The Eldrim Cards Legacy

Chapter 168: Last light protocol

Nero tried to guess how Maximilian had taken down so many of them so quickly. Obviously it had to do with his ability, but what exactly the ability entailed could not be so easily determined. At least he had not used it earlier during the fight with the berserkers and shadow berserkers.

He would keep an eye on Maximilian to see if he could learn anything more. Nero looked towards the team lying on the ground, unconscious and merely shook his head. This was a good display of killing the chickens to scare the monkeys.

"Someone wake them up. Just just drag them along if you want to avoid listening to them complain," he said, and just walked past them as Shirly continued to lead.

They were, of course, not just left there on the ground. Otherwise any passing Mutt could kill them all. But they were a lot more subdued after they were woken up by someone.

Another reason why Nero himself had avoided picking a fight was because the group following them was becoming too big. They were complying so far because they literally had been ordered to do so. But with a group this large, even if they didn't disobey, they could create friction and cause problems while under the guise of obeying orders.

It all depended on their relationships and personal interests between the groups.

So there was no reason for Nero to attract attention to himself while Maximilian was in the spotlight. All he needed to do was ensure that the mission wasn't disrupted.

From time to time they encountered more obstacles, but with so many soldiers it was easy to go through them. Even berserkers started to avoid them now, which is why soon enough they found themselves in a lab filled with extremely large machines and various platforms just large enough for one person to stand on.

"This is it," Shirly said, stepping aside so that Remi could use the machines. The route to this place had been marked clearly using special cards so that it would be easy to find for any Neophytes who would be joining later. At the same time, there were numerous soldiers who were contacting the command centre, giving them the updates.

Nero and his team moved to the side, standing close to Remi while dozens of other soldiers entered the room, spreading out. From their expressions alone Nero could tell that most of them were not faring too well, though they were somehow managing to hold it in. But tensions were high, and more than once Nero caught a group staring at Maximilian with obvious resentment.

Compared to some of them, Arter was actually a standup guy even if he was a little spoiled, with a strange world view where everyone was out to get him.

"The machines are not working properly," said Remi with a troubled look.

"Does that mean we can't get access?" Nero asked.

"No, no, that can still happen. But I'll have to stay here to work this machine. I don't think anyone else will be able to use them."

One by one the others opened their eyes as well, all wearing the look of failure, including Shirly. But Maximilian stayed on the platform for a full five minutes before opening his eyes.

"How was it?" he asked, stepping off and looking at his team, only for them to shake their heads.

"I got access, which means it's not impossible. Let's keep testing, there's a lot of us."

The teams lined up, and one by one started to take the test, but the results were worse than anyone expected. Most teams did not even have one person who got access.

To be clear, it's not that they didn't get access to other levels of the research facility. But gaining access to the high security zone on the fifth basement level was incredibly difficult, and as far as Nero could tell, only those with abilities that were unique or useful got selected.

By the time it was Nero's turn, there were only four people who had gained access, including Arter. He stepped up, and as soon as the test started, Nero found himself in a familiar glade. It was identical to the one he had entered when he was taking the test in the cathedral.

A stream of information entered his mind, and it too was identical to what he had experienced before, which was followed by the exact same test.

He displayed his physical prowess, his aether control and his corruption resistance, and got nearly the same results. The only difference was that while previously his physical condition was judged to be excellent, this time it was outstanding.

But what Nero was focusing on was something else. After he passed the corruption resistance test, Nero was waiting to see if any errors showed up, or any protocols were triggered.

Just as he expected, they showed up.

"Additional note: specimen displayed corruption destruction capabilities! Specimen has been judged to be perfect for the Luminari project! Adding specimen details to the project folder.

"Error! Error! Luminari database disconnected! Running diagnostics! Network connection was lost 1210 years ago. Initiating emergency protocols.

Last light protocol is being initiated!"

The next thing he knew, Nero was kicked out of the test, though he was fairly certain he'd gotten the required authority. The machine never said.

Just as Nero was about to step off the platform, the building trembled. This was not an uncommon occurrence, but this time the source of the tremors felt nearby.

A door on the other side of the hall suddenly opened.