"ZANDER!" Sarah's voice echoed out from across the now blood-stained hall. Her face was twisted with fear as she watched the Thrall's massive fist approach his face, a blow that would surely end in his death. He'd been able to tank one of the attacks before, but another one to the head would surely kill him.
Zander's eyes widened as he watched certain death approach him, and time seemed to slow to a halt, and he watched as the beast's fist inched towards his face. For a brief moment, he felt at peace. Perhaps it was best, for everything to end here? He'd faced nothing but pain since his inception into this terrifying world, and it was clear there was much more to come. He'd watched hundreds of his peers die in just a few weeks, watched their corpses be shredded to pieces, or splattered under an iron fist.
What was the point?
He'd found some semblance of purpose after the raid, a desire to get stronger, to not only survive, but thrive in this strange, twisted world. All thoughts of purpose were gone however, when faced with imminent death. So why did he feel something tugging at him to move? He had no reason to continue living here in this world of death and destruction, yet he felt an inner tugging that pushed him forward. A glee for the unknown, for more pain, more suffering. He didn't want to face it again, but he wanted to take it head on, to keep living, to keep hurting. Why?
On the first day that he arrived, he felt out of place. He'd seen the stares of the people as he walked through the halls of their home, enjoying their food and comfort without a cent to his name. They'd judged him as weak, a coward. Until the raid.
A few people watched his part in the defense against the Buzzards, and soon word spread of the death he'd managed to pave across their ranks. The next morning, he was met with respectful nods, and the soldiers thanked him for his work. Even Matsuo had applauded his actions, filling Zander with pride. He felt good when knowing his actions helped just a few more people live, even if it wasn't the initial intention behind his actions. His reactionary attempt at survival saved lives, and he'd felt that inherent, everlasting pride linger. But that wasn't his reason to keep moving on, just a temporary relief from the pain.
He knew it was the same as the time from the raid. Even without aim, he moved forward, unto pain, unto death and suffering. He had no direction, no purpose, but a drive to survive. So he would try. He would survive with everything he had, or die trying, head held high.
He knew what he needed to do
Zander's arm reached down to the scabbard at his hilt, quickly grabbing the sword that sat there, ready to be unleashed, like an extension of himself. As he and the blade touched, his senses exploded outward, enveloping the sheathed weapon like a cloak of feeling. He closed his eyes, observing as the feeling sunk into his soul, extending it further. He felt as if his sword was always a part of him, like it was nothing more than another limb, an arm he'd always had, but never had.
Then it exploded outward.
He unsheathed the blade, hearing the shrill screech of metal on leather as the newfound extension of himself leapt out from its scabbard. As he unleashed it, a bright blue bolt of electricity raked across his arm, extending across the blade in less than a second, before attaching itself to the tip of the sword. For a split second it stayed completely still, shivering in the open air, before extending further down the length of the blade, arms of electricity grasping forward, pulling the rest of itself further down, like hundreds of miniature hands crawling along the length of his weapon. It pushed itself down to the hilt before finally stopping, fully coating the length of the blade in a thin blue layer that crackled and twisted with churning electricity, as if it were alive.
He didn't skip a beat, his sword flashing upwards, moving perpendicular to the Thrall's fist. It slammed into the beast's flesh with a thud before sinking into its strong flesh. He felt a brief moment of resistance as his blade entered the thrall's arm, but then- as if magic- his sword cut through it like butter, leaving little room for resistance as his blade passed through its arm, slicing through the length of its limb and emerging through the other side.
Its arm went flying wildly towards him, now detached from the monster's body. Despite cutting off the limb, it was still in full momentum towards his head, forcing Zander to fall to the side. It barely missed the top of his head, managing to just barely graze the tip of his hair before falling to the ground, useless. Still though, the Thrall had no intention of stopping here.
As if enraged, the beast roared a ferocious roar, its shout significantly louder than the last. Zander panicked once more as the beast launched another attack at him, who was sat laying on the ground, unable to move. He closed his eyes, waiting for the end.
