"I'm not going... to fight you..." Donva said while panting. He clutched his chest with his hand all while staring back at Willheim with the same angered gaze that he was given. 

"No point in trying to make peace now!" Willheim shouted back. "Everyone in this Eco-Dome is going to be dead! If the Essencima or the hazards of the environment don't kill us, then the people watching this very Broadcast will hunt us down!"

"A fitting end for those that set this up," Donva replied, barely managing to string his words together without coughing. 

"A lot of powerful people don't want the world to know about the kind of entertainment they watch in their free time. Even if you do somehow survive this place, your life will never be the same. You'll have to look around every corner. Someone will be out to get you. Make sure you don't spill any secrets that aren't meant for the rest of the Tersaia!"

Donva stood upright. "I'll take my chances." He took a fighting stance, raising his fists in front of face in a defensive manner. 

Willheim smiled, twirling the knife around his hand. "I've taken plenty of classes. You think just because you've got an Affinity, you can take on someone that has served his entire youth in the Tersaia Defense Organization?" The hunter held his weapon in a reverse grip, letting the weapon protect his face as he stared at Donva with a predator-like gaze. "This knife cuts through those tendrils of yours like melted butter."

"Then try something," Donva replied. He kept his stance firm and his eyes locked on Willheim. "Go ahead and make the first move."

The hunter accepted the invitation. While still crouching, he darted forward with the knife still in front of his face. Donva summoned a small tentacle between him and Willheim, only for it to be slashed in two in a flash. With his first line of defense decimated, Donva activated his affinity for his uninjured arm, shooting out long tendril aimed towards Willheim's armed hand. 

With ease, Willheim switched the knife into his other hand, letting the Donva's extended limb wrap around his wrist. "You don't learn!" he shouted with glee as he hoisted the knife high into the air, ready to plunge the tip of blade into the dark flesh. 

Before the hunter could follow through with the attack, Donva retreated his extended limb, turning his arm back to normal and freeing Willheim's wrist in the process. The attack missed, only cutting through thin air as Donva staggered backwards. The pain from incisions made from the trap began to kick in, making him wince from the sudden rush of agony. 

"Not much of a fighter, eh?" Willheim said as he took a step forward, his knife clutched in his right hand with a reverse grip. Donva leaned back just enough to avoid the hunter's attack but too far to keep his balance. He stumbled backwards; his eyes fixated on the flash of silver from the knife. Before hitting the ground, Donva raised one hand and summoned a long tentacle from the ground. The appendage flung wildly, smacking the weapon out of Willheim's hand. 

"I'm still working on it!" Donva replied, panting with his back still on the forest floor. His tendril continued to swing around, giving him enough space and time to stand up before Willheim could reach for his blade. 

"You're just a... scholar!" Willheim grunted and grit his teeth while his good arm extended towards his knife. "Shouldn't you be grading exams or watching some delinquents in detention?"

"I... left that life..." The pain in Donva's leg shot up his body, making him squirm and wince. "Or rather... that life left me!"

"Should've stayed over in that pretentious part of Tersaia!" Willheim barked as he clenched the hilt of his knife. Donva rolled to his side, his long and dirt covered hair half-obscuring his vision. Willheim staggered towards his direction but kept his attention on the tentacle a few feet away. With a single downwards and diagonal slash, Willheim severed the appendage in two. 

"Gah!" The tendril melted back into the ground. At the same time, a small red incision appeared on the arm that Donva used to prop himself off the ground. He used his other hand to reach for it and cover the wound, only to have the cut spread the more he moved. Blood slipped between the cracks in his fingers and dripped onto the forest floor, forming small bloody puddles. 

"That's an interesting bit of info to learn." Willheim raised an eyebrow. His lips made a small grin as he nodded his head. "Looks like those tendrils are an extension of you."

"Only... sometimes..." Donva muttered. "Takes more stamina to summon one that's able to stand on its own."

"Explains why you're still breathing even despite me blasting those things to pieces back in the field." Now looming over the downed researcher, the hunter twirled his knife in his hand. Donva took his uninjured hand off his wound. The abrupt removal of pressure made Donva's arm collapse from the pain. He fell face first into the bloodied puddle, looking up at Willheim with his hand ready to block the impending stab. 

"No point in trying to beg." Willheim held the knife with a reverse grip and raised the weapon high above his head. The metal of the knife glistened from the limited bits of light that poured through the cracks in the canopy. "I'm ending this." The hunter coughed and flinched, his eyes wincing tight as a bit of spilled from his mouth.

"I am... too..." Donva replied with what little breath he had. Instead of looking at Willheim, his narrow eyes were focused on the Essencima that encircled them. As if in a trance, they began to close in. Each Primore waddled closer, letting their bodies sway like they were affected by the wind. The sound of the horde's footsteps drew Willheim's attention. making him take his attention from Donva towards the encroaching enemies.

