Chapter 1,248. (Patreon)

The Yphelion came to a gentle stop in its assigned dock. Zac was about to order immediate disembarkation when the screens suddenly became a uniform beige. Connecting to the ship systems did nothing to improve Zac's vantage.

"What's going on?" Emily asked.

"It looks like a barrier's been put up around the ship," Zac said.

"There's an incoming transmission," Jaol said. "Uh, it uses an unknown format. Give me one second."

Jaol's eyes flickered for a few seconds before a static voice appeared in the intercom.

[Welcome, guests. Please be advised, ---------- is currently facing a Tier ------- containment breach. For your safety, only personnel and authorized guests are allowed to disembark. Remain cautious and practice the [Starfall Scripture] provided during orientation. Should you notice any irregularities, immediately inform nearby staff.]

Zac grimaced at the sharp tone that cut into the message, making certain words impossible to make out. The voice was a gentle woman's, and he couldn't tell whether it was an old recording or a synthetic voice installed into the security systems.

"To think those two words were blocked out," Ogras commented, his suspicious tone speaking volumes.

[Security will remain at an elevated state until the breach is contained. Certain sections might be cordoned off. You can consult your liaison on how your station is affected. They will be with you shortly.]

"What liaison?" Kruta scratched his head. "And are we even authorized? Coming here won't do us much good if we're considered invaders."

"We wouldn't have been brought all the way here if we weren't considered authorized," Zac said, suddenly looking around. "The corruption is abating."

"It's the shield. It's added a filter that blocks out most of the madness," Galau said as he fiddled with a console. "And that's not the only thing it's doing. The Yphelion is being fed materials and energy. Its natural recovery arrays have more than tripled in speed."

"Such a generous secret base," Ogras whistled, his suspicions growing deeper.

"If they can afford to build superstructures, they can afford to fork out the money for ship repairs," Emily shrugged, not nearly as bothered.

"Let's hope you're right and that they won't stick us with a bill after the fact. I don't relish the idea of being held captive until the debt is paid off," Ogras said. "I doubt Nexus Coins were legal tender back when this oversized tin can was built."

Kator, who'd been silent until now, cut through the chaff. "What now?"

"I think we'll have to go with Scenario Two. Strike teams one through three will set out while the rest stay put," Zac said. "I don't trust the Yphelion's teleporter in its current state, so we'll have to leave through the hatch."

There was nothing else to prepare for. While they still didn't know what waited for them inside the base, they'd been as ready as they could be since the rune led them out of the storm. Those who would set out were already gathered in the bridge, so they moved toward the closest hatch at once. It opened without issue, and Zac exhaled upon seeing the corruption wasn't much worse outside.

The Yphelion's hull and shielding were clearly incapable of dealing with the corruption, which was good news in Zac's book. The concentration would no doubt be higher inside the base, but they should have already faced the brunt of it during their final approach.

Zac was confident in dealing with much greater concentrations. The same couldn't be said for the others. Safety concerns aside, things would become complicated if Kator was forced to stop early. Zac had already modified and prepared Esmeralda's bypass on the [Solidarity Link], but he didn't actually know whether it would work as intended. Things rarely worked out exactly as how Esmeralda envisioned it because of her scrambled memories.

Using it would also bring about a collapse of their cooperation, something Zac wanted to avoid until he'd lit the Centurion Beacon and ordered the Foreign Gods to deal with the Kan'Tanu. Seeing the planet-sized hole in the superstructure only strengthened Zac's determination to complete his mission. The base was made from an unknown C-grade alloy, and the walls were miles thick and undoubtedly reinforced using formations.

If the Foreign Gods had the strength to cause such severe damage here, what could the Kan'Tanu bring out against them? A few Foreign Gods should be able to level all of Zurbor if given enough time. Kator didn't care in the slightest what happened to Zecia and Earth, and he was well aware Zac did. It gave him another advantage over them. For now, the reaver seemed content with following along, though he clearly intended to let others pass through the barrier before him.

