"I gotta hand it to you Louis, I was beginning to think that all the bloodsprings left were deep in the miasma." A Cerberus trooper admitted, speaking to the Revenant as a group of fellow troopers went down the cavern. "If what you say is true, we'll have a fresh supply of beads that could last for over a year."
"As long as they're properly distributed and not just hoarded by Silva." Louis responded.
Before heading out, Louis had made sure to contact the Provisional Government to inform them about the fresh bloodspring. The Cerberus troops were then immediately sent to set up a temporary outpost, and since they were already going to be there Louis' group remained to make sure they got there just fine.
"Of course, Silva has us split the beads appropriately to give some of the groups what they need." The operative stated, getting a dirty look from Yakumo.
"Some of the groups you say?"
"After the beads taken out by the levy are applied, of course not every group may get some of the Blood Beads." The operative responded, looking to the redhead. "There's only so much that can go around, even if this bloodspring pours out fifty beads a day, not everyone can get the necessary amount."
"So you'll just let everyone else go thirsty, huh? Then what? You got another hoard of Lost to deal with."
"We'll deal with them as needed. But as I said, we cannot get beads to everyone, if we could we would."
"You're not even concerned about-"
"That's enough Yakumo." Louis interrupted, holding his arm between the two Revenants. "We can't convince Silva to change his levy system, not yet. All we can do is focus on our mission first. Then we'll meet the general and have a talk about his ideas." Although Louis showed restraint, it was barely containing the fire that burned inside. He despised the levy system and letting Revenants Frenzy of bloodthirst, but so far he had no options. A single bloodspring couldn't account for even a tenth of the Revenants in Vein.
"…Fine." Yakumo relented, turning away and placing his weapon on his shoulder. Upon gearing up, Heredis was caught off guard seeing Yakumo's weapon, the massive greatsword having a double edge curved with a fashion similar to Louis. And considering the ease he carried it, Yakumo's strength could go ahead without question.
"Be sure to report of any more Blood Beads you may come across. Any more could help the other groups you're concerned about." The operative stated as Louis turned away. "We wouldn't want to keep them out of fresh relief would we?"
"Trust me, we'd let you know if we were aware of anymore."
"…There's another one close by." Heredis would speak up as the two started to walk away, the three Revenants all looking to him. "Before the group of Revenants captured me I… found a bloodspring producing Blood Beads, at a decent rate too. Maybe not as good as this one, but I know it will help if you give it to the other groups."
"Where would you say the bloodspring is?" The operative questioned.
"You'll have to ask the Revenants if they reform, but I wouldn't say it's too far from here. Maybe within a kilometer of the fork way of roads? It was in the center of a street that broke down into a cliffside if that helps."
"Yes, it will." The operative nodded. "We'll be sure to find it and further distribute the beads to who we can. Thank you for your assistance."
"Just let Silva know I call dibs on talking to him first." Heredis warned as he turned, Louis and Yakumo walking beside him as they did.
"You didn't mention you revitalized the bloodspring." Louis whispered to Heredis.
"You didn't either." He responded. "And besides, we both know exactly what they would do if they found out I was responsible for two fresh sources of Blood Beads. If you need me for the mission, keeping Cerberus out of the loop is the best option for now."
"Smart move." Yakumo agreed. "But here's another question, what's your beef with Silva? Didn't you just wake up?"
"Name leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Heredis answered, the trio continuing ahead to where the territory went down to an underground pathway. "He's also the reason Oliver and others have to do some awful things, and is indirectly responsible for Oliver turning into a monster. I want to have a chat on why he thinks the levy system is a good process."
"On that, we can certainly agree." Louis nodded. The path they were taking was a normal run for smugglers, meaning there wasn't any Lost in the tunnels. However the miasma was thick in the air, making the purifier masks work at top gears to prevent any frenzy.
The amount had visibly made Heredis uncomfortable, the Revenant shifting his mask as he could almost feel some of the miasma with each breath. It left a sour taste and made it hard to breathe, making him wonder how Oliver was able to even talk while inhaling it.
"Holding in there?" Louis asked, noticing Heredis' uncomfortable shifting.
"Yeah, just still getting used to when the miasma is thick." He admitted. "I was too thirsty to notice it when I didn't have a mask, and ever since I was breathing air that had less thanks to the Mistles. So it's a little jarring at the moment."
"Well just work your magic and it shouldn't be a problem." Yakumo stated. "There's a Mistle not too far from here, so if your blood really does do the trick then you'll get that relief you want."
"…Right." Although Yakumo wasn't being as on guard, Heredis easily picked up the tone of distrust in his voice. He was helping, but the new arrival was still an unknown factor, one Yakumo made clear to keep an eye on until he proved he could be fully trusted.
After a minute of walking, the trio would reach a staircase that went up, and before reaching the surface they found the Mistle mentioned. Taking a deep breath, Heredis would remove his mask before biting into his wrist, drawing blood and letting it drip onto the Mistle's roots. The blood would soak in and in a second, the Mistle would glow and sprout to life, clearing up the air.
