Ellis boarded last and settled into a small folding seat near the front, closer to the pilot’s cockpit than to the passenger area. He turned his body to face them as the hatch sealed.
"The gate site is about ten minutes from here. I’ll brief you on the current situation during the flight so you’re up to speed when we land. The rest of the team will meet you at the staging area."
The orbital lifted off.
Moon settled back in his seat and listened.
During the ten minutes of travel time on the orbital, Ellis walked them through the operational details.
"The gate has a party restriction. Only seven fighters can enter at any given time. You and Madam Nina bring the total to seven with the five additional Evolvers already on-site. The Association considered pushing for a larger authorized team, but the gate’s mechanism doesn’t allow it. Any attempt to enter with more than seven produces a rejection."
Moon nodded.
He was familiar with the restriction. The previous S-Rank gate he had entered had also enforced a fixed party count. The mechanism was well-documented in Gate Research, though the reasoning behind it remained a subject of ongoing research.
"Do you have any information on what’s inside?"
Ellis’s expression tightened slightly.
"Unfortunately, no. The first exploration team that went in weren’t able to communicate with the outside world. You’re going in with essentially zero intelligence on the terrain, the beasts, or the objective."
Nina exhaled quietly.
"That’s not reassuring."
"No, madam. It isn’t. But it’s the situation we’re working with. The Association would rather have accurate information about the gap in our knowledge than pretend we have data we don’t."
Moon appreciated the honesty. Better to walk in expecting the unknown than to walk in with false confidence based on assumed conditions.
The orbital touched down at a landing pad on one of the larger skyscrapers of the commercial district.
Ellis led them off the vessel and through a short walk toward the district itself.
The area was completely evacuated.
The buildings that would normally have been full of merchants, brokers, and traders stood silent.
Most of the major companies had also moved their important assets out of the buildings.
Inventory, high-value equipment and anything that could be relocated had been relocated to a safe place. The buildings had been left empty to minimize losses in the unlikely event that the gate breached and destroyed the district outright.
Ellis noticed Moon looking at the empty windows.
"The Association coordinated the evacuation over the past two days. Most of the merchants were cooperative once the situation was explained, but ultimately, it’s their choice to evacuate or remain."
Moon nodded.
They continued deeper into the district.
The gate came into view around the next corner.
It sat at the center of a wide plaza that had once been a busy commercial intersection. The gate itself was a swirling vertical cut in reality, roughly six meters tall and three meters wide.
A temporary command post had been established at the far edge of the plaza.
Communication arrays, portable barriers and other things.
A tall man in combat gear waited near the largest tent.
Ellis led them directly to him.
The man turned as they approached.
His posture was calm and grounded, his eyes were sharp but non-evasive. He looked to be in his forties, with silver strands threading through his dark hair at the temples.
The aura pouring off him was powerful yet non-threatening.
Moon immediately felt his aura as a powerful Surpasser.
"Mr. Moon. Ms. Nina. Welcome to Rivergate, My name is Halvern. I’m the Association’s commander for this gate. Thank you both for coming on short notice."
Moon returned the nod with equal politeness.
"Commander. It’s an honor to be here."
Halvern’s tone stayed warm.
"The honor is mutual. Both of your records precede you, and having the two of you on the team significantly improves our expected outcome. If you’ll follow me, I’d like to introduce you to the rest of the team before we begin the pre-entry briefing."
He gestured toward the largest tent.
Moon and Nina followed.
The inside of the tent was well-organized with maps of the district on the walls.
Five Evolvers were already gathered around the table, all of them turning to look as Moon and Nina entered.
Halvern made the introductions in order.
The first was a petite woman with short auburn hair and a strong jawline. She wore heavy plate armor and carried a war hammer strapped across her back.
"Vela, she is a Four Star Evolver. One of the strongest tank specialists in the city. Vela has cleared a few Second Order gates over the past year. You can count on her to handle the front-line for the team."
Vela inclined her head with a small respectful nod.
"Pleasure to meet you."
The second was a lean man in his forties with a long braid down his back and twin swords at his hips.
"Kayn, he is a Five Star Evolver. As a Dual-blade specialist, Kayn is one of the top-ranked swordsmen in our city. His mobility and single-target damage will complement Vela’s role. They are a powerful team together."
Kayn offered a polite nod.
"Pleasure."
The third was a woman with pale silver hair and calm gray eyes. She wore lightweight robes and carried a slender bow.
"Elsa. Five Star Evolver. She is an Elemental Archer, with water and ice affinities. Elsa has extensive experience with crowd control.
Elsa smiled warmly.
"Welcome to the team."
Hearing his words, Moon’s heart began to beat like crazy. This was it, this was the moment he had been looking for!
’An elemental archer... I can copy her class when my cooldown ends.’ Moon’s eyes almost shone with stars as he stared at Elsa.
The commander then introduced the fourth and fifth member of the team. The fourth member was a hybrid support class that can act as a tank and heal, his name was Marek.
The fifth member was a slim young man with jett black hair, an assassin specialist named Theo.
"Sir Moon."
Moon returned nods to each of them in turn.
The team was solid.
Halvern gestured for everyone to gather closer around the central table.
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