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[X] Stay silent and focused. Here, there be monsters.

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"Hey Vince, I heard that you joined the special unit," says Chen energetically. "How is it? Are there a lot of strong people there?"

Vincent mumbles something in reply. While he feels pretty happy to meet the young marksman again, he must maintain focused on the mission. Chen said that she is the only one who survived. Whoever or whatever did this to the village must be pretty powerful to defeat one of the investigation teams. They can't afford to be careless right now.

"I bet that you go on all sorts of exciting missions all the time," Chen continues. "Escorting dignitaries, rescuing captured prisoners, exorcising demons - it must be great!"

"..."

There isn't anything great about his work. While he does battle powerful supernatural creatures, the rest of reality isn't that ideal. Escort missions usually mean prioritizing the lives of politicians and wealthy merchants over the common townsfolk. Rescue missions usually mean recovering dead bodies that have been left to rot. And by the time they corner demons and other evil creatures, most of the damage has already been done.

"Why don't we have a drink when we get back?" says Chen. "Despite how I look, I'm old enough now. I would love to hear some of your stories!"

"Chen," whispers Vincent.

"Y-yes, Vince?" she replies.

"Be quiet," he says sternly. "Stay focused on the mission. And don't call me Vince anymore."

"A-ah! O-of course, sir," she stammers. Her ears droop slightly as she follows behind him.

...

The rest of the village is deserted. There are no further signs of the beastmen. After checking the last house, the Captain allows them a few minutes break while she surveys the terrain around the area.

"Wait here," she said. "Don't wander off. We can't afford to lose each other."

Vincent and Chen gave her a salute as she left. The waited together in awkward silence. As the minutes passed, a strange thought came to his mind. Why didn't they find any bodies in the village? It is as if everyone had vanished into thin air. This is very strange.

He turns to face Chen, and is mildly surprised that the girl still seems a little bit depressed. Maybe he was too hard on her earlier.

"Hey Chen," he starts. "About earlier, I -"

A loud piercing howl interrupts him. He prepares to draw his blade, expecting Chen to do the same with her weapon. However, when he takes a glance at the girl, she cringes as if she is in pain. Her eyes glint with bravery as she tries to fight it, but she is failing. Something is wrong. She drops her crossbow and crumples down on the ground.

"Chen? Chen!" cries Vincent. He quickly runs toward her and examines her body. She doesn't seem to have any wounds. What is going on?

Without warning, the Captain steps in front of them. How the heck does she move that fast?

"Get up, both of you!" she cries. Both of her blades are drawn, their cold steel glinting in the moonlight. "It's an ambush!"

"D-dammit!" mutters Vincent.

[ ] Rush forward and attack the beasts.
[ ] Support the Captain during the fight.
[ ] Focus on protecting Chen.
[ ] Flee from this place.
[ ] Custom