"Let me," Ra'Klid said, and Zac nodded after some thought. Beyond himself, who'd somehow swallowed the beacon, Ra'Klid and Rhuger were those least likely to trigger any alarms. Ra'Klid had already showcased the benefits of being a Reignender of Ultom in the Centurion Lighthouse, and they already knew the Centurion Project was under the Starfall Court's authority.

Ra'Klid warily passed through the barrier, which did nothing to stop him. Beyond blanching at the much-denser corruption, he was clearly fine, nor were there any signs of defensive arrangements coming alive. Zac followed, and then one sealbearer after another. They only ran into trouble when it was Ibtep's turn to pass through. The large opaque barrier shuddered, and it actually denied Ibtep passage.

'Another recording just came through. It reminded us that only authorized personnel can disembark. She didn't sound pleased.'

"Alright. Come over for a bit," Zac said.

'Me? I'm not a fighter,' Jaol squeaked.

"Neither is Ibtep. You're my only other Planeswalker," Zac said.

Jaol arrived a few moments later, his face a mask of horror and reluctance. He looked like he'd won the lottery when the barrier acted the same way toward him, not even bothering to feign disappointment.

"The Farsee Court isn't allowed inside?" Ogras said with surprise, looking in Kator's direction. "Was there animosity between the two?"

"How should I know?" Kator asked. "Everything about the Left Imperial Palace is obscured in mystery. Intentionally so, I think. The details have been obscured, and that extends to the lower courts. The bits and pieces we've managed to gather over the past years don't come close to covering a topic like that."

"We'll have to make do without them," Zac said, slightly regretful they couldn't bring a full cycle into the base.

The [Court Cycle Token] had almost been fully depleted by the time he wrapped things up inside the Centurion Lighthouse, and he didn't want to encounter that scenario in the far-larger Centurion Project Headquarters. If that happened, they'd be stuck until the trial started, provided they survived that long.

There was some good news, at least. The Farsee court was his most expendable court for the mission. Ibtep and Jaol had accomplished their tasks on their way here, and their skill sets were unlikely to be needed during the next step. And if they were locked out, their authority wouldn't count for much on the inside. It would have been a far bigger headache if Galau or Ogras had been held back, or the trio of the Indomitable Court for that matter.

Zac felt like a speck of dust in the unfathomably large hangar as they floated down toward an attached pier. There were rows of structures built atop it, enough to make up a village. They were in perfect condition, and the signs indicated they were a mix of shops, hotels, workshops, and a support center. It was clearly meant for the bulk of the crew, which would generally be much larger with a ship the Yphelion's size.

There were hundreds of similar arrangements throughout the multi-level hangar. The larger docks that could house mile-long Motherships had entire cities arranged. A whole civilization could fit inside the hangar without feeling cramped. The scene was outside Zac's expectations. Did a secret base really have enough foot traffic to warrant this kind of setup?

It didn't mesh with the understanding they'd gathered either, where the Lighthouses rotated, dipping into the dangerous dimension where the experiments were performed.

"Maybe it's a repurposed base," Ogras shrugged as his shadows descended on the buildings. "Nothing inside the shops. Not so much as a speck of dust. This base might only have entered the Foreign God's dimension at the latest stage of the experiment. Before that, it could have been a normal army headquarters."

"It could have fallen inside during the dark ages, like the lighthouse," Emily added. "It's clearly not that good at containing the corruption. Just look at the gate. It's seeping right through."

"Nothing last forever. Half an Era is more than enough time to corrode alloys and warp formations," Zac said as he followed Emily's gaze.

There was a large gate waiting at the end of the village's main street, presumably leading into the base proper. Purple mist was constantly pouring out of it, seemingly passing right through the metal. The discussions suddenly died down when the gates slid open with a creak, and a figure emerged from the mists.

"There's actually a liaison?" Ogras whispered. "What now?"

"Get down," Zac urged, and not even Kator made any trouble as they lined up behind Zac.

