Chapter 313 - Day MLXIV, Part II

The echo of marching troops was coming from every direction around me. I rushed to the left, continuing in the direction pointed out by The Great One. The corridor was coming to an end and turning to the left, so I pushed in that direction, but only for a few more steps, because there was a crossroad ahead, and the soldiers came from all three other possible paths. There were a few dozens of them, and they immediately started shooting.

Even some grenades went flying my way. I did a bit of parkour running on the walls, and switching sides with shadow walk, to avoid the energy beams. I got hit a couple of times, but It wasn't bad enough to stop me in any way. I leaped eventually and landed among them, knocking down several footmen.

I cut them down in seconds, as their protective vests were unable to stop my blade. It was slashing through flesh, bones, and armor, like through paper. There were still plenty of laboratories around and engineering workshops, but before I could even think of clearing those I heard a voice in my head.

- They are closing the doors to seal this area. They will cut the ventilation to suffocate you. You need to move.

- Which way? - I thought.

- The way you came from. Go past the door at the end of the corridor.

- Ok.

I bolted in the pointed direction quickly accelerating to shadow walk past the dor at my top speed and end up in the air,. as the place, I was in just before was few meters above the ground. There were plenty of platforms flying around, carrying soldiers who started shooting immediately.

- *sigh* - I heard in my head.

It was damn annoying.

I shadow walked to the closest bunch of lizards and pushed them all out, to move to the next one. It was rather dark around, but the platforms had blinking lights so I knew exactly where those were. 

- Leave Peter! - came from the speakers around the base.

- Fuck you! - I yelled back and kept killing the creatures.

It was either them or us, but I still felt uneasy about it. To the point, my stomach hurt.

In around two minutes I cleared the vicinity. With a general lack of proper light, it was hard to find where I should go next. I could only barely see the outlines of constructions around me, but except that, there was nothing. There was too much space around to use 'Eyes of the Void'.

- Where now? - I thought.

- Turn a bit right and start walking. There are vehicles coming your way.

I did what I was told, and just a few steps later with a flash of red light, a door slid down revealing a wide hall with several off-road-looking vehicles. For a moment all I could hear was the humming of the electric engines, as everything they had stored there drove straight at me, getting outside one by one.

I just send a few fireballs their way. Explosions shook the entire place, and some dost and small stones fell from the ceiling above me.

- I would be grateful If you wouldn't try to kill yourself with my embryos, Peter. I need both of those.

- Shut up - escaped my mouth.

- Run to that hall.

I started making it there. With few shadow walks, I found myself inside. It was empty. The lights went off as soon as I got inside so I activated 'Eyes of the Void'.

- Staircase on your right.

There was one, 'L' shaped, vanishing behind the wall. I rushed there and climbed my way to the second floor. I found myself in a corridor with paths straight ahead, and to the left.

- You need to get higher. At the top, you will find all the leaders. Go straight.

- Ok.

I kept running, but not for long, as parts of the walls before me opened up, and some machinery unfolded revealing two flamethrowers. I shadow walked past those, but my clothes were slightly in the fire. Few taps killed the flames, but my clothes were almost gone. I had some parts of my hoodie on my arms, and around my waist, the rest was destroyed. Just like the right leg of my pants. This didn't stop me though, and I kept pressing forward, killed the few remaining soldiers that that came rushing to stop me.

- Now there is a staircase at the end. Go all the way up.

I followed the directions and found myself in a short corridor. I turned the 'Eyes of the Void' off. In front of me was a heavy door with a blinking red light above it. I just shadow walked past them and found myself in a bright room.

There was a large table emerging from the floor. Simple, made out of metal, just like everything around. There was a hologram of the terrain around the base levitating above. With lamps in the ceiling, making everything well visible.

On the left, a glass wall was revealing the base underneath. Almost completely dark with few blinking lights around. All red, and the alarm was still on.

I also saw several monitors on the walls. with multiple maps, and red dots tracking something. I noticed one of our city, with many of those markers in different places. They clearly were tracking us.

There was also a set of different data, but all in strange symbols I couldn't understand.

Around the table were standing  Shu'ah Oot Atso Yeingem with his feather-covered face and seemingly no mouth. Lott Ghiabba Mer Uh'uni with big black, pupilless eyes, and plumb caterpillar-like lips. Moozo Ire Xei'beim Tsasheing, the one with a sucker, and protruding bone structure of darker color, with two long holes as his nose.

They had the same guns their footmen were using. Shu'ah has also something else in his hand. Something that looked like a remote controller.

They didn't say anything. I could feel how nervous they were. I took the first step.

- Stop! - said Shu'ah.