Erik crouched behind a fallen pillar, scanning the overgrown plaza for movement. Thick vines and clusters of ferns provided patchy cover between his position and the hotel's side entrance.
[I don't see movements at the windows,] the system said.
[No, they can be hidden. You stay alert. Some thaids can mask their presence.]
Erik moved in haste between patches of vegetation, freezing whenever the wind stirred the leaves above.
He pressed himself against a crumbling wall as something rustled in the upper floors of a nearby building. Only after several tense moments did the biological computer confirm it was just debris settling.
[Erik, use Instability to check if anyone is nearby,] the system said. [It would give us a better idea about the situation inside.]
Erik channeled mana through his neural links and extended his consciousness outward, probing the area with his mana.
