Outworld: Awakening

Four hours later.

An eerie silence still enveloped the entrance of the tunnel of beasts, and unlike before, thick clouds blocked out the radiance of the moons. Adam and X had long departed. However, the remnant of X's duel with Kuura remained, along with the mutilated remains of the once nefarious Awakened.

Blood, darkened under the night, dyed the earth, while its tangy odor pervaded the air. Birds, small and large, cautiously perched on sections of the corpses; while observing the swirling portal ahead.

A moment later, the portal trembled slightly, and the birds took to the skies. Within seconds, Tomas and Ole emerged from the dungeon, locking arms while grinning from ear to ear. Just a step behind, their men closely followed. However, there was no trace of any Awakened non-affiliated to their parties.

"Hahaha… who would have thought we would find all that loot? Hahaha!!! What a hurl!" Tomas couldn't stop himself from patting Ole on his back.

"I know right. I initially thought that bastard set us up, but he sure has his moment. Good thing—huh?"

Just then, a familiar smell filled Ole's nose. Without wasting time, he quickly raised his club while his eyes scanned the area. Caught off guard, Tomas quickly drew his weapon, too, while glaring at Ole.

At that same moment, however, he too, sensed the odor in the air. Even their men too drew their weapons to prepare for combat. That their leaders had been acting chummy with each other previous left them surprised, after all, they knew the personalities of both men.

'Blood? Wait… did Kuura kill that girl? Damn it! We shouldn't have left that rapist with her.' Ole slowly lowered his club as he sighted a corpse. Although he had this thought in mind, if he encountered the same scenario again, he would have made the same decision in a heartbeat. That the lightning in the area had worsened since they left only further clouded his judgement.

"Kuura, what the f.u.c.k have you done this time around? Get the f.u.c.k here! Now!" Tomas cursed, having come to the same conclusion as Ole.

However, silence greeted his words.

"If you don't come out now, forget about getting anything from us!" This time it was Ole's turn to scream, however, the same response greeted his threats.

'Did that bastard run away?' Ole mused as he suddenly glanced at Tomas. To his surprised, Tomas too, was also looking at him. From the look in his eyes, Ole knew he had the same thought.

"This isn't good. What if that bastard went to those Raventhorn bastards? What will—"

"Relax, Tomas. Would anyone believe that our parties can eliminate such an elite force? And, that's beside the fact that we are innocent of any suspicion. We didn't even see those bastards in there," Ole interjected in a low voice.

However, his expression showed, he also felt anxious by the thought of becoming enemies with Raventhorn.

"First, we have to do something about that woman's corpse. We will handle Kuura once we get back to the Celsa. In fact, we can use the corpse to prove all the allegations against Kuura," Ole added.

Saying nothing, Tomas slowly nodded.

Turning his head to the side, Ole faced a tall man from his party, "Mumuda, bring over the corpse. Tell the rest they have fifteen minutes to recover. We set off twenty minutes from now."

"Yes, sir," Mumuda said.

Wasting no time, he conveyed Ole's message to the other men, before walking ahead of the party leaders. Meanwhile, Tomas's deputy followed Mumuda, but stopped beside Tomas. Meanwhile, his men also rested around the dungeon's entrance.

Since both parties had to fight the other Awakened to keep a greater share of the loot Adam left behind, most of them were exhausted and nursing various injuries.

"So, Tomas, what do you say you trade some of that rainbow chameleon skin for some venom? I will give you a good price," Ole said, flashing a beaming grin.

"Hahaha… you know how much those cost, right?" Tomas retorted while slyly stroking his goatee. "If you give me twenty liters, I don't mind—"

Before Tomas could finish his declaration, a loud scream echoed, alarming everyone present.

'Huh? Who? What? Where?' Tomas unsheathed his sword while his eyes wandered in all directions.

Unlike him, Ole knew the source of the scream, and his eyes focused straight ahead. There, he could see Mumuda, who had fallen on his rear, trembling as he pointed to the corpse.

"Mumuda! What the hell is wrong with you? Are you trying to scar us to death?!" Ole chided while walking towards his underling.

With their leader making his move, Ole's men closely followed. While Tomas and his men walked just beside them.

"S-Sir… this isn't…" Mumuda swallowed hard as he struggled to finish his statement. His outstretched finger continued to tremble as he pointed to the corpse.

Tomas and some of his men couldn't stop themselves from chuckling, much to Ole's irritation.

