NIGHT 54: Forest

[sanguinario]

[From here.]Edward knew exactly where they were going, exactly how they were going there, and how it would end when they finally did. It helped that he wasn't slamming his foot down on the gas pedal of an Aston Martin before collapsing into the forest, but even standing still wasn't enough to prepare him for a new wave of the nausea he had

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[gald_digger]

To Anise, it seemed like it was only yesterday that she and her friends had returned from the Cheagle Woods. Now they had to go into another forest? Anise was starting to get sick of the sight of trees. This place was even worse, with it being so dark out. The thick layers of leaves above them blocked out what little natural light they had, so it was a lucky thing they had those light-making devices.

"So we shouldn't make much noise? That's no fun," Anise whined in response to Guy's words of caution, but despite the half-joking protest, she was already being extra careful. This wasn't really the ideal place for playing around in, anyway.

She stayed quiet for a few minutes, alternating between watching her surroundings and watching her friends. Tear seemed to be acting like her usual self, so there probably wasn't any need to worry about her at this point. The other person Anise was curious about was Claude, the mystery man who she'd somehow forgotten completely... but with him at the rear of the group, she couldn't walk and look at him at the same time, so she settled for offering the occasional glance in his direction, just to make sure he was still close by.

A light swooshing sound reached her ears, and Anise stopped walking for a moment to listen. She didn't want to get too excited when it could just be leaves rustling in the breeze, but Anise had done enough journeying by now to be somewhat sure that she was hearing what she thought she was hearing. "Hey, I think I hear water! You guys hear it too, right?"

[full_score]

Claude gave a grim nod in agreement when Guy suggested that they not do much that could alert anyone (or anything) else to their presence. While he could understand why it was kind of a drag to have to carry themselves in relative quiet, and thus related to Anise's not-entirely-serious reply, Claude knew it was better to be safe than sorry.

Of course, it sounded like things didn't have to stay too silent for long. A quiet noise traveled through the darkness, thought he'd first attributed it to the wind brushing through the trees. It wasn't until Anise pointed out that they might be coming across the river that Claude took pause and strained to give the sound a second listen.

"Yeah, I hear it!" he said as he grinned over at Anise. He only had to quicken his pace a little bit before his light illuminated the reflective surface of running water through the trees. Within moments, they'd reached some kind of river bank, which was much further than he'd ever been out here before.

Claude got a fair amount of satisfaction from that realization, and he gave a pleased chuckle. "Awesome."

This was only the first part of what they needed to get done, though. Falling silent a second, he glanced around at some of the trees that towered over them. "Say, mind if I climb up to check if I can see what we're looking for?"

[razing_phoenix]

Surprisingly enough, it didn't take them too long before the sound of the river became clear. Guy made sure to keep pace with the others, and he couldn't help smiling when they finally came within visible distance of the running water. He hadn't expected them to stumble upon it so quickly, but he wasn't going to complain.

So, if he was remembering Anise's words correctly, they might be able to follow this river all the way to those ruins. He didn't know if they were in the forest or separate from it, but just walking alongside it would probably lead somewhere. He didn't know which direction to follow it, though, which did pose a problem.

However, that was when Claude suggested that he climb one of the many trees around them to try and get an idea of which way to go. Guy felt some trepidation at that, but in the end he knew it was a good idea.

"... I'm not sure how much you'll be able to see," he said after a pause, "but it's worth a shot." He knew better than to treat Claude like he wasn't capable, after all. And he'd have three other people keeping an eye on him, so it would probably be fine.

He moved over to stand next to Claude, positioning himself under the tree that his friend was considering climbing. "I'll stay right here, in case something happens." Guy didn't know if he'd be any good at catching Claude if he fell or anything like that, but just having the security of it would probably do them both some good.

[melodists]

They had found the river without much trouble. For that fact, Tear was grateful. It would have been discouraging to spend the rest of their night searching for the landmark. She sighed softly at the sight, feeling a sort of relief at the darken bank and the sounds of moving water. One task done. Time, then, to figure out the location of their final destination.

When Claude suggested using a tree to gain higher visibility, Tear stepped in after Guy's remark with her usual words of caution. "Be careful," she told the young man. "If there are any problems during the climb, please come down immediately."

It wasn't that she thought Claude would refuse to be sensible in the face of potential danger; she just couldn't trust this place to not throw up surprises. Hopefully nothing would happen, but caution was still caution. People could get caught up in their tasks and forget to watch for potential snags. A reminder couldn't hurt.

She briefly turned to Guy before returning her gaze to Claude. "I'll keep an eye out," she said. It wouldn't do if they were interrupted down below, now would it?

[gald_digger]

Claude's idea sounded sensible enough. It would suck if they followed the river, only to find out they picked the wrong direction. If there was a town around, or even just the remains of one, it would probably stand out if they just looked for it. Or so Anise hoped, anyway.

