Riven, Jex, and Fey climbed into their vehicles, started the engines, and drove off through the base's entrance—ready for their first hunt.
They were the last team to leave.
For several minutes, the Marauder cruised quietly across the barren desert. The silence lingered.
Jex kept his hands on the wheel, but his eyes occasionally flicked to the rearview mirror, watching Riven, who stared out the window with his chin resting on his palm.
Eventually, Fey broke the silence.
"Which zone are we heading to?" she asked.
"The green zone," Jex replied. "AI, where's the nearest green zone?"
Jex turned the wheel sharply, steering the Marauder north.
"So," Fey continued, trying to lighten the mood, "why don't we get to know each other better? For starters, let's say our names. My name is—"
"We already know who you are, Fey," Riven interrupted. "Our teammates' names are in our watches."
"Oh," Fey said, glancing at her wrist. "I didn't know... sorry. I haven't figured out how to use this watch properly yet."
"So that means you weren't there for the test," Jex said.
Fey nodded. "Yeah... I arrived at the base late."
She hesitated, then looked at Riven. "I never got to know your name."
"Riven. Riven Kale."
"Hmm, that's a nice name," she said with a small smile before turning back forward and sighing. "I wish our team had five members… but what's done is done. What matters now is knowing what we can each do. Our abilities."
She extended her hand, and it instantly burst into mesmerizing blue flames. "Mine is fire."
She looked at Jex next. "What about you?"
Jex exhaled sharply. "I don't have powers. But I do have high-tier weapons and a lot of skills."
"Oh… that's okay," Fey said, then turned to Riven. "And yours?"
Riven hesitated. This was the moment he had hoped wouldn't come. "Um… I don't have any powers either," he admitted quietly.
Fey's smile faltered. "What?"
Suddenly, the Marauder screeched to a halt.
The three stepped out of the vehicle, silence settling between them again. The desert wind whipped at their clothes as they moved further into the sandy expanse.
Riven glanced over to Fey, who stood a short distance away with her arms folded, her expression distant. She looked… disappointed. She had chosen him. Now she knew he was statless. Her expectations had dropped.
Jex crouched to examine the ground. "The sand here's damp. That means there's a high chance we'll find mutant scorpions. Probably a whole swarm. If we trigger them by sound, we might get 20 cores in one go. Stay alert—they'll come fast."
He glanced at Fey. "You listening?"
Fey snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah. I'm listening."
Jex returned to the Marauder and slammed the horn.
The blaring sound echoed through the desert.
Riven and Fey scanned the area. Then, the sand began to shift—movement stirred beneath the surface. The scorpions were coming.
They burst from the ground.
Riven raised his gun, but before he could shoot, Fey stepped forward.
"Relax," she said calmly, and released a massive burst of blue flame from her hands.
The fire engulfed the swarming creatures, reducing most to ash in seconds.
Riven and Jex stared in stunned silence.
Fey looked at them and noticed their expressions
"What?" Fey blinked. "Go collect the cores!"
Snapping out of it, they rushed forward. Riven crouched and absorbed a core into his watch.
"Wow," he whispered to himself, acknowledging Fey's strength.
Suddenly, another scorpion lunged toward him. Riven turned and shot it down.
"Great," he muttered, just 10 XP away from Level 3.
Another scorpion surfaced, and Riven shot it again. But… nothing.
No XP notification.
He tilted his head. "Why didn't it work?" he thought. "Does it only work once per species?"
Then, something caught his eye.
A Marauder—not far from theirs—had parked in the distance. Another team was hunting scorpions.
Then, someone approached.
Riven adjusted the angle of his umbrella to see through the glare.
It was Blake. And he had that smirk.
"Hey, Fey," Blake said mockingly as he approached.
Fey ignored him, still firing off flames at the scorpions.
"Just dropping by to see how excellently your team is doing," Blake said with a sarcastic grin. "Killing scorpions too, huh? We are as well. Only difference is... our team has more than one powered member."
Fey clenched her fist, her flames flaring briefly.
Jex stabbed his sword into a fallen scorpion and glared. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
Suddenly, Blake's watch buzzed. "Where are you, man?" said a voice. "We're at 70 beast cores now. Hurry!"
"I'm on my way," Blake said, ending the call. He turned back with a smug smile.
"You're right—I do have better things to do." He paused, then smirked again. "Nice meeting you. I'll be heading back to my team. You know, the one that's actually progressing."
He walked away.
Riven stared after him, eyes narrowing.
"Don't listen to him," Fey muttered, her voice tight. "Let's just finish this."
They continued hunting until late afternoon, when the beasts became scarce. By dusk, they returned and parked the Marauder.
The three stepped out, sweaty and tired.
In front of the entrance building, a new digital screen displayed the current team rankings.
They scanned the list—and saw their name.
13th place.
"Damn… we're that low?" Jex said, frustrated, pulling off his mask.
Riven noticed Fey staring at the screen, looking crushed.
"I guess our effort wasn't enough," Jex said, then walked off disappointed.
Riven looked at Fey, he noticed she stood there longer than normal so he approached her. "You okay?"
"It's nothing. We'll try again tomorrow," she said, forcing a smile and heading off.
Riven stood there, watching her go. Their effort hadn't been enough.
Their team was small, and possibly the weakest. He needed a solution—especially now that he had a secret ability.
As he walked past the gates, Blake's team rolled in, celebrating loudly.
Just then, a notification popped up.
Riven's eyes sharpened.
"Don't worry," he said coldly. "I'll attend to it soon."