Aurelion rushed down the hallway.
The passage was dark, narrow, sloped downward. The loan shark's footsteps were visible in the dust, leading deeper into the mansion's secret corridors. He could hear the faint echo of footsteps ahead—the loan shark was close.
He rounded a corner.
The hallway opened into a chamber—a circular room, its walls lined with weapons and armor. At its center, the loan shark stood, its back to Aurelion.
It turned.
Aurelion barely had time to react.
A metallic fist slammed into his face, sending him flying backward. He tumbled down the hallway, his body bouncing against the walls, before crashing to a stop.
He groaned.
His vision swam. His jaw throbbed. He could taste blood in his mouth.
He pushed himself up, shaking his head.
"What the—"
He looked up.
The loan shark was no longer just a gaunt being in expensive robes. It was encased in a bulky, humanoid robotic frame painted primarily in red. Its movements were smooth, fluid, predatory.
An exosuit.
The loan shark's voice echoed from within the suit, distorted by the machinery.
"You should have stayed away," it said. "You should have left while you could."
Aurelion got to his feet, wiping blood from his lip.
"Yeah, well," he said. "I've never been good at doing what I should."
The loan shark raised its right arm. A blade extended from the wrist—a plasma saber, its edge humming with contained energy.
"Then you'll die here," it said. "Like all the others who thought they could challenge me."
It lunged.
The plasma saber came down in a blazing arc.
Aurelion dove, rolling to the side. The blade carved a trench in the floor where he had been standing. He came up with his sword drawn, his eyes fixed on the exosuit.
The loan shark was fast.
It turned, its blade swinging in a wide arc. Aurelion blocked, the impact sending sparks flying. The force of the blow drove him back, his boots skidding across the floor.
"You're strong," he admitted. "For a loan shark."
The exosuit's eye slits glowed. "I've been preparing for someone like you. Someone who thinks they can break the rules of my city."
Its left arm raised. A barrier of shimmering energy projected from the wrist—a power barrier, designed to block incoming attacks.
"Your city?" Aurelion's smile was cold. "Not for long."
He attacked.
The fight was brutal.
Aurelion's blade met the plasma saber again and again, sparks flying with each impact. The loan shark's exosuit was powerful, its movements fast and precise. The power barrier absorbed Aurelion's strikes, deflecting them with ease.
But Aurelion was faster.
He ducked under a swing, his blade carving a gash across the exosuit's leg. The loan shark stumbled, its barrier flickering.
A panel on the exosuit's chest opened. A barrel extended—a fusion repeater, its muzzle glowing with contained energy.
"Eat this," the loan shark snarled.
It fired.
The rounds tore through the air, a storm of energy that forced Aurelion to dive for cover. He rolled behind a pillar, the rounds chewing into the stone.
"K-7!" he shouted. "Any weaknesses?"
The robot hovered nearby, its sensor flickering rapidly.
"The exosuit's power core is located on its back," K-7 announced. "It is heavily armored, but not invulnerable."
Aurelion smiled. "Good enough for me."
He moved.
He burst from behind the pillar, his blade raised. The loan shark fired again, but Aurelion was already moving, weaving through the barrage. He closed the distance, his sword aimed at the exosuit's chest.
The loan shark raised its barrier.
Aurelion's blade struck the energy shield, sparks flying. He pushed, forcing the barrier back.
"You can't break through!" the loan shark snarled. "This barrier can withstand—"
Aurelion's foot connected with its knee.
The exosuit buckled, the loan shark stumbling. Aurelion spun, his blade carving a deep gash across the exosuit's back.
The power core was exposed.
The loan shark screamed—a sound of pure fury.
"YOU—"
It lunged, its plasma saber swinging wildly. Aurelion ducked, rolled, came up behind it.
His blade found the power core.
The exosuit convulsed, sparks flying from the wound. The loan shark stumbled, its movements growing sluggish. The barrier flickered and died. The fusion repeater went silent.
Aurelion stood over it, his blade raised.
"Any last words?" he asked.
The loan shark stared up at him, its eyes wide with fear.
"Please," it said. "I'll tell you everything. I'll tell you about the Fracture. I'll tell you about the Wayfarers. Just—just don't kill me."
Aurelion lowered his blade.
"Start talking."
The loan shark swallowed, its eyes darting nervously.
"I don't know much," it said quickly. "I've never been to the Fracture. I've never met a Wayfarer. But I've heard things. Rumors. Stories from travelers who pass through the city."
Aurelion's eyes narrowed. "What kind of rumors?"
"There's a being. A Wayfarer. It's been seen in the outer reaches of the Great Structure. It's old—ancient—and it knows the pathways better than anyone." The loan shark paused. "They call it the Wanderer."
"The Wanderer?"
"Yes. It's said to be the oldest living Wayfarer. It's been traveling between worlds for longer than anyone can remember." The loan shark's voice dropped to a whisper. "If anyone can help you get home, it's the Wanderer."
