The hunter approached the tower and felt the same quiet high energy she often felt when she was on assignment. It was literally do or die now. She had either prepared well enough for this encounter or soon it wouldn't be her problem anymore.
This particular creature seemed to be more or less unaggressive itself but it happened to be the focal point of some kind of miasma that killed crops and made the surrounding settlers sick. What was a small grouping of settlements had lost as many as 12 people to the sickness and now an entire season's harvest. With no stable food source and no close by towns prosperous enough to send supplies, it was clear that many more would not survive this winter despite a retreat to the more barren but unaffected area they had currently taken up residence in.
This mission was deemed lower-middle importance, it was clear that this was a cleanup operation, one done only as a sign of goodwill to the region. When she had first joined HLS this mission would have been staffed with 2 senior officers and one junior. Possibly, even a researcher, if the interest struck one of the few that had remained even 5 years ago. She had joined after the supposed glory days were over anyway. A full team was standard during the times when she grew up, on stories of the heroes who kept the darkness at bay and gave everything for humanity to have one last chance. After her single year of training every mission had been solo. The woman sighed and cracked her aching back.
She removed her glasses that granted her the sight of nonhumans and affixed the mask that would supposedly keep the air breathable as she traveled into the killing mist. It was a relic of generations past and made of a now rare material that reminded her of soft leather, although it was flaking and slightly warped from age and use.
She began her final decent to what appeared to be the entrance of the building. The height of the structure was staggering. It was easily the most impressive tower she had ever seen in person. The building itself seemed to be made just as much of glass as stone or metal that formed its skeleton. Despite her curiosity she knew it was best to move quickly, the mist, although causing a slow set wasting illness, would only get more potent the closer she got to its epicenter. And she had been with HLS long enough to know better than to trust the equipment they managed to scrounge up apart from the weapons themselves.
The doors inside were also glass, set into a larger wall, once again, made of glass. She wondered at the marvel of magic that must have been used to achieve the uniformity and withdrew her halberd, ready to smash through if she couldn't find any alternative method of opening the door. To her surprise it pushed open with no problem.
As she cautiously stepped inside and silently cursed the fact that the project to attune hunter's masks to also provide the sight had died along with its head researcher, Dr. Actus. As she walked inside she instantly noticed the the brisk autumnal temperatures were not present. It was pleasantly warm inside the building despite having no obvious source of heat. The visible mists of the outside were also not present. She debated switching her mask out again for her rounded orange-tinted glasses but decided against the long term health risk.
She spent a moment in the entrance room to try to find a good plan of action to search such a large building. When she mentally resigned herself to have to almost certainly spend multiple days and trips inside the tower she continued on ahead. There were massive white pillars on either side of the hall and as she passed a large white desk she realized how clean everything was so far. There didn't seem to be any dirt or dust on the floor or any other surface. All of the strange things that made this place seemly hospitable did nothing but set her on edge.
As she entered the next room, she noted that the electrical lighting that was present in the hall was significantly dimmer and got gradually more-so as it neared the center of the room. She nearly sighed in relief. Other than a cursory sweep after the main job it looked like the hunt would be short. With her weapon at the ready she stepped forward.
"Honestly, I've gotten a bit bored waiting for you," a dispassionate masculine voice called to her from the end of the dark.
She felt goosebumps raise on her arms. Their intelligence suggested a bestial formed creature at best. A humanoid was a exceptional rare occasion nowadays and always warranted 3 person teams. It didn't need to know that of course.
"Are you the one who's been poisoning the people in this area?" She called out to it, weapon at the ready but not moving yet.
She heard an exasperated sigh and the sound of fabric slowly shifting as if it had risen from a seat, "No, they've poisoned themselves by choosing to trespass here."
She grit her teeth slightly before responding, "So, supposedly trespassing is worth a death sentence?"
It humorlessly chuckled, "Maybe not but in this world stupidity certainly is."
The lights slowly gained brightness row by row until it revealed what appeared to be a man; tall, pale, and with long silver hair, standing unarmed. What obviously set him apart from a human were his piercing yellow eyes that cut through the darkness before the light had a chance to reveal him.
"And," he said while pointedly looking to her raised weapon, "There is no question of trespassing."
He looked at her with a sense of bored expectation, "Will you kill me to enact some misguided idea of justice, little hunter?"
"Would you let me just leave now?" She asked knowing the true answer despite whatever he might say in response.
"So that more of your little knights templar can come and harass me further?" He said while he ran one hand through his hair casually, "No, I don't think I will."
With that he was already in front of her. She had a fraction of a second to parry his spear. Up close she could see now that despite her uncommon height he still towered over her. He had muscle that on a human she would judge for vanity. It was at a contrast to her near sinewy form that had suffered like most of her peers due to unstable food sources. And now that smile.
He seemed surprised that she had even managed a single block and was maybe a little amused. As if she was a passing curiosity to him. She took a fainting swing at his head and quickly redirected when he predictably moved out of her range. She advanced forward on him. The spear he had summoned vanished back from his hands and he effortlessly and gracefully dodged every powerful swing of her blade. She took a few steps back knowing full well that with his speed the small distance wouldn't mean much.
He gave her a condescending smile, "Have you gotten tired already?"
He could clearly keep this up for as long as he needed to and wouldn't break a sweat. The longer the fight, if it could even be called such, the more of a disadvantage she would be in.
She was suddenly aware she would die here. With that knowledge she changed strategy. If she could keep him from her for only a precious few seconds after realizing what she intended, she could at least take him with her. She grabbed the necklace with a simple charm from her neck and touched it to the grip of her halbert. With that the charm hissed and burned in an ominous red, signaling that it would detonate.
Instantly realizing his mistake in playing with her he once again charged at her, faster this time and the force of blocking his blow seemed to rattle all the bones of her arm.
She attempted to off-balance him by pushing forward with all her strength where their weapons met but he seemed unfazed and suddenly pressed his spear down with tremendous force, making both weapons loudly clank into the floor. In a single move he swept her halbert across the floor and tore her charm from around her neck. It sizzled against his skin but the glow faded before crumbling into ash.
He turned his attention back to her, no longer amused. She punched him in the face with all her strength.
Before she could do so again he captured her fist in one hand and her neck with the other.
His expression once again changed. No longer angry he looked at her with stark confusion. It morphed in front of her eyes to realization and then a mix of emotions she had no hope of identifying.
His grip on her neck loosened, "What is your name, my hunter?"
He stared at her with that same unidentifiable expression waiting for her answer.
She attempted to pull her hand back and failed before stubbornly meeting his gaze.
