As the platform finally settled at the bottom with a faint metallic clang, Raye stepped off and looked around at the sprawling underground corridors that stretched beyond the landing platform.
She then frowned and turned towards Shore before gesturing wildly.
"You're kidding me... there's a damned Shadow Realm too?"
Shore smiled slightly. Enough amusement slipped through the exhaustion that the corner of his mouth twitched upwards.
"Yeah, the job gets weird pretty quickly," he admitted.
The underground facility was anything but calm. Operatives moved rapidly through corridors carrying crates of special ammunition, runic equipment and medical supplies while logistics personnel barked orders toward deployment teams moving toward elevators and transport shafts.
Several technicians pushed large wheeled arrays of glowing equipment toward loading bays while overhead speakers relayed emergency orders regarding Grimm concentrations throughout Vale.
The entire base had transformed from research installation to wartime command center in the span of a few hours.
Shore motioned for Raye to follow him and began walking deeper into the facility.
"You're still relatively new to all this," he explained. "You've been with LUCID for what? Two and a half weeks?"
She nodded.
"Not even three."
"Exactly. There are a lot of things that aren't going to be disclosed immediately. Especially not to someone who's technically still in onboarding."
Raye shrugged.
"Fair enough."
Then her expression brightened with curiosity.
"So what other realms are there?"
Shore immediately regretted answering any questions. She started counting on her fingers.
"A Light Realm? Underworld Realm? Demon Realm? Elemental Realm? Maybe some weird fairy dimension?"
Shore stared at her then sighed.
"Let's focus on the Shadow Realm for now."
She looked mildly disappointed. Internally however, Shore wasn't actually sure how wrong she was.
That was the uncomfortable truth of working in LUCID as a non awakened operative. He possessed an absurd amount of clearance compared to ordinary personnel, but certain information simply never reached people like him.
Subjects involving higher cosmology, the origins of the realms or certain classifications of awakened phenomena remained firmly within the jurisdiction of awakened leadership.
Shore had always suspected that the awakened knew far more than they ever shared. Unfortunately every person capable of answering those questions currently appeared to be missing.
"In any case," Shore continued, "the Shadow Realm is... strange. It has different rules compared to reality and the Dream Realm. At least, from what I've read about it."
That was perhaps the biggest understatement of his career.
"It consists of two major sections. The Surface Shadow, sometimes called the Shallow Shadow, and the Deep Shadow."
Raye frowned slightly.
"Which is?"
"The Surface Shadow is sort of... adjacent to reality and the Dream Realm. Connected to both of them but separate from each at the same time."
Raye looked at him.
"That explanation sucked."
"It gets worse. The Surface Shadow can only traditionally be accessed by individuals possessing shadow-type runes. Same for the Deep Shadow."
"Could?"
Shore nodded.
"About a year ago LUCID developed special technology that allowed awakened without shadow runes to enter the realm."
Raye raised an eyebrow.
"And that worked?"
"Technically yes."
He paused.
"Practically speaking... not so much."
They rounded a corner and entered another section of the base where emergency personnel were rapidly disassembling runic equipment and redistributing it toward deployment teams heading back to the surface.
"The expedition ended somewhere between failure and success depending on who you ask."
"Sleepless got involved?"
Shore glanced sideways at her.
"How'd you know?"
She pointed upward.
"Current apocalypse stands, and it seems almost likely that when something goes wrong, they're involved somehow."
"Fair point."
He nodded.
"Sleepless got involved. Things escalated and a bunch of people died."
His expression darkened slightly.
"I don't know the full details but that's the general story."
Raye remained quiet for several moments as she attempted to process the information. Eventually she shook her head and spoke, though her voice carried a bitterness that hadn't existed earlier.
"Sleepless huh? The big bad guys causing all this hell currently happening outside..."
Shore exhaled slowly and shrugged slightly.
"Well... possibly. We don't know for certain but I'd say we're hovering somewhere around ninety nine point nine percent confidence."
They entered the research sector. Compared to the rest of the base it was strangely quiet. Most researchers had apparently been reassigned to logistics and support roles while others moved expensive equipment toward safer locations in anticipation of structural instability.
