Night 55: Recreational Field

[ninelivesonce]

[from here]The field stretched out, wide and empty. Moonlight, even through clouds, made it bright enough that navigation would have been simple, if it weren't for all the snow. It was coming down heavily now; she could barely make out the walls on the other side

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[razing_phoenix]

Even if the ruins were apparently creepy (in what way?), that still wasn't enough to make Guy hesitate. He'd been through a lot and was pretty sure that he would be able to handle whatever was waiting for them there. Anise had clearly come out of it all right. He did appreciate the warning because it would allow him to brace himself, but he wasn't going to take it as a reason to abandon their plans.

He was glad to hear that the girl knew a faster way and was happy to let her take the lead, but first things first: they had to get across the field.

While he'd already been outside for a short time earlier, the snowfall was starting to get pretty bad, and he wished that he'd thought to bring that jacket with him. He'd been in these elements with just his normal outfit before, of course, but an extra layer would have been nice nonetheless.

There were bigger problems that he needed to focus on, though. Whatever had been going on when they'd passed through this area before was apparently still happening; he could see urgent movements up ahead, but not much more than that due to the darkness and the bad conditions. He sighed and followed Anise's lead by turning his flashlight off.

"Should we jump in or just try to sneak past?" he asked the two. He realized that the second option was the more prudent one, but it also felt wrong to ignore people who were in need not once, but twice.

[full_score]

Unfortunately, it sounded like things hadn't quieted down any since he and Guy first came outside. That wasn't good, but it was practically impossible to tell what was going on from where they were standing. How many patients were there? Monsters? Who had the upper hand? Those were the most important things to consider when figuring out whether to jump into a fight or not, but they didn't have that information available to them.

Of course, it wasn't necessarily a good idea to go check, either. After all, they couldn't discount the possibility that there was a brainwashed patient out in that direction. Claude knew from personal experience that it was better not to get tangled up in those kinds of fights. They usually didn't end well due to the huge power imbalance. And in any case, it wasn't good to try to hurt someone who didn't know what they were doing unless there was an urgent reason for it.

Still, even knowing all that, it wasn't in his nature to stay out of things. Not that it was impossible, but Claude wrestled with himself over it more often than not.

"I can't tell what's going on," he whispered as he tried to squint through the dark. If he'd been alone, Claude would have checked without a second thought. But he also had Guy and Anise to consider. Although he knew they were capable people who were more than able to look after themselves, Claude also didn't want to push them into danger. They were as limited as any other patient here. Not only that, but he wasn't about to forget what happened the last time he went charging head-first into something with his friends in tow. The grief he'd felt from losing two people wasn't something to be shrugged off so easily.

"We shouldn't jump in if we don't even know what's happening," Claude reluctantly said after a moment. "I could go scout out what's going on to make sure, but then you'd be down one person if something happened."

[gald_digger]

What did it say about Anise, that she hadn't even thought of getting involved until Guy said something? If this were a few weeks ago, she would have been eager to jump in and help, but after so many nights of seeing others in danger and facing countless dangers herself, she'd gotten used to leaving people alone when they were in danger. It actually made her a little disgusted with herself.

She was quiet for a moment, pressing her lips together as she considered the situation, looking to each of her friends as they spoke.

"Maybe we should try to sneak ahead for now... and once we're a little closer, we should be able to tell if we're needed," Anise suggested after a pause. She didn't want to jump into anything recklessly, but when she thought about it, it would be pretty heartless to think that their plans were more important than somebody's survival.

[razing_phoenix]

It made sense that all of them had their reservations about getting involved. Guy almost felt bad for even suggesting that they pitch in, since it served to make the other two that much more conflicted. It probably would have been better to just stay quiet and keep moving without bringing it up at all, and yet that would have made him guilty in his own way. Was giving it some consideration without actually acting any better, though?

There was one thing that almost changed Guy's mind on his own, however, and that was when Claude suggested that he go up and check it out on his own. Guy's gaze immediately settled on his friend's arm. He couldn't see the wound there now, but he knew there was no way it had healed up yet. Why was Claude offering to do something like that in his state?

No, if anyone should be going to scope things out, it should be him...

