“That isn’t possible,” Randidly blurted out instantly. In response to Devick’s metaphorical reach for Alana, his body responded before he could even moderate the rejection.

The room fell entirely silent. The two looked at each other, his abrupt denial sitting between them. Devick straightened in her chair. Her long red hair seemed muted in the enclosed space, all shadows and depths. There was a horrible stillness in her features after the rejection. Her eyes were bright as she examined him. Randidly felt his Nether Core naturally beginning to accelerate, in preparation for a confrontation.

He hadn’t meant to force a confrontation between himself and Devick, but he wasn’t going to flinch from it. He clenched his fists. Sulfur hummed in concentration.

“Oh, Randidly, don’t make such a serious expression.” Devick rolled her eyes and leaned back in her chair once more. “The business with Alana is a favor, not an order. I’m not going to punish you if you refuse. But we do need to make one thing clear. If it was an order, you’d have no choice but to obey, correct?”

The temperature in the room fell. Devick cracked her knuckles. “Let’s not even consider the fact I’m the Actus Suprem. I’m stronger than you, and that’s that. So if I had really wanted this to happen…”

Her eyes were almost dripping, the sludge of old blood and wine. His skin crawled to look at her crooked smile, even as her madness continued to remain firmly entrenched within her body without leaking out. Randidly’s hackles rose. When he released a breath, steam came out of his mouth.

“Oh, I’m getting you all riled up. I really just meant it all as a joke. This is a pleasurable visit, is it not?” Devick raised her hands almost defensively. All her implied threats and tension vanished. Then she hopped to her feet and picked up the doll Anemone with both hands. “You don’t need to answer that question. And really, this is just a favor. I know your instinct is to reject me, likely because of the- err, aberrations in my image manifestation, but really, I can be quite reasonable. Just convey my offer to her, alright?”

Devick moved to a tall cabinet along the wall of her office. She used her toe to press it open, revealing five shelves about three quarters filled with dolls. Their painted faces and unwavering gazes made Randidly’s skin prickle. Devick placed the auburn-haired girl on the lower shelf and quickly closed the door, but not before Randidly saw a black-haired, green-eyed, barefoot doll on a small golden plinth in the middle of the cupboard.

At the very least, seeing that weirdness reassures me this is really Devick, Randidly calmed his heartbeat and eased off the rotation of his Nether Core. But his eyes narrowed. Well… I can certainly deliver the offer to Alana, but I’ll make it clear how bad an idea it is to associate with this woman at all.

That image of hers is poison.

After closing the cupboard, Devick turned around. She seemed to be blushing. “My, my, I was so distracted by my little pastime that I’ve forgotten my manners! Can I interest you in some tea? Perhaps a cocktail?”

“I’ll just have water, thanks,” Randidly said stiffly. From Devick’s tone, it was clear that this ‘voluntary pleasure meeting’ wasn’t over after she admitted to spying on him and coveting Alana. He took a seat, settling himself as best as he could. He felt the heat of his Stats sizzling through his long limbs. No matter her intentions, he would endure and survive.

He would seize the initiative. He would protect those important to him.

With a snap of her fingers, Devick produced a cup of water and set it in front of Randidly. Then she poured herself a cup of tea. She took a sip and then scowled down at the liquid. A few rust-colored flames sprang to life around her hand, quickly boiling the contents and melting the cup slightly. The gorgeous floral pattern began to droop in the face of those wild flames. The distortions did little to alleviate her frustration. Rage very visibly built on her face, the corners of her mouth drooping downward as she considered what vicious torture to unleash on this tepid tea and the fragile cup.

She abruptly looked up at Randidly. A look of guilt flashed across her face and she moved her hand to cover up the dripping porcelain of the cup. Small rust-colored chains condensed around the edges of the cup, holding the pattern in place. “So, how have you been?”

Randidly felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. From her friendly demeanor and the position of the Randidly doll in the cupboard, his suspicion that some sort of transferring had happened between himself and Wick grew stronger. She likely considered him her ‘son’. Because of that shift in attitude, she greeted him enthusiastically and grew shy about displays of her temper.

On the one hand, this treatment likely meant she met him now without guile. She would coo and complement him, urging him to higher achievements so she could earn some fucked up satisfaction from his victories. However, even the affection of Devick carried the taint of her madness. The moment that he no longer fulfilled her expectations, her madness and obsession would rear her head. At that time, he would at least need the power to survive a direct confrontation with her or she would bind him to achieve whatever sick fantasy caught her attention at the time.

Randidly offered a small smile and returned to her question. “Actus Suprem, we saw each other only a few short days ago at Claudette’s birthday party. Aside from shifting my physical form, nothing much has changed since then.”

“Randidly Ghosthound,” Devick took a slow sip of her tea after saying his name. Those miniature, rust-colored chains tightened and the cup seemed only a sneeze away from shattering. She sniffed once. “You know, lying to me isn’t a good idea. Not much has changed with me, but the changes to your fucking body aren’t simply in the shape. You are… remade. Heh, it suits you, much more than dishonesty. And I can smell the Nether and the passage of time on you. But fine, I know we all like to keep our secrets. Whatever.”

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

Devick shook her head, the picture of a mother disappointed in her uncooperative son. “Since you are too busy to spend much time with me, let me just say a few things. Some other members of Military High Command are sniffing around you. I thought about stepping in-” A smirk tugged at her mouth. “-but considering their power, I think them trying to ambush you would be more amusing than dangerous.”

“Will they go after my subordinates?” Randidly asked. Suddenly, he wondered if leaving the Vulpis Squad out in the open was a good idea.

