Chapter 4
Back at Pieta the four warriors have spent the night at the organisation owned lodgings. While Kammy, Lena and Rise have all slept on the floor, sitting and propped up against their swords; Mai is still asleep and tucked up in a regular bed.
"You know Rise, you shouldn't spoil her. She needs to get used to roughing it if she's going to cope with a warrior's life."
"This was more for our benefit than hers Lena; she tends to have nightmares if she sleeps in a sitting position and screams in her sleep."
"Ah…so how come a normal bed works just fine?"
"No idea; it just does."
"Then what do you do if you have to camp out?"
"I let her rest on me; that seems to help."
Lena stifles a small chuckle.
"And you wonder why I don't take students."
Kammy gives Mai a gentle shake to wake her up.
"Time to get up sleepyhead; we've got ground to cover and arse to kick."
"Funnyahhh…"
"Nice try; but it'll take a cuter yawn than that to best me."
"Meanie."
"Come on, get up; or am I gonna have to take you outside and dunk you in the horse trough."
"Gyah! Fair enough, point taken."
Mai springs out of bed and stretches.
"Whoa, careful; you stretch like that and you might agitate your stigma."
"I'll be okay; mine's on my back."
"What? You are joking aren't you?"
"Nope, that's part of why I'm number 46."
Mai rolls down the back of her uniform; showing a pair of large, stitched wounds on her lower back.
Rise enters the conversation.
"The two lowest ranks are usually reserved for subjects who've turned out somewhat different from their fellow warriors; be it from an abnormal reaction to the initial implant, or from a modified procedure. Sadly these warriors usually fatally destabilise within a fairly short time frame, but it's not unknown for them to be highly successful; I myself was a number 46 when I first entered active service."
"You're ranked in the 30's; how's that successful?"
"Over one hundred generations of warriors have been and gone since I became a fully-fledged warrior; and I'm still alive and still have my humanity Kammy. No one else comes close to that; and if you were to measure success in terms of yoma exterminations; I hold the record there as well."
"Then shouldn't you be a higher rank?"
"Well, I've also mastered the art of looking thoroughly unimpressive while still somehow surviving."
Lena enters the conversation.
"Hence that old nickname of yours; Rise of the hidden fangs."
Rise gives Lena a somewhat menacing glare with an unsettling smile.
"Well now, it's been a long time since I've heard that name. I wouldn't casually throw it around if I were you though; there's more to it than you know."
Lena's expression shifts very slightly; with her eyes giving away a small fear response.
"Woah, Lena! What's the matter?"
"Kammy, take a closer look at her smile."
The two of them take a more detailed look, and Rise slightly widens her smile to make it easier to see her now significantly elongated canines, along with a multitude of small, sharp fangs.
"So? What's the big deal, a little yoki and…oh…"
"Penny dropped yet Kammy?"
"You didn't use any Yoki."
"Exactly."
Mai interrupts the conversation.
"Is she doing the creepy smile? Rise! Don't be mean to them!"
"Okay, okay; I'll stop."
Lena and Kammy watch very closely as her canines retract and her teeth return to normal.
"Well, I've got to pick up a few things from the flag; I don't suppose you three would be kind enough finish things off here for me while I'm gone?"
Rise walks past a slightly stunned Kammy and Lena while Mai enthusiastically waves her goodbye.
"Lena, what the hell just happened?"
"Rise just made it very clear her rank isn't representative of her actual ability as a warrior. When the organisation determines our ranks it's generally done on the grounds of pre-set parameters; and of those the one that generally carries the most weight is the magnitude of yoki a warrior can stably wield."
"From what I've heard that's something Rise has always scored extremely poorly on."
"All of her other abilities are very good though; far above what would be expected of a 30's ranked warrior; and some even exceeding those of single digit warriors. The importance of yoki in this is that it's generally accepted that the more yoki a warrior can draw on; the more they can improve their baseline abilities. For example; I doubt you've failed to notice I'm pretty short compared to most of the other warriors, and as you might expect if I'm not using any yoki I'm usually physically weaker as well; in fact most warriors within the top twenty exceed me in terms of base strength."
"Yet you're known as demon hand Lena; the warrior who can drive her bare fingers right through her enemies."
