Seren ran as fast as he could. He didn't know if the Awakened of Song were going to pursue and exterminate him from the area now, or later, but he, for one, was sure as hell not going to stick around and find out.
He ran through the Graveyard towards a certain section known as the 'Bone Bastion.' It was an ancient fortified stronghold filled with skeletal creatures, and no sane human would ever attempt to breach it, as the skeletal defenders had been guarding the bastion for millennia.
But Seren was no human. If his experience with the [Corpse] taught him anything, it's that Nightmare Creatures recognized him as a Nightmare Creature. If he could get inside the fortification, then he could attempt to ask the Fallen Tyrant who resided there if he could stay, and then he could figure out what to do and experiment with his new soul mechanic.
Provided that the [Forgotten Lord] does not have him executed immediately.
Seren knew nothing about the inhabitants of the Bone Bastion, besides that the [Forgotten Lord] took Nightmare Creatures who needed protection in to have them serve him.
Slowing down his pace, Seren stalked through the blackened, twisted trees and eerie fog towards his destination. He summoned his echo, [Graverender], to assist him. Instead of emerging from sparks, his echo formed from the fog, darkness coalescing under its tattered black cloak, red eyes piercing the darkness. The scythe, used as a weapon, rested on its shoulders.
"Turn invisible and scout ahead. If you find any dangerous creatures, come back and warn me."
The wraith nodded.
'I should probably name it. Can't just keep calling it [Graverender]. How 'bout... Rave?'
Rave vanished into the misty fog and darted ahead.
After waiting the cold night for a few hours, Rave returned and led Seren past multiple Nightmare Creatures. After a few hours of trekking, Seren saw the Bone Bastion on the horizon, accompanied by the sunrise.
It was a fortified location, perched atop a hill. A main keep was at the top, and walls, pathways, and watchtowers spilled throughout the hill and the surrounding area, with multiple buildings. The [Forgotten Lord] used wood and bone to build the defenses, but fire was futile.
A main roadway leads into the bastion, which is guarded by two watchtowers. The treeline was many dozens of feet from the walls, so Seren would have to expose himself to get close.
But he was a Nightmare Creature, right? They wouldn't shoot him... The [Forgotten Lord] would take him in, and he could work to survive and maybe learn about how his newfound Unholy Aspect worked..?
There was no better option.
***
Awakened Marlowe stood back and observed the scene. Something, seemingly overnight, had erased Clan Ghost from the Dream Realm. They had found the Saint, Ghost Walker, dead on the floor, with a bloody hole through her chest. All the other bodies were too damaged to identify. No survivors.
"Strange too. All of the members of Clan Ghost who were not Awakened, or where elswhere, died, violently ripped apart. Apart from the ones in Nightmares, all were confirmed dead. What could've have done all that, overnight?"
"You were saying somethin', Marlowe? And why are you looking at the camp? We're on watch duty, you know. If one of the Masters or Princess Seishan saw you slacking, they'll arrest you for insubordination."
Marlowe turned and saw his friend, Awakened Priest, staring at him. He was smoking a cigarette he paid a fortune for in one hand, and had his other hand ready to utilize his Aspect in case of attack, which allowed him to smite attackers with holy energy and summon precise bolts to snipe targets.
Marlowe shook his head.
"I wasn't slacking, I was pondering."
"What were you pondering about?"
"What could've killed all these people. Saint Ghost Walker was considered a powerful saint, able to take down Corrupted Creatures with relative ease. Ain't nothing around here that is more powerful than Corrupted, according to them diviners."
"Good point. What's to say that it's still around, and hidden from the diviners?"
Marlowe shivered. If something can kill a Saint, then it can butcher an Awakened. And he did not want to die. Not without mustering his courage and asking Awakened Willow out to the movies or something.
Priest studied his facial expression change and smiled.
"Still crushing on Willow, are we?
Marlowe tensed and then angrily whispered.
"Shut up! What if she hears?"
"Just talk to the woman, bro. It's not that hard. Just walk up to her and engage in conversation! We're in the same cohort as her, so you have reasons to speak with her. Ask her to go on a long patrol with you."
"But long patrols are dangerous, as Nightmare Creatures are everywhere in the Graveyard."
"You know what I mean."
Marlowe opened his mouth to respond when a commanding voice stopped him.
"Here I thought you two were on watch duty. I come to check, and you're doing anything but watching!"
Master Wolter snatched Priest's cigarette out of his hand and stomped on it with his heavy boot.
"So get back to watching."
He lumbered away to harass more Awakened for being lazy.
"Told you to stay on duty."
Marlowe paid no attention to Priest. His eyes were focused elsewhere.
His Aspect was related to watching things, and his Dormant Ability [Watching Eye] allows him to send out two 'eyeballs' that were incorporeal and imperceptible to the naked eye, and he could see out of them, as long as they remained within a dozen miles of him.
Right now, one of his 'eyes' spotted multiple Nightmare Creatures heading towards the citadel. He quickly circulated essence into his Awakened Ability [Omni-Sight], which allowed him to glimpse a Nightmare Creature's rank and class, as well as their weakness, with limitations. It also lets him see through a few feet of solid material.
Using [Omni-Sight], he determined that they were all of the Awakened rank, and mostly Beasts, Monsters, Demons, and a handful of Devils.
He summoned his crossbow, [Piercing Bolt], as well as his bolts, [Case of Rain]. Priest noticed his weapons summoning and summoned his mace.
Marlowe's armor was already summoned, and after his crossbow and bolts finished summoning, he summoned his [Star of Ruin] and fired it into the sky, producing a wailing noise and emitting bright light, alerting the camp of the approaching danger.
"Awakened Nightmare Creatures incoming! Lots of them! Beasts, Monsters, Demons, and some Devils!"
Marlowe's early warning let his fellow Awakened of Song summon their memories and prepare to fight.
Marlowe summoned his echo, [Empirical], to help him fight. The eyeball was a powerful Awakened Devil.
'I hope I can get new armor from this engagement. My [Guardsmen Gear] is only a Dormant memory of the second tier, and it is proving to be ineffective at protecting me from the abundance of Awakened Creatures in the Graveyard.'
He looked back at the camp and saw his cohort running towards him.
Willow reached him first. Summoning her bow, she stopped in front of Marlowe.
"Seishan said that, because you spotted them, we can get a small bonus of Soul Shards. Good job."
Marlowe's spirit felt elevated at the praise.
"Thank you, but don't you normally use a glaive to fight?"
"Yes, but I don't feel like fighting these undead creatures. Mirko, Paris, and I fought one of them early today on patrol, and it nearly sent me to meet Beast God."
"Are you okay?"
"Yes. Paris made sure of that."
Paris was their cohort's healer. Her Aspect allowed her to rejuvenate one's energy and heal their wounds from a distance. Even though, as a healer, she got a reputation as a pacifist, Marlowe would not want to fight her. She had a crazy fighting spirit, and her green eyes often glowed with determination to prove the stereotypes wrong.
Mirko stood over the edge, squinting to spot the enemies. His Aspect gave him near-unlimited stamina and the ability to move at incredible speeds, so he was waiting for me to list weak points for him to slip by and attack with his daggers.
Priest also benefited from Marlowe's aspects, often one-shotting targets from miles away with his Aspect.
Willow normally was their frontline fighter, using her Aspect of being able to shove enemies away or pull them closer to deal with Nightmare Creatures, while using her Awakened Ability to push their weapons away from her body.
But it would seem that Willow would be joining Marlowe, Priest, and Paris in the backline for todays battle.
A few moments of tension passed, and then the trees erupted with undead hordes.