[Realm: Uhorus]

[Location: Verdantis]

[Embereach]

Fiona surged through the streets of Embereach, her armored claws trailing behind her as another Abyssal Creature collapsed in pieces at her feet, but she did not slow.

The city blurred around her.

Snow-covered homes, abandoned stalls, and broken lanterns swaying in the cold wind. Everything passed by in a fleeting view as Fiona moved from street to street with explosive speed, hunting the creatures before they could spread deeper into the city.

An Abyssal Creature lunged from a collapsed alleyway to her left.

This one moved on four elongated limbs, its spine twisted upward in an arch while dozens of small violet eyes pulsed across its body. Its forelimbs were far too large, dragging clawed appendages through the snow as it launched itself at her with startling speed.

Fiona’s eyes narrowed, her body dipped low without breaking stride, and the creature passed inches above her.

Then her claw flashed upward.

A sharp screech rang out as her gauntlet tore through the creature’s underbelly completely. The momentum of its own leap carried it apart midair, blackened flesh splitting open before the remains slammed wetly across the snowy street behind her.

Fiona twisted immediately afterward, another creature erupted through a nearby window. Humanoid this time and tall, far too tall. Its limbs bent in the wrong directions, thin arms hanging all the way to the ground while its head jerked violently from side to side without rhythm. Violet lines pulsed beneath its pitch-black skin as its jaw split vertically open.

Fiona planted one foot hard against the wall beside her.

The impact broke the stone, and her body abruptly changed direction mid-sprint as she launched sideways, avoiding the creature’s elongated arm by less than an inch. Its claws tore through empty air where her throat had been moments prior.

Fiona caught its arm.

Then pulled.

The strength flowing through her Divine Artifact surged through her muscles as she swung the creature completely off balance. Before it could recover, her other claw drove straight through its chest. The force alone blasted a shockwave of snow outward as the creature convulsed violently.

Fiona ripped upward.

Its entire upper torso split apart.

She released the remains immediately and kept moving.

The sound of distant destruction continued throughout Embereach. Ingrid’s enormous attacks still boomed from the northern breach, entire streets trembling every few seconds from the force of her strikes.

But despite that too many creatures had already slipped past. Fiona vaulted over a shattered wagon as three Abyssal Creatures rushed her simultaneously from different directions.

One crawled across the walls instead of the ground, its body flat and malformed like a skinned insect. Another rolled unnaturally forward on rotating limbs that clicked on the frozen stone. The third barely resembled anything living at all, a mass of shifting black tendrils wrapped around a glowing violet core.

Fiona moved immediately, the wall-crawling creature struck first. It launched itself downward from above with its limbs spread wide.

Fiona stepped forward, her claw seized one of its limbs midair before she violently redirected the creature straight into the rolling mass charging her from the front. Both collided with enough force to break apart the nearby wall.

The tendril creature attacked immediately afterward, black appendages shot toward her like spears.

Fiona twisted sideways, and one tendril grazed past her shoulder armor. Another scraped against her gauntlet with a shower of sparks. She ducked beneath the third before lunging directly into the creature’s range.

Her claws crossed.

The glowing core split apart instantly, every tendril around it spasmed violently before collapsing lifelessly into the snow. Fiona landed lightly afterward, sabatons skidding across the frozen street as she steadied herself. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Then her ears twitched sharply.

Crying.

Fiona’s head snapped toward a narrow side street.

Two civilians, a woman and a child, were cornered. Three Abyssal Creatures slowly advanced toward them through the snow, their distorted bodies twitching as black saliva dripped onto the ground beneath them.

The woman clutched the child tightly against herself while desperately backing away. Fiona moved before thinking, the street behind her shattered as she crossed the distance instantly. The nearest creature barely began turning before Fiona’s claw tore clean through its head sideways. Black matter exploded across the alley wall.

The second creature shrieked and lunged low, Fiona stepped over then drove her heel downward.

CRACK.

Its spine folded beneath the impact.

The third creature hesitated, just briefly. But Fiona saw it as her lit eyes narrowed.

