Not long before Lucas and Gira had arrived at Trant Station, A squad had begun their slow, cautious trek into the eerie plateau that comprised the lower end of the Cau Mountain range. The abyssal condensation had begun to concentrate on the cold, cracked ground. Rather than forming pools of water, the drops had begun to form sinewy strands of liquid. These bizarre filaments clung to the ground and rocks, muffling the sound of their boots as they pressed forward.
The uncanny silence of the phenomenon was first noticed by Bern, kneeling down to check the strange anomaly. He signaled for the squad to stop. “Stay sharp and keep your eyes peeled; this is unnatural even for the abyss. I want 360-degree awareness—nothing gets past us.”
"Yes, sir!” the squad answered.
“Jett, ensure nothing enters the perimeter of the motion sensor.” Bern reminded. “Gaolbird, what’s your status?” Bern called out next.
“Everything is in order, sir.” Gaolbird chirped, his lighthearted tone easing the tension.
“Let’s move out.” Bern ordered.
The air was beginning to clear, revealing a barren and rocky terrain. Thick clouds had formed far above; the red glow of the Shattering obscured. Their only light source was the shifting pinks and purples of the aurora above the forest. They slowly made their way across the spectral landscape, occasionally checking on each other and the status of both Trant Station and Carmella’s group. . Bern, while outwardly calm, was in a state of controlled fear, his instincts primed for action.
The beacon at his waste flickered, giving off faint Kyyr spikes—a contact request. Bern gestured for the squad to halt as he concentrated his Kyyr into the beacon.
“This is A squad. Go ahead.” He answered.
"Bern, this is Siegwick. The Russo boy made his way here with some information on his father’s whereabouts.” Sedgwick answered sternly.
“What’s the intel?” Bern asked.
“Laurence’s vehicle has a tracker. They’ve been using Vivant Tower E-21 as some kind of sensor. We’ve got the exact location of the vehicle pinpointed here.” Seigwick’s tone darkened. “There’s a problem, though. The vehicle is in the Durang Crown of Cau Cliff. If there’s an intelligent anomaly we’re dealing with, then that spot is a guaranteed ambush point.”
Bern visualized the Durang Crown of Cau—a once-popular campsite, now mostly overtaken by Rak’da. The area was covered in massive limestone formations, their jagged edges spiraling around a clearing in the middle, giving it the appearance of a crown. “Is the vehicle in the clearing?” Bern asked
“It is. Perfectly so. But that’s not the strange part: thanks to the Russo boy, we’ve reviewed a replay of the vehicle’s journey up and down Cau Cliff Road. The vehicle wasn’t crashed—it was parked there.”
“Laurence parked it there?” Bern furrowed his brows.
“Correct, it didn’t crash; it was parked. We don’t know what this means, but you need to be cautious when approaching the site. And be wary of Laurence if you find him,” Sedgwick warned.
Unbeknownst to the two men, Lena was listening, her face in a grimace hidden behind her helmet. She knew it was the sensible thing to do. That caution had to be taken, but it was her dad—her awkward, kindhearted dad, the man who had raised her, the one who’d given so much of himself to making sure she grew up happy. She sat silently in anguish, dread bubbling in her heart. Where are you, Dad?! She thought in silent despair.
Bern sighed, “Roger, Siegwick, we’ll proceed with caution.”
He handed the beacon to Jett, allowing the two to exchange information on the vehicle's location before returning it back to Bern. Though the Durang Crown was only a 20-minute walk, the tough terrain and the abyssal anomalies meant they had to take their time. Searching in the shadows for the unknown.
The tension in the air was palpable as the five-man team moved, scanning their surroundings for any sign of Laurence, Carmella’s splinter squad, or an abyssal entity. But there was nothing more than rocks and abyssal condensation clinging to every other rock; its crystalline liquid form shimmered, reflecting the occasional light of the pink aurora. The squad moved in near silence, only breaking it to check in on each other’s status. Traversing the terrain was hard; the abyssal polyps made the walk even more awkward as it seemed to latch onto their uniforms before melting off thanks to their Kyyr skin.
