12:Rand Worm Extermination

After the mercenaries revolted against being sent to build a new quarry, the CEA ultimately gave them an ultimatum.

Choose to go and build the new quarry, go do more missions to make up for it or be wiped out.

Yeah. They weren't messing around and after a lot of debating. Most mercenaries of Quarry 33 voted to do more missions to make up for it. Interestingly, about 0.7% voted to be wiped out. Which Zephyr was still confused about.

Sigh, and now one of the missions they had to do was to wipe out a Rand hive.

Zephyr had regrouped with the few surviving members of his previous scouting team.This time, they were officially classified as large area of effect exterminators due to several high aoe fighters like Falton and were being accompanied by a carrier team, responsible for hauling whatever equipment and resources they needed plus Violet Flood.

Violet Flood was an... interesting organization to say the least and to call them slightly insane at times would be an understatement.

They were a Psychic focused religion, similar to how Under the Flag was mainly mages. Violet Flood however, only allowed psychics. Which significantly reduced their numbers.

Their religion was in the belief of higher dimensional beings. In particular, a being named Tide of Violet. Tide of Violet, Violet Flood. You could see where they got the name from.

Interestingly, the Tide of Violet is a real being. Sure they spend most of their time in the higher dimensions, but higher dimension beings do exist and the Tide of Violet appeared as a massive floating gas of well... violet.

The Tide of Violet, would apparently grant powers to all members of the Violet Flood, significantly making them stronger in exchange for worship and the occasional couple dozen human souls.

Yeah. You could see clearly why they weren't very popular with the whole 'sacrificing several dozen people to feed a higher dimensional being in exchange for strength' thing.

The CEA decided however that the Violet Flood was kinda useful to have around. So now, the Violet Flood acted as dogs for the CEA and in exchange the CEA protected them legally and gave them death row inmates to sacrifice.

Suffice to say, not a lot of mercenaries liked them right now. But their firepower was no joke.

As Zephyr and the rest of the extermination team walked through the tunnels left behind by Rand worms, making sure to keep a distance from the Violet Flood. The new leader of the Extermination team ordered them to stop at the next crossroads and go left.

Sigh. He missed his old team leader. He basically never yelled or got angry but the new team leader was basically a volcano that would erupt at the slightest touch.

[Turn right you retards!]

The team leader yelled at them again, this worthless man wasn't even with them! He was sitting down in some tent up above and just watching through the camera feed that Falton's drones provided and besides he literally said turn left earlier!

Stopping at a marked area, half of the carrier team unloaded and began to assemble a digging machine. The other half, after levelling the floor. Set up camp since for roughly the next three weeks, they would be living underground to wipe out as many of the Rand worms as possible.

As Zephyr sat down and started to cultivate to recover quantum energy. Another super Sat down and started to cultivate next to him as well. Which pissed Zephyr off. After all to recover quantum energy, you had to absorb it from the surroundings and when someone else is also trying to absorb quantum energy it left behind less for others.

Opening one eye to see who it was, he was surprised to see that it was a member of Violet Flood.

"Hello Zephyr. My name is Trevin, I'm a member of the Violet Flood. "

'W-what the fuck? This guy just spoke without moving his mouth! No he didn't even move at all, his eyes are still closed! '

Trevin as he called himself, was still sitting cross legged. His eyes still closed and completely still like a statue.

'Do you have a moment to talk about our King and Honoured Saviour the Tide of Violet?'

'Ugh, this guy just wanted to preach to me? That's it I'm getting outta here'

Zephyr's zen face crumpled into annoyance as Trevin preached his nonsense.

'Don't go yet Zephyr, I noticed you're a new psychic aren't you? I can teach you a few tricks in exchange for something'

The annoyance quickly turned into enthusiasm. Opening his mouth to reply, he heard Trevin's voice again.

'No need to open your mouth just think it out loud, how do you think I've been hearing you this whole time?'

. .. Now Zephyr really wanted to learn how to mind read others

'Have you never received education on psychics basic abilities?'

'No, I know the basic knowledge from school but once I graduated and didn't awaken I didn't see a need too'

Zephyr could tell Trevin was shocked by that answer.

'Haah,well psychics can transform quantum energy into either mental or soul energy or both you know but all psychics also have a few other abilities in common.A bonus ability if you will. For example, your telekinesis. Let me guess, you have an extremely ambitious goal and will do anything to prove those who looked down on you wrong?'

This time Zephyr felt shocked, this guy had practically read him like a book!

'... How did you know that?'

'It's a common characteristic of those who awaken telekenises as one of their psychic abilities. Other abilities include, causing illusions, making clones of yourself, creating physical objects or being able to transfer soul and mind to a different body allowing you to basically become immortal. Most psychics have some ability like this maybe around 0.1% don't have these bonus abilities?and I think around 0.04% have more then 1'

'I see. '

'My bonus ability is to create clones that can't interact with anything but look, feel and are indistinguishable from me plus I can cause hallucinations so strong that you could see yourself naked in a city and you would just think of it as normal. '

Damn! Trevin had really hit the jackpot then, and Zephyr had thought that Nathan was lucky!

