Chapter 607: Unnatural Past

Name:Leveling up the World Author:
Chapter 607: Unnatural Past

The rat rushed to cover the rat king like a shield. Dallion performed a pint attack straight down, but it was too late to kill the creature. The destructive force slammed into the cover of rats pushing everything down. The flooralready weakened by Dallions familiarsgave in, crumbling into the room below. The rats flowed down with it, creating new layers around the creature controlling them.

Without hesitation, Dallion did another point attack, then thrust the sword into a nearby wall, in order to keep himself from joining the pool of rats and remains., get it! he ordered. Lux, ruby stay close to me.

The whip blade spun in the air, twisting its metal fragments around like a tornado. The rat swarm was on the defensive now, although that didnt stop creatures from leaping up at the weapon. At first glance, there was no reason for their action. They could do no damage to something that was indestructible. However, every moment they occupied the blade was a moment the rat king had to escape.

Anyone seen anything of the sort? Dallion asked.

No one answered. Apparently, the creature was unique to the world, possibly a result of the Stars influence in the area.

Rats and subway tunnels, Dallion thought. It was almost as if he were back home.

The flow of rats into the room became a trickle, allowing Dallion to land on part of the floor that remained. Looking below, the mass of rats had thinned significantly. Sadly, that wasnt so much due to Gleams efforts, but rather the rat kings escape. There was a choice to be made: follow up and kill the creature, or take advantage of the retreat and rush down the tunnel towards the mountain.

What do you think Harp? Dallion asked. The harpsisword was still vibrating in his hand, but refused to give an answer. That wasnt a good sign. I need your advice, Harp.

You have to decide on your own, the response came.

There was no spite, no disappointment, but rather the acknowledgement that he was mature enough to make his own decisions. The issue was that there was no telling whether those decisions were right.

Theres no guarantee in life, Dallion told himself. It wasnt even a matter of taking the easy way as opposed to the right way. Both choices came with their own risks.

Gleam, stay clear, he ordered.

Suspecting what he intended, the whip blade flew up to the ceiling. Moments later, Dallion did another point attack, destroying two more floors.

Lux, go after them, he ordered. Gleam, Ruby, cover my back.

So, youre chasing it, after all, Nil remarked.

Ive already started the hunt. Would be stupid to stop now that I have an advantage. He leapt down, then rushed forward.

Following the rat king was easy. The swarm of rats had created a tunnel of their own, going through various parts of the ruins. Had they been any smaller, following them would have presented a significant difficulty. As things stood, Dallion didnt even feel uncomfortablehed hunted creatures in far tighter spaces during hunter jobs.

On the way, scenes of the ruins past flashed by. One passing look gave an image of what had been: modern offices, living rooms, kitchens it was as if someone had taken part of Earth and put it in the middle of this fantasy world only to have it destroyed and reduced to ruins. Even with the catastrophe devastating the surface, pockets had remained intact buried beneath the ruins for millennia.

For a brief moment, Dallion wondered what life must have been when the city was functional. Had it been prosperous beyond todays understanding? Quite possibly, yes. Was it the Star that had achieved that? Or was he the one who had ruined it?

Youve told me there are no ways to get things between worlds, Dallion countered. And even if there were, this isnt a creature that exists there.

Before the argument could continue, a victorious cry filled Dallions awakening domain.

I got it! Lux yelled, his voice full of more enthusiasm that even he was used to. I broke it up in three parts! Theres only two of them attached to the spine.

As he said that, the stream of rats attacking Dallion suddenly dispersed. No longer directed to charge towards their death, the creatures changed direction, doing their best to flee the threat as best they could.

Focusing on his athletic skills, Dallion sprint forward as fast as his legs would take him. After a short while, he came across some of the corpses Lux had mentioned. Bodies of deformed rats with their spike sticking from their backs lay on the floor, twitching in a near-dead state. A few precise strikes instantly put them out of their misery.

I got the last two! Lux yelled again. It was easy!

Good job. Now get back here.

Naturally, it would be easy. Left to its own devices, the rat king wasnt supposed to be strong. It was the swarm surrounding it that was the real threat. Now that the brain of the swarm was dealt with, there was no chance that Dallion would be attacked again. That was assuming there was only one rat king in the ruins.

Deciding not to ruin the moment of victory, Dallion leaned against a nearby wall to catch his breath. A few moments later, all his familiars were there as well. Gleam was first, sliding the whip blade back into its scabbard. Lux followed, almost popping into existence in front of Dallion. Even in the real world, his ability to propel himself was impressive. Last was Ruby, who took almost half a minute more to reach them. The shardfly was by no means slow, but compared to everyone else, he had a lot of catching up to dosomething he was conscious of, for he quietly landed on Dallions shoulder and folded his wings together.

Walking back to the subway station took over half an hour. It was impressive how much distance could be crossed when running at the full speed with a body trait of thirty-eight. The time gave Dallion a chance to consider the grand scope of things. The political mess he had gotten himself involved with almost rivaled the Wars of Succession the province had seen forty years ago. However, he feared that he was involved in something far greater.

The dwarf hunter he had gone to not too long ago had mentioned a prophecy that would bring the end of the world. Could it be that the prophecy was correct and Dallion could end up being the cause of destruction? If the Star somehow obtained the skill to do magic, would the world suffer the fate of the fallen south? According to the worlds history, three races had tried to conquer the world: the copyettes, the nymph, and the dryads. All of them had failed, and yet none of them had suffered the amount of devastation Dallion witnessed in the south.

Nil, what happens if the Star is killed? Dallion asked.

Back to your usual philosophical questions? The echo sighed. The short answer is that no one knows. No one has managed to achieve such a feat.

Even the Moons?

After four ages, thereve been so many lies and half truths that even brilliant scholars from the past have no idea whats real and what not. Maybe the Star cant be killed? Or maybe when its killed, it would be reborn and continue where it left off. Theres no way of knowing, which makes your obsession to fight him all the more absurd.

I dont want to fight him. I just want to make sure he doesnt fight me. Dallion said, aware of the paradox.

In his mind, there was no doubt that the Star was from Earth, just as he was pretty certain that the Moons had cast him down in the ancient past. Looking at the remnants of the Stars achievements were enough to convince him of that. All the discoveries in this era, even those in eras past, seemed to be linked to this kingdom: a kingdom that had been destroyed before time.

Two things kept nagging at him: why hadnt the Moons finished the Star off, andgiven that he was almost certainly anotherworlderwhy had they let him level up to the point hed be a threat? Only one answer made sense: despite everything he had done, the Moons still liked him. Or, to be more specific, they needed him to exist. If all awakened were characters in their grand game, there had to be two sides.

The rest of the day proved uneventful. Every hour, Dallion would pause, leaving Lux and Gleam to check the tunnel in both directions. Other than a few lone insects scurrying about, there was nothing of interest. It almost seemed that all the dangers were over until Lux came back with news of sunlight in the tunnel ahead. Upon going close, Dallion felt his heart tighten.

Back in the days of the fallen kingdom, the subway must have connected cities like a normal train. The tracks continued on through the open for several dozen miles until they entered another tunnel in the cliff-face itself. This was the final stretch leading to the end of the canyon and the mountain beyond, and it was completely exposed.