Silence and darkness reigned. Then in the distance, red light washed out, illuminating the tunnel leading into the room. It grew brighter and larger, accompanied by the appearance of shifting shapes simmering against the opposing wall. Human shadows. The trod of boots followed soon after, along with the flicker of fire and sound unfamiliar voices.

“I’m getting a bad feeling. This entire place was infested last time we came. The core was here when we stopped by wasn’t it?”

“Aye. Was just down here. In a room.”

“I-I think this is a mistake. Maybe we should just head back.”

So, Nick thought, inhabiting a droid body buried under a pile of rubble. He guessed correctly. They were after the spawn-core.

He did not move an inch, lest he disturb the pile of rocks he was encased inside. Not that it was a difficult task. The body was numb. He was glad not to feel all the sharp jagged edges of the stones or their weight pressing into him.

Only one part was exposed. A small slit where the eyes would normally be. A brief check before he hopped in indicated a casual observer wouldn’t be able to tell the gray material of the droid from the surrounding rocks. Especially in poor lighting.

And with that, he waited. Observing to see if these strangers were allies or threats.

Either way, he needed to get access to that ship.

“Seriously? You scared young chump? Come on. This is light work. Besides it is the fringe, not too many things which can cause trouble for our lot out here.”

“N-Not scared. Just thinking about what the boss said. W-We were supposed to head straight to the crash.”

“Oh, suck it up. Besides it isn’t up to Cumberlane if we take a detour. What are we, an army?”

“Shut it. All of you.”

“What’s got up under your chin Greaser?”

“Something is up and I don’t like it. If that core is gone…”

A bright ball of light flashed into being, obscuring his vision. Just for a moment however.

The first figure stepping into the room held the mass of curling flames in his hand. Fire-affinity. The man wore a free-flowing robe with a dark bandana wrapped around his head. Red unkempt hair lined his hair and cheeks.

The twin swords tied to opposite sides of his belt confirmed his origin. Robe made for the desert. Curved blades. A southerner. Either a Barkhan or Pythian.

The man’s gaze crept across the entire room. A frown flitted beneath his mustache.

Several others stepped behind him. A man with clothes whose billowing style indicated it was spun from wool. His felt hat had flaps covering his ears. A smaller figure trotted behind him on four legs. Too large to be a dog. A wolf.

The remaining three wore outfits which looked like they had been clobbered together from completely separate wardrobes. Several pieces didn’t match up with their body sizes. Square patches knitted along several spots. Two carried swords, while the third carried an aether-musket. Out of all their articles they had on however, his eyes were drawn most to the silver gleam of bracers along their arms.

Sapphire, Emerald, Agate.

Water, Air, Earth.

Armed, dangerous, and from a variety of backgrounds. Were they reclaimers then?

Something stirred within him. The same madness from before. Maybe it was the tenseness of the situation. He clamped down upon it.

“No fiends. No core.” The southerner turned back to the rest of the group. “It appears our prize is no longer here.”

“Damn it!” said a bracer. He kicked a pebble, sending it pinging into a tipped minecart. “Look around! It can’t have gone missing!”

The southerner flourished his hand, causing the orb to spin and rise. Light spilled out the entire room revealing scattered piles of rubble, upended carpets of nightmoss, twisted rail tracks, and a large slope of minecarts and rocks blocking the exit to the outside world.

Nick winced, but relaxed upon realizing they hadn’t noticed his presence yet, nor all the droids lurking under the rubble piles.

“It appears it is indeed missing.” The southerner stepped toward the crater at the center of the room.

“Didn’t do a good job of covering it up either.” Another bracer looked towards the pile of minecarts and rocks that Nick’s droids hastily piled up the previous evening. “Looks like they came in through the entrance we packed up.

He twitched his head back toward the group.

“Hell, I recall that bit of handiwork took you a good deal of effort to make Greaser.”

“Damn it!” said the one called Greaser. He paced forward, pushing aside minecarts as he searched the room. After finishing a single lap he cursed. “It is gone. It is fucking gone! Someone ratted it out. Had to have. I’m betting it is that whore.”

“Just because she turned you down don’t mean she ratted us out.” The other bracer with the sword shook his head. “I doubt it was her.”

“And just because she is keeping your cot warm doesn’t mean she can be trusted,” said Greaser.

