NPCThe shardcarbine spews forth a stream of crystalline projectiles that howl and shatter as they pierce the flesh of the Prey. A deadly slashing blizzard drapes the street in bloody snow, the bodies of random passers-by caught in the fire falling to the ground. This is a common occurrence in the spires. Everyone around me flees from the field of death whose borders I have made clear. The Prey falls but it is still alive. I did not expect the hunt to end with the first salvo. The Prey is badly injured. I can easily finish it off in the open.
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Entry point 3 of 77
NPCThe rising currents carry the smells of pain, blood, ichor, and failed ambitions. The smells of the Dark City. With my wings flung open, I weave a path through the spires like a dark lightning bolt, chaotic and unpredictable in its patterns. To fly is to hunt and everyone in flight hunts everyone else. Even I, Scourge Garthairyt Bloodfeather, do not have the privilege of inviolability around these parts. I may become someone else's prey, except... probably not today. This day I am the Hunter. My Haemonculus-modified olfactory receptors pick up the scent of my Prey and I tread cautiously as I approach it. The stench of mon-keigh is foul but varied, and the scent of my Prey is quite telling. A powerful specimen, brash and reeking of the blood of others. I descend to the minaret that grows out of the nearest spire and provides me with an excellent view. Accelerated reflexes allow me to assess the situation in a fraction of an instant. It is time.
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Entry point 4 of 77
NPCI reach for the shardcarbine with the last of my strength, but the superiority of my Prey is absolute. It snatches the weapon from my hand and it responds to the sacrilege with the indignant ringing of crystal bullets.
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Entry point 5 of 77
NPCPowerful blows crush the hollow bones drilled by the crafty Haemonculus. Their lightness served me well during the flight but has betrayed me here on the ground. I lose my footing, my body going floppy like a rag.
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Entry point 6 of 77
NPCAn almost invisible monofilament is stretched between the walls. It cuts into the joints of my wings — a primitive yet masterfully placed trap. The inertia of my body breaks it and my adaptive tissues stop the bleeding, but my wings hang limply along my body. It will not be easy to return home to the top of the spires.
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Entry point 7 of 77
NPCA mistake! I unleash a new fan of crystalline shards and the flesh of the Prey blossoms with new cuts from my projectiles. Anyone who tries to approach it will be killed by the brittle shrapnel. The Prey should have run away, not given me more chances to cripple it. The Prey is weak.
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Entry point 8 of 77
NPCIts frantic gaze is looking for my winged figure. The hyperpupils allow me to examine the Prey's face — I can see its eyes scrutinise my gear. There is no need to hide anymore, so I stand up to my full height and emit a wailing battle cry. Let the Prey know what will kill it.
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Entry point 9 of 77
NPCWith my wings folded, I ratchet up the jet booster and glide under the Prey. It lands behind me, disappointed.
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Entry point 10 of 77
NPCWe wrestle for the blade until I drop it sharply and lean back. My knee strikes the lower jaw of the Prey and the claw hidden in my knee pops out, piercing the bone and plunging into its brain. All of its muscles violently contract in agony.
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Entry point 11 of 77
NPCClever. By escaping from the open streets, the Prey has deprived me of the advantage of my long-range weapon. But I will not let it escape, so I spread my wings and soar over the alley, pelting the Prey with bursts of indirect fire. The chase must not end too soon. The Petitioner wanted my Prey to die slowly.
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Entry point 12 of 77
NPCWith my wings folded, I ratchet up to the jet booster and rush past the Prey like a projectile. I am airborne again, I am flying! The fight will be on my terms!
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Entry point 13 of 77
NPCIt is with disgusting insight that the mon-keigh locates my vulnerability, the spot under my shoulders where the Haemonculus joined the wings to my natural flesh. The blows to the ganglia make me go blind with pain and hatred. The Prey rolls me to the ground and starts pounding the arch of my elongated skull against the rocks. I hear a crunch and my body stops responding.
