Randidly cracked his neck and left Edraine’s base with a belly full of purpose. The operation to pursue the abandoned Nether forces continued to drag on in the Fifth Cohort. This, combined with the fact that much of the actual Nexus leadership was frantically trying to track the movements of the Nether King through the Path to the Pinnacle, meant that the final tally of accomplishment of his recruitment drive hadn’t been done yet. But Octavius Shrike was very hopeful that his reward would be forthcoming.

In essence, Randidly finally had some free time to spend improving himself; the threat of an ambush from Velio Dunn was always present, but he wasn’t struggling to keep up with events any longer.

The other reason that Randidly needed to leave was that Octavius Shrike was practically drooling at the prospect that Randidly’s elite squad would earn him the Nexus Citizenship coins they wanted for their plan. Hearing him mutter incessantly had a quite negative effect on Randidly’s meditation.

Randidly reached up and rubbed his hands together as he walked out of that isolated neighborhood and stepped into the shaft. If there was one downside to this break, it’s that Vualla is still being deployed in the Fifth Cohort. But hopefully, she will have some time off after the rogue Nether Troops are mopped up… maybe we can take a vacation together…?

Randidly leaned forward and began to fall steadily downward, pulled by the significance at the base of the shaft. His feelings were complex as he thought about taking a vacation. His past experiences had taught him that sometimes one needed to take a mental and physical break; his body might feel like it was in its peak state now, but there were usually hidden problems caused by long periods of tension.

But still. After seeing both the palm of Elhume and the workings of the Nether King, Randidly had witnessed the power of the best of the best. Some part of himself couldn’t stand the thought of taking a break. He still had so much more to learn.

Randidly shook his head as the stale air of the shaft whooshed past. But either way. Seeing Vualla would be nice…

Influence +14!

He continued to accelerate downward, adjusting the angle of his body to gracefully swim through the crisscrossing cables that filled the shaft. In his chest, the Stillborn Phoenix happily expanded and began to suck in the ambient emotions that drifted upward. After holding itself back for so long, it could finally reach widely and consume.

But before Randidly proceeded too deeply, beyond the boundary that even ordinary individuals were willing to approach, his eyes sharpened and his metal arm snapped out to grab one of the long cables he was passing. The metallic material flexed and stretched, absorbing the force of his descent. Right before it snapped back up, Randidly released the cable and alighted upon another, a few meters below.

He stood straight and tall on the swinging cable and crossed his arms. Ahead of him in the shaft, a Nether Ritual glowed. A near-invisible membrane stretched across the entire interior of the shaft. Just as Randidly began studying the runes intently, three individuals wearing familiar cowls floated out from a cleverly hidden porthole along the wall.

“Greetings, Mr. Ghosthound.” The humanoid’s teeth were yellow and he radiated oily Nether. His face was hairless and pale. “I was hoping to find you here. Truly, an honor. Do you have a few minutes to converse?”

Randidly instantly activated Ruin is Inevitable, Yet This Too Shall Pass. The violence leaning Grim Chimera grinned in anticipation. He subconsciously reached out through his network of Randidlys in parallel lives. His skin tingled as he carefully observed as a few of those Randidlys attacked immediately, without even attempting to talk with these three untrustworthy individuals. It was enough for Randidly that they stunk of Nether and wore the outfit he associated with the Engraving Guild.

After all the times the Swacc Family had tried to capture or kill him...

Congratulations! Your Skill Ruin is Inevitable, Yet This Too Shall Pass (T) has grown to Level 306!

…

Congratulations! Your Skill Ruin is Inevitable, Yet This Too Shall Pass (T) has grown to Level 321!

One particular Randidly was worried about the lurking presence of Velio Dunn and went all out from the jump; he kept nothing back. All three images physicalized around him and his body blazed with the spectral flames of Weight. Waves of dense Nether blasted outward and restricted the movements that these representatives could take as he accelerated forward.

Another Randidly whipped out Acri and began to gather natural energy with Ripple of Amenonuhoko with several deceptively fast thrusts. A third just squatted and exploded off the swinging cable like a rocket, turning his body into a natural bullet to test the limits of these three.

The first Randidly slaughtered these representatives of the Engraving Guild in only three seconds. They seemed genuinely shocked by his decisive offensive and couldn’t respond in time to the combined might of his images. The other two aggressive Randidlys also killed these three, although those fights took somewhat longer as he hadn’t been so overbearing.

Congratulations! Your Skill Ruin is Inevitable, Yet This Too Shall Pass (T) has grown to Level 322!

“Mr. Ghosthound?” The yellow-toothed humanoid said again, bringing Randidly back to the present.

Randidly flexed his hands and calmed his beating heart. What a strange feeling… to have so many memories of cutting these three to pieces. And after I struck in those parallel lives… nothing happened. There was no hidden ambush. It truly seems like they truly are here to talk…

Randidly kept a stern expression on his face as he addressed them, however. “How did you find me here?”

If he hadn’t completely rid himself of the bit of tracking Aether, he was lucky to still be alive.

