Chapter 1662 (2/2)
The smile Randidly returned was brittle. If I could have avoided just absorbing your blows with my body, don’t you think I would have?!?
But all in all, his impression of the Dusk Jackal was rather positive. The beastman lived up to the image of a bloodthirsty being who possessed the head of a jackal, but the particular chivalry of Pinnacle Seekers did a lot mollify that impression.
The Dusk Jackal swaggered over and slapped Randidly several times on the back, earning a grimace from him each time. “Let me tell you, none of my disciples have your sort of fire in their chest! Too many have died under similar circumstances. Haaaah, truly, to be overwhelmingly powerful is a heavy burden…”
Randidly’s twitching intensified. Okay, maybe he’s just a happy idiot.
Very quickly, Randidly said a few more polite things to the Pinnacle Seeker and then extricated himself, claiming that he needed some time to rest. Or rather than claiming such a thing, Randidly was just honest that he was completely drained after the six-hour duel. Seeker Dusk Jackal lost some of his cheer at that admission but still allowed Randidly to go, after extracting a promise that Randidly would return for another spar after sharpening his images.
Helen returned to his Alpha Cosmos, finally ridding Randidly of the leering grin that had been floating behind him and delighting in his misery. So he walked alone with Claudette back to the portal, rubbing the bridge of his nose to head off a developing headache.
“...Randidly…” Claudette finally said, drawing Randidly out of his exhaustion. “I… was slightly dishonest earlier. Yes, Neshamah Rex reached out asking about you, but that wasn’t what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m just… well. It is rare that I need to ask another for help. So this is somewhat awkward for me.”
Randidly frowned at Claudette. The blonde woman bit her lip, truly looking much more vulnerable than he had ever seen her in the past.
After hesitating for a few seconds, Claudette spoke again. “Do you know anything about image refinement?”
Randidly considered that. “...I believe that is a term that I’ve heard before. That’s where you hire an outside force to go into your image and help improve it, right? When I arrived at the Nexus… it was one of the jobs that was mentioned to me. But I don’t really know anything about it. Why?”
“I’d like you to be the one to help refine my image,” Claudette said with a serious expression. Then she bowed at the waist. “Please.”
Randidly took a few more steps before he realized that Claudette didn’t intend on moving until she received an answer from him. The corner of his mouth turned downward; right now, after he was thoroughly beaten for six hours straight, this was certainly not the method most likely to win sympathy from him. But he forced his breath out through his teeth and rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ll think about it.”
“Truly? Thank you!” Claudette straightened with a beaming smile. Shrugging, Randidly turned away and resumed his walk to the teleporter. But rather than going with Claudette back to the Frost Matriarch’s home base, he asked her to thank the Frost Matriarch for her hospitality and used his Philosopher’s Key to open a portal back to Edraine’s base in the Nexus.
To Randidly’s surprise, Claudette didn’t attempt to stop him; she simply nodded and allowed him to leave without bringing up her request for his help with an image refinement again. For that, she earned back some lost points.
Back in the base of the cabal to bring down Elhume, Randidly could finally release a breath. He spoke briefly to Edraine, who confirmed that there was nothing pressing occurring at the moment, then retired to a side room to rest. When he awoke a few hours later with his mental energy restored, Randidly sought out Octavius Shrike and asked him about image refinement.
“The process is rather straightforward, even if it is incredibly labor-intensive.” The Overseer said, sticking his horn upward with a self-righteous air. “Certain Aether devices are used to expand the scale of an image; it transforms a small image to one that exists on the scale of a world. Then the Sculptor heads into that image world and seeks out areas that appear shabbier than the rest, or are comparatively weak and unrefined, and either destroys or adjusts the problem areas. Scaled up like that, most of an image’s flaws become obvious. Why? Do you already want another job? Many will be willing to assist in your Sculptor training, considering your success as the Head Drill Sergeant. I hear your Squad has performed admirably in the pursuit of the Nether-”
Randidly shook his head and the excitement in Ocatvius’s face turned into disappointment. Then Randidly asked. “I’m just curious. But isn’t the process… somewhat invasive? Having a foreign intelligence moving through your image… don’t they have to power to deeply damage your image foundations?”
Octavius nodded with a solemn expression. “It’s a risk. But… this is the Nexus. Everyone craves more power. Many are willing to accept the risks as they make their bid for dominance.”