"How did you—" Before Willheim could finish his sentence, a Primore leaped through the air, its lanky arms outstretched in front of its body. The creature let out a blood-curdling shriek as it took hold of Willheim's arm. Both hunter and Essencima fell to the ground with the creature on top, pinning Willheim to the ground with its weight.

"That's another skill... I still have..." Donva said in a low voice, barely audible over the shrieking Essencima. "I've got... some kind of connection..." The researcher kept his arm outstretched. His hand still trembled, becoming shakier with each passing moment. "Don't know... how much longer... I keep them from going all in..."

"I should've killed you when I had the chance!" Willheim shouted. Another cough escaped as he slowly turned his head to Donva. 

"You should have." Balancing on both hands, Donva channeled what remained of his Affinity into the ground, conjuring up a shallow, bubbling portal. 

"You can't just leave me here!" Willheim pleaded, his breathing becoming more rapid. "To be torn apart by these... beasts!"

Donva spread his arms so that he leaned over the puddle of bubbling matter. He made eye contact with the desperate man. The Primore dug a claw into the hunter's wound, driving Willheim to bellow in anguish. "Kinda fitting," he said softly. "The hunter falling victim to his prey."

The Essencima began to break free from Donva's influence. It opened its mouth wide and hovered inches away from its trembling victim. Black gunk dripped out of its razor-sharp teeth and splattered across Willheim's face. 

"Donva!" the hunter cried with his eyes shut tight. "Please! Don't leave me."

The researcher groaned. His elbows gave in, making him fall face first into the portal. His entire body slipped through in one motion. 

"Donva!" 

Willheim's words couldn’t penetrate the dense substance of Donva's portal. Only the muffled howling of the Essencima followed Donva through the portal. The trip between the two points was nearly instant. The research fell headfirst from the side of a dead tree. The momentum of the fall had him roll over a few times before stopping on his back. The hot sun beat down on his flesh. Donva lifted one trembling hand, slowly moving it over his eyes. He blocked out the burning beams with the length of his forearm. 

"Sorry... Enidri..." he whispered. A single huff of air escaped his lips. "See you soon... dad..."

"Hey!"

Donva remained motionless, choosing to keep his arm over his face to shield his eyes from the sun's rays. 

"Donva!"

The researcher ignored the call. 

"Don't tell me your dead! Not after all that you've been through!" Bodahn hovered over the weakened researcher, blocking the sun with his body. He reached down and moved the arm away from his face. Donva remained motionless with his closed tight. "Still breathing," the gunslinger uttered. He reached onto his belt and pulled out a canteen. He unscrewed the cap. With one arm he propped Donva up and slowly pressed the rim of the bottle to the man's lips. "If this don't wake ya open, nothing will."

Bodahn tilted Donva's head back, letting a trickle of water go into his mouth. The researcher coughed once, spitting the liquid out. "Take it easy now. Just water." He tilted the man's head back again, this time letting a bigger swig of water go down. After a few gulps, Donva's eyes opened.

"Th-thank you." Donva leaned forward by himself.  He rubbed his eyes and sighed. 

"No problem. Least I could do after you saved me."

“H-how did you survive that shot?”

Bodahn turned around and patted his back. ‘Extra bit of armor. The bullet still like mad. Gonna be sore in the morning, but nothing I can’t recover from.”

"What happened to Willheim?" 

The gunslinger shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. I was about to ask you that."

"Those creatures must have gotten him then."

"That's what I figured with all that howling. Thought they got to both of you. How'd you manage to get away?"

The researched stared at the bleeding wound on his arm. "I don't have the time to tell you the full story. To put it in simple terms... I'll just call it a mutation. Still learning how to handle it, but I was able to control the Primore. To a certain extent."

"That's a handy power to have. "

Seeing Donva struggle to stand on his feet, Bodahn reached down and pulled the research up by the arm. "You have a radio, right?" Donva asked once balance was steady. Bodahn turned to his side and pointed to a small device strapped to his belt. 

"Of course. You need it?"

Donva nodded. "Yeah. You think anyone else knows what happened?"

"With us and Willheim?" Bodahn shook his head. "Don't think so. I didn't see that fella use his radio."

"Good. That means—" Donva grunted as another sharp pain shot up his wounded leg. Bodahn held onto the researcher's back, preventing him from falling to the charred ground.

"Don't exert yourself," the gunslinger said as he lowered the researcher to the ground.

"I don't have time to rest!" Donva winced as he curled his body tight.

"And you don't have the strength to go on! No point in me rescuing you if you just plan on getting yourself killed. Why don't tell me your plan first? Get some rest in. Give me a bit of info. We both win, right?"

Through his pain, Donva mustered the ability to nod. "Fine. That works."