“Fuck…!” The word growled itself out of Randidly’s throat as he felt the ground beneath him shudder and crack. His impact had destabilized this former portion of Nrorce’s world, pushing it to the brink of annihilation. Now the natural tectonic tension was providing the final push. Which left Randidly infuriated by the methods that the Nexus used but also filled with scalding shame that he had been so incensed that he callously smashed into the ground and set this landmass on the path of destruction.

Hot, pure anger pumped through his veins, circulating with the Nether.

Hissing, Randidly reached out and gripped the entire planet with his Willpower. Vines and roots sprang up from the core of this world, rapidly growing from tiny bits of calcified bacteria that resonated with Randidly’s potent Mana. In the next instant, the tremors of the ground ceased as Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil squeezed everything together.

Yet Randidly looked down at the fallen, mummified goblin before him with a bleak expression. He swayed slightly. No matter how tightly I grasp… will I really be able to supply Mana to these roots forever? Because otherwise…

Because anything less than forever would mean nothing to the dead.

Randidly’s sigh was explosive. He reached up and rubbed his eyes with the butt of his right hand. Then he shook his head, releasing the domineering Skill. His Nether Core hummed in sympathy, its own significance aching with the act.

Gradually, the shuddering cracks resumed; this moon would soon tear itself to pieces.

Randidly knew that there was no meaning to his actions here, nor his unwillingness to make this place the basis for Expira’s Calamity. He even doubted whether Nrorce would take it personally that Randidly had accidentally destroyed a moon covered in the ruins of his planet and people. So none of his decisions mattered and he could do nothing to redress this tragedy.

And that sense of impotency was what left Randidly feeling frustrated. He activated Hallucination of the Bloodless Heart again to float away from the crumbling moon. Those corpse-filled houses buckled as the ridges beneath them collapsed and shattered. The bodies were obliterated. Randidly floated then for a while in the darkness of space, twisting through the air.

He took a breath and then released it. Only after his emotions had calmed somewhat did he turn and examine the surrounding space for other options.

Only by focusing on his current goal could he calm his fluttering heart. The preparation became the cure and his lifeline.

Randidly eventually settled on a massive asteroid as the home of Expira’s First Calamity. The size of the hunk of metal and stone was massive but much smaller than a normal planet. Still, it should suit their purposes fine. There would be the main base, but otherwise, the Nemesai just needed an area to house the monsters they would use to attack Expira. The barren and rocky surface would be perfect for such a role.

With a little work, the asteroid could be riddled with a complex network of tunnels too.

Randidly’s tail flicked side to side, the tip leaving a trail of Nether in its wake. Randidly raised both his hands and unspooled the accumulated Nether out through his limbs. When his aura was completely soaked in Nether, he began to weave.

Organic Systems… the strongest pillars strengthened by necessity… the stickiness of two flows of Nether running against each other… The insights Randidly had into the behavior of Nether swirled around in his mind. He settled into a strange balance: his hands were responsible for the flow of Nether, but it was his tail that guided the detail. Gradually, a growing blanket of Nether spread out before him. It undulated mysteriously, guided by the purpose of its making.

Congratulation! Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual (L) has grown to Level 371!

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 346!

Once Randidly had the template, the making was actually quite simple. He generated Nether and wove it into simple patterns that naturally flowed together into more complex systems. The blanket grew larger and larger, a hazy barrier that starting edging around the enormous asteroid. His focus entirely narrowed to the work.

The longer he utilized Nether, the lighter and more confident his tail became. The patterns began to twist and flourish at the edges, proof that Randidly’s mastery of Nether was gradually increasing. The effectiveness of each stroke inched forward.

Congratulations! Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) has grown to Level 353!

Of course, even as the details became easier, fueling the massive working became increasingly onerous. The interior of the shaft was extremely large, but it couldn’t compare to the dimensions of a planet. Randidly rapidly began to sweat as he had to keep a tighter and tighter grip on his Nether Core in order to produce the requisite energy. In addition, he dare not spin it too quickly, lest he lose control. His brows knit together in worry even as his weaving gradually grew larger and larger, covering half of the asteroid.

