Chapter 1876 (Patreon)

ToC: https://www.patreon.com/posts/23899958

Another one chapter day; I won't be making this up. But let's get two more tomorrow to finish out the week.

Congratulations! Your Skill Cursed Fate of the Unborn Duo (M) has grown to Level 887!

Randidly spared a wry glance for the notification that popped up in front of him as he read Commandant Wick’s message. A vicious smile warped his face as he focused down on the dirty knuckles of his hands. In the end, this is definitely more complicated than just a disciplinary hearing if the Skill relating to Devick activated in response to a message from Wick. But even if this matter isn’t simple...

His emerald eyes flashed. A horrifying, suffocating sensation, a combined experience of being set alight and being smothered by the thickest smoke, engulfed him. Once more, he witnessed Helen’s twisted body, ripped open and displayed like a gruesome trophy. After advancing so much in order to help Claudette, Randidly felt like he was getting close to being able to rival Wick in terms of power. And he was very tired of running away from the cruel man who had hurt Helen as a message to him.

“I could avoid the hearing, refuse to meet with Wick,” Randidly spoke out loud slowly. “...however, he will then have more justification within the framework of Military High Command to punish me. Maybe even enough that Devick will help him; I’m still definitely far from being ready for her. Shit, and the fact that she left the message of ‘Good Job’ with Don Beigon. Hah. Best not think about it. If I meet with Wick… this is a trap, definitely. But what sort of trap…?”

It was a very real possibility that Wick would have another person associated with Randidly already captured, to be used as an in-person demonstration as to the consequences of Randidly humiliating him. Wick would gladly murder another person in order to goad Randidly into attacking him, therefore justifying a full-on confrontation. Or perhaps he was just trying to upset Randidly so he made some sort of mistake in the conflict.

Randidly believed he had most of his close supporters protected within the Alpha Cosmos, but it would still be extremely uncomfortable to watch Wick torture someone else he knew. He couldn’t protect everyone.

At least not yet.

“Damnit,” Randidly muttered and raised his head to rub his eyes.

This left aside the most dangerous proposition for why the meeting was being held now; there had always been something extremely possessive about the way Wick looked at him. He had even suggested that Randidly come under him directly in some sort of weird symbiotic relationship. At the time, Randidly had rejected out of hand. Now that he understood the strangeness of Devick who instructed Wick, as well as the madness and rigid control the Commandant maintained over his image, a new possibility emerged in Randidly’s mind.

Commandant Wick… is an amalgamation of souls. Randidly’s expression was grim. I’m not sure how the process would work, but it likely is based on Devick’s ability to create a child from imprinting. So this whole time, Wick has been raising me to become some sort of nutrient for him. Based on how I could use my physical form to suppress him, he might think I’m nearing full ‘ripeness’.

Then the emotional influence is likely purposeful. The more upset and fixated upon him I am, the stronger the connection between us. This soul grafting process definitely relies upon some amount of Nether to function, so that connection is important. But even if I know that-

“Fuck,” Randidly said out loud. He shook his head. His chest still burned with emotional indigestion as he thought of Helen’s death.  “Even more ominously, Devick probably doesn’t care at all who would win in a confrontation between our two souls. Whatever broken sort of creature remains after we’ve been bound together, she will pat our heads and call us her son…”

Randidly shivered and suddenly wished very much for a more thorough cleaning than soaking himself in Alymian’s ocean; every time he learned something new about the current iteration of Devick, the more it made his skin crawl. Elhume was a distant monster who had created this twisted environment, but Devick had swiftly become the capricious overseer that was responsible for making Randidly’s day-to-day activities fraught with tension.

Drumming his fingers on the ground, Randidly dismissed the message and considered his current options. He could descend into the shaft and spend some time training, but after interacting with that black-haired being of karma, he worried that whatever waited for him near Pine’s body was growing impatient. That was a whole new decision tree altogether. If he avoided the meeting, he risked Wick escalating his attempts at forcing Randidly’s hand. If he went, that meant that his conflict with the bear-man would likely come immediately to a head.

“Can I kill you yet, Wick?” The whisper sent a thrill through him. Despite the fact that he knew it might strengthen a connection between them, Randidly couldn’t help but feel his blood heating. Each beat of his heart was a club slammed against the taut surface of a war drum, demanding that the blood price for Helen be paid. Flames of Nether Weight danced across the surface of his skin, recognizing the significance of the moment. “Can I make you regret your violence?”

He squeezed both his hands until the knuckles of his right hand grew white and Sulfur rumbled pleasantly, enjoying the powerful kinetic force rolling off of Randidly in dense heat waves. His emotional force resonated with his three images, ready to be deployed against the proper target.

Two jets of steam came out of his nose. He narrowed his eyes. Perhaps it was foolish, but Randidly was tired of running.

