Abyssal Awakening

As they arrived at the Hunter's Guild, Ria made her way to the missions board to see if there were any quests they could do that'll earn them some quick coin while Alice looked for the Underground.

With the map saying that it was in partnership with the Guild, all Alice needed to do was find where the symbol of the Underground was.

Thankfully, it wasn't too difficult as the sign was hanging above what seemed to be the bar.

The hum of conversation and the clink of tankards filled the air as several Hunters could be seen sitting around the counter, laughing joyously about their most recent successful hunt.

The kind of beasts that tore apart their frontline, how they were able to heroically land that final blow and watch the beast topple over, bathing them in its blood.

As Alice neared, the barkeep approached her with a smile. She was a unique presence amongst the Hunters around the bar. Two elegantly pointed horns, reminiscent of bull horns, protruded from the side of her head while a vibrant purple flower was nestled into her right eye socket.

Her blonde hair was being drained of its original golden colour as silver decorated the edges of her hair. She had carefully swept her fringe to one side in order to hide the flower as best she could but it was unable to fully cover the bright purple petals peaking out from behind.

Immediately, Alice froze up as the visage of a girl she had slain with her own hands overlapped the barkeep. Her smile, her advice, her sacrifice and her final expression as Alice tore the life from her body.

Her breathing quickened as each breath was taken with great difficulty. She pressed her trembling hand against her chest, hoping to alleviate the constriction she was feeling but it continued to persist.

Gritting her teeth, Alice closed her eyes and tried her best to calm her mind.

What was done had to be done. She had no other option, but Lilia's blood stained her hands.

'I'm sorry…'

Little by little, she regained her calm and took a deep breath. Opening her eyes once more, the visage of Lilia disappeared and all Alice could see was the barkeep who was suffering from a similar condition.

"Are you alright dear? You look a little pale. Did something happen?" The barkeep asked with concern. Originally, she was going to ask Alice what she wanted to order.

However, the moment Alice laid eyes on her, her gaze constricted and she started to breathe uncontrollably.

"Sorry just… thinking of old friends. I saw the symbol here, I wonder how I can order the services provided by the Underground." Alice shook her head and smiled.

She was here for a simple transaction, nothing more nothing less.

Hearing this, the woman paused for a moment before nodding her head and smiling.

"Of course, what kind of service are you looking for? Auctions? Black market? Or information?" She asked, gesturing for Alice to take a seat.

"Any information on rumours?"

"Oh? Depends on what kind of rumours you are looking for. We also offer our services for investigations if that is more in line with what you are looking for." The barkeep smiled while showing Alice a menu of drinks.

"Rumours on potential beasts. Blood based if possible." Alice replied while picking the option for mead.

"Interesting. Very well, I can compile some rumours for you. Let's see… As this seems to be your first visit to us, Miss Agnelia, it will be offered at a discounted price. There are no records of you having accessed any Underground branch personally while the City Lord reached out to us on your behalf." The barkeep smiled mysteriously as Alice paused in surprise.

She didn't know how the woman had enough time to find out about the things that have happened so far but that simply proves how much of an information powerhouse the Underground is.

"No need to be on guard Miss Agnelia. It's simply protocol for us to understand our patrons. Your master is a valued customer of ours so we must treat you with a certain amount of courtesy lest we incur her annoyance. As for the information, it will depend on the package you wish to purchase.

"We have the most basic package costing 10 gold, level 2 package that costs 25 gold, level 3 costing 50 gold, level 4 costing 1 platina and level 5 costing 10 platina. Your discount will halve the prices of these packages." The barkeep explained briefly as she placed Alice's drink in front of her along with a sheet of parchment containing details of the packages.

Excusing herself for a moment while Alice checked what she wanted to purchase, the barkeep attended to the other patrons.

'Let's see…' Glancing over the sheet, Alice took a few sips of the mead and paused to enjoy the flavour.

After the initial burst of sweetness came a flood of floral scents then followed by the rising spice that warmed her up from within.

