Grimoires and Gunsmoke

With the morning sun peeking over the horizon, casting a soft golden hue through the dense forest, the ODA team, consisting of six members, moved with the precision and silence characteristic of elite special forces. They maintained proper dispersion, each member spaced evenly apart yet within visual range of each other, a silent formation moving as one through the underbrush.

As they ventured deeper into the woods, their steps were cautious and calculated, barely making a sound. Each team member was keenly aware of their surroundings, eyes scanning for any sign of danger or irregularity in the dense foliage.

Above them, a drone hummed quietly, almost imperceptibly high and flying against the morning sun to cover its approach and serve as an eye in the sky, guiding the team toward their destination. The small drone's optics zoomed in on a small break in the forest canopy, revealing the source of the smoke stack that Elijah and Bennett had spotted the night before.

“Baron 1, this is Baron 2. Be advised, we have a singular individual moving about near the source of the fire, over," came the static-filled voice from the radio, relaying information from the drone operator to the ground team.

Coleman looked up at one of those wing horrors that looked like a deranged amalgamation of a Bat and a Lemur in a tree he was under and watched as it hissed at him before flying off. "Baron 2, this is Baron 1, acknowledged. Maintain overwatch. We're moving in to investigate, over."

As the team continued their cautious advance, they finally came across the clearing Elijah and Bennet had described the night prior. All 6 of the team were greeted with the sight of bloodied bones and viscera, picked nearly clean and scattered across the ground.

“Fuck me.” Silva, the team's Communications Specialist, cringed as they all squatted behind some bushes

The atmosphere grew more intense as the ODA adjusted their positions while they maneuvered into better vantage points. Once they got into position, they looked into the clearing itself and observed two lone scavengers while they tore at the remnants of viscera, trying to get any amount of meat from the already cleanly picked bones.

Coleman crouched low, his eyes scanning the clearing and the surrounding forest. "Okay, so… How do you guys wanna approach this," he whispered, turning to his men.

Bennett watched through his optic as the beast grabbed a blood skull and snapped it open before munching away at its contents. "We could try moving through the clearing. It's more direct, and we only have to deal with only two of those things."

Elijah, positioned slightly behind Bennett, frowned. "But that also puts us out in the open. If there's anyone else around, it won't exactly end well."

"But there’s tons of those things in the trees. I mean we already startled a few, so if we go around there's a good chance we wake up the entire flock if they’re in there." Schwarz added his thoughts as he adjusted his rifle. “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”

Nodding thoughtfully, Coleman weighed the options presented by his team. They were put in quite the dilemma, on one hand, traversing the clearing offered a direct approach but with the risk of exposure. On the other hand, circumnavigating through the dense forest provided concealment but carried the potential danger of disturbing a larger number of those scavengers or encountering something else altogether.

After a moment of contemplation, Coleman made his decision. "We'll go through the clearing," he said decisively. "The risk of waking up a whole host of those things in the trees is too high. At best, we cause a mass exodus, alerting someone to our presence. At worst, we get overwhelmed and join the bones in that clearing."

He glanced at his team members, each of whom nodded in understanding. "We’ll go through the clearing. Lister, Schwarz, Silva, you’re to hold position here and cover us as we make the approach. If shit goes sideways, you’re gonna pull our asses out of the fire."

The three men nodded before stealthy standing up and moving to take up positions that provided a clear line of sight to the clearing.

Turning to Elijah and Bennett, Coleman detailed the next part of their plan. "Eli, you got the rattler, so you're upfront. Smoke them quickly and quietly. Once they're down, we’re breaking to the other side of the clearing."

"Bennett, you're with me," Coleman continued. "We’re going to be hugging Eli’s ass.” He said, racking his charging handle back on his suppressed Assault Rifle to make sure there was a round in it. “We gotta make it quick and quiet.”

Coleman’s voice was calm yet authoritative as he finished outlining the plan. "Remember, speed and aggression. We hit those scavengers fast, then move quickly and stay low. We're not here to be decisively engaged. We get in, bag whoever is making that smoke, and see if they got any intel for us."

The moment Coleman finished his instructions, the team switched gears as they all quietly and quickly moved around.

It was time to work.

Without a word, Elijah set up behind a tree with his specialized short-barrel rifle equipped with a large suppressor and took aim. Meanwhile, Coleman and Bennett, in perfect sync with their point man, stacked up behind Elijah. The team leader placed his palm gently on Elijah's shoulder, a silent signal that they were in position and ready. A second later, Coleman's grip on Elijah's shoulder tightened sharply, a clear indication to engage.

The quiet of the early morning was punctured by the faint snaps of subsonic rounds, causing the first scavenger to drop instantly as it took a precise shot to the skull. The second creature let out a startled squawk, thrashing in surprise, but it too was quickly silenced as more rounds hissed through the air, ending its life with deadly efficiency.

With the scavengers neutralized, Elijah, Coleman, and Bennett immediately broke cover, swiftly moving across the clearing. Each man had his weapon raised, covering different sectors to ensure nothing could fully sneak up on them without catching some lead as they advanced.