The three Engraving Guild representatives exchanged glances. Finally, the middle one with yellow teeth cleared his throat. “Well… I suppose it’s not a secret. Other groups have been dispatched to places where it was believed you might go, too. The Leadership of the Engraving Guild is very interested in meeting with you, Mr. Ghosthound. We definitely want to resolve your misunderstanding with the Swacc Family. As for this particular location… some may not be able to sense it, but the Engraving Guild discovered traces of raw emotions with your scent on them originating from the shaft. Just in case, a team has been stationed here to contact you.”

Randidly’s expression soured further. Mostly he was annoyed at the greedy significance in the depths of this place that prevented him from just using his Philosopher's Key to teleport to the bottom so he was forced to walk into ‘trap’. But it was also useful to know that there were some others who were skilled enough with emotions to sense the touch of the Stillborn Phoenix.

The central figure spoke hurriedly. “Please, hear me out. The Engraving Guild holds a great deal of respect for your ability to manipulate Nether; it is very rare that we see someone so young and talented as yourself! And although I’m sure you’ve heard some explanations of the costs of joining our Nether Lattice, let me assure you that Neshamah Rex’s methods to form a Nether Core have powerful drawbacks that you won’t notice until it is too late. And if you agree to become part of the Nether Lattice… there are ways to move such a talented youngster quickly up the hierarchy.”

Randidly pressed his lips together to hide a smile. These two schools of creating false Nether Cores really have it out for each other… And both seem to assume that I received information on how to create a Nether Core from the other one… for now, that’s probably for the best.

Seeing that Randidly continued to listen, a flash of gleeful triumph emerged in the humanoid’s eyes. He began to speak quickly, unwilling to miss this moment that he perceived as a victory. “Let me make our case. If you request for a transfer from Military High Command to the Engraving Guild, we can help you avoid any undue scrutiny as a result of your envy-inducing recent accomplishments. In addition, the Engraving Guild has compiled the most extensive library of Nether Rituals in existence… even if you don’t choose to become a member of the Nether Lattice, you will still have access to the rich history of weapons that the Nether Horde has used to threaten the Nexus…! Your future accomplishments will be limitless.”

By the end of his pitch, the yellow-toothed humanoid had his mouth wide open in the approximation of a grin; he seemed to be having sympathy delusions about Randidly’s potential. Looking at the discolored, toothy lining around the orifice, Randidly just felt a strange sense of disgust. He cleared his throat likely. “I’ll think about your offer. But currently, I plan on spending some time training. Now, if you’ll excuse me, gentlemen…”

While the humanoid was speaking, Randidly wasn’t idle; he had been carefully studying the Nether Ritual that the group had erected below him. With a single thought, he tugged at the edge of one particular Nether flow and the whole thing fell to pieces.

Randidly stepped off the cable and drifted serenely downward, leaving the three cowled humanoids goggling at his accomplishment. But as he suspected, he had only traveled about twenty meters when the leader shouted after him. “W-wait! Mr. Ghosthound! Be sure you think about it! You have more enemies than you know! We can protect you!”

You could learn a lot about sales pitches from Claudette, Randidly thought without bothering to respond to the representatives from the Engraving Guild. This group had stated that they would be handling the Swacc Family, but did that mean that the Swacc Family was totally willing to set aside its suspicions regarding him, or that other factions in the Engraving Guild were taking the lead by contacting him…?

But they probably aren’t wrong. I do have a lot of enemies.

Randidly allowed himself to continue falling for quite a long time. He went deeper and deeper into the shaft, the ambient Nether in the air steadily climbing around him. He broke past the thick 50% rind that parted almost unwillingly before him, letting Randidly down into that familiar area where the pull of the significance below became truly irresistible. However, with his own Nether Core, Randidly basically ignored this ‘gravity’ and continued proceeding deeper. He shot past the thick band that was densely populated by the porcelain guardians before they could lock onto his position.

It was only when he was floating above the familiar forms of Nether Gatekeepers that Randidly slowed and stabilized himself. He took a deep breath, looking around almost in wonder at the surroundings. The depths of the shaft were dark and misty. Thick gushing blasts of corrosive emotion eddied and flowed chaotically in the space, causing small twinkles of light that one could only see out of the corner of one’s eyes. A complex web was strung between certain groups amongst the Nether Beings, likely helping them support each other.

He spun slowly in the air. The walls were extremely distant as the shaft widened the deeper one went. But Randidly could see that the bone walls down here were dark and ancient. Without the restrictions of his Visage of Obsession, Randidly actually possessed his senses to appreciate the strangeness of the environment.

Randidly looked again down toward the meditating Nether Gatekeepers, who studiously ignored him in order to prevent their own descent into darkness. He wondered how much time they had experienced him, while he had left the shaft and come back. He didn’t recognize any of them, but he hadn’t studied them closely. Now, he wished he had.

I’ll get to them later. There’s a lot for me to do down here. But first… Randidly flipped his hand and produced the Hierarchy of Burden in one hand and the small black stylus in the other. It was time to test Seeker Thunder Wing’s information.