Chapter 1496 (1/2)

Randidly glanced over at Lady Iellaya after being so summarily dismissed from the interview hall. Her expression was tight and her skin was pale. But there wasn’t a twitch from the feathers along her arms; she had no will to fight against this pronouncement. It was clear that she considered the issue decided, then and there.

Toying with the idea of releasing a combination of images to change their impression, Randidly slowly stood. But as he looked at the disinterested expressions of the people on this panel, some deep part of Randidly reminded him that there were legitimate reasons for avoiding social contact sometimes. His instincts weren’t entirely detrimental to him. These were all capable individuals, of the sort that Randidly had wanted to interact with. Even just meeting them like this spurred him to train harder and reach their capabilities.

But none here were without an agenda of their own. Their careful machinations wheeled and clicked behind their every action. Walking too deeply amongst the powerful individuals would mean less and less time that Randidly could spend on improving himself; he would constantly need to dedicate some energy to staying on his toes. So, he turned away from this Path when he was rejected. Perhaps this is for the best. Just a few months… in just a few months, I bet I’ll make significant enough progress…

I still want to focus on perfecting the Grim Chimera, but that’s just as a foundation for activating three images at once. When all of my images reach the Pinnacle…

Randidly walked out of the room. Octavius Shrike was waiting there beyond the doors and either he had been listening into the ‘interview’ or the result was clear from Randidly’s expression. Either way, he turned without speaking and led Randidly back through the winding halls of the military base to a more civilian area.

With a casual swipe, he opened up the Nexus Ways after they were safely clear of the military wards and led Randidly through a portal. They popped out into a busy area and Randidly looked around with interest. Seeing a nearby ledge, Randidly walked over to it and looked down. Then, his eyebrows rising, he looked up.

They were standing on one of the highest of a series of floating circular rings, the interior of which was lined with shops. Each ring was at least the size of several city blocks. People hopped up and down around the outside of this strange chain, while Randidly could see the familiar walls of the Nexus’s hollow spine around them. The level that Randidly and Octavius were on seemed to feature a variety of armors. Randidly patted Sulfur, to reassure it that it was not being replaced as shopowners enthusiastically waved him over to take a look.

Octavius looked at Randidly, sighed, and then turned to stare out of the edge of their ring. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as peaceful as it initially seemed. Whole groups of people crawled over the railing as they ascended from below or lightly stepped off in front of them to drop down to another location. A group of size gelatinous humanoids with eyeballs visibly floating in the suspension of their bodies were shouting boisterously as they clambered upward, clearly new to the Nexus. Two tall figures wearing cloaks that covered all the details of their features moved silently, intent on their path toward a shield shop near to where Randidly and Octavius were standing. A constant throng streamed by them, giving the area an extremely cloistered feeling despite how far the rings were from the outer walls.

“This is Bray Street,” Octavius eventually said. It seemed like Randidly’s failure to obtain the job hit him like a giant, emotional hammer strike. That realization made Randidly somewhat uncomfortable. But gradually, as though each of the surrounding people carried away a tiny handful of the Overseer’s sorrow as they passed, Octavius’ expression improved. “All thirty-six rings are considered the ‘street’. Now, I wouldn’t recommend actually buying anything here; the prices are reprehensible. But it will give you a good idea of the standard of materials and equipment available in the Nexus.”

Then Octavius cleared his throat. He was once more regaining his serious expression. “If you want, I can give you a tour of the other important Nexus landmarks below the surface; until we have enough citizenship tokens to get you to Tier I, you cannot see the surface. But the Grand Colosseum, the Suspension Chamber, and the Altar of Sacrifice are all definitely worth seeing-”

Randidly held up his metal left hand. “I’m interested, but not now. There is already… a lot here.” As he said that, he glanced upward at the ring floating above them. He mentally took a snapshot at the positively sublime Aether Engraving that generated the lift and sent it to Neveah to study it. “I’ll need a bit of time to decompress and settle myself. So I’m thinking about training for a few days… if I’m not needed for anything else?”

Octavius Shrike hesitated. He reached up and rubbed his horn. “Well… we should have a debriefing to give you a little more context of what is happening and what we plan on doing… but I suppose a few days of training will probably help you clear your head.”

Then Octavius reached over and put his hand on Randidly’s shoulder. “Mr. Ghosthound… don’t blame yourself. Sometimes… sometimes things just don’t go your way. That’s life. You shouldn’t let your failures burden you.”

Randidly’s mouth twitched. Which of us is truly burdened, I wonder…? I really just want to train…

Seeing that this conversation seemed to be wrapping up, Randidly put his foot upon the small fence at the edge of the ring. “This is above the Web, right? We are still in the hollow area of the Nexus.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Ah, do you need me to guide you to a training area…?” Octavius asked.

Randidly decisively shook his head. “No, but thank you. I learn best when I’m exploring on my own. Plus, I want to investigate a bit.”