The crimson color of William's Annihilation Claw lights the cave, which is nothing but a 10-foot-wide tunnel. But some sections are wider and thinner because the Worm is indecent building, rough, and can't properly turn and go straight. It looks unpolished as it should be since Darks don't care about aesthetics or any sort of order in their homes.
They walk forward, Rozzante with his stretched WIll Sensor, and hand clutching the Extractor. He frowns and tenses up the further he follows William, and screeching and clutter of noises are more than noticeable because of the stretching caves. Every noise, step, and breath lingers longer than one would like. Tunnels stretch for hundreds of feet, curving and even going over the other caves or tunnels. It is a messed up place, and at least, William sees shadows flicker in his eyesight. Some Darks are coming.
“Mind if I will?” He says to Rozzante without turning his head to him.
Rozzante grunts an affirmation, thinking that William will need some time and Darks to vent his frustration. Or the Emblem does. He won't question it, so he gives him time, place, and his share.
Behind the corner, little monsters emerge like fast rats, followed by a pair of Hellgars. The little ones are Viper Rats, Rank 1 Darks that are under 2 feet tall. They are fast, weak, and annoying. At least against Walkers, but William remembers how these little shits can swarm a person in dozens, eating one in a few seconds. That has been another sight he can't forget, but he has all intentions of wiping them all out. They are like small hungry wolves, but with skinny limbs, and bodies. They resemble rats more than wolves, but their heads have noticeable weight, and wide jaws full of sharp teeth. They shriek in high-pitched noises and run on all 4 limbs. They often go where Hellgars do. Viper Rats are at the weakest portion of Rank 1, on an individual basis.
William is ready to shatter them all, and his Gear 2 will work more than enough for them. Viper Rats are above a dozen, and a pair of Hellgars are behind them, eyes blazing red, and teeth open in a wide grin. They hate all intruders and everything that invades their nests. Unlike the outside, they shriek and blast their way to William as if he is no meal, but a foe to kill.
That is the difference between a hunt and an invasion. He doesn't know it, but he has read about it. Sometimes, Darks have some mental blocks, differences, emotional distress, and even shreds of empathy, or fear. How it all works isn't something he found in the library, but he is sure the Academy and proper knowledge that Walkers gets, will help him find some answers. For now, he knows what he does because of his own living Outside, while Kaufman's help has been also part of his learning process. Roman's help is more for his Emblem, which he welcomes and is glad for.
The first Viper Rats pounce at him like wild dogs, bearing their teeth, and from paws with 5 needle-like claws. He smacks them to shreds, letting his Annihilation shatter their heads, and tear limbs and bodies apart. It is surprisingly easy. A simple smack against the ground or the wall is all it takes to kill them. He even smacks more than one at a time, so he moves quickly and obliterates half of them before Hellgars come. His Velvet Eyes allows this more than that, but physical look too. Without proper light, it would be quite a dark place.
Both Hellgars will have some trouble in this corridor, which isn't a great fit for a fight. At least in this section, which is relatively thin, but one can't hide here or move as freely.
It is up to William's advantage since his single-armed Mold is thin and flexible enough even in small spaces. Someone like Zech would have a tougher time with his primary Mold. William can move, swipe his Claw, and do whatever he wants.
He points his Claw forward and pinches his fingers. He droves forth into the left Hellgar, deflecting its jaw aside, before jumping, and hitting it with his knee aside. Then he slaps the other while wiping the other Viper Rats around him like flies. Breathless, and in cold blood, he feels no fear and cares even less about some dread. But the hunt is clear, and some calmness returns to his mind. A single finger of his Claw bears its weight and sharpness into the first Hellgar's neck. He pins it down to the ground with his weight and cracks its spine, leaving only a little blood behind.
Viper Rats pose no problem, but some of them wound his legs and left arm, similar to the Jawjumper. The wounds aren't too deep and don't bother him for some reason. It will heal in time, he thinks.
But accumulating too much damage isn't right, even though Walker's physique is no longer that of a regular human.