Aurelion absorbed this. "Where can I find it?"
The loan shark shook its head. "I don't know. No one knows. It appears where it wants, when it wants. You can't track it. You can't find it. It finds you."
Aurelion's grip tightened on his sword. "That's not helpful."
"I know. I know. But that's all I have." The loan shark's voice was desperate. "I've told you everything. Please—please let me go."
Aurelion stared at the being for a long moment.
Then he sheathed his sword.
"Get out of this city," he said. "Leave. Don't come back. If I ever see you again, I won't be so merciful."
The loan shark scrambled to its feet, its exosuit dragging uselessly behind it. It stumbled toward a hidden door, its movements frantic, desperate.
"Thank you," it said, its voice barely a whisper. "Thank you."
The door slid shut behind it.
Aurelion stood in the chamber, his hands on his hips, his mind churning. He waited for a moment, listening to the fading footsteps.
Then he heard something else.
The footsteps stopped.
They returned.
Aurelion's eyes narrowed. He turned toward the hidden door, his hand going to his sword.
The door slid open.
The loan shark was standing there, its exosuit still sparking, its eyes wild with desperation. It had run back—run back to the suit, to the controls, to something.
Aurelion's blood went cold.
"What did you do?" he demanded.
The loan shark smiled—a wide, manic smile. It raised its hand, its middle finger extended.
"Go to hell," it said.
It slammed its hand against a button inside the exosuit.
The suit began to beep.
A high-pitched, rapid beeping that grew louder with each passing second. The lights on its surface flickered, flashing red. The power core was glowing, its energy building to a critical point.
Aurelion's eyes widened.
"K-7! GET BACK!"
He dove.
The exosuit exploded.
The blast was immense—a wave of fire and force that tore through the chamber, through the mansion, through everything. Aurelion felt himself being thrown, his body tumbling through the air, debris raining down around him.
He hit the ground hard.
The world was fire and noise and chaos. The mansion was collapsing, its walls crumbling, its ceilings caving in. The forcefield flickered, straining to contain the explosion—then it died, its energy spent.
Aurelion lay in the rubble, his ears ringing, his vision swimming.
The explosion subsided.
Silence fell.
Aurelion pushed himself up, coughing, wavi
ng away the smoke. The mansion was gone—reduced to a crater, its walls scattered across the surrounding streets. The forcefield was gone, its generator destroyed.
He stood in the center of the destruction, his body aching, his clothes torn.
He looked around.
The crater was massive—a wound in the city's heart. Fires burned in the distance. Debris was scattered everywhere.
Aurelion sighed.
"Damn," he muttered. "This really is a shitty day."
He coughed again, waving away more smoke.
Then he thought about it.
The explosion was big. Bigger than anything he had seen in a while. But it was nothing compared to the black hole. Nothing compared to Doom.
He was fine.
"I've survived worse," he said.
He looked at the crater.
"Way worse."
K-7 floated down from the sky, its sensor flickering, its little form covered in dust.
"Are you injured?" the robot asked.
"No." Aurelion shook his head. "Just annoyed."
He looked at the crater one more time.
"Well," he said. "At least I don't have to worry about the loan shark anymore."
Aurelion turned to leave.
He had made it about twenty steps when the sirens began.
They were loud—piercing, insistent, echoing across the ruined streets. Blue and red lights flickered in the distance, growing closer with each passing second. Vehicles were approaching, their engines roaring, their occupants shouting.
Aurelion stopped.
He sighed.
"Of course," he muttered. "Of course they show up now."
The vehicles screeched to a halt around him. Figures poured out—beings in gleaming armor, their weapons raised, their eyes fixed on him. They formed a perimeter, cutting off any escape.
One of them stepped forward. It was taller than the others, its armor more ornate, its voice cold and official.
"Aurelion Kade," it said. "You are under arrest."
Aurelion raised an eyebrow. "For what, exactly?"
The being began listing charges.
"Destruction of private property. Multiple counts of murder. Unauthorized use of weapons. Resisting arrest. Endangering public safety. Violation of the Mundikuni's peace accords. And—" It paused, glancing at the smoldering crater where the mansion had been. "—the destruction of a Class-4 residential structure."
Aurelion blinked.
"That's... a lot of charges."
"The list is not exhaustive."
He looked at the crater. Then at the guards. Then at K-7, who was hovering silently beside him.
"Right," he said. "And if I refuse to come peacefully?"
The being's hand went to its weapon.
"Then we will use force."
Aurelion considered his options. He could fight. He could probably win—these guards were nothing compared to the enemies he had faced. But fighting would only add more charges. It would make things worse.
He sighed again.
"Fine," he said, raising his hands. "I'll come peacefully."
The guards moved in, their weapons still raised. They surrounded him, their hands grabbing his arms, his shoulders, his neck.
Aurelion didn't resist.
"This really has been a crappy day," he muttered.
K-7 floated beside him as he was led away.
"Your predicament is... unfortunate," the robot observed.
"You don't say."