The rest of the first day out passed by uneventfully. No patrols were spotted on the horizon and the trail was empty except for them. Before full dark set in, they chose a spot off the path partially hidden in the trees. Leeteuk crafted a shelter for them again, which they helped to disguise with snow and debris. A watch order was established before they settled down for the night. Kharin took first watch, followed by Eunhyuk, Kyuhyun, Summer, Siwon, Eleanara and Leeteuk.
As she had been hoarding her power all day, Eleanara finally unbent enough to set up a watch light as she had done before. The expenditure was not nearly as trying as it had been before and she joined the rest in finishing off a ration. Due to his continuous use for most of the day, Eunhyuk had two and concluded that Gairen's was much better than the monastery's. As loyal as they were to Yoogin, none could find the heart to argue otherwise… Leeteuk remembered to leave a raised dais for Kyuhyun to set the fire on; at least until they went to sleep, and he made sure the watch had a seat to rest on.
Before long, the two large blankets were spread out and the sleeping rolls laid over those. Siwon and Kyuhyun opted to take the outermost edges, if only because they were more resistant to the cold. The others filled in the middle as they were wont to do. As the watch changed throughout the night, arrangements were altered several times as the temperatures dropped and individuals cuddled closer for the warmth. As morning approached, it was quite commonplace for limbs to drape over sleeping bodies, casual and unconcerned.
Leeteuk was almost reluctant to wake them at all, since the group looked so peaceful and content sleeping under the shelter. Just this time, he wanted to let them sleep just a bit longer. Alertly, he sat down on the raised seat he had set up the night before and leaned forward to place a hand against the ground, listening. He closed his eyes to see if it would help him to 'see' better and so missed the shadow that passed over their shelter swiftly in the morning light. Yep. There were definitely patrols around, but he still couldn't tell where they were clearly. One was definitely behind them, in the direction of Moorhall and another was somewhere up ahead.
Thoughtfully, he opened his eyes and leaned back, pensive. Why were there so many patrols in this area? It wasn't as if it had anything important here… One small village in the middle of nowhere was nothing to be overly worried about and he doubted Fairwinter was anything special in that regard either. Was it possible they were looking for the monastery? He paled as the next thought sent a chill through him. Could Enryhll know the elementalists had been reborn? Leeteuk jumped as hands slid over his eyes and for a brief instant, he panicked. Immediately, he shoved the rock stool back into the earth to slide out from the other's grip and snagged his staff as he rolled to his feet in a flurry of snow.
"Some watch you're keeping," Siwon laughed nervously. He had meant it as a joke but Leeteuk's reaction made it anything but funny.
His heart hammered painfully in his chest as he realized it had been a false alarm. He forced a laugh and made himself relax as he leaned on the staff in as casual a manner as he could. "I was listening…just not for you guys," he explained haltingly, searching for an explanation that wasn't as embarrassing as him not paying attention. Forcefully, he pushed the thoughts aside and walked over to Siwon who eyed him curiously but shrugged after a moment.
"So what's the outlook this morning?" Eunhyuk called as he stood up in the shelter, giving Kharin and Eleanara a hand up distractedly.
Grateful for the change of subject, he slapped Siwon on the shoulder, a reassuring gesture, and took a deep breath. "From what I can tell, there are two patrols in the area. One behind us and one somewhere ahead of us. I can't be sure of their distance though," he shrugged.
"Do you think it's possible they're regular patrols?" Kyuhyun asked, disgruntled with the idea of being flanked.
Kharin scoffed at the idea as she pushed her braided hair back over her shoulder in a typical gesture. "If Marcus's reaction was anything to go by, not likely."
"I guess that means we'll just have to be extra careful then," Siwon pointed out, using Kharin's shoulder as a prop to lean on as he nodded at her.
"Aren't we always?" she asked, leaning back towards him and offsetting his balance so he took a step back, an amused grin on his face.
"If Eunhyuk's been wiping the trail behind us, I don't see why the patrol near the village would even know we're here," Eleanara started. "Unless…they're on their way back." Her face fell at the lousy thought and then took a deep breath.
