Apam Woods was located in a depression at the southwestern edge of Dharma Forest. It was the thickest and leafiest area of Sumeru's rainforest, and also the most dangerous. There was a particular microclimate there: it went from good weather to torrential rain, or vice versa, in just a few moments. And whenever it began to rain, the lower levels were inundated in a matter of just seconds. Hence why that place was so dangerous, and why nobody ventured there without a solid reason. It was also one of the reasons why Nahida didn't want Sucrose to go there.
The party of four walked along a narrow path which forced them to march in a single file. Cyno, still employing Sucrose's dowsing rods, was in the lead, followed by Nahida, Sucrose, and Tighnari in the rear. Because of the single file issue, they could speak only with the person directly before or behind them. Thus, Nahida was talking with Cyno; and Sucrose, with Tighnari.
"What about that guy with the long hat from Vahumana Darsham?" Cyno asked. "We could have used his help with this whole thing."
"I know, but he's currently occupied with another issue," Nahia asserted. "And, unfortunately, it's almost as important as ours."
Cyno already had an idea about that other issue Nahida was referring to; therefore, he asked nothing else, and their conversation drifted back towards the matter of the menace and the new Withering.
At the back there was, however, another, completely different topic of conversations: Sucrose and Tighnari were having such a lively chat about biology that they had almost forgotten that they were not on a walk. This conversation had started a while ago, when Sucrose asked Tighnari about the plants in his study, then Tighnari became interested in Sucrose's work in the garden of the Palace of Alcazarzaray, and now they were talking about each other's research. They were so engrossed in their conversation that both Nahida, and much less, Cyno were unable to try to neither stop them nor join them. Their conversation kept this lively until Tighnari asked Sucrose a certain question about the most recent events:
"I confess that I'm somewhat relieved that Collei isn't here, but did you inform her and Sangemah Bay about your absence?"
Sucrose lowered her head. Although Tighnari couldn't see her face due to the fact that he was behind her, he could tell that she was looking sad.
"Well… I would've liked to do it in person, but we were in a hurry and couldn't wait until they got up," she explained, her voice sounding apologetic. "I just hope they understand…"
Soon after, they finally emerged from the narrow path through the thicket into a large open space. At last, the vegetation of Apam Woods could be appreciated in all its splendor. That space was located at a lower level from their position, the path they were on descending directly towards it. Colossal trees rose imposingly towards the sky like towers all over the place, their crowns dozens of meters high, perhaps up to a hundred, or even more. In the center of this clearing, southwards from their position, there was a huge crag surrounded by water, with a humongous hollow tree trunk rising on it. Said tree trunk had a quite peculiar shape, like that of a droplet of water, a blue aura surrounding it, and a strange mystical symbol floating in its large front opening. Humongous roots stuck out from the crag in every direction, so humongous that they were even larger than common tree trunks. Sucrose tried to get a little closer, but Tighnari stopped her.
"Hold it. If it were to rain, the water would rise to where we are now in no time and it would sweep you away if it reached you," he warned.
"It's okay," Nahida said confidently. "There won't be any rain today."
Everybody wondered what Nahida was basing her statement upon with such confidence. Nevertheless, now wasn't the right moment to waste time with explanations; thus, they decided to just let it be and trust her.
"It's a good thing then, because the rods are pointing precisely towards that direction," Cyno said. "And their vibration has increased significantly."
"Are you certain?" Nahida queried, her confidence replaced by concern all of a sudden.
She didn't need to wait for Cyno's answer: she could perceive with her own naked eyes the vibration of the rods, and they were, indeed, pointing towards the humongous tree trunk.
"But that isn't possible," Nahida said in fright. "The menace cannot be there. It just cannot be."
"Why not?" Sucrose wondered.
Because that tree trunk was, in fact, the source of rain for the entirety of Sumeru's rainforest. The rain cycle began there, and also ended. If the menace was really underneath it, the whole climate of Sumeru could be in serious danger.
