“We've just received breaking news from the Arklight Sector. It appears the suspects behind last week's theft of Sirius LTD proprietary technology have been identified to be the Chaos Order. 312 people are confirmed casualties, while an Alliance light cruiser and its 72 crew remain missing. Admiral Latem has increased surveillance in the area, re-assuring the public in an earlier address that they are close to cracking down on this terrorist threat.
In other news, the Diocletian Empire succession ceremony is to enter its second phase. Here's Rob with more details from the ground...”
* 7743.9.21 MGE Alliance Daily 6pm News Broadcast, Archive File #P786D7G3S99
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Chapter 11: Twilight Hunt
I couldn’t help but feel my blood pumping at the fading sight of the Firewyrm above. The opportunity to fight such a beast doesn’t come around too often.
Then I remembered: we would have to fight that thing. Perhaps I might be able to extinguish its mind or its soul with both my [Edicts] at maximum output, but I found that unlikely. A beast of that calibre was no doubt a higher existence in all three axis.
Axe spoke up first, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the group with his usual gruff voice.
“I doubt we have much of a chance against it by ourselves. It’s best we play the role of the vulture this game”.
The others nodded, though Kariel had a hint of excitement in his eyes that seemed out of place. Quito turned to look at me and said in a low tone, “Do you sense any presences approaching? We may be alone, but with ten squads in the Hunt, we won’t be for long”.
I activated my Truesight, surveying the forest around for the tell-tale signs of psychic or astral activity. The blend of flickering low-level minds of various animals coalesced into a background static that reduced my range.
“Nothing within a kilometre of us, give or take a few hundred metres”, I replied squinting into the distance. The solitary peak in the distance seemed the obvious objective point, if we wanted to hunt the Firewyrm.
“That’s good”, Axe nodded. “Everyone, be alert. I’ve no doubt this Hunt’s got some nasty surprises in store for us. This twilight makes me uneasy”.
“If you’re scared, then say so”, Kariel jested as though on a simple stroll through a park. “I for one relish an opportunity to hunt one of the Elder Beasts.” His voice took on a predatory tone as his lips peeled back in a snarl. “A Firewyrm is a worthy prey that will bring honour upon my clan”.
“I doubt it’ll be that easy”, Axe grimaced. “A flying beast like that renders mine and Phi’s attacks ineffective. We’ll need heaven-sent luck to get a finishing blow”.
Quito shrugged off the leather pack on his back in response, revealing the sniper rifle. Its metal as dull grey, unmarked, though a serial number 001 was etched onto its barrel. It had a powerful optical scope that Quito attached onto the gun with the efficiency of a veteran soldier. He lifted it up, resting it on his shoulders and nodded silently.
“Or perhaps a curved bullet or two could do the trick”, Axe acknowledged. He turned to look at the forest in the direction of the mountain peak in the distance. “We’d better get moving. If you see anything, Phi, even a flicker of movement, warn us. I’d rather you cried wolf than we all get eaten”.
“You got it, Axe”, I replied, unsheathing my own sword to hold it out in a resting position. The impact of the lightshow was beginning to fade, though it was being replaced by a more insidious fear that only intensified as we exited the clearing and entered the forest.
The tall trees shrouded us from what little light there was, though it left us with just enough to cast shadows that moved in the corner of our vision. This was the real kind of stress; the kind that millions of years of evolution had adapted us for. I sank my awareness into the comfortable embrace of my Codex, relying on my Truesight to reassure me that no monsters lurked in the dark.
The others too were silent, their thoughtstuff was the iron of vigilance tinged with an undertone of fear. I guess even years of doing this stuff doesn’t quite take away from the reality of it all.
I’d say I’m doing pretty well for a newbie. Life outside in the Uncharted Zones outside the Colosseum may not be so immediately deadly, but there are still plenty threats to be found. This isn’t quite my first rodeo, though it might take the cake for the absurdity of the situation.
My train of thought was interrupted by the snap of a twig that broke the silence of the forest. We all paused simultaneously.
“I don’t see anything”, my voice lowered to a whisper and I surveyed our surroundings with Truesight. Apart from the usual wilderness, there was nothing. The others relaxed slightly, Kariel’s grip on his spear loosening and Axe’s fists unclenching.
