10: Evilus? pt. 2

Enslaving a few more criminals unlucky to be by themselves thanks to Risard Richard calling for them. They really weren't smart, besides the abomination watching us. So now there was a Tom Clancy squad of three Agents, a Ghost, and because I have the Archaean, two members of REACT or otherwise known as Rainbow Six members who had died fighting ready to cause some mayhem. The Ghost did, in fact, try punching me in the face when their personality emerged, but they failed as I just caught their fist and held it.

I did check over the flare gun for what it could do, and I must say it is extremely useful because of the simple Arcane enchant on it.

{Arcane Chimera MKIII 26.5mm Flare Gun

Caliber: 26.5/25mm

Feed System: Single-shot

Arcane: Message}

Message… My infection started hissing when the enslaved criminals with personality disorders started getting ready to attack the shop. Shouldering my sniper, I aimed the flare gun at the sky after whispering a message to it and firing the flare off. Storing the flare gun into my armory through ISAC then turning rapidly with a one eighty turn gun ready. My eyes glowed with Archaean goo covering them like netting. Zooming in on a Cat Beastman wearing a smiling mask and dressed as if they're a drag queen.

I opened fire in the direction my infection hissed at and at the Beastman, with zero hesitation. Ejecting the spent round and racking the bolt as a section of building exploded inwards, obscuring the threat. I let my infection guide my sight, as the Archaean in me is a race meant to hunt others and grow its hive.

So, I let the alien parasite goo do what it's best at, following a blurred faint life signature with it guiding my sight. I kept firing at the figure following them with snapshots to their location. Each shot missed by mere inches as the cat toyed with me, meaning they're a higher level than me. Or their agility is off the charts. However, that is potentially not the case. The cat's build is for TAKING damage, yet they're agile… a mobile tank who plans to close in and fight up close.

Sighing, I put away the sniper and drew my revolver, my free hand forming black spikes and enlarging. Archaean slime slowly covers my body, merging my clothes and equipment with my person. Speaking with a chuckle, I spoke, my voice distorting and becoming garbled screeching as I became an Archaean beast. The sniper fused into my arm as the parasitic sludge made for battle.

"You wish to tango, abomination? Then let your senior teach you how to tango. The Abyss Awakens."

Muttering those last words, Cthulhu let me enter an avatarized like state, the Archaean being influenced by the feel of the Eldritch's power entering me changed ever so slightly. The masked Cat Beastman chuckles as if they heard something hilarious before hunching over, masked face looking at me.

"Haha, good joke you inferior creature that serves the useless Gods on the surface. Die quietly like the good insect you are, yeah?"

Charging the cat, I began opening fire, a spiked tail emerging from nowhere as I closed the distance and began trying to impale the cat. The cat smashed their fists together making some gauntlets materialize as before they swung at my head. Ducking, I blow a shot from my revolver into their stomach, followed by a spiked punch of my other hand, further drawing blood. Jumping over a kick, I was met by a fist to the stomach, sending me flying away. The infection absorbed most of the blow, but an organ definitely ruptured compared to what would have happened.

I just hope I'll live long or be sane enough for anyone who shows up to not be infected. The parasitic goo may be under my control, but it's still highly infectious if I start trying to infect things.

[Riveria POV]

It was midnight when a bright light shot into the air, I would've thought nothing of it if it weren't for what I could hear because it was so high in the sky. It was a message, pre recorded as once that light was fired and continued to climb higher into the sky, explosions started going off. Contained and precise explosions that always followed a faint sound.

"This is Grave Walker, a Hybrid between a person and a monster, is watching me and likely planning something. They are either my level, enhanced by the monster in them, or a higher level and enhanced by the monster inside them, so I may not last long if I don't release my own monster. What are the chances they're from Evilus? Because unless you destroy a body, best to not write a person off as dead."

Calling me paranoid is what most would've called me right now as I essentially threw a chair across the Loki family library from standing up. Grabbing my staff, I moved without thinking, magic circles forming around me whenever someone tried to delay me. If the person after him truly is from Evilus that means, threats will reemerge, and that he is in danger. He is from another Familia, but I don't rightfully care currently.

As I was nearing the doors, I spotted Finn and Bete standing before them, blocking Ais from leaving. Growling loud enough to surprise those watching and the three, even myself, I walked towards them, a magic circle forming on the tip of my staff. Step by step, frost began coming off my body, with the magic circle growing and shining brighter. The look in my eyes must've unsettled Bete as the Werewolf stepped back twice while Finn stood resolute with a slight tense of his body.

"Finn, MOVE I shall be going to help my… potential king, even though he is from a different Familia, an Eldritch one, he makes me feel stuff I normally wouldn't, and he is Ais's father figure losing him would destroy her."

The Pallum stared me in the eyes when Ais took a chance and suddenly bolted through the doors due to Bete becoming unnerved at how my magic was acting with my increasing mood. Finn sighed and moved out of the way, allowing me to walk outside unhindered after Ais.

Bete trying to grab my shoulder was met with an ice spike nearly impaling his hand, making him withdraw it. Following the speeding Ais was tricky, but not a problem, even with her moving erratically to try and find a way to the Grave Walker.

