Zenith was currently walking with Fable, having recovered the day before and adjusted. "Where are we going?" he asked curiously. Fable smiled. "Well, since you have a resonance frequency now, we need to better train your combat ability, and this outpost has a perfect place for that."
Zenith was no doubt curious, walking behind Fable until they entered a chamber with people going in and out, lined up with teleporters that were guarded by robots similar to the ones that had stood by Lieutenant Amada, as well as other relic syndicate personnel.
This sight made Zenith a bit curious as he followed Fable, who showed one of the staff at the first portal a special ID. After scanning it and nodding, Fable entered, and Zenith followed inside the relic site teleporter.
On the other side, it was an expansive mountainous land. One could see sky islands in the distance; they looked natural yet artificial. The reasoning being there were large metal chains hooking each sky island to each other. There was no center core as these islands seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.
"What is this place?" Zenith asked in amazement. Fable laughed in response. "This is a special Relic site that was discovered many years ago by the federation. It has nothing special other than one purpose."
Hearing Fable's words, Zenith couldn't help but furrow his brows as he followed Fable onwards, seeing people going back and forth. There seemed to be relic syndicate staff and robots standing guard here as well. They were heading towards a larger building that was built on the island they had gone to.
"A purpose that is?" Zenith couldn't help but ask. Fable stopped and looked back with a grin. "It produces endless resonant creatures, so it's perfect for honing one's abilities!" Hearing this, Zenith suddenly understood why Fable brought him here.
When they entered the building, they waited their turn. It didn't seem that busy at the moment as it was quite late, and eventually they got their turn. They were given two specialized marks that imbued onto their skin. The feeling felt like resonance that was stuck to his hand like glue, but Zenith simply admired the process.
Afterwards, they went to one of the federation-made teleporters which were much less technological and short-ranged compared to the relic teleporting devices. Using it, they were sent to an island assigned to them, with the marks on their hands allowing this access to and from it.
On the other side, the island was the size of a football field. It had some trees and boulders; it looked like it had been scooped out by a spoon. "Shouldn't you teach me resonance runes first?" Zenith spoke, unsure why he was jumping straight into combat without learning resonance runes.
Fable scoffed and shook his head with a near sarcastic laugh. "Resonance runes? No way! You start from the basics. Using the weapons you already have, a solid foundation."
Zenith grumbled, thinking it was a bit pointless. "Does it matter though? Relying on resonance runes seems like a fair way to go," he spoke, thinking he was right.
Fable folded his arms, turning to Zenith as he continued to grin. "Do you remember those two on your planet I beat? They relied only on resonance runes. That guy with the resonance-formed weapon didn't even know how to properly fight. They both thought they could just use runes or simply swing with pure force. How stupid."
Zenith thought for a moment; he had witnessed Fable simply rely on his own prowess. "How did you manage to block that first attack with your bare hands?" Hearing Zenith, Fable laughed. "You see, for resonance frequencies, you can temper and mold it, strengthen it and better use it. Having a resonance frequency lets the body surpass normal human limits, strengthening the functions of the body. You can live a hell of a lot longer, recover quicker, increase physical strength and all that cool crap. It all depends on how strong your resonance is, but a resonance doesn't get stronger if you neglect it. As for the first attack, I just coated my hand in resonance and that was that. I didn't even need to use much else other than my combat prowess to beat those punks."
Stolen story; please report.
Zenith listened, taking it all in. "Isn't that more reason to train my resonance than instead of doing whatever you have planned from the basics?" Fable snickered, then he spoke. "Did you know there are places and abilities that can disable another's resonance abilities? Basically leaving you to rely on your body alone. If a resonance frequency is a sword, then what I'm teaching you is how to properly swing and deflect."
Zenith fully understood now what Fable wanted to achieve and didn't argue further. Fable, seeing Zenith accept this, spoke. "This is what separates the members of top relic hunter organizations from the bottom ones. The more dangerous a relic site is, the more trained relic hunters have to be. Remember, it's not a game. If you don't use everything you have at your disposal, then you won't even know how you died, and even then it may not be enough. We strive to survive."
Fable then spoke up, pulling out a handheld device seemingly made of crystal that had holographic buttons floating a little above it. He then pressed one button. A light in the distance formed before a creature the size of a large rooster appeared. This creature was terrifying nonetheless; its body seemed to be made of a flowing dark gooey grey substance.
"What the hell is that?!" Zenith quickly reached for his laser weapon, using the laser short sword variant as he kept on guard. Fable responded, "This cute little thing is a Resonant creature. Honestly, we don't know what the hell they are, but we know they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and are incredibly deadly. They feed on any living thing they can find but love Resonance the most. To this thing here, you and I are like a 5-star meal. It's also why this space is so important to the federation. It's a training site that allows us to spawn these creatures, the perfect training area."
Zenith stepped closer. He definitely knew Fable wanted him to fight this thing. The creature lifted its head; it seemed straightened with no eyes and a large maw-like beak that opened with no mouth, like pincers. It emitted a hiss and spread its hind legs apart, its two frontal hands propping itself up in defense.
"Go kill it. Don't know how you do it, just do it." Fable stepped back. Zenith nodded, looking seriously at the creature that soon began to dash over. Zenith was stunned by how fast it seemed, like a speedy rodent. He slashed his blade towards it, but the creature dashed and jumped to ram him. Zenith gasped, feeling the hit as it smacked into his sides. He felt a deep bruise causing pain, but at the same time, he used his gauntlet to backhand the creature away, setting it to 800kg of strength. The resonant creature went flying like a little dog, smacking the ground a few times before getting back up and hissing at Zenith.
It no doubt looked angrier. "Haha, these buggers are annoying at first, but you will get used to them. Try to read its movements. It may sound like some bull crap, but it really works. Focus on where it puts its balance and might dodge if you swing. They aren't very smart."
After a few more rounds of ramming, Zenith was finally infuriated. He waited to bait the creature in with a fake swing, then watched it jump to the side and attempt to ram him. But by that time, his laser sword had already swung down, and the creature was soon cleaved in half, its body splitting in two and falling to the side. No blood came out, and the substance continued to wriggle and move. Zenith moved over in an attempt to touch it, but the corpse suddenly dissipated into a white light that vanished.
Fable, seeing this, spoke out. "Well, this is also why we know it's a relic site for training, because the moment a creature dies, it will turn into light and enter the space again. Otherwise, wouldn't the federation have an infinite material source? You did okay, 9 attack attempts before you could kill it. When I'm done with you, if you can't kill it before it can even dodge, I'd be shaming the Novaforge name."
Zenith looked at his sword and then clenched the hilt of it a bit. He felt annoyed at himself too. "9 rounds..." he mumbled, unsatisfied with his own current weakness.