William slaughters the group of 13 Darks in under a minute, and Rozzante watches it from behind. None targeted him for some reason, which he didn't expect. Every one of them wanted William's head. Too late for them to have his head, he reckons.
“Hah!” William sneers, feeling good and satisfied. There are no more noises coming from the front-facing and round tunnel. “Feels good, doesn't it? Having a chance against those little shits... let alone bigger ones.”
Rozzante steps forward and pokes Viper Rat with a light kick. “Not worth much blood, aren't they?”
“Try and see. I am going in.”
***
Extracting is often a quick, but also time-consuming process. Rozzante sees and feels it is tougher than usual when dozens of Darks are around, which may be often problematic, or striagh-up impossible. Walkers have to care about them, but extraction of this kind isn't as common as one would think. It is more of a byproduct of Walker's organizations since Dark Blood is worth some care and effort. They all understand this fact after decades of work, research, and sacrifices.
It is the Academy's position and a treasure to work with them, while the Federation makes experiments and further work much more manageable. Other organizations around the world have their own research and exchange programs for people and information. A lot of them are on a constant cycle of research and coming up with new things is key around all of them.
Benefits. Innovation. Power. Those are all things that current humanity needs a lot more than ever before. The last one especially.
A lot of Walkers rise and fall because of hope, and research, but it is all for the benefit of a single thing. Vials. They can improve the Walkers, abilities, and body itself. Almost like a drug.
William has no idea that his little Mutant wants the Vials, but the System did mention it a while ago, albeit rather poorly. He isn't forgetting it, but right now, he has other problems before his eyes.
After extraction which took 5 minutes, the blood from those Darks is enough to finish the 5th Vial. There isn't much point in anything else, so they continue forward. William is no longer so vocal about his complaints, and Rozzante still follows him behind.
The crimson light from his Claw makes the surrounding wall, caves, and tunnels much more menacing than they are.
They soon come to an intersection, before a wide and flat cave that has bones scattered around the dark flat ground. It looks metallic, tough, and filthy. The ceiling is much more elevated and enough for even a 3 stories building to be inside. There are even some rotting Darks around, appearing like a mush of bones, and clustered tendrils and Dark Fog. It is noticeably worsening the air in this place, and the smell here is nasty, but it's not all that is to it.
They walk in, huffing for a breath here and there, but their bodies aren't taking this place that badly. Normal humans would long lose consciousness, while they have only slight dizziness that will soon pass. Up above, William notices a cluster of wide blobs of thick fog, hiding a series of monsters, that pokes their head and claws from the fog. It is some form of nest, looking like a cloud of fog so thick, that one can't be sure to see the ceiling or the dark. The ceiling is full of those blobs, right behind holes in the walls and deep crevices. The entire ceiling is full of countless tendrils, and there are at least dozens of those blobs of Dark Fog that flicker like Vectors would.
They all wince and swirl after feeling William's light, making him afraid to see so many of them in one place. The Dark Fog is thicker and crazier than he remembers.
One cracks apart, and about a dozen Hallgars emerge from one blob, landing on the ground like little pubs that wake up after a long sleep. They stagger on their limbs until they get to their feet and glare at invaders in crimson and ashen look. Beside the blob of Dark Fog crawls 3 Jawjumpers, taking shelter on the ceiling, while 1 Pounder, and 1 strange-looking beast land behind the Hellgars. William doesn't recognize the last Dark, but some of its features indicate a sudden recollection.
That is a mutated kind of Rank 2 Dark, that has its own division. They go under the main category: Beast, even though they may or may not be that beastly. They are prone to crazy physical appearances, and various depictions around them make them bestial and unique. But one thing is clear. They are stronger than average Dark of the same Rank.
This one before William appears like a bulkier Swifters, and its head is similar to Hellgars but thinner. It has a much smaller head and walks on 2 legs. Its head is almost proportional to its body.
Beast and their hands or other things are their main attacking tools, rather than their jaw.
