Atlas Mercer
The darkness was absolute, a suffocating void pressing in from all sides. Every sound amplified by the massive space we foundourselves in.
Finally pulling myself out of the shock of everything that had happened, I heard someone shivering, the sound sharp against the oppressive silence.
"Atlas," Amelia said softly as if hesitant to speak too loudly. "Can you do something about the dark?"
I raised my hand and focused, static crackling faintly in the air. A moment later, a flickering orb of lightning sparked to life, casting erratic flashes across the tunnel, revealing our pale faces as we breathed in and out, each exhale visible like ghosts in the dim glow.
For a moment, we simply stood there, catching our breath and adjusting to seeing once more. Amelia was the first to speak, her voice low and careful, as if not to break something fragile. "Is everyone alright?"
Her eyes scanned each of us, pausing just long enough to check for signs we were still ourselves.
Henry rubbed his arms briskly, trying to chase the chill from his skin. "Define 'alright,'" he muttered. "Because if frozen, and narrowly avoiding death is the new baseline... then yeah. I'm great."
Ignoring him, Amelia's gaze drifted toward the nearby wall, where Ella and Emily sat huddled together, each watching the orb of light as if it were the last anchor in this ocean of darkness.
"I... I'm fine," Emily said, though her trembling hands betrayed her confidence. "I just… need a minute."
Amelia crouched beside her, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. "Take all the time you need," she said softly.
Ella stirred, her voice barely more than a breath. "We shouldn't have come here…" she muttered without lifting her head. "This place… It's wrong."
Benjamin stepped forward, his Saint's Blessing igniting with a muted glow that pushed back a little of the cold. "No sense looking back," he muttered, "We made it through alive. And in the end, that's what counts."
Amelia nodded as she stood, brushing dirt from her hands. "Benjamin's right. We're alive."
I knelt beside Ella, her face still hidden. "Ella," I said quietly. "How did you know?"
She hesitated. Then, in a trembling voice, she replied, "It's my skill… Moon's Prediction. I see things. Flashes of the future… Of my death."
The words fell like stones in the silence.
Emily reached across the space between them and gently took Ella's hand.
She relaxed at the touch and continued. "I saw it," she whispered, voice cracking. "I was burning. My skin boiled…it–it hurt so much." She broke, burying her face in her hands, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.
Benjamin knelt beside her, placing a steady hand on her shoulder. "You saved us," he said quietly. "Because of you, we're still here."
Amelia eased down beside her, wrapping her arms around her. "He's right," she murmured, holding her tightly. "You saved us all."
Ella sniffled and gave a small nod, wiping her sleeve across her damp face. She didn't say anything, but her posture shifted, just enough to see the fight starting to return to her.
Henry crouched nearby. His usual smirk reignited. "Hey…" he said. "If we've gotta trust someone's death-sense, I'm glad it's yours."
That drew a faint, reluctant laugh from Ella. Just a twitch of a smile as she shook her head.
Amelia reached up and playfully ruffled Ella's hair, then stood, brushing the dust from her coat before offering a hand.
"So," she said, "what do you say we get back to the light?"
Ella stared at her for a second, then sighed and took her hand. "Okay, as long as we get far away from here."
Amelia turned toward the rest of us and took a deep breath, her voice carrying a renewed sense of command. "Alright, let's move. The farther we are from that door, the better."
I glanced at the others and allowed myself a small smile.
"Come on," I said. "You heard the lady."
We pressed forward into the darkness, our footsteps echoing softly against the cold walls.
Time slipped strangely in the dark.
I had no idea how long we'd been walking. Whether it was minutes? Or hours? It all blurred together. The cold clung to us like a second skin, and the silence, broken only by the soft scrape of boots and the occasional sharp breath.
I did what I could to keep the path lit.
The glow from my lightning was dim and fickle but never meant to last this long. I forced it to pulse in slow, rhythmic bursts, but the strain was building.
The light flickered and died in bursts, each time leaving us stumbling through the blackness, our hands brushing against harsh metal, our steps guided more by instinct than sight. Every time it went out, I had to reignite it with a bit of effort, but it never lasted long. Just enough to remind us how dark it really was without it.
