His first cable strike landed on the forehead of an ibex. The monster didn't slow even momentarily from the impact, though it lost an eye. Hector didn't see if any of his other cables did any good because that first beast was on him. He seized the horns with both hands to stop the momentum. Then Hector used a cable to yank one of the back legs sideways. With that plus his grips on the horns, he turned the monster onto its back.

A cable thrust into the open mouth, through the throat cavity, and up into the sinuses. Hector scrambled the brain and then turned his attention to the next threat. Actually, threats.

Three goats were attacking at the same time. Two targeted him and one went for Ajax, whose sling was not suited for close work. Hector wrapped cables around the goat closest to him and threw it hard at the one about to reach Ajax.

Then he accepted the head butt coming for his gut. Hector hit the ground, performed a back roll, and popped to his feet. The ibex was already charging for a second attack, so Hector leaped over its head. The goat jumped at the same time, intersecting his arc through the air.

Only a last second flare of his aura prevented the points from piercing flesh.

The impact sent Hector tumbling sideways. When he bounced off the ground and stumbled to his feet, the offending goat was already turning to miasmic goop around a smoking plasma wound. Hector made a note to himself to do something nice for Fred if they both survived the battle.

The Sage of Swords jumped about deep within the press of enemies, a one man army incapable of fear or caution. His growling grunts were audible even over the constant bleating. The glint of metal on air could not be ignored. Every use of the Sage's realm drew attention like a magnet drew iron filings.

But Hector couldn't afford the distraction at the moment. He forcefully directed his attention back to his immediate environment. He side-stepped a charging ibex, snatched up one of its rear legs with a hand, and yanked hard. Then, flooding cosmic energy through his body, he seized a second leg and tore the monster's limbs off with his bare hands.

As miasma began to vent, Hector tossed the corpse away.

He was about to rush towards where the Titan brothers fought when he caught the sight of a man hurtling through the air to one side. Hector turned just in time to witness Leroy the leaping idiot smash a cheaply made tomahawk into the snout of an ibex. The metal of the weapon deformed under the reality-warping influence of miasma. Like the tomahawk was fashioned from putty, it crumbled to the ground as muck.

Before he could wonder if saving such an utter idiot was a waste of his time, Hector retrieved his squad mate with a force cable and tossed him back onto Fred. Then Hector came forward to deal an end to the ibex. It had reared up on its hind legs, so Hector threw an uppercut as the beast descended, flaring his aura and firing energy through his heels at the moment of impact. The head exploded upon contact with his fist.

The constant ta-ta-ta-ta-ta of Fred's plasma rifles hadn't ceased since their charge began. Yet suddenly it cut off. Hector almost panicked, but then saw that the Rover was surrounded by other humans who were pouring through the open gate. His squad leader wasn't in trouble. He was just wary of friendly fire.

That freed Hector to join the Titans.

Ajax had put away his sling and was snapping ibex necks like the monsters had bones of glass. He was exceedingly careful not to let the bodies remain near him – with every kill, he tossed the corpse far away. Meanwhile, Nestor swung and stabbed with his digging bar, kicking away the dead and dying with his lower body while his upper body was occupied dealing damage.

Hector landed between them and began using his cables to maneuver the enemies into convenient spots for his allies. He then disposed of the bodies easier and with less risk of miasma poisoning. The three of them quickly fell into a rhythm.

Back in his warehouse days, he had plenty of coworkers who combined situational awareness and forethought. Put two or more of those individuals together and their work rate would increase exponentially. They would anticipate each other's needs without speaking, becoming like a decentralized assembly line. You couldn't train just anyone to work like that. The right people would automatically fall into a rhythm.

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Ajax, Nestor, and him were the right people. Their combat styles meshed well and they improvised in the moment like skilled jazz musicians. Everything that approached them was dispatched with clinical efficiency and removed from their presence.

Hector tripped an ibex as it lowered its head for a charge, letting Ajax seize the stumbling beast for a neck break. Then he scooped up a dying beast and hurled it into the distance before its bloody form could spray miasma at Nestor. Ajax kicked one before it could hit Hector from his blind spot. Nestor lanced out with his digging bar to pierce the side of a goat all the way through its heart.

They were an unstoppable machine in three parts, clearing out their corner of the battlefield.

To one side, Jinn fired plasma rifles and tossed grenades. In another direction there were Arahants wielding rune-covered spears that erupted in force when they struck enemy flesh, shredding and throwing away monsters. Far ahead, alone, the Sage of Swords menaced their foes with a constant barrage of expanding slices.

Humanity had made a bold entrance into the battle for the world of Eden.

Ajax suddenly seized his upper arm. "Energy reserves?"

Hector almost made a gesture to call up the interface of the System before remembering he wasn't on Union Central. He made a quick estimation. "About halfway spent." That was too much gone too soon, he instantly knew.

Ajax repeated the question with Nestor, who paused in his violence for a moment. "Only a quarter left."

"I knew that digger bar was too expensive to reinforce," Ajax said.

Nestor kicked a goat in the head as it rammed, causing it to collapse unconscious to the ground where he could spear its neck. "Whatever. Withdraw to the back for a breather?"

The three of them retreated back to Fred, where they discovered an irate Cleo dragging Leroy back into place. "The leaping idiot tried jumping a rabbit monster."

"It kicked my head real good," Leroy explained as he rubbed a bruise on his temple.

The Titans squatted before Fred, who instructed Cleo on where she could find a water bladder on his back. Everyone took generous gulps as they rested. The ingress of humans from the gate continued unabated. Fresh recruits charged forth in three hundred and sixty degrees to bring the wrath of the task force down on the monsters that dared attack a true world.

Hector watched the battle lines growing increasingly further from his current position. "How long do we stay here before rejoining the fight?"

"We did our part already," Ajax declared. "Let the rest of the task force get blooded in the first battle. There will be plenty of work for us later. Drink, eat, rest, and restore your reserves. Unless you have other orders, Squad Leader Fred."

The Rover did not disagree. "We were in the first wave, so now we get the first break."

Eventually the tide of humans coming through slowed and stopped. Then the gate winked out of existence, the only proof it ever existed being an army twenty thousand strong. The sounds of fighting faded to nothing. Squads began to form up, lost soldiers wandering about looking for their buddies. Commanders moved about getting reports and issuing orders.

The Sage of Swords stumbled up to their position. He swayed on his feet when he stopped, as if standing still were more challenging than moving forward. Dark blood frothed from his nose and mouth, the sign of miasma poisoning manifesting as a macabre beard. "None of you died, then. Good job."

Hector stood and moved towards the Sage. "Sir? You look like you need medical attention."

"Dying men don't need medical." Their commander turned his full attention to the Titans. "Don't go out cheap. Your kind know that. Take out a thousand of them. Go down hard."

"Aye," Ajax agreed.

"It's a good death," Nestor said.

The Sage pointed to the Titans. "Clean up this world. Yours will be righted some day too. Give the monsters hell. You, Xian… best of luck on your quest."

When the three of them had sworn to that course of action, the Sage summoned his sword. It emanated the familiar dangerous pressure. Hector engaged his mental sense and realized that the Sage had imbued his insight into his externality somehow. It was far beyond what Hector did when he cultivated chaos. It wasn't simple application, it was an encoding.

The Sage sat down and began to stroke his sword like it was a lover. He whispered to himself as he rested there, his voice growing ever softer as he faded away. None of them knew exactly when he passed out of life. There was only a point where no one could pretend he wasn't dead.

Ajax carried the body away so that it could be burned with the others.

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