Two hours after the gear shipnt arrived, they were loading up Seraleth’s ship for deploynt. The Grey family interceptor looked different now—Sam had gotten it customized with Eclipse Faction insignia painted along the hull in that sa brushed tal finish as their building sign. The eclipse symbol stood out against the ship’s dark plating, visible enough that anyone who saw them landing would know exactly who they were.
All ten recruits had shown up in their new tactical gear, the dark gray suits fitting better than the mismatched equipnt most of them had been using before. None of them had managed to put Diana down during the demonstration, but she’d decided they should co anyway. Field experience beat simulated training, and this contract would show them what Eclipse Faction actually did.
Sam stayed at base to handle operations and any incoming communications. Kelvin was buried in his workshop, probably making progress on that ch prototype. That left Diana, Sophie, Seraleth, and Noah leading the recruits into what might be their first real test as a faction.
The flight to Area 52 took about forty minutes, the ship cutting through atmosphere with the kind of speed that ca from Grey family engineering. Noah watched through the viewport as the city gave way to agricultural zones, then further out to the settlents that existed on the edges of civilization. Places where people lived because land was cheaper and the governnt presence was lighter, but also where beast attacks happened more frequently because military response tis were asured in hours instead of minutes.
Area 52 settlent ca into view—a cluster of buildings spread across maybe two square kiloters, surrounded by farmland and light industrial facilities. Five thousand people living out here, close enough to the city for trade but far enough that they were mostly on their own when problems ca up.
The ship landed in a cleared area near the settlent’s center, thrusters kicking up dust as the landing gear took their weight. The ramp extended, and Noah led his team out into afternoon sunlight that felt warr than it had been in the city.
A small group of settlers had gathered to et them, drawn by the ship’s arrival. An older man stepped forward, maybe in his sixties. His face was lined like a map, sun-damaged skin showing years spent working outdoors. He wore a faded blue work shirt and pants that had been patched multiple tis, and his hands were rough with calluses.
"You’re from Eclipse Faction?" he asked, looking at their gear and the symbol on their shoulders.
"That’s right," Sophie replied, stepping forward with the kind of calm authority she’d developed over months of military operations. "We’re here about the beast incursions. You filed a contract through the network?"
"We did." The old man gestured to the others with him. "I’m Lee, settlent coordinator. These attacks have been happening for three weeks now, getting worse each ti. We requested EDF support twice, but they said we’re low priority compared to city threats."
"That’s why we’re here," Diana said. "Walk us through what’s been happening."
They moved to a building that served as the settlent’s administrative center, really just a large room with tables and communication equipnt. Lee pulled up records on a basic display, showing logged incidents over the past few weeks.
"Started small," he explained. "Livestock going missing, so property damage. We figured it was normal beast activity—we’re used to category one threats out here, occasional category two if we’re unlucky. But then the attacks got more frequent and more aggressive."
One of the recruits spoke up—the scarred woman from earlier, whose na was Valencia. She’d been a hunter for three years before joining Eclipse Faction, working contracts in settlent regions like this one. "What kind of beasts are we talking about? Describe what you’ve seen."
A younger settler, maybe mid-twenties, leaned forward. "Fast things, move on all fours but can stand upright sotis. Long tails, dark fur, make these chittering sounds. They co in packs, maybe five or six at a ti."
Valencia nodded, exchanging glances with another recruit. "Spider monkeys. Category two, usually scavengers but they’ll hunt if they’re hungry enough. Shouldn’t be attacking settlents in organized packs though."
"There’s more," an older woman added. "Bigger creatures, wolf-like but with these ridged backs and red eyes. They hunt at night, work together like they’re coordinated. Took down three cattle in one night last week."
Another recruit, a guy nad Lee who’d worked faction contracts for five years, frowned at that description. "Dire wolves. That’s category three, maybe category four depending on the alpha’s size. They’re pack hunters by nature, but they usually avoid human settlents unless they’re starving."
