Abyssal Awakening

With all of their preparations done, Ria started to grill the meat while Alice took a moment to rest and sat by their campfire.

Thanks to the spices that Ellie had given them, the delightful scent of the meat started to spread through the camp.

The fire crackled beneath the roasting meat as Ria took this time to offer a meal to those who wanted a portion.

Seeing how Ria was socialising with all of the Hunters that were part of this caravan, Alice couldn't help but chuckle. She was always the social type and even when they first met, it was Ria who reached out to her.

Just as Alice was about to eat her portion of the meal, she noticed a woman approaching her from the direction of the Raven's Watch.

It was Isabella, the woman who dealt with Abyss Blood within the group. She had long tousled blond hair and an aura of lethargy paired with her sleepy eyes. There was a sense of effortlessness around her yet the chakrams around her hips speak otherwise.

Despite her lazy aura and body language, there was a subtle 'sharpness' that she carried with each step.

Her attire was simple, consisting of leatherwear beneath a large cloak.

"Can I help you?" Alice asked as she was on guard against Isabella. She was someone who dealt with Abyss Blood so she couldn't easily bluff her way out of certain questions should Isabella ask them.

"Sorry for bothering you…" She muttered, her voice filled with the same lethargy that radiated from her body.

"I noticed how you drained the blood of that beast… Can I ask how it's done? And does the orb retain the properties of the original blood?"

"It's done through my second Sigil. It lets me hijack a blood source and control it to a certain extent but seems to be only useful on dead things right now. As for the orb… I'm not sure. I'm still experimenting with it right now, I don't know how pure it is and I haven't found a use for it yet." Alice replied as Isabella crouched down next to her and nodded her head.

"I see… Can I buy some samples from you? And what beast did you kill for the Sigil?"

Alice was caught off guard by the unexpected offer.

She didn't think that Isabella was interested in the blood orbs that she had created but considering she hadn't found any uses for them just yet, perhaps it was a good chance to get some hints.

"I can give you the one I just got right now. I don't need anything in terms of payment, just some research notes if you decide to experiment with these orbs. As for the beast that I killed, it was a Blood Widow."

Upon hearing the name Blood Widow, Isabella froze up as her eyes widened in a mixture of disbelief and doubt.

"A… Blood Widow?" She asked hesitantly as Alice nodded her head.

"Mnm. It was annoying to kill since I had to do a lot of training for it but the rewards are pretty worth." Alice shrugged.

". . . I see. But okay, I will give you some notes on these orbs once I'm done with them."

Handing over some samples to Isabella, Alice watched as she stepped away, seemingly still in shock that the target was a Blood Widow.

'I didn't tell her that it had ascended into a Maiden of The Blood Moon. It should be fine I think…' Alice mused to herself before focusing back on her dinner.

###

"Ah welcome back, how was it? Did Alice give you a sample of the blood?" Ellie asked, noticing Isabella's return.

"Yes she did. . ." Isabella nodded.

Seeing that her mind seemed to be elsewhere, Ellie tilted her head in confusion.

"Did something happen?"

"Your new friend… Her second Sigil belongs to a Blood Widow." Isabella answered as silence descended upon the Raven's Watch party.

Even Ellie froze up as they've encountered one in the past. Even after extensive preparation and countless weeks of research on the beast, it was still a hard-fought battle that had almost killed them. The hardest part of the battle was trying to resist the hypnosis effect the boss would radiate yet Alice was able to kill one and claim it as her Sigil.

Griffin, the frontline of the party, dropped in fork in shock.

"You're telling me that the girl over there killed a Blood Widow?" He asked hesitantly.

"She didn't seem to be lying." Isabella nodded.

"Well if she did, it explains how she managed to kill a Vor'thrak so quickly and brought it back to be cooked." Kaida sighed as he still remembered how nonchalant Alice looked bringing the corpse back to the camp.

The Vor'thrak was a dangerous three star beast that could break apart common weapons with ease. It was also hard to pin down the beast as its reaction and offensive capabilities are on the high end of the three star beasts.