A specific Beast before him has the name: Hellfire because it has one strange ability—a fire affinity, appearing like threads of flames in their bodies, which creates flaring flames. It looks like it is on a constant flow of fire, but it is more of a cycle.
A simple name: Hellfire, is quite fitting for a Beast, and it is known to evolve all the way to Rank 8 according to certain records and documents William has found in the library. However, those were rather small and undetailed documents, containing only possible evolution of the Hellfire up to Rank 5. Because of the severity of high-rank Darks, finding anything specific is kind of rare and not easy to see out of that library. Only a few Rank 8+ Darks could even exist to reach that rank, and each is an utter monstrosity capable of shattering the physical limits of what is possible. It is quite similar to the Walkers, in some sense, but their numbers are larger.
Hellfire before him is of Rank 2, looking like a hunched Swifter, with a mixture of Hellgar. It is at least 7 feet tall, even when it hunches its back, and it is much slimmer in its torso. Both legs are thick and of a similar height, but the section below the knees is curving away, creating what is known as the pouncing aspect, which is a factor that many Darks can have, similar to tendrils, or spikes. Pouncing aspects focus on curving the legs, making Darks's movements, and pouncing fast like an arrow from a bow. This Hellgar looks strong, and all of its knuckles have surging spikes and flame. It is ready to fight.
Unlike Hellgar, Hellfire of Rank 2 has a rather distinct head, with a series of soft spiked tendrils and all over its head, and back, creating a swirling flaming tail behind it. 2 fiery eyes radiate heat and its mouth is twice wider than that of a human, unlike what is the norm for most of Darks. It's slimmer, and flames go from there, indicating a Firebreath. A Skill to spit fire like a flamethrower, or shoot extensive fireballs from its mouth.
It's one of the strongest Rank 2 Darks, and for who knows why, it is in the Trial for Rank 1 Walkers.
Quite stupid, is something that anyone with some sense would think, but what would the best Walker organization in this world think? It should take a proper Walker to deal with unkept and harsh reality, and if you have talent, it is what the Academy needs.
Seeing the Darks before them, William and Rozzante stop in their tracks. The first thing that comes to their mind is to flee, but where? This is no place for that, so what comes after fleeing? Giving up? Playing dead? Neither of these things could ever work against the Darks. Especially when they are Walkers.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
So, the only choice for them is to fight, and both of them hope there is someone to protect them if they end up being at their mercy or completely obliterated. There are 14 Hellgars, 3 Jawjumpers, 1 Pounder, and 1 Hellfire.
Almost 20 enemies and no small fries are running around, but that is wrong. William can see many other Darks swirling in those dark blobs, but those aren't coming down. “Good... Keep at it,” he mumbles between breaths.
Similar to before, he is hoping there is someone to protect them, but what about that jumpscare? If he has been a split second late, he is sure he almost died in there. He didn't, so what-ifs don't matter. Old Mike would agree.
Now, they are before their fated foes, in the middle of the dark cave that is under William's crimson light. It makes all of their appearances so much more savage than they seem, it doesn't soothe them at all.
William grabs his courage, meaning he pushes his Annihilation Claw forward, hoping to intimidate those monsters. He doesn't know how effective it is, nor does he know how well it worked so far. He certainly hopes it could do something right now, and it doesn't do shit when the invasion is at play, and those Darks are crazy in their purpose. Hunt is a special play, after all, and they are hunters.
Unless one has a much higher rank or power, that would shatter all instincts of those Darks, nothing matters.
Rozzante put the Extractor behind him, safe and sound. “Well, William. It seems to me we walked to the jaw of a monster. Can we go away?”
“I would rather... try fighting. Do you think we can trust Agatha that someone is around us as she said? Helper? Buttler?”
“Butler for sure, but I don't feel a thing, as I stated before. Only those Darks, and oh! How many there are.” Rozzante spreads his arms and shouts as he leans his head up. “A lot... A lot more than I felt. Those walls... They don't like my sensor for sure. I am fighting. You?” He readies himself to the combat as well, tossing the shirt, and grows his Mutant Emblem. There is no point in being scared or afraid. They are the Walkers! They should scare those Darks instead.
