Beep beep beep beep beep.

The classic sound of an iPhone alarm jolted me awake. Except, it wasn’t an alarm—it was a call. I blinked a few times, my groggy mind struggling to catch up. I had no idea how long I’d been out, but judging by the light streaming through the window, it was far too late in the morning.

I squinted at the clock on the bedside table. 10:00 AM. Great. So much for an early start. My phone vibrated again, the screen lighting up with a call from none other than the leader of Task Force 404. Elene.

“What now?” I muttered, staring at the phone like it owed me an explanation. Money? No, definitely not that. She didn’t seem the type to call for something so mundane. Besides, it wasn’t payday.

I let the call ring out, tossing the phone back onto the bed and rolling over with a groan. Peace never lasted long in my line of work. Barely a second later, the phone vibrated again. Same number.

Reluctantly, I snatched it up and pressed accept, holding it to my ear without bothering to sit up.

“Yes?” I said, my voice laced with irritation.

“I thought you were in Ludmilla. Where the hell are you?” Elene’s voice crackled through the speaker, sharp and impatient.

“Safehouse,” I replied flatly.

“Get to the guild building. We need you.”

“For what?”

“I can’t explain over the phone,” she snapped. “Just get here.”

I sighed heavily, the kind of sigh that spoke volumes about my lack of enthusiasm. “Hmph,” was all I could muster before hanging up.

Throwing the phone aside, I let out another groan and rolled off the bed—literally. I hit the cold, hard floor with a thud, the jarring discomfort doing its job. It wasn’t graceful, but it was effective. The shock of the icy tiles against my skin sent a shiver down my spine, chasing away the last remnants of sleep.

Lying there for a moment, I stared at the ceiling, wondering what fresh chaos Elene had in store for me. Whatever it was, it probably wasn’t good. Groaning again, I pushed myself to my feet. “Alright, alright,” I muttered to no one in particular. Time to face the day—and whatever the wolfkin wanted from me.

I walked to the wardrobe to grab a change of clothes, slipping into my military uniform. The faint scent of fresh fabric greeted me as I adjusted the sleeves. I pulled on my bulletproof vest, ensuring the straps were secure, and retrieved my G36 from my inventory.

Lastly, I grabbed my combat helmet. Designed with reinforced holes for my horns, it was a snug yet precise fit. I guided my horns carefully through the openings, adjusting the helmet until it sat securely on my head. A quick tug confirmed it was locked in place.

I ran toward the garage and grabbed my pickup truck. Starting the engine, I opened the portal and headed straight for the grassland, setting my destination to Ludmilla on the map application. Let’s see what the wolfkin wanted from me.

image [https://i.imgur.com/8qWW1iK.png]

Entering the guild hall, there was Eleanor, in her usual formal fit while opening a large book on her desk.

"Ain't this your crowd?" Eleanor remarked, eyeing the three kins standing near her desk.

I met her gaze, a hint of surprise creeping in. I recognized their attire immediately. They were armed to the teeth, which wasn’t surprising, but what caught me off guard was their attire. Gone were their uniforms with the Federation insignia; instead, they dressed casually—quite the departure for former military personnel. If I’m being honest, they were far from unattractive even in their uniforms. Now, they might as well join a pageant if they wanted to.

Mira wore a simple black tank top and khaki cargo pants. Elene sported a tan shirt and black cargo pants, giving off a private military contractor vibe alongside shades. Alice, the catkin, was dressed the most casually of them all—just a t-shirt and shorts. If it weren’t for the plate carriers that they wore, I wouldn’t recognize them as military contractors.

I couldn’t deny that their clothing was far more laid-back than mine, but that didn’t make them any less dangerous. I knew better than to underestimate any of them. But why were they here? Was it simply because I had their helicopter? They were contractors, after all—nothing more.

"Hey, Ain," Elene greeted me with a nod.

"What are you doing in here? I thought you were with the Federation," I replied, still a bit taken aback.

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"We were. Didn't you hear? That was the last of our op. After that, we got discharged, and here we are," Elene explained casually, her white wolf ears on her head twitching.

So, they’d been discharged in just two days, and yet they still worked in the military sphere? Given that they'd always talked about becoming contractors eventually, I should’ve seen it coming. But still, why visit me— a low-level contractor— of all people?

If they came for the attack helicopters which they gave to me, sorry, it was already gone. I doubted that they would be able to insure it, heck, at this point, they might as well buy a new one, in the grand scheme of things.

“So, why come to me?” I asked, genuinely curious about what the squad leader had in mind.

"Well, for starters, because you're a capable tactical healer, and we need you, Ain," Elene replied.

“I’m sure you can find plenty of healers with a higher level than me, right?” I shot back, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, Ain, do you have a place where we can talk? I don’t want to have this conversation in the guild building," Elene said.

"For what reason?" I asked.

"Secret," Elene smiled.

I opened my portal, and just like that, the trio barged in without a second thought. Eleanor didn’t even attempt to stop them. I stood there, stunned, as the task force stormed into my safehouse—my safehouse, the one place I thought I could control.

