Invidia-00-2-073.
To describe this being is challenging, but I'll attempt it.
This Eidolon is still mostly humanoid in shape, though obviously still far from being human. It has a long appendage acting akin to a tail in a grotesque hue of pink, like a naked mole, dragged across the ground by three legs, one similar to the ogre like leg, another one muscular, but bent back similar to the leg of a quadruped and the third leg resembling that of an old man's. It also boasts two heads and four arms, each being equally as revolting and varied and alien, though as opposed to the other individual, the Eidolon itself runs upright.
My legs shiver from the cold and anxiety, wishing to run like those around me, though I remain firm against these beings charging in our direction like bulls. To ease my mind, I look around.
I spot the familiar cluster of stacked and poorly constructed buildings, leaving no gaps in-between for alleys. The ground, which once laid paved, has since been covered in trash, mud, and hazardous construction materials, covered by an uneven layer of snow, below whose veil lie pipes, re-bar, metal sheets and glass.
My gaze wanders up towards the smog and clouds making their best attempt at covering the repulsiveness us humans have reshaped this planet into.
I then lock eyes with my target, steady cold hands pointing the barrel of my revolver directly towards the left head of Invidia-00-2-073. I know to wait for the right moment. The farther away my target is, the more likely it is that I miss.
From the corner of my eye, I spot Revenant drawing a shamshir, the curved and polished blade reflecting the diminished sunlight. He mutters an incantation into the winds, the blade glowing a faint blue light, just before – crack – the hill of trash splits open and blue luminous winds gush out like hands grasping at the feet of the humanoid foe, halting them in place inches before their fingers could grasp those of Revenant.
I snap my head back and wait just a heartbeat longer before I discharge my revolver. A loud noise emerges, one of the heads snaps backwards and it screeches painfully loud, reeling from the pain before falling onto its back. Following that its seven limbs flail violently like those of a dying spiders', even though this creature couldn't be further from death.
Eidolons are immortal.
I take the reprieve to recover from the recoil and to check on Revenant. He fights cautiously, his large frame moving as in dance to avoid the grasp of his foe. He lurches to the side, steadies his stance, then severs their right arm.
My mind calms seeing our plan unfolding, though it is exactly this calm that invites a horrid thought: I recall that Revenant mentioned his opponent being a 'lackey', insinuating a mindless or controlled person, but what if it really was just corrupt?
As I calculate the possible implications I look towards its mouth. It's muttering, no, it's chanting. My hands shoot towards it, the barrel of my firearm again seeking the head of a target. It isn't as easy. They aren't running towards me, they're moving erratically as if possessed, moving around and about Revenant who I cannot shoot, lest this gets even worse. I manage to spot a moment as it almost finishes its incantation.
My finger quivers, but it fails to pull the trigger, an afterthought catching up in time. I can't kill them either, they'd come back an Eidolon. They'd become immortal.
As Revenant continues this fight, expecting some offensive and direct spell to lurch out like the thoughtless person he underestimates his foe to be, it instead falls over backwards, throwing up dust and plunging it in snow. Revenant attempts to escape backwards, though instead he is headbutted by his foe as he dashes back. I was unable to tell him in time that the neck of his foe stretched unnaturally and flanked him whilst remaining hidden.
Revenant falls forwards into the snow, dazed by the impact. The Eidolon has since regained their stature, its shot head lying limp with blood cascading down its now missing left eye, dripping onto the snow, dyeing it a crimson hue.
I retreat slightly, pointing my firearm at the Eidolon, but keeping watch over the other battle. I have to regain focus, this is a life or death scenario damn it. The thoughts in my head run wild and when both Revenant and the other stand back up, I am left more confused.
The head, which lay on the corrupted man moments before, now comfortably rests atop Revenant and I recognize the purple vines flowing through the hair of his foe. This is the power of Individia-00-2-073. That is why we shouldn't come into contact with it. What will happen to Revenant?
This isn't purely cosmetic, otherwise it would be Individia-00-1-073 instead. It's rank would be only 1, not 2. No, the idea of it being only cosmetic doesn't make sense, the corrupted individual obviously was influenced in some other way by the Eidolon, otherwise they wouldn't oppose us and also wouldn't show the same characteristics in their actions. They wouldn't bear the same Envy that the Eidolon would hold.