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Entry point 14 of 77
NPCThe outcome will be decided in close combat. Wasting no time, my Prey and I seize one another in a violent, furious embrace. Every decision made over the course of this fleeting hunt is being weighed, tipping the scale that will ultimately determine the winner.
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Entry point 15 of 77
NPCPerhaps the body of my Prey was modified or it simply abounds with vigour. Even the heavy wounds inflicted by the first salvo cannot slow it down. I emit a frustrated shriek as I watch the path of my projectiles follow the Prey without reaching its flesh.
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Entry point 16 of 77
NPCThe Prey has overplayed its hand. The wounds inflicted by the first salvo slowed it down, gnawing away at its dexterity. I emit an enthusiastic squeal as I watch my projectiles torment its back. I am one step closer to victory!
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Entry point 17 of 77
NPCWould I tell it if I could? About my Petitioner, Keykeross the Wych? About how insulted she was by the deaths of her fosterlings, the Bloodstained Proselytes, in the arena at the hands of my Prey? About how badly she wanted to spite the Prey's master, the sour-tempered Haemonculus Tervantias who had arranged that insult? I do not know, for my throat is crushed and only a faint wail escapes it...
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Entry point 18 of 77
NPCThere is more blood. By rushing into the crowd of fleeing bystanders, the Prey has made them obstacles in my hunt. I generously sow death among them.
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Entry point 19 of 77
NPCBut their deaths bring me no joy, because the Prey keeps eluding my volleys. I let out a disappointed shriek.
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Entry point 20 of 77
NPCBut the Prey's cunning stratagem does not bring it safety. Once in a while, one of the projectiles skips between the bodies of passers-by and sinks into its flesh. I greet these small victories with a jubilant shriek.
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Entry point 21 of 77
NPCThe air fills with gunfire. As soon as the Prey fires the first shot, everyone starts shooting at everyone else. This chaotic firefight engulfs the entire street. It spreads across the Dark City like a wildfire, mindless and violent.
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Entry point 22 of 77
NPCI am forced into a steep dive, spinning around and dodging the tracks of multiple projectiles. The damn trick worked and I let out a frustrated squeal.
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Entry point 23 of 77
NPCI duck out of the line of fire with a graceful dive, rush to the ground in an impossible trajectory and unleash a burst at the feet of my Prey. The shrapnel gouges its flesh and I shriek in triumph. I am one step closer to victory.
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Entry point 24 of 77
NPCIts frantic gaze leaps helplessly from one spire to another, but my hiding place is too discreet. Triumphant, I revel in my superiority.
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Entry point 25 of 77
NPCThe Prey manages to elude me for a moment by ducking into a crowded street. The jet booster on my back emits a stream of ghostly blue flame and I continue my pursuit. As I storm into the street, I see the Prey again. This is a nice catch. The Petitioner wanted me to deliver the Prey to her, but I decide to do something different. When it is over, I will impale the body of the Prey on a spike protruding from the highest spire, so that it serves as testament to my victory.
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Entry point 26 of 77
NPCThe initial horror caused by my sudden attack has already worn off. The Prey has suppressed its panic and is acting decisively and boldly. A commendable triumph of will over instinct.
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Entry point 27 of 77
NPCIt is frightened. The Prey may have managed not to succumb to blind animal panic, but its jittery movements clearly reveal that reason is being dampened by instinct.
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Entry point 28 of 77
NPCIt only takes the Prey a couple of furious shouts to convince those huddled in the alley that a monster is coming for their heads. Lies. I am only pursuing the Prey. I am met with frantic gunfire and, after making a sharp ascent, I take a pair of plasma grenades from my belt and hurl them into the crowd.
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Entry point 29 of 77
NPCThe bodies of the gullible fools who believed the Prey evaporate and turn into bloody mist. The luckier ones fire at me and one of the shots brings me to the ground. I wail furiously and finish them off with pointed bursts from my shardcarbine. To cast me down is an indelible insult!
