With Nyx at the front, they rushed into the tunnel, never even giving the Nightmares an opportunity to follow. Despite the active pursuit, the Voidlings were just too slow to act, or really too slow in general. A few days ago, the beasts still had a ake a feast out of them, but now, all they could eat was dust.

  This shows their power is more baowards Might and not Grace, like mine or Nyx's. Leo cluded, distant roars of Collecting in his ears. Scouters might be able to match us, but not in closed spaces like this.

  'Less thinking, more running!'

  He rolled his eyes at the feline as they sped into the mall's offices. He would never uand how she could go from bloodlust persoo worried mom in the span of a few seds. Although the unique circumstances of her birth might be at least a bit responsible.

  Yeah, this must be it. Sn, he dropped the ignited fre right in the middle of a corridor. The Nightmares were still far away, but he didn't want a repeat of the st time. Extermination of two s and oainted Wastend was enough fighting for one day.

  And so, without anyone on his tail, Leo sprinted into the st offi the right and jumped out of the hole in the roof. Along with Nyx, he settled at the edge of the Graveyerd's entrance, watg its dark insides for any movement.

  Yet nothing came. The Nightmares must have decided the chase wasn't worth it areated. A faly proved by the notification to appear.

  Nightmare Pursuit stopped. You live to fight another day. Warning! Wolford's Graveyard Alertness raised from Null to Low. Be careful in your approach.

  "Well... Seems like my pn to kill as many as we each time they go to sleep won't work," Leo frowned, standing up. "I k wouldn’t be that easy."

  'Your little experiment failed too,' Nyx decided to remind him unhelpfully.

  "I didn't expect it to work anyway," he waved her off. "Hell, it's better it didn't. Just imagine how dangerous creatures like Soullings would be if they could kill anything with a sirike, no matter the power difference."

  The feline winced. 'Terrifying,' she muttered. 'One wrong move, one sed of iion, and you're dead, no sed ces. You ever close your eyes or rest without the fear of losing your soul.'

  "Something like that," Leo nodded, looking into the distahough, all of this already applies to our lives. We're always taking risks, always walking on the fine liween life ah. This is how this world funs now. Not even a Safe Zone is truly safe."

  Nyx nudged him with her muzzle before he could go on aa. 'Your pessimistic side is showing again.'

  He chuckled, shaking his head. "You're right. Old habit, sorry... Anyway. Time to move on from this hell oh. I got what I wanted, and maybe with those few kills, the level might not be that far off."

  The feline hummed in agreement. 'Where to now? There's still some time before night es.'

  "Don't know about you, but I had enough excitement for one day. Not that there is anything else left for us in Wolford," he sighed. "We pretty much outgrew this pce... and man, that's not something I ever thought I would say."

  'So, safe zone?'

  Leo nodded. "Safe zone... Got to give Holden a heads-up about some of the stuff we did today," he raised a hand to stop Nyx from pining. "I know I don't o, but I want to. I lose nothing, and they might survive this shit thanks to the information I have."

  'Humans...'

  Once more rolling his eyes, he patted Nyx on the head. "Don't overthink it. That's just on deothing more... e. Enough chit-chat."

  "You did what?!" Cra shouted as they all, bar Frank, settled in their 'cil' room. The Fallen arently out, ing out the area and searg for supplies with a small group.

  Give me a break. Leo sighed, already regretting ing back here. "The Tainted Wastend and Ameist y are gone. I also destroyed the Soulli, but that's a bit more plicated."

  "I heard you the first time!" The redhead scowled, putting her head into her hands. "It was a rhetorical question. You just... I... Bloody fuck! I give up."

  'Is the human okay?' Nyx asked suddenly, and if he didn't know her better, he would have mistaken her curiosity for .

  Holy? Leo furrowed his brow, the mess before him. I'm just as lost as you are. I expected a bit of shock, happiness, and maybe even anger. Not... this.

