The Frost Matriarch was about to respond to her precious disciple’s snarky remark when the heavy-figured frost giant had to pause and look out the open archways at the tundra. Her massive mouth closed and twitched. This young man certainly knows how to try an old woman’s patience...

BOOOOOOOOM!

RUMMMMBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEE!

A monstrous wave of snow blasted from the distant spot where Randidly Ghosthound was currently training, tearing a vast gap into the polar ice cap beneath their feet and unleashed a surface level wave that rushed toward the Frost Matriarch’s base. Sighing inwardly, she flicked her hand. A wall of ice rose swiftly out of the ground and functioned as a surf break to keep this phenomenon from lapping up onto her very doorstep.

The defensive structure rose quickly, soon blocking the phenomenon completely from the Frost Matriarch’s vision. But to her surprise, the admittedly hastily erected wall buckled and shattered when Randidly’s snow tidal wave slammed into it. The whole thing collapsed in a flour-y explosion of snow and ice, winds howling in every direction as the force dispersed. Discretely, the Frost Matriarch tapped her massive foot against the ground and sent a pulse of chill through the floor to the base of the glacier on which her base was situated.

Her image rushed toward, chilling the tear that the young man had created with his blow. And with that image, she added a hint of Perception.

And she was glad that she did; the Ghosthound had used enough force to generate several hairline cracks in the massive image core that she had left at the base to maintain the whole flotilla. Obviously, her image was robust enough to withstand attacks from other images, but it was rather irksome that this young man had managed to bludgeon it physically into submission over the past few hours.

Not that his training was truly a disturbance. And it wasn’t difficult to heal the damage he created, just that the constant noise and vibrations were a little obnoxious. Plus, it rankled her pride that it took an active image from her to suppress his physical force. Just leaving an imprint within the deepest depths of the ice wasn’t enough.

Still, she could begrudgingly admit that this situation wasn’t exactly surprising. If the Frost Matriarch could leave an image imprint as strong as the one her Willpower could wield, she would be only a hair away from the Pinnacle. She would have stepped into the realm of the Speculum.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A new plume of shattered ice and snow billowed upward. But at least this time, the shockwave wasn’t aimed in their direction. It simply filled the sky with a glittering kaleidoscope of ice.

“Seems like he’s having fun,” Claudette Beigon chuckled and leaned back in her chair.

The Frost Matriarch allowed a sour expression to briefly warp her face. Then she shrugged and smiled. “You were right. A casual request from Randidly Ghosthound… isn’t a simple thing at all. The sort of force that he’s generating with just his body and a little bit of a middling image… is probably enough to destroy a continent. With time, he will grow strong.”

“Have you noticed the sounds of cracking ice are getting louder, too?” Claudette teased as she gestured out through the archways. “At this rate, we are going to sink into the sea after a few more hours!”

The Frost Matriarch could only chortle at that. When the Ghosthound had asked for some space to practice using his altered body, she hadn’t thought anything of the request. Now, two days later, she was inwardly very thankful that there were only three days left until Seeker Dusk Jackal would come seeking a duel.

Then the devastation this humanoid left in his wake would be someone else's problem. Hopefully, the Dusk Jackal would beat some sense into him.

The Frost Matriarch pressed her hands together and readjusted her mindset, studying the slight tilt of Claudette’s face and her immaculately polished armor. “...he is beyond impressive, surely, with surprising a surprising depth of capabilities. But… an image refinement should not be undertaken casually, and more than even your own accomplishments, the capability of the Sculptor is paramount. Considering that his achievements in images are only a bit above your own… I cannot support this decision of yours.”

“But it’s still my decision, isn’t it?” Claudette smiled sweetly and batted her eyelashes. But there was a definite fragility to the current cheer that Claudette displayed.

The Frost Matriarch examined her student very carefully and then snorted. “I’m not one of your suitors mooning after you, Claudette; your charm is worthless here. And haven’t I been the one enduring the ire of your father by arguing that you are ready for your first image refinement? Should the outcome… fall below expectations, I will be blamed. Your choice it may be, but you must acknowledge the consequences.”

“So petty,” Claudette wrinkled her nose and clicked her tongue. But while the young woman acted out the small facial tantrum, the Frost Matriarch just continued to stare at her pupil. A rumble came again from the Ghosthound’s practice, sending delicate ripples through the tea on the table between the two women.

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They hadn’t touched their cups in quite some time.

As the Frost Matriarch knew that she would, Claudette soon relented her play-acting and revealed a strained expression. Her pupil looked… tired. “I believe… I’ve run out of time. Father has achieved his third Mille. In six months, he will be throwing a grand party to flaunt that accomplishment before the entirety of the Nexus. At the time… the protections he has extended to me will expire. To earn an extra boost toward the Pinnacle…” Claudette waved her hand vaguely at her body. She licked her lips. “...he is willing to pay any price.”

