you're in the jungle, baby / you gonna die

[lucetimods]

Who: All draftees
What: Fighting the Third Party... and perhaps the wildlife.
When: June 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. (Characters will be pulled out at 11:59 of the 6th.)
Where: An as-yet unmapped by the Malnosso tropical rainforest.
Summary: Here are your details. Try to stay alive, won't you?
Rating: Anywhere from PG to R

Comments

[subethical]

Luke! Focus! [This was unfortunate. He'd expected a bit too much of their enemy, it seemed, if their trap was so poorly built. Perhaps it had been thrown together in a hurry. Sloppy work indeed, and needlessly irritating.

But far more importantly, one of their number was now seriously injured, if not dead. Ignoring the possible loss of life, it was first and foremost a severe distraction on the battle field, to all of them, but to Luke most especially. If anything was to be done for Ion, their enemies had to be taken out quickly, before they were able to take advantage of the situation. On top of this, Ion had sustained an injury to his head, if not his neck, and moving him was neither wise nor an easy task when they were under fire. Any moment now Tear's barrier would fade, and they'd be left at a complete disadvantage.

Jade dashed over to stand above Ion, once again briefly closing his eyes to concentrate. This was a flashy move, and it would surely draw nearly every enemy in the area to their location, but it would buy them some time. A giant glyph flickered to life beneath Jade's feet, surrounding both him and Ion, and as he chanted several more appeared in the air, sending up a beacon of light into the sky.]

I, who stand in the full light of the heavens command thee, who opens the gates of hell. Come forth, Divine Lightning! This ends now!
INDIGNATION!

[seleniahymn]

Ion! [Panic nearly paralyzes her as her blue eyes follow the beginning of the Fon Master's descent, legs carrying her so that she was now crouching over him protectively. Those feelings she had had during the experiment when they believed they were brother and sister, the were so strong now as she tries to clear her head of the fear that he wasn't moving. They had to get him to safety, out of here. She had to protect everyone and not fail them.

Her little brother...]

Va Neu Zue Toue Neu Toue Rei Toue Ryuo Toue Kuroa... [Heal and replenish everyone with her Holy Song, raise their defense and attack capabilities at once. She needed to focus on the group as a whole right now, it was the best way for them to get out of this situation alive.]

[cakeblocked]

[Indignation hits like a thousand lightning bolts from the sky, which was surely a beacon for everyone, enemy and ally alike. Even though Tear's Holy Song makes him feel stronger and the aches to go away, Luke can't help looking at the sky in dread before staring at their surroundings. The tree Ion was in is partially destroyed now, and the soldiers didn't even stand a chance against the power of that spell.

Luke had never seen that arte before. It was amazing... but at the moment, Luke can't dwell on that. Even he knew what such a flashy move meant.

He gripped his sword in his hand and stepped in front of the group, eyes on their surroundings and watching for signs of movement, and he waved his hand back in a gesture for them to go.]

Go, get Ion out of here! I'll back you guys up!

[subethical]

Not so fast Luke. It could be dangerous to move him. Tear, have you healed all of his injuries? [Jade knelt down by Ion, and gently placed a hand on his neck to search for a pulse. Tear's seventh fonons would be useless to them if Ion had died in that fall. They didn't have the resources nor the time to cart around a deceased party member. On top of that, Jade doubted the other two would leave him in either case.

Luckily, Ion's pulse was steady, and his breathing was regular. Still, there was no way to judge if Ion had sustained any severe internal injuries. Jade took a moment to deliberate. All of Ion's visible injuries had been healed by Tear's last spell. Ion was alive. There was no time to construct a brace of any sort, and if they left him here he would probably die. They would simply have to deal with the consequences of moving him if they arose later. Jade lifted Ion to carry himself.] Nevermind. There's no time.

Luke, if you're going to cover us, don't fall too far behind, and don't get separated. I doubt we would be able to find you again.

[seleniahymn]

I'll work on it now. [Without hesitation she begins to cast Healing Circle on the boy, hoping to lessen the extent of the injuries so his transportation to the base camp would not be as painful. Yet the dire situation was not enough to distract her from what Luke had just suggested, that he stay while they took Ion to safety.

Just as he would back home once they defeated Van.]

Luke... [There was no point in arguing it, not when it was the only way they could get the Fon Master to safety. That didn't mean she had to like it.] ... Come back to us.

[cakeblocked]

[For a moment Luke just faces beyond them, sword tense and ready, and nodded to Jade's words. He'd follow them once they'd leave, though he'd keep his distance. He didn't want to alert the soldiers to where the group was heading.

Once Tear speaks up, though... Luke turns to look straight at her and offer a nod, plus a reassuring smile.]

I will. I promise.

[They'd better get a move on, though, because Luke can already hear some rustling from far away, closing in.]

[subethical]

[What an oddly similar situation... but there was no time to ponder the meaning of that.

Jade gives Luke a farewell nod, and shifts Ion into an easier position for him to be carried. He too, heard the rustling--they couldn't afford to waste any more time on well-wishing.] Tear. Let's go.

[seleniahymn]

Right. [She'll just have to hope that they come back in time to help Luke as she quickly took the lead, trying not to look back at him.]

[subethical]

[As the sound of swords clashing begins, Jade sets off into a brisk run, backtracking over the path they'd carved to get out this far into the jungle.

The trip to camp held very little surprises, and Ion still hadn't moved.]

[seleniahymn]

[It was rather fortunate that they managed to make it, since Tear wasn't as well-suited for physical combat as the average melee fighter. Now that they've laid Ion on one of the cots her attention is focused almost entirely on him, waiting for further instruction.]

[soreplaceable]

[The whole time he was carried by Jade, Ion was out like a light. He didn't wake at all, even after he was set down on a cot back at camp. But his breathing was still steady and his pulse didn't seem too out of the ordinary.]

[When he eventually starts blinking his eyes open, he doesn't seem very responsive. The last thing he saw was the forest floor, and now... the faces of Tear and Jade.]

[He doesn't make any attempt to speak or move, but he does blink his eyes a few times, as if trying to adjust them.]

[subethical]

You've hit your head rather hard. If at all possible, I would resist moving around too much.

[Good, Ion was conscious. However, this meant they were now left with the task of gauging the extent of his head injury. If they were lucky, Ion wouldn't show signs of any amnesia. He would likely experience a bit of initial confusion, but if his injury wasn't severe, he should at least be able to answer simple questions.]

Do you remember where we are?

[seleniahymn]

[The amount of relief she feels when Ion opens his eyes is palpable, but Jade's first question helps to water it down almost as soon as it came. What would they do if he became amnesiac...?]

Fon Master...?

[soreplaceable]

[Ion blinks up at Jade and then glances over at Tear. He looks confused, but with good reason.]

This is... weren't we just in the forest? [Right now, his voice is steady and clear. As Jade instructed, he resists moving his head, but he does glance around again. He doesn't know how long he's been out of it.] ...where's Luke?

[subethical]

Indeed. [Jade relaxes very slightly. He seemed to have a clear grasp on their most recent events. This was a good sign.

Jade paused for a moment to carefully consider how to answer Ion's next question. True, the truth may worry him, but Ion wasn't unfamiliar with the workings of battle.]

Luke volunteered to fall behind and cover us as we retreated. If all goes well, he should be re-joining us shortly.