Devick couldn’t stop sobbing until the moment the Nether King wrapped his heavy arms around her. When they were apart, she simply sank into her emotions. The darkness drew a curtain between herself and the rest of the world. Yet then the Nether King stepped forward and reminded her he was there. The gesture possessed very little intimacy or desire, which made Devick disappointed, but his limbs were long, solid, and warm. A part of her relaxed into him, just leaning against his body.

The Nether King smelled like fresh cut grass and aged lumber. His robe had been woven from high quality silk. Devick attempted to marshal her features into a cute crying motion, but it just made the next sob into a hopefully charming hiccup. A flush crept across her face, some less high-minded emotions creeping into the forefront of her mind.

After only a few seconds, she stepped away from the Nether King and sucked in huge gasps of air. Her heart remained bleeding, the vision of Toll twitching in his sleep haunting her. Yet she had already resolved herself. She had come to get even with Larson Cerulean. For the woman she had allowed to plot against her for several matches, believing herself to be above her petty tricks.

What made it worse was Devick hadn’t been wrong. She had never had to foot the bill for allowing Larson to prod at her. Someone else simply had to pay the price. A friend-

“Now what?” The Nether King asked just in time to prevent her from spiraling away.

Devick nodded several times in quick succession to get her thoughts in order. They bounced around her head, again resulting in her sadness and grief landing on top of the pile, but she could rummage through them and grab what she needed. “Now we attend a party. You brought your gift?” The Nether King nodded. Devick breathed out through her nose. “Alright, so my plan is based on Larson being predictable. When we were younger, she always made fun of me for-”

Nether King Hungry Eye raised a hand to stop her. “Opening up and trusting your companions is good. But I’ll be honest, I don’t really care. If all I need to do is give you an impressive gift, we can leave it at that. I trust you to sweep up the remnants of this Larson girl, after you are done with her.”

For several seconds, Devick simply goggled at the Nether King. The faith felt good, almost too good. It took a great effort to find her voice. “You aren’t even slightly interested in what I intend to do?”

Congratulations! Your Skill Methodical Recalibration (Ru) has grown to Level 311!

“No.”

Congratulations! Your Skill Methodical Recalibration (Ru) has grown to Level 312!

So Devick nursed her stifled desire to monologue and huffed into the building. She would just need to make the process so inevitably dramatic that a pre-briefing was unnecessary. They rode up the strange levitation platform in silence. Gentleman that he was, the Nether King offered Devick his arm when they arrived at the top floor. So they arrived almost as a couple to the party thrown by Larson Cerulean.

Touching the Nether King again did a lot to improve her mood. Which she needed, because when the doors were thrown open to the party, Devick had to forcibly repress a scowl. At least there is no need to worry that Larson doesn’t remember what she used to tease me.

Even in such an annoying manner, Larson Cerulean impressed. Somehow she had managed to find likenesses of Devick and then hired artists, perhaps even the same artists that had been worked to the bone to create the ornate invitations, to draw several watercolor paintings of both as a child and growing up. All of her ungainly teenage years were on display, prominently lined in front of vague backgrounds of blue and grey waves.

Worst of all, Devick wore massive spectacles in every one. But she refused to allow her annoyance to show on her face.

Several large tables filled the center of the room, outfitted with elegant table clothes and golden candelabras. Trays with various delicacies lay half-eaten across the tables. Several discrete lizardpeople stood at the corners of the room, moving swiftly to clear out discarded plates or goblets. Currently, the party seemed to have spilled out mostly onto the balcony, where several controlled pyres had been erected. In the middle of them, she could make out a massive drawing of what appeared to be an Arakis Beast.

Devick really didn’t want to know what those were about.

“The graceful lady of the hour!” Through the crowd of sparkling-robed individuals, Larson glided forward. Her eyes flicked sideways to the Nether King and flickered, but she ultimately ignored him and spoke just for Devick. “We have been positively ravenous waiting for you. We have so many events planned. Are you familiar with the game pin the tail on the Arakis Beast? It is a regional delight of Malloon. I think you will really love it. Right, everyone?”

“Actually, I was thinking we begin with gifts,” Devick felt her temper rising, but her anger now felt muted compared to the ache of her guilt. She did notice, however, how easily Larson keyed in on her own annoyances; apparently, she wasn’t the only one who considered the other woman predictable. Larson opened her mouth to offer an opinion, but Devick gestured to the Nether King next to her. “Unfortunately, Nether King Hungry Eye cannot stay long.”

That swayed Larson; she seemed visibly discomforted by the Nether King’s presence, so a rearrangement of the schedule was a small price to pay to get rid of him. Her smile exuded joy and charm. “I mean, if it’s the birthday girl’s wish, who are we to disagree?”

Without needing to be signaled, the Nether King stepped to the side, his robe rippling with the smooth movement. The golden embroidery glittered in the light of the room. He flicked his wrist and produced a polished black box. The chatter of the rest of the party subsided, everyone gathering in a loose circle around them.

Okay, so long as it looks extremely well made, Devick mentally crossed her fingers as she took the box and opened it. However, even she felt a flash of shock as she saw the ornately crafted hoop. Bands of obsidian and brushed silver wove together to form a mesmerizing pattern. In the small locations the two materials met, little pieces of onyx and ruby twinkled with a strange, mesmerizing energy.

