Dust fell from the ceiling, filling the space with musty, choking clouds that drifted to the floor, coating everything in a fine layer of powder.
Mark stood with arms hoisted above his head as [Earth control] worked to keep the lengthening walls from collapsing inward. Sam worked next to Mark, boring a hole through earth that had probably not been disturbed for decades.
Punching through to the underground safely proved to be more of a battle than they had first anticipated.
They had chosen this particular building because it was directly over one of the main tunnels, but at the same time, they didn’t need it becoming a bridge Corrupted could use to enter the city. So some steps had to be taken to ensure their safety.
Getting Metayo involved proved to be the correct move as he had directed them to the best place to start digging, and even designed an entrance that made it quite impossible for the Corrupted to climb up and out.
“Ms. Dureal please keep the structure as uniform as you can, we can’t allow it to deviate from a square. Mr. Young you are going to need bars across the opening before we connect to the tunnel.”
The design was well thought out, but in its simplest form, it was a hole in the ground with a cramped staircase spiraling down into the darkness. A narrow lattice of steel would be placed at regular intervals along the hole. While at the top, a square cage would act as a protruding gate. If things decided to climb out of the tunnels and got past the other layers of defense, they would be trapped.
Karter would be assigning a guard unit to the area to keep an eye on the hole just in case, but Jonathan intended to take the lead down into the tunnels as soon as they were finished. He still had around two days until NAS called them for the expedition so he wanted to get as as much exp under his belt before then.
Then the sound of the storage facility’s creaking door hinges made themselves known.
For a moment Mark halted his work to stare up at the opening.
Karter had left once he saw them break ground, but Jonathan could not wait to get started, so he hung around.
That, plus he needed to remain near Mark and Sam right now. If it was anyone who was not supposed to be here, he would send them away.
The sounds of boots tapping on concrete approached the hole, accompanied by the distinctive noise of metal buckles clicking together with every movement.
Gibby’s form poked over the edge with his usual lighthearted grin.
“So this is where you all were”
Mark's shoulders drooped for a moment.
What they were doing wasn't exactly approved by any of the big powers in the city but at the same time, there was no one telling them they couldn’t. They had decided to keep their little personal training grounds a secret.
As long as nothing escaped there was no harm in it. A single earth spell could collapse the whole thing at the drop of a hat.
“I’m impressed you guys thought to build one of these. NAS has only just figured this one out.”
Mark looked up at him and shrugged his shoulders.
“We had a little help with the idea.”
Gibby simply nodded.
“Yeah, the only downside I can see is the limited use. You won’t be able to get all your people down there, not to mention if you clear out the tunnels you will have to go further to find more Corrupted. I could probably help Karter set up a unit rotation so everyone gets a turn.”
Mark hummed to himself.
“Good point, but I think we might have the perfect solution for that.”
Gibby blinked owlishly at Mark, but before he could ask, Sam called out.
“Mark, get those frameworks up; I’m about to crack into the tunnel.”
Refocusing, Mark tugged at the stonework, sinking thick iron bars over the opening and setting them deep into the solidified earth.
At the same time, a hiss of pressure being released into the tunnel escaped past them, as a wave of stale air pushed up from the underground, carrying scents of decaying matter. Gibby covered his nose with a hand and took a step back.
This prompted Jonathan to stick his head over the side, undaunted by the stench, and a twinkling battle lust in his eye.
However, no one could proceed before Metayo had checked everything and was happy, structurally speaking.
Mark was just putting the third layer of metal bars near the bottom of the thirty-meter drop when a high-pitched Ghast wail came from below. It smashed up against the bars unable to proceed any further.
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A [Force bolt] claimed its life but Mark could hear more of them coming, so he fastened the last bar into place and floated upwards.
When the swarm arrived they began spearing their tails through the bars in an attempt to skewer him. Out of reach, Mark was about to begin culling the herd, when Jonathan swept right past him and grabbed at the tails poking through.
What followed was the sound of bones and tendons stretching and cracking as they were forcefully pulled through gaps too small for their bodies to fit naturally.
After he was done, Mark opened up a hole near where the staircase ended, and Jonathan willingly dropped down into the darkness below. Weapons drawn and eyes lit by the blood-red glow of his Aura. Flashes of skills and sparks of steel and stone meeting punctuated the shadows. The cries of hungry Corrupted below took on a desperate tone. If they could feel fear Mark might have even felt sorry for them. Instead, he continued to rework areas not yet up to Metayo’s standards.
By the time they had finished their work, only two tiny red orbs looked back up at them.
“All done down here, I can't go any further and no more are showing up.”
Some might interpret Jonathan's words with a hint of relief, but Mark knew that his voice held only annoyance and disappointment.
