Camping

[arisenfromashes]

Who: Asch, Jay
Where: Middle of the woods
Why: A behemoth has taken up residence near the World Tree, and someone's stupid heroic child has set out to slay it. Now it's up to Asch to rescue the child from this dangerous beast...and hopefully eliminate the threat while he's at it. Meanwhile, Jay has followed him out there to observe his abilities.

Comments

[arisenfromashes]

[Asch sized up his enemy--sure, he could have used a Magic Lens for a more accurate reading, but his eyes worked fine, last he checked. It's not like he needed to know just how much it would take before it went down. Either way, he would have to hack it apart until it stopped moving.

The behemoth had sustained more injuries, and had shifted more of its weight onto its uninjured leg. Asch's breathing slowed as he felt a small wave of relief. He must have done some damage.]

(The question is, can I keep up? I don't even know if the kid got out of here safely...Damn it, I've done this much damage, and I'm still alive. If I don't kill it, I'll at least make sure that it can't cause trouble for a while...until someone can kill it.)

[That was Asch's first mistake. He should have taken note of his increasingly sore body and played the escort long enough to complete his quest. Unfortunately, his familiarity with a similar monster that dwelt in the Inista Marsh convinced him to stay. It was unsafe to let such a creature roam so close to Blessenwood, and few fighters ever survived their battles with it. It would be ideal to defeat it if at all possible.

But Asch made the mistake of assuming that he was strong enough to single-handedly kill it.

The former God-General took the initiative and ran forward. Amused, the behemoth slapped its tail against the ground, as if taunting him, and he hastened in response. The two exchanged blows in a chaotic flurry of swipes and slashes. Asch was first to draw blood, bestowing him with more confidence, which he poured into his attacks. He could win, even without his fonic artes. Therefore, he continued to stay close and relied entirely on physical attacks. That was his second mistake.]

Guh!

[Then, all of a sudden, he was knocked into the air and had razor sharp teeth digging into his torso. It happened so quickly--he had no idea how it had managed to snake its head around and bite him in the side, but there he was, dangling limply in its mouth. It was over--he knew that much, and the idea of dying this way pissed him off--so, he did the only thing he could do: fight to the very end. He thrust the sword at the behemoth's face, sinking the blade into its eye. The behemoth shrieked, dropping him to the ground. Broken and bleeding, Asch made one last mistake: He stayed put.

(Is it dead? Everything happened so fast...Everything hurts so much...Can I move? Everything...so fast...Must stop the bleeding...)

[He muttered while fumbling on his person for his item pack. He still had yet to move from his spot on the ground.] W...where are the damn healing gels.

[Before he could react, he felt a clawed paw pressing down on his chest. He looked up, eyes wide, at the injured--albeit angry--monster stepping on him.]

...Shit.

(If only I could get away...I have some gels...I could fix some of this long enough to face it...But I'd have to distract it long enough to get away.)

[iknowjj]

[Jay's eyes widened as Asch began to take the beating from the monster. He could feel his heart beating harder and harder, which prevented him from acting right away. He was on the verge of breaking down...but then the monster had pinned down the redhead with its foot. That's when Jay's instinct took over...the instinct to jump in and defend the people he cared about the most.]

Asch!!

[The boy took a few running steps into the clearing, stopping at a distance to throw his first attack.]

Dagger!!

[He threw his dagger, which exploded into a ball of flames upon striking the monster's side. The behemoth arched backwards, roaring in agony as it turned to its new opponent. Keeping his hands in his pockets, Jay cautiously moved forward.]

Come and get me!

[Jay taunted the beast by throwing another exploding dagger. This time, the behemoth got off of Asch and began to slowly limp towards the boy. Jay slowly moved closer, watching its movements carefully, waiting to time his next attack.]

Merciless Thunder!!

[He lunged forward, thrusting his dagger into the ground at the behemoth's feet. As predicted, the monster lunged at him with its powerful jaws, but Jay quickly flipped backwards to avoid the attack. He then concentrated for a brief moment; the dagger shot up from the ground, calling forth many bolts of lightning which struck the monster. The beast wailed in pain once again before tipping forward, hitting the ground with a powerful thud. Jay watched carefully, as the monster seemed to be struggling to get up. This gave him an opportunity to check on his comrade.]