Shore slowed his pace.
"In any case, there was something important brought back from the Shadow Realm expedition."
Raye glanced toward him.
"What was it?"
"Something that was apparently called a Catalyst."
She blinked.
"...A... catalyst?"
Shore searched for the least insane explanation available and failed.
"Yes. Imagine a gigantic inverted tree."
"...Go on."
"And the inverted tree's roots extend into the void itself."
"...You're making this up?"
"No."
He rubbed his forehead.
"A Catalyst essentially acts as a spawning structure that creates the native creatures of the Shadow Realm. The name of these creatures are called stalkers."
Raye folded her arms.
"Right."
"Unfortunately the Catalyst wasn't functioning outside of the Shadow Realm environment. Something to do with a lack of environmental Umbral energy... or something to that extent."
They continued walking deeper into increasingly restricted sections of the research wing until eventually the corridors became nearly empty.
Large cuboid containment units lined the walls, mounted on tracks that disappeared into the floor and ceiling. Many housed unfamiliar technologies while others remained sealed behind warning labels and security fields.
There were very few personnel here. Which probably said enough by itself. Eventually Shore stopped at the far end of the room beside a terminal.
Several cuboid containment units rested behind armored barriers. He entered a security code and the machinery around them hummed.
Entire sections of storage rotated and shifted as containment blocks moved through hidden tracks within the walls until finally two units slid into place before them.
They were surprisingly small, perhaps the size of office desks. Shore pointed toward them.
"Grab those."
She stepped forward and lifted one. It was a little heavier than it looked.
"What the hell are these?"
Shore looked at the containers.
"The tech we're going to use."
Raye set hers down beside him.
"Right."
She crossed her arms.
"So I still don't understand why you said this had something to do with me."
Shore nodded.
"I'm getting there."
Together they moved the cuboids toward a nearby workstation designed for larger equipment integration. Once everything was secured Shore leaned against the table.
"Like I said earlier, the Catalyst couldn't function properly outside of the Shadow Realm."
He tapped the side of one container.
"No Shadow environment here meant no stalkers could be spawned."
"A lot of research went into it but nobody could make it work."
"People wanted to weaponize the technology?"
"Of course they did. Who do you think we are?"
This was LUCID. If someone discovered a monster spawner tree, somebody else would immediately ask if it came in tactical deployment size.
"Unfortunately they couldn't figure out how."
Then Shore's expression shifted slightly.
"Until... Merlot arrived."
Raye froze. The atmosphere around her changed instantly and anger flickered across her face.
"Merlot? That bastard?"
Shore nodded slowly.
"LUCID worked with him as part of his sentence agreement."
Raye stared at him.
"You're telling me the organization hired the lunatic responsible for the Hybrid project? The bastard who screwed me, and who knows how many people over?"
"I wasn't involved in the decision."
He held up both hands defensively.
"But yes."
Her expression darkened considerably. Shore continued before she could interrupt.
"His technical expertise was useful. Particularly regarding Hybrid biology, adaptation mechanisms and integration technologies. He made changes and implemented runic technologies alongside his existing research. Eventually he was able to produce a... prototype of sorts."
Raye stared at the containers.
"...What type of prototype?"
Shore looked directly at her.
"The Umbra Exosuit."
Silence settled over the room.
"As far as I understand," Shore continued quietly, "it possesses the ability to plunder runic fragments like what the nightmare system can do. In a way, it's fairly similar to the way awakened do so."
Raye's eyes widened. She looked genuinely stunned. Outside the walls of Beacon Academy the world was ending and perhaps inside these containers sat humanity's newest answer.
Whether it was salvation or merely another disaster waiting to happen remained to be seen.
The containers hissed softly as their seals disengaged. A faint black vapor escaped from the seams as the lids slowly folded backward, revealing their contents beneath sterile white lights.
For several seconds neither Shore nor Raye said anything. Because what sat inside the containers was not armor or clothing.
It looked almost alive.
