Hello! Back again, and the journey shall commence!
Enjoy.
-There's Always Something in the Woods-
Hotohori glances over at his priestess once again. In doing so, he realizes that Nuriko is doing the same thing, equally concerned. He's not where he expected to be at this time a couple nights ago. He's glad to be here of course, at this campfire in the woods, somewhere in his empire, but…
"Hey, you haven't really opened up about what happened since you got back. I mean, I get that Chichiri left. Are you sure you're up for this?" Nuriko asks, finally unable to keep up her façade of ignorance. Tia doesn't twitch. Her eyes stay on the straw hat she keeps hold of. Then, as if there was a few seconds of delay between Nuriko's voice and Tia's ears, she reacts.
"Huh?" She looks around the campfire, to see the concerned faces of Hotohori and Nuriko. Chiriko only stares in dazed wonder. "Oh, yeah, I'll be fine. I don't think I can talk about it yet. I'm glad you're here though, Hori-sama. I promised adventure and here we are!"
Her obvious subject change is greeted civilly. After all, she did at least admit she didn't want to talk about it yet. They'll have to deal until then. Tia realizes how warranted the question was and swings into happy mode, despite being drained from travel and, darn it, emotions too.
"Be honest: You are okay with being out here, right? You're a bit regal for roughing it. Come to think of it," she looks around at the three of them and smiles lopsidedly. "All of you are rich people. This might be interesting for different reasons."
It's their first night camping, and she never noticed while on autopilot that she made the fire pit… And scouted the water… And helped most with the tent. Not much talking involved in the process, but her warriors are out of their element right now.
"We'll squeak by, since you seem to be the expert peasant," Nuriko snips, crossing her arms in a sulk. Tia purses her lips, too tired for a proper comeback. Hotohori takes over the conversation, stoking the fire as he does so as if to prove he can manage camping despite his upbringing.
"It is as Nuriko says, somewhat; we will learn and make it through well enough. I am grateful to you for the opportunity to be here, of course. Your powers of... persuasion are admirable," he says, the glow of the fire enhancing his golden stare to the max. Nuriko and Chiriko glance between them as Tia shrugs, making the motion of getting comfortable against the tree she's leaning up against.
"What exactly did you do? We left in such a hurry I didn't get past the general hubbub of the gossip chain," Nuriko questions, lifting an eyebrow. Tia's lips finally curl in a true smile.
"Ey, I learned from Ace Attorney how to barge in and yell at anything I deem wrong. If his advisors and cronies want Konan saved, they have to let Hori-sama out to do his thing as a celestial warrior."
"Makes sense." No one wanted to satiate their curiosity on what "Ace Attorney" was, so Nuriko ignored it. "Are we sure we should've brought Chiriko in this state though?"
Tia sighs, shooting her friend a flat look, saying, "We couldn't leave him, he'll prolly snap out of it at some point. Chiriko is stronger than you're giving him credit for."
Nuriko rolls her eyes, mumbling under her breath. Tia continues after a bit of thought.
"Although... We need someone rugged. Like, someone who can do all this and more, knows the land of Konan, can get up and personal with any bullies on the road, knows the people. I dunno," Tia says, mind wandering to images of Flynn Ryder from Tangled. There's general murmurs of agreement as Chiriko scoots toward the priestess for a feeling of security.
The group dozes around the fire, with belated thoughts of posting a sentry and setting shifts coming and going. They're out in the woods and Nuriko had said earlier they weren't quite in bandit country yet. They'll be fiiiiine. Just before she drifts off into true slumber, she taps the straw hat next to her ever so gently.
"Nighty-night wherever you are, Magic-Man."
...
It didn't take long for him to settle into wandering again, even if he's technically got a general destination. Now, sitting on a broad, low branch of a tree for the night, he gasps awake from the hazy slumber he was in. Sitting still as possible, he then relaxes. He smiles before he can really help it.
"Good night, Tia."
When she appeared in the woodlands of the unfamiliar land, all she could see for too long were spots. The electric blue light had been way too bright for her eyes to properly handle. But still, the thin trees around her, spindly pines that let plenty of sunlight through to the mossy, marshy floor… Definitely isn't the library where she was.
"Uh-oh. Not to be a downer to whatever brought me here but I already know where this is, and I'm pretty sure Tia is your chosen one, not me," Carly grumbles, still squinting to help her eyes adjust easier.
With hands on her hips and vision finally clearing, she scans her surroundings and sighs. Not a soul. No buildings. Not even a discernible trail from any local wildlife.
"That's either a curse or a blessing. Guess I'll just pick a direction and go," she decides, nodding decisively to herself and stepping off. She chooses the least murky, goopy path she can.
It's no pain to her, going so long, though it is unnerving. She can be in the woods a couple nights, sure. Physical activity isn't a problem either, she's a farm girl born and raised. But… no people around makes things eerie. And she could always bump into bad people, like Tia did...
Or a bear.
She hates bears.
