Chapter Six

The group of Astrals cautiously made their way towards Headquarters, the destination that should have only taken them fifteen minutes to reach. But their slow and careful movements had tripled their travel time. Ryker carried Asmophel on his back, while Rea and Leah scouted ahead for potential threats. Miranda provided support with her silenced sniper rifle, distracting monsters to clear their path.

Diegen watched and learned as they moved, studying the personalities of the Astrals. Rea was the bubbly one, while Leah remained analytical and calm. Ryker, on the other hand, was confrontational and egotistical, but he respected Miranda, the squad leader and assistant manager. Miranda, the epitome of a true leader, remained cool under pressure, listened well, and made decisive decisions.

Ignoring the notifications during the battle had resulted in his Strength and Endurance stats increasing to Discovery (Intermediate), a testament to pushing beyond his limits. However, his innate ability and Path-specific ability lists remained a mystery with question marks still shrouding them.

As they approached their destination, Diegen realized that they had yet to encounter any living soul. Fear must have kept people indoors, or those who ventured out had already perished. Rea signaled to the group about three monsters ahead, and Diegen couldn't help but shudder at the thought of facing them.

As they drew closer to Heisenken HQ, the density of monsters grew, making it impossible for their group to handle more than two at a time, let alone three. Perhaps Ryker was right, and it was a terrible idea, but leaving anyone behind in this chaos felt wrong.

On the rooftop, Diegen gazed down at the district, taking in the destruction and chaos below. He saw people running for their lives, Astrals fighting back in teams, and soldiers battling monsters in mechanical suits, though it was no match. He saw a convoy of Flappyti carrying families to safety, but they were under attack by monsters. The North Gate, once a bustling area, was now a pile of ruins with stores and machine shops destroyed. Buildings were on fire, monsters swarming the ground and the sky. The sight of the monsters feasting on locals made him want to retch.

Miranda's hand on his back was a comfort, but her words, "You'll get used to it," left him feeling numb. How could anyone get used to such horrors?

The buildings of Haven were organized in block clusters, which made it easier for the group of six to move towards the Heisenken HQ. However, they quickly realized that the area was swarming with monsters. Some were feasting on the carcasses of dead monsters, while others were cannibalistic and attacking the living ones. The resulting fights drew in even more monsters, causing complete chaos.

Ryker sneered and asked, "What do you think? Still think we have a shot at getting into the building?"

Diegen had to admit that Ryker had a point, and tensions rose as the group debated their next move.

“I think we can get inside from over there,” Leah said, pointing at a narrow pedway that ran from the nearby building to the outer pedway that surrounded Heisenken’s perimeter on the second floor. There were a few monsters on the outside of the pedway, but none were inside it as far as Diegen could tell.

“Naw, it’s too dangerous babe,” Ryker said.

“I can do it,” Leah insisted. “Mitz is like my little sister. I’d like to try to save her.”

“Mitz is like a sister to all of us,” Miranda said. “And besides, there’s some stuff in there that could help us get to the capital easier. It’d be like killing two sand shrimps with one stone.”

“Are you sure? Cause it sounds like it’d be killing all six of us with one stone,” Ryker said.

“That’s enough, Ryker. I’ve decided. Leah. You and I will use that pedway to infiltrate the building by ourselves. The rest of you stay here and keep out of sight.”

“Ma’am, I would like to come with you,” Diegen said. “I want to help.”

“You? You’d just get in the way,” Ryker scoffed.

“I can help you carry Mitz on the way back, or something,” Diegen said, ignoring Ryker. “It’s the least I can do. I owe you guys my life.”

Miranda studied Diegen’s face before nodding. Ryker threw up his hands in exasperation, and Rea giggled.

“Ryker, Rea, please take care of Asmophel till we get back. Leah, Diegen, you’re with me.”

“Yes ma’am,” Leah and Diegen said.

✾✾✾

Tyrell Silver, the crown prince of the Harenasian Empire, stood with his back straight and his shoulders squared, watching the destruction of Haven with a sense of pride in his heart. His pure lineage was evident in his well-trimmed, white fur, and as an Astral, his blood boiled with the urge to grab his sword and charge into battle.