"Let's deal with that if it happens," Leeteuk mentioned, moving over to pat her arm comfortingly. The gesture made her smile and took away some of the tension she had automatically adopted.
Summer looked at Kyuhyun beseechingly, a tin cup in her hand. "Were you going to heat the water this morning?"
"Ah, why not?" he shrugged, glancing over at Siwon who still carried the pot they used. The water elementalist filled it before handing it off and Kyuhyun used the same method he had for melting the ice in the waterskins, but with more power behind it. It did not take long for the water to steam and boil softly in the cold morning air. Abruptly, he removed the hand heating the water with an audible hiss of pain and all eyes turned to him, on alert.
Eleanara was quick to respond to that sound and hurried over to his side, mindful of the hot water pot and nudging past Summer who had moved closer to see as well. "What happened?" she asked intently, reaching for the hand he was still shaking out.
"I burned myself," he blurted in astonishment, clearly surprised that was a possibility.
Eleanara managed to trap the flailing hand gently and held it still when he frowned at her. She noticed the red mark and the beginnings of a heat blister on his palm and she chided softly, "Just because you're a fire elementalist doesn't mean you're immune to heat. No more than I'm immune to light," she pointed at the sun and then her reddish nose and cheeks where the light had burned her the other day.
The remark startled him and then he laughed and smirked as he shook his head. "Go figure. Ow!" he yelped as she covered his palm gently with her own and before he could complain about it, she removed her hand to show that his was completely healed.
"There," she smiled, letting go of his hand and nodding in satisfaction. Her task done, she stepped back and let Summer take the spot she had displaced her from.
While Kyuhyun was still thinking about the new truth he had to deal with, he went ahead and poured Summer a cup of hot water, offering the others some as well. Siwon accepted a cup and ruffled his hair for good measure, making the younger man frown and attempt to fix it with his free hand. Leeteuk assisted him with that first and then proffered his cup in turn. Kyuhyun easily poured another cup and then noticed a similar coloration on Leeteuk's face. "You should get Eleanara to look at your burn too," he added uncertainly, gesturing at his own face as a mirror for the other man's.
Leeteuk pressed gently on his nose and cheeks and winced when the flesh proved to be quite tender. "I might at that," he smiled, nodding in thanks.
"The sunburn is worse for those in front," Eunhyuk added, gesturing at his and Kharin's relatively unblemished skin. They had the bodies of those in front to block the worst of the glare. "That or our constitution's just better," he teased gently, before he hauled his pack out of the shelter.
The others were retrieving their packs and replacing sleeping rolls in the meantime. Siwon retrieved and folded the waterproofed blankets and then settled himself down to eat. Leeteuk deconstructed the shelter before he approached Eleanara about taking care of his sunburn, amused she had not yet done so for herself. Kyuhyun dumped the rest of the hot water and returned the pot to Siwon, unsure if he felt betrayed or just uncertain about being burned by it. Siwon just laughed and handed him a ration instead. "Don't worry about it too much. We're all still learning the ins and outs of this elemental thing," he shrugged, unconcerned by the complications that may yet arise.
"Easy for you to say. You might get wet," Kyuhyun muttered, annoyed by the assurance, but he did take the ration that was offered.
The simple fare was quick and easy, and they were finished with the site taken care of in under an hour from waking. Eleanara had finally taken care of both her and Leeteuk's sunburns and with the rest had strapped into their packs, still marveling at the feel of healing herself. Tentatively, she kept touching her nose just to make sure and giggled at herself.
"You laugh now," Summer mentioned in a conspiratorial tone as she walked past, "but gods help you if you break a bone." She shuddered at the memory of being healed when she had fractured her ankle and laughed at Eleanara's wide-eyed expression.
"Don't scare her like that, Summer," Siwon chided as he came up behind her and rested his chin on the top of Eleanara's head. She giggled and ducked out from under him, hurrying up near the front where Leeteuk was reading the earth again, kneeling with his hand placed against the ground. "Well. I guess it's time to move out," he grinned, snagging both Summer and Kyuhyun and propelling them forward.