"Do you think we can get her to help out with our commission then? With Vor'thraks being spotted, there's definitely going to be stronger beasts around the designated area." Finn, the leader asked as he was feeling a little wary with beasts that were stronger than what they expected appearing around the area.

"I mean… I can go ask her if you want me to." Ellie shrugged as Alice seemed easy to talk to.

"Let's ask if dangerous beasts keep appearing. If not, we should be able to deal with it ourselves." Griffin shrugged while picking up his dropped fork.

###

After finishing their meal, it was time to rest as everyone was given a bedroll for the night.

Finding a spot near their carriage, Alice stretched her body and yawned. The long travel followed by a hunt in the forest and the extraction of blood has taken a toll on her body. And with her barely taking a nap during the actual trip, she couldn't wait to rest her body.

"I'll take the first watch. You can sleep for now." Ria offered.

"Thank you~ Let me know when it's my turn." Alice replied, accepting the offer as she tucked herself into the bedroll and closed her eyes, dozing off to sleep.

###

[O' master of mine, you draweth near.]

Cayla's voice rang out through the darkness as Alice found herself in her own mind. The eye above the realm was opened albeit only slightly.

"Are you awake?" Alice asked curiously as she hadn't heard from Cayla ever since the hunt against the Maiden.

[I've merely been spurned from my slumber. I sense a relic or perhaps a ruin of the past. A deep connection to the Abyss. I can sense a tether linking to the depths but the path is not fully formed. If you desire… I can grant upon you a shard of my senses when you approach the tether.] Cayla offered.

". . . How dangerous is this tether? And how will it help me?"

[That is for you to judge mine master. Information is information. How you perceive that information is dependent on your goals. Perhaps the tether will grant you a boon or misfortune, I do not know. I'm merely stating that there is a tether nearby that links downwards into the depths of the realm. But there should be no danger placed upon thee as the tether is not a stable one.]

Contemplating for a moment, Alice nodded her head.

"Alright. I'll check it out if it's not too much trouble. Speaking of which, how familiar are you with Ayr and Allura's past?"

She wanted to find out some information of the strange figure if she could and with Cayla, she might be able to get a hint before Allura contacts her.

[I'm rather familiar.]

"Then do you know of someone who controls I think ink? And can make clones of himself. I'm not sure how strong he is but his clone has 5 Sigils. He spoke of Ayr and seems to know of Allura."

Silence.

There was a long pause as Cayla seemed to be gathering her thoughts.

[This… I do not know. Those who know of Ayr and Allura's connection are few and far between. But master mine, I must as you to recall the interaction. Are you certain his 'clone' possesses five distinct Sigils?]

There was a strange sense of seriousness in Cayla's voice as Alice nodded her head.

"I'm sure it was five Sigils. That's why I thought it was weird. If he knew of Allura and Ayr, he must possess more. And those with more than six Sigils only show up as six for me right now."

[You are indeed correct master. For you see, while the boons of the Abyss do indeed grant the power to create a clone of thyself, a clone should not possess Sigils. The Sigils are markings that the Abyss grafts upon your body, a sign to say you've entered a contract with the realm.

A clone does not possess that grafting even if it wields the same power as the source is still the main host of the body.]

[The power I grant upon you is not one that simply sees the Sigils but rather the contracts that people have formed with the realm itself. For a clone to possess Sigils meaneth this man has somehow discovered a way for the clone to act independently to the main host. I have no recollection of such a person and thus cannot help you with identifying this man.]

[However, I believe that you should inform Allura of such developments as soon as possible, mine master.]

Before Alice could reply, she could feel the connection between her and Cayla faltering. She knew that this meant Cayla was about to fall back to sleep as there was one last question on her mind.

The question regarding the heart blood.

"Cayla, last question. What is the heart blood? And why is it the purest blood that you can get from an Abyss Beast?" Alice called out.

[The heart. An organ wherein lies the engine of the body. Upon activating the Sigils or gaining a passive ability, thine blood has already become… Abyss Blood. 'Humans' merely struggle to convert the power of those in a similar state. That is to say, other 'humans'.]

With this final revelation, the connection between Alice and Cayla faded, leaving Alice alone in the silence of her mind once more.