Goria hefted the box off the shelf. It was pretty heavy but he didn't show any strain over the weight. He walked a few steps to the cart and set the box down on the growing pile of boxes on the cart. Sweat beaded on his forehead. It was about midday and the warehouse was starting toheat up.

Goria had gotten a job in a warehouse moving boxes 3 weeks after moving into his apartment. Relics moved in and out of the facility every day in droves for shipping to other facilities in what was considered the 'known world.'

The pay was 500 credits per week. As a gesture of kindness, Urza had delayed increasing Goria's rent until the originalfour week period was up. After that, rent would be 300 credits per week. The remaining 200 credits would be more than enough to buy food each week. With some saving, Goria could be able to fix up the apartment. He'd have to get Urza's permission to renovate but, Goria doubted that Urza would deny anything that would increase the property value.

Goria hefted another box and placed it on the cart. He walked around to the other side and wiped some sweat from his head. He grabbed the handle and began pushing it through the warehouse. Shelves of boxes arranged on a network of aisles filled the massive room. Low-hanging fluorescent lights provided meager visibility.

Goria pushed the cart through a set of double doors and into the loading room. The boxes would be sorted by destination here and loaded onto trucks to be sent to their respective destinations. Goria turned the cart over to the loading workers and walked to get another. His boss, Jim, stopped him.

"Hey, man. Take a break. You've been working since 6 AM. You probably want to prove yourself or something like that, but you've got plenty of job security. Go into the lounge. The Hunt is about to start," Jim said.

Goria wasn't trying to impress Jim. The truth was Goria simply wasn't tired.

"That'll take nearly two hours," Goria replied.

"Oh well. You work twelve hour shifts. Consider it your regular break and lunch break at once," Jim responded.

Goria gave up and nodded. Jim smiled as Goria left the room, peeling off his work gloves. Goria crossed through the warehouse to another room marked 'lounge' and walked inside as he stuffed his gloves into the back pocket of his pants. Two other workers were on break. They acknowledged Goria as he entered with nods. One poured a cup of coffee from the machine and offered it to Goria. Goria nodded backand took it.

The first worker, Wren, turned excitedly to the second, Will, and spoke, "Lookingforward to this one? The scheduled Hunters are Connor, Batts, Malfane, and Wenda."

"Damn, it might be a blow out."

Goria sipped the coffee as the television screen showed two men sitting behind a desk. They were both dressed in suits and had stacks of paper in front of them. Ear-piece microphones were clearly visible on them.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Hunt. This is Carl Ranethe," the one to the left said.

"And this is Kendill McGee," said the other.

"Today's Hunt will take place inside a ruin that was once, researchers have learned, a prison. The ruin has collapsed creating one walk-able floor. The mazelike nature of this facility and the few-and-far between statuses of relics will make this a tough challenge for our Hunters," Ranethe said.

"Speaking of the Hunters, let's introduce them to the home audience," Kendill replied.

The screen changed to show a young man in his 20s. He had wild black hair. He wore loose black pants and a black shirt and blue knee pads, bullet-proof vest, and elbow pads over them. He wore blue wrist guards over black fingerless gloves. On his forehead, intermingled with his wild hair, was a pair of goggles.

"Malfane is the youngest of the Hunters competing today. He quickly rose through the lower ranks and reached the status of Class A Hunter in his 3rd year. Malfane has a decent lifetime record with 150 Hunts under his belt. Fifty of those Hunts have him coming in first, 45 in second, 35 in third, and 20 Hunts in fourth," said Ranethe.

The picture changed to show the vest Malfane wore to the right of a black automatic pistol. To the right of the pistol was the pair of goggles. The objects rotated in place.

"Malfane takes three pieces of equipment with him into a ruin. The first is his sidearm. Nicknamed 'Bernice,' this semi-automaticweapon was one Malfane recovered himself in a ruin and took a liking to. The clip holdsquite a fewbullets and Malfane carries two extras with him into a ruin. Thesecond piece of equipment is Malfane's custom-made bullet-proof vest. Last year, during a Hunt, Malfane waskilled repeatedly and his armband took it out on his body. Since then Malfane uses a bullet-proof vest. It serves both to increase his longevity in a Hunt, but also to protect a permanentinjury he incurred that fateful Hunt," Kendill explained.