"Now that I think of it, the day when everything began, the day when the attack on Sucrose occurred, there was also an unprecedented downpour," Nahida recalled, having ever more difficulty in suppressing her dread. "Do you think―?"
"Let's not be hasty," Tighnari interrupted. "The rods may actually be pointing beyond."
"You're right," Nahida realized, trying to regain her composure. "Let's go to the other side and confirm it."
They followed the path down to the lower level and skirted the water surrounding the crag, trusting that Nahida wasn't wrong with her forecast of dry weather. If, by whichever twist of fate, the weather changed to rainy, they would not be able to get out of the lower level in time before the water rose up with enough force to sweep them away as if they were nothing.
They reached the opposite side of the crag and Cyno pointed at it with Sucrose's dowsing rods. Nothing happened. Then, he began to point the rods in every direction. The rods began to vibrate again when they pointed westwards.
"Well, it seems that the trunk is safe," he said.
Nahida breathed a heavy sigh of relief. There was nothing of importance nearby in that direction. In fact, several meters ahead of them there were nothing but large walls of rocks, and beyond them, the great wall that separated the rainforest from the desert.
"I don't think we can keep moving forwards," Tighnari said.
"No. Whether the menace is in the Ruins of Dahri above these walls or in the desert beyond, there is just no direct path towards there from here," Nahida agreed. "Anyhow, our purpose today was only to test the rods, and I say that they work faultlessly. Wouldn't you agree, Sucrose?"
Sucrose was not paying attention; she had her eyes set on something else. She was staring enthralled at a particular tree standing close to their position, at the edge of the upper level. It was a large tree, around twenty meters tall, although it looked rather tiny among all those which were a hundred meters tall. It was in bloom. Its flowers were bell-shaped, with five pinkish petals and a yellowish base. Depending on how they were looked at, those flowers could look like butterflies. Sucrose had never seen those flowers before. They were beautiful. She thought that maybe she could have them in her dreamy paradise.
"That's a Fragrant Padri Tree, also known as Parul," Tighnari explained. "They are extremely rare: counting this one, I've only seen three of them in my whole life."
Parul. At last, Sucrose saw the flower so valued by the Aranara. She would love to approach the tree and see the flowers up close, but she had promised to stay close to the party at all times. The problem was that she was uncertain to ask for it.
"Do you want to get closer to the tree?" Cyno offered.
Sucrose was taken aback. "How did you―?"
"You have the same face that Collei makes when she doesn't know how to ask for something."
Sucrose couldn't help but laugh. She and Collei were certainly alike in many ways. Now that she was more at ease, she confirmed Cyno's deduction.
"I don't see why not," Tighnari opined. "We aren't in a hurry to go back and, like I said, Parul are extremely rare."
"Do they only grow in this area?" Sucrose inquired curiously.
"Only in the most special places," Nahida explained, "and Apam Woods is one of them."
"I 'wood' certainly place this in 'a map'," Cyno added.
Tighnari let out a painful sigh and Sucrose scowled, although it seemed to her that Nahida was trying to stifle a chuckle.
They climbed out of the lower level and approached the Parul tree. Up close the flowers were even more impressive. Indeed, in bloom they looked like butterflies; and their stamina, antennae. Sucrose could not look away. Why had those flowers developed that appearance? If only she could take some back to the atelier to study them thoroughly, but they were just too high and she wasn't sure she wanted to climb the tree in order to reach them. While gazing at the flowers, all of a sudden she gasped in surprise, and the next moment, she fell on her back.
"Ow!"
"Sucrose!"
"Are you alright!?"
"What did you slip on!?"
Sucrose had slipped on nothing. Something had jumped out of the tree onto her, knocking her off balance. The thing was, only Sucrose and Nahida were able to see that something: it was an Aranara. He had an overly familiar appearance and was violet in color. He was standing atop Sucrose, thrashing around and stomping its feet.
"Why has Nara Crows not come to visit Araperke before!?" Araperke yelled angrily. "Araperke felt forgotten!"
