When Zenith returned to the freighter, Fable knew immediately that something was wrong. "You okay?" Zenith faked a smile and nodded. "Just a bit tired from the training. You said we got a new assignment?" he spoke with excitement and eagerness that was not faked.
Fable looked for a moment, knowing something else might be wrong, but he didn't want to pry so he nodded and grinned. "That's right! Let's go meet the others." He and Zenith soon entered the prep area where Mirabell and Jenabell were.
Mirabell had made tea and snacks for everyone, humming quietly as she served it all. Zenith thanked her. Jenabell, seeing everyone gathered, then spoke. "Kid, you're here, good. I'll get down to the details. After some consideration, our equipment and gear is a little bit behind. We also don't have the funds to spare right now for new equipment. Allspace has some unique blueprints that still hold up today. We can borrow the Fabricator in this outpost; the only issue is we lack materials."
Fable laughed quietly. "Figured as much." Jenabell ignored him as she continued to speak. "This Relic site is a little special. It's a hollowed-out planet in the middle of the white space. Resonant creatures of all sorts and shapes call that place home." Zenith was a little confused.
"White space? Is that where the relic sites are? Like the grassy plains?" Jenabell, hearing Zenith's question, nodded. "That's right. The white space is something no one knows anything about. We just know that it appeared when the humans were around, maybe even before, but that's where most of the relic sites are."
Fable considered some things and spoke up. "If it's a planet home to resonant creatures, isn't it a little too dangerous to take up?" Jenabell, having expected this, spoke up. "Don't worry, it's listed as danger level White Wolf for a reason. It doesn't have any Resonant creatures that are too bad. The worst you are going to find are car-sized ones, but those are far too few, and you can handle those easily, Fable. After how many times this device has been handed down, I got a good deal on it. Hopefully, we can still get some materials from it all."
Jenabell then turned to Mirabell. "Darling, bring the Thingamajig." Mirabell nodded, rushing off and returned with a backpack that had what looked like a hose attached and at the end of it a nozzle.
Fable pondered. "Isn't that the thing from the human movie called Zone Dusters?" He spoke up. Jenabell shook her head at her grandson's ignorance but corrected him. "This thing here was made a few years back by the federation. It allows us to shrink and store the bodies of resonant creatures and store them in a specially made enclosure storage area, sort of like the capsules we found. Don't ask me how exactly it works; those eggheads just made it work."
Nodding with amazement, Fable spoke up. "Well, saves us the trouble of having to drag all those bodies back to the teleporter." Zenith eyed it curiously and chimed in. "Guessing I'll be the one wearing it?" He smiled bitterly.
Fable chuckled. "Don't worry, we can take turns. I know you want to get more practice in." Jenabell spoke up soon after. "Good, okay, let's talk about the interior." Some time later, when it was all said and done, they would start the next day. Zenith was currently laid down on his bed in sleep attire, gazing at the ceiling. "Tsch," he clicked his tongue then gazed at his device before he began to look at information regarding the Vailen clan.
A few minutes later, he found what he needed. "Aleren Vailen, a super prodigy of the Vailen clan which holds an important position in the governance of the federation as well as industries around and even outside federation territory. At 10, his resonance was powerful enough that he found it hard to control, so it naturally leaked out of his body. At 15, he unlocked his resonance ability, simply known as 'Loved by the Stars.' It's said he has an unleashed Resonance ability, but no information is currently known other than what is available in public."
Zenith sighed a little. Aleren really was like that relic hunter said, a main character of his generation. Soon he heard his slide door knock. "Come in," he spoke, sitting up as he closed everything. Fable walked in, eating from a bag of snacks as he looked at Zenith quietly.
"Whatcha doin'?" He spoke curiously. Zenith blinked. "Just resting, why?" Zenith then looked in surprise as Fable laughed. "Well, you know you used the network from Allspace's account, so I could see what you accessed. Aleren Vailen, huh? I heard that Mythica chick was training in the relic site. Why interested all of a sudden? Are you into her?" He snickered a little.
Zenith's face turned red, not from embarrassment but from the fact he had been found out so easily. "I-it's not that... I was just curious about the politics and all that, of people my age, to see what I should strive for."
Fable nodded, leaning against the slide door frame. "Can you believe that bozo? Mythica Aralune the armored babe you saw, Celeste Everson who's the daughter of a relic syndicate head, and then there's Himiko Tamaoka, whose family is said to retain ancient ways that date back to human times. Her family leads one of few B rank relic hunter organizations; they call her the Samurai priestess, whatever the hell samurai means. All three are total 11/10's on my scale. He's got his own little harem, pfft. Bet he is compensating for something by making those girls like him."
Zenith couldn't help but smile a bit, wanting to laugh. Fable, seeing this, nodded and laughed a bit too as he went on. "They call him a main character of his generation, like a protagonist or some crap. The hell does he think he is? A dude from one of those trashy human novels? Not just him, but his girls too and those other prodigies. They all have one thing in common: their backgrounds are big and rich, resources to splurge and all that crap. Fed by golden spoons."