'is it possible to awaken a new bonus ability later in life? '

'Nope, once you awaken you're stuck with it the rest of your life'

Damn. Looks like Zephyr was stuck with telekinesis. Not that he was complaining, telekinesis was great!

'You said you would teach me a few things in exchange for something right?'

Trevin nodded.

'In exchange, I want you to kill my friend. '

...

As the rest of the extermination squad slowly walked down the tunnel dug followed by Violet Flood. Zephyr positioned himself at the back of the group to get as close to Violet Flood without making it look suspicious.

SCRAAAA

A Rand worm the size of his forearm jumped at him. Zephyr, flinching a bit. Grabbed it using telekinesis and crushed it.

'Inefficient usage of telekenises Zephyr, if I were you. I would have just punched it with my bare hands to save on quantum energy'

Trevin's voice rang out in his head. After accepting the deal with Trevin, Trevin had handed him a manual guide on how to mind link with others. He hadn't gotten around to reading it yet but from what he could tell, it would constantly burn through someone's quantum energy reserves the longer they upheld one.

'You remember the plan right?'

'Yeah, the moment the larger Rand worms start attacking. I subtly use my telekinesis to move one of them to swallow your friend while he's stuck in your hallucinations. Afterwards, we dip and you teach me how to better use my abilities'

'Good job Zephyr, I knew I could count on you'

SCRAAAA

"They're coming! Warriors at the front get ready to block their charge! Mages start chanting and everyone else get ready to stun them in place!"

This time more Rand worms popped out of the holes in the walls. These ones were much bigger then the one that attacked Zephyr earlier each around the size of a bear.

Klang

"Oh magic in the air, listen to my words and obey my orders, make my enem-

In an instant dozens of charging Rand worms got blocked by the wall of warrior supers. Behind them, a large group of mages all started to chant in unison. Forming a large magic circle over them.

Falton's drones fired hundreds of electric bullets like to stun as many worms as he could, while psychics like Zephyr launched waves of mental and soul energy to incapacitate them.

Zephyr slowly readied his telekinesis.

'Not yet Zephyr, there's not a high enough danger level. Wait for the bigger Rand worms'

Never mind then, aiming his palms at the horde of Rand worms. He prepared to launch as many bursts of mental and soul energy as he could.

'Don't do that either Zephyr, you're just gonna use up all your quantum energy and won't be able to use telekinesis anymore. Just use mental energy instead of soul'

Zephyr felt really tempted to punch Trevin in the face right now.

Using his left hand to support his right hand, Zephyr started firing off mini blasts of mental energy. Making sure to not hit any teammates and trying to hit as many Rand worms in a single blast to not waste quantum energy.

Crck crck crck

A disgusting clicking noise echoed throughout the tunnels, similar to that of an insects.

Looking through the camera feed provided. Zephyr could see numerous shelled and armoured creatures. With 6 legs and a big head with anntennas,horns and mandibles clicking against each other. It's body was segmented into three parts and Zephyr could clearly see a giant stinger on the back.

"W-what the hell is that?!"

[CEA says no other quarry has never seen those things! It's a new species so there's no info on it.Watch out for its stingers though! So far the two people stung by it have been showing symptoms of being poisoned!]

The team leader yelled at the team through their head pieces,adding to the chaos.

"Warriors! Keep up the wall!"

"We can't! We've lost almost a fifth of all the warriors now! They're getting past! "

The new creatures smashed past the wall of warriors holding them back and charged straight at the mages who were still chanting.

'Dammit my blasts aren't doing any damage!'

Zephyr was launching shots of soul energy now as well, ignoring the advice given by Trevin at the horde rushing at the mages

"Don't let them interrupt the mages! "

Too late. One of the bigger creatures was charging straight at the mages with his horns.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Missile after missile struck the creatures outer shell detonating in a fiery explosion. Lasers and bullets hit it and it simply just shrugged them off.

"Oh Tide of Violet, I offer you the souls of the deceased here. I beg that you answer our calls"

Every corpse on the floor suddenly started glowing in a bright shade of violet, the whole tunnel seemed to have gone silent as everyone including the creatures watched the corpses of fallen comrades float into the air and into a massive portal that looked as if someone had scratched it open.

Î ÀÇÇËPT YÕÛR SÀÇRĪFĪÇĒ

A voice that could be described neither as male or female echoed throughout the tunnel. Strangely, Zephyr could perfectly understand what it was saying despite it not speaking any language Zephyr knew.

WHÃT DØ YÒŪ WÏSH FÒR?

"I wish for you to grant all of your devoted followers the strength to kill all of our enemies. "

DÓÑÉ