'Luxuria-13-6-182 – Elysium' would now be what other people call this Eidolon. Even though I've succeeded in defeating it once, nothing dictates that it will stop, even with its ability to be cognizant. People will be trapped by it again, and until another rescue comes, how many of them will end up turning into new Eidolon?
Currently I am sitting in my room again, drained and in pain after the developments so far already. Here, Lady Valentine then begins to move from where I set it aside, noticing a slight change in my guise that suggested my openness.
"You didn't have any time for it, but I decided to sneak out in the chaos to claim whatever was on Elysium's body."
She then handed me an origami crane and a holographic cube. The crane seemed plain at first, but written on it were countless things in various handwriting, all of them expressing something they wished to be true. The cube, meanwhile, exuded a large amount of power that I wasn't ever able to hold within my hands. I couldn't grasp it truly here, either as it still felt further away.
It is the sense that you're holding some precious artifact with untold powers within that only a high-rank Eidolon could instill in a person. It might just be my historical intrigue getting me excited about stuff like this, but it does really feel like I can sense the power within these Eidolon. I guess it could also be linked to my experience of hearing Eidolon voices.
The only Eidolon I've been able to tell the powers of this way were those I've seen or held, and it has only triggered for Eidolon of at least Rank 5. In total that would be Fleeting Light and Elysium for Eidolon monsters, and Samuel's Butterflies, the Philosopher's Palm in the Eidolon Store, Elizabeth's Blood Leech, Sought Destruction in the Eidolon Store, Abandoned Promise, Revenant's Deep Crimson Blade, and Dremonte's Mikazuki Munechika. One more Eidolon in which I could just very faintly sense it was Revenant's new sword during the last fight. Perhaps honing my weird Eidolon sense will be useful in the future.
I look into the Eidolon Register to view the items given to me by Lady Valentine. Both of them aren't contained within it. I wonder why that Imar guy didn't notice them. I suppose this Eidolon sense is only mine? I should ask about these two then sometime. That guy had already left yesterday.
Actually, I had even received mail today, which surprised me, but since a letter with the government stamp was placed at the top, I didn't have the energy to open a singular one.
Well, it has to be done, especially if it has to do with something like bills or taxes.
"To Nathan Verren,
It has come to our attention that you have, during recent times, undertaken activities that, while unauthorized, align closely with the operational interests of this office.
Your efficiency in resolving matters deemed 'sensitive' has not gone unnoticed. Without your intervention, there would have been a greater risk to this city that would have required formal deployment of state resources.
We are prepared to offer you official designation as a state-authorized Eidolon Hunter under Section 15.3 of the Eidolon Risk Prevention Act. This status would provide legal immunity for sanctioned operations, access to classified intelligence relevant to your assignments, and compensation commensurate with your demonstrated capability.
In return, you would agree to undertake assignments as directed.
We personally prefer cooperation. However, continued unsanctioned activity may result in formal responses by the state.
Should you wish to discuss the terms further, present yourself at the enclosed address within the Beta Echelon Zone by the end of the year.
We look forward to a potential business partnership with you and hope you will act in the interest of the maintenance and protection of the state.
– Mr. Imar, Department of Eidolon Classification and Research"
Well, enclosed within this letter are more details on the job offer. It seems like I might be able to act as someone similar to a cleaner with more freedom, or just act under an official license. The pay itself is pretty extraordinary. Enough to support an entire family on my own within the Gamma Echelon Zone and still have enough to save up for a future within the Beta Echelon Zone after only two to three generations.
The issues here would obviously be that I am restricting myself heavily by the law. The government of Iphte-houp really doesn't give two shits about illegal activities as long as they aren't directly affected. If someone were to build a doomsday device in the Epsilon Echelon Zone, it would be shut down by the state, but even in the 'civilized' Gamma Echelon Zone, they very rarely act themselves. Because of that CNC plant infested with a lot of miasma and eggs, they were forced to act. I imagine they are considerably more strict within the Beta and Alpha Echelon Zones, since this is where influential and rich people live.
If I have reason to remain a long time within the Beta Echelon Zone as a 'rogue Eidolon Hunter,' then I should consider this offer, but otherwise it isn't worth it. It feels weird to say no to a load of money, but as long as Calypso stuffs my pockets, it'll be fine.