Zenith seemed thoughtful. He looked more carefully at Fable. "Why are you trying to cheer me up? What do you know?" He spoke, as if to imply he understood Fable knew something. Fable stayed quiet for a moment, then laughed.
"Well, I know when you came back, you were holding in a lot of anger. You didn't realize it, but your resonance was shaky and leaking a bit. Anger does that. Then the first thing you did after the meeting was come here and look up about the Vailen clan? Anything you want to get off your chest? Just know Allspace is a family. You don't need to be jealous of anyone; you're yourself, the own protagonist of your own life."
Zenith sighed quietly. "It's nothing, I swear. I'm not jealous; I really am just curious. Ever since I got a resonance frequency, I guess I have a competitive spirit light up and want to push myself."
Fable nodded, none the wiser as he wasn't all-knowing. He felt happy for Zenith. "That's great then! It's good to set goals. You're part of Allspace now. At our peak, those families and people were nothing in our eyes. If it wasn't for... well, forget it. Hey, get some rest. Tomorrow's a big day."
Zenith looked carefully at Fable, seeing he was a bit bitter regarding Allspace's situation. "Fable, thanks to you, Mirabell, and Jenabell for taking me in," Zenith admitted. Fable stopped and smiled before grinning, stepping out and turning back. "You're welcome. Hey, by the way, if you feel lonely, you don't need a harem. Why don't you date my sist-" Before he could finish, Zenith gave him an expressionless look and pressed the button to automatically close the slide door.
Zenith soon decided to rest, shutting his eyes and falling asleep, physically and now mentally exhausted. An hour or so later, as Zenith slept, inside his body, the mass of resonance that seemed dark and watery like a ball suddenly quivered. From the very center of that mass was a small round-like form. It looked like two hands clenched together, one milky white with swirling lights, the other void black resembling the hand of the human who had assisted with Zenith's resonance frequency.
The white hand quivered a little, releasing white strings that began to merge into the mass of resonance that made Zenith's core. This caused the mass to turn milky white. This mass of resonance, although useful for body strengthening, was the main source of resonance abilities and resonance runes, so it was not like Zenith couldn't use it.
After a half hour of this, the white hand stopped quivering and calmed down, the black hand trembling a bit before black strings left it and returned that milky white color into the dark murky watery mass. As if the two were now combined with no obvious difference, though if one paid close attention, they would see small twinkling lights fluttering every now and again around that mass of resonance.
Hello, thank you for reading my novel, i hope you all have been enjoying it. the process of writing this is quite fun for me, If you can spare some power stones, id really appreciate the assistance in getting votes ^^
The next day, things started early. After Fable and Zenith had geared up, Mirabell had already activated the teleporter device in front of the freighter, just like last time. When Zenith walked over, he gazed around, seeing that the usual full swing of the outpost was constant. He didn't think it ever stopped, even for sleep at times, with the larger relic hunter organizations able to rotate members for rest.
"Okay, looks like we're good. Are you ready?" Fable spoke, holding the backpack-like device that Jenabell had rented from the relic syndicate outpost. Zenith nodded eagerly, and soon both of them stepped through. Mirabell waved, a soft jingle of good luck escaping, while Jenabell told them to be careful. The moment they both stepped through the portal, Zenith experienced that odd warped feeling, but it was something he had come to enjoy because he associated it with a new beginning and life.
A moment later, they both stepped out into a large cavern that had enormous bored tunnels everywhere, even downwards. There were also magma pools bubbling, causing the heat to be quite intense. Thankfully, Zenith, having trained under Fable, could still bear it.
"How deep underground are we?" Zenith couldn't help but ask. Fable pulled out some information and responded, "10.34 miles. Which is just about right, otherwise I'd be fine but you would be cooked, haha." Zenith shook his head slightly and looked around a bit more. The only light sources they had were the seemingly endless magma pools everywhere.
"Okay, so there are locator beacons from those prior in every tunnel explored, connected to a master device hidden and installed. Connect your own to it; you'll get a live map feed so you don't get lost," Fable instructed. Zenith nodded, doing so. Soon he looked at the map in astonishment. "There's so many... Was this all done naturally?"
Fable shrugged, giving his opinion. "I doubt it. Too much time would be wasted digging these tunnels from our side, so it's either the resonant creatures or we are really wrong and it's indeed natural."
Fable then picked a direction and began walking, with Zenith following, keeping a steady eye out. The tunnels would often have tunnels as well, dug into the sides. It would be easy to get lost had it not been for those in the past who traveled and left beacons.
After walking for a half hour, Fable, who was humming, took the backpack off and put it down. Zenith walked around, looking at the large chamber they were in. "Are there really no more creatures in this region?" Zenith seemed a little disappointed. Fable, though, laughed quietly. "Don't look down. There's a little trick that can be used. I just wanted to get a bit further into a chamber like this, big with not too many tunnel openings so we don't get swarmed."
