The first being was a woman. She had pale alabaster flesh with long silken white hair that reached down to the mid of her back. Her eyes were slightly slitted, though not enough to really classify as being snake-like; the most discerning part of her was the fact that her eyes were almost pitch black. She wore a white silken robe with five large ribbons that floated around her with a mind of their own. She was breathtakingly beautiful. However, she looked like a predator that was ready to strike at any time. As I quickly looked over her, Cassius spoke, " Kairos, the lady's name is Melanor. She is one of the few Arachne in the guild." I flashed her a warm smile since I was still in my host form. She gave me one in return, and Cassius gestured to the next person.
"This is one of our Blood Elfs, Lyxander." He had light yellow hair that was cut short and had soft orange highlights in it. His eyes were wide and were the ocean's color with a very light touch of a dark red. He had a large, flashy smile with a row of perfect teeth. He wore a simple light orange robe that covered his lean frame and looked just a few sizes too large for him. I would best describe him as awkward, really, though he still seemed no weaker than the woman next to him. Blood Elfs seemed to be an interesting race, though; they are something that I should look into when I get a bit. I nodded my head in his direction, and he gave me a wide toothy grin.
"And this is Yorak, the only Dream Walker in the guild and one of the few in the Milky Way."The final one was a large man who had a clean-shaven head and dark flesh. His eyes were glittery with soft tints of violet and were further defined by a long streak of black eyeliner that stretched from the corner of his eyes. He wore a set of baggy red trousers and a simple sleeveless shirt with small purple studs that lined the parts that crossed his breast. On his visible flesh were tattoos that shifted and flowed like water. They took various shapes every few seconds and were very soothing to watch; I suppose they would make someone sleepy if you were to stare at it long enough, though I wouldn't know; I haven't needed to sleep. But something about his form seemed off. It was like I was staring at a false image. Maybe, he was using a host form too.
A brightly glowing sun formed from nothing but air and glared down onto the still forming city. Storm grey clouds started to fill the sky and slowly traveled across the sky in small groups. There wasn't enough for a storm, but just enough to have a solid overcast. The wind was being funneled through the skyscrapers causing it to kick harder than it otherwise would have, and it howled as it blew past us. I had to pull my focus away from the forming city and back to the other administrators in the room. It would be rude for me not to introduce myself. “Hey guys, my name is Kairos. I am a Celestial Nephilim.” I gave them a short wave, and what I hoped was a soft smile.
“That's quite a host from you got there. Mind showing us the real thing?” Melanor asked as she walked across the room with a graceful yet seductive sashay. Her words though they were translated in my ear, had a slight insect-like chittering to it.
I scrolled through my menu and quickly deactivated my host form, and instinctively pulled my wings and halo in before anyone else could see them. My flesh felt the familiar tingling sensation as it quickly changed. She let out a low whistle of appreciation, and she walked around me, eyeing my body. I wasn’t quite that perturbed at being checked out. I much prefer this and my host form over my old human one anyway. “Not bad, Kairos. Mind if I take it out for a swing?” She asked as she leaned forward and pressed her large breast into my back and wrapped her arms around my chest. Her height easily dwarfed mine.
I placed my hands on her arms and pushed them away. “I’ll pass; I appreciate the offer, though.” I wasn't about to mess with another woman. My eye was on Apehlia, and besides, it just felt kind of wrong. I was never the type to sleep with someone for the fun of it.
She gave me a pout and pulled her arms away from me, and instead opted to wrap them around her chest and use them to push her breast up. “That's no fun. But let me know if you’re interested in good time. I’ll be happy to oblige.” She gave me a coy wink before the Blood Elf stepped up and pushed her away.
“That's enough, Melanor. It's bad enough that you try and sleep with everybody you see. But give the new guy a break.” He straightened up and flashed me a bright white smile. “Heya Kairos. I am the local Hemomancer and Elementalist extraordinaire! Don’t mind Melanore here; she's a bitch and a bit of a floozy.” That last part, he leaned down and whispered in my ear. He reminded me of a giddy child, which was a bit refreshing, to say the least.
“I heard that, you little shit.” Melanor hissed through her teeth and lunged towards the small Blood Elf. He chuckled and bounced away from her and ran into the city. She chased after him and disappeared into an alleyway. Her ribbons carried her quickly across the ground as if they were extra pairs of legs.
