Chapter 100: Chapter 100: The First Verse
Chapter 100: The First Verse
The Aegis-Class Hover-Van tore across the toxic mud of the Wildlands.
Aegon steered the sleek military vehicle with practiced ease. The heavy anti-gravity repulsors hummed quietly beneath them. They glided smoothly over broken ruins and jagged rocks.
Inside the armored cabin, the mood was surprisingly light. The warmth of the previous night still lingered among the squad.
"I still cannot believe you froze a flour explosion in midair," Lucien laughed. The silver-haired noble leaned back in his leather seat.
"I thought Mrs. Stonehelm was going to have a heart attack."
Estella crossed her arms and pouted.
"It was just a minor miscalculation. I could have baked that entire batch of bread in two seconds with my magic."
"Sure you could, MasterChef," Draven smirked.
Draven sat by the reinforced window. Astraxion was perched comfortably on his shoulder.
The baby dragon pressed its tiny snout against the glass. It stared out at the swirling red Miasma with wide golden eyes. It gave a curious little chirp.
Bram sat quietly near the back of the van. Natalie sat beside him. She gave the giant boy a gentle reassuring smile.
The hover-van slowly began to decelerate. Aegon tapped the glowing dashboard console.
"We have reached Sector 18," Aegon announced. The playful banter instantly vanished.
"Student Council Quest target is just ahead in the valley."
The squad stepped out of the vehicle. The red fog here was thick and suffocating. They drew their weapons and moved with perfect military precision.
Within twenty minutes, they located the rogue pack of Armored Bears that had been disrupting Vanguard supply lines.
It was a swift and brutal execution. Aegon melted their defenses with Blood Fire. Estella crushed them with concentrated starlight.
Lucien moved like silver lightning. They harvested the monster cores to secure their Vanguard Merit Points.
But their true objective was much deeper.
Draven led the squad higher into the jagged mountains. The fog grew denser.
The terrain became impossibly steep. Finally, they reached a massive dead-end cliff face. Solid gray rock towered hundreds of feet into the sky.
"There is nothing here," Nyx said. She stepped out of the shadows and examined the solid stone wall.
"Looks can be deceiving," Draven replied softly. His pitch-black eyes flashed.
[Skill Activated: Vector Manipulation]
Draven raised his right hand. The air around the massive cliff face rippled violently. Millions of tons of kinetic force shifted at his command.
With a sharp downward pull of his wrist, Draven tore a massive section of the mountain away.
The giant boulder ripped free from the cliff and crashed into the valley below. The earth shook.
The dust slowly cleared. The squad gasped in sheer awe.
Carved directly into the heart of the mountain was a fifty-foot-tall steel door. Ancient glowing runes lined the rusted metal. The sheer impossible scale of the architecture made them feel like tiny insects standing before a god.
"Welcome to the Legacy of the Giants," Draven said.
He stepped forward and placed his hand on the metal. He pushed his mana into the hidden mechanism. The massive doors groaned. Dust fell from the ceiling as they slowly parted.
A terrifying wave of ancient heavy mana rushed out of the tomb. It hit the squad like a physical blow. The air itself felt impossibly dense.
A sudden terrifying roar echoed from the red fog behind them.
The released mana acted like a beacon in the dark. The dense pure energy immediately attracted the true apex predators of Sector 18.
Three massive shadows emerged from the mist. They were mutated Armored Bears. But these were completely different from the quest targets.
They had fed on the leaking Giant mana for decades. They were gargantuan. Thick crystalline armor plated their bodies. Their eyes burned with unnatural bloodlust.
Lucien drew his rapier. Aegon ignited his Blood Fire.
"Stand down," Draven ordered sharply.
The squad looked at him in shock.
Draven turned to look at Bram.
"This is your legacy. You must prove you are worthy to step inside that tomb. A Test given by the Ancestral Giants. Do not let them pass."
Bram swallowed hard. He looked at the massive mutated beasts. He looked back at Natalie and his friends. He took a deep breath. His lifelong inferiority complex melted away in the face of absolute duty. He was their shield.
Bram drew his heavy Vanguard tower shield. He stepped forward alone.
The largest bear charged. It raised a massive crystalline claw to crush him.
Bram did not flinch. He planted his boots into the dirt. He met the charge head-on.
CRASH.
The impact shattered the ground beneath Bram. But the giant boy held his ground. He gritted his teeth and pushed back with all his terrifying strength.
He deflected the massive claw aside and stepped directly into the beast’s guard.
Bram swung the heavy edge of his shield like a bludgeon. He smashed it directly into the bear’s jaw. Bone cracked loudly. The beast roared in pain.
Bram did not stop. He put his entire body on the line. He blocked a sweeping strike from the second bear. He took a deep jagged gash to his shoulder. Blood soaked his dark Vanguard uniform.
He ignored the pain completely. He bashed his shield forward again and again. He crushed their crystalline armor with raw brutal courage. He fought like a man possessed. He refused to let a single monster get past him to threaten his friends.
Minutes later, the three mutated bears lay dead in the mud.
Bram stood over their bodies panting heavily. He was battered and bleeding. But he had not taken a single step backward.
A deep ancient voice suddenly echoed inside Bram’s mind.
"We who stand before the endless dark..."
Bram gasped. The first verse. The tomb had recognized his absolute courage.
He looked back at the squad. A faint golden light was glowing beneath Bram’s skin.
"Go inside," Draven ordered. He pulled out his tactical combat knife.
The red fog around them was howling. Hundreds of glowing red eyes appeared in the mist.
The opened door was drawing every single monster in the sector. The true Beast Horde was arriving.
"We will hold the line here," Aegon declared proudly. His spear ignited with a roaring inferno.
"But there are too many," Bram protested. He looked at the endless sea of red eyes.
"We are Strike Team Zero," Natalie smiled warmly. She knocked an arrow to her bowstring.
"We will be fine. Go claim your power, Bram."
Bram nodded deeply. He felt a profound sense of brotherhood. He turned and walked into the massive dark tomb alone.
The heavy steel doors slowly began to close behind him.
Draven stood shoulder to shoulder with Estella and Aegon. They faced the incoming horde of nightmares.
"Alright then!," Draven smirked. His dark eyes locked onto the first monster.
"Let’s crack some skulls."
