Chapter 12: Chapter. 12: Pyrrhic Victory

Endrad didn’t hold much hope as he looked around, the only reason he was even on guard was simply because the monsters had practically vanished. There were no Prowl Reapers in a place that should have been crawling with them, and Prowling Harvesters hadn’t been seen either. It kept him on edge.

One of the reasons he didn’t expect to find Sybil was simple. The Spectral Glass hadn’t detected her at all. They couldn’t chase her and while the Relic she bore was strong, it wasn’t enough to fight nine Supervisors at once. In her shoes, he would have ran.

She stood better chances of escaping the Grand Mine if she ran from them, rather than fighting them. The camp could be ignored since it took a small part of the cave, then there was only the checkpoint outside the Grand Mine.

Well, Endrad did not think that she would be able to get past the checkpoint, not now nor in eons. That place was a fortress that prevented Beasts of the Dark Hollow from getting into the rest of the region after all. It had stood for hundreds of years, it was even besieged by a Calamity Class beast before promptly repelling it back into the Grand Mine.

The Grand Checkpoint was impenetrable, a chokepoint and a fortress. Nothing could get past, let alone the girl. Endrad knew that she was as good as gone, but he still stayed alert.

His enemy now wasn't the girl but the Beasts of the Dark Hollow. However, deep in his heart he still slightly hoped that Sybil was still around, delusional enough to think she could fight them. Endrad, of course, had taken extra precautions to make sure she could be captured. Though, perhaps the Overseer might punish him for doing so.

He had acted on his own.

That said, if he didn’t need to use the extra Artificial Relics he brought, then everything would be fine. And in the eventuality that he had to use them, things would still be fine.

He smiled.

After all, there were rewards to reap. That he was sure of.

With a smile, Endrad continued on searching with the two other Supervisors in tow. Though, he did consider what he was doing something more like a patrol rather than actually searching. He had no way of knowing where Sybil was, or whether she was still around.

Minutes passed, and soon Endrad’s suspicions had spread to his companions.

“Is she even still around?”

“I don’t know,” the other Supervisor said with a sigh. “But I can’t help but be nervous.”

Endrad’s ears twitched as the conversation carried on.

“Nervous? Why?”

“Well you know…” The other Supervisor stopped walking. “She might be an⁠—”

“She isn’t.” Endrad interrupted with a huff. “Just focus on searching. The Overseer has high expectations of us.”

Both of the Supervisors nodded, and they focused once more on the task at hand. Meanwhile, Endrad couldn’t help but shake his head.

He knew what they wanted to say, but for the sake of keeping a high morale he couldn’t even allow the thought to fester in their mind.

“She probably ran away, it's nine versus one.” Both Supervisors nodded slowly, as Endrad continued. “Even if she found more than one Fourth Grade Relic, her mana must be exhausted after using them so many times. It’d be suicidal to fight us, however, in case she is still around then it is a prime chance for us.”

This time, he received fast and confident nods, making him smile.

He truly couldn’t allow them to think that Sybil was an Ascended. The Region of Armag Hollow hadn’t seen an Ascended in a couple hundred years, and it would remain that way. Endrad was sure of it.

Ascended was a hated term amongst those that knew of it, and it was easy to understand why. From jealousy, all the way to feelings of betrayal. After all, Ascendeds were only able to grow stronger from killing, their existence was no different than those wretched things of the Dark Hollow. Tales of Ascended murdering entire towns and colonies had traveled far and wide before the Mayor of Armag Hollow arrived, but now they had receded to mere urban legends.

But that wasn’t a concern. Ascended were nonexistent, and even though they were threats to society the Mayor, for hundreds of years now, had made sure no Ascended lived for long.

Humans were fragile.

Endrad suppressed a sigh, sometimes he felt dissonance with the things that were happening around him. The Grand Mine, in his eyes, wasn’t a place that should be prodded by the likes of humans. It had once been a broken fissure, a portal to the Dark Hollow, and the terrors that that fracture had unleashed still lurked within its depths.

Yet, he was in the very same depths as those creatures.

He closed his eyes for a moment, shifting his mentality. He couldn’t afford to be melancholic now. At this moment, he had to focus on his surroundings, on finding Sybil if she was still around, and more than anything else ⁠— remaining alert.

