Damon's Ascension-Chapter 156: Safe Zone 13

Historically, whenever a foreign force entered an area, they always needed local guides to show them the ins and outs of the new locale they were in. This was the case whether the foreign force were powerful or not, because coming into a place with poor preparation and information could lead to severe repercussions.

Just ask Napoleon and Hitler about when they tried to enter Russia and they would tell you with tear filled eyes about their grievances.

Likewise, the Vanguard Team soon realized the value of the Oxen Raiders and what a gem this band were when they reached the Safe Zone of Sector 13 without any incidents.

Currently, Damon was standing at the center console on the bridge with his arms folded while Felicia reclined in a command chair beside him, one supple leg crossed elegantly over the other.

The rest of the Vanguard Team lounged in nearby seats or leaned against reinforced panels, a quiet camaraderie rippling between them now that they had settled down after the Chaos Eye event.

Connor broke the silence first, whistling low. "Three days of this and I’m finally starting to miss the charm of death traps. At least those end quickly."

Nicholas snorted. "Please. I still remember that thirty-second stare-off we had with that Leo Race hunting crew that ported in from Safe Zone 13."

"They had a Sixth Sense ability user stacked with stealth skills that even confused our detection system." Levi muttered, massaging his temple.

Felicia glanced over. "If they hadn’t noticed we were ability users, they might have opened fire. Under the current Bright Realm changes, a few hunting parties are actually sanctioned by various authorities and companies. Killing is now quantifiable progress for some races, especially at the mid-to low ranks."

"Did you guys see their gear on top of that?" Henry added, visibly aggrieved.

He threw his hands up in frustration. "I swear one of them had a Chaos Item bow with tracking kinetic arrows! That’s like... cheating!"

"Better than that Area we almost dropped into outside the fourth ridge zone. That one that looked like a normal airspace that one could seeming pass through but actually was a hidden type Area." Kyle pointed out.

"And I can’t even believe thats a thing! What the heck do you mean by hidden Areas? How can literal augmented reality scenarios literally jumpscare people nowadays?!" Henry complained loudly, his words resonating with the crew.

This was another ’hidden’ detail about the Chaos Realm that was common local knowledge but was not in the official archives. Some areas were not obvious visibly due to being deeply fused with the Sector, so you could be walking through a zone and suddenly entire an Area without knowing.

In the era before the update, this happened a lot as there was no indicator for the rules as the Essence system was not present. Lord knew how many explorers and sometimes even Ability Users died from these kinds of things, which was why locals who spelunked always made sure to have an idea of such places.

With the new update coming in, the danger of this had been significantly reduced as you would be alerted of the Area’s rules even if you couldn’t visibly see it. Still, having the Oxen Raiders who knew its location and rules areas was a good enough boon.

Kyle shook his head with amazement. "I still can’t believe that the hidden Area had a micro-rule that said ’language transmission only’, which means no sounds allowed, even from skills and tools."

"Even so, no Area nor Sector has the power to limit or suppress abilities, so we could still rely on Nicholas’ mental link to communicate." Damon comforted the group casually.

"Oh, I also remember that I was mid-way through recalibrating our hull seals when the notification came up. I nearly broke a bolt with my thumb trying to finish before it cut me off." Protizen grumbled, arms crossed.

Bane chuckled. "Could’ve been worse. Remember those ten monster pets with scent tracking owned by the Leo Race bandits? Now that was troublesome!"

Connor held up a finger. "Correction: ten normal monsters plus that one Apex Variant. You still owe Nicholas a favor for using his power to disable it so you could collect its blood for your transformations." freēnovelkiss.com

Nicholas smiled mildly. "Yes, but it will be very useful down the line for any situation were our abilities are unable to work, especially for long distance detection."

As the crew continued to recount their three day adventure, the Normandy slowly descended onto the designated docking ring of Safe Zone 13, its magnetic clamps engaging with a soft whump as the station’s artificial intelligence synced with the ship’s systems.

From the moment the docking hatch hissed open, the crew felt it.

