dare start the bloodshed without me.”

“Men,” Lady Iellaya shook her head in mock protest, but Randidly could sense her own bloodlust rising just as much as theirs was. And to be honest, Lady Iellaya’s was the image that filled the air with the distinctive copper tang of blood. Everyone knew what battle meant for their prospects. And each one of them was hungry.

As he departed, Randidly allowed himself to calm down and looked again at his Path screen.

Only four more Skill Levels. Which probably means its time to focus more on the three images for the Fate…