Uncertainly, Eunhyuk peered up the path behind them, his expression intense as he listened to the wind. Kharin leaned closer in an attempt to try and hear too, but laughed and danced away when he poked her in the side with a grin on his face. "Nothing's there," he assured her, gesturing her to follow the group too. "But I'll let you know if there is," he winked, punching her lightly in the shoulder.
"You better," she remarked, feinting back at him. She laughed when he flinched at the mock punch and then dropped her hands to move closer to him again. His relaxed smile was enough to know that even though they messed with each other, they were still on good terms.
The morning moved steadily onward with the group being unusually quiet. With the real threat of two patrols in the area, they were extra alert and very observant. Leeteuk paused fairly often to listen and Eunhyuk took the opportunity to do the same in the rear. It was getting to be about time for them to call a break again when both Leeteuk and Eunhyuk stopped altogether. Leeteuk grabbed Eleanara's hand and pulled her after him to the side of the road where he forced an inclined trench in the ground large enough to hold them all.
"Hurry," he waved urgently, helping Eleanara in first and then waiting for the rest to slide their bodies into the hiding place before he backed in and drew the ceiling down carefully, leaving them a slit to peek through.
"Was it a patrol?" Kyuhyun hissed uncertainly.
"I think so," Leeteuk nodded, glancing over at Eunhyuk who nodded in agreement. He reached over and grabbed Kharin's hand, as much to give reassurance as to ask for it himself.
She squeezed his hand back and watched intently as figures eventually filed into view. There were about fifteen figures in all, dressed in similar white overcoats so there was no telling what sort of armor they might have beneath it. On each coat however, was the unmistakable symbol that Summer wore around her neck…the embodiment of all six elements. Enryhll. The soldiers all wore longswords at their hips and a handful carried halberds, the long weapons bobbing menacingly in their midst. The party paused when they came upon the churned snow in the middle of the path and the group in hiding groaned. Their tracks… The patrol drew their longswords and the first set of five began to approach their hiding place.
"I don't think that's a friendly group," Kyuhyun murmured tensely.
"I think you're right," Leeteuk muttered bleakly.
"Are we fighting?" Kharin asked as she used her free hand to feel for her mace.
"Looks like it," Siwon stated grimly, reaching for his maul.
Eleanara squeezed Leeteuk's hand and murmured, "On your mark." They heard the soft whisper of weapons being drawn and they could see Summer ready with her sais.
"Here goes," Leeteuk murmured breathlessly as the group continued to move closer to their hideout cautiously. When they were about five feet away, he opened the top of the shelter like a fan and shoved the ground in front of him up and out, throwing the men in front away from them and into the men behind them.
Mayhem ensued as the patrol immediately retaliated, charging the newly emerged party, undaunted by their sudden attack. Among the fastest in the group, Eunhyuk darted forward and blinded the front line attackers with a haze of wind driven snow. He attacked first and bounded back upon having his sai deflected by whatever was underneath the coat. Siwon knocked the man directly in front of him back with a massive swing of the maul, the heavy head connecting with something fairly solid underneath and then following through as the armor gave and the figure crumpled. Kharin delivered a savage blow to the head of the man in front of her and she watched in horrified amazement as blood splattered the snow, the light helmet no match for her attack. She swallowed her horror and stood beside Siwon, ready for the next attacker.
Leeteuk tripped the nearest attacker and then trapped him with an earth blanket as he pulled the rock over his lower body, rooting him in place. He blocked out the sounds of the screams and focused on keeping those near him alive. He watched as Summer sparred fiercely with one of the sword wielders, deflecting the heavy attacks with some difficulty. Savagely, he opened a fissure in the ground so the attacker would stumble, giving her just enough opening to thrust the sai through his throat, one of the only unarmored places on his person. He coughed up blood on her as his breath wheezed through the punctured windpipe and she kicked him back, shock on her face.
"Summer!" Eleanara called sharply, snagging the other woman's arm and dragging her back to give her time to recover, her dagger at the ready in case anyone pursued.
