February 23, 2019, 10:10 pm. Too late to save Pogell. Too early to care.

The beast, the Reaper, draws Pogell towards its jagged mouth as I push myself away while I consider my next course of action. I don't want to scan it, since that could bring the System down on us. Instead, I release a series of pierce arrows, just to test if it has any obvious weaknesses. The way my arrows leave only the tiniest of blemishes on its shell makes me want to frown. That's not System resistance.

Even as my spells hit it, it lifts Pogell to its mouth, and three lashing tongues emerge. They tear apart his shell like he's made of paper. Even as Pogell is serving as this thing's first meal, I reach the hallway. I can't just run. I note Roberts helping the K'mintar up. That's good. We're probably going to-

The effect keeping Rufka in the cube ends, and a brilliant ball of plasma erupts in the Reaper's face. It stuns it for a second, and chars one of the tongues, causing it to fall out. Then Rufka flashes away as the Reaper swipes at where she emerged. Right as my Pause ends, she appears in a flash at my side. "Ugly one, isn't he?" Rufka asks with entirely too much smile in her voice.

I curse my own traitorous smile as I reply, "But is he ugly enough to save him?"

We both laugh as I channel Pause and she disappears in another flash. The fact she was able to char his tongue so easily proves he's not protected by Health. Rufka knocks him to the side as he takes a step towards us. Then I attach a tether. It meets the same sort of resistance I had when I first attached one to Pogell. If it was the first time I'd encountered it, it would've fooled me. But thanks to Pogell's treachery, I'm able to bypass the secondary mana signature to lock onto the Reaper itself.

I cast Lesser Cataclysm.

The air around the Reaper ripples. I get half a dozen System notifications, most of them intangible and cut off.

"Warning: Reaper detect-"

"Warning: System-"

"Warning: Setting count-"

"Update: Presence Lost. Initiating-"

"Secondary-"

"Hidden Objective Completed. Purge the Reapers. 1/1 Reaper Warform destroyed. Rewards: Processing."

I barely glance at them, but the death confirmation is worth the distraction.

"What?" The K'mintar asks as the Reaper collapses, its body sloughing apart into twelve different pieces.

Now that it's dead, I scan it. The analysis is completely different, hundreds of different lines of data. None of it matches up to the System's normal stats.

"Damn Lexi, that's messy," Rufka says as she flashes back to my side.

"My book," Tipan says, pulling the book from beneath Pogell's corpse, completely ignoring the dead Reaper. "Thank you, Lexi."

"How about we get out of here?" Josh asks, "This building doesn't feel very stable. Also, I thought this city was a Sanctuary. How did we even get in a fight down here?"

"We're not in the city anymore," the K'mintar answers, frowning at the dead Reaper before turning towards me. "Can you do... that… again?"

I narrow my eyes at the K'mintar, not liking the implication of her question. To my surprise, she flinches away.

"Right. Of course, you can. Well, if you'd like to earn some easy Essence, there are more mana-warped beasts in the upper levels that are nigh impossible to kill. If you're able to do that to them, then we can reduce our overhead," The K'mintar says, completely misunderstanding my displeasure.

She starts walking away, and the rest of us follow. I consider teleporting up, but when I hear the K'mintar grumble about making sure nothing is still loose, I decide to follow her. We spend half an hour working through the facility. I end up killing two more immortal mana-warped, a suicidal (if it wasn't immortal) mana-hare and a beast that looks like a mix of a loading ramp and a wolf. The warping effect was not kind to that one. Neither requires Lesser Cataclysm. Simply bisecting them with regular teleports is enough, though it does take several teleports for each of them. There is something about my teleport that disrupts mana-flows in addition to its physical displacement.

Which I put into my notebook as another subject to study.

Once we're finished, we emerge to find the mini-taur waiting for us. Next to him is Genitha, who looks a little annoyed but otherwise fine.

Seriously, I'm starting to worry that I'm getting too used to people dying and coming back. I barely blink at her return. Her hug on the other hand takes my breath away.

"You kids did great, Geral showed me the feeds," Genitha says, squeezing us tight enough I'm able to see my Health dropping rapidly.

"Mum, Health," Rufka objects as Smoulder jumps up and joins the hug.

