Chapter 2002

Chapter 2002

“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?”

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.