Hidden city of the forest

Despite the city being located underground, the air inside the shield dome was surprisingly fresh and pleasant to breathe. A cool breeze blew steadily throughout the enclosure, and as midnight approached, to his surprise the city lights dimmed, slowly revealing a stunning display of star-like lights twinkling atop the dome. Though Nazurak couldn't determine if they came from the cave or the shield, he couldn't help but be captivated by their beauty. And while he didn't know what was responsible for the dome's air purification, wind generation, and celestial illumination, he knew that understanding every detail wasn't crucial; survival was his priority, and as long as the unfamiliar didn't threaten him, he could accept it.

To refocus his attention, he glanced down at the solid ground beneath his feet, which was adorned with intricate and alluring patterns. The city's otherworldly charm was so remarkable that he wouldn't have been surprised to find it described in a fantasy novel.

He fondly recalled reading his all-time favorite novel during the days when he was still part of the civilized world, attending school, and having a good time with friends. The novel in question was none other than Shadow Slave, which he believed to be the best book he had ever read. Before the turning point in his life, he had heard that the novel was being adapted into an anime, which excited him greatly, along with many others. He hoped that one day he would be able to watch the adaptation for himself.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he resumed his journey toward the heart of the city.

An hour had passed since he started walking, yet he had come across nothing. He wasn't sure whether this was a good or bad sign.

The city lights dimmed further and the stars above shined with more brilliance than before, that was when something caught his attention inside a building he was walking next to.

Curiously he stared into the glass, then got closer until he backed off in a hurry.

'What the...' the thought to himself.

Inside the building were several parasites of all different sizes, dormant and sleeping, one however was wide awake and staring directly at him. It looked like a wolf, just abnormally large.

Nazurak at first didn't move, but then reached down for his monocular, scanning the parasites on the ground level of the building.

[Calculating...]

[Calculating...]

[Calculating...]

[Threat Level: Hostile]

[Threat Level: Harmless]

[Threat Level: Hostile]

A sigh of relief left him as he put away his scanner. Most of the parasites inside this building were hostile while some were harmless.

'What are they doing inside the building? And why is it not attacking me?'

Nazurak continued to stare at the woken parasite while his breathing slowly regulated.

Not completely used to Gluttony randomly popping up in his thoughts he slightly jumped when she spoke.

'This parasite does not seem interested in fighting us, rather... it seems frightened... perhaps we should leave it be and make haste to the military buildings.' She suggested.

Nazurak looked one last look at the parasite noting its behavior before carefully walking away.

'Any ideas on what that was about Gluttony?' he asked.

Although she was not physically present, he could sense her unsureness as if she were shaking her head.

'I'm not confident in providing a definitive answer, but perhaps that explosion is connected to its behavior...'

An uneasy feeling swirled in his stomach but he pressed on.

As he approached, the ground patterns shifted and the black buildings came into view. Upon closer inspection, he observed that their roofs bristled with long, menacing spikes, poised to impale any large creature that might land upon them. The entire military complex possessed an entirely different vibe that starkly contrasted with the cityscape which enveloped it.

While thinking of that it reminded him of the pyramids Gluttony had spoken of, that too stood out conspicuously compared to its surroundings.

'The Aberrants are strange creatures' he thought.

Initially, he scanned the interiors of several smaller buildings but found nothing intriguing, not even parasites. Eventually, he dismissed the smaller structures and advanced toward the building that appeared to be the headquarters.

In front of him loomed a towering edifice, far grander and more expansive than any of its neighboring structures; its sheer size was ample enough to accommodate a pair of commercial airplanes with ease.

'This must be it'

Nazurak walked around the headquarters trying to find an opening, it didn't take him long before he heard a familiar sound.

Boom...boom...boom

He followed the sound and his guess was answered. A decently large gate attempted to close multiple times but failed, there was a black ore preventing it from doing so.

Nazurak's eyes narrowed.

Looking through the glass there wasn't anything alerting, from what he could tell at least.

'Weird...Well what are we waiting for right?' he thought as he dashed through.

Lights automatically turned on as he entered the HQ making him assume a fighting stance, as his eyes adjusted to the room. He dropped his guard seeing nothing jumping for his neck.

A couple seconds passed in silence before Gluttony materialized by his side scanning the area, then started to walk around the place making sure to stay close.

Seeing her do so made him feel somewhat more relaxed.