Until a bloodied monster carrying a bird's egg in its mouth was seen emerging from an alleyway. This tipped us off as to where to go, as the monster was his Warg, Zuno. The canine monster was carrying an egg that had… thunder patterns on it in its mouth. Pandora…. Had been killed somehow and Zuno was injured but alive.

An explosion resounded suddenly and a scream could be heard followed by a roar. Looking towards the area that the sounds came from I felt the air RAGE with Ais disappearing from the sheer speed she moved at. Blinking I heard the muffled grunt of the canine before he turned around and began guiding me. A noticeable limp from two legs but the monster seemed to not care as he trudged on.

Following the canine I noticed a few things about the area. There was blood everywhere the further in we went. Bodies slumped and missing chunks or electrocuted, with scorch marks and ashes next to a fully armored Adventurer. Their armor melted slightly with toxic looking mucus covering their wounds. A gaping cauterized hole through where their right eye would've been.

I recognized them, they were an Adventurer of the Mania Family, and a known killer of tamed monsters. He seems to have picked the wrong time to try his habits, Pandora has perished temporarily though so he achieved picking on a child. Though I question if the fool knew Phoenixes revive? Given his reputation it is unlikely he did. Not even his own Family liked him for his belligerent murdering of tamed monsters. Monsters who were recognized as friends and who helped save a fair amount of Adventurer's from what I've heard.

The air suddenly became strange and malevolent… that was when the dead jerked upwards simultaneously. Their skin turning gray and pale as they let out baleful cries, their eyes glowing a crimson red as the resurrected Adventurer's ran towards the fighting. The Dungeon shaking could be felt from where I stood.

The feeling of rage from the tremors caused me to frown. Zuno twitched, his eyes glowing a blue light with hints of crimson to them as the Warg snarled something gutteral. The Phoenix egg in his mouth shaking ever so slightly. The dungeon was enraged and created surface monsters forcibly, but also was influencing tamed ones in the area.

The one thing that came to mind for some unexplained reason was, Grave Walker had befriended it. He had befriended it and was potentially hurt badly enough his life was in danger, the dungeon somehow learning this is now enraged. The Dungeon was alive but hardly showed signs of anything to this extent. The threat of a Dungeon Stampede was a very possible reality now. Furrowing my brows I snarled ice propelling me forward suddenly as my magic reacted to my thoughts.

An outside source fueling my magic to prevent a mind down, the Warg somehow keeping up with me. Grave Walker, you best survive for everyone's sakes.

[Bell POV]

I had no idea what I was doing, I was out of my depth it was very apparent. Yet I ignored the corpses in various states of disrepair and the gore. I adjusted the man on my shoulders as he bled from a hole through his stomach. Adventurer's are extremely sturdy as long as they aren't immediately killed they can survive most things. However, I hated myself so much right now for being weak.

I ran to the fight thinking I could help, but I stumbled upon an active battlefield where I would die instantly. The man I could call a father was riddled with holes and wounds, as he and the Sword Princess fought a masked Adventurer. Mr. Carter was an unsociable terror while I grew up as he couldn't stand children below a certain age.

However, he also always taught me a life lesson in different ways, mostly through action and watching one play out, and that helped me realize a lot of things. While my grandfather talked about building a harem, Mr. Carter taught me that it can be very grueling to achieve and stressful to maintain if done poorly. My aunt while she preferred the quiet and working on Mystery projects she wasn't the most friendly or social, but she truly loved me.

However, some of her lessons were very confusing and made me feel extremely stupid. Mr. Carter though would pull me aside, even as a child while being extremely uncomfortable next to a child below eight, to teach me things in a more simple way and do tests to create the items safely. He and my aunt were extremely proud in their own ways when I created my first Minor Storage Bag on my own with minimal mistakes. That same man was dying and raging on with a purpose while I couldn't do anything.

When I felt the tremors and saw the corpses around me reanimate I started freaking out. However, never once did they pay more or the man on my shoulders any attention they headed towards the fighting. Even more came running from different directions, each one being an Adventurer who died on this night. Although the Warg and livid Elf weren't undead, yet they were heading off to fight.

Blinking I recognized the Elf with the Warg as she sped along using ice. Turning to see her back fading away I screamed, my voice cracked and sounded desperate but I still screamed.

"Ms. Riveria! Please help Mr. Carter and the Sword Princess! Their fighting a Cat Beastman wearing a mask, Mr. Carter is full of holes but still fighting! Please!"

She never turned around, yet I heard her clearly.

"He shall see the dawn of the next day, the one after his life must DIE and the Grave Walker healed. Or we'll all be facing a Dungeon Stampede because the idiot befriended the dungeon somehow…"

She tried making a lot of clear logical points to why Mr. Carter must live. Yet I felt there was more she left unsaid for reasons unknown. Her anger though it wasn't primarily for what's happening, it was because Mr. Carter was in danger from what I could tell. Heh, his lessons on reading people helped me figure out something. He's dating Ms. Riveria isn't he?