"The third piece of equipment is a pair of night-vision goggles. Malfane also excavated these himself. The obvious use is to allow him to see clearly in dark ruins," Ranethe said.

The picture changed to show a young woman,just a bit older than Malfane. She was very pretty and had black hair that came down to her shoulders at the back and her jawline at the sides. She wore black clothing similar to Malfane's, including a bullet proof vest of similar style.

"Wenda has been something of a wild card on the Hunt circuit. Her career has been mixed with ups and downs. Her rookie season was incredible. The entire year she placed in first 38 out of 41 times. Her second year was marred by an accident. While training with her Broker she tore a muscle in her leg and yet insisted on competing. It hampered to such a point that eventually the governingforce of the Hunts stepped in and suspended her from competition until her injury was healed. This sidelined her for the remainder of the year. The next year she came out and gave everything she had. She put up a fair performance. This, her fourth year, has yet to take off in either direction. Her standing record of 48 first place finishes, 12 second place, 18 third place, and 52 fourth place illustrated her career," Kendill illustrated.

The screen changed to show the bullet-proof vest and a shotgun. They both rotated slowly giving a 360-degree view.

"Wenda's equipment pieces of choice include a bullet-proof vest. No special story here. Wenda's always had it and nobody knows where it came from," Ranethe said.

"Her firearm, on the other hand, was a gift from her father. He taught her how to shoot at the age of 7. She got into hunting at age 10 and fell in love with the powerful shotgun you see on your screen. She carries it on her back and although it might seem cumbersome to do so, she can draw it at lightning speed. She carries 30 extra shells into a ruin," Kendill said.

The screen changed to show a grotesque figure. It was huge and muscled. The thing had a tough face and a blonde Mohawk. Over its eyes a black visor. Its hands were covered by what appeared to bemetal gauntlets and its feetby metal boots. Its only other clothing was a skin-tight blue spandex suit.

"Batts suffered a terribletragedy as a child. It left him horriblydeformed. Batts lost both hands and both his lower legs in addition to being left blind by theincident.His father, however, was wealthy and paid for extensive surgery. As a result, Batts no longer sees in the normal manner. The black glass over his eyes is an optic sensor that relays information directly to his brain. His hands are now cybernetic attachments and under each wrist lays his equipment piece," Kendill said.

The picture changed to a close up of Batts's arm. The hand unhinged and slid down underneath the wrist.

"Hidden beneath each wrist is aflamethrower. Batts employs this both as a weapon and a tool. Creating a wall flame allows him to withdraw from combat cleanly, or back a target into a corner. Batts is a veteran Hunter with over 300 Hunts under his belt, 92 of them being in first place," Ranethe finished.

The picture changed to show a figure draped in black clothes. A large black cowboyhat cast a shadow over his face. Black robes obscured his body. He wore brown leather fingerless gloves that extended up to forearm, with extra padding on the forearms. Around his neck was a necklace with a cross on it. White hair traveled from underneath the hat andshaded his face further.

"Connor is the most prolific Hunter ever. There is no question as to his skill. There is no question as to his results. However, little is known about this Hunter. He has shunned the notoriety that comes with his success. He does no endorsements. He holds no press conferences. As far as we know, he's never spoken a word since he wandered into Arkland a little over a decade ago. However, his record speaks for itself. Connor has participated in over 500 Hunts. He has about 300 first place finishes. That is an incredible ratio. Connor has never placed lower than second in the last 6 years of his career," Ranethe said.

"There's no doubt about this Hunter. You have to remember, he still plays like he's in his prime. It's like he never ages. Connor is thecompetitor every Hunter wants to be and the one no Hunter wants to go up against," Kendill added.

The screen changed to atwin pair ofpistols. They were black semi-autoamtics.

"Connor's weapons of choice are two pistols. They're not automatic but they get the job done," Kendill said.

"Connor carries an unknown amount of extra ammunition with him into a Hunt," Ranethe added.

"While the Hunters are getting prepped, let's show the target item," Kendill suggested.

The screen switched and showed ablue print of the facility and a glowing dot in the center. Thecamera moved taking the dot through hallways and inside a small room. The dot pulsated indicating the position of the relic. The screen faded and showed a small, tattered, rectangularcardboard box.

"These playing cards once held a significant value in pre-ruin days. Contests were held with these cards and much money was won and lost because of them. It might seem like an insignificant item, and we're not going to pretend that this is the find of the century, but anything related to pre-Ruin culture is priceless," Kendill said.

