Ch21 Forming a Squad 2

Dark stone paved the streets, polished smooth by generations of traffic. Towers climbed hundreds of feet on either side, built from combinations of black rock, metal, glass, and materials Ryan couldn't identify. Holographic advertisements floated above storefronts selling weapons, armor, food, cultivation services, medical treatments, and products meant for species whose biology he couldn't begin to guess.

One sign caught his attention.

Alien symbols shifted across it.

Ryan understood them.

Perfectly.

[VARKESH COMBAT OUTFITTERS]

[ARMOR REPAIR — WEAPON MODIFICATION — BEAST MATERIAL EXCHANGE]

Ryan stopped.

"Skynet, are you translating that?"

[AFFIRMATIVE. LOCAL LANGUAGE AND TEXTUAL TRANSLATION IS ACTIVE.]

Ryan listened more carefully to the conversations around him.

He had assumed everyone was speaking some shared language.

They weren't.

Skynet was translating the city for him so smoothly that he'd barely noticed.

"That's useful."

[QUERY COMPLETE.]

Ryan stared ahead.

"Wasn't a question."

Skynet remained silent.

He continued walking.

Most locals traveled on foot, though some rode enormous creatures fitted with armored saddles or stood aboard hovering platforms that drifted silently above the streets. Far overhead, sleek spacecraft rested on landing structures built into the upper portions of towers.

Ryan wanted to stop and examine everything.

The locals made that difficult.

They noticed him.

More specifically, they noticed that he was human.

A tall, four-armed alien looked him over before making a disgusted sound and deliberately stepping around him. Another pulled a child closer as Ryan passed. A merchant stared at his Exclipse uniform, then turned away.

Ryan tried asking for information anyway.

The first alien ignored him.

The second hissed.

The third actually stopped.

Ryan briefly thought he'd made progress.

"Beg elsewhere, human."

Then the alien walked away.

Ryan watched him go.

'All right.'

Message received.

Whatever position humans occupied in this city, it wasn't high.

Ryan changed strategy.

Older humans were easier to recognize now that he knew what to look for.

Dirty armor.

Damaged equipment.

Weapons that had actually been used.

Eyes that never stopped tracking the people around them.

Near the edge of a market square, he found four resting beside a massive stone pillar. One repaired a damaged armor strap while another ate from a small metal container. The remaining two simply sat.

Ryan approached.

"Hey."

A lean man with a scar along his jaw looked up.

His gaze traveled over Ryan's spotless uniform.

"Fresh."

"That obvious?"

"You still look clean."

Ryan glanced down.

Fair.

The man returned to his work.

"What do you want?"

"Information."

"Costs crystals."

Ryan smiled.

"I don't have any."

"I know."

The woman eating beside him laughed quietly.

Ryan didn't leave.

He explained the First Hunt.

The moment he mentioned Captain Unkud, the mood changed.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The woman stopped eating.

The scarred man looked up again.

"Unkud?"

Ryan nodded.

"You're the new Exclipse intake?"

"Awakened yesterday."

The veteran stopped moving.

"Yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"And they sent you here?"

"Apparently."

The four exchanged looks.

Ryan didn't like any of them.

The woman studied him more carefully.

"Rank?"

"Rank One beginning. One Qi Point open."

She swore.

Ryan's unease deepened.

"That's encouraging."

The scarred man leaned back against the pillar.

"When we came through, they didn't send people here right after Awakening."

Ryan focused.

"What did they do?"

"Trained us."

"How long?"

The man gave him a flat look.

"Long enough that dropping us onto a frontier world wasn't our second day as Awakened."

Ryan's humor disappeared.

"This isn't a beginner world," the veteran continued.

"We figured that part out."

"No."

The man's eyes settled on Ryan.

"You haven't."

Ryan waited.

"This planet sits on a contested Dungeon network."

Ryan frowned.

"Contested by who?"

The woman answered.

"Everyone."

She set her food aside.

"Elves. Dwarves. Orcs. Smaller factions when they manage to hold territory. The Dungeon layers beneath this region connect to resource zones worth fighting over."

Ryan remembered the briefings from Earth.

Enemy species.

Dungeon warfare.

Exclipse operations.

Those had always sounded like things waiting somewhere in his future.

Not outside the city gates on his second day.

"There are active enemy forces here?"

The scarred veteran gave a humorless laugh.

"Kid, you're standing on an active front."

Ryan's stomach tightened.

"We're supposed to be training."

"Then someone has an interesting definition of training."

The woman gestured toward the distant walls.

"The immediate perimeter isn't the same as the deep wilderness. Patrols and hunters keep most of the worst things away from the city."

