Depthless Hunger

Using elven cloaks or disguises would have been foolish in the capital, so they had few stealth options, but they still did their best to penetrate the First Crest defenses without conflict. As they moved deeper into the city on the lower streets, Kai even caught himself hoping it might work out easily. Of course it wouldn't: the best he would hope for was that they fought an intense but brief battle, destroyed the weapon, and got out.

The First Crest sat in the center of the city, protected by its defensive dome and all the members of the Crestguard. They had the option of attacking directly and severing all the cables that powered the city as well as the weapon, but the elves thought that would be unwise and Kai agreed. The cables had been severed before and could be easily repaired - their real target needed to be the weapon itself, which was housed in a secure underground base near the Crest.

After all the experience they had evading demons, perhaps it wasn't a surprise that they got so close to the First Crest without being spotted or attacked. But it couldn't last: the weapon itself was so well-defended that stealth was impossible.

Last time they had visited as tourists, just to see one of the Insanities of the world. That Insanity might still be inexplicable to them, but the weapon it powered was within their reach. Kai squared his shoulders and prepared himself by checking his soul one last time.

Name: Kai Clanless

Total Power: 501

Monstrous Hunger - XII (mu)

Cultivation: Body Refinement 74% (116)

Savage Heart: 8 (81)

Beggar King's Robes: +1 (5)

Soul Level: 8 (64)

Behemoth's Heart - VIII (theta)

Thunderbird's Wings - IV (delta)

Direboar's Strength - XII (mu)

Tyrant's Claw - XI (iota)

Void Gaze - VI (zeta)

Baleful Breath - V (epsilon)

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He didn't even look at the other monstrous essences in his soul, only the abilities he had chosen, because there likely wouldn't be time to change. After careful consideration, he had chosen to take the unusual step of removing Isulfr's Bite from his active soul - despite its power, he wasn't likely to be facing any monsters here, and too many of their potential opponents could keep him at range.

That left him with Behemoth's Heart, Thunderbird's Wings, and Direboar's Strength as the core of his power, then access to Tyrant's Claw, Void Gaze, and Baleful Breath. He was again grateful to Omilaena for helping him master his monstrous soul or he would have needed to make an even harder decision.

Unlike the last time, there were no crowds gathering to come and gawk at the First Crest - it looked as though they were being held back by new barricades. Now that Kai knew what to look for, he noticed cables in the pillars holding up the dome, which would power the weapon when necessary. Tracing them back to the source, he eventually spotted the entrance hidden within the turns of the pit.

Multiple Crestguards roamed the surrounding area, but only two stood near the door. He had to assume there were more inside. When Kai glanced at Zae Zin Nim and Omilaena, they didn't need to say anything, they knew exactly what they needed to do.

This was going to be rough. As a final preparation, Kai examined one of them again.

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Name: ???

Total Power: 509

Yang Knight: 11 (210)

Physique: D-0 (200)

Soul Level: 7 (49)

First Crest Armor (50)

>

Now he understood them a little better: a "Yang Knight" was a Commonwealth ability that absorbed and strengthened masculine energy. But understanding didn't really help, since they still had a solid 500 Power each, including strong Physique and Soul Levels. They had to treat this like the fight of their lives.

They struck as one, almost completely silently. Omilaena's needles pierced both guards at the door, and if that didn't stop them, Zae Zin Nim's palms to the chest did. Kai flashed directly between the two of them, into the dark corridors beyond, since the tip of the spear was the most threatened position.

Four more Crestguards inside, alert enough to be readying weapons. Kai leapt with Thunderbird's Wings even as he used Tyrant's Claw, which staggered all four. He tore into one of them even as he looked to the side and used Void Gaze on one of the guard's swords. The man tried to draw his weapon and struggled with it for a precious second.

In that time, Kai had torn through the armor of the guard nearest him. The other two were advancing, so Kai hurled the body at one of them. When the last leapt forward, the man seemed oddly slow. It was easy to dodge his wild sword swing and unleash an upwards claw. It actually tore through the armor, sending the knight falling back bleeding.

