Shadow: Creation (Novice)A teique born thanks to the User's relentless practid the will to improve. Creation is the base of anything in the Universe, and now the shadows are ready to be borhis teique improves the quality of shadow structs and the speed at which they are created. Please hat currently, all creations have to be stantly ected to a source, the User.

  The moment Leo finished reading, the hook in his hand dispersed into the air along with the notification. Instantly, he reached for this eique, and it answered right away, shadows surging toward his palm once more.

  Leo still had to give them a purpose, but the moment they received it, shadows verged into the exact image he had given them. It happened almost in a blink of an eye, and unlike his previous creations, the dagger in his palm wasn't just an amalgamation of shadows in a shape of a bde, but it really resembled a real on.

  Sure, it possessed the bd inky texture of shadows. It even oozed a mist simir to the ohat Shadow Tails exuded, but it was as hard as any other on Leo had ever held. The grip was wrong, but that was more of his evolution's fault than the structs'.

  So much faster than before... Leo marveled, resummoning the bde again. And it still be improved. Hell, I might be able to create proper projectiles with this ter on.

  A ratack Leo could depend on was ahing he wao create, but simple projectiles could be a good starting point. I could also try adding the nature of shadows into True Stealth. Seems like an obvious step forward if I want to improve it.

  Yet before the thoughts of advang his skill could e his mind, Dyn's hushed voiapped him back to reality. "Everything alright there, d? Gotta be ho, that grin of yours was a bit disturbing. I swear, those teeth of yours could probably tear through bone."

  Not sure if this was a pliment or not, Leo just snorted. "Doubt it, but I don't really fancy finding out," he said, flipping the stru his hand. "And it's all good. I just finally gained a teique for my affinity."

  Dyn's eyebrows shot up as he ied the bde in Leo's hand. "That's made out of your shadows, innit?" The man hummed in respoo the firmation. "Huh... So how does it feel like?"

  Blinking, Leo looked up at the mage. "Gono be more specific, man. What exactly do you mean?"

  Really, the older man could be referring to pretty muything. Be it affinity, teique, or even his evolution overall.

  Thankfully, Dyn was quick to crify. "Ah, sorry about that. I was askin' about your affinity. I mean, I summon a single spark of lightning and have some trol over it, but I 't even imagine what it must feel like to have a whole cept under your and."

  Leo frowapping his cws against the floor. "Entire cept might be stretg it a bit... I'm limited by the Essence I have, after all. But how does it feel..." He tsked, letting a swirl of shadows jump into his hand.

  Leo didn't really have much time to give it much thought. True, his trip into the soulscape gave him a unique read of his Essend affinity, but if he had to expin it…

  "It is hard to put into words, but if I had to choose one, exhirating would be it. For me, shadows act like an eager dog, waiting to fulfill my every and. Really, in parison to normal Essence, affinity is quite simple to trol. You are just limited to what it do."

  He could probably say more, repeat what Nikra had told him, but that sort of information seemed like something fresh survivors shouldn't have. And Leo didn't faning up with a story on how he already khis much…

  Finally, Dyn nodded, his eyes still fixated on the stru Leo's hand. "Iing... And any clue on how one could go about gettin' an affinity?"

  A few, you even have a headstart with that lightning teique. Leo said in the safety of his mind, yet he didn't dare to speak those words out loud. Soulscape was a cept far beyond anything people like them should have access to. Still, there was something he could say.

  "Doubt it will help you much as you o unlock mutations, but if you ever do, you buy affihere," Leo expined before adding quickly. "Or you always try experimenting with that teique of yours. The System might do the rest. "

  "Mutations, you say?" Dyn's face twisted slightly, his gaze sing over Leo's body. "I re I'll stick to good old-fashioned experimentation. No offense, mate."

  Leo snorted. "aken. I made my choices, have to live with them."

  Dyn nodded and opened his mouth to speak, but theated, as if pting his words. However, it didn't take long for the man to break his silence. "Do you mind sharin' how you acquired your affinity?"

  Ah... Now it makes sense. Leo mused, stopping his body from shifting under Dyn's gaze. He should have expected this question to e up sooner or ter.

  "There is not much to say there," Leo lied through his teeth. "I only have an affinity thanks to the sed Cataclysm and a whole load of dumb luot something you exactly replicate."

  At least this part was true, but he had to leave it at that. Nikra, her shards, and story had to remain a secret for probably quite some time. The Loraveler was right about that, for sure.

  "I'd love to hear the tale hidin' behind that, but let's save it for aime," Dyn suggested, giving him an easy way out. "I'll go wake up Tyler now. My old bones are beggin' for some rest."

  Chug, Leo raised a hand, stopping the man from leaving. "Before you go. Do you mind answering two questions of mine?"

  Dyn quirked a single eyebrow as he leaned against a wall. "Not at all. Go on, d."

  "Your race, Awakened Human, do you guys also get two free attributes per level?" Leo began, and the older man nodded right away. "Hmm. So there isn't much differeween Awakened and Tainted Human except for the trait. Pretty obvious in hindsight..."