"The other six relics in this ruin are 2 CD-ROM discs; a pistol; an electronic keycard with the reader; a bullet-proof see-through shield; and a book," Ranethe said.

The screen zoomed out on the target item after fading back in on the mapbut kept it marked with a blinking red dot. Six blinking yellow dots appeared to indicate the position of the other relics.

"In addition to Hunters, the monsters present in this ruin will be a constant challenge. We know of two types to exist within the ruin. The first is a CAL sentry robot," Kendill said.

The screen changed to show the monster. It had four metal legs ending in ball-points that connected to a circular platform with diagonal black and yellow stripes running around it. Connected to the platform was a gray cylinder encased in a blue one. Attached to the side of the cylinder was an arm-like apparatus that slimmed down as it moved away from the body. It was shaped more like a gun than an arm. Near the top of the cylinder red glass covered an optic censor which moved back and forth under the long rectangular glass giving off an eerie red glow.

"The CAL, or Counter-Attack Laser robot, records show, was designed to stun would-be attackers. The weapon mounted on the side accomplishes this by firing a beam that can disrupt the target's central nervous system on a direct hit to the head. Otherwise, nasty burns are in store. Its secondary method of attack is to ram targets at high speed. Because of the non-lethal nature of this machine, the prison version is designed to work in tandem with the RAD model," Ranethe stated.

The screen changed to show a larger robot with four legs that seemed like a spider's. Small grey legs arced into yellow armor plated legs that ended with a tip on the ground. The legs were fixed to a yellow platform. Four flashlights were fixed on the platform. A gray 'torso' formed up into an armored, oversized head with 3 glowing green eyes. On the right shoulder a large shield was fixed with ashooting hole at the top that a machinegun poked through. The left arm was grey thatended in an armored claw. All of the armor was a dark shade of red.

"The RAD, Radical Attack Drone, sits back and waits. If the CAL fails, the RAD uses lethal force. The weapon on its left shoulder was able to be interchanged to a variety of weapons. A net-launching device, machinegun, bazooka, and grenade launcher were all possibilities. The claw on the right arm is strong enough to crush steel. The heavy armor makes it very hard to take out, but well aimed shots at the unarmored portions can go along way towards disabling this beast," Kendill said.

The screen flipped back to the two announcers.

"Initial scans show that there at least 13 monsters roaming the ruin. At least 6 CALs and 7 RADs. They don't seem to be operating in groups, which is a good thing for our Hunters," Ranethe said.

"Now, let's go down to the pit where the Hunters are being prepped. Turning it over to correspondent Hat Lore," Kendill said.

The screen changed to a room with a lot going on in the background. People were moving around as was equipment. In the center was a man dressed in a suit holding a microphone.

"Thanks, Kendill. The Hunters are loading weapons and gathering extra ammunition. The tension here is almost nonexistent," Hat said.

Malfane walked across the background and Hat turned and inquired about a brief interview. Malfane nodded and Hat brought him into the foreground of the camera.

"You're facing some stiff competition today, what do you think your chances are?" Hat said.

"That's for the gamblers to decide, Hat," Malfane replied, smiling.

"Ha, well said. Do you have a particular strategy for this Hunt?" Hat asked.

"I sure do," Malfane replied.

"Care to elaborate?"

"Heh, not with so many ears around," Malfane said, indicating with his finger, "I'll say this though, I think that if I hit the ruin fast and hard I can come out on top."

"Worried about anything particularly?"

"Not really. This is my first Hunt since the injury that I'm going against RADs again. I'm really eager to avenge that. Of course, there's also Connor. Only a fool wouldn't be worried about him," Malfane replied.

"How will you deal with him?"

"I'll keep that one to myself. Hey, listen, I've got to go. They're about to boot up the armbands. I'll be more than happy to continue after this, alright?"

"No problem,"

Malfane patted Hat on the back before moving off camera.

"There you have it, folks. Back to you, Kendill and Carl,"

Again, the screen changed to show Kendill and Ranethe.

"Thanks, Hat. Let's go to the start room for the booting up of the armbands and the start of the Hunt," Kendill said.

The screen changed and now showed the four Hunters assembled in one room in a line. In front of them was the crew, four men who sat in front of computers. One was to monitor the Hunter's positions, one was the monitor the Hunter's status, a third to monitor the television signals and switch cameras for the TV audience, and a fourth who could monitor the inside of the ruin for external factors.

