The three newly conscripted soldiers all stood staring down at the alien corpse. Mia had found a medical kit in one of the room and had returned and done some quick repairs on herself, Red, and Gideon.

  “I work in a hospital,” she explained. “Or I did do before this.”

  “You’re a nurse?” Gideon asked.

  She shook her head. “No, but I’ve worked with enough of them to know how to use a med kit. Plus, these bodies aren’t human, remember. They’ll heal most wounds on their own if you give them enough time. Nanotechnology, or something like that.”

  Mia held up a small medical device that looked like a miniature spray can.

  “This is really just to dull the pain a little. Our bodies will do a much better job of healing.”

  “So,” Red said, “what are we gonna do about this guy?”

  “You’ll need to loot the corpse,” Bullseye chirped from the table a short distance away. They all turned to face him. “Normally this would happen automatically, but because we’re not on Artemis, you’ll need to do it manually.”

  “What for?” Red asked. “Dude doesn’t have any pockets, so why would we go digging through his parts?”

  “Ether,” Gideon guessed. “And he’ll probably have components we can use for crafting.”

  The others looked at him questioningly. “We’re not on Artemis, but we’re still working by Hunt rules, right? Makes sense that crafting would be the same. If we want better gear and weapons, we’re gonna have to loot dead monsters.”

  Mia pointed to the dead body. “But this isn’t a monster. It’s an alien of some kind, probably an infantry soldier or something like that.”

  Gideon shrugged. “I don’t think the Hunt system cares. It’s gonna run on the same logic it always has.”

  “Correct,” Bullseye confirmed. “When you are ready, one of you is going to have to carve up that beastie and search its insides for goodies.”

  Red chuckled. “Goodies? You think we’re gonna find candy inside this thing?”

  Gideon thought he saw the little turtle narrow its eyes.

  “Less chatting and more carving, boy!”

  That drew chuckles from the other man. He shook his head, walking around the dead alien and kicking it with one boot.

  Gideon was about to say something when items began appearing in his display.

  Achievement Awarded: First Blood!

  Congratulations! You just killed your first enemy! You have officially joined the Great Hunt!

  Achievement Awarded: Sneaky Strike!

  The best fight is one you never have to get involved with. The second-best fight is one you can end early by striking your enemy before they know they’re even fighting!

  BASIC SKILL ADDITIONS

  Endurance +1

  Bladed Weaponry +1

  Tactical Insight +1

  Leadership +1

  “Woah!” he said, watching the stats update on his Hud. “Are you guys getting updates right now too?”

  Mia nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Roger,” Red confirmed. “Maybe we should sort this shit out before we start taking apart the dead creepo?”

  “Good idea,” Gideon agreed, moving over to one of the chairs sitting around the table. “Do it quick though. Could be another one of those bastards waiting outside. Could be a dozen.”

  “I don’t think they can get in here unless we open that door,” Mia reasoned, walking over and sitting down beside him. “Otherwise, they’d already be in here, right?”

  “Guess so.”

  MISSION COMPLETE: Find a Suitable Weapon

  REWARD: Equip Weapon Function Enabled

  Gideon noticed that several new fighting skills had become available in his HUD after he’d used the knife. He mentally clicked the small display in the bottom left corner of the HUD, enlarging it to get a better look at the new abilities.

  STEALTH STRIKE +2

  A silent, precision attack delivered from the shadows, designed to take down enemies before they even realize they’re in danger. Whether using a dagger, sword, or even a well-placed arrow, Stealth Strike rewards patience and positioning with devastating results.

  +100% increased damage when striking an unaware enemy from behind.

  +10% increased critical hit chance against unaware targets.

  Successful kills with Stealth Strike do not alert nearby enemies within a 10-meter radius.

  Attacking from stealth does not immediately break invisibility or concealment effects but reduces stealth effectiveness by 50% for 3 seconds.

  THRUST +2

  A precise, forward-driving attack that focuses the full force of the weapon’s tip into a single point.

  +10% attack speed when performing a thrust.

  +15% armor penetration against lightly-armored or unarmored foes.

  Ether charge increased Critical Chance by 5-70% and Critical Damage by 50-3000% depending on the amount of either used.

  SLASH +1

  A sweeping, cutting attack that maximizes the weapon’s edge to slice through foes with speed and efficiency.

