"I am Sasha by the way, nice to meet you."
She smiled and the two strangers in front of her, her smile genuine and innocent, which was truly a rare jewel in the world they lived in. The two strangers remained silent for a few moments, until the other young woman looked at Sasha and cleared her throat.
"My name is Nyx."
Her tone was even and emotionless, seemingly uninterested in starting a conversation. Both the young women tuned to the second stranger in unison, waiting for him to introduce himself. He looked back at both of them and sighed.
"Lenny here, nice to meet you too."
Sasha's smile widened, making Lenny's heart skip a beat. She was very beautiful, with brown curly hair that matched her skin and eyes. Her light brown eyes glistened as they reflected the fire dancing in front of her. She had a perfectly symmetrical round face that he mostly saw on television.
He felt his face getting hotter by the moment, so he turned to Nyx instead, avoiding Sasha's mesmerizing gaze. Huge mistake.
Nyx was different, cold and calculating, as compared to Sasha who seemed innocent and nice. That only made her more attractive though. She had long, lustrous raven hair and beautiful, electric green eyes. Her skin was more tan than even Lenny's, and even more enthralling.
The young was definitely in trouble.
#
The met a few hours before –they had no way of knowing time so they just assumed a few hours had passed – and the two young women might have potentially saved Lenny's life. After defeating the Swarm-Minded, he used the few minutes he had to rest, considering the creature was a few tiers above him. He had exhausted his Ability.
After thinking deeply about his current situation, he heard something approach from the labyrinth that surrounded the grand hall he had found himself in. There was no shadow, considering that there was no light to cast it, but he could still see clearly around the hall for some reason. And so whatever was approaching would be able to see him as well.
The footsteps echoed in the distance, but they got closer and closer, until he could fully decipher the sound he was hearing. It sounded like something or someone was running, either away or towards something. He suddenly felt a glimmer of hope, because it could potentially be another human, and he would not be so alone anymore. He was also filled with dread at the same time.
The Skysea Island had more creatures in all the regions of the Sacred Sanctuary, but they were also the weakest – especially when one is closer to the Skysea itself. There were mostly Anarchy Incarnates in large numbers roaming around aimlessly, looking for prey, with very little low ranking Ontological Glitches. Those that were present were either Tiers 6 or 5, but nothing higher than that.
If a Commonality was running away from danger, then there were three possible reasons for that. One, they could have encountered a large number of abominations and were quickly overwhelmed. Creatures in large numbers – even if they were merely Tier 6 Anarchy Incarnates (the Hollowmen) – could seriously pose a threat if one was not careful. It is also much easier to exhaust your Essence while fighting a horde of abominations alone, rendering you useless.
The second reason could be that the unknown entity must have encountered a creature far more powerful than they were. If that was the case, then there would be no hope for Lenny as well, which was why he was afraid. A Commonality – especially one that is as powerful as him could potentially handle Anarchy Incarnates of the tiers 6, 5, 4 &3, as well as Ontological Glitches of the 6th and 5th tiers. Hypothetically.
The third reason, meanwhile, was probably the most comforting. Commonalities awakened with many different Abilities, some more useless than others. It could have also been the fact that there was a Commonality in the labyrinth around him, a weak coward running away from danger. It did not matter how weak a creature was, if a Commonality was a coward, the fight would be over before it even begun. All creatures had a way of instilling fear into the hearts of humans. Whether they were weak or strong.
He jumped down from the corpse of the Swarm-Minded, and looked around for a weapon he would use. There was nothing worthy though, only a few dozen rocks nearby. So he decided if push came to shove, he would use his Ability and kill as many creatures so he could to replenish his essence.
The the echoes of the footsteps were even louder now, his body tensed. All in all, he was ready to face whatever came out of the tunnel, but he was really hoping it would a least be an awakened. That way he would not have to endure the battle alone. A few seconds passed, and then it was silent. A few more seconds passed, but no one came through the tunnel.
The silence was uncomfortable. There were no footsteps anymore, no running. The monsters probably caught up on the runner. For some reason, he did not like the sound of that. Whether he was affected or not, he quite liked the idea that was not alone in the labyrinth. Before he could process those thoughts though, something suddenly bolted out of the tunnel with incredible speed.
Of course he was able to keep up considering the fact that he was capable of the same feat as well. What bolted out of the tunnel wa of course not a thing, instead it was a young woman – a teenager actually – with fluffy curly hair and brown skin.
'A Commonality..?'
Most likely. She also looked a little familiar, as if he had seen her before. Probably one of the academy students he managed to throw into the portal before it collapsed. She stood still for a single moment and looked around. When her gaze met Lenny her face it up, and she sprinted straight towards him.
Before Lenny could comprehend what was happening, low growls echoes across the tunnel from which she came. Then suddenly, one after the other, dozens of creatures came gushing out like a river of darkness. They had onyx scales for skin, and sharp fangs that protruded from their maws.
They not exactly huge, about the average human height, with almost the exact characteristics. Actually, the more Lenny looked at them, the more he realized they actually looked exactly alike. They even moved in eerie unison, as if part of something much more powerful. He instantly knew exactly what those creatures were.
He cursed inwardly and activated his Ability. He knew that if his deduction was correct, killing the creatures was going to be much harder than battling the Swarm-Minded.
The Swarm-Minded was the complete opposite ot the creature he was facing, and so he could not use the same strategy.
The creatures he was facing were none other than The Hive. The Swarm-Minded was a single creature that possessed the mind of dozens more, making it both intelligent and cunning. The Hive however, is a horde of abominations with a singular mind. Only when the mind is destroyed, can they truly be defeated.
The gaps between these two forces were so vast that Lenny was starting to doubt if he was really ready to face the calamity. The Swarm-Minded was a tier 4 Anarchy Incarnate, while The Hive was a tier 6 Ontological Glitch. It made sense why the girl was running away.
'I take it back. I definitely cannot handle an Ontological Glitch.'
The girl ran towards him at an incredible speed, reaching him in a matter of moments. She stopped and caught her breath, her gaze lingering between Lenny and the giant corpse on the floor. Lenny did not say anything, staring at the approaching horde of Chaos Creatures. Dozens of them.
She quickly regained her composure, and grabbed Lenny by arm.
"We have to run now! Why are you just standing there?"
Lenny had already activated his Ability, so he did not budge. Even when she used all her Commonality strength, she came off short. In the end, she seemed to give up on convincing him, and continue with her way. But now it was Lenny's turn to stop her. She had brought this mess to him, and he was going to help him clean it up.
He did not explain, or answer the flood of questions that followed, just stared at the approaching horde with a strange expression. Then, without letting go of the young woman, he bolted towards The Hive with his own startling speed.
With the stranger still beside him, he descended upon the abominations with his profound strength fully unleashed, wrecking havoc in the perfectly synchronized formation. The room was crimson red with blood, the walls, the floor, even Lenny himself.
The sounds of battle echoed across the grand hall, making it quake a bit.
Lenny unleashed the fully tyranny of his Ability, and merged with his [Child of War] attribute to cause mass destruction,
but The Hive was not fazed one bit, and his Essence was not replenished either.