Chapter 6: Chapter 6 – First C Ranked Portal

Sanctuary was built on the remnants of Atlanta area after the destruction that came from the the initial portal openings, destroying the military of the US

When hunters started appearing, it gave humanity hope and when they discovered the gemstones, it gave mankind the ability to rebuild the city with unlimited amount of energy to replace the electricity needs of Sanctuary that was already running like an independent sovereign nation

Since then, they have received news about hunters from other parts of the globe, and even from the other cities of the US, about other cities who have similarly rebuilt cities using the resources gained from their own hunters raiding their portals

However, travel between cities, let alone to other lands were impossible at the moment due to the numerous dangerous portals that have acted like borders, separating the distance between the surviving cities

From Sanctuary, a few powerful hunters appeared after the initial hunters, becoming powerful and influential, and eventually started their own teams with similarly powerful hunters. Zeus and Odin were examples of such hunters

As for the Hunters Guild, it was founded by the joint donated funds of these Hunters and was tasked with the administration that the hunters didn't want to do personally

Instead, the Hunters Guild runs independently as per the agreement between the first hunters, less they get manipulated by any one team, which nobody wanted, and they separately blocked any attempt by any team to unduly influence the Hunters Guild

Even so, the original hunters had alot of influence in the Hunters Guild

This was the reason Virgil was cautious with the Guild and didn't reveal his real identity, as he intended to get his revenge on Olympus

Today, he was joining a C ranked portal, located in the outskirts of what was once Atlanta, and if the group managed to secure the portal, they arguably would have expanded the city

Not only that, they would have access to the world beyond in the portal too, which would increase the influence and wealth of Sanctuary and the wealth of the Hunters Guild there too

Virgil stood in the group of over 30 Hunters, but was an independent hunter and not part of any of the teams that were there

To remain hidden, he wore his white featureless mask and wore dark leather armor for the rest of his body, and a hood that covered the rest of his head besides his masked face

He stood alone, not summoning any clones, leaving only a sole clone in his motel room in case anything happens to him. This was his spare that could take over as the "Prime" Virgil if he was killed

He kept the rest of the clones and even the clone of Edora the High Elf as spares in case he needed them in the advanced portal. He has been absorbing her memories over the past days days, and it was too much for him to take right now. So he left it aside, leaving his clone in the motel to sort through them

".. Virgin..." the representative from the Hunter's Guild called, which snapped Virgil back to reality

"Present" he answered as the various hunters got into a line

"As you know, the hunters here have been keeping the creatures at bay, but we don't know what you'll expect when you cross over. Secure the portal, use any means necessary. Good luck" he said as the various hunters lowered their visors of their helmets, got ready and in random groups they charged, jumping through the portal

Virgil looked at the chaotic and random behavior of the hunters and got ready himself, before charging in 

Having experienced the many lower level portals, he was ready for the jump. But unlike the lower level portals, where he could land on the other side, get oriented with the situation and plan his advance, he landed right in the middle of a savage battle!

He drew two shortswords from his pocket dimension and attacked, as screams of the various hunters echoed around him

Several of the hunters were already counterattacking, but they were injured as the alien race charged at them from all directions

The creatures attacking them were black in color, roughly humanoid or insect shaped with 10 tentacles for legs. They had arms but instead of hands, the ends of their arms were a long blade in each arm

Their heads were sharp, with savage jaws filled with fangs, and 4 triangle shapes for their eyes

Virgil engaged his first creature, but besides the fact that they were vicious and fast, he found them to be barely any threat, and staved off his urge to summon his clones

He killed the first one the way he would a normal creature in the lower level portals. No doubt, they were faster and tougher, but it was nothing Virgil couldn't handle at the moment

After about an hour of fighting, there seemed to be a lull from the battle as the surviving hunters took a breather

There were more hunters than Virgil expected, and he thought to himself that he might have underestimated the hunters and overestimated his own abilities if he expected to be the only one succeeding here

A muscular man walked over, wearing a toga and smiling at him

"Well met" he said to Virgil

"Er... hello" Virgil said, taken aback as the man was so forward

"I saw you fight earlier and I was impressed. Are you a C Rank?" he asked

"Er.. yes. I recently got promoted and this is my first C Rank portal" Virgil said

"We are always looking for talented fighters like you. My name is Ares. I am from the Olympus Group" he said, opening his arms to shake

"I..I am... er. Virgin" Virgil said shaking Ares hand, uncomfortable as this was the group he wanted revenge on

"So, will you consider joining us?" Ares asked

"I... uh..." Virgil stammered, as he seriously didn't want to join them. But then again, it would be easier to get vengeance from within. And he could see Rachel again to ask what's going on

"No hurry.. Why don't you come down to our headquarters? I'll show you around" Ares said

"Maybe... maybe I'll do that" Virgil said, now suddenly being worried that he is being watched

Virgil stayed in the portal, exploring the world on the other side, facing more and more powerful strange creatures

He actually teamed up with a few of the other Hunters, and even the Olympus team a few times

The Olympus sent a team of 4 hunters, each with a code name with that of a Greek God

They were Ares, Dionysus, Artemis and Hermes

He grew particularly close to Ares' teammate Dionysus, who was another B Rank which Olympus sent with Ares, and was also jointly in charge of their Olympus group

Although Ares was the first one to reach out to him, he was mostly an admirer of Virgil's battle prowess, and he wasn't interested in much else

Ares seemed to really be a God of War, being good in all forms of weapons and combat

Dionysus however, seemed to be good in everything. He was a B Class like Ares, and was nearly as proficient in warring as Ares was. Only in their rest time, he was more relaxed and chill, which Virgil liked

Because of this, his heart started wavering about destroying Olympus

Perhaps it was only Apollo and perhaps Hercules who were bad eggs, and maybe not all of them were bad?

