The Void Stalker Reavers didn't roar. They *hissed* – a sound like steam escaping a tomb, carrying psychic static that scraped against Kael's mind. Three pairs of baleful red eyes fixed on him, then flickered towards the pulsing crystal prison behind him, radiating pure, covetous hunger. The air temperature plummeted.
**\[COMBAT INITIATED: VOID STALKER REAVERS (x3)\]**
**\[PROMETHEUS GUARDIAN EXOSKELETON DURATION: 19 MINUTES 47 SECONDS\]**
**\[ELARA PSIONIC LINK: STRESS LEVEL CRITICAL\]**
*Focus. Protect the link. Protect her.*
The central Stalker, likely the Level 7, blurred. Not speed – *phasing*. One moment it was ten meters away; the next, shadow-stuff coalescing right beside Kael, bone-blade claws lashing at his head. The Engine screamed a warning. Kael threw himself backwards, the exoskeleton whining in protest. The claws whistled past his visor, leaving trails of freezing darkness in the air. The sheer speed was terrifying.
He triggered **Hyper-Adrenal Burst**. Time stretched. He saw the second Stalker (Level 6) darting low, aiming for his legs, while the third (Level 6) hung back, its clawed hands weaving intricate patterns – gathering shadow-energy. *Caster.* The Engine highlighted it: **\[VOID STALKER WEAVER. PREPARING SHADOW BARRAGE.\]**
The exoskeleton amplified his movements. He sidestepped the low sweep, the heavy armored leg grinding sparks on the floor. Simultaneously, his obsidian-clawed fist, propelled by Engine-enhanced muscles *and* the exoskeleton's hydraulics, slammed into the flank of the phasing Stalker as it rematerialized.
**\[IMPACT: VOID STALKER REAVER (Lvl.7)\]**
**\[VOID-CHITIN PLATING (Lvl.2) + EXOSKELETON INTEGRITY ABSORBED 85% KINETIC FEEDBACK\]**
**\[TARGET STAGGERED. SHADOW-PHASE COOLDOWN DETECTED.\]**
The Stalker reeled, shadow-stuff rippling like disturbed water. A tangible hit! But before Kael could press, the Weaver unleashed its spell. Globes of condensed darkness, humming with disruptive energy, streaked towards him. No dodging all three. He raised his armored forearm, bracing.
**\[IMPACT: SHADOW BARRAGE (x3)\]**
**\[EXOSKELETON DAMAGE: MODERATE. INTEGRITY: 82%\]**
**\[VOID-CHITIN PLATING DAMAGE: MINOR. INTEGRITY: 92%\]**
**\[WARNING: SHADOW ENERGY CORROSION DETECTED. MINOR SYSTEM INTERFERENCE (ENGINE EFFICIENCY -5% TEMPORARY)\]**
A wave of chilling numbness washed over his right arm. The exoskeleton's servos sputtered for a millisecond. The Level 6 Stalker he'd dodged lunged again, claws raking across his back. The exoskeleton screeched, absorbing the worst, but pain lanced through Kael as shadow-claws scraped the chitin beneath. **\[EXOSKELETON INTEGRITY: 75%\]**
Elara's psychic scream echoed in his mind, raw terror amplifying the Stalkers' presence. *Cold! So cold! Make them stop!*
*Hold on, Elara!* He projected back, forcing calm he didn't feel. He couldn't just tank. He needed to dismantle them. Fast. The phaser was recovering. The flanker was relentless. The caster was recharging.
The Engine analyzed the Weaver. **\[TARGET: VOID STALKER WEAVER (Lvl.6). PRIMARY THREAT: SUSTAINED RANGED DAMAGE/DEBUFFS. VULNERABILITY: INTERRUPTION DURING CASTING.\]**
Kael feinted towards the recovering Level 7, making the flanker commit to another low sweep. Then, he pivoted violently on his exoskeleton's reinforced heel, channeling the geothermal energy surging through the suit. The whine became a shriek as he launched himself *across* the chamber, not at the Weaver, but at the thick, pulsating geothermal conduit he'd tapped earlier.
He slammed his armored fist into the conduit junction.
**\[IMPACT: GEOTHERMAL CONDUIT\]**
**\[WARNING: STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY COMPROMISED!\]**
A jet of superheated steam and raw geothermal energy erupted with a deafening roar, directly into the path of the Void Stalker Weaver as it began another shadow-gathering gesture. The caster shrieked – a sound of pure agony as searing heat and disruptive earth-energy tore through its shadow-stuff form. The gathering darkness dissolved into chaotic wisps. **\[SHADOW BARRAGE INTERRUPTED! WEAVER STAGGERED! SHADOW INTEGRITY CRITICAL!\]**
*Now!* Kael pushed off the shuddering conduit, ignoring the scalding spray. The Weaver was vulnerable, its form flickering wildly. He closed the distance, claws aimed not for a kill, but for *assimilation*. He needed its power. He needed an edge.
