[ Dawn - Outside the Gate Guard Station ]
The first light of day pierced through the mist, illuminating the skeletal skyscrapers of the Metropolis of Eden.
Murphy was up early, checking the V8 engine of his Rover and topping off the fuel tank. His injured right arm was heavily bandaged and braced, but he was ready.
"You guys ready?" Murphy shouted, slapping the side of the armored vehicle.
Axel walked out, leading his four chosen friends. They gripped their weapons tightly.
Jace: The bespectacled technician, checking the map system.
Ren: The calm female medic, securing her supply bag.
Klein: The sharp-eyed scout, cocking his rifle.
Baron: The giant of the group, carrying a heavy shotgun and the bulk of their gear.
"We're ready," Axel nodded to his team. "Baron, you take the rear... Jace, sit up front with Philip to monitor the systems... Ren and Klein, watch the flanks."
"Count on me, brother," Baron replied with a deep voice.
"Let's go, before the guys guarding the gate get hungry," Ren added.
"Mount up! We're heading to the Royal District," Murphy ordered.
Everyone piled into the large Rover. The engine roared to life, and they sped away from the gate, heading deep into the concrete jungle.
The Rover navigated through the wide avenue littered with rusted cars and debris.
Jace sat squeezed next to Philip, helping tune the signal from The Core.
"Lots of interference... but the direction is clear. About 6 kilometers to the Royal District," Jace reported.
But then, the morning silence was shattered.
BOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion echoed from a high-rise to their left. The vibration shook the ground, causing shards of glass to rain down onto the street.
"What was that?" Murphy slowed down immediately. "Explosives?"
"I'll scan it!"
Philip launched the Seeker Orb high above the rooftops. The camera feed displayed on the dashboard screen.
"Murphy! There are people! It looks like two groups fighting on a rooftop to the left... six blocks away!"
"People?" Klein leaned forward, looking through his binoculars. "He's right... I see about 3 or 4 in each group. They look tough, heavily armed."
"How did they get in?" Baron asked. "Didn't we just open the front gate last night? Or is there another way?"
"Maybe a secret underground tunnel, or an air drop... We haven't explored everything," Philip analyzed. "But looking at them... they are definitely not friendly."
"Whoa, look out! What is that?!"
Suddenly, Axel shouted, pointing up at the sky directly above them.
Something was plummeting towards the street at terminal velocity!
"Hey! That's a person! And he's coming right at us!"
"Shit!" Murphy yanked the steering wheel hard.
SCREEECH!!!!
CRASH!!!
The body of a man slammed into the asphalt exactly where the Rover had been a second ago.
The concrete shattered into a crater, dust billowing up.
The man lay in the pit, coughing up blood, his clothes torn to shreds.
THUD!
Heavy footsteps followed immediately.
Another figure landed from who-knows-where. He landed softly beside the crater, then grabbed the fallen man by the neck, lifting him off the ground with one hand.
"Crazy... Is that human strength?" Ren gasped, covering her mouth.
Murphy and Axel's crew stared in shock through the windshield.
The man being choked, despite his injuries, grinned.
He manipulated his right hand in a strange gesture, fingers locking into a symbol.
Whoosh...
The air around them turned instantly freezing. Moisture in the air crystallized into frost.
Suddenly, a block of solid ice formed around the attacker's arm! It spread rapidly, locking the limb in place.
"Hey! That's magic!" Jace shouted.
It didn't end there. The choked man used his left fingers to draw a pattern in the air.
Shimmer!
A blue magic circle glowed in the empty space.
A massive, sharp-tipped ice spike erupted from the void!
"Die!"
BOOOOM!!!
The giant ice lance slammed point-blank into the attacker's torso. The impact blasted him away, sending him flying deep into the ruins of a nearby building.
The ice mage dropped to the ground, panting heavily. Then, he launched himself forward, chasing after his opponent, leaving behind a street turned into an ice rink and Murphy's Rover covered in a layer of frost.
"What the hell is happening..." Axel stammered, looking at his four pale-faced friends.
"Those aren't normal humans..."
"Go! Murphy! Go now!" Philip shouted, snapping everyone back to reality.
"Drive right through the middle! Punch it!"
"Are you crazy, Philip?! They're fighting right there!" Baron argued loudly.
"This is our chance!" Philip pointed forward. "They're distracted fighting each other! No one is paying attention to us! We have to reach the 'Royal Palace' before they do! If they get whatever is in there, we're finished!"
Murphy gritted his teeth, looking at the frozen road ahead.
"Fine! Let's do this! Everyone hold on tight!"
He slammed the pedal to the metal.
"Here we go!!!"
The black Rover roared. The tires spun freely on the ice for a second before catching traction on the asphalt, launching them forward through the battlefield.
Murphy drove straight through the chaos, heading directly for the towering Royal Palace, hoping the monsters fighting outside wouldn't notice the ants driving