And through it all, I felt it.
That pull.
What was that pull?
It hadn't stopped. If anything, it was growing stronger, dragging at my core like a whisper beneath my ribs. I kept walking and casting light, but my thoughts had drifted so far down that I barely noticed the flicker of energy in front of me until it snapped into place.
A notification.
My breath caught at the sight as it hovered in the air, silently.
I've never had a notification just appear, usually they required a conscious interaction or intent, but never like this.
Its presence was like a tap on the shoulder. And when I leaned in closer, it brightened a bit.
Skill Upgrade:
To many, the void is an expanse of nothingness that is thought to be cold and empty. But to the very few… It's a warm embrace. A place to seek refuge...
…but with this infestation…
Then, without warning, it fizzled out of existence.
The light died with it, plunging me back into shadow.
My breath came faster now, shallow and unsure. I stared at the place where the message had been, eyes searching the dark as if it might return. But nothing came.
It hadn't felt like a normal system notification. It was too… personal, like someone had been trying to speak through it. However, they didn't get the chance to finish what they wanted to say before it disappeared.
I hesitated. Then reached inside.
Activating Void Creation, I conjured a simple knife that was perfectly balanced in my hand.
But something felt different.
I turned it slowly, studying every edge. There were no visual changes. No weight difference. But still... the upgrade. It had done something.
The silence was starting to feel unbearable, like the world was holding its breath. Having enough of it, I broke the silence.
"How are you holding up?" I asked, Henry, trying to distract myself.
"Well, Atlas," Henry muttered, "do you want the polite answer or the truth? Because honestly, I feel like a cornered dog surrounded by a very determined pack of cats."
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Cats? Wouldn't it be the other way around?"
He gave a half-hearted shrug, some of the tightness easing from his shoulders. "Maybe. Or a chihuahua, I don't know. Either way, it's not great." He glanced over at me. "How about you? You holding it together?"
I exhaled slowly and looked around at the faint outlines barely visible in the flickering light. Shadows danced across the rough walls, uncertain and shifting. "As well as anyone can in this mess," I said quietly.
My eyes dropped to the knife still in my hand, unchanged. The weight of it felt heavier than it should have, like it should hold answers but offered none.
Henry studied me for a moment, his usual lightheartedness giving way to something more genuine. "You'll figure it out, whatever it is. You always do."
His confidence in me caught me off guard, and I gave him a faint smile. "Let's hope you're right."
For now, the questions could wait. Whatever the upgrade had unlocked, I'd uncover it in time… Well, preferably before we faced whatever else this place had in store.
And as we trudged along, the chill that had permeated the air since our descent subtly started to change. The cold that once nipped at our exposed skin was giving way to a faint, almost imperceptible warmth. At first, it was easy to dismiss as our bodies acclimating to the time we spent in the cold, but as the minutes stretched into hours, the difference was undeniable.
The walls felt less oppressive, the air less biting. Every now and then, a gentle breeze rolled through the tunnel, carrying a slight warmth that wrapped around us like a whisper of comfort.
But then Benjamin stopped, raising his hand sharply for silence. "Hold up," Benjamin whispered. "I hear something."
A heavy silence descended upon us as we strained to listen. Then, a faint yet unmistakable metallic sound, like tiny rods striking the ground in rhythmic succession, permeated the air. It was as if a diminutive creature was scurrying about, concealed in the shadows of the darkness.
"crap," I muttered at the realization that we were not alone in this subterranean abyss. The tension in the group escalated as we stood there, listening intently to the strange noises.
Suddenly, Emily squealed and pointed ahead."I saw something! It just moved past me!"
My heart raced as I summoned a hammer into my hand, its weight grounding me in the encroaching darkness. "Stay close," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. Still, my grip tightened until my knuckles went white as we huddled together, each of us braced for an attack that could come at any moment.
And as time passed with nothing happening, Amelia shifted uneasily, her gaze sweeping the shadows before settling on us. "I don't like this," she admitted, hesitation creeping into her voice. "But standing here isn't doing us any favors." She took a slow breath, then straightened. "Whatever that was, I don't think it's coming back. So we need to keep moving."
