**Chapter 17: The Old man **

  The air hung heavy with the cloying scent of damp earth and something faintly metallic, a strange echo of the metallic taste that still lingered on her tongue.

  Zara stirred, a groan escaping her lips as a wave of pain washed over her, each muscle screaming in protest. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she pried open her eyes

  The familiar sight of the cavern ceiling greeted her, but something was profoundly different. The world no longer seemed shrouded in the oppressive gloom she remembered.

  Instead, it resolved itself with startling clarity. The rough texture of the cave walls, the intricate patterns of mineral deposits, the glint of a spider's eye in a shadowed corner – details previously obscured by the pervasive darkness now sprang to life with startling vividness.

  Even the faint shimmer of unseen creatures moving in the periphery was clear, a chilling reminder of the unseen dangers that lurked in this subterranean world.

  A tingling sensation spread through her limbs, a newfound strength and agility coursing through her veins. Her mind felt sharper, clearer, as if a veil had been lifted from her senses.

  Thoughts, once sluggish and muddled, now raced through her mind with an alarming clarity. The Enhancer had done its work. Zara was no longer the same woman who had stumbled into this hidden cavern.

  She sat up, wincing at the sudden jolt of pain. Her body felt different, lighter, yet somehow more powerful. She flexed her fingers, surprised by the newfound strength.

  Her gaze swept over her body, tracing the lines of lean muscle that had replaced the familiar softness. The Enhancer had not only augmented her physical capabilities but also refined her physique, transforming her into something… more.

  A flicker of unease, a primal fear, snaked through her. This was not the Zara she knew.

  This was something new, something… dangerous. She pushed the unsettling thought aside, focusing instead on her immediate situation.

  She needed to escape the Hollows, and quickly. The Ravens would be searching for her, and she couldn't afford to be caught.

  Her gaze fell upon the items she had scavenged before her capture. A high-end terminal, sleek and obsidian black, lay nestled amongst a pile of discarded rags.

  Next to it, a small, intricately crafted case held a pair of advanced cybernetic eyes. Zara carefully extracted the case, her fingers tracing the smooth, cool surface.

  Alex's words echoed in her mind: "The Chain of the Oath… it will bind you to your chosen enhancements."

  She closed her eyes, focusing on the cybernetic eyes. The terminal's interface flickered to life, a series of commands appearing before her.

  "DO YOU WISH TO CONNECT WITH CYBERWARE: EYE?"

  A wave of apprehension washed over her. This was a significant step, an irrevocable change. Yet, a thrill of anticipation coursed through her. She needed every advantage she could get.

  "Connect," she commanded, her voice firm.

  The interface responded instantly.

  "CONNECTED WITH THE CYBERWARE: EYE LV 1"

  "DO YOU WISH TO BIO-INTERGATE WITH THE CYBERWARE: EYE LV 1?"

  Zara hesitated, a flicker of doubt crossing her mind. Bio-integration? This was a permanent change. But the allure of enhanced vision, the promise of heightened awareness, proved too strong to resist.

  "Yes," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

  The case containing the cybernetic eyes began to glow, a soft, ethereal light emanating from within. The light intensified, swirling around Zara's face before abruptly converging on her right eye. A jolt, sharp and intense, shot through her head, followed by a moment of disorienting darkness.

  When she could see again, the world had changed. Colors seemed brighter, sharper. Details that had previously been obscured were now starkly clear.

  The rough texture of the cave walls, the intricate veins of the rocks, the faintest tremors in the ground – all were amplified, magnified. She had never seen the world with such clarity.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Zara deactivated the thermal vision, the world returning to its normal hue. She felt a surge of power, a thrill of discovery. This was just the beginning.

  She turned her attention to the remaining cyberware – hand, spine, and leg enhancements. The terminal interface displayed a stark message:

  "COOLDOWN FOR 23:50:53"

  A wave of frustration washed over her. She needed these enhancements now. But she had no choice but to wait.

  She sat down, crossing her legs, and began to meditate. The rhythmic flow of her breath calmed her racing heart, allowing her to focus.

  She needed to plan her escape. The Ravens were undoubtedly searching for her, and she couldn't afford to be caught.

  Thirty minutes later, Zara felt a renewed sense of calm. The meditation had steadied her nerves, allowing her to think clearly.

  She needed to move, and fast. The longer she remained in this hidden cavern, the greater the risk of discovery.

  With a silent prayer to whatever gods might be listening, she activated the shadow movement technique. The world around her shimmered, then dissolved into a swirling vortex of darkness.

  When she emerged, she found herself standing in a narrow, dimly lit alleyway, the air thick with the stench of stale ale and something vaguely metallic.

  This was the backstreets of the Hollows, a labyrinth of alleyways and hidden markets where one could purchase anything, legal or otherwise.

  Zara moved through the shadows, blending seamlessly with the throng of shadowy figures that populated the alleyways. Merchants hawked their wares – illicit cyberware, stolen goods, and even illegal chimera parts.

  Zara navigated the labyrinthine streets, her senses alert, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the passersby.

  She eventually came upon an old, dilapidated shop, its windows grimy and obscured by dust. A flickering neon sign above the door proclaimed it to be "The Junkyard," a name that seemed to perfectly encapsulate the establishment's appearance.

