CHAPTER THREE

Baptized

Passing through the barrier, Marcus disregarded the billions of floating crystalline fragments surrounding him as he slowly made his way through the weird gel-like surface. His focus remained locked on the world beyond. As he exited the barrier, a surge of warm air hit him, and momentum returned as his feet sought secure footing on the sandy terrain.

Marcus surveyed the area, noting the skeletal remains of concrete and steel buildings, now draped with dried vines and jagged, ridged plants. Some pillars twisted into bizarre shapes, as if mutated, while others lay submerged in sand, slowly crumbling into finer particles. A vast expanse of white sand hills stretched in every direction, interrupted by more scattered remnants of broken concrete and steel. The colossal desert felt even more surreal, given the urban landscape outside the Sphere.

‘It feels bigger inside,’ he thought, gazing at the endless stretch of dunes. Marcus crouched and scooped a handful of sand, letting it trickle through his fingers. ‘It’s like a sauna in here,’ he thought, struggling to accept the sudden, drastic increase in temperature. ‘Is a single Orb powerful enough to do that? To alter the climate itself?’

As he stood up, he spotted Sebastian in the distance, standing atop a pillar, gazing outward. Nearby, Kay and Julien dragged concrete debris closer to the Sphere’s edge, building a makeshift wall. He noticed larger hills and even mountainous areas in the distance, as if the Sphere had created sandstone and pushed it upward.

“Weird seeing mountains,” he muttered aloud, wondering just how much of a terraforming and mutating effect a stronger Orb could have.

“Right,” Jessica chimed in, sidling up next to him. “Seeing mountains in our otherwise flat country is the weird part... not, I don’t know, the entire bloody desert in front of us.” She burst into laughter, playfully patting his shoulder. “Don’t overthink it, rookie. Sometimes it’s ice, sometimes a jungle, or just like outside, but cleaner. Besides, we’re only staying a few hours—”

“Monsters!” Sebastian shouted, urgently pointing at the blue-tinged sky where a looming dark cloud advanced toward them.

“Tighten the defense,” Benedict called, prompting the others to take positions behind the makeshift wall. Sebastian leaped from his pillar, landing with a thud that sent sand scattering beneath his feet. Smirking, he grabbed bits of broken concrete and rushed toward the oncoming swarm. Roaring, the one-armed Breacher hurled the debris at the horde, smashing holes in their ranks as they crashed into the sand.

At Benedict’s command, gunfire rang out as those with ranged weapons unleashed a torrent of bullets into the thick cloud of monsters. The onslaught carved a path of destruction through the swarm, leaving behind a trail of maimed and dying creatures. More of the grotesque beings plummeted from the sky, their blood splattering the pristine white sand below. As the swarm closed in, Sebastian, surrounded by monsters, roared furiously before pulling pins from his belt and donning his gas mask. Seconds later, he vanished in a thick, stinging cloud of teargas.

As the creatures drew closer to Marcus and the other Breachers, he could make out their fur-covered bodies, insect-like wings, and sharp claws slashing at anything in their path. They were roughly the size of large birds, but their overwhelming numbers made them far more intimidating.

“Switch to melee,” Benedict called out, prompting everyone but himself to draw swords and axes as the horde of monsters descended upon them. “Julien, now!” The group found themselves under attack from every angle when Marcus suddenly felt a surge of heat above. Turning, he saw Julien with his right palm raised, releasing a continuous stream of fire. The flames spread into a protective sheet above them, some even licking the Sphere’s barrier. In Julien’s other hand, his staff emitted a soft blue glow. The fire incinerated any monsters attempting to breach their defenses from above or their flanks.

Dozens of monsters abruptly dropped onto the sand, fleeing the spreading fire and hissing angrily as they charged. Several of them quickly died due to Benedict’s precise shooting. The remaining Breachers roared defiantly as the monsters slammed into their ranks. Amidst the chaos, Marcus felt one of the monsters collide with his shield, only for him to bash it away. The unmistakable sound of flesh hitting steel filled the air, but the creatures lacked the mass to even budge the Breachers.

