The sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed through the ancient fortress as the battle raged on. Serena crouched low behind the crumbling stone wall, her heart pounding in time with the rapid-fire shots ringing out around her. The Seekers had recovered from the initial ambush faster than she'd anticipated, and their advance was relentless. The air was thick with the acrid smell of gunpowder and dust, and the once-quiet mountain fortress was now a war zone.
Serena fired a quick burst from her position on the upper level, aiming at the advancing Seekers below. She saw one of them drop, but the others kept coming, moving with the eerie precision of a military force. These weren't just fanatical followers—they were trained soldiers, moving in formation, covering each other as they pressed toward the fortress.
"We've got to slow them down!" Rebecca shouted from her position behind a nearby wall, her voice strained as she reloaded her weapon. "They're moving too fast!"
Serena gritted her teeth, firing again as she scanned the battlefield below. The Seekers were closing in on the tunnel entrances that led deeper into the fortress, and if they breached those, Adrian and Alex would be overrun. She had to buy them more time.
"Adrian, Alex!" Serena called into her earpiece. "They're pushing toward the tunnels! Are you holding up down there?"
Adrian's voice came through, calm but with an undercurrent of tension. "Barely. These guys are more organized than I gave them credit for. We're holding them off, but they're moving in faster than expected."
Serena cursed under her breath. They'd underestimated the Seekers, and now they were paying for it. She glanced at Elena, who was crouched beside her, wide-eyed but steady. Elena had insisted on coming, and despite the danger, she hadn't faltered. Still, Serena knew she was out of her depth in a battle like this.
"Stay close to me," Serena said to Elena, her voice firm but gentle. "If they get too close, we'll fall back to the inner chambers."
Elena nodded, her face pale but determined. "I understand. I won't slow you down."
Serena squeezed her shoulder before turning back to the fight. She couldn't afford to think about what might happen if they failed. The Lumen Corvus was too important, and if the Seekers got their hands on it, the consequences would be catastrophic.
Down below, the Seekers were closing in, their dark robes billowing as they advanced under heavy fire. Serena noticed something strange as she watched them—there were no shouts, no commands, no communication between them. They moved silently, almost as if they were connected by something more than simple training. It was unnerving, but Serena couldn't dwell on it now.
"We've got to hit them harder," Serena said into her earpiece. "If they break through the tunnels, we're finished."
"I'm working on it," Adrian replied, his voice strained. "But if you have any brilliant ideas, now's the time to share them."
Serena scanned the area, her mind racing. They'd set up explosives throughout the fortress, but they needed to use them strategically, or they'd collapse the whole place on themselves. Then, her eyes landed on a narrow choke point just beyond the tunnel entrance—a natural bottleneck where the Seekers were funneling in.
"Adrian, I've got an idea," Serena said, her pulse quickening. "We're going to lure them toward the choke point near the south tunnel. We've got explosives set there. If we time it right, we can collapse the passage and trap them."
Adrian was silent for a moment before responding. "It's risky. If we don't get out in time, we could be buried alive."
"We don't have a choice," Serena shot back. "We need to stop them here, or we won't get another chance."
There was a brief pause before Adrian's voice came through again. "Alright. Let's do it."
Serena signaled to Rebecca, who gave her a quick nod, understanding the plan immediately. Together, they focused their fire on the advancing Seekers, forcing them toward the narrow passage. The Seekers, relentless in their approach, pressed forward, oblivious to the trap being set.
Serena's heart pounded as the Seekers neared the choke point. "Wait for it," she muttered under her breath, her finger hovering over the detonator.
The Seekers moved deeper into the passage, and just as they reached the narrowest point, Serena gave the signal.
"Now!"
The explosion ripped through the air, the ground shaking beneath Serena's feet as the charges went off. The narrow passage collapsed in a cloud of dust and rubble, trapping several of the Seekers beneath the debris and cutting off the rest from advancing any further. The blast was deafening, but it had worked—the Seekers were blocked from entering the tunnels, at least for now.
Serena exhaled sharply, her chest heaving with adrenaline. "That should buy us some time," she said into her earpiece. "But it's not over yet."
Adrian's voice came through, relieved but still on edge. "Nice work. They'll have to find another way in, but it won't stop them for long."
"We need to regroup," Serena said, glancing around. "Everyone fall back to the inner chambers."
As they moved deeper into the fortress, Serena's mind raced. The explosion had bought them time, but not much. The Seekers were more than just a threat—they were a force, and they wouldn't stop until they had the Lumen Corvus. But there was something else nagging at her, something about the way the Seekers moved, the eerie silence with which they fought. It didn't feel right. It felt… unnatural.
They reached the inner chamber, a large stone room with high ceilings and narrow windows that offered only slivers of light. It was defensible, but not for long. Serena checked on Rebecca and Alex, both of whom were shaken but unharmed. Adrian leaned against the wall, catching his breath, while Elena paced nervously.
"We can't hold them off forever," Alex said, wiping sweat from his brow. "They'll find another way in, and we're running low on ammo."
"We need a plan," Rebecca added. "Something more than just holding the line."
Serena was about to respond when Elena spoke, her voice trembling. "There's something… wrong with them. The way they move, the way they fight. It's like they're being controlled."
Serena frowned, her heart skipping a beat. "What do you mean?"
Elena's eyes were wide with fear. "The Seekers—they're not just following orders. They're… connected. I don't know how to explain it, but I can feel it. It's like they're all part of the same mind."
Serena's blood ran cold as Elena's words sunk in. Connected. She had seen it too—the eerie, synchronized movements, the lack of communication. The Seekers weren't just soldiers—they were something else, something bound by forces beyond what they could understand.
"What are they after?" Serena muttered, more to herself than anyone else. "It's not just the Lumen Corvus. It's something bigger."
Adrian pushed off the wall, his expression grim. "They're after power, Serena. They believe the Lumen Corvus is the key to opening a door to something beyond this world. Something we can't control."
Serena clenched her fists, the weight of the truth hitting her like a punch to the gut. The Seekers didn't just want the Lumen Corvus—they wanted to tear down the barriers between worlds.
And if they succeeded, everything would be lost.
"We stop them here," Serena said, her voice hard with determination. "We can't let them open that door."
The others nodded, their faces set with grim resolve. There was no turning back now.
The final battle was at hand.