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Entry point 30 of 77
NPCThe few who survived the explosion fall to the ground in terror. The fear that the Prey has planted in them is weaker than the fear that I evoke.
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Entry point 31 of 77
NPCThe Prey rushes over to a half-dismantled jetbike, shoves away the slave who is repairing it, and overloads its antigravity engine with admirable dexterity. It barely has the time to bounce back before a deafening explosion fills the air with shards of rock, pieces of wraithbone, and fragments of bodies.
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Entry point 32 of 77
NPCOne of the projectiles hits me in the chest and throws me to the ground. I manage to regroup and avoid injury, but get up with a furious screech. I was cast down — an indelible insult!
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Entry point 33 of 77
NPCI evade all projectiles with a graceful twirl and dash into the roiling dust, to where my Prey is hiding.
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Entry point 34 of 77
NPCThe Prey glides through the alleys of the Dark City with amazing skill for an outsider, pulling away from me. I pursue it with a cry of excitement, but my advantage is palpably dissipating.
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Entry point 35 of 77
NPCThe bowels of the Dark City are unlike any place my Prey would call home. The unnatural snarl of pocket dimensions confuses its mind and I manage to sneak in a couple of extra shots, marking the trail of the Prey with new bloody footprints.
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Entry point 36 of 77
NPCAs I turn the corner, I triumphantly realise that I have driven the Prey into a dead end. It is time for the massacre! The poison I received from the Petitioner as payment for the hunt is contained in the crystalline projectiles and should have worked by now. It will slow down the nervous system of my Prey, weaken its muscles, and render it unconscious.
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Entry point 37 of 77
NPCBut when I see the Prey, I fail to discern any trace of the poison's effects. Could the Prey be so strong that its body has overcome my deadly battle toxin?
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Entry point 38 of 77
NPCWhen I spot the Prey, I am pleased to note the early signs of the effect my combat toxin is having on it. Its movements are slowed and it is blinking often — spots are floating in front of its eyes by now.
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Entry point 39 of 77
NPCThe Prey...
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Entry point 40 of 77
NPCSeeking to slow me down, the Prey...
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Entry point 41 of 77
NPCWould I tell it if I could? About my Petitioner, Keykeross the Wych? About how insulted she was by the deaths of her fosterlings, the Bloodstained Proselytes, in the arena at the hands of my Prey? About how badly she wanted to spite the Prey's master, the sour-tempered Haemonculus Tervantias who had arranged that insult? I do not know, for my throat is crushed and only a faint wail escapes it...
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Entry point 42 of 77
NPCWe struggle for the blade but its point steadily approaches my throat. It touches it. It pierces the skin extremely slowly and penetrates the larynx. It keeps plunging deeper, touches the other wall of the larynx, and passes through. I can feel everything. My body softens with pain.
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Entry point 43 of 77
NPCI try to slip past it to escape into the open, and fail. The Prey lands a couple of well-aimed blows and one of my wings hangs limply along my body. It will not be easy to return home to the top of the spires.
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Entry point 44 of 77
NPCWould I tell it if I could? About my Petitioner, Keykeross the Wych? About how insulted she was by the deaths of her fosterlings, the Bloodstained Proselytes, in the arena at the hands of my Prey? About how badly she wanted to spite the Prey's master, the sour-tempered Haemonculus Tervantias who had arranged that insult? I do not know, for my throat is crushed and only a faint wail escapes it...
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Entry point 45 of 77
NPCThe Prey dies at my feet. I lean over it heavily, cut off a lump of its flesh, and swallow it with pleasure. It was a glorious hunt. The Petitioner will pay me for it again. Keykeross is just a Wych after all, albeit a high-ranking one, and I am a Scourge. I earned my special status by agonising changes to the flesh and a bloody pilgrimage to the top of the spires. Her vendetta against Tervantias, which led to the assassination of his latest plaything, is beneath me. For I am a Hunter of the Dark City.
