Level Up: Voidwalker

''The Dark Ones are lurking outside,'' she said. ''You wanted to see them, correct?''

''Oh yeah,'' Atlas mumbled while standing up. ''Are the others asleep?''

''Yes. I volunteered for the first watch when Grishan reminded me to wake you up,'' she explained as he stumbled toward the cave entrance.

He gazed into the darkness but saw no monsters, ''There's nothing out there.''

''Put one foot over the Rune, then wait, Little One. They will come, then you will see the monsters who haunt the darkness,'' Estelle commented.

Atlas glanced back at the blonde knight and found her sitting on a stone close to the fire, 'Has she seen these creatures that much that she's unfazed by them?' he thought.

He shrugged his shoulders before putting one foot over the Runes, which caused him to hear a rustling noise as something charged out of the shadows. Atlas jumped back when he heard a growl.

That's when he finally spotted the monsters that plagued the night, and Atlas knew precisely what they were, 'Wendigo's.'

Atlas was shocked as the creature stalked outside on all fours, its black eyes glued on him as they moved with jerky, unnatural movements that creeped him out when seeing it. This sent a shiver down his spine as the atmosphere changed.

But he reacted without thinking and cast a Void Bullets at its head as something inside told him to put it out of its misery—the azure projectile shot from his hand, piercing the Wendigo's head.

The creature collapsed, lifeless, but that's when Atlas saw something leaving the body before shooting into the sky. He watched this and heard a feint male voice that sounded exhilarated, "Thank you for freeing me, my fellow countryman."

Atlas was lost and didn't know how to feel, but that's when he returned to reality. More Wendigos appeared from the surrounding darkness, who howled in fury. Estelle sprang to her feet, "Le Messie Élu! What are you doing?"

''Something told me to free it,'' he replied, not taking his eyes off the creatures he felt connected to. ''There was a voice that spoke to me, Estelle. I want to fight them and end their suffering.''

''No, you can't! They're two ranks above you,'' Estelle protested, but Atlas had already moved by taking out the dagger and stepping over the Runes.

He quickly scanned the creatures before making a move.

[Dark One]

[Rank E - 200 Exp]

When Atlas stepped outside, all the Dark Ones turned to him with hunger in their eyes, but he wasn't affected as these creatures gave off the same feeling the first one did. Without wasting any more time, he used Void Step.

He vanished from the spot, which confused the creatures, but Atlas reappeared next to one of them and plunged his dagger into its skull, causing light to emanate from the wound.

They dropped dead, but then a translucent mass left its body, and this time, a woman spoke, ''Thank you, little one. Many of your people have become these vile creatures.''

After speaking, the mass vanished just as a Dark One lunged and swiped. Atlas cast Void Guard, which deflected the creature's claws, allowing him to cast Void Arrow through its skull, but this time, no voice came.

Atlas then used Void Step while constantly stabbing them, who were baffled by a dozen of them falling dead; he didn't stop until a dangerous aura washed over the area, causing Estelle to shout in panic, ''Le Messie Élu! A stronger one is coming; get back here now.''

He listened to the knight and rushed back to the cave entrance as a bigger monster crashed out of the nearby treeline. The newcomer ran after Atlas, who just passed the Runes, forcing the creature to stop.

It stared at Atlas lying on the ground, he looked back at the Dark One as the creature stared at him with hate in its black, lifeless eyes. Estelle cast a Light Blast at it, causing it to rush back into the darkness.

Once it was gone, she spun on Atlas and scolded him, ''What were you doing! They could have killed you.''

''Two of them spoke to me when I killed them; they said we were a part of the same people,'' he explained while a look of confusion crossed his face.

Estelle calmed down and crouched before him, ''Don't go out there fighting them alone again as the stronger ones normally lurk nearby when they spot prey.''

Atlas nodded before standing up and yawning, ''I understand.''

The blonde knight hugged him, ''Get some sleep and ensure you're ready to travel tomorrow, Le Messie Élu. We must reach Volantis to find peace and sleep in a real bed.''

