After leaving Oliver, Heredis had wasted no time and was moving through the cavern to search for a bloodspring. Following his first encounter with a Lost, he ran into a flux of the monsters, an entire area filled with at least ten. Knowing that running in was suicide and throw away his chances at getting Blood Beads, he looked around until finding a secondary path, seeing it go in a parallel path as the Lost.
Moving in, he stopped immediately as he saw a pair of Lost tearing their flesh into a corpse, a poor human who somehow managed their way down to this hell hole. The Revenant could do nothing to help the human, but he could do something about the Lost disrespecting their corpse.
Swapping his sword to his left hand, Heredis summoned his claw, feeling the power flow through him as he approached the Lost quietly. It wasn't until he was directly behind them that they registered his footsteps, but by then it was too late for the monsters.
Letting out a roar of anger, Heredis impaled his claw through the right Lost's back, feeling his power grow more while stabbing the left Lost with his sword. The one run through by his claw had immediately died, slowly turning to ash while the remaining Lost turned its head to look at the Revenant.
Seeing his glowing red eyes, it lifted its sword up in preparation to swing around and strike him. But before it did, Heredis ripped his claw through the defeated Lost and slashed through the other's head, cutting it into three pieces in an instant.
He then ripped his sword out from it's body, watching as it collapsed and turned to ash before letting his arm return to normal. He'd note that most of the Lost in this cave were similar, likely Revenants sent looking for Blood Beads before the miasma or bloodthirst overwhelmed them. And most of them lacked any sense of equipment, not a single one yet having defenses besides their enhanced skin.
'If I can prevent too many from surrounding me, I should be able to outmaneuver and kill them quickly.' He thought to himself, continuing on his walk, tossing his sword back to his right hand as he did. He walked down the corridor of stone before stopping at a stalagmite. His eyes darted to the side in surprise before he ducked down, avoiding a Lost's halberd from cleaving his head off.
Rolling to his side, Heredis saw that the Lost's weapon was stuck in the stone he walked past, the beast focused more on getting its weapon than continuing to attack. Using the opening, Heredis lunged forward, slashing across the Lost's side before cutting up vertically. He finished by impaling through its side, hearing the bones crack before holding his hand out to his opposite side, firing a small bolt of ichor as a second Lost rushed him.
His bolt struck the Lost's head, its momentum causing the beast to get knocked back onto the ground. This gave the Revenant the time to pull his sword out of the Lost turning to ash and turn his attention to the ambusher, flipping the sword to hold it in a reverse grip before stomping on it's shoulder to pin it down.
Raising his sword up, Heredis showed no mercy as he plunged the blade through the Lost's skull. A single, slick crunch was heard, the mask and bone breaking from the force. The Lost twitched a few times before collapsing, a faint growl heard from it as it turned to ash.
Heredis showed little response to the monster turning to ash, rather simply continuing on his mission to find a bloodspring. As Oliver had said, picking up on the process of killing Lost was easy, the muscle memory involved having the Revenant almost going in a sort of autopilot with each encounter.
After a few minutes of traveling, Heredis came to the end of the path he had taken, carefully stepping to the end with his back against the wall. Looking around the corner, he saw that all the Lost were spread out, with one pacing in a patrol path close to where he was. But rather than attack it, he waited and see if it would simply pass by him and return without noticing.
As it stepped just into sight from the opening he was at, the Lost produced a low growl, looking to its sides as the crimson red eyes blinked in exertion. Remaining perfectly still Heredis watched carefully as the Lost's eyes trailed across the pathway he was on, glossing over him as it looked to its other side.
'These ones don't have good vision.' He put together, watching as it turned and begin to walk away. He didn't doubt he could fight the beast, but with so many Lost in the area he didn't want to risk it letting out a howl and attracting the others to swarm him.
The Revenant waited until the Lost was far away enough with its back turned before taking off, running down the rest of the cavern section before exiting, letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It was a big enough risk traveling on his own, but he was at least grateful at the ease it was to get past the group of Lost without alerting too many.
Once he was in the clear, he took a quick look of the next area he'd have to go through, seeing no Lost in the immediate area. He was about to move until he saw a few stones roll around the corner, having him ready his sword and quickly move around. But as a red blade came into his vision he stopped instantly, the sword stopping just short of his face.
