Tales from New Eridu

by SkyKingSpitfire

After wandering the depths of the Cretan Hollow, an amnesiac survivor is given a second chance thanks to the masterful guidance of Phaethon and the daring efforts of the Cunning Hares... But without falling victim to Ether corruption, weeks after getting lost within the distorted dimension, it begs the question of whether this truly was the start of a second chance.

1. Chapter 0: Hollow Survival Guide

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"...Mmmm. Where... Where am I?" A masculine voice asked from the darkness.

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Establishing Connection

"What happened?"

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Identifying Host

"This feels familiar... It's different, but..."

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Synchronizing Data

"Wait. What to happened F- Huh? What happened to F... F...uh... No that's not right. Was it P-? Huh. I... I don't remember."

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Connection Established

Disembodied Female Voice: Greetings. It's a pleasure to meet you.

"A voice? Yes, hello? Who are you?"

Disembodied Female Voice: I am unauthorized to disclose that information at the moment.

"...O-kaaay. Where are we? I can't see anything."

Disembodied Female Voice: I am unauthorized to disclose that information at the moment.

"...This is going nowhere," he muttered. "I'm trying to figure out what's going on. I don't know where I am and I.. I don't know how I got here. Before I woke up, I was with my friends. I-I think."

Disembodied Female Voice: You're currently in the beginning phases of creation.

"...Beginning phases of- I'm sorry, I don't understand."

Disembodied Female Voice: The human mind is capable of limitless potential. The ability to create something from nothing but an idea is a phenomenon beyond my comprehension. Unfortunately, I don't have any insights into this matter.

He groaned low.

Disembodied Female Voice: Suggestion — Sign the Con-

Static plagued the darkness, drowning out the conversation before the click of a vintage TV turning off could be heard.

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"Why can't I remember? Their faces are there, but I don't remember their names. What's happening to me?"

...

The sun appeared bright and early over a large dystopian city — Abandoned vehicles were littered throughout the environment, trains were derailed and strange rock formations emanating a green glow were sprouting from all walks of inanimate life.

An explosion rocked the city, breaking the silence that had settled over the area. Smoke rose above some of the smaller buildings, and a young man emerged from the smoke. As the smoke slowly spreads, he stopped to check the aftermath of the explosion, a handful of humanoid creatures ran out shortly after him.

"They just keep coming!"

The moment the creatures appeared, he turned and ran deeper into the city with the monsters in hot pursuit.

The monsters had a black, greyish-white color scheme with lime green internals and a black glass-like core where their heads would be, if they had them. They even had spikes growing from their backs and tails with a daggered edge.

No matter where the young man ran, the monsters were always close behind. He tried knocking over trash cans in narrow alleyways to slow them down, but the monsters were too agile and the obstacles did little to impede their pursuit.

Back in the street, he jumped over cars and kept running until he reached a railyard.

He managed to get enough distance between himself and the monsters to act quick and hide in an open boxcar, he silenced his breathing and kept his huffing to a minimal.

The monsters eventually reached the railyard and stopped within the vicinity, surveying the area from both the ground and tops of the abandoned freight. It was almost like they could sense his presence, searching with slow steps.

The young man slowly poked his head out of the boxcar and saw one of the monsters walking by. The monster didn't see him, so he quickly ducked back into hiding. He looks at the ceiling as the metal tapping of footsteps above the boxcar can be heard, marching in slow intervals.

'Go away... Go away... Go away...' He internally chanted to himself.

The creatures continued their patrol, they knew something was in the area and they were adamant on seeing their target was captured.

One of the several monsters looked around until its attention was on a red boxcar with the sliding door open. It began walking toward the boxcar, the sound of its feet against the track ballast was the indicator for the hunted to know one of them was approaching.

The young man kept his cool and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and bracing for whatever was about to happen, but he had no intention of going down without a fight and grabbed onto the grip of the compact weapon he had hidden away in the case wrapped around his waist.

'...If it's going to come to that, I've got no choice. Just take out as many as you can and then run.'

His hand tightened on the weapon's grip, and just before he could act, a series of gunshots went off — bullets tore through the air, immediately drawing the creatures attention to the source only for most of the ground units to get hit in the black core which shattered.

The abrupt gunfire startled the monsters target and sent his plan back into hiding.

With this new threat having their attention, the monsters charge for the unseen attacker.

Male Voice: Haha! I've got plenty of bullets! Line 'em up!

The onslaught of gunfire went on for nearly a minute, but the seconds felt like hours as the hidden young man anxiously waited for it all to stop.

'What the hell is going on out there?!'

Once the shots ceased, the young man allowed himself to breathe again, but he didn't look to make sure if the coast was clear. There was no telling what was waiting for him beyond the boxcar...

He heard a low and heavy groan from the figure outside the boxcar. Based on the tone, whoever it was sounded short with his situation. It was almost menacing.

Male Voice: Hmph. They're all dead, huh? Figures. I didn't even need to waste ammo. I could've taken them with my bare hands. But even so...

'Damn. I can't take it easy just yet. If he finds me, I'm probably dead. I better get ready for the worst because a sword isn't beating a gun. This guy is going to be trouble.'

Male Voice: That... Was... AWESOME! Haha!

Suddenly all that menace went away the moment the mysterious figure actually spoke, his voice became an excitable high-pitched after clearing out the enemies.

'...Huh?'

Male Voice: I was all like- PEW! PEW! PEW! PEW! And they were all like- S^$#fi&s! Aaaaah... Awesome. Just another day in the life of a Starlight Knight!

'Starlight Knight? What is he talking about?'

Male Voice: I wish Anby and Nicole were here to see it. Speaking of which... Where did they get to? I know Anby fell into the Hollow with me, but I don't think I've seen Nicole. Oh! Don't tell me she was left behind with the Red Fang Gang!

The young man took a moment to process Red Fang Gang before looking over to get a look outside the boxcar.

All of the monsters were gone, and the only one standing was a tall and somewhat lanky individual sporting a red leather jacket and black fitted jeans, but his most distinguishable trait was his spikey white hair.

'So he's the one. He managed to take all those things down, huh? He doesn't seem like a bad guy. He's tall and... Holy damn. He's really tall.'

"I guess it won't do me any good just standing around. I should-"

A green flash flew overhead and immediately caught the man's attention.

"Whoa! What was that just now? Wait... That color scheme. Call me crazy, but I think that might've been Anby. I hope she didn't run into trouble."

'Hmm... Yeah, he definitely doesn't seem like a bad guy. I should probably take this chance to approach. I can't let this opportunity slip by... But, then again, I don't know what this guy is capable of, aside from being a good shot,' the unnamed young man took a moment to weigh his options, but it only took a second for him to find his answer. 'Well, it's either him or those monsters. It's now or never.'

The tall spikey haired man checked his twin revolvers to make sure they were good on ammo before focusing his attention on the road ahead. "Hopefully the Hollow plays nice until I get there. Last thing I need is to get lost. But what's a little danger? I laugh in the face of danger! Wait for me, Anby! Billy Kid, Starlight extraordinaire, is coming to find you!" He declared, revealing his name in the process of his own hype.

After making his announcement, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, sir?"

The sudden touch and unfamiliar voice startled Billy. He shrieked like a horrified kid watching a horror movie. He quickly turned around and wrapped his arms around himself for comfort.

Billy's reaction made the young man flinch and take a step back.

"GAH! W-W-Who are you?!" Billy asked, unnerved.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I assure you, I come in peace."

"...Peace? Peace! Uuuuh. Yes!" Realizing there wasn't a threat, Billy corrected his posture to stand straight like nothing happened, clearing his throat and trying to look cool to save face. "Right, of course. I knew that."

All he got was a look of doubt from his company. "You sure? Cause that jump and shriek seemed genuine."

"Shriek? Me? Nooooo," he flagged his gun wielding hand to dismiss the idea, making the young man ease his head back as a precaution. "I was just rehearsing my war cry."

"...Oh yeah?" The look of doubt on his face was soul piercing.

"Of course! But, uh, what are you doing way out here? Are you a Hollow Raider?"

"Hollow Raider? I don't believe I'm familiar with that term."

The question took Billy by surprise and his shoulders lowered in disbelief. "Hold up... You're this deep in a Hollow and you don't know what a Hollow Raider is?"

"I guess?" The confusion in his voice was sincere.

Billy took a good look at the young man to get an opinion of him, but there wasn't much to consider... He looked like a regular guy, though his clothes, while simple, were a bit foreign — dressed in all black, he wore a fitted tactical shirt designed with a red, black, and white crest on the left chest. Tactical pants equipped with a few straps for attachments and ankle length terrain boots.

