Shadow of the Abyss

"You think Ren will get the nibbles like you?" Reina asked piggyback riding on her Prince out of the hotel room and down the elevator to the ground floor. "I hope so. That way, you can call me Ren, Queen of the Nibbles."

"You're an idiot." Altair laughed, walking off the elevator into the lobby, where the sight of Nia greeted him.

Leonie Cross unconsciously shook the moment their eyes met, recalling the spiritual pressure that ate at her that night, for which Altair was apologetic but not enough to articulate it.

It wasn't his fault she was weak, he thought, greeting her with a smile.

"M-Morning." Nia stammered, trying to sound brave, but her voice cracked. She cursed as the shame began to nurse itself in her heart.

"We missed you last night," Altair continued, curious if she was ill. "Were you unwell?"

"Tired is all," Nia explained, massaging her shoulders. "The barracks beds are simply too uncomfortable. It felt nice resting on a real bed without roommates. Anyway, we're all waiting for you. Everyone is outside. Follow me."

Heading out of the lobby, Altair charmingly smiled at the dozen or so men eying him, observing his every step, his every gesture with cold precision. From their clothing, he could just about tell those from a Corpo to those that were foreign diplomats.

Those from a corporation were always in a seven-piece black suit, carrying their insignia just below their pocket square. In contrast, foreign diplomats wore traditional robes that carried the colors of their home world, glistering with jewelry that would otherwise make combat tedious. It was clear who were soldiers and who were speakers within the senate.

Outside, Altair swept his gaze across the hundred or so soldiers coming from all around the world, by small military cruisers, hovering in the skies, rappelling downwards one after the other.

"It's been like this all night," Nia told him, maneuvering around the various soldiers they crossed to the east near the far end of the lake. It was there beneath a cubed iron tent that Altair's eyes met with Fat Mikes.

"Lazy bastard," Captain Mike said, snorting, his large sausage fingers pointing accusingly at him. "You're ten minutes late!" he smirked and glanced at Ren and then Altair. "Was it midnight sex, or was it morning?"

Never so grateful for her mask, Ren hurried off Altair's back.

'Why am I so turned on, though,' Ren asked herself, hiding behind Altair's broad shoulders.

"My man!" Fat Mike cheered, but with Amilia's cold glare, he wasn't laughing for long. He coughed into his palm. "Yes. Ummm, where is Ren? The pup? I thought she'd be joining us?"

"She's in my room." Commander Illiana said, waving at Altair with smiling eyes that left him exposed.

"Is she. Well fine. And where are those other two you said was joining you?" Fat Mike directed at Iliana

"Thanos and Zag got lost." Iliana calmly explained. "It's their first time driving, so there've been a lot of mishaps," she said, almost at a loss for words at the duo. "They'll be here in a few hours though… maybe."

"Well, that sucks." Fat Mike moaned, signalling for Vincent. "You explained the dynamic to Altair and Reina. I've got to report to Admiral Darkfire that we're ready. Amilia, is the medical ward prepared?"

With a firm nod, Amilia spoke:" Yes. The Cellular Tank is ready. So, as long as anyone on our team has a beating heart, we can bring them back. But that doesn't mean it's acceptable to be reckless. These things cost nearly one hundred thousand Sols. It's best if we don't have to use it unless we need to."

"Aye, Aye,' Kalvar said, recalling the last time he was caught in an explosion that rendered nearly half his body a shredded paste. If not for Amilia reaching him in time, Kalvar knew he'd be dead, or at least a cripple.

"Let's go, then. Amilia, you're with me. We got other teams to check in on. Stay strong, Team Seven." Fat Mike roared, taking his leave with Amilia.

"Seven?" Altair said to Vincent.

"It's what the captain calls us. He's got other people responsible, so he named them." Vincent remarked and glanced at Iliana. "Are you sure it's alright for me to take over?"

"Pretend I'm not here. And take all the credit." Iliana waved, uncaringly playing away with her Holophone. "Whether you succeed or lose is up to your commands. Now stop bothering me. I'm playing a game."

"Master… why are you so lazy." Altair moaned, unsure how she was determined to be his master. Had mother simply chosen her at random?

Flicking him off, Iliana continued with her life.

Ren snickered. " I like her."

Altair was speechless. It had been a week since he'd started training beneath her, and he still couldn't grasp her personality. Iliana was like an elusive cat. She would appear out of nowhere, steal food and drink at random times, all the wild training him at odd hours of the night.

"Can we get on with this?" Laros barked beside the trembling Olivia.

