Extra's Ascent

They ventured deeper, far more desperate than before. The narrow passage twisted and broadened until what once resembled a tunnel now unveiled itself as a true cavern, one infested by the taratects and the threat they pose.

Eric's involvement throughout their descent had taken a dramatic turn. He was no longer the hesitant observer clinging to the rear. Now, he charged into battle with sharpened focus, spearheading ambushes, coordinating strikes, and eliminating threats without waiting for instruction.

To Gerald, it was the first real proof that Eric belonged. "Showing his true worth," as the captain often phrased it.

Suddenly, Gerald raised his right fist, halting the group with a silent, practised gesture. The team froze, instincts honed by experience responding instantly.

"We've arrived," he announced quietly, eyes narrowing as he reached the cave's precipice.

Joseph moved beside him, peering over the edge to survey the scene below. "What's the situation?"

"Worse than anticipated," Gerald muttered, his voice lowered but tinged with the weight of dread. "Far worse."

Joseph sucked in a quiet breath, jaw clenching as he digested the sight. "No, no... this isn't just bad. This is catastrophic," he said, his tone calm, though his clenched fists betrayed the anxiety pulsing beneath his composed exterior. "There's a fucking queen taratect nesting down there"

They had arrived at the nest.

The chasm stretched beneath them, wide as a football field, carved into the earth like a wound. The nest pulsated with a grotesque rhythm, webs shimmering like ghostly sinew, coating the terrain in a deathly silver sheen.

At the nest's heart lay the queen taratect, an imposing monstrosity, colossal and crowned with natural armour thick enough to repel even concentrated mystic attacks. Her presence alone marked the area as a disaster-level threat.

But she wasn't alone.

Flanking her were two arch taratects, towering creatures categorised as pre-disaster class Walkers, behemoths on the verge of eclipsing the rank of destruction. Their limbs were sharpened blades, and their chittering echoed through the cavern like drums of war.

Surrounding them were seven greater taratects, each a predator-ranked nightmare. Their movements were sharp, coordinated, intelligent. And beneath their shadows crawled an uncountable swarm of lesser taratects, a writhing ocean of fangs and silk, ready to spill forth and consume all.

Joseph exhaled slowly, his voice steady but dark with gravity. "This isn't a nest. It's an invasion waiting to happen, Captain."

Gerald nodded grimly. "If this gets out, Downstate falls within minutes."

And it wouldn't stop there. Prime Walkers didn't conquer halfway. Once they seized ground, they cemented their dominion. They'd spread like a disease, infecting every inch of Sector A until nothing remained untouched. Their hunger was not aimless, it was strategic.

"What are our options? Do we call for backup or take the risk and engage?" Joseph asked, searching for a glimmer of reason in an impossible choice.

It was a heavy decision.

But if there was ever a moment to strike, it was now.

Right now, the nest was incubating a slumbering calamity. The queen, as the nerve centre of their collective mind, was waiting. Biding time. With another month, maybe two, this nest would become something truly apocalyptic.

They couldn't afford that future.

"Joseph, get outside and contact Xander. Eric and I will hold position until you return," Gerald instructed firmly.

The longer they delayed, the stronger the swarm would become. The time for hesitation had passed.

Normally, Gerald would've called for an executive division, specialists trained to eliminate Prime Walkers. But there were none. All were dispatched to the Northern Gate to engage a certified Catastrophe Walker.

And that monster... it was an entirely different breed. Unlike the taratects species whose power thrived in numbers, this Walker operated alone, drawing strength from its own overwhelming might. That foe would make the queen taratect look tame.

Joseph grimaced. "Are you absolutely certain about this, Captain? Four mystics against that… that horde?"

"If you have a better idea, now's the time," Gerald replied without looking back. "Otherwise, do as I said, bring me Xander."

There was no other option. They had to strike before the nest matured, before its tendrils reached the surface.

Joseph hesitated only a moment more, then turned. "Don't let him do anything reckless," he told Eric over his shoulder, and sprinted into the dark, retracing their path.

Eric stood still, breath shallow.

"Afraid?" Gerald asked, noticing the expression written plainly on Eric's face.

Eric didn't deny it. "Would it be wrong... to wish I was never brought here? That I didn't have to see this… at all?"

Gerald tilted his head slightly, thoughtful. "Why would that be wrong?"

Shame settled heavily on Eric's chest. His thoughts burned with guilt. How could he think like this? He knew his presence here today could mean salvation for thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands. His involvement might tip the scale. And yet…

Was he truly willing to make that sacrifice?

His life wasn't his alone. He thought of Aldrich. Of Saldrich. Two young children whose entire world depended on him returning alive. And then… something stirred deeper.

'There's a third.'

There was someone else anchoring him. A voice, a face, a story not yet finished.

'Marvelous's tale… I haven't heard the end.'

Marvelous Kennedy.

She was the third reason. The unexpected tether tying him to this moment, to a future worth surviving for. He wasn't ready to lose her voice, her warmth, the mystery that danced behind her words.

So was he willing to die here? To leave behind the kids… and leave her story untold?

The answer, stark and clear, throbbed in his chest.

No.

No, he wasn't ready to walk that path. Not today. Not yet.

Again, almost whispering to himself, Eric asked, "Would it be wrong to wish I'd never come here? That I'd never seen this at all?"

It wasn't a plea for escape. It was a confession. A cry from someone who had just realised what he stood to lose.

And in the silence that followed, with only the distant chittering of taratects echoing below, Gerald gave no answer.

But perhaps none was needed.

...

Notice, Due to some certain circumstances, I won't be able to update any chapters for the time being. So for the next seven days do not expect update.

I really apologize for the inconvenience as this was not part of my plan and definitely not my intention to let it turn out this way.