Chapter 5 : Remember Where You Come From

Time - 12:50 / Weather - Night / Visibility - Low

Mission : Cleanup Crew

Days : 19 days after the meeting

Deafening gunfire rang out of the car park, soon followed by a dozen more. Shells and bullet casings littered across the floor, with constant raining of blood and more casings dropping and clinking onto the floor. A carpet of bodies laid across the front of the entrance, with more adding onto the pile, making it longer and thicker. The moonlight shone onto them, showing the cesspool of a place it was, as more and more infected creatures rushed it. Black blood and tiny crystals oozed out of them, reflecting under the moonlight, making it oddly beautiful. It had only been 20 minutes as they reached the area, but their ammo supply was running thin and they had been fighting the creatures on the way there for a long time. As the Rhodes Island members defended the outside of the reactor, Dobermann, along with Fang, Beagle and Kroos, Vigna, Cardigan, Melantha, and other Rhodes Island operators, went and cleared the inside of the reactor and the rooms one by one. Due to the place being dark due to the lack of lighting inside and being nighttime, they had to use their flashlights.

Fang and Melantha entered a room.

Fang: "Only two."

Melantha: "You take the right, I take the left."

Fang nodded. They both charged at the infected workers in the room, their sharp weapons pierced through their hearts, instantly killing them.

Fang: "Alright, just a few more roo-"

Fang was cut off by a part of the ceiling falling onto them, dividing the room by two. They looked above to see slugs and infected people falling through the cracks. Melantha tried to get to Fang but was blocked by the sea of slugs in front of her. Just then, Cardigan and Kroos arrived. Cardigan blocked off and fling the slugs to the side, while Melantha and Kroos dealt with the humanoid infected creatures. On Fang's side, however, she was left to fend for herself. Unable to deal with the mountain of infected critters, she tried to look for a way out. She noticed a door that led to somewhere else. With a swift kick, she managed to bring the door open, breaking off the handle. Backing out, she focused her attacks on the slugs below her. However, she did not notice the two infected scientists that were creeping towards her that were outside of her flashlight zone. Kroos noticed it.

Kroos: "Watch out!"

A crossbow shot rang out, flying and darting across the room. It hit one of the scientists, pinning him onto the wall and killing him. She tried to shoot for other scientists but couldn't as they had to deal with the infected creatures she had. Fang, however, didn't notice it as she was too busy fighting off the slugs and was outside of what she could properly see.

As Fang fought off the infected slugs, the infected scientist lunged in front of her. It being too fast for her and having little time to react, she only managed to face her spike at it. The infected scientist pierced itself through the pike, pushing Fang back to outside the room and onto the wall. She landed with a hard thud, feeling slightly disoriented. Still being alive, it inched closer and closer on the pike, covering where it had been through with black blood that slowly crystallised on it and dropping blood which trickled down onto her hazmat suits. Having no other option, she flung the pike and the infected aside, now being unarmed. The infected staggered, but it being unrelenting, soon charged towards Fang again. She ran down the hallway, looking for a way back to her teammates. As she was about to run past the staircase, she heard Vigna's voice screaming for help. She turned towards the staircase and saw Vigna getting cornered by an infected person at the staircase. A dead operator lay dead on the floor, having his hazmat suit wide open and black crystals. She took the knife the dead operator had and threw it at it. The knife went through its head, but it went too deep that made it almost impossible to get it back out. Grabbing Vigna, she tried to go back to the hallway but they were greeted by a bunch of infected that they couldn't handle. With only one option, they ran to the second floor. An uncleared area. They went into a room, hoping that it was free of infected creatures.

They shut the door behind them, Fang trying to look for a weapon. But the room was dark, only the light out of the window giving little light to see around the room. Although she had a flashlight, it was already dimming due to long usage and both had no extra batteries on them as they forgot to bring on with them. Plunging the room into darkness, they had only the silhouettes of the area to see. The infected creatures outside soon banged onto the door. Fang could make out the shape of her pole through the door, the infected scientist that had the pole inside punctured the door with it. She grabbed it and yanked it out through the door, shaving some of the crystals on it as it grinded through the door crack. Both, her and Vigna, kept stabbing through the door. But as the door could only hold for so long, it got torn apart and a horde of infected creatures rushed through. Vigna and Fang ran towards the window, giving better lighting to see but it did not help their situation. The infected scientist that she had encountered earlier, rushed towards her again. Being tired of it, she stabbed the scientist and threw it across the room and through the window, shattering it. The moonlight shining through it, more light entered the room. However, she, including Vigna, were still outnumbered by the horde of infected in the room. All they could do was pray.

Suddenly, a whirring sound could be heard, getting louder and louder. The windows were swung open and hit hard against the wall and broke the glass on it. The frame of the window was the only thing that was left of it. A beam of light shined through it and a barrage of gunfire burst through. Bullets whizzed past them and peppered the ground and infected behind them. They ducked down towards the wall and looked back at the horde. The infected creatures dropped like flies, and a splatter of blood was shot onto the floor every time a bullet was shot through them. As more bullets flew by, they could feel the impact of the heavy gunshots. Dirt and dust flew up into the air. Suddenly, an infected dog rushed towards Fang, dodging all of the gunfire and the falling bodies. She aimed her pike towards it. As it got closer, a guy flew into the room and pinned down the dog with his knee. Wielding only two shotguns, he aimed one of them at the dog's head and burst it open. Whilst the suit A gush of blood gushed out of its exposed neck and its brain and flesh were scattered onto the floor. He then proceeded to shoot the rest of the infected creatures that were in the room.

Fang noticed a halo on his head which glowed up the dark room. The guy turned around, Fang could barely see through the mask but she knew he was Executor. On his back was another shotgun and a few straps of shotgun shells. As the infected creatures had been cleared out of the room, the gunfire was directed towards the horde outside. She looked out of the window to see the S.W.E.E.P team and the Penguin Logistics arrived and rappelled down onto the floor of dead bodies, with Dylan in the helicopter seat with Lancet-2. Out of the blue, an infected worker ran into the room. As Executor ran out of ammo from his shotguns, he kicked back the worker and fling one of his shotguns into it. He threw one shell into the air and spun the shotgun and was inserted into it. He aimed it at the infected worker's head and swiftly blew it open, leaving a gory mess behind, which he then nabbed back the shotgun from the worker's dead body.

Another person with a halo swung back into the room with them. Fang could see the person holding a vector, it was Exusiai. On her back were another two guns, strapped in a cross shape.

Vigna: "You guys came quite loaded."

Exusiai: "There's a lot of mobs outside. One gun just won't do."

Fang : "Won't it be heavy to carry all these things?"

Exusiai : "Closure modified the guns to be lighter, and also better. You wouldn't believe the huge amount of attachments and weapons modification she can do. Also, we bought a few crates full of weapons and attachments from the Lateranoc to bring along with us. You guys can take one, just ask Texas or Croissant."

Fang : "No thanks, I prefer to use this polearm."

Exusiai : "Sometimes a melee weapon isn't good enough, you need a pistol in case anything goes awry."

Fang : "I've never shot a gun before."

