10. Chapter 10
UNKNOWN
Footfall suppression active. No sound registered.
The Dead Zone did not interfere with locomotion.
Noise elimination was manual.Tracking the Rupture did not rely on scent.
Olfactory channels inactive. The air here carried nothing.
No particulate. No trace.Tracking relied on displacement.I halted.The ash field ahead showed disturbance.
A single irregular path moving north. Depth variance indicated instability.
Gait uneven. Load present.Trajectory terminates at a subsurface entry point.Subterranean chamber.
Restricted airflow. Ash accumulation consistent with enclosed space.The Crownforged.Failure point confirmed.I knelt.
Gauntlet contacted ground. Ash density altered.
Dark saturation across a wide radius. Viscous residue.
Iron-rich.Blood. Significant volume. Arterial patterning.Conclusion: The Crownforged had attempted self-termination.
Exsanguination as severance protocol. Removal of self from pursuit parameters.The Crownforged bled for—Abort.Assessment: Inefficient.Classification: Emotional decision-making.I advanced.
Ten paces. Halted. Visual range adjusted northward.Environmental conditions shifting.
Ash density thinning. Air pressure variance increasing.
Low-level vibratory interference detected.The Sensorium Wood.Classification: Hostile terrain.
Known effects: Perceptual distortion. Induced hallucination.
Emotional provocation.Primary directive unchanged.Capture.The Wood would attempt engagement.
It would project stimuli. It would attempt affective breach.Response protocol unchanged.Affective channels inactive.
Hunt state maintained.Forward movement resumed.The forest boundary registered ahead.
Green intrusion against grey.Target trajectory aligned.Target separation closing.Pursuit continuing.Termination window narrowing.