The sixth and last of the Aranara siblings, Araperke. Sucrose had finally found him, or rather, he had found her. However, their first encounter hadn't been under the best circumstances.
"I know! And I'm sorry! But, please, stop jumping on me! You're hurting me!"
Although Sucrose could just get up without any issue, she didn't want to be rough with Araperke. She understood that he was angry at her, for she had met every sibling but him for a long time. Moreover, she already knew that he really wanted to meet her, and their feeling was mutual; nonetheless, such a thing never came to occur until then. She felt terrible for him; he must have truly felt left out. Even though neither of them were at fault, Sucrose felt that she had put her foot in something. And she had just done so indeed: in her own mouth:
"Sucrose… who are you talking to?" Tighnari asked, dumbfounded.
Sucrose had been so focused on Araperke that she had forgotten that they were not alone, and that neither Tighnari nor Cyno knew about her gift. Nahida twisted her mouth.
"I try to keep the matter of your ability in secret," she said, "but I can do nothing if you give yourself away."
Nahida stood beside Sucrose and picked Araperke up in her arms in order to get him off of her. Both Tighnari and Cyno only saw her grabbing and hugging thin air.
"What is going on?" Cyno inquired skeptically.
Sucrose was drawing a blank. Could she come up with an excuse? No, no she couldn't, because Nahida had already confirmed that she had a particular ability. In any case, what was the point of continuing to hide this from them? She knew them; she knew that she could trust them. She just needed to remember how much they had cared for her since the first new Withering attack on her. Furthermore, they were also linked by a bond through Collei.
"I have something to tell you both," she decided.
She stood up from the ground and dusted herself off. She was prepared to reveal to them her ability to see the Aranara. However, when she was about to begin speaking, a shout surprised them all:
"I finally caught you!"
"Hey, Dori, don't you think we should leave this be?" Collei insisted worriedly. "We've already seen that she's in good company."
"Absolutely not!" Dori retorted. "We've come too far just to back down now!"
There was no way to stop Dori; she was really bent on berating Sucrose without wasting any time. They had arrived at Pardis Dhyai just when the party was setting off towards Apam Woods, and they had been trying to keep up with their pace ever since. They found them at last in the deepest part of the area, beside a particular tree. Dori didn't think twice and ran towards them.
"I finally caught you!" she shouted.
The four of them turned around in surprise. They must have been quite focused on something, because neither Tighnari nor Cyno had noticed her presence, something which, under normal circumstances, would never have occurred.
"Dori? And Collei, too?" Tighnari said in astonishment. "How did you find us?"
"Quite simple: just by following the footprints of two small bare feet, two medium-sized bare feet, and a pair of particular soles all the way from the palace," Dori explained.
"But still, why are you here?" Sucrose asked perplexedly.
Dori glared furiously at her. "Why do you think so!? she exploded. "You leave without saying anything, and you expect me not to worry!? We got quite scared when we found out that you weren't home!"
Sucrose reacted to Dori's response. Not with guilt or remorse, but with surprise and puzzlement.
"What do you mean, anything? It's true that I didn't do so in person because we were in a hurry, but I left a note stuck on the door frame of the atelier," she said.
Neither Dori nor Collei saw any note on the door. The problem was that neither of them paid any attention; therefore, they could not assert whether there really was a note or not. However, after so much worry, so much anger, and so much walking, Dori was not willing to concede just like that:
"You could have left it somewhere more visible."
"I didn't have anything to affix it to the door with, and I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't blow away," Sucrose explained. "Besides, I trusted that you would see it thanks to your good eyesight."
"Are you saying that this is my fault!?" Dori snapped.
Sucrose got terrified. "No… I…"
She had meant no harm; she had honestly left the note there trusting that Dori would see it. However, Dori took it the wrong way, something Sucrose never wanted. All of a sudden, all the fears she thought she had under control began to overflow her in great quantities, leaving her frozen still. She found herself unable to speak, not even to Dori, the one she thought she knew best. What if she upset her even further? She began to tremble. Only fear and remorse ran through her body. She didn't know what to do, other than wishing to cry.