Jett interrupted the quiet. “The vehicle should be just ahead,” he said, pointing past some tall, sharp rocks toward what looked like an area illuminated by the glow of a fire.
“Any motion?” Bern asked, staring at the glow warily.
“No, sir,” Jett replied.
“A f-fire?” Mateo stammered, his body tense as he aimed his gun in the general direction of the fire. Using his scope to inspect the area. “SIR!” he called out, his voice trembling with panic.
“What is it, Mateo?” Bern demanded.
“I see blood—blood on the rocks in there!” Mateo said sharply, panic twisting his tone into an anxious mess.
“Is it Laurence?” Rimma asked, shuddering in place.
“Calm down, A squad!” Bern barked, cutting through the rising tension. “Gaolbird, what’s your status?” Silence. “Gaolbird?” he repeated, unease creeping in his voice. “Jett check Gaolbird’s status!”
"Yes, sir,” he responded, quickly pulling up the squad's status screen. “Gaolbird is about 54 meters behind us, slowly catching up.”
“Is it a communications issue?” Radomir interjected, his voice steady but concerned.
“No, his signal is active, but the response point for Gaolbird isn’t working.” Jett explained, looking back into the darkness, the rocks obstructing the view.
“Abyssal corrosion might’ve worn the communications device on him.” Mateo suggested.
Bern furrowed his brow, his instincts still unnerved. “Jett, are all of Gaolbird’s systems green?” he asked.
“Confirmed, Gaolbird’s hovering 50 meters back; he’s still under the Bandersnatch protocol.” Jett showed Bern the small electronic screen on his wrist.
“If anything goes wrong, we’ll have to trust Gaolbird can move in if he detects any commotion.”
The squad cautiously made their way to the site, making sure to give a heads-up to Trant Station and Carmella’s squad of their progress.
In the center of the clearing, a small fire flickered weakly, its flames casting eerie shadows on the surrounding rocks. Dark blood was smeared violently on rocks surrounding the fire. Scattered across the ground lay Rak’da gear—twisted, torn, and stained in their foul blood. Some of the A squad recoiled at the sight, but the fear made them instinctively tighten their formation, creating a pentagon as they surveyed the unsettling scene. Bern was the first to spot the vehicle. It looked mostly untouched, save for the bloodstains that covered the side and a dent on the back end of the vehicle.
Bern notified the beacon, “We’ve located the vehicle in a Rak’da camp; signs of a struggle; no sign of Laurence.”
The squad approached the vehicle; there was no body, just some blood smeared across the shattered windshield and an array of random items strewn about the inside of the car’s interior. Outside the door, on the dusty ground, there were tracks leading from the vehicle—human and Rak’da prints intertwined, gradually merging into a chaotic jumble of indistinct shapes. Kneeling down, he studied the tracks closely, tracing the pattern of the imprints. He counted at least two sets of Rak’da footprints mixed in with what appeared to be Laurence’s, before the trail dissolved into confusion.
“SIR!” Mateo shouted from the other side of the clearing. He had been following a separate trail in the sand. “What are these tracks?” he called out, his voice filled with confusion and concern.
The squad moved to inspect the tracks, but Jett suddenly raised his hand, stopping them in their tracks. “MOTION DECTED!” They all froze in place. “Three signatures north—at 8, 12, and 3 o’clock from Mateo!” His voice was sharp with urgency.
Mateo’s body began to shake, turning slowly to face the sharp darkness created by the shadows of the flickering fire. He instinctively started to back away when—suddenly—two Rak’da? dropped from above. His retreat was halted, terror clawing at his chest. The two massive aliens loomed over him, their jaws snapping, forcibly shattering their own teeth, their necks spasming violently as they obscured Mateo behind their bodies, casting twisted shadows over him.
