"It's fine, I can always gain more life essence, just next time don't waste it to draw art okay? Even if it's for me." Nazurak spoke into the darkness.
His Augmenter echoed in his head.
'Very well, I will note that for similar future events'
Taking hold of the Relentless Bayonet that hung at his waist, he nonchalantly tossed it to the ground, watching as it sank effortlessly before gliding ahead, ready to pierce any parasites that threatened its master.
"You haven't got a name do you?" He asked his partner.
Icy mist left his body as the Augmenter took form next to him then shook her head.
'We do not require one'
Nazurak walked on, closing his eyes to ponder. Thanks to his heightened senses from the contract, navigating with closed eyes posed no challenge. Initially surprised, he quickly grew accustomed to it, as it felt like second nature. Of course that didn't mean he could see in the dark, he still needed night vision assistance from the monocular.
"Gluttony, your demand for essence is insane, so I'll call you Gluttony." Nazurak said opening his eyes.
Gluttony fixed her gaze on him before swiftly redirecting her attention forward. As she did, Nazurak turned his head in the same direction. Somewhere far ahead a faint sound that deviated from the cave's natural white noise could be heard.
The sound was continuous and followed a pattern. It didn't resemble that of a parasite; rather, it seemed more mechanical.
Nazurak commanded the bayonet to remain close as they cautiously advanced toward the source of the mysterious sound. After several minutes of nerve-wracking anticipation, he drew near enough to confirm that the commotion was not caused by a parasite. And when he turned the corner, he was left stunned, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped in amazement at the sight before him.
Standing in awe he gazed upon a magnificent city that appeared to be shielded by a vibrant blue aura, it covered the city in a dome and illuminated the walls of the cave. The infrastructure within the city was exotic and shined with colorful lights, buildings were constructed both on the ground and in the air, surpassing anything humans would be able to do. The city was of such a massive scale that it seemed to have its own ecosystem thriving within.
Able to see perfectly fine now, he placed away his monocular and walked to the edge of the cliff.
The city lay considerably lower than where Nazurak was standing, providing him with a magnificent panoramic view. It was a breathtaking sight to behold, he couldn't wrap his head around how something like this was hidden below their feet all this time.
He was overwhelmed and knew it would take months to form a comprehensive layout of the place in his mind. Given the groundbreaking nature of this discovery, he was certain that the overseer would deem his time spent here worthwhile. However, the possible presence of dangerous inhabitants would be the determining factor on if he stays.
Ultimately, he had no choice but to traverse the city, this was the only path in the cave and there was no telling when the thorns would move from their resting place. Nazurak was also getting hungry, while he hoped to not run into any parasites down below, meat sounded delicious right about now.
As he took in the sight before him, he completely forgot what had drawn him here. To his left, a grand gate decorated with unique engravings stood, leading to a large dirt path that sloped down toward the city's ground level. Taking another glance towards the city, he noted the presence of three more gates on each side of the city.
These were all entrance points that bypassed the shield.
Boom...boom...boom...
The sound of the gate attempting to close was the source of the mysterious noise, and on closer inspection, there was a black chunk of what looked to be metal preventing it from fully closing.
Nazurak walked up to the colossal gate and stared at it thinking for a bit before an icy mist left his body, manifesting next to him.
'This is...Aberrant metal, used for their military bases...It is nearly indestructible' Gluttony spoke to him as the door slammed once again into the metal ore. Not denting it in the slightest.
'Indestructible ore huh?' He curiously thought to himself.
Hearing the word Aberrant made him wary.
'Gluttony, are there any of them in this city?' he added.
Looking towards the megacity in the distance, she scanned the area.
'No Augmenters found, it's safe to assume there's no Aberrants' Gluttony confidently said.
A sigh of relief left Nazurak's body.
The colossal gate once again made another attempt to close, making a gust of wind sweep through his hair.
He stared at the gate and waited for the right moment then quickly dashed through, passing the city's shield and walking down the slopped path to the city.
The path wound around the cave's walls, there wasn't anything special to it, just dirt and some greenery. However, he was treated to a magnificent view of the exotic buildings that lay in the distance to his right.
Knowing that reaching the bottom of the path would take some time, and even more time to arrive at the city, he pulled out his monocular in hopes to kill time or bring him some form of entertainment.
Through the viewfinder, he noticed that nothing had changed. The icons for Dylan and Sora remained obscured by static, while the satellite icon on the top-right of the screen showed a slash through it.
He signed and put away the monocular then asked Gluttony.
'So what can I do with you? Your ability to control ice I mean.'
Gluttony, still manifested next to him turned at stared at him calmly.
'At my current power, I can do very little. Creating simple weapons like spears or swords poses no problem...but anything more creative I won't be able to do.'
Brief silence took over but Nazurak didn't interrupt, he felt that she wasn't finished.
