The night of revelry was one that would be long remembered on Kharon. As the stars slowly scrolled past, everyone seemed to throw themselves even more forcefully into enjoying their current reprive. The moss spirits were out in force, dancing enthusiastically for the population that had only recently realized how intelligent they were. Even Randidly couldn’t resist the rising tide of cheer that seized the city as the full population participated in the eating, drinking, and dancing that spread like a plague through the city.

Perhaps most importantly, Randidly could steadily feel the people they had picked up from the ‘Chosen’s’ Chicago aligning with the wider image of Kharon. Slowly but surely, they were beginning to feel at home here. They were all already people that were already willing to work hard and help others, but the party helped them finally relax enough to feel a sense of belonging and community with the moving city.

And the real reason that it made Randidly so pleased to sense the change was because Kharon was his home. It was a wonderful feeling to share the joy of home with others.

The new arrivals' sudden embrace of Kharon became even more sharply apparent when, due to the overwhelming popularity of the quickly escalating party, the people of Kharon drank through the entirety of the liquor they had purchased from Zone 1 and 32. Rather tipsy themselves, the people responsible for the distribution of alcohol were shocked to find that the entire supply that would normally last a month had been drunk to the last drop in only a week. And they were well aware that most of that drinking had come that night.

Requests came for more alcohol, but all the kegs in the storehouse had already been distributed.

For a while, there was a bunch of hand-ringing as the managers in charge of alcohol had a headache that cut quickly through their small amount of inebriation. A ripple ran through the entirety of Kharon as the different alcohol stands that had been set up had to turn customers away due to lack of supply. Some of the joviality began to ebb from the proceedings.

Before the managers finally bit the bullet and reported the problem to Tatiana, an unexpected solution presented itself; surreptitiously hidden under baggy clothes at first, a series of green-glassed bottles of moonshine began making the rounds through the crowds. It turned out that the people of Chicago hadn’t really thought to mention it before, but even under the oppression of the Chosen, they hadn’t given up the sweet vices of alcohol.

Any servent of a Chosen worth his salt was brewing something in his or her personal quarters. That habit hadn’t been lost when they moved to Kharon.

Many a cramped basement was now the site of a hastily assembled still. And although the operations had only been going for about a month, the people had also brought with them three years worth of hidden moonshine they had made under the Chosens’ noses. It was more than enough to fuel the continuation of their party.

As the ‘star’ of the party, Randidly was quickly found and presented with a bottle made of green glass. Curious, he took a swig. Instantly he grinned and laughed as the extremely rough alcohol burned its way down his throat. His Vitality almost instantly smothered the alcohol that entered his body and his Endurance didn’t allow him to become tipsy at all from the gulp, but the familiar burning sensation of alcohol was something that Randidly hadn’t felt in quite some time.

“This stuff is good,” Randidly grinned down at the bottle. The one who had made the moonshine laughed and slapped his knee.

Although Randidly felt quite guilty for simply taking the entire bottle of liquor for himself, Grim Intuition overheard the distiller of that bottle had bragged shamelessly after Randidly had extricated himself from the crowd and returned to the rooftops. Who else but that man’s moonshine was good enough for the Ghosthound himself? So even if he took the entire bottle and disappeared, Randidly dubiously supposed being seen drinking that man’s moonshine was a form of repayment in and of itself.

Maybe being at the top isn’t so bad after all… But as soon as Randidly thought that, the memory of the Ghosthound commercial he had imagined appeared in his mind. Shivering, Randidly took another long swig of moonshine and looked out across the raucous city.

In that moment of peace with the party continuing before him, Randidly contacted Neveah and had a rather long conversation with her. They had spoken briefly a few times while Randidly was fighting at the frontlines, but those interactions just enough to ensure each other that both were doing well. At the time, Randidly had felt Neveah’s frustration that she was unable to assist him while he was really threatened, without his body. After all, they shared Health, Mana, and Stamina, but when Randidly was the Grim Chimera he was purely relying on mental strength to exist.