Endrad’s hand wandered to his backpack, holding it close, ready to act upon anything.

Minutes passed as his group moved from rock formation to rock formation, different chambers and sections of caves as they all searched, the atmosphere remained tense. Yet, there was nothing.

More time passed, before one of the Supervisors spoke up.

“Thirty minutes are almost up, I think we should go back now.”

Endrad remained silent as he stared at the surrounding darkness. Something was wrong, but that same feeling had persisted throughout their search, yet he found it hard to simply leave. There had been no Beasts of the Dark Hollow throughout his journey to this depth and it was simply wrong.

He walked a couple of meters forward and at the edge of the light from his helmet, he saw what seemed to be claw marks on the ground. They were small but noticeable. Endrad raised his brow. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t seen many footsteps from monsters with the Spectral Glass either.

“Both of you go ahead, I will catch up in a minute.”

The atmosphere was stifling, but at the same time, there were no bestial sounds either. Endrad simply wanted to see where the claw marks continued, or whether they disappeared. If there had been a Prowling Harvester nearby, then perhaps things weren’t as strange as he initially thought.

For that to be confirmed, he needed to investigate. He took a step forward and⁠— the sound of shattering glass blared through his ears. Endrad’s head snapped around as he saw a burst of blue fire instantly kill one of the Supervisors.

What?

The scream resounded through his ears as he saw the other person call for help, but at that moment, a flaming Whip Spear zipped through the air and slammed onto the Supervisor, instantly breaking the protection Artifact and setting him on fire as well. In just a moment, the spear pulled back and with the sound of feet dragging through the ground, it was launched.

The spear sliced through the air and struck the Supervisor in the chest, piercing his heart as flames bloomed from the wound. And just like that, both of the Supervisors that accompanied Endrad had died.

His heart pounded immediately as he recognized the flames, but it quickly calmed as he reached for his backpack. Calm and quiet footsteps approached as he saw the girl, Sybil, slowly walking towards him. This time however, she was wearing the clothes of his fallen comrades, and her gaze was cold.

“So you didn’t run.” Endrad smiled.

* * * * *

[You have slain: (Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 12]

[You have slain: (Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 13]

[Your primary aspect has leveled once from this encounter. Current level: 12]

Just like that, I had reached level 12, and there was only a single Supervisor left to kill. He was the same man that had given me an earful just before I had set off on this life changing venture. Perhaps things would’ve gone differently if he had been gentler with his words, but now it was too late.

“I have no reason to run.” I shook my head, staring at him.

[(Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 15]

He was higher level than the other Supervisors, which meant he was stronger. For a moment, I underestimated him, but I quickly reminded myself that I couldn’t let my guard down against anything. I had underestimated the Compound Golem and almost died for it.

The Supervisor seemed to be holding his backpack tight. I had a little over half of my mana, so I was slightly hesitant to rush things. So I decided on watching first before doing something. The man snorted.

“So in the end you’re hesitant to kill me? What happened to your decisiveness? Are you being reminded of how good you had it a few years back?”

I raised my brow. “Good? From what I can gather the only thing I had was learning how to read and write.”

“Yes, that is a privilege.” His gaze wandered to the bag at my side. “One that you shouldn’t have been granted. Now look at you, you’re rebelling against the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow.”

“I just want freedom.”

“And you could have had it,” he spat. “All you had to do was be a loyal slave for a few more years.”

“That’s a lie,” I said, shaking my head. “And even if it were true, I am tired of waiting.”

He clicked his tongue and reached for the inside of his bag. With a frown, I raised my finger at him and spurred my mana into it. The process was nearly instant as I lowered my thumb.

Bang.

[Fallen Ember Shot] was fired with a burst of flame. The fire projectile flashed through the air and in an instant struck the Supervisor. For the first time, I saw the immaterial glass film shatter, as the sound resounded. However, the Supervisor did not so much as flinch as he pulled out an object from his bag.

It was a long piece of metal that I instantly recognized as a firearm. He grabbed it by the barrel and with a pull it made a harrowing click that resounded in my ears. I withdrew and stepped behind a rock wall. As he was about to point it at me.

