First Mission's a Doozy

Operations was, in layman's terms, a lot busier than when Cain first toured it—which was saying something considering how much of a sight it was to behold even then. The comparatively barren back wall was now covered in glyphs that displayed coordinate charts, maps, and graphs. Several members of the resistance were congregated in operations. Most of them Cain recognized from either his first day or his tour, but a couple were new to him. Namely, a man who looked strikingly similar to a bipedal fox, and the ring of lights Cain had seen when he got summoned. Rina had introduced the ring of lights as Star, saying she was some kind of “contracted spirit” that helped run the MOLE, but she didn’t go into much more detail than that before she got busy. Cain decided he’d leave her to her work and ask her about it later. Despite the melting pot of individuals in the room, they all seemed to be hard at work preparing for the mission ahead. Cain was seeing Last Bastion come to life before his eyes, its claws now on full display towards the target of this mission.

The mission debriefing had ended only minutes ago. A small farming village named Avcad had sent a request for aid through Last Bastion’s information network about a day ago. A somewhat sizable horde of “Bottomless” had been spotted making landfall in the woods nearby. What they meant by “making landfall”, Cain wasn’t quite sure, but he neglected to ask due to the tense atmosphere in the room. The MOLE was currently on route to the village to try and come to their rescue.

Cain was to stay behind and observe. According to Valerie, it was beyond clear that he wasn’t ready for real combat, and for once, he agreed with her. Rina and Star were also staying in operations, both to monitor Cain and oversee the mission. Everyone else, the members of the Vanguard were to fan out across the village, eliminate any of these “Bottomless” that they came into contact with, and lead the villagers to safety. As terrifying as the whole prospect seemed, Cain couldn’t help but find himself getting a little excited to see these people in action. After all, he needed to get an idea of the things the people he was going to be working with could do.

As time for the mission to begin came closer, Cain felt the MOLE begin to shake. It was faint at first, but soon he began to stumble slightly, trying to keep his balance. Everyone else seemed unfazed, like they’d done it a thousand times before. The whole room shuddered, and the floating display of the MOLE on the center console showed it breaking through the surface of the earth. Several more displays suddenly came to life, showing the full glory of the MOLE’s exterior.

Dirt fell away from the titanic stone and metal beast as a massive drill on the front slowed to a halt. When it stopped, the drill split and opened outwards, revealing a large doorway. Veins of thick blue liquid flowed across the surface of the beast, giving the whole thing a faint ethereal glow. The MOLE pulled itself up out of the ground with ease, the huge digging claws at its sides gliding through the earth like hot knives through butter.

As the MOLE grinded to a halt, the Vanguard sprung into action, each of them bolting out onto the observation deck and jumping down into the village below. Valerie, Gunnar, Eagrin, Shadra, and the fox man all began their mission, leaving Cain, Rina, and Star behind. Left with nothing to do but watch, Cain walked out onto the observation deck and finally, he received his first glimpse at the state of the world he was brought into.

Cain approached the railing of the observation deck, staring out across the landscape before him in awe. The village sat nestled in a shallow valley, farmland stretching out for miles. Beyond that, vegetation became sparse. Instead of more of the greenery from the valley and the surrounding forest, the land turned into a dark, corrupted wasteland. Murky green pools of slime sprouted from the ground like wellsprings of filth. Storms of dust and slime alike prowled the horizon, waiting for a chance to strike. Seeing a world in such a state was disheartening, to say the least.

It wasn’t quite clear to Cain what they were here to fight against right away, but it didn’t take long before he found out. As he stood there, leaned up against the railing, he noticed a number of curious shapes meandering around the village. He squinted his eyes, unsure if he was just seeing things due to the distance. His eyes slowly adjusted to both the distance and the late afternoon light however, and he saw their adversaries for the first time. Swarms of small creatures moved through the empty village streets. Each one, a blob of that murky green goo Cain had seen off in the distance that had four bony spider-like legs. Some of them were animated, skittering between alleyways looking for prey, while others stumbled around aimlessly. Bone-like protrusions sprouted from the slime that made up their bodies. Some of them sported small tendrils that lashed out at their fellows when they got too close. They each appeared different from the rest in some way or another, but they seemed to act almost with a shared consciousness. Their behavior was unsettling and their appearance creepy, but it wasn’t clear to Cain why they were such a threat. At least, not yet.

