"So we got our cards, what now?" I asked to no one in particular, as I inspected the small silver ID. Honestly, it made no sense. Why were we allowed to just create new cards? Wouldn't there be safeguards?
Benjamin's words only mimicked my thoughts. "It seems strange that the system just lets us print these without double-checking for verification. What if someone faked their way in?"
Prying her attention away from the mech, Ella thought it over. "They probably do have records, but considering the state of most of the city, I'd bet it's pretty damaged."
"True," I added, then, thinking it over, I approached the mech. "What's the state of your memory bank or whatever you use as storage?
The mech simply responded with an error.
Ella shook her head in disapproval, "You're being too broad. It's more likely it taps into a data center of some kind."
"Ok, Miss Guines, have a go at it," I retorted.
Smirking, she looked straight at the mech and asked, "What's the state of the data centers?"
The robot stayed silent for a second before responding, "Main data center 3, 4, and 6 to 10 have sustained damage, and could not retrieve info."
Giving me a victorious smirk, she turned back and probed further. "Where is the main data center one located?"
"You do not have the required clearance for this info," the mech replied.
"Who would have clearance for this information?" I cut in.
"General Samuel," the robot responded, then an error indicated it couldn't retrieve any more information.
"That didn't work," Ella muttered. "Oh, I got it. Can you show me how to use this interface on the wall and access residential information?"
The mech's voice echoed once again. "This panel is unable to access that info."
"Where would I be able to access that information?" Ella asked further.
"Sector 2, 5, 6, and 1," the mech answered.
Ella pressed on. "Can you show me a map?"
The robot stayed silent for a moment, then indicated it couldn't display one itself. Instead, it directed her to a nearby console, which lit up, revealing the city's circular layout.
While she busied herself with the display, I wandered the room. Now that things were relatively safe, curiosity got the better of me. I drifted toward a small workbench cluttered with tools scattered across its surface.
Some of them looked vaguely familiar, while Others were completely alien, with elongated pipes, smooth curves, and fluid, almost liquid shapes that didn't quite make sense. One in particular caught my attention as it resembled a gun of some kind.
I picked it up and pulled the trigger.
A small spark jumped to life. I tried again, and a thin flame flickered at the tip, reminding me of a welding torch. Then I noticed a small dial along the side. Turning it carefully, I watched with mild curiosity as the flame condensed, shifting from red and yellow to a sharp, brilliant white. When I lowered it toward the metal tabletop, it sliced through with alarming ease.
Huh… impressive.
I must've gotten a little too absorbed, because I didn't notice Henry until he stopped beside me, watching with a raised eyebrow as I unsuccessfully tried to melt my gauntlet with the torch.
At his expression, I shrugged. "Hey, I'm just testing the equipment. Besides, I bet we could sell some of this for a decent price."
He snorted. "Maybe. But I doubt we could carry it all." He glanced toward the others. "Plus, Amelia wants to head back and report something to the encampment."
"Really?" I asked, straightening. "What did they find?"
"She'll tell you," Henry said, already distracted as he picked up a similar torch and began fiddling with it himself.
So much for leaving immediately.
Still, when I finally stood up, he followed, torch in hand.
"What's happening?" I asked as we joined Amelia and Benjamin near the console, who were finishing up a copy of the layout on screen.
Without looking up, Amelia answered, "There seems to be a protocol we can broadcast to each sector, which, if the mech was right, will force the city into a dormant state for anyone without an ID. Apparently, it's a safety measure tied to system damage."
I mulled that over, and the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. Without something like that, a damaged data center could've turned the mechs into indiscriminate killers.
"So… when are we heading out?"
"As soon as we gather up anything of value, we'll head over."
Nodded, I turned back toward the passage and began to stuff all sorts of things into my bag. Once everyone was ready, we headed toward camp, only to find it far more crowded than before. People clustered tightly between tents and equipment, forcing us to slow and shoulder our way through, trading quick murmured apologies as we passed.
Amelia and Benjamin split off, pushing toward the command tents to report to the expedition leaders, while the rest of us followed Ella back toward her workshop.
As we edged past one of the larger tents, voices drifted out through the open flap.
"…I still think drilling is a dumb idea. I mean, what if—"
The rest was lost as Ella ducked inside, and I followed without comment.
Inside, Emily was crouched among scattered tools and half-broken contraptions, packing the more intact pieces into her bag. She looked up as we entered, brushing dust from her hands.
"Ah, you're back," she said with a faint smile. "How'd it go?"