Randidly’s focus narrowed further. He only knew his hands, his tail, and the flow of Nether. No longer did he bother to monitor the broader situation; he was primarily concerned with finishing the pattern, one stitch of woven Nether at a time.

Congratulation! Your Skill Precise Nether Ritual (L) has grown to Level 372!

In the end, Randidly finished. The web of Nether connected, fusing the two sides together to form a film around the enormous asteroid. Immediately, Randidly’s sputtering Nether Core began to pick up speed and churn out Nether wildly. There was a lot of meaning in his current actions. Randidly gritted his teeth, forcefully enduring the sense of wild resonance that was beginning to occur between himself and the Nether Ritual.

Influence +29!

Influence +13!

Influence +1!

Influence +1!

Influence +1!

Influence +1!

…

While the Influence notification continued to churn, Randidly couldn’t help but his like a melted wheel spinning on hot asphalt. Both Aether and Nether were smashing and crashing around in his body like a sea gripped by storm. If not for his recently bodily refinements, he might have been torn in half by the collisions. From the depths of his Soulspace, a grand rumbling began to emerge. In a way that was very similar to the radiation from the Hierarchy of Burden, Randidly found his body being seized and immobilized by the powerful currents of energy snapping back and forth between his Soulskill and the Nether Ritual he had created.

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The space and substance around him was being altered in a fundamental way. He was bridging the distance between the isolated space and the asteroid.

Why can’t… these things… ever be easy… Randidly raised his left hand at a glacially slow speed and pressed it against his chest. His Alpha Cosmos was shifting and the result was not pleasant. Randidly’s sensitivity toward images let him feel with brutal fidelity the forceful shifts of his own image as a new presence was dragged into his Soulskill.

In a way, the arrival of Expira there was cheating; it had simply become a part of his body in a very literal way when it housed his Nether Core. Meanwhile, this process had no subterfuge. Randidly was stuffing the asteroid into his Soulskill.

And had to experience a sensation akin to having an asteroid stuffed into his mouth, painfully warping his body in the process. Everything struggled to cope.

Congratulations! Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix (L) has grown to Level 335!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Stigma of the Stillborn Phoenix (L) has grown to Level 342!

Eventually, the resonance rose to a piercing screech. Randidly’s body was increasingly rigid as the forces stretched his metaphysical self wider and wider. The Nether Ritual rippled… and then the asteroid in front of him was gone. His chest squeezed and twisted.

Randidly sagged a bit in the few seconds after the transition happened, but then he opened his mouth and unleashed a loud belch.

Or rather, it would have been loud in other circumstances. In space, he could only feel the powerful vibrations running through his exhausted body. Chuckling, he leaned back and allowed himself to just float for a while. He sent out several messages to his Pantheon and the Nemesai. Very quickly, he received pleased responses; the asteroid had successfully arrived in his Alpha Cosmos and they would begin work on the Calamity immediately.

Neveah had given them the Engravings they needed. All that was left was the assembly and the creation of the army of monsters.

Randidly pressed his eyes closed as he read the obvious enthusiasm that his subordinates displayed. It’s a necessary task. I know that. I shouldn’t hold their willingness to make these hard decisions against them…

Eventually, Randidly shook himself back to wakefulness from the brief rest. He glanced down at the floating world of Nrorce below him, but he made no move to return to the farm. Instead, Randidly pulled out his Philosopher’s Key and opened a portal directly back to Edraine’s hideout in that strange twilight neighborhood. The still air was somewhat of a relief after the ringing absence of space. He walked through the dimly lit halls and entered Octavius’ office.

The rhino man looked up from a tattered-looking scroll and tugged on his horn. “Good, good. I’ve got what you wanted.”

After rummaging on the desk for a while, he produced a thin slip of black plastic covered in golden lines. Randidly took the object and studied it closely as Octavius continued to speak. “That is your personal payment mark. I’ve deposited your wages, so you should have access to funds in the next day or so- ah, careful about looking at it too closely.”

Randidly felt the card becoming extremely chilling in his hand as he tried to study the shifting golden lines, so he averted his gaze for a bit. Gradually, the card calmed back down and became an ordinary piece of plastic. Randidly looked at Octavius and raised his eyebrows. “Even I, the owner, isn’t allowed to study it? Isn’t it my payment mark?”

