The blue-haired woman stood straighter, looking down at him. Her deep blue eyes fixed on him for a second too long as if seeing through him, though he already knew why.
"Lower your weapons," the woman said. "I pose no threat to your party."
Kyle's pistol remained trained on her head. "Like hell we will."
The woman ignored Kyle completely, taking one step closer towards Gale. "You. How did you and your companions breach this tomb? The security measures should have prevented all unauthorized entry."
The orb must've exactly worked like the one he had touched before being transported to the knight's throne room. She was now able to speak their language with not so much as an accent. Though she spoke in a similar fashion to the knight, which almost gave Gale goosebumps that she'd start calling him young lamb.
Ollie stepped forward, inserting himself between Gale and the woman. "Someone dumped us in this hellhole to die. We're just trying to find a way out."
The woman slightly glanced at Ollie before returning back to make eye contact with Gale. She tilted her head before saying, "You and your companions, are you not here to restore order to this world? Or are you raiders who've come to desecrate the tomb?"
Ollie gently pushed Gale behind him, attempting to block her view of him completely but failing as she was taller than both of them. "Like I said, we're just looking for a way out of this place. Back to Earth."
"Earth?" she said slowly as if pronouncing it with care. "What is this Earth you speak of?"
Rachel stepped forward, also pulling Gale back behind her. "Who are you to be asking all these questions? You haven't even introduced yourself."
The woman's eyes locked onto Rachel, similar to how she had locked eyes with Gale. A flicker of interest, maybe. She didn't seem to even take in Lily or the twins in her sight.
"The red one speaks true." The woman raised her chin up. "I am Researcher Erin of the Weber Family. Founder of the Weber Conglomerate. Guardian of the 283rd Unit, housing 120 clusters. However, as you have freed me from my imprisonment, you may address me as Erin without honorific."
That is a long title and definitely sounds like something a noble would say from the fantasy books Gale read. But this was real life, and the warning did say she was extremely dangerous, though her signature was weak right now. They could probably take her if they went all in against her. That would risk spending more gun syringes than they needed to though. Besides all that, she literally had the same name as the maker of his sword and pistol. This couldn't be a coincidence.
Erin's eyes swept across the room, landing on the broken pod beside the one she came out from. She looked back at Gale, asking, "What is the current state of the world?"
Something caught her eye. The tablet in Ollie's hand. She extended her palm toward him, fingers splayed out, clearly demanding for the device.
Ollie took the tablet to his chest and backed off. "Time out. Group huddle now."
The group, except Erin, gathered in the corner of the room, well away from Erin who stared at them with her unmoving creepy frozen deep blue perfectly still danger inducing eyes. Gale couldn't think up any more descriptions, but the way she displayed herself had an air of ancientness, like everything was in her control, and he didn't like that.
Lily whispered a few words under her breath, and a single faint glowing white sigil appeared above their corner.
"Sound cancellation. She won't hear us," Lily said.
"Should we trust her?" Ollie asked, looking at each of them in turn.
"Hell no," Kyle said. "She's sketchy as fuck."
"Way too calm for someone who just woke up from who knows how long," Clyde said.
"She might know a lot more than any of us about this place, though," Lily said.
"She might be our ticket out of here. She clearly knows this place. If anyone can help us escape this rift, it's probably her," Ollie said.
"Did you see how fast she changed her clothes?" Kyle whispered even though he didn't need to.
"Faster than some of the magical girls I've met," Clyde said.
"Will you two take this seriously?!" Lily said harshly.
"We are, and we're saying that she's scary as fuck!" Kyle said.
"Well, we still can't leave her here…" Rachel said.
Again, the warning of the system echoed in his head like a nagging Ms. Molly. What would happen if Erin didn't like their answer? It might cause a fight between them and her, and that was the last thing they needed right now. But how the hell could he explain his system's message to them? Even him talking to the guide would have made them think he was schizophrenic.
"Gale?" Rachel turned to him. "What do you think?"
"We take her with us," Gale said with absolutely no hesitation, none. "She's our best shot at understanding what's happening here. And finding a way out."
"Agreed," Ollie said. "But we keep an eye on her. All of us. Especially you, Gale. She seems to have taken a special interest in you."