As he stood there, his loyal right-hand man and knight, Justicar Kensworth, approached him.

“My lord, as you wished, we have cleared the gates of the monster threats and have opened a channel for citizens to find refuge within the city walls,” Kensworth said, bowing respectfully.

Tyrell turned his head slightly to acknowledge the knight's presence. "Good. It's about time," he said coldly, his gaze still fixed on the ruins of Haven. "Who would be left to rebuild the district if you had let them die?"

Kensworth bowed his head in shame. "Apologies, my prince. There were more monsters than we anticipated, and it took some time to take care of them."

Tyrell sighed, his frustration evident. "I understand. But you must remember the significance of Haven to the Empire. It pays 18% of the taxes in this region and has a population of 2.8 million people. Losing that amount of capital would be a severe blow to the Empire."

Kensworth bowed his head once more. "I understand, my prince. We will do better in the future."

Tyrell nodded, satisfied with the knight's answer. "Have you found out who the perpetrator is?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

Kensworth hesitated before answering. "Not yet, my lord. We found traces of foreign shimmer, which leads us to suspect that it was an external power that did this."

Tyrell's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his fists. "I cannot act on suspicions. I need clear answers, and I need them now. Go and find them immediately."

Kensworth bowed once more before turning and walking away, leaving Tyrell to fume quietly in his anger.

As he stood there, his mind raced with thoughts of sweet vengeance on whomever dared to belittle the Empire. He knew that he had to find the perpetrator and make them pay for what they had done to Haven. And he would do whatever it takes to protect the Empire and his people at all costs.

✾✾✾

Diegen cautiously opened the door leading out into the street on the ground level and shut it quietly behind him. His heart raced as he peeked out and saw the big crowd of monsters in front of the Heisenken building. He took a deep breath and focused, using all his senses to detect any danger. After a few moments, he deemed it safe to proceed with the plan and quickly dashed to the other side of the street, hiding behind a wall.

The door leading to the inside of the building with the pedway was a little way down the street, but the biggest issue was that they lacked a key to open it. Busting down the door with force might draw unwanted attention from the nearby monsters. Luckily, Diegen grew up in a poor neighborhood and had some working knowledge of locks. He may not have had claws anymore, but a couple of narrow metal rods were all he needed.

He checked both sides of the street and ran as quickly and quietly as he could to the door. He bent down to begin picking the lock, inserting one rod into the bottom of the keyhole and applying slight pressure to it. Then he inserted the second one, which he had bent into a wavy shape with three ridges earlier, and began to scrub while applying torque with the first rod until the lock clicked open.

‘Easy peasy,’ he thought.

Just as he was about to call for the others, he sensed a large amount of shimmer being discharged from one end of the street. His heart pounded, and he felt a sudden vertigo that made him want to vomit. The shimmer was getting closer, and he needed to get out of there.

However, the door refused to open, even though he was sure that he had undone the lock on it. Had he made a mistake? Was there a failsafe in the lock that he didn’t know about? Then he noticed that the doorknob itself had a lock on it.

‘Shit!’

Not wanting to make noise by forcing the door open, he pressed his body as closely to the wall as he could to try and avoid being sighted. Maybe the monster was just going to pass by and ignore this street.

The smell of death and decay mixed with a strong stench of iron assaulted his senses as the monster got closer. It had likely consumed some of the carcasses in the courtyard, which meant that it was likely stronger than your average monster. It might even be one of those Monstrals that Leah had mentioned earlier.

Diegen gripped his dagger tightly, feeling his heart beating faster and faster. Well, if it had to come to a fight, then fight he would.

Suddenly, something thudded in the direction of the monster but further down the street, and Diegen breathed a sigh of relief as the smell of the monster receded.

“You owe me for that one,” Ryker's voice crackled over the comm line.

Diegen squinted and saw a glint of light reflecting off the barrel of a rifle on top of the building overhead. He made a mental note to treat Ryker better in the future, even if his personality was garbage. Maybe Ryker’s true nature wasn't so bad after all.

