Once they resumed their journey, Isaac did his best to keep his focus on the road ahead. He was only half-successful on that front. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't completely ignore how different flying in this new body felt.

The increase in size wasn't much of a problem. It only took a few minutes to adjust—similar to when he had advanced the growth stage of his previous Legacy. The addition of a second pair of wings, however?

Now that… that made him more than a little bit distracted.

When he first took flight, his control of those new limbs was abysmal. He could flap them, but it didn't really feel like that was doing anything, especially when there was no proper rhythm to it. That said, as time passed, this changed.

Just like when it came to everything related to Legacy forms, Isaac's instincts soon took over. They showed him how to properly move those new wings of his. How to use them not just for raw speed but also for tight, precise maneuvering. When to spread them wide, when to bend them at strange angles, and when to fold them back and let his main wings handle the work.

It was… strange, to say the least. But also natural at the same time.

One thing was for sure, though. Once he switched back to human form, it would be weird not having those extra limbs. Or maybe not. Legacies tended to work in their own odd, inconsistent ways.

Either way, it took Isaac about an hour to familiarize himself with the changes to his Legacy. There was still plenty to learn, and he could be a lot more efficient in using his new wings, but that would come with time and experience. For now, he really should start paying full attention to the lands ahead of him.

Finally, he thought, spotting the edge of the Faded Plains on the horizon. To his surprise, the territory beyond it looked quite familiar. No way, right?

Yet as he drew closer and his enhanced vision picked out more details, the truth became obvious. Tall green grass. Bright, colorful meadows. Tiny hills dotted with patches of forest. Creatures that looked a lot like mutated animals.

Yeah, he had seen this place before, or at least another version of it.

Peaceful Plains.

Those two words filled his head, and Isaac couldn't help but laugh. There was no doubt in his mind now. A brand-new Safe Zone had to be very, very close.

Better let James know, he thought, tucking his wings and diving toward his teammate. With how tense the man looked, he deserved another bit of good news.

Two hours after Isaac spotted the Peaceful Plains, and about an hour into the journey through those quiet lands, it finally happened. Humans appeared in his sight.

Given the distance, at first, he had thought that those were just some monsters fighting against each other. But as he got closer and focused more, it became obvious that those were humans facing the group of Pale Blood Goblins and not other beasts.

His fellow Hosts were outnumbered, at least three to one, but that didn't stop them. Tongues of flames, spears of ice, and speeding clouds of sand faced the numerous little bastards. Another guy was at the front, slicing through monsters with what looked like… bones?

Isaac blinked.

Yeah… those are definitely bones. And they are coming out of his body. Huh… That's a neat Origin. Still prefer mine, but yeah… Could be interesting to swap notes.

For a brief moment, he considered flying there straight away to help out. But it really didn't look like they needed him. And besides, he should probably let James know about what he had just spotted. Then, they could decide how to approach the group together.

Down I go then, Isaac thought as he once again dived. Within seconds, he was flying just a little above his teammate. Unlike in the past, though, he didn't need to transform to explain what was happening. I love this Legacy.

A quick rundown later, James shifted into his human form so he could also talk.

"How far out are they?" the man asked.

Isaac tilted his beak a bit to the right. "A couple minutes in that direction. Think you can catch up if I fly ahead?"

"Go, man. Don't let them leave. We need info."

Isaac nodded. "That's what I thought. See you soon."

James shot him a lazy salute and transformed, his pace picking up again. Unfortunately for him, he was still way too slow to keep up with Isaac, and soon, he was left in the dust.

Are you still here? Isaac wondered, gaining altitude. Within seconds, his eyes once more fell on the group of five Hosts. The goblins, however, were nowhere to be seen. Not bad… Not bad at all.

At this point, the group seemed to be busy talking and sorting through loot, and none of them bothered to look up. Good. Isaac had no idea how they would react to seeing a massive bird of blood flying toward them. He could only hope they would realize he was also a Host after their Analyze failed to work on him.

Not that they can harm me anyway.

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

It wasn't even arrogance speaking, just facts. Those goblins they had fought? For Isaac, they registered as a Very Low threat. More than that, he didn't see anyone there using Legacies. Not that it meant they didn't have them unlocked, but still.

All right, time to say hello…

As Isaac slowly flew down toward the group, he activated Harden in his body. Not because he thought they could seriously hurt him, but he wasn't about to take a stray hit to the face over a misunderstanding.

It was a good choice, too, as before he could even get into shouting distance, he finally got spotted. What followed was a not-so-nice greeting. Obviously, the group took him for a monster. Because of course they did.

A couple of ice spears shot toward him, followed by spikes made out of pure, hardened sand.

Isaac sighed as he twisted out of their way, his new body and superior attributes being more than enough to pull that off. The group, however, was relentless, and he had to dodge another salvo before he finally came close enough for them to hear him.

"Stop!" he shouted. "I'm not a monster!"

By some miracle, that actually stopped the next volley of spears from flying his way. The group still looked tense—which, to be fair, was reasonable—but at least now Isaac could land and shift forms without dodging every sharp thing they could throw.

