James left the confines of the security area with Luna close to his side. Apparently, she had come through a hole in the wall that didn't have the security measures in place. That was also how Linda and Jamie had gotten in. It was just bad luck that he had used the door.

Once he was past the security, he found himself in a foyer of some sort. Sterile white walls and floor stretched out in approximately twenty square feet. It was large enough to have a few chairs and vending machines with trays of rotten food resting on tables.

"It seems people left in a hurry," James murmured. Winkling his nose, he took note that the air smelled far different than he was expecting. Not quite stale, yet not alive either.

Luna sniffed the air a few times. "The food should practically be dust, and yet it still smells of mold."

Walking over to the vending machine, his steps echoed around the room as his hard boots clacked along the tiles. When Luna joined him, she didn't make so much as a sound while smirking at him.

"Don't judge me," he said with a huff.

Suppressing her laugh, she mimed zipping her lips. Instead, she made exaggerated stomping motions, eliciting a laugh from him.

The vending machines had been broken into, their contents scattered over the floor and inside the machine itself. Plastic and aluminum wrappers had been crushed, their contents ground into the tile where mold grew. The mold wasn't toxic that he could tell as none of his resistances triggered, but it was thick and hair-like.

"This is a lot of wasted food," Luna stated. Nudging a package with her foot, they watched spores mist out.

"Centuries old," he reminded her. "It would of expired long ago."

"Not that I need to eat anyways," she mumbled. "Since someone changed my soul…"

Frowning, he turned to her. "I can't exactly take that back."

Poking his cheek, she shook her head. "I wasn't exactly complaining, James. I was just trying to tease you a little."

Rubbing his neck, he frowned. "Sorry…"

"It's fine," she said with a sigh. "You've been so serious lately that I forgot I shouldn't joke about something like that."

With a small nod, he scanned the room once again. Two halls led further into the complex, and he needed to check both of them. Taking charge, he went left from the entrance and Luna followed.

Stepping into the hall, he found several glass windows showing labs of some sort on the other side. Tables were lined with glassware and implements. He didn't know what they would have been used for, but he also couldn't find the door to let him inside any of the rooms.

"Do you think we can break the glass?" Luna asked.

Touching the glass, he pulled back his fist and slammed it into the window. The glass shattered, and it was only once it was scattered around the room that he realized it was several inches thick.

"I'll—"

Luna didn't get a chance to finish as strobing red lights started pulsing through the hall.

"Security respond to lab Beta-19. Security respond to lab Beta-19."

The voice and alarm over the sound system blared loud enough that Luna had to hold down her ears and even James covered his as he scanned the area. Nothing was coming for them, but the damn alarm wouldn't stop either.

"Ignore it!" he shouted.

Luna whimpered, but nodded.

Stepping into the lab, he found cabinets of notes that he started stuffing into his storage. He didn't have time to go through them at the moment as he quickly scanned the room.

The pulsing red lights were disorienting as he watched Luna crouch in on herself while holding her ears. Feeling bad for her, he decided to leave the room for now and figure out how to shut off the alarm.

Moving down the hall, he found that shutting off the alarm wasn't that hard. A panel on the wall was glowing with a handprint symbol that he didn't dare touch. Luckily, when Luna touched it, the strobing lights stopped.

"Security measures deactivated. All threats have been contained."

Still whimpering, Luna crouched on the ground. "We are not breaking into another room!"

"I agree." Resting his hand between her ears, he knelt with her. "Let's take our time."

Giving him a weak smile, she started to stand, bringing him with. Releasing her ears, she scanned the hall. "There has to be a way into the labs. We are just missing it."

Panning his gaze up both sides of the hall, he started scratching her ears, making her hum in pleasure. Once he realized what he was doing, he started rubbing the very edges of the inside of her ears, making her nearly melt against him.

Letting her go just as suddenly as he started, he chose to head further into the building. Luna whimpered as he left her, making him glance back at her growing frown.

"Did you want me to keep going?" he asked.

Touching her ears, she nodded.

"Maybe tonight." Chuckling, he turned back to the hall and continued until they came to a split. The four way intersection gave them too many options on where to go, but what he did notice was that there were dead Forsaken down two of them. Souls were down the third, meaning Linda or Jamie hadn't gone that direction before he broke in.

Moving to one of the Forsaken, he knelt by the monster. Unlike the humanoid monsters outside, this humanoid monster had two legs and mostly looked human. Its arms were long enough to drag on the floor, with three sharp claws on each hand. Touching the torso of the monster, he found he packed with firm muscle, even in death. A few holes were done bleeding from where Linda likely punctured them with her crossbow. The absence of a real neck, gave the monster a mutated look as its head was directly attacked to the chest. Thick legs gave it strength, and likely speed, defining a tougher enemy. But it was the rags that the monster wore that drew the most attention.

