Ask Tracking the Untrackable

[Arla]

Per my new OP template, thread is death enabled​

Arla hadn't been to Koboh before, but it seemed like a fairly peaceful place. There may have been the occasional pirate or raider in the area, but that wasn't what had drawn Apex contractors here. She and her partner had come here to hunt down a creature that was really only rumors.

The locals called it the Ensnarer and with increasing frequency, there were people going missing out here. It wasn't even like their bodies showed up mutilated somewhere... no, it was worse than that. They were showing up still alive but wholly devoid of whatever made them them. Rumors had it that it was AMS, but Arla didn't think so. She'd seen AMS before and this wasn't it. At least she didn't think so.

She descended from her ship with her energy bow on her back, Fenris in tow, and her kyber staff in hand. Never knew what you were going to need, and she had a feeling they were going to be doing a lot of hiking, so a walking stick wasn't the worst thing in the world, right?

A light breeze carried over the plains, and if it weren't for the rather intense bounty they were here to collect, it actually might have been a nice place to vacation.

 

[Émilienne Chéreau]

It had been quite some time since Émilienne was called upon to handle the supernatural. These creatures of phenomena just weren't as common anymore within the ever-expanding galaxy. Fortunately for her, signing up for Apex made it easier for her to find these jobs.

Before going on the mission she did some quick research within her family's archives regarding the Ensnarer. She couldn't find anything with the same name, but there were a few sections which spoke of creatures being able to induce hypnosis. However this scenario could lead down many paths. Were the people under a psychic mind spell? Was it a parasitic take over of their mind? It could even be a new variant of AMS. There wasn't enough information to get a whole answer, but she at least knew how to start.

Émi placed her ship down in the predetermined location agreed upon with her partner. She walked down the ramp of her light freighter with her typical gear, with a new addition being the sonic grenades. There was a possibility that high frequency noise would be able to snap the victims out of their 'trance'. Émilienne preferred not having to mow down innocent people unable to control themselves but if her new toy proved ineffective then so be it.

"Arla I presume?" She took note of her partner's appearance; a beauty with olive toned skin appearing to be near the same age and height. Émilienne also couldn't help but notice the equipment or lack there of. A bow, a staff, and a pet. She could sense that Arla wasn't an arcane hunter, but there was a mysterious air around her. She stepped closer, remaining weary of the wolf, and extended a hand "Émilienne Chéreau, arcane hunter, Emi works too. Hopefully you're as excited to hunt as I am."

Tags: @Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla leaned against her kyber staff as she waited for her partner to disembark. Though Arla had initially recruited everyone into Apex personally, it was becoming increasingly difficult to know everyone in the company personally, though she did at least have some basic information about everyone.

From the reports, however, the woman was a inducted member into the AHA. Arla's own interaction with them had been... interesting, but more and more as Apex tracked down supernatural contracts they had drawn in members of the organization. All the better, it seemed.

Emi, she repeated the name, taking the extended hand in her own. There was no point in giving her own name as the woman clearly already knew it.

This is Fenris, she said instead, motioning down to the wolf next to her. It sat on the ground, head tilting to the side slightly as if looking at the other woman in an almost human way.

Excited? Arla wasn't really sure that was the word she would have used. It was business and a chance to hone and grow her skills. She did enjoy the thrill of the hunt, though. There were few things in the galaxy that she loved more than the hunt.

The reports talk about the creature being to the northeast, she said, pointing in the direction. Have you hunted something like this before? she asked. She had no idea about the woman's experience with the AHA, but she was interested. She also knew that where one AHA hunter was, more usually were there as well. The serum drew them like an addiction to the hunt. They couldn't help themselves. In many ways, they were the most dangerous part of hunts like these.

@Altaria

 

[Émilienne Chéreau]

Émilienne looked down at the dog, avoiding it's eyes as to not make it seem she was challenging it. She always wanted a pet of her own but a pet useful enough for her would be hard t come by and difficult to take care of.