  +10% attack speed when performing a slashing motion.

  +10% increased damage against exposed flesh.

  Ether charge increased Critical Chance by 5-70% and Critical Damage by 50-3000% depending on the amount of either used.

  There were more details, but Gideon decided now wasn’t the time to get into it. First, they had to get somewhere safe and then he could start to figure out what his fighting options were.

  MARKED FOR DEATH +1

  With a swift, imperceptible hand sign or a flick of their blade, the rogue marks a target for execution. For the next 15 seconds, all allied attacks against the marked enemy gain +15% critical hit chance and +20% bonus critical damage.

  Additional Bonus: If the rogue lands a critical hit on the marked target, the duration of the effect extends by 2 seconds (max +6 seconds).

  Cooldown: 30 seconds.

  “Hey, Bullseye,” Gideon said, turning to face the turtle who seemed to be sulking on the table nearby, “what’s the deal with these new skills? Do we get a certain number of fighting abilities every time we pick up a new weapon?”

  The turtle turned to face him.

  “Yes, though the types of abilities will depend on your class, experience level, and natural affinity for the weapon. If you’re a tank, for example, you’re going to suck balls at using daggers.”

  Mia burst out laughing. “Suck balls? Really?”

  The turtle slowly turned its face toward her. “I’m merely stating a fact. If your class isn’t suited to a certain weapon then the number and type of abilities you’ll acquire when you first pick up that weapon will be limited.”

  “I get that,” Mia replied, “it’s just…I’m not used to a tutor using language like that.”

  “I like it,” Red offered, sitting down opposite the pair. He tapped the side of his head. “More interesting than what I’ve got going on in here. That Elysia chick does my head in. Sound like an instructor at a yoga retreat.”

  Gideon turned the throwing knife over in his hands. “So, I did alright with this weapon because I’m a rogue?”

  “Exactly,” Bullseye agreed. “Doinkmaster, on the other hand makes a good pin cushion, but not much else when it comes to nuanced weaponry like that.”

  “Hey!” Red protested.

  Gideon pointed a finger toward him. “So, you’re a tank?”

  Red nodded. “Broadly speaking, yeah. But I’m also super sensitive and a great listener. Also, I love walks on the beach and singing in the rain. All that shit.”

  “Yeah,” Mia added, “you’re a regular Cassanova.”

  He grinned at her, either missing the jibe entirely or not caring one way or the other. Gideon turned to Mia.

  “What about you? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “Healer,” she said, “but I went for a dual class. Ranged attack and healing primarily.”

  Gideon nodded. “Here, I’ll show you guys what I have so far. I figure if we’re gonna be fighting together it would help to know each other’s strengths.”

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  Bullseye snorted. “What strengths would those be? Falling over? Getting stabbed? The ability to break a chair?”

  Ignoring the turtle, Gideon pressed the broadcast button on his HUD and showed his newly acquired skills to the others. They both leaned forward to get a better look.

  “Okay,” Red said, “you sneak in while the enemy isn’t looking and give them a bit of stabby stab in the back to pile on the damage. Nice. Not my style, but nice.”

  Gideon stopped broadcasting his stats and Red opened up his own HUD and displayed his skills. There was little in the way of traditional tank abilities, but Gideon guessed that was because Red hadn’t had the opportunity to use any weapons other than the glass jars during the fight.

  One ability which was in evidence was an aggro boost which could draw the attention of an enemy. There was also a basic projectile throwing ability and an endurance buff which Gideon guessed would help mitigate damage.

  ** WARDEN’S ROAR +1 **

  Unleashes a deafening battle cry infused with etheric force, forcing all enemies within a 15-meter radius to focus their attacks on the user for 10 seconds. Increases damage resistance by 20% during this time.

  Cooldown: 30 seconds.

  ** UNBREAKABLE BASTION +1 **

  The tank reinforces their body and armor, reducing incoming physical and magical damage by 50% for 8 seconds. Additionally, regenerates 5% of maximum health if struck while active.

  Cooldown: 45 seconds.

  ** TITAN’S TOSS +1 **

  The user hurls an improvised projectile, dealing high impact damage and staggering enemies on impact. Generates a burst of taunt energy, drawing weaker enemies toward the impact zone.

  Cooldown: 20 seconds.