“That conniving fox. I would have been able to fit a second gemstone with the power from the core. I can bloody well feel it.”

“Should have joined us when we went to Vislanda then.” Trent twinkled a golden amulet hanging from his neck. “Wasn’t at all the the suicide gig you thought it was. Nephilim. Overrated. Landed ourselves a decent amount of mana and some nifty trinkets from it.”

If Nick could feel his blood, he would have felt it freeze. The terrible feeling glowered and starting making waves in his mind.

“Oh, shut it,” said Greaser.

The southerner narrowed his eyes at the irate bracer. “You have little self-control.”

“Screw you Jirah.” Greaser pointed his finger at the southerner. “Lousy desert-dweller. I bet you ratted us out too. Don’t think I didn’t see you fucking conspiring with your fellow in the hold. I-”

The southerner’s hand moved, a whirl of fire following in its wake. The hand smacked into Greaser’s face, sending him crashing into a minecart.

“H-Hey!” The smallest of the bunch whipped his musket in Jirah’s direction. Nick noted his trembling hand.

The wolf barked but didn’t budge from its spot. Its silent handler crouched and whisked a pinch of dirt from the ground.

“Don’t you dare compare me to a Pythian,” said Jirah.

“Now easy there.” Trent stepped forward, tipping the barrel of the musket away. “I’m just as disappointed at our loss but it won’t do us any good if we get into a fight here.”

Greaser scrambled up to his feet, clutching his cheek. He spat out blood, followed by something white.

He looked at the tooth on the ground and glared back at Jirah. Brown light gathered around his left palm. A few pebbles on the ground began to rattle. “Why you lousy-”

“Knock it off Greaser.” Trent stepped between the two men. He pointed an accusing finger at Greaser. “And you bloody well deserved that.”

“I lost me tooth!”

“And we’ll get you to a healer to patch you right back up. The good lady Vampyr will probably have someone who can help with that.”

Vampyr?

“Fuck,” said Trent, who dropped his hand. The blue aether vanished, falling into drops of water. “I don’t want to head into that hag’s den. You don’t know what they do to men. I’ve heard stories.”

It was beyond all doubt now that these men were involved, if not outright complicit with those that attacked Sevola. The rage grew to a boil.

Jirah scoffed. “Doubt they’d want anything to do with someone as ugly as you.”

“Not what I meant. Why don’t-“

“I said easy,” said Trent, who turned his eyes back to Jirah. “And you knock it off as well. Core ain’t here, and we still got to help out with that crash. Let’s get moving.”

“There is no rat,” said the silent man with the felt hat, who sniffed the dust gathered in his palm.

“What?” said Greaser, mouthing through his injured cheek. “And how are you so certain?”

“No rats. Listen.”

Everyone stood quiet. Not a sound except for the flicker of fire above.

“I hear nothing,” said Trent.

“Exactly.” The man unsheathed a cutlass from his belt. The curve blade glimmering in firelight. “Last time we came. There were many rats. Now… none. Pushka smells something. Not human. Something else is here.”

Nick forgot about the presence he had around animals. It was why he never bothered to see Lara’s pegasus.

However, now he was dealing with a bigger problem. He hadn’t felt the madness this keenly before. If ever. It felt like something wanted out. Something cold.

“W-What do you mean?” the bracer with the musket said.

“The nomad has a point. You could hear the runts crawling everywhere the last time we came.”

“You sure about that?” Trent stepped close to the pile of rocks where Nick was hiding. “If it was another runner, I’d take the core then bolt.”

Nick saw the twinkle of the medallion around his neck. He remembered seeing it before. From Cedric’s house. Then he remembered the man’s face. Among the jovial laughing crowd as they boarded their ships after taking plunder from the small sea-side town.

The tide swept up.

Then… nothing. Not fear or excitement. Neither sorrow or rage. Neither anguish or joy.

Never before in his life had he felt so calm. Everything became clear to him. Everything was tied to a sole cold purpose.

“I mean I guess there are a few places to hide. Not like there is anywhere to run for-”

The pile of stones burst outward as his right hand swept a buried sword forward.

Activating: Empowered Weapon

Shock and surprise appeared on the man’s face right as a violet flash erupted around the weapon.