Nodding along, we continued to follow the wall, our steps cautious as if expecting the floor to give out from under us. Eventually, we came to a section that felt different. The wall veered off to the left, leaving a dark expanse before us, and from the walls there was a faint wind that flowed downwards as if we were in a massive chamber of some kind.
Deciding to stick to the wall, we made our way further till Amelia interrupted our silence.
"I found a door," she called out before twisting the nob and swinging it open.
Forming a ball of lightning, I bathed the area in its dim, flickering glow. The door creaked open, revealing a well-preserved room housing what appeared to be an engine of some kind. Ella pushed past me and rushed over to inspect it, her eyes wide with excitement.
"This is incredible," she murmured, her fingers gliding over the ancient machinery. "It looks like someone's actually been maintaining this place, even after all this time."
Before we could fully take it in, a blinding light exploded to life.
I staggered back instinctively, throwing an arm over my eyes as the sudden brilliance seared through the darkness we'd grown so used to. Around me, I heard startled gasps and the scuffle of boots on metal. For a few seconds, none of us could see a thing except the harsh afterimage of light burning across our vision.
Blinking through the disorientation, my vision slowly adjusted.
There, standing next to a nearby console, was Ella, her hand still hovering over a large switch, her expression caught somewhere between pride and embarrassment.
"Uh… sorry," she said, flashing a sheepish grin. "I think I just found the lights."
"No duh," Henry replied, rolling his eyes, though there was a trace of relief in his tone.
"Thank god it was just the lights," Amelia exhaling. "Okay, Ella, no more pressing random switches. We don't know what they might do. But… well done," she added with a reluctant smile.
Ella grinned sheepishly, brushing dust off her hands. "Got it, no more switches… For now."
As the room was fully illuminated, the sound of machinery revving to life reached our ears. It wasn't just within the engine room; the sounds echoed from beyond the walls, carrying the unmistakable energy of a factory springing into action.
"What's that?" Emily asked, clearly uneasy as she took a step back from the door.
Hesitantly, we stepped out of the engine room and into a cavernous chamber that seemed to stretch endlessly. The scene before us was nothing short of breathtaking: a sprawling, high-tech factory that seemed to have been frozen in time until now.
Massive machines lined the walls, their arms suspended like sleeping giants that had suddenly stirred. Some whirred to life, moving on colossal tracks high above us. A conveyor belt stretched the length of the room, carrying what appeared to be mech parts from arms, legs, and intricate armor plates toward various assembly points.
Smaller machines scurried across the floor, their sleek crab-like forms gliding with ease as they worked in unison. Sparks flew as automated welders fused pieces together, while robotic arms delicately assembled intricate components. The air was filled with the rhythmic clanks of metal, the hiss of hydraulics, and the faint buzz of electricity.
"This place is unreal," Emily whispered as her gaze drifted from one thing to the next.
"No kidding…It makes every factory I've ever worked at look like child's play," Henry added, as he wandered over to a nearby conveyor belt.
Following Henrys example, Ella dashed over to inspect one of the machines.
Benjamin, usually composed, was visibly awestruck. He stood there, his eyes wide with wonder, taking in the awe-inspiring display of mechanical prowess unfolding before us.
"This place… is like a dream," he said softly.
Amelia, like Benjamin, was captivated by the spectacle unfolding before us. Her gaze was fixed on the intricate dance of the machines, each one contributing to the symphony of industry with its own unique rhythm.
Deciding to join in, I wandered through the chamber, absorbed in the marvel of the machinery. I observed how each piece interacted with the others, forming a complex network that was beyond my comprehension but mesmerizing nonetheless.
Shifting my attention to the smaller mechs scattered around, I quickly realized that these were the lifeblood of this automated world, diligently carrying out their tasks.
I watched with wrapped fascination as the little mechs scurried to a hole in the wall, disappearing and reappearing in rapid succession. It was as if they were following some carefully orchestrated routine, efficiently maintaining their operations. I couldn't help but wonder if this was their charging station or perhaps where they retrieved necessary supplies.
