"Everyone, gather up....we have a problem"
Keeper Taru swept his squinted gaze over the gathered Rangers and once he confirmed he had their full attention, he continued.
"As you all know, Ranger Divisions like ours exist to gather meat and resources and bring them back to the Biome. However, we haven’t had much luck today. The scouts returned a while ago. Not a single confirmed sign of animal life was found"
He sighed and went on evenly.
"The best this Division has managed so far is a handful of giant bugs. That arachnid and the groundworm that would have swallowed Red Deer, if not for timely intervention... Again"
Several heads turned briefly toward Rhos, who flashed a nervous smile. A few faces grimaced and turned their attention back to Taru.
"Even with those, we’re nowhere near our weekly quota. This area has already been cleared. Normally, this information would be relayed back to the Corps. And we would have to wait for their decision before moving into another territory. But we are too far out"
He paused and folded his muscular arms.
"Reaching out to them would take a while and the administrative process would take even longer. By the time approval reached us, we’d be out of rations and materials. The right call here would be to go back with what we have, but that risks making us look like slackers"
The Rangers exchanged meaningful glances. Others’ expressions crumpled and others looked away, even sparking murmurs among them.
"That is why I intend to act without their go ahead"
Sudden silence fell over them. Unauthorized movement was never a good idea because this meant entering uncharted territory.
Rhos felt a heavy feeling pressing against his chest.
’Not good...’
Keeper Taru swept his squinted gaze and continued.
"I’ll take full responsibility should command fall on us. The fault will be mine. You all won’t face any punishment, I will make sure of it. All I need is your permission to make the call"
The Rangers fell into contemplation, but it did not last long. One by one they all agreed. Some with resolve, others with resignation and a few with grim anticipation, especially Nimra.
There was never really a choice.
Rhos scoffed quietly because he already knew this would be the outcome. He did not know why Keeper Taru even bothered asking.
In every Ranger Division, the Keeper held absolute authority. Regardless of the thoughts and opinions of its members, the Keeper’s word was law.
Taru’s decision on this had already been made long before he proposed the idea. He nodded and turned his gaze toward a young man with red hair.
"Red Deer"
Rhos straightened instinctively. The Keeper’s lips tugged upward into a sly smirk.
"It’s time you made yourself useful again"
He spoke as he stepped closer until he loomed over him.
"You’ve got a talent for finding trouble. Seems only fair we put that to work. Congrats, you’re going to lead us into new territory"
Rhos blinked then forced his sinking smile to remain up.
****
Red Deer Rhos was an unthreatening looking young man with deep red unkempt hair that was tied into a low ponytail. He had reflective amber gold eyes like resin trapped in sunlight and a lean body.
His pale skin was littered with freckles across the bridge of his nose and like every Ranger, he wore the standard Corps uniform at all times.
Having awakened at the age of 14 years old, he joined a Ranger Division at 16 and survived numerous expeditions outside the Biomes where most had lost their lives.
And now at 17 years old, he was contemplating every life choice that got him into this situation.
Rhos was live bait. A victim and a catalyst embodying sacrifice and danger in equal measure. When put like that, it almost sounded noble, and heroic even. At least, that was what those bastard higher ups wanted them to believe.
Since he was not so gullible, he knew from day one that this was a shitty job.
It had the highest mortality rates in the Ranger Corps, second only to the Divisions sent to fight Wraths.
He was basically insignificant and expandable. A name that will be erased from the roster with a stroke of a pen the instant he bites it.
Honestly, the fact he had survived this long was less a testament to skill and more of an accident bordering on a clerical error.
In other words...Luck!
Red Deer Rhos was both lucky and unlucky at the same time. In most of the things he did up to this point, he never really had a choice.
Someone of his upbringing, his evaluation and social standing was always slotted where losses were expected and forgotten when those expectations were met.
At the very least, the pay was...decent. If one lived long enough to spend it that is.
And besides, this was the only in the Ranger Corps he could get that allowed him to venture outside the Biome. That alone made it worth the risk. He needed to be out here or else he would never come close to finding her.
So this was fine.
That was what he constantly told himself anyway.
Eventually Ranger Division 14 had reached an uncharted territory and immediately got to work. In this location the trees of the forest packed so densely together that their canopies fused into a single mass overhead.
Just like where they were before, sunlight did not filter through, leaving them to navigate through their enhanced instincts.
It was not difficult to see really. The world beneath the leaves remained shrouded in a perpetual twilight, shadows layered upon shadows. The air was cool and damp with the heavy smell of moss and rot.
Just as the scouts said, there did not seem to be any wild animal life. It was quiet...way too quiet for comfort.
Rhos walked alone through the open, his boots crunching over layers of dead leaves. In his right hand was a lure beacon, a compact signal flare designed specifically to draw wild creatures.
Its surface was etched with warning glyphs and the Corps’ symbol.
He did not really need it though, he was already a pro. At least that was what he would like to believe.
For reasons unknown, these monsters seemed drawn to him regardless. As if something about his presence rang like a dinner bell to them.
Even so, standard live bait protocol demanded he carry it. So he brought it with him.
’They would dock the little pay I get if I fail to follow standard procedure’
Once Rhos felt like he had put enough distance between himself and the others who were now hidden across multiple vantage points, he slowed his footsteps and then came to a stop.
He swallowed light and tightened his grip around the beacon.
Exposed in this uncharted land, he stood still, letting his enhanced perception unfurl into his surroundings.
"Alright. Come on. Let’s get this over with"
Rhos straightened himself and lifted the tool in his hand up to the shrouded sky. Just when he was about to press the switch, he paused.
A sudden warm pressure had washed past him.
It slid across his senses like a palm brushing the back of his neck, raising the hair along his arms. He lowered the lure beacon slowly and focused his perception on the darkness between the tall, thick trees.
"Yeah. That was quick. Didn’t need the beacon after all"
As usual, he had attracted yet another monster just by existing. Being Prey was not fair.
Even though he had expected this outcome, unease pooled in his gut. Normally, the moment a monster entered his vicinity it lunged at him, all feral and driven mad by whatever twisted desire drew it to him.
But this time... it was different.
Whatever lurked in the forest was approaching at a measured pace, each step closing the distance.
Rhos held his breath when he saw the many beady red lights igniting in the darkness. The trees parted, branches bent aside as something massive stepped forward.
When it revealed itself, it appeared to be a wolf. It was 8 to 9 meters tall, its body towering above the forest floor.
Its form was both lupine and otherworldly. Pure white fur shimmered like frost, but that purity was marred by the crimson horns jutting from its back and the clusters of glowing red eyes scattered across its face, flanks and muzzle, each burning with the same malignant light.
His eyes sharpened with terror. Rhos did not move, or it was more suitable to say he could not move.
’How?’
How did it get past his acute perception?
Rhos’s Patron Spirit was a red deer, hence the name Red Deer Rhos. Among its traits was heightened awareness, an almost unfair level of perception that allowed him to map the forest in his mind, track movement, intent and even the subtle shifts in the environment.
Nothing this large should have been able to approach this close without him of all people noticing. And yet it did.
It stood there now, its beady red eyes all focused on him. And judging by its mystical appearance, there was no doubt about it.
Cold realization sank its claws into him.
What he baited was not an ordinary monster.
This was a....
"...Wrath"