Crash!
The rusted service door flew inward as Raze's boot connected. They were inside.
His Combat Reflex activated immediately, enhanced perception tracking every detail in the darkness. Two guards at the hallway's end, already turning toward the sound.
Aslan moved without hesitation. His footsteps thundered against stone as he closed the distance. The first guard raised a club.
Crack.
Aslan caught the guard's wrist and twisted. The man crumpled with a scream. The second guard stabbed forward desperately with a knife. Aslan sidestepped and delivered a palm strike to the solar plexus.
Thump.
Both guards down in seconds. No transformation needed.
"The basement." Raze drew Azure Edge, the blue steel gleaming faintly. "We need to reach the extraction equipment."
They descended stairs into growing purple light. The air tasted wrong. Chemical. Sharp. Corrupted mana saturated everything.
