On a slightly elevated stretch of land, three hooded figures stood overlooking a facility two kilometres away. It was barely visible a result of a thick grey fog enshrouding it. The surrounding of the facility was distorted a clear sign of an ongoing Time Rend.
Alex the figure on the left, turned towards the middle one and spoke "Maya, you don't have to do this. If you want to get strong, there more safer ways to do that. With the training and resources the family provides, it won't be hard for you to grow stronger quickly. You can even get enlisted in the military if you want exposure"
Maya turned toward him, her expression calm. "It seems you still don't understand me. I don't want to just get strong."
"then why", Alex questioned.
"Ever since I got my talent, I had been having these strange dreams where everyone dies", Maya replied. "I just can't sit still, I want to be in control of what happens to me and not just be under the protection of my family"
"fine," Alex conceded. Maya then turned to the figure on the right. "Connor where you able to hide our tracks?" Connor gave an affirmative nod. With that settled, the trio accelerated, running towards the shifting rend. As they drew near, the temperature plummeted. The fog enshrouding them became thick and a rotten scent assaulted their nose. If the distorting environment was not enough prove of the Rend's existence, then the rotten smell was a sure give away. Within 500 meters of the rend, they felt an eerie sensation which caused goosebumps to prickle their skin, the fog also had increased in density. They slowed their pace, forming a standard triangle battle formation. Alex acted as the vanguard wielding his heavy axe, while Maya with her bow and Connor with two short swords slightly longer than a dagger, flanked him.
Entering the 100-metre perimeter of the Rend, the first undead lounged at them, but Maya swiftly dispatched it with her weapons, the arrow whistled piercing into the skull of the creature before swiftly returning to her arms. A sign she just utilised a skill. Such an effect could also be achieved by an enchanted weapon, but it was clear that her weapons where of no such quality.
The death of the undead was like a war cry. Almost at once, about twenty undead rushed out of the fog. Alex charged forward swinging his axe in a horizontal sweep while at the same time activating his skill. where the axe passed, a shocked wave was released pushing back the undead swam and separating them. Connor moved in instantly targeting one of the undead. Maya also did not let the chance fly; she released three arrows instantly felling the undead. The battle did not last long as they quickly dispatched the undead. With that they finally exited the outer fringes of the rend and entered the middle layer. The fog was thicker in this area, making them only able to see 5 meters ahead.
Snarling noises could be heard around, it grew from a low rumble to a frantic clicking. Then suddenly a wave of undead burst forth from the fog coming in all direction.
seeing the trio immediately formed a tight formation their backs facing each other.
The zombies moved with unnatural jerky speed. On lunged at Alex, but he didn't flinch. He stepped into the reach of the undead, slamming the butt of his axe into its chest to create distance before swinging his axe successfully cleaving it in half. To his right flank, Maya drew three arrows at once. After releasing them she used her skill arrow control, on arrow arced high, diving into the skull of a creature trying to leap from the roof of one of the buildings, the second curved around to pin another one to a concrete pillar through the head, the third zipped in a low circle, severing the hamstrings of a group of zombies charging from the rear. She flicked her wrist withdrawing back the arrows to her hand.
Connor swooped in decapitating any creature that managed to slip between the zombies. The battle became a rhythmic bloody dance. But for every ten they fell, twenty more emerged. The constant strain of using the skills begun to weigh their limits and minds. They had barely advanced but they where extremely exhausted. Seeing a momentarily gap in the swarm, Alex immediately used the last bit to release a huge shockwave sending the zombies backwards. "Now let's fall back!" Alex roared. They trio immediately carried their worn-out selves to the outer fringes to recover. They took shelter in one building that looked to the security outpost.
"dammit, those fuckers said it was going to be a E rank rend", Alex growled. "Calm down, you know that it took so many years before the military was able to at least gauge the strength of a rend and that with a 70% accuracy. there are bound to be errors somehow", Maya stated. Alex replied with a grunt while taking a first aid kit to dress the scratches on his body the others too did same. While they rested, they decided to talk about other things. "So, after this rend, I was thinking of us joining the mercenary association. What do you think", Maya asked. Alex was about to reply when Connor stopped signalling him to keep quiet. With that they head the sound of vehicles moving from afar, they peeped out of the window and noticed the head lights coming facing them. "Are they coming here?" said Alex. "Seems like it" replied Maya. Connor also gave an affirmative nod. They watched as the vehicles zoomed past them before finally stopping at on the buildings to their right. The trio proceeded to get out of their hideout and moved toward the vehicles to get a closer look. They entered a building that was a block away from the vehicle, which seemed to have been used as a cafeteria. After observing for a while, Connor said breaking the silence, "HETRAMS". "Huh, what did you say" Alex inquired. Connor replied again "Hetrams". Maya after looking at them again, "indeed despite looking an organised, they don't seem to have the discipline of the army. But then what is their business with an E – rank time rend". "We should go closer and take a look". While they spied on them, the Hetrams had already finished setting up a camp. They moved as stealthily as they could, slowly approaching the camp, every time a guard turned their head in their direction they ducked behind anything that could hide them. While taking cover behind a rusted truck, that was about ten meters away from the Hetrams camp. They head some commotion going on the camp, followed by a loud shout "Intruders". "Shit we've been discovered" Alex cursed., "what should we do". Alex said turning his head towards Maya. Before she could reply, a volley of bullets slammed into the truck they were hiding behind. Maya told them to calm down, while forming a plan. She told Connor to plant explosives at the area below the truck. When the guards got between two meters of the truck, the trio bolted forward. Alex used his shockwave to propel them forward further, while at the same Connor pressed the remote detonating the bombs. This caused the truck to explode, sending the guards approaching them in disarray injuring some in the process. Though the trio was able to create some distance between them and the explosion, they where still hit by the residual shockwave and shrapnel. Ignoring the injuries they sustained, the trio pressed on heading back into the middle layer.
...........................................................
Back at the Hetram camp,
the camp consisted of a large tent in the middle surrounded by 3 smaller tents and trucks parked around. Despite the commission caused by the trio the activities of the camp were in full motion. The Guards could be seen unloading crates from the trucks.
In the large tent a discussion was going on between what looked liked the captain of the Hetram camp and a holographic figure. But was suddenly interrupted when a guard entered. "Sir we discovered some people snooping around. The patrols went after them, but they escaped and even injured some of them". The captain looked at the subordinates and said, "find the intruders we cannot proceed until they are caught, I won't allow any room for mistakes." "Yes sir", the subordinate replied. With that a small unit of 20 Hetram guards was gathered and marched into the rend searching for the trio.
"now let's get back to business, have you been able to pinpoint the exact location of the thing.", the hologram said. "While we have not been able to determine the exact location, we are able to track its traces, the current lead points to this facility.", the captain said. "Well then don't disappoint". With that the hologram disappeared