We had been moving from one floating skyscraper to another for what felt like hours. The nebulous space between them looked more like a cosmic painting than anything else, and it was disorienting. A simple jump could send you spiraling into an abyss of glowing stardust, each particle a flickering LED against the backdrop of infinity.

It was around the time when we reached the third skyscraper that we spotted them. Netherling Cryptids. Can't say I was expecting space bug demons, but Nexus seems to have a knack for throwing the curveballs.

Name Netherling Cryptid Type Biological Threat Level Moderate Health 110

They were there, clinging onto the gravity-challenged sides of the skyscrapers like spiders on a wall, their iridescent shells blending almost seamlessly with the bright surfaces. As they moved, their exoskeletons shifted colors, adapting to the changing hues of the nebula around them.

Some hovered above us on translucent wings, while others scuttled up and down the side of the skyscraper. They didn't seem to be doing anything, just moving back and forth along the same paths.

"Those Lumivores in the Whispering Expanse was one thing," Brice muttered, a tinge of annoyance in his voice as he pointed at the creatures. "But them things take it up another notch."

I couldn't help but agree with him. I was starting to get used to the crazy sights that Nexus threw at me, but these were something else entirely.

Each of them was a good two meters long, all armored shell and vicious-looking pincers. Six spindly legs held them aloft, ending in sharp talons that dug into the steel and glass of the skyscraper walls, defying gravity. Their abdomens were covered with a chitinous plating that reminded me of a giant centipede or beetle, all segmented and glossy. Their heads looked almost insectoid, with compound eyes that shimmered with iridescent light, and a pair of antennae that curled out from the sides of the triangular skull.

There was no way we were getting past these things without some kind of combat plan, and the more I stared at them, the more my mind tried to come up with one. We needed a way to fight those things on an equal footing—because this place sure as hell didn't give us a home-field advantage.

"So we gotta kill thirty of these things?" I asked, turning to Vera as we huddled up on the edge of the next skyscraper. "Sounds doable. Ten for each of us, yeah?"

"Man, I could take twenty of 'em if I had all my gear with me and we were back in Nexus," Brice chimed in, looking back at me. "Maybe even twenty-five. But... you know... ain't exactly got any of that right now, know what I'm sayin'?"

Vera let out a chuckle and shook her head before adding, "Don't get too cocky. We don't know what they can do yet so we should play it safe. We can find one or two stragglers around and take those down, then move onto the next. Getting swarmed would be bad."

I nodded in agreement. It was definitely a better idea than taking them all on at once.

With a deep breath, we set off towards our first two targets, carefully scaling down the side of the skyscraper. As we approached, one of the creatures reared up, raising its mandibles like a cobra ready to strike, its claws gripping the surface of the skyscraper for support.

Vera stood firm, her gaze intent. "Stay sharp. They may look like alien butterflies, but they're not here to sip nectar."

Just as the words left her lips, the two Netherling Cryptids whirled around, their multi-faceted eyes flashing a menacing crimson. The serene moment shattered, replaced by the screeches and clicking mandibles of the beasts as they leaped from the skyscraper in an attack.

Suddenly, from their mandibles, globules of light began to form. Bright, radiant orbs pulsed in rhythm with the riftspawns' growls.

"Move!" I yelled as the first plasma projectile erupted from the pack, trailing a comet tail of ethereal glow.

We dove into a zero gravity pocket, the gravity field of the nearest skyscraper pulling us sideways. The laws of physics seemed like suggestions here, and we scrambled to get our bearings. Brice somersaulted mid-air, pushed off a skyscraper with his boot, and returned fire with his blaster.

I, on the other hand, grappled with the empty space, twisting and turning, struggling to direct my SMG at the attacking creatures. A plasma projectile burst near me, the impact throwing me off balance and sending my remaining bullets spiraling off into the nebulous void.

Shit! I flipped back on my stomach and took aim again, firing round after round as Vera and Brice kept up their attack. This time, the projectile burst against the wall of the skyscraper, sizzling and sputtering.

Vera called out a warning as another globule formed in the riftspawn's mandible. "They have a plasma weapon! Shoot for the abdomen!"

