The words fell like stones into the sudden silence.
"That's not possible," Elise said, her voice tight with controlled panic. "The Association wouldn't approve—"
"This wasn't in the contract," Joshua interrupted. "Red gates are suicide missions!"
Aurora stepped forward, her masked face revealing nothing of her reaction. "Everyone calm down. There must be some mistake."
"Oh, there's a mistake alright," I said, turning to face her. "This gate has locked us in. No exit until we clear it or die trying."
Shikamaru moved beside me, his normally lazy posture now alert, tense. He pressed his own hand against the gate's surface, confirming what I'd already discovered.
"Troublesome," he muttered, but the word carried weight I'd never heard in it before. "Very troublesome indeed."
Yuzuriha approached next. "Could it be a malfunction? Sometimes gates glitch during atmospheric changes."
"This isn't a glitch," I said. "The mana structure has completely reconfigured."
Aurora stood frozen for a long moment, then turned to address the group. "Everyone gather around. Now."
The team collected in a tight circle, faces grim. Fear hung in the air, thicker than the sweet-scented atmosphere of this alien world.
"I need to know," Aurora's modulated voice was tight with strain, "did anyone know this was going to happen? Was anyone here prepared for a red gate?"
Silence. Heads shaking.
"What about you?" She rounded on me. "You seemed pretty convinced this gate was misclassified."
I met her blank mask with a level stare. "I said it was higher than C-Rank. I didn't say it was a death trap."
"Convenient."
"If I knew it was a red gate, I wouldn't be standing here," I replied flatly. "I'm not suicidal."
Theo, the quiet healer, spoke up for the first time. "Arguing won't help. We need to assess our situation and develop a strategy."
The military hunter, Alexander, nodded. "He's right. Standard procedure for unexpected gate mutations: inventory check, perimeter establishment, threat assessment."
Aurora stood still for another moment, then her shoulders straightened. "Fine. Alexander, you're on perimeter. Take Jin and Sonya. Secure a fifty-meter radius around these pools."
The three hunters nodded and moved out, weapons drawn.
"Kaisen, Elise, scout the immediate area for resources and threats. Stay within visual range."
The berserker and the lightning user headed off in the opposite direction.
"Theo, check medical supplies. Dave and Joshua, inventory all equipment."
She turned to the three of us remaining—me, Shikamaru, and Yuzuriha.
"You three, help me figure out what the hell happened to our gate."
We approached the blood-red portal again. Up close, I could see subtle movements within its surface—like currents in a crimson sea.
"Can your shadows test it?" I asked Shikamaru.
He nodded, forming a hand seal. His shadow stretched, thinned, then slipped upward against the gate's surface like water defying gravity. The shadow probed the edges, seeking any weakness in the barrier.
"Nothing," he reported after a minute. "Complete seal. No permeability at any point I can detect."
Yuzuriha produced a thin string of fluid, directing it toward the gate's surface. The substance made contact, sizzled briefly, then dissolved into vapor.
"It's rejecting foreign matter," she observed. "Aggressively."
"What about your abilities?" I asked Aurora directly. "Any chance you can influence it?"
She hesitated, then shook her head. "My talents wouldn't help with this."
Interesting evasion.
I turned to face her. "You're the one who brought us here. You're the one who insisted it was properly classified despite evidence to the contrary." I stepped closer and whispered. "What did you get us into, Nicole?"
Her body went rigid. "What did you call me?"
"You heard me."
Her hand shot out, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the others.
"Over here. Now." Her voice was a harsh whisper despite the modulator.
Once we were out of sight, she ripped off her mask. Nicole Demara's face was flushed with anger, her green eyes blazing.
"How the FUCK do you know who I am?"
"We've met before," I said calmly. "CHA-LA, about two months ago. You were with your bodyguard, the blonde."
She stared at me, recognition slowly dawning. "The pretty boy. The one who was hanging around the registration desk."
"Xavier Valentine," I confirmed. "And now I'm wondering why Damian Demara's daughter is running an off-the-books operation in a gate that just trapped us all inside."
"I didn't know," she hissed, genuine fear flashing across her face. "I swear I didn't know it would turn red."
"Then who approved this operation? Who classified this gate?"
"It's complicated," she said.
"Uncomplicate it. Fast. Because in case you haven't noticed, we're all trapped in here now."
Nicole took a deep breath. "My father doesn't know I'm here."
"I figured that much out myself."
"I'm trying to... establish something separate. Something that's mine." Her eyes darted back to the group. "The Association paperwork is legitimate. I paid for proper classification, proper permits."
