Lenny was utterly spent after facing off with the Hive. He had dozens of horrible wounds littering his lean, muscular body. They were slowly healing though, so he only needed a few hours of rest if he wished to heal properly and completely. He wasn't the only one completely exhausted though...
Neither Sasha nor Lenny knew what Nyx had gone through inside the labyrinth, but it seemed like a lot. She was not as battered as the guant young man, but she was visibly tired — the dark circles under her eyes betraying the state she was in.
She was clearly suffering from severe essence deprivation, which could only imply one thing. She had overused her Ability.
They did not ask each other too many questions after the awkward encounter, deciding to rest for the night and recuperate. They needed to keep moving if they wanted to live, until help arrived at least...
Obviously, someone would need to keep watch for the night, while the others slept, and Lenny was not in a great physical state for such a task. Neither was Nyx for that matter, leaving only one candidate...
"...I'll do it. I'll stand watch tonight. Just... rest, I'll wake you up if something happens."
Nyx's voice was emotionless and even. Her current companions had clearly not expected her to say that, given the state she was in, but she insisted. So Lenny and Sasha gladly obliged.
Even though they had literally know each other for no longer than a few hours, Lenny was in no position to argue. He did not trust the new girl, yes, but he did no other choice. He would be dead either way, so he was first to fall asleep.
Sasha followed suit, and soon Nyx was left all alone.
She looked at the slumbering Commonalities beside her with a complicated expression, then turned to the dried blood and carcasses around them. There were dozens of Hive remains scattered across the uneven floor, some crumbled into dust after gods know what happened...
She did not feel comfortable about the fact that two Commonalities had taken out the Hive, and survived to tell the tale. No, scratch that... to casually chat about it. Yeah, that's the right way to describe it. But also on the other hand, Lenny did not seem like a normal Commonality either...
For starters, he was a lot older that her, or least he seemed to be. If Nyx had to guess, she would put him around 20 to 24 years old. He had a strong build that seemed to be tied to his Ability or innate Attribute or something. He also had said, he was a seasoned fighter with two years of battle experience...
Which could honestly mean a lot of things, considering he was still learning how to access the Weave, and thus his Abilities when... whatever happened, happened. That could imply a lot of things really. One, it could mean that he had been fighting abominations even before awakening. Two, it could also mean he had awakened years ago, but decided to refine his tier strength and build his soul core before accessing the Weave, for some reason...
Nyx turned to the overly enthusiastic young woman sleeping next to Lenny. Honestly, she wasn't too worried about the stranger, but her ability really caught her attention. It reminded her of something, something she felt like she was forgetting, something she should be able to remember, but could not.
And so her thoughts — as well as her emotions, were in chaos. That's one of the reasons why she decided the stand guard tonight, to gather her thoughts and decide on how to carefully proceed without getting herself killed. Not at all because of her trust issues...
If Nyx was honest with herself, she was quite glad to meet other Commonalities who were stranded just like she was. Even though there was no reason to be hostile toward her new companions, she could could not help but be. Life had taught her a different kind of lesson.
And that retarded ghoul she had far a father...
She sighed and drew on the Trace Rune, summoning the symbols describing her current situation. The more she looked at them, the deeper her frown became.
Name: Nyx
Title: Angel of Desolation
...
Essence: 118/2000
'I lost a lot of essence huh?..'
But that was alright. She was planning on going on a short hunt at dawn anyway. She had subconsciously decided a few hours ago that she would use the opportunity presented to her and grow beyond the expectations of her father.
Probably even more powerful than her father ever was. And Skysea Island was a perfect place for that. Everyone knew that the island had hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of creatures roaming around, waiting to be slain. Slaying a few hundreds would bring her closer to ascending to a Gentry, and forming a soul core.
'I wonder when that would be...'
She dismissed the symbols and stood up.
#
She had no idea what time it was, but undoubtedly, a few hours had passed. She could sense a few dozen a few abominations roaming around the labyrinth, but neither had seemed to notice them. That was a good thing, really, her exhausted ass was in no mood for battle.
She was in the mood for a short hunt though..
The brandished the obsidian horn on her hand — now painted crimson with dried blood. She paced around the spacious hall, inspecting the carcasses of the dead creatures with selective fascination. Some were interesting, while others were completely useless. After a short while, she decided to stick with her original makeshift weapon.
The original horn from the Stone Hide she had slew before. It had served her well in the past few hours, and would probably continue doing so, if she used it properly. She brandished her weapon a little more, trying to sharpen its tip, only to send a couple of parks flying around.
Someone else stired in his slumber but Nyx did not notice.
She continued with her preparations, and soon, she was ready. As ready as she could be at least. As ready as the situation allowed it. She was still exhausted though, having guarded the two strangers the whole night. But that was okay. She had planned to hunt the isolated and weak Incarnates, all while growing stronger in the process.
She strapped the horn definitely somewhere on her waist, and headed towards one of the entrances — or exits. Before she could take the third step, a voice suddenly resounded from somewhere behind her.
"Where are you going?"
She stopped and spoke without turning her head. Her voice was calm and even.
"How is that any of your business?"
Lenny remained quiet and said in a low, hesitant tone.
"That's... fair." he sat up straight and continued speaking. "I understand that but... don't you think it's a good idea for us to stick together? Until help arrives, that is."
Yes, the voice was from none other than Lenny, who had woke up at some point. But seriously, who wouldn't wake up to someone brandishing a stone horn..? Nyx looked over her shoulder and regarded the silent figure of Sasha, peacefully embraced by a deep slumber.
"I'm going hunting. We don't know when your so-called help will arrive, or if they'll even arrive for that matter. We need to survive in the meantime anyway. I'll go out and find food before this place is overrun by creatures."
She paused, then continued a moment later.
"You two can do whatever you want, I don't really care. You can wait for me, come with me, or leave... it won't really matter to me in the end."
A slight frown appeared on Lenny's face. He was genuinely confused by what the young lady was saying. Her words made little to no sense, but they were still harsh nertheless. He shook his head slightly, stood up and approached her.
"Such strong words young lady. Such strong words indeed."
He thought about borrowing the dagger from the slumbering young lady, but ultimately decided against it. He did not wish to wake her up either, even though her sleeping ass would be in danger if they left her sleeping all alone.
Comparatively, at the very least.
Nothing had come close to them all night, so they had to hope that nothing would approach her now that she was alone. Lenny was certain that the hunt would take no more than a few hours, two at most.
"I'm coming with you."
Hearing those words, Nyx turned to the sleeping beauty on the floor with the same detached expression, but said nothing in the end. Her silent question was obviously loud though...
So you'll just leave her here?
"You have no weapons."
Lenny smiled. "Not to sound cocky, but my fists are my..."
Before he could finish that sentence, a vague memory suddenly resurfaced in his mind. It was a memory of what he had heard from the Weave after slaying The Hive. He had been too battered and exhausted to care, but could not help but feel it was something important...
He suddenly turned to Nyx and grinned.
"Do you perhaps know how to summon an Item, a weapon to be specific..."