Chapter 108 - Interrogation (Patreon)

<---Chapter 107 - Slaughter   | Table of Contents | Chapter 109 - Dungeon Exploration  --->

"You... you're not with them, are you?" Yona squinted her eyes even while she was coated in her own blood, the streams from her throat drying up on the Nest guard uniform that draped around her ripped cheongsam.

"Maybe, maybe not." Kyle played it off, but deep down his heart skipped a beat. It had been an assumption ever since he had been thrown into Raktor in the body of Alvin, yet right here was confirmation that he was truly still in the Galactic Era and that he wasn't the only one who knew about it. However, he needed to pry out more information from her - perhaps they had different definitions of what a 'transcendent' was.

"Of course you're not with them - otherwise you would have never asked such a question. Please don't treat me like I'm dumb." Yona held a smug look, a futile attempt to act as if she had the upper hand in the interrogation in order to compensate for her near-death experience. Such was the way of life as a Nest leader - one had to act tough regardless of the scenario.

"Answer the question."

"Never in my life would I have expected to meet a rogue transcendent in the flesh. Usually they don't last long enough, but judging from your strength, you certainly found a way to evade their detection. Sooner or later they are going to find you and-" Yona suddenly felt the knife's blade against her neck again, Kyle moving faster than she could react to.

"Last chance." Kyle warned, before retracting the blade. "You're the not the only one in Nest who knows - don't think you're irreplacable."

Yona gulped instinctively, her fake bravado finally collapsing entirely and prompting her to spill the beans. "Transcendents are what the name suggests - humans who have transcended their boundaries."

"Like mages."

"Sure, but we both know you're not a mage, and I know you're not asking about mages. Transcendents are like gods among men, able to dominate anything they touch, seemingly invincible and possessing strength far beyond the common human."

"How many have you met?"

"Only one in person here in Versia."

"Is he still here?"

"Hard to say. The last time I met him was a year ago - he could be anywhere now."

"What was he in Versia for?"

"I wasn't the one in charge of him - he was handled by someone else."

"Who?"

"Harrison."

Kyle took a deep breath, sitting down on a chair and pondering his next moves. With this new information, tackling Harrison would be far more difficult than he expected. Harrison possessing Galactic Era technology was one thing, but another possible System user was a whole another thing. I have to investigate this new connection between Harrison and this 'group' of transcendents as soon as possible, and ascertain just how far entrenched they are in Versia.

If Kyle could help it in anyway, he would rather not expose himself to any other System users - he knew for a fact that they would kill him on sight if they had the chance, no questions asked. He knew because he would do the same as well. Having someone with a similar power system as him was far too dangerous to both control and handle, unless he found a method to restraint such a user through relics or other Galactic Era technology.

On the other hand, if they were not System users, it would be equally dangerous: Galactic Era transcendents were basically super weapons, constituting about a billionth percent of the galactic human population. His criminal group in his former life had methods of dealing with such people, him even having assassinated one himself before, but he did not have access to any of his former technology. I'll have to work harder then.

Still, there was more to get out of Yona. In order to regain his former strength, Harrison's Galactic Era arsenal of technology was what he needed to truly ensure victory against any other System users, assuming they had a similar start to him. "You're a leader of Nest, so you must have information on what is Harrison's endgoal. What does he want?"

"Who knows?" Yona shrugged. "I just follow his orders - the motives behind the plan are a mystery to me."

"Then at least you know his movements. Where is he?"

"For now he's been travelling between the new military complex and the Versian Parliament. If you're planning to attack him, just know he's well protected - at least thirty men are guarding him at all times, not to mention the entire Nest information network. I suspect that when word of my capture returns to him, they would double security in both Tenar and the catacombs."

"I already expected that." Kyle rose to his feet, gripping the knife tightly and preparing to decapitate her. Yona's eyes widened as her brain raced to find a way out.

"Wait, I told you what you wanted to know!" Yona blurted out while Kyle continued to approach.

"And I've heard enough. You're better to me dead than alive."

"No, no, no I still have more to tell you! I-I could tell you the layout of the military complex, the patrol pattern of the guards! I can tell you where Harrison's office is too, and get you access in too!"

