Prowler (Part Two)

"I´m so sorry, Kieran," she murmured, looking upward as cold water drops fell onto her face. "It´s been a nice life. . ." She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the inevitable end. The storm roared on, drowning her thoughts.

But then, an ear-splitting sound shattered the air, jolting her back to reality. She opened her eyes in horror, just in time to see the towering figure of the approaching Ghoul collide with another, its arm swinging like a bolt of lightning. The impact sent shockwaves through the ground, and Lea gasped as the enemy Ghoul lost a limb, severed cleanly from its body.

Then the Ghoul raised its arm, and Lea watched its flesh knitting back together, forming the shape of the hand anew. Within seconds, it had regenerated an entire limb.

Before she could process what was happening, it lunged at another creature close by. With each strike, it dispatched its kin, ripping through them as if they were nothing more than paper dolls. Lea watched in disbelief, her mind reeling. Never before had anybody else seen a Ghoul fight another. Her body felt frozen, caught between fear and awe. This creature- this powerful Ghoul- was wreaking havoc among its kind.

She used the wall as support to get up on her legs again, then used Aegis to further protect herself. With a forced burst of Arcane, she lifted herself off the ground and landed on the slanted roof of a nearby house, watching the rogue Ghoul chaotically make its way through the wet streets, apparently looking for its next foe. She followed in desperation.

Just as she reached the edge of the fray, she looked back in the direction where the girl had disappeared before, where she´d seen her motionless body- one she had tried to save earlier. The sight twisted in her gut. The smoke enveloped the blurry scene, and the mists made it hard to see that far, but the girl did not appear again. She hadn´t been moving last Lea had seen her. That was confirmation enough. She had failed to protect that girl, and now she was in the midst of a battle that felt far beyond her control.

“Let’s go!” she shouted, trying to reach through to the creature that seemed both monstrous and magnificent. To her surprise, the rogue Ghoul turned its blazing gaze toward her, a flicker of recognition- or perhaps confusion- sparking in its depths. It hesitated, allowing her a fleeting moment of hope. But it was still wild, and untamed, and communication with Ghouls was useless anyway.

Ignoring her plea, it turned back to the fray, lunging at another foe, unleashing a guttural roar that drowned out the storm. Lea’s heart raced as she followed, dodging embers and debris, her instincts guiding her through the smoke.

She plunged into the heart of the battle, the winds still slapping against her body. As she ducked and weaved around the chaos, she felt a flicker of resolve spark within her- a glimmer of hope amidst the devastation.

She might just be able to turn the tide.

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Black banners, trimmed with gold, lined the streets, and towering stone statues of Prowler commanders looked down on the soldiers gathered in the square. An air of grief hung thickly over them, all of them using Aegis to protect themselves against the constant rain.

Rows of Prowlers and noble families lined the pathway on either side of the stone caskets, standing at silent attention. Their cloaks were fastened loosely around their shoulders. Leanna felt her own spine stiffen, standing among them, her fingers loosely brushing against the golden moon-shaped locket and eyes staring into nothingness. Grief and anger bubbled inside her.

An official took his place at the front, his face drawn and eyes heavy. The current commander of the Prowlers. He began to speak again after a long silence, his voice cutting through the stillness.

"These brave Prowlers sacrificed themselves to protect the values of our nation," he said in a loud voice that rang throughout the square. "They were fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands to some. But above all, to all of us, they are heroes."

As the service ended, she merely stood there and watched as all of the family members slowly finished the procession, then turned to walk away, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Lea hadn´t bothered to use Aegis; water dripped from her hair, and her clothes were soaking wet. She stared after them as the last ones finally placed flowers and tokens on each one. As they moved away, she spotted Kieran at the other end, standing apart from the crowd. He quietly approached her as she stood alone in the rain and stopped beside her, looking on without a word. He held an umbrella over her head.

Nobody spoke for a few minutes. Then Leanna broke the silence.

"They tried to talk me out of it again," she said in a straight tone, not showing emotion.

Kieran gathered his thoughts for a few moments, then finally sighed. Lea continued.

"They want me to stop. Women shouldn´t be in the military, after all. They have been trying to make a proper noblewoman out of me for years. . . they-"

"They´re your parents, Lea," Kieran said. "They´re just worried. As brave as you are. . . that does not make you immortal."

Leanna had a million thoughts running blazing through her mind. Why did the Ghouls attack again yesterday? They seemed to be called by something. There must be a pattern. And what about the rogue creature?

"I have been given this gift," she raised her voice, flaring her Iron for a brief moment. "I can use Technomancy! I cannot just remain in a ceremonial position, Kieran. You should understand that better than anyone. . . Better to die on the battlefield than live a life of defeat."

"You think anyone not fighting on the front lines is an insufferable coward?"

Her eyes widened, and she looked up at him. He continued to stare ahead blankly.

"I´m sorry. . . Kieran, I. . . that´s not what I meant. . ."

"I know. I´m sorry."

She slowly looked forward again, looking at the newly dug ground through the rain. An icy shiver ran through her body. She opened her mouth to reply but found herself at a loss. Instead, her quietness lingered for a brief moment.

"Isn´t it ironic how we got to war to make peace? A war for peace?"

Kieran merely smirked slightly at that remark. 

Something was going on out there. Something they had no idea about.

But there had been enough damage for now.

“It’s so strange. We spend our whole lives trying to protect our nation, but sometimes I wonder. . . are we really protecting it, or are we just protecting the people in power?” Kieran said.

"We don´t have a choice," Leanna said. "And Thalia is a good person, I believe that."

"But all the hate, Lea. The slavery, the famine, the _wars_. It seems like a fool´s errand, to try to separate humanity. . . from violence."

"Synonyms indeed," she said. Kieran barely had time to consider her tone of voice, if she was being sarcastic, when she laughed and changed the topic.

The last thing anybody would want to hear after losing so many comrades in a battle was that a rogue opponent did all of their bidding. Prowlers were hardly a match against those creatures, everyone knew that. Holding the Ghouls off was possible, killing them was a different story altogether.

"I just remembered, you- my folks, they also think that we´ve been spending too much time together."

Kieran looked at her in surprise. "Of course we do, we basically grew up together. Lea, I hope they´re not still on about us being lovebirds."

She beamed again, then looked over sideways at him. "I´m sure that´s what they meant. But also, they´ve never done a great job at hiding how they deem you both as a bad influence on me. You and Aloy."

"Everyone thinks we´re a bad influence," Kieran remarked. Then he smirked. "You don´t have to keep associating with us, maybe they´re right."

"They´re not," she said flatly. "They´re also the ones to throw a huge ball every single week."

They both looked forward, their gazes fixed on the rows of graves, a solemn silence settling over them once more. And in that moment, as they briefly stood together under the umbrella in the rain, both felt the weight of everything unspoken, all the dreams they held for a better world.

As they walked away from the graves, side by side, their footsteps faded into the misty atmosphere. 

Despite their doubts and fears, there was a quiet understanding between them, a shared hope that maybe, just maybe, they could make a difference.