Inwardly Randidly felt strangely uneasy There was something about what he sensed of the Nexus it made him feel worried for a reason he couldnÆt quite put into words But no matter how much he examined that emotion he couldnÆt seem to find the source Stillborn Phoenix wondered if it was due to the horrible significance below but Randidly didnÆt think it was that So he continued his introspection in silence trying to find that source of that sensation
After about a minute of being within the Way they popped out and suddenly Randidly was in the Nexus proper He sucked in a breath but the surroundings were underwhelming Compared to the massive open space of the teleporter relays the current surroundings were much more mundane They seemed to be within the bowels of the Nexus appearing in a long corridor lined with ventilation ducts and water pipes running along the ceilings Apparently even the Nexus needed pipe for amenities A low mist hung across the metal mesh floor seeming to rise eerily from below
Octavius saw RandidlyÆs wandering gaze We are in the Undercity which makes up most of the actual Nexus A lot of infrastructure goes into maintaining the perfectly manicured dreams in the upper city Heh youÆll get a real kick out of it when you see what itÆs like up there Oh be careful about how much Aether you absorb down here Oftentimes it isnÆt very pure By the time you notice a problem there is already a deep flaw in your image DonÆt say I didnÆt warn you
They began walking down the long corridor while Randidly studied the Aether in the surrounding space As Octavius had indicated there was something rough about the Aether And now that Randidly examined it more thoroughly he realized that the reason the Aether had felt so raw to him on his initial arrival was that it had a texture that was almost similar to molten metal It had partially been re solidified around the teleporter relays but here in the core of the Nexus undercity it was amorphous and chaotic fresh from the smelter It was the same brittle Nexus Aether simply before it had hardened into shape
Congratulations Your Skill Aether Manipulation has grown to Level 240
Randidly experimentally toyed with the Aether as they continued down the hallways watching the ways it interacted with his images and body His physicalized images basically ignored the diffuse pollution present but Randidly could see the way it steadily attempted to infiltrate his other images Because this Aether was fresh off from being generated there were lingering emotions clinging to the energy Likely they would eventually disperse on their own but now those emotions greedily latched onto anything they could Then the emotions attempted to bleed into the image and stain it
Emotional pollution huh Randidly thought His mind drifted briefly down to what was probably happening below to produce this side effect From what he had heard from Octavius in the past perhaps the scariest truth was that this was only the exhaust of the grand engine that fueled the Nexus Yet even the exhaust possessed so much ambient energy
For most Nexus arrivals this was likely a very dangerous type of pollution For people of similar strength of image as Randidly it was likely just annoying But to Randidly himself well there was always an exception
The Stillborn Phoenix was positively delighted that the energy displayed such a straight forward desire to approach it It opened its vast howling maw and began steadily sucking in those emotions sweeping up a sizeable amount of Aether in the process
Octavius glanced backward over his shoulder at Randidly perhaps having sensed the movement of the Aether He seemed to hesitate for a split second then repeated his warning Be careful about how much energy you absorb
Randidly nodded but inwardly was rather unconcerned There was something building within the egg of the Stillborn Phoenix but there had been no stirrings thus far Besides this was the first time that the image had been able to devour emotions to its heartÆs content There was the possibility of pollution but Randidly sensed those emotions were exactly what the Stillborn Phoenix needed It was a creature of pure desire and unwillingness to accept reality This sort of pollution would fit right in
Honestly itÆs more troublesome that I have to absorb this crappy System Aether along with all these lingering emotions Randidly frowned down at the floor trying to think about how he could screen the emotions off of the Aether
Meanwhile Octavius walked up to a plain looking metal door and twisted the knob He opened the doorway and gestured This is the hollow spine of the undercity the Web Some areas are completely isolated through the maintenance corridors so you need to head down through here directly Just follow me for now youÆll get the hang of it soon enough
Then Octavius leapt out of the door and into space giving Randidly room to step up and peer out into the Web The area really was a vast cylinder of space stretching up and down farther than Randidly could see The space was about a mile across giving Randidly a view of countless thin layers of maintenance corridors continuing in tight rings stacked on top of each other opposite him Periodically small alcoves had been created that were fit with massive Engraved lanterns to provide a light dusting of light that barely managed to cover the vast space
Looking at the far wall the area resembled a game of Tetris Buildings had been stacked steadily on top of each other with different metals and building styles showing that the process was done piecemeal Sometimes there were strange hollows in the wall places where the builders couldnÆt find exactly the right shape and had to waste space as they continued stacking Unlike real Tetris the previously built ground hadnÆt been eliminated when a row was complete So everything just continued to pile up
The other rather obvious feature of this space and likely the source of the moniker The WebÆ were the cables
RandidlyÆs eyes followed Octavius Shrike The Overseer of the Seventh Cohort landed rather lightly on a cable that cut down diagonally toward some distance location on the far wall and then allowed his weight to slowly shift to the side When he was almost horizontal he flexed his leg and shot himself down to the right
Humming to himself Randidly hopped down and mimicked him The sensation of wind whipping past his face was actually quite pleasant
They made rapid time descending deeper and deeper down the web The wires and cords they used at launching pads were relatively more sparse than Randidly had expected but they were quite solidly anchored The material swayed when they kicked off but never seemed to fray And now that Randidly was moving through the area he noticed a few other scattered figures doing the same thing as them either ascending or descending quickly and quietly amongst the wires There was simply so much space that they were easy to miss
As they continued to head deeper Randidly quickly noticed that the lingering emotions in the Aether grew stronger In front of him he observed how Octavius began to circulate his energy in a very good imitation of a raincoat pushing away the emotionally charged energy before it could infect his images
Meanwhile the Stillborn Phoenix cackled madly and sucked up as much of the emotions as it could Both the Grim Chimera and Yggdrasil grimaced in embarrassment at their wild fellow image
Time continued to pass They proceeded deeper and deeper the light inside of the Web slowly fading More and more of the light alcoves were dim or broken leaving more of the space in shadow The emotions in the Aether became increasingly turbulent
Until finally Octavius leapt toward the wall and gripped a metal pipe running around the edge while he pressed open a door They went in and Randidly found himself in a darkened street He blinked and turned around looking at the entrance to the Web and then back up again When he looked for it he could barely make out a sloped ceiling above him they were in a dome about the size of a city park But if he didnÆt know better he would say they were simply outside on a cloudy night