As we wake up. Thump. Thump.
"It could be an improved Devil." Envy told through the mental link.
"Improved Devil?" I asked if Charles looks equally confused. It was too early for this.
"Yeah there are pages on how to make 72 Devil races in Ars Goetia. Made by Solomon but it can be improved upon by experimenting. These are called Improved but they are difficult to make a stable version of them." Envy told us.
"It is possible but unlikely but how can we explain what happened?" Charles said. He was questioning himself. It was the day of the second part of the exam. He puts on his Hypersuit. He put a trench coat over it. Picking up the white gun Ivory and the black gun Jackal putting them in the hostler.
"Well let's get going. I wonder where the exam will be?" I asked. The Bio-sphere was still being fixed from the Loki attack. As well Gabriel and Charles dragon forms. I wonder where they will find a big enough place. As we went to school they loaded them into cars carrying about twelve people.
"I wonder where we are going?" A random person asked. I heard a scoff.
"I wish it was the Bio-sphere but the first years ruin it." One of the only second years say. Looking pointedly at Charles.
"Yeah what a shame." Charles said, rolling his eyes.
"I heard a rumor that the Pendragon will allow us to use the forest." Another person said. Yeah right. Maybe because that would give Charles a home field advantage. So it might be possible.
"Yeah those pompous ass would share." The second year sneered.
"What is your name?" Charles asked.
"Talo. Why?" Talo said. Charles nodded and shook his hand, having a friendly face.
"I wish you luck." Charles said his eyes were closed. His toothy grin seemed fake. As the vehicle came to a stop. Outside of the Pendragon Forest.
"We should thank Lux Pendragon for hosting us!" Mrs Freya said through the megaphone. Everyone was whispering.
"Why?" Someone behind us said.
"First time I've seen him he is so handsome." A female voice spoke somewhere near the front. Charles and Lux's eyes met and he smiled at Charles. It sent shivers down my spine.
"Well all of the higher level Chaos Beast have been dealt with you will not find anything above C rank in here." Lux said. That was a lie. In the catacombs is Cerberus an S rank and the Wyvern and Wyrm Arthur owns are here too. Those things can be deadly.
"Anything else sir Lux?" Cody Nickel asked. He had a smile ear to ear.
"Also go for the kill as you will be teleported out of your wearing these bracelets." Gin said, pointing out the thing on everyone's wrist. The thing all of us were given.
"Well don't go into the catacombs then you will die." Lux said with a smile. Yeah no duh. It is a never ending labyrinth of tunnels and traps.
"Okay your goal is to survive until 20 of you are standing." Edward said. Sounds like we should take others to increase our odds.
"With all of that done! Let's begin." Gin yelled over the crowd as they started to run. As we all ran into the forest. Charles was jumping through the branches. After about an hour. We saw a cliff Charles started to climb. As a chaos bullet shot right above his arm. Charles started to climb faster. Another bullet is barely a miss. Charles' right hand had reached the ledge. As a chaos bullet went into his right shoulder. As he fully got up.
"Looks like we have followers." Charles said.
"Now the question is, are they part of the exam or the House of Evolution?" I asked, flapping above him.
"Starlight: Heal." Charles said as the wound in his back fixed itself but the Hypersuit also healed? Why? Edward had given him a new one.
"What if we lead them there?" I asked hoping he got what I meant.
"The catacombs would be wonderful." Charles said as he started to smile. As we heard the sound of climbing. As Charles looks over the edge. Seeing several being climbing up the cliff face. They seemed to have rifles on their backs. As Charles shot one in the head. Its head pops like a balloon. Blood gushed out of the body as it fell knocking one more over on the fall down hearing the rushing of trees.
"Looks like they are a part of House of Evolution." I said landing on his shoulder. He shot three more, the first one in the arm making him fall back down in the forest. The second one's head was blown off. Third one leg was blown off as he continued the climb. There seemed to be more of them than before. A chaos bullet whizzed past Charles' ear making it bleed. He had a blood thirsty smile on his face.
"Let's play. Keep up." Charles said as he ran into the forest the closest one was half way up the cliff. Charles was still smiling ear to ear. As he jumped into a tree.
"Phantom Cloak." Charles spoke. As I felt to be covered by an invisible veil. We waited for quite some time. We heard shouts if it seemed that they had made it up the cliff.
"Where is he?" A grunt yelled.
"I have no clue." A second grunt yelled.
"Shut up you two dumb asses. He ran." A third more hardened voice.
"Yes Captain." The first grunt said as they walked right below us. The middle of the pack passed us. There were about fifty of them and then the last guy was right below us. He quickly checked around. Charles reached down and picked him up. Stabbing into his neck he let out a silent scream as blood poured on the blade part of Jackal.
"Something is wrong." Captain said.
"What?" The first one said, The captain seemed smart. Well it's too late.
"The tracks end, he must have doubled back." Captain said. As he walked closer to the tree as blood dripped on his shoulder.
"How?" One of them asked. As we dropped the guy. He fell like a doll with its string cut.
"Is that?" Another one spoke.
"Omega." The third one said, The captain looked right past us.
"Something is wrong. Omega rest well." The captain said, leaning down and wiping his hand over his face, closing his eyes.
"What should we do?" One of them questioned.
"We have to finish this job." The captain said. Putting a hand on the grunt shoulder seemed to calm him.
"Let the hunt begin." Charles said with a smile as we left quietly. As they looked confused and scared. They were shaking except the Captain.