What had once been white, was now gray, and deteriorated. James assumed it was a lab coat at one point, but didn't want to believe that was an option. Luna was the first to touch the old coat.

"It's a tough material," she stated. "I'm questioning why a Forsaken has a coat on."

"I have a theory," James said hesitantly. He believed that the monster was once one of the scientists.

"I think I know what you are going to say," Luna commented with a slow breath.

Shifting the coat, James started searching it for any hints on who the person was. It wasn't long until he found a badge inside the only remaining pocket that almost seemed to have been protected.

Pulling it out, he looked over the picture of a pale skinned, redhead. The woman was startling beautiful until she turned into a monster.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"We need more information," Luna said before getting up.

James joined her and went back down the hall they had come from. Panels lit up on the wall as he drew close, and with a touch of the badge, hidden doors slid open, letting them into one of the labs.

"There are notes in each room," James mentioned. "I don't know how long it would take to go through everything, but hopefully something can help us."

Moving to the cabinets, James and Luna pulled the reports and papers into their storages. Cleaning out the room only took a minute before they were moving on. James hoped they would find a room where they were experimenting on the Forsaken.

Picking the hall with the souls, James kept the lead as he readied himself for a fight. It wasn't going to be long before they came across their first monster, and hopefully more labs.

***

High upon the mountain, a man peered over the city below. Smoke rose into the air from the many bodies being cremated, and the Forsaken along with them. It was a calculated tragedy that befell the city the day before. The moment Lucian died, the man had been alerted and knew what was going to follow.

Blocking his disciples from intervening was needed. The problem was that he blocked them for too long and someone else stepped in to save his city. That was a factor that couldn't have been planned for.

He knew that a few cultivators from Settling Stone had arrived, but to think that one of their number was strong enough to wipe out hundreds of Forsaken without taking damage, wasn't something that the man thought was possible.

"Elder Paul!"

Turning, Paul found a young woman running up to him. If he remembered correctly, she had just earned her way into the inner sect with a strong foundation.

"What is it?" Paul grumbled.

"Our sect needs direction on how to rebuild the city. Elder, the crater can't be filled in with our powers."

Nodding once, Paul turned away from the woman. "That won't be a problem. Once we finish in Settling Stone, we'll have the cultivators needed."

He could hear the woman shift nervously behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he scowled, making her flee.

Sighing, Paul continued to watch the city below. A Grand Master amongst us. What are the odds that a cultivator as strong as me arrived in this city and isn't an elder? How did he come upon his strength at such a young age? And why did he make it a point to help my citizens?

Paul knew he wouldn't get the answers easily, but right now, he needed to focus on driving his cultivators to help the people and rebuild the goodwill of the sect. The wood had already been gathered and cut down thanks to that man's disciples, and they had likely saved the lives of many of the demi-humans and cultivators. The forsaken in the forest would have torn them apart for destroying their homes.

The Grand Master had disappeared at the end of yesterday. No one had seen him since, and it wasn't likely that he was still in the city. That was the best news possible. Paul only needed a few days to help the city before hearing from Settling Stone. The agents he sent a month ago should have finished their mission.

***

James knelt next to another body of a Forsaken. Its flesh still burned from where his sword cut through its torso. Luna was just behind him, covering her nose as the scent of burning monster filled the air in the tight hall.

Touching the coat of the Forsaken, he found another badge inside a pocket. It was only the second he had found out of the many Forsaken he had checked. Linda might have found more, but he wasn't going to call her over as he felt her pull souls into her body somewhere else in the complex.

Tossing the badge to Luna, she caught it with a growl.

"Stop burning them!"

Scratching his cheek absentmindedly, he didn't respond. Walking down the hall, he noticed the smoke linger in the air for longer than he was used to. The first time he had done it; alarms went off all over the complex and had to be shut down. After that, they never activated again.

Panels on the walls lit up as they passed different labs and research rooms. Not every room they passed needed a badge. The bathrooms didn't and James found it odd that they were still functioning. Break rooms were sprinkled throughout the large domed complex, with smashed vending machines and furniture. Dried blood had stained the floor in many sections, and even a few human bones were yellowed with age.

"So," James started. "Not all of the people turned into Forsaken."

"If that's what happened," Luna countered. "But with the jackets, it's the most likely theory."

Glancing at her, he frowned. "We have hours' worth of reports to go through, but we haven't found any labs that have Forsaken in them. I don't think we are going to learn much from the smaller labs."

Resting her hands behind her head, she yawned. "You're right…" Closing her mouth, she shook her head. "We've been in here for a few hours already, James. All we are finding are weak Forsaken and tiny labs. Where are the larger research facilities?"

Gesturing all around him, James laughed. "We don't even know if this is the right building. This research station is massive with more buildings than we'll likely be able to search. At least any time soon. We need the others to start looking for things as well."