Just as Marcus managed to block the monsters directly in front of him, Jessica swiftly dispatched them with two quick swings, the sound of steel splitting flesh ringing out. Marcus barely had time to process it when another creature clambered over the concrete wall and charged at him. Kay’s sword impaled it through the throat before he kicked the corpse backward, sending it crashing into another monster climbing the barricade. Marcus, though grateful for the assist, felt a hint of irritation, as if his companions were overprotecting him.

‘Focus. Don’t get pissed off. Become what I am born to do.’

Another group of monsters crashed into their ranks, but before Marcus could react, Kay and Jessica swiftly cut them down again. ‘They’re quick,’ Marcus thought, urging himself to remain composed and concentrate on his defense. He could almost picture his sister’s presence behind him, staring at him like a blend between an overprotective guardian and a feral bear that was barely able to keep itself in check, with Luuk there along for the ride.

Marcus snapped back to focus as another creature clambered over the barricade, its burned wings flapping uselessly as it rushed forward. Instead of raising his shield, he thrust his sword forward, feeling the monster impale itself and slide up the blade. Oblivious to the steel in its torso, the creature clawed at him, spraying blood everywhere until it went limp. Marcus rammed his shield into the monster, yanking the sword free and letting the creature drop to bleed out on the ground. He then returned to a protective position before slamming his foot down on the creature’s face, just to be sure.

“Go for the heads or necks,” Jessica barked, stepping aside to give Marcus more room to fight. He took it as a silent acknowledgment of his ability and willingness to kill these creatures and not freeze up. The battle pressed on with monsters pouring in, everyone hacking and stabbing into the mass, turning it into a meat-grinder. Benedict kept shooting into the monsters but occasionally encountered some that were particularly resilient to gunfire. Thick cartilage plates covered their bodies, requiring at least a dozen rounds to put them down.

As the melee continued, Marcus’s arms burned with exertion, his sword handle slick with monster blood, making his grip harder. Still, he kept stabbing, jaw tight as he did his best to keep up with the others.

As the fighting calmed, Julien shifted his wide-reaching firewall into a concentrated beam, incinerating monsters with precision. Luuk, unable to contain his amusement in the chaos, suddenly leaped over the Breachers and the barrier. He blurred across the battlefield at speeds that put an Olympic sprinter to shame, his axe cutting through creatures left and right, leaving frost-covered wounds that shattered moments later. Marcus noticed steam occasionally rising from the axe head, which seemed much colder than its surroundings.

‘Is the frost effect that strong?’ Marcus wondered as he watched the man hack another creature in half, followed by a head-butt that instantly killed another monster and was apparently funny enough to make the man laugh. After finishing off the monsters, Luuk pointed his axe at Joline, goading her to join.

‘Just Luuk and Sebastian could solo this Sphere easily. It’s wild to see how much stronger the higher ranked Breachers are.’

“Finish off the wounded, but stay on guard,” Benedict ordered as the other Breachers scrambled over the barricade, slashing and thrusting at the still-twitching monsters. Occasionally, a monster lurched up for a surprise attack, only to be quickly put down again, often missing body parts. Marcus thrust his sword through the torso of a nearby monster, twisting it before yanking it out. The moment he did so, another monster lunged at his face, but he shield-bashed it into the sand, burying the shield's edge into its neck with enough force to break it. He twisted the shield, hearing more bones crack before withdrawing it. He turned to check for another threat and found his sister nearby, hand on her sword handle, and Benedict further back, rifle trained on the monster Marcus had just killed.

“Good work, kid,” Benedict said, moving closer. His boot nudged a nearby monster’s rib, and he nonchalantly buried two bullets into its chest and one in its head. Stepping over the corpse, he tapped his knuckles against Marcus’s bloody breastplate. “Baptized by blood. You’re a proper Breacher now.”

Marcus gazed at the blood on his chest for a moment, then shifted his attention back to him. “Kid? I’m 33 years old.”

