"Wao help here, or..." Cra muttered, looking at the street filled with almost ten of normies.

  As Essenveloped his cloak and hid it inside his soul for the time being, Leed. He also promptly ignored Cra's soft gasp upon seeing most of his body exposed for the first time.

  "Do as you want," he whispered back. "Just don't get in my way."

  Finally rec from the small shock, Cra mock saluted and removed the bow from her back. She quickly notched an arrow and smirked.

  "Alright. I will cover you from here then... Just in case."

  Leo snorted but didn't argue, even if he really didn't need her assista least this way, he might see a bit more of what the woman was capable of.

  Doubt it though... Not enough Voidlings here to show off, and I don't want to alert the entire area. At least not yet.

  With a light shake of his head, Leo approached the edge of the roof, a few final words leaving his mouth. "Ohey are all dowo the entrance as fast as you . I will join you as soon as I secure the area."

  odded. "Roger, Rood luck."

  Won't . Not here. Not now. Leo snorted and jumped off the roof, the bdes upon his arms extending. A single Cursed Human crashed onto the hard, unfiving ground along with him, its head exploding like a melon.

  Before any other Voidlings could react, Leo leaped off the corpse, quickly cutting through another beast. At the same time, short shadow bdes formed in the air above him. The structs shot forward like arrows, pierg right through the heads of two monsters.

  Not bad. Gono work on accuracy though. I almost missed a standing target. Leo noted as he skewered one more beast. Devour went to wht aroviding him with a fresh wave of power he had really missed...

  However, even as the Voidling turo dust, Leo never had the ce to enjoy the rush of strength.

  In the er of his vision, he caught a streak of blue s through the air. No, not a streak, an arrow, one shrouded in the power of Cra's soul. The projectile flew straight through a Cursed Human's brain and embedded itself in a wall behind the beast.

  Good aim. Now let's finish it...

  Whirling around, Leo's tails, covered in the Kiss of Death, cut right through a couple of Voidlings that tried to use his short moment of distra. They fell to the ground, blood and gore spilling out of their severed halves.

  rick... To think something so blunt turn into the sharpest of bdes with just a single skill... Thanks Focused Bloodlust for the idea, I guess.

  With so many Voidlings dead in a matter of seds, only one more normie remained. Yet, us kin, the monster didn't charge towards its death.

  No... instead, the beast began to back off, oep after another, even as its crimson eyes remained glued to Leo's form.

  Yeah... I don't think so. He grinned, shadows surging from his body and coalesg into a long spear above his shoulder. Should have thought about running off sooner. With no further ado, the struct flew like a bullet, going right through the Voidling's torso and nailing it to the ground.

  The beast screeched, filing around like a fish out of water. However, before it could do anything else, Leo closed his fist and the shadow spear exploded into tens of tendrils, killing the Voidling on the spot.

  So much trol... I wasn't even sure if I could do that, but I guess I have my answer now. Gono run more tests ter on. There is so mutapped potential in my affinity now that my trol has skyrocketed...

  Leo shook his head, raising an open hand towards Cra, who was still perched upon the roof. No time for it now though. The is waiting.

  And so, with this thought in mind, Leo secured the area in front of the entrao the and waited for Cra to e down. Thankfully, just as the roved during their travel here, she was far from slow.

  "So what now?" Cra asked when Leo met her at the entrance. "We going in guns bzing, or y to be stealthy? You are an assassin, after all."

  Stealth, eh? Maybe if I had perfected the bination of True Stealth and my affinity, it could work... Without it though? No way. Not in this .

  "No use being stealthy here, especially not with you here," Leo expined with a sigh. "So unless you want to stay outside, we go in as we are... Besides, I bet those cats already know we're here."

  Cra tilted her head. "Huh, you're probably right. The Ameist y always reacts before we eve close to one of the entrances. Shouldn't be much different here."

  Nodding, Leo formed another solid shadow dagger. "Just in case," he said, handing it to Cra. "I have no idea how fast they disappear, so better to have more than one, hmm?"

  The woman slung her bow over her bad accepted the on without a word. She then uhed the ger Leo had given her and motioo the entrance.

  "Shall we?"

  "Just remember what I told you," Leo said, taking the lead. "Stay back, and don't attaything unless it attacks you first. Holden has sent you to observe, so do that and don't make my work any harder than it already is. Uood?"

  Cra grinned. "Aye, aye, Captain. And if anything happens, I will scream."

  Why do I have to deal with this human... Leo sighed, and out of nowhere, Hunter chuckled within his mind. You too? Really? Ah whatever? You are awake; that's all that matters... Be on guard. I have no idea what we are really stepping into.

  Hunter growled, and instantly, bloodlust seeped into Leo's veins, sharpening his senses just a bit.

  Thanks, this should be enough for now.

