The path from the Legion’s Keep towards the central square of the outpost was quick and quiet. It had been more or less three days since Alex and his companions arrived at this outpost which meant that most of the people previously walking about managed to get recruited into one of the existing factions, making the various paths between the tents far less crowded.
After a short but brisk walk, Alex arrived back at the place where he first appeared upon entering the outpost. The main square was still as busy as he remembered it, though more people were wearing the designated uniform of their newly joined factions. One thing that stood out to Alex is that this time, everyone was walking with purpose in their step, as opposed to the aimless drifting he remembered previously.
“Get a grip, now’s not the time to be gawking; Nova needs to feed.” he thought as he snapped out of his short daze.
Alex hastened his pace towards the biggest tent located right in the middle of the arrival space of the outpost. It was as big as any five-story building he ever saw, with various heraldry and other types of insignias littering the tent’s fabric, most likely signifying it as common space for all the various factions of the outpost.
Not wasting a moment longer, he approached it, and with a smooth motion of his hand, he pushed the entrance cloth aside and entered. What immediately greeted his sight was bustling activity. The inner space of the tent was a gigantic space reminiscent of a major bank during rush hour; mostly by the people talking in loud obnoxious voices and the musty smell of sweat in the air.
As he was looking around, someone quietly approached Alex from his side and spoke.
“How may the administration help you today?” asked the individual.
As Alex turned towards the voice, he saw the mysterious individual. It was a five-eyed girl with dark green hair the colour of an ancient forest. Gathering his thoughts, he replied.
“I’m here to pick up an extermination request,” he replied in a cold, neutral tone.
“Your Faction, name, and cultivation” the young girl before Alex said, leaving the question open-ended.
“The Nightmare Legion, Legionnaire Farwalker, First Mortal Step,” Alex answered in a haste, starting to feel annoyance creep up in himself through his bond with Nova.
As he answered, the young girl before him slowly frowned in confusion.
“There is no such faction in the Alliance, and what do you mean by the First Mortal Step; there’s only one Mortal Step.” she rebutted in a challenging tone.
All his life, Alex tried avoiding confrontation of any type, not wanting to create unnecessary trouble for himself. Unfortunately for Alex, there were two very serious factors getting in his way at the moment.
Firstly; Since bonding with Nova, who was a Nightmare Serpent, her emotions occasionally seeped through their bond; and the emotions weren’t the flowery type. Secondly; after creating his Unity, he found it much harder to go against his true nature. It felt as if each time he bent to someone else’s will without a fight, his cultivation regressed ever so little.
Combine these two separate circumstances which Alex willfully found himself in, and he quickly felt the sparks of anger igniting inside of himself.
“It’s a simple extermination request, so why the fuck am I being interrogated?” Alex thought with his frowned face hidden by the black mask.
Gritting his teeth, he focused on not lashing out.
“The Legion is not part of the Alliance, we were hired to escort this outpost. Now, can you just point me to where I can get the request so we can rid ourselves of each other’s presence?” he answered, straining his voice in order not to lash out.
Immediately as the words left him, he saw the young girl’s incredulous look turn to a snarl before him.
“Watch your mouth! I will not have a newly induced neophyte speak to me in that tone!” she barked in reply.
As she spoke, one of her eyes – the one in the middle of her forehead, lit up in red light. As soon as the eye lit up, the atmosphere in the hall of the administration tent became incredibly tense. Immediately as Alex looked into the red-coloured eye, he could feel a slight pressure on himself, akin to a weight on his body. As soon as the pressure started to tread from manageable to deeply uncomfortable, the golden Unity inside Alex started to expunge waves of power throughout his body. As the gaseous golden-coloured Breath suffused his being, the pressure he felt seconds earlier dissipated immediately.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case for the people in Alex’s vicinity. The people around the two of them turned towards them in a pained expression before opting to take a couple of steps back. It seemed like the other administration officials weren’t in a rush to intervene, while the other fresh recruits decided to back away from the angered girl.
“It seems that whatever she was doing was causing the others pain,” he thought to himself, amused at the red eye’s inability to influence him.
Seeing that her technique wasn’t affecting Alex, the girl was about to up the power when someone finally intervened.
“Stop this instant, Alana!” yelled someone as they approached Alex and the woman.
As the figure was approaching, Alex changed the focus of his attention from Alana to the new arrival, which he already knew.
Seeing Pahan’s perpetual grin and overall aloof attitude immediately evoked Alex’s memories of the induction process.
Turning around towards Pahan, Alana quickly mellowed her expression and spoke.
“But, Senior Apprentice Brother, he disrespected me!” she whined to Pahan.
“Did I stutter?” Pahan simply asked with an angelic smile on his face.
