Entering into the building from the rooftop doors, Rio reaches a set of stairs leading deeper into the building. He could hear the faint sounds of chatter as he descended the stairs."Are there other people here?" Rio pondered as the voices became louder."Maybe we could ask them where the exit is?" Lynn said enthusiastically."I don't think that's likely." Rio replied. "I just hope they're not feral."As he continued walking,Rio soon heard a loud voice coming from around the corner."I'm tired of waiting, I want to get out of here already." The voice came from a rather large man with an afro. "Can someone tell me what's taking so long?""I'm sorry sir, but there's been a problem with the spaces.Apparently, someone has been tampering with some of them. Until we catch the intruder, we have been stationed to wait here."That's ridiculous. Why can't that almighty overseer take care of it? or at least tell us where the intruder is. He's always going on about how he sees everything but he
Rio takes a few minutes to explain the situation at the false church to Dawna and Nissa."That sounds kind of wild don't you think?" I mean, a magical church controlling people in the middle of the city. That can't be true."Don't dispute the idea yet Dawns. There are plenty of oddities in the realm. We just haven't noticed yet.""How could we not have when it has apparently gotten this bad already. You can't seriously consider this as a possibility, Nissa.""Of course I am. Until we see this trope for ourselves, we should both consider this as a possibility.Nissa looks towards Dawna sternly until she gives up."Fine! I'll go with you to check out this fabled Troupe, but it will have to wait till later. I'm too tired to hunt down an evil church.""Haha, alright. We can check it out another time. Go ahead and get your beauty sleep." Nissa chuckles as she watches Dawna exit the room with a wave."You should rest too, You've had quite the long day,'' Nissa says to him as she pets him on
After what feels like forever, Dawna comes back out of the room. Fully clothed this time and takes a seat at the table. Nissa had already made her a plate and sat it down in front of her."Thanks Nissa darling." Dawna says as she blows a kiss towards her."Just finish eating. Rio and I have been waiting forever. How long does it take you to get ready anyways?""What can I say, Perfection takes time." Dawna grins as she takes a bite out of a piece of bacon.Nissa rolls her eyes as she starts gathering up her equipment. She straps her rifle across her back and puts on a pair of gloves.After finishing, she goes to sit by Rio, almost slipping along the way.Walking it off as if she didn't almost fall, she takes a seat and the two of them wait for Dawna to finish.She was done in no time as she shoveled the meal into her mouth and stood up."Alright, let's get going." She says with her mouth still full.Outside of their dorm is a vehicle fit for two people."I'm so glad that we were able
"Alright little guy, how about we hit the town. I'm gonna show you how a real woman investigates." Dawna says as she takes hold of Rio and drags him along."I'm not so sure what that means but it can't be good." Rio thinks to himself as she drags him outside the house.Dawna runs down the street gathering greetings from all the men as she goes."Here's a little lesson from your mamma. The best way to find someone that doesn't belong, is to know everyone that does belong."As she runs through the town, she begins noting down all of the men who don't greet her, along with any women that don't scowl at her."Alright, let's see who I can add to my list."She walks into a bar and starts gathering names from the men and women inside as well as scheduling some appointments for later.Rio is speechless as he watches her work, but he can't complain. It may be a bit unorthodox but it sure is working."Good morning Rio. What are you up to." Lynn had woken up from her nap and was now watching dil
"That doesn't seem very lady-like, Rio. Shouldn't you... stop her?" Lynn was blushing ear to ear while watching Dawna make her rounds."What do you want me to do about her? It's not like I can just run up there and stop her. Not that I would want to if I could." Rio said with a smile."You can at least grab her clothes for her. It would be a shame if she lost them." Lynn sighed in embarrassment."I'm not touching those, and I doubt she minds too much." Rio says as he watches Dawna walking down a set of stairs wearing a messy set of clothes."Right little guy. I can confirm that this guy is not the one we are looking for. Dawna says in between heavy breaths as she goes to take him into her arms once more.Jumping out of the way, Rio begins writing on his device."No need to carry me. I think I'll be fine on my own!"The thought of being carried in her sullied arms sent shivers down his spine. And Lynn felt the same."Hmm, okay. Suit yourself."Dawna chuckles as she walks towards a door
Slamming open the heavy hatch Nissa bends down and grabs hold of a bar. She descends down the ladder, which was surprisingly sturdy, and reaches a small room with a single door leading out.entering the door placed her in another room where a message was delivered through a speaker."Decontamination procedure in 5,4,3,2,1..."When the countdown finishes, a green gas is sprayed throughout the chamber.The gas was harmless and once it was finished and vented out of the chamber the glass doors slid open.on the other side of the door was a labyrinth of hallways and rooms.The walls were white and ceiling lights fill the area with an eerie glow.Nissa looks around the rooms as she takes in her surroundings."So this is their secret base huh? What an absolute dump." She mumbles to herself.Most of the rooms were empty and she was able to get a sense of the layout and general flow of the place.Although as she ventured deeper inside, she began to hear the sounds of people conversing in the
