Mark lifted a loose board from the makeshift barricade on the window, peering out at the massive structure in the distance. The constant moaning of creatures echoed through the dark, a chilling reminder of what was lurking outside. By the time they'd reached the designated location, night had already descended, forcing them to take shelter on the fourth floor of a ruined gym. The lower levels had been too exposed with their shattered glass walls. Instead, they found a boarded-up corner and decided to bunker down for a few hours, hoping to gather any useful intel about their surroundings.

They had been taking turns keeping an eye on the "hive"—or at least, that's what Jason called it.

The room was dimly lit by a cheap camping lamp, its faint glow just enough to navigate the cluttered space. Mark leaned against the window frame, his gaze fixed on the road below. A pack of Corrupted moved like wild predators, circling a large rat they'd managed to trap. To his surprise, they didn't immediately rip it apart.

Moments later, an Ordinator appeared, attempting to assert its dominance over the group. But the others weren't having it. Their haunting wails filled the air, each shriek a challenge meant to intimidate the newcomer.

Mark frowned, watching the unsettling exchange. All afternoon, he'd witnessed behavior like this—disturbingly coordinated. When all you saw of a creature was mindless hunger, it was easy to dismiss them as little more than monsters. But these… these things showed signs of strategy. They moved like living, breathing animals, bound by some twisted hierarchy.

Still, Mark wasn't naïve enough to let this observation soften him. Whatever semblance of order they exhibited, the Corrupted remained vicious. Given half a chance, they'd tear into him without hesitation.

It wasn't just average Corrupted they saw here. Everything from Tians to Naga was appearing in force.

Mark hadn't dared to lower the construct he'd wrapped around them all. Letting their energy out now would be like announcing their presence. Maybe not to the average Corrupted but if there was anything capable of detecting it in the area, it would be one of the Corrupted humans.

Mark had asked himself if he would feel anything if they decided to attack the settlement. The people there had probably not chosen to turn into those things, but the longer he searched the more he realized he couldn't bring himself to care.

Whatever the Corrupted human goals were was immaterial. What Mark wanted was for his people to not be hunted, with a place to stay that was free of this kind of filth. Whatever needed to be done to avoid that was necessary in his books.

Mark pulled the monocular from around his neck and raised it to his eye, focusing on the "hive." Its oval, half-dome shape did bear a striking resemblance to an old-fashioned beehive. But what truly justified the name, in Mark's mind, was the multitude of holes near its base. They hadn't noticed them from a distance, but now, up close, it was clear: the openings served as entrances and exits, with the Corrupted constantly moving in and out like a swarm of insects.

As of yet, they had not seen a single Corrupted human, but then again they had only been here for a couple of hours.

Mark was just doing another sweep of the streets when the sound of a wrapper being split open next to his ear drew his attention.

Turning from the window he saw Jonathan much closer than he expected with a piece of string cheese hanging in his mouth.

It wasn't fully unwrapped but Mark could smell that faint creamy scent and grimaced.

"A… Personal space much"

Jonathan snorted and tilted his head back to the others.

"Come, they wanna talk."

Mark nodded and closed his little window to head over to the others.

Sam was sitting on her sleeping bag while Wesley was doing some maintenance on his shield.

Jason was looking down at a map as he marked the area. When they arrived he looked up for his work.

"Okay. As far as I can tell we have two options. A head-on assault aimed at causing as much destruction as possible, or we try to sneak in and get more information. There are upsides to both plans and I don't care which we decide on, but we need to decide soon."

Mark nodded. His first thought had been to try and go in guns blazing but Sam had held off on that idea so that they could recoup their energy. Plus there was no guarantee that even if they destroyed their 'hive' they would find any Corrupted humans.

Unfortunately, the longer they remained here the harder it would be to stay hidden. As it was Mark was already struggling to contain all their energies, and pretty soon they would not have a choice in the matter.

Wesley spoke but continued to polish his shield.

"I think a frontal attack would be best. Even if they're not in that- thing. They're bound to come out when they sense our attack."

Jonathan shook his head as he opened another wrapper to a granola bar.

"We can't be certain they will. Remember that have human-level intelligence. We don't know what their answer will be. My vote is sneak in."

Mark rose a brow at Jonathan but didn't say anything.

Sam was also staring at Jonathan, surprised he would choose the stealthy approach.

"My vote is the same. We sneak in and get some answers. Worst-case scenario we pivot to the scorched earth plan right after."

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Jason had already made his stance clear so that only left MArk and the other turned to look at him.

Shrugging he glanced at the boarded windows.

"I still have plenty of power, sneak in it is. We can leave in twenty minutes."

Everyone seemed to agree and started gathering their things and preparing.

Mark was a little nervous, his [Light control] had grown in leap and bound but he was afraid his cloaking spell would not be able to fool something with more advanced detection methods. Especially if they were going to attempt an infiltration on enemy soil.

Mark spent the time adjusting his spell to fit over them perfectly and by that time everyone was ready to go.

Stepping out of the small room they walked out onto a half-destroyed staircase. The ceiling was missing and one could see into the rooms below, their steel beams exposed where the concrete had crumbled away.

