The hum of fragment-powered drones filled the chamber as they hovered into position, their sleek black shells reflecting the faint blue and green glow of the Sovereign Vault's walls. Automated turrets whirred to life, their barrels charging with energy that pulsed like a heartbeat. The chamber's once-quiet air now crackled with the tension of imminent violence.
Jasrik Thorn dove behind a jagged console as the first shot exploded above him, scattering shards of stone and glowing debris. His bionic arm sparked faintly, the Havok Fragment stirring with chaotic energy, eager to be unleashed.
"Any bright ideas, Thorn?" Sela Wren shouted, her back pressed against a nearby pillar. Her fragment-powered rifle hummed in her hands as she popped out to fire a volley of shots at one of the drones. The bullets hit home, shattering its glowing core, but two more drones replaced it in an instant.
"Working on it!" Jas shouted back, his eyes darting across the room. The console in the center seemed important—its glowing runes and fragment energy hinted at control over the vault's systems. But reaching it meant crossing a kill zone bristling with automated death.
Merrik Ironspire cursed loudly from behind a stack of fallen debris near the entrance. "I told you this was a terrible idea!" he yelled. His wrench gleamed faintly in his hand, utterly useless against the chaos around him. "You dragged me into a fortress built by god fragments, and now it's trying to kill us!"
"Less complaining, more helping!" Jas snapped, peeking over the edge of the console. He raised his sidearm and fired at a turret, the blast deflecting harmlessly off its reinforced casing.
"Right. Helping," Merrik muttered, ducking as a drone zipped overhead. "I'll just go ask it nicely to stop shooting."
Sela fired another burst, hitting a turret squarely in its exposed power core. It exploded in a shower of sparks, lighting the room with a brief, blinding flash. "We need to disable the defenses," she called out, her wings flickering faintly as she moved to cover. "Jas, can you access that console?"
"Probably," Jas said. "But I'm guessing it doesn't have an off switch labeled 'murder drones.'"
"You don't have a choice!" Sela growled. "Get moving, or we're dead!"
Jas sucked in a breath, his grip tightening on his weapon. He glanced down at his bionic arm. The Havok Fragment pulsed faintly, its chaotic energy a tempting solution. But the risk… the fragment's power wasn't reliable, and losing control now could endanger everyone.
Another blast struck the pillar above him, showering him with debris. No time for hesitation.
"Cover me!" Jas yelled, breaking into a sprint toward the central console. The Havok Fragment flared to life, its chaotic energy coursing through his arm and amplifying his speed. Sparks of red and black light trailed behind him as he zigzagged through the chamber, narrowly avoiding turret fire and drones.
Sela's rifle barked sharply, taking out two more drones as they veered toward Jas. Merrik, surprisingly, threw a makeshift explosive he'd cobbled together from his tools, obliterating another turret in a fiery blast. "You're welcome!" he shouted.
Jas reached the console and skidded to a stop, his breath ragged. The runes on its surface glowed brighter as he approached, reacting to the Havok Fragment embedded in his arm. He placed his hand on the panel, wincing as a jolt of energy coursed through him.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a deep, mechanical voice echoed through the chamber.
"Fragment detected. Accessing… authorization granted."
The drones froze mid-air, their glowing cores dimming. The turrets powered down, their barrels retracting into the walls. The chamber fell silent, save for the faint hum of the console beneath Jas's hand.
Sela emerged from behind her cover, her rifle still raised as she scanned the room. "What did you do?" she asked, her tone cautious.
Jas shook his head, pulling his hand away from the console. "I don't know. It… responded to the fragment."
"Well, that's convenient," Merrik said, stepping into the open and eyeing the dormant defenses warily. "But if this place thinks you're authorized, maybe it's not as abandoned as we thought."
Jas frowned, his gaze shifting to the console. The runes continued to glow faintly, their patterns shifting and rearranging as if waiting for input. "It's tied to the Sovereigns," he said. "Or what's left of them. Whatever power built this place recognizes the fragments."
"And you have one," Sela said, her wings flickering faintly as she approached. Her expression was guarded, but there was a hint of something else in her eyes—curiosity? Greed?
"Yeah," Jas said. "Lucky me."
Merrik stepped forward, squinting at the console. "Can you do anything else with it? Maybe unlock the vault? Or better yet, find a way to get us out of here?"
Jas hesitated. The Havok Fragment hummed faintly in his arm, a low, insistent pulse that seemed to draw him closer to the console. He placed his hand on the panel again, wincing as another jolt of energy coursed through him. The runes shifted, forming a new pattern, and the mechanical voice returned.
"Vault interface activated. Please select query."
Sela's eyes widened. "It's working. Ask it where the main vault is."
Jas nodded, his fingers trembling slightly as he pressed against the glowing runes. "Locate main vault," he said, his voice steady.
The console whirred to life, projecting a holographic map of the vault's interior. A glowing marker appeared, highlighting a large chamber deeper within the structure.
"There," Jas said, pointing to the marker. "That's where we need to go."
"Great," Merrik said, rubbing the back of his neck. "And what are the odds we'll get there without more murder bots trying to kill us?"
"Low," Sela said bluntly, strapping her rifle to her back. "But we're here now. We might as well see this through."
Jas pulled his hand away from the console, the map fading as the runes dimmed. The Havok Fragment's hum grew fainter, but its presence lingered, a constant reminder of the chaos it could unleash.
"Let's move," he said, turning toward the chamber's exit. "The sooner we're out of here, the better."
The group pressed deeper into the vault, the dimly lit corridors growing colder and more foreboding with each step. The walls were lined with strange carvings—symbols and images that seemed to depict the Sovereigns and their fragments. Some of the carvings glowed faintly, their light pulsing like a heartbeat.
"This place is ancient," Merrik muttered, his voice hushed. "And it's still running. How is that even possible?"
"The fragments," Sela said. "They're powering everything. Whatever the Sovereigns built here, they designed it to last."
Jas didn't reply. His focus was on the path ahead, but his thoughts lingered on the carvings. The Sovereigns' power had torn the world apart, leaving fragments of their essence scattered across the Aetherveil. And now, he was walking through one of their greatest creations—a place built to preserve that power.
The air grew heavier as they approached a massive set of doors, their surfaces etched with glowing runes. The Havok Fragment stirred again, its chaotic energy buzzing faintly in Jas's arm.
"This is it," Sela said, her voice low. "The main vault."
Jas stepped forward, placing his hand on the door. The runes flared brightly, and the doors began to creak open, revealing a chamber bathed in shifting light.
Inside, rows of crystalline pedestals lined the room, each holding a fragment that pulsed with raw power. The air was thick with energy, the fragments' glow casting eerie patterns across the walls.
Jas's chest tightened. The vault wasn't just a repository of power—it was a graveyard of Sovereign relics. And now, it was his.