Benedict grinned at the remark, his gaze drifting past Marcus, seeing his one-armed brother in the distance, drenched in blood and gore. Sebastian was still stabbing monster corpses, as if trying to exhaust the remaining bloodlust in his system.

“I know,” Benedict said, shifting his attention back to Marcus. “I’ve read your file. You’re an unusual case for sure. Still, you don’t look 33, and I’ve already got more than enough grey in my hair to make me feel like a senior citizen.” He offered a disarming smile before turning to Joline, who had joined them.

“Your brother did well on his first official Sphere. I see that you’ve trained him—”

“He’s still breathing,” she said coldly, frustration evident as she inspected the bloodstains on her brother’s frame. “Any injuries?”

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Marcus nodded in response. “Just bruises. The armor held up great.”

“Intel was on the money for once. Loads of flying fodder, nothing too daunting, even for us smaller squads of Breachers. Apparently, there are tougher variants located near the center,” Benedict shared. He then glanced at his watch before shifting his attention to the others, as if checking them for injuries. “We’ve pretty much destroyed the herd here. Sebastian is going to scout ahead to look for nests nearby to mark. Did you want your brother to remain with our squad, or do you want to take this opportunity to show him what the Royal Blue guild can do?” he asked her, his expression neutral.

She paused, her expression hardening, before shifting her gaze to Marcus. “Keep up and don’t even think about dying.” She then moved towards Luuk, smacking the back of his head hard enough to send his helmet flying down a sand hill. He cursed as he quickly chased after it to stop it from rolling too far.

“We were here to observe, remember?” she said as he put his helmet back on, leading the way with both men in tow.

- - -

An hour later, Marcus faced two monsters, blocking one with his shield while fending off the other with his blade. Like before, the monsters quickly backed off, soaring up in the air before attacking him at different angles.

‘They’re fast,’ he thought, stepping back as the monsters changed directions again. With his sister watching every move, he had to fight the creatures while suppressing his strength and speed to avoid revealing his increased Stats. Struggling against the sandy terrain, he retreated until his back slammed into a concrete pillar. Bits of it broke away, tumbling to the ground. He kept the structure against his body, using the pillar as a makeshift barrier as the violent monsters closed in once more.

Marcus swung his sword again, but one monster dodged while the other clawed at his helmet and shoulder. Fortunately, the steel plating held firm. He retaliated, bashing it with his shield and sending the monster into the ground. But, before he could reach it, the creature quickly rushed away to regroup again. They know the sword is the real threat. Are they avoiding it by instinct or are they intelligent enough?’

“Need a hand?” came Luuk’s voice from the side, a touch of amusement coloring his tone.

“No,” Marcus growled, adjusting his shield to conceal his sword behind it. As the monsters charged again, he lifted his shield at the last moment. His sword thrust forward like a spear, catching one monster off guard. The blade drove through its torso, blood and gore erupting from the other side. Swinging his sword to the side, Marcus made the impaled creature slide off, dropping it onto the pristine white sand.

He then stepped away from the pillar, eyes locked on the remaining threat circling above. The monster’s black eyes darted between its dead kin and Marcus. Hissing, it swooped in again, but Marcus countered, hurling his sword towards it. The monster ducked to avoid the sword, allowing Marcus to close the distance. He slammed his shield into the monster’s face, stunning it as it dropped onto the sand. Marcus then started pounding his shield on the monster’s neck before tearing the Glass from the back of its head to be sure.

“Done,” he panted, exhausted from the fight and the previous battles his sister had forced him into.

A short distance away, Joline sat on a broken chunk of concrete, surrounded by seven dead monsters. Beside her, Luuk, wearing an amused smile, was pinning down two more monsters with his feet, applying immense pressure to their frail bodies.