Appreciating the taste of this mead, Alice focused on the sheet that was presented to her.

The main difference between the packages was validity and variation. For the more expensive packages, the Underground would send their own trusted people to seek out rumours and information for you while the cheaper package would simply be providing you with a list of fresh rumours from reliable sources.

As their funds were limited, even with the discount, it was impossible to go for anything more than level 2.

Tapping her fingers on the counter for a little while, Alice contemplated her options before gesturing to the barkeep.

"Level 2. What kind of rumours can I expect with level 2?"

"We will give you a list of all the rumours and potential leads that match your requirements, even if they are a little far out in comparison to this city. For example, and this is a freebie for you, there are rumours pertaining a blood beast near the city of Whiteridge.

Several carcasses have been found with their blood drained completely and black string like residue left within the body of the victims.

"There are two candidates on what the beast might be. Vitalis Veilstalker or a Bloodscar Constrictor. Both leave similar marks and we have a map of where the victims are found along with potential areas of search." She explained as Alice raised her eyebrow.

The information given by just a level 2 package far exceeded what she had originally anticipated. They even provided names and a map of where it might be.

"Hmm… Alright. Then can you get me a list of rumours near this city or on the way to Isilvaria? Blood based and difficulty doesn't matter. Just give me as many as you can." Alice requested as the woman nodded her head.

"Payment will be given upfront and the total comes up to 12 gold and 50 silver pieces. Delivery of the information should be a few hours after payment or at the latest, tomorrow evening. If there are new rumours within 24 hours of receiving your list that match your requirements, we will provide it for free. After 24 hours, the service can be deemed as concluded. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes it is. Though you'll need to wait for my friend Ria since she carries the funds for us." Alice nodded.

"Then it seems like I don't need to wait too long."

Behind Alice, Ria was approaching while holding a parchment in her hand and had overheard part of the conversation.

"Did you get the information you needed?" Ria asked curiously, taking a seat next to Alice.

"Not yet, it's gonna cost 12 gold and 50 silvers." Alice shook her head as Ria paused before nodding.

Since this was in preparation for Alice's third Sigil, 12 gold and 50 silvers was a small price to pay.

Paying the required fee, Ria also ordered a quick drink as she presented the next contract to Alice.

"Three star difficulty killing contract. Kill the Unbound Demonette. The reward is 250 gold pieces!" Ria grinned with excitement.

"250 gold for a three star hunt? Really?"

Alice couldn't believe it. 250 gold was astronomical even if they took into consideration that it was a three star hunt. The usual price for a three star hunt was only 100 to 150 gold pieces but this was practically double!

Immediately, Alice felt like this was too good to be true.

"Are there any catches to it?"

"Aside from the fact that it's stronger than the average three star hunt, no. A few have tried to complete this contract but they either died or ran away. It's gotten to a point where the Guild has decided to offer some extra coin from their own pocket in order to raise the priority for this contract." Ria shook her head.

Furrowing her brows, Alice wanted some context on the Hunt before they risked their lives. But first and foremost, she wanted to know what kind of beast they were dealing with.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she retreated back to her mindscape as she immediately filtered through the spectral illusions of beasts until she found their target.

The Unbound Demonette looked no different from the average person you could find on the street. She was cloaked in an ethereal darkness that seemed to obscure her figure while her skin, devoid of any colour, stood out in the darkness.

Her entire body and facial features seemed to have been sculpted meticulously as her skin didn't 'look' like it had the texture of skin but rather that of porcelain while also being strangely organic.

One feature that stood out was her smile. It stretched from ear to ear, revealing the rows of razor sharp teeth. She smiled impossibly wide as if she could not contain the joy from within and with a loud crack, blades started to erupt from her body with the sound of grinding metal mimicking the howling shriek of laughter that sent chills down Alice's spine.

That was what they were going to deal with.

The Unbound Demonette, a beast in the guise of a lady. A demon's smile and blades that shrieked in laughter.