One second…
Two seconds…
On the third, he opened his eyes, confused, only to see the thrall, impaled on a massive longsword that glowed with a yellow hue, creating an ethereal ghostly appearance. It shrieked as it was lifted into the air before the blade suddenly vanished into a cloud of energy, sending the thrall to the ground. It slammed into the carpet, accompanied with another ear piercing shriek as it writhed in pain. Its imposing stature suddenly felt nonexistent as the beast rose to its feet, only to be stabbed with another ethereal blade, this time a curved saber, then another, a katana. A series of seven different swords, all glowing with a new color of ghostly energy stabbed deeply into the monster's side, leaving it wounded and limping. Still though, it remained on its feet, staring towards the perpetrator with unending anger.
Sarah stood imposingly in the path of the creature, her face crunched in concentration as she pulled her arm towards her, sending the seven blades flying out of the monster's body, an eruption of blood flying from the now extended wounds. The whole ground watched as Sarah confidently strode towards Zander, lifting him to his feet, all while the thrall watched.
"Zander?" She got his attention, causing him to focus on her, feeling some of the pain that had previously been melted away return. "You do the honors. It's your kill." she said, smiling softly. She nodded towards the dying beast as she spoke.
He paused for a moment, before nodding, limping over towards the monster that could barely seem to move. It collapsed to its knees as Zander approached it, its gaze no longer threatening as it did its best to scramble back to its feet, to no avail. Zander watched its pointless struggle for a moment, before whipping his sword through the air, willing the familiar electricity to return. It danced across his blade once more, bursting from the hilt like a predator in wait, before once again blanketing the sword in a layer of energy.
He watched the beast's pupils dilate as he began to hold the blade above his head, catching the glint of the light in its wake, before plunging it down, piercing its forehead with a single, resolute strike.
[Thrall (Brute) Killed]
[23 Essence Gained]
This was the third time he'd seen this message, the first to yet another brute class thrall. He breathed a deep breath, letting the sensations of life once again fall over him, before his legs shuddered, sending him to the ground. He landed on his backside, and at once he felt his body begin to hurt. He finally noticed the small drain of energy that seeped away at his reserves.
[Ability: Adrenaline disabled]
A small flash of text explained his sudden tiredness. When did I turn that on? He asked himself internally but brushed it aside. Maia came rushing to his side, swiftly lowering him to his back. She gave him a quick check over his body, before reaching into her pocket, revealing a small vial. The same she had given to Carlos, who now stood behind Zander, alert for any further threats.
Maia popped the cap before pushing the liquid into Zander's mouth. "Swallow" she said sternly, causing him to comply, swallowing all of the dark green liquid, which stung as it fell down his throat. He felt a small burning sensation, like he'd eaten something scalding hot, but the pain was soon replaced with relief. His jaw dropped once more as he felt his wounds heal. His few cuts that he'd obtained from the shrapnel of the slam stitched themselves back together before the liquid continued onto his newer wounds. He felt two bones, no- one bone, shattered into two- stitch themselves back together. The impact of the blow had broken a bone around his right shoulder, yet he hadn't felt it until now.
He screamed as the bones knit themselves together, feeling his skin bulge and morph around the bones as they moved, creating an incredibly uncomfortable feeling that sent a shudder down his spine. He clenched his fist as he fought through it, until finally he felt relief, falling back to the ground, motionless.
"What- huff- was that?" He breathed deeply between words, his heart pounding furiously in his chest.
"A healing potion, a basic version." Maia replied promptly, as if she'd repeated this conversation dozens of times. "We can't make more advanced versions yet, but I bet in the higher layers it's possible. It heals most basic wounds instantly but can only be used around once per week." She said, patting his shoulder.
"How does that even make sense?" He asked, leaning his head back as he struggled to process everything.
"Magic." She deadpanned. "Duh."
He laughed to himself slightly, before he saw Sarah approaching his prone form, her small smile still apparent across her face. "Well fought, kid-"
"Not a kid-" He said abruptly, getting a smirk from Maia.
