Xander immediately rushed into the fray, filled with adrenaline. The Conscript briefly felt like he was an oncoming freight train. One cultist saw and giggled at his approach. Unfortunately, the woman cultist’s crazed laugh didn’t last long as she was slammed against the wall by Jose.

“I’m not done yet, bitch!”

The five members of the Extermination crew were outnumbered by one and lost the initiative as they desperately dueled against their opponents.

Though there was ample space for him to swing his hammer at his foes, the close-quarter brawl between two sides of humans challenged Xander’s range of motion. He had to pry off the first cultist he reached from one Conscript from the extermination team and throw the crazed human out of the fray.

Once Xander didn’t have to worry about hitting allies, he quickly dispatched the cultist by swiping the man’s legs and cracking the sternum with a heavy swing to the chest.

Xander had to repeat this routine twice before he engaged the other voidling.

The young man scowled at the disgusting dog-sized cyst-like spider. He recalled an image of an alien crab that liked to lunge at heads from a specific retro game he played. It was quick and, much to Xander’s annoyance didn’t charge in a straight line toward him like its fallen kin.

The Malformed Voidling skittered across the floor and shockingly onto the wall with uncanny speed. Even with Xander’s improved finesse, the slimy creature barely managed to dodge Xander’s swings.

“Hold still, you damn thing!”

Xander slammed his hammer onto the floor and the wall attempting to catch the voidling with a lethal blow.

Xander’s strength caused the hammer head to lodge onto the tiles and concrete. The young man could extract his weapon with relative ease, but it still cost him a few milliseconds when he could have launched another attack.

The young man had to bring his shield up when the voidling went in for a quick swipe at him. Xander had a hint of a frown as he tried to get out of this stalemate with this smarter abomination.

Xander struck at its spot in the wall and missed when the voidling leaped to the opposite side.

Still, the beast's luck had to run out eventually. After hopping to the wall behind Xander and preparing to jump his exposed back, Anna fired two accurate slugs that managed to strike the beast in its side and the joint connecting its back leg to its body.

“Gotcha!” Anna exclaimed in joy.

The voidling screeched in pain as it dropped from the wall and fidgeted onto the floor—its vulnerable underside exposed. Xander momentarily backed away from the flailing beast’s scythe-like legs.

Xander shook his head as he steeled himself and went for a long overhead swing. Then, like a railroad work striking a steel nail, Xander brought his hammer onto the hapless monster with an audible energetic hum. A few swipes from its leg managed to contact Xander’s forearms, but the young man smiled as his Second Skin Underarmor managed to resist the glancing blows.

The blue glow of his Lustrous Steel battle hammer glowed brightly as it increased its concussive force. The contact area cratered as flesh was easily smashed apart with a disgusting squelch.

A few gunshots later, the hallway quieted down.

Xander extricated a bloody hammer from the voidling and looked around.

The once shiny tiled floor was now awash with corpses—human and alien—and puddles of blood and bits of flesh. Xander took deep breaths as he planted his hammer on the floor and leaned on it.

The exertion wasn’t as terrible as before. Xander felt he had a bit more stamina than usual and recovered quicker than expected.

As the crew of Conscripts recollected themselves, Xander took stock of everyone’s condition.

The young man grimaced as he saw the extermination team was down to three members. Thankfully it looked like the two men were just unconscious if heavily injured. Jose and his two remaining teammates quickly applied first aid and dragged them away back to the stairs.

“Careful with his shoulder!” Jose raised his croaky voice. “It’s dislocated. Move over. I’ll reset it.”

Xander looked at the team before deciding they had things on hand. He turned toward Anna, and much to his relief, the young woman was safe from the melee brawl. She had been taking potshots and contributing immensely in the fight with accurately placed slugs. The young man gave a thumbs-up as he hefted his hammer onto his shoulder.

Anna nodded with a smirk as she stepped toward him.

“Good job, Xand.” Anna patted him on his shoulder. “That hammer of yours is quite something. I thought you were silly picking a melee weapon for your initial gear. I guess I should take that back.”