Ella opened her mouth to respond.
Then the ground lurched violently.
The makeshift workshop rattled as tools and relics clattered to the floor, shaken loose by the force of the quake. Even the tarp covering the workshop began to unravel, forcing us back just as the whole thing collapsed in on itself.
All around us, the same thing was happening. People stumbled from half-collapsed tents, wide-eyed and confused, while others shouted over the rumble.
But my gaze snapped to the far end of the cavern.
To the colossal gate.
Its massive doors, long sealed, were shifting.
Dust billowed in thick clouds as stone and metal ground together in a deafening roar. The corpse of the abomination slumped against the doors was shoved aside, its bulk rolling limply to the floor.
"Gods…" Henry whispered.
Ahead of us, Amelia and Benjamin burst out of the command tent, followed by Thorian, whose voice carried over the stunned crowd like a thunderclap.
"Everyone, battle formations! Now!"
The order cut through the panic. Soldiers and explorers scrambled into loose lines, weapons drawn, while officers shouted commands and dragged the expeditionary force back into shape.
But I barely noticed.
My eyes were locked on the gate and the space beyond it.
An abyss yawned open behind the doors, swallowing every scrap of light. I couldn't see what waited inside, but as I stared into that oppressive darkness, a cold certainty settled deep in my chest.
Something was watching from within.
Then, the voice.
"Breach detected. Initiating protocol one point two."
The mechanical monotone reverberated through the chamber, its origin unclear, yet somehow coming from everywhere at once.
And then the darkness began to recede, revealing the colossal entity hidden within. First, a massive tentacle-like leg emerged from the shadows, each of its segmented parts gleaming with a dull, metallic sheen. The joints whirred as it slammed into the city floor with tremendous force, causing the ground to quake beneath our feet.
Frantic mutterings of despair filled the air as another massive leg emerged from the shadows, the ground trembling beneath the weight of the colossal machine. Each deliberate step struck the cavern floor like a hammer, reverberating through the city with bone-shaking force.
My gaze locked onto the unfolding scene, heart pounding as the whole body of the mechanical titan slowly came into view.
[Terravault Enclave, Class 10 Protector.]
Standing before us was a behemoth of metal and power, its towering form clad in impenetrable armor. The sheer bulk of its torso resembled that of a battleship, its surface lined with dense plating that seemed impervious to any weaponry we could muster. But what truly froze my breath was the massive cannon mounted on its back. The barrel alone was wider than any building, its dark, hollow maw pointed ominously toward the sky.
"How... how are we supposed to fight that?" Emily whispered, her voice brittle and small.
I opened my mouth to answer, but nothing came.
I didn't have an answer.
Then Ella staggered.
She took a sharp step back, her face draining of color. A violent tremble rippled through her body, and without warning, she dropped to her knees and vomited onto the ground, retching hard.
"Ella!" Amelia shouted.
But before anyone could move, Ella's head snapped up.
And within her eyes, a strange glimmer flashed over them, settling behind her pupils. She stared at the mech with a look that went far beyond fear. It was absolute horror.
Then, in an almost pleading voice, she spoke.
"w-We can't stay here," she gasped, her voice desperate. "That thing... It's going to kill us if we don't move.
The sheer panic in her voice sounded so genuine, it sent a chill up my spine, and when she pointed forward and muttered to run.
Amelia didn't hesitate. She grabbed Ella's arm, lifting her to her feet.
"Move! Now!" she shouted.
That was all we needed.
We ran with all the strength we could muster.
Then it happened.
A high-pitched hum cut through the air, vibrating through our bones before the sound turned into something worse—a screech of gathering energy that cracked the air itself.
Looking up, I hadn't even realized that canon had changed positions before it fired.
A deafening roar tore through the chamber as a blinding lance of energy erupted from the mech's back. It tore overhead in an instant, a beam of impossible scale that split the darkness apart like a god's blade.
Then came the shockwave.
It hit us like a wall of solid force.
The blast hurled us forward, ripping the ground from under our feet as it launched us like a bunch of broken dolls, into and through debris.
Until finally I slammed hard into unyielding stone, the air ripped from my lungs in a single, stunned gasp as I crumpled against it.
My mind went blank for a heartbeat before a deep, numbing pain crashed through me, rattling my whole body. "Oh…that hurt," I coughed, feeling like I'd just been hit by a bus.
Struggling to pry myself up from the ground, I spared a glance backward.
Around us, the world exploded.
