Silence prevails through the city, with the night looking straight out of lost horror stories. The fog and darkness are the kings more than the clear day, and anything is harder to see by dozens of times. Corners are hiding more than the darkness, and streets, and many obstacles shroud the potential dangers. Who knows what is hiding in those elevated buildings, or floors?
William looks through the night sky, feeling his velvety sight in another light. He sees the moon, hiding behind the clouds as if there are no clouds. It looks deep crimson, but it doesn't create any understanding of the surroundings. It is just there. Simple as the ground below his feet.
He finds the sky surprisingly comforting and familiar. Maybe it's because of his times on the Outside when he was young and saw nothing much. Looking at the clear and starry sky was his rare time of joy, and calling it pretty and relaxing was one of his irregular pleasures. it meant no work or danger. Inexperienced, without parents to help, or even a place to stay, he knew little of many things but understood few.
It is in the past. He no longer should consider it so highly, because he views the world in new color and purpose. It isn't about the Velvet Eyes. That Skill is great, but the world is changing in a completely different light. It is his future. Purpose. Walker's Life.
Through the power, hideous faces of the Dark Age are more than in his head. It is in his heart, crawling around and within his body, and even takes place in his right arm. His Emblem doesn't do anything right now, as he watches the sky. But William could see and feel the tension in his body, cycling like electricity through a cable, or fuel in an engine.
Velvet Eyes is a lovely addition that he is glad to experience, and he slowly nurtures a feeling that they are very important. Probably even more so than Inner Enchantment, but he has yet to try its Rank 1 effects. There is no need to use it for now, since he can defend against Rank 1s with his Claw just fine.
But now, when the night is here and Darks are the most active, it is appropriate to be nervous around the night sky, or in the worst, being in the middle of the lost city. He heard stories of how night ceased away many lives, or even entire settlements, and even a couple of camps.
One night. That is all it took to wipe out thousands and leave nothing behind.
Puff! And gone. No buildings, just ruins and residues of Dark Fog that won't disappear by itself in a couple of weeks. No survivors. Not even a message went out to others.
William doesn't know details about those times, since he has never been part of this sort of wiped-out camp. Sure, he has been in those under the Dark Tides, or Hordes, but those happen gradually, and often in the middle of the day. Dark Fog helps with the lack of night, so be it day or night, the rules of nature don't matter Outside. Not to the Dark, at least. Dangers are around every land, under, or above.
He doesn't prefer the comfort or the pain, but he doesn't want helpless. That has been his promise, and no matter the seemingly comforting peace in the camps, there are many people left there just for the sake of it.
“Well...” William sights, rubbing his eyes, and glances back to Rozzante, who is looking around a corner. “Break wouldn't suffer... But we need more fights and blood. So far, our hunt hasn't been the greatest, but it sure is easy.”
“Can't argue with that.” Rozzante nods and glances at him. “Buckle up... My sensor is tingling.”
***
The time of hunts and city hasn't been that terrible by itself. The lack of them is. William and Rozzante have a rather pleasant time in this barren and apocalyptic city, much to their dismay, and nonexistent happiness of others.
There are few Darks that want to walk to their sight, but the opposite can't be more false. It is them that hunt the Dark. Not the opposite, which isn't usual, nor rare. Two kinds of hunters should hunt the other.
Most of what William found fearful in the past about the Darks is just part of the old past. Now, it is anything but an opportunity to grow and get some motivation. He needs it, even though he finds it surprisingly indifferent, because of how he butchers those monsters with little care in his mind. He has never considered himself too emotional, but if anything, he always hoped to slaughter those monsters and shout at the sky. So far, he is failing his past promises, but what are they for?
Actual reality and his heart are different from the past, and perhaps it is growth, a change of heart that will make it different. He grew up in a blink, got bigger, and matured in just a couple of weeks, and for what? Butcher the Dark? He acknowledges that new purpose, like any new Walker should. It is how quickly it happened before he realized it. That is the issue.
He always thought of revenge against them, yet he feels no anger, no frustration when it comes to actually killing those monsters. It is almost like killing animals, and Walkers are hunters of them, yet it isn't that. Walkers or Darks, they are all monsters in their own right.