"Well, expectations exceeded." Yakumo chuckled, him and Louis taking their masks off as they looked to Heredis.
"That settles it, you're absolutely vital to this operation." Louis announced. "With your help, we'll be able to find the Source. And once we do, we can correct the mistake Silva made."
"Right." Heredis nodded, the three putting their masks back on before heading to the surface. Upon reaching it, they'd find themselves deeper in the city ruins, looking to the dusty skyline as the sun barely shined through.
"When we first started, we had no problem getting around the city. The only problem was the Lost." Louis explained as they walked. "Although as time passed, the miasma got too thick for us to safely traverse through. We managed to find the bloodspring on the surface here and the one in the Howling Pit, so we know where to go for our investigation."
"But luckily with you here, now there's no serious problem to the miasma, especially if you heal some of the rotten Mistles lying around." Yakumo added, confusing Heredis. "There's some Mistles that are smaller than the normal ones, nothing special to them besides helping clear the miasma. Fix those, and you greatly thin out the air. Get what I'm saying?"
"Yeah, I get it." Heredis nodded, looking ahead and raising an eyebrow. "Um, how many people come around here?"
"Not many, even with a mask it's dangerous for a…" Louis would begin to say, trailing off as he and Yakumo saw what Heredis did. A single Revenant was sitting on a pile of rubble, looking down to his hands in defeat. His Blood Veil and clothes were in tethers, showing he recently got out of a serious scuffle.
"Well, that can't be good." Yakumo said as the three approached. "Hey! You alright there?"
"Huh!?" The Revenant nearly jumped as he noticed the trio, looking up in panic. "Oh you're… you aren't monsters…"
"I take it you recently woke up?" Louis questioned, getting a nervous nod from the Revenant.
"Y-Yeah I… I think I died for a year or two. I can't remember a lot and I… it's getting hard to breathe." The Revenant said, rubbing his throat as his eyes were glowing red. "I lost my mask and the miasma's getting to my head. I don't know how long I…"
"What's your name?" Heredis asked, getting the Revenant's attention.
"M-Matthew, I think my name is Matthew."
"Here Matthew." Heredis would kneel next to Matthew, reaching into his Blood Veil to pull out a Blood Bead and a full-face purifier mask. "There's a Mistle down the staircase we came from, drink the bead and then put your mask on when you get there. If you follow the path you should run into a team of Cerberus troops. If you're lucky, they might point you in the direction of a nearby camp of Revenants."
"Y-You're actually… you're just giving me these?' Matthew asked, hesitant to reach for the items as Heredis offered them.
"My friends here each have a few of their own Blood Beads, if one of us needs one we got plenty." He informed, placing the bead in Matthew's right hand and the mask in his left. "And we need these masks to avoid frenzy. We wouldn't want any more to join the Lost, so it feels like the smart thing to do in giving you it."
"Th-thank you!" Matthew said, his thirst almost making him instantly bite into the Blood bead before realizing it would be best to consume it by the Mistle. "I… I don't know how I'll repay you, but I swear I'll-!"
"Think nothing of it." Yakumo interrupted. "Now get back to the Mistle, better sooner rather than later."
"Y-yes, thank you again!" Matthew nodded, getting up and running in the direction they came with the bead and mask in hand.
"Didn't realize you had a bead on you." Louis said as he looked to Heredis, the silver-haired Revenant standing up and watching Matthew run off.
"Borrowed it from that one Revenant who captured me and Io. His body was gone, so I don't think he had a problem with me taking it." He revealed.
"Okay, better question. Where'd you get the mask?" Yakumo questioned, getting Heredis to look away in awkwardness. "Holy shit you stole from Murasame's stash."
"It felt like a good idea, if any of our masks broke." Heredis defended. "She isn't going to be mad, is she?"
"No, I think she'll be fine knowing it saved someone." Louis encouraged, Yakumo adding in by smacking Heredis' shoulder.
"Maybe tell her next time, but that's definitely the right thinking around here. Keep that up and you'll be good in my books."
"If it keeps the barrel of your gun away from my heart, that'll be great."
"Hehehe, just keep it up."
After encountering Matthew, the trio would be forced to fight against a group of Lost in the area. They were much better armed then the first horde Heredis saw, however with the numbers they had the Revenants were much better off. Yakumo was also able to show his own stills, a single heavy swing from him nearly cleaving some of the Lost apart. He worked well with Louis speed, the two taking down a bulk of the abominations while Heredis dealt with the stragglers.
Watching the two, he could tell they had seen their fair share of battles together. They fought expertly, not even needing to communicate as they went back and forth with the Lost. There weren't many Lost to fight, so after a quick extermination they would reach a parking garage, holding together although crumbled on the inside.