Another beam ripped through a line of defensive tokens as if they were paper. I caught a glimpse–just a glimpse–of people caught in its path, their shields igniting like flash paper before their bodies vanished in a blaze of light. There was no time for them to scream before they were gone.
The cavern shook as if it were coming down.
Somewhere in my mind, I saw it again, that creature we'd passed near the gate. The one with its upper body missing. And suddenly, I knew.
Nothing we had would have lasted more than a heartbeat.
Then Thorian's voice cut through the chaos like a blade:
"Scatter!"
In sheer panic, people dispersed in different directions as an intense beam of scorching heat swept over us, striking a group of adventurers making their way to the city's exit. Helplessly, we watched as their protective shields were instantly obliterated by the beam, leaving behind nothing but molten slag.
Shakaly, I pushed myself to my feet and took in the state of everyone around me. The rest of us were bloody and bruised but mostly fine. Then my eyes caught sight of something that would have been hilarious if not for the situation.
Henry was face-first in a pile of debris, his legs kicking wildly, trying to free himself.
Stumbling, I heard his panicked mumbling from within. Then, with a deep breath, I grabbed his legs and pulled. With some shifting rubble, he popped out, and we fell to our backs, where he sat there gasping for air.
Before my mind could process his state, a massive explosion rocked the underground city once more, only intensifying the ringing in my ears. And then I felt hands grab me, and Henry, pulling us to our feet.
"We have to go!" Ella pleaded, pulling at my arm, in the direction of the giant door
Before I could even think about following her that way, something in the sky caught my attention.
In a surreal moment, the very air seemed to vibrate as an immense metal spike manifested from nowhere and shot toward the mech.
Then, just as unnaturally, the machine vibrated in response, allowing the spike to pass harmlessly through its body and leaving the mechanized guardian completely unscathed.
"Did you see that?" Henry shouted.
"Get up now!!" Amelia shouted, dragging Henry to his feet, then pulled him toward where Ella wanted us to go.
Stumbling forward, I became mesmerized by the sight before me
The sounds of spellcasting filled the air as mages attempted to assail the mech. Spells of varying sizes and intensities surged towards the guardian, only to be met by a shimmering shield activating upon contact.
Ella's urgent voice cut through the chaos, "This way!"
Shaking out of my daze, I looked up, "Where are we going?"
"Just trust me!" she pleaded, and together, we all raced towards the massive doors leading to the tunnel from which the mech had emerged. The dark expanse of the tunnel swallowed us as we pushed forward, away from the mechanical monstrosity.
Suddenly, an alarm blared through the underground city, a shrill warning that made the stone walls vibrate.
"What the hell is that?" Henry shouted, his voice filled with such genuine horror that I whipped around on instinct.
The air itself split open high above the city. A jagged rift tore across the fabric of space, spilling out grotesque shapes that clawed and writhed their way into the world.
For a moment, I couldn't move. Dread locked me in place as the nightmares advanced, in their endless swarm. Then a deep rumble rolled through the tunnels, shaking the ground like an approaching stampede.
Amelia's eyes widened, searching the shadows. "What now?!"
I squinted into the darkness and saw light. Dozens, then hundreds of flickering beams. "Mechs!" I shouted. "They're coming this way!"
"Run!" Benjamin cried, but for a second, we froze, caught between two nightmares. The abominations poured in from one side, the machines thundered in from the other.
For a heartbeat too long, we hesitated, then I caught sight of a narrow crevice formed by a massive support beam. "There!" I shouted, and we bolted for it, pressing ourselves against the stone as the first wave of mechs thundered past. Their massive frames blurred by so close that I felt the air ripple with each stride before they hurled themselves into the horde, colliding with the abominations in a crash of steel and shrieking flesh.
The cavern became a battlefield, a storm of screeches, gunfire, and tearing steel that drowned out everything else as chaos raged just outside the doors.
And beneath it all, the ground shuddered again as the colossal gate began to close.
However, despite everything going on, from the shrieks of abominations to the almost deafening rumble of the gate closing, I should have been overwhelmed. Yet a faint chattering sound cut through it all, like teeth clicking inside my skull.
Slowly, my eyes moved to something near the base of the massive door.
Small. Almost insignificant.
And still, it pulled all of my focus.
While the world tore itself apart around me, that figure held me captive.
Its body was indistinct, blurred by smoke and distance, but its face… its face was fixed in a grotesque smile. A grin fused with a pale mask, stretched in a way no human expression should be.
I couldn't look away.
My heart pounded, not from the battle, but from that thing staring back at me.
