Stepping into the vast chamber felt like walking into a goddamn tomb, with ancient energy pulsing through the air, making the hair on Luca's arms stand up beneath his armor. Their helmet lights carved long shadows across towering murals etched deep into the stone walls. Every surface told stories in stylized scenes: construction, celestial bodies, what looked like a mass migration.

A rustling echo from above made everyone freeze right before the ceiling exploded with movement.

Three-foot-tall insectoids poured into the chamber like roaches, only bigger and uglier. They filled every corner, hissing and snapping with mandibles that could probably take off a finger. Great. Just what we needed.

"Hand-to-hand!" Luca barked, yanking his Plasma Tomahawk free.

Emily's Plasma Sword flicked to life with that menacing glow he'd grown to love. "Keep the murals intact!"

Zoe drew her Plasma Dagger, flashing him one of those determined grins that usually meant someone was about to do something stupid. "Let's make it quick."

Danny hefted his Warhammer, ready to swing. Then he caught the alarmed looks from literally everyone.

"NO!" they all shouted.

Danny froze, looking like a kid caught reaching for the last cookie. That sheepish grin spread across his face. "Alright, alright. No smashing. I'll keep it light."

Luca swung his tomahawk in swift arcs, each strike carving through exoskeletons like butter. The new plasma upgrade was working wonders. Beside him, Emily was dancing with her Plasma Sword, slicing through the Vexillari drones.

Danny, to his credit, kept his swings tight. Each impact still made Luca wince, but at least the walls stayed intact. Ryan and Chris provided cover fire, their Plasma Blasters picking off creatures at the swarm's edges while Joey monitored everyone's vitals.

After what felt like forever, the last insectoid fell and disintegrated into dust as loot boxes materialized around them. They stood in the center, breathing hard, surrounded by glowing drops.

[+99,642 XP] [+34,875 credits]

Joey crouched beside the loot, grinning. "Med supplies, energy drinks, food bars. Damn, we're gonna need a shopping cart for all this stuff."

"Maybe we'll use Danny's Warhammer as a cart," Chris said, nudging Danny with his elbow.

Danny just shrugged, still grinning.

At the chamber's center, on a carved stone pedestal, sat the source of their signal. Ancient tech, half-buried under dust but humming with that rhythmic pulse. Like it was waiting for something. Or someone.

Luca turned to Chris. "Can you get a read on that thing?"

Multitool already in hand, Chris frowned at the scrambled readings. "Signal's strong but all over the place. Trying to clean it up, just... give me a sec."

They spread out through the chamber. Luca's eyes stayed glued to the device. He wanted to get his hands on it, see what made it tick. Emily was moving cautiously, scanning the engravings like she was trying to solve the world's most important puzzle.

"Okay, but let's not break anything important," Emily said, eyeing the device nervously. "We have zero clue what this thing does."

Luca barely contained his eagerness. "Emily, this is it. We're so close! Let's just get in there—"

"And set off some ancient death trap?" She cut him off. "Just... don't. We're flying blind here."

Ryan broke out his camera, sensing the tension. "If we're gonna make history, might as well do it right." He snapped a few shots, then grinned at Chris. "This is like that scene in Alien. Where are all the eggs?"

Chris laughed, motioning toward Danny's helmet. "Yeah, well, keep your helmet on! Last thing we need is a facehugger situation."

Joey and Danny huddled near a wall, muttering about the carvings. "Imagine what we're looking at here." Joey said. "Centuries, maybe millennia of lost history. This is everything we've dreamed about finding."

Chris nodded, eyes wide. "Like they left a message, knowing someone would come eventually."

Ryan's eyes lit up. "This is part of the contract, right? Huge payday?"

Luca couldn't help but grin. "Oh yeah. We're definitely getting that pool on the Triumph now."

"A pool? Screw that, I want a—" Chris started.

"Running track," Ryan finished. "We know, you fitness freak."

Across the chamber, Luca stepped closer to the device. Something about it called to him, made his pulse thrum in time with that faint hum.

Chris was still scanning the thing. "Damn thing's still scrambled. Getting interference from the device, from the walls, from everything. It's like this whole place is designed to mess with our tech."

That's when the device began pulsing faster. Each beat shook the walls until the air itself thrummed with energy.

Shit shit shit here we go.

The ground lurched. A hidden door, seamlessly integrated into the wall moments before, groaned open with the sound of stone grinding against ancient mechanisms. What emerged made Luca's blood run cold.

Eight feet of flowing armor plates and Varnathi glyphs. A Varnathi guardian, just like the ones that had been chasing Zoe, bristling with armor plates and glowing with malevolent energy.