"Oh, you're not a Lost." The man behind the red sword said, lowering his blade as he looked to Heredis. "My apologies, I heard rapid movement and assumed a Lost detected me."
"Well the same goes here, try avoid kicking rocks when there's over a dozen back where I came from." Heredis said, rubbing his neck as he looked to the man. He could easily pick up on the fact he was a Revenant, as a human likely wouldn't be able to carry the sword he held easily with one hand. He had a unique mask on as well, the red cylinders going out matching the color of his eyes. He was dressed formally as well, his clothes in excellent condition along with his Blood Veil.
"So that way's swarmed as well?" The Revenant asked. "Then we've caught a bit of a problem. There's a few Lost where I came from."
"So we're boxed in?"
"Well, getting out means only killing the Lost in the area. You say there's a dozen? Then maybe we could take them out in succession and move along?"
"I'm not going back that way, all it leads to is a dead end. I got kicked down, I didn't walk in willingly." Heredis stated. "What about your way? You had to of gotten in somehow."
"Yes, there's a way out. However there's a group of Revenants waiting there, and I can't risk running in to them. I believe they're a group who have been capturing other Revenants in order to hunt Blood Beads for them."
"Yeah, that sounds about right."
"You're one of them?"
"Lower the sword, I'm not here by choice." Heredis responded to the Revenant tightening his grip on his sword. "I was taken by them while I was unconscious, along with a woman wearing white clothes."
"They sent you down here alone to hunt? Was there no more of you?"
"A few were sent ahead of me, but they all are likely Lost or dead now." He answered, looking down as he recalled Oliver. "I was sent down with another but… his filter broke."
"So he sent you off." Getting only a nod in response, the Revenant scratched the metal of his mask, attempting to think of what the best course of action is. "Shot in the dark, you didn't find any Blood Beads yet, did you?"
"Learn I'm alone and that's the first thing you ask? Rather fishy don't you think?"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like-"
"No, I don't have any Blood Beads.' Heredis interrupted. "I haven't even seen a bloodspring since I got kicked down here. What about you?"
"There's a bloodspring not far from where I came, but it appears to have been dried out for some time now, perhaps a month or two. As for Blood Beads, I only have one from my search before I came here." The Revenant admitted, pulling the glowing red fruit out of his pocket to show it as a sign of faith. "Do you have any bloodthirst? I can't offer the whole batch, but a few sips will do the trick."
"Keep it, my thirst was handled before I got here." Heredis stated. "But you said you saw a bloodspring here? Then we're going your way."
"It's dried out, there's no point."
"Perhaps a second opinion is needed before that."
"This isn't a scientific thesis, its dead."
"Oh just bring me to the damn bloodspring."
"Very well. Although we'll need to fight a few Lost on the way. Can you handle yourself?" The Revenant asked.
"I've killed a few by now, I'm rusty but I'm catching on quick."
"Good, I can fight most but I need you to distract a few so I can worry about the more dangerous ones." The Revenant said, turning back around to retrace his steps. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"Two for two, I'm feeling good on this."
What the Revenant said was true, handling a portion of the Lost with relative ease. Heredis acted as support to prevent any from taking him by surprise, but the red blade was excellent at cutting through Lost flesh. It served to pierce through the taut skin like butter, most falling in one or two swings from the crimson sword.
It had Heredis question whether the sword was specifically designed for immense wounding or the Revenant was that skilled, perhaps both given his quick feet. Once the Lost ahead were taken care of, the Revenant took the lead as they climbed up a rusted ladder, helping pull Heredis up once he reached the top.
Once there, the two saw a crack in the ceiling of stone, light flooding in and filling the area. A bloodspring was at the center, and past it Heredis could see a Mistle as well, a sight he was more than happy to see.
"There's the spring, but like I said it's completely dried out." The Revenant pointed to the root tree, Heredis and him making their way down to it. "I don't know why you wanted to get to it, we won't get any Blood Beads from it."
"We'll see about that." Heredis commented as he took his mask off to bite into his wrist. Letting five drops stain the roots, the Revenant smiled in satisfaction as the familiar blue particles dispersed out from the bloodspring. As he put his mask back on, Blood Beads already started to grow across the branches and main body of the bloodspring.
