When Edge and Sasha rejoined the crew, Trapper was casting Manifest Trap.

  The hunters didn’t have time to set up something fancy, but they could still employ some simple devices to thin the swarm’s numbers and serve as a fallback point.

  While she worked, everyone gathered round, and Trapper began their battle briefing.

  “Now that we have confirmed the swarm’s composition, we can commit to a plan of engagement. Some of the beetles will have ranged attacks to dissuade flying predators, but that isn’t how they hunt. The bugs will spread out and try to surround us, dealing damage with their aura-buffed mandibles until the males are in position to blow us to bits.

  “We don’t have enough firepower to drop the matriarch with an alpha strike. Anything that strong is bound to have skills protecting it from both physical and magical attacks. However, if we hit the beasts before they switch on their auras, there’s a good chance that we can defeat the peak stage-two centurion, depriving the swarm of its supportive magic before they realize they’re under attack.”

  Everyone nodded along as Trapper outlined her strategy.

  “The first stage of the fight will be a running battle, taking advantage of our mobility and ranged superiority. Ann and Violet will sit in Blue’s saddle and stay out of harm’s way while watching for enemies approaching from behind. Your only job is to protect yourselves, but feel free to take out some grunts or soldiers if you spot an opening.

  “The rest of the crew will pummel the beasts from range while pulling them into the trap field, doing some damage while preventing the swarm from surrounding us. Given their numbers, they are bound catch up eventually, at which point the grunts will encircle us, close the distance, and explode. Sasha, focus on Fire Breathing and try to thin out the males. Riller, hang back and snipe anything that’s threatening the rest of the crew.

  “Once we’re committed to a brawl, Jumo and I will engage the centurions while Edge takes on the matriarch. I want you to burn hard and hit the big bug with multiple combos, preventing it from commanding the swarm or switching targets. Lillian, you have more than enough experience to put yourself where we need you most, so play this one by ear.

  “If the fight starts to go south or we spot an opportunity to take out the matriarch, Edge will use Overdrive while we dish out as much damage as possible. Once his ultimate runs out of juice, watch his back until the exhaustion wears off.”

  The crew discussed the matter for a while longer, asking questions and making tweaks to refine their strategy. With that, all that was left was to make their move and hope their plan worked out.

  He grinned as a familiar surge of adrenaline broke over him—heart pounding as everyone got ready to head out. While Edge had experienced some incredible growth over the last few weeks, taking on a stage-three beast was always a frightening proposition, and some of his friends were still stage one.

  Legion beetles were dangerous predators that thrived in high-threat biomes. The crew would be in serious trouble if the swarm ambushed them unaware. However, the hunters were armed with a plan, knew what their quarry was capable of, and had no intention of fighting fair.

  As they walked, everyone began their final preparations.

  Edge switched on Fear the Season’s passive component and fired up Warlord’s Mantle, causing a resplendent ruby cloak to materialize across the shoulders of every member of the team. He manifested Foebinder and reached for his chakram, preparing the bone-and-brass ring before handing it to the chain.

  The original version would be a poor choice for an enemy armored with a dense exoskeleton. The blade was designed to bite into flesh, and unless it penetrated, the weapon couldn’t deliver its payload of elemental magic. The newly upgraded version, however, had just the trick to get the job done.

  He reached out with the glove that controlled the chakram and tapped two fingers together. Living steel flowed out from behind the cutting surface, transforming the round weapon into a triangle with thick spikes attached to the ends.

  Since this wasn’t a blade, Edge couldn’t infuse it with subzero mana, but he had another way to bring the pain. He pulled a jar of fire oil out of his vault and dipped each spike into the inserter, coating the weapon with searing aether that warped the air around it.

  Meanwhile, his friends activated the powers at their disposal while making sure their gear was ready to go.

  Violet turned on Travelers’ Boon to restore the crew’s stamina, letting them fight longer and harder without getting tired. Meanwhile, Ann activated Storm’s Blessing. It was Edge’s first time experiencing the aura. His tissue grew tougher, and his Disruption field thickened as the hunter’s magic took hold.

  He felt a faint tingling where his hands gripped his polearm, which had to be the lightning-aspected mana coating the weapon—ready to shock his target every time the naginata’s blade made contact.

  After everyone rubbed some scent-erasing ointment into their skin, Sasha switched on Silent Step, and Lilly activated a pair of potent magitech devices. One shrouded the crew with camouflage magic, and the other muted their mana signatures.

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  The team came to a stop near the maximum range of their skills.

  The bugs were already moving, preparing to resume their nomadic predation, but they hadn’t noticed the hunters’ arrival. The crew only had a few seconds to take aim and let loose before they lost their chance to deal some damage before the battle began.

  Taking the aura-casting centurion out first was a wise move, and he was ready to do his part. As they had planned, Edge set his sights on the peak stage-two insect, which would be a tough opponent if he were fighting it one-on-one.

  When Trapper gave the signal, everyone got ready to use their strongest skills.

  Riller nocked an arrow and ignited his core as Wind Shot’s mana congealed along the shaft. Hot air buffeted Edge’s face as Sasha placed a Flame-Imbued arrow to her bowstring. Trapper loaded an earth round into her magitech crossbow and was boosting its power with Snipe.

