by L. M. Kerr
He took on a graceful, dignified image as he flew towards a podium that had been set up for him, preparing to begin the first of many ceremonies.
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Meanwhile…
.. .. .. .. .. ..
Three masked figures crept through the undergrowth, their movements silent. Each warrior held small, curved daggers in their hands, painted black, reflecting only darkness. Occasionally, they would freeze in their tracks and remain still, listening for any potential enemies. Only when they confirmed no one was around would they continue.
“Black 4, 6 we’re almost in sight. Ready up.” As the trio reached a particular spot within the forest, one of them, a slightly taller warrior than the other two, held up a fist and motioned for them to stop.
The two other warriors acquiesced, coming to an abrupt halt.
As the Squad Leader whispered, he brought out a sleek, black handgun that was covered with a silencer. The warrior aimed this gun carefully as he began to examine the surroundings.
They had reached the edge of a small clearing.
The evening light revealed a seemingly abandoned cluster of buildings within this clearing. There were around forty of them, some the size of small houses while others were like mid or even large warehouses.
These buildings were a rather odd, motley collection. Several of them had various metal antennae set up, looking almost human-built. Others had angled roofs with metal panels set into them, reflecting dim light.
These were the supposedly abandoned First Scientific Outpost, created by the first group of Farians when they arrived on the Second Layer.
It was here that they learned that their Magic Messaging Systems, a way to enact long-range communication through a mixture of Magic and special metals, no longer functioned. Experiments on how gravity had become heavier, delving into what Spirit Crystals were, experimenting with the mystical Magic Herbs that grew in the Dragon Mountains — a plethora of knowledge-seeking engagements had happened here, on a historic scale.
However, roughly 1 year after the arrival of the first group, this area was designated a forbidden zone. The Lord Justiciar had announced that an experiment had spread a layer of toxic energy that could not be removed and was hazardous.
Thus, this place became a relic of the past, just two years later.
And, indeed, as the trio looked out into the abandoned clearing, faint sparkles of white energy fluttered in the air ominously, giving off a dangerous, oppressive presence.
The warriors ignored this as they scanned the buildings, the air, and the treetops, leaving no area unturned. They stayed on full alert as they looked all around, trying to spot even a hint of an enemy.
The caution they showed might seem excessive to a regular warrior, but to the elites of the Ape Division, it was merely the basic norm.
“Alright. Let’s move in. Be ready to transform. Destiny awaits.” The leader of the trio motioned, storing his handgun in a Spatial Ring with a fluid wave. All three of them moved forward as a unit, their movements almost in sync.
In just a split second, they darted out from the tree cover and leaned up against the back of one of the abandoned buildings, a small house.
The white energy that fizzled, seemingly dangerously in the air, did not react. Instead, it just sat there, looking dangerous and giving off every indication that this area was hazardous… but not actually doing anything.
The trio, once more, did an aerial check as they gauged their surroundings. Their movements, thus far, had been unnaturally silent, as if affected by some type of audio-dampening Ability.
The Beasts of Providence were experienced when it came to fighting the Farians, especially the Ape Division. The actions they showed here were built out of long experience, something they formed over months and months of constant raids and attacks.
Among the Beasts of Providence, the Ape Division was renowned for its heavy-hitting elites, a powerful team that specialized in close combat. There were only 27 of them, split into 9 teams of 3, but they had a level of fighting power that could not be ignored.
“Black 4, go in from the back. Black 6, you’re with me on the front.” The leader of the group, ‘Black 5,’ issued a couple of quiet commands as he split them up.
“If you find the hidden entrance, retreat back immediately.” He caught Black 4 by the shoulder, giving him a stern nod. In the Ape Division, their nicknames were designed to keep them anonymous, a simple color and a number that gave nothing away.
He got a nod back as the warrior ducked down and slunk around towards the back of the house, holding his knives at the ready.
The Squad Leader waved for the last teammate to follow. They immediately began to creep around to the front, prepared to attack at a moment’s notice.
As soon as they crossed to the front of the house, both warriors ducked down and leaned against the wall, making a silent, furtive break for the doorway. The door had fallen more than a year ago and was left open, making it very easy to enter.
The wood that made up this house was weathered and old, looking as if even a light step on it would send up a dozen loud creaks. Despite that, the wood made no noise at all when the warriors stepped on it.
When they got inside the house, the two warriors split their attention, the Squad Leader looking to the left while his teammate looked to the right.
The front room had a long, wooden staircase that went up to a second floor, covered in cracks and cobwebs, as well as some old, broken furniture and random debris. Mold was growing on the floor, giving this abandoned house a very… abandoned feel.
The two elites relaxed slightly as they saw this. They began to move through the bottom floor of the house, splitting up as they cleared it in quick fashion.
There was a kitchen, a living room, a den, and a front parlor that they had arrived in — a very typical first floor for a Farian home, or even, indeed, a human home. If nothing else, the two species had that much in common.
“Doesn’t look like it’s in here.” Black 5 shook his head as he met back up with Black 6, sighing.