The next letter was sent by Revenant? He left pretty abruptly only a few hours after that Imar showed up due to important business, so I guess he will be gone a little longer since he bothers sending me a letter. Actually, why is he doing that? He could've just texted me.
"Greetings Nathan,
I know it's odd of me to inform you via mail, but due to current circumstances, I am left with no other options at the moment. Due to having reclaimed and used my sword, I had revealed my identity to some certain individuals. All in all, my old home has drastically changed due to some radical actions within.
Previously, I promised you that I would reveal some of my past to you, and I intend to keep my promise.
I essentially grew up within a clan of people that call themselves the Spire of the Dragon, and each of them is obsessed with strength. I too was once obsessed the same way they were. Training was hard and deadly. We all were just called by our number, depending on which rank within the order we held. It was rare that these spaces changed since we made sure to prevent death using resurrection.
I myself have experienced death and, as such, fell into Acheron's hands. Alas, I was placed at the fourth seat out of eight. Our group had people from Link 4 to Link 7, and I had reached Link 5 during my stay. I technically still am Link 5, but since I left behind this clan, I had also left behind many other things, so I took upon myself the alias of Revenant and left behind many pieces of equipment in secret stashes, only taking my Deep Crimson Blade with me.
Maybe you had already pieced this together due to my expertise with the sword, but I certainly wasn't who I seemed. As the fourth seat, I was one of the people of the clan who made a name for himself throughout the city. The city's surveillance system has already grown an incredible amount, so I don't believe I will ever be able to relinquish the classified knowledge I have on it or their combat techniques. As such, I can only hope that you never have to end up fighting them like I had to. Trust me when I say that what I had to do to get the government off of my tail cost me too much.
There will be a list of names I'll include on the members of the group I worked with and their Links, but as I said, things changed. From what one of them told me, they seemed to have split in two, one group retaining the name, the other taking the title of Dragon's Ascent. Both of them are spearheaded by a Link 7, so it goes without saying that opposing them would not be the wisest of ideas.
The reason I am leaving is to investigate further. I will work towards removing one of these two groups at least, since the war between them has only cost the lives of helpless civilians and government officials so far, with neither side experiencing any losses due to their nature. Unfortunately, I would have to join one group to get rid of the other. I lack the resources to do so on my own.
Usually this is a task where I would depend on valued friends, and I can imagine that you would be itching to assist me, and I don't want to take this opportunity away from you, so once you reach Link 5, come and visit me in the Beta Echelon Zone.
– Revenant"
So he was Link 5 all this time. I guess without many of his Sin Equipment and Eidolon, he would fall into the category of Link 4. And the list of names he handed me included seven people, meaning that clan is made of eight people, including him. It also mentions that this clan still has eight people, whilst the other has nine people. These seven people included four people of Link 4 and one of each grade above. Considering how this has been in the past, I can expect any person of Link 4 or 5 to have reached about a Link higher by now. Among them was Kang-joon Guanyu, a member who used to be Link 4 and seat five, directly below Revenant. He was a relative of the Fang Guanyu I fought. Lastly, there was one more letter from the Beta Echelon Zone.
"To my good friend,
I have been able to observe your actions and am positively thrilled by your growth. So much so that I am even willing to offer you a seat within my own schemes. I am not trying to restrain you, but instead I will sponsor you.
You are a man of logic and honor. I don't need to tell you that this city reeks of inequality and secrets – you already know about them. I can, however, make sure that you can act here in the Beta Echelon Zone. I will fund you a small house of your own and show you some of the secrets of this city.
You already know that I hold influence within this city, so I can tell you what others cannot. And I know that when I tell you the truth, you will want to fight for the same reason as I do.
I also know that you have a desire to grow stronger. For that, you will have to pass certain milestones, and the next is the Miasma. You have been searching for the solution, and you have made sure that you get an answer, and once you do, I can elaborate. Beating the Miasma means you can already grow all the way up to Link 6, but if you aren't careful, you can lock yourself out of Link 7. I have likely already barred myself entry to that Link due to my past actions.
To be fully honest with you, I just want to see you grow into a Link 7 Eidolon Hunter. I want to be the person to get you there so that I can then rely on you to help me when I eventually make a severe miscalculation.