Devick considered that for a few seconds before shrugging. She set her cup down and didn’t notice as it collapsed and tea seeped out over the table. “Well, who can say? Small minds lead the weak to behave illogically all the time. But, I will promise you to completely protect your precious Vulpis Squad if you can convince Alana Donal to come train with me for a short while.”

Randidly’s expression hardened. “I’ll pass on the message. I won’t promise more than that.”

“Other than that,” Devick groped for her teacup, realized it had collapsed, became so livid her face flushed red with scalding blood, and then choked down her anger. She coughed once. “Two things. One, I am hosting a party at the end of the month. I simply insist that you come. Oh, and bring Alana Donal as your guest. At least let me meet her before I receive a final answer.

“Secondly, there is a rumor spreading amongst the Pinnacle Seekers that equipment from your homeworld can provide a boost to images,” Devick tapped a finger against the arm of her chair. “Of course, you’ve protected the planet itself that not even I can locate it. But still, you are garnering a lot of attention. Not much of it is positive. The speed of your growth, all the benefits you’ve managed to accrue… it’s finally catching the attention of the populace. As I’m sure you are aware, all the things you’ve done require Aether to fuel. Some might begin to wonder how you’ve managed to hoard so much when the rest of the Nexus is struggling.”

As she said those words, Randidly felt a tingle in his Nether Core that distracted him. His awareness rapidly expanded, following the thin threads out to find the source. Breathing deeply through his nose launched his consciousness toward the source. Very quickly he encountered a barrier; someone with knowledge of Nether managed to wall off his senses. His eyes blazed emerald. Even if he couldn’t feel exactly what was occurring, someone was attempting to dissect his Nether.

Randidly cracked his neck. I can’t manage too much complexity with the few scraps this person managed to isolate, but still. Did you think I wouldn’t notice you toying around?

He whirled his Nether Core and flared those distant threads. Where even a shred of his Nether was, all of the force of his Nether was. The threads spun together in a complex pattern, adjusting the environment in a split second before exploding with force and expending themselves in a brief, imaginary spearhead. Randidly couldn’t utilize all of the ferocity of his Nether, but he expected he had managed at least 103% Synechdochence, even from afar.

He felt that meddling presence vanish almost immediately. Randidly grinned. Whoever tried to investigate his Nether wouldn’t be so cavalier in the future.

His focus shifted back to the present. Devick laughed and slapped her knee. “I’d recognize that expression anywhere. Did you just punish someone for moving against you? Obviously, I’m tickled to see you behaving so proactively, but you have to know that there are some issues that are difficult to overcome with strength.”

“I-” Randidly began to speak, but let the rest of his breath just hiss through his teeth. In fact, he had punished someone for messing with his Nether and felt rather good about it too. Until she pointed out how similarly she would have behaved. Not that Randidly regretted his reaction; he wouldn’t allow strangers to casually study his Nether. But the pride in Devick’s eyes put a sour taste in the back of his throat.

Releasing a breath, Randidly’s gaze flickered to the cupboard. On his second inspection, he saw the careful defenses she had erected around the piece of furniture; apparently, she took the safety of her dolls seriously.

The heat in his chest briefly spun, giving him a reckless idea. But considering Devick’s current attitude toward him, it might be a gamble worth taking. He released a very visible pulse of Nether and smiled at Devick. “Well, I certainly feel better about now. If there’s nothing else, I’ll head up- did you say the drill is called the Sonara? When I finish my business there, I’ll come back to report about any Impressive Women I encounter.”

Congratulations! Your Skill Right Hand of the Nether Polymath (M) has grown to Level 824!

Congratulations! Your Skill Cutting Tide of Amenonuhoko (T) has grown to Level 907!

Devick nodded, still gigging to have seen Randidly’s vindictive side. “Alright, alright. Go on, I know you’ll start a whole heap of trouble, no matter how much I try to warn you. You better be prepared to clean up your messes on your own.”

Randidly stood and walked to the door. When he had released that Nether pulse, it had spread outward in a series of cascading patterns. They smashed into each other and broke off in swirling clumps. These clumps ricocheted off of each other and spread to fill the room. By the time Randidly passed through the doorway and nodded to Lady Iellaya, the pulse had almost completely settled.

With one small snag.

Due to a few random interactions with the dense defenses around the dolls, the wave of Nether curled as it reached the cupboard. The brief delay meant a wave collapsed on the central doll in the cupboard all at once. The thin layer allowed to Nether in the Nexus exerted a tiny bit of pressure on the Randidly doll. A split second later, the cupboard’s natural defenses activated and skimmed away the extra Nether.

But a thread of Randidly’s denser Nether had displaced some that had been present previously in the doll. It blended easily with the significance already present in the object; Devick had clearly taken quite a bit of time, effort, and material to make it. That gave it meaning. In addition, the doll was based on him, so it was an easy fit.

Randidly left Military High Command with his head held high. His Alchemist’s Passport carried him directly upward, appearing at the highest point of the inhabited Nexus. The Sonora loomed above, as large as several stars clumped together in a disastrous supernova. As he floated directly below the object, it filled up almost the entire sky.

It was the sky.

Randidly breathed deeply in through his nose. Ghosthound’s Acute Nether Nose gave him a very detailed picture of the heavy flows of significance circling the Sonara. But also, Randidly felt that small bit of Nether he had left in Devick’s office.

For now, he simply left it there. Even though he believed he was skilled enough to avoid Devick’s detection by weaving a miniature Nether Ritual, he didn’t think it was wrong to tread carefully around her rust-colored madness. Besides, Synechdochence would allow him to finish the job whenever Devick was otherwise occupied.

He blew out through his nose. So now, to the Sonara. The hulking remnant of Elhume’s unfinished weapon. The truth about the Patron of Feathers.

Hopefully… I’ll finally get some answers up there.