With no hesitation, the growling Hellgars are the first to sense the incoming pressure and change within the invaders. They attack both of them, brandishing their jaws at them head first. Quick, the front-facing Hellgars are momentarily stopped by Rozzante's use of Gravity Stop, who charges ahead. A hard-to-notice wave comes off of his palms, stopping the Hellgars about 10 feet before him.
William is about to pounce at them after noticing their inability to move, so he wants to smash their heads to a pulp, but Rozzante stops him by shouting. “Hey! No! Stop that, I can't distinguish the enemy from the foe yet.”
He almost became paralyzed by the lack of gravity, so he is glad Rozzante warned him. However, the more helpful thing would be if he talked or mentioned this on the surface. There are issues that they haven't solved yet. Neither of them is familiar with the other or knows the information about each other's Skills and power. Such details are quite important, like what Rozzante told him just now.
So far, they've had their fight separate from the other since Rozzante wanted it and didn't elaborate on it. Lack of control and distinguishing foes from friends explains a lot of things, so William isn't that unhappy, but he sure finds it weird he hasn't mentioned it before.
The current situation doesn't call for some sense or turns. They have to act both, and some curiosity or bravery can go away. The surface is different than the Dungeon, and they are against numerous enemies.
Rozzante halts almost all Hellgars before his eyes, but a couple of them jump aside in time, dodging the Gravity Stop. He notices them in time, but before they even go at him, he runs forward, revealing his intentions. “Don't move!” he says to William who is long behind his back. He reveals a swirling vortex of folded-up gravity in his clutched hands, almost like an explosion in his grasp.
He unleashes it by getting close to the stopped Hellgars, and since he isn't affected by his own Gravity Stop, it resembles a domain type of Skill. Almost like a chainsaw in some sense, he releases his fist, striking the closest Hellgars in a gravitational storm. Chopping their heads, necks, and even some limbs, he can't stop it, and he doesn't stop moving. It almost appears as if grenades explode left and right through them, chopping them to pieces. That's how wild and unhinged Rozzante's offensive Skill: Gravity Vortex, is.
With a swipe and turn, he quickly shatters another 4 Hellgars, since they can't do a thing under his Gravity Stop, even if their jaws reach their target. They are engulfed by the continuous power of his palms, seeping gravitational force at all times. In a split second, he chops their bodies into many parts, but he can't help it. Gravity Vortex is like an explosion, and each wave and thread of gravity separates flesh from other flesh.
Seeing that, William is speechless to see Rozzante going all out, but his watch is soon halted from above. Attacks of Jawjumpers are quick and deadly, but thankfully, his body is all tensed up, so he rolls away in time when one Jawjumper lands on his previous location, jaw first. The Hellfire is watching from afar, flame gushes from its eyes and mouth, and it doesn't attack for now. Even Pounder behind it doesn't.
Jawjumpers are 3, and they both go from the ceiling at the same time, falling to William who rolls and dodges their sorry attempts. Not only does he have his crimson light, but also his eyes. No one will stop him. No ambushes!
William quickly changes his Gear 2 to a bigger form, letting more light out, which he does take for a surprising benefit. Radiating the higher aptitude of Annihilation leaves his arm and body breathless, but he knows how to work with it. His Claw grows to the with of his torso, and his palm is enough to cause their incoming jaw attacks to become obsolete. He swipes his large Claw for one of them, but it deflects his grab, leaving a painful shriek behind.
His counter fails, and all Jawjumpers turn their killing intent up a notch. All 3 work at the same time and surround him in no time. It goes much faster than William expects, and their extensive jaw attacks have higher mobility, than what their clumsy limbs have. At least in theory, he read in the library, their jaw is their everything, which he doubts is false. As they stand on their 4 legs, the heads take more than 80% of their mass. If not grotesque, he doubts it makes sense.
