“There are things we shouldn't forget, and their nests and living conditions are quite important. There is a whole history behind this entire subject. Darks came and put humanity into a grind machine, and their whole nature smothers natural habitats. For centuries, humans have built many things, while nature has been doing so for even longer. Darks crashed it all, changed this world forever, and then made it their own. Valleys, canyons, ratholes, ravines, and whatever else they could be even called, it is here. But unlike the rats, they aren’t hiding. They don’t need to anymore.”

  “But you called them homes,” William said to Mi-Yung, who was once again getting ahead of herself.

  “Just a mere word. They are still rats. Darks can live basically anywhere, so why not call their homes whatever they are? Some of them don't even pretend for shit and run around aimlessly, or simply hunts and fight anything. Even Darks; but scratch that off since they do it all the time. Danger is danger for a reason, and we are hunters, invaders of their insanity, and there is nothing wrong with obtaining their secrets or how they live or where. We need it.”

  Ellie walked around and got involved in this room for the first time. “I heard they are usually further from the sun, water, and cold. Underground is one of their most popular habitats.”

  “Cuz they are damnable cockroaches.” Mi-Yung sighed and also went around the room and cursed at those pests.

  She pointed at one set of scrolls, which depicted the subject she was discussing. Dark places, photos, and detailed descriptions of a couple of explored dwellings provided her point.

  “The first important factor is the status of Dungeons. Everyone knows the obvious thing. That’s the Dark Fog.” Mi-Yung pointed to the scroll on her left. It illustrated a familiar sight to William and a wonderful picture to Celeste.

  It was a camp in the middle of an attack. The sky was dark, the sun was held hostage, and Dark Fogs spread everywhere like thick mist, either from Darks or Rifts.

  Of course, there were also cases of Dark Fogs cruising like storms, going around the planet, or they were permanent attachments to certain landmarks or locations. Allegedly, most of them were a century old, and William was never certain how their Ranks actually worked. It shouldn’t be the age that's a problem. It was their nature. Their Madness, or so Mi-Yung called it.

  William knew a lot about Fogs, as they were common and taught a lot. Darks felt at peace within and around them, and if they were great enough, Fogs could linger and empower their Aspects.

  Darks had it like blood, either deep inside of them, or outside. Corruption, blood, and Arcana were also factors of this process, though it was subjective to many kinds of Darks.

  Fogs weren’t them, in a sense, though their destructive properties were almost as bad, if not worse. William expected more words about types of Fogs in this room, or page, but that wasn't the case.

  Dark Fog was a general darkness and a heavy mark of the maddening nature of this era. The Corruption Fog was one with sheens of purple or red, and people should never touch it, let alone walk through it. Even Walkers shouldn’t, though they often had to.

  The larger and more extensive Fogs directed their time and efforts into proper Darks. Usually, of course. William was certain there were Fogs that exceeded common sense and moved on their own. They could hide things, linger around nests, and now, Dungeons pointed to a knowledge he wasn't very familiar with.

  What did they hide? Why that name?

  He realized how easy it was since Mi-Yung added much vicious complexity and context, and even mentioned a lot of simple things... well, simply. Dungeons were straightforward places to grow and beat around the Skills, and get ahead of the System. That was it. It was a raid on those nests or specific places and dealt a fatal blow to the Darks.

  “Mists… Air?” Celeste mumbled, watching the scrolls closely.

  “What camp is it? This Fog?” William said, curious what else was within those scrolls. Some of them were closed, as they would otherwise mess with each other when opened.

  Unexpectedly, his question came with answers, and Mi-Yung shocked him once more.

  “Dark Fog is believed to be the decay of all fallen Darks in existence. When they die, they become part of those Fogs. Dungeons and Rifts are a partial crack in this theorem. New Fogs can be created, combined with new properties so they could grow, while the decay and destruction of Darks isn’t simple. After all, Walkers need this too, so it is rather perplexing. What files what? What is their creation process, and why do some Darks play around with this topic like dogs in a playground? The biggest Fogs are said to be hundreds of miles wide and reaching into space.... so, it is kind of disturbing.”

