It seems like I've become able to see in the dark and if what Dax told me is to be believed, I am not immortal so I should avoid getting hit in the head… Ah here it is, form here I need to go left, right, and then straight…)

Hearing yet another guard moving around an upcoming corner the knight slowed down his sprint and blended in with the hallway as he started waiting. Seeing that whoever it was that was closing in on him held some sort of lantern Chad was sure it wasn't a homunculus which could see in the dark, therefore he calmed down even more and awaited the perfect opportunity to strike. 

(Now!)

Using the shadows to his advantage Chad executed a perfect ambush, driving his sword straight through his target before he made a sound. Looking into the eyes of the dying mage Chad saw flashes of confusion, anger, fear and so many other emotions before the eyes blanked out and he died. Chad was sure that something like that would have freaked him out just a few days ago, but now it was different.

(These are the ones that have been experimenting on Xi. Absolutely unforgivable.)

Continuing deeper into the underground complex Chad was still unaware he was being keenly watched, but Dax who was doing something else at the same time started to have an inkling about it.

"s.h.i.+t… ICI calibrate for armoured targets, increase capacitor charge and enter siege mode."

Ducking into cover after once more fruitlessly firing at a stone barrier Dax realized it things were not working out as they should.

[PROCESSING, STAND BY…]

With a crisp click, the surface of the gauss PDW's front end changed drastically to engage additional coils around the barrel, drastically increasing stopping power in exchange for increased power consumption.

[SIEGE MODE ACTIVE.]

Emerging out from cover Dax once more took aim at the mages, pricing straight through their cover and heads alike.

(The people of this world sure does relay on their magic way too much… Still, that overdependence made the 'resurrection spell' work wonders when it was just a mix black matter which I mixed into Chad and Xi's food.)

Dax knew he was going to be watched by several different parties from the moment after he attacked the imperial castle and as such, he acted accordingly. Counterintelligence was the name of the game, the more wrong, vague or outright false information he supplied the people of this world with, the more false a.s.sumptions they would make about him and the easier future confrontations would be. But with all that said, this operation was an exception, as Dax had already made sure no information would leak from this site before it was reduced to a smouldering ruin by targeting the wider area with 400mm mana disruption sh.e.l.ls that would scramble all use of magic in the area around the site for another 30 minutes before self destructing at the same time as the nuke would hit.

"... Though I still wonder if the knight will be able to save his princess?... Oh well, in the end, it doesn't matter."

Having cleared the entire section of the compound floor plan he had extracted from the 'immortal', Dax started looking around at the place.

"Looks like they used magic to dig out this place in a relatively low amount of time… And they then treated the debris with some kind of compound then compressed them to use for structural support? That's clever, saves money and time while avoiding to bring a ma.s.sive amount of outside material in from the outside and raising the chance of detection… But what are you?..."

While his thoughts wandered, the qiton glanced around and found something that wasn't part of the mage's memories. It was truly something inconspicuous, a depression in the wall no more than a few millimetres in depth at the deepest, but it didn't match the predicted data and as such it stood out like a sore thumb to Dax. 

"... That's such a cliche. ICI task Hawk for priority GPR scan."

[DIRECTIVE CONFIRMED, TASKING HAWK DRONE FOR GROUND PENETRATING RADAR SCAN. WARNING: 20 MINUTES TILL SCHEDULED FIRE MISSION, CAS-A7 ARRIVAL ON SITE CONFIRMED, STANDING BY FOR EXTRACT AT HOLDING PATTERN 4.]

"Great, thanks for the update."

As the Hawk drone finished up the scan ICI updated Dax on the situation on the surface, Dax had his initial theory to be correct as the drone found a void behind the wall. Tearing down the wall Dax found a hidden section if the underground base and with the time for exfil coming up he chose the most responsible option.

(This is definitely a recent construction…)

He went in for a quick look without backup. Walking down a straight tunnel for a while Dax found a cramped dark room, with two homunculi inside. The two homunculi looked as if they were twins, both of them had ashen white skin, glowing red eyes and claw like nails which looked like they could extend and retract freely. Standing at about two heads shorter than Dax they would be a tiny bit taller than Lilly and Dax judged both of them to be female based on their nurse like blood stained clothes.

"Ooh~ You found the hidden doorway."

"Impressive."

"... You two don't seem hostile."

Remaining warry Dax kept his finger on the trigger as he lowered his weapon slightly, taking a slightly more relaxed stance.

"Why would we be hostile?"

"There's no reason to."

"We're not made for combat."

Seeing how entirely frank and relaxed the two homunculi were being, Dax decided to try and talk with them for a bit.

"Okay then, it's just that your kind has been more aggressive that's all. h.e.l.lo, my name is Dax, would you two please tell me your names?"

