The Fractured Spires were right in front of Kaito and Revenant looking like teeth against a sky that was all bruised and hurt. They were moving fast but the bodies of the raiders they had killed were attracting a lot of attention. Shades mark was getting brighter and brighter it was like a sign that said "we are easy targets" to all the bad people around. Kaito and Revenant had just gotten out of the valley when they were attacked again by The Fractured Spires people. The Fractured Spires were still really close. Kaito and Revenant were, in big trouble.

  This time the situation was really bad. A big group of hunters showed up. There were eight of them. They were led by a Node-augmented enforcer. The Node-augmented enforcer had circuits embedded in his skin that made it shine. He was riding on a machine that looked like a spider. This machine had six legs. It made a lot of noise as it moved, clicking and hissing with every step that it took. The other hunters walked on foot surrounding the area. They all had weapons that were powered by energy that they had taken from else. The Node-augmented enforcer and the hunters were a threat.

  Revenant cursed under her breath. "They are tracking the marks signature. The revenant knows that they cannot outrun them forever. The revenant is really worried, about this situation."

  Kaitos body was really hurting. His health was very low 38 out of 180 after that tough fight earlier. His shoulder was bleeding through the bandages he had put on. His legs could barely hold him up.

  The new skill, Void Surge felt like it was burning inside his chest it wanted to be used.. Kaito remembered what would happen if he used it. He would lose half of his health and he would be very weak, for a whole day. If he used Void Surge now and the bad effects hit him in the middle of a fight he would not be able to do anything to help. He would be useless.. He would actually die. Void Surge was a powerful skill but it was also very dangerous to use, especially when Kaitos health was already so low.

  Kaito and the others ran quickly towards a valley that went through the Spires. This was Revenants way to get to her hiding place. The big spider robot was getting closer and closer. Its legs were moving fast and hitting the rock like sharp knives. A big burst of energy hit the ground really close, to Kaitos feet.

  "Keep moving" Revenant said loudly her whip swinging back to cut through a net that someone had thrown at them. This gave them a few seconds but the enforcer was getting closer and closer. Revenant knew they had to keep going because the enforcer was almost catching up to them.

  Kaito. His knee buckled under him. His health was really low now it was 32 out of 180. The world, around him started to tilt and spin. He managed to catch himself on a rock and his breathing was all ragged and uneven.

  The enforcer laughed his voice was really cold and fake. "Shade sends regards you traitor. You will get your payment, in pieces."

  The spider thing stood up its mouth parts dripping with stuff. Revenant turned around to stop it her knife shining in the light.. Then two hunters got on either side of her so she had to move back. Revenant had to be careful because the hunters were trying to get her from both sides and that spider thing was still coming at her.

  Kaito looked up at the beast that was coming down. He was done running. There would be no close calls for Kaito. The beast was really coming for him now. Kaito was face to face, with the beast.

  He made a fist. "Surge."

  The word just came out of him like he was told to say it.

  The man felt this red and black energy blast out from inside him. It filled every vein in his body. He did not feel any pain anymore. The crimson-black energy gave him a lot of strength. His muscles got really tight like metal ropes. He could see everything clearly now like things were right, in front of him. The crimson-black energy made time seem to go.

  The man moved. He actually got up. Moved. The movement of the man was very sudden. The man moved from one place to another place.

  It was all a blur. Kaito launched upward. His dagger was trailing this weird void smoke. The blade sank into the arachnids really deep and twisting. The construct let out this shriek and its legs were thrashing all over the place. Kaito jumped off its back. Landed behind the enforcer. He made one slash and it went clean through the mans arm, which was all wired up with circuits. Sparks were flying everywhere. The enforcer was howling in pain.

  The hunters turned around. They had their weapons raised. Kaito was already right in the middle of them. The Void Surge had turned him into a storm. He was. Parrying and striking all at the same time. Blood was spraying everywhere. Bodies were dropping around him. Kaito felt like he could not be beaten. The Void Surge was making him very strong. He was like a storm. Nobody could stop him. The hunters were no match, for Kaito and the Void Surge.

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  The timer kept ticking away. It started with 60 seconds. Then it went down to 45 seconds. After that it was 30 seconds. The timer just kept ticking. It was still ticking down showing 30 seconds.

  Revenant broke free and that was the end of the hunter she gave him a whip-crack to the throat. She grabbed Kaitos arm. Said "We are clear let us move now we have to get out of here."

  They ran fast down the ravine. The arachnid construct was, behind them. It fell down in a big mess of metal and yucky stuff that was still moving. The arachnid construct was not looking good all it was just a heap of broken metal and ichor.

  There are 10 seconds left on the Surge.

  The people in the group found a hidden seam in the Spire wall. Revenant put her hand on a panel that was hidden from view. The stone began to move. A door opened up. The people slipped inside just as the backlash hit the Spire. The backlash was really strong. It was a good thing they made it inside when they did. Revenant and the others were safe for the moment because they were, behind the stone wall of the Spire.

  Kaito fell down soon as the door closed. The void energy pulled back fast like a whip moving on its own. Kaitos health points went down a lot: his maximum health points were 180. Now he could only get up to 90 and then it went down even more to just 12, out of 180. Kaitos agility got really bad. His legs felt heavy like lead. His vision was blurry. Kaito hit the floor hard and everything went dark like darkness covered him completely.

