Chapter Text
Leaves lightly crunch underfoot as I make my way through the forest. The super-moon casts an eerie glow through the trees. I’m caught in this otherworldly twilight— not enough light for day and not enough dark for night. It would be beautiful if I wasn’t so on edge.
The Association tasked me with patrolling the outskirts of Linkon after reports of a beast in the area. If the eyewitness accounts are accurate, the beast is either not a wanderer, or not wanderer-like. I’m not sure which would be less deadly— something unidentifiable from this plane of existence, or something with the ability to cloak its alien nature. With the super-moon affecting the Metaflux throughout the city, Hunters are spread thin. Unfortunately for me, The Association trusts my ability enough to send me on this mission alone.
I would have expected the wildlife to use this bright night to their advantage, but it seems to have had the opposite effect. The forest is too quiet, with only the wind whispering through the leaves to keep me company.
Without warning, my Hunter’s watch lights up, painting the forest in red. It reads:
HIGH EMERGENCY ALERT. Unidentified high-risk beast tracked in real time. Moving at high speed. ETA to your coordinates: 240 seconds.
It’s then that I hear it. Something rushing through the forest. Something big.
Shit. The light exposed my location. I need to take cover fast. Practiced fingers find the watch’s kill switch. I start counting.
180 seconds.
Trained eyes scan my surroundings. Lots of trees, but no time to scale them. No ditches to duck into. Run. Fallen twigs snap underneath my boots. Stealth takes time I don’t have.
120 seconds.
A hollow tree. There. Dying, decaying, just large enough for me to squeeze into. Bark tears into the fabric at my shoulders as I press inside.
60 seconds.
Blood pounds in my ears. My breath refuses to calm. Phaser is set to kill.
It’s then the light of the moon is marred by cloud cover, plunging the world in shadow. The beast’s wild rushing through the forest slows to a prowl. Too near for my liking. The grip on my gun tightens as the beast sniffs the air and huffs. Why didn’t I think to mask my scent? I pray the tree’s rot hides me well enough.
My back presses harder into the trunk. I hold my breath, willing myself invisible, and wait for the beast to pass. Despite its size, it hides its steps masterfully. Where is it now? Cold sweat runs down my spine. My lungs burn, but still I hold. A twig snaps to my left. Close. I gasp, and it is my undoing.
A howl splits the air. Chilling, piercing. I clench my jaw to stop from covering my ears. Fleeing is no longer an option. Fighting will have to do. I point my weapon into the dark.
Two glowing yellow eyes appear in front of me. I fire right between them.
Click.
Nothing happens.
I desperately pull the trigger again. Then, there is no trigger to be pulled. The once solid gun liquifies in my hands. Metal snakes before my eyes like mercury suspended in zero gravity. Before I can react, it just as miraculously solidifies. Right around my wrists.
“Caught you,” speaks the creature. Its voice is too smooth, too full of humor. To my horror, I realize there is something worse than a wanderer or beast.
Man.
The super-moon is unveiled once more, revealing the wolf-masked predator before me. He stands over six feet, a broad shouldered wall of muscle. Save for the dark, furred tail that sways behind him. He runs a hand through his sweat-slicked and wild red hair, brushing between the pointed ears there. He’s an Evolver, and a powerful one to be sure. A creatura class perhaps? But, then how did he ruin my gun?
“I’ve been running this path for so long, I’d started to lose hope,” he says, walking towards me with arms wide open. A dangerous madness glints in his eyes. I’m cornered, and he knows it.
I need to buy myself time to think of an escape plan. “What hope?” I ask.
He crosses the distance in a flash, pulling the makeshift handcuffs, and my hands, to his chest. My squirming is useless. With the tree at my back, I have nowhere to run. He reaches up to his metallic mask and pulls it free, revealing a strong nose and bowed mouth in its place. His smile is full of sharp teeth.
“That you’d be at the end of it.”