"Oh, sorry kitten. I'm just so proud of you. Taking on a Reaper! And a warform at that," Genitha doesn't release us, keeping her arms over our shoulders. "Now, what say we celebrate your first world-killer kill?"

Then Genitha's eyes fall on the rest of our party. "Well? You're all invited too! Let's get our dance on."

"Uhm. We're actually..." I was going to say we're busy. But then I realize... we're waiting for Beth to get out of Raz’s. And the Aetherium's controller isn't going anywhere. Neither is the puzzle dungeon. "Actually, dancing sounds great."

Tipan agrees, putting the book in her inventory for the first time since she got it, with a giant smile. The others shrug, not entirely on board, but with only a little cajoling, and explaining my thought process, Roberts and the Taken agree. Josh and Rose remain adamant about returning to Glimmering Sands, wanting to be there when Beth shows up. I teleport them over myself, only staying long enough to promise that I'll be back in the morning. Then it's back to Betheryne and Garel's dance hall. Which is packed with K'tharn from the Aetherium.

Part of me is amused that they're able to lock me out of the capital but here we are, celebrating in its shadow.

The night goes long, and Roberts ends up teaching us all new moves on the dance floor.

When the morning arrives, we don't notice. It's not until the next afternoon that we make it back to Glimmering Sands. We bid goodbye to Kellica, and she promises to stay in touch. But she's needed in the Taken, now that their numbers are so greatly diminished. She was rather flustered when Ael'thani recommended that she should teach the new trainees. The K'mintar shot that down, saying it wouldn't be fair to inflict that sort of punishment on someone who'd served so well.

We're still in a good mood as we make our way to the inn, where I can feel Rose's tether. Josh's is... distorted, leading into the Nexus point then disappearing. Which is what I'm used to when someone is at Raz's. Usually, it's pointed at Nexus point 392, but the feeling is the same. As we come inside, Rose gets up off one of the giant couches in the lobby, almost knocking over one of Pefe's art displays. A selection of wolf-like figurines running on their hind legs.

"Morning," I greet him, reaching out to pull him into a hug.

I'm definitely still riding last night's good mood.

Rose's next words send it crashing down. "Beth won't come out of Raz's."

...TPWM...

February 24, 2019, 2:19 pm.

Walking into Raz's, I turn towards where Josh is sitting alone at a table. He raises his drink towards us as I walk over.

"Where's Beth?" I ask, glancing towards the stairs leading up to the private rooms. Instead, Josh motions over his shoulder towards the park. I nod, then start walking away, pausing at his shoulder.

"Hey, you okay?" I ask, squeezing his shoulder.

He gives me a small smile and an equally small shrug. "Woman I love doesn't want to talk to me. Hurts. I understand, but ya know…"

I nod, giving his shoulder one last squeeze before walking towards the park while the others join Josh at the table. Even Smoulder stays behind.

When I step inside the park, I take a deep breath. There's something different about the garden air here. It reminds me of earth in a way that nature on Akilo doesn't. I wonder if it's because it's all fake.

It doesn't take me long to find Beth, though she is parked on a bench that's off any of the walking paths, staring out at the fake sky that stretches into the distance.

"Hey, is this seat taken?" I ask as I stop next to her bench.

Beth looks up, staring blankly at me for several seconds before she blinks. "Oh. Hey kid. No, you can sit."

I accept her offer, and instead of saying anything I stare out into the fake distance with her for a while. Despite everything, I can't understand what she's going through. I'm still in my first body... probably. Part of me thinks I might've died when I first got the Restoration ability and I've just been walking around in a shell since then. Which... doesn't really bother me. Just one more reason why I remain quiet. Sab and I used to talk about how our minds were the only part of us that were really us. I hadn't been convinced at first. It was when she pointed out that our bodies do shape our experiences that I almost squawked in triumph. And then she continued.

Closing my eyes, I can almost hear her.

"It's not just what we experience ourselves, Lex. The human experience is about stories. Our minds are shaped by what we watch, and what we read. Is that less real? I don't think it is. I think that anything that can change us is real. But our bodies? They're just the first experience. The one we all start with. I don't believe for a second it's the one we'll end with."

I take a deep breath, as the wave of nostalgia washes through me.

"I miss Sab," I say, wiping tears from my eyes.

Beth doesn't say anything for a while, and I go back to staring. Then she says, "I miss barbeque sauce. They just don't get it right without tomatoes."

