>THE RELUCTANT BOUNTY HUNTER CONTINUES...>>6338908>>6338955You get the feeling that the other hunters won't appreciate you sticking to them or buzzing around them. Too many hunters spoil the quarry, or however that saying goes. You're not even competing for bounties here, but if you happen to find something valuable it'd be best if no one else were around to fight over it... You suggest to Hassan that you should move deeper into the Zone.
"Yeah, makes sense," he says with what sounds like shaky conviction. You wonder just how much experience does Hassan truly have. His travels with his father--presumably a bounty hunter as well--make it seem like he's seen his share of fighting. But if so, he wouldn't be here with all you upstarts, right... ? He once again extends the telescopic staff.
You've never actually seen a summoner at work, at least not in real life. You know the basics: they make pacts with nature spirits to call them into battle. Since this is a contract entered freely by both parties, either side can call it off at any time... you wonder if Hassan's personality is really the type to attract the spirits of the wilderness. You suppose you'll find out soon enough.
Deeper into the Zone, you lose the perimeter gate from view. The eerie quiet is pierced by the occasional bird call. The sounds of Chaotzakka have largely faded away. It would be relaxing if this were some kind of state park instead of a monster nest.
At every turn, the way in which nature has reclaimed the works of man is shocking. Some buildings are hardly distinguishable as such, and have become more like tiered gardens for tropical plants, the likes of which wouldn't normally grow here. This appears to have been a mixed-use neighborhood, with narrow streets, three or four-storey buildings combining corner shops and apartments, bicycle parking, older car models from the national industry boom of twenty years ago... Signs of recent life everywhere, choked out all of a sudden. You know it rained in the city before you arrived, and you can still see puddles along the cracks in the asphalt, reflecting a deep blue as if they were fallen-off pieces of the sky. Telephone cables hang severed from poles which now resemble trees. You assume the power's been cut here.
You are making your way down a narrow, winding street flanked by abandoned buildings. A V-formation of white birds crosses the sky far above you. Suddenly you hear the sounds of fierce scratching, like a stray animal trying to pry open a garbage can. Whatever it's scratching sounds hollow and metallic. The sound is coming from somewhere inside the building to your right.
You grip your sword for reassurance, and suddenly hear movement from inside a group of shrubs to your left. You spring to your right and draw your saber in a single motion. Hassan raises an eyebrow. To be fair, those might have just been rats...
