Manifest Fantasy

Chapter 11: Coordinates

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Baranthurian Ruins, Grenden Forest

November 22, 2024

The iron door swung open easier than Henry expected a soft click echoing off the walls as it unlocked. He hesitated just a moment, peering into the dimness beyond. The corridor was completely dark, illuminated only by the flashlights they held. The air inside was stale but breathable, cooler than it was outside.

He turned off the flashlight and hovered his hand over the side control panel of his IVAS, activating the system's low-light enhancement. The corridor ahead was now rendered in clear detail, the outlines and shapes crisp in the monochrome vision. Behind him, Kelmithus followed his gesture before helping Arran use his equipment.

"Casting shield," Kelmithus announced, adapting to the precision of Alpha Team's callouts.

Blue circles coalesced beneath them, amorphous wisps reaching up before enveloping each person in a transparent bubble. It was exactly like what they had experienced during the Adventurers Guild test when fighting the golems. Whether they would hold against magic traps or lurking demons was not something Henry wanted to test out, but he appreciated the additional safeguard.

Henry gave the man a nod before turning to face the corridor. "Alright, let's move," he murmured, activating the mounted laser on his M7.

The architecture of the Baranthurian structure was a blend of industrial functionality and arcane elegance. Combined with the presence of the heavy iron barriers outside and the security checkpoint protected by bulletproof glass, there was only one guess that made sense: this was a military research facility. The corridor was lined with doors on either side, each sealed shut. Their surfaces were adorned with etched lines – dormant runes. Henry watched as Kelmithus put his hand on one such door before pulling his hand away upon seeing no reaction.

Kelmithus inspected their surroundings. "The mana here is dense, yet the runes remain inert."

"Probably won't operate without any power," Isaac mused, trying to see through the darkened glass of the locked doors.

The barrier controls at the security checkpoint looked like they needed power as well. Henry checked the other locked doors. "Think there's a generator room or something around here?"

"Gotta be," Ron said. "Think that leads to the main hallway; let's start there?" He stood ahead at an intersection, pointing his rifle to the left.

Henry approached to see what he was pointing at. Peering around the corner, he spotted a set of double doors with faint lighting on the other side. It was evident that at least some part of this facility was receiving power. How this was even possible after thousands of years of dormancy was a mystery – one that would probably get Dr. Anderson's pants wet. "Yeah, let's see what's there."

The double doors revealed a main corridor, stretching out like the spine of the facility. He could see glimpses of the main entrance to the left, where the road from earlier must've led to. A faint light emanated from there, confirming that the main parts of the facility likely still had power. It was close, so he decided to check the main entrance first then double back and investigate the rest of the facility – just in case there was anything interesting there. Henry led the way, his rifle's laser painting a steady beam ahead.