But once Elijah broke into thicket of the opposing treeline, several more snaps of his weapon firing as he targeted four more scavengers that were perched unsuspectingly in a nearby tree. The creatures, caught completely off guard, fell limply to the ground while the remaining scavengers, taken aback by the sudden demise of their kin, hissed and snapped their beaks in agitation. However, recognizing the lethal threat posed by the intruders, they chose to flee to other trees rather than confront something that could kill four of their own in just as many seconds.

"But let's make sure they understand who's in charge here." Coleman said as they moved forward, opting for intimidation. Every so often, Elijah’s weapon would hiss out of hatred, ending any beast that lingered too long or showed any sign of aggression.

It didn’t take long for the flock to get with the program after watching the folly of any of their more braver kin. With each body, the mass of monsters gave another meter of distance as clear acknowledgment of the trio’s dominance.

Despite their initial success, the small team soon realized that they had potentially ventured too deep into hostile territory. But, there was no turning back now; momentum was already in their favor, and they couldn’t afford anything other than full commitment to their current course.

As the three continued to move through the forest, they found that they had pushed completely through the horde of giant bat-like scavengers. The creatures themselves scrambled away as they recognized the threat these strange humans posed. After the last brave monster crumbled to the ground, the rest either flew off or scrambled back into their trees, leaving the path ahead unobstructed.

Looking around with a furrowed brow, Bennett’s eye flashed towards Coleman when he noticed they were in the clear. “Okay so…” He murmured keeping his weapon pointed to where the monsters huddled in the tree. “What the fuck do we do now?”

Coleman scowled as he scanned his surroundings. A small curse left his lips as he grabbed his push to talk and growled, "All Baron elements, this is Baron 1," Coleman's voice transmitted clearly over the radio. "Be advised, we have successfully navigated through the flock. Encountered and neutralized multiple hostiles with no casualties on our side. We are now proceeding towards the objective. Over."

While Coleman updated the rest of the team, Elijah quietly reloaded a fresh magazine before slowly creeping towards through the brush. Through the brush, he saw what looked like the faint flickering light of a dying flame.

Meanwhile, both Bennett and Coleman gave the medic the side eye as the man stalked forward, but they quickly moved to follow while Coleman still quietly relayed information and instructions to the rest of the team. However it didn’t take long for them to also spot the glow dancing in the surroundings of the surrounding trees and shrubbery.

As they closed in, the forest itself seemed to hold its breath. The only sounds were the faint crackling of the distant fire and the soft rustle of the wind, rustling the foliage as they silently maneuvered into position.

Suddenly, a feminine voice pierced the stillness and echoed through the trees. The words were indistinct, muffled by distance and the dense forest, but the tone was unmistakable and was laced with a mixture of distress or anger.

There, they saw a figure hobbling around, swinging what looked like a branch in a wild manner as if trying to ward something off. And when they neared, the ineligible yelling started to slowly make sense as their intense language training over the past half year started to pay off. It was rough, but they could understand the desperate cries of the injured woman while she yelled for someone, or something, to get away from her.

“DISGUSTING FUCKING VERMIN!” The voice screeched out after swinging whatever was in her hand once more.

Coleman, Elijah, and Bennett were crouched on one knee each, blending into the underbrush when a loud smack rang out. Their eyes narrowed as another monstrous figure screeched and flailed around before the woman raised what she had in her hand in the air and brought it down on top of whatever she had initially hit.

“YOU WANT SOME TOO!? I’LL KILL ALL YOU FUCKS!”

The vicious battle cry made Coleman shift his weapon slightly in his hands. There was something about the yell that felt… odd and pressured him to seek out the familiar weight and balance of his rifle as he remained focused on the woman's figure through the trees. His gaze then shifted to Elijah and Bennett, "What do you all think we should do?" he whispered before looking back at the woman swinging her branch.

Bennett remained silent as his mind undoubtedly raced through their options, but Elijah let out a deep and measured sigh. His eyes intently observed the woman's desperate defense against what he assumed were more of those Lemur-Bat Scavenger things.

"Fuck it, we should make contact," he finally said, breaking the silence. "Whoever she is, she's injured, and fighting off those things alone. Maybe we can work something out for some information."

Silence reigned for a few moments as Coleman and Bennett exchanged an uncertain look. They knew there were a multitude of unknowns that could quickly turn volatile if they engaged with whoever was in the thicket Especially in this godforsaken world. Yet, a better option wasn’t exactly forthcoming, and the confidence in Elijah's voice swayed them.

"... Alright…” Coleman said uneasily. “We'll make contact, but keep on your toes.” He stood up and sucked in a deep breath to prepare himself for what was to come. “Eli, you lead. You've got the best handle on the language."

"We keep it tight and controlled. I’ll be on overwatch and watch our six. Bennett, you're with Eli, keep it non-threatening, but don’t let him get wasted. Weapons low, but be ready for anything. We don't know if she's a wizard or some shit or even if she's even alone."