Nissa fired upon the machine's skull dealing little damage as her bullets failed to penetrate its armor."That's not good. This thing isn't going to be easy to take out." She says as she keeps firing as it moves closer to her.She reloads her rifle as the machine walks past without paying much attention to her."I guess it doesn't care about me." She says with confusion as she takes aim and shoots it once more.The machine smashes its arm through a large locker and rips out a weapon of its own.A short blade with a gun barrel attached to its end. Powering on the weapon, The machine aims it in Nissa's direction.Without any change in emotion the machine fires a shot past her cheek, blasting through the scientist behind her, leaving his stomach agape.After dealing with the scientist, the machine turns its hatred towards Nissa, slashing at her with the blade.She dodges the first blow and stabs the machine in the leg causing her knife to bend, failing to pierce the machine.She follows
Nissa returns to the residence to see that Dawna and Rio were already there."Hey there Nissa. You're just in time. We've just finished checking out everyone suspicious in town." Dawna says as she walks up to her waiting to receive her praise."Good job Dawna. So what do you have for us?" She asks with a raised eyebrow."check this out"Dawna hands a piece of paper over to Dawna containing the names of 11 citizens."These are the people who have only recently arrived in town. No one seems to know who they are and they don't have any family members residing in town either. Everyone else on Alex's list has been accounted for by yours truly." Dawna states proudly."More like screwed by yours truly." Nissa adds which gives Dawna a quick chuckle.Nissa compares the names on the list with the names documented in the lab reports.Most of them lead to a dead end except for two. One of which had long departed from this realm, escorted by his own creation.The other name was related to the fema
Hiro focuses his mana and summons a barrier around himself while Rio rains down fire on the crowd of Larissa clones. Rio's orbs tear through the clones like paper. Each one falling to the ground after receiving a direct hit from Rio's barrage. The sound of impact echoes across the area as dozens more clones fall to the ground dead or dying. Seeing the destruction that the wolf was able to cause in such a small amount of time, Larissa gasps in amazement. "This is what it means to have real power. I'll definitely make you mine." Larissa whispers softly. Her eyes glow brightly with excitement as she approaches Rio. "Come on now, come to mama." She charges forward at him, avoiding the fire coming from above Rio. As she gets closer, He readies himself. Stabbing her dagger towards RIo, Hiro swiftly moves in to block the strike with his sword and slashes downward towards her. Larissa dodges the slash effortlessly but her eyes widen in shock when Hiro grabs her arm with his free hand.
Turning her attention back to Hiro, Larissa places a finger to her chin thoughtfully. "I think I'll take my sweet time getting rid of you first. Then I can take my time with your companion," With that Larissa teleports behind Hiro and wraps her arms around his neck. Hiro struggles against her grasp but finds it difficult as he can feel his power fading as she takes hold on him. Hiro continues to struggle against her, until Fye sends Larissa crashing to the floor. Hiro quickly distances himself from Larissa to catch his breath and as he does so Larissa steps out from the crater left from her landing. "I'm going to ask that you don't interrupt me when I'm working, young lady. I will get to you when it is your turn. In the meantime, How about you play with these guys." Larissa snaps her fingers causing the ground to shake. From within the earth rise several zombies which crawl out from the soil. Each zombie stands tall and menacing with rotting flesh covering their bodies. "Now t
6 months fly by as Hiro continues his training under Gaius. With every passing day, Hiro becomes more comfortable with using his magic. Rio was worried when their training had begun taking longer than he had hoped but, his worries faded when he looked at how much time he had left. Despite being in the trial for 6 months It seemed to have only been around 6 days outside. And with all this time Rio was able to reap the benefits of Gaius's training as Hiro was becoming more and more powerful. Hiro was now at a state where even Gaius was beginning to have trouble handling him, and Gaius knew that Zack would be ready to head out into the world. Gaining permission from the king, Gaius gave Hiro a set of armor and weapons. Hiro wore the outfit proudly as he headed out to the castle's entrance. There he met Zack who was waiting for him. Once they arrived, Hiro was given a map with a destination marked on it. Zack told him that this was a place known as the city of the dead. According to