The most jarring part of it all however, was the gargantuan planetoid looming in the sky above. The same murky green goo from the pools in the wastes covered its surface, bubbling and blistering like a liquid boiling in a witch’s cauldron. A deep red rippled through it, pulsating rhythmically like the heartbeat of a colossal living creature. Twisting tendrils spiraled outwards from the planet, reaching out towards Ranael like gluttonous hands grabbing at food on a plate. The remnants of previous meals floated around the giant green blob, space rocks and debris from other planets playing the role of crumbs. Slime-coated meteorites rained down from the hulking mass onto the landscape across the horizon. Cosmic horror given form loomed in front of Cain, and he was only able to tear his eyes away when he heard explosions in the village down below.

He watched as the Vanguard spread out across Avcad with startling efficiency, each taking a different section of town. Even as his own doubts began to claw their way back into his mind, he was impressed at their tactics and prowess. He caught glimpses of Valerie, tearing through a small crowd of the Bottomless creatures with the same spear she had pointed at him the night before. She twirled her spear, the tip once again unfurling into a flag as she slammed the pole into the ground once they were all dispatched. As more approached, she quickly scrawled a glyph with black and yellow mana dancing from her fingertips. She twirled her flagpole once more as the glyph activated, the flag stiffening and turning into a scythe. She twisted and spun her body to slice at her foes as clouded, shadowy black lightning erupted outwards from the glyph she had sketched. In a flash, the surrounding creatures had been destroyed, and she dashed off, her dark hair flowing like the night.

Gunnar was also within view. His approach to real combat seemed very similar to what Cain had experienced, aside from him occasionally growing in size to stomp on groups of Bottomless. Cain made a mental note to ask him about that later. Gunnar struck down groups of the stumbling creatures with quick, forceful strokes of his fists. He charged into some of them, sending them flying. Others he simply grabbed and slammed them into one another. His style was definitely not as elegant as Valerie’s but it was at least just as effective.

As he watched them tear through the streets of Avcad, Cain’s doubts began to fade once more as he saw the ease at which they defeated the Bottomless. If there was one thing he was good atThese enemies didn’t look very tough, they just had numbers on their side. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all. Then he saw it—the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Cain noticed a few Bottomless congregating in an alleyway, stalking something. An old man. He brandished a pitchfork to defend himself with. The Bottomless didn’t seem to care about the fact that he was armed, advancing towards him and backing him into a corner. They moved with slow, yet methodical steps, like cats stalking a bird. The old man stabbed at them with his pitchfork to no avail as the creatures continued to inch closer. And then, one of them leapt at him. Cain stood there, helpless as he watched the Bottomless jump on the old man one by one. Even as magical explosions and the noises of battle rocked the town, Cain swore he could hear the old man’s muffled screams over it all. The man struggled, trying to tear the creatures off of him—but for each one he tore off, two more took its place. They pierced him with their bony legs and lashed at him with slimy tentacles. The one-sided onslaught continued until the man stopped moving, all as Cain could do nothing but watch in horror.

Cain watched, mouth agape, as the Bottomless began to consume the man’s corpse. At least, consume was the closest thing Cain could think of that would describe what these creatures were doing. They swarmed the man’s body, poking and prodding at it until it began to shift. It began to almost melt and break down, turning into a pile of the same murky green sludge that the creatures themselves were made of. After the whole thing was gone, they absorbed it into themselves, gorging themselves until they began to grow larger. Then, almost as quickly as it started, they finished, skittering away in search of their next meal.

Cain stumbled back away from the railing. He felt sick. That wasn’t right—it was completely unnatural. His breathing became erratic and his mouth filled with saliva. Cain shook his head, mumbling and trying to rationalize it all. He was right before, he couldn’t do this—this was insane. None of this was right, he had to get out of here. There’s no way he could fight something like that, not without becoming Bottomless food. Cain blinked. That’s why he was here, it had to be. They summoned him here to serve as a meat shield—something these people could throw at their enemies when they needed to buy time.

