He didn't want to come back to this place. The memories were still fresh and stung his heart each time they flashed in front of his eyes. Apart from the accursed road where his mother died, this was definitely his second most hated place. He had to push those feelings away, though, and focus on the current task. Something he had forgotten to do when leaving this place last time.
"They are still here," Leo noted as he and Nyx reached the field of slaughtered bodies. "I thought the Nightmares for sure would find a way to use the remnants of their brethren."
The feline huffed. 'If I had to bet, they're probably afraid of this area. Dozens of them died here. Why go back and test your luck?'
"Yeah, I guess," he said, scanning the corpses for any they could use. "Quite ironic, isn't it? If you're right, then this place is now just as safe as it was with a barrier active."
'Not for long.'
"True," he sighed.
For now, the Voidlings might give this area a wide berth, but their instincts would stop warning them against coming here sooner or later. Not that it mattered too much, as he doubted Holden planned to return here. However, for Leo, it was a neat piece of information he could use in the future if he ever went on a rampage again.
'I think this one will do,' Nyx's voice brought him back to reality, her tails pointing to a corpse nearby.
Leo nodded and approached the body, or rather what was left of it. He had no idea how this Collector ended up with half of its torso and all limbs gone. But as long as the heart inside the rest of the corpse was in good condition, he didn't care.
Without saying anything, he kneeled and released a weak Hunter's Pulse. It enveloped the body before returning, giving him all the information he needed. One of his blades extended next and, with the power of Kiss of Death, stabbed deep into the dead torso.
He had to cut through a few bones, but in the end, it wasn't an issue, not with his newfound strength. Extracting the blade, his other hand reached into the bloody mess until it came upon a large, mushy organ.
Bingo. Leo grinned and pulled out the black heart of a Collector. "One more to go."
Instantly, the organ vanished in a weak crimson flash, landing in his Soul Well. It would wait there until nighttime. There was no time to waste for mutations during the day.
With half of their job done, they resumed their walk around ReachHope's ruins. Some bodies seemed like they could provide another heart, but then they would turn one over, only to discover that it was partially devoured.
"You know," Leo spoke up to fill the silence. "We are gathering stuff for my mutations, but what about you? Do we have to dig out two more hearts after this?"
Nyx shook her head. 'No. Due to our bond, I cannot mutate. Why exactly? I don't know, but according to the System, I'll still benefit from each mutation you get. So it's not as bad as it sounds.'
"True. Saves us Ether, too," he furrowed his brow suddenly. "Wait. If you gain something from my mutation, then..."
'I don't think your Heart of the Void affects me,' she cut in. 'And if it does. I have no idea how.'
Leo hummed, but quickly gave up the thought when an almost undamaged body entered his vision. In a matter of a minute, he repeated the extraction process and became the owner of two hearts of regenerator-type beasts.
"Well, we're done here," he wiped his hands with a summoned towel. "Let's kill some ants then."
They had been exploring the tunnels for a good half an hour now, killing endless waves of insects only using Essence. Unlike the Voidlings above, Ameists didn't run even if there were ten levels of disparity between them. They just attacked head-on, hoping to maybe at least slow down the unstoppable invaders.
It didn't help, but Leo would give an A for the team effort. The same couldn't be said about the second Ameist Queen they found. To his immeasurable disappointment, the Voidling was only level seventeen and thus useless.
However, not all was lost yet. After Nyx killed the last Queen in a matter of seconds, the System presented them with a very intriguing notification.
Two of the three Queens of this Nest Colony have been slain. Congratulations, Survivor! The chamber of the High Ameist Queen is now unlocked. Kill the final Nest Guardian to neutralize this instance and claim your rewards.
Warning! The entire Nest is now on high alert. Expect heavy resistance.
That was five minutes ago. Now, Leo and Nyx stood before the entrance to the final chamber of this nest. A chamber where the High Queen should be waiting for them.
Nodding at each other, they entered the vast cave that could easily accommodate a few hundred people. Unlike any other part of this nest, this place had some kind of glow stone running along the walls, illuminating the entire chamber in a soft green light.
Yet none of that proved as important in the face of the beast standing in the middle.
The High Ameits Queen didn't look any different from its kin apart from one tiny detail. And that was its pure size that could probably match the two other Queens if they combined.
A spark of anticipation ignited within Leo at the sight. This had to be it, the beast that would give him another mutation. Only the spark never even got a chance to burn before it was crushed by overwhelming disappointment.
High Ameist Queen (Voidling) | Rank: E- | LVL: 19 | Type: Underworld, Poison, Armor, Special
Fuck! He scowled and turned on his heel, leaving the chamber. Is a level twenty too much to ask for?
'Leo?' Nyx nudged him with her tail. 'Are we really leaving? We can still get rewards for clearing the Nest.'
Leo sighed, running a hand across his face. "I know... Just give me a sec. I got my hopes up only to get this shit," he grumbled. "Let's just kill it quick and get out of here."
Without further communication, they reentered the chamber. Nyx tails, like most of the time, stabbed into the ground. At the same time, his body ignited with Reinforcement while his blades snapped out, Kiss of Death activating.
He was already halfway towards the High Queen when the earth beneath her exploded. Unlike Nyx's usual tactic, there were no spikes this time. Instead, dozens of thin shadow tendrils snapped at the large insect, wrapping around its body in seconds.
The Queen screeched, spewing liquid poison left and right. It didn't matter.
Within a blink, Leo pounced, his blades raised high as he flew towards the beast's head. The Queen attempted to move, to save its life, but Nyx just tightened her hold, stopping the monster's struggle.
And so, with a clear shot at the connection between the Queen's body and her head, he cut right through it, spraying blood combined with poison everywhere.
The Voidling went limb, shadow shackles disappearing as she dropped to the ground with a thud. Leo didn't waste a second and let Devour do the rest of the job, erasing the High Queen's existence.
Devour consumed: +2 Might.
Okay, guess this wasn't a complete waste of time. He reasoned just when a notification appeared in his vision.
Congratulations, Ameist Nest Colony conquered. No Safe Zone creation available for this instance. Distributing rewards to all contributors. Warning! The remaining Ameists are escaping. Be careful on your way out.
Bonus experience and 1500 Ether gained. Rare quality weapon has been delivered to your Soul Well.
Another weapon? Leo quirked an eyebrow, summoning the item into his hand.
It was a simple, long spear made of unknown dark metal. A short double-edged blade sat at its tip, sparking with an eerie green glow.
Yeah, definitely not for me, but let's see...
Spear of Endless Pain (Rare):
A spear created by a skilled weapon smith. The blend of metals used in its creation offers a very hard-to-break shaft and a blade capable of piercing most lower-grade armor. It's highly energy conductive and, as such, can be used with a wide variety of Essence abilities.
Passive: Bitter Edge - Drawing blood will release a small amount of nonlethal but very painful poison.
I mean, nice, but it'll be a while before I can find any use for it. Leo frowned, sucking the spear back into his soul. I doubt anyone from Holden's group can use it without hurting themselves. Oh well, we will see...
Shrugging, he nodded to Nyx. "Alright, let's get the hell out of here. Next stop, the church."
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