Access Granted

Icarus surveyed the carnage. Over a dozen creatures lay dead in the just the clearing alone. He was glad he made the decision to hole up in the scrapyard. If they had been anywhere else, it was likely they would have had to deal with far more creatures. 

In the same vein however, he was also anxious. If him and his siblings had barely survived dealing with such a small amount of creatures, he knew everyone else in the slums wouldn't fare much better. He shifted those thoughts aside as he looked at his siblings summoning their Wardens and engaging in silent conversations. 

Seeing them do so made him think about his own floating companion. 

'Oh that's right! I remember him saying something about an extra reward! I should look into that... but first I think it's time I give it a name! Warden?'

[Yes User Icarus?] 

'I have decided on a name for you. What do you think of Nox? It's a word my sister taught me... it means night.']

[It is a splendid name Icarus.]

The orb whirred in his mind, this time more loudly than ever before. 

[Alert! The alias has been accepted. Increased synchronization has occurred! This unit has grown closer to the User. Congratulations Rus! I await command.]

Icarus smiled to himself. 

'We're in this together Nox! Now please tell me more about the secret reward!' 

A red screen appeared in his vision. 

---

You have slain an Alpha Timber Wolf. A chance to create a chisel has presented itself. Retrieve a tooth from the beast.

--- 

'A chisel?' 

[It is an item infused with Sever Energy. They are typically made from Beast remains, Sever saturated minerals, or ******* fragments.] 

'Hmmmm.'

Icarus had grown used to the omission of certain words in Nox's descriptions. He decided to focus on what he could control. 

Turning to his siblings, he told them to say still still while he went back to to the alpha. 

Before long he was once again standing in front of the massive corpse. He hesitated briefly before reaching his hand in its mouth. Much to his discomfort, it was still warm and moist inside the beast's maw. After reaching around aimlessly he soon identified the largest tooth. Gripping it tightly, he pulled with all his strength. Nothing happened. 

He tried again, yanking repeatedly on the tooth for over a minute. The result remained the same. Growing frustrated, Icarus gripped the tooth with both hands. 

'Playtime is over!' 

Feeling for the Sever in his chest, he laboriously moved small swathes of it to his arms. Focusing deeply, he ignited the energy and yanked with all his might. 

There was almost no resistance as the tooth came loose and he went flying back a few feet. Getting up slowly, he looked at the large tooth in his hand. There was still flesh from the wolf attached to it but he felt that if he cleaned it off he could make a decent blade or spear tip. Strangely, he could he could feel the Sever Energy slowly leaking off the tooth in small waves. He mentally called out to Nox.

'So uh what now, how do I make this a chisel?' 

[Since the fang has been removed from its host body, it is gradually losing energy. You must saturate the tooth with your own Sever Energy to create a chisel. Doing so will reveal its value. Because of the beast's low grade, this can be done on the spot.]

'Alright thanks Nox! I'll just do it later, we have more pressing matters!' 

After wiping off the tooth on the fur of its host animal, Icarus made his way back to the the clearing where his siblings had already started celebrating by wrestling each other. Noticing his entrance, they ran up to him and began firing all sorts of questions at him simultaneously. 

"Where's big sis? Is Thalia okay? Can we go see her now? 

Taking a moment to prepare himself, Icarus gathered his younger brothers and sisters in an embrace. 

"Guys... I have something to tell you." 

It didn't take long for the tears to start flowing. 

*** Later that day ***

A solemn sentinel signaled to his watch partner. It was time. 

"John! Open the gate on my signal... Three... Two.... One." 

With his verbal confirmation, the two men pulled two levers simultaneously. Soon after, the sound of metal grinding against stone pierced the air. It wasn't long before the building sized double doors in front of the pair slowly opened, revealing the brilliant afternoon sunshine. 

The unnamed guard braced himself. While a resident of the inner city, he didn't wish harm upon the residents of the slums, he was only following orders when he closed the tunnel doors. 

As his eyes adjusted to the light, his heart fell. During the initial wave, things were much better, at least according to his superiors. Even if millions of slum residents died, most of the buildings were left untouched, especially the ones on government funded streets. That made sense to the man. The exposure facilities served as one of the only ways to bring more notched into their elitists society. Of course they would be well protected. 

The man silently wished that the same could be said for what lay in front of him. 

The images of the slum street before the wave were but a distant memory when compared to the current carnage. Hundreds of decapitated bodies littered the ground.

Unlike the first wave where the humans had managed to mount some of a defense, there were no Beast's corpses in the street, only humans. Additionally, every building on the street had been dealt significant damage and was painted in all sorts of viscera. The man struggled to take in the sight. He wasn't squeamish, but this was almost too much, even for him. His partner had already averted his gaze. 

'This... This is wrong. If millions died in the first wave... then how many passed in this one? I doubt even our outpost survived unscathed... '

Finally steeling his spirit, he turned to his partner. 

"John... orders are to man the barrier. We have to get ou-. What's wrong?"

His partner didn't respond but instead pointed a shaky hand down the street. In his foolishness, he thought that an exploration party from The Wilds was returning. Squinting his eyes, he looked down the road only to see five blurry blobs and one slightly larger one approaching them. 

As they grew closer, the nameless man nearly dropped his weapon in surprise. 

"My god... are those children? " 

***

Icarus looked up into the eyes of Sentinel guarding the barrier. 

"We seek access to the main city. As per the new directive, we offer these as proof of our strength. Drop them guys."