Everyone else seemed to be on board and offering their assistance, and Anise was quick to join in. "Yeah, we'll watch your back!" she chimed in with a smile. Anise might not have had the kind of physical strength that Tear or Guy had, but she considered herself to be pretty sharp. Helping to watch for threats was no problem!

Anise walked to the opposite side of the tree from where Tear stood, stopping a little ways away (but well within everyone's sight). From there, she glanced back to the others with a grin and a nod, as if to say "You can count on me!" With teamwork like theirs, there was nothing to worry about.

[full_score]

He'd initially wondered if anyone would object to his climbing, but the fact remained that guessing which way to go was basically a coin flip at this point. It didn't hurt to take a moment to get their bearings, right? They might wind up saving themselves some trouble, and so far no crazy mountain lions or anything had attacked them, so maybe they'd be okay. Claude would just do his best to keep an eye out and trust his friends to watch out for him. Hopefully there wouldn't be any need for them to step in, though.

"Don't worry," he assured them all with a small smile and a nod. "I'll be careful. Thanks for keeping a look-out."

After turning toward a tree that looked like it was decently tall, Claude took a moment to set his sword down against its trunk. Carrying something like that up there with him would prove too difficult, if not outright dangerous. Instead, he kept his flashlight on him, as well as the phase gun tucked inside his jacket. Once that was done, he positioned himself beneath one of the branches hanging closest to the ground, and, after grabbing onto it with a gloved hand, he began to slowly haul himself further up its side.

((To here.))

[razing_phoenix]

It looked like they would be set, with Claude climbing up, Tear and Anise keeping a lookout on the ground, and Guy making sure that Claude didn't lose his balance. He had to admit they were a good team, and that was even with Anise's memory gone. He knew that she was perfectly competent even without any Landel's knowledge, but it was still impressive that she had been taking it all in stride and adapting so well despite being thrown in head first.

Either way, Guy was intent on fulfilling his part of this process, and so he continued to point his flashlight up at Claude's ascending form to make sure that it looked like he was scaling the tree without any trouble. Luckily, he seemed to know what he was doing.

As tempting as it was to call up to Claude and ask what it was that he could see so far, Guy knew that would be a poor decision. He'd have to yell pretty loudly to actually make sure that his friend could hear, which would attract unwanted attention. He was sure that Claude would give them a full report when he came back down, after all.

[melodists]

With Claude's assurance, Tear left him to climb the tree and went off several feet in the opposite direction of Anise. She stayed within eyesight of the group; in the event of an emergency, there shouldn't be a delay in providing assistance. For a split second, she considered singing the second Fonic Hymn--it was potent enough to maintain temporary protection until Claude was finished with his task. Added insurance, more or less. The thought, however, led to a dead end. She couldn't risk another first-time attempt out in the open like this.

Therefore, she abandoned the idea and focused on possible intruders or cries for help. Once in a while, the soldier glanced back to the group. Anise was doing her best despite the initial setback while Guy was watching Claude ascend. As long as this continued, they may be on their way within minutes and without any distruptions.

[gald_digger]

With her back to the group, Anise kept an eye on the area in front of her, watching the foliage for any signs of suspicious movement.

There was nothing noteworthy that she could see, and the only noise she could hear other than the wind was the sound of branches shaking as Claude climbed the tree behind her. That was a relief. Even though Anise readily volunteered to keep watch, she wasn't entirely sure what she'd do if a monster really did come after her. Tear said their artes were weakened, so Anise didn't know how well she could actually defend herself.

If they were lucky, though, maybe things would just stay this quiet until they reached the town.

[full_score]

((From here.))

The flash from his phase gun combined with the fact a strangely-shaped monster just fell from the tree were probably clear indicators that something had happened up in those branches, but Claude didn't feel the need to launch into an explanation. Instead, he dropped into the grass from several branches up, eyes scanning the ground for where the creature had fallen. He was only vaguely aware of the warm blood pouring from the wound in his arm. Compared to everything else, it was only an afterthought.

That should have been his first clue that something strange had happened to him, but right then Claude just wanted to make certain no one else's arm was going to get chewed up. He wasn't hurting, and no vital arteries had been cut, so he could afford to focus on other things.

"Is everyone okay?" he quickly asked as his light swept around the tree trunk. "Did you see where that thing went?" Claude held his gun tightly in his other hand, ready to fire it again if necessary.

[razing_phoenix]

Even with all of them splitting their attention, Guy still wasn't able to do much when he realized that something was wrong up in the tree Claude had climbed. His first clue was a sudden shriek that clearly wasn't human, but even as he tried to use his own flashlight to figure out what was going on, a much brighter flash came from further up, and then he suddenly heard something crash into some nearby bushes.

It was hard to process what had happened when he only had some of the details, and yet Guy got the feeling that whatever had just fallen wasn't something he wanted to get close to, necessarily. He was quickly distracted by the sound of Claude descending the tree, and then stared at him with widened eyes once he reached the ground.

He was first drawn to the nasty wound on his friend's arm. "What happened? Something attacked? I think it fell into the bushes over there," he said, pointing with his sword arm instead of using his flashlight. "Let's make sure it's dead and then deal with that wound," he announced, doing everything he could to keep calm.

