The Torres family reached the bottom of the stairwell without incident and found themselves standing in front of a door with a large number two and a sign that said:
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES
SECURITY
"I don't like that the stairs just stop at level two. It feels like we're being railroaded."
The others only nodded at Zavier's observation. Tess reached for the handle but Zavier stopped her before she could turn it. "I don't know what's out there, so there's not a lot of prep work we can do - but we need to change the lineup."
He turned and fixed Luna with a look. "You're up, honey."
She squeaked.
"You're the lowest level of any of us, you need to get some experience in. You've been supporting, which hasn't gotten you a lot of experience. We also haven't given you the chance to practice with your skills."
"But what if it goes the wrong way?"
"That's the choice you made, honey. There's nothing to be gained by avoiding it." Zavier's voice was soft but firm. "And I'll be right behind you. I need to catch up to your mom and Cass anyway. Share your screen with us, we need to review what you can do."
Her list of skills flashed into their vision.
Name: Luna Torres
Level: 8
Skills and Abilities:
Name: Empathic Melee
Type: Passive Skill
Level: 2
Description: Due to your deep empathic bond with your sibling, developed through countless battles fought side by side, you have gained the ability to anticipate each other's movements, enhancing your coordination and effectiveness in combat.
Effect: When within a certain range of each other, both you and your sibling receive a 15% boost to your agility and accuracy. This skill reflects your unique connection, allowing you to fight as a seamless unit and respond to each other's actions with unparalleled synchronicity.
Name: Luck of the Draw
Type: Combat Skill
Level: 1
Description: You can tap into your luck to receive random combat bonuses with a chance of temporary penalties. The outcome is always uncertain, making each battle uniquely unpredictable.
Effect: Once per battle you can activate Luck of the Draw. It gives a 50% chance to receive a 50% increase or decrease in one of your core stats for the duration of the battle.
"Well, not much to it then - it's pretty straightforward. Next time we get into a fight you activate that skill."
"Okaaay…" she dragged the word out.
"One more thing love," Tess reached out to hand her a machete. "Upgraded stats are going to be a lot more effective in melee combat than at range. Save your gauntlet for when we need it. You're going to have to get your hands dirty now."
Luna gulped.
"Here, take this." Cass handed her one of his Dust Devil Rattler shields. As soon as she slid her hand into the loops of leather she saw her defense and agility jump up. "We still have our bond, that'll give you an extra boost. It's weird at first, I know, but you'll get used to fighting."
"Time to do the damned thing," Zavier said cheerfully before swinging the door open.
Luna rushed through the open door and stumbled to a stop, instantly trying to activate Luck of the Draw. When it failed she looked around in confusion.
Realizing what she'd tried to do, Zavier put a hand on her shoulder. "We're not fighting yet."
She nodded and stepped forward again. They were in an open series of cubicles that stretched into the distance. Luna was too short to see over the carpet-paneled walls so Zavier gave the update from his tip toes.
"Okay, I just see a single door directly across from us. Looks like about 30 or so cubicles down. Damn, was this place always this big or did she do this?" In any sane world the cubicles would have formed orderly squares with straight walkways between them, but here they were arrayed in a maze with no obvious way through.
"Fighting is going to be tough with everything so confined." Tess's voice sounded muffled, as if the entire room was meant to create a hush. He looked back at her and nodded behind them.
"Cass, watch our backs. T, you keep an eye out for anything jumping out of these cubicles. Luna and I will lead."
They shared a look and began walking. In the distance a phone rang. The sound sent shivers up their spine for its normalcy, which was immediately eclipsed with mild fear when someone or something picked the phone up with a clatter.
"Uh dad…"
"What?" Zavier's voice was a whisper to match Luna's.
"My skill just activated."
A man stumbled into the path in front of them, ripped khaki pants sagging around his waist, white button-up shirt hanging in tatters across his portly frame. His eyes moved independently, rolling around the area in obvious confusion.
"What stat?" Zavier's whisper was a rush.
"Uh, strength!"
The man turned his head sharply at Luna's voice and a phlegmy rattle escaped his throat, the noise causing a reaction in the room as more of its inhabitants responded to the sound. He trundled toward them in a limp at first, his charge building up speed as he approached.
"Bash him!"
Luna squeaked again but jumped forward, her bond with Cass giving her a feel for how she should bend her knees and position her body. The man slammed into the shield and bounced off, his chest rupturing in a cloud of dust and spores that choked the confined area.
Luna coughed and Zavier could see her health dipping with each inhale. The hacking sound agitated the room and more shuffling and bumping could be heard around them.
"Shhh!" He sent over the group chat. "They're getting agitated from the noise. Luna, try to stop coughing!"
Luna took a breath, her face going pink from the effort. She covered her mouth with her elbow, but the cough exploded out of her. She leaned forward, retching and coughing to clear her lungs. They saw the drop in her health stop as the last of it was forced from her lungs, but the sounds around them only increased.
Tess's voice came over the chat. "No talking, chat only. Looks like ranged weapons are the way to go."
Luna reached behind her to hand Tess the machete but Tess waved it off. "You still need it. Fire the gauntlet, but you may have to get in range. Z, use your chain."
Then there was no more time as thumps sounded behind them. Zavier wished he'd learned to create bubbles of safe air around them, but didn't have time to analyze the spores coming from the body.
Cass lunged away from them, bashing an emaciated woman back, her upper torso exploding with the force of his attack.
"Too fast, Cass!" Tess noted. "Don't hit them so hard, it's sending the spores everywhere!"