Bern stared in horror at the two Rak’da. Their bodies, covered in massive gashes. Sunken, hollow eyes stared back, devoid of any of the consciousness he’d seen in Rak’da before. Standing over three meters tall, they should have been imposing, but there was something just so wrong about them. Their bodies were damaged beyond repair, their once-advanced cybernetics malfunctioning. Some metallic components were now ripping into their own hides. The sound of their broken, labored hissing filled the air, and Bern’s gaze locked onto their fangs, dripping with a sickly purple substance.
“AAAGHHG,” Mateo’s scream pierced through the comms, which caused everyone’s blood to run cold. Bern tried to get a better view behind the Rak’da but he couldn’t only see glimpses of something else behind them.
“CHIEF ANYONE GET THIS THING OFF ME!” Mateo's desperate voice crackled through the comms, panic sinking into the spines of them all. They all flinched as his shout was followed by a gut-wrenching, ripping so violent and loud that the comms picked up with horrifying clarity. “MY LEGS!” Mateo screeched, his voice hoarse and dripping with disgusting sloshy gurgles as blood filled his mouth.
Bern saw it for a fleeting second. Beyond the Rak’da’s legs was some kind of pale thing. Perched on top of Mateo, its strange clawed talons were digging deep into his spine. He couldn’t fully make out the creature's form, but he was able to see Mateo’s arm bent in the wrong direction. The thing was bending it as it inspected Mateo’s bone that was now cutting through his own skin and uniform.
“SHOOT THIS FUCKING THING OFF ME! CHIEF!” Mateo pleaded in desperate agony as the creature seemed to be twisting and ripping his body, his voice breaking into a raw guttural cry of pain. He helplessly cried into the comms as the squad hesitated in horror.
Rimma had fallen to her knees. She was unfortunate enough to be able to see the thing mounting Mateo.
The two half-dead Rak’da hissed violently at the squad, their animalistic growls echoing in the air as they stood guard, as if protecting the thing behind them.
Bern, finally snapping out of his disgusted trance, swallowed hard, forcing down the bile that had risen in his throat. His voice cracked as he tried talking. “Jett use—”
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“AAAAAAGHGHG, HELP ME, DO SOMETHING!” Mateo’s voice crackled through the comms, his scream raw and jagged. Then they all heard it—its breathing. The thing on Mateo had ripped the back end of his helmet clean off, exposing him to whatever nightmare loomed above. The comms, somehow still functional, picked up the creature's ragged, desperate breathing. It sounded disturbingly human, each inhale sharp and eager, almost as if were savoring the moment. The sound was laced with a sickening form of delight as it worked on the broken Mateo. “SOMEONE P-PLEASE EAHEEGGHGH.” Mateo moaned into the mic, an unnerving blend of agony and something far worse—ecstasy.
“SWITCH TO CHANNEL 7!” Bern shouted, trying to get the focus of his team back.
The Rak’da’s jaws dropped open, revealing strange spiraling tongue-like growths that proliferated in and out of their throats. The tongues lashed and tore at their own skin, as if they were trying to rip the top half of their heads from within. With a sickening crunch, the Rak’da slammed down their jaws, severing some of the tongues in the process. The dismembered, worm-like tendrils squirmed violently on the ground, twitching as the Rak’da cracked their jaws unfazed.
“Listen carefully,” Bern said, trying to keep his voice calm despite the sweat dripping down his face. “Jett, use your mobility Kyyr, to evacuate ahead of us! Rimma and I will use our Kyyr to fend off these two. Radomir, provide support as we stagger out, flanking the southeast at our six!” He paused, waiting for a response. “Got it!” He roared.
“Y-yes sir!” Jett and Radomir replied, but Rimma remained frozen in place. Her eyes wide with horror, fixated on the thing defiling Mateo.
“I’ll take care of her.” Radomir said, his voice stern, unwavering in the face of the horrific scene.
The squad slowly moved back. Their eyes trained on the scene before them. Radomir carefully picked up the traumatized Rimma. His Kyyr flaring with tension as he prepared.
“I’m allowing the use of Kyyr Boosters,” Bern added, reaching for a small injector that was clipped on his belt. Inside, a blue liquid shimmered with a faint glow, pulsing slightly as he prepared to inject it.