There have been no major troubles for their team so far. Even when the 8th hour passes by, and some fights come out of their own hunts. Those are occasions where they meet, see, and force the fight. Be it the Hellgars, Swifters, or burly Dorkhorns, who walk on two legs and appear like orcs from some insensible fantasies. Unlike Swifters with their light and quick build, they are much slower but stronger and with thicker scales and skin.
Their primary strength is their defense and numbers, and even though they are around the peak of Rank 1, they could mean trouble if a Walker is unfamiliar with their own powers.
It took some effort on Rozzante's side to deal with the group of 3 Dorkhorns, who stood beside the street, overseeing the huge building with an intense amount of Dark Fog around it. Rozzante went ahead and fought them to a momentary standstill, but managed to kill them after a few minutes of struggle. On the other hand, William wasn't strained by a group of 3, who appeared around the corner.
That has been their biggest and most valuable fight in a whole day, worth a whole Vial and a half. Mainly, that comes from the way they start to do their hunts. No waste of blood means more Vials. That is what William goes by even though it is worth some effort.
Night or not, Dorkhorns aren't that clever, and their frames are wide and legs burly and short. Horns on top of their heads provide some offense, and even many spikes around their limbs and shoulders give them a menacing look. William had to deal with them one by one, use speed, and fight them regardless of their numerical advantage.
“Care for some rest?” William offers Rozzante his idea, after closing the Extractor and noting a 4th full Vial. Rozzante and his deteriorating stamina is an issue, that he has known for a while. It is because of some form of surveillance Skill, but he doesn't tell him which, or what it does.
“We can't afford too much of rest. What if we will fall behind?” Rozzante sits on the ground behind the dried-up Dorkhorn, resting already, even though his head isn't. He is on the watch, glaring around this night street and talking and thinking nonsense. He has no idea what other teams do, or how far behind they are.
“Behind? Forget that. You should relax, and I need it too. Straining ourselves over this... hunting isn't a good thing or something that you can keep forever. Rest in any mission is fine, isn't it? They said 2 days, so some rest should be included in this trial one way or the other.” William's argument makes Rossante hesitate, but he is indeed close to his mindful limits of what he can manage.
“You... want some rest? You mentioned it before.”
“I did. Is it wrong? It is already past the 8th hour here, yet we fought and traveled around this city just fine.” William says, shoving him the watch he keeps in his pocket. “Time is ticking. Darks can wait.”
Rozzante can't keep his Will Sonar active all the time, although it takes fractions of his efforts to keep it up. If he keeps using it for hours upon hours, it still takes some toll on his spirit, causing the current troubles that even William notices.
Rozzante knows why deactivating is not a good idea. He always feels the watchful presence and intent of these monsters. They are lurking in the shadows, waiting for the chance to pounce on their prey. They are away, but his range isn't bad. It goes hundreds of feet around him, but it is like shivers of Mindless Eyes. He can't keep up with it for a whole day, and it isn't even that effective to note each individual Dark that is watching them. For some reason, they take their time and distance. The only exceptions are the less clever Darks so far, or those that they noticed straight away and went to hunt them instead.
William looks at his surroundings, following his gaze but he can't see anything even with his Velvet Eyes. It isn't straining his spirit like Rozzante's Will Sonar.
It is hard to relax in the middle of the city. Having a hunch of being watched can be a normal thing, considering the circumstances and location. William isn't surprised, so he walks to his side, Extractor in one hand, bag around his shoulder.
“Look...” William grabs his shoulder. “Falling behind is fine as it can be. The rules of this Trial are lax. We can work with them however we like, and it's not like we are in danger since this is a Trial overseen by the Academy. So relax, and let's get some rest in a safe spot. Some are around the corner, but that library or whatever is long away. I think we... ”
“I know that...” Rozzante barks at him in return, speaking loudly even if he doesn't mean it. “but that doesn't mean I want to be left behind by the other 3 teams. Competition is important. Hunts too. We have our stakes and the Academy is watching our steps. Can't you tell? I feel at least one Butler around us at all times, but... can't see or feel a thing. Someone is there, other than Dark. I know it.”
“Does it matter too much?”