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As they ventured together in this world, Virgil levelled up several more times, and was now an estimated level 10 (if he counted properly)

The realm wasn't easy and Virgil got injured several times, which demonstrated his healing abilities

"No wonder they call you the immortal man" Dionysus smiled as they took cover in an abandoned alien building

Virgil nodded under his mask after healing his wounds, but leaving gashes on his leather armor to prevent suspicion

They were attacking what looked like some sort of alien building nearby, and besides the Olympians, a few other powerful hunters had joined them

"I'll destroy the wall and flush them out" a B Ranked hunter named Das Bomba said with a maniacal smile

"The bigger the better. I love it" Ares smiled, looking just as mad

Dionysus sighed and nodded at Hermes

Hermes had enhanced speed and strength, and together with Ares and Dionysus, they were in charge of training Artemis who was a C Rank. Hermes was placed in charge of Artemis and wasn't too confident the attack would go well

Virgil watched silently from behind his mask

Without warning, Das Bomba charged holding a glowing bomb he generated from his hand

Suddenly, from a long sharp object from the building, which looked like one of the alien arms, extended and sliced through the air

Das Bomba's head was instantly lobbed off, and his arm was still held backwards, releasing the bomb backwards towards the hiding place where the rest was

Hermes instantly moved, reaching to the bomb

"No!" Dionysus screamed as he moved after Hermes

"Fuck" Ares said as he jumped to protect Artemis

The bomb exploded in mid air, causing a huge concussive blast which destroyed the building they were hiding in

Virgil felt his body being ripped apart and instantly resummoned himself and dispelled the injured clone, healing his body instantly

He looked around and saw that everyone else in the building with him were badly injured

Das Bomba's bomb had ripped Hermes to pieces and Dionysus lay on the ground, his arms missing and his face badly mangled

Ares was struggling to get off the ground and Artemis was bleeding from a wound to her stomach

Several other hunters with them were barely alive

Just then, the alien creature, twice as large as the ones they've fought before this, ventured out of the building

It's bladed arms extended and whipped around, each 20 feet long

Virgil, who by now had rushed to Dionysus was carrying him away, when he felt his chest being pierced from behind as the blade protruded from his chest

The blade cut through his torso, exiting his shoulder and missing his neck and head when he fell to the ground with Dionysus

"Virgin!" Ares yelled, still caring for Artemis

Virgil respawned another clone and dispelled this clone, standing up and withdrawing his sword from his pocket dimension

"Ares.. take them out of here. I will keep him at bay" Virgil said

Ares looked at him, itching for battle himself, but saw Dionysus so badly injured, and looked at Hermes' splattered pieces, then looked at Artemis and nodded 

"You better survive. Swear it" Ares said

"I will. Go!" Virgil said as he turned around and charged at the creature

The creature had by now killed several of the other hunters and was piercing a female hunter through the face

The creature, sensing someone attacking, sliced the female hunter's face apart and turned to face Virgil

Virgil attacked with his two shortswords against the monster's two long whip like bladed arms and they battled at extreme speeds

Virgil watched Ares take out a gadget and with a push of a button, he, Dionysus, Artemis and even Hermes' remnant bodyparts disappeared

Knowing that nobody else was left alive, and finding himself barely losing ground to the whip blades that were moving at the speed of sound like a whip, suddenly 10 clones appeared

As a level 10, he could summon 11 clones. 1 was left as a spare in the motel room, while there was 9 identical clones of himself

The 10th clone was that of Edora, who was naked, wearing only an identical white mask. The rest of the clones were masked too, but were clothed with identical leather armor

"Not so confident, now are you?" Virgil smiled as all 9 Virgils ganged up on the creature and shortly overpowered him

He turned to Edora and wondered why wasn't she dressed?

"I don't want to wear your clothes. You haven't dressed me in what I like" she said stubbornly, as if reading his thoughts

Indeed, unlike the other clones which had identical thoughts as him, she was unique and had a separate personality

And as he found, although like the rest of his clones, she will unwaveringly obey the "Prime" Virgil, apparently the strength of her personality was so strong, the rest of the clones will obey her, unless the Prime says otherwise

"Ok... do as you wish, but don't be seen" Virgil said, dispelling the rest of his clones but leaving Edora

She nodded and sauntered and picked up Artemis's bow and quiver she left behind

With that, they both charge on, deeper into the unknown world

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