Stay With Me

The morning light peeked through the leafy curtains of Tighnari's hut. The fox sat with his head in his hands and his elbows on his knees. He was scheduled for patrol today. Tighnari got up from his bed and walked over to his desk. He grabbed his bow and quiver. He scanned the surface before his eyes landed on his travel bag. He grabbed the straps and slung it over his shoulder. Sighing, he exited his home.

He felt the breeze bite at his cheeks. Sumeru had been unreasonably chilly recently. Nothing compared to Dragonspine, though. Also, thankfully, no snow had shown up. That doesn't mean that Tighnari wasn't absolutely freezing, however. He was used to the warmer weather. Tighnari rolled his eyes before walking back into his home and grabbing a sweater.

Satisfied, he began his walk around the forest. He grabbed his notepad out of the brown leather bag and a pencil out of his pocket. He marked down anything new he noticed, as well as doodling as he walked.

He could smell it before he could see it. The smell of the rotting plants, decaying, and on their last leaf. His ears perked up, trying to hear for any fungi that may be lurking around the area. He trudged forward in the direction of the Withering Zone. He would mark the location on his map and write a report on it once he got to where he could see it.

The head forest ranger stopped in his tracks after feeling the ground shake beneath him. His ears could pick up on the whirring of a Ruin Guard. Tighnari cursed under his breath. He rushed up to a boulder and hid behind it, placing an arrow in his bow. He lifted his head up to see the mechanical monster marching around the dull Withering Zone. He picked up his journal and wrote a report.

'Withering Size - Medium.
Monsters - 1 Mechanical (Ruin Guard)
Location - 1 mile west of Gandharva Ville
Time found - 13:07
Time purified - '

Tighnari left the last prompt blank. He grabbed his loaded bow and infused the arrow with dendro energy. He held it up to the Ruin Guard, who was still oblivious to Tighnari's presence. He held his breath and pulled the arrow to line up with the Ruin Guards "eye". He exhaled slowly, then, released the string.

Relief flooded him when the Ruin machine stumbled on its feet. Its eye shutting off for the time being. It crashed to the ground. Tighnari took no time to delay. He was up before the Ruin Guard hit the ground. The fox made quick work of the branches, before moving onto the tumor. He infused the most dendro he could into the arrow, pulled his string back, and-

"THWIP!"

The tumor began to twitch, something writhing inside. Without warning, the tumor burst. In an instant, Tighnari saw nothing but green. The land beneath him was instantly healed. He sighed in relief, walking back to his bag and notepad. He filled in the time, 13:24. He smiled; a new record.

His relief was short-lived, however. The Ruin Guard apparently hadn't been powered by the Withering. It started to stand and Tighnari dashed away, almost dropping his things in the process. He could hear the sound of the Ruin Guard loading missiles, ready for fire. Panic began to swell in his stomach, he dropped his things and reached his bow. Readying it and aiming for the lighted spot on the Ruin Guard's back. When he let go, the arrow had flung out, barely missing the Machine entirely. Tighnari groaned. He forgot to account for the wind.

"Shit, shit, shit," Tighnari cursed, watching for the missiles that would inevitably be shot after him. He kept his eyes on the Ruin Guard as he loaded his bow for the second time. He held his breath and aimed for the spot once again. He watched as missiles were shot out of the Machine's back. He let go.

He didn't have any time to check if his shot landed, he was too busy dodging the oncoming turrets. He ran one way and pivoted before they made contact with his body. He had successfully maneuvered his way out of being blown to bits. Tighnari looked back to where the Ruin Guard stood just moments before. It was still standing, though it seemed paralyzed for a moment.