The rumbles continued in the distance as the very vocal and domineering ‘Randidly Ghosthound’ stomped across the desert, apparently more interesting in testing out the limits of his body than seeking the prize. Ridges collapsed and new canyons were carved, all while Devick unleashed a constant slew of hate for the Nexus and every person of power within the Nexus, aside from herself.

Meanwhile, Yust was now hopping excitedly from side to side, then throwing out jabs so quick the air hummed with their passage. His enthusiasm was palpable. “How is your body so strong?”

“More than that, how are your veins so robust?” Neshamah was staring down at Randidly’s hand, which glimmered with the pale flames of her Nether Weight. Apparently she had access to her own Nether Core, despite being in his body. “Do you… circulate Nether through your body almost constantly? The Engraving Guild definitely does not have a method to acquire this sort of perfect body for Nether. It’s breathtaking.”

“Jeez, Neshamah, keep it in your pants,” Claudette teased, even while poking, prodding, and pinching every portion of Randidly’s body that she could reach. She squeezed and groped his tail. Then she raised her foot off the ground and wiggled her toes at Neshamah. “You can stop going on about his perfect body. It’s giving me the creeps.”

Neshamah frowned using Randidly’s face. He watched the thin lines form between his brows and felt oddly tingly to watch himself. She spoke seriously, ignoring the jibe. “It is hard to comprehend for those who do not use Nether, but there is always at least a little bit of rejection between Aether and Nether. But even though this is not my body, the rejection is less than it normally is-”

RUMMMBLLLLEEEEEEE!

Devick leveled another mountain, cackling the entire time and calling for the capitulation of all Overseers to the dominion of Randidly Ghosthound. There was some loud cursing; apparently this time, she had discovered another one of the competitors in the wide swath of devastation she created. A powerful image flared to life. A strange, amorphous thing with many legs and a horrible stickiness that made even the air in the desert briefly damp.

“That’s Tyune’s image,” Claudette observed quietly, finally ceasing her exploration of Randidly’s body. “If they defeat each other… it would make our job much easier.”

“I actually have a question,” Randidly said, looking around at the three of them. He ignored the powerful clashes and Devick’s (and also his) mad laughter that filled the air. “Things moved pretty fast to get us in here, so I didn’t have the chance to ask: do we know the object we are looking for? The reward to end this?”

The other three exchanged glances. Then Claudette shook her head. “Father didn’t mention the details of the item we are looking for, but considering his pride, it will not be difficult to identify the right object. Just searching for the most ostentatious and large will likely get us halfway. But in addition, it won’t just be laying out in the sand, underneath a cactus. Considering the fact that this is a desert, I would suspect our first goal should be finding an oasis.”

Randidly nodded slowly and raised his head. He looked at the chaotic mass of ripples that met in the sky as Devick and Tyune continued their frantic battle. They were clear, even through the strange obscuration of the senses. “How large of an area is this, though?”

Neshamah chimed in. “I don’t think the Skull of Truth possesses any time dilation functions and the Don implied that the treasure hunt should be finished within the day. Rather than large, I would suspect that the location would be complex. Flying up would give us a better lay of the land, but if we attract attention-”

“Everyone knows that a group of Ghosthounds is our group,” Yust said quietly. He glanced nervously around, as though others would be peering over the edge of the nearby orange stone outcroppings, ready to ambush them.

But Randidly just rolled his eyes and chuckled. He flexed his shoulders and unleashed Grim Intuition and Motif of the Rising Deep. That wrongness to the air might rub the edges of his hearing, sight, and smell, but energy ripples didn’t lie. His senses flowed around using the rebounding energies to reconstruct the surrounding area. Compared to his training to unleash Synechdochence, working around two people fighting was child’s play.

I wonder if this is why the Don knew I would have an advantage, Randidly wondered. Then, suddenly, through the winding maze of stark stone outcroppings and tiny canyons, Randidly found what he was looking for. A brilliant spot of moisture, a glittering lake.

Congratulations! Your Skill Motif of the Hungry Deep (P) has grown to Level 521!

“Got it,” Randidly opened his eyes and looked around. “At least, the general direction. Things get a little hairy around the destination; the weird flavor of this place is stronger there.”

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“Flavor, huh,” Neshamah nodded slowly. “Is that what I’m feeling in the air? You are right about how sensitive this body is.”

“Wait, wait, let’s not skip that you just somehow magically sensed our destination.” The Yust Randidly put his hands on his hips. “Are you expecting us just to believe this? Do you have any proof that you aren’t just making this up?”

Once again, Randidly felt that Yust’s inclusion was a little unnecessary. But he bit back the words and tried to respond levelly. “You can do it too. There’s an interference in the air, but with my body’s Stats-”

Something occurred to him right then: if his three companions would steadily grow used to utilizing his body to the fullest, Devick would too. And at that time, she would become a very dangerous foe. Her continued laughter seemed to drip sinister prophecies about how this challenge would end for them all.