I can't stop the laugh as Beth turns towards me slightly. "You okay, kid?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good, actually. Like, real good. How're you?"

"I... Josh loves me. You know that? And I..."

"You don't love him?" I ask, feeling a sad weight settle in my chest.

"No, that's not it. I do. Every one of us, of me, has. I just... I was just... gone. For almost a week this time. Like I didn't exist. It takes some adjustment."

"Yeah... kinda like a really long nap," I reply, a small smile creeping onto my face. I create a small rock, then throw it towards the fake horizon. Just before it strikes, I teleport it back into my hand.

"I... yeah, kinda like a really long nap," Beth chuckles. "Did I tell you about how our talk went?"

"You, in fact, did not," I inform her with a smile, tossing and teleporting the rock again. "I figured it went well though."

"It did. And... it went in unexpected directions. It was a very vigorous night. I'm sure I don't have to tell you about all the benefits of Stamina in the bedroom."

"Beth!" I protest, hitting her shoulder as a blush climbs my cheeks, the rock smacking into the fake horizon with a thud.

"Mhm. A woman can get used to that sort of... staying power," Beth says, a dreamy look in her eye as I decide to abandon the rock. And almost the bench too.

"So... if you have that waiting for you out there... why are you in here. Alone?" I ask, waving in the direction of the entrance.

"Ah. Well, I fucked up again. I'm just glad I'm the only one that paid for it," Beth says, shrugging as she looks back at the wall. "I don't deserve him."

I stare at Beth for several seconds before I start cackling. It's a good proper cackle, equal parts hysterical and condescending amusement. I throw in some swirling balls of elemental energy for effect in the background. As is only natural.

By the time I've finished Beth is staring at me with her eyebrows raised.

"Man, I knew you were arrogant," I say as I get to my feet. "Just didn't think you were that arrogant. Vaus-damn, I was worried about you."

"I... what?" Beth asks, clearly not following.

"Arrogant. Rufka and I talked about not deserving someone. And I’ve been thinking about it. It was arrogant of me to think I didn't deserve my friend Sab. It was arrogant of me to think my opinion of myself was more important than Sab's opinion of me."

"Kid... you sure I was only gone for a week?" Beth chuckles as she pushes to her feet.

"Why?" I ask, crossing my arms. letting the elemental energies disappear.

"Because Alexis, it seems like I blinked and you grew into yourself. Looks good on you," Beth says, pulling me into a hug. "I really am proud of you."

"Oh," I reply.

As she holds me, I start crying again. For absolutely no good reason. She joins me.

Stupid feelings.

...TPWM...

February 24, 2019, 2:55 pm.

A few minutes later, I use a conjured mirror of polished chrome as I wash myself down. Luckily, it doesn't take much. I was always pretty low maintenance and being on Akilo only emphasizes that. Besides, I have illusions if I want to adjust my appearance.

Beth and I walk back into the main room together, and she moves over to Josh, apologizing to him in front of everyone. Then she pulls him into a rather passionate kiss.

We end up leaving Raz's not much later, making our way to the coordinates of the Aetherium's control matrix. We bring Trellani, who had just finished rebuilding the Fallen Cleansing chamber. Which is pretty much perfect, cause we're going to need it if this works.

"You're sure I'm not crazy?" I ask Wyonna.

[Wyonna] "We'll need to inspect the matrix first. But the idea is sound."

I nod as Rufka and I poke through the half-collapsed building, searching for anything that might hint at a hidden control matrix. We search for half an hour before Tipan messages me, letting us know she and Roberts have found something. It takes a couple minutes to find the mostly missing building where they're hiding, despite the tether leading to them. The entrance they went through is barely wider than my shoulders and is little more than a hole in the ground. I drop nearly ten meters, my flight allowing me to nail a perfect superhero landing without damaging anything. The stairs that once led down into this section lie in a twisted heap nearby.

On the other side of the room is something that very much doesn't match the ruined decor that dominates the rest of the ruined city. A pulsing network of thin tubes covers half the wall, with a pair of much larger ones going directly into the floor. In the center is a cluster of semi-organic parts mixed with mechanical components. Due to the level of care put into it, it only looks half as horrifying as I'm sure it would otherwise.