There was a good reason that they were searching this old, decrepit outpost.
Hidden within these ruins was a top-secret experimentation site, a well-hidden location that housed some of the Farians’ most intelligent researchers working on secret projects.
Among those, a project that was causing the Beasts of Providence no end of trouble… one that was helping them track their raids and stop them before they even began.
“Let’s move on- Hold on, where’s Black 4?” The leader of the trio was about to issue commands again, out of habit, when he paused, looking around in a rather confused fashion.
Only the two of them were here. The Squad Leader glanced up, squinting slightly.
The hidden entrance was supposed to lead into a basement and, according to what they had been told, should be easy to see once found. It was hidden in one of these buildings, but it was too large to actually be hidden well.
It was possible Black 4 had gone upstairs, but that didn’t make much sense. The entrance couldn’t be located up there.
Black 6 shrugged at his Squad Leader, unable to offer up any explanation.
An instant later…
Both warriors activated their Transformation Type Abilities, as well as any active stat boosting Abilities they possessed.
Their metal armor magically stretched to match their form as their entire body swelled up. Their arms grew thicker, their legs stauncher, and their chests broader. They became bulky warriors that stood a hulking 2 meters tall in height, giving off a feeling of strength.
Both warriors had the Black Ape Transformation Type.
This was not a Transformation Type Ability that you could buy in the Shop… not directly.
Instead, they got their Transformation Type Abilities the same way a majority of the Beasts of Providence did.
By purchasing the Mystic Variant Transformation Type that cost 300,000 Points in the Shop.
This Ability was one Micheal was very familiar with, mostly because of its fame.
It was the ‘lottery’ of Transformation Type Abilities.
If you purchased it, mystical lights would flutter around the user as strange powers would become infused within their body. Moments later, the Ability would transform into a completely random ‘Transformation Type Ability.’
If you got extremely lucky, you could get a Legendary Type that let you draw on the strength of epic leviathans, like Phoenixes, Dragons, Hydras, and more.
On the other hand, the vast majority of people that picked it got an average or weak Types, like the Blue Hummingbird Type, the Welter Fish Type, or many others.
You couldn’t influence what beast your Transformation Type would be based on, not through any known means. As a result, Micheal had never even considered using the Mystic Variant Transformation Type. He would never leave something as important as saving humanity up to mere luck.
The two warriors grunted as they began to spread out in the kitchen, their small black daggers expanding into larger, black swords.
“Black 6, cover me. I’ll head towards the back.” The leader’s voice had become far deeper when he spoke, a low rumble that matched his now-hulking appearance.
The Black Ape Transformation Types was one of the stronger Types you could get from the Mystic Variant Transformation Type, granting enhanced durability, regeneration, and physical power, while expanding the warrior’s senses, all in one.
The other warrior grunted in reply, immediately taking up a position to guard Black 5’s back.
The two slowly crept through the house, their entire bodies tensed and ready to react to even the slightest hint of a threat. They didn’t let their guard down or dismiss Black 4’s disappearance out of hand, instead treating it as if they were under attack by a hidden, powerful enemy.
A few seconds passed.
Black 5 reached the backdoor of the house. Like the front, the doorway was empty, the door having long since fallen apart.
The Squad Leader frowned beneath his mask, his big ape face scrunching up as he looked at the doorway, peeked outside of it, and then glanced all around.
Black 4 was nowhere to be seen.
“Huh.” He grumbled after a few seconds as he turned around, confusion littering his face.
“Do you see anything, Black 6-” Black 5 abruptly cut himself off, his body going rigid.
There was no one behind him.
Black 6 was gone.
The leader’s breathing began to grow ragged as he bunched his arms up, bringing his two swords up to bear as he leaned his back against the wall. His head flicked to the right and the left as he kept everything in sight within his field of view, leaving himself no openings.
Neither Black 4 nor Black 6 were fools. Neither of them were weak. Both of them were well trained, powerful experts, at least on par with powerful Second Rate Warriors here on the Second Layer.
On the First Layer, each one would be considered a strong A Ranker, capable of slaughtering a hundred Morenkai with ease.
These thoughts echoed in Black 5’s mind as he gazed all around, slight tendrils of panic worming their way into his heart. His guard was as tight as it could be, there was nothing that could get past his vision, he was prepared for any-
This was Black 5’s last thought as three thin, metal threads stabbed from the wooden wall the warrior was leaning against, giving off the faint, red glow of Advanced Tier Sword Energy.
In less than half a second, these thin metal threads wrapped around Black 5’s throat half a dozen times in a perfect ambush.
A moment later…
The warrior’s body vanished as he was simultaneously decapitated, the glowing metal threads cutting through armor and skin like butter, and had his body stored in a Spatial Ring that was just barely in range, all in the span of a single second.
Silence returned to this old, abandoned home as the three invaders vanished completely, all killed without time to even react.
The only evidence of foul play was a few drops of blood that had spattered to the floor, fallen before the body of each warrior had been stored and hidden away.
