Luca closed the status screen, the rush of leveling again still thrumming in his veins. After two years of stagnation, seeing those numbers climb felt like freedom. Attribute allocation could wait till later. They still had a Queen to hunt. But fuck, it felt good to be moving forward again.
Around him, the team's excited chatter buzzed over the comms. Ryan's voice cut through it all, practically vibrating with excitent. "Holy shit, do you realize the multipliers on this? We need to rerun all our projections—"
Danny's rumbling laugh cut him off. "Ryan. Breathe."
Emily's voice, sharp and grounding, sliced through his high. "Don't get cocky."
He turned. She wasn't smiling anymore. Her grip on the plasma sword was firm, her shoulders squared.
"We're in a TL9 dungeon with TL8 gear," she said, her eyes bright with challenge. "The System's throwing us the real deal. Ti to prove we can handle it."
There's the Emily I know.
He grinned, feeling the buzz in his chest surge back to life. She was right. This was their shot.
"Exactly," he said, his voice steady. "We've been grinding the sa shit for two years. Now we've got a chance at sothing that actually matters."
She held his gaze, her jaw set with determination, before a fierce smile spread across her face. "Then let's show this hive what we're made of." She reignited the plasma blade, its blue glow casting sharp shadows across her armor. "Let's move."
He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, fierce and grounding. "We watch each other's backs. Always."
The mont passed, and they turned their attention to the gear distribution. Ryan, ever the showman, swung the new plasma rifle dramatically. "So, who gets this beauty?" he asked, grinning. "Captain? Wanna rock the new tech?"
Luca hesitated, his fingers brushing the familiar stock of his own sniper rifle. "You take it, Ryan," he said finally. "You're better up close, anyway, and we're gonna need soone to test this thing in action. Besides, I've got my sniper."
He turned to Emily, who still held the plasma sword. "You keep that. I know you know how to use it."
Her confident grin flared back to life as she gave the humming blade a flourish. The sound was sharp, alive, and yeah, Luca had to admit, it was pretty sick. "Won't let you down, Captain."
Zoe let out a dramatic sigh, throwing her hands in the air. "I swear, I better get sothing cool soon, or I'm throwing a fit. I want a plasma bazooka or sothing."
Luca couldn't help but smile. "You'll get your chance," he said. "Everyone's going to get their shot at the new gear. We gotta keep pushing forward, see what else is down here."
Then, as they began to consolidate supplies, the triumphant buzz soured. He popped open his energy cell pouch, and his stomach dipped. They were burning through their limited energy cells at an alarming rate. Ryan's scattergun alone had chewed through three.
Fuck. His fingers tightened on his rifle. These weren't normal mobs. TL8 weapons weren't cutting it. And aside from the two new weapons, they'd found no extra cells, no armor upgrades.
Would we have enough to finish? He forced the thought down. No one else was saying anything. Not the ti. They'd figure it out.
Chris was practically salivating as he pocketed the advanced Stims. "If this is just the appetizer, then I can't wait to see what's at the end of this dungeon. We're talking serious upgrades."
Danny hefted his Warhamr. "And we're getting that boss kill, too. Plasma gear or not, I want to see what kind of loot the Hive Mother's hiding." Of course you do, Danny. It's always about the loot.
"Then let's move," Luca said. "We stay sharp. We're the first ones here, and we're going to make it count."
They regrouped with renewed purpose, the path ahead seeming less daunting with the hum of Ryan's new rifle and the crackle of Emily's sword. This was what he lived for. The system had finally thrown them a real challenge, and they were more than ready to hit it out of the park. He just hoped they had enough ammo to finish the delve.
The tunnels ahead beckoned, and Zoe was already moving like a shadow into the depths. The passage opened into another cavern, this one filled with thick, green fog that clung to the ground. Giant fungi towered above them, their caps glowing with sickly green light.
"Fog's a bitch," Zoe's voice cut through the comms, all business. "Visibility's zero down low. Watch for movent in the mist."
She vanished into the mist, and Luca followed, his visor flicking to thermal. Behind them, the team moved forward, Ryan already muttering about deployable sensor grids.
Just ahead, the air slled stale, dense with rot and sothing oddly sweet. Zoe moved like a ghost, her presence more felt than seen. Their private comm was open, a silent link between them while the rest of the team clanked along like a parade behind them.
"I love this part," she whispered over their private channel. "Just us. No distractions. No waiting for Ryan's turret setup."
Luca snorted. "Sure, because you hate spending ti with those two."
"No, dumbass," she clicked her tongue. "I'm trying to land him, and he's too fucking oblivious to notice." Oh, here we go.
Luca kept his rifle steady, pretending he wasn't grinning. "Right. And that must be so frustrating for you, huh?"
"Infuriating," she replied. Bull. Shit.
If Zoe loved anything more than the thrill of a fight, it was shalessly chasing those two idiots around. And them? So fucking dense it was almost tragic. And, of course, I was totally above all that nonsense.
Danny was a lovable moron, completely blind to her advances. And Ryan? The cocky smartass was too clueless to see what was right in front of him. It was tragically amusing.