The Frost Matriarch couldn’t decide what sort of expression to show her pupil. Inwardly, she sighed. Very few individuals in the Nexus had achieved even a single Mille, so to have reached the point of possessing three… Both the ambitions and the resolve of Senior Beigon ran very deep.

RUMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEE!

The Frost Matriarch raised her gaze and gestured again to create another ice wall to block the reverberations from the Ghosthound’s training. Then she turned back to the discussion with a sense of urgency. “You fear that none of the more established Sculptors will agree to assist with your image refinement, either because they risk offending your father or because they wish to dominate you themselves… so you gamble. This I can understand. But it would still be better to choose someone with a more powerful image to be your Sculptor.”

Claudette, still with that empty expression on her face, shrugged. “Is it not you who told me that image potency and Sculpting talent are not correlated? There are many powerful Pinnacle Seekers who would be a disaster in an image refinement. Would you allow Seeker Dusk Jackal to go mucking around in my head?”

“But all of the truly revered Sculptors possess powerful images,” The Frost Matriarch countered.

“Which is why it’s a gamble,” Claudette agreed. Then some of her cheer crept back into the expression. “Honestly, the thought of using him hadn’t even occurred to me… but you know, the strangest thing happened yesterday. That viper Neshamah sent me a message. Very discretely, tucked inside other distracting tidbits, she was inquiring about the current location of Randidly Ghosthound and whether I could facilitate communication between the two of them. How queer, yes? That this man caught the eyes of the Rex Family.”

The Frost Matriarch coughed lightly. “Well, we cannot deny that his body shape seems efficient in action. All beings have needs. Perhaps you have… misinterpreted the nature of Neshamah Rex’s interest.”

Claudette simply rolled her eyes; she didn’t dignify that comment with a response.

A few seconds later, Claudette grinned again, but now the expression was genuine. “Besides, that strangeness is a double-edged sword. Who knows? He might even refuse to help.”

*****

“ARRRRRRGGGGHHHHH!”

Helen stumbled backward and Randidly lowered his spear, breathing out two thin streams of steam from his nose. The remnant particles of Helen’s shattered new Domain drifted toward the ground and disintegrated in the next moment. The shuddering ice beneath their feet gradually calmed down after they ceased their violent movements.

Helen managed to regain her balance and opened her mouth to snap off something waspish at Randidly but blanched as she did so. She turned away from him and vomited out her breakfast very visibly on the white ground. Small chunks slid with rather grotesque permanence across the slippery surface.

Randidly rolled his shoulders, trying to appear empathetic to her plight while also relishing his newly acquired comfort in his body. Behind him, his elongated tail flicked back and forth, tasting the surrounding air currents. His bare feet on the ice felt grounded and powerful.

After realizing both Expira and the Alpha Cosmos had experienced time dilation, Randidly had spent a few hours investigating the phenomenon. He talked to both Wendy and Tatiana, both discretely, but honestly, the worlds were managing well enough without his interference. Relieved, Randidly went back and contacted the whole of the Alpha Cosmos Pantheon.

Compared to the time dilation, he was more concerned about the delay and shift in the Calamity. Randidly almost wanted to call the whole thing off to try and prevent any more loss of life but had taken the time to sample the emotions and images of Expira. Even after only five years, he could feel soft spots of complacency beginning to emerge, even in his personally crafted Kharon.

With a heavy heart, Randidly decided to allow the Pantheon to proceed as they saw fit; he washed his hands of the matter and returned to his own concerns. Right now, that meant getting used to his body.

Helen finally managed to control her stomach and twisted around to gaze hatefully at him. “You fucking did that on purpose!”

“Well obviously,” Randidly couldn’t resist a chuckle. “Aren’t we sparring? Why would I just let you empower your Domain?”

“You-!!!” Helen hissed. She was clenching her fists so tightly on her spear shaft that her arms were trembling and her shoulders heaved. Her eyes were slightly red-rimmed as she struggled to find the words to express her dissatisfaction.

Randidly smiled blandly. It had taken him a few hours to get used to fighting with the tail, but apparently, the Grim Chimera had adjusted his instincts when it had made the physical changes to his person; contrary to his assumptions, the adjustment process was entirely natural. After he felt confident, he accepted Helen’s demands to spar as a way to raise the stakes of his acclimation.

Randidly fought without using any images or Skills, but it still quickly became more about training Helen than testing his own limits. And from experience, Randidly knew that the best way to encourage her to develop was to crush her, over and over again. That lit the enviable kind of stubborn fire in Helen’s chest that Randidly had seen in few people other than himself.

“Grrr….” Helen snarled at his unapologetic expression, but then visibly controlled herself and sucked in a deep breath. When she spoke again, it was through gritted teeth. “Well… one more time then…”

Randidly shook his head. “I’d like to, but you should take some time to recover first. I need to go see about stealing away a planet.”