CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Promises, Promises

  Kate’s world swung violently with every step Specter took, her stomach flipping as the robot sprinted like a bat out of hell, its plastic-plated shoulder digging into her gut. She clung to her empty pistol like it was a lifeline, the trigger clicking uselessly beneath her frantic finger. She had run out of bullets an hour ago, but her brain hadn’t quite caught up with reality.

  Behind them, the guttural screeches of spider-things grew louder, their twisted, jointed limbs crashing through the underbrush. Kate screamed—no words, no curses, just the ragged, guttural cries of pure terror. Her throat burned, but she couldn’t stop herself.

  “Just keep screaming. You’re doing great,” Specter said, his voice calm as if they were out for a jog.

  Her pistol clicked again and again as she squeezed the trigger, her finger uselessly numb. Trees whipped by in a blur, the forest reduced to streaks of dark green and brown chaos. Specter ducked low, narrowly dodging a set of clawed limbs that slashed at them from the side. A sharp, acrid smell filled the air as one of the creatures spat something that hissed against the bark of a tree.

  Kate tilted her head to glance sideways, the wind tearing at her hair as she bounced against Specter’s shoulder. Between the chaotic lurches, she caught a brief glimpse of the others. Bastion and the two other robots fought like something out of a nightmare.

  Bastion’s spiked shield slammed into a massive creature, its grotesque body covered in taut, human skin stretched over a spider’s twisted form. The thing dwarfed the robots, its body as big as two elephants crammed together, with long, jointed legs that crashed down like falling trees. One of the smaller robots had lost an arm, bleeding light blue liquid as it thrust its spear into the monster’s abdomen. The other robot’s plastic armor was partially melted, the plastic dripping in viscous streaks, but it fought on, driving its shield into one of the thing’s many eyes.

  And then there was Marcus.

  Her breath caught as she saw him perched on the creature’s back, driving his fist into its slick, pulsing flesh. Over and over, his bare hands slammed into the monster, each hit echoing with a violent gust of wind and leaving a crater in its flesh. Black ichor sprayed like a fountain, but the beast didn’t stop. Its legs thrashed wildly, sending trees crashing to the ground as the robots swarmed it from below.

  “Why is it not dying?!” Kate screamed, her voice cracking as she looked back at Specter. “Why isn’t it fucking dead?!”

  “Because it’s an annoyingly tough bastard,” Specter replied without breaking stride. The calm in its voice somehow made everything worse.

  Specter veered sharply to the right, dodging a smaller spider-creature that lunged out from the underbrush. The sudden motion made Kate’s stomach lurch, and her grip on the empty pistol tightened.

  “Hold on tight,” Specter said, its tone still maddeningly calm.

  Kate barely registered the words before she noticed a blue mist seeping from the gaps in Specter’s armor. Her eyes widened, a strangled cry catching in her throat, but she had no time to scream. The robot shot forward like a bullet, the forest becoming a chaotic blur around them.

  Branches and leaves whipped past her face as Specter sped through the trees, blue mist coiling in its wake. Each step sent vibrations through her ribs, the pounding rhythm of its metal feet almost matching the frantic thud of her heart. They gained ground on the horde behind them, the screeches of the monsters fading slightly.

  Specter changed directions again, crashing through a cluster of bushes, and in moments, they reached the others. Bastion stood with its shield raised, fending off another swipe from the massive spider-creature’s leg, while Marcus remained on its back, still hammering away at its body. The two smaller robots fought nearby, their frames battered but holding firm.

  Without a word, Specter dumped Kate unceremoniously onto the one-armed robot’s shoulder. She yelped, clutching at the cold plastic instinctively as Specter turned to address the robots.

  “Keep her out of harm’s way,” it ordered. The one-armed robot gave a curt nod, adjusting its stance to support her weight.

  “Marcus, go for the Glass!” Specter shouted, its voice sharp and direct. Without waiting for a response, it darted to the side, dragging its black blade along one of the massive creature’s exposed legs. The steel bit deep, slicing through flesh and sending a spray of blood into the air. The monster screeched, its limb faltering slightly from the strike.