A few seconds passed as the silence continued.
Finally, a figure emerged from upstairs, floating in the air as he avoided stepping on the creaky, aging wood that held this house up.
Micheal’s gaze was cold as he looked around the house once more before floating over to the front entrance. He adjusted the black Silk Strider Glove that was on his right hand, and then did the same for the newly purchased one he had added to his left.
A moment later…
Three dead bodies plopped down on the floor. Micheal caught each body as they fell, using a couple of Life Orbs to help prevent them from making any noise as they hit the ground.
Two of the bodies were transformed, while one was a normal human. All three were clad in armor that was now covered in long, black cracks, ruined completely. Rubine Expansive Armor, a pricey set of defensive gear you could buy in the Shop, that was popular with Full Transformation Users because of how it would morph to match most humanoid forms.
As soon as these bodies hit the floor, Micheal brought out yet another object from his Spatial Ring.
A small, plain-looking bracelet.
He immediately drew on his energy reserves as he activated this Artifact, a Signal Seer Bracelet, and immediately began to overload it.
This bracelet was something he had used before, a tool that heightened one’s senses when it came to certain electrical signals. When it came to its normal functions, there was no real reason to use it here.
However, when it was imbued with an excessive amount of energy and destroyed, it came with a certain side-effect that Micheal had every reason to use here...
The Artifact trembled as Micheal pushed it beyond any reasonable limits.
It took only a split second for him to overwhelm it completely.
Micheal tossed the bracelet in-between the three dead bodies as it quietly exploded into a white cloud of dust. A brief, visible shockwave silently flashed off from the abandoned house, dissipating into nothing and seemingly having no effect.
Several seconds passed as nothing happened. The wind whistled over Micheal's shoulders through the open doorway, brushing past his hair. The white dust spread by the shattered bracelet began to drift away.
Finally, however, something began to change.
Something... dark began to rise off of the dead bodies Micheal had put on the ground.
Three small, black Seeds of darkness rose out from these corpses. Each Seed fizzled about in the air, as if confused for several seconds, before floating upwards and vanishing, disappearing into seeming nothingness as they found themselves unable to communicate and seek out their main host.
Signal Seer Bracelets, when overloaded and allowed to explode, blocked out all types of energy-based signalling within a certain area, something that lasted for several minutes.
This included signals based in the mind or Soul, regardless of whether they were formed from an Artifact...
Or from an Ability.
Micheal’s heart pounded as he saw this, adrenaline rushing in his veins.
“I’ve found you…” A small, dark smile appeared on Micheal’s face, one that never reached his eyes as he looked down at the dead bodies.
Finally… he had found it.
HIM.
The biggest enemy, the biggest hurdle, that Micheal would need to overcome in these early years.
The Seeds left behind by the Vile King.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are, little Beasts.” Micheal muttered quietly to himself as he picked up each lumbering body, storing them in his Spatial Ring once more.
“The time to hunt has come.”
.
Chapter 40
“I don’t like it.” Silverback’s voice was calm, carrying a hint of steely confidence.
As he spoke, a quiet rumbli
ng sound echoed in the air. In the sky above, a number of dark clouds gathered, preparing to unleash a light layer of rain on the world below.
The leader of the Ape Division was currently standing within a large, decrepit warehouse, full of cluttered, old furniture, broken work desks and cracked glass, the remnants of a once-great research lab. As of right now, he was waiting patiently in a small, broken office that he had commandeered as a temporary command room.
Every team in the Beasts of Providence, from the bottom to the top, consisted of a group of three. It had to do with the mantra that they all held to, working in groups to take down targets and complete tasks efficiently.
Silverback’s First Squad of the Ape Division had two other members that were currently standing watch, one in a doorway opposite of this office, and the other just outside of the office.
Standing right in front of Silverback, and the target of his words, was the Squad Leader of the Ape Division’s Seventh Squad, White 1.
“You were supposed to rendezvous with the Fifth Squad once you finished sweeping the small buildings to the north.” Silverback’s words came out as a statement, rather than a question.
“Yessir. When they didn’t show, we followed standard protocol and immediately fell back to here.” The Squad Leader, like most of the Ape Division, was tall and muscular, especially so for a woman. Only a few strands of brown hair were visible behind her mask, hiding her identity.
Silverback rubbed his hands together slowly, staying silent for a couple of moments.
“Their Lord Justiciar can’t be here and if it was any other Farian, they would’ve raised the alarm already.” He frowned beneath his mask as he spoke, a hint of confusion in his words. Beneath his armor, he wore a necklace that would have detected if the Farians had called for help.
Silverback had personally led the largest number of successful raids against the Farians, he was well aware of how they would react. This might be the first time probing the Farians’ secretive research center, but he didn’t expect them to act differently.
In general, the Farians had excellent coordination and efficiency, on par with his best troops. The ones guarding the research site were well-trained elites, but that excellent training was part of what made them predictable. If his Division had been discovered, the Farians would be closing rank and sending for help.
