[Daily Quest Complete: Physical Conditioning]
[Rewards: +30 XP (Base & System) | +1 Stat Point]
[Base Level: 9] (1020/2300 XP)
[System Level: 7] (1720/2100 XP)
[Stat Points: 21]
[Weekly Quest Progress: Daily Quests (6/7)]
Kaelen just completed his daily quest and returned to his room to prepare.
He dressed in his academy uniform. The fabric was reinforced with light aetheric thread, providing minimal protection without restricting movement.
He equipped the Aether Chain around his left wrist. Fully charged at one hundred A.E. in reserve. The Guardian's Band went on his right wrist, the dull gray metal settling comfortably against his skin.
Then he reached for the pendant.
It lay on his desk where he'd left it last night, the silver chain gleaming faintly in the morning light. The gear-shaped charm caught the illumination, its etched patterns seeming almost to shift as he picked it up.
Kaelen fastened it around his neck, tucking it beneath his uniform where it rested against his chest. The metal was cool at first, then warmed quickly to match his body temperature.
...
The transport hub was already active when Kaelen arrived, all four teams gathering in organized clusters near their designated vehicles. The massive hover-transports sat on elevated platforms.
Team 3 was mostly present. Nyxara stood slightly apart from the others, her blue-gray Sylth skin catching the overhead lights as she meditated quietly. Elias reviewed something on his tablet, his thin-framed glasses reflecting the screen's glow. Mateo and Kenji stood together, talking in low voices. Sofia was practicing controlled breathing exercises near one of the transport support struts.
Mira Sellen bounced on her heels with barely contained energy, her enthusiasm infectious despite the early hour.
And Vyne, naturally, was already there. She leaned against the transport's hull with her arms crossed, silver-white hair catching the light. Her violet eyes found Kaelen immediately.
"Morning, celebrity," she said cheerfully. "Ready for adventure?"
"As ready as I can be," Kaelen replied.
"That's the spirit."
The equipment distribution area occupied one corner of the hub. Academy officials moved, checking inventories and organizing supplies. A large weapons crate sat open near the front, E-rank equipment available for requisition.
An official's voice carried across the hub, amplified slightly. "All team members, final equipment distribution. E-rank weapons permitted for field deployment. Approach by team designation."
Team 3 moved toward the crate as their designation was called.
Kaelen stepped forward first, examining the available options. The weapons were identical to what he'd seen during the survey mission, swords, daggers, staff configurations, reinforced gauntlets.
His hand went to the gauntlets immediately.
He picked up the familiar Aether Strike Gauntlet, feeling its weight. The form-fitting alloy settled over his right hand from knuckles to mid-forearm, adjusting automatically to create a perfect seal.
[Aether Strike Gauntlet - E-Rank Weapon Equipped]
[Strength: 45 –> 50]
[Defense: 51 (+5 from Guardian's Band) –> 56 (+3 from gauntlet)–>59]
[Effect: Enhances aether-coated strikes by 15%]
The metal was cool against his skin initially, then warmed as it synchronized with his aether flow. Kaelen flexed his fingers. The gauntlet moved smoothly, no restriction to movement.
His teammates made their selections. Mateo declined, his Pulsebreak ability working better without held weapons. Sofia did the same. Mira took a pair of reinforced bracers that would enhance her Environmental Mimicry. Kenji selected a short blade designed for quick strikes. Elias, Nyxara, and Vyne all declined.
The official checked off their selections and directed them back toward the transports.
Four figures approached from the main administration building, their presence commanding immediate attention. All four wore academy instructor uniforms marked with its insignia. Their cultivation levels pressed against Kaelen's awareness like distant mountains, vast and immovable.
These were the observers.
Three of them split off toward Teams 1, 2, and 4. The fourth approached Team 3 directly.
He was tall, six-foot-two, with gray-streaked hair cut military style. His face was weathered, carrying the kind of lines that came from decades of field experience. His eyes were sharp and assessing, pale gray that seemed to miss nothing. Former Guardian, Kaelen guessed, now transitioned to academy oversight.
"Team 3," the man said, his voice carried quiet authority. "I'm Instructor Davos. I'll be your observer for this mission." He looked at each team member briefly, his gaze lingering on Kaelen. "Standard protocol. I remain at the landing zone unless your emergency beacon activates or you fail two consecutive check-ins. Questions?"
Silence.
"Good. Board your transport."
Instructor Mira appeared then, moving between the four teams with final words. Her amber-gold eyes were serious despite her usual energy.
