The Shadows of Sector A3

  Fodio was the first to wake, his survival instincts from his mercenary days keeping him alert. He quickly roused Denki, who then woke Brendarg and Grekknark. After a final check of their weapons and gear, the four slipped out of their quarters and headed toward the plaza.

  While Brendarg and Grekknark discussed combat strategies, Fodio pointed toward a gathering crowd. "There they are!"

  he whispered. They hurried to catch up with the BladeClaw Crew, an independent band of travelers. This was the crew's third scouting mission into Sector A3; the Yvonary Empire was planning to establish a strategic defense zone there, and fresh intel fetched a high price.

  As the column marched out, they passed through the refugee settlement again. Denki’s heart grew heavy seeing the starving children, families living in squalor, and mechanoids falling apart due to a lack of maintenance. He saw bodies being lowered into shallow graves. "Is there even a leader in this place?" Denki asked Fodio.

  "There is," Fodio replied grimly, "but I’ve never seen them. Word is, refugees have been going missing lately. That’s why I didn't want to linger here." Denki wondered if the leader was exploiting these people, but he remained silent. They were only four; they didn't have the power to change the settlement's fate... not yet.

  As they crossed the border out of A2,

  the BladeClaw Crew slowed their pace. Tension hung thick in the air. This was new territory for Denki’s group. The silence was deafening, but they all felt it...the prickling sensation of eyes watching them from the shadows. The crew leader signaled a halt. They scanned every corner: shattered buildings, crumbling walls, and piles of rusted debris.

  When the initial panic subsided, they resumed their march with agonizing slowness. "Scout ahead before taking another step," the leader whispered to his men.

  "Let's stick to the deeper shadows," Fodio urged Denki's group. "I have a bad feeling about this."

  They crouched behind the ruins of a collapsed structure. Suddenly, Grekknark’s eyes widened. He saw a shape in the darkness...a silhouette that seemed to blend and shift against the texture of the walls. Simultaneously, Fodio’s keen ears picked up a faint mechanical whirring.

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  Then, the world exploded.

  Smoke grenades went off in a calculated sequence, blanketing the path in a thick, choking haze. Through the grey veil, silhouettes emerged...humanoid figures with frog-like features. "Toaddah-cult!"

  Fodio hissed, retreating behind Denki since he lacked close-combat gear. "Saboteurs!"

  Brendarg vanished into a side alley, moving like a ghost. She lunged at a cultist who was busy parrying an attack from another traveler. Grekknark provided the distraction, swinging his heavy axe to force the enemy back. The cultist dodged, unaware that Brendarg had already flanked him. Her claws tore through his side, spilling entrails onto the rusted pavement, before Grekknark finished him with a crushing blow to the head. Blood stained the asphalt.

  On the other side, a cultist leaped toward Fodio. Denki intercepted the strike just in time, his blade clashing against the enemy's weapon. Fodio scrambled back, drew his bow, and let fly an arrow that pierced the cultist's shoulder. Denki followed up instantly, slashing the enemy's leg and ribs.

  As the cultist collapsed, gasping for air, Fodio knelt beside him. "Who sent you? What do you want from us?"

  Instead of answering, the Toaddah-cultist triggered a hidden device, ending his own life instantly. No information. No mercy.

  "Sound off!" the BladeClaw leader barked. Denki’s group was intact, but the other crew had lost two men, with one more wounded. They quickly moved into a hidden spot within a nearby building to set up a temporary camp. They were now officially inside Sector A3.

  "Their tactics... they're just like my old unit," Fodio whispered, his voice trembling. "Someone definitely ordered this. They weren't just raiding; they were hunting for a specific target...either to assassinate or kidnap."

  As the group settled in to recover, a solitary figure watched them from a distant rooftop. The mysterious observer narrowed his eyes at the flickering campfire in the ruins.

  "I won't let you see everything..." WAN-i whispered to the wind.