Randidly sat and meditated in a small hut made of roots. Possibilities were small whispers that hung next to his neck, right below his ears, vying for attention. The mass of them became a confusion of gurgled noise. He breathed in and breathed out, Nether and warm energy flowing through his body. He needed to calm his mind a bit before he made any decisions.

First about whether to trust this strange bug collective that approached him chittering about a Nether Core, then about what to do next with Elhume, the Patron of Feathers, and the appearance of Shal and Techetadore, and finally which image he should add to the word Ghasthund…

Briefly, he opened his eyes. Emerald flashed in the shadowy interior of the hut. Also, what the hell did it mean to add a word to the Nexus, anyway?

Pressing his hands into the dirt made dull by lack of light, he pulled in with the Stillborn Phoenix. Then he released a massive gush of emotional force, expelling some volatile feelings that he didn’t even know the image had been refining. Probably some of his own anxieties and uncertainties were contained in that exhale.

Somehow, releasing those emotions calmed him down. In a way, it was an announcement; Randidly Ghosthound was back in the Nexus. Finally with enough power to feel like he could protect himself and escape if the situation called for it. Finally with the freedom to start making serious steps toward accomplishing his goals.

He just needed a plan. And for that, he needed concrete information about some of the secrets contained in Tier III citizenship.

One of his first steps had been messaging Claudette Beigon. She was still stabilizing her own image in a private area, but she responded quickly when he questioned her knowledge of Tier III Citizenship.

No, she didn’t possess it. Yes, apparently she had occasionally seen Don Beigon staring fixedly upward as though he was staring at something in particular in an empty sky above the Beigon Estate. Yes, she had heard of Biamat; the Don had rarely spat to the side in distaste and referred to it as a perfidious pest. No, she had never heard about the reward of ideas and words relating to Tier III citizenship.

All in all, most of his questions remained unanswered.

One thing at a time, Randidly told himself sternly. He flexed his fingers against the cool ground. Yet with all the thoughts pulling at him, he felt a tide of anxiety rising within him. The stillness in the eye of the Nether Storm began to twitch, enflamed by some of the raw emotions that lingered around his body. He needed to ground himself and did that by looking through the other words that had been added to the Nexus through Tier III citizenship. In total, there were a few over ten thousand that had been added. Just scrolling through the list, Randidly at least had some of his confusions about this benefit cleared up.

One thing he noticed immediately was that the words were listed chronologically. Two, some appeared inert; it seemed that this also served as a way to determine if the idea creator was still alive. If they had died, the spread of their word wouldn’t generate any benefits for them.

Finally, he felt a part of him still as he looked at the first word on the list. Randidly understood how ideas and words could really shape the growth of a world or culture.

Hell: A location or state of unrelenting misery. Earned through mistakes and sins, can be conscious or unconscious. Often considered to be an inescapable prison. Sits in contrast with another, superior, location where dreams may easily come true and contentment lies within reach.

The first Tier III citizen generated the word hell. Randidly looked at the short definition. He shivered as he considered the sort of world and religion that develops once the idea of hell is crystallized. Now I wonder, was this Elhume? Pine? Or even… someone else?

Randidly didn’t think that this being the first word somehow influenced Expira, before it was a part of the Nexus. But it did make him consider how more ominous an idea became once it had been named.

Hell, huh… and soon Ghasthund.

He skimmed through a few other definitions. He found one for Mana and another word ‘Idestorbous’ that described the moment that an Engraving reached the point where it could generate its own new meaning. It was oddly comforting that the second word was darkened, the creator no longer among the living.

A lot of the building blocks of the System had been drawn by this process. Class and Fate were present, adding the general outline of what they would eventually become. He went back to his own word, Ghasthund. He pursed his lips. Which images should he offer? A weak one that he made up? Or one of his core three?

Randidly sighed and shook his head. He stood up from his sitting position and walked out of the hasty shelter he had made to calm himself. Around his small hut, a more permanent base camp was being thrown together by the Vulpis Squad. Larger buildings were being made and training pods were being erected. The capable soldiers guided wood, metal, and stone into habitations.

The caterpillar Biamat had been joined by a spider and a fly sprite. All had the same watery eyes that seemed to shudder at their every movement. They looked up when Randidly left the hut and spoke in the same voice. “Ah, you have emerged. Have you decided to take us up on our offer?”

Randidly bowed slightly. About this, at least, he had some clarity. “You must excuse me, I am unable to agree to your request right now. I made a promise to a subordinate to try and find a cure for a comrade’s sickness. Before I complete that, I am unwilling to agree to any partnerships.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“So cautious,” The three insects laughed. Randidly observed the thin lines of Nether between them, wondering if they truly existed as equal parts of a dispersed system or if there was a main body for Biamat. They all three shrugged. “This is understandable, so much must be new to you. We will be here when you decide to agree.”

The three insects dispersed in different directions. But Randidly knew the scent of this being’s Nether and wasn’t fooled by the feigned disinterest. He could feel a dozen others creeping through the broken caverns of this damaged asteroid, surrounding and observing his base. He clicked his tongue. Obviously, he could hide them all inside his Alpha Cosmos, but he didn’t want to hide his return to the Nexus.