Venturing further into the chamber, the pull I had been feeling intensified. It tugged at my instincts, urging me to explore the path leading to another room. Pushing the feeling aside for the moment, I lost myself in the sight of all the pieces of equipment that hung from the ceiling. After some time, I found Ella completely distracted by the tech.
She was immersed in her work, diligently sketching and documenting the machines and their functions. I couldn't help but be impressed by her efficiency. Whistling in admiration, "Wow, you work fast."
Blushing slightly, Ella put her pen down to look up, "Thanks. There's just so much here to document, it's all just incredibly intriguing."
"Well, I guess I'll leave you to it."
I continued my endless wandering till, eventually, I found Amelia and Benjamin huddled together near a terminal on the very edge of the opening we had come from. Only then did I truly see how big the path was. I mean, it had to be this big to fit such creations like that of the class 10 mech, but I couldn't help but stare at the ceiling high above, the lights stretching off into the tunnel, till a haze obscured them far into the distance.
Shaking off the feeling of being a pest to these giants, I turned back to the terminal where Benjamin was busy copying down a set of maps into his journal.
As I joined them, Amelia motioned me over. "Look at this," she pointed down to a small room on the side of a map with a strange pattern on it, and when she clicked it, a message popped up saying max clearance required. "I think it might be a command room."
I nodded, understanding the situation. If we could gain access to it, and it was, in fact, a command room, there would have to be information about this place and different ways to get out.
Emily, having finished up with whatever she was doing, joined our conversation. "You think that's our best bet?"
"I do," Amelia nodded, then she frowned as if in thought. "Although getting in... We might need to find a way to bypass their security measures, or we'd have to locate the remains of someone with the necessary clearance."
Benjamin, who had just finished with the map, closed his book with a thud, chimed in, "It's a start. And with the map, we can plan our next steps more effectively now."
I leaned in closer to examine the map on the terminal. It displayed a labyrinth of rooms, chambers, and hallways, each marked with cryptic symbols and numbers. It was like navigating a maze, but the prospect of finding answers motivated me.
"We should get there as soon as possible," I suggested. "If there's information about what happened here, or even a way to get out of this place, it could be in that command section."
Benjamin only nodded in agreement.
With the plan set, I turned from the console and jogged back through the room to gather the others.
Ella now stood watching the small maintenance mechs darting between the walls. Nearby, Henry had unearthed a mechanical arm and was testing its mobility with the enthusiasm of a kid in a toy store.
"Ella, Henry," I called as I reached them. "We found a possible command section. It might tell us about this place, or how to get out."
Ella snapped her notebook closed with a sigh of resolve. "Then let's move. No point lingering when we've got something solid."
Henry tossed the mechanical arm over his head with a shrug. "I was getting bored anyway."
We regrouped and set off, moving quickly through echoing tunnels. After a series of turns, we stepped into a vast chamber and froze.
Towering above us was a colossal mech, its frame only half-assembled. Metal limbs stretched skyward, its core still exposed, cables and panels dangling like nerves. For a moment, none of us spoke as we just stared in awe at the sheer scale of what lay before us.
As we ventured deeper into the chamber, the enormity and intricacy of the machine left us all speechless. It was easily a class 10, surpassing any mechs we had encountered this far. Its humanoid form, complete with articulated arms and legs, stood in stark contrast to the menacing dual cannons mounted on its shoulders.
The little mechs swarmed around the giant, meticulously carrying pieces to complete its construction. Each movement precise as they worked tirelessly. We watched in fascination for a moment, the sound of clanking metal and whirring machinery filling the air, before redirecting our attention to our goal–the command section.
We stepped into a dimly lit corridor, its metallic walls lined with faintly glowing conduits that pulsed in a rhythm almost like a heartbeat. Even the air here felt different, as if something further ahead was affecting the surroundings, and along with it, I felt the pull begin to stir again, faint at first. It was a subtle sensation, like the gentle tug of a thread tied to my chest, pulling me forward.
"Is it just me, or does this place feel… off?" Henry asked, his voice breaking the silence. He glanced around uneasily, his usual bravado muted.
"It's the atmosphere," Benjamin replied, "Something about this place doesn't sit right."
