Drane Swacc yanked on the chain around the Nether King’s neck. The hunched, bark-skinned creature whimpered as the tug sent it stumbling forward. His lip curled up; from his uppity-attitude earlier in the day when it launched an attack on Malloon, this creature had learned very quickly how limited its world understanding had been.

Drane only wished he had more time to toy with its emotions.

“Undersecretary, please enter Westrisser’s ancestral hall.”

With his head held high, Drane obeyed Faelmac and entered through the wide doors. He had been rather surprised and disappointed when the order came for him to bring the prisoner to the main hall. But at the same time, he wanted to casually bring up a few things around Faelmac to earn the leader of Malloon.

However, Drane stopped short when he looked at the individuals waiting in the ancestral hall. In direct insult to him, the pompous fool Jotem slithered around the ground, like some sort of puffy slug. And the be-damned Nether King he had hired to eliminate the threat pivoted and looked coolly at Drane, his emerald eyes calm.

“Wha-” Drane scrambled to figure out what was going on, but Faelmac cut him off.

“Nether King Hungry Eye.” The most powerful man in Malloon leaned forward and put his hands on the hand rests of his throne. “We’ve discussed business, but this is more about the first matter on which we spoke. For now, I will pretend like your transgression didn’t even happen. However, I do not wish for you to think I’m soft. Coincidentally, one of your people attempted to capture Malloon in a Nether Ritual. The epitome of foolishness. He will be executed immediately.”

“You want me to watch?” The Nether King asked in a low tone as he spun to face Westrisser. His expression was inscrutable. Behind his back, Jotem kept shooting horrified glances at Drane.

Westrisser’s smile was cruel. “If you’d prefer, you could strike the final blow. Give this imbecile a clean death.”

“Councilman Westrisser,” Drane finally managed to squeeze the words out through his clenched teeth, but the frigid look he received in return stopped him immediately.

“Your input isn’t required, Undersecretary,” Westrisser pronounced. His eyes then bounced back to Nether King Hungry Eye. “Unless… you wish to try and foil me here too? To save the life of a fellow Nether Being?”

Several of Westrisser’s guards tightened their hands around their weapons. Drane felt his skin tingle as the tension in the room skyrocketed. His eyes widened; Westrisser genuinely believed there was a chance this Nether King might act against him.

Yet in the end, Nether King Hungry Eye only shrugged. “I do not know this Nether King. He intended violence on the innocent people of Malloon. Already, his body shows signs of torture… but my heart isn’t so soft as to bleed if I watch him die.”

“Traitor.” The captured Nether King hissed. Drane yanked on the chain, sending it sprawling.

Westrisser studied Nether King Hungry Eye for a second, then snapped his fingers. “Dogoel. Put down the dog.”

As the guard strode out from the base of Westrisser’s throne, the pathetic figure began to laugh. Drane yanked again on the chain, but that only made the Nether King laugh harder. “Ha! Hahahaha! You fools. You fools! Faelmac Westrisser, the pale fool with the hollow crown, leading this entire city to their doom. The Arbiter has spoken; Wyndaos has released Nether King Bleak Sky. His pardon was issued on the condition he take up the blood feud for Uwittin, for the thousands of lives you slaughtered! He will come seeking-”

With a single punch, Dogeol shattered the Nether King’s skull. His image blasted down through the blow and ruptured its Nether Core; the body collapsed into the puddle of its brain matter. With a disgusted expression, the guard cleaned off his knuckles.

Nether King Hungry Eye didn’t look away from his fellow the entire time. Only when he was still, did he look at Westrisser. “Is that all?”

“It is,” Faelmac leaned back in his chair and smiled. “I will keep you from working on your donation no longer, Nether King Hungry Eye. Somehow, I believe that this business partnership between the two of us will be extremely lucrative.”

The Nether King pivoted on his heel and walked away. Drane Swacc licked his lips and prepared to say something. He refused to allow this oathbreaker to leave without at least bringing his crimes to light in from of Faelmac. However, what he hadn’t prepared for was for the Nether King to take a few light steps forward and appear right in front of him. Before Drane could even react, the Nether King patted him on the shoulder and breezed past. His emerald eyes were bright and volatile, above a knife wound of a smile. “A pleasure as always, Drane Swacc.”

Then he departed, Jotem and the Nether Herald following after their leader. Drane’s jaw worked soundlessly, as he had to chew his way through condensed rage before he could speak. Only after he took several deep breaths and gathered himself did he turn to Westrisser. “...you are doing business with a Nether King?”

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“Indeed,” Faelmac responded with that same amused expression. Drane hated the way the current head of the Westrisser clan weighed him at the moment. His smile widened a fraction as he continued to speak. “Obviously I had my suspicions, but when he offered a generous gift, the least I could do was hear him out. A floating island, or even a series of them, build to house and host portions of the Hobfootie tournament. A stadium, hotels, commercial areas… he even agreed to supply the raw materials.”

“Why would he do that?” Swacc asked thoughtlessly. Then he flushed.

