In contrast to the previous detour, two more hours of walking along the winding suburban roads produced no more surprises. Emma encountered no people along the way; nor any bears for that matter, only small creatures far more common to the local area.
"Why don't they have levels?" Emma asked, turning the hedgehog over in her hand as she ignored its struggling; its quills utterly unable to penetrate her steel gauntlet.
[I could show all non-threats as Level 0, but do you really want to see 'Rat - Level 0' everywhere you go?]
"Never mind," Emma chuckled, recalling that the man in the cabin hadn't warranted a level either, placing him on a similar tier as the hypothetical rat. "You're perfect just as you are."
[Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear.]
Setting the hedgehog down and watching briefly as it scurried away into the undergrowth, Emma returned her attention to the road ahead. Another ten minutes or so later, and she was starting to hear the noise of civilization once more, growing gradually louder with every step she took. Eventually and inevitably, she exited the forest's protective canopy and arrived at her destination. The good news? The houses here were mostly standing, and plenty of people were visible even at a glance. The bad news was that a horde of Demons were doing their level best to change the latter.
Furthermore, whilst Emma had never attended Brick Lane Academy and only visited a few times when the family went to watch her brother's games, she was reasonably sure the Academy didn't used to hover a hundred feet in the air in the middle of town: gardens and walls included and all bathed in a soft golden glow. The yellow brick roads descending to ground level, from which a horde of Wolf Demons emerged to hunt human prey? That was new too.
[Dungeon discovered! Academia Mortalis]
An agonized scream brought Emma's attention back to the ground: where she witnessed a man wielding a meat cleaver topple over, a Demon's jaws clenched tight around his knee whilst another got him around the neck, silencing him once and for all. Similar scenes were repeated everywhere she looked, as people with improvised weaponry tried and mostly failed against creatures born for battle. Some had a measure of success, most notably a trio of what she assumed were off duty soldiers, moving as a unit whilst mowing down demons with precise bursts of fire. Even then, it barely made a difference; turning back to the Dungeon, Emma saw another pack of Demons spawn at the top of the road, ready to join the hunt.
Maybe I could turn the tide?
The thought briefly crossed Emma's mind before she discarded it. She was only one person despite her newfound strength, any contribution she made wouldn't change the bigger picture, not whilst an endless tide of Demons could spawn. Victory was only possible if she stopped the demons at the source; that meant defeating the Dungeon.
[Quest obtained!
When In Rome
Objective: Defeat Academia Mortalis
Another wave of Wolf Demons spawned; like all the others, they parted around her in their descent, leaving her to climb along the middle of the road unimpeded. Far more unusual was the Centurion who greeted her at the Dungeon's gate, looking like he'd stepped straight out of a Roman period drama.
[Gate Guardian - Level 1]
"Welcome, brave aspirant!" He bellowed before Emma could get a word in. "Your bravery has been witnessed; threefold acts of valor affirmed. The trials await you, should you wish to prove your worth before the Imperator!"
"Threefold acts of valor?" Emma echoed, turning back to the scene below in lieu of replying.
Now that she had a hint as to what to look for, Emma could see a pattern playing out amidst the chaos. Most of those below were being actively targeted; most, but not all. None approached the trio of soldiers, leaving them free to shoot despite there being more than enough Demons around to overwhelm them all in a coordinated charge. Similarly, a man wielding a crossbow fired from a hilltop entirely unmolested, while a woman sat under the cover of a tree, pouring gasoline into a portable chainsaw. The latter in particular was watched by a Demon the entire time, but only when she revved up the blade and charged back into the fray herself was battle rejoined.
"You're only targeting those who've yet to slay three wolves?" Emma asked the Centurion for confirmation. "Why?"
"Purge the unworthy and welcome the brave. Thus do I direct the legions of Romulus. Thus declared Imperator Felix Knight, may his reign endure forever!"
Emma hadn't felt any pain since the moment of her rebirth; but hearing her brother's name in that context, she couldn't help but rub her head amidst the phantom sensation of a budding headache.
"Of course. In all the madness, it somehow slipped my mind that he's right in the middle of his Roman history phase. Wonderful."
[Blood Borne
Objective completed: Find your Brother [X]
When In Rome
Bonus Objective added: Deal with Imperator Felix Knight
Reward: ???]