“Damn,” Angel cursed, popping a new cannister into his arm as he scanned the sand for any signs of the last monster.

Cowl paced past him and thrust his sword into the earth. Sand exploded around him as the Burg-Tenn beneath the Hunter’s feet thrashed to and fro. Cowl didn’t seem even slightly concerned. He raised his sword and thrust it down a second time. The beast stopped struggling.

The eyepiece let out a small ding. He looked down at himself as Orange lines outlined his body for a moment before fading as text appeared on the glass.

User analysis updated.

Modifying database…

Complete.

New values assigned.

Displaying user status…

Race: Human Name: Angel Level: 27 [44%]

Status: Foreign Entity Detected

Information accuracy: 100%

Strength: 11

Intelligence: 19

Nimbleness: 17

Toughness: 5

Comparative Rating: Minor Threat

Weak point(s): Heart, Neck, Arteries… (100/100)

Element(s): Steel, [Unknown]

Magicore: None (41% Attunement)

…

…

Installing new module: 7% complete.

Angel let out a slow breath. The installation had progressed slightly, but he had no idea what was causing it to improve. He still felt jittery from the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

Before he could close the status sheet, it blinked. The words faded away as new ones took their place.

Magicore energy threshold reached. Energy source requested.

Error – Energy source already received. Activating manual reset.

Angel’s arm hissed. A plate at his inner wrist popped open with a small puff of smoke, sliding out of the way and revealing a small compartment. Several tubes and wires led up to a small hemisphere with a faint mote of white energy flickering within it.

The energy slowly changed color, turning purple and growing brighter. Cowl peered over at him as his arm sparked with energy. The light shot down the tubes, faintly illuminating them as it traveled deeper into him. The slot snapped closed of its own volition.

Manual reset complete.

Foreign Entity classified: Star Fragment

Features: [0/3]

Warning: Latent energy too low to activate features.

Estimated required Magicore attunement to unlock first feature: 50%

The words blinked out, leaving Angel staring at his arm in befuddlement. The Magicore was the power source he’d built a long time ago to enable his arm to run without a canister, but it had never mentioned anything about a new energy source or features. Whatever the purple orb he’d found in the catacomb was – it was changing him, and he wasn’t sure if it was for better or for worse. Angel wasn’t a fan of anything messing with his work.

“What was that about?” Cowl asked.

“Little update to the arm,” Angel said, shaking his head. He turned his arm over, examining it carefully for several moments to check if it had been damaged. It seemed to function as always. “Don’t worry about it.”

With a sigh, let the arm drop back to his side. He went to flick his eyepiece back up, but a thought struck him. He glanced at Cowl, scanning him.

Race: Human

Name: Cowl

Level 82

Status: Healthy

Information accuracy: 20%

Strength: 45

Intelligence: 38

Nimbleness: 53

Toughness: 28

Comparative Rating: Incredible Threat

Weak point(s): Heart, Neck, Arteries… (100/100)

Element(s): Unknown

“Done staring?” Cowl asked as Angel flipped his eyepiece back up.

“For now. If anything, I should have done it earlier.”

“Probably,” Cowl agreed. He paused for a few moments. “Find anything interesting?”

“Not particularly,” Angel replied. “Should I have?”

“I suppose you’ll never know.”

Angel rolled his eyes as they headed back to their camp. Vanessa sat on her bedroll, watching them with wide eyes. Angel walked past her and sat down on his blanket, pulling some bandages from his pack and wrapping his cheek with a grimace.

“What were those?” Vanessa asked.

“Burg-Tenn,” Cowl replied. He started to pack his bedroll up. “They–”

“Blind monsters that hunt through sound and the vibrations in the sand,” Vanessa finished. She rolled her eyes at Angel’s surprised expression. “I’m sheltered, not stupid. Just because my mom didn’t let me see any of the monsters doesn’t mean I don’t know about them.”

