Breachers

CHAPTER NINE

Blood and Iron

 

 

Day 68

 

 

 

Marcus slowly walked toward the old, worn restaurant in the dead of night, passing rows of trees. Strange vegetation had overgrown most of his surroundings. The air was thick with a mixture of bitter and sweet scents, making it hard for him to notice anything else. As he pressed on, the soft thuds of the heavy robot echoed behind him. Marcus held a shield in one hand and a spear in the other, just like his robotic companion that was trailing him. ‘Just a few more seconds,’ he thought, mentally preparing himself as they approached the building.

Marcus noticed fresh signs of combat that hadn’t been there during Specter’s last visit. Large cut marks gouged the brick wall, as if a razor-sharp weapon had slashed deep into it. ‘A weapon used by a Breacher? An axe or something?’ They circled the worn restaurant until they spotted the front door, where a shrouded figure stood beside two dead monsters. In the darkness, he strained to see Specter in its tattered black raincoat, the ruined fabric giving the robot a ghostly aura.

“That’s not creepy at all,” Marcus muttered as they approached. Getting closer he saw Specter’s robotic frame through the tears in its clothes—exposed matte-black metal and dark grey plastic plating now having replaced the usual white.

“You boys lost?” Specter said in an amused but hushed tone.

Marcus studied the three lenses in Specter’s head, arranged in a triangular pattern. A faint blue hue glowed from them, effected by the light blue Orb they had crammed inside the head behind the cameras.

“Good to see you,” Marcus said softly, giving his companion a quick once-over. He looked at the black sneakers now covering Specter’s steel feet, protective gloves, as well as a black hoodie and jeans. Despite the outfit, Marcus was well aware of all the damage that was hidden underneath the clothes. They had patched what they could, but he knew he’d need the old man soon for more serious repairs. ‘No more glow from the cracks in his torso now that we moved the Orb to his head. Definitely helps with stealth.’

He then shifted his gaze to the dead monsters on the ground and smiled at the sight. “We saw your handiwork on the beach, leading up to the building. Looks like you had fun.”

Specter nodded. “Oh, I certainly did,” it said, patting the backpack secured at its waist. “And it paid off. 11 Glass pieces so far.”

“Good to hear,” Marcus said, studying Specter’s new lenses. Two smaller ones sat below the larger one, and now and then the blue glow inside them brightened or dimmed, as if Specter was adjusting their settings. ‘The big one is like his old camera—basic, but with better zoom. The smaller ones are for thermal and night vision. I wonder how weird it feels to suddenly go from one eye to having three.’ Marcus had bought the two smaller cameras at a hunting store and the bigger one at a pawnshop, just as the old man suggested.

“I take it those new eyes made a difference inside the Spere? Did you actually get them to work?”

“See for yourself,” Specter said, gripping Marcus’s shoulder and instantly establishing a connection.

Memories flooded Marcus’s mind—Specter’s arrival in the Sphere the previous night, it hiding in the water most of the time and occasionally dispatching monsters as they came to drink from the lake. Marcus recalled how the robot had adjusted to the regular camera mere minutes after their ‘operation,’ though the other two lenses had taken several hours to adapt, only fully activating after Specter left the apartment and entered the Sphere.

Once the connection stabilized and Specter sensed Marcus was ready, it began sharing all of its senses. Marcus found himself seeing through Specter’s cameras, watching as the robot zoomed in on his face before shifting its focus to the right. The vision shifted to a dull green as the night vision activated. It took Marcus a while to adjust, but he soon noticed more details of the nearby terrain. The view changed again, this time to a spectrum of colors as the thermal imaging kicked in. Specter’s gaze returned to Marcus, then shifted to the two dead monsters on the ground, highlighting the temperature contrast before cutting the connection.

“That felt weird,” Marcus muttered, feeling an urge to blink a few times.

“Yeah, it took me a while to get used to,” Specter admitted, watching Marcus rub his eyelids. “The night vision isn’t that bad. It’s just weird. It’s the thermal one that really messes me up the most, even after all this time. It’s manageable if I stay still. But when I run... hell, it’s even when I walk... I didn’t even know I could feel mentally sick as a tin can.”

“We need to focus,” the taller robot said, snapping Marcus and Specter back to reality and reminding them of the task at hand: there were literal monsters inside.

“You’re right,” Marcus said before giving his equipment a final check and tightening his hold on his shield and spear. “We’re looking at around five of those ugly buggers inside, right?” he asked, relying on the recent memories Specter had given him.

