Chapter 72

The GAMA transport skiff descended through a layer of low, grey clouds, revealing a landscape of brutal, stark beauty. This was the Jagged Peaks, a remote mountain range in the northern territories known for its treacherous terrain and violent, unpredictable winds. Jagged spires of black, volcanic rock clawed at the sky, their slopes covered in sharp, unstable shale.

The skiff set down on a narrow, windswept plateau. The moment the ramp lowered, a biting, high-altitude wind tore at their uniforms.

"Welcome to the roof of the world," Captain Rostova's voice cut through the gale. "Gear up. We move in two minutes."

The squad disembarked, the mood sober and professional. Ren pulled the hood of his simple black uniform up, the wind so cold it felt like a physical blow.

"This land is broken," Zephyrion noted in his mind. "The barrier between worlds is thin here. Altitude and isolation make it a perfect breeding ground for monstrosities."

"Specialist Volkov, your reading?" Rostova commanded.

Anya held up her data slate. "The Rift's distortion zone begins approximately 800 meters ahead, at the base of that hanging glacier. The resonance signature of the Core is strong, but fluctuating. It suggests the internal environment is… unstable."

"Unstable is our specialty," Rostova grunted. "Leo, take point. Ren, you're on my six. Volkov, stay behind me. Let's move."

The trek forward was treacherous. They navigated a landscape of sharp rocks and loose shale. As they approached the hanging glacier, they saw it. The distortion zone. The air ahead shimmered, the landscape behind it warped and twisted. Strange, sickly purple crystals grew in unnatural patches on the black rock.

"We're in," Rostova stated, her hand resting on the hilt of the sword at her hip. "Eyes open. The local fauna is dangerous. 'Shard-Crawlers.' Ambush predators. They mimic the surrounding crystalline formations. Look for movement."

They advanced into the shimmering zone, the world becoming quiet and strange. They were halfway across a field of jagged, chest-high purple crystals when Leo, at the point position, suddenly froze, holding up a clenched fist. The squad halted instantly.

Leo pointed silently to a large, unremarkable crystal formation twenty feet to their right.

Ren focused his senses. To his normal sight, it was just a crystal. But to his Aetheric sense, he could feel a faint, predatory hum.

Before Rostova could give the command, the crystal exploded. It unfolded with a sound like shattering glass, revealing a creature inside—a nightmarish fusion of a centipede and a praying mantis, with a dozen crystalline legs and massive, scythe-like forelimbs. A Shard-Crawler.

It moved with impossible speed, skittering directly towards Leo.

"Engage!" Rostova roared.

Leo, a true veteran of the Apprentice tier, didn't flinch. He stomped his foot, and a wall of solid earth erupted from the ground, intercepting the Crawler's charge. Anya, already anticipating the move, launched a series of crystalline shards of her own that exploded against the creature's armored carapace.

"Ren! Its left flank is exposed! High-potency strike, now!" Rostova commanded.

This was his first test under his new commander. He had his orders. He focused his will, gathering the power of his soul into his hand. He formed the solid bolt of azure lightning, the "Thunder's Needle." He was about to launch it.

And then he stopped.

His eyes weren't on the Shard-Crawler. They were on the ground around them. His kinetic sense, an ability no one else possessed, felt something they could not. The ground was vibrating. Not just from the fight, but from dozens of points all around them.

"The beast is bait!" Zephyrion's voice confirmed his suspicion.

"Captain!" Ren shouted, his voice sharp and urgent. "It's a trap! All around us!"

But it was too late. As Leo and Anya's attacks hammered the first Shard-Crawler, the entire field of purple crystals around them erupted. Not one, but ten more Shard-Crawlers burst from their camouflage, their crystalline shells unfolding in a deafening chorus of shattering glass. They had walked into the middle of a nest.

The squad was surrounded, cut off, and facing a dozen beasts whose power was firmly in the Aether Apprentice tier. Their simple mission had just become a desperate fight for survival.