I checked out Zoe leaning against the Peregrine. “Feels weird, right?” she said, catching my eye. “Four days in, and not a single thing has tried to eat us. Almost makes me miss Earth.”


    “Almost?” I shot back, letting a faint smile slip through. “Starting to think I’ve been hallucinating all these years, the way it’s been out here.”


    Zoe grinned, more to release tension than anything. “Yeah, well, don’t get too comfortable. Could be nothing... or it could be the jackpot.” She was such an adrenaline junkie, it was kind of hot. Hotter than Emily complaining, that''s for sure. Not that I didn''t love Emily, but the rush of fighting monsters, the life and death scenarios, that was living. Zoe understood.


    “Or a trap,” I added, the smile fading. “We’ve seen that before.”


    “True.” Zoe’s gaze flickered, but her grin stayed in place. “But if there’s one thing we know how to do, it’s handle a portal.”


    And she was right. Four years of grinding had left us confident, even if we hadn’t gotten the levels we’d wanted. But this wasn’t Sol. Here, we had no idea what a portal meant, or why the landscape was so eerily quiet.


    I watched Danny and Joey emerge from the dropship, arms full of gear, Danny animatedly discussing new samples, Joey’s steady grin grounding him. It was a familiar sight, a piece of home they’d carried with them. I''d seen it play out a hundred times, and it reminded me why we were here, why we kept pushing even when the grind felt endless.


    “All set?” Joey asked as they approached, his tone steady, as if this was just another routine scan.


    “Yeah,” I replied, nodding. “Alright, let’s get going. We’ll take it slow, see what we’re dealing with. If it’s a dungeon, we prep like usual, and if it’s anything else... we adapt.” I was trying to sound confident, but honestly, I had no idea what to expect.


    Chris chimed in from the back. “And if there’s loot, dibs on first pick.”


    That earned a chorus of groans and a few playful shoves, the crew’s usual banter filling the space around the Peregrine, cutting through the quiet of New Dawn’s wilderness. I took one last look at the camp before climbing into the driver’s seat. “You guys ready?”


    Ryan and Danny were already suiting up, retrieving their armor from storage. I swear, those two were itching for a fight. Zoe, meanwhile, polished her Energy Sniper Rifle. She was a badass, that one. Emily sighed softly, settling into the passenger seat beside me. She looked tense.


    I eased the Peregrine into gear, the hum of its electric engine vibrating through my hands as the vehicle rolled forward, leaving the dropship behind. The thrill of the unknown pulsed in my chest, a familiar feeling I hadn''t realized I''d missed. Four years, four light-years away, and still, we had more questions than answers. Maybe this portal would give us something concrete. Something useful. Or maybe it would just give us something to kill. Either way, I was ready.


    <hr>


    The first few kilometers passed easily enough, the ground firm beneath the Peregrine’s tires. Everyone was quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Even Ryan wasn''t being his usual, asshole self. Joey occasionally tapped on his tablet, cross-referencing our satellite images with what little geological data we had. Emily sat next to me, her hands resting lightly on her lap, glancing out at the passing scenery. She looked good, even with that little pout she always got when she was worried. It was a rare sight, the alien flora brushing against the windows, a soft mix of purples and blues swaying in the breeze. Almost serene. Almost.


    But the terrain got rougher the farther we went. Rolling hills turned into jagged outcroppings of rock that jutted out of the soil like broken teeth. The Peregrine bounced hard as I maneuvered us through a narrow valley, the suspension groaning under the strain. I swore under my breath, gripping the wheel tighter as we climbed a steep incline. “Could’ve warned me about the hill,” I muttered, glancing over at Joey.


    “The elevation change is in the computer,” Joey replied. Yeah, thanks for nothing.


    “Right,” I grumbled, my focus shifting back to the uneven trail ahead. “Next time, underline it.” Or maybe just speak up when it''s important?


    The vehicle lurched as we splashed through a shallow stream, the water spraying up against the hull. Zoe, sitting behind me, craned her neck to get a better view. “This place is wild,” she said, her tone somewhere between admiration and unease. “It’s like... untouched wilderness. Almost too perfect.” She was practically drooling. Adrenaline junkie.


    “Don’t jinx it,” Danny quipped from the back, one hand gripping the overhead rail as we hit another bump. He was such a cutie pie, even when he was being a smartass.


    “Are we going to discuss how this planet is surprisingly bio-compatible with Earth?” Joey asked from his seat.


    “What do you mean,” Zoe asked.


    “That’s a great point, isn’t this terribly convenient? A planet that’s for all intents and purposes compatible with us? We can breathe the air, we can eat the plants and animals, hell, even the gravity is similar, and it’s like the next system over from Sol.”


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    “You know what I think?” I said. “It’s probably part of the whole system bullshit, like the Oort cloud, or the genesis platform. The system is pushing, shoving us even, to expand outside the solar system.”


    “But why? that’s the big question,” said Emily, joining the conversation.


    We had no answers, just a hell of a lot of speculation.


    <hr>


    The ground beneath us grew even more treacherous as we got closer, the soil loosening into patches of fine gravel that slid dangerously under the Peregrine’s weight. I adjusted our speed, carefully guiding us around a cluster of twisted alien trees with bark the color of rust. The tires crunched over rocks as I steered us toward a ridge, the portal’s signal growing stronger.


    “Halfway there,” I announced, my voice cutting through the low hum of the engine. “How’s everyone holding up?”


    “Just fine,” Emily replied, leaning forward to check the map. “Though, at this rate, my spine might disagree.”


    Ryan snorted. “Better than walking 53 kilometers. I’d take bumpy over blisters any day.” Spoken like a true masochist.


