Night Watch.
The huntswoman and the Lightbearer stand outside the hut, illuminated by the soft glow from the west as it settles below the horizon. Muted cries can be heard, along with the muffled reassurances of the doctor.
"How much experience do you have with the Fallen?" Marin asks, tightening the strap on her loaded quiver.
Spark bobs side to side uneasily.
"I've never been toe to toe with any…" Klutz replies, honestly and somewhat anxiously. "From what I've heard, they don't sound very friendly." He slips a sealed helmet over his head. It lets out a pressurized hiss as it attaches at the neck.
"Hell of an understatement." She inspects the knot at one end of her bow string and signals the Guardian to follow her toward the dense woods.
Spark emits a dull light, allowing the trio to navigate the suffocating darkness of the forest. They creep through the woods for sometime, following a well worn path made by the village's hunters and trappers over the long, difficult years.
Marin slows her pace before crouching down near the edge of the path. Spark moves closer and brightens her lamp toward the ground. Dark red blood is soaked into the earth. The dirt, disturbed by deep boot marks and strange alien imprints. "Here we are…" she says in a whisper.
The Guardian holds his rifle firmly as he surveys the black surroundings. "So what's the plan here?" he asks his guide.
"I doubt that thing would come out here looking for blood just for the hell of it, especially not alone. It's gotta be camped somewhere nearby. Probably in a group." She observes the direction of the monstrous tracks. They are deep and seem to come from the direction opposite to the village and the forest before fading. "There is a clearing just past these trees. A big open field, lots of visibility. I bet they're holding up someplace around there, but still nestled in the bush. That'd give 'em the best view while still hidden."
Klutz directs his Ghost to dim her light more to give them the best chance at avoiding detection.
Marin moves toward an old strong tree near the edge of the woods, next to the field. She scans over the tree before finding a carved foothold to help her scale the towering feat of nature. Now above the man's head, she signals him to follow. "We've got a perch up here. It'll be easier to look for 'em from there."
Klutz takes one last look into the dark surroundings before he stows his weapon and follows her up.
From the vantage point, the moonlit clearing can be seen almost in its entirety. An uneasy quiet fills the area. Even the wind is still and silent.
A few hours pass as Marin scans the tree line for any hint of the dangerous invaders. Klutz rests as best he can on the small cramped perch. He keeps his rifle ready for any sign of their prey.
Spark breaks the silence with her soft voice, "It's very brave of you to come along on this mission, Marin." She speaks quietly with a friendly tone.
Marin's focus doesn't break as she gives a reply, "… 'Come along'?"
Her dry tone surprises the Ghost. "Oh, I didn't mean that to seem rude! Obviously this is your mission as well! All I meant was that without you, it would take us even longer to find our target… What I'm trying to say is your guidance is invaluable."
Marin turns to the little Light and chuckles. "'invaluable' is right! Without me, you two would be lost in the dark, trying to find any sign of 'em based on 'biometric scans' and 'atmospheric disturbances.'" She lets out another friendly chuckle before looking back out to the field.
Klutz laughs quietly and turns to his embarrassed Ghost. "What's the matter, Spark? 'Mouth moved before the mind?'" he asks through a grin.
Spark spins her shell in a flustered expression before disappearing.
Klutz holds his gun loosely on his lap as he lays back heavily on the hard bark of the tree. Pressed closely against his shoulder, Marin continues to watch for any sign of their target. Her mind stays vigilant, but her body has relaxed into the Guardian over the long hours.
"She's right you know?" The man speaks without adjusting his position.
Marin turns her head to meet what she assumes is the man's gaze, through the dark visor of his helmet.
"She may not have got the words out right, but I know what she meant." He sits up straight and lets his feet dangle from the side of the perch. "You are putting a lot on the line out here trying to get this thing. Say it was hidden in the bush while we were down below. If it'd lunged at me, and I wasn't quick enough to avoid it, Spark could patch me up good as new. I'd get the chance to fight again. But if the same thing happened to you…"
"Everyone dies eventually. Even you Lightbearers, from what I've heard."
"True. We are just a little more stubborn I guess." He chuckles softly. "But as long as I don't do anything stupid, I don't see a scenario where I'm not making it home after this…"
Marin looks back out toward the clearing without saying anything right away. In fact she says nothing for some time.
The smile on the man's face fades quickly. He worries he has spoken carelessly again. He worries he has not thought his words through as closely as he had believed. He worries he has offended the only friend he has made in this unwelcoming village… again.
The painful silence eats away at him.
"Alright, Guardian. I see what you're getting at and I get your point."
Klutz turns his posture towards the archer with some surprise.
"When I finally spot the bastard, I'll stay back and let you do your thing. Can't imagine what it'd be like explaining things to Eyran if you brought me back in a body bag!" she says with a laugh.
He winces at the thought.
"You're the one with something to prove, to the folks back home I mean." She looks back at the armored man sitting awkwardly on the edge, above the shorter trees below.
Klutz offers nothing but silence in response.
The woman twists the corner of her mouth. "Hey, like it or not, it's true. You know if you're gonna stick around here for a few more weeks, or hell, a few more months, you need to make good with people. If we get this done right, before anyone else gets hurt, even Eyran won't be able to say you aren't pulling your weight."
Still he says nothing as he stares out into the night.
Marin sits forward and puts a kind hand on the man's hard plated shoulder. "Look at it like this. After we-"
"Quiet a second…" He says sharply as he sits upright in concentration. "Do you hear that? The humming?"
Marin perks her ear up to listen and catches the sound. A low mechanical hum, almost drowned out by the gentle noises of the breeze.
"Can't tell where it's coming from," he whispers. "It's gotta be nearby."
Standing tall on the perch, Marin scans the tree line for any clue as to the source of the hum. She looks carefully for any sign of movement, any indication of change in the environment. Studying the trees for some time, she stands still and silent with absolute focus when suddenly… the hunter spots her prey.
Quickly, she tightens the quiver to her back and gives her bow a final inspection. She pats the seated man on the back firmly and says, "Look alive, Guardian. Think I've spotted the source of that hum."
Klutz stands and fixes his rifle to his back. "Where? I don't see anything." He continues to look for whatever it is that caught the woman's eye.
"Nestled in the trees to the right. About a hundred meters from here, maybe even less than that, I saw it."
"Only a hundred meters from here? Are you sure? I don't see anything."
"Would be pretty easy to miss, but I'm sure of what I saw. A little ways in, past the trees, I saw glow in the air. Looked almost like moonbeams crossing through some thick fog. Maybe on a different night I would believe as much, but tonight… I don't see a hint of fog. Putting two and two together, I'm sure that 'fog' was Ether."
"Ether? That's uh, something like food for the Fallen, right?"
"Something like that. And I'm thinking one of them got a late night snack."