Asch!!

[He ran to the God-General's side, quickly kneeling down beside him.]

Are you-

[He stopped himself, for it was obvious that Asch was not okay. Jay quickly pulled out one of his apple gels and held it to him.]

Here, use this!

[arisenfromashes]

[Asch had resigned himself to death when suddenly a small explosion shook the behemoth. Squirming, he tried to move out from under the it--he was struggling to breathe. Then, the angry monster hobbled off of him. He gasped as he felt the pressure leave his torso and fumbled for his item pack. By then, however, someone was at his side. He looked up, not entirely cognizant at the time.]

J-Jay...[He saw the apple gel.] Don't...Don't expect any thanks for interrupting my fight. [Despite this, he gladly took it.]

[After consuming the item, he felt the pain subside enough that it was no longer unbearable. Also, his head no longer remained in a fog. Struggling back to his feet, he was dizzy at best, but he forced himself to stop swaying. He had gone through worse and still emerged victorious.]

(That bastard is taking more damage from my sword than from my fonic artes...But I'm fighting with the wrong hand.) [He pulled out his only melange gel (he had splurged on it) when he noticed he was still bleeding.]

[Stepping back, he drew in wind fonons. He needed time to catch his breath...]

[iknowjj]

[Jay frowned, not too happy with Asch's choice of words.]

"Interrupting" your fight? It looked like that thing was about to finish the fight. I'm merely extending it for you.

[He was about to ask exactly what that thing was when the monster's movement caught his eye - it was back on its feet again. Jay moved away from Asch, keeping his eye on the monster. He now stood a good distance away from both Asch and the behemoth with his hands in his pockets, tapping his left foot, ready to do battle again.]

[arisenfromashes]

[Asch ignored Jay's words. Or perhaps he did not hear them. He had a violent beast to deal with. Much to his luck, the behemoth had yet to pursue him. As much as he hated to admit it, it was probably because Jay was the prey most likely to escape it at the moment. Either way, it gave him time to finish the spell.]

O darkened storm cloud loose thy blade and run mine enemies through. Thunder blade!

[A bolt of lightning crashed down upon the behemoth, pinning it in place as electricity coursed through it and its immediate surroundings. Asch eliminated the distance between them and unleashed a slew of melee attacks.]

Demon Fist!

[A burst of energy came from his blade as he swung it down, knocking the behemoth away from him before it could counter. He repeated this tactic one more time, this time, stopping the attack to bring his blade perpendicular to the ground in a defensive stance just before the monster's fist could connect with his chest. He faltered backward from the force of the attack, cringing at his jarred right arm, but ignored the pain and continued to attack. ]

Swallow furry!

[With an uppercut, (using this left hand instead of his free hand) the redhead jumped into the air, delivering two kicks, then, a final slash. By that point, he was high enough into the air, propelled by the kicks, that he added a final strike by stabbing the monster's already bleeding neck. Warm liquid spattered onto him while the beast roared and clawed him off of it. Asch knelt on the ground, sword no longer in hand to prop himself up. Blood dribbled from the behemoth's mouth. He smirked. That was a deep wound...fatal for most monsters, but it seemed that the resilient behemoth would not succumb to such a thing. While thinking of a new strategy and fetching any gels in his item pouch, he looked for any signs of Jay.]

[iknowjj]

[Jay watched Asch's moves, somewhat stunned that the monster had not died yet.]

(This monster does not die easily, does it? I certainly hope there aren't any more of them, especially this close to Blessenwood. We'll be in trouble if there are.)

[Jay circled around the monster, still keeping his distance, until he spotted the wound in its neck. While it wasn't quite fatal enough, perhaps he could add even more damage to it and eventually kill it.]

Dagger!!

[He continued to throw more exploding daggers at the behemoth's neck wound. Normally he'd used a better variety of moves, but Jay knew that a beast like this should be faced with extreme caution. He eventually paused to see what would happen next.]

