Marcus scrambled to his feet, helped by Arminius yanking him up by his collar.

  In front of him, near the stairs of the pit, Layne took up cover and was firing both of their tonoascia at infantrymen flooding in from the entryway. Marcus ran over and crouched next to him.

  "Helluva time for a nap." Layne shouted over gunfire while reloading his weapon.

  "Slept like a baby." Marcus reached over, grabbed a weapon, and started reloading.

  Arminius aimed and fired his pistol at one of four soldiers at the top of the pit.

  "Where's the princess?" Marcus shouted over return gunfire.

  Arminius motioned with his head over his left shoulder. Behind the core, under cover, Ishild was trying to wake up the princess.

  "How are we going to get out of here? They're probably all over the burrow now." Marcus took aim and fired, taking an infantryman down.

  Arminius finished reloading and pointed up to a suspended walkway near the tall ceiling. "We can get to the next floor from here, might be enough to lose them." He aimed and fired, taking down another infantryman.

  The core began to flicker as the harsh green light dimmed to a golden yellow. From the entrance, a man in a navy-blue hood wearing metal armor underneath a black tabard with a white bull insignia appeared.

  Layne aimed and fired at him, but he shifted his body and shoved his hand forward. The shot deflected into the wall.

  "Technomage." Arminius shouted.

  "This will be your grave, Myrmidon scum." He growled and brandished his palm.

  Arminius dove away from where he took cover just as a bolt of lightning burst forth from the technomage's hand.

  From the gauntlet of the technomage, jutted several small square rods. They spewed steam and the rods glowed dull orange. He scoffed and started sprinting around the outer perimeter of the pit, trying to get a better angle on Arminius.

  Ishild got the princess to her feet.

  Marcus turned and looked at Layne. "Help them climb up." He motioned toward the girls.

  Layne fired his weapon, taking out one of the infantrymen. "On it." In a low stance, he slinked away around the core.

  Standing up, Marcus dashed up the stairs toward the entrance. The infantry man flipped his musket over to swing the stock at Marcus, who did the same with his tonoascia. With one swing, Marcus carved through the metal barrel and took out the soldier.

  Then he turned and dashed toward the technomage.

  "Tell me, Myrmidon, what purpose was it to hide away the secrets buried in these Burrows?" The technomage shouted, charging up another lightning bolt from his palm.

  Arminius had recovered and rushed up the far stairs, running up at an angle to the top edge of the pit where the technomage stood. "To stop the horrors within from being released unto the world."

  The technomage unleashed another bolt of lightning. It blasted over Arminius's head and seared a hole in the concrete wall afar.

  "Horrors? More like wonders!" The technomage adjusted his glove as it hissed and radiated steam once more. "Only fools and cowards would stow away such power."

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  "You know not what kind of bargain you've made." Arminius raised his pistol, still running up the steps and fired at the foe.

  The technomage arched his back and the shot whirred by him, smacking into the wall and ricocheting into the distance. "We will rule this place, and the secrets here will be what solidifies our reign!"

  Marcus sprinted from behind, axe held high over head, ready to strike.

  At the last second, the technomage turned and then stepped back. In the blink of an eye he dodged the attack, leaving behind a silhouette which Marcus cut through.

  "Where'd you come from?" The technomage spoke with a frazzled tone.

  Marcus's weapon gored the floor, tearing a chunk of concrete out and sending it flying. Before he could recover, the technomage threw a punch with his left hand. It connected and Marcus stumbled back into the metal railing.

  The glowing metal rods retreated into the technomage's right hand glove with a click. He brandished his palm and cackled.

  Marcus winced. An invisible force smashed into his body, like being hit with a hammer. He slid along the railing, thrown like a limp sack of dirt. But no bolt of lightning emerged from the technomage's hand.

  The rods extended, and the mage's gauntlet blew off steam once more. "What?" The technomage shook his right arm and grumbled, staring at his hand, grimacing.

  Arminius took aim and fired. The technomage snapped his attention to the Myrmidon but was not fast enough and took a hit on his left arm. A shower of sparks spewed from the mage's pauldron.

  Marcus, winded, gripped the railing and tugged to right himself.

  "My inhibitor!" The technomage staggered back and growled. "Look at what you did!" He brandished his palm with gauntlet cooled at Arminius.

  Marcus felt an immense surge of pins and needles course through his body. He looked up to find the princess standing on the metal grate walkway near the ceiling. Golden rivulets, glowing, flecked from the corners of her eyes.

  Marcus slinked over the railing, depleted from being punched in the face, struck by whatever force the technomage produced, and now the immense pain in his limbs.

  Before the technomage could loose another bolt, his left arm burst into flames in an instant. The immense heat screeched, the sound melded with his panicked cry. He turned and ran out the exit.

  Arminius fired but missed hitting the mage in the back. "Nuts!" He turned and pointed at Layne. "Climb for your life, that plant matter is extremely flammable! This whole place is going to go up!"

  Layne standing near the base of the core recoiled, put his weapon on his back, and then started scaling the ropes that were used to suspend the girls, to climb up to the rafters.

  With clenched teeth, Marcus pushed through the pain and got himself standing. Despite being out of breath and in pain, he forced the sling of the tonoascia around his body. "How are we getting up?"

  Ishild ran along the metal walkway and kicked a suspended ladder down to them. "Don't just stand around, let's go." She beckoned.

  Marcus hobbled over to the ladder and began climbing. Arminius holstered his pistol and then followed just behind.

  Smoke began pouring in from the seams of the exit door just as the two climbed to the top of the ladder.

  "We don't have much time; this place will lock down and suck out all of the air to save itself from burning down." Arminius pointed toward a grate near the wall.

  Layne helped the girls climb into the crawlspace. Marcus motioned for him to go ahead first then followed. Arminius trailed behind.

  The way through was a winding path up, they climbed small ledges and eventually got to the next floor above.

  They climbed out into a room with many chairs and desks lined in rows. Small screens not unlike the Firestorm's consoles sat atop each one, organized identically.

  Arminius looked around. "The fire will spread but hasn't gotten to this level. We need to find a different stairwell."

  They walked out into a hallway with shiny tile, the throughfare was lit with the dim crimson floor lights.

  "Stop right there!" Two soldiers appeared from around the corner pulling muskets from their shoulders.

  "This place is going up in smoke, run for your lives!" Arminius threw his hands at them.

  But they didn't listen and continued to draw their weapons.

  A sharp stabbing pain coursed through Marcus's body and suddenly the two burst into flames. He was standing next to the princess and found her crying golden tears for just a moment, but they subsided.

  The two combusting soldiers sprinted in a panic back the way they came.

  The princess looked at him, blinking innocently. "What? We have no time to negotiate."

  Marcus passed nervous glances to Layne and Ishild. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

  Suddenly a rapid volley of gunfire burst from the direction the two burning infantrymen came from.

  Arminius groaned. "Looks like we're not going that way." He turned and sprinted in the opposite direction. Sliding to a stop, he leaned around the corner. Then motioned with his arm. "Come."

  The four followed the Myrmidon and they dashed down a long corridor with sudden sharp bends that kept it from being perfectly straight. About halfway down the hall, Arminius stopped and slid open a door. A plume of smoke bellowed out into the hall. He slid it closed. "That was the only other stairwell."

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