  He shook his head before he went off on another random ta. "And what about evolutions? Have any of you reached the requirements of one?"

  "Aye, Tyler did right before we had to go into hidin', and I need awo kills to unlock it," Dyn firmed, gng at the younger man. "It ain't anythin' special. Even the name doesn't ge."

  Leo's brow furrowed. It didn't have a new name. Now that was something to ask Nikra about when she woke up. "But it is better, right?"

  Dyn nodded firmly. "Of course. Three more attribute points, slightly better trait, and aen pert to Mind effectiveness. All in all, not too shabby."

  So very simir to Risen Human that I got. Maybe even the same depending on what trait it gives. Leo noted as he rose to his feet. "Thanks, Dyn. Go on and wake Tyler. I think I will see if there is anything iing upstairs."

  That was the official reason. In truth, he just didn't want to be in the same room as Tyler without a buffer. Leo had already told them all he could for now, and he doubted that the warrior would miss this opportunity to grill him some more. Truly it was for the best.

  "Just watch yourself," Dyn warned abruptly. "The first floor's mostly wrecked, but there are a fes in the walls of the one room you still reach. I re I don't o tell ya what'll happen if them bloody Nightmares catch sight of ya."

  "Don't worry," Leo waved him off, approag the entrao the corridor. "I would be long dead if I didn't know how to stay hidden. Kind of a necessary skill for an assassin."

  With that said, Leo stepped into the darkness. A small ball of crimson light quickly formed in his raised hand, illuminating the short passage with a dim glow.

  Taking a sharp left, Leo climbed the destroyed stairway, his cws digging into both Vetilim and wood. The eructure groaned almost silently underh his weight, but at least it didn't colpse any further. Dyn definitely didn't lie about the first floor being in a sorry state.

  Could have been worse. Leo thought as he slipped into the only open room on the floor. It was small, and he had to watch his every step, but just like the mage said, plenty of tiny holes littered the room's walls. Though, only the ones opening oreet below ied him.

  "Let's see," Leo muttered, True Stealth enveloping him like a bhe light in his hand flickered out, and he moved forward, pausing just a step away from a small hole.

  Leaning in, his eyes instantly zeroed in oreet, lightly illuminated by the glow of Void's flora. Darkness still mostly ruled over this part of the world, but at least thanks to those few pnts, Void's living matter, and Leo's slightly enhanced eyesight, he could still see.

  I really want to find a pce where everything glows like that. Would be a sight to see... Leo mused, sing the road for any signs of movement.

  There.

  Almost out of sight, at the beginning of an interse, a creature sat glued to a tree. Simir to the Collector, the beast's cracked skied the same uhly, dark violet glow.

  Apart from that, with such a distaween them, Leo could hardly make out the Voidling's exact features. Although, if he had to describe it, a legless monkey with bat’s wings summed up the creature quite well.

  Scouter (Nightmare Voidling) | Rank: E- | LVL: N/A | Type: Nightmare, Aerial, Wind

  So that's what Hunter's adva gave me. Leo nodded, quickly reag for the Bestiary. He finally added the first Nightmare to the book. Now to see if it had any useful information.

  Raightmare Voidling | Subspecies: ScouterExpected Potential: E- to Eon of choice: Cws, WindKnown weaknesses: Closed areas, WingsOne of the few Nightmares born with a new Outbreak. Despite their size and appearance, Scouters are quid dexterous. They prefer to fight in opeo utilize their wings and very minor wind affinity. With their highly enhanced senses, Scouters usually roam the Night in search of targets and then tact Collectors for a pick-up. They are also capable of alerting all nerby Nightmares if necessary.

  Oh fuo!

  Leo jumped away from the hole as if burned, eyes wide. He had wao wait for a Collector to show up and s it too, but with what he had just read, there was no way in hell he was risking it.

  Highly enhanced senses... Yeah, fuck that.

  As quickly as he could, Leo retreated to the floor below. Entering the living room, he shushed Tyler when the man opened his mouth to speak. They had been lucky enough that the Scouter was far away and didn't hear his talk with Dyn…

  With Tyler silent for the moment, Leo went from dle to dle, putting out their tiny fmes. He only grabbed the st oill burning, and approached the warrior, True Stealth colpsing momentarily.

  "I took a peek outside through a hole," Leo whispered as quietly as he could. "There is a Nightmare close by with its seuned up to eleven. Don't speak, don't even move too much."

  Tyler nodded right away, his entire body stiffening. Leo couldn't even fault the man as the moment True Stealth came back, he dropped o the warrior, the single dle between them going out.

  And that was how they spent the entire night. Almost frozen like two sbs of stone, refusing to move even a muscle. Tyler didn't even attempt to wake someone up to ge the watch. The warrior just sat there, his gaze raying far from the entrao the room, even if his eyes probably couldn't see a thing in this darkness.

  Void... I fug hate those Nightmares...

  Chaos65