Congratulations! Your Skill the Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil (L) has grown to Level 190!

Congratulations! Your Skill the Emerald Sap of Yggdrasil (L) has grown to Level 199!

Wiping the blood on his hands off on his leather apron, Randidly nodded to the gracious patient and turned to face the figure that walked into the medical tent. Randidly had set up on the outskirts of the refugee camp and hadn’t made a secret of his location, so he had honestly been expecting someone much earlier. Kailm, the father of Illym and one of the two individuals who guarded the Fate armory, regarded Randidly solemnly in the well-lit tent.

He clearly came on official business.

Randidly beckoned Zauna and then nodded toward the entrance. “For a bit, don’t let anyone else into the clinic. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to continue.”

Zauna gave Randidly a look like she wished he would take a longer break to recover, and Randidly could only smile awkwardly in response; he had been working to heal the bodies and images of the fourteen thousand survivors for almost thirty hours straight since he had awoken in that tent. But despite her thoughts, Zauna kept her mouth shut and walked out of the tent.

Which is why I picked her as an assistant instead of Salazar...

Sighing, Randidly walked over to a basin of water and washed the remainder of blood off of his hands. It wasn’t even that Randidly was particularly knowledgeable about medicine. With the System, Randidly really didn’t have to me. But with his Skill Glittering Leaves of Yggdrasil, Randidly could rapidly heal wounds to images. Which was a feat that no other could manage at the scale he could handle.

For physical wounds, Randidly simply provided some of his own diluted blood as a powerful source of energy that the patient’s body could break down and use as fuel. The process made Randidly nervous at first, as the most common previous use for his blood was to make metal more structurally powerful, but after several patients ingested his blood without any negative side effects, Randidly just accepted it as a very versatile liquid.

Still, actions like this are a good way to imbue my image into my Aether to prepare to create more liquid Aether. Randidly reflected. Then he dried his hands almost instantly by conjuring a flash of emerald fire and turned to face Kailm. “I’m glad you made it out alive. I lost your position after the initial stages of the battle.”

Unspoken was the fact that Illym, Kailm’s daughter, had become an integral part of Randidly’s Ignition Essence image. For a second, Kailm seemed to struggle with that same truth. Yet in the end, both men remained silent.

When he finally spoke, Kailm simply looked tired. “...it was chaotic. I got caught in the initial noises of the Nether King and then had to retreat. But anyway, while you were working here, Lady Iellaya, as acting Supreme Commander of the frontlines, was able to establish communications with the military checkpoint and make a full report. Your work here is obviously important, but you should come to meet the messenger from headquarters. Although they are technically just a messenger… an Admiral of the Xyrt Brigade was dispatched. Which means either punishment or promotions are coming for all of us.”

Randidly clicked his tongue. “Admiral of the Xyrt Brigade…”

“It’s basically the equivalent of a Commander on a frontline,” Kailm shook his head. “But also, all Admirals possess power that’s not at all weaker than a Supreme Commander. That’s why the Xyrt Brigade possesses basically unmatched influence in the Nexus.”

Keeping his thoughts to himself, Randidly followed Kailm outside of the tent. Both men relied on their powerful bodies and images to leap up and cleanly escape the limits of the refugee camp, leaving the long line of injured behind them. When they landed, Kailm made a beeline for the Great Rift.

Perhaps became of the fact that Randidly had used the Skill Golden Roots of Yggdrasil fueled by a drop of liquid Aether at the location, Lady Iellaya’s camp continued to stubbornly stand. It jutted out over the edge of the Great Rift, even as the surrounding ground was weakened and destroyed by the influence of Nether.

Looks like a great base for a mad scientist, Randidly thought idly as the two approached it from the front. Precarious balance on the edge of a cliff that could collapse at any moment, hanging before a vast darkness filled with strange blue veins, constantly filled with the sounds of the ominous groaning of the ground beneath your feet and the humming of the mysterious sleep of the Nether King…

Randidly had made some quiet inquiries while he was healing patients and also mobilized his own Grim Intuition to study the remains of the Nether King. But after its energy had overwhelmed the weakened Ileot Swacc, it had been continued to continually summon more and denser Nether to create a cocoon around itself.

Some worried that this was just a prelude to another offensive when the Nether King had recovered, which was why the refugee camp had been moved quite a distance back away from the edge of the Great Rift. But at least for the moment, there was no aggression from the Nether King.

Very quickly, the two walked into the central courtyard and found several figures waiting for them there. When they arrived, Kailm split off from Randidly and joined Nadia against the far wall. Nadia nodded politely toward Randidly and then brought her focus back around the to central three figures.

Lady Iellaya stood on the right with her arms folded across her chest. When he entered, she instantly gave Randidly a pointed look that told him to behave. His lip curling upward, Randidly glanced casually at the figure on the left; it was a man who was vaguely familiar. After studying him for a while, Randidly belated realized he was the leader of Lord Miln’s expert troop. Honestly, Randidly was somewhat surprised that he had survived. Those troops had been right next to the Nether King when it had released the most damaging of its noises.

