“Is that the last of the squads?” AJ, the leader of the siege, shouted.

  “That should be everyone, sir,” one of his lieutenants said, “All squads and battalions are accounted for.”

  AJ frowned. “Then why isn’t the mission completed? We made it well within the time limit. Are you sure this is the lobby?”

  Someone else pulled out a map to double-check. “This should be it…”

  “Then why-”

  Before AJ could question things further, a system notification appeared in his mind. However, this one wasn’t for the completion of the bonus mission.

  Welcome to Hope’s Memorial, valued Aspirants. You have been automatically assigned the role of Guest. Enjoy your stay, and remember your manners!

  “What the…”

  “Anyone else get that message?”

  “Guests? Is this normal?”

  “And anyone else feel a tad different?”

  “Huh? I don’t feel anything?”

  “Me neither.”

  “No… there’s definitely something for me…”

  “Quiet!” AJ commanded and ignored the chattering of the others around him to concentrate. True to the girl who spoke last, there was a slight tingling sensation when that message appeared. However, as far as AJ could tell, nothing about his persons was different. And of course, this shit wasn’t part of the scouting report. AJ knew that bastard Carlton had it out for him, one of these days he’ll be able to prove it and get rid of them for good. Too bad they were too useful for their own good.

  Something definitely happened just then, and AJ couldn’t take any risks. “Squad healers, do an emergency scan now.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  But before the medical team could finish inspecting even the first person, a new voice interrupted them through the hospital’s speaker system.

  “Ah, welcome, valued guests! I am the vice director, and I would love to welcome you to our lovely hospital.”

  The medical team sped up when they noticed the anomaly.

  “Before you proceed further, I would like to remind everyone that it is absolutely vital that you follow the rules of the hospital. These may change depending on your location, but take some time to familiarize yourself with them as you go. For your health and safety, it is imparetve that you adhere to these regulations.”

  “S-sir,” the woman who spoke up first said, squeezing her way to the front. “I think I found the source of the change.”

  “Speak up.”

  “It’s our connections to our Sponsors, sir.” the woman continued, growing increasingly nervous. “I can’t access them.”

  AJ almost wanted to dismiss the woman for mentioning such an improbable situation, but when he tried to feel for his own link to his masters, he saw that it was indeed missing. No, it wasn’t like the connection was severed, but more like no signal could be passed between parties. But that should be impossible!

  “Shit, something’s not right here, we need to leave and re-”

  The voice on the intercom interrupted them. “Ah, and let me be the first to mention the first rule that all guests must follow: to ensure the smooth operations of Hope’s Memorial, which includes keeping the halls clear and free of obstructions while our tireless staff work, all guests must be separated into groups of no more than 5 individuals. As the acting head of this facility, please allow me to help all of our new guests! Remember to leave a good review of our services!”

  Before AJ could even react, the walls and floor seemed to turn into some kind of viscous black substance, sucking in everyone in the room around them. The man couldn’t even use any of his abilities to counteract the force, and AJ was powerless as his entire body was engulfed in the abyss. He feared the worst, but as expected, the Ascension program wouldn’t put its precious Aspirants into hopeless situations, and AJ was spit out shortly after.

  “Shit! Good services my fucking ass!” AJ cursed as he collected himself. He was brought to a new location, and from the confused looks of the other four Aspirants that shared his space, none of them knew where they were.

  The five of them were in some kind of operating room straight out of one of those torture porn movies that were wildly popular in the mid-2000s. The floor was caked with all kinds of unknown fluids, and the gurney was stained brown and red. Rust and signs of decay infected the walls like the so-called diseases that this place was meant to treat, and all the while a horrible yellow light flickered overhead. Yet for all of the horrible aesthetics, at least the place was free of monsters… for now.

  “You four, get up!” he commanded.

  The others, three men and the same woman who had spoken earlier did as they were told. AJ might not recognize most of the staff that were under him, but there was no way that the opposite was true. He could see signs of relief on their faces knowing that they had the luck to be paired with the leader, and it was only fair that they thought so. AJ didn’t come to be the governor of Atlus through luck alone.

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  “Yes, sir!” they said as one.

  A lanky individual, one of the long-range specialists if memory served AJ correctly, spoke up. “Uh, what’s the plan, sir?”

  “The scout's info was clearly wrong,” AJ spat, “But thankfully we’re prepared. For now, we follow the same contingency plan as everyone else. Find an exit and regroup outside if possible, or hide until the time limit’s up if not.”

  “Understood, sir!”

  AJ sighed and shook his head. “Anyway, while it’s still relatively safe here, introduce yourselves first. We can safely assume that we’ll be going in this blind, no thanks to the worthless intel we received.” He sighed again. “Anyway, just names, rank, and specialties for now. We don’t have the luxury of time.”

  The lanky individual went first. “I’m Jose, 4th rank, from the long-range arcane division.”

  “Under Mike?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  AJ nodded. Good to know that at least one of his four teammates could pull their own weight, and it was little wonder that he could recall seeing Jose before. No one could join Mike’s team without a lot of skill and experience, and having a fourth-tier job, regardless of what that was, could only mean that he was an elite among the gathered Aspirants.

  The woman, an Asian lass in her late 20’s, spoke up next. “April, 3rd rank, part of the fourth infantry division and one of its commanders.”

  AJ frowned. “Only rank 3?”

  She blushed. “Yes, sir. My job is a unique one, so I’ve only advanced it twice.”