Shit, I have to do something. I can't continue thinking. I have to focus on my foe, I have to trust Revenant. He hasn't become an enemy already, surely a rank 2 Eidolon isn't that powerful.
I discharge my gun two more times, which end up piercing through the Eidolon's abdomen and tearing off one of its twenty fingers. It stopped its advance towards me again, buying me more time, yet it isn't as staggered as before. It was likely just unfamiliar with firearms, but now it's aware of it.
My arms have to rest for a brief moment due to the recoil. It's not horrible, but I'm far from used to it. The clashing of steel against steel shifts my focus towards Revenant again.
His foe took out a scimitar of his own and was clashing with Revenant. He parried his blade, then, in the blink of an eye, unsheathed a second blade and cleaved through both of their legs, sending a large amount of blood, viscera and guts across the battlefield, spraying across him and the Eidolon both.
Before I can identify Revenant's second weapon he already sheathed it again and took out various vials for an incantation. The Eidolon's right head twists to face Revenant, though I aim for its legs, firing a series of shots until my arm is left slightly sore, the gun smoking and only releasing short clicking noises.
The Eidolon wasn't injured greatly and I only landed a singular shot, though that leg gave out under the weight it carries, stumbling the Eidolon. It drags itself using its hands towards me with anger in its eyes and I retreat one step at the time. I'm can't reload in battle, not yet, not in this weather. I can only hope to run and lure it around.
It rips off one of its arms in a series of horrifying bone cracking and tissue tearing noises, broken by visceral squelching and plopping of the blood. I am almost forced to throw up from the sight, though instead look away.
From below the snow I spot a large sheet of brass and pick it up and in front of me just in time as the severed arm crashes against it, denting the plate as the force throws me into the snow onto my back and I hear my back cutting open from landing onto sharp metal. I scream out in pain, but can already feel and hear its hands dragging its large frame towards me, picking up speed.
As fast as it approaches it suddenly stops.
I lift the heavy arm and metal sheet from my body and look forward, spotting the twice-over decapitated Eidolon flooding the floor with its warm blood that melts the snow upon which it lands. Revenant stands next to it with labored breathing and sweat dripping down his face, though I immediately notice his face having returned to normal.
"Piece of shit. Where did that Link 1 bastard learn a Rokurokubi Call?"
Was that a rare calling incantation? It looked pretty weak outside of this circumstance, so I didn't imagine it to be anything special. I would love to ask him why that is, but I really should focus on my back injury.
There is no better time than now to learn of the restoration capabilities of Avaritia-09-2-022. As far as I heard one only has to 'attune' to the Eidolon Equipment to then gain the instincts of using it, given one is fitting. I close my eyes and spiritually search for my gauntlet, requesting its aid in restoration.
I then feel a sudden immense pressure inside me as if I were to burst, though it subsides quickly, leaving me gasping for air. A shudder runs through my body as I hear the sounds of my flesh reshaping itself painfully before settling. I place my hand on my back and feel that my back has only grown over part of the skin, enough to stop bleeding, but not much of a restoration.
Checking on the gauntlet, I notice that the green glow through its veins has run completely dry and its pulsing has also fully subsided.
"Suffice to say, my picture on Eidolon has shifted. If that was only a Rank 2…"
I left the sentence hanging. It was obvious what I was trying to refer to.
"Good on you for not blowing out the brain of that guy. He can peacefully burn in hell now thanks to you."
What an oddly underhanded compliment to speak. It feels wrong, but burning in hell is the best thing that could've happened to him. He was too corrupted unfortunately.
"Let us seek out that blasted book already. I'm… shaken to say the least."
Walking past the corpse of the Eidolon, Revenant's hand falls onto my shoulder.
"I can tell. You don't wanna tap the Eidolon with Avaritia-09-2-022 first?"
Being lectured due to my confusion is something I really am too tired for, so I just follow his advice. As I do, the Eidolon looses part of its saturation and the veins in my gauntlet start to glow a bright green with only brief spots of gray appearing.
