Breachers – Path of Steel

24

I

Patches

- - -

 

 

One minute later

 

With a sudden burst of sensation, Kay pushed through the strange, gel-like crystalline barrier. Sound rushed in, assaulting his ears, while his eyes slowly adapted to the pervasive light blue surroundings. He couldn't escape the noxious odors of the junkyard, a repulsive mix of decay and waste. Yet, beneath it all, a peculiar aroma lingered – the fragrance of nature, carrying hints of wet grass and fertile soil.

For a few moments Kay just stood there in the junkyard, his eyes taking in the surreal transformation it had undergone. Mountains of discarded debris loomed all around, their jagged peaks adorned with peculiar, luminescent roots. His eyes followed the roots as they weaved through the landscape, casting an eerie, otherworldly glow that mingled with the prevailing blue hue, distorting the scene even further. Stacks of crushed cars stood like monuments to humanity’s defeat, their surfaces marred by moss and stained by rust. Amid the twisted metal, he noticed strange distortions, as if the very substance of the metal had begun to warp and shift over time, evolving into something unrecognizable.

He found himself suddenly pulled in position next to Jessica, who appeared noticeably more tense. Her words were a firm reminder, “Eyes and ears on the task, rookie.” Kay’s gaze followed hers to the squad leader, who sat perched on a stack of cars nearby. The leader meticulously surveyed their surroundings, periodically raising his rifle and sighting through its scope.

Closer to him, he could see Julien and Sebastian working hard as they unceremoniously slammed a crushed car onto the ground in front of Kay and Jessica. The noise reverberated through the air along with a small puff of dust. They repeated the process with another vehicle, then another. It gradually formed a semicircle of corroded metal and sharp edges, with the Sphere’s edge right behind them. “That should do it,” Julien grunted, wiping sweat from his brow, only to earn a disappointed glare from the one-armed Breacher next to him.

Kay’s gaze couldn’t help but linger on the weight of the ruined vehicles around him. ‘How heavy are those old cars?’ he pondered as he observed Sebastian, who nudged Julien to the side and, with some effort, dragged a car across the ground on his own. “They are only one rank above me, but it’s like they’re from another world,” Kay muttered, struck by the incredible display of strength.

A nudge in the ribs and a sly 'psst' came from Jessica. "You're drooling a bit there, rookie."

Benedict descended carefully, covering the last bit with a jump before closing the distance to the group. “Spotted a few of them, half a click north. Doesn’t seem like they’ve picked up our scent yet,” he informed them. He patted his brother’s shoulder, and Sebastian responded with a nod before springing onto the stack of cars Sebastian had previously occupied in a single leap. The contrast in their speed, despite the Breacher’s single arm, was remarkable. Benedict directed his attention to Kay, noting the man’s confused stare. “A click is army jargon. They’re about 500 meters north,” he added before he turned his gaze northwards “The variant of monster here seems to match the data the previous Breachers had reported. Part avian, part Talpidae. So, there hasn’t been a swap yet.”

Kay couldn’t help but notice Julien inching closer to him, his voice barely audible as the man whispered, “Birds and moles hybrids.”

“They should’ve noticed us by now, but it seems we’ve got a little time. It could be the smell of this place. Who knows,” Benedict observed, his gaze on their surroundings. “Let’s set up some traps to secure the site better. I’d prefer to face them here, reduce their numbers. Going after them in unknown terrain is unwise. We’ll draw them to us in a few minutes. So get ready,” he instructed before moving towards a trail that led to their position. Carefully, he started placing grenades, arranged tripwires, and marked the spots by pressing a large X into the mud with his heels.

Watching Benedict’s quick and confident handling of the explosives, Kay couldn’t help but stare, “Was he in the Military?”

“Hmm?” Jessica asked as she shifted her gaze to him. “Oh, yeah. Both of them served in Germany. Bundeswehr boys through and through,” she said with a grin before continuing, “Sebastian left because of injuries, and Benedict because of his brother’s… let’s go with ‘career change’ after the Great Impact.” She caught Kay’s attempt to speak and added, “Don’t even try. They’re not big on sharing those stories.”