"U-Unbelievable." The black-haired Revenant muttered in shock, watching in astonishment as the bloodspring was revitalized and grew multiple Blood Beads in a near instant.
In only a few minutes, Heredis counted roughly fifteen Blood Beads grow from the spring. Reaching into the pouch Oliver gave him, the Revenant took out one of the two bags and opened it. He then picked eight off from the bloodspring, tying the top off to secure the goods before tossing the bag to his compatriot.
"Hold on!" The Revenant spoke out as he caught the bag, fumbling with it before keeping a solid hold on it. "What was that?"
"There's fifteen Blood Beads, you did more work and found the bloodspring, so I figured you earned the larger amount." Heredis answered, taking out the second bag and getting his own batch of seven beads. "I only need six, but I think having an extra one will come in handy as to get on the others' good side. For now anyways."
"That's not what I meant."
"Yeah, I was just hoping you'd go for it." Heredis admitted, tying his bag off and hanging it on his belt. "Look, I don't know the full details. I woke up from what I assume is years of death and most of my memories are gone. I only remember bits and pieces, none about me specifically but rather what's going on. So I can't answer your question, because I don't know what the answer is."
"I see…"
"Yeah, bit of a lucky break though."
"I agree, to completely revitalize a bloodspring usually requires all the blood from a human. And that usually only produces four Blood Beads."
"The part about that that makes me sick is that if you know, someone did that." Heredis said, the two walking from the bloodspring. "Absolutely abhorrent."
"I'm glad we can agree on that. It's rare, most humans are kept in safety in return for small blood donations within the Provisional Government. However some of the more rough groups of Revenants manage to get their hands on a human. And if they aren't sacrificed for Blood Beads… they're treated like cattle."
"Bastards."
"An unfortunate part of our world." The two then stopped as they walked up a ramp, reaching the Mistle seen before. "I must ask, does your power only work on bloodsprings?"
"Your lungs are about to thank me." Heredis claimed, squeezing his wrist in order to get a few more drops of blood out before it closed, reviving the Mistle like he had before.
"Incredible, that explains why the Miasma was lower once I got close to where you were. You did this before didn't you?" The Revenant asked.
"Only once, I might have passed one on the way so the air isn't perfect. That's not counting the Lost in here either."
"Regardless this is astounding, this provides countless opportunities to everyone in regard to survival. There may be something else that you could even help with…" The Revenant trailed off, getting Heredis to raise an eyebrow.
"Wanna speak up on that last bit?"
"Oh, um… nothing right now. Just thinking out loud, it's a habit of mine."
"Riiiiight. Well either get that habit under control, or explain what you mean so you don't come off as shady." The silver-haired Revenant stated, the two beginning to walk again after their short rest to recover their regeneration. "So how many Lost is going to be between us and the exit?"
"A fair amount, I was able to stick to the shadows to avoid the bulk of them but with the both of us it may prove to be a bit more… difficult." The Revenant trailed off, a sudden vibration across the ground getting them to pause. "What was that?"
"Was there any big Lost on your path?"
"Only Executioner class, tough but they don't have enough brute force to cause those kinds of vibrations. That had to be breaking walls and structural components to happen. It must have been something new."
"Either way, I say we're overstaying our welcome. So we should get moving." Heredis stated, getting a nod from his companion.
"Agreed." He nodded before they began to run, the black-haired Revenant taking the lead and directing them in the right direction. "Something new definitely showed up." He said after a minute of running, the pair going past large splatters on the walls and floor massive holes appearing at certain points. "There was at least eight Lost here when I passed, and there wasn't nearly this much damage to the area."
'It couldn't be… could it?' Heredis thought worriedly, seeing a familiar indent of a massive hammer in one of the walls with blood filling it. The pair continued running for a solid ten minutes, having to maneuver through recently destroyed terrain with loose footing. Aside from only one or two Lost survivors, they had made their way to a massive ramp-way without suffering an injury, both stopping at the corner as they heard metal clashing.
