The trip to the Burrows was going even more smoothly than Jerik could have expected or hoped for. Each squad of the platoon was performing their assigned responsibilities flawlessly, moving in perfect unison. In fact, there was very little for him to do. He still took the occasional shot as a rare monster came up, killing it quickly rather than let the front line or the support squads risk taking serious damage. But his kill count paled in comparison to that of the others. Simply put, they were on track to clear the path in even less time than he’d calculated it would take them.

“They’re performing well,” Morgan commented, as the platoon came to a rest for their lunch break, echoing his thoughts. “I didn’t expect them to take to it so quickly.”

Jerik nodded, trying his best to look sagely, as if this was completely within his expectations. Something about the look Morgan gave him said she wasn’t fooled, but he kept up the act anyway. He kept one ear on the conversation of the platoon around them, noting how positive and upbeat they all were. Hearing them now, you’d never guess that they were nervous about this first real test of their abilities. The research crew was going through the list of materials they’d harvested, talking between themselves about how much they could use.

Nicholas, who had no assistants just yet himself, was flitting around the campsite, double-checking that nobody needed repairs to their gear. He didn’t seem to have a limit to his stamina, Jerik thought, watching as he pulled out his rolled bundle of tools and laid it on the ground before beginning to adjust someone’s rifle. He even caught Morgan watching the engineer, nodding silently to herself.

“So,” he said, bringing their attention back to the present discussion. “We’re about halfway there now.”

Katrina, Benji, and Morgan nodded in agreement, but it was the mage who actually spoke. “We’re getting close to the mountains with this path. Shouldn’t we try to avoid them?”

“I doubt we’ll actually get within aggro range,” Jerik remarked. “Besides, the monsters would have to be at the foot of those slopes to be able to spot us. As we know, the peaks and valleys are were the worst of the monsters live.”

“The worst of them,” Benji repeated, her face thoughtful. “Does that mean that there’s a risk of some bad monsters still showing their faces?”

The question caught Jerik off-guard. He stared at her for a few seconds before replying. “Even if there was, they’d be Superior-Class at best. We can handle one of those at our current gear level, with these numbers.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never been into the mountains?” Morgan asked her, throwing the question to Katrina as well. “It’s one of the lowest-level raid zones.”

Benji looked to Katrina to answer, as did the other two. The tall Russion woman shrugged. “We’re geared and trained for fights against other players. We’ve never done the ‘PVE’ grind, as they call it.”

Jerik let out a low whistle. That was a shock to him, seeing how well they managed the previous fights against. Benji hurried to explain further. “We used to be the engineering squad in our old platoon. So we didn’t do any monster fighting, but we did familiarize ourselves with what had to be done.”

“Your old platoon?” Morgan said, frowning. She pulled her tablet out, and scrolled for a few seconds in silence. “It doesn’t show that you were ever members of another platoon. It says you’ve been solo all two years until you joined us…”

Her voice trailed off in a strange way that caught Jerik’s attention at once. “What is it?”

“It doesn’t show anywhere in the feeds that they joined us.”

“What?”

“It shows that they’re currently consigned to the Smoke Battalion,” Morgan explained, flipping the tablet around so he could see. Both of their profiles were listed, with Katrina’s on top. “But it shows no evidence of them joining our platoon, or even leaving another.”

He and Morgan looked at Katrina, who shrugged. “That’s a unique item we both own. It keeps our transfer details secret.”

“So what platoon did you used to belong to?” Jerik asked, his curiosity piqued. “Was it the Silver Towers?”

Katrina seemed hesitant to answer. “It was a small group. We worked under the Red Rangers for some time.”

Jerik vaguely remembered the name. They were one of the more powerful platoons towards the beginning of it all. They’d lost their claim to fame when their leader suddenly lost interest in completing the climb to a million points, and the platoon had dismantled as a result. But he’d earned two chaos shards, which ensured that he’d earned a permanent place in the high score board, even after what had happened to the Golden Dawn and the rise of the Iron Order. Alex something, he remembered.

“We don’t like talking about our past that much,” Benji said, taking over for her sister, who seemed highly uncomfortable by the proceedings. “But don’t worry, we don’t have loyalty issues. We’re with you until the end, Jerik.”

He looked at her for several long seconds, trying to catch up to the pace of the conversation. He could tell that she was being honest, though the mystery of their past still tugged at the back of his brain, begging to be solved. He resolutely pushed the thought away, tucking it into a box for later examination. Returning Benji’s smile, he redirected all attention back to the map spread out on the ground between them.

“Well, as fascinating as that is, we should get back on track. Apart from the unlikely risk of a monster from the mountains coming here, we’ve got a safe path.”

“Hold on,” Morgan said, interrupting him as she leaned forward. She jabbed at a spot on the map to the west of their path, the opposite side of the mountains. “What about the Wastes?”

“What about them?” Jerik asked. “They’re even further away than the mountains are, and they’re not a raid zone.”

“But what about the rumors of the monster that moved there from the coast?”