"That's thanks to yoki manipulation; once augmented my strength is amongst the highest in the organisation. Now, consider for a moment something dependant on the ability to draw on yoki, but independent of our baseline abilities; such as say, drawing on enough yoki to turn your eyes gold."
"Yeah, that's pretty constant…hang on…doesn't Rise always have gold eyes?"
"Precisely; it's generally been assumed that was just an abnormal cosmetic reaction to the infusion process; but now I'm not so sure…especially considering she just demonstrated canine metamorphosis."
"That normally only happens when we get serious; and demands enough yoki to give anyone nearby a good light show."
"Yet we saw none of that; and thus it leads to a somewhat worrying conclusion; Rise requires far less yoki to augment her abilities than one would normally expect."
"Well…I guess that's a good thing for us."
"As long as we don't end up having some kind of conflict of interests if you get what I mean Kammy."
"Sigh; I see what you're getting at. She doesn't exactly work from the organisation's script."
"It does still beg the question though; why did she show us that?"
"Isn't it obvious? She thinks she can trust you!"
"Uh, Mai…"
"Yeah, I heard every word; so I guess I'll just tell you what she said to me. 'Trust is mutual. You must offer it to receive it. Conversely you should always be wary of those who hide the facts from you; and since the organisation seems bent on keeping us in the dark as much as possible, we should assume there is some kind of ulterior motive to their actions'."
"She's no longer loyal to the organisation then…"
"…Hold your horses Lena; she said this as well; 'Consider what the organisation tells us our purpose as warriors is meant to be. We are supposed to be the force that protects the people of this land from yoma predation. That is what I am loyal to first and foremost; should a warrior, or indeed the organisation itself, ever stray from this; they can consider me their enemy."
"Heh; so she's basically saying she's nobodies bitch at the end of the day. I can drink to that; how about you Lena?"
"I agree with her stance in principle; but it might prove problematic in practice. That said, she's shown that she's willing to trust us, so it's only fair we reciprocate the sentiment."
"So you're both going to be okay with Rise then?"
"Yeah, you ain't got nothing to worry about Mai."
"She'll need to be a bit more careful with her actions while she's in my company though; as a single digit warrior the organisation tends to pay me close attention."
"Even so, I can't see us having any real problems on that front; I mean, as it stands all we're doing is being thorough. It's not our fault if something unexpected shows up while we're on a mission."
"Hey Mai; did Rise say anything about what she was getting from The Flag?"
"She didn't give me the details; she just said something about trying to be prepared for any eventuality."
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. Have we got anything left to sort before we head out?"
"Nah, we usually travel pretty light so it's not like there's much to organise in the first place. No harm double checking though."
"Oh; Rise said to make sure we've all got our own maps, just in case we get separated."
Meanwhile out in the snowfields…
Saul leads a small group of individuals through an area of patchy forest.
"One good thing about snow; makes it easier to track things."
"So I'm not just freezing my bollocks off on a wild goose chase; that's reassuring; and didn't you quit hunting Saul?"
"Well; I figured since I kicked the crap out of those troublemakers last night without breaking a sweat I must be in better shape than I thought. 'Sides; ain't one of you got a snowy hunt on your guild cards to date, so you're gonna need someone in the know with you."
"Any idea what we're up against?"
"At this point I reckon a Lagombi."
"Then isn't bringing all of us along a bit of overkill?"
"Can't be too careful; especially considering you lads are still bit green. Besides, I got wind that there's a lot of Claymores in the Pieta region at the moment; and that probably means there's a yoma problem; and considering I happened to bump into the number seven last night I reckon there's some real strong yoma about an all."
"Hunting yoma's not our job mate."
"That don't make no difference to them; as far as they're concerned you're on the menu if you run into them. They'll think twice about trying their luck with a whole band of heavily armed fighters though; especially considering what happened to the last one that had a go."
"Is that the goofy looking twat we've got hanging over the bar?"
"Yep, that's the one; Hodges landed a few rounds of crag shot in his belly; the head was about the only thing left that was recognisable."
"Now that you mention it, I didn't see Hodges last night."
"He's down in Rabona; we're trying to get another branch of The Flag up and running down there."
"I thought we didn't have the lucre."