They each hit a key on their keyboards and the armbands on the Hunter's right forearms came to life. After a few seconds they were done and the Hunters were enveloped in green light and disappeared.

The camera changed and showed Malfane in a decently lit room. It was a bathroom and it was disgusting. Toilets were not well maintained and all were rustic and corroded. Mirrors were shattered, sinks were smashed. Malfane spun and found Wenda directly behind him.

Malfane drew his pistol from the holster on the back of his belt. Wenda drew the shotgun over her shoulder. Both weapons came to bear at the same time. The standoff lasted a considerable time in silence. After a minute words were exchanged that the audience couldn't pick up. After another minute both weapons were lowered and the Hunters exited the room in the same direction. Malfane stopped Wenda and stood at the exit of the room. He pressed down on the screen of his arm band and a green square was lit on the floor. He moved around a bit, adjusting the radius to his liking before tapping the screen again and setting the trap. Wenda and Malfane ran down the hall.

"Malfane and Wenda end up in the same room and team up! This will be an interesting development for the Hunt! Before leaving, Malfane sets a damage trap," Kendill observes, his voice-over coming clear.

"Of course, this alliance will likely be short lived. There can only be one winner, after all," Ranethe added.

The screen changed to Batts. He was in a library. Shelves of books had been knocked over. Computer equipment was strewn about. It was smashed and destroyed beyond repair. Batts was crouched behind an overturned desk as a CAL took potshots at the desk with its laser.

"Batts is pinned down by a CAL. That desk won't hold up forever," Kendill announced.

Batts steadied himself and thrust forward, hurling the desk at the CAL. The wood broke apart against the metal frame of the robot, but it still delivered some damage, smashing the optic sensor. Batts was on it immediately, finishing it off with a concentrated attack from both flamethrowers.

"In a brilliant move, Batts takes out the CAL and earns some aggression points from the judges," Ranethe added.

The television periodically switched between the Hunters. The announcers gave play-by-play of what was happening. Hunters traveled to different location searching for the target item. After an hour, it still hadn't been uncovered. Malfane had found the pistol. Connor had gotten a CD-ROM disc and the book. Batts had found the shield.

A few monsters had shown themselves. Malfane and Wenda took down a RAD together. Connor destroyed 2 CALs. Batts had encountered a RAD armed with a bazooka but was forced to retreat in the face of superior weaponry.

The television followed Connor as he ran down a hall. He turned a corner and saw Wenda and Malfane down the hall at another intersection. Rubble was strewn about the hall and Connor dove behind a large metal crate as he drew his pistols. Connor popped up and saw that Malfane and Wenda were talking with their backs to him. Connor took aim and fired. One shot missed and ricocheted down the hall. The other struck Malfane in the back causing him to stumble forward. The bullet-proof vest saved him. Wenda turned and dragged Malfane around the corner.

"Our first fight between Hunters! Connor catches Malfane and Wenda off guard but fails to inflict lethal damage. This could develop into a lengthy shootout which would leave Batts free to search the ruin," Kendill said.

Connor waited patiently with his pistols poised. Malfane poked his head out and Connor fired. Malfane quickly brought his head out of the line of fire. The television changed to show Malfane and Wenda talking. Malfane used his hand to indicate that Wenda should move through the halls and come up behind Connor. Malfane handed her his two pistols and ammunition and she gave him the shotgun and her extra bullets. Malfane edged closer to the intersection and dove forward and rolled, amidst Connor's shots, behind a pile of concrete rubble.

"Showing some strategy, Malfane and Wenda split up hoping to catch Connor from behind and leaving Malfane to a shootout," Ranethe said.

Connor holstered one pistol. He waited for Malfane to pop up for a shot. Malfane appeared at the side of the pile of rubble, enveloped in a red aura, and fired the shotgun. The slug went wide and Connor returned fire, his shots bouncing off the floor inches from Malfane's head. Malfane scrambled back behind the barrier. He gripped the shotgun and cocked it, ejecting the used shell.

Connor took a potshot, it ricocheting off the top of the rubble pile and then paused. Malfane sprang up and aimed but Connor caught him, firing off 3 more shots before ducking below the line of fire just before Malfane fired. Connor ejected the used clip and drew a fresh one from his robes and slammed it in. Connor tapped his armband, a yellow aura surrounding him before he stuck his head up momentarily but brought it down as the shotgun went off.

