It's been a while since I have been on the surface to see the mayhem that the thorns of judgment did on the city. Last time I was too messed up to even properly take in the scenery.
I would describe it as desolate if it wasn't because of the welcoming lost being adamant in escorting you wherever you go.
The handful of cars that managed to survive the initial collapse were completely dismantled or gutted by revenants trying to do what they can with the remnants of the old world.
Thorns stood taller than the streets and buildings they ravaged, making canyons and cliffs a common sight in this city, not to mention the headache it gives to anyone who dares to traverse this place with that many gaping fissures in the terrain.
Vandalized stores and remains of shacks and many other old structures told stories of the few humans who managed to survive a bit longer after the great collapse. I'm sure I saw a damn skeleton for Christ's sake.
Melancholy strikes my artificial heart as I take in the view from the edge of one of the many bottomless chasms in this place. This really makes you feel like you are the last stand of humanity against the cruel world we exist in. That all hope left lies in you, the one who lived long enough to see this tragedy with your own eyes… to see it to your bitter end no matter the challenges that lie ahead which will test your strength and every last fiber of your grit.
But all this contemplation that motivated me to get my life together and become a better person was disrupted by a monkey that was right under the cliff trying to stab my toes!
"Right below you!" Yami warned me as the short sword belonging to a monkey came inches away from cutting off my foot.
"You piece of-" However, it wasn't something that wack with the butt of my spear couldn't solve.
"bjŢϿɦ!" I watched the little bastard's descent into the abyss growling at me in a way that I could barely understand as obscenities.
"F*ck you too!" I growled and threw them the middle finger until my eyes couldn't keep track of furry fu*k.
"Man, I really cannot tell if the underground is worse than the surface." The savior of toes looked at the platform below the cliff with the lost hanging off of it.
"We certainly can use this." Even in this kind of horrifying sight, Io easily cleared all the gloom and doom of this place as she proudly informed me of her findings. She had borrowed a curved blade.
Lotting from the dead, so proud of her.
"How hard is it to recycle the metal from infected weapons?" I asked Louis as he pierced the heart of a lost whose legs were cut by Yakumo.
"Very." A simple response.
"Rin says that we could get another blade's worth in a year. So, yeah, very." Yakumo explained.
"Oh…" That… sucks. Probably why you don't find queen metal laying around every corner of the city like in-game. It's pretty damn valuable and too hard to reuse.
"Keep it just in case," I told Io.
"9 o'clock, a fatass and three little guys behind the bus," Yami informed us when we entered the tarnished parking lot.
Right, he calls them small ones because they are always around the stone crushers but they are pretty much our size. The normal Lost on the surface put the ones in the underground to shame, these bastards proved themselves to be worthy foes. Kind of obvious since the ones down there are thralls or used to be slaves but you get my meaning. They have a sturdier build along with some cool metallic spikes jutting out of their body, unlike the other ones that look dirty in a way. And at least I don't have to look at their deformed bodies because they don't wear rags for clothes.
Anyhow, you can tell that they were soldiers once with the mutated tactical body armor and metal masks fused to their bodies.
"Another parking lot..." Oliver didn't have any fond memories of this kind of place. I understand why he is noncommittal about this.
"Oh, they're movi-'' Our detector didn't get to finish his warning due to the stone crusher hitting their hiding spot like a golf ball.
"Get ready!" The bus rolling towards us like a bowling ball was cut in half by Yakumo while Louis and Yami deflected the attacks from the two lost coming right after on our flanks.
Louis already is a proficient fighter and has earned a name for himself in this city, but Yami was keeping up despite him starting as a slave of all things. His blood code gives him a sharp perception to sense his surroundings and helps him close the gap of experience with additional foresight.
As for Oliver, the only thing that changed wasn't just his weapon, but his overall fighting style improved thanks to Yakumo's advice and their fighting together.
The big lost attempted to squash the group with a downward strike with its colossal hammer but Oliver managed to get close and personal with fast footwork to parry the attack by striking the dawning hammer right below the head with the grafted heel of his to hook them together and deviated its striking path with a swift twist.
The wrecking ball on a stick pulverized a part of the floor and it stayed buried in the concrete as Oliver stomped it. "Gotcha!"
His posture at the moment could be seen as reckless if it wasn't because I arrived at his side while gripping my lance with all of my strength, the white metal now livid red as the air around it became hazy.
*TSssss*
My lance impaled the fat blob right through the chest. Not even able to scream as my weapon probably burned its lungs. It would take a lot more power to really pierce their meat, but applying the 1,000-degree knife trick on my weapon helped a lot.
"H&$EU-" The remaining lost who thought that it was slick by hiding behind the fat bastard was cut down by Io the moment it attempted to ambush me from the side.
"All clear," Our radar on two legs informed us once our enemies turned to ashes.
"Did you see that?!" Oliver
"Hell yeah I did!" Yakumo.