Exusiai : "Oh it's quite simple. Just aim, concentrate and focus your Arts power an-"

Fang : "For you. I didn't go through the Laterano Firearms Usage Agreement (L.F.U.A)."

Exusiai : "Then pick up a crossbow or bow."

Fang : "Again, I've never shot anything before."

Exusiai : "You can't just rely on your pike all the time. Sometimes you need to hit something afar."

Fang : "Don't worry, I can do myself just fine with a polearm."

Exusiai : "If you say so."

The 4 people in the room cautiously went downstairs to regroup with the others as they had cleared the base level of the reactor. It was enough to push everyone inside as they could go to the big lobby through the sides. It provided a huge space to set up and protect themselves from the infected creatures outside, with the addition of big staircases which can give higher ground. Although it is troublesome to move the equipment through narrow hallways, the main entrance to the lobby was blocked by debris and had hazardous materials that can eat through their protection if touched or gotten close. Blowing it up was taken into consideration but it may throw the hazardous materials back at them. Furthermore, it would create a huge open space for mobs to enter, rendering the small doorways they could camp useless.

As she entered the room, she saw black human-shaped crystallised statues of what looks like they were trying to crawl

Stormeye and Sharp carried a huge machine gun into the lobby. They mounted it on the reservation desk which was in the middle of the lobby. They fitted it with a belt of bullets, Fang didn't know what kind they were but she knew it was deadly. A Sankta operator Fang did not recognise, mounted on the gun, swaying and checking whether it covered the entrances of the main lobby. Ambriel went to the highest level of the room and placed down a few sandbags to comfort herself. She laid down on it, adjusting her rifle. Two guys wearing a huge tank on the back arrived. One sprayed a liquid sand mixture and the other sprayed a thick goopy liquid that was probably molasses. This was done to reduce the orignite levels in the room. More Rhodes Island then arrived, wielding mostly melee weapons and crossbows. Whilst they were moving, some of the operators were fighting off the horde. It slowly died down, focusing

Dobermann : "Alright, those who are with me. Follow me, we are going to go further in. We'll check if the control room is still functional."

Everyone who's with her : "Yes ma'am!"

Dobermann : "Alright let's go!"

They packed up their equipment and began their journey inwards. Fang could still hear the helicopter gunfire. She looked around the big lobby and noticed graffiti on the top corner of the lobby. She found it oddly strange as no one could get up there or even reach there. It said "The devil's lair"

She didn't think much of it. She went to the reservation desk and picked up some business cards. A coin fell out and onto the desk.

Sharp, chuckling : "You plan to work here?"

Fang, in a monotone voice : "Hah, funny."

She examined it, it was pretty much the generic business card she has seen in every lobby. However, one had writing on it.

"Be careful, the devil lurks inside. The coin already decided your fate."

She looks at the coin. There it shows heads. She flipped the card around.

"Only angels can change your fate. Heed their advice.

-Akim"

Fang found it weird, but brushed it off as some gibberish.

*Back at Rhodes Island*

Iozh : "Why did you tell everyone that?! It was supposed to be a secret!"

Alek : "Do you want everyone to die?!"

Iozh : "We can fix it ourselves, we're scientists. We can solve problems. We have engineers and workers to do the solutions!"

Alek : "No, you aren't a scientist. You are a businessman. You don't solve problems. You only care about money and image!"

And Alek was right. The conversation became physical with Iozh throwing a punch at him. They had to be split up by Rhodes Island members as blood started spraying. Warfarin scoffed at the side.

Warfarin : "Heh, these two scientists are fighting."

Rhodes Island operator 1 : "It's quite entertaining to watch, innit?"

Mint : "Perhaps, we should break up the fight."

Rhodes Island operator 1 : "C'mon, let it run wild a bit more."

Amiya : "We have to stop them before it gets any worse!"

Rhodes Island operator 2: "Let it unfold a bit more."

"Iozh's father used to be a scientist. Growing up, his father would teach him about science and chemical reactions. If you had seen him when he was young, you could see his interest in science. This motivated him to be a scientist. Unlike his brothers and sisters, he was the favourite child of his father. But his mother loved them all equally. His father's works were recognised by many. All were stolen works. Their original creators were pushed away, most committed suicide while others left miserable. This put Iozh at a greater advantage as many opportunities came into his way. His father would give him everything. Atro became spoiled, a brat. His father eventually learned about the stock market, he earned way more than his job being a scientist. He left his job and pursued the stock market. While this may be a risky choice, it propelled Iozh's family into great wealth. They became greedy. His father became a rude and self-centred person. He hid his wealth from everyone except Iozh.

When Iozh's mother suffered Oripathy, he said that he had no money to save her but would find a way. She died in her bed, thinking that maybe that there would be a cure for her. There was Rhodes Island. She could have gone there. But Iozh's father kept lying and lying, saying that they couldn't afford it or unable to do so. She died in her bed alone, her life withered as her body rotted in a wooden cabin that the couple had bought. All this happened while Iozh and his father lived in a luxurious house that only the rich could afford. When their broken and poor relatives asked for his help, he abandoned them. No wonder they became a part of the Reunion. All this happened while he was banging up women, eating good, and living the life. Iozh's mother meant nothing to his father anymore. What a liar he was, and what a liar he is. A murderer was all he was. Does his ring mean nothing to him? How dare he sinned against his own kin.

And like father and son, Iozh was a carbon copy of him. His attitude, his ways, all were like him. When his father contracted Oripathy, he grew horns and became more deranged, looking more like the devil. As he died, he told Iozh to carry out his wish. The wish to bring death to Terra. His work isn't to bring a technological revolution to Terra, it was to bring death to everyone. Your work with Atro speaks volumes, Atro died in the fire. He could have survived, but you left him to die. You were lucky that Folinic didn't know about it. But you can only get lucky for so long. If I was alive, I would kill you. You kicked out your own family and brothers.

And you belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

*Back at the mines*

Back at the mines, the miners were busy clearing the mines for new pathways to divert the flow of originite pipes and water underneath the reactor to prevent a huge explosion that might eject more Originium into the air. Although it had been a few hours since they dug, they had managed to clear a lot of the mineshaft. In the background, operators, like Blaze and GreyThroat, are fighting off the Infected mobs.

Tenk: "Have you ever wondered that the idea of 'Infected' is weird."

Maxim: "What do you mean?"

Tenk: "See, we use Originium to power everything."

Maxim: "Okay?"

Tenk: "We use it in our daily lives. It brought a technological revolution to Terra, with almost all technology being powered by the substance. Notably, Originium allows the use of various forms of Arts, generally through a medium such as staves, weapons, and devices, to aid us in both everyday life and combat scenarios. It can also be used as a component in hybrid materials.

Yet people had the Infected. But why?"

Maxim : "Because they don't want Oripathy?"

Tenk : "But they hate us to the very core. Like we are just different beings altogether. When we get a cold, we get some rest and get a cure and wishes from friends and family to recover. When we get ill, we get prayers to restore back to our original healthy selves. When we get infected, suddenly we aren't called sick, we get called 'Infected'. Why aren't infected miners praised for getting Originite for them? It powers them, they need it. If they want the 'Infected' to be gone, why do they still use what makes us infected in the first place? They want to get rid of all 'Infected' people, but why do they then make more of us? "

Maxim reflected for a moment. But continued to mine. After several hours of digging, Maxim and Tenk sat down for a break. Wanting to eat, they head to a decontamination chamber that was brought into the mine for workers and operators to eat and rest. After getting sprayed, they took off their hazmat suits and started to eat.