And then, before I could even process what I was seeing, the colossal doors groaned shut, cutting it off and sealing away the outside world.
I stood frozen, my body trembling at the image of that mask, until I turned slowly to Ella. A question burning within my mind.
"We need to stay here. It's the only way we'll survive," Ella asserted before I could ask.
I stared at her, struggling to comprehend the whirlwind of events that had just unfolded, as the rumbling ceased, sealing off the tunnel from the relentless onslaught outside.
Rebecca
"Run!"
David's voice ripped through the chaos, but it barely registered when the world became a canvas of white. A massive beam obliterated the group of people ahead, their screams lingering for one chilling moment before they vanished entirely. The searing light left nothing behind but a smoldering hole, molten earth marking the spot where they had stood only seconds before.
The sight froze me in place, like some part of me believed that if I stayed still long enough, the titan wouldn't target me.
Then a firm hand clamped around my arm and yanked me forward. I stumbled for a few steps before catching myself, only then realizing Nick was yelling something. Whatever he said was lost beneath the cacophony around us.
Risking another glance back, I grimaced at the sight of the moving apocalypse recharging for another shot. This time, it aimed at something in the sky.
A second later, the air itself seemed to split as the blast cut across the skyline, carving through towers as if they were nothing but paper.
The shockwave rolled over us, rattling my bones. Ahead, one of the gutted buildings groaned, as a massive portion of it began to crumble in on itself, forming an avalanche of steel and concrete that roared down toward us.
We're not going to make it, I thought. But when David barked to keep going, I found myself trusting him as he thrust his hands forward; the air warping violently under his will.
A ripple of distorted gravity tore through the street, the collapsing building grinding to a halt mid-fall. Fragments the size of carriages still plummeted, smashing into the ground around us with bone-rattling force, sending dust and shards flying. But the largest section hung above, trembling in defiance of David's power.
But it was enough to carve a narrow path through the destruction.
"Move!" Nick shouted, shoving me ahead.
We slipped through the passage mere moments before the crowd behind us could trap us within their desperate attempts at safety.
"Matthew! Lauren!" I screamed from the other side, searching desperately for their distant forms.
"Wait for me!" Matthew's voice broke through the chaos. I spotted him struggling to push through the mob, Lauren just behind, her pale face streaked with terror as she tried to keep up.
Then the world ignited.
A deafening hum built into a roar as another beam of light carved through the air.
"No!"
The scream tore from my throat a split second before the shockwave hit. But unlike the others around us, I was forced to watch.
Those caught in the blast were stripped apart piece by piece. First their shields shattered. Then their skin burned away. Then bone. All of it happened in an instant, yet somehow my mind saw every horrible detail.
Around us, people were thrown like ragdolls, but David's power held our group in place. Stone and molten debris rushed toward us, only to slow to a crawl before being crushed by the next wave of rubble. Piece by piece, the fragments gathered into a rough shield of stone that shuddered with every impact.
And when the force of it settled, we were the only ones left unscathed, as the forward force of the blast had thrown everything away, forming an empty pit of molten slag.
Yet my gaze snapped ahead, fixing on the heap of molten rubble where Matthew and Lauren had been only moments before.
I screamed their names as I stumbled forward, clawing at the glowing wreckage with bare, trembling hands. The heat of it scorched my hands, but I couldn't stop. They had to be there. They had to be alive.
"Rebecca, stop!" David shouted, his strong arms locking around me before I could burn myself alive. I thrashed against him, reaching helplessly for the wreckage.
"They're gone!" He cried as he forced me away. "We have to go!"
"No!" I screamed, but beneath it all, I knew that they were gone, and with that admission. All the strength seemed to leave my body as I collapsed beneath the weight of it all.
David didn't falter. He held me tightly, his breath uneven as he tried to steady us both. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
Sobs wracked my body as despair overtook me, but David didn't let go. He tightened his hold, his urgency overriding the sorrow that mirrored my own. Behind us, the mech's mechanical whirring grew louder, its glowing eyes scanning for its next target. Another deafening blast cut through the chaos, followed by the agonized screams of another group of adventurers caught in its path.
Nick stumbled forward. "We have to move!"
David nodded grimly, his resolve hardening. Without a word, he hoisted me onto one shoulder and grabbed Nick with his other arm, effortlessly lifting him as well. "Hold on!" he barked as he shifted his stance.
Michael followed suit, hoisting Daniel as they shot forward.
"Well, make it," David said firmly.
Though his words felt hollow in the face of what happened next.
