“Come in.”With that, he turned and went back inside leaving the door open for us to enter.The Headmaster followed in first and then I followed after, making sure to close the door as I did.“careful.”“ow!” I exclaimed as I pulled back from the door knob.It was hot… a bit too hot.“avoid touching anything metallic in here.” The Headmaster warned as he walked deeper into the building.While nodding, I quickly realized that the atmosphere in the building was hot, causing me to sweat uncontrollably.As we walked, the stout man moved to what I could only call an oversized oven and with the flick of a switch, the fire within died down to reveal an unfinished work, most likely a sword.“So you are here for a Vestige, I presume?” The stout man remarked.The Headmaster nodded. “Indeed Madden, I was hoping to find a reasonable Vestige for Thomas’s boy.”He gestured to me while placing emphasis on the phrase, Thomas boy.The stout man… sorry, Madden, glanced at me, looking me over with a rai
I nodded in understanding as I glanced back at the sword… I mean, the Purifier.“so what are it’s specs?” I casually inquired.Madden replied after staring at the sword briefly. “It destroys everything designated as negative.”“I don’t understand.” I grew confused at the strange description.“It destroyers based on sin. So if you cut a person and that person has sinned, it judges those sins and decides the best punishment for them.”I blinked a few times before muttering. “a strange sword indeed.”“indeed it is. Only it judges what is impure and negative and most times than not, it would destroy the source without fail. Even excessive good is regarded as impure by it.” Madden explained.I pursed my lips and considered. “Am I subject to it’s judgement?”“It depends. If you are indeed sinless by its standards, then you would be worthy to wield it. If you are not… as long as you haven’t don’t anything terrible, it won’t kill you.” Madden remarked.“Ah, delightful.” Though its attribute w
“…how have you been?” I asked, flashing a smile as I reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder.Lincoln beamed as he replied. “Great!... We have so much to talk about.”“We do?” I jokingly inquired.“indeed.”A baritone voice responded causing my heart to palpitate.It was more shock at how deep the voice was.I glanced to the side and couldn’t help but suck in cold air.Reginald was a complete beast!He looked more like a barbarian at this point with his overly grown copper hair and his muscular physique that made him larger than even the Headmaster.I gulped instinctively as I asked. “Reginald?”The muscular man nodded, leaving me speechless.“The GRE. Our appearances have changed because of it.”This time, an overly sensual voice entered my ears and I found myself reacting… wrongly.Ahem.I glanced to the origin to see Veronica…. And by the gods was she a beauty.This time I gulped, not out of fear but out of a primal hunger… or should I say desire?Damn it, focus.Flashing a s
Having casually accepted everyone that asked, I was left with a full Squadron.Well, the more, the better I suppose.Without hesitation, I led them to the Headmaster’s private training hall.They seemed awed by the structure as they let out varying degrees of ohs and ahs.In any case, I quickly grouped them and gave them the first task that The Headmaster gave me when I first started.It was weird.The student had become the teacher.Well not really a teacher since these guys didn’t know anything but then again, it’s alright.Having dealt with the Normal Explorers, I was left with Lincoln, Veronica and Reginald.“alright then, so how about using your skills, let’s have an understanding of how it works and also it’s trigger as well as downside.” I casually said.Lincoln was the first to step up, mostly because he was a bit too enthusiastic to be kept at bay.“As I said, my domain is Ink and the skill I got is Stain.” Lincoln introduced with pride.“Stain?” I raised a brow.“Mn.” Lincol
With a large hammer with one end flat and the other partially pointed, Reginald stood like a god of war presiding over everything.Of course, his form would rely more on strength than anything else.It was easy to tell from the smile he had on his face. He was confident in his strength, I’d give him that.Then, finally I glanced behind me.Lincoln stood with a pair of long knives with pointed ends.They looked more like needles than actual knives to be honest.In any case, he was a bit like Veronica in regards to focusing more on speed but unlike Veronica, his skills would be more about weakening me than actually striking at me.I understood their skills enough because I was their Herald and watched them train.If it were any other, I’d need longer to deduce their strengths but for them, it was done in a flash.In any case, I held two wooden swords.Though I was used to using just one, I had to cultivate the habit of using two after all, I was no longer just a single sword user.There
The Headmaster sighed as he glanced at me. “I guess since it’s you, it won’t be bad to say anything. There is a fence that surrounds the tower. It encompasses the only land that we have been able to conquer ever since Haven was built.”“Did something happen to it?” I felt a strange sense of foreboding creep up my spine.The Headmaster nodded. “There has been a breach.”I immediately turned wide eyed at the statement.A breach?Like… the fence had been broken down?Did that mean the tower was in danger?I unknowingly let my fears affect me and immediately, my heart began to pound as though it wanted to leap out of my chest.Was this the beginning of the end?But I hadn’t gained any power yet… how could I save the tower as I am?Just then, the Headmaster spoke up. “We aren’t sure what causes the breach. What we do know is that because of the breach, the Fog has began to enter our perimeter. If we don’t do anything about it, this would mean that the Otherworldly would soon be upon us and
