Vane moved through the service tunnel with the silence of a shadow. He did not look back at the flickering white gold light emanating from the refinery sector. The sound of Wyvern screeches was a rhythmic accompaniment to their footsteps. Valerica carried Mara. The girl was slipping into a deeper state of exhaustion. Vane could feel the heat radiating from Valerica. Her Starfire Aura was retracted but the core was still hot. It was a sun waiting to be unleashed.
They reached a junction where the mercury pipes branched into a massive chamber filled with silver fog. This was the Mercury Ponds. The air was thick and toxic. It shimmered with a mystical weight that distorted the senses. Vane reached out and touched the surface of a nearby iron pillar. He closed his eyes. He used Internal Pulse. He felt the vibration of the two Captains. They were close. They were no longer the arrogant hunters who had entered the groves. They were wounded and they were furious.