"Uh-huh," Luca deadpanned. "You hate it. Totally."
"Fuck you," she huffed.
They both loved these monts. He caught her glancing at him, just for a second, a flicker of sothing in her eyes before she looked away.
The fog swirled as he stepped forward, and then he saw them.
Shapes. Shifting in the haze. His grip tightened on his rifle. They were more of the chitin-plated bastards from the tunnels, but they weren't attacking. They were… working. So hacked at the giant fungi, gathering glowing chunks into sacks. Others scraped thodically at resinous growths on the cavern walls.
"What the hell are they doing?" Luca whispered.
Zoe crouched beside him, a flicker of amusent in her voice. "Harvesting? I thought we were fighting a hive of killers, not space beetle farrs."
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"Yeah, well, farrs don't usually have mandibles that can shear off a limb," Luca muttered, raising his scope.
Ryan's voice crackled in his ear. "Luca, you seeing this?"
"Yeah."
"You thinking what I'm thinking?"
Luca sighed. "That depends. Does it involve shooting them?"
"I an… not yet. But I am thinking those glowing rocks look really valuable. And those resin nodes? Bet they've got industrial applications. Just saying, this could be a payday."
Of course, Ryan would see dollar signs in alien bugs scraping glowing minerals off the walls.
"Holy shit, look at this stuff!" Ryan breathed, already scooping glowing chunks into a sample bag. "Danny, we gotta analyze this back on the ship!"
Danny was right beside him, practically vibrating with excitent as he scraped resin into another container. "The bio-luminescence alone... this could revolutionize our understanding of—"
"Nerds," Zoe muttered, but she was grinning.
He tuned them out and forced his eyes back to the drones, pushing the distraction away. Sothing about them bothered him. Not the harvesting, that was just weird. It was their movent. Too organized. Sothing wasn't right.
Then, one of them stopped.
A drone, larger than the others, lifted its head. Its antennae twitched, sensing the air. Its multi-faceted eyes glowed faintly. And then it turned its head directly toward their position.
Shit.
A small group of six drones broke off from their tasks, their antennae now twitching frantically as they focused on the hidden intruders. The mont stretched, eerie and thick, as more of them began to turn, drawn by an unseen signal.
"Incoming!" Luca snapped over the comms, already pushing himself backward. "They're on to us. Fall back to the main group, now. Get ready."
Zoe was already moving, a whisper against the damp ground. "We waiting to see if they're friendly, or—"
"Run."
He didn't need to tell her twice. They bolted, the sound of chittering and scraping exoskeletons surging behind them.
Ahead, the rest of the team was already snapping into a defensive line. Ryan, all swagger gone and replaced by sharp tactical focus, was barking orders. "Chris, Emily, get in the frontline with ! Joey, Danny, hold the left, lock down that choke point! Suppression now!"
Danny's powered armor thudded heavily as he moved into place, his massive warhamr ready. Joey was beside him, energy shield flickering as he prepared to hold the line.
Chris, a manic grin on his face, loaded a Shardburst grenade. "Could have just let them farm," he said casually. "But nah, let's poke the alien bees."
Emily's plasma sword ignited with a sharp hiss, its violet glow cutting through the mist. "Less talking, more killing."
Ryan slapped his turret down. "Luca, Zoe, get your asses here or I swear I'm setting the Arcwave off early!"
"Almost there!" Zoe called, jumping over a tangle of roots.
Luca risked a glance back. The bugs were gaining. "Brace for impact," he growled.
And then the swarm hit.
The bugs closed in, their skittering legs making wet, sucking sounds on the damp ground. They were faster than they looked, and they were definitely aggressive now, mandibles snapping, antennae twitching like they were honing in on their heat signatures.
"Alright, hold the line! Joey, Danny, brace! Luca, Zoe, give angles! Chris, keep the suppressive fire going!" Ryan barked, his deployable turret whirring to life. "Turret's hot! Let's burn these bastards down!"
The turret spat rapid-fire energy bursts, staggering the closest bug but not dropping it. Luca snapped his rifle up and fired—the energy bolt struck center mass, searing a chunk out of the chitin, but the thing barely slowed. Tough bastards.
Ryan let loose with his Plasma Rifle, and that was different. The shot howled through the cavern, a deep, violent crack of energy. It slamd into one of the bugs and blew a molten crater straight through it. The thing collapsed instantly, twitching as steam rose from its scorched internals.
"Holy shit!" Ryan shouted, a manic edge to his voice. "This thing's a goddamn cannon!"
Emily moved in, plasma sword flaring with blue fire, the hum sharp and deadly. She sliced through mandibles and armor as though they were made of butter, twisting between attacks, using the fog and her speed to her advantage. Green goo sprayed with every cut.
Danny swung his warhamr, slamming down with a thunderous impact. The force sent a bug skidding back, its carapace cracked, but it didn't shatter. The force that should have caved its armor in one hit barely did more than dent it. He gritted his teeth, bringing the hamr down again, then again. What should have been a single devastating strike had turned into a war of attrition.