"Well fought… Zander" She corrected, "With that, you're officially one of us. Welcome to the team, greenie." She extended her hand, which he took, pulling himself to his feet. He leaned down, brushing off dust from his legs, before finally standing upright again.
"Seems you had an epiphany mid fight. It's not often something like that happens." Sarah thought back to Zander's blue light. "Sometimes it's not crafting essence that gives us abilities, but a deeper understanding of ourselves." She patted his shoulder before turning to the others, who'd grouped up around them, finally getting a chance to rest.
While Sarah checked on the rest, Zander took the time to check the notifications he received. Clearly something had changed during the fight, and if he'd gotten a new ability like Sarah said, he could barely contain his excitement. With a flash, a new blinking box of text appeared before him, confirming their theory.
[Your understanding has deepened]
[You and the blade are one, embrace it]
[Ability obtained: Sword Mastery (Copper)]
Surprised, he opened his status with a thought, mentally commanding the screen to open. It blinked open, hovering in front of his face, and he smiled as he observed the changes.
[Status]
[Core: Copper (Lower)]
[Soul: Copper]
[Traits: Masterful Crafter (Species Only)]
[Species: Human]
[Status:]
[Strength: 15]
[Constitution: 17]
[Dexterity: 13]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Spirit: 11]
[Charisma: 10]
[Abilities: Willpower, Adrenaline, Sword Mastery (Copper)]
Both his strength and constitution had gone up by two, while his dexterity went up by one. He flexed his muscles, finding a new spout of strength that hadn't been there before. His eyes widened as he felt his movements become easier, his body more fluid, as if the space seemed to move around him. He felt like he could sprint a marathon and back.
"Someone got some upgrades, eh?" said Logham, who looked over at his astonished expression. "whatcha get?" He asked, slightly curious. He'd barely said the words before Sarah slapped him lightly across the face, not enough to do any damage, but certainly enough to stop him in his tracks.
"Don't answer that if you don't want to, Zander. It's generally considered rude to ask someone for their status details" She deadpanned towards Logham, who wore a goblin-esque grin on his face.
"Whaaat? Just look at him! He's practically begging to share anyways. What's the harm?" He shrugged nonchalantly, turning around as Sarah rolled her eyes, turning back to Zander. "I suppose- if you WANT to- you can share with us any questions or concerns you may have. Seriously though, don't go sharing your status details with anyone willy-nilly. The more knowledge an enemy has on you, the easier you are to kill." Her face fell to a stark frown, clearly lost in thought. "The monster's aren't our biggest enemy here on this layer."
Zander furrowed his brows at that, curious as to what she was alluding to, but nodded along with her words, looking again at his status. "I had a few stat gains, but the biggest thing was getting [Sword Mastery]. Also, my core now says "Lower" next to it? What the hell does that mean?" He tilted his head as he read the information aloud.
"Ah- the days where a single fight had multiple stat upgrades…" Reginald trailed off, turning away.
"I knew it!" Maia exclaimed; her face filled with excitement. "I know the weapon arts when I see one! Congrats on your breakthrough, Zander." She patted his shoulder, a bright expression on her face.
"Weapon… arts?" He asked, revoking an explanation.
"Weapon arts is less of an ability, and more of an understanding. The more in tune with your weapon you are, the stronger the mastery becomes. There are several stages, using the same system we do. Oh- wait you don't know the rankings, do you?" Sarah asked, prompting Zander to shake his head.
"This applies to most abilities, cores, souls, and our informal human rankings here on the second layer. It begins at copper, then goes to bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and finally adamantine. For abilities, most that grow in strength face significant changes when upgraded." She nodded her head, thinking deeply. "I believe that weapon masteries merely grow the strength of your attacks, but I also haven't seen anyone with an ability over gold. Perhaps new things happen later in the ranks." She shrugged. "That's for us to see when we inevitably make it to the next few layers. Who knows what will happen in that time." She smiled, patting Zander on the back.