"Trust your training," she said, addressing all thirty-two students simultaneously. "Trust each other. Document everything you find. And come back safe. All of you."
The weight of her words settled over the assembled teams.
Then she stepped back, and the team leaders began directing their groups to board.
Kaelen climbed into Transport 7, his team followed. The interior was familiar from the survey mission, padded seats arranged in two rows facing each other, storage compartments for equipment, transparent sections of hull offering views outside.
Instructor Davos took position near the rear, standing rather than sitting, his posture relaxed but alert.
The pilot's voice came through the internal comm. "Transport 7, all passengers secured. Preparing for departure."
The engine hum deepened. Then, they lifted off smoothly.
...
The transport rose above the academy grounds, climbing steadily. Through the transparent hull sections, Kaelen watched the familiar towers fall away below. The city spread outward in organized patterns, upper tiers gleaming, lower districts shadowed but alive with early morning activity.
They climbed higher, approaching the barrier.
The shimmer was visible now, a faint distortion in the air that marked the boundary between the Enclave's protection and the Scourged Zone beyond. The transport passed through with the familiar pressure shift, reality bending briefly before normalizing.
Outside.
The landscape changed immediately. Colors intensified, the sky carrying faint aurora patterns from the Veil's lingering influence. The terrain below twisted in ways that defied natural geology, beautiful and dangerous in equal measure.
Kaelen noticed the other three transports splitting off, each heading toward their designated approach vectors. Transport 7 continued west, flying deeper into the Scourged Zone than the survey mission had taken them.
This was further into the secured perimeter, where E-rank presence was confirmed rather than just possible.
The facility appeared on the horizon after thirty minutes of flight.
It was massive, far larger than the holographic projections had suggested. Pre-Descent architecture dominated the structure, all hard angles and reinforced construction designed to withstand serious punishment. But centuries of abandonment had taken their toll. Sections had collapsed, walls were breached, and bioluminescent vegetation had claimed large portions of the exterior, pulsing faintly with blue-green light.
The structure looked like a corpse slowly being consumed by the Scourged Zone itself.
"Visual confirmation of target," the pilot announced. "Descent in five minutes."
Team 3 stirred, final preparations beginning. Kaelen checked his equipment one more time. Aether Chain, charged. Guardian's Band, equipped. Gauntlet, equipped. Emergency beacon on his left wrist, communication device active.
Beside him, his teammates went through similar checks. Nyxara's eyes remained closed, her resonance already extending outward to sense their approach. Elias saved his work and secured his tablet. Mateo and Kenji exchanged final tactical notes. Sofia's breathing exercises intensified briefly, then settled into calm rhythm. Mira forced herself to sit still, channeling nervous energy into focus.
Vyne looked completely relaxed, as if they were on a casual field trip rather than heading into potential danger.
The transport began its descent.
...
7:00 AM
All four transports landed in a central clearing approximately two hundred meters from the facility's main entrance. The ground was relatively flat here, cleared by previous academy survey teams to serve as a staging area.
The facility loomed ahead, its damaged structure somehow more imposing from ground level. The morning light painted everything in sharp contrasts, deep shadows and brilliant highlights creating a landscape that felt strange despite being part of Earth.
Kaelen disembarked with his team, his boots crunching against crystalline gravel that sparkled faintly. The air here was different from inside the Enclave, thicker, charged with latent aether energy that made his skin tingle slightly.
The Sentinel observer moved establishing his monitoring station at the landing zone's center. Equipment appeared from storage compartments: communication relay arrays, emergency beacon receivers, medical supplies, defensive barriers that hummed with subtle power.
Instructor Davos called Kaelen near the communication array.
"Communication check-in every thirty minutes. Your device is synchronized to our relay. Emergency beacons reach us in under three minutes. Use it if the situation exceeds your capability." Davos said, his gray eyes serious
He paused, making sure Kaelen was paying full attention.
"I do not enter the facility unless beacons activate or you fail two consecutive check-ins. Your mission is investigation and documentation. Gather intelligence on the anomalous readings and structural conditions. Engage threats only if necessary for mission completion or team safety. Do not take unnecessary risks. Clear?"
Kaelen confirmed understanding.
Kaelen gathered Team 3 after the conversation. "Kenji scouts ahead with shadows. Nyxara and I handle mid-range detection. Everyone else maintains visual contact and stays alert. Questions?"
Silence.
"Then let's move."
