Page 31 of Bonds of Starfall

And just as she did so, the Soul Searcher stiffened, dragging his scythe before him in a strong, crossed line, feet planted firmly on the ground and eyes scouring the darkness of the trees.

"We have company."

There was a baying sound first, alerting them to the Rogues, then, through the thick trees, at least a dozen emerged. Their bodies were crafted of black rock laced with blue veins, pointed heads tipped down as they surveyed their newest meals.

"Shit, shit," Rin chanted. "We’re surrounded."

As she scoured the Rogues, she realized, once again, they were all midlevel. Some the size of a lion, others a small bear.

They were fucked.

"Do not worry, Hunter. I thought you worked well alone?" The Soul Searcher’s tone was at ease, even as he took up guard on her right side, leaving her to deal with the left.

It was smooth and easy, like a dance honed with decades of practice. Rin found her back skimming his, and they slowly circled, never stopping their quiet, sure steps as they prepared to face the Rogues.

"I do when there’s not a dozen Rogues ready to make me their dinner." Rin raised her Echogun, quickly checking the chamber to find the cartridge mostly full. Good, she’d need all the bullets she could get. Five spares lined the sides of her corset-style harness, so she wasn’t worried about running out.

"The one on your left—with the forepaw extended—that one will attack first," the Soul Searcher said lowly.

Rin aimed her Echogun at the Rogue he had indicated, and the monster’s nostrils flared, the only warning right before it charged. She didn’t even have time to pull the trigger. The Soul Searcher swept his scythe forward in a perfect arc, quick as a blur, as it cut straight through the Rogue at an angle. The top half of its body slid to the side with a grotesque wet sound.

He hadn’t even broken a sweat.

"Good hit," Rin commented, already raising her gun to fire at another Rogue, charging toward the Soul Searcher, while he pulled his scythe up and away from the dead one at his feet. It fell to the ground in a heap, her bullets ripping right through it.

He grunted, leaping to her exposed side and swiping down his scythe to cut through a smaller Rogue. "You, as well."

And so, they danced.

Twirling and spinning around each other in a perfectly choreographed routine. It was as though they had been fighting together for centuries.

Her heart was pounding, her breath was becoming labored, and sweat dotted her brow. She couldn’t give up. The Rogueskept coming. As soon as one was felled, another seemed to materialize out of thin air, taking its place as it emerged between the trees.

She unloaded the empty cartridge, throwing it over her shoulder as she reached for one of the full ones at her side, clicking it into the chamber of her Echogun within seconds. She fired, her shoulders aching from how long she had been holding her arms out.

The Soul Searcher spun, cutting through Rogue after Rogue, not seeming to realize that Rin was flagging.

Something in her chest spasmed.

Oh god, no.

She stumbled, hands tingling, as her Echogun slipped from her grip. A nearby Rogue roared, its rancid breath blowing over her face hotly. Its black eyes fixed on her, and she fumbled, reaching down to grasp for her gun. Her chest ached, pain lancing through her as black spots crowded the edges of her vision. She tumbled forward to the ground with a soft whimper, clutching at her chest.

Her heart rate was too erratic. Speeding up. Slowing down. She felt faint.

This was what Lucien had been worried about.

Rin groaned, reaching with weak fingers for her discarded Echogun. Just as the Rogue thundered to a stop right above her, drool dripping from its maw and falling on her face. She stared right into its mouth, down past the gleaming, serrated teeth, so sharp it could rend through her flesh like paper.

It was getting harder to breathe. Her hand stilled on the ground, unable to even muster enough energy to reach for her gun.

Rin always knew she was going to die, but she didn’t want to die like this.

She weakly kicked out with her legs, scrambling for purchase on the ground.

"Vesperin!" the Soul Searcher roared.

She gasped, bringing her foot up to shove against the Rogue’s belly. It was like trying to move a mountain. Clicking hisses shivered over her skin. A paw stomped by her head, claws digging into the dirt. Its nostrils flared, smelling her. But it did not attack. With a low, rumbling growl, it tore its head away from her, tipping its mouth upward to let loose a trilling cry.