"That "Lower" part, next to your core... Cores are the foundation of our strength, the physical manifestation of our will. If you make progress over your path and master the inner machinations of your mind, it will grow, and so will you. It will occasionally grant you extra stats as you evolve it, and occasionally could provide abilities or traits, depending on your evolution." She pointed towards her chest, placing a hand over her heart. "I've got a silver-tiered core, so as long as I'm more experience than you- I'm stronger. Simple as that." She smirked slightly.
"Of course, that's provided I know all your abilities by heart and understand the intricacies of the battlefield, fight on even terrain, and there are no other enemies lying in wait. Still, it's a pretty good rule of thumb that someone with a higher tiered core will beat someone of lower tier on a one on one." She looked up, thinking for a moment. "Try focusing on your core section of your status. It should show what bonuses it gives you."
Zander turned back to his status, observing the part that read [Core: Copper (Lower)], and focusing on it, willing more information to appear. Before he could blind, a new screen was floating before his eyes, one that he'd never seen before.
[Core: Copper (Lower)]
[+1 Strength, +1 Endurance]
Interesting… Zander thought, before dismissing his screen. I guess I didn't get as many bonuses from the fight as I thought, though I suppose this is included, isn't it? Still, I'm sure my progress is bound to slow down soon enough.
"Let's get packed up, we have more progress to make. Since no one is injured, we won't head back quite yet." Sarah barked orders to the squad members, urging Zander into his previous position as her shadow. "A big fight, this close to The Garden? It's absurd!" She muttered to herself, her face scrunched. She didn't dwell on it too long, instead ordering the group to move out.
"We've got places to explore folks, no death allowed!"
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The group traveled along the outskirts of the complexes, slowly making their way along the length of the solitary, unnatural looking formations of office buildings, hospitals, and kitchens, all completely looted and picked dry, until finally they reached the edge of explored territory. While it was only a few complexes away from the area surrounding The Garden, their careful, cautious gait slowed their progress by hours, until finally they stopped for the night, taking refuge in a large, open meeting room.
They'd spread out in a wide circle, unveiling their sleeping bags and rolling them along the carpet, which provided an extra cushion. In the center of their collection of beds sat a lone lamp, which burned brightly, despite its small size. Even further, it somehow provided heat to their entire area, which thankfully counteracted the cold breeze that would flow in once night fell. Zander didn't know how or why a breeze flew through layer, as there was no atmosphere or weather to think of, but it existed all the same, as if a massive fan was blowing through the massive layer.
Maia, Xavier, Sarah, Reginald, and Zander sat around the lamp, warming their hands together and making light conversation, while Carlos and Logham took watch out of sight. Zander sat in silence, watching the small wicker of flame that burned so brightly within the lamp, as it whisked and whirled in place. It seemed farcical, as if the flame was repeating a pattern of movement, like an animated picture. He huddled in place as he thought about what happened today.
He'd nearly died, twice. He trembled slightly as the realization hit him, sending a harsh shiver across his whole body. He curled his legs towards his chest, eyes downcast towards the fire, as he thought about how close he was to accepting it, to letting the fist collide with him, to end it all. What if his brother was still out here? What would it have done to him if he discovered his untimely death? He thought of Ji-woo, his brother, trapped for possibly years without anyone there to help him. Could he have died, alone?
He shook his head clear of such thoughts. It wasn't time to think about what ifs, it was time to think about the foolishness he'd lived by. He'd assumed that after the raid things would get better, that he'd get stronger with ease, and take on the monsters that roamed the layer before moving to the third. Turns out, things weren't quite so simple. He let out a muffled sob into his arm as he recalled just how close he was to failing, then and there, and yet he was rewarded for it.
This world was about life or death, about taking your chances against a stronger enemy to better yourself, to face the danger head on and come out on top. If you lived, you grew stronger. If not, the endless nothingness of death, or whatever waited for everyone after. Yet still, people fought for the betterment of their people. Even the squad around him seemed to have greater aspirations, yet they stayed here, trapped on what he learned was the Outer Territories, which just meant anything that wasn't directly bordering the massive void that lay between the world spanning levels of complexes. He chuckled slightly at the thought. The world is shaped like a donut.