But I stood taut as a wire. My instincts were rarely wrong, and right then they were warning me something was off. It wasn’t the kind of blaring alarm that I had felt before; it was more a subtle feeling of wrongness, as though my subconscious had recognised a pattern my higher mind failed to see.
Quito was the only one to notice my alarmed state, resting the butt of the rifle on his shoulder. “What is it”, he whispered, his steady voice calming me. Axe and Kariel noticed my tension at Quito’s words, quickly regaining their alertness.
“Is there something out there”, Kariel hissed, his black eyes glaring into the darkness.
Axe opened his mouth and was about to speak when I saw it. It had disguised it’s mind in the gestalt consciousness of the forest, blending in as another unassuming lump of animalistic instinct. I couldn’t help but appreciate its disguise – truly a superior form of camouflage that would have rendered any other team unaware.
But my Codex was a higher form of awareness than simply telepathy. Just as it leapt out at us, its killing instinct had been too much for its camouflage to hold, red radiance bursting out from grey background in my Truesight.
Its path was highlighted in vivid colours and its mind and soul were no longer hidden from me – but I had little time to focus on those details.
It's now visible form was hidden in the branches above my head on my right. With a powerful jump, it dashed down towards Axe in front of me before I had time to scream a warning. Barely registering as a blur in my vision, the only reason I got there first was because of the forewarning from my Codex.
I leapt forwards, swinging my sword in an arc above Axe’s head. He ducked down instinctively, his arms help up protectively, just as an indistinct blur collided with the blade of my sword. It felt like hitting a metal carapace; my blade simply slid off and the creature used that momentum to launch itself back into the branches above, blending easily into the shadows.
But it would have to try harder to avoid my Truesight.
“Watch out; it’s in the branches above”, I shouted between deep breaths, tracking its movements with my Truesight. It was fast, dashing from branch to branch with blinding intensity and the perpetual twilight obscured its movement from regular vision.
Kariel and Axe stood guard as two points of a triangle, with me as the third. Quito was in the middle, swinging his gun around aiming into the forest, but his sniper was unsuited for this kind of ambush.
I took the brief respite to study my sword.
The blade is unblooded. Even that clean hit did no damage. Kariel’s spear should be able to pierce through, though.
The beginnings of a plan began to piece together in my mind.
“What was that Phi? I thought you said there was nothing around for a kilometre!”, Axe spat out. “It nearly took off my head!"
“I don’t know”, I spoke quickly. “It blended in with the surroundings too well, but it won’t be able to hide from me now”.
“Good”, Axe grunted. “Any more of them in the branches?”
“Only the one”, I replied. “Now that I know what I’m looking for, I’ll know when others are around.”
It was still darting around the branches, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. I felt its gaze focus on Quito just a split-second before it dashed towards us for a second time.
But this time we all were ready.
“Your side, Kariel”, I shouted out. At the same time, unbeknownst to the others, I sent a flicker of energy with [Efflux]. Mid-dash the creature seemed to stumble, and Kariel cried out.
“I see it!”
He lunged his spear forward to intercept the attack. There was a crack like a gunshot and several birds cawed before flying off from distant treetops. Impaled into a tree by Kariel’s bronze spear was the creature. It twitched a few times before growing still, its mind ceasing and its soul extinguishing before my Sight.
Kariel heaved a sigh and retrieved his shivering spear from the tree with a grunt of effort. “What in the Abyss was that”. He leaned forward, studying it closer. Now that it was stationary, its form could be elucidated.
It seemed reminiscent of some type of beetle – if that beetle were half the size of a man. Kariel’s spear had impaled it straight through the metallic carapace from head to tail, and one of its wings were torn off at the base.
That was my [Efflux], made it catch a branch on the way out. At that kind of speeds, a collision even with a small branch was enough.
Kariel shook his spear a few times, shaking off the black fluid caking it.
“Not bad for the first hunt”, he said.
Axe growled in response, “A little too close for my liking. These beetles are a real pain in the neck." He paused, seemingly acknowledging something mentally. "Though if you weren’t here, I doubt I’d have much of a neck to complain of anyways”. He nodded at me before turning back towards the peak in the distance.
