"Kean go! The rest of us will hold down the fort," Gilbert instructed, his guns firing relentlessly as Styx continued pouring into the chamber.
Vivian increased her flamethrower's output, painting the cave in searing red hues. The walls glowed like lava, but Kean didn't wait for the heat to settle, he jetted off, disappearing into the tunnel.
Moments after his departure, a twelve-foot-long salamander Styx stepped into the chamber, its presence silencing all others.
Gilbert took a step forward.
"Pantheon, report," he requested
' Report: Tier II Styx detected. Energy levels approximately hundred and ten radions'
Gilbert holstered his pistol.
"Okay, simple math, guys. Let's get him," Gilbert said reaching for his sword.
As he moved to jump from his outlook, William spoke up.
"No need to come down yet, Gilbert. I'll handle this," he said, spear blade glowing crimson as he struck his shield with sharp impact, drawing the Styx's attention.
The Tier II Styx roared, its metallic scales clinking as it squared with William
William charged, the squad raining fire upon the surrounding Styx, providing cover as he closed the gap.
Just before reaching it, the Styx attacked its metallic whipping at him slicing through the air.
Without hesitation, William activated his suit's thrusters, bursting forward and using the generated force to parry the attack.
The tail crashed into another Styx, killing it on impact as the tail tip cratered the ground, while William spun his spear like a drill, driving it deep into the salamander's side.
The beast bellowed, its chest swelling unnaturally. Suddenly, it released a cloud of thick mist, completely engulfing William's form.
The squad kept an eye in tense silence as Gilbert continued instructing them to wipe out the other low-tier Styx.
The only sign of life in the mist was the roars of the Styx, collisions of attacks on the stone surface along with the faint glow of crimson lines.
Then-
"AHHH!"
William's scream tore through the chamber as he shot out of the mist like a bullet, the Tier II Styx lunging after him, jaws opened wide inches from devouring him whole.
Before the beast could finish the job, Adam fired instantly, his bullet striking the creature's lower jaw, blood blossoming through the air.
"William, are you okay?" Gilbert asked, never breaking his fire pattern as he prepared to join the close combat.
"I'm fine, just caught off guard," William replied.
As the mist began to clear, the squad saw the salamander's tail thrashing violently, William's spear still embedded deep within it.
With no hesitation, William grabbed a smoke bomb from his tactical belt, tossing it directly onto the Styx before diving back into the haze, the creature's roar shaking the chamber in response.
A guttural wail echoed through the chamber.
Subsequently, the smoke finally cleared, revealing the Tier II Styx lying dead, William's spear buried deep in its chest.
Meanwhile, William sat atop its head, craters marking its skull, steam rising off his gauntlets, the aftermath of their exchange.
"I told you I got this," William said, jumping down. With a firm pull, he yanked his spear from the creature's chest, blood pouring out as the smell of iron wafted out.
Gilbert gave him a nod of acknowledgment while shrugging his shoulders.
"Never doubted you for a minute, nice job though. Anastasia, check his armor, repair all the major damages ignore any that won't affect his suit's performance. We need to conserve resources."
Turning his attention elsewhere, he activated his comms.
"Kean, come in, any update?"
Kean's voice crackled through the comms.
"Yeah, Gilbert, uhmm we've got a problem. There are dead Styx here at the end."
Gilbert remained unfazed, assessing the situation.
"That's not surprising. Beast Styx prey on each other. What's off about these?"
Kean responded immediately."They have no signs of being eaten. These are fresh plus they aren't caused by another beast."
Gilbert paused momentarily, weighing the implications before responding.
"Alright, Kean, make your way back quickly. We're almost done here."
The squad focused once more.
William shrugged slightly, allowing Anastasia to work on his armor.
"I'm not one stir trouble, but aren't you making a big deal out of nothing?" he questioned. "Could it be possible another squad had wiped them out in the passing?"
Gilbert nodded acknowledging his words.
"You're right to consider that, but no squad has been reported in our vicinity since our battle started. Let's stay sharp, just in case."
Before anyone could respond, a voice echoed through the chamber, cutting through the air with a ghastly ease.
"Oh, this one is smart."
The squad immediately tensed, their vigilance rising in perfect sync.
Gilbert snapped to attention, his head on a swivel, trying to pinpoint the source.
Then the voice came again.
"He, he, he, you're so cute. How about I make you a deal?"
Gilbert didn't hesitate, his tone calm.
"As much as I'd love to make a deal, I'm very superstitious, so I won't be making a deal with ghosts."
As he spoke, he gestured in the dark, signaling William and Vivian. They went into motion tightening their formation, ensuring Anastasia and Chen Mei remained behind them.
"He he he"
The eerie laugh echoed once more, sending a ripple of unease through the squad.