"And who's to say you won't sell us out?"

"You don't understand, Nest won't accept me back: without the self-immolation engraving, I'm considered compromised - protocol is to kill me on sight! Please, you have to let me live, I can't die just yet!" Yona pleaded.

"That's not good enough." Kyle walked forward, the knife aimed right at Yona's heart.

"I... I can give information on all Nest sweatshops and all secret Nest smuggling tunnels. You need manpower, don't you? I can help provide the location of all of them, and even provide delivery timings!"

"That's more like it." Kyle grinned, sheathing his knife. "And if you do decide to betray us..."

"I won't - with the self-immolation engraving gone, Nest means nothing to me now." Yona nodded vigorously, though her shifty eyes already showed considerations for an escape plan.

"We'll see about that." Kyle untied her from the chair, but kept her hands bound before dragging her out of the interrogation room back to the central chamber, where Sasha and Feldon were preparing to ascertain a resupply route to Ocra along with the other Ghosts. Dekar and his men were also in the middle, discussing their next steps together and organizing everyone.

After the talk with Kyle and display of strength, Dekar and his men had already reluctantly accepted the merger. However, it was clear that they were still working on their own procedures and timings, though Kyle did not care too much about that as long as they did their jobs in a competent manner. "Sasha, Feldon, hold on. We have more information from her." Kyle put Yona front and center. "She'll assist in getting us a resupply route and inform our next steps."

Sasha nodded, but Feldon, Lisa and Dekar clearly had their misgivings, everyone else in the central chamber staring at Yona with suspicion. "Are we sure we can trust her? If her information is wrong we're all dead in the water!" Lisa pointed out.

"We're not going to trust her blindly - we'll carefully ascertain each detail of the information she gives us before we act. But with Dekar's understanding of the catacombs and Yona's knowledge of the Nest locations, we can begin to produce a complete map of the catacombs."

Dekar began pulling out old ancient schematics of the catacombs and laying them out on the floor in the central chamber, all members gathering around and listening in intently. "There's a total of four layers to the catacombs - Nest is mostly concentrated in the 1st and second layer. They have been expanding it as well, so the maps I have here are not accurate either."

Yona looked taken aback at what Dekar had said. "That's impossible, the catacombs only have two layers, everyone knows that. We swept the entire place from top to bottom with more than a thousand members."

"And you still couldn't catch me." Dekar smirked.

"I did when you came for Zayin." Yona taunted.

"And look where that got you." Dekar grinned. "Always a bigger dog in a dog-eat-dog world."

Yona was about to retort, before the gears started to turn in her mind, tracing the events that had happened and finally realizing the truth, her face aghast at Kyle. "You. You planned all of this. That fucking Masir, the hideout explosion, the information leak of Zayin's location, and the tracking back... It was you!"

"So I did. Now focus at the task at hand." Kyle waved his hand dismissively. "Four layers to the catacomb - which layer are we in now?"

"Right now we're in the third. Only the original revolutionaries know about this third layer, because we discovered it ourselves. Clearly Nest has no clue about it, but I'm certain with Yona's disappearance, they may eventually discover us." Dekar began to combine the maps together, forming an incomplete drawing of all three layers.

"Can we move deeper? What about the fourth layer you mentioned?" Feldon asked.

"The fourth layer is far too dangerous. Nobody we've sent during the independence war had ever returned, so even that is a black box to us." Dekar shook his head. "The current rumor is that it is a ruin of sorts, but its teeming with monsters and creatures that would take far too much effort to clear. Not even the treasure hunters dare to attempt it, not that most of them are even aware of its existence."

Kyle was already aware of this from what Dekar's men had mentioned before, but still it intrigued him greatly. This must be a Galactic Era ruin - and if Nest doesn't know about it, Harrison doesn't either. This could be my chance to get a leg up on him without having to attack him directly. Already his efforts into this rebel movements was providing returns far beyond what he could obtain in Raktor. "Do we know where the entrances are?"

"We do, but its way too dangerous. Anyone that enters never makes it out!"

"Doesn't matter - mark them out. Let's get that combined map drawn out now."