“Beers usually help loosen their tongues,” Julien pitched in as he patted Kay’s shoulder. He pointed at Sebastian, who was on top of a stack of cars while slicing his own knife across his amputated side to draw blood. “It’s for attracting the monsters. That and the guy is nuts. But us Salamanders don’t kink shame. Not in our group.”

“Right,” Kay said, awkwardly shuddering a bit at the last part. He remembered the things he had read up on regarding the monsters. ‘Some of them hunt by smell, others by hearing or sight. Others don’t use any senses except an evolved organ that picks up on changes to Mana in the air. Some of those bastards don’t actively hunt us Breachers, while others go in a mad frenzy the moment we step through the Sphere and charge us in a frenzied horde,’ he thought before a small grin formed on his face, realizing he had just referred to himself as ‘us,’ as if he already associated himself with Breachers.

“I like that look, Rookie,” Benedict said, a hint of amusement in his expression as he strolled back to their position. “How about we give you a proper initiation?” he asked as he handed Kay several flares. “Let’s test that throwing arm of yours. Light ‘em up.”

Giving a nod, Kay ignited the flares one after another and hurled them a decent distance away, creating a spread of orange smoke that was quite noticeable. In the distance, he could see how Sebastian leaped to the next cluster of cars, smeared a bit of his blood across the rusty surface, and then repeated the process in another spot, creating both a visual and scent trail for the monsters to follow. ‘This is it! My time to become a Breacher.’

Time hung in suspense for a few moments before their eyes locked onto the first monster in the distance. The creature was an unholy amalgamation of mole and crow, boasting a body size akin to that of a large dog. Rippling muscles coiled beneath its skin, and peculiar feathers sprouted haphazardly from its head. It hissed ominously from its beak-like features, but its life was abruptly extinguished as Benedict shot a bullet through its eye, wreaking havoc inside the creature’s skull. Within seconds, the creatures poured in like a small wave, and the battle erupted in full force.

The monsters charged recklessly ahead, only to find themselves in the path of a steady barrage of bullets. The gunfire mowed down several of them, but some creatures showed a strange resistance to it. They had grotesque bone plates shielding their fronts, grown like crude shields. Amid the chaos, certain groups stumbled into the traps, triggering grenades, producing fountains of blood.

Within seconds, the wave crashed against the barricades, plunging the scene into chaos. Jessica swiftly switched to her shield and sword, using them to slam a monster off the barricade. Another one approached, only to be blasted backward by Julien’s point-blank shotgun blast, followed up by a trail of fire leaving the palm of his hand in a constant stream, with thin blue mist forming around him. ‘That fire Ability is insane!’ Kay thought as he extended his shield to protect himself, wiping away a spray of blood that had suddenly hit his face. In the distance, he could barely make out Sebastian’s roar as Benedict’s assault rifle continued picking off more and more monsters. Kay nearly slipped on an ejected shell casing as he stepped forward, shield-bashing a monster that was climbing over the barricade with enough force to shatter its beak.

As he pulled back his shield, Kay caught sight of the battered monster and its mangled face. A shiver crawled down his spine while a cold knot of dread took root in his belly. ‘Kill it,’ he urged himself, a reminder of his reason for becoming a Breacher replaying in his mind over and over again. ‘Kill it before it hurts anyone else you love!’ With a shout, Kay swung his axe down, cleaving through the creature’s face. He pulled back, retrieving his bloodied axe from the flesh sheath, and struck again, panting heavily afterward. “Take that,” he muttered before he held up his shield again, forcing himself to pay attention to the monsters on the other side of the metal barrier. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Benedict, rifle aimed at the creature he had just hacked apart. An approving grin was visible for a second as Kay briefly met the man’s gaze wondering if Benedict had been monitoring his first kill.

The ground beneath Kay suddenly trembled, as though a massive presence approached. In the distance, a monstrous figure emerged, covered in rows of erratic bone growth and ash-gray feathers. It loomed as large as a massive bull, charging forward with such force that it effortlessly pushed aside debris in its path. Kay’s eyes widened in fear as he watched it rush towards their position.

"Sebastian! Get rid of it!" Benedict's calm voice took on a layer of urgency, his unease evident after he had emptied his magazine into the creature with little to no effect.