[arisenfromashes]

[Asch watched the behemoth stumble backwards, rearing up on its hindlegs, then swaying due to its injured leg. He inched closer, careful not to get in the way of its flailing and its lashing tail. ]

(It'll be over soon...There's no reason to hold anything back.)

[Asch's pace hastened as he drew closer. Sword raised and pointed at his enemy, he stopped thinking about anything other than beating this annoying monster. He was reaching his limit, as was the beast, and damn it, he would fight his hardest until it was over.]

[Charging ahead, he swung his sword at the behemoth's feet in an attempt to shake its already weak balance. He succeeded at the cost of a swat that knocked him flat on the ground. He landed on his bum arm, but within moments, he was on his feet again, unleashing a barrage of swings and strike artes.]

Rending thrust! [He swapped hands for his sword in order to deliver the uppercut that went along with the attack.]

Light Spear Cannon!

[Before the behemoth recovered from the God-General's knocking it into the air, it roared from additional strikes, then a crash of barrage of stones coming from the ground.]

Slag Assault!

[The behemoth dropped to the ground and tackled its attacker, then turned to face Jay. Asch scoffed.]

Your opponent is over here!

[The behemoth took a peek at the soldier before thrashing at the greater threat, the healthier fighter that had shot those explosions at its already bleeding neck. Asch growled in annoyance at this and continued forward.]

I'm done playing. Now die! Binding--

[One moment, he was about to unleash the last of his energy on the monster in a final Mystic Arte. Then, that axe-like tail shot at him, both knocking him to the ground and digging into his side.]

(How could I...)

[iknowjj]

[Jay gasped as he avoided the behemoth's thrashes with backwards handsprings. He wanted to call out to Asch to stop being so reckless, but doubted that he would actually listen. But then his heart seemed to stop as the monster buried its axe-like tail into Asch's side. The God-General seemed to stop moving at that point.]

Asch!!

(Damn...I should have done something!)

[He didn't have time to think as the behemoth now turned to face him, and then began to advance on him. Jay backed off wearily, feeling fear for one of the few times in battle. Lacking the ability to perform either magic spells or mystic artes, Jay knew that there was not much he could do. His short, swift attacks would do no harm, and it was still going strong, despite the powerful attacks it had already taken from Asch.

Jay continued to back off until his back pressed against a rather thick tree. Now he was stunned; fighting was futile, and he couldn't run and leave Asch there.]

(Think, Jay, think!!)

[The behemoth lashed its tail out at him; Jay quickly leaped to the side, and the tail dug into the tree trunk, slicing about halfway through it. Jay looked up at the tree as it swayed a little bit.]

(That's it! That gives me an idea!)

[Moving a few steps away from both the tree and the beast, Jay began to throw more exploding daggers at the halfway severed trunk. The behemoth began to advance on him once again. Jay didn't budge as he focused on attacking the tree trunk. Then the beast closed in to just a few feet away.]

Come on, just one more! Dagger!!

[With the last dagger, the tree began to fall; Jay quickly ran around it, running up the stump as it fell, directing it to crash directly on top of the monster.]

DIE!!

[The tree crashed on top of the monster's head, breaking its neck, and driving it straight into the ground. Jay leaped off the trunk and observed the beast for a moment. It simply lay there, lifeless. Jay let out a sigh of relief...but then gasped.]

(Uh-oh...I hope that tree didn't hit Asch...)

[But he found Asch's unconscious body somewhere off to the side, out of harm's way. Jay quickly rushed to his side once again. He tried to shake the soldier gently, but there was no response.]

Asch...

[The boy then looked up at the sky, which was beginning to get dark. There was no way he could carry Asch as easily as Asch had carried him...they'd have to camp out here for the night.

Cutting up the fallen tree, Jay used the wood to build a campfire. As the evening turned into night, the boy spent the time, tending to both Asch and the fire...]

[arisenfromashes]

[Asch moaned as he drifted back into consciousness. Either the flickering firelight bothered his eyes or the throbbing right arm or the general ache he felt everywhere disturbed him as he was pried from his thoughtless, dreamless, painless sleep. At first, his grogginess left him to languidly blink away his bout of grogginess. Then, as the haze in his mind cleared, his eyes widened, and he shot up into a sitting position. Bad idea. He grimaced and clutched his side. Once he took in his surrounding area. His eyes widened slightly as they caught sight of the purple-clad boy.]