"Actually, that makes sense," Billy said after his analysis.

"What makes sense?"

"That you're not a Hollow Raider. Your getup doesn't match with any gang I've ever seen," Billy walked around the young man for another analysis, pinching his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "Hmmmm... You're not a Public Security officer, are you?"

The name 'Public Security' was self-explanatory at least, so it was easy to follow. "Nah, I'm no cop."

"No? Well, you're dressed for it."

"With those creatures roaming about, I can't imagine being dressed any other way," he chuckled before reverting to a neutral look. "Real quick, getting back to what we were talking about earlier... I wanted to approach you because I have no idea where I am. This city isn't normal. It's all over the place and I can't make heads or tails of it."

"You honestly don't know? Did you just wander into a Hollow not knowing of the danger?"

"I don't know what that is."

"You don't know what a Hollow is," Billy repeated in flat disbelief.

"No. This city doesn't even look familiar. I woke up about... I want to say, two weeks ago? And ever since I've been wandering around trying to find out where I am, but this place is a ghost town."

That quick detail almost flew over Billy's head with how casual it came up, but when it registered, his eyes slightly widened. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up... Two weeks ago?"

"Yeah, give or take. I haven't been keeping up with the days, but it's been more than a week for sure."

"...You survived in a Hollow for two weeks and didn't fall to corruption? What is your Ether aptitude level?!"

"Ether... What?"

He didn't know what a Hollow was, he didn't recognize the obvious building structures of New Eridu, and now he doesn't know what his Ether aptitude. It was starting to feel like a prank.

"So you wandered into a Hollow without any knowledge of your Ether aptitude level. Where's your Proxy? Do you have a Carrot?"

"A carrot? Sorry, I don't have any food no me."

"...Food? No, I meant-!" Billy had to stop mid-sentence to facepalm. "Wow. You're not making this easy."

"Sorry, but I'm genuinely lost and I have no idea where I am. Can you at least tell me where we are?"

"We're in the Companion Hollow that formed on fourteenth street."

More alien talk that confused the young man... Awkward silence fell between them.

Before Billy could comment, a small bolt of lightning flashed alongside a thunder clap in the distance, snatching his attention from the mysterious figure.

"Oh, that's definitely Anby. It sounds like she ran into trouble."

"Anby?"

"She's a friend of mine. Sorry, I can't sit here any longer. I have to find her ASAP."

"Would it be okay if I tag along? You're literally the first person I've come in contact with since I woke up here. Two heads are better than one, and three would make us unstoppable."

"Hmmm... Yeah, you have a point, but I wasn't going to leave you to fend for yourself anyway," Billy assured him. "But things are about to get dicey. There's a high chance we're going to run into Ethereals, so you'll have to stay close until I deal with them."

'Ethereals? So that's what they're called, huh? Interesting.' | "There's no need to worry about any deadweight. I can handle myself in a fight."

"Oh yeah? Cool. That makes things easier. Say, uh, what do I call you?"

"Me? I'm-"

Echoing Female Voice: From now on, your designation will be known as the 'PLAYER.' A far cry from the role of Proxy, everything you see and experience are meant to be explored and unearthed at your behest. Remember, never disclose your name or any sensitive information to anyone you come across. As before, your full identity has the power to erase-

The young man briefly paused as he remembered what the voice told him before he woke up in what Billy addressed as the Hollow.

"Hello?" Billy called out as a few seconds went by.

"Sorry... I was just thinking back on something. What was I saying? Oh, right. Just call the Player."

"The... Player?"

"I know, I know. It's weird, but I can't tell you my real name. For both our sakes, let's just roll with it."

"So mysterious," Billy replied with a hint of playful intrigue. "Alright, then — Player, let's find Anby."

"Right behind you."

Now that they've joined forces, the Player and Billy sprint ahead to where they last heard the clapping thunder.

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Tales from New Eridu
Chapter 0: Side B — Prologue

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Meanwhile, not too far from where Billy and the Player met, several Ethereals were scattered through the area.

Their bodies evaporated into small colorful cubes until there was nothing left.

Standing alone, a young woman with white hair and dressed in green and black surveyed the area to make sure there weren't any enemies left standing.

The air was still... No detection of life aside from herself.

When she realized all the Ethereals were dealt with, she sheathed her weapon and focused on her surroundings.

She pressed the side of her headphones and held it until the symbol turned red. "Tracks, platforms, carriages... This is the old metro junction. If that's the case, then this must be the Cretan Hollow," she observed before double tapping; the headphones replayed everything she said. "Good. Headset still works, and the recording function is normal."

Just to be safe, the young woman took another look around her surroundings to make sure there weren't any Ethereals lurking around.

The coast was clear and she pressed the side of her headphones again to record, clearing her throat before speaking.

"This is Anby Demara, a member of the odd-job agency, the 'Cunning Hares.' I accidentally fell into a Companion Hollow. I don't have a Carrot or Proxy support. Probability of getting lost in the Hollow is at 96.4%. I will be making a voice log of my experience. Let it serve as evidence for future investigation in the case I am killed or turned into a monster by the Ether."

Revealing herself as Anby, the friend Billy mentioned, she walked down the path to further her intel.

"Anby's Hollow Survival Log #1: From my surroundings, I can confirm this is the old metro junction area of the Cretan Hollow. The metro Hollow's terrain is inherently complex. My chances of being rescued will be reduced by 37.8% if I don't consider my next step carefully."

She stopped walking when she realized the chances of getting out, alone, were slim. Her expression softened to concern at the thought of being corrupted by Ether.

Nearby, the Player and Billy ran out from behind a derailed train car.

The Player saw Anby and quickly ducked behind cover. When Billy ran ahead of him, the player grabbed him and pulled him back as well, trying to keep them both hidden.

"Whoa! Everything okay?" Billy asked.

"Yeah. Pretty sure I saw someone. I don't think they noticed."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I'm just trying to play it safe. Never know who we'll run into. That could just be my paranoia talking. I've been stuck here for so long I'd think a tree is out to get me."

"Let me check," Billy stepped on a small crate and poked his head out to check for probable danger. He squinted his eyes and immediately expressed relief when he saw who it was.

"That's Anby!"

"Your friend?"

"Yeah! We don't need to hide from her. Come on, let's go to her."

"You're the boss," the Player peaked his head out from the side as Billy got on top of the train car before jumping down to jog over to Anby. The Player followed his lead.

"If anyone doubts the nature of the Hollow's spatial distortions, please use my recordings as proof of their danger. Please don't enter a Hollow unless you're a professional Investigator, otherwise..."

"There you are, Anby! Great!" Billy waved while jogging to her.

The sudden shout immediately got Anby's undivided attention and she turned to the source of Billy approaching.

"I knew you'd be okay!" Billy was overjoyed to see her.

Without warning, Anby drew her weapon and held it up, forcing Billy to come to an abrupt halt, having him stop just shy of the blade's tip.

The Player, who was following close behind, accidentally bumped into Billy and brought his face an inch closer to the weapon, much to Billy's comical horror.

"Whoa, whoa! Hey, what's gotten into you?! You almost cut me," Billy held his hands up to show he wasn't hostile, a bead of sweat rolled down his head in hopes that she'd see sense.

Anby remained vigilant, her expression stern to avoid the possibility of an ambush. She held the side of her headphones again. "I've met another being of reason."

The Player backed away and reached for the grip of his weapon as a precaution. "I thought you said you were friends," he whispered to Billy.

"W-We are... I don't know what her deal is," Billy whispered back.

Anby noticed the Player behind him, but focused on her primary target. "He looks a lot like my colleague: Billy Kid."

Billy chuckled and slowly lowered his hands. "What are you talking about? It's me! Billy!"

Anby took a step forward, putting the blade against Billy's neck to have him throw his hands back up, he does so with a shriek. "An Investigator has previously encountered Ethereals who can mimic human speech and behavior. The Investigator rescued the Ethereal pretending to be his teammate, but once they got out of the Hollow, it revealed itself."

Hearing that Ethereals had the ability to mimic humans got the Player's immediate attention... He felt a wave of uncertainty wash over him after he trusted Billy to make an alliance.

"The city made a huge sacrifice but it was unable to defeat the monster," Anby continued. "It was only thanks to the courageous Investigator who gave his life to drive the monster back into the Hollow that the danger was avert."

The Player's eyes slowly went from Anby to Billy. Anby's story was horrifying. Not only were these creatures hostile against anything not like themselves, but they were intelligent too. After being so willing to tag along with Billy, and so easily at that, was it possible... Billy was an Ethereal?

