Seeing the Nulzan standing above him, Dharen sighed.

“I see that you are eager to increase the strength of your aura,” Tkzcht said. “I didn’t think I’d have to explain this yet, but a soulseed can only be entered once before every fifth level. Only after boosting the strength of your soulseed enough to receive a new Boon does it regain the ability to allow a mind-delve.”

Dharen felt some consternation at the thought. Having only learned about the possibility of aura after missing the window that occurred prior to level five, he had unfortunately missed out on a chance to increase his aura. He felt a large sense of relief that he had made the discovery prior to reaching the threshold at level ten; it would have been far more frustrating to have missed out on the opportunity twice. Regrettably, he would not be able to progress his aura again until he reached the next threshold - he had entertained the idea of increasing his levels over and over again through delving into his soulseed, but it was simply not to be.

Seeing Dharen’s look of disappointment, Tkzcht laughed with the strange rapid clicking sound of the Nulzan - that particular expression had almost thrown Dharen off the first he had heard it; not to mention, it was extremely difficult for him to emulate. Far harder than a human laugh, at least.

“I thank you for your assistance in pushing back the previous group of humans; having resorted to only appearing during the day, it has become more difficult for my tribe to act against them as effectively as I would prefer,” he said.

Dharen nodded in acknowledgement of the Nulzan chieftain’s thanks. “Of course, it is only expected if we are to create an alliance.”

“Ah, I wanted to speak with you about that. It is high time to formalize our partnership.”

Dharen unhesitantly accepted. Not only would he receive the backing of the Nulzan to accomplish his goals, but he might still be able to salvage the floor’s additional objective rewards despite having been removed from the Vezian Alliance. The strangeness of the situation lent some doubts to that belief, but a chance was certainly better than nothing.

Dharen felt a wave of relief as the Alliance was formalized. Though, as Duende had demonstrated, it did not protect him from ill-wishes, it was a sign that his plan to enlist the Nulzan was appearing remarkably successful. Despite his resolve, he had held some doubts prior to seeking them out; for all he knew, they would have attempted to kill him on sight regardless of the fact that he could understand and speak to them.

Having no more need of them for the moment, Dharen attempted to return his two borrowed blades back to the chieftain. However, the Nulzan pushed them back towards him.

“A few blades is a small price to pay to nurture our growing partnership,” Tkzcht insisted, gesturing for him to keep the blades.

Dharen quickly vanished the blades into his Spatial Ring, storing them for later use. He had no reason to refuse, and had found the weapons to be particularly useful. While Restraint was a wonderful weapon, it was distinctive enough that connections might be made even when covered by the shrouding darkness of Miasmic Cloak. If his plans were to unfold the way that he intended, it was best to avoid any resemblance. Not to mention, the daggers had proved particularly useful when utilizing his new ability. With Feast of Terror slowing down his perception of time and allowing him to react with unnatural speed to any changes on the battlefield, he did not need to rely as heavily on brute force. He could guard against or dodge attacks the moment they had begun, and given his high strength and agility, he would likely be able to do so rather successfully.

Perhaps, he mused, the Nulzan might be willing to part with some of their poison stores - soon, many enemies would be made. He would do well to take any advantage that he might get.

“Now that our partnership has been agreed upon,” the Nulzan spoke, “what plan do you have in mind to defeat this enemy that you have spoken of?”

As the chieftain listened to Dharen lay out his proposal, a vicious glint reflected in his eyes. He smiled, his serrated teeth bared in an eager grin.

“Well, then. I would suggest that you go out and get to know our Hunters - particularly the stronger ones, who you will desire to accompany you. Though they would obey any orders to assist you that I gave, it would be in your best interests to create a working relationship with them. You may have shown good faith, but your people have not. And many of us do not so easily forget.”

Dharen quickly agreed. It was not long after that he made his way out of his chosen alcove, chewing on the remainders of his meal of smoked Sky Serpent. His time spent delving into his soulseed had been rather tiring, and though his Endurance allowed him to shrug off most of the fatigue that might otherwise occur, he still needed to eat occasionally to sustain himself. He initially noted with some surprise that it had become night once more, before realising that he had likely spent a not-insignificant amount of time delving into the depths of Fear.

Of course, thinking upon it, the time of day was unsurprising. He could hear the sounds of Nulzan as they strode about in the night, as they chattered away at one another. The village had awoken once more with the departure of the light.

Dharen summoned another Night-Piercing elixir from within his Spatial Ring, noting with some chagrin that his stores of the potion were running relatively low. Though he had took particular care to steal a number of the necessary potions, there had not been enough on hand for him to use them heedlessly. Regardless, it was necessary at the moment. He had hunters to recruit, which meant that he would need to be active during the night and would thus need the vision that it provided.

After downing the elixir with another wince at the thought of the costly substance pouring down his throat, he made his way across the narrow bridges that connected the great Skywoods with a growing familiarity. Now, with the recent sharp increases in his agility, he walked even more steadily on the swaying bridges than the Nulzan themselves; it was as if he had traversed this tree-bound village all of his life. His every step was sure and casual, requiring very little attention to create the proper balance.

Soon, he arrived at his destination, having found the path to descend from the village nestled in the upper sections of the Skywoods.

A gathering of Nulzan sparred against one another on the jungle floor below the village, whether in groups or one versus one. The soil was torn apart from the persistent damage, wearing it away to naught but dirt. The air filled with the sounds of clashing blades, the constant ringing of metal against metal a harsh blow against the ears. The field was covered in blood and the detritus of battle; it seemed that the participants did not take simple sparring lightly. Though he noted that they stopped shy of damaging one another to an unrecoverable extent, they did not hesitate to punish one another’s mistakes. They contended against one another with grim determination; these were not simple warriors exercising to keep themselves sharp.

One group of Nulzan battled against one another, only the lack of poison adorning their blades indicating that the fight was merely training. They rushed against one another, attacking with vicious speed and agility. Blades met, sliding against one another, while lower claws swiped with enough force to gouge flesh and rend muscle.

Here and there, solitary Nulzan faced off in various states of preparedness. Some, he saw, battled with their customary blades. Others, with merely the weapons that nature had given them. Of course, that was a different matter entirely for creatures such as this. Even without blades, their claws could strike quickly enough to tear out a normal human’s throat in an instant.

Watching them, Dharen was reminded once more of what they were. Monsters.

These were creatures that had descended from nightmares, that sparked fear in the Unawakened masses of humanity. They were the bogeyman, the phantoms in the night, the wraiths that stalked the darkness. They lived in a dangerous world, and had become dangerous in turn.

And now, he would make himself one of them.

Dharen stepped forward, eager to make his mark on this bloody field - to find those who would battle alongside him in the near future.