As soon as Alana saw the peaceful smile on Pahan’s face, a shudder passed through her. As she shuddered slightly, a cloud of yellow, illusory smoke seemed to drift around her head, which no one seemed to notice except himself.
“What the hell is that?” Alex asked no one in particular, still looking at the yellow cloud.
As soon as he focused on the floating anomaly, he felt a tug from his bond with Nova as she woke up and started intensely looking at Alana as the answer presented itself to him.
“Fear. That’s fear. She’s afraid of Pahan.” Alex concluded.
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Immediately turning his attention from Alana, Pahan, still wearing his smile, addressed Alex.
“I ask that you excuse my Junior Apprentice Sister. She doesn’t have much experience interacting with people from outside the Myriad Visions Sect.” Pahan said.
“Now then, how may I help you, Al-“ Pahan was about to add when Alex interrupted him.
“Farwalker. It’s Legionnaire Farwalker now, partly due to you.” Alex said.
A mysterious smile covered Pahan’s face before he replied.
“Indeed, that was rather rude of me. How may I help you, Legionnaire Farwalker?” Pahan asked.
“Elder Bellum tasked me with completing extermination requests. For now, at least.” Alex replied, trying to gauge Pahan’s reaction at Elder Bellum’s name.
“For now. I see.” Pahan said, fully understanding what Alex was trying to imply.
“Elder Bellum mentioned he got the information about me from Pahan. Considering Pahan is acquainted with the Elder and is part of the outpost administration, I suppose he would know about what the Legion is and what their mission will be down the line.” Alex deduced.
“Well then, look no further. As a representative of the outpost administration, I have the authority to issue requests. You’re interested specifically in extermination requests, correct?” Pahan asked.
Alex simply nodded once in reply.
“Seeing as you were able to endure my Junior Apprentice Sister’s [Eye of Madness] effortlessly, I suppose we can assign some of the more troublesome requests to you. Is that fine with you?” Pahan asked.
“As long as the reward is proportional, I don’t see a problem with that,” Alex replied, happy to speak with someone not trying to put him into his place.
“We can do that. Hmm, let’s say fifty awakened beasts, with the reward of five thousand contribution points.” Pahan made his offer.
“Senior Brother, you can’t! A hundred points for an awakened beast is too big of a reward!” Alana expressed her displeasure.
“That’s true, but keep in mind Alana; usually, requests of this size are assigned to a team composed of a minimum of three cultivators, and even then, it’s never such a high number. His reward is dependent on him killing at least fifty beasts. If he gets injured and comes back with a lesser number of slain beasts, the reward will have to be recalculated.” Pahan said as he turned to Alex.
“I hope you are fine with these conditions,” he added.
“Perfectly,” Alex replied.
“Great, then, is there anything else I can assist you with?” Pahan asked.
At this point, Alex would say no, turn around, and make haste to get out of the outpost to feed Nova. Unfortunately, after Alana picked a fight with him, it seemed as if Nova got even weaker since she was forced to wake up. Unwilling to subject Nova to hunger for any longer, especially since this time it wasn’t even his fault, he decided to push his luck.
“Actually, there is. I believe your Junior Apprentice Sister’s rude conduct necessitates some remuneration.” Alex said, coldness suffusing his voice.
“What!? You dare!?” Alana yelled, flabbergasted.
Immediately, Pahan raised his hand, nipping Alana’s outburst in the bud. Usually, Pahan would try and read the expression on Alex’s face, trying to discern his real intentions. Fortunately, the mask he was wearing didn’t give anything away, and so, that left Pahan in the dark. Deciding it wouldn’t be too bad to be in the Legion’s good graces, he replied.
“But of course. What manner of recompensation are you looking for?” Pahan asked, maintaining his angelic and aloof smile.
“Nothing much, she has to allow Nova to bite her,” Alex replied with baleful glee in his voice.
The moment Alana heard the word bite, the yellow cloud of fear around her head became twice as big as it was before. Pahan on the other hand simply twisted his head to the side in mock question, as if asking who, or what, Nova was.
“Come out, it’s time to feed.” Alex sent a mental message through their bond.
Immediately, a small serpent, seemingly made of dark smokey scales with a bone white horn slid out from the collar of Alex’s robes.
“This is Nova, my Nightmare Companion,” Alex explained openly.
If the yellow cloud doubled from hearing the word bite, then actually seeing Nova made the cloud of fear cover Alana’s whole body. With one swift motion, she hid behind Pahan, tugging on his arm.
With Nova in full sight, Pahan’s perfect smile wavered for the first time as he spoke.
