The southern docks of Arkwright stretched before them, a labyrinth of stacked crates, rusted chains, and damp wooden planks. The air was thick with the salty tang of the bay and the faint metallic scent of Veil energy.
Elias walked beside Lirian, the captain leading with his usual measured calm. The faint murmurs of whispers brushed against Elias's mind, indistinct and unnerving. He clenched his jaw and tried to ignore them, focusing on the task ahead.
Adrienne's team waited near a cluster of barrels, their faces set with grim determination. She motioned sharply for Elias and Lirian to join her.
"You're late," she said, her tone clipped.
"Traffic," Elias quipped, though his heart wasn't in it.
Adrienne ignored him, turning to Lirian. "Captain, we've scouted the area. The shipment is inbound, but the Veil energy here is unstable. It feels like the air is waiting to snap."
Lirian nodded. "Then we make this quick. Dorian, I'll need you up front when things go loud."
"Yes, Captain," Dorian replied, his deep voice steady. He hefted his massive Veil-infused warhammer, its faint glow casting eerie shadows.
Adrienne's gaze flicked to Elias. "Stay sharp. If you see something, say something."
Elias nodded, gripping his revolver tightly.
The creaking of wheels and the low hum of voices broke the silence. A large cart emerged from the fog, flanked by several figures cloaked in shadow.
"There," Adrienne said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Elias squinted. The shadows around the figures seemed alive, twisting and writhing unnaturally.
"They're Veilborn," Adrienne muttered. "And they know we're here."
Lirian raised a hand. "Hold your positions. Wait for my signal."
The team shifted, moving into strategic positions behind crates and barrels. Elias crouched low, his eyes fixed on the cart as his heart pounded in his chest.
The whispers in his mind grew louder, clawing at his thoughts with incomprehensible urgency.
As Adrienne stepped forward, the lead operative near the cart raised a hand. Shadows surged outward, consuming the area in an instant.
The cart splintered apart, revealing metallic crates glowing with Veil energy. Before anyone could react, runes carved into the crates flared to life.
"Get back!" Adrienne shouted.
The runes detonated, releasing unstable bursts of Veil energy. Several rifts tore open in the air, their jagged edges pulsating with chaotic light. Veilshards spilled forth, their amorphous forms writhing as they shrieked into the night.
The Syndicate operatives melted into the chaos, their forms dissolving into shadow.
Dorian stepped forward immediately, his warhammer glowing with faint Veil energy. With a grunt of effort, he swung the weapon in a wide arc, shattering a Veilshard that lunged toward Lenya.
"Stay close!" he barked, his deep voice cutting through the cacophony.
Lenya nodded, raising her hands as shadows coiled around her fingers. She dimmed the glow of one of the rifts, slowing the emergence of more Veilshards.
Lirian moved with precision, summoning a wisp that darted toward another rift. The faint light illuminated the Veilshards writhing nearby, giving the team a clear target.
"Focus on the rifts!" Lirian commanded.
Elias ducked as a Veilshard lunged at him, its amorphous body lashing out with unnatural limbs. He fired his revolver, the enchanted bullet striking true and forcing the creature to recoil.
Dorian charged toward a cluster of Veilshards, his warhammer glowing brighter as he infused it with Veil energy. The weapon struck the ground with a deafening crack, sending a shockwave rippling outward.
The impact scattered the Veilshards, their forms dissipating into faint wisps of energy.
"Aric, get to that crate!" Dorian called over his shoulder, gesturing toward the nearest metallic box.
Aric darted forward, crouching beside the crate. "It's warded!" he shouted, examining the glowing runes etched into its surface.
"Then break it," Lirian ordered, his voice calm despite the chaos.
Elias found himself cornered as another Veilshard surged toward him. He fired, but the creature twisted unnaturally, dodging the shot.
The whispers in his mind grew louder, incomprehensible and relentless, making it harder to focus.
Use the monocle. The thought crept into his mind, tempting him with its clarity.
His hand moved toward his pocket, but he stopped. Adrienne's warning echoed in his mind: "The more you rely on it, the worse the Fraying will become."
Instead, he scanned the area and spotted an oil barrel nearby. Firing at it, he ignited the contents, the explosion scattering the Veilshard long enough for him to regain his footing.
Adrienne moved with practiced precision, her shadow manipulation forming barriers to contain the Veilshards while her team worked to close the rifts.
"Lenya, seal the left rift!" she shouted.
Lenya nodded, her shadows coiling tighter as she focused her energy. The rift pulsed once before collapsing in on itself, leaving behind a faint hum of residual Veil energy.
"Aric, how's that crate?" Adrienne called out.
"Almost there!" Aric replied, his tools clinking as he worked to disable the runes.
Lirian moved like a shadow, his blade flashing as he struck down Veilshards with surgical precision. His wisp flitted through the chaos, illuminating weak points in the rifts and exposing the Syndicate operatives' positions.
When a Veilshard lunged at Adrienne, Lirian blurred forward with Wraithstep, his form flickering as he intercepted the attack. His shadow-forged blade cut through the creature, dispersing it into faint wisps.
He combined Shadowcraft and Minor Binding, summoning a faint spirit to scout the area. The spirit hovered near another crate, its glow signaling an unstable rune.
"That one's about to blow!" Lirian called out, sending a wave of shadows to disrupt the rune.
Amid the chaos, a shadowed figure emerged near a secondary cart loaded with additional crates.
"They're escaping!" Elias shouted, pointing toward the operatives wheeling the cart toward a hidden waterway.
Lirian's eyes narrowed. "Dorian, hold this position! Adrienne, with me!"
"Yes, Captain!" Dorian replied, hefting his warhammer as he moved to block the remaining Veilshards.
Lirian followed Adrienne, his wisp darting ahead to light their path as they pursued the fleeing cart.
Elias and the remaining team worked furiously to contain the remaining rifts.
Aric finally disabled the runes on one crate, causing the associated rift to collapse. Lenya focused her shadow manipulation on another, sealing it with a final push of effort.
Dorian swung his warhammer in a wide arc, scattering a group of Veilshards that had cornered Aric.
"Keep moving!" Dorian bellowed, his commanding presence keeping the team focused.
By the time the last rift was sealed, the docks were in ruins. Crates lay shattered, the wooden planks scorched and splintered.
Adrienne and Lirian returned, their expressions grim. "The cart got away," Adrienne said, frustration evident in her tone.
"But they didn't escape clean," Lirian added, holding up a shard etched with runes. "This might lead us to their next move."