"You idiot! Are you trying to embarra—" Ole's words remained stuck in his throat. His jaw dropped while he rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

'Kuura?' Despite identifying the corpse, Ole couldn't believe his eyes.

"Even you, too? Why the hell are you guys treating the corpse of a bimbo as—" Tomas bit his tongue before he could finish his snide remark.

'Kuura? How the hell did this happen?' Despite the reality of the pain, Tomas believed he had to be in a dream.

A solemn atmosphere soon covered the area, with both parties cautiously staring at the other.

Although they could see burn marks and needles in every part of Kuura's corpse, none of them had a clear idea what had killed him. That his eyes had been removed also sent a chill down their spines.

"Tomas, I don't know about you, but I saw nothing here. I will send someone to mediate our business proposal later. Goodbye." Just then, Ole faced his men, "Let's get out of—"

Before Ole could finish his statement, a loud wheezing sound echoed from the surrounding forest. Within seconds, he heard muffled shrieks all around him. His men, Tomas and his party dropped like files. He could see black arrows sticking out from their heads, with blood pouring from their foreheads.

A moment later, he could hear several footsteps from coming behind him. Petrified, Ole couldn't muster the courage to turn his head. He could only blankly stare at the corpses of his men and that of Tomas's.

Just then, he heard a strange laugh, "Oyioooo… nice shot, Lankesh. You got em good."

Dread gripped Ole's heart as he heard the brittle voice. It sounded as if its owner was ecstatic and on the verge of tears simultaneously. Then, the dark clouds parted, and the luminescence of the moons filled the area once more. Staring at the ground, five oddly shaped shadows came into view, while a pungent smell assaulted Ole's nose. However, he didn't dare leave his position.

In fact, he knew he was at the mercy of the unknown assailants, especially after they eliminated his party and Tomas's in seconds.

'Who could they be? Are they Demonkins? Is this where I will meet my end?'

While Ole's thoughts ran wild, he heard the same strange laugh again, followed by the same voice, "Oh no! Why would they do this to you?! You should have listened to me. Now, look at you! Oyioooo…"

At that same moment, Ole felt a rough hand land on his shoulders. Instinctively, he turned his head; and instantly, he regretted the decision. Staring at him dead in the eye, was a skinny man with a mixture of brown, orange and white skin. And, his eyes were listlessly white. In place of hair, Ole could see thick veins on the man's bald scalp.

However, the most intimidating aspect about the man was his height which Ole estimated at over seven feet, and the several piercings decorating his face. He wore a purple kurta matched with plain white pants and wooden sandals.

"Did you do this?" The man turned Ole's face towards Kuura's corpse.

At that same moment, Ole glimpsed at the other assailants, and his jaw dropped. They wore kurtas also, but unlike the skinny man, they wore strange masks made from animal skulls, and they held oddly shaped weapons. Fear he had never felt in his life gripped his heart, he had even forgotten about the question asked, and the fact that someone else held his face like that of a little child.

Just then, the man wearing an armadillo skull suddenly burst into laughter, "Oyiooo… Lankesh, I don't think he's listening to you."

A split second after he finished his statement, Lankesh squeezed hard on Ole's skull, eliciting bestial screams. A crack followed, and then silence. With a gentle flick of the wrist, Lankesh tossed Ole's corpse away.

"Pavani, anything?" Lankesh suddenly asked.

"Oyioooo… let me activate it," Pavani said, removing a small golden stag beetle from his pocket.

The beetle took flight, however, crimson particles appeared anywhere it passed. In silence, the group watched as the beetle flew towards a particular section of the forest. There, they found a set of neatly hidden clothes, buried under a rock.

"Oyioooo… Female? Oyioooo… he lost to a female. Oyioooo…" Pavani clutched his stomach while laughing with wanton abandon. Meanwhile, Lankesh and the others focused on the stag beetle who looked ready to take flight a second time.

"Pavani? The assassin took his eyes and fangs. You know what that means, right?" Lankesh said as he sniffed the clothes.

"Oyioooo… Oyioooo… Oyioooo. Scavs! Scavs! It's em. We get to hunt Scavs! Oyioooo!"

Just like Pavani, Lankesh and the others couldn't stop themselves from laughing. At that same moment, the surrounding forest rustled. Within seconds, seven large ostrich-like bird emerged. Blood stained the pale white feathers of the birds, and one still feasted on a human arm.

