Their white RAA van rumbled down I-20 East, its claw-marked sides drawing curious glances from passing cars. Inside, Jelani adjusted the borrowed leather breastplate he wore that creaked with every bump in the road and shifted his feet in the tight black combat boots loaned to him.

The movement of the van rocked him against Pandora and Malik on either side of him. The cheap protective gear felt restrictive on top of his hoodie, but he supposed getting used to armor was part of the job now.

"Fifteen minutes out," Tyson called from the driver's seat, expertly weaving through Atlanta's perpetual traffic. "Hope y'all ate something, because once we start, we ain't stopping for snacks."

The van turned off the highway onto smaller roads, the cityscape giving way to patches of wilderness broken by the occasional house or abandoned strip mall. They finally pulled up to a modest single-story home in Zingara on a large plot of land, its well-maintained lawn a stark contrast to the overgrown properties around it.

"Welcome to our little training ground," Mary said as they piled out. Jelani noticed how the other trainees moved with varying degrees of confidence in their borrowed gear. Their leather armor was clearly well-worn, bearing scuffs and patches from previous users. Some pieces still carried faint bloodstains that hadn't quite washed out.

Tyson sighed, eyeing the house. "Gotta check in with mr.Johnson. Mary, you wanna go talk to this man?"

"Flip for it?" She suggested with a tired smile.

"One toss, winner stays," Tyson agreed, pulling out a quarter.

"Tails," Mary called.

"Heads then,"

The coin spun through the air, catching the morning light before landing decisively on tails. Mary's laugh carried genuine amusement. "Don't antagonize him with your attitude. You know how he is once you get him started,"

"No promises," Tyson headed for the front door, leaving the group to wait.

Malik bounced on the balls of his feet, nervous energy radiating off him in waves. To his right, Saveon watched with the weary expression of someone who'd seen this behavior before.

"You ready for this?" Malik asked, throwing mock punches at the air. "First raid, bout to show out!"

Saveon shook his head and smirked. "Someone's gotta watch your back when you do dumb shit,"

"Man, please," Malik scoffed then laughed. "This is what I've been waiting for. Ain't nobody gotta protect me. We gonna be the first ones in the family to get what we want from life,"

"Y'all related?" Mary asked

"Cousins," they answered in unison.

"Mmm." Mary's expression carried a hint of concern. "Raids with family members can get... complicated. It seems nice that y'all awakened around the same time but.. make sure you hold each other down and understand that all we can do is our best."

"You don't have to worry about us," Malik grinned. "When it comes to me though, I'm telling you now, I'm about to carry this whole squad. Watch."

Saveon smirked. "Alright dickhead, chill out."

Mary turned to address the group. "Have any of you dealt with vortex demons up close before?"

A chorus of nods and murmured affirmatives. Jelani hesitated before speaking. "Yeah, I was downtown during yesterday's break."

"For real?" Greta's slight . "I heard that it got bad. They're saying it'll take days to clear the roaming monsters. How'd you make it out?"

Jelani felt his chest tighten. The truth – getting gunned down by corrupt enforcers and saved by an otherworldly being – wasn't an option. "I was working but made it out of the area on a rental scooter before things got too wild," he said carefully. "Saw some YK5 guys fighting, but kept my distance."

He noticed Malik's sudden interest at the mention of YK5, but before anyone could press further, Greta spoke up. "What's even the point of having these systems in our head if people are just gonna use it to fight each other instead of the real threats? Good thing you made it out,"

"System's just showing us what's up," Malik cut in. "Whatever you want in this life, you gotta take it by force. That's that new world order shit they been tryna make happen for years,"

"Who's 'they'?" Jelani asked, his tone carrying genuine curiosity beneath the obvious skepticism.

"The real motherfuckers—" Malik started.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Language, please," Mary interjected.

"My bad. The men in the black suits running our country right now," Malik lowered his voice conspiratorially. "Search up what happened in Tulsa on March 3rd, 2025. Im telling you this aint no joke,"

Isaac’s attention seemed to be drawn to the conversation. "You can't believe every conspiracy theory you find online, half of those ni-"

“Alright y'all i'm back!” Tyson called from ahead with a confused look on his face, cutting into the conversation that was about to spiral down a rabbit hole.

"That was quick," Mary noted as Tyson gestured for them to follow him around back.

"Wasn't home." Tyson's expression tightened slightly. "Door was open though. Nobody inside. So I closed it."

"That's... odd. Mr. Johnson's usually so paranoid."

"Yeah, but no point stressing it. Man’s probably fine. His ass probably went down the street to harass one of the neighbors,"

They emerged into a sprawling backyard a couple acres large, the afternoon sun casting long shadows across freshly mowed grass. About three hundred feet away, a crimson vortex hung in the air like a wound in reality, its edges pulsing with otherworldly energy.

"Pop quiz," Tyson announced. "Anyone want to identify what we're looking at?"

Isaac's hand shot up, his eyes never leaving the vortex. "Medium class – larger than a doorway but smaller than a Ferris wheel. Single orb indicates first rank, and the red coloring means it's hunt-type."

"Good to see someone was paying attention." Tyson's approval carried a hint of surprise. "Once we're inside, we'll be on a mesa. Winds can get high, so stay close initially."

Jelani felt anticipation building in his chest. This was it – his first official raid. As he stepped forward, he noticed Malik moving at the same time. Their eyes met, a silent current of competition passing between them before Mary's raised hand caught their attention.