There were lines connected to the glass circles which crisscrossed about the suit and then finally, my face was covered by a detachable helmet with the front part of my face protected by a type of glass.It all felt pretty strange but then again, I guess it wasn’t all that bad.Gesturing for the others to try it on, several minutes later, we were all suited up in the same uniform.The suit reminded me of the suit we were shown during our tour of the Academy science district.The fateful day that would mark the start of one of the greatest trials of my life.I can still recall the awe I felt from watching an instructor get covered by the biosynthetic suit.It seemed they had perfected it.Just then, the man began to explain. “The Exo-suits are equipped to help you resist the radiation outside as well as extreme temperature changes. You have an aquatic mode that allows you swim even though you’d better not dare to do so and then it also has self repair properties and if the body is part
My first time going outside the tower.It was bound to be a novel experience and though it held dangers, I was confident and trusted in the ability that myself and my subordinates had cultivated over the last few days.As we got to the ground floor and made our way to the exit, escorted by the guards, I could feel that my palms were sweaty underneath the Exo-suit.But as the leader of this expedition, I couldn’t afford to show any weakness else the morale of the group would lessen.So gritting my teeth and clenching my fist, I took the lead and walked.Soon we arrived at a great gate.It was wide and large enough to fit at least 10 giants walking in side by side.I believe this was in case of a situation where the tower had to be abandoned.The exit had to be large enough to take a large number of people leaving at once.In any case, as we got to the gate, we went through a full physical examination before the gates were opened.And for the first time, I saw the outside world.Covered
The clash was like no other.After learning about the Headmaster coming for them, Jason and Philip prepared an ambush.The Headmaster was right when he said Philip had absorbed the essence of the Dreamer.Due to that absorption, he had shed his mortal coils and embraced his monstrous side without any fear.The Dreamer was a creature capable of pulling humans into dreams but for Philip it was slightly different.He was able to rewrite the fabric of reality, blurring the lines between the dream world and reality.A terrifying power he used to the best of his ability at this point.Using the tunnels as a backdrop, he created a maze with an elaborate structure and advised Jason to have the Vampires hide in wait for their prey.A brilliant plan, considering they had the upper hand.They would be able to spot the humans from a distance considering they’d be moving with torches but the Vampires managed to blend into the darkness.All that was required now was to wait and all would work out w
It was the first time Vampires became a thing.Once Creatures of folklore told around campfires in the old world, these creatures were tame compared to what was before them at this very moment.A few reasons remained as to why the Otherworldly abomination was called Vampire but two stood out.One was because these monster feasted on blood and the second was that they had insane regenerative abilitiesMore than that, the third and last one was their dislike for light.They thrived in dark place as the mines and even the entire tower was meant to be.It’s quite understandable why the higher ups wouldn’t want the Vampires reaching the heart, now, no?Unlike normal Otherworldly that just don’t like light, the light for Vampires was a lethal weapon that could deal incredible damage in proportion to the intensity of the light.Which meant if they got to the Heart and by some stroke of luck, succeed in destroying it, that would mean the entire tower would be destroyed without a chance to sav
There were many things to consider when it came to leadership.Both for those that sought to be leaders or those that searched for a leader.It was no easy task, rather daunting enough for those that dared to take the post of leader to actually do what they were meant to do.For Heralds, their leadership was absolute as long as it with the squadron they commanded.Before any other position, a Herald was considered first when a Squadron was to move out.The squad members of a particular squadron have the right to listen to their Herald over a captain or commander or even General.This was because the Herald was not just a simple position.One wasn’t just a leader, nay, they were also family.Such sense of camaraderie helped squad members look out for one another but also brought fierce competition as there were hardly squadron’s that listened to the Captain’s, commanders or Generals over their Herald.A position where one held the life or death of so many people.There had never been a
