Vivi required a moment to process what she just heard. "The mountains? They can be reanimated? Into monsters?"

"Anything dead can be reanimated," Lucas said. "If a storm brews in the wrong place, you'd be surprised by what can come out."

She really didn't like his tone, or the way he looked at her like some father telling bad news. She glanced at Senith, whose head was low as if she was being scolded. This seemed serious.

"The Shivell mountains are surge-resistant," Lucas continued, "but not if a storm breaks directly inside one. That's unfortunately what our forecasts are showing."

"The mountains themselves are surge hazards, then?" Vivi asked.

Lucas chuckled. "That's an anxious way of putting things. This wouldn't be the first time a reanimated mountain has destroyed a level. In the worst case, a mythical boss could spawn. The three possible variants are a colossus, a leviathan, or a behemoth. Screwed-up combinations are of course possible. If we leave the storm unattended, we're probably looking at a colossus. That's essentially a level-ending giant golem worth around a hundred million ether."

A hundred million ether!

"If a colossus does spawn, Shivenar is as good as gone," Lucas said. "It would stomp through the walls and through the city without a care. There are very few people, or weapons, with enough firepower to destroy mythical bosses."

Vivi's expression quickly turned unsettled. Seeing it, Lucas gave a light-hearted laugh and added, "Ether sticks and storm control exist for a reason, of course. The mountain is already being covered with boulders, ether sticks, host bones—anything to attract the storm away from the mountain itself. We're also drilling crevices deep into the mountain for the buildup of ether to spread. That should be enough to stop the mountain itself from reanimating."

"So you're just trying to scare me?" Vivi asked.

"If the mountain itself doesn't reanimate, we'll only be faced with a few hundred ether sticks, smaller golems reanimated from boulders, possibly a few boss monsters—and overall roughly a hundred million wisps worth of monsters clumped up in a horde. Essentially, an army of monsters."

A hundred million ether worth of monsters, then… Vivi already had thirty million herself. Thinking about it that way, a hundred million didn't sound too bad.

But that hundred million would be active ether, clouding the battlefield in monster auras. Vivi, on the other end, maxed out at five thousand. Despite having thirty million, the rest of her reserves was just currency. A hundred million ether worth of monsters was insane.

"Killing a colossus could offer us an exalted skill," Lucius said, appearing out of Vivi's core with his paw on his cheek. "Maybe even a legendary skill."

"Or more realistically, it would destroy the fifth level entirely, and you'd die to the shockwave left behind by its footsteps," Lucas said with a funny grin. "We're not going to deal with mythic tier bosses. Only Noxbryn, or perhaps Ythar, the human god, could save the fifth level if one spawns."

Lucius? Vivi asked. The Twilight Shaman was considered a calamity level boss, right? A threat to cities themselves. It destroyed Zand. How much ether did it have?

"Probably just short of a hundred thousand," Lucius said.

That's not even one million! And Lucas says we'll be dealing with a hundred million!

"Yeah, I don't think we'll be defeating any colossi, as unfortunate as it is," Lucius said. "But a hundred million wisps worth of ether sticks should be fun. We'll earn a lot."

Fun, Vivi thought. It seemed she and her spirit had very different definitions for fun.

"Regardless," Lucas was saying, "you'll be allowed behind the front lines to watch the storm break. It's not going to be safe, but we've seen you defend yourself, and the fight will be mostly against ether sticks and golems reanimated from smaller mountain chunks. It's expected to break either tomorrow or the day after."

"I'll come," Vivi said. "I need to see how my runeswords will fare when fourth elevation hunters go all out. I can observe your fighting styles and make possible improvements to future swords."

Lucas looked mildly amused, as if he couldn't believe Vivi's swords could still be upgraded. He tapped his pen, when he said, "Ah, and on a lighter note, Lortel made a new dress for you. A real swordmaiden's dress, made of the same materials that the top hunters wear. She's hoping you'll try it on. Now would be a good time if you're visiting the upper streets."

