Well, I suppose it is reassuring that this impudent whelp didn’t completely waste his time while shirking his military duties… Commandant Wick thought as he swept his eyes across the standing form of Randidly Ghosthound. His subordinate now stood in front of him with his arms behind his back, as was proper. It seemed the boy planned on pretending that his deeply troubling behavior hadn’t even occurred.

In the right circumstances, sure. If there was another faction here, they would ignore such trivialities.

But now they were alone, standing at the edges of the Ghosthound’s territory. There had been no explanation offered as to why he was away, aside from training. So Wick truly had been kept away just due to convenience for the boy’s training. And Wick did not like being made to wait.

For now, Commandant Wick would allow his subordinate to maintain this foolish self-delusion. They had bigger fish to fry. And as he noted earlier, the Ghosthound now possessed a much greater influence over his own aura. Standing in front of Randidly now, it was almost impossible to detect either shape or emotional reverberations; he had brought his wild heart under control during his brief absence.

Honestly, considering how little respect the Ghosthound had shown Wick was quite obnoxious in combination with his calm demeanor.

Perhaps observing me inspired him, Commandant Wick reflected while he frowned over at the kid. Because otherwise, it was difficult to think of how the boy could have generated such significant progress with his images since he had last seen him. Perhaps he had gone to a Dungeon, but this wasn’t an area where a year or two made much difference. Even a decade might not be enough to address such weaknesses.

Pursing his lips, Commandant Wick upped the pressure he released. Some of the tight reins that he maintained over his own image were released, allowing the distorted core to squeeze the surrounding space. The nearby dirt ground was blasted clean by his image’s intensity. The Ghosthound’s eyes tightened, but otherwise, he displayed no outward recognition of the increasing pressure.

A good chess piece, Commandant Wick felt avarice in his heart as he looked at the Ghosthound’s stoic expression and strong posture, but he knew that now was a time to wait. He once more veiled his inner distortion and cleared his throat. He would give him one more chance to apologize. “Do you have anything to say for yourself? Abandoning your post in a time of war sets a dangerous precedent. It is… difficult to feel assured giving you responsibility when this is the way you behave.”

The Ghosthound lowered his gaze, still saying nothing. Wick noted that the man’s control over his emotions had also improved, but he was confident that he could still read the inexperienced young man. This silence was much different than the prior, repentant silences. More was hidden beneath the surface. The Commandant smirked. It is good to know the boy still knows shame. Still, perhaps a little more of a threat is necessary.

“If I find you have committed a similar sin in the future… you will return to find that annoying subordinate of yours’ head waiting for you on a spike.” Commandant Wick growled. “I will not tolerate insubordination. Have I made myself clear?”

Randidly lowered his head further. The Commandant nodded in satisfaction. His body language displayed weakness. It seemed that the Commandant’s insight was spot on. Although calm on the surface, the young man was engulfed in complex emotions.

Still, it was not as though the powerful Commandant was without empathy. His expression eased somewhat as he looked at the young man. “It is understandable that you would crave power. Only with power can you protect those things that are important to you. And… I assume you have heard the news about your home planet.”

This time, the Ghosthound looked upward. Although there were no reverberations in the air, his eyes were extremely focused. Just below the surface, the Commandant could feel the emotions seething like a sea of fire.

Good. You aren’t a weakling. Craving vengeance is just the in I need in my chess pieces.

With a practiced air, Commandant Wick baited the hook and tossed it out into the waters. “Although you are technically free to do as you will after you finish training the recruits, if you wish, I can arrange for you to be part of my deployment force. We need capable commanders. Channel that aggression, young man, and someday you will be a true force in the Nexus. No one will dare humiliate you… ever again.”

Then, at a thought, Commandant Wick tilted his head to the side and turned away. As long as he started the process of reeling the Ghosthound in, these visits wouldn’t be a waste of time. The situation at the frontlines was hectic, but mostly because the Commandant wasn’t given the freedom to do as he wished. Other independent forces in the Nexus were using the deployment date for the recruits to bind him to just defending until them. This allowed the others to gather their own forces in the hopes of contributing to the war effort.

They were fools, to allow a wound to fester like this. But since the rot had already taken hold, the Commandant already had some plots to sever puss-filled limbs when the house-cleaning began.

While here, Wick inquired blandly. “How goes the training of the recruits? I hope your own improvement doesn’t come at the cost of the troops.”

The Ghosthound smiled. “I believe you will be pleasantly surprised on that front, sir. You can look forward to the final Drill Sergeant Challenge.”

******

The antlered Nether Gatekeeper was stunned by the color and texture of his surroundings. He had originally planned to remain at the spot where he had been released by his savior, but the terrain around him was too new and brilliant. The grainy sensation of the orange dirt, the sharp and proud ridges of the mountain, the warm feeling of sunlight on his skin… the Nether Gatekeeper was completely blown away. As it had spent its entire existence within the darkness of the shaft, the surroundings overstimulated him very quickly.

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The Gatekeeper trembled from simply standing in this place.

Hours relentlessly passed and the hot sun gradually cooled and sank toward the horizon. Curious where the sun was going, the Nether Gatekeeper rapidly climbed up the stone ridges until he reached the top. There he stopped next to a strange archway and looked with glazed eyes toward the horizon. The sky was filled with a smattering of clouds and they were dipped in gold as the sun gradually set. And below him the land slope down to a vast bowl that stretched as far as the eye could see.

The whole world seemed to be laid out in front of the Nether Gatekeeper. Below him was a lush plain dotted with lakes that shimmered with ethereal light. At the behest of some hidden instinct in his chest, tears flowed from his eyes.