    Another stretch of rough terrain forced me to focus as the Peregrine teetered over a rocky incline, the rear tires slipping slightly before catching hold. My hands tightened on the wheel, heart pounding as I eased us forward. We crested the ridge and descended into a shallow valley, the portal’s coordinates now less than ten kilometers away.


    <hr>


    When we finally emerged on the other side, the ground leveled out into a wide, barren plain. In the distance, a faint shimmer hung in the air, like heat rising from asphalt on a summer day. The portal.


    I stopped the Peregrine, letting the engine idle. “There it is,” I said, my voice low, trying to ignore the knot of anticipation in my stomach.


    Once we stopped, I shifted the Peregrine into Outpost mode. The vehicle transformed, deploying sensors and stabilizers. I flicked on the shield for the first time. We hadn’t had to use it yet as it would draw from the battery, but now? This was it. An honest to goodness portal, where mobs would spawn from.


    No one said a word as we suited up, the quiet clicks of armor locks and the hum of weapons powering on breaking the silence. It was like gearing up for a big boss fight, except we had no idea what we were facing. And honestly, I was starting to get a bad feeling about this.


    I watched as one by one, we armed up.


    <hr>


    In the early days, mobs dropped basic weapons: energy rifles, standard armor, consumables like energy bars, stim packs, and med supplies. Nothing fancy, but it kept us alive.


    As we leveled up, the loot got scarcer but better. Advanced guns, modular armor, more specialized gear. But once we started hitting level 60 portals? That was it. No more new System loot. Just scraps, scattered here and there, depending on the planet, the portal, or pure dumb luck.


    That’s when the corporations stepped in. They started developing their own gear, custom weapons, retooled armor, but it all needed rare-earth materials. Asteroid mining helped, but even then, supply was tight.


    Some teams went all-in on modified gear, but us? We were purists. Unmodified System armor and weapons. Reliable. Consistent. Never failed. Plus, System gear gave you that extra boost to your attributes, +2 to each of them if you had a complete set.


    The System still gave us variety, though, with types like Devastator, Thunderbolt, Farstrike, and Vanguard. Eighteen different models for each weapon class. The problem was that you needed all set pieces to match.


    But everyone knew the truth.


    Vanguard was king. Peak accuracy, damage, and range. The best of the best.


    <hr>


    I’ll start with Joey. Our healer. Our Field Medic. The guy who kept our dumb asses alive.


    His armor? Rhea Vanguard Heavy Powered Armor. Full set: helmet, chest, arm guards, gloves, boots. Once he suited up and activated it, the pieces locked together, granting him full protection and forming a reinforced exoskeleton that gave him superhuman strength.


    Cool as hell. Also loud as fuck. And massive.


    But Joey preferred it that way.


    The heavy plating let him charge through danger, grab any of us, and haul our broken bodies to safety. And the Vanguard class? That meant extra buffs to defense, energy efficiency, and ability duration.


    Best part? The Taunt ability.


    When he activated it, the armor pulsed with an energy signal, grabbing enemy attention like a goddamn beacon. Didn’t always work, but when it did? It saved our bacon.


    Joey’s main weapon was his level 54 Hyperion Truestrike Energy Blaster.


    System-named, obviously, Hyperion, like one of the moons of Saturn, everyone knew that. Some of the best portals in Sol. Truestrike meant better aim, integrated compensators, stabilizers, the whole deal.


    Then there was his Level 54 Energy Shield. The thing could take a beating from both ballistic and energy weapons, but its real trick? It could expand into a full protective bubble. Perfect for when Joey needed to patch someone up mid-fight without getting torn to shreds. The weapons didn’t really have levels, but we associated them with the portals in which they were found.


    And, of course, he always had his medical kit, sprays, foams, stimulants, the works.


    Back in Sol, having a medic wasn’t always necessary. As long as you could make it out of a portal, the support network was there, medical bays, healing pods, IFC medics.


    But out here? No hospitals. No backup. No safety net.


    We needed Joey. More than ever.


    <hr>


    Next up, Chris and his bulging muscles.


    His path? Suppressor. Basically, high DPS, laying down suppressive fire, and wrecking anything big enough to be a problem.


    Unlike Joey, he wasn’t lumbering around in a walking tank. He wore the Tethys Amplify Medium Armor, sleek, mobile, and just enough protection to keep him in the fight without slowing him down.


    Same basic setup, five-piece set with a visor, pouches, and mods, but no powered exoskeleton. Just armor.


    That meant he, Ryan, and Emily were quieter, faster, more flexible.


    Its special ability? Power Surge. The armor could sync with most energy weapons, using its power cells to supercharge a shot.


    Sounded badass, and it was, until your gun overheated and became a useless hunk of metal. Still, these were the last TL8 variations from Sol. Top of the line. Reliable.


    Hadn’t let us down yet.


    His weapon of choice? The Ganymede Helix Devastator Energy Driver. A charge-based energy rifle that amps up its damage the longer the trigger is held. Devastator? That meant it was optimized to unleash the pain train.


    When fired, it released a spiraling energy beam: high penetration, precision-focused. Ideal for melting through armor and tearing into heavy targets. The longer he held the trigger, the more potent the beam.


    The Tethys Amplify Medium Armor synced almost seamlessly with it, letting him overcharge shots without frying the rifle as long as he didn’t hold the trigger too long.


    Chris and Joey were the newest members of the crew, but they weren’t rookies. They’d had their own team back in Sol, that is, until they stopped delving. Now? They were with us. Considering where we were headed, that was probably the best decision they ever made.