4. Warning and Preparation.

As Alexys rushed through the twisted hallways his senses darting from the stench of blood to the sound of the scraping metal. The Dread Fort is visceral in design, many eyes grow out of the metal walls as they feed on Dark Aether, often accompanied by small mouths, teeth and tendrils. The walls have pateches of damage, revealing rotten flesh intertwining with rusted and twistwd machineries which pulsated with a sickly orange light, dark and visceral fluids poured out of these damaged patches. There were multiple Netherforged Prime in the area, their bodies creaking as they patrolled the dark halls of the Dread Fort, many turned their eyes towards Alexys, who was rushing at full speed but, they didn't react. Alexys was in a state of panic, he felt as though, he was being monitored by something other than the Archon's watchful gaze, this feeling unsettled him and caused internal turmoil. He then stumbles upon one of his colleagues, Arthur Asterion— Arthur and Alexys are essentially perform the same duty, to ensure complete obedience and no rebellious behaviour within the Hyphus Technocracy, but while Alexys works on the field, Arthur works in the backgrounds and focuses more on internal affairs and helping Alexys behind the scenes, simply put, Alexys is the field agent while Arthur stays in the office and headquarters.

Arthur almost stumbled back as he saw Alexys run past him at full speeds, his speed boosted by his armour—

"Alexys? What's the rush?" Arthur said as he saw Alexys rushing through the hallways, Alexys quickly turned and saw Arthur and then, he turned to Arthur, the speed of his turns was so fast that it scraped off some rusted metal off the ground.

"Arthur.. I just.. encountered something," Alexys said, his voice less calm than usual but, still composed.

"Hm? Elaborate.." Arthur replied in a hushed voice as he walked closer, his full body came into view— A man of age 50, thanks to Aetacinno/Age locking, his physical age is 21. He has a tall and slender body, his height is 1.89 Metres. His skin is snow-white, flawless and smooth. His body is lithe, agile and athletic and strong and handsome. His appearance is rather delicate, another stark contrast to the abominable beings which roam the halls of the Dread Fort. His hair is brown and reaches his shoulders. His eyes are blind, instead, he wears a mask— The mask is porcelain white and resembles a masquerade mask, the mask has small apertures similar to a camera, one on each eye sockets, these apertures allow him to see with aetheric magic. He's dressed in an rather regal black long-coat with white and golden accents, a thin and comfortable pentagonal silver chestplate which is strapped on, he wears a black waistband and suit pants along with thigh-high boots and his arms are covered with black elbow-high arm-gloves. And, on his right arm is a device— it looks like a silver gauntlet but, a small screen extends out of it, this screen is used for multiple tasks, ranging from communications to data storage and also two built-in Dark Aether guns.

'Just the help i need, wonderful!' Alexys tninks before speaking, though, the words are spoken by his subconsciousness, "Why do you always dress like you're in some ball event..?" Alexys asked the question in his subconscious mind, but then, he quickly regained his objective: knowing more about the Lex Fort and any recent occurences related to it.

"What?" Arthur asked, feeling a little confused.

"Nothing, forget what i said." Alexys said as he sighed softly, feeling a little frustrated but still calm.

"Do you know anything relating to recent occurences in or around the Lex Fort? Perhaps a break-in or some suspicious activities?" Alexys said, his voice reflecting his urgency and tension.

"The Lex Fort? Let me see.." Arthur replied as he turned on the multifunctional console on his right arm, he opened files and folders relating to any activies in or around the Lex Fort and his eyes, or rather, lenses, landed on one— 'A sudden and unkown influx in the dark aetheric aura around Lex Fort'

Arthur nodded and looked back at Alexys, "Yes, Alexys. We've noticed an influx in dark Aetheric aura, which means there's also an influx in the Dark Aetheric energy around the area or something has caused it."

Alexys nodded solemnly, "I see.." Alexys said, his voice calm yet, there's a sense of urgency.