Jett and Radomir nodded in unison, injecting themselves with serum. Instantly, their Kyyr efficiency surged, the temporary boost sending a wave of energy through their systems.
The Rak’da and the thing perched on Mateo seemed to sense the change in their Kyyr complexion. The thing slowly dismounted Mateo; though partially obscured by the Rak’da, the weight of its gaze was unmistakable.
Bern’s fingers began to glow with Kyyr around the tips of his fingers. His breathing steadied, but his mind raced as his focus darted between the three looming monstrosities.
Jett was the first to act. Using his Kyyr, he launched himself off the ground, soaring through the air—but before he could react, something suddenly shot out from the darkness behind him. It struck him with bone-shattering force, sending Jett spiraling helplessly in the direction of the Rak’da. Time seemed to slow as everyone watched in horror, powerless, as Jett was sent flying right above the two Rak’da.
Like ravenous alligators, the Rak’da leapt in unison, their gaping jaws snapping towards their prey. The larger of the Rak’da reached Jett first, its teeth clamping down on his head and torso. Bern’s heart stopped as he watched the young man’s head shatter like an egg, the sound of a bone-crunching snap briefly echoing over the comms before the connection was severed. Jett’s lifeless legs dangled from the Rak’da’s maw, limp and broken, as the other Rak’da lunged in, violently tearing the limbs away.
Bern’s gaze shifted to the object that had hit Jett—a crumpled, twisted mass of metal. It was Gaolbird’s battered robotic form, its frame torn apart, wires and circuits exposed. From the direction they had come, a third heavily damaged and bloodied Rak’da appeared. From its gaping mouth, the same grotesque spiral tongues writhed and lashed.
Bern’s chest tightened, his body tensing violently as a horrid realization hit him. He quickly changed the display on his arm to show their status. Gaolbird’s status—all green. Somehow, despite the mangled wreck that lay before him, Gaolbird was still technically functional. The infected Rak’da had expertly ripped Gaolbird apart but made sure to keep him operational.
How long had it been following us? When did it attack Gaolbird? How did we not notice? The questions flooded Bern’s mind in a dizzying rush. A sinking feeling settled in his gut—this thing, whatever it was, wasn’t just brutal. It was intelligent.
“Sir, I need support to evac!” Radomir interrupted Bern’s spiraling thoughts, snapping him back to the present. His tone was harsh and deep, laced with a mix of desperation and determination. “ Burn these fuckers.”
Bern’s mind cleared as he took a deep, steady breath. “Take this,” he said, handing the beacon to Radomir. “Lena can track her beacons—tell her to send a glider to meet us half way.”
Radomir nodded sharply as Bern fastened the beacon onto his pocket as the Rak’da began to close in on them, their monstrous figures looming ever closer.
The thing that had been lurking behind the two Rak’da was gone—and so was Mateo. All that remained was a streak of red on the ground and some shrapnel from his uniform was left trailing into the sinister shadows. The Rak’da had now started closing in, their jaws snapping as their claws seemed to quiver in anticipation.
Bern’s hand ignited, his Kyyr combusting into a bright light that engulfed the area, causing two of the Rak’da to flinch. But of the three, undettered, charged headlong into the blinding light only to be met by the scorching blaze of Bern’s Kyyr. Searing flames lashed against the monster. It screeched in agony as a wall of flames erupted from around Bern, the inferno twisting and roaring as it burned the beast’s flesh. On the scorched ground lay an empty Kyyr booster.
Radomir was gone, slipping away amidst the roaring flames; he had activated his Kyyr armament, channeling its power into his legs. With a sudden burst of speed, he retreated swiftly into the darkness, carrying Rimma with him and vanishing before the Rak’da could react. The shadows swallowed the two whole, leaving only the fading trail of heat in Radomir’s wake as Bern now stood alone, the fire still crackling around him.