**\[CONTACT: VOID STALKER WEAVER (Lvl.6)\]**
**\[ASSIMILATION INITIATED: SHADOW-WEAVING PROTOCOLS\]**
The vortex flared, hungrier than ever, fueled by geothermal energy channeled through the exoskeleton. The Weaver dissolved into streams of dark energy and fragmented psionic signatures, screaming silently as it was consumed. Power flooded Kael – colder, sharper than Void-Hound essence. The Engine devoured it.
**\[ASSIMILATING: SHADOW-STEP (Lvl.1 FRAGMENT) - Short-range phasing ability (5m max). Cooldown: 15 sec.\]**
**\[ASSIMILATING: MINOR SHADOW RESISTANCE (Lvl.1)\]**
**\[ASSIMILATING: PSIONIC DAMPENER (Lvl.1 FRAGMENT) - Reduces effectiveness of hostile mental effects.\]**
**\[ENGINE STABILITY: 72%\]**
**\[VOID-SENSE RANGE INCREASED: 120m\]**
**\[WARNING: SHADOW-ESSENCE INTEGRATION CAUSING TEMPORARY COGNITIVE DISSONANCE. HOST MENTAL RESILIENCE TESTED.\]**
Cold whispers echoed at the edge of Kael's thoughts – alien memories of the void, whispers of oblivion. He shook his head violently, focusing on Elara's terrified presence. *For her.*
The remaining Stalkers shrieked in fury. The Level 7 phased again, appearing directly behind Kael. The Level 6 flanker charged head-on.
Kael didn't hesitate. He triggered the newly assimilated **Shadow-Step**.
Reality flickered. One moment he was facing the flanker; the next, he'd *phased* five meters sideways, reappearing beside the geothermal vent conduit. The Level 7's killing blow passed through empty air. The flanker, committed to its charge, stumbled past him.
Kael grabbed the still-spewing, damaged conduit. Pain seared his armored hand as superheated metal met Void-Chitin. **\[THERMAL DAMAGE SUSTAINED. MINOR.\]** He wrenched it free, aiming the roaring jet of steam and raw energy not at a Stalker, but at the floor *between* them and the crystal prison holding Elara.
**\[CREATING THERMAL/GEOTHERMAL BARRIER\]**
A wall of superheated steam and disruptive earth-energy erupted, filling the chamber entrance. The Stalkers recoiled, hissing in pain and confusion as their shadow-forms destabilized in the chaotic energy field. **\[BARRIER EFFECTIVE. STALKERS DISORIENTED. ADVANTAGE: HOST.\]**
The Level 7 phased *through* the barrier, but the transition was visibly jarring, its form less cohesive. It lunged, enraged. Kael met it head-on, exoskeleton fist clashing with bone-blade claws. The force was immense, driving him back a step. **\[EXOSKELETON INTEGRITY: 65%\]**
He couldn't overpower it. But he didn't need to. As their limbs locked, Kael focused the Engine's power through his clawed hand *into* the point of contact. Not just physical force. He poured the raw, disruptive geothermal energy still channeled through the exoskeleton and amplified by the Engine.
**\[IMPROVISED ABILITY: THERMAL SHOCK CONDUIT\]**
**\[CHANNELING GEOTHERMAL ENERGY THROUGH VOID-CHITIN INTO TARGET\]**
Pure, searing heat and disruptive earth-energy surged *into* the Void Stalker's shadow-stuff form. The creature shrieked, an unearthly sound of agony. Its form rippled violently, red eyes flaring then dimming. Shadow-stuff boiled away. Bone fragments cracked and blackened.
**\[CRITICAL DAMAGE: VOID STALKER REAVER (Lvl.7)\]**
**\[SHADOW INTEGRITY COLLAPSING\]**
Kael wrenched his claws free as the Stalker stumbled back, its form unraveling. He didn't wait. He turned to the last Stalker (Level 6), still disoriented by the steam barrier. A single, brutal lunge with his geothermal-heated claws finished it, assimilation vortex flaring briefly to consume the remnants. **\[ASSIMILATING: SHADOW-STEP COOLDOWN REDUCTION (MINOR). SHADOW RESISTANCE INCREASED (Lvl.1).\]** **\[ENGINE STABILITY: 75%\]**
Silence descended, broken only by the hiss of the ruptured conduit and Kael's ragged breathing. The exoskeleton's timer blinked: **\[DURATION: 3 MINUTES 12 SECONDS\]**. He powered it down, the heavy frame locking as it disconnected from the geothermal source. He felt drained, the whispers of shadow-essence still a cold echo in his mind, but victorious.
*Kael?* Elara's psychic voice was faint, weak, but filled with trembling relief. *They're… gone? The cold… less…*
"Yes, Elara," he projected, stumbling towards her crystal prison. The sorrowful aura was still there, but the crushing terror had eased. "They're gone." He placed a hand on the crystal. It felt warmer. "Are you okay? The Seedling?"
