{26} - Evans Smith: Connection: Louis
A realization struck Evans recently.
"You've been holding back." He said once, watching as dozens of fireballs rained down from the sky. The Lost caught in the flames were incinerated in seconds. Their hallowed screams echoed across the Ruined city, leaving nothing but stilted silence.
"I have." Louis freely admitted as he picked up the droplets of Haze left behind by the Lost. "There is no need to waste my strength. We don't have the luxury."
He hummed. That was true. Louis may be strong—the strongest Revenant in the Ruined City even—but he was limited by the same restrictions binding all Revenants. His need for Blood increased the more power he put in, and with the decreasing supply of Blood Beads, Louis needed to be sparing with his fights.
For a moment, he wondered how strong Louis could be if he had the System. If he didn't need Blood to keep him going.
He shook his head. "By the way, you said you wanted to check on the Bloodspring." Louis nodded. "How's that going?" He asked after.
At that Louis smiled. "More Blood Beads have grown." He said, hopeful. "When you said that Vestiges formed more Lost, I had a suspicion." He laughed slightly. "I'm glad my suspicions came to be true."
He smiled. "And there should be more around the Ruined City." He hummed. "I've dealt with the main body of the Vestige, but there should be more fragments scattered around."
Or there should be, at least. The Vestige he'd come across was only one of four that belonged to the Hunter Blood Code. He might've dealt with the corrupted spirit of the Revenant it came from, but the other Vestiges should still be around.
Considering what he fought, he wouldn't be surprised if a horde of Lost was waiting for them if they came for it. It probably wouldn't be as strong as the one he fought, but still.
Louis nodded. "Do you know where they are?"
He shrugged. "No idea." And then he froze. "But I think I heard that there was one in the area with the giant hole."
"Ah, the Parking Garage." Louis hummed. "That's not too far away."
"Oi, oi." He grinned. "Sounds like you're going to attempt it on your own." He gave the man a mock glare. "You think I'm letting you go on your own?"
Louis blinked, and then laughed. "Sorry, it's just-, I'm just used to it, I suppose." He smiled. "But if you are willing, then please aid me."
He shrugged. "Hey, it's more Lost to kill, so I'm always in."
Louis huffed. "You and Yakumo will surely go along."
He winked. "Oh we do."
They shared more about their lives as they walked. Naturally, neither of them were fully truthful. Louis was hiding his connections to the Queen as he talked about his past, and he didn't tell Louis about his status as the Scorned One. He would, eventually, just not yet.
Of course, their journey to the Parking Garage wasn't so simple. They came across hordes of Lost to dispatch, and survivors to aid. Louis, being who he was, was more than happy to help any that was in need. It was a display of his genuine kindness, driven by his guilt.
Evans forced those thoughts away. Louis hadn't shared those parts of his life yet.
They came to the Parking Garage soon enough. And as he remembered, it was completely destroyed, boring down into the earth as a giant sinkhole. There was a rickety ladder leading down, and a number of black crystals growing out of the earth that could be used as platforms. But other than that, it was a jump that would lead to anyone's death.
Thankfully, neither he nor Louis was normal.
They leapt down. The darkness was kept away by the flames surrounding them. They descended further and further, using the spikes to occasionally slow their descent. And as they fell, they kept an eye for the distinct bright glow of a Vestige.
Then, as he was about to jump off another spike, he caught a brief shine at one of the ledges hanging from the rocky walls.
"Louis!" He quickly called to the below. The moment he did, a hook smashed into the rocks not too far from him, and he heard the twang of a pulled rope as Louis pulled himself up.
"Where is it?"
"There." He pointed at the ledge. And at the glimmering crystal hanging on it. "Nearly missed it."
Louis hummed. "Good catch." He broke the hook away from the wall. It vanished into sparks of white soon after. "Are you ready?"
He grinned. "Let's do it."
They hopped onto the ledge, careful not to send the entire thing tumbling down to the void below. They walked to it, and immediately voices began sounding in their minds. It came from the same Revenant he'd freed before. Except he sounded lighter. Almost younger.
Louis had a different reaction. His brows furrowed, and a troubled look came to his face as he listened further. "This…sounds familiar." He eventually said as he stared at the Vestige.
He nodded, already knowing why. He couldn't quite remember what that Revenant's name was at the moment, but Louis had saved him. Gave him Blood Beads to keep him going. It was the same Blood Beads that were stolen.