Anise had a good compromise, though. If they were able to actually get some idea of what was going on, then they could analyze the situation and make a decision from there. He nodded to her. "That works for me." And so he moved more toward the side of the field and then slowly started up it, keeping his eyes and ears open for any sign of the fight coming too close to them.

[full_score]

He noticed Guy looking at his arm. While his friend didn't say anything, his unvoiced concerns were clear. Naturally, if someone was going to check things out, it should be someone who was in top condition. But there was no way Claude was going to suggest that someone do something that he himself wasn't willing to do. Not only that, but he still felt anxious for his companions' safety. After everything they had experienced together, Claude wasn't willing to put them in jeopardy unless they knew exactly what they were getting into. His strength wasn't enough to keep those around him safe, and, as much as it pained him, he realized that meant he had to be a lot more cautious about certain things.

Anise's suggestion didn't entirely put him at ease, but he had to admit it was probably a better solution. He nodded. "All right."

They moved through the snow, and Claude walked close to Anise and Guy. He could catch the sounds of the conflict, but nothing definitive. He wondered if it involved patients who'd been trying to get over the wall, much like they were planning to do.

[gald_digger]

Looked like everyone was okay with Anise's idea. She tried to stay close to the wall as she walked, not wanting to stand out too much to monsters or other enemies - though it was pretty hard to be stealthy in a group of three.

As they passed the struggle, Anise was able to get a small glance at the attacker. He looked basically human, which usually meant... "Do you think it's a special counseling patient?" she asked the others, still keeping her voice quiet. If her guess was right, then maybe they would be okay. Brainwashed patients were under orders not to kill people - something Anise unfortunately knew from experience.

There was something weird about the attacker, though... At first Anise thought he was using a whip or something, but when she looked again she realized it couldn't be that. It was more like an extra long arm, or even a tentacle or something. Gross. Maybe it was a monster after all? But a lot of patients used to be weird-looking aliens and stuff, so it was hard to say...

Even understanding the situation a little better, Anise still wasn't any closer to deciding what to do.

[razing_phoenix]

As they neared closer to the fight, Guy was able to get a pretty good idea of what was going on. A long-haired man was the aggressor and was up against two female patients. At first he'd been holding one up by the ankle with... some sort of appendage, though it was hard to tell what it was. It wasn't anything that belonged to a regular human, that was for certain. Neither of the girls looked badly injured, but there was a good chance that would change before long.

However, then the patient who was still grounded did something to injure the man (Guy wasn't sure if this was an example of special counseling or something else entirely, but it didn't change the situation too much in his mind either way); it seemed like the two might actually have a chance.

And then he heard the guard say something specifically: "I'll let you return to your bed with no injuries." He knew there was a chance that he was merely bluffing, but it sounded like he might actually be genuine. Some people only needed to be properly impressed in order to be persuaded to spare lives, after all.

It looked like they hadn't been stealthy enough, though, since the man turned his attention toward them. Guy didn't even fully register what was being said; he'd noticed? them and that was bad enough. The other two seemed to be relatively safe, so hopefully they wouldn't hold it against them for not getting involved.

He turned to Anise and Claude. "Run!" And with that, he took off toward the wall. He realized that might just make the guard more interested in giving chase, but it wasn't like they had many options available to them.

[full_score]

Dammit, they'd been seen, Claude realized with a frown. That had been the danger of getting too close to get a better look, but they could at least carry on with their night knowing that they weren't leaving someone dying on the field. Still, Guy was right. They needed to get out of there, and now.

After sending one more glance over to the two female patients, Claude turned toward the wall and began to make a break for it. Hopefully they'd have enough sense to realize if they needed to escape, though he wished them the best in winning against whoever they were fighting. In the meantime, Claude tried to keep his awareness sharp enough to make sure the three of them stayed together. With how dark it was outside, though, he knew it'd be easy to screw things up if they weren't careful.

While he could have said something, too, he knew that would only serve to draw more attention their way. Instead, he just focused on getting the hell out of that field, heart pounding in his ears as his legs took him as fast as he could go.

[gald_digger]

As soon as Guy shouted his warning, Anise was on the move. She didn't know who or what that guy was, but she was creeped out enough to know she didn't want to get caught up in a fight with him. It was hard to run fast in the snow, but Anise managed to cover most of the ground between them and the wall in just a few seconds.

