With an unnatural speed, the tech zombie snatched the arrow out of the air right before it impaled him through his eye socket. He snapped the arrow and tossed it aside.

Instantly, Sacha began knocking another arrow, and Dvoral charged forward with a warcry. Kayden glanced around to see what Lester was doing but he had mysteriously vanished from sight. She hadn’t even noticed he was gone.

“If that’s how you want it to be,” the raspy voice of the tech zombie said as he leapt forward to meet Dvoral in combat.

But as he did, he stumbled and fell to one knee. An arrow had lodged itself in the creature's leg joint.

The tech zombie had just enough time to raise a metallic arm to deflect Dvoral’s incoming spear. He growled and attacked with his other arm which had long claws.

Dvoral raised his shield and blocked the attack, the claws raking across it with a shriek that left scratches across the shield. It glowed with a soft golden light and the scratches faded away. It must have been some type of aura ability.

While the tech zombie was preoccupied with the attackers in front of him, he did not notice the figure approaching from behind. Lester descended on him with daggers out. He reached around and stabbed the tech zombie through the eye.

Lester retreated, leaving his dagger protruding from the eye socket, and procured another dagger from somewhere on his person. He got out of range just in time as the tech zombie lashed out blindly behind him. He would have struck Lester if Lester hadn’t gotten out of the way in time.

Another arrow whistled through the air, flying right over Dvoral’s shoulder with precise aim. It struck the tech zombie in the skull, dinging off and leaving a dent but not doing much more.

As the tech zombie reeled from the impact, Dvoral brought the butt end of his spear around and smacked it across the tech zombies face, sending the already off balance creature prone to the ground.

The three adventurers fell back into formation around Kayden and waited to see what the zombie would do next. Their brief skirmish had drawn the attention of the Mistech workers, and a large group of them were coming toward them.

“We have to get out of here,” Sacha said.

The tech zombie began to chuckle as he began to stand. He reached up and pulled the dagger from his eye and threw it aside.

“I underestimated you,” he said.

“Get out of our way, tech zombie,” Dvoral said.

“Tech zombie? Do I seem like a mindless tech zombie to you? Tenebrex has gifted me with more power than you can imagine. Tell me who else knows of this place's existence before I have to extract it by other means.”

The Mistech reinforcements were getting closer and soon they would be overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. If they wanted to get out of here alive, they needed to get past this tech zombie or whatever he was.

Kayden had been frozen in shock at the start of the battle. The adventurers had moved so rapidly that she wasn’t sure what more she could do, but now she had to act. She held up her shadow dagger which she had summoned to her hand and launched it at the monster obstructing their path.

The tech zombie lifted his hand up almost contemptuously to swat it away, but as his hand connected with it, instead of meeting cold still, the dagger dissolved into a cloud of black smoke that swirled around him and blinded him. One of the tricks Kayden had learned while practicing with her dagger.

The adventurers didn’t need to be told what to do next. They immediately took stock of the situation and adjusted their own strategies accordingly.

While the tech zombie was distracted, Dvoral barrelled down on him with his shield out. He slammed into the tech zombie, sending him flying out of the way of their retreat and into the water of the roaring river.

Dvoral led the way since he had been the one to get the tech zombie out of their path with Sacha pushing Kayden along and Lester bringing up the rear.

As they passed the black cloud that remained hanging in the air, Kayden reached out to it and it reformed back into her dagger.

They entered the tunnel that led back to the Rim. As they did Kayden took a look back. She saw the tech zombie rising out of the water as the Mistech reinforcements reached him.

“After them!” the monster roared as the Mistech members were uncertain whether they should help their master or continue pursuing the fleeing intruders.

They entered the tunnel and her sight of them was cut off. They had a loose lead but Kayden could hear them pursuing hot on their trail. And that tech zombie had displayed uncanny speed. There was no way they would be able to outrun them even with their lead.

Sensing this, instead of leading them down the way they had come, Sacha took the lead and began to take randow turns down the tunnels in the hopes of losing their pursuers. Her plan seemed to be having success. The Mistech members began to fall behind as they grew more confused at the path they were taking. But still, they couldn’t completely shake them. They must have been splitting up to cover all of the paths.

Sacha came to a halt when they reached a collapsed tunnel that obstructed their path. They turned around to go down another fork, but by the time they got back, some of their pursuers had caught up to them.