"Do you know anything about the reappearance of Facinfinata?" Alexys enquired, his voice more urgent than the last time.

"Facinfinata? Hm, it's a tricky subject considering the fact that Facinfinata is equivalent to a needle in a haystack.. but, i definitely know that Facinfinata is said to be in the northern parts of the Technocracy's domain." Arthur said, he then looked thoughtful, 'Facinfinata is in the north.. Fort Lex is.. also in the north but..' Arthur thought and to clear his doubt, he quickly searched the database, his lenses landed on a file: 'Archon Facinfinata: Potential reappearance.'

He quickly opened it, 'The Sixth Archon, Facinfinata is reported to be in the Northern reaches, specifically near Fastor Fort, North East.'

He then remembered that Fort Lex is North West, not North East but, still.. anything could be possible considering Facinfinata's nature as am Archon, especially since Facinfinata is related to stealth and disguise. The reports of Facinfinata could be something Facinfinata plotted or perhaps just an all out hoax but, the latter one is not so feasible, considering the amount of monitoring and surveillance within the Hyphus Technocracy.

"I.. don't think Facinfinata is behind Fort Lex and the 'invitation', considering that Fory Lex is North West and the place where Facinfinata was reported to be in is.. North East. Yet, considering it's Facinfinata, the Archon who's so infamous for it's deception, sabotage and.. well, secrecy and mystery, who knows where Facinfinata is, so.. be careful, you might be facing a hostile Archon.." Arthur said, his voice filled with worry and concern.

Alexys sight softly, "I see, thank you, Arthur. I will be careful while i go to Fort Lex. But.. i must inform Archon Hyphus before i go. Because.. i am also tasked with going North East and capture Facinfinata.. it sounds impossible but, an order is an order and i have to fulfill it or.. well.. I don't really know.." Alexys' voice was filled with worry and a little bit of fear, he had always completed Hyphus' orders but, he still doesn't know how Hyphus punishes those who fail to fulfill his orders and thinking about the possibilities send a shiver down his spine.

As Alexys stood in the dimly lit corridor of the Dread Fort, grappling with the unsettling information provided by Arthur, he realized the gravity of his dual mission – one to investigate the mysterious happenings at Fort Lex and the other to hunt down the elusive Archon Facinfinata. The conflicting objectives weighed heavily on his mind.

With a stern nod, Alexys acknowledged Arthur's warning and proceeded to communicate with Archon Hyphus. He accessed a built-in communication system in his darkened helmet, establishing a secure connection to the Archon's chambers. The metallic voice of Hyphus resonated through the comm channel.

"Lord Archon Hyphus, Alexys Huron reporting. I have encountered a peculiar situation surrounding Fort Lex. An unknown surge in Dark Aetheric energy has been detected, and there are reports suggesting the potential reappearance of Archon Facinfinata in the northern reaches, near Fastor Fort. I seek your guidance on how to proceed."

The metallic silence lingered for a moment before Hyphus responded, his mechanical voice laced with an eerie cadence, "Alexys Huron, my loyal subordinate. The situation is as intriguing as it is delicate. Continue your investigation at Fort Lex, but do not dismiss the possibility of Facinfinata's involvement. You are tasked with a dual mission – unravel the mysteries at Fort Lex and, if the opportunity arises, capture the traitorous Archon. Be vigilant and tread carefully."

With the communication link severed, Alexys felt a mixture of apprehension and determination. His orders were clear, yet the complexity of the situation left room for uncertainty. He decided to head to Fort Lex without delay, understanding that the shadows of the Dread Fort concealed more secrets than he could fathom.

As he navigated through the ever-twisting corridors, the pervasive scent of blood and the disconcerting sights of organic-metallic hybrids reminded him of the twisted reality he inhabited. The Dread Fort was a manifestation of horror and power, a living testament to the unholy union of flesh and machine.

