Abyssal Awakening

[Hou… Seems like the layers of the Abyss have shifted more than I remember if Zahak has been sealed here now.] Cayla muttered to herself, surprising both Alice and Alyss.

'What do you mean?' Alice asked curiously.

She thought that all, if not most of the old Abyss Lords were sealed in Terminus. But going by what Cayla said, it seems like there's a chance that the Lords in Terminus had been moved closer to the surface!

[Zahak was a rather… formidable Abyss Lord whose ability worked similarly to Famine from certain perspectives.

[During the war that resulted in the sealing of the Old Abyss Lords, Zahak was someone that neither Kaden nor Allura could take lightly. Even though he is the Lord of Venom, his methods of escape are more annoying than most. And every time he escaped, he would leave behind an uninhabitable zone that couldn't be recovered.

[It wasn't until later that the research department managed to find a combination of Sigils that helped offset the effects to some extent which allowed the land to be recultivated, but it still took years to achieve.] Cayla explained as she crossed her arms.

[While he wasn't sealed in Terminus, he wasn't far off and was in fact placed in the layer just above it. Yet for him to be this close to the surface now… I can only assume that Terminus may be filled with the worst of the worst while other residents have been pushed out.]

Furrowing her brows, Alice understood that this meant Tiamat could possibly be residing within the middle layers now.

While she may have a somewhat good relationship with Tiamat in the Inverted World, they were nothing but strangers in reality. Hell, if she approached Tiamat, she'd be more surprised if she wasn't killed on sight!

'Do you think… we could possibly drink his blood?' Alyss asked as Cayla mused for a moment before shrugging.

[I'm not sure how much power you can even extract from a sealed Lord but it wouldn't hurt to try. The main obstacle is whether or not the Underground would let you attempt such a feat in the first place. Plus, who is to say they don't already know your real identity? Don't underestimate the information gathering capabilities of this organization.] Cayla warned as Alice nodded her head in agreement.

Using a Sigil to hide her identity was a risky move as there could be Hunters that could see through this kind of disguise.

But it was either this or using Abyss Blood and buying blood would be traced back to her easily.

Maintaining her act of being a curious girl, Alice asked the escort questions about the sealed Abyss Lord but he didn't reply at all. It was mostly just Alice talking to herself but she didn't mind it.

She just needed to reinforce this 'act'.

The more Alice asked questions, the more annoyed the escort seemed as she could see the veins bulging on his neck but he refused to reply to her.

Once they reached the bottom where someone else was waiting for them, he didn't hesitate to give his job to someone else and practically ran away.

"Boo~ what a bad sport. Didn't even reply to my questions either, isn't that rude?" Alice sighed, glancing towards the new guy.

"He's not a very talkative person Ms Grani, I'll apologize in his stead. But please, follow me. The branch leader has been waiting for your arrival considering you've been saving money to buy information from us. You even made quite the name for yourself while you were at it too."

Hearing this, Alice narrowed her eyes before resting her hands behind her head.

"Well aren't y'all quite the stalkers. I haven't even been here for a day and you're already keeping an eye on me. I'm gonna blush ya know?"

"Haha, surely you jest. As someone who's appeared out of nowhere, literally, and made such a commotion, it's hard not to keep an eye on such a variable. Am I wrong?" The escort chuckled before gesturing for her to follow him.

"Which begs the question of how much you know." Alice smiled, following him through the assortment of buildings scattered through this cavern.

Staying silent at her question, he simply did his job and led her towards the cliff edge facing the platform above the sea of crimson.

Upon approaching the edge, obsidian rock protruded from the sea of crimson, forming a bridge towards the centre platform.

'Seems like they're using the body of a sealed Lord to hide the entrance. Not very stealthy considering there are probably people wanting to check out the body in the first place.' Alice raised an eyebrow while Cayla couldn't help but agree.

Perhaps they did this in order to make an impression on the people that approached this area.

Regardless, it seems like the rest of the journey was meant for Alice alone as the escort waited by the door, not wanting to proceed.

Shrugging her shoulders, Alice descended the stairs as she instinctively activated her Absolute Zone to ensure she wasn't going to get surprise attacked.