However, once that decision was made, he first pulled out his Philosopher’s Key and opened a portal to Expira. He stepped through the portal and appeared about a hundred meters above one of the islands that the Nemesai had used to hide, the island and surrounding ocean currently being hammered by chilling sleet. He fell loosely until he crashed into the frigid ocean and released a massive splash.

The water around him was very close to freezing, but the heat he radiated caused it to bubble and froth. As he drifted down toward the bottom of the sea shelf, his skin begrudgingly allowed itself to be cooled. By the time he hit the rocky bottom and earned the snapping ire of a small family of crabs, that physical chill had calmed down his emotions.

Randidly looked at himself objectively. For now, my WIllpower still feels a little ragged after claiming MacDuul’s image. Yggdrasil hasn’t yet recovered for the same reason. In terms of Nether… I feel good, but I believe I should be able to create even more dense flows of energy. At the very least, I should spend a few hours in the shaft and allow myself to recover to my peak. Plus…

Randidly looked at his current PP count: 7972. A grin stretched across his face, even as the boldest of the crabs scuttled up his shin and tried without any success to use its claw cause him to notice its existence. Let’s see what Paths have in store for me.

At this point, Randidly’s list of Paths had grown massive. His actions over the past few months had earned him two in particular that looked especially appealing. After ruling out quite a lot, mostly due to not seeming to be relevant and because the cost in PP was too high even for him, Randidly narrowed it down to five.

The Throne of Nether Homage I 0/500, Determined VI 0/600, Violent Currents of Amenonuhoko 0/2500, Cerebral Refinement 0/????, Long Shadow of Accumulating Tragedy I 0/100

Obviously, Randidly remained slightly partial to the Determined Path. It hadn’t granted him any rewards so far, but he knew that there would likely be a treasure waiting for him at the end of the PP hole. However, that might not be until Determined X, or even further. So for now, he set that option to the side.

In terms of his current accomplishments, Randidly felt quite tempted by both Throne of Nether Homage I and Violent Currents of Amenonuhoko. Now that he had obtained the First Authority through his Nether Core, that Path felt even more tempting to him. Similarly, much of his other capabilities relied on his Moirae of Ripples Skillset as a base. And that Skillset stemmed mostly from Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko. Increasing the effectiveness of that Skill would definitely provide a wholistic improvement to his capabilities.

At the same time, the two new Paths intrigued him. Cerebral Refinement was likely a direct result of al the overheated brain activity his Nether flares required. Meanwhile, Long Shadow of Accumulating Tragedy felt like it was connected to the ballooning Skill Level for Cursed Fates of the Unborn Duo. Considering that they had managed to resist Devick’s influence, at least for a short while, they deserved more of his attention.

Randidly tapped a finger against his lips. Unfortunately, Cerebral Refinement has a hidden cost. But with almost eight thousand PP, I probably can weather most prices. Hum. Better to start with what I definitely need.

First, Randidly poured twenty-five hundred into the Violent Currents of Amenonuhoko Path. Every 100 PP he spent earned him 2 Fidelity of the Ascendant Moirae and 2 Focus.

Congratulations! You have finished the Violent Currents of Amenonuhoko Path! The currents of energy through which you wade have pulled you in various directions, but your dedication to your Path has kept your aim true. As you advance, you gain experience. As experience gathers, you recognize patterns and manipulate repetition. So long as you continued to advance, even if the depth of forces around you continues to increase, you will never be blown off course.

Congratulations! Willpower +300! Your Skillset Moirae of Ripples has absorbed the benefit! A slight increase in effectiveness to Cutting Tides of Amenonuhoko. All other related Skills receive an extremely minimal boost. Unfortunately, the reward for this Path is insufficient to upgrade the Rarity of any Skills. Continue finishing Paths relating to this Skillset in order to reach new heights!

Randidly clicked his tongue, somewhat disappointed that he didn’t earn any new Skills and also had to take another related Path to experience a tangible benefit. All told, it earned him 400 Stats, but it was a lackluster reward.

After considering his other options, he settled upon the mysterious Cerebral Refinement. That ended up costing three thousand PP and gave him 2 Intelligence and 2 Wisdom every 100 PP spent.

Congratulations! You have completed the Cerebral Refinement Path! You have pushed your mind to its physical limits and provided such abundant energy that it has begun to shift. The Path you walk is lined with impossible challenges; to overcome them, you have turned your attention inward and have begun to overcome yourself.

Congratulations! Focus +200! Detecting resonance… examining options… Congratulations! Due to accumulated image fragments, your Stat Focus has evolved into Exquisite Piety (M)! Your worship of natural energy and observation of its holy rituals has been rewarded!

My… worship? Randidly’s mouth twisted. The crab wandered up to his chest and considered the value of making a home in Randidly’s armpit.