After speaking, the Ghosthound turned and walked quickly away in the direction of the Lancers’ camp. Jieu Ronault followed their leader’s movements with focused eyes. Although he was still clearly their Head Drill Sergeant, the aura he revealed was completely different than he had possessed in the past.

Something had changed.

Part of it was that his one image was particularly suppressed, but also… the Ghosthound now seemed intimately connected with the natural world. It had always struck Jieu as strange that he chose not to wear any sort of foot covering, but now that choice seemed entirely natural. The figure of Randidly Ghosthound lived and breathed nature. That almost carnal vibe to his person only added to his strength.

Somehow, he had embedded himself in the environmental forces of existence. As a flame element, Jieu was exceedingly curious about such a capability. The more he learned about the Ghosthound, the more curious he became.

But for the moment, Jieu stopped examining Randidly Ghosthound and looked at Raymund Ballast who had stepped up in front of them. From the determination that radiated off of his tall and robust body, it was clear that Raymund took this challenge very seriously. Jieu wondered at that fact. He wished to join the expedition to prove his worth, yet there was something extremely personal about the set of Raymund’s shoulders.

Apparently, it wasn’t just Jieu’s acute senses that picked Raymund’s reaction up because Charlotte spoke softly to the Foxman. “You… clearly have some personal stake in this. But you should also recognize the value of this opportunity for all of us. We can seize that chance. You might not have witnessed it, but our combination attack is overwhelming. We can help Randidly-”

“Demonstrate such overwhelming capability. For me. Now.” Raymund growled as he adopted a fighting stance. His eyes were so intense that it was difficult to meet his gaze for an extended period of time.

Charlotte looked at her two companions. Jieu shrugged, unperturbed. Vizzeret barred his teeth, radiating a clear intent to prove himself against the Vulpine’s blatant threat. As the three seemed to be united in their desires, they mobilized their own images and prepared for battle.

Charlotte’s Primal Spirit raised its antlered head and glared at Raymund. Vital energy flowed in the air around its body. Vizzeret raised his head and howled, his Obsidian Wolf condensing behind him. From the earlier battles, the Obsidian Wolf had become increasingly streamlined, to the point that the sharp contours of its body gleamed with murderous intent as it stared over at Raymund.

Releasing a breath, Jieu reached into the depths of his soul and stoked the azure and black starfire that formed his core. Although there wasn’t an extremely obvious change, the flames of his body grew thicker and more vibrant. The three images swirled together, manifesting in the same space with none of the rejection of normal images. The three had improved their ability to cooperate earlier today, gaining a powerful advantage on any battlefield. Their energies freely twined together and released a palpable pressure.

Raymund just waited, a baleful light in his eyes. He didn’t manifest any image. He would clearly give them the first strike.

Vizzeret roared and gladly took that honor. His explosive acceleration had him cross the distance between him and Raymund in only a second. As he did so, he was howling, “Obsidian Fang!”

Charlotte moved quickly as a follow-up, releasing several pulses of life energy that strengthened and empowered Vizzeret and Jieu. Their combined pressure thickened. A green light clung to both the Obsidian Wolf and around Jieu’s flames. For his part, Jieu flicked his hand out and threw out several Starfire Bombs that hovered in the air around Raymund. The attack wasn’t very accurate, but as long as Raymund was hasty in his escape, he would trigger a Starfire Bomb and come to regret it.

Yet Raymund’s movements were unexpected. He simply reached forward with one hand and grasped at Vizzeret. And as he grasped forward, both the hovering figure of the Obsidian Wolf and all of Vizzeret’s momentum vanished. Then Raymund turned and seized the air, ripping away the waves of invigorating life that Charlotte’s Primal Force released. Finally and still casually, he reached up and seized the Starfire Bombs.

All of their mobilized images vanished, leaving the battlefield in a strange and silent state.

However, Jieu noticed that there was a change to Raymund. Behind him, above his three tails of flesh, blood, and fur, there were three new, spectral tails. One gleamed obsidian, one glowed with a soft green light, and the final had the hint of flickering starfire. These spectral tails flicked back and forth, behaving exactly like his normal tails.

But those spectral appendages gave Jieu a bad feeling. Can he…?

Raymund sighed and shook his head in the face of his three shocked subordinates. “Such a lesson with be brutal for you three, but it is a necessary reminder. And also… perhaps you should take my response as a sign of your ability. Truly, this attack… is quite powerful, in the right hands.”

As he said so, he raised his arms and the light from his three spectral tails dimmed. All that stolen energy began to congregate in his hand. He looked at the three of them with a peaceful expression. Then he opened his mouth and spoke a phrase that sent chills down their spine because they were the ones that invented that very Skill. “Jaws of the Primal Starbeast.”

*****

While Raymund took care of his overzealous subordinates, Randidly walked over to meet with the Lancers. They quickly formed up into neat rows when he approached, but Randidly’s ability to read emotions had grown quite a bit from when he had originally created the Riders. The rigid rows were an overcompensation for their nerves. In addition, their most recent evolution meant that they possessed a much higher degree of independence.

Beyond even the growth of their mounts and the weapons they wielded, the Lancers could now possess very different personalities. So as Randidly examined them all, he could feel the confusion and seething undercurrents of unrest amongst them.

Which was exactly why Randidly had come here; he planned to address the change before things could develop out of control.