Then, their sensors blipped, detecting a silhouette forming at the center of the chamber, capturing everyone's full attention.
"Who are you? Report your status." Gilbert's voice rang out, sharp, commanding.
The figure answered, its tone casual yet deeply unsettling.
"I am the Dead."
Gilbert didn't miss a beat, his retort just as swift.
"Then go find a grave to lay in, I can even make you a beautiful headstone."
"That's so sweet," the voice hummed mockingly, "but I already have one. You're invading it."
A pause.
"What I want is some grave offerings. Your supplies seem like a good choice."
"How does this sound, your supplies for your life?"
The squad remained on edge, weapons at the ready.
Gilbert stared at the silhouette for several long seconds, thoughts stirring in his mind.
"I'm sorry, but we need those. Try the lift, you might find what you're looking for there."
Silence.
"Wrong choice, little knight."
The tension snapped tight, thick enough to cut.
Without hesitation, Gilbert signaled his squad, and in perfect sync, they activated their helmet lights, flooding the chamber with harsh illumination.
The sight that greeted them was worse than expected.
Around them stood three knights, their armor in patchwork ruins, even more worn than the Knights of the Watch.
Their forms were damaged, pieces of armor missing entirely.
And their insignia—
The emblem of the Watch, a tower with a reptilian eye on top, had been crossed through. The Knight ID on their cuirass also scraped off.
The squad kept their weapons trained, their sights locked onto the figures before them.
"You guys are criminal knights," William blurted out, his tone blunt.
The knight directly in front tilted his head slightly.
"We prefer rogue knights," he corrected.
William, still processing the situation, pressed on.
"Why are you still alive? Why doesn't the Federation wipe you all out?" He asked.
Before the rogues could answer, Vivian spoke up.
"It is cheaper to leave them down here and let the Styx take care of them. Even if they somehow survive, they will still have to kill Styx for sustenance, helping the Citadel keep the population down no matter how small it may be."
She glanced at William.
"That way, the Federation doesn't waste resources forming a punitive force to hunt them down. And the rogues, well, they get to cling to life for as long as their strength allows. A win-win situation for both sides."
"They would be called the Death Watch."
A brief silence followed.
Then, the larger knight to the left released a low chuckle shifting his stance slightly before addressing Vivian.
"Oh wow, this one is smart. Where are you from, sweetie?" His tone was laced with mocking amusement.
"Nowhere you will ever go," Vivian spat back, her voice dripping with disgust.
The larger rogue knight let out a mocking sigh, his voice laced with artificial pity.
"Oh, don't be like that," he crooned. "At least leave us with some resources, allow us to live like normal humans for a while."
William, ignoring the taunting entirely, turned to Vivian.
"What about the Knights of the Watch? Why don't they kill them?" He asked
Vivian's eyes narrowed, her answer crisp.
"They have the instincts of hyenas. They know when to hide from predators, but the moment they find something weaker than them, they attack viciously," She told him.
Before the exchange could continue, a female voice cut through filled with impatience.
"Enough talk, their Sergeant up there has maybe already requested reinforcements, hand over your resources," she said.
The moment the female knight issued her demand, Adam fired a shot at the lead rogue knight, his shot war horn.
Gilbert using the chance, dove from his perch, his shoulder-mounted assault rifle unleashing a deadly barrage, forcing all their enemies into immediate defense.
Arriving above the leader, his armored boot slammed into his shoulder, disrupting his stance before landing on the ground.
Without wasting a moment for the Knight to react, Gilbert drew both his swords swinging in wide ruthless arcs, aiming for the the knight's unprotected areas.
Despite Gilbert's quick series of attacks the knight reacted swiftly dodging Gilbert's strikes. Despite his lack of thruster activation, he kept pace with Gilbert's rapid strikes, focusing on dodging rather than blocking.
The rogue Knight's blade was unconventional a sharpened Styx spine, its handle wrapped in Styx leather, slicing through the air with an uneven hum.
Meanwhile, William clashed with larger rogue knight, their blows thundering through the cave, each strike carrying enough force to rattle the stones around them.
William's spear collided with the metallic skull of a salamander-type Styx, the impact sending sparks flying.
Elsewhere, Vivian kept the female knight on the move, unleashing a blast of fire instead of her usual sustained streams, ensuring her opponent remained on the defensive.
Cover fire rained down from the command post as Chen Mei and Anastasia joined Adam. Their shots masking Adams's precise fire causing major problems for the Death Watch knights.
Gilbert fully engaged with the leader suddenly ducked as a blood blossom on the knight's shoulder. Using the chance as he searched for the source of the shot Gilbert drove his sword forward driving through the knight's ribs, but the Knight didn't react the serrated spinal bones striking between his cuirass and pauldron forcing Gilbert to abandon his attack making a hasty retreat blooding streaming down the curves of his armor.