Over the next three hours, they worked together to trace out the different known layers, the maze of the catacomb slowly coming into shape with marks indicating Nest presences and slave factories. Even Yona was astounded at the sheer scale of the third layer, which seemed to be even more expansive than the first and the second layer combined, which Dekar knew like the back of his hand.

"Who else knows about the third layer?" Kyle asked while they continued marking hotspots.

"The original revolutionaries. Johan and I know the most."

President Johan... he was the former Versian president before he took over. "Where is he?"

"I have no idea, but he was reported missing on a tour around the Versian border."

"He's captured by Mornero." Yona answered directly. "I know, because I captured him personally."

"WHAT?!" Dekar shouted in a sudden rage, glaring at Yona as he grabbed her by the shoulders, raising a fist ready to punch her. "You fucking kidnapped the Versian president? Are you out of your fucking mind?"

"You can kill me all you want, but it doesnt change the facts. We're a mercenary organization - we work for the highest bidder."

"You..." Dekar bristled with fury, but he calmed himself down, returning back to his cartography tasks. "When all this is over, you're going to rot in a cell for decades."

Yona didn't reply, but she clearly was not planning to go easily. Kyle hardly gave two shits about their internal conflicts, only focusing on the map. With the entire layout now planned out, it was obvious which tunnels they could use for the resupply towards Ocra. "These three tunnels are our targets for now. If we can secure them and protect them against detection by Nest, then we should be able to maintain a proper logistical chain."

"That's assuming we don't get stopped when we reach topside." Feldon pointed out. Our wagons still need to get into Ocra.

"Find a solution. I don't care how you do it as long as you keep it clandestine. Work with Sasha to control the route."

"Understood." Feldon and Sasha both picked up a backpack of supplies each which they had prepared before, one of Dekar's men leading them out of the hideout.

"Dekar, you and I are going to find a way into the fourth layer. Lisa, I need you train and organize the rescued slaves. Teach them what it means to be a Ghost. Anyone who refuses to fight, relegate them to logisitical support. Make sure Yona doesn't get any chance to communicate outside, lock her in a separate room." Kyle issued his orders one by one.

"No, no, no I'm not going there again. No way in hell. Not even if the Goddess herself came down and asked me to." Dekar shook his head vigorously.

"It's only a matter of time before Nest finds us - the fourth layer will help us serve as a backup escape path should we be cornered." Kyle explained. "Based on the entrances of the fourth layer, it would also help us to traverse the third layer far quicker if we can find a pathway through."

Dekar couldn't argue against Kyle as their perlious escape from Nest had the Nest guards now swarming the catacombs looking for them. Without a secondary escape plan other than running to another city, it would be foolish to simply stand still and hope for the best. "Alright. I'll get my men ready for it."

Within an hour, Kyle, Dekar and his commando squad were geared up, armed to the teeth. Kyle himself brought a briefcase, as well as gearing up with a smuggled Aspis MK1 Knight Armour, his Oriental Bloom handgun, the Tattoo Knife and a Seven Snakes repeater rifle, courtesy of Lisa's supplies. They left through a different tunnel, one that seemed to lead outwards to the wider main zone of the third layer.

Unlike the largely sterile and man-made structures of the first and second layer, the third layer was beginning to look more like a natural cave of sorts, though the paved paths along the waterways were clearly artifical, laid by the predecessors from eons ago. Countless glowing mushrooms provided a significant amount of ambient light as waste energy, seemingly part of their conversion process. Kyle could already feel a denser concentration of arcite ore, much like the depths of the Culdao Peaks.

Radioactive sludge and large scurrying rats avoided the bright beams of concentrated arctech lanterns, their beams narrowed by makeshift apertures held by Dekar's commando squad leading the way. Despite their apparent weakness against Sasha and Kyle, it was clear that they still had a significant advantage in professionalism and experience, expertly checking every nook and cranny, every turn and corner for potential enemies.

Kyle had the map memorized already, at least for the vicinity of the hideout, and could still figure out where he was. Yet as he trudged along with the rest, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him intently from the sides. He spun his head around sharply, trying to catch him, but instead he only heard the scurrying of something large moving away from him, rock tapping against stone rapidly. Looks like they weren't wrong about creatures.