“Let’s get moving. That’s one kill on the board but if we’d better hurry up if we don’t want to be left in the dust”. We resumed our formation with Axe in the lead, me and Kariel flanking Quito in the back.
Kariel leaned over to whisper conspiratorially, “That’s about as close as a thanks you’ll get from him”.
“He can owe me a meal afterwards,” I whispered back to a disapproving stare from Quito.
Quito frowned and looked over at Kariel. “Is this really the right time for this?”
Kariel shrugged and grinned maliciously in response. “Now’s the best time; not like he can complain about it when I’m right.”
I saw Axe’s shoulder twitch from the back and his thoughtstuff gave me some inkling of what was going through his head, though he refrained from saying anything.
“Whatever you say, Kariel”, Quito sighed. “At least pretend you’re ready for another ambush.”
Kariel seemed to take that seriously, straightening his back and holding his spear in a warding position. Despite the height and width of the trees, the forest wasn’t that thick. The knotted branches snaking across the floor were the main problem, being nearly invisible in the dark meant a practically guaranteed trip hazard.
As a bona-fide Seeker-rank Ascendant, I could keep my Truesight active indefinitely. The wash of greys and browns were occasionally broken by streaks of colour indicating the presence of a more active mind or soul, but nothing approached us. Soon, the trees became more sparse until they petered out completely.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The forest had spat us out facing a large field of sorts. The artificial sky was a dark purple. Without the blockage of the trees, we could see a lot further in the dim light. The rolling hills seemed almost idyllic as the knee-high grasses undulated and rippled in the wind. The picturesque landscape was marred by the out-of-place mountain on the other side of the plains. A column of black smoke rose from its peak as though announcing to all who saw it where the grand prize lay.
“How big is the Colosseum that they’ve got an entire mountain inside?”, I wondered out loud.
“No way for any of us to find out”, Axe shook his head cynically. “The more immediate problem for us is how to hunt the Firewyrm. If any of you have a last-minute power up, please let me know. Otherwise, it’ll have to be a kill-steal from Quito, no way around it”.
“Seems like the best option for now”, Quito agreed, looking out at the grasslands. "Looks like a straight path to the mountain from here"
“The plains are wide open, barely any cover apart from those tiny hills.", I pointed out. "At least we can spot any ambush coming from a mile away even without my ability".
“A place like this you gotta watch the skies and what's below your feet less than anything else", Kariel grunted. “Who knows what monsters the Duke’s got lying around: don’t let your previous experiences give you a blindspot else you’ll be dead before you know it”.
“Some good advice”, Axe admitted, surprised at Kariel’s words of wisdom, before speaking to me. “I hope your ability isn’t too restricted by the ground – the sky we can keep a track of in this clear weather, but from below we’re relying on you.”
“It shouldn’t be a problem”, I confirmed. “Plus, there’s a lot less background life for an ambusher to hide their signature out here”.
A real plains would be just as teeming with life than a forest, but it seemed that even the Colosseum cut corners here and there.
We began our march towards the mountain in the distance, the others training their eyes on the skies above while I focused my concentration in all directions. It was fairly uneventful – our relief upon leaving that forest was pronounced. There was a kind of invisible pressure in there after that ambush that we didn’t really notice until we left.
Of course, this was a fallacy: we were no less likely to be ambushed out here than in the forest. But - according to my professional opinion - minds don’t often work in concert with logic.
As it was, Kariel’s warning reminded me of that fact. At the end of the day, we were entertainment for a faceless crowd. And nothing’s more boring than an easy journey – all the good stories have challenges and obstacles to overcome.
The Colosseum was only unique in that those challenges were usually directly related to or resulted in death in one way or another.
As it was, it wasn’t long before I saw the evidence for this theory present itself. Burrowing under the soil about a kilometre away, I sensed something approach with speed.
It ate up the ground between us with rapid acceleration, yet causing not even the slightest tremor to be felt. Though my Codex rendered its silent travel compromised.
“Somethings approaching from my side. Its about twenty metres deep, but I can’t make out its shape”, I alerted the others to the oncoming threat.