“I understand your ire, but wouldn’t you say corporeal punishment is going slightly overboard with this?” Pahan asked, slight worry for his Junior Sister visible on his face.
“Don’t worry, I assure you she won’t feel any pain or discomfort. On the contrary, she might enjoy it. No lasting aftereffects either.” Alex explained.
Pahan took another look at Alana, and then back at Alex before speaking.
“I don’t intend for this to sound like a threat, but you do understand that if you are lying, the Myriad Visions Sect won’t stay quiet. Alana and I are direct descendants of the Sect Founder, so if something were to happen to her, I’m afraid not even Elder Bellum will be able to shelter you.” Pahan said apprehensively.
“I stand by my words; nothing bad is going to happen with her,” Alex reassured him.
After another moment of pondering, Pahan nodded his head and smiled again as he spoke. This time though, the smile seemed genuine.
“Very well, I shall trust you. Perhaps, this is payback for my interference earlier,” he said.
“Senior Brother, you can’t!” Alana yelped with fear in her voice.
“Alana, the time to learn that actions have consequences is long overdue for you,” Pahan said coldly, and stepped aside, leaving Alana face to face with Alex and Nova.
Understanding that she won’t be weaselling her way out of this predicament, Alana gathered what little pride she had, turned her head aside in indignation, rolled up the sleeve of her robe, and extended her slender hand towards Nova.
“Get over with it!” she barked at Alex.
Not missing a beat, Alex spoke to Nova through their link.
“Go ahead, feed.” he relayed to Nova.
With a series of swift and fluid motions, Nova made her way from Alex’s neck along his chest and arm towards his palm. Once she reached his palm, she coiled her tail on his arm for support and extended her head and neck towards Alana’s uncovered hand.
As soon as she snaked through the air and reached Alana, Nova let out a starved hiss before digging into Alana’s hand with her fangs. The instant Nova’s fangs pierced through Alana, a dazed look covered Alana’s face, as if she were in a drug-induced haze. A couple of moments later, something peculiar happened. Unbeknownst to anyone watching, except for Alex of course, the yellow cloud of fear and anxiety started shrinking fast. With each passing moment that Nova’s fangs were attached to their prey, the cloud was being absorbed. In a matter of seconds, nothing remained of the nebulous mass of fear and anxiety plaguing Alana, and the space around her was clear once again. With a satisfying roar, Nova let go of Alana’s hand and made her way back inside the collar of Alex’s robe, coiling around his neck, content to have finally fed for the first time after being born.
Seeing the dazed look on Alana’s face, Pahan turned to Alex with a worried look.
“Don’t worry, she’s just a little dazed. In fact, it seems she’s starting to recover as we speak.” Alex explained, instinctively feeling the extent to which Nova drained her.
Seeing the clarity returning to Alana’s face, Pahan seemed to have calmed down as he spoke.
“Very well, then I suppose we are even now?” Pahan asked.
“Completely. Now, if you don’t mind, I have an assignment to complete.” Alex said.
Immediately as the words left him, Alex nodded a swift goodbye and left Pahan with the still recovering Alana. As Alex’s back exited the administration tent, Alana spoke in an eerily calm manner to Pahan.
“Senior Brother, who was he? What is the Nightmare Legion?” she asked with unnatural serenity in her voice.
“He is one of the inhabitants of this world, a new arrival. He reached the outpost three days ago,” he answered.
“Three days? But how? How can someone who cultivated for only three days resist my Eye?” Alana asked again.
“That’s the reason the Alliance sent us all to recruit them. Newly uplifted worlds are a different breed from us. Let me ask you this; if someone was blind for all his life, and then one day regained his sight, what would happen?” he replied with a question of his own.
“I…don’t know? He would be able to see just as we are?” she guessed.
“Correct, but only partially. The eyes are the same, they don’t magically see better, but the sensitivity to light is magnitudes higher. You, me, and everyone else from the main factions; we were born and raised on worlds already suffused by the Divine Breath to their very core. We’ve been exposed to the Breath since the moment of our inception. We could always see, and so our ‘eyes’ are desensitized to the Breath. Newly uplifted worlds are like the blind gaining sight, their starting point is the same, but their sensitivity is off the scale, which offers unparalleled advantages on the path of cultivation.” Pahan explained.
Seeing his Junior Sister’s thoughtful expression, he waited for a moment before adding.
“As for the Nightmare Legion; pray you do not cross their path, and if you do, don’t play around as you did now but go for the throat; that, or run as fast as you can,” Pahan said with finality as he turned around and retreated to the inner parts of the administration tent, leaving Alana deep in thought as she looked at the place where Alex took his leave.
“Legionnaire Farwalker, huh?” she thought, as a spark of interest took root inside her heart.