"We'd be pushing it a bit; but if we can send back evidence of our kind of business being present in this land, then the guild should give us a grant."
"Hey, uh…Lagombi are supposed to herbivores, right?"
"Mostly; they won't turn down a spot of scavenged meat if the opportunity presents itself, but they aren't what you'd call actively predatory."
"Well, what do you make of this then?"
The hunting party examine the find; it appears to be the partial skeleton of some kind of large and antlered hoofed animal. It's been heavily mauled; but traces of fur and meat are left on it in places, showing it to still be fairly fresh.
"Heh, that looks a little bit like bulldrome leftovers to me."
"I never knew bulldrome went after elk."
"They go by nature's standard rules when to comes to prey; 'I'm bigger than you; get in my belly!'"
"Are those tusk marks on the trees?"
"Oh yeah, that's definitely a bulldrome's handiwork; and I think I can see some trotter tracks as well."
"Whoa; those look like they belong to one big porker."
"Good news if you ask me; I'm looking forward to a bit of bully bacon; and if it's a big bastard then there's gonna be enough to go round. Looks like the hunts on lads!"
Back at Pieta Rise re-joins the group of warriors.
"Hi Rise; got everything sorted?"
"Yeah, they had everything I asked for."
"Um, Rise; I thought about that little display you gave us earlier, and…well…"
Kammy interrupts.
"Look; we get that you're doing things your own way; and we're cool with that; but you need to be more careful if you're with us. The organisation keeps a bit of a closer eye on us; so if you deviate from the script; so to speak; they'll be a lot more likely to give you shit over it."
"Kammy, I'd appreciate it if you didn't interrupt me in future."
"No offence Lena; but we're in a hurry. I know your last job involved blending in with a pack of counts and countesses, but you don't need to use flowery language around us; it just slows things down."
"Sigh, fair enough; you've got me there."
"…Just out of interest, what were they like?"
"I think their titles would have been more accurate if they'd had one silent letter in them if you get what I mean Rise."
"Heh; nothing's changed then. Well, glad to hear we aren't going to have any problems; and since you're the leader Lena, care to do the honours?"
Lena draws her claymore; the other three join her moments later, all crossing their swords.
"The hunt; is on!"
The four of them make their way out of the property.
"Looks like we've got clear skies and low winds; so it's gonna be a bit more comfortable than our last trip into the wild."
It doesn't take them long to exit the city gates.
"Hey, something you all might want to be a bit careful of; since we've got clear weather and bright sunshine we'll be getting a lot of light reflected off the snow."
"If you're talking about snow blindness Rise then don't worry about it; I've had a couple of missions in these sort of conditions in the past; and it turns out we're a lot more resistant to it than regular humans, even without using any yoki."
"Ah, good; I wasn't sure if it was just me."
"So…um, why do you keep your eyes golden Rise?"
"I like to make sure I can perceive my surroundings as well possible at all times Mai."
"Most warriors just use their ability to sense yoki to detect threats."
"That requires you to tap into your own yoki though; and that can be enough to make you detectable to more sensitive yoma; and likewise warriors who've honed their ability to sense it."
"You know, you're starting to sound a little paranoid Rise."
"Well, how much do you know about the number 5 of the organisation Lena?"
"Actually…nothing; other than that she's obviously really strong."
"Her name's Rafaela; and she's the organisation's hunting dog when it comes to rogue warriors. She's both exceptional at detecting, and hiding her own yoki; to the extent that I'd have to say only Terresa was better than her when it came to perception. Her rank isn't reflective of her strength either; she's easily as strong as some of the number one's of previous generations. I reckon she's probably the biggest threat to me at the moment; if she ever gets on my case I'll have to pull every dirty trick I've got to survive."
"I don't suppose there's any chance of you showing us any of these dirty tricks somewhere down the line."
"If we get to spar at some point I'll show you a few; but don't expect me to reveal my best ones Kammy."
"Now you're starting to sound like one of those conjurers that entertain people with sleight of hand tricks."
"That's a pretty good analogy actually; since making someone look the wrong way at the right time can sometimes be enough to completely turn a fight around. In fact, you probably already know the basics; you've just never thought about how to implement them into the fighting style of a warrior."
"So I take it you start with throwing the likes of grace, dignity and honour out of the window."
