"Team 8! Cover the east, don't let them get away!" a voice shouted, cutting through the dense thicket. Team 8 moved with impressive speed, blocking the enemies' escape route. "Squad 12, provide support! Attack unit, don't let any more enemies slip through! Long-range unit, stick to crowd control; this is the last wave!" the voice commanded again.
"Right!" all teams responded in unison, pinning down the escaped enemies. The attack unit handled the rest with ruthless efficiency.
The date was October 15, 3040, two months after the winner of the small tournament Elaine had set up at BlackWind had been declared. Maurice, the winner, had received Marika's mana veins as his prize. "You did well," Elaine had said, stepping onto the scene with an approving nod.
After the tournament, Elaine had announced a joint training session for all the teams, squads, and G-units of BlackWind. This was the third session in two months. They had attacked and eliminated mercenary groups exploring Mana Rifts—dimensional portals that formed as a result of high concentrations of space-time mana collapsing, creating pockets of isolated space. These spaces were filled with creatures that had evolved beyond common limits due to the high mana concentration. Originally from one of the three universes that had merged, these creatures had become insane, rabid beings that knew only to wreak havoc. Handling such creatures was the task of Hunters or Mercenaries.
Although Hunters dominated the industry, their work was limited to tasks related to Mana Rifts. On the other hand, mercenaries had greater operability, but their reputation had been declining due to many notorious individuals within their ranks. Hunter Guilds had taken this opportunity to expand their operations by forming a new profession, Hunter-Mercenary, allowing Hunters to take on mercenary work. This move aimed to bring more control and security to the mercenary industry.
BlackWind, an unofficial underground mercenary organization operating under Elaine, had taken to the asteroid belt where Mana Rifts were common and often overlooked. This place, frequented by space pirates and illegal mercenaries, served as the perfect training ground. Elaine used it to train all her experiments, including the older ones, in working as a cohesive unit to topple big organizations. There was no better place than this for their training.
This time, Ethan had been given the role of first in command. They were hunting down the Scorpius gang, a group of mercenaries and criminal mages who had made their base inside a Mana Rift. The cleanup was now complete.
"That was intense, huh?" Dianna, second in command, said to Ethan. "You've gotten better."
"It's nothing much, although I am nervous about going to Ceres. I know it's a small base, but..." Ethan's voice trailed off as he looked down, showing his concern.
"You know, this is my first time in space," Dianna confessed. "I never thought I would spend my time away from Earth hunting down criminals as a criminal myself, when my..." Her voice faltered as she kept quiet.
"Yeah..." Ethan replied, the two of them sitting in silence, looking at the rubble of the fallen base of the Scorpius gang.
"You two, enough resting. Make sure the preparations are done. I don't want any mistakes when we leave next week," Elaine said, her focus and anger evident. She was determined to have her way with what was to happen.
"Miss Elaine, that person is requesting a favor again," Elaine's assistant said, carrying a slim box with green inscriptions on it.
"What does he want?" Elaine asked.
"He said something about competitors getting cocky," the assistant replied.
"Tell him to wait. I'll handle things when I get back," Elaine said. "I gave you a lot of things, and you sought cooperation with that poison puppet. I'll show you who really is boss," she muttered to herself as she left.
Ethan and Dianna went to check on everything, ensuring the ships were fueled and ready. They inspected the magic scripts of all magical items, carrying out their tasks diligently throughout the week. Despite the never-ending tasks, Ethan's face showed no signs of tiredness. He kept a straight face at all times, his hidden courage holding him up high.
A week passed, and they were ready to depart. The Lotus solar system, a private planet resort, lay ahead. They headed toward the small dwarf planet Ceres, just outside the solar system. Mysterious potions were being transported from there, and Elaine was determined to seize the base, plunder it, and burn it down.
"Is it me, or does the mood feel heavy today?" Mia remarked, sitting with her team. "I mean, we're just going to do another training session, right?"
"I don't know. It feels like we're going to be doing something far more dangerous this time," Lindiwe replied. "I mean, look at the masks and clothes we were given to wear. Our gear is meant for war."
"I didn't know you could read the script enchanted on these," Mia said.
"I learned a thing or two from Ethan. He taught me," Lindiwe said, smiling awkwardly.
"Wow, really? I'm jealous," Mia teased.
"Psshhh, what's so great about him anyway? He's not even an experiment like us. He's inferior," Jake muttered, blushing slightly.
"Right," Mia agreed with a mischievous smile. "Whatever you tell yourself," she added. "Anyway, I wonder if we'll get back to being normal teams after this. I'd like to hang out with you guys a bit more."
Jake blushed as he crossed his arms and looked to the side as if he didn't care about the statement. That's when everyone received a notification on their headgear. Their helmets beeped a blue light as they wore them.
"It seems like everyone received one," Lindiwe remarked as she checked what it was about. "Instructions and a map," she said.
"This shows where we'll be positioned once we arrive," Mia added. "And look, it's a formula for a communication spell. I guess we'll use this instead of comms," she continued. Lindiwe looked at her, captivated that someone as playful as Mia could actually become focused when necessary.
"We won't be with Ethan this time around," Mia remarked.
"We all received our instructions! Everyone, get ready. We'll be arriving soon," G30 informed everyone.
"It has finally arrived, the countdown to your demise," Elaine muttered, her eyes glowing green as she glared at Ceres, the dwarf planet they were approaching. Everyone activated their battle suits and added extra layers of their own personal enchantments as they readied themselves.
"I'll have to go all out today," Ethan muttered, determination gleaming in his eyes. The stage was set for the next chapter of their perilous journey.
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