Starry Eyed Fighters Short Stories

Xoe Hallow & The Hungry Resident

"Ya sure you want to take this, Xoe?" Adam of the Adventurers' Guild said from behind his desk, his elf ears hangin' low with concern.

Xoe held her phone over the scanner, accepting the red-marked mission with a faint beep. Without a word, she turned on her heel, heading for the door of the silent Adventurers' Guild assignment center. Her steps echoed in the empty space until she paused at the threshold.

The faint creak of the door hinge broke the stillness.

"If anything happens..." Her voice was low but steady. "Adam." She took a deep breath, her back still to him. "Use what's left in my account. Find an elf named Koxi. She'll know what to do, with her."

With a sigh, Xoe pushed the door shut behind her, leaving the silence to settle once more.

Xoe swung onto her motorcycle and checked her gear. She ran a gloved hand over the worn leather of her ex-cop utility belt before pulling out her handgun and loading it with fresh bullets. Her knife came next, unsheathed for a quick glance to confirm its edge. The rest of her pockets held little more than leftover supplies from earlier missions.

Her knee-high combat boots kicked the brake into place, the snug fit of her black tactical pants blending seamlessly with her one-piece suit. She then tied back her red hair into a ponytail before securing her helmet. Gripping the handlebars, she started the engine and roared off into the night, ready for her mission.
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"This is it," Xoe thought, comparing the mission photo to the scene ahead.

She parked her bike, locking it with a quick snap, and stared at the wreck before her. A battered cargo ship loomed on the shore, its rusted hull torn with gaping holes, a shadow of its former strength.

She approached a jagged opening in the ship's side. Before stepping in, she pulled out her phone, glancing at her lock screen. A photo of a young girl, no older than six, smiled back at her.

"I missed your game tonight," she muttered, her voice tight. "But this mission will set us up, Danny. I promise." Her fingers brushed the screen, then she shoved the phone into her back pocket.

Drawing her handgun, she snapped a flashlight onto the barrel and stepped into the ship's dark, hollow interior.

"According to the mission report, some kind of creature has been dragging people here," she muttered to herself. "And no one who takes this mission ever comes back." Her breath escaped in a heavy sigh.

She moved through the cargo ship with silent, deliberate steps, her gun and flashlight sweeping every corner with precision. The ship groaned faintly under her weight, its rusted metal bulkheads dripping water from above. The sharp stench of decay and rust filled the air, making her nose twitch in discomfort as she pressed on.

She stepped into what was once a break room and froze. The scene was chaos—deep claw marks scored the walls, and bloodied bodies lay scattered like broken dolls. One hung grotesquely from a flickering ceiling light, tactical gear torn and useless.

At the center, under the sickly light, an Elf lay crumpled and lifeless, his body shriveled as if drained of life itself. His hollowed form looked as though his mana had been sucked out, leaving nothing behind but a dried husk.

Crouching down to get a better look at the battered Elf, Xoe's narrowed eyes reflected her unease. It wasn't just the severity of the injuries—it was the sheer wrongness of seeing an Elf brutalized to this extent. The humans strewn lifelessly around the room were disturbing enough, but this... this was something worse.