The sword pierced the human’s neck. A tug of resistance upon contact followed by a flash of green light. Nick just pressed deeper, and the defensive barrier gave away. Blood gushed out as the weapon pierced skin, muscle, bone, and skin again as it ruptured out the other side.

The man’s mouth opened, sputtering blood and saliva. He gurgled as Nick tore the sword back out. With the damage dealt, this foe could no longer pose a threat. Life functions would cease momentarily. Rendering him free to deal with the remaining group.

One eliminated. Five remaining.

All other enemy units all turned their heads towards him.

“Shit!” one of the humans pointed its finger in his direction. “Ambush!”

Four humans. One animal. He didn’t have a full estimate of their combat capabilities. His best option was to maintain the initiative. Prevent them from organizing a united defense.

One of the humans stood behind two rock piles. Where two subordinate units were hidden.

He sent out a mental command. Initiate ambush.

The droids burst out in a shower of pebbles and debris. All enemy units hesitated, turning in the direction of the noise.

“What the-!”

Too late. The two droids tore forward with spears. Violet light flickered around the tips of the blades. Their energized weapons punctured the human’s backside, right as he began drawing his weapon.

The man stood stunned, looking down as the twin tips erupted out of his chest. He gasped once, before the droids pulled their weapons out. Leaving him to fall into a bloody heap.

Two eliminated. Four remaining.

“Behind us!”

Nick sent out an order. Three more droids burst out from the debris, surrounding them from all sides. Violet barriers lit up around their shields.

They charged, engaging the enemy units in melee. Nick stood, observing each combatant.

One human drew twin swords wreathed in flame. A droid moved in, bearing its sword down on the man. The fiery blade clashed with the basic sword, sending sparks flying outward as it sheared through the droid’s weapon. The droid withdrew, creaking back and raising its shield to block the return attack. The blow clanged off the violet barrier, although it caused a noticeable drop in the droid’s energy signature.

Another human triggered its ranged weapon. A fireball belched from the end, forcing a defensive droid to stop its charge short to take cover behind its shield. The fireball slammed into it, creating an explosion of light and sound. When it dissipated into smoke however, the droid remained standing. A quarter of its energy signature missing.

The last human sent its animal ahead. The wolf charged, rapidly circling around the third droid’s shield and taking a chunk out of its sword arm. The droid stopped, shifting to blocking the snapping fangs of the wolf with its shield.

As he monitored and analyzed their attack patterns, the silent human pointed his sword in Nick’s direction.

“That one there! It is the leader.”

The human with the fire-wreathed swords kicked back one of the defensive droids, buying it time to breathe.

“Trent and Greaser are down. Whatever these things are, they got us good. We need to retreat!”

The animal handler however didn’t listen. Instead, he let out a battlecry and charged. The wolf dipped back, directed its ravenous glare in Nick’s direction, and charged alongside its handler.

Away from the group. Another opportunity to exploit.

He sent mental commands to the other units. Two droids to engage the other two humans. One droid to intercept the animal handler. Two offensive units would engage the animal with him.

They executed as instructed. The one-armed droid slammed into the charging human with its shield, cutting its charge short. The wolf however continued forward, right as two offensive units appeared by Nick’s flanks.

He is not one to let the enemy strike first, and the offensive units appeared to have inherited the same trait. They shot their spears forward. The wolf swerved out of the way of their attacks. It attempted to snap its jaws towards Nick, but stopped short as he swept wide with the sword.

The offensive droids struck again, only for their weapons to strike nothing but air as the animal whisked backward with its superior agility.

Nick ordered a change. An adaption to its attack patterns, right as the animal dashed ahead.

One droid swept its spear in a wide arc, low to the ground. The animal leapt into the air to dodge it.

As predicted.

The other droid shot forward with its spear while the wolf was mid-air. Without anything to kick against to dodge away, the spear struck home. Piercing the animal’s soft underbelly.

A whine of pain echoed through the room.

“No!” the animal-handler kicked the defensive droid off of it.

Nick wasted no time, stepping forward to the skewered wolf and sweeping his blade down on its neck.

Blood sprayed over the ground.

Three eliminated. Three remaining.

The animal handler roared. Nick interpreted it as a severe emotional reaction. Another opportunity.

The human finished off the one-armed defensive droid with a single strike from its cutlass, before charging forward again. It moved directly towards Nick, hate and rage glimmering from its eyes. He wound up his first strike.