“Having regrets, are you?” Xander asked with a smug smile.

“Nah, I like swords as much as anyone. But I’ll stick with guns.” Anna confidently stated as she spun her Slugger like a cowboy before holstering it. “Though I might get a dagger for emergencies after this.”

Xander briefly tilted his head in thought and considered her suggestion before leaning inward.

“Good idea. I’ll do the same when we get out of here.”

A minute later, Ben and Nick returned to the third floor and eyed at their companions and the injured members of the other team. Anna’s older brother strode forward with a raised eyebrow.

“What happened to them?” Ben questioned as Nick pouted.

“Ah, damn, did we miss a fight?”

Xander rolled his eyes as he slapped his brother in the back.

“Yes, you did. Try not to search for one, Nick.” The older brother narrowed his eyes at his sibling.

Nick chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.

“Of course, kuya.”

Xander and Anna proceeded to summarize their fight. Ben listened attentively, glancing at the extermination team while Nick went over to look at one of the voidling corpses. Finally, Jose approached the rescue team with a drained look and a clenched jaw.

“Kito and Ali, are out. Their injuries will only worsen without proper care, so the Omninexus is sending some Tier I Supports to get them out. My team needs to get them down to the first floor and wait for the rescue.”

Xander pressed his lips as he considered the current situation.

“Nothing to it then. We’ll wait for you on the fourth floor. We’ll scout it a bit before proceeding forward.”

Jose sighed as he slumped his posture.

“Right, we’ll be back as fast as we can.”

As the two teams separated, Xander, Anna, Ben, and Nick slowly proceeded upwards after making sure the third floor was clear.

Xander led the front with his energy shield and hammer. With her slugger raised through her shield, Anna was behind him while Nick held a Lustrous Steel spear that he borrowed from a knocked-out extermination team member.

Xander’s younger brother also carried his slugger in his left hand.

Finally, Ben took the rear, dual-wielding a pulser and a slugger.

The four skulked the dreary hallways of Sunny Side Apartments’ fourth floor. The Conscripts periodically checked their [Maps] for updated positions of the lifeforms within the building.

At this moment, the rain outside had evolved into a tempestuous storm. Thunder boomed and echoed the walls. The humid air and tension caused the Conscripts to sweat, except Xander, who enjoyed the benefits of the minor temperature regulation that kept him dry and cool visibly.

Still, everyone tensed their muscles as they went door to door.

The floor was surprisingly empty as the rescue team ventured further. They managed to find another innocent family, which Nick was made to escort down by himself.

He groaned under his breath as he looked at Xander with pleading eyes.

“Can you at least wait for me?”

“Take care, Nick. You can come back up with Jose and the rest.”

Nick sighed in resignation as he guided the family of four back down the stairs. Ben cocked his head to the side and glanced at Xander.

“Are you sure he can handle it himself?”

Xander waved his hand in dismissal.

“We cleared the previous floors, and he’ll be sticking to the stairs. He’ll be fine.”

Anna's calm voice spoke beside Xander as they returned to their search.

“So, do you want to wait for them, Xand?”

The young man raised an eyebrow as he kicked the last apartment door down.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m saying if you want to head to the next floor and take out the Junior Acolyte.”

Xander relaxed his posture after finding the room they were in empty before replying.

“I think we should wait for the extermination team. It’s safer that way.”

Anna crossed her arms, furrowing her brow.

“You said the Ichor gets split, right? While I’m all for helping people, I think this is one resource we should keep for ourselves.”

Xander pursed his lips as he considered Anna’s suggestion.

“I want to land the final blow on the awakened cultist, but I also want assurance that we won’t get overwhelmed.”

“Xand, these cultists are chumps.” Anna shook her head as they paced the hallway. “We already took out a chunk of them, and we have Ben with us.”

“I’m not some invulnerable juggernaut, Anna,” Ben replied as he raised a palm to his younger sister. “I agree with Xander. I think we should wait.”