"Were is it coming from?" Another one of them asked. Pointing his gun shakily into the forest.
"Don't lose your nerve." The Captain once again calms them. As we left to be about twenty feet in front of them. As we reappeared and then shot at them wildly. Before running again.
"It's him!" One of them yelled opening fire as the rest of them did the same. We got away.
"Phantom Cloak." As we disappeared again. As they were walking quite close together. We followed them until nightfall. They set up tents with two people in the tent. They set up guard shifts. As we walked to one tent. He was sleeping as we cut open his throat. We wrote something in the blood. As Charles plucked out one of the guys' eyes.
.
.
~
48 to 2 good odds. Sleep with one eye open.
~
.
.
He placed the eye on the paper right below the message. As we spelt on a tree branch a good distance from their camp. We awoke. The rays of light had broken through the branches of the tree. A scream of terror filled the morning air. "Captain, you have to see this!" One of the soldiers yelled.
"Phantom Cloak." Charles said. As we were veiled in his Chaos energy. When we got there the Captain left the tent and shook his head. Holding the paper that was written our message.
"What happened?" Someone in the crowd asked.
"He was killed in his sleep and one of his eyes was ripped out." Another one answered.
"We are dealing with a stealthy enemy." The captain said to his troops.
"Why do we follow you?" Charles mimicked the soldier's voice.
"Who said that?" One of them asked.
"Shut up." Another one said. Charles left to the outside of the camp.
"I need to go take a leak." A third one said.
"Let me go with you." A fourth one said. Following the third one. As they separated Charles shot the first one in the head. His body thudded to the ground.
"You okay?" The second one that left the group said. As he looked over and saw the headless body of the first one he started to run. Tripping over a root. Halfway there. As Charles shot a few Balas all of them were missing. Wood splinters fell around him. He started running again. He got back to the camp.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked him.
"Because they are a part of the House of Evolution they attack my family, a line you never cross." Charles answered.
"Okay." I said as we walked to the camp where the guy.
"Beta he's dead." The guy said out of breath. In a panic. As Charles shot him in the head. His body fell to the ground. Blood rushing out of the neck pooling on the ground.
"Looks like Gamma is dead." Another one of them spoke. Charles had a toothy grin. The Captain pushed past them. Then shakes his head.
"Poor Gamma. This is our last job. He had a pregnant wife." The Captain said.
"This thing is a monster." One of them said, Charles circled around the crowd.
"We should kill the captain! He led us here." Charles imitated one of the soldiers perfectly. As we left for now. They were marching. In pairs of twos. With Captain leading the pack of his men. As Charles shot two of them in the head.
"What is happening?" One of them said as they started to panic shooting everywhere.
"This is the captain's fault." Charles whispered into someone's ear. His face was filled with rage. As we ran off waiting.
"The seed of doubt has been sown." I said.
"Now we need to wait to kill them off one by one." Charles spoke. As the day passed we followed the camp into them, sleeping guards watching.
"Captain, why are we still here?" Someone asked the Captain.
"We have to the House of Evolution is paying us." The captain said, looking into the fire. As the person started to cry.
"I miss home." The person said.
"I know but we have to, they won't turn a blind eye to failure." Captain calmed down the other person. Charles followed the crybaby into his tent. As he sliced the throat of the other guy.
"Help!" The crybaby screamed out. As Charles blasted off his head he tore off the other guy ear and put it in the dead hands of the crybaby. Charles slipped out of the tent. As we fell asleep a while away. As the first rays of the morning breach the branches of the tree. Me and Charles got up.
"Phantom Cloak." Charles said as he jumped off the tree branch. As we landed on the clearing.
"It seems like they have moved earlier." I said. As Charles smiles.
.
.
.
A pattern continued Charles would pick two or three at a time. It's now the ninth day. Only about twenty of them were left. "What do you think will be next?" One of them asked. As Charles rushed ahead of the group. Decloaking showing himself to the last ten.
"Looks like only ten of you are left." Charles said with a smile. Charles started to run into the forest. Clearly leaving a path to follow. To a cave entrance the catacombs.
"Now what?" I asked.
"Phantom Cloak." Charles said as we recloaked and doubled back.
"Captain, what should we do?" Someone asked. He seemed nervous.
"You know what we need to do Beta. We follow if we don't he won't show himself again. We don't have a choice." Captain answered.
"But why should we listen to you? We should stay here!" Beta said.
"Beta! We don't have the time for this, just do what I said." Captain countered. Looks like those seeds Charles planted had bloomed. The seeds of distrust.
"You guys stay here, I will go on ahead." Captain said with a sigh.
"Why should we listen? We can choose for ourselves!" Beta screamed.
"Just stay safe." Captain said with a frown on his face. As he starts to follow the trial.
"Well we met face to face." Charles said.
"Let's talk." The captain spoke, his voice holding an edge. Charles chuckled.
"Okay about what?" Charles questioned.
"If you spare the others you can kill me." Captain said. Charles quirked his brow.
"What do I gain?" Charles asked.
"Information on the House of Evolution." The captain said Charles' face had a smile.
"Deal." Charles said.
"Well let's start with leadership. No one has seen the leader. The one in charge is a Vampire of the Count class called Himi. Most fighters are experiments, mercenaries like me and my group or Vampires. The strongest group is Clay, a dangerous group. They also have control over the port cities. The Murat patriarch is on their payroll as far as I know." Captain lowered his head. Charles swiftly cut it off. We felt the ground shake. Then. A large explosion rang through the woods.