"Um…" Maia looked over towards Zander, seeing his unsettled state. "I-" She took a deep breath. "I just wanted to say, you did a good job out there. I'm sorry we couldn't protect you better." Her head fell in shame as she looked away, her hand raising to scratch her shoulder. "We should've taken more precautions. It's our fault you were in so much danger. I'm sorry." Her words were accompanied by a series of nods from some of the neighboring people, and silence from Sarah.
"It's… It's ok." He said, perking up slightly. "But thank you." He paused for a moment, seeing Maia's expression persist. "It wasn't your fault, though. How could you have known it could go invisible, Predator style?" He chuckled softly, not a hearty, joyous chuckle, but a pitiful, pain-filled laugh. "Don't blame yourself."
The two exchanged a glance, and Maia nodded to him, before they fell silent, renewing the awkward tension. His words seemed to cheer up Maia, it seemed, leaving him a little happier than before. They all sat quietly, staring endlessly, as if the floor itself was a painting that enraptured them in its beauty.
"Alright, enough. We're a team, don't forget that. Let's celebrate our victory, be thankful that Zander survived, and got stronger in the process, and have a good rest. Tomorrow, we begin charting territory for possible expansion." Sarah said, getting a few surprised glances from the others. "Oh-" She said, coughing into her fist. "Matsuo has ordered our immediate expansion into uncontested territory. He thinks something big is happening. I wish I knew more, but he wanted to report his evidence with the Great Powers before announcing it publicly." She said pointedly. The rest of the group sat alert, clearly interested in what was happening.
"But The Garden has always been isolated, no?" Said Reginald, who piped in curiously. "Is what's happening so large that it changes our inherent policies?" He scratched his chin, curling his fingers around the edge of his beard. "I've known Matsuo for years. He has no desire to stretch his influence outwards. He's always been a man of self-reliance, that goes for all of his citizens." His voice was slightly gruff, his accent becoming more apparent as he spoke.
"Again, I don't know much." Sarah replied, furrowing her brows. "Things are especially weird right now. Half of what we're here for is to explore the uncharted lands for expansion, but the other half-" she took a deep breath. "The other half is to document the strange changes that have been afoot lately. With the 5th wave, there's been a wave of strange occurrences. A strong brute appearing near an awakening complex, the strongest raid we've ever seen… not to mention what we discovered last week. Something's changing with the 2nd layer." Her voice was not solemn, yet her words lowered the mood.
"Bah, whatever" Came a voice from behind them. It was Logham, finishing his first shift. He tapped Reginald on the shoulder, and he quickly stood up, turning to take watch. "Zander! My boy! What a fight today, eh? Almost got your teeth kicked in?" He grinned as he sat next to Zander, startling him slightly.
"You did good, greenie. Congrats on getting into the weapon arts. As a mage myself, I don't understand all of that, but good job!" He slapped Zander on the back with a hearty laugh, smiling brightly towards the pitiful looking man. Zander didn't sense any maliciousness or sarcasm behind his words, and soon enough he started to grin with the man.
Logham began to launch into a palette of stories, which he eagerly told Zander. One after another, soon Zander became engrossed in the stories, finding his troubles fall away, if only for the moment.
"As if!" Protested Maia, now one of the many who laughed alongside Logham. "I remember when you first got here, you pissed your pants the second you saw a thrall!" Zander watched as Xavier heaved with laughter at Maia's words, as Logham protested fervently. |
"I did NOT!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air, a smile plastered across his face. "I- ahem-" he coughed into his fist. "I valiantly defended my comrades against the thrall menace. Just… from a distance!" He said, puffing out his chest, which erupted another round of laughter from the group.
"Bah! I'm sure you had your own scary experiences, no? A florist, of all people, turning to the front lines. I bet you freaked out when you saw that damn werewolf, not to mention the thrall." He joked, getting a glare from Maia.
"Oh, she flipped out" Sarah interjected, a semi-evil look in her eye. "I remember her first day out, what like two years ago? You were trembling the whole way. Literally, your legs were wobbling like a toddler taking their first steps. You practically had a panic attack when you saw a Buzzard for the first time, much less a thrall!" She laughed loudly, echoing across the halls.