  “Huh?!” William exclaimed.

  “Of course, it’s not everything. This decay and feeding, or dying, is still somewhat obscure. It is probably how Darks just works. Stronger Darks have a much bigger weight in most statistics and investigations. I mean, the Corruption Fog is kind of insane on its own, and their Rank and Dark Aspects can get wild. Dark Fog is basic and allows Darks to save their faces and mess with us.”

  “Fog face?” Celeste said, filled with confusion as she squinted at those pictures and sketches. That was bullshit. There was no face there whatsoever.

  “Fog has faces?” William was also unsure how it sounded. When he thought about it, perhaps it was a remarkable analogy.

  Tapping the scroll, Mi-Yung continued. “This Fog follows the movement of a Horde. It is slower, heavier, and like a living entity. Hundreds of Darks use it like their breath and instinctual environment. Strength, stamina, health, and concealment are all improved, yet... not really. We see them, and we feel them even more. When we walk inside, we can't breathe, see well, and moving is sluggish. Humans can't bear these things at all, and even weaker Walkers can't endure them for too long, depending on their physical condition or the duration of the cycles. There are limits, so to speak. Nests are mostly full of such things, and so are Dungeons. This makes their destruction much harder. I think you will get it at some point.”

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  “Not now?”

  “There is a lot you won't know, no matter what picture or words I choose.”

  “But it is not unthinkable to destroy them, clearly from those pictures and diagrams,” Ellie added, aware of dungeon destructions and other matters.

  This statement came from successful Delves, a term describing Walkers who pursued their objectives or attained their goals. Dives were for the Rifts at their core. In a broader sense, both were describing the same thing, but William wasn't sure how far they would develop in actual practice. After all, Rifts were quite a tricky phenomenon.

  “Thanks to Walkers, Ellie. Walkers. You've never been in the Dark Fog or nests. Visibility is shit, and emotions stir us in dread. Most Fogs have their differences as well. Types. There are around ten known variants, thanks to Dark Aspects, that make them dangerous or criminally devious. Again, it involves that decaying, dying dread.”

  “But... It's not alive, right?” William stated, voice aghast and almost speechless.

  “Depends on who you ask. I don't care whether it feels our steps or souls, or screams when we go in, or when we destroy it. Darks linger close to or inside them for a reason. Killing them disperses or destroys the Fog, or… well, maybe. I suppose you can't really kill a Fog because of this decaying. It oozes like wind to many places. Walkers are like magnets, and cleansing spray for those pests. We are quite dependent on it.”

  Taking a deep breath, William calmed and pretended this wasn't a big deal. “I have seen my share and felt them. They could make eyes swell, hurt, or bleed. It is awful. That's what Outside thinks about most Fogs.”

  “Sounds right, even among the Walkers. There are brief getaways from the human anatomy level, and we have Arcana to thank for it because it makes a huge difference. There are even explicit experiments, such as wearing goggles or masks, but to the best of my knowledge, normal measures don't help much. It isn't an issue with toxicity or poison. It is invasive and harsh.”

  “Sounds awful,” Ellie commented and poked Celeste with her elbow. “What do you think about that? Fog seems awful, and you've been awfully quiet for a while.”

  “About... what?” Celeste asked.

  “Fog.”

  “Pretty.”

  “Pretty?”

  “Like sky. Some.”

  Ellie pressed her lips and wasn't sure if she had the words to describe her feelings. She expected a lot of things for sure. Not this.

  “As I've said, Australia stuff. Not a good thing,” Mi-Yung said simply and regarded Celeste's experience with shadows of doubt. “That place is rougher than Fain. I swear. Perhaps it is out there with Kaufman as well, or if it met him, it would kill itself. A true mutual destruction sounds far too cheap and great nowadays.”

  Ellie ignored half of her idea and approached William to whisper something in his ear.

  “What? No,” he shook his head. “I bet that is because they want to feel at home, and that’s just how it goes. It isn't wrong like Mi-Yung said, but... what is? It feels bizarre, but these fogs are breathing entities. Not weather like you said.”