Sword held in front of him, Guy started to move toward the spot where he'd heard the monster fall, figuring that it was either wounded or dead -- and yet ready for an attack nonetheless.

[melodists]

Tear did not miss the sound, especially the unearthly shriek from above. Especially something falling and landing into the greenery. Wasting no time, she flew toward the tree Claude had climbed, to find the young man holding a gun and smelling of blood. Her eyes instantly narrowed in focus. A skirmish had obviously occurred.

As Guy moved toward the crash, Tear indicated for Anise to help the man (if she hadn't already). Claude didn't seem to be in pain, but as she was the medic of the group, she had to ensure the injury was not severe and if possible, treat it. It didn't matter if she was lacking in resources or abilities; it was her duty.

"Let me see your arm," she said to Claude.

[gald_digger]

So much for being lucky. A sudden screech drew Anise's attention back to where Claude was, and the sight of a flash of light and something falling from the tree sent her running over. For a moment, she'd feared that it was Claude who fell from the tree like that, but moments later she saw the man drop safely to the ground.

... Or as safe as a guy who was bleeding profusely could be, anyway. Anise's eyes widened at the wound on the man's arm, but she quickly caught Tear's gesture and gave her a sharp nod, fully agreeing with the unspoken plan. "Me and Guy'll take care of it!" And Tear could take care of Claude.

Anise's body moved almost automatically as she turned and ran after Guy, waving her light with one hand and readying her weapon with the other. She stopped about an arm's length away from her friend, and immediately set about helping to illuminate the area that he was watching, hoping to reveal the monster. Whatever kind of monster it was, two of them were enough to take care of it, weren't they? The thing had just taken a nasty fall, too. They probably just had to deal the finishing blow.

[full_score]

As much as Claude probably should have put his phase gun away, he didn't want to not have it handy in case something else suddenly attacked. Guy and Anise were apparently quick to see whether that monster still posed a danger, and he instinctively moved after them. Tear's voice stopped him in his tracks, though, and he looked over at the young woman with a surprised expression.

"My arm? But it's--" Claude glanced down at it, though his voice died in his throat the moment he saw the warm, sticky blood covering his arm. That creature had really done a number on him, if the hole it'd chewed was anything to go by. But despite how nasty it appeared, Claude's expression only grew a little unsettled, as if he were looking in on this from the outside -- a mere spectator to his own injury. The feeling was surreal, to say the least.

"It's not as bad as it looks," he assured her. "I mean, it doesn't hurt at all. Really!" Claude moved his arm up and down as if to demonstrate his point, but he mostly succeeded in dripping blood onto the ground. Upon seeing that, he had to concede that he couldn't just run around as he was. "I, uh...I guess it wouldn't hurt to stop the bleeding, though."

[razing_phoenix]

Even as Guy heard the worrying conversation going on behind him (if Claude couldn't even feel an injury of that severity, then what exactly was going on with him?), he stayed mainly focused on the task at hand. Having Anise at his side was both comforting and worrying. He realized that she had that tenderizer and he didn't really need to start fussing over her, but her lack of memories made him even more protective than usual.

However, when Anise's flashlight beam scanned over something that was definitely not part of the brush, Guy reacted immediately. He barely even thought about what the thing looked like, instead just lurching forward and aiming the tip of his blade at where he expected its throat had to be.

A gargled noise came from the creature and he watched it struggle briefly before going still. Letting out a sigh of relief, Guy took a step or two back and jerked his sword out of the corpse's neck. Finally, he'd been able to put his new weapon to use.

He glanced from Anise back to Tear, a relieved smile on his face. "Looks like it's taken care of. Claude? Are you all right?" Though Tear was the one that he was mainly expecting an answer from in this case, seeing how she was the medic.

[melodists]

Claude might have had the best intentions in mind. Brushing aside an injury was usually an attempt to lessen worries; Tear had done so many times to know. The teenager, however, would not accept the behavior when the person in question was bleeding all over the place, especially if they claimed no pain. That was ultimately worse!

Her lips thinned into a line. "That's hardly a good sign," she told Claude in a stern voice. Acquaintance and friend he may be, but he wasn't about to get away from the truth. "Hold still." Tear glanced over the wound quickly, assessing the minute actions needed to stop the bleeding. Her eyes then darted about her person in hopes of finding something to press against the wound. Nothing. At least nothing easily accessible.

In desperation, she picked at the seams of one of her shirt sleeves with her nails. Guy's voice barely registered in her mind, but fortunately, Tear was quick to answer. It was rather rude, but Claude could always give his own input to his condition afterward. Besides, he would likely downplay the nature of the injury. "He's bleeding," she said. "It isn't bad, but it needs to be stopped before we can move on." With an unnatural force, she pulled at the sleeve, ripping it cleanly from its place.

Satisfied, Tear approached Claude with an intent to elevate the injured limb and apply the necessary pressure.