"Let's step outside and call them back."

Taking Luna's suggestion, they made their way outside. Thankfully, they had come across multiple holes in the building and one wasn't that far away. Spreading his soul out over the complex, James tugged on each person and felt them stop.

"They'll be here soon," he announced. "Then we can hopefully learn more."

***

Zenaria felt a tug on her soul that sent a shiver down her spine. Pulling the shadows around her, she started panicking that something was coming for her. Jamie laughed nearby, making her frown.

Jamie is strong enough, right? She'll defeat whatever it is.

"Come out," Jamie said through her laughter. "That's only James."

Swallowing hard, she focused on the tugging of her soul and found a certain warmth to it. Dropping the shadows, she shakily stepped away from the wall. Hands shaking, she put away her wires. "What now…"

Rolling her eyes, Jamie started walking away. "We go find out what he wants!"

Zenaria felt her nerves getting the better of her. Am I in trouble? Does he regret helping me? Maybe I should just run…

When his soul wrapped around her like a warm blanket, she stopped in her tracks. Jamie noticed right away and sighed, "he can feel your scared. Doesn't he feel comfortable?"

Zenaria started shaking more, her fear ratcheting up her heart rate as she tried to push James away. Some deep seated part of her wanted to pull him tight, but she also felt like she was drowning. Slowly, his soul massaged her enough that she started to calm. "Is this comfort?" she murmured.

Jamie wasn't supposed to hear, but the woman nodded. "It is. He's our shield and will do what he can to help us. One of those being, checking on our emotions and reassuring us."

"I don't like it…I feel strange…"

Walking over to her, Jamie grabbed her hand and started leading her away. "You're part of the family now. You'll have to get used to him checking on you. Even if you tell him to stop, all you'll do is make him fret and worry. Then he'll blame himself for hurting you and then it'll spiral out of control."

"Oh…" Frowning, Zenaria quickly pulled his soul against her. "I suppose there's a certain comfort to it."

When was the last time I felt someone comforting me like this? Was it when my sister cared for me? Before everything fell apart…

Jamie brought them to a stop. "Are you okay?"

With a blank expression, Zenaria nodded. "Yes, why?"

"I can also feel your emotions," Jamie said softly.

Closing her eyes for a second, Zenaria trapped her thoughts behind a thick wall and pushed James off her.

I don't deserve him comforting me. Not anymore.

Sighing, Jamie started pulling on her again. They took the same streets they had walked before, leading them to the massive complex that James had been attacked in. Only this time, he was standing outside with Mender and Tian.

There's another I have to be careful of. I didn't think Tian would actually follow me. I'll need to keep my eye on him.

James looked up and met her gaze, freezing her in place. His irises were glowing gold as he pierced her soul. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull away.

Breaking away from the group, James waved for everyone to stay back. With measured steps he approached her and nudged Jamie out of the way. Gulping, Zenaria did her best to stand strong, but his indomitable presence nearly brought her to her knees.

"You and I need to talk," James whispered. "Alone."

Nodding, she did everything she could to fight against him, only for the man to wrest her control away. Her strength left her as he reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"Already level one," he stated. "Nearly level two in only a few hours. There's one thing you are doing wrong though."

Pushing against him, she was surprised when he pulled back.

"You need to take damage," he warned. "You need the skills you'll gain for future fights. I can't stress that enough. But there's something more I'd like to discuss with you."

"Okay…" she whispered more as a whimper than her confident self.

Letting her go, his eyes faded back to gray as he walked away. Stumbling forward, she was quickly joined by Jamie, who led her over to the group. Linda was walking out of the building a second later, and Amber was coming back with Grace, both of them laughing.

Amber met her gaze and smirked. Zenaria could tell that the cat knew everything that had just happened. The way she was connected to James was unlike anything the others had. Why the hell was she not with him?

James clapped his hands, bringing everyone to attention. "I need your help!"

Zenaria watched as everyone drew closer to him, seemingly eager to hear what he had to say. When she didn't follow suit, she found James staring at her for a brief moment.

"This place is too large for me to search every nook and cranny," James continued. "While you go out and fight, I need you to gather research reports or any sort of samples that might aid us in figuring out what exactly this research center was used for."

"Is that all?" Amber asked. "None of us can read the writing."

"I don't need you to," he said with a dazzling smile. Zenaria felt her heart skip a beat as he turned back to her. "I need you to just gather what you can and grow stronger at the same time. Zenaria, Grace, and Tian have proved they can handle things alone. Spread out and clear the place."

Clapping her hands, Amber took the attention from the man. "You heard him! Let's get to work!"

Everyone broke away, taking separate directions back into the city. Only Luna and Linda went back into the massive complex, leaving Zenaria alone with James. When he met her gaze again, his eyes were gold.

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