He needed to move quickly, so his enemies didn’t gain an advantage. But it was a balancing act, making sure he was sure of his decisions before committing, staying ahead of any planned retribution that Solomon Rex had warned him of.

At least one thing was for sure; Biamat’s interest proved that there really were old monsters lurking in the hidden corners of his place. And perhaps the insights that allowed him to create his own Nether Core could be used as a bargaining chip.

Randidly’s gaze went up to the sky, to the slowly churning drill that seemed poised above the Nexus, ready to roar down through everyone and everything in its way. Based on what he understood of the political situation, the massive might be the tool that Elhume had been steadily constructing over the past thousand years to kill Pine.

All it required was the right sort of deadly drillbit.

Humming to himself, Randidly reached into his interspatial ring and produced the small bone charm that he had been given when the Patrons had escaped from Elhume. Most of its tightly wound magic had expended itself; it had only been truly valuable as a research tool in those first few hours when he obtained it and could still see the shape of what it had been twisted to become.

Yet he could feel a subtle thread of connection between the strange energy of the bone charm and that drill in the sky. And of course, whatever force interfered with the Patron of Feather’s health stood in the middle of that massive drill. His next action would be investigating that drill and figuring out how he could help.

But he wanted some insurance, so Claudette wasn’t the only Beigon he contacted that day; it was time for the Don to pay down some of the debt he owed Randidly. The wily old man had used tricks to weaken the bond, but Randidly hoped what remained would be enough to get the answers he wanted.

In the meantime… Randidly returned to his small hut. He sat down and folded his legs, his hearing falling away. Instead, he simply opened up his pumping Nether Core and allowed those pulses to spread cautiously out through the thicker layers of Nether offered to higher Tier Nexus Citizens. He detected a few other awarenesses moving through the Nether, but none were close to that of the Nether King.

As such, Randidly spun organic patterns around himself and examined the Nexus with impunity. He stretched and flexed, becoming a disguised and mild-mannered shift in the sluggish spools of Nether. And with the added bonus of accruing Skill Levels more quickly, he quickly began to approach a portion of the accomplishment that he had celebrated with Don Beigon.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 995!

Congratulations! Your Skill Motiff of the Hungry Deep (P) has grown to Level 941!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Left Hand of the Nether Oracle (M) has grown to Level 861!

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 999!

Randidly pursed his lips and withdrew his awareness. Because of the lack of conflict or intense emotions during the training process, his Nether Core began to stutter uncertainly in his rotations. He shook himself lightly and pulled out the Hierarchy of Burden. No one from the Vulpis Squad or from Training Island was helping with the strain, but Randidly still cruised up through the electromagnetic and light radiation layers. Electricity crackled across his arms and his internal organs stung from over-exposure. His body was strong; his skin tingled, but he endured without issue.

His heartbeat grew even in the face of that pressure. His Nether Core lost the stutter and moved with more velvety smoothness. Randidly boldly pushed forward into the Entropy layer, feeling focus and vitality begin to leak out from his edges. But his emerald eyes burned; he could force his way through the pressure.

He would not concede. Randidly’s First Authority bloomed in that restabilized Nether Core, resonant and pure. He would take what he wanted. He would push himself forward at any cost.

He would gather the power he needed to protect those precious to him.

Randidly eased off his furious display at the end of the Entropy layer. He could feel the complex interplay of Fatepiece energy, Nether, and his images wafting off his body like heat fumes and penetrating the barrier of his root hut. Considering how volatile Randidly felt on all aspects of his energy, he allowed that simmering force to quiet somewhat.

He reached up and rubbed his forehead. Whatever problems it called, I definitely feel that disturbing my emotions around the Grey Creature opened up my potency. If I can master it, my image will definitely improve. With that as a weapon and my ability to utilize Nether-

Randidly showed his teeth. He sucked in another massive emotional breath with the Stillborn Phoenix. He took care not to drain the Vulpis Squad of motivation, but even though he wasn’t in the shaft there was plenty of emotional force.

The Nexus was in flux. People in nearby planets suffered from weeks of fear and paranoia, after the clashing of the orthodox factions. If he could ease a bit of the pain in the surrounding space and improve himself at the same time, he would gladly do it.

The Stillborn Phoenix took its time, crunching again and again over these emotions. For the first time, Randidly squeezed with his image. He asked his Egg of Depression to release even the spark of impossibility with these emotions. The fire in his chest burned. With the almost immediate approach of Biamat and the warning of Solomon Rex, one thing was clear: he was being observed in the Nexus.

Well, time to send a more pointed message.

The Stillborn Phoenix opened its maw and breathed out emotions that had been spun to threads of incandescent fire. They streaked outward, a weird mixture of tapeworms and furious dragons. Randidly’s emotion threads resonated with his chest, even as they dispersed to different places. They promised retribution on all that threatened him and his world.

He laughed aloud; it had honestly felt better than he expected to do that. Then his senses slipped back amongst Nether, until-

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 1000!

Congratulations! You have achieved your first Mille! Calculating gains…

Congratulations! You have achieved a Mille with a Skill at the Legendary Rarity! Benefits increased. You have are the second fastest to achieve a Mille in Nexus history! Benefits increased. Congratulations! You have achieved a Mille in a Skill that no others have accomplished! Benefits increased.