Bern moved back quickly, casting another flame, but this time the Rak’da from his flank and the larger one pounced into fire, the two bodies smashing into one another. As he narrowly dodged their slashing claws, he stumbled back in horror watching as their hides seemed to burst and contort, grotesquely melting into each other. Their cybernetic enhancements clattered to the ground as their bodies fused and merged into a horrific amalgamation—a monstrous blend of two monsters locked in a violent mess of flesh and bone. Their roars turned to pained screams as they rolled together.
Bern scrambled to his feet, backing away in a panic, unable to tear his eyes away from the grotesque fusion writhing Rak’da. But then, from behind the two contorting monsters, the other Rak’da emerged from the fire, its claws outstretched, its jaws snapping in Bern's direction. Without any hesitation, Bern ignited his arm using his Kyyr to launch himself out of reach.
The Rak’da crashed headfirst into the coarse rock with a sickening crack, the force splitting its face open. Yet it didn’t stop. Bone and muscle rearranged as spiral tendrils wriggled from its blood-soaked visage, poorly reconstructing what was once a head. Bern could only stare in horror as the monster, undeterred, immediately went in for another strike.
Its strikes were wild and aimless, claws slashing at the air, until disfigured eyes seemed to resurface from the mess of flesh. Shaking its head violently, the Rak'da, trembling with rage it charged Bern again, this time revving a strike with its massive arm.
Using his Kyyr control, Bern burst back, using his flames as propulsion, slamming his back against a rock as the Rak’da swiftly adjusted its aim as it violently cut the air, grazing Bern’s helmet. The Rak’da recovered quickly, moving in for another strike. In a blur of motion, Bern slid around the rock, using his Kyyr ignition to slide across the ground and move behind one of the outer rocks. Kyyr bursting through his limbs, he launched himself off the ground, soaring into the sky.
As he glanced down from above, he saw the grotesque fusion of the two Rak’da splitting into two and regrouping with the third. Bern’s pulse quickened as he surged further away from the Durang Crown of Cau.
Bern barely stuck the landing, his legs buckling under the weight of the impact as he tried to figure out where to go next. He had only seconds to gather his thoughts before the bloodcurdling screeches of the Rak’da pierced the air behind him. A warm liquid dripped across his face as he starred in the direction of the scream. What?! His hand flew to the side of his helmet, only to find it smashed open, shattered in the last brutal exchange. Panic crept in as he wiped the blood from his head, forcing his body to move, sprinting away from the Durang Crown.
The fierce clashing of claws against stone echoed after him, relentless, haunting his every step. Above him, the pink aurora flashed erratically; the dizzying light and noise disoriented his sense of direction. Stumbling through the rocks, his body being dragged down by the abyssal polyps, he would be forced to use his Kyyr to propel himself forward, leaping over the bigger clusters of abyssal condensation, but no matter how much progress he made, the screeches were getting louder, closer. Bern made a snap decision—he had to take to the skies.
Spotting a tall, jagged rock ahead, he pushed his exhausted body toward it, his limbs trembling uncontrollably as he clawed his way up, nestling himself against the stone. His breath was ragged, but before he could catch it, a glance back revealed the Rak’da smashing through the rocks, closing in fast. Shards of stone flew in every direction as one of the creatures hung back, hurling rocks as ranged support to the other two. T
Bern burst to the top of the rock, weaving frantically as the boulder sailed past him. The Rak’da were now encircling him like sharks, their monstrous forms poised to strike as they watched Bern struggle atop the rock.
Lining the side of his armor was a special modification Laurence had designed for him—a built-in wingsuit that worked in tandem with his Kyyr abilities. As rocks rained down on him, pelting his armor with brutal force, Bern awkwardly fumbled with connectors in the underside of his suit. His hands shook, but he forced himself to stay focused. He clipped one side into place, his breaths shallow and fast, quickly moving to secure the other, knowing he had only moments before the Rak’da would close in for the kill.
One of the Rak’da reached from behind its claws, swiping just centimeters from Bern’s back as he tumbled off the rock. In a desperate move, he ignited his limbs, flames blasting him into the air. His suit hadn’t fully latched at the base, leaving him vulnerable, but the thought of shattering his legs was far more tolerable than being ripped apart by the Rak’da.