  Mi-Yung understood their concerns because she felt a similar kind of madness when she was young. However, she was learning about everything at a significantly earlier age and even at better elevations and evaluations. Her family was why, second after her Emblem.

  “There are a lot of suggestions about Fogs. Thinking about it as their accumulated existence is genuine. Many Walkers share this idea, and it doesn't change anything, even if we know about it. Frankly, we can’t stop killing Darks. We think and draw conclusions, and what’s at the end? More Fog. More problems.”

  “Jumping to them isn't clever, I guess,” Ellie added.

  “Yes. Don't jump anywhere, people included. Anyway, this is only a minor effect of these devious things. Hordes are unstoppable by volumes and their Fogs, and unless squads of Rank 4 Walkers go against them, they are treacherous. Even against Hordes that have no Darks above the same Rank, they could be destructive.”

  William perked up his eyes and scratched his hand. “I've heard instances of people winning about them without Walkers and… many Walkers. Solo stuff is viable, no?”

  “That's an old-school idea, William. I see. Alright. Think of the human weaponry. Then, about clever tactics or humanity. Work with numbers and the path of least resistance, or the easier option. What I am talking about is different. Squad is how many people? How big can those Hordes become? When you consider every point, or history, sending people and resources against Hordes is not worth it. Missiles can trash with them, and so could suitable environments and defensive fortresses. Up to a certain Rank, however. See a problem?”

  William agreed with that for sure.

  “At higher Ranks, Darks prefer acting as lone predators, and they think of their lower kin as inferior and like tools. What can you tell me about Hordes?” she asked William and shot Ellie and Celeste puzzling looks.

  Celeste didn't have words to say, and Ellie rather quenched her mouth like her fists because she wanted to hear what William had to say about that.

  William answered out of obligation. “Hordes is a number game. Darks attach themselves either out of survival, necessity, or a vicious Alpha or Beta created them. Rank 4 could become leaders of Human Hazard Hordes.”

  “Oh, you know about hazard levels?” Mi-Yung whistled and thought she would make a great lesson about them.

  “Outside kind of came up with them a long time ago,” William expressed a little of what he knew. It was a rather dense and packed knowledge, and Mi-Yung expected it, as every land out there had similar marks.

  “Rank 5 Alphas or Betas are for Lord Hazard Hordes. Rank 6 is a leading force of Catastrophe Hordes. We call that Catahorde for short.”

  “Clever. What else?” Ellie added, poking his shoulder with her elbow. Celeste wondered if there was a hidden meaning behind this poking act or not. She had yet to try it herself as she was busy petting and playing with Hound’s fur.

  “Rank 7? Well... what to tell?” William pointed this question to Mi-Yung, who definitely knew about them. Wasn’t it… no. It shouldn’t be what destroyed South Korea. Rank 7 was too little for that.

  Not that belittling this entire process was adequate.

  “Rank 7 Hordes are very rare because Rifts are better, and a Horder is a foolish word for such Darks,” Mi-Yung said and noticed his intention.

  “Catahordes, as he said, consist of many Rank 6 Darks. It is a force capable of destroying nations in a couple of weeks. Lord Hazard Horde would do the same thing, but many times slower, because of competition and a general idea of many Rank 4 Darks fiddling in their ranks. It is chaotic. That's what a big jump between Ranks means. Ranks 5 and 6, let alone 7, are quite significant.”

  “Oh,” Celeste muttered, recalling countless matters and sights. Big groups. Big fights. There were terrific habitat wars and territorial clashes in Australia every single day and night.

  “Hazard systems sound as if we are giving Darks medals like we used to give tropical storms.”

  “I think you are mistaken. We named them in the past. Like, literally. Fred. Velma. That sort of stuff is weird.” Mi-Yung clarified Ellie's remark, which the girl took lightly and with a laugh.

  “I see. Thanks.” William hummed and crossed his arms. “I have seen and heard enough. How surprising. I thought I didn't think much of it, but I kind of did. It's fascinating.”