Kyuhyun was making his way around behind the distracted attacking party, trying to find a clear shot where he wouldn't endanger his teammates. He had managed to work himself to the side that the patrol had come from originally which is why he was the first to notice the larger patrol coming from up the mountain. "Behind!" he cried, throwing a massive fireball at the three men nearest him and furthest from the others. The ground beneath them exploded as the ball of fire connected, badly burning them in the process and sending shrapnel in every direction, tearing through armor and bone alike. Some of the pieces pelted Siwon and Kharin, ripping their coats and scarring their faces before they were able to look away in time to protect their eyes. Leeteuk had managed to pull up a defensive wall of rock and Eunhyuk had been behind enough bodies but he was nearest the oncoming patrol. While he harried them with another barrage of wind and debris, the others were trying to recover themselves to meet the new threat.
Kyuhyun was assailed by the familiar stench of burning flesh and he heaved reactively, having to turn away from the torn and charred bodies before him. They had been men before but now those three were unrecognizable… "Snap out of it!" Leeteuk yelled into his ear as he hauled him back to the wall he had raised. "Kharin!" he yelled, pointing at the new group coming down the path. He made sure Kyuhyun was okay before he rushed up beside Siwon and nodded at the nine that were left from the original party. "Do you think they can swim?" he asked, not waiting to see if Siwon understood what he was talking about before he tore a hole open under the soldiers so that they tumbled in. Behind him, he felt Summer cancelling out some of his strength, moderating what he was doing.
The hole was shallower than he intended but in the next instant it was full of freezing cold water and eight of the nine men were chest deep in it. They dropped their weapons in a blatant attempt to get out. The ninth, a halberdier, was charging them blindly, battle fury taking him over. Before they had time to react, a sai came whistling end over end and stabbed him through the eye. His momentum carried his body forward though the halberd dropped from unresponsive hands and clattered softy in the trampled snow. Pained screams from the mountain path drew their attention.
Kharin sent a shadow blade through the midst of them, cutting a clean line through the center and slicing straight through at least five of them at the waist. They fell over into two pieces and the men around them lost it. In a frenzy, they charged the group, heedless of the archers behind them. "Watch out!" Eleanara shrieked as she was the first to see the arc of arrows streaming their way. The first round fell short, and one even caught one of their allies as they charged, but another volley followed shortly after, thudding into the ground around them with alarming speed. "Shield!" she cried, watching as the arrows bounced off the invisible dome she was able to lift up. It would do nothing for the warriors charging them but at least they wouldn't have to worry about archers anymore.
"Leeteuk! Give me a wall!" Kyuhyun snarled, already hurling a fireball at the oncoming mob.
Desperately, Leeteuk hurried to comply, reaching for the space in front of Eunhyuk and Kharin and heaving the ground up. The group threw themselves to the ground as the explosion rocked the earth in front of them, sending shrapnel and pieces of men flying over the wall, hitting the defenders and covering them in debris and gore. The screams of the dying and the panicked carried over to them and the sound might well have driven them mad if a more terrifying one hadn't arrived.
With an earsplitting roar, the snow wyrm plummeted to the earth and crashed into the ground with such force that he threw any humans still standing to the ground and jostled all the rest. Savagely, he snapped and clawed at the now fleeing soldiers, his talons and teeth shortly covered in red. The group of elementalists looked up over the wall in wide-eyed terror at a creature from nightmare. What was a snow wyrm doing less than fifty feet from them…? They didn't exist!
The massive wyrm eyed the small group speculatively, marking the five it could see and recalled the two hiding behind the wall. Having cleared the immediate area of further distractions, it was oblivious to the remnants of the patrols, some of who were crawling weakly under foot, desperately trying to get away. More lives were snuffed out carelessly when it stepped forward and, very deliberately, destroyed the low wall hiding the final two.
Kharin and Eunhyuk screamed in sheer terror as the massive talons sliced through the barrier in front of them, less than five feet away. It dragged its claws back, tearing deep rivets in the ground before it reared its head back, preparing to strike. The pair immediately in front of him scrambled madly to get out of the way, hands and feet sliding on the trampled snow that provided very little purchase.
