Getting down to the Surface had been a suicide drop. Getting back up was a nightmare.
Rix's bike was dead scrap. The atmospheric pressure made flying impossible without engines. There was only one way up: The Pillar.
It was a massive, artificial column that connected the Floating City to the Surface, used by the Church to dump waste. It was hollow, dark, and filled with millions of tons of trash falling at terminal velocity.
"We have to climb inside that?" Rix shouted over the roar of falling debris.
"Not climb," Kaelen said. His eyes were completely black for a moment. "Jump."
[Skill: Shadow Jump]
Kaelen grabbed Rix. He looked at a shadow cast by a falling shipping container. VWOOP. They vanished. They reappeared inside the container, riding it up the updraft for a second before jumping to a shadow on the inner wall of the Pillar.
They ascended like flickering ghosts. Jump. Hold. Jump. Hold.
Kaelen felt the Shadow Aspect inside him purring. It loved the dark. It loved the cold. It whispered to him: "Drop the girl. She is heavy. She slows us down."
Kaelen gritted his teeth. "Shut up," he told the voice. He tightened his grip on Rix. "Hold on."
It took four hours. They emerged into the Waste Processing Plant of Sector 7. The lights were blinding.
[System Connection Establishing...][Welcome Back, User.][Syncing Stats...]
Kaelen held his breath. Would the System ban him instantly?
[Error. Class 'Glitch Walker' not found. Applying Mask...][Class Displayed: Shadow Rogue (Rare).][Level: 20]
"The Guide..." Kaelen realized. "The Guide hacked my display."
[Guide: You are welcome. I have spoofed your packet data. To the System, you are now a legitimate player. Do not give them a reason to double-check.]