The swole bros shared a crisp manly handshake that would make Armstrong and Curtis shed a manly tear.
One day I'll get there.
"You really got a hang of it. But remember to keep the intensity on your palm to avoid using too much ichor," Louis commented about my bright red lance as I made my Apoz wrap around it to take away the heat. It might seem wasteful since I could just keep the heat in it and save ichor, but I'm practicing on my fire summoning speed.
"As I say, just built different. The worry of ichor consumption is for noobs tho…" Going from a flamethrower that will take me off my feet every time I use it to now being able to infuse my weapon with such fire, I say I improved a lot.
That, and also finding out about Apoz having high resistance to fire, I could pretty much use my fire as much as I wanted as long as I can use my slime to put it out when it goes out of control. So my trial and error did not branch out into a fire that consumed the city.
"You do have a lot of Ichor but the amount you have used up compared to the little you have replenished makes me wonder if it's just that. You see, just as there is always a loss of energy per trophic level, revenants' ichor-" Once again, the young researcher was about to go on a tangent about the wonders of my parasite.
"Woah woah woah, slow down my man." I shook my hands to put a stop to it.
"...Right, I will look it up later." He caught himself and decided to postpone it for later.
Resuming our way higher on the parking lot that would eventually lead us to the city streets, Yakumo made a comment that just…
I don't blame him, mostly, since he and Louis were able to only get results by blood, sweat, and tears from pushing themselves to the limit every day, bending over backward, and who know many impossible angles. Running through lost, miasma, and less than friendly revenants until I and the others just appeared out of nowhere to make their hunt through this hell on earth for the hidden source as easy as shooting a fish in a barrel.
The absurd amounts of skirmishes we had partaken with these monsters were usually very short as we pretty much dominated them every encounter. Even I could tell that if it was just the original group without Yami, Oliver, and Io we would have taken double or even triple the time to explore what we've done in a day.
The lost in this place have diverse weaponry and know better than to swing blindly. Not a real problem for many but if they are in groups you better be careful. And guess what, they are commonly found forming small squads.
While we traversed the main street crowded with small thorns of judgment concealing numerous of these vermins, everyone got a solid idea of our roles in the team.
Most ambushes were trivialized due to my and Yami's senses. Io is a support who can heal anyone who gets gravely hurt during battle and Oliver works as an extra lifeline in case Yakumo finds himself in a tight spot.
But even after understanding all this, I can't bring myself to forgive the man for the red flag he set up…
"Huh." Yakumo contemplated as he looked at us.
Yami pointed out some lying lost behind a bunch of crates, I stabbed one of them through the heart with my spear while Io did the same to one hiding beneath a car.
"You know, with this kind of team and blood codes, expeditions will become too easy." His relief and assurance were welcomed, but the way he worded his comment was what prompted Yami and me to look at the dumbass who might've doomed us all.
""Do you know what 'jinx' means?""
"What does it mean?" Io.
I held a finger, "Not now dear-"
"-For the love of…" Yami facepalmed, "Movement on the floor above… lots of it…" I swear that I saw a wrinkle appear on his forehead.
But we don't age... Must've been my imagination.
"It surely is something that we can deal with together." Yakumo seemed welcoming of the trouble. The confidence radiating from the man was a bit contagious.
And I mean, he wasn't wrong. But still…
Thankfully, all that movement turned out to just be a batch of dogs curiously liking and sniffing the floor, all huddled in the center of the lot.
They were so curious that they didn't even notice me prancing in their direction with an unnecessary amount of swagger.
Now, make no mistake, these beasts are just as dangerous as many of the ones we encountered. They have thick fur that is particularly dense and bristly, covering them in a distinct light violet color with a few black notches that happen to be black spikes, which seem to be hardened hair, springing from their bodies, especially around the legs and chest. They might not possess a lot of muscles but all the musculature they need is in their jaws. Let's not forget the fact that they also have a paralytic venom on their claws, these beasts become many times more dangerous in numbers than regular Lost.
One reason such agile and annoying monsters are easier opponents to our group is due to their weakness to fire. An element we didn't lack.
So anyways, I started blasting- *Fwoom!*- with my best Kamehameha impression, and my fiery onda vital caught onto most dogs of the outer ring in the group loitering in the parking lot. I didn't use my strongest blast as I knew what this was leading to. I didn't want to burn the evidence.
The few dogs that didn't get scared enough to jump off the building like the rest of the animals were dealt with one clean slash from Louis' crimson sword.
And-OH MY GAWD!
My stay of a few days in this batshit crazy world did not prepare my feeble mind to see the fire leave his blade and cut them as a flying slash attack.
Absolutely beautiful, 10/10. Can't wait to get there.
"DID you REALLY have to stalk your way to the group like that?" Yakumo interrogated as the group left their little hiding spot.
"When you get to do dope sh!t like me, yes. Very much." I waved off his amused stare.
"Hey, blasting stuff might be 'cool' but it gets old, however," he swung his giant blade one-handed and the heap of metal created a rush of wind, "swinging this is a delight every time."