  Bastion kept stabbing relentlessly, its spear piercing the creature’s torso again and again until the weapon bent at a crooked angle. With a low, mechanical whir, the robot tossed the damaged spear aside and lunged forward, slamming into the monster with its full weight. Its steel feet dug deep into the ground, spikes beneath its soles anchoring it as it grappled the enormous beast. Blue mist seeped from Bastion’s frame, and with a guttural hum of exertion, it slowly pushed the creature backward. Its shield crashed into the creature’s chest over and over, forcing it further off balance.

  The other robot stabbed away at the monster’s side, the jagged tip of its spear puncturing flesh repeatedly. Each strike seemed intended to draw the beast’s attention, but its size and fury made it thrash unpredictably at everything in range.

  Kate clung tightly to the one-armed robot as it lurched forward, carrying her out of the immediate reach of the smaller creatures swarming the battlefield. The jarring motion slammed her against the robot’s cold frame with every step, her stomach twisting painfully as it picked up speed.

  ‘This is insane,’ she thought, gripping the robot harder as it kicked one of the smaller spider-things, sending the grotesque creature crashing into a tree. The damaged robot pivoted sharply, keeping her out of reach of snapping jaws and skittering claws.

  Her gaze darted to Marcus, still atop the massive spider. He hadn’t stopped, his fists pounding away at its flesh in a storm of violent strikes. Each blow sent a gust of wind through the air, his roars of anger drowning out even the monster’s pained screeches.

  Kate struggled to comprehend the chaos around her. ‘Are we even winning?’ she thought, unsure what she was really seeing. Her heart raced, her breaths short and shallow. A smaller monster rushed them, but her robot lashed out with a brutal kick, crushing it before it could get close. She couldn’t tell if she was finally getting used to the chaos and violence or if her throat was simply too hoarse for her to scream anymore.

  The robot shifted, circling the massive creature as it carried her to safety. For a brief moment, she caught sight of Specter, its blade still hacking and slicing through one of the spider’s legs. With a final, precise hack, the limb gave way, black ichor spilling like a flood. The creature screeched again, its massive frame wobbling as it struggled to compensate.

  Specter turned, its glowing three lenses locking onto her and the smaller robot. Without hesitation, it sprinted past, slashing two smaller monsters in a blur of motion before returning its attention to the massive one.

  Kate’s robot suddenly ducked to the side, narrowly avoiding another smaller creature that had lunged for them. She gasped, her body jerking with the motion, and looked up just in time to see Marcus.

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  He clung to the monster’s head, both hands gripping a jagged cluster of shimmering Glass embedded in its skull. His feet braced against its slick, pulsing flesh, and veins bulged in his arms as he roared, pulling with everything he had. Blue mist poured from his body, mingling with the ichor that ran down the monster’s face.

  ‘That creature is too big,’ Kate thought, sweat dripping down her back. She couldn’t tell if the heat came from pure terror or the creeping nausea of mana-sickness. ‘Why did I ask for this?’

  With one final, furious pull and a blast of wind, Marcus tore the Glass cluster free. The motion sent him flying backward, a geyser of blood spraying from the wound. He slammed into the monster’s back before tumbling off its side, landing hard on the ground with a heavy thud.

  The massive spider-creature staggered, its body swaying dangerously close to where Kate and her robot stood.

  “Move! Move!” she shouted, but her voice came out in a raspy croak.

  Marcus rolled onto his side, his face pale and wheezing from the impact. Before the monster could recover, Bastion was at his side, its shield raised and ready.

  Specter and the smaller robot shifted immediately, leaving the larger dead beast to target the swarm of smaller monsters closing in. The two moved quickly, cutting and stabbing through the advancing horde like reapers in a field of crops.

