With their vials filled and samples secured, they began escorting the Varnathi toward the research station through the thickening fog. Luca took point, his plasma sniper rifle slung across his shoulder and tomahawk within easy reach. The dense, spore-laden mist hung like a toxic blanket, coating every surface with a thin film of chemical residue.

At least our suits are sealed, he thought, watching the Varnathi scientists struggle with their basic breathing masks. The contrast was stark. His team moved through the environment like they owned it, while the researchers looked like they were one equipment failure away from choking to death on poisoned air.

"Danny," Luca called over the comms. "What's our weather looking like?"

"Fog's getting thicker, as you can see," Danny replied as he unholstered his multitool. His voice crackled slightly through the interference. "Wind patterns are shifting too. Gusting from the northeast at about fifteen kilometers per hour. Could get worse before it gets better."

Perfect, Luca thought. As if this place wasn't dangerous enough already.

The Varnathi moved in quick, darting steps, their lean bodies swaying slightly as they navigated the uneven ground. Luca found himself studying them with interest. Up close and alive, they looked nothing like the fierce warriors from New Dawn. These researchers seemed smaller, more delicate. Their movements reminded him of nervous animals, heads constantly turning to scan for threats, ears twitching at every sound.

They're actually kind of fragile, he realized, watching Dr. Pol work alongside one of her colleagues. Their conversation was a series of quick trills and chirps that the System translated into technical jargon about compound stability. All this time we've been fighting their warrior caste. These guys wouldn't last five minutes in real combat.

"Keep your eyes peeled," Luca murmured into his comm, glancing back at Zoe, who was maintaining overwatch position. "I don't want any more surprises."

They hadn't gone far when movement flickered in his peripheral vision. A Sporefang whipped out of the fog, its scaled body moving with terrifying speed. Too close for the sniper rifle. Luca quickly slung the weapon and drew his plasma tomahawk.

"Behind you, Danny!" he shouted.

Danny whirled, warhammer raised just in time to block the creature's claws. But the Sporefang's whip-like tail snapped forward, piercing his shoulder armor. Danny's sharp intake of breath crackled over the comms as dark fluid smeared against his punctured suit.

With a roar of pain and fury, Danny brought his plasma warhammer down in a devastating overhead strike. The weapon's energy field flared as it connected, turning the Sporefang into a spray of steaming gore and pulverized bone. What remained of the creature splattered across the toxic ground in a radius of twisted metal and organic matter.

The severed tail continued twitching in the fog, its whip-like motion slowing but still dangerous. Joey stepped on it with his heavy boot, pinning it down. Where the creature's fluids touched his armor plating, the metal began to sizzle and smoke.

[+24,107 XP] [+7,071 credits]

"Corrosive blood," Joey reported grimly. "Stay clear of the remains."

Fuck. If he had light armor like mine, he might've dodged that.

"Hold on, big guy," Joey's voice came through as he fought his way to Danny's side. He retrieved a med-patch and pressed it over the breach, sealing the puncture while delivering painkillers and stabilizing gel. "This'll hold for now, but it's gonna hurt."

Ryan moved in with his repair kit, spraying emergency sealant over the damaged armor plating. "Suit integrity's back to green," he reported. "We can patch it proper when we get back to the Centurion."

Danny grimaced, managing a pained smile as he looked at the crater where the Sporefang used to be. "Just enough to keep things interesting," he muttered, but Luca could see his movements were slower now.

The fog swirled around them, pushed by gusting wind that made visibility even worse. Every shadow seemed to pulse with potential threat. Luca activated [Heightened Awareness], his enhanced senses cutting through the visual confusion to track movement patterns in the mist.

Another rustle. Without warning, a Sporefang lunged at Emily from the underbrush, its scales blending almost perfectly with the toxic vegetation.

Left flank!

Luca activated [Trajectory Focus] and hurled his tomahawk. The enhanced targeting kicked in, the weapon spinning through the air with perfect accuracy to strike the creature mid-lunge. The Sporefang shrieked, its attack cut short as it crashed to the ground, but not before its claws grazed Emily's side.

She stumbled, gasping in pain. "Ribs," Emily ground out over the comms. "Feels like something cracked."

Luca was beside her instantly, one hand steadying her. "You good?"