“But we should get those optional objectives while we get the chance. Besides, I don’t trust the other team’s competence. First, they fail to clear the building themselves and then get themselves ambushed.”

Xander stroked his chin.

“That is true, but numbers are numbers.” The young man hummed. Anna’s plan to take over the other team’s mission sparked a bit of greed in his heart. Xander’s combat capabilities and perception played a significant role in the previous fight. Now that he had experience handling the Malformed Voidlings, he could probably dispatch one quicker than before.

The young man bit his lips as he considered his options. He had to make his decision before the extraction team came back.

As much as power called to him, he was reluctant to be as bold as Anna. Xander eventually sighed and exited his quiet mood before facing his companions.

“Sorry, Ben, I change my mind. This is a pretty good mission for us, and we’re much better fighters than the other team.”

The athletic man tightened his lips.

“This is dangerous. But if you’re both going, then I ought to be there. Gathering more Ichor would be good if we were by ourselves.”

Anna grinned and directed her gaze toward the stairs.

“Good, let’s get going before they come up.”

“Hold on, let’s wait for Nick to return before heading in. I want him to reap the rewards as well.”

The trio quickened their pace after clearing the fourth floor. They hadn’t found any cultists on their search and assumed they were all holding above.

That made it easier as they wouldn’t have to worry about what was behind them.

After a few minutes, Nick finally returned, and the Xander began to tell him about the change in plans.

Nick widened his eyes in surprise before fidgeting in place.

“Awesome! Let’s hurry.”

Xander made sure to calm his energetic brother before they proceeded up.

As they exited the staircase and into the final floor, a growing sense of apprehension washed over them. Xander and Ben curled their upper lips as they felt the familiar intrusion that could only come from the Junior Acolyte somewhere on this floor. Ben scrunched his face as he fought back the corrupting signal.

“I hate this feeling.”

Anna and Nick audibly groaned as they nearly doubled over from encountering the mental attack. Xander and Ben moved quickly to assist them.

“Hey, Nick! Listen to me, alright? I’m right here.”

“Easy, sis. It’s not as bad as the Senior Acolyte. Just focus on my voice and beat it back.”

Xander’s younger brother eventually calmed down from his incomprehensible mutterings and wavered as Xander supported him.

“Holy hell, that sucked.”

“Yeah, I can relate.”

A moment later, Anna flared her nostrils after taking a few deep breaths. Then, with a shaky voice, she straightened herself before squeezing her brother’s shoulder.

“Thanks.”

“No worries, you should be more resistant to it now.”

Ben rubbed her back until she was back in focus. Then, satisfied and determined, the trio stepped into the hallway and was immediately under fire from a pair of handguns from the other end.

“Atay!”

“Get back! Back!”

Everyone crouched and backed into the staircase. Xander and Anna raised their shields in time as they retreated and successfully blocked the hail of bullets. Still, the barrage caused their energy shields to shift to yellow, forcing the Conscripts to bare their teeth and respond with equal aggression.

The four began to exchange bullets with the cultists on the other end. It didn’t take long before a wail of pain was heard amongst the gunfire and crazed laughter.

Anna, Ben, and Nick were even more appreciative of their sluggers as the projectiles pierced through the concrete and hit their opponents.

Xander had to reload multiple times as he aimed his revolver and be patient with his bullets. Though .357 Magnum was a powerful bullet, Xander wanted to ensure it didn’t lose so much velocity from striking walls.

The gunfire continued for a few minutes. Xander and his team had the increasing advantage of a robust defense. It showed as bullets ceased to come from the cultist’s side. Anna fired a few more slugs before fixing her gaze on her teammates.

“We should go in now! Get the assholes while we have the advantage.”

Xander clenched his fists as he holstered his spent revolver. He glanced at his [Map] and planned a quick route.

The apartment's layout was designed so that after you exited the stairs, there was a hallway going straight and another going left.

With a clear voice, Xander raised his shield and left the staircase door.

“Fuck it. We head straight, clear the edges, then circle our way back into the center.”