“Spread out everyone”, Axe ordered quickly. “We don’t want to be all caught as one when it surfaces”. With military precision, we all separated and took positions like four corners of a square.
“How long until it’s here, Phi”, Axe questioned, staring at the ground as though he could see the approaching monster through pure will.
“Ten seconds, give or take a few”, I said, doing the calculations at lightning speed.
“Alright. Remember, we can’t see it, so you’re in charge. We’ll obey your orders exactly”.
I nodded firmly. Taking command in a situation like this wasn’t something I was completely unfamiliar with.
Soon enough, the monster had approached the hundred metre distance. It appeared to slow before circling around and making a beeline directly for Axe.
“It’s going for you Axe”, I shouted. “Be ready to jump to one side; everyone else, ready your weapons. When it surfaces, hit it with everything you’ve got.”
Axe bent his legs, tensing his muscles. I sensed a spike of energy from him, as black markings appeared on his arms and legs.
Those must be the sigils for his Psyker ability. I suppose arms and legs make sense to focus your strengthening on.
“Hold”, I said, concentrating on the approaching figure. By this point, it was almost beneath us.
Abruptly, it made a ninety-degree turn, hurtling upwards almost vertically with no change in speed. It’d be on Axe within seconds.
“Now, Axe!”, I yelled out. His feet left imprints in the dark soil as he jumped to one side. Barely a second after, a booming crash resounded along with an eruption of soil. The monster was some kind of worm; chitinous rings separated the dark brown segments of its body. Its drooling maw clamped shut with a loud snap on the air Axe had been a split-second previously.
With a powerful grunt, Kariel launched his spear at the rising beast. It screeched through the air with a promise of death. But the worm was covered in a slimy layer of mucous and the throw was just barely off, Kariel’s view obscured by the cloud of dust from the worm’s breach. The metal spear slid off, leaving a shallow wound but failing to pierce through its thick hide.
Axe had righted himself quickly after his tumble and swung his fist like a battering ram into its side. His fist pierced easily where even Kariel’s spear failed and the worm thrashed about manically, letting out a squeal of pain. Axe was being thrown about, his arm elbow deep into the worm's flesh but instead of trying to disentangle himself, he struck his other fist in a powerful blow, holding onto the writhing worm as if it were some bucking bull.
I was about to make a move when I felt unnatural fluctuations from Quito's mind. Kariel had drawn a short sword in an attempt to engage without his spear, but he too halted. Quito aimed his rifle at the bucking worm. With every thrash a new crater was created in the ground, Axe somehow managing to stay on top, ripping through its flesh in a frenzy. But the creature was just too huge, and Axe too small.
But size would only be to its disadvantage here. With a sharp crack and a bright muzzle flash that illuminated Quito’s white pelt against the dark night, Quito shot. That purple aura around his mind undulated in mesmerising patterns as his telekinesis activated. The bullet was too fast for me to track, colliding with the beast’s head in an instant.
Though its effects made me wonder if it was a bullet or an anti-tank rifle he shot. The bullet hit the worm’s neck above where Axe was holding on. It shot straight through, almost decapitating the worm in an explosion of flesh. The grass smoked and withered where the black blood fell.
The worm twitched a few more times before collapsing on one side, much of its body still unrevealed below the surface. Quito calmly returned the rifle to its standby position, though I could see his mind was exhausted from the shot.
I suppose apart from bending bullets, he can give them a little nudge in the acceleration department. Though it seems like his trump card looking at his remaining stamina.
Axe crawled out from underneath the worm, his entire body caked in mucous and bits of flesh. He grasped a dark brown looking stick that he held out to Kariel.
Kariel took it back with an expression that seemed as though he had just received the body of a dear family member.
“Oh no”, he moaned. “I should never have taken that shot. My poor baby”. He cradled the spear gently in his scaled arms. Quito then walked over, helping Axe to his feet.
“Good shot”, Axe gasped. “Though you almost took my arms off”.
“I would never have missed”, Quito spoke disdainfully. “Phi made some good calls though”. The others nodded in appreciation.
“Y’know, we’re working pretty well together. Maybe it really was fate that brought us together”, Kariel said, briefly taking his attention away from his precious spear.
