The lab was quiet, the only sound the almost silent hiss of steel as Elara practiced a series of basic guards and cuts. She moved with a newfound grace, the rusted saber an extension of her will. The clumsy, desperate swings with her tire iron were gone, replaced by a fluid, dangerous efficiency. She wasn't a master, but she was no longer a novice. She was a fighter.
Ben watched her, his expression one of rapt fascination. "The human brain's capacity for neuroplasticity is astounding," he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. "To witness the direct implantation of complex motor skills... it's rewriting every textbook I've ever read."
Kai felt a deep sense of satisfaction watching them. The 100 XP he'd spent felt like the best investment he'd ever made. It hadn't just given Elara a skill; it had given her a confidence that radiated from her like a tangible force. It had transformed them.
"We need a plan," Kai said, his voice drawing their attention. The immediate euphoria was fading, replaced by the grim reality of their situation. "We're safe for now, but we can't stay here forever. We're low on food, water, and our 'weapons'," he said, gesturing to the two remaining acid bombs and the handful of smoke bombs on the bench.
He pulled the Wayfinder from his pocket and placed it next to the Tome. The frantic spinning it had displayed at the library was gone. Its silver needle now pointed with a calm, unwavering certainty. Not towards the smoldering ruin across the quad, but north-northeast, towards the distant, hazy spires of the city's downtown district.
"It has a new destination for us," Kai said. "A new Echo."
Ben leaned over the device. "The city center. Based on the trajectory, it's pointing towards the old financial district. The highest concentration of corporate and government buildings in the city."
"And the highest concentration of people, which means..." Elara began, her voice trailing off.
"The highest concentration of monsters," Kai finished grimly. "We're not ready for that. Not even close. We need to get stronger, better equipped. All of us."
The new dynamic was clear. Kai was the engine of their growth, his XP the fuel. But for him to gain XP, he needed to fight. For them to survive the fights, they all needed to be stronger. It was a brutal, self-reinforcing loop.
"Our first priority is to scavenge," Kai declared, taking on the role of leader naturally. "We need supplies. Food, water, medical equipment, maybe better gear. This campus has to have a cafeteria, a student union, maybe dormitories."
"The student union building is the logical choice," Ben said, immediately shifting into tactical mode. "It contains the main cafeteria, a convenience store, and the campus clinic. It's a nexus of resources. It's also a large, open building that will be difficult to secure."
"We'll go at dawn," Kai decided. "We rest here tonight, get our strength back. Then we hit the student union. We find what we need, and we get out."
Elara nodded, her hand resting on the hilt of her saber. The fear was still in her eyes, but it was overshadowed by a hard, determined glint. "What about him?" she asked, gesturing to Ben with the sword. "We can't just leave him here defenseless."
"I've been considering that," Kai said. He looked at Ben. "I don't have enough XP to make another skill book right now. But we're in a science building. There has to be something here you can use. Something that fits your style."
Ben's eyes lit up. "My style isn't a sword, Kai. My style is a crucible." He walked over to the chemical storage and patted the metal door. "Let me think. I believe I can fashion a few... persuasive deterrents. Something with a bit more of a bang."
As a fragile sense of hope began to settle in the lab, a new sound from outside cut through the quiet. It wasn't the chittering of a Scuttler or the roar of an elemental. It was a rhythmic, organized sound.
Clank. Thump. Clank. Thump.
It was the sound of marching.
Kai, Elara, and Ben froze, exchanging looks of alarm. They rushed to the reinforced window, peering down at the ash-covered quad below.
Moving through the twilight with an eerie, coordinated purpose was a patrol of creatures unlike any they had seen before. They were humanoid, crafted from what looked like rusted scrap metal, broken concrete, and exposed rebar. Their limbs were mismatched, their bodies asymmetrical collections of urban debris, but they moved with a single, unified will. In the center of each of their chests, a single, dull purple light pulsed like a dying heart.
As they watched, one of the shambling constructs spotted the body of a Scuttler they had slain earlier. It stopped, its head tilting. It reached down with a crude pincer made from a bent stop sign, picked up the monster's corpse, and shoved the entire thing into a gaping maw in its torso. The purple light in its chest flared brightly for a moment before dimming again. It was feeding. It was harvesting.
And there were dozens of them, marching in a disciplined, unnatural formation, cleaning the streets.
This wasn't just chaos anymore. This was an army.