The other knights around us carefully continued their work, checking their lines and verifying they had ammunition and weapons ready for what came next. Two clan knights came near them, handing over long barreled rifles, snipers. The handover was quick, ammunition and straps passed over. Kidra’s request. Along with land mines, traps, explosives, and anything else the surface knights had brought with them in hover sleds.

Planner in question took a step to my side, helmet turned to give me a meaningful stare where I’d been sitting, chewing on the last bit of a ration bar.

“I’ll be fine.” I said, waving her away. “Wrath’s strapped in, and I’ve got a small list of ideas to try out.”

“You nearly died several times thus far. You should stay here with the rest of the soldiers. As Icestride said, without facing Avalis, they’re only fighting standard machines here. With this many knights holding a fortified position, they’ll grind down the entire machine army given enough time. I can carry the Feather down to be repaired with the other knights. The safest place for you is here.”

She was serious about her offer. I sent her the hand sign for a smile, “If it was you that had to stay behind and watch me go down, would you?”

“... No.” She said, realizing my point with a sigh. “No, I suppose I wouldn’t allow you to go into such a thing alone.”

“Well, there’s your answer. Times have changed, Winterscars stick together now, right?”

She chuckled, shaking her head. “That’s nothing new. They were very fond of keeping their friends close, and enemies closer. What’s changed is the amount of backstabbing. Finish your food. We need to be ready the moment the scouts find a path.”

“Just need explosives, then I’m good to go.” I said, chomping down on the last bite before standing back up, grabbing more equipment from the hoversleds. Had a whole selection to pick from. Smoke, detonation, even a flashbang. Didn’t hold out a lot of hope for that last one, my own armor would adjust to the light exposure near instantly. Avalis would be the same. But a split second might be the difference between life or death.

Comms clicked, just in time. “Tempest to team, found an egress point that fits the requirements. Sending location now.”

The winterscar knights all stood straighter, helmets turning to Kidra. Showtime it seemed. I swallowed one last bite, took a long sip of water and slapped my helmet back on.

The whirlpool waited at our feet, daring anyone to go through the other side. So our group turned away and started on a quick jog into the temple tunnels again.

Icestride’s plan in this case.

In the past, the only way down to the second strata from the temple was the centerpoint, where gravity was warped enough to let someone drift down gently to the desert ground below.

Problem: Avalis would have every gun pointed directly at the whirlpool. Not a lot of ways to sneak through an obvious chokepoint. But that cut two ways. If he’s watching the whirlpool, he’s not watching elsewhere.

Desert’s gone now, mites. Which meant the game’s changed. Just like there were plenty of cracks to sneak inside the temple from the top level, those same cracks would appear on the bottom. It would have been a dead end drop a mile down into a desert. Today we just needed to survive a drop to some rooftop, preferably one far enough away to let us sneak around whatever cordon he had setup.

Plenty of spots were marked on the ever expanding map the surface knights were making as they prepared for their own holdout fight.

What ended up being the crack in the ground wasn’t exactly mite-made. Scout teams had been pinging the lower strata from every hole they could stick their heads through, so we knew where some towers were poking close to the ceiling. From there, we found a nice corridor nearby our landing point, and then persuaded the ground to let us go through with a few improvised picks. Explosives would have worked, but those were reserved for our good friends waiting down under. Also noise.

Kidra and the rest of the Winterscar knights gave one last check on their gear, tugging straps and verifying rounds were secure. A round of quick nods spread through our team of six, all of us satisfied, before we began leaping down one at a time, rope following behind as they each repelled and swung out of my sight.

“Right.” I grumbled, watching the abyss under me. Lately gravity and heights haven't tended to go well for me. I swallowed my nerves and took a jump down anyhow.

A moment later, I’d crossed the threshold, and passed through to the world below.

And what a gods damned fever dream this strata was. The armors and scouts had been correct about the strata being nothing but third era skyscrapers and scaffolding stairways interweaved between each. Green plantlife had found time to sink teeth into the area, moss growing on the catwalks anywhere dirt had slowly collected over the years. Most of the skyscrapers here still had fully intact walls of near pitch black. Polarized glass, according to Journey’s HUD. Other skyscrapers further in the distance hadn't aged as gently, only their spine and skeletal ribs remained.

We’d repelled down in the shadow of a massive tower, hiding us from sight. Rooftop had outright crashed into the ceiling, as if the skyscraper was grown like a tree, and hit the boundaries of this terrarium. Where the glass broke, large roots took the chance to grow through, with offshoots of trees rising off as if fungus covering the decaying structures.

