The quiet returned within the back passages, for all of 10 minutes before Morris finally spoke up. Something that Xander noticed brought relief to Heida.

  “I don’t suppose you can tell us where we’re going, or what’s in the bags you’ve got there?” His words weren’t quite an interrogation, but Xander felt his blood grow hotter and his eyes narrowed into a glare at the other man’s tone.

  “We’re headed to one of the medical rooms. Specifically, my medical room. The one that was built for me when I was awake a couple of lifetimes ago.” He kept his words curt, and to the point.

  The group moved past a few more access panels before Morris opened his mouth again.

  “Are you saying that you’re a member of the Sage Empire?”

  This time, his tone was accusing, and there was something of a growl in his voice. Xander stopped to face the other man directly.

  “I was given the place of honor and significance in the cryo pods you found me in. Did you honestly think that I was anything else?” Xander tried not to sound condescending, but that was practically impossible.

  Even Tami and Heida blushed at their teammate’s stupid question.

  “I just mean that you should’ve known about this place. You did know about this place! So why didn’t you tell us about these secret passages earlier?!” Morris’ face was red with anger this time.

  Xander shook his head. “I told you; I didn’t remember them until after I found my way to that locked room when we got separated. There was a file, a recording from my past self that explained a few things and gave me some information. I haven’t been hiding anything from you. Whatever they used to keep me in cryo messed up my mind. Something that all the others that Lady Elyria woke up suffered from as well.”

  It was getting harder to keep his calm around Morris. Yet he could see the twitches in the man’s fingers. the scales that were spreading across his face.

  If his knowledge was correct, then it was possible that the stress and rapid shifts in his biology were making his instincts flare up.

  For those with gene-mods belonging to predatory species, innate ones at that, this meant an increase in aggression and a need to assert dominance and take control of the situation.

  “Look,” Xander spoke slowly, “once we get to my room, I’ll be able to get us a few gene-mods thanks to the supplies I found. That will give us a better chance of survival, since we’ll all be stronger for it.”

  The mention of getting stronger made Tami and the twins perk up. Morris’ scales even began to recede. Though Tami did look reluctant, given that, as a team captain, and given their current situation, it would be best for them to get to Gerome as soon as possible.

  Xander couldn’t allow her to divert them just yet.

  ”As it is, getting to Gerome will take time. Possibly hours, given the maze-like structures of these back-passages. I also have significantly more information than what he would’ve been able to access with just the general codes and hacking.” Here he fished a small device out of his pocket. “Thanks to my access, I have significantly more information on hand than he does. Something that will get us a big reward once we return.”

  That seemed to be enough for Tami to put her fears to rest, which Xander was thankful for, because he had nothing else that would get them off his back.

  “You’re certain that you have gene-mods that are compatible with us?” Heida was quiet, and Morris whipped his head around at her, but then turned back to Xander, breathing heavily.

  “The Sage Empire had several hundred evolutionary paths that could reach Rank 4, and a few that could reach Rank 5. Your paths, from my understanding, can only reach Rank 2, and the Wrathmor Kingdom only has a few hundred of those.” Xander recalled the information that he had pulled up on the various research stations in the rooms he had visited. “One of the first things I did was find out if there were paths in these archives that were compatible with anything that was in the records I was given by Gerome.”

  He pointed at Tami, “Your mods include transformation genes from several feline species, and resolve around climbing and ambushing enemies from both low, and high vantage points, while retaining a tougher hide that basically lets you take a hit and bounce around the battlefield, right?”

  The short woman nodded, seemingly lost in thought now that Xander had pointed things out to him.

  ”You two…” He paused, unsure of how much he should share, given their unique situation. “You two have birthmarks on your backs, coiling up your spines. Birthmarks that, if put side by side, would slot together like two snakes coiling around each other in a line, like a cord of rope. Correct?”

  The twins’ eyes widened. Xander was aware that there was no way he could’ve known this since they had kept themselves covered the entire time he’d known them.