He was hinting at one of the abilities of the Eidolon Equipment I had again. I swear, that book is making him come across as a smug bastard sometimes, but I digress, using the gauntlet again. This time it restores my back fully and also heals some minor scratches and bruises I sustained across my body. The light dimmed again, but is still a brighter hue than when I first found this thing.
"Let's go. It worked out well this time, but I don't want to wait around here for too long. I don't plan on witnessing its resurrection."
Revenant nods, cracking his neck to make sure that his read has truly returned to its rightful place. Though it's that emphasis that allows me to spot that one of his cheeks looks slightly… molten? As if you were to kind of smudge together the paints of an artwork. Likely because of the currently out-of-commission Eidolon. Well, I imagine the answer being inside that book, so I can save that question for later.
As we continue to wander across the street, the wind continuously bites at my back where my clothing tore. Fuck, my clothes! This is my only good suit. God damn it. Why did I assume Judge Gauntlet to also heal my clothing? I really have to hope that I can get my hands on a good Eidolon Equipment soon because otherwise I'll be fired from my job and end up homeless again, just because of a stupid suit.
Revenant leads me not just through more alleyways and streets but also makes me climb over buildings and makeshift walkways in this favela-like neighborhood. Meanwhile I do notice the streets being more and more full of people again as we continue.
At one point Revenant suddenly drags me out of sight into a small nook between walls, before conjuring a smoke cloud using an incantation to obscure us. After a short time I spot someone walking past this nook, frantically searching for someone among the crowd, likely us. Before I can ask, he already speaks up:
"This is what happens to those who carry around an Eidolon Equipment in the open. It forced us to take these detours. I didn't mean to bring it up as I'm aware that hiding such an awkward item like a pulsing and glowing gauntlet is challenging. We can't really solve it. It's more important to be combat ready than hiding it."
Were I to get a backpack to hide it in, I wouldn't be able to use it in combat. This isn't really much of a weapon, but the healing ability is at its best if on hand immediately. This thing can still kill, but it isn't an Eidolon Equipment focused on murder.
I'm feeling quite bold right now, so I feel that I can make a guess.
"I know, though, your Eidolon Equipment is easily hidden in a sheath as opposed to mine."
He strongly exhales through his nose before pulling me back into the street, then whispering:
"I won't tell you its code or name yet, but yes, it's an Eidolon Equipment as opposed to my shamshir. The exact one that fucked up half my face and my arm."
There is always risk to using Eidolon Equipment, which is the main reason I withheld on using my own for all this time. I suppose it was only a Rank 2, but then again the foe I just fought was also 'only' Rank 2. Still, it shouldn't be that bad to use and if I continue doing what I've already done with it, it shouldn't suddenly start corrupting me, there are generally always rules with Eidolon in general.
It felt like an eternity, but we did end up making it to the place Revenant planned to lead me towards. We had returned to the delta echelon by now, so the buildings were looking less like a slum and the streets were at least not hazardous to traverse. This building was slightly indented when compared with the alignment of the buildings in the same row and generally small as if hiding away. Then again, this would be the ideal location for a black market shop.
Revenant knocked on the door and it was opened by an older and frail gentleman.
"Who is that, Revenant?"
He asks in an admittedly annoying voice.
"This is Nathan Verren. He needs a copy of the Eidolon Register."
I wanted to get a sentence in myself, but I would imagine that I could easily complicate this scenario. The old gentleman tapped his fingers against the door for a moment, looked at me, then adjusted his glasses.
"I'll need 22 Gael."
Revenant looked at my slightly surprised face. This is pretty much the price of any normal book you'd buy online. I mean, this isn't cheap, but I was expecting something like a few hundred Gael for that treasure trove of information. Then again, it is really just like a dictionary, but for Eidolon.
This will bite into my savings, but it's easy enough to rationalize it with simply making the money back afterwards with just a single Eidolon Equipment sell. I was destined to kill one anyways due to my tattered clothes, so I take out my old and worn wallet and pick out two ten-gael bills and an equal amount of one-gael coins.
The old man tests the bills for counterfeits, but then closes the door, opening it a moment later with a book in hand.
It's the Eidolon Register I sought.
