The lights flickered as tremors shuddered through the ship. Distant thuds resonated from the far reaches of the vessel as the Corruption consumed the mighty Heraclea. Elias confirmed the plan one last time with the other two groups, Keldric''s team in the upper decks and Lyara''s crew in the medical bay.
"Keldric, your team will head for the maintenance shaft in sector D7 once we disable the safety mechanisms locking the pathway. Lyara, your group will proceed through the ventilation shaft located at the north end of the medical bay once we reset the ventilation system. You''ll have a five-minute window to evacuate everyone in the med bay." Elias paused, his voice dropping to a more serious tone. "If any of you sense a pull to a particular location, follow it. The artifacts are calling out to us, guiding us to their locations."
Keldric''s voice came through steady and resolute. "Affirmative. We will wait for your signal."
"Good luck and be careful, everyone," Lyara''s soothing voice replied.
Reeves continued to work the control panels feverishly, her fingers dancing across the illuminated surfaces with practiced precision. "I can keep the comms up and running for twenty minutes, perhaps twenty-five." Her hands moved like those of a virtuoso musician at her instrument. "After that, the emergency power banks will be dry."
"Understood, then that is our timeline for this maneuver." Elias looked at the other Chosen Ones. "Etta, take the remote radio, and let''s move."
Etta gave a nervous nod, timidly reaching out to take Reeves''s extended hand and accept the radio from her.
"Good luck, all of you. I will remain here and keep your lines of communication open."
"We owe you, Reeves; stay safe." With that, Elias entered the maintenance tunnel and headed for the ventilation control station. Maren took the lead, her shimmering blades lighting the path in a deep violet. Etta and Nira followed behind him, nervously making their way down the shadowed shaft.
"Stop!" Etta whispered with urgency, bringing the expedition to a halt. "Listen, do you hear that?"
Maren, Nira, and Elias perked up, listening intently as subtle sounds of dragging came from a passage on their left. Maren raised her daggers, certain the Corruption sought to kill them using another of its abominations.
''Ugh. Aaachk!''
It sounded human and like they were in pain. Everyone turned to Elias simultaneously, as if they shared one mind. The weight of their expectant gaze pressed down on him.
Maren was the first to speak. "Do we investigate or move on?"
"Let''s move on. We don''t have time—" Elias was suddenly overcome by a magnetic attraction to the hall from which the sounds of a dying man came. He paused, searching his mind for clarity on this inescapable pull. Then, a whisper.
Elias.
"Actually, let''s take a look."
Nira shuddered. "You just said—"
Elias raised his hand, cutting her short. "I know, but something is calling to me from that hallway. We need to go that way."
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Nira''s dejection deepened. Her eyes seemed to sink even further as the prospect of heading towards the likely snare of death loomed. Maren took the lead, her hands trembling so slightly that only Elias caught it. He placed a hand on her shoulder, a knowing look of silent encouragement appearing on his face. Her hands steadied, and confidence began to return, at least as much as one could expect in the face of certain doom.
As they entered the passage, the smell of iron hung thick in the air. The tension of needing to move quickly but also avoid another shade made for a stressful trek; one could see the nervous glances as every shadow seemed to move in unnatural ways.
"Who are you?" a voice called from the darkness.
Elias and the others turned to the voice; the purple ambient light spilling from Maren''s Twilight Twins brought a broken man in a security officer''s uniform into focus. His lower body was mangled, his legs shredded by some monstrous, gruesome claws. Corruption was seeping into his veins, his skin already losing color. His pistol was raised, aimed at the unknown band before him, fear controlling his every move.
"My name is Elias Varen, a Research Assistant assigned to Lab four. You are?"
"Sergeant Harrison."
Cough, hauchk!
Blood spilled from his mouth onto the floor and walls. "Looks like I''m not going to last much longer. Whatever this is," he said, pointing to the ink-filled veins, "it''s speaking to me. I can already feel my sanity slipping." He turned the pistol on himself.
"NO!" Etta lurched forward with surprising speed, reaching for the firearm, but it was too late.
BANG
The shot rang out through the darkness, and all the Chosen Ones could hear was a loud, deafening ringing. As Nira lost her balance, Maren reached out to steady her, clutching her arm and saying something to the poor girl, but the ringing was so overpowering that all Nira heard were muffled grunts.
As the group recovered from the disorienting blast, Elias heard the whisper again, loud, clear, bypassing the ringing and echoing to the far reaches of his mind.
Elias. I must feed.
His hand moved instinctively, heading straight for Harrison''s standard-issue sidearm. His fingers tingled as he touched the weapon, his pulse quickened, and his pupils dilated as he took the gun into his hand. His artifact had found its master.
The pistol, however, did not stay as it was. It morphed, becoming like liquid before reforming again into an elegant stiletto. Its blade resembled obsidian but was infinitely dark, with an edge that gleamed with a faint crimson. The pommel was made of ivory, with a single gem set into it that pulsed with radiant light in time with his heartbeat. The handle was sturdy and wrapped in soft, worn leather.
His mind flashed as a pulse of energy emanated from the glassy blade. Knowledge was transferred directly to him, granting him an instinctual understanding of how to use the blade and at least a glimpse of the powers it held.
"Sable Kiss." His voice was barely audible. He considered for a brief moment whether he should share his newfound knowledge with his colleagues, but his upbringing in the slums quickly quashed that foolish decision. He still did not know what the rest of the trial held. If it were competitive instead of cooperative, information would be the most valuable resource of all. The more you knew about a potential opponent, the greater your advantage would be.
Maren reached down and closed Harrison''s eyes, the group sparing just a moment for the dead. They turned back to the main corridor and proceeded to the ventilation control station up ahead.
As they reached the four-way crossing, Nira, with her uncanny ability to memorize information, said, "We need to go right here, and then the terminal will be on the left."
The group nodded in unison, Maren again in the lead with Elias taking up the rear.
As if appearing from thin air, a deafening crash and the sound of metal being ripped apart came exploding down the tunnel behind them. From the darkness, Elias saw a shadow quickly approaching, titanic in size. Larger than any Corrupted he had seen up to this point.
"RUN!" He commanded, and the group took off, fleeing from the monstrous form. They were losing ground quickly; the ferocious beast would be upon them in moments.
His mind raced. What do I do? Crap, crap, crap!
The jewel on Sable Kiss shone with an eerie, crimson glow, pulsing in time with Elias''s racing heart. Heat radiated from the hilt, wave after wave bringing an unknown source of courage with it. Elias could sense it. His blade was alive. His blade was hungry.
Let me feed. Turn and FEED ME! Sable Kiss was calling—nay, it was DEMANDING—Elias to turn and face the monster that was only a half step behind him now.
Out of time and filled with unfounded confidence, Elias dropped low, spun on his heels, and thrust the dagger forward.