She looked back at Arla to respond "The Jundwoo forest as the locals like to call it, and no I have not. However members of my family have hunted creatures causing similar phenomena, the most recent account being a bloody 700 years ago. Unfortunately I don't have enough information on this 'ensnarer' to pin down exactly what it is." The Chéreau family had been around quite some time. In hindsight Emi should have asked one of her siblings if they knew anything, but she didn't want to embarrass herself. It would've just reminded her of all the times they outdid her.

"I'm not sensing anything at the moment, I'm sure I'll pick up on something the closer we get." The hunter serum gave Emi a sixth-sense when it came to the supernatural. She herself wasn't sure how it worked, but it did. She began walking towards the direction of the forest, it would take some time to get there due to the rugged environment of Koboh. "I see you brought a walking stick, since this is going to be a bit of a hike. I say we get to know each other's capabilities in the meantime, it'll make us cooperate more effectively"

Hopefully Arla did have capabilities. Émilienne still couldn't shake off the thought that her partner showed up with a stick and a dog. Maybe she was really good with that bow...

"I guess I'll start off first. I've been trained to hunt since I was a child. I'm pretty good with a blaster if I dare say so myself, and I use a lot of gadgets to assist me in my work." Emi opened up the right side of her coat to reveal all the tools she was carrying before covering herself back up. "That's about it I suppose, nothing special. Just a lot of preparation and experience. I try and avoid direct confrontations but I'm sure that won't be easy this time around."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla headed off toward the forest while Fenris ran ahead of the pair. The terrain was rough, and she found her staff - although technically unnecessary - to be a useful third contact point.

She found herself surprised when the other woman started asking about her skills. Arla wasn't the talkative type and was even more reserved about sharing her skills with people.

I am a Nightsister, she said. Frankly, most people in the galaxy weren't aware of what those even were, but the last member of the AHA she had met knew of them. Maybe she did as well, but even if she didn't, the name told of a sect that wasn't to be trifled with.

Just getting to the creature will be difficult if the local reports are true, she said, and that was a big "if." Locals weren't exactly reliable when it came to anything about the supernatural. It was a mixture of fabrication, fear, and sometimes outright confabulation.

Her Sephi ears picked up a sound before she saw it, dropping into a quick crouch before a young woman - Nautolan - came stumbling around a corner, scrambling away from something like she was being chased. Arla couldn't see what it was yet, but what she did know was that she heard something else chasing the woman... something large.

@Altaria

 

[Émilienne Chéreau]

Mixed-feelings were felt upon knowing her partner was a Nightsister. Émilienne didn't have any personal encounters with them, but has heard and read many stories about them. Supposedly long ago, a handful of hunters believed the sisters to also be supernatural creatures and made it their goal to burn the Dathomirian witches at the stake. They were unbelievably powerful beings which called upon the force. Although at the time that wasn't understood. However it was a bit of a relief that she had such a strong partner.

"We should be fine, since getting to the creature isn't the goal, but to the creature's hunting grounds. A hunter waits for its prey to walk into them."

And with that said something had walked into them. Emi drew her large rifle at the sound of a woman's scream and large footsteps. She dropped to one knee and aimed down her scope. The rifle fired a large enough blaster bolt to do some damage to big game, as long as it wasn't too big.

Tags: @Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla leapt forward as her partner dropped into a firing position. Her blaster was nearly as big as she was, and the Nightsister hoped that would mean that it hit like a truck, too.

Get down and out of the way! Arla hissed at the Nautolan woman as she passed her, swinging around and immediately spotting the creature in question. Oh kriff, it's big, she thought to herself.

Her eyes settled on a Gorocco that was barreling down on her, an arm swinging around to slam into the Nightsister. Out of instinct, Arla let the Shadow flow through her kyber staff, amplifying her energy and throwing up a shimmering green barrier that absorbed the hit.

Still, it was hastily constructed, and burst under the impact, the energy sending Arla flying backward and causing the creature to real away and onto the ground, rolling in order to get back to its feet. With any luck, the other hunter would manage to get a shot on it.