With their roles clearly defined, the three men carefully made their way forward. Their rifles were angled towards the ground in a less threatening, but ready posture as they began to edge towards the woman. Coleman trailed behind his men and kept a watchful eye on their surroundings, scanning for any potential threats that might pop out while Bennett stayed close to Elijah.

As they moved closer, the sounds of the woman's struggle grew louder, and the occasional thud of her makeshift weapon echoed through the trees. She swung the admittedly thick branch one more time and caused one of those scavengers to tumble across the ground and go limp. Growls and hisses resounded as the remaining creatures scampered away and took to the air or retreated into the underbrush. As the thicket settled into a tense silence, the woman groaned in pain as she stumbled to the ground while a slew of curses left her mouth.

But as she started to get settled, the woman’s face snapped up as two figures pierced through the foliage. “NO!” she yelled with her orange eyes went wide with shock. “Stay away!” Fear gripped her entire being and her breaths became ragged as she started to desperately crawl away.

Elijah furrowed his brow as he looked her up and down. She was almost a carbon copy of some Nordic woman from Sweden or Norway, except with pointy ears. And just like that the other Elves Yana had harassed on the other side, this one was a beauty.

Raising his hand in a clear sign of peace, Elijah continued forward slowly and cautiously, closing the gap with the woman. However, as a precaution, his other hand remained on his rifle while Bennett took up a position behind a tree and kept his weapon ready in order to react to any sudden movement.

"We're not here to harm you," Elijah tried to sound as non-threatening as he could as he crept forward. “We just want to-”

The words were caught in Elijah’s mouth when he saw the woman’s hand abruptly shot out, grabbing a sizable stone. With a grunt that was more of a battle cry, she channeled what seemed like a burst of energy into her arm and hurled the thing straight at Elijah, causing him to instinctively flinch away.

"If you're not here to hurt me, then go away!" she snapped as the stone whizzed past the intruder and slammed into the tree next to him.

A fraction of a second later, Bennett's rifle snapped up and pointed at the woman to end the threat, but Elijah quickly interjected, "Wait, wait, wait! Don't fucking shoot her!" He yelled, putting himself between the two to prevent any further escalation.

“Eli, what the fuck are you doing!?” Bennett yelled back, slightly lowering his weapon so it wasn’t pointed at his teammate. “She just tried to fucking brain you with a goddamn rock!”

Ignoring Bennett's outburst, Elijah let go of his rifle completely and allowed it to dangle freely from its sling. He raised both hands in a more pronounced gesture of peace while urging Bennett to calm down. "Bro, chill, I got this," he calmly replied, trying to diffuse both the tension.

"You're fucking insane!" Bennett hissed back in a quiet, intense yell, his eyes darting between Elijah and the woman. "She took out a chunk of a tree with a goddamn rock, and you want to play footsie with this bitch!?"

However, the warning went unheeded and Bennett murmured another curse before shifting positions to get a better shot on the woman. “I swear to god, your dick is going to get you killed!”

Despite her obvious pain, the injured woman was having none of it. She groaned in pain and managed to grab another sizable stone and cocked back her arm in preparation for another throw,but Elijah's hands remained raised, even as he sensed Bennett's growing frustration behind him.

"No, no, no, no, no! Wait!" Elijah yelled out in a pleading manner, hoping to stop her. “Wait, wait! Relax! You're hurt, I can help!"

The woman paused, her arm still tensed and ready to launch the stone, but her eyes locked onto Elijah's. There was a moment of intense stillness, a standoff where every second seemed to stretch on infinitely as the in her arm eased. The stone still gripped firmly in her hand was ready to accelerate at a moment's notice, but it was clear she was entertaining this moment of parley.

Elijah noticed her breathing was ragged as a mix of pain and exertion was displayed in her posture. Her eyes, still filled with wariness, flickered over the medic’s face, searching for any sign of deceit or aggression.

"Look, we don't want to fight," Elijah continued, carefully choosing his words. "We have uhh…” his fingers madea beckoning motion while his eyes moved to the side as he tried to remember the words. “Healing things. We can treat your wounds. Just let us help you." He explained in a soothing voice.

“Stay where you are!” The blonde barked.

Coming to a complete stop, Elijah nodded in understanding and tried to convey his sincerity through his body language as much as he could. "Okay, okay, okay! I’ll stay here," he assured her.

The woman's expression remained wary and her gaze darted between Elijah and Bennett, who was in her eye was holding a strange weapon. She had heard rumors of strange humans with strange foliage colored uniforms from some associates and in her mission planning, so she knew well enough what the man was pointing at her was dangerous. "If you have healing potions, just toss it to me," she demanded, her tone indicating that she wasn't ready to lower her guard just yet.

Slightly taken aback by the request, Elijah blinked a few times before glancing back at Bennett for a brief moment. He realized that with his limited abilities in the language, explaining that his healing ability lay in trauma care rather than potions or magical bullshit, was going to be quite the challenge.

"We… uh… don't have potions," Elijah tried to explain, choosing his words with care. "I'm a... healer, but not with magic. I use different things... to help with injuries." He gestured to his medical kit. "But it's real. I can help you."

The snarl on her face indicated to Elijah that she REALLY didn’t like that answer.