The group split into six pairs, spreading out in different cardinal directions.
The expedition was ant to uncover a lost civilization, which they’d aptly nad the Terian civilization.
In the Brotherhood, lost civilizations were bona fide jackpots.
Lost cities and Ancient civilizations contained technology that had been lost to the ravages of ti.
Even the Great Houses were unsure about the origins of most discoveries, with most speculations and most accredited theories arguing that Tenebris was a bridge between worlds.
Regius was sowhat of a scholar himself.
That theory in particular was quite favored among the academic community for one interesting reason.
It provided a plausible explanation for the mysterious ruins.
The discovered technology, in most cases, was quite advanced and, unlike regular tech, was able to function in Tenebris.
Regius glanced down at the small compact hexagon sitting in the palm of his hand, staring at the data it displayed.
"Jace, is your compass online?"
Jace booted a similar device, studying intently before offering him a thumbs up.
A Star radar compass, part of the Star radar technology.
The Star radar tech was a new technology that the Snow Group was still currently developing.
The small hexagonal compasses were a testant to the priceless knowledge within the ruins.
The Star radar tech encryptions had been discovered in a different lost civilization.
The Patriarch had led that particular expedition in person.
The R&D staff of the Snow Group worked tirelessly, managing to decipher the mysterious language, with the compass becoming one of the first fruits of their success.
The sleek hexagon converted pulses of umbralis into specific signals that indicated the presence of large-scale anomalies, in this case, large swathes of ancient ruins.
The little gizmo was the sole reason why House Snow dared to track down the phantom ruins in an unpredictable wild goose chase.
From the little they’d been able to discover about the ancient ruins, they were mobile, shifting nomadically from place to place.
To make matters worse, the ruins shifted according to a chanism they had yet to decipher.
The only solace was that the Terian civilization seed to shift only between these particular snowy plains, appearing from ti to ti in different locations.
In the current circumstances, the best they could do was continue searching blindly in the region until they stumbled upon the elusive civilization.
But with the handy compasses, their job beca significantly easier...as easy as it could be in this case.
Regius was paired with Jace; the brothers’ deep familiarity with each other’s combat style seamlessly made up for any gaps in their offense and defense.
The two swiftly sprinted through the snow, keeping track of their respective compasses.
The wind howled like a chorus of lost souls around them, stirring flakes of snow into the air.
The sleek, dark suits they wore warded off the worst of the cold.
Out of habit, Regius tightened the dark coat he was wearing around himself.
"Anything, Jace?"
Jace shook his head, continuing to sprint forward without missing a beat.
The two novices dashed through the snow, their ghostly silhouettes lting into the white veil of snow shrouding the region.
In the sky, ghostly aurora lights flared to life, illuminating the plain.
The ethereal lights pulsated rhythmically, bathing the white plains in an unnatural glow.
" Beautiful," Regius muttered under his breath.
Jace spared him a glance, chuckling in amusent.
"Careful, brother, you’re getting sentintal. Next thing you’ll be getting mopey and start weeping about the beauty of nature."
" Shut up!" Regius snarled.
Jace burst into laughter, ducking to avoid a jab. He stopped montarily, wiping away tears of mirth.
After what seed like an eternity, they ca to a stop.
" This should be far enough," Jace muttered, staring at the compass.
" Any more and we’ll be leaving the known boundaries of the ruins."
Regius frowned, shivering slightly.
" Hey Jace, haven’t you noticed anything strange?"
Jace glanced at him in confusion.
" What do you an?"
Regius scanned their surroundings, slowly turning around.
" This entire ti, we haven’t encountered any beast; that’s not normal."
Jace’s eyes widened in surprise.
" Now that you ntion it, that is quite strange."
Just then, their respective comlinks crackled to life.
"We’ve found it..." a breathless voice spoke through the open channel.
"Sending you the coordinates now..."
A vivid neon red flare went up in the distance.
A mont later, the Star radar compass beeped, then lit up.
A holographic image of the pinpointed region ca into view.
The device quickly blinked and then displayed new data depicting the distance and the ETA from their destination.
" They’re not too far from here, let’s go."
The comlink crackled once more.
" All teams et up with team echo at the pinpointed location of the Terian ruins," Alec’s gruff voice spoke over the channel.
In the next second, a frantic shout echoed over the open channel.
" What the hell?! Shit! Captain!"
In the distance, a ghostly blue flare rose into the sky, standing in stark contrast to the red one.
A blood-curdling scream rang out on the open channel
" Isn’t Echo Embry and Theseus’ team?" Regius asked, worry creasing his face.
Jace nodded grimly as they ran.
A few minutes later, the two arrived.
The Terian ruins stood in front of them, stretching into the distance.
Dark spires rose into the sky, looming intimidatingly from within the lost city.
The ruin resembled a giant fortress,
imposing jet black walls surrounded the ruins, standing out in a stark contrast to the brilliant white of the snow.
However, the group’s attention was transfixed by sothing entirely different.
A grueso sight of harrowing carnage lay beyond the fortress walls.
Bits and pieces of steaming flesh and bone lay scattered in the snow, staining the pristine white with a vivid crimson.
Embry and Theseus were hardly recognizable, their bodies torn apart with chilling brutality.
Regius felt his stomach stir at the sight.
"Shit!"
Alec had already arrived, standing quietly a short distance away.
His face was darkened, his eyes staring at the scene with palpable fury.
The other three teams arrived monts later, showing the sa shock and surprise at the sight.
"What the hell could have done this?" Jace whispered, glancing at the ruins with apprehension.
A mont later, Jace let out a shocked gasp.
Regius threw him a glance, then froze, his eyes widening slightly.
"Hey Regius, I can’t...I can’t breathe..."
Jace violently coughed out, blood and spit flying through the air.
His gaze shifted down to the pain in his chest.
Jace’s eyes widened slightly, shock and disbelief flashing across his face.
"Ah..shit"
He turned to Regius, smiling faintly.
Regius watched in horror, refusing to accept what was happening.
The clawed hand in Jace’s chest extended forward, twisting savagely, then yanking back with brutal force.
The creature behind him lazily licked the blood off its claws, turning to Regius with an amused smile.
"Deliciousss..." the creature hissed.
In the next mont, its form blurred forward faster than his eyes could track.
Alec’s voice bood, echoing across the snowy plain.
"MOVE!!!!"
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