The Transmigrated Author

Camila woke up from her sleep, a frown creasing her brow as she registered the ragged breaths and the subtle tremor that ran through Valencia's body.

She sat up quickly, her usual gentle demeanor replaced by concern.

"Valencia? Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Valencia blinked, trying to shake off the lingering nightmare she had.

As she focused on Camila's worried face, she was truly confused at what she saw.

"I... I don't know. I had a strange dream."

She touched her forehead, a vague sense of unease settling in.

'Something feels off. Like a memory trying to surface, but it's just out of reach.'

Just then, the door to the back room creaked open and Rel stepped into the main living area.

The dim light filtering through the boarded windows cast long shadows, accentuating the dark circles beneath his eyes.

"...!"

He hadn't slept. Not even for a moment.

The realization hit her as clear as day; while she had succumbed to exhaustion on his shoulder, he had remained up there all night and assumingly carried her down to the base.

"Rel-"

Clap!

Before she could voice her concern, Rel clapped his hands together, the sound sharp and decisive in the quiet room.

"Alright, everyone up. Time to move. Today's the day we get out of this orb."

His voice, though carrying its usual calm authority, held a note of finality.

Jan was the first to get up, already stretching.

"What about Louise?" he asked, his gaze meeting Rel's.

"He's not exactly the type to sit around and wait for a rescue."

"Louise will find his own way to the central fortress. His chaotic nature will inevitably lead him there."

"Ah, I guess you're right."

Rel then turned, his gaze sweeping over the rest of the group.

"Does everyone remember the plan we went over last night? The infiltration routes, the team assignments?"

He paused, his eyes lingering on each of them in turn.

"If anyone needs a refresher, speak now. We can't afford any confusion once we're inside."

Bazz leaned forward, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Just to be crystal clear, Rel, could you run that down one more time for us?" Camila and Lyra nodded in agreement hearing Bazz's words.

"Okay," Rel said, almost annoyed that they couldn't remember what he had said yesterday.

"Anouz and Christian: front gates. Maximum chaos to draw their attention. Once they've got the heat, they switch to hit-and-run, buying us time to secure the eastern route."

He gestured curtly.

"Eastern route team. That's me, you three, Valencia, Jan, and the others. Once we're in, priority one is scorched earth. Destroy all surveillance, every camera, and every sensor. Anyone in that sector goes down. We can't risk the Soul Forger's tech being deployed against us. Delaying them is key."

"Main objective: Capture Richard and rescue the women in the underground fortress. But before we can do that we need to find their production room or let's just say their Fabrication Center."

"What we need to do first is to take out the heads of these operations. From what I've heard their names are Director Anya Volkov for the creature production and Overseer Silas Thorne for the tech integration. I'd say to expect heavy resistance."

He shifted his focus. "Valencia and Jan: once we're inside the eastern route, you two break off from our group. Your mission is to push directly to Richard. The rest of us will focus on crippling their production capabilities."

Rel's eyes scanned their faces.

"Any last questions?"

A collective shake of heads answered him.

"Good," Rel said, a taut readiness in his stance. "Let's go."

***

BOOOM!... BAM!!!

The air shook with distant explosions as the ground beneath their feet vibrated with the force of Anouz and Christian's assault.

Massive shockwaves rolled across the central city, showing the extent the duo took to cause havoc in their decoy attack.

"We're close," Rel murmured, his eyes narrowed as they navigated the alleyways leading to the eastern sector.

"Everyone, weapons ready."

As they approached the relative quiet of the eastern sector, Jan's voice cut through the lingering tremors.

"Those two are truly something else. Never would've guessed a servant of the Montclair household had that kind of raw power."

"Crazy, right? And they didn't even bother with Pinnacle Academy. Imagine what they'd be like if they actually went." Bazz grunted in agreement.

They finally reached the eastern gates, and as Rel had predicted, the defenses here were significantly lighter.

The majority of Richard's forces were clearly focused on the chaos unfolding at the front.

"Alright," Rel muttered, nocking an arrow.

"Let's not waste this opportunity."

Without hesitation, they surged forward.

"Right at ya!"

BOOOM!

Bazz slammed his earth-infused gauntlets against the heavy metal gates, the impact sending shockwaves through the structure.

Cracks spiderwebbed across the surface as he unleashed a series of powerful blows, pulverizing the locking mechanisms.

"What's going on?!"

Guards, alerted by the commotion, scrambled to intercept them.

But Jan moved like the wind, his great sword a silver arc of light as he cleaved through the first line of defense.

SHIIING!

Valencia followed close behind, her katana crackling with arcs of lightning as she danced through the remaining guards, each strike precise and deadly.

"There's still a lot of them huh..." Valencia finished off one of the robotic guards and prepared for another wave...

"Rel, point!" Jan's voice was sharp, cutting through the metallic clang of Bazz's assault on the gate.

Rel didn't hesitate, his arrow already notched.

"Surveillance! Cameras high on the walls, sensors flanking the archway. Take them out now!"

A crackling bolt of lightning shot from Valencia's katana, shattering a camera lens in a shower of sparks.

Simultaneously, Jae's arrow found its mark, disabling a blinking sensor with a clean hit.

"Incoming!"

Lyra's warning cry preceded a sharp gust of wind from her fans, deflecting a volley of energy projectiles fired from the approaching guards.

"Bazz, gate's almost down!" Jan yelled, his greatsword meeting the crude energy weapons of the guards.

"Give it everything you've got!"

"You don't gotta tell me twice!" Bazz roared, his gauntlets glowing with intense earth energy. With a final, earth-shattering impact, the heavy gates buckled and tore free from their hinges, crashing inward with a deafening boom.