“Yeah, that’s right. Two lurking behind the bar, and three munching on one of their own in the middle of the room,” Specter said, prompting the other robot to tighten its grip on its shield and spear, ready to charge. “So, what’s the game plan?”

Marcus replayed Specter’s memories, thinking about how to take out the monsters without making too much noise or alerting others.

“Let’s be smart about it. Specter leads the charge, taking down one of them before they realize what’s happening. We follow closely behind. The goal is to eliminate three of them in a matter of seconds and tip the odds in our favor. And I mean, unfair bullying advantage. I want us to be the bad guys here. Got it?” Marcus asked. Both robots nodded, with Specter grabbing its two axes and assuming a crouched position.

“Go.”

Specter moved forward, staying low as it slipped inside. Marcus paused for a moment, then rushed after his steel companion, crossing the threshold into the restaurant. Specter shot forward and buried its axe in the nearest monster's neck. With a swift spin, while dragging the monster along with him, Specter became a whirlwind of steel, slamming its second axe into another monster's chest. The sound of steel biting into flesh echoed through the room, joined by pained hisses.

Marcus sprinted to the third monster, bracing his shield as he slammed into it head-on. He felt the metal tip of his spear tear through the creature and drive upward, bringing himself close enough for the monster to futilely claw at his shield in retaliation, unaware of the fact that it was impaled and would be dead in a matter of seconds as it bled out. Marcus released the spear, swiftly drawing a knife from his belt and using his shield to bash the monster to the ground. As he pressed the shield down harder, hearing bones crack, Marcus couldn’t help but notice how much easier the fight had gone compared to his previous encounters.

‘I feel good,’ he thought, realizing he had made the right choice in upgrading his Strength Stat last night. He then plunged the knife into the monster’s throat before yanking it out and ramming it through its eye for good measure. He retrieved the bloody knife and dropped into a combat stance, eyes scanning for the next threat.

“Status,” he hissed, trying to keep his voice down, despite the commotion they had just produced mere seconds ago.

“Finished on my end,” Specter said, wrenching out its axes and casually kicking the heads of the lifeless monsters, either for amusement or to double-check. Marcus’s gaze shifted to the other robot, his eyes widening. The tall robot had nearly cut one monster in half with its shield embedded in the bar, while its steel hand gripped the creature’s throat, preventing it from screaming. Its other hand was still holding on to its spear, the tip embedded in another monster’s throat, raised up to the ceiling. The monster was still thrashing around as blood poured out from the chest wound and ran down the length of the spear.

‘That frame is stronger than Specter... like a lot stronger,’ Marcus thought, observing the robot’s immovable stance, its mostly piston-driven body hardly twitching as it held the two monsters with ease while watching the one impaled on its spear die. ‘Maybe it was originally designed for heavy lifting? Makes sense, considering all the additional pistons it’s got.’

He watched the large robot yank its spear free, letting the lifeless monster drop before brutally stomping its head.

The robot shifted its two lenses onto the remaining monster that was crippled from the waist down, struggling to breathe as it clawed desperately at the steel arm wrapped around its throat. Carefully, the robot leaned its spear against the counter before clenching its fist. With a deliberate motion, it slid the monster to the side, tearing apart its lower half still trapped by the shield embedded in the counter. As the creature’s head protruded from the bar, the robot slammed its large fist down, obliterating the monster’s face and snapping its neck at an unnatural angle.

“Done,” the robot declared, retrieving both pieces of Glass. It grabbed its shield and spear, then moved toward Marcus and Specter.

“I almost feel sorry for the poor bugger,” Marcus muttered, staring at the dead monster as his companions joined him. Each handed him two bloody pieces of Glass. He retrieved the Glass from his own killed monster and grabbed a plastic bag from his own backpack, sealing the pieces inside. “That’s five more pieces. 16 in total today. A good start.”

He grabbed his equipment and opened his HUD to check how much time they had left before switching to the Status screen.

 

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Official Rank:	Beta / Rank 2
Power Rating:	10

 

 

 

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Stats

 

 

 

 

 

 

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            Marcus checked the numbers on his screen, grinning again when he saw his Power rating of 10. ‘No longer Alpha Rank, the lowest of the low,’ he thought, confidence swelling as he eyed his new, unofficial Beta status and what he had achieved along the way.