“Of course! They are the deciding factor of what we will be able to take out of the Academy. And who knows what other teams are like? They could had much better luck with Rank 2 beings and getting more Vials is crucial. We haven't had any luck with any Rank 2s..” Rozzante argues in return, angry and agitated
William lets go of his shoulder. He understands his concerns, but not his ambitions. It is his opinion. His ambition or simple chance that he expected since he could remember. It is The Academy, and that seems to be very important to him. Unlike himself, Rozzante cares more about this than he has ever done.
“Alright. If you say the importance is fine, then we can keep looking, but that doesn't sound good. You aren't good. Cease whatever Skill you have. Last time, you had trouble with those Dorkhorns, so rest your head. We are under the watchful eye of some Butler anyway, so taking a step to a safe spot sounds like a good idea. Or we can stop in that barren forest I mentioned an hour ago. Look...” William shoves a piece of paper to his face, indicating the general map of this section of the city that he has been making over the last few hours. It is a quarter of a circle, with streets and dots that indicate their fights. William also includes thin X patterns that indicate very obvious Dark infestations. Those are more often than not, the nests or their hideouts.
He points to a location they haven't visited yet.
“Park? An open space?” Rozzante says in uncertainty, feeling the tension of the city to be much better to hunt in.
“It's a try and change of pace. I doubt we will get cornered, and to go over that place for the first time doesn't seem like a bad idea. It is in the middle of nowhere, as far as I've seen from the distance.” William argues, remembering everything from the daytime.
“Fine. Fine... Then go to that park. I don't want to hear anything about those safe spots, got it?” Rozzante sights, figuring this is a good argument to look somewhere else, and the rest may not be that terrible. The main streets haven't been that good of a hunting spot, even though they should be. It troubles him to no end that they are yet to make half Vials full.
Rozzante can't suppress those feelings that something is strange with the lack of Darks. It's already night and quite a dark one at that. I swear. Is this some sort of idea that the Academy had? I have no doubt they can control the Darks to a very high extent, but this is ridiculous. It is counterproductive. He thinks to himself and follows William who knows the way to the park.
It takes some time, turns, and walking, but around 40 minutes later, they reach the perimeter of the forest, which used to be a city park. It's some kind of forest, but it is unsurprisingly barren of the bushes, or thick grass. It is a flat, open place that is full of old oak trees.
The pair of boys go there and each has some different hopes about this place. William hopes for a rest, while Rozzante hopes for a change of pace. It goes without surprises, and he notices the last presence of the Darks, stopping around the edges of the city. They aren't going into the park, but the park isn't a safe spot, as far as Agatha told them from that map.
For once today, he stops his Will Sonar, making his mind relax as he collapses beside the tree. It makes a chair, and no matter what, he doesn't care about William's gaze.
“See, you needed that.” He argued not far from him, and he too is resting, even though he feels he doesn't need it as much as his partner.
“Shut it... You wanted a rest. Why? You still have a lot left in yourself. Or is it those eyes that bother you?”
“Nah. I can stop them in a blink.” William says, claps his finger to his temple, and ceases his Velvet Eyes away. “Oh, it is so dark now. Cool.”
“Weirdo...”
“Well, I wanted to take a look at some of those... things that are in my mind.”
“Which is?”
“Mind if I glance at my System?”
“Hm? System? In this place and time?” Rozzante increases his voice again but doesn't seem that surprised.
“Is that a problem? I doubt it will be anything serious. Just minor confirmation”
“Wrong. The System is no minor thing. Have you got some feelings out of the Mindless Eyes? If you do, then that means nothing minor. Every reading and power that goes between your head, Mindless Eyes, and the System and Emblem is interconnected. If we fight for the first time, and kill the Darks, that means improvements to our hunts, Skills, and connections. The System makes the rules, you see.”
“Huh? You know a lot about it. More than me.”
“Weirder not knowing about it. You don't...” Rozzatne hesitates.
“Don't what? Know much? Sure, I don't. Ever since I've been a Walker, I learned nothing new. No chance to enter the Federation Library, nor has Roman told me much apart from Emblem, or Annihilation. Disappointing, isn't it?”
“You have your problems, it seems. Like anyone else.”
“Are you that different, mister Mutant?”
