The digital chronometer on Roric's wrist chimed softly: 0100 hours. The dead of night in District 7 was a tapestry of oppressive silence, broken only by the distant howl of industrial machinery and the scuttling of unseen things in the shadows. The Crimson Coil – Kai, Breaker, and Zip forming the insertion team – stood before the gaping, rusted maw of the Serpent's Mouth, the abandoned District 6 transit line emergency exit. Roric and Shift were positioned two blocks away in a derelict hab-unit Roric had secured, their remote command post bristling with scavenged but surprisingly effective sensor arrays and communication gear.
Kai, clad in his dark, functional infiltration suit (similar to his Umbra gear but without the overt cloak, the Crimson Coil's dragon insignia subtly embossed on the reinforced shoulder pads), felt the familiar thrum of his Anima. His Core Stability was at a solid 95% after a carefully managed day. The recent level-up to Level 5, the boost to his Anima Affinity (now 10), and the new passive ability of "Draconic Resilience" gave him a sense of deeper, more robust power. His "Anima Aura Projection," though he wasn't consciously using it, seemed to lend a subtle weight to his presence, a quiet authority that his team responded to.
"Comms check, insertion team," Roric's voice, crisp and clear, came through their encrypted earpieces. "Kai, reading you," he replied. "Breaker, here." "Zip, loud and… uh, quiet!"
"Shift, any changes on local Cerberus network activity or patrols?" Roric queried. "Negative, Roric," Shift's calm voice responded. "Their network traffic is nominal for this time of night. No unusual patrol patterns detected near your position or the target warehouse. It seems their focus remains on the sectors Umbra was previously active in." A small, grim satisfaction touched Kai's lips. His nightly hunts had indeed served as an effective, if unintentional, diversion.
"Alright, Serpent's Mouth is our entry," Kai said, his voice low, addressing Breaker and Zip. He looked at the heavy, rusted metal door that barred the tunnel entrance. "Breaker, Shift's earlier recon suggested this was barred from the inside, possibly with old transit line locking mechanisms. Your Gorgon Anima is our best bet for a quiet, forceful entry. Minimize noise if possible."
Breaker nodded, stepping forward. Patches of his skin on his massive shoulders and forearms began to take on their familiar stony texture as his D-Grade Anima activated. He examined the door, then placed his hands on it, testing its resistance. With a low grunt, he began to apply steady, immense pressure. Metal groaned in protest, rust flaking off. It wasn't a sudden smash, but a controlled, powerful push. There was a sharp crack, then another, as old locking bolts sheared. Slowly, silently, a narrow gap opened.
[Breaker – Gorgon Anima: Controlled Force Application successful. Entry Point 'Serpent's Mouth' breached with minimal noise. Anima Core (Breaker): Depleted by 5%.]
"Impressive, Breaker," Roric's voice acknowledged. "Your control is improving." Breaker merely grunted in response, pushing the door open just enough for them to slip through one at a time.
"Zip," Kai ordered, "you're point. Short bursts. We need immediate visual on the first fifty meters of this tunnel. Look for any internal traps, sensors Cerberus might have added, or signs of recent passage. Be our eyes."
Zip, his multifaceted Dragonfly eyes already glowing faintly in the oppressive darkness of the tunnel beyond, nodded sharply. "Got it, Leader." He took a quick, steadying breath, and with a near-imperceptible shimmer, his D-Grade Anima activated. He darted into the tunnel, a flicker of motion that was there and then gone.
Kai and Breaker waited, every sense on high alert. The tunnel smelled of stale air, ancient dust, and something else – a faint, metallic tang that Kai's enhanced perception registered as old blood, or perhaps just rust.
A few tense moments later, Zip's voice came through their comms, a little breathless. "Clear for the first fifty, Leader. Tunnel's old, crumbling in places, but no obvious traps or fresh signs of Cerberus. Got some old glow-strips on the walls, mostly dead, but they show the way. It curves left after about seventy meters. And… there are side passages. Lots of them. Old service ducts, maintenance shafts. This place is a maze." [Zip – Dragonfly Anima: Recon successful. Multiple unexplored sub-tunnels identified. Anima Core (Zip): Depleted by 8%.]
"Understood, Zip," Kai replied. "Fall back to us. We move as a unit. Breaker, you take point now, I'm on your six. Zip, you cover our rear and keep an eye on those side passages. We stick to the main transit tunnel according to Shift's projected route. No deviations unless absolutely necessary."
They moved into the darkness, their footsteps muffled by the thick layer of dust on the tunnel floor. The only light came from the faint, residual glow of ancient emergency strips and the subtle luminescence from Zip's eyes as he scanned their surroundings. The silence was heavy, broken only by the drip of water from unseen cracks in the ceiling and the distant, almost subliminal hum of the city above.
The System pinged Kai: [New Environment Entered: Veridia City Under-Transit Tunnels (District 6/7 Border – Disused). Ambient Anima Level: Low. Potential Hazards: Structural instability, feral vermin, unmapped sublevels, residual toxins.] [Daily Quest Update: 'Labyrinthine Infiltration' – Successfully navigate 500m of hostile subterranean territory. Reward: +40 EXP, +1 'Pathfinder's Charm' (Consumable – temporarily enhances sense of direction and ability to detect hidden passages).]
They proceeded cautiously, Breaker's massive form parting the shadows ahead, Kai close behind, his senses extended, feeling for any subtle shifts in air pressure, any unusual sounds. His new "Draconic Resilience" passive seemed to make the oppressive, slightly toxic air of the tunnel less bothersome than it might have been otherwise.
After about ten minutes of slow, careful progress, Shift's voice came through the comms. "Kai, Roric, I'm picking up faint, intermittent energy readings approximately two hundred meters ahead along your projected path. It's not standard city grid power. Could be localized, independent power sources, or even Anima-based tech if it's very low yield. My Phase Spider Anima can't get a clear lock on the signature type from this distance through the interference, but it's definitely not part of the original transit line systems."
"Cerberus internal security?" Kai murmured. "Possibly," Roric replied. "Or just old, forgotten machinery still drawing a trickle of power. Approach with extreme caution. Zip, can you risk a longer-range burst recon when you get closer, try to get a visual on the source?"
"Can try, Roric," Zip said, his voice tight. "But if it's active tech, it might detect my Anima burst." "A necessary risk," Roric stated. "Knowing what's ahead is paramount."
Kai felt the familiar dynamic: Roric assessing risk, making the strategic call. His role was to execute, to face whatever lay ahead. The Serpent's Mouth was leading them deeper into the unknown, and the first test of their infiltration was rapidly approaching.