"Connor and Malfane are at a standstill! The smoke from their weapons has created a hazy mist in the hall partially obscuring vision!" Ranethe announced.

Connor sprang back up and fired his pistol at Malfane,facing Malfane with his sideto reduce his surface area. Footfalls could be heard rounding the corner and Connor calmly drew his other pistol and tapped his armband, a red aura forming around him. He shot Wenda the instant she turned the corner, without looking. The bullet caught her in the face but was disintegrated by the force-field. Wenda fell back and her force-field glowed brightly, changing from the red of her damage card to green, as Connor swung the other pistol around to concentrate fire on Malfane.

"Connor brutally executes Wenda! Malfane's ace in this battle has just been discarded. Will he stay and fight it out or run?" Kendill said.

Malfane ducked as soon as Wenda went down. He pumped the shotgun, ejected his shell and proceeded to reload it. Connor held his fire and walked to Wenda and took the pistol Malfane had found in the ruin from her and placed it somewhere beneath his robes.A green light flashed and Wenda disappeared.

Connor took the time to reload both of his pistols before he started advancing on Malfane's position. He tapped his arm band and a red aura formed around him. He fired periodically, to discourage Malfane from standing up. He walked ever closer to the pile of concrete rubble.

"Connor slowly moves in for the kill! He's using an awful lot of ammunition, though. If he gets caught that close to Malfane out of ammo, he's done for!" Ranethe said.

As if on cue, Connor's guns clicked empty as he reached the pile of rubble. He holstered one as Malfane hesitated before bounding up, shotgun poised. As soon as Malfane's head appeared above the rubble pile Connor drew the pistol he'd taken from Wenda, a revolver, and fired. The bullet caught Malfane in the chest, the bullet-proof vest saving again, and sent him flying onto his back. His arms hit the ground hard freeing the shotgun from his grip. Connor cocked the revolver, bringing the next bullet into the chamber. He walked over and picked up the shotgun. He tosses it to Malfane who caught it as Connor fired. Malfane's force-field glowed bright green. Malfane grimaced. Connor shook his head, indicating he didn't want anything Malfane had, and Malfane disappeared in a green flash.

Connor returned the revolver to his robes and reloaded his own pistols. He took one last look around the hazy hallway. Several points of light glittered on the ground, light reflecting off the ejected shell casings of Malfane and Connor. Connor's hand held the top of his hat to keep it from flying off as he ran down the hallway.

"An impressive finish! In what appeared to be some kind of chivalry, Connor gives Malfane his borrowed weapon back before taking him out. Connor definitely came out the winner there but Malfane got some aggression points in as well," Ranethe said.

The screen changed to show Batts running at top speed which, given his gigantic frame, was not much. He had something tucked into his belt.

"In the meantime, Batts has found the target item!" Kendill said, hardly able to control his excitement.

"With Wenda and Malfane out of commission for another 10 minutes, it's between Batts and Connor!" Ranethe added.

The camera switched between the two Hunters as Batts neared the exit and Connor neared Batts. Knowing what kind of firepower would be needed to bring Batts down; Connor was running with the revolver in hand.

"Connor's gaining on Batts but the gunfight with Malfane stalled him greatly," Ranethe commented.

"We'll find out. If Connor kicks it up, he'll catch Batts at the next intersection," Kendill added.

The screen focused on Connor nearing the intersection. Batts flew by him but Connor drove into the intersection and fired, the bullet striking Batts in the back of the left knee. Batt's leg suddenly no longer supported him and he went down, sliding forward on his face. Connor never stopped running, moving in on Batts. Batts rolled over and held up the deck of cards, surrendering the item. Connor took it and Batts disappeared in a green flash. Connor pushed on to the exit. When he reached the exit zone he disappeared in a flash. The screen changed to each other Hunter who, in turn, disappeared as well. The screen then cut back to Kendill and Ranethe.

"We'll give a few minutes before the scores are totaled but I'll call it now and say Connor took that Hunt," Kendill said.

"No doubt. He'll definitely win the item and aggression categories. With Batts moving around during that gunfight I predict he'll take the movement category but that still hands Connor the win," Ranethe said.

Goria didn't care much to hear their banter. He left the room and returned to his work.