Chapter 14- The Other Hunter

The heat had passed. The air grew colder as the walls became damper. A blue hue shone off the smooth earthen walls, creating a feeling of a crystal atmosphere. A group of individuals passed through, leaving a trail of purple blood in their wake, as the blood drained and mingled with the pools of water scattered throughout the area. For one who had not been through the searing fires previous to here, an interesting illusion would be fabricated in their mind. It was almost a lie, in a sense, that this place had a sense of tranquility. It was as peaceful as the forest, perhaps in more ways than one.

The group consisted of four, and they were all capable of supporting themselves. However, there was still a feeling of anxiety. The force in question had performed a task nothing short of extraordinary, and to have matters all the more confusing for the group, it seemed as if this force had maintained all his energy. He didn't seem tired out or strained in what he had done mere hours before. The task, one of healing, was beyond anyone's expectations, having repaired a shattered limb that was believed to be beyond all hope.

Jill, having her theory proven to herself, changed little. She treated the force who had performed the healing no different than she had before. The other two members of the Team, the HUmar Fenron and the FOmarl Elsine, seemed uneasy at times when there were no battles with the twisted fate of nature and the hell it spawned from outside interference. At the moment, there were none of the blade armed sharks or the poison spitting flowers that they had experienced within the burning upper regions of the caverns.

To Sigolfitz, he saw it as most unusual occurence. The further down they went into the planet, the colder it had become. That alone may not be much of a peculiarity, yet he could not shake the thought of the very different caves they had left as they descended. That area had been hot and humid, almost to the point where it would be called unbearable to some.

Although the Central Dome may have been reduced to nothing, he thought, perhaps somewhere deep underground they built their cities, digging through the cavern system of the planet and then controlling the climate with machines. But why would they try building underground instead of on the planet's surface? Did they know the forest creatures would react that way? Did they know, and yet still sacrificed citizens of Pioneer 1 for the sole purpose of saving their own hides?

No one had bothered to notice that Sigolfitz had been walking at the front of the formation for a good amount of time. The sense of a Team seemed to waver in some of the other members, as they grew increasingly cautious around the FOmar, staying back in the formation and watching him for anything out of the ordinary. Sigolfitz was too preoccupied to notice, and so continued walking. Jill remained calm yet in thought, thinking over the past few hours that had passed since they had touched down on the surface and were left there to fend for themselves.

"Hello."

The entire Rookie Team practically jumped at the broken silence. The greeting had come from behind them, yet none of them had heard anyone walking back there. They stopped moving, stood still, and, except for Jill, were hesitant to turn towards the new voice.

"Sorry to scare you all," the voice continued.

Jill, the least affected by the newcomer, began to speak on behalf of the rest of the Team. "How the hell did you get here without us hearing you?" she asked in a rather loud voice.

"What do you mean?" the newcomer asked in reply. He seemed to be wearing a cloak that wrapped around his body, complete with a hood that hid his face well.

"The floor is covered with a considerable depth of liquid," she continued, "Considering your attire and behavior, I would venture that your training has proved you well, whether you sneaking up on us was intentional or otherwise."

"You have a keen eye."

Jill ignored this comment. "State your purpose."

"You are hardly what I would call a Rookie, ranger."

Again, she ignored the comment. "State your purpose," she repeated, growing impatient.

"Ask yourself that question, and you will find my answer," said the cloaked figure in response. As he spoke, the figure walked closer to the Team, his feet splashing in the water as he walked.

"Back off, hunter," warned Jill. Seeing him approaching still, she pulled out one of her extra handguns from a hidden pocket in her uniform and began to raise it as a threat. Metal striking rock echoed throughout the water caverns and the handgun skidded away from the five Hunters. It rested in a deeper pool of water a considerable distance away. The newcomer stood, arm outstretched towards the discarded gun, and an empty-handed Jill stood in shock. The newcomer had knocked the gun away before she could even react.

The other three members of the Rookie Team were confused at what they had just witnessed. They blinked and shook their heads trying to check if what they saw really happened. This person that they have never seen before had moved so incredibly fast, that he had disarmed Jill before she even had her gun fully drawn.

Then, just Jill was there. As suddenly as the newcomer had appeared, he was gone.

Sigolfitz heard a faint sound, almost feeling a change in the air, an unusual aura surrounding him, engulfing his essence, sitting right behind him. He felt something move closer to him, stopping right beside his own head. It was then he heard the whisper.

"Excellent patchwork, by the way."

Sigolfitz turned towards the voice, but saw only the emptiness of the cave continue deeper into the chaotic planet.