Rather than waiting to be attacked, Sonata and Genevieve decided to search for Necropolis. Sonata had determined that if given the opportunity, he would steal the "key" from Revarent, or at least cause chaos in the hopes that it would give the Atezia army more time to prepare.
"How do we get there?" Sonata asked his adoptive father through a hologram. Doc appeared to be preoccupied with various tasks, his disheveled appearance indicating the gravity of the situation.
"Those who sided with Baldric haven't been completely eradicated. There's still some chaos in the city, but Alto and our people should be able to handle it," Doc replied, scanning through information on his screen. Despite most of the repair work and aid to the villagers being completed, the issues of thieves, looters, and ancient powers were not easily resolved.
"What about that paladin? Has he returned yet?"
"No, I heard that someone found him near the Revarent border. He probably hasn't finished his errands yet."
"If we could get a few more talented people, that would be great," Sonata muttered with regret. He had never directly battled Devan, but he was able to watch the clip of the battle that his soldiers had taken. He could see that Devan could become an important force for him.
"If I repair a cryogenic machine, I'll let the hibernating ones out," Dogma joked and could not help but laugh at his handsome son's expression.
"No, we can't do that. If we release them, Erith will get his subordinates back. We can't predict what they'll do if they have more troops."
"But we've been delaying working on the cryogenic machine for too long," Dogma protested.
"Just a little bit longer, at least until Cerise is ready to help us snatch another key."
**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
Just like when they travel, both Sonata and Genevieve avoid any towns, villages, or communities, whether human or non-human, on their journey. In the territory of the Revarent, wherever there are creatures, there are always Undead.
"How many different kinds of creatures are in the area?" Sonata asked, observing the two Boarmen who were sleeping while on guard duty. One of them was an undead with a boar's head, resembling a large person and covered in hair all over. Sonata and Genevieve examined them. The first one had dark brown fur that matched its outfit, while the other had dark black fur. Both were armed with spear-type weapons that were larger than average.
"There were many types of beings in the area, including Boarmen, Fagels, Troons, Mermaids, and Nagas, but they were all separated into different groups with small numbers. The Boarmen has increased in number since joining Revarents." replied Genevieve.
"Then we should reduce their number a bit. We don't have to worry about extinction," Sonata suggested.
Before Genevieve could stop him, Sonata flew out of the bushes they were hiding in and knocked over the first Boarman, who was noticeably larger than a human, as if it were weightless. It died mid-air without even realizing what had happened. The second Boarman, who was still sane, tried to stab the intruder with its spear, but was easily disarmed by Sonata.
"I… I can't pull it off," cried Boarman, exerting more force, but the spear did not move at all. Another person, who was just a human, had many times more strength than the Boarman.
"This Boarman can speak a common language. Don't kill him," Genevieve ran over to them. "Let's interrogate him first."
"I know, that's what I intended," Sonata sighed in regret. He vanished before the Boarman's eyes and emerged to its back to strike behind its neck.
**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
The Boarman who had been arrested had no idea how long he had been unconscious. He regained consciousness when a human woman splashed water on his face, following the man who had knocked him out in the first place. He struggled but found that his hands were tied tightly. The terrifying man sat on a rock and stared at him with a superior gaze.
"Listen carefully. Whether you survive or become bacon depends on your answer," the man said.
"This person ate Boarman instead of breakfast," Genevieve threatened. She felt it sounded strange but had accidentally said it.
"What, did you eat Boarman too?" Boarman asked.
"Haven't you ever heard of the food chain? The strong must eat the weak," Sonata sneered and played along with Genevieve's lie. It was funny how it came out of his mouth and it made Boarman think he could actually do that.
"What is your question?" Boarman stammered.
"How to get into that city?" Sonata asked, not expecting much.
He had previously captured Necromancers for questioning and discovered that they were often kept away from Necropolis. Most of them just knew that there were several access points to the city, but they did not know how to enter.
"I'm not lying. Other than the king and the guards, no other Boarmans are allowed to enter the city."
"King…?"
"Griff, our King. He is the strongest Boarman," Boarman changed his tone as soon as he spoke of his boss. It was a tone of honor.
"Stronger than us?" Genevieve used the word "us" but she actually meant only Sonata.
"I'm sure King Griff is stronger," Boarman laughed mockingly. Sonata then managed to slap one of his ears, which his strength was strong enough to startle Genevieve.
"Tell me about the chain of command," Sonata said, taking this opportunity to compare the information he had obtained to make sure he did not miss anything.
Revarent was ruled by three chiefs. The first army was led by Dark Jester, whom they had already met. Dark Jester was a master of various dark arts and had an important subordinate: the special zombie, Mordo Gargoyle, Heartless Armor Demon. The newest addition was Briden and his army of Death Knights.
The second army was led by Skeleton King Kronox, the terrifying lord of the skeletons. All the undead creatures transformed into skeletons were under his rule. He had many followers, but the most famous was the Golden Skeleton of Nottingville. Boarmen believed that Kronox could turn day into night, making his army the most dangerous of the three.
The last army had the smallest number, but it was also the strongest. It was an army of high-ranking undead vampires led by the Vampire Lord, Markel.
"There is also a Boarman army that work directly for King Griff. Like us, you should be careful."
"At first, I was going to let it go," Sonata scratched his head, as did Genevieve, who was tired of this Boarman. He seemed unaware that his life was hanging by a thread.
Sonata shut the Boarman's mouth with a cloth and buried him in the ground until only his neck was exposed. They realized that even if they arrested more Boarmen for further questioning, it would likely lead to nothing. The only thing left to do now was to head to the location that Alexandra had indicated.
They raced against time to go straight to their goal without stopping anywhere and taking only necessary breaks. Genevieve walked until she had a wound on her foot, but she did not complain. She did not want to be a burden on Sonata.
"I'll just carry you along," Sonata said, noticing her injury.
He helped Genevieve by using a prepared bandage to gently wrap her foot. Then, he offered her to ride on his back first. He had used up almost all of the healing equipment he had with him, so he did not want to risk further injury to her.
"But I can still walk further," Genevieve insisted, even though her wound was still hurting. She reminded herself to be patient and not to worry Sonata.
"Save your strength, we might have to run away at any time," warned Sonata with a decisive tone, preventing Genevieve from further negotiations or arguments.
"She looked at him as he turned his back to her. Despite her hesitation, she slowly moved to hug his back and let him pull her onto his back as he stood up. As he carried her, he seemed to slow down, even though he could walk faster than that. Genevieve leaned against Sonata's back, and his warmth calmed her heart."
**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------**
The area of the abandoned copper mine had been turned into a research room by Doc. The room was filled with rigging that hung from the remains of a large machine, as well as equipment that he had transferred from Sector One. All of the assistant researchers had just been fired after Doc caught some of them secretly sending information back to Erith.
Once a bustling workspace, the room was now only occupied by the lead researcher and a few trusted bodyguards. The entire responsibility of the project fell on Doc's shoulders.
Vanay whispered to Alto, "How is this important to you?" but received no response. Alto was annoyed by her persistent questioning, feeling as though he had already explained everything.
"Now we're certain it's Zerrian," said the professor. "We need to determine if there are more of them and their ultimate goal."
Sonata had shared stories about the Zerrians with Vanay before, and she knew that they were a dangerous foe that he had battled many times. However, she remained skeptical that the strange machine they were currently examining could be the creator of Ziene. The thought of the world being dominated by the Zerrians frightened her.