  Lilly had primed her boltcaster and was charging Assassin’s Vortex. Meanwhile, Jumo conjured three Piercing Javelins above his head—the most he could create at the same time at the skill’s current rank.

  For his part, Edge was eager to give Vacuum Blast its first true test. He ignited his core, and the vacuum fields manifested, blowing everyone’s hair as the skill compressed the wedge of air trapped inside.

  Five seconds after their leader gave the order, everyone was ready to rock.

  The beetles had sensed the mana emanating from the hunters’ position, but Lilly’s devices delayed their response for a crucial moment. Before the creatures had time to organize a defense, the crew unleashed their might.

  Ann and Violet were using regular crossbows. They fired their shots at the matriarch a second before everyone else let loose. The missiles wouldn’t do any damage, but if the swarm thought their leader was the target, they wouldn’t put as much effort into guarding their stage-two members.

  Foebinder flung Edge’s chakram, and the crew’s attacks went streaking through the air a heartbeat later, soaring toward the swarm in a collage of elemental attacks.

  Along the way, he sent out a pulse of Repel Water. When the magic field pressed against the ring of Freshwater Sapphires embedded in the chakram, the weapon took off like a rocket, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye.

  The soldiers scrambled to position themselves in front of the matriarch, shielding it with their bodies as they activated defensive skills.

  They realized the stage-three insect wasn’t the crew’s target at the last possible second, but it was already too late. The hunters’ alpha strike tore into the peak stage-two bug, shattering its shell and savaging the flesh beyond.

  Vacuum Blast tore into the centurion, penetrating a few inches before releasing its payload with a boom that echoed across the Cherry Orchard.

  His chakram struck the other side with a spike leading the way. It bit into the beast’s exoskeleton, sinking into the tissue below. It wouldn’t have been a serious wound by itself, but the injection of searing aether was another story, causing the beast’s flesh to sizzle and smoke.

  Wind Shot, a Flame-Imbued arrow, Snipe, Assassin’s Vortex, and three Piercing Javelins landed a bare second later—back-to-back attacks that would have ended Edge’s day in the worst possible way if he had been on the receiving end. The centurion screamed as it collapsed from the cumulative damage the crew had inflicted.

  He wasn’t sure if the beast was dead or severely injured, but he didn’t have time to find out. The hunters had already turned around and were running for their lives. The hiss of a hundred furious creatures filled the air—punctuated by the scrabble of chitin striking dirt as the beetles followed hot on their heels.

  Thanks to Warlord’s Mantle, the crew maintained their lead, although the swarm was faster and would catch up eventually. With their superhuman attributes, the hunters could attack on the run, charging their powers as they sprinted across the sub-biome. They turned and fired in a single motion before resuming their tactical withdrawal.

  They took out a few beasts in the process, though the goal was to slow the swarm’s advance. By the time the hunters reached the trap field, their lead had been cut in half, but so far, everything was proceeding according to plan.

  For this fight, Trapper had placed a series of acidic glue bombs across the grassy ground, which were buried in petals to conceal their locations. As they had anticipated, the beetles spread out as they chased the crew across the Orchard.

  It limited the number they could catch in the glue, but the traps would still take a bite out of the swarm while creating obstructions the hunters could use to their advantage. Trapper was using her specialty core to manually detonate the devices, maximizing their effectiveness and ensuring they didn’t go off while her team was in range.

  When Edge passed through the kill zone, she activated the first bomb, spewing viscous fluid in all directions. Every grunt that touched the glue was immobilized, taken out of the fight in an instant. Their stage-one sisters pulled themselves out of the gunk, but it didn’t make much difference when the acid started dissolving their shells a few seconds later.

  The beetles would figure out how to spot the remaining traps soon. Before that happened, Trapper detonated the rest of the glue bombs, catching another dozen beasts as the swarm parted to avoid the obstructions.

  The traps bought the hunters enough time to fire another barrage, but the beetles had recovered from the surprise, and the rest of the fight was bound to be considerably tougher.

  Sure enough, the bugs with ranged attacks let loose while the rest closed the distance. Edge blocked several shots with his new shield, although a few slipped past. Wind Ward knocked the first projectile from the air. The rest hurt like hell until Rejuvenation healed the damage a few seconds later.

  Some of the beasts spat wads of goop. The rest of the crew had to be careful not to step in the sticky substance, but thanks to the coating Ander had applied to his boots, he didn’t have to worry about getting stuck.

  The team’s stage-two members came together to receive beetles’ charge. Riller fell back to join Ann, Violet, and Blue before he was surrounded. The dino was strong enough to carry three people. While there wasn’t room in the saddle, there was a strap he could step into, and the four of them fell back before the beasts arrived.

  Five seconds later, the true battle began.

  When the matriarch activated Vigor, electric crimson lines appeared along the insects’ limbs, bolstering their Power and Speed. Their bites would be far more dangerous going forward… especially after their leader activated its second aura.

  Mana went flowing out of the matriarch’s core and gathered along the swarm’s mandibles, magnifying their penetrative power.

  “Don’t let them bite you!” Trapper yelled. “Even the little ones will deal serious damage.”

  That was all the time they had to prepare before the first wave hit them and a fierce melee ensued.