Abyssal Awakening

A desolate landscape stretched as far as the eye could see, a realm torn by relentless battles, dances of blood and the flames of war. The ground, once verdant and full of life was now charred and withered, littered with the countless corpses of man and beast alike.

The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, a reminder of the battles and violence that ravages on.

As far as the horizon reached, corpses painted the ground.

Despite the gruesome reminder, the sounds of battle continue to rage on. A symphony of clashing blades, desperate roars and explosions from Sigil abilities. The very ground trembled in response to the strife as each clash left another mark on the scar riddled realm.

Above the sea of war, the moon loomed closer than ever. Its crimson glow casting an eerie light upon the battlefield as though it was a giant unlinking eye, witnessing the carnage below.

*BANG!!!

A serpentine beast erupted from the ground. Its scales gleamed with dark light and with a malevolent roar, it unfurled its wings that blocked out the sky and cast a deep shadow upon the field.

The beast ascended into the skies as bright blue energy gathered beneath the scales and snapped open its mouth. A torrent of searing flames rained down upon the approaching army. A waterfall of destruction engulfed everything in its path as the dragon reared its head back and let out a roar of triumph.

Yet from the flames, a single woman stood while smoking a cigarette. She took a deep drag and sighed out in satisfaction.

"Not bad for a lighter. The flames are just right." She smirked before tossing the cigarette aside. Raising her hand above her head, Allura snapped her finger as luminescent red energy flashed across the skies, forming countless crosses that hovered above the beast.

Yet before she could launch her attack, a blade of shadows erupted from the dragon's shadow, cleaving it in half.

"Dammit! Gin! That was my kill!" Allura clicked her tongue while Gin appeared next to her and shrugged his shoulders.

"You shouldn't use your powers on weaklings like that. Don't forget what we're here for." Gin reminded but Allura understood what he meant.

"I'm just trying to get back into shape you know? I've stayed a neutral party for far too long. I'm no longer in my prime." She shrugged.

"Speaking of which, seems like Alice and Ria ran into something pretty weird."

Hearing this, Gin furrowed his brows and paused.

"What do you mean?"

"A portal was opened to Terminus. I'm not sure how they got their hands on a gate but it was damaged so the path is incomplete. Good fortune on their end since something terrible would've been allowed to escape Terminus. But they haven't used the life saving tools we gave them so it should be fine." Allura explained as she glanced to her side and noticed that Gin was preparing to leave.

"You know even if you leave now at your top speed, you won't make it in time, right?"

". . .Tch. So will the path reopen?" Gin sighed as Allura shook her head.

"No. It collapsed on its own and can't be reopened anymore."

'Master must've left something for her successor. The fact that it opened a path to Terminus means it should be near the heart of Ayr…' Allura thought to herself as she didn't think Alice would come across something like this in her absence.

"That's good then. Terminus has been sealed for centuries, for good reason too. If any of the Apostles get their hands on anything that resides there, it could spell disaster for the others." Gin nodded in relief.

Information about the Terminus is not known to many. Those on the surface know it as the deepest layer of the Abyss.

However, the true identity of the Terminus is more akin to a prison. A realm to keep the Lord level beasts in check. Beasts of pure rage and instinct with an oppressive bloodline. Power with no chance of communication.

Just one of these beasts being allowed to reach the surface means the cooperation of several Abyss Lords to keep it in check. If an Apostle was to move, the others would follow as it means they receive a weapon of war.

But no one knows how or why the Terminus was sealed. No Lord can get in or out of the layer with only hints of its influence left upon the layers above.

Gin could only hope that Ria stays out of trouble. It was already unsettling knowing the Eclipse learned above his survival. As long as the Eclipse doesn't discover Ria, he could rest easy.

###

Keeping watch while sitting on the roof of her carriage, Alice sighed in relief after seeing no beasts chase after them. With the caravan now far from the forest, she could finally let her guard down.

'Hopefully the beast'll calm down after a while. If they keep maintaining their current state, the nearby cities will need to figure out a way to deal with them. I don't think that beast is something that can be killed easily unless you get several City Lords on the level of Lord Kallus.' Alice mused to herself as the toughness of that beast was no joke.

Ria's lightning was reflected with ease and she didn't even get a chance to attack the beast.

But the biggest question remains, what was its ability?

'It only used physical attacks against me and Ria… Why? Or was the reflection its ability?'

Tapping her finger, Alice couldn't help but wonder what kind of ability she could get if she was to drink its blood.

Licking her lips, a smile slowly crept up on her face before she quickly shook her head and dismissed the thought.

It was far too dangerous of an endeavour for her right now. Her Sigils, while strong, didn't provide enough physical reinforcement for her to match these beasts of higher difficulty.

Just reacting to the drake took everything out of her never mind trying to fight back.

'I think it's time for me to hunt for my third Sigil. I need an Anti Hunter type Sigil that works with blood, my flames and possibly enhances my innate potential.'

Once again, she is reminded of her desire to get her hands on the blood belonging to the Scarlet Winged Monarch.

A beast that could keep fighting for as long as its will held on. Killing the beast would be no easy task but it is not immortal. The fact that the Zenia's were able to get their hands on its blood meant that it was doable.

'Hardest part would be to track down the beast I want to kill. I have a benefit over the other Hunters in the Abyss since I can pick my bounty whenever I want instead of going to a communal point or asking a Shaman. But… Trying to find a beast while others are contesting it is going to be hard.' Alice groaned in her mind.

She could still remember Allura telling her how families would hire people to keep the Hunt secured or make sure no one could get close to them.

The information she obtains for the beast she Hunts will definitely be known to others. She'll always be one step shorter when it came to Hunting.

'Seems like we'll have to rely on rumours instead… If I look for rumours of beasts that have ties to blood, I can then choose it as my bounty. I need to be proactive for rumours rather than waiting for things to be confirmed. If I wait too long, the others will get the Bounties from the Shamans and I'll lose my greatest asset in Hunting.'

Sitting up straight, Alice knew what she had to do first once they arrive at one of the major cities. That was to immediately access the Underground and purchase any rumours regarding signs of beasts with relations to blood.

'If there are news for dried up corpses, it should provide me a good lead since most beasts that have blood abilities will seek to drain their victims.'

Making a mental note for herself, Alice made her way down from the roof and entered her carriage where Ria was still sleeping. Fatigue took over her as her adrenaline wore off. She no beasts threatening to take out their caravan, Alice was free to rest her mind.

###

The following morning, the entire caravan was exhausted as they had travelled without rest through the night. They decided to make camp during the day and let those who haven't rested rest while the others kept watch.

Breakfast was sombre as Ellie was unable to eat while everyone was present. Seeing Kaida's current state was enough to dissuade her from eating.

Griffin had recovered decently but Isabella still warned him from making any large movements. The wound he took to his torso had taken a large chunk out and their Healing Blood could only do so much for now. They needed to find more potent vials if they wanted him back in peak condition.

Griffin and Kaida gave their thanks to Ria who was still feeling rather exhausted having over exerted herself in stalling the beast.

As for Cedric, he decided to handle the fee for the healing blood they would need as if it wasn't for them, the beasts would've caught up to them and taken them out. Not only that, as a merchant, he knew that Griffin would be a great asset and protector with the Raven's Watch disbanding after this mission.

Thankfully, the rest of the journey was uneventful as they travelled peacefully to their destination. The city of Eldoria, a city focused on Abyss Engineering.