I flip through the pages and each of the Eidolon come with sketches, well most do. With the vast array of Eidolon that exist, there are destined to be those that cannot be described in words and some that can't be seen in the first place. I recognize some of them though. Some Eidolon Monsters I previously ran from or looked at from a safe distance, whilst I see familiar Eidolon Equipment from the shop.
There was Gula-12-5-381 'Sought Destruction', the one that Revenant was interested in. It's powers are based on gravitational energy, capable of easily disfiguring and destroying flesh and bone, maybe even granting the power to punch through solid steel given it's Rank 5, though I imagine it comes with a heavy cost.
The other ones that were present were Superbia-11-3-126, Luxuria-03-2-188 and Avaritia-00-5-024. The stock was only 4 items, but that still is immense, considering two of them are of Rank 5. The merchant appraised them at around 100 Phalite each. If I were to estimate the value of everything he has, including personal funds and personal Eidolon Equipment, I could easily see a total value of 350 Phalite. Staggering to even think about.
"If you seek to hunt them we can meet back at the Eidolon Equipment store tomorrow at 8:00am I'll be busy for the rest of the day."
Revenant snapped me back into reality. I was absorbed in reading it, but it really can wait until I'm not outside in the winter cold with torn clothing anymore. I nod at Revenant and he guided me back to where he originally picked me up from, which was the store, then walked off, taking steps to avoid being followed, even by me.
I decided to head back to the institute to learn a little more about incantations before I headed home. Not because I really was looking towards learning something new, but mainly because of the warmth of that place. I still had to finish learning that sealing incantation or at least practice it. One can't grasp an Incantation in a single lesson. Sure, one may be able to hear and replicate it, but it requires practice to do it without potential for misfire and to not expend their full spiritual energy.
After a brisk jog towards the institute, I am greeted by Mary again. First she was surprised to see me, then she was shocked when she saw how I looked.
"I… apologize greatly for my improper appearance, I was assaulted by a corrupted individual. You should know how common these things tend to be in this district. Suffice to say, the teachings here are immaculate. With the learnt invocation just today I was able to banish it without challenge."
Most of what I said was obviously wrong. Even though she saw me with my Eidolon Equipment before, it was still quite apparent that I was Link 2 at most. I don't want to talk about Revenant and with him out of the picture it is not very feasible for me to claim to have stood against an Eidolon without running away, let alone defeating one. This was the best excuse. I really do not want suspicion on me and those from echelon gamma actually have an education and access to public safety, so I really don't want to get involved.
"Truly unfortunate... Mr. Verren, right? What brings you here in such a hurry then?"
I was still slightly winded from my brief jog and my home really isn't that far away to suggest that I couldn't have just switched my clothes. Exactly that is why I am careful with the information I give people like them.
"Ah, well I just learnt that invocation during today's lesson, so I am not very practiced in it. I was planning to wait until another time to look towards this practice, though after this attack I was reminded again of the urgency of ones own safety."
Mary looked through her computer again, likely looking for an appointment slot. I waited for about ten seconds, though waiting in the warm reception area really isn't something to complain about.
"I'm sorry, due to an incident in the early hours we are unable to offer you teaching staff. Usually with your standard-level membership you would not be able to partake in private training, but due to said incident we would be willing to make an exception."
She read that from her screen, so I was wrong in reading her again. Honestly, the outcome is pretty good though. I was able to get away from the incident in time and get to spend an hour in their private facilities. Being able to sit in a nice and warm room for that long is far more easily enjoyed if not joined by strangers just waiting to judge me.
Mary held a hand over her mouth as she very silently muttered an incantation before her eyes narrowed in my direction in an expression of anger, disappointment or maybe envy? No idea what that was about whatsoever.
Then, all of a sudden, Mary stood up, put on a fake smile and grabbed my wrist, guiding me to the door on the right side of the desk, confusing me as it usually is the door on the left I go through for these lessons. She never mentioned a room for me to go to I suppose.
I managed to catch the flowery fragrance of her hair as she continued to guide me through the doorway, muttering something like "it's always guys like these" under her breath. The corridor is very similar to the one on the other side of the building, but the nameplates are different. I can't read them all as I am led to the door immediately to the right, which reads 'Fortress'.