"There's a fight going on." The Revenant stated, attempting to get a view past the corner. "The surface is just past here, which means our mystery guest was ahead of us by a fair amount. The Revenants are likely fighting it now."
"Io…" Heredis muttered, his eyes widening in concern.
"What?" The Revenant responded, getting caught off guard as he was shoved to the side, Heredis' bag of Blood Beads falling as he rushed ahead up the ramp. "Wait, don't go! We don't know what's up there!"
"Io! Io I'm coming!" Heredis shouted in panic, hearing a man scream in agony as he reached the top of the ramp. He'd get there just in time to jump to the side; a body being smashed past him and down the incline. The Revenant's body then broke apart, turning into bright hazes after suffering too much damage.
He then turned back to the open territory, his eyes widening in horror as he saw Oliver hunched over, his hammer resting on the ground as his head twitched sporadically. A disfigured growth was forming on his head, spongy flesh breaking his mask and covering half his face. When Oliver turned, he revealed a set of jagged glowing spikes growing on the other end of his face, bright red eyes staring hungrily at him.
"Oliver, you already…" Heredis muttered out, his eyes being drawn to the two syringes that were injected into his arm. The fluids were empty, meaning he had got them in. But by the looks of it they were impaled deeper than before, meaning his transformation was almost immediate and he had shoved them violently into his arm.
"RAAGH!" With a husked roar, Oliver lunged at Heredis, the Revenant hesitant and stepping back in shock as Oliver swung his hammer forward.
The newly Lost was stopped however, as the black-haired Revenant's sword clashed with the overwhelming weapon, managing to deflect the attack before blasting Oliver with a burst of flames. The fire had managed to send Oliver back, the Lost rolling for a second on the ground before stopping itself, pushing up back to its feet.
"I assume that was your partner?" The Revenant asked, the look on Heredis' face being all the answer he needs. "I am sorry, but whatever feelings you had for him must be cast aside now. Once a Revenant becomes Lost, there is no turning back. You must cast aside all doubt, we have to fight him." He stated, getting into a combative stance as Oliver growled hungrily at them.
Heredis' focus wavered, seeing the now Lost Oliver fully weighing the impact of frenzying on the Revenant. But even then, he still thought of how the man was before the transformation; full of hope and excitement, and a willing teacher. All reduced to a mindless beast driven by his hunger alone. As much as he knew he had to, he didn't want to fight someone he would have called a friend.
But then his gaze moved to behind Oliver, the sight of Io on the ground getting his eyes to widen in shock. The woman was unconscious, unmoving as she had several marks and injuries on her arms and legs. Seeing her hurt, and in the area where Oliver was caused the Revenant's eyes to narrow in anger, swinging his sword as he lowered into his stance.
'I have to get to Io. Which means I can't let anything stand in my way!' He thought, the Lost looking to him directly as he did. 'Not even if it's you.'
"Now go, get to Io. And find a way to get yourselves out of this mess."
"Especially if it's you." Heredis claimed in solidarity, calming his breath as he looked to the Lost. It was now an obstacle, a foe who would stop at nothing to kill him again and again. So he had to view it in the same light, even as it shared the face of the man who helped him.
"Are you ready?" The Revenant asked, Heredis nodding in confirmation. "Good, then let's go!"
The Revenants then ran forward, the Lost letting out a violent roar as it swung it's hammer at the two in a wide arc. The black-haired Revenant swung his sword in retaliation, the two matching blows and leaving themselves open. Heredis then used the opening to slice across the Lost's chest, ducking under as it then swung in the opposite direction, suffering a cross cut on its back.
The two then jumped back in retreat as it slammed down, a burst of ichor going off around it in prevention of further damage. The two looked across to one another, their eyes narrowing in understanding before nodding, rushing the Lost from its opposite directions.
Heredis reached the Lost first, running past it as he slashed its back. The beast attempted to strike him, only for the black-haired Revenant to block it, using enough force to off balance the Lost. He then held his sword to his side, preparing himself before preforming three slashes in succession, cutting across the Lost's torso.
It stumbled a step back, but as the Revenant attempted to jump back it swung forward in a wide arc. Before it landed, Heredis lunged forward, blocking the polearm with his sword. He wasn't able to hold the force back, getting pushed back to where he skidded to a halt. But he recovered quick enough to get back into position, firing a bolt of ichor that struck the Lost's head.
