At the edge of dawn, when Effie just stepped out of her hut, she was immediately greeted by the expecting face of Ray.
The young man stood there, stepping from one foot to the other, clearly waiting for a while already. Ray was clad in his typical knightly armor, with his halberd in hand, resting on his shoulder.
As soon as she stepped out, clad in her archaic armor with the white robe beneath it, Ray's gaze locked on to her. Her trusted spear was already summoned and clenched in her hand.
"Ready?" Effie asked him.
To answer, Ray just nodded once.
Shortly after, both could be seen walking down the path of the mountain in a brisk manner.
The descent from the plateau was a quiet one. The early morning mist curled around the ruins like a living thing, swirling past shattered buildings and crumbling statues. Shadows loomed in the thick fog, twisting into shapes that could have been real threats or mere illusions. The city was vast - an endless graveyard of stone and metal swallowed by time.
Effie led the way, her movements calculated, her spear always within reach. She was a giant compared to most, her presence exuding a natural authority that made it clear who was in control. Ray followed behind, his halberd resting across his shoulders, footsteps measured but careful. Despite his armor, he moved quietly, though the anticipation in his stance was clear. This wasn't his first time in the city, nor was it his first time fighting, but hunting required patience, and patience wasn't something he had practiced enough.
The further they moved, the denser the ruins became. Nature had long reclaimed parts of the city, leaving collapsed towers covered in vines and entire streets swallowed by thick roots. They were heading towards the lower district, an area where hunting was feasible but still dangerous.
Effie glanced at the sky, noting the faint hues of dawn still peeking through the mist. "We should start looking for tracks soon."
Ray nodded and stepped ahead, eyes scanning the debris-ridden ground. Clawed footprints, some fresher than others, crisscrossed through patches of dirt where the cobblestone had long since crumbled. Scratch marks lined the walls - deep, deliberate gouges that marked territory.
"They're close," he murmured.
Effie sniffed the air slightly. "I'd say about five, maybe six of them," she said, tightening her grip on her spear. "Small pack."
Ray adjusted his grip on the halberd, looking around cautiously. "How do we approach?"
Effie gave him a sharp look. "Quietly. Raptors rely on ambushes. If we can spot them first, we get the upper hand. If they spot us first, they'll test our defenses first, then strike when they find a weak point."
Ray nodded, saying nothing.
They moved forward with slow, deliberate steps, keeping low behind the crumbling walls and broken storefronts. The mist was thick enough to mask details beyond a few meters, but soon, movement became apparent through the shifting fog.
A raptor was perched atop a collapsed structure, dark feathers blending into the ruins. Its talons dug into the stone as it observed the area, nostrils flaring. Two more raptors emerged from the mist, clicking their beaks in quiet signals. Their eyes gleamed with predatory intelligence.
Effie motioned for Ray to move to the right while she took the left. He followed without hesitation, halberd lowering slightly into a ready stance.
Then, without warning, one of the raptors let out a sharp cry.
It wasn't an alarm - it was a signal.
The raptors moved instantly. Two leapt from the rubble while a third circled around from the side.
Ray reacted fast. His halberd snapped upward, intercepting the first raptor mid-lunge. The beast's momentum carried it straight into the weapon's shaft, stopping it cold. Before it could recover, he shifted his grip and slammed the blade down, cutting deep into its side. Blood splattered against the cracked stone, and the creature collapsed, shrieking.
The second raptor was already upon him. Its talons flashed, striking for his midsection. Ray twisted, turning intangible just as the claws would have torn through his armor. The beast's attack passed harmlessly through him - but it anticipated his reaction. Instead of overcommitting, it leapt back the moment it landed, repositioning itself immediately.
Smart.
Ray had no time to be impressed. The third raptor had flanked him. He barely turned in time as it lunged low, trying to take out his legs. He jumped back, bringing his halberd down in a sweeping arc, forcing it to retreat. The moment its feet hit the ground, however, the second raptor attacked again from the other side.
They were coordinated, forcing him to defend from multiple angles.
Effie, meanwhile, had her own fight. A raptor lunged at her, but she caught it by the throat mid-air, her raw strength stopping it cold. The creature thrashed violently, claws tearing into her shoulder, but she barely flinched. With a grunt, she slammed it into the ground so hard the pavement cracked beneath it. Before it could even twitch, her spear plunged straight through its skull.
Ray's opponents weren't giving him time to admire her work. The second raptor rushed him again, jaws snapping at his arm. This time, he didn't phase through - instead, he met it head-on.
His gauntleted fist shot forward, smashing straight into the beast's snout. The impact sent it reeling, stunned for just a moment – long enough for Ray. He twisted his halberd, reversed his grip, and drove the spike at the back of the weapon down. The raptor let out a choking sound as the blade pierced through its skull, pinning it to the ground.
One left.
It hesitated now, clicking its beak as it watched its pack mates dead or dying.
Then it turned and bolted into the fog.
Ray exhaled, pulling his weapon free.
Effie stepped beside him, rolling her shoulder. The wounds on her arm had already begun closing - nothing deep enough to matter.
She glanced at him. "Didn't do too bad."
He wiped his halberd on one of the carcasses, smirking slightly. "Could say the same to you."
She let out a short laugh, then looked at the bodies. "We'll strip them down and move on."
Effie made quick work of the slain raptors. She summoned two memories to support her with her endeavor. A leather apron, and a longer knife, which she used to skin the bodies and cut out most of the meat.
The complete haul of the smaller group was then stored in her bag, also a memory.
Ray had to say, she really had an interesting and useful arsenal of memories. Seemingly for every situation, there was something.
When she was done, and had stored everything, she turned to him and asked, "Any luck with a memory?"
"Nah, nothing on my end. You?"
Effie shook her head and unsummoned her two butcher memories, before cleaning her spear one last time, and getting ready to continue.
Ray saw this and copied her actions. Barely a few minutes later, both of them could be seen sneaking through the eerie streets of the dark city. Everywhere around ruins of a long-gone civilization.
The only things remaining today, the city, the statues, and of course… the crimson spire.
While thinking this, Ray unconsciously looked in the direction of the mark of terror, for the inhabitants of the bright castle and the mountain, it stood on.
For now, the sun wasn't at the point where it would throw the shadow of the crimson tower over the city. Those times were always the worst. Nightmare creatures acting unnatural and unpredictable. For the sleepers, this always meant nearly certain death.
Only the strongest and most powerful of them able to fight under such circumstances.