"And there’s sothing else," the settlent coordinator said, his expression troubled. "Bear-like thing, massive, with stone-colored hide that looks like armor. It showed up twice, both tis at dusk. Smashed through a storage building the first ti, didn’t even seem to notice our weapons. Second ti it just... watched us. Stood at the settlent edge for maybe ten minutes, then left."
The recruits went quiet at that. Valencia spoke first. "Stoneback behemoth. Category three for sure, maybe pushing category four if it’s fully grown. Those things have hide tough enough to deflect small arms fire. Usually solitary, territorial. They don’t just watch people—that’s not normal behavior."
Noah knew this particular beast they’d ntioned all too well and Valencia was right. Stonebacks didn’t just watch. At least not the two he encountered.
Sophie had been taking notes, her tactical mind processing the information. "You ntioned things going missing. What specifically?"
"Tools mostly," the younger settler replied. "tal parts from machinery, so electronic components, even a few weapons we’d confiscated from people who shouldn’t have had them. Nothing too valuable, just random stuff that didn’t seem connected."
"But it’s not just theft," the coordinator added. "These beasts, they’re not just killing and eating. Sotis they take the bodies. Sotis they leave them but parts are missing—not eaten, just gone. Like they’re harvesting them for sothing."
Noah felt sothing cold settle in his stomach. That matched what he’d seen during the Cannadah mission from his first year at the academy, before Sophie had joined them. Beasts using tools, acting with intelligence beyond what category classifications suggested they should have.
"We’ll need to investigate the areas where attacks happened," Sophie said. "Can you show us the most recent incident sites?"
The settlers provided maps and coordinates, marking locations where beast activity had been highest. The Eclipse team spent another thirty minutes gathering information—attack tis, weather conditions, any patterns the settlers had noticed. Valencia and a few other experienced recruits asked detailed questions that showed they knew what they were doing, earning approving looks from the settlers who’d probably dealt with less competent hunters in the past.
By the ti they left the administrative building, the afternoon was wearing toward evening. The sun sat maybe two hours from the horizon, painting everything in that golden light that made shadows stretch longer than they should.
Sophie pulled out scanning equipnt Kelvin had modified for detecting beast energy signatures. The devices weren’t perfect—they picked up false positives from plant life sotis, and certain geological formations could throw off the readings—but they were better than stumbling around blind.
"Noah," Diana said, checking her own gear. "You coming with us for the initial sweep?"
Noah glanced toward the settlent’s outer edges, where buildings gave way to farmland and then forest beyond. Sothing felt off, though he couldn’t place exactly what. Just an instinct that said splitting up might be the right call.
"You three take the recruits and do the sweep," he said. "I’ll hang back, keep an eye on the settlent proper. If you run into sothing you can’t handle, call and I’ll be there."
Diana frowned. "That’s weird. You never hang back."
"Just a feeling," Noah replied. "Besides, this is supposed to be field experience for them. They need to handle situations without jumping in every ti things get tough which I know I would if I was there."
Sophie studied him for a mont, then nodded. "Alright. But if we call, you better move fast," she said with a smile knowing it only took a second or less for Noah to get to wherever she was.
They organized the recruits into three groups of three, with Diana leading one group, Sophie another, and Seraleth taking the third. Valencia ended up with Diana’s group along with Lee, the experienced hunter. The formation made sense—spread the knowledge around so each group had at least one person who knew what they were doing.
Noah watched them head toward the forest edge where the scanners had picked up traces of beast activity, then turned back toward the settlent proper. The settlers had mostly gone back to their routines, though he noticed more people carrying weapons than you’d see in the city. Out here, being ard was just common sense.
He walked slowly through the settlent’s main paths, passing buildings that mixed residential and comrcial purposes. A small market area where people sold produce and basic goods. A repair shop that handled everything from farm equipnt to personal vehicles. A communal dining hall that probably served as a social center.
People nodded to him as he passed, recognizing the hunter gear even if they didn’t know him specifically. Given their recent beast problems, they seed glad to have professionals around.