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Diegen knew he couldn't dwadle for long.

He deftly picked the lock on the doorknob and signaled to Leah and Miranda that it was safe to proceed. The trio crept through the door and hurried to the other side of the street, then slipped into the office building, which led to the pedway.

The exterior of the building seemed untouched from the outside, and there were no signs of activity or shimmer that Diegen could detect. Nonetheless, they proceeded cautiously inside.

The interior of the building was laid out with a large atrium spanning the length of the structure. Four thick pillars held up the upper floors, with offices flanking either side of the atrium. The offices were separated by large sliding panes of glass and thin concrete walls. At the middle of the right side of the atrium, a wide stairwell led to the upper floors.

Unfortunately, the offices had large windows that faced out onto a street teeming with monsters. Moreover, all the lights in the building were on, so anyone or anything outside would be able to see inside with ease.

The trio huddled against the right wall, with Leah leading the way.

“Clear,” Leah whispered, using a mirror to peek around the corner and check the first office. She signaled for them to move past the glass windows to the next section of the wall. They hurriedly crossed the open space and concealed themselves on the other side.

“Hold,” Leah said, holding up one finger. “There’s a monster by the outer window.”

“What’s it doing?” Miranda asked.

“It's just passing through. We should be able to proceed soon.”

Diegen detected something strange coming from the room they had just passed and cautiously peeked around the corner, but Miranda quickly yanked him back.

“What are you doing?” she hissed.

“I think there's something in that room,” Diegen whispered, sweat beading on his forehead.

“What?”

“Behind the desk, there’s something strange,” Diegen said.

Miranda carefully slid open the glass door and used her own mirror to peer inside. Sure enough, there was a blue and white portal lying flat on the ground and swirling behind the desk.

“How did you know?” she asked incredulously.

“I have good senses,” Diegen replied. “But that's not important. What matters is that a monster could come out at any moment.”

“Or one may have already come out,” Leah murmured.

The trio froze at the thought and listened intently for any signs of movement inside the building.

“Either way, we need to hurry,” Miranda said, breaking the silence. “If the monster hasn't come out yet, we can't risk staying here. If it's already out, we need to get to the pedway before it does.”

“Agreed,” Leah said, unhooking a glass vial filled with silver beads from her belt. “It's time to create some smoke.”

“Smoke? Won’t that attract more attention?” Diegen asked.

“Not if we move quickly,” Leah said. “If anything, the monsters will be curious about what's going on and remain on the ground floor while we're on the upper levels. It should give us enough time to reach the pedway.”

Leah opened the vial and dropped a handful of beads into her hand. Then, with a quick flick of her wrist, she threw the beads in a wide arc. They clinked softly against the ground and rolled a short distance before they began to emit a dense smoke.

“Stay close to me,” Miranda said, taking the lead as the smoke rapidly filled the atrium, obscuring their vision. Diegen would have had difficulty seeing, but he was able to follow Miranda's shimmer through the smoke and follow her to the stairwell.

Halfway up the first flight of stairs, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the building, and the group quickened their pace. They emerged on the third floor and scanned both sides of the hallway before proceeding towards the pedway. Sa’nasi's sense of direction was on point, so Diegen knew they were heading in the right direction based on the angle and distance of their movements.

As they approached the pedway, they slowed down to assess the surroundings. An oval-shaped foyer stood in front of the pedway with a small flight of stairs leading down to it. The foyer and the upper half of the pedway were adorned with glass windows through which they could see numerous monsters perched on ledges or crawling around in search of food.

“It looks impossible to get through without being spotted and attacked,” Miranda said, shaking her head.

“We might be able to crawl along the wall to get to the pedway,” Leah suggested.

“Maybe, but we'd be sitting ducks as soon as we step into that foyer,” Miranda countered. “We need to find another way.”

Diegen suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine, and the fur on his body stood up. It was like being plunged into an ice bath, and his senses told him that a threat was nearby.

“Guys, I think there’s something on this floor with us,” he whispered.

