The appearance of the Godslayer's Edge changed everything. It was not just a weapon; it was a key. A key to a door Yrauos hadn't even fully seen yet. The System's new mission was a declaration of war, not just on Gorehorn, but on the very state of his existence. He would not be a performing animal, dancing for Tarik's profit and Lyra's safety. He would be a ghost.
The plan formulated in his mind with the cold clarity of Grieremir's ninety years of infiltration and exfiltration. It was audacious. It relied on precision, timing, and a healthy dose of the chaos his bloodlines could provide.
His next fight was in two days. It was not against Gorehorn, but another mid-tier brawler. It would be his stage for escape.
When the day came, he was ready. He had spent every waking moment in a trance of preparation. He circulated Essence until his Crude Core hummed. He practiced the Shinobi Kata until the movements were as natural as breathing. He meditated on the Godslayer's Edge, which he had hidden beneath the loose stones of his cell floor. The 1% Synchronization was little more than a faint awareness of the blade's location, but it was a start.
The walk to the arena was different this time. He didn't feel like a lamb to the slaughter, but a wolf about to be unleashed into a flock of sheep. The crowd's roar was the same, but to his ears, it was now just noise, a distraction to be used.
His opponent was a hulking boar-like demi-human, all tusks and brute force. The announcer hyped the fight, playing up Yrauos's "miraculous" victory over Grond.
The boar-man charged, much like Grond had. But Yrauos was no longer the same boy.
He didn't dodge. He met the charge.
Using the Adept-level Footwork principles ingrained in the Shinobi Kata, he sidestepped at the last possible second, his body a blur of controlled motion. As the boar-man thundered past, Yrauos's hand shot out. A Bone Claw, sharp and precise, extended from his knuckles not to maim, but to sever the leather strap holding the brute's crude iron shoulder-plate in place.
The crowd gasped, confused. This wasn't a killing blow. It was... surgery.
The boar-man, enraged and off-balance, spun around. Yrauos was already moving, not towards the center of the arena, but towards the reinforced wooden wall that separated the sand from the first row of spectators.
"Hey! Get back here, you little rat!" the boar-man bellowed, giving chase.
This was the moment. The distraction.
Yrauos reached the wall. He didn't try to climb it. Instead, he placed both hands on the rough-hewn timber and reached deep within.
Infernal Convergence.
He didn't try to unleash a firestorm. He focused all the volatile, unstable energy into a single, concentrated point in his palms. The System mission had said "Unseal," and he would force the issue. He visualized a detonation contained, a shaped charge.
A sphere of white-hot plasma and concussive force, no larger than a grapefruit, bloomed between his hands and the wood.
KABOOM!
The explosion was deafening. The reinforced wall, designed to withstand charging beasts, splintered into a thousand shards. A wave of heat and force threw spectators back from their seats and sent the boar-man stumbling.
Chaos. Perfect, beautiful chaos.
Screams replaced cheers. Smoke filled the air. Through the newly created hole, Yrauos saw the terrified faces of the rich and noble, the world beyond the Pit.
He didn't hesitate. He leapt through the breach.
Alarms blared. Guards shouted, but they were unprepared, focused on containing the panic within the stands.
[New Mission: 'The Unwanted Heir' - UPDATED]
[New Objective: Escape the Crimson Pit. Evade Capture.]
[Reward: 1000 EP. Unseal: Infernal Convergence (Common). Soul Gear Synchronization +5%.]
He was a small, fast shadow in the chaos. He used his size to his advantage, ducking under tables, slipping between panicked patrons. A guard lunged for him. Yrauos didn't break stride. A flick of his wrist, and a Bone Claw sliced through the man's Achilles tendon. He went down with a cry.
He had one destination: his cell. It was the last place they would expect him to go.
Darting down a familiar service corridor, he used another tiny, focused Detonation Vein from his fingertip to blow the lock off his cell door. He scrambled inside, shoved aside the stones, and grabbed the Godslayer's Edge. The moment his hand closed around the hilt, a surge of confidence, of rightness, flowed through him.
[Synchronization: 2%]
Now, for the true escape. The main gates would be sealed, swarming with guards. There was another way. The waste disposal chute. It was a vertical, foul-smelling shaft that led to a river on the outskirts of the city. A death sentence for most. For him, it was a road to freedom.
He found the grate, hidden in a shadowy alcove. Another tiny explosion shattered the rusted lock. The stench that wafted up was overpowering.
He took a deep breath, sheathed the surprisingly light blade across his back using a strip of torn rag as a makeshift sling, and jumped into the darkness.
It was a long, terrifying slide down a slick, foul tube. He hit the icy water of the river with a jarring impact, the breath knocked from his lungs. He surfaced, gasping, and let the current take him, pulling him away from the lights and shouts of the Crimson Pit.
He swam for what felt like hours, until the city was a distant glow on the horizon. Then, he dragged himself onto the opposite bank, collapsing into the mud of a vast, ancient forest. The trees loomed like silent giants, their canopy blotting out the stars.
He was free. He was cold, wet, and exhausted. But he was free.
[Mission: 'Escape the Crimson Pit' - COMPLETE]
[Rewards: 1000 EP Granted. Unsealing Infernal Convergence (Common). Soul Gear Synchronization +5%.]
A wave of power, far more violent and ecstatic than the one from the Verdant Carapace, erupted within him. His Crude Core strained, groaning as it expanded to accommodate the new, raging current. His veins lit up with inner fire, and for a moment, his skin took on the translucent, plasma-flecked appearance of the Infernal Convergence. The air around him shimmered with heat.
[Infernal Convergence - ACTIVE - Rank: Common - Stability: 20%]
[Synchronization with Godslayer's Edge: 7%]
[EP: 0 -> 1000]
He lay there in the mud, the Godslayer's Edge a comforting weight on his back, the twin rivers of verdant life and infernal cataclysm flowing through his spirit. He had escaped the cage.
Now, the real work began. He was a shinobi in the wild. And this forest would become his dojo, his fortress, and his larder. The weak elf boy was gone. In his place was a vessel of immense power, waiting to be filled.
Pushing himself to his feet, Yrauos Ardynth took his first step into the deep, dark woods. He was hunted, he was alone, but he was no longer a slave. He was a student of the System, and his training had just entered its most critical phase.