  AJ nodded slowly. “Unique job… that explains the sponsorship. Good to have you here then.”

  He wanted to inquire about the specifics of the sponsorship, but even in an emergency situation like this one, it wouldn’t do to pry into the secrets of his subordinates. Just the fact that April was willing to share that she had one herself was a big risk, having the power of a god behind your back could be a powerful ace up your sleeve in these trying times. Plus, with their access to their patrons broken, at least for now, knowing who she served would do little in terms of bettering this situation.

  The last two, a pair of plain forgettable faces introduced themselves, although, for all the good that they’d be, they shouldn’t have bothered. These two were the chaff that made up the majority of Atlus’ main army; little more than decent body shields if the need arises. AJ forgot them as soon as they spoke. But still, having 2 gems out of 4 wasn’t bad, all things considered.

  “Alright,” he continued and took out one of the maps that the scouts handed out. He couldn’t be sure of its accuracy any longer, but AJ figured that having a rough idea of where things were was better than nothing. “Let’s see if we can’t figure out where the hell we are.”

  He pointed at the center of the left wing, where the operating theatres were. “It goes without saying that we’re somewhere here, but where is anyone’s guess.”

  The others nodded.

  AJ continued. “The only good thing is that the operating rooms are all linked by this hallway that circles around the wing,” He pointed at the structure in question, then at the wide reception area that led to the exit of this wing. “There’s little room to get lost if we follow that. We trace our steps and find the staircase, and that should lead us to the exit. From there, we retrace our steps and get the hell out of this place. Questions?”

  “No, sir,” April said for the group, “What combat position should we deploy?”

  “Jose’s at the back, I’m taking center while you get rearguard duty. Other two, at the front.”

  “Understood, sir,” they said as one, their discipline showing even in times like this.

  AJ nodded. “Good, and remember to be on alert for any changes and traps. We don’t know what that raid boss has in store for us. Keep communications to a minimum going forth; only relay important info.”

  “Yes, sir!”

  “Let’s go then.”

  AJ signaled for the two in the front to open the door. It was just as dark and dreary as the room they were in, but worse, the horrible stench of rot and decay assaulted their noses the second that pungent, moist air of the corridor hit the team. AJ had to force himself from gagging. Once the worst of the olfactory assault was over, the team noticed that while the halls were creepy and disgusting, there wasn’t any hospital staff about, unlike what the reports said.

  No, the only thing that stood out was a strangely illuminated plaque that displayed the following:

  GENERAL HOSPITAL RULES:

  It is important for all guests to follow the rules, otherwise we at Hope’s Memorial observe the right to forcibly vacate any unlawful individuals.

  1 Guests must remain silent during their stay in the operating theatre to avoid disrupting important procedures.

  2 Guests must remain in the hallways at all times unless supervised by a doctor or physician.

  3 Guests must not touch any hazardous biological substance while in the hospital. Failure to do so will result in infections, in which case all infected guests will become patients until proper treatment can be conducted.

  4 Guests must be respectful to all staff during their stay at Hope’s Memorial. Failure to do so will result in the appropriate punishments.

  5 Guests who purposefully damage any hospital property must pay for any damages that are incurred.

  6 All meals and drinks must be consumed in the cafeteria.

  Further rules may apply if you visit other areas of the hospital. We wish you a pleasant stay.

  AJ frowned as he read over the rather simple rules. Why was this particular section of the wall so well-lit while the others were all but hidden by shadows? Well, his curiosity didn’t last long, because a new pair of five lost Aspirants walked out of another room. AJ quickly found out why these rules were so prominently displayed.

  “Sir?” the lead individual from the new group shouted. “Is that you? Oh thank go-”

  Before the poor man could finish his sentence, a horrible screech filled every corner of the hallway they were in and a putrid voice rang out from the loud speakers.

  “Guests must be silent while in the halls!”

  The man looked confused for a second, and his companions all readied themselves for battle. Before long, a grotesque thing in a malformed security uniform materialized from one of the walls and, without warning, cleaved the offending person in two using a horrible butcher’s knife. The Aspirant didn’t even have the time to fight back with how rapidly the swing came, but his comrades reacted. They started to fight back, but nothing they did seemed to scratch the security officer.

  AJ’s own team started to act as well, but he stopped them. The scouts did warn him about this particular creature, but they said it was barely a mid-tier threat that could be comfortably taken down with 5 to 10 Aspirants. But from what AJ’s seeing now, that thing was nothing short of a goddamn battalion. The scouts might be idiots, but even AJ couldn’t think of them as being this incompetent. What had given the thing so much strength? Was it the rules?

  “All guests must treat staff with respect! Punish those who defy the laws!”

  And as if proving his hypothesis right, the second that horrible voice said those words, the monstrous guard’s entire form made a quantitative change. Where the other four could somewhat defend against its blows - which was expected from a mid-tier foe - they could do nothing but die now. The frontline of the other party could neither parry nor block the knife. It took no longer than 25 seconds to dispatch the entirety of the other party.

  It looked at AJ’s party after its butchery, but to the relief of everyone still alive, it chose to ignore them and phased back into the wall. The only proof of its presence was the disguesting pile of body parts left on display. Right, if AJ was correct, then his group should be fine as long as they obeyed all of the rules… they had to escape and formulate a better strategy before one of them inevitably screws something up!

  Want to read ahead? Check out my Patreon!

  22 chapters ahead!