The sudden change of topic made Vivi's head pause for a moment. A real dress? she thought. So the previous ones were just fake?

"Sure," she said. "I'll try it on."

Lucas nodded and led Vivi up a set of stairs. Floors within the Runes And Rain Company weren't particularly spacious. Like most non-noble estates in Shivenar, this building found space by growing upward.

The second floor was even more of a work in progress compared to the first. A group of construction workers was installing rolls of wallpaper to the empty rooms with floorboards just installed. Lucas walked past, toward a heavy steel door in the corner.

The room that was revealed behind could have very well belonged to a different building. The walls were clear white, brightly lit by what looked like small daylight gems arranged in lines across the walls. Table surfaces were spotless and white, almost invisible when blended with the walls. Tailoring equipment and pieces of dark and purple fabric stood out.

In the corner of the room was a mirror, surrounded by more bright daylight gems. Square shelves stuck out from the walls, filled with makeup trays, brushes, and a dozen more demonic beauty items Vivi couldn't have guessed to identify.

So excessive, Vivi thought. She watched her step, afraid that her boots would leave marks on the pristine white floor. There's a hundred million ether brewing in a storm outside, and the demons build this?

Lortel herself was drawing on a piece of paper. She spotted Vivi and paused her work. The woman and her scary red eye studied Vivi from top to bottom. "Vivi, I believe you have been instructed to take a bath after blacksmithing sessions. What's our business today?"

"Just visiting Coshi," Vivi said. "The Luminary, I mean. Sorry, I'll take a bath now."

"I do know her name," Lortel said.

Just trying to be respectful… Vivi thought. Sometimes, she couldn't tell whether Lortel was serious, or just messing with her. From the smile on the woman's face, and from her previous sessions under Lortel's care, Vivi guessed it was the latter.

"I'll be your bathing assistant," Lortel said. "Follow."

Vivi walked after Lortel to the baths, while Lucius glared from within her core. Throughout the last few weeks, Lortel had been one of the few demons who didn't treat Vivi like some deity. Lortel rarely bowed, and she wasn't afraid to disagree or scold Vivi.

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Some days ago, she gave a negative answer when Vivi asked if wearing her straw-hat would match with the dark dresses. Lortel said that the hat wouldn't look awful, but it would look off mixed with purple and black. Her answer had been the final straw for Lucius, who was apparently sick of Lortel's lack of respect to the point that Lucius started an argument, demanding an apology.

Lortel had quickly ended the argument by stating, "If Vivian is displeased with my services, in my studio, she is free to work with another seamstress. I will not shower you with mindless praise."

A more arrogant runesmith would have grown annoyed, perhaps. Vivi appreciated the honesty. She'd even say she liked being around Lortel. The woman worked hard—not only was she a master concealer, as she was also the best seamstress Vivi could imagine existing—and it wasn't like Lortel had been disrespectful. She merely gave honest answers.

And Lortel's dresses truly were beautiful. Vivi had grown more comfortable wearing nicer clothes all thanks to Lortel. Raincoats were still superior, of course, but dresses weren't bad either. While a raincoat offered shade and protection from the cold disapproval around her, like a warm blanket, a swordmaiden's dress offered her strength and confidence to face her opponents, like a good runesword.

"Is your spirit still annoyed?" Lortel asked while rubbing Vivi's back.

"He's sulking right now," Vivi said.

Vivi could feel a grin from Lortel's tone. "I am grateful for the opportunity to insult one of the demigods' spirits. I must thank you."

Lucius revealed himself, facing Lortel with a scowl. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Hello, Lucius," Lortel said. "Would you like a dress tailored to fit your magnificence as well?"

"No!" Lucius exclaimed. "I am a beast of the deepest abyss, and a spirit with inconceivable powers; I do not wear dresses!"

"Ah, but that is very interesting," Lortel said. "A previous customer of mine, who also happened to be a spirit of a renowned demigod, was very keen on wearing dresses. She was certain that all spirits look majestic in a properly fitted dress."

Lucius paused. "Really? Which demigod?"