"Looks like tight corners in there." Yakumo noted, looking around the corner to see a few Lost. "Until we find a more open area in there, my weapon's just going to get in the way. Louis, you and Heredis will have to deal with the next group. I'll cover you if any come up uninvited."
"Got it, Heredis you ready?" Louis asked, looking the silverhead.
"I've figured out how to summon my Blood Veil's tail, I can hit the furthest while you get the one closer." Heredis stated, the spearhead in his coat's design extending out and forming into a long metal scorpion tail.
"Good idea, we'll go on my mark." Louis said, tightening his hand on his sword while Heredis narrowed his eyes in focus. "Ready? Go!"
Jumping into action, Louis would rush forward and impale the closer of the two Lost through its back before it could react. The second was about to swing at him, but was interrupted as Heredis' tail cut its arm off, getting an annoyed grunt from the Revenant as he aimed for the chest.
'Looks like I need to work on aiming with it.' He'd think as he held his free hand out, firing a Blood Bolt that pierced through the Lost and destroyed its heart. Both beasts then turned to ash, clearing the way for them as they moved through the rubble.
"Not as easy as it looks, huh?" Yakumo commented, seeing Heredis' disappointed look.
"It's like having an extra limb." He said, letting the tail come out again with a shorter length as the blade twisted idly. "I gotta adjust for the movement of both it and the Lost. I'll catch on quick, but it's definitely jarring."
"Imagine having two that operate as extra heads that you have to control." The redhead chuckled, gesturing to his back, the two sleeves hanging from his Blood Veil. "Hound types require quick thinking, since the hounds sick on basically the first thing you look at if you don't concentrate on holding them back."
"Well then, I guess that only adds on to the list of ways you can kill me. Bullet to the heart, cleaved in two, and now ripped to pieces. Great."
"You'll be fine, Yakumo's all talk if he isn't fighting." Louis stated, stepping over a pile of debris and jumping down. "The threats are just to keep you in line until he knows what you're all about."
"Well, consider me on the line." Heredis muttered, the two following Louis as they moved around the rubble. The garage was extremely damaged, but was holding together enough that nothing was shifting underneath them. Luckily with the damage, the debris made it impossible for a larger Lost to remain and be an obstacle. It made fighting the smaller Lost a challenge, but Louis' experience and Heredis' quick adapting made it a breeze to eliminate any they came across.
Eventually they'd reach the ramp way to go down to the next floor, Heredis seeing in the corner of his eye another Mistle that could be used. But as he would move ahead to revitalize it, his nose would pick up an overwhelming scent. The moment he took a single whiff, his eyes burned red and he grunted in thirst.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Yakumo would ask, running up to Heredis and pausing as her picked up the same scent. Taking a few extra sniffs, his eyes would widen in realization as he recognized the smell. "Louis, do you smell that?"
"Yeah, I do." The Revenant nodded, stepping past the two as he knelt down, drawing Heredis' attention to a blot of blood on the ground. "Human blood, and it's fresh."
"Human… blood…?" Heredis groaned, pressing a hand to his forehead as he struggled to keep his bloodthirst under control.
"Take it easy, just breathe through your mouth. In and out, avoid taking in the scent." Yakumo instructed his fellow Revenant, placing a hand on his shoulder as he panted, his breathing slowly regaining control. "There you go, get that thirst out of you. It's only from the scent, it isn't anything that'll put you in a frenzy."
"Sorry…"
"Don't be, human blood's a hell of a stimulant for Revenants. Especially fresh blood." Yakumo responded, releasing Heredis as his eyes returned to normal. "Keeping your head on straight?"
"Yeah, I think I'm good. Damn, I didn't know a smell could be so intoxicating. One sniff and I didn't think on anything else." Heredis admitted, shaking his head as he got the thirst out of his system, although the thought of the blood stuck in his head like a fantasy.
"It's why Silva keeps the humans as protected as he does. Blood Beads do the job, but human blood is much more potent in releasing a Revenant's power." Louis explained, standing up as he turned to him. "They also sate our thirst far longer than beads ever could. It's addicting, once you get a taste all you can think of is getting another bite."
"The only problem is that humans only have so much blood in them." Yakumo continued. "They can't give out enough to support everyone. And if you drink too much… well, killing a human is unfortunately much easier than killing a Revenant or Lost."
"Damn it, and this stuff is fresh?" Heredis questioned. "That means a human's out here; how and why did they escape from the Provisional Government?"
"Most likely, they didn't." Louis answered. "Some humans have been in hiding for years, evading the Lost and not being discovered by Silva's forces. But some are also kidnapped from the shelters, where Revenants then use their blood to satisfy their thirst while giving Silva every Blood Bead they find. Cerberus usually doesn't ask twice if a group gives more beads then the levy requires, so they don't bother investigating why they're so willing to part with them."
