Darina allowed herself to slow down, seeing that the group ahead of her had begun to do so, sensing the Imp’s imminent death. Turning around, she could see the demon on its last legs, and she, too, ground to a halt, her wheezing breath filling her ears as she trained her eagle eyes on the demon. Her heightened senses told her that it was, indeed, dead, but with demons one could never be too sure. She was about to confirm as much when an arrow came whizzing towards the carcass, burying itself into the creature’s head. Turning swiftly, she saw the startled hunter who loosed it, then blinked, puzzled, as a wave of nervous laughter broke the tension, rippling throughout the group.<span style="font-style: italic">Huh. Well. If they’re that jittery, they can’t be Mystics. Nothing about this lot says ‘stone cold killers’.</span><br/><br/>She allowed herself to join them, a smirk breaking her features. Walking to the nearest tree, she leaned against it, taking in air in gulps, her chest expanding painfully against her armor. It was light, and more flexible than the bulkier ones others wore, but it was still constricting, especially after the mad dash for her life back there. God, her legs would feel that in the morning. Once sure that she wouldn’t collapse, she looked about and spotted the man she had grabbed earlier. “H-hey,” she called, watching him reload, “thanks for not letting me die back there.”<br/><br/>Before taking stock of these strangers, she looked back to the mangled remains of her comrade. They hadn’t been close, to be honest, but that was still no way for a man to go. They all knew the risks, though. “Do svidana,” she muttered. Soon, she was interrupted by the reappearance of the golem-man and his companions; Darina’s eyes began to water at the mere smell of him. Holy shit, he looked worse up close. Now that he was here, though, the bandit decided to observe the group. Seeing them now, it really did look like they were all driven together by the circumstances, not organized by a rival faction.<br/><br/>There was the leader of the group of hunters, a young girl with him. He looked like he meant business, and the other hunters obeyed him, but given how he had carried the girl during their flight meant he was still a man with a soft spot. The same could be said for the guy who got her back earlier, the way he had pushed her forward rather than leave her behind. The teenage girl, meanwhile, looked capable of surviving, though not much of a threat. For now, at least. Unless she was a mutant. A man standing a ways from them, wearing what looked like the bottom pile of even the most destitute scavenger’s loot and looking like it, himself, tossed something towards the mangled remains. If she wasn’t convinced that he was totally off his rocker, she would’ve been sure that it was some weird gesture of respect for the dead.<br/><br/>The golem, of course, was someone she didn’t want to mess with, though what was the deal with the unconscious heap he was carrying?  Darina’s gaze met the blonde woman’s, though something about her stare gave the redhead a chill. Like the blonde was looking straight through her soul. Or that she didn’t have one, herself.<span style="font-style: italic">Cut the superstitious babble, monkey,</span>she thought, tearing her eyes away, never mind her curiosity about the razorback runt poking its head out of the woman’s coat.<br/><br/>And then there was the woman with the big dog. Clearly, a woman who had her wits about her, seeing how she recognized their surroundings. Now that one looked like someone who would be at home in a bandit faction. When the woman recognized marking on a nearby tree and said to keep moving, Darina wondered whether or not she was leading them to a trap, or to her own base. That was if she was a bandit at all, of course. But that aside, what was Darina to do? She had spent precious ammo on the Imps, bears and demons were on the prowl, and she had no backup. The Reds had a rule for when scouts went missing for too long: cut your losses. If Darina wanted to get back to her comrades in one piece, and maybe, just<span style="font-style: italic">maybe</span>, find out where those bastard Mystics were hiding, she needed resources.<br/><br/>“I’m with the broad,” she put in with a shrug. “Town sounds way better than being out here. I don’t think any more demons are heading our way soon, but the smell of blood and meat gets around quicker than we’d like.” Putting down her pack, she rummaged around for another clip, reloading her pistol before holstering it. “Hope you folks don’t mind me tagging along. They did a number on my guys.”