Team 3 headed west, following a path that had been partially cleared by previous expeditions but was already being reclaimed by the Scourged Zone's aggressive vegetation. The bioluminescent growth crunched faintly underfoot, releasing spores that glowed briefly before dissipating.
The facility's western entrance grew larger as they approached, a gaping wound in the structure's side where something had torn through reinforced walls. The damage was old, corroded and weathered, but the violence of whatever had caused it was still evident in the twisted metal and shattered concrete.
...
Facility Western Entrance
The entrance was partially collapsed but passable. Concrete and metal had twisted inward, creating a narrow opening that would force single-file entry. Blast scoring marked the surrounding walls, evidence of the incident that had forced evacuation centuries ago.
Kaelen signaled the team to halt ten meters from the entrance.
"Kenji."
Kenji nodded, his expression focused. His shadow fragmented, darkness peeling away from his feet and stretching forward like living tendrils. The shadows slipped through the entrance, disappearing into the facility's interior darkness.
Ten seconds passed. Twenty. Thirty.
Then Kenji's eyes opened. "Corridor is clear for twenty meters. After that, it branches left and right. I can't see further without going deeper."
"Structural assessment," Kaelen said, looking at Nyxara.
The Sylth girl approached the facility's outer wall, placing her hand flat against the corroded metal. Her solid black eyes closed, her resonance manipulation extending through the structure like invisible fingers sensing vibrations and stress points.
After a moment, she spoke, her harmonic voice carrying concern. "The structure is unstable in several places. The damage is old but extensive. I'm detecting movement deeper inside, but I can't determine if it's environmental settling or biological."
Kaelen activated his Spatial Awareness, the three-meter detection radius expanding around him like an invisible sphere. Nothing registered within range except his teammates.
"We enter cautiously," Kaelen said. "Lights on. Stay within visual contact. No one separates from the group for any reason."
His team checked their portable lights, compact devices that attached to uniforms or could be held. The beams cut through darkness with a steady illumination.
"I take point. Mateo, you're second. Mira, Nyxara, Sofia center positions. Elias, Kenji, rear guard. Vyne..." He looked at her. "Stay where I can see you."
"Always do," Vyne replied cheerfully.
Kaelen activated his communication device. "Team 3 to Observer Davos. We're entering the facility. First check-in in thirty minutes."
Davos's voice crackled back immediately. "Acknowledged, Team 3. Proceed with caution."
Kaelen took a breath, then stepped through the entrance.
The darkness swallowed him.
...
Kaelen's portable light activated automatically, cutting through absolute darkness. The beam revealed a corridor stretching ahead, wide enough for three people to walk through. The ceiling disappeared into shadow above, too high for the light to reach.
His team filed in behind him, their own lights creating overlapping pools of illumination. The darkness retreated reluctantly, revealing details that had been hidden for centuries.
The corridor was a devastation frozen in time.
Pre-Descent technology lined the walls: corroded terminals embedded in metal panels, their screens were dark and cracked. Broken equipment lay scattered across the floor, components stripped or decayed beyond recognition. Blast scoring marked every surface, black char patterns that told stories of violence and panic.
But nature, or what passed for nature in the Scourged Zone, had begun reclaiming the space. Bioluminescent growth clung to walls in patches, providing faint blue-green illumination that pulsed with slow rhythm.
The air was stale, centuries of stillness mixed with a faint ozone smell that made Kaelen's nose wrinkle. Every breath tasted of dust and age.
"Sounds are being distributed uneven," Sofia said quietly, her voice sounded strange. She hummed a single note experimentally. The sound died almost immediately, absorbed by something. "These walls are dampening sound more than they should. Intentional design or environmental effect, I can't tell."
"Noted," Kaelen said. "Kenji."
Kenji's shadows spread ahead, flowing along the corridor floor like liquid darkness. His eyes tracked their movement, feeding him information the rest couldn't see.
The team moved forward. Kaelen kept his Spatial Awareness active, the skill drain was not aether but a mental stress.
After thirty meters, Nyxara touched the wall again. "Structural integrity is compromised ahead. There's a weak section in the ceiling approximately fifteen meters forward. We should move carefully."
They approached the indicated area slowly. Looking up, Kaelen could see the damage, a section of ceiling that sagged ominously, held in place by corroded support beams that looked ready to fail.
"Single file," Kaelen directed. "Don't touch anything."
One by one, they passed beneath the unstable section. No one breathed until they were clear.
