The port was crammed with bodies, each person hiding beneath the shade provided by the massive closed sails of the docked ship, blocking the afternoon sun and offering some escape from the humidity. It seemed plenty of people had the same idea as Ethan. Now that the murder mystery had been solved, plenty of adventurers wanted out. After being cooped up for a week, Ethan couldn't blame them. Hell, he was just as eager.
He was back in his full plate, which was drawing considerably less attention than before. After the whole debacle with Ally and her accomplice, he had become a hot topic in the small town, especially when combined with the fact that he had cleared the dungeon and been the first person to do so. Fortunately, that had been pushed under the rug a little. Either way, he had managed to keep his armored persona separate. Putting it on while he was in the dungeon and removing it whenever he left had made the whole thing work out rather well.
Of course, that wouldn't be the case if someone with an inspection skill had used it on both of his identities, but that was simply a gamble he had to take. It was also one of the reasons he hadn't returned to the armorer's shop. That, and the fact that he had killed the man's daughter. Even if she deserved it, he didn't exactly want to see the grieving father. Despite holding no guilt over what he had done, the thought of taking a child away from their parent didn't sit particularly well with him. So he decided it was much easier to avoid the entire situation, board the ship, and get the hell out of there. Better to leave the cleanup to the detective and the Broken Dawns.
He moved forward in the line, his ticket ready for inspection. After a while longer it was finally his turn. He handed the ticket over to the young man waiting and boarded the ship. He took one last look at the pines. The town was hidden somewhere within their depths, likely in a state of recovery as they dealt with putting the pieces back together. For Ethan it was quite simple. Human greed knew no bounds. He had seen it time and time again. This was simply a reminder. It had shown him once again that although he was trying to save humanity, trying to get as many people through the trials as he could, perhaps not everyone deserved it.
However, who was he to judge that? It was something he had thought about constantly as he made plans to establish a new guild, and it was something he would continue to debate. But one thing was for sure. Humanity needed better protection. They needed somewhere to fall back to. They needed someone to look to when times were hard. Ethan knew he was woefully lacking when it came to being that figure. That stage belonged to people like the Sage, like Bjorn, and plenty of others. He still b;elieved he didn't need to be that person, that he didn't have the qualities required. He had seen too much, done too much. But he could be the person who made sure those figures had the best possible chance to lead humanity. That had been his goal all along. He wasn't a knight in shining armor there to save the day whenever things got tough. That had never been who he was. He was the person who would protect those shining figures.
The ship pulled away from the docks as people rushed along the deck preparing the vessel. Ethan watched the pines as they slowly disappeared into the distance. The trip had been fruitful, even if he had stayed far longer than he initially intended. Though he hadn't gained as many levels as he had hoped for, he had definitely grown more powerful. Unfortunately, that power came with a cost, as did all things in life. He could still feel the price he had paid. It lingered in his body like a burn that had settled but still stung whenever he moved. No matter. It was just another obstacle to overcome. He moved along the ship until he reached the upper viewing deck. From there, he sat down and felt the mana around him before pulling it into his core.
The only way [WorldFire] would work was if he had a powerful enough body and enough mana to handle the skill's requirements. The only way to achieve that was to advance his cultivation. So he settled once more into meditation, eager to push his core to the cusp of advancement. While meditating, he focused on the implanted knowledge that had entered his mind. It was time to sift through the information and learn as much as he could about the skill and mana itself.
The thought left him excited. This was all new territory. There was so much to learn and do. Ethan was ready to fill in the gaps in his knowledge. With that in mind, he got to work. Sitting beneath the afternoon sun as the ship sailed through the air, he took a breath and reached for the ambient mana. As he fell deeper and deeper into meditation, time slipped by. It wasn't long before his concentration was broken as he felt the ship begin to slow.
Ethan opened his eyes just as Nexus came into view. He stood, releasing the ambient mana, and moved to the rail to watch the approach. Nexus truly was massive, something made obvious by the size of the island stretching beyond the horizon. The sailors shifted into position, ready to throw their ropes and dock the massive ship. Ethan let out a breath as he watched them secure the vessel and lower the plank. Leah had left a few choice words in his Farscribe book, so it was with a sense of dread that he walked down the plank and stepped back onto Nexus.
—~~—
Bella moved through the streets of Nexus. People were rushing around like a school of fish, following the same currents. She kept to the shadows. It was a stark difference to the desert she had grown accustomed to. Having spent nearly two years on the level, she was glad to be moving on. But this might be a tad too much. She slinked through another shadow, moving towards the Broken Dawns guild, where she had been told Ethan and his sister liked to visit.
Of course, she had his details in her Farscribe book. She could easily message him to meet up, but not before she gathered more information. Besides, it was her job to check on all the guilds and make a detailed report anyway. Broken Dawns just so happened to be the closest one, so she would check there first.
Finally, the guild became visible. It was in a skyscraper. She paused in an alley and looked up at the building. It still blew her mind how all this could be so civilised. How a city could be waiting for them to occupy. Whatever these trials were, they definitely didn't spare any expense. Who would have so much set up for the sake of it after all? And why the hell did they even care if humanity joined them?
