AA. 192

The Void Lights concerned Nil. He did not spot their source, but they stayed put. From what he had read, the Glimmer rarely remained still. It meant there was a tear in the area. He had little hope of resolving any without Shawn. The target area sat between the three separate alien glows. It was a pocket of unnatural darkness, and the energy signatures were dense.

No dull aches, eye itchiness, or the standard sensations that accompanied Mind magic or psychic interferences bothered Nil. Yet he supercharged psychic fortitude. It provided a much-needed sense of security as they descended to ground level. 

The sounds of metal scraping against stone and squeaks reached Nil’s ear. Tiny purple and blue lights blinked in the distance. It was as he suspected. 

Biomechanicals.

Meatball sat safely in Nil’s core. Her concern and fear were clearer than ever. She had never encountered creatures like them. It was instinctual. Nil had read about drakes, wyrms, and other dragon subspecies having genetic memories. They were also ‘planeswalkers’ who traveled between dimensions and, as a result, often clashed with the Scourge and Void. Nil attributed Meatball’s appetite for Cursed One flesh to her draconic heritage. The fear of the biomechanicals was also probably a part of it. 

A tangle of charcoal metal cords sped at Nil. The limbs seemed to move like a windmill as they did full rotations, propelling the compact central body—essentially a massive knot—forward. It almost perfectly blended into the darkness but stood out like a blinding beacon to Nil’s energy-sensing ability. A towering specimen charged at him from the opposite direction. It had more mass and had twisted the banded lengths into thick limbs and moved like a gorilla. Purple and blue lights peeked through its eye holes and the big round mouth that seemed locked in a violent scream. Energy Instinct's visual element threatened to overwhelm Nil, and he had no choice but to deactivate it.

The first biomechanical feinted and sped away while the other attempted to pummel Nil. Its appendages flashed red, but Absorb dealt with them without issue. He didn’t bother with Shiver Shield. Further research into biomechanicals had taught Nil that they were no strangers to the emptiness of space and extreme temperatures meant little to them. So, he found an opening, switched to Expend, and attacked with a classic three-finger blade. 

Chaos had no issue cleaving through a thick arm. His attack disintegrated a diagonal sliver, and dark fluid sprayed Nil as the limb clattered noisily on the stone floor. Much to Nil’s horror, the creature shed damaged and partially disintegrated sections. Then narrower-finger thick chords reattached the stump to the dismembered ‘limb,’ which seemed as good as new. He gave up on hacking and turned the weapon’s residual energy into a Chaos Sphere. Nil didn’t push it far past the practiced and stable grapefruit size.

Supercharging speed on top of psychic fortitude significantly increased the drain on Nil’s stores, but he currently had enough to spare. Anti-Friction Lattice went around his feet next. A hand blasts with his free hand, and both elbows help him bob and weave around the monster’s attacks. The smaller biomechanical also did a second pass. Luminous spikes extended from its tentacles. It had Source weapons of its own.

“We can’t deal with these things,” Selia told Nil through the badge. “We need to retreat!”

“I got this!” He yelled, finding the perfect window.

The mostly silent biomechanicals released a metallic scream when Nil thrust the Chaos Sphere into the larger entity. He followed Energy Instinct, driving his construct into where the creature’s energy was densest, and all the chords seemed to converge. More screeching sounded from all corners of the dark, crumbling city.

It’s a hive mind.

Finesse has progressed to Silver 6!

The smaller specimen was momentarily stunned, and Nil took advantage of the opening. He didn’t know how long it would last and refused to miss out on the opportunity. Chaos Spheres still took a couple of seconds to create and stabilize. So, he trickled Brutal Battery’s raw energy through his palm and thrust it into the same convergence point. The smooth metal melted under his touch instead of disintegrating. Nil felt incredible heat on his upper arm, shoulder, and face, but the gauntlet seemed to absorb the bulk of it and keep him from harm. 

The limbs thrashed wildly, forcing Nil to Supercharge toughness. Fortunately, none of the Source constructs reached him. In fact, many flickered and winked out. The creature's insides sizzled and spluttered when he reached the luminous biological core. It was a pulsing heart-like organ that also had folds that reminded Nil of a brain. It disintegrated under his touch. The violet-adjacent light leaking out of the organ and through all the orifices winked out. Nil noted how they shared the same color as the creature’s Source weapons.

Screeches, screams, and faint flashes rose from the darkness. It seemed to thin, and visibility increased. The chords that formed the biomechanicals’ body slithered on the walls and pillars. Their surroundings felt alive and responsible for the darkness. Meatball’s discomfort in his core increased, and it almost felt like she was begging him to leave.

“I think I found the assembler!” Selia exclaimed.

“Do you need us?” Shawn asked.

“Assembler?” Zora sounded concerned. “Sounds like biomechanicals. We’re on our way!”

“I think I got it! Just need to phase this bit—”

Nil had no time to answer. Three new opponents came at him, and all carried condensed Source blades. The energy they utilized and emitted upon death was the same. It was as he and his friends had suspected. The creatures somehow tapped into the Source and used it to fuel themselves. In fact, Nil was almost sure the biological core produced it.

The attacking biomechanicals were all of the smaller variety. Faster. Deadlier. Nil didn’t want to risk Absorb against them. He relied on the energy currently stored away and focused on avoiding the endless barrage of attacks. Ducking, diving, and hand blasts just about got him away from the enemy attacks. He repelled them, occasionally twisting or warping the tentacles. The creatures simply shed the damaged sections before resuming their attacks. He saw glimpses of fleshy appendages within but never got a close look. There was too much going on. He just noted that they pulsed with the same purple light as the core.