Mark floated them into the air and towards the hive. Surprisingly there were fewer Ghasts in the area than they had expected and most of them were perched on the nearby rooves watching their surroundings.

If Mark didn't know any better he would almost say they were intelligent by the way they watched over the entire neighborhood.

The closer they got to the hive hive the more tense everyone became. When they got within range the Corrupted plastered on the building like morter seemed to screech but no more than usual.

They all let out a sigh of relief as they passed under their gaze and arrived at one of the openings into this place.

"Mark, can you get us a bigger picture with your [Earth mastery]?" Jonathan whispered

Mark glanced at the approaching walls but shook his head.

"They will sense my Mana. If we're discovered I'll see what I can get but not until then."

Jonathan bobbed his head in understanding.

The entrance they had picked was as large as a triple-story house. So they slipped inside without disturbing anything traveling on the ground

The moonlight shining from above was smothered as they crossed their threshold, allowing a creeping sense of cold to trail down their spines.

The passage ahead went straight for a dozen or so feet before bending to the right. They followed the passage, sometimes watching Corrupted passing below them. The twisted creatures in here all seemed to be heading either deeper into the den or leaving completely. Which Mark found worrying because normally they wandered from place to place. These creatures all seemed driven by some external force.

"Keep an eye out, there may be a controller nearby," Mark whispered.

They continued to follow the tunnel until it diverged into three. They decided just to follow the flow of Corrupted down the middle path because if this place turned out to be a maze there wasn't much else they could do.

This decision turned out to be the right one because fairly soon the dreary passage opened up into a larger chamber of stone.

Strangely enough, there was the sound of engines bouncing off the walls, and when they turned the corner they discovered why.

Coming from an underground path were several vans kitted out in makeshift armor. It was no wonder they had As they pulled up to a parking lot of some kind Mark saw letters scrawled on the side of the vehicles in white paint.

Mark squinted at the words scrawled in white paint and recoiled when they came into focus. "Safe Haven Initiative."

His stomach dropped like a stone. What the hell were they up to?

The sides of the vans slid open, and people began climbing out with an unnerving ease. Clad in body armor, they looked more like a private militia than anything resembling saviors. Men and women streamed from the vehicles, moving with practiced efficiency toward a man who stood waiting. He carried himself like their leader, commanding attention without a word as they gathered in a loose semicircle around him.

Mark hadn't known what to expect when the convoy arrived—but it sure as hell wasn't this.

The leader raised a hand, and the group stilled as he spoke. His voice was sharp and deliberate, cutting through the tension like a blade. "Right, let's see it."

One of the drivers, a rough-looking man with a scowl carved into his face, spat into the dirt before answering. "Boss, we already told you—there's nothing left out there. If there's anyone still alive, they're holed up in that shit heap of a city."

The leader stared him down, his silence heavy and unnerving. The driver's bravado faltered under the weight of his gaze, and he looked away.

Then it came—a low, guttural snarl that sent a chill through Mark's spine. It didn't sound human. The reaction was immediate. Those closest to the vans sprang into action, reaching inside to drag people out—kicking and screaming.

Desperate pleas rang out, but they fell on deaf ears. One by one, the captives were hauled from the vehicles and dumped in a heap on the ground like discarded cargo.

Jonathan and Mark took an instinctive step forward, but Sam intercepted them, throwing out an arm to block their path.

Mark shot her a glare, his fists clenched. Her answering look was fierce. "We need to see where this goes," her expression seemed to say.

The leader glanced at the six individuals in the center and back at the man.

"I believe I was clear what would happen if you came back with less than the allotted amount."

The grizzled man's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"You were, but boss, no one's falling for it anymore. If I could just take-"

The leader flicked his finger in the man's direction and he was suddenly cut short. He groaned and suddenly his body began to expand, then all at once his muscles and flesh gave out and there was a sickening pop. The wave of force sent his men reeling and elicited more screams from their captives.

"Son of a bitch, he's the one that left that trap for us" Jason growled.

Mark's eyes narrowed as the leader froze. He turned his attention away from the destruction he'd caused and glanced up, searching the ceiling.

Everyone paused as they watched him glance about but his eyes never seemed to rest on them. After a time his shoulders drooped and he turned back to his men.

"This is the answer for failure. Do not let it happen again. Decide who will be your next leader amongst you. You will be going out again tomorrow. The quota will not change either. Now get this lot to the cells, they have been empty for too long"

Jonathan looked at Sam and she seemed to want to find out more but she was unable to ignore their screams. So abandoning all pretenses she gathered a spear of ice.

"Go!" she whispered.

Make didn't hesitate to smash the whole construct downward. They went hurtling towards the group and Sam launched several spears outwards. No sooner had he landed then Mark sent a lesser construct around the civilians.

Sam's spear stabbed into several members of the militia, but the ones on the way to the leader were blocked by a wave of Corruption.

There was no surprise on his face as Mark's cloaking spell wore off, instead, he took a step forward.

"Wonderful, we can talk face to face. That makes things easier."

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