Abyssal Awakening

"The commissioner is actually a noble of the city and the story behind it is pretty sad. However, the reward is nice and from what the Guild has told me, the Unbound Demonette is only really known for their blade attacks and speed. Both of which I can deal with rather easily." Ria explained while Alcie raised her eyebrow.

"Oh? There's a story behind this one?"

"Yep. Apparently, the Demonette was something a small Lord commissioned after his wife had passed away. It was supposed to be a reminder of what he lost. However, due to his dealings with Abyss Blood, it seems to have corrupted the original mannequin and now its gone out of control. He's asking for it to be disposed of before it could cause any harm." Ria explained.

The Guild didn't give her too much context but this was merely the rumours that people have heard regarding this Demonette.

Hearing this, Alice couldn't help but tilt her head. If she recalled, there were indeed types of blood that could take over certain tools but they were usually limited to plant types rather than whatever beast this was.

"How many are taking this commission right now and where is it?"

"We're the only ones right now. But if we take too long some others might take the mission." Ria shrugged.

Contemplating to herself for a moment, Alice suggested that they should begin the mission tomorrow as they had just arrived at the city today. They still need some lodging and the clues regarding beasts for her third Sigil should also arrive tonight.

"It also gives us some time to do some research on this Unbound Demonette. I haven't heard of it before, so it'll be good if we find out about its weaknesses. It'll make the hunt smoother."

Alice knew that even if it was a three star hunt and with Ria being far above average in strength for a four star Hunter, they shouldn't let their guard down. Caution is their best friend in the depths of the Abyss.

"Actually, it's funny you mention that. You see, this guild is actually attached to the Inn as well as one of the biggest libraries in this city." Ria grinned, causing Alice to pause in surprise.

She had asked the receptionist regarding a library when she accepted this commission. After all, no matter how confident she was with her own power, she wanted to verify her knowledge of her target before hunting.

That was the basic principle of being a Hunter. A Hunter who goes into a fight blind is not a real Hunter.

"Shall we go?"

"Of course we should go. Why wouldn't we go?" Rolling her eyes, Alice finished her drink in one gulp and wiped her mouth using her sleeves.

Getting Ria to lead the way, they took an elevator leading down the Guild and into the depths of this city.

Compared to the elevators in Zadash, the elevator in this guild was smooth and hardly made a noise. As the doors opened, Alice and Ria found themselves in the heart of the library with a single person sitting behind a desk in front of them.

Looking around them, Alice could see countless rows of towering bookshelves, each filled to the brink with books of varying ages. Some were worn down with the leather bindings practically peeling apart while some were fresh.

The cumulative wisdom from the efforts of countless Hunters and Scholars.

The middle aged librarian behind the desk gave them a quick glance before focusing back on his own book.

"Hello~ Do know where you keep the books for beasts? The one we're hunting is puppet like." Ria asked as he glanced up once more.

"Name?"

"Ah Ri-"

"Not yours. The beast." The man rolled his eyes as Ria felt the urge to smack him on the head but held herself back.

"Unbound Demonette."

Nodding his head, the man took out a small handbook before flipping through the pages.

Alice managed to catch a glance at one of the pages and it was filled to the brim with names of beasts. It was in alphabetical order and the location of said book was marked next to the name.

"Section 57 on the second floor. Look for the shelf labelled A2 and the books there should have what you need." He replied before putting his handbook away.

Seeing that he wasn't inclined on talking to them anymore, Alice thanked him before dragging Ria away who seemed to be annoyed by his disinterest and lack of politeness.

"Gods! What's with him?" Ria huffed while Alice couldn't help but chuckle.

"He's probably had to deal with countless Hunters on a daily basis. He probably wants to get the interaction over with and read his book."

"True but still, where's the professionalism." Ria shook her head.

Compared to the people they met earlier today, the service was far too poor in comparison. While Alice agreed with her opinion, she didn't mind the short interaction as he showed them exactly where they needed to go.

Arriving at the location he mentioned, Alice and Ria decided to split up so they could find the book they needed faster.