And that was exactly what he did, earning a couple of gasps from the group. Only the young man—maybe around James' age—who used bones as his weapons looked somewhat calm. If not for the widening of his eyes, Isaac would have thought he had already seen something like this.

Okay, don't screw this up now, he thought, clearing his throat.

"Sorry for coming in like that. You're just the first people I have seen outside my team in a while. Didn't want you to leave before we could talk."

Again, some tension vanished from the group's shoulders. At least now, nobody looked like they planned to run away.

"Who are you?" the man at the front asked, a sword of bone still in his hand. "I don't recognize you."

Isaac raised an eyebrow. Unless this guy knew every person in a nearby Safe Zone by name and face, it was a weird thing to say. But whatever, it wasn't something worth starting a fight over.

"Isaac Walker. From Sacramento," he replied, and this got him quite the reactions.

The group, including the bone-wielder, gaped at him. Hell, an older guy in the back even dropped his sword in surprise.

"S-Sacramento?" a teenage girl stammered. "But that's…"

Isaac nodded as she trailed off. "One of the first Contamination Zones? About 400 miles out? Yeah."

The bone-wielder narrowed his eyes. "That's impossible. No one could have made that trip already. Not even with that Legacy of yo—"

Before the man could finish, the teenage girl rushed forward and slapped a hand over his mouth. Then she flashed Isaac a bright, almost sheepish grin.

"Excuse my bullheaded brother. He's just jealous. I'm Erika, by the way, and this idiot is Matthew."

The so-called idiot pushed his sister away and scowled. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"

Erika rolled her eyes. "As many times as you try to play the tough guy in front of someone obviously stronger, duh. No need to be edgy just because you can make bones do tricks."

Matthew groaned, coloring slightly. Based on the grins and quiet chuckles from the rest of the group, something told Isaac that this was a frequent occurrence. He wasn't complaining, though. At least nobody viewed him as a threat any longer. Still, he had questions.

Which was why he faked clearing his throat again to stop the siblings from bickering.

"I have a couple of questions, if you don't mind," he said once the attention was back on him. "You are all from Los Angeles, right?"

Erika nodded. "Yup! From the outskirts, but LA all the same."

Even if Isaac had already suspected as much, having somebody confirm that LA survived was a massive relief. Now, he only needed James here to hear it, too.

He didn't have to wait long.

Before Isaac could ask another question, the group before him tensed again, their gaze going to something behind him. At once, he turned, smiling when he spotted James' Legacy running toward them. He quickly explained who that was, getting the others to relax again.

Time to get some answers.

Once James caught up and introductions were made, Matthew offered to lead them to a temporary camp his group had set up in a nearby patch of forest. Seeing no reason to refuse—not that the promise of free food had anything to do with it—they followed.

After settling down, it was time for questions. To keep things fair, they took turns asking, one person at a time. Everyone here had something they were itching to know.

So, after about half an hour and retelling some parts of their journey, Isaac and James had almost everything they had come for.

They confirmed that Los Angeles was one of the many cities that had become Contamination Zones a day after everything had gone to hell in Sacramento. Like back home, people here had been forced to fight against their friends, transformed into Wretched.

That, however, was where the similarities ended.

For starters, there had been no Pioneer Trials for the LA Hosts. And their task to eliminate Wretched had been a bit more complicated, as it required ninety percent of the beasts dead instead of seventy. The only upside was that they hadn't been forced to fight a Guardian.

Even so, the higher kill threshold combined with LA's massive population meant it had taken them far longer to transform their Contamination Zone into a Safe Zone. According to Matthew, it only happened three days ago.

This also explained why the bone-wielder, who was supposedly one of the strongest people to come from LA, was only level thirteen.

Okay, maybe it's not that bad, Isaac thought, ignoring the ongoing conversation for now. Makes you wonder how the planets without the Breakout stage are doing…

He shook his head. No, that wasn't important now. He would find out soon enough anyway. Only two days remained until the Virus Wars started for real.

"—like a day of running for us." Isaac heard Matthew say just then. "For you two? Probably half that."

"I bet you can reach it before nighttime," Erika added, idly spinning a shard of ice between her fingers.

"I sure hope so," James muttered, his gaze drifting to Isaac. "Bossman?"

Isaac shrugged. "We can try. Nothing here is a threat to us. We could travel through the night if we have to."

"That's what I like to hear!" James exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Well then, thank ya for the food, folks, but it's time for us to go. Got places to be."

Matthew also stood up, offering a handshake to both of them while trying way too hard to keep a serious expression on his face. It was amusing to watch, and going by Erika's quiet giggling, Isaac wasn't the only one to think that.

Nonetheless, he accepted the handshake while maintaining a straight face. "Until next time," he said, nodding to Erika and the others in the back.

With that, they stepped out of the small camp. Erika and Matthew followed, but there were no more words exchanged. Isaac and James just shared a nod and transformed, quickly leaving the group behind.

So close now…

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.