The first thing Randidly noticed when he returned to his body was that Vualla was gone from her collapsed position next to him. It was honestly surprising that she had been able to get up and move without him noticing, but Randidly supposed Grim Intuition didn’t recognize her as a threat.

She did, however, leave him a note that was laying next to him. The corner of Randidly’s mouth quirked upward as he saw how messy her handwriting was. Did she not even take off her gauntlets to write this…?

Randidly,

I’m returning to Commander Terith’s camp to check-in and rest some. After I’ve recovered, I’ll return so we can talk.

Don’t disappear on me again.

-Vualla

Which at least means I have one less problem to worry about in the meantime, Randidly thought sourly as he did his best to release all of his tension with a deep sigh. Right after finding a moment of peace in that dark night while speaking to Azriel, Randidly was back with a pile of issues he needed to address.

Randidly was sitting cross-legged and trying to make a mental checklist of the order in which he needed to proceed when Salazar pushed open the tent flap and stuck his long neck into the dark interior.

“S-sir… Lady Iellaya says we need to muster. Another attack is coming f-f-from the Nether f-forces. If you are tired, Abiodun s-said-”

“Actually,” Randidly cracked his neck and stood. The runic engravings on his metallic left arm flared to life as he flexed the fingers one by one and savored the sensation. “Maybe some exercise is exactly what I need to clear my head. Is there word for how long they expect it to be until the attack?”

“A h-h-half-hour,” Salazar stuttered. Then he hesitated. “Will Z-zauna and I-”

“Yep, you’ll be coming.” Randidly chuckled at the way Salazar’s face immediately paled. “And get yourself ready in half that- I expect that the Nether attack won’t let us sit easy and calmly muster up in front of them.”

Bobbing his head wildly, Salazar pulled himself out of the tent and Randidly could hear his rapid footfalls as he hurried away. After chewing his lip for a second, Randidly turned his attention inward. Because of the intensity of his struggle against the Aether mechanisms in the pod toward the end, he hadn’t been as free to utilize his PP. So now he took the huge chunk that he had gathered and considered his options.

Still about three hundred short of the next wave of benefits from the Alpha Cosmos… Randidly rubbed his chin. But more than enough to give me an edge for the current situation.

Congratulations! You have finished the Nether Adaption III Path! Few traverse this dark and twisting path, fearing that their bodies will be corrupted by the strange energies of Nether. Yet somehow, you seem to thrive and emerge ever stronger the more that Nether becomes present in the fabric of your existence. The energies are slowly being woven together. Please know that there is a secret at the end of this Path… it is recommended that you don’t continue any farther. You have been warned.

Congratulations! Endurance and Resistance +40! Effectiveness of all Nether related Skills per Skill Level is slightly increased! Due to synchronicity, your Skill Nether Nether Acclimation ® has evolved into Nether Modification (U)! Skill Level has been lost as the Skill has become Unique!

Nether Modification (U): Your body has been so seasoned by the presence of Nether that it has developed natural resistances to its warping effects that are so strong that there are practically no negative effects that result from exposure. It might not be your natural habitat, but it will no longer slow you down.

Randidly could only sigh as he read the notifications. These ominous messages slipped into Path completions are starting to get quite old… but at least there wasn’t an overt threat included. Only an implied one…

Still, the Stats gained from the completion of the Path combined with the 1 Endurance he earned for every 10 of the 600 PP he spent on the Path meant that this Path came with a 100 strong Endurance boost. Which was nothing to sneeze at. Losing his Nether Resistance Skill as something that could Level up was somewhat annoying, but it certainly helped that he wouldn’t be oppressed by the presence of Nether any longer.

Randidly looked down at his hand in wonder. Although maybe the secret it speaks about is one that I already know… that Nether and Aether can complement each other. Yet I almost think that is too light of a truth to merit that ominous assurance of remorse should I continue…

Randidly glanced at his Path options, and there was the Nether Modification IV Path. But at 1000 PP, it would be a long time until he finished that. Or at least it would wait until he earned the 300 more PP he needed for his Alpha Cosmos to pay out a large amount of PP.

“Okay, all prepared,” Randidly spoke brightly into the air. Inside of him, his images began to stir as he gathered his power to his will. After all portions of him finally being given a rest, it was amazing how heavy and sharp his Willpower seemed to him. “Time to try something different today, eh?”

*****

BOOOOOOM!

Abiodun scowled and gestured sharply with his hand for the forces around him to fall backward from the sparse defensive fortifications and be relieved by the reserved troops. Aether soldiers gradually retreated, doing their best not to stumble over the cracked and seething ground of the borderlands.

Seeing the opening that had been created by the heavy bombardment of Nether against the minor fortifications, the Nether Beasts surged forward with their strange limbs flailing. The waves of bodies began to concentrate as they forced their way through the openings in the fortifications.