His fellow Revenant then maneuvered around the Lost, sliding behind it to slash at its legs and get it to stumble forward. When it attempted to turn and hit him, Heredis cut at the back of its knees to stumble it forward. They both then turned and cut across its legs, dismembering the limbs and getting the Lost to fall onto its chest.
They then rose their swords to impale it through the back, but before they could the Lost released a massive shockwave of black and red blood, sending the two flying back, rolling across the ground before stopping themselves.
When they looked up, they'd see the Lost having mutated drastically. No longer appearing human, it had a massive stature, easily three times the size of the Revenants with a wide frame, its legs having grown back from the mutation. It's entire body was a grayish black, the muscles taught and expanded, now carrying its weapon with a single hand. The weapon as well even showed it had mutated, the metal twisted and jagged, the same mass of fungus growing at points of the weapon.
"He transformed into an Elite Lost?" The black-haired Revenant muttered, getting up to his feet as the Lost roared into the sky.
"Does it change anything?" Heredis questioned, pushing himself up with his sword.
"It'll be harder to cut through the skin, and it's going to hit a lot harder." The Revenant answered, getting into his stance. "No more blocking with your sword, avoid getting hit period."
"Got it."
Now ready for round two, the Lost started by turning to Heredis, jumping at him with its hammer raised. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the weapon before rolling again underneath it, a wide swing nearly taking his head off passing over. As it ended the swing, Heredis slashed at its leg again, cursing to himself when his weapon nearly bounced off it, only leaving a small cut.
Sliding to a halt, he turned and fire a bolt of ichor at the Lost's head, this time the beast simply shrugging it off as it turned to him. But before it could land a hit, the black-haired Revenant teleported in a flash of haze, slashing across and down its chest. The sword did more noticeable damage, but the two were forced to separate as the Lost began to slam its hammer everywhere in front of it.
The two ran around it and get to its back, Heredis readying another swing while the other Revenant held his hand close. Heredis then cut across the Lost's back, leaving a long but shallow cut that barely caused any bleeding. The beast turned back to swing, but was stopped as the other Revenant threw his arm forward and struck it in the head with a spray of five fire bolts.
"Holy shit, we can throw fire?" Heredis wondered, looking to the Revenant.
"I can, I'm unaware of what your Blood Code does." He responded, holding his spare hand over his sword, pulsing his ichor and summoning flames around his weapon. "It's just like firing your ichor bolt, focus on your power and see if you can increase your abilities."
Looking down to his hand, Heredis wondered what exactly the Revenant meant, but knew he didn't have the time and simply steeled himself. At that moment he felt a flood of ichor course around him, his hand glowing red for a second before vanishing. Unaware of what happened, he wouldn't have time to think on it as the Lost recovered and rushed him.
Ducking underneath a swing, Heredis side stepped around the Lost and slash at its side. The attack had done more damage than his last, blood actually coming out from the swing. Realizing that whatever had happened likely increased his weapon's effectiveness, Heredis slashed a second time, rolling to the beast's back as it attempted to slam down on him.
The second Revenant than jumped high and brought his sword down with both hands, cutting down its entire body and leaving a deep cut with fire spreading past it. The Lost screamed in agony, the torrent of red and black blood returning while the Revenants were still close. It then exploded out, knocking Heredis into a chunk of cement and the other Revenant far across the open area behind Io.
Both lost hold of their weapons, the Revenant's impaling into the ground next to him while Heredis' shattered, the metal unable to handle the wide impact. Heredis then collapsed to the ground, feeling his vision blink in and out as he hit the back of his head off the debris.
Although he could barely follow it, he could see the Lost ignore him and walk away, confusing him until his eyes eventually saw where it was walking to. Io was showing signs of regaining consciousness, the woman's eyes wincing as the Lost approached with its hammer in hand. Seeing the beast go for her, Heredis' focus returned immediately, and as he placed his left hand down, his blood and ichor began to flow up and around his mask, transforming it into a twisted visage of jagged snarling teeth.
