"Prepare the lanterns!" the command rang through the camp as the first light of dawn began to crawl over the horizon.
*clank! *clank! *bang!
*drrrrrrrrrrrr,...!
The quiet morning was shattered by the sounds of shouting, clanking metal, and the deep hum of engines powering up.
All around, Gelhyne's expedition moved with purpose and discipline.
Dozens of individuals hurried to attach the Veil Torrents—those small, glowing conduits that Gelhyne herself had enhanced—to massive lanterns mounted atop armored vehicles.
"Veil Torrent attached on V1! Moving to V2!"
"V6 completely synchronized!"
Each lantern pulsed with a faint bluish light, a soft heartbeat of eidric energy that promised protection once activated.
Scholars and eidric sorcerers stood close to each lantern, whispering incantations as they synchronized the flow of eidra.
*whirrrrr!!!
Layers of shimmering barriers formed around the devices, glowing faintly like translucent domes.
The air smelled faintly of burned metal and charged energy as runes were engraved and reinforced again and again to ensure the barriers would hold.
Soldiers readied themselves beside the vehicles, loading blasters and checking eidric batteries.
"Shit… we're really about to head into the mist?"
"So much for mercenary work eh?"
"Well, the pay's good. You can't find anything like this in the Black Glenn."
The rhythmic clacks of weapon chambers echoed alongside the low, steady thrum of generators.
A sense of tense anticipation hung in the air—every person knew that once they crossed into the mist, there was no guarantee of return.
Not far from the main line, Gunn's Vakaryanns were already in formation.
*click! *click!
*click!
"Keke… can't wait to tear through another veil beast…"
"My blood is pumping… I need to fight, now Now NOW!"
"Calm yourself dregkon… There will surely be armies of beasts standing our way once we enter the mist…"
Their advanced mechanical armor gleamed beneath the dim sunlight as they brandished their massive swords, sharpening each edge with almost ceremonial care.
The scraping of metal against metal filled the camp like a grim song of war.
Their mandibles clicked in rhythm as they muttered their battle mantras, each one preparing for what lay ahead.
The whole camp moved like a single living machine—scholars, soldiers, and monsters of metal and flesh—united by one purpose:
to march into the Umbral Veil and face whatever horror guarded the ruins of Veristalzes.
Gelhyne stood surrounded by her most trusted circle—Rox at her right, Gunn looming like a red-armored tower beside her, and a handful of her personal spies cloaked in pitch-black garb.
The air around them thrummed with the combined energy of the camp's preparations—distant shouts, metallic clangs, engines whirring to life, and the steady hum of Veil Lanterns charging their eidric cores.
One of the spies stepped forward, his face hidden behind an obsidian mask etched with faint crimson runes.
His voice was low and distorted, almost mechanical.
"Commander, long-range scanners have picked up movement on the outer rim of the system. A flotilla is approaching at high velocity."
He paused briefly before continuing,
"Their ships bear skull insignias."
Gelhyne didn't even blink.
Her eyes stayed locked on the swirling wall of mist that towered in the distance, its black tendrils shifting like living smoke.
She crossed her arms, her tone calm yet edged with disdain.
"Pirates," she muttered, exhaling sharply.
"They must have caught our signal. We're deep in contested territory after all."
Rox, who had been inspecting her weapon, turned her head sharply.
"Wait—hold on. We're inside what now?" Her visor glinted faintly as her helmet adjusted to the brightening light of dawn.
Gelhyne turned her head slightly, meeting Rox's gaze for the briefest moment.
"The Anderox System," she explained evenly.
"A graveyard of lost civilizations and forgotten empires. The outer sectors are crawling with scavengers, mercenaries, and worse. There are thousands of ruins scattered across this system—some ancient, some cursed, and many brimming with forbidden eidra."
As she spoke, the wind howled faintly through the camp, carrying with it the metallic scent of the Veil's edge.
"The pirates have claimed most of the surrounding sectors as their own," Gelhyne continued.
"They don't take kindly to anyone meddling with their plunder."
*Click!
"Hah! Let them come!" Gunn's mandibles clicked in amusement, the sharp sound cutting through the air like steel scraping metal.
"I will personally slaughter their crews, much on their flesh and spit it out on their faces!"
His voice boomed with excitement as he slammed his two hands together, the ground beneath him lightly vibrating from the force.
Meanwhile, Gelhyne seemed unfazed by Gunn's prideful remark.
Her focus remained unwavering, her sharp eyes scanning the movement of her soldiers in the distance as final preparations were made.
Then she turned toward another cloaked figure—this one smaller, more slender, and clearly female by the tone of her voice.
"Status on the lantern network?" Gelhyne asked.
"The last batch of Veil Torrents has been stabilized and bound to their containment barriers," the spy reported without hesitation.
"Our engineers have confirmed energy output is at full capacity. The lanterns are synchronized and ready for deployment, commander."
"Excellent," Gelhyne said with satisfaction, her voice soft but firm.
She finally turned her gaze back to the swirling mist ahead, her expression unreadable.
"Once the sun rises fully, we march. I don't want any delays. The moment the lanterns light up, the mist will thin just enough for us to enter. That's our only window."
Her spies bowed their heads in acknowledgment before dispersing into the camp like shadows, their cloaks billowing with each silent step.
Rox glanced at Gelhyne, her curiosity still lingering.
"You seem awfully calm for someone who's about to waltz into cursed fog with pirates breathing down her neck."
"I've lived my whole life surrounded by enemies," Gelhyne replied coldly.
"The only difference now is that I'm the one walking into their domain by choice."
Her tone was sharp—commanding, even.
Gunn clicked his mandibles, gripping the handle of one of his massive swords as the Vakaryanns in the background began their war chants.
The sound of engines grew louder.
The lanterns flared brighter. The mist rippled in response.
And as Gelhyne took a step forward, her cloak fluttering against the rising wind, she muttered quietly—but loud enough for Rox and Gunn to hear.
"Let them come. Beasts, pirates, or ghosts of the past… no one will stand between me and that rune."