"Not straight away. Those concepts all work just fine if you genuinely are the better fighter; it's only if you aren't that they're a shortcut to the morgue. No; knowledge is step one; know your enemy; know your surroundings; where possible ensure your enemy is in surroundings unfamiliar to them; and make sure your enemy knows as little about you as possible…."
The four of them make their way through the snowy wilderness. It doesn't take them long to get back to the hideout. It resembles a modest stone fort; be it somewhat damaged and partially reclaimed by nature. It consists of three fairly large stone buildings and a single stone tower; all of them are have a significant quantity of plant life covering the walls, and the roof of one of the buildings in clearly no longer intact. Roughly central to the buildings is a yard containing what looks like a disused well; and some cart wreckage. The yard is raised somewhat compared to its surroundings; the snow covering it is extremely level, suggesting it to paved stone. A high stone wall links the structures, forming a perimeter with entrances on the east and west sides. At one point the wall has smashed, and clearly very recently as the debris is all nearby and there is a short trench in the snow extending outward from the breach in the wall. The remains of an old road passes through the outpost, although this too has all but been reclaimed by nature. The area surrounding the outpost consists mostly of featureless snow, with the occasional large rock; although a forest is visible in the distance to the east.
"I don't suppose you've got any idea what this place was supposed to be Rise?"
"I'm not completely sure Lina; but I think it started out as a hunting outpost. It's a really old structure though; and before that awakened being moved in I reckon it'd have been abandoned for decades."
"I don't think he'd set up shop here for very long either; aside from the damage caused by the fight the place looks relatively undisturbed."
"So why was it abandoned in the first place then? And more to the point; why was it never resettled?"
"I suspect those two reasons are one and the same Mai; back when I was a wee nipper a bit of local folklore centred on the Wendigo; a horrible, once human creature that fed on human flesh."
"That sounds exactly like a Yoma."
"While I suspect it might've been Lena, the legend went that the Wendigo was once a human hunter who became stranded after his group was caught in an avalanche. He was the sole survivor, but thanks to his injuries he couldn't make his way back to civilisation; and so in his desperation to survive he kept himself alive by feeding on the remains of former colleges. This apparently cursed him; twisting his form into that of a monster, and filling him with a hunger that could only be sated by devouring humans. The Wendigo would keep away from towns, but small isolated outposts like this one were fair game; in fact one detail that makes me think the Wendigo might not have been a yoma is there are actual accounts of its attacks. Yoma on the other hand are very careful not to leave survivors whenever they strike."
"I read about those at Pieta library; according to what I could find it tended to ambush its victims under the cover of a blizzard; or sometimes by concealing itself in the snow. It was supposed to be so fast the only thing the survivors got the see was a brief blur of white; and then the next thing they knew one of their buddies would be either be stone dead and with missing body parts; or there'd just be a bloodstain on the snow where he'd been. I could only find one account that gave any sort of description at all. It mentioned something about seeing its mouth emerge from the snow for a split second; it had tusks that were as long and thick as a human arm. Needless to say in that case it bit the victim in half so fast he didn't even get to scream."
"Umm; Kammy; has it occurred to you that what you just described sounds an awful lot like the sort of equipment the creature that did for our former hunting target appeared to possesses?"
"That's…actually a pretty good point Mai. Makes you wonder if the legendary Wendigo has perhaps developed a taste for yoma flesh."
"…Wait a minute. The Wendigo was a legend that spread amongst the snowbound villages; whist it never really persisted in more built up areas like Pieta. That said, the myth of the demon snow cat didn't circulate out in the sticks, but is prevalent in Pieta and the other major settlements in this area. Could the two be one and the same?"
"While I'm not terribly familiar with either legend Rise; my perspective is this; both legends sound to me like they grew out of the same thing; a combination of separate incidents involving yoma, and some manner of extremely potent predatory creature. Normally I'd assume that all the casualties were the result of the yoma dwelling in these parts; but given what we discovered on the last job it's hard not to conclude that there's something very dangerous out there that's most likely not a yoma; and that the creature in question isn't shy about adding both humans and yoma to its diet."