You...

[Asch might have said more, his mind was drifting...]

(Wait...it's night...I...The quest! I should have reported it by now! And the behemoth!)

Is it dead...? [Second later, he noticed a large furry corpse that disappeared into the shadows whenever the campfire flickered.] Oh. And...how long have I been out?

[Asch could not remember much after trying that second Mystic Arte, but he had to know just how late he was reporting. He dreaded the idea of moving, but it had to be done. He was still working, and it would be unfair to keep his client waiting.]

[iknowjj]

[Jay knelt down by the fire, poking at it with a stick, while trying to shield his face from the burning heat. Then, as he heard the sound of Asch sitting up, he pulled back, coughing the smoke from his lungs and waving it from his face.]

Asch...you're awake.

[He spoke rather softly, but his voice was filled with relief. He went over to the wounded soldier and knelt down beside him.]

How are you feeling?

[arisenfromashes]

I'm fine. [He wasn't. He only knew that if he gave a true answer, he would compromise his pride and, worse yet, be forced to rest.] Now how much time has passed since the battle?

(...It's darker out than it was earlier...I'll have to hurry.)

[Asch moved to stand up, choking back a groan to accompany his wince as his entire body protested the action. This would be harder than he expected, but he had managed to move from the World Tree to Blessenwood with severe stab wounds. This was bad, but at least he was not mortally injured.]

[iknowjj]

[Jay stood up along with Asch and watched as the redhead slowly tried to limp away. His eyes widened, knowing that Asch could not pull off such a stunt.]

I-It's been at least a couple of hours. And what are you doing?!

[arisenfromashes]

D-damn. (I really need to hurry.)

[As if on cue, Asch lost balance and crashed into a heap on the ground. This time, he couldn't stop a startled cry as he landed on his arms.]

(...This is humiliating!)

I'm going back to town. What's it look like? [He hissed as he struggled to sit up again. He would have to wait before trying that stunt again--at least, until his surroundings stopped swaying and blurring.] I just need a couple of gels, and I'll be fine. [With that last comment, he reached for his item pouch and began to search for gels.]

[iknowjj]

[Jay let out a gasp as he watched Asch collapse again. He took a few steps forward toward the former God-General, but still left some space between them.]

Asch, you shouldn't move so much. There's no need to get back to town right now. Not at this hour, and not in your condition. We don't know what kind of nocturnal monsters may lurk out there. [He shot a glance at the dead behemoth.] And if any more of those...things are out there, we wouldn't stand a chance. We'll be safer staying put until morning.

[arisenfromashes]

All the more reason we should get out of here. There could be more of those around. And besides, monsters usually stay in the forest.

(Jay seems to be fine, but there's no way I could fight another one of those.) [He looked down at himself.] (...But I don't know if I'd be able to walk that far like this. I had to wander for a while before I found that kid and the behemoth. How did I get to be so weak? This should be nothing!)

[Asch half-dragged himself closer to the fire, not bothering to look at or speak with his only company. Sitting with someone who had witnessed such a shameful defeat was more of a chore than a pleasure, even if said person had saved him, whether he would admit to it or not.]

[ After a moment of thought, he prodded at his right wrist. It had been bothering him ever since he made a last minute attempt to break the fall with it when the behemoth had knocked him to the ground early in the fight. He finally looked up at Jay.]

Do you have any extra sticks?

[iknowjj]

Oh, sure. [Jay picked up and extra stick and handed it to Asch.]

Yes, returning to town would have been the preferable option, but unfortunately, I lack the strength to carry you...and I couldn't risk leaving you alone out here either. So I set up a camp here for the night.

[Jay smiled as he recalled the time when Asch carried him to his room.]

But if any more of those...things show up, then we may have no choice but to flee. I couldn't defeat one of those things alone. I...I'm not as powerful as you...

[He shot yet another glance at the behemoth.]

What was that thing, anyway?