With a nod, I changed target, shifting my aim to the exposed underbelly of the creature as it loosed another shot, this one flying harmlessly overhead as it dissolved into glowing motes of light. I kept up my barrage, emptying the magazine until the beast writhed and shrieked, smoke billowing from the cracks in its carapace.

Attack Hit. You deal 35 damage (33 Kinetic, 2 Electromagnetic) Attack Hit. You deal 33 damage (31 Kinetic, 2 Electromagnetic) Attack Hit. You deal 39 damage (37 Kinetic, 2 Electromagnetic)

You gained 200 Experience Points

We gave it a few more seconds, making sure the thing was dead, before climbing up the side of the skyscraper to engage with the other one.

Brice rushed towards it and unsheathed his pair of combat knives. With a quick slash, he cut at its exposed underbelly, spraying black goop in every direction, the beast thrashing violently. It wasn't long before the beast went limp, collapsing into a heap at Brice's feet. Its carapace slowly leaked gooey alien blood across the side of the skyscraper as it twitched. Vera took a few more shots with her blaster, just to be sure, then we moved on.

As we rounded a corner, another Netherling Cryptid scuttled along the surface of the building, its pincers clacking as it came into view. Vera had already aimed her blaster, and she fired without hesitation, sending a volley of energy bolts at the creature's head. It shrieked, tumbling off the side of the skyscraper, the blast searing the chitinous shell.

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That'll teach it to mess with the party.

We pushed on through the cityscape of floating skyscrapers. One after another, we climbed up the sides of their glass surfaces, engaging with the strange, alien creatures. Some fought us on the ground, others tried to surprise us from above. Others still were content to watch, scuttling along their patrol routes, occasionally firing a plasma projectile at us when we drew too close.

Still, despite their variety, the fight against each of them was pretty much the same:

Fire your weapon at the underbelly.

Get out of range of the plasma projectile.

Repeat process until target is down.

Simple enough.

In Brice's case, he sliced and diced. Though after being on the receiving end of their pincers a few times, he opted to follow our much more proven strategy.

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"Five of 'em!" Brice called out, his voice sounding too loud in the quiet expanse. The Netherling Cryptids responded to his shout, shifting their path towards us.

Brice met the first Cryptid in mid-air, his blades slicing through its chitinous shell. Its dying shriek echoed through the zero-gravity expanse, answered by the angered screams of its companions.

"Watch out for the plasma!" Vera's warning came a moment too late as a glowing orb shot past her, just narrowly missing her shoulder. The projectile exploded against the building behind us, showering us with a hailstorm of fragments and shrapnel.

I shielded my eyes and backed away, but a moment too late—a piece of shrapnel embedded itself in my right arm, leaving a bleeding gash.

You've taken 9 Kinetic damage

Damn! I yanked the piece out, quickly glancing down to check on the wound. "It's nothing serious," I said, turning to Vera and Brice to see that both were sporting fresh cuts and bruises. "How are you guys holding up?"

Brice rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck before nodding. "I'm good. Just a scratch."

Vera did a quick check on her own wound and nodded as well, "Yeah, I'm fine."

The three of us turned our focus back to the incoming pack, rushing to meet them head-on. This time, it was clear that these creatures weren't here to play around, and their attack was much more organized. They fanned out, closing the distance between us as they launched themselves from building to building, their translucent wings carrying them with shocking speed.

A large Cryptid came at me from my left, its mandibles snapping as it swiped its clawed legs at me. I ducked out of the way and retaliated with a strike of my own with my combat baton, striking the creature across its underbelly. As it let out a pained screech, I kicked it in the side, sending it reeling off course as it crashed into the side of the skyscraper.

On the opposite side of me, Vera was engaged with another Cryptid, the two trading blows as she avoided its deadly claws. It lashed out again, this time raking her across the arm. A chunk of her techwear was torn away, exposing her bare flesh, and the riftspawn reared back, readying another attack.

Not on my watch, bitch.

I dove between them and sent a Shadow Blast roaring from my hand, blasting the Cryptid backwards as it writhed and convulsed against the steel and glass wall of the skyscraper. Its exoskeleton cracked, splinters of shattered chitin spilling out in a torrent of goo.

