A Universe of Bloody Evolution

"This should be enough," Leo muttered, nodding at the pile of corpses before him.

He had collected all kinds of Voidlings in the last thirty minutes. Cursed Humans, Ameists from the once more opened Nest Colony, a Duskboar, and even a pair of some mutated deers that tried to run at the first sign of him. Overall, there should be about fifteen bodies here, just waiting to be transported back to Adam.

Minor Takeover sure is useful in such situations. Without it, I would have had to carry all of them here. Leo shuddered at the thought. Maybe it was a bit heartless to take over Voidlings only to kill them later, but it definitely made his work much faster.

Now Holden just needs to pick this up. I swear, if these corpses are still here when I return, I will punch someone. Leo grumbled, turning away from the clearing and running deeper into the forest. Clean up a bit and then back on the road... Shit, Holden, you just had to drop another problem on my plate...

Leo shook his head, hoping to push those thoughts into the deepest recesses of his mind as his first destination came into sight. The hum of flowing water assaulted his ears, and he took a knee right at the edge of a small stream.

When he found it during his short hunt for Voidlings, it surprised him that nothing tried to jump out of those murky waters and bite him. Not that Leo was complaining, as despite the stream's quality, at least now he had something to wash the filth off his face and arms.

Not that it will help for long, but I can't go like this forever. The itch from the dried acid is getting annoying. Leo scowled, splattering the water over his limbs.

He also wanted to clean up the cloak, but it wasn't possible at this point. At least not without some other tools. Water, after all, could only do so much alone.

There has to be a way to fix it up somehow. Leo mused as he stepped away from the water, feeling just a bit cleaner than before. Honing is locked, but maybe if it gathers more damage, I will still be able to repair it. Doubt it though...

The cloak already had a few tears here and there. And considering Leo's previous experience with the honing system, even a tiny bit of damage should have unlocked the option to repair the item.

Never mind... It's still fine for now, and I have much better things to worry about than a piece of cloth, no matter how nice it is...

With a sigh, Leo pulled his hood up and dived into the deep forest again. He still had some items to retrieve before he could begin today's journey through the city.

Someone was already here. Leo noted, stepping over a Voidling's body as he entered a ruined apothecary. Everything lay strewn around the place, the Void and human looters not sparing anything in sight. Still, maybe they missed something...

Silent as a mouse, Leo wandered around the apothecary, crushing empty boxes and pushing debris away in search of something worthwhile. He knew he shouldn't expect much, especially considering this place's distance from the police station, but it didn't hurt to check.

Better this than nothing. Leo shrugged, peeking into a small, half-empty bag in his hands. He had thrown anything in good condition inside, but he doubted even half of the stuff worked anymore. Would be nice if Identify functioned like it should for once, but I suppose random medicine from the old world isn't special enough for you, eh?

Shaking his head lightly, Leo tied the bag close and shut his eyes. Essence spilled out instantly, covering the plastic material in a tight cocoon. Then, with a sharp tug, he devoured the energy and bag together, letting it settle inside his soul next to all the other items he had stored.

Nice, it's getting easier. Leo smirked at his empty hands. Alright, let's see if Holden has a reason to worry about the other group...

Not waiting for another second, Leo darted out of the building right onto an empty street. Multiple corpses littered the road, but he just ignored them and scaled the nearest wall, entering the Vetilim jungle once more.

Seekers kept flying in the distance, some even coming close as Leo ran through the rooftops. Yet, the moment those tiny beasts noticed him, they all turned away, screeching to signal their packmates, who soon joined in the retreat.

This natural fear coming from weaker creatures became something Leo noticed more and more since he entered the heart of Wolford again. Some beasts just knew they had no chance against a monster like him and ran away as fast as they could.

Not that every single weak Voidling acted like that. No, those were a minority. However, it still made traveling through rooftops much easier when Leo didn't have to worry about those flying menaces. Harpies could still be a problem, but until now, he had only seen one of those gliding through the air far away.

"Here we are," Leo muttered, settling by the roof's edge with a perfect view of the police station below.

Like the rest of the city, the large building endured its own hardships thanks to the Void. Vetilim had already spread along the station's walls, leaving only a few broken windows and empty gaps untouched. Yet, considering the destruction Leo witnessed during his exploration, this place handled the end of the world quite well.

Not a Safe Zone, but a good place to hide if the police were as stocked as I think. Leo hummed, his eyes first stopping upon the roof, where a single person kept watch. The man moved from corner to corner every once in a while, keeping a tight grip on a rifle in his hands. It's not perfect security, but it's also not the worst one.