When the Lost reached Io, it looked down to her with one glowing red eye, the other having been damaged by the black-haired Revenants last swing on it. The beast remained focused on her, its movements jarred as it almost appeared dazed. Fighting against the mysterious daze, the beast then raised its hammer up, ready to crush the woman and turn her to ash.
"RAGH!" Before it could it felt a blistering pain through its back as Heredis jumped onto the Lost, impaling his Blood Veil's claw into it. Feeling the ichor flow into him, the Revenant reached up and grab the Lost's shoulder, ripping his claw out to stab it in the opposing shoulder.
With the Revenant both stealing blood and causing damage, the Lost was backpedaling while attempting to reach back, its arm too short to grab at the assailant as he continued to drain it. Seeing nearby debris, the Lost quickly turned and slam its back into the wall, the impact causing the Revenant to cough blood into his mask. But he held on, ripping his claw out again in order to stab into its neck.
By now the Lost was howling in agony as it slammed him into whatever debris it could. But he still held on with all his strength, forgoing the pain as he pulled himself up. As he got himself up, the Lost eventually was able to reach him, grabbing his shoulder and throwing him over its front. But with the new power he drained from the Lost, Heredis felt his senses clear, allowing him to flip onto his feet and lunge forward, slashing his claw across the Lost's entire side.
Both the Lost and Revenant turned to each other, a moment of silence overtaking the area before their eyes glowed bright red and they let out rivaling roars of rage. Bringing its hammer for a wide swing, the Lost placed all its physical strength into the attack. Meanwhile Heredis prepared his clawed arm, infusing his ichor into it as he waited for the right moment.
Seeing the hammer just moments from hitting him, the Revenant swung his clawed limb out wide, colliding with the weapon and pulsing his ichor out. The enhanced power of his claw combined with his ichor proved enough even to best the beast, as the deflection caused it to lose grip of its hammer and send it to the side.
Now with it stunned and defenseless, Heredis swung his claw forward, impaling the beast directly into the gut. As it hunched over from the enhanced blow, he then held his left hand up, a red glow surrounding it as he aimed for the Lost's head.
"Now!"
In synch with his call out, the black-haired Revenant teleported directly over the Lost, his hand clutched shut as it was shrouded in fire. Both then fired their projectiles, the Revenant's fire blasting the back of the Lost's head while Heredis fired a bolt of blood infused ichor. The combined impact from their Gifts had caused a reaction, blood and flames exploding directly in the Lost's head.
Both Revenants panted as the Lost slowly turned to ash, Heredis' arm and mask returning to normal as he felt his strength leave his body. His partner however just seemed out of breath, the last attack having taken a good chunk of his ichor to fire.
"To think he would transform into an Elite Lost so quickly." The black-haired Revenant said, looking to the pile of ash. "Did he inject something into him before hand?"
"Sedatives of some kind… wanted to knock himself out." Heredis answered.
"Unbelievable, nothing can keep a Lost down. But at the very least, he seemed to have been weaker than the others. Even as a fresh one he went down relatively easily."
"You're… back." Heredis then turned to see Io open her eyes, the woman attempting to sit herself up.
"Hey, hey, take it easy." He stated, kneeling down next to her to help her, taking her hand in concern as he held her in a comfortable position. "Are you hurt? Did the Revenants do anything to you before the Lost showed up?"
"No, they didn't do anything. Although I believe they intended to kill you even if you came back with Blood Beads." Io answered. "I was struck by the Lost using an enhanced attack to kill several of the Revenants. I was not the main focus, so my injuries should be minimal."
"Still, you shouldn't push yourself." Heredis responded.
"Is this you friend?" The black-haired Revenant asked, getting a nod from Heredis as he looked over Io.
'She said she was hit indirectly, but I don't see more than scratches on her. How can someone who seems so frail take so little damage from a hit?' The Revenant wondered.
"We'll stay for a bit until she is able top stand on her own. Once she's able we'll go somewhere safe, I have a hideout not too far from here. But if you revive the Mistle we'll be there in an instant."
"Alright, just give us a few minutes." Heredis said.
"There's no choice. Without Blood Beads, we won't make it!"
"Oliver?" Heredis heard the former Revenants voice, looking around in confusion before looking to the ash. At the center was a small purple and red crystal, glowing vilely with a blood red pulse throughout it.