There were six in total, luckily the tech zombie was not among them. He must have gone with another group. The Mistech men were outfitted with the usual tech, but it was much nicer than what she had seen before. A red glow like the tech monster’s eyes spilled out from within parts of their body augmentations. It must have been from some type of power source other than their aura’s.

As the two groups faced off, Kayden concentrated her aura sense on them to see what she could learn about their power. She was instantly bombarded with a presence she had never felt before. It was like a furnace, hot and angry, and it also felt alive. It suffused all of the six men, completely taking the place of their own aura’s. As if sensing Kayden’s gaze upon it, it swirled into more of a frenzy and Kayden shrinked away from it.

The two groups launched attacks at the same time. Because they were in close quarters, instead of drawing her bow, Sacha drew her two short swords. Dvoral took the lead with his shield and spear. And Lester drew a wand with vines entwining it.

“Tangle!” Lester shouted as the two groups collided.

Vines shout out of the ground and trapped three of the men, preventing them from surrounding Sacha and Dvoral as they fought the other three.

Dvoral and Sacha fought in perfect sync. Dvoral concentrated on defense and Sacha concentrated on attack. She had so much trust that Dvoral would protect her that she attacked recklessly. Her twin blades pierced through the Mistech mens’ defenses, striking flesh. Blood and screams filled the tunnel.

In an effort to help them, Kayden threw her dagger once again and created a cloud of darkness around one of them. While he was blinded, Dvoral rammed his spear directly through the man’s chest.

The three men trapped in the tangle of vines screamed out in rage as they tore themselves free so that they could help their comrades. Lester attempted to summon more vines with the wand, but now that they knew it was coming they easily avoided it and joined the fray. One of them helped the two still surviving attackers while the others came after Kayden and Lester.

Lester got in front of her to protect her. Kayden released the cloud of darkness and it disappeared, then she resummoned the dagger to her hands. Both her hands clamped tightly onto it as she brought it up to bear before the two intimidating men coming for them.

One of them had both of his arms replaced and his lower jaw. The other one only had one arm replaced but he was bare-chested and there was a hole in his chest where his heart should have been but instead burned with a red demonic core. As he neared them the demon core began to swirl with energy and pulse. His veins began to light up from inside him and his eyes shone bright red. He grinned as he neared and Kayden took a frightful step back. Out of all the men, Kayden was sure that this one was the most dangerous.

Sacha and Dvoral were having a hard time fending off their attackers now that there were four of them. Sacha had managed to incapacitate one of them with a strike to the leg but the other two had managed to deliver a blow to Sacha’s head which sent her reeling, and Dvoral scrambled to defend her so that she wasn’t finished off.

Lester was taking in the situation and sighed. “I was hoping it wouldn’t have to come to this.”

“Give it up,” the demon heart man said. “You are defeated.”

“Don’t be so sure of yourself.” Lester turned and gave Kayden a reassuring half smile, then he procured a vial from some other hidden compartment on his person. The liquid inside was a strange bluish color that vaguely pricked something in the back of her mind.

Sacha from where she had fallen and was being defended by Dvoral saw what he was doing and shouted, “Lester, no!”

But too late, Lester downed the contents. The two Mistech men watched in curiosity. Lester’s eyes took on a deep blue hew and he smiled in a euphoric manner.

“Ahh, it's been too long,” he said in a dreamy voice.

It seemed the two Mistech men had had enough of his antics and came in to attack him and Kayden. Kayden prepared herself, but Lester raised his wand and said nonchalantly, “Tangle.”

Instead of the feeble amount that had been summoned before, a tidal wave rose out of the ground, sweeping over the men and completely binding them. It even reached the other men, stopping them from attacking Sacha and Dvoral.

Sacha and Dvoral immediately took advantage and delivered killing blows to the captive men.

The one who had been injured wasn’t caught in the blast, but instead of helping his comrades, he limped away as quickly as possible the way they had come.

Lester came to stand over the two struggling captives that still remained. The demon hearted individual was gradually making his way free but Lester did not seem concerned. It was as if he was mesmerized by something Kayden could not see.

“What is that?” Lester said. “Your aura it is--unnatural.” He suddenly flinched backward and his face turned to one of horror. “No. No.” He continued to back away and fell to the ground, convulsing.