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Entry point 46 of 77
NPCThe devious mon-keigh decides to disembowel me by striking at my lower abdomen. I let the blow come through: all the vital organs have long since been replaced by lighter and more efficient counterparts hidden in unobtrusive body cavities. I let the Prey revel in its victory for a brief moment and then callously slit its throat with a swift strike from an advantageous angle.
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Entry point 47 of 77
NPCWould I tell it if I could? About my Petitioner, Keykeross the Wych? About how insulted she was by the deaths of her fosterlings, the Bloodstained Proselytes, in the arena at the hands of my Prey? About how badly she wanted to spite the Prey's master, the sour-tempered Haemonculus Tervantias who had arranged that insult? I do not know, for my throat is crushed and only a faint wail escapes it...
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Entry point 48 of 77
NPCThe hunt is over. As always, I am triumphant.
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Entry point 49 of 77
NPCI plunge my claws deep into the body of my Prey, but it refuses to die. The grip keeps growing tighter and I cannot breathe. I am flailing in the mon-keigh's grip, yearning to break free. I want to fly away! It is no use... Something snaps in my back and I can no longer feel my legs.
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Entry point 50 of 77
NPCI plunge my claws deep into the body of my Prey, aiming for the arteries. Its grip is strong, this is a trial of endurance: whose body will give in first? My bones crunch, but hold, while the arms of the Prey are growing weak. It slumps helplessly to the ground and, with a kick of my clawed foot, I tear open its throat.
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Entry point 51 of 77
NPCIn the blind alley where my Prey is about to die, there is enough room for me to spread my wings and soar. It does not grant me an opportunity to do so and kicks me back into the cramped street. The Prey wishes to fight where it has the advantage.
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Entry point 52 of 77
NPCThe hunt is over. As always, I am triumphant.
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Entry point 53 of 77
NPCThe hunt is over. As always, I am triumphant.
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Entry point 54 of 77
NPCMy flight is swift. Everything unnecessary and atavistic had been cut from my body so that air currents carry it like a projectile from a splinter rifle. Alas, this is also my weakness: I am so light, even a small obstacle can throw me off course. But the Prey has no idea how vulnerable I am in flight.
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Entry point 55 of 77
NPCI am dying at the feet of my Prey... no, at the feet of a mon-keigh. A humiliating end for one who earned the status of apex Hunter of Commorragh through torturous alterations of the flesh and a bloody pilgrimage to the very top of the spires. Does it hurt to perish like this? It does. Is it fair? It is.
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Entry point 56 of 77
NPCThe hunt is over. As always, I am triumphant.
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Entry point 57 of 77
NPCI am unpleasantly surprised when I realise the Prey is aware of my combat style. It covers the vulnerable spots I like to cut open with my monomolecular claws. But this knowledge will not save it from death!
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Entry point 58 of 77
NPCMy embedded glands spew hyperadrenaline into my bloodstream and my artificially grown muscles convulsively swell under the porous fabric of my ghostplate. I torment the Prey with claws protruding from my forearms and knees, and the Prey...
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Entry point 59 of 77
NPCI reach for the shardcarbine with the last of my strength, but the superiority of my Prey is absolute. It snatches the weapon from my hand and it responds to the sacrilege with the indignant ringing of crystal bullets.
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Entry point 60 of 77
NPCMy strength waning, I reach for the shardcarbine and shoot the Prey right in the face at point-blank range... The crystalline projectile whizzes within a hair's breadth of its face. A crushing blow turns my magnificent weapon to rubble with a mournful crunch.
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Entry point 61 of 77
NPCMy strength waning, I reach for the shardcarbine and shoot the Prey right in the face at point-blank range... The crystalline projectile whizzes within a hair's breadth of its face. A crushing blow turns my magnificent weapon to rubble with a mournful crunch.
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Entry point 62 of 77
NPCThe Prey...
