Irene Vistas instantly exploded with a grand display of Tangible Will.
Her amour evaporated and became a glaring sphere of gold. The foot-long wings on her back spread out in tandem. She then stepped forward, dragging the golden sphere with her.
Sssssssssss!
The liquid darkness came into contact with Irene's Tangible Will, causing those sizzling sounds that buzzed in her ears. The corrosion was trying to wear down her strength, but Irene was swiftly increasing the density of her miniature sun.
Soon, the hum of power overpowered the sizzling sounds as Irene roared a warcry.
"Burst!"
If her light could not shine through the darkness, then she would blast it into the recesses of the world. The outer layer of her sphere shattered as berserk Tangible Will rushed out like a golden Nightwalker kamikaze.
BOOM!
The liquid darkness was forced back through the sheer force of Will. The underground area shook as Irene blasted a huge spherical area into the earth. A spacious room was gifted to the monster-infested hallway and a corporeal golden sphere was all that kept it from collapsing in on itself.
Irene watched as streams of grey fog flowed into the angel beside her.
"Wonderfully, done," A compliment was birthed from Athelei's lips. "But there's still more."
A sneer appeared on Irene's face when she heard the angel's words, "Let them come." Several rings had appeared on her fingers. One of those rings was the Crude Ring she had collected a while ago.
Irene could feel waves of Mystic Energy swirling around her and her body was ravenously absorbing it all. Her golden sphere was growing in opacity once more. The monsters were still trying to drill into her defences, but they couldn't out-corrode her generation of Tangible Will.
"The monsters seem to have cores... They might be useful." Athelei whispered to her once again as she charged up another attack.
Irene nodded as her golden sphere shrunk yet grew denser with every passing moment.
"Hoooo," A deep breath left her lungs as she poured her focus into the control of her desires. Her golden Tangible Will was now so thick that any onlooker could only see a vague shadow within its core.
Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she felt the limits of her control.
"HA!" Irene pushed out with a palm.
Her aura instantly thinned, becoming glassy and transparent. A lance was rapidly condensing in front of her, flickering with power.
In the next moment, the lance was shot out, instantly breaking the sound barrier and far surpassing the speed of sound as it pierced forward.
The next sound that Irene heard was her attack piercing through a stone wall and stopping at quite a distance. The liquid darkness had a gaping hole from where the lance had pierced through while a thick layer of gold had infected the surface of the darkness, growing in brightness as Irene caught her breath.
BOOM!
Wherever the golden lance had passed through, the combustion of energy occurred. Gold lights shone throughout the hallway, annihilating the darkness.
The tinkling sound of crystals falling onto the stone floor followed the heart-pounding shockwaves.
"You were able to save half of their cores," Athelei reported the effects of her attacks.
"I still have a long way to go it seems," Irene sighed as she wrapped the hall's walls with her Tangible Will. The weight of the earth above was excruciating to carry, so she hurriedly ran forward.
The hall collapsed and caved in behind her as she went, affecting quite a bit of the shallower areas of the subterranean kingdoms. The cores of the liquid darkness monsters were akin to crystalline coins. Circular and rather flat. They were rather thick though, so they were more akin to a stack of two or three coins glued together.
Athelei on the other hand was enjoying the river of residual consciousness that flowed into him. The second pair of wings on his back was growing with every gulp he swallowed. But the progress was much slower than his experience with his first pair of wings.
'I need more,' Athelei thought to himself as he hungered for the minds of actual consciousness-based beings and not these measly residues.
After making a mad dash through the long Shrouded Hall, the duo found themselves at an intersection.
There was a way up, down, left, and right. There was also a small path forward, but that was likely caused by Irene's brash attack. Surprisingly though, there was a room at the end of the small, crude pathway.
Athelei was curious, so he had a peep. Meanwhile, Irene spread her senses as the angel satisfied its curiosities.
"There are fresh signs of battle around these corridors," Irene reported.
Athelei's voice sounded from a wisp of grey fog on her shoulder, "This room too. It seems like a squad of knights met danger in the area."
"And the unluckiest ones then walked into the liquid darkness?" Irene glanced at the collapsed hall behind her.
"Perhaps," Athelei returned to Irene's shoulder, "It seems like the underground is going to get even busier."
"I need to keep moving then." Irene eyed the corridors that looked untouched and decisively advanced.
Athelei followed after as he asked, "Do you have any plans for the orange Nebula Gem?"
"The one on the necklace?" Irene asked and she received a nod, "None, really. Do you want it?"