Gaius walks out into the field and tosses his spear at Hiro. He fumbles with the weapon for a bit until it finally slips from his grasp and bangs against the ground. "Don't break it now. I only have one of those" Gaius chuckles as he watches Hiro pick the spear up from the ground. As soon as Hiro picks up the spear, Gaius plants his feet and stares down the boy. "Come on now, don't make me wait too long. Just come and give me your best shot. Hiro swallows nervously and clenches his fists tightly as he stares at Gaius. He had spent the previous night practicing how to use his power defensively but had failed to learn how to use it offensively. Knowing that his best choice would be to just try his best, Hiro runs at him with the spear in hand. He wields the weapon clumsily as he rushes at Gaius. Before he can make contact, however, Gaius blocks Hiro's path by raising his arms to block the attack. Gaius grips him by the neck and throws his body back to where he started. "I know y
The next morning, Rio and Hiro hurry to the training grounds as per Zack's request. Hiro's eyes were red and swollen from lack of sleep. His hair looked messy as if he hadn't washed it recently either. Despite these signs, his face remained full of determination as he faced off against his mentor. Gaius was already waiting for them when they arrived. He stood tall and proud with his spear held by his side. "By the look of you, I'm guessing that you didn't get much sleep." Gaius states bluntly as he looks over Hiro. Hiro shakes his head in response. "I might not have gotten much sleep, But you will see the impact of all of my efforts soon." Hiro explains confidently. Gaius narrows his eyes slightly before responding. "Cockiness is not an attractive trait, But I will allow you a bit of pride if what you say is true. Now then, How about you prove to me how strong you are today?" Gaius says as he steps forward with his spear raised high above his head. Without hesitation, Hiro readi
"Again!...Again!...AGAIN!!!" Gaius shouts as he continuously slams his spear and fist into Hiro. Hiro groans as he pushes himself up to his feet yet again. Not giving up, Hiro takes the beating while attempting to draw on the power from before. But no matter how many times he tries it, Hiro remains unable to protect himself. Gaius smacks Hiro upside the head with his free hand, sending him flying through the air and crashing into a training dummy. Hiro hits the wooden structure with such force that it cracks beneath his weight before collapsing entirely. "Damnit!" Gaius curses as he runs over to Hiro and picks him up off the floor. "Maybe we should take a quick break. If we continue at this pace, you won't live long enough to even see real combat." Gaius sighs while dusting Hiro off. "We'll come back tomorrow when your wounds have healed. Until then, I want you to keep practicing on manifesting your power." Hiro nods in agreement with his exhausted body. As Gaius walks away from
Jack then begins to lead Hiro away from the fountain. As they begins to walk away, Rio notices that the light that had engulfed Hiro's body begins to slowly seep into his body, Causing his stats to increase with every passing moment.Rio couldn't suppress his grin as he watches his servants power increasing, which in turn allowed his own power to reach new heights.After a few minutes pass, the three of them arrive at an outdoor training ground with equipment and weapons stationed around it. Jack then gestures towards a nearby man wielding a spear."This will be your instructor, Gaius. He is one of our kingdoms greatest warriors." Jack explains as he leads Hiro over to him. "Gaius, this is the Hero that we mentioned before. He will be joining us in the near future. And we have much work ahead of us before then."Gaius bows his head respectfully and nods his head in greeting. He then turns his attention back to Hiro as he extends his hand. "I am honored by your presence and welcome yo
The rest of the day passes by smoothly with Rio and Fye focusing on their given tasks while Hiro rests in the bed. Then next morning, Rio is awakened to the sound of a knock coming from outside the room. It takes a moment for his eyes to adjust to the light as he sits up in his bed and orders Hiro to open the door. As soon as Hiro opens the door, Rio spots a man dressed in a black robe and holding a book in his hand. He seems familiar to Rio as he stands there in front of the door. "He must have been one of the men accompanying the king earlier." Rio figured as he stretched out his body. "Good morning hero." The man says to Hiro while giving a slight bow. "I hope that your night was well." The robed man adds after seeing Fye sitting in the corner of the room. "Yeah it was pretty good. I was able to get some sleep. Hiro tells the man in response as he invites him inside. "Rio had given Hiro the ability to answer independently for the time being. Although he wanted full control o
The two of them are led to a bedroom with large windows that overlook the city. The city is bustling and filled with people and traffic. As Rio and the young boy enter the room and close the door, the young boy begins to take a seat upon the bed. As Rio and the boy sit on the edge of the bed and face each other, the king begins to speak. "This will be where you will be staying during your time with us in the grand kingdom of Chania. I will allow you some time to rest for the day as you will be busy tomorrow as we help you gain control of your new powers. Have a good night, Hero." The king leaves the room and closes the door, leaving Rio and the young boy alone to take in their surroundings. As soon as they are alone, Rio activates his domination to gain control over the boy. With full control of his powers returned to him, Rio figures that it's in his best interest to take the reins personally in this trial. Especially if the boy's powers turn out to be of use to him. He was sti