Then, he fired. The explosion blared through my ears as the stone wall splintered before my eyes, sending stone shards flying through the air. At that moment, my heart skipped a beat⁠— since when were firearms so powerful?

Then, I heard the loud click of the weapon once more. I heard something drop onto the floor with a clinking sound and at that moment, I jumped⁠— the wall exploded behind me in a cloud of dust. Stone shards flew through the air as I rolled across the ground and took cover yet again. I frowned, pondering what to do when the man spoke once more.

“Yes, that is right. It is a lie. Your future is to die here, live here, and spend your life working here. You belong to Armag Hollow, you are owned by the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow, because you, like many others, are just a slave.”

His words made me feel rage. But he was just baiting me in an attempt to expose me.

“I am not a slave.”

The weapon clicked, echoing through the chamber.

“But you are, you were abandoned by your father. You are a castaway without parents. All the man left was a journal to give you false hope, but you are nothing more than a worker here.” His voice was cold. “He abandoned you because you were a burden to him. You were nothing, and you still are nothing to him.”

My heart rushed as I gritted my teeth.

“That’s not true.”

“Where is he then?”

“He is⁠—”

The weapon was fired and this time, it hit me. The exploding rocks sent me tumbling back as a dull pain overran my body. I knew there were no wounds, but the blunt force of the attack made my body numb for a moment. Dust blocked my vision as I heard slow steps heading my way. To my side there were the corpses of the two people that I had just killed.

“He is gone.” The Supervisor whispered, as he loomed over me. I turned to face him, his face was expressionless as he looked down on me. “Sybil, you have been forsaken by the world.”

“That’s⁠—”

“And you betrayed the only place that welcomed you. Now you are alone. Your father never cared about you and simply fed you hopes, dreams, and aspirations that would never come to be. You are nothing, and will die as nothing. You should have run when you had the chance.”

His words cut deep as I gritted my teeth. He grabbed the weapon by its barrel once more, and heaved it as it slid up and down, eliciting a mighty click as a metal casing went flying.

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“Sybil, you really are pathetic.”

My hand reached for the spear to my side, and with a scream of rage I slashed the spear towards his side with [Fallen Embers]. In an instant, blue flashed through my vision just as he pointed the weapon at my face. The Whip Spear’s mechanism clicked and immediately loosened, smacking the firearm out of the air as it fired⁠— rock splintered next to my head as my ears rang with white noise.

Another wall of immaterial glass was shattered as the weapon was thrown aside. The man clicked his tongue as my hearing slowly came back to me. Slowly, I stood up as he grabbed a small saber from his waist.

“I’m not pathetic… If we are talking about pathetic people, it has to be you. Stuck serving this pathetic place.”

“That may be so. But at least I am aware of it. You are but a lost lamb, one without proper aspirations, instead moved by delusions of hope. Tell me Sybil, do you think your father cares about you? He could’ve left you in an orphanage in one of many towns, yet he left you here instead.”

Rage flared within me, as I gripped the spear.

“You know nothing!”

I swung at him, [Fallen Embers] flared along its length with azure radiance. Coating the spear and my body in flames. The Supervisor stepped back and with a flick of his sword, he parried the spear, sending it away while stepping forward. His foot grit on the ground as he spun, kicking me in the chest. My breath was knocked out of my lungs as I was launched back along with the spear. I hit the ground with a shock.

The flames caught onto the Supervisor, yet they were quickly extinguished by a shine of his collar.

“I know everything Sybil, I have watched you for more than a decade. Not once did your father send a letter, not once did he show up aside from the time he was here to get rid of you.”

With a cough, I slowly got up as he looked at me.

“Yet, he still cares about me,” I replied. “My journal is proof of it.”

His expression remained the same. “You have been abandoned, that’s the crux of the matter.”

Finally, I stood before him once more. My heart was rushing, but as I saw him not approaching I finally collected myself. He was just making me angry, trying to get me to snap back to my scaredy self, to the submissive person that I once was, but moreover, he was trying to re-establish his superiority over me.

That realization made me calm down.

“That may be so. But you are abandoned as well, the Overseer is not here, he could’ve sent back up, yet he didn’t. It’s clear that whatever mission this was, he doesn’t care. In the end, you are disposable.”