“True.” Rozzanta chuckles and visibly relaxes his body. His eyes still glare into the forest, but his mind is glad over some rest. “You see, the Mutant is a weird issue. My teacher couldn't touch upon the limits or rules of my Emblem. That is my work. My job. So she helped me figure out the general knowledge, including Mindless Eyes, Skills, Darks, and general outlook over the complete rundown of what one has to know as a Rank 1 Walker. She was surprisingly gentle about it and quick. Efficient too.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
“Lucky you, I guess.” William sits beside the other tree, close to Rozzante but not too much. “By all means, mind if you told me who that was?”
“Who? Well, the teacher hasn't got a name. She is rather stern-looking though. In the 30s, blond hair and a nice figure. I heard some whispers that she is from the Academy, but I haven't seen her since.”
“So she taught you like a clueless brat? That is funny.”
“Better than be... Well... She included the last 3 days of offense, defense, and spar. But the weird thing is, she hasn't even activated her Emblem. Not even once.”
“Not that weird. Do you think we, as Rank 1s, can touch those above us? If she is from the Academy, she is above Rank 6 for sure. They can slaughter is with their fingers.”
“Yeah, but being handled like a child by her... hasn't been fun. I think my issues frustrated her too.”
“The lack of control?”
“Yep. It is problematic.”
“Tell me about it...”
“You've got it under control. Don't kid yourself or me.”
“Sure. I won't.” William chuckles, and takes some snacks and water out of his bag, tossing some to Rozzante after he has his share.
“Anyway... what is it that you want from your System? Something good came up, but you haven't got a chance to look at it?” Rozzante asks after drinking enough water to ease his spirit.
“Yeah. It required hunts, or so it told.”
“Hmmmm...” he gives him a long look. “Then take a look. I will back you up.”
“... how?”
“By sitting there, and chipping those biscuits.”
William shakes his head that he even asks, so he summons some courage, and System alike.
The screen flickers before his head, not glowing but it sure obscures his eyesight. Something connects and whispers in his head too, but it doesn't make any sense. The screen, on the other hand, trembles like waves of electricity, and symbols of all kinds spread from all corners, until it changes back to his language.
The first hunts are under the first processing.
The essence of Hellgars, Swifters, Dorkhorns, and a Low Behemoth are detected.
Finalizing the results, cravings, and changes.
The words are brief and larger than usual but William feels weird after reading them.
Essences? That is blood, isn't it? I haven't fought that Behemoth though. Rozzante did. Does it count? Wait... What is this even about? I thought this is about... William stops himself, as searing pain lingers in his arm, causing him to shiver, and gasp weak moans.
“You good?” Rozzante asks.
“Never been better...”
“Is the System mocking your time too?”
“Huh?” William has no time to reply since his Emblem thinks of this System message as important, or it may be reversed. System and Emblem are connected entities as far as all Walkers know, and every screen may be different in premises and voice. He looks at how the words dissolve, and his Emblem grows tendrils of Vectors like a hungry octopus. It wraps or touches nothing, but it winces around the System a little bit.
Rozzante sees it, calm and curious about what William is even doing. Unkowng him, he has no idea that William has no control over any of this.
Fucking.... animal... Calm down, or I will leash you! William curses in his head and watches how the screen changes.
Process of Essences are fine, collected, and deemed at Rank 1
Walker's Essence process is reshaping the means of Arcanite, Essence... Blood?
“What the hell is that?” William mumbles, watching the Vectors around his arm wince around the System.
Vectors are helping hands of the System.
Threads that make a complicated engine.
Connection that flows through the Emblem, body, and mind.
The System embodies it all.
The System answers his question, which William briefly takes as a joke, but then, he remembers what it wrote yesterday. Something about voice.
He isn't sure what to expect, but it sure feels like it does speak some sense. The System is the provider. He is the taker of its benefits, but those benefits come from what?
Blood is a connection. A threat that flows like a thread.
Hunts are the rule, the provider of the truths. The means to feel the Emblem is to manifest its desire. Follow it, and enrich it.
Bestiary unlocked.
Starting the initialization process...
Wait...
