Abyssal Awakening

"Alright, I'll go look for some suitable two star hunts then. I won't choose an easy one nor would I choose one that's bordering on three stars is that okay?" Ria asked as Allura nodded.

"Just get her the standard two star hunt."

Nodding her head, Ria jogged over to the two star hunt board and started to look through the available missions.

Meanwhile, Alice and Allura were left at the table while Allura ordered some snacks from the waitress.

"You look like you got something to ask me. Care to share over some snacks?" Allura offered, pointing towards the food that just arrived.

"Mnm, just wondering when… I should get second Sigil. And that when I was think about it, I was taken to strange place where bunch of beasts appeared, and giant eye in sky."

Hearing this, Allura paused.

"Hmm… I'll tell you about the Eye first. The place you went was usually what Shaman's and people who find a special connection to the Abyss find themselves at when searching for bounties. I'm guessing you were able to filter through them to find one that you wanted? That is the benefit that comes with the possessor of the Eye." Allura explained while ordering some alcohol for herself.

"I don't suggest you use that until you know what you want to hunt since it'll only speed up the process of the Eye awakening. After that, well, it'll be a contest between you and the Eye, to see if you can dominate it. Second, why are you in a hurry with your second Sigil?" Allura asked curiously.

She still remembers their talk the other night regarding being creative with the Sigil and not rushing head on, after a night of experiments Alice definitely discovered new uses yet she's still wanting a second Sigil. Allura wanted to know her reasons, understand her thought process.

"Erm… I fought someone called Neal. For my test. There wasn't much I can do with what I have right now, and when I did surprise him, he was just faster. Unlike others, I don't have the… base strength needed." Alice explained as Allura was silent.

A low base strength is indeed an issue as Allura recalled all of Alice's fights. She was definitely dexterous but her strength was low. Most would compensate this lack of strength using Abyss Blood or pure training but high strength didn't suit Alice's fighting style.

'What she's wanting is not strength, but more speed. I suppose we can mix some lower body training with some high quality Abyss Blood to give her a slight boost since she is indeed weaker than the standard hunter right now.'

While the boost in strength the first Sigil granted was indeed impressive, it merely allowed Alice to stand her ground.

'If she needs to understand that with her first Sigil, she needs to set up traps rather than upfront confrontations. A hunter would usually take after the beasts they hunt for Sigils, Alice is trying to fight as a head on fighter rather than a trapper like the Spectral Hunter.'

"Alright. I still wouldn't suggest you getting a second Sigil just yet. I'm guessing you want speed right?" Allura asked as Alice nodded her head.

"Then we can pair that with some lower body training, a tiny bit of Abyss Blood usage but the key part is for you to understand the strengths of your Sigil. You need to understand that in a fight, a head on confrontation should always, always, be your last resort.

And the only time you should reveal yourself is when you have finished setting up your traps and you're trying to lure them towards the area." Allura explained.

Seeing the slight frown on Alice's face, Allura sighed.

"Try this for now then. For the two star hunt, I want you to spend a day or two observing the beast. Then on the second day, prepare traps for it with your blood and build up one shot damage potential with your active ability. In the meantime, I'll go purchase some blood kits for you so that you can extract your blood for traps.

Let me know any other items that you need, I'll keep it on a tab so you can just pay me back when you start finishing more hunts." Allura offered as Alice nodded her head.

But Allura misread her disappointment. She wasn't disappointed with the training plan nor Allura's idea of having her understand her Sigil. What she was disappointed about was the fact that part of the plan was to enhance her physical power through Abyss Blood, something that wouldn't work with her.

Once again, she was left cursing her physique. Had it not have been for this physique, she wouldn't have been locked away. Had it not have been for this physique, she would be able to utilize the benefits of blood like everyone else.

Sighing inwardly, Alice dismissed these thoughts since reality couldn't be changed. Everything that had happened, happened. There was no denying history. All that she could do now was to try her best towards the future.

Thinking to herself, she asked Allura if she could have a bundle of thin wire that wouldn't break easily. If she wanted to set up traps, the best way would be to soak some thin wires with her blood so that she could spread the scent out further. Not only that, if the beast they're hunting gets caught by the wires, they'll be stuck momentarily, allowing her an easy target.

"Alright, I'll see what I can do. Any requests for the wire? I can ask a blacksmith that I know for something a little special if you want." Allura asked.

"No, just basic things for now. I want to learn from basic."

Hearing this, Allura grinned and patted Alice's head.

"I like your attitude. Alright, I'll get you the basic things you need, let Ria know when she comes back. Oh and remember, when you know what you're hunting, find some books to do with the beast first then you should go observe it in person. You need to have some idea of what you're killing before venturing out." Allura reminded as she left the Hunter's Guild hall.

Watching Allura leave, Alice couldn't help visualise how she should utilise her Sigils with Allura mentioning that she should leave head on confrontations as a last resort.

"Huh? Where did Allura go?" Ria asked as she returned after registering for a new mission.

"She went to buy some stuff for me. Next hunt I'll be learning how to make traps."

"And she didn't even tell me. Urg, coming and going as she pleases." Ria sighed while sitting down.

"Here's your next hunt target. The Kata Charger. This beast is known for its unstoppable charging power and brute strength. It has no eyes but has a very keen sense of smell and hearing." Ria introduced as she placed the mission poster on the table.

On the poster, Alice could see a behemoth almost twice the size of a normal human being. Menacing black muscles all over its body with hard plating on its back acting as armour. Two large horns protruded from the side of its shoulders, hiding the beast's neck.

Its head was connected to a plating on the back of the body as there was no eyes or features expect for a wide mouth with a row of jagged teeth.

It seemed to be able to walk bipedally but the giant muscular arms suggest it's mostly quadrupedal.

Strange insectoid legs protruded from its abdominal area with the details being hidden by its arms.

"It's the only 'normal' two star hunt I could find sadly. It's a bit strange since Kata Chargers aren't usually seen around these areas but if there's one around then might as well kill it. The coin reward for this thing is 30 gold pieces, pretty good if you ask me. It's roughly 3 weeks of earnings for a standard family." Ria smiled as Alice nodded her head.

"Allura told me, to find book on beast. Do you know where to find?"

"There should be a library down the street. We can also go to a book store instead since you need to buy a bestiary don't you? If I knew you needed one I would've kept my old one with a bunch of notes in it from back home." Ria sighed.

It was a book that her grandfather had forced her to memorise that contained a bunch of notes from when he was a young adventurer. In fact, some of the entries in that book was submitted by himself with the notes he wrote, a true treasure.

"I've already memorised it all so I don't have a use for it. I can probably ask my grandfather to bring it over if you want. He'll be here in a few days." Ria offered but Alice shook her head.

"Is okay, I'll learn little by little."

"If you say so. We got 3 to 4 days to try kill this beast so we got a bit of time for you to study it. What do you want to do now? Allura mentioned letting you do the work so I'll have you take the lead. I'll just help out with where things are." Ria asked.

"Hmm… Library. I want to learn a bit about… Kata Charger first. Then after Allura returns with the stuff she said she was getting, I need to extract some blood so I can use it as poison." Alice replied while thinking of what else she needed.

"Alright, I'll take you to the library first then. I'm sure Allura will find us later or appear out of nowhere like she did earlier."

Finishing up the food that Allura had ordered, the two left the Guild Hall and made their way to the library.

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