Gritting his teeth for the impact of all 3 extensive jaw strikes, William calls for his Inner Enchantment, which he finally summons after his Claw has trouble getting back around him. In a second, power and tiny little Vectors surge out of his Emblem, enveloping his upper and lower body, and even part of his chin in crystal-like scales. They are thin, seen-through as if they are made out of glass—little red, and velvety glossy scales.
Inner Enchantment is around him so sufficiently fast, that he doubts it makes sense, but that is what the difference between Rank 1 and 0 Skills is.
Jawjumpers' Jaws extend out of their necks, traveling more than 10 feet, striking William's body head-on, and flying him to the distant wall.
With a thud, he doesn't feel the worst. “Oh... The impact feels like feeling the concrete for sure,” He argues as he gets to his feet. “I know how it is. Felt it more than dozens of times. Or hundreds? Roman would..” He chuckles, but a second later, the sharp teeth of the Jawjumper almost strike his head, going to the unprotected side of his Inner Enchantment.
Cold sweat envelops his back, but William is soon met with another Jaw, which he dodges by a sliver of hair.
“Holy... Those teeth are sharp as hell.” William mutters, forcing his Claw forward to fend off the 3rd attack, his Claw listens and is beside his body.
Unlike what he expected to happen, the jaw bites his Annihilation Claw and doesn't bounce or go away. Instead, the thickness of this Claw is extraordinary, and Jawjumper wants to tear it off, even though William's real flash is quite far. It shrieks in pain and misery after feeling the effects of the Annihilation that sizzle and pains its jaw. Teeth cracks, dissolve or falls out of its jaw.
William watches, back against the wall, and his hand extends forward. Their teeth disintegrate far from his head, and his Annihilation takes it all.
“Yea.. I am not invisible. I know it. Still has a hole around my head.” He thinks to himself, touching his head with his left hand, after noting the effectiveness of his Rank 1 Inner Enchantment for the first time. He changes his mind about it in a moment, and since the Jawjumper is stuck, he slams it to the ground, letting it shriek on the ground. This move opens its jaw for a moment, letting weight out of his Claw, so, he picks his point-clawed finger and shoves it directly across its head.
A gushing wound leaves marks and crevices around the neck, leaving out blood and brain tissue on the ground. It's killed immediately, but William isn't ready to cheer his kill or care about some annoyances in his head, or hand. He isn't so quick, so a sharp pain spreads in his head when extensive jaw grabs his shoulder. Even with the Inner Enchantment's vast effects, a few teeth go through, leaving thin marks on his uniform, but not blood.
Those teeth are sharp, but his uniform is flexible and doesn't tear that easily. Without Inner Enchantment, it would hurt so much more, much to his defense Skill.
He glances at the wild eyes of the Jawjumper that bites his shoulder, and their eyes meet. Its eyes are thick and utter crimson. Before being hit by the last Jawjumper, he smashes this one to the floor, before jumping from the last shot of a Jaw.
This is a good choice. Dodging is greater than taking hits he doesn't know he can take. But, considering the 3rd Jawjumper almost gnawed at his legs, he doesn't feel that great.
“This... That one wanted to crimple me!?” William assumes, sweating in nervousness.
Alas, the 2nd Jawjumper is still barely clinging to his left shoulder, making his jump not as great, but still enough to go 7 feet into the air. This high and powerful jump renders any following attack what it can do useless, and even its jaw isn't powerful enough without proper ground before its feet.
It could only watch as William pushes his Annihation Claw towards its body, clutching it like a rat, and slapping it to the ground. To William's surprise, this attack has not killed it, but cracked bones and limbs are enough to immobile it. Head trauma also works, similar to spine injuries and wounds. It will die soon enough.
William quickly follows his vision, finding the attack of the last Jawjumper before his face. He is no longer stressed, but he forgot about the tougher foes: Hellfire, and Pounder. And there are still some Hellgars left behind, but those seem to focus on Rozzante alone.
