The sniper concluded that her eyesight alone was insufficient in the Hollow, that while she was searching for potential signs that would lead her to the person the Obol Squad needed to neutralise, the lack of light in the night, in addition to the immutable reminder that etheric matter was slowly chewing through her eyes into her brain, compromised her vigilance.

The quiet sound in her ears responded to her finger, and the eye mask on the upper half of her face changed from obstructed vision to a clear mass of the area. For a few seconds, she felt disoriented by the abrupt visual change, but a few years after the fall of the Old Capital and the loss of her comrades in the Cats-eye Battalion, she had gotten used to her condition. For her sight, it was necessary.

Trigger remained silent on the squad coms as she observed something through the scope of Trahere, and chewed on a red bean bun; a near transformed you, moving down the streets. You were wary, she noted, as you tried to blend within the darkness. The problem was if she found you, then the risk of ending you was high. No one can hide from her sights.

Sniping 101: shoot, relocate, shoot, relocate.

Trahere’s .338 cal bullet shot off toward you, and she noted with faint relief that she was not expecting you to fully transform and therefore didn’t hit any vital targets yet. The bullet impacted the left side of your neck and lacerated the skin into pieces, the force causing your hand to instinctively press against the left side of your neck. When you see the presence of a colour slipping down in crimson you realise what just happened.

Sniper.

The voice that confirms your suspicions is indeed a sniper in hiding, high above the building — approved by the white square crosshairs, optimal bullet trajectories and distance measurements. “Stand down!” Trigger rasps as she lowers her sniper rifle. There is a sense of understanding as she cautiously observes the etheric matter on you…just like her. “Trigger, markswoman of the Obol Squad. I need you to stand down!”