The All-seeing Eye would have never believed it would come across the Void Wanderer again, after all, ever since that day, the Void Wanderer was pronounced dead.It should have died but even in death, it seemed as though it wouldn’t rest until it had done what it wanted which was to cause chaos amongst them.You will never get away with this!... Your kind is already doomed!... Do not waste your time fighting against the inevitable. What you should do is swear your allegiance to the one who watches and accept his reign.[Bold of you to assume that I would waste my time having a conversation with you. Please… enough with the noise.]The All-seeing Eye wanted to say but before it had a chance to, space about it began to constrict, growing tightly about it until it could barely move in any direction.No!... You cannot do this!.... You cannot do this!Unfortunately, Lord had no more words to share with him and a moment later, his body exploded like a watermelon that received the full brunt
The Otherworldly were graded according to a system created by mankind after constant bouts with them.From E, it ascended thusly; E, D, C, B, A, S, SS and lastly Godspawn.Two things were used in the grading process.One was the destructive capabilities of said monster while the second was the utility of their ability.Which meant a flame monster could be lesser than a monster that can’t be seen simply because the monster that can’t be seen won’t be easily beat.For the flame monster, there would surely be ways to counter since it’s seen but the other… the first step would be to see it no?Other criteria was put into consideration as well, like how hard was it to kill one or like how fast were their regenerative capabilities.Of course this applied to most Otherworldly.Yes, most.The SS and Godspawn were different.They were a class that defied natural laws and created conundrums that defied everything humanity had come to understand.The difference between an SS and a Godspawn was t
It was a simple plan with a simple purpose in mind.Reginald, Veronica and Jeremy.These three had abandoned the pain and suffering from that time during the newbie massacre to come together for a singular reason.What was the reason you might ask?... It was purely revenge.Revenge for their fallen comrades that had died unjustly at the hands of scheming bastards that hid within the shadows.The fact that they had found out whom the perpetrators were made it all the more better.At least they wouldn’t move like headless flies.Now they could move with the desire to kill the one that caused them the grievance they were still suffering even as they sat in Jeremy’s room, talking with smiled on their faces.Leah hadn’t been fooled when she saw them smile and laugh so energetically.It was most likely because they didn’t want her to worry.Unfortunately, she no longer had eyes that could be deceived.Leah only listened to the hearts of those she communicated with and currently, as she list
Veronica sighed as she rose from her bed and walked over to the door to open it only to find her father standing outside.“Dad, you?” Veronica said.Her father nodded. “Were you sleeping?”“No… not yet.” Veronica shook her head in response.“I thought as much. Alright, let me come in first.” With that said, he casually entered without giving Veronica much of a choice to refuse or anything of that sort.She watched on as he sat on her bed and made himself comfortable before tapping on the bed.“Come sit.”Veronica pursed her lips before letting out a sigh. “still as intrusive as ever.”Sitting beside her father, she waited for him to talk.He pondered for a bit before he spoke. “how are you feeling?”“Fine.” Veronica replied.Her father glanced at her and after a bit of scrutiny, shook his head. “that’s a lie.”“If you already know, then why ask?”“To know if you are willing to tell yourself the truth.”“…The truth is too painful to accept.”Her father stared at her solemn face and aft
It all happened so suddenly.One moment, the thugs were trying to take down Jeremy and Marcus to take away their belongings and the next moment, they were writhing on the floor like worms that had salt poured in them.As they groaned and gasped for air, Jeremy looked on with an expressionless look on his face.Meanwhile, Marcus was somewhat terrified.Just what power had Jeremy used?He couldn’t even begin to fathom it.But then he wondered. If he had such an ability… wouldn’t Ria still be alive now?Wouldn’t he have been able to save Ria and ensure nothing happens to her?As that thought came, Marcus found himself pondering on it more and more until he could hardly think of anything else.Then he heard Jeremy’s voice. “This not power you should hope for.”His voice snapped Marcus out of his reverie, causing him to realize that he had Ben staring off into nothingness for a bit too long.Then he glanced at Jeremy who was staring intently at him.“how did you do that!” Marcus immediatel
“You heard about the fire?” Jeremy inquired with a raised brow.Reginald nodded. “It was a dangerous affair after all. It’s one of the few times when an entire floor was threatened. If anything had gone wrong, we would have seen casualties in the thousands.”“I agree. And that was just a side effect.”“A side effect, you say?” Reginald raised a brow.Jeremy replied. “Yeah. Apparently, Marcus only had to kill some mafia leader that had his hands on the black market on that floor, engaging in unsavory activities including drugs, prostitution and slavery.”“that… wait, you said the orb is a Vestige?” Reginald asked.Jeremy nodded. “it is.”“so how did he use it?... Aren’t Vestiges objects that only react to variance?... So how did he activate it?”“I have no idea.” Replied Jeremy in all honesty.He was also quite curious to figure out how it happened.It was a known fact that even ordinary Explorers could not use Vestiges because of their lack of variance.But Marcus managed to do so des