Amidst the chaos, a muffled roar broke through the turmoil, commanding the attention of everyone present. Accompanying the roar was a severed monster head now flung up in the air by the one-handed Breacher. Kay spotted Sebastian’s charge toward the colossal monster, his body drenched in blood, a gas mask firmly in place, and tear gas canisters on his belt releasing billowing fumes. As the one-armed advanced, a trail of gasping and hissing monsters followed him until he slammed into the large monster’s flank.

The collision was powerful enough to smash the large creature into a stack of crushed cars while at the same time punching into it. Each blow into the monster’s unarmored side caused a gaping hole, allowing Sebastian to tear out chunks of meat and organs. His muffled roars reverberated through the air as the man continued his brutal assault. The toxic fumes around him were partially stained blue because of the amount of Mana that was raging within the man’s system.

Kay struggled to keep his stomach in check again as he observed more monsters meeting their end through a hail of gunfire, fiery infernos, or the swift thrusts of his companions’ weapons. All the while, Sebastian tirelessly gutted the colossal beast he was tasked with killing. ‘What the hell is this? This is nothing like the simulations I had to go through to get my Breacher ID!’

 

- - -

 

Four hours had slipped away since they had ventured into the Sphere itself. After the brutal fight earlier, the team had slowly started to move further inward, killing smaller pockets of monsters and breaching their nests. Kay let out a low groan as he squirmed deeper into the hole, surrounded by dirt and discarded junk, his path lit up by the soft green light of a glow stick in his left hand. Clutched firmly in his other hand, a blood-stained steel knife glinted ominously as he inched deeper into the tunnel.

The Caster, Julien, crawled behind him, his presence punctuated by the occasional curse word when he encountered something gross he had to crawl over or through. The walls around them revealed strange, twisted metal, some of it crumbling, almost as if it were transforming into fertile soil. All around him he could see tendrils of plant life sprouted from the walls, hinting at an underground root system that had enveloped this place. The thing that stood out the most were the occasional glowing tendrils that even Kay could feel were pulsating with Mana. He continued to squirm forward as his objective finally came into view.

A light greeted Kay as his tunnel unexpectedly widened, revealing a small chamber ensnared by pulsating tendrils and compacted dirt. Hanging from these tendrils were strange fleshy membranes, each filled with an unusual liquid. “More Monster-Pods,” Kay called out to Julien, who was just crawling out of the hole and dusting filth from his uniform. “Should be a decent amount of Mana-Resin from this one.” Among the sacks, some only held a bit of Resin inside, while others contained partially formed monsters in various stages of development.

“Alright, same as before. Let’s take out the most formed monsters first. Collect the Resin, then scoop out any Glass that might’ve formed,” Julien instructed, raising one hand to shield his nose while using the other to grab a sturdy bag from his backpack. “God, I’ll never get used to the stench of that stuff.” He shuddered slightly before the two of them made their way towards the nearest Pod. Julien held the bag beneath the membrane as Kay stabbed it from below, creating a sizeable tear that began to ooze Resin. Inside, the partially developed monster woke up and thrashed about, only for Kay to swiftly plunge his knife into its skull, ending its struggle.

“Any idea how much this stuff is worth these days?” Kay questioned, his attention focused on the last drops of Resin seeping from the Pod.

Julien gave a nonchalant shrug. “Dunno, Benedict’s the one who usually deals with that stuff. I just throw fire around and look pretty,” he said with an amused tone. “Back in the day, it was probably worth a fortune, considering how few Breachers were around. But now, with even more Forged than Original out there... it’s not that rare anymore. Still, they use this stuff in all sorts of things, like the batteries that power Mana-Tech stuff and those injections Benedict’s always using.” He then shook the empty Pod a few times to get the last droplets out before the two of them moved toward the next one, repeating the process. Julien didn’t even flinch when Kay dispatched another monster inside of it. “But this Resin is light blue, though, so the potency is probably lousy. But money’s money, right?”

