In the heart of an abandoned city, where towering buildings reached for the skies while a dense temperate forest sprawled across the ground, one structure stood out: a skyscraper.
Taller than any other around it, intricate details adorned its weathered walls. Despite the marks of time, it stood with surprising resilience, as if bearing an ancient glory long forgotten.
Its shape was square, maintaining that form until near its summit, where it tapered sharply. There, dangling from a few cables, a broken lightning rod swayed.
On the ground, where the forest should have been, a large cleared area formed an almost perfect circle around the structure. In this space, felled logs were stacked together, sorted by size, while leaves and shrubs were gathered into four large piles and burned.
Yet, strangely, despite signs of constant activity, no movement could be heard there.
Instead, a calm atmosphere prevailed, with the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves filling the air.
Amid this scene, hidden among the forest's trees, cloaked figures observed the area with palpable tension in the air.
There were five of them, all wearing muted-colored cloaks that allowed them to blend seamlessly into the surrounding vegetation. With vigilant gazes and in utter silence, two focused on the building, while the other three kept watch over the enveloping forest.
Breaking the silence, one spoke.
"We've been here for hours and still haven't seen any movement. Don't you think it's time to move in?"
The female, identifiable by her voice, spoke softly in a slightly monotonous tone. Turning to the side, she sought a response from the one who seemed to be the leader.
Unlike her, he carried something wrapped in cloth on his back, matching the muted colors of his attire. It was slender, with a long handle and a larger section at one end.
Still gazing at the building, he remained silent for a few seconds before replying.
"…Yes, I believe it's time."
The male, pensive, turned his eyes to the top of the skyscraper.
"From what we know, their base of operations was up there, so… we'll split into two groups. One will be with you and Bernd—"
"Negative."
Before he could finish, the woman cut him off coldly, causing an uneasy silence to linger for a few seconds. Sighing, the leader turned to her with a complicated look.
"…Francisca, you and I are the strongest. It's only natural we'd be in different groups."
In the same monotonous tone, she quickly countered.
"You're almost correct in your division, my lord, but Bernd and I are in the same class."
From behind the group, also hidden, one of the three cloaked figures, the tallest among them, joined the conversation hesitantly.
"…Mis—…Vice-Commander, even if we're in the same class, you're still much stronger than me."
"Debating minor variations within the same class is pointless. We belong to the same class—that's all that matters, in battle or administratively. So you can lead group two, while I stay with group one."
Though she spoke calmly, her words carried an unyielding resolve. Knowing her well, the leader gave in.
"Very well… Francis and I will lead group one, while Bernd and Einhart take group two, with Felix as backup. Is that acceptable?"
Looking at Francisca, she nodded slightly while speaking.
"If that's what you wish, my lord."
Still watching her in silence for a moment, he seemed about to say something but held back.
"…And you three, understood?"
With a glance, he turned to the others.
"Yes!"
Kneeling as they responded, they nodded, but seeing this, the leader grew uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his head.
"…When we're in the field, you don't need to kneel. It's unnecessary and awkward."
Waiting for the three to stand, he turned to the skyscraper.
"You'll approach from below, advancing from different directions in three groups to surround the structure. But once inside, don't stray too far from the others during the sweep. We've already lost one group in this city—we don't want that to happen again."
"Yes, sir."
"Go, inform the others. We'll start in five minutes, and I need some to accompany me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the three vanished in an instant, as if they'd never been there, leaving the two alone.
"…"
"…You didn't have to be so insistent, Fran. I'm not going to die that easily…"
Annoyed, the man grumbled as he looked at her.
"I'm sorry, my lord, but until you fulfill your duties as head of your house, I can't let you so much as break a nail."
"…"
After a few seconds of silence, he turned to the building ahead, muttering.
"…Please, at least stop calling me that. I've already apologized for that."
…
Checking a finely crafted pocket watch, its silver surface glinting faintly in the sunlight, he patiently waited for the golden hand to pass over the Roman numerals, completing its final turn.
Once it did, he tucked it away, pulling a cord around his neck to reveal a simple whistle attached to it. He blew into it.
"…"
Though no sound came from it, the birds' chirping and the forest's rustling continued uninterrupted. But as he lowered the whistle, dozens of shadowy figures burst from the undergrowth, charging through the cleared area toward the building.
Tucking the whistle back into his clothing, he gave a firm order.
"Let's go."
Advancing as well, the two set off, followed closely by five other beings.
Trailing behind the other groups, who had already entered the building's lower floors, they approached a wall with no visible entrance, unconcerned.
Picking up speed, the leader headed toward it. A few meters from the skyscraper, he bent his knees, looked up, and leaped.
Not just him—all those accompanying him followed, launching themselves several meters into the air. For a moment, their cloaks lifted, revealing that most carried swords at their waists.
Upon landing, five reached the third floor, while above them, the leader and Fran reached the fourth. After a quick exchange of glances, they gripped the structure tightly, causing cracks to form around their hands, and propelled themselves upward again, grabbing the wall as their momentum slowed.
Repeating this process with swift, calculated leaps, they climbed toward the skyscraper's summit. The gap between them and the five others trailing behind widened gradually.
Some time later, nearing the top floors, they suddenly crashed through a large window, shattering it in the process.
As they landed, glass shards still falling, Fran drew a long rapier with a silver guard and a slender blade. The leader, deftly unwrapping the object on his back, revealed a long-handled lance with a blade at the tip, flanked by two smaller points, forming an inverted "T."
Assuming combat stances, they stood back-to-back near the window, guarding each other's rear. Still breathing heavily from the climb, they scanned their surroundings intently.