The corridor branched ahead, exactly as Kenji had reported. Left path showed heavy collapse, rubble blocking passage. Right path was clearer, more intact.
"Right," Kaelen decided.
They took the right corridor, moving deeper into the facility's western section.
...
First Laboratory - 7:45 AM
After fifty meters, the corridor opened into a large room. The door hung crooked on damaged hinges, half-open like a mouth frozen mid-scream.
Kaelen signaled halt, then approached carefully. He peered inside, his light sweeping the interior.
A laboratory. Or what remained of one.
The space was twenty meters across, high ceiling supported by pillars that had somehow survived the facility's collapse. Workstations lined the walls, their surfaces empty except for shattered glass and corroded tools. Equipment racks stood empty, whatever they'd once held long since removed or decayed.
Aether energy pulsed through the room, it was faint but definitely present. Kaelen felt it against his skin, a subtle pressure that made his awareness sharpen.
"Clear," he said after checking corners. "Everyone inside. Let's document this."
Team 3 entered, spreading out to examine different sections. Elias immediately gravitated toward a terminal that still showed faint power indicators, his tablet out and connecting cables ready. Sofia tested the space, noting how sound behaved differently in the larger space. Nyxara checked structural integrity while Mira collected environmental samples.
Kaelen approached a piece of equipment that looked less damaged than the rest. It was cylindrical, maybe a meter tall, with panels covered in pre-Descent text and symbols he couldn't read.
He activated Analytical Scan.
[–5 A.E.]
[A.E.: 475/480]
[Pre-Descent Resonance Amplifier]
[Status: Inactive]
[Condition: Severely Damaged]
[Function: ???]
Kaelen frowned. The scan gave him basic information but nothing about what it actually did. Whatever "resonance amplification" meant, it was beyond his current understanding.
Elias's voice cut through his thoughts. "I've got something."
Everyone gathered around the terminal Elias had been working on. His tablet displayed fragments of text, corrupted data streams that flickered and stuttered.
"Most of the data is gone," Elias said, his fingers moving rapidly across his screen. "But I'm recovering fragments. Look at this."
Text scrolled across the display:
>...dimensional breach containment protocols enacted...
>...resonance cascade event detected in Sector 7...
>...evacuation order issued, all personnel to...
The text cut off, replaced by corrupted symbols.
"This was the incident," Elias said quietly. "Whatever they were experimenting with, it went catastrophically wrong. The dimensional resonance they were studying destabilized. That's what caused the evacuation."
"And then the Descent happened before anyone could return," Nyxara added, her harmonic voice soft.
The team fell silent, processing the implications. This facility hadn't just been abandoned. It had been the site of a disaster, one that had been overtaken by a larger catastrophe before it could be properly investigated.
"Document everything," Kaelen said. "Images, readings, samples. We need comprehensive data."
They worked in order for the next fifteen minutes. Every piece of equipment was photographed. Every terminal was scanned for recoverable data. Environmental samples were collected in sealed containers. Aether readings were recorded at multiple points throughout the room.
By 8:10 AM, they had everything they could get from this location.
"Time for check-in," Kaelen said, activating his communication device. "Team 3 to Observer Davos. We're in the western laboratory section, documenting pre-Descent equipment and recovering data fragments. No hostiles encountered. Continuing deeper."
Davos's response was immediate. "Acknowledged, Team 3. Status noted. Next check-in at 8:40 AM."
"Understood."
Kaelen looked at his team. Signaling for them to move.
They left the laboratory, moving back into the corridor system. The facility stretched ahead, dark and silent.
...
The corridors became more damaged as they progressed. Sections of wall had collapsed, leaving gaps that opened into rooms beyond. The floor was uneven in places, buckled from whatever force had torn through the structure.
Kenji's shadows scouted constantly, feeding him information about the path ahead. "Movement," he said suddenly. "Twenty-five meters forward. Multiple signatures. Small size. Moving together."
Everyone stopped.
"Hostile?" Kaelen asked.
"Unknown. They're not approaching us. Just... moving parallel to our position."
Kaelen's hand moved to his gauntlet instinctively, checking the fit. "We proceed cautiously. Do not engage unless they attack first."
The team advanced slowly, lights sweeping the darkness ahead.
After twenty meters, the movement became visible.
Shapes darted between shadows at the corridor's far end, low to the ground, too quick to track clearly. Eyes reflected their lights, multiple sets, glowing faint yellow in the darkness.
Then six creatures emerged into the open, and Kaelen got his first clear look.