“Hiding your weapon was smart, but tossing it away seconds later?” she remarked, her gaze fixed on him. “What if there was a third one? Idiot”

At her mention, Luuk lifted his feet, releasing the monsters. They charged forward, only to be suddenly sliced in half by a thin blue energy sheet extending from Joline’s shield. As she stood, the shield’s energy diminished to a soft blue glow around the edges, crackling gently in the air. Marcus had seen her use her Ability before, back in the hospital in a demonstration. She could channel her Mana to extend her shield’s edges, creating a barrier that could be thick and durable or thin and razor-sharp.

“Never lose your weapon unless you’ve got a backup. Got it?”

“I’d still have the shield, or I’d use my fists,” Marcus argued.

“And you’d be dead,” Joline said coldly, stepping closer with a hardened gaze. “You’re one of the weakest Breachers out there, even among Alphas. With a Power rating of 1, you’re barely better than a civilian. You can’t joke your way out of this.”

“Cut him some slack, Joline,” Luuk chimed in from his seat. “It’s his first Sphere, and he’s holding up well. He’s actually making fewer mistakes than we did when we first dove into ours years ago.”

Joline’s cold, green gaze snapped to Luuk. “And how many of us died during those first few Spheres? Remember, young Stefan? Or Jacob? And what about Nienke, bleeding out in your arms—ring a bell?”

Luuk shook his head, his amusement fading to reveal old hurt and a hint of anger. “We talked about this, Luuk. My monkey... my circus.”

“Your brother, your call,” Luuk said flatly, before standing up.

Joline’s gaze snapped back to her brother. “I’m serious, Marcus. You can’t afford mistakes out here like me and Luuk might. You can’t fight these monsters the way you trained with Uncle Laurens and Dad. What worked before isn’t applicable now. These aren’t humans. If you lose your weapon, you run as fast as you can... or die.”

Marcus nodded, showing he understood as he picked up the sword. He then knelt next to a nearby monster. He clumsily used his blade to cut and extract the Monster-Glass from the back of its head, making sure he didn’t seem too familiar with the process. Placing the bloody object in his pocket with the others, he went on to retrieve the rest.

“So, how much time do you guys usually spend on retrieving Glass?”

“We don’t," Joline remarked, watching her brother work without lifting a finger herself. “We’ve got people that handle the Glass extraction, material or corpse retrieval.”

Luuk took a spot next to Marcus and extended his hand. Moments later, his axe, previously buried deep in a monster’s chest, returned with a satisfying clank, as if drawn by an invisible string. Marcus watched in silence, curious about what abilities Luuk possessed.

Luuk casually grabbed a dead monster with his left hand and used his right to effortlessly extract a Glass from its skull. “What your angry sister means is that Breachers should focus on fighting. Specializing in combat allows us to recover faster and train for the next Sphere. Retrieval is tedious, especially with many dead monsters or difficult terrain. It’s better to hire professionals for that, who have knack for just such a thing. Only guilds and larger parties can manage it, while smaller crews like the Salamanders handle everything,” Luuk explained, handing the Glass to Marcus. “Still, it’s fun to rip them out yourself now and again.”

Marcus stared at the Glass for a moment, then slipped it into his pocket. “Do you two dislike them? The Salamanders I mean.”

Joline replied without missing a beat, “Yes.”

Luuk shook his head at the comment. “Really? Why does it seem like you dislike everyone today?” He met Joline’s gaze briefly with a low chuckle before turning back to Marcus. “I don’t mind the Salamanders. Everyone’s got their role. It’s easy to view other Breachers as ‘weaker’ or non-Originals as ‘fake,’ but we need them. With more Spheres appearing, we need all the help we can get. So no, I don’t dislike them,” he explained with a sly grin, “But I do enjoy messing with them.”

Joline just listened to the conversation while keeping up her guard, eyes scanning their surroundings. Eventually, she removed her helmet to brush the sand from her blonde hair before securing it back in place.

“It’s complicated,” Joline said softly. “I’ve reviewed everything my guild found on the Salamanders. They’re decent bunch, sticking to light blue Spheres and defensive tactics, as we saw today. No one stands out, which is good. The leader’s well-trained and runs a tight ship. It’s rare to see a non-Marked Breacher in a leadership role, and he even uses his brother’s unstable berserker nature to their advantage.”