"I will take you on that offer when I get the other blood code I want." I looked at Yami.
"Huh? Sure, man. I welcome any opportunity to lower the burden on myself as the walking radar in the group," he shrugged as he replenished ichor.
Good.
I'm already good at close quarters with just this sight of mine, now imagine how much I would improve if I had a blood code like Yami's. Pretty much one of the people I regard highly when it comes to close combat because of this.
Never say no to cool powers.
The man in question twisted his foot in place while crossing his arms behind him like a schoolgirl. "But… are you sure you want me inside you?" He genuinely fuc*ing asked…
Always say no to gay powers.
Anyways, I decided to drag someone else into the splash zone for the fun of it. "I mean, I already had Louis as my first, so…" and the mentioned person almost tripped over his own foot.
"OHHHH!!!" Yakumo exclaimed as if he was a middle-aged white woman watching the late-night Hispanic tv show where a totally unexpected twist is that the female protagonist turns out to be the secret daughter of the villain's father.
"You…" Yami's voice quivered as his shoulders shook with indignation, on the verge of crying, "out of everyone, why with him? How could you do this to me after the time we've been together!" He pointed at the party leader who had just now regained his footing.
"CAN YOU NOT?!!!" Louis barked.
Meanwhile, Oliver sneaked away, not planning to join our banter.
"Oliver!" I called for the man who thought he could avoid the bombardment, but his complete inaction told me that he had probably smelt it already.
The smell of burned meat had already dispersed due to my victims finally turning to ashes, and a strong smell of alcohol masking another scent made everyone stop in their tracks.
"Do you smell that?" Oliver asked with a trembling voice and rough breathing.
Everyone involuntarily halted their steps due to their nose finally identifying the smell, touching the primal instincts of their revenant nature.
Thirst for blood, but not just any kind of blood.
"The smell is masked rather well but it is still fresh. Everyone alright? Fresh Human blood is some powerful stuff." Yakumo grunted before beginning to check on us as Louis kneeled down to inspect the blood stain on the floor.
The smell was alright. I would say that it was a weird scent, but that is just me apparently. "I'm fine," I said with Yami agreeing beside me.
I looked at Io who also had a reaction, but it was rather tame. "Don't worry about me." She answered once I checked on her. Good to hear that she isn't that affected by it.
"There are no traces which means that the wound was treated fast enough for only Lost with a keen smell could detect…" Louis investigated the surroundings.
There would be a similar scene to the breakout if they didn't. This place should be drowning in lost.
Yakumo reflected after checking in on everyone, "But another issue still stands. A human outside of the shelter will only mean one out of two things." His solemn tone conveyed that none of those scenarios were good.
"An escapee or human traffickers…" Yami finished. The grip on his sword became knuckle white.
To say that the atmosphere got tense would be an understatement. But while everyone was thinking about the situation we found ourselves in and our next course of action, I wondered about the raging cu*t we should've met by now.
Maybe because of our numerical value, he wasn't willing to approach our group. Perhaps he didn't find the balls in his purse like he would've done when this party consisted of three members only like it originally should.
Nonetheless, I had an easy way to find the answer to my question.
Keeping the same relaxed posture, I muttered low enough for only our group to hear. "Are we being watched?"
Yami concentrated for a second in our surroundings while the group kept their stances without giving away their vigilance. Pretty neat to have partners who understand the situation this fast.
"...6 'o clock, behind the pillar…" He grunted.
Seems like the rat knew how to hide. If we shoot at the column to bring him out we will collapse the rest of the levels we've yet to climb upon us. Sure, there is a chance it might hold up, but I don't want to test this old structure any more than the thorns of judgment already have.
Even then, I readied my bayonet and he did the same. Oliver and Yakumo protected us while Io stood by my side as Louis spoke, "If you are hu-"
"Don't touch the human! If you don't want to turn to ash you better turn back now!" A grouchy voice interrupted.
"God dammit." Yami cursed, "Bastard made a run for it." he rummaged his hair annoyingly.
"I know that we should be looking for the other mistle on our way to the blood spring, but…" Oliver looked at Louis and Yakumo as his words dragged off.
"A little bit of world-saving can't be done if I fail at the first rescue." It seems that this is still vaguely familiar for now. "Right, Io?"
"We can't fail at our first task." She nodded.
The righteous revenant nodded after getting a look at each of us with a hint of a smile on his face and announced, "We will have a slight change of plans. We can't let the human roam around in this place."
"Hell yeah, let's hope they haven't been found by lost first." Yakumo hefted his weapon on his shoulder with a smile as well despite the race to save the human had started.
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Word Count: 3,196
Oliver and Yami might have been thralls before, but that also means that they are rather experienced when it comes to making ends meet and surviving in general. Living at the edge every day and working under pressure.
So once they are well rested, fed, and advised by people who know their stuff, they get to shine.