  This was proof that he had records pertaining to their gene-mods.

  “That indicates that you two have a very specific type of gene-mod. One that was developed by the Sage Empire, before they were driven off from this continent. As it just so happens, I have enough materials to give all three of you mods, as well as information pertaining to possible evolutionary paths. Though, whether you can get the materials for those, and the Wrathmor Kingdom even allows you to undergo such evolutions, will be up to you later. Now can we please move on?”

  This time the three nodded in unison. Morris even looked excited to go, unlike before, when he was incredibly reluctant.

  I really hope that he keeps that attitude up when he finds out what some of the mods will do to him. Thinking back to the information, Xander knew that it might be hard to accept the side-effects of some of the gene-mods but given the uniqueness of the twins mods in particular, there was little choice in the matter.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Thoughts for future me to worry about. For now, I need to get myself fully modded first. With that in mind, he pushed forward. It would take them close to an hour to get back to his room from their current position, and since he had tag-alongs, it would be harder to stop at every other room along the way.

  —————

  Elsewhere in the ruins, Gerome and his people had just managed to find the remains of the radio that belonged to Tami. It was crushed and partially corroded. The remains of several mutant bugs filled the area.

  However, that was not the thing that worried him at the moment.

  Instead, the wall of chittering carapace and countless compound eyes that were slowly encroaching on them was the focus of his attention.

  ”Damn this mission and damn these fucking bugs!” The snarl in his voice was strong enough to shake the dust off the bodies of those closest to him. No Rank 2 or 3 mutant beasts had appeared yet, but Gerome knew that it would only be a matter of time.

  While it angered him to no end, his blood coursing hotly through his veins, he knew that this was as far as they would go. “Pull back! It looks like we won’t be going any further than this!”

  At his command, the dozens of soldiers that lined the walls with firearms, or stood in the center next to him, with cold weapons in hand swinging at the bugs with heavy armor, all began to slowly retreat behind the blast door closest to them.

  It was barely a second after they were past it that the scholars in the rear activated the doors, and they slammed down with a shuddering thud.

  The few bugs that got through were quickly cut down, and a moment of relief was granted. One that Gerome was happy to take advantage of.

  ”I need scans and maps. Has anyone managed to find an alternate route that isn’t swarming with bugs,” there was a heavy sigh in his voice. The exhaustion of several hours of constant fighting and moving was too much for him to conceal at this time.

  “I’m sorry, Specialist, but it seems like all feasible routes have been blocked off in this area of the sector.” The young scholar he’d unofficially taken in spoke softly, and he could tell that she was worried about how he would react to the bad news. “I don’t think we’ll be able to get further in at this time.”

  That was disheartening. Gerome had grown to like Xander and appreciated him as more than just a VIP. But duty came first. If he couldn’t save the living relic, then he would have to make do with his current gains.

  ”Then we retreat. We’ll hit every room we’ve managed to open on the way here, but beyond the information packets we can download, and the serums we can save for investigation, we need to go. There’s no point in remaining in this sector if we’re just waiting to be overrun. Hopefully, Xander and his team managed to find a path to the safe section. Otherwise, we’ll need to meet up with them later.”

  There were nods of acknowledgement and ‘ayes’ of confirmation from all the soldiers.

  ”Will we be checking out any of the other floors, sir?”

  Gerome looked at his potential disciple in bewilderment. “Elma… do you really think that that is possible at this time? Before we can even consider investigating the rest of this ruin, we’ll need a full-on army from the royal family. That’s not something that Lady Elyria can summon without significant proof, and merit. Which means taking what we have, and getting it to her, and her father, is the most important thing right now.”

  Elma looked suitably chastised. It was enough that Gerome nodded in approval. “It’s always good to be curious, and to want more. It pushes you forward. But you need to be wary of the cliffs and dead ends along the way. Sometimes backing off is the only way to move past your roadblocks.”

