A Universe of Bloody Evolution

Any idea, Hunter? Leo asked his only companion as he stood in front of the entrance to the mall. Or at least it was an entrance in the past. Now, nothing but the Void's living matter remained, hiding the large doors from sight.

Hunter hissed lowly, and while Leo could hear a bit of fear in its response, it also didn't want to leave. Just like him, the beast was curious despite all their senses screaming at them against coming closer to the vast building.

I have to check it anyway. Can't exactly go back to Holden and tell him that the place just felt wrong. Leo paused suddenly at the thought. Well, I can, but then I would probably have to answer some questions I don't want to answer. At least not yet...

With a sigh, Leo turned away. Whether he liked it or not, he couldn't just leave this place without at least checking it out. What he and Hunter felt had to come from somewhere. And so, if this mall was hiding yet another danger to survivors, his job was to uncover it. Just as he did with the Tainted Wasteland.

No rushing in like an idiot this time, though. Leo grimaced, the wounds he suffered that day still fresh on his mind. No more half-assed plans because I couldn't care less about anything anymore. I have people waiting for me, people who count on me.

Leo took a deep breath, a small smile on his face. Let's find an entrance first, shall we?

As Hunter roared in answer, Leo jumped onto the mall's wall, sticking his claws deep into Vetilim. They had a problem to solve, and just like his mother once told him, it was best to start from the top and slowly make his way down until nothing remained.

Shit... This just proves something is wrong with this place. Leo frowned, following the splatters of blood with his eyes.

It took some climbing and running, but in the end, he found a hole in the corner of the roof leading right into an office room inside the mall. Of course, the world would be way too simple if that was all he had discovered. Thus Leo's current predicament.

The blood splatters were almost everywhere in sight, covering parts of the nearby roof and the hole. Most of the liquid seemed old, dried by the constant warmth of the red sun. Yet, here and there, Leo could still see puddles of the half-fresh crimson liquid.

And all of the trails lead right inside. Leo narrowed his eyes, trying to glimpse into the building through the large hole. Darkness attempted to obscure his vision the farther he tried to see, but that didn't stop him, especially not with the violet and red veins of Vetilim and Corcera supporting his task...

Not moving from the hole's edge, Leo scanned the entire office room using the power granted by twenty-five points in the Vision attribute. Blood was one thing, but it was far from the only thing he spotted there.

Remnants of torn-off limbs hid in the shadows. Some of them most likely belonged to humans, others not so much. However, worse were the pieces of internal organs scattered along the room, with an occasional bone lying here and there.

I hate this place more with each second. Leo admitted, and Hunter agreed right away. Bloodlust already spiked, trying to ignite the fury hiding inside him. Not now. Not yet.

Leo took a step back, running a hand across the smooth skin of his head. What he had seen inside should have been more than enough of a reason to turn around and return to the Safe Zone. Yet the question still remained: What exactly happened here?

It couldn't be a Nest or a Tainted Wasteland. Leo had experienced both before, and each time, the System gave him a warning once he came close enough. But now, the powerful entity did no such thing.

So either some people were unlucky after the Outbreak and died here... An unlikely scenario with how fresh some of those parts are. Leo noted, once more looking through the hole. Or something really fishy is going on here.

Hunter growled suddenly, and Leo stilled, processing the new information. You think the System can't or doesn't want to tell me yet? Why? The beast just sent him an equivalent of a shrug and went silent.

Great... Leo sighed. So it seems we are going in anyway... I will need more than just you in that case. Remember, no more half-assed plans.

Similar to what he did when checking on the police station, Leo wandered around the area, searching for Voidlings to accompany him into the jaws of death. However, this time, the search took a bit longer as he wanted more than just some average Cursed Crawlers. Not that he had much success in this endeavor.

Hell, as Leo looked at the small group gathered before him, even Hunter had something to say. And instead of just grunts and growls, the beast once more resorted to words, or rather a single word.

'Weak.'

That's a bit harsh, but yeah. You’re right. Leo concurred with the beast. Though it's not like I can get anything higher than level seven here. We don't have time to search for Brutes or Harpies... We can do that tomorrow. Who knows, maybe with a few strong Voidlings by my side, I will be able to clear out a small part of Wolford.

Hunter just snorted, refusing to say more. Although, from the surge of bloodlust, Leo knew the beast liked the idea. Not surprising in the slightest.