Lily dismissed the sigil with a flick of her wrist, and the white sigil faded from existence. The group broke from their huddle and turned back toward Erin Weber. She stood exactly where they left her, staring at them the whole time they had talked in their group huddle. Only her chest rhythmically and slowly rose up and down as she breathed. She barely even blinked.
Creepy.
Ollie cleared his throat as he stepped forward. "We've decided you can join us."
"A given conclusion," Erin said. She extended her hand toward him again, palm up. "The control module. Hand it over."
Ollie clutched the tablet tighter. "This thing? Why do you need it?"
"Its functionality only works on granted signatures which you do not have," Erin stretched out her hand even further, asking for the tablet.
"Bullshit," Ollie said. "We found it."
"You found it, and its functionality is of no use to you. This module recognizes my signature as credentials," Erin said. "It is of limited use to those such as yourselves without proper signature credentials. Now, hand me the device, child."
"Yo, she just called Ollie a child," Kyle said.
Rachel elbowed Kyle.
Ollie backed up a step. "I've been using it just fine."
Gale sighed, watching Ollie clutch the tablet to his chest even more. Ollie wouldn't give up something shiny without a fight, and that thing was extremely shiny.
"Just give it to her," Gale said. "She probably knows how to use it better than we do."
Ollie glared at Gale. "And what if she uses it to trap us? Or call that monster back?"
"If I wished to harm you," Erin said, "I would not require a control module to do so."
Kyle snorted.
Looking around the faces of the group, Ollie saw clear impatience growing on all of them, especially Lily. With a heavy sigh, he slowly handed the tablet over to Erin.
"Fine, but if you try anything-"
The moment the tablet laid on Erin's palm, it liquefied into a gray mass, flowing to Erin's hand. It reformed into a sleek bracer with a monitor that wrapped around its whole surface.
"Well, that's new," Kyle whispered.
"A main control module," Erin tapped on the screen of the bracer. "It connects to any system within the tomb, provided the user has proper credentials, which you do not. At most, you could control basic elevators and monitor data."
The bracer sent out a holographic image in front of Erin's face, casting a harsh green glow on the surroundings and her face. She scrolled through lines on a terminal while the second half of the screen showed interfaces popping up and closing as fast as they opened.
"Current power reserves: seven stars remaining," she said. "Equivalent to approximately seven hundred years in your time, if my calculations are correct."
"That's... good, right?" Lily asked.
"It is inadequate. Based on the state of the Tomb, the fool's design did not manage to become a place of solitude for those seeking refuge against the Tide. The current state is one of complete destruction, and its inhabitants exist in an unsatisfactory form."
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
"You mean those flesh humanoid monsters?" Gale asked.
Erin's eyes flicked to him. "Among other aberrations, yes. Data suggests there are current vile abominations running about that must be annihilated."
"The tablet said that powering up sectors would reduce duration to 3.5 stars," Rachel said. "If that's what it takes to find an exit, we're willing to make that trade."
"There is no exit rift aperture. Diagnostics have shown me there are no current active rifts in the Tomb." Erin stopped scrolling and looked at each of them. "There is no exit."
That was about the same thing Gale thought. The system did say they had to create it.
"What do you mean, no exit?" Ollie asked.
"The statement requires no clarification," Erin said.
"That can't be right," Lily said. "There has to be a way out."
"Every rift has an exit," Clyde said. "It's rift raiding 101."
"Your understanding of Rifts is primitive. This Tomb exists in the current world and is in a current state of Origin Defense against its current invaders. Do not jest me with your rift raiding 101, whatever it may be."
"Then how do we get back to Earth?" Ollie said, ignoring everything she had basically said.
Erin's eyes flicked briefly to Gale, then back to Ollie. "There is a Rift Aperture System in the Wisdom sector that can be refurbished. In its current condition, it is in no condition to function."
"Can it be fixed?" Rachel asked.
"That is what I have said." Erin tapped at her bracer. A holographic map appeared above her wrist, rotating slowly to show a three-dimensional layout of the Tomb. "We would need to go to the Protection sector first to fortify ourselves against hostiles and gather materials. After that, we take on the Wisdom sector. Currently, the Wisdom sector is the most infested sector due to failed containment of the Architect's experiments."
"Who's the Architect anyways?" Gale asked.
"He was my bonded-" Erin said before stopping herself abruptly. "The Architect is a foolish traitor. That is all, nothing more, nothing less."
