Low Guruk.

1830 Hours, July 31st, 3039.

Rustle...

"Great. Of all the places those VOK bastards could have hidden their base, they chose the jungle."

"Quit whining already. How long do you plan on keeping this up?"

Raines scolded Dayle as the young man struggled through thick foliage. Unfortunately for the duo, the V.O.K base's coordinates just so happened to be located at the heart of the Dreameater Tree's territory. Unlike the other, more urban territories, the Dreameater Tree's roots caused vegetation to flourish in its zone, leading to a thick forest forming around the ruins of crumbled buildings.

Currently, Dayle and Raines were making their way to the coordinates, while trying their best to avoid cutting any foilage. After all, it was impossible to know which ones were connected to the Dreameater Tree.

"Until we get out of this godforsaken place." Dayle grunted as he squeezed between two thick trunks that blocked a doorway. As they walked, Dayle could not help but wonder, "First the wasps, now a giant tree. Is it possible the VOK guys are building their bases in monster locations on purpose?"

Raines looked at Dayle. "What, you mean experimenting on wildlife like the Nexus were?" She paused and then added when Dayle confirmed with a nod, "I wouldn't put it past them. I mean the Patron apparently pays for monster corpses and cores. I imagine those guys are running their own secret experiments. Same thing. Different methods."

"Whoo..." Dayle let out a breath in amused shock. "So every faction is experimenting on the monsters? Isn't this the kind of setting that results in the birth of some genius monster that looks for revenge against all of us?"

Raines snorted. "I told you to stop watching Arthur's animes. Children like you are easily influenced."

"Please." Dayle chuckled sarcastically, and the duo continued their journey whilst trading insults and jabs. From the outside, most people would wonder how they could work together. However, Dayle and Raines utilized this system to soothe their nerves.

Anyone who claimed they got used to putting their lives on the line were either idiots, liars or psycopaths. Dayle and Raines had walked the thin line of death countless times, but it never got easier. So, in order to keep their focus and nerves, they developed a habit of talking through their missions. Well, why that talk ended up being eighty-percent insults and jabs was something only the duo could answer.

Thirty minutes later, Dayle stopped in his tracks. His brows were furrowed in a tight frown as he looked around. After a moment of deliberation, he turned to look at Raines. "Hey, have you noticed?"

Raines nodded. Her lips pursed as she too looked around her, "I don't feel anything."

"Exactly." Dayle hesitated. From the information provided, the Dreameater Tree's territory should have been a massive danger zone. However, despite having a heightened instinct for danger, Dayle had not once felt threatened. People like Dayle who had danced across the River Styx multiple times had keen senses for danger. For him not to feel anything either meant the enemy was far too cunning and stealthy, or...

"There's no danger?" Raines voice was incredulous. Even she did not believe her words. Shiverhorns, Sabertiger, Spidermonkeys and the Dreameater Tree. They were the four overlords according to Queen. She had no reason to lie to them, so for all intents and purposes, the Dreameater Tree should have been a great threat.

However, what was the reality? Dayle and Raines had not faced any opposition as they approached the massive tree in the distance.

Dayle glanced at a meter-thick root that stuck out of the ground, and then buried itself once again a couple of meters down the road. Queen's description was apt. The Dreameater's roots were plentiful and covered the entire territory. Strangely, however, Dayle did not feel threatened by the roots. If anything, they looked fragile. Like they would break at the slightest touch.

Of course, Dayle did not attempt to find out. It would not be too late to try on the way out.

"Hey, Dayle. I think that's it."

Dayle looked at Raines, and then in the direction she was pointing. There, he saw the famous Dreameater tree - All one hundred meters of it. The sinister tree towered over its territory, thick, long branches blotting out the night sky. The eerily still tree resmebled a sentry under the pale moonlight.

It was to the extent that Dayle would not be shocked if the tree stood up and walked towards them.

"Dayle, what's with the clearing?"

Following Raines' prompt, Dayle's gaze travelled down the tree to the odd clearing surrounding the tree. It looked like someone, or something took a lawnmower and painstakingly sheered the grass to make it even. Even stranger, the Dreameater Tree's roots, which covered its entire territory were nowhere in sight. Did the Dreameater Tree just decide to not grow around this territory?

Did that make sense?

"Of course it doesn't make sense."

"Right?" Raines agreed with Dayle. She did not have to read his mind to know what he was thinking right now. "Did the VOK do something to the Dreameater tree?"

Dayle recalled their previous VOK base. "Maybe there wasn't a Dreameater tree to begin with? What if the VOK were experimenting on people and using the Dreameater to cover their tracks?"