@Altaria

 

[Émilienne Chéreau]

Eyes widened as a green haze emitted from the staff which then materialized into a barrier. So it's more than just a stick... she thought, but it was cut hastily by the sudden burst of energy sending Arla and the Gorocco away.

Émilienne focused her aim on the beast. It was rolling around too chaotically to get a perfect shot, so she stayed her hand until it got back on his feet. Once it was back on its feet, the Gorocco's movement was simpler and predictable. Emi put her sights on the temple of the beast and squeezed the trigger of her rifle. An audible mini-explosion blew up all the dust around her as a blaster bolt struck the creature right above his eye. Without hesitation another shot was fired hitting the Gorocco in the neck.

The beast fell over on its side, Emi kept her sights on it until she witnessed its last breath. She stood from her kneeling position, blowing away the exhaust coming from the barrel of her rifle. She walked over to the Nautolan women to check up on her.

"Oh thank the force!" she cried out. "I thought I was a goner... thank you so much.." The Nautolan took Emi's hand and bowed her head. "No need to thank us. I'm Émiliene." Emi shook the stranger's hand before taking a step back. "I'm Dalal, I'm an archaeologist trying to study some ancient ruins here. Is there um.. any way I can repay you?"

A rather twisted idea came to mind upon hearing the question. It was risky, but it could prove beneficial. "I have just the thing in mind actually... heard of the 'Ensnarer'? You seem to have a knack to get creatures to chase you, so you're gonna help us hunt this thing down."

The Nautolan woman jumped back "The Ensnarer?!" she exclaimed "Oh no no no no I can't help with that. You want me to be bait? No chance! Emi opened her coat and tapped her blaster pistol "Don't worry I won't let anything happen to you, unless.. I wanted it too. She gave Dalal a wink before closing her coat.

"F-fine.."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla's partner put two rounds through the large creature and it slumped over, spasming several times before becoming still altogether. Arla moved over and prodded it with her staff gently to make sure that it truly was dead, but it did seem to be. It never hurt to be sure, and it let Emi deal with talking to the Nautolan.

Arla spent her few moments taking a walk around the creature's body to gain any information she could about it before returning to the pair.

To be honest, Arla was a little more than surprised that the woman actually agreed to be bait for the Ensnarer. Well... that was convenient, and it saved her from having to do it.

An archaeologist? Okay, well that made sense, but Arla couldn't shake the feeling that something was... wrong. Something about the woman settled in the pit of Arla's stomach and she had absolutely no evidence to support it.

She stood behind the woman as she and Emi talked and Arla flicked a glance toward the other hunter that she hoped would be interpreted as "something's off."

I can show you where to find the creature, the woman volunteered a moment later, beginning to head off the way she had come from without even waiting for a reply. Eager...?

Arla cast another glance at Emi and gave a half shake of her head, but followed along nonetheless.

@Altaria

 

[Émilienne Chéreau]

Émilienne caught the subtly glance from Arla but didn't know what to make of it. That is until the next words that came out of the Nautolan's mouth. It implied that she knew where the creature was specifically. She looked back at her partner and nodded. Assuming this women was being controlled by the Ensnarer, they would be walking into a trap. However, knowing the existence of a trap made it a trap no longer.

"So Dalal, how far away are we? I don't want to rush but Gorocco's typically move in packs. I don't want a matriarch jumping out of nowhere on us."

"It lives in the forests. We are not too far from the entrance."

Entrance? An opening of some sort perhaps? The wording was off, but Émilienne didn't want to dig too deep into it. The reports stated that the people controlled by the Ensnarer appear lifeless, which implies the lack of speaking or really any sign of emotion. "You must know a lot about the Ensnarer since you know where it is... what can you tell us about it?" The best way to test Dalal was to ask questions that tried to pull specific information.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla wished the Shadow would have been able to more accurately tell her what was wrong, but it wasn't that easy, unfortunately.