“...as you are undoubtedly aware, our relationship has shifted,” Randidly began slowly. Over a thousand Lancers looked over him uneasily as he spoke. “Before, you were my summons; existences that depended on me for life and energy. That reliance has waned as you have grown stronger, but a thread of energy tied us together. With the most recent evolution… it is now possible to sever that binding.”

An imperceptible shiver ran through the Lancers. For the first time in their existence, these Lancers possessed fear about their own futures. They realized abruptly that now that such a binding was isolated, Randidly Ghosthound could cast them aside if he wished. After living as part of a collective for so long, even the most independent amongst the collective felt existential dread when they realized they might someday be alone.

To walk along on your Path requires experiencing loneliness, but it also fuels growth. Randidly reflected rather sadly. I need to strike before that fear begins to warp them in unwanted ways…

Randidly cleared his throat. “I want to reassure you that this ability is only held by you; I cannot sever the connection between us from my end. Only you hold the reins to your future.”

A wave of relief swept through the assembled Lancers just as the shiver had gone through them. But privately, Randidly could only shake his head in resignation. It seems like none of you understand how much harder it is to have control in situations like this. The temptation will always be there, in the back of your mind. Well, you will soon learn…

One of the Lancers stepped forward, the leader of the Legion of Impenetrable Bulwark, who rode armored rhinos. He bowed. “Rest assured, my liege, that if any Lancer dares defy you, we will hunt them down-”

“Thank you for your enthusiasm,” Randidly said with a soft smile, “But I am here to tell you to do exactly the opposite. Going alone is difficult enough without fearing the repercussions of your former family… So don’t hunt down those that decide to go on their own. In fact, please support them when you can, when it doesn’t detract from your own mission. Don’t forget that you come from the same source… and also don’t forget that although the severing is permanent, I can always use capable helpers. You can follow me, even as an independent being.”

The leader of the Legion of the Impenetrable Bulwark looked at Randidly in shock. From the expressions on the other Lancers, it was clear that they also didn’t expect this sort of generous attitude from Randidly.

Even the Eagle Lancer, who stood a little bit off at the head of a group of the 100 or so Lancers with unique growth Paths, who Randidly privately believed would be the first of the group to split off, seemed bewildered by Randidly’s reaction.

Randidly just smiled at them all. Ah… is this the feeling of growing older? In terms of time this body has experienced… with the shaft, it’s been almost ten years within the System. That makes me… thirty-two? Heh. I’ve got the Vulpis Squad and now my Lancers to guide…

Shaking his head, Randidly dismissed those pointless thoughts. Instead, he looked around once more and got to the point of his visit. “And the reason I am here today… is to ask if any of you would like to go independent. I’m probably going to anger some powerful factions in the recent future. Following me will become increasingly dangerous; these people will definitely seek revenge. Only now by having unilateral control lives will you understand what you stand to lose by your association with me. If you want to separate yourself from me… you had best do it now.”

“A Lancer would NEVER back down in your time of need, my Liege!” The leader of the Legion of Moist Bounds urged his mount to hop forward with a self-righteous expression on his face. “To do so would be to cast aside all honor-”

“Enough,” Randidly said quietly. “Are my words so light that you can hear them and ignore them? Don’t look down on those who go alone. Each of you Lancers are now individuals; you have your own concerns.”

The leader of the Legion of Moist Bounds blinked rapidly. Perhaps if they had this conversation had occurred in the future, the Lancer would have been filled with embarrassment and hidden fury. Likely the Lancer would have buried that reaction, but it might have festered there. But at the moment, all these independent emotions were too fresh. The Lancer could only look at Randidly with the hopeless regret of a misbehaving puppy, all instinct and shame.

Randidly walked forward and put his hand on the Lancer’s shoulder. “A childhood friend of mine once told me something very wise that I’ll share with you now: never combine being assured in your own decision with being dismissive of another’s. Live your own life to the fullest and respect the decisions of your fellows…

“Which brings me back to my main point.” Randidly turned away from the frog-riding Lancer and looked across the assembled ranks in front of the Lancers. “Does anyone wish to become independent?”

By heading off the issue, Randidly hoped both to speed up the shift in the emotional maturity of the Lancers and also keep the peace between them. Especially since Randidly wasn’t sure how dueling for Fangs would work once one became independent, creating an amicable relationship between the groups was important.

Even if he took steps to prevent it, Randidly believed the chances of him being able to prevent any Lancers from cutting ties with him was small. As long as there was a Path, there was always going to be someone who followed it.

The Lancers in front of him shifted uncomfortably and looked at the ground in front of them. But they were clearly monitoring their surroundings, waiting to see if there was anyone who would dare to abandon their liege. Even if Randidly had made his attitude clear, he couldn’t force the Lancers to be friendly toward someone who abandoned their creator; with the evolution of the Skill, he had lost that capability.

Randidly glanced over toward the Eagle Lancer. But even that individual had a tense expression on his face and only looked at the ground. It seemed it was a bit too early. Randidly sighed inwardly and turned away from his Lancers. But just as he had refocused, someone spoke up behind him.

“If… if it’s really alright…” Randidly paused and turned around to see that a Lancer really had stepped forward. “Then… I would like to be independent, Liege- err, sir.”

Randidly blinked. The Lancer in front of him wasn’t one of the leaders of the various Legions or one of the unique growth paths. He was just a normal Lancer from Legion of Marching Cadence, whose mounts most closely resembled camels. The camel huffed out a breath, staring blankly ahead while its Lancer squirmed.

“But I do have a request,” The Lancer continued. He reached up and scratched his cheek. “Can I… have a job?”