Billy's expression fell flat and his arms dropped to his sides. "Come on — the Ethereal would've been done for the minute it left the Hollow!" His voice was noticeably dry and lacking energy, but it wasn't until he realized what Anby was citing that confusion brought his energy back. "Wait, isn't that the plot from that movie that was in theaters not long ago?!"

The Player shook his head as if snapping himself out of a daze. "Movie?"

"Yeah... She's talking about I Am Legendary. None of that is real," Billy looked over his shoulder with a deadpan look in his eyes.

The Player, befuddled beyond words, turned his incredulous gaze to Anby.

Anby's look sharpened at Billy. "There was a long list of victims involved in the incident. I read all their names," based on her tone, she was upset about the hundreds of name she memorized.

The Player and Billy paused before they realized she was dead serious.

"That's called a cast list!" Billy was visibly exasperated.

'...This girl is...an odd one,' the Player scratched his cheek with his index finger, unsure what to make of Anby.

The boys seemed harmless enough, but Anby was still primarily focused on Billy, or the possibility of a Billy double. She eased her concern a bit while still keeping her weapon drawn to be safe.

"Question: Who would you most like to have dinner with?" Anby asked Billy.

"Huh? Dinner? Heh, of course... That'd be the big screen superheroes, the Starlight Knights!"

'There goes that name again. I guess that's another movie, or something...'

Anby tightened her grip on her sword and readied herself to attack, putting the Player and Billy on alert.

"Wait! Wait! Wait! Put your blade down, I'll tell you!" Billy panicked. His worries slowly dissipated when he began to think about his dream date. "Aaah... It's really the late night drama actress from 'Oh ~ Sweetie,' Monica," he longingly dragged out her name as he got lost in a fantasy.

That was all Anby needed to hear and she lowered her weapon, smiling now that she realized this was genuine. "All clear. The individual has been confirmed as the real Billy Kid. Meeting Billy Kid increases my chances of survival by over 67.8%. I'm glad you're okay, Billy."

Done with his fantasy and back on Anby, Billy crossed his arms to express that this shouldn't have even happened in the first place... "I told you I'm me!" He sighed. "It's been a while since we fell. Nicole must be trying to come up with a way to get us out from the outside. Buuuut, will she be willing to pay for the help? You know how Nicole is," he snickered.

"Based on Nicole's tight-fisted spending habits, I'd say your original analysis is likely correct," Anby sheathed her weapon in its case she kept around her waist.

If Billy had teeth this would've been where he gritted them in concern. "Damn... Now you've got me worried. Well, let's not get carried away. We have to work together to get through this."

"Agreed, but, who is this with you?" Anby addressed the Player.

"Oh! Right, this is the Player," Billy introduced him. "I stumbled across him at the old railyard before coming to find you."

"...The Player?" Anby questioned in intrigue.

"I know it's weird," the Player said with a friendly smile. "It'll take some time to get used, but I want to clear the air. You see, the Player is just-"

"An alias," Anby answered.

The Player was surprised by how quick Anby was on the draw. "Um, yeah. Exactly. Heh. You catch on quick."

Anby's foresight was more than just a stroke of luck... She was genuinely familiar with the title, but it was different from their usual terminology, like Proxy or Investigator. There was something more that she was familiar with, but she couldn't find the words to express it... All she could do, for now, was stare.

"Uuuuuh, Anby?" Billy called out before snapping his finger in front of her. "Hell-ooooo, Anby?"

"Huh?" She came back to her senses.

"Come on, there's no time for spacing out. We have to move. We don't want to wait until-"

A distant howling was heard, having all three look in the direction it came from.

"And there it is," Billy dropped his head in defeat.

"Ethereals," Anby confirmed with a stern look.

"Great," the Player sighed.

"Player, tell me, do you have combat experience? If not, stay behind Billy and me. We'll protect you."

The Player grabbed the grip of his weapon in its sheath and pulled it out, pressing a trigger on the grip to have it reconfigure itself from its compact form to a stylishly crafted blade.

"I can take care of myself, Anby. I'll fight with you guys."

"Very well," Anby nodded. "That makes us a team. Watch each other's back."

Billy spun his revolvers around his finger before gripping them for battle. "Let's get it done! Anby, we'll run the usual formation; you take the front, and I'll provide fire support from behind."

"Right."

The Ethereals came in bulk, twelve Tyrfing's intercepted the squad.

Unlike the pack from earlier, who were missing their arms, these variants had long lime green appendages that looked like blades, they ever scrapped like steel against concrete when dragging them along.

"I'm counting 12," the Player muttered to the others.

"We get four each," Anby added.

"Sounds good to me," Billy aimed his guns at the four he already had his sights on.

"Alright... Go!" Anby announced, dashing to the Tyrfing positioned on the farthest right, her left, of the derailed train car. She struck quick, like lightening, getting from point A to B in the blink of an eye.

The sound of Anby's thunder set it off, the Tyrfing attacked.

Anby jumped off the train car and sprinted toward higher elevation, the boarding platform to the left of the team's position.

The spectacle of Anby's sudden attack made her the center of attention, the remaining eleven Tyrfing chased her, but the moment the leading three passed, the Player repositioned his weapon to a backhanded style and the blade emitted a red glow.

He thrusted his blade in an arch with a fiery aura trailing after it. The aura separated from the blade and was launched as a projectile, zooming through the air and blasting the boarding platform's stairs to separate the three chasing Anby, and the eight that were meant for him and Billy.

The eight Tyrfing were blown back from the boarding platform and hit the ground, but recovering quick and facing the boys.

"You should be worrying about us," the Player said with a smirk, readjusting his handedness so that he was holding his weapon in proper etiquette. "The lady's busy, so we'll be entertaining you for the evening."

Annoyed, the Ethereals got up and rushed the boys.

On the platform, one of the Tyrfing's swung its bladed appendage down overhead and clashed with Anby's sword that she had positioned in a horizontal defensive pose.

When she realized two more Tyrfing's were coming at her from both sides, Anby raised her leg and kicked the primary Tyrfing away to focus on the approaching duo.

One of the Tyrfing's swung its arm on an incline, Anby dodged by ducking back and having the sword just barely miss her nose. The Tyrfing brought its arm around and brought it down for an overhead axe swing, but Anby pulled herself up and had the attacking Ethereal strike the ground.

The other Ethereal, came in for a quick horizontal slash in an attempt to cut her torso in half, but Anby ducked under the attack and dodged it successfully.

The opposite Tyrfing pulled its appendage out of the ground and swung for Anby in the middle of her earlier dodge, but she jumped over it, using a backflip to not only get out of the way, but get some breathing room between her and the Ethereals.

The moment she raised her head, the third Tyrfing, the one she kicked away, was already coming in for a lunging stab at her face, but she pulled a last second tactical roll and evaded the stab, having the Tyrfing pierce the wall and get stuck instead.

While trying to pry its arm from the wall, Anby swiftly slashed its back with a critical blow, doing enough damage to take it out, and it disappeared in a series of colorful cubes.

One down, Anby turned and faced the others.

The first of the two came in aggressively, throwing out wild swings that Anby was able to effortlessly dodge. A swing missed and the Tyrfing retracted its arm to try elbowing Anby in the face, only to clash with her forearm that she used to block.

It tried using its incomplete forearm instead, going for what would've been a hook if it had a fist, but, again, Anby dodged it without issue.

Now it was her turn, she lunged her free arm's elbow into the Tyrfing's face and followed up with a hook that sent the Tyrfing spinning. By the time it did a full 360, Anby was already bringing her sword up in a double-handed horizontal slash, getting it across the torso.

Just as the second Tyrfing fizzled out, the last one came charging at her.

Seeing this, Anby shifted all her momentum from the rising slash to spin herself around, bringing out her leg into a reverse hook kick that sent her heel into its temple — the Tyrfing's head flew to the side but it was still standing and even stood up right, though in a daze.

It appears her initial kick wasn't enough, so Anby immediately brought the other leg around for a regular hook kick and got it again, this time there was more force behind it and made for a stronger kick, knocking the Tyrfing back a bit more, but not enough to bring it down yet, though it was paralyzed from the damage and couldn't move.

Anby brought it all around and swung the back of her, now, free heel with a lightning fueled hook kick finisher to the temple that sent the Tyrfing off its feet with a thunder crack, spinning in the air, and hitting the ground with a heavy THUD!

Anby's triple hook kick took out the last of her enemies.

Outside the station's boarding platform, the Player was in the middle of landing a two-handed horizontal slash down the leading Tyrfing's body, getting a clean kill.