Instantly a frown formed on his face.

“And it is because of that, that I can kill you and forget about you!”

With those words, I lunged forward with my spear on fire, trying to pierce his heart. He sidestepped and tried to parry the weapon once more, but I quickly pulled it back. I took a step forward as I lunged once more, stabbing at his throat as he was forced to duck slightly.

“What are your goals and aspirations, Mr. Supervisor?”

I thrust again, as he took two steps back. The spear narrowly missed his face, as the flames spread onto it. He flinched for a moment and they were snuffed out once more.

“You are as forgettable as they come. A pawn to someone else. You have no freedom, just like me, and just like me you are just a slave doing someone else’s bidding.”

I feinted, as he reflexively parried, but the spear was pulled back and with my increased agility it immediately pierced into his thigh. He groaned in pain as the fire burned and sizzled his flesh. At that moment, he recoiled and his body began to shine with an almost red glow. My instincts and eyes recognized it as something familiar and I jumped back.

At that moment, there was an explosion of red energy as the flames were extinguished. The spear went flying, landing at my side with a metallic ring. I walked next to it without moving my eyes as the man slowly breathed. I kicked the spear back into my hand as the Supervisor slowly met my gaze. Sweat dripped down his face as he spoke.

“My name is Endrad…”

“I don’t care.”

* * * * *

Endrad had to use a bit of his mana to repel Sybil. Mana that he would never get back, and yet instead of being angry he felt a strange sense of impending doom as he stared at her. She was holding her spear, it was a clumsy stance and yet he couldn’t actually get close to her. Blue flames coated her body and weapon, unceasingly flaring and burning anything in their vicinity.

He had thought he would be able to kill her quickly, but she had recovered from his taunting faster than he had anticipated. And now he knew he had to get her back into that pitfall, and yet he couldn’t. Endrad couldn’t do it. His thoughts wouldn’t allow him to, a mental block, that’s what it was. He was angry. He felt anger at Sybil. She had mocked his identity, goals, and aspirations. She had mocked him as a person.

And now that he had told her his name, she dismissed him. He was furious and in pain. His leg was now a mix of numbness and pain. He should have shot her with the shotgun when he had the chance, but his pride got the better of him. He had wanted to terrify her before he killed her, and now he was paying the price.

He took a deep breath as he held his saber. His leg was for lack of a better word, fucked. But he was still highly trained. Not everyone could be a Supervisor after all. He gritted his teeth for a moment, but soon regained his senses as he stared at Sybil. She was his enemy, nothing more, nothing less, and he had to kill her in order to survive.

He raised his saber. He just had to exhaust her Relic and he would claim victory. The Artificial Relic at his neck cleansed him of any magical afflictions as soon as they were applied. With a deep breath, he got ready for her next attack.

And in an instant, she lunged. The spear nearly pierced his throat, her speed was inhuman, but Endrad found her easy to read so he managed to parry. She attacked and he stepped around the attacks, he didn’t dare underestimate her any more. He tried to cut at her arms but she managed to dodge every time.

Minutes passed as it turned into a deadly and fiery dance. Endrad felt sweat as his leg trembled in pain from its constant usage. The air was heated, almost constricting as it grabbed at his throat. Yet he held on. No matter the superficial burns, the twinges of pain, or the danger he felt. He could hear Sybil grunt and squeak after every attempt on his life.

Endrad could feel it, she was close to exhausting herself. Yet, her gaze remained fixated and chilly, not faltering for a single moment, so he pressed on.

She tried to pierce his throat, burn his face and chest. Endrad parried or dodged everything, and then, she slipped⁠— she had overextended a bit too much and he seized the chance. He took a step forward, swinging his Saber, and by the time she tried to draw back, her forearm had a deep slice.

Sybil let out a grunt, and when Endrad was about to press on, she pointed her finger and a burst of fire zipped at him. He felt a dull pain on his chest as he tumbled back, the wind was knocked out of him for a moment as the Artifact kicked in and extinguished the flames.

Endrad scrambled up, only to be met with a spear. He hastily managed to dodge, as his heart fluttered.

She could still do that?

He could barely feel it, his Artifact was about to be exhausted. Yet, when he examined Sybil, even though she was clearly tired, her flames were unrelenting. Then, a thought crept in, it was only a single word that could explain his predicament.

