Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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Without the Void Stalker's ability to blend into its surroundings, its edge was completely lost.

The appearance of the Void Stalker was weird. If Cedric were to make a comparison, it's as if he were looking at a curtain draped over a shape, only there's nobody under it. And since it was a void creature, it naturally glitches in everyone's perception, especially after it was affected by Cedric's tracing rune.

Compared to the hulking monstrosities that the team had seen earlier, the Void Stalker was pretty tame. The only real danger it poses is that it could blend into the void itself and assassinate anybody, making it a terrifying predator around these parts. But without that ability, it's nothing more than a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

And thus, it didn't take long before the team dealt with it. And from how they did it, it's clear that they held some prejudice against it. How can they not? If it weren't for their teammates sharpness and quick thinking, this thing alone could've killed all of them. Of course they wouldn't give it a chance to retaliate or escape. A good Void Stalker, or a Void Creature for that matter, is a dead one.

"Good work, team!" The mantis team leader praised, his voice laced with audible relief. "Especially you, Dawnbringer. It wouldn't be wrong to say that we're all alive because of you. I'd include this in our reports when we return. For now though, we don't have much time left. Let's continue harvesting resources and let's get out of here."

After saying this, the team leader's gaze involuntarily landed at their seated puppeteer, who's still under pressure. Even though his face was hidden by the visor of the void suit, the team leader could tell that he's still struggling and luring the two gigantic monsters away. But he wouldn't be able to keep that up for long, so they really have to hurry.

Deep down, he thinks it's a miracle that this one wasn't killed by the Void Stalker first. Why did it target Dawnbringer of all people first completely elude him? But he supposes that he's just glad that nobody died under his leadership.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Yet.

With the threat neutralized, the team continued gathering void ores up until the puppeteer said that he couldn't hold on anymore. Kudos to him, though. He managed to last for more than 20 minutes, just enough for the team to clean up after themselves and move away from the gathering point.

The puppeteer was obviously exhausted, but after consuming an emergency potion, he recovered pretty quickly and was able to walk on his own. He'd recover more so long as the rest of the trip was peaceful.

Meanwhile, Cedric was ruminating about the events that happened so far as he walked with the team.

Since they're out of the gathering point, the issue of his reporting came back to him.

He still feels torn. Should he include his unexpected understanding of the void language in his reports or not? It's such a dilemma, one that bothers him more than their recent tango with death.

'Encountering two gigantic Void Creatures and a small but deadly one this early on our patrol...'

'And to think that this was supposed to be when the void's density was at its lowest... if it's already like this, then what does this place look like on normal occasions? '

It's no wonder why the camp is heavily understaffed. Aside from the dispassionate opinion of the public towards the Border Patrol Guardians, the work itself was dangerous.

Granted, the Void Walking mission only becomes imperative if one decides to go after the promotion to a team leader. Still, staying at the camp doesn't guarantee their safety. The hellish first day of Cedric's batch at work and the Void Tide were only a few examples of this.

Deep in his thoughts, Cedric barely acknowledges the fact that the team arrived in their first safe zone. Continue your saga on empire

This so-called safe zone was a cave opening located at a cliffside wall. It's small but enough to shelter the entire team. The location was rather secluded, and there were a few things that covered the entrance to the cave.

Well, calling it a 'Safe Zone' when it's located at the mouth of the void does sound ironic, but as far as security goes, this place was used by Void Walkers for brief rests because hardly any void creatures wander around this location.

According to the database, Cedric learned that these so-called safe zones were made by the very old Border Patrol Guardians. They're not built to shelter them for long, just enough for a brief rest. Still, they're being used to this date because they're incredibly helpful, probably even more than the old guardians expected.

The team silently sat on the ground. Some rested their backs against the wall, some meditated, some took this time to nap even for a few minutes, and some decided to do something that would distract them in the meantime—nothing that makes too much noise though, after all, they're supposed to be resting.

Cedric took this time to inspect everybody. His attention was mainly focused on their void suits. As a known forging master, he was expected to ensure that their equipment was functioning properly. If he could prevent anybody from being affected by the void infection, then his job was considered well done.

With his sensory field, this wasn't all that difficult. In fact, he didn't need to walk up to them one by one for close inspection; he could do it from a distance.

Unexpectedly though, it was the team leader's suit that needs some minor repairs while the others were fine. And so he walked up to him.

"Team Leader, your Void Suit needs a little fixing," he casually stated.

The mantis team leader looked surprised. He inspected himself and didn't really find anything out of order. That said, he was no forging master, Dawnbringer is, so it's in your best interest to trust him.

"Do you need me to take it off?" he asked.

"No." Cedric shook his head. "Just turn your back on me. I'll handle the rest."

"Okay."

With that, Cedric began polishing the suit with some of his equipment. Actually, the damage wasn't really a big deal. Hell, it couldn't even be considered as 'damage' really, more like a scratch.

It was Cedric's paranoia that compelled him to not take chances, especially considering where they are right now. He didn't want any accidents. He just wants this mission to go as smoothly as it can. And if dealing with this little scratch could improve that, even as little as it could, he'd take it.

The so-called'repair' didn't take long. No more than three minutes, and he's done. Even the team leader was stunned, but he didn't ask too many questions.

His other teammates asked if their Void Suit needs repairs too, but Cedric told them that he had already expected them earlier and had confirmed that they don't need it.

After this, Cedric checks all of the equipment he's carrying. He inspected them one by one, making sure that each one was working as intended and wasn't damaged by his constant movement. The things that are less durable were placed on top of the bag he's carrying, while the really tough ones were placed at the bottom.

Cedric also checked his remaining supplies. He hadn't consumed any of his food yet since he's still plentily energetic and felt no need to do so just yet. His emergency kits are also intact, and so were the others.

All in all, Cedric was all good. He had no real concerns right now and could continue with the mission.

Grrr!!

That sound of a low and gritty growl was faint, but due to the silence, everybody heard it and it caused them to become alert.

Cedric's eyes flashed with that same golden light. He inspected the surroundings yet failed to discover where that sound was coming from.

Tension descended on the team. They immediately gathered into a tight formation, warily observing their surroundings for any appearance of the threat.

Grrr!!

There it was again. This time, it was louder and echoed all over the cave; they could even feel it reverberating to the walls and the ground.

"Ah!" Cedric was surprised, because this time he saw something.

"You see something, Dawnbringer?" The team leader asked, almost impatiently.

"Yes, sir." He replied, "It's outside. It's...not a creature. It's the ground! It's shifting."

"Shifting?" The team leader was confused. "Can you elaborate?"

"It's like the world outside was changing. Like that land itself was shifting without affecting this cave. The things that have been obscuring the entrance to this cave moved away. I just saw the cave being blocked as if we went underground before suddenly elevating above ground. I don't know, it also doesn't make sense to me."

"Could it be...?" The team leader muttered to himself.

And from the aggressive clacking of his mandibles, it was clear that he's feeling agitated.

"No! But how can that be? The density of the void is low! The readings couldn't be wrong!"

"How can there be a Void Shift this early!?"