It had been over too quickly and Kai hesitated. Zae Zin Nim was dragging the other two into the chamber while Omilaena pressed something that made a marble door close behind them - they were closed in, but that would slow down reinforcements, and in theory they could teleport out.

They stood in a long marble corridor that ended in a staircase going further down, toward where the weapon's core must be. Beyond this point, their only knowledge of the interior was based on logical deductions about how such a weapon must work. Several more Crestguards were running up the stairs toward them, weapons already drawn.

And yet, as the trio fought their way through, Kai realized that this wasn't a desperate fight for their lives. His mind was strangely clear, able to wander even as he tore apart armor and slid around strikes. Instead of fighting for his life, Kai found himself contemplating the difference between the Crestguard and the other warriors he'd known, especially his friends from Deadwaste.

If they had fought that day, there was no question the Crestguard would have won: they were experienced warriors with a lot of Power and years of training. But yet, as he actually fought them, Kai found himself a little bit disappointed. Their power was based on overwhelming chakra in a few major abilities and served mostly to make them a wall against weaker forces. They were completely lacking in the sophistication he saw in the Frontier elites... or his own allies.

All three of them had fused their abilities and tempered them in the most difficult of battles. Even without the half-phase training they'd all mastered, they had an edge that the Crestguard couldn't match.

He even had time to look at the other two. Zae Zin Nim was a graceful blur, dark wheeling limbs landing precise palm strikes even as the Heavenly Sash traced her movements. Omilaena was death on legs, shifting from ranged needles to point-blank breaths of poison in perfect synchronization. He kept thinking about them as "allies" but that wasn't true any more - how could it be possible that they were his wives?

They fought their way down two floors before they heard an explosion behind them, and Kai realized that their easy path was over. He could feel new powers closing in, much closer to 1000. Even though the Crestguard weren't top tier fighters, they had more than enough strength to be threats if they got a chance to attack, so their trio would be outnumbered. At least in tight corridors like this they could use their opponents against themselves.

A demon hurtled into the room and stopped, hair swirling around her. "Finally!" Lilaetiel looked so unhinged that Kai almost didn't recognize her until he heard her voice. The demoness saw Zae Zin Nim and let out a howl of pleasure.

Dangerous as the demoness was, she couldn't overcome the teamwork they'd polished for so long. When she tried to charge, Omilaena intercepted her with a hail of needles that pushed her back. There were Crestguards rushing in to provide backup, but Kai raked a Tyrant's Claw across the room's entrance and sent them stumbling back.

Without warning, the wall to his right crumbled. Kai leapt back just before qi attacks began tearing through it, barely avoiding the surprise assault. There was another chamber beyond, but this was no ambush... there were demonic arts users releasing acid to destroy the walls. They must have realized the attack and tunneled through the side instead of following the main path.

Worse, Troulon stood among them.

The Gray Demon raised a hand and an object that looked like it was a large needle made of paper leapt from it with surprising speed. It shot toward Omilaena and she barely dodged, only for it to circle around to strike again. Omilaena managed to grab it with one hand, but the projectile kept pressing closer to her face, and Troulon was preparing another attack...

They could overcome this. All he needed to do was disrupt the demons from their chosen prey - even if he couldn't isolate them, just having them switch opponents wold give them an edge.

Except, just as Kai started to move, another shadow emerged from the destroyed wall. He barely leapt back in time to avoid the silver flash that nearly cut his throat.

Anaelina skidded past him, dragging her claws in the stone to slow down. There was no trace of her former injury, and if anything she seemed more powerful. Her bright silver eyes were fixed on him and her grin widened.

"No matter where you go, Kai, you always seem to find your way back to me."

"This is the last time." Kai clenched his hands into claws and prepared himself. They'd escaped one another long enough, but he was sick of this thorn in his side: this was the time to end it.

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