On the day of the quarter-finals, the mood on Tournament Island changed. Even the sky felt it, cloudless and endlessly blue.

For the past several weeks, attendance to the various matches had been steadily dropping. The tournament had simply lasted too long for anyone with steady employment to enjoy. But in those few hours before the match between Alana and Kimpap, the docks and quays were flooded with new arrivals and excited attendees. Expira broadly and Donnyton specifically were out in force to support their most powerful fighter.

The Frost Dragons, too, glided in on large glittering wings to the island. They made a camp on a deserted beach, belching up glittering snow flurries up to the sky and performing religious rites. Alana Donal was the ultimate prophet of their religion. She wielded a fragment of the Ghosthound’s divinity.

They wouldn’t miss this fight for the world.

Randidly sat on his skyisland, watching the sun grip the horizon and leverage itself slowly up into the sky. The blue only deepened as it made its ascent. Shades and color bowed before it. Viewed in this manner, it struck him how powerful an image of the sun could be. It was a false perspective obviously; even with the shenanigans pulled by the System in the rearrangement, Randidly was pretty sure Expira still revolved around the sun and not vice versa. All movement was done by Expira itself while the sun watched. However, there was power even in false things.

He lowered his gaze to the conflux of significance that began to mix around the arena. Then he peered down further, into the bowels of Expira, where the Nether forges continued to churn out fragments of Nether Weight, more efficient than ever.

Randidly stretched out a hand and conjured his own Nether Weight, the appearance of those shadowy flames across his fingers causing the fabric of reality to hum. “With enough power, we really can warp the world how we want. However, Mrs. Hamilton, the question becomes… what exactly do we want? And will we be able to live with what we think is best?”

Randidly shook himself to dispel the mood. Even if his insight into Nether allowed him to alleviate all the pressure in his Nether Core, the interviews with the losers still left him with a strange taste in his mouth. Perhaps it was the throughline of regret that they all held.

His own regrets inevitably began to bubble to the surface. His shoulders ached with the weight of choices not taken.

Again shaking himself, Randidly sent a message to Neveah, checking to make sure there was no change with the Patron of Feathers’ condition. Then he proceeded down from his skyisland to Tournament Island, immersing himself in the bustle of noise in preparation for the match. For this round, two matches would happen a day, so Alana and Kimpap in the morning would be followed by Paolo and Charlotte Wick in the evening.

Donnyton and their allies were currently hosting a parade, a massive sprawling mobile drinking extravaganza that was gradually making loops toward the arena. The delegation from Tellus and members of the Vulpis Squad and Heiffal’s army had similar gatherings, each working themselves up into a lather to cheer for their chosen representative.

Randidly found Tatiana in the small office box by their high seats above the arena. She looked up from several reports in front of her and sighed. “Well, if nothing else, you have made a killing in alcohol sales these past two months. And now that people have come here and had a taste, they want to order bulk shipments back to their homes, restaurants, and bars. You are now a majority shareholder in what will soon become the largest alcohol distributor in the Alpha Cosmos. We might need to set up branches on Tellus in the near future. We might need to expand our current operations even further.”

Randidly chuckled, wondering if he should suggest Ghostlite, a watered-down beer to be a part of his alcohol empire. Students at Kharon Academy could sneak it into their dorms and sip it while doing a bad job of keeping the noise down. But thinking about business reminded him of another task he wanted to address. He looked at Tatiana. Without him even having to ask, she shook her head and said. “We do have an hour and a half. But don’t you dare come back late. Keep things short, whatever you want to do.”

Randidly grinned. “I mean I would love to keep things short. Just depends whether the other party is willing to negotiate.”

*****

The water cooler glugged as Jane twisted the light blue handle and liquid came out into her small cup. Inwardly, she cursed the office manager for always purchasing these tiny paper cups. She cursed herself for always forgetting to bring in a water bottle. She brought the container to her lips and drained the cup without completely quenching her thirst. She could only lower the cup and wait to fill it once again.

One problem at a time, She told herself.

