Actually, Luke's [Noiseless] attribute was bound to serve him really well during the entire journey. The only downside was the fact that he was still human, and the stench of his soul was enough to drive the creatures of Chaos into frenzy. Not a murderous one though, just an expression of their never-ending hunger.
It seemed like Adrian was somewhat Noiseless as well, in his own way of course. For one, he did not complain about the assault of the Noise even once, but that alone was not enough to prove that he did not constantly hear the maddening echoes...
But still, Luke felt like he was on to something. Adrian was definitely half Corrupted, or at least somewhat affiliated to Chaos and its creatures. So the creatures were his kin in some twisted way. Adrian had admitted himself that his Ability had nothing to do with his morbid Transformation, but had everything to do with healing.
Luke was inclined to believe him, he had no reason not to after all. He also witnessed his true Ability in action as well, more than a dozen times. Which meant he must have been telling the truth when he told Luke about receiving a second Ability from the Weave. It seemed a bit far fetched at first, then it made too much sense after...
If Luke's deduction was correct, the Weave did not award Luke a second Ability for slaying a Glitch, that has never happened before. Instead, it made what Luke was already able to achieve formal, public if you may. But what was Adrian already capable of achieving? How was he able to achieve that?
The answers to those questions were quite simple really. It was because of Corruption.
Another important detail Luke had noted during their conversation in the Cavern is that Adrian had opened his ears and listened before being devoured by the Remnant. What did he listen to in the last moment?
The Noise.
He must have listened to the Noise and succumbed to Corruption. More like surrendered himself to it in this case.
'Damn lunatic!'
Luke was able to fully recognize the creature Adrian transformed to everytime he shifted, a little later during their short battle with the Cliff Maw. Blue skin, protruding teeth, four arms... the creature was undoubtedly an Azure Beast. Even though Luke had never seen one before, it was the most common and basic creature there was, the weakest in the hierarchy. At the level of The Commonality, if you may...
Actually, it was considered the exact opposite of The Commonality. Suddenly a lot of things made sense! After Adrian became Corrupted, he automatically became the Beast closest to his Rank, an Azure one. That explains the stench of Corruption assaulted Luke everytime Adrian assumed the Azure form...
'Damn, this is all too much.'
Luke had so many questions, but he understood he had to respect Adrian's privacy, they were still strangers after all. But still... he wanted to ask how he had managed to fight off Corruption, how he was able to remain sane for so long, how painful it was to force his body to transform..
He calmed his face and suppressed a moan. They were still resting on top of the cliff, and Luke's mind was still in shambles because of his Ability. He had not used it once, but twice repeatedly without repose, so he was bound to feel exhausted to a long time. To his surprise though, he was feeling relatively fine. He did not know if his body was slowly getting used to the Ability, but he suspected that was the case.
He could very much continue traveling for another day or two, but Adrian did not need to know that. His head was still throbbing from the strain though, so he decided to remove all unnecessary thoughts and focus on recovering. He strained his neck to look at Adrian laying next to him.
Adrian was still motionless, staring at the sky with a distant expression. By the looks of it, forcing his body to transform took a toll on him too, so he was exhausted. He was awfuly quiet and detached, but that only made Luke was to know about him more. He must have noticed that Luke was staring because in the next moment, he suddenly turned to look back at him too.
And for a fleeting moment... Luke thought he finally saw a hint of vulnerability in his eyes, then replaced by something else... something deeper Luke could not really process. For a minute, everything was silent and peaceful. The silence was not heavy or oppressive, but laced with understanding and relativity.
Then suddenly, Luke cleared his throat and asked:
"You're Corrupted, aren't you?" He was quiet for a while, then added in a hoarse voice, "Partially, I guess."
Adrian looked at him silently for a second, the tenderness in his eyes vanishing subtly, replaced by a look of contempt. There look of disappointment on his face even, as if Luke had ruined a romantic moment or something. He turned to sky again, and respond with his usual emotionless voice.
"Technically, yes. I defeated the Remnant after surrendering myself to Corruption. But the Weave had something else in mind..." he continued, his voice suddenly solemn. "I've always wanted a Title you see, but I was not lucky enough to obtain it after awakening. When I defeated the Remnant though, the Weave awarded me with one. And that is how I was able to come back."
Luke did not really understand that last part, but he did not need to anyway. He already got the answers to his questions, and was satisfied. He was honestly glad that Adrian finally opened up to him, even though Luke himself wasn't a person of deep conversations. It comforted him because it meant Adrian was finally learning to trust him, and Luke had a feeling trust would come a long way in the situation they were in.
As Luke was busy contemplating that, Adrian suddenly startled him with an odd question.
"Are you afraid?"
Luke scoffed.
"Afraid of what?"
Silence...then—
"...afraid that I might lose control and devour you."
Luke lingered with the answer for a few long moments. He had decided long ago that he did not care if Adrian was Corrupted, but the question still startled him. That was not because he was having second thoughts, or because he was actually afraid, but because it was the exact opposite.
He felt safe and secure with Adrian, in ways he could not explain. He recognized something inside him, something that made his heart ache. Perhaps it had been that Adrian reminded him of his brothers or something, but Luke finally realized something fundamental.
Luke actually saw himself more in Adrian than he saw his dead brothers.
"No," Luke shifted slightly before continuing. "just promise not to leave here alone."
The answer escaped his lips before he could process a single thought. Even Adrian seemed startled by that statement. He quickly maintained his composure, and said in a flat tone:
"Sure, I won't."
That made Luke happy more than it should have.
#
Lenny's foot collided with a stone like monster, sending stone shards flying all over the place. Two more replaced it.
[You have slain an Anarchy Incarnate, the Stone Hide.]
He lunged to the next horde. At the same time, Nyx flashed the Mind Blade and decapitated a distressing nightmare. Some of the creatures they were familiar with, like the Stone Hide, Burrow Wretches, Hounds of sorts, and a lot more others. There were others predators they were not familiar with though..
Like the 2 meter tall creature with a humongous belly, and its kin. They had disposed of those creatures from the very beginning, well most of them at least. There were two still remaining, more fearsome than the rest. They barely paid them any attention though, letting them solve their own differences on their own.
They looked powerful, far too powerful for a Commonality to handle, but the laws of instinct and survival was also on their side. They all wanted to stop the Noise at all cost, but at the same time, they also craved the alluring and maddening stench of human souls. So they not only fought the two awakened, but also themselves as well.
That lightened the load on their shoulders a little bit, considering the fact dozens of abominations had fallen by the hands of their kin, and more were falling still. Lenny was still a menace in the battlefield though, and so was Nyx. She moved with precision and finesse, her strength and grace far outshine those of her equal rank.
Probably even Gentries, who knew.
Lenny would occasionally throw glances at her from time to time, to make sure she was fine, but it seemed she really did not need such child treatment. She was more than capable of taking care of herself, especially amidst a horde of abominations.