'Be careful. Remember your sister's warning,' Nyx said as they reached the end of the tunnel.

Yeah, I know. Leo nodded and slowed down even more.

The dark smoke that had been gone for a while appeared again to block his path, showing that this definitely was the entrance to the main trench. Nonetheless, he jumped right into it, squinting his eyes to see a bit better.

Here we go.

As he left the tunnel behind and stepped onto a thin ledge, a gust of wind hit his body. An overwhelming pressure followed right after, even stronger than the one in the tunnels. He stopped and adjusted the flow of his Essence. Allowing Stealth Shroud to fail wasn't an option.

'Leo? Look at the walls,' Nyx muttered.

He did just that, grimacing as his gaze fell on the Voidlings sitting there in dozens. They were like statues, unmoving and unbroken, waiting for prey to appear. Not that it would work, not today.

Crawler (Voidling) | Rank: E- | LVL: 25 | Type: Normal, Armor, Grace

I can see why Lily had a problem with them. She couldn't have been much stronger when she went down here. He mused, stepping away from the trench's wall and slowly moving along the ledge. Anything I should worry about?

Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Crawler

Expected Potential: E- to D-

Arsenal: Jaws, Claws, Paralyzing saliva

Known weaknesses: Joints

Second evolution in the infamous line of Crawlers. With their form now much better adjusted to life in the Void, they excel at hunting other creatures. Despite the armor plates scattered all over their bodies, their speed and dexterity haven't suffered at all. Unlike their predecessors, Crawlers love hunting in groups and setting up traps in abandoned areas.

Apex variant: Apex Crawler's armor can surround its entire body, leaving nothing unprotected. Their saliva becomes poisonous but not lethal.

Well, it could have been worse. Leo gulped, averting his eyes from the Crawlers looming above him.

While the Apex variants could be dangerous if he had to fight an entire group, overall, there wasn’t much to worry about. In his opinion, the Koukars still posed a much bigger threat. Hell, he had already seen a few more flying across the trench, and some of them were literally on fire.

If that wasn't disconcerting, he didn't know what was.

'Another tunnel ahead. Unless you plan to jump down, that's our only path,' Nyx spoke up, stopping his musings.

Leo nodded as he approached the edge of the ledge and looked down into the dark abyss of the trench. If he had wings or could fly like Lily, he would have jumped in right away. But trying it as he was now could only end in death.

Can you even see anything? Cuz I got nothing. He asked, still trying to pierce the darkness below him.

'Same. It's deeper than we thought.'

Yeah, no shit. He clicked his tongue and stepped away from the edge. With a final glance at the Crawlers on the walls, he entered another tunnel, this one much wider than the last one.

For a time, nothing really happened. Sure, Voidlings kept on flying or scurrying past him, but not once did they act like they saw him. And so it wasn't until he came upon another crossroad that an issue appeared in his path.

We might have to go back. Leo sighed, scanning the blockade ahead. It wasn't anything serious — just a group of Koukars standing in their way — but not even Stealth Shroud could help him pass them. He would need to jump to do that, and his skill just wasn't that good yet.

'There are only four. If we kill them fast enough...' Nyx suggested, letting the idea hang in the air between them.

It could work. He agreed. But if they even manage to let out a single sound, we're fucked.

'We won't fail, not if we work together.'

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Leo nodded and came a bit closer to the group of Voidlings. For now, they seemed happy to just stand in their assigned position and sometimes screech to each other. Why were they doing that? He had no idea, nor did he really care.

Okay, Resonance first.

With their connection fully active, he used his feet to link them to the surrounding darkness on the walls. Nyx offered a bit of her own Essence, extending their reach until it encompassed the entire ground below the Voidlings.

Ready?

'Always.'

'Shadow Emergence,' they called out in unison as the earth in front of them exploded.

Waves of shadows poured out, drowning the Koukars in a matter of a second. They didn't even have a chance to scream as they were swallowed alive and buried inside a cocoon of darkness. Another surge of Essence released Devour on the trapped beasts, erasing them from existence.

Not bad, not bad at all. Leo chuckled just as the shadows faded away, leaving an empty tunnel in their wake. Even Devour worked as it should. I think I am getting the hang of draining Voidlings without touching them. Now, if only it would work with my shadow techniques right away...

'One step at a time, Leo. One step at a time,' Nyx promised, her shadows tightening a bit around his body. 'Let's go now. We still have a long road ahead of us.'

That we do...

----------------------------------------

In the end, the London Supercluster didn't seem as dangerous with Stealth Shroud always active. Even with most of the Voidlings here being quite close to level thirty, none could even see him when he slipped by and continued deeper into the trench.

There were a few close calls, and he even managed to find one of the Koukar's nests, but with some quick thinking, he always remained hidden. Even when the first Nightmares began to appear in the tunnels, they were all blind to his presence. He just strolled past them as if taking a walk through the park.

Give me a few capable people with Stealth Shroud, and maybe we can even clear some of this place. Leo mused, waiting for another group of Nightmares to pass. To be honest, it was interesting how some of them were awake while others slept scattered all around the lower floors of the Supercluster.

'Stop thinking about stuff that doesn't matter and move. The path is clear,' Nyx growled in his head.

Give me a break. We've been here for over two hours. Not my fault I'm getting a bit antsy. My bloodlust isn't helping either.

'Just focus for now,' she pleaded. 'We should be close. Then we can kill some stuff on the way back. Just like we had planned...'

Fine. Leo sighed, forcing back his growing bloodlust. I just didn't expect such a violent reaction from my own bloody instincts.

Nyx didn't answer, so he just shook his head and continued onward. The issue with bloodlust appeared after the first thirty-minute mark. For some reason, it had a very strong reaction to the constant pressure of the Supercluster's Essence and so many powerful Voidlings around.

In hindsight, he should have expected this. Hunter loved challenges; it only made sense that his old instincts did, too.

Stay back, please. I will let you out once we get closer to the exit.

Some would call him mad for talking to his own bloodlust, but Leo had already learned that it helped to some degree. Why? He had no clue, but in the end, it didn't matter. At least not now.

"Here we are," he muttered under the safety of Stealth Shroud. "It's... beautiful..."

Unlike the dark walls full of Vetilim and Corcera, the bottom of the Supercluster barely had any of that. Instead, small plants of all kinds claimed the entire ground, while a thin stream of shining water ran in the middle of it all. Then, there were the crystals scattered near the walls. They came in all sizes and colors and constantly worked on releasing more of the dark smoke that hid this place from the rest of the world.

What even are those things? Leo furrowed his brow as he stopped near an entire cluster. Identify.

Attuned Essence Shard (Uncommon):

A naturally occurring crystal full of Essence that can be found in the depths of a dying world. They always grow in clusters, and as long as a single crystal remains, more might develop over time. Those shards are vital for many jobs and are often used to develop minor affinities.

Current Attunement: Fire.

Warning: Unlike Crystalized Essence, this shard won't explode when destabilized. Instead, it will lose its properties and value.

Ah shit. He grumbled as we walked away, weaving through the plants and the occasional Koukar sleeping on the ground. And here I thought we just stumbled on a bunch of explosives. Must be why Lily forgot to mention them. That or she somehow missed this place.

'I doubt it. She most likely just forgot or didn't have enough time to scan everything. She had only ten minutes after all.'

True that. He frowned, scanning the area one more time. We're definitely nowhere near the eastside endpoint. More like somewhere in the middle. With how long we've walked, I'm not even surprised.

'To the east then?'

Leo nodded.

To the east.