He kicked the Tyrfing's body while it was in the middle of dissolving and pushed it into the oncoming attacker that he saw coming. The body of the downed Tyrfing managed to knock it over, but another attack was coming from behind.

The Player looked over his shoulder and caught onto the sneak attack.

He put the sword in his left hand and grabbed the weapon case's strap with his free hand, pulling it over his shoulder from around his waist and raised it so that it was over shoulder like a traditional scabbard.

The Tyrfing's blade made contact with his weapon's case and it produced a metallic SHING, revealing it was made from a special alloy.

The Tyrfing's bladed arm bounced off the case, stunning it.

The Player swung his left arm around and slashed it across the midsection, taking it down with a clean cut.

Two enemies down with another frontal assault from an incoming enemy.

The Player swapped hands again with a quick air toss that allowed him to swap back to the backhanded grip style — he performed a 180, his back facing the opponent that was once approaching from the front, to face the Tyrfing that he toddled over earlier was in the middle of trying to attack from behind, revealing he was getting flanked from both sides but was already aware of it.

He stabbed his sword into the ground at the Tyrfing's feet, getting it to stop without even needing to acknowledge it.

"Piercing Shadow!" He called out.

A sharp whip of black energy shot out of the ground where the tip of his blade was and pierced through the Tyrfing's glass core, sending its head reeling back and dying out.

The force from the erupting shadow sent the blade forward at an alarming speed, allowing the Player to bring it up for a vertical slash up the Tyrfing's body. It saw two versions of the Player spinning the blade around so that the tip was in the case before calmly lowering the rest in.

The moment the guard touched the case, everything for the remaining Tyrfing went dark...

Meanwhile, Billy was having the time of his life keeping the Ethereals away with his range. While he was prankster, he was a skilled shot and made his target. He had already taken down two while the Player and Anby were still fending off their numbers.

He fired at one of the Tyrfing's and took a nice chunk out of its leg, crippling it. "Yeah! A hit!" He cheered before taking aim at the glass core and ending the Ethereal with a quick headshot.

While he was in the middle of dealing with that, the last Ethereal of his group flanked from behind, lunging its sword at him.

Billy swiftly ducked and fired a shot into the Tyrfing's chest. "Whoa, barely missed me," he taunted.

Because it wasn't a fatal blow, the Tyrfing fell to the ground and squirmed a bit.

"Sorry, it's nothing personal, we're regular people, you're monsters... We're destined to be enemies," Billy monologued in uncharacteristically deep voice, he was clearly playing into the role of some kind of action hero. He spun one of his revolvers around before aiming at the Ethereal's glass core. "I'll aim for your wea spot, it won't hurt."

With the shot perfectly aligned, he squeezed the trigger...

Click... Click... Click...

...But nothing came out, much to Billy's shock.

"Hmm? Uh oh! I forgot to reload!" Billy exclaimed while checking the empty chamber of his gun, turning his back on the now recovering Tyrfing.

Seeing it's opportunity to strike, the Ethereal tackled Billy while he was distracted and pinned him to ground. With Billy not at its mercy, the Tyrfing growled in his face while holding back its arm as a threat to stab him in the face.

"Okay, buddy, wait a sec! Time out!" Billy pleaded.

There was no negotiating with an Ethereal... The Tyrfing put its arm back further and lunged for Billy's face, ready to kill without hesitation.

"Wahhh!" Billy wailed.

A streak of lightning flashed by and severed the Tyrfing's arm, literally disarming it. Before it could realize what happened, Anby brought her leg around and kicked it away from Billy.

All the damage finally caught up to the Tyrfing and it evaporated into colorful cubes.

"...Stay focused," Anby said in a monotone voice, contradicting the concern on her face.

Billy bashfully scratched the back of his head, a bit embarrassed that he dropped the ball. "Ahahaha... Whoopsie-daisy!"

The Player approached and offered his hand. "You okay?"

"Still alive, so I'd say I'm doing pretty well," Billy took his hand and got him. "Thanks, guys," after they grouped up, Billy noticed a strange figure obscured in a smoke screen on the boarding platform opposite the one that served as Anby's battle arena. "Huh- Wait, who's that over there?" He pointed.

The Player and Anby turned to where Billy pointed and after a quick observation, they saw the figure as well.

"Looks human," the Player said. "It might be another person in need of assistance."

Just as the Player took a step to confirm his suspicion, Anby reached for him. "Don't go in there alone. It could be an ambush."

The Player immediately stopped in his tracks and looked back to the two. "Oh, right."

"Billy, make sure you're good on ammo," Anby suggested.

Billy was already in the middle of reloading both guns. By the time Anby suggested, the chambers were full and he was ready to go. "Locked and loaded."

"Okay, let's investigate," Anby lead.

On the other platform, there was another round of Ethereals in the middle of combat, but based on how many of their bodies were flying, it was a one-sided battle, some even began to withdraw, unwilling to fight their opponent.

The Player, Anby, and Billy arrived just as the smoke cleared, they witnessed a man choking out one of the Tyrfing's and slamming its head into the ground.

"Whoa. So it was a human," the Player said.

Among the carnage, Anby's eye fell upon a strange device by the man's feet. "The strongbox is right at his feet," Anby pointed, directing her comment at Billy.

"You're right! Awesome," Billy was pleased to see it. "Saves us the hassle of searching for it."

"Strongbox?" The Player questioned.

"Our commission," Billy answered.

"...Commission?"

"I'll explain later," Billy said.

Anby wasted no time and made a sprint toward the action, but Billy grabbed her before she could get too close.

"Slow down, Anby. What are you gonna do?"

"Catch him, then recover the strongbox."

"Just wait..." Billy requested.

After finishing off the last Ethereal in his way, the man turned to the group, revealing his face breaking out into a series of black rocks. "I... Ughhh... Destroy... Ughhh!" He turned around, revealing a far more disturbing sight; he was growing a lime green blade out of his palm, black stone was sprouting out his forearm, and the entire left side of his face was sprouting the same substance, but there was a black void where his eye should've been.

"What the hell...?" The Player was shocked to see the man's form.

"Yep, looks like Ether corruption," Billy pointed out. "This mutation is so intense, I don't think this guy has any Ether aptitude at all."

"Ether corruption?" The Player repeated. "Wait, you mentioned Ether aptitude before. Is that what happens when you don't have any?"

"Yeah. That's why I was so surprised when you said you've been here for over week."

Anby turned in the boys direction. "A week?" She sounded surprised and yet, somehow, still monotone.

Before any of them could further comment, the corruption got worse.

"...Ughhh — Destroy... Can't...take... Ughhh!"

His cries of agony got the trios attention and they readied themselves for whatever was to come next.

"His consciousness is still holding on!" Anby said.

The moment she said that, several black stones erupted from his body.

"It's too late," Billy assured. "Ether Crystals are forming all over his body, he's already-"

"...UGHHH — Help... Destroy... Ughhh!"

The Player grimaced uncomfortably at the sight. "What the hell?!"

The man's face became more grotesque as the void in his face got bigger, slowly forming a glass structure around itself. The mutation intensified in a horrifying, the corrupted screaming in unbearable agony with drooling at the mouth while the corruption continued.

"It's the core!" Billy said. "Dammit! He's almost completely mutated!"

The core formed and a yellow cocoon enveloped the man, but it soon bursts into a yellow light that forced the others to shield themselves from the powerful winds that accompanied it.

When the wind cleared, and the trio lowered their arms, they were shocked to find a towering Ethereal standing where the man once stood, it far exceeded Tyrfing's in intimidation, it had a finely crafted blade for an arm, similar to a katana, and a large shield in the other.

Based on its design, the Ether Crystals even made it look armored...

"...I don't like the feel of this," the Player muttered as he reached for his weapon.

Billy already had his weapons drawn and ready to fire the moment he saw movement. "This guy's a tough one. Get ready!"

"Roger that!" Anby brandished her weapon.

It was impossible to tell who this new enemy was aiming for, it didn't have a face... However, it was drawn to who it thought was the weakest of the trio, the Player's face reflected in its glass casing.

Almost immediately, the Ethereal appeared before the Player in the blink of an eye with its sword held back.

It felt like time came to a halt for a split second to allow everyone to realize how it quick this new Ethereal was on the draw, or rather how unprepared they were to take on this new threat and if they wanted to survive...

The Ethereal lunged for the Player, but a loud metal SHIIIIIIING sent a powerful shockwave that shook the Player and Billy to their core as Anby came in with an assist, blocking the Ethereal's blade with her own and sending it and herself reeling back.

She caught her bearings as she slid back to the boys in a crouching stance.

The Player and Billy were shocked she managed to defend them so swiftly.

