Chapter 1111 (1/2)

Randidly closed the Nether Ritual with a twist of his mouth.

The Vualla he had witnessed through the Nether Ritual was a slightly different one than he was used to seeing. Some part of him was almost numb with shock to see her so positively… murderous, but another part of him tried to justify it by saying that he truly hadn’t known her for very long.

Gone were the bright laughter and sudden smiles. Even if she had always been someone inclined to violence, the large swathe of kindness he had seen in her previously was conspicuously absent. What was left was a grim-faced Vualla that had brooded and stared out over a chaotic battlefield before stoically walking back toward her camp.

There had been a brief moment that Randidly had seen the same Vualla that had seized his attention. For a split second, it was like the mask she wore split open and she smiled out toward the world, despite the deep wounds that she bore by being vulnerable in this fucked up world. But then the mask was back. The Vualla he knew seemed suddenly so distant.

Still, Randidly could understand why she was reacting like this. The vast assault of Nether Beasts that Randidly had witnessed was staggering to say the least. Perhaps a hundred thousand of the horrible creatures had crawled out of the Great Rift and assaulted the camp of Vualla’s father. And even if each of Vualla’s punch could destroy one or two Nether Beasts, the numbers meant that casualties continued to pile up around her as she helplessly swung her arms.

But still, seeing her like this, after she said those things about cultivating the part of ourselves that has the drive to use the power we are accumulating… Randidly clenched his teeth. ...did my support not reach her? This version of her seems like she’s completely forgotten the why of fighting...

Such thoughts led the Grim Chimera on a tormenting emotional rollercoaster that he was not well equipped to handle. Randidly was no great hand at unpacking recent emotional baggage either, so he reverted to the tried and true method he had gotten by with his entire life: setting it aside and planning to revisit it later.

At the very least, observing Vualla for a time had given Randidly quite a bit of understanding regarding the current state of affairs on the frontlines. The grip of… something was tightening on that area, although it was difficult for Randidly to understand the shape of it. From the beginning, Lord Miln’s movements didn’t make much sense to Randidly, but Randidly didn’t for a second believe that meant that Lord Miln didn’t have a plan in the works.

Randidly could only refine his power and hope that he was a small piece in the man’s plans, not the main goal. But if Randidly had been the main goal, Lord Miln likely would have taken a more direct route to killing him rather than hanging him out here with this Aether Key.

Anyway, knowing there was little he could do to help the frontlines freed Randidly’s attention somewhat up to refocus on the Earth’s issues. It was strange to have been so swayed by Vualla’s bold statement that the passion to use power was just as important to cultivate as power itself and then have her to abruptly become so grim and serious, but he still agreed with those sentiments.

And I hope her current hard edges are a result of circumstances, not from a change of heart, Randidly thought bitterly. It is… hard to have faith without any evidence of your belief.

This time when he began conjuring the Nether Ritual, his target was Tatiana. As the day to day decision-maker behind Kharon and Erickson Steel, Tatiana would be much more connected to the broader sentiment in the new Zone than Vye had been. In addition, a non-insignificant portion of Randidly was curious about how the functioning of Kharon itself was going. He had spent quite a bit of time creating the Levelable Engraving that fueled the city, so Randidly had a somewhat personal stake in checking up on it.

Releasing a breath, Randidly forced his heart rate to slow as Tatiana’s familiar form sitting in her office formed in the RItual. Very soon, Randidly settled in to watch.

*****

Tatiana limbs tingled as she considered the woman opposite her across her desk. Felicia Melbourne had been, prior to a few months before the System’s arrival, Tatiana’s best friend and a pretty ambitious player at the Department of Education. Immediately prior to the System’s arrival, Felicia had become Tatiana’s most recent and most confusing ex after a relationship of being undermined and dismissed.

“We have Levels now,” Felicia cooed. “That’s fascinating. What Level are you, Tati?”

“Fifty-Six,” Tatiana replied stiffly.

Like many individuals who Tatiana hadn’t been able to find in Zone 1 after the System arrived, a part of Tatiana believed Felicia had died or was a part of one of the many Zones that never would pass the Raid Dungeon. Perhaps because her feelings toward Felicia were largely unsettled, it was quite easy to set those emotions to the side and write her off as gone forever.

“Monsters too,” Felicia mused as she dragged her fingers across the wooden armrests. “I think I saw someone kill a dinosaur on the way over.”

Of course, this woman being gone was more of a fantasy than the System. Because in one of the most recent missions the Order Ducis took on to save individuals newly freed up from the rapidly expanding borderlands, Felicia had been part of the group that was considered to have high potential and was brought back to Kharon to be interviewed in more detail.

And Tatiana objectively agreed that Felicia possessed a lot of the traits that they were looking for in recently freed refugees. But...

Titiana licked her lips and tried to decide what to say. After experiencing a physical jolt after seeing Felicia in the crowd of refugees, she had given the order to have Felicia brought up to her office. They had hugged like old friends when Felicia realized who she was meeting, greeting Tatiana with that same magical gaze that had seemed electric early on in their relationship.

Yet now, no words would come to Tatiana. Instead, she simply watched Felicia play with the rather large amount of moss spirits that gathered curiously around her. Tatiana couldn’t help but smile. Felicia always had a way with animals.

“So…” Felicia cupped her hands and the moss spirits filled her palms it like they were liquid. Then Felicia twisted her hands and threw the spirits upward. For their part, the floating green lights were happy to erupt into sudden dance. “The world… is like a video game now?”

Grateful for finally finding an appropriate topic, Tatiana nodded. “It’s a bit of an oversimplification to say so… but yes. There are now similar systems in place to what you would see in role-playing games. Stats… Classes… Skills, that sort of thing.”

“And the monsters?” Felicia chuckled. “It feels like I’m in Lord of the Rings. Are their magic rings and elves?

Tatiana sighed. “Yes, there is magic everything now.”