Safe Zone 13 was nothing like the quiet and empty relays or sterile docking platforms of the home universe. It was a boiling cauldron of activity, packed with all sorts of explorers, scavengers, corporate bounty hunters, and full-fledged military detachments from dozens of different species.

Even without stepping out, you could see the density of species traffic which featured winged creatures with glowing veins, slug-like creatures slithering onward, horned humanoid warriors with polished armor, and entire squads of multi-form races from different origins.

And they noticed the Normandy.

From elevated walkways and adjacent docks, dozens of eyes turned toward the sleek black cruiser with curiosity, wariness... and greed.

The Vanguard Team could feel it clearly through their passively maintained mental link with Nicholas... the whispers, malicious intentions, flashes of invasive scans.

A few bold individuals even raised tools or extended spirit-like tendrils, subtly attaching tracer beacons or hidden scent markers.

"...This place is hostile. That thing was trying to take a bio-sample." Levi muttered with narrowed eyes, brushing away a small white moth-like construct that had latched onto his shoulder.

"Guy over there just marked us with a pulse-seeker." Connor said, flicking his wrist.

A faint pop echoed as a small orb was severed mid-flight by a shadow blade. "Pretty sure he thinks we’re hauling Chaos Essence cargo."

Damon stood at the edge of the hatch, eyes sweeping the crowd coldly. His expression was unreadable, but his aura had begun to bleed outward slightly, a subtle warning that they weren’t prey and wouldn’t act like it.

Henry scoffed. "Damn scavengers. I feel like a chicken in a snake pit."

"No, they think you’re a goose. A golden one." Xela murmured from beside him.

Felicia exhaled slowly, scanning the perimeter. "Some of these species are bound by law or contracts, so they won’t move openly. But others are probably waiting for us to leave the safe zone perimeter."

"Then let’s not give them a reason." Damon replied.

Just then, as tension built to a quiet crackle, a soft bell chime echoed across the hangar. The air shimmered briefly, and a beam of soft green light descended nearby.

Out from the pillar of light stepped a tiny, graceful figure that was barely a meter tall, clad in woven robes of glowing moss and fancy blue silk.

Her wings flickered behind her like pixie dust fans, and her long ears twitched slightly with every breath of the wind.

The sudden pressure in the air vanished.

The watching crowd dispersed like water slipping from oil. Even the ones that had been subtly probing the Vanguard Team stepped back with hurried gestures, some even retreating outright from the docking bay.

Felicia blinked. "...The hell?"

Nicholas, brows raised, offered a name with slight surprise. "That’s Rafia, Overseer of Safe Zone 13. She’s a Fae."

"Fae? As in... tiny fairy people?" Henry echoed with confusion.

"Not tiny, just compressed. Her internal energy is probably equivalent to a top tier 5 Void Entity. She’s politically neutral, terrifyingly intelligent, and very, very old." Damon corrected with a furrowed brow.

Rafia gracefully floated toward the ship on light breezes, carried as much by her power as by her wings. When she reached the edge of the platform, she bowed deeply.

"Prime Representative of Humanity and honored delegation of the human race, welcome to Safe Zone Thirteen. It is an honor... and a curiosity." Her voice was quite nice, very melodic and soft.

Damon’s expression remained neutral, but he nodded politely and stepped forward, flanked by Felicia and Nicholas.

"Overseer Rafia, we appreciate the welcome. It’s... lively here." Damon greeted smoothly.

A smile touched her lips. "You have arrived during an unusual period of time as many forces gather here to capitalize on new rules."

Her eyes gleamed. "Which makes your arrival all the more... profound. You carry a ship that bleeds hierarchy and a crew full of potential. You’ve caused quite the stir."

"Let them stir, if they try more, I’ll stir them into soup." Damon said coolly.

She turned mid-air and gestured toward the central bazaar that glittered in the distance. "Safe Zone Thirteen opens its halls to you. You are now flagged as a Sovereign Expeditionary Force under special designation."

A golden icon flickered over their VQD displays, making Damon’s eyebrows rise slightly.

"This should give you temporary immunity from all technology based tracking and digital type ability scans for the duration of your stay." Rafia smiled.

Henry was stunned. "You’re telling me... we just got VIP status?!"