Chapter 1577 (1/2)

Despite his own rather significant capability, Heiffal felt his limbs stiffening. Which, paradoxically, was a good thing. If not for the creeping sense of stiffness, Heiffal might very well have collapsed; the differences between their states was simply too vast.

The two individuals were standing near the central training area of the Head Drill Sergeant. Heiffal dare not let this individual into Randidly’s training area, even though he suspected it was a meaningless effort. In the nearby area, the recruits were currently finishing up their physical training more quickly than they ever had in the past. Part of that fanatical dedication to the task was their recent improvements, but also…

How could they not notice their Overseer was pinned to the ground by the gaze of another?

Commandant Wick pursed his lips. His arms were folded behind his back as he surveyed Heiffal. The small change in his previously mild expression released a blast of pressure that he was forced to endure without complaint. “...he is so busy with training that he cannot even greet his superior? Tell him I bring news.”

With glacial slowness, Heiffal forced himself to bow before the military leader in front of him. Sweat ran down to the tip of his nose and dripped onto the ground. “Unfortunately, there is nothing I can do at the moment. Please, rest assured that his only focus is providing the most capable recruits at the agreed-upon time. But… he is currently busy.”

The Commandant snorted and Heiffal barely prevented himself from vomiting from the impact of that expulsion of breath. “Hah. This sudden elusiveness in the face of a superior is… disconcerting. Concerning. But I suppose training the recruits is what truly matters, in the long run. As long as the results end up being satisfactory… I won’t pursue this… vacation any further.”

The Commandant turned away, but Heiffal didn’t allow himself to relax. He remained in his half-bowed state as the ominous figure gathered his thoughts.

“...truly, the Ghosthound is a fickle man. Doesn’t he know that leaving the Rally Station means Dunn could kill him as easily as swatting a fly…? The hubris of the young certainly boggles the mind.” Then Commandant Wick glanced back over his shoulder at Heiffal. His fury face was twisted into a scowl. “Two days remain until the Xyrt Brigade returns to the frontlines and the Nexus’s counter-offensive begins. I hope your master understands that the longer he remains away, the more the other Drill Sergeants will gossip. Firm leadership is necessary in times like these.”

Heiffal had nothing to say to that. He remained there, sweating, until Commandant Wick snorted again and vanished. It was only then that he allowed himself to straighten and stiffly walk back to his personal chambers.

Despite his significant injuries just from exposure to Commandant Wick, he had enough pride not to display his weakness in front of the recruits. But below the exhaustion was worry; Heiffal, too, had no idea where Randidly was. Their connection remained, although it was screened in some manner.

Heiffal could only trust in his leader and wait. Like the other Overseers and Advisors on the Fifth Cohort Rally Station, he threw himself into the training of the recruits to hide the unease that lurked in his heart.

*****

Shal’s projection might have framed the sacrifice as Randidly losing his ability to rest, but his experience was more similar to constantly carrying around a lit bonfire in his chest. The insides of his own ribs were charred with his enthusiasm and sudden vigor. It was a compulsion that bordered on obsession.

The fire he held wasn’t energy, per se, but it felt a lot like energy. It was a constantly gurgling stream of emotional motivation. When one task ended, he couldn’t help but continue on to the next that was in front of him. He was in a constant manic state during his activities, where finishing was actually a detriment because he had to scramble to find something new to occupy him.

Honestly, if Randidly hadn’t had prior experience with engaging in less mentally draining methods of training, he might well have continued to frantically Engrave Nether until he had burned himself out. That was how irresistible a geas he now bore.

Not that a burn out would have stopped him from continuing, of course. He just would have lost a huge amount of efficiency as he continued to push forward after his mental energy was depleted. Even with the time dilation, he might truly need to spend a decade down here struggling with the problem of Nether Engraving if he allowed himself to fall into that state.

Luckily, that burning motivation in Randidly’s chest was relatively non-discriminatory in its pursuits; as long as Randidly truly pushed himself into a task, it was satisfied.

With such an ambiguous goal, Randidly devised a new way to push himself. Or rather, he created a new method of a very familiar process in this strange environment: testing the limits of his body.

It was exactly the sort of draining but mindless exercise that Randidly needed right now.

Constant work saw Randidly improving his Nether Core Engravings at a visible pace. He had no unbiased method of determining his proficiency, but Randidly was almost positive that, had he not proceeded so deeply into the depths of the Nexus, he would now be able to resist the pull of significance below and escape. As it was, when Randidly combined his rough Yggdrasil Engraving in his Nether Nebula with his insights into the Grim Chimera and the Stillborn Phoenix, he was barely able to strain against the inevitable flow of significance downward.

Basically, he had gained enough independence to experience first hand how tightly he was grasped by the abyss.

It was somewhat akin to a child pushing against a bolder. He developed enough capability to exert his power, even though the weight he struggled against was far beyond him. In a way, his struggles were completely useless. Even if he stayed down here for a hundred years, Randidly somehow doubted that his physical body could ever force itself through the space-warping force of this significance. Even his speed of improvement couldn’t ever catch up with this.

Yet even as Randidly strained and pushed against the current of significance with both his flesh and metal arms, his mind had several minutes of must needed rest.