Azrael moved through the forest, his enhanced vision cutting through the early morning mist. He tracked the muffalo herd he had spotted earlier using his infrared vision, each step silent and calculated. When he finally caught sight of the large, woolly creatures grazing peacefully, he chose his target—a robust male near the edge of the herd. He positioned himself on the branch of a thick tree so the other muffalos wouldn't be able to attack him.
With practiced precision, Azrael drew his weapon and approached. He dispatched the muffalo swiftly, a clean strike ensuring minimal suffering.. The muffalo dropped limp while the rest of the pack scattered and ran, startled by the noise. After making sure that everything was safe, he jumped down from the tree and went to admire the result of his work. He hoisted the massive creature onto his shoulders with ease, turning back toward Steelroot.
As he made his way back, he couldn't shake the thoughts of the previous night. The massacre he had wrought was necessary, he told himself, but the weight of those actions still lingered on his mind.
[Estimated Time of Arrival to Steelroot: 6 hours]
Meanwhile, not far from Azrael's location, Elena, Darius, and a few other settlers were on their way to scout the native camp. They moved quickly and cautiously, knowing the natives could be a significant threat. Suddenly, Elena noticed smoke rising in the distance.
"Do you see that?" she pointed out, her voice filled with concern.
Darius nodded, his face grim. "That's probably coming from the native camp. We need to check it out, but stay alert."
They altered their course, heading towards the smoke. As they neared the camp, the smell of charred wood and blood filled the air. The settlers moved cautiously, weapons ready, but the sight that met them was beyond what they had expected. The entire camp lay in ruins, bodies strewn everywhere, evidence of a brutal and thorough attack.
"What in the world happened here?" one of the settlers murmured, shock evident in his voice. He covered his nose because of the smell.
Elena scanned the destruction, her mind racing. "This was no ordinary raid. This was a massacre."
Darius stepped forward, examining the dead sentries. "Who could have done this? The natives wouldn't turn on their own like this. It must have been an outsider."
Elena crouched down to examine a dead body of a teenage boy. His face had a hole the size of a hand going through his left eye towards the back of his head. What kind of weapon could cause this damage on a human?
Furthermore, this was a teenager, and it is clear that the killer didn't care about the age of their victims. They killed without prejudice and massacred everyone.
"The leader's dead. His neck was slashed." Darius appeared after checking the large tent. Shock was visible on his face. Seeing this, Elena couldn't help but realize not even Darius can handle such a sight.
"The killer murdered everyone, including children." Elena said.
"That's pretty obvious. But something isn't right." He said.
"What?"
"A group didn't do this." He stated. "This was probably done by one or two person."
"How so?" Elena questioned. "There's no way one individual can create this much death."
Darius crouched near the fallen teenage native, examining the wound with a critical eye. "Look at the precision of the kills. Each strike is clean, precise. This kind of skill suggests a trained individual, not a chaotic mob."
Elena knelt beside him, still skeptical. "But it could be a small group of trained fighters, right?"
Shaking his head, Darius pointed to the surrounding area. "There's minimal collateral damage. In a large-scale attack, you'd expect crossfire, random destruction, debris everywhere. Here, everything is focused. Controlled. That points to a single, efficient effort. He didn't even fire his gun a lot. Only two people were killed by a gunfire. The rest of them had their necks snapped or throats slashed."
Elena sighed, still grappling with the enormity of the scene before them. "You think one person could plan and carry out something like this?"
"Absolutely," Darius said firmly. "The attacks were too well-coordinated, targeting key individuals first. It minimized resistance and maximized chaos. That kind of strategic thinking is typical of a highly capable individual rather than a group."
Despite her initial doubts, Darius' experience and insights were hard to dismiss. "I trust your judgment, Darius. If you say this was done by one person, then we need to be prepared. Whoever did this is incredibly dangerous."
Darius nodded, his face set with determination. "We need to warn Steelroot. If one person can do this, they're a threat unlike any we've faced before. And we need to find out who, or what, they are."
Elena thought for a moment before asking, "But why would someone go this far to annihilate a whole camp? What's the motive?"
Darius paused, the question hanging in the air. "It might be a personal vendetta." He answered. "Or it might be a show of power. Either way, it means we're dealing with someone who is extremely dangerous. There's a possibility that Stellaxis was behind this too"
Elena's eyes widened. "You think that mining corp is behind this?"
