Nathan looked at the large horn that had slammes into the rubble below with a smile.
On one hand, he was angry as hell at these idiots who had kidnapped Reuben and were apparently conducting experiments on demigod children. But on the other hand, he was happy to have gained so many more points.
Drago led him downwards and he whisked the horn into his inventory.
The mist was gathering all around the building like a tidal wave. The streets swollen with debris and dust were now littered with police cars and from the frequent bouts of thunder in the sky, Nathan knew lingering too long was not wise.
Such a large scale battle had obviously attracted the attention of the gods. He needed to get the demigods out before some god in his/her willfulness decided to descend and question him.
He pulled out the Compass from his inventory as the Celestial Dust Armor flowed back into his body.
Godly Metals were poison to monsters. And the drakon had been no exception. Nathan knew he couldn't beat the Drakon without suffering major injuries and destroying the city in the process, not with how he was currently. Luckily, the Celestial Dust armor could slip between the injuries of the Drakon.
After that, it was simply a matter of reaching the brain and making the dust burst out into deadly spikes.
The dust moved like a living mass of flesh, seeping deep into his skin and disappearing soon enough.
Drago flew into the depression at the base of the building, and the sun was finally blotted out by concrete.
...
"Let's see..." Nathan muttered. The Compass turned into his hand and pointed him to a specific tunnel. Without hesitation, he led Drago right through it.
As he did so, he suddenly opened his inventory.
[Name: Nathan Hill
Job: Hunter
Earned Titles: None
Loaded Items: Titan's Lungs
Perks: Pantheon lore; Hunter's Instincts(++++); Blessing of Mana-Yood-Sushai; Personal Elemental Resistance(+++)
Skills: Melee Proficiency; Ranged Proficiency; Mist(+); Concealment; Runic Enchanter(++++); Wild Breathing; Rage(++)
Physical Conditions:
Fitness: ++++
Spirit: ++++
Insight: ++++]
[Items: Leviathan Axe; Quiver; Arrows(30); Transmutation Cube; Compass of Desire; Bow; Divine Dust Armor]
[Customization Points: 2509.8]
His eyes momentarily shone at the large amount of points gathered before he shook his head and focused.
I have no idea how many kids there actually are here. I don't wanna have to make more trips back and forth. I'll design something that lets me carry them all at once.
The labyrinth, as always, was elusive and difficult to navigate. Many a times, he had to put Drago back into his inventory and squeeze through narrow gaps.
But eventually, he arrived at a juncture.
Right before him was a heavy metal door. On the door was a strange Symbol he couldn't quite make out the meaning of.
It looked somewhat like an anvil, but in the middle of the anvil was something that looked to be a mishmash between a skull, a drop, tentacles and illusory lines.
Nathan heaved a deep sigh. The air then rushed into his lungs, making his muscles swell with unnatural strength. His hands scraped over the cold metal door and pushed.
Groaaaaaannn~
The door didn't budge. Nathan looked at the door in some shock before he pulled Drago out of his inventory.
"Go, Drago! Use tackle!"
Roooooar!!!!
...
K and Reuben sat side to side, listening to the constant explosions outside.
K's expression was grim and gaunt. His eyes were shaky and his hand was clenched so tight that it drew blood.
Reuben, on the other hand, looked almost ecstatic. He heard the explosions with visible glee, sure that his saviour of a big brother had come yet again to draw him out of a prison. And this time, he would not be the only one to be saved.
Boom!
The room shook again, making many of the kids cover their ears and scream out. Reuben was the only one who cheered.
On the far side of the room, Little James had begun to wail, which set off a cascade reaction of crying.
K tried to get everything under control, telling them everything was alright. He didn't seem so sure himself...
K tightly hugged Little James and his sister close to him, for they were the youngest of them. He looked at Reuben from the corner of his eyes. His gaze seemed to have been one of pity, but Reuben saw some malice somewhere inside there.
But eventually, as the chaos increased more and more inside the chamber, the noises outside ceased.
The silence persisted. No one dared to speak.
After a whole 2 minutes of stillness, a meek voice rang out in the room.
"Is... is it over?"
No one answered.
And then, a roar came from outside their room.
Boom!
And the door flew open.
...
High above, perched atop the clouds was a well built man with a big white beard. He wore a white suit and in his hands was a metallic rod, shimmering like liquid gold.
His eyes were a dense, electric blue and a snarl hung at his face.
Lightning flashed in the clouds around him, rumbling and groaning as if it were alive.
"Wjat do you think?" A voice asked from behind him.
"They are all only transient. But how that mortal achieved such a level of strength in today's age is a matter of concern."
"Are you sure?" The voice asked with a laugh. "Transient is a bold claim. It's hardly inaccurate, but its just bold."
The old man turned around, his piercing eyes locking onto a young man who shrugged his shoulders and held up his hands in surrender.
"Just a thought, pops. I remember you said the same thing about Herakles back in the day. Transient things can last a long long time you know."
The old man turned back and gazed once again at the ground. His eyes narrowed in thought before he opened his mouth again.
"How long has Artemis known about that man?"
"Not too long to my knowledge. She's always moody, she didn't give me anything to work with." The man continued. "I did hear something interesting though. Apparently, this man was hunting in the Appalachian Wilderness. He got pelted with monkey feces there before he went ahead and slew the Catoblepas."
"Monkey feces?" The old man, Zeus, raised a slight eyebrow before letting out a shallow snort.
"...I'd be more surprised about the Catoblepas than monkey feces." Apollo let out a shallow whisper.
"Just an old cow. Not worth mentioning. The Lydian Drakon is way more important." Zeus huffed for a moment before something clicked in his mind.
"Sunmon Bia. If she'd disciplined her kid properly, things wouldn't have spiralled out of control like this. And inform Hecate. Keep the lid on tight."
Apollo looked back with a smile.
"Hear that, bro?"
A golden light bloomed behind them and a well dressed man with a sharp nose, upturned eyebrows and a mischievous grin that rested permanently on his face.
"Loud and clear." His form exploded into a shower of gold once again, disappearing from view and leaving the father and son sitting atop the clouds.
...
"Damn it..." A clear voice rang out in the dark tunnel.
Jack Coffery sat with his back to the wall as he stared up at an endless void above him. The walls seemed to rise into nothing and right in front of him, engrained on the wall was a Greek Delta Symbol.
"What should I do..." He scratched his chin, deep in thought before a smile spread over his lips.
"Should I release them?" He wondered. But no sooner did the smile appear, was it replaced by a frown.
"Nah, I can't do that. Roy won't let me hear the end of it. Fuck..."
As he sat in contemplation, his back suddenly straightened up.
Jack Coffery's eyes widened and shot over to the right.
Shadows spread across the tunnel, but somewhere along there, he could see a baleful blue glow emanating from the dim darkness.
Jack sighed.
"Sigh! Just what I needed..."
...
...