Squad Two moved carefully along the perimeter, staying in the shadows of abandoned equipment and debris. The tunnel entrance was exactly where Skitters had indicated—a drainage pipe half-buried beneath collapsed concrete, just wide enough for them to enter single file.

  "Urgan, you go first," Filu decided. "You're the largest, so if the tunnel narrows, we'll know immediately."

  The orc grimaced but complied, removing his shield and pushing it ahead of him as he squeezed into the opening. Despite his bulk, he moved with surprising quietness, his training overcoming his natural tendency to lumber.

  One by one, they entered the tunnel.

  Darkness enveloped them immediately, broken only by the faint glow of Filu's staff and the twins' night-adapted eyes. The passage smelled of stagnant water and decaying matter, and something else—a chemical odor Filu couldn't identify.

  "Sensor ahead," Urgan whispered, pointing to a small device mounted on the tunnel ceiling. "Motion detection, infrared."

  He reached into a pouch at his belt, withdrawing a small aerosol canister—another R&D creation. The spray contained particles that would temporarily blind the sensor without triggering an alert.

  After disabling the security measure, they continued forward. The tunnel gradually widened, eventually opening into a larger drainage system beneath the warehouse complex.

  "I hear voices," Filu whispered, raising a hand for silence.

  Above them, muffled but distinct, came the sound of conversation and movement. A maintenance hatch in the ceiling likely led up into the warehouse itself.

  "Urgan, give Skitters a boost," she ordered. "Let him reconnaissance first."

  The massive orc cupped his hands, creating a platform for the goblin sniper. With a boost from Urgan, Skitters reached the hatch, pressing his ear against it before carefully turning the manual release valve.

  The hatch opened a crack, and Skitters peered through. After a moment, he dropped back down into Urgan's waiting hands.

  "Many people," he reported breathlessly. "Not just Metcom. Different uniforms. Some look like... like crazy cult people."

  "Cult people?" Filu repeated, frowning.

  "Yeah, yeah! Robes, weird symbols. They unloading boxes from truck. Talking about 'purification' and 'breaking the bonds' and stuff."

  Filu exchanged glances with Urgan. "Resurgents," the orc rumbled. "Has to be."

  According to their briefing, the Resurgents were an extremist group opposed to Avalon's nature as a convergence point. They believed separating the realms was the natural order, and Avalon's role as a nexus was an abomination.

  "We need to hear their conversation," Filu decided. "Skitters, can you open the hatch further? Just enough for me to cast an eavesdropping spell."

  The goblin nodded, returning to his perch and carefully widening the opening. Filu raised her staff, tracing arcane symbols in the air while whispering words of power. The runes on her arms glowed faintly as the spell took effect.

  Suddenly, voices from above became clear, as if the speakers were standing right beside them.

  "—final shipment completes the circuit," a woman's voice was saying. "Once all devices are in position, Avalon's dimensional anchors will be severed."

  "And how long before the effects are felt?" This voice was male, crisp and professional—very different from the fervent tone of the woman.

  "The Pinpoint Rifts will begin generating dimensional instability immediately. Within hours, the convergence will begin to fracture. Souls will be pulled back to their original realms. The unnatural construct of Avalon will collapse under its own contradictions."

  The man chuckled. "An impressive claim, Prophet Ysedra. My employers will be most interested to observe the results."

  "Your 'employers' only care about profit," Ysedra snapped. "We pursue purity. The natural order must be restored."

  "Our motivations are irrelevant," the man replied smoothly. "The arrangement benefits us both. You receive the technology needed to achieve your... spiritual goals. We secure our position in Avalon's future."

  There was a pause, then Ysedra spoke again, her voice lower. "The devices are unstable. The test runs created unexpected effects."

  "Minor anomalies, nothing more. The technology has been thoroughly vetted."

  "By whom? These components come from the Void Reaches. No one fully understands their properties."

  The man's voice hardened. "The arrangement isn't negotiable at this stage, Prophet. You've accepted our assistance, our funding, our protection. The plan proceeds as agreed."

  Footsteps approached the area above the hatch, and Skitters quickly eased it closed, dropping back down to the drainage tunnel.

  "They making bombs," he whispered, eyes wide. "Magic bombs to break Avalon!"

  Filu's mind raced. The "Pinpoint Rifts" must be the devices in the crates—technology designed to disrupt Avalon's dimensional stability. If activated, they could potentially cause catastrophic damage to the fabric of reality itself.

  "We need to examine these devices," she decided. "Understand their mechanism."

  "Too dangerous," Urgan countered. "We should report what we've heard and await instructions."

  "Time is of the essence," Filu argued. "If they distribute the devices soon, we might lose track of them."

  The twins, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, suddenly perked up.