But Noah wasn’t just taking a casual stroll.
His system interface had triggered about ten minutes ago, displaying a warning in purple text that only he could see.
[WARNING: ANOMALOUS ENERGY DETECTED]
[SOURCE: UNKNOWN]
[DISTANCE: DECREASING]
[RECOMNDATION: INVESTIGATE WITH CAUTION]
The system worked like a HUD overlaid on his vision, visible only to him, responding to ntal commands. It had gotten him through more dangerous situations than he could count, alerting him to threats before they beca lethal.
Right now, it was telling him sothing was wrong in this settlent. Sothing that didn’t match normal beast signatures.
’A category five?’ he thought, watching the energy reading fluctuate as he walked. ’That would match the settlers’ concerns. But the signature feels different. More... controlled.’
Category five beasts were forces of nature. They didn’t hide their presence—they radiated power that scanners picked up from kiloters away. This energy was subtle, almost masked, like whatever was generating it knew how to stay hidden.
Noah passed through the market area, nodding to vendors who were packing up their stalls as evening approached. The scanner reading intensified, the distance counter dropping steadily.
[DISTANCE: 50 TERS]
[DISTANCE: 40 TERS]
[DISTANCE: 30 TERS]
He slowed his pace, trying not to alert whatever he was approaching. His hand drifted to his side, not quite reaching for a weapon but ready to move if necessary.
The market had maybe two dozen people still active, finishing transactions or chatting with neighbors. Normal settlent life, people going about their routines without any awareness that sothing was wrong.
[DISTANCE: 15 TERS]
[DISTANCE: 10 TERS]
Noah’s eyes swept across the crowd, looking for anything out of place. An elderly woman stood near a vegetable stall, bent slightly with age, wearing simple clothes that matched every other settler. She was examining produce with the kind of careful attention that suggested limited money and the need to make good choices.
[DISTANCE: 5 TERS]
[WARNING: HOSTILE ENTITY DETECTED]
[ENTITY TYPE: ANALYZING...]
Noah moved before his conscious mind finished processing the information. Three steps brought him within range. The elderly woman looked up, her expression shifting to confusion as she registered him approaching.
He swung.
His fist connected with her face and she went flying, propelled backward by his enhanced strength that sent her tumbling across the market like a ragdoll. She crashed into a pile of empty crates maybe ten ters away, the impact loud enough to draw everyone’s attention.
The market went silent. People stared, shocked, horrified expressions spreading across faces as they processed what they’d just seen.
"What the hell?!" soone shouted.
"He just hit an old woman!"
"Is he crazy?!"
Settlers started moving toward Noah, so reaching for weapons, others just staring in disbelief. He’d just assaulted what looked like a harmless elderly resident, and from their perspective, he’d completely lost his mind.
But Noah kept his eyes on where the woman had landed.
She stood up.
Her neck was bent at an angle that should have been impossible for a living person, tilted almost forty-five degrees to the side. Blood ran from her nose and a gash on her forehead where she’d hit the crates. The settlers gasped, so backing away, others frozen in shock.
Then the wounds sealed.
The blood stopped flowing, the gash on her forehead closing like soone was editing footage in reverse. Her skin smoothed over, leaving no trace of injury. Her neck straightened with a wet cracking sound that made people flinch, correcting itself until she stood perfectly normal except for the blood still staining her face.
"How... how did she do that?" soone whispered.
The woman—the thing wearing a woman’s shape—tilted its head like a bird studying prey. Its eyes had changed, no longer the warm brown of a human but sothing flat and predatory.
[ENTITY TYPE IDENTIFIED: SKINWALKER]
[THREAT LEVEL: CATEGORY 4]
[CAUTION: ENTITY CAPABLE OF MIMICRY AND REGENERATION]
Noah stared at the system notification, then at the creature that had been pretending to be a settler.
"What kind of beast even is that?" he muttered.
The skinwalker smiled, showing teeth that were just slightly too sharp to be human.
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