Jerik blinked at her. “What rumors?”

She made a dismissive gesture, seeming to have forgotten that he didn’t get the same view of the feeds as she did. “There was a small expedition about a week ago. Some squad tried to go and clear the Wastes on their own.”

“Just a single squadron?”

“Well, they’re highly geared,” Morgan explained. “About the same power as our front group. Or rather, they were.”

“What happened to them?” Jerik asked her, a tight knot forming in his stomach. He didn’t like unaccounted for information, particularly if it was about a dangerous monster that had abandoned its usual home and gone roaming.

“They were wiped out.”

“By what?”

“Well, that’s the thing.”

Morgan opened her tablet again and brought up a screenshot of the feeds, showing them. There was a lot of information there as per usual, but she’d highlighted the part she was talking about. Four names were shown as slain by monster. What was most strange about it all was that no monster was listed. The only reason for that he could think of is if it was an unknown monster. Monster names were only known after they were killed, after all.

“No name,” Morgan pointed out unnecessarily. “These same four had just completed a minor raid on their own in the mountains here.”

She tapped the entrance to the Lost Dungeon, the raid zone that was considered to be the final challenge of the low-level area. The only encounter of the area that required Legendary-Class gear or higher. “They beat that alone, setting a record for least members used.”

“Okay,” Jerik said. “That’s impressive, but what does it have to do with the monster that attacked them?”

“Well, they were all Legendary-Class,” she said significantly. “If something could wipe them out, then it’s a powerful monster. At least Legendary-Class.”

Jerik bit his lip as he thought about that. A Legendary-Class monster was a possible challenge for them, of course. But it would be a close-run thing, and they weren’t prepared for it. Still, the Wastes were over a week’s walk away, and it was a large area, nearly four day’s across. “Okay, I agree. That’s a big threat. But as I said, we’re far away.”

“But the Monster wind is blowing from the Wastes to us.”

The Monster Wind. The inexplicable gust that blew all across the continent of Menora. For reasons unknown to them all, monsters flocked in the direction it flowed, migrating in random patterns. The realization hit Jerik like a brick. “How long has it been blowing in this direction?”

“Nearly two weeks,” Morgan said, her face grim. “So there’s a high likelihood-”

“Fuck!” Jerik exclaimed. Benji and Katrina jumped, as did several platoon members who were passing or sitting nearby. “Why didn’t you say this before!”

“I thought you were going far more east!” She exclaimed defensively. “How the hell was I supposed to know you’d take a different path this time?”

“Guys,” Benji said, lifting her hands. “Can we-”

“You’re an information broker,” Jerik growled, staring directly at her. “You’re supposed to be the person that gives me all the information I need. Particularly if that information is about a monster that could wipe out our entire platoon!”

“You made it quite clear that you were busy with planning everything,” Morgan hissed. “I tried to bring this up earlier, but you brushed me off, saying you had too much on your plate.”

“Guys,” Benji said again, taking a step forward. Katrina was looking pointedly away, ignoring their sudden spat. “Can we just put this off for later?”

“Just wait,” Jerik told her sternly, his previous good mood quite gone by now. He turned back to Morgan. “If it’s something this important, tell me no matter what.”

“Fine,” she said coolly. “I’ll make sure to interrupt you in future.”

“Please do,” he replied, his teeth gritted. He waved of Nicholas, who was coming over, a look of concern on his face. “Now that that’s settled-”

He was interrupted by the sound of a magazine being loaded into a rifle. Purely by instinct, he drew the sidearm on his waist and spun around, leveling the weapon at the source. It had come from Katrina. But her weapon wasn’t pointed at him. She’d simply readied it, he noticed. Odd, but not a threat. He lowered it with a sigh, and was just opening his mouth to say something to her, but she was retrieving another weapon, and seemed not to notice what he was doing.

“What are you doing?” He asked, his eyes widening as he saw her hefting a rocket launcher. Benji was also loading her rifle at her side, her eyes focused on the sky to the west. “What is wrong with-”

Ten he heard the long, high-pitched screech, and felt his blood chill. Staring in the direction that Katrina was aiming the launcher, he saw a dark shape high in the sky, silhouetted by the sun. It was small, but not for long. Two things were equally obvious to him at first glance. First, the beast, whatever it was, was incredibly fast. Second, it was clearly aiming for their camped platoon.

“Defense!” He shouted, slamming his sidearm into its holster and snatching up Paragon. He dropped to one knee at once, loading a new rounds. The monster was just coming into view now. “Get moving!”

The platoon hurried to obey, the front squad rushing forward to provide cover while the others fell into a loose circle around him. Morgan stood at his side, activating the enchantments on her gear. Still, Katrina stood still, waiting for it to draw closer. Its form was visible now, and he knew what the monster was, even if it wasn’t registered publically. The lean, powerful body of a lion. The wings and head of a massive eagle. He didn’t need Nicholas’ shout of alarm to tell him what it was.

It’s a griffon!”