"Careful, that's a Vestige." The black-haired Revenant warned. "Fragments of the Lost left behind when they die, anyone who touches them are consumed and become a Lost. Best to stay away from it while we wait."
Heredis had heard the Revenant's warning, but the longer he stared at the Vestige, the more the echoes of Oliver's voice could be heard. To the point it became enticing, enthralling, so much that his eyes began to glow a vibrant red. It was soon the urge had become too much, and the Revenant stepped from his position by Io, reaching his hand for the Vestige.
"What are you-!" The black-haired Revenant muttered, hearing Heredis' movement before turning to see him reach for the Vestige. "No!" His shout came too late, as Heredis grabbed the Vestige and held it up, looking at the stone for a second before dozens of shards shot out, impaling through his hand and reacting violently. "Let it go! It'll swallow you whole!"
"G-Gaahhh!" Heredis screamed in pain, the Vestige's vile presence slowly working up the Revenant's arm as the crimson in his eyes became more intense. His teeth were beginning to sharpen, going further than previously to be almost identical to that of a Lost.
"It's okay." As the Vestige's energy reached his shoulder, Io placed a supporting hand to his arm. She stared to him in comfort, certain that he could handle himself. "You can do it, keep your focus."
Heredis looked to Io in confusion, but seeing her golden eyes stare to him in confidence was enough for his vigor to return. Clutching the vestige tight in his fist, he looked to the crystal with determination. Forcing his ichor back against the Vestige, blue blood began to spread and overtake the ichor, replacing the red of his normal blood. Eventually the Vestige was being overpowered, and as the blue blood began to seep into it, Heredis' eyes glowed vibrantly, matching the intense blue of the blood.
As the Vestige was torn apart, a white light escaped it, spreading across the entire area as it cracked more and more.
"W-What the hell!?" The black-haired Revenant exclaimed in confusion, feeling the light pull him in.
The light continued to flood out until it shrouded all of them, forcing the Revenants to close their eyes when it became too bright. Once it was gone, Heredis was able to open his eyes, staring in shock as he stood up in an endless black void.
"Please, just let us keep them this once!" Hearing Oliver's voice, Heredis turned to the void, his eyes widening as he saw visages of the Revenant in front of two armored men, likely fellow Revenants as they held a bag of Blood Beads. "We won't make it without them!"
"All Revenants must pay their levy in Blood Beads, there are no exceptions." One of the armored Revenant's voices boomed out, putting Oliver in his place as he turned away.
"I'm sorry." The second Revenant said, remaining a second later before walking away, all three visages disappearing into the void.
'What is this?' Heredis questioned, watching as debris amongst the void slowly formed into place in front of him, forming a pathway with lanterns for him to follow.
"Mommy! Daddy!" When he reached the end of the created pathway, Heredis saw another set of visages, a small child trembling in fear as Oliver approached. The kid's back was to a bloodspring, the Revenant's hand trembling as he got closer.
"I'm sorry… but sacrifices have to be made." Oliver stated, raising his hammer up as there was doubt in his voice. "Without Blood Beads, we won't survive!" Only the sound of crushing silence followed, the two visages vanishing as a single Blood Bead grew on the bloodspring. It then went away as well, and more debris created a further path for Heredis to follow.
Having to continue the trek, he followed the path that was being laid out for him. Each step he took slowly brought together more of the void, several flashes of visages going off detailing Oliver's life throughout his time as a Revenant.
"You yourself recognize that, don't you?" Recognizing the voice of the lead Revenant from the group that captured him, he saw the latest set of visions had shown Oliver on his hands and knees, the Revenant standing over him on debris as he spoke. "All of the remaining humans are under Silva's control, and his levy hurts Revenants who can barely scrounge up any Blood Beads. Sacrifices must be made, regardless of who it is."
"Yes… I see that." Oliver's visage answered.
"Then you know what to do. A fresh batch of Revenants were scavenged together, find a fresh bloodspring and get us the beads we need. Which ever one you end up with, make sure they don't come back."
"I understand."
'Oliver… what were you planning?' Heredis thought to himself, watching the visages vanish before continuing on the created path. As he looked in the distance, he saw a massive door form, but before he reached it one last visage appeared, Oliver sitting against the cave wall with the two syringes impaled into his arm.