The thing's eyes flared up, and a plasma beam shot out, turning part of the wall into molten slag.

"Holy shit!" Luca yelled, probably louder than necessary. "Move!"

He activated [Ghost Protocol], blurring into invisibility. The beam swept across the room as everyone dove for cover behind pillars and fallen debris.

"Here we go!" Luca shouted, because fuck it, why not announce yourself to the giant death machine? He sprinted toward the guardian, strafing as it tracked him with those glowing eyes. Another beam lanced out. He barely avoided it, feeling heat scorch his armor. This thing was faster than it looked.

As he dove for cover, Luca's hand automatically went to his utility belt. The Varnathi Command Key was right there, along with the Commander's Datapad and Medal of Valor he'd been carrying for weeks. Shit. The thought hit him like a sledgehammer as plasma fire lanced overhead. The command key might have disabled this thing entirely.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Emily activated her [Power Surge], zipping forward in sparking chaos. Her strike caught the guardian's leg joint. It was a lucky hit that made the damn thing actually stumble.

The guardian wasn't going down easy. It swung a massive arm, and Emily had to book it, narrowly avoiding becoming a grease spot on ancient stone.

Zoe, in a move that surprised absolutely no one, leaped onto the guardian's back like it was a goddamn jungle gym. The guardian fired its eye beam upward, trying to hit her, but she was already moving. She reached the top and perched on its shoulders like some demented, dagger-wielding parrot, stabbing at its metal head with her plasma dagger.

It wasn't doing much damage. Looked like she was trying to open a can with a toothpick, but you had to admire the effort.

"Zoe, what the hell—" Luca called out, half laughing despite the death robot situation.

The guardian started bucking and twisting, trying to shake her off. Zoe held on for dear life, looking like she was riding a mechanical bull. It was the most ridiculous and weirdly impressive thing he'd ever seen. While it was distracted with her, Luca started blasting at the joints on its back, looking for weak spots. [Reflext Shot] helped, shots doing more damage than they would have at range.

Danny in his heavy power armor, let out a roar that probably shattered glass somewhere. "Let's see you break through this!" He swung his Plasma Warhammer with enough force to make the whole room vibrate. The guardian stumbled, but then it backhanded Danny like he was a gnat while shooting another eye beam. Danny managed to roll under the beam but still got launched, crashing into a pillar.

Luca winced. That had to hurt.

Ryan charged forward, plasma rifle spitting fire, hollering something about "structural weak points" like he was reading from a textbook.

The guardian had enough of his shit. It spun faster than anything that big should move and smacked Ryan with the back of its hand while firing another beam. Ryan went airborne, like a ragdoll, and slammed into the far wall. He managed to avoid the beam but hit hard.

That wasn't good.

Joey, the only one who might actually wrestle a bear and win, decided to get up close and personal. He activated his [Taunt]. "Hey, metalhead! Over here!" He charged at the guardian and actually managed to grab one of its legs, trying to topple the thing.

They grappled in a bizarre, slow-motion wrestling match between man and machine. Joey's shield was still intact, and when the guardian shot its eye beam at Joey, he used all his strength to turn the guardian so the beam went wide, hitting a wall instead.

Chris yelled "[Power Surge]!" His blaster glowed as he aimed for the weak spot Ryan had spotted before becoming wall decoration. The shot landed perfect, cracking the armor.

"Nice shot!" Luca called out.

He used the distraction to land several good hits on the exposed area. The guardian let out a mechanical shriek, its movements becoming erratic.

It was working.

Luca's ankle throbbed from some fancy footwork earlier, but he ignored it. Pain was temporary. Glory was forever, or something like that. He hurled his tomahawk. The plasma blade embedded itself in the guardian's shoulder just as Zoe, still clinging to its head like a goddamn limpet, managed to slice across its neck joint. Sparks flew, and the thing started looking seriously malfunctioned.

He kept blasting at the weak spot, coordinating with Chris. The guardian spun, swiping at Zoe while shooting its beam at her.

"Zoe, get down!" Luca yelled, but it was no use. She was committed to this insane plan.

The mechanical arm nearly turned her into fine red mist, but she managed to avoid the plasma beam through sheer luck and reflexes. She ducked, somehow staying on, then rolled off the guardian's back as it stumbled. She landed in a crouch, looking slightly dazed but still in one piece.

She just shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Danny had apparently recovered from being launched across the room. He charged back in, swinging his Warhammer. This time the impact sent the weapon flying out of his hands. It embedded itself in the wall with a solid thunk.

"Well, fuck," Danny grunted, switching to his fists. He started pummeling the guardian's legs, trying to topple it through sheer stubbornness.