“But the Engraving process that makes it work is a trade secret of the Currency Consortiums.” Octavius shrugged. “And getting a second mark if you lose your first requires a third of the value of your account, so… you can see that they take the security of their Engravings very seriously.”

Randidly nodded calmly and stored the mark inside his interspatial ring. He idly wondered whether the money inside was enough to purchase the planets he made promises about to the Nemesai. He also hoped that the discomfort from adding the asteroid to his Alpha Cosmos was a one-time thing, even as he knew in his heart that the larger planets would be even more troublesome to move. Meanwhile, he opened his mouth and asked a different question to Octavius. “So I heard that there was an attack… on the Swacc Family? By terrorists?”

“Terrorists? Ha!” Octavius shook his head and scowled. “They are blowing it out of proportion to turn an accident into a useful bit of propaganda; something weird is happening to the supply of raw Aether in the Nexus again and the NLC wants a scapegoat. Truthfully, it appears that a thief was simply stealing something from the Swacc Family when that individual triggered some sort of alchemic reaction from the facility, blowing the whole area up and trashing a Swacc Family secret base in the process.”

Randidly felt vaguely disappointed. He reached up and scratched at his head. “Just an accident, huh… That’s… too bad. I think the Swacc Family could use a few more enemies.”

“Hehe, on that count, you don’t need to be disappointed,” Octavius flashed a smile. “That’s why the issue became so big. To the public, its just a random explosion… but to all the powerful players in the Nexus, the Swacc Family has been clearly been experimenting with forbidden subjects. Unitarium was blasted everywhere by the reaction.”

“Unitarium?” Randidly tilted his head to the side.

Octavius gave Randidly a weird look. Then, when Randidly still was obviously confused, the humanoid rhino blinked. “I had assumed… well, I had assumed you would know what that was, considering your- Wait, you have a completely organic bond with Neveah?!?”

“Uh…” Now Randidly was really confused. “What?”

“I had assumed…” Octavius’ expression was somewhat vacant. Then he snapped back into focus and shook his head. “Incredible. An organic bond, in the flesh. And a balanced one, from the way you both survived your first trip to the shaft… Okay, let me backpedal. Unitarium is a substance that increases the likelihood of the creation of a successful Soulbound. The Champion of your Zone was actually quite rare; she came from a planet very rich in Unitarium, which was why some of your people had access to a Soulbond so early in the process of joining the System. But that also meant that the bond was easier to form… requiring only small amounts of Unitarium…”

Randidly was frowning as he attempted to understand what Octavius was saying.

Octavius raised his hands. “Okay, this is complicating the discussion. Generally, Soulbonds usually slide two ways once they are formed. The individuals either eventually disconnect due to their personalities being too different or one soul devours the other. Unitarium also serves as a balancing agent, keeping these bad outcomes from occurring. Very few… very few Soulbonds are simultaneously very much a part of each other’s lives and simultaneously have independent existences that allows the balance to be maintained organically. You and Neveah are very… special to have maintained that balance.”

The hairs on the back of Randidly’s neck prickled. Honestly… we hadn’t been maintaining very well until recently, have we? As for the requirements… We were always very independent. As for being a part of each other’s existence… Neveah is the source of my Aether. Or she was born in the source of my Aether Crossroads. So in a way, we definitely couldn’t have moved further apart…

Randidly’s eyes narrowed. And the recent change… the sudden and abrupt growth of our bond only occurred after I formed my Nether Core. When the energies started to be balanced between us…

Octavius didn’t notice Randidly’s whirling thoughts. “Anyway, experiments on Soulbonds are something… tightly controlled by the Nexus. All experimentation is done through a branch of the Engraving Guild. Of which the Swacc Family is a prominent member… but the quantity of Unitarium present at this facility can only mean that they’ve been skimming for their own ends. And Lathis N’Gick is definitely not someone who appreciates having his property stolen.

“For most, this is a terrorist attack. But behind the scenes, all the big entities are stirring; they aren’t going to miss this opportunity to carve off a pound of flesh from the Swacc Family, when they’ve so obviously broken the laws of the Nexus.”