  "We go look for shiny things!" Rakk suggested, his yellow eyes gleaming with enthusiasm.

  "Yeah, yeah! We find good treasure while others talk!" Vraza agreed.

  Before Filu could stop them, the goblin berserkers had scampered off down a side tunnel.

  "Greenskins!" Urgan growled. "No discipline!"

  "After them," Filu ordered urgently. "Before they create a disaster."

  They pursued the twins through the drainage system, guided by the sound of their excitement echoing off the walls. The side tunnel inclined upward, eventually ending at another maintenance hatch.

  This one was already open. The twins were gone.

  "Impulsive, reckless goblins," Urgan muttered.

  Filu raised her staff, casting her awareness ahead. She sensed the twins' distinctive magical signatures—they had indeed entered the warehouse and were moving among the crates.

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  "They haven't been detected yet," she reported. "But they're moving deeper inside."

  "We have to retrieve them," Urgan said grimly. "The mission is compromised otherwise."

  Skitters poked his head through the open hatch. "Looks clear. Storage room. No people."

  With no choice but to proceed, they climbed up into the warehouse.

  They found themselves in a small maintenance room filled with cleaning supplies and equipment. A door led out into a larger storage area stacked with crates.

  Filu extended her magical senses again, searching for threats. "Six humans in the next room. More upstairs. The twins are moving between crates on the far side."

  "I'll go get them," Skitters offered. "I stealthiest."

  "No," Filu decided. "We move together. It's safer. Follow me and maintain silence."

  They moved through the storage area, weaving between stacked crates and machinery. The aetheric signature Filu had detected earlier was stronger here—a strange, discordant energy that made her horns ache.

  They found the twins crouched beside an open crate, examining its contents with fascinated expressions.

  "Look, look!" Rakk whispered excitedly, pointing inside. "Shiny magic thing!"

  The crate contained a spherical device about the size of a human head. Its surface was metallic but seemed to shift colors as they watched, never settling on a single hue. At its core, visible through a transparent section, swirled a darkness that seemed deeper than mere absence of light—a void that pulled at the eye.

  "That's Void Reaches technology," Filu whispered, recognizing the signature from Zark'thul's briefings. "Extremely dangerous. Don't touch it."

  "We just looking," Vraza protested. "No touching."

  Urgan grabbed both goblins by their scruffs, lifting them away from the crate. "You abandoned your squad, disobeyed orders, and nearly compromised the mission. When we return to the Tower—"

  A sharp crack interrupted him as something fell from one of the twins' pockets, hitting the concrete floor.

  Silence fell. Then, from the next room, a voice: "Did you hear that?"

  "Conceal yourselves," Filu hissed, pulling her squad behind a stack of empty crates.

  Footsteps approached, and a door swung open.

  Two figures entered the storage area—a woman in elaborate robes adorned with celestial symbols, and a man in a sleek business suit bearing the Metcom Solutions logo.

  "The devices are secure, Prophet Ysedra," the man was saying. "Your concerns, while noted, are ultimately irrelevant to the timeline."

  Ysedra—the Resurgent leader—frowned as she scanned the room. "Something's not right. I felt a disturbance."

  "Your mysticism is charming but unnecessary. The security systems would have alerted us to any intrusion."

  The prophet's eyes narrowed. "Not all threats trigger technological alarms, Marcus. Some can only be sensed by those attuned to higher frequencies."

  She moved deeper into the storage area, her hand outstretched as if feeling the air. Filu held her breath, pressing her squad further into the shadows. If Ysedra possessed genuine mystical abilities, their magical signatures might give them away.

  "The distribution begins tomorrow night," Marcus continued, clearly impatient. "Your people will place the devices at the designated convergence points throughout Avalon. At midnight, they activate simultaneously."

  "And your people will be ready to contain the aftermath?" Ysedra asked, still scanning the room suspiciously.

  Marcus smiled thinly. "Argent Shield has already prepared a public statement about terrorist threats. Their response teams will deploy across the city within minutes of the first dimensional fluctuations. They'll be hailed as heroes for 'stabilizing' the rifts."

  "While the true purpose remains hidden," Ysedra nodded. "The convergence weakened, the barriers between realms strengthened."

  "Precisely. You achieve your spiritual cleansing, we secure our exclusive access to interdimensional travel. A mutually beneficial arrangement."

  Filu nearly gasped at the revelation. The Resurgents believed they were working toward separating the realms, but Metcom and Argent Shield had other plans—controlling access between dimensions rather than severing them completely.

  A soft click drew her attention. Skitters had activated his recording device, capturing the conversation for evidence.

  Suddenly, from across the room, came a loud crash as a stack of empty crates toppled over. Rakk and Vraza, who had slipped away while the others were focused on the conversation, had accidentally knocked over a shelf.