Carly shivers at the thought of encountering the beast of her nightmares. It makes her ears ring as every shift around her now becomes suspect. With her heart beginning to race, she walks faster.
In her haste, she thinks she hears a tune nearby. Nothing recognizable, but definitely an instrument and not a bird. With a pulse that's only going faster and a mind getting too dizzy with paranoia, Carly sets in the direction of the song.
With any luck, it'll be someone she can trust!
Trees fly past in a blur. Her lungs burn with the effort to keep oxygen flowing to her body. The steady roar in her ears allows her only specks of Nuriko yelling somewhere behind, and also…
Wolves. The wolves.
As far as Tia knows, which isn't a lot because all she did was get up and run per Hotohori's command, someone attacked their camp with wolves. Between the normal panic and prayers for safety for her friends and wishing a certain someone would magically pop up and make things all better, she's rightly bewildered. "Who the hell attacks with wolves?!"
She's a little surprised they haven't caught her, given she's slow and sightless in the predawn woods. Easy prey.
"And I forgot to grab the hat!" she wails inwardly, though scolds herself right afterward. Steeling her nerves, more out of desperation than determination as her lungs are in too much pain to go on, she finds the broadest tree and slams her back to it. Groping around, luck would give her a sturdy fallen branch.
"Okay… c'mon… I got work to do… no dyin'... Here…" she wheezes. The three wolves snarl, outlines barely visible. She coughs, sputtering for breath, and knows that vomiting is likely around the corner.
"I can handle this," she tells herself, though it's not convincing. Her eyes water from the pain, but she glares to show her lupine foes that she's not outright spooked.
The wolves don't care. One gets its preferred angle and snaps forward and earns a swipe from the stick!
Swoosh!
Poof!
Poof?
Tia blinks, wondering if her eyes are deceiving her due to stress and false dawn. She's down to two wolves, the first has been obliterated from existence. She doesn't get to contemplate more as a yell of exertion sounds outside her frame of vision. A boulder comes catapulting from her right, taking out the other two wolves, which also happen to be fakes.
Moments later, Nuriko enters the small clearing created by her attack, breathing heavily. Tia drops her branch, sensing that the immediate danger is over. Shivers involuntarily make her teeth chatter as all the fight leaves her, which she tries to hide as much as possible from her warrior friend.
Nuriko places a warm, bracing hand on the side of her arm.
"You okay? Glad we figured out those wolves were a fake out, but we need to get back to His Majesty and Chiriko," she says, taking charge while Tia's brain is still muddled.
"I'm fine… You're not hurt are you?" Tia asks, catching up with what's happening. She sees a couple scratches on her friend's face that trickle blood and reaches for them. Nuriko grunts in surprise at the action.
"Those aren't good," Tia mumbles, licking her thumb and swiping them over the scratches. Nuriko huffs.
"They're superficial, from tree branches while I was chasing after you. We need to move on, you mother hen," she argues, sliding an arm across Tia's back to lead her back the direction they came and keep her steady. The presence of Nuriko's arm around her back makes Tia feel tingly.
It's silent between them as they pick their way carefully back, listening for their companions or for an assailant. It's a bit lighter now, bringing their surroundings into a hazy sort of focus. Nuriko pauses them to squint around.
"We must've tracked back wrong, we should've found each other by now. Let's go back a little and see where we messed up," she suggests, allowing Tia to turn. A realization seems to hit her at the same time, and her arm snaps back to her side.
"What you mean is that there's no way I managed to run that far away." Tia laughs dryly at her self-deprecating joke, glancing at her warrior for a reaction. Nuriko smiles, a different smile from her usual smarminess.
"No, it means you have longer legs than I gave you credit for."
Tia blushes and drops the issue. She's grateful that Nuriko lets her, too. They both continue on until it becomes increasingly clearer that they're lost in the mountain woods. Any embarrassment from before dies away and concern replaces it.
"Maybe we should move down the mountain and get to the road?" Tia suggests, earning a contemplative hum. They don't have supplies or money, and that leaves them with little options.
Then, while shifting her weight between her feet, Tia sinks slightly, a clicking sound accompanying her whoop as she pitches forward. Nuriko gasps.
"Tia!"
Something from above begins to swing down and the warrior dives forward without a second thought. She tackles the priestess out of the way of whatever trap was sprung, the blade grazing her back and slicing off her braid. She grunts in pain and Tia squeaks.
"Nuriko, oh God, are you okay?"
She's kept pinned under as Nuriko grimaces, unable to rise due to pain. Tia can tell she's about to pass out. Even so, Nuriko smiles.
"Dummy. Be more careful next time," she whispers, and tears spring to Tia's eyes. Nuriko drops, her full weight burdening her breathing but keeping her from outright panicking. Then, she notices that there are shuffling noises in the woods around them.
Before Tia can get a good look at who's approaching, a boot to her head promptly has her joining her friend in unconsciousness.
...
