Combat Mode (1)
Skylar's muscles coiled as he activated his micro-thrusters. The battlesuit responded instantly, propelling him upwards in a smooth, controlled burst.
The wind rushed past his visor, and the dark metal of the containment structure blurred beneath him. He kept his body streamlined with his arms tucked close, minimizing drag.
The sentries below didn't react or rather, they couldn't detect the movements. Their heads remained forward, their gazes scanning the ground-level perimeter.
Their sluggish posture suggested confidence—no one would dare infiltrate this deep into their stronghold. So they thought.
But then...
{System Notification}
{[Alarm System Detected]}
{[Type: Class II Laser Net]}
A crimson grid flickered into existence above Skylar. The lasers formed an intricate web, stretching across the upper section of the containment structure.
Skylar's HUD mapped it out in real-time, calculating the trajectories, and projecting alternative flight paths. But at this speed, he had no time to adjust.
His mind worked fast. There was only one option.
[Launch Peacekeeper] He Instructed.
The command triggered immediately.
A pulse rippled outward from his battlesuit, it was an invisible vibration that spread like an electromagnetic shockwave. The laser grid above him flickered and then dimmed to a dull red before vanishing entirely.
{[Peacekeeper is activated successfully. Containment Bubble wears off in 30 seconds… 29 seconds left…]}
Skylar reached the maintenance hatch just as the notification played. His fingers gripped the edge, and he swung himself up, rolling onto the narrow platform.
The vibration from the Peacekeeper was still active, keeping all alarms within a 50-meter range disabled. The sound was completely suppressed.
He moved fast. The hatch had no external lock, only a manual lever system on the inside. The Scourge didn't expect anyone to make it this far undetected.
Skylar retrieved a compact plasma cutter from his belt. The tool whirred softly as it traced along the hatch's seams, melting through the reinforced metal in smooth, precise lines. The air inside hissed as pressure equalized, and Skylar carefully pried the hatch open.
Darkness awaited him inside... A narrow service corridor stretched ahead, barely wide enough for a person to squeeze through.
Wires and energy conduits lined the walls, pulsing with faint orange light. The air was thick with heat, the kind that hinted at underground machinery working nonstop.
He slid inside, pulling the hatch back into place just as his HUD displayed the countdown.
{[Containment Bubble wears off in 5 seconds… 4… 3… 2... 1]}
Silence returned to normal. If the alarm system had been aware of the override, it didn't show it.
Skylar exhaled, pressing forward.
The corridor branched ahead, and he moved carefully, keeping his steps controlled. His visor flickered, scanning for signs of Team-B.
The deeper he went, the more the air smelled of rust and metal, and something faintly organic—like dried blood.
A metal grate covered the next junction. Skylar crouched, peering through it. Below, a holding area stretched out—rows of containment cells, each one pulsing with a faintly glowing energy field. Shadows moved inside them.
Prisoners! And not just a few, there were at least twenty captives of different races within the cells. However, after making a thorough scan, he couldn't find his objectives.
Skylar's jaw tightened as his gaze swept across the cells. Other captives were held here—Nerbians, Vorrads, and possibly others who had suffered under the Scourge's control.
He scanned for security measures.
Five Lvl 78-84 Primal Master guards wielding Plasma Rifles and Railguns patrolled the area. They possessed a more streamlined crystalline growth than the guards outside, and their crystalline armor reflected the dim glow from the containment fields.
A central control panel was positioned at the far end, likely managing the energy locks on the cells.
His options were limited. Taking out the guards silently would be difficult without alerting the rest of the facility. Disabling the security panel directly might trigger a failsafe lockdown.
After assessing his options thoughtfully, Skylar decided to engage. He would have to take them out before they could raise an alarm or alert the others.
Skylar's grip tightened around his double-helix blasters. His visor displayed the movement patterns of the patrolling guards, marking their positions in real-time.
Five guards. Lvl 78-84 Primal Masters. All are armed and well-trained.
He had seconds to make the first move.
Without hesitation, he activated his battlesuit's combat mode. A low hum resonated through his frame as power surged into his limbs, enhancing his speed and reaction time.
Then he moved...
A sharp press of his thrusters propelled him forward like a phantom in the dimly lit space. The first guard barely had time to react before Skylar's blaster fired.
BOOM!~
A twin helix of red and blue plasma spiraled through the air, striking the Scourge in the throat.
The force of the impact sent it crumpling against the metal floor, its crystalline armor sizzling from the energy discharge.
–––
{[System Notification]}
Beast Eliminated: Lvl 78 Scourge Enforcer
Kill Points (KP) Gained: +78
[Silver Tier Kill Rankings Update]
Current Rank: 778 in Beastslayer Leaderboard
Next Rank: 777 (Requires 216 points)
Overall KP: 19,310
–––
The system notification barely registered in Skylar's mind as he was already in motion, for his next kill.