"I'm 01."

"And I'm 02." 

""We're master's tools to create more homunculi.""

"Nice to meet you, 01 and 02. Can I ask what you're doing in this dark room without any food or water?"

Having found a valuable source of possible intel, Dax decided to take all the time he needed to have a proper talk with them.

"Because we're no longer needed."

"We've made master the ultimate tool."

"Therefore he told us to stay here until we die."

"Why?"

"Because a tool which is no longer needed should not need to be maintained any longer."

"And because we're masters creation he didn't want us to be picked apart by his rivals so they could learn his secrets."

(They don't have any reasoning themselves?... No, it's more like they solely exist for their master and have been ingrained with the idea that they're not living beings themselves.)

The more Dax learned about the two homunculi creator, the more he despised him. 

"So the two of you have been created for a singular purpose and like a disposable tool your master has now thrown you away?"

"Exactly."

"Which is why we're extremely bored while waiting to die, could you spare some more time talking with us Dax?"

"Sure, you two seem very relaxed and easy to talk to. But I have a better idea, why don't you come with me?"

"We can't."

"Master said we're not allowed to leave."

(It's like they never acted on their inherent curiosity before, while they obviously want to talk with me it doesn't occur to them that they could just leave this place and explore the world… Seems like I have to press them a bit.)

"I see. Then remain here until you both die, goodbye."

Turning to leave Dax hoped the twin's curiosity was enough for them to temporarily disobey their master.

"No, Wait!"

"Won't you tell us more before you leave?"

"Like how you're still alive with a body like that?"

Acting slightly annoyed Dax turned to face the twins that were still firmly rooted in place, only to see that they did in fact move slightly from their position.

(So it is more along the lines of some kind of active respect for their master than some subconscious routine… I can work with that.)

"Why? You're about to die. In matter of fact, you two will be dead in about 15 minutes. I can tell you that and a lot more things, like how I can heal deadly wounds in a second. But everything ends once you die, so why do you want to know?"

Looking into the eyes of the homunculi Dax saw clear signs of hesitation and in response further pressed the two twins.

"If you two come with me I share some of my secrets with the two of you, but for that, I need to reintroduce myself. h.e.l.lo, my name is Dax, leader of the 125th combined ops...o...b..tal drop troopers of the Galactic Empire. If you two truly want more knowledge then forget your old master who abandoned you like used equipment and join me to set your eyes on worlds and life forms outside the realm of your wildest dreams."

Extending two open hands with a bright smile on his face, Dax waited until the two homunculi twins nervously took hold of them and made sure they couldn't outright free themselves from his influence before he got to know what he needed.

-

(I'm going to be sick…)

Having finally reached his destination, Chad arrived at what revealed itself to be some kind of prison. Most of the cells were occupied, but the occupants weren't exactly what one could describe as alive or dead, it was like they were stuck in between while some kind of strange gel like substance slowly transformed them into creatures that were truly inhuman in every possible way. As there were way over a hundred of those creatures doing anything from constantly screaming at the top of their lungs to smas.h.i.+ng their heads against the cell walls or desperately trying to claw out their own eyes which constantly regenerated in increasingly inhuman shapes Chad had trouble hearing his own thoughts, or keep his most recent meal down for that matter. Making his way through the area with more open cells Chad reached a grouping of what looked to be complete isolation cells with solid steel doors which only had a single slit which could be used to check on the occupants.

(Xi could be in one of those… Oh lord above, please promise me that she hasn't become like those poor souls I just pa.s.sed.)

Walking up to one of the cell doors Chad took a deep breath and prepared himself mentally, then he opened up the slit and looked through.

"... May unending peace and happiness find you in the afterlife."

Closing the slit again with a grim look on his face, Chad moved on to check the next cell, finding it to be empty.

(That's a good sign…)

Even if he didn't find Xi in that cell, Chad was still glad he found it to be empty as it was far better than what he had just seen inside the first one he checked. Continuing on he found most of the cells to empty, with the rest of them containing corpses in the worst possible condition.

(Last one.)

Taking a second to calm down his mind, Chad steeled his nerves with a deep breath before he looked inside. Finding the small and dark cell to be occupied by a single beastkin child which seemed very much alive huddled in a corner.

"Hey, are you-"

But before Chad could even finish his sentence his reflexes forced him to step back and avoid when the beastkin child suddenly lunged at him.

"What the f.u.c.k!?"

Looking at the insect like stinger which was now lodged in the slit Chad decided to just leave the childlike homunculus locked up and alone. After the adrenaline left him Chad realized how little time he had left to find Xi before the deadline Dax had set.

"s.h.i.+t!"

[FIRE MISSION SPLASH: 15 MINUTES.]