When she neared the wall, the girl pitched her belongings over it, just as she had last night. As soon as they fell out of sight, she jumped up, grabbed the vines hanging from the top, and began to scale the side of the wall.

Last night, Anise was climbing the wall for the "first" time, and she was helped up by her friends. This time, she remembered the many other times she'd climbed over, which left her with enough experience to be able to do it quickly and without help. Which was good, because they were in a hurry. She just hoped Claude's injury wouldn't slow him down too much... Depending on how bad it was, it was possible that he'd be the one needing a hand this time.

[razing_phoenix]

It was a good thing that all of them were pretty fast runners, since they made it to the wall without anything going amiss. That didn't mean they were in the clear yet, but it was a good start. While Guy was tempted to see what was going on behind them, he knew that would waste precious time. Shaking his head, he followed Anise's leave by throwing both his flashlight and radio over the wall.

The sword he kept in hand, since he was strong enough to climb one-handed. The vines helped, of course. Watching Anise scale the wall herself, Guy was struck by the difference between tonight and the night before. Trying to get herself up the wall when she was so small couldn't be easy, but Anise did it like a pro. That sight spurred Guy to move faster.

It was only when he was halfway up that he realized that Claude might be the one who would struggle the most with this, due to his injury. He glanced down at his friend. "Can you make it on your own?" If not, then he was going to have to pitch his sword and give a helping hand.

[full_score]

Claude, too, was glad that they'd managed to get to the wall. They still had to climb over it, though, and for a moment he worried about getting Anise to the other side. He was almost surprised to see her maneuvering up the vines with much more ease than yesterday, but then he realized it was because she actually remembered things now. That was a relief, because it meant they could move that much faster.

He, too, threw his flashlight over the wall, hoping that it was sturdy enough to survive the fall. Like Guy, though, he kept his sword. Since he needed his good arm to haul himself up, however, Claude was forced to shift the blade over to the other hand. It wasn't comfortable by any stretch of the imagination, but at least it was more bearable than using his injured arm to do the bulk of the work. He was lucky that monster hadn't bitten his dominant one.

When Guy asked if he needed help, Claude stubbornly kept pulling himself upward. "Yes," he answered through clenched teeth as he gripped another another vine. "I'm okay. Just keep moving."

[gald_digger]

Between having done this several times before and being the only one climbing with both hands, Anise's climb went smoothly, and within seconds she reached the top of the wall. She didn't drop down right away, though. Instead, Anise crouched on top of the wall, faced the field behind her, and began casting.

Below her feet, a fonic glyph traced in white light appeared. From the lower part of the wall, the visible half of the symbol might have appeared to be floating in the air.

"Hurry over!" she called to her friends, "I'll cover you if you need it." She wouldn't be surprised if the others had any objections to being protected by the smallest one of the group, but Anise had ranged attacks on her side, and besides! Claude helped her out with climbing yesterday, so it was only fair to return the favor.

If that creepy guy came after them, she could fire off the spell to buy time, and then drop down to safety. And if he didn't come, she could just cancel the spell and move on. They'd be fine. She was sure of it.

[razing_phoenix]

With Claude assuring him that he could get up on his own (in this sort of high-tense situation, all he could do was trust him rather than wasting the time to worry over it) and Anise getting ready to cast a spell if necessary, it looked like they were in good shape. They hadn't been chased the night before, but this was still going far more smoothly now than it would have then.

It was shocking to see Anise casting one of her Artes, seeing how it was something she did very rarely. He knew that it had the potential to tire her out, so he was hoping that they could get through this without her having to actually use it.

Seeing how he'd worked alongside her for years by now, Guy had no qualms about Anise covering them while they got the rest of the way over the wall. Anise was completely capable; if he hesitated, it meant he was denying that fact. So without waiting any longer, he hauled himself the rest of the way up the wall.

It seemed that their potential aggressor was too busy with the other patients to give them much thought, and Guy was going to take advantage of that. "Let's go!" he called over to both of them as he leaped down onto the other side of the wall.

[Escaping here with permission!]