72 The night is still young.

In a desolate wasteland buried beneath the underworld, I signed in exhaustion. I was leaning against the wall of a two-story house in zone 1063-2. In front of me were three corpses in a ghastly state and a torso without a head or limbs.

"What a terrible way to die," I mourned.

[Limitless, the new defender and his escort have entered the zone. I have relayed your signal, you may leave as soon as the new defender signs your deployment order].

"Thank you, Aira. Tell them to get here soon."

While the mercenaries were as simple as they could be, the Reapers were generally very rule-bound. This was mainly because every rule in Hellsgate was learned and paid for in blood. One of the rules after a zone was reclaimed was that the mercenaries would wait for a new defender before leaving. This has evolved to require the signature of the new defender as proof.