The streets were barely wide enough for the carriage to pass with buildings leaning against each other for support. Most were two or three stories tall, their upper floors jutting out over the streets below in a vain attempt to maximize living space.

The wood was grey and rotting, and the stone walls appeared to be just a single push away from crumbling. Every structure looked like it might collapse at any moment, and some had already even fallen, leaving behind piles of rubble that would exist as graves because nobody would bother to clear.

Mostly because there was nowhere to move it...

The outer districts contained the larger cut of the population. People huddled in doorways and alleys, their faces hollow with hunger and exhaustion as they watched the cart wobble by.

There were children with shrunken bellies and empty but curious eyes that watched from the shadows.

Nero let his gaze settle on one of them who had been staring intently at one of the horses. Noticing his gaze, the child quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Nero huffed lightly.

The cool air seemed to cut through the stench for a moment, providing him some relief.

The destitute lined every street corner, hands outstretched for coin, their pleas falling on ears as deaf as stone walls.

Nero could say not even a single word. He was at a loss for them.

Suddenly, Lyon spoke,

"The Church protects against the darkness. However, that often comes at a very steep cost, most of which the common man bears on his back."

His gaze shifted, with something dark brewing within, directed right at the inner regions they had just come from.

"At the end of the day, the nobles are the one who truly rule the empire. Even with its strength and influence, the Church's jurisdiction does not extend to improving the general quality of life. Since is also doesn't quite align with its goals, it is also not bothered as well."

Nero's expression was dark. Hearing such grim, unfiltered truth from Lyon made him sick to his stomach.

A few more hours passed, then they were past it all, approaching the southern gate from where the city ended and the wilderness began.

The walls loomed ahead, massive constructions of dark stone that seemed to drink in all the light of the world.

The gate itself was enormous layers of solid darksteel, thick enough that battering rams would shatter before making a dent, and high enough that raising one's gaze all the way would still not be sufficient to see the top when standing at the base.

As the carriage approached, guards stepped forward, their hands on their weapons. One glanced inside, saw Lyon, and waved them through without question after giving a curt bow.

It seema that the doctor's face was known here.

The gate groaned open with the growls of massive gears turning.

A few thousand yards of bare earth stretched between the walls and the tree line.

Most of it were large stretches of empty fields of grassy stubble growing out in all directions.

Stumps dotted the landscape where trees had been cut back to deny cover to anything approaching the walls. The ground was scorched in places, black circles where fires had been set.

The tree line marked the edge of Malady's Garden. Even from here, Nero could remember that familiar face.

It was not pleasant whatsoever.

The carriage stopped.

Lyon stepped out first, his boots crunching on the scorched earth. Nero followed right after.

"The second marker is thirty miles into the Garden. Your target's established nest is another ten miles past that point."

Nero nodded.

The direction of the nesybwas in the opposite way he had come, adjacent to the southern bogs.

Lyon's expression did not change, "You have until dusk tomorrow to complete the hunt. If you are not back by then, I will assume you have failed."

"Any advice?" said Nero with a grimace.

Lyon smiled,

*Do not let it grab you by the arms. Having your limbs slowly torn off is not a very pleasant thing to experience. Well, I believe you do have some experience on the matter, so you do not need further urging."

Nero threw him a dirty stare then snorted,

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Hearing that, Lyon chuckled. Then he climbed back into the carriage without another word, settling onto the bench with the same casual ease he had shown throughout the journey. The driver snapped the reins. The wheels creaked as the vehicle turned and began rolling back toward the gate, leaving Nero standing alone on the killing ground.

The gate groaned shut behind him with a finality that sounded like a tomb sealing.

Nero stood in silence for a while, simply staring at the dark gate and walls mindlessly.

Then he turned his gaze to goance at the tree line. Shadows had already begun to pool beneath the canopy like spilled ink. At this time, the real horrors of the Garden were churning from their slumber.

It was bound to be an eventful night...

He thought about summoning Gungnir. The spear would make this hunt much easier for him.

However, he was still very suspicious. There was no telling what sort of eyes the madness Doctor had watching from the shadows, waiting to see whether Nero would reveal his full capabilities or mot.

He couldn't afford to reveal his hand at all. That would be very dangerous and stupid at the moment.

He sighed and balanced the spear in his grip.

Although it wasn't anything impressive, it would have to do...

Plus, with his recent training and conditioning, he was quite confident in his abilities once again.

Slowly, he had been recovering his strength. He had recovered over ninety percent of his original strength. Perhaps it was even more now, he couldn't be quite sure.

With that in mind, he began to walk as he regulated his breathing.

Then he broke into a light jog. Then a sprint.

In a split second, Nero had turned into a dark shadow blitzing across the empty plains until he vanished into the darkness...

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