"We need to stay focused!" She exclaimed, still, somehow, being monotone.

She acted quickly, launching herself forward for a follow-up by spinning herself around to deliver a multi-hitting electrical spiral against the Ethereal, ending her attack by bringing her sword around for a downward slash, striking it down the middle.

Billy immediately opened fire the moment Anby got one knee to finish her attack. "Anby, I'll cover you!"

The Ethereal was taken aback by Anby's attack, but it didn't take long for it to catch its bearings. A few bullets in and it used its new shield appendage to block Billy's shots.

While it was distracted, Anby performed a lightning enhanced sweep kick, hitting the Ethereal's leg and having it stumble, dropping its shield to have its face open to gunfire.

From the side, the Player came through with a wide, sweeping arch, but the Ethereal blocked using its new katana and the blades clashed.

Anby got some distance, jumping back with a series of backflips and the Player's sword began to emit a black and red aura as he closed his eyes to focus, somehow enhancing his blade to overpower the Ethereal.

Before he could gain the upper hand, the Ethereal swiftly stepped aside the Player and kneed him in the stomach, getting him off the ground and giving him a powerful bop with the shield that sent him flying until he hit the wall.

Anby appeared from a streak of lightning behind the Ethereal, she swung her leg around for a reverse kick, but got blocked by the shield.

The Ethereal quickly retracted its shield before Anby could act and slammed the dull end of its blade it into her stomach, having her hit the ground. The Ethereal proceeded to shove its foot into her chest.

Billy configured his revolvers on the fly to fire stronger rounds, now every shot got a reaction from the Ethereal — four shots, four steps away from Anby.

Without warning, a blast of black energy shot by and sent the Ethereal flying.

Anby lifted herself up and saw the Ethereal getting sent into the wall before quickly looking over in the opposite direction, seeing the Player had been the one to fire the blast from his weapon.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Nothing major. Thanks for the assist. Both of you."

Billy unloaded the empty Armor Piercing rounds and put regular ammunition in his revolvers.

The Ethereal got up, visibly damaged from the Player and Billy's attack, but a few staggering steps later and it unleashed a cry that briefly stunned the group, afterward it stood up straight like nothing was wrong.

"He's recovered?" Billy questioned in disbelief.

"Damn, it's getting back up," the Player held out his hand to help Anby and she quickly took it.

Link Established

The two of them paused for a moment, but quickly returned to their senses once they heard the approaching footsteps of the Ethereal. The Player helped Anby to her feet and they carefully watched their steps until they were back with Billy.

"Is his Ether activity still increasing?" Billy asked Anby.

"Keep up the attack?" Anby questioned.

"Nah! We don't have the firepower to fight for long!" Billy replied before catching onto something out the corner of his eye.

Using quick thinking, Billy shot a few fire extinguishers on the one side of the room to create a smoke screen. He aimed at another set from the opposite side, creating denser smoke.

"Let's bounce!" Billy said to the group.

The Ethereal's blade pierced through the smoke screen not long after it was cast. The Ethereal then swung the blade, dispelling the air and clearing the area. The smoke screen was a distraction, but the Ethereal saw through it.

Even so... Billy, the Player, and Anby were nowhere to be found. They couldn't even be bothered to grab the strongbox.

---

Small Neighborhood, Downtown
Midday — Specific Time Unknown

News Report: We're returning now to Fourteenth Street, where an explosion occurred on one of the upper floors of a residential building after the appearance of a Companion Hollow.

The news report of the recent incident on Fourteenth Street was being televised as breaking news nationwide.

Random Play, a well-known store on the corner of Sixth Street, had multiple TVs from the display window broadcasting the news, revealing the Companion Hollow towering over most of the city's buildings, dwarfed only by skyscrapers.

News Report: According to our sources, the explosion was set off by Public Security. In their operation against the violence Red Fang Gang, Public Security took extreme measures, including the use of air force weaponry.

Inside the store, the storeowners and siblings, Wise and Belle, were watching the news from the staff lounge.

News Report: The leader of the Red Fang Gang is thought to have fallen into the Hollow and is yet to be brought to justice. The head of Public Security has refused to comment.

The sound of footsteps could be heard approaching the lounge door...

News Report: The bomb squad is on the way. Please stay away from Fourteenth Street! We'll continue to follow this breaking story.

The door flew open, and a pink-haired girl burst in.

"Hey, listen up!" she shouted, barely able to catch her breath. It was obvious that she had run a long way to reach Random Play. "I was there when that explosion took place."

Despite the girl's manic introduction, the siblings weren't fazed and just looked at her like it was another Tuesday. It's like she wasn't even there... So much so that they even went back to watching the report.

The girl went to the TV and turned it off to have their undivided attention. "This is an emergency! Billy, Anby, and the target of my commission have fallen into that Hollow! I need a Proxy's help! Now!"

Wise was sitting on the couch with one leg crossed over the other. "Hello, Nicole... It'd be nice of you to knock next time."

"I feel like I hear your urgent needs at least three times a month, Nicole," Belle said, still unbothered by the news Nicole gave them.

Now that the news was off, there was no point in sitting around. Wise got up and left the lounge, with Belle following after him and Nicole desperately following her.

"You can make fun of me all you want after you help me deal with this crisis."

Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears, the siblings kept moving.

"Pleeeaaase, legendary Proxy, Phaethon!" Nicole put her hands together in a pleading gesture, she went as far as to give puppy dog eyes to sway them.

Wise rolled his eyes and Belle shook her head, but their smiles revealed to one another that they were on the same page.

Wise and Belle: What trouble did you get yourself into this time?

Their nonchalant attitude toward Nicole was a reaction from past business exchanges with Nicole, so her begging for help truly was just another Tuesday for them.

Seeing their change of heart made Nicole's eyes shimmer in glee.

Wise turned off the display TVs and Belle left the store to check outside. Wise returned to the staff lounge to put some VHS tapes they had at the front desk in his locker for safe keeping until they could find a protective cover for them.

Belle and Nicole returned to the staff lounge shortly after.

"I just checked. Doesn't look like there's anyone suspicious outside," Belle said, closing the lounge door behind them.

"Don't worry, I wasn't followed!" Nicole assured. "It took a lot to get out of Fourteenth Street unnoticed, but I made sure nobody was tailing me."

"I hope so," Belle said with a flat sigh.

"I know things have been tight lately with the general election just around the corner," Nicole said. "They're really cracking down on Proxies. They set up a hotline, and-"

Wherever Nicole was going with this conversation, Wise and Belle were visibly uninterested knowing it was a cover to butter them up.

"So what's the hurry, Nicole?" Wise interjects. "Which creditor is chasing after you this time?"

"That's not it!" Nicole almost sounded offended. "I was set up by Public Security and that angry reporter from Ridu TV!" She went on to explain the details leading up to the current events, including light details of her commission. "So Billy and Anby fell into a Hollow. I have to get them out! And I need to get back what I've been commissioned to deliver! It's an emergency, and you're the only ones who can help!"

"Why don't you make a rescue application with the Hollow Investigative Association?" Belle asked, crossing her arms.

Nicole sank into herself, looking uneasy. "I...don't want to make us a target for the association right now. If they found we'd been involved in Hollow raiding, we'd be in big trouble," her unease turned to minor disgust at the thought of turning to the Hollow Investigative Association (HIA). "And it'd take a small fortune to pay those greedy vultures off! But I can't abandon my squad, right?" The concern of her question seemed sincere.

"Leaving employees behind... That does sound a lot like Nicole's style," Belle dismissed.

Nicole stomped her foot with a pout. "Hey, don't be mean! I allocate a large portion of our revenue to the 'employee rescue budget'!" Wise and Belle's apathy was beginning to make Nicole impatient. She crossed her arms and looked more serious. "Look. All in all, my request is simple! All you need to worry about is getting my people and my client's stuff out of the Hollow safely. You don't accept basic Proxy work now? Phaethon?"

Wise picked up on Nicole's attitude immediately, and just looked at her with an unbothered short look of his own.

"Finish the job, and I'll clear my entire bill in one go!"

Words that Wise was all too familiar with, he put one hand on his hip and remained stern. "You've been dodging your bill for months, Nicole. You should think about the interest."

Nicole rolled her eyes, but ultimately bypassed Wise's smarm by accepting the terms of her impending tab. "Fine, I'll give you a share of the commission payment. Does that cover it?"

Payment confirmed? Belle was happy. "That'll do it," she smiled.

Whatever the case, Nicole was just happy they agreed and she perked up, finding her smile as well. "Great! There's no time to waste! I'll be waiting for you in the Hollow!" The sudden movement from her excitement forced Nicole to grunt.

