The low groan of the earth wasn't from the shifting tunnels this time.
It came from something deeper. Something alive.
And it was coming their way.
Jaden stood on the upper level of the Faultline Stronghold, staring at the motion sensor map Tess had just calibrated. Dozens of red pings moved slowly across the southwest quadrant.
Raya stood at his side, tense. "Those aren't scouts. That's a horde."
Marcus leaned in over the table, arms crossed. "They're following a trail. Someone—or something—pushed them this way."
Tess's voice was low but sharp. "They're not wandering. They're being guided."
Jaden's jaw tightened.
The Lock System pulsed in the corner of his vision.
Quest Update: "Root the Faultline" – Event TriggeredIncoming Threat Detected: Undead WaveEstimate: 60–80 entities, mixed typesTime Until Contact: 5 hoursOptional Objective: Survive Without Civilian CasualtiesReward (Optional): +1 Lock Point | Unique Lock Mutation
Preparations began immediately.
Raya took point on trap placement—rigging tripwires, proximity mines, and funnel zones through the outer tunnels. She had a knack for turning chaos into killing fields.
Marcus reinforced the upper blast doors and converted one of the old vehicle bays into a fallback station. "If they breach, we fall back here. Final line."
Tess worked on signal dampening. The closer the horde got, the more she could feel something… off. There was intelligence somewhere behind the movement. Not strategy—but direction. Purpose.
And Jaden?
He paced between tasks, his mind racing. This wasn't just a test of the base—it was a test of him.
Of Faultline.
He pulled up his Base Management menu.
Defenses: 42%
Morale: Stable
Combat Readiness: Moderate
Current Assets: 4 Active Members
Loyal Points Visibility: Active
Loyalty values flickered across his HUD as he glanced at each of them:
Tess: 92 (Unshakable)
Marcus: 68 (Committed)
Raya: 71 (Wary, but loyal)
He could see it now—who would stand, who might falter. A gift from his last encounter with that twisted variant… and a responsibility he didn't take lightly.
Two hours to contact.
They finished placing barriers and fallback turrets. Power had been re-routed to reinforce the lighting grid in the central yard, where the largest fight would take place.
Tess pulled Jaden aside. "They'll try to break us where we're most vulnerable. There's a breach in the southeast tunnel—they'll find it."
Jaden nodded. "I'll hold that line."
"You shouldn't do it alone."
"I'm not," he said, glancing toward the others. "Not anymore."
One hour.
They heard the first echo.
A low, grinding moan rolling through the darkness.
Then a second. And a third.
Hundreds of shambling feet, claws, and bone scraping stone.
Jaden stood at the barricade, his fingers twitching. The Lock System pulsed at his side.
Lock #013: "Command Thread" — ActiveControl Radius: 15mLoyalty Sync: Optimal
His allies moved in tune with him—coordinated, precise. Every order he gave snapped into their reflexes like clockwork. A gift from Lock #013.
They were stronger now. Not just as individuals—but as a unit.
But still… this was the first real test.
And Jaden felt it deep in his gut: this was only the beginning.
Five minutes.
They took their positions.
Jaden turned to the others.
"This is our ground. Our home. We don't run. We don't scatter. We hold."
Marcus checked his shotgun. "I'm ready."
Raya exhaled slowly. "Let's see if these bastards like fire."
Tess held up her weapon, her hands faintly glowing again—power lingering just under the surface.
"What if we don't survive?" she asked.
Jaden looked her dead in the eyes.
"Then we make sure we're the reason they don't either."
The tunnel trembled.
Lights flickered.
And then—
They came.