When next she wakes, Tia takes a few groggy minutes of looking around to understand that she's been moved into a building. The room is a bit musty, with cobwebs in corners and dirt on the walls, but the floor is tiled and there are a couple of doors across from her. Mid-sized. Her gaze scans over and when it catches Nuriko leaning against a wall, she jolts.
"Nuriko! Ugh," her head throbs from the sudden movement, her ankles and wrists protest. They're bound, and with what feels like chains!
Nuriko groans, but her eyes don't open. Whoever has them captured has her secret figured out; they went through the trouble of taking her shirts off and leaving her with only the bandages that wrapped around from the wound on her back. Tia knows that it doesn't bode well for their situation, but at least they're both alive for now. She begins her worm crawl to get over to her friend.
"Why did you do that, why didn't you just. Do something else that didn't get you hurt!" she thinks, though guilt sours her gut. She feels responsible. After an excruciating amount of time spent wriggling to her, Tia props herself next to Nuriko and nudges her with her shoulder.
"Nuriko, c'mon, wakey time!" She makes sure not to be too loud in her insistence, as she doesn't know where their captors are. Nuriko grumbles more before opening her eyes at last.
"Ugh, what happened? Tia…?"
Relief washes over her, but Tia keeps her cool because of their circumstances.
"Hey, I'm glad you're awake. I don't know where we are but it's definitely a pickle," she explains, biting her lip afterward at seeing Nuriko wince as she repositions slightly.
"I can see that. You're okay though? Not hurt?"
Tia shakes her head.
"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about, they bandaged the cut on your back but who knows how long that will hold out. And then there's your hair, that trap blade cut your braid off," she says. She's anxious about the reaction her friend will have, given the significance of that braid…
"Ah," Nuriko moves her head around with a grim smile, "I thought my head felt a bit lighter. But that's okay. I was getting ready to trim it off anyway."
"But, you can't emulate your little sister as well, and…"
Nuriko smirks, moving forward to knock foreheads with Tia. At least, that's what Tia thought it would've been, but instead, it was more like a nuzzle.
"Tia, I think I'm more of a man right now. Don't you?"
She can't look away from his eyes. Her breath hitches in her throat, making her incapable of response.
It's footsteps and chatter coming toward them from outside the room that tears the moment apart. They brace themselves as one of the doors opens to allow in a trio of men.
"Aw, you two're awake! Good fer you. Found ya stumblin' 'round our turf and wunnered whatcha wan'ned so we broughtcha back 'ere," their apparent leader explains, all country swag and pomposity.
That is, until the dark blue-haired man behind him smacks his head to the chuckles of all.
"Don't be a weirdo," he states, now taking the lead. Tia can tell by the way the other two act that this handsome fellow is well-respected and liked, wherever they are. The man sets his eyes on them, a thoughtful expression on his face. Tia and Nuriko wonder if he's the reason they're even still alive.
"No money, no possessions except fer what clothes are on ya, now that's different. We're the legendary bandits of Mount Reikaku. How will you pay us fer generously patchin' ya up, huh?"
"Given that it was your dumb trap that hurt me in the first place, I'd say we're even on that front," Nuriko answers flatly, expression focused into a leer. The man chuckles.
"Well, I guess thassa point to make, but ya shouldna been around our mountain in the first place. So how 'bout it?"
Nuriko growls, fighting through his pain to test his might against the chains binding his wrists. Tia, sensing that nothing good will come of any scenario where Nuriko gets out or strains too much and reopens his wound, stomps her two bound feet.
"Hey!"
The man peers at her, a suspiciously too curious frown on his face.
"Take me to parley with your boss. Leave Nuriko out of this, he's wounded and he got that way rescuing me from your trap. So the one who needs to negotiate is me," she says, keeping her face as sober and calm as possible. Any hint of the mayhem and panic in her brain could ruin everything for them.
"Tia!"
She shakes her head at Nuriko's protest.
"Stay calm and keep my temper at bay. I can't call you from here, but please, keep me safe!" She prays, thinking of her dearest to gain the strength she needs.
"Alrighty! I like women who c'n stand up for themselves, aaaand the boss wanted t'see ya anyway. Lemme just get the chains off yer ankles and we can go. No kickin', now," the man chirps, stepping forward with a breezy attitude. Nuriko notes that his two companions don't step forward at all.
"Tia, be careful," he hisses, glaring at the bandit as he hauls her up. Tia winks.
"We're fine. Just get some rest, and who knows? Maybe fate is actually leading us to warrior number five," she says, flashing a confident smile before following the bandits out. Nuriko sits, stunned, before cursing.
"Dammit. Hotohori-sama, Chiriko, you're our only hope right now," he thinks, resigned to taking Tia's advice to rest. At the very least, to his grim satisfaction, the bandits have left him alone. Should he be pressed, he can get out of these chains.
And right now he's starting to feel very, very pressed.
You love to see it. We'll see what the assailant with the fakey wolves has to say for themselves next chapter!
Thanks for everyone reading, I'm still truckin'!
-Til Next Time,
-A
