Warm air brushes off the ship's hull but inside the gondola every participant felt comfort due to its excellent cooling systems but despite all these the heat between the conflicting guild keeps arguing along the way, Soren looks down the sea of clouds fighting the urge to jump.
Out of nowhere, the ship jolted with a bit of turbulence, pilot prompting to urge everyone to stay seated as they navigated through the Dreaded Valleys, an artificial geological formation notorious for its high electromagnetic interference caused by the minerals present beneath. The pilot reassured everyone to remain calm, but looming ahead were thick black clouds that starkly contrasted with the clear sky. Vixra'al warned Soren about a swarm of Ecrea up ahead, but Soren brushed it off for now, lying down on the wooden floor and resting his arms behind his head, drifting off to sleep. As darkness enveloped them, the light faded, and thunderclouds rumbled ominously. A sense of peace settled over the guild members as they too succumbed to fatigue.
When Soren finally woke up, he stretched and noticed a strange man in a mask staring intently ahead. He attempted to strike up a conversation, but the man remained silent. Just then, as Soren turned to look in the same direction, the ship's lights flickered, and the vessel shook violently. "What's happening?" he exclaimed in shock. "Is this an attack?" Fira Lucia, who had just woken up. Ahead of them, swarms of flying insectoid Ecrea were assaulting the ship's hull. The pilot was frantically announcing the attack, trying to veer away from danger. Soren glanced around and saw that all the other ships were under attack as well.
To his surprise, the masked man stood up, towering over him, and made a beeline for the exit. "Hey, what are you doing, big guy? It's dangerous out there!" Soren pleaded, but the man simply shrugged him off and pushed the door open. A rush of strong winds flooded the cabin as the masked figure nimbly leaped down the steps and onto the ship's exterior. With no other choice, Soren followed him. Zereth, seeing the two exit, urged his members to stay calm. "They'll handle this," he declared confidently.
The masked man stood there, lost in thought, as a swarm of Ecrea charged at him, attacking without a second's hesitation. But he didn't flinch. Soren rushed in, cutting through the attackers with precision. Suddenly, with a mechanical whir, the mysterious masked figure extended both arms, and the nodes on his arms began to hiss ominously. Without warning, missiles shot out, lighting up the dark sky with explosions like a wild festival. Gradually, the number of Ecrea began to dwindle as the masked man raised his arms and exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Incredible!" Soren was mesmerized by this display of power, his body trembling with excitement.
Burnt Ecrean corpses rained down from the sky, leaving trails of smoke behind. The masked man lowered his arms and retreated inside, while Soren watched him go back to the cabin. Just then, Vixra'al warned, "It's not over yet," as an even larger swarm of insectoid Ecrea descended from the sky. Soren braced himself for the fight ahead. "We're here!" shouted Zereth and his team, ready to take on the challenge. Fira Lucia, eager to join the fray, stepped up beside them, exclaiming, "Ha! What a great way to let off some steam!" Together, they faced the monstrous horde side by side.
Soren couldn't help but be struck by the sheer power of this group, not just from their impressive aura but from their raw strength. He watched in awe as each member showcased their abilities. Zereth, with his crystal shield and lance, moved with the grace of a seasoned knight. Fira Lucia transformed into a demi-beast, clawing her way through the chaos. Their assistants were equally impressive, executing flawless combos and providing support.
In Zereth's team, a lady spun her staff, conjuring wisps of energy that followed an Ecrea before exploding, while a masked man with spiky hair attacked with blades on his arms, moving like a whirlwind. Meanwhile, in Fira Lucia's group, a guy with purple hair fought with a unique combat style, his body wrapped in energy with every strike. The bald guy in her team relied on brute strength, using a pair of gauntlets to punch his way through the fray. "They might all be stronger than I am," Soren mused as the battle raged on.
Zereth then chanted as his lance and shield shuns bright, the Ecrea felt danger as they try to retreat then "Shine my path… Regalia Overdrive!" he shot out his lance emitting a powerful energy that eradicates Ecrea in its path disintegrating them as its light thin out, the remaining Ecrea finally seized their attack and retreated, "what a show off!" scoffs Fira Lucia, Zereth exhaled and undoes his shield and lance and looked at Soren with a smile impressing him, Soren felt awkward from this.
As the pilot and crew of the ship expressed their heartfelt thanks, Soren noticed the strange masked man retreating to his original spot, standing completely still. Just then, Fira Lucia approached him, eager to know how she had performed and trying to coax him into joining their group. Suddenly, Zereth interrupted, sparking yet another conflict.