  “Nice,” Gideon offered, desperately holding back a joke about that last ability. “I think you’re right about finding a club or spear or something like that, but at least you can mitigate damage.”

  The turtle snorted once more. “Just what kind of titan are you tossing, Doinkmaster?”

  Red narrowed his eyes. “Anyone that gets in my way, little man. And I’d think carefully about your next smartass remark, seeing as you’re shaped like a discus. Might try out my next Titan’s Toss with you.”

  The little turtle retreated into its shell a little, his former belligerence vanishing in moments.

  “Okay, you next,” Gideon said, turning to Mia. She displayed her newly acquired skills and the other two read eagerly.

  ** PATCHWORK REMEDY **

  The healer channels ether through whatever materials are available—cloth, leaves, dirt, or even metal scraps—transmuting them into temporary bandages or salves. Restores 20% HP over 10 seconds and grants a 5% endurance boost while healing is active. Effectiveness scales with the quality of materials used.

  Cooldown: 25 seconds.

  ** PHANTOM SCALPEL **

  The healer conjures ether-infused throwing knives and hurls them with deadly precision, dealing true damage (ignores a portion of armor) to a single target. Critical strikes apply a Bleed effect for 5 seconds.

  Cooldown: 12 seconds.

  ** BATION VEIL **

  Creates a shimmering etheric barrier around the healer or a chosen ally, absorbing 35% of incoming damage for 8 seconds. If the shield breaks before the duration ends, it explodes outward, staggering nearby enemies.

  Cooldown: 40 seconds.

  “Why a healer?” Red asked, genuinely perplexed. “The Hunt is all about killing monsters, right? So why would you go for a support class?”

  “Seriously?” Mia asked. “You’re seriously asking that?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I mean, don’t get me wrong, some of those skills look great, but if you were supposed to be hunting on Artemis, how would healing help you take down an Apex predator?”

  “Shadow Path,” Gideon said with a smile. “When healers reach higher levels they can choose a few different paths to take and one of them is the Shadow Path. Basically, turns them into a damage machine. They lose some of their healing strength, but Shadow Healers do some of the highest DPS in the game.”

  He frowned.

  “You seriously didn’t know that?”

  “I never really watched the Hunt. Saw a little here and there but it’s not really my thing.”

  “Then why the hell did you enter the lottery?”

  Red shrugged. “Seemed like it might be fun.”

  Gideon turned to Mia, sharing a bemused look with her. The idea of someone entering the lottery just for fun and then actually winning a place in the Great Hunt was almost unfathomable. It bordered on insulting.

  “May I suggest you turn your attention to the corpse,” Bullseye said, now out of his shell once more, but having crawled noticeably closer to Gideon’s side of the table. “Time is ticking, and we need to reach that transit station if we are to have any hope of surviving this little adventure.”

  Gideon grinned. “So, you’re back on board then?”

  “I just learned that I am obsoleted! That tends to have a profound impact on one’s psyche, so forgive me for taking a moment to consider my existential crisis.”

  “Sorry. I was just asking.”

  “Well, considering the fact that I am likely the only incarnation of Bullseye in existence, my life has become somewhat more important, wouldn’t you say? As such, I would like to continue living for as long as possible, so I suggest we tool up and get moving!”

  Gideon pushed himself up out of his chair.

  “You heard the turtle,” he said, “let’s get moving folks!”

  He picked up Bullseye, walked over to the dead alien body and knelled down beside it.

  “Okay, how do we do this?” he asked.

  “You will need to cut into the flesh. On Artemis, beasts you defeat are drawn into he crystals and any valuable components and ether are immediately released and can be harvested automatically or divided among a party at random. I am not sure how the process will work with this creature. Your echoes are designed to work with ether, but I have no idea whether this beast is even compatible with such a process.”

  Red squatted down on the other side of the alien, holding a broken chair leg over his shoulder as a makeshift club. Mia was next to Gideon, shaking her head as she ran a hand across the chitinous surface of the alien’s armor plating.

  “Where do we even start?”

  She was holding the other throwing knife. Red had reluctantly agreed to give it to her seeing as she’s shown at least some propensity to use thrown blades whereas he intended to bulk up on melee abilities. So, between them they had two small blades and a broken chair leg to complete their arsenal. Considering the creature that lay on the ground in front of them, that was a meager compliment of weapons.

