A Light In The Darkness - Christa

[Gildarts]

“Come off it Christa, you’ve only ever killed because you’ve had to, right?” his gaze met hers expectantly.

Christa shook him off, growling at first, and then her tone fell into a neutral calm, “When those bastards killed my sister, there was nothing I wouldn’t do to get her back. I’d like to amend the fallen, those who fell between my cross-fire. I think by fighting evil out here and coming when you needed me, I can help quell the guilt that I feel for going missing for an entire year.” her eyes fell on him, and she forced herself to look at the withering form, “For what you’ve had to become in my absence.”

“You never signed up for the guard, you didn’t have a duty to Darkshire. You can’t blame yourself, they would’ve gotten you too. Then I wouldn’t have been able to bare it.” He shook his head.

“Listen Mornel, I don’t like to leave other shoulders behind. Even if we haven’t accepted the same creed, I think like minds outta stick together and help eachother out if they need a hand up.” she spoke firmly, as though she truly believed it.

Mornel sighed, “So then you’re back here to help?”

She scoffed now, and then held up his crinkled piece of paper at him, pointing to the image on the page, “I’m here to kill these sons of bitches. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Christa tossed the piece of paper onto the table, and the image of a stone angel flickered back at her in the dim light of the room.

“So, tell me everything you can about these things, and more specifically, what are their weaknesses?”

...

“Good-bye, Old friend.” they both smirked at the irony, as Christa took one long and lasting look at Jesse Mornel, her comrade in times of war.

As she started along the path, she noted the sun’s position in the sky, it was just about high-noon, and Mornel had given her a map of where she’d find where they last had seen the ‘nest’ of them. It was nicely detailed, only the best for an old comrade who you’d called in for an extra favor, and only hoped the very same favor didn’t cost them her life.

Crunch. Crunch. Went the leaves under her boot. But nothing was stirring in the forest around her, not even the wind in the air. What a strange, eerie place that this world was. It was dismally silent, and Christa could hear the pounding of her heart, and the echo of the air releasing from her lungs louder than she could hear any animal or beast hunting her.

She stalked as silently as any native inhabitant of the woods, every hour she would pause to look at her map, and guzzle some water. It had been three stops now, and already she was getting antsy about her situation. Her eyes sleeked along the shadowlines and tore at the creeping parts of the night. The trees were angular and gnarling, and the sky cloaked in a single layer of silver cloud. The rogue was not far from her destination, but what spooked the prime the most was that she kept getting the creeping sensation that she was being watched.

Prickles stung at her neck and the chilled hairs bolted upright. A keen set of eyes swept her surroundings, while her ears tuned in on the finest frequencies of silence. Something was prowling in the bushes. Something was out there.

She bared her teeth.

The gentle click of her pistol being cocked was not enough to scare whatever lay in the foggy swampland, and yet there were enough shadows for any predator to hide in, conveniently enough.

With her pistol held straight outward, her hips held vertical by her fighter’s stance, Christa slowly towed the gun in her hands all the way around her body. Three hundred and sixty degrees. Finally, her eyes caught a swarm of color, and Christa’s finger instantly touched the trigger.