"Hm? Did I hear something?" Wise asked, unsure if he heard Nicole add something more.

"N-No!" Nicole played it off, holding her aching arm. "I don't hear anything!"

Belle wasn't fooled and caught to Nicole's tough girl act. "Don't push yourself, Nicole. Rest a while. We'll need you to take Eous close to the Hollow later."

"Ohhh? Deploying your 'Bangboo Double,' huh? Okay!"

Belle gave Wise's chest a tap with the back of her hand to get his attention. "Bro, how 'bout you tend to Nicole's wound first? I'll go debug the HDD and help with the prep work to infiltrate the Hollow."

"Sure, no problem," Wise smiled.

Belle clapped her hands together, ready to get to work. "Well then... Let's get down to business!

---

Cretan Hollow
Old Metro Junction

Sometime later, the Player, Billy, and Anby were running through the city ever since they evaded the powerful Ethereal from earlier...

The trio jumped off the overpass and land in the street below, breaking their fall with their own landing strategies before sprinting ahead, only to slow their pace to a jog and then a walk before stopping all together when they realized how familiar it all looked.

"Huh?! We're back here again?" Billy grabbed his hair, freaking out from the Hollow's spatial tricks.

They were back in the area they first met...

"It's the Hollow's spatial distortion," Anby said while searching for danger.

"Aaah, you've got to be kidding me!" The Player snarled.

Anby looked up to the overpass and saw the Ethereals they were running from. It was another pack of Tyrfing's and they spot the trio below. They jumped from the overpass and landed in the street.

"Damn, another fight?!" Exasperated, Billy checked his guns to make sure they were loaded. "At the rate my ammo's depleting, I can say goodbye to efficiency bonus..."

The Player and Anby leveled their weapons to defend themselves.

The Tyrfing's screech at the trio and charge at them.

"Incoming, get ready!" Anby alerted the boys, who were ready to fight.

Before the two sides could clash, three capsules rolled onto the field from behind Billy and into the center. Seconds after rolling out, they explode and create a thick smoke screen, surprising everyone who got caught in it.

After Billy flagged the smoke from his face and cleared the air around him, he noticed the Player and Anby giving him the stank eye.

Realizing what their judging eyes were insinuating, Billy blushed and waved his hands to dismiss the notion. "Wait! Wait, wait, wait! That wasn't me!"

They still weren't convinced and raised a suspicious eyebrow at him.

Nearby Voice: Hey, all! Over here!

The voice drew their attention to the derailed train behind them, revealing a small bipedal bunny-like creature waving them down.

The gang wasted no time and hurried to the destination, getting behind cover.

"Nice work, all," the talking creature praised the trio for a swift escape as they closely examined it with curious eyes.

"It's a scarf-wearing, talking Bangboo," Anby whispered to the boys.

Billy got excited the moment he realized what this mysterious creature meant for them. "Ohhh! You're-!" He pointed with bombastic energy.

Anby and Billy: Phaethon!

The adorable guide, a Bangboo as Nicole mentioned earlier, was being piloted from the outside by none other than Wise from beyond the Cretan Hollow, back at Random Play.

"Phaethon?" The Player asked.

"Yeah! We're saved!" Billy cheered, looking at the Player before realizing he was lost. "Wait, you don't know who Phaethon is?"

"I'm not from around here, remember?"

"Oh, right."

While the boys were talking, the Bangboo was visibly surprised to see there was a third member in the party since Nicole only mentioned her team in the commission.

"You remember all those spatial distortions, right?" Billy continued. "All Hollows are like that. They're like mazes that can change on a whim, so it's impossible for a normal person to traverse them without getting lost. That's where the Proxy comes in — they're our guides."

"I see," the Player said, his arms crossed and one hand gently pinching his chin in a thinking gesture.

Meanwhile, Anby was listening out for danger, but as things settled the area was quiet. "I can't hear that superior Ethereal anymore," she announced to the others.

"Great, I feel like my legs' pistons are gonna break," Billy sighed in relief.

Leg pistons? The Player was once again visibly curious.

"I propose now is a good time to take a break," Anby suggested. "Is that acceptable, Proxy?"

"Eous needs to run some debugging, so I'm gonna lay down," Phaethon mentioned.

"You can all rest, I'll take first watch," Anby offered before lifting herself up atop of the train to keep an eye out.

Billy plopped down immediately, his back against the roof of the derailed train car they were behind. "That was dangerous. It's crazy what a powerful monster that Red Fang dude turned into."

"You mean that freaky mutation?" The Player asked, taking a seat next to Billy. "Did you know the guy?"

"Not personally. He was just somebody who got in the way of our commission."

"And that's the result of Ether corruption?"

"Yeah. That's why I'm so shocked you haven't been corrupted."

"If I may?" Phaethon approached the two. "Nicole only mentioned members of the Cunning Hares were lost in the Hollow. I don't believe we've met," he was directly referring to the Player.

"Me? Oh, sorry. I'm new here. Uh, well... Technically I've been here for about a week, or maybe a week and a half, I've lost track of the days, but I'm still not familiar with this place. I'm not a member of their group. Just a stray they ran into."

"A week?"

"Get this, Manager," Billy revealed another nickname for Wise "he's saying he's been lost in the Cretan Hollow for more than a week."

The Bangboo was visibly shocked. "What? That's... That's not possible."

"That's what I was saying," Billy turned his attention to the Player. "Not to scare you, but what happened back there? With the Red Fang guy — that should've been what happened to you."

The Player swallowed and turned his head away, thinking of the horror that would've happened if he turned.

"What's your Ether aptitude level?" Phaethon asked, getting the Player's attention.

"I'm not sure. I don't know what that is."

The Bangboo was expressing a rapid increase in curiosity. "Then... you must have been taking anti-corruption medication."

"I haven't," the Player debunked, still lost on everything that happened to him.

Phaethon went quiet, he couldn't make sense of the Player's unnatural resistance to Ether corruption. That is, assuming he was telling the truth.

"Whatever the case, you're one lucky guy," Billy said. "And even better for Anby and me, we won't be turning into monsters either. We're all safe! It's all thanks to you, Manager. You got us out of there in the nick of time."

The Bangboo looked over to Billy as he praised him.

"As expected from Phaethon! Reliable as always!"

"You flatter me," Phaethon replied humbly. "I'm just doing what any Proxy does."

Anby dropped down from her vantage point, joining the boys once more. "I figured, to save money, Nicole would've left us to fend for ourselves. Hiring the great Phaethon to get us out is quite a surprise. If you hadn't come, I'm afraid we wouldn't have made it out of that Ethereal's territory. Thanks for coming to the rescue."

"Speaking of which," Billy arched his leg up to rest his forearm on it. "I've always wanted to ask you about that device in your store, you know, the one that lets you sync with the Bangboo and communicate in real-time within a Hollow!"

The Player turned an intrigue gaze to Billy at the mention of sync.

"That's some serious tech!" Billy continued. "Even Public Security and the Hollow Investigative Association can't do it! With a trump card like that, why didn't you just join the Association?"

Phaethon chuckled, although it was low.

"Whatever way you look at it, working with us Hollow Raiders has to be more dangerous than the profit is worth."

"Okay, I know I'm more or less beating a dead horse, but... What's a Hollow Raider?" The Player asked.

Before anyone could explain, a menacing roar bellowed in the distance.

"That sounds like an Ethereal," Anby said.

Billy threw his head back in exhaustion. "Ugh, so soon? I only just sat down!"

"We have to get out of here. Unless, Billy, you'd like to stay here forever? That new Starlight Knight Belt you wanted? I guess I'll place it at your grave next year."

Anby's emotionally stagnant face went well with her flat and sarcastic tone, it made the Player and Phaethon snicker. However, Billy was dismayed because Anby's tone was not reassuring.

"When you say things like that with that poker face of yours, I can't tell if you're joking or not!" Billy whimpered.

"Working with you two is like watching a never-ending sitcom," Phaethon teased.

The Player stifled his laughter before getting up in preparation for another escape.

"Is that why you keep letting Nicole hire you on credit?" Anby asked.

Billy raised his non-existent eyebrow. "I don't know if I should be happy about that or not... But now's not the time," he got up and checked his weapons to make sure they were loaded. "We should get out of here before those Ethereals catch up. Please, Manager! Lead the way!"

"Hang on, let me scan the area," a series of digital emotes flashes on the Bangboo's face before the eyes, also digital, returned to normal. "I've located the closest exit. Fortunately, there are no Ethereals on our tail."

"Even better!" Billy eased his posture.

"Follow me!"