This was why he had struggled. This was why he had refused to surrender and allow himself to be devoured by the darkness below, which was the fate of all the Nether Gatekeepers born in that place.

This moment was the most beautiful thing the Nether Gatekeeper had ever experienced. In his heart, the Nether Gatekeeper held a deep reverence for his savior, but this place cemented that position and began rapidly to raise the figure of Randidly Ghosthound toward something near the tier of a deity. Because who else but a deity could have access to this land of wonders…?

As the sun gradually set, the Nether Gatekeeper drank in the surroundings with every sense he could muster, still trembling. Meanwhile, his significance rapidly accumulated. In the past, his Nether Core had been writ with the desperate desire to survive and escape the place of its birth, where so many of his fellows still remained. But now the Nether Gatekeeper had accomplished that task. A sense of warm fulfillment bubbled up within his body.

Energy circulated rapidly through his Nether Core. The long worn paths of the energy flows gradually began to change; the previous significance had been accomplished. Now it was time for Nether Gatekeeper to advance to a new form.

It was only a matter of discovering his new purpose.

However, this process was an unconscious one. After all, the Nether Gatekeeper was now completely consumed by his observation of the natural phenomenon of the Alpha Cosmos at the moment. His eyes constantly drank down the natural beauty of this place, seeking higher meaning within the vast wilderness around him.

Still, his attention was eventually dragged away by movement from the archway next to him. As the sun neared the horizon, a sparkling wave of white light ran across the arch. Then a swirling vortex of white and green energy formed in the middle of the edifice.

The Nether Gatekeeper looked at this new phenomenon with the same fascination with which he had regarded the sunset. In addition, he reasoned that this place was truly a wonderland, so there was no need to worry overmuch about his own safety. He could sense that this energy posed no threat to him. So he walked forward and stretched his hand out to touch the energy.

When the Nether Gatekeeper’s dusky fingers brushed against that energy, a bridge was built between two distant and intertwined orbs of energy. The Nether Gatekeeper’s senses could detect the profound simplicity in the arrangement. Then there was a wrenching sense of disorientation and suddenly the Nether Gatekeeper felt itself being teleported to somewhere else.

His first response was one of horrified guilt. Had it transgressed the orders of his savior and been punished…?!?! If this movement returned him to the Abyss-

But then the Nether Gatekeeper looked around. The surroundings were different, yes, but he was still standing at the top of a mountain range. Stone and rock formed the majority of the surroundings. But the air in this place was very different. Not only was it chillier, but there were gorgeous white particles drifting down from a grey sky. With wonder in his eyes, the Nether Gatekeeper raised a hand and grasped one of the particles in his hand.

He studied it closely and noticed it was some sort of frozen crystal. As he held it, the crystal grew insubstantial and disintegrated. The Nether Gatekeeper was left with a wet palm.

He looked up at the sky with an even more solemn expression. The entire surroundings were filled with these transient white particles that drifted toward the ground. Gusts of wind sent them spiraling in confusing movements. The whole world around the Nether Gatekeeper was in constant motion. Somehow, it made him think that the sky was dancing gracefully down around him.

Yet in the middle of his wonder, the Nether Gatekeeper felt panic once again; the white and green light had left the archway. He hurried forward, but simply passed through the mundane air without any wondrous change in location this time. The bridge had disappeared.

Even more alarming was the massive shifting body on a nearby peak. An enormous, scaled azure dragon raised its head to stare fixedly at the Nether Gatekeeper. Some small amount of those frozen crystals had been hiding its presence and now as it moved those fell away to reveal the monster’s bulk. Feeling the threat that such a being presented, the Nether Gatekeeper clenched his fists. But a split second later, he remembered the words of his savior.

Try not to cause trouble or fight anyone.

The azure dragon raised its long neck toward the sky and roared. Then its spread its enormous wings, each one stretching five meters outward, and flexed its limbs to release several powerful gusts of wind. Each gesture blasted away the white crystals in the surrounding air. The Nether Gatekeeper brought its arms defensively near its chest and lowered its head. Energy cracked through its dusk colored antlers.

It was clear that this strange beast was the domineering ruler of this area just from its aura. But the Nether Gatekeeper planned on following its savior's words. He would just attempt to defend itself in the face of this single threat-

At the same moment that the azure dragon threw its body off of the peak to glide toward the Nether Gatekeeper, there were several disturbances in the nearby clouds. Scaled bodies cut through the slate-grey clouds. Blood began to drain from the Nether Gatekeeper’s face as it saw that four more enormous azure dragons began circling around this location.

Perhaps the reason that the savior told me not to wander was because of threats like this… The Nether Gatekeeper sighed. After escaping the Great Abyss… I foolishly let down my guard… Ah, savior, I’m so sorry…

Rather than striking the Nether Gatekeeper immediately, it seemed like the azure dragon intended on playing with its food. With his senses that were sharpened by the Great Abyss, the Nether Gatekeeper clearly felt the emotions of this beast in front of it: it exuded an almost childish combination of excitement and anticipation as it approached.

Perhaps it had been a while since it had a satisfying meal.

It crashed down in front of the Nether Gatekeeper, cracking the ground with its weight. The long claws of its legs gouged deep divots into the ground. It beat its wings several times and then folded its wings against its sides. While its body remained still, the dragon’s long neck undulated further until it was only a few meters away from the Nether Gatekeeper. Then a growl emerged from deep in its throat.

Then… it spat to the side a large glob of phlegm. The dragon turned its eyes back to the Nether Gatekeeper and spoke in a rumbling voice. “Hello, sir. Would you like to hear about our lord and savior, Randidly Ghosthound?”