void-scorched. The greenery in a circle a little more than a meter across was blackened, and for a little ways outside the radius trees were missing chunks at random, eaten away by stray void particles. The Vandal had been entirely atomized.
Following a brief trip to the lead cart to explain the situation, Naomi resumed security. While many of the caravan’s armed travelers had been set on the less lushly grown side of the road, the Titan was set to scanning the opposite. She and her Ghost could see much more, and —
Sophie glances over the Titan's equipment before turning back the way she came. Usually, she can suss out an amateur by their gear. It's not just the quality but how they carry it: wear, tear, and confidence. When caravans are too cheap, they're stuck with somebody who ...
react much quicker, than the mortal vagabonds.
“About fifty meters back. Lleu will ping it for you.” Sure enough, her Ghost would share a marker with Sophie and her Ghost.
Not that there was much to glean from investigating the marker. The site of the Vandal’s demise was —
Following an additional look-around for any snipers lurking in the trees, Naomi took one hand off her rifle and held her palm flat. Right on cue, a Ghost bearing an armored shell the same color as its Guardian’s armor appeared. “Sort the comms.”
As she left her Ghost to deal —
It's a gamble on a road like this, where the forest has grown in so thick that there's very little separating the path and wilderness. That makes it easy to hide it. Easy to spring on passerby. Their caravan has a rear guard, but that leaves plenty of gaps to be stabbed through.
with that task, she repositioned again to put herself between her link to the Light and the side of the road with the most dense foliage. “I’ll go tell my group to expect help,” she said once her Ghost was safely out of sight again, “and to tighten security.”
Deciding that no —