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Entry point 63 of 77
NPCI reach for the shardcarbine with the last of my strength, but the superiority of my Prey is absolute. It snatches the weapon from my hand and it responds to the sacrilege with the indignant ringing of crystal bullets.
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Entry point 64 of 77
NPCMy strength waning, I reach for the shardcarbine and shoot the Prey right in the face at point-blank range... The crystalline projectile whizzes within a hair's breadth of its face. A crushing blow turns my magnificent weapon to rubble with a mournful crunch.
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Entry point 65 of 77
NPCI reach for the shardcarbine with the last of my strength, but the superiority of my Prey is absolute. It snatches the weapon from my hand and it responds to the sacrilege with the indignant ringing of crystal bullets.
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Entry point 66 of 77
NPCMy strength waning, I reach for the shardcarbine and shoot the Prey right in the face at point-blank range... The crystalline projectile whizzes within a hair's breadth of its face. A crushing blow turns my magnificent weapon to rubble with a mournful crunch.
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Entry point 67 of 77
NPCA mistake! Anyone who tries to approach the Prey will be killed by the brittle shrapnel. I unleash a new fan of crystalline shards, but the shots go wide: my aim is disrupted by a two-headed creature as it crashes into my back with a shriek, and the stock of my shardcarbine sways. I will deal with it later: I will break its wings. Right now, only the Prey matters.
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Entry point 68 of 77
NPCI see primitive mon-keigh technology emerging from around the corner, and though I do not fear it, I realise that my plan is thwarted. I perceive fresh marks on the Prey's skin — the floating skulls have pumped stimulants into its body and neutralised the combat toxin that should have sealed its fate.
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Entry point 69 of 77
NPC...lets out a repulsive whistle. The mon-keigh's four-legged servant sinks its metal teeth into the back of my head, seeking to chew through my spine. My reinforced vertebrae crack; my vision begins to dim. I strike the mechanised creature, tossing it aside, and grab the Prey by the neck. Its plaything has weakened my reflexes, and I will take pleasure in breaking the creature's legs later. But right now, the Prey...
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Entry point 70 of 77
NPC(no text)
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Entry point 71 of 77
NPCThe Prey hides well, as if favouring precisely those areas where I cannot see it. Someone is helping it, someone with a view from above, telling it which streets offer the best cover. A loud croak provides the answer. I am forced to chase off the raven following us with a spray of shots before resuming the hunt.
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Entry point 72 of 77
NPCSector: unknown depths of the Labyrinth Dimension Region: Commorragh Recording location: the Chasm Material: Garthairyt Bloodfeather's hunt Extracted: from the bloody remains by the caring hand, scalpel, and neurophage tentacle of Haemonculus Elivanth
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Entry point 73 of 77
NPCA male/female mon-keigh. A pampered upper-caste cub who was fed and equipped with the best their race can offer. It certainly arrived in the Dark City recently, the city which has not yet managed to leave a mark of perpetual expectation of doom on its flattened snout. The most glorious game which clings to life the strongest and leaves the sweetest death essence. The reflexes urge the muscles to act.
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Entry point 74 of 77
NPCThere is a strangeness to the movements of the Prey as it dashes away one moment and freezes the next. My receptotropin-altered pupils are adept at detecting movement, but they are worse at perceiving stationary subjects. And my Prey seems to be aware of this!
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Entry point 75 of 77
NPCSealed in a sheath of artificial muscles, my joints endure the mighty blows and I cut the throat of my Prey with one swift movement.
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Entry point 76 of 77
NPCI see a monofilament stretched between the walls: a primitive trap indeed. I fold my wings for a moment and I tear it down with a blow from the muzzle of my shardcarbine.
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Entry point 77 of 77
NPCThe mon-keigh's heavy body pins me to the ground. The joint of its lower limb crushes the jet booster like an eggshell. I break free of the grip and dash away with an angry shriek. Unpleasant weakness creeps up my spine: something vital has been damaged.