Tenk : "So, what have you brought?"

Maxim : "Some rum and cigs."

Tenk : "You do know that those are bad for your lungs, right?"

Maxim : "My lungs are fucked anyway."

Tenk : "So do you remember that time when you were with Akim."

Maxim : "Don't wanna talk about it."

Tenk : "But you saw it. Both of us saw it. You can't just forget and leave it at that. It happened. You're in the mines, he's with us. We're now miners."

Maxim looked down, covering his face with a cap.

Tenk : "Aw, don't give me that. Everytime you don't wanna talk, you pull your cap down."

Maxim, however, was remembering what happened back then.

*10 years ago*

The miners were having a party with moonshine and homemade food.

Maxim : "Dear lord, can they shut the fuck up?"

Akim : "Ay, don't be like that. If we were actually capable of linking up with and getting rewards from the big corps, we could make some big bucks and get a bit of fame.

Maxim : "Probably when I died."

Akim, pretending to swing the pickaxe at him : "Oh really."

Maxim : "Oi oi oi! Fuck off you neek."

Akim, laughing : "But I want the money."

Maxim : "Which big corp will want my death?"

Akim looked up, Maxim looked up to see where he was looking. What Akim was looking at was a big dusty wooden board with the words 'Akim's mining corporation' with the word 'Akim' obviously added on by someone.

Akim : "I do"

Maxim : "Being broke isn't that bad."

Akim : "A bit rich coming from you. Aren't one of the miners here that have a house, a supportive family and a beautiful wife?"

"Yeah, she's pretty peng tho."

Maxim : "Oh shit, hello there."

Ashot, who's a Victorian and a Ursusian miner. His parents came from different regions and had settled in Ursus. But being in Prigrad, lots of crimes happened there due to lack of enforcement from Ursus military and cops, and their parents were killed in a scuffle. The only reason that he is alive is a handcrafted one-shot gun he had made by himself. Unlike a normal shotgun, it functions similar to a crossbow but deals a huge amount of damage like a shotgun. Having to work by himself, he sold melee weapons and did crimes before getting a job as a miner.

Right beside him was his best friend, Mo Sheng, a miner who had come from Yen. Nobody knows how he got here, and he doesn't even know himself. "Or maybe he is hiding something from us, and Akim is too friendly with him, it's strange." He came here and said that he was a 'Mo Sheng Ren'. It was an odd name but the miners just called him Mo Sheng from then on, albeit, with terrible pronunciation. He got along with everyone nicely and was easy to get along with.

"Oi, you lazy fuckwits! Get back to work! Sitting down and fooling around isn't going to pay you!"

Ashot : "Aw fuck, it's bossman again."

Maxim, whispering : "Hey Akim, do your thing again."

Akim stood up and walked towards his boss.

Boss, shouting : "What do you think you're doing?!"

Akim put his hand on his shoulder and moved him aside, whispering something into his ear. Everyone stared at him as if he was crazy. After he was done whispering, the boss walked away and didn't even glance back at them, walking calmly away and out of the mine.

Akim : "Ok, I managed to reason with him. Y'all can continue your shit."

Everyone looked at him as if was some kind of Messiah. He sat back at his table as if nothing happened.

Ashot : "How the fuck did you do that?

Akim : "My mouth."

Maxim : "I dunno man, that sounds wrong."

Mo Sheng tried to hide his laughter.

Akim : "Still, we have to work anyway. I just ask him to fuck off to remove that stressful fuck away from us. Come on."

He picked up his pickaxe and began walking through the mines, followed by Maxim.

Ashot : "You wanna work?"

Mo Sheng just stood still. He looked towards the direction of the entrance to the mines.

Ashot : "Aw man, I had a pack of cards. Was gonna play it."

Mo Sheng : "Hmm.."

Ashot : "Whatever. Come on guys, let's work!"

All the miners stopped playing and chatting and picked up their pickaxes and headed towards the mines.

One of the miners : "Hey, who is that guy?"

Ashot : "Oi who are you? Wait, where the fuck did you fuckwits come from?"

*Further into mines*

Maxim : "Since we are alone from the rest of the guys, I've got a question."

Akim : "Go ahead."

Maxim : "Have you heard of the Reunion"

Akim : "Yeah. I've heard lots about them."

Maxim : "Should we join them?"

Akim : "Perhaps, they and the Ursus Patrol are here."

Maxim : "Oh yeah right, I forgot about that."

Just them, they hear a huge explosion behind them. The shockwave threw Maxim down, hitting his chest hard on the stone floor and knocking the air out of his lungs. He gasped for air, trying to regain and focus his surroundings. Akim, however, wasn't affected by the shockwave. He reached a hand for Maxim to stand up.

Maxim : "Fuck was that?!"

A scream rang out throughout the mines. It was Ashot.

Maxim : "Oh shit! We have to help him!"

Maxim bolted towards the screams. Still in a state of confusion, his mind was wondering what had just happened. As he got closer, smoke began to appear and fires started to appear. It became noisier and noisier, now filling up with fighting and screaming. Where he had last seen his other friends was now buried under the rubble, the table on fire. He could see dead bodies of his miner friends strewn all over the floor, dismembered, bleeding out or burnt by the fire.

"HEY!! HELP ME!"

Maxim looked behind him. Underneath the rubble was Ashot, held under by a large wooden beam that was the mine support. His mouth was spewing out blood and most of his body was covered by debris.

Maxim : "Oh shit! Let me help you out. Uhh.. fuck fuck!"

With all his might, he tried to lift up the wooden support beam. However, it was too heavy for him, lifting up only a few inches before running out of energy and dropping it on Ashot's body where he let out a scream.

Just then, a bolt rang out. It barely missed Maxim and landed on the beam, Maxim jumped back in reaction. Soon, someone came through the smoke, Maxim recoiled in horror. It was one of the Imperial Army units and what looked like the leader.

Maxim : "Oh shit!"

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Get him!"

Soon, more emerged from the smoke. Maxim, unsure of what to do, lay on the floor as he watched them getting closer and drawing out their blades.

Infected Patrol Unit 2, drawing out his blade : "I'm going to enjoy this."

As the Infected Patrol unit was about to slice him, a pickaxe went through his head. He dropped dead on the floor. Maxim could see the brains inside.

Akim : "Hey, don't touch him!"

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Oi, get that guy!"

More Infected Patrol units appeared and ran past Maxim. He looked behind and saw Akim.

Infected Patrol Unit 3 : "You're dead meat!"

Akim unfazed, stood still and watched as he swung his blade towards him.

Infected Patrol Unit 3 : "What I missed?"

Akim then picked up another pickaxe and swung it at him, striking his head.

Infected Patrol Unit 4 : "What the? Get him!"