  Kate couldn’t stop trembling, her thoughts a jumbled mess. The fight raged on, but the sight of Marcus staggering to his feet with the jagged piece of Glass in hand felt like the first crack of hope in the chaos. He stood there, panting hard as he inspected the piece. Slowly, parts of it flaked off, the larger shard breaking down into eight smaller, palm-sized pieces.

  Marcus stared at them for a moment, his expression unreadable, before letting them clatter to the ground without a word. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand and fished a small bottle from his pack. Twisting it open, he poured water into his mouth, swished it around, and spat out a mix of blood and saliva. After a moment, he took another sip and swallowed, his gaze shifting toward Kate.

  Their eyes met. For a second, she felt a strange combination of terror and relief wash over her. Relief, because he was still standing after that monstrous fight. Terror, because there was something unnerving about how calm he seemed—hydrating, catching his breath, while chaos still raged around him. Nearby, Bastion knelt to gather the shattered Glass pieces, carefully shoving them into its backpack after a brief exchange with Marcus.

  “Are you alright?” the one-armed robot carrying Kate asked, its voice flat and mechanical. There was something in its tone that vaguely resembled Marcus, but without any of the emotion.

  Kate blinked, still processing everything. Then frustration boiled over. “What the hell do you think?” she snapped, slamming her fist against the robot’s cold frame. “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve nearly died in the last two hours! And put me down, you—”

  Before she could finish, the robot unceremoniously dropped her. She hit the ground with a thud, landing on her backside. “Ow! Damn it!” she hissed, clutching her hip and glaring up at the robot, which simply turned its attention back to the battlefield.

  Specter appeared a moment later, its body drenched in filth. Kate watched as the robot wedged the sword between its elbow, pulling it through the cloth to clean it before sheathing it behind its back.

  “Nearly done,” it said, its tone as calm as ever.

  Her eyes widened. “We’re not done yet?” she asked, barely keeping the panic out of her voice.

  Specter raised one arm and pointed toward a tunnel near the massive spider’s corpse. Kate hadn’t noticed it before, but now it seemed impossible to miss—the dark hole at the base of the clearing. “The big one was guarding it with its body. The Orb should be down there.”

  “Down there?” she echoed, trying to push herself to her feet but sinking back down when her legs wobbled like jelly. “There’s monsters down there, right?”

  “Probably,” Specter replied with a shrug, its lenses briefly scanning the hole. “Doesn’t really matter. Marcus still needs to go down there to get the Orb.”

  “Marcus?” Kate repeated, her throat dry. “Just him?” Specter nodded casually, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Why not one of you robots?” she pressed.

  “Because you insisted on watching him rip an Orb out and kill everything down there. Wouldn’t make sense if me or Bastion did it instead, right?” Specter’s voice carried a hint of amusement, which only made her jaw clench tighter. “He’s a man of his word.”

  Kate turned to look at Marcus, who stood awkwardly in the middle of the clearing. Bastion leaned over him, its spiked shield resting on the ground as it used its free hand to straighten Marcus’s broken nose. The young man winced, his face twitching in pain, but didn’t say anything. Once Bastion seemed satisfied with its work, Marcus rolled his shoulders and flexed his neck, his gaze shifting toward the hole.

  Specter followed his line of sight. “Also,” it added, “he looks pretty pissed off. I’m guessing he wants to vent.”

  Kate blinked, struggling to process everything. Marcus was covered in blood, bruises forming across his face and arms, but he didn’t hesitate when Specter approached him. The robot pulled a shotgun from the bundle on its back, calmly loading shells into the weapon before handing it and a knife to Marcus. The young man snatched both without a word, checking the blade’s edge before securing it at his side. Bastion stepped forward, breaking several glow sticks and tying them to Marcus’s wrists, their faint green light casting eerie shadows across his battered frame.

  “This is insane,” Kate muttered under her breath. She watched as Marcus turned toward the tunnel. Just as she managed to regain some strength in her legs, she saw him take a single step forward and drop into the dark void without a second thought.

