Randidly hummed softly to himself as he and Lady Iellaya walked forward along the longer path from the sigh. It led them down a low slope and then around to a ridge that opened up to another tunnel. Both paused to admire the waves of energy that were radiating off the hill above them before they walked down into the shadow of the hill. The energy waves certainly were weaker than they had been around the first hill, but Randidly still shook his head lightly as he looked up at them.

Even now, they were clearly beyond his ability to handle. Not that he needed to force the issue, but after seeing the two other figures struggle, Randidly was slightly curious.

Very quickly they were moving steadily through another tunnel, this one at least with the decency to have placed the ceiling at a reasonable height. Both could walk comfortably upright and side by side through the drawn-out gloom.

...basically, what I’m going to do is like refinancing a loan, Randidly thought to himself as they continued through the sparsely populated tunnel of uneven stone floor and uneven stone walls. Add some additional karma to the process so that Lady Iellaya can mobilize a larger amount of force. The only problem is how to do so within having to shatter her original Fate, which feels quite dangerous considering how much karma is tied up in it...

Of course, Randidly also planned on shattering her original Class. But that seemed like a much more manageable task, if only because Randidly had seen it happen before and knew how to heal it into a serviceable state.

That was a lesson he had learned with his own body. Painful, but manageable. Meanwhile, a Fate...

Randidly’s right hand dropped down and pressed against the warm metal of his Philosopher’s Key. Even now, the world seemed warped around the key. The weight of its image pressed against the surrounding meter or so of space, so as Randidly examined his own person the narrow point of the focus was taken immediately to the key that held the most potent image.

Even as Randidly struggled to incorporate all of the dense image that was present into himself, there was simply so much that leaked out of his control and affected the surrounding world. At least to his mind. But neither Lady Iellaya or Lord Miln really reacted to it, so it was possible that it was just a perception that Randidly hadn’t yet grown used to.

Perhaps its a good thing I only get one piece at a time, Randidly sighed. It’s going to be hard to manage so many Fates at once…

“You dodged the answer before, so let me ask again;” Randidly looked up at Lady Iellaya’s words. She walked a pace in front of him, with her hands clasped behind her back. In the dim tunnel, Randidly could only see the general shape of her cheek. “In your life, do you usually take the long path or the short path?”

Shrugging, Randidly let his hand drop from the golden key on his belt and answered as honestly as he could. “It’s a question that misses the point. But if I had to choose one… I generally take the long path.”

“Misses the point?” Lady Iellaya tilted her head to the side. “We seem to be stuck in a desolate place where that choice is the only thing present, repeated ad nauseum. The only valuable energy we have seen is destructive in nature, coming from the summits of these hills. If we have spare time after our… project, don’t you want to see what’s up there? And I think it’s best if you know what your answer would be if we attempt to examine those energies.”

“Our project?” Randidly grinned. “Still worried they can overhear us?”

“Being interrupted during the process would be exceedingly bad,” Lady Iellaya replied lightly. “But anyway, it’s rather boring to simply walk. Wouldn’t you rather discuss philosophy?”

Randidly opened his mouth and then closed it. In truth, that first reaction was his most honest one; to ask long or short was to ask a question that missed the point. And he had been about to insist that was the case again, but something in the air gave Randidly pause. He looked at Lady Iellaya again. Although they had become much closer after Randidly had admitted to the possibility of remaking her Class, she was still someone who was much more powerful and influential than he was. Perhaps relying on that expectation to speak casually was not the best idea. Even if he was about to fulfill that promise, being a little more polite wasn’t too difficult.

Randidly rolled his eyes at himself. The lengths that I will go to avoid a conversation I didn’t have the idea of having are a bit unbelievable...

So rather than harshly repeating his point, Randidly stopped himself and crafted a more considered response. “...I think it is a choice that is reductive to the point of removing all the motivations for making the choice from the equation. In life, you aren’t choosing between the path being short or long, you are choosing between preparation and action. Or rest and training. Or gambling now or waiting for a more sure result. Or biding your time or seizing an opportunity. Which could be reduced to that binary, but what you are removing are all of the relevant details.”

“Yet you said that you typically choose the longer path. So even if you want to deny it, is it possible that the whole of your past decisions reflect a philosophical choice you haven’t yet acknowledged? Perhaps it is your inherent risk aversion” Lady Iellaya glanced back at Randidly.

Again, Randidly fell silent for several seconds as he mulled that over. Perhaps that really was the case. However, he believed that his choices weren’t because he was worried about the short or the long path…. But because taking the short path in his current life generally meant being subservient to a more powerful entity for a time.

Either the Creature or Ileot Swacc would likely be glad to help Randidly accomplish some of what he desired against the System. Yet it was the costs to the short path that made Randidly refuse to move forward down that road. It wasn’t wrong at all to say that Randidly refused the short path after being made aware of the associated costs. Especially prior to being forced to face Azriel’s point about the sort of world that a lack of compromise could build, Randidly would refuse constantly to work with either of those two so he would remain pure.

