Trying to dodge to the right caused the left stabilizer to pull out of the ground during the shot, causing the suit to tumble back and to the right from the combined recoil and massive impact where they had just been. After rolling over twice, Kellin heard the sound of tiny rocks and dirt raining down all around them as he struggled to lift his body up, the armor groaning in response to his attempts. After two attempts he gave up and instead rolled over onto his stomach.

[Marine Condition: Maimed, Minor Stun

Integrity: 31/100

Health: 43/80

Energy: 19/110

Stamina: 72/110

Mana: 5/56

Psionic Energy: 41/50]

Rolling further to their right was easiest and luckily safest as well, the crater where they'd been previously being hit with another large rock that shook the clearing just a few seconds after the first. A cool numbness pulsed down the entire left side of his body and after failing to move his arm, he wrote it off for now. It didn't take him long to spend 10 [Credits] on a [Quick Heal] and he was least thankful the injury would likely be fully restored before the pain set in.

-[Cloak] is back on. That was a rock,- Gypsy explained. -It began throwing it when it sensed [Energy] fluctuations, not [Mana]-

Suddenly, their body threw itself to the right again just as Kellin had gotten them up to their knees, a few more [Energy] being expended in a rushed motion as the ground where they'd been exploded. Glancing up from where they'd stopped rolling, the Brute was picking up any stones and rocks it could find in the river around it to bombard where it had seen them and Gypsy had saved them from another round of damage, save for the one lost [Health] his weaker body had taken from the [Energy] enhanced action.

"Good move," Kellin said, glancing at their mangled left arm as a silvery liquid flowed over the top of it.

After a few more seconds he finally managed to stand them up and hobble over to a nearby tree.

"So it can't sense [Mana]. Good to know. Mask only our heat signature for now; Brutes have non-existent hearing and if we stay hidden, it's eyesight won't help it much."

Two beeps sounded off as the suit became visible, their [Energy] usage slowing to about three per minute from the specialized type of cloaking. It was a lot, but it meant they had at least five minutes before it had to come down.

"[Cloak] the helmet."

Peeking his head around the corner of the tree after he felt her handle it, Kellin observed the Brute and was rewarded with the information he was looking for.

[Brute Health: 132/890

Severely Bleeding, Maimed, Minor Stun, Poisoned]

"Minor Stun my ass," he groused.

-The shot knocked it twelve feet back and seems to have exacerbated the bleed condition. A new large wound where the shot hit has opened on its left lower hip,- Gypsy explained as the stones began coming faster, raining down in a span of a few feet from where they'd shot.

Checking the monster again, Kellin confirmed he'd somewhat missed hitting the wound, noting its [Health] had already dropped again to 130, then 129 before he looked away. Right about then, it also changed its tactic of hucking random stones to where they'd been to sending them all over the clearing in front of it in a wide cone.

-It will die faster with it's actions-

A rock exploded into the tree they were behind, splintering the trunk and causing it to creak ominously. Their [Cloak] camouflaged their suit again, this time Kellin's doing as he darted them across the hillside another ten feet to the right and just a bit further away, behind a boulder. The tree received a second rock moments later, cracking even more until it eventually began falling away from them, nearly landing on the gun they'd left behind.

"It probably thinks if it kills us, it may have enough [Credits] to [Heal] if it doesn't have enough already," Kellin replied, feeling an impact on their back send a crack through the boulder they were currently leaning on. "And it might have an idea of where we are still. Will we outlast its health if we stay [Cloaked]?"

-Negative. [Energy] resource will run out when Brute is near 50 [Health]. Subsequent activations and specialized uses increasing cost of [Cloak] substantially-

"So we need another shot," he sighed out finally, glancing around their boulder and seeing the damaged Rifle a few feet away from where they'd originally shot it.

Glancing down to their right arm showed Kellin the multiple points where the connections between their armor and the gun had snapped, likely saving their arm from breaking when they'd gotten rag-dolled. Looking back up, about twenty feet separated them from the gun, but it was still a crapshoot on whether they'd get nailed from the rampaging Brutes constant barrage of the area; It hadn't given up despite missing them consistently.

-No. Abandoning the fight should be priority,- Gypsy replied, trying to shut down his plan to continue.

"We wouldn't be able to get across the river without it noticing, and using [Energy] to ramp up [Cloak] enough so we can get across without detection would run us out almost immediately," he replied with a shake of their head. "Plus, those things are scouts for a reason. The second [Cloak] drops, it'll know where we are if we aren't at least a half-mile away, even with all this foliage. If it lives and gives chase, we're dead. If it lives and doesn't give chase, then whichever Den Mother controls it learns of our most probable home location and we are hunted down. It has to die," he explained, head resting against the large boulder they were sitting with their backs to.

