Around the corner, top left 2 meters. . .

I round the corner and immediately place a bubble on the highlighted crystal I was looking for. I hope it won’t happen, but am prepared for an alarm to sound at any moment. After disabling my fourth camera while I am running by and then releasing the mana when I pass, I am hoping to minimize the risk of being seen. There is also a chance that whatever disabling Charlie did to get in and through this facility with Aria is still in effect or only slowly coming back online. Who knows either way.

Five meters till your next right turn. Three devices will be highlighted. . .

I turn another corner and, for the first time since I infiltrated the facility, see a human. I immediately drop darkness around him and then the cameras. He is lying on the ground in a fetal position when I run to him, drain him with death Magica until he is unconscious, stun him with my darkness projector, send his body into a lightless cave I hollowed out in a mountain in my [Living Inventory] while prepping in the storage closet, and keep running.

Thankfully it is a night shift crew. However, I would expect your future travels to pass areas more populated. . .

[Fine, whatever. When we get there, you need to find Aria if she is still here, or the details of her departure if she’s not. That is your priority.]

Understerstood. Left and right three and five meters after the turn. . .

***

You are only three turns from the hallway with the security office. . .

By the time I hear the message that we are close, ten more minutes have passed and there are eleven unconscious humans in my [Living Inventory]’s confinement cave. It is at that point that a loud klaxon sounds throughout the facility and all the white mana lights change color to red.

[Finally! This place really needs an audit of its procedures. Sloppy. Remind me to send a report to Tabard about it.]

Agreed. The response was quite slow. . .

A voice sounds throughout the facility warning of my infiltration. “Security has been breached and facility lockdown is now in effect. Guards, report to your stations. The perpetrator is dressed in black and appears able to use Magica or has Magica devices. Arms lockers are open and force is authorized. This is not a drill.”

[Stealth is no longer required. Although they will be firing on sight now.]

I create mana construct armor that covers every inch of my body but I keep it hidden under the darkness cloud around me. I don’t want them to know anything about my body shape, height, or physique. Nothing evidentiary can link back to me.

I turn the corner and see three facility guards talking and one looking around. One sees me and is about to call out but I put them all in a darkness field before any sound escapes. I enter it and hit them all with very light stunning lightning then drain them with darkness serpents until unconscious. As they are normal humans, I use as little mana as possible. They are just doing their jobs after all. Anyway, in they go to join the other unconscious humans and I move on at a sprint.

Another group of two and then three guards are dropped when I reach the door. This area only has two possible entry points so I can focus on where to defend. I drop my own small surveillance crystals just beyond each corner right next to the mana lights and engage their camouflage capabilities.

[This place is just not secure enough. How the fuck do they keep anyone from breaking out?]

This facility is meant for normal humans, not Specials. . .

[Oh. Well, that makes sense then.]

This is a stark reminder of how weak normal humans are compared to Specials and, of course, our enemies. I recall the battles and enemies I faced before my level up and reflect on just how totally under-powered humanity is. The Invaders really could have taken nearly this entire planet if they really wanted to. Instead, they use it as a training ground for their weak or inexperienced.

I sigh. What a waste.

Finally reaching the door, I press my hand to the cryspad and as expected, the door to the security control center is reinforced and likely heavily engraved and/or enchanted for resilience. I wonder who would be inside.

Accessing. Please leave your hand on the pad to speed the process. . .

[Estimate?]

Slightly more than five minutes. I cannot be more accurate at this time. . .

Damn. I could probably cut through in less time but I’d be distracted and vulnerable during the process. I have 70% of my mana still and, because I don’t want to be bothered or risk having to remove my hand, I drop a darkness field on the entire hallway and just stand there in complete nothingness waiting for Jo to get me in.

A large group of guards are on the way to your location, called by one or more of the individuals beyond this door. . .

[Maybe picking up the pace then? I am going out of my way not to kill anyone here but being one-handed makes it harder.]

Or does it? Looking down at my feet, I send ice Magica into the ground and an inch thick layer grows and moves to the two areas where guards may come from. I extend the darkness field to hide the icy floor and wait. Pretty sure this is all I can do if I don’t want to destroy the place or kill anyone.

Not ten seconds later I hear the rapid clomping of what I believe is around a half-dozen pairs of booted feet. Looking towards the sound, I can see they have stopped before entering the undulating cloud of blackness.

Video and Audio please. . .

There are indeed seven guards - off by one, damn - and they are lined up around the corner against the wall with projector rifles aimed at the floor. They appear to be staring at my little distraction/delaying tactic. I hear, “What the fuck is that?” And another voice says, “I ain’t going in there.” And a third. “Nobody said we needed breathers. What the fuck?”

Ok. So I am wearing a shit-eating grin while enjoying listening. I doubt these poor average humans have any idea what the darkness affinity is or how it works. Why would they? They simply guard their fellow normal people already disarmed and either being moved from one facility to another or simply holding them for trial.

“Enough chatter. James and Sherry, return to the arms locker and retrieve seven breathers. Double-time it. If we get this guy a commendation and bonus are definitely coming our way.” I hear two “Yes, sir’s” and then see two scamper back the way they came.

My mana is at 57% so I’m fine there. Maybe I’ll be lucky and the guards will take a wrong turn and get lost. It doesn’t work out that way though. Not three minutes later I hear boots and panting of the two guards returning. “Got ‘em, Sarge,” says who I assume is Sherry. “Everyone take one and prepare to move.” Each of the guards except the “sarge” puts a crystal similar to my water rebreather except it does not go inside by around their mouths. Also unlike my rebreather a mostly transparent gray mana shield covers their faces and wraps around to their ears. I always hated those devices; my ManaTech visor was a much better product. Well, when it worked and didn’t try to kill me.

“Chris, you're with me. You all know your orders. We have authorization to engage so make sure you have a clear line of sight and watch for friendly fire. Follow orders and remember your training.”

I hear a muffled sigh through one of the breathers and a mumbled, “What training? You mean that one week we spent with those military guys? I’m not paid enough for this.”

“Shut it, Francis. Follow orders or find another job.” Then the sergeant puts his breather on his face and all of them prep their weapons.

“Moving. Chris on me.”

As soon as Sarge steps forward onto the darkness-covered ice floor his foot flies out from under him and his groin ligaments flex in a way they weren’t supposed to. He falls screaming in a high-pitched tone which makes me wince in sympathy. Poor guy. What’s interesting is that half his body is in and half out of the darkness cloud. The human following him, Chris I assume, pulls the sergeant from the cloud and they all return to hiding behind the wall.

“Sarge is down.”

Then on the other small screen on my HUD, I can identify the unfortunate sounds and sights of another group of six guards charging forward but from the other entryway.

[Time?]

Less than two minutes is the best I can give you. The crystalline substructure is well defended. . .

“What do we do about the cloud captain? I can’t see a thing.” I do not hear a reply so I assume he is speaking on his comm.

Back on Chris’s side with the poor sarge: “I have no idea what happened. Sarge was moving forward then he was down screaming in pain.” A moment's pause follows then, “We retrieved breathers from the arms locker.”

The new group: “Affirmative sir. Dave, go get six breathers from arms lockers three and four.”

Wow. I start laughing and slap my free hand on my thigh. These folks really have absolutely no idea how to handle a situation like this. I am definitely going to report this to Tabard. After he finishes laughing his ass off, he’ll probably pull some strings and force some changes. These poor guards need some serious retraining.

One minute and fifty seconds later, I hear what I was waiting for from Jo.

Opening in three seconds. . .

Two. . .

One. . .