The material resembled a skintight bodysuit folded neatly within the containment cradle, but its surface continuously shifted and flowed beneath the light in subtle ripples of black and darker black, almost as if oil had somehow learned how to breathe.
The colors moved and patterns formed across the surface before disappearing moments later like schools of fish swimming beneath deep water.
Raye stared at hers.
"You expect me to put that shit on? It looks alive."
Shore scratched his cheek awkwardly as he looked down at his own suit resting within its containment frame.
Honestly?
He wasn't entirely sure she was wrong.
While he had clearance surrounding the Umbra Exosuit project and had followed portions of its development, he had never actually interacted with one personally.
Most of his interest in the project had come from one simple fact.
Merlot.
The man's involvement alone had guaranteed Shore would pay attention.
Unfortunately, the more he had learned about the project, the less certain he had become about whether it represented humanity's salvation or merely another disaster waiting patiently for permission to happen.
Shore couldn't forget the Hybrid facilities or the screaming.
Most of all...
He couldn't forget the final Hybrid he and Raye had fought on Mountain Glenn. The thing had once been human and turned into a near immortal monster.
Yet despite all of that...
This technology could grow. The reports had been very clear on that point. If this were a game, Shore thought grimly, people would call it a momentous growth item.
An evolving weapon.
The kind of thing people built entire strategies around. Discarding it without trying would be idiotic and potentially fatal.
"I think it technically is alive," Shore admitted.
Raye looked horrified.
"That sentence does not help."
He shrugged helplessly.
"The reports said the material was developed from harvested nascent stalker tissue from the Catalyst. It was somehow interwoven with fabric constructed from condensed runic energy matrices."
Raye stared at him.
"...I understood maybe half of those words."
"Honestly? Same."
He pointed toward the suit.
"The important part is that yes, technically speaking, you're probably wearing a dead monster that somebody convinced to become clothing."
Raye physically recoiled.
"Ugh. I'm really not sure about this."
Shore shook his head.
"We don't have time to be picky. Option one, wear it and go outside with extra protection and the possibility of becoming stronger. Or option two, don't wear it and run around outside during the apocalypse dressed like a normal person."
"...Shit."
"Exactly."
Compared to many LUCID operatives, Raye still lacked experience. Her combat instincts were excellent and her infiltration ability bordered on absurd not to mention her physical capabilities which exceeded human peak performance thanks to Aetherion integration.
But professionalism?
Decision making under pressure?
Experience dealing with impossible situations?
Those things only came with time.
"You're right," she muttered then sighed.
"Sorry."
Shore shook his head immediately.
"Don't apologize. Just hurry up."
The material was colder than Shore expected. For exactly one second. Then, the moment the suit touched his skin the temperature changed instantly. The black material flowed upward across his body in ripples, wrapping around his limbs, torso and neck before sealing itself seamlessly into place.
The sensation was bizarre but not uncomfortable.
Distinctly strange, however. Almost like water had become fabric. Or perhaps fabric had become muscle.
The suit tightened slightly before adjusting itself automatically to his proportions. Nearby, Raye looked equally unsettled as the material flowed across her body in a similar fashion.
"I don't like this. It feels like something is touching the... inside of my spine."
"...Let's pretend you didn't say that."
The final components were the visors. Unlike the suits themselves, the visors looked distinctly technological. Tech circuitry glowed faintly along the edges as Shore secured his into place.
Immediately information appeared across his vision.
Vitals and environmental data. Structural integrity percentages and several unknown readouts that he'd figure out later. A bar rested in the upper right corner of his vision.
Currently empty and a label sat beneath it.
[RESERVES: 0%]
"It seems that the visors monitor the suit itself," Shore explained. "Structural degradation, growth abnormalities and even compatibility issues..."
Raye blinked.
"You don't sound sure?"
"Well, it's my first time using it, after all."
"Well... what dis you mean about growth abnormalities?"
Shore immediately regretted saying that out loud.
"Let's just hope that never becomes relevant."
Thankfully she decided not to pursue the topic. Together they returned toward the access platform. The elevator ride upward was considerably more crowded this time.