Finally, Randidly’s eyes settled on the middle figure. His skin was bright red and he possessed two tusks jutting out of his mouth. His uniform was black with silver trim, including several glimmering medals across his chest. Aside from that, it was the muscular man’s other teeth that caught Randidly’s attention. They were extremely large and blocky. As he smiled, Randidly could only see about four huge teeth both on the top and bottom of his jaw.

And you must be the Xyrt Brigade Admiral… Well he certainly makes my Grim Intuition tingle dangerously. Randidly rubbed his chin and glanced around. Then he walked over to join Vualla and the four other surviving Commanders who stood in a small group in front of the central three figures. Some of the other second in commands were scattered against the walls like Kailm and Nadia, intently focused on the Admiral of the Xyrt Brigade.

“If everyone is here, let’s begin,” The Admiral spoke in a deep, rumbling voice. He flicked his hand and an ornate scroll manifested there. With extreme gentleness, he unfurled the scroll and began to read. “After studying the various reports and memorandums filed, the Nexus Imperial Command has decided on the following resolutions to deal with the aftermath of the attack by the Nether King on the Forefather Frontline.

“Number one, having given his life for the Nexus, Lord Erron Miln, as represented of all the deceased, will be honored as a hero. Over the next hundred years, his homeworld will receive a triple tithe of Aether…”

Even as the Admiral continued to speak, Randidly’s Grim Intuition didn’t miss the way that Lady Iellaya abruptly became completely still. As though she was forcefully suppressing the urge to flinch. Shaking his head at the injustice, Randidly turned back to idly listen to the rest of the scroll.

Thankfully, there were only eight resolutions so the reading didn’t last very long. Most of it had to do with the restructuring of the forces here at the frontlines. Randidly was rather gratified when he heard resolution six: that Lady Jesse Iellaya be named Supreme Commander of this battlefront.

However, the next two resolutions left Randidly’s face creased in a worried frown.

“Number seven, in reward of their exemplary performance in the above-mentioned battle, the following individuals are promoted to Commander: Davis Sala, Quea Szah, and Randidly Ghosthound. Per Nexus regulations for ad-hoc battlefield promotions, all of their remaining sentences at the frontlines will be adjusted to five years, regardless of their current duty.”

“Number eight, Vualla Meteo will be transferred from this, the Forefathers Frontline, to the Inverted Spire to receive probationary training for the Xyrt Brigade. And if there is nothing further, you are all dismissed.”

Without waiting for any answer, the Admiral left. Lord Miln’s second followed soon after, seemingly pleased. A few of the other Commanders that had previously never given Randidly the time of day walked over to him and offered him their congratulations. He received them politely but kept giving Lady Iellaya sidelong glares.

This is NOT what we agreed on… spending five more years here? Even if it would greatly strengthen my images, the Earth will definitely encounter its first Calamity by then!

But Randidly could tell from Lady Iellaya’s expression that there was more going on that met the eye. So Randidly kept silent about his true feelings until the rest of the individuals who had been present in the courtyard departed. A half-hour after the eight resolutions had been read aloud to the remaining powerful individuals on the front line, Lady Iellaya, Vualla, and Randidly were alone in the fort. Without having to say anything, all three walked up the rickety wooden stairs to the still slightly lopsided battlement.

For several seconds after they arrived, all three-eyed the drifting blue veins suspiciously. Then they followed the movements of the Xyrt Brigade Admiral as he cautiously flew out into the Great Rift to investigate the strange, swirling Nether around the inert Nether King.

Finally, Randidly coughed lightly.

To his surprise, it was Vualla that sighed. “...this one’s my fault, sorry Randidly. But I truly think it will be worth it.”

Frowning, Randidly asked, “What do you mean?”

This time, Lady Iellaya spoke up. “Your girlfriend wanted to keep the body of Ileot Swacc. He’s not dead, simply… well, you should take a look at it later. Heh, the duplicated Vualla really did a number on him. But the headquarters certainly doesn’t believe that we don’t know where the body of Ileot is. So using a battlefield promotion to lock us into five years of mandatory service can be considered our punishment.”

Then Lady Iellaya gestured to Vualla. “Of course, the real irony is that Vualla here is under no suspicion whatsoever. She wasn’t seen heading to the final battlefield like both of us were. So she’s even being groomed to be a member of the Xyrt Brigade.”

“...but I can’t serve this term,” Randidly said blankly. “I need to get back to Earth as quickly as possible. Maybe I could stay here for a few more months but beyond that… Lady Iellaya, can you use your authority to do something about it?”

“Relax, I won’t let it come to that,” Vualla reached out and squeezed Randidly’s hand. “The whole reason that I need Ileot’s body is so that I can replace the original Vualla’s body at the core of the overlay System. Once she’s freed, she will be able to dismiss us from military service directly. It shouldn’t take more than six months to handle the transition.”

Randidly blinked slowly as he began to unpack what that would mean. Freeing up the original Vualla…?

But before he came to grips with that news, Lady Iellaya chuckled. “Besides, you’re a Commander now, Randidly Ghosthound; did you think you couldn’t take a vacation?”