It was then Altair noticed them. He arched a brow, noticing how close they sat and glanced at Talia chatting with Aurora as if nothing happened.

'I wanted to test if the madness still lingered in her." The boy thought, knowing it to be true. 'The old Talia never hated Olivia to this degree that she would force her to return to her rapist. Though she seems focused, could this mean madness doesn't necessarily mean being insane? Right now. Talia seems unhinged… in a good way, if that's possible.'

"Alright. Listen up then." Vincent said. "The game is called Search and Destroy. Each team is given a single Cube made out of nanobots. That cube is essentially your lifeline. If it's destroyed, you're out of the game.

However, if you manage to destroy your enemy's cube, you gain a point, and the Cube grows heavier, slowly evolving until it can't be moved. Forcing you to go on the defensive."

"Interesting. How sturdy is the cube?"

"There are two ways to destroy it. A level three circle spell or seven seconds of physical contact with the cube to activate its self-destruction sequence, followed by a five-second window to deactivate it. It takes five seconds of physical contact to deactivate." Vincent said.

"Nia, can your spear penetrate this cube?"

"Afraid not. We're not allowed to use outside weapons." Nia explained, pointing to the case behind Laros. " We got swords, daggers, rapiers, guns and more. But they are all tier-two weapons. Trashy but useful."

"I see. What happens if we take out an entire team?" Ren inquired.

"Then the enemy cube will dissolve and enter yours," Vincent answered.

"Any rules we should know about?"

" Aside from no upside contraband. No killing. Or sexual assault of any kind." Said Vincent, glancing at Olivia.

"What about torture?" Altair asked, perking the ears of everyone present. It was an odd question but a valid one.

"… it's allowed." Vincent hesitantly said. "Though our troopers have been conditioned not to break."

The Prince smirked at that. " Maybe the real soldiers have been but not recruits. And I've yet to meet a man or woman that hasn't broken under my blade."

Laros felt a heat rise up with him. "Bastard." He said, knowing he was talking about the soldiers of House Aros he butchered.

"Keep it PG for me if you can. Remember, this is about looking good. Torture isn't an easy thing to watch. The cube has a built-in birds-eye camera, so it'll give the sponsors a good view of everything. We also have thousands of cameras scattered throughout the forest, so watch what you say. No racist remarks or controversial statements.

Phase one will last three weeks. Those that survive will enter round two. This phase is for recruits only, so it'll be rare for you to meet recruits with three or four circles. But it's not outside the realm of possibilities. Keep that in mind."

Altair pondered for a moment, touching his chin. "How many of these cubes do we need to absorb to make it to phase two."

"Five," Vincent replied. "So base-on where you get your fifth cube determines where you'll remain, so think carefully once you get more than five kills. Your cube will continue to evolve, meaning it'll grow. Alerting people to your location. The bare requirement for a single squad is five. So you are safe.

But be careful. The limit is ten."

Altair nodded before he and Ren handled Iliana Draupnir. They quickly hunted for their respective weapons before pulling up a map of the region. To which they memorized after a few minutes of looking it over.

"Alright, guys, come." The Prince commanded. "Our formation will be the same as it was in the Drove of Estelle. However, Laros is out, and Reina is in."

"Excuse me?" Laros growled, scrunching his brow.

"Talia, you'll be Aurora's knight. She's our mage. But make sure to preserve mana. Same for you, Aurora, you'll be the heart, so—"

"Altair, this is bullshit!" Laros roared. "I–"

Sheens of silver light practically flashed, cutting across Laros's throat, barely reaching him as Altair pointed his blade at him. " If you so much as speak my name, I'll have your head." He warned with icy killing intent that radiated like a winter's breeze. "This is my command. And I won't have a person like you on my team."

"Altair…" Vincent said gruffly. "You can't just decide that. I know you two have a history, but these are orders. And like it or not. Sometimes, you have to work with people who hate your guts."

"He's right. Take him with you." Iliana advised, glancing at Altair with a knowing look that made him smile.

He nodded her way with an equally cold gleam in his eyes. "Fine. He can join. He'll be up with me and Reina, though his main focus will be on guarding Talia. Just make sure not to break formation. Our aim is the twin peaks north of the map."

Distantly, Altair was quite aware of Laros's gloating expression but didn't comment on it. He had been quite aware he couldn't rid himself of the boy so easily. Rather, his aim was to alert the lieutenant of their relationship as a show of warning. This way, when he did rid himself of Laros, it would be justified by everyone watching.

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