Najicablitz
patreon
Gaio ch 8
🕑 Added 2024-08-12 00:09:00 +0000 UTCRiku stepped into the bustling lobby of the Hollows & Hunters Bureau, his heart pounding. The place hummed with activity, Hunters of all ranks milling about, swapping stories and checking the notice boards. He felt out of place, acutely aware of his lowly F-rank status.
He made his way to the E-rank section, eyes scanning the postings. Most were for group expeditions or popular areas. Riku frowned. He needed something secluded, away from prying eyes.
A woman jostled past him, her voice carrying. "Another group wiped out. E-rank's getting crowded these days."
Riku's ears perked up. Crowded meant danger, but it also meant opportunity. He searched the board, looking at the list of E-rank Hollows. He found one that fit his needs. It was remote, a good hour's drive from the city. Perfect.
He copied down the coordinates, his hand trembling slightly. This was reckless, he knew. E-rank was a big step up from the F-rank Hollows he was used to. But the potential rewards...
Riku glanced at his worn gear, the cheap leather barely holding together after his last few hunts. He needed better equipment if he was going to survive, let alone advance. And more than that, he needed money to stand on his own, to stop relying on his uncle's charity.
The memory of Kazuya's concerned face flashed through his mind. Riku pushed the guilt aside. He'd make it up to his uncle, once he'd proven himself.
As he turned to leave, Riku caught sight of his reflection in a nearby window. The Gaio Driver was hidden beneath his jacket, a comforting weight against his side. With it, he stood a chance. Without it... well, he'd rather not think about that.
Riku left the Bureau, his mind racing with plans. He'd need supplies, a ride to the Hollow's entrance. And he'd need an excuse for Kazuya. Another lie. The thought made his stomach churn, but he pushed it down. This was necessary.
He spent the afternoon gathering what he needed, using the last of his savings to rent a beat-up car and stock up on basic medical supplies. As the sun began to set, Riku found himself standing outside Serenity Brew, steeling himself for what came next.
Kazuya looked up as he entered, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Riku! I wasn't expecting you tonight. Everything okay?"
Riku forced a smile. "Yeah, just... I got a lead on a good hunting spot. Thought I'd head out early tomorrow, maybe stay a couple days if it pans out."
His uncle's smile faltered slightly. "An F-rank Hollow? Be careful out there, Riku. You know how dangerous-"
"I know, Uncle," Riku cut him off, guilt twisting in his gut. "I'll be fine. I've been training, and... well, I need this. To prove to myself I can do it."
Kazuya studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright. Just... come back safe, okay? Promise me that."
Riku swallowed hard. "I promise."
As he climbed the stairs to his room, Riku felt the weight of that promise. He was lying to his uncle, risking his life for a chance at power and independence. But as his hand brushed against the Gaio Driver, he felt a surge of determination.
...
Riku stepped out of the cab, his heart pounding in his chest. The air was thick with tension as he gazed at the shimmering entrance to the E-rank Hollow. He paid the driver, who sped off without a backward glance.
"This is it," Riku muttered, adjusting his worn leather armor. The weight of the Gaio Driver pressed against his waist, hidden beneath his jacket.
He took a deep breath and stepped through the barrier. The world shifted, reality bending around him. When his vision cleared, Riku found himself in a misty forest. Tall, ancient trees loomed overhead, their branches intertwining to form a dense canopy that blocked out most of the light.
Riku blinked, disoriented. This was nothing like the F-rank Hollows he was used to. The air felt heavy, charged with an otherworldly energy that made his skin prickle.
"Where am I?" he whispered, his voice swallowed by the eerie silence of the forest.
A twig snapped somewhere in the distance, and Riku spun around, his hand instinctively reaching for the Driver. He scanned the misty trees, trying to pierce the gloom with his eyes.
Then he heard it. A howl, low and haunting, echoed through the forest. It was joined by another, then another, until a chorus of unearthly cries filled the air.
Riku's blood ran cold. He'd heard stories of the creatures that lurked in E-rank Hollows, but nothing could have prepared him for this.
Movement caught his eye. In the sea of trees before him, pinpricks of blue light appeared. Eyes. Dozens of glowing, spectral eyes, watching him from the mist.
As the pack of Ethereal Fangs emerged from the shadows, their fur shimmering like starlight, Riku realized just how far out of his depth he truly was.
Riku's heart raced as he faced the pack of Ethereal Fangs. He quickly recalled what he knew about these spectral beasts. Ethereal Fangs were a breed of E-rank Fiends that prowled the misty forests. Their fur shimmered like starlight, and their eyes glowed a piercing blue-white. These spectral wolves moved with a ghostly grace, their paws barely disturbing the undergrowth as they stalked their prey.
Their fangs held a dark power, capable of draining the life force from their victims, leaving them weak and cold. And their eerie howls could pierce the soul, striking fear into the hearts of even the bravest hunters. Worst of all, the Ethereal Fangs could fade, becoming translucent and nearly impossible to strike.
Riku knew he was outmatched, his meager abilities no match for the cunning and supernatural nature of these Fiends. But he couldn't turn back now, not when the pack had emerged from the shadows, their glowing eyes fixed on him. He had to face them, no matter how daunting the task might be.