He had to get out of here. Cain turned and dashed back through the doorway of the observation deck. He sprinted through operations and back out into the main chamber, even as Rina called after him. He made it to the elevator he had taken the night before and ran in, having to use the back wall of it to stop himself. His eyes frantically scanned the control lever until he saw the label for the entryway and pulled the lever to that position. The elevator whirred to life and began to descend. Waiting for it to reach its destination, Cain paced inside the bronze cage, making it shake slightly. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the elevator slowed to a halt and the door had scarcely opened before Cain darted through it. He was in a part of the MOLE he hadn’t seen before, but he saw his destination—a huge opening with sunlight streaming through it.

Cain ran outside, his feet touching dirt for the first time since he’d arrived here. His lungs burned and he could feel his body flickering like TV static once again, but he kept running regardless. He rushed through the outskirts of the village as fast as he could, making sure to avoid any signs of life—or whatever the Bottomless were. He kept running until finally, he reached a barn just outside town. When he tried the door, it was locked, so he began frantically banging on it.

“Please! Is anybody there?! You’ve gotta let me in!” he yelled out, hoping someone would hear him.

A few moments passed, with only his heavy breathing to keep him company. At last, a woman’s voice came from the other side of the door.

“Who are you? Are you one of the rescuers?” she asked.

A knot formed in Cain’s throat. “N-no, I’m a straggler, I was hiding until now but the town’s been overrun. Please let me in!”

A few more tense seconds passed until finally, the door creaked open with just enough room for Cain to get in. A woman in an apron stood in the doorway, a kitchen knife gleaming at her side.

“Fine, come on in, but be quiet. We can’t have the Bottomless finding us, too many folk in here already.” she mumbled as she opened the door, her head on a swivel looking for any signs of Bottomless.

Cain entered the barn slowly as the woman shut the door behind them. She walked back over to two children—a boy and a girl sat on the dirt floor—and wrapped her arms around them. Cain walked to the back of the barn, passing at least a dozen different families, all huddled together whispering to one another. He sat down on a bale of hay in one of the back corners and put his face in his hands.

What was he even doing? On one hand, Last Bastion seemed like the best chance he had at getting back home. On the other hand, the idea of dying out there like that old man for the sake of someone else’s idea of justice was just…unbearable. The question was what was the way forward from here? If he wanted to escape and go somewhere else, he’d have to survive a trek across that horrible corrupted wasteland with no clear direction or destination in mind. If he stayed with Last Bastion, there’d likely be hell to pay for running off like he just did, not to mention having to fight their war for them. It felt like no matter what he did, it would be the wrong choice. Just like back on Earth.

Hours passed as Cain sat there in that barn, waiting for his mind to work out a solution. The sounds of fighting gradually died down, now more of a low rumbling every now and then than the constant roar it had been before. Thunder bellowed off in the distance, likely from one of the storms Cain saw earlier, he guessed. It seemed like the battle was almost over, with Last Bastion as the victors, judging by the lack of the Bottomless’ chittering and screeching that had permeated the village a while ago—something that Cain only just now realized had been there. Cain was consumed by choice paralysis. To die for someone else’s justice, or stick to his guns and believe in his own idea of justice. As he contemplated his choices, he realized that after all of this, he wasn’t really sure what his idea of justice was anymore. Just as Cain had his epiphany, the sound of wood splintering broke through the silence of the barn.

A single bony spine had jabbed through the door, making just enough of a hole that a flash of swampy green could be seen through it. Children began to cry and scream as the Bottomless on the other side of the door started scratching and clawing at it. The barn door was sturdily built, but not enough to last very long against the creature on the other side throwing itself up against it. The door creaked and groaned each time the creature slammed against it, splintering a little more every time. Despite its great craftsmanship, the door wouldn’t last much longer if this kept up.

Cain’s heart pounded in his ears, eclipsing the thuds of the Bottomless against the door. This place wasn’t safe and he didn’t want to be here when that door came down. He scrambled towards a nearby window and he reached out to pull himself up.

What are you doing Cain? He asked himself. Is this what your justice amounts to? Leaving these innocent people to die just because you’re scared? You might not have crazy awesome magic powers like the Last Bastion people do, but you’re definitely a more experienced fighter than these villagers. They’ll die if you do nothing.

Cain’s hands wavered. He hated it when he was right. He gritted his teeth and turned towards the door. He grabbed an old shovel that was nearby. It wasn’t much but it was the best option he had if he didn’t want to fight that thing with his bare hands. He took a deep breath and ran towards the door.