Raines looked at the clearing with tepid eyes. "I can't deny the possibility." She then turned to Dayle. "What do you want to do? Keep going? There's a high chance this is a trap."

Dayle hesitated, but then shook his head. "We already gave the valuable stuff to Arthur. Worst-case scenario, we get respawned. I know we shouldn't die easily, but I think, in this case, the reward is worth the risk." Dayle then looked at Raines. "I won't go if you don't like it though."

Raines looked at the tree. She hesitated, but then her eyes shone with resolve. "Yeah, no. Let's do it. We've come too far to back off now.

With those words, Raines left the shrubbery and then walked onto the clearing. She glanced at the grass, and then said, "There's been traffic around her recently." She bent down and lifted some trampled grass. "They got rid of their footsteps, but did not clean up properly." She tracked the trail with her eyes, and then raised a brow at the unexpected conclusion. "Seems the tracks originated from the tree."

"Really?" Dayle looked at Raines in doubt. He did not doubt Raines' judgment. She was the best tracker he knew. However, the conclusion was too outlandish. The footsteps came from the tree? Were the VOK squirrels? Did they live in trees?

Understanding Dayle's disbelief, Raines just shrugged and then said with a nod, "Yup."

Dayle opened his mouth to say something, but then on second thought, shook his head and walked ahead. The young man crossed the clearing and then stopped in front of the massive tree. Up close, it was even more terrifying. However, there was something off. Something about the tree didn't feel quite right.

Raines placed her hand on the trunk. After a few seconds, she looked at Dayle and then proclaimed with shock, "This tree... It's dead."

"Dead?" Dayle looked at the tree and then at Raines. "How do you know?"

"The gauntlet." Raines raised her gauntlet. "It identified the tree as [Deceased Lifeform]."

"Any idea on when it died?"

Raines shook her head. "Doesn't go into any details."

"From what we've learned so far, we most likely need to buy an extension for that." Dayle clucked his tongue. "Everything in this game costs money." He cursed and then started tapping and knocking on the tree's trunk.

Raines watched him with an incredulous gaze. "What are you doing?"

"Don't you watch movies? Clearly, there's a secret door somewhere here. We have to find it."

"Ah." Raines chuckled and then walked to the side. She then tapped the trunk, and grinned as a section of the bark slid open to reveal a small space that had a flight of stairs heading down. "You mean like this?"

Although he could not see her face, Dayle could feel the mocking grin behind Raines' helmet. "How'd you know?"

Raines pointed at the ground. "This spot's more depressed than the others." She then tapped the bark. "And this spot's not as dark as the surrounding bark."

"Yeah? I'll keep that in mind." Dayle grumbled as he walked past Raines and then descended the stairs. Once they were in the tree, they noticed the vegetation gave way to cold hard steel. Dayle took out a flashlight from his inventory, and then pointed it down the hallway. The walls, like the previous facility was white-washed and plain, with interspaced doors leading to various rooms.

Dayle and Raines quickly inspected the rooms. The rooms closest to the entrance appeared to be residential areas. Most of the rooms had at least five to ten beds, which suggested the V.O.K were a social species not adverse to sharing spaces with their kind. To Dayle and Raines, this seemingly insignificant information was key to building a psyche profile.

Unfortnately, or fortunately, depending on how one saw it, the empty beds and rooms suggested the lab had long since been evacuated.

Further down, the explorers came across what seemed like training facilities. Massive dumbells and weights were neatly placed in the gyms. Oddly, the rooms did not have much dust, which meant the area was only evacuated recently.

Dayle walked over to one such dumbell, and then attempted to lift it. "Hrghh!" Dayle turned red, but utterly failed to lift it. "Oi, oi. Just how strong are these guys?" Dayle was clear on his own strength. He was almost twice as strong as his real life body. He was certain he could lift 80 kg with one arm without breaking a sweat.

"These guys are strong." Even Raines, rather than make fun of Dayle, looked at the equipment with worried eyes. "Hopefully that's for some commander, and not the regular troops."

"Somehow I doubt it's for some special VOK." Dayle shook his head as he left the gym to further explore the underground base. Further down, the corridor opened up to a laboratory.

Dayle looked around at the giant test tubes and computer workstations littered around the metal jungle. "What's with this game and test tubes?"

"To be fair, we're the ones searching for labs." Raines joked as she shone her flashlight on one of the test tubes. "There's plenty of fun on the surface. God knows why our missions always end up in stuffy places like-" Raines suddenly paused as a series of flashing lights caught her eyes in the darkness. "Dayle, over here!"