Then, William shoots his head against the tree and winces his whole body as if someone crushes him, but it isn't that. It is just a feeling. It does it sometimes. The System, that is.
He feels weird on all fronts, and it is coming from the Emblem, which seems to become alive on its own. So much so that Rozzante frowns and looks at him with some doubts about whether he is fine or not. But he knows that System connections can be wild. His is in no shape or form different. That isn't that surprising, considering the beginner stages of their connection to the System. They are all young. Walkers, System, and Emblem alike.
Vectors around his arms swirl like an open flower, revealing an opening to his arm. It is the first time he sees it like this since it isn't a gem anymore. It is his arm, and he sees blood-red bone, the fibers of his muscles, blood vessels, tendons, and who knows what else. He doesn't know everything about human anatomy, but if anything, this is unnatural. No blood is there. Just a fleshly opening, while the bone itself is weird. It isn't bloodied. It is red, with a thin layer of Arcanite around it like some kind of water.
He feels nothing from his arm. It almost feels foreign, and glaring at it isn't making him any calmer. He panics, since the Emblem plays on its own, and the dense Vectors form tendrils around this opening, letting it be open as if it should be open.
William doesn't know what it is about, but his Vectors don't listen to him.
“Calm your breath if it is uncomfortable,” Rozzante speaks his mind, still sitting and munching some biscuits. “The System, by itself, shouldn't hurt a Walker.”
He hears him and doesn't mind this hint.
Calming his breath is a matter of time, and while he is at it, he escapes his eyes from his arm. Before him, The System is changing.
Bestiary is a system for the Darks, providing a rundown of Walker's potential, caused by the Revolver Shard.
There are two major factors of Bestiary.
1: Provide information.
2: Get a taste of the Dark, and use them.
Information about Hellgars, Swifters, Dorkhorns, and Low Behemoth are gathered...
Error...
Revolver Shard is... stubborn, giving.... Mistakes.
Reallocation...
The System shakes in his vision, and Vectors trembles along with it, as if angry. William is left out somewhere between those two entities, feeling left out, but alive. He watches two forces wrestle with the other, and the System isn't winning, or losing. It is just fusing, or working by itself, but he has no clue why his Vectors do what they do. He can't reshape them, form them into a Claw, or anything.
It lasts a minute, and the two reconcile, forming some agreement or disagreement, because the trembling stops.
The mutant side of the Emblem - manifested.
Recalculated the potential. Limits breached.
Flow is straining the Walker...
Danger. Dange.r Danger. Dange. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger.
Limiting... the connection.
Error...
Vectors tremble some more but don't do anything more than hurt, sizzle, and dance like whirling tornadoes the size of an angry cat's paw.
“Holy shit...” William shouts, and a lot of pain and confusion follows it next. Mindless Eyes screams at him whatever it can, but The System takes the cake.
Mutant partially unlocked...
Effects found.
Skills... uncrowned.
Limits provided. Forced. Rules forfeited.
Mutant Type: Revolver Shard is granted its Rank 1 purpose.
[Breacher] Allows the stored Essence to a 10% effectiveness. Limits... Unknown. Power... Unknown. Potential... Unknown.
That's a lot of unknowns, but the Vectors don't seem to mind it. They swirl around Wiliam's hand again but leave small openings in his bones.
Whatever it wanted, it worked out in the end.
Back on track...
The Bestiary page is unloaded, and a few Darks are unshrouded.
Bestiary: Essences provide information and power of the [Breacher]
Hunts and essence blood gathering will give advantages and disadvantages.
Proceed to the Bestiary for a full partial rundown of Hellgars, Swifters, Dorkhorns, and a Low Behemoth.
Then the page pauses for a few seconds, and lines and words quiver under some recalculations.
Additional informaiton granted...
Revolver Shard: full essence... needed. Partial blood... usable and provided.... inside. Effectiveness... 10%
Use with caution.
Recommended training...
Not hunts.
The mysterious screen shakes, dissolving into the light on its own, leaving William with nothing but more confusion and pain. He grunts, holds his arm, and straightens his head. By some point, he stumbled with his back to face the ground, and the tree was left as is.
