To minimize the scale of the conflict and avoid unnecessary damage to the district's infrastructure, Vander kept his strike team small—about fifty of his most seasoned fighters.
At the core of the team was Sevika, equipped with the exoskeleton mechanical gauntlets Kael had provided. Vander wore a matching pair. Currently, the two were "winding each other up," literalizing the primitive clockwork kinetic energy that powered Kael's earliest works.
CRACK.
Sevika tested a punch, shattering a blue brick into dust. "Gotta say, the gear that Piltie kid makes is actually useful," she noted.
"If Kael heard you call him that, he'd have a few Choice words for you," Vander chuckled, though his eyes remained serious as he signaled the team to move out.
Vander had left the children in Benson's care, strictly forbidding them from joining a mission involving killing. Little did he know, Benson had already been "backstabbed" by his own foster son, Ekko, who had quietly knocked him out to facilitate a breakout.
"What are you all arguing about?" Kael asked, walking toward the group with a backpack slung over his shoulder.
"None of your business!" Vi snapped, still fuming that her crew had contacted Kael behind her back.
"In that case," Kael said, reaching into his bag, "I'll just give these Rune Gauntlets to Mylo. They look like his size."
"How could it be none of your business? We're a team!" Vi interrupted, her anger vanishing instantly behind a wide, predatory smile.
She snatched the gauntlets before Mylo could blink. Unlike Vander's clockwork gear, these were powered by alchemical batteries infused with Ark Rune energy. One punch could blast through a stone wall, and the runes formed an energy shield to absorb recoil.
"Wait, why are yours golden?!" Vi shouted, noticing Kael putting on a superior pair made of refined Adamantite.
"My own gear has to be the best, obviously," Kael replied. He handed Powder a Banger Pistol and gave Mylo and Claggor a Chomper Bomb each. "Don't play with them. They won't explode unless triggered, but keep them in your pockets."
The group headed down. Since Silco had locked down the elevators, they had to use the "Zaunite Express"—pipelines and staggered building rooftops. Vi expected Kael to struggle, but he moved like a ghost, using a grappling hook to swing across gaps while she had to judge every jump.
"Pant... pant... slow down!" Vi called out, her ego bruised.
"Can you handle it, Vi?" Kael teased, his breathing perfectly steady.
"I can! But the others can't!" she pointed at the lagging trio, using them to regain her pride as a "local guide."
Meanwhile, Vander's men had engaged Silco's Shimmer-Enforcers. While Shimmer granted beast-like strength, these early test subjects were feral and uncoordinated. Vander's team used capture nets and coordinated gunfire to take them down one by one.
Watching his pawns fall from the factory windows, Silco's gaze remained cold. "I have to rely on you guys," he said to his inner circle—thugs he had personally trained. They drank the Shimmer silently. Their physiques swelled, their skin turning a mottled purple as they mutated into something far more dangerous than the street scum outside.
"The real show is just beginning," Silco whispered.
Outside, Vander punched an Enforcer in the ribs, the exoskeleton-assist sending the man flying. He followed up with a crushing blow to the skull.
"Something's wrong, Vander," Sevika warned, joining him. "These things aren't as strong as the monster that nearly killed you last time."
Vander nodded. He knew Silco was holding back his "tigers." But as he felt the weight of the Chomper Bombs in his pocket, he didn't falter. He walked toward the factory doors, ready to end the civil war of the Undercity.