I sighed heavily, studying Nicole's face. Pretty, privileged, and way out of her depth. "Want to beg for forgiveness now and apologize, or should we wait until after everyone's dead?"
The slap cracked across my face. Alright, I deserved that. At least she's got good form.
"You absolute piece of-"
"Perimeter secure." Alexander's voice cut through her building tirade. He emerged from the twisted vegetation, Jin and Sonya flanking him. His weathered face tightened at our position – Nicole with her hand still raised, me with a reddening cheek. "Everything alright here?"
"Peachy." I touched my jaw.
Nicole jammed her mask back on, voice modulator crackling to life. "Everyone gather up. We need to plan."
The team assembled in a loose circle near the oasis pools. Theo sat cross-legged, medical supplies spread before him in neat rows. Dave and Joshua's equipment inventory formed a smaller pile – worryingly small, given our situation.
"We could wait it out," Elise suggested, electricity crackling between her fingertips. "Force a dungeon break."
"That won't work." Yuzuriha's voice carried an edge I hadn't heard before.
"Why not?"
I met Nicole's masked gaze across the circle. "Because red gates operate on different time. One day in here equals one hour outside." I let that sink in. "Unless anyone's packed for a six-month camping trip, we're not waiting this out."
"Six..." Joshua's face went slack. "That's... that's so long."
"All this for ten grand?" Dave laughed, high and brittle. "I've got an internship next week."
"I've got rent due next week," Jin whispered.
Kaisen slammed his fist into the ground. "We're going to die here. We're all going to fucking die-"
"Enough." Alexander's command voice cut through the rising panic. "Lock it down. Now."
The military hunter stood, and I watched how the others responded to his presence – backs straightening, breathing steadying. Interesting. Natural leader, this one.
"We can panic, or we can plan." He swept his gaze around the circle. "I've run ops that went sideways before. The ones who survive aren't the strongest or the smartest. They're the ones who keep their heads."
"What's your suggestion?" Nicole asked, and I caught the slight tremor in her modulated voice.
"We treat this like any other gate operation, just with extended parameters." Alexander pulled out a small notebook. "First priority is establishing a base camp. Second is resource assessment – food, water, defensible positions. Third is reconnaissance. We map this place, figure out what we're dealing with."
"And then?" Sonya's question hung in the air.
"Then we do what hunters do." He snapped the notebook shut. "We hunt. We fight. We clear the gate. Or we die trying." His eyes locked onto each face in turn. "But we do it smart. We do it together. That's the only way any of us are getting home."
The silence that followed felt different than before – less desperate, more focused. I watched the change ripple through the group, fear transforming into something more productive.
Not bad, I thought. He's given them structure. Purpose. Something to focus on besides their own mortality.
"I can help with the mapping," Shikamaru offered, breaking the silence. "My shadow reconnaissance can cover ground faster than physical scouting."
"My strings can create secure perimeters," Yuzuriha added. "Early warning systems."
One by one, they started contributing, skills and suggestions building on each other. I stayed quiet, observing. Learning.
Nicole – Aurora to the others – took charge of the logistics, but I noticed how she deferred to Alexander on tactical decisions. Smart move. She might have orchestrated this cluster, but she was sharp enough to recognize expertise when she saw it.
"And what about you?" Alexander's question pulled me from my analysis. "What do you bring to the table besides attitude?"
"Me? I'm just a D-Rank hunter who got in over his head." I stretched, joints popping. "But I've got good eyes. And I notice things." I nodded toward the distant treeline. "Like those tracks you missed on your perimeter check. The ones heading north. Fresh. Big. And definitely not human."
Alexander's expression didn't change, but his hand tightened on his weapon. "How big?"
"Based on the spacing?" I met his gaze. "Something that walks on two legs. Probably eight, nine feet tall. And it's not alone."
"You got all that from tracks I didn't even see?"
"Like I said." My smile widened. "I've got good eyes."
The group's dynamic shifted again, reassessing me. I could practically see the thoughts turning behind their eyes. D-Rank. Right.
"We should move," Nicole said suddenly. "This position is too exposed."
Alexander nodded. "Agreed. But first..." He turned to me. "Those tracks. Show me."
I glanced at the darkening sky, where the twin suns were setting at different rates. "Better hurry."
A low rumble in the distance, like distant thunder but somehow wrong, emphasized my point. Several people flinched.
"Welcome to the red gate, folks." I started walking toward the tracks. "Hope everyone remembered to pack a nightlight."