Still, her partner was on top of the questioning, so Arla kept her eyes open and her head on a swivel as they pressed onward to "the entrance."

I'm an archeologist, knowing about what's going on is my job, the woman retorted, starting to move over the landscape with greater speed. The first of the trees and bushes began to spring up around them, growing thicker the further along they went.

That was about the time at which it all fell apart.

The air-splitting crack of a slugthrower tore through the air, only missing Arla because she threw herself to the ground under warning from the Shadow. She couldn't see the shooter, but as she started looking, the Nautolan spun on Emi, pulling a blaster and firing as she dove behind a stone to avoid being shot by the hunter's monstrous rifle.

@Altaria

 

[Émilienne Chéreau]

Émilienne was hardly satisfied with the answer given, and things became more mysterious as the Nautolan increased her pace. As they entered the forest, she kept her hands on her blaster pistol in case something were to happen, and so it did.

She could hear the zip of a bullet as it sped past them, hitting the dirt not too far behind from Arla. Emi looked at her partner to see if she was okay before spotting the Nautolan spinning around in her peripheral vision. Luckily the women was too caught up with getting into cover and her aim was off. Emi herself found a tree to stand behind, but knew it wouldn't be sufficient enough protection from the slughthrower. She tossed two smoke grenades outward. One a few meters in front of Arla to provide coverage and one at her feet to mask herself.

Using the smoke to conceal her movement, Emi utilized her grappling hook to ascend the trees in an attempt to uncover the sniper's position. She needed them to fire another time, preferably not at herself, in order to pin point their position.

 

[Arla]

Arla was in the dirt as blaster shots and slugthrower rounds flew over head. She crawled along the ground, staff in hand as she scrambled behind the thick base of a massive tree. After several moments the shooting came to a stop, and Arla tried to think. Two different weapons? Three? She thought it was three she had heard.

The smoke that sprung up from the grenades provided extra cover, and she could just barely make out the outline of her partner in the tree above.

Three, I think, she said. Were they all conspiring together? Was the Nautolan actually another hunter as well? Questions rather than answers, and Arla knew that she needed to start being the one with the answers.

She wrench answers from the woman's head, though.

I'll draw their fire. Can you see the Nautolan? she asked. If she could draw fire and kill one of the attackers at the same time then that was all the better.

@Altaria

 

[Émilienne Chéreau]

Emi stretched her neck out attempting to peer over the stone which covered most of the Nautolan. With an accurate enough shot she could blast her foot, but that would reveal her position to the slugthrower. She reached into her coat once more to pull out a grenade. A specialized one manufactured by Merr-Sonn which left off an adhesive substance.

"I'll take care of her." She responded with a low voice "Can you draw the fire of the other one? Maybe with that green force field you used from before?"

As she finished she tossed the grenade over the stone which immediately bursted upon impact releasing a green gas. Emi could see the Nautolan stand up in an attempt to escape but her movement became limited as the gas solidified into a hardening foam. She could have used the opportunity to blast the Nautolan but figured it would be best to leave her alive for questioning. Émilienne then aimed her rifle down the forest hoping to catch the muzzle flash of the slugthrower if Arla attempted to draw its fire.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla's eyes flashed back toward the forest again as she tried to spot any signs of their assailants, but with no success. I'll see what I can do, but I won't be able to hold it back for long, she said. She was strong in the Shadow, but she would prefer not to draw on her amulet yet... not with the fight with the Ensnarer on the horizon.

Go! she said letting her mind and body dive into the Shadow in a flash of green, flowing down its current before springing out again in another flash. She landed atop the solidified goo and swung her kyber staff with energy running through it.

It slammed into the archaeologist and a concussive wave of energy caused her bones to shatter and break, nearly breaking her in half and bursting through the solidified glop. She quickly switched her attention to shielding herself under a barrier. Gunfire burst out and she strained under the effort. Her teeth grit together as her mind strained to maintain focus and she hoped to the Fanged Spirit that her partner picked them off quickly.

