Their next task lay across town, in the heart of Neo-ilka's black market district—a sprawling, lawless quarter known as the Shadow Bay. If Daed's diagram were correct, they required a piece of code, a sliver that only a handful of the best hackers and tech-dealers owned. It was said to be part of an ancient algorithm that had once served for the gods' machinery - a spark that might bring to life the full potential of the weapon. Powerful and dangerous. It could unravel the rules of power in Neo-ilka in the wrong hands.
Kiera's eyes narrowed and she flexed her fingers at her side as they approached the entrance to Shadow Bay. "Places like this don't exactly give anything away," she said, her voice tight. "Everyone here is in it for the highest bidder. We're about to cross a line."
Orion's face contorts into a dark grin. "Lines are only real if we choose to make them so. We are here for what we need, at whatever the cost.".
Zypher scanned the tower edifices of Shadow Bay, its narrow alleys twisting into mazes of flickering lights. Storefronts had been covered in shadow behind strategically placed pillars and further obscured by the glint of drones in the sky. Every step further into this place felt as if he were descending into another world-one where loyalty was hard to come by, and every eye watched for an exposed weakness to exploit.
"Stick together," he growled, his voice low but urgent. "We're here for a code key. Nothing more, nothing less. Get in, find it, get out."
They wove through narrow, dimly lit streets till they came to a warehouse on the edge of the bay, its walls layered with graffiti that glowed faintly under the flickering streetlights. A door loomed, guarded by only one figure: a tall, wiry man whose face spoke of cruelty and amusement. Mercer was the man, known to be a broker of information as well as forbidden tech, alliances less predictable than prices.
New faces, Mercer sneered, his eyes running over them with a disdainful little smile. "Not many come here looking for the kind of thing I think you're after."
"We need access to the Divinitas algorithm," Zypher stated bluntly, his voice completely without flex.
He raised one eyebrow, his face immobile but questioning. "Divinitas, is it?" a high-level code that did not fall easily to anyone's hand, and not for free, he imagined. His eyes grew sharp with gold-trimmed avarice. "If I were to sell it off, I'd have to know. what's in it for me?
Orion stepped forward, his eyes hard. "We do not have time for games, Mercer. We're working on a mission that will change the very fabric of Neo-ilka. If you are smart enough, you'll want in on it.".
Mercer smiled, unruffled. "Oh, don't think for a moment that it's just money and promises. A piece of Divinitas. it's a shard of the gods' will, you know. Its value is earned, not bought."
"Then what do you want?" he asked, pressing.
Mercer looked up at him, the look in his eyes a dangerous one. "A simple task. A rival of mine—his name is Radik—is making some play to claim territory in Shadow Bay. Take him down and I'll get you the code.".
Tension hung in the air. This was not why they were here. Zypher hesitated, looking at his team. He did not like this; taking out a human target meant spilling blood, somehow wrong, not serving their mission directly. But Mercer held the key they so desperately needed. Without that code, their journey here might end.
Kiera spoke up then, her voice ice. "What's the story with this Radik?
Mercer shrugged, unconcerned by the face he wore. "Does it make any difference?" he said. "He's cruel. A monster in his own way. The city would do well to be rid of him. If you can topple the man, you'll find your path to what you're after."
Orion smiled and stepped forward. "If we are stepping over this line, we deserve to know every thing you know about him. Where he is, who is surrounding him, and the weak spots. Do not waste our time.".
Mercer's smile spread wide. "Okay. Radik is hiding in a hideout under the Neon Cross—a dingy club down the street. He is being guarded by some of the nastiest mercs in the district, but you seem like quite the resourceful bunch. Do what you need to do, and I'll get your code.".
As the people disappeared from Mercer's line of sight, an oppressive silence fell over the group. They were crossing a line that was no little decision to make, but for one reason they knew: they were dealing with much more corrupt and dangerous forces than any rival gangster. It would take them some sacrifices to rejuvenate the power of the gods and to challenge corporations. And if this was what it took for them to become sullied in their hands in Shadow Bay, they would.
They stepped inside the Neon Cross, a grimy club reeking of smoke and sweat, dripping with flickering lights. Radik's thugs swept the floor, looking for any source of trouble that might be found.
"Kiera," Zypher whispered low, "can you loop their security feeds?"
Kiera nodded, her fingers reaching in her pocket and pulling out a small device that flared to life in her hand. "Just a few seconds," she said.
They waited there in the shadows as Kiera worked, her fingers dancing over her tablet. Then she nodded sharply, her eyes glinting with determination. "We are in. They'll think it's a quiet night."
Zypher took a deep breath. This was it. They slid inside and moved their way along the mist-filled corridors until they came upon Radik's office. Two of his guards were outside the door, casually not paying attention to the team's approach, before it was too late. Orion went first, moving quickly and quietly, taking out both of them with brutal efficiency.
They entered the office, and there sat Radik: all smug behind a desk full of screens and guns, his face grumpy as he looked up from his work.
"You're Mercer's errand boys, then?" Radik sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "He's got some nerve, sending you here."
Zypher stepped forward, the weight of the weapon Daed had so painstakingly crafted settled on him. "Your fight with Mercer doesn't concern us. We're here for one thing."
Radik chuckled darkly, his gaze sizing them up. "You think you're the first to come after me? I've dealt with worse than you lot.".
Then, with Radik lunging forward, Zypher did feel a burst of power, raw and fierce. He moved with Orion in perfect sync, blocking and countering; the attacks fueled by resolve within their hearts. Radik fought viciously, but he was no match for the unity and skill of the team.
He lay motionless, their empire crumbling beneath him as they slipped back out into the night before Radik knew what was happening. The tension in their eyes said it all. They'd crossed a line and there was no turning back. Each step away from the club became heavier and the city knew they were here to stay.
As they rode back to Mercer, Zypher's voice was iced. "It is done. Now give us the code."
Mercer grinned with pride. "Efficient work. You have my respect." He reached into his pocket and handed over a data chip, chipped with the encrypted lines of the Divinitas algorithm.
"Be careful with this," Mercer told them with his voice nearly saying it with an attitude of "praise be." "With this power, you'll be hunted by the gods themselves."
Zypher gripped the chip with all his might, a weight of their choosing sitting deep in his belly. They'd needed to do it; however, a price would be paid that would forever linger to hurt him. That line they crossed for good was no going back; a bond of loyalty sealed not only with blood but with purpose.
But that very night, lights were burning bright over Neo-Ilka: it would prove to be the last time his team would remember being synonymous with standing with the shadows since they had finally obtained the code of Divinitas and the weight of the mission weighed upon him like a nightmare.