Being reminded of Azriel’s lesson made Randidly consider his stance on Ileot Swacc much more seriously. The point isn’t that these costs to the short path aren’t real threats; it’s to be open to the possibilities that I’m ignoring by being inflexible. Is there a way to work with Ileot without giving him access to an Alpha Cosmos of his own…?

That train of thought led Randidly quickly back to the slender man who looked so much like him, and seemed human as if he had somehow wandered here to the frontlines from Earth. And it wasn’t like there weren’t other humanoids on the frontlines, but generally they possessed some variant traits. Like additional fingers, or the body shape was somewhat warped and not quite right.

But this man looked like a normal human. Completely average, cast from the same types of colors as Randidly had been. Also an almost identical height.

Was this a duplicated version…? Although the man had seemed capable enough from their brief interaction, Randidly hadn’t detected any sort of familiar images from him. It was difficult to feel very minute details of the image as Randidly had briefly watched the look-alike walk up the hill under those heavy waves of pressure, but the image had seemed decidedly water-based. Almost chilling.

“Do I win the game of philosophy then?” Lady Iellaya drawled lazily. “You’ve been silent for quite a while.”

Randidly forced out a chuckle. “I suppose so. You’ve given me a lot to think about… but I was also thinking about that man who looked like me. Still, if you want to talk… I would like to ask some questions about Fates. Although I now finally possess one, I’m curious about how their Level growth works.”

Twisting her mouth, Lady Iellaya shook her head. “Yes, quite weird that Lord Miln’s subordinate so looked like you. A bit much to believe it is just a coincidence… and as for Fates, I can give you a bit of background. But most of the valuable knowledge of Fates is honestly personal knowledge. What works for one Fate might not work for another. It’s why there is a wide group of individuals who do not really bother to improve or level their Fates. It’s enough to just have an image focus and for the Level up gains. That or they wait for a Great Fate, at Level 100.”

“Some people don’t use their Fates?” Randidly asked in surprise. Then his mouth twisted. “Also… what’s a Great Fate again?”

Lady Iellaya raised her hand and wiggled her fingers. “Fates Level up as you slowly understand and utilize their particular functions. It’s only one of many Paths towards strength. Many prefer to just refine their images or work on Skill Levels. It’s a much more… predictable way to grow. Because Fates are ultimately about understanding. Great Fates… well, they are more like the System’s version of a Fate. You obtain it when you complete your Great Path. Like Classes, normal Fates are capped at Level 100. Gathering those last tidbits of understanding… that can be exceedingly difficult. Meanwhile, a Great Fate is essentially a Class plus; it’s honestly something of a misnomer.

“But more specifically talking about Fates… I suspect you have sensed within your Fate several of these functions, some of which you don’t truly understand? That is quite common. And while a Fate is based upon your images and Class, it is not entirely your images and Class.”

Because it’s also your karma and the avatar of your wish. Randidly thought silently. The world is trying to provide the tools you need to accomplish that secret wish.

Lady Iellaya continued to speak. “As you figure out how to leverage those functions, your Fate Level will increase. And obviously those functions will become more powerful. Plus, some of the frustrations come when people realize how peculiar the images preserved within are. Your real images are living, changing things, after all. Meanwhile, the Fate is a snapshot taken at the moment your Fate was condensed. They will not change. So if your original wish ends up being flawed… you are stuck with that. So some abandon their Fate. Especially since many of those individuals have an option so attractively named ‘Great Fate’... sometimes, I wonder if the System doesn’t want individuals to focus on their Fates at all.”

For a while, both were silent in the wake of Lady Iellaya’s explanation. Especially the last statement, made casually by Lady Iellaya, hung in the air with all the discomfort as a set of clothes soaked by a cold rain. There was a lot to unpack there but now was probably not the time. Better to instead focus on the details of his own Fate.

What Lady Iellaya said about the snapshot made sense to Randidly, but it also brought him a great deal of anxiety. His hand once more went to the warm, golden metal at the Philosopher’s Key at his waist. He had incorporated so many images and energies into his Fate to make it powerful, but he never really considered the downsides of that.

Oh, Randidly had reflected that there were weaknesses in the images, but he had always assumed that he could eventually correct them. To learn that they were affixed rather permanently in their current shape was somewhat disconcerting. Perhaps even more disturbing was the fact that it made a great deal of sense.

That part of him had already been mortgaged. There was no mulligans now.

Eventually, the two finally reached the end of the tunnel; it seemed that the sign hadn’t been kidding about the fact that this was the long path. As Randidly had expected, another hill was waiting for them as they emerged from the tunnel, this one high enough that Randidly would tentatively call it a mountain.

Both admired it for several seconds before Randidly spoke. “...then I suppose we will do it here. Let’s walk to the sign… and then we’ll get started.”