It was only after she heard the ear-splitting pthshooom of the heavy rifle that she finally dove to the side and behind cover rather than her barrier.

One left, I think, she said into her comlink to the other woman.

@Altaria

 

[Émilienne Chéreau]

Émilienne peered down her scope frantically searching through the trees, waiting for their foe to expose themselves. The first few gunshots weren't spotted, Emi kept looking until she finally spotted the final muzzle flash of a slug thrower sticking over a rock. Within her sights was a human male and she tunneled her vision onto him, squeezing the trigger releasing an explosive shockwave. Within a blink of the eye the peach-toned skin, black hair, and brown eyed face of a man was turned into a pink mist.

The force of the shot shook the entire tree, causing Emi to lose her balance. Falling backwards she managed to grab onto the tree limb to stop her fall. She let herself down and hid behind some brush.

She brought her commlink towards her mouth to respond to Arla "Any idea of where the last one is? We could try the same strategy but I'll need to find a good position again."

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla was silent and still as her partner climbed down. She let her mind and senses fall completely into the Shadow, becoming one with the world around her. She envisioned herself as the Chiroptix, its ears becoming hers. She suddenly heard her partner so much louder climbing down from the tree and speaking to her, but Arla said nothing, keeping her eyes closed.

It would seem like an eternity to Emi before Arla finally spoke up again, her eyes flicking back open.

The last one has withdrawn, she said, looking around them and trying to spot the area that the two dead hunters had gone down.

I doubt they will stay gone, though. We need to be cautious, but we might be able to gather something off of the dead, she said. Whether intel, ammunition, or some other equipment, she had a feeling they could use any advantage they could get.

What were those grenades you threw? she asked as she started going through the pockets of the dead archeologist trying to avoid the sticky mess of... goo that the woman was still partially-encased in.

@Altaria

 

[Émilienne Chéreau]

Émilienne placed her hands on her hips and watched her partner curiously. She wasn't sure what exactly Arla was doing but assumed she was fetching the answer to the question. Emi felt rather jealous in a way how useful the force can be. It would make her job as a freelancer much more easier if she could create force fields and teleport around. Sure the hunter serum gave Emi a bit of a boost but it didn't feel the same.

She stood guard until Arla finally responded. Emi got down on a knee and helped sort through the goo that began to harden rapidly, turning into a brittle substance which had to be broken off. "It's a special grenade manufactured by Merr-Sonn munitions. Starts out as this gas that slowly solidifies until whatever it's touching is smothered and restricted. I have one more which I intend to use on the creature."

"Now, what was that little meditating you were doing? I'm guessing it was some way of you searching around with your mind, something similar to my sense. Is it possible for you to track down the Ensnarer this way if you're given enough time?" After proposing her questions, Emi stood up and wiped her hands on her coat to rid of any residue.

@Phoenix

 

[Arla]

Arla rifled through the items from the dead body, checking her blaster but dropping it to the ground after a moment. She had no need for it, but slipped away several scraps of paper that had notes written on them.

They had a plan to draw it out. A device that she thought could attract it like bait, she said, digging through the woman's bag and pulling out what she assumed was the device. It looked like it extended into a spear or pillar that could be planted into the ground.

Useful, Arla said in response to the explanation about the grenade. She wondered if it could be set into a trap near the luring device.

I sharpened my senses to listen for sounds of movement, breathing, even a heartbeat. I heard nothing like that, she said before shaking her head. Unfortunately, it only works for tracking at close range, she said, meaning they couldn't truly track their creature with it. But with the device - if it worked - maybe they wouldn't have to.

She stood back up and started heading on, and as they did, the forest began to change around them. Less light made it through the thick overhead canopy, and the entire area became more... stifling.

That was when she saw the first of what she had to assume were the "ensnared." Wandering around with mouth agape and eyes that seemed to just stare blankly ahead as he staggered around, stumbling slightly over a root before pressing onward. It was horrifying and reminded her a little bit too much of AMS to be comfortable.

@Altaria