The 'liaison's' leisurely gait belied their great speed. Its movement resembled Zac's old [Earthstrider], except it relied on the Peak of Stars, evidenced by the starry curtain left in its wake. The display wasn't anything special for a Hegemon. Seeing a puppet accomplish the same was another matter.

An automaton could easily be equipped with all kinds of arrays, but fusing them so perfectly with the construct that it became indistinguishable from a skill required effort and skill. It actually felt like the puppet before them practiced the Dao of Stars, which was impossible since it evidently didn't possess a true spirit.

"Welcome, friends. I pray the journey was not too taxing," the puppet said with a slight bow.

The puppet looked almost human, down to having real skin and eyes that felt alive. It even wore the kind of robes you'd see on attendants in larger factions. The puppet did, however, have a few inanimate details that had intentionally appeared left there to distinguish its true nature. There was a daughter array branded on its forehead, along with a noticeable joint on its neck.

Just as they were observing the puppet, so did the puppet observe them. It first looked Zac up and down before inspecting his followers one by another. There was no hostility in its gaze, only curiosity. It was reminiscent of how Ibtep had looked at Zac when they first met, except it left Zac disconcerted this time. This puppet was too human, to the point it had entered uncanny levels.

"It has been too long since we received guests," the puppet continued. "Come, let me show you to your quarters."

Seeing that they'd passed the first inspection didn't lessen Zac's sense of unease. He could tell the puppet wasn't just going through the motions. It stopped slightly longer on all non-human targets and the longest on the undead quartet in the group. It understood the difference but didn't question the situation at all. The puppet floated into the sky, heading toward one of the larger hangar cities.

Zac subtly indicated for his followers to stay alert before following. "Have we been assigned rooms here in the hangar?"

"No," the puppet said, and Zac noted it slightly adjusted its course, now heading more toward the larger gate connected to the hangar city. "We are performing some repairs; I'm afraid we have to take a small detour on our way to your quarters."

"Repairs? We got a message that there's been a containment breach," Zac said, noting it could carry a proper conversation.

"There's nothing to be worried about. This is a regular occurrence that will be swiftly dealt with," the puppet answered without missing a beat. "Now, please stay—"

It didn't get to finish its sentence as [Death's Duality] empowered by two Earthly Daos split it in two. Rattling chains dragged the two halves away from the gate and away from the blinding danger Zac sensed lurking on the other side. The bisected puppet briefly struggled against the restraints, only to go completely still.

It wasn't because it had finally died but because a familiar form rose from the complex innards and fused into one. It was a Qriz'Ul or at least a close cousin of the creatures they'd encountered in the ruins of the Ra'Lashar Kingdom. While the Qriz'Ul back then were mostly fashioned after the Ra'Lashar goblins, this one looked almost identical to the puppet it'd hidden inside.

It was dark purple, and thousands of unfamiliar runes floated about its body. Zac briefly paused, feeling he could almost grasp something from the ever-changing patterns. He shook his head, but a shadowy spear preempted his plan to take it out.

"Practice makes perfect. I've had my fair share of dealing with these things," the demon grinned before his brows furrowed. "Never seen one nearly this intelligent, though."

"Maybe—" Zac was interrupted by a cautioning shout from Carl.

"Behind!"

More than a hundred Qriz'Ul flooded out of the hangar city, moving toward them like a wave of starving ghosts. None of them had a physical body like the puppet. And the two strongest were only the equivalent of Middle Hegemons.

"These ones are more familiar. All brutality and no brains," Ogras said before raising his voice. "You need to destroy their life rune, or you'll be fighting these things all day!"

"They all look the same to me," Kruta growled, his arms becoming a blur to grind them into dust.

Zac was about to join in the slaughter when his head suddenly snapped around. "Wait, stop!"

"I don't think these guys will listen," Emily said, her tomahawks shredding Qriz'Ul by the dozens.

"Our fight is waking up the whole hangar," Zac said. "Contain your energy."

"Let me deal with it," Ogras said as hundreds of shadows extended from his legs.