Dekar led the group towards a door that was half collapsed, grunting as he shifted the fallen rubble out of the way to clear the entrance. The commandos entered gingerly, their lanterns flashing across the expansive burial chamber which had rows upon rows of buried humans, all still mummified in their elegant coffins stacked in carved out stone shelves, accompanied by urns that used to be filled with jewelry, priceless antiques and precious metals. However, as Kyle peered closer, it was apparent that all of them had been plundered a long time ago.

"I thought only the original revolutionaries knew about this place. How is this place already wiped clean?" Kyle remarked, picking up one of the ancient urns and examining it. The ancient Versian language was indecipherable to him, but thankfully his System was there to assist.

"How did you think we found the funds to fight back against the nobles?" Dekar gave a knowing smile as he approached the end of the burial chamber, pushing aside a large circular stone and revealing a circular hole that led to an equally ancient hideout designed similar the one Kyle had seen previously, except that it was clearly unused for decades and far larger, nearly triple in size. Unlike the previous one, this hideout had already been cleaned out of any supplies and weapons, with almost no furnishing left.

Dekar continued to lead them through the maze-like hallways, rows upon rows of abandoned bunks and storage rooms abandoned, before coming to a room that once housed an arctech engine that powered the entire base, a broken arcia etcher left lying on the dusty floor while a clear square mark indicated where the engine used to sit.

"It was only nearer the end of the war where we found a tunnel that led deeper in, right here." Dekar pointed to the very end of the engine room, a locked metal door that was bolted tightly. "No one entered through here before, but it definitely leads straight down."

"Why did you not explore it?"

"At the time we couldn't afford to lose manpower to a futile attempts. We had already sent multiple exploration squads through another entrance far further along the third layer, but like I said, no one came back. It would be stupid to continuously throw members to their deaths when we were fighting a losing war with the nobles." Dekar explained as he checked the metal lock. "Shit. We're missing the key. Spread out and check the rest of the base-"

Kyle took his Tattoo Knife out from its holster, slicing through the lock like it was made of liquid, the two halves clattering to the ground uselessly. The metal door creaked open slowly, a gust of wind from within pushing it out slightly as Dekar's commando squad was on high alert, their barrels aimed right at the door. The tunnel behind the metal door was rugged and cramped, only able to fit one human at a time at full height.

"Alright, we found the entrance, so we can head back now-" Dekar acted oblivious, turning to leave when Kyle grabbed him by the shoulder.

"This isn't enough. We still need to make sure there is a pathway."

"If you want to commit suicide, please don't drag me into this."

"We're just going to scout to figure out what we're dealing with. At the first sign of danger, we're running back. You two, you're coming with us. The rest of you guard the tunnel and set up camp." Kyle ordered. The commandos looked at each other uneasily, before looking at Dekar.

Dekar sighed, finally accepting what he needed to do. "Do it. We'll be back soon. I got a feeling we'll be running back in five minutes."

Kyle didn't enter the tunnel first, having one of the commandos enter first before following in. They moved as a unit, everyone keeping their eyes peeled for any potential traps. "Stay within a meter of me at all times." Kyle spoke quietly while he kept focused, looking for any signs of a Galactic Era trap - pressure plates, quasar shredders or radioactive emitters that could melt a human were all a possibility, though he was confident that he could deal with it with his System Skills. Everything except Intimidation Aura and Arcia Disruption is available. This is My Turf would be the only useful one against such a trap - I wouldn't be able to intimidate an automated defense system either way.

As they continued to descend, the rush of air seemed to get stronger and stronger, a strange occurrence for a tunnel at such a depth. "Weird... there should be less air as we get deeper. Why is there more?" Dekar muttered while he kept close to Kyle from behind. Soon, within a short five minutes, the tunnel suddenly opened up around the bend, expanding into a large rectangular tunnel that was wide enough to fit a wagon. Instead of the standard brick-and-mortar that had been consistent throughout the entire catacombs, the walls here were instead made of a dense green stone, half covered in glowing algae that gave a eerie blue glow, accented by the intermittent green crystals embedded in the ceiling glittering like stars.