I barely heard them. The pull grew stronger with each step, a gnawing force that demanded my attention. My breaths came slower, the weight in my chest intensifying. It wasn't painful, but it was distracting, like a thought you couldn't shake, no matter how hard you tried.
Ella, walking just ahead, paused to examine an exposed panel on the wall. "It's all banged up," she muttered, her fingers brushing the surface. "Looks like it's been repaired over and over."
"Focus, Ella," Amelia said sharply, her eyes scanning the corridor. "We don't have time to get sidetracked."
I tried to focus on their conversation, but the pull deepened, becoming more insistent. My hand drifted to my chest, pressing against the invisible tether that seemed to be drawing me forward.
My Head throbbed faintly, the sensation spreading behind my eyes. Each step felt heavier, the corridor stretching endlessly before us.
As we continued, the faint hum of machinery in the walls grew louder, almost rhythmic, matching the strange pulse in my chest. I clenched my fists, forcing myself to stay focused. Whatever this was, I couldn't let it overwhelm me.
Finally, the corridor opened into a wider passage, and I saw it. To the left, the path branched off toward the command section, but on the right, a heavy, reinforced door loomed in the shadows. The pull was strongest there, an almost magnetic force urging me toward it.
It clawed at my mind, whispering promises I couldn't quite understand. My steps faltered, but I clenched my jaw and pushed forward, trying to shake off its grip with sheer force of will.
"Atlas…" Henry's voice reached me, distorted and muffled, as though he were speaking underwater. He leaned closer, his hand brushing my shoulder. "You alright, man?"
I barely registered the question, my hand pressing hard against my temple as if I could physically stop the pounding. "Fine," I muttered, though the word felt empty, like a reflex more than an answer.
Someone else spoke, Amelia, I thought. Her tone was clear but distant, blending into the oppressive haze in my mind. "We're at the command section," she said. I saw her gesture toward the massive vault-like door, but couldn't focus on the specifics. Her words faded in and out. "Panel… symbols… code."
Benjamin's voice cut through faintly, sharper than the rest. "Don't… trigger… alarm…" His tone carried caution, but the meaning slipped through my fingers, lost in the overwhelming pull.
Ella moved toward the panel, her figure blurred and shifting as I blinked hard, trying to focus. "Let me… It's like a maze of wires…" Her voice wavered, fragments of sentences slipping past me as she inspected the wall.
Henry's face appeared in my line of sight, his brows furrowed with worry. "Seriously, Atlas, you look like hell. What's going on?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words refused to come. My throat felt tight, my chest heavy. My pulse pounded in my ears, drowning out whatever else was being said.
"Atlas!" Ella's voice broke through, louder this time. "Got any ideas?"
I blinked, forcing myself to focus, though my vision blurred at the edges. "Maybe… maybe it's a trap," I managed, the words feeling disconnected from my own thoughts. "We… need to be careful."
Then, without warning, an alarm blared.
"Gate integrity at ninety-five percent."
The sound cut through everything so sharply that the pull that had been hounding me vanished, like a string snapping under too much tension. My head cleared almost instantly, the fog lifting as if it had never been there. I inhaled deeply, feeling the air rush into my lungs for what felt like the first time in hours.
"What the hell?" I muttered, the sudden clarity almost disorienting. The alarm continued to blare, its cold, mechanical voice driving home the urgency.
"Ella!" Amelia barked, her voice fully audible now. "Can you get us in?"
Ella's head snapped up, her hands still hovering near the panel. "No, not in time!"
My senses sharpened as the situation became clearer. "Then we force it," I said firmly, nothing like the garbled speech I was mumbling moments before. "We don't have a choice."
Everyone exchanged quick glances but didn't argue.
I summoned a massive drill with Void creation, its weight still a little surreal. I set the spinning head against the door and anchored it to the ground. Metal screamed as the drill bit in, sparks spraying outward.
Then a shimmer rippled across the surface.
A protective shield flared to life around the door, stopping the drill cold. But we didn't stop as Ella moved forward, her moon blades carving bright arcs as she slashed at the barrier. Amelia stepped in beside her, hands glowing as she reached out instinctively.
Then hesitated.