“Alright, weapons ready. Specter, lead the way,” he said to his companions. They moved forward slowly, Marcus in the center, leaving the partially destroyed main room to descend the stairs. A dozen steps in, Specter paused, raising its hand to signal danger. Marcus strained to see in the dark basement, only the faint light blue light coming in from the hole in the floor above them where Specter had fallen through during his solo adventure offering him any help.

Marcus was about to reach out to make contact with Specter when his companion shot forward, rushing towards one of the dark corner. In an instant, the robot hacked at something relentlessly, each blow vicious and precise. The brutal sounds made Marcus tense, shield raised, as he waited for the threat. ‘Is it another monster, like last time? Or are there more of them this time?’ he thought. Moments later, Specter flung a monster corpse toward him. It slid to a bloody halt halfway. The monster’s chest and head were riddled with wounds, Specter’s axes having hacked bits of it apart..

“Good job spotting it, Specter.” Marcus said, retrieving the bloody Glass and adding it to his growing collection. “Well, that makes 17 pieces. Is there any other spot we need to double check nearby?” he asked. Specter shook its head, its dark frame fading into the shadows, only the soft blue glow of its lenses visible. “Good job looking like every child’s nightmare by the way. Let’s go.”

They moved cautiously toward the concealed pathway. Marcus, unable to see as well as Specter, felt the draft as he crouched by the opening. The larger robot cleared vines with its spear, widening the opening to reveal a damaged wall and the path beyond.

After setting their weapons down, Specter grabbed Marcus’s shoulder, linking their senses. Relying on Specter’s vision, Marcus peered into the cavern as they pushed through the vines. His robot switched between thermal and night vision, revealing an almost literal wave of monsters within the cavern.

“There’s got to be at least 200 of the bastards down there, maybe more,” Marcus muttered, watching monsters climb walls, fight each other, and hang inside sacks in various stages of growth. He and Specter crawled back slowly, careful to stay silent. When he got out he crouched near the entrance, resting his back against the wall.. ‘Ignoring the ones still growing, and our plan even works, we’re potentially facing a large portion of that horde... perhaps at once,’ he mused, closing his eyes briefly and sighing, trusting his companions to keep watch. ‘But we’ve got the terrain advantage. And if Specter’s plan succeeds, their numbers will work against them.’

He knew the risks—he could lose one of his robots, lose a limb, or even die. But the promise of great reward remained—weeks or months of strategic killing condensed into one battle, along with valuable Glass pieces and a chance at getting his greedy hands on another Orb. “That boost in Strength might’ve pushed me up to Beta rank, but I doubt those creatures will give a damn about my new title,” he muttered.

“It’s your call, Marcus,” Specter said softly as it crouched down to pick up its axes. “No shame in backing off and focusing on building your strength. We’ve already looted plenty of Glass. We can stick to our usual hunting routine and return in a few weeks when you’ve gained more experience and chewed up a bit more Glass.”

Marcus considered Specter’s words before nodding and turning to the larger robot. “And what do you think we should do?”

“We’re already here,” it said with a slight shrug. “It would be a waste of time to go back now.”

“Glass-hungry, huh?” Specter chimed in, amusement evident in its deep, confident voice. “Or are you after the Orb now? Tired of sharing them with me?”

In response, the large robot tightened its grip on its shield and spear before answering, “I’m here for my name.”

“Name?” Marcus asked curiously as his gaze shifted between the two robots.

Turning towards Marcus, the larger robot nodded. “Specter also had its moment to earn a name. I want the same opportunity,” it said, stepping closer to Marcus with confidence but not in a threatening way. “Besides, the three of us have got too much fire and pride inside of us to walk away now,” it said before pointing the tip of its spear towards the opening in the wall. “I say we show these monsters what happens when they are up against hungry wolves.”

Specter imitated a sigh as it moved toward the hole. “The big lad isn’t wrong. Whether it’s blood or iron inside us, we’re wolves.”

‘Wolves, huh?’ Marcus thought, feeling that competitive side of him instinctively make the decision for him. He shook his head and retrieved his belongings. “Fine,” he conceded, gesturing towards the hole in the wall before switching to Specter. “You’re on overwatch. Fall back if you’ve got to deal with anything more than a single monster. You’re our only working set of eyes here.”

He turned to the larger robot and tapped its chest. “We’re heading back to the beach to fetch the rest of our stuff.” The robot nodded and led the way up the stairs, Marcus following close behind. Despite the swarm of doubts in his mind, one thought cut through them all.

 

‘Blood and iron.’