“You good?” Rozzante asks him after noticing the visible calmness of his Vectors, and his grunts also stop. “Can't say I've ever seen Vectors do that, but I've seen some wicked stuff Outside. You won't bother me. Not at all.” he shakes his head, and waves as if nothing matters.
“Thanks... I swear my time is leaving me to question my life. Why have I done it again? Remind me...”
“Curiosity kills the cat.”
William scoffs at him and gets his back to face the tree. “Cats can learn. I can't... Why so many weird things are happening whenever I glance at the System.”
“That wasn't the first?”
“Yesterday... I glanced at it and collapsed in the middle of the room. But woke up in a bed. Weird, isn't it?”
“More than an exposed flesh and bone? Nah. Sounds like a normal day.”
William takes his answer as a joke. He shakes his right hand and watches the swirling Vectors around his forearm. There is a hole, but after a while, it closes, and Emblem looks as normal as before.
However, something in his head isn't like before. William turns this arm up above his head and thinks of the Mindless Eyes's noises.
“Initiate, Hellgar.” he recites, and soon, regrets follow. Something in his body explodes, and a force from the unknown pushes him against the tree, cracking it. He grunts from shock, coughs, and watches how his Vectors dance around his arm, and glow flows from the opening that once returns. It wants something, but it shall not be given.
Inner powers flow from inside. And the Vectors and his Emblem know what's up with their purpose. William watches how his Vectors turn, twist, and slash at one another, forming a jaw. A Hellgar's jaw that is as large as half of his torso.
William shouts, as power surges and twists his arm, straining his face, blood vessels, and mussels. He twists his arms sideways, and the jaw gnaws at the tree by itself, eating it up and leaving only a large hole. Soon, a more than 100-year-old oak tree shatters and falls to the ground.
He panics, and stumbles and twists his arm. Letting it remain calm is a challenge but at least the jaw doesn't want to eat him. It seems to growl at him, but no noise comes out of it. Just the clicks of sharp teeth are enough to doubt his eyes.
“Have you seen this before?” William asks Rozzante, whose mouth is open, and he can't find an answer to him at all.
***
It's an eerie night, and from time to time, they could hear some noises from far away, but not much from closer distances. William's Emblem calms down after a while, leaving him glad and stressed.
“See? It is fine to leave such things for later. Not in the middle of the mission, right? Who knew that the older Walkers know what they are talking about?” Rozzante says to him, figuring that half an hour of rest is enough for him.
He gets to his feet and stretches his arms, before activating his Will Sonar once more. He feels something is wrong.
This 30-minute timer leaves William more tired than before they've come here. He can't argue about his needs. He just wanted a breather to glance at his System. He long wanted to do this because of hunts, and Bestiary, but who knew that things would get out of his hands so quickly, and so literary?
Alas, their time leaves no doubts. Rozzante discovers dozens of presences in their proximity, closing around the Dark Fog that flows around the park like claws. It is around, and even up. Some presences feel bigger than others, which could mean the bigger Darks are here, or there are some leaders among them.
“W-William?” he looks at his friend in hesitation, and discovers his glowing eyes that look to the distance, but he has no idea if he sees something.
“A minor horde? I wonder why now, and why so many...” William thinks out loud, getting to his feet after feeling and seeing how Dark Fog spreads around, forming walls of thick smoke.
“It's too dark... How about retrieving to the north? There are fewer presences in that direction.” Rozzante offers but forgets one important factor. The kind which William is yet to forget. Rozzante's stress makes him doubtful, and before he steps away, he notices William has no intention of running away. He figures out why.
“We are hunters here, don't we?” William says, activating his Emblem with Arise, exploding it into crimson light of many dancing Vectors. They are normal, and not one bit wild from before, which eases his mind.
To his lack of surprises, his Annihilation Element works as a dim lighting source, causing the nighttime in this forest to become clear for dozens of feet around him.
Yet, there are no monsters around them, but that doesn't mean there won't be any.
Darks finally make their move, so why run? William isn't afraid of them, but something is doubtful about it. Does he want to fight dozens of them? His Emblem would agree with this idea, but Rozzante and his heart won't.
Smacking sounds echo close to William's ears. Rozzante made a tight and crips slap to his face, hoping to calm himself down and get his shit together.
“You good?” William asks him.