Standing on a marble floor, they were in a spacious room surrounded by Greek statues near the walls, covered in moss and grime. Above, a magnificent golden chandelier adorned with crystals, held by frayed cables, swayed in the high-altitude winds.
On the verge of falling, it produced the only sound in the silent space—a faint, bothersome creak.
With dozens of corridors and rooms, the place was vast, and this was just the first floor. A second level was visible, accessible by an elegant staircase or a small elevator in the corner.
After surveying their surroundings and finding nothing, they relaxed slightly, lowering their weapons.
"Clear."
"Clear."
As Fran sheathed her rapier and the leader rested his lance on the ground, the other five beings entered through the same window and, without pausing, spread out to search the floor.
Left alone, they awaited the final sweep as the sun dipped below the horizon behind them.
***
In one of the many floors below, while group one was at the top, group two searched the structure beneath them. From large commercial rooms to small cleaning closets, they checked every corner.
When they finished a floor, they gathered at the elevator hall for a quick headcount before splitting into smaller groups again, moving to the next level at high speed.
But one of these beings, left alone in the hall, glanced to the side and noticed an elevator door ajar.
Approaching, they peered into the shaft, where the elevator lay destroyed, its steel cables snapped, at the bottom.
"Clear."
Leaping into the shaft, they gripped metal structures on the walls and began climbing toward the next floor.
In seconds, they reached it, finding the elevator doors closed but with a small gap between them.
"…"
Sliding their fingers into the gap, they pushed. Despite initial resistance, the doors gave way with a grating screech of metal on metal.
As they opened, a dull thud echoed through the floor as the doors hit their stops.
Pausing at the entrance to the new hall, they looked around.
Though worn, the hall still bore ornate details—golden tones and intricate light fixtures—while wide corridors were adorned with large, elegant porcelain plant vases.
Choosing a direction, they darted down a corridor at high speed.
Passing numerous apartments and rooms, they found nothing but empty, dirty spaces. But upon reaching one, they were surprised to find the entrance blocked by an old, rusted refrigerator.
Grabbing it with both hands, they lifted it carefully to avoid making noise.
With a large window letting vines spill into the apartment, the space was well-lit. Moving cautiously, they kept one hand on their waist, gripping something.
Stepping around glass shards and broken porcelain on the floor, they avoided making any sound that might betray them.
Little remained inside, as most furniture had decayed into unrecognizable piles of decomposed material, leaving only durable items like concrete countertops, metal, and plastic fragments scattered across a large dining room.
Checking the room's doors, they found one blocked, this time by twisted, rusted metal pieces.
Approaching, they touched what seemed to be part of a chair. With a light squeeze, the metal crumbled completely, triggering a chain reaction that turned the rest into dust as it hit the floor.
Moving their hand from their waist, they entered the room.
It wasn't much different from the rest of the apartment, with piles of dirt on the floor and plants creeping in through the window. But their eyes quickly locked onto a corner of the room.
Against a wall, three skeletons of different sizes sat close together, the two larger ones enveloping the smaller one. Long decomposed, no cloth or flesh remained, but dirt and plants held them together.
Observing the scene, their gaze settled on the largest skeleton, one arm wrapped around the other two, holding an old, rusted revolver in its other hand.
"…"
Turning away, they left the apartment, passing through the empty rooms.
As they stepped outside, they heard something heavy approaching from their right. Before they could turn, a massive creature, resembling a bear, struck them with its paw.
The impact sent them flying several meters, but they landed lightly, drawing a sword.
"That was close."
With a calm, mocking tone, they raised an arm, eyeing the creature through five claw marks torn in their cloak.
The beast, though the size of a polar bear with the coloration of a grizzly, had an eagle's head, its neck a blend of fur and feathers.
Rising on its hind legs, its head brushing the ceiling, it roared.
"Looks like I woke you from your hibernation. My apologies."
With a playful tone, the cloaked figure stood, positioning the sword in front of their body, ready for combat.
Silent and still, they stared at each other for a moment. Then, taking the initiative with another roar, the beast lunged forward, dropping to all fours and charging.
Due to its size and weight, its heavy steps shook the floor, accompanied by the grating sound of its long claws scraping the tiles.
Aiming to end the fight quickly, it targeted the figure's jugular.
As it neared, the figure sidestepped, grabbing the beast's throat to halt it. Then, despite being much smaller, they effortlessly lifted its front half off the ground.
Confused, the beast froze for a moment, only snapping back to reality as excruciating pain hit, followed by a loss of sensation below its neck.
A second later, it heard something heavy collapse to the floor.
Looking ahead, its eyelids heavy, it saw the small figure still holding its head, staring with cold, emotionless eyes as everything went dark.
With a single sword stroke, the beast had been decapitated.
Lowering their arm, still holding the creature's head, they looked at the body sprawled before them, blood pooling from its neck.
"That's why I hate using swords…"
Annoyed, they saw their clothes were stained, blood having splattered over them.
"Is everything alright, Einhart?"
Startled, they turned to see a large cloaked figure watching, accompanied by three others, all with swords drawn.
"Yes, no need to worry, Bernd. It was just a beast."
Tossing the head aside like trash, they turned, wiping their hands on their cloak.
"…"
Looking at them with an irritated tone, Bernd called them out.
"Don't wander off alone like that. You know better."
Sheathing the sword, they replied in a relaxed tone.
"Yeah, yeah…"
Sighing, Bernd turned and started walking.
"…Try not to get yourself killed."
Together, they left, resuming their search of the structure.