Attack Hit. Critical Hit. You deal 104 Umbral Damage.

I shot another Shadow Blast at it, watching with satisfaction as it crumpled to the ground, finally dead.

You gained 200 Experience Points

Meanwhile, Brice leaped over Vera and used his momentum to slam his body into the second Cryptid, knocking it off course as his blades bit into its shell. He finished the thing off with a twist and a deft slash to its neck, then quickly turned to assist Vera as she battled the third Cryptid.

She ducked under a swipe, and Brice went in for the kill, bringing both knives down in a smooth, rapid strike. There was a wet crack, and the riftspawn fell limp, the glow fading from its eyes.

"Nice!" I called out. Vera and Brice gave each other a high five as the remaining two Cryptids in that pack took off, fleeing the scene and disappearing into the distant cityscape.

I sighed and put away my baton, rubbing at the cut on my arm. "That's thirteen down," I said, nodding in the direction we'd come from. "Still gotta find another seventeen to go."

"At least they aren't too hard," Vera said, checking to make sure her blaster was still intact. "It'll just take some time to deal with them all."

Brice stretched his neck, working out the kinks, and nodded. "Yeah, these guys ain't that bad. Just gotta be careful."

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We decided to take a breather inside one of the office rooms of a skyscraper we'd scaled. I sat down on one of the office chairs that seemed to defy gravity in the room's odd orientation while Brice rummaged through the cupboards for some bandages to help patch up our wounds. Vera took a seat next to me, inspecting a small cut on her forearm.

"You alright there, Vee?" I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

She glanced over at me, then down at her arm. "Yeah, just a scratch," she replied with a slight chuckle.

"Well, it's still pretty deep," I said, leaning forward to get a better look. "We should wrap that up so it doesn't get infected or anything. You never know with these alien bug things." I had seen far too many sci-fi movies to be taking chances with this stuff. Sure, our bodies seemed to heal wounds faster than a normal human would, and Aubrey never mentioned Players getting sick, but you never know until it happens.

Vera rolled up the sleeve of her techwear to reveal a tattoo of a compass on her forearm. It looked really well done, with some artistic flare, and I couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship.

I grabbed a nearby roll of bandage and set to work on wrapping up her arm, checking the cut to make sure it wasn't too deep, then doing my best to clean it. I could see the skin was already beginning to heal, but it was still a little red, and the sight reminded me of my own injuries. I dabbed some of the antibacterial ointment on it to try and ease the swelling before carefully wrapping the bandage around her arm.

When I was done, I sat back and gave her a thumbs up. "All good now."

Vera flexed her arm, then nodded approvingly. "Thanks, Connor."

I nodded back and returned the bandage roll to where it had been. Then, before I could help myself, I spoke up again, "You know, I noticed you have a compass tattoo." I was almost ashamed of how excited I sounded when I said that. "Do you have a special meaning to it or is it just because you like them?"

Vera seemed caught off guard by the question, looking down at the tattoo as if she had completely forgotten it was there. Then she chuckled again, "Well, it has a special meaning for me." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts as she watched me closely. "I got it when I first left home. I wanted to start a new life, you know? Make something out of myself."

I nodded, letting her talk. "I didn't want to be stuck in the same place forever," Vera continued. "I wanted to be my own person. Independent. The compass was meant to guide me on the road to becoming that person. Even if I couldn't see the path, it would still be there, helping me stay on track."

I smiled at that, admiring her choice to get such an interesting tattoo. "Yeah, I think I get it."

As I turned away, I spotted Brice leaning against the far wall, watching the two of us while fiddling with one of his blades, cleaning it off with a cloth.

"You're being pretty quiet over there," I said, glancing over at him. "Got anything to say about all this?"

Brice simply laughed and shook his head, tossing his rag aside and sliding his blade back into its holster. "Nah, man. I'm good. Just enjoying the show, y'know? Don't let me ruin the moment."

I snorted and leaned back in the chair, allowing my shoulders to relax for a moment. "Yeah, alright." I paused to take a breath, feeling my muscles unwind. "This is certainly something else."