"Well Lena; given what my enquiries at The Flag uncovered the most likely culprit in this case is a Barioth, and that fits the legend of the demon snow cat pretty well. That said I wouldn't rule out the possibility that the Wendigo and the Barioth aren't one and the same; for all that the yoma tend to be blamed for many of the deaths out the wild, I wouldn't be surprised if there are creatures out there that we don't have records of, on account of nobody surviving an encounter with them."
"Good point; a regular human wouldn't have a snowflakes chance in a volcano against something capable of chomping its way through an awakened being. And keeping to that chain of thought; how are we gonna make sure we don't end up getting digested? If this thing isn't a yoma; our yoki sense isn't gonna help us one bit; we're gonna have to rely on our regular old human senses, and by the sounds of it we're dealing with an ambush predator with no shortage of talent."
"That comes back to what I was saying on the way here Kammy; we might not know exactly what we're up against, but we do have a rough idea of its capabilities. We also know this area falls within its hunting territory; so it should come back here at some point. Before it does, we need to make sure we know our surroundings properly; and we ought to lay down a few measures to swing things in our favour, such as some bait, a couple of traps, a safe and secure area we can retreat to if things get out of hand, and if possible come up with something to counteract its own tactics."
"On that last point; if it's capable of getting the drop on an awakened being, then it'll most likely have some way of silently approaching its prey; and it probably possess some kind of natural camouflage."
"Barioth are supposed to be able to fly Lena; so what you said about it getting the drop on its quarry, just might be quite literal in nature."
"In that case checking out the buildings sounds like best way to start; since if it does show up it at least won't be able to ambush us from the air."
The four of them make their way through the structures. A couple of minutes later they all regroup to discuss their findings.
"Got some good news; the building I checked out is not only still structurally sound, but is has a basement that contains a small armoury."
"That's all well and good Mai, but given how long this place has been abandoned I wouldn't bet on any of it being in any sort of condition resembling usable."
"Maybe not for its original purposes Kammy; but it doesn't take much to turn a knackered old set of armour into a reasonable decoy. The buildings I checked in weren't so great; there's a tree growing through the middle of the tower; so aside from there not being enough room to swing a cat in there, I don't think it'd be stable enough to withstand the rigours of our kind of combat."
"Hmm; it's still a half decent vantage point though Lena. Maybe we could set something up on top of it?"
"Well, what did you two find out on your search?"
"You first Kammy."
"Right; well, the building I checked might've been some sort of holding facility. Several of the rooms had the remains of caged partitions in them; and I found quite a lot of bones in one of them. They looked really old though, so I doubt our previous target was responsible for them."
"Old bones eh? Well, I couldn't really tell what the building I checked out was supposed to be on account of the roof and upper floor having mostly collapsed. The walls are all still good though; so it can still serve as cover if need be. Still, I think I need to give that bone pile a look."
"Be my guest Rise."
The four of them make their way into the holding facility. Rise closely examines the bones.
"So…anything you can figure out from them?"
"Yeah, and its lot grimmer that I was expecting. There're are the sort of marks that get left on bones in the process of flensing on these, along with the sort of scratches that could be produced by something with relatively small and non-canine teeth gnawing on them. This isn't the result of either yoma of beast; these bones are the left overs of a cannibal."
"That's…not what I wanted to hear."
"The good news is whoever was responsible is almost certainly long gone Lena, since all of these bones appear to be decades old."
"At least it's not going to be our problem then; although I wonder what we'd do if the cannibal did show up. I mean, the rules do say we aren't allowed to kill humans."
"My suggestion? Overkill the bastard far beyond the point of being recognisable, feed the remains to the nearby wildlife; and if we somehow got put on the spot we all swear blind it was a Wendigo."
"Not bad Kammy; but a better solution is to stick to the letter rule; just not the spirit. In these sorts of conditions we could knock him out and bury him in the snow; and either hypothermia or suffocation would do the job for us."
"…You're starting to sound an awful lot like you've done this sort of thing before Rise."
"What can I say; there's been homicidal lunatics about for longer than any us, and given our line of work I'd have to say we're more likely to run into them than most, so it makes sense to plan for that particular eventuality."
"Fair enough. Well, we've got a good picture of the lay of land now, and it sounds like that basement could double up as a fall back area if things get out of hand."