“Could be better, but let's do this.” He says, tosses his shirt away, and activates his Emblem.
His arms twists, his back convulse, and turns scaly, making a strangely shaped armor. Within his hand is a gravitational force that is under his grasp. Hitting his fists together, he is starting to feel better, unlike before when he almost forgot himself. “Turns?”
“No turns. Let's wait, or... if you may, your surveillance skill may know something.”
“My sensor feels Rank 2s for sure. They are like vivid blackness under the pressure. A Minor Horde, as you said. Why they are here? They shouldn't be here, so let's wait.”
Minutes pass by, yet the pair is yet to move, and so does the Darks. The Dark Fog remains unmoving right around the proximity of William's light. He also tries to walk forth, and the fog winces backward. There is an opening up in the north, where there are more trees, and less space because of some destroyed parts of buildings that ended up here after some explosions, or unknown warfare.
“It seems we are to attack, don't you think? They don't do much, but wait.”
“You sure?” Rozzante asks. “There is something fishy with this. Rank 2s can lead the lower-ranked monsters, but having more Rank 2s in such conditions is strange. Let alone them, the Dark Fog is thick. Night... It is because of it.”
“You mean a Rank 3 is behind this? That's impossible.”
“Nothing is impossible. Academy is clear in their Trials, and making us go to length to obtain those Vials is just an excuse to fight those monsters. How about to go wild? Kill every last of them?” Rozzante says with an unlikely smirk, completely different from his previous demeanor.
It catches William off-guard, but he too, is inclined to finish this Trial one way or another. With the number of Vials and their fillings, he could tell this isn't a Trial of time, but at the same time, can they fail? How? Agatha made no remarks about it. Just 10 Vials, finish them and fight. His guess is that failure is Butler's intervention.
William's Annihilation Claw is ready, and so does his mind. He goes along with Rozzante's ideas to go on.
“Neither of us knows too much about practical fights against a Horde. So let's proceed with caution and obliterate the lesser threats. Agreed? North.” Rozzante orders, pointing to the north, and follows the passage of threes. With the glow of William's Emblem, he is definitely clear-headed and in addition to his Will Sonar, there won't be any surprising ambushes.
The pair go cautiously towards the middle portion of the park, and the Dark Fog follows them to no end. The ground turns more barren than the trees and even the ground is out of grass, or moss. Cracks litter the soil, and many parts of buildings make this place look like a graveyard.
With utmost caution to their surroundings, the pair don't notice how close they are to one another, making a small mistake in this manner. Stepping into the cracked ground, it turns to dust, before crumbling to pieces. They fall into a deep pit, dozens of feet wide.
William tries to reach the edges, but it is too far away, and soon enough, they reach the bottom. Even Rozzante couldn't control his Gravity in such a tight timespan.
“Freaking... monsters... What is this crap?” Rozzante complains, shaking his head upon the unpleasant fall. Looking above, this is at least 40 feet deep hole, clearly created by some Darks.
William notices the swirling marks on the walls, the kind which is particularly vicious. An underground Dark being of Rank 6. Worm.
“I never heard of some Darks having some ambushes like this...” William complains after getting to his feet. He is sure neither of them can reach the surface from such a distance.
“What do you mean? Some Dark beings have some intelligence, and this seems like a work of something like that... but here, in the Trials? What is this....” Rozzante says, doubting his time and this Trial. But then, his face and heart jolts up, after he notices some strange call within his mind.
Looking at William, both youths figure out the same things without talking.
They breached some power of the Dark Age, and it isn't something pretty.
William clutches his hand, following the call of the Mindless Eyes. Rozzante does the same. They open a new message, which follows a quick glow of The System.
[Ruins of the Dark] detected
Dungeon of the NOX, beginning path detected.
Threat: Up to Rank 3.
Hunt is starting...
Goal: Slaughter your way out of the Ruins.
Initializing the system's approach to the potency, and rewards.
Reward: Efficiency, and requalification of the Rank 1 Skill of Walker's choice.
Killing every Dark is met with additional efficiency.
Bonus: kill everything and the threshold of rewards is 30% larger.
“It's a freaking dungeon of the Darks?” William exclaims, and so does Rozzante.