"Hear my voice and prepare to claim your fortune." Lord Levi Boyd projected his command across the crowded cobblestones of the Guild Plaza. Hundreds of hunters packed the sprawling square. The morning sun reflected off the polished silver armor of the inner city elites standing near the front of the crowd. Behind them stood a sea of desperate baseline scavengers wearing boiled leather and rusted iron. Kai watched the spectacle from the shadows of a narrow brick alleyway. He leaned against the damp stone and listened to the warlord rally his troops. "The Guild Elders lack the courage to seize a miracle." Levi Boyd paced back and forth across the raised stone dais. The Rank Seven noble wore pristine white armor laced with glowing gold enchantments. "They fear a rumor. They fear a phantom sleeping in the dark. My noble house fears nothing." The crowd murmured in agreement. The prospect of an unguarded Rift Core ignited a fever of greed across the entire city. "We march on the Copper

Charles Winthrop wiped a mixture of sweat and sand from his eyes. He stood inside the protective ring of cactus plants on the second floor and watched the dark figure of Kai vanish into the stone archway.A knot of pure shame formed in the stomach of the disgraced squad leader. He recognized the confident stride of the slum porter from the estate agency. A man who used to carry bags for copper coins was marching alone into a nightmare while veteran elites huddled together in the dirt like frightened children."I am not dying a scavenger." Charles tightened his grip on his rusted iron broadsword.He stepped out of the protective circle and walked toward the dark stairs. The remaining unranked hunters shouted warnings from the safety of their cactus barricade. They told him he was throwing his life away for a badge he would never live to wear."He is going to die down there." A baseline warrior yelled over the howling desert wind. "You will die right beside him."Charles ignored the cow

Kai stood alone in the pitch black labyrinth of the fourth floor. The air felt thick and stagnant in the total absence of light.He did not have to wait long for his apex predators. Two slender figures dropped silently from the unseen cavern ceiling and landed directly in front of him. The Duosuckers possessed elongated limbs and pale hairless skin. Their jaws opened wide to reveal rows of hollow needle teeth designed to puncture thick armor and drain human veins.They recognized the ambient mana signature of their creator instantly. The two nightmare creatures bowed their horrific heads in submission.Kai placed his bare hand against the solid rock wall and channeled his sovereign authority into the stone. He willed the domain to open a Rift Master transit route to the surface levels.The solid rock dissolved. A smooth vertical shaft of black obsidian materialized in the wall. Kai stepped into the dark tunnel and the two predators crawled in right behind him.[Notice.] A blue system

Levi Boyd drove his glowing golden sword through the chest of a gray skinned Fard warrior and twisted the blade. The rank scent of burned flesh and spilled blood hung heavy in the humid cavern air. The noble warlord kicked the Fard off his weapon and stepped forward over a growing pile of monstrous corpses.The hunter were finally winning the war of attrition. The battle had taken a brutal toll on their overall numbers but the surviving human hunters were the hardened core of the expedition. Only twenty five veterans remained standing in the main cavern. The lower tier fodder and the inexperienced scouts had already perished in the initial clash. The survivors consisted entirely of Rank Four to Rank Seven professionals who fought for a living.They moved with lethal military precision. Tanks locked their thick iron shields together to form an impenetrable wall of steel. They pushed the monsters backward inch by inch using raw kinetic force. Combat mages stood safely behind the protect

The razor sharp wind faded into a dense cloud of pulverized rock. The deafening roar of the massive kinetic shockwave rolled through the cavern and died against the distant stone walls.Dust settled over a scene of absolute devastation.Dozens of gray skinned Fard warriors lay broken across the shattered floorboards. Several pale Duosuckers twitched in the dirt with deep lacerations carved into their resilient flesh. Levi Boyd had just demonstrated the catastrophic power of a Rank Seven warlord fighting for sheer survival.Mogo dropped his stone cleaver and fell to one knee. The massive clan boss ignored the bleeding cuts across his chest. He turned his face toward the dark stone archway and stared at the faceless silhouette wreathed in thick purple domain energy.The clan boss recognized the sovereign authority radiating from the human vessel. He screeched a guttural chant of absolute submission in his native tongue.The surviving Fard infantry mirrored their leader instantly. They d