He navigated through the hallways and then, finally, he reached a giant elevator, he got on the elevator and then, after a momentary pause, the elevator rose up, it ascended 17 floors and then, finally stopped.

Alexys got off the elevator, now, he was in the living areas, the floor with the living quarters— Alexys walked through the halways, they now had more flesh than machinery as the walls of metal and concrete eroded and rusted, allowing the holds of Dark Aetheric energy to take hold as blackened flesh grew out of the walls, accompanied by mechanical screws, tendrils of metal and black spikes of rusted dark aetheric metal.

Alexys reached his quarters, his quarter— a space which was akin to an apartment room of comfortable size, the room was black, the walls were a mix of metal and concrete, most of the room was occupied by an aetheric holographic console— it was made of a black metal and copper, brass trimming and accents of a grey metal. The console setup was multifunctional and could be used for anything, ranging from communications, data storage, monitoring and control.

Then, there was the armoury in his room, containing his suits of armour, weapons, equipment and supplies.

Alexys got to work, he went into the armoury and took off his armour, each armour piece slid off his body with a hissing sound and click. revealing his lithe, slim, toned and elegant body, both his arms, shoulder blades and spine have been replaced with Dark Aetheric prosthetics which are elegantly made yet, also are intimidating— arms are made of an obsidian black black metal and trimmed with a silver metal, they have small spikes of gold on them and large scale-like plating of metal, similar to a snake, the arms have a big dark aetheric crystal which power them, the arm has built-in weapons, each arm having less powerful shockwave blasters than the armour, dual dark aether guns and extendable blades. The shoulder-blades are made of a obsidian black and grey metal and trimmed with a shining silver, each shoulder blade has three small dark aetheric crystals which power them. The metallic spine is similar to a long, snake made of an obsidian black metal and trimmed with gold and silver, each vertebrae has very small crystals of dark aether. And, on his back neck, there are two tiny hexagonal studs of obsidian black metal, these studs allow a connection between his body and his armour.

Alexys turns to a new suit of armour, Manus Mortis; Hand Of Death— The power suit Manus Mortis is an obsidian black suit, trimmed with silver, having silver accents and adorned with patterns of red spikes and hard hitting pentagonal studs of red. The suit has a rigid and angular design, a pentagonal chestplate covers the chest and below it, another pengagonal piece of armour shields the upper abdomen, the chestplate contains life support systems in case of heavy injuries. The waist and hips are protected with obsidian black plating of smaller pieces, which are angled heavily and are trimmed with silver. The vambraces are rigid and heavily angled and made to deflect hits with ease, they're coloured obsidian black and are trimmed with silver, each vambrace has spikes and studs of red and silver, also having silver accents on the vambrace, each vambrace also has shockwave blasters and dark aether guns to turn enemies into pin cusions of blood and gore. The elbow caps are pointed to a spike and make jabs deadly and lethal. The gauntlets are obsidian black and have accents of grey, each gauntlet has claws which can tear enemies to bits. The leggings are made of an obsidian black metal and have accents of grey and silver, the leggings have powered systems which further boost mobility and speeds. The helmet is shaped like a skull and have hollow, lifeless eye-sockets with red lenses and have accents of silver and grey. The pauldrons have a shouder mounted guns, each one powerful enough to knock an enemy down in one shot. The back of the armour has four mechanical arms, each one obsidian black and has accents of grey and silver, these mechanical arms have the power to rip enemies and pulverise enemies within seconds with their speeds. The back also has a pair of long, metallic wings which fold in on themselves, these wings are thrusters and function as a jetpack which allow the armour to move at unbelievable speeds and soar high skies. And, as the armour pieces settled, they made a hissing sound as they activated their power systems and initiated an air vaccume, then, a clicking sound as the armour pieces connected with the other pieces and finally, a humming sound as all the armour pieces now worked and initiated their functions in synchrony.

Now, Alexys was truly ready to take on anything that came in his way.