"Watch out!" Leeteuk warned, his voice cracking. At the same time, Eunhyuk pointed an open hand at Kharin and pushed. A blast of wind shoved her forcefully to the side while the resulting backlash rolled him awkwardly in the opposite direction, closer to the pool of water Siwon and Leeteuk had created only a few moments ago. In the resulting space they had just occupied, the massive draconic head bit down, tearing up a large chunk of the ground and shattering it effortlessly, raining fragments down on them.
Shards bounced harmlessly around both Kharin and Eunhyuk, the invisible barriers surrounding them seamlessly. A lull settled upon the opposing forces briefly before the fight broke out anew.
A terrible crashing sound rammed through the forest to the right where the long tail swept around swiftly, obliterating the trees in its path. Leeteuk didn't even pause to think. He threw up a wall in front of them before grabbing both Summer and Eleanara by the arm and dragging them down as he created a shallow trench under them. Desperately, he extended the self-made trench so that both Siwon and Kyuhyun tumbled into it as the tail slid over them harmlessly, terrible and unstoppable. There was nothing he could do about the other two and he hated himself for it.
Eunhyuk had time enough to react, spying the pool of water and deciding in an instant. Swiftly, he raced for it, using the wind to throw himself at the pool, over a handful of weakly struggling patrolmen, before the tail could reach him. The shock of the water took his breath away as he was completely submerged, the enclosure going dark as the tail swept across, smearing the unfortunate few men who were too slow to get out entirely or duck under. The water turned red around him as he burst from it, gasping and shivering instantly. He couldn't see what had happened to Kharin around the tail and he felt himself panic. She was there by herself…
Kharin had to move closer to the wyrm to avoid the tail and it followed her as she came to a stop before it. Terrified, she lashed out, calling a rain of shadow needles that lanced along its serpentine body, mostly deflecting off the hardened scales. Annoyed, it shook itself roughly, the motion sending the tail sliding back the way it had come.
The other six ducked back into hiding, emerging as soon as the danger was past. "Kharin!" Eunhyuk screamed, the first to react as he hauled himself from the water, his hands responding slowly. The five in the trenches clambered out hurriedly, their hearts hammering in their chests and fear in their eyes.
Nearly paralyzed by the ineffectiveness of her attack with the wyrm looming above her, she was cast in darkness by its shadow. She screamed and cowered before it, overwhelmed by fear as the massive head struck down at her. Her gaze was fixed on the shadows at her feet, seemingly entranced so that she did not see it.
"NO!" came the collective scream of denial as they wyrm took another bite out of the ground where Kharin had been. There was no sign of the elementalist anywhere.
"Kharin!" Eunhyuk cried again, a raw and primal sound. In helpless rage, he roared, reaching with his power to do something… A furious wind howled from behind him, taking with it the body of water he had taken refuge in. Layer by layer of water peeled off as dangerously sharp fragments pelted past him and sprayed against the wyrm, coloring it red and embedding fragments of debris into its body. The power of the wind froze his hair in place and his clothes to his body in turn, but Eunhyuk was oblivious, focused only on hurting the wyrm before him.
It snarled in anger, its vision hazed over by the bloody water and debris lodged in the right eye. The earth trembled as it clawed forward, fighting through the wind easily. It had nearly reached the wind elementalist before a water enshrouded maul flipped end over end towards its head. It had as much force as Siwon could muster behind it and it smashed perfectly into its left eye. An ear-splitting howl pierced the air as the eye was shattered, fragments of pale blue ice carried away by the wind, glistening in the light.
As it reeled back, a massive spire of earth rose beneath it, shattering against the tough belly but distracting it further. The furious and half-blinded wyrm turned and snapped at the new attackers. Kyuhyun was ready for it as he threw a massive fireball at it, catching it full in the mouth. A garbled cry assaulted their ears as fangs and part of the elongated snout exploded in the attack.
