The quiet that had fallen over West Cairn recently unsettled Sebastian. Streets that once bustled with people, filled only with silence or corpses. He found some solace in that he saw more beast corpses than human ones, but he also knew that he only saw the bodies left behind. He shivered slightly and shook his head. Best not to think about it.

He followed behind Ken silently, the teenager knowing the streets much better than he did. Mariah stood to his side, placing the three of them in a triangle. It wasn’t the safest formation, but they’d have to make do considering how many people they had.

“You only just move here, Sebastian?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Well, people usually know the way if they’ve lived here long enough, whereas you had me lead the way..” Ken gave a toothy grin, keeping his sword out as he spoke in a hushed tone.

“Can’t hide inexperience I’spose.”

“How come you moved here..?” Mariah piped up, trying to focus her perception on both the conversation and the surroundings. Apparently the multitasking helps train her control, and he didn't have any reason to doubt her.

“Used to live near the coast, but I ran into some issues. Moved here for work. Was a security guard at the Supermarket.”

“O-oh.. So you don’t have anyone in West Cairn to worry about?”

“No.. why did you say it like that?”

“Because The Light probably impacted the whole world, not just the city. Otherwise there’d probably be an army here or something by now.” Ken interrupted abruptly instead, his tone a little dejected.

“And there’s nothing to say The Light won’t come back..” Mariah continued, pouting slightly at the interruption, but she just went back to managing the surroundings.

Zen focused on leading the way, letting Sebastian stew in his thoughts slightly. Again, someone else has had to point out just how bad the situation is to him. First was Dallas, now Mariah and Ken.

Has he really not been thinking about it at all? In hindsight, he did feel like he was just going through the motions, even after he decided he’d start thinking more about what’s going on. Sebastian exhaled lightly and patted his cheeks, as if to wake himself up.

“Do you think it would be The Light that came back? Or-”

“Shush!” Mariah abruptly stopped him, before widening her eyes as if she just provoked a wild beast. “I-I’m sorry I didn’t mean to..” She spoke out quickly, before looking up. “I hear wings..”

Sebastian looked up with some confusion, before he saw the first black dot. Then the second, and the third. He felt his body freeze for a moment. “Into the alley way.” He gestured the group towards the right, inbetween what looked like an office and a warehouse. “Now. I think they’re coming for us.” He looked back up as the group rushed into the alley, the sounds approaching fast.

[Corrupted Pigeon, Lv.4 ]

[Affected by the changes brought with The Light, these pigeons have truly become the rats of the sky. Using horde tactics and their ability to fly, the birds eat everything in their path in order to expand and hunt bigger prey.]

[Corrupted Pigeon, Lv.6 ]...

[Corrupted Pigeon, Lv. 4]...

[Corrupted Pigeon, Lv. 5]...

“Fuck. Me.”

Sebastian groaned inwardly, standing some ten meters back from the front of the narrow alleyway. Here, they could only come from the front, back, or above, and any injuries to their wings would effectively ground them. The three stood back to back so each person needed to only defend from one side or above.

Mariah had brought a spear this time, different from her unarmored state in the previous fight. To others it might seem like she finally got the courage to fight, but Sebastian thought it really was just her fearing for her life now that Jacob was gone. He wasn’t sure how effective she’d be in the fight, but at Lv.2 she should have at least some strength to her.

He bent his knees, lowered his center of gravity slightly, gripped his saber tight and rested the back of the blade against his shoulder. He could still only see vague shapes of the birds, but their screeches and flapping wings created a distinct cluster of noises that Sebastian wouldn’t exactly describe as a symphony.

He closed his eyes for a moment, gauging the time it would take for the first ‘Pigeon’ to reach him. Abruptly, he stepped forward with his right foot and brought his saber down, the blade whistling through the air. Sebastian felt some resistance as the blade touched feathered flesh, before the remaining force simply smashed it’s way through the rest of the bird, the two halves flying by him and landing on the ground.

[You have slain Lv. 6 Corrupted Pigeon]

[Defeated higher level being]

[Awarded 45 xp.]