The 2 toughest foes don't seem to attack. They wait for the final battle to end or wait for small fries to have their fill first.
Seeing the quick movements of the last Jawjmper's jaw, William is surprised by his lack of speed in this form. A large one isn't ideal for flexible attacks, especially in this large arena. Most grabs he tries are useless, but when he does grasp the enemy, they won't go away so easily. So he makes a change, and uses the exact opposite side of this Gear, making a dense form of his Annihilation Claw. It is perfect for this occasion where the speed matters more.
William doesn't lose out in any following exchanges against this last Jawjumper, because his better mobility, or Inner Enchantment makes up for any mistakes. It is surprisingly effective against these sorts of attacks, and this is a Rank 2 Dark that can bite a person in half. The Thrust of its jaw is immediate and formidable, but when he sees it, having a duel is different from being at a numerical disadvantage. It is almost easy. He takes his time and dodges or takes those attacks from time to time. They don't generate enough offensive power to shatter his defense, so William notices it and changes his strategy.
With a quicker change, he grabs the next Jaw Thrust and squeezes it tightly. The teeth shatter, but that's not enough against the momentum, so William completely rips the lower jaw apart, before kicking it away.
Shrieking in pain, the Jawjumper pounces the rest of its body forward, using the moment and head to attack William one last time. He smirks in a weird manner, twisting his hips and legs. He lowers his stance and with a quick motion makes a vertical elbow attack right against the rest of its jaw. Shattering the many rows of teeth and broken neck is enough to see the expected result. The spike on his elbow is almost better than his fingers.
“Last one?” William looks around, figuring there is no one else.
He also notices Rozzante who is done right around his end.
Both boys are drenched in sweat and some blood. Some weird sense of excitement is within their faces, but they know it's not over yet. There are 5 opponents left. 3 Hellgars surround the Pounder and the Hellfire stands like a final boss behind them. Those two are indeed tough opponents.
Unlike the 7 feet of height that Hellfire has, the Pounder is one of the toughest Rank 2 Darks under most common readings. The 10-foot-tall human structure takes its appearance, and the mass of its body is dozens of times larger than any man. It is bulky, with its hands being so thick, they are like trees, reaching the ground with its fingers. It stands straight, and its skin has countless scales made of thick hide. Around the back and front are thin spikes, while the shoulders are full of long tendrils, that don't seem to move, or wince in life.
It's like a bull beside a goat. The Pounder is a 2-legged Dark, and unlike the Jawjumper, they have a small head. Massive hands are its main power and fists with spikes protruding from its knuckles, and hands make up deadly weapons. Its legs are kind of small, but that is only because of the size of the hands, making its movement weak, but it doesn't need it per se.
Around its whole body, neck, and even face is scaled armor. No eyes are visible from the distance, so it sure seems tough and large. It's almost rendering its face useless by how it looks, but thin red eyes are visible on its face, hiding under the scales. There are also 4 massive curved horns around its head, 2 forward facing, and 2 facing up. Its jaw is not visible, making it rather rare Dark. Salive and grunting sounds come from its head, and the quivering bottom of its head opens up, revealing lipless teeth that seem fused with the scales. It shrieks, expecting to fight to the death.
Pounder has decided on its proper hunt, and the basis of that is William alone.
As for the Hellfire, it is silent and indifferent, but the fire never ceases to exist in its mouth. This one is for Rozzante who appears to notice the change of mood, and he is far enough from William to fight as he can.
This is like a spar. A very poor spar that is as deadly as trying to infiltrate Nests of the Crees... He wishes he is kidding, but he doesn't.
This is a life-and-death battle that is unlike what they have seen above. Well, Rozzante has plenty of Outside memories of fights and suffering, but those aren't his personal experiences. Usually...
Watching and going at it with his own body is different. Clashing or slashing against Hellgars is an effective way to learn his limits, but to what extent it can go?
He doesn't know his limits, but this Hellfire will have to do.