"So what now? We're still stuck in this goddamn rift with no way out?" Kyle asked.
"I have already explained your predicament," Erin said. "There is no conventional exit. We must repair the Rift Aperture System, or you will all perish here meaninglessly."
"And you?" Clyde asked. "What's your stake in this?"
"I shall…" Erin's eyes once again flicked to Gale and then Rachel's. "I shall return to this world of yours… called Earth."
Ollie crossed his arms, his Desert Eagle still visible in his hand. "Great. You want to tag along. What's in it for us? What can you actually do to help?"
Erin's lips curled into a small smile. She raised her right hand and snapped her fingers. The sound echoed through the chamber as dozens of water droplets formed in the air around her, suspended like tiny glass beads.
"Shit!" Kyle stumbled backward, his pistol raised. Clyde followed suit, aiming his long gun at her head.
"Lower your weapons. This function is not meant for you."
The droplets coalesced through the air and applied itself on top of Lily's chest and left arm.
"Stay back!" Lily winced, trying to move her left arm away as she stepped back.
"Be still," Erin said firmly. "I offer remedy, not harm."
The water formed a coating on her left arm and chest before turning into a deep blue that obfuscated what was below. Watery veins pulsed beneath the surface while intricate lines and shapes formed on the surface. Lily's mouth opened, gasping for air as the pulsing beneath quickened.
For ten full seconds, the water enveloped her arm. When the pulsing weakened, the water fell onto the floor and quickly evaporated, leaving no trace of moisture anywhere.
"The restraint," Erin pointed at the sling. "Remove it."
Lily hesitated, glancing at Rachel, who gave a small nod.
Slowly undoing the splint, she slipped her arm free. She rolled her shoulder slowly, extended her arm, and flexed her fingers.
"It doesn't hurt anymore," Lily said.
"Exercise caution," Erin said. "The muscle tissue and vascular structure have been repaired completely. However, the neural pathways require additional time to fully heal and integrate. Avoid strenuous activities for the next 48 hours."
"That's... impressive," Rachel stepped closer to squeeze and poke Lily's left arm.
Erin turned to face the group. "I possess various capabilities that will benefit your survival. However, I must disclose limitations. My essence reserves are completely depleted due to prolonged imprisonment. Additionally, my Origin core's integrity is compromised after millions of years of extraction."
"Millions of years?" Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"I will rely on your protection while providing support where possible. My combat readiness is currently at less than 1%."
Without warning, she raised both hands. A dozen ice bolts formed in the air around her, each one about the length of a forearm with a sharp point.
"What the!" Ollie raised his gun again.
She looked back and held out her hand towards the intact containment pod. The ice bolts shot forward, each bolt sticking through a thick part of the pod. Sparks flew out from where the bolts had hit and the cables from above sagged as a single bolt hit them.
"The possibility of re-imprisonment has been quashed," Erin grinned.
"That's great and all, but in case anyone's forgotten, there's still a bloody murder monster prowling around this place. How exactly does destroying your fish tank help us with that?" Kyle holstered his pistol.
"Your concern regarding the aberration is warranted," Erin replied. "However, the creature will not pose an immediate threat if we avoid its primary hunting grounds."
"You know about that thing?" Lily asked.
"I am aware of its existence," Erin said, tapping her bracer and showing a holographic map of the Power Plant. "The abomination you speak of is confined to specific sections of this floor. Its patrol patterns are predictable."
Clyde leaned forward, peering at the hologram. "Confined? That thing didn't look very 'confined' when it nearly skewered us back in the warehouse."
"Your presence disrupted its routine," Erin said. "The creature detected unfamiliar signatures and investigated. It will return to its standard patrol once it determines you are not an immediate threat."
"So what's the plan? Just avoid it until we can get out?" Rachel asked.
"Precisely," Erin said. "We must make haste to the Protection Sector. It contains resources vital to our survival and significantly increases our probability of escaping this tomb."
"The Protection Sector?" Ollie's eyes narrowed. "What's there that's so important?"
Erin sighed loudly, expressing her frustration. "Armaments and shelter that your group could utilize instead of running aimlessly through these corridors like prey animals."
"We weren't running!" Kyle quickly said.
"Your movements lacked direction and purpose," Erin said. "The data from this control module shows your erratic path through the tomb. You triggered multiple security protocols and alerted every hostile entity to your presence."