[Scavenger Rat]
[F-Rank]
They were rat-like but larger, each about two feet long from nose to tail. Their bodies were covered in patchy fur, dark gray and matted. But what made them different was the crystalline growths protruding from their spines and shoulders, that pulsed faintly with internal lights.
Their eyes were intelligent and aware. These weren't simple animals. They were beasts, creatures transformed by aether exposure into something more dangerous.
The scavengers stopped when they saw the team.
They weren't immediately aggressive, they were just assessing.
Kaelen raised his hand, signaling everyone to hold position. For ten seconds, nothing happened. Just mutual observation, predators evaluating potential prey.
Then one of the scavengers took a step forward, testing boundaries.
Kaelen took a step back, maintaining distance.
The creatures interpreted this as weakness and they attacked.
...
Six creatures charged simultaneously, faster than their size suggested. Their claws scraped against metal flooring, the sound was harsh.
Mateo reacted first. He dropped into a low stance and struck the ground with his palm, activating Pulsebreak at controlled output.
The shockwave rippled forward through the floor, destabilizing everything in its path. Three scavengers stumbled as the ground beneath them became unstable. Two managed to dodge with serpentine agility. One powered straight through, accepting the disruption to maintain momentum.
Sofia stepped forward, took a controlled breath, and released a sharp note through Resonant Voice. The sound cut through the corridor like a blade, precisely targeted. The scavengers scattered, their coordination disrupted by the sonic interference.
Mira had already touched the corridor wall moments before, her Environmental Mimicry activating. Her skin hardened, taking on the metallic properties of the facility's construction. She stepped forward to intercept the two creatures that had dodged Mateo's shockwave.
The first scavenger leaped at her, its claws extended. She caught it mid-air with both hands, her metallic skin preventing its claws from finding purchase. One smooth motion slammed it into the floor. The creature didn't get up.
The second tried to attack her exposed leg. Its teeth scraped uselessly against her hardened skin. Mateo was there immediately, delivering a precise strike that ended it.
Kenji's shadows erupted from the darkness, wrapping around a third scavenger like constricting serpents. The creature thrashed but couldn't break free. Nyxara approached calmly, placed her hand on its crystalline growth, and her Resonance Manipulation destabilized the aether structure holding it together from within. The creature convulsed once, then collapsed.
Kaelen faced the remaining three, his Chrono-Perception activating automatically. The world fractured into slow motion, each creature's movement becoming readable, predictable.
Two came at him from different angles, trying to flank. The third hung back, more cautious than its companions.
Kaelen activated Flash Step.
[–19 A.E.]
[A.E.: 456/480]
He blurred to the left, appearing behind the flanking creatures. His gauntleted fist, coated with aether from Aether Manipulation, drove into the first creature's spine with enhanced force.
[–3 A.E./sec for 2 seconds]
[A.E.: 450/480]
CRACK
The combination of gauntlet enhancement and aether coating created devastating impact. The creature's crystalline growth shattered, its spine broke, and it died instantly.
[+150 XP]
[Base Level: 9] (1170/2300 XP)
[System Level: 7] (1870/2100 XP)
The second creature tried to pivot toward him, but it was too slow. Kaelen's second strike caught it in the skull, ending it just as quickly.
[+150 XP]
[Base Level: 9] (1320/2300 XP)
[System Level: 7] (2020/2100 XP)
The last scavenger, seeing its companions fall so rapidly, tried to flee. It turned and ran back the way they'd come, survival instinct overriding aggression.
Elias raised his hand, activating Conceptual Binding. "Movement ceases."
The concept locked into place around the fleeing creature. It froze mid-run, momentum stolen by impossible command. Its legs moved but covered no distance, reality itself denying its escape.
Kaelen closed the distance quickly and delivered a clean strike. The creature collapsed.
[+150 XP]
[System Level Up]
[Base Level: 9] (1470/2300 XP)
[System Level: 8] (70/2400 XP)
...
The team regrouped, checking themselves for damage. Everyone was intact, breathing slightly harder from the burst of activity but otherwise fine.
Kenji moved among the corpses, harvesting the F-rank aether crystals from their cores. Six small stones emerged, each one glowing faint blue and pulsing with energy.
"Three kills," Kaelen noted, checking his System notifications.
[Beast Kills: F-Rank (3/5)]
"We continue," Kaelen said. "There might be more. Stay alert."
Vyne, who hadn't needed to participate in the combat at all, smiled that knowing smile.