“Yeah,” Kay acknowledged, grappling with the realization that what he was doing was all for a paycheck, that this was his job now. They meticulously cleared the area of Resin before moving on to harvest the Monster-Glass. As they toiled, Julien provided an explanation of how Orbs formed underground tendrils in certain areas, and that this process formed the Pod around it, infusing the soon to be monsters with Mana as the Resin shaped their bodies. Once the process was complete, the Glass would detach from the vine, and the monster would emerge from the Pod. “Alright, we’re done,” Kay declared as they embarked on their awkward route through the tunnel to get back to the surface, dragging the bag laden with Resin along with them.

As they reached the surface again, they spotted their squad members standing watch near the entrance, quickly helping them with the bag of Resin and placing it next to others. The thought of dousing the recently cleared nest in gasoline and setting it ablaze teased at the edge of Kay's mind, but he knew it wasn’t a wise move. He observed Benedict simply marking the location on his map before checking his watch once more. ‘Better to mark the nest and locate it swiftly next time than to obliterate it, only for the monsters to establish a new one elsewhere.’

Kay couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when their squad leader declared that the five-hour mark was approaching, signaling the time to head back. At that moment, he became acutely aware of his exhaustion, the bruises on his body, and most notably, how utterly filthy he had become. He allowed himself a moment to gaze at the peculiar landscape contained within the Sphere, taking in the towering garbage heap in the distance that contained the Orb itself within. The structure was a strange fusion of metal and organic matter, culminating in a towering spiral of nature and filth. ‘Shit man, I’d hate to be in the party that tackles that thing,’ Kay thought as he looked at the structure one last time before following the others.

With careful steps, the party followed their previous route, their gazes sweeping their surroundings as they slowly returned to the sphere’s edge, where they had previously set up their barrier of destroyed cars. On occasion, they caught sight of another monster in the distance, seemingly watching or tracking them, while swiftly scurrying away whenever a rifle or pistol was aimed in its direction.

They drew nearer to the edge of the Sphere, then proceeded to walk through it one by one, leaving Sebastian behind as he dragged a few monster corpses closer to the edge. When it was Kay’s turn to pass through the crystalline surface, he felt his body slowly pass through the barrier. When he emerged on the other side, his momentum caused a momentary wobble on his end before he sank down, releasing his axe and shield. A stupid grin stretched across his face as he whispered to himself, “I’m still alive.” In that moment he battled the urge to pinch himself just to confirm the reality of it all.

Sebastian’s voice broke through, cutting off Kay’s emotional moment. “Outta my way, rookie. Find some other place to cry and hug kittens,” he grumbled under his breath as he hauled a lifeless monster's body and unceremoniously dropped it next to his brother before disappearing back into the Sphere.

Kay awkwardly climbed to his feet, ignoring the amused grin that had crept onto Jessica’s face. His gaze shifted toward Benedict and Julien, seeing them engrossed in conversation with the security personnel and a government official. He observed how his squad mates were transferring the Monster-Glass, one piece at a time, sliding them carefully into slots within a sturdy security crate. Once that was done, they transported the Resin by pouring it into another container. Even from his spot, Kay couldn’t escape the noxious stench of it.

He watched as Benedict removed most of his armor and peeled off his gloves, then retrieved his phone from the locker on-site. In the meantime, Sebastian continued to drag out a few more monster corpses, while Julien organized them into a neat row for inspection. Once Sebastian completed his task, Kay observed Benedict walking up to the government official and offering a handshake. Within seconds, a soft beep emitted from his phone, signaling a successful transfer of credits. ‘Payday,’ Kay thought to himself as he joined the group.

“I swear, a drink right now would be heaven,” Julien commented, giving his shoulders a roll and disregarding Sebastian’s irritated stare.

“Plus, a decent shower wouldn’t hurt,” Jessica remarked, inhaling her own ‘junkyard perfume.’ “I think we’re all overdue for a good rinse or two... or three.”

“So, any idea how much they’ll pay us?” Kay inquired carefully, prompting Julien to lock onto him with his gaze.

“Well, ain’t you a greedy little bugger,” Julien replied, his face lighting up with a wide and approving grin. “I like that. No use battling literal monsters if the payout ain’t worth it.”