That damned Miln, Abdioun scowled. Taking half of every camps fortification gear to strengthen the center might protect your ass, but it’s going to get the rest of us killed…

But despite Abiodun’s suspicions that it was a directly crafted attack to expose Lady Iellaya to additional danger, as hers was one of the two most vulnerable camps, it was a reasonable order. The prior attack on the central camp at least made Lord Miln’s theory plausible. So they had no choice but to comply. And now they were forced to accept the fact that their fortifications had gaps in them that the Nether Beasts could use.

The gaps at least funneled the Nether Beasts into densely packed columns, but it was hard to take advantage of that fact when the Nether had opened three vast portals for a vast bombardment of the frontlines. The covering fire made it difficult to mass any attack to cut the dense columns apart. So while Lady Iellaya and Commander Terith dealt with the Nether Gatekeepers maintaining them above, Abiodun was in charge of managing the below.

BOOOOOM!

Could be worse, Abiodun thought with a sigh. Then he returned his vigilant glare at the commander of the Nether forces as both were bound to remain still until the other moved toward the battlefield. The only hope of Lady Iellaya finally actualizing her dreams of becoming one whole entity with all the potential she gathered could be here on the front lines endangering himself pointlessly-

Just as he was thinking that, Abiodun her the strange sound of hooves and turned around. Then he sighed. ...this bastard. But at least his Skill can be used from a distance...

Yet even as Abiodun thought that, Randidly Ghosthound continued boldly forward while riding a strange creature that appeared to be made entirely from roots. Behind him, almost thirty knights riding strange, almost insectoid camels came after him with their leafy spears raised toward the sky. They painted a decidedly farcical picture.

Huge shells of Nether continued to crash into the fractured stone ground of the frontlines, but the entire column that Randidly was leading moved with surprising grace as they winded their way forward. Even as the Nether bombs impacted the ground around them, the group moved as sinuously as a cobra through the dangerous landscape of broken and scorched sandstone. Abiodun was surprised to see that even Randidly’s two attendant images were attached to the end of the column, following along with the same smoothness.

There is a Skill here, Abiodun thought with a frown. A weak one… but Skills that impact the battlefield are relatively rare. Few people utilize one of their finite Skill slots for such an ability. With his Willpower behind it pushing it toward an image…

Yet Abiodun couldn’t help but grow angry as Randidly clearly did not intend to slow down as he approached the Nether Beasts that were scrambling forward through the gaps in the heavy grey fortifications. If something happened to him-

At the very least, the bombardment stops near the Nether Forces. But if he doesn’t turn around soon, he’s going to be smack dab in the middle of the enemy army.

But Randidly did not slow down. If anything, he accelerated, the root beast he was riding launching itself forward as he moved toward the Nether Beasts. And his retinue seemed almost pulled to follow him, accelerating behind in a long, elastic line.

A huge crab Nether Beast at the front of the invading force leapt into the air, its six sharp arms stabbing downward toward Randidly. Slowly, Randidly’s gaze drifted upward toward the thing. Without even missing a beat, Randidly’s arm blurred into motion and the leafy spear he held flicked outward once, twice, four times, six times, knocking every attack harmlessly away.

Which meant that the Nether Beast used that opening as Randidly defended the arms to rip downward with one of its huge claws, aiming to physically crush his body and the weird root mount beneath him. And, just as casually as before, Randidly reached up and deftly grabbed the claw with his metallic left arm.

It was clear that Randidly trembled from the exertion, but he stopped the blow dead. Neither the strength of the beast nor the corrosion of the ambient Nether seemed to slow Randidly down at all. And by the time the crab Nether Beast realized what had happened, that leafy spear Randidly wielded punctured the crab’s shell, shattered its Nether core, then bent and flicked the huge body to the side like it was a deflating balloon.

In a blur of motion, Randidly was gone, moving rapidly forward to cut down Nether Beasts faster than they could realize he was coming for them. He was a reaper of death, leaving broken Nether Beasts and motes of drifting ash in his wake. And his army followed him, finishing off those he left wounded but living.

Abiodun’s expression was serious as he watched Randidly move. In terms of image, the effect is marginal at best… but those movements… his Agility Stat is over 1000. Or he possesses an upgraded version of Agility… and a fucking good one...

His craggy face grew more fractured and hesitant as he watched Randidly Ghosthound move like a ghost among the Nether Beasts. His body twisted and contorted in impossible angles, moving at speeds that left afterimages. But is it truly so simple to have Agility reach that level… while also being able to display that power with his potent root Skill… and also he can create a Class for Lady Iellaya…?

Yet there was no argument quite as convincing as the truth. So Abiodun simply stood still, pinning down a helplessly furious Nether Gatekeeper and witnessing Randidly Ghosthound engaging the beasts in front of him directly.

In terms of the beings below the Nether Gatekeeper tier of strength… Randidly was practically unstoppable. But that missed the point.

If you didn’t have a Nether Gatekeeper to slow him down, Randidly might be able to wipe out the rest of the army all on his own. And that filled Abiodun with a strange sense of fear.