ALL NOVEL Chapter 73. The line between heaven and hell
"Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Harpy
Expected Potential: F to F+
Weapon of choice: Claws, Feathers
Known weaknesses: Weak bone structure, no armor
Harpies are one of the few other Voidlings a survivor might meet in the early stages of an Outbreak. Unlike Seekers, Harpies can hunt alone or in packs. They are faster than any other early-stage Voidling, but their fragile bodies often make them easy prey for stronger opponents. As with any purely aerial Voidlings, it is advised to face Harpies in closed areas if possible. However, many years of observations proved that a Hapry will leave their prey if the environment isn't suitable for a battle."
~Harpy's entry in Leo's Bestiary
Like the wind, Leo sailed above a broken fence, flying straight into the small grove. For a moment, the jungle of Void returned, and he quickly jumped towards the nearest tree bark, climbing to the top branch with just a few leaps. He would have to go down soon, but at least those tall trees should offer an excellent vantage point for the time being.
He still had to wave through the thick canopy to make his way to the last tree, the one that opened on the other end of the grove. So high up, Leo easily scanned the entire area. And when his eyes drifted from the barely visible train tracks and the remnants of the old trainyard in the distance to a building on the other side of the railroad, he froze momentarily.
And now everything makes sense…
Leo had been curious about the special place where apparently, survivors found plenty of supplies to support them. A supermarket was his first idea, but it didn't really fit the description. After all, there were no large shops close to the trainyard; hell, there was barely anything here except some houses.
Yet, Leo and the trio evidently forgot about one important fact when it came to this part of the city. It housed the main office building of ReachHope Foundation, a big charity organization that, for some reason, decided to make Wolford one of their headquarters.
They did a lot of good all over the world, but that wasn't really important now. No, the crucial part was that they gathered a bunch of things to be sent to people in need all over the UK, and if he remembered correctly, some of those supplies were stored in a warehouse attached to the office.
If they didn't get rid of everything before the Outbreak, then this place must be almost like heaven on Earth... Leo frowned, scanning the long building from left to right. No, scratch that. It is a heaven on Earth... What the fuck happened here?
Unlike pretty much everything around it, ReachHope's headquarters stood tall and proud like the Outbreak never happened. Its pure white walls barely had any cracks or imperfections, and even then, Leo was pretty sure those were already there long before the world went to shit.
Hell, not even a single strand of Vetilim dared to approach the building. The Void had the place surrounded from all directions, but apart from that?
Nothing. The headquarters seemed to be living in its own little world. Completely unnatural.
And I swear I was something flashing along the walls and some movement in the windows... Leo muttered in the safety of his mind, eyes squinting, searching for any signs of life.
His eyesight might have gotten better with time, but from this distance, it still took some time before Leo managed to catch anything. Moreover, even when he spotted a streak of gold flashing like lightning along the wall, it was gone before he had time to really process what he saw.
The hell? A barrier? Or something similar? Shit... Leo fired off Identity, yet the System gave nothing in return. Either that place was really a blank spot, or he was just too far. Or both…
Scowling, Leo jumped, grabbing the nearest Vetilim vine and sliding to the ground. With a single burst of Reinforcement, he shot toward the nearest house, ignoring the Cursed Human strolling around the area. They were cannon fodder at this point, and he really didn't want to waste time dealing with them. Not that they even had time to spot him before he was gone again.
Dashing through the long grass, Leo kept his speed up until the railroad stood in his way. He could have gone straight toward the glowing building, but coming too close to an unnatural place that most likely housed normal survivors wasn't the best idea. Especially as the area around the headquarters was quite bare. No other buildings and almost no trees to take cover by.
Yeah, better to go from this side. Leo nodded as he resumed his trek along the railroad. Void's flora had long since claimed most of the tracks, providing more cover than necessary thanks to the plants growing about half as tall as an average human. This was by far the longest grass he had seen in his life, and it only got bigger the closer he got to the trainyard.
Is it like that in every unpopulated area, or is there more to the trainyard? I mean, apart from this small neighborhood to my right, this place is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Nature had plenty of time to claim it long before the Outbreak.
Yet, something in Leo's gut told him that the trainyard wasn't just another spot on the map. There was something special about it.
Not that Leo had an idea what 'special' meant here. Especially as from what he had seen of the trainyard from a distance, not much was left of it.
A few decades back, this place had been bursting with activity, with trains coming in and out every few minutes. However, as time passed, the industry slowly died, leaving a bunch of huge hangars, half-destroyed train cars, and rail tracks consumed by rust.
And now, not even that much is left. Leo sighed.
The Void took this abandoned place by storm, leaving it almost unrecognizable from a distance. Vetilim claimed everything there, transforming the hangars into weird half-domes while the remaining train cars were nowhere in sight.
Honestly, with how many resources Void spent here, Leo was surprised that the trainyard didn't look like the insides of Wolford. No, instead of a Vetilim jungle, with webs spreading everywhere from all the buildings, this place was just overgrown beyond imagination.