"What lives near the gates?"

"Mostly Rank One fauna. Some stronger."

Ryan caught the qualifier.

"Mostly?"

"Wild animals don't care what rank humans think belongs near the walls."

Fair.

"What about Dungeons?"

All four veterans answered.

"Stay away."

Ryan blinked.

The scarred man leaned forward.

"You see an entrance, turn around."

"Even a low-rank Dungeon?"

"Especially if you don't know who controls it."

The woman continued.

"Beasts are predictable. Rival factions aren't. Walk into a Dungeon being used by an Elven raiding party or Dwarven extraction team and nobody's stopping to ask whether you're a trainee."

Ryan imagined turning a corner and finding an actual enemy soldier waiting there.

Not a monster.

Not a simulation.

Something intelligent enough to plan how to kill him.

He filed the warning away.

Then he kept asking questions.

The information came slowly. Which parts of the perimeter were less dangerous. Which creatures appeared most often. Which vendors were known for exploiting humans. What ammunition cost. Which districts to avoid. Which advice was reliable.

Some answers contradicted each other.

Ryan remembered that too.

Then the scarred man mentioned the gate.

"Two crystals."

Ryan frowned.

"For what?"

"Reentry."

The City Lord had said coming back cost money.

He hadn't given them the price.

"Two low-grade crystals per person."

Ryan calculated automatically.

Five squad members.

Ten crystals.

Their mission required one.

The completion reward was only five.

"Wait."

Ryan straightened.

"If new cadets leave without crystals, how are they supposed to get back in?"

The woman smiled grimly.

"Now you're getting it."

"We have to earn enough outside."

"Or stay outside."

Ryan looked toward the walls.

The First Hunt suddenly meant something very different.

They weren't being sent outside to collect one crystal.

Not really.

They needed enough to return.

The scarred veteran tapped Ryan's sidearm.

"Don't waste ammunition."

Ryan glanced at the weapon.

"How expensive?"

"Standard refill? Around five low-grade crystals. More if the merchant decides to charge you the human price."

Ryan grimaced.

"Your sidearm will handle most Rank One fauna if you hit something important," the veteran continued. "Stronger creatures are another problem."

"How many shots?"

"Too many."

The woman nodded toward a nearby weapon shop.

"Get a melee weapon when you can afford one. Spear isn't bad for a beginner. Reach keeps teeth away from your face."

Ryan filed that away too.

His twenty minutes were almost gone.

He pushed away from the pillar.

"Thanks."

The scarred man looked up.

"Kid."

Ryan stopped.

"Don't mistake staying near the wall for being safe."

Ryan nodded.

"I won't."

"And don't trust someone because they're human."

The City Lord had said almost exactly the same thing.

That made two warnings.

Ryan headed back.

Everyone had already returned to the fountain.

Ben sat along its edge. Dezzy stood nearby while Jessica and Raven talked quietly.

Ryan approached.

"All right. What did we learn?"

Ben raised a hand.

"Aliens hate us."

Jessica pointed at him.

"That was also our main discovery."

Raven crossed her arms. "We tried talking to seven different species."

"One threatened to eat me," Jessica said.

Ryan looked at her.

She shrugged.

"Still technically a conversation."

Ryan almost smiled.

Dezzy had gotten farther with the merchants. They would answer transactional questions—prices, availability, services—but advice apparently required payment.

Useful information had come from older humans.

The perimeter immediately beyond the city was the least dangerous hunting region. Most creatures close to the walls were Rank One, and experienced hunters largely ignored them because the returns weren't worth the effort. City patrols also killed particularly dangerous predators that wandered too close, though protecting new cadets had nothing to do with it.

Large predators interfered with trade.

That was enough reason for the city.

Ryan nodded.

"Matches what I heard."

Then he told them the rest.

The Dungeon network.

The rival factions.

The active front.

The warning to stay out of any Dungeon they found.

By the time Ryan finished explaining the possibility of encountering Elven raiding parties or Dwarven extraction teams, Ben's usual grin had disappeared.

"We're on an active front?"

"Apparently."

Dezzy's jaw tightened.

"No Dungeons."

"Agreed."

Then Ryan reached the immediate problem.

"Gate reentry is two low-grade crystals per person."

Silence.

Ben sat upright.

"Two?"

"Each."

Jessica calculated immediately.

"Ten crystals."

"For all five of us."

"Before food," Raven said.

"Before lodging," Dezzy added.

"Before taxes," Ryan finished.

Ben stared toward the distant walls.

"Starting to think exile is part of the business model."

Nobody disagreed.

Dezzy shared what she'd learned about ammunition.