Meanwhile, Collei beheld the state of affairs alongside Tighnari and Cyno. She felt uncomfortable watching that argument, and she wanted to defend Sucrose, although she didn't know how. Then, she felt a hand gently patting her shoulder. It was Cyno's, who had guessed her intentions. Cyno shook his head.
"This is between them," he said earnestly. "It's not our place to intervene, no matter how it pains us."
Collei then looked at Tighnari, who showed his agreement with Cyno nodding with an equally earnest expression. After all, the relationship between Sucrose and Dori had become something similar to the one the three of them had: one could say that they were having a family squabble. They had to sort it out just the two of them, without anybody else interfering. Nahida thought the same and just watched them, looking dejected while still hugging thin air.
All of a sudden, the little Archon began to stagger, struggling to keep her balance and her arms closed. The other three noticed and looked at her in puzzlement. Nahida could hold no longer. She opened her arms suddenly and almost fell on her back. It had been as if something had wriggled out of her. Then, beside Dori, Araperke appeared. Not only Sucrose and Nahida, everybody could see him. He had come out of the plane of dreams, and he didn't seem to care at all as he stared at Dori.
"Nara Dori! Stop being mean to Nara Crows!" he scolded. "If Nara Dori makes Nara Crows cry, Araperke will not forgive!"
Dori's squabble faded into insignificance, and all eyes turned towards Araperke. Everybody was befuddled, especially Tighnari and Cyno, since this was a first time for them.
"This is…"
"An Aranara?"
As if everything that was already going on was not enough, now they also had to add the spontaneous act of reckless Araperke the violet. The mess just kept getting worse. Nahida breathed a heavy, loud sigh which diverted the attention of everybody towards her; she sounded annoyed. Without so much as a word, she picked Araperke up again ―now Tighnari and Cyno understood why she was hugging thin air― and sat down next to the Parul, placing Araperke onto her lap.
"We will need a while in order to explain everything properly," she said calmly. "Come, sit by me. We shall solve this by talking like the civilised people we are."
Although she spoke calmly, everybody sensed the firmness in her words. The Dendro Archon rarely was this strict; however, when she was, the best course of action was not to contradict her. One by one, everybody sat down until all six of them formed a circle in the following order: Nahida, Sucrose, Dori, Collei, Cyno and Tighnari.
Nahida began by bringing Tighnari and Cyno up to date on the Aranara, as well as Sucrose's gift to see them. Both of them listened closely, but also perplexedly. Each time one of them looked at Sucrose, she avoided her gaze blushing in embarrassment; however, when they looked at Araperke, still visible on the physical plane, the Aranara waved happily at them.
"And that is all that there is to it," Nahida concluded. "Any question?"
Tighnari raised his hand. "If you're only telling this to me and Cyno, does that mean that both Collei and Dori already knew about this?"
Collei nodded shyly. "I already had an encounter with them at one point. I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything."
"It's understandable. This is nothing simple to talk about," Cyno comforted her. "I'll admit that, if we didn't have one before our eyes, I'd have a hard time believing this, even if you were the one telling me."
Although there was a lot to take in, they both were understanding about the whole matter. They also agreed that everything needed to be kept in utmost secrecy; thus, they were not bothered that they had been kept in the dark until then. Tighnari would have liked to ask Sucrose about how she had felt when she found out about her gift, but he didn't want to put any further pressure on her than she was already having at the moment.
"I truly am glad that you both are accepting this kindly," Nahida smiled gently. Then, she turned towards Sucrose and Dori. "As for you two, have you calmed down yet?"
Both nodded, looking quite downcast. They looked at each other, but then looked away ashamedly. An awkward silence dominated the air, until Sucrose took a deep breath and dared to speak at last:
"I'm really sorry," she apologized, looking straight at Dori. "I should have told you in person that I was going out."
"No, I'm the one at fault here," Dori apologized back, looking straight at Sucrose as well. "I wasn't able to accept that maybe I was the one in the wrong, and went on the defensive. And I've made you feel bad."