"Now where did you run off to?" The three's heads would all snap to the corner of the garage, hearing a lone voice speak out as footsteps became more audible. "Come on out, you know this'll be easier if you just show yourself." Eventually a revenant would step into view, a rough individual with a full-face purifier mask and a bayonet rifle in hand. He was sniffing the air urgently, attempting to track the human. When he picked up the fresh blood, he turned to see the party of Revenants, and the hostility in the area instantly went up.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing here?" He questioned, stepping up to them. "Did you take the human?"
"No, we haven't seen any." Louis answered, keeping a leveled head as he did. "We're out here doing some work for the Provisional Government."
"Oh really? Well then tell me why trash like you has the sweet smell of a human on ya!?" The Revenant shouted, getting in Louis face as he did. "The human belongs to us, try and take her and you'll have a problem on your hands." He'd then shove his shoulder into Louis, pushing him to the side as he stomped on ahead. Although as he passed Heredis, he'd see the silverhead's narrow stare, getting a sneer from him. "What are looking at!?"
"…" Heredis would remain quiet, looking to Louis and Yakumo. The two both shook their head, getting him to grunt as he looked away. "…Nothing."
"Yeah, that's what I thought." The Revenant grinned before walking away, leaping off the ledge to land on the ground a few meters below.
"She's in deep running off." Yakumo commented, looking at the ledge where the Revenant jumped off. "Lost aren't as drawn to humans, but if she so much as nudges one it won't be much of a fight."
"We're going after her, right?" Heredis asked, looking back to them as he did.
"Of course, we're not going to just leave her to be recaptured." Louis answered. "If she's bleeding, she got hurt before she escaped. A Lost would rip a human to shreds before they could get a step in and we don't even know how much damage she's taken."
"Let's see if we can find her before our rival does." Yakumo stated, smirking underneath his mask as he did. "Let's get this Mistle running and then start the game, shall we?"
"With pleasure." Heredis would respond, taking his mask off as he stared where the Revenant jumped down with contained fury. The desire for human blood at the back of his head was already gone, replaced with adrenaline as a life was now at risk. Whoever the human was, she was in pain, in danger, and was being hunted by a Revenant to be returned to the group she just escaped.
'Whoever you are, hold on for as long as you can.'
"Damn, that's going to be a bit of a problem." Yakumo grunted as he bit his thumb.
The bulk of the area past the Mistle was filled with over two dozen Lost, half holding some kind of weapon while three had wielded shields. The sheer amount gave the trio a hassle, finding the amount difficult to manage at times, however with their own numbers and the greater freedom of movement they were able to disperse the bulk of them. But now they've hit a serious roadblock.
Before them was a massive drop-off, the next area they had to reach was connected only by a single Thorn of Judgment. It reached the whole way, but the artificial pathway couldn't be more than a single meter wide, not a lot of space to maneuver. Not only that, but there were three Lost armed with bayonet rifles at the other end, accompanied by a massive Lost with deformities and bloated flesh. The largest of the Lost was armed with a large hammer, appearing as a more bloated, female version of what Oliver had transformed into.
"No room to move, a massive drop, and a large Lost at the end guarding the spot to stable ground." Louis noted, measuring the territory and placement of Lost with a cautious stare. "This isn't a good position. If there was only one of us, getting by wouldn't be a problem. Blitzing past them and running would work well. But we can't risk splitting up, and Yakumo's speed puts him at serious risk."
"And we can't risk falling either, if we die the bastard will easily reach the human and get away before we can reform." Yakumo added in, tightening his free hand into a fist. "Damn it, every second we waste here he could already have found her. By then, there's no chance she can get away."
"We need to find a way to distract them, get their attention off the Thorn while the other two ambush them from behind." Louis concluded. "If we need that, I can get past them no problem."
"No way, you're tough Louis but you don't have the physical strength to withstand a hit from that larger Lost." Yakumo argued. "I'll go, that second Thorn is close enough to the other edge where you and Heredis can jump it and ambush the third ranged Lost. Dealing with the others will be a cakewalk by then."
"And what, you get sniped off and disperse? No, we need your strength, we can't risk you getting killed if something worse shows up."
"That settles it then, I'll do it." Heredis stated, spinning his sword in hand as he stood up.
"Heredis, you're the most vital piece in this mission. If you get killed, then we're setback for days." Louis argued, getting Heredis to shake his head.
"I may be rough around the edges, but my Blood Veil might serve a good way of blocking an attack. And we can't bother arguing who is the more expendable of us, we need to decide now before that human gets taken again." He stated, looking ahead in determination. "I don't have to win; I just need to stall them. That I know I can handle."
They wanted to argue, but if they were to go after and save the human they knew they had to hurry. The position was far from ideal, they didn't suspect the Lost getting a shot that would destroy heart, but an unlucky stab or hitting a sharp rock at the bottom of the gorge was all that was needed to end it. But he was also the most balanced between the three. He wasn't nearly as fast as Louis, but he could outpace Yakumo, and his Blood Veil could certainly close the gap in strength to defend himself.