"By the Goddess..." Dekar whispered, while his commando squad let out hushed sounds of amazement at the scope of the tunnel. Kyle walked up carefully to the nearest wall, noticing intricate decorations in the form of carvings that extended the entire length. The rectangular tunnel seemed to extend indefinitely, its end barely visible in the distance.

"Assuming my sense of direction is correct, we should be facing the other known entrance of the fourth layer." One of the commandos mentioned, trying to recall the layout. "If this pathway can move twenty kilometers straight, it would be perfect for our uses."

"Hmm, you're right." Dekar pondered, trying to orient himself according to a 3D imagination of the catacombs. "That's if the pathway isn't dangerous."

Kyle noticed a metallic glint at the base of the wall, squatting closer while using his Tattoo knife to shift the glowing algae moss aside, revealing a light-emitting diode strip that had been entrenched into the tunnel. So this really is a Galactic Era ruin. However, unlike the Oracle Chambers, he did not receive any notification whatsoever, which made him wonder if this ruin was related to his System at all.

He grabbed an arctech lantern, shining it deeper towards the end of the tunnel. The moment the focused beam shot towards the distance, Kyle noticed a speck of black moving across the width of the tunnel much further down, the same skittering that he heard trailing him on the third layer starting to get closer. "Get your weapons ready, and prepare to run" Kyle quickly ordered.

"What the hell is that sound?" The commandos swivelled their heads around, pacing back towards the cramped tunnel entrance from which they came from. As the four of them stared into the horizon, a growing swarm of squirming legs began to surge towards them, a mass of movement charging right at them at alarming speed, the exact details unperceivable through the dim ambient light that were slowly blocked out one by one.

"RETREAT!" Dekar roared, spinning on his heels to run back to the cramped tunnel entrance, only for the cramped tunnel entrance to suddenly collapse on itself due to the sheer tremors created by the incoming swarm. The two commandos didn't hold back any longer, firing into whatever was charging at them while backpedaling. Instead of the pellets finding flesh, they ricocheted off what seemed to be hard rock, bouncing off the tunnels.

Kyle hurriedly tossed his repeater rifle to the nearby commando: "Use it and cover me! You, go help Dekar clear the damn rubble out!" The commando caught the repeater and hurriedly fired it, finding far more success as the pellets elicited sharp shrieks of pain and guttural growls, stemming the swarm a little.

While the two commando got into action, Kyle cracked open his briefcase, revealing a metallic exosuit arm that he wore in one swift motion onto his right, the fingers and grooves fitting neatly onto his shoulder.

Kyle activated the arm, the engravings all glowing up as it snaked through the metallic frames stemming from each of skin pores, the strength flooding into his arm as he clenched and relaxed his fist a few times. He grabbed the Tattoo knife in the armoured first, while his left gripped the Oriental Bloom handgun, ready to fight.

"Shit, here they come!" The commando using the Seven Snakes repeater hollered, Kyle standing up and preparing to fight. It was only at this close distance that he could begin to make out what creature was actually attacking them, but before he could get a good look, one of them lunged towards him with a piercing shriek that almost deafen him, two spiky rocks aimed right at his head.

Penchant for Violence! Kyle's body grew even lighter, his stats doubling on top of the strength bonus provided by his new exosuit arm. Power surged through his veins as he deftly dodged the two incoming strikes, pivoting on his feet while the exosuit arm whirred with a unique hum, allowing him to plunge the Tattoo Knife into the owner of the two spiky rocks. The tip of the jagged knife pierced a hard rocky armour, cracking it apart to reveal a squishy black flesh that ruptured easily the moment the knife touched it, shredding it like butter.

Kyle swerved his head to the side as another rock spike shot towards his head, gritting his teeth and plunging the knife even deeper into the flesh as hard as he could. With a roar, Kyle channeled his arcia energy into the exosuit arm, using raw power to drag the knife along the insides, tearing apart the flesh from within and cutting the creature in half. It collapsed with a trailing cry, the spiky rocks collapsing to the floor as well as with a torrent of icky bodily fluids gushing out and smothering the glowing algae along the floor.

Trial?