The Bangboo took point, leading the group away from the area and down the designated route Phaethon had mapped out on his end.

The journey was like navigating a puzzle, they had to take cautious steps and be within a certain area at a specific time before the Hollow had a chance to flip them around. As they proceeded, no area was always the same, a huge contrast to what the Player, Anby, and Billy experienced before... This wasn't a stroke of luck, Phaethon was the real deal and saw everything clear as day.

The route was combat free, there were no Ethereals in pursuit, just as Phaethon said, so they got through the city with relative ease, the only problem being the constant obstacles of the ruined city, with abandoned cars, trains, Ether stalagmites, and so on.

Eventually, they came across an elevated railway that ran through the city and followed the tracks until they crossed the bridge that lead to the railway junction.

"Alright. We're making good progress," Phaethon said as he continued leading the group. "Not much farther now. All we have to do is keep going straight and then turn down-"

Suddenly, there was a tremor that made the group stop.

"Huh? What's that shaking...?" Phaethon asked.

Before anyone in the party could give their thoughts, another tremor followed it. It didn't take long for the shaking to become consistent enough to warrant concern.

In the distance, a hulking Ethereal could be seen sprinting down the tracks the group traversed, it appeared this Ethereal wasn't too far behind and was actually stalking the group.

"A Metro Goblin," Phaethon noted.

"A Metro Goblin?" The Player questioned, drawing his blade and having it configure to its sword form.

Anby nodded to confirm Phaethon's observation. "Tutorial mini-boss."

The Player paused and slowly turned to Anby, giving her a hard look for her comment that nobody else seemed to notice... Either that or they were so focused on the looming threat that what she said was irrelevant.

Once the Metro Goblin got to the center of the bridge, Billy opened fire on the enemy, but the Ethereal jumped to the top of bridge arches and then leaped toward the junction, plummeting down to the group and forcing them to disband, going three different directions, with Phaethon siding with the Player.

The Metro Goblin was a muscular creature with various traffic signals protruding from its back. From the forearms down, it had railway crossing signs for arms.

"Be careful, this thing is tough!" Phaethon warned.

"Don't worry, we've got this," the Player assured. "You got a weapon?"

The Bangboo looked up at the Player as a small bead of sweat eased down its head...

The moment he asked his question, the Player realized what he asked and looked down to the adorable, almost plush-like, guide. "Yeah, that was a dumb question. Get somewhere safe. We'll be with you when we can."

The Bangboo nodded and scurried to safety.

With the combatants set, the Player, Anby, and Billy lock-in.

Anby used her to speed to blitz across the junction and land the first strike, giving the Metro Goblin a clean strike up the middle and having it stumble back a single step.

The Metro Goblin planted its feet and brought its arm overhead to spike Anby with its railway crossing sign while she was in the middle of an aerial recovery, the best possible outcome for it was using enough force to split her in half...

Billy had it covered, taking aim at the Ethereal's face and lining up his shot just as Anby's body got out of range on the incline from the jump of her rising slash. He fired and landed a shot in the glass core, but it didn't shatter.

The shot made the Metro Goblin flinch, forcing it to cancel its attack, allowing Anby to land in a squatting position in front of it.

When the Metro Goblin recovered from Billy's shot, it saw Anby kneeling. It raised its foot to stomp her into the ground, but the Player came sliding in and kicked the back of the Ethereal's leg, having it bend back on an arch that not only caused it to miss the stomp, but lose its balance as well — falling backwards.

The Player rolled to the side, getting clear of the Metro Goblin that fell on its back.

"Thunder!" Anby called out as she performed a quick somersaulting axe kick from out of her crouch that brought forth a bolt of lightning that struck the Metro Goblin's torso once the back of her heel hit the abdomen.

The Player rolled out of range from the side and recovered while Anby performed a reverse kip up and got back to her feet.

It was going to take more than that, the Metro Goblin got back up and smashed its arms together as an aggressive sign that they had to dish out more damage if they ever wanted to bring it down.

Anby once again took point, rushing in and throwing out a taekwondo-inspired triple roundhouse kick; Clank! Clank! CLANG! Each kick was blocked by the Metro Goblin's railway signs, each kick sounding off with a metal ring. Once her feet touched the ground, she tried going for a jumping spin kick, but the Metro Goblin caught her leg in its massive bicep and locked her in tight since it didn't have any hands.

The Ethereal spun Anby around and tossed her across the junction.

Just as it did away with Anby, the Player's sword came lunging in from the side, but the Metro Goblin stepped back just in time to dodge.

Before it could react, the Player brought his leg around for a spinning hook kick, throwing out the back of his leg to connect his heel with the Ethereal's upper body, but it was blocked when it raised its forearm.

An attack missed and another blocked, the Player quickly brought his leg around to the front for a high kick and landed a successful blow to the towering Ethereal's chest with a loud CLAP on impact.

A bullet came and stuck the Metro Goblin's core with an explosive finish. As it staggered back, a few more followed up — Billy was firing explosive rounds into the Metro Goblin, each shot having it take steps away from the Player.

"Okay, lady... Help me out," the Player held his weapon horizontally and eased his hand down the blade, tracing his finger down its sleek design and producing a black mist. He took a deep breath and focused.

Once his hand reached the tip of the blade, the Player got on one knee and assumed a quick drawing stance with the sword by his hip; he quickly slashed the blade through the air, sending a visible horizontal shockwave of black energy toward the Metro Goblin — he quickly repositioned the sword so that it was backhanded, allowing him to follow-up with a diagonal shockwave and then immediately back to the proper handedness to fire a third projectile in a horizontal path.

Billy's explosive rounds were backed by the reinforced power of the Player's energy-based attacks, battering the Metro Goblin with explosive damage.

The boys left a plume of smoke after finishing their attack.

"Did they do it?" Phaethon asked from behind cover.

Silence fell and the smoke grew thicker... Victory felt ensured.

"...Hey, that was pretty epic," Billy complimented. "How are you doing that? Controlling that black stuff?"

"Oh, those things I'm shooting from the sword? It's not all me. I'm just-"

The smoke suddenly cleared without warning and out came the Metro Goblin, sprinting toward the Player and Billy.

"Heads up!" Billy focused on the incoming threat, firing a few more explosive rounds.

The Metro Goblin threw up its arms in a X position and ran through the exploding bullets. It jumped high into the air and soared until landing behind them.

'It's Ether activity increased!" Phaethon exclaimed after scanning Etheric readings.

Anby was just picking herself up after being thrown into a nearby train car, she rubbed her head and opened her eyes to see Billy getting backhanded by the Metro Goblin's sign and sent hurling through the air until skiting across the ground.

The Metro Goblin immediately targeted the Player next and swung its arm back, swatting him away with its elbow, though the blow was cushioned by a black veil forming at the point of impact, nevertheless he was sent flying just like Billy.

The Player flew through the glass of the nearby control room and hit the wall before hitting the floor.

"Nnnngh...! Thanks for the save," the Player said, slightly winded.

The Bangboo ran into the building and approached the Player immediately to see if he was okay. "You have to be careful, it's gotten stronger!"

"What?"

"The Ethereal. It's Ether activity increased. It'll be harder to take down."

"...Ether activity. Billy mentioned that earlier. Ugh, all this new terminology is taking my head for a loop. I'm barely following along as is."

"Basically, it's getting stronger because of Ether intake. It absorbs this strange substance in the air and the longer it spends roaming around or fighting, it'll keep getting stronger. That's how Ethereals evolve into stronger variants."

The Player was beginning to follow along: Monster + Life × Ether = Bad. "I see," he sighed. "Thanks for that, Phaethon. Now all we have to do is find a way to counter it."

Several clashes could be heard outside the control room.

After taking a moment to recover, the Player got up and looked out the window with Phaethon to see Anby back in the fight.

She was using her impressive agility to stay ahead of the Metro Goblin, delivering swift kicks and sword slashes, but because of the Etheric buff the Metro Goblin received, Anby was doing considerably less damage...

The Player looked across the junction and saw Billy was still dazed from the earlier smack, and the team was slowly easing toward the losing side.

But then the Player remembered something from earlier...

"...I've got an idea," the Player said while closely examining the fight."

"You do?" Phaethon asked.

"I hope so," he vaulted out the window and sprinted toward the action.

"Wait! Don't be reckless!" Phaethon called out in concern. "What do you propose you all do?!"

"I don't know, I'm kinda winging it right now," the Player muttered to himself.

Back in combat, Anby came down with a descending stab that the Metro Goblin blocked with one of its signs — using its free arm, it smashed its sign flat onto Anby's back and had her slam into the ground at its feet.