The five-man party only glanced at the birds for a moment, before turning their attention to the beetle once more. As if pressured by their gazes, the beetle took flight once more, sprinkling the crimson particles as it flew.

"Oyioooo… Scavs. I can't wait. Let's go, boys. Oyioooo." Pavani said, mounting a bird.

The others mimicked his actions, before chasing after the beetle.

Meanwhile, back at the dungeon's entrance, all the corpses had disappeared. Leaving behind only the bloodstained earth.

* * *

Gido, three days later.

Using a variety of means, Adam and X had reached Targarth's economic capital in the shortest time possible. Along with several dozens of people, Adam and X climbed a flight of stairs leading towards a massive flying ship. Instead of the black attire they started with, Adam wore a brown three piece suit matched with a check-patterned papas cap.

Meanwhile, X wore a beautiful knee high, all white lace dress which only enhanced her curvaceous body. A floppy, veiled wide brim hat covered her blonde hair which already covered part of her face.

With arms locked, one would consider Adam and X as newly weds from an aristocratic background.

Heads turned while jaws dropped as they passed. Men, single and married, couldn't keep their eyes off X. However, when they stared at Adam, they believed his features didn't match someone of X's beauty, inversely drawing their ire. Naturally, that most men ogled at X made a significant portion of the women jealous, and they didn't bother to hide their hostility towards her.

Unperturbed by the thoughts of the men and women, Adam and X continued the small trek to the flying ship, until they boarded.

Unlike the previous times he entered a flying ship, Adam sat in the VIP area. He couldn't help but gasp at the difference between the VIP area and the regular section. They had an extravagant private booth to themselves, while their seats were larger and more comfortable. In fact, it could double down as a bed when it was nighttime. Their ticket would also enable them to feast on fine wine and delicious food throughout their journey.

'This is really the good life… this should be comparable to the private jet of an Arab Prince… Oh? What is this?' Adam suddenly caught a glimpse of a golden insect through the window.

"What are you looking at?" X suddenly said, tapping Adam on the shoulders.

"Huh? I thought I saw a golden beetle…" Adam said, sporting a cheeky smile.

"What are you? Five? Those things are pretty common. That reminds me, I wasn't planning on talking to you—"

Before X could finish her statement, Adam chuckled while having a knowing grin on his face.

"Is it because of—"

"No! Please, don't say it!" X used her hands to cover Adam's lips. Her cheeks turned red. She didn't dare to meet Adam's gaze.

Adam, on the other hand, could not stop himself from laughing.

"Don't think this is over. I will definitely have my revenge. However, let me enjoy the next three months, okay? I definitely deserve this vacation," X muttered under her breath.

Removing her hands from Adam's mouth, she reclined on her seat and slowly closed her eyes while turning her head away from Adam.

'Hahaha… This should keep her quiet for the next few months…' Adam smiled cheekily as he turned his attention to the window once more. 'Oh? There it is… a golden stag beetle. Such a beauti—'

[Potential Source of Danger Detected!]

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your conductor speaking. Please prepare for takeoff. Our destination is the beautiful nation of Vihir. The voyage would take a maximum of three months. Please enjoy yourselves and have a wonderful trip."

Just then, the flying ship trembled slightly. A moment later, it rose into the air.

"Oh? The journey has started… I wonder when they'll serve our food. I can't…" X words suddenly trialed off as she noticed Adam staring outside the window.

'What's he doing? Weirdo…'

Not paying Adam any mind, X closed her eyes a second time.

Unseen by X, Adam's eyes had turned pitch-black while a scowl distorted his face. His eyes darted in different directions, as the flying ship gained altitude, however, he couldn't spot the potential source of danger.

Unbeknownst to Adam, the golden stag beetle clung to the side of the flying ship while releasing the crimson particles.

* * *

"Oyioooo. Oyioooo. It seems we were too late. Oyioooo…"

Pavani pointed at the vague silhouette of the flying ship from the deck of the port. Unlike before, his party wore a thick white cloak which covered every aspect of their bodies.

"From the information we gathered, the ship is going to Vihir," Lankesh said.

"Oyioooo. What a coincidence. Or is it? Oyioooo. We get to handle them, too. Barhama, go buy some tickets for us. It's time we visited the Sin City of the East."

Just then, Pavani removed another golden beetle from his pocket. This time, the insect ate the crimson particles being emitted by the previous stag beetle.