At his command, Icarus and his siblings threw the five Timber Wolves and one Alpha at the feet of the guard. 

Clearly not composed, the Sentinel started stammering out questions. 

"H-How do we know you're N-Notched. You could h-have just go-gotten lucky."

Growing impatient, Icarus quickly brought one of his forearms down on his knee, bending it an awkward angle. It didn't take long for the healing to take place. 

Waving the arm he just broke at the stammering guard, he taunted him. 

"Need me to break the other one?" 

The Sentinel's voice quaked as he prepared another excuse for lack of entry. 

"I w-won't tolerate disrespect! You could have stol-"

He was cut short by his colleague placing his hand on his shoulder and stepping in front of him.

"John... That's enough. You there, boy with the white hair. What is your name?" 

Icarus looked into up into the eyes of the new man in front of him. Unlike others from the city, these were ones full of something besides hate and a feeling of superiority. They contained respect. 

"Icarus. What's yours?" 

Extending a hand, the Sentinel responded. 

"Icarus huh? I'll be sure to remember it... My name is Osti. Welcome to the city."

Icarus grasped the man's hand firmly. 

"Thank you, We're glad to have made it!"

Soon after, more Sentinels showed up to help guard the entrance. With their arrival, Osti was freed to guide the orphans through the tunnel. They walked in silence until they were once again greeted by the Sun's radiance. 

After adjusting to the light, Icarus hoped to see a fantastical world different from the bleak wasteland he had grown accustomed to. He was not disappointed.

Immediately in front of him. Dozens upon dozens of towers pierced the sky. Each was painted in a sleek gray finish that was slightly lighter than the one belonging to The Wall. Even the ground beneath Icarus felt alien. The street that the Exposure Facility was on was nice, but it paled in comparison to the utterly perfect white colored stone that acted as the road. Holographic interfaces were merged into the sides of the massive buildings with a large assortment of images being flashed across them. 

It was a lot for Icarus to take in but the two things he noticed the most were the smell and the sounds. In the slums, it wasn't uncommon to catch the scent of human excrement or decomposing flesh. In this city, however he couldn't smell a thing. In fact, he could have sworn it smelt... good?

He strained his ears next. 

In contrast to the eerie silence of the slums, the city was bustling with all sorts of noise. Whether it came from the holographic interfaces in buildings or from the vehicles that populated the streets. It felt as if the city itself was alive. 

Whipping his head around in wonder, Icarus found it strange how he didn't see very many people in the streets. 

Still in a stupor, he was called upon by Osti. 

"Let me show you to your quarters. This is a lot to take in right now."

Icarus and the children looked at him in surprise.

"Just like that? We get a place to stay?!"

Osti gave a lighthearted chuckle. 

"Of course, you have much to learn about this place."

With that, the kind Sentinels led them to a humble two story domicile situated in a residential district in the city. The community was flush with healthy trees and shrubbery, something that had become a scarcity in the slums. 

After explaining to Icarus how to use the keycard for the door, Osti departed with a few words. 

"The house is stocked with supplies and a guide for nutrition. I will return tomorrow in the morning to give you a proper tour of the city." 

Icarus and his siblings waved goodbye as the kind Sentinel walked down the street and around a corner. Tired from the emotional stress of Thalia's abandonment and the physical stress of the second wave, the orphans retired for the night, eager to fill their stomachs.

Despite the real food stocked in the refrigerator, Icarus settled on making rations with cookie type ones for desert. They had other options, healthier ones for sure, but they needed something familiar, something to calm their aching hearts. As a testament to this, the extravagant ration-filled dinner was quickly devoured by the children. 

With their bellies full, Icarus's siblings soon fell asleep on a giant L shaped couch. Not wanting to disturb them, he decided to sort out proper sleeping arrangements later. Walking up the stairs, he entered a bedroom with a single bed and and a nightstand. He then reached into his overalls and pulled out a picture and a silver coin.

Laying the coin on top of the picture, he slumped down onto the bed and buried his face in his hands.

He had always been the most free-spirited between himself, Ace, and Thalia. It helped to balance their energies and keep food on the table. But now, things were... different. With both of them gone, he felt the crushing weight of something important bear down on his shoulders. Responsibility. 

He sighed before thinking aloud. 

"I'm supposed to take care of everyone else, survive the trials AND do it in a completely unknown and most likely treacherous environment?! Great, just great." 

Reaching onto the nightstand with a shaking hand. He stared intently at the photo before throwing it back down. Tears began to fill his eyes. 

"It's... too much... I'm so lost without those two..." 

There was a chime in his head. 

[Icarus, you need to be more easy on yourself. My observations indicate that your performance in these circumstances has been nothing short of extraordinary. I won't have my user verbally abusing themselves. What you need right now is strength. It's a new environment, filled with nothing but potential enemy Notched. Regrettably, you are still a beginner in its usage and as such, need as edge. I wonder what item you have that could be that edge...] 

Wiping his tears off his face, Icarus looked at the floating orb with confusion. Realization dawned on him before long.

'Oh! The fang' 

Pulling it out with excitement, Icarus placed the fang on the ground before taking an knee and placing his hand on it. 

Closing his eyes and meditating, Icarus focused all of his Sever into the tooth. At first, his energy barely trickled into the object. After a few seconds, his trickle had turned into a steady stream. Before he knew it, the fang was glowing. He wasn't prepared for what happened next. 

[Chisel being formed....] 

"Wh-what's this??!!"