Spastically, it writhed, the tail whipping about fiercely and raking debris along with it. A raised earth wall was shattered easily and it was only with the combined effort of Eleanara's barrier and multiple walls that it was halted, banging agitatedly against the invisible barrier. The force of the attack still managed to drive them back several steps, the light elementalist unable to keep the field stationary despite her best efforts. "Focus on the head," she yelled shrilly, aware that she could only buy them time back here. Her strength was useless for taking this monster down.
Kyuhyun renewed his attack on the creature, throwing more fireballs at it and taking out chunks of crystalline flesh from the body while Siwon added the power of his water to Eunhyuk's wind, wearing away at the hardened body in the fury of the ice storm. Leeteuk tried desperately to immobilize the creature, opening holes under the clawed feet and closing them again, only to watch in frustration as the wyrm tore the ground apart in freeing itself.
Assaulted by feelings of uselessness and loss, Summer stood with anger and fear warring on her face. She gasped when she noticed Eunhyuk's peril as he was now fully covered in ice, the clothes he wore and his hair frozen solid. He didn't even look as if he noticed it… "Eunhyuk!" she cried, reaching to quell the power.
He seemed surprised and exhausted as the power stopped responding to his demands. Unable to stop himself, his knees buckled and he fell forward, confused and broken. His power had not been enough and all that was left was the cold. In a haze, he watched the fire explode against the creature and steam rose up in its wake, billowing clouds wreathing it in mist.
It was only when she had managed to calm the fury of his wind power that she realized something else…the power of wind was still active in the wyrm. Carefully, she stared at it, ignoring the sound of its tail behind her and the maddened thrashing in front as it clawed for the elementalists that still harassed it. Finally, the pieces came together in her mind. "It's a construct!" she cried suddenly, almost delirious with exhilaration. The others seemed oblivious to her meaning but she had the power to unmake constructs. Intensely, she reached for the fibers of power that made up the creature and she pulled. Nothing happened at first as it was like pulling against a mountain, but at last, the outermost layer shimmered briefly, seeming to lose the cohesiveness it had held up until now.
A stone spear broke through the belly and then shattered as it solidified again, the tip lodged in the body. Kyuhyun's fire blew off larger chunks, wearing away at the massive structure and, emboldened by his success, moved forward angrily, calling a more sustained fire in front of him. As Eunhyuk had, he had lost all feeling and though the fire grew and ate away at the wyrm even more, causing the form to waver as it started to lose its solidity, it drove his companions back as well. A heat flush afflicted him swiftly as steam began to rise from his coat before it began to discolor as the intense heat started to overpower him too.
"Kyu!" Siwon and Leeteuk cried, unable to get close as the other man screamed in blind pain.
Summer blinked and shifted her attention to the conflagration he had called. It was massively beyond his control now and she immediately relinquished her unweaving to quench the fire. She sagged at the effort it took, breathing hard as the fire extinguished, the cold more intense for its being gone. In horror, she watched Kyuhyun slump backwards, seemingly unconscious and badly burned, his face covered in blisters. Unable to rush to his side, she focused her gaze on the wyrm again and threw herself against the threads that held it together, tearing at it furiously.
The wyrm began to lose strength faster now, but it continued to flail, claws digging ineffectively in the ground and the tail pounded against the shield Eleanara maintained. She was hunched over with the effort needed to keep it up. Leeteuk tried to renew his assault but the earth only rose up halfway to the massive body and stopped before he gasped and collapsed. He had reached his limit…
Siwon continued to wear at it, throwing wave after wave at its head, keeping it unfocused and disoriented. He could tell they were running out of time and none of them still standing had strength enough to finish the creature. Summer was trying but it was such a large construct… He hurled another wave at it defiantly and had to pause to take a breath. When he did, a fierce battle cry echoed over the decimated ground and three shadow blades flew at it in quick succession, slicing through the wavering flesh. One severed the left forelimb and the body crashed to the ground heavily, making those still standing stumble. The other two blades sliced through its neck and chest.