  Stepping into the familiar reception room, Leo paused in the middle and raised a hand to stop Cra from following. Essehered in his body, and he released it all at once, letting Hunter's Pulse wash over the building.

  Nothing... As expected.

  heless, Leo didn't move from his spot, his mutated eyes taking in all the shades of grey and violet across the room. "e on," he muttered, True Stealth disappearing with a thought. "I know you are here."

  Yet, once more, nothing answered his call.

  Are they scared? Pnning something? Leo frowned and motioned Cra to follow. The woman listened right away, bathing the entire reception in a soft blue light as her hand ignited with Essence.

  Huh, not how I wao do this. Though baiting thouse furballs out with Cra might be the only way… Guess I will just o be quick. Leo mused, and instead of following in Cra's steps, he summoned more shadows out, enveloping his body in a thin protective yer.

  With this dohe duo stepped into the first corridor, or a Vetilim tunnel would be a better name for it now. The walls and floor were utterly irregur and resembled the insides of Amiest's more than the warehouse building that stood here in the past...

  Still nothing. Leo furrowed his brow as they reached the entrao the main warehouse area. It was wide ope smaller than what a human would use for a door. They even had to crawl to fit through the opening…

  Well shit. His eyes widened as Leo gazed upoerior of the warehouse. He had seen some of this hrough the window back before the sed Cataclysm, but apparently, a lot had ged sihen.

  Some sort of byrinth? He pondered, sing the three different paths leading into the depths of the building. Vetilim and Corcera walls separated each of them, yet he had already spotted a hole here and there. Unfortunately, none of them were rge enough to fit a child, much less a grown-ass human...

  "I know I said to keep distaween us, but it might be best if you stick as close to me as you ," Leo whispered, still not moving from the crossroads. "That, or you go back. It definitely will be safer that way."

  Cra gulped visibly, sidering the offer as her eyes darted to the exit. However, in the end, she just gripped the shadow daggers harder and o him. "Lead the way."

  Leo grimaced but didn't say anything. He khis type of people, arguing wouldn't ge their mind. If she dies, it ain't my fault. Doubt Holden will uand that though...

  Fuelling a bit of Esseo Reinfort, Leo stepped onto the middle path. He had no idea if this was the right one, but they had to start somewhere...

  There! Leo shouted internally as a small figure darted out of the er of the path. The lone Shadow Tail hissed at them, barring its tiny fangs.

  Shadow Tail (Voidling) | Rank: F | LVL: 7 | Type: Shadow, Grace, Surface

  Only two levels more tha one I had seen. Not too bad, but there is something wrong here. There must be a reason why they didn't attack before.

  Yet, despite showing itself the Shadow Tail didn't attack. The beast just hissed again and ran deeper into the tunnel.

  "Weir-" Cra tried to mutter but fell silent as the Vetilim walls on each side stirred.

  About a dozen tendrils of the living Void burst out, going straight for them. Leo spun around faster thailim could move and cut right through the dark matter, oer another. o him, Cra ducked and sshed at her attackers, not giving in to such a weak trap.

  Good, maybe she won't be too useless after all. Leo huffed as the st tendril fell to the ground. And here I hoped that this could happen only during a Cataclysm. Fug great.

  From there, the duo delved deeper into the tuhey had to fight off a simir attack from Vetilim a few more times, but apart from a small cut here and there on Cra, the tendrils didn't pose any dao them.

  Unfortunately, a few mier, they reached the end of their path, a plete dead-end. Not even a single Shadow Tail decided to show itself this time.

  I really don't like this. Leo spoke to Huhe beast agreeing instantly. They chose to follow the path to the right this time, but just like before, no more Voidlings appeared. It was as if, apart from that single Shadow Tail, the was abandoned.

  No, that's nht. The System gave me the same message as any other time I had entered a ...

  "Leo?" Cra whispered quite loudly as they finished dealing with the test Vetilim attack. "Any idea what is going on? I was never inside a before, but this just seems wrong."

  "My thoughts exactly," Leo muttered back, keeping the pace of their walk. "I have an idea, but 't be sure till I..."

  Leo froze as he turned a er, and his eyes nded on the rge open area before him. Instantly, a chorus of hisses and screeches filled his ears, washing away the previous silence.

  So many...

  Leo narrowed his eyes, sing the tens of Shadow Tails jumping into an active Void Gate, oer ahe ones waiting for their tur him and Cra, probably feeling safe from their position. And not without a reason.

  Overlooking and guarding the evacuation was another Voidling. It stood as tall as a huge dog, its muscur legs tense as the beast growled at Leo. Crimson eyes tio gre while two long shadow tails swayed behind the monster.

  Well, well, well. If it isn't a kitty on steroids.

  Guarding Two-tailed Shadow (Voidling) | Rank: F+ | LVL: 12 | Type: Shadow, Grace, Surface, Special