"When I popped down to The Flag this morning I picked up some stuff that out to help out with the rest. The kitchen had some well hung game that'd gone past the point of being fit for consumption; it's got a pretty powerful odour and should be a magnet for any carnivores in the area. I also picked up a couple of nets; a selection of poisons; some paint balls; and some ready-made firebombs. Be real careful with the last ones though; I don't know exactly how they're made but they've some kind of chemical in them that ignites on contact with air."
"Good, sounds like with everything we've got now we shouldn't have any problems assembling traps, bait and decoys. I'm a little surprised the yoma haven't tried to take this place back though; the basement in particular would make for an excellent hiding place."
"Hold that thought Lena; for all we know they might yet try."
"In that case we ought to get prepared and hunkered down as soon as we can then. Oh, how're going to make the decoys? The armour won't stand up on its own."
"Build some snowmen?"
"Um…yeah; actually that should work just fine Mai."
The four of them get to work in preparing the area. It doesn't take them long to finish.
"Okay, we're all set; now it's just a case of waiting. Rise, you pair up with Mai and keep watch from old living quarters; Kammy, you stick with me, we'll wait in the holding area."
The four of them take up positions.
"How long do you think it'll take for it to show up?"
"Not sure Mai, but I don't think we'll have to wait long for something to turn up. The local yoma doubtless know something happened around here by now; and I'll bet they'll investigate soon."
The four of them lie in wait. After a little while a fox approaches some of the bait.
"Oi! We're after bigger game than you! Scram!"
Kammy pelts it with snowballs, causing it to flee.
"At least it wasn't wolves or a bear, it would've taken more than snowballs to get rid of those."
"Hmm…now that you mention it Lena, I'm kind of surprised that fox is all we've seen."
"That's actually a good sign; bears and wolves are normally the top predators in a given stretch of wilderness; but they'll give yoma a wide berth; and I'm pretty sure they'd afford a fearsome beastie of a Barioth's calibre the same sort of courtesy."
"Then why did our bushy tailed friend show up?"
"Foxes are both smart and perceptive; they know yoma won't view them as competition or food, and they'd be able to keep a low enough profile not to catch the attention of something like a Barioth. On top of that they'd be able to scavenge on the left overs."
They wait a little longer.
"…You know, I'm not sure I've the patience for this kind of hunting. Our remit's normally search and destroy."
"…."
"Lena?"
"Quiet. And keep your yoki suppressed. I think I can feel something approaching."
Lena signals to Rise and Mai that something is approaching. Rise gives a gesture of acknowledgement.
"…Oh yeah, I can feel it now. That's yoki alright."
"...One, two, three, four…four of them. From the east…"
After a few moments a group of four individuals comes into view. They appear to be human, and are carrying the equipment and wearing the attire of trappers. They stop a short distance from the outpost and start to talk amongst themselves.
"Is this the place?"
"Yeah, this is where Sully had holed up; and by the sounds of things where he bought the farm as well."
"It looks in pretty good nick for a derelict outpost."
"Doesn't look all that derelict to me; in fact I think there's a couple a sentries about."
"Is your eyesight going or have you just got shit for brains? Look a little closer."
"…Armoured snowmen. Very funny."
"So why are they there? Who do you think set them up?"
"Maybe they're Sully's idea of a joke? He always did have a pretty weird sense of humour."
"Nah, I think we might have some company; and what do you make of that scent?"
"Sniff…hmm…I think that's venison, but it smells like it's been hanging for quite a while. I guess someone likes their meat real gamey."
"Either that or its bait; I think it's a little too far gone for human pallets, but the wildlife wouldn't let something like that go to waste."
"Whatcha reckon then?"
"Smart money's on bandits; regular old hunters wouldn't have a reason to put up decoys."
"I did hear something about a buncha lowlifes causing trouble around these parts; but somebody was supposed to have picked up the bounty on them a couple of days back."
"Maybe they didn't whack all of them; most bandit bounties don't specify much beyond bagging the head honcho's and bringing back some kind of proof that you done a proper number on their operations."
"Sounds like leftovers then. Still, this place might be pretty handy in the long run, so I think it'll be worth our while to make it ours."
"How're we gonna do this then? I'll bet they're expecting trouble and twitchy as hell; so I don't think this trapper farce is gonna help us much."
