"That's where I need to go," Kira whispered.
Graydon
Blood soaked the dull, gray stone of the avenue Graydon had landed on. Tsavitee bodies were strewn over a wide area. Either dead or dying.
Graydon shielded his eyes, taking in the towering structures he found himself amongst. "Does this place feel strange to you?"
Solal yanked his en-blade out of the chest of a Tsavitee. "It does."
Craters littered the area where Graydon and his oshota had taken out a few of the cannons targeting the upper atmosphere.
"I do not like it," Solal informed him.
Graydon crouched, setting one hand on the ground. There was a sucking sensation. Discrete. Almost unnoticeable unless you had experience with something like it before.
"Their streets are covered in a material similar to seiki stone," Graydon said.
Solal frowned at the ground. "Why would they do that?"
Graydon took in the strange city in front of him with new eyes. "Because of us."
This entire place was built to obstruct his kind. The very ground meant to drain them of energy and ki, making battle more difficult.
A Tuann, unable to access their soul's breath, was vulnerable.
Solal curled a lip. "Disgusting."
"Yes," Graydon agreed, rising.
There was something more though. Something in the plants and air that left Graydon feeling like a layer of filth was coating his body. It made his skin crawl, leaving him on edge.
"We shouldn't linger," Graydon said.
He had a feeling bad things would happen to them if they did. He wasn't talking about just death either.
Amila stalked toward them, her synth armor stained with blood that hadn't been there before he'd sent her out on recon.
"Did you find them?" Graydon asked.
Amila shook her head regretfully. "There was no trace of their presence in our immediate vicinity."
"Enemies are approaching," Solal announced as a swarm of Tsavitee rounded the corner, marching in their direction. "How would you like to handle this?"
The Tsavitee spotted Graydon and his oshota. A bugle sounded, followed by a loud roar as the front ranks charged.
"As we always have," Graydon announced, starting toward the Tsavitee. "Slaughter them all. Leave none standing."
Kira
Kira darted into the tree tops as movement came from up ahead. Using a branch as a perch, she concealed her presence just as a Tsavitee advance team passed under her.
Their numbers were made up of half a dozen demons and several class two war drones. It was the wraith among them that sent Kira's pulse into overdrive.
It stopped under her branch, lifting its head to sniff the air.
The movement exposed its face under the cowl and cloak it wore as protection against the sun. Without it, the wraith's skin would burn even under the weakest of light. It was that sensitivity that had earned it the name of wraith.
A thin layer of flesh stretched over the bones of its skull. It lacked the elasticity and extra tissue a human or Tuann face would have. As a result, it more closely resembled a skull. Its eyes and nose sunken in. Little more than hollowed out holes.