In moments, I’d swung into a gloomy looking level. Logi office chairs, desks and rotting fabric cubical walls. All of it slightly tilted due to the skyscraper having bent a bit. The first few knights were already inspecting the area, checking for dangers.

We didn’t turn on lights, neither inside the floor nor on our armors. Keeping quiet where our entry point was important. The last Winterscar knight roped through the window, landing into the dusty floor, turning back to give the rope a few tugs.

Up above, the scout unhooked the mooring and let the rope go free, returned to the owner.

“Ingress successful.” Kidra reported. “No signs of machines on our entry. We’re beginning operations.”

“Copy, I’ll relay to Icestride actual. Winds at your back, Winterscars.” The scout called out, then vanished back into the tunnels. Contact quickly cut off.

On our own now.

As one, the group turned and began to move through the abandoned level to the other side. Mites had been pretty thorough in trying to replicate everything from a third era skyscraper. Papers were everywhere, showing made up charts and odd posters hung on the walls. A few labor laws written out that made little sense. The computers at each desk we passed looked like massive beige bricks, all of which had black screens, as if waiting for someone to sit down and begin a day of work.

Even had a coffee machine we passed by. Covered in dust of course, it might have never served a cup in its existence. If it actually functioned and wasn’t just a replica in looks only.

The other side had just about the same view we’d seen coming down.

Life really finds a way no matter where. Small clouds of mist gathered and swirled around between the massive buildings, the soft gust stirred by the whirlpool a small distance ahead. Droplets of water breaking apart as it fell, turning into fine mist.

Bright red birds with long trailing tails flew in a unified swarm in between each building, swooping over from vine and tree branch alike, hunting flying insects or landing to peck at strange fruits and seeds.

The Winterscar knights had formed up, gawking out the window like I was.

“I’d heard stories about how different mite biomes were.” Kidra said. “I feel like it wasn’t done enough justice to prepare me.”

The other knights were equally caught between wanting to stare at the strange alien sight, or keeping guard. We were in contested territory after all.

Kidra shook her head, then pointed straight down, from her vantage point. “There. That’s where we need to go.”

Hundreds of catwalks, filled with hanging vines or other detritus, littered the open air between skyscrapers. Some of them so covered in vegetation, they looked to be sagging slightly. Blocking all light under them, leaving the catwalks there hidden in shadow and free of growth.

“That’s our way through. We’ll use these to get closer to the mite forge. Keith,” She turned to me. “Ask Wrath what kind of force he could have assembled in this amount of time.”

He hasn’t had enough time to prepare for this field. Wrath said. The army marshaled above was where he expended his resources. Any forces here would be a few packs of screamers who control this territory, and perhaps a handful of drakes passing through. Another army near this sector could have been called on, though I suspect we have an hour or more before it arrives in any kind of numbers.

She nodded at the answer, considering. “Once we’re within range, we’ll split up.” She turned and pointed at two of the knights, each carrying the long range gear on their backs. “Adris and Kior will find a suitable overwatch position. You’ll keep us covered from range, your main targets will be the drakes. They have no shields and can be taken down by a single well placed shot to their heads. If we can, we’ll see if Captain Sagrius landed safely somewhere nearby and regroup. If we can’t locate his signal, we’ll need to continue the advance on our main objective.”

The group and I gave a crisp salute, and we got to work.

Catwalks were a rickety thing. Some of them were sturdy, others seemed as if they would break if a rock fell on them hard enough. Fortunately, we had relic armor, and those were able to verify structural integrity. A path was lit up from tower to tower, hidden away by the dense vegetation, and giving us the best way forward.

It was easier than some of the stairs we’d taken through the towers. Mites did a lot of things with little oversight. Sometimes, the towers had functional stairs. That wasn’t always the case. One tower just had a stairwell that featured rings of stairs, each connected to themselves. Leading absolutely nowhere but in a circle. Those times, we had to repel down until we found the next catwalk exit.

Elevator shafts also worked well as means to go up or down the towers. Relic armors had no trouble climbing up shafts or jumping gaps. Given how abandoned the whole zone felt, I expected to stubble on dead bodies of past human expeditions. Undersider merchants who’d traveled through this zone, from skyscraper to skyscraper like we were, and made too much noise. Maybe remains of prior camps where they’d set down, tin cups used and left behind. But there was no trace of anyone having passed by where we have, making me feel almost more at home. Like a scavenging expedition at a fresh untapped site.

