Chapter 1512 (2/2)
”...do you mean my motivation for making the image?” Raymund asked.
That finally earned the direct focus of the assistant overseer's gaze. But it was not a positive emotion that colored the batman's face with derision. ”I'm asking you why your image exists, Raymund Ballast. Does it not even have a reason to exist? If it doesn't want anything... how could you expect it to be a powerful image?”
To that, Raymund could think of no response. Even Techet had never exposed a crazy idea like a created image having its own desires. Part of Raymund was becoming increasingly frustrated, feeling like this was a joke. How could an image have a dominant emotion? What could an image want?
Yet at the same time, Raymund couldn't deny that images were deeply connected with emotion. His people had thoroughly documented that images with powerful emotional connotations could achieve significantly superior results with the same amount of effort. It was why young children were encouraged to design their images of the nine-tailed fox with features from their parents. That way, they would feel more personally connected to the image and emotionally invested.
And in a way... isn't asking what my image wants a roundabout way of asking what I want...? Raymund's subconscious had him shivering in dread before he could stop himself. And if it's what I want...
”Well anyway, that can come later,” The Bat-Wing said. ”What is the highest Rarity Skill you possess? And it's Skill Level?”
Raymund's mouth immediately felt very dry. He opened his mouth to say that he would prefer not to say, but he stopped himself; it would only draw more attention to Raymund's greatest shame if he did so. Besides, these overseers were not from his planet. They would not understand the connotations of his Skill’s name.
After clearing his throat, Raymund responded. ”...Fiero's Audacity. It's a Legendary Skill. But... its usage is a bit... inappropriate. So it is only Level 49.”
”What is its usage?”
Raymund's snout twitched. ”It steals things.”
That set off a flurry of note-taking, but eventually, the three assistant overseers were finished. The Bat-wing shooed Raymund away in a clear dismissal. ”Alright, head back to the surface. You have more training waiting for you, soldier.”
*****
Lady Iellaya cautiously walked into the room and looked around for any sort of disturbing signals in the surrounding decor. Lucky, the heavy and expensive furniture that filled the room struck her as relatively normal. The servant of the Wick household bowed and vanished into a side passage, leaving her alone in the ornate library. Despite the fact that Lady Iellaya felt very little attraction to the physical trappings of wealth, even she was swayed by the swanky decor.
The areas of wall not obscured by heavy wooden shelving were decadently strewn with wine red paint and dark wood trim. Between ancient tomes that seemed to radiate barely perceptible hints of image were heavy brass and iron instruments of indeterminate purposes. Lady Iellaya wandered closer to one in particular, her eyes scrutinizing the interlocking cranks and modules for some functionality. Yet all she could really glean was the heavy metal of its construction and the abstract complexity of its purpose; the specifics determinedly eluded her.
Lady Iellaya took a step back and spun on her heel to view the whole of the room. The entire place was strewn with similar inscrutable mechanisms, likely deriving just as much of their value from their current ambiguity as from their true purpose.
She likely would have started taking closer looks at these curios, had Commandant Wick not quickly arrived at the room, gliding confidently through one of the heavy doors. Despite his bulk, he moved quietly across the plush carpet of the room. She made a mental note of his relative stealth for future reference. Lady Iellaya habitually snapped out a salute and she registered the flicker of approval on his face.
But then Commandant Wick waved his hand. “At ease, soldier. This meeting… well, it’s more of a courtesy call than anything else. Our business here is strictly unofficial.”
If anything, this only increased Lady Iellaya’s wariness, even as she calmly nodded. Commandant Wick was a brutal authoritarian, but he safely existed within the rigid confines of military structure. Lady Iellaya was not within his chain of command, although she had worked with him on this recruitment drive. Ultimately, his ability to bring his personal power to bear was largely limited. Meanwhile, during an unofficial visit…
“Sit, please,” Commandant Wick said, gesturing at a plushy leather chair. Lady Iellaya silently sank into the seat, her entire focus on the powerful man in front of her as her weight gradually shifted to the expensive piece of furniture. With every polite action, Lady Iellaya was becoming more and more unnerved. This did not seem like the same Commandant Wick that had tortured her and snubbed her for months.
“Heh, I’ll get straight to the point,” The Commandant’s dark eyes weighed Lady Iellaya carefully, seemingly amused by her obvious suspicion. “You snuck one past me this time. This… Randidly Ghosthound is far more competent than you portrayed him at the interview. But I can see why you did it. Had I known the truth… there was no way he would have been the selected candidate.”
Even as Lady Iellaya’s pupils dilated, Commandant Wick held up a hand. “Relax. I am not so petty as to hold you accountable for taking advantage of my own hubris. But I do need a definitive and completely honest answer from you right now before this becomes even more costly to reverse: will your Ghosthound prepare the elite squad for deployment?”
For the first time, Lady Iellaya could see past her own nerves and see some of the smaller details about the Commandant. His usual poise and sense of unassailable power was a little worn at the edges. His image remained monolithic and tightly controlled, but beyond that, he truly seemed exhausted.
Lady Iellaya frowned. “...what happened?”
Commandant Wick grimaced. “The announcement will come tomorrow evening, no matter what. But even now… we don’t know the extent of the damage. We thought… we thought we had the Nether forces locked down to one corner of the Fifth Cohort. But early this morning… they somehow hijacked a portion of the Nexus Ways. Several of the reclaimed worlds have gone silent once more. In addition… Forward Command was assault directly. A Commandant… was slain by the rogue Nether King.”
Lady Iellaya froze. Even before she thought about what that fact might mean for her career, she wrestled with the enormity of the fact that a Commandant died. They were the twelve most powerful individuals in Military High Command. She had met all of the Commandants in the past. Any of them wouldn’t absolutely demolish her in a direct conflict. Yet one of those powerful Commandants had died…?
“We have underestimated the enormity of the threat this time,” Commandant Wick’s eyes hardened, and although Lady Iellaya wasn’t the target of his ire, she barely suppressed a shiver being exposed so directly to his emotion. “In one week, I will personally head to the frontlines to stabilize the situation. But because of the severity of the threat… the elite squad can no longer remain as idle as its creator’s had once hoped. So let me ask you again… will the Ghosthound prepare those soldiers for the realities of the frontlines?”
His dark eyes seemed to grip her by the throat. His voice was mild. “I hope you understand that I will both know if you lie to me and kill you for such a transgression. Now is not the time for political posturing. There is a genuine threat to the Nexus. We need to come together to handle it decisively before it spreads further.”