3 Infected Patrol units charged towards him. He raised one of his fingers and pointed towards them. 3 rocks punctured through their heads. 2 of them dropped while 1 of them miraculously survived. Confused and angry, he charged towards him while letting out a scream. Akim flicked his hand and the Infected Patrol unit was flung towards the wall.

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Hey guys! One of them just took our guys out! We need more guys!"

More guys appeared from the smoke. Some holding swords and javelins, while some are holding crossbows. Some of them were casters and some of them were bulky. Maxim thought there was no way that he or Akim would survive.

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Get him!"

The guys with melee weapons charged towards Akim while the ones with ranged weapons fired their arrows and arts towards him. Akim raised one of his hands. The arrows stood still and dropped onto the floor while the Arts simply dispersed in the air. One bulky guy, the Imperial striker, was about to thrust his javelin towards Akim. He dodged it and disarmed the Imperial striker. His javelin fell onto the floor, Akim magically moved it towards his hand. He pierced it through the striker's head.

More guys got closer to him. Akim, with rage in his eyes, swiftly killed them. One by one, all of the guys dropped to the floor. One Infected Patrol unit tried to crawl away, his legs were broken, and left a trail of blood behind him. He soon stopped, presumably it was because he leaked too much blood. One of the crossbowmen tried to shoot Akim, but the arrow stopped only in front of him. The arrow, in midair, turned around towards him. The crossbowman stood back, but it was too late. The arrow pierced through his mask. The other crossbowmen and casters stood in fear. Another crossbowman tried to shoot it back but noticed that his arrows were missing. He checked his sack to see if had any, but it was empty. Then, he felt something poking on his head. He looked up to see a lot of arrows were pointing at them. Swiftly, the arrows dropped on them, followed by their bodies.

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Oh shit! Hey uhh... You get back! Stay away from me!"

Akim : "I'll make sure you don't hurt my friends ever again."

With that, he threw the javelin towards the Infected Patrol unit. It pierced through his chest. His eyes were wide-open. His body fell to the floor.

Maxim : "How the fuck did you do that?!"

Akim : "Where's Ashot?"

Maxim : "Uhh..over there!"

He pointed towards Ashot, unaware of the fighting as his view and angle were blocked. Akim and Maxim ran towards Ashot.

Akim : "Okay, lift this wooden beam with me. On the count of 3."

Maxim : "But it's too heavy!"

Akim : "Just lift it! 1...2...3!!"

Both of them lift up the beam. Oddly enough, the beam felt extremely lighter than what Maxim had lifted. Akim and Maxim then tossed the beam aside. They dragged Ashot out of the rumble.

Maxim : "He's bleeding too much!"

Akim : "Over there! There's a medkit. I'll go take it."

Akim ran towards the medkit. As he was about to run back, he saw the Infected Patrol unit with the javelin on his chest standing up.

Akim : "Can you just die already?"

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Fuck you."

The Infected Patrol unit took out a detonator. Akim, quickly realising what was happening, tried to kill him but it was too late. The Infected Patrol unit pressed the detonator as a rock flew through his head. Nothing happened.

Akim : "Huh, I guess it was noth-"

Two explosions blew up beside him, on his left and right. The explosions spun Akim around and further back into the mines. The mines started shaking, rocks started to fall from above. Maxim moved Ashot away from the falling rubble, dodging and blocking the rocks that fell above him. He could barely stand up properly, let alone move as the mines were shaking too violently. But with all his might, he managed to drag Ashot away from danger. Akim, however, ran for the medkit. He then tried to run back but suddenly, a big boulder fell on top of him, pinning him to the ground. He tried to move it aside but more rocks soon fell and pinned him down more. A pole ran through his chest. He was unable to move. The mines now finally settled.

Maxim : "Oh god...wait! I'll come hel-"

Akim : "No! Stay there. It's too dangerous. You just take care of Ashot. Find him some meds."

Maxim frantically looked around for a medkit. He also was finding a shovel. Seeing a bunch of equipment nearby, he ran towards it, desperately finding a shovel. After rummaging through the pile of tools, he found one only for it to break apart and leaving only its handle. In fury, he threw it onto the wrong, shattering it into pieces. He looked around to see if there's anyone to help him, but there's only dead bodies and friends that he could not help.

He rushed back to Akim.

Maxim : "I can't find shit man."

Akim : "Ah fuck."

Maxim : "What the fuck do I do?"

Akim : "Just give me a sec."

Maxim : "Can't you just move the dirt aside."

Akim : "I've got no strength in me. I feel so weak.

"Hey, do you guys need help?"

Maxim turned around. There she was. Talulah stood at the entrance, beside her were CrownSlayer and FrostNova. Behind them were bodies of the Imperial Army and the huge army of Reunion.

Maxim : "Oh thank god! Yes, I need help. One of my friends is stuck and one injured."

Talulah : "Don't worry. We'll help dig your friend out and patch them up. We also managed to save some of your miner friends. "

Two Reunion medics came and took Ashot away, tending to his wounds. Some of the Reunion members dragged the dead bodies and limbs of their friends away from the mines, giving them a proper burial. Maxim and some of the Reunion members tried to help Akim. They managed to dig quickly until his torso.

As they were trying to help Akim, the mines suddenly shook. More rocks again start to crumble. What progress they made to help Akim was now gone as more rocks started to fall on him.

FrostNova : "The mines are too unstable! We have to get out!"

Maxim : "What about him?!"

FrostNova : "Just ditch him and get out!"

Maxim : "I can't just do that!"

Akim : "Just go!"

Maxim : "But you're gonna die!"

Akim : "It's either me or us! Now go!"

Maxim : "Fuck!"

Akim : "Hey, it's okay. Just do me one favour. Leave the Reunion when you can. Now go!"

Suddenly, Maxim felt someone tugging at him. He turned to see a Reunion member tugging him towards the entrance, forcing him to move outside. Unable to stop himself, he watched as he was pulled out of the mines and away from Akim, who gave his final smile before his head was crushed by the rocks and buried under the rock pile.

As the mines closed off, all that was left was the entrance. Now left standing outside, he dropped to his knees and bawled onto the floor. His memories with his closest friend and his second-home were now gone, left in ruins and dust. The noises around him were drowned out by his emotions.

Talulah : "No, let him pour out his emotions. He's feeling all sorts of things right now."

FrostNova : "No, we have to go! The Imperial Army may be back anytime soon!"

Talulah : "No no, just let him breathe for a bit."

FrostNova : "They probably have caught wind of this. Hey, Maxim! Wake up! Oi! Wake up!"

A loud table slam woke up Maxim from his seat.

Tenk : "Hey, wake up! It's our shift now. Get ready and suit up."

Maxim, feeling a bit disoriented from his dream, took a while to get back to his senses. As he was suiting up, he couldn't help but now wonder what happened to that Mo Sheng guy. Perhaps he ran away or was part of the pile of bodies in and outside or the mine. Either way, he disappeared and even if he was alive, he couldn't remember his face.

He walked out of the dormitory doors, now back in the rocky place. Although it was something that he was familiar with, he couldn't help but feel something off about it. It felt different as if there was something lurking there.

Maxim's thoughts : "Perhaps it's just a weird dream. I mean, why would Akim do this? It's not something he would do."