"If it's alright, I would like to have it."
Instead of replying, Irene reached into her bag and took the Silver Necklace out. She tossed it to Athelei and watched as the item disappeared into thin air.
"How did you do that?" Irene was surprised that the angel had an ability like that. "Is it some kind of pocket dimension?"
Athelei simply shook his head, "It's the Tier I Skill, Shop plus a few tricks. I absorbed a special item that allows me to use it despite not being bound to an orange Nebula Gem."
"Like those Record Mystic Artifacts?" She nodded to herself, "That's the first I've heard of something like that. Pretty nifty... Do you think you can buy me some sweets? Regular supplies would also do lovely. I won't be going above ground any time soon so I can stay ahead of everyone else."
A laugh was the angel's reply, "Of course. Give me a few coins and I'll see what I can do..."
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{[ May 21, 102 A.A. ]}
{[ Grand Subterranean Entrance, Ruins of Avina, Holy Nation of Illyas ]}
The reinforcements that had originally been for the Great City of Avina had taken control over the wide bay upon the city's complete destruction. They had camped near the middle of the bay where entrances to the subterranean kingdoms lay basking aplenty in the sunlight. Many caves, corridors, and rooms were exposed for all to see.
Now, after a month of development, a small fort had been constructed and an Adventurer town had popped up nearby. Earth, mud, and timber were the main materials used for both settlements, given the foul circumstances of the Grey Plains.
Undead Remnants still roamed the lands wherever and whenever the sun did not shine. The strongest of them had sunken with Atlantis, but many still plagued all that sought to travel through the barren flatlands.
The free Adventurers and duty-bound knights that either lived here or were on their way, all had a tacit agreement when it came to the undead. They all contributed to the battles and defence, preventing the Undead Remnants from growing too powerful through any kind of death in the area.
If the undead wished to rapidly gain strength, they would have to find a place full of life. Here, where things had already been dead for a long time, those lives were dry.
Today, just like any day, a troop of armed humans had galloped through the plains and arrived at the Grand Subterranean Entrance. A few knights with their coat of arms hailing from famous noble families had come out to greet them with the standard knightly salute.
What was returned to them was a different salute. An entire company of knights all struck their iron greaves with the base of their scabbards.
The knights of the noble families all recognized the salute and thus, they shouted, "The Fort of Pyxis welcomes the Harmonic Knights!"
A small parade then ensued as the Harmonic Knights steered their horses through the Adventurer town and settled within the fort's walls. The valiant fighters who had hurried here were now primed for exploration.
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At the same time, far to the south and a little to the west, a similar event was occurring, but with fewer trumpets and more secrecy.
Silent tents of dark green littered the dense forests. Robed humans could be seen navigating the thick foliage as they passed on message after message. In the centre of each different group of tents, a tunnel that led deep underground could be spotted, hidden under a blanket of branches and vines.
Illum had found their way through the danger-filled Wilderness and within the borders of Illyas. The cities and villages near them were still unaware of their presence, and yet they could stroll through their streets in broad daylight.
"This is the path to ascension. May all those who are sacrificed be reborn and repaid with immortality!" A squad leader declared with gallantry. Those assigned to his squad all cheered as he led his comrades into the dark underground with torch and sword in hand.
Similar speeches were happening throughout the scattered encampments as the Spiritualists executed their plans. The green robes and Nightwalkers were now lurking, waiting, and preparing to strike.
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{[ Varis Village, Holy Nation of Illyas ]}
The main base occupied by the Exiled was teeming with powerful energy signatures. Many notable criminals were gathered in one place in surprising orderliness and peace. They were all attracted by riches much greater than their own lives and pride, granting them prudence.
"When Illum and Illyas fight like kitty cats in a cold war, we will be there." A man who sat at the highest point in the fortified village spoke to no one but himself.
"We are the meddlers in your little prophecy, Libra. I hope you prepared your faithful servants."
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{[ Atlantis, Dead Ocean, Planet Oxhor ]}
Athelei was waiting for night to fall. He was waiting for Irene to seek his presence once more.
"Thievery, huh." He chuckled as he thought about the treasures that lay hidden beneath the earth. "Which faction should I target?"
In his hand was the Silver Necklace he had sold to himself just a few hours earlier. He played with it as he wallowed in the ocean of his thoughts.
"Illyas? Illum? The Exiled?"
A holy white light of Tangible Will flickered around his body.
"How about... all of them?"