One of the wolves lunged, its ethereal form blurring as it closed the distance. Riku's instincts kicked in, and he dove to the side, feeling the rush of cold air as the Fang's jaws snapped shut inches from his leg. Rolling to his feet, Riku knew he had no choice. He couldn't face these creatures as he was. His hand went to the Gaio Driver at his waist. "Henshin!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the misty forest.
The Driver whirred to life, energy surging through Riku's body. An electronic voice announced,
[VANGUARD FORM: ONLINE]
In a flash of green light, the exoskeleton armor encased Riku's body. The forest around him seemed to sharpen, his senses heightened by the transformation.
The Ethereal Fangs hesitated, their glowing eyes fixed on this new threat. Gaio flexed his armored hands, feeling the power coursing through him. "Alright," he muttered, settling into a fighting stance. "Let's do this."
The pack attacked as one, spectral forms streaking towards him from all directions. Gaio's enhanced reflexes kicked in. He ducked under one Fang, his fist connecting with another in a mana-infused punch that sent it flying back into the mist.
Gaio leaped higher than ever before, sailing over the lunging Ethereal Fangs. He twisted in mid-air, landing behind them, and immediately spun into a kick that caught one of the wolves in its ethereal flank.
The Fang yelped, a sound that sent shivers down Gaio's spine despite the armor. These were not just beasts; they were something more, straddling the line between living and dead.
A ghost howl pierced the air, reverberating through Gaio's body and threatening to freeze him in place. But the armor shielded him from the worst of it, allowing him to shake off the effect.
"Nice try," Gaio growled, charging at the howling Fang. He unleashed a flurry of punches, each impact sending shockwaves of green energy through the spectral wolf's form. The Fang's ethereal body flickered, struggling to maintain cohesion.
Yet Gaio had no time to celebrate. The rest of the pack was closing in, their glowing eyes filled with hunger and rage. He spun, barely avoiding the spirit bite of another Fang, feeling the cold emanating from its jaws.
Gaio knew he couldn't keep this up forever. There were too many, and even with the armor, he was tiring. He needed to end this quickly.
As the pack regrouped for another assault, Gaio focused, channeling mana into his legs. The armor hummed with energy.
"Vanguard Strike!" he shouted, launching into a spinning kick, his leg trailing green energy. The kick connected with the nearest Fang, but the momentum carried him through, striking one Ethereal Fang after another in a whirlwind of mana-infused attacks.
The pack scattered, several wolves fading into intangibility to escape the onslaught. But Gaio didn't let up, pressing his advantage and targeting the Fangs that remained solid. His fists and feet flew in a blur of motion, each strike empowered by the armor, as ethereal fur dissipated and the Fangs' spectral forms struggled to maintain cohesion.
Gaio's fist connected with the last solid Ethereal Fang, sending it tumbling back into the mist. The remaining pack members, those that could still fade, retreated into the shadows of the forest. Their glowing eyes blinked out one by one until Gaio stood alone in the clearing, his armored chest heaving with exertion.
He deactivated the Gaio armor, the exoskeleton retracting into the Driver at his waist. The forest seemed eerily quiet now, the only sound his own ragged breathing.
Riku's hands shook as he knelt beside the nearest fallen Fang. Its ethereal form was already dissipating, leaving behind a small, glowing crystal. The mana core. He reached out, hesitating for just a moment before grasping it.
A rush of energy surged through him as his fingers closed around the crystal. It was cold to the touch, but Riku could feel the power within it, raw and wild. He fumbled with his pack, carefully storing the crystal inside.
One by one, Riku collected the cores from the fallen Fangs. Each one sent a new jolt of energy through his body. By the time he'd gathered them all, he felt... different. Stronger, somehow. More alive.
The Gaio Driver at his waist hummed softly, and Riku realized it was absorbing the excess mana from the crystals. He could feel it integrating the energy, making him stronger.
"This is incredible," Riku muttered, flexing his fingers. Even without the armor, he felt more powerful than he ever had before.
But he couldn't afford to get distracted. This was still an E-rank Hollow, and the Ethereal Fangs were likely just the beginning. Somewhere in this misty forest, a boss Fiend was waiting. And Riku needed to find it if he wanted to collapse the Hollow and escape.
Taking a deep breath, Riku started deeper into the forest. The mist seemed to thicken as he walked, swirling around his legs and obscuring the path ahead. The trees loomed larger, their branches twisting into strange, unsettling shapes.
Riku's senses were on high alert, his eyes darting from shadow to shadow. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig made him tense, ready to activate the Gaio Driver at a moment's notice.
Riku pushed through the dense undergrowth, emerging into a small clearing. At its center stood an ancient, gnarled tree, its pale bark glowing faintly in the dim light. Something felt off about this tree; its branches seemed to shift and move, even without a breeze.
Approaching cautiously, Riku noticed strange markings carved into the trunk, an unfamiliar ancient script. As his fingers brushed the glowing bark, a jolt of energy shot through him, and Riku stumbled back with a gasp. The markings flared to life, pulsing with an eerie blue light.
The ground trembled, and Riku scrambled backwards as roots erupted from the earth, twisting and writhing like tentacles. The ancient tree groaned, its trunk splitting open to reveal a maw filled with jagged, wooden teeth. Branches reshaped themselves into clawed limbs, and a pair of glowing, malevolent eyes formed in the bark above the monstrous mouth.
Riku's eyes widened in horror as the tree transformed into a living, hungry forest given form – the boss Fiend he had been searching for. Gripping the Gaio Driver, he knew he was in for the fight of his life.
