Forest clearing where Stott was ambushed

An ancient forest provides cover for the ambush site, its dense canopy filtering sunlight into fractured beams that strike the damp earth in uneven patches. The air carries the scent of pine and wet loam, thick with the hum of insects disturbed by recent violence. Scattered leaves and broken branches mark where Stott was shot, his blood darkening the soil near the roots of a gnarled oak. The forest feels alive with concealed motion, shadows too thick to fully interpret, and the ground uneven underfoot—raised roots and hollows that could conceal or betray. The mandrel’s presence left a tang of burnt ozone in the air long after its departure, mingling with the iron scent of blood and the sharp pine.