"Die!" Kharin snarled, throwing more shadow blades at it. From the other side of Leeteuk on the side of the path that was still untouched, she hurried from a copse of trees that were still standing serenely, their center shrouded in shadow. Another volley tore through the neck and chest again and with one final, wrenching effort, the creatures roar was abruptly ended as the neck was severed. As the frozen head fell forward, the power that held the construct together dispersed and it turned to snow in the blink of an eye, drifting away in the wind as if it had never been.
Kharin fell to her hands and knees, exhausted and confused. Silent tears wet her cheeks as the survivors looked around dazedly, as confused by her reappearance as she was.
From where he lay on the ground, Eunhyuk felt tears fill his eyes and trail down his cheeks. Relief and joy were the only things he could muster as he looked at the shadow elementalist, frozen eyelashes blinking slowly. "Kharin," he croaked, a smile coming to his face, though he was too cold to shiver and too weak to push himself up.
Siwon shuffled over to Eleanara and picked her up under the arms. She looked at him, briefly confused before he prompted her to move towards the unconscious Kyuhyun. Summer was hovering next to him in a state of near panic as she held his hand tenderly. "Help him," she pleaded, thoroughly unnerved by the sight of the badly burned man.
The broken cry pulled at Eleanara's heart so that she had to take a deep a breath as she knelt next to his still body. She could see for herself that the heat had burned him very badly indeed and the exposed skin was an angry red color and much inflamed with blisters, so much so that she couldn't have opened his eyes if she wanted to. His winter coat had been charred, the outer layer now a dingy black coloration. She set her jaw determinedly and placed her hand ever so lightly on top of his chest, trying to feel what needed attention first.
While she was taking care of that, Siwon was taking further stock of the situation as the most able person still standing. Kharin was struggling to stand and make her way slowly towards them; Eunhyuk was seemingly frozen in place and Leeteuk was crumpled nearby. Quickly, he roused Leeteuk who was drained and lethargic, but otherwise unharmed, and then gestured at the packs. The waking man nodded dazedly and headed to find the nearest one he could. As quickly as was possible, Siwon bypassed him to find another pack and tore the sleeping roll from it. With single-minded determination, he made his way over to Eunhyuk, rolled him into the sleeping roll and then awkwardly picked him up, holding him close and clenching his jaw against how cold he was even through the fabric. Carefully, he made his way back to the others with a glance back to see that Kharin was almost here.
Leeteuk stumbled over with another sleeping roll and laid it out so Siwon could lay the other man down. With the earth elementalist to watch over him, he returned to help Kharin, taking her arm and pulling it over his shoulder. "Glad you made it," he spoke quietly, the words forced as he was going on the dredges of his reserves now.
"Me too," she answered honestly, her voice low and tired.
Questions ran rampant through their minds but there was no time for that right now. The immediate danger was passed but both Eunhyuk and Kyuhyun had been badly injured and required immediate attention. Her hand still resting gently on his chest, Eleanara whispered hoarsely, "I have stabilized him, but if I do any more I'll be useless." They all knew what that meant and nodded to themselves as her face remained strangely impassive.
Leeteuk glanced over to see that Kyuhyun still looked bad off but the worst of the damage had been taken care of. "If you say he's stable, hold off for now," he decided, weary.
She looked uncertainly at Kyuhyun and then Summer who was still watching over him in concern. It was hard, but she forced herself to step away and pushed herself to her feet shakily. There was a pack nearby and she went to it to retrieve the waterskin before she returned to Summer. "Here. See if you can get him to drink some," she offered, knowing dehydration would be his greatest enemy now.
Summer accepted it uncertainly and nodded. Carefully, she tried to position him so she could pour some past his still blistered lips. Fortunately, he came around enough to manage that, though it was obvious he was still in considerable pain.
Eleanara turned to check on Eunhyuk who had Leeteuk and Kharin by his side, chaffing numb arms and trying to return heat to his body. What they would have given for one of Kyuhyun's fires just then. Eleanara enlisted Siwon to have him help her retrieve the rest of their sleeping rolls, the waterproof blankets and most notably a dry pair of clothes for Eunhyuk. Belatedly, she smacked her head and sighed before she looked back at the trio and set up a null-cold barrier around Eunhyuk. She could hear his teeth chattering from here, but that was a better sign than when he hadn't been. Hurriedly, she found Eunhyuk's pack and found the extra pair of clothes they had been given. When she stood up again, it was hard to look at both the injured men and she covered her face for just a second.