In the blink of an eye, the masked man vanished, finding an excuse to slip away while they argued. He made his way down to the lower deck of the gondola, where he entered a dim storage room. There, he heard the sound of clinking metal. Straining his eyes to see through the darkness, he discovered a girl in a tank top and baggy pants, complete with a belt and leather gloves, working on what appeared to be a suit.
Just as he was about to call out and ask who she was, he realized that the suit she was tinkering with belonged to the strange masked man. "She's inside the suit?" he thought, a wave of realization washing over him. As he watched closely, the girl seems to bent metal parts into the suit, making quick repairs. Feeling like an intruder, Soren began to back away, but she called out, "I know you're there, my sensors can detect you, you know." Glancing up, he noticed a contraption hanging from the door. "Sigh, no matter. As long as you keep this a secret, we're on good terms," she added. Soren apologized and quietly left the room.
Back at the cabin, a fight broke out, but it wasn't between Zereth's group or even Fira Lucia's. No, it was the maintenance team, and they were pointing fingers at each other. Soren decided to check it out while Zereth tried to calm things down, but Fira Lucia was doing the exact opposite, egging them on to fight. Soren asked Zereth what was going on, and he explained that they were arguing over forgetting to bring some special tools needed for the repairs. On one side, a crew in white shirts and tattered jeans, and on the other, in old garb and leather gloves.
Just as one of the guys in the old garb swung a punch, Zereth managed to catch it, and with a firm voice, he urged the two to focus on finding a solution instead of quarreling about, de-escalating the situation. Fira Lucia clicked her tongue in annoyance, "Tch, what a killjoy," she muttered, clearly disappointed. Just then, as the crew started to calm down, the strange masked figure entered and handed over a tool of her own. The crew's faces lit up with relief, and they left peacefully to continue their work. Soren glanced at the masked suit and thanked her for her help.
As the ship sailed through the ominous Dreaded Valleys, the skies began to brighten once more. Ahead lay the rugged terrain of the Solmere Expanse, a once-thriving human settlement that had been invaded by the Ecrea and had only been reclaimed after the war years ago, now, this region faced a new threat. The crew attempted to reach the station, but their calls went unanswered. As they drew closer, they spotted smoke rising from the base, prompting them to issue an emergency report. Upon landing, they rushed to the hangar, only to find it eerily deserted not a soul in sight, not even in the radio tower.
Soren noticed deep scratch marks on the structures, and Vixra'al confirmed that the length and energy residues indicated an attack was definitely by the Velkryss's brood. The ship's turbines fell silent as they settled in, and they worked to restore the base's energy flow and fortify it against potential assaults.
Meanwhile, the mysterious masked figure entered the base, and Soren speculated that she was onto something again, deciding to let her be. Zereth took it upon himself to investigate the crew's disappearance, while Fira Lucia playfully bullied her team members as they struggled to carry her luggage.
Zereth walked up to Soren and asked if he had any thoughts on what might be behind the whole mystery. Soren shared his theories, linking it all to the escalating threat posed by the Vlkryss. The ship's captain then called all the guild members together for a meeting. Dressed in a plated pauldron, a hat, and a flowing garb, he activated a projector that displayed a detailed map of the region. He laid out the mission's scope and the dangers they faced, handing each participant a badge to help distinguish them from civilians. He also encouraged everyone to check the armory for weapons, urging them to resupply and prepare for battle. "And that's all," he concluded, stepping down from the pedestal as everyone was assigned a place in the barracks to rest.
The crew was busy with preparations while the participants took a moment to relax or train in the open area. It was there that Soren noticed one of Zereth's guild member, a man with spiky hair, meditating in a corner. He joined him in the shade, savoring the peaceful moment and choosing to remain silent so as not to disrupt his focus.
Eventually, the guy broke the silence with a question, "What does it take to be strong?" Soren paused, seemingly taken aback by the question, before replying, "I don't know… maybe training." But then he added, "Pain. The kind that doesn't kill you, but makes you wish it did." Soren, puzzled, asked, "…That's it?" The man met his gaze and said, "No. You endure it. Over and over. Until fear loses its meaning… and hesitation fades away." Soren pressed on, "And then?" Sharing his insight, the man concluded, "Then you decide what you're willing to lose… and you don't look back." Soren didn't fully grasp the depth of his words, but he understood the essence, having faced similar struggles himself. "Yeah… I guess you're right…" The man introduced himself as "Arnac." Although Soren felt he already knew, he introduced himself too, and Arnac returned to his meditation.
That afternoon, the cafeteria buzzed with activity as guild participants lined up for their rations. Fira Lucia was being her usual self, pestering the crew for more food, but Zereth was always there to rein her in. Meanwhile, Soren sat quietly, enjoying his meal while scanning the room for the girl in the strange masked suit. He wondered if she might be hungry, so after finishing his own food, he headed to the canteen to asked for an extra portion for her since she wasn't around. The crew trusted him and agreed.