Anyway... Let's do this. Turning to his three subordinates, Leo sent a command over the link. Jump in and secure the office's entrance. Then wait for me.

Two Cursed Runners and one Inferior Crawler acted right away, diving into the opening. They rushed straight to the other side of the office where another hole waited, this one a bit smaller yet still large enough to fit a Brute.

Once the Voidlings paused there, Leo nodded, his own Essence flowing out of his soul. True Stealth activated within the blink of an eye, but it was far from enough. He had been working on a special trick on his way here, and the time had come to use it.

Slowly, more Essence moved, but not of the pure kind. Instead, shadows poured out of Leo's body, the thin layer settling between his skin and True Stealth. With his mastery, the latter skill never wavered, so he put all his focus on the shadow armor, as imperfect as it was.

At first, Leo wanted to create a perfect blend of his affinity and skill. However, no matter how hard he tried, True Stealth never accepted shadow Essence without collapsing. As such, he settled for a workaround... for now.

The technique was far from perfect, as shown by the lack of the System's notifications, but it still performed quite well. Shadows all around the world were his allies now, hiding Leo from anyone who couldn't peer through the darkness to some degree.

Let's do this. Falling forward, Leo dropped to the floor below on all fours. He grimaced as the stench of decay assaulted his nostrils immediately. Shit... I don't think I have ever smelled something so bad.

With a shake of his head, Leo ignored the smell and moved toward the hole in the wall. Until now, nothing had changed, but once he stepped through the entrance, joining his minions on the other side, the System's message flashed in front of his eyes.

Warning! Entering Wolford's Graveyard. No additional information available currently.

So you were right, Leo said to Hunter. But why no information? Wasn't the System supposed to be all-knowing? I don't like it... I don't like it at all...

Hunter growled, and Leo had to agree. Now was not the time for this. They just entered a new, potentially dangerous area. He had to be alert at all times.

Okay, you three. Lead the way, slowly and silently. If you see anything, anything at all, stop instantly. Do not attack without my word.

With the command received, the trio moved forward, navigating the few offices and small corridors in this part of the mall. Gore still awaited them at each turn, but just like at the entrance, no Voidlings showed themselves.

What the hell is going on here? Leo muttered as they finally left the office area and entered the highest floor of the mall.

Despite Vetilim and Corcera completely claiming the area, the layout didn't change much. The shopping center was still just a three-story, long hall with shops on all sides and floors. Of course, not much remained of them, but the building at least still seemed somewhat familiar.

Well, almost familiar... Leo swallowed, gazing at all of the massacred bodies hanging from the ceiling on Vetilim webs. Blood dripped from most corpses while the few heads that remained whole stared blankly ahead, an expression of fear etched onto their face.

Humans, animals, and Voidlings... Graveyard indeed. Leo balled his fists, averting his gaze from a corpse that seemed to look him right in the eyes. There must be hundreds of them here... So many survivors. Gone... Fuck!

Before Leo could go on a downward spiral, Hunter's roar echoed in his mind.

I know... I know. Leo took a deep breath and reached within his soul, searching for a particular pile of items. Grabbing it firmly, he pulled it out, a familiar weight landing in his hand.

Ether Flare. I just hope we are wrong, Hunter...

With a final look behind, Leo gripped the flare tighter and commanded his group to resume the march. He had his suspicions regarding this place now. It just wasn't enough, not yet. Besides, if anything happened, he knew how to quickly get out...

Nothing, have to go lower... I wish Hunter Pulse was an option here...

Leo scowled as they finished walking the entire length of the mall. Nothing but more corpses greeted him here. Hell, he didn't see even a single Scavenger scurrying around.

As such, only the two floors below remained to be explored now. Let's go...

His three subordinates stepped first into a tunnel that seemed to have replaced the stairs to the lower floor. Leo followed shortly after, ready to open the flare's lid at any moment.

The descent didn't last long, barely a few seconds, yet when the tunnel gave way to the next floor, Leo and his minions froze, blood chilling in their veins. No one dared to move a single muscle, and even Hunter remained silent, like it was never there.

Leo had his fears about this place, and they got worse with each second inside the mall. However, not even having complete knowledge about this place could have prepared him for the sight before him.

Hunter... We were right...