“And Burg-Tenn happen to be a popular enemy in folk tales,” Cowl said dryly. “But why did you ask what those were if you already know?”

“Burg-Tenn generally don’t go after groups,” Vanessa said. “They’re one of the more studied monsters. They’re dangerous, but also generally cowardly. There were three of us. Why would they attack? It doesn’t make sense.”

“That’s a good point, Red” Angel said, dabbing at the seeping wound on his cheek with a small grimace.

“Red?” Vanessa asked.

“Your eyes,” Angel replied. “I’m not going to say Vanessa all the time. It’s too posh. I’m worried I might sprout frilly clothing.”

“You’ll live, unless you want me to start calling you Seeker like Cowl does.”

“I concede,” Angel said, gagging. Cowl snorted in laughter as Vanessa rolled her eyes.

“It still doesn’t make sense that they attacked us,” Vanessa said. “It doesn’t add up.”

“I honestly don’t know much about them,” Angel said. “They can’t keep up with me when I’m on my board and I do my best to avoid sleeping in the desert at normal jobs. The Burg-Tenn aren’t particularly numerous, so I don’t interact with them often. What do you think, Cowl?”

“It is indeed concerning,” Cowl said. “But I’m not sure why they would–”

“Bandits!” Vanessa exclaimed, snapping her fingers. “A lot of Bandit groups use Burg-Tenn as scouts. I read that they’re easily tamed if you manage to find babies and separate them from their mother.”

A shadow passed over them. Angel’s blood ran cold as he looked into the sky above them. A small circular ship melted into view above them. The bottom was made of interconnected bronze plates. Four propellers whirred in a square formation around it.

Angel grabbed his board, but eight dark forms leapt from the sides of the ship, rappelling down to the ground on long lines of rope. They landed in the sand around the group. Vanessa leapt to her feet and backed away from the bandits as they drew closer.

“Marvelous show,” a man said from behind Angel. He spun towards the speaker, backing up until his back touched Vanessa and Cowl.

The speaker tilted his black, wide-brimmed hat back, flashing them a lazy smile full of sparkling white teeth. Jewelry adorned every inch of his body. He had a dozen rings on his fingers, several necklaces, and more golden wristbands than a small village.

“Barren, man,” Angel said. “Could you be any gaudier?”

“I’m working on it,” the bandit replied, tipping the hat back slightly. His smooth brown skin was completely unblemished – an abnormality amongst his scarred and scruffy looking crew.

“What do you want with us?” Vanessa asked, raising her hands in front of her in a fighting position.

“You, dear,” the man replied, laughing. “A certain Magistrate hired us to ensure your safe retrieval.”

Vanessa tensed at Angel’s back. He forced himself to keep his face blank as he mentally ran through his options. There were only three cannisters left on his arm, but there was no way he could load one of them in time.

“Don’t look so nervous,” the bandit said, stopping several feet away from the group and examining them with a careful eye. “We’re professionals. There doesn’t need to be any bloodshed – we’re only here for the little Magistrate-to-be. You’ve already given us quite the entertainment with your fight this morning.”

All of the bandits aside from the one directly to the speaker’s side laughed. It wasn’t hard to tell who had been the one tasked with raising the monsters.

“Just business, then?” Angel asked.

“Exactly. It’s always a pleasure to meet a likeminded individual.”

“Likewise,” Angel said, desperately trying to buy time. “But there’s a slight problem. You see, the good Hunter at my side and I have been hired to escort your target. My reputation depends on seeing her safely to her destination.”

“That is a problem,” the bandit said, adjusting his hat and crossing his arms. “However, there are eight of us and three of you. Is your reputation worth your life?”

“Do you want to find out?”

To Angel’s surprise, the man seemed to consider his words. After a moment, the bandit chuckled.

“Not particularly,” he said. “However, my reputation also rides on my job. Captain Silver is more than just my name – it’s a brand. Thus, I fear we’re in similar positions. I’m sure you understand.”