Neveah had been able to provide some support, but it was much less concrete. So Randidly had taken a few opportunities to interact with Neveah and reassure her that he had grown enough from the experience to make it worth it.

So this conversation as a social call, as the two detailed some minor projects on which they had been working. Of course, Randidly’s plans for an uncomplicated discussion were quickly derailed as he was distracted during a lull in their conversation when he peeked through their Soulbond at Neveah’s inner world. “You… you have ten drops of liquid Aether?”

Neveah’s consciousness was immediately very smug. It swirled around proudly. “What, you think you are the only one who can figure out the trick? Honestly, it is annoying that my advantage over you amounts only this much; liquid Aether requires emotion and I, who have been deeply in love several times over the course of my short life, has much more emotional potency than you. Only three times the liquid Aether? How embarrassing.”

Randidly pursed his lips and took another swig of moonshine as he remembered Neveah using his body to propose to a pop star from Zone 1. Rather than responding to her taunts, however, Randidly just shook his head and opened up some of his memories to Neveah. Specifically, Randidly showed her images of his experiences with liquid Aether. In addition, Randidly told her about the Fate armory that was filled with powerful currents of Aether.

Then, as their discussion expanded outward from Aether application, Randidly revealed his memories of the Xyrt Brigades' actions around the Nether King. If they weren’t going to keep this a pleasure call, Randidly wanted to consult Neveah on what he had seen on the frontlines.

Fascinated, Neveah studied the weave of Aether around the Nether King very closely. Unbidden, she tugged at some of Randidly’s other memories and quickly extracted his observations on the behavior of Nether through his use of Nether Rituals. After studying those experiences, Neveah returned to looking at what Randidly had seen of the Nether King after it had gone dormant.

After thinking a bit, she asked, “Can you show me what is happening there right now? Presently?”

Randidly nodded and activated Nether Ritual. He wove his wish together, sincerely desiring to see the area around the Nether King. With the power of a Nether Gatekeeper fueling the working, the Nether Ritual formed much more quickly than it had in the past. In addition, as the image resolved itself, Randidly was struck by the impression that he could now reach through the connection he established and affect what he saw.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Ritual (A) has grown to Level 136!

...

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Ritual (A) has grown to Level 142!

Obviously, his strength, if he pushed now through the ritual, would be relatively minor. But it did cause Randidly to make a mental note to work more on improving his Nether Ritual in the future. If he could control that influence well…

But Randidly let those thoughts fall away as he focused on the image he shared with Neveah. The frontlines and the Great Rift slowly swirled into focus. As he had expected, even more ground surrounding the area where the Nether King currently lay dormant had fallen away. Lady Iellaya’s repaired base stuck out like a sore thumb as the surrounding lands had been conquered by the Great Rift.

And seeing that Lady Iellaya’s hastily assembled camp was still manned made Randidly wince; he knew it was his Commandership that was stationed there. And without him there to nurture the image of Yggdrasil that held the Great Rift at bay, it would someday collapse into the vast darkness. He had used a drop of liquid Aether to fuel the Skill, which was why the effect was so exaggerated, but still…his soldiers remaining there was dangerous.

Although, most of those soldiers are not ones loyal to me at all… I’ll have to decide how much responsibility I have toward them...

Neveah prodded Randidly. Shaking his head mentally, Randidly turned his focus away from the land and let the Nether Ritual guide them out toward the Great Rift. There, the Xyrt Brigade continued to weave Aether using the principles of Nether in a tight knot around the Nether King. But Randidly instantly sensed that their attempts had become increasingly desperate. Since Randidly had departed from frontlines, another score of soldiers from the Xyrt Brigade had arrived to assist with the operation. Almost thirty people were working constantly, moving Aether to suppress what was occurring within the Nether King.

Randidly’s eyes narrowed and Neveah hummed. The Nether Ritual focused on the interplay of Aether and Nether around the core of the Nether King. Both understood that it was too late; whatever was going to occur with the Nether King could no longer be stopped, only delayed.