Sucrose's gloomy expression did not lit up in the slightest. There was still something on her mind. She knew for many facts that such a thing could not possibly be true; and yet, she needed to ensure:
"Dori, do you… Do you hate me?"
Stunned by the remark, Dori stared wide-eyed, mouth agape, at Sucrose. She then gave Sucrose's arm a little, yet firm pinch, which made Sucrose yelp.
"You stupid toadstool. If I hated you, far from coming all the way here to scold you, I would have just carried on like any other normal, average day without caring in the least, and you, just go to hell and never come back," Dori said bluntly. Then, with both of her hands, she took Sucrose's. "I get angry at you because I care about you, do you understand?"
Of course, it had been a stupid question. Despite this, Sucrose felt a great relief all of a sudden. All of their memories together flowed through Sucrose's mind one by one: when Dori took her in, when she presented her her new atelier, when she scolded her for getting lost in the forest, when she gave her her new Catalyst Staff, or when they went to Vanarana together and how much Dori cried for her when she was unconscious. Furthermore, Dori still owed her an explanation about her special treatment towards her. The more she thought about it, the more stupid Sucrose felt for having thought that Dori hated her.
"I appreciate you; you're one of the family," Dori continued. "Thus, it's only natural that I get worried if something happens to you."
Yes, Dori appreciated her. And Sucrose, too, had appreciation for Dori beyond her gratitude towards her for giving her a home. In fact, if she thought about it, Sucrose had come to appreciate everybody in the Palace of Alcazarzaray over time: Mandana, Soltani, Goshtasb, Shaghayeh… Everybody was like a family there, and she was no less. She felt happy. Very happy. She couldn't hold back and hugged Dori all of a sudden. Dori was taken aback at first, but then she hugged Sucrose back effusively.
The others beheld the scene smilingly and in silence. It was rather odd to hear Dori speak without using her peculiar eccentric tone, even to Collei and Nahida.
"In a sense, what Dori has said reminds me a little of the three of us," Tighnari whispered to Cyno.
"Hush…" Cyno shushed.
He pointed at Collei. Tighnari looked at her and saw how, with tears in her eyes, Collei didn't take her gaze off of her friend: she had become emotional. They both smiled.
When they both finished hugging each other, Sucrose and Dori looked at the others and remembered that they were not alone. Sucrose blushed deeply, but Dori mischievously stuck out her tongue at them. Nahida, still with Araperke on her lap, laughed.
"Do you see? If there is a will, anything can be resolved by talking it out," she said. She then hugged Araperke, and her expression became more melancholic. She sighed. "I wish it were like this with everything else…"
The expressions of everybody else ebbed as well. A world without conflict. It sounded so beautiful, yet so impossible… That was how Sucrose wanted her dreamy paradise to be: a place where everybody could be happy, rely upon each other, and where there would be no conflict whatsoever. She knew that she still had a tremendous road ahead, yet she was not going to give up.
Nahida then noticed everybody's expressions. She blinked several times. She left Araperke on the ground, then stood up. She soundly cleared her throat.
"Forgive me. It wasn't my intention to depress the mood," she said, taking a hand to her chest. "Anyhow, now that everything has been cleared up, how about we return to Pardis Dhyai?"
Everybody nodded; it was about time they returned. They had still not run into any new Withering, or even any fungus, but the more they stayed there, the more likely an encounter would occur. Everybody stood up. Sucrose gazed again at the Parul. She was still stunned by its gorgeous appearance. Then, she felt some little taps on her leg. It was Araperke, who was calling her. He was staring fixedly at her.
"It's no wonder why you love these flowers so much," Sucrose commented, looking at Araperke with a warm smile. "I've never seen flowers so peculiars and pretty like these ones in nature."
"Right? Araperke and siblings love Parul really much! And Araperke's favorite spot to stand guard is on Parul's branches!" Araperke nodded both happily and proudly. He then stared at Sucrose again. "Still, must Nara Crows really go? Araperke has barely talked with Nara Crows…"
He seemed disillusioned. And with good reason: with everything which had happened, they had barely exchanged a few words. Nevertheless, Sucrose had no other choice.
