The Nests were hunting grounds for Keepers, not safe farms. Some things Keepers couldn't control - the power of the Surge was one of them.
It was very rare for the Surge to pose a threat. It took a great misfortune for that to happen.
Unfortunately for Lurra and the others, there was a favorite of misfortune among them.
An unknown monster of terrifying power was hurtling towards their world, as its body slid through the narrow gap, the Keepers had short seconds to act.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!" Georg exclaimed, assuming the role of leader. "The older Keepers will lead the way, newcomers help and be our-"
He didn't have time to finish as Zoran's voice rang out.
"No. Run away."
"W-What...?" Lurra gulped.
Runes ran down Zoran's arm - he activated his Codex.
"I will say no more. Everyone runs the shortcut. You must get out of Faint Chasm as soon as possible. This is the Breach Surge. This Nest is trying to advance to the next level, which means the monsters that will soon emerge from the gap will be of the appropriate Rank."
Green flame threads streaked across his hand, his ability.
"You don't stand a chance against them."
Soon, the squad had another reason to be afraid. Several shadows came out of nowhere as three mantis-like monsters surrounded Zoran. Darkness covered their bodies, leaving only long white blades in sight.
The Grim Reapers revealed themselves.
The broad blade stopped just above Zoran's head, his fingers gripping the edge like a vise.
"You..."
With a savage grimace, Zoran turned around, his gaze alone could turn them to ash. He was no longer bored and this was a disaster for everyone.
"If you want to kill me, learn how to attack! You lowlife!" he roared, tearing off the Grim Reaper's leg with his sheer physical power.
Under a stream of dark blood, Zoran swung the mantis's leg, slicing monsters to pieces. Not a hint of hesitation in his eyes.
The shocked youths were pulled back by their sleeves by their mentors.
"Run! You have received orders from the fortress head! Carry it out!" Georg exclaimed, heading forward with Sylvia.
Step.
Kain kept up with Lurra. Neither artifacts nor resources were important anymore, they had to survive first.
'Fuck, he's going to fight them alone?!' Kain's eyes went wide when two dark hands opened the gap wide.
Several phantoms, with long tattered cloaks and red lights instead of eyes, burst out. They didn't linger on Zoran, heading straight for the fleeing Keepers.
Zoran frowned as he extended his hand toward one phantom. "Halt, scum!"
His fist clenched as a green spark emerged right in front of the phantom.
A blast of flame burned the phantom, a handful of ashes headed for the ground. The others sped up, causing wind currents and hiding in the shadows - Zoran was no match for them.
At the same time, the culprit slowly emerged from the portal. Its lean body obscured the crystal light, being over five meters tall. Long arms and legs as thin as branches moved in jagged strokes. A white mask covered its face, black horns stretched forward like a frozen lightning strike exuding darkness.
Lurra gritted her teeth. "Damn it. It's the Baarko. That's damn bad news."
"Baarko...?" Kain raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, it's a Blighted Rank astral creature. Among us, only Mr. Zoran can overpower it. The Nest is trying to grow, to take over more territories. It's rare for this type of Surge to happen, but here we are."
Kain looked up. The phantoms continued to chase after them.
"It's... I'm not sure. But, I can sense from their auras that we can't defeat them. We have to run," she took his hand tightly. "Stay close to me. I'll protect you, I promise."
Despite everything that happened, Kain wished her words didn't turn out to be a lie.
Crackle.
The Baarko's mask cracked, its mouth wide open.
GHROOOOOOO!!!!!!!
A terrifying howl ran through the Faint Chasm, causing Keepers to grab their heads and collapse to their knees.
Zoran was the only one who could resist.
He wanted to attack the Baarko, but he couldn't. He had to wait until the Baarko was completely out of the portal for the Surge to end. The Baarko was a carrier of higher order runes, he had to stay at the Faint Chasm until the next Surge.
Thus, this would increase the level of the Nest. All the following Surges would summon monsters of the Blighted Rank. The only way to prevent the uncontrolled growth of the Faint Chasm was to kill the Baarko.
"FUUUCK!" Sylvia screamed, blood rushing from her ears. She, like all the other youths, could hardly stand the Baarko's howl.
All except Kain and Morbia. They realized before anyone else that they should cover their ears.
'Damn, if we'd been a little closer, this wouldn't have ended well for us.' Kain pondered looking at Josh, who was struggling to keep up with the wail.
Then, a shadow reflected in his eyes. The phantom with the crimson trembling field in front of it, like a peaking hawk, swooped down on Josh.
The always joyful young man's head flew off to the side, with a blank stare.
"What the hell...?!" the broad-shouldered young man jerked back as two hands pierced his chest from behind.
Before he could turn around, the phantom moved on, leaving another corpse behind.
Flashes of lightning and flames erupted among the Keepers, the older ones trying to drive away the phantoms circling around them.
One was already moving straight for Kain.
"Kain! Behind you!" Morbia exclaimed, but it was already too late.
As the phantom's claws were about to touch Kain's face, the stalactite fell off, piercing the terrifying monster right in front of his face.
Sylvia gasped. She couldn't believe how lucky Kain was.
Only before death.
The phantoms were ready for the second charge.
Georg ran forward. "Spread out! Take separate paths to the border or we'll be easy prey!"
No sooner did Lurra touch Kain than he rushed ahead. His curse might have protected him from death, but he couldn't afford to be careless. He had to do whatever it took to survive.
"Agh... Alright, big boy."
Zoran took a deep breath as he stepped forward, taking all of the Baarko's attention himself.
"You and your minions are going to murder my men. That's unfortunate, but..."
The runes condensed around Zoran in a wild torrent.
"You will not be king of this place. This will be your fucking grave!"