"Move quick, don't go for a hit unless you think you can end it quick." Louis eventually relented, pointing to the silver haired Revenant.
"Yeah, I got that in mind." Heredis responded, cracking his neck as he jumped down from their vantage point, the dust around his feet dispersing as he looked to the Thorn of Judgment. Shifting a foot back, he'd dig in before pushing forward, moving as fast as he could in order to quickly transverse the limited terrain.
By the time he reached halfway across the thorn, the Lost marksmen caught sight of him, all three aiming and taking a shot at him. Seeing the bolts, Heredis would raise his sword up to block the bolts on his right, managing to cut one and narrowly dodge the other. The third shot to his left however struck at his hip, getting a moment of pause, but he would fight against it and quickly continue his run.
As he saw the Lost prepare for another shot he'd summon a Blood Bolt and fire it at the Lost to his left, striking it in the head and knocking it onto its back. By the time it landed, the bloated Lost turned to see him, raising its massive hammer up and aiming for a wide swing at him. Seeing he only had a second, Heredis would lunge forward, jumping just over the polearm and landing on his shoulders onto solid ground.
Twisting onto his feet, he'd summon his Blood Veil's tail as the Lost swung back at him. The force easily outmatched the Revenant, knocking him crashing back across the concrete near the edge. He would stop just short of falling, the Revenant's head and left should hanging over the edge as a piece of rubble gave in to his weight.
"Damn, swings just as hard as Oliver did." He winced, his arms feeling numb from attempting to block with both his Veil and sword. Getting up, he'd immediately roll to the side as a marksman shot at his head, then pushing off his arms as the Lost he stunned slammed its first down by where his chest was.
Reacting on instinct, Heredis would kick its chest in return, getting to his feet and slashing across its stomach. The Lost stumbled back, but lunged forward with a wide swing of its arm. Heredis would duck under it and cut underneath its armpit, dismembering the limb. He'd then shoot his veil's tail behind him, impaling right through the Lost and draining it of ichor. As he would recall it, he'd see the bloated Lost swing down at him, rolling to the side and sliding on his hip to avoid the follow up swing. As he got back up to his feet he'd rear his hand back, firing a Blood Bolt into the Lost' face.
The shot of ichor didn't even faze the beast, instead laughing as it swung down at him again. Holding his guard up once more, the Revenant would be unable to summon his Veil's tail and took the full impact of the weapon's strength. The resulting hit caused him to lose hold of his weapon, crashing across the concrete until he struck a pile of rubble.
He would collapse to the ground, coughing out blood under his mask as he tried to recover his senses. As he'd reach for his sword, he'd look up to see the Lost standing before him, raising its hammer high, ready to crush him. But before it hit, multiple fire balls struck its arm, severely burning it and forcing it to release its hammer, the weapon cracking into the ground just to Heredis' side.
When the Lost turned to where it was hit, Yakumo would plunge his greatsword right through its bloated gut, his greatsword coated in flames as he impaled right through the beast. Louis then followed suit, jumping up and slashing his sword across the Lost's head. When he landed behind it, the upper portion of the Lost's cranium would slowly slide off, the flames burning the flesh to prevent any regeneration. It then slowly turned to ash, Yakumo having kept it from collapsing before it dispersed safely.
"Heredis, are you alright?" Louis would ask, the flames around his blade vanishing as he knelt next to the damaged Revenant.
"Oh man, that felt worse than when Oliver did that." Heredis coughed, pushing his hand against his mask to prevent it from coming off.
"How bad?"
"Nothing threatening. Find me a Mistle and I'll be back to 100%, although I can definitely feel my cells slowly healing the damage."
"Not bad, although you could've stuck the landing." Yakumo chuckled, resting his greatsword on his shoulder as Louis helped the Revenant stand up. "Getting the hang of things?"
"I'd prefer better footing. Maybe when the threat of plummeting to become a pasty red stain is gone I can better gauge what I can do."
"Eh, fair enough."
"There, that should be the last of them." Louis sighed, taking in a deep breath of clear air as Heredis revitalized a rotten Mistle. After Heredis recovered from the impact he took, the managed to clear through most of the Lost without much of a problem. And after finding a dried up Mistle to recover their power, they moved on to clear out the remaining Lost around.
"Looks like we caught a lucky break, most were in the city." Yakumo noted, looking back to the others as he did. "I hope the human's around here though, if she went out of our way we may not be able to help her."
"She's here." Heredis answered, sitting on the ground with his sword impaled in the ground next to him. "I can smell her blood; she can't be far from us." There were no stains of blood, none that had caught Yakumo or Louis' noses, meaning her wounds have likely recovered enough to avoid losing any more blood. Which meant that Heredis was likely smelling the dried blood on her, and as a fresh Revenant his sensitivity to the scent would explain how he was able to detect her unlike them.