"Well, let's see why it is, yeah?" He said. Louis nodded. And together they approached the Vestige.
But before they could even pick it up, the Vestige cracked, and the world around them began to twist. Louis turned to him, but he shook his head. "I experienced this as well." He explained. "Don't worry. We should be fine." He clenched his fists. Called for his flames to surround them. "Just ready yourself."
Louis nodded as his sword appeared in his hands.
And then they were brought elsewhere. The rocky walls vanished, replaced by an arena made of sinew and bones, decorated by spikes of black and purple that rose towards the empty sky. At the center floated a crystal, dark and malevolent, permeating with a haze of dusk.
"I didn't want to be a Revenant." Evans heard a voice say. "But what else could I do? Everyone was dying. My parents were gone. My sister-, she was-" The voice broke into a sob. "I should've just died back then. I have no right."
The crystal shattered, and out came hundreds of Lost. They were nothing compared to the hulking beast Evans had fought, but they were definitely stronger than any Lost in the Ruined City. And considering there were hundreds of them-
He glanced at Louis. "Kevin…?" His eyes were wide, and there was a quiver in his voice as he whispered.
Evans gave Louis a pat on the shoulder. "You good?" He asked. He jabbed his thumb towards the approaching horde of Lost. "We have some Lost to kill."
Louis blinked. And huffed. "Yes, I'm fine." He whipped his sword to the side. "Let's do this, Evans."
He grinned as she smashed his fists together. "Let's burn these bastards to the ground!"
They surged forward, with flames burning in their path.
In truth, the battle wasn't terribly hard. These Lost were stronger, sure, but they were still miles below even the weakest Nomu he'd fought back in MHA. He relied on his fists to bash their skulls in, and any that came too close would be burnt away by his flames.
But it was still an incredible battle. Because he could finally see how skilled Louis was if he stopped holding back.
His sword would cleave through three Lost in a swing. Blood would coil around his left hand, forming into a claw that would tear through a dozen. His fireballs would grow three times larger than usual, and they'd burn through tens of Lost.
And yet, he still felt like Louis was holding back somewhat. This wasn't how strong Louis could be.
A smile came to his lips as his fist bashed through a Lost's skull.
He couldn't wait to see just how strong Louis would be once his dependence on Blood Beads disappeared.
They destroyed the horde of Lost in barely fifteen minutes. Louis was a tad spent after using so much of his Ichor, but he drank a Blood Bead to restore his strength.
At the end of it, that crystal appeared once more. But this time it was clear, shining with a pure blue as it slowly rose to the sky. It did so silently, rising further and further before the sky began to crack. The arena they stood began to shake, and soon the world turned white.
And then they were back, standing on that ledge. The Vestige was still there, but the glow it gave was gone. The whisperings had gone silent.
Louis picked it up. Stared at it for a good minute before he dropped it into his pocket. He seemed lost in thought.
Evans let him think. After all, the man had just seen what remained of a person he once helped. Had seen their will and corpse be twisted into a hive for the Lost. Seeing all that-
Louis was furious, probably. He didn't know exactly, but if a Student of his had died, and their corpse had been defiled and turned into that, he would've been furious too.
Eventually, Louis sighed. "Evans."
"Yeah?"
"I want to save everyone." Louis began. "To kill all Lost so that no one needs to fight or fear. To revitalize all Bloodsprings so no Revenant needs to go hungry." Louis smiled tiredly. "It's a lofty goal, isn't it?"
"It is." He admitted. And then grinned. "But all goals are lofty at the start. Mine are too." He held out his fist towards Louis. "But you have people willing to help you. I am too. If you want to save the world, just remember we're here to back you up too, yeah?"
Louis stared, and laughed. "You really are…" Louis shook his head and smiled. Louis raised his fist. "Then I'll trouble you for a while more."
They bumped their fists together.
[The Scorned One has formed a Connection with the Revenant Louis. A special event has occurred!]
[You have shared a [Truth] of this world to Louis. He has not broken. But you have offered to help him in his quest. Find his vestiges and help him regain what he lost!]
[Completion Reward: Unlock Louis as a Potential Student]
He smiled. "You up for some wine when we come back?"
Louis huffed. "I won't mind a glass or two."
He grinned back.