Ascended.

He hastily shook his head as he dodged another spear hit. He scrambled back for a moment, his mind attempting to deny the truth. Sybil was an Ascended, she had somehow become an Ascended while she was missing, somehow and in some way. He couldn't understand it, all he could do was stumble back and hastily dodge her flames as the Artifact worked in overdrive.

Endrad sweated like never before, his heart was beating faster than ever as his breath caught in his throat. And then, a solution came to him.

He had to run, he had to go find the Overseer.

* * * * *

I frowned feeling the pain in my arm, I had been a bit too eager. At the same time, it was annoying that my flames were so ineffective. The Supervisor stumbled back and I used the chance to level up [Fallen Embers] out of concern for my mana, and injury.

[Passive: Fallen Embers has gained a level. Current level: 5]

Sadly, there was no skill evolution notification. I felt the strain on my mana ease a little and the azure flames began to burn a little brighter, but there was nothing else. With frustration, I continued attacking the Supervisor, focusing on igniting him, but to no avail.

For his size he was too good at dodging, and my skill with the spear was lackluster to say the least. Just as I was entertaining switching to my pickaxe, he pulled out a knife and swiped my spear away with all of his strength. His backpack fell where he was sitting and he used the chance to move backwards before standing up.

However, as he gazed at me I couldn’t help but notice his expression was different. His lips were clasped tight together as his eyes refused to stop looking at me. He scrambled for his waist as he pulled out a familiar object, and finally he spoke as he pointed the wand at me with his shaking hand.

“Get away from me, Sybil…”

His voice was trembling slightly, yet I stepped ahead anyway.

“I know what that is, and it will kill you if you use it.”

The Supervisor closed his eyes for a moment. “I will die anyway. You are a monster, an Ascended, the scum of humanity.”

“What’s so bad about being an Ascended?”

He gritted his teeth. “You are no different than the beasts of the Dark Hollow, your whole existence is about killing. That’s why you killed the other Supervisors, but don’t worry the Mayor will surely kill you.”

“The Mayor?”

He stepped away without saying anything, and once more I stepped forward but he pointed at me with the wand again.

“You are a monster, nothing else, nothing more. You are no longer human. Because of your kind we humans are lesser. The Ascended are a tragedy of humanity, they take and cull our numbers and look at where we ended up!”

He spat, his voice growing by the second, and yet I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

“If the Mayor saw you⁠— no, he will see you, I will make sure of it.”

I stepped forward once more and he pointed the stick. I was supposed to be afraid of it, but the Supervisor was shaking, and at that moment, I sighed. His hand shook.

“What’s so⁠—”

A flame struck his hand, throwing the Artificial Relic from his grip. It went flying as his eyes widened for a moment, and then he met my gaze as his entire body quivered. He took slow steps back as I got slowly closer to him. And finally, he spoke without power or authority, begging and pleading.

“Please don’t kill me…”

I felt heat within my chest. Glory. Victory. I savored it for a moment, before I took the chance to speak.

“You insulted my father and my being. Only to be more pathetic yourself.”

“I’m sorry⁠—”

I raised my finger as he paused. He kept backing off, with slow steps, his face had crumpled, his calm countenance was gone. All that remained was the pathetic man that he was.

“Now die.”

I fired the [Fallen Ember Shot] and at that moment, a black shadow ripped from the wall, and with a long and drawn out growl I saw a splatter of blood as the World’s Voice spoke within my ears.

[You have assisted to slay: (Supervisor of the Grand Mine of Armag Hollow) Human. Lvl. 15]

[Assist: less experience has been awarded.]

The ember bolt struck the ground as a cacophony of roars entered my ears. And then, I saw it. It was tall, almost scraping the ceiling, its spine was deformed and it curved inwards. Its claws were reminiscent of talons much like a Prowling Harvester, and its body was covered with purple fur laced with jutting spikes. Its six eyes stared at me as its vertical maw opened, splitting its face in two as saliva dripped onto the ground. I could hear the charging beasts as the World’s Voice spoke.

[(Beast of the Dark Hollow) Hollowed Charger. Lvl. 27]

Level… 27?

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