"Coming!" Upon seeing the lights, Dayle abandoned his search and then followed Raines' lead.

The light brought the duo to a terminal with a massive overhead screen. The flashing lights emanated from a keybad, and the bottom of the monitor. Dayle looked at the keypad and noticed the letters 'O', 'K', and 'V' were blinking. He looked at Raines, and when she nodded, tapped V-O-K in order.

[Access Denied.]

Dayle frowned when the red letters flashed across the screen. "What? It's not VOK?"

"Wait, Dayle. Those guys we saw. The had V-dot-O-dot-K. Maybe that's the right way to write it?"

"Oh yeah," Dayle exclaimed as he recalled this fact. "The letters were seperate." Dayle went ahead and inputted 'V.O.K' and then waited. Two seconds later, [Access Granted] flashed across the screen.

Unforutnately, Dayle did not even have time to thank Raines before a new set of prompts appeared in quick succession.

[Input V.O.K Verified]

[Carrying out Protocol 1984]

[Calling XX]

[Call Connected]

[Displaying XX on screen].

Dayle was struck dumb as the screen whizzed to life, depicting a scary red-skinned man seated behind his desk. The man, whose tough skin looked closer to hellboy than Radi, wore a thin smile as he gazed at them through the screen.

"Nice to meet you, Dayle and Raines." The man's eyes narrowed as he interlocked his fingers. "You do not know me, but you compromised one of my facilities. As you've already surmised, I have evacuated all facilities whose locations were compromised by the information you have. Furthermore, as we speak, their self-destruct sequences have begun." The man smiled when he saw Dayle and Raines tense. "Do not worry. I kept these bases functional in the hopes of hosting this meeting with you. I will not destroy this base until our business is concluded, and you are a safe distance away. You have my word."

"Business?" Dayle frowned as he observed the man. It wasn't easy to perfectly read a person through a screen, but Dayle could recognize those eyes anywhere. That man's eyes were powerful, but discerning. Just as Dayle was reading him, the man was reading Dayle. However, Dayle did not falter in front of the man's powerful gaze. "I don't do business with people I don't know. First, start with your name, and we'll see where we go from there. Otherwise, you can blow us to kingdom come and back, we won't say a thing."

"Apologies," said the man with an apologetic smile. "I must have forgotten my manners in all the excitement." He took a breath and then said, "My name is Viktor Ordinatius Kelvin. I am the supreme leader of the vorgs, the people you have taken to calling VOKs."

"Oh? You're the head honcho?" Dayle's lips widened to a grin as he inspected the vorg called Viktor. "I can't believe the final boss showed up this early." The young man chuckled, but then his smile turned sly. "So, you went through a lot of trouble to set up this meeting. What do you want?"

Viktor smiled as he looked at the young man. "For now, a reward."

Dayle's brow popped up. "Reward? For what?"

"You are the first to uncover our base." Viktor laughed as he said, "One way or another, your actions have spurred us to begin preparations. That is worthy of a reward."

Dayle frowned. "We killed so many of your kind though. You don't want revenge?"

For the first time, Viktor's smile turned stiff. The vorg leader's brows furrowed. "If I could achieve vengeance, I would. But what point is there in wasting resources to kill an immortal?" Viktor shook his head. "One day, I will have you pay the cost for your crimes. Today, however, is for rewards. There is no need to conflate the two."

Dayle looked at the screen for a few moments, then sighed and shook his head. "I suppose I can hear you out. I've never said no to free gifts."

Viktor smiled and then said, "There are three boxes in front of you. All three are rigged with internal explosives. Once you pick one, the other two will be destroyed. Make your choice."

Dayle's brows rose as three large chest on tables rose from the ground. Intrigued, he shone his flashlight on the boxes, and was subsequently stunned. The boxes were transperated, making their coontents visible to Dayle.

The young man turned to look at Viktor, a bitter smile on his lips as he questioned, "What the hell are you playing at?"

Viktor, however, smiled and then said, "No game. The choice is yours."

Dayle gritted his teeth as he turned to look at the chests. The first chest was packed with untold amounts of credits. The second chest housed a single flashdrive. Finally, the last had a massive monster core that was twice the size of the Nespian Wasp Queen's core. Dayle had a feeling he would gain new abilities if he ate that core.

The young man's eyes trembled as he looked at the three choices. Dayle exchanged a glance with Raines who uttered a single curse...

"Fuck."