Bella looked for a little longer. People were coming and going from the building. It was far busier than she had imagined. She scoffed and felt for the shadows surrounding her. This would be a fun challenge. She called on [Shadow Realm], the skill answering eagerly as it embraced her. She fell into it, her world altering into muted shades as the noise dimmed and bent. After a moment she found her footing. The smoke-like ground of Nexus wafted upwards as she began moving towards the guild.
A deep roar echoed through the realm. She looked towards the path, only to see a massive shadow monstrosity. The shadow creature looked at her for a moment, four of its arms lowering to the ground as it returned to crouching, resting on all six limbs.
If Bella had seen the shadow creature a year ago, perhaps she would have grown frightened and tried to escape or left the realm entirely. She still remembered her first dive after all. Now though, she looked at the shadow creature with the fondness one might have for a pet. It reminded her of her cat, Jingles. It twisted its head nearly one hundred and eighty degrees before bounding back down the road. She watched for a moment and noticed all the other shadow life in the distance.
"I wonder what happened to Jingles..." she muttered, turning back to the building and entering it.
She had thought about that far too often in the earlier days until finally she settled on the comforting thought that Jingles was out there somewhere, eating all the helpless mice he could get his paws on.
That brought a smile to her face until she realized she couldn't stay in the realm much longer. She could feel the real world pulling her back, forcing her to return. She needed to find somewhere fast. The door to the elevator opened, so she rushed forward. She could see the silhouettes of whoever was in the guild. She had no plans of popping up amongst them. Luckily, the people exited the elevator just as she slipped in and the doors closed.
The Shadow Realm disappeared around her as she let the skill fall away. She looked at the options on the panel before settling on the top floor. That would be where information waited. The numbers above the door continued to flicker as the elevator ascended. She got ready to cast [Shadow Realm] again.
As the doors opened, a guard stood there looking into the elevator. Bella slipped past him with the grace of a predator. Ahead she could see the doors to the guild master's office. She slipped inside and looked around the space. Though she was in the Shadow Realm and couldn't see in colour, she could tell the wide pane of glass looked out over the city. It must have been a breathtaking view, though that hardly mattered. The office was empty, so she made her way to the desk before pulling the drawers open and beginning to look through the documents.
She was reading reports on other guilds when the doors opened and two people walked in. She paused where she was crouched, her breath catching even though she knew she was hidden. Luckily, they walked to the side of the room and sat on a sofa. If they had come any closer there was a chance she would be sensed, depending on how powerful they were.
They were currently mid-discussion, so she put the documents away and closed the draw, before moving to the farthest corner of the room where the shadows were thickest and listened in.
"That boss fight is insane. Do you think we should run it again?" a man asked, though she couldn't see any features, only a silhouette.
"I don't know. I'm kind of sick of it. Besides, we've gotten enough levels from it anyway."
"I guess. Then what do you want to do next? You know Tomas will want you to keep levelling."
There was a slight pause while the other person considered the question. Bella missed half of his reply as a giant flying shadow creature smashed into the pane of glass. She let out a small yelp in fright before slapping a hand over her mouth. The shadow creature was looking directly at her. She shooed it away and looked back at the men.
"Did you hear that?" one of them asked.
Bella looked to the door, cursing the bird. Luckily, just as she was about to make a run for it, the other man continued.
"Hear what?" He looked around the room. "You still paranoid from the Labyrinth?"
"Must be... As I was saying, he cleared it so I don't see why we can't."
The deeper voice sighed. "What's your problem with him? Just leave it."
"I don't have a problem. He just thinks he's better than everyone."
A voice came from the door she hadn't even heard open.
"Leave it alone, Marcus."
One of the men stood from the couch. "Guild Leader. It's good to see you, sir."
"I'm just saying," the other man continued. "I think we could clear it. Give me another level or two and I'll show you."
The guild leader began moving to the desk. Bella dared not move. She couldn't feel any sort of power from the man, but from her prior research she knew he was an extremely strong individual.
Tomas walked behind the desk and sat in the chair before resting his feet on the desk. "That's actually why I called you two here. How is Leah doing?"
"She's great, sir. Fantastic, in fact."
"Good. Ethan will be arriving at the docks later today. I expect you to be on your best behaviour, Marcus. And make sure Leah only has good things to say about you both."
"She does anyway," the man replied. Bella assumed he was Marcus.
She looked to the door once more. It was time to get out of here. She had gotten enough information. Best not to try her luck, especially with the guild leader here. As she crept from the shadows, a chill ran down her spine as she realized the guild leader was looking directly at her. She stopped moving immediately and held her breath, hoping that somehow helped.
After a second, he looked back to the two men.
"Just behave."
Bella slipped out of the room, her heart thumping in her chest. It seemed there were some powerful people around after all. She exited the guild and moved back into the alley before letting [Shadow Realm] slip off her for the third time.
She looked towards the other guilds, where more information awaited. Then down the path towards the docks, before slipping into the flow of traffic.