As Alice was going through the different titles, she couldn't help but notice that most of these were based on rituals and possession.

Narrowing her eyes, Alice decided to pick up the book titled: The Mystic's Codex on Possession Type Beasts.

Giving it a brief skim, she could tell that this book mainly detailed on how the different rituals that could be performed to create such a beast but lacked the details of the rituals. Merely mentions of names as well as the effects followed by how to control said beast.

As she flipped towards the end, she found the page that documented the history of the Unbound Demonette rather than the creation.

'The Unbound Demonette is a testament for those who grieve their lost ones. Sometimes it's better to leave them be than to reach into the afterlife. An unholy mockery of the life we have been given and the mimic that now stands in its place.

'The Demonette was first discovered in the 9th Umbral Year. A sudden influx of puppets that expelled blades from their body invaded the Abyss as Scholars at the time realised these beasts could be artificially manufactured…?!' Widening her eyes, Alice paused in shock as she continued to read.

'The Unbound Demonette could be found in the wild as they were usually spawned from the corpses of those that have died to beasts. Travelling merchants or civilians with no Sigils were especially susceptible. Once killed, depending on their surroundings, their bodies would slowly petrify before being turned into Organic Porcelain.

It is from there, they become the Abyssal Beast known as the Unbound Demonette.

'However, one of the methods of artificially creating the Unbound Demonette is to recreate the surrounding environment required for the transformation to begin. There are many more methods of creation as the Unbound Demonette proves itself to be one of the most mass producible Beasts…

'Some of the key weaknesses to dealing with the Unbound Demonette is its adverse reaction towards light and cold temperatures. The Organic Porcelain that cover the Demonette is extremely fragile despite the insides housing numerous blades. Exposure to light and cold temperatures causes the skin to dry up and crack apart with the beast unable to sustain itself.

'As a three star difficulty beast, it has a reputation to being extremely aggressive and fast but the durability is rather weak. Proceed with caution and when hunting, prepare multiple source of light. Having one source of light will make the user of said light the prime target of the Unbound Demonette.'

Closing the book, Alice was silent. Her mind digested the information along with the implications of the fact that the Unbound Demonette could be artificially reproduced.

With a connection to grief and death, she couldn't help but wonder if the beast was truly an accidental remembrance gone wrong or was there something darker at work.

Keeping a hold on the book for now, Alice made her way to Ria so that they could share the information.

She noticed Ria reading a few books before putting them back with disinterest as she seemed to be having a hard time finding the information they wanted.

"I found something that you might want to see." Alice called out, holding the Codex.

"Apparently the Demonette can be artificially reproduced in mass quantities. Not sure if the Lord did it purposefully or accidentally. Hard to tell."

Hearing this, Ria's expression shifted and accepted the book.

Flipping to the page that Alice was reading, she read the passages herself before frowning deeply.

"These requirements does seem… Hard to come across in a city. Especially if it requires the original body. Unless… It's not an Unbound Demonette?" Ria asked as it could be a mistake on the Guild's side. A beast that looks similar but not quite the Demonette.

"I mean… It's possible. But if it is indeed the Demonette then it might've been done on purpose." Alice sighed.

"Let's take it slow then. We'll talk to the Lord that commissioned this first and get a quick look at the beast. If it's the Unbound Demonette then we'll take it out. If not, we'll take a step back and investigate the situation first."

Agreeing to Ria's suggestion, the two placed the books back before making their way out of the library.

###

"Dammit! Can the Hunters take care of the beast already?!" A man dressed in lavish clothes complained while pacing back and forth in a room.

"Relax yourself my Lord. The beast will fall and that is a certainty. The Guild has notified me that another has taken the Commission, I do believe they will be in contact soon."

"They better make it quick then! So many have already failed. Any longer and we'll have to take matters into my own hands!" The Lord grumbled before leaving the room.

If this Unbound Demonette continues to run rampant, the amount of damage done to his home would be unthinkable. He couldn't let this continue anymore.

'How hard is it to take care of one damn beast!?'