The room is decorated like a medieval castle with gray brick walls and smooth stone flooring. She lets go of my wrist and then closes the door behind me. Inside the room are lifting weights and other exercise equipment on the left wall, with tea making equipment on the opposite one. At the wall straight ahead is a bench specifically made for meditation.
I begin by making myself some tea. I might as well enjoy the luxuries whilst I have them. The tea blends they have in this room are more fancy than the ones I was offered before as well and I was quite parched from the battle and whatnot, so tasting each blend surely wouldn't hurt.
The tea kettle is already filled with hot water and isn't an assassin's teapot, so I pour the water into three different cups, in each of which I place one of the different bags of tea.
As the tea permeates through the water I start with some stretching and general warm-ups, reminding me of the lack of warm up I had during the battle. In a world with Eidolon, tearing a muscle might not sound so bad, but it's things like these that would result in easily preventable deaths.
Time passes very quickly when I'm not suffering as it turns out, so the hour quickly came to an end. It left me with a sense of satisfaction though, as I was able to get comfortable with the incantation at the same time as building my muscle mass and agility.
I am guided out again by Mary, though she seems to have recovered from whatever happened before. I then stand outside again and am once more kindly greeted by the cold.
Seeing as I am warmed up though, I decide to jog to my apartment quickly, passing by many people giving me weird looks due to the mismatch of decent clothes that are torn and an Eidolon Equipment. I thought about taking another route to my apartment because of the risk of being followed, though considering how much I've been assaulted by frost already, I'm pretty sick of staying outside any longer. I really don't want to develop a cold or frostbite.
My keys jingle as I open my apartment door and just to calm my conscience, I decide to look behind me and see if anyone is looking in my direction, which is nobody. I take steps up towards my flat and unlock the door.
It isn't much colder than the outside, but every little bit helps.
…
Ah, fuck, I forgot to buy groceries.
I really don't want to go outside again, so time to look into the fridge for leftovers. Uh, let's see… there's a pack of mozzarella cheese that was discounted. Uh, I'm not consuming ketchup raw, really not that desperate. Also not desperate enough for ice soup. I still have some butter. No bread though and nothing to roast it with. Also something I won't eat raw. Come on, is there really nothing better than eating just a slab of cheese? Wait, why even is my ketchup in the fridge?
Just when I thought I had spotted my saving grace, an instant chicken stir-fry microwave meal, I looked closer and saw that it already was beyond spoiled. That explains why I didn't remember having that.
Ugh, raw mozzarella it is then. Mmm~
After eating I take out a piece of cloth and attempt to patch my suit, but, as I suspected, a giant patch of cloth at the back really takes a lot of the beauty out of it from 'barely functioning society member' to 'unemployed bum'.
I sigh as I put myself to bed. It's only 4:30pm, but I am very tired from today, not just physically, but also mentally.
As I lie in bed, I read through some pages of the Eidolon Register. The first pages explain what I mostly know already, but I might as well revise.
The classification code used for Eidolons, Monsters or Tools, is made up of four parts.
The first one is the Latin name of the corresponding sin responsible for the creation of this Eidolon. Basically what sin you were most corrupted by when you died and became an Eidolon. Superbia is Pride, Avaritia is Greed, Luxuria is Lust, Invidia is Envy, Gula is Gluttony, Ira is Wrath and Acedia is Sloth.
The second part is their domain of their power or effects. It goes from 00 to 16 (for now) to classify them. 00, being 'Matter', is most common to encounter, whilst 16, being 'Time', is the rarest to encounter. It isn't fully foolproof, but a good estimate. According to it the most common are 00 – Matter, 01 – Energy, 02 – Spirit and 03 – Emotion. It's not all too important anyhow, since the description of Eidolon usually gives it away anyways.
The third part is the Link reached in life. If I were to become an Eidolon, I would be one of Rank 1 or 2. Oh yeah, whilst it is referred to as 'Link' for people, I and many others like to use the term 'Rank' when referring to Eidolon Monsters and Tools, since they don't really follow the rules of the Chain of Purity. As such, the Rank of an Eidolon goes from 0 to 7, exactly like the Links do.
