Chapter 1332 (1/2)

When the call of Eidolon Crucible came in the middle of the night, Tatiana resisted its pull. For several seconds the Skill persisted stubbornly, but Tatiana’s Willpower was enough to endure. Although most of the guests of Randidly’s birthday party likely wouldn’t notice that most everyone had fallen into a deep sleep, this was also a time where Randidly was out of commission; someone needed to remain vigilant in Kharon.

And it turned out that it was a good thing she did so because just as dawn was breaking over the horizon, an Alana Donal dressed in her typical attire of leather armor turned up at Town Hall and politely knocked on the door. Such was the widespread acceptance of the Eidolon Crucible that Tatiana was the only person in the building.

Chuckling softly to herself, Tatiana hurried down to open the wide double doors to the building. Alana Donal would be the sort of person to knock on a front door of a public building…

When Tatiana opened the door, she greeted Alana with a smile. “Good morning. Since I suspect you are here to talk, want to talk a walk with me? It will give you a chance to look around Kharon.”

Tatiana made the suggestion because Alana’s expression was curiously stiff. It seemed something was the matter. And as Tatiana suspected she might, Alana sighed and then released a barking laugh. “Honestly? A walk sounds lovely right now.”

Since everyone was within the Eidolon Crucible fighting against Randidly’s Willpower, there weren’t any of the normal breakfast stands along the long boulevard that led to Kharon’s parks. But Tatiana still had several tiny pre-prepared picnics stored away in her interspatial ring, just in case of situations like this.

It never hurts to be well prepared. Especially when the System is constantly throwing new trials at us… oh, that reminds me, I need to ask Randidly to remake his tests so I can attempt some of them in my spare time...

The path they took was a meandering one, but Alana didn’t seem to mind. Her eyes followed the rolling hills and the impeccably manicured gardens that they passed on their way to their main destination: Lake Kingsley. It was one of the few portions of Kharon’s parks that Randidly had named and built himself. What was most impressive about the lake was the many varieties of brightly colored fish that Randidly had found to populate the thing.

Oftentimes, throwing a few pieces of bread into the lake would cause streaks of rainbow’d colors to erupt out of the lengths depths.

And certainly, Alana’s eyes glimmered as she peered into the water’s depths. So after they arrived at Kharon’s largest park and sat on a bench by the shore of the lake, Tatiana pulled out the basket and offered Alana ham and egg quiches. Alana accepted, the heavy expression still on her face. For a long time, the two women sat and ate quietly while watching the light reflect off the placid surface of the water.

“...right now Kharon is experiencing the Eidolon Crucible,” Tatiana finally spoke, unsure of why Alana had stayed silent for so long. But still, she didn’t mind guiding the conversation forward. “The Eidolon Crucible… It’s… a symbol of our bond to Randidly. We are drawn into a world of psyche and the people of Kharon clash against Randidly directly. Which means that even when people wake up, they will be a little groggy for a while from withstanding his strength. I assume that you came to Town Hall because you wanted to speak to Randidly?”

Alana nodded slowly and raised her gaze from the surface of Lake Kingsley. “Ah. That makes a certain amount of sense. I can sense… something in the air. It’s… ominous. It must be the gathered power of the images of everyone on Kharon. But it’s probably a fact that very few people other than me would detect it, however. I’ve… been sensitive to Randidly’s images for quite some time. But no, although I planned to speak to Randidly after he had a few days to calm down… today I am here to speak to you.”

“Oh?” Tatiana tilted her head to the side, doing her best to hide the brief thrill of shock that she felt. “What is it?”

“I just wanted to confirm that it would be okay to allow the dragons that followed me here to wander around Kharon and the surrounding area,” Alana said with a sigh. “They are young and curious and haven’t been to an actual city before. So after coming to the party last night, they are excited to try more human activities. If you don’t have the manpower to watch them for a while-”

“Oh, by all means. Allow them to roam free. They don’t need babysitters.” Tatiana waved her hand in relief. “Honestly, you would be doing me a favor by doing so. I’ve been trying in subtle ways to make Kharon seem… especially magical and wonderous, and having the dragons walking around the city would do a lot to light that sort spark in people. Let them sate their curiosity as they see fit.”

Alana’s eyes were bright as she examined Tatiana for several seconds. “Interesting. Are you in charge of maintaining part of Kharon’s image then?”

“Not in any official sense or with a designation, but I’m certainly keeping it in mind while making decisions.” Tatiana was surprised how bitter her voice sounded when she spoke. Perhaps some of Alana’s strange mood was rubbing off on her. She gently shook herself and then offered Alana a tired smile. “Sorry, that came off a little bit sharper than I intended. Most of the details of the image of Kharon is left to the people who live here, but I’m a bit of a pessimist when it comes to human nature. So I generally try and orchestrate situations to help the average citizen reach the mental state that Randidly has in mind.”

“He was very lucky to meet you,” Alana said seriously. “This city is breathtaking, both in scope and in the spirit of adventure that has been woven into its core. Randidly is great at many things… but I don’t think keeping all of these plates spinning is one of them. This is you.”

“The way you are buttering me up, I feel like you have another favor that you would like to ask me,” Tatiana said wryly. “Don’t bother; I’m impervious to charm.”

“Yes well, when is the last time someone attempted to charm you?” Alana asked with obvious amusement in her voice. Her eyes shifted from Tatiana’s face down to her own hands. “You are the left hand of the Ghosthound. You have unparalleled power in Kharon, and its developing very quickly into a very booming economic power. I would think that most suitors would be too intimidated to approach you. When was the last date you’ve been on?”

Tatiana looked at Alana with some genuine suspicion. “Did Naffur put you up to this? He is always sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong. And enough beating around the bush, I can tell that a strange mood has seized you; what is it that you want, Alana?”

Chuckling, Alana leaned back and took another bite of quiche. “How long will Kharon remain here? And when it moves, do you know where you will head?”