The others entered a purely defensive stance to hold back the onslaught while the shadows struck like vipers that left no trace as they came and went. There were only so many creatures gathered in the city, so it didn't take long for Ogras to finish the job with Zac's assistance. Zac noticed that he could intuit where their core hid, something he'd been unable to accomplish when first encountering these things. It was likely a by-product of using so much lake water to cultivate.

Their swift victory didn't change the big picture. Settlements were waking up one after another. The ambient corruption was being dragged toward the larger citadels, including the one nearby.

"Damn, they're everywhere!" Ogras wheezed.

"Go back!" Zac urged before rushing toward their own hangar village.

"Shouldn't we return to the ship?" Emily asked.

"No," Zac said. "They didn't react to the Yphelion or the shield. We're the ones who woke them up, so we'll keep going."

"You're picking the door that thing came from?" Kator asked. "You saw how dense the clouds were when it emerged."

"I bet the environment is the same everywhere. The puppet clearly didn't want us going that way, and I felt the threat of death behind the gate it led us toward," Zac said. "I think the base is at least partly working as it should. We were in the right place from the start."

"I agree," Ogras nodded.

Zac led the group toward the door, only stopping at the last moment. "Prepare yourselves for a drawn-out battle. We might be forced to fight these things all the way to the center, so conserve energy."

The gate opened when they got close enough without needing Zac to even bring out the [Court Cycle Token]. The dozen Qriz'Ul pouncing on them the moment they entered were quickly dealt with, and Zac relaxed upon confirming there wouldn't be a follow-up. The gate had already closed, though a quick check confirmed they could open it without issue.

"Can you hear us?" Zac said with a low voice through his communicator.

'No problem!' Jaol answered. 'Whatever you woke up before is already calming down.'

"Thank God. It'd be over if they besieged our ticket out of here," Galau whispered. "Could you give me a refresher course on these things?"

"Nasty things, these bastards," Ogras said before sharing his experiences and the things he'd discovered in the Ra'Lashar Heritages he'd scoured.

"Don't put blind faith in my experiences," Ogras cautioned at the end. "These Qriz'Ul are familiar, but they have a different 'flavor' than the ones we encountered. I don't know what kind of changes that could mean. I've never seen one that smart, either."

"I'm not sure that one was, either," Galau said. "I think it borrowed the puppet's intelligence. Or rather the intelligence of the Mother Array that was supposed to control it."

"That doesn't make it much better," Emily said. "Who knows how many puppets there are in here or the grade of the best ones? And what if one has fused with a Computing Array to become hyper-intelligent?"

"There might be a whole hierarchy of Qriz'Ul with humanoid intelligence. Even the Foreign Gods might have gained a new consciousness," Ogras somberly nodded, looking around. "And seeing how the mist is growing denser, the dumb ones will be getting stronger, too."

"We'd already be overrun if they were that organized," Zac said. "It doesn't hurt to be extra careful, though, especially as the corruption grows stronger. It'll become harder to trust our ideas and opinions."

"Is there any room to take a remedial orientation course? Wouldn't mind having that [Starfall Scripture] right now," Bubbur grimaced. "This blasted mist is driving me up the walls."

"Don't force yourselves," Zac said, looking around at the group. "That goes for everyone. If you feel the density growing too high to handle or if you feel you're about to lose control, tell me. You going insane won't help anyone when we already have Qriz'Ul to worry about."

"Don't worry, boss," Bubbur assured. "This much is no problem."

"His idea isn't bad," Ogras said. "Finding the scripture would make exploration easier, and it can't be too rare if they handed it out to all guests."

"A map wouldn't hurt, either," Carl commented.

Zac looked at the many buildings around them and the dozen paths leading further into the tower. "You're right. Ogras, Carl, Rhuger, and Vilari. Spread out and investigate the area. Avoid fighting if possible. The normal Qriz'Ul are perceptive of energy."

"What about the rest of us?" Emily asked.

"Check out the neighboring buildings for clues while our scouts push deeper. I refuse to believe it's all picked clean by these creatures," Zac said. "We've identified the problem; now we just need to find the solution."