Level Up: Voidwalker

[Aquele que aponta o caminho nos levará ao paraíso - He who points the way will take us to paradise]

***

Marcia looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you searching for a Soul Mage?" she asked.

Atlas took out the Monster Vault where Lilith was resting and showed Marcia. ''This is Lily. She saved me during a fight, and I want to heal her from the soul damage she received,'' he explained.

When the mature woman heard this, her expression changed to surprise, ''Why would you go that far for a monster? It will be costly to heal her and cost you something dear.''

''What's that?'' Atlas questioned.

Marcia frowned, ''Part of your soul will be mixed with hers so that the mage can heal the damage, but that means if you die, she will follow the same fate as you will be her anchor.''

''That's not a problem; I'd do anything for her,'' Atlas replied while watching the honey badger sleeping, but she was unconscious and couldn't wake up.

The older woman sighed, ''Well, if that's the case and what you truly want, we can travel to the Nubian Capital, Carthage, to visit their Soul Mages and heal your little monster.''

Atlas gazed at her with narrowed eyes before speaking, ''Why would you travel with a stranger? Especially one you've just met?''

Marcia looked at him before speaking, ''Azhar'Zul; you will be one of the most wanted people on the Zarandar and Aridonia Continents. You could try to travel yourself, but you will be captured between the Immortals and Nightowls.''

''You never answered my questions?'' he replied.

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''I know you are the Saharaelian's Chosen Messiah and many people's hope,'' Marcia explained as the two returned to his camp. ''I follow the Path Azhur'Zul and couldn't believe it was you when you first said your name.''

After speaking, she said a prayer Atlas was becoming familiar with, ''Aquele que aponta o caminho nos levará ao paraíso.''

''To live is to fight Azhar'Zul, and when I'm finished with you, your potential will be unlocked,'' Marcia declared.

Atlas nodded with a smile that soon changed, ''Thank you for your help.''

''Don't thank me, boy, the Achaemenids wiped out my homeland and put it to the torch along with my family. I want you to help me with my revenge,'' she said with determination as her eyes became wet. ''I'm a wife to a murdered husband, mother to a murdered daughter, and I will have my vengeance in this life or the next.''

'Sounds like Gladiator,' Atlas mused before replying with conviction. ''It looks like destiny had a hand in our meeting as I plan to fight the empire for what they did to Estelle. I will help you get your revenge, Marcia Valemont?''

''Thank you Azhar'Zul. Once we reach Tajariyah City and drop off the students, we can travel south and get a ship to Aridonia,'' Marcia said as she put her sword by the tent before removing her armor.

Atlas nodded while watching her remove her armor until she was in a tunic that clung to her hourglass figure. He had to shake his head, but what happened next shocked him. She crawled into his tent without a care in the world.

'Is she crazy!' he thought while approaching.

''What are you doing?'' Atlas questioned.

''Get in here, boy! I need a cuddle because it's cold, and you're the perfect body pillow,'' Marcia replied pleasedly.

'Did she just want me to hug at night?' Atlas mused but shrugged while dismissing his armor and weapons.

When he entered the tent, Marcia drew him into the sleeping bag. She wrapped her arms around him, gently resting his head on her plentiful chest, which felt like a pair of cushioned pillows.

She gently stroked his hair while he relaxed and murmured with closed eyes, "You remind me of an old friend of mine. Why is it that you feel so familiar yet so different?"

Atlas was about to answer, but dread and horror suddenly overwhelmed him. He shook his head and said, ''If we get separated, meet at Thalassar City in the north. Something is going to happen, Marcia.''

Just as Atlas said, a long, gangly arm grabbed his ankle before dragging him outside, causing his panic, but he didn't forget to summon his armor and weapons. Atlas raised the blades to block a swipe of vicious-looking claws.

Explosions erupted, causing Marcia to rush into battle as he scanned the creature on top of him.

[Wendigo]

[Rank: D+ - 350 Exp]

'What the fuck is this,' Atlas thought while casting Void Blast, then Void Step to vanish out of the Wendigo's grasp.