She glanced down at the floor, then at the walls around us, confusion flickering across her face as she realized there was no earth to draw from. Everything was metal. For a heartbeat, she stalled.
Then her expression hardened.
She pressed a hand to the wall beside her and began to heat it. The metal groaned and began to glow, softening, sagging, then melting outright. Amelia tore free a mass of molten metal and hurled it at the shield, reshaping it mid-flight into jagged spikes.
The barrier shuddered under the combined assault. After another minute, fractures raced across its surface before it finally collapsed, and soon, the metal beyond.
At last, the door gave way, and we rushed inside, greeted by the pulse of flashing red lights.
The room itself was strangely sparse. At its center stood a smooth metal table, beside it a translucent screen of some kind. Along the far wall sat a row of capsules.
It wasn't until we moved closer that the truth settled in.
Some of the capsules still contained people. Or what was left of them. Their bodies were pale and withered, little more than husks of who they had once been. On the tablet beside each one, the same words glared back at us.
Capsule failure.
Not all of them were occupied. A few stood open, empty, their seals long since broken.
Then I noticed the one in the far corner.
Unlike the others, it glowed softly, a steady green light pulsing from within. Inside, a woman lay dormant, her features peaceful, untouched by decay.
The name on the capsule read: Grace.
I hesitated, my eyes locked on the pod. Something about it held me there, an instinct I couldn't shake. I turned back to the console, frantically scanning its surface for any clue. Then I saw it: a button marked Stasis Wake Up.
Without thinking, I pressed it.
A low hiss escaped as the capsule began to decompress, the metal shell vibrating with a faint hum, and a tense hush fell over the room. Everyone turned, watching. The seams of the pod split open with a pneumatic hiss, and the lid slowly lifted upward on heavy hydraulic arms. Vapor spilled out in thick, swirling plumes, spilling over the edges like fog pouring from a broken world.
Then a shape shifted inside.
Grace slumped forward, her body limp for a moment, like a puppet with its strings cut, before her arms instinctively caught the sides of the pod. Her breath was shaky, eyes fluttering open as she pulled herself upright, clearly disoriented by the way her head swayed from side to side.
Her tousled brown hair clung to her damp skin, strands framing her pale face. She blinked hard against the harsh light, her dark brown eyes scanning the unfamiliar faces that surrounded her.
"Who are you?" she asked, voice raw and trembling, as if dragged from a long, dreamless sleep. Her gaze darted between us, panic simmering just beneath the surface.
Stepping forward, Amelia wore a sympathetic expression. "You're safe now. My name is Amelia, and these are my companions. We found you here in this underground city."
Grace's gaze darted around the room, taking in the blinking consoles, the vault-like door we had just forcefully opened, and the unfamiliar faces of our group. "Underground city? I don't understand..."
Before she could finish her sentence, an abrupt alarm blared through the room, its message clear: "Gate integrity Eighty-seven percent."
Realization washed over Grace, and she scrambled to her feet, her balance unsteady. "This can't be happening..." Her eyes scanned the capsules surrounding her, each displaying the ominous words, "Capsule Failure." "They're all dead," she mumbled.
Amelia's head snapped toward the door where another alarm blared in the distance, accompanied by the faint sound of explosions. She grabbed Grace's capsule, fingers tightening as she met the woman's gaze. "We're out of time," she said sharply. "They're almost through."
"Almost through? Who?" Grace's voice held a note of rising panic as she tried to process the situation.
"Monstrosities are making their way inside through the gate," Amelia explained quickly.
Grace's eyes widened in disbelief and fear. "The Astragaloths are getting in?" she asked.
"We'll explain later. Right now, we need to find a way out," Amelia said firmly.
Cursing under her breath, Grace's eyes moved from one thing to the next, only to focus on the wall. She quickly moved to a nearby control panel, typing frantically. With a hiss, a concealed compartment opened in the wall, revealing a bag. She grabbed it, her movements fueled by a mix of desperation and panic.
"We can go now," she announced, then did a double-take. "Actually, one sec." She yelled before running back. She reached into the open capsule, retrieving one more item, an identification tag. "Okay, now we can go."