Taki turned away, ready to bound into the trees in search of Carter.

“Oh, one other thing," Callahan stated, as he suddenly stepped after her.

“Yes?" she asked, turning back toward him.

She was answered with a dagger hidden in his sleeve shooting out and being buried in her chest.

“Bastard,” Taki spat, even as she cursed herself for Letting her guard down. She felt it odd in this situation to briefly consider how she had never cursed before. She collapsed to her knees, blood pouring from the wound as he pulled the knife out.

Callahan's expression was one of pure triumph.

“I guess I should have mentioned I was kicked out of the Order because my word couldn't be trusted. Frankly you've done me a favor bug. Now I don't have to share the payment for taking you out. Guess I'm just lucky."

He would have mocked her further, if he hadn't suddenly found a scythe sticking through his own heart.

“And I am Lucky you know so little about mantis anatomy,” Taki stated icily, her blade retracting.

"Y-you... how?" With those words he slumped to the floor and breathed his last.

What the young hunter had indeed not known was how the mantis body had evolved specifically to use and defend against bladed weapons. A Lot of armor would impede agility, so instead vital internal organs were protected by the “second skin" that resembled clothing. This tough and tight layer of material was constructed in such a way that when pierced it would divert the attacker's blade to the side, often causing the blade to avoid piercing the organ it was aimed at. Moreover it acted to absorb much of the force applied, making the wound more shallow than it would be otherwise. Thus his knife had not actually cut into her heart.

Even so, blood Loss was still a real problem, even with the naturally heightened healing rate common to most monsters. She had to stitch and bandage the wound quickly. Taki had wounded herself a number of times in her training, though never this badly, and was experienced with makeshift medical treatments. Further, her mental training had reached the point that she could ignore most physical pain and thus treat her own wounds without any reaction beyond gritting her teeth.

Stemming the blood flow with a shred of clothing torn from the dead archer, she began to stagger back to the tree house where her self-made medical supplies were stored. It was slow going, the blood loss from her many wounds seeming to weaken her more with each step. The stab wound it seemed had been deeper than she had hoped as well.

"Have to keep going...' she repeated in her head over and over again.

“Carter... have to save Carter...’

The Light was fading now, and she still hadn't reached the tree house.

It seemed so much further walking... She collapsed to her hands and knees. She had no more strength left.

Her vision was growing unfocused. ‘I'm blacking out... no... no, this can't happen.'

“Carter... she whispered, her eyes moistening, then slumped to the forest floor.

The afterlife was not something Taki had ever thought much about. She figured what would happen would happen. If the gods were really in charge of it then there wasn't much she as a monster could do to determine where she went or indeed if she got to go anywhere.