"Hehe, well… I guess you reap what you sow." The visage laughed bittersweetly, his hand still wrapped around the syringes as he pushed the contents down. "But at least one of us will make it out of this. For once… I can feel that my suffering will help the people who need it. Not the Provisional Government, not scavengers, not Silva, but the Revenants who need those Blood Beads the most. Good luck Heredis, I'm rooting for you."
Seeing the visage bleed away, with a final scream of agony as the Lost transformation began to start within the Revenant. It got a more understanding look from Heredis, who remained staring out into the endless void for a minute. He had an understanding behind Oliver now, the Revenant having his up and downs in life, attempting to be a saint while being forced to be a sinner. He couldn't guess what exactly he was more like, a chunk of memories missing from even what he saw.
But he saw enough to confirm his thoughts on him. Oliver was a man born at the wrong time at the wrong place, being forced to work with Revenants that aimed to exploit others. He didn't want to do it, but he also followed the orders he was given. Until the time he gave it all up, he gave Heredis the chance to move forward, deciding that his life was more important than his own.
"It takes courage to embrace a fate like that, thank you Oliver." Heredis said, taking one last look at the empty void, walking up a forming staircase to the door as it opened, shinning an overwhelming light. "I promise, I'll make it worth it." As he walked through the door, the light overtook him, burning away the void as he continued moving forward regardless.
Heredis opened his eyes to see himself back in the open area where he had fought Oliver, looking at his now empty hand as the blue ichor was slowly retreating back into his arm. Around him, both Io and the other Revenant were where they were before, although the latter down on a knee from the sudden rush of light.
"That… what was that?" The Revenant asked, looking to the two as his vision cleared.
"A memory's shard, left from the Lost that was here before." Io stated, looking up to Heredis as she remained sitting. "It is what a powerful Lost leaves behind, giving sight to its past and restore what little balance it can have in order to pass on."
"You mean, it's dead? Fully dead?"
"Precisely."
"Such a power, it seems unreal." The Revenant commented as he stood up, looking down to Heredis. "How did you do that? Being able to dominate a Vestige is one thing, but you managed to pull us in as well."
"I… don't know." Heredis admitted, looking to his hand as he did. "It just sort of happened."
"Just like with the bloodspring and Mistle." The Revenant muttered, scratching his mask as he thought of what to do next. "Alright then, that definitely cements it."
"Cements what?"
"I would like to bring you back with me, I have something I want to test." The Revenant answered, holding his hand out to Heredis. "My name is Louis, I'm researching Blood Beads."
"Researching Blood Beads?"
"They've appeared ever since the Queen was defeated a decade ago, yet we know next to nothing. And as time goes on, they become more and more rare." Louis explained. "I want to find out what's behind the Blood Beads, and I feel you're my best chance at getting to the bottom of it. So please, I'm asking for your help."
"…What about Io?" Heredis questioned, hesitant in regarding Louis.
"She will stay with us, safe and away from any danger." He answered. "I promise you, we won't let anything happen to her. But we need you if we're going to get any answers."
"It's okay." Io said behind Heredis, getting the Revenant's attention. "I do not know why, but I feel that we can trust him."
"It's not about trusting him." Heredis muttered, looking to his arm and recalling the blue ichor. The power was a complete unknown, neither he nor Io had a full grasp of it. And now he was getting dragged in on some kind of expedition. He had no idea on what his powers really were, and now a Revenant was recruiting him to use it constantly.
But as he looked back to Io, his process of thoughts started to change. He had no idea on his connection to her, or even the purpose behind her search for him. But regardless of it he had become protective of her, an unknown task that he had developed in such a small window of time. He knew little on Louis, but she trusted him enough to believe his word. And if he was truthful, his headquarters would be the safest place for the woman in white, making it a simple answer for him.
"Alright Louis, I'm game. As long as Io is safe, you can trust me to help." Heredis stated, holding his hand up to accept Louis' offer.
"Thank you, I promise you this'll help change the world for the better. For everyone." Louis thanked, helping Heredis stand up as he did.
"I guess we'll see if that's the case."