Warning! You are nearing the Nest of Soullings. Threat assessed and ranked at level E-. Good Luck.

Yeah no. Luck isn't something I will need here. Leo waved off the notification as he and Nyx settled on a roof a street away from their target. Not like I plan to go in. We're just gathering information.

The small Gothic church of Wolford always had quite a gloomy appearance. But now, after an Outbreak and the second Cataclysm, the place looked straight-up dreadful. It was only fitting that it became a nest for some unique Voidlings.

Though... dreadful it might be, it now has a certain weird charm. Leo snorted, carefully studying the entire structure.

Just like anywhere else, Vetilim already found its way around and, most likely, into the building. It crawled over the walls and small windows while covering the few places that seemed destroyed. In a few tiny spots, even Corcera managed to sprout, slowly intertwining with the other Void material.

Yet, the final cherry on top was the single tower the church possessed, or rather what it became. Where once it just housed a nice, big cross, now Vetilim tried to climb higher than that, easily making the tower twice as tall as it was before. It spread out at the tip, growing into the same unforgettable plant Leo had seen multiple times.

Crimson Mirage.

He didn't know how exactly the alien construct coexisted with the nest, but it was probably some kind of a setup if he had to bet. He could try to spring the trap and reap the rewards. It wouldn't even be hard. He just didn't want to.

Endlessly fighting enemies that couldn't hit back and didn't provide any experience or Ether just wasn't worth the trouble. Besides, if he killed every Voidling of above-average strength in the city, the other survivors would soon stagnate without anything to push them forward.

In hindsight, maybe I shouldn't have destroyed the Ameist Colony. Leo frowned, shaking his head. Nah, whatever. They will be fine as it is. I'm sure a new nest will pop out sooner or later. It's not like it's my problem anyway.

Dropping the subject, he turned to Nyx. "Am I blind, or are all the Voidlings inside?"

They had been sitting there for quite some time now, yet not a single Soulling showed itself. In his opinion, those Voidlings either knew they were outside watching or just refused to leave their nest until a specific time of the day. Although, considering that both Leo and Nyx used their own kind of stealth, there was no way anything spotted them.

Or they are just that good... Doubt it, though.

'If you're blind, then I'm not better,' the feline huffed. 'Should we just bait them out? I don't really want to spend the rest of the day here. My legs are growing stiff.

Leo threw her a look, brow furrowed. "You know... I don't think I will ever get how, at one moment, you're a cloud of shadows, and at the next one, you function like any other creature with a normal body."

'You will,' Nyx countered. 'One night just isn't enough to comprehend a process that requires a trait for me to accomplish. Give it time. We can even work on it after this. For now... the Soullings. Are we leaving or...'

He sighed, his gaze returning to the church. "We didn't waste so much time just to leave now." He rose to his feet. "Stay here, I will be back in a minute."

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True to his word, Leo returned to his old spot as fast as he had promised. Nyx gave him a curious glance, which he just shrugged and motioned towards the old church. It was time to find out what the nest was hiding.

At first, nothing seemed out of place, but then a single Cursed Runner approached the church. It didn't run or even let out a single sound; it just strolled right toward the half-open entrance and banged on the door as hard as possible.

Good work. Take a few steps back. Leo grinned just as Nyx shot him another look. "What? You said to bait them out."

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The feline's body wilted. 'I suppose you're right. I just thought we could go there ourselves and have some fun. This is boring."

He snorted. "I doubt they would come out if they spotted us. Besides, trust me, it wouldn't be fun. It's an E minus nest. Nothing there could challenge or make us stronger."

A sudden muffled squeaking filled the area, taking away Nyx's chance to respond. Their argument forgotten, they settled their eyes back on the church and the single Runner standing before it.

Another series of squeaking reached their ears, this one stronger, louder.

Here they come. Leo grinned, giving his connection to the Voidling a nudge. Stand strong and fight back no matter what.

Out of the slim entrance, two Voidlings rushed out. 'Unique' was the first word that came to his mind when they entered his vision. Though 'amusing' came as a close second.

What else could he call a monster that looked like a ghost from a very popular game during his childhood? The only difference was that Soulings had arms and a somewhat more defined head. Apart from that, they floated like ghosts, glowed like ghosts, and even came in different colors like those ghosts.

Gotta say. Leo blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining things. Blue and bright yellow aren't the colors I thought I would see on any Voidling. Now I want to see more.

Soulling (Voidling) | Rank: F+ | LVL: 10 | Type: Soul, Aerial

No Ghost type? I'm almost disappointed. Before he could open Bestiary to learn more about those unique Voidlings, the two dived towards the lone Runner.

The level twelve beast tried to score a hit first, only it didn't work out. The moment it struck the nearest Soulling, its attack sank into the colorful creature like it was made of goo. The same happened to its other hand; thus, the Runner was trapped.

The taken-over beast tried to wiggle out, but its arms didn't even move an inch. Before it could try anything else, the second Soulling struck, one of its limbs now transformed into a lance.

The weapon went straight through the Runner's heart, yet it didn't leave a hole or even make the Voidling bleed. No, somehow, when the Soulling extracted its lance, it left pure, unblemished skin behind. It was as if the attack never happened.

Yet it did. The broken link and the Runner collapsing to the ground only proved that.

What? Leo watched wide-eyed. What the hell did I just witness?

'Leo,' Nyx muttered, her voice calm and steady. 'Look at its transformed hand. Do you see it?'

Not questioning anything, he looked away from his dead minion, squinting at the nearest Soulling. Like Nyx ordered, his gaze traveled to the lance, or rather, the swirling mass of darkness attached to it.

Elemental Essence? He frowned. Did it drain the Runner with a single hit? No. That doesn't make sense. My minion would turn into dust if that was the case. Nyx? Any ideas?

'I... I think you should check your Bestiary,' the feline uttered, her eyes not breaking away from the Soullings that began to float back to the church. 'I would rather not say what I think if it isn't true.'

His frown deepened. Okay? Because that didn't sound ominous at all.

Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Soulling

Expected Potential: F to E-

Weapon of choice: Soul Strike, Telekinesis

Known weaknesses: Essence techniques, Overall Strength

Throughout the Void, Soullings are known as some of the most dangerous and annoying Voidlings for beginner survivors to fight against. Their bodies are made up of liquid Essence and thus are almost completely resistant to physical attacks. Likewise, their attacks strike only against souls, not physical bodies. As such, it's essential to always use Essence against those creatures. Otherwise, they can easily harvest your soul. Important note: Soullings are primarily nocturnal creatures.

"It was the Runner's soul," Leo muttered. "Those fuckers just went ahead and ripped out my minion's soul with a single hit. Not gonna lie, that's a bit scary."

'More than just a bit,' Nyx shuddered, stepping away from the roof's edge. 'However, I doubt whether this soul harvest would work on us. Your minion's soul was weak. Ours are not.'

"True," he nodded, joining her side. "Not gonna give them any freebies, though. I like my soul where it is." He let out a heavy sigh. "And now I want to take a peek inside... What do you say, Nyx? Think we can clean up this place in ten minutes?"

The feline growled, shadows swirling around her fur. 'We can do it in five.'

"That's the spirit," Leo chuckled, giving her a firm pat on the side. "Alright, then, let's get to it. Stay close, though. Better not to risk it. We still have a visit to the Graveyard planned for later. Wouldn't want to miss it."

Nyx only roared in response, alerting everyone in the area of their presence.

I guess stealth was never an option…