Setting Traps

Opening my eyes to a new day, I fell down from the top bunk to see both 7 and 49 awake and just monitoring using the cameras. 

Checking my phone I looked at all the mission reports, estimates say it will be able five more days before the others complete the communication towers. We also received our first mission which was that our squad was to eliminate some targets, one of which was a small group of cursed.

"49, it's your turn to drive" I called over to her

"Shouldn't we wait until 13 wakes up?" 49 asked in response.

"Na, we need to get to preparing as soon as we can." I explained.

The group of cursed we are going to be facing are comprised of cursed as big as the creature we killed last night, but this time there were three. That was far more then we could handle in outright combat, facing even one would be difficult.

I put my hand on the roh intake which was at the computer station and let my roh flow into it then a faint purr was able to be heard. 

49 was a much better driver then I was, she made the drive smooth and along with the incredible suspension 13 was able to keep sleeping even through the rough terrain.

Looking at the digital map I tried to find where exactly we were. I had shouted at 7 before but it wasn't exactly easy to do, then again I was having to focus on using my roh at the same time.

Turning around for a second I saw 7 looking outside the latch on the top, acting as scout. 

turning back to the map I retuned to trying to find where we were. The satellite only pulsed our location and other information for a few minutes every hour and a half, which was why a communication tower was so essential. There was no communication between squads, at occasional messages from the satellite.

"We are eight kilometres away from the cursed group." I relayed to 49. "Direction needs to be changed to two o'clock."

We were planning to take the group first then pick off the other targets, then call it a day and rest.

About one kilometre away from our targets we stopped the MTV. 

49's driving skills might have been amazing, but when she stopped the the MTV I watched as 13 comically was squished against the wall and woke up startled.

"What the fuck?" 13 said in confusion.

"Sorry did I wake you?" 49 asked innocently.

"No, being slammed against the bathroom walls kept me sleeping like a baby." 13 said sarcastically.

7 and I were just quietly laughing at the exchange, we hadn't seen 13 so angry before which of course meant we had to enjoy it.

"Whatever." 13 said, trying to calm himself. "Hey where are we?"

"We are at a group of cursed we have to kill." 7 responded.

"How many are there?" 13 asked.

Pointing to one of the four monitors next to me I said. "Three, the entire mission report is right there."

"Medium-large, pack hunting, quick." I heard 13 mutter under his breath while reading the screen. Then speaking normally he said "Doesn't look all that bad, but I don't think we can get all three in a trap. At most we can get two, but that has to be timed pretty damn well."

7 started explaining "Yeah we though the exact same thing. Me and 49-" 

"49 and I." 13 said sternly.

"Me and 49." 7 said while raising his voice slightly. "Decided that we would build a spike pit with your ice, lure them to it. hope two go in and then deal with the last one."

"So what happens if you only get one in the trap?" 13 questioned.

"Umm, we hadn't really thought about it." 7 said meekly.

"Well you should have, mistakes like that could get us killed." Said raising his voice then instantly calming himself. "Alright how about we try kill one of them first by throwing spears at them and then we run away to the traps."

I considered this for a moment, it was true that it would allow for us to kill one before anything happened and even if we didn't kill one of them they would likely chase us harder. making them fall for the trap that bit more likely.

"Sounds good, though for the throwing spears bit it should probably only be me and 7."

"7 and I" 13 Corrected then continued "But yes you two are faster then us so it makes sense."

Leaving the MTV and hiding it against a rock then throwing some leaves over it for good measure then we left and went into the direction of the group's last recorded location.

About five hundred metres away from their last location which was where 7 and I split off from 49 and 13 for them to create the trap.

When I deemed I was close enough I laid down. My motion sense was already active, I had actually learnt a neat trick as well. The sense allowed me to see all movement relative to the world around me but it made no distinction between any states of matter, meaning I could see wind just as much as I could see solids moving. This allowed me to navigate with only this sense when it was windy by recognizing the unmoving ground compared to the moving air, but in return it made it significantly harder to sense the movement of any creatures.

The trick I had learnt however was that creatures or moving solids have a much more concrete form compared to the wind, this meant I could focus on the form the motion too essentially filtering out for what I wanted to see.

I was proficiently able to differentiate the moving leaves compared to the wind after practicing while it was my turn on watch. 

It was yet to be seen however if I was able to see a moving creature but I was confident I could.

I stood waiting there for what must have been twenty minutes not seeing anything before I saw the form shimmer of a bipedal form with what looked to be many sticks in their hand. After a moment I realised it was 13 coming sneakily to give us our spears and likely to tell us the trap was done.

13 placed the spears down, likely trusting I would be able to sense where he had put them. He was right of course, and this confidence in my abilities was something that made a little smile appear on my face.

7 was hiding a few metres away, so I stood up and walked over to the spears. Signalling both that he should come pick them up, and that it was safe.

7 stood up and walked over to pick up the spears as well, neither of us spoke so as not to alert the creatures since we had no idea what their abilities were. It was a precautionary measure but we wanted as many of those as we could get our hands on.

Quietly making it back to my spot which overlooked what was obviously where the creatures lived. My spot was perfect for throwing a spear at one of them, though I wasn't exactly sure if my technique would be any good.

The intent caused by the constant wear from being in the surroundings of a cursed being was the main indicator that this was their nest, or whatever term would be appropriate for where they rested.

We stood there waiting for a very long time, my chest was starting to become numb from pressing against the mud soaked vest and my focus on my motion sense was dwindling. 

By what seemed like sheer luck at this point I noticed a shape with four legs and a long snout, it was similar to a wolf but its height was nearly the same as my own.

The ice spears which had been made by mystical means where not melted, likely due to 13 actively ensuring they would stay fresh and strong at the cost of likely a horrifying amount of roh. 

I picked up one of the spears and felt a slight chill through my gloves. Each second the cursed wolves took to return to their home was unbearable. 7 would not have noticed the cursed so I made a slight rustling sound and held my spear up for a moment. 

There was no response but I knew he had gotten the message by how he shifted in his spot and reached for his spears.

Hearing the soft pats of the wolves feet my heart began racing. The anticipation was probably worse then last time when I was actually being chased by that monster yesterday.

The cursed wolves had walked to their home with a strange orb in one of their mouths which one of them placed on the ground.

Their movements were strange, they began sniffing around as if they could smell the presence of creatures around.

'Oh shit.'