Joey joined them, quickly assessing her injury with his medical multitool. The claws had scraped across her medium armor without penetrating, but the impact had still rattled her. "Just bruised," he determined. "Armor took the hit. You'll be sore tomorrow but nothing's broken."

"We're moving," he ordered, his voice sharper than intended. "Tight formation. Ryan, Zoe, watch our flanks."

The wind picked up, howling through the Grimveil plants and stirring the toxic fog into whirlpools. The spores caught in the gusts created almost hypnotic patterns, but Luca knew better than to be distracted by the alien beauty of this hellscape.

One of the Varnathi scientists, seemingly oblivious to the lurking dangers, knelt to examine a Grimveil stem with obvious fascination. Her ears perked up as she studied the plant's vascular networks, completely absorbed in her research.

"Hey," Luca muttered. "We're not stopping for more samples."

A piercing shriek sliced through the fog. Before he could react, a Sporefang latched onto the scientist's calf, sinking its fangs deep. She yelped, her sleek body going rigid as paralyzing toxin took effect.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Not again!

"Ryan, grab her!" Luca shouted, lifting his plasma blaster and taking aim through the swirling mist. His shot rang out, hitting the creature cleanly and sending it writhing back into the undergrowth.

"On it." Ryan's voice was surprisingly gentle as he moved to the paralyzed scientist's side. He lifted her carefully, cradling her with unexpected tenderness. The Varnathi's dark eyes were wide with shock but alert, watching him with what looked almost like trust.

"There you go, I've got you," Ryan murmured, adjusting his hold with obvious care. He glanced at Luca with a faint grin. "Got myself a cutie pie here, Captain."

Show off, Luca thought, rolling his eyes behind his visor. "Just don't look so pleased with yourself."

"Can't help it if I'm naturally charming," Ryan quipped, but his grip remained secure and protective.

They moved forward in tense formation, Joey providing what cover he could while Zoe and Luca alternated between watching their flanks and scanning for threats in the fog. The wind continued to gust, sometimes clearing patches of mist only to have them fill again moments later.

Luca retrieved his tomahawk from the fallen Sporefang, giving it a few test swings.

Joey's voice crackled over the comms as he helped Danny keep pace. "You know, I'd love to grab some of these scientists' equipment before we head back to the Centurion. Our gear's gonna be half-melted by the time we make it through this toxic soup again."

"If we go back," Luca said, his mood darkening as the sounds of pursuit grew closer.

"Why wouldn't we?" Ryan asked, adjusting his grip on the paralyzed scientist.

"That's right," Emily chimed in, her voice determinedly upbeat despite her injury. "Positive Mental Attitude. PMA, that's what I say."

"This scenario's a piece of cake," Chris added over the comms.

"Guys," Luca cut them off, "can you cut the shit? We're not even halfway through this nightmare."

The ground began to slope upward, and he felt a flicker of relief. Higher ground meant better visibility and fewer ambush points. But his eyes remained trained on the swirling mist, every sense alert for the next attack.

The wind shifted again, bringing with it the distant sound of something large moving through the fog behind them. Multiple somethings, by the sound of it.

"Contact rear," Zoe reported, her sniper rifle already tracking targets. "Multiple heat signatures. They're following our trail."

"How many?" he asked.

"At least six. Maybe more."

The injured scientist in Ryan's arms made a soft trilling sound, looking up at him with what might have been gratitude.

Kid's falling for an alien, Luca realized with dark amusement. Only Ryan could find romance in the middle of a toxic hellscape.

Behind them, the sounds of pursuit grew closer. The Sporefangs had found their scent, and no amount of toxic fog was going to stop them now.

"Double time, people," he ordered. "We're not fighting a running battle all the way up this hill. Move your asses!"

"Multiple contacts," Zoe reported from her overwatch position. "Seven heat signatures. They're trying to flank us."

Seven of those bastards, Luca thought, raising his sniper rifle. Time to thin the herd.

He activated [Target Lock Assist] and sighted through his scope.

His first shot took the lead Sporefang's head clean off. The plasma bolt seared through the fog, dropping the creature instantly.

[+24,107 XP] [+7,071 credits]

"Let's go!" he said over the comms. "Multiple hostiles!"

The remaining six Sporefangs abandoned stealth, rushing their position with terrifying speed. Luca switched to rapid fire, his targeting system tracking multiple threats as he squeezed off shot after shot.