I begin scanning the entire device, building a full model that I can share with the others. I've been working on it for a few minutes when Trellani and Rose show up in a small avalanche of falling dust. They're followed by Beth and Josh, who don't make even a quarter of the mess.

"So, what do you guys think?" I ask, as the diagram is filled in. The matrix is connected to the Builder City’s network, which explains why they put it here. They’re piggybacking on the network to maintain wide-area control.

"You're sure you can hijack these?" Trellani asks, gesturing to the links I detected leading away from the matrix. Links similar to the connections I traced through my party interface when we first arrived on Akilo.

"Wyonna?" I ask, waiting for her to finish her own analysis.

[Wyonna] "Should be easier than giving a cat a bath."

"That's... okay, Wyonna says building the components we'll need is challenging, but not impossible." As if she was waiting for me to finish, Wyonna overlays her designs on my vision, allowing me to copy them for the others. Actually... she was totally waiting for me to finish, wasn't she?

"Hmm. It'll take a few hours, but I'd say this is doable. Disabling the traps is gonna be the fun bit," Trellani says, rubbing her upper hands together, while her lower hands continue to trace patterns along the enchantment. "Still not sure how you're going to do the last stage, but the secondary overlay is gonna work."

I nod, accepting that I still can't explain being able to see the inner workings of the System. And not wanting to share just how much of the System Wyonna can hack.

"How much Essence you think this is going to take?" Rufka asks as she steps over, her eyes still locked on the enchanting design.

"How many Awakened Fallen do you think the Aetherium has?" I reply with a giant grin.

"You know, if this works, we're going to have earned our place as enemies of the Aetherium, right?"

"It'll be worth it," I reply, watching as Trellani brings out a bunch of the components Wyonna figured we'd need. And a whole bunch more that Trellani brought along, 'just in case'.

Then we get to work. It's mostly Tipan, Rufka and Trellani doing the work, though I'm there to hand over tools. By the time they're done, almost every part of the matrix has extra tubes, little organelles or glowing lights attached to it. I'm pretty sure the lights are just for Trellani's satisfaction, but I can't say that with certainty.

"So, no test runs on this thing. Not unless you wanna spend hundreds of Essence twice," Trellani says as we stare at the matrix. "And I'm sure that once we activate it, whoever built it is going to come running. No matter how much they're trying to sneak under the M'tari's noses. Oh, is that part of the plan?"

"I... it wasn't, but maybe it should be," I say, looking towards Beth, who nods. "We know it's someone on the council. The K'mintar was able to confirm that much."

"Typical council arrogance," Trellani says as she flips open a very physical chute. That I'm pretty sure we didn't need. "So, just dump in... I can't tell how many strands there are. At least a hundred."

[Wyonna] "There's, oh, 142 strands there. Which means we're gonna need a minimum of 156 Iron Rank Mana-Essence. Preferably a few extra unless you want to chance overbooking tickets like everyone’s favorite airlines."

"Got it," I say, relaying the total needed. Rufka and I both pitch in most of it from our recent windfall from Vethel. Afterall, she did want us to use it to cripple the Aetherium's new Fallen contingent.

[Wyonna] "Okay. Concentrate on the connection while I show you how a real girl does things."

Nodding, I link into the bypass we've created with the enchantment. A vague awareness of over a hundred other minds blossoms on the other end. Expending Focus, I keep the awareness vague while struggling to keep the connection strong. There are hundreds of ghost images flashing by, and I try to relay any important ones I spot to Wyonna to let her know how she's doing. But my attention mostly remains on the matrix's tethers.

It takes Wyonna nearly five minutes, but then she chimes out a simple, "And done."

I get one last set of ghost messages, these ones fully formed and easy to read, though they're not for me. They're for all the Awakened Fallen connected to the matrix.

"Quest received: A Real Choice. You have been given the option of remaining with the Aetherium in exchange for staying alive. Another option is available to you. Return to your life as a K'tharn, resetting your System status. Accept Teleport: 0/1. Rewards: A clear Status, allowing you to reset your class and complete quests again, including a second chance at the More Than One quest line. Freedom from the Aetherium's control. A second chance to be alive. Time remaining: 72 hours."

"Would you like to know more? Y/N?"

"Teleport Pending. Accept? Y/N?"

We've given them the choice... now all we can do is wait.