Leo crouched on yet another Vetilim-covered roof, his hand coming to rest upon the living matter. Essence slipped out of his soul with barely a thought, the crimson pulse over the entire building and the area below. It returned faster than ever, even bringing back the energy he had used on the skill. No new information, though.
Empty, like all the others. Only Voidlings and no signs of ordinary life. Leo sighed, rising to his feet.
Despite wanting to return to the Safe Zone as fast as possible, he decided to make a small detour and fulfill his promise to Ava. Not that it was the only reason for the delay. After all, no matter what deal he had made with Holden, there was no real trust between them yet.
Such things took time to build up. And so, Leo didn't want to show up at the Safe Zone until most of his bones stopped screaming in pain with every move.
Paranoid? Definitely, but taking precautions like this was necessary to survive in this messed-up world. It was either that or risk ending up with a few arrows between his eyes.
Happy thoughts... Happy thoughts. He snorted and looked around the small neighborhood again. He had already searched Ava's old home in and out, then scanned the entire area, hoping to find any survivors.
Without success, of course. Only Voidlings, corpses, and more Voidlings waited for him around those parts of Wolford. That said, even though he didn't find any remnants of Ava's family, their fate was quite obvious based on the sheer number of monsters walking through the streets here.
That is, if they were even here to begin with, he thought, frowning as he watched tens of Voidlings wander the road below. Could have escaped in the beginning and joined another group, as unlikely as it sounds.
Shaking his head, Leo pushed those thoughts away. Wondering about what-ifs and maybes wouldn't achieve anything. Not now, not ever. Besides, with the pain in his chest turning into an annoying ache, it was high time to return to the Safe Zone.
I did what I could for now, Ava. Hope it will be enough, he thought, and jumped on the closest Vetilim web, a new destination set. I have an hour at best before the Night comes. Have to hurry.
His initial plan for the way back had been to visit a few more places, the Tainted Wasteland and Shadow Tail Nest being the main pit stops. He thought of going there even in his injured state, but once Hunter dragged back a certain memory about the former place, he reconsidered.
Even if he was stronger now and didn't have another death wish, approaching the Wasteland still sounded like a dumb idea in his current state.
To think my bloodthirsty side has more common sense than I. Ironic. Leo huffed, sprinting across rooftops and Vetilim platforms. I swear, this is all yours and Nikra's fault.
Hunter snickered. 'We. One.'
Screw you. I liked you more when you couldn't use normal words.
The beast only laughed louder.
Good, they took everything, Leo noted, stopping at the familiar clearing in the forest behind the Safe Zone. Nothing remained here after the corpses he had gathered before venturing out. Well, almost nothing. The smears of blood and the few torn-off limbs lying here and there were quite hard to miss.
Must have happened during the transport. Or something else came here and ate all the bodies. Just the thought alone pulled a grimace on his face. Yeah... Let's hope not. I don't want to know what could have eaten such a big pile this quickly and without Drain or some similar ability.
With one last look at the clearing, Leo sprinted toward the Safe Zone, summoning the scarves out of his soul. He quickly covered his head and pulled his hood up. He didn't like hiding, but Holden was right.
No reason to spread panic due to his appearance alone.
All right, Holden, let's see if you kept your word, he thought, raising his hand and knocking on the warehouse's back door. At first, only silence met his call, but then the entrance opened just wide enough for a familiar face to appear in the gap.
"It's you," the man murmured, opening the door a bit wider.
Leo tilted his head. "Evan, right? Holden clued you in?"
The leather-clad man nodded. "Wait here for a moment. I will get Tony." Without even a warning, Evan shut the door, leaving Leo alone on the other side.
Rude. He snorted. At least Holden didn't back out. That would have been a pity.
Time passed, maybe a minute or five, before the door opened once more. This time, Holden stood in the entrance, changed out of his armor. Although the same crimson blade still hung at his side.
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"You came," the man stated the obvious. "With the night around the corner, I thought I would have to wait until tomorrow. Glad I was wrong."
"Yeah, yeah." Leo waved him off, knowing they were on the timer. "Gonna let me inside? We better hurry if you don't want me to stick around after dark."
"Aye, you're right." Holden nodded, stepping out of the way. "Come, Hale, and don't look around too much. We have people in the warehouse who aren't aware of you. I would like it to stay that way for now."
Leo shrugged but didn't argue as he followed the leader inside. They really didn't have time for unnecessary bickering.
Soon, they entered the same room where he had met Ava and took a seat on opposite sides of the table. This time, no one accompanied them, leaving the duo to speak freely.
"Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Did you find my people? Anything?" Holden asked.
Leo shook his head. "I followed almost the exact path you gave me, but no one was there. Or at least no one I could see. Maybe they will still return, but I wouldn't count on that. Not with what I found."
Holden frowned. "Elaborate."