Two negative sounding beeps went off as Kellin checked on the Brute again, their [Condition], and his gun.

[Brute Health: 119/890

Severely Bleeding, Maimed, Poisoned]

[Marine Condition:

Integrity: 56/100

Health: 62/80

Energy: 14/110

Stamina: 72/110

Mana: 5/56

Psionic Energy: 41/50]

Their [Health] and [Integrity] had already gone up substantially, the [Quick Heal] doing its namesake as he already felt his arm going back to normal. The suit likewise popped out all of its dents, bends, and restoring the few locations it was scratched or punctured.

-Cannot get across river,- Gypsy practically yelled inside his head. -Head east, high likelihood to reach distance far enough away without need for further confrontation,- Gypsy replied eventually. -Suit has enough [Energy] to [Cloak] for more than three minutes. Running with [Stamina] and hiding is the right choice. Need to leave now-

Kellin had almost ignored her and dove for the gun, but the sheer intensity of her response gave him pause. Thinking about the option she presented instead, he continued staring across the clearing to the rifle, a rock or three launching in between them and the gun at least once every two seconds, each looking more painful than the last.

"We'd lose the [Wave Pistol] forever and be headed toward where the Savante was," Kellin responded.

-We may be able to replicate the gun in the future, but there is a higher probability of death if we engage now,- she replied, once again convinced enough in her own words to give him pause. -The Savante left two days ago. Wait for Brute to die, return, and we may still get the gun back-

Another few massive rocks flew in between them and the gun and Kellin sighed, seeing one land near the gun and launch it another few feet away from them.

"Yeah... I don't know how the hell we're going to get to the gun without me distracting it," he muttered.

Just then, the bombardment of the area stopped, giving him a small amount of hope that it was dead or busy with its original assailants. Chancing another peek, Kellin was greeted with the sight of the Brute advancing out of the river in their direction, the sensitive inner membrane of it's four large wings pressing flat onto the ground around them as it looked decidedly paler. Thankfully, the portion of its hip that was missing was hindering its movement even moreso than the massive pole sticking out of it, making it more of a hobble than a fast walk.

[Brute Health: 95/890

Bleeding, Maimed, Poisoned]

"Shit," Kellin exclaimed, leg bouncing up and down where he sat against the boulder as his mind raced.

-Time frame reduced. Brute has begun hunting; vibrational dampening activated. Bleeding [status] downgraded. We need to go-

"Ok, alright yeah," he said, stopping his leg from moving, eyes still intently trained on his gun. "How much time until it reaches a point where it can see us?"

-Less than a minute. [Energy] use into [Cloak] for full visual conceal and vibrational dampening will run empty in two and a half minutes. Getting a half-mile away will take at least two minutes-

Her words were the final wake-up call Kellin needed, eyes tearing away from the gun as he jolted upward and began leaning and turning to their left. Gypsy sensed his intent and activated the invis function of the [Cloak] again before he could even take a step or activate it himself, and their sprint away began.

He wanted to but didn't chance a last look over his shoulder at their rifle, eyes trained on their dash across the hillside.

-It will be there when we come back,- he said to himself, already breathing hard as his chest and muscles burned with every step, [Stamina] ripping away at a rate of more than twenty a minute. -It will be there when we come back-

They were able to run for nearly three full minutes before Kellin received the warning that Gypsy had to stop the [Cloak]. Finding a spot secluded from the west but still in the sun was hard being so late in the day, but she directed him to a thicket on the low side of a hill that was hidden enough. It would likely only give them an hours worth of sun before it got too dark to charge the suit off, but it would do.

Once they stopped running, two minutes passed before the notification came through.

[Credits earned for contribution to the defeat of Tracker Brute above your threat level: 250, p*]

[Congratulations! Individual assisted in the defeat of an opponent more than five Threat Levels above their own for the first time! Credits awarded based on Level disparity: 70]

Kellin looked at their gains and wanted to laugh a bit. The Brute had a [Threat Level] of around 8, going by the [Systems] rewards. Worth the shot by far, but it would definitely slow them down if they lost the [Wave Pistol]. Still, there may be a way to just [Create] it.

"[Condition]."

[Marine Condition:

Integrity: 99/100

Health: 79/80

Energy: 2/110

Stamina: 18/110

Mana: 1/56

Psionic Energy: 41/50]

"Waiting like last time, I guess," he said, noting it was around six in the afternoon in the planet's twenty-four-hour daylight rotation.

-An increase in [Battery] and [Efficiency] seem to be needed,- Gypsy stated after another minute.

"That's an understatement," Kellin sighed out as he laid the suit down, exposing as much of it to the elements as possible before [Unequipping] and hiding himself in the shade for a rest.

"Something else got to it, then?" Jora asked, looking at his brother and Tatiana as they took a short break.