"I'm so sorry, Araperke, but I promised Nahida that I would stay safe from the menace, and just me being here is already too risky. I really have to leave," she apologized earnestly. "But you can come with us to Pardis Dhyai. I'll carry you in my arms."
"Araperke can not do that," Araperke regretted sadly. "Araperke must stay here and watch over…"
Araperke fell silent and tense all of a sudden.
"What's wrong, Araperke?" Sucrose asked.
"Ground shakes!" Araperke exclaimed. "Ground shakes!"
Everybody turned towards Araperke in surprise. Moments later, everybody began to feel the ground shaking beneath their feet as well. It was a slight, faint tremor, yet almost all of them knew what such tremor meant.
"What's going on!?" Collei asked worriedly.
"It's the menace!" Cyno revealed. "It's coming closer!"
Neither Collei nor Dori knew what Cyno meant; however, when they saw them summoning their weapons and preparing to fight, they did the same. Everybody prepared for whatever might happen. They expected the menace to appear at any moment. Instead, the tremors subsided until they ceased completely. Despite this, everybody remained in position and in silence. Such scene remained still for several seconds.
"It seems like it's already over…" Dori commented.
Suddenly, Sucrose jumped and squealed.
"I don't think so!" Tighnari disagreed.
"Danger! Danger!" Araperke shouted.
The three of them were on edge. The others didn't understand what was happening, only that something was not right. Then, everybody heard it: a shriek. And then another. And another. The shrieks were growing louder; their issuers were drawing nearer. In the opposite direction whence the group had arrived to the Parul, further towards the upper level, the vegetation began to wither.
"Withered Monsters…" Collei stuttered in fright.
Indeed, from the now withered thicket one, two, three… up to five withered fungi appeared.
"Damn it!" Dori spat. "There's too many of them!"
"They must have sensed Araperke in the real plane!" Nahida yelled. "Araperke! Hide in the dream plane! Quickly!"
Araperke did so, and returned to be imperceptible to everybody but Nahida and Sucrose. With this, the Aranara was safe; however, Sucrose was still not. Although the party outnumbered the fungi by one, it was nigh impossible to deal with them while making sure that no one would even get close to Sucrose, especially if they focused only on her. Cyno and Tighnari advanced, positioning themselves between the fungi and the rest of the group.
"We'll hold them off," Cyno said. "You get Sucrose to safety."
"No, let's all cross the lower level back to whence we came," Nahida dissented. "I have an idea."
Without vacillating for even an instant, everybody accepted Nahida's proposal. Sucrose took Araperke in her arms, and everybody ran back the way they had come before: skirting the large crag with the humongous tree trunk. Although nobody had the slightest idea about what Nahida had come up with, everybody trusted her judgment. After all, nobody knew Sumeru better than her. Of the whole group, Cyno was going last, controlling the Withered Monsters behind them and ensuring that nobody in the group dropped back, while Sucrose was going first, trying to stay the safest from the chasing fungi on their heels. To everybody's surprise, she ran faster than everybody else, even though she was carrying Araperke in her arms.
Everybody was running fast. Unfortunately, the Withered Monsters, empowered by the corruption of the black mud, were somewhat faster. Little by little, they were gaining on them. The group could not afford even the slightest stumble, or else they would be caught. They climbed the path back towards the upper level as fast as they could in a single file. Once Sucrose had finally reached the top, Nahida exclaimed:
"Now! Araperke, make it rain!"
Araperke began to sing a melody. In a matter of just a few seconds, the weather in Apam Woods went from completely clear skies to torrential rain, and the water level rose at warp speed. The water reached Cyno, although it only wet his feet. The Withered Monsters, however, were entirely swallowed by the water, and dragged by its currents towards the deep end. Nahida's plan had worked.
At last, the party could take a breath. They stopped, and as they caught their breath, they watched as the place where they had been just moments ago was now completely flooded. The large crag with the humongous tree trunk was now an islet.