A/N : This is easily my longest chapter I've written so far. Hope you enjoyed this!

Time - 12:50 / Weather - Night / Visibility - Low

Mission : Cleanup Crew

Days : 19 days after the meeting

Deafening gunfire rang out of the car park, soon followed by a dozen more. Shells and bullet casings littered across the floor, with constant raining of blood and more casings dropping and clinking onto the floor. A carpet of bodies laid across the front of the entrance, with more adding onto the pile, making it longer and thicker. The moonlight shone onto them, showing the cesspool of a place it was, as more and more infected creatures rushed it. Black blood and tiny crystals oozed out of them, reflecting under the moonlight, making it oddly beautiful. It had only been 20 minutes as they reached the area, but their ammo supply was running thin and they had been fighting the creatures on the way there for a long time. As the Rhodes Island members defended the outside of the reactor, Dobermann, along with Fang, Beagle and Kroos, Vigna, Cardigan, Melantha, and other Rhodes Island operators, went and cleared the inside of the reactor and the rooms one by one. Due to the place being dark due to the lack of lighting inside and being nighttime, they had to use their flashlights.

Fang and Melantha entered a room.

Fang: "Only two."

Melantha: "You take the right, I take the left."

Fang nodded. They both charged at the infected workers in the room, their sharp weapons pierced through their hearts, instantly killing them.

Fang: "Alright, just a few more roo-"

Fang was cut off by a part of the ceiling falling onto them, dividing the room by two. They looked above to see slugs and infected people falling through the cracks. Melantha tried to get to Fang but was blocked by the sea of slugs in front of her. Just then, Cardigan and Kroos arrived. Cardigan blocked off and fling the slugs to the side, while Melantha and Kroos dealt with the humanoid infected creatures. On Fang's side, however, she was left to fend for herself. Unable to deal with the mountain of infected critters, she tried to look for a way out. She noticed a door that led to somewhere else. With a swift kick, she managed to bring the door open, breaking off the handle. Backing out, she focused her attacks on the slugs below her. However, she did not notice the two infected scientists that were creeping towards her that were outside of her flashlight zone. Kroos noticed it.

Kroos: "Watch out!"

A crossbow shot rang out, flying and darting across the room. It hit one of the scientists, pinning him onto the wall and killing him. She tried to shoot for other scientists but couldn't as they had to deal with the infected creatures she had. Fang, however, didn't notice it as she was too busy fighting off the slugs and was outside of what she could properly see.

As Fang fought off the infected slugs, the infected scientist lunged in front of her. It being too fast for her and having little time to react, she only managed to face her spike at it. The infected scientist pierced itself through the pike, pushing Fang back to outside the room and onto the wall. She landed with a hard thud, feeling slightly disoriented. Still being alive, it inched closer and closer on the pike, covering where it had been through with black blood that slowly crystallised on it and dropping blood which trickled down onto her hazmat suits. Having no other option, she flung the pike and the infected aside, now being unarmed. The infected staggered, but it being unrelenting, soon charged towards Fang again. She ran down the hallway, looking for a way back to her teammates. As she was about to run past the staircase, she heard Vigna's voice screaming for help. She turned towards the staircase and saw Vigna getting cornered by an infected person at the staircase. A dead operator lay dead on the floor, having his hazmat suit wide open and black crystals. She took the knife the dead operator had and threw it at it. The knife went through its head, but it went too deep that made it almost impossible to get it back out. Grabbing Vigna, she tried to go back to the hallway but they were greeted by a bunch of infected that they couldn't handle. With only one option, they ran to the second floor. An uncleared area. They went into a room, hoping that it was free of infected creatures.

They shut the door behind them, Fang trying to look for a weapon. But the room was dark, only the light out of the window giving little light to see around the room. Although she had a flashlight, it was already dimming due to long usage and both had no extra batteries on them as they forgot to bring on with them. Plunging the room into darkness, they had only the silhouettes of the area to see. The infected creatures outside soon banged onto the door. Fang could make out the shape of her pole through the door, the infected scientist that had the pole inside punctured the door with it. She grabbed it and yanked it out through the door, shaving some of the crystals on it as it grinded through the door crack. Both, her and Vigna, kept stabbing through the door. But as the door could only hold for so long, it got torn apart and a horde of infected creatures rushed through. Vigna and Fang ran towards the window, giving better lighting to see but it did not help their situation. The infected scientist that she had encountered earlier, rushed towards her again. Being tired of it, she stabbed the scientist and threw it across the room and through the window, shattering it. The moonlight shining through it, more light entered the room. However, she, including Vigna, were still outnumbered by the horde of infected in the room. All they could do was pray.

Suddenly, a whirring sound could be heard, getting louder and louder. The windows were swung open and hit hard against the wall and broke the glass on it. The frame of the window was the only thing that was left of it. A beam of light shined through it and a barrage of gunfire burst through. Bullets whizzed past them and peppered the ground and infected behind them. They ducked down towards the wall and looked back at the horde. The infected creatures dropped like flies, and a splatter of blood was shot onto the floor every time a bullet was shot through them. As more bullets flew by, they could feel the impact of the heavy gunshots. Dirt and dust flew up into the air. Suddenly, an infected dog rushed towards Fang, dodging all of the gunfire and the falling bodies. She aimed her pike towards it. As it got closer, a guy flew into the room and pinned down the dog with his knee. Wielding only two shotguns, he aimed one of them at the dog's head and burst it open. Whilst the suit A gush of blood gushed out of its exposed neck and its brain and flesh were scattered onto the floor. He then proceeded to shoot the rest of the infected creatures that were in the room.

Fang noticed a halo on his head which glowed up the dark room. The guy turned around, Fang could barely see through the mask but she knew he was Executor. On his back was another shotgun and a few straps of shotgun shells. As the infected creatures had been cleared out of the room, the gunfire was directed towards the horde outside. She looked out of the window to see the S.W.E.E.P team and the Penguin Logistics arrived and rappelled down onto the floor of dead bodies, with Dylan in the helicopter seat with Lancet-2. Out of the blue, an infected worker ran into the room. As Executor ran out of ammo from his shotguns, he kicked back the worker and fling one of his shotguns into it. He threw one shell into the air and spun the shotgun and was inserted into it. He aimed it at the infected worker's head and swiftly blew it open, leaving a gory mess behind, which he then nabbed back the shotgun from the worker's dead body.

Another person with a halo swung back into the room with them. Fang could see the person holding a vector, it was Exusiai. On her back were another two guns, strapped in a cross shape.

Vigna: "You guys came quite loaded."

Exusiai: "There's a lot of mobs outside. One gun just won't do."

Fang : "Won't it be heavy to carry all these things?"

Exusiai : "Closure modified the guns to be lighter, and also better. You wouldn't believe the huge amount of attachments and weapons modification she can do. Also, we bought a few crates full of weapons and attachments from the Lateranoc to bring along with us. You guys can take one, just ask Texas or Croissant."

Fang : "No thanks, I prefer to use this polearm."

Exusiai : "Sometimes a melee weapon isn't good enough, you need a pistol in case anything goes awry."

Fang : "I've never shot a gun before."