I froze, my gaze snapping upward to a thin, jagged line splitting the sky. The crack expanded unnaturally, warping the air around it as if reality itself were being torn apart. At its center, an immense rift opened, radiating an all-consuming void that sent chills down my spine.
Something about it felt familiar.
But what came out next was anything but.
From the gaping wound in the sky, a horde of monstrosities spilled forth. Their grotesque forms writhed as they descended, each one more horrifying than the last. A low, otherworldly screech followed their arrival, cutting through the blaring alarms that suddenly erupted throughout the city.
"Holy sh—!" Nick cursed.
My grief twisted into horror as the first monstrosity landed with a squelching thud, its spear-like limb impaling a fleeing adventurer in one swift, brutal motion. Blood sprayed as the creature hurled its prey aside like a discarded doll.
More monstrosities followed, surging out of the rift like a nightmare given life.
Casting a glance over his shoulder, David's determined expression shifted to horror as he turned back to Michael.
"Move faster!" he snapped.
Nodding, Michael's form began to expand. His muscles bulged beneath the strange green glow that enveloped him until he towered over us, five times his usual size.
Then, without hesitation, he scooped up David and the rest of us, one massive arm locking us tight against his chest.
Almost simultaneously, the crushing pull of gravity vanished, replaced by a dizzying, unnatural lightness, like my body had forgotten how much it was supposed to weigh.
Then he jumped.
The leap was violent.
The ground detonated beneath us as we were hurled skyward. Buildings dropped away in a blur as we soared far above the ruined city, clearing rooftops in seconds.
The massive gate rushed beneath us, its broken frame shrinking away as we shot over it. Beyond, a vast graveyard of shattered mechs stretched below, twisted metal hulks scattered across the landscape like the remains of a slaughter, only to be crossed within a heartbeat.
The speed was overwhelming. My vision blurred, under the force of the jump pressing everyone to Michael's chest despite David's spell keeping us impossibly light.
Then the tunnel entrance loomed ahead, growing fast.
Michael adjusted midair, angling his descent as we hurtled toward it, the city finally falling away behind us.
A moment later, we tumbled from Michael's grip as he slammed into the ground with tremendous force. Before his form vibrated and shifted, shrinking back to his normal size. He collapsed to his knees, his chest heaving with labored breaths that echoed in the sudden silence.
I staggered to my feet, my legs trembling as I turned to look back. My stomach churned at the sight behind us. Thousands of mechanical mechs poured into the city, their massive frames glinting with cold, unfeeling metal. The colossal doors of the underground city groaned as they began to close, sealing off the horror within.
The scene was chaos incarnate. The mechs tore through everything in their path, whether it be humans or even the nightmarish creatures from the rift. The battlefield was a massacre, an unstoppable tide of destruction that consumed everything.
"This is madness," I whispered, my voice a trembling mess that could barely be heard over the distant screams and roars of people and monsters alike.
David's voice cut sharply through the chaos. "We need to go. Now!" His tone left no room for argument.
Above us, Thorian soon came into view with a group of about twenty or so adventurers clinging desperately to similar disks behind him. Only for it to become painfully clear that he had taken one of the blasts, as his armor was nearly melded to his form with thin wisps of smoke rising from his scorched skin, yet he remained steady as he yelled, "There's no helping those left behind, so go!"
His words struck me like a hammer as I desperately searched the people he had brought, my eyes darting from face to face only for my heart to fill with dread with each passing moment. Atlas—no, his entire team was nowhere to be found.
The realization hit me like a blow to the chest. My knees buckled, and I sank to the ground, sobs tearing from my throat. I brought them here. I brought them here to die. I—
Hands grabbed me before I could fold in on myself completely.
David didn't say a word as he scooped me up into his arms, cradling me against his chest. The sudden lift stole what little breath I had left, but there was no resistance left in me to give.
He turned and ran.
The tunnels blurred as he moved, stone walls streaking past while his footsteps thundered through the passage. The air rushed over us, carrying the distant echoes of chaos behind us as he pushed deeper into the dark, holding me tight as if letting go wasn't an option.
The blinding light of the twin suns pierced through the darkness as we neared the exit, illuminating the horrors behind us. But there was no time to look back. We ran, every step fueled by desperation and survival. The anguished cries and chaos of the city echoed in our minds, the nightmare clinging to us like a shadow.
We didn't stop. We couldn't stop. The pain, the guilt, the unbearable weight of loss would follow us, but for now, survival was all that mattered. Together, we fled into the light, leaving the ruins and the dead behind.