He opened one of the cabinets and grabbed a military bag… It was heavy canvas with multiple pockets, designed to survive being dragged through mud and bullets.
He began loading it up.
He started with guns first… grabbing several and packing them carefully.
There was an assault rifle as his main weapon, followed by a shotgun. A sniper rifle. A pistol.
Each one for a different purpose and were carefully chosen.
He didn't forget communication devices, an emergency flare, and extra ammunition filling the bag quickly before dropping it to the side.
He turned around and moved toward the vault… He wanted to grab a few Skill Stones for his use.
Within seconds he was standing before the matte black steel door, Nicholas could tell it was heavier than it looked.
It looked like it could survive a direct explosive hit and still keep whatever was behind it safe.
It had multiple locking bolts running along the edges each one connected to a separate internal mechanism.
'Definitely an overkill for a family vault.' Nicholas thought, 'That old man was paranoid.'
Nicholas stepped forward and placed his palm flat against the centre of the door.
A panel lit up beneath his hand. It stayed white for a few seconds before part of it turned green.
[Voice and Retina Confirmation Required]
He leaned in close, letting the small camera mounted above the panel capture his eye. The light flickered a couple of times before the familiar voice spoke again.
[Retinal Scan: Confirmed]
Again, part of the remaining white light turned green, leaving just a third of it.
"Nicholas Blackheart."
On cue, the voice sounded again.
[Voice Match: Confirmed]
The first locking bolt disengaged with a heavy thud… Followed by another. Then another.
One by one, the bolts slid back into the frame, about seven of them in total.
The process felt more like a ceremony than a security measure but still, the door didn't open.
A keypad emerged from the right side of the frame. It had physical buttons, not a touchscreen making it unhackable by regular means.
[Please enter the passcode]
Nicholas's fingers hovered over the buttons for a second before he began typing.
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
The moment his finger tapped the final digit, the voice sounded again.
[Passcode Confirmed]
The final lock disengaged and the vault door swung open smoothly, barely making a sound.
Nicholas stepped through the threshold.
The vault was smaller than the main bunker, with shelves lining the walls.
Each shelf was filled with items the old man had collected over decades of mercenary work although they were mostly sentimental items with the most expensive one barely reaching a couple thousand credits.
He ignored them all including the credit cards stacked neatly in a case, as well as the artifacts and essence stones.
Only stopping in front of the cases of Skill Stones.
On a closer look, it was easier to tell that they were arranged in a unique way, each one tagged with a small label bearing its name and grade.
He focused on the absolute first that stood all alone… a basic appraisal skill stone.
The importance of such basic skill could not be underestimated… the only reason the previous Nicholas didn't use any of it yet was because he was focused on breaking through to E-Rank first before using them.
He grabbed it but didn't immediately use it. Instead, he focused on grabbing others he might need.
He chose a few more Grade F skill stones to fill some of the fifteen slots he had.
He filled them in a small satchel lying on one of the shelves.
Once he made his choices, he turned around and walked out, locking the vault behind him. He stuffed the satchel into his bag before slinging it over his shoulder.
He was just about to leave when he suddenly froze.
'Shit.'
He had forgotten something important.
He lowered his bag back to the ground before opening one of the lower cabinets and pulling out a bottle filled with pills.
He read the label: D Grade.
He immediately put it back.
'Yeah no.' He had no plans of blowing himself up with overflowing essence or risk essence corruption.
He rummaged through the cabinet, pushing aside bottles and boxes, until he found what he was looking for.
F Grade.
'Perfect.' He nodded, grabbed a first aid kit from the wall, stuffed the pill bottle into his bag, and carried both toward the stairs.
The bunker lights dimmed behind him automatically as he climbed. One step after another.
The hidden door clicked shut at his back.
He made his way toward his off-road truck and dropped the bags in the back seat alongside the two boxes he had left there last night.
His eyes caught sight of something else… a box of unknown origin and he immediately opened it.
Inside were plates of infused foods prepared last night.
'Tessa.'
He closed it and put it back in place before grabbing the illegal gun and tucking it under the seat.
Nicholas jumped into the truck and fired up the engine.
The modified Ram roared to life as he pulled out of the garage, the gates opening automatically as he approached, and hit the main road.
The city was still asleep.
Streetlights cast long orange pools across the empty asphalt.
The occasional hover car drifted past most likely containing night shift workers, early risers or people who had nowhere better to be.
Nicholas kept his speed steady; he saw no reason to speeding when he would be doing just that in a few hours.
The truck handled like a dream. It was stable with easy handling not to mention it had self-driving features.
He reached the checkpoint in less than fifteen minutes.
The city gates ahead were massive with reinforced barriers that stretched across the main thoroughfare.
There were guard towers flanked both sides, their spotlights sweeping lazily across the approach road.
A row of vehicles sat in queue ahead of him, waiting their turn so Nicholas slowed down and joined the line.
He watched the process carefully. Each vehicle pulled up to the booth then a guard stepped out, scanned the driver's ID, asked a few questions, and waved them through.
As far as he could tell this kind of security seemed to be more about appearances than actual protection.
Because of this the line moved quickly and in less than a few minutes… it was his turn.
He pulled up to the booth and killed the engine just like the previous people had done. Only then did a guard approached.
He seemed to be in his mid-thirties, buzz cut, the kind of face that had seen too many night shifts and not enough excitement.
He wore the standard grey uniform of the Southern Region's city patrol.
"ID," the guard said his tone bland.
Nicholas reached into his pocket and pulled out his terminal. He tapped the screen and held it up, letting the guard easily see the barcode printed.
The guard scanned it against a handheld reader, before walking to the front of his truck and scanning the plates.
[Nicholas Blackheart… Confirmed.]
[Status: Civilian]
The guard glanced at the truck before saying in a more questioning tone. "So, you are out early?"
"I have a hunting trip planned and I wanted to be on my way as quick as possible," Nicholas replied.
The guard's eyes flicked to the back of the truck with the several boxes and bag, but he didn't even bother asking about them.
"Any weapons on board?"
"Yes, a few registered one." Nicholas gestured toward the glove compartment. "I have the permits if you need them."
"Not necessary." The guard waved, obviously he didn't want to stress himself.
Slowly the barrier opened, allowing Nicholas to pass through.
"Thanks." Nicholas nodded at him before speeding out.