Chapter 10: The Ghost's Gambit
The Howling Commandos' temporary camp in the Ardennes forest was a grim collection of olive-drab tents and mud-caked Jeeps. The fire crackled, but there was little laughter. When Steve and Bucky walked into the light with a man who had been dead for ninety days, the silence was deafening.
Dum Dum Dugan dropped his canteen, the metal clanging against a frozen rock. "I've seen some strange things in this war," he muttered, adjusting his bowler hat. "But I didn't think I'd see a man walk back from the Great Beyond with a glow in his eyes like a Tesseract battery."
The Reunion of Heroes
Arthur nodded to the group, but his gaze was fixed on the tactical map spread across a crate. His mind was already processing the spatial layout of the region.
The Commandos: Gabe Jones, Jim Morita, and Montgomery Falsworth looked older, their gear showing the wear of a hundred skirmishes.
The Atmosphere: The camp felt heavy with the weight of the 18.5% Divergence; the casualties were mounting as Hydra grew more erratic.
The Protagonist: Arthur's presence felt like a cold draft in the tent, his [Spatial Anchor] causing the shadows around his boots to flicker and warp.
"We're hitting the Bastogne supply line tomorrow," Dugan explained, his voice gravelly. "Hydra has a rail-gun mounted on a Tiger tank variant. They call it the 'Schwerer Gustav's Little Brother.' It's been chewing through our armored divisions."
Preparing the Archivist
Arthur spent the night in a secluded corner of the camp. He didn't sleep; he spent the hours communing with the shard in his staff. The blue energy didn't just provide power; it provided perspective.
[ SYSTEM CRAFTING ]
Blueprint Detected: [Archivist Combat Shroud - Phase 1]
Requirements: 500 DP, 10 units of Refined Hydra Steel, 1 Tesseract Pulse.
Status: Crafting... 25% Complete.
The "Stark cooking" suit was shredded and useless. Arthur began weaving the spatial energy into the fibers of a standard-issue tactical coat. As he worked, the fabric shifted from forest green to a deep, midnight navy—the color of the void he had just escaped.
The Midnight Mission
By 0400 hours, the Commandos were moving. The target was a bridge overlooking a deep ravine where the rail-gun tank was expected to cross.
"Arthur, stay with Bucky on the ridge," Steve ordered, his shield strapped tight. "If that tank shows up, we need you to call the coordinates."
"I've got a better idea, Steve," Arthur said, his voice echoing with a slight metallic ring. He gripped his staff, and for the first time, he let the [Mercury Catalyst] blood flow freely into the weapon. "I'm not just going to watch the bridge. I'm going to fold it."
[ NEW QUEST PROGRESS ]
Objective: Neutralize the Rail-Gun Tank.
Constraint: Do not let the bridge be destroyed (Needed for Allied advance).
Skill Ready: [Spatial Distortion - Blink Strike].
As the roar of a massive engine echoed through the valley, Arthur stepped off the cliff edge. He didn't fall. He simply appeared fifty feet closer to the target, leaving a ripple in the air behind him.
Current Status:
DP Balance: 700 (Spent 500 on Shroud progress).
Divergence: 18.4% (Decreasing slightly due to your return).
Equipment: [The Void-Touched Staff] (Rank C).