Fortunately, the enemy Source weapons failed to penetrate the gauntlets or the second skin coating Nil’s lower legs. He managed to grab two specimens, attempting a perfectly coordinated pincer attack. Expend empowered movements gave him the necessary burst of strength to swing them into one another. Then, raw Chaos emissions melted them. The third screamed again, pausing and spasming. More cried just outside of view. They sounded closer than before. 

Before Nil could take out the final specimen and initiate a retreat, a swarm of biomechanicals appeared out of all openings around him. He was surrounded. Just as he prepared to break through them and flee in the direction Selia had gone, they all went limp and collapsed. The light that leaked through their eye and mouth openings sputtered and blinked out.

“I almost got it!” Selia exclaimed. “Get over here. I need you to finish up.”

“What is it?” Nil asked, panting. He attempted to regulate his breathing and suck in all the Source diffusing around him but struggled to focus. The strain had exhausted him, and he needed a moment to center himself.

“It’s like a controller?” Selia hesitated. “I don’t know how to explain it. I broke the communication array, but it's quickly fixing itself.”

“You need me to finish the job?”

“That’s right,” she answered.

“On my way.” He sighed, struggling to his feet. Nil swayed for a moment. His knees felt like jelly. “I’m going to need a long rest after this.”

“We’re halfway there,” Zora reported. Retreat for a moment if you must.

“No.” Nil winced, cauterizing a cut on his shoulder. More of his shirt and jacket disintegrated. “We’re almost done. Let's just finish up, hopefully score a point, and get the hell out of here.”

“Can you please make this the last one? I don't want—”

“It wasn't planned or intentional, Zora.” Nil interrupted. He kicked the biomechanical at his feet. It didn't make a noise. The Source core was still present but no longer pulsed. “The plan was to investigate and retreat without fighting. I got jumped and didn't retreat. Selia only wanted to check things out in case we get a challenge like this later on.”

“It was all calm until Nil killed one, I think,” Selia said. “There were a few roving, and they scanned me but didn’t attack. It was almost as if they didn’t give a shit about my presence. Then, all of them screeched and spasmed at once and went wild. The fuckers ignored me and made a beeline for Nil.”

“Maybe it was the Source Gauntlets that attracted them,” Nil replied.

It took him a couple of minutes to reach Selia. She had found a cavernous underground room containing the biggest biomechanical yet. It seemed to have drilled into the ground and anchored itself. Several slithering tentacles slithered around it and up through the ceiling. A monstrous energy signature pulsed within. It was like looking into the sun, while the previous specimens might as well have been candle flames.

A giant pipe lay severed, and several Sunmetal Chains bound it. The uncaptured section squirmed, trying to attach to the rest. It reminded Nil of Oth. The central tangle of cords was like the giant eye. It also contained the pulsing energy source. All the appendages attaching it to the surrounding surfaces were the tentacles.

“I tried phasing through there and attacking the heart, but it's shielded,” Selia told him. She frowned, checking on his wounds. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” He shrugged her off when she grazed the burned and cauterized sections. “It’s nothing Meatball can’t sort out.”

Nil’s temples continued to throb. He manifested a basketball-sized Chaos Sphere and plunged it into the heart. The material resisted for a moment. The energy within swelled and repelled the Chaos Sphere. Then Nil wrapped it in electrified Balance, and their defense started to fail. The anchored limbs groaned and vibrated. Their attempts at breaking free failed. He broke through the barrier and exposed the giant pulsing heart within. It overflowed with a form of the Source that Nil had never encountered before. It didn’t survive an Expend blast with a fifth of its maximum stores behind it. He destroyed the heart and warped the protective armoring behind it. 

Team Forge has scored 1 point and has met the requirements to unlock the sector’s door. Please make your way to the beacon.

Your team has freed a Well of Power from the Void’s control and may divide 5 Schema Tokens and 500 Schema Credits between yourselves.

“Good job!” Zora exclaimed. “Do you need us, or should we—”

“Everyone head to the beacon,” Nil said. “There is a lot of raw Source here. I’ll take in as much as I can for cultivation and meet you there.” He looked to Selia. “You too.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind waiting.”

“I’m faster. It’ll only take a moment, and I’ll follow you in no time.” Nil hesitated, scanning his surroundings and the sheer volume of diffusing energy. It reminded him of Watcher’s Source Sphere. “Maybe just do a lap before you head off. I don’t sense much beyond the Void lights, but maybe just make sure nothing is waiting to jump us.”

“Got it.” Selia kissed him before taking off.

Nil took the Source in through his gauntlets. The biomechanicals’ energy wasn’t corrosive or rigid. It felt closer to Balance but alive. He stored all he could in the gauntlets’ gems. Nil carefully welcomed the rest into his channels. Much to his relief, it worked just fine with Mangrove Tiger Cultivation Technique and didn’t fight the rest of his energy or affect it negatively. The process took about five minutes.

Energy Instinct has progressed to Bronze 5!

Spark has progressed to Silver 6!

Given his speed, Nil didn’t care about being followed. So, he ascended to the rooftops. The Void lights seemed closer. All three patches had expanded after the mech-hive’s clawing darkness receded.

Scary but so damn pretty. Isn’t the Void supposed to be dark? Scary? Cold?

Nil felt warm. Confident. Powerful. He took the lights in for a full minute before shooting off toward the beacon.