  Her mouth fell open. ‘He just steps in? No security check or anything?’ She blinked a few times, her brain refusing to catch up. The echo of Marcus’s landing faded into the tunnel, leaving her with nothing but the rapid thud of her own heartbeat.

  For a few seconds, she just stared at the black void. Her chest tightened with each passing moment, half-expecting to hear a scream—his or some monstrous thing’s—rising from the depths. But there was nothing, just an oppressive silence that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

  Then came the gunshots. One after another, sharp and distinct, reverberating through the tunnel. Each blast felt like a jolt to her system, her body tensing with every shot. They stopped as suddenly as they started, replaced by screeches that made her stomach churn. The high-pitched sounds overlapped, chaotic and raw, before the world fell eerily silent again.

  “And we’re done,” Specter said, pointing upwards like this was a wrap on some mundane chore.

  Kate blinked. ‘Done?’ she thought, watching as Bastion and the two smaller robots just calmly pulled pieces of Glass from the corpses of the spider creatures. Her gaze followed Specter’s gesture, shifting skyward. Above them, the Sphere that had dominated the sky began to fracture. Tiny cracks spread across its smooth surface, the faint blue glow splintering into a thousand smaller pieces. Each fragment shimmered as it dissolved into nothing, fading into the air until the Sphere was completely gone.

  The faint hisses of monsters echoed in the distance, growing louder as the seconds ticked by. Her breath caught when she spotted a few of them, scuttling out of the tree line and rushing toward their position. Before she could even think to shout a warning, the robots sprang into action. Most of the creatures fell before they got close, cut down by spear thrusts or sword strikes. The few that reached them didn’t last long, their lifeless bodies collapsing in heaps at the robots’ feet because of the lack of Mana.

  Kate didn’t care about the monsters anymore. Her eyes stayed locked on the sky above, where the blue hue that had tainted the horizon was finally gone. The clouds were white, the sky clear, like the world had exhaled after holding its breath. ‘He really did it?’ she thought, a soft smile tugging at her lips. ‘He really wasn’t full of shit.’

  Her gaze dropped to Specter and the others, watching them work at a steady pace, collecting more and more Monster-Glass. ‘I’ve never heard of a Breacher who can make robots… let alone grow stronger,’ she thought, her chest tightening as the implications sank in. ‘If… if he continues like this, he might even reach Gamma rank.’ The thought sent a dry lump into her throat. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what someone like Marcus could become if he pushed beyond that rank.

  A shadow fell over her, snapping her back to the present. She looked up, her stomach twisting. Marcus stood there, his frame bathed in blood, chunks of gore and mud dripping off him like rain. In one hand, he held a knife and a shotgun. In the other, he clutched a pulsating blue Orb.

  Before she could react, he threw the Orb into her hands. “There’s your proof,” he said, his voice low and gruff, before turning away.

  Kate stared at the Orb in her hands, the smooth surface pulsing faintly with an otherworldly glow. It was warm, almost freakishly so. Her gaze flicked back to Marcus, who had dropped onto a severed limb of the massive spider creature like it was a bench. She glanced back at the Orb, its light reflecting in her wide brown eyes. ‘This day can’t get any weirder,’ she thought, setting the Orb carefully on the ground, half-convinced it might explode or turn into a new Sphere at any second.

  She forced herself to take a few deep breaths, closing her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, she saw Marcus doing something that made her stomach lurch.

  He had pulled up his shirt, exposing a mess of bruised and bloodied skin, and clutched a handful of jagged Glass shards. Without pause, he drove them into his chest. The fragments flashed brightly for a second before disintegrating around his skin, their glow seeping into his body. A second later, one of the smaller robots handed him another handful of Glass, which he took without question before stabbing himself again.

  Kate gagged, clapping a hand over her mouth. The sight of it—blood, Glass, the sheer brutality of what he was doing to himself—was too much. She forced her head down, her breaths shallow and ragged. ‘This day can get weirder! That’s for fucking sure,’ she thought, clutching her stomach and willing herself not to throw up.