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

[sixth_attack]

Sechs gulped, perplexed by the whispering words that barely met his ears. He looked down at what was left of the chewed up stem and held it tightly in his hand. Link's question echoed his own; they were going to need a lot more of those flowers...

It was then that another hologram-like display came forth from the masked stranger, this time in the form of a whole bouquet of flowers! Sechs' grin widened with triumphant excitement. There must have been enough to cure everyone at the institute! Aigis and everyone else were going to be ok! He eagerly reached out for the cluster of glowing flowers, but his hand met nothing as the plants suddenly burst into more butterflies. Sechs' grin faded as he watched the delicate insects flutter off into the distance.

"Wuh?!"

For a moment, Sechs felt a surge of anger erupt inside his heart and he gave a reproachful frown at the emotionless mask before him. What the hell did that illusion mean? That there were no more flowers left? Why didn't it say so before? How could that cloaked creature tease them like this?! And what was up with those stupid butterflies anyways? Where the hell were they flying off to...

Sechs just about shot off an angry retort at the stranger when that last thought got him to glare back at the retreating butterflies. They weren't flying off in random directions, but a concentrated flock with one destination in mind: the institute. But why there out of all places? Were they looking for more of the flowers to land on...?

Like a firecracker going off inside his head, Sechs' inner revelation brought a new spark of determination in his eyes, erasing the frustration that marred his face and bringing back his toothy grin of gratitude. Where was the one place at the institute where you could find flowers? The green house! That had to be what the masked creature meant!

"HAH! C'mon Link!" Sechs exclaimed as he turned around and noisily waded through the water towards the river edge. "There's more back at the institute! There's gotta be enough for your roommate and everyone else!"

Crashing and splashing until he was free from the river's freezing embrace, the quivering Replica shook off as much water as he could and stuffed the stem into his drenched pocket. The chilling ache throughout his body barely reached Sechs' mind, he was too enthralled with this personal victory to care. He was feeling the most energy he had ever experienced since before he got sick! Nothing could ruin his combative bliss, not even a bad case of hypothermia!

Barely waiting for Link to catch up, Sechs almost made a dash back into the forest when he remembered one last important thing. He skidded to a stop and turned to face the hovering mask. "Thanks, whoever the hell you are!" he called to the nameless healer. He was then off like a shot back towards the institute. He knew what to do now.

[his_legacy]

Link watched the apparition, perplexed for only a brief moment. It had nothing else to give them. That was what he had been afraid of all along. He jumped as it created another illusion- those butterflies flying off in the general direction of the Institute.

Then Sechs had taken off. Pausing briefly to give a nod and a word of thanks to the strange river creature, he trudged awkwardly through the river after him.

"What did you have in mind?" Link honestly had no idea.

And there couldn't be too much time left, that night.