The brush was dense. Enidri kept one hand in front of her to push away the foliage that impeded her path. For the thicker branches and overgrowth, the swordswoman set her Ion Blade to low and made short and quick slashes to deal with the obstacles. Branches and leaves burned to a crisp in an instant, leaving a scorched trail in her wake. Enidri ventured in a straight line, her pathing proving to be effective as the sun shined on an empty patch of forest a short distance away.
The swordswoman deactivated her weapon, taking a moment to scan the surrounding area. With her breath held, she used her lone eye to keep an eye out for an unusual movement among the immediate foliage around her. Seeing that the coast was clear, she advanced forward. A bright beam of light shined down once she stepped out of the dense forest, making her raise one arm over her head to block out the sun's rays.
"Where to now?" Enidri grumbled under her breath. She wiped away a bead of sweat from her forehead. With her Ion Blade still in hand, she continued to march forward. The sound of the sun's sizzle became the only noise she could hear, overcoming the gentle crush of grass and leaves beneath her boots. She took one last look to the small path that she carved before continuing in a straight line. She remained attentive, with each step being deliberate and precise as to not draw too much attention. Meanwhile, she continued to dart her eye around for anything out of the ordinary.
It wasn't long before a brilliant golden object caught her attention. She activated her Ion Blade again, only extending it a few inches. Enidri squinted as hard as she could to get an idea of the bright entity that lay motionless across the forest ground. With one more scan of the encompassing area, Enidri made her move. In near silence she darted across the ground, covering the full length between her and the target in a matter of seconds.
She knelt next to the peculiarity, only to take in a deep breath once she realized what it was.
"How..." she whispered, her face carrying a look of disgust. Before her lay the motionless body of a duck-like Neo-Sapia. Her eyes were shut tight, and her entire body completely still save for the slight rustle of her feathers from the faint wind. A trio of long slashes cut through both the thin fabric of the dress she wore as well as her flesh, leaving deep red gashes. With her empty hand, Enidri touched the blood that spilled onto the vibrant grass beneath the corpse.
"Almost dry." She rubbed tips of her fingers together to get a feel for the substance's consistency. "Must have died not too long ago." With a sigh, Enidri stood up straight. She shook her while staring at the fallen Neo-Sapia, her vacant hand clenched tight into a trembling fist. In silence, she left the body behind to continue.
The lone walk continued with only the sound of the of hot air to accompany her. She began to lose her sense of time the further she walked, with minutes turning to hours and hours turning back to minutes. Fatigue began to kick in, forcing the swordswoman to lose her sense of direction. Each step was slower, and she took less effort to conceal her movement. Sweat now coated her skin and clothing as her panting became heavier. With a large tree a visible, she took a detour from her intended path and propped herself up with one hand against its long trunk.
"Ahh..." Enidri said with relief as she remained underneath the shade of the canopy above. Her panting slowly returned to steady breathing. As she rested, she made sure to keep her eye on her surroundings. To her dismay the rest was short lived when movement among the branches above her grabbed her attention. She instantly went silent, holding her breath as she stared at the leaves. A shadow jumped among them, making the entire branch shake abruptly.
The swordswoman reactivated her signature weapon, this time extending it the full length. Enidri kept her gaze fixated above and the tracked the unnatural movement. The shadow bounced again, stopping towards among the leaves of narrow tree. Enidri pulled her weapon back and in a flash heaved it at the base of the tree. The Ion Blade made a loud, crackling buzz as it soared through the air. It severed the tree into two separate pieces immediately, sending it topping forward.
Enidri jumped to the side, avoiding the fallen tree while still managing to catch her weapon as it flew back towards her while keeping an eye on the now-falling leaves where she last saw the shadow. The tree fell with a crash, and among the branches Enidri could see what had been chasing her.
"Not a bad move," a deep voice said. Lars stepped out from his cover and brandished his long claws. Enidri stood with a firm pose, her Ion Blade at its full length by her side. "You're more suited for this environment than the typical prey that we hunt here." The wolf took a step forward. He opened his mouth wide and licked his long and jagged teeth with pleasure.
"You're the one responsible for what happened back there," Enidri said confidently as she pointed the tip of her weapon at the Lars.
"Observant. I'm glad you decided to investigate. That bit of blood on your fingertips was just enough for me to track you." The wolf smiled and took another step to start to close in on the several-yards of distance between the two.
"Too bad you couldn't have used that stealth to your advantage." Enidri twirled her blade in her hand, ending with the tip of the weapon pointed towards Lars once again. The wolf continued smile as he cocked his head to the side, feigning a look of curiosity.
"You're quite perceptive. More so than that hulking lizard and that dimwitted bird."
Enidri's eye opened wide. "Gurk!" she exclaimed.
"Ah!" Lars let out a bellied laugh. "So you're familiar with that overgrown salamander!"
"Tell me where he went," Enidri retorted, taking one step forward while keeping her legs spread in a firm stance.
"Or else what?"
"I'll make your death a quick one," Enidri replied, maintaining her posture. " Maybe I'll even leave enough for you to have an open casket."
Lars growled, flashing his jagged teeth again. "That's the quite the deal you've given me. But I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I have no intention of dying here today. But perhaps I could make a counteroffer."
Enidri remained silent.
"You seemed to be upset by the fact that I killed that lesser Neo-Sapia you stumbled across. Did you know that she also had a child with her?"
"What?" The swordswoman took no effort to hide her look of concern.
"It's true. I have no idea how she ended up in the Eco-Dome of all places before she was properly ready to become prey. And that friend of yours took a liking to her. He began to protect her once I killed the mother."
"Deal's off," Enidri scoffed. "They'll be nothing left but ash once I'm done with you!" The swordswoman darted forward; her Ion Blade poised for a horizontal slash. As she soared towards her opponent, Lars leapt straight up, into one of the trees above and vanishing.
"You didn't let me finish explaining my offer!" Lars howled from the top of the canopy. Enidri remained still, her single eye squinting as she scanned for any movement among the branches. "Only one of us is going to leave this area alive," Lars continued, this time his voice coming from a different direction. "But once I win, I'll be merciful enough to spare the child from the same fate that you, your reptilian friend and the chick's mother will all suffer. How does that sound?"
Enidri grunted as she slashed away at the tree in front of her. The electric blade cut through the tree with a single motion, toppling it forwards. "The second you're close enough, I'm severing you in two!"
Lars cackled. His sinister laugh echoed from every angle of the forest. Enidri slowly turned herself around in a circle as she held her Ion Blade in a defensive position. She took in long yet quiet breaths as she continued to scan the canopy.
Before Enidri could turn around, the wolf leapt from his hiding spot from above and behind her. The swordswoman turned as fast as she could, allowing her to take the brunt of Lars' slash with the thick metal pad on her shoulder. Despite the piece of armor taking the brunt of the force, the attack still had enough of an impact to make Enidri grunt and send her to the ground. As she fell, the weapon slipped out of her fingers and fell into a tall patch of grass.
"Dammit!" Enidri snarled as she glanced in the direction of where her Ion Blade landed. She quickly shifted her attention back to Lars. He bent his legs and extended his claws in front of his face, primed for another pounce.
"Let's see how you fare without your crutch!" he shouted.