Fuck... This didn't look that tall from a distance. Leo huffed, weaving through the grass that now was taller than him. Though at least it left enough space to walk between the blades of grass. It almost feels like someone shrunk and put me in their backyard... What do you think?
Leo's inner beast screeched lowly before retreating again.
Nothing to worry about, you say? Leo hummed. You didn't lie to me yet, so I'm gonna trust you on that. Still, better check to be sure…
Gathering enough Essence in his body, Leo fired off a medium-range Hunter's Pulse, the blast of energy traveling faster than ever. The feedback came back almost just as quickly, but it didn't return alone...
A hiss, loud and clear, along with rustling among the grass, reached his ears in an instant. With each second, the sounds grew closer. Not wasting more time, blades extended from Leo's arms, already coated in Kiss of Death.
Crouching slightly, Leo grinned as two creatures burst through the foliage of grass, heading straight for him. Huh, I wasn't that far off. No one shrunk me; the world just got bigger.
Ameist-M (Voidling) | Rank: F | Level: 5 | Type: Surface, Underworld, Poison
Giant ants... Snorting, Leo dashed to meet the duo. They barely had the time to hiss again before he was on them, slicing straight through the first Ameist's head like it was butter.
Dark green blood sprouted in all directions, and as Leo's inner beast roared, he quickly jumped away. The substance dripped on the ground, sizzling and very slowly trying to burn through anything it landed on.
Right, acid is a poison too. Though it didn't even scratch my blade... Nice.
Not that Leo was going to test how long his natural weapon could handle the acid now. Rather he dismissed the blades and let two long shadow spears form in his hands. He had no idea how to use them properly, but he really didn't need to for an F-rank creature.
"Your turn," Leo turned to the other mutated ant that easily reached his waist. The Ameist didn't try to attack and just stood frozen in place, its all too sharp mandibles opening and closing and antennas twitching.
Too scared? Leo mused, sprinting at the ant and plunging both spears right into its wide ruby eyes. That was weird... It didn't even try to dodge.
Shrugging, Leo crouched near the corpse and let his eyes roam over the creature. It really wasn't that different from any other regular ant in the old world.
Except this one is huge, has bloody claws instead of mandibles, and probably can do very interesting things with its poison... or acid... whatever…
Leo raised one hand, glancing at the Ameist. Better find out now than during another fight... And so, with a sigh, he lightly stabbed the body with just one claw while letting a single drop of blood land on his unprotected arm.
Nothing. Leo felt completely nothing wrong around his claw. Hell, not even the blood on his arm could accomplish anything. It just sizzled, trying to punch a hole through the skin, but never succeeding.
That's... pathetic...
Not that Leo should have expected a level five creature to do any harm to him. The difference in power was just too vast. But they managed to sense my pulse... That's what baited them here... Bestiary?
Race: Voidling | Subspecies: Ameist-M/W/F
Expected Potential: F- to F+
Weapon of choice: Mandibles (All), Acid spit (All), Lancer arms (W/F),
Known weaknesses: No armor (M/F), Slowness(W), Limited Battle instincts(M)
An insectoid subspecies of Voidlings observed in every Outbreak and often seen inside the Void in their later stages of linear evolution. Ameists can be separated into three categories: Minion, Warrior, and Flier. All of them have different weaknesses and strengths, though Minions will always remain the weakest. All Ameists play their part in making their nest stronger and protecting the Queen inside. Please note that Ameists never travel alone and can quickly call reinforcements. Additionally, those insectoid creatures are excellent sensors and can easily feel foreign Essence when near.
Apex variant: Apex Ameists are usually marginally stronger than their normal kind and can sometimes develop mutations.
A very unique entry... Leo summed up, eyes a bit wide. Their strength didn't really worry him, but the assortment of different abilities definitely raised some red flags. And those are ants. There must be hundreds of them close by... A Nest? Is this why this place is so fucking overgrown?
Getting only more questions and no answers, Leo dashed in the trainyard's direction, his eyes scanning for anything he could climb on.
Thank the Void…
Bounding to the only tree in sight in a few steps, Leo scaled it as fast as any other obstacle. He settled on one of the top branches, hidden in the foliage. Yet even though he was almost at the highest point of the tree, the crown just barely extended past the enormous grass and other gigantic plants.
So trees aren't affected? That doesn't make any sense…
Nonetheless, Leo ignored that for the moment and settled for scanning the area. There had to be something special about this place apart from just hyper-overgrown plants.
Hold on for a damn second... Zeroing on the largest half-dome of Vetilim, Leo let Identify work. Just what I thought... I was just too far for the System to act by itself.
Warning! You just discovered a Nest Colony of Ameist and their Queens. Threat asserted and ranked at level E-. Watch your steps, User, don't let the swarm consume you.
Before Leo could even dismiss the message, another notification entered his sight.
Warning! Due to the close proximity of a temporary Safe Zone, Nest Colony of Ameist is on high alert and can dispatch its Warriors faster than usual. Please be careful when engaging in battle with the Nest.
Leo blinked, blinked hard.
Well... Now I know what ReachHope's building is... That's got to count for something, right?
Evidently not, as Leo's inner beast exploded into howls of laughter.
Fuck you…
