The next month started with a full equipment check-up. Slythe, team blacksmith and armor smith, took charge with precision. His workshop, set in a reinforced corner of the warehouse, was old-world craftsmanship combined with advanced technology. Mana-circuits along the walls powered an array of tools designed to forge, repair, and enhance their gear.
Jun observed with fascination as Slythe worked, his scaled hands deftly repairing a damaged mana rifle. "Every piece of gear tells a story," Slythe said, not looking up. "Yours, kid, needs to say you're ready for anything."
Jun nodded, putting on his newly made uniform. It was fitting tightly, designed for both agility and protection. On his shoulders, a cloak with solar cells was draped; its fabric was slick black, shimmering dimly under light. The cloak was covered with solar radiation, transforming it into energy that could power spells, weapons, or barriers to defend himself. As he put on the cloak with the shadow snake curled around him, Jun was feeling more prepared than ever.
The briefing came the next morning. Lanoir stood at the head of the table, her commanding presence amplified by Erebus perched on her shoulder. Myrda, Panois, and Jun listened intently.
"Our target is a mana-oil pipeline that runs through a civilian zone," Lanoir began. "The pipeline's existence is an open secret. The people there hate it, but they're powerless to oppose Texxon Co. We're going to change that."
What's the catch?" Myrda questioned, pulling back with a measuring gaze.
Lanoir's features grew shadowy. "The pipeline has minimal armed guards, however, but the control center has something of a monkey wrench. Human-beast Infusions."
The room went quiet. Infusing men with beast quality was almost taboo even for such corporations; it created robust warriors at the expense, often literally, of some humanity
"Taboo," Panois replied, biting his jaw so hard one could almost envision his clenched teeth. "They go that low?
Lanoir nodded grimly. "We'll neutralize the tower, drain the pipeline, and destroy it. The people need to see that Texxon isn't invincible. Let's move."
Under the disguise of illusion spells, they sneaked into the civilian area. Jun was able to appreciate the subtlety of the magic in that his reflection in the broken shop window showed up as a nondescript laborer instead of himself. Streets were filled with quiet despair. The people here had become numb with their exploitation.
Myrda and Panois separate to scout, mingling with the locals and dressed as laborers. Jun followed Lanoir, staying out of sight as they watched the pipeline. A steady thrum reverberated through the air, which came from the mana-oil flowing through the gargantuan construction. Pipes ran throughout the district, their metallic gleam a harsh reminder of corporate avarice.
An hour of surveillance over, the team reconvened in an abandoned warehouse.
"The pipeline's security is a joke," Myrda reported. "No patrols, and the control tower staff look half-asleep."
"They're either overconfident or distracted," Lanoir said. "We'll take advantage of that."
Under the cover of darkness, the team moved swiftly toward the control tower. Jun felt the shadow snake's reassuring weight as it coiled tighter around him, its voice a whisper in his mind.
"Steady, young one. We've trained for this."
Ahead was looming the tower, its weak lights barely lighting up the surrounding area. They slipped into it unnoticed, but soon, upon entering the control room, alarms started howling. The door crashed shut after them, and they found themselves facing thirteen guards. These were not mere mercenaries; their eyes blazed with an unnatural shine and their movements seemed to come with a macabre precision.
"Infusions," Lanoir breathed, her hand tightening over her blade. "Stand ready."
The guards charged. Spells and gunfire filled the air as the Shadow Banner engaged. Lanoir moved like a phantom, her blade slicing through the air in tandem with Erebus's strikes. The raven's ethereal wings sent waves of disorienting energy, creating openings for her to disable opponents.
Myrda and Stygs were working in perfect sync, the storm toad's electric croaks stunning groups of enemies while Myrda's daggers found their marks. Panois and Lygs unleashed controlled chaos, the salamander's fiery breath forcing enemies into Panois's waiting blade.
Jun stood firm, the shadow snake spreading into a churning vortex of darkness around him. He called upon void magic, creating rifts that swallowed enemy projectiles and redirected them. When two infused guards rushed him, he countered with a burst of gravitational force, pinning them to the ground.
"Well done," the shadow snake purred. "But stay vigilant."
One of the guards, a man fused with a bear-like beast, roared as he charged at Jun. The impact would have been enough to shatter bones, but the shadow snake wrapped tightly around him to absorb the brunt of the blow. Jun retaliated with a blade of void energy, slicing into the infusion's armor as it sent it crashing down to the ground.
With the guards neutralized, the team turned to their primary objective. Myrda and Panois co-cast a spell, [Liquid Storage], creating glowing reservoirs of magic to siphon the mana fuel and oil. Jun watched in awe as the pipeline's contents flowed into the reservoirs, their combined magic maintaining perfect control.
"Efficient as always," Lanoir said, watching the process. "We'll need every drop for the resistance."
As the last of the fuel dropped off, the team sowed charges along the length of the pipeline. Lanoir gave the go ahead through their high-tech earpieces and retreated back from the area.
"Ready," Panois said in the crackling comms voice.
"Do it," Lanoir replied.
The explosion lit up the night, a series of controlled blasts that reduced the pipeline to rubble. Cheers erupted from the nearby civilians, who had gathered to watch the spectacle. For the first time in years, they saw a symbol of corporate oppression fall.
Back at the safehouse, the team held a quiet meal and had a debriefing session. Jun felt a mixture of exhaustion and pride; he had proven himself in the field, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Shadow Banner's best.
"You did well out there," Lanoir said, raising her glass in a rare gesture of camaraderie. "But this is only the beginning. The corporations won't ignore this.
Jun nodded, determination burning in his eyes. "We may probably have to lay low for a while."