The carpet was tan and the walls were brown and faux wood-paneled. The shelves along the wall were filled with stacks of paper and office supplies. Computer terminals beeped and lit up as communications from other hungry land developers reached out to Ironwood Capital to make deals. Across from the breakroom, creepy Dale was leaning over the office manager’s desk, explaining how he spent the last weekend hanging out with Richard Ride, the user of Zone 1’s supersuit. In between almost every sentence, Dale either licked his lips or smoothed back his greasy hair.

Jane pressed her eyes shut. I wish you would buy bigger cups… but no one deserves to spend that much time alone with Dale. I don’t know if there is a god, but if there is, please send some sort of distraction…

She had been placed in Ironwood Capital with the express purpose of babysitting. However, Dale wasn’t her charge. Just an unpleasant affliction for the entire office.

The terminals in the office continued to beep. Someone further down the hall leaned back in their chair, the shittily made plastic assemblage creaking loudly. A woman laughed at some private joke. Jane’s cup, which she hadn’t been paying attention to, overflowed and she spilled water down her skirt. Cursing quietly, she pivoted on her heel and held that minuscule cup with both of her hands. She kept her gaze low, so she wouldn’t catch the office manager’s pleading eye and get drawn into Dale’s-

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The secretary, her flowered skirt fluttering around her thighs, dashed past like a sprinter about to dive across the finish line. She moved so quickly past that air whooshed into Jane’s face; a single step forward and the young woman would have careened into her. Another slosh of water fell out of the tiny cup. Then the secretary’s heavy and rapid footfalls receded down the hallway toward Johann’s office.

“Why the hell is she running?” Dale began complaining a split second later. He smoothed back his greasy hair. “This is why we shouldn’t hire right out of university. Especially now that Ironwood Capital is developing so quickly-”

Down the hall, the secretary began hammering her fist against Johann’s door. Some of the other salespeople and brokering agents poked their heads out of their offices, looking down toward the commotion. In the square, low-roofed brown building the noise of her knocking seemed especially appalling as it bounced off the walls.

Jane smiled politely at Dale and gestured helplessly in the secretary’s direction. Then she hurried down the hall, at first walking normally but then accelerating to a trot to match the noise erupting from the secretary’s heavy hits with her fist. Why was the girl acting so strange…?

“What the hell!” Johann whipped open the door while wiping a very red nose with his other hand. From his slightly crazed eyes, it was clear that he had been indulging in some designer drugs in the privacy of his office. Johann hadn’t exactly been coping with the sudden success of Ironwood Capitol in healthy ways.

On Jane’s list of issues with her current situation, this one was pretty high up there.

“So- what’s so important?” His eyes fixed on the secretary, whose arm trembled even as she straightened her limbs. Something strange came over Johann’s gaze as he looked into the face of the secretary like he was scared by what he saw there. He seemed to sag. Jane hurried closer. She hadn’t spoken much with the new secretary, but she was a mousy young woman who read at her desk and stuttered when she had something to say. There was no way in hell she had enough intensity to cow a hopped-up Johann.

When the secretary finally announced her purpose, her voice didn’t waver. Her voice was high and breathy. “Randidly Ghosthound is here to see you.”

All the people in the office froze, trying to comprehend her statement. Even Jane paused midstep, unable to quite understand what the secretary meant. Johann seemed to be thrown most of all. His eyes were wild and he reached up through the momentary stillness and furiously rubbed at the underside of his nose. “Like what, he wants to set up a meeting? Like, THE Ghosthound? The fucking most powerful fucker in the world, that Randidly Ghosthound?”

“Not a meeting,” The secretary whispered. Jane finally caught up, shooting sharp glances behind her at watching workers. Usually, her annoyance would scare them away, but not today; the story was too juicy. They looked at each other with large eyes then back at the few bodies standing at the end of the hallway.

