"Ha..."
Inside the Leak, Adam’s eyes stared at the verdant horizon in front of him. Blood, blocking his vision as they trickled almost endlessly down his face.
He didn’t seem to mind, however. He... was getting used to this. The blood, he ans.
"Well..." Adam looked around, once again letting out a deep breath as he took in his surroundings—he didn’t have ti to do that at all due to the surprise that awaited him inside this Leak.
And now that he had ti to actually look around, he realized just how much the dinsions inside the Leak differ from each other. This one was nothing like the swamps, ice caverns, or the other Leaks Adam had experienced before.
Here, there was grass, and then grass. And more grass. A grassland that stretched in every direction, broken only by massive stone pillars that rose like ancient trees toward a pitch-black sky.
The sa pitch-black he saw inside the Leak back at the smugglers’ den. He looked around again, and when he was sure no more monsters were diving at him, his shoulders sagged and relaxed.
Well, if anyone from the crowd were with him, they wouldn’t be as relaxed as he was at all. How could they... when Adam was standing surrounded by dozens of carcasses?
Both his hands were wrapped in large, oversized gauntlets. Well, no. Not exactly. They were wrapped with the heads and beaks of the dragon-like monsters, with him using them as a pair of weapons.
[Skayrn]
And now that he was inside a Leak, he finally saw the monster’s na.
No more monsters in sight. Adam began walking deeper into the Leak.
Half an hour had passed, and then another.
That was when Adam finally admitted to himself...
You’re lost, Adam. Great. Really great. The first ti you’re going on an adventure just by yourself, you get lost.
The previous Leaks had clear paths, obvious directions. The swamp had markers left by the Nightraptor guild. The ice cavern had Clentine and Sylvie as its guides, and it was literally controlled by their guild and an army.
This place was just endless grassland and stone pillars. But since that was also the case, it was only a matter of ti until he found sothing, or sothing finds him.
Or so he thought.
He eventually reached what seed to be the edge of the pocket dinsion—a wall of absolute darkness that stretched upward beyond sight. The end of this dinsion.
Nice one. Shut up.
Adam turned to head back, but heard sothing behind him. A low... warble, it was almost like those whale sounds that Adam happened to randomly watch on the internet at one ti.
He looked back, and the dark wall was rippling faintly, almost like water.
"Huh..."
Curious, Adam removed his monster gauntlets and reached out to touch the wall’s surface. It rippled again under his palm, the darkness seeming to respond to his presence. He followed the ripple, and although it was faint and hard to see... he saw the ripple curve far above.
Did you see that, Adam...?
He pressed his hand harder against the pitch-black wall, and the ripple beca stronger, which allowed him to see the curve of its path.
Oh... you’re in a do. This is a do.
"Hm..."
Twenty years. The Gas have been happening for twenty years—there was no way the IBAA didn’t know about this, maybe it was even public knowledge. Have they tried breaking it? To see what was on the other side? To learn more about what the Ga actually was?
They most probably have an entire research departnt for it... right? After all, they had a budget for him back at the Hospital. Surely, they would have a budget to learn more about the Ga.
...Right?
Relax, Adam. This isn’t the ti to be thinking about anything else—you’re here because there are people outside who would be in danger if you weren’t. Focus.
He sighed, lowering his arm and dropping his shoulders. He was about to turn around... but then faced the wall again with his fist pulled back and punched the wall.
The warble echoed louder, and the ripples spread wider. And for a mont there, Adam thought he caught a glimpse of sothing beyond the darkness—light...? More grass...?
His mind flashed to the Dos, how the barriers rippled whenever Crystals were destroyed.
What if... you could punch through this with enough strength, Adam? And what if...
...what if you could do the sa thing with the Dos?
Adam glanced down, looked to his shoulder, and then looked ahead again as he opened his Status Window.
[Na: N/A | Planet: SS4E | Strength: 31 Agility: 4 Endurance: 1 Perception: 1]
[Free Status Points: 3]
Seriously... you only leveled up once from all those stupid-looking flying lizards?
He sighed, shaking his head before allocating all his remaining free points to Strength.
[Na: N/A | Planet: SS4E | Strength: 34^ Agility: 4 Endurance: 1 Perception: 1]
[Free Status Points: 0]
Adam didn’t even flinch anymore as his insides felt like they were being burned. In fact... it was starting to feel nice. He opened his mouth, slightly baring his teeth as a growl almost accompanied his breath.
He’d always been hurt and hurting, but knowing that he was growing stronger from his pain made all the difference.
Adam... Adam doesn’t know it yet—but he was slowly getting addicted to the feeling.
He pulled back his fist again, but when he was about to confirm if there really was sothing beyond this dark wall, a shriek suddenly echoed from behind him.
Adam turned to see a massive shape rising from behind one of the stone pillars close to him. This Skayrn was easily four, maybe five tis the size of the others, its wings spanning nearly fifty feet. Scars covered its hide, and one of its amber eyes was milky with age.
[Skayrnmuder]
"Oh..." Adam moved away from the wall, crouched down to put on his new weapons again, as the skayrnmuder flapped its wings and obviously spotted him.
"...There you are."
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