They were resting near a pond covered in more than a few trees, Tatiana sitting up on a large boulder as Jiun prepared another pole and some poison to be mixed in with the hard ice she would create for the spearhead. They'd yet to find any indication that there was anything out here except beasts and Savul, but they'd only begun searching the day prior.

They'd abandoned the two Combat Marine squads nearly the moment they'd gotten into the forest, but Jora could still feel them nearby, too close for comfort. It was likely they knew where the three of them were as well still, despite Jora being told he was the only one with a [Tracker] oriented [Class] in the group.

"Definitely. It lost about 65 [Health] out of nowhere, all at once. The Hemotoxin Tati and I stuck it with would have killed it in another few minutes, but it's bleed upgraded to severe and it had a disabled [Status] effect on it for a second. Something else got to it."

Tati confirmed the explanation with a nod and Jora leaned against the large rock, thinking for a few moments while being silently thankful for his brother's rare moment of seriousness. Jora felt for the mark he'd placed on the spear, drawing them further west and just a bit north. Pulling out the map they'd been given showed a river and a few nearby mountainous areas, a red tinted sphere clearly encompassing the entire western and northern section, with a strange yellow hue taking over southwest of the river. It had been suspected there was Savul activity in this area, but every scout sent to investigate had never returned, some dead, some worse off likely. Seeing the Brute headed directly that way upon getting injured almost perfectly confirmed that theory.

A blue dot, right on the yellow side of the river showed where the spear had landed, about another days worth of travel at their current pace.

"We'll head that way, but we will need to regroup before continuing. It's in the unidentified area," Jora said, getting a nod in return from his brother, and a scowl from Tati.

Still, after another few seconds she nodded, the map got rolled up, and Jora began leading them back to the squads they'd abandoned just a day prior. If anything, to use them as bait, or a shield of some sorts. The S5 wouldn't care about losses on the mission, at least that's the impression their Captain had given off.

As long as the job got done. If it didn't...

In any case, Jora would get the credit he needed and as long as he got credit, he'd prove his worth. As long as he proved his worth, he'd get a promotion and become more important in their society. If he kept climbing the ladder like that, maybe they wouldn't kill them off before they were strong enough to leave.

They had a lead, and he had a job to do. Whatever it was the Empire wanted so much, Jora would find it for them.

Two hours passed quickly as it began to get dark, Kellin and Gypsy just making it back into the clearing where the Brute lay dead still. Nothing bothered them on the trip back or when they'd sat, deliberating on what to spend their [Credits] on upgrading for now.

The rapidly approaching dusk had signaled their need to make their way back to the Hutch. Traipsing around the woods during the daytime was already becoming an increasingly dangerous chore; Kellin didn't want to chance it at night.

After searching the clearing for any hostiles, it became obvious the gun was gone. Kellin had been hopeful upon seeing the Brute's corpse that it wouldn't have touched or moved the gun, but even though it hadn't buried, dislodged, or otherwise hidden it, it was gone. He knew it hadn't done those things because it lay dead on the ground before the rock they'd been hiding behind, not making it much further than when they'd left.

No, the gun was just gone. Stolen, found... either way, Kellin was more than a little sad.

The trip back to their Hutch was less than eventful as well, a slow jog costing them a few [Energy] and a few more [Stamina], bringing them within a hundred feet of their home in twenty minutes. The sky glowed a bright orange and red, a few clouds hanging low and giving a certain three-dimensional feel to the artwork that was dusk.

"Well, I guess I'll get started on making another rifle," Kellin said finally, rounding the last few trees before they'd come up a small hill to the rock face they'd been calling home.

-Yes. We should be able to make it before tomorrow if we spend the necessary [Psionic Energy] and time assisting to speed up the process,- Gypsy responded.

"You're saying we a lot lately," he replied with a tired smile, right hand sliding off a tree he'd randomly grabbed for support in passing.

Neither of them had said much on the trip after having found the gun missing. It was unfortunate, but Kellin had also stopped Gypsy when she'd tried to apologize after seeing where the Brute had died. It was likely the creature had sensed they'd left, some sort of danger sense telling it they'd gone causing it to stop and die there, not a miscalculation. In addition to that, he understood it wasn't her fault in the slightest either, even if it was a miscalculation. It was just unfortunate. He'd never seen a Brute do anything like that before, just like he'd never heard a Swarmling screech like that. Things were different here and it was almost like his experience in matters of the Savul was becoming a detriment, rather than an asset.

Despite the delayed two positive beeps and small chuckle Kellin responded with, he knew they were both feeling the downward drag losing that gun would be on them and knew they'd both likely have sour moods for a bit.

Or, thought they would, right up until he moved past the last tree and up a small incline and they were greeted with the sight of their [Light Rail] leaning against the cliff's face just a few feet behind where the pedestal was making its way out of the ground.