"So, the weather here is the work of the Aranara?" Tighnari asked curiously.
"Not exactly. Although they can control the weather in Apam Woods, most of the time it is just nature's own cycle," Nahida explained. "However, I did ask them to maintain good weather for us before we arrived in order to explore the area without that concern."
That explained why she was so certain that it would not rain. Nevertheless, it also posed many other questions about Apam Woods and the Aranara. This was neither the right time nor the right place for those questions, in any case.
"We should get going," Cyno suggested, "or else our greatest danger will be catching a cold."
"It actually won't be," Dori refuted in horror. "Look."
She pointed with her finger the thicket surrounding the narrow path which they had used to get to Apam Woods, and which they were going to use in order to leave it: it was withering. Then, three more withered fungi emerged from within.
"Just how many are there!?" Collei shrieked.
"When did the menace get so many!?" Sucrose wondered disquietly.
"Perhaps it already had them all along, and it has been keeping them in store," Nahida deduced. "That way, the early mass migration of fungi would make more sense."
"That doesn't matter now!" Tighnari rushed. "Do you have any other ideas, Nahida!?"
Nahida shook her head. "The only thing I can think of is the plan you two suggested earlier."
"Alright," Cyno nodded. "With only three of them, we don't need to hold them off; we can just beat them."
Cyno and Tighnari stood between the girls and the fungi once again, and prepared themselves to fight. Collei rushed to their side.
"Let me help!"
"No way," Tighnari refused. "Your job is to protect Sucrose. Remember that the fungi are going after her."
Meanwhile, Nahida ran towards another narrow path which disappeared into the thicket, far from where the three Withered Monsters were.
"This way! Follow me!"
Dori and Sucrose ran up to her.
"Let's go, Collei!" Sucrose urged.
"Okay!" Collei nodded. "Just be careful, you two!"
The four girls, and Araperke in Sucrose's arms, ran into the thicket and disappeared. The Withered Monsters tried to chase after them, but a powerful Electro blast from Cyno's spear hit one of them. Several electric arcs scattered through the rainwater and hit the other two. The two partners rushed to position themselves in the middle of the narrow path, blocking it to the fungi.
"You wanna go after them? You'll have to go through us first," Cyno dared.
In the meantime, the four girls ran as fast as they could through the thicket in a single file, with Nahida taking the lead, followed by Dori, Sucrose with Araperke, and Collei. None of them could picture how many more Withered Monsters could be lurking around; therefore, their best bet was to flee and seek refuge.
"Where are we going!?" Dori asked Nahida.
"To Caravan Ribat!" Nahida shouted so that she could be heard despite her back facing the others. "We ought to be safe there!"
A fortified village known as the gate to Sumeru's desert. Located just westwards from their current position, it was the closest safe place. There was, however, a big problem: now that the lower levels of Apam Woods had been inundated, they could not reach Caravan Ribat in a straight line. They had to run northwards until they came out to the main road which connected it to Sumeru City, and then go from there.
"Doesn't matter how, but we must get out of here as soon as possible!" Dori urged.
Although the thicket provided them cover, it also left them exposed as they ran blindly. The foliage was so tall and dense that neither Nahida nor Dori could see more than two steps ahead, though it posed no problem for the Archon's sense of direction. Sucrose wasn't looking ahead either. She couldn't see quite well with her glasses wet, and she couldn't run comfortably while carrying Araperke in her arms; therefore, she looked at Dori's feet in order to see where to step so she wouldn't trip. The only one who was looking at their surroundings was Collei, as well as the only one who saw something approaching them at full speed.
"Sucrose! On your left!"
Sucrose turned and saw a withered fungus lunging at her. It was too close to her; it was already too late for her to do anything. Collei could do nothing either: with so much foliage, she had no room to swiftly prepare her bow or throw her boomerang properly. The fungus attacked Sucrose; however, it did not hit her, but what had all of a sudden stood in its way:
"Dori!"