Just like all other aspects of his life, Randidly could only advance. Turning back would probably only waste more time. He proceeded through the dark hole, almost daring an enemy to leap out and attack him.
Disappointingly, he stepped through without incident. Their destination was a surprisingly large room with a low ceiling. The far end of the chamber lay quite a distance away. Randidly led the way, the Songstress of Absence sucking in a deep breath, preparing to release a crooning aria of oblivion to eliminate any roadblocks present.
The room opened up and spread out in front of him. The space covered as much space as Kharon, just a wide plane without defect or variation. Yet even Randidly’s skin crawled as he stood because the three-meter-high ceiling felt like a twisted inversion he half-recognized. The crystalized Aether in the area achieved a purity not present in the portion of the mountain range they had explored thus far, creating the illusion they walked underneath a calm mountain lake.
From a glance, his senses urged Randidly that diving into that lake would be one of the most refreshing experiences of his life. He snorted and ignored the optical illusion; that calm water would devour you just as quickly as an event horizon and leave just as little waste behind.
Out of the corner of his eyes, Randidly would see movement within the depths that vanished when he focused directly. Still, looking directly up let him peer into the flows of the energy and appreciate how overwhelming the pressure would be in this water. Despite the crystallization, the Aether whispered at the possibilities; it seemed to directly urge Randidly closer, ask him to dive into the ‘lake’.
If Randidly came into contact with the power here-
Well, I’d be powerful but fucking trapped, wouldn’t I? Randidly pulled his eyes down, suppressing his urge to test the theory in the name of pushing his limits. For better or worse, he no longer had time to ascertain exactly how far he would go in non-deadly situations. He glanced behind him at the column following behind him. A few from the Upper Sonara Society couldn’t tear their eyes away, but all of the Vulpis Squad quickly reined in their temptation and focused on the task.
Pullas strode forward to stride next to Randidly. “There is a lot of unquiet death here. To the point but I can’t help but wonder where the bodies went.”
Randidly spared one more glance up toward the inverted lake that was not a lake but a parched throat above them. “I have a feeling that what we are seeing is an illusion. The real depths of this place… are not as pretty as the undulating energy currents we can see.”
For a brief moment, he opened up his energy halo vision. He quickly winced and deactivated the capability. The depths of the energy field were filled with pain and anguish. Those who fell for the temptation of the placid energy now suffered for all eternity.
In a way, perhaps this was the first Ghasthund in the Nexus.
Congratulations! Your Skill Heraldic Tongue of the Alchemist (GD) has grown to Level 1619!
…
Congratulations! Your Skill Heraldic Tongue of the Alchemist (GD) has grown to Level 1632!
Pullas started muttering to herself and Randidy quickened his pace, disturbed by the Skill Level increases. The placid lake seemed to cease its attempts at temptation as he walked toward the central point, like a toddler behaving well sd an unfamiliar adult walked through his home. Randidly’s suspicions about the culprit were confirmed as the saw the smiling and unapologetic form of Solomon Rex standing with his hands behind his back, next to a strange runic machine and below the one shadow in the lake.
Solomon nodded. “I’m glad you were able to make it in time. We should keep this meeting short-”
“I am not glad to be here,” Randidly’s jaw clenched. Even Yggdrasil stirred at his rising anger. He felt… contractions in the new potent capability he wielded with his 10,000 evolved Control. It was a like a muscle, bloated and seething with testosterone, steroids, and rage. All it wanted to do was punish. “What the hell are you thinking, Solomon?! People are having their souls ripped out through their bodies across the entire Nexus and you bring me here? To the one task you were supposed to accomplish on your own, obtaining your body? The minuscule distraction you offered me in exchange for touching my Alpha Cosmos to the Nexus?”
Solomon seemed strangely put out. “I can assure you, the route you took to this location only required the smallest of deviations. With a few moments of your immense capability, you will reach the site of the ritual and be able to intervene in the Actus Suprem’s grim work. And you are forgetting the helpful literature regarding the wider multiverse I provided-”
“Solomon,” Randidly squeezed out the word, his Privilege of the Half-Shallah thrumming with the tightly wound emotions contained within his body. As he spoke too, his Nether Core swirled. From just a word, a ripple spread out from his position through the ‘lake’ hanging above. Randidly flexed his hands, struggling to control his anger. While he definitely just wanted to shred this being in front of him for his foolishness, he had to acknowledge it was just one more distraction.
Is he trying to be such an annoyance on purpose? Randidly couldn’t help but wonder. Yet that made even less sense.
“...if it makes you feel better,” Solomon eventually spoke in the face of Randidly’s glowering. “From my calculations, only 13% of those with Grand Fates have so far succumbed. And that is such a small part of the wider Nexus population-”
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The lake above literally splashed, and quivered, despite its crystalline structure. Randidly could not remember ever being this furious. He felt like a nuclear bomb had been detonated in his chest. He considered the prospect of 13% of the Nexus elites succumbing already. He couldn’t imagine how large that number was. His vision swam and his pulse pounded in his ears.
What brought him back from the brink of an image explosion was actually a warning creak from Yggdrasil. Not a comment on his emotional state, at least directly, but a signal that the emotional disturbance agitated the strange combination ritual held in limbo by the image. The drops of liquid Aether were swelling and flexing like crazy, to the point that the Nether bubbles trembled at the verge of being squished into a pop.