I suppose you aren't easily convinced, so I shall leave you with this:
A fine matron within Eucalyptus Hall, who is a matriarch of a major noble family, has recently shown a sudden interest in the Altus Opus. Usually this wouldn't be out of the ordinary, since certain information on it is given to certain nobles and other special people, but her interest usually was quite low. From what I gathered, she is advancing into the Brass Canopy of it, hoping to destroy and rebuild it in the name of the current mayor.
You wouldn't know why this is an issue, but the Altus Opus should remain undisturbed for a reason. There are also enough reasons for why nobody should venture outside of the Abandoned Delta in the first place.
Clearing up something like this will have you end up as Link 5, no doubts about it. I'll join you in this endeavor as well.
You'll know where to find me. I'll be waiting.
– Calypso Verda"
I believe he had seen some potential in me, especially since he knows about the voice I can hear. His words aren't to be taken at face value. He likely wants to abuse this ability of mine, but when I think about it, there isn't much reason for me to refuse. Whilst I would be used to forwarding Calypso's goals, I would also get ahead on my own goals. Reaching Link 7 should give me what I need to do what I want, and Calypso will be great in that regard.
So I think I will go for Calypso, and following that I will then also help Revenant. Sylphara still owes me information on the Miasma, but she isn't doing all too well, so I'll let her rest for a bit.
Moving down the stairs, I see Mary cleaning up the house. I walk over to her and tell her that I'll be headed for the Beta Echelon Zone now, but she doesn't nod.
"Do you really think I would allow that? You do remember what I told you before, don't you?"
"Oh, about me witnessing that assassination before Lethe? Yeah, I don't really care about that, to be honest. I mean, for blackmail, you have been treating me pretty kindly."
"So that's how it is then. I see now. Well, my generosity has been tied to certain things, and partially due to my own plans with you, but I suppose it has to end."
"Will you go and try to kill me then?"
"I probably still could. It'd be close, but I have prepared strategies for fighting you. Well, I'm not really interested. I was never told to kill you, and for my own plans, you're best kept alive. I guess I'm just warning you that you'll be hunted from now on if you leave. You can try to kill me right here if you dare, but whatever the outcome is, you will still be hunted."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Honestly, I'm not really that scared. Sure, your group probably goes up to Link 5 or so, but in a few days I'll have reached Link 4; just watch me."
"Alright. Goodbye, Nathan. Here's to hoping we don't meet again."
"Bye, Mary. Thanks for everything. If– never mind."
Maybe we wouldn't have to be enemies. Hah, if only I had the power to change things, but I need to keep moving forward for that power, even if it means leaving behind my lifelines. I guess there is one more person I should say goodbye to then.
Nathan_V: Hey, Lis, I'll be heading to the Beta Echelon Zone very soon. Do you want to meet up somewhere one more time?
Blue_Cupcake: Sure, I'll be taking your blood one more time then. Will you return to Gamma again?
Nathan_V: Yes, sometimes. Sylphara still owes me, so I'll be back in a few days then, but besides that, I think I'll still have good reason to return here.
Blue_Cupcake: Then let's meet at Gate 2-05.
Gate 2-05, huh? Aren't there only nine gates between the two Echelon Zones, though? I guess I'll be heading there all the same.
I don't even know if I want to pick up any more Sin Equipment or not. Calypso gave me the money I need to pass through the gate, which, for a visit without a given reason, costs 5 Phalite, yikes.
I'll be going along the main road, so from the Citrus District, it'll be through the Rose, Trombone, Tulip, and Trombone again. Gate 2-05 is actually directly north from the incident area where I initially met Elizabeth.
Since it is already the afternoon, I shouldn't really keep her waiting for long. On foot this will probably take me at least three hours. I guess I'll head by bus.
Standing in front of a bus stop, I feel a little weird about it. I've never been on a bus before, and what I've heard of it is mostly mixed. It'll get you from point A to point B, that's for sure. Soon an old dark blue bus arrived at the station. I paid the fare of 5 Gael and looked for a seat. Luckily there was a row of two seats still open for me, so I didn't have to sit next to some stranger.
As the bus started to move, I saw the city begin to move past me through the window. Countless different buildings and people are just seen for brief moments in time. It feels pretty good to be moving this fast. Given the route I am taking, the architecture changes whilst passing through the various districts, which is always refreshing.
