The ultimatum was not a hard decision to make. They had no intention of leaving here without the guardian’s head, so until they did, they would remain in the quarantine zone.
However, that did not mean they were going in blind. Jonathan and Chloe explained why they were there, and at first, none of them would believe they wanted to dive head-first into the fire until Jonathan and Daphne released their Aura’s in full force.
It was difficult to gauge a person's real strength, but one could not fake the pressure, pure Aura could exert and the sheer volume on display proved they meant what they said. After everyone’s initial shock, they concluded that if they wanted to try, that was on them. The way Perry’s people held themselves together under pressure made it clear to Mark that they were quite strong and would likely have been difficult to deal with in a drawn-out fight.
In the meantime, Jonathan tried to find out as much as possible, and though still against their departure, Perry did explain what he knew.
“For starters, contact is impossible. Microscopic crystals cover these creatures, so any form of contact leads to infection. We’re lucky it's not airborne, or things would be a lot worse. ‘She’ is in the center of the campus. We haven't been able to pinpoint her location, but the spire originated from her. She defends it fiercely and won’t be far from there.”
It only took Mark a second to realize Perry was talking about the Guardian itself. It sounded like they had a few altercations with her, but as far as they could tell she was too territorial to give chase.
Things changed a couple of days ago when a hoard of Corrupted came charging into her territory.
“We tried to stop them but their numbers made it impossible. It was shortly after this, that the damned light show started up.”
Jonthan interuppted him.
“Wait that flame only started recently? Was there anything else you can think of out of the norm? What caused those scorch marks in the spot you found us.”
Perry nodded at this.
“Yeah, that was an encounter I’m loth to remember. But to answer your question, those flames came from the group itself. They moved as one entity, as though each of them were doused in kerosene. As things stand you, may need to fight them to get to ‘her’.”
Mark was frowning to himself.
They had seen the signs on multiple occasions and circumstances. For example, the Ghast sightings were becoming more frequent during daylight hours. Plants adapting to their otherwise hostile environment. Corrupted taking on the aspects of the nearest stimuli. Evolution was no longer a function stretched over millions of years. The energies in their world were accelerating the engines of change down to weeks. Mark just hoped it was something they could keep pace with.
“If you still insist on going, allow me to offer you some aid. We have ample supplies here if they'll help you on your journey you are welcome to them.”
Jonathan glanced at Perry.
“Why would you give us supplies, arent you struggling here as well?”
Perry began to nod his head and then changed it to a shake, as though deciding what to tell them.
“We have everything we need from the system, and honestly, a few thick coats to prevent immediate infection will not set us back. If by some chance you do manage to kill her, then we are free to evacuate. The way I see it, a few supplies to increase your chances, even by a small amount is worth it.”
Jonathan nodded but now it was Jana who spoke up.
“Do you really intend to take a child into that war zone? As strong as you are, it’s downright irresponsible to take her in with you.”
Before anyone could respond Cara moved to the front.
“Lady, I don’t know what you think you are doing but I can protect myself. I’m here for a reason, so please don’t get in my way.”
Mark had noted Cara was more than her usual quiet self. She would normally have let them speak on her behalf, but now she wore a straight face with a defiant air about her.
She had joined them on this journey for a reason and though she looked young, she was no less motivated than the rest of them. Possibly more so.
Lines of concern etched Jana’s face but surprisingly she did not seem angry.
Stepping forward Jana lowered herself to her hunches, at eye-level she spoke.
“I understand, I won’t get in your way sweetheart, just please be safe.”
Pulling three cyan-coloured vials from her bandolier, she gave them to Cara. Perry’s brows rose at the action.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Cara looked down at the gifts and then took them. Nodding while refusing to make eye contact.
“Right, I’m going to let our stations know that you’re entering, but, under the threat of death we can’t let you out if anyone is infected.”
They all acknowledged this and got ready to leave. Jana was still staring at Cara with a forlorn look in her eyes.
Their group was given large bundles of thick clothes that could be ripped off upon contact if need be.
Perry’s fighters had formed a horseshoe-shaped blockade from the surrounding buildings, in an attempt to corral the walking biohazards.
Stepping out to the back of the building saw many eyes falling on them. Even entering the area had not garnered so much attention.
Penny had told them that outside Corrupted avoided getting too close to the campus for some reason. That also explained why they had been caught so unawares by the hoard, no one had expected it. Most of their defenses still faced inward, but now routine checks had to be done to watch for external threats.
Now there was not a single soul in sight other than Perry as they approached the decorative iron fences at the beginning of the grounds.