"Wolford's mall got turned into a Graveyard, with capital G. The place is even recognized by the System under such a name, but it didn't want to give me any more info without going in."
"I take it you did exactly that," Holden stated more than asked.
"Yeah, and almost died," Leo said, grimacing a bit. "That place is a bloody breeding ground for Nightmares. Much worse than the Nests I have seen... Corpses hanging from the ceilings, with dozens of those monsters sleeping on the ground. A hell on earth."
Of course, he didn't stop explaining at that. No, he also described in detail how he discovered the existence of a third type of Nightmare. Monsters with the potential to become even more dangerous than Collector and Scouter combined.
"Bloody hell," Holden cursed at the end, running a hand through his long hair.
Leo snorted. "That was my reaction, too, just more colorful. Well, at least until one of those bastards decided to wake up and give me a heart attack."
"But you escaped. How?"
"Had a headstart, a few Ether Flares, and I'm fast," Leo pointed out. "Not that it stopped one of the Collectors from following me out of the mall. That's where I almost died, not inside."
Even though Holden probably tried his best to keep most emotions from showing on his face, his eyes still widened a bit. "They can go outside during the day? We thought there must be a reason for their nocturnal nature, but if what you say-"
"I wouldn't worry too much," Leo cut him off. "You're right. There is a reason they don't walk around during the day, and that's because they literally can't. Or at least not for long... Sunlight burns them. In a matter of two minutes, barely anything remained of the Collector that followed me."
"That's... good." Holden took a deep breath, his expression turning cold again. "We are nowhere ready to face Nightmares."
"No one is."
The leader nodded. "Aye... So the mall is out. Not good, not good at all."
No need to tell me that. Leo sighed. The mall really seemed like the best place for a Safe Zone, but the universe evidently had different plans. What's new?
"You need to tell everyone to stay away from that place," he pointed out before Holden could change the subject. "Nightmares are one thing, but after I got out, the System gave me some information about the Graveyard. A similar amount to what Identify gives you when used on a Voidling."
Holden looked at him pointedly, so he elaborated. "It mentioned something about Corruption and it being only in the first stage. I have no idea what it means exactly, but in my opinion, no one should even come close to that building. Better to be safe than sorry."
The older man nodded after a moment. "I'll do that. Nobody will even think of it once I mention Nightmares. All of us here have seen those beasts, and no one wants to face them." He paused for a few seconds. "As much as it pains me to say it, with the mall out of the question, nests are our only choice left."
"There are two that we know of, not including the Ameists," Holden continued. "The first is in the old church. You should know which one, you worked near it after all... Can't tell you what it houses, but the System calls them Soullings."
Leo grimaced. Nothing with 'soul' in its name could be an ordinary monster. Besides, the area around the church was quite populated. Not the best place to move a group to if they were to survive.
Thus, he decided to ask. "And the other?"
"It's in the area where every damn company has a warehouse. It's a home to some strange mutation of cats, Shadow Tails."
"I know this one," Leo commented. "Been there a few days ago and even fought against a few. If you want my opinion, this is a good place to start. Unless you have other ideas."
Holden shook his head. "No, and Clara and I've thought the same. That warehouse should be much safer than the church, and I would rather not have my people live near the middle of the city... Now, are you still willing to help?"
Stupid question. As if I would leave Adam's and Ava's safety in your hands now that I have found them, Leo thought before saying out loud. "I am. And if you want, I might be able to clear the nest alone."
This earned him a raised eyebrow. "Oh?"
"It's quite simple, really." Leo grinned, raising his hands. Instantly, two long blades of shadows formed above them. "You see, normally, those cats can be quite annoying to fight against thanks to their use of shadow affinity... I don't have such a problem."
Holden swallowed visibly and muttered. "So Tyler didn't lie about this."
Leo rolled his eyes. Of course he was the one to reveal everything I could do. Why am I not surprised?
"So?" He asked when Holden refused to say anything else.
The man blinked. "Forgive me, got lost in thought... As for the nest... Are you sure you can do it?"
"No," Leo replied right away. "A lot could have changed since I've been there. That's why I will go there tomorrow and test the waters. If going solo proves too hard, I will come back. Then, we can go with whatever plan you already have or will have."
"I can work with that." Holden nodded. "Just have one request for you... I would like someone to go with you tomorrow. Not to fight, but observe the nest. I want to know how they function inside and outside."
Leo narrowed his eyes, not really liking the idea. Unfortunately, he also didn't really have a good reason to disagree. The leader could send someone there even without his agreement. No reason to worsen their fragile alliance.
He sighed, looking up. "Fine. But make sure they stay out of my way... Also, I won't slow down for them."
"That's not a problem," Holden answered. "Clara can handle herself and will catch up if necessary."
Her? Really? You want me to kill her or what? Leo grumbled. "Whatever... Now tell me, how is Adam?"