"This time," Kaelen replied noticing her smile that said everything worked out fine as usual.
His aether reserves were still high despite the brief combat.
[A.E.: 450/480]
Good. He'd barely spent anything. The fight had been coordinated, exactly what team combat should look like.
They moved deeper into the facility, leaving the scavenger corpses behind.
...
The corridors twisted and branched, creating a maze that would be impossible to navigate without Kenji's shadow scouting and Kaelen's careful attention to their path. Every intersection was documented, every turn noted for the return journey.
They passed more laboratories, most of them empty or too damaged to provide useful information. Occasionally, they found equipment intact enough to scan, and Kaelen would use Analytical Scan to identify it.
Pre-Descent technology. Resonance amplifiers. Dimensional stabilizers. Energy containment units. None of it functional, all of it mysterious.
The facility had been at the cutting edge of reality manipulation research. Whatever they'd discovered here, it had been powerful enough to tear the structure apart when it went wrong.
At 9:00 AM, they found a larger chamber that had clearly been a central research hub. Holographic terminals lined the walls, several still drawing power from somewhere deep in the facility's systems, which brought the question what was still powering some part of tge facility after centuries. Displays flickered weakly, showing corrupted data that Elias immediately began trying to access.
The team spread out, documenting everything systematically.
Kaelen stood near the center of the room, his Spatial Awareness active, feeling nothing but his team within detection range. But something about this place felt strange. Not dangerous exactly, just off. Like standing in a room where the dimensions didn't quite match what his eyes reported.
"Kaelen," Elias called. "You need to see this."
Kaelen approached the terminal Elias had been working on. Corrupted text scrolled across the display, but enough was readable to convey meaning.
>PROJECT THRESHOLD - FINAL REPORT
>Dimensional breach containment has failed in Sector 7
>Resonance cascade expanding beyond projected parameters
>Evacuation protocols enacted, all non-essential personnel to emergency exits
>Research data secured in auxiliary storage, primary systems compromised
>Recommend permanent facility shutdown pending investigation
>This facility is no longer safe
The text dissolved into corrupted symbols.
"They knew it was dangerous," Elias said quietly. "They tried to shut it down properly. But the Descent happened first."
That explained the anomalous aether readings that had prompted this investigation. The facility wasn't just abandoned. It might hold the explanation of the beginning of the Descent. But why was are they just discovering something this potential now, centuries after the Descent.
Kaelen activated his communication device. "Team 3 to Observer Davos. Second check-in. We're in a central research chamber, recovering critical data about the facility's evacuation. The dimensional resonance experiments they were conducting went unstable. Evidence suggests the instability may still be active. Continuing investigation."
Brief pause, then Davos responded. "Acknowledged, Team 3. Exercise extreme caution. If you detect increasing instability, extract immediately. Next check-in at 9:30 AM."
"Understood."
Kaelen looked at his team. "We go deeper. But carefully. Nyxara, continue structural monitoring. Everyone be alert."
They left the research chamber, moving further into the facility's depths.
The corridors grew darker here, the bioluminescent growth less common. Their portable lights became the primary illumination, cutting through shadows that seemed to press in from all sides.
Nyxara touched a wall and her expression changed.
"I detect movements," she said sharply. "Large. Multiple signatures ahead. They're organized, moving in coordinated patterns."
Kaelen signaled immediate halt. "How large?"
"Much larger than those scavengers. And there are many of them. Twenty meters ahead, beyond the next junction."
Kenji sent all his shadows forward to scout. They disappeared into the darkness, then returned with information that made his face tighten.
"There's a chamber," he said quietly. "Huge. Three stories tall at least. And it's full of them. Full of creatures. I can see dozens, maybe more."
The team exchanged glances, as tension rose.
Kaelen activated his communication device. "Team 3 to Observer Davos. We're detecting significant movement ahead. Multiple large signatures. Requesting guidance before proceeding."
Davos's response came through clearly. "Describe what you're detecting."
"We haven't entered yet, but preliminary scouting suggests a large concentration of creatures in a central chamber. Significantly more than the F-rank scavengers we encountered earlier."
Brief pause. "Proceed with extreme caution. Document from safe distance if possible. Do not engage unless attacked. If threat level exceeds your capability, retreat immediately and activate beacon."
"Understood."
Kaelen looked at his team, seeing his own concern reflected in their faces. "We approach carefully. Stay together. Do not engage unless absolutely necessary."
They moved forward, each step was silent.
The corridor ahead opened into something vast.