Lowly Ascent

Cain's footsteps filled the silent halls. There were bloodstains everywhere he stepped, a few half-eaten corpses too.

As he walked farther and deeper into the massive structure, Cain's heart fastened, for he was inching closer to his goal.

Stepping through a broken hole in the wall, he once again found himself in an area once filled with white; he entered the core area of the HQ.

The seemingly infinite white walls were no longer white. Panels attached to wiring could be seen, lights flickering, wires sending sparks, and blood smeared all over the walls. It looked like a scene in a horror movie.

Yet to this empty husk still moving, it was nothing. Cain walked through, over bodies, and around wires and debris. Heading deeper, he eventually found himself in an area constructed only of ancient bricks.

'I'm close…but what is this place?'

Brushing his hands against the walls, carved runes were revealed. Taking in the scene, he studied the wall as he walked.

But his attention soon lost focus, as he came across a corpse; it was Edmund's. It wasn't his body, but his clothes. Cain could tell it was him because he was wearing a lab coat with a nametag.

Staring at it for a while, Cain finally crouched down to search Edmund. He found some vials, a key, and a key card. 

The vials contained Edmund's pathogens; only two were unopened and still contained the viruses inside. Yes, viruses.

They were marked with a name but didn't have a description, so Cain would have to find out what they were and did through their names. 

The key was shaped like a ball and covered in runes.

He immediately knew what the ball-shaped key was for, as he had seen it used before. It was for the vault. Then there was the keycard, which was likely to be an all-access card for the HQ's facilities.

Cain pocketed his gains and headed to the next room, which was already open.

Inside was a ritual-like area with a console and monitors, as well as a smashed brain in a jar.

'What happened here? What's with the jar…and brain?'

Cain walked up to the monitors and began to try and understand what they were. He had never seen anything like it and tried to press a few buttons.

Eventually, he figured it out, taking hold of the mouse and clicking on random files. The files were organized by dates. 

Cain scrolled far down and began clicking. Inside the documents was some information, information which explained all this advanced technology.

Simply put, the Union had obtained it a long time ago from a neighboring territory to the southeast. It was still very early in Netherane's appearance in the landfill, and many places came to trade, allowing the Union to improve drastically.

There was also information on a bunch of plague doctors and noble families. It appeared this terminal had information about the Union's history and kept tabs on all plague doctors inside the Union itself.

While going through everything, Cain accidentally clicked on a video file on the desktop, playing it.

There was a bit of static but it cleared up soon enough.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

H-Hello, I am Charles Frank. I hold the position of 1st Elder. If you are seeing this, I failed my duty as gatekeeper.

I held this duty for thousands of years due to an augmenter serum that mutated and, for better or worse. It allowed me to live longer than my colleagues, even our ancestors. Because of this, I was given the duty of guarding the door behind this computer.

Behind the door leads to a being that's older than Netherane's presence in the landfill, a being said to be Netherane itself, Numineer, the Tree of Plagues.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

The video then glitched a bit, and it was hard to hear or make out what the elder was saying, but after a couple of seconds, it returned to normal.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

....Enough of my warnings. If anyone sees this, I failed, which means he is free to continue his original goal. I only ask one thing of you.

In return for this favor, the end of the video shows the location of the longevity serum, a high-mid rank augmentation. The Elders and the base of my mutated serum use it. It will allow you to live up to 1,200 years at most.

Just…Please, stop him.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

The video cut and the screen turned black before switching back on, showing a digital map.

'Just some old man's ramblings; he didn't even say how to stop this 'great being'.

Cain made some remarks before memorizing the location of the serum. The screen showed the location of the serum in real-time. It was in the vault, specifically in its 3rd room, containing the most important secrets and relics of the Union.

He didn't plan to go to the vault; instead, he followed in the White One's footsteps and headed down into the abyss.

Why care about some serum to live longer? Cain planned to kill the one who took his loved ones, then he would join them, he had no meaning left to live. 

....

As Cain headed towards the abyss, the video on the desktop seemed to play again, this time no static interrupted the Elder's words. Parts Cain did not see were now there, playing what the old man wished to convey.

"He is called the Manipulator of Men, Demon of the Abyss, Liar of a thousand voices! His goal is to spread, all through the Landfill, and corrupt and infect everything.

He already has partial control of everything in Netherane, and he is the creator of the Zimo disease!

I warn you, be careful of Netherane, the trees are his limbs, and the animals are his ears and eyes! That's why we created Free City, to block off his sight, to hold him captive and protect the world!"

The screen flashed and this time, turned off for good.

....

It was almost an hour into the descent before Cain saw it, a huge cavern illuminated by flora on the walls and ceiling. The air was damp and smelled like roses…and the revolting stench of blood.

In the cavern's center was a massive willow tree, but it had dark seaweed-like leaves and crooked jarring branches. The trunk was brown, but it had green pus dripping out of it.

The entire tree made one weary, it was unnatural. 

Enduring the chills he got, Cain closely watched his surroundings as he headed to the cavern's floor.

After reaching the bottom, Cain quickly realized the ground was littered with bodies, rotting and putrid bodies, it was the undead.

'This can't be all of them? Didn't they all run down here? There were hundreds of thousands…they would fill this entire chamber, unless…'

Alarm spread through Cain's body upon the revelation. The ground he was standing on was countless zombies atop one another. The real floor of the cavern was buried beneath the millions of corpses.

'Then just how big is this tree....' He looked up, watching the dark green vines sway. 

But even with the hint of danger, Cain was going to do what he came for. He didn't care if it was dangerous; he needed to kill the White one.

Stepping closer to the willow tree, Cain finally saw the fate of the White One. 

It was already dead, branches penetrated through its body, like a porcupine. It was lifeless, remnants of fear still on its face.

'No…no no no no! Not again! I can't fail again!'

Cain couldn't accept it, he failed once again, how many times was it now? Just how hopeless was he?

Like a child, tears swelled in his eyes. He fell to his knees and smashed the ground, destroying the degrading carcasses beneath him.

The last hope he had left was gone; he had nothing left now; he had no reason to continue.