Abyssal Awakening

Upon arriving at the gates of the city of Zadash, they were asked to present a set of ID as well as a travel permit.

Naturally, Allura had both and they were allowed in rather easily.

Compared to the Slaughter Docks, Alice noticed an increase of Hunters compared to civilians. If the Slaughter Docks had a ratio of 1 Hunter for every 10 civilians, in Zadash, it was 1 civilian for every 3 Hunters.

Peeking her head out of the carriage, Alice couldn't hide her excitement as she was curious to find out what their Sigil powers were like. Having experimented with her own, she now understood that each Sigil had a new layer of depth to them. This understanding also allowed her to see that she had gotten VERY lucky in the fights within the coliseum.

Had they fully understood how to utilize each Sigil, she wouldn't have even been able to approach them without getting shredded to pieces.

Lining the streets of Zadash was a myriad of inn's, smithies and apothecaries that dealt with Abyss Blood. There were rarely a shop open for the common citizen with most of the shops being tailored to support Hunter's with their work.

"Pst pst, Alice." Ria called out, grabbing Alice's attention.

"You've never been to Zadash right? You see those five towers? The biggest ones in the city?" Ria asked, pointing at the tall spires that could be seen from the outside with multiple interconnecting bridges.

"They're the most important buildings within this city. The first is the Hunter's Guild, they deal with giving hunting targets and registering all Hunters so that their information can be carried to other cities, making it easier for you to travel between places.

The second is the Apothecary Guild, like the Hunter's Guild, they deal with all manners of Abyss Blood as well as medical usages of certain Abyss Beast body parts."

Each of the towers looked similar with only minor changes. The Hunter's Guild having the crest of the Hunters, which was a sword being held upside down with a runic marking in the background.

The Apothecary Guild's marking was two vials of blood.

"The third tower is the City Lord's tower, it's in the centre and is also the biggest tower. The fourth tower belongs to the Academy, a place dedicated to teaching and training young hunters and people aspiring to become a hunter. And last but not least, the fifth tower that is dedicated to the Engineer's Guild.

They focus on using Abyss Blood as an energy source to make devices and other helpful tools that assist both Hunters and civilians alike." Ria explained as she pointed at the last tower. Compared to the other towers, this one was adorned with a myriad of strange contractions on the outside with tubes of glowing red blood running up the side of the building.

"It's a tad complicated but apparently it's something along the lines of this: A special type of blood increases volitivity, it reacts and jumpstarts an engine, and there's a neutraliser to stop it when they finish using it." Ria tried to explain but Allura returned and gently knocked her on the head.

"You're jumping a few steps there. That's just what Luke told you so you didn't bother him with his studies. You forget what he told you regarding Abyss Engineering?" Allura grinned.

"Yes yes, he said "Explaining Abyss Engineering to me would be like explaining it to a duck. And even then the duck might know more." Both of you bully me about this." Ria pouted. She knew that her comprehensive abilities regarding this field of study was poor but that was because she was more of a fighter than someone who likes to sit down and study.

It had taken Luke quite a while before Ria understood the basic concepts behind Abyss Engineering and he vowed to not do it again.

"But as Ria kindly explained, those are the main five towers that make up this city. Everything is done in support for the Hunter's way of life and we'll be visiting one of them today. That being the Hunter's Guild. We'll need to go there and help you set up an ID. They will need to take a picture as well as requiring some information regarding your Sigils.

It's to see what missions suit you best and see if you're able to take that mission." Allura smiled.

"Wait… I need to tell, them my Sigils too?" Alice asked. Exposing all of the information about herself, especially her Sigil, made her uncomfortable since she wanted to keep that information hidden.

"Unfortunately yes. Though you can lie about them too so long as the effects are similar." Ria winked with a grin.

"I told them my Sigils were: Thunder Falcon, Storm Brawler and a Charged Kail. All three have similar effects to what I actually got but to a much lesser extent."

Hearing this, Alice nodded her head in understanding.

With the way her Sigil worked, it can just be summarised as a quick boost in physical power. There was no need to mention the poison abilities.

"What beast is just physical boost?" Alice asked Allura.

"Hmm… With how your Sigil works as a stacking physical boost, you can probably just say it belongs to the Undead Fiend. The Sigil you get from that beast looks pretty similar to the one on your forearm. The Undead Fiend is a four armed beast with black and red muscles that look like magma.

One of its main traits is that the more it takes damage, the more power it gains." Allura explained as Alice nodded her head.

With the basics explained, Allura thanked the driver before grabbing the little luggage they have.

"I'll go rent us some inn rooms if you want to take Alice to the Hunter's Guild to get signed up Ria. You've already been through the process so it shouldn't be too different." Allura asked as Ria nodded her head.

"I'll meet you at the guild once I'm finished since it shouldn't take too long. I also need to find a few friends that I haven't seen in a while too." Allura smiled before walking away.

"Follow me. Let's get you registered so we can start hunting as early as tomorrow. Allura said this will be our hub for a little while but she never mentioned we couldn't take the airships to other locations." Ria grinned excitedly since her hunts have usually been solo thus far. Having someone to hunt with will be handy.

Not to mention most of her time spent was trying to find her way home rather than actual hunting. With Alice around, things will become more efficient for her.

Nodding her head, Alice followed behind Ria as the two made their way through the mist covered city of Zadash.

There was the occasional cloud of mist that obscured their vision, making it hard to see the path ahead but the street lamps made things easier.

In terms of the location of the towers, the Hunters Guild and City Lord's tower were the ones closest to the heart of the city while the others circled around the edges. The next closest would be the Academy for Hunters as wasn't too far from the heart. And even near the entrance of this city, Alice could see what seemed to be students.

They each wore varying outfits but what stood out was the emblem they had engraved on the shoulder. The emblem for the Academy was the icon of an eye with a sword piercing through the middle. It was the same sword that was seen in the Hunter's Guild emblem which made Alice wonder if there was history regarding that blade.

As they approached the Hunters Guild, more and more Hunters could be seen with large cluster of shops nearby, each vying for the attention of Hunters. From blacksmith shouting out sales within their shops to young woman holding up signs for the potions shop, it was far busier than what the Slaughter Docks could compare to.

Ignoring all of it, the two approached the Hunter's Guild and entered through the large open doors. Inside, it was akin to a large banquet hall with large tables being set up. Groups laughing and drinking in the day while talking about their next hunt.

Hunters laying out maps of certain cities and the areas they need to scout, waiters bringing over their food, Hunters making their way up and down the tower.

It was something that Alice hadn't seen before and her astonishment was there for all to see.

"Welcome to the Hunters Guild. First floor is mostly for basic missions, socialising and general help from the receptionists. The floors above are for harder missions, registering missions for Hunters to take and registration for new Hunters. We'll be going to the third floor to register you." Ria explained while leading the way to the elevators.

They were similar to the ones Alice saw in the coliseum only these were made from metal and had more safety features such as railing. Entering the elevator for the third floor, Ria pulled a lever as a metal gate closed off the entrance and they started to ascend the tower.

"If you're saying your Sigil is the Undead Fiend, try not to show too much of your strength since the boost it gives without taking any damage is rather small. Usually they wouldn't ask for you to verify but this is just in case." Ria warned as Alice nodded her head.

Reaching the third floor, the gate opened and they were welcomed by the sight of young Hunters asking to be registered.

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