"You don't have to be so on guard. We're simply here to do a transaction, nothing more, nothing less."

A voice interrupted her thoughts, causing her to frown.

In this darkness, a single source of light existed above an altar where a woman could be seen. She pulled books out of the darkness and browsed through the contents before placing it back and pulling out a new book.

Her serpentine eyes locked onto Alice, constricting her before gazing away.

"So what brings you to my humble branch?" She asked, placing the book down on the altar and crossing her legs.

She wore an elegant golden headpiece that chimed softly with each movement she made. Dark purple hair and piercing red eyes. She wore a black cheongsam with golden decorations and red tassels.

"For information like everyone else. But does every new comer get to see the big boss of this place? You must be quite the busy body." Alice chuckled, her eyes fully locked onto the Sigils above her head as cold sweat dripped down her back.

A seven Sigil Abyss Lord!!!

'What the f*ck is a Lord doing as a branch manager for the Underground??? Aren't Lords supposed to be top of the food chain!?' Alice shouted in her mind. Her appearance may seem composed but her mind was in turmoil.

Naturally, Cayla was just as confused, wondering why a Lord would stoop to the level of branch manager.

"Not everyone gets to meet me. I simply wish to observe those of interest with my very own eyes. Kale Grani, first appearance was 5 hours ago in this city. Seen just outside of Academy territory, wandering around for a short while before earning money and fame at the gambling arena.

"Upon winning enough gold, you left only to 'coincidently' bump into the Zenia delegation, causing a small conflict before coming to an agreement of a fight. Should you win, you'll 'guard' them through the Inverted World.

"Your showcase of your abilities are rather impressive and the power it holds far surpassed that of an average Sigil obtained early on by Hunters. With this kind of… resume, wouldn't anyone be interested?

"So, I ask again, what brings you to my humble branch? Young Hunter." The branch manager asked again as Alice composed herself.

"Information on the Zenia's. The ones I'm talking to in particular. As the branch manger of the Underground, I believe you should know the darkness of the Zenia family despite their social standing." Alice smiled happily, acting as though she didn't know the branch manager is an Abyss Lord.

"I do, but as you know, information comes at a price. For this piece of knowledge in particular, extra expensive." She grinned, rubbing her index and thumb together, the gesture for coin.

"Do you not use the concept of packages? I figured the Underground does things through a systemic approach do you not?"

'Stingy b*tch!' She shouted in her mind.

"Of course we do. But only a few branches use the specific wording of… Packages. And the only branch within travelling distance that uses those words is… Eldoria Branch." The Branch Master revealed a sly grin, sending shivers down Alice's back.

Through their conversation, she was trying to figure out Alice's identity!

Taking a step back out of caution, Alice narrowed her eyes at the woman.

"A small warning for the young and fearless. If you weren't such an interesting figure that appeared out of nowhere, we wouldn't have tolerated the act of hiding your identity and refused you entry. But there are always exceptions and some branches may not like it as much as I do." She waved her hand dismissively, throwing a book towards Alice.

A quick glance was enough to tell her that these were all the passengers that arrived in Silverwind Valley via airship from the general direction of Eldoria.

Meaning if given enough time, they could probably pinpoint her identity no matter how careful she was being.

"I'll take these words to heart." Alice forced a smile.

"Good. Now that the warning is out of the way, let's do business. The Zenia family is complicated and I'd rather not having anything to do with them. Not having to do business with them was the best piece of news I've gotten in a while yet here you are, wanting to dig out some dirt about them. But…

"I suggest you give it up."

"Why?" Alice narrowed her eyes.

Just when she looked like she was about to reveal the answer, she paused and grinned.

"10 gold."

'Stingy b*tch!' Alice shouted in her mind but threw over 10 gold.

"So shiny and beautiful, the materialisation of the 'trust' between two individuals. And in response for this 'trust', allow me to continue. Going after the Zenia's right now would place you not only as their enemy but also the enemy of the Academy.

"They are here as representatives of the family with the Academy guaranteeing their safety within their grounds. Target them and the Academy won't stay still since it's far more troublesome to have the Zenia's come to this island.

"But most importantly is what they plan to 'recover' from the Inverted World."