Kayden rushed over to him, but she couldn’t see any way to help him. There was no sign of him being attacked. She didn’t know what the demon hearted man had done.

The man with the demon heart broke free. He was going to help his fellow Mistech member but Sacha and Dvoral were upon them so he instead left his friend to free himself while he faced those two.

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“Kayden, is Lester okay!” Sacha asked, looking over in worry.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with him!” Kayden said frantically.

“Your friend touched something he shouldn’t have,” demon heart said. “Tenebrex is feeding on him now. He will be dead soon.”

“What did you do to him!”

“Nothing, he brought this on himself.”

Kayden remembered what she had seen when she turned her aura sense on and did so again. What she saw horrified her. Lester’s aura had become infected with the red aura that had suffused the men of Mistech. Even as she watched it was consuming him.

How was this possible? She had never heard of something like this happening. Another person’s aura was impossible to interfere with. There were ways to weaken and suppress it, but what she was seeing was well beyond that. It wasn’t just unnatural, it was wrong. An invasion that made Kayden sick to think about, let alone actually witness.

“Stop it!” Sacha yelled.

“I can’t,” he answered.

Sacha screamed and attacked him. He was much more powerful than the others they had fought. The demon core gave him a level of strength and speed that rivaled Kayden’s fathers, but Sacha and Dvoral fought so well together that he couldn’t keep up. His confidence began to waver. Slowly, Sacha and Dvoral found more openings in his defenses until in a desperate bid he tried to take Dvoral down, but it was a faint to draw his attention away and Sacha drove a strike to his neck.

The man held his hands up to his throat as it opened in a spray of blood. He fell to the ground jerking around for a second, then going still. Before he was dead, Sacha and Dvoral rushed over to Kayden’s side to see how Lester was doing.

He wasn’t having a seizure anymore, but his eyes were flickering around in a frenzy as if tracking something invisible, and he was muttering under his breath incoherently.

“There’s something wrong with his aura,” Kayden said.

“We have to get him out of here,” Dvoral said. “That one who got away will bring reinforcements.”

Sacha nodded and the two of them slung Lester’s arms over their shoulders. Together they hobbled as quickly away as they could, descending further into the unknown depths of these tunnels.

The tunnel they followed eventually wrapped around and joined back up with the cavern where Mistech had their base. The area it let out into was much further up the river and offered plenty of places to hide among the rocks. The running water would cover up any sound that they made.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t take this opportunity to circle back through the path that led out because it looked like the tech zombie had commanded some of his men to guard the entrance while they went searching for the intruders. They had no choice but to bunker down and take stock of their options.

Sacha began to inspect Lester, but there were no obvious signs of injuries. Kayden had turned off her aura sense because even though she had learned to keep it going for longer periods of time, she didn’t feel comfortable with it up after seeing that corrupted presence devouring Lester’s aura. She was afraid that whatever was happening to him could spread to her.

She risked turning it on now to check on Lester and see how he was doing. The red corruption had spread significantly. As she inspected it, she could feel that same presence as before. It was malicious and hungry. She was sure that it was aware that she was observing it, but despite her fears, it didn’t seem to be able to reach out to her the same way it had with Lester.

“What is it?” Kayden asked.

“I don’t know,” Sacha said.

Sacha and Dvoral seemed to have some training in aura sense as well. It was probably a talent that most advanced adventurers developed over time. They constantly put themselves in danger with magical beasts, so they would need every tool at their disposal to help them stay alive, and studying a creature's aura would impart valuable information.

“At this rate,” Sacha continued, “His aura will be completely gone within a day or less.”

“What will happen then?” Kayden asked although she could guess at the answer.

Aura’s were what connected the body and the soul. Without an aura, it was basically the equivalent of losing your soul.

“He’ll die, or at least be as good as dead.”

“How did this happen?” Dvoral asked. “It should not be possible for his aura to become corrupted in such a manner.”

“It was that drug the fool took to save us. It can give you the power of a mage but at a cost. Basically, it strips away all of your defense mechanisms and allows you to open your aura sense to such a degree that you can see the magical energy of the world. But when you are in such a state, you can sustain severe damage to your aura if you aren’t careful. Essentially, he opened the door to his aura and welcomed this corruption in with open arms.” She let out a string of curses. “Why did he even have sor? He promised me he quit.”

