Night 66: Forest

[sixth_attack]

[From here.]

It was an odd thing really. Sechs had been so used to walking through those rigid hallways for the past few weeks that this trek through wide-open space felt almost foreign to him. No walls, doors, stairs or tiled floors... Just a wet, open field with grass, rocks and the occasional shrub. It was like he had returned to a very old memory, one of traveling for miles on foot through deserts and canyons back at his homeworld. He didn't think he would ever get rusty at this sort of thing! This nighttime walk was reminding him of just how much he missed all that freedom of travel before. Now if it hadn't been raining so damn much...

Ascending the peak of a sloping hill, Sechs paused and scanned the area to make sure they were going in the right direction. The rain was coming down so thick that he had to wipe his drenched hair away from his eyes to see properly. From there he could barely make out the pitch black wall of trees near the base of the hill. Sechs gave out a mixed sigh of relief and trepidation. They had made it to the forest, and so far it wasn't looking one bit welcoming...

"We made it..." he panted, "Now we just gotta find where those leaves come from and whatever water source is nearby..." He stopped and looked to Link, "I don't think there's any paths we can take there. You uh, you good at navigating through forests?" he asked, looking somewhat abashed that he had to ask that question in the first place. "They're uh, not too common back where I come from..."

Comments

[gald_digger]

Anise’s confidence wavered when Claude and Luke didn’t seem to hear what she had, but Guy was agreeing with her, so that had to count for something. She followed where Guy led, wrapping her arms tightly around her body to ward off the cold. Hopefully, this could all be over and done with soon.

The sound grew clearer, but there was still nothing within view. After a few minutes, they finally approached what appeared to be a gap in the trees, and Anise felt hopeful once more. A place where trees wouldn’t grow… maybe that was the river!

Before long, her hopes were confirmed. Somewhere between the trees, she could see the rippling surface of rushing water. “There! That’s it!” she cried, pointing excitedly.

[nobleman]

While Claude and Luke's uncertainty made Guy question what he'd heard, it didn't look like anyone had a better idea, and so they continued in the direction that he'd picked. Guy did his best to shine his light into the trees where he could, keeping an eye out for any monsters that might want to get the jump on them. Surprisingly enough, it was pretty much a clear path that they ended up walking.

As they grew closer, Guy became more aware of the sound of rushing water, though he only allowed himself to feel relief when Anise pointed out that the river was now in plain view for them. "Great," he said as he let out a sigh.

While the hard part was over now, Guy realized that they were about the face the music, so to speak. If they didn't find anything around the river, then they were officially out of options, and would have to resort to surgery. Guy sent Claude and Anise a worried glance before he moved down toward the river and started to search around the banks.

"So, keep an eye out for any plants that might be useful, or anything out of the ordinary..." The problem was they honestly didn't know what they were looking for. His hope was that they'd known what it was when they saw it.

[earthling]

They didn't have much time to stumble blindly through the woods, so Claude was relieved when they managed to find the river without any major hiccups. Of course, their work was cut out for them, and the overwhelming task began to sink in the moment he followed Guy and stared down at the wet underbrush next to the river bank. Claude knew better than to complain out loud, but seriously? They didn't even really know what they were looking for! Talk about finding a needle in a haystack...

On the other hand, he hadn't considered that maybe he ought to be grateful that nothing had tried to ambush them yet. He sure inwardly changed his tune the moment his hardhat light brushed across something that, upon a second glance, looked out of place.

Like an alarmed animal, Claude instinctively froze. "Guys," he breathed, unsure of whether he ought to say more. They would probably see for themselves soon enough.

[damned_monsters]

Underneath the light's beam, the beak-like mask appeared all the whiter, a stark contrast to its cloak, and the rest of the dark forest. Standing within the river itself, it didn't seem to make any move to approach or attack.

The group, however, had definitely been noticed, which became clear when the apparition quizzically tilted its mask to the side, empty eyes pointedly gazing at them.