Endless Horde: Through the Eyes of a Godking

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By now, the unexpected early occurence of the Void Shift has been known to not just the Northwestern Camp but to all of them. This movement includes the entire void after all, and it's not just the Northwestern Camp that's monitoring its situation.

Understandably, this caught the attention of the true big shots that's stationed in the camps. This was, after all, an unexpected development.

According to some, the last time that the void shift happened early was thousands of years ago. The memory itself was blurry to those who have experienced it. And while nothing special really caused it and nothing happened afterwards, it's still a concerning matter.

The worst part is that it isn't just the Northwestern Camp that sent people prior to shift. Void Walking was a collective activity that all camps must participate in. Thus, Cedric's team wasn't the only one who's trapped out there during the Void Shift.

The event alerted the entirety of the Border Patrol Guardians. The Chancellors of 'The Six' were also notified and had been paying attention to it.

Now, in just a few hours, the Void Shift should be over. Meaning that it's been more than a week since it started. Usually, Void Shifts only last for a whole week; this time, though, it went on for an entire day more before showing signs of slowing down. But even so, it's nothing too surprising. It already occurred way earlier than expected, so the event lasting a day longer wasn't too shocking anymore.

Experts from all camps mobilized. They formed teams, made sufficient preparations, and have gathered at the gates, waiting for the void to calm down and sieze its movement. Some were, of course, more anxious than the rest. These people were like Syclla, who had a relative trapped out there, and they could hardly wait until the Void Shift was over.

It's been a sleepless week for these people. They're plagued with constant worry and fear, thinking that the void has already swallowed their loved ones. But they still clung to a small hope that they survived somehow.

And as the void slowed down its movements, each minute felt like years to them due to their impatience. They hoped that it halts sooner than this because, in the void, each second of exposure meant more danger.

It wasn't until six more hours that the Void Shift finally ended. The radars came alive once more but were still in a mess, and the entrance to the void stabilized somehow.

It's not entirely good news though, because as the Void Shift occurred, the expected Low Void Tide also became null. The Void Shift caused the density of Void Air to not only recover; it even rose a couple levels above the norm. It's not in the level where a Void Tide was expected, but it nevertheless made Void Walking even riskier.

However, the sudden spike in the void levels didn't deter those who were determined to enter the void to either do their mission or to rescue the people close to them. And of course, this includes Scylla.

Her teammates knew that there's no stopping her. She was determined to scour the entirety of the void if needed, just to search for any clues about her brother.

They looked at each other and had a silent conversation. They instinctually agreed to look after her and make sure she wouldn't do anything too reckless while they're out there.

To them, it's acceptable to lose to Team Leader instead of Scylla, so even if she's determined to, they can't allow her to die there.

After an hour of calibrations, the gates to the void opened once more. Just from that, they could already sense the disgusting stench of the void. However, they forcibly swallowed down their complaints and focused on their task ahead. And under the Titan's lead, they unhesitatingly passed through the portal after signing off their names.

**

"It stopped."

Cedric's calm and placid voice echoed through the corners of the cave. Of course, he was referring to the movement of the void, which also meant that the Void Shift has ended.

Normally, this would've caused everybody to feel more hopeful and more enduring since they're at the final stretch of their suffering now. Just a little bit more...they just need to be a bit more patient, and eventually they'd be rescued from here.

However, the things that happened this past week had been too stressful, and it drained all of their remaining enthusiasm.

What could've happened? Weren't they supposed to only stay behind the wall to wait it out?Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Well, as they say, plans can't keep up with the changes.

Looking closely, there were more people within the cave now. There's at least fifty people here instead of the original 20, which is Cedric's whole team.

These new faces were people who miraculously survived in the middle of the Void Shift. They didn't come from a whole team either; they're from other Void Walking groups from other Border Patrol Guardian Camps who somehow found each other and decided to stick together to increase their chances of survival.

Cedric discovered them as they were being chased by one of the gigantic void creatures. They were beaten, battered, exhausted, and utterly hopeless. Some were even on the verge of blowing themselves up because they refused to be eaten alive, but that's when Cedric got to them.

He fetched all of them using his swords and threw them inside this cave. As for the Void Creature hunting them, it disappeared along with the uncanny movement of the void.

The unexpected rescue moved these people to tears. They have been convinced that they won't make it out alive, but were miraculously saved.

According to them, they got separated from their respective teams forcibly due to the Void Shift. Not even them moving as a unit connected by ropes attached to their suits was able to prevent the void from tearing them apart. Their finding each other and teaming up with each other was another miracle on its own.

Of course, there were also others who personally witnessed the void and claimed their peers as victims. They watched people around them not only disappear but also die due to the natural hazards of this place.

But what truly got their spirits down was the sudden spike in the Void Air density.

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This was something that not even the wall could stop. And unfortunately, their void suits aren't strong enough to completely mitigate its effects.

If this was the normal level, then yes, it could. But it spiked beyond the tolerance of the suit, so they became more prone to void infection. So much so that at least ten people inside this cave have been infected already.

Typically, this level of Void Air density could only be seen deeper into the void; those placed aren't something that Void Walkers like them would find themselves into because they're terribly unequipped to deal with it.

Moreover, they came out here during the low tide. For all intents and purposes, there shouldn't have been any emergencies or accidents in this mission, yet here they were.

Fortunately, aside from being a forging master, Cedric was also an experienced medic. He was able to barely stabilize their condition, but even that was challenging to him because, unfortunately, they are currently at the worst possible place to recover from void infection.

And so, stabilizing their conditions was all he could do for now.

Also, everybody only packed enough supplies to last for a week. Some even underpack since they have limited space to work with. Due to this, they have run out of supplies at this point. And that's what's mainly causing the gloom right now.

The could probably last for an entire month more like this, but anything beyond that is difficult. Also, there's no expected time frame for their rescue. Hell, in truth, it's not even guaranteed. So, they're understandably worried.

Cedric could only do so much. He also couldn't guarantee that they'd make it out of here either.

Still, he continued doing his best to stay positive.

He already carved out an SOS message just above the entrance of the cave. He made it big enough so that any potential rescuers could spot them even at a certain distance.

Cedric was also extending his sensory field as much as he could. The density of the void was interfering with his range, but he's still able to stretch it for at least 50 miles around him.

This allowed him to discover something horrible, though. Something that he didn't have the heart to say to the people with him right now.

The Void Shift juggled the location of everything. And somehow, this 'Safe Zone' that's initially located so close to the gates suddenly found itself ever-so-near the edge of the 'Danger Zone'.

Hell, Cedric's sensory field was actually touching the very edge of it. And from what he had observed so far, it was understandable that it was called the 'Danger Zone'.

'Please, if someone's coming, arrive faster.' He inwardly pleaded. 'Those scary things have been moving far too much for my liking, and none of us are strong enough to handle them.'

'So please. Come faster. We can't hold on for much longer.'