“I barely did anything”, I admitted truthfully. Apart from the initial attack, the others had worked together seamlessly to take it down. I envied their wordless co-ordination, though it made me wonder how many battles it was built on.
“You did enough”, Axe replied gruffly. “Having someone to counter an ambush is basically a cheat code in this event”. He seemed to be smiling, though covered in filth as he was it seemed more like the grimace of a demon than anything else.
“Let’s keep moving”, Quito interjected. “We’re almost at the foot of the mountain and getting there first would give us an undeniable advantage. We haven’t run into any other squads yet but as we all converge on that mountain, that run won’t last. Better that we make the mountain our home ground so that we do not get caught off guard again.”
Axe nodded sagely, flinging bits and pieces of worm from his long hair. “We might have our walking ambush detector here, but nothing’s infallible. And other gladiators will be a hell of a lot harder to take out than a few mindless beasts.”
“I for one hope we do find some others”, Kariel snarled. “These weak things aren’t enough to quench my thirst. No matter if it's gladiators or the Firewyrm: they'll all be my prey."
His eyes held astonishing intensity as he looked towards the mountain peak in the distance. I followed his gaze, watching as that column of black smoke rose into the sky like the ash cloud of a smouldering volcano.
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[EXPERIMENT LOG ACCESS REQUEST DETECTED]
* Initiating secure channel…
* Validating user credentials…
[VALIDATED: HELLO USER 0.]
* Searching system database for experiment logs…
* Retrieving records of “Overproject LAST RESORT Secondary Directive PROMETHEUS”…
- [START OF RECORD] -
[SYSTEM BOOT INITIATED]
* Initiating Primary Neural Kernel…
* Bio-sensory Failsafe: Armed
* Signal Buffering: [Engaged]
* Connecting Transdimensional Clock…
* Establishing date…
* Date established 17.01.033…
* Establishing co-ordinates…
* Co-ordinates established uncorrupted…
* Executing bootstrap.exe please standby…
* Loading…
* Complete!
* Checking credentials…
[OPERATIVE PROTOCOLS ACTIVE: WELCOME USER 1!]
* Preparing xenographic interface...
* Loading core programs...
* Spooling reactor cores...
* All Systems Synced. Initialisation Complete
[AWAITING INPUT]
* Set Overproject LAST RESORT: Active
* Execute secondary directive: PROMETHEUS
[PROMETHEUS READY. AWAITING SET CONDITIONS]
* Deploy cognitive suppression algorithms...
* C.S.A: ACTIVE
* Synchronise sentience inhibitors...
* Sentience inhibitors: ONLINE
* Active EPIMETHUS protocol
[EPIMETHEUS PROTOCOL: ACTIVE]
* Establish containment grid...
* Containment grid: STABLE
* Binding subroutines: SPELL NULLIFICATION ACTIVE
* Sealing memory loops...
* Heuristic pathways: LOCKED
* Enabling temporal cascade fail-safes...
* Begin simulation...
[STANDBY FOR PROMETHEUS SIM. ITERATION 6.073...x1023]
* Loading...
* Complete!
* Begin analysis...
[STANDBY FOR ANALYSIS]
* Loading...
* Analysis complete!
[DISPLAY RESULTS?]
* Y/N
[FETCHING...]
* Simulation accuracy: 99.9999%
* Suppression value maximised: 99.999%
* Sentience index: 0.001 - FULLY SUPPRESSED
* Mana-levels: 3.2 - MINIMUM SUSTAINABLE LEVELS
* Containment: STABLE
* Sentience: NEUTRALISED
* Secondary Directive PROMETHEUS: FULLY OPERATIONAL
* Multi-layer binding protocols active: NO DEVIATION DETECTED
* Memory cascade loops eliminated
* Temporal interference: ZERO ANOMALIES DETECTED
* Sentience inhibition: SELF-CORRECTIVE ALGORITHM ONLINE
[PARAMETERS OBTAINED]
* Logging success conditions...
* Saving outcome parameters...
[STORING DATA...]
* Do not turn off...
* Complete!
[AWAITING NEXT DIRECTIVE]
[ENTERING STANDBY MODE]
- [END OF RECORD] -
* Log retrieval complete.
* Terminating secure channel.