Zenith looked at Fable and felt like he had something up his sleeve. He then watched Fable raise his hand and begin to emit his resonance energy, gathering it up into a large ball of light that hovered several meters off the ground.
"Attracting them with resonance!?" Zenith finally understood what Fable wanted to do. Fable confirmed this by nodding. "Let's wait a little here. This is a good chance for you to experience real-world combat risking life or death. Don't know how many will appear, if any at all."
The moment Fable finished speaking, they both quickly looked towards a dark tunnel. They heard skittering and hissing that echoed, getting closer and closer. Both of them pulled out their weapons, with Zenith preparing himself, clenching his teeth. He would be lying if he said he wasn't afraid, but at the same time, he was excited.
The hissing sound that grew closer suddenly stopped for a moment, then a second after, a flood of resonance creatures began to pour out. Fable was stunned. "Uh oh." He rushed over, stepping to the front and called out, "Calm Ocean That Moves Steady And a Rushing Torrent That Drowns the Many." This was a rune ability. Zenith looked intensely, hoping to learn something as he saw Fable wave his index finger and hand before a line of resonance energy twisted and formed, dropping onto the ground before expanding into a large curtain sheen.
This sheen caused the flooding resonant creatures to fall and slow down immensely, almost like an enormous treadmill. "What a windfall! Look how many. Let's get to work. Kill first, pack later."
Zenith dashed over to a nearby resonant creature that was about to leave the sheen on the ground. It made it incredibly easier to hit. In one move, he punched with the gauntlet, causing its head to cave in and drop dead before being dragged away by the sheen to the back of the swarm.
Zenith calmly analyzed every situation. He didn't want to make a mistake, but he also wanted to vent a little bit. He could not remove his hatred for the Vailen clan as much as he tried to hide it. A creature leaped up in an attempt to bite Zenith with its maw, but he swung his laser sword right into its mouth, cleaving it in two.
As nearly 15 creatures were rushing over, many began to reach the sheen's front. Fable took his time in combat. He only killed or kicked back the creatures that got close, his main focus here was to allow Zenith to gain more experience.
"You're doing good. Haha, I dare you to jump in and see how well you can do in that sheen," Fable joked. But his eyes nearly popped out as he saw Zenith jump in.
The moment Zenith landed, he felt like he was on the treadmill again. He quickly adjusted himself, running against it. The resonant creatures, seeing this, suddenly diverted to go to Zenith, wanting the easiest prey.
Though Zenith grinned, this was perfect considering he often had to avoid Fable hitting him on the treadmill. He dodged and often went with the flow of the ability when a resonant creature attempted to bite or tackle. At the same time, he took every opportunity to attack. From punching to slashing and stabbing, the creatures that weren't used to the movement and combat in this scenario eventually piled up. The last two creatures attacked together, one tackling towards Zenith's head, the other making a dive to his abdomen.
Zenith's eyes narrowed. He timed carefully before jumping and punching with the gauntlet's maximum strength, crashing into the first one that then fell onto the second one below. With the force of Zenith's fist atop the first one, he smashed them both into the ground, causing a small two-foot-long and wide hole filled with resonant creature flesh.
Fable waved his hand, dispersing the ability, and whistled a bit. "Not bad. Looks like that treadmill training worked out after all," feeling proud of himself. He went over to the backpack device after dispersing the resonant light that he used to attract the creatures, after all, it would be bad if more came while they were getting the goods.
Walking over to Zenith, he fumbled with the device a little. "Okay, let's see. We just press this and..." He watched as the device charged and emitted an electric hum before releasing a blue and black light. This light caused the creatures' bodies to shrink and eventually be sucked into the backpack.
Zenith walked around and gazed at the backpack. "Looks like it's working. I see a bar that filled up." Fable, hearing Zenith, nodded. "Great. I should have asked grandma for a second one," he grumbled, not enjoying clean-up duty as he began walking while using the backpack to suck up any corpse he came across.
"What did you think of the ability I used?" Fable called out. Zenith, who was looking around, replied, "It's awesome. When do you think I can learn one?" Fable was quiet for a moment. "Well, you've done your best for a while now. I think I can teach you a rune ability that was created by one of Allspace's missing senior members."
Zenith looked with excitement. "Defensive? Offensive?" Fable, who had just finished with all the corpses, spoke up. "It's both. The one I used prior was called Ocean Soul; it's also both. Do you understand what I mean when I say that though?"
Zenith remained quiet for a moment. "Defensive and offensive. It slows the enemy down but also lets you attack at your own advantage for those that reach the front." Fable clapped a couple of times. "Precisely! You see, in battle, the bigger advantage you have, the better, which is why I prefer rune abilities that do both in certain circumstances. The one I'm going to teach you is called Earth Grip."
Zenith, from the name alone, assumed the ability would most likely be one that bound the opponent, leaving them open for attack.
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