Faelmac chuckled. “Oh, don’t play coy with me, Undersecretary. I can see there is bad blood between the two of you. Do you know the one detail he insisted upon? He would choose who got to use the commercial areas.”

“He’s cutting me out.” Drane Swacc blinked. His insides began to boil in fury, but then his more rational side did some quick calculations that calmed him down. Obviously, he was losing out on profits that way, but it was just a slice of the bigger pie: his current market dominance wouldn’t be threatened. But did little to lessen his frustration. His eyes turned on the arrogant figure of Westrisser. “And you allowed him to.”

“Undersecretary, if I need to choose between your interests and those of Malloon… You will be cast aside every time.” Westrisser’s smile turned very, very sharp. “Heh, what a day this is; just this once, I’ll forgive your tone. But never forget… the greatest treasure the Westrisser Family possesses is this town. To improve it further, I will pay any price.”

*****

Randidly was doing some mental schematics of the skyisland he had promised to create for Malloon when they returned to their inn. He had just retired to his room for some deep projections when there was a knock on the door. Tilting his head to the side, he said. “Yes?”

“We should speak, Nether King,” Demetrius’s voice came through the door.

Randidly let him into the room. “Great timing. I actually wanted to speak to you about a few things I’ve been hearing.”

“I will answer you any questions you may have, but I want to first address the last words of that poor wretch in Westrisser’s Ancestral Hall,” Demetrius’s wrinkled features were agitated. So Randidly fell silent and allowed him to continue. The ancient Nether Herald began to pace back and forth through the room. “Wyndaos has released Nether King Bleak Sky, on the condition he seeks vengeance for Uwittin. This… has never been done. But I believe it is for the best for us to leave Malloon as soon as possible. When Bleak Sky comes… all of the people here will die.”

“What?” Randidly blinked several times. What really threw him was the conviction and fear in Demetrius’s voice. “Is he really that powerful? More powerful than Westrisser himself?”

“Well, I have not met the formidable Nether King myself,” Demetrius admitted. “However, he has historically never lost. Do you know, this grand Second Wave of the Nexus was all due to Bleak Sky. The forces had been developing smoothly until one Aether entity unknowingly tread upon his territory. In retribution, Bleak Sky razed dozens of worlds. The population of Aether beings was decimated. The imbalance distribution of Aether and Nether is due to his frenzied crusade. Of course, he has been imprisoned in Wyndaos for two hundred years for his indiscriminate slaughter. Yet now that he is freed-”

Demetrius gestured anxiously, unable to finish his thought.

One man ended an entire Cohort and made it necessary to have a second? If it was true, it did shake Randidly somewhat to think about. His eyes sharpened. Still, this is another powerful figure. One detail I’ve been considering is who became powerful enough to require the Hierarchy of Karma to be used against them. It won’t happen soon; based on the timeline as I understand it, Wyndaos falls first. But still, this Nether King Bleak Sky is the first possibility. Or if not him-

“Ah, there is something else. Another reason to leave as quickly as we can,” Demetrius’s gaze snapped upward. “If the Arbiter was moved to make this decision… there must be things at play we don’t understand. Uwittin itself was a mark on Nether honor, but it does not require this mad dog to be unleashed. No, the Westrisser Family must have done something else. And if it moved Wyndaos, it must be quite the transgression.”

Randidly rubbed his chin. “...if you feel uncomfortable, you are free to head back to the farm to stay with Bogart. Or even take your grandson and leave the area. But I will not go. I must see how the situation develops here. But I do have one related question. And forgive me for my ignorance. Does that mean that this Arbiter is more powerful even than Nether King Bleak Sky, to restrain him?”

Demetrius gave Randidly a long look. “Truly, you know so little about your heritage. Your Nether Core developed on its own. No, the Arbiter is not more powerful than anyone; the Arbiter is the weakest of the Nether creatures. That is why its judgment is so wise. All of the weight of Phaea rests upon its shoulders.”

Randidly replied. “I’m a little confused, but this is a good transition. My question was about what Phaea were. Are they like a Penance?”

“Phaea are the connections of fealty. They are extremely tight bonds that can only be broken with great difficulty. However, those connected by Phaea are lifted. Their powers are liberated and potent.”

Randidly recalled the fake Nether Lattice. “So they draw power through Phaea. Nether Kings grow strong with more supporters, who have supporters of their own. A pyramid of power, with themselves sitting at the top.”

Now Demetrius gave Randidly a very strange look. “Exactly the opposite. A pyramid shape is correct but inverted. It is difficult to explain if you have not felt it, but Weight can become too much for one to bear. Just as literal weight often grants strength, until it becomes untenable to move. Phaea is loyalty from the retainers in exchange for a Nether King bearing a portion of their Weight. So that warriors can utilize the power of Weight while shedding a portion of the burden.

“And the Arbiter sits at the center of the enter Nether world,” Demetrius’s eyes shined with respect. “Bearing the Weight of all. Their capabilities compacted and pressurized, unable to be even slightly unleashed.”