From there, Leo's gaze drifted to the barricade a few steps away from the building's entrance. There was a small gap where a person could slip through, but apart from that, the makeshift barrier seemed quite well made. They even had another person sitting atop it, hidden behind a cover with a rifle of their own.

Okay, I can see why Holden wants to keep an eye on them. Leo narrowed his eyes, noting all the other possible entrances into the building. But what about Nightmares? There is no way those beasts could have missed this place. Not with so many dead Voidlings around...

This group had to have a good method to hide from them or they would have been slaughtered a long time ago. Yet the question remained: how?

Can't ask them, so I doubt I can find out. And even if they don't know it, I most likely killed two of their people. Well shit. The clothes on those guards matched what the dead duo wore, so Leo's assumption was probably correct. At least now I know for sure that I didn't kill anyone from Holden's group.

Not a big victory, but one Leo would take.

I can probably go now, but I won't lie; I'm curious how those people can handle themselves. For a moment, Leo's eyes drifted to Voidlings far away, an idea entering his mind. Yeah. That can work. And it's not like I need to tell Holden about it later.

With the plan ready, Leo backed from the edge. He had to be fast; the mall was waiting, after all.

It took a bit longer than Leo wanted, but now, lying on the same roof as before, he knew the plan was ready to be executed. The three tiny presences inside his mind only confirmed that.

This is your target, Leo sent through the link, pointing at the man behind the barricade. The three Cursed Crawlers hissed lowly next to him, and so he continued. Run at full speed and target only him. Don't kill. And if I tell you to run away. You run away. Understood?

The monsters hissed again, and Leo nodded. He doubted his command against killing would work, but there wasn't much more he could do before they began.

Thankfully, I can stop them if they somehow reach him. Leo took a deep breath and gave their link a slight nudge. The beasts immediately raised from the roof and rushed past him, descending upon the road below.

Not even a second later, a shout filled the air as the man at the barricade stood up, a bow in his hands.

Leo blinked. He hadn't noticed the weapon before, thinking that the guard only had the rifle at his disposition. Alright, that should have been obvious, but we all make mistakes... Now show me what you've got.

The other guy on the roof wasn't different, and he also took aim with a bow Leo didn't see at first. They both fired at the same time, their glowing arrows going straight through two of the Crawlers that were halfway to the barricade.

However, although the Voidlings slowed, none died from the first volley.

Come on.

The guards took aim again, and just when the first Crawler almost reached the barrier, they fired. Both arrows flew true, and the two wounded Cursed Crawlers tumbled onto the ground, dead. Quickly, the man at the barrier tried to nock another projectile, but the last monster jumped, flying over the barricade.

The guard threw his bow away, grabbing the rifle from somewhere. Yet, before he could do more, the Crawler closed the remaining distance and pounced.

Shit! Leo growled, a command to retreat already passing through the link with the beast.

The Cursed Crawler stilled, but before it could do more, multiple shots rang through the area. At the same time, the connection with the beast blinked out of existence, signaling the creature's death.

Interesting. Leo narrowed his eyes at the two new arrivals, both males with swords attached to their hips. However, the shorter of the duo also held a pistol, the reason for the last Cursed Crawler's death. Level nine and eight. Not bad at all when your guards are both level six.

The strongest of the group holstered his gun, glaring at the heavy-breathing guard. "What the fuck was that?!" The man shouted, although for Leo, it wasn't more than a whisper.

The guard cowered slightly, answering right away. Not that Leo could hear more than a few words this time. "... Crawlers... of nowhere!"

The leader frowned, turning to look at the guard on the roof. "Mark! Did you see anything, you useless twat?!"

Leo almost snorted as even from here, he could see the guard redden.

"Fuck you, Frank!" Mark shouted back. "I didn't see shit! Those bastards just dropped from there and ran at Will like their lives depended on it!" He finished pointing in Leo's direction, who ducked low just to make sure no one saw him.

The group continued their conversation for a while, with three more people even joining in a bit later. Leo tried to catch some words, but after the initial shock ran out, the group stopped shouting and kept their voice at a somewhat average volume.

Doesn't matter. I got what I wanted, and the clock is still ticking. Leo noted, glancing at the sun already more than halfway toward the west horizon. Time to move up a gear.

The final part of the journey didn't last long. Leo just sprinted right towards the mall, not stopping anywhere on the way. He had wasted enough time by the police station, and he still had to scout the large shopping center before going back.

Yet now, as Leo stood before the vast structure with Vetilim and Corcera covering every inch of the walls, a doubt began to enter his mind. To make matters worse, Hunter woke the moment he got close to the building, growling almost constantly.

I know. There is something wrong with this place. Very wrong.