The gentle rumble of the engine was interrupted as the driver pulled the key out of the ignition. The black SUV stood stationary in a grassy field in front of a manned blockade. The wall of sandbags and razor wire created an impenetrable carapace around the contamination zone.

Several armed soldiers milled around while another napped inside a booth. Steve exited from the passenger side door and shut it with a clack. Jerome, Jun, and Kayla scrambled out of the back. Jerome and Kayla were still flirting, while Jun was practicing his smoldering gaze on a tree. Steve had learned to tune out the sick, incessant chatter of Jerome and Kayla during the several-hour car ride.

An old green mini-van pulled up alongside the SUV. The engine sputtered to a halt as a behemoth of a man exited the vehicle. The roof of the van only came up to the man’s chest. Steve reckoned Kingsley could use the roof as a table for eating if he wanted.

“Looks like we’re all here,” Jerome said enthusiastically. I’m going to beat the shit out of him one day, Steve thought to himself.

“We’re going to destroy this D-class gate so hard,” Jun exclaimed. The party entered the blockade. Jerome showed the soldier in the booth an identification card and they were let through. Jerome obnoxiously walked in front, with Kayla next to him. Jun proudly strutted behind the two, while Steve walked in second to last. Kingsley walked behind Steve, showing no signs of being in a hurry. It was reassuring to have Kingsley behind him. It was like having a brick wall watch his back.

The trail they walked on was muddy and overgrown in places. It looked as if a nearby creek had flooded not too long ago. There were a few coniferous trees here and there, but the trail was mostly surrounded by coarse brush. The tones of the land gradually grew muted and drab, the further they walked along the trail.

Steve looked over at Jun in front of him. He brought a glass object to his mouth and inhaled. Steve was immediately greeted with a familiar smell. One he always smelled outside of his apartment.

“Hey Jun, what are you doing?” Steve asked, genuinely curious.

“I’m taking a mana potion,” Jun answered as he turned around to face Steve. In one hand was a clear pipe, a lighter in the other. There was a crystalline substance in the pipe. Steve was no expert, but that was not a mana potion.

“Are you… Uh, sure that’s a mana potion?” Steve asked. It was meth. There was no doubt. Jun was smoking meth while they walked to the gate.

“Yeah, this stuff gives you 30% faster mana regen for almost an hour. This is some Albuquerque blue. You can buy it in the alleyway next to HQ,” Jun replied confidently. “WOO! This stuff kicks!” Steve stared at Jun stony-faced. This whole paragon stuff was insane. Steve's menu flashed a random message in front of his eyes. Weird...

“Yeah, that stuff works,” Jerome chimed in from the front. “The mage in my first party was a big fan of mana potions before they made his hair fall out.”

“Are you sure that’s not me--,” Steve was interrupted by Kayla’s whining.

“Ugh, these are my new Yike’s,” Kayla complained as she examined her muddy white shoe. What did you think would happen? Steve decided to suppress his scornful remarks for the sake of teamwork. But mostly because it was not worth his energy. He also couldn’t rule out whether or not the girl had a learning disability. If the average person had about 6.5 thoughts per minute, Kayla had 2, maybe 3. Per hour.

“Don’t worry, we can buy some new ones with the gate clearing commission,” Jerome reassured her. Steve was almost touched by their compatibility. Not only did they pull the worst out of each other, they enabled it, and they enjoyed it.

“How much are we getting again?” Steve asked. The menu popup he got earlier was too long so he didn’t read it. He just clicked accept.

“$1200 and an expired Nacy’s gift card,” Jerome smiled back.

A pit of dread began to form in Steve’s stomach as they drew closer to their destination. The majority of the surrounding vegetation was reduced to gray husks. Even the coniferous evergreen trees lacked their needles, revealing their gnarled branches and rotting trunks. Steve wasn’t properly prepared either. He hoped he would get enough XP from freeloading to afford a useful skill, annoying as it was.