  “I’d say we need to start cutting away armor plating,” Gideon offered, looking over at Red. “Maybe you could use some of it as a shield?”

  Red shrugged. “Maybe. I was going more for the two-handed weapon approach.” He looked at the wooden chair leg. “This thing’s not really a two-handed weapon though, so perhaps you’re right.”

  “Okay,” Gideon said, “well, here goes.”

  He drove the blade into the side of a large chest plate, wedging it between sections of chitinous armor and pushing as hard as he could. Now that the creature was dead, the blade went in easily enough, but it took a great deal of strength and persistence to cut through the fibrous flesh and slice around the armored plate.

  When it was finally done, he called on the others to help pull the armor off. No matter how hard they all pulled, however, it wouldn’t budge.

  “Shit!” Red blurted. “Ain’t no way we’re getting that shit off.”

  Mia nodded. “Maybe we need to wait a while? Or perhaps there’s something around here we can use as a solvent that might weaken whatever is holding the armor in place.”

  “Like acid?” Red suggested.

  “Yeah, or even something less potent. We just need a chemical reaction, but that might take a little trial and error.”

  Gideon turned to Bullseye who was standing on the ground to his right.

  “Tell me about party bonuses,” he said. “Would we get any even though we’re all super low levels?”

  The turtle considered the question.

  “Yes, I believe there are some bonuses that would apply, provided you are united in a single action.”

  Gideon turned to the others. “Like pulling off a piece of armor plating?”

  It took a few seconds for Gideon to locate the party function on his HUD. With a little help from Mia and sporadic guidance from Bullseye, he figured out how to establish a party and added Red and Mia to the group.

  Three small symbols showed at the top right corner of his HUD with a dagger, shield, and cross respectively showing Gideon, Red, and Mia in the party. The dagger also had a crown on top, indicating that Gideon was the party leader.

  “Let’s give it another go,” Gideon suggested, gripping the edge of the amor plate as Red and Mia did likewise.

  They pulled with all their strength, muscles straining as the armor slowly began to give way.

  PARTY BONUS: +2 Strength to all party members engaged in the same action!

  Gideon ignored the notification, pushing with all his might as something squelched beneath the chest piece and it suddenly gave way, sending the trio hurtling forward as the chitinous plating flew onto the floor behind the alien. Gideon’s momentum carried him on top of the dead creature, his forearms landing in the sticky mucus substance that covered the interior of the alien’s body.

  A waft of something foul smelling rose in the room, bringing tears to Gideon’s eyes as he backed away. Mia and Red coughed and spluttered, turning from the dead alien and putting some distance between themselves and the corpse.

  “God! That smells like a trash fire!” Mia complained.

  Red gagged. “Smells like a fire in an ass factory!”

  Trying not to vomit, Gideon stood, turning away from the corpse and holding his arms out in front of his body, hoping that the gunk clinging to his forearms wasn’t what was causing the horrific stench.

  He was about to comment on the fact when a burst of static cut through the air, drawing their attention toward one of the nearby bedrooms.

  Chrrrkkk! Lunar transit one calling transport vessel gamma-twelve-beta. Do you read me?

  For a brief moment, the trio looked at one another, confused, excited and still somewhat nauseated from the stench filling the room. A moment later they were all running toward the bedroom.

  Gideon wiped his arms on the bedsheets, cleaning off the worst of the goop while the others searched the room for the source of the radio transmission.

  Chrrrkkk! Gamma-twelve-beta, is anyone there?

  Red found the walkie talkie buried beneath a small pile of clothes and promptly picked it up and started talking.

  “Rodger, rodger, alpha bravo. This is Doinkmaster Supreme coming to you from the space vessel dead weight! We’ve got—”

  His voice cut off as Mia ripped the walkie talkie out of his hands and passed it to Gideon.

  Hello? Who was that? Identify yourself!

  Gideon pressed the talk button.

  “Hi, this is Gideon. I’m on gamma-twelve-beta, along with two others.”

  “Three!” Bullseye called out from the other room.

  Gideon? Are you Ministry staff?

  “No, we’re hunters. We were on our way to Artemis.”

  What about staff? Who’s in charge there?

  “I guess we are. We haven’t seen any staff, and we just killed one of those creepy alien bastards, so—”

  What was that? You killed one of Harrow?

