The crowd didn't scatter when the Hunters arrived. It parted, creating a widening corridor through the crowd as people quietly stepped aside. The armor gave it away - dark leather reinforced with steel ptes, short cloaks pinned at the shoulder with the unmistakable insignia of the Hunter's Guild. Someone whispered the word like a warning, "Hunters..." A few avatars flickered instantly and vanished as pyers logged out without hesitation. Others backed away, eyes darting nervously between the approaching Agents and the girl standing at the center of the clearing, her eyes glowing red.
Kainen saw them long before they reached speaking distance. They moved like professionals, calm strides with no wasted motion. One carried a crossbow already resting in his hands, while the other walked slightly behind and to the side, his fingers hovering near the hilt of a shortsword. Fnking angle, Kainen thought, his stomach sinking. Fantastic. He leaned slightly toward the girls without taking his eyes off the approaching Agents. "Stay calm." Rori gnced sideways at him, "Why?" "Because the Hunter's Guild is about five seconds away from arresting us." Lira blinked, "What? Or killing us?" Kainen's expression remained grim.
The first Hunter stopped several paces away, his gaze moving across the three of them with quiet focus, lingering just long enough on each face to commit them to memory. Then his eyes settled on Rori. "Step away from the anomaly." Rori stared at him, then slowly tilted her head. "...Or fucking what?" Kainen closed his eyes for half a second, thinking, Amazing, perfect response. The Hunter didn't react, didn't argue, didn't raise his voice. The crossbow lifted, and Kainen's brain kicked into motion, assessing the situation - two opponents, one ranged, one melee, crowd behind them, distance too short to run.
His fingers twitched slightly, and arcane energy rippled through the grass behind the Hunters. The air twisted, and something tore its way into existence with a guttural snarl. A vampire thrall nded in the clearing behind the Agents, its limbs jerking unnaturally as shadows crawled across its body like living smoke. Hollow crimson eyes burned from its skull as it staggered forward, jaws snapping hungrily. The crowd lost its mind, "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!""MONSTER!" Pyers scrambled away from the illusion, some tripping over each other as they tried to put distance between themselves and the suddenly very convincing undead creature.
The Hunters didn't panic. The lead Agent watched the creature for half a second longer than anyone else would have dared, then sighed. "Illusion." His gaze shifted to Kainen. "Wizard." They split instantly - one Agent stepped toward the snarling thrall, bde sliding free as he prepared to test it, while the other continued advancing toward the trio. The crossbow came up. "Last warning," the Hunter said calmly. "Step away from the anomaly." Rori rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, do you guys rehearse that line?" The string snapped, and the bolt cut through the air, slicing across Rori's cheek in a sharp grazing strike before whipping past her shoulder and burying itself somewhere in the grass behind her.
A thin red line appeared on her skin, and for a moment, she didn't move. The clearing went completely silent. The Hunter lowered the crossbow slightly. "Stand down." Rori slowly raised a hand to her cheek, her fingers coming away red. She stared at the blood on her thumb, then instinct took over. Her tongue flicked across it, and the taste hit her like lightning - hot, metallic, alive. The world snapped into focus, every heartbeat in the clearing thundering in her ears. Her grin spread slowly. "...Oh." Her eyes began to glow, crimson light burning through her pupils like embers catching fme. "...Oh fuck the hell yes."
Kainen felt his stomach drop. That was a mistake. Rori rolled her shoulders once, like someone waking up after a very satisfying nap. "Did you seriously... just shoot me?" she asked, sounding almost delighted. The Hunter's stance shifted slightly, his eyes locked on Rori's glowing eyes. "Wizard, control your companion." Kainen rubbed his face. "...I'm trying." Behind him, Lira whispered nervously, "Why is she smiling like that?" Rori drew both shortswords in one smooth motion, steel fshing in the sunlight. She leaned forward slightly, eyes glowing. "You know," she said cheerfully, "I was already having a pretty good day." Her muscles tightened, the air around her seeming to vibrate with barely contained energy.
"Now I'm having a—" Her eyes fred crimson, and her growl tore out of her throat as she unched forward.
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RAGE ACTIVATED
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The words, as quickly as they appeared, flickered at the edge of her vision. And suddenly, the adrenaline flooding her veins felt perfect - pain dulled, strength surged, the thrill of the fight filled her chest like wildfire. Rori ughed as she began her assault, "Oh fuck this guy!"
Behind them, the second Hunter's bde passed straight through the snarling thrall illusion, the creature flickering violently before unraveling into twisting shadows. The Agent turned sharply toward the fight, toward the glowing-eyed girl now driving his partner back across the grass, and toward the wizard standing nearby. "...Illusionist." Then he started running... toward Kainen...
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Initiating Combat System....
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Weapons Free....
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