Devick ran her thumb over the piece of jewelry and discovered the obsidian while looking plain, was covered in extremely minute symbols; the Nether King had somehow fit an extremely complex Engraving onto the gift.

“Oh wow, it’s positively lovely,” Devick breathed. She blushed as she lifted the object to her throat and snapped the choker closed. It fit almost perfectly. A shiver rocked her body when she realized he had known the diameter of her throat well enough to craft a necklace like this.

“No it-” The Nether King opened his mouth, looked at her, and sighed. He waved a hand, almost saying, ‘do whatever you want’.

Devick was confused by his reaction, but then the description of the object popped up in front of her and she sucked in a breath. She had expected the item given to her by the Nether King to be valuable, but the more she read, the more her skin prickled.

Clasp of Lunacy (T) Level 99: A powerful accessory crafted by the mysterious Randidly Ghosthound, also known as Nether King Hungry Eye within the (#$&*@(!_). The materials are foreign, plucked seemingly from an entirely different existence. Using understanding that should be impossible based on the amount of time spent together, the Nether King has created an extremely suitable equipment for Devick. Others might utilize the item, however the effects will be moderately reduced.

Valuable minerals have been embedded in the metal of the accessory, grounding the Engraving and Nether Ritual that are present. The two differing systems of energy intersect, but the result is harmonious. Unless the individual is a master of energy equivalent to Randidly Ghosthound, it is impossible to destabilize these effects. At the moment both are tied into a ‘Skill’ based in the Clasp that possesses the ability to Level. Health +50, Mana +200, Willpower +30. Otherworldly Materials VI. Priceless Gift V. Tailored Union of Aether and Nether VIII.

Otherworldly Materials VI: Notes of the Alpha Cosmos cling to some of the materials used in the Clasp. While wearing the item, it is slightly easier to learn new Skills and very marginally easier to gain Skill Levels. Wisdom +20.

Priceless Gift V: The Clasp of Lunacy draws a portion of its power from the wearer. As such, attacks that would not kill the wearer will not be able to damage the Clasp of Lunacy. As the wearer’s power grows, so does the Clasp’s threshold of invulnerability.

Tailored Union of Aether and Nether VIII: Understanding forged across a thousand battlefields has been incorporated into this object. Not only that, but the craftsman Randidly Ghosthound has stood before the heights of both Aether and Nether forces, surviving and learning through the process. The ability to accumulate energy into a shape and also the ability to gather significance into weight have been incorporated into the object. In addition, a scaffolding designed specifically for Devick means that when she uses the equipment, the Skill will grow at double the pace of any other user. Wielder gains the Skill Frolic of the Needle-Toothed Hare (L)(U)!

Frolic of the Needle-Toothed Hare (L)(U): The cavorting movement style of a trickster god. Able to affect conversation and attacks, however primarily concerned with the movement of the user through the world. Sharp movements can become smooth and flowing movements reveal their jagged edges. Once the Skill is activated, user will tumble down the rabbit hole. Skill can allow the user to transgress the natural laws of the world. Slightly increases speed and unpredictability of movement. Causes a very small decrease in Stamina consumption. Simply maintaining the Skill will cause a small amount of damage to all hostile entities in the surrounding area. Skill will draw energy from the array stitched into the gemstones, meaning the user will not require a Class to support its growth. Skill will gather significance naturally with use in historic moments, naturally causing the Rarity and effects of the Skill to rise. The potency of all described effects increases with Skill Level.

“Oh wow,” Devick drew her pointer finger across the choker. Already, she could feel a buzzing spark of energy sitting within the core of the item. She could activate it at any time, triggering this… Frolic of the Needle-Toothed Hare. Was it really possible to include a Skill within an item? Plus all the extra Stats?! “Hungry Eye, I don’t know what to say. Such a gift… such a gift is priceless.”

His lips twitched as he looked at her. “It’s just what you deserve. In the end, a tool can only be as effective as you use it to be.”

Despite Devick repeatedly trying to temper her expectations, her whole being glowed with pride at the gift. She wished there was a mirror in the room, to see how it looked around her neck. She scanned through the description one more time and saw those hints that the Nether King possessed a deeper understanding of Devick than should be possible. Heat flushed through her cheeks.

“This… certainly it possesses some… rough, homemade charm,” Larson Cerulean finally reintroduced herself into the conversation. The smile on her face seemed carved and lifeless, made of shaped stone and arrogance. “The works of the Nether people are unique. However, the gift I prepared-”

“The piece of equipment comes with a Skill built into it. Isn’t that positively spectacular?” Devick drawled. Larson’s eyes flashed. Devick savored the notes of desperation she sensed. Yes, now that you realize what sort of gift I’ve received-

In a single moment, the entire taste of the air changed. Devick froze as a strange rumble spread through the hotel around them. Even Larson caught the words she had intended to spit out, likely moving Devick’s plan to the third stage. A few seconds later, a second rumble jarred most of the individuals in the room into scrambling to stay on their feet. A tray of tiny fish bites crashed to the ground. Several appalled lizardpeople rushed forward to clean up the debris.

Next to Devick, the Nether King grinned. “About damned time.”

He pursed his lips at the room as the skyisland recovered from whatever impact had shaken it and looked at Devick. “Stay alive, yea? This part is going to be rough.”