  Gideon looked questioningly at Mia and Red. They both shrugged in response.

  “It was an alien soldier, covered in black armor and with long claws.”

  A Stalker? You killed a Stalker?

  “I don’t know what we killed. It just attacked when we opened the door to try and get out of here. We’re getting ready to head to the transit station, but we’ve got no idea where it is or how many of those things are going to be waiting for us when we get out.”

  Okay. Standby.

  Gideon turned to the others. “Standby?”

  Red shrugged. “Maybe this is above his pay grade, and he’s gone to speak to a superior?

  “Ask him if he has any information about the enemy,” Bullseye said. He was standing in the doorway having crawled his way toward the group. “If he’s with the Ministry he must know something that will help us.”

  Gideon, are you there?

  “Yeah, I’m here.”

  Okay, I’ve spoken to my superior and she said you and the others are gonna have to fight your way out of the wreckage and make your way to the transit station.

  Gideon frowned. “Yeah, that’s what we were planning.”

  Good. We’ll have support waiting for you if you can make it to the southern entry point. It’s about half a mile from your current location and the way is relatively clear. You’ll need to secure an EV suit before you head outside though.

  “Where do we find those?”

  I’m sending an info packet to your echo HUDs. It will provide the layout of the ship and show you a clear path to the transit station. I’m also including everything we have so far on The Harrow.

  “What’s The Harrow?”

  They’re the enemy we’re facing. They’re called the Harrow Collective. It’s all in the info packet. Just use the info to get those EV suits and see if you can find some weapons before heading out. Most of the fighting is on the north and western sides of the station, but there are still a few stray Stalkers around the place, so be careful.

  “Ask about weapons!” Red hissed.

  Gideon clicked the walkie talkie button. “Any idea where we can find some weapons?”

  There’s a small armory locker not too far from where you are. I’ve included the locking code with the data we sent. Don’t expect much more than a few handguns, but it should give you something to work with. The EV suits are in the same area of the ship.

  Static interrupted his message and a few seconds passed.

  “Hello? You still there?” Gideon asked.

  Sorry, it’s getting hairy here. They just spotted a couple of Boneweavers by the northern barrier.

  “Bonewe—”

  Never mind. Look, ordinarily you guys wouldn’t be privy to the information we’ve just sent you, but these are extraordinary circumstances and apparently all Hunters have been redeployed as Ministry soldiers. Regardless of your class levels, you’re all currently ranked as Specialists, which means you can access most of the intel we have. Your wearing echoes so that means you’ve got superior strength, speed, and the ability to heal quickly. That makes you extremely valuable to the war effort right now.

  Gideon considered that. The wounds he had sustained from his fight with the alien soldier had completely healed, as had those taken by Mia and Red. That alone gave them a huge advantage over traditional troops, and then there was their ability to level up skills and perform actions that were almost God-like at higher levels.

  The point is, we’re depending on you. The transit station is only lightly armed and we’re definitely not prepared for a full-scale invasion. So, get here as fast as you can, and don’t die!

  Gideon felt his stomach twist in knots at that last part. The man on the other end of the line seemed desperate.

  “Okay, we’ll do our best.”

  Good luck. Hopefully, we’ll see you soon.

  “Oh, one more thing,” Gideon added. “What’s your name?”

  Communications Officer First Class, Joshua Booker. You can call me Book.

  Gideon nodded. “Nice to meet you, Book. Thanks for the help.”

  Don’t mention it. Just get your assess here as fast as you can!

  The message cut off and was immediately followed by a new item appearing on Gideon’s HUD. By the looks the others gave him, he guessed that they’d just received the same mission.

  SIDE MISSION: Gearing Up

  In order to traverse the hazardous expanse between your current location and the transit station you will need to acquire an EV suit. Acquiring a firearm is also recommended.

  REWARD: 2 Enhancement Points

  MILESTONE 1: Acquire EV suit - Incomplete

  MILESTONE 2: Acquire firearm - Incomplete

  Gideon accepted the mission and held onto the walkie talkie, dropping it into one of his pockets as he and the others moved back out into the main room. A series of message icons appeared at the lower left corner of his HUD, accompanied by a notification that new information had been delivered by the Ministry.

  “Ah,” Bullseye said, nodding his little turtle head. “Now we have something to work with.”