"Then we have to act quickly." Yakumo responded, lifting his greatsword up.
"Of course." Louis agreed, putting his mask on while Heredis stood up. "But we may need to air on the side of caution. We don't know what made that." The Revenant pointed out, looking to a massive cocoon that was hanging off a hill of rubble. The strange webbing was in the shape of a flower, and the material spread to even near where they were.
It wasn't uncommon for Lost to mutate over time, although often once a full transformation occurred there wasn't much more for them to develop. But a few could push past their physical limits due to a unique Blood Code, resulting in a drastic advancement in their body and abilities. There wasn't much known on these Lost, but they were simply known as Greater Lost, emphasizing their heightened abilities. Louis felt certain the cocoon was made by one of these Greater Lost, and it wasn't known yet if the Lost was still in the area or left after its metamorphosis. But the matter at hand was too important to wait and determine it, leading the team to push on into the open terrain.
"Let go of me!" Just before the trio stepped into the opening, they heard the shout of a women pierce through, getting them to look to the base of the cocoon. They saw not only the Revenant from before, but a young woman pulling against him, attempting to break free of his hold as he tugged her to follow.
"Stop fighting, you stupid wretch!" He growled, his superior strength keeping a firm grip on her. But despite the difference, he couldn't risk damaging her too much, resulting in her almost breaking free. He then had to turn his full attention on her, gripping both her arms as he tightened his hold. "Without you, the entire group is doomed; or did you forget that when you ran away!?"
"I won't go back! I'd rather die!"
"As relieving it would be to just let that happen, your blood is too important! So stop struggling or I might have to break something!" He threatened, but the notion only brought further struggle, forcing him to tighten his hold more and drawing blood. "If you don't quit this shit then I'll have to do something we'll both regret! I don't want to, but I will break a damn leg if I have to!"
"Damn it, we didn't beat him here." Yakumo cursed, planting his feet as he narrowed his gaze. "Well, strength succeeds where speed fails."
"Wait, hold on!" Louis warned, both Yakumo and Heredis stopping as they caught on to what he saw, witnessing a shifting mass of purple at the heart of the cocoon slowly pull itself out.
"What the hell?" The Revenant would turn to see the trio, caught off guard by Louis shouting and nearly losing his grip on the human.
"Aaahhhhhhhh!" She shouted as she looked up to the cocoon, horror filling her face as the mass slowly took form.
"What's wrong!?" He'd instantly drop his guard, following her gaze and catching a glimpse of what terrified her before getting struck hard in the side, sending him crashing to the edge of the platform area.
Having been freed, the human ran for the base of the cocoon, seeing an opening that she could hide in. "Wait!" Heredis called out, running for her before getting tackled by Louis, the Revenant teleporting to force him out of the way of a purple gas.
As the two got up, they'd look up to see the Greater Lost float down in between them and the entrance, its form finishing manifesting. Six purple wings extended out, the membrane glowing a faint pink to match the skin of the base of the Lost. The base seemed that of a woman, masses of Lost material hardening into an armor membrane over its chest, legs and head in the shape of a crown. And as it spun into its final pose, a massive tail poked out from behind it, opening to reveal a monstrous jaw with three sets of eyes to reveal the separate entity.
"The Butterfly of Delirium." Louis muttered, recognizing the Lost as the three of them got into combative stances.
"I thought that thing was at the center of the city ruins? What is it doing here?" Yakumo questioned, the Lost roaring as it spread its wings in a sign of dominance.
"Ask questions later, this thing's between us and the human!" Heredis shouted, preparing a Blood Bolt as the Lost flew right at them.
"Scatter!" Louis ordered, all three Revenants lunging in different directions to avoid the monster. When they landed, both Louis and Heredis would take aim and fire their ranged Gifts, hitting it in the back and causing a larger explosion as their ichor fused. However the Lost would just be force forward more, showing greater resilience than previous they had encountered.
"Looks like it'll take more to take this bug down!" Yakumo announced, jumping up to slash down across its side. The Lost would block with its wings, pushing him back before spinning its body, seeing Louis and Heredis rush it. The two would roll low as its tail bit at them, Louis slashing up as fire ignited around the three's weapons.
"Don't give it an opening!" He shouted, jumping back as Heredis ducked under the tail's next bite and cut across its base. He then rolled to the side as the Lost slammed its tail down, a puff of purple gas coming out of the mouth and getting into Heredis' mask.
The moment he took a small breath in, the Revenant began to cough violently in pain, drops of blood escaping from his mouth. He rose his weapon up in time as the Lost spun at him, striking his weapon with its tail and forcing him to skid several meters back near the edge. He then threw his arm forward, firing a Blood Bolt right into the tail's mouth as it would open it.
The combined ichor would react to the gas, causing a small burst that sent more across the area and enter all three Revenant's masks. "Poison!" Louis would realize, teleporting out of the radius and covering his face with his arm. "Don't breathe in too much!"