"I don't think they're gonna be our biggest problem though; Sully could've torn through a whole gang of bandits without pausing for breath, so something else must've done him in."
"You reckon the organisation did a hit on him?"
"This place would've been a pile of rubble of that'd happened. I couldn't get any reliable information, but; there's a rumour going round that there's something out in the wild that's been preying on yoma."
"Bollocks."
"Normally I'd agree with you; but the facts still remain; we've not only had several disappearances; but somehow Sully got killed without having a chance to fight back."
"First things first; I say we clear this place out. There might be a few clues as to what actually went down. Besides, it's been a while since I last ate."
"I'm with ya; bandits might not be what you'd call a delicacy, but hunger's always a good seasoning."
"Just watch out for traps; even a rank amateur could hide something in the snow. I suggest we stay off the ground."
There's a sound similar to joints popping as the physical forms of the trappers start to distort. Their skin changes to a shade of purple, and their teeth twist into large fangs. Claws emerge from the tips of their fingers, and the shoes of one them burst apart. The rest of them laugh at him.
"Take your shoes off next time you dozy pillock!"
"Bastards; it's not my fault my hands and feet always shift together."
The four yoma proceed to make huge leaps from where they are; one of each landing on the roofs of the two intact buildings and two of them on the side of the tower. A moment later Rise's lance bursts through the roof of the living quarters, neatly decapitating the yoma before it can react.
"Shit! What the hell was that?"
"They saw us coming! Get to ground! They won't have trapped the yard."
The two yoma on the tower side drop down into yard between the buildings, and position themselves back to back. The remaining yoma on the roof of the holding facility drops down and presses itself against the wall of the building. The front door of said building swings open and Lena walks out.
"Only small fry; what shame. It's hard to get job satisfaction when the challenge is so meagre."
The two yoma in the yard charge at her, but she rushes towards them herself. She unsheathes her greatsword; bisecting one of the yoma with a single downward swing. The other attempts to strike at her side, but the fingers of her free hand suddenly extend, piercing his forehead, throat, heart and abdomen. He twitches briefly before Lena retracts her fingers and his body slumps to the ground. The last yoma scuttles away past the side of holding facility and over the wall, fleeing in terror.
"Oh fuck this; I'm outta here!"
Kammy makes her way out of the holding facility.
"Oi, Lena; you could've saved something for me."
"I have Kammy; he's in the process of scarpering. If the traps don't get him just follow the yellow trail in the snow."
"Well, he won't get far-"
The conversation is interrupted by a brief scream from the fleeing yoma.
"Oh. He didn't. His yoki just disappeared."
"It's here; quickly, back inside!"
Kammy and Lena hurry back into the building. Kammy makes her way to small, barred window on the other side of the building.
"See anything?"
"Oh yeah; I see it alright. That's the demon snow cat in the flesh."
Lena takes a look out of the window as well.
"Hoo boy; now that's one big kitty."
The two of them briefly view the scene; the creature slightly resembles a white sabre tooth tiger, but in term of size its body alone is over ten metres in length; and has long tail at least the same again. The tail itself is at least as wide as the average human torso, covered in scales, and has several sharp protrusions around the tip. The scales continue all the way up its back in a stripe, all the way to its head, but the rest of its body is covered in snow white fur. Its forearms are quite different from those of a typical big cat though, the sides of them being studded with sharp, thorn like protrusion; and large membranes of skin stretch between the arms and the body; forming wings. The beast then throws its head back, tearing away one of the now deceased yoma's arms and flinging it up into the air; it then catches the limb in its mouth, revealing amber tusks the size of a grown man's arm. It briefly chews on the limb, but then glares in the direction of the outpost with seemingly glowing blue eyes.
"Oh shit…"
The beast turns to face the outpost, and then leaps straight up, disappearing from view. They wait a few moments.
"Knackers; I guess it got away."
"Well, look on the bright side Kammy; this whole operation has been extremely productive. Four dead yoma's not a bad result in its own right, but we can confirm that not only are there Barioth out there, but they also kill and eat yoma as well. All in all that's a pretty big success-"
Something very large smashes into the roof the holding facility, causing it to deform heavily. A low growl can be heard through the roof.
"That's assuming we live to tell the tale Lena!"