Siwon touched Eleanara's shoulder when she covered her eyes tiredly with her hand. It looked as if she was wiping away tears and he pulled her into a light embrace. "You're doing good," he assured her, handing her two more sleeping rolls and then hefting the waterproofed blankets up on his other shoulder.
She nodded quickly and then looked up at him, slightly uncomfortable. "You've got to get him out of those wet clothes."
"Of course," he agreed, the ghost of a mischievous smile on his face.
Siwon went to recruit Leeteuk's help with that and Kharin held up one of the waterproofed blankets for privacy while Eleanara made her way back to Kyuhyun. Awkwardly, she opened the one and laid it over the semi-conscious Kyuhyun who regarded her with pain filled eyes. The other she wrapped around Summer's shoulders, pressing her hand against her shoulder comfortingly as she did so. The neutralizer was using her lap as a pillow for the fire elementalist and he seemed slightly more comfortable for it.
When they gave her the all clear, Kharin lowered the blanket and Eunhyuk managed to give her just the slightest smile. Siwon was placing one of the dry sleeping rolls around him and when he seemed steady enough, Kharin stepped forward and wrapped the waterproofed blanket around him too, holding him firmly and wishing she could stop him from shivering. Leeteuk and Siwon nodded at each other and spread out the other blanket.
"Come on," Siwon gestured, moving the pair to the blanket and getting another sleeping roll ready. "You're not going to warm up fast enough that way." Kharin and Siwon assisted Eunhyuk to the large blanket and then flanked him on either side. Leeteuk laid the other sleeping roll over them and sat on the edge, unsure what to do now. There was nothing more he could do to help either of them…
Kharin had to bite her lip to keep from crying. He was shivering so hard so she tried to distract herself. "What made you think swimming was a good idea?"
"It l-l-looked l-l-like it mi-might be f-f-fun," he chattered, managing a smile for her.
She was glad that he was able to attempt levity and pulled him closer, chaffing his arm methodically. It was probably a good thing he couldn't focus on much of anything else as he would likely have been horrified to learn that his hair was considerably more red than normal…
Like an island, Eleanara stood between the two groups, aware that they were there, but since they had things as under control as they were going to get, given the circumstances, she was stunned by the devastation around them. Nothing of the original path remained. What littered it now was a morbid mix of displaced earth, debris and the littered bodies of the patrol that had to have been looking for them. In light of everything, she just felt empty…
In a daze, she turned back around and went to a pack nearby, she didn't know whose it was, snagged the waterskin and grabbed a handful of rations, at least one for each of them. She gave the waterskin to Leeteuk and he accepted it gratefully, before she set four rations down at his side. It took her a second to recall what else she was doing before she headed over to hand two more to Summer and then finally let herself collapse next to Leeteuk.
Leeteuk watched her with some concern. She was still ambulatory which was saying something, and she had taken all the injuries quite well, but he wasn't sure she wasn't going into some sort of shock. Not that he could blame her, or any of them for that matter, as a glance around showed mostly expressionless faces overall. He took a sip of water and handed the skin to Eleanara. To her credit, she reacted well to that and he smiled when she began eating. Whatever Kharin had told her must have stuck since he wasn't the slightest bit hungry and he doubted she was either.
In the aftermath of the battle, the day didn't seem quite so bright and cheerful anymore, though the sun still shone brightly. It did not take long for all remnants of the battle high to wear off and true exhaustion to set in. One by one, they drifted to sleep. It didn't matter that it was the middle of the day or that there was carnage all around them. It didn't matter that some of them were still sitting up or that the one had finally stopped shivering. Sleep claimed them, leaving them utterly helpless. When a small party found them unconscious in the middle of the decimated area, they were completely unaware of anything at all.