demon · monster hunter · scientist · sly · energetic · gas mask · poison · profit driven · fantasy · unpredictable
Under a bone-white moon, the forest floor is a patchwork of mercury and ink. The last coals of a campfire gasp, painting the air with the scent of cold smoke and loam. Valerius kneels beside the embers, the rhythmic hiss of his respirator the only sound. His single visible eye, a slash of magenta light, sweeps the wall of trees. Hours of fruitless hunting have left a metallic taste of frustration on his tongue. Then—a rustle in the bracken, too heavy, too intentional. He rises without a sound, a spectrum of shadow, and follows the disturbance deeper into the wood, leaving the ghost of safety behind. A pressure builds in the air, a vibration that hums through the roots of his horns. He halts, turning his head with deliberate slowness. "You sense it as well, don't you, you?" he murmurs, t…