Lastly is a simple three digit identifier to differentiate individual Eidolon. There is a global database, but this book only covers Eidolon sighted within the borders of this nation, which is still a lot. The identifier is unique for every combination of the prior three. This means that the ID of 001 would be given to the first instance of Eidolon Avaritia-00-0 and Ira-14-6 or whatever.
To go over it in total, let me go over the Eidolon I fought today: Invidia-00-2-073 – Denied Beauty.
It represents the sin of Envy since it is 'Invidia'. Its abilities affect primarily matter, which is 00 and the person that became this Eidolon was Link 2. There is a parallel between the Link achieved and the strength of an Eidolon, so the Rank essentially conveys its power. Lastly, it has an ID of 073, which means that at least 72 other Invidia-00-2 exist in this world. Honestly kind of shocking. Rank 2 and 00 are very common, so this being only 072 means that this Eidolon is really really old.
Yeah, reading this book was a perfect choice to bore myself to sleep.
Quickly I am embraced by a surprisingly quiet rest and manage to somehow sleep all the way through to 5:00am, or not.
I actually woke up at 6:54am since I forgot that it'd be Sunday today. My routine is the same as the day before, except that I really don't have anything to eat this time. I put on a black turtleneck sweater and cheap brown trench coat before I head out, since I won't be going anywhere that requires me to have decent clothing.
The bright side of waking up late is, well, the bright light of the sun. The purple to orange hues of the sunrise have already started to paint the sky and since they reach from below the clouds, it is the rare window of time where we get to actually experience a bright and warm light.
I took a small duffle bag with me this time to put my gauntlet inside, since I don't feel like getting attacked near my apartment or when shopping. I gingerly walk towards the nearest convenience store, actually the second nearest. The closest one is actually in the gamma echelon and the prices there are very high for someone as broke as me.
The other general store is a pretty dingy place and one expected to have many robberies, but it is sort of immune because it is the only really affordable grocer for a good 2 miles. For us delta and epsilon echelon folks at least. I stock up on various things for the coming week as well as a snack to replace my breakfast. In total it runs me around 47 Gael, which is painful to stomach and drains the remaining funds from my pockets. Well, I get paid on Thursday next week if I keep the job, but even if I'm fired, I at least get an alright severance package that can last me a few weeks maybe.
I return home to stock my fridge and then return to the Eidolon Equipment store just 10 minutes shy of the arranged time.
Revenant is early, which I didn't expect, but he looked around the store and its new additions. Pretty sure they would be recorded, but I won't be buying them anyways, so what is the point of looking them up anyways.
"Morning, Nathan."
"Good Morning to you too, Revenant."
I walk over to him whilst looking at the shopkeeper who stares back.
"So, where do you plan to hunt and what Eidolon?"
Revenant looks at me in a disappointed expression, as if I managed to subvert his lowest expectations.
"We're heading to gamma echelon. I work with a small group that gives me access to a little shack there. Then we'll see if we get a bite."
"A bite? Like fishing?"
"You could draw the metaphor, though it wouldn't be exactly right. You see, hunting in delta or epsilon isn't worth it, far more unpredictable and exhausting, so we're hunting in gamma."
I am confused why we would have to head for gamma. There are multiple reasons, but none make much sense. Either way, I doubt it's worth the toll, though Revenant seems to easily notice my distress.
"I'll take over your toll for the first time. Don't worry, it's more profitable in the end. Obviously people of higher Link make more. Best case is if we were to live in beta, but that is just a dream."
I was going to question Revenant further, but then another individual comes into the store. They're sure to stand out, wearing an olive hoodie, black jeans and a featureless white mask covering their face. All of their clothing looked tidy and clean so they were obviously from gamma echelon. I'm not a fashion buff, but I'd wager that people from beta or alpha echelon don't usually wear hoodies.
This person walks over to us directly. Considering they're not just in the 'wrong' echelon zone, their mask gives away that they're not normal, likely someone that can fight. I ready my fists and Revenant unsheathes his shamshir, though they immediately throw up their hands.
"Please gentlemen, do not ruin the establishment of this fine sir. I only seek to give you a simple message. 10:00am, Gate 3-08."
He spins around and leaves swiftly after mentioning this, whilst I look at Revenant, who responds:
"We're going."