Ethan could feel the tension building as the group of meraries made their way out of Valeris City, the massive walls fading into the distance behind them. The warmth of the setting sun cast long shadows over the cracked, barren ndscape. Out here, beyond the safety of the Federation's jurisdi, things were different. Valeris City had its share of trouble, but it was the outposts that suffered the most, stantly at the mercy of bandits and predators. The only prote these settlements had came from meraries like him.

  He had prepared for this mission carefully, even more so than his previous ones. It wasn't just another routirol; this was a trial to earn his E-rahan had spent days studying advice from Kael, the guild secretary, and strategizing with Iris, his AI panion, optimizing everything he could for the mission ahead.

  With Kael's help, Ethan had rented a better ser pistol, upgraded from his usual low-tier sidearm, and a psma khat could pack a punch if things got too close for fort. On top of that, he'd ied in an energy shield armor, a bulky but reliable piece of gear desigo defleing fire. He also bought a few specialized gadgets such motion sensors, some smoke, EMP and psma grenades, as well as a basic hag module. To further enhance his preparedness, he also purchased a pair of cheap but effective high-tech binocurs, capable of le sing and thermal imaging. They would be invaluable for keeping a watchful eye on the horizon during the mission.

  Kael had told him, "Always be ready for the ued, Ethan. A well-prepared merary is ohat es back alive."

  That advice echoed in his mind now as he moved through the dimming light, his setuo every subtle shift in the surroundings.

  The team he was assigo was a motley crew of hardened meraries, each bringing their own skills and quirks to the table. Ethan, however, kept mostly to himself, their personalities as they made their way toward the remote outpost. Rourke, the grizzled veteran of the group, had a face like weathered stone and a voiatch. Every word he spoke came with a dose of icism, especially when talking about the Federation's ck of care for the outposts.

  "They leave these pces to rot," Rourke muttered, his eyes sing the terrain as they walked. "Mercs like us are their quick fix. Cheap and disposable."

  Ethan didn't argue. He knew better than to expeything from the Federation at this point. His time on Kynara had shown him that outposts like Ridgefall were the ed underbelly of a much rger system, left vulnerable to bandit raids and monsters. But it was in these cracks that meraries like him thrived.

  At Rourke's side was Kara, the team's scout, always moving ahead of the group, eyes sharp and alert. She was quiet but effit, like a predator waiting to strike. The you of the group, Dax, was boung with energy, barely able to tain his excitement. His attitude was reckless, a stark trast to Ethan's measured caution. Dax reminded him of some young coworkers he used to know ba Earth, who were brash and eager to prove themselves with little regard for the sequences.

  "Man, I've been waiting for a mission like this!" Dax excimed, his grin wide as they moved through the twilight. "Finally, some real a!"

  Rave him a withering look. "Keep it together, kid. You'll get your a soon enough."

  Ethan g Dax but didn't say anything. He'd seen this kind of overfidence before, and it never ended well. It wasn't that Dax didn't have potential, but in this line of wetting ahead of yourself could be fatal. Ethan had learhat long ago.

  The st member of the group, Leena, was the team's medic. She was calm and posed, her eyes betraying little of what she might be feeling. She checked her equipment stantly, methodical and precise, ready for whatever the mission might throw at them. Ethan respected her quiet professionalism.

  As the meraries reached the outskirts of the outpost, it was clear that the situation was worse than they had anticipated. The settlement was a crumbling mess. The walls were barely standing, and the handful of settlers they entered looked haggard, worn down by years of fending off threats with little support.

  The leader of the outpost, a wiry man with deep lines on his face, met them with a tired expression. His voice was hoarse, likely from barking orders to a dwindling workforce.

  "We've been seeing more bandits than usual, cirg like vultures," he said, his voice tehey're waiting for the right moment to strike. We've got nothio fight them with."

  Ethan surveyed the area with a practiced eye, his mind already calg the defensive positions they could take, the oints itlement's perimeter, and the likely approach the bandits would use. This wasn't just a random raid waiting to happen; it felt coordinated, deliberate. He could sehe danger looming.

  The team quickly fanned out, setting up a defensive perimeter around the settlemehan activated his motion sensors and pced them strategically around the vulnerable parts of the walls, ensuring they would be alerted the moment anything moved in the viity. Kara scouted ahead, while Rourke and Dax took up positions on the high ground. Lee up her med statiohe ter, her calm demeanor putting the settlers at ease.

  As night fell, the tension in the air grew thicker. Ethan stood on a le, using his newly acquired binocurs to s the horizon. The stars provided little fort. Beside him, Kara kept her gaze locked on the shadows beyond the outpost.

  "You se too?" she asked, her voice low.

  "Yeah," Ethan replied. "It's too quiet. They're out there, waiting."

  Kara nodded, her expression grim. "They'll e whehink we've let uard down."

  Ethan didn't doubt it. This was the kind of mission where a single mistake could lead to disaster. He had seen signs of criminal activity while pleting his ret missions in Valeris City, with the Bck Sun Syndicate lurking in the shadows. Out here in the frontier, it was anyone's guess how far their influeended.

  His thoughts were interrupted by a crackle in his earpiece. Rourke's gravelly voice came through.

  "Stay sharp. We've got movement."

  Ethan's eyes narrowed as he sed the horizon again with the binocurs. Something was ing.

  The night was about to get a lot more dangerous.