Five low-grade crystals for an average refill.

Their particle sidearms could kill Rank One fauna with proper shot placement, but every missed shot represented resources they couldn't easily replace.

Jessica rested a hand against her sidearm.

Deadshot made her their most efficient shooter.

Which meant her ammunition was arguably the most valuable.

Ryan looked around the group.

They had enough information to make a basic plan.

"Conserve ammunition. Dezzy handles close combat when it's safe. Raven keeps things off her if they get too close. Jessica targets weak points. Ben stays mobile and stores anything worth carrying."

Ben placed a hand over his heart.

"The noble duty of carrying monster organs."

"Exactly."

Ryan continued.

"I'll form barriers before we engage whenever possible. Once they're up, I can reposition them without burning more X."

Jessica tilted her head.

"That puts you in charge?"

Ryan paused.

"I didn't say that."

"You've made two plans in twenty minutes."

"Somebody had to."

Raven shrugged.

"He's been right so far."

Ben didn't seem bothered. "I don't care who leads as long as I don't get eaten."

Dezzy studied Ryan.

"Temporary field leadership makes sense."

Ryan looked between them.

"Wait. Are we actually deciding this right now?"

Apparently, they were.

Four people were waiting for him.

The humor faded.

This wasn't a game.

If they followed Ryan outside those walls and he made the wrong call, someone could die because of it.

He felt the weight of that settle behind his ribs.

Ryan looked toward the distant gates.

Then back at them.

"Fine."

His voice was more serious now.

"But nobody follows me blindly. If I miss something, say it. If a plan is stupid, say it. I don't care who comes up with the right answer."

Dezzy nodded once.

"Good."

Ben grinned.

"Beautiful speech."

"Shut up."

"That's my leader."

Jessica laughed.

Ryan shook his head and opened Skynet.

"Create squad."

[SQUAD MANAGEMENT]

[CREATE NEW SQUAD?]

"Yes."

[DESIGNATE SQUAD MEMBERS.]

Ryan selected Jessica, Raven, Dezzy, and Ben.

Notifications appeared before each of them.

One after another, they accepted.

[SQUAD CREATED]

[MEMBERS: 5/5]

[Ryan Lowell]

[Jessica Ashmull]

[Raven]

[Dezzy]

[Ben]

Another prompt appeared.

[ENTER SQUAD DESIGNATION.]

Ryan smiled.

Jessica immediately pointed at him.

"No."

"I haven't said anything."

"I know that face."

Ben leaned forward.

"What was he going to call us?"

"Something terrible."

Ryan dismissed the prompt.

"We'll figure it out later."

"Best decision you've made today," Jessica said.

Ryan looked toward the metallic signs hanging above the avenue.

[OUTER GATE]

Other squads were already heading that way.

Some hurried.

Some argued.

Others looked far too excited for people who had no idea what was waiting outside. A few cadets remained behind, desperately searching for some way to earn crystals without leaving the protection of the city.

Ryan adjusted his utility harness.

His sidearm rested against his hip.

Behind his heart, his core pulsed steadily.

Rank One beginning.

One Qi Point open.

Nine X Energy.

Eight Mental Energy.

Absolute Energy Barrier.

Zero crystals.

Five squad members who had never fought together.

Three of whom he'd barely met.

And Jax was still missing.

Ryan's eyes drifted across the plaza one final time.

No unruly hair.

No familiar grin.

Nothing.

'I'll find you.'

He couldn't do anything more about it now.

Beyond the city walls were creatures capable of killing them, and possibly enemy factions who would be even more dangerous. His heart beat faster as he looked toward the gate.

Fear was there.

Ryan wasn't going to pretend otherwise.

But so was excitement.

This was different from the Awakening chamber. Different from training at school. Different from watching Darkstar tear through monsters from the safety of his bedroom.

There was no screen between Ryan and what came next.

He looked at his squad.

"Stay near the walls. No Dungeons. No unnecessary fights. We get enough crystals for everyone to come back before we worry about anything else."

Jessica checked her sidearm.

Raven flexed her fingers.

Dezzy rolled her shoulders.

Ben opened a small spatial slit, checked something inside, then closed it.

Ryan took a breath.

"Let's hunt."

The five of them turned toward the outer gates.

Above the city, the twin suns burned through the reddish sky.

Beyond the black walls, something released a long, guttural roar.

Ryan's smile disappeared.

Ben stared toward the sound.

"Rank One?"

Dezzy started walking.

"Statistically impossible to determine from a roar."

Ben watched her.

"I was joking."

"I know."

For the first time, Raven laughed.

Then the five of them followed the glowing signs toward the wilderness and their first real fight.