The party began to ascend the final barren hills around the crater. The soil was loose and dead. The microbial activity was completely gone. With each step Steve took, his foot sunk into the loose wet soil. The mud was beginning to cake on the soles of his tennis shoes. This wasn’t in the job description…

Steve stood at the summit. The crater was almost 500 feet across and nearly 100 feet deep. The meteor fragment had gouged a hole into the middle of a series of hills, interrupting the serene beauty of nature. Black scorch marks covered the bottom of the crater, with tendrils of black snaking out from the epicenter. Hovering above the center of the impact was a tear in reality. The dark hole shimmered and flashed, sending shadows dancing around the jagged hole.

The party could hear the distant hiss of the gate, even from the edge of the crater.

“This meteor fragment was dormant for almost two decades,” Jun informed. “A minor solar flare a few months ago reactivated it. Its energy signature is so weak that the only reason we know about it is because a nester broke out the other day and killed four hikers,” He continued.

“Why couldn’t they hire gate diving specialists to do this,” Kayla whined. It was the first thing she had ever said that Steve agreed with.

“This is the weakest D-tier gate they’ve found in Washington that hasn’t collapsed. Sending in doormen is a waste of resources,” Jerome answered. His usual playful demeanor was replaced with a serious gaze.

The party stood in front of the gate. Faint ethereal screams escaped the rift, just barely audible over the hiss of air it emitted. Steve was a little excited about what adventures it held.

“Kinglsey, you got the Geiger counter ready?” Jerome asked

“One moment,” The giant answered as his giant fingers fiddled with various knobs and buttons. After a moment, the device began to rapidly emit its trademark blips.

“What are the levels we’re looking at?” Jun asked as he swished his bangs. Kingsley walked around the portal and raised the Geiger counter to various heights and directions. It was clear it beeped more when closer to the portal.

“We’re looking at about 200 microsieverts per hour,” Kingsley finally somberly responded. Steve had no idea what any of this stuff meant, but he decided to look cool and nod.

“It’s under a thousand, so we shouldn’t find anything too strong,” Jerome concluded. Steve was beginning to hope again that his party was actually competent.

The quintet entered the rift without much more chatter. The rift was almost six feet in the air, so Kingsley stayed outside and helped everyone get through. Going through the reality tear wasn’t much different than entering another room. It was a little colder, and it was odd that no light from the other side could travel through it, but that was about it.

Steve stood in the center of a dimly lit cavern and took in his surroundings. The cavern was about ten yards high, and 30 in diameter. The main source of light seemed to be lichen that grew on the roof of the cavern. The lichen gave off a sickly green light that tinted everything. His party mates did much the same and looked around. Kingsley heaved himself through the gap in space after everyone. It was especially awkward for the man because the rift was too narrow horizontally, so he had to squeeze through while on his side.

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“These West Coast gates are way different than the ones back home,” Kayla noted.

“Don’t let your guard down,” Jun butted in. Jun was diligently scanning the cave for any threats but found none.

“Looks like this chamber is clear,” Jerome stated. Steve reached into his pocket to prepare his only trump card. “Alright, let’s find the core and close this bitch up,” Jerome said as he clapped his hands together. After getting their bearings, the group continued through the cave system. Kingsley, much to the relief of everyone else, took the caboose.

“Double check every surface,” Kingsley said gravely, “Nesters can hide anywhere, even a small shadow on the ceiling.” Steve shivered. There wasn’t much good footage of the scourge outside of historical battles and early news footage. The rifts and the creatures that escaped them tended to release large amounts of ionizing radiation that damaged camera sensors and created grainy images. Nesters were a largely unstudied variant with only a few surviving photos.

The tension in the air was palpable as the quintet marched forward. Kayla tried to complain several times but was shushed by Kingsley. The group entered a much dimmer cavern. The lichen didn’t like this cave as much as the previous ones.

“Stop. Did you see that?” Jerome asked. His eyes darted across the cavern, scanning every corner. His voice shook slightly. Jerome’s left hand was clasped around the wrist of his other. His right hand quietly crackled with blue energy as he prepared his skill. Kayla moaned nervously while Steve and Kingsley scanned behind them. A horrific, high-pitched shriek filled the cavern. There’s no way a human could make that noise. Steve’s heart began to pound harder than the hoofs of a thoroughbred. Jun had to quickly stifle Kayla’s own scream with his hand. Good thinking. A gray shape skittered across the cavern’s ceiling to Steve’s right.