The fire roared from his limbs, propelling him up, allowing him upward as the plateau unfolded beneath his feet. For a brief moment, he had a clear view of the eerie landscape, but the sky seemed to respond to his success as the aurora’s lights violently flashed, abyssal condensation surging into the sky. .
But Bern didn’t care. He rocketed through the air, flames trailing behind him as the Rak’da pursued relentlessly. Glancing down, he spotted Radomir and Rimma below, making their way toward a cluster of flashing lights in the distance. They’d managed to contact Carmella’s squad. Relief barely registered before his heart sank—in the distance amidst the shadows of the rock, he saw it: the pale thing, crawling towards them with unnatural speed. Shit!
Before he could act, a rock struck him from below, knocking him off balance. Panic surged through him as he began to free fall, limbs flailing. Desperately, he tried to re-adjust, using his Kyyr to soften the landing. He hit the ground hard, rolling to absorb the impact, but before he could recover, a Rak'da attacked, its claws digging into the ground next to him as his wingsuit tore.
Another slash came, faster and more vicious, as a second Rak’da had joined in. Bern unleashed a surge of Kyyr flames at the monster, but it pushed through the fire, one of its claws raking across his side. Pain erupted through him as he fell to the ground, scrambling to his feet, blood pouring from the wound.
The second Rak’da gave no time to recover and it readied to slam its jaws into Bern. With a grimace, Bern focused his Kyyr, bursting into flame, instantly cauterizing the wound as he narrowly dodged the strike. His burning blood splattered across one of the Rak'da, causing the monster to shriek and stagger its momentum, carrying it into the other Rak’da. The two beasts crashed together in a tangle of fury and confusion.
The searing pain fueled Bern’s adrenaline as he ran, casting walls of fire behind him, forcing the Rak’da to slam into each other blindly as they hunted him with savage, unrelenting fury.
Dodging the chaotic strikes, Bern shot up into the air once more; flames exploding from his limbs propelled him higher than before. Through the chaos below, he caught a glimpse of Radomir and Rimma boarding the lowglider, but dread gripped him—the anomaly was now just meters away from them.
“GET OUT NOW!” He shouted, his voice miraculously reaching Radomir, who took the controls away from a confused Lena. The lowglider was expertly maneuvered, veering away into the darkness.
The anomaly, standing perfectly straight, twisted its malformed body as its head snapped to face Bern. It’s massive empty eyes locked onto him, staring deep into his soul. Bern for a second, saw something—a vast black sea filled with monsters. The strange sight sent waves of primordial panic through him as it began crawling toward him, its movements disturbingly swift and deliberate.
All his animal instincts activated in a surging wave of terror. Bern panicked, as he used a massive amount of Kyyr to burst high into the sky. His own flames were so hot they burned him as his desperation drowned out the pain. Below, the Rak’da leapt into the air, using each other like stepping stones, their jaws wide open as they reached for him.
Bern noticed them, his panic rising. As he poured every ounce of Kyyr he had into ascending. With a final, desperate burst, he pushed as high as he could, flames roaring beneath him, leaving the chaos of the Rak’da and the anomaly far below.
His Kyyr was so fervent it cleared the clouds above, revealing the crimson fracture in the sky; it illuminated the land below in its red gloom. Bern’s vague silhouette streaked across the sky like a falling star, a faint trail of fire against the blood-stained horizon. He looked down to see Rak’da fall down beneath him, their snarls fading into the distance. But as he shot away, a strange lightness took hold of him—a cold numbness creeping in.
One of his legs was gone.
Blood trailed behind him in a crimson arc, spilling across the sky. Through blurred vision, consciousness slipping, he let out one more desperate burst of fire from his missing leg. The sudden force propelled him far beyond the mountain range, his body shooting like a comet.
But as the effects of the Kyyr Booster faded, so did his strength. His flames sputtered out, and he felt himself begin to fall, unable to stop the inevitable descent. The sky above blurred into darkness as the ground below rushed toward him.