His prediction proved itself to be a genuine premonition only five minutes later. Because that was when Edge spotted a monster clinging to the branches of a sprawling tree, just beyond the bubble of open air.

  Its appearance reminded him of a great ape, although its features were twisted into a grotesque facsimile of the noble creatures. Its limbs were too long for its body and bent at unnatural angles—like it had several extra joints distributed randomly across its skeleton.

  The monstrous monkey was covered in rust red fur, patterned by an extensive latticework of scars. It was powerfully muscled, even compared to the other inhabitants of the Savage Garden. Like all monsters, the ape boasted deadly natural weapons. The fiend’s forelimbs had thick bands of bone running along the back of its knuckles, with long spikes protruding from the exterior. Its rear feet featured wicked black claws, and its round face ended in hulking jaws that looked strong enough to bite through steel.

  Its stench was surprisingly subtle—reminiscent of moldering leaves and fermenting fruit. None of that was what made dread drag at Edge’s guts like a ball of lead. Although it exuded the same aura of hatred that all monsters shared, this creature’s gaze was far more intelligent than any of the others he’d had the misfortune of meeting. The ape had clearly been watching the crew for some time, hiding in the fog to evade Tessa’s sensory skills.

  Most disconcerting of all, instead of charging straight in like the other monsters they had encountered outside the maze, this monkey seemed like it was waiting for something. Whatever it was, he had no desire to find out.

  Edge reached for his chakram, but Lilly had already followed his gaze, pulled out her boltcaster, and lined up the shot. Instead of attacking, he opened his belt pouch and tossed one of the chirpers he had bought from Bee. A few seconds after the metal sphere landed in the dirt, it let out the sound of something scrambling across the soil.

  The monster looked down at the unexpected noise, and Lilly pulled the trigger. A thumb-thick bolt caught the monkey square in the chest, piercing its heart and killing it instantly. Its corpse came crashing to the forest floor as the shadowkiller nodded in satisfaction. “That one wasn’t so bad,” Mel said. “But I can’t shake the feeling that we’re missing something important.”

  Tessa walked over to the dead monster to take a closer look. Mana swirled around her eyes as she activated one of her powers and bent down to inspect the body.

  “I’ve never seen anything quite like this before. It’s covered in another monster’s mana, but there’s no sign that it fought anything within the last few days. I think it was under a spell that controlled its behavior. There is a second energetic matrix here that reminds me of a sense-link skill, so another monster might have been watching through its eyes.”

  “Considering its stage, that would require a skill that’s at least rank four,” Fox muttered under her breath as everyone moved to stand in a circle. “It’s probably the handiwork of one of the stage-three elites in here. I suppose that it could be the blob. But since neither of the powers you described fits with the skillset we observed, it’s probably one of the other two. Why do I get the feeling that my day is about to get a whole lot worse?”

  “Death flag, Fox.” Snake sighed and scratched his neck. “Although I must admit that I feel exactly the same way. This spot only itches when something nasty has me in its sights. Alright people.”

  He turned to face the crew. “We’re about to be attacked by a stage-three elite—something on par with the bone slime we ran into earlier. At this point, we have two options. We can run and hope we get lucky. Wager that we’re fast enough to outpace whatever is stalking us, and don’t wind up heading toward it while moving through the fog. If we do, we’ll be facing a deadly opponent blind, in which case we are all going to die.

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  “Or we can stay where the mist won’t impede our sight and make our stand. We’ll be able to fight at full strength and work as a team, but if we’re not strong enough, the end will be the same. It’s high-risk, high-reward gamble either way, so it comes down to whether you feel like trusting your luck or gearing up for the fight of your lives. As for me, I’m staying. I refuse to give the System the satisfaction of watching me stumbling in the dark. I’d rather die staring my opponent in the eye and fight until my final breath.”

  “I’m staying too.” Edge didn’t hesitate. “I have a few aces up my sleeve and can punch above my paygrade. Besides, if we run and get lucky, the only reward is staying alive. If we fight and triumph, we’ll be getting far more than that. If I’m risking death either way, I’d rather go all in and bet on myself every time.”

  “Well said.” Mel threw an arm around his shoulder and brandished her axe. “Let’s show this elite bastard how the hunters of Ord throw down.” She turned and kissed him on the lips. “For luck.” Although it was quite enjoyable, the kiss caught Edge by surprise, and everyone laughed at the expression on his face.

  “I was going to run.” Jumo rubbed his chin. “But I was counting on the rest of you going with me to act as decoys. Now it doesn’t have the same appeal.” He grinned to show he was kidding. Then the warrior cracked his knuckles, popped his neck, and raised his padamas-spike spear in front of him. “Let’s kick its ass, cash in the quest reward, and come one step closer to claiming the core manufactory.”

  “I knew that I liked you guys,” Fox said. “Tons of talent and not a coward among us. Besides, it’s like Edge said. This is a bad situation, but I haven’t shown even a fraction of what I can do.”

  Tessa sighed, then placed her hand in the middle of the circle. “I understood what I was signing up for when I agreed to join the expedition. More than our own survival is riding on this mission. I would never rest easy if I died without giving it my all before hitting the dirt.”

  One by one, each hunter added their hands to the circle in a gesture of solidarity. They held them there for a long moment, sharing what might well be the final seconds of their lives. Then Fox and Snake looked at each other, nodded, and removed their masks, showing their faces for the first time.

  “Holy shit.” Jumo almost dropped his spear in surprise. “It’s Ann’s sister, Lillian. But that doesn’t make any sense. She’s so shy and quiet… mind blown.” Tessa looked just as shocked.

  For her part, Lilly was deeply amused. “One of the fringe benefits of cultivating an alternate identity is getting to experience moments like this. The look on their faces when the reveal hits them is priceless.”

  Edge had been speculating on Snake’s identity for days, but it turned out that he didn’t know the hunter after all. Behind the serpentine mask was a middle-aged man with steel gray eyes, full lips, and a broad nose.

  “The name’s Byron. I’d appreciate it if you kept that knowledge to yourselves. But since we’re going to be fighting to the death sometime within the next few minutes, I wanted to look each of you in the eyes without this thing in the way. Let you know that there really was a man behind the mask if this day is fated to be my last.”

  They took turns offering words of encouragement, then the crew broke apart and went to work. They began laying plans that covered a range of situations, knowing that at any second, a fearsome monster would emerge from the mist and attack. Everyone was afraid, even the veteran shadowkillers, but no one let it get in the way.

  For now, they were going with a circular formation with Tessa and Lilly in the middle. Once they knew where their opponent was, they would wrap around to come at it from three sides. The hunters would focus on evasion until they learned what they were dealing with, then revert to their primary roles for the rest of the fight.

  When they were finished, Edge peered into the swirling mists, listening for the sound of anything approaching. But all he could hear was his heart thundering in his chest. Smell the stench of a hundred monsters riding the humid breeze. He savored the thrill of the moment—the electric tension that had risen to fill the air—while preparing himself to give this battle his all.

  Five minutes later, it finally happened. “It’s coming!” Tessa cried out. “No, it’s already…”

  Her warning was cut short by the same event that rendered it redundant. Before she finished her sentence, something big, red, and covered in fur went soaring through the air. It came crashing to the ground, landing in front of Team Arrow with an impact that sent the treetops swaying like drunks one shot short of oblivion.