Downward sword strike from left to right. Nick adjusted his blade to parry the attack away. Metal clanged as both weapons met.

Then Nick twisted. The motion starting from his hip for maximum leverage. He swept the human’s sword until the blade was nicked between the pommel of his own blade. Then he bent down, rendering both of their weapons in a deadlock.

The human roared, as Nick felt him attempting to free his weapon from the clinch.

Twin spears erupted through the man’s shoulders. Shock replaced rage. He looked at his arms, now hanging useless and limp.

With the pressure gone, Nick swung up with his weapon, cutting upward across the human’s neck in one smooth motion.

Four eliminated. Two remaining.

The two opponents left were split by a sizeable distance. One of the defensive units had been destroyed in the melee by one. Reduced to little more than a pile of molten slag. The other, however, struggled to parry away a single droid.

Rendering it the more vulnerable target.

He commanded all other units to finished off the remaining target.

“Ates Tirpani!”

Red light erupted from the other human, changing into a scythe of fire which rapidly veered in their direction. Nick swerved down, ducking low, followed suit by all other droids. The wave of fire passed over them, crashing into the rock walls moments later.

“Get out of here kid!”

The smaller human said nothing, but bolted up the tunnel after a moment of hesitation.

No matter. Nick gave a mental order to units further up the complex. They would be sufficient to eliminate the routed threat.

Four eliminated. One routed. One remaining.

“You aren’t any fiend.” The man said while brandishing his twin blades. “You look human. All of you. What are you all?”

Nick charged along with the remaining droids. They had the human surrounded. He wouldn’t be able to block attacks from angles.

And one hit was all he needed.

“Not one for words? So, be it.”

The human dropped his hand.

“Ates Palamak!”

Something growled from above. Nick looked up, as the ball of fire, which had been keeping the room lit, fell towards the ground. It glowed to blinding levels as it sped downwards.

He gave a mental command, crouching right as it touched the floor. Fire blew out from the impact. Waves of combustion and heat soared outward from the wake of the impact.

When the flames passed by, the room was left draped in darkness. He couldn’t see anything, save for the violet glow of shields and weapons.

Then twin blades of flame erupted in the blackness.

They danced around like fireflies in the night, swerving forward. An offensive unit attempted to block one strike, only to be cut down by the other blade. The violet light of its spear flickered away, and the two seared halves of the droid’s torso clattered to the floor.

“You will find I am a different level of opponent from those you fought earlier. I was a Janissary once. A Sultan’s chosen. And you are no threat to me.”

Nick moved out of the way, right as the shifting blades swerved towards him.

He ordered all remaining droids to resume their assault. This opponent however, parried each of their attacks with ease. Even levying attacks of its own. A fiery sword cut the spear of an offensive droid in half. Another strike slicing off its head. In the aftermath, another droid managed to land a hit with its sword, but it bounced off, rippling against a barrier of red aether.

“So… only the violet weapons can pierce aether eh? Mundane weapons. That will make this simple.”

Nick said nothing. His thoughts running like river rapids.

The twin blades of fire glowered, casting a dim red visage of the man’s face.

“You are a curiosity. I have never seen aether in this color,” he said. “Sadly, this will not save you today. Prepare to die.”

The human swerved forward, fiery swords bearing down. Nick managed to parry the initial strike, but his opponent was faster.

One of the swords moved around his guard, veering too quickly to be blocked or parried.

He focused his will, leaving the body.

As the fiery weapon cut its way through the droid, he entered the body of the closest droid.

Activating: Empowered Weapon

The sword flared violet and he swung it forth. The human noticed too late as the changed weapon struck his side.

This time the barrier ruptured, and the blade cut through his chest.

Nick could see the man’s eyes bulge in the firelight. He coughed, even as the flicker of flames in his swords died down.

He twisted the blade.

The man screamed, dropping his swords.

Before the firelight vanished, the last defensive droid stepped in, grabbing the man’s head with its hands.

There was a solemn snap as darkness took hold in the room once more. Followed by the thud of flesh striking rock.

Five eliminated. One routed.

He received a mental notification that the rearward units had finished off the routed foe.

All combatants eliminated.

Then all at once, everything came back. Thought, emotion, feeling. It was a droid body but the rush of everything caused him to nearly collapse onto the ground.

What had he done?