"Are you ready?" Ogras asked as he stopped next to the console. "You'll have to deal with any eventual threat by yourself, you know?"
"I'm fine," Zac nodded as a swirl of erald leaves surrounded him. "Open it."
Ogras nodded and touched the panel, and he imdiately lded with the shadows as the door slid open. A fractal edge had already appeared on [Verun's Bite], but Zac could quickly breathe out in relief as there was nothing on the other side. Ogras soon reappeared from Zac's shadows as well, though his eyes were fixed at the corridor outside, confusion evident in his eyes.
Zac was just as baffled, as the scenery definitely didn't match what he had pictured in his mind. Ogras had described the dilapidated state of the inner sectors in great detail for his report, but everything seed to look the sa as in their own private area. The hallway was devoid of life or activity, but it was clean and without damage. The fractals that ran along the wall shone with bright luster, and there was no dried blood to talk about.
How is this possible? Ogras muttered from behind as he looked around in confusion.
Zac wouldn't imdiately trust his eyes though, and he carefully entered the inner sector, readying himself in case what they saw was an illusion. But if it was one, then it had to be a damn good one as Zac couldn't feel anything amiss.
Is the layout the sa as before? Zac asked after so thought.
It should be, Ogras nodded after looking back and forth for so ti. The missing pieces have been replaced, but the general layout is the sa.
Zac nodded in relief. He was afraid for a second that the Mystic Realm was able to move its corridors to rearrange its layout. That would have made it almost impossible to map the place out, and any progress would be random.
I guess its the arrays? Zac ventured. The walls slowly heal themselves, so there are probably even more maintenance functions. There might be repair-puppets or machines running around and replacing broken things or sothing. Pretty convenient for the natives if the materials they scavenge actually get replaced sohow.
That might explain why our sector is untouched, Ogras muttered. No point in breaking past this door if they can keep mining their old tunnels. Perhaps they have already broken through to our place before, only to find the sa empty corridors and barracks as us.
Or theyve already taken everything of value, Zac noted with a grimace. We passed a lot of empty rooms back there.
The simplest way to find out whats going on is by catching another native. The last one I took hostage actually went and died before I got a hold of anything interesting, Ogras spat as he looked around.
Zac nodded in agreent. It was a sha how things panned out with Ogras captive. He had only managed to confirm that the beastkin truly was a real-life werewolf and that they were of rival factions. A short ti later the human had shuddered and died, likely from suicide as to not divulge any critical information. Perhaps he was afraid of leading a new unknown force to his factions gates.
So, where do you want to go? the demon asked.
Lets head in the direction where you saw those two fighting. Perhaps we can find so clues where the natives stay, Zac said after so thoughts. No point in looking for the core areas at this stage.
Its this way I think, Ogras said as he led the way.
It was quite a distance between the door and the scene of the battle, and Zac only got increasingly baffled as they walked. He just couldnt make sense of the ntal map of the compound. He understood that the Technocrats might not have the sa sort of budgetary constraints as earthlings did, needing to make the most out of every square ter, but the winding pathways felt extrely sub-optimized. It almost felt like this place was built just for the sake of it, and that they didn't really fill any objective.
What do you think the purpose of these endless hallways is? Zac finally asked after a while. It would be one thing if there were a bunch of laboratories or office space, but the rooms weve looked into are just empty storerooms. Most of the space between these corridors doesn't even seem accessible.
I guess millions worked in this place if this really was a research base, Ogras slowly said. That is the sa as a decent-sized clan. Any organization of that size would need a vast number of supportive functions. Perhaps this area is so sort of ancillary area, and arrays that run this place are hidden within the walls. These corridors might just be for array masters to make their way between the arrays.
So service corridors, Zac nodded in agreent. That might be it.
Its also possible its intentional, Ogras mused. That these pathways form so sort of array themselves. Just think of those lines in the sky over the fields. They are not random, but rather form so sort of pattern.
An array as large as a small country, Zac muttered. It should be extrely powerful.
We cant guess whats in the mind of so Technocrats, Ogras spat. Theyre all insane. No offense.
Zac snorted, but he kept mapping the surroundings in his mind. It was a sha that the magical map that the Zhix owned couldnt be transferred over here as it would have been a huge help. He had already checked his [Automatic Map] as well, but it didnt possess an indoor function. There was just one dot on the parchnt, which called the base [SGR-03].
He guessed it was the abbreviation for the base, but he didnt know if it was the na given by Leandras force or sothing decided by the force who took over after the technocrats left.
"So, while we're on the subject. Care to explain how the token from your mom could turn you into a Council Inspector?" Ogras said as he threw Zac a sideways glance.
"I don't know," Zac shrugged, and it was the truth. "I only found out about the credentials inside the Tower of Eternity, I didn't lie about that. Personally, I don't think it's real. I think it's sothing she prepared as so sort of Technocrat Array Breaker, sothing that would allow her to go where she pleased without divulging her real identity."
"You know what that ans, right?" Ogras said with a calculating look. "You would have to be a real bigshot to accomplish sothing like that. I can't imagine what kind of person would be able to create sothing that could bypass all the defenses of the Azh'Kir'Khat Horde. We would be killed long ago by the Beastmaster or so other enemy if it was that easy."
"Well, I'm still trying to figure out the truth as well. I'm hoping we'll be able to find more inside this place,"
"You... Don't think she's here right?" Ogras hesitated, a flash of fear appearing in his eyes. "That could prove deadly."
"What are you worried about?" Zac snorted. "If she really is a big-shot she wouldn't be bothered with so E-Grade people."