“Nice crib, Ain,” Elene remarked with a grin, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings as if evaluating its worth.

“This could make for a decent base of operations, at least to start with,” Mira added, giving a thoughtful nod as she surveyed the space.

“Ish, nice house. Bet this came from selling that helicopter, didn’t it?” Alice teased, her tone playful as her gaze swept over the room, taking in every detail.

Without so much as a word of permission, they tossed their duffel bags, gear, and an assortment of equipment next to my IFV in the garage, acting as though the place was theirs. The casual invasion would’ve been annoying if I hadn’t expected it from this group.

Thankfully, a single sharp cough from me was all it took to bring them back to reality. They froze for a moment, glancing my way like kids caught sneaking cookies before dinner. My expression was enough to remind them exactly who was in charge here.

“What. Do. You. Want?” I asked, cutting straight to the point. No use dancing around it.

Elene flashed her signature grin, cocky and unapologetic. “Figured you might need a couple of extra guns.”

“No,” I said firmly, my patience already wearing thin. “Seriously, what do you want?”

Her grin faded, replaced by a more serious expression. “Alright, fine. Do you remember I said I’d call? I figured a friendly visit might work better.” She paused, letting the weight of her next words hang in the air. “Truth is, we need another healer. Mira’s not a full-fledged one. She’s a logistics officer and pilot—for all intents and purposes. But this job? We need a proper crew. And we need you.”

I crossed my arms, already sensing there was more to this. “Okay. Anything else?”

“We’re going to rob a bank,” Elene said flatly, as if she were announcing plans to grab coffee.

“YOU WHAT?” I blurted, disbelief crashing over me like a tidal wave.

“Yeah, you heard me,” she replied, her tone infuriatingly casual. “We’re tired of living poor. So, we’re taking the contractor route. Hopefully, we can fight the Corrupted, the Union, and the Divinity—but to do that, we need serious military hardware. And as you well know, serious military hardware costs a shitload of money.”

I stared at her, my mind reeling. “You’re telling me you want to rob a bank to fund some off-the-books militia?”

Elene shrugged. “More or less, yeah. Look, it’s not personal—it’s practical. You in, or what?”

I turned my head, intrigued despite myself. “I’m listening.”

“There’s this bank, Minute & Trust Bank, in another realm,” Elene began her tone serious but with a spark of excitement. “Alice and I scouted the place, and guess what? They’ve got a massive stash of gold in their vault. It might not sound like much at first, but we’re planning to steal some of it.”

“That’s… an insane idea,” I replied, shaking my head in disbelief. The sheer audacity of her plan was staggering.

Elene smirked, clearly enjoying my reaction. “Come on, Ain. It’s not as crazy as it sounds. Remember, you’ve stolen an attack helicopter and a missile launcher before. This is just another job but in another realm. And that place? It’s basically a haven for heisters. Contractors pull off jobs there all the time—it’s practically tradition.”

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I’m listening,” I said finally, bracing myself for the details.

“Alright, glad you’re on board. Now, before we hit the place, we’ve got some shopping to do,” Elene continued, her grin widening. “You’re probably thinking, ‘Holy shit, Elene, you’re tasking me with all this.’ But relax, we’re doing this together.”

I crossed my arms, raising an eyebrow. “Go on.”

She leaned forward, her tone turning more practical. “First thing’s first—we’ll need 5,000,000 UC to get started. That covers the essentials: a thermal drill capable of melting through the vault door, which will set us back at least 2,500,000 UC. Then, there’s the escape vehicle, something fast and discrete, about 1,500,000 UC. And finally, logistics—gear, intel, bribes, the usual stuff—that’ll cost another 1,000,000 UC.”

I let out a low whistle. “So… 5 million UC for prep. You sure this gold is worth it?”

She gave me a pointed look. “Trust me. The haul will more than cover our costs. Plus, it’ll set us up for future operations.”

“Hmm…” I leaned back, considering her words. “I’ll think about it. Sounds complicated.”

“Complicated, sure,” Elene said, shrugging. “But with you on the team, it’ll be worth it.”

Her confidence was almost contagious, but something told me this was going to be far from simple. Still, the prospect of pulling off a job in another realm was… intriguing.

Alice approached me with a smile. “Well, eight hands are certainly better than one. We know you won’t betray us like the feds, and honestly, you’re quite capable,” she said, her expression friendly.

I shrugged. “Alright, alright. Feel free to use my house as the base of operations, but you better tell me exactly what you’re getting yourselves into.”

Elene grinned. “Awesome. Here’s the deal, commander. After this job, we’ll follow your request with my tactical consideration. But for this one, the command’s on me. Is that okay with you?”

I nodded. “Sure, why not?”

Elene then added, “Feel free to choose any job. You have three of the Feds’ finest in your arsenal. I can assure you, every mission will be a breeze.”

“Alright… Welcome to my house.”