He raised his hands in a show of peace. "Calm down. I'm not the enemy here. Never really was... So what if our deal is off? Why does it even matter? Soon I will be out of your hair anyway."
Instantly, some of the tension faded from the room and the trio's shoulders.
"What do you mean?" Clara asked, furrowing her brow.
"Exactly what I said," Leo shrugged. "I plan to leave Wolford soon, probably in about two days. Maybe a bit later. There is nothing left for me in this city anymore. I have to move on."
Only truth flowed from his lips this time. He had told enough lies already; it wouldn't hurt anyone if they knew where he was planning to go. None were strong or brave enough to follow him anyway. Not that they had any reason to.
The trio breathed out a sigh of relief. Holden hid it best, probably hoping not to offend him, but the other two didn't even try. Their bodies just relaxed, all tension draining from them in a matter of seconds.
Really? Leo raised a non-existent eyebrow. Try not to look so happy, or I just might stay a few days longer.
Holden coughed suddenly, shooting a quick glare at Frank and Clara. "Where will you go next?" He questioned in an attempt to push the conversation forward.
Smooth. Really smooth. You guys are lucky that diplomacy is almost as dead as this world.
"London," he stated bluntly. "I have... well, had a sister there. If there's at least a small chance she is still out there, I can’t waste it. London also isn't that far from here. Probably only a couple hours for me if I run at full speed without stopping."
"A few hours?” Frank scoffed. “Mate, that bloody hell hole is over a hundred kilometers away. Even if you can keep running at full speed at all times, just how fast do you think you're? Even with a car, the trip takes almost two hours."
For the first time during the meeting, Leo grinned. "No need for a car when I have almost two hundred Grace. Trust me, I can make it. Won't say it will be easy, as I have no idea how the world looks outside Wolford, but I can do this."
Despite everything he had just said, the trio didn't seem to hear anything past the first sentence. They all stood frozen, and even Holden had his eyes opened slightly wider.
"Two hundred?" Clara muttered, testing the words on her lips as if she didn't believe what she had just said. "How?"
Here, Leo decided to throw them a bone. Knowledge was power, after all, and with the recent tragedy, they could use some of it. It wasn't like he had any reason to hide this information.
"Quite simple," he said as if talking about the weather. "My race gives a lot of Grace per level. The same goes for my class. It got even better once I reached level twenty and my class advanced. Trust me, the difference between the old and new one is like night and day. Human limits don't really apply to me any longer."
Frank gave him once over. "Aye. We can see that," he stated dryly. "Bloody hell. Barely two days ago, I thought I could catch up to you one day. Fuck that, I guess."
Leo chuckled while Clara released a snort, her initial shock fading. Only Holden remained silent, his brow furrowed as his eyes stayed glued to the table.
"Tony?" The Fallen nudged his friend. "You good there? Try not to overheat that brain of yours. We still need it."
The Ascended sighed, shaking his head. "I just had to process everything." He looked at Leo. "Hale, you said you wanted to leave in about two days. I won't ask why you decided on this timeframe, but if necessary, would you still be willing to assist us?"
Leo shrugged. "Sure, why not... I've some stuff to take care of in the meantime, but when I'm here, I don't mind helping a bit. Just make sure it's important. I can't solve all your problems forever."
Holden's eyes narrowed. "That's not an issue. Like I said, we won't bother you unless absolutely necessary..."
"Then I suppose we got ourselves another deal." He smiled. "Now... if you have nothing for me, I will be off. I wasted enough time yesterday."
Before he could even reach the door, Holden's voice stopped him. "One more thing, Hale. Are you planning to stay here for the night? We can prepare a room away from everyone."
Leo waved him off. "No need. I slept enough for a week. At best, I will just stop by a few times to see how you guys are doing. Besides that, I plan to stay away. My presence here will bring more harm than good, especially now."
"Understood," the main leader nodded firmly. "You will find your way out, yes?"
"Of course. I don't need an escort," Leo huffed. "Until later, then."
All around, a sea of bodies surrounded him, littering the scorched ground. No living soul remained in the area, and the Voidlings in the distance didn't dare to step onto the Tainted Wasteland. A wise choice, as they would share the fate of their kin if they even tried to put a foot on this cursed land.
"It was... easy," Leo frowned, dropping a half-drained corpse. "I expected a bit more from a horde of enhanced Voidlings."
Next to him, Nyx snorted, her meal also forgotten. 'Really? You had ten levels on almost all of them. Tainted Wasteland enhancement or not, they didn't stand a chance. You can't fight something you can't hit."
"I guess you're right," he sighed, scanning the empty Wasteland.
A full day had passed since Leo awoke. Knowing he couldn't stay idle unless he wanted his thoughts to wander, he dedicated all of yesterday to getting familiar with his body again and testing whether any of his abilities had changed. They didn't, but thanks to his recent power-up, he had to make some adjustments in how he used them.
And that was how he had spent most of the last day and then night. Practicing, experimenting, and even trying to figure out how Vital Strike functioned. He found very limited success in that regard, but at least now, he knew more than before.
All of that just to clear this place out in a matter of five minutes. Leo snorted.
Wolford's Tainted Wasteland was supposed to be the first test. A trial of close-quarters combat without using any Essence, just blades and claws. He expected it to be at least a bit of a challenge, but none of the Voidling here came even close to touching him or Nyx.
Together, they danced around the battlefield, spinning from one target to another, leaving a trail of bodies behind. Maybe if the Cursed Juggernaut was still here, it could have entertained them. Yet, with the huge beast dead, the fight was almost dull, not even requiring a real effort.
And barely any of them gave experience or Ether. Leo grumbled, kicking the nearest body. Hopefully, the reward will be worth it when we are done. If this even works, that is...
"Ready, Nyx?" He nodded to the feline.
Right away, she stabbed all her tails into the scorched ground. 'Whenever you are. Just remember to instantly release what you devour. We are nowhere near powerful enough to carry this much power.'
"I know," Leo rolled his eyes, taking a knee. "We only went through this like four times. No need to baby me; I'm not stupid. Sometimes reckless, but not stupid."
'Sorry,' Nyx chuckled sheepishly. 'Some instincts are hard to ignore.'
"Whatever," he muttered, but there was no bite to it. "Let's do this. On three."
"One."
His blades extended with a snap.
"Two."
With a single move, his claws, tails, and blades plunged into the earth.
"Three!"
A single thought was all Devour needed to activate. Like a hungry demon, it surged toward the tainted Void Essence coursing through the entire Wasteland. Chunk after chunk, it delivered the energy back to his body before attacking again and again.
Meanwhile, Leo wasn't idle. Just like Nyx said, they couldn't consume all this power and hope for the best. They didn't know what exactly would happen if they devoured so much Essence at once, but neither of them wanted to find out.
And so, when Devour delivered even a bit of Essence, he instantly pushed it out of his soul. Dying from implosion just wasn't in the books for today.
Conjured shadows poured onto the Tainted Wasteland in waves, slowly drowning the entire area. They had no purpose, no form. The dark, smoky cloud just continued to flow around them, its constant growth even blocking the sun within a few minutes.
Leo gritted his teeth as the strain on his entire being grew with each second. The constant pain coming through their link told him that Nyx also wasn't faring much better. Still, they preserved and pushed through, their minds slowly intertwining, the bond strengthening them.
Come on! Just. A little. More!
With the last push, Devour ripped out the last piece of Essence from the Wasteland and retreated. At once, Leo gasped, his control over shadows slipping as he fell to the ground.
Yet, as the darkness around him began to fade, the sunlight hitting his face once more, he just chuckled.
Okay. This was fun.
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