Once the last stop is reached, I leave the bus. I messaged Elizabeth and found a meeting spot at a cafe, which she treated me to.
Quickly I manage to find the cafe and enter inside, sitting down at a table nearby. Given it is Elizabeth, I order her a slice of cake, expecting her to arrive by the time it is delivered to the table.
Soon enough, Elizabeth sits down at my table.
"So you're already sick of this Echelon Zone, huh? I can't really imagine how someone like you, from the Delta Echelon Zone, feels about this Echelon Zone, but I can tell you how it is for me. The Beta Echelon Zone is the surveillance zone. I think everything you do is monitored, and with so many important people, you feel that you have to always keep pushing, no matter what. Just to not end up being crushed by the pressure."
"Well, I have my reasons for going there. Three in total now. What do you think the odds are that I end up going to Alpha too?"
"Given we're talking about you, I think you'll go there eventually, but right now I can't picture why you'd do it. I mean, unless you're directly invited by someone from that zone, you cannot enter through the gate. I assume Calypso made it possible for you to continue?"
"Yeah, of course. So, what will you continue doing?"
"Follow on my own path, I suppose. Without you, things will get a bit more calm again, so I'll continue doing what I've always been doing."
"Bingeing anime?"
"Haha, yeah, most likely. I do have some other things planned, though."
"Like?"
"Well, a fashion show is happening pretty soon, and I feel like I want to take part. I might not win, but I get to show off some of my wardrobe to this town at least."
"Oh yeah, certainly."
"I actually was cleaning up when you texted me, and I found some old books in case you want to read them."
"What kind?"
"Well, they're some lesser-known AU stories. I personally love the genre. Like, one of them is all about what the world would be like if someone got transported into an alternate universe where Eidolon didn't exist. I mean, I also have some Isekai light novels with me, but you probably wouldn't be into them too much given you don't watch anime."
"Right, I did want to watch anime at some point, since you had mentioned it was pretty neat. I guess if we meet up again, we could do it."
"You'd do that? That's honestly pretty cool, but ahh… what anime should I watch with a normie like you? I don't mean to offend you with that, by the way."
"Anyways, I guess I can try reading some of that, uh, Isekai, was it? Oh, and I would be interested in these AU stories too. I mean, I likely won't have all too many entertainment sources. Once I settle into the Beta Echelon Zone, I probably want to lie down for a couple of days to give my body some actual rest."
"Hmm, maybe a classic shounen?"
"Lis?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was kind of listening, just a little lost in thought, haha."
"Uh, sure."
"My macaron could help you with your sore muscles if you want to."
"I've found out that healing through magical means isn't always the best."
"Well, yeah. I guess giving it to someone like you this early wasn't the best for your development. Healing restores your body to what it was before, which isn't always great, since the body usually improves on itself."
"Yeah, I figured. It does retain some muscle memory still, but not all too much. I guess I should think more about working out. So far the time at the factory has prepared me well, but thinking about what kinds of monsters both Calypso and Dremonte were…"
"Yeah, Calypso is kind of just a walking tank. I wouldn't be surprised if he could fight a bear using just his fists."
"Hah, he probably could win that battle."
"Oh yeah, have you figured out what you want to go for as an Eidolon Hunter?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you know that I've put a lot of resources into Blood Leech, right? And Calypso has that weird ghoul floating behind him. And Revenant with his sword."
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, what is your thing then? You've been doing a lot of random things, but none of them were like, the thing you do, you know?"
"Is it really that important?"
"Oh yeah, it's really important. It is more or less what separates Link 4 from Link 5, because if you actually have a central strategy and build your entire skill set around one concept or idea, you become much more powerful."
"I guess that's true. Given that I already have access to all Tengu calls, I think I could focus around that. It would be primarily martial arts, swordsmanship, and speed."
"That sounds a lot like Revenant, except that you would have to rely a lot on incantations."
"Uh… I guess you're right. Hm, then I guess I would want to aim for one of those weirder powers. Pequ used Perception, for example. Out of the Eidolon classifications, the ones that interest me most would be either sin, soul, life, perception, dream, probability, space, or time."
"Good luck getting your hands on space- or time-domain things. Probability doesn't really fit you, and I also don't think some soul- or life-manipulating lich king fits your persona that well."