The team went forth and huddled together. Then, uninterrupted by enemy bullets, the four Conscripts made brisk progress crossing the hallway.

The cultists were rational this time and did not leave their cover to charge them. Xander grimaced as he and his team would have to knock down every door and clear each room as they walked.

This is going to be annoying.

After knocking every door down and checking the inside, they eventually encountered their first group of cultists.

Two madmen charged the Conscripts and were immediately taken out by Xander and Anna with a hammer and alien bullets.

Xander briefly glanced at the third corpse inside that belonged to one of the cultist shooters. He guessed she was a Thrall, as the difference was unclear without seeing the clarity in the dead woman.

After leaving the room and continuing, the Tier I’s cleared out another room of cultists before encountering a different obstacle.

“Voidlings!”

Three of the skittering beasts had circled the fifth floor to attack them in the back.

Xander patted Anna on the shoulder as he stepped back.

“Inside one of the rooms!”

Xander shouted as he kicked a door down.

“Right!”

Once inside, Xander went to knock a cabinet over and used to block the door.

Anna lept over a couch and used it as cover as she turned off her blaring red energy shield. Ben and Nick did the same as they found shelter behind various furniture.

Xander stepped back from the blocked entrance and took his position in the center of the room. He raised his hammer over his shoulder—his orange energy shield before him.

“Cover me. I got anything else that comes in.”

Eventually, the four humans heard the first voidling reach the apartment entrance and began slashing the wooden door. The following voidling soon came after and made quick work of the frame, damaging the cabinet in the process.

“Shoot!”

A trio of guns perforated the wooden cabinet and hit the monsters behind. The slugs elicitated howls of pain before the integrity of the furniture eventually failed and collapsed in itself.

Unimpeded, the voidling resumed their charge and rushed inside the room.

“Over here!”

Xander bellowed as he tried to make himself as large as he could. The young man waved his hammer around and continued to shout.

“Focus on me, you little—hah!”

Xander brought his hammer down on an agitated voidling that had lunged at the taunting human. The hammer struck its side and crushed a connection between its front leg and its body. The strike's momentum burst blood vessels inside the abomination and forced the thing onto the floor.

Xander immediately changed target toward another voidling and swung his hammer like a golf club. The voidling barely avoided the lethal strike and leaped out of the way, only to be shot down by Anna and Ben.

Xander gasped for breath after throwing two heavy attacks when the final voidling came for him and slashed at his shield. It flashed red, forcing the young man to turn it off.

He cursed as he stepped back when the monster struck again at his leg. Unfortunately, the blow had more force and managed to pierce his Second Skin and left behind a nasty cut on his calf.

Xander yelped in pain before stumbling back into the couch Anna was hiding behind.

Now that Xander wasn’t blocking her aim, Anna immediately fired and landed a hit inside the voidling’s mouth, blasting its vulnerable interior.

Now that they had dispatched their foes, the four humans quickly took the brief respite to recover.

Xander winced as his weight caused his leg wound to bleed. Anna gently guided him onto the couch, where she proceeded to apply alcohol and wrapped a bandage around it.

“Alright, try taking your stim. Hopefully, it’ll be enough to stop the bleeding.”

Xander directed his attention to the combat medicine he took out of his pocket and quickly stabbed it in his thigh. The stimulant immediately gave him a boost of energy and regenerated some tissue on his leg.

Xander sighed in relief as he took in effect.

Everyone else went over themselves before they felt an encroaching dread.

Xander and Ben’s eyes widened as they stood at attention. The group’s muscles tensed as they readied themselves for what’s likely the last hostile in the building.

Xander clenched his jaw as he hefted his hammer and directed a steel gaze toward the door.

Everyone raised their weapon as the mental burden increased and quickly became irritating in their minds.

“It’s almost here.”

“Come on, you puta!”

The four stared at the door like wolves, preparing to meet a bear’s charge. Xander mumbled through gritted teeth as his eyes twitched once he could hear its booming footsteps.

“Where are you?”

Xander cocked his head as he noticed something amiss when the sound continued to come closer before it passed above their heads.