They were all breathing hard, bruised, and probably concussed. Luca's whole body felt like one giant bruise, but he was still on his feet. They weren't giving up. They circled the guardian and exchanged looks. No words needed. They'd been in tighter spots.

Hadn't they?

Emily and Luca flanked it while dodging the eye beam the guardian kept firing. Zoe plasma dagger became a whirlwind, and Chris laid down suppressing fire. Joey went back to wrestling the guardian, still trying to use his weight to bring it down.

Ryan must have recovered because he was shooting again.

Luca got close. Too close. One of those mechanical arms slammed into him, and ribs definitely cracked. But his [Pattern Recognition] skill kicked in as the guardian's health dropped. The energy core in its chest started looking unstable, like it was about to blow.

"It's about to explode!" Luca yelled. "Everyone, get back!"

With a groan that sounded like metal bending, the guardian collapsed. But it wasn't over. The energy core in its chest pulsated, beeping, doing all the things you don't want a bomb to do.

They scrambled back, diving for cover as the guardian's body glowed brighter and brighter. The explosion was deafening, a shockwave that threw them off their feet. Luca hit the ground hard, vision going white.

When he could see again, the guardian was gone. Vaporized. In its place sat a smoking crater and, because even near-death experiences came with rewards, a loot box.

[+2,500,000 XP] [+1,490,000 credits] [Level Up! Level 67, +5 attribute points, +2 Perception, +1 Memory]

His interface lit up. Level 67 across the board.

Fuck yeah, seven attribute points to boot.

Joey, somehow still conscious and not a pile of ash, let out a low whistle. "Whew. So... anyone else feel like we just fought a delve boss?"

At least they were alive. Mostly. And they had a shit-ton of loot. And a story that would make them legends.

Emily walked over to them. "It was reckless, but I guess it worked."

They shared a laugh, adrenaline still pumping through their systems.

[System Company Achievement] Varnathi Vault Access Established Triumph Initiative Company Recognition Upgrade Unlocked

Pioneer Bonus: +100,000,000 credits awarded to Triumph Initiative

Reward Package: [Item Acquired: Architectural Framework: TL9 Frigate-Class Vessels (TL9)] [Item Acquired: Ablative Armor Schematic (TL9)] [Item Acquired: Pulse Engine Schematic Prototype (TL9)] [Item Acquired: Beam Weapons Schematic Prototype (TL9)]

The numbers scrolled past Luca's vision like some kind of fever dream. One hundred million credits. TL9 schematics. Company recognition upgrades. What the actual fuck was happening?

"Uh, guys?" His voice came out strangled. "Are you seeing this shit?"

Around him, his teammates had gone dead silent. Emily just stood there, mouth hanging open, staring at her interface like it was showing her own obituary.

Ryan was just standing there, blinking rapidly, his face gone pale beneath the grime and sweat.

"One hundred million," Danny said. "Another hundred fucking million. Again. What the actual fuck?"

Chris's multitool slipped from his fingers, clattering across stone with a sound that made everyone jump. "TL9 frigate schematics? That's... that's military-grade shit."

Joey's knees actually buckled. He sat down hard on a chunk of rubble, staring at nothing. "This is the second time. Alpha Centauri gave us a hundred million and upgrades we couldn't use. Now this." His voice cracked. "The System doesn't just hand out rewards like this twice."

Inside the loot box, surrounded by ancient tech scraps and rare components, lay a single metal device covered in intricate runes.

[Item Acquired: Varnathi Vault Decryptor]

"Two months," Zoe said. "Two months we've been following this goddamned signal."

"It was waiting for us to find this place," Emily finished, her words coming out in a rush. "The Varnathi Vault. Just like Alpha Centauri. The System knows about these places. It's been guiding us to them."

Luca felt his stomach drop as the implications hit him like a freight train. "Why us?" The words came out hoarse. "What does it want from us?"

"What the hell are we to it?" Ryan breathed. "We're nobody. We're a small-time crew from Earth. Why is it treating us like we're..."

"Don't get too excited, Ryan," Chris interrupted. "I don't think this is for us, us. It's a stepping stone. Like all the other shit we've been finding. This is how the System upgrades humanity. TL8 tech, TL9 tech, TL9 schematics..."

Luca felt something click in his brain, his father's voice echoing in his memory. Years of watching Athan work on ship designs, listening to him curse over structural frameworks and power distribution problems. "Frigate class," he said slowly. "Not as large as that damned battleship we delved, but still... Dad's been struggling with how to build systems around larger ship classes. And now we have the architectural frameworks."

"We're not the chosen ones," Emily whispered, gripping Luca's arm. "We're just... the ones who happened to be here when it decided humanity was ready for the next step."

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