"We were looking for a way out," Lily said. "We didn't have a fancy access like you."
"Okay, enough," Gale stepped forward, putting himself between Erin and the increasingly agitated group. "She has a fair point. We've been wandering blind. If there's a safer place with better equipment, we should head there."
Rachel nodded. "I agree with Gale. We need all the help we can get."
"Let's get moving then," Gale said. The sooner they reached safety, the better. But before he could even take one step forward, a familiar pressure hit him. The killing intent they felt before.
Breath of the Void's tendrils shot outwards, already spreading to the 100 meter line. It caught movement at the edge, a hundred metres away, approaching the control facility fast.
"Wait," Gale said.
Something in his tone made everyone stop. Erin's head snapped toward him, her eyes narrowing.
"What have you detected?" she asked.
"It's coming. The monster is coming," Gale said.
"Everyone, hide!" Ollie whispered harshly.
The group scattered. Kyle and Clyde scrambled toward the upper level of the room, their boots no longer clanged on the metal floor. Lily ducked behind one of the large batteries in the corner, pressing herself flat against its surface. A blue outline enveloped Ollie as he lifted off the ground and shot upwards into one of the hanging containers at the top of the dome.
Gale activated Distort, becoming invisible, and then activating Phase Touch on his whole body. Rachel darted to the opposite corner from Lily as she took to the massive battery.
Only Erin remained in place, standing tall beside her ruined pod, making no attempts to hide.
"You fools," she said. "This part of the facility is impenetrable to such a lowly being. Calm yourselves."
Nobody responded. The pressure outside grew stronger with each passing second. Gale's Breath of the Void fed him a live feed of the creature's current location. It moved with the same speed as if chasing something. The first set of doors smashed inward. The second set of doors crashed only just a couple of seconds after the first. Finally, it reached the entrance of the control room. The monster paused for a brief second, staring directly at the rhombus pattern on the door.
Then it struck.
As if someone skipped multiple frames, one frame the monster had its needle beside it, the next, it had stabbed it directly at the centre of the door.
But the door didn't budge. Not even a dent marred its surface.
The monster struck again, harder this time that it caused a deafening crash inside.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Five more strikes. The door held firm.
For several long seconds, the monster stood motionless outside. Its chest heaved. It turned and began to retreat, moving back through the corridors it had smashed through.
But it didn't leave entirely. Gale's tendrils tracked its movement to just outside the main entrance of the facility. There it stood, head tilted upward toward the Tesla coil that crowned the dome. It remained utterly still like a statue just staring upwards.
Minutes stretched into a half hour. No one moved, not even Erin nor the monster that was outside.
Finally, the monster turned away from the entrance. It moved down the path, back toward the main fork they had traversed earlier. The crushing weight of its killing intent faded as it disappeared through the straight corridor of the Power Plant.
Another five minutes passed before Ollie dropped down from his hiding spot.
"Is it gone?" he whispered.
Gale released his Phase Touch and Distort, materializing back into view. "It left. Headed back toward the 3 way fork."
The others emerged from their hiding places. Kyle and Clyde dropped down. Lily stepped out from behind the battery, her newly healed arm held close to her chest as if it still pained her. Rachel joined them, her expression tight.
"We must kill the abomination," Erin announced from where she stood. "Before it's too late."
"What happened to that thing being a lowly being?" Kyle asked.
"The situation has changed," Erin said. "Based on its signature, it is in the process of creating a Pestilence core."
Ollie stepped forward. "You want us to fight that thing? After what we just saw?"
"The door held," Lily said. "Can't we just stay here?"
"We must get to the Protection sector. That is non-negotiable." Erin said. "But it is of utmost importance we eliminate it before it has a chance to create its core."
"Why didn't you tell us this before?" Clyde demanded.
"The orb I shared with the young lamb had given me enough knowledge to assess the situation," Erin said. "However, upon seeing the abomination myself, the situation has changed. If we do not kill it, we shall all perish and die a meaningless death."
Gale winced. There it was. The young lamb. "There's no way we can kill that thing. It's too strong and fast. We're outclassed even if we went all out on it."
"Your assessment is partially correct. However, we have an unconventional armament up there." Erin pointed through the ceiling. The tesla coil the facility held.