Neveah turned and looked at Randidly. “This reaction… is due to you?”

After hesitating, Randidly nodded slightly. “After seeing the weave used Nether principles… I’m starting to believe the System completely controls this war between the two sides. With my Philosopher’s Key… I unlocked whatever was holding the Nether King back. Perhaps it will give us some insight into what it means for us to stand against the System.”

“A gamble.” Immediately, Neveah hummed again. Then she shared the perceptions she gathered with her senses. Even if Grim Intuition was a more powerful Stat than Neveah possessed, her sensitivity to Aether was something that Randidly couldn’t rival. “Can you feel it…? Rather than unlocking the seal, you seemed to have marked the seal for the Nether… It was hidden previously, but that Key built a bridge that allowed the Nether to find what had kept it bound for so long…”

With Neveah’s senses providing perspective, Randidly felt the blurry edge of something sitting at the core of the Nether King. He couldn’t help but suck in a breath as that blurry sensation resolved itself. Because at the core of the Nether King, a fingernail’s worth of crystalized Aether floated. It was currently struggling to resist the full fury of the Nether King’s energy that swirled around and ate away at it. The efforts of the Xyrt Brigade were to distract the Nether King’s energy and keep it from turning its focus on this interloper at its core, but it was too late to calm the Nether’s fury.

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Ritual (A) has grown to Level 143!

Congratulations! Your Skill Nether Sensation (L) has grown to Level 99!

Both were thoughtful as Randidly allowed the Nether Ritual to fade away.

Finally, Neveah broke the silence. “The System is dangerous.”

Randidly barred his teeth. “We’ve known that for a while… and we haven’t even gotten rid of all the assorted threats here on Earth.”

To that, Neveah shrugged. “I too have felt the Creature’s energy spreading… she’s very obvious about her movements. Too obvious for it to be a simple thing on which she works. That is why I was wary of approaching her while you were gone. But I’ve been studying the Danger Zones… I believe I have discovered what the ‘benefit’ the System has teased recently is.”

That had Randidly’s attention. Nodding, Neveah continued to speak. “The old bones of the System are still present in the planets were are now connected to… and when I fought the Toad Lord, I sensed that there have been small adjustments among those old System constructs that have long lain dormant.

“As you know, each planet is given a flow of ambient Aether that pushes up the potential of the materials and organisms on the planet. That ambient energy permeates everything. Eventually, the percentage of an individual’s consumption of ambient Aether drops off as they are connected to a Village… but that ambient Aether in a world is a very important determinant when it comes to someone’s potential. Because the stronger they are when they obtain a Class…”

“The stronger the Class they are able to claim,” Randidly finished with glittering eyes. “At least theoretically.”

Neveah grinned, showcasing her formidable maw. “Yes. I believe Earth will absorb the old structures from these abandoned worlds by accomplishing the System’s stated task. At that time, Earth will receive almost double the amount of ambient Aether that it currently does. And at the same time… those old worlds, now without a System framework, will collapse upon themselves.”

“And the populations will either move to Earth… or die…” Randidly tapped his lip. Then he spared Neveah a glance. “I don’t suppose you showed enough mercy to the Toad Lord that he would be willing to negotiate? Adding his strength to Earth’s can only be a good thing. Assuming, of course, you believe he won’t betray us.”

Neveah’s smile was almost bashful. “That Toad Lord is actually quite interesting. Even I was surprised by the creative ways that he utilized Aether. I’ll contact him in a bit after he’s recovered from the wounds I inflicted on him… there is no way he would hold a grudge against a cute young woman like me, right?”

Randidly’s face twitched. “...how could he? No matter how… errr… serious the wounds you inflicted were, I’m sure that your genuine attitude will be enough…”

Neveah’s jaw, lined with razor-sharp teeth, clicked excitedly as she nodded cheerfully. “Of course. It must be so. And if he still holds a grudge… well, that’s fine too. Perhaps he has even more Aether tricks that he can show me.”