“I am sorry, Sacha,” Dvoral said. “I knew that he was keeping some in case of an emergency, but he made me promise not to tell you. This is my fault.”

Sacha looked at Dvoral and his crestfallen state. The anger that had initially appeared on her face at his confession leaked away. “No, it isn’t your fault. You didn’t pore it down his throat, and none of us could have foreseen that this would be the result of his usage. What is this corruption?”

“It must be Tenebrex, whatever that is,” Kayden offered. “Maybe if we can find out what it is, we can save Lester.”

The two adventurers turned to Kayden as if they had forgotten she was there.

“I would have thought you wanted to get out of here as soon as possible,” Sacha said.

“Not if that meant letting Lester die. It’s my fault you all are in this mess.”

Sacha shook her head. “You aren’t to blame for any of this. We all know the risks of being an adventurer. I just wish I knew how that cursed tech zombie found us. I was cloaking us with my aura, there is no way that he should have been able to find us so easily.”

“It is no use thinking about what we could have done differently,” Dvoral said. “There is nothing we can do to change the past. We must think only of what we can do in the future.”

“Dvoral’s right,” Kayden said. “Mistech’s attention is on the tunnels right now. They don’t know we are back here. We can take this opportunity to find out exactly what this corruption is before that tech zombie returns.”

Sacha nodded thoughtfully. “What do you suggest?”

“We sneak into their fortress. It is the last thing they will expect. We can find out what Tenebrex is and stop it before it kills Lester.”

“And what about the purpose you came here for.”

Kayden hated it, but she didn’t want to let someone else die just to pursue her own goal. For now, she had to let it go. At least until they were sure that Lester would be okay.

“That doesn’t matter right now,” she said. “We have to save Lester.”

Sacha and Dvoral nodded their agreement. They were obviously going to do whatever it took to save their friend no matter what Kayden said, but at least this way they were no longer breaking their contract because she had already agreed to it. Who knew, maybe in the process of saving Lester they might even find her father’s killer.

The problem was that one of them would have to stay behind with Lester while the other two snuck into the fortress. At first, they wanted Kayden to stay behind. But she argued that she would be much more stealthy than Dvoral in all of his armor, and someone who was stronger should stay behind with Lester in case they were located and he needed to be protected. And it wasn’t like they could leave the charge of their contract on her own. They eventually conceded this point, but Dvoral didn’t want to let Sacha leave his side.

Sacha placed a gentle hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes. “I’ll be fine. We’ll be back before you know it.”

He reluctantly nodded and with that Sacha and Kayden left Dvoral and Lester behind to head for the fortress.

“My cloaking ability should keep us mostly hidden, but only to a slight degree. As you saw with the tech zombie, we can still be spotted if we aren’t extremely careful.”

Kayden nodded nervously. She hadn’t known that Sacha was cloaking them before. It must have been a very subtle ability.

The area surrounding the fortress had a limited number of guards, most of the men were either watching the forges which were still burning, or searching for the intruders in the tunnels. The actual fortress was essentially barren.

As they got closer, Kayden could finally make out what it was that they were making at the forges. There were the signs of traditional replacement limbs that the Lower Caverns were known for, but the most significant portion looked to be mass producing the skeletal frame of tech zombies. Kayden didn’t even want to consider what it was that they were planning to do with all of those.

The first step they had decided to take was to isolate one of the workers and find out exactly what Tenebrex was. They couldn’t very well get rid of its influence on Lester without knowing this basic information.

They sneaked upon one of the isolated men who was working at a forge. As Kayden waited behind some crates, Sacha went behind the unsuspecting man with one of her short swords and placed it at the back of his neck.

“If you don’t want to die,” she said, “You will remain quiet and come with me.”

The man raised his hands and nodded. Sacha prodded him over to where Kayden was hiding and pushed him so that he fell to the ground. He looked between Sacha and Kayden, waiting to see what they wanted.

“Tenebrex,” Sach said without preamble, “What is it?” She pushed the point of her short sword into his neck until a river of blood ran down his torso for emphasis.

The man grinned viciously back at them. “Tenebrex will be reborn and we will take back the power those Uptown tyrants stole from us.”