The Corrupted were still a ways off, but they spotted movement nearby that promised a fight the moment they got too close.
Perry waved them off and retreated as well.
Before they moved any further Mark called the group together.
“Alright, I’m going give each of you a personal shield. You need to tell me if it runs low so I can top it up. It should stop the transfer of the crystals but let's not test it unless we have to. ”
Mark thought about combining [Animated mind] with [Bestowal] but he’d need to test that first and this was not the situation to do that, not when one lapse in the shield could mean death.
Kneeling Mark set a portion of his Prana aside and burned through all his Mana. Encasing each of them in a construct, sitting flush with their bodies. He even added modifiers of ‘absorb’ to the shield to make it last longer. Sam and Jonathan were familiar with the space so they took up the lead. Mark had asked if either of them knew Perry when they had first arrived but neither did. Once the two of them had left this place they reported the dangers on campus to Karter and he said he would pass it on to command but they must have cut their losses. A brief break to let his Mana catch up, and they were off. Mark checked his amulet was in place once more, clenching it as though it would ward off evil.
The scene they entered certainly fit that description. The bricked pathways, leading to a cluster of lecture halls, were scattered with lifeless, gray crystals, emitting a foreboding atmosphere.
Now closer, Mark could inspect it, the stuff was not that different from a normal clear gem. Only, the charcoal gray vapor within, twisted and writhed within the gem, trying to escape. The stuff had pushed up from the ground, as though a daisy in concrete. Stretches of grass and once lush shrubbery were now desiccated twigs. Amongst these darkened patches, fine beds of crystal grew in clusters. These shards were so small, and packed so tightly, that they looked more like patches of glittering moss. Perry had said contact with these inert variants was okay, but they deemed it better to just avoid them.
So they began down the path, Mark caught sight of the Corrupted but for the first time, they didn’t react immediately. Instead, it was only when they navigated around the largest patches and headed for a side entrance that they took notice of the party. At first, the strength of the resistance was not worth mentioning, but as they got deeper in, their territorial nature became evident.
They managed to explore a decent amount of the outer area before entering the inner buildings and beginning to explore. It was at this point that circumstances changed, up until now, they had almost seemed skittish, but rounding a corner, they came face to face with a full horde baring down of them. Corrupted swarmed from the nearby buildings and crashed into the dome. Each of them sporting clusters of gems protruding from their flesh. Every attack sent glass-like shards of the stuff shooting outward, peppering the area with a powdery substance akin to sand. This was further exacerbated when their group retaliated, as any form of attack sent the gems flying. At first, it was manageable, and they kept moving through the area, but soon enough they were clustering so closely that even their group was having trouble progressing. Upon death, the crystals would spread over the corpse, consuming the Corrupted completely. This made for yet another obstacle in their path, as chunks of live crystal hindered their progress.
Jonathan was attacking from inside the dome when he motioned over to one of the nearby buildings.
“The dining hall, our offense is suffering! We need to relocate!”
Now as things went they had been in worse situations, but the smart move would be to conserve their strength, especially if they still wanted to find their prey.
Taking his call to heart, they broke into a sprint toward the building.
Arriving at the doors saw them barricaded shut, pulling back, Jonathan lashed out with a monstrous kick. Tearing the doors off their hinges and sending them into the building's depths. Abandoned furniture that had been stacked against the door, was strewn about, but they didn’t have time to care. Mark and Sam snapped around and pulled at the earth beneath them, closing off their entrance.
Mark turned to see Jonathan searching the room for threats, but the only thing to greet them was the stale smell of rancid flesh, dust, and the subdued beating on the walls of the building. The stillness of the room was momentarily disturbed by their breathing. The boarded windows and deserted sleeping bags told them everything they needed to know. Jonathan scowled.
“Did they even come inside, check if there were survivors?”
The question was left unanswered until they found the source of the smell. Buried below layers of crystal were corpses. Someone infected with the crystals must have gotten inside. What happened after that was a foregone conclusion. They had not become Corrupted because one brave soul had made sure it was impossible before ending himself.
Sam began to speak, pulling Cara to her side.
“Alright, we are still in good condition, I have a plan.”
Everyone tore their eyes away from the tragic scene to look at her.
“As far as I can tell, getting to the center of this place is doable as we are but what comes after that? If we engage the Guardian in the middle of this we will find it difficult to retreat. At the same time, we will have to fight the hoards while still contending with the creature. So I think we need a slow and steady approach here. Using hit-and-run tactics we kill as many of these things as we can before dealing with the Guardian.”