Exusiai : "Oh it's quite simple. Just aim, concentrate and focus your Arts power an-"

Fang : "For you. I didn't go through the Laterano Firearms Usage Agreement (L.F.U.A)."

Exusiai : "Then pick up a crossbow or bow."

Fang : "Again, I've never shot anything before."

Exusiai : "You can't just rely on your pike all the time. Sometimes you need to hit something afar."

Fang : "Don't worry, I can do myself just fine with a polearm."

Exusiai : "If you say so."

The 4 people in the room cautiously went downstairs to regroup with the others as they had cleared the base level of the reactor. It was enough to push everyone inside as they could go to the big lobby through the sides. It provided a huge space to set up and protect themselves from the infected creatures outside, with the addition of big staircases which can give higher ground. Although it is troublesome to move the equipment through narrow hallways, the main entrance to the lobby was blocked by debris and had hazardous materials that can eat through their protection if touched or gotten close. Blowing it up was taken into consideration but it may throw the hazardous materials back at them. Furthermore, it would create a huge open space for mobs to enter, rendering the small doorways they could camp useless.

As she entered the room, she saw black human-shaped crystallised statues of what looks like they were trying to crawl

Stormeye and Sharp carried a huge machine gun into the lobby. They mounted it on the reservation desk which was in the middle of the lobby. They fitted it with a belt of bullets, Fang didn't know what kind they were but she knew it was deadly. A Sankta operator Fang did not recognise, mounted on the gun, swaying and checking whether it covered the entrances of the main lobby. Ambriel went to the highest level of the room and placed down a few sandbags to comfort herself. She laid down on it, adjusting her rifle. Two guys wearing a huge tank on the back arrived. One sprayed a liquid sand mixture and the other sprayed a thick goopy liquid that was probably molasses. This was done to reduce the orignite levels in the room. More Rhodes Island then arrived, wielding mostly melee weapons and crossbows. Whilst they were moving, some of the operators were fighting off the horde. It slowly died down, focusing

Dobermann : "Alright, those who are with me. Follow me, we are going to go further in. We'll check if the control room is still functional."

Everyone who's with her : "Yes ma'am!"

Dobermann : "Alright let's go!"

They packed up their equipment and began their journey inwards. Fang could still hear the helicopter gunfire. She looked around the big lobby and noticed graffiti on the top corner of the lobby. She found it oddly strange as no one could get up there or even reach there. It said "The devil's lair"

She didn't think much of it. She went to the reservation desk and picked up some business cards. A coin fell out and onto the desk.

Sharp, chuckling : "You plan to work here?"

Fang, in a monotone voice : "Hah, funny."

She examined it, it was pretty much the generic business card she has seen in every lobby. However, one had writing on it.

"Be careful, the devil lurks inside. The coin already decided your fate."

She looks at the coin. There it shows heads. She flipped the card around.

"Only angels can change your fate. Heed their advice.

-Akim"

Fang found it weird, but brushed it off as some gibberish.

*Back at Rhodes Island*

Iozh : "Why did you tell everyone that?! It was supposed to be a secret!"

Alek : "Do you want everyone to die?!"

Iozh : "We can fix it ourselves, we're scientists. We can solve problems. We have engineers and workers to do the solutions!"

Alek : "No, you aren't a scientist. You are a businessman. You don't solve problems. You only care about money and image!"

And Alek was right. The conversation became physical with Iozh throwing a punch at him. They had to be split up by Rhodes Island members as blood started spraying. Warfarin scoffed at the side.

Warfarin : "Heh, these two scientists are fighting."

Rhodes Island operator 1 : "It's quite entertaining to watch, innit?"

Mint : "Perhaps, we should break up the fight."

Rhodes Island operator 1 : "C'mon, let it run wild a bit more."

Amiya : "We have to stop them before it gets any worse!"

Rhodes Island operator 2: "Let it unfold a bit more."

"Iozh's father used to be a scientist. Growing up, his father would teach him about science and chemical reactions. If you had seen him when he was young, you could see his interest in science. This motivated him to be a scientist. Unlike his brothers and sisters, he was the favourite child of his father. But his mother loved them all equally. His father's works were recognised by many. All were stolen works. Their original creators were pushed away, most committed suicide while others left miserable. This put Iozh at a greater advantage as many opportunities came into his way. His father would give him everything. Atro became spoiled, a brat. His father eventually learned about the stock market, he earned way more than his job being a scientist. He left his job and pursued the stock market. While this may be a risky choice, it propelled Iozh's family into great wealth. They became greedy. His father became a rude and self-centred person. He hid his wealth from everyone except Iozh.

When Iozh's mother suffered Oripathy, he said that he had no money to save her but would find a way. She died in her bed, thinking that maybe that there would be a cure for her. There was Rhodes Island. She could have gone there. But Iozh's father kept lying and lying, saying that they couldn't afford it or unable to do so. She died in her bed alone, her life withered as her body rotted in a wooden cabin that the couple had bought. All this happened while Iozh and his father lived in a luxurious house that only the rich could afford. When their broken and poor relatives asked for his help, he abandoned them. No wonder they became a part of the Reunion. All this happened while he was banging up women, eating good, and living the life. Iozh's mother meant nothing to his father anymore. What a liar he was, and what a liar he is. A murderer was all he was. Does his ring mean nothing to him? How dare he sinned against his own kin.

And like father and son, Iozh was a carbon copy of him. His attitude, his ways, all were like him. When his father contracted Oripathy, he grew horns and became more deranged, looking more like the devil. As he died, he told Iozh to carry out his wish. The wish to bring death to Terra. His work isn't to bring a technological revolution to Terra, it was to bring death to everyone. Your work with Atro speaks volumes, Atro died in the fire. He could have survived, but you left him to die. You were lucky that Folinic didn't know about it. But you can only get lucky for so long. If I was alive, I would kill you. You kicked out your own family and brothers.

And you belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

*Back at the mines*

Back at the mines, the miners were busy clearing the mines for new pathways to divert the flow of originite pipes and water underneath the reactor to prevent a huge explosion that might eject more Originium into the air. Although it had been a few hours since they dug, they had managed to clear a lot of the mineshaft. In the background, operators, like Blaze and GreyThroat, are fighting off the Infected mobs.

Tenk: "Have you ever wondered that the idea of 'Infected' is weird."

Maxim: "What do you mean?"

Tenk: "See, we use Originium to power everything."

Maxim: "Okay?"

Tenk: "We use it in our daily lives. It brought a technological revolution to Terra, with almost all technology being powered by the substance. Notably, Originium allows the use of various forms of Arts, generally through a medium such as staves, weapons, and devices, to aid us in both everyday life and combat scenarios. It can also be used as a component in hybrid materials.

Yet people had the Infected. But why?"

Maxim : "Because they don't want Oripathy?"

Tenk : "But they hate us to the very core. Like we are just different beings altogether. When we get a cold, we get some rest and get a cure and wishes from friends and family to recover. When we get ill, we get prayers to restore back to our original healthy selves. When we get infected, suddenly we aren't called sick, we get called 'Infected'. Why aren't infected miners praised for getting Originite for them? It powers them, they need it. If they want the 'Infected' to be gone, why do they still use what makes us infected in the first place? They want to get rid of all 'Infected' people, but why do they then make more of us? "

Maxim reflected for a moment. But continued to mine. After several hours of digging, Maxim and Tenk sat down for a break. Wanting to eat, they head to a decontamination chamber that was brought into the mine for workers and operators to eat and rest. After getting sprayed, they took off their hazmat suits and started to eat.