“Save your babble for someone who cares,” Sacha said. “Tell me what I want to know.”

“You can’t stop it. Tenebrex is all-seeing, all-knowing. You will either serve it or be consumed.” The man’s eyes were lit up with a feverish intensity.

“What is it!?” Sacha hissed. “Is it your god?”

“He is the great machine! The evolution of all life!”

The man began to rise despite Sacha’s blade pressed into his throat. More blood began to run down from his wound as the blade sunk deeper into his flesh.

“We will not fail! Tenebrex will rule over Mitros!”

The man tried to grab the sword from Sacha but she whipped it around and lopped his head off. Kayden turned away in disgust as the head and body fell to the ground.

Sacha breathed heavily for a second before flicking the blood off her sword and sheathing it. “They are madmen.”

“There is no use in hiding!” A familiar raspy voice called out. “I know you are here!”

They looked around the crates to find that while they had been interrogating the Mistech worker, the tech zombie and all of his men had returned to the base. They encircled it so that there was no way that they could escape without being seen.

Sacha and Kayden sunk back into their hiding place.

Sacha cursed. “How does he keep finding us?”

Kayden’s mind was a whirl. It didn’t make any sense. How could he know that they were here and no longer in the tunnels? It wasn’t possible that he had searched all of them already. He must be able to sense them somehow.

Maybe this Tenebrex was all-seeing like the mad Mistech man had claimed, or maybe it was something else. But what could it be? Why had the tech zombie returned to his base now and not while they were inspecting Lester’s aura and figuring out what to do next? Something must have triggered him. A sudden idea sparked in Kayden’s mind.

“Sacha, are you still using your cloaking ability?”

“Not anymore. I need to conserve my strength. I only use it when we are moving. It’s pointless when we’re hidden in a place like this. Why?”

“Think about it. He found us before when he shouldn’t have been able to. He knows we are here but not exactly where. He must be able to track the use of aura, and since you are no longer using it, he lost track of us.”

“That shouldn’t be possible,” Sacha said.

The tech zombie spoke again as two of his henchmen dragged forward two familiar figures who were bound, Dvoral and Lester. “We have your companions. Give yourself up, it is pointless to continue this charade.”

Before Sacha and Kayden could think of anything to do, there was a scream that originated from the tunnel that led to the surface. Everyone’s attention immediately turned toward there. The men that were still guarding it were in the process of being slaughtered by men in suits. As his men effortlessly cut down the Mistech men, Cassius strode out of the tunnel with Dariss on his right side and the elf woman on his left.

Cassius and the tech zombie met eyes across the distance. Cassius smiled pleasantly. The tech zombie’s face was incapable of expressions but his eyes pulsed brightly.

“Pascal, how are you?” Cassius said as his men flicked the blood of the rival gang’s blood from their blades.

Pascal’s voice was carefully controlled. “Cassius, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Mistech has been a thorn in my side for far too long. I figured it was time to dispense with you once and for all.”

“Mistech and Nikiphero have crossed swords,” Pascal admitted. “But there is no need for it to continue. Why not join forces? We could accomplish so much together.”

“Why would I want to besmirch my name by associating with the likes of you?”

“Traitor!” Pascal snarled, his voice twisting beyond the rasp until it was practically inhuman. “You serve Uptown like a dog! I have power that you can not even begin to comprehend! Submit to me or be destroyed!”

“You are speaking of your device, Tenebrex, correct? You always did meddle in forces beyond your understanding. Elf.”

The elf woman who looked like an angel and had saved Kayden from the prison stepped forward and held something aloft. It shined like a beacon and lit up the entire cavern like it was daytime. Pascals body immediately collapsed and all of the Mistech men’s tech stopped glowing with the red light, hanging limply. They looked around in confusion, unsure how to respond.

Cassius looked at them with merciless eyes. “Kill them all.”

Nikiphero men charged at Mistech men who were now powerless. It took the Mistech men only a second to decide to try to run. They rushed toward the fortress where they could barricade themselves in. Those who were too slow or who had tech legs that no longer functioned, were summarily executed.

Cassius didn’t pay it any attention. His eyes scanned the mining operation. “Kayden, you can come out now.” He sounded like a very displeased father who had found out that his daughter had sneaked out of the house without permission.