Before she could recover, the Metro Goblin gave her a taunting kick that didn't even do damage, it just sent her soaring to the Player as he approached.

Seeing Anby flying toward him, the Player stopped in his tracks and open his arms in a last minute attempt to catch her, but that only ended in both of them getting knocked down.

"Sorry," Anby apologized... Still flat in her delivery.

"It's all good," the Player assured, lifting himself up. "Are you okay?"

"Hanging in there."

"Good to hear... I know I'm stating the obvious, but we have to bring that thing down. It's getting strong the longer we drag this out, and, unfortunately, for us, we risk turning into one of those things."

"How do we counter it?"

The Player's face slowly grew to uncertainty, but before he could linger in doubt, the sound of gunfire got their attention — Billy was back in the fight and playing smart by keeping his distance and firing away.

The Metro Goblin was distracted...

"Okay, I think I have an idea," the Player said.

Billy swapped back to regular ammo and unloaded into the Metro Goblin, but the lack of punch in the regular rounds in comparison to the explosive and armor piercing rounds meant the Ethereal could just tank the shots and it did so while sprinting, closing the gap between it and Billy.

The Metro Goblin threw both arms overhead and threw them down to a comically shrieking Billy.

It smashed its arms into the ground and caused a small crater in the ground, but Billy managed to slip between its legs with a slide at the last second. He rolled onto his back and opened fire to the Ethereal's backside.

"Come on! Just drop dead already!" Billy glared.

As the momentum from his slide came to an end, Billy got up to his feet.

Anby: Billy!

He heard the call from his partner and saw them waving him down. He ran to the two and they regrouped.

"Hey, guys. Sheesh!" Billy was winded.

"How are you holding up?" The Player asked.

"Running real low on ammo, so it's not looking to good in that department. But I'm in good health, so there's that. But, this Ethereal? Man. I've got goosebumps... It's so powerful!"

"...Can you even get goosebumps, Billy?" Anby plainly asked.

Billy threw his head back, exasperated. "It's a metaphor, alright?! Let's just focus on the enemy."

"We are," Anby said.

"Really? So we have a plan?" Billy asked with hope in his voice.

"The makings of one," the Player answered before extending his hand to Billy.

Billy looked down to his hand. "Uuuuuh... What's this?"

"Just level with me for a sec. Give me your hand."

"Um... O-kay?"

Billy caseed one of his revolvers and did as he was asked, grabbing the Player's hand and holding it for a second.

Silence fell and they just stood there, stock still...

Anby looked between them, but it didn't take long for Billy to visibly and audibly express a sudden jump in surprise.

The Player smiled the moment Billy reacted.

The Ethereal pulled its arms from the ground ad growled low, turning around and seeing the group assembled. It began walking toward them with its hulking footsteps.

The Player, Anby, and Billy nod to each other before facing their foe, each maintaining a determined look and ready for the final round of this battle, they were on the clock and time was moving fast.

The Metro Goblin sauntered into a jog before breaking out into a full sprint.

The Player walked ahead of Billy and Anby, taking the lead as his sword began emanating its now signature black aura.

The footsteps got harder and there was a minor tremor with each step.

"...Come on," the Player muttered.

The Metro Goblin reached the Player and lunged its arm for his torso, and it made a direct hit, striking the Player dead center... But it had no effect aside from having him slide back as its sprint degraded into a walk before a complete standstill from being unable to force the Player back.

The railroad sign struck a black wall of energy that covered the Player's entire front.

Before the Metro Goblin could linger on what happened, the energy began to harden, forming around the Player's body and sealing him in a protective humanoid veil of pulsating dark matter.

Two red circles appeared where eyes would've been and the dark matter formed a scythe over the sword, materializing a new weapon and human form, its general appearance resembling a female figure.

Phaethon, who was still spectating from afar, was shocked to see the new development.

Before the black figure could fully take shape, it swung the scythe across the Metro Goblin's arm and severed it with one clean swoop.

Thunk! It's arm hit the ground before evaporating into colorful cubes.

SLICE! A second clean cut from the scythe wielding figure, the bubbling dark matter was having trouble trying to stabilize itself.

Thunk! The other arm hit the ground and dissipated.

Player: Calm down...

A distorted version of the Player's voice spoke out from the violently fluctuating substance.

Now everything was beginning to catch up to Metro Goblin as it screeched loudly from losing its appendages.

The dark matter solidified and shattered, revealing the Player still standing as he was and holding his sword that was now supercharged. He held the weapon up and swung it from overhead, a black aura chasing after it before unleashing a stream of energy that blasted the Metro Goblin away.

It flew back a considerable distance and didn't stop until it wore out all the kinetic energy the attack dished out.

Thanks to the strange substance in the air helping the Ethereals, the Metro Goblin was already beginning to regenerate its lost limbs, but in the process of recovering, Billy was already in pursuit as it was launched by the Player, appearing in front of it just as it got on its knees and raised its head.

"Starlight..." Billy had his revolver pressed against the Ethereals core. "NEVER DIES OUT!" He pulled the trigger and succeeded in landing a point blank shot into the Ethereal, but he wasn't done.

Billy began zipping around the Metro Goblin at speeds so fast that it appeared he had clones around the defenseless enemy, each afterimage of him was blasting shots into the core, attacking it from all directions until it began to crack.

Billy's assault was relentless and he kept going until his ammo was gone, using an armor piercing round to deliver the final blow on the weakened core.

'Swapping it over to you,' The Player stood by Anby as Billy reappeared from a flicker on his left in a crouching stance. 'Get 'em!'

"At your command," Anby complied before disappearing from the Player's side.

Just as the Metro Goblin was left staggered, its entire body spasming from the overwhelming assault — Anby appeared before it, grabbing onto her sword as an apparition of the Player briefly flashed alongside her.

"These readings!" Phaethon was in disbelief at the sudden overwhelming display of power.

"Fracture!" Power surged through Anby's entire being.

She brought the sword underhand, slashing it up the Metro Goblin's torso and leaving behind a deep cut and exposing the colorful innards of its body, no gore inside showing that any remnant of humanity was gone.

Anby leaped off the ground, flipping above the Metro Goblin as her blade sent a bolt of lightning into the clouds above...

She came back down and delivered a second blow, slashing down on the core and completely shattering it, exposing the inside and having the Metro Goblin face plant into the tracks.

A massive bolt of lightning came from the heavens and struck the ground with a deafening boom the moment Anby touched down, the Metro Goblin was completely fried inside the booming lightning. Several smaller bolts of lightning struck the ground around the primary bolt, sending surges of electricity zapping around the area...

When the lightning cleared there was no trace of the Metro Goblin, just a charred crater where only Anby remained, holding her kneeling crouch with heavy panting.

The Player dropped to one knee and was left out of breath as well, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling knowing they managed to clear up the threat. He tried keeping himself up by planting his sword into ground and leaning against it for support.

Billy fell back on his butt, panting like his partners. "Heh... Heh, heh! That... That was awesome! That was... Nnnnghh..."

The three collectively lost consciousness and dropped where they were.

---

A/N: Hell-oooo. Happy to see you made it to the end.

This is just a one-shot, so I'm using it to gauge readers and see how they react to the content. Those familiar with my writing already know what they're getting into, but since it's a new series seeing how veteran readers react to a new story puts them in the same boat as new readers, or at least that's what I figure.

I didn't want to retrace too much ground Zenless Zone Zero already laid out, but I felt it was necessary in order to introduce some of the rules the world has established. If the one-shot is successful, I planned on having Tales from New Eridu be focused on slice-of-life, comedy, and mystery with my usual meta nonsense.

For returning readers, they're already familiar with the "Player" and all that jazz, and throughout numerous stories I've done, he's always played a central role, but the Player as an entity is never the same across across the board. The Player in Tales of New Eridu is vastly different from other interpretations, the biggest change, again, for veteran readers, is the active fighting he's doing alongside the characters. And there's a canonical reason for that... Yeah. The Player here is a special case, and hopefully I'll get to show you what I mean.

His weapon is based on a few weapons that I've been grown fond of, namely Lightning Farron's sword from Final Fantasy XIII and the one from Final Fantasy XIII-3.

Other design inspiration consist of Zangetsu from Bleach, Insulator from Under Night In-Birth, and Aramasa from BlazBlue. The weapon being able to change its form from compact to combat is once again directly inspired from Final Fantasy and to an equal extent RWBY.

So, yeah, I'm going to sit back and see how well this opening is received. I may or may not go back and rewrite it to fine tune and adjust it. The one-shot was actually going to be longer, but when I saw the writing length was approaching 20k words I realized it was probably time to call it a day.