Chris's energy driver burned through another bug, the beam drilling into its shell. But the damage was too slow, forcing him to adjust his aim, shifting to weaker spots.
They just wouldn't fucking drop fast enough.
Zoe was already lining up shots, her sniper rounds tearing through joints, disabling the faster ones before they could close the distance. One leapt toward Danny, mandibles spread wide, but her shot took its leg off mid-air. The thing crashed hard before Danny swung down, finishing it with a sickening crunch.
Another lunged at Ryan's turret, legs curling to crush the machinery, but Luca was already moving. His energy tomahawk spun through the air, burying itself directly into the bug's head. It spasd, its montum throwing it off course before it collapsed into a twitching heap.
"Nice save!" Ryan yelled, already pulling sothing off his belt.
His Arcwave Disruptor.
He slid it forward like a goddamn Ghostbusters trap, the little device skidding across the damp ground before activating with a sharp, electric crack. A shockwave surged outward in a tight six-yard radius, the energy wrapping around the bugs, frying their nervous systems—
For half a second.
They twitched, staggered… then kept moving.
Ryan's eyes widened. "Oh, you've gotta be shitting !"
The bastards were too strong. Ryan barely had ti to throw himself back before a clawed limb swiped through the space he'd just been standing in.
"Arcwave's no good!" he shouted. "They recovered almost instantly!"
Fuck, so much for that energy cell. TL8 gear wasn't cutting it. They were burning through energy cells like crazy, and the plasma weapons were the only things doing real damage.
The fight dragged on. It was a brutal grind. The air stank of burnt chitin and alien gore, green luminescence reflecting off the thick, hanging mist.
Then, finally, they stood panting in the fog, surrounded by the twitching remains of at least ten of those armored bastards.
And, as if on cue, two loot boxes shimred into existence right over their steaming, goo-covered corpses.
Because the System didn't care if it was disgusting.
[ 18,083 XP]
[ 6,750 credits]
[Skill Level up! Ranged Weapons Proficiency Level 7 -> Level 8]
The notification hit Luca's HUD at the sa ti as everyone else's. XP-share in action. They all got a cut, even if they didn't land the kill ourselves. Item-share worked the sa way, any loot that dropped was auto-logged in everyone's interface, though the one who grabbed it got first dibs.
Ryan was already on it, popping open the first box with greedy fingers. His eyes widened, his usual cocky grin replaced by genuine excitent.
[Item Acquired: Graphene Processor Wafer Schematic - TL9]
"Schematic?" he breathed. "Wait a minute… TL9? Graphene? Danny, you gotta see this!"
Danny perked up imdiately, his curiosity overriding exhaustion. "Graphene? As in real graphene? Not that shitty polyr blend they pass off in Sol?"
"Looks like it," Ryan said, holding it up. "Which ans if we can print these wafers..."
"We're looking at next-gen processors," Danny finished, his voice full of scientific hunger.
"Just grab it," Luca said, already reaching for the second box.
[Item Acquired: Power Cell - TL9]
"Power Cell?" Luca muttered, examining it closely. "Looks different."
Curious, he popped out the half-drained energy cell from his sniper rifle and slid the Power Cell in its place. It clicked in smoothly, a perfect fit. His HUD flickered, and then the ammo counter on his rifle display spiked.
It jumped from the 20 or so shots Luca had left in his current cell… all the way up to '99'. Two digits. Just '99'. But sothing told him, it was a lot more than just ninety-nine shots worth of energy. The counter just didn't have space for three digits, maybe more.
"Holy shit," Luca breathed, staring at the '99' on his display. "Ninety-nine? This thing's juiced."
Ryan whistled, leaning in for a closer look. "No way. Let see that." He peered at his rifle display, then back at the Power Cell in Luca's hand. "Damn. That's gotta be… what? Double capacity? More?"
"Feels like it. Let's not waste it yet, though." As cool as the new power cell was, Luca wasn't about to burn through it on these mobs. He popped the Power Cell back out, carefully sliding his old energy cell back into the rifle. The ammo counter dropped back down to where it was.
"Power Cell, huh?" Emily mused, watching him pocket the new ammo. "Maybe these things are the key to actually hurting these bugs without draining our reserves dry. Regular cells just aren't cutting it."
"Definitely," Luca agreed. "We gotta find more of these, or figure out how to make them." Which brought them back to the schematic.
Ryan was still holding the disk, focusing on it as though he could decipher it. "Do you know what this ans, Danny?"
Danny snatched the disk from Ryan, his eyes widening behind his visor. "Ryan, this is huge. TL9 tech... this could revolutionize everything back ho!"
"Alright, alright, I get it," Luca said. "Professor Thompson and Engineer Mitchell have their new favorite toy. But uh, professors?" He gestured to the fog-choked cavern stretching endlessly in front of them, and the lingering stench of bug guts. "We're still in the middle of a goddamn hive. Queen's still waiting."
"Exactly," Zoe said, nodding towards the fog-choked cavern ahead. "And we're not getting out of here anyti soon. Let's move. I'm getting seriously creeped out by this fog."
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