Second Genesis

Grey didn’t actually know if he had the intention to return at all when he left.

This was the second Instance in a row now that he was thrown in with people who were probably from other Zones. He had never seen a single one of their faces before.

One would think that this was just normal, but it was far from the case. From what Grey read in the tutorial, nothing of the sort was mentioned. Instances were either a very personal thing, either for the one or the group that entered it.

But this sort of multi-pronged, several-entry sort of Instance wasn’t mentioned in the tutorial documents at all.

The first time Grey read things he just skimmed them. But the second time, he had gone far more in depth and his memory felt far better now than ever before. He was sure he was correct.

Was it a coincidence, then, that the two Instances he had entered not only had these odd tweaks to them, but were also related to the Savage Races?

’Am I thinking too much? Nothing about the Savage Races appeared this time... just the Dark Kin, and only from Blood alone.’

"Hey, we’re closing the perimeter for the night. We’ll have to ask you to go back to your tent. This region is very dangerous. This is for your own protection."

Grey had already expected the interruption. They weren’t just going to let him walk out.

They really were being held here. For what reason? He didn’t know.

But he also wasn’t going to sit around and find out either.

His battle axe cut through the air and a pair of Holy Knights were split in two, up from the hip of one through their chest and then the chest of the latter, but ending across the second’s shoulder.

The two Holy Knights fell in a splatter and Grey shot forward, disappearing into the night.

It wouldn’t be long before everyone realized what happened. The sun was already setting, the light was dim, and no one could have ever expected the most abrupt and vicious form of ’escape’ there was to be Grey’s chosen path.

For once, though, luck was on Grey’s side. It would be several minutes before anyone noticed anything.

...

The land between the encampment and the city rapidly changed from desert terrain and dried lands to lush trees. Grey was even sure he saw the start of a river, it budded up from the ground in a tiny small creek before becoming large almost too quickly to seem natural.

When Grey had been looking from a distance, all he had seen was the city. It was large and imposing, grand in a way that demanded attention, so much so he had completely glossed over the sheer amount of nature that existed here.

This nature was interrupted by one thing, though. Paved roads.

They started quite quickly after the dried desert began to fade away.

Grey didn’t hide himself, running right along it. It was the fastest way, so why not. Plus, at his pace, there was no way he was going to be able to catch up.

He was extremely fast when he used his body like a solar sail, but as high as his Stamina was, it wasn’t infinite. Plus, he got the feeling that he was going to be needing that Stamina very soon for things other than just being super fast.

In just half an hour or so, Grey caught a real look at the gate of the city. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

’Really?’

He finally shifted into the forest and away from the main roads. Still, there was a huge no-man’s land between where the forest lay and where the walls of the city actually began. There must have been at least half a kilometer.

It was a near impossibility to make it to the city without being spotted by some sort of guard or watchman.

Grey, though, wasn’t focused on any of this. Instead, he saw a familiar cart still sitting outside of the city. Two of them.

’Dammit.’ Grey cursed.

He was right. One of those carts must have had Blood in it, and the other must have had the heavily injured prisoners.

Sir Pebble was nowhere to be found, but there was another group communicating with what looked to be the guards of the city. The situation wasn’t what Grey would consider confrontational at all—the opposite, actually.

They didn’t look like they were handling any real business but like they were just chatting and laughing to waste time.

’That guy said that Sir Pebble had to go and report to the Bishop. Are they waiting for that?’

Suddenly, the ground rumbled. Grey thought the gates were opening up, but something unexpected happened instead.

A path buried beneath the ground shook open. Dirt rose and then fell in a rain, two hydraulic pillars slowly extending upward. It looked like a hidden underground hangar. But it wasn’t just a hangar at all. From this vantage point, Grey could see a line of light that extended deep underground until it dipped too low to get the rest of the picture.

It wasn’t an underground hangar. Maybe there was a hangar at the end of it, but it was a huge underground passage.

They wanted to move something through the city without it being seen.

Grey immediately thought of the underground sewer passages that Giyoto used. But then he started cursing under his breath.

It was night time, but the only stealth option he had was an Uncommon Prestige item. He wasn’t sure if it would be more effective at a distance or not, but by the time he got close that answer wouldn’t matter because they would definitely detect him at that point.

’Should I just fight it out here? The rumbling will mask a lot of the battle anyway.’

He dismissed the thought. He wasn’t a coward, but he wasn’t fast enough to stop them from running—at least not all of them. If they saw the battle going sideways, one of them would definitely be able to send for help.

’FUCK!’

Grey wracked his brain until his eyes shone bright with an idea.

He pulled the Russian assassin’s cloak out.