Yet despite his distraction, he didn’t miss the sudden attack.

Randidly’s eyes flickered. A powerful image rolled to life in his chest. The air was filled with the rustling of emerald leaves as Yggdrasil surged. His Nether Core spun, animating him with the desire to protect. His emotions flowed along with the image, mostly driven by the desire not to suffer a sneak attack after claiming he had the ability to examine the surrounding space.

A root exploded from the ground and interposed itself in front of a turquoise fang aimed toward Yust.

Congratulations! Your Skill Absolute Grasp of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level!

Congratulations! Your Skill Marred Yet Reliable Foundation of Yggdrasil (T) has grown to Level 536!

After a split second of contact, the attack ripped through the root and continued toward Yust’s chest. However, by that point Randidly’s Reaction kicked in, making even the somewhat unreliable Yust hop sideways. Of course, he did so with enough force to slam into Neshamah, just as she twisted around to look in the direction of the attacker, and both fell to the ground in a sprawl of limbs.

The fang impacted the ground and created a small crater. In its wake, Moonlight Blade flipped over the edge of the canyon and padded down to where the four Randidly’s were standing. His wolfish grin flashed teeth that seemed ready to devour them all.

Randidly himself felt his hackles rise in front of such a naked show of bloodlust. He felt the burning impact point in his image where Yggdrasil had attempted to stop his attack; it was a timely reminder that in terms of images, he was still outclassed.

The Stillborn Phoenix and the Grey Creature rose, prepared to move in concert with Randidly’s next activation.

“If you make too much noise, you’ll attract Devick’s attention,” Claudette said quietly.

Pinnacle Seeker Moonlight Blade just chuckled. “If she comes, I will fight her. I will not flinch before any sort of battle. Even if fate brings me into conflict with a Full Comprehension foe, I will fight to the death. Such is my Path. But right now… well, the only foes here are you, right? And none of you are a threat to me.”

His tone became cruel and mocking. Randidly clenched his fists and analyzed the surrounding ripples, preparing to test out the efficacy of his Synechdochence in an actual battle, but he received a message from Claudette to prepare to lead the way to the oasis he discovered. His disbelief must have shown upon his face because Moonlight Blade gave him a curious look and Claudette sent another message.

Did you think we brought Yust for no reason? This is his fight.

“I will spare your life after I’ve triumphed over you, Randidly Ghosthound.” Moonlight Blade continued. He was only ten meters away now, and a swirling darkness began to build behind him. Randidly could see several spectral wolves drooling as they stared with eyes that labeled them all prey. Most annoyingly, the Pinnacle Seeker looked directly at Randidly, seemingly able to tell which was which. “You have potential. You should grow before we face each other truly. But for now-”

“Now!” Claudette said. She and Neshamah hurried backward even as Moonlight Blade pounced forward. His Stats were high, especially for someone who respected the limits of the System, but Randidly had enough an edge to spend a moment agonizing about whether to lash out first or simply to move and lead the way to the Oasis.

The two Unborn poked out from behind his back and rearranged their lopsided faces, antagonizing the spectral wolves.

Congratulations! Your Skill Cursed Fate of the Unborn Duo (M) has grown to Level 388!

Congratulations! Your Skill Cursed Fate of the Unborn Duo (M) has grown to Level 389!

In the end, he planted his foot and twisted away. A single step practically teleported Randidly in front of the other two Randidly’s guiding them deeper into the canyon toward the deceptive crevasse which would lead them to their destination; the other two just didn’t understand how to make use of Dreadful Alacrity.

Besides, Randidly glanced back over his shoulder as he paused, giving the two following Randidly’s time to reorient themselves to his position. Yust was stepping forward to block Moonlight Blade. It won’t be too late to throw some extra Nether at him if Yust can’t handle it.

Then Randidly’s expression changed. His nose wrinkled. Because a horrifying, sickly green tiger condensed and roared above Yust’s head. Its fur almost seemed neon, with a deep, dark green in the black portions of his stripes. A smell like old meat, rotten eggs, trapped sweat, and rot billowed out from the majestic tiger.

Mid-pounce, Moonlight Blade sneezed and started shaking his snout. His feet dug into the sand as he attempted to stop dashing into the depths of the stink cloud..

“See?” Claudette said. Then she shrugged. “It’s not an honorable image, and there is no way for the current Yust to overcome Moonlight Blade, but that isn’t the point. His master cultivated him for a hundred years, all to bring misery to his greatest rival. Isn’t the Nexus a wonderful place?”

“For a powerful image user, it’s easy to suppress the senses when it isn’t a surprise,” Neshamah observed. “We must hurry.”