*Sleeping… quieter now…* she sent. *You… hurt the bad dream. Hurt them back. Thank you…* A wave of profound, childlike gratitude washed over him, momentarily silencing the shadow-whispers. It was a balm, fragile but real.
He slumped against the crystal structure, surveying the ruined lab. The fight had illuminated more of the chamber. His eyes fell on a mostly intact terminal near the shattered stasis tubes. **\[PROMETHEUS PROJECT: PRIMARY DATA TERMINAL.\]** The screen was dark, but the casing looked less damaged than others.
Guided by a hunch and Elara's fading psychic map, Kael found a hidden compartment beneath the terminal housing. Inside lay a crystalline data chip, remarkably preserved. **\[IDENTIFIED: PROJECT PROMETHEUS CORE LOGS (ENCRYPTED).\]**
Using scavenged cables and a risky pulse of Engine energy (risking a system overload for **\[STABILITY: 74%\]**), he jury-rigged power to the terminal. The screen flickered to life, displaying corrupted data streams and fragmented logs. The Engine interfaced, decrypting slowly.
The logs painted a chilling picture:
* **Project Goal:** Harness "Extradimensional Void-Energy" (detected via deep-earth scans) for clean power and human augmentation.
* **Breakthrough:** Discovery of "Void-Seeds" – dormant energy nexuses that could be catalyzed by specific psionic potentials (like Elara's).
* **Catastrophe:** Elara's integration triggered uncontrolled Seedling gestation. The Seedling wasn't hostile; it was *instinctive*, drawing void-energy uncontrollably, fusing with Elara to protect its nascent form. The resulting energy surge destroyed the facility and drew the first Void-Stalkers.
* **Final Log:** *"...Integration failed. Subject Elara fused. Seedling stabilized but trapped her consciousness. Void entities converging. Containment protocols failing. God help us... The energy signatures... they match the anomalous readings preceding the global event. Did we... did we* ***attract*** *it? Did Project Prometheus signal the System?"*
The last line hit Kael like a physical blow. *Did Project Prometheus signal the System?* Had humanity's desperate grasp for power *invited* the Integration Apocalypse? The implications were staggering. It wasn't just random; it might have been a response. A horrific feedback loop of ambition and consequence.
The Engine processed the data. **\[HYPOTHESIS CONFIRMED: PRE-INTEGRATION VOID-ENERGY MANIPULATION CREATED DETECTABLE ANOMALIES. HIGH PROBABILITY THESE ANOMALIES CONTRIBUTED TO SYSTEM'S TARGETING OF EARTH.\]** **\[NOTE: APOTHEOSIS ENGINE SIGNATURE SHARES SIMILAR VOID/ANOMALOUS PROPERTIES. RISK OF ATTRACTION INCREASES WITH ENGINE EVOLUTION.\]**
He was an anomaly built on the wreckage of an anomaly that might have doomed the world. The irony was bitter.
*Kael?* Elara's voice was fainter, sleepier. *Tired… Seedling calm… for now. But… bad things… deeper. Older. Feel them stirring… when you fought…*
His **Void-Sense**, now extended to 120m, pulsed in confirmation. The ancient, deep thrum he'd felt upon entering the tunnels had intensified slightly during the fight. Elara's presence and the battle had disturbed something far more profound and terrifying deeper in the earth. **\[WARNING: MAJOR VOID ENTITY SIGNATURE DETECTED (DEEP SUBSURFACE). STATUS: DISTURBED. POTENTIAL THREAT: CATASTROPHIC.\]**
He couldn't stay. The Purifiers knew the general area. The System Enforcers might return. And now, he'd awakened something worse. He needed to get Elara out. But how?
The Engine scanned the Seedling crystal. **\[STABILITY IMPROVED POST-STALKER DEFEAT/ENERGY DISSIPATION.\]** **\[PROPOSAL: PARTIAL CRYSTAL HARVEST. EXTRACTING KEY STABILIZATION NEXUS MAY ALLOW MOBILITY OF CORE STRUCTURE CONTAINING ELARA ECHO. RISK: PSIONIC TRAUMA TO ECHO. SEEDLING INSTABILITY.\]**
It was another terrible choice. Move her and risk hurting her, or leave her vulnerable to whatever lurked deeper or to future hunters.
Kael looked at the shadow-child frozen in crystal. He thought of the woman on the street, the betrayal, the label of Null. He thought of the Purifiers, the Enforcers, the System that judged and discarded. He thought of the terrifying potential of the Apotheosis Engine.
He wasn't just surviving anymore. He was uncovering truths. He was protecting the lost. He was becoming something new, forged in buried labs and void-battles. The grind wasn't just for power; it was for answers, and perhaps, redemption.
"Alright, Elara," he said softly, placing both hands on the crystal, feeling the faint warmth of her presence. "Time to wake up. We're leaving this tomb. But we need to take a piece of your cage with us. It might hurt. I'm sorry." He focused the Engine, directing its analytical precision towards the delicate task of extraction, bracing himself for her fear and the risk of waking the deeper dark. i