“Alright, we’re coming down,” Mark shouted. Turning to Metayo, he added.
“Head back and tell Karter we’re done but we’ll stay to clear out the initial waves.”
Sam and Mark jumped down into the inky gloom while Gibby sat crosslegged at the opening. As Mark fell, a pale orb of light materialized next to him, its radiance casting the tunnel's shadows in the form of lanky demons.
Metayo had been right about this being a main tunnel, as several train tracks merged here, though there was no terminal for passengers to board. So all they could make out was one huge burrow stretching in either direction for what could be miles. A few tracks diverted into their own lines further down, snaking off in all directions.
Sam and Mark lowered their altitude so that they hovered just over Jonathan’s shoulders.
By now Jonathan was able to restrict about two-thirds of his mark on his own, but Sam and Mark still caught the remainder.
Expanding his Construct Mark allowed it to fill the tunnel, and once more he checked with the other two.
“Okay, you guys sure you want to attempt this?”
Jonathan let the look of eagerness speak for him, but Sam spoke more plainly.
“As long as you are certain you can contain it, then yes.”
This was the third time Mark encountered the system's brand and each time he learned something from observing it. From the way, it interacted with the Corrupted, to the environment around them. Now he thought he could once more make use of it, just in a more controlled capacity.
Closing his eyes Mark moved to his will as it gathered near the edges of his construct. The trails of the mark rose off Jonathan at a constant rate and then it hit Sam’s will. She was able to block both her’s and Jonathan’s but she let a steady amount out which Mark then blocked. It was a system they had come up with without much discussion, as it uniformly spread the burden.
Now however was time to make use of it.
When the mark was unblocked, it spread out into the environment like a scent, lingering in the air as energy, and whipping any Corrupted it came upon into a frenzy.
Similar to scent it had a range, yet it was much greater than simple pheromones.
This trend was one Mark had noticed and now he had the control to be able to test his theory.
What he wanted was simple. If the mark was normally a screaming neon sign that broadcast a wild and irresistible call, then was there a way to make it more of a quiet suggestion? To usher Corrupted in their direction?
There were inherent risks to this, but if Mark was right, he could limit it to a couple of blocks or less, which down here was still a grand number of Corrupted.
“Alright, I’m starting”
Against his instincts, Mark began to relax his will. He would not allow all of the energy to be released, in fact, he was barely even allowing ten percent of what Sam was releasing now. To be fair, they were a decent ways into the duration of the mark, and there were two of them, so a very low trickly was all Mark would need.
The immediate response from their surroundings was nowhere to be seen, and Mark wondered if he should increase it, but from experience he decided against it.
Instead, he kept the trickle of power leaking at a gradual pace. Noticing it beginning to build up in their surroundings he closed off his will once more and let the energy dissipate before beginning anew. Repeating the process like that of a tepid lighthouse, attempting to break through a thick fog.
After enough time had passed, Jonathan's head turned in a southern direction, and a minute or so later, Mark heard them too—the groans of looming bodies. But the sound was different from usual; they were walking at a meandering pace. No urgency or frothing excitement in their movements, just a gradual migration toward the trio.
Though once they were spotted things changed, and the Corrupted charged at them like any other starving beast, but the fact that they came at such a gradual pace allowed for efficient disposal. Jonathan took the lead, while Mark and Sam simply covered for him if he needed it. When Mark was certain he had not pulled more than they could handle, he stopped releasing the pulses and allowed Jonathan to work through the number they had called.
This turned out to take longer than he expected as the gradual arrival of creatures didn’t slow.
While Jonathan worked through the hoards arriving, Mark set up two [Animated Minds] to watch over him and attack if needed.
In the meantime, Sam was more interested in practicing spatial spells. Mark knew why right away, if she were going to have any luck tracking down Cara, then she would need a better understanding of spatial magic. The terrifying thing was that Sam always dedicated herself to understanding magic at a voracious rate. But now, a new desperation fueled her. The desire to learn was eclipsed by the worry she felt for Cara. This pushed her already prodigious understanding to a point where Mark couldn't even follow her thought process. His attempts to help only seemed to slow her down, yet Mark thought that might be a good thing given her current pace. She was having trouble with long-distance jumps, and the frustration in her voice kept building. Muttering something about the strands not aligning while threads of silver magic dripped off her fingertips.
Frankly, a deep pang of concern gripped Mark for both of them. One had been delivered the cruel verdict of his looming death, while the other battled a sea of worry that threatened to drown her. Mark understood their hardships, and he knew that they were navigating dark times, as he had with Grace. All he could do now was stand beside them, a reassuring force.
So, amid combat, Mark watched over both of them as they pushed themselves to their absolute limits.