"Yes, I believe the spirit was also a creation of Ythar, like yourself. A beautiful female cat spirit, and one who was very fond of dresses. For cat-shaped spirits specifically, a dress and a crown will really bring out abyssal qualities. Qualities, which I must admit, are also very beautiful."

Lucius's frown had suddenly disappeared, oblivious to the sarcasm in Lortel's tone. He considered the proposal, until he pouted and looked away. "In that case, maybe I will tailor a dress. But I will do it myself. You will not tailor a dress for me."

Vivi wheezed a laugh.

"What?" Lucius asked.

"Lortel is the best tailor in the city, you know," Vivi said. "You're proposing you can make a better dress by yourself?"

"This arrogant woman might be the best tailor for now, but I have not yet joined the profession myself," Lucius said. He sounded fully serious.

The silly banter continued as Vivi moved from the bath to the makeup corner. As always, Lortel worked with inhuman speed and precision. Even without ether, her movements were elegant and swift. Vivi wondered if Lortel formed visions for the outfits she wanted to create, kind of like how Vivi had visions for her runeswords.

With makeup done, Vivi put on the new dress. It was an improved version of the previous one. Still black and purple, as had become the norm for Vivi now. There were a few more accessories: chains, pins, as well as silver colored strings.

"The fabric is real moonweaver's silk," Lortel said. "The same fabric that the exalted knights use so that their clothes don't rip apart when ascension skills activate. The silk sucks in ether remarkably well. It's durable, but only when coated with ether."

"It's expensive, isn't it?" Vivi asked.

"Not nearly as expensive as your runeswords," Lortel said. "But yes. The dress is expensive, but it is built to be used. You are free to fight with it; it will offer light protection, though I would appreciate it if you wore it with care."

Vivi admired the dress in the mirror. She looked a bit lost, still, unsure how dresses were supposed to be worn. But this was a swordmaiden's dress, fit for combat, not a ball gown. Vivi summoned her new sword from spatial storage and went into a pose.

This new sword was called, upon Lucius's suggestion, Cavernous Dark Moonlight Devourer, which Vivi shortened to just Moonlight. It was a three-runed greatsword with swiftness, strength, crush, veins shaped very similarly to Abyss Destroyer. Dark mithril replaced the venerium—a stronger metal for the runes, but without the poison.

She just didn't feel right swinging Abyss Destroyer anymore after what happened. Summoning it felt… odd. Like the sword wanted to fill itself with void ether.

But Abyss Destroyer had been nearly perfect for her preferences. So Vivi made a nearly identical replacement, just without venerium. Moonlight was even similar by appearance—it just looked slightly less cursed.

Dark Mithril's deep black matched the purple of her dress perfectly. The veins inside glowed ominously. Vivi adjusted her pose. Slowly, she began to look like an actual full-fledged ether hunter. Which was to say, she, with Moonlight in her hands, looked cool. She really liked the dress.

Lucius floated beside Lortel. They both watched from the side.

Vivi's face went red. She placed her sword back to spatial storage. "The dress is beautiful. Thank you. I'll try not to get it dirty."

"I'm not expecting miracles," Lortel said "You'll ruin it quickly regardless of what I ask of you. Take it through a storm or duel a boss. I would be happy if you used it for more than sleep this time."

Vivi let out a laugh and promised to make full use of the outfit. She thanked Lortel one last time and departed for her next destination.

Another excessive carriage, of course, waited for her outside. Vivi frowned at it through the window. Was it really necessary to take a carriage for all these little trips? In such cool weather? Vivi had legs of her own as well.

Not to mention, carriages were slow and clumsy. Those things really didn't even fit in a city.

Vivi decided to make use of Lortel's advice right away. She opened the window and hopped out, into the beautiful chaotic streets of the Lowmoor district. Lucas had advised her not to move without a carriage, but Vivi felt like she hadn't seen the streets for herself in ages.

As it turned out, Lucas's advice had probably come for a reason.

The streets outside her home street immediately reminded her of Zand on collection day.

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