He reappeared near the tent as Marcia was fighting two of the creatures while the other knights defended the student. The brunette turned to him concernedly, but Atlas smiled at her, ''Remember! Thalassar City in the Thalassia Empire, look for the party called Voidwalkers Harem! ' Stay alive so we can get your revenge.''

Just as Atlas said, a group of Wendigos lunged at him. He managed to bat away a few of them using Void Bullet and Blast, but one of the creatures grabbed his ankle and pulled, causing him to crash to the ground with a thud.

Atlas was then dragged into the forest as the battle intensified. He pointed his hand at the Wendigo and blew its head off using Void Arrow while blocking a slash from another creature, causing sparks to fly.

He started battling with the remaining monsters that he struggled to fight due to their ranks, and Atlas noticed a dozen more Wendigo's charging at him. When he saw this, he fled the forest but wasn't fast enough as the creepy creatures were closing in on him from all sides.

After that, Atlas used Call Of The Void to summon the pack of Void Raptors and a warrior who quickly approached him; he jumped on its back before it started rushing into the distance as the others engaged with the Wendgios in a fierce battle.

The chase was on as the Raptor Warrior weaved around the trees and jumped over bushes as the Wendigos were catching on to them. Atlas turned around and started peppering the creatures with Void Bullets that exploded on contact.

This continued for another hour after Atlas poured mana into the Call Of The Void, causing it to level up. Atlas stopped casting magic before speaking to the warrior, ''Turn around and head for the beach boy.''

Following that, the dinosaur monster rushed through the forest until Atlas heard the sound of waves hitting the shore and arrived at the beach but was further east. He traveled along the sane until he spotted smoke in the distance.

Atlas ordered the warrior to rush there, but once they got close, the void creature vanished, causing him to crash into the warm sand. He got up while shaking his head and noticed the sun rising on the horizon.

When it lit up, the scene in front of him was carnage; students, professors, and knights lay dead all over the beach. But what caught Atlas's attention was the pirates mixed in with the corpses.

'Did we get attacked by two different forces? What is it with Zarander, monsters, bandits, Dark Ones and now pirate,' he thought while looking for Marcia's body but couldn't find the older woman.

Atlas packed his tent and other things before following the survivors' tracks. It took him an hour to find the first survivors, but only a dozen were attacked by more pirates when he got closer.

He spotted several ships out at sea, but soon, they were attacked by the Achaemenid Navy, which swiftly demolished the pirate vessels. Despite his concern, Atlas set it aside and hurried toward Marcia.

When reaching the pirates, he started stabbing them while darting around the chaotic battlefield; the older woman spotted him, and a big smile appeared as she spoke, ''Azhar'Zul! Pirates are attacking the northern part of the empire. I would suggest that you run before the Immortals get here.''

Atlas cast a Void Blast at a group of pirates before turning to the brunette as the battle died down, ''Aren't we traveling together?'' he questioned.

Marcia regretfully shook her head, ''Now the empire is here. They will deploy the Everlasting Shields to other cities to protect them from raids and Nubian attacks, plus our commander ordered us to return.''

He watched her take out a small charm and hand it to him, ''I noticed your bracelet is some sort of communication device; if you add this to it, we can talk once a day, but let me send you the message first in case any officers are around.''

Atlas nodded as the survivors approached the shoreline, and a dozen boats approached them. Panic set in as he saw the approaching vessels, but Marcia quickly guided him toward the mountains.

"When you reach Tajariyah City," she instructed, "head to Jaspers Spellbook store in the shopping district. Purchase a disguise skill—your eyes and hair make it too easy for people to recognize you. We will most likely run into each other while there but be careful as not everyone is a follower of the Path Azhur'Zul."

Marcia pushed him into the forest, ''This isn't goodbye, boy; I will see you at Thalassar City as my contract ends in a few months. Now flee before the Immortals capture you.''

Atlas smiled at the older woman and said, ''It was nice meeting you, Marcia.''

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