"Maybe she isn't happy about cultivators hanging around her Technocrat children and decides to purge us all," Ogras muttered.
"Well, I'm pretty sure she's isn't here," Zac eventually said. "I'm almost positive she left earth to heal and avoid pursuit."
"That would be for the best," Ogras muttered as he kept leading Zac down the hallways.
Ogras had no trouble rembering the path, provided that the sector truly hadn't changed, and it wasnt that far either according to the demon. But Zac suddenly felt a sharp spike of danger after they had walked for ten minutes. He imdiately drew his weapon before he jumped back, not forgetting to drag the weakened demon along as well.
Whats going on? the demon asked with confusion as he looked around for any threats. "I didn't sense anything."
I suddenly felt a pang of danger, Zac said with a bit of confusion, as the surroundings were still the sa sterile walls of tal.
Well, go forward and test things out, Ogras said after a brief pause.
Youre really taking advantage of your wounds right now, Zac muttered, but he still went along with the arrangent.
Well, it should work like this even if I was back in top condition. If I get hit by sothing in here I might die, whereas you will get a flesh wound that might hurt for a couple of hours, Ogras said with an uncaring shrug. If theres a trap it's better you fall in it than .
Well, whatever, Zac snorted as he transford [Loves Bond] to its shield form.
He also activated both [Natures Barrier] and [Hatchetmans Spirit], the latter mostly to gain a better sense of the surroundings. However, nothing much changed. It was still an empty corridor in the middle of nowhere. Just what was it that made his mind scream of danger?
However, he only needed to take ten steps forward to find the answer.
The previously innocent-looking corridor transford in an instant, and Zac found himself on a collision course with a spatial tear. There wasnt even any ti for him to retreat, and his eyes looked on with horror as his coffin-shield hit the tear head-on. This was sothing he had been deadly afraid would happen, that his Spirit Tool, or rather Alea would be damaged from sothing that it couldnt block.
However, the spatial tear didnt actually cut the thick black lid apart like it would with almost everything else. The coffin sohow managed to push back at it, destabilizing it enough to disappear. The clash did leave a mark on the lid, but sothing like that would heal by itself quickly enough, just like the chains that had cracked during his fight with Voids Disciple.
The scene was a huge source of relief, as not only were spatial tears one of the few things that could still cut him apart if he wasn't careful, but it was also sothing that Voids Disciple used when fighting. Seeing that [Loves Bond] was this durable gave him a lot more confidence for their next fight.
Seeing as how limited the damage essentially ant he could push his way out of the trap, but he didnt leave just yet. He instead swapped over to his Draugr-form, and the fractal shield of [Immutable Bulwark] infused with the Fragnt of the Coffin appeared in front of the lid.
The mainstay defensive skill of his undead side was, unfortunately, suffering from the sa fate as [Chop], where the skill couldnt quite keep up with his recent growth. The strength of the shield was based on the quality of his shield and his Endurance, but the increase in its durability had clearly not been linear lately. He would have to upgrade it to an E-Grade skill for it to maintain its usefulness going forward.
However, while the skill wasnt able to completely block the spatial tears that ca close, it did still manage to weaken them before they slamd into [Loves Bond]. It lessened the strain on his physical shield significantly, and Zac only needed to keep infusing more Miasma and ntal Energy into the skill to restore it.
Zac took one step after another as the buzzing sounds of void tears disintegrating echoed through the hallways. However, he didnt move back toward Ogras, but he rather kept going straight ahead.
A hidden spatial minefield had for so reason appeared to block their path, and Zac wanted to see if he could push through. Perhaps the anomaly only lasted for a few ters, allowing people to skip through if they were careful and skilled enough. Conversely, the whole area in this direction might be compromised, which would be valuable intelligence as well.
However, Zac didnt get far before new tears appeared out of nowhere, almost doubling the density of threats around him. Zac knew he was approaching his limits as new cracks were forming almost as quickly on his shield as they healed up again. But he kept pushing forward until there finally was a change to his surroundings.
A red barrier suddenly appeared five ters ahead, and Zacs eyes widened in recognition. It looked a lot like the barrier that Jeeves had conjured when he first t Kenzie in the border town. However, it was almost as though it was infected, with tinges of so unknown energy floating about within the shield. And it was from these corruptions that spatial tears kept spewing out one after another.
So of the tears stayed put and hovered in front of the barrier, while others drifted about, so even disappearing out of sight. However, Zac's Danger Sense told him that they didn't actually disappear, but rather that they turned invisible sohow. However, just as Zac noticed the barrier, it was as though the barrier noticed Zac. A spatial storm rippled out from the corruptions, pushing the previously static spatial tears in the tunnel toward him while simultaneously spewing out an endless number of new ones.
This ti there was no hesitation as Zac fled for his life, not even trying to break that barrier. He would be long dead before his attack landed. He spotted the demon in the distance looking in his direction with a slight frown, but his face suddenly turned into a mask of terror as Zac closed in on him.
Lunatic! Did you cause a crack in this dinsion?! Ogras shrieked in horror as he started running, but he only got a few steps before he was wrapped up by a chain as Zac flashed past him like so sort of nightmare spider.
There was no way for Zac to return to his human form without getting ripped apart by the spatial storm, so he had to use the chains of [Love's Bond] to drag himself and Ogras away. He tried to hamper the progress of the rapidly approaching storm by erecting one fractal bulwark after another, but they were cut apart without slowing the tears by more than a second.
"What's wrong with this place?!" Ogras scread, tightly wrapped by a chain, and Zac couldn't help but agree.
It was one hell of a place his ancestors had built.
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