He had no time to contemplate how cool he felt doing that as he heard the enraged shrieks of the rest of the.. what do you call a group of pigeons? Fuck it, he didn’t know, he’d just call them a pack. He didn’t have much time to think about it either, feeling the winds from their wings press against his body.

These creatures were easily the size of hawks from before The Light, and they definitely grew to be just as, if not more, threatening. They had the population of pigeons and the strength of fucking super birds of prey, a combination he didn’t like. The only plus side he felt there was, is the fact that birds usually have fragile bodies and bones, something that isn’t matched well against a heavy saber like the one Sebastian was wielding.

Slashing upward and across, his weapon crashed into another Pigeon and crushed its wing, sending it tumbling to the ground. The bladesman wanted to step forward and smash it with his boot, but was forced back as another pigeon went under his blade and slammed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

He forced his feet firmly into the ground so as to prevent another Spear situation, not wanting to knock someone out of formation. The bird had pecked fiercely at the bandages on his chest, digging its talons into his flesh. He gripped the Saber with one hand and brought the other to the bird's neck, ripping it and it’s talons painfully from his body, leaving him with a dull, aching agonizing feeling lingering around his abdomen.

[You have slain Lv.5 Corrupted Pigeon]

[Defeated higher level being]

[Awarded 38 xp]

After crushing the bird's neck with his hands, he tossed it to the side and deflected another one with his blade, sending it flying back to the ground as well. Another used this moment to scratch at his arms, fleeing before he could retaliate. He breathed through his teeth from the agony, but didn’t let himself falter.

He imagined there could only be two dozen birds at most, and he already killed two. If they all focused on one person whilst a few distracted the others, they’d be screwed right and proper.

[You have slain Lv.4 Corrupted Pigeon]

[Awarded 20 xp]

Sebastian swung his saber across his chest once more, slashing another bird into two, only to have another one land on his shoulder. Before he could even respond, another rammed his stomach again. The pain was adding up, and it felt like being eaten alive. Sharp burning sensations covered spread from the wounds.

Yet another ‘pigeon’ landed on his body as Sebastian was momentarily distracted. It was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with the pain with adrenaline alone, and he had to solve the problem before his combat strength was affected.

He exhaled hard and consciously tensed his whole body. It increased his physical and mental consumption immensely, but it gave his mind something else to focus on other than the pain.

The situation with the other two was unknown, the sounds covered up by those made by the pack of Corrupted Pigeons. He had to simply be thankful that he still felt a warm back pushed up against his.

His body rapidly deteriorating, the saber in his hands began swinging wildly, slamming into and slashing apart any bird it hit.

[You have slain Lv. 4 Corrupted Pigeon]

[Awarded 20 xp]

He felt the metal edge cut apart another beast.

[You have slain Lv.6 Corrupted Pigeon]

[Defeated higher level being]

[Awarded 45 xp]

He felt his limbs burn as they bit and tore into his flesh.

[You have slain Lv.5 Corrupted Pigeon]

[Defeated higher level being]

[Awarded 38 xp]

His mind ignored the sensations, the pain at the back of his mind, his senses dull.

[You have slain Lv.6 Corrupted Pigeon]

[Defeated higher level being]

[Awarded 45 xp]

He felt a familiar warmth coursing through his body, the focus on his muscles and his breathing and the pain, it gave him a weird awareness over his body he never felt before, a synergy even.

His blade was controlled purely by instinct at this point, his mind sensing the internal changes within his body. It made him all too aware of the pain, but also aware of the energy flowing through his body. Wherever the energy went, his body felt stronger, recovered better, as if strengthened holistically. The moment he tried to control it, he felt an impact stronger than any before.

The force pushed him back and through the formation the three had constructed, knocking them to the ground amongst the injured birds and the corpses of their kin. It knocked Sebastian out of the hyper-aware state he was in, and he felt all the sensations return like a tide.

It overwhelmed him, the man roaring in pain on the floor, his blade dropped to the side. He vaguely heard the labored breathing of his two companions a few feet away, and his eyes met with the assailant.

[Identifying beast]

[Evolved beast classified. First Common Grade beast confirmed]

[Unlocked tier evaluation system for the host, Sebastian Albrecht]

[Identified]

[Common - Demon Bird Lv. 8]