Lifetime of war

The Hunter

The party reacted immediately, finding cover behind numerous containers. What already felt like an eerie scene taken away from a horror movie became painfully realistic too quickly for anyone's comfort. Before any coherent conclusions could be formed, another thunderous firing sound pierced the air, followed by a small explosion as the projectile hit one of the metallic constructs, undoubtedly damaging it severely.

Von Ryke's hands were sweat-drenched, slightly trembling as she struggled to make a decision. If the situation were any different, she would fall back, calm down, and perhaps offer a silent prayer to the God-Emperor, asking for his holy guidance. Yet, it was impossible now; hence, she needed to wrestle back control over her body and protect her companions. Looking at the remnants of the pointer, she mustered her wits and courage. This hub would not become their grave ... no, if she had anything to say about that.

The Inquisitor conjured a thin layer of a shield wrapped around her, readying to leave the cover. Its manifestation was flawed and shallow compared to her late master, but it would prevent her from dying to a stray bolter round. However, the projectile would not be negated entirely; hence, she prepared her body and mind for the inevitable impact and pain associated with it as best as possible. Dashing towards the nearest container, she caught the marine's attention, followed by a single shot that cracked the floor.

"Do not follow me," Eleanor panted towards her escort.

With the shooter's approximate location engraved in her mind, she exhaled twice, making another run. This time, she felt a flaring pain in her left side as soon as she left the cover. Perhaps it was her movement being sluggish and slightly sloppy, or the marine accurately predicted the path she would take. Though, it mattered little. Gritting her teeth tightly, the woman pressed on, fighting off the sensation.

When her back hit the container's metallic frame, she let herself slide all the way down, resting on the cold ground for a few moments. Von Ryke's breathing was rugged, increasingly shallower by a minute. It did not bode well, but giving up now would equal an inevitable death. Stirred back to reality by the sounds of nearby explosions, she got up, ready for another short sprint. The Chaos follower must have lost his patience, switching to short bursts instead of singular precise shots.

"Good," Eleanor thought, ducking underneath a steel pole extended from one of the mechanical constructs, shooting a weak, barely manifested lightning towards the marine.

It mattered little whether it would hit the target as its sole responsibility was to distract. The Inquisitor failed to surpass a smirk when the silence regained control for a fleeting moment, followed by a furious barrage of fully automatic fires. Apparently, her plan worked. With this new-founded drive, she left her temporal cover behind, courageously sprinting forward.

At first, von Ryke thought her relatively massive progress was a side result of the abrupt change of mind and approach towards the challenge mounting before her. But, steadily, this faith faded away as she kept hearing the firing but did not find herself in danger anymore. Puzzled by this unexpected shift, she stilled briefly, trying to collect the pieces her mind had become. The struggle continued for the next few heartbeats but was immediately discarded and pushed to the deepest depths of her mind when shooting ceased. Led by her innate curiosity, she leaned out from behind the cover, assessing the situation. A second, five, ten, and thirty elapsed with no development, meaning something must have changed, and either the hunter was no more, or he was in the midst of repositioning.

"Stay behind the covers," Eleanor panted heavily through the short-range vox, moving ahead.

"What about the heretic?" Thule responded with a question of his own.

"Nothing certain," the Inquisitor replied slightly robotically, impatiently wanting to uncover this secrecy. "Wait for my signal," she urged the Captain.