Darius nodded. "It makes sense. Stellaxis has the resources to carry out something like this. They probably see the natives as obstacles."
Elena had nothing else to say, and just stared at the bloody sight before her.
Back at the settlement, Azrael arrived with the muffalo, carrying the hefty carcass towards the butchering area. Zara was already there, preparing her tools.
"Impressive catch," she commented, eyeing the muffalo. "You've got a knack for this."
Azrael shrugged modestly. "Just trying to contribute. Need any help with the butchering?"
"Sure," Zara replied, handing him a knife. "Just follow my lead."
They worked together in a silence, the rhythm of their task providing a welcome distraction for Azrael. Butchering was easy for him because of his system. As they carved the muffalo, Zara glanced at him curiously.
"You seem different, you know," she remarked. "Almost like you've seen a lot more than you let on."
Azrael focused on his task, his expression neutral. "Everyone has their secrets. I'm just here to help out."
Zara nodded, sensing his reluctance. "Well alright, Mr Secretive. We're glad to have you anyways. We need all the hands we can get."
They resumed their work, the silence between them becoming increasingly comfortable. Azrael felt peculiar comfort in the simple, grounded activity. But he knew the events of the previous night would eventually catch up with him.
As the day wore on, Elena and the others returned to Steelroot, their faces lined with worry and confusion. Azrael noticed them immediately, their grim expressions a stark contrast to the usual morning bustle. He immediately realized why and disappeared from the group.
"Welcome back Elena. Did you find anything?" Zara greeted Elena's group at the gate.
With a worried expression, Elena spoke to Zara. " Hey, we need to talk, it's urgent."
Inside the security outpost, the atmosphere was tense. Zara closed the door behind them, ensuring privacy. Elena, Darius, and a few other settlers gathered around a table, maps and documents strewn across it. Zara leaned against the wall, her arms crossed.
Darius spoke first, his voice low and serious. "We found the native camp. Or rather, what's left of it."
"What do you mean?"
Elena took a deep breath. "The camp was annihilated. It was a one sided massacre."
A silence fell over the room. Zara's face paled. "Who could do such a thing?"
"Probably Stellaxis?" Darius said. "I'm sure it was done by one person though."
"Wait- one person did this? How can you be so sure?" Zara was in disbelief. To her, it seemed impossible for one person to take out an entire camp in one night.
Darius explained to her what he told to Elena back at the camp. Afterwards, Zara couldn't help but feel worried.
"They're fucking with us." She slammed the table. "That mining corp! They want to show us that they can do anything by making us scared!"
Azrael, listening intently from his hidden position outside, absorbed every word. He remained silent, his synthetic mind processing the implications rapidly. If the colonists believed Stellaxis was behind the massacre, it would give him the cover he needed to operate without suspicion in the future. At the same time, he was confident that he can handle Stellaxis if they were ever to come.
Zara's voice broke the silence inside. "We need to keep this quiet for now. If word gets out, it could cause panic. We need to be prepared before we confront them."
Everyone else nodded, looking at each other.
"Meeting tonight after dinner. Make sure no one follows." Zara said with a stern tone.
Outside, Azrael slipped away from the security outpost. By the time they went outside, he was already back at the barracks. He lied down in his bed and pretended to sleep. Sometime after, Elena arrived at the barracks and saw him lying down.
"Azrael?"
He acted as if to wake up and sat on his bed. "Oh, Elena. What's up?"
"You were on your way back from the hunt this morning, right?" She asked. Concerned apparent in her voice.
"Yeah. What's wrong?" His face neutral, trying to not show anything that might give him away.
"Nothing.. It's just, something happened last night and I thought you heard anything during the time you were out there." She said.
He was silent for a second, his eyes wandering, pretending he was thinking.
"Mmm… I'm not so sure. By the time I was at the hunting area, it was already dark and I slept. I hunted in the early morning and immediately went back here. Now that you heard it, I might have heard some gunshots not far from where I was."
Elena didn't reply, but was considering all the possibilities in her head.
"Ah, its nothing." She grinned, her playful and cheery self appearing. "Anyways, I have some work to do in the workshop. You can come by anytime." She stood up and walked towards the door.
"Thanks for the note, by the way." Azrael mentioned to her.
Elena stopped in her tracks. She started blushing and ran outside the barracks before Azrael got a chance to say anything else.
"That was weird." He muttered, then went back to hibernate.