Randidly exhaled, doing his best to shed his fury. Instead, he focused on another intimidating truth: Actus Suprem Devick was powerful enough to overcome 13% of the Nexus elite, in a short amount of time, while also pressuring the entire Nexus. Has she always been this strong? God, what a monster… and one I’ve tied myself to, in multiple ways…
He shifted his jaw back and forth. His eyes were sharp as he looked at Solomon— he could feel the Songstress of Absence opening up tiny event horizons in his pupils. “Didn’t you tell me that you were unable to penetrate through the crystallized Aether and locate your body? How did you lead me here?”
“Once the door is opened, it was simplicity itself to follow the traces to this location. And yes, this diversion has a cost, but I thought you should witness it, before you go to face Fiero directly,” Solomon gestured above them. “Behold… the vessel that has been filled by the sweet sustenance of the Pinnacle. It is better to learn the lesson now than in battle, later.”
Randidly, in his rage, had been aware of the small impurity floating in the placid lake but didn’t look directly at the heavy core of this place. He did so now, begrudgingly, prepared to feel another surge of negative emotion at a pointless digression. Yet as soon as he saw the stolen body of Elhume, floating just beneath the surface of the lake, Randidly had to admit it was worth it to come here. His anger melted away and his expression turned solemn.
Elhume looked older and more distinguished than the memory version, but also much different than the blurry energy projection he had brushed against so many times in the Nexus. The energy projection had the sleazy intensity of the owner of a dozen used car lots. A schemer, a climber, a trickster, whose narrowed eyes were always scanning for any opportunities.
The aged Elhume, the body that had reached the Pinnacle and experienced it, who had opened the Nexus for a third Cohort and slaughtered all the carrion and bottom feeders that tried to force their way into his son’s body, who had sacrificed everything in order to protect and nurture Pine, looked like the stern chairman of a manufacturing corporation. His brows were thick and dark. Even in repose and locked away in crystal, he frowned. His eyes and mouth bore the hint of small lines from the weight he had endured.
Most of all, Randidly felt power in that body. A different sort of power from the dense cluster of crystallized Aether. Even taking into account the heavy veil of turbid Nether that bubbled in the frozen limbs, Randidly couldn’t explain from whence the sensation originated. An inexplicable quality was present in Elhume. Once he had looked, it was difficult to look away. Attention turned sticky around the body.
“So that is the Pinnacle,” Randidly said slowly, opening his energy halo vision and trying to conceptualize what he saw.
“Just the shallow reflection from basking in its light, but yes. That is what it means to be a vessel,” Solomon Rex agreed. “To contain something greater than the base energies with which we toy.”
Randidly’s lips twisted in distaste. He definitely did not wish to acknowledge even the smallest benefit from this visit. Instead, he pivoted to look at the runic machine sitting below Elhume’s body. Even now, Mana circulated through its connections as it continued its process. “What about this? Do you have another project planned?”
“Oh, that predates me. One of Fiero’s subordinates, an inventor of great accomplishment, although this individual has managed to remain relatively unknown in the Nexus.” Solomon grimaced, as though anonymity left a bad taste in his mouth. “This particular machine is busy recondensing one of Fiero’s other great minions, Lathic N’Gick. One more lever with which to control the accumulation of Nether, once I established myself at the bottom of the Nexus.”
Randidly thought about Xershi and sighed. He wondered where his former Ascension Pact member had gone. Yet his anger at being brought here hadn’t completely abated. “If this is all, I’m moving forward. I don’t suppose-”
“The exit in that direction. Go quickly, Randidly Ghosthound. We cannot tarry too long.” Solomon nodded, even while staring up at his former body with the most bare and heated flame of jealousy Randidly had ever seen. He offered no further words, apparently now finished with the brief and pointless conversation.
Randidly’s chest seethed at the reactivated emotions; after all this shit, this bastard had the nerve to tell him to hurry? He gestured sharply with his chin and Alana barked out the order. The group formed up and charged toward the indicated exit. Meanwhile, Randidly brushed up against Neveah’s consciousness. Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
He antagonized you on purpose, both when you arrived, and when you departed, Neveah confirmed. A small trill of amusement escaped her. And it worked like a charm.
Fuck, 13%- Randidly shook his head, not letting the emotion distract him. Just fuck. Anyway, we are missing something. Something important. Why were we brought here? Was it the crystal energy? The way Aether turned into a lake like that? The strange power of the body? The machine to condense N’Gick? Or even some step in a grander metaphor…
A stronger bubble of amusement floated from Neveah. Not everyone possesses your gift for flipping your perspective, Randidly. They are not Alchemists.
But now that I’ve shown them how I need to be on the lookout for copycats. Especially with Solomon, who has been laying at the bottom of this horrid place, staring up and plotting his method to claw his way back to the top. They reached the exit to the flat lake and Randidly had to admit he was glad to be away from those energies. The Aether pressed more aggressively against him here and he was glad for the small defensive manifestation of his image to distract him.
After a pause, Neveah sent another message. I did have a single thought, looking at Elhume’s body. I recognize the power he possesses. I’ve seen it quite often.
Who? Randidly frowned, scanning his own memory.
You, Randidly Ghosthound. You’ve never been standing in front of a mirror when you are at the height of your capability, the way you blaze, scorching and depressing the world in equal measure… but that presence that confused you, that’s you.