  …

  He woke up to this violet light and the low hum of the machinery. The machinery was making a quiet sound. He could see the violet light all around him. The light, from the machinery was very nice. He liked the violet light and the sound of the machinery.

  There was a room inside the Spire. The room had machines and equipment all around the walls. You could see computer screens that were still working, but not very well. There were also some machines that people had put together themselves. The shelves were filled with lots of containers that were glowing and some broken pieces of Node.

  The man was lying on a bed under him. His wounds were covered with bandages. The air in the room smelled a bit like the air after a thunderstorm and, like the stuff they use to wounds. The Spire had a lot of scavenged tech like this little room.

  The Revenant was sitting on a crate that was, near her. She was cleaning her blade. The hood of her jacket was down. You could see her short silver hair. It had streaks in it. She also had tattoos on her neck and jaw. These tattoos made pretty patterns. The Revenant looked up when he started to move.

  You are awake now. Just barely. The thing, about your skill is that it can help you and hurt you at the same time. You tried to use your skill soon and that was a mistake.

  Kaito tried to sit up. A lot of pain shot through his body when he did. It felt like he was moving through something thick and heavy like tar. He finally got himself propped up against the wall. Kaito was breathing slowly and carefully trying not to hurt himself any more than he already was.

  “How long?”

  I dragged you here for six hours. I did what I could to fix you up. I used some synth-heal gel and pain suppressors on you. I even got a low-grade regen Node to help you out. The regen Node and synth-heal gel should do the trick. You will probably be okay. The pain suppressors will help with the pain. You will live, probably.

  She gave him a canteen. The water in the canteen was cool. It tasted a little like metal. As he drank the water, from the canteen he started to feel stronger. It was happening very slowly.

  The silence went on and on. The Revenant watched him being very patient. It was impossible to know what he was thinking.

  Kaito looked at his hands. They were all scarred up. His hands were also shaking a lot. The bad things that happened to him in the valley ambush were still really fresh, in his mind. Those memories were stuck with him like something rotten. The valley ambush memories just would not go away.

  He said that he had a life. This life was before he came to this place. It was before he knew about Layer 0. He had a life he repeated, before Layer 0 existed for him.

  Revenant did not say a word. She just kept listening to what was being said. Revenant was quiet. Still. She just listened.

  I lived in Tokyo. My home was a high-rise apartment. From my window I could see the city. It was always busy. I felt okay with my life. I worked as a strategist. The pay was good. I got extra money sometimes. I also got some company stock. I had friends at work. We would go out for drinks. I was engaged to a woman named Aiko. We were talking about going to Kyoto to see the cherry blossoms. I had a car. I did not drive it much because the train was a better way to get around. On weekends I liked to go hiking in the mountains. My life was not what I wanted but it was my life. I liked Tokyo and my high-rise apartment and my job, as a strategist.

  He laughed,. It was not a happy sound. Then one night the lights just went out without any warning. He woke up. Found himself in a completely different place with a debt collar, around his neck and no idea how he got there. Everything he had was gone. Aiko, his apartment, his life. It was like everything had just disappeared into air. The life he knew was gone, like that. Aiko, his apartment, his life. All gone.

  His voice cracked. "I keep thinking that maybe it was all a dream. Maybe this life is the one.. The pain I feel is very real. The hurt from being betrayed and the blood I saw. It all feels so real.. Every time I come close to dying I see everything again very clearly. It is like the world wants me to remember what I lost so that it hurts more when I think about what I lost. The pain and the memories they just keep coming to me and it hurts to remember what I lost the life I had the people I loved it all feels like it was taken away, from me and that is what hurts the most the loss of it all the life I had the people I loved the memories we made together they are all gone and it hurts to think about it to remember what I lost.

  Revenant put her knife down. The look, on her face got a little nicer.

  The people who move from place to place get hurt the most she said. The people who are from here we were born owing money. We do not know what it is like to be free.. People like you you were free at one time. That makes it feel even worse to be trapped. The debt is like chains that're very heavy for people like you because you know what it is like to be free and that makes the chains feel even heavier for people who have been free before like you and that is what makes the debt so hard, for transfers.

  She leaned forward. ". You are still here. You are still fighting. That Void Surge did not just save us it showed that you have something that most people do not have: a reason to keep going when things hurt. The Void Surge proved that you have a reason to keep going past the pain."

  Kaito looked into her eyes. He said "Shade is going to pay for every second of this. Not just, for the core. For taking what little Kaito had left to fight for."

  Revenant nodded once. "Then you should rest. You need to heal. We are going to hit his supply convoy in three days. You will need to be at your best for that. You have to be in control this time just like you were with the Revenants plan, for the supply convoy."

  She stood up. Turned down the lights. "It is time for you to sleep Kaito. Tomorrow we will start taking away parts of his empire."

  He closed his eyes and the hum of the hideout felt like it was around him like a weak protection. This was the time he felt really mad since he woke up in Layer 0. The anger felt more controlled now. It felt sharper. The rage, in him felt sharper and more focused.

  Not just survival.

  Vengeance.