“Over there!” Steve hissed as he pointed in the direction. The creature disappeared into shadow just in time for everyone to see.

“Let’s lure it to the brighter cavern ahead where we can fight it,” Jerome commanded. The group broke into a light jog. Everyone wanted to sprint away, but the jagged floor covered with loose rock made it too dangerous. Sure enough, something followed them on the ceiling into the next cavern.

“Kayla! See if you can bisect it,” Jerome shouted as the creature made it into the open. Kayla nodded in response. Her eyes flashed glowing red as she activated the skill and held her hand out. Red sparks jumped out of her hand before a thunderous pop echoed through the cave system. In the same instant, the gray creature on the ceiling split in two. Two chunks of meat fell from the ceiling in a red mess. It was a terrifying display. Steve sighed in relief. Glad she’s on my team. [Bisect] was practically cheating.

It seemed there were only three conditions that had to be met: the target had to be under the caster’s level, the target had to be within a certain range, and the caster had to have visual contact with the target.

“Nice job,” Jerome nodded to Kayla.

“That was so scary,” Kayla said shakily. Steve walked up to the corpse of the creature to get a better look. It had hairless gray skin covered in lesions, as well as human-like hands. It was perfectly cut in half down the middle, starting at the top of its skull, through the abdomen, and down its pelvis. The cut was extremely clean. Organs spilled out of the creature like a dropped bowl of spaghetti. They were perfectly cut in half as well. Red blood covered everything. It looked oddly human. Steve had to resist the urge to vomit.

“Guys,” Steve said gravely. He pointed to the corpse, “This thing ain’t a nester.”

“What?” Jerome came to investigate. He froze as he looked over the body. His face went pale, “He’s right…” Jun strutted over and immediately vomited. His stomach heaved out his breakfast and all the snacks he consumed in the car in a multi-colored collage.

“I think this is one of the hikers,” Steve said as he pointed the G-Shock watch on the corpse’s wrist. No one noticed it in the low light until now.

“We are in a sinthral nest. We have to leave. Now,” Kingsley’s deep voice stopped everyone in their tracks.

Steve had never heard him so serious. As if waiting for a cue, three gray bodies skittered along the walls into the cavern. The three creatures opened their human mouths until their jawbones clicked, and the skin around their lips tore. They then let out an ear-piercing wale in unison.

Steve winced and grabbed his ears but it was no use. The scene was from a nightmare. These scourge were some of the weakest, yet they were still terrifying. Something about otherworldly horrors beyond one’s comprehension was impossible to get used to, especially to a new paragon like Steve.

“Fuck!” Steve yelled. No one could hear each other over the waling. Jerome gestured for everyone to follow him. The group ran as fast from the waling as they could. The gray creatures finally closed their overextended jaws, ending the waling to follow in pursuit.

“Kayla, can you get them?” Jerome shouted, but it was no use. The poor girl was shut down in panic mode. Tears streamed down her face as she held her hands to her ears and ran. Jun abruptly stopped running.

“Crimson Fire Darkness Flame Destroying Judgment raccoon!” Jun screamed with a slight Japanese accent. A small fireball exploded in mid-air in front of Jun’s outstretched hand. He winced as the flames enveloped his hand before disappearing. The explosion sent a wave of intense golden light all over the dim cavern walls. The three gray creatures stopped in their tracks and hissed as the light hit them. In front of Jun stood a small, and rotund raccoon. It was standing on its hind legs with its arms crossed like a person. It barely came up past Jun’s knees.

“So… you’ve finally summoned me again, Jun.” A gravelly voice said. The voice was complex and deep. The word it uttered smoldered with power, as if it belonged to someone who survived countless battles.

“Indeed,” Jun replied as he struck a cool anime pose. “Tyson Wolfgang Diesel Wilhelm IIII, Lord of the Tanuki, I humbly request you to vanquish those monsters,” Jun said as he pointed to the gray creatures.The situation was too tense for Steve to even cringe. Steve didn't care what Jun did as long as he could get rid of those creatures.