"Before we enter," Mary's voice took on a softer tone, "I'd like us to pray together."

A few awkward glances were exchanged, but Mary pressed on. "Join hands, please. It's okay if you don't believe – I've just never had a raid go terribly wrong after prayer."

Jelani suppressed a sigh as he joined the circle. He'd lost his faith years ago and maybe somewhere in the grand scheme there was a creator but they were obviously insignificant if so. Still, he couldn't help but respect Mary's conviction, even if he could tell she was one of those people who saw the rapture in every vortex.

"Lord," Mary began, "protect us on this day and guide us through your challenges. We know you never give us more than we can handle. Grant us in this group – both young and mature – the strength to be a force in your fight against these demons. We know not why you give us these burdens but with your strength we could do anything. Amen,"

"Àṣẹ," Greta added lightly as they broke apart. It was intermingled between a few “Amen,” from others in the group.

They all stepped forward and one by one the vortex pulled them in with a sensation like passing through a membrane. Reality on the other side countered what they thought to be possible.

They emerged onto the top of a vast mesa, its reddish-brown flat top surface stretching out beneath them in every direction for many yards. The air felt thick, almost grainy, carrying granules of sand that seemed to have a faint glimmer.

Below them, a sea of thick white clouds moved around the middle of the mesas, hiding whatever was at the base of these land formations. Above them, the sky was a vivid impossibility, undulating clouds of sand moved in intricate patterns, forming a natural dome that stretched for miles. A false sun hidden within the swirling sand clouds cast an amber glow that made parts of the sky look like liquid gold.

Natural stone bridges connected the various mesas, some thick as school buses, others narrow enough for only one person at a time. The plateaus themselves varied dramatically in height, some rising hundreds of feet above others, their tops crowned with wind-carved formations that created natural walls and barriers.

"Don't be too impressed," Tyson cut through their wonder. "You'll see way weirder, and nastier stuff, as you do more raids.."

"It's gorgeous though," Charles breathed. "Like something from a painting."

"Yeah, well," Tyson's voice hardened, "I've seen people die staring at pretty crystals while flesh-eating golems snuck up behind them. Beauty's just another way these places try to kill you."

Mary nodded. "You'll be fine today, but remember – always stay on guard."

The warning resonated with Jelani. They were all moving to rules they barely understood. His hand unconsciously moved to where his hexblade would materialize, remembering Azaron's warnings about the Nephaelim's grand design.

"Let's see those weapons," Tyson called out. "Show me what you're working with."

One by one, they summoned their source weapons. Pandora's weapon materialized with a burst of dark energy and pink fairies– a double-barreled shotgun with ornate carvings across it. Dark metal and a lighter silver curved and flowed in spirals on the barrel , while hot pink accents formed wing-like motifs across the stock. The weapon radiated a paradoxical aura of hard and soft.

Malik's weapon formed into a massive battle mace with a head composed of geometric stones fused together like a demented Rubik's cube. Each facet pulsed with barely contained energy, the edges crackling with red static that intensified as Malik gripped the handle tighter.

When Jelani's turn came, he summoned his hexblade with quiet confidence. The twisted black metal of the hilt materialized first, followed by the chain that looped like a serpent around the guard. The blade itself emerged last, its surface etched with alien runes that caught the strange light. Small green flames danced along its edge before dissipating into the heavy air.

"Interesting group," Tyson mused, his eyes lingering on Jelani's blade before bouncing around to the others. "Usually lucky to get one or two well-defined weapons in a batch. Nearly all of you seem to have something unique."

“Your abilities could still be trash but based on the excitement some of you are showing I assume you may have tested them out already,”

“Guilty,” Pandora called out in an animated tone.

"Before we move on," Tyson added, resting his shield against his leg, "you should know what little we understand about these weapons. After five years of research, the best theory we've got is that they're some kind of crystallized intent – your will and personality compressed into a shape that can channel source energy."

He gestured at the varied weapons before them. "Notice how no two are exactly alike, even within the same class?" Jelani looked over at Isaac who carried a pentagon shaped metal shield with a small blue crystal in the center, whereas Saveon carried a massive rectangular tower shield.

"Researchers thinks that's because they're not just tools – they're more like... extensions of yourself. Why they manifest the way they do, why do some people get artillery weapons or maces while others get swords?" He shrugged. "We have no clue. But what we do know is they grow stronger as you do, both physically and mentally."

"Right then," he straightened, scanning the group. "Time to see what you can do with them,”

Tyson divided them into squads with practiced efficiency. "Jelani, Pandora, Isaac, and Greta – you're team one. Malik, Saveon, Charles, and Davi – team two."

He pointed to clusters of rock formations ahead. "Each squad takes a side of the den. Sentinels, your job is to draw attention and control the field. Warriors pick off what comes close while ranged support handles the stragglers." His expression hardened slightly. "Mary and I are enlightened rank. We'll step in if things go sideways, but you need to learn by doing."

As they approached their targets became visible, tan skinned gecko-like creatures with brown spots. Each one was the size of a large dog with bulging eyes that had vertical irises. Their claws were curved and some moved on their hind legs. A few spotted them and a wave of concerned focus rippled amongst them.

Jelani activated his thread radar.

[Duna gecko]

They were highlighted with a yellow aura so they weren't a lethal threat.

“Time to be the hunter,”