The southern docks were a shroud of mist and decay, the air thick with salt and the faint hum of Veil energy. Elias adjusted his monocle, the brass cold against his skin, revealing faint distortions in the air. Through the lens, the world shifted—shadows writhed unnaturally, and the dock's worn wood pulsed faintly with residual energy.
Adrienne moved ahead, her dagger's runes glowing faintly as she scanned their surroundings.
"The rift's presence is strong," she murmured, her voice low. "It's recent."
Elias rested a hand on his revolver. "Recent enough for them to still be here?"
"Possibly," Adrienne replied. "Stay alert."
They crept through the docks, their footsteps muffled by the mist. As they rounded a corner, faint violet light flickered in the distance.
"Over there," Adrienne whispered, motioning toward a broken warehouse door.
Inside, they found a partially constructed ritual circle, the symbols etched into the ground glowing faintly. Candles lay scattered, their wicks burned to nubs.
"They left in a hurry," Elias said, kneeling to examine a torn page with strange symbols. The faint hum of Veil energy resonated through the circle, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Adrienne's brow furrowed. "Or they were interrupted."
Before they could investigate further, a voice cut through the mist.
"Step away from the circle. Now."
Elias and Adrienne turned sharply, their weapons half-raised. Three figures emerged from the shadows, dressed in dark coats with hoods obscuring their faces. Each held a weapon—a glowing staff, a curved dagger, and a long blade inscribed with runes.
Elias glanced at Adrienne. "Friends of yours?"
"Hardly," she muttered, tightening her grip on her dagger.
The tallest figure, a woman with sharp eyes and a commanding presence, stepped forward. "Covenant agents," she said with a smirk. "Figures you'd show up eventually."
Adrienne didn't lower her weapon. "And you are?"
"Kael," the woman replied. "We're not with the Syndicate, if that's what you're thinking."
Elias narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you here?"
Kael's smirk faded. "Same reason as you. Cleaning up the Syndicate's mess before it gets worse."
"Rogue practitioners," Adrienne muttered, her tone icy. "You're playing with forces you can't control."
Kael bristled. "And you're fanatics who think you own the Veil. Spare me the lecture."
Elias stepped between them, his patience wearing thin. "Enough. If we're all here to stop the Syndicate, maybe we can focus on that instead of posturing."
Kael studied him for a moment before nodding. "Fair enough. We found this site earlier tonight. It was active when we arrived, but the Syndicate scattered before we could confront them."
Adrienne's gaze darkened. "Why didn't you pursue them?"
Kael's companion with the staff spoke up. "We had other problems."
He held up a shard pulsing faintly with Veil energy, its hum filling the space.
Adrienne's eyes widened. "A Veilshard. If it's still active, it could draw entities to this area."
"Exactly," Kael said. "We've been trying to contain it, but it's unstable. If we destroy it, the energy release could attract something worse."
Adrienne exchanged a glance with Elias. "We need to neutralize it now. The longer it stays intact, the greater the risk."
Kael hesitated before nodding. "Then prepare yourselves. This won't be clean."
Kael's team moved into defensive positions as Adrienne began chanting in Arcaenic, her voice steady despite the rising hum of the Veilshard.
The air grew colder, and the symbols in the circle flared brightly. Shadows shifted unnaturally, and faint whispers filled the air.
"They're coming," Kael muttered, drawing her sword.
Through the mist, the first creature emerged—a Veilshard entity, its body a mass of shifting darkness with glowing violet eyes.
Elias raised his revolver, aiming carefully before firing. The enchanted bullet struck the creature, causing it to recoil and shriek before reforming.
"Not enough," he muttered, adjusting his stance.
Adrienne raised her hand, shadows twisting around her fingers as she muttered another incantation. Tendrils of darkness lashed out, wrapping around the creature and holding it in place.
Kael's team moved quickly, their weapons glowing as they struck at the entity. The dagger-wielding rogue slashed through its limbs, while the staff-bearer cast faint barriers to shield them from its counterattacks.
Elias used his monocle to identify weak points in the creature's form, firing at the glowing veins he could see. Each shot disrupted its shape, but it wasn't enough to destroy it.
"We need to weaken the shard!" Adrienne shouted, her voice strained.
Kael moved toward the circle, her sword raised. "Cover me!"
Another creature emerged from the shadows, larger and more aggressive than the first. It lunged at Kael, but Elias fired, his shot striking its glowing core and staggering it.
Adrienne summoned a faint barrier of shadow, deflecting a swipe from the creature's clawed limb. The strain of maintaining her spells was evident, but she held firm.
Kael reached the shard, her sword glowing faintly as she muttered an incantation. The shard's hum intensified, its energy lashing out in waves.
"Brace yourselves!" she shouted.
With a final strike, Kael shattered the shard, releasing a pulse of energy that rippled through the area. The remaining creatures shrieked and dissolved into mist, their forms unable to sustain themselves without the shard's influence.
The air grew still, the oppressive hum fading into silence.
Elias lowered his revolver, his heart pounding. "Is it over?"
"For now," Kael said, her tone weary.
Adrienne approached, her expression hard. "This isn't over. The Syndicate is still out there, and we need every piece of information you have to stop them."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "We don't answer to the Covenant. But for now, we'll consider this a truce. Don't make us regret it."
---
As Kael's group disappeared into the mist, Elias turned to Adrienne. "Think we can trust them?"
Adrienne sighed. "No. But we don't have a choice."
The docks were silent once more, but the echoes of the battle lingered. The Syndicate's plans were still a mystery, and Elias knew this was only the beginning of something far darker.