Cass nodded and released the breath he'd been holding. He looked back at his mom and noted her wide eyes. He turned again and saw two more coming from the cubicles behind them.
"Move!" Zavier's directive sent them moving forward at a trot, their movements furtive as they banked around blind corners. Luna cleared each corner with her gauntlet up and fired shots as quickly as she turned, missing as many as she hit. The mummified office drones came at them in groups, disappearing into noxious clouds every time they were hit. The family had to wait for each cloud to disperse before moving forward again, stalling any momentum they tried to gather.
"The groups are getting bigger and more frequent."
"I noticed, Tess, but we can't rush through the clouds."
"I think we have to."
"They're coming over the walls!" Cass's voice over the chat was panicked and Tess saw that he was right. Long, twisted fingers were probing the tops of the walls and rotted heads were following them. Zavier whipped his chain in straight lashes, trying to force the heads back while puncturing them as minimally as possible. Heads exploded around him, miasmic clouds filling the air.
"We have to run!" He sent. "Luna, bash and keep going forward. Don't let them grab you."
Luna barreled through the rotting office workers, her shield sending them tumbling back with sickening cracks. Their decayed bodies hit the cubicle walls with a crunch before bursting into clouds of spores. The air grew thick and choking with the swirling mists of decay. Luna's breath hitched, and she gagged, her eyes watering as she pushed herself forward.
Zavier's chain was already in motion, lashing out to clear the path ahead, but with each impact the bodies exploded, filling the confined space with more toxic clouds. "Keep moving!" his mental voice urgent. His chain lashed out again, ripping through another shambling figure, but his heart sank as he saw more coming from the side.
Behind them, Cass struggled, his speed and strength too much for the brittle enemies. Every hit sent limbs flying, clogging the air with spores. His breath was short, his throat raw, as he choked on the clouds that swirled around them. Tess reached out, slapping him on the shoulder. "Cover your mouth! Stop hitting them so hard!"
He nodded, eyes wide with panic, trying to rein in his strength. He used his shield more defensively, pushing the next attacker away instead of smashing them apart, but every movement sent the suffocating spores swirling further into the air.
The family pressed on, their breaths shallow, lungs burning as they stumbled through the shifting maze of cubicles. More and more figures shuffled out from the shadows, crowding the already limited space. Zavier could feel his energy waning, the constant focus on controlling his chain and the clouds overwhelming him. Each step forward felt like a monumental effort.
Luna was flagging, her shoulders slumping under the weight of her shield. "I can't... breathe," she gasped, her mental voice barely a whisper. Her movements were slowing, each hit weaker than the last.
"Keep going!" Tess urged, wishing her pistols weren't empty so she could give them room to breathe. "Don't stop!"
The waves kept coming, creeping over the cubicle walls, crawling out of unseen corners. Zavier caught sight of one scaling the wall just ahead of them, its withered hands reaching out. He whipped his chain toward it, but the creature's chest exploded into a cloud of spores before it could fall.
Luna stumbled as she breathed in too deeply. Her knees buckled, but before she could hit the floor, Tess was there, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her forward.
"We don't have time," Zavier's voice was grim. "We need to break through."
Cass was at his side, his shield raised. He slammed into the nearest figure, this time keeping his strength in check as he sent the body flying without it bursting into more poison. "Go! I'll clear it!"
"Wait!" Zavier sent. "Pull us out of here!"
The air grew thicker, the clouds swirling around them in a choking miasma. They could see the door at the far end of the room now, but it felt impossibly far. Zavier's chain whipped faster, carving a path ahead, but every movement cost them precious air.
Cass nodded in understanding and grabbed Luna's arm. He was gone in an instant, the wind from his passing temporarily clearing the air.
"Almost there," Tess sent, her mental voice tight with desperation.
Then he was back, grabbing Tess like he had Luna. Zavier's heart eased a bit even as his lungs felt like they were on fire, but he pressed forward. His chain lashed out again, striking down another drone. Cass was there a moment later and the world spun around Zavier. He felt himself banging off of cubicle walls at every turn, but the impacts seemed to have no effect. He only had a moment to reflect on the novelty of it before he was pulled to a stop, his mind still reeling and unable to catch up to his new location.
His head cleared and his brain could finally process where they were. The door stood in front of them, Luna collapsed against it, her body trembling with exhaustion. Tess was standing on shaky legs facing back the way they'd come.
"Get her through," Zavier sent and Cass moved to obey.
"Wait!" Tess's voice was urgent, the words sounding odd to their ears after so much mental communication. "I heard something!"
Zavier strained to hear anything over the groans of the creatures, but his hearing was nowhere near hers.
"I hear someone crying!" Tess was off in an instant, running back the way they'd come.
Zavier's heart lurched in panic. He wanted to get the kids through the door, but didn't want to leave them alone to face whatever was on the other side. He stepped nervously from foot to foot as the groans came closer.
He stood as tall as he was able and saw clouds of spores erupting in geometric patterns that could only mean Tess was working her way through them like a scythe. His eyes went wide when more of the office drones appeared at the opening to the cubicle farm ahead of him, first two, then four, then… he couldn't see how many were behind them, but it was more than they'd faced before. If they started killing them they'd be engulfed in clouds of spores before they knew it.
He cast a look back at his children then moved in front of them, chain held at the ready. He pulled his arm back ready to start its wide sweeps when the group in front of him literally exploded. Tess emerged from the cloud at a sprint, carrying something in the arm that wasn't wielding Claw.
"Go!" She shouted, not bothering to use the group chat this time. Cass pulled the door open and pushed Luna through. Tess was through next and Zavier followed, slamming the door against the onslaught of workers that were filling the small space.