''Night, Estelle,'' he replied with a smile before climbing under the blanket with Amethyst and Lilith, causing the two to cling to him due to the cold air.

Atlas soon fell asleep as howling started outside the cave, just as Estelle laid down after checking on the Runes. The following morning, he woke up when something was licking his cheek.

His eyes opened, and he saw Lilith standing on his chest, staring at him with her beautiful yellow eyes. Atlas smiled, ''Morning girl.''

The honey badger monster got excited and started biting his neck, which caused him to laugh before hearing the other girls walking into the cave. That's when Atlas heard Artemis's voice: "Wake up, Aetos. Breakfast is nearly done."

Atlas sat up as Lilith climbed on his shoulders before he stood up and stretched, ''Morning Artemis,'' he said with a smile.

Afterward, he left the cave to see Estelle and Amethyst sitting by a fire while Grishna appeared from the nearby forest carrying a few Horned Rabbits. Atlas smiled when seeing the girls and greeted them all before sitting down.

''So, what did you think of the creatures?'' Grishna questioned as she handed the rabbits to Artemis, who started preparing them.

''They are creepy looking,'' Atlas answered without revealing he killed a dozen or so last night.

Ten minutes later, Artemis was done with the rabbits before she stuck them on sticks. Following that, she put them above the fire. After doing that, the brunette spoke, ''I will use Eaglevision to see the best path to take,

Everyone agreed with a nod while Atlas checked his status due to leveling up the night before, thanks to the Dark Ones.

[Level Up: 46→48]

[Experience: 640/1000]

[Experience Gained: 2400]

[Core Points: 4350→6150]

[Core Points Gained: 1800]

'I will level up soon,' Atlas mused.

He studied their surroundings and realized an old tree blocked the cave entrance; Atlas felt like he was being watched but couldn't see or hear anything apart from birds chirping and a monster roaring in the distance.

Twenty minutes passed, and Atlas was returned to reality by Amethyst handing him two of the cooked rabbits, ''Here, my Amore. You and Lily need to eat before we start traveling.''

Atlas looked at the purple-haired girl and smiled, ''Thanks, Amethyst. Have you eaten yet?''

The phoenix girl held up her rabbit. "I was waiting for yours to finish before starting."

As the two began eating, Amethyst gave Lilith her one, which made the little monster extremely happy. She jumped off Atlas's shoulders before eating the juicy meat; Artemis finally broke the silence. "The Evergladian nobles have surrounded the forest. They've amassed a large army and are waiting for us."

They all grew nervous, but the brunette continued, "The blockade is weaker to the northeast because the camps are too stretched out. We could break through there and head north to the crossing, then blow up the bridge to slow them down."

Everyone agreed that her plan was the best one. With their course set, they finished eating before setting off through the forest. Atlas led the way, followed by Estelle and Grishna, with Amethyst and Artemis bringing up the rear.

The group didn't encounter any monsters, which was surprisingly refreshing. They didn't have to fight while trekking, and soon, they came to the forest's edge. Atlas saw a beautiful grassland that stretched out until it reached a river.

Atlas spotted a stone bridge with an army camp in front of it, and soldiers patrolled the surrounding areas. Grishna broke the silence, ''We should take out the soldiers on the road before hitting the camp.''

''We should just hit the camp and rush through,'' Estelle suggested.

He agreed with the orc girl and voiced his concerns, ''If we do that, then the soldiers on the road will hit us from behind; we should split up and take out as many enemies as we can before meeting up outside the camp.''

The girls looked at him and agreed, ''Good idea, Aetos, I'll stay with Estelle while Grishna and Amethyst could be another,'' Artemis commented.

Atlas nodded, ''Lilith and I will travel further along the road while you girls go the opposite way. By the time we meet, I would have ranked up already,'' he said with determination burning in his eyes.

All four girls looked at him wide-eyed, but Grishna embraced him, saying, ''I know you will become strong, Grak'Thar Gromog'ar.''

He smiled before returning the hug, and the groups split up and headed to opposite sides of the road. Artemis and Estelle went to the northern part, while Grishna and Amethyst took the western one.