“That's impossible. We would’ve heard something if something had come up the stairwell,” Miranda frowned.

“It could’ve been here before us,” Leah said. “Remember that portal we saw?”

Miranda grimaced and looked around. She gestured towards the empty room behind them, and the group went inside to reassess their situation. The potential presence of a monster on the third floor put a clock on whatever they wanted to do. If the monster came their way, there was the chance of it discovering them or loitering around for an extended period of time.

Using smoke again was too risky because they’d be in a narrow and enclosed space surrounded by monsters on all sides. Diegen racked his brain for a solution and came up with one, but he didn't like it much. When Miranda and Leah couldn't find a solution, he suggested his idea.

“Out of the question. That’s way too risky,” Miranda objected.

“Yeah, what are you thinking, rookie?” Leah asked, shaking her head.

“What other choice do we have?” Diegen said. “There are monsters on the ground floor now too, which is gonna be a problem when we try to come back this way to escape. My plan kills two sand shrimps with one stone.”

“Except it will probably get you killed too,” Miranda warned.

“I can do this,” Diegen said, sounding more confident than he felt. “I know I can.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think he’s come up with the best option,” Ryker chimed in over the comms. “You don’t have time to think of another plan, and he’s the only one of you three with that shimmer sensing ability.”

“Still, are you sure you’re up for this?” Leah asked Diegen. “If you fail, we can still try to find another way out, but there won’t be a way out for you. There are a lot of things that can go wrong with your plan.”

“I'm sure. I said I wanted to help, and this is how I can do that.”

Leah sighed and scratched her head, but she didn't object any further. Miranda, too, conceded, although she still looked unsure.

“Once you do this, head straight back to the others, alright?” Leah instructed, handing Diegen the vial of smoke emitters.

“I will,” Diegen swore, and Leah handed him the vial of smoke emitters.

“Good luck, rookie,” she said.

Diegen nodded, and Miranda reluctantly placed a pouch in his hands.

“I’ll see you guys soon,” he said with a smile, pocketing both the vial and the pouch.

“Good luck,” Miranda said.

Diegen steeled himself and snuck back out into the hallway, alone. The chilling sensation of being plunged into an ice bath returned, and it was even stronger now. The hallway they had come from seemed to be coated in a thin sheet of ice, by the way the floors and walls glistened.

He couldn’t tell exactly where the monster was on this floor, so he quietly made his way through the hall, making sure to check behind corners before he proceeded. Eventually, he saw it on the third hall to his left: a monster with two thick pincers and a blue shell that was encrusted with icicles like a porcupine’s quills. It also had a long tail that curled up towards the ceiling and ended in a very sharp, very deadly looking stinger. Luckily, the monster was facing away from him, so Diegen took a risk to try dashing past it.

The ice beneath him was incredibly slippery, and he immediately slipped on it with his first step. His arms flailed wildly as he sought to keep his balance, and he tried to land on his foot. Unfortunately, his other foot slipped to the left and he ended up having to readjust his landing foot further to the right. Diegen's movements resembled a clumsy ice skater trying to avoid falling on the rink.

Diegen breathed a sigh of relief when he managed to keep himself from falling with both of his legs and arms spread out like a crab. Maintaining that exact position, he shuffled out of sight and made his way towards the stairwell.

Once he got there, he popped out a smoke emitter, dropped it on the ground, and started to tiptoe down the stairs. He cocked his ear to the air, confirming by the rapidly approaching taps it was making on the ice-covered floor that the monster of the third floor had indeed heard the hissing sound. Diegen quickly dove into the sea of smoke below before it could catch up with him.

Diegen cautiously made his way towards the stairwell, his senses on high alert. His Sixth Sense warned him that multiple monsters were lurking on this floor, making him uneasy. Each shimmer he detected made him more apprehensive, as any of these monsters could easily take him down in a thousand different ways.

As he approached the stairwell, he heard the unmistakable sounds of his friend on the third floor making a racket. The noise drew the attention of the monsters, and Diegen breathed a sigh of relief as they moved in that direction, allowing him to slip by undetected.