“Marcus paused for a moment as his sister started moving, leading them to the next area. “I’m sensed a ‘but’ back there.”

Joline sighed as she effortlessly jumped over a piece of concrete protruding from the sand. “What do you want, Marcus? No, I don’t hate these people. I just hate you being here—with them—in this place. If it were up to me, I would’ve forced you to join our guild. But—”

“I’m too weak?” Marcus offered, feeling the sting of his own words.

“Yes,” Joline replied, not sugarcoating her word. “Our guild specializes in dealing with harder Spheres and destroying them by retrieving Orbs. An Alpha rank Breacher wouldn’t fit in our ranks, unless you want to reconsider and join the Glass extraction crew?”

Marcus shook his head, and a momentary silence enveloped them. They continued their journey up and down sand dunes, spotting occasional rusted metal debris jutting out and fragments of concrete partially morphed into a liquid-like substance, its edges resembling crystal clear water.

Suddenly, Joline stopped, causing Marcus to halt as well, while Luuk gripped his weapon tighter. “There’s a nest here,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Where?” Marcus asked, watching his sister’s gaze while Luuk just inspected water dripping from the a piece of concrete nearby.

“‘I can’t say for sure, but it’s close by. My Perception isn’t as strong as some other Breachers’, but I can feel the Mana is denser and there’s more mutation here than in other spots. This usually indicates a nearby nest.” She scanned the area, trying to pinpoint the location, but she couldn’t. “Luuk?” she called, but he merely shook his head.

In response to that, she clenched her teeth and closed her eyes. Shortly afterward, the air around her thickened as Mana flooded her system. A thick blue mist bled out from her, swirling and lashing out before slowly dissipating into the air.

“What is she doing?” Marcus asked Luuk, both observing Joline as she concentrated. “Is she using an Ability?”

“Not an Ability. She’s Augmenting herself. Probably trying to boost her Perception,” Luuk explained, glancing around for any threats. “Fancy Breachers call it Channeling. It’s similar to Augmenting gear but far less efficient, as it burns through Mana quickly.”

Luuk watched as the mist around Joline thinned and eventually dissipated as she ran out of Mana. He saw Marcus start to speak, but the experienced Breacher just shook his head. “Yes, technically anyone with a Mark could learn to do this. And no, you can’t do this. Weaker Breachers lack the Mana to Channel even for a second before running out.”

“Is it useful?”

“It can be,” Luuk answered calmly while scanning his surroundings, his hand resting on his axe. “Time it right, and you can get a quick burst of speed to dodge a blow or gain extra power to take something down. You might also gain sharper senses for a few seconds, like your sister is attempting. It’s like increasing your Power Rating for a short while. But, as I mentioned, you wouldn’t have enough Mana to try in your case. Plus, the increased Mana consumption takes a toll on a Breacher, reducing the time they can spend inside a Sphere before showing signs of Mana-sickness.”

His sister opened her eyes again, her face showing annoyance. When Luuk asked her if it had worked, she shook her head before shifting her gaze back to her brother. “Marcus, in the future, remember places like these, or even pen them down on an improvised map. It makes locating nests later a lot easier, or you could sell the information to other groups.”

Her brother gave a nod, and after a few more minutes of searching, they gave up. As they climbed the next dune, they froze, staring at a colossal hole stretching out before them. The expanse was nearly as wide as a stadium. Sand cascaded from the edges, and the abyss plunged into unfathomable depths.

“Well, looks like we found the location of the Orb,” Joline said, even pointing at it as if Marcus and Luuk might have missed the giant hole in the ground. Movements near the ridges hinted at dozens of monsters crawling in and out or gliding through the air.

A sudden burst of light streaked through the sky, catching Luuk’s attention as he watched it for a few seconds before the flare faded and dropped back down to the ground.

“That’s our cue. Time to head back to the others,” Luuk called out before he and the others spun around, making their way to meet up with the main party.