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Yorak let out a tsk and watched them run away with a glare. “Those two are annoying. I never understand how he can stand being friends with someone like her.”
My response was just a shrug. It didn’t really bother me all that much. I had other things to worry about than how those two acted. I kept quiet and looked around the vast landscape for a moment before Cassius cleared his throat. “Alright. So here is the training exercise.” His voice was amplified across the city, probably for the other two that were already inside of it.”You are going to go up against various paths of power. This way, you can get some training in fighting Administrators of roughly your strength and slightly stronger. Since there are four of you, I will be spawning in four targets.”
A beam of light appeared quite aways into the city and shot into the sky, and Cassius spoke again, “ Your targets are a god, a general, a sunderer, and a monster to start. Each one will have its level automatically adjusted to fit against yours once contact is made. A successful kill will grant the appropriate amount of experience points in turn. If you are on the verge of death, there will be an emergency exit button you can use on your HUD. Stay safe and happy hunting.” I looked towards the city and steeled myself for this coming fight. I may have sparred with my gods and Aphelia, but this was fighting something that was roughly as strong as I was. Though granted, Aphelia was far stronger than me at this time, and I wasn't afraid to admit that. But this time, I would be ready, and I won't lose another fight. I have a path that now suits me. I would need to increase its power, and I would be ready. I clenched my fist, and Cassius gave us the confirmation to go.
I activated transdimensional step and slid through the pocket dimension that is formed, and started heading in the city's direction. Once I remerged into this realm, I appeared in a small plaza. Small trees grew on each of the four corners of the massive courtyard, and small concrete paths crossed the ground. Since I had a moment, I took the time to don my new combat gear. I accessed my inventory and pulled out my new equipment, and instantly pulled it on. The blades flickered like a rainbow as the light kissed the metal for the first time. I pulled them from their sheathed and was happy to see that I added two more blades to the amount that I could use previously. My armor clung to my body perfectly, and I appreciated the color scheme that it was. The metal was polished and was a hybrid between cyan and turquoise. I patted the plates and appreciated that it weighed close to nothing.
I looked out across the courtyard and decided that it was time to hunt for my prey. I activated fleeting steps and quickly moved across the ground and towards the first skyscraper that sat in front of me. I pushed through the walls once I could reactivate fleeting steps and moved into a small lobby. A receptionist desk sat in the middle, along with a plethora of holograms that covered the walls. Empty chairs dotted the room and sat around high rise tables. The floor was tiled marble with thick white veins etched into its surface and polished to perfection. It was such a haunting sight, to see a building like this that was totally devoid of life. I covered the distance and used fleeting steps to push through the large glass window and onto the main street.
The road was empty, and the air felt heavy. I looked up to the roofs that I could see to make sure that nothing was watching me. Once I saw that the coast was clear, I quickly moved across the asphalt and into the looming shadow of another building. Maybe I should wait for a target to come to me? If I were to search this entire city, it would take me ages. But I quickly crushed that thought. It would take my target just as long to find me.
I worked my way down the city streets, using fleeting steps and my transdimensional step when it was off of cool down to cover ground faster. On a whim, though, I decided to move to the top of the sky scraped closest to me. I jumped up as high as I could go and pushed myself through a window. Having ghost skills was probably one of the best choices I have made. It made getting around without teleportation so much easier. I landed on a beige carpet that sat in an office of some sort. Once my skill went off of cool down, I jumped again and pushed my way through the flooring and up towards to top of the building. After repeating this process a few times, I finally managed to arrive on the roof. A thin layer of gravel crunched under my feet once I landed. A large landing pad was to my left, and a water reservoir was to my right. I moved up the metal staircase, stood on top of the pad, and overlooked the city. Everything was quiet. Too quiet, some may say. All around me, there was nothing but metal monstrosities of skyscrapers for miles in every direction around me. At least as far as I could see.
Just as I was about to activate another skill to close the distance between myself and the next roof, the building started to shake violently. I quickly steadied myself and looked around the area. Every building around me was in the same situation I was. I wonder what was going on. The ground let out a tortured squeal, and the buildings cried out in unison. I activated fleeting steps and quickly jumped off the roof's side and glided down to the ground. I guess some of my teammates found their targets. Hopefully, I would find mine pretty soon. I wanted to get this training exercise done.