"What the actual fuck is that?" The commando yelled as he continued shooting, taking out other rock spiders that continue to charge forward. Each of them featured eight sharpened rock spikes for legs, while their central body was a perfect sphere of hardened rock armor which a normal rifle could not penetrate, save for a circular opening from which a tentacle, worm-like mouth acted like another limb, jabbing at Kyle while he chopped off any that approached. There were nearly two dozen of them blocking the tunnel, the commando having killed a few off and blocking their path slightly as the rest clambered over the corpses of their dead bretheren.

Despite the toughness of the armour, Kyle's exosuit arm afforded him the strength to simply plunge the knife headfirst into the mouth of the spider, while his left hand fired the handgun with precision, the powerful pellets maiming legs and tearing into the armour. He rushed at another rock spider, cutting through the central sphere like cake with his Tattoo Knife, resulting in another fountain of bodily fluids that spluttered onto Kyle's, the black icky goo viscous.

With no time to waste, Kyle sliced and jabbed as hard as he could, killing a few other rock spiders before his Penchant of Violence's duration expired. Soon, his body suddenly felt heavier, the energy he had lost, but Kyle now focused on the weak points of the rock spiders, aiming for their mouths. His Oriental Bloom handgun began to run out of pellets, and the commando was also forced to reload, pouring more pellets into the multiple canisters from his own.

Kyle didn't let a single rock spider get pass him, using his exosuit arm to carve them up one by one while making sure the commando wasn't in danger of being attacked. Soon, all two dozen of the rock spiders were dead on the ground, some of their bodies still twitching slightly. Amdist the black goo that coated everything in range, Kyle noticed a small speck of something familiar, keeping his exosuit arm at the ready to stab anything that was still alive while reaching out cautiously. His hand dug through the soft flesh, before tugging out a tiny coin-sized crystal, similar to what his Necklace of Healing had.

Kyle's mind raced as he absorbed the implications of what this meant. This rock spiders are a walking mine! Still, it was no time to figure out how to make money from it - already Kyle could hear countless screams and shrieks in the distance, other rock spiders swarming towards the disturbance. "Dekar, how long more?"

"Al-almost done!" Dekar huffed and panted, clearly unable to shift some of the larger pieces of rubble that blocked the exit. Kyle didn't waste any more time, sprinting up to them and using his exosuit arm to easily tear apart the rubble, his punch crushing the rubble into smithereens.

"Get up! NOW!" Kyle roared, motioning for them to quickly scampered up around the rubble, Kyle taking up the rear. The moment everyone was clear of the large rectangular tunnel, Kyle followed them up, but not before digging the fingers of his armoured exosuit arm, pulling out a chunk of the supporting wall and partially collapsing the cramped tunnel behind him. He could hear the charging rock spiders slam into the collapsed pile of rubble that now blocked them, their shrieks endless in a chaotic cacophony.

Dekar let out a huge sigh of relief the moment they reached the top, ordering the other commandos who were guarding the engine room to barricade the metal door as soon as Kyle came up. They hauled bedframes and old wooden cupboards, boarding up the metal door with anything and everything they could find to make sure the rock spiders didn't come up.

Kyle ignored the stares of horror from the commandos at his clearly stained armour and clothing, coated in the black icky goo from the rock spiders. Instead, he was far more focused on the arcia crystal in his hand. If this works just like my Necklace of Healing, then we have a way to create far more compact fuel packs. Arcia consumption had always been one of the biggest issues that his men faced, and with his rebel movement being on a tight deadline, such portable crystals could act as compact batteries and supplement the weak arcia supply that the rebels and recruited slaves will have.

Even more interesting was the Trial System Message that he had received, a clear indication that his System was related to the ruin. "Dekar, prepare to move the hideout to here. This base will be our main command center."

Dekar stared at Kyle as if he had just heard the stupidest thing ever. "You're crazy. You nearly died to a carnivorous swarm of rock spiders and you want US to MOVE? HERE?"

"With great danger comes great rewards." Kyle tossed the collected arcia crystal to Dekar, the latter fumbling the crystal in his hand. "And I intend to get my rewards."

<---Chapter 107 - Slaughter   | Table of Contents | Chapter 109 - Dungeon Exploration  --->