“Out of the way!” he yelled at a few villagers that were trying to hold the door shut.

In consideration of the guy charging at them with a shovel, the villagers elected to leap out of the way to avoid him. The door immediately gave way to the creature crashing against it. But the beast was not prepared for a shovel to the…face? It wasn’t a solid hit, but it was enough to send it tumbling backwards a few feet, back outside the barn. Cain followed the creature through the doorway, tossing aside the shovel, now split in half from the force of the blow.

When he got outside into the fading light of the late afternoon, Cain finally got a good look at the beast he was up against. A round body of murky green slime stood on four sharp, bony legs. It chittered, clicked, and gurgled as a faint red light pulsed around a small mass within it. Tendrils occasionally formed from the slime that made up its body, lashing out at the air as if to taste it. Droplets of green ooze fell from the creature and withered each blade of grass that they touched. It was about up to Cain’s waist in size, whereas the ones he’d seen before would’ve been up to his knees. This one had eaten, and quite a bit at that.

It was a deeply unnerving and unnatural creature, this Bottomless, but Cain readied himself regardless. His body began glitching and flickering as the adrenaline hit his system and a nervous smile formed on his face. His body tensed and he prepared for a fight as the beast did the same.

The Bottomless made the first move, rearing back and striking at Cain with its spiny legs. He dodged easily enough, but he wasn’t prepared for the slimy tentacle that slammed into his chest after he did. It knocked him to the ground and stole the breath from his lungs, but it wasn’t a terribly debilitating blow. He rolled out of the way of the creature trying to stomp on him with its sharp legs. Cain jumped to his feet, noticing the Bottomless turning its attention to the people in the barn rather than focusing on him. A snarl covering his face, Cain jumped between it and the doorway.

“What’s the matter?! Afraid to take me on?!” he roared, making himself look big.

The beast looked annoyed, if such a thing was possible for something with no facial features. Several more tendrils sprouted from its body as it reared back once more. Cain had just enough time to plant his feet and guard his vitals before the Bottomless’s onslaught came crashing down on him. Blow after blow from the creature rained down on him—some of them were caught by his block and sent shockwaves through him, while others pierced his guard and jabbed into him. The bony spines the creature used for legs stabbed into Cain, just barely missing vital spots thanks to his guarded stance and its tendrils battered him like he was being tenderized. Fatigue washed over him as each strike seemed to sap away a little of his energy. He was losing against this creature, he could feel it. That didn’t matter though—he wasn’t about to let these people down. He stepped forward through the Bottomless’s attacks and delivered a swift kick, knocking it backwards once more. He couldn’t win a war of attrition against this thing, he had to end it fast. His eyes fell on the beast’s pulsing core. Cain wasn’t an avid gamer, but he had played enough to know that ticked all the boxes of being a weak spot.

As the Bottomless recoiled, Cain lunged at it and forced his hand into its body, wrapping his fingers around the mass at its center. The ooze burned his arm, but not like fire or acid would. Instead, it was like the heat of the summer sun, washing over him and draining the energy from his body in waves. Cain slumped for a moment before gritting his teeth and pulling the mass out of the creature’s body with all his strength. He hefted the pulsing core into the air in victory as it disintegrated and the Bottomless collapsed to the ground in a puddle of sludge.

Cain stood in front of the doorway to the barn breathing heavily and covered in wounds. His clothes were caked in blood, dirt, and slime from his fight. Villagers peered out of the barn at him as his knees finally buckled, fatigue and lethargy setting in from blood loss and the Bottomless’s weird energy drain. Before Cain could hit the ground however, a set of sturdy hands caught him. As his vision blurred, he saw Gunnar’s scowling face looming over him.

“Your instructions were clear, kid.” he started, “Stay in the MOLE and watch the rest of us.”

Cain opened his mouth to defend himself, but no words came out. Even his vocal chords were exhausted, it seemed.

“Still,” Gunnar continued, his face softening as he picked up Cain, “you did good. These people probably wouldn’t have made it without you here.”

Gunnar’s praise was a bit unexpected, but Cain was too tired to act surprised. As Gunnar carried him back to the MOLE, Cain passed out, a proud smile on his face.