Xander yelled as he raised his nearly depleted shield toward the windows at their backs.

“Behind us!”

The glass exploded, and shards flew across the room. The Conscripts ducked down or retreated into cover to avoid the projectiles as the aberrant form of the Junior Acolyte crashed through the window and into the apartment.

“There you are! Damnable pests!”

It roared in rage as its many-limbed form rose to an impressive height. Xander briefly noticed its more stable body and its more symmetrical shape. Still, it wasn’t as tall as the Senior Acolyte he and Ben fought.

Xander immediately charged without bothering to reply to its curses toward them.

“Die then, blind fool!”

The awakened struck back with significant speed and blocked Xander’s hammer strike with its claws.

Another limb attempted to strike him at Xander’s side before being blocked by his shield. The energy shield finally failed and exploded in light.

The alien monster howled from the flash and stumbled back, flailing its limbs and managing to knock Xander onto the ground.

Xander gasped as he began to raise himself back up, while the sounds of gunfire immediately echoed in the small apartment room. However, his companions were not idle and immediately fired their guns at the Junior Acolyte.

The monster in question cursed in an alien tongue as it blocked the projectiles with his fleshy limbs, sacrificing some.

“Eat lead!” Xander heard his brother as he stood back up and eyed the Junior Acolyte.

Everyone has since backed themselves against the walls as they continued to pour more bullets into the thing. Once they ran out, the monster in the center resembled swiss cheese, though it was more because of the many craters that came with its form than their projectiles.

Still, the creature was wounded, and Xander stepped forth once more with his hammer. The Junior Acolyte let out a hellish scream and became enraged.

No more human words came forth as it spoke a litany of strange words.

Xander paid no heed to it as he swung his hammer. The blow landed squarely on the monster’s knee, successfully bringing it down. Xander stepped backward, batting a swinging limb away from him.

Anna, Ben, and Nick came forth with reloaded Sluggers. Xander smiled appreciatively at them, and the humans nodded at each other knowingly.

The trio began to gun down the monster in an undignified manner as it lay on the floor. It howled in pain as it attempted to raise its body off the floor and swept a large arm horizontally.

“Back!”

Anna and Ben stepped backward to avoid the limb, but Nick was unluckily caught and was thrown across the room.

“Nick!”

Xander shouted before directing his ire at the monster, slowly raising its wounded body. The Conscript stepped forward and brought his hammer down on the thing’s head, in the same manner he earned his ‘Skull Crusher’ title.

“Go to hell!”

After a few heavy strikes, the alien cultist didn’t last long.

The Conscript stepped back with heavy and exhausted breaths. Sweat poured down as he looked at his handiwork. The smell of iron and some strange citrus filled the air.

The humans stayed silent as they stared at the corpse. Suddenly a golden thread of vapor escaped the Junior Acolyte before splitting four ways—the most vibrant stream flowed through the air before entering Xander’s chest.

A few breaths passed as they processed what had just happened.

Suddenly, a chime echoed in their minds as their Aides all spoke in unison.

[ Mission Accomplished, Conscript. Sunny Side Apartments has been cleared, and all civilians have been rescued. ]

Xander closed his eyes before sagging his shoulder in relief. Cheers resounded in the room simultaneously as the team celebrated their finished mission.

Anna strode toward Xander and enveloped him in a hug. Xand smiled through ragged breaths as he rubbed her back.

Rescue Mission: Sunny Side Apartments

Threat level: Moderate

Rewards: 5 Nexus Merits, 150 Lumina Shards (Rewards may vary)

Objectives

- Rescue civilians (Completed) - Eliminate all Cultists (Completed) (Optional) - Slay all Malformed Voidlings (Completed) (Optional) - Eliminate the Junior Acolyte (Completed) (Optional) Mission accomplished! +15 Nexus Merits, +300 Lumina Shards Skills Rank Up: 'General Fighting (Low) >>> (Intermediate)' Superlunary Matter: 19 mL of 'Ichor' absorbed.