("Odd...") She thought as the creature suddenly bolted backward instead of attacking. Trying to flee or maybe to regroup.

Fiona surged forward and caught the creature by the back of its malformed neck before slamming it face-first through the frozen ground hard enough to create a crater beneath them. The creature writhed violently as her claws pierced through its skull.

Silence followed, and heavy breathing filled the alley. Fiona slowly turned toward the civilians afterward.

The child stared at her wide-eyed while the woman looked equally terrified.

Not of Fiona at least, but of everything around them.

Fiona’s expression softened slightly despite the blood staining her claws.

"You need to get moving," she said firmly but calmly. "Head south. Stay with the evacuation groups and do not stop for anything."

The woman nodded shakily.

"T-thank you..."

Fiona gave a small nod before turning away almost immediately. There was no time, more screeching was heard through the city. She burst back into a sprint, snow spiraled behind her as she accelerated through another street, claws flexing lightly as more Abyssal Creatures flooded into view ahead.

These ones were different again, much larger.

("They have concrete forms!?") Her eyes slightly widened.

Their bodies resembled massive wolves stripped of skin, black muscle-like matter pulsing visibly beneath their surfaces while bone protrusions lined their backs. Their jaws split unnaturally wide as they snarled.

Then they charged together fast, the lead creature lunged directly for her throat. She ducked beneath it at the last second, her claws carving through its exposed stomach as she slid underneath its body. The creature collapsed behind her in pieces before she rolled forward smoothly into a crouch.

The second wolf creature was already upon her, and its claws slammed downward. Fiona caught the strike head-on. The ground beneath her feet cracked violently from the force. Then she twisted, and the creature lost balance for only an instant but it was enough.

The Solkari drove her elbow upward into its jaw before tearing her claws across its throat in one brutal strike. Black blood sprayed across the snow as the body toppled sideways.

The third creature circled instead of rushing immediately. It seemed smart, or it was becoming smart. Its glowing violet eyes tracked her movements carefully.

Fiona exhaled slowly.

("What is with these Abyssal Creatures? They don’t act like they usually do, that other one hesitated. And now this one is circling me?")

Just as her thought finished, the creature exploded forward.

Fiona did too.

Their bodies crossed, and a gust of wind followed. The wolf creature continued running three more steps before its body split diagonally apart.

Fiona did not even look back at it.

She continued forward through the city at full speed.

But there was still an uneasy feeling that lingered in her stomach. Ordinarily, if you were to mindlessly slaughter the Abyssal Creatures without a second thought, perhaps you would not notice it. But she did notice, how they moved and reacted. They almost seemed coordinated.

("But that would be impossible...") Fiona thought, her eyes darting around to search for more hidden civilians as she kept her gaze sharp.

Abyssal Creatures followed a predictable but consistent pattern. They were more mindless than any wild animal, content to use numbers to their advantage. They would attack wildly, without any sense of strategy. Even some animals put thought into how they would attack their prey, but not these creatures. Then again, perhaps that thoughtless nature is what made them so dangerous.

Yet these few seemed different, almost as if they were learning. Whether it was the wolf-like one who bided its time or the malformed one who hesitated, these creatures were clearly different from the ordinary Abyssal Creatures.

("Learning perhaps?") Fiona pondered as she came to a skidding halt, her sabatons kicking up sparks on the stone street. She peeked into an alleyway as her thoughts continued. ("But Victoria never mentioned something like that even being possible.")

Fiona frowned lightly, bending her knees slightly as her body shot upwards to land on a low building, gazing around.

("Then again, it’s only been more than a month. I gather there is still much to uncover about the Abyss,") the Solkari thought internally. And it was not a comfortable thought, to say the least.

Her thoughts stayed with her as she took a mighty leap into the air, followed by a burst of air.

("They’re dangerous enough as is... but if they’re learning with the numbers they possess,") she shuddered at the thought. While many powerful individuals existed in their realm, these people could not be everywhere at once.

There would be a slip-up eventually.

And perhaps an entire nation would pay for that.

"Gods, I wish Mikoto were here. He could probably blast those terrors away," her ears twitched as she sighed.