"What about you Sarah, care to share what you did before the Awakening?" Asked Logham. His curious expression told Zander that it was something she'd never spoke with them about before, which seemed confusing for how tight-knit this group was with each other.
"Ah- that will remain with me, unfortunately. I don't care to speak on it." She said, earning a frown from Logham. "What? That doesn't matter now, what matters is what we do here." She shook her head before falling silent. It was clear that she didn't want to say anymore.
"Oookay- what about you, Zander? What were you doing before the Awakening?" Logham asked, causing several pairs of eyes to turn towards him.
"I-" He paused for a moment, uncertain. "I was a college student. I took classes in mostly history and anthropology." He remembered the busy structure of his classes, the stress of finals, and the joy he'd felt for his studies. It all seemed so far away.
He fell silent as his mind raced, thinking of his home, his family, his brother. It was only two weeks ago that seeing Ji-woo was as simple as a short flight away, and now it felt like an eternity between them, if he was even still alive.
"Zander- I-" Maia started, her hand reaching out towards him, but just as her hand was about to place itself on his shoulder, a shout echoed from the other side of the room, accompanied by Carlos, who was panting hard. Five heads turned in his direction, each one alert.
"Captain! There's something you need to see."
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"What the fuck is this?" Sarah asked, bewildered. In front of them sat a glowing blue orb, twisting with a mixture of shadows and light that spiraled together, curling into the orb. It looked almost like a makeshift black hole, with an inner blue glow that made way to its darker exterior. It even affected the surrounding area, a small cloud of dust swimming around the floating orb, twisting around it like a twister in a crop field. A few makeshift papers fluttered across the room, a strange sight for the mostly looted office buildings.
"I've never seen anything like it…" Carlos muttered, taking a step away from the orb after seeing its disruption around the rest of the small room. It was housed in a small office space, barely managing to squeeze its sphere of influence across the entire space, creating a very claustrophobic feeling for the squad members. The seven of them gathered around the entrance to the room, uncaring of any possible dangers lying in wait, instead absorbed in the anomaly that sat before them.
"Could it be an entrance to the third layer?" Asked Reginald, but Sarah only shook her head.
"There's only one entrance to the third layer, at the bottom of the Skyscraper. Even that's so inconsistent due to the massive amounts of thrall that it attracts. If this was an exit, this place would be teeming with thrall." She put her hand on her chin. "Is it safe?" She looked to Carlos, who shrugged exaggeratedly. "Shit. Well, I need an input. What do we do with this?" She turned to the group, her eyes catching Reginald, who stared with awe at the orb.
"Captain, I know it's unsafe, and we're all a little… cautious after Ben's unfortunate end, but I believe we must investigate." He said, pointing "This is something unprecedented, a new discovery in the layers. The potential of something like this could be immeasurable to the people of the layer. I am of the firm belief that we should take a chance with this." He leaned in closer to the orb, feeling a small tug, which he resisted.
Ben? Who's Ben? Zander thought, but his thoughts were interrupted by Carlos, who stepped forward.
"Things do not appear at random throughout the layers. Something new like this must be by design, though I am not sure as to why. However-" He unsheathed his blades, twirling them in his hands before sheathing them once more. "If there is one truth I know, it's that something here will try to kill us. It'll either be outright, or something more complex." He turned to Reginald, a firm look in his eyes. "Are you willing to take that chance? Two of us are on potion timers, and if something goes wrong, we'll be stuck in the mud, more than a day's travel from home." His eyes darter to the rest of the squad, watching as they sat in silence, waiting for Reginald's response.
"I am willing to take that chance." Reginald said firmly. "Hell- I will do the investigation my bloody self if I have to. Something like this can't be disregarded so easily." He turned towards the rest of the group. "We all know the risks when we signed up for this. Our purpose is to chart the unknown, to brave the dangers of the second layer and emerge victorious, is it not?"
"I will call a vote" said Sarah, who walked forward, turning to the collective group of soldiers. "Say aye to investigate the anomaly, Nay for opposition. All in favor?"