When Soren reached the storage room, he found the girl munching on a sandwich. He handed her a plate piled high with hot curried rice, and just as he was about to leave, she quickly finished her sandwich, gulped down some water, and thanked him for his kindness. She explained that she couldn't show herself in public. Soren replied, "I know…" The girl then asked him to wait and introduced herself as Jaun, an artificer. "An artificer?" he asked, intrigued, knowing it was one of the rarest abilities, stemming from conjuration. He quickly introduced himself, encouraged her to enjoy her meal, and then took his leave.
That evening, the crew activate alarms at every corner of the base as a precautionary measure, just in case an attack occurred. The guards, who were meant to serve as the front line of defense, had been deployed. Unfortunately for Soren, he drew the short straw and was assigned to this task. Alongside him were Jaun, the bald guy from Velvet, and a girl with a staff from Ashen Steel. They stood there in the night, and an awkward silence hung over them for hours. The girl with the staff introduced herself as Lilia, while the bald guy went by Thrun. After another long pause, Soren let out a yawn, and soon the others followed suit.
As they all realized how bored they were, Soren burst into laughter, and his infectious chuckle made the others join in. This sparked their first conversation, where they began sharing their stories. Lilia mentioned she was from a distant land that had been devastated by Ecrea, and how Ashen Steel had helped her restore her colony, prompting her to join them in gratitude. Thrun, on the other hand, had joined because he felt he had no choice. Soren and Lilia chimed in together with a long "yeah," while Jaun remained silent on the outside, but inside her suit, she was peeking at the screen and giggling.
Alarms blared and the crew rushed inside as the front-line vanguards braced themselves from the attack, they are all surprised as jointed appendages suddenly clamped down the wall "how do they get past our traps so easily." said by one of the crew as more and more climbed on the walls, light shines through them illuminating and revealing enormous spiderlike Erea with their jerky movements and strong legs and mandibles, they reigned terror on the outer part of the base where Soren and the others intercept, Soren took out his new version of his Gun blade cutting down the Velkryss offspring with ease as it triggers explosions on each strike, the three were amazed including Jaun who focused her sensor on his weapon examining its structure, the first wave was taken care of as Jaun leaps through the walls and what terror she witnessed as horde and horde of the brood bursting our from underground towards their base and getting surrounded, "this is…" her eyes widened in shock.
Soren sneaked in to slip one core to his possession to absorb it and gain the monster's abilities, he felt a wave of power courses through him and leaps beside Jaun, only then he spoke to her, "can you do that again?" he asked Jaun looked at him and prepared for an attack, missiles rained down on the horde of monsters and screeching noise echoed everywhere, after the attack as Jaun overheats and waits for her ammunition to be replenished Soren leapt down the wall as Jaun called out to him, Thrun called out to Jaun asking about Soren but she remained motionless, few monsters enters the base and the remaining two takes care of them.
Jaun watched in awe as Soren showcased his skills as a warrior, her scanners were picking up an impressive surge of energy from him, and it seemed to be increasing by the second, like an endless reservoir of raw power. "Incredible!" she exclaimed, lost in thought until Thrun called her again, snapping her back to reality. She gave a thumbs up, signaling that everything was under control. Warriors from both sides fought valiantly throughout the night, and by morning, the four of them were utterly exhausted, sprawled out on the concrete. Zereth looked down at them, checking in to see if they were okay.
The guild members were in high spirits, celebrating their small victory after successfully defending the base. Fira Lucia nudged Thrun, beaming with pride over his achievement, though she felt a twinge of frustration that he was stealing the spotlight. Zereth raised a toast to Lilia, who shyly clinked her glass in return. Soren watched them, a smile on his face as he enjoyed the moment, before heading to the usual storage area to grab some food for Jaun, who accepted it with a joyful grin. He settled down next to her as she dug in, thanking her for her fiery support during the battle against the Ecrea. Unbeknownst to him, Jaun blushed and looked away, mumbling, "N… no worries, just doing my part." Soren chuckled, amazed by her power, which reminded him of the technologies from another world. Jaun explained that her designs were heavily inspired by those innovations. Soren gazed at her in awe, sharing a memory of his late mother who had worked in the industry. After a moment of thought, Jaun revealed that she had also been part of it. When Soren mentioned an organization called C.O.R.E, Jaun's eyes widened in surprise. "Huh? Your late mother worked at our company?" Soren was taken aback by this unexpected revelation.
In a distant domain, a dark presence looms, its red, blazing eyes flickering to life as hundreds of eggs start to hatch. The massive silhouette of a monster lets out a screech, awakening its offspring, who burst forth into the shadows, ready to unleash chaos.