Tenk : "So, what have you brought?"

Maxim : "Some rum and cigs."

Tenk : "You do know that those are bad for your lungs, right?"

Maxim : "My lungs are fucked anyway."

Tenk : "So do you remember that time when you were with Akim."

Maxim : "Don't wanna talk about it."

Tenk : "But you saw it. Both of us saw it. You can't just forget and leave it at that. It happened. You're in the mines, he's with us. We're now miners."

Maxim looked down, covering his face with a cap.

Tenk : "Aw, don't give me that. Everytime you don't wanna talk, you pull your cap down."

Maxim, however, was remembering what happened back then.

*10 years ago*

The miners were having a party with moonshine and homemade food.

Maxim : "Dear lord, can they shut the fuck up?"

Akim : "Ay, don't be like that. If we were actually capable of linking up with and getting rewards from the big corps, we could make some big bucks and get a bit of fame.

Maxim : "Probably when I died."

Akim, pretending to swing the pickaxe at him : "Oh really."

Maxim : "Oi oi oi! Fuck off you neek."

Akim, laughing : "But I want the money."

Maxim : "Which big corp will want my death?"

Akim looked up, Maxim looked up to see where he was looking. What Akim was looking at was a big dusty wooden board with the words 'Akim's mining corporation' with the word 'Akim' obviously added on by someone.

Akim : "I do"

Maxim : "Being broke isn't that bad."

Akim : "A bit rich coming from you. Aren't one of the miners here that have a house, a supportive family and a beautiful wife?"

"Yeah, she's pretty peng tho."

Maxim : "Oh shit, hello there."

Ashot, who's a Victorian and a Ursusian miner. His parents came from different regions and had settled in Ursus. But being in Prigrad, lots of crimes happened there due to lack of enforcement from Ursus military and cops, and their parents were killed in a scuffle. The only reason that he is alive is a handcrafted one-shot gun he had made by himself. Unlike a normal shotgun, it functions similar to a crossbow but deals a huge amount of damage like a shotgun. Having to work by himself, he sold melee weapons and did crimes before getting a job as a miner.

Right beside him was his best friend, Mo Sheng, a miner who had come from Yen. Nobody knows how he got here, and he doesn't even know himself. "Or maybe he is hiding something from us, and Akim is too friendly with him, it's strange." He came here and said that he was a 'Mo Sheng Ren'. It was an odd name but the miners just called him Mo Sheng from then on, albeit, with terrible pronunciation. He got along with everyone nicely and was easy to get along with.

"Oi, you lazy fuckwits! Get back to work! Sitting down and fooling around isn't going to pay you!"

Ashot : "Aw fuck, it's bossman again."

Maxim, whispering : "Hey Akim, do your thing again."

Akim stood up and walked towards his boss.

Boss, shouting : "What do you think you're doing?!"

Akim put his hand on his shoulder and moved him aside, whispering something into his ear. Everyone stared at him as if he was crazy. After he was done whispering, the boss walked away and didn't even glance back at them, walking calmly away and out of the mine.

Akim : "Ok, I managed to reason with him. Y'all can continue your shit."

Everyone looked at him as if was some kind of Messiah. He sat back at his table as if nothing happened.

Ashot : "How the fuck did you do that?

Akim : "My mouth."

Maxim : "I dunno man, that sounds wrong."

Mo Sheng tried to hide his laughter.

Akim : "Still, we have to work anyway. I just ask him to fuck off to remove that stressful fuck away from us. Come on."

He picked up his pickaxe and began walking through the mines, followed by Maxim.

Ashot : "You wanna work?"

Mo Sheng just stood still. He looked towards the direction of the entrance to the mines.

Ashot : "Aw man, I had a pack of cards. Was gonna play it."

Mo Sheng : "Hmm.."

Ashot : "Whatever. Come on guys, let's work!"

All the miners stopped playing and chatting and picked up their pickaxes and headed towards the mines.

One of the miners : "Hey, who is that guy?"

Ashot : "Oi who are you? Wait, where the fuck did you fuckwits come from?"

*Further into mines*

Maxim : "Since we are alone from the rest of the guys, I've got a question."

Akim : "Go ahead."

Maxim : "Have you heard of the Reunion"

Akim : "Yeah. I've heard lots about them."

Maxim : "Should we join them?"

Akim : "Perhaps, they and the Ursus Patrol are here."

Maxim : "Oh yeah right, I forgot about that."

Just them, they hear a huge explosion behind them. The shockwave threw Maxim down, hitting his chest hard on the stone floor and knocking the air out of his lungs. He gasped for air, trying to regain and focus his surroundings. Akim, however, wasn't affected by the shockwave. He reached a hand for Maxim to stand up.

Maxim : "Fuck was that?!"

A scream rang out throughout the mines. It was Ashot.

Maxim : "Oh shit! We have to help him!"

Maxim bolted towards the screams. Still in a state of confusion, his mind was wondering what had just happened. As he got closer, smoke began to appear and fires started to appear. It became noisier and noisier, now filling up with fighting and screaming. Where he had last seen his other friends was now buried under the rubble, the table on fire. He could see dead bodies of his miner friends strewn all over the floor, dismembered, bleeding out or burnt by the fire.

"HEY!! HELP ME!"

Maxim looked behind him. Underneath the rubble was Ashot, held under by a large wooden beam that was the mine support. His mouth was spewing out blood and most of his body was covered by debris.

Maxim : "Oh shit! Let me help you out. Uhh.. fuck fuck!"

With all his might, he tried to lift up the wooden support beam. However, it was too heavy for him, lifting up only a few inches before running out of energy and dropping it on Ashot's body where he let out a scream.

Just then, a bolt rang out. It barely missed Maxim and landed on the beam, Maxim jumped back in reaction. Soon, someone came through the smoke, Maxim recoiled in horror. It was one of the Imperial Army units and what looked like the leader.

Maxim : "Oh shit!"

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Get him!"

Soon, more emerged from the smoke. Maxim, unsure of what to do, lay on the floor as he watched them getting closer and drawing out their blades.

Infected Patrol Unit 2, drawing out his blade : "I'm going to enjoy this."

As the Infected Patrol unit was about to slice him, a pickaxe went through his head. He dropped dead on the floor. Maxim could see the brains inside.

Akim : "Hey, don't touch him!"

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Oi, get that guy!"

More Infected Patrol units appeared and ran past Maxim. He looked behind and saw Akim.

Infected Patrol Unit 3 : "You're dead meat!"

Akim unfazed, stood still and watched as he swung his blade towards him.

Infected Patrol Unit 3 : "What I missed?"

Akim then picked up another pickaxe and swung it at him, striking his head.

Infected Patrol Unit 4 : "What the? Get him!"