Operatives packed the floating platform shoulder to shoulder while crates of weapons, ammunition and supplies occupied most of the remaining space.
Several teams carried unfamiliar runic equipment while others transported heavy plasma weaponry toward deployment points on the surface.
Everyone looked busy.
The war machine had finally started moving. By the time they reached the surface several deployment vehicles were already preparing to leave Beacon grounds.
Shore quickly located one of the logistics officers and identified himself before receiving temporary assignment orders.
Search and destroy with a potential relief support.
Civilian extraction where possible.
Simple and direct.
A transport vehicle waited nearby.
Several operatives climbed aboard carrying plasma rifles and heavier support weapons while additional convoys rolled out toward various sections of Vale.
Raye climbed into one of the seats opposite Shore then pointed toward her visor display.
"So how exactly does this thing work?"
"First of all, the Visor has a built in Virtual Intelligence that can interpret your brainwaves. So you can essentially control the display with your thoughts."
Shore then pointed toward the empty bar in the corner of her display.
"See that bar? It's pretty important. It's telling you current power your suit has. See, the suit runs on what we might call... momentum."
She frowned. "Momentum? What does that mean?"
"Think of a bicycle. If you pedal long enough the potential energy transforms into kinetic energy that moves the bike forwards. However, if you stop inputting energy, the kinetic force bleeds away until there isn't anything left. The suit functions the same way. While it can grow stronger, it also leaks energy constantly."
Her expression immediately soured.
"This is why it's a prototype. Apparently the energy bleed problem was one of the biggest flaws, and couldn't be solved in the short timeframe that it was made.
He tapped his visor.
"In any case, the first thing we need to do is kill a Grimm."
Raye blinked.
"...That's surprisingly straightforward."
"The suit absorbs runic fragments which are released by Grimm deaths, and the fragments get converted into something called Umbra energy. Umbra is the energy that stalkers from the Shadow Realm use. They are both made up of it, and utilize it to grow stronger."
Raye frowned at Shore's explanation.
"Think of it as an artificial shadow rune that an awakened might have. Of course there are some limits, but overall, it should function... almost exactly the same."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"That's insane."
"It gets better."
He gestured toward the empty bar.
"Remember my bicycle analogy? The more fragments we absorb, the stronger the suit becomes. Continuously, and possibly without limit."
Raye stared at him.
"...That's more insane."
Shore couldn't disagree.
"Unfortunately there's a catch. Like I said earlier, the suit bleeds energy fast. If we stop killing Grimm for too long, the Umbra starts fading away and the accumulated energy will disappear. Which means..."
"The suit gets weaker." Raye finished his sentence for him, understanding dawning on her face.
"So... we have to keep moving?"
He nodded.
"Momentum. Kill Grimm, get stronger, kill more Grimm and repeat."
The vehicle rattled violently as it rolled over broken pavement.
Outside the windows, ruined streets passed by beneath the crimson glow of the shattered moon overhead.
For several moments Shore remained silent.
Then he closed his eyes.
"...Do you feel it?"
"Feel what?"
"That sensation."
He searched for words.
"It almost feels like an extra muscle or maybe another limb. Something sitting just outside your thoughts."
Raye went quiet. Several seconds passed then her eyes widened slightly.
"...Yeah."
Shore opened his own eyes.
"That's the Umbra consisting of the suit."
She looked down at her hands.
"I can feel it moving. No, not moving exactly but... waiting?"
He nodded.
"The suit hasn't absorbed any runic fragments yet so we can't actually use it."
The vehicle suddenly swerved violently. Several operatives grabbed handholds instinctively.
Shore looked up.
The transport had reached a broken intersection where abandoned vehicles clogged the roads and shattered storefronts lined both sides of the street.
Movement erupted from the ruins.
Beowolves and Creeps with an Ursa pushing through a collapsed convenience store wall. Red eyes opened everywhere.
The driver shouted for them to engage. Weapons immediately rose throughout the transport compartment. Shore watched as the empty bar in the corner of his visor remained stubbornly at zero.
Not for long.
The hunt was about to begin.