'Does the city or this base bring back any memories Gluttony?' Nazurak asked in his head, not wanting to speak out loud.

'It does not...To the best of my knowledge, Augmenters exclusively engage in combat alongside Aberrants who occupy the frontlines. This is my first visit to their metropolis. However, some designs do seem familiar, at least in these buildings.' She nonchalantly said.

Nazurak scratched his head then started to explore the building with her.

The interior wasn't extravagant, it was simple. Though the outside material of the building was made from nearly indestructible ore, the inside was made with primarily wood, stone, metal and glass.

Noticing a decent amount of furniture, he eventually settled on a soft, large rock that had been cracked in two. Exhausted from a full day of walking, he was drained, and the dimly lit city streets only worsened his fatigue.

Although sleeping in an unfamiliar military base was perhaps unwise, he was too exhausted to worry about it. Fortunately, Gluttony didn't require sleep and could keep watch, waking him if necessary.

'I guess this is a bed?' he thought with a sigh.

He closed his eyes for a bit, then heard Gluttony speak to him.

'Nazurak, if I may, it appears to me that this is an entranceway...perhaps you would like to access it.'

He opened his eyes staring at the ceiling.

'Right when I lay down, alright I'll be there.' he replied as he got up.

Nazurak stared at a wall that indeed look a tad bit out of place. He turned back to Gluttony, then back at the wall in question.

Feeling more comfortable in the building, he stopped talking in his head.

"This is a doorway? How do I open it?" He asked.

Gluttony brought her finger to the wall, carefully locating a specific spot, and pressed in, setting in motion a sequence of clicks that gradually increased in speed. Without warning, the wall smoothly slid inwards and split in two, revealing a concealed set of stairs.

Nazurak blinked a couple of times before asking.

"Where did you...how did you know that?"

The elegant woman walked ahead.

'While I haven't visited their city, these doors are very similar to the ones on Aberrant ships. They are military after all.'

Nazurak paused for a bit thinking, then followed her up the stairs.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Nazurak was momentarily blinded as all the lights on the floor suddenly flickered to life simultaneously, causing him to squint his eyes.

The layout of the second floor appeared strikingly similar to the first, although with a distinct emphasis on military operations. The area was sparsely furnished, with fewer pieces of furniture and more tables arranged for collaborative discussions. Nazurak noticed racks lining the walls, which held no visible weapons. In the center of the room that seemed to be the focal point of the floor stood a large, high-resolution holographic map, likely used for strategic planning and coordination.

As Gluttony went about inspecting the area, Nazurak turned his attention to the holographic map, which was displayed on a spacious, round table capable of accommodating several humans at once, or in this case several Aberrants. He observed intently, studying the intricate details of the projection. It was a world map, of maybe Loctus?

Trying to search for some sort of button to change the viewing angle, he saw something that grabbed his attention.

There were papers on the table, with writing in English.

Confused yet intrigued, he picked up the notes. It was nice to see a form of humanity again.

'English...humans have been here?'

He leaned on the table and started to read.

'Dear Katie, I don't know if you'll see this or not... But chances are you'll pass through this city in order to arrive in the desert region faster. It is the quickest route there after all. Today is the day we leave the city. Our time spent here was short but informative, we learned about possible future moves from the Aberrants after deciphering some messages left behind in these military buildings. However, information on what we're here for couldn't be found. We haven't explored the whole city, we couldn't, staying any longer threatened the safety of our squad. The parasites in this deserted city are persistent, however, we haven't seen one over the rank of Hostile. But we believe there are stronger monsters that roam near the pyramid, that's where the golems rest. They are the main threat, roaming the city during the day they are attracted to sound and movement. There is a total of 4 of them, please be careful. We do not know what powers them or what rank they are, but their power is beyond us. Stay away from them and stay silent when they're out and about, and you'll be fine.'

Nazurak grabbed the other paper and continued.

'Hacking into these doors can be troublesome, so we kept the more important ones open for you with the help of Aberrants ores. Parasites shouldn't enter due to the constant opening and closing, they wouldn't want to be near noise in the daytime when the golems wander. You should still be careful, parasites can be unpredictable the higher their rank. Anywho, we received an alert from Cameron in squad two, the desert region that should be connected through the tunnels here. I'm sure you received it as well. That's where we'll be heading. I hope to see you again my dear. Tell the first squad I said hello.

Until we meet again.

-John, third squad.'