  Hesitantly, Zara pushed open the door. The interior was even more chaotic than the exterior suggested. Mountains of discarded electronics, piles of rusting metal, and a bewildering array of strange and unsettling contraptions filled the cramped space. Two men, their faces obscured by the shadows, were haggling over a grotesque, bio-engineered limb.

  "What a fine specimen," one of the men leered, his gaze lingering on Zara.

  "She looks like a noble from the Inner Citadel," the other man remarked, his voice thick with avarice.

  Zara's lips curled into a sardonic smile. "Stop drooling," she said, her voice low and dangerous. "I suggest you cease your ogling before I find myself regretting my decision to remain civil."

  With a flick of her wrist, she levitated the beer bottle the first man was clutching, sending it spinning through the air. The other items on the counter followed suit, hovering precariously. The two men recoiled, their eyes wide with fear.

  The shop owner, a wizened old man with a shock of white hair and a mischievous glint in his eye, emerged from the shadows. "Now, now, no need for such theatrics," he chuckled, his voice surprisingly deep. "How can I help you, noble lady?"

  "I need my terminal repaired," Zara replied, her gaze fixed on the old man. "Is there anyone here who can handle the job?"

  The old man's eyes narrowed. "A noblewoman with such… skills. Interesting." He gestured towards the back of the shop. "Follow me."

  The back of the shop was a stark contrast to the chaotic display in front. It was a small, dimly lit room, the walls lined with shelves overflowing with an assortment of tools and strange, alien-looking components. In the center of the room, a holographic interface flickered to life, displaying a humanoid avatar with glowing, emerald eyes.

  Zara sat down on a rickety chair, her gaze fixed on the avatar. "Who are you?" the avatar inquired, its voice a synthesized baritone. "I don't believe I've seen you in this establishment before."

  Zara remained silent, studying the avatar with a critical eye. The avatar coughed nervously. "Well, this is certainly… unusual."

  Zara finally broke her silence. "I was referred here," she said, her voice low and deliberate.

  "Referred? By whom?"

  Zara hesitated, weighing her options. "Willow," she said, the name rolling off her tongue like a silken whisper.

  The avatar seemed to freeze, its emerald eyes widening in surprise. "Willow?" it repeated, the synthesized voice wavering slightly. "You… you know Willow?"

  Zara nodded, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "He told me to come here if I ever needed… assistance."

  The avatar sputtered, "Assistance? Willow sent you here? But… but Willow…"

  Zara let the silence hang heavy in the air, allowing the avatar to grapple with the implications of her statement. Willow was a legend in the Hollows, a platinum-grade mercenary whose exploits were whispered about in hushed tones. No one knew his true origins, and his sudden disappearance years ago had become the stuff of local legends.

  Finally, the avatar regained its composure. "How… how do we know you're not lying?" it asked, its voice laced with suspicion.

  Zara met its gaze, her expression unwavering. "Exiled Drew from the Inner ," she said, the words

  The faint glow of the holoscreen flickered across Avatar's face as they whispered into a sleek, wrist-mounted communicator.

  Their voice was low but deliberate, issuing commands that seemed to ripple through the air like static electricity. Moments later, an ancient mechanism groaned beneath layers of rust and dust within the walls of the dimly lit stall.

  With a soft hiss, the overhead light sputtered on, casting eerie shadows over the room. The chair—worn leather cracked with age—slowly swiveled aside, revealing a hidden passage descending into darkness.

  Zara hesitated for only a heartbeat before stepping forward, her boots clinking against the metal grating underfoot.

  She descended cautiously, leaving behind the creaking familiarity of the stall above.

  As she reached the bottom, another door slid open with a pneumatic wheeze, flooding the corridor with blinding luminescence.

  It washed over her vision in waves, forcing her to shield her eyes until they adjusted.

  Beyond the threshold lay a workshop straight out of time itself—a paradox where future and decay intertwined seamlessly.

  Holographic displays hovered erratically around cluttered workbenches, their projections flickering between schematics of advanced cybernetics and cryptic strings of code.

  Tools hummed softly, some glowing faintly with residual energy from recent use. Military-grade tech lined the walls: plasma rifles mounted alongside dismantled drones, EMP grenades stacked next to pulsating power cores. Even Zara, no stranger to the cutting edge of augmentation, felt a chill run down her spine at the sight of such forbidden innovation.

  At the center of it all stood him—an old man whose body bore testament to decades spent pushing humanity’s limits.

  His weathered skin stretched taut over exposed servos and neural implants, veins of fiber-optic wiring glinting faintly beneath translucent patches of synthetic flesh.

  One eye gleamed with an unnatural blue hue, scanning data streams invisible to ordinary humans, while his other remained clouded with age.

  He leaned heavily on a cane forged from what appeared to be repurposed weapon parts, its surface etched with scars and burn marks.

  His gaze shifted toward Zara, sharp and calculating despite his years. A single word escaped his lips, gravelly yet charged with authority:

  *"Who... are you?"*

  The question hung heavy in the air, mingling with the faint hum of machinery and the scent of cybernetics. For a moment, time itself seemed to pause, waiting for her answer.