"No point in going slow!" Yakumo shouted, jumping past the Lost and landing a deep cut across its torso. "If we fight it for too long, it'll cover this whole area in the stuff! We have to kill it fast!"
"Then let's get some good hits in!' Heredis responded, summoning his Blood Veil's tail and preparing it as Yakumo slid into position beside him. The redhead would grin, gripping his greatsword with both hands as his sleeves extended before transforming into two hound heads.
The two would then run forward, the Lost spreading its wings out wide and firing a mist of poison at them. The two moved quick through it, enduring the pain it brought their lungs and sending their Veil's forward. Yakumo's hounds would reach first, biting down on the Lost's torso and a wing to keep it in place while Heredis' tail spear cut into its side, missing a direct hit on the stomach.
'Damn it, I missed again!' The silverhead growled as the two recalled their Veils, their attempt at dodge coming up short as the Lost's tail swung out and struck the both of them, puffing out poison as it did to further damage the two. They rolled back, getting onto their feet in the midst of skidding back before seeing the Lost flying directly at them.
"Don't use your Veils!" Louis shouted, rushing past them and rearing his arm back, summoning a Veil claw and slashing up at the Lost. Hitting it in the head, he'd knock it off course to where it missed the two, striking its cocoon instead and falling to the ground. "We need to focus on our speed!"
Without responding, the two would understand as all three rushed at the Lost, seeing it struggle to regain its focus. They'd all slash across its body, skidding to a halt and turning to deliver several more blows onto its body. As it was slowly refocusing, Heredis would rear his sword back and lunge forward, aiming to pierce directly into the monster's face with the flaming blade.
But as he was about to land the attack, the Lost's tail moved past its body and grabbed the Revenant, biting down hard and shooting out a constant stream of poison into his body. "Heredis!" Louis and Yakumo would call out, the latter of the two focusing his ichor into his body and lunging forward, cutting at the Lost's tail hard enough to get a pained screech from it.
As it reeled in pain, the tail would fling Heredis to the side, getting caught by Louis as he teleported to behind him in midair. When they landed on the ground, Louis would look down to see Heredis convulsing, the poison now coursing through his body.
'Damn it, his body will dissipate at this rate.' Louis realized, reaching into his vest and pulling out an injector. As he was about to jab it into Heredis' neck his instincts flared and he released the tool, grabbing the Revenant's shoulder and pulling him to the side as the Lost slammed its tail down where they were.
He then wrapped his arms underneath Heredis' armpits and retreated back, forced to teleport several times the Lost was relentlessly chasing after them. When his ichor would run out, Yakumo would boost himself forward and smack the Lost across its face with his weapon, landing between it and his team with his sword held at the ready.
"Stay focused Louis, he'll be alright as long as his heart isn't destroyed!" Yakumo stated, blocking an attack from the Lost and rushing forward with a heavy swing.
"…Sorry Heredis." Louis apologized, resting the Revenant down as he gripped his sword. "We'll deal with this as quick as we can. Just hold out for a little bit longer." He'd then take off to assist Yakumo, leaving Heredis to endure the poison's burning pain.
'D-Damn it!' He grunted, watching as the two engaged the Lost directly, both having to constantly be on the move to avoid getting poisoned themselves. Meanwhile the poison coursing through him made the slightest movements painful. 'This damn poison, I can barely breath with it in me. The Lost had a better recovery than expected.'
The Revenant, although weakened, was unwilling to simply remain in his position. Reaching into his Blood Veil, he'd feel around before clasping tightly onto something. Pulling it out slowly, he'd use both his hands to hold onto the syringe, thanking his luck for picking a poison antidote to buy from Coco. Making sure he had a careful enough grip, he'd then pop the cap off the needle, barely flinching as he plunged the needle into his neck.
'Damn Lost, I'm not going to let you kill me! Not when I'm still trying to recover the memories I already forgot!' He'd think, pushing down on the syringe and injecting the violet fluid into his body. The cure caused an unreal amount of pain, feeling it burn through his veins and destroy the poison killing him. The pain only last for a second, and once it ended he'd rip the needle out and toss the injector to the side.
Pushing himself up, the Revenant would reach for his sword as a fire lit in his eyes. Placing his hand over the blade, he'd recall the burning sensation the antidote had caused in his body, taking a second to reconstruct the heat he felt.
'Focus, recall that burst. Let your ichor be the fuel and let it ignite!' Snapping his eyes open, Heredis would swing his sword to the side as flames burst around it, igniting the blade as his ichor charged it. 'So… that's how these Blood Codes work. Feel it out, recognize it, and force it.' He'd realize before running forward, lunging at the Lost as its tail opened its mouth and aimed to Yakumo.
As it would start to fire a mist of poison, he'd jump up and drive the blade into the Lost's back, surprising Louise and Yakumo as they saw the burning blade burst out through it's chest. Keeping their composure though, the two would immediately take advantage of the Revenant's move, Louis teleporting and slashing twice across its tail while Yakumo swung high and struck its head with extreme force.