  "Intruders!" Marcus shouted, pulling a sleek pistol from inside his jacket.

  "Contingency plan activated," Filu announced, abandoning stealth for speed. "Urgan, clear a path! Twins, flanking defense! Skitters, covering fire!"

  They burst from their hiding spot as alarms began to wail throughout the warehouse.

  Urgan charged forward, his shield expanding to its full size as he barreled toward the exit. The twins, grinning maniacally, drew their cleavers and leapt toward a group of Resurgent guards who came rushing in.

  "Non-lethal force only," Filu reminded them, summoning her magic. "Incapacitate, don't kill!"

  She channeled power through her staff, creating a barrier of swirling energy that deflected the first volley of shots from Marcus's weapon. The projectiles—some kind of energy pulse rather than physical bullets—sparked against her shield before dissipating.

  Skitters had scrambled up a stack of crates, his crossbow loaded and aimed. He fired a barrage of stun bolts at the overhead lights, plunging sections of the warehouse into darkness.

  The Prophet Ysedra raised her hands, chanting in a strange language. The air around her began to warp and shimmer.

  "This is deteriorating quickly," Filu muttered, recognizing the buildup of dimensional energy. "Urgan! Secure the twins and evacuate! Now!"

  The orc tank grabbed both berserker goblins mid-leap, tucking one under each arm despite their protests. He smashed through a group of guards with his shield, creating a path toward the exit.

  Marcus was shouting into a communication device: "Perimeter breach in Sector Seven! All units respond! Argent Shield operatives to the storage facility immediately!"

  Filu knew they had minutes at most before reinforcements arrived.

  She raised her staff high, channeling more of her power into it. The tattoos on her arms blazed with crimson light as she shaped the magic into a specific form.

  "Arcanist's Veil!" she cried, bringing the staff down with a thunderous crack.

  A wave of magical energy exploded outward, temporarily blinding everyone in the room. In the confusion, Filu grabbed Skitters from his perch and sprinted after Urgan and the twins.

  They burst through an emergency exit, alarms screaming in their wake. The compound's exterior lights had activated, bathing the yard in harsh illumination.

  "Drainage tunnel!" Urgan called, pointing toward the maintenance hatch they'd emerged from earlier.

  As they ran, Filu risked a glance back. Figures in black tactical gear were emerging from vehicles at the main gate—the distinct red stripe of Argent Shield visible on their uniforms.

  "They're not pursuing the Resurgents," Skitters observed as they reached the tunnel entrance. "They working together!"

  "We have evidence now," Filu replied, ushering her squad into the tunnel. "Both the recording and our direct observations."

  They descended into the darkness, moving as quickly as safety allowed. Behind them, searching lights swept across the compound as Argent Shield operatives secured the area. None appeared to have discovered their escape route yet.

  As they navigated the tunnel system, Filu's mind raced. The plot was far more dangerous than they'd initially suspected. The Resurgents planned to destabilize Avalon's dimensional structure, while Metcom and Argent Shield positioned themselves to control the aftermath.

  And they would deploy the devices tomorrow night.

  "We must return to the Tower immediately," she told her squad as they emerged from the drainage system several blocks away. "Zark'thul needs to be informed of our discoveries without delay."

  Urgan nodded grimly, still carrying the struggling twins under his arms. "Agreed. This threat goes beyond corporate espionage. It could affect the entire city—perhaps beyond."

  "We did good, right?" Skitters asked, his usual bravado momentarily replaced by genuine concern. "Even with... unexpected problems?" He glanced meaningfully at the twins.

  Filu allowed herself a small smile, placing a hand on the goblin sniper's shoulder. "Yes. Squad Two performed admirably. We've acquired vital intelligence and completed the primary objectives of our mission."

  "Now comes the harder part," Urgan rumbled as their extraction vehicle appeared around a corner, responding to their recall signal.

  "What harder part?" Rakk asked, finally managing to wriggle free from Urgan's grasp.

  The orc's red eyes gleamed in the darkness. "Explaining to the boss why the mission went sideways."

  Filu sighed as they climbed into the vehicle. She would need to prepare her report carefully. The implications of what they'd discovered were vast—a plot that threatened not just business interests, but the fundamental nature of Avalon itself.

  And somehow, she suspected that Zark'thul had known—or at least guessed—exactly what they would find. The question was: what would he do with the information?

  As the vehicle carried them back toward the Tower, Filu gazed out at the city sprawling around them.

  Countless beings from countless realms, all going about their lives, unaware of the danger brewing in their midst. Her squad had done well this night, acquiring information that could prove pivotal in preventing disaster.

  Now, it was up to their chieftain—Zark'thul—to decide what to do next.