"That leaves sin, perception, and dreams. Technically, Elysium already did dreams, and Pequ already did perception, but all of these three domains I've chosen are more complex than what those two already did."
"You also want to keep your options open because you cannot really predict what Eidolon you'll actually find. Also, are you really thinking about excluding one of them because an Eidolon already did that? Where do you think you'd find the Eidolon Equipment for that domain?"
"Yes, true. Due to Abandoned Promise I was actually able to get some things off of Elysium. The issue is that I'm 99% sure that they are Luxuria."
"I mean, I could use them. I have chastity, remember?"
"Sure, but a sin would be better than a virtue. I think that, given what I have planned, my own motivations will evolve into a deep desire at some point, which would classify me as lust. I mean, so far I have greed and diligence. If I really want to reach a higher Link, I probably want to use more than like 30% of Eidolon."
"Oh yeah, sure. Huh, I thought you had pride too. Or that you maybe got it after the whole spiel with Elysium."
"Hm? Maybe."
"Oh yeah, I forgot. Yesterday I came across one of the people from the Tea Party again. They told me something about a cult causing trouble in the Beta Echelon Zone. The same one as that other guy was aligned with."
"Aiden Phuls?"
"Maybe? Sounds familiar, but with how many people were at the Tea Party, I kind of gave up trying to learn the names."
"Makes sense, I suppose."
"Well, anyways, it was nice chatting, but you probably don't want to stay up too late today, so you should get going."
"Guess you're right. Well then, goodbye for now, Lis."
"Bye bye, Nathan."
I wave goodbye to her and step out of the door. Looking at my phone watch, it's almost 4pm. Since it's winter, the sun will set in one or two hours from now. I start to walk towards the gate. I could already see it before. It's a massive and thick steel bulwark, far more impressive than what I had seen between Gamma and Delta. I wonder if I should place a chalk mark here, since it is quite a ways away from my other two, but then again, they would likely be found and destroyed by some random dork. Since I have a system for naming them, I think it's better if strangers were to not see them at all. Now that I think about it, the circle by Mary's house is definitely getting destroyed. She also would rat out my naming system. Ah well, I guess I have to find a new naming convention for them.
The doorway is guarded by a handful of people in white suits with navy ties, as well as two or three dozen armed guards in heavy armor. The opposite side probably has the same amount of people, so the security here is already far greater.
Standing in line really isn't all too fun. There are three different stations, but the customs check is still quite long and thorough, so it feels like ages. I start to take out a book Elizabeth had given me, distracting me from my surroundings.
Maybe I should have been more careful, since it was my lucky day today or something.
The sound around me became far more dull, as if far away. I was starting to get invested in my book, so it didn't feel very out of the ordinary. Even with the quieter sound, I still made out the sound of blaring alarms. Actually, the government alarm was actually a pretty tight beat. It was still an alarm, but damn.
"RED ALERT. ILLEGAL ACTIVITY AT THE GATE. REPEAT. RED ALERT. ILLEGAL ACTIVITY AT THE GATE."
I closed my book to check out this 'illegal activity' to find out that the world is maybe 20% larger than usual and that I am floating slightly. It seems that I've been trapped in some sort of glass prison alongside most of the queue and some of those people in white suits. These prisons also were slowly shrinking alongside their contents.
Meanwhile, the armed guards were firing their assault rifles towards a certain individual. Well, not all of them. Others were activating defenses, and others again were using incantations for defense. I couldn't make out much of that individual, except that they had some grayish skin and bright cyan hair. They were conjuring more geometric shapes out of this weird glass, and it countered essentially all attempts by the guards to harm that person and attempts at protecting themselves. I can't really follow this due to the chaos of it all and the fact that they can control these prisons telepathically, which resulted in me being flung around all over the place, sometimes using the walls of my prison as shields.
Besides, I was doing my own things to try and break out. I already know it's bulletproof, so I don't even have to try my revolver, and my sword was ineffective. Well, uh, not much more I can do. I continue shrinking until the prison is the size of a playing die, by which point in time that person had already incapacitated or killed any resistance.
"RED ALERT. GATE BREACHED. REPEAT. RED ALERT. GATE BREACHED."
Well, either way I was making it into the Beta Echelon Zone, but it seemed that it would start out pretty unusual.