The smoke from the smoke emitters helped conceal his movements, but Diegen knew it wouldn't be long before the monsters returned, and he had to act fast. He reached the pillar closest to the stairwell and flattened himself against it, trying to blend in as much as possible.

Miranda's voice crackled in his ear, asking for an update on his progress.

"So far, so good," he whispered. "But I need to create a bigger distraction to clear the pedway. Moving to the next phase of the plan."

"Be careful," Miranda warned.

Diegen withdrew the pouch Miranda had given him and grabbed a few of the contents within.

—-

Explosive Charge (Uncommon)

Consumable - Explosive Weapon

Yippee Ki-Yay, Mother Fucker.

—-

“…”

It had to be Avaritia who was making these descriptions, right? Diegen wondered whether Avaritia had watched the Live Hard series after their chat and had also become a fan.

Shaking these thoughts away,

He refocused his attention, feeling the rough concrete floor beneath his feet as he knelt down to place four charges around the pillar’s base, following Miranda's instructions. He could feel the weight of the charges in his hands as he carefully placed them, making sure they were in the correct position. He held his breath, listening intently to the sound of approaching footsteps, and paused to let a monster pass by. After it was out of sight, he dashed to the next pillar, feeling the wind rush past him as he moved, and placed another four charges around its base. He repeated this process until all four pillars on the right side of the atrium were rigged with explosives, the metallic clinking of the charges filling his ears as he worked. He pocketed the remaining two charges, feeling their weight pressing against his leg.

“By the way… what if this isn’t enough firepower?” he asked Miranda, his heart racing with adrenaline.

“It’ll be enough,” Miranda said confidently, the sound of her voice echoing through the atrium. “I think so, anyway.”

“You think so?”

“Hey, this was your idea, rookie,” she said defensively, her words stinging like a slap in the face. “All plans have a chance of failing, sometimes the only thing you can do is pray.”

Diegen nodded, feeling the coolness of the concrete floor against his cheek as he looked up towards the ceiling in prayer. He prayed to Avaritia, feeling the weight of his mortality pressing down on him. He prayed to survive today so that he could do more with his life now that he was an Astral.

Then, he froze, because he was starting to be able to see the patterns on the ceiling a little too clearly, the intricate designs dancing before his eyes in a dizzying array of colors.

He quickly ducked into the thicker layer of smoke below, the acrid smell of burning plastic filling his nostrils. He had to make more smoke, and quickly. But when he took out the vial of smoke emitters, he discovered, to his horror, that it was empty.

‘Shit.’

If the smoke cleared now, he’d be stranded in the middle of an open area surrounded by more monsters than spikes on a sand shrimp. He had to get out.

He crawled on the ground, feeling the rough texture of the concrete scraping against his skin as he started to head towards the door they had entered the building from. But he noticed that the smoke was blowing in that direction, the wispy tendrils of gray smoke twisting and turning in the wind. He also sensed several monsters coming towards him from there as well.

He realized with a sick feeling to his stomach that the reason the smoke was clearing so quickly was because his exit plan had suddenly become an entrance for monsters.

‘Think, Diegen, think. How are you going to get out of this situation?’

He racked his brains for an answer, and a lightbulb went off in his head. There was no time to think about it, so he decided to just go for it.

The smoke was almost clear enough for him to start to see shadows of the monsters around him, so he abandoned his crawl and started a full-on sprint towards the right side of the atrium. He felt the roughness of the concrete floor beneath his feet as he ran, his muscles straining with the effort.

This motion didn’t go unnoticed by the monsters around him, and several of them roared behind him in response. He felt the shimmer in the air around him rise to another level, likely from the monsters activating skills to attack him, but he paid them no heed.

“I’m setting off the charges now,” he panted into his PPC, feeling the warmth of the device against his thigh.

“Did you manage to get out of the building safely? Diegen? Hey Diegen!”

He dashed into the first office in the corner and leaped over the desk, triggering the charges at the same time.

BOOM!

A deafening explosion shook the room just as he plunged into the portal below.