Heredis would pull his blade and push off the Lost, avoiding it as it crashed to the ground from the three-pronged attack, staggering up as its wings suffered significant damage from Louis' burning crimson blade.
"Surprised you're up." Yakumo noted, looking to Heredis as he stood in a readied posture.
"Bought my own antidote from Coco, looks like it came in handy."
"Heh, I'll say."
"Let's focus on the task at hand." Louis ordered, narrowing his eyes at the Lost as it got up slowly. "It's slowing down, it most likely can't regenerate anymore. If we can get a massive blow on its chest or head, then it's dead."
"You can count on me for the chest." Yakumo responded, the three running forward as the Lost rose back into the air.
"That leaves us to get the head!" Louis stated, the three jumping away as the Lost fired a massive ball of poison, a mist forming behind them as it hit the ground. Its tail then went ahead of its body, breathing out a massive flow of poison mist as they ran directly for it, moving all around to cover the entire area in the mist.
"There isn't an opening!" Heredis shouted.
"Then we make one!" Yakumo screamed, swinging his greatsword down to create an opening for the Revenants. This killed his momentum, forcing him to pick back up on his running as Heredis and Louis took the lead.
When the Lost saw them lined up, it rushed forward with its tail, the beast's mouth opening to try and bite one of the Revenants. Louis would then teleport before its teeth grazed his, Heredis sliding underneath it and wincing as a tooth grazed his forehead, letting him get past. Yakumo saw its coming and had time to respond in kind, pulsing his ichor as he lunged forward in a wide arc to hit the tail to the side, overpowering it with his strength.
Heredis then turned on his heels as Louis appeared next to him, both rushing forward as the Lost looked directly to them. When it was about to let out a bellow of poison, it was stopped as Yakumo impaled it from behind, blood shooting out as he made sure he could hold it back. And with it contained, Louis and Heredis jumped up into the air, fire surrounding their left hands as they charged their ichor.
Both then fired a multitude of fireballs, completely dispersing the mist around it before stabbing their swords down with all their strength. Heredis' would impale deep into the Lost's shoulder, actually connecting between Yakumo's blades and locking it completely in place. And shortly after, Louis would land his feet on the Lost before driving his blade through its face, cutting off its roar with a deafening sear of his weapon.
Total silence went among the area as the Lost remained in place, its body struggling to remain together after taking such massive damage. But the burden became too much, and before long the monster began to fall apart. Ash soon began to pile around as the Revenant's weapons were freed and they planted their feet down. It wasn't long until they remained in a circle of the Lost's remains, allowing them the opportunity to breath and recover after the battle.
"Well, I'd say that went well." Yakumo chuckled, looking to the two as he did.
"Could've been a lot worst I guess." Heredis agreed, his breathing harsher as he pushed himself more than he was ready for. Using Louis' Gifts were exhausting to him, showing that he was extremely unprepared to properly use them. But he had managed to preform them, meaning that he was a Void-type, and capable of taking in another Revenant's Blood Code.
"So it finally clicked?" Louis asked, looking to Heredis as he did.
"It wasn't easy, and I'm pretty sure I burned through my ichor just using the two Gifts I did." Heredis answered, watching as the flames around their blades all disappear before returning Louis' stare, smirking underneath his mask. "But yeah, it definitely clicked."
"Fixes Mistles, read's Vestiges, and absorbs Blood Codes." Yakumo listed off, smacking Heredis' shoulder as he spoke with an audible grin. "Now all I gotta see is this magic of reviving a bloodspring and I'll officially believe you're a god among Revenants."
"I wouldn't go that far; I'm just doing my part."
"A part that fixes everyone's problems."
"Speaking of problems." Louis spoke, turning to the unconscious Revenant that was hunting for the human.
"Oh great, he's still alive. Quite the cockroach."
"We need to wake him up. Inform him of the… change to his plans."
"Oh ho ho." Yakumo laughed, cracking his knuckles after impaling his greatsword into the ground. "Leave that to me."
"Just don't kill him."
(A/N): Well, this chapter took a bit longer than I hoped. Not so much for a bulk of the chapter, but the Butterfly of Delirium is one of three bosses I feel rather rough on writing because of its difficult to translate combat. I wanted it to be more, but to be honest it was never a difficult boss for natural challenge; just being a poison boss so early made it a lot more challenging than it really is. And as for how quick I progressed through the city ruins, i feel it's necessary, since if I did every fight encounter it'd be very repetitive and create a more boring process. Although I do plan to do more fights in certain areas, I feel a lot of early game is much better used to build up the world rather than to give fights.
But once I get into the swing of things and get to the bosses and unique enemies I know and enjoy I feel I'll get better and longer fights to preform. But with that finished, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'll see you in the next one. Peace!