We passed through the last catwalk, pushing open an old fire escape door and sneaking into the tower. Like all the other skyscrapers before, we snuck through to the other side of the office floorplan, reaching the window walls on the other side and looking through it.

Above, I could see the whirlpool of the temple.

Directly under, I got the first sight of the mite forge. Or at least, a hint of where it might have gone. One massive skyscraper had broken apart at the base like Icestride had reported, likely decades ago. It had fallen over to one side, striking another skyscraper before grinding to a stop.

Now it looked more like a slightly inclined bridge. Kidra raised a closed fist, ordering the team to come to a stop.

“You should take care when traversing the ruin.” Father warned, voice crackling from the pendant at my hip. He watched through Journey’s eyes, seeing only the danger the world had in store. “Such a structure should have split down the middle and collapsed down. It may be close to the breaking point already.”

“Long way down too.” I muttered, watching what was under the skyscraper bridge. That drop went further than a mile. “Must be multiple strata put together here. Like the elevator shafts here, only massive.”

Journey’s HUD was analyzing the ruins for structural integrity. “We’re a little too far away to get good readings, deary.” Cathida said. “My gut says that if the building hasn’t collapsed already, time and those tree vines would have slowly reinforced the internal spine.”

“It’s held together by plants?” I asked, a little surprised. “What sort of food are the mites feeding those things?”

Frostbloom could survive on the surface, so mite-enhanced plants might just be the new concrete rebar.

It’s the anti-gravity field under the temple. Wrath pointed out, which made a lot more sense. The field originated from the temple; it remains active even in the changed lower strata. The tower building is within the range.

“So we could just jump straight down from here to the mite forge?” I asked, after relaying her message to the others. “Theoretically speaking.”

“Sure you can.” Cathida said. “Assuming you want to land on the bridge looking like cheese.”

“Drakes.” Father clarified. “The Feather would have collected enough in the area to target anyone passing through the whirlpool. He would be a fool not to. In midair, your evasion options are… limited.”

“By limited, he means non-existent.” Cathida corrected. “My advice, take a longer way down where you have footing to work with. You snuck in this far, use the rest of it.”

“How are we going to deal with hiding drakes?”

Kidra pointed to two knights behind us. They nodded back, each carrying the heavier sniper rifles we’d brought down. “We draw the enemy out. Adris and Kior have the weaponry needed to eliminate them, they just need a bead.” She then pointed at the bridge face. “Father’s sight lets him see the beams before they strike, assuming the shot is fatal. So long as we have Father nearby, we can survive being attacked.”

Are you certain two knights will be enough to take on To’Avalis’s drakes?

“A single knight with a good position should have enough ammunition and opportunity to eliminate dozens.” Kidra said, without any doubt in her voice. “I’ve had personal experience with their kind during the Undersider city war, I’m sure you well remember that.”

I’m aware. Wrath said, You eliminated every drake unit under my command. But why leave a second if you are confident a single knight is enough?

“A single knight could be overwhelmed by Screamers. But Avalis won’t have enough to overwhelm two working together. Not with the numbers you suggest he has here. And if we kill him before his army arrives, it won’t be our problem anymore, we’ll escape up the strata and the army here can’t follow.”

Two knights are easily overwhelmed by Runners performing a hammer and anvil formation. Wrath insisted. I’m sure you well remember that.

Kidra laughed, hand reaching out to pat Wrath’s head as the violet eye stared back. “Two undersider knights you mean. These are clan knights, and more than that, they’re Winterscar knights. My knights.” Her helmet turned back to me, “You tell Wrath that I pick only the best to join my House. They can do more than just survive against a small army of Screamers.”

The two knights in question didn’t change their posture, or move at all, but I could swear I saw them stand a little taller. Kidra wasn’t giving them lip service either. She fully believed every word said.

I dutifully relayed it all back to Wrath through the soul fractal. The girl sighed.

Something on your mind? I asked.

I used to have a functioning alarm system. It would ring anytime I was underestimating Winterscars. I miss it, it was oddly useful. Situations like these, it would have reminded me to rethink my words.

I stopped, then looked back at her sack. How, exactly, did you end up having to make an actual alarm for something that specific?

She explained. In detail. It turned out to be a heated topic for her, imagine that. No idea how that could have happened.