3 Infected Patrol units charged towards him. He raised one of his fingers and pointed towards them. 3 rocks punctured through their heads. 2 of them dropped while 1 of them miraculously survived. Confused and angry, he charged towards him while letting out a scream. Akim flicked his hand and the Infected Patrol unit was flung towards the wall.

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Hey guys! One of them just took our guys out! We need more guys!"

More guys appeared from the smoke. Some holding swords and javelins, while some are holding crossbows. Some of them were casters and some of them were bulky. Maxim thought there was no way that he or Akim would survive.

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Get him!"

The guys with melee weapons charged towards Akim while the ones with ranged weapons fired their arrows and arts towards him. Akim raised one of his hands. The arrows stood still and dropped onto the floor while the Arts simply dispersed in the air. One bulky guy, the Imperial striker, was about to thrust his javelin towards Akim. He dodged it and disarmed the Imperial striker. His javelin fell onto the floor, Akim magically moved it towards his hand. He pierced it through the striker's head.

More guys got closer to him. Akim, with rage in his eyes, swiftly killed them. One by one, all of the guys dropped to the floor. One Infected Patrol unit tried to crawl away, his legs were broken, and left a trail of blood behind him. He soon stopped, presumably it was because he leaked too much blood. One of the crossbowmen tried to shoot Akim, but the arrow stopped only in front of him. The arrow, in midair, turned around towards him. The crossbowman stood back, but it was too late. The arrow pierced through his mask. The other crossbowmen and casters stood in fear. Another crossbowman tried to shoot it back but noticed that his arrows were missing. He checked his sack to see if had any, but it was empty. Then, he felt something poking on his head. He looked up to see a lot of arrows were pointing at them. Swiftly, the arrows dropped on them, followed by their bodies.

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Oh shit! Hey uhh... You get back! Stay away from me!"

Akim : "I'll make sure you don't hurt my friends ever again."

With that, he threw the javelin towards the Infected Patrol unit. It pierced through his chest. His eyes were wide-open. His body fell to the floor.

Maxim : "How the fuck did you do that?!"

Akim : "Where's Ashot?"

Maxim : "Uhh..over there!"

He pointed towards Ashot, unaware of the fighting as his view and angle were blocked. Akim and Maxim ran towards Ashot.

Akim : "Okay, lift this wooden beam with me. On the count of 3."

Maxim : "But it's too heavy!"

Akim : "Just lift it! 1...2...3!!"

Both of them lift up the beam. Oddly enough, the beam felt extremely lighter than what Maxim had lifted. Akim and Maxim then tossed the beam aside. They dragged Ashot out of the rumble.

Maxim : "He's bleeding too much!"

Akim : "Over there! There's a medkit. I'll go take it."

Akim ran towards the medkit. As he was about to run back, he saw the Infected Patrol unit with the javelin on his chest standing up.

Akim : "Can you just die already?"

Infected Patrol Unit 1 : "Fuck you."

The Infected Patrol unit took out a detonator. Akim, quickly realising what was happening, tried to kill him but it was too late. The Infected Patrol unit pressed the detonator as a rock flew through his head. Nothing happened.

Akim : "Huh, I guess it was noth-"

Two explosions blew up beside him, on his left and right. The explosions spun Akim around and further back into the mines. The mines started shaking, rocks started to fall from above. Maxim moved Ashot away from the falling rubble, dodging and blocking the rocks that fell above him. He could barely stand up properly, let alone move as the mines were shaking too violently. But with all his might, he managed to drag Ashot away from danger. Akim, however, ran for the medkit. He then tried to run back but suddenly, a big boulder fell on top of him, pinning him to the ground. He tried to move it aside but more rocks soon fell and pinned him down more. A pole ran through his chest. He was unable to move. The mines now finally settled.

Maxim : "Oh god...wait! I'll come hel-"

Akim : "No! Stay there. It's too dangerous. You just take care of Ashot. Find him some meds."

Maxim frantically looked around for a medkit. He also was finding a shovel. Seeing a bunch of equipment nearby, he ran towards it, desperately finding a shovel. After rummaging through the pile of tools, he found one only for it to break apart and leaving only its handle. In fury, he threw it onto the wrong, shattering it into pieces. He looked around to see if there's anyone to help him, but there's only dead bodies and friends that he could not help.

He rushed back to Akim.

Maxim : "I can't find shit man."

Akim : "Ah fuck."

Maxim : "What the fuck do I do?"

Akim : "Just give me a sec."

Maxim : "Can't you just move the dirt aside."

Akim : "I've got no strength in me. I feel so weak.

"Hey, do you guys need help?"

Maxim turned around. There she was. Talulah stood at the entrance, beside her were CrownSlayer and FrostNova. Behind them were bodies of the Imperial Army and the huge army of Reunion.

Maxim : "Oh thank god! Yes, I need help. One of my friends is stuck and one injured."

Talulah : "Don't worry. We'll help dig your friend out and patch them up. We also managed to save some of your miner friends. "

Two Reunion medics came and took Ashot away, tending to his wounds. Some of the Reunion members dragged the dead bodies and limbs of their friends away from the mines, giving them a proper burial. Maxim and some of the Reunion members tried to help Akim. They managed to dig quickly until his torso.

As they were trying to help Akim, the mines suddenly shook. More rocks again start to crumble. What progress they made to help Akim was now gone as more rocks started to fall on him.

FrostNova : "The mines are too unstable! We have to get out!"

Maxim : "What about him?!"

FrostNova : "Just ditch him and get out!"

Maxim : "I can't just do that!"

Akim : "Just go!"

Maxim : "But you're gonna die!"

Akim : "It's either me or us! Now go!"

Maxim : "Fuck!"

Akim : "Hey, it's okay. Just do me one favour. Leave the Reunion when you can. Now go!"

Suddenly, Maxim felt someone tugging at him. He turned to see a Reunion member tugging him towards the entrance, forcing him to move outside. Unable to stop himself, he watched as he was pulled out of the mines and away from Akim, who gave his final smile before his head was crushed by the rocks and buried under the rock pile.

As the mines closed off, all that was left was the entrance. Now left standing outside, he dropped to his knees and bawled onto the floor. His memories with his closest friend and his second-home were now gone, left in ruins and dust. The noises around him were drowned out by his emotions.

Talulah : "No, let him pour out his emotions. He's feeling all sorts of things right now."

FrostNova : "No, we have to go! The Imperial Army may be back anytime soon!"

Talulah : "No no, just let him breathe for a bit."

FrostNova : "They probably have caught wind of this. Hey, Maxim! Wake up! Oi! Wake up!"

A loud table slam woke up Maxim from his seat.

Tenk : "Hey, wake up! It's our shift now. Get ready and suit up."

Maxim, feeling a bit disoriented from his dream, took a while to get back to his senses. As he was suiting up, he couldn't help but now wonder what happened to that Mo Sheng guy. Perhaps he ran away or was part of the pile of bodies in and outside or the mine. Either way, he disappeared and even if he was alive, he couldn't remember his face.

He walked out of the dormitory doors, now back in the rocky place. Although it was something that he was familiar with, he couldn't help but feel something off about it. It felt different as if there was something lurking there.

Maxim's thoughts : "Perhaps it's just a weird dream. I mean, why would Akim do this? It's not something he would do."