"Aye" Reginald responded instantly, his mind firmly set.
"Nay" Said Carlos, nearly as fast.
"I love new discoveries, and I am well aware of the risk. Aye" said Maia, holding her head high.
Xavier and Logham both voted nay, shaking their heads. Even Logham, who'd constantly cracked jokes in the face of danger, voted against, which surprised Zander.
"As second in command of The Garden, and the head in chief of the scouts, my goal is to find ways to provide for our citizens. If I am to die for the benefit of our people, then so be it. Aye" Sarah said, crossing her arms. "That just leaves Zander." As she spoke, all eyes turned to him, who fidgeted in place. His mind raced with possibilities. He looked to them for solace, but they all awaited what he had to say.
A minute passed in pure silence as Zander thought, thinking back to the events of the day prior. "I- I think we should not pursue this, at least not without backup. Still though, if this is something new, and something that could help everyone, I don't just want to leave it here…" He tapped his finger on his arm, and patted his foot to an imaginary beat.
"Still, I say nay. Maybe it'll come back? Or remain?" He sighed as the rest of the squad nodded, and turned back towards their campsite. As they began to move, a sudden chime interrupted them, freezing them all in place.
[Lure (Silver) Discovered]
[Clearing this Lure would result in complete loss of monster presence]
[Cleared space = 2 connected complexes]
[Do you accept?]
[Y/N]
[Note: If left alone for 24 hours, the Lure will disappear]
A system prompt stopped them in their tracks, leaving them bewildered. Sarah and Reginald rushed back to the orb, now identified as a lure. "Did you get that?" Reginald asked, desperation now in his voice. "Did you all get that?" he shouted, calling back the scouts. "Cleared space… two connected complexes?"
"I think it means two a range of two complexes, pushing out from the core complex, aka this one." Sarah muttered, just loud enough for them to hear. "We're just into unexplored territory, just a few jumps from The Garden. If we clear this Lure, we'd have safe passage to all this space!" Her breath caught in her throat as she spoke those words, her face flushed red.
"If that's the case, I change my vote" Said Xavier, his face filling with hope. "I'd gladly face whatever this is for the security of our people." He lifted his axe, removing it from the hook on his back. "I say we do this before it disappears. We need to do this. Now!" his words turned into harsh shouts as he hyped himself up, inspiring the others to agree. Even Zander felt the urge to agree, but he shook his head, keeping his thoughts to himself.
"Ready yourselves" Sarah's voice boomed outwards, and the scouts unsheathed their weapons. Sarah motioned with her hand, and the space around her ripped open, glowing a vibrant purple. It looked just like Bernard's inventory skill, and just as he did, she pulled out a collection of cylinder-shaped stones, placing her hands on both sides of the stone, before snapping the center. Immediately the stones began to glow bright white, enveloping the area in a spotlight of miniature flares.
"I accept"
[Lure (Silver) Activated]
[Objective Gained: Survive]
[Good Luck]
A scream echoed across the nearby complexes, sending a chilling shiver down the scouts' spines. Just as it finished, another scream, even louder than the first. Then another joined in, creating a chorus of screams that only seemed to multiply, until hundreds of screams pounded their ears all at once, before falling silent.
Silence persisted for a few minutes, before a small thump! could be heard, soon turning into a horde of noises, pounding on the walls of their complex. It sounded like a stampede of bulls were headed their way. Carlos sprinted to the side of the complex, his eyes blanketing over the connecting bridges, finding nothing of note, until finally he looked down, and his face filled with horror.
Dozens, if not hundreds of thrall were climbing up the length of the complex wall, their pace faster than he could understand. He'd never seen thrall move that fast.
"With me!" Sarah shouted, and the group surrounded her, their backs to each other as hordes of thrall poured from every side, threatening to drown them in a tide of bodies and muscle.
"We fight, or we die. Watch each other's backs, cover blind spots, and use a potion if you feel you're sufficiently injured. Maia, pick off those furthest away. The others will fight the front line." Her voice was strained as she shouted over the unending slams of flesh on metal.
"Here we go!"