“Done.” The raccoon snapped its spidery little fingers. With a resounding whoosh of air, the three gray creatures violently exploded into flame before showering the cavern with a barrage of burning meat. The smell of burning flesh and hair overwhelmed the caverns.

Steve covered his nose with his shirt. The little round raccoon collapsed onto its face and began to snore loudly. Without warning, its small body popped into a cloud of smoke, leaving only a small wooden log. Steve could only watch in awe. The power of an S-tier skill was something else. Jun collapsed to his knees in exhaustion. Summoning his raccoon must’ve taken a lot of mana.

“Dude, that raccoon was so badass,” Steve exclaimed before anyone else could say anything. He had no idea that talking raccoons even existed until 30 seconds ago, but he was already a fan.

“Isn’t he?” Jun chuckled with a hint of fatigue in his voice. Steve’s respect for Jun grew a little. Jun annoyed him nowhere as much as Jerome or Kayla. And he seemed sincere, despite being a flashy bastard. Steve helped Jun to his feet. Kingsley was unfazed, while Jerome seemed quite surprised. Kayla was still sobbing into her hands.

“I can see the last chamber,” Jerome pointed. He was right, it wasn’t far. “If we can just take the crystal we can close this rift and leave,” He continued.

“It’s not safe, this is not what we bargained for,” Kingsley retorted. The giant had a good point.

“Our job is never safe. We risk our lives so our family can live without worry,” The handsome man proclaimed, voice oozing with charisma. Kingsley sighed as if saying kids these days, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“I’m not carrying any corpses today,” Kingsley replied curtly. Steve heard something hiss. He couldn’t quite pinpoint its location, but it was sudden. He began to scan his surroundings to find the source.

“Because no one is dying today--,” Jerome’s sentence was abruptly ended as his head turned into a fine red mist. Steve’s cheek stung as it was hit by a chunk of Jerome’s skull. Pink-tinged gray matter peppered the entire party. Jerome’s headless body collapsed into a limp pile as red liquid sprayed out of it. No one was left untouched by the crimson spray. Jun and Steve stood in shock. Horror began to spread across Kayla’s face as she looked down at her blood-covered hands. She had been standing closest to Jerome. Her entire face was covered in Jerome. The girl let out a blood-curdling scream rivaling the gray monsters'.

“GET DOWN!” Kingsley slammed Jun and Steve to the ground. Three more invisible hisses shot over their heads and collided with the far wall. Kayla curled up into a ball on the jagged ground and slowly rocked herself.

“What the fuck?” Steve shouted. He spat out a chunk of something he didn’t want to think about. It took every one of his willpower to not heave his stomach’s contents all over the cave floor. He scanned everywhere but couldn’t figure out where the attacks were coming from. Jun was dry heaving on the ground uncontrollably.

“We have to LEAVE NOW,” Kingsley boomed urgently. The giant’s eyes glowed green behind his black goggles. Long wisps of green energy began to gather around him. “I only have enough mana to cast [vigor] on two of you.”

The man stood up and fiercely clapped his hands together. The green energy around him exploded, engulfing Jun and Steve. The deep, powerful ring of a bell echoed through the cave system. Steve was suddenly filled with a powerful energy. He instantly had more strength, enough to suppress the urges of his stomach. His body felt lighter than ever. Jun was finally able to stand up and he wiped the vomit and spittle off his mouth with his sleeve.

Kingsley scooped up Kayla’s trembling body and began to run in the direction of the entrance. His legs covered the ground in giant strides. In the blink of an eye, he was already across the cavern. Jun and Steve both sprinted after Kingsley. They were hard-pressed to close the gap, even with their physical stats boosted.

Steve was completely running on survival mode now. The emotions of terror and disgust were distant echoes, unnecessary to his survival. Kingsley abruptly stopped as he reached the exit of the large cavern. Steve reached him after several seconds. All the adrenaline in the world couldn’t prepare Steve for what lay in front of him.