Emily's plasma blasters opened up. Ryan's scattergun roared, wide bursts forcing two Sporefangs to break formation. Danny, despite his injury, positioned himself protectively in front of the Varnathi researchers.

"Get some!" Chris shouted, his assault rifle chattering as he laid down suppressing fire.

Luca activated [Heightened Awareness], the world slowing as his enhanced senses processed every detail of the battlefield.

The last two Sporefangs tried to retreat, but Zoe's rifle crackled from her elevated position. Both creatures dropped, their escape cut short.

[+168,750 XP] [+49,500 credits] [Skill level up! Silent Takedowns Familiarity Level 2 --> Level 3] [Skill level up! System Override Familiarity Level 2 --> Level 3] [Skill level up! Data Breach Familiarity Level 2 --> Level 3] [Skill level up! Adaptive Exploits Familiarity Level 2 --> Level 3] [Skill level up! Execution Protocol Familiarity Level 2 --> Level 3]

"Clear!" Luca called out, scanning the fog for any remaining threats. "Everyone okay?"

The team reported in one by one. No new injuries, though Danny was still favoring his shoulder.

Joey kicked over one of the Sporefang corpses, watching as the acidic blood sizzled against the toxic ground. "Seven down. Think that was their whole pack?"

"Let's not find out," Luca replied, retrieving a power cell that had dropped from one of the creatures. "We keep moving."

[Item acquired: Power cell x2] [Item acquired: Bio-Scanner Drone (Schematic)] [Item acquired: Cryo-Field Stabilizer (Schematic)]

Ryan's voice crackled with excitement over the comms. "Finally, something useful! That bio-scanner could save us a lot of trouble tracking hostiles."

Joey leaned over to examine the schematic data on his display. "The cryo-field stabilizer is new tech entirely. If we can build this..." He paused, his medical training connecting the dots. "This might be the key to understanding the stasis pods. Localized cryogenic fields for cellular preservation? That's exactly what those pods are doing."

By the time they reached the designated rest area, the sky had dimmed into near-darkness, casting an eerie glow over the landscape. The Varnathi scientists quickly set up two connected dome shelters, creating a single secure base for the night.

The System scaled this up for our larger group, Luca realized, watching the structures auto-assemble. Seven people means bigger shelters, more supplies. But the scenario's rated level 72 and we're all 67, so the danger should be scaled down to compensate. Fewer Sporefangs than there would be for a level 72 team, maybe weaker ones too. Still dangerous as hell for us, but not impossible.

He watched the Varnathi scientists efficiently setting up their equipment inside the connecting airlock between the domes. Eighteen Varnathi plus seven of us. The System had to account for that somehow. More enemies to balance the extra bodies, but also better shelter to keep everyone alive. Makes sense, I guess. Still trying to figure out how this thing thinks.

The domes were impressive, armored with composite material that shimmered faintly and gave off subtle warmth. They were pressurized, filtering out the noxious spores, with a low mechanical hum that spoke of serious atmospheric processing equipment working overtime. For the first time since entering the portal, Luca felt like they could actually breathe.

Inside the first dome, they began removing their armor and unpacking supplies. The soft hum of filtered air provided a calming background to their tasks.

Emily, Ryan, and Chris stripped down to tank tops and shorts they'd worn under their medium armor. Danny and Joey, in their bulkier heavy suits, peeled off to t-shirts and boxers. But Luca and Zoe, in their tight-fitting scout suits, were down to just underwear.

Didn't think to pack a change of clothes, Luca realized, suddenly self-conscious. Scout suits are basically second skin. Why would we need anything else for what was supposed to be a quick portal run?

Zoe seemed equally aware of the situation, but shrugged it off with characteristic confidence. "When in Rome," she muttered, glancing at the Varnathi scientists who were also stripping down to what appeared to be their natural fur. Their breathing masks came off too, now that they were in filtered air.

At least the furry academics don't seem to care about human modesty standards, Luca thought, trying not to feel awkward about the whole situation. Definitely wasn't expecting an overnight scenario when we geared up this morning.

Do they even see us as humans, or as Varnathi? That was a question he didn't know he wanted an answer to.

Joey, standing there barefoot in his tank top, seemed to read Luca's thoughts. "At least we all breathe oxygen, right?" he said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood.

Through the translucent material, he could see the dark silhouettes of Grimveil plants swaying outside, their bulbous stems bending in the wind.

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