'...I can freeze an area of choice, whether that be water or the feet of an enemy. It can be helpful depending on how you use it. I am of the weaker ranked Augmenters, do not expect much from me until I grow stronger'. She added.
Even though it wasn't much, any form of power would greatly help Nazurak in his survival. So there wasn't anything to complain about.
Their conversation continued, and he obtained some valuable insights. For instance, he discovered that Gluttony was a formidable fighter, proficient in both physical combats and wielding her ice abilities. Nazurak also learned that, while Gluttony fought, he could still harness his own ice abilities, but it would come at the cost of double the life essence. On the other hand, having Gluttony engage in physical combat would consume significantly less essence, taking a physical form did not require essence, However, enhancing her own body parts will.
Nazurak was lost in thought, thinking over the various ways he could use this power when a sudden bright flash erupted somewhere in the city. The blinding light was immediately followed by a deafening boom, which reverberated through the ground and walls of the cave, causing them to tremble ever so slightly.
In a swift motion, he crouched down to stabilize himself and turned his gaze toward the distant plumes of smoke rising toward the buildings.
He stared in silence waiting for something else to happen, but only silence followed.
'Gluttony, scan for Aberrants again.'
He knew nothing would change but wanted to be sure.
'There are no Augmenters detected in the city...' She replied.
Nazurak's heart quickened as he realized the gravity of his situation. He found himself alone in a mysterious underground city, devoid of any life essence, which left him feeling vulnerable. However, he gained some peace of mind knowing the bayonet and Gluttony was by his side.
After sitting around he decided to continue his descent eventually reaching the bottom. In front of him lay a large flat open paved path that led into the city. He imagined that if humans lived here then this pathway would be some sort of highway filled with hundreds of people going in and out of the city, with merchants having their stalls trying to get sales or scam tourists. Outside the wide walkway were flat grass, bushes, and trees that for some reason looked well-managed despite the area looking abandoned.
'How odd'
He told Gluttony to stay in her materialized form and the Relentless Bayonet was still in the ground flowing slightly ahead of him, ready to act.
From the spot he was standing to the entrance of the city, the path stretched for a long distance. During his walk he was happy to spot wildlife, rabbits to be specific, they were the same kind he saw above ground.
The Relentless Bayonet could have easily killed the harmless animal, but Nazurak wasted to test Gluttony's physical ability.
Understanding his command Gluttony stared at the rabbit then dematerialized, rushing towards it in her icy mist form.
Next, a hand materialized from thin air grabbing the unaware rabbit then quickly ending its life with a quick snap.
She returned to Nazurak and handed him the catch. He stared at her in approval.
"Quick and efficient, very nice."
'Of course...' her voice echoed in his head.
Fortunately, nothing happened the rest of the way. Other than sightseeing and some delicious rabbit meat. Soon he arrived at the city's gate and entered the city. The atmosphere seemed dead, with no noise, and so far no signs of life. Which made him question what could have made that large explosion.
He walked for a couple of minutes then stopped to stare at the closest skyscraper then asked Gluttony.
'Are you able to scale the building and take a quick look at the surroundings?'
Gluttony stared up at where he was looking and dematerialise into an icy mist, feeling no need to answer him as she glided up the building.
After a brief absence, she rematerialized with intriguing news: to the East of the city, she had spotted the movement of something colossal, its surface glinting in the light and suggesting it was made of some type of metal. Unfortunately, it disappeared behind other buildings before she could gather more information. Meanwhile, to the West of the city, there appeared to be a massive pyramid or some sort of religious structure, with four sets of lengthy stairs on either side leading up to a plateau. Upon this plateau stood four vacant, stone-like chairs that encircled an enigmatic cube.
Adding to the mysterious nature of the structure, there appeared to be an extra layer of shielding enveloping the pyramid. Whatever it was, the structure seemed important.
Blocking her view of the North part of the city was a complex group of towering black buildings that sat in the center of the gigantic city. Gluttony stated that it was the same material as the metal preventing the entrance gate from closing.
'Same material huh? Then that must be the city's military buildings.' He thought.
Nazurak leaned on the wall he was next to and thought. While Gluttony stood and stared at him, awaiting for his decision. There was more that the city had to offer, but these points of interest were a starting point.
"A giant made of metal, a religious pyramid with a shield protecting it, and a military base made of nearly indestructible material...They all sound terrible." He sighed with his hand on his forehead.
Checking his monocular to asset the time, he realized that it was almost midnight. Time was hard to perceive with no sun, and because of that, he didn't feel the usual rush to find shelter from the parasites that came out at night. Though perhaps things were different here.
"Military base it is, plus it's located in the middle of the city, so our next destination will be easier to get to."
With that, Nazurak began his journey in the hidden city of the forest.