“It should cover today’s booking of the Sphere, the ammo, and the supplies we chewed through. The rest will be split according to our contracts. You’ll likely have enough to see you through the next month,” Sebastian responded with an unexpected calmness, catching Kay off guard. The man then turned his gaze toward Julien, adding, “Or a week at most if you’re as financially clueless as this idiot.”

Jessica took charge and led the group to the lockers. Everyone hurried to grab their belongings, most reaching for their phones to send a text out to loved ones. “Relax, rookie. A few hours’ work usually pays as much as a month of labor for the average person. Although today might be a bit less than usual. We were a bit light,” Jessica explained.

An eyebrow arched on Kay’s face. “Light? What do you mean?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t have the exact numbers, but we usually haul in more Glass, even in a light blue. It could just be bad luck today because of the terrain or we might be dealing with a more cautious breed of monsters. Hell, maybe they were infighting or something.” She noticed his puzzled expression when she mentioned the latter. “Monsters do that sometimes. They off some of each other and bury their Glass in different places, like planting seeds for future Orbs. Who knows why we had a light haul today, but our payment will show it.”

“Some other crew probably went in and snagged a bunch of kills last night while security didn’t even notice it,” Sebastian muttered, ending with a disgusted spit on the ground. “Cheap bastards probably wanted to dodge the fee of the Sphere or get their hands on some undocumented Glass.”

“Sebastian, don’t jump to conclusions,” Julien remarked nonchalantly, momentarily forcing himself away from his phone. “This site’s pretty secure, and what you’re implying usually goes down in more isolated spots, not next to a large city. Plus, most Breachers wouldn’t even know what to do with undocumented Glass. The penalty for that is pretty steep, so I doubt it. It’s more likely just some weird monster variant or infighting like Jessica said.”

 “Infighting and variants doesn’t explain the reports from others parties, stating that they have run into the same situation the last few days,” Sebastian countered, his eyes narrowing a bit as he shifted his attention back to the Sphere.

“Wait, you can actually read?” Julien teased, feigning surprise before chuckling at his own joke. “You never cease to amaze me.”

Sebastian’s icy stare gradually tightened upon the Caster, his lips curling into a snarl. “Funny... ever tried to crack jokes while you’re on life support?” he replied, closing the distance between himself and the other man. Julien, unruffled, retreated a step. “My brother found a corpse with a carpenter’s hammer embedded in its skull just after we came here. He said the monster was barely a few hours dead. Know any critters that carry around such hammers?”

Benedict rejoined the group with a diplomatic smile, as if sensing the tension in the air. “Alright children, gather ‘round,” he beckoned, extending his phone and opening an app. The party leaned in to see the total amount they had earned, and it was enough to widen Kay’s eyes in sheer surprise. “Now, a third of this went into renting the sphere for today, and a smaller portion for restocking our supplies and gear,” he clarified, tapping a button. Moments later, four soft beeps chimed, signaling the transfer of credits to the rest of the team.

“Holy shit!” Kay blurted out, seeing the number that was now inside his account.

“That’s the kind of reaction we like to see. Remember, a chunk of it isn’t even taxed. Perks of being a Breacher,” Benedict remarked, giving the man’s phone a light tap. “The amount will increase in a few days once they process the corpses we brought back or sell them off to third parties. We don’t do that ourselves, obviously. Today’s pay might not compare to what you’d get from a darker blue or even a red Sphere... but light blues are usually the ones you walk away from.” He held Kay’s gaze in that moment, as if deciding something. “I’d rather this team disband due to old age than get greedy and take unnecessary risks. I get the feeling you’re the same way.” He then shifted his gaze toward his brother, and they exchanged a silent moment. “Regarding that—”

Sebastian seized the moment, taking a step forward and breaking into his brother’s words. “You did well, kid. Unlike Julien on his first run, you didn’t pass out or cry,” he said before ripping a patch from his pants with the squad logo and pressing it in Kay’s hands. “Welcome to the Salamanders, Kay.”

Kay responded with an ear-to-ear grin, firmly grasping the patch as if it meant everything to him. “Looking forward to it!” Afterwards the squad went back to the government employee to finish up for that day, documenting all their gear and storing it back into their crates before sealing it by both themselves and the employee.

 

- - -

Copyright: OsiriumWrites