The hall was deathly silent as Elaine's words lingered in the air. Even after Marreth's reluctant approval, the gathered crowd remained tense, their faces a mixture of disbelief and fear. Elaine could feel their mistrust like a physical weight pressing down on her.
She gripped the leather-bound journal tighter, forcing herself to meet their gazes. "I know what I'm asking of you. And I know it sounds impossible. But if we don't act now, the constructs will come again—and next time, we won't have a chance to fight back."
A voice from the crowd broke the silence. "You're asking us to follow you, but how do we know you're not leading us straight to our deaths?"
Elaine turned toward the speaker—a burly alchemist with a scar running down his cheek. "Because I don't want to die either," she said bluntly. "And because I've seen what the Nexus can do. If we don't stop it, there won't be a guild left to protect."
The murmurs began again, quieter this time, as the crowd exchanged uneasy glances.
Marreth stepped forward, her silver hair catching the faint light of the rune-lamps. "Enough. Whether we like it or not, Caldara is right. The Nexus has already shown it won't hesitate to escalate. If we do nothing, we'll lose everything. If we stand together, we might stand a chance."
Her words carried the weight of authority, and the crowd began to settle, though the tension remained palpable.
Elaine nodded in gratitude, then turned to her team. "We don't have much time. We need to focus on three things: preparing the guild's defenses, creating a disruption strong enough to sever the Nexus's connection, and figuring out how to survive the fallout."
The Plan in Motion
The guild erupted into motion, its members splitting into groups to carry out the preparations. The alchemists began crafting essence charges under Lira's guidance, while the warriors fortified the compound's defenses. Overseer Marreth took charge of coordinating the guild's efforts, her commanding presence cutting through the chaos.
Elaine and her team worked in the central courtyard, where Kael had laid out a rough map of the guild compound.
"We need to draw the constructs into a confined area," Kael said, marking a section of the map with a piece of chalk. "The central nexus chamber is our best option. It's heavily warded, and we can set up traps to weaken them before they reach the core."
"But we also need to disrupt the Nexus's connection," Lira added, her hands busy mixing a volatile essence compound. "That means targeting the energy conduits that run through the chamber. If we overload them, it should sever the constructs' link."
Elaine frowned, her mind racing. "What about the guild? If we disrupt the conduits, we could destabilize the entire compound."
"It's a risk," Lira admitted. "But we don't have another option."
Nexus Directive Update:
Substrate Stability: Critical. Energy disruption likely to trigger localized collapse.
Divergence Adaptation Protocol Enabled. Survival probability: 32%.
Elaine grimaced as the Nexus's warning flickered in her vision. The odds weren't good—but they were all they had.
"Then we make it work," she said. "Kael, start coordinating with the warriors. Ferran, I need you on the perimeter, keeping an eye out for anything unusual. Lira, focus on the essence charges. We'll need them ready before the constructs arrive."
The team nodded, splitting off to carry out their tasks.
Fractures and Tensions
As the hours passed, the tension in the compound grew thicker, and the cracks in their fragile alliance began to show. Arguments broke out between the alchemists and the warriors over how to prioritize resources, and more than once, Elaine found herself playing mediator.
"This is madness," one alchemist muttered as she carefully measured out an essence vial. "We're putting everything on the word of someone the Nexus itself has marked as a threat."
"And if she's right?" a warrior countered, his tone sharp. "What happens when those things come back and we're not ready?"
Elaine stepped between them, her voice firm. "This isn't about trusting me. It's about survival. If you want to argue, do it after we've saved the guild."
The alchemist muttered something under her breath but returned to her work.
Kael approached, his expression grim. "The warriors are ready, but morale's low. Half of them think we're walking into a trap."
Elaine sighed. "They're not wrong."
Kael placed a hand on her shoulder. "But they'll fight. And so will we."
A Revelation from the Nexus
As night fell, Elaine found a quiet moment to herself, retreating to a small alcove near the central nexus chamber. The Nexus flickered faintly in her vision, its presence a constant hum at the back of her mind.
"Why are you doing this?" she whispered. "Why are you targeting me?"
For a moment, there was no response. Then, the Nexus's text appeared, more fragmented than before:
Query Accepted.
Subject Reclassification Purpose: Divergence-linked entities pose risk of system destabilization. Anomaly integration required to restore balance.
Elaine frowned. "Integration? What does that mean?"
The text shifted, its tone cold and unfeeling:
Integration: Absorption into Nexus core to eliminate divergence effect. Survival probability: 0%.
Elaine's chest tightened. The Nexus wasn't just trying to stop her—it was trying to erase her.
"What if I refuse?" she asked, her voice trembling.
The response was immediate:
Refusal: System escalation. Substrate collapse imminent. All associated entities will be terminated.
Elaine clenched her fists, her mind racing. The Nexus wasn't giving her a choice. Either she surrendered herself, or it would destroy everything to eliminate her.
The Final Countdown
The Nexus's warnings grew more urgent as the hours ticked by:
Construct Deployment ETA: 1 Hour. Prepare for Substrate Intervention.
Elaine returned to the courtyard, where her team and the rest of the guild were making final preparations. Lira was carefully placing the last of the essence charges, while Kael and Ferran double-checked the barriers around the nexus chamber.
"This is it," Elaine said, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her insides. "When the constructs arrive, we hold the line. No matter what happens, we finish this."
Kael nodded. "We're with you."
The team exchanged a tense glance, their unspoken resolve binding them together.
As the final preparations were completed, the first distortion rippled through the air, a familiar hum that made Elaine's blood run cold.
"They're here," she whispered.