Erik sat cross-legged on the wooden floor of their tree shelter while Amber paced back and forth.
Her face was flushed with anger, her hands clenched into tight fists, and her eyes filled with fury and fear from almost losing soone she cared about.
Her every step radiated anxiety. They'd seen Amber angry before, but watching Erik nearly die in another reckless encounter had sparked sothing deeper.
"You went alone against that monster?" Amber asked. "What were you thinking?"
"I wasn't alone," Erik said. "Emily was with , and the clones were there too…"
Emily nodded from her spot in the corner. Amber gave her a dirty look. She was in as much trouble as he was.
Benedict crossed his arms. "Against that azure, thaid is still a death wish. We saw what it did to the surrounding area."
"The lake has practically boiled on one side," Martha said. "The destruction radius was enormous."
Mira sighed.
"You could have died, both of you. What would we have done then?"
Erik gave her a look. "We handled it."
"That's not the point," Amber said. "We're a team. We face threats together. No more solo heroics, Erik. You might be powerful, but you're not invincible."
"We killed it, that's the imp—"
Erik's head jerked up suddenly, his eyes distant as he received a telepathic ssage from one of his clones. The others recognized the expression and fell silent.
After a mont, Erik stood. "We need to go to the lake. Now."
"What is it?"
"My clones found sothing. Sothing quite weird."
The group exchanged glances, setting aside their earlier scoldings.
"Lead the way."
They went through the forest, guided by the moonlight and Erik's fire. The night air brought the persisting sll of smoke and ozone from the previous battle. When they reached the lakeshore, dozens of dark shapes and Chimaeric Demons waited for them.
A Chimaeric Demon stepped forward.
"What's going on?" Gwen asked. "What is so weird to prompt us to head to the lab so quickly?"
"I don't know what that is either. I need the biological supercomputer to check it out," Erik said. Then he turned to the clones and nodded. "Show ."
He was going to create air pockets for everyone to breathe underwater. "The lab is completely flooded."
"Underwater expedition in the middle of the night," Allan said. "Perfect."
Erik didn't really need to bring them along, but given the earlier scolding, he didn't an to upset them more than he already did. Besides, they were in this as much as he was, so he had to show them so basic respect.
Erik channeled his mana, calling upon his Elental Lord's brain crystal power. The water in front of them churned, creating spherical pockets of air large enough to surround each person.
"These will move with you and bring fresh air." Erik paused. "But stay close to ."
Using telekinesis, Erik lifted the entire group and guided them into the dark waters. They descended through the murky depths until they reached a structure in the lakebed.
The clones had already cleaned a lot of the debris that had previously hidden the structure and that filled it. There were thousands of them at that point, so it didn't take much. The water level was also significantly lower, given the battle between Erik and the azure thaid.
The entrance to the laboratory gaped open, its heavy tal doors forced apart by the Dark Shapes earlier that day. The clones guided the group through the swamped corridors, past derelict equipnt and crumpled walls.
"Centuries underwater." Amber observed from inside her air bubble. "I'm surprised anything's left standing."
They went deeper into the facility, following the Chimaeric Demon through a maze of corridors. In the end, they reached a section where the passage widened into what must have once been a central hub.
They walked through a corridor that the clones had clearly cleared earlier that day, which explained their delay in reporting this discovery to Erik. They didn't find it earlier.
The clone pointed to a wall made entirely of thick glass that separated the corridor from a large chamber beyond. "There, Master."
Erik approached the glass, wiping away sedint to peer inside. The others gathered around, their faces illuminated by an unexpected sight—lights. Actual functioning lights inside the room.
"It's still powered!" There was a look of utter disbelief on Martha's face.
Inside the sealed room stood rows of equipnt surrounding a central pillar that humd with energy. The machinery appeared unaffected by ti or water damage, its surfaces glinting as if new.
"What are we looking at?" Floyd asked.
Erik could do nothing but turn to the biological supercomputer.
[A… generator?]
[The room must be sealed.]
[The Silverline corporation must have used a far more advanced technology compared to their ti. To survive this much ans their level was almost on par with the current years.]
[What did you expect? They created thaids and brain crystal powers.]
Erik remained silent.
[We already have the labs' locations.]
Reviews
All reviews (0)