Jane gently put her hands on the secretary’s shoulders and looked at Johann with barely controlled disgust. His father had moved her here to keep an eye on him, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to manage his moods, exacerbated by drug sprees. “If the Ghosthound’s people reached out, it undoubtedly a big deal for us. I’ll figure out what’s going on and in the meantime, Johann, maybe get some rest-”

“I don’t need rest,” He flashed her an irritated look and twisted away. He gripped the edge of the doorway and frowned, as though he considered breaking it. Jane always worried he was about to break something when he got that look. “I feel great right now. Shit, bring me a map. I bet I can hit another real estate gold mine if I just think a little.”

“N-n-not a meeting,” The secretary repeated. In Jane’s hands, she was shaking.

While patting the poor young woman’s shoulder somewhere between sympathy and exasperation, Jane aimed one of her sharp glances at Johann. “Johann, let’s be real. You are going to make a lot of money due to your foresight in buying the area around B’s Crossing-” Jane decided not to think too deeply about the fact that the whole reason he invested in the area was because he liked the food there. “-and that proves you have talent in this field. But this is Randidly Ghosthound, who owns Kharon and a controlling interest in Ghost’s shipping company. He has fingers in Donnyton and the Orchard, as well as every expedition that travels to Danger Zones or other worlds for rare materials. You need to be clear-headed about this. This is not a man who dabbles in speculation. If he reached out, he wants something.”

Even your father wouldn’t dare try and make a deal with Randidly Ghosthound. Jane thought inwardly.

“Do I look like I’m not clear-headed?” Suddenly, Johann’s eyes were filled with bitter antagonism. He jabbed his finger at Jane. “I’m so tired of you treating me like a child. You might have gotten away with this sort of attitude with dad, but I’m-”

“He didn’t arrange a meeting!” The secretary screeched, rocking everyone back on their heels. The noise felt impossibly loud in the cramped and brown hallway.

Everyone looked at her. After hyperventilating for a few seconds, she managed to string together a coherent sentence. “He- Mr. Ghosthound didn’t reach out to arrange a meeting. He’s here, waiting upfront. That’s why… I could only run, right? I couldn’t just… stay there in the room with him sitting on that couch… oh god…”

The secretary finally collapsed, pressing her head against the wood paneling of the walls. Jane reached out unsuccessfully, her hand wanting to continue comforting the young woman while the rest of her body was now transfixed. Her fingers groped air. Even more than his name, the rumor of his presence squeezed the group.

This time when Jane and Johann’s eyes met, they were in agreement. Both began to walk briskly back down the hall, toward the small waiting room.

As far as waiting rooms went, Ironwood Capitol had skimped on their perfunctory attempt. There was a desk at which the secretary was positioned, directly opposite the glass front doors. There was a bland painting of a vase of flowers above a small and poorly upholstered couch to the left. Squeezed between the couch and the wall was a slowly dying potted plant.

The room they walked into to face the Ghosthound had been transformed by his presence. The potted plant in the corner had grown into a twisting bean stock, creeping across the walls and ceiling until the room was more leafy foliage than wall. Thin tendrils curled out in every direction, with more spawning even as Jane took all of this in.

The painting had been every more warped: the subject matter still vaguely resembled what had been there previously, yet Jane felt briefly transfixed by the vase. Suddenly, the painting seemed to have been wrought of the life essence of Expira’s greatest painting talent. Several sprigs of lilac were tucked into that glass container. Just looking at it took her breath away.

The curl of the petals was achingly beautiful. Small motes of violet wafted somehow away from the painting, filling the room with a fresh smell.

The couch remained the same, which only served to make the muscular and athletic body of Randidly Ghosthound appear more out of place. Jane felt dizzy, looking at him. He wasn’t exactly handsome, only sharp and direct. He sat in a clean shirt and pants. Meeting his gaze was like jumping into an emerald firework above a frigid lake. A whooshing, rushing, shocking experience. For several seconds, she couldn’t breathe.

“Mr. Ghosthound.” Johann’s voice squeaked. “What… a pleasant surprise. Why… why don’t you come back to my office so we can discuss business?”

The Ghosthound’s mouth quirked up at the corner. “No need. Let’s just talk here.”