  He patted Elma on the shoulder. “Besides, thanks to Xander, we managed to get past the hardest part of investigating any ruin. Getting inside.”

  The chuckle that escaped his mouth was contagious, and the heavy mood that had settled over everyone managed to lighten up a bit.

  With that said and done, Gerome and his forces began backtracking to their original sector.

  It was when they were halfway back, and the scholars and warriors that they left behind had been met up with, that Gerome’s radio crackled to life.

  —————

  With a snap and a hiss, the canister that Xander had just filled with the gene-mod serums he had collected was slotted into place. The medical bed he had barely put back into operating order whirled to life.

  Behind him, the three teammates he had saved all watched, wide eyed with awe, while the ancient machinery shifted into a standing position.

  The bed wasn’t necessary for all mods from the Sage Empire. Only Kingdom level tech required it. Their serums were of lower quality and caused physical reactions that required restraints in most cases.

  However, the sheer number of mods that he was going to be taking meant that the stresses on his body would be more severe. Thus, restraints were necessary.

  “Alright, my mods will be a bit more extensive, but the quality of the serums means that it shouldn’t knock me out for more than a few minutes. Maybe an hour if I’m in worse shape than I expected.” He was really relying on the stabilizer to keep him going, but from what he knew, and what he had checked on the terminal, it shouldn’t be too much for him.

  “With that in mind, your respective serums are being synthesized right now.” He pointed at a section of the wall where a device was mixing the different serums needed for Tami and the twins. “There’s only one mod for each of you, but given that Tami is Rank one, I’m lucky the materials I had were enough for even that.”

  Never had his packrat tendencies been something he had appreciated. Now, however, they have proven to be incredibly useful.

  “”With that in mind, Tami, yours is in the biggest tube. Instructions are on your tablet as to how to administer it. Heida, yours will be in the tube with the white stripes, while Morris’ will be in the tube with the black stripes. For you two it’s easy. Just load them into an injector and push it straight into your heart.” The twins looked queasy when he explained this, but neither seemed to be willing to back down. “Are you certain that you’re okay with the side effects, Morris? With this, it’ll be easier for you and your sister to get to Rank 1, given the defined path you’re now aware of, but the changes will be significant. If you wait, I might be able to find another path somewhere in the ruin. The records here are rather extensive, but they were often sectionalized for security purposes.”

  Morris shook his head. “It’s fine. I’ve always felt that something was wrong with my body, ever since my first Gene-mod was acquired. Maybe this will make me feel right for once. Besides, the benefits that having a regenerative mod will grant me are pretty good.”

  Xander nodded, his own regeneration was probably the only reason he was alive right now. “Then all I can say is that you should strap yourself into the secondary cot. It folds out of the wall over there. The seams hide a latch that will let you pull it out. Given how extensive your changes will be, it’ll be rougher for you.”

  ”We’ll take care of him. Do your thing. After you settle down, we’ll take turns with our own mods once they’re finished.” Tami stepped forward, placing a hand on Xander’s shoulder before he could continue. “Also… thank you for this. I know that you could’ve gotten significant rewards if you’d saved those materials and handed them over to Elyria instead of using them on us.”

  Xander just smiled. “Don’t think this is entirely out of loyalty to you. The stronger you three are, the more likely it is we all get out of here alive. No point in saving those materials if I’m gonna die before I can use them.”

  Squeezing Tami’s hand before removing it from his shoulder, Xander took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. He wasn’t sure what was going to happen to him, given his past experiences.

  Yet he knew that there was nothing more to be said. So, rolling his shoulders, he stripped out of his uniform, left only in his undergarments, and placed himself into the clamps on the medical bed.

  With a flick of his wrist, he activated the sensors that began the process for his mods.

  The last thing he saw before blacking out after feeling the mods behind injected, was Tami fiddling with something that one of the twins gave her.

  It looked like a radio.