  "Cra. Enough, please," Holden spoke up, exasperation dripping from his words. "I'm surprised too, but this isn't a reason to have a breakdow a hold of yourself."

  As if a flip switched ihe woman's head, she cleared her throat and chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry. I just... Well, you know what I mean."

  "Aye, I do," the older man sighed. "Now, Leo, it's not that we are ungrateful. But I still have to ask. Why? If what Frank told me is true, nothing in Wolford apart from Nightmares make you stronger."

  Huh. So they already know. He mused before shrugging lightly. "A few reasons, but mainly to test myself. I had to get used to my abilities again after the power boost I gaihree days ago. Though I wasn't sure if I even could destroy the Wastend, and like I said, the situation with Soullings is a bit more plicated."

  "Please eborate..."

  And just like Leo had already pnned, he expined everything he judged necessary. The part about Tainted Waste out first, as while important, it wasn't anything they couldn't e up with on their own. Only then did he follow up with everything about Soullings and simir monsters.

  Holden and Cra gave him a few weird looks when he presented a modified story about testing the ghost-like monsters on other Voidlings. Apparently, throwing o into another didn't sound normal to them. Who could have known?

  In the end, though, they listeo everything he had to say, sometimes dropping a question or two. Some remained unanswered, but her Holder nor Cra seemed to mind too much.

  "And that's pretty much it," Leo announced. "Oh, I also dropped by the Graveyard, but nothing really ged there. Just avoid that pce like a pgue, and you should be fine. With the way the Void spread there, we need much more firepower t it down."

  Holden gave a slow nod. "Thank you. Both for sharing all this information and clearing out the city. The s could have bee useful ter on, but it's not a real loss when danger surrounds us from every dire."

  "Yeah, the fewer s, the better," Cra smiled before a frown spread over her face. "I bet though that Frank won't be as happy about it. He po take a group for aermination tomorrow."

  "I wouldn't worry," Leo cut in. "If I learned anything about the Void in this short time, it's that it doesn't give up. Sooner or ter a new will pop out."

  Holden shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Frank pin as much as he wants. He will uand anyway... Now, Hale, I know we agreed only on absolutely necessary stuff, but this is a bit of an emergency."

  This I got to hear. He quirked an eyebrow. "Oh?"

  "There's no fighting involved," the leader expined. "We found a good amount of stru supplies in one of the nearby warehouses. The problem is that with what happened retly, I have almost no people to move it, at least the heavier stuff. We could wait a few days to get stronger, but Vetilim might e it all in that time."

  Leo almost gaped. Physical bor? Really?

  "We really . Please?" Cra added, begging with her gaze alone.

  "'t you like buy everything from Ether Shop if any of you have the right job?" He asked, still in part disbelief of their request.

  "Aye, we could," Holden nodded. "But I would rather not. We have to save Ether for sustenand other supplies we're missing. Please, Hale, I have a team ready to assist you in five minutes. It won't take lohan an hour at worst."

  Leo looked betweewo, ae not wanting to do this, he still felt some sort of camaraderie towards them and a few others in this group.

  "Alright. I will bite, but only this once."

  'Had fun?'

  Leo scowled, lying ft on the Safe Zone's roof. "Don't even start it. I'm warning you."

  'It's not my fault you wao help the humans. What was it you called it? Ah yes, on decy,' Nyx sniggered.

  "Yes, yes. Very funny," he muttered. "Now, if you don't mind, I have better things to do."

  'What? More bor?'

  "No," Leo grumbled, summoning the System's interface. "This"

  